The momentary triumph was soon interrupted by a sharp pain in my gut as I realized the wound was still open after being pierced through twice in less than ten minutes. I placed my hand over it and stumbled back down the stairs, grunting in pain. The fire was spreading too fast now, but my legs felt weak.

Belial stopped in his tracks and looked down at me, while Loki paused mid-flight. Belial quickly rushed over, attempting to pull me up. Suddenly, I felt a strong grip on my ankles. I lost my balance and was yanked down. It was the Devil himself.

In the chaos, I noticed the raven hurtling towards us, but out of nowhere, Paimon sprinted up the stairs and caught it mid-flight, slamming it against the wall. Belial then charged at Paimon, kicking him down. In a swift motion, he grabbed Loki and sprinted out of the place, leaving me with the Devil.

I ended up falling flat on my back as the Devil struck me in the face. I tried to push him off but the blood loss was getting to me and the pain was spreading through the rest of my body. He grabbed me by the hair and smashed the back of my head against the edge of a stair. Then again... then again... until my mind went black and I saw nothing nor heard anything anymore.

***

I began opening my eyes and slowly began to notice the surroundings. I was in what seemed like a basement of a basement. There were no sounds, just darkness and stone. For a second, I thought I was stuck in the void had it not been for the obvious stone floor underneath me. I began sitting up and trying to adjust my vision to the darkness and I began seeing that I was stuck in a prison. Again. However, from what I could gather from energies, I was still in Hell although in very deep parts of it. Why didn't the Devil kill me when he had the opportunity?

Nothing was hurting anymore, meaning I was laying here for several days. I began standing up and then I noticed I had something clasped around my neck. It was a chain, quite similar to the one Lucifer had in the cage. It was a deafening silence and, needless to say, it made me quite uncomfortable.

Oh, look who woke up! I heard a very familiar voice, that one being of the Devil. His voice resonated through the chamber despite the fact I only heard it in my head. Almost immediately upon hearing him, the rage within me just sprung out of nothing.

"What do you want?!" I yelled out at him. I almost believed he just didn't kill me so he could torture me for all eternity.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence after my outburst. Then, I heard footsteps approaching the prison. The sound grew louder until a figure stood before the bars, staring directly at me. It was the Devil himself, of course. His presence was imposing, and the air seemed to grow colder as he stood there, his eyes locked onto mine.

"Do you always have to have such a dramatic entrance?" I asked as I looked straight at him. He simply looked at me and smirked,

"Of course I do." He replied as he approached the bars. "I think it's incredibly hilarious how you think you have one up on me at all times." He began cackling and I furrowed my brows as I was looking at him.

"What are you talking about?" I asked because his tone didn't imply that he was joking. And considering the last memory I had was Loki's raven body smashed into the wall, I didn't feel too good about his implications.

"You think turning everyone against me will somehow work out flawlessly?" he asked, tilting his head slightly as he frowned. "You think you can play tricks with me?" He began to laugh, a sound that sent a chill down my spine. I genuinely didn't like where this was going. His laughter grew more unhinged, and I could see the madness creeping into his eyes. From behind the bars, I felt utterly powerless.

"Well... good luck thinking that." He snickered and then, with a flourish, pulled what looked like a rope from behind the wall. Another figure was dragged into the dim light. It was Belial. His appearance was disheveled, and he looked battered, but his eyes still held a defiant spark.

My mouth fell open as I looked at the scene before me. The rope was tied around his neck as the blood was dripping from his head. His clothes were ripped as he was struggling to even stand. His mouth had a cloth stuffed in them as the leather strap was wrapped around his head to prevent him from speaking. His eyes were locked on me as if he was begging me to help him.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" I screamed out as I attempted to run over closer to them but I was held back by the chain.

"I think the question is what I will do next." He spoke and then pushed Belial down on his knees, grabbed the back of his hair as he pulled his head back. "I will kill your friends one by one until I get to you and then... when I get to you, it's going to be the best thing I've ever done."

