Once I gathered myself off the ground and the remaining pieces of myself, I headed back to Hell. It took maybe several hours for me to even consider going back but I knew I had to. Abaddon could've only held off the Devil for so long until he too had to return to handle his own matters.

With a deep sigh and heaviness in my chest, I opened the portal and stepped through it. In a few seconds, I was back in the large hall of the castle and all I saw were cracked up stairs, and rubble of smashed up statues. It looked like a tornado went through the castle. I frowned as I looked around and noticed demons were beginning to return as well, all of them as shocked as I was. They really were searching everywhere for Loki.

"Hey..." I flinched as I heard a voice next to me and I glanced over only to see Beelzebub. "You're alive." He said through a small smile.

"Yeah." But at this point, I didn't even know if it was the best outcome for me. "Where's Mammon?" I asked.

"He's good, thankfully. He recovered partially before the Norse gods got here." He replied and I felt a bit of relief hearing that. At least he was recovering while everything was seemingly falling apart.

"Loki's gone, by the way." I said with as much stoicism in my voice as possible. However, Beelzebub didn't buy that as he just locked his eyes on me and forced a small smile. As if to pity me which at the same time irked me but I was also partially glad he could see through my facade.

"I figured that's what would end up happening." He sighed. "Hopefully you'll see each other again. Maybe it won't..."

"You don't need to do this, Beelzebub." I cut in sharply but then breathed out. "We both knew where this was headed from the start." I swallowed a lump in my throat before swiftly wiping the tears that were once again forming in my eyes. I really couldn't hold it in any longer. "Anyway, I'm going to find the Devil before he finds me," I forced a smile and a joke as not to fall into another pit of despair. "We'll talk more once this gets resolved, wait for me in the casino." I added and Beelzebub nodded in response. Then, I simply headed off to the top of the castle where I assumed the Devil was. There was no other place he'd be at this moment but tucked away in his office.

Every other stair towards the top floor was cracked and I had to be careful where I was stepping onto otherwise I'd roll down. As if these peasants thought that by wrecking everything would somehow help them find Loki. I sighed and rolled my eyes. I used to have a very different opinion of Norse gods. But at this point, they were nothing to me other than savages. I had no doubt that the repairs would happen in no time but it was still rather lowly of them to make such wreckage of this place.

Once I finally reached the top, I noticed the assistant was still gone from his usual seat so I just went straight towards the door and opened them. To my surprise, just as I stepped in, I noticed Abaddon was still there. Only he was standing next to the Devil who was seated at his desk while he had streaks of black fog wrapped around his body restraining him from any movement. Creative, I had to admit.

"Look who finally decided to return," Abaddon was first to comment through a grumble. "Is everything alright?"

"Not exactly." I responded and then locked my gaze with the Devil, "but Loki will no longer be a bother to you." I said before he could ask any questions. The Devil simply continued to stare at me as if he was restrained from talking as well. "What did you do to him?" I asked, confused and then chuckled a bit.

Abaddon sighed and then spoke, "come on, Devil, open your mouth."

I saw his face darken upon the question but then he did what he was told. His tongue was... tied. Literally. His tongue was tied in a knot. I gasped in shock and then grimaced, looking over at Abaddon who just smirked lightly, "can you believe this guy? He never shuts up."

I was looking at him for a few seconds before I burst out laughing. It took me a bit to pull myself together and then I finally said, "that's gotta be the best thing you've done so far, Abaddon."

"You're welcome. I wish he could stay like that forever. Alas, I got other matters to attend to." He said, taking one quick glance at the Devil before with a swift flick of the wrist he opened a portal. The familiar high-pitched noise spread through the room making me hiss. "We'll speak some other time!" He spoke a bit louder so he could be heard over the noise. I nodded in response as I covered my ears with my hands as he stepped through the portal. It closed quickly after, the relentless noise ceasing in an instant.

"Finally," I grumbled and then noticed the black fog disappearing from the Devil's body.

"Finally, indeed." And his tongue was untied. What a shame. "Now... About this Loki issue." He spoke as he leaned forward onto the desk, clasping his hands together.

