♱ • 1750 B.C.. • ♱ • Callisto • ♱"And the girl?" Asra asked me and it caught me by surprise.I had been so distracted between her and Loren that I forgot about the prisoner."What’s up?" I asked leaning back over the chair and the redhead in front of me smiled."I heard she came with you."I snitched."Azrael’s idea, he found it dangerous to leave her in the palace" I said shrugging "in the end... we have not yet got rid of all the priests, let alone the pope."The pope.He was the real problem. An ordinary human - as far as everyone knew-, but with so much sacred energy imbued in his body that a single touch of his would be able to make Loren a time bomb about to explode.I’ve had nightmares about that bastard since the day Loren was put in my arms.Asra nodded."Don’t you know anything about the pope’s whereabouts? Even after all this time?" she seemed to mean something, suggest something."We tried, but even if we kept a vigil over the villages, nothing was discovered," I expl
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱That plan wasn’t bad, but it still depended on too much.It depended on how much Callisto was willing to hide from Azrael, how things would go when they were with the saint and whether he had any strength in that world that would force the story back on track if Asra changed it too much."I know" Asmodeus said jumping on the bed "you’re thinking too much! That’s why your pretty little face is in this deplorable state."I sighed."Really? Is that your focus?"He nodded."Your beauty is always my focus, dear."It was unbelievable, but the worst part was that I knew he wasn’t lying. That was really Asmodeus' focus."I’m really thinking too much" I muttered "but that’s because I intend to keep us alive in the midst of all this" I muttered "unlike a certain someone."Asmodeus laughed."Look... dying wouldn’t be such a bad idea, have you seen how much work I’ve been getting? It’s almost an injury. It’s too much work..." he whined "whenever that little turd of Calisto see
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱Asmodeus was right to some extent and I had to admit it. It would be easier to catch Azrael if he was at least trying to do something, but it still scared me.Then, when the prince - still hurt by the idea of what I thought of him - left, I threw myself into my bed, feeling, for the first time in a long time, a little peace.Yeah, I had to solve something big like a betrayal that even the fans couldn’t handle, but... I was fine.I spent my whole life wishing I was in one of the countless books I read and now I was. I was Asra - not the protagonist, but that somehow did not bother me.I was still there.I could still change the bad things that were going to happen with the characters I loved and for the first time, I could have something I didn’t have in my entire other life.I had an Asmodeus.I had a friend, even if he was from "Asra" and not mine, I had a friend. A friend who would never lie to me, who came to my room every day.Asmodeus.That demon that I hated
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱ •⋅ Calisto ⋅• ♱Asra was asleep when I entered her room. Her face was slightly contorted in a position that did not seem comfortable to me, but still she slept peacefully."I should go back" I told myself, as I tried to convince myself, but before I knew it, I was next to her bed, watching her face asleep.Would Quinn forgive me if I loved her again?I had promised her, I had said that day in front of the waterfall that I would never love someone as I loved her and that this would remain for my whole life, even if they lived thousands of years more, even if we separated and had different lives. Even if we were to fight each other.I said these words and now I was standing there, in the room of the woman I took as a concubine for so many centuries. I was standing by her bed and I thought... I thought about how beautiful she was, about how I missed her smell. About how stupid I felt when she threw those countless truths in my face.I told Asra that I could never love
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱ •⋅ Asmodeus ⋅• ♱He was sneaking out of her room again and then another. It was comical to see the king sneaking in to watch my sweet child sleep.Calisto had become something like a dumb teenager - not that at some point he was exactly smart."Come on, tell the truth."The demon in my mind mocked."What did he do to you? Am? Did he steal any of your lovers while you were distracted by some bright light?" That was an outrage "or do you just hate it for free? Em? I’m right? Wasn’t the mistress? Which one? Am? The redhead? He looks like he likes redheads. The girl you see every night is kind of a redhead..., but... I don’t know, maybe he likes blondes? There was a blonde, wasn’t there? What was her name?"I snitched."Have you forgotten how much fun it is to be alone in a room with me?" I snored "I can remind you if you don’t shut your evil little mouth."That wasn’t a double-entendre suggestion. I was ready to torture that bastard if he didn’t shut his fucking mouth
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱There was something different when I woke up, it was hard to say exactly what, but something had changed. Whether this was good or not, I was still trying to decide."Are you ready, ma'am?"One of the maids asked and I could only grumble and raise one of my hands."I just woke up, do you really think I’m ready?"It was obvious, but still the woman laughed and without delay stood beside me."Then you’d better get up, ma'am."I didn’t want to get up, actually the room seemed more comfortable than usual."Hummmm..." grunted and the maid pulled me by the arm."Ma'am, I would... Today is the day where you will accompany the king to the village of Noir, you cannot lie down..." she spoke while trying to talk to me, but... I could leave Callisto waiting a little, right? How about a few hours? Am? I think it’s a great idea."I know what you’re thinking," she said, "and no, she can’t."Grunhi.Frustrating.Dealing with my maids had begun to be frustrating."You have no heart