I began breathing unevenly as I was listening to him speak and could barely believe his words. While I knew he was slowly losing his mind, I didn't expect it to become so much worse in such a short amount of time. Suddenly, he cared very little about the Astral laws.

"You... Don't you dare lay a finger on him." I seethed despite knowing that my words couldn't do anything. But one thing I could hope for was attempting to connect with Abaddon telepathically. I doubted my messages would manage to reach him in time or to even reach him at all considering I had no idea where I was and how warded it was.

"And what are you going to do about it?" He asked in an even tone as his eyes darkened. "Not much you can do from here, can you?" He continued and then pulled out a sharp knife out of his pocket. I immediately noticed that it wasn't a regular knife, rather the one you use to erase a demon from existence. My eyes widened and even more fury burst in me as I struggled to figure out what to do.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, throwing myself against the bars once more. The chain yanked me back, and I slammed onto the cold, hard ground. The impact knocked the breath out of me, and as I lay there, gasping, the Devil's laughter echoed around the room.

"Oh, you're so funny, Asmodeus," he said, amusement dancing in his eyes. He pointed the tip of the knife towards me, the blade gleaming menacingly in the dim light. "That is why I'm saving you for last. I'm enjoying this."

I clenched my jaw, glaring at him with all the fury I could muster. Rage and helplessness burned within me, a volatile mix that threatened to consume me. My mind raced, desperately trying to devise a solution, but every thought felt futile against the iron bars and chains that held me.

Belial's eyes met mine, and in that moment, a silent understanding passed between us. We were in this together, bound by the same chains, facing the same tormentor.

"What are you even thinking of accomplishing with this?" The best I could was stall for now while I was rapidly sending telepathic messages to Abaddon, hoping at least one would reach him.

"I can't have traitors on my premises, it's simple." He shrugged before pressing the blade against Belial's throat and I instantly yelled out,

"STOP! I... I know... I know where Lucifer is." The Devil stopped and looked at me immediately with immense seriousness in his gaze. He raised an eyebrow before removing the knife from Belial's throat.

He continued to stare at him, his eyes darkening even more than before. I probably shouldn't have brought up the matter in this way, even mentioning Lucifer's name seemed to be pushing it.

"You... You know. You know everything, don't you?" He sounded rather taken aback. I clenched my jaw as I fixed my gaze on him. Well, now I've done it.

"I... know some of it." I said, trying to sound like I wasn't fully to blame for all of this transpiring. The Devil frowned as if he momentarily forgot about Belial completely. The other demon finally had his head up and he was also looking at me as if to ask if I went insane. And I probably had gone insane briefly but honestly it was probably a downward spiral for a while now.

"I knew it." The Devil spoke and then his glare pierced through me that I almost felt goosebumps going down my spine. "I'm going to fucking kill you." He spat through gritted teeth before pushing Belial as he fell back and hit his head against the wall in the hallway. Then he went to the door of my prison cell, grabbed a large metal key that was hung on his belt before beginning to unlock it. Well... at least my hands weren't tied.

"Don't you want to know what happened first?" I asked as he finally unlocked the door and stepped in. My reaction was surprisingly calm despite being aware of the fact that I could die at any second. But I had been in so many near-death situations lately that nothing surprised me anymore.

"Sure. Tell me and then I'm going to kill you." He said with the most neutral tone while his face was showing complete disdain for me. I kept firing off messages to Abaddon hoping greatly that he was going to come in time otherwise we could've been both screwed for eternity.

"Well, you see..." I trailed off, trying to stall, but I could see him growing visibly angrier. "Lucifer is not quite with us anymore." I tried to be honest without actually revealing the truth, but the Devil wasn't having it.

"Get to the point!" He yelled, advancing toward me. He pulled me by the back of my hair and pressed the knife against my throat. "I swear, if you don't spit it out, I will go back over there and kill Belial right now!"

My eyes fixed on him, and somehow, seeing him riled up like that made it all the more thrilling. The fact that I held such vital information, that it all depended entirely on me, stroked my ego in a way I hadn't anticipated.