"Well, he's no longer an issue. He's gone." I responded, "which is why the Norse gods are gone from here too. And he's not coming back." My voice shook a bit by the end of that sentence but I still attempted to keep my cool, at least in the Devil's presence.

"Why was he here in the first place, Asmodeus?" He frowned as he stood up and walked over to me, piercing through me with his gaze. "Hm, Asmo? Was it because you wanted to take me down?" He said as he tilted his head with a smirk. His voice kept growing in seriousness as if he was trying to intimidate me into submission. It was true I was currently more vulnerable than all the times before but I couldn't let him win.

"No." I spoke firmly, "he was my friend. So... he stayed here for a bit." I tried my best to lie but it was a very weak attempt. The Devil then snickered and then shook his head.

"Oh, you. How naive do you think I am?"

"I don't..."

"WHAT WAS LOKI DOING IN HELL, ASMODEUS?!" The Devil snapped out of nowhere, his roar spreading through the room like thunder. Not going to lie, it made me flinch as well and take a step back. But I quickly regained my composure.

"Loki was trying to escape Asgard, okay?!" I snapped. "And yes, he is my friend! I helped him like a friend should do! And he had to blend in so other demons wouldn't go into panic."

The Devil had his eyes locked on me for a bit, studying me carefully before speaking up once again, "and you didn't tell me because?"

"I don't trust you." I responded instantly. He should know this by now. "It's time we stop pretending that we have this bond because it's long gone by now. As you said, you're not my friend so... I don't trust you. I didn't know if you were going to go off and tell on us at one point." I thought it was believable enough as it did not steer too far from the truth. Part of Loki did want to escape the grim reality of the Norse world and I knew this.

"What have I ever done to you for you to resent me so much, Asmodeus?" He said with a frown and I honestly couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was he seriously asking me this? I stood there in disbelief for a bit, waiting for him to tell me he was joking. However, he offered no response, just continued to look at me with genuine confusion in his eyes.

"You threw me into a prison and subjected me to torture just because I had a fling with your assistant! Or do you conveniently suffer from memory loss as well?" I growled, my eyes shooting daggers at him, all the while pondering what might be going through his mind – if anything at all.

"Asmodeus, you had it coming. I warned you once about it and you didn't..." He began but I immediately cut in, not allowing him to give me weak excuses.

"Are you even listening to yourself?!" I yelled out, rage beginning to well up in me once again. "I. didn't. do. anything. wrong." I hissed, each word cutting through the air, "and there's nothing you can say that will make me think otherwise. Not only that, but you also killed Pandora because of this. And she was far from the blame because I was the one who used hypnosis on her! Your sense of right and wrong has been skewed ever since Lucifer has been split from you and you know this! You used to be firm but principled, now all you got are these whims and no one knows what the fuck is going on! In turn, prisons are filling up with innocent demons because you can't get your shit together!" After my passionate rant, I took a deep breath and concluded, "and that is why I resent you, I hope it makes it clear."

It was one of the rare times when the Devil was left speechless. He always had something to retort but this time he was just standing there. It almost looked like I managed to hit a weak spot. The silence went on for a while but I refused to go anywhere. I wanted to hear what idiotic excuses he was going to come up with.

"I see your point." He spoke after a while and then crossed his arms. "However, the split between him and I was a torturous process and had even more torturous side-effects."

"It doesn't excuse it. It was your choice." I couldn't believe he was actually trying to make me feel sorry for him. He really tried all means possible just to have everybody worship him and please him.

"Is that what Abaddon wants you to believe?" His words pierced through me like an arrow and I blinked a few times, trying to figure out what he was aiming at.

"And why should I believe you, ye Father of Lies?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. The Devil then began laughing mockingly as he put his arms behind his back and walked in a circle.

"You don't need to. But just know, Abaddon is not as innocent as you want to believe," he said. I frowned as I kept staring at him. This was now a second person that was trying to imply that Abaddon was somehow more involved in this than he had claimed to be. It was odd how both the Devil and Loki were saying this. The two beings whom one I hated and one I loved.

"Maybe so. Your choices were still your own when you put me in that prison and had me tortured. Don't think for a second to blame Abaddon for that." I spoke firmly. His decision back then was long before Lucifer stepped into the reincarnation void. He was still relatively stable as far as I could've seen.

