I spent a few hours sitting on the grass, staring up at the moon. Its serene light seemed to be the only thing capable of calming the storm inside me. The thought of heading back to the castle felt unbearable. There were moments when I longed to be human, free from the burdens of eternal life and endless complications.

Sure, humans had their existential crises, but I believed there were far worse fates than death. Maybe I should've let Abaddon send me into the void.

But deep down, I knew that running away wasn't an option. Abaddon had revealed a dark truth, and I couldn't ignore it. The Devil's actions had torn apart the fabric of our world, and if I didn't confront him, who would? The rage that had simmered within me earlier now solidified into a steely resolve.

I pushed myself to my feet, brushing the dirt from my clothes. The castle awaited, a looming symbol of everything I needed to face. There was no turning back now. With one last glance at the calming moon, I steeled myself for the battle ahead. The Devil needed to be held accountable, and I was determined to see it through, no matter the cost.

Sucking in the air, I stood up from the ground and finally opened up a portal. I entered it and stepped out in front of the door of the castle. I pushed the heavy iron door and walked inside but the moment the door closed behind me, I noticed no other than King Paimon himself approaching me. His hair cascaded in long, silken waves of pure white, a striking contrast to the rich, white gold crown perched atop his head. The crown was intricately adorned with precious stones that glimmered like captured starlight. Paimon stood tall, an imposing figure with a slender, almost ethereal build. His androgynous face was framed by his flowing hair, the tan complexion giving him an exotic allure. Full, sensuous lips completed his visage, adding an enigmatic charm to his already mesmerizing appearance.

Being the Devil's right hand, it made me wonder what he could've possibly wanted from me. Naturally, there were a number of reasons but if Paimon was sent then it had to be relatively serious. It meant whatever was about to happen, the Devil wasn't ready to get his hands dirty. Paimon approached me slowly and gracefully and stood before me looking taller than a mountain.

"Follow me." Paimon demanded curtly. He only glanced at me once and turned around. Without responding, I started walking behind him. To be honest, I had never expected him to be this rude but apparently if one were to work for the Devil for so long, his attitude would begin to rub off on them. I expected to go up to the boss's office but it seemed like that wasn't the case. We were going downstairs for some time now and it started to concern me. Could I not have one calm day anymore?

"Excuse me, but where are we going?" I brought up the confidence to ask. The white-haired demon didn't reply, he just continued descending another set of stairs. It was at this point when I started hearing screams and cries coming out from the basement. That was when it started dawning on me where we were headed to. It was a prison where so many lost and damaged souls resided. Among them were also many unruly demons and apparently now me.

I stopped in my tracks instantly and attempted to flee, but a couple of demons charged up the stairs at Paimon's command. They seized my arms and forcefully pushed me down the stairs. I tumbled down the last few steps, landing in the basement. The fall wasn't too bad, and I immediately sat up, turning to face Paimon.

"What is this for?!" I hissed, my voice echoing in the confined space. Footsteps approached from behind, and then I heard a familiar voice.

"Well, Asmodeus, you have come a long way to get here." The Devil said through a smirk. I quickly got up, turning towards him and the two demons instantly came up behind me to hold me in place. He was staring straight into my eyes, his face looking even grimmer than usual.

"What the fuck?!" I cried out and tried to get out of their strong grip.

"That's for not staying away from my dear assistant."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. That was the reason for locking me up?! I was left speechless as I was staring at him with complete bewilderment shown on my face. There were no words to express the disgust I was feeling towards him at that moment.

Receiving no response from me, the Devil put his hands behind his back and nodded toward the two demons holding me. They gave me a light shove, urging me forward. I turned back one last time, glaring at the Devil with a burning intensity, "I will get out and I will kill you."

His grim expression softened very lightly but enough for me to see that my words struck a chord deep inside.

I gave up struggling and we began walking through the long hallway. Each side of the corridor was lined with prison cells, their bars holding the most horrified faces I had ever seen. Some inmates were crying, others screaming in agony. I wondered if I would reach that stage myself. But it seemed they had different plans for me.

We descended another flight of stairs at the far end of the hallway, entering a single dark room dominated by a large cell that occupied half the space. Paimon approached the cell door and unlocked it, the two demons shoving me inside before he quickly locked it again. They left swiftly, abandoning me within the stone walls. As the door closed, the room grew even darker, with only a sliver of light filtering in from the crack at the bottom of the door.

The cage was protected with powerful magic, making it impossible for me to use any of my abilities. The poles were covered in intricate sigils, warning that any attempt to use my strength against them would result in excruciating pain.