So, I pulled my lips into a smirk as I continued, "He's gone. You'll never be able to see him again. He's gone from Astral." The moment I said it, his face darkened even more, and I could almost see a hint of hurt in his eyes. Then, out of nowhere, something I thought I'd never witness occurred. Tears began welling up in his eyes. He clenched his jaw hard, attempting to halt them, while pressing the knife even harder against my throat.

"You fucking asshole." The Devil spat through a hushed tone, his face contorted in fury and frustration, tears threatening to betray his facade of control. Suddenly, a piercing, high-pitched noise filled the entire basement, reverberating through the walls with such intensity that even the Devil recoiled in pain, dropping his knife and clutching his ears.

I gritted my teeth against the agonizing sound, knowing full well who was behind it, yet enduring it with grim determination. "What the fuck!" the Devil bellowed in anguish, his voice strained. The noise continued unabated, unsettling the very air around us.

As the cacophony persisted, I felt the unexpected tug of the chain binding me, followed by the snap of its release. Before I could comprehend what was happening, strong arms seized me under my shoulders, yanking me backward with astonishing force. Gasping in surprise, I was swiftly pulled into a swirling void portal that had suddenly materialized behind me.

There was only darkness for a few seconds before I got thrown out into the other realm. I collapsed back onto the ground as Abaddon just let go of me the moment we arrived. I slowly sat up and noticed that we were in the forest in his realm. I looked behind me and saw Abaddon standing over me, glaring daggers at me and realizing this had been the angriest I had seen him.

"You... I can't believe you were so reckless!" He suddenly yelled out and I got startled, making me get up from the ground instantly. There was never a moment I expected he'd get so riled up. But I guess even he had a line you shouldn't cross.

"I thought you didn't care about what happened because you wouldn't be the one affected." I tried defending my position. However, he just continued to stare at me with immense fury.

"We had a deal, Asmodues." He said firmly. "You were about to just throw it all away just because of idiot Belial." He added, his voice dripping with pure annoyance. Hearing him out actually put some things in perspective. I may have gone too far but Belial did save my life before.

"You do not know what happened in the meantime, Abaddon!" I argued back. "He actually saved my life before that so I figured I owed him one. Besides, you could've let me die. Now you've exposed us both by coming to save me."

He frowned and crossed his arms, breathing out sharply. "I guess I could have." He mumbled and it felt for a second like he actually considered getting me back to the castle. "Too late now, Asmodeus. We have things to do. You have really outdone yourself this time, not in a good way by the way. Chaos seems to be escalating further and there is no way to stop it. I cannot fully blame you either, we are both responsible for this. So..." He paused for a second before his eyes darkened. "I cannot let you leave here for a while."

Upon hearing his words, I couldn't even open my mouth to talk. I had my eyes fixed on him almost waiting for him to provide further explanation but that never came. "You have to let me leave. I've got Beelzebub and... Mammon and... Loki as well over there. I can't just be here."

"When did you get so soft?" He grumbled before shaking his head. "You need to let go of these things that are holding you back. This is now about your survival. If they are really your friends, they'd understand why you had to do what you had to do." He once again explained matters in his usual cold, logical way. I could never disagree with him because what he said did make sense but... when did I get so soft? The old me would've never let this stop me from surviving. But Loki was over there...

I took a deep breath and hung my head back for a second, groaning in annoyance. Deciding had never been more painful. "You're right, I know this..."

"But?" Abaddon asked as he slightly tilted his head.

"But I really don't want something to happen to them." I admitted and he furrowed his brows further. Then, he slowly approached me before standing right in front of me as he slowly raised his hand and put his hand on top of my head. I raised an eyebrow as I tried to figure out what he was doing. He was quiet and stared intensely for a few seconds before he finally let go.

"Interesting..." He hummed and then smirked. "You are experiencing a great deal of emotions there, aren't you?" He asked, almost sounding like he was about to laugh.

I frowned before asking, "What are you talking about?"

"Loki and you." He simply said before he continued to stare at me intensely. I gasped before backing several steps away from him.