The Devil kept staring at me with a smirk and an amused look on his face. It was almost like he was mocking me as well. "Fine. Whatever what you want to believe. I clearly cannot change your mind." He said through a sigh and then added, "you can go now. We are done here. I have to get this damage fixed up."

And just like any conversation with him, it ended with nothing getting resolved and just leaving me bewildered. Communicating with him had become an exercise in futility. Yet, he was evidently fixated on placing blame on Abaddon, and I couldn't deny that it stirred some doubt within me. Although I wasn't about to admit to him that I was entertaining the possibility of his perspective being partially correct, I certainly didn't want him to misconstrue it as some newfound admiration. He and I were way past that point.

"Okay. Thanks. Goodbye." I decided to keep it short and was just about to leave the office but of course, he had to chime in again.

"Wait." And so I stopped in my tracks and turned around. "That raven that attacked me... That was Loki, right? I don't remember any demon being that ballsy to attack me like that."

I frowned a bit but then responded, "yes. That was him. I told him to do that." There was no reason to lie anymore, he was long gone and he probably wouldn't even return. Then, the Devil curved his face into a smile that wasn't evil nor mocking, it was rather honest which was rather eerie to see.

"You two must've been rather close for him to risk that much." He spoke rather softly which once again took me aback. Maybe he was trying to do one of his oldest tricks in the book - get under your skin with his seeming genuity and honesty to force you to open up. Well, I wasn't having it.

"He wasn't risking anything. He is much stronger than you, he knew what he was doing." I responded with a shrug.

"Okay." He also shrugged, appearing nonchalant. "Whatever you say." I raised an eyebrow as I noticed he was behaving in a rather suspicious manner. Who knew what was going through his head and I wasn't going to stay here and find out.

"Yeah, whatever." I sighed before finally opening the door and leaving the office. He was truly exhausting to deal with. It could never be simple, he always had to make it more complicated than it really was.

I quickly made my way down the stairs before he could decide he had another question for me. Upon reaching the casino, where I was supposed to meet up with Beelzebub, I opened the door to a scene of chaos. Poker tables were overturned, chairs broken, and shattered bottles littered the floor. The bar itself was snapped in half. My office didn't fare any better, with shelves toppled, the desk and table broken in half. Was all this destruction really necessary?

"Yeah..." Beelzebub trailed off while just standing in the middle of the room. "They really did a number on this place." He laughed in disbelief.

"Fucking savages." I mumbled before I rushed over to the desk and opened a drawer. "Well... at least my drugs are still here." I sighed through a chuckle.

"Well I don't think Thor would want to snort any of that angel dust." Beelzebub laughed and I had to join in on that. Maybe if he did take some of it, he would've learned how to chill out and maybe think twice before destroying objects around him. I shook my head and laughed once again at the thought before stuffing the little bag from the drawer inside my pocket.

"Where is Belial by the way?" I asked, my face switching from amused to completely blank as I tried my hardest not to glare daggers at Beelzebub.

"Well, if you talked to Loki, he'd tell you that none of us had seen him. I still have not." He replied with sincerity in his voice but it irked me. I understood what Loki had said before about how I shouldn't be that concerned over Belial's wellbeing due to our mutual past experiences. However, he still risked a lot by showing his loyalty in the end. "Come to think of it, the Devil hasn't tried to kill you again when you went over there?" He suddenly spoke and I frowned at his words. The Devil was behaving very strange when I went to meet him earlier.

"No..." I trailed off as I was trying to connect the dots. I was pretty sure he would have killed me the moment I stepped through the door. Sure, he couldn't do it when Abaddon was there but what about after? "What are you saying?"

"Well, Belial is gone without a trace and the Devil is suddenly happy to see you?" Beelzebub scoffed. "I don't think there is anything wrong with Belial. I think Belial is more than fine," he laughed as he crossed his arms and locked his eyes with mine.

"You think Belial sold us out? And now the Devil thinks he has one up on me?" I said in utmost disbelief as I was struggling to wrap my head around it. Although, I didn't know why I was even surprised. It was Belial.

"I think he said more than he should have. Now I bet he is under some sort of witness protection." He added. I couldn't believe I missed that completely. And how for some reason I find it hard to believe it was true.