Coming to terms with my powerlessness, I sank to the cold stone floor, leaning my back against the wall. The rage within me grew stronger, a seething force I hadn't known could intensify further. With nothing else left to feel, I let it consume me entirely. Closing my eyes, I allowed the rage to permeate my entire being, coursing through my veins like molten lava. Ironically, this raw, seething anger brought a strange sense of peace. Embracing this paradoxical tranquility, I let myself drift off to sleep, comforted by the return of my old, familiar self.

~~~

The following few days or weeks had felt like a whole eternity. The two demons, whose names, later I found out, were Belphegor and Belial, were visiting me every day for a torture session. Knowing I was powerless inside the cage and that they were backed up by the Devil, they just let it all out on me. By the end of the first session, my arms were locked inside two metal cuffs hanging from the ceiling. And they didn't bother letting my arms loose after they were done. In fact, they kept me like this so it was easier for them to continue doing the same the next day.

The torture sessions consisted of a lot of whipping but with a whip that was specifically made for demons. Ordinary whips naturally didn't work, so our dear Devil made sure to specifically make one for us if we misbehaved that actually burned us on touch. They would also pour gasoline over me and set a hellfire on me. Of course, normal gasoline wasn't used either. This one was made from residue of mortal sins such as envy, wrath, greed and lust. Once gathered, it is distilled into crimson liquid and then when ignited, it released a cacophony of anguished screams, echoing the sins that birthed it. The more wicked the soul, the higher the octane rating.

The problem with being a demon, especially a higher ranking one, was that a lot of wounds healed quickly. So that meant that every new session felt like a first one, not allowing me to get used to the pain.

Despite it all, I never allowed myself to shed a tear or let out a whimper. I couldn't allow them to see any sort of emotion coming off me. Although I made sure to show disdain every time they showed up. I never spoke to them either even though they would send snarky comments my way or say something between themselves. Throughout the whole experience I was gathering more and more rage, making sure to dig deep enough and root it in my base being.

I had lost track of time, but at some point, I was visited by the dear boss himself. Despite the enormous physical pain I was enduring, which seemed relentless, I was dozing off when he entered. My eyes were partly closed, but I recognized his familiar footsteps and presence immediately. He crouched in front of the cage, a small smirk playing on his lips. The audacity of his smirk left me aghast, but then again, he was the Devil after all.

"Have you learned your lesson yet?" He asked in a low voice. I slowly looked up at him and made sure to spit at him, aiming at his face. There was an obvious surprise on his face as he chuckled lightly, wiping it off with his coat sleeve. "Guess you haven't." He stood up and was about to turn around and leave when I finally decided to say something after days of being mute.

"Why?" I was staring up at him almost begging him to explain to me the real reason behind this all. The whole Pandora affair just didn't do it for me. It was still unnerving to me that someone who I looked up to and respected so much had become someone I loathed.

The Devil simply put his arms behind his back and said nonchalantly, "I don't know what's not clear. You went against my direct orders and now you're here."

His non-caring tone struck a nerve and I growled as I tried to lunge towards him only to be pulled back by the chains around my wrists.

"Spare me the bullshit." I spat. "Tell me the real reason." I was glaring daggers at him while his face remained as unbothered as ever. However, I could feel a small spark within him, telling me that he was trying to fight more delicate emotions. That made me feel a bit better knowing that he wasn't as heartless as he presented himself to be. Although I also had a feeling that this small part of him was going to die soon as well.

The Devil furrowed his eyebrows and went back into a crouching position, looking directly into my eyes. "As I said, you went against my direct orders, then you barged into my private office where you rummaged through my things. It's not only an invasion of privacy but you keep forgetting I'm your ruler and some things are simply inexcusable." He stopped for a few seconds before adding, "Do you understand now?"

Was he really not aware that I went to see Lucifer? If that's so, then his personality was becoming way worse than I initially assumed. Since I wasn't speaking as I was trying to kill him with my gaze, he gave himself permission to continue talking and make me loathe him more.

"I'm not your friend, Asmo. You have to understand. You'll be treated as equal as anybody here."

"Equal!?" I snorted. " Equal my ass." I cackled, his face showing a surprise. He seemed not to like my response as he stood up and said,

"Well I'll see you later. When you're in a better mood."

"I will never be in a better mood as long as you're alive."

"Now, now. That's rude." The Devil retorted before sending a smirk my way. After that, he turned away and left for good. I was surprised that the sole intensity of rage I was feeling didn't break these chains. This only meant that the Devil really made sure to design them for me. How kind of him.

