"No, you throw your hand out with the pivot of your foot so you use all force."

Without asking for permission, I pushed the demon's hand forward, using my knee to push his leg in unison. "Yea, just like that," I mumbled, nodding as he demonstrated a work in progress. I really had nothing to say to him because he was getting all of the good points, but I just felt like he wasn't taking it seriously. Though he had some of the utmost power in the world, humans were not to be taken lightly.

"Yea, put a little more arm into it," I muttered, rubbing my face as I watched the other demons swarm around each other. The demon looked at me with a confused expression, surprised to not hear a furrow of curse words leaving my lips but I just wasn't feeling it today. I was happy they wanted to learn, but too much was happening. People could tell that I wasn't myself because I was oddly quiet and even I knew it. I just had a lot on my mind and there was a lot of truths coming out and I had no idea what to do with them because it wasn't even my problem or my people, to begin with.

"And I care because?"

I wasn't sure what she was getting at because I didn't understand what she was trying to tell me. "So what if your name is Adira or whatever the hell you just said? What does that have to do with me?" My demon servant opened the necklace, revealing it to be a locket. I peered in closer to see a picture of a man, who looked oddly human.

"Long, long ago," Availa began, holding her hand out to summon a small beam of light. "I was the third division commander of the demon code enforcement," She chuckled darkly and I stared, wondering if I was hearing shit. "That was the best time of my life because I had worked long and hard to get that position. I had so much respect because I was so dedicated," Her voice cracked as the beam of light in her hand reflected the silhouette of a male.

"Sir Alistair decided to take Lexica, Nya, and I to a city, Auckland in New Zealand so that we could see just how bad the world had gotten since he had taken over," I furrowed my brows at her wording, questioning what she meant. "You should've seen how terrible the city was. It was in so many ruins and there was chaos, all because our lord was trying to keep them from being killed," Availa took a deep breath, wiping a tear from her eye as she went silent, trying to find the courage to continue.

"I fell in love."

I bit my lip as she chuckled. "I swear to you, I had never fallen so hard in all of my many years of life, but this one person managed to take my heart." The silhouette in her hand became clearer and prominent, allowing me to see a vision of who she loved. "What happened?" I swallowed tightly, knowing what happened from the look on her face. "It is a sin to fall in love with someone, regardless of whether they're human or not. Sir Alistair doesn't permit it," I took a deep breath and awaited her words.

"You can imagine what happened when he found out," Availa whispered quietly, weeping to herself. "I was demoted to a servant and Leo, I really don't know what happened to him. I don't know if he was killed or if he just died off, but I never saw him again," She finished and her last tear tugged on the strands of my nonexistent heart. I really felt for her, I did. "Then, Adira," Her eyes widened, a soft smile pulling at her lips. "Then why don't you hate Maddox?" I folded my arms and she shook her head. "Because Sir is a man who never does things without a reason," She had so much blind faith in him as well as everyone, but I needed more.

"But why is your name different?" I asked and she sighed, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. "I don't know. I don't remember that much but I do know one thing," She looked up at the sky. "None of us were born demons."

I had no clue what to make of that information.

No one said it, but it was blatantly obvious that there was even a hierarchy here in Hell. Maddox was most definitely at the top, then came Nya, Zero, Jexan, the demon code enforcement commanders, the demon code enforcement soldiers, the chefs, the servants and everyone else, and then the humans. I had no idea where Hannah nor the angel children stood, but it was clear that even I was below them.

It was pretty evident because when a human brought up goods from the bunker to show to Maddox in his general area, the demons just sneered as they skimped on in. It irritated me because my people did not ask for this. Though it was greatly appreciated, the least these demons could do was allow to know that their life has more worth than they could possibly ever know. None of us asked Maddox to absorb Earth under his control, for whatever reason it may be, and for him to allow these people to treat them like trash, it irked me.

They didn't have to treat me personally like shit. If they treated someone down in the bunker as if they didn't matter, they were in a way treating me bad too.

This was such a shitty situation and we couldn't deny that notion. I just wanted to know what was happening and why. Maybe I could've made some sort of plan as to help Maddox out because we were being implicated too. In addition to that, to know that Adira or Availa or what the fuck ever told me that no one was born a demon, it had gotten my mind rolling due to the fact that that sentence implied so much.

It meant that there was something more malicious brewing beneath the surface.

"You alright there?" I turned on my heel to see Lexica peering into my face with concern written on her face. "Yeah, yeah," I waved a hand at her as I walked to the front of the room, just needing to take a deep breath. "Lexica, I have a question for you," She nodded, scratching her horn as she stepped closer to me. I had to rip off the bandaid and just say it straight. "Do you know who you were before you were Lexica?" I asked and she furrowed her nose, tilting her head.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Troy." I took a deep breath and sighed. The question was a lot easier than she thought it was, but she genuinely didn't understand it. Maybe she was just normal. "Before you became the first division commander, who were you?" Lexica still looked at me as if she didn't understand, so I thought about it carefully, phrasing my next words.