"You think he went to...Asgard and told them?" I couldn't even say it. Once a traitor always a traitor. He could've even played both sides the entire time. But why would he do such a thing? He had nothing to gain from either side. Unless someone forced him to do this.

"I wouldn't be surprised. It would explain why he was gone all this time. I mean, we initially thought he was dead but now I think it's much more complicated than that." He explained.

"Very complicated," I agreed before shaking my head and and then leaned against the table that had been toppled over. "Honestly, Beelzebub, I don't think he is alone either. I think we have an extra traitor in our group."

Beelzebub frowned and squinted his eyes at me, having no idea how I came up with that in just a span of few minutes. "What? He probably just had a change of heart like he does and decided it was better not to die for our cause." He shrugged and his reasoning honestly surprised me. I mean, sure it made logical sense if you looked at the matter from a surface level. But why risk everything by constantly switching sides if you had nothing to gain from that? I highly doubt it was because he was having "fun" as he used to explain before. He wasn't switching sides in a video game, he was switching sides between the Devil and his opposition. Which, if caught, could result in dire consequences.

"I mean, yeah, that was my initial thought as well. This is a life or death situation for him if either side caught him what he was doing. Him doing it because he was bored is a high risk to take when there is also a high risk of dying." I explained bluntly. Beelzebub stared at me for a few seconds trying to digest my words before pursing his lips.

"Fair." He nodded. "But who do you have in mind?"

Before I could say anything, the one I had in my mind waltzed into the office as if he had known what we were talking about. "Hello, Mammon!" I chirped with a smile, covering up known disgust rising in me. Beelzebub noticed it and raised an eyebrow at me.

"I knew we shouldn't trust him," he grumbled under his breath before also stretching his mouth in a wide smile. "Hello."

"When did you recover, Mammon?" I asked, trying to maintain a normal expression and tone of voice.

"Oh, just a few days before the attack." He said, nonchalantly through a shrug. He looked around the room, inspecting it for a few seconds before adding, "they did quite a bit of damage to this place."

"They did, yep." I nodded and then walked over to him and stood a few feet away. "Say, Mammon... Have you seen Belial at all?" I frowned and crossed my arms as I locked my eyes with his, not allowing him to look away.

"No, not at all." Mammon responded with a blank face, without showing hint of deceit with how even his tone of voice was. "I've been going through recovery the entire time and haven't really left the room until the attack." He explained further.

I continued to fixate my eyes on him, trying to catch him in a lie by closely observing his every little movement. Puzzles were finally beginning to fall into place the more I was thinking about the whole situation. But the question still remained - why would Mammon do such a thing? I failed to grasp it. Still, I felt the burn from the betrayal but until I could find out the truth, I swallowed my rage.

"Hm. Truly, no one has seen him." I mumbled with a small frown. "You don't think he's dead, do you?" I inquired, tilting my head to the side slightly. Mammon then furrowed his brows as he looked at me with obvious confusion in his eyes.

"What's up, Asmodeus? Is something going on?" He asked carefully as he glanced over at Beelzebub.

"Well, I don't know, I'm asking you. I haven't been here this entire time." I continued pressing the matter in case he would slip up and say something. However, he kept looking at me with even a level of concern. Damn, he was too good at this. No wonder I hadn't seen it before.

"I was in my room this entire time–"

"Oh, this entire time?" I interrupted before quickly carrying on, "Didn't you mention recovering just a few days before the chaos? I mean, come on, you can't be tied to a bed for that long without venturing out at some point." It took all my strength not to unleash a swift beat down right then and there, but I had to let him tell the truth himself. I needed to understand the why behind it all. Trust, once unwavering, now hung in the balance, and it stung to think I might not be able to trust him again. Losing him right on the heels of Loki added another layer of pain I wasn't quite ready to handle yet.

Mammon's expression darkened, and he continued to fix his gaze on me, as if my lack of trust wounded him personally. The guy was a master at deception, outclassing both me and the Devil himself.

"What are you getting at?" he inquired, shooting a desperate look at Beelzebub, silently pleading for an escape from the impending confrontation. However, Beelzebub remained silent and composed, leaving me to navigate the situation.