Not even sleep provided relief anymore; all I could do was dissociate for hours on end, losing myself in a numb fog. There was nothing else left within me. I imagined that was how Lucifer felt as well, though undoubtedly his suffering was far more profound. Who knew how long he had been trapped in that cell?That was precisely why I needed to find a way to escape, for both our sakes.

Not long before the Devil had left, Belial and Belphegor returned to keep me company. Belial, with his tall frame towering over me, was the first to open the door of the prison. He had short, messy dirty blonde, his eyes a striking shade of red as he stared down at me with disdain.

And then close behind him was Belphegor who was shorter in stature and a bit chubby with a bit of muscle as well. They exchanged a few words before laughing out loud and then Belial kicked me in the stomach, making me grunt. He grinned from ear to ear as he heard me make a noise for the first time in what seemed like weeks.

"Well, isn't that fun!" He cheered and looked over at Belphegor who then brought out a knife from inside his boot. I frowned a little bit as he made his way towards me. He pulled my hair harshly, making my head bend backwards. Belphegor went behind me as he started circling with the knife over my face, making a few cuts before pressing the blade against my throat. That was when I started panicking. I believed that the Devil wanted to have me punished but not executed.

"Wouldn't he be a pretty little corpse?" Belphegor mused. I started struggling before Belial kicked me in the stomach once more, making me gasp out a lot of air.

"Be still or this will get messier than any of us want it to." Belial said calmly.

"You can't kill me, the Devil will kill you once he finds out and you both know it."

Both of them started laughing out loud as Belphegor slowly pulled away from my throat.

"Oh look, he speaks!" Belial exclaimed happily.

"Was this just a ruse to get me to speak?"

"Kinda... we don't like our subjects to be quiet." The taller demon shrugged. "We've got something else prepared for you." He added and then nodded over towards Belphegor who quickly went out of the room and then got back, carrying a wooden bucket. He placed it on the floor which was when I saw that it was actually an extremely hot tar. I couldn't hide the slight fear in my eyes which made Belial smile a little bit. Belphegor then also gave him a conical paper cap and poured tar using a ladle into it.

"Say cheese!" Belial joked grimly and immediately started pouring the tar over my head. I couldn't hold it in anymore as I cried out in pain. The pain was nothing like I had ever experienced. It was radiating. The tar began sliding down my face, forcing my eyes to close and then someone forced my head back. Something got pressed against the front of my head when I realized it was a scalpel. The sharp edges started scraping over my head as I was almost whimpering in pain. It was going on for a while as Belial made sure to get every little bit of my hair left and to press deep enough into the scalp, leaving large and throbbing scars. When it was over my eyes were full of tears because I was trying so hard to suppress the pain. However, it was only over for a few seconds before Belphegor poured another batch into the cone. I tried protesting but naturally, they didn't listen to me. Belial spilled hot tar over my body before he quickly started scraping with the scalpel, making me growl and hiss. They continued doing the same process over and over until there was nothing left in the bucket. By the end, my entire body was completely red, riddled with scars and a few wounds. A lot of them were also bleeding, the ones on the head and stomach being the most intense.

After they were done, they actually unlocked the chains and let me fall to the floor. Belphegor then spat at me as they turned away and left the room. Underwear was the only piece of clothing left on me as I just lied there on the floor, grateful at least that they finally let me down. The pain was so immense that I couldn't think about anything else. I let a few tears drop but I quickly wiped them off and slowly closed my eyes. There was no way for me to sleep this time either as the pain was so distracting. It felt like it was never going to end. I tried to hold on to the fact that the wounds usually healed fast on demons but it didn't seem like it in this case.

I didn't know for how long I was laying there unmoving and staring at the wall. By then some of the scars had started healing but not fully. Although I was starting to feel better physically, I felt like my mind was falling apart. I didn't hear when somebody opened the door and walked in, however I did notice that they were trying to be as silent as possible. I wanted to turn around and look but I was still feeling way too weak. At this point if they were to kill me, I'd be looking forward to it.

"Hey..." I heard someone whisper and it sounded familiar but due to my mind being very foggy, I couldn't remember. I slowly started turning my head towards the newcomer and my eyes slightly widened when I saw who it was.

"Mammon...?" I said weakly. Of all the people I expected to see here, he was nowhere on the list. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Asmodeus, an enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"What?" I was so confused and the brain fog didn't help at all.