"You were prying into my memories?!" I screamed out angrily but at the same I felt myself getting flustered. It wasn't a comfortable emotion.

"I had to know what made you like this. I already had a guess but I didn't know things were getting so serious with you two." He said, still smirking at me. He was truly enjoying all of this. I kept glaring at him and clenching my jaw, not knowing what to even tell him. Once again, he wasn't wrong and I couldn't argue back.

"This is exactly why I shouldn't stay with you. You are just going to pry into every piece of my mind." I grumbled.

"Hey, Asmodeus, it's okay. You are just experiencing love–"

"IT'S NOT LOVE!" I suddenly snapped, surprisingly even myself but Abaddon finally dropped that stupid smirk off his face. I was breathing unevenly as my thoughts were going in so many directions and I struggled to catch even one and even make sense of any of them. "It's not love..." I said once again, this time through a whisper.

"Wow, you're in much greater denial than I thought." Abaddon snickered and I raised an eyebrow in surprise. This was the first time I heard him laughing and it almost sounded eerie.

"Yeah, right. Whatever. I don't need to explain myself to you."

"You really don't. I already know." He replied pretty quickly and he began truly pissing me off. "I can make it stop though." He suddenly said with complete seriousness in his voice.

"Make what stop?" I asked, completely confused.

"Make the emotions stop. I can pretty much eat them and they'd be gone into the void and you'll be back to your normal self." He explained and once again, I just stood there, completely thunderstruck by his words. He was just capable of saying the most outrageous things. And, I couldn't lie, the offer sounded way too tempting. "Think about it and get back to me once you decide." He added as he noticed me struggling to make another decision.

"I mean, like I said, it's not love. I just happen to care about him more than I expected." I said, still trying to push my narrative but Abaddon didn't seem to have it. There was no way of convincing him.

"Whatever. I gave you an offer, you can either accept it or not," he said with a shrug before changing the subject, "now, let's get back to important matters. Are you going to stay here or do you want to risk everything and go back to Hell where you would most likely get yourself killed and possibly all your friends?"

"You're making a lot of sense and it's really annoying." I replied with a sigh. There was no denying it. If I did go back, there was no saying what would happen. At least maybe with me being all the way over here, there was a possibility of stalling it all because the Devil would be busy trying to find me. However, I did promise Loki that we'd go through all of this together and me backing out and hiding was a cowardly move. Although I couldn't determine if going back was an act of bravery or just plain foolishness.

"Can you at least tell me if Loki is okay over there?" I asked. If he wasn't then I didn't think I could stay. But I knew that he was way too resilient. Just like a cockroach.

Abaddon hummed for a bit as he seemed to be deep in thought before finally responding, "I don't think anything tragic happened yet."

"You're not lying, are you?"

"I don't get anything from lying to you," he shrugged.

I breathed out heavily before finally coming to a conclusion. "I will stay. But you have to tell me the moment something goes awry."

"Deal." He nodded. It was easier convincing him than I thought. Loki put ideas in my head that Abaddon was up to something but I still failed to see how it could be.

"What are we going to do then? Better yet, what am I going to do here?" The void realm was very vast but very empty. I didn't see if there was anything interesting to do while I spent my time here.

Abaddon once again smirked and it was beginning to feel very strange any time he attempted to smile. "Anything you want. Anything can be created in this realm and anything can be erased. This world is your canvas." He said it in such a cheerful tone that it almost gave me chills. He was oddly beginning to act out of character and I was slowly realizing what Loki was trying to point out.

"So... Anything at all?" I asked just to see how far I should let my imagination run.

"Anything. A place, a person, a feeling, a moment." He explained further and it took me aback quite a bit. I honestly didn't expect him to be this powerful, it was almost god-level. It made me wonder however. If he was capable of creating anything, did he really need the Devil to give him the realm? Sudden suspicion arose in me as things took a bit of a twisted turn. Loki's words started making more sense to me. Maybe Abaddon was truly hiding something, but what? Why did he need to lie?