"I'm not insinuating anything; I'm just trying to piece together who might have crossed paths with him to understand what went down," I paused briefly before adding, "What do you think I'm hinting at?" I furrowed my brows, projecting an air of confusion, subtly turning the tables to make it seem like I was the one confused.

Mammon looked like he was caught off-guard with my question as he seemed to struggle coming up with a decent response. I waited for him to get his wits about him but I continued to stare at him, not once breaking the eye contact.

"It's just the way you said it, it sounded like you were blaming me for something." He replied after some time. It was a feeble effort to assert his innocence, but he wasn't willing to back down.

"Well, is there something I should blame you for?" I asked, feigning sincerity.

I noticed him swallow a lump in his throat before he quickly responded, "no."

"Then you've got nothing to worry about!" I chirped cheerfully. He tried to force a smile, seemingly relieved, though the strain behind it was hard to miss. I got him now. He was as guilty as sin - literally. However, I decided to drop the matter for now. I got him right where I wanted him and I thought since I had all the time in the world now, I was going to have my fun with him.

I walked over to the alcohol cabinet that was also destroyed and had pieces of it across the floor. I bent down and retrieved one bottle that was not broken by sheer luck.

"So... Loki is gone, I presume?" Mammon suddenly spoke and I squeezed the bottle in my hand as I turned to look at him. It felt like he poked something deep inside that I was trying to drown.

"Yeah. He is gone. Until further notice." I replied through a small sigh. I didn't want to believe that I might not even see him again. Holding onto that unsettling realization, I twisted the cap off the bottle and began to gulp down the liquid as if it were just water. The taste was strangely satisfying, akin to the allure of poison. I drained the bottle until it was halfway empty, lost in my own contemplation.

"You good?" Mammon asked, this time I could almost hear he actually cared. There was a part of him that still did which was why I struggled to understand what even prompted him to stab a knife in my back like that.

"I don't know, Mammon. Am I?" I retorted with a hint of sarcasm. "Take a wild guess," I grumbled, the effects of the alcohol already seeping in. Demon-made alcohol, I noted, though I hadn't paid much attention.

In that moment, a group of low-ranked demons entered the office, diverting our attention. The tallest among them spoke up, informing us, "The Dark Lord ordered us to clean this mess up. So if it's no trouble, we'd like to get this over with as soon as possible." While our presence wouldn't pose problems, I preferred they didn't eavesdrop on our conversations.

"Sure, we'll leave you all to work," I said, turning to Beelzebub and Mammon. "Let's head to the human world." I didn't wait for their agreement, I just began walking towards the exit, throwing the bottle on the floor. It was already a mess anyway. As we made our way to the hall, Mammon suddenly gasped. Beelzebub and I stopped, turning to face him.

"What?" I said, a trace of annoyance in my voice.

"The Devil just called me up to his office," Mammon revealed, sounding caught off-guard.

I frowned, partially amused. "Well, that's interesting," I remarked.

"Yeah. Well, wish me luck," he laughed in almost disbelief before walking away. He was likely to reclaim his title as the gatekeeper, especially now that Astaroth was dead. Perhaps Belial had put in a good word or two.

Watching him depart, I mused, "What are those two up to?" It was rather hard to wrap my head around it. It was too insane to think about. I didn't know why it was hard for me to believe he could've done something like that.

"I really wish I knew." Beelzebub sighed. "But don't say I didn't warn you about Mammon." He gloated and I shot a glare at him. "But you had a crush on him, I get it. Happens to the best of us."

"What?!" I exclaimed in disbelief in what he had just uttered, "I never had a crush on him!"

Beelzebub smirked as he locked his eyes with mine. "You did. For a little while but it happened." He said, fully convinced in what he was saying. I stared at him with utter confusion and then realized there was no escaping his knowing stare.

Finally, I admitted defeat, "Fine. It lasted for like two seconds, though," I grumbled, feeling a tinge of embarrassment creeping in. I wondered if there was anything he didn't notice. He knew me far too well.

Beelzebub then chuckled and shook his head before opening a portal. "But what's done is done. Now we have to push forward." He spoke now with a sincere smile as he patted me on the shoulder.