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C ⋅• ♱ •⋅ Calisto ⋅• ♱That place was exactly how Asra spoke. Pain, bones and ashes. In all my existence I did not think I would see something so depressing again."What really happened here?"She sighed."They didn’t have enough young people for the tribute" murmured "so they killed all the old people they found and took all the women from the place, well... almost all of them."She pointed to three children who hugged each other to deal with the cold and I couldn’t help but think of Loren.What would I do if it was my son there? I would hunt and kill whoever dared touch Loren, but who would do that for those children?I sighed.I already knew the answer, nobody."Azrael said everything would be fine..." I muttered "doesn’t look well."Asra laughed."Compare to the first time I came ? It looks a lot like paradise now."My eyes widened wide."How?"She shrugged her shoulders."Everyone was hungry, dressed in rags and completely ragged."It was hard to believe, but I didn’t
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱Calisto was beside me and soon was no more."Beware" I heard him scream as a dagger flew towards me.There were many.From what I had heard from the villagers, only 6 of them went to get the tributes. So what changed? Why the hell now had so many of them?20? 30? No... it looked 45 if I hadn’t counted wrong.It wasn’t a coincidence."Azrael said we’d see..." smiles as those words came to my mind.He had done it.You fucking sadistic fuck.My hands burned and I felt my nose bleed, but still dodged the attacks and continued to invade their minds.They were human after all and it wasn’t that complicated.I crushed them, completely destroyed them and forced their bodies to stop working.They couldn’t touch me, it was impossible, but I soon felt a different presence.It was petrifying and when my eyes rose, white wings appeared in front of me."Calisto." I screamed as loud as I could, but it was too late, the king was facing away from that damned heavenly and with a smi
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C ⋅• ♱ •⋅ Azrael ⋅• ♱I watched her without realizing it, watched until the sun was setting and the barrier surrounding Samael’s plan was thinner, until the rune fragment she sent me was strong enough to enter."Don’t be an idiot," I remembered as my wings throbbed, "there’s no room for kindness, not after all you’ve done, don’t be such a hypocrite".I swallowed hard and a smile easily appeared on my lips when I crossed. It was like a fog touching my skin, a comfortable cold, a feeling I had missed even without realizing it.What the hell was I thinking? What was going on with me?I closed my eyes tightly, but my wings just beat, just took me there, to that breathless breath and that smile that could be felt in her voice when she called me."Azrael!" His arms wrapped around my neck and... had they always been so warm?"I thought you couldn’t come..." whispered her face down to my neck, I could feel her lips arched into a smile "okay? Did you get hurt getting past the barri
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱ •⋅ Azrael ⋅• ♱The child began to be able to move gradually, in a way that was still a little time consuming and different from his usual, from the child who ran around and insisted so much to have his little body in that garden.His speech had returned too, his voice was less guttural, more understandable and a smile that was not painful could be seen, one that was not put on that face just because of the melancholy of Callisto."Look! You can move your arms better now" the quartz eyes were flickering as you said that as something equivalent to Loren’s first steps, as if that was some kind of novelty that should be celebrated with various gifts and a party "how is your breathing? Something still burns?" tried to caress that small face as if it was something that would break by any slip on his part.Loren was now like a valuable piece of porcelain, one that could not risk being damaged after being restored."I’m fine, Dad..." the child’s voice was still low when to
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱ •⋅ Elaine ⋅• ♱"I like stars," he said while playing with a pearl between my fingers "I like how they look, how they’re bright and beautiful. I like purple, I like how the sun in this world is red, even though here where Samael lives he looks different."Keir smiled, his hands still playing by my hair."What else?" asked me with her face resting on my thighs."I like salty foods, slightly spicy, bittersweet and especially the dessert that the boss of the mansion always makes." The one that looks like jelly with syrup."Pudding? ' She asked me smiling from the corner and I nodded."That’s right, pudding.""Um, um, uh...""I also like pretty dresses, braided hair, flat shoes, delicate swords..." I continued to list "I like hardcover books and slow songs.""And old scrolls? You live surrounded by them" Keir joked, his lips arched in a mischievous smile that made my heart beat."Silly" I hit with my fingertips on his nose."I know, I know" gave up "continue... what els
