ACT I – VII
THE COURT OF SATANAEL

Fast-paced strides advance the span of the corridor until it halts when the double door bursts open.

"Bloody devil, Shanea! I can't believe who I just saw!" Adelheid's voice thunders the room.

The woman lying in bed shoots up with the unexpected visitor. Only Adelheid can wake the precious child of the Devil King and say profanities mentioning his title.

"Please tell me it is something important or I will skin you alive." Shanea doesn't need to see the clock to know it is still early for her cousin to disturb her.

Luscious black waves sway in the air as Adelheid plops herself on the bed.

"Do you remember the guy I told you ten years ago? I saw him in the garden!"

Shanea can only frown at her misplaced excitement. "It's ten years, how can you even remember someone?"

Adelheid rolls her eyes. "I shouldn't have expected something when you have a memory of a Vulture."

"Excuse me? I can't believe I'm tolerating you either with your poisoned tongue. Get out!" Seething glares came from Shanea as she throws a pillow. Her drowsiness has gone after hearing the insults of her cousin who dares to compare her with the lowest race.

Adelheid quickly avoids it and scoots closer towards Shanea. Pale slim hands embrace the other.

"Just kidding, just kidding. You have such a bad temper, Shanea. I'm just saying the truth. You really do forget things easily but aside from that you're the best demon in Hell!"

"Let me go. Your two-faced act won't convince me," Shanea retorts but she isn't doing anything to pull herself from her.

"Oh, but you still love me, right? I'm your favorite cousin after all."

"As if I have a choice when you're the only child of Auntie."

Adelheid jerks and draws away. A certain memory flashes in her mind and quickly erases it. "Anyway, this is not what I'm here for. Get up and let's go to the garden. You need to see him!"

"Why will I?"

"Levi is with him too," Adelheid answers, her lips tilt knowing Shanea will have no choice.

><><><><><><><

Bright light from the Azure Sun illuminated the place. This is what makes the Ring of Animian special. When other rings are shrouded in darkness, the Ring of Animian exists similar to the Mortal Realm that they can even grow flowers in this so-called place the 'Land of the Dead'.

Hell's Court has hired the best artisans to create the beautiful landscape surrounding them thus it is often used to entertain guests. Few men gather on the gazebo while the servants attend them but no one notices the ladies squatting and eavesdropping on their conversation.

The main reason Adelheid drags Shanea is due to her unique ability as a Grim Reaper. They are one of the races who can hide their presence skillfully.

"He looks..."

"Handsome, right?" Adelheid's brown eyes glint.

"No, I mean he looks like the exact description you have about the naked guy minus the lightning marks."

"I thought you forgot about him?"

"You didn't specifically tell me he was the naked guy you met. Who will forget such a man? But if he's here and you did say he has a mark on his body, then coupled by the fact we haven't found him for years, that just proves my initial guess that he's a Candidate?"

"You're probably right with all the secrecy of the Candidates. But it's a perfect coincidence! Just when I decided to stop, he appeared right in front of me! Isn't this what you call the red thread of fate?"

Shanea scoffs. "Red thread of fate? That's just a human's delusion, Adelheid. Based on his face, he appears like a man who broke plenty of women's hearts. You should stop this infatuation as soon as possible."

"Such words of wisdom coming from a person pining over someone who has already seduced half of the court's servants," she bites back.

"Should we even argue— Is that the Crimson Sun?"

Deep red engulfed the pleasant sky in seconds.

"That's strange," Adelheid mumbles as she watches the two circles completely blending together.

The Crimson Sun is the only source of light for the other rings but at the end of every month, it covers the Azure Sun. It has only been a week after they had overlapped so it is too early.

Suddenly, heat rises from her body and she collapses in an instant.

"Adelheid?"

She clearly hears Shanea but her voice won't come out from her dried throat. Without any warning, her consciousness fades away.

><><><><><><><

"Adelheid? Stop your games and wake up," Shanea says and doesn't even bother helping her cousin who lies on the ground. For all she knows, it must be one of her pranks again.

She counts exactly a minute but there is no sign of movement. She lets out a sigh and resigns to being mocked falling over her tricks.

"I swear if—" Her hand jolts away as soon as she touches Adelheid.

Shanea is certainly confident Adelheid was fine earlier but now it feels like she touched a cooked furnace rather than the coldness of the demons. Their people never get a high temperature and their body is devoid of any illness.

Apprehension erupts and she quickly dispels their disguise. She rushes to the gazebo without any second thoughts.

"Father, Father!"

All eyes turn to Shanea. King Reno frowns when he notices the anxiety on her irises. He is aware the children are prying but he is confounded why Shanea is panic-stricken.

"What's the problem, dear?" he asks, cupping her face.

"Father, Adelheid... She..." She struggles to speak and points toward the direction she came from.

He stands up and the four men with him follow behind. They arrive behind