"I'm not going back to that field." I said. "It holds too many memories." I couldn't believe that my one sacred haven was now ruined as well. It was truly the end times.

"We are not going over there." Beelzebub said through a smirk, and it was a first time I saw playfulness in his expression. It was an interesting look on him. "I'm going to bring you somewhere of my choice. It might make you feel better."

I frowned, trying to decipher his intentions. The only thing that could possibly lift my spirits was Loki's return, though we both knew that wasn't on the horizon anytime soon. "You're not plotting to lead me into a death trap, are you?" I questioned, just to be certain.

Beelzebub shot me a glare before retorting, "You'd know if I was going to kill you. I'm not Mammon; I don't do sleazy." He scoffed before adding, "Let's go and see for yourself." He stretched out his arm towards the portal, allowing me to walk in first.

"Well, that's good to know at least." I chuckled but I was still feeling uneasy. I wasn't that good with surprises especially with all the things that had happened lately. There were never pleasant surprises; anything good I had to plan out myself.

I took a deep breath before stepping through the portal. Before me, the scenery unfurled into a vast and sprawling venue, a culinary haven that stretched as far as the eye could see. Tables were meticulously arranged, forming a symphony of possibilities, each one adorned with a tempting array of dishes. The venue was alive with the vibrant colors of diverse cuisines, creating a visual feast in itself.

And then, a centerpiece of indulgence caught my eye – a captivating chocolate fountain, its velvety cascade drawing me in. It stood decadent amidst the culinary cornucopia, beckoning with the promise of sweet, rich delights. In this expansive buffet venue, every craving, every culinary desire found its fulfillment.

I stood there, gaping, bewildered at the whole sight. "What is this?" I finally spoke as I finished taking in the visuals.

"It's my meticulously crafted room I've been working on for years." Beelzebub smirked as he walked further into the room.

"And... you haven't shown me this until now. Why? If I knew you had this, I would have never left this room," I chuckled, making my way toward the first table adorned with an assortment of snacks. Among them were familiar human treats like Cheetos and chips, but there were also some more peculiarly shaped items. One, in particular, caught my eye — an ominously-shaped delicacy that, despite its non-human origin, resembled a human finger. It was almost tempting enough to believe it might taste delicious.

"I mean, that's one of the reasons why I haven't told you sooner," Beelzebub laughed but then continued, "other reasons, I just wanted to show it to you once it was completed. I would have shown you sooner if you hadn't been chasing Loki and the Devil and also pretty much killing Lucifer."

I cocked an eyebrow at him as I shot him another glare. He was truly in a jokester mood today. "Okay. If you're done with throwing shade, can you tell me what do you plan to use this room for?"

"Many things," he replied, and I thought he might stop there, but he continued, "Humans who devote their faith and loyalty to me—I like to show them this room when they astrally project, as a sort of welcome gesture. You'd be surprised what humans are willing to do when you give them some good food." He paused, a smirk of amusement playing on his face. The concept actually surprised me, but he seemed inclined to share more.

"It's also a good hooking up place. Besides, I get a lot of information and valuable objects by providing these demons with these foods. You've got no idea the things I've found out. You give anybody delicious and aphrodisiac-induced food, they open up like they've never been closed in the first place." He was speaking in such a light-hearted tone but in a way it was rather grim too. But overall, he seemed truly happy with his achievement and honestly it was rather impressive.

However, his reasoning was rather surprising as well. I frowned slightly as I squinted my eyes at him, "Is that how you seemed to know about my crush on Mammon?" The word itself felt awkward on my tongue, but I needed answers.

"You don't hide as well as you think you do," Beelzebub snickered, shaking his head. "But yes."

"I'm surprised you'd even have that in you," I confessed. I had always considered Beelzebub a more stoic individual. Discovering this other, more playful side of him was rather entertaining, even though, at this point, I realized there was nothing I could hide from him.

"You've got to be unsuspecting if you want others to open up to you." He replied. "In fact, it's a good weapon to have. We can get aaaaanybody to confess." He said and he threw a knowing smirk at me. He stared at me, trying to get me to connect the dots. But while he was talking, I took a liberty of putting a piece of cake in my mouth. It instantly filled me with the familiar calming sensations all around my body. Beelzebub continued to stare at me in confusion as my brain almost became wobbly and I found it hard to connect the words in my head.