"Demonic powers don't work here, but do you know whose do?" I saw a satisfactory smirk lingering on his lips before I saw that his hand was safely tucked away inside the front of his jacket. Then before I could ask any more questions, he started pulling out his hand, revealing a raven squished in his grasp. Suddenly, a shot of energy sprung through me and I immediately got up in a sitting position.

"What in the..." I had so many questions but I knew we didn't have much time.

"Man, you look horrible." Mammon stated. "You're bald too." Ironically that made me feel a bit better as I hadn't seen a friendly face in weeks probably. And if Mammon was the friendly face to see first then so be it.

He didn't waste too much time as he quickly released the raven from his grip. The bird transformed into a red mop of hair I hadn't seen in a very long time. My face instantly softened upon seeing him and he smiled softly back at me.

"You're bald, dude." Loki said, laughing lightly.

"Thanks, dude." I chuckled for the first time in a while. Suddenly, the remaining pain I was feeling didn't seem so bad anymore. I still had no idea how these two came around to meet each other. Must've been Beelzebub's doing. But where was Beelzebub? I left the questions for later though.

Loki held onto the two poles in front of him and at once, they started melting. I had no idea he had so much control over fire and heat in general. It was actually impressive.

Once the poles melted completely into the ground, Loki squeezed in partly just to lend me a hand. I moved closer and grabbed his hand before he pulled me up using his core strength and we both squeezed through the gap. I realized once more how strong he actually was. Due to his personality, you could very easily underestimate him and forget he was an actual god. Loki was even a trickster in appearance.

"How are we going to pass without somebody seeing us?" I asked because I was concerned that they didn't think this through that well. Turned out I was wrong however.

"As I said, godly powers. Our dear boss doesn't think we have a god at our disposal." Mammon replied, which didn't really make things much clearer. That was when Loki grabbed my forearm and squeezed it tightly. I looked at Loki and then Mammon in pure confusion. "You're going on a trip." He explained.

"WHA–" Before I could finish, we suddenly warped through space and appeared somewhere I had never been - no portals, no anything. I pulled away from Loki and looked at him in horror. "What the hell was that?!"

"I see you got your strength back!" He said mockingly and rolled his eyes. I looked around the place where we arrived. It was a simple small room with only a twin-sized bed with a white wooden night stand next to it. The walls were made of white gold and it looked squeaky clean. It was incomparable to the entire palace in Hell. I walked over to a large square window on the wall next to the bed and my jaw dropped. The entire city seemed to be built out of white marble and gold. The buildings and giant statues of gods were glistening in the sun.

"Welcome to Asgard." Loki suddenly said which made me turn around and look at him in disbelief.

"You brought me to Asgard?!"

"You're welcome!" He sounded slightly annoyed this time. "You know, I could've let you rot there." He added before going over to the bed and let himself drop down on it with his arms behind his head. I was still standing there in absolute bewilderment. I noticed the scars had finally started to heal but there was still stinging pain here and there whenever I'd have made a sudden move.

"I'm sorry... I'm still confused," I said, my tone calmer now as I looked over at Loki, who kept his eyes closed. "What's going to happen to Mammon?"

"Unfortunately, he's going to have to report your disappearance. While they form a search party, you're going to stay here," he replied, still not opening his eyes. It seemed like a solid plan, but for how long? Eventually, they'd find me. If not on their own, they'd start interrogating every demon with any connection to me. And honestly, I was terrified of what they might do to Beelzebub.

"Am I going to stay in this room this entire time?"

Loki finally sat up and leaned on the wall, now facing me, "yeah." He shrugged.

"Can you at least bring me alcohol in the meantime?" I figured there'd be no use in complaining as it was a better situation than being constantly tortured. However, I believed that I was actually going to go insane the longer I remained imprisoned like this.

"Sure." He nodded. It was odd seeing him in such circumstances, I felt really weak and vulnerable. Especially because of the lack of clothes. Then I remembered I was no longer stripped off my demon powers and started manifesting a simple shirt and pants. It was only then when I started feeling less exposed.

I slid down the wall and sat on the floor as there was no other place to sit in. "What happened to Thor?" I asked after some time.

"Oh, you remembered!" Again with the sarcasm. Was he annoyed that I dared to be locked up? That was when he started getting on my nerves as well.

"What's wrong with you? If you're going to be such a pain in the ass, please return me. I'd much rather get beat up every day than listen to you whine," I snapped. He shot me a glare, clearly getting angrier. I couldn't fathom why he thought he had the right to be mad.

Without raising his voice, Loki replied, "I waited for you for so long, only to find out you got locked up. Then I got really pissed off, and I still am. Do you not realize you could have died? What would I do then?"

I had to stifle a laugh at his words. It took everything in me not to mock him outright. He kept staring at me, waiting for a response, while I pressed my lips together to keep from chuckling. I coughed to suppress the urge, which helped a little.