"What was your sin?"

If I was theorizing correctly, each demon here had a sin. I wasn't sure on what grounds was such considered a sin, but it made sense and if Adira was correct about none of them being born a demon, then that meant that something must have happened for them to end up here in Hell. Back home, we had a thing called the Bible and it discussed the seven deadly sins, which could result in your demotion to Hell if you displayed that kind of behavior.

Though I didn't believe in it too much because I thought that was it just made for the lands of Heaven, not for Earth.

Lexica gritted her teeth, her eyes betraying her and showing all of her hurt and anxiety as she clenched her hands. "Watch what you ask me, Troy." She growled lowly, her eyes turning black as she walked away from me. I smirked just a bit, realizing that her anger was what got the best of her. Wrath.

I just didn't know how that played into this whole scheme because Maddox seemed to be hiding a lot more than he was allowing us to see.

"Happy birthday, Troy," I looked up and blinked. One of the fellow demons smiled at me and I almost jolted in shock, questioning if he was really talking to me, the human that he hated so much. "Oh, it's that time of year already?" I realized that today was indeed March 23rd, the day that Earth was blessed with my presence. Though, I didn't really give a shit about my birthday because the same thing happened every single year. "Thanks, man. I appreciate it."

It really caught me off guard that he was being nice to me. I understood that I was teaching him moves and whatnot, but he didn't have to feel obligated to be nice to me, because I sure didn't care if I was nice to him or not. I didn't care if I was nice to any of them because they earned the respect that they wanted.

"Hi, Troy!" I felt a tug on my hand and I was brought back to reality, seeing Vee, Zavi, and Amona crowding around me. Someone, give me the father of the year award. "Yes, babies?" I called out to them and they started to pull me along. "Sir Alistair has a surprise for you!" Amona gushed and Vee shushed her. "Sorry, it was supposed to be a secret," I bit my lip, wondering what type of surprise it was. I was shocked myself that he even went that far, considering I forgot my own birthday.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, feeling the fog slap my cheeks as they dragged me across the bridge. "Shh, we're almost there," I rolled my eyes as we entered the gloomy castle, hearing nothing but the sound of sad demon moans like they were crying or something. Ew, creepy. We passed Nya and Jexan on the way, earning me a wave from Jexan but a small glare from Nya. Or should I say, Nicola?

Something about that didn't sit right with me.

"Here we are," Vee giggled as we stopped in front of the familiar black doors that sat outside of Maddox's entire wing. "Is he in there?" I asked, wanting to just bust up and there and ask him what he wanted from this now 19-year-old. "Yes," Amona said. "Sir Alistair told us that we aren't allowed to go inside of his wing," Zavi mumbled and I chuckled, rolling my eyes. "He tells you not to do a lot of things but are we gonna listen?" I raised a brow as they stared at me with want in their eyes. "Nope, let's go," I pushed open the double doors, allowing them to go first.

When I stepped one singular foot inside, I was immediately attacked by paws rubbing at my legs. I nearly died inside, thinking that it was some baby demon trying to murder me as slowly as possible. Was this the surprise Maddox had for me? Really, my own death? "Open your eyes, Troy!" Amona giggled and I flinched as the sound of barking filled my ears. "Huh?" I sputtered, cracking one eyeball open to see a little furball scraping my calves.

"Who is this cute little puppy?" I picked up the golden animal, watching him wiggle his tail as he lapped at my cheek happily. "That's one of our many pets," Vee giggled as I snuggled the cute animal to my chest. He was so cute. "Sir Alistair said you could have him as a birthday present." I raised a brow at the kids, wondering what they knew and what he was trying to get at.

"Well, I'll call you Maddox Jr." The puppy barked, telling me that he liked his name. Good, because he was going to get called that regardless. He looked exactly like the demon lord except that he was gold.

"I'd like to think that there are many names that you can give him besides that," I heard a dark voice and I smirked, feeling heat fill the room. The children jumped and hid behind my legs, clutching them for dear life as they felt trouble was coming. "Sure, Lucifer, Satan, the Devil, king of Babylon, you take your pick," I mocked, recounting our first meeting with each other. "Real cocky little shit you are, Maddox."

The demon lord smirked as he entered the room, his voice crisp with authority and power. Instead of his usual suit and tie, he walked in with a pair of mouthwatering ripped black jeans, a white shirt that clung to his upper half and a pair of suede boots on his feet. He had his hair pushed back, that one individual strand staying over his eyes.