"Asmodeus. What cake did you eat?" He asked sternly. I had trouble replying to him as even my vision became blurry for a few seconds and then it crystalized once again. Sudden euphoria struck through my body - akin to nothing I had ever experienced before. An absolute bliss accompanied by euphoric sensations that seemed to almost transcend any possible familiar emotions I had felt before.

"A super good cake. That's what." I said through a grin. "You're looking good, Beelzebub. I don't think I say that often."

"Oh god dammit." Beelzebub sighed in annoyance. "It isn't aphrodisiac, I hope, right?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Do you want it to be?" I asked with a smirk. No thoughts whatsoever crossing my mind. All I could feel was being finally back into my cocky and confident self I used to be way before. In a strange way, I felt revived and no worries and fears of the recent events had even dared to cross my mind.

"No, I don't, Asmo." He breathed out once more and then walked over to me near the cake tray as he realized talking to me bore no fruit. "Okay, yeah. You're good. No aphrodisiac in this one. Just extreme amount of euphoria." He said. I continued to look at him, unable to even process what he had just told me. All I could focus on was how fluffy his long black hair looked.

I tilted my head to the side as I was observing it before slowly reaching out my hand towards it and grasping one strand. He frowned his eyebrows as he slowly looked up to me in pure confusion. The sensation of his hair in my hand felt unlike anything I had ever touched. It was like touching a fluffy cloud.

"You've got nice hair." I mumbled as I locked my eyes with his. Even his face... looked so perfect. I had never noticed until now. And it wasn't even in a sexual way that I was noticing all of this. It was like this drug just amplified his attributes in a very pure manner.

"Are you hitting on me?" He grumbled as he continued to glare at me.

"Just appreciating you." I replied as I continued to fondle his hair. It was almost impossible to stop. It was like it fit into my hand perfectly.

"Well, you've got a very weird way of doing it." He sighed before slapping my hand away. "Enough, go find Loki or something."

I pursed my lips in a pout as he forcibly moved my hand away and then audaciously brought up Loki. While I couldn't muster even a shred of sadness, it stung on a superficial level.

"But his hair is goneeee... Yours is hereee," I whined, feeling the need to emphasize the contrast. "Why do you have to be so cruel to me all the time?" I huffed, deciding I'd had enough of his annoying banter. Walking away from him, I made my way toward the enchanting chocolate fountain, choosing to divert my attention to the mesmerizing stream of chocolate. It served as a soothing respite for my eyes—a reminder of the often underappreciated beauty that food could possess in this world.

"Now we are even." Beelzebub suddenly spoke as he stood next to me. I quickly looked at him and smirked.

"You ate the cake, didn't you?"

"I did." He nodded and locked his eyes with mine once again. "Now I'm going to show you how great this cake really is." He said mischievously through a smile. Before I could ask him anything, he immediately continued, "Let's go take a seat on this sofa." He gestured towards a plush mahogany sofa. It was tucked away at the end of the room, resembling a small alcove. The walls were decorated by three long vertical windows revealing only darkness beyond.

"Ohh, what are you going to do to me, Beelzebub?" I cackled as I followed behind him as we headed towards the spot.

"You'll see." He said nonchalantly. I was truly finding out all different sides of this guy today. It was entertaining.

We quickly reached the sofa and I took a seat, Beelzebub quickly copying me. He then grabbed my arm and holding it in place, he began tracing his fingers across my skin, his eyes firmly locked on mine. I was initially rather confused but the moment he touched me, I felt this surge of euphoric emotions shooting through my body. It felt so unbelievably good to be touched in this state. Even though it wasn't much that he was doing.

"Oh, this feels so good," I mumbled, taking a deep breath and leaning my head back against the sofa for a few seconds. Then, an idea crossed my mind, and I straightened back up, looking at him. "How does this feel now?" I asked, intertwining my free hand in his hair, caressing and stroking it.

Beelzebub's lips stretched out in a smile as I noticed he was getting a bit flustered but still kept his composure. "You have no idea." He responded and closed his eyes as he leaned into my touch. Just watching him enjoy my touch felt incredible, it almost like it added to the effect even more. It felt like every pore in my body was going to burst from all these soothing sensations.