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱ •⋅ Quinn ⋅• ♱His arms wrapped around my body and then everything seemed to be fine.I no longer felt the blood, nor the weight of the souls that I plucked, that I hurt."Everything will be fine" he repeated as a melodic song and if it was Calisto who told me those things... I naturally believed."How can you not like it here?" I asked as I stared at that landscape, the sky, the grass that resembled a red foliage. The stars that always shone in the sky almost always cloudy.Calisto snorted."I don’t know..." he said sincerely "maybe... I just can’t see the beauty of hell when I didn’t have you by my side."A twinge struck my chest, a twinge of happiness and hope."Fool" I mocked wrapping my arms around his neck.I loved that being.He loved his color-changing eyes, loved his foolish way of thinking that the world was more beautiful outside of hell. He loved the way the rebellious waves of black hair he had struggled to unravel around his delicate face.I loved the
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱ •⋅ Calisto ⋅• ♱I could not sleep.My eyes weighed and weighed, but I could not sleep - because there, in my arms -, there was a fragile being who did not seem able to open his eyes again.Whenever everything was cloudy and sleep pulled me down, I saw myself awakening in fright and looking at him.Checking.Checking to see if he was still alive, if he was still breathing.It was every day, every second - more complicated to watch, to watch."You should rest," Azrael told me one night, his eyes sharply in pain as he stared at the child, my child."How?" I heard myself ask, Loren’s sleeping face was so pale I had to put my fingers close to her nostrils to make sure he was still alive."Samael is good" he said hoping to console me, but it didn’t work.How would it work?"Then why haven’t we heard from you?" I practically growled, my hands closed in fists, tears burning in my eyes "I sent letters and more letters... I... I did everything I could... I DEMANDED answers a
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱ •⋅ Asmodeus ⋅• ♱"Asmodeus is a great...""This time it’s going to work," I said ignoring the voice of that damn demon in my earring as I focused on that crystal, that crystal I was able to form from Quinn’s blood."You’ve been repeating this since...""Shut up" growled tearing the earring from my ear and throwing it at the wall.I wasn’t in the mood to be careful about whether or not I could hurt him or even break his prison.I was just tired.I wanted to see her."It needs to work" I muttered as I imbued more and more magic in that little crystal "work, work..." I kept repeating, as if somehow that was a stupid mantra - strong enough to make everything work; but nothing could be easy when it was for me, right?Nothing worked as it should.I bit my mouth hard, the fangs thrust into my lip until a sliver of blood came down my chin.I couldn’t see her, I couldn’t be with her or protect her. I couldn’t go to her even though time was passing and yet, the least I was a
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱ •⋅ Loren ⋅• ♱My eyes weighed, my belly looked strange and at times it was like floating in my own body.I could feel my father’s affection as he tried to talk and distract me, but now even opening his mouth was a complicated task."It’s going to be okay" he repeated and at that point I already knew he was saying it more to himself than to me."I know" I wanted to answer while smiling, but my mouth did not move, in fact, opening my eyes was already a gigantic effort, so I was content to grunt and hold her hand.It wasn’t a squeeze, I couldn’t even call it anything but touch. A soft, almost nonexistent touch that my father should be questioning if it was real.He was sad, wasn’t he? Abbadon should also be, but after I started sleeping more than 17 hours a day, she was no longer there, just Dad.A version of Dad who stared at me with a red face from crying."Do you want to hear a story?" He asked me with a broken voice and I forced myself to smile, forced my face to
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱ •⋅ Samael ⋅• ♱I blinked."What was it?" she asked me as she sat in the armchair and the red-eyed duchess stared at me with an raised eyebrow."I did not expect... the two" I spoke sincerely, after all the agreement I had made with Elaine was already a clear way to make the duchess calmer with all that; even so, the sharp gaze of Asra shot me as if my mere mention of her being there was an offense. Maybe it was the result of years on the battlefield, but I knew when I wasn’t able to win a war, so I sighed winning "but since you’re here..." I muttered indicating with one hand to the armchairs - sit down."Where will you start?" Asra questioned, the red hair falling with perfectly braided waves on her back, the sharp eyes staring at me and looking for any sign of flickering in my attitudes or decisions."I’ve been thinking about tears..." I said remembering Quinn, the way he had acted.Since that day, the bastard did not even give me a mere sign of life and Callisto’
♱ •⋅ 1750 B.C. ⋅• ♱ •⋅ Elaine ⋅• ♱Samael did as he said he would, but from the day we arrived at the camellia mansion - a name given by Keir, since the garden was full of camellias -, I did not even see the slightest sign of the priest’s existence, but now, when morning came by the door of our house.The huge smile on his face made me question my own sanity as he said - what was sweet? If you keep looking at me like that, I’m gonna think you don’t like my presence.I opened my mouth to confirm that assumption, but I chose not to."Just... I thought it was too early for you to be here," I lied and apparently that wasn’t one of my best lies, as he just smiled as he drank his tea."Early? We have a lot to study, especially if we want the child to experience one of my theses before dying."I swallowed it hard."Is he... very ill?"Samael laughed quietly."Does it really matter to you?"'No' I realized as I pressed the skirt of my dress between my fingers.My concern for Loren... was mini