I couldn't lie, he looked breathtaking.

"What the hell are you looking all nice for, the fuck?" I demanded to know and his perfect brow raised at the sound of profanity. "Because it's your birthday and I wanted to look a little different," He said and I fought the urge to cough. Was that a blush that I saw on his cheeks? Oh my.

"Happy birthday, Troy," Maddox breathed with a tilt of his head, his eyes glossed over and a small smile on his lips. I had never seen someone smile in my presence as much as he did and I wasn't gonna lie, it made me feel good. "Thank you," I expressed, unable to look away from his captivating eyes. There was no way to describe the trance that he had me in, though it was clear that it was the opposite. He just stared at me and I could feel heat decorating my entire core as he took a step closer.

Gosh, I didn't know what to do but my heart was screaming. I could see the embers of the galaxies coming to life in his eyes, the glow of the light from the sky high above illuminating his tan skin. It wasn't a confusing feeling and it felt just right, something growing slowly as the distance between us closed itself.

"I do have another surprise for you," He reached out a tentative hand and grasped my chin in it, forcing me to look up at him. I ignored the zing of sparks that was on his hand, humming slightly as it made its way through my face. I stared into his eyes, realizing that I was allowing myself to be dragged into whatever this was. What are you doing, Troy? We don't do sweet things like this. Even if my mind argued with my heart, my feet stayed in its same position. The feeling of his hand lingered on my chin, leaving me electrified for a long time.

"What is it?" I replied, noticing that the children went quiet, staring up at us. Maddox took Jr. out of my hands, holding him tightly as his namesake motioned for me to turn around. "Don't think I didn't notice that you deliberately told the children to break one of my rules," Maddox grunted out and I shrugged, knowing that he wasn't going to do a thing. "Yea, well it's wrong that you don't allow them to come in here. What if they want to spend time with you, huh? Don't be such a party pooper," I groaned and Maddox clicked his teeth, realizing full well that I was correct.

"Such a brat," He sneered to himself and all of a sudden, the room went black. "What the fuck is going on?" I screeched, stepping around into the dark room. I couldn't see a thing but I could feel all eyes on me and it was not a good feeling. I heard footsteps behind me and I stood on alarm, prepared to fight anyone and anything because they didn't know who they were messing with.

"I don't think that's how you should be talking in a place like this, Troy," I blinked, realizing that I heard this voice before. I heard this voice every day I went to bed and every day I woke up. I heard this voice everywhere because as much as it was a constant nag, it was a constant sooth. The lights came on slowly, revealing a tall girl in front of me, her green eyes lighting up as she grinned brightly at me.

"Jade!"

I nearly sprinted in the air as I ran over to pull her high up in the air into my arms, relishing in her fruity scent. "I missed you too, Troy," Her black hair fell in my face but it didn't matter because she was here with me. There was no way to describe how relieved I felt after seeing that she was okay. I opened my eyes, seeing Maddox standing there with jaw tight. "Thank you," I mouthed to him, a traitorous tear leaving my eye as he gave me a gentle smirk. Maybe this time, I'd give him a hug. He just made my entire year, so maybe he deserved one.

Wait, this didn't feel right. "Hold on," I clasped Jade's shoulders, watching her give me a look of bewilderment. Avery had to be here too, this was the only way. "I'll be right back! I have someone for you to see," I dashed past Maddox, making my way out of the wing and running towards the entrance to the basement. It was guarded by Zero during the low night-time, so she let me in. "Make sure you do not go further down, Troy!" She gave me that warning but I ignored it, flying down the glass stairs with ease. "Was it the first door?" I pointed. I shook my head. "Nah, that can't be," I huffed as I continued to go down to where the stairs descended into the ground, slowly treading down the dark and isolated hallway.

All I could see was bars upon bars, resembling a jail cell but more close-knit and I gulped, hearing the sound of weeping. "Did I come too far?" I whispered to myself, never having seen this part of the deep basement before. Nonetheless, I kept walking because I wanted to know where that sound was coming from.

"O-oh," I stumbled upon a woman with dark brown hair that cascaded down her back, bright blue eyes that gleamed up at me with tears around the rim, and pale skin that was reddened by her sobbing. She was dressed in a white dress that wasn't dirty, hands bound by steel and titanium cuffs, her ankles tied with chains. "Who are you?" I questioned as I stepped closer, seeing a green aura slowly moving around her.

"My name is Synthella," The woman whispered, her voice hollow and empty as I stepped forward again, keeping a distance from her. She reminded me so much of Natanya, that it was hard to believe that she was in this cage. Her voice didn't sound anything like a regular demon's would and for that reason, I was extremely wary.

"Synthella Kane."