He opened his eyes, released my arm, and his hand cupped my face, gently stroking my cheek. His gaze descended to my lips, and out of nowhere, he grabbed the back of my hair, pulling me into a kiss, our lips colliding with a sudden intensity. I was taken aback for a few seconds, but the sensation of the kiss was enough for me to relax and give in to it. Oddly enough, no sexual thoughts even crossed my mind, it just felt so good to be doing this.

There was nothing in my mind either. Just fully enjoying the bliss of being held. It was like this was all I needed the entire time. His lips were also extremely soft. They were like soft bouncy clouds. Then, I pulled him into a deeper kiss as my hand reached his neck and squeezed it lightly. He seemed not to mind as he quickly accepted it. After a few seconds, we both pulled away as the effects seemed to fade. We stared at each other for a few seconds and then began laughing as we let go of each other.

"I can't believe we did this," I said through a chuckle.

"Me neither. But it felt good." He remarked.

"It did. It really did." I nodded. "No odd feelings though?" I asked as I frowned lightly, trying to make sure we were on the same page.

"None." Beelzebub confirmed as he smiled at me and then snickered. "I can't be attracted to you, I know you far too well." He added.

"Wow. Okay." I said jokingly.

"Do you understand how great that cake can be now?" He asked as he leaned back into the couch. "Shame Loki isn't here, right?" He teased at which I had to laugh.

"Beelzebub, I have far underestimated your ways." I admitted. Honestly, if I had just stuck with him until the very end, maybe we would have accomplished something sooner. Instead, I had to form allies that turned out to be backstabbing bastards.

"Well, I hope you don't underestimate me now." He began as he propped his ankle over his knee. "What I wanted to suggest earlier is that we can use this on Mammon." He spoke up and I immediately raised my eyebrows in a surprise. "Maybe it's good that you tried the cake. Now you know how much worse other food in this place can be." He explained. I had to say I really liked the way he was thinking. "He's going to confess really quickly. But you need to be really slick about it too." He added.

"Oh what happened to not being sleazy?" I smirked.

"Well, Mammon began this first and if you want him to confess on his own, you are going to have to do it this way." I was surprised at his bluntness and sudden rage towards Mammon. Although I always knew that he didn't like him, I didn't realize he wanted to take him down that badly.

"I mean, didn't he just recover from his previous drug use? Wouldn't it be too much?" I asked.

"He didn't ask how you were doing after he got Loki taken away from you," he shrugged. "Man, knowing Loki truly has softened you," he laughed, though a faint frown crossed his face as he shook his head.

I huffed at his words and then looked away. "You're right. He took Loki away, so he must pay. It's rather simple, isn't it?" I said, more as a rhetorical question, pondering it to myself. "What do you suggest then?"

"Use your natural charm, get him going, and then strike," he explained bluntly. "You already had a crush on him, so just use that. It should be easy."

"I'm surprised at your immense interest in this," I confessed, noting the unexpected intensity in Beelzebub. While I knew he could be cold-blooded when he wanted to, I had never seen him quite like this.

"I truly never liked that bastard, so it's a great opportunity to torture him," he replied, forcing a smile.

"I didn't realize how deep your dislike ran." I laughed. Although I did also dislike Mammon before, my dislike was more on a surface level due to his snobbish attitude and overall cockiness.

"Yeah, well. He literally took away the only being that could help us in all this mess and hurt you in process. And despite you being very annoying, I still consider you a close friend. And whoever goes against you, I am willing to unleash all my fury." He smiled, leaning forward to pat my back. I hadn't expected such sincere words from him, just as I hadn't expected many things that day, but it sure felt nice to hear.

"Thank you for always having my back," I responded with a light smile.

Beelzebub's eyes softened, and for a brief moment, the hardened exterior he usually presented cracked, revealing a glimpse of the care and loyalty he held within. "You may be a pain, but you're our pain. We're in this together."

I chuckled at his words and then continued, "well, in that case, it's time to find Mammon." I said through a smirk.

"Indeed it is." Beelzebub responded with an amusement glistening in his eyes.