"Yeah, yeah, I realize that," I said, coughing once more to push down the laughter. He was so detached from his emotions that he had no idea what he was feeling. He was just blurting out whatever rose to the surface at any given moment. Then again, I wasn't one to talk—I was terrible with emotions too. "But you have to realize that trouble follows me. If you're with me now, then trouble will definitely find us."

"The Norse world is the last place they'll look. You don't need to worry for a long time."

I snickered, "Wait for it."

I knew they'd figure it out within a week, and then things would really escalate. Still, this brief respite would recharge me for whatever was coming next. I wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but I was desperate to get back at the Devil. Deep down, I knew it was going to be so satisfying.

"But, yeah, Thor is still alive, thankfully. They've taken away a lot of my rights, though," Loki said, his tone less irritated as he shifted the topic.

"Like what?" I asked.

"Like I pretty much can't do anything anymore. I can't attend their meetings, participate in any events, or make deals. I'm blocked from influencing the human world indefinitely."

I shouldn't have been surprised—after all, it was Thor he had tried to kill. Still, it was sad to see how much it clearly bothered him. I almost envied his punishment, thinking it sounded like heaven compared to being tortured repeatedly. Yet, it was surprising that Loki was willing to risk bringing me here. Why did he care so much? I probably should have asked, but I didn't want to provoke him further.

"Well, hey, at least we didn't start an apocalypse yet," I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

"Sometimes I think we should speed it up," he sighed in annoyance, making me wonder if his willingness to help was just a means to hasten the process. But his earlier speech suggested something else entirely. I didn't respond, not wanting to start another argument, even though I didn't agree with his sentiment at all.

"Is there any other place I'm allowed to go? I don't think I'll be able to stay in this room for who knows how long."

"Well, technically, you can leave any time, I just wouldn't recommend it. You can probably walk around this building as no one really comes around but anywhere else inside Asgard is dangerous. They will kill you on sight." He stopped here, making sure I lodged the last sentence in my memory. Also, did he "own" this entire building? What strange concepts of living Asgard had. "And, you can go anywhere in the human world but as you know they will find you there very easily. I can bring you to see other parts of the Norse worlds but that's also very dangerous except maybe the Dream world which is riddled with fairies, elves and other land spirits. And also the dead."

"You guys have a dream world?!"

"Yeah but it's really confusing, you can get lost very easily as one path that led you there isn't guaranteed to get you back." Loki explained and almost sounded like he was talking from an experience. Knowing him, that probability didn't surprise me.

"Sounds a lot like the fairy tale Alice in Wonderland." I said, laughing lightly.

"Well, it isn't the first time humans took something from Astral and twisted it to fit their worldview."

"I can't disagree with that." It was true that not all humans did it deliberately, but many did. Some humans would get a fleeting glimpse into this world, and due to their brains being incapable of fully comprehending it, they would remember it in a very simplified manner. "Alice in Wonderland," however, was a striking depiction of how the human brain tries to make sense of something beyond its understanding.

We sat in silence for a little while, and eventually, I started feeling like I could relax my body and mind. I was so used to constantly worrying about when Belphegor and Belial would come that it felt odd not to have that fear anymore. I wanted to thank Loki and hug him, but my pride stopped me. It was going to take a while for me to be able to express anything. It all felt so awfully unfamiliar to me.

I was so lost in thought, staring at the wall when suddenly Loki got up. I looked up at him and he had a wide grin from ear to ear.

"You know, we should celebrate getting you out of there!" He exclaimed cheerfully. Honestly, I couldn't agree more. Alcohol would definitely help me loosen up more and I also didn't get to enjoy any of my vices in a while.

"Get something good." I smiled with a small smirk.

"You got it." He responded and opened a giant portal in the middle of the room.

"Wait... why didn't we use that earlier instead of that weird space warp?"

"Efficiency. Although it has drained me. That's why I don't usually use it." After that, he simply stepped inside the portal and it quickly closed once he disappeared into the darkness. His explanation made sense, I didn't know why I didn't think of it sooner. Although it was true that my brain was all fogged up until like an hour ago.

It was only when Loki was gone that I felt such relief. I felt like I had to keep up the front of being mentally better around him. I knew it wasn't his fault; it was just me being unable to show weakness. Despite being less stressed out, it felt like everything in me was slowly falling apart. That's when I realized that all the things I had gone through during my imprisonment were going to take forever for me to fully make peace with. I didn't think I was going to feel truly happy for a very, very long time.