I squinted my eyes slightly, trying to both decipher him and think about what I wanted. But there was nothing much I wanted to see, all I wanted was to sink into the couch and be off my mind until I'd be needed again. "Can you give me some high-quality booze, drugs and a bar with nice lighting?"

Abaddon raised an eyebrow at my suggestion and then shook his head. "I expected you to be more creative than that."

"I honestly don't want to be anywhere else other than nowhere at all." I sighed.

"You used to be much more of a cheerful demon." He commented and I frowned lightly.

"Yeah, well. Nothing is as it used to be." I responded. Abaddon looked at me for a few seconds as if once again trying to pry into my thoughts. I gave up on trying to stop him. It was just something he did.

"Fair enough. I'm not the one to judge." He simply replied with a shrug. Neither of us said anything for a few seconds until the ground around us started shaking and dirt along with stones began to float. Abaddon held fast, his eyes darker than usual as black smoke began surrounding us. I was struggling to stand as it began to shake even more. Seemingly out of nowhere, the scenery around us began changing. The skies around us began flowing from day into the night at rapid speed until walls began erupting from the ground, creating a large room around us. And then one by one it all started coming into place like pieces of a puzzle.

The walls were black and the floors were red until suddenly a velvet bar couch appeared in the corner with a low coffee table. Soft throw pillows were scattered across it and across it stood an elegant wooden bar, its polished surface reflecting the soft light. The bar is lined with plush, high-backed stools covered in deep, rich leather upholstery. The lights were dim and red, creating an intimate yet cozy and comfortable atmosphere. The shelves behind the bar appeared to be well-stocked with all different spirits and liquors. Some of which I didn't even know the name of.

My mouth hung open as I was watching it all come together. I was stunned and couldn't move for a few seconds. Then, I glanced over at Abaddon, the black smoke now subduing and the ground slowly stopped shaking as everything began to calm down.

"Are... you a god?" was the only question my mouth could form in that moment. Abaddon snickered before coming close to me and stuffing something in my hand. I frowned and looked at it only to see a small plastic bag with white powder in it. "So thoughtful of you." I smiled before looking at him.

"I'm not god, no. Thankfully." He replied. "Close though." He smirked once again. "Enjoy." He sighed before patting me on the back before turning away.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I have business to attend to." He responded.

"Why not join me for a round?" I smiled, my curiosity piqued by how this would affect him. Perhaps I could learn something interesting about him.

"That's cute, but all of those things don't affect me the way you think," he replied, turning to face me.

"Not even this?" I asked, lifting the baggie in my hand toward him.

"It has to be really potent," he said.

"So make it potent," I suggested with a smirk. His expression shifted to one of surprise.

"You don't want that," he warned.

"Try me," I immediately responded, determined to see this through to the end. If the apocalypse was imminent, I might as well experience a very powerful being on drugs. He hesitated for a few seconds, but his face showed a hint of amusement.

"Come on, we're all snowballing toward the end of the world anyway."

"I can't believe the situations you drag me into," Abaddon sighed, his exasperation momentarily breaking into a chuckle as he approached me. I nonchalantly shrugged in response, and he gently took the bag from my hand before making his way to the couch and sitting down.

"You can always say no," I pointed out.

"I know," Abaddon admitted, his tone growing serious. "But you're right, this might just be the last time we meet."

I was taken aback by his response. I crossed my arms and fixed my gaze on him, curious. "Are you feeling sentimental?" I teased, a smirk playing on my lips.

Abaddon shot me a brief glare before conceding, "Maybe."

"Fine. I'll take that." I chuckled before taking a spot next to him as he placed the bag on the table. He hovered with his hand over it and a brief bright light came out of his palm. He then picked it up and gave it to me.

"There. It should be good now." He mumbled and I smiled as I took the bag from him once again.

"Well, this'll be interesting." I chipped.

***

After a long while, Abaddon and I were sprawled out on the couch. The contents of the bag were now long gone and I was on my third bottle. I had my feet up and was resting against the bed frame. There was muffled music playing in the background and neither of us were speaking. Oddly, I enjoyed the silence. It was unlike hanging out with Loki who would constantly babble. It felt nice hanging out with somebody and being able to enjoy the silence together.

My eyes slowly traveled over to him who had his eyes closed, completely leaned into the couch, almost becoming one with it.

"Say, Abaddon..." I began, finally being the one to break the long silence. "How close were Lucifer and you?"

He instantly opened his eyes as they locked with me, a hint of annoyance flashing on his face. "None of your business." He retorted before closing his eyes again.

"Oh, come ooonn..." I grumbled, my words slightly slurred. "You can pry into my memories, the least you can do is tell me a bit about yourself," I insisted, lightly kicking him in the ribs. He snapped his eyes open once again and clenched his jaw.

He huffed lightly before finally responding, "We were... close."

"Yes?" I pressed further, refusing to back down until I got the answer I wanted. He shot me another glare, which, due to the effects of the drugs and alcohol, didn't scare me at all. I just grinned and continued to wait for his response.

"That's all you get," he said firmly.

"I need more. It's a trade-off after you saw what you saw in my memories," I insisted as I sat up and pulled my legs into a butterfly position.

"You demons are always bargaining." He huffed.

"Hey, nothing's free!" I said, laughing as I poured myself another drink.

Abaddon was silent for a bit before taking in a deep breath and then continuing, "All I will say is that I understand why you demons love Lucifer so much. And while I am not capable of experiencing love, with him I think I saw glimpses of it." He said, swallowing a lump in his throat and closing his eyes once again. Meanwhile, I was just holding the glass in my hand and continued staring at him. I couldn't believe my ears at all. Was that the unmovable Abaddon whose emotions are that of a stone cold statue?

Hearing that, I downed the rest of the liquid in the glass and poured some more. There was nothing to add to his confession. Nothing to comment on. Saying something would be too much.

I leaned into the sofa as well, and stared at the ceiling, as I was ruminating over his words some more. Lucifer truly did have a great impact on everybody. He was even able to move a deity of the void. The lightbringer and the void.

An idea began forming in my mind as to why the split between and the Devil happened however I felt I'd be pushing it if I began inquiring about it as well. I decided to be satisfied with the answer I got for now. After all, I was dealing with someone who was capable of creating and erasing something out of existence with a snap of a finger.

"So, since you asked your question. Now I ask mine." Abaddon suddenly spoke and I frowned, turning my head to face him. He opened his eyes again and faced me as well. "Why do you run away from your feelings towards Loki?"

I felt something striking me deep inside upon hearing his question. It wasn't what I expected to hear and even under the influence of two substances, I struggled to express myself. "I thought you knew everything."

"I only know what you show. You seem not to know yourself that well at all hence why I only see confusion." He explained. I let out a sigh as I turned my head, facing the ceiling and began to go through the deep feelings. But I still couldn't catch nor understand anything.

"I've never felt anything like this." I replied finally and then proceeded, "it's transcendental almost. I don't feel like myself and it scares me."

Abaddon hummed in thought before responding, "I understand why you may feel that way. But remember, what you said earlier - we are all snowballing to the end of the world. Don't end up regretting not saying it sooner."

"Why do you care?" I asked. Although it was true what he said, I just wasn't sure if it was even worth it if we were all going to die.

"Just giving you my two cents," He replied nonchalantly. And then once again we both fell silent; both of us being deep in thought. Well, mostly me probably as I was once again forced to face something I was trying to escape. But Abaddon just had to shove it into my face.

I groaned in frustration and poured myself another drink, downing it and then another one right after it. I heard him snickering in the back but I decided to ignore it.

"You're something else." He said and I turned to face him once again to argue back before I saw his expression change from amusement to horror. I immediately stopped myself in my tracks as I continued to stare at him, waiting for him to say what had just happened. "Uh..." he began as he sat up as both confusion and shock lingered on his face.

"What is it?!" I demanded, the worry beginning to well up in me.

"The... The Norse gods are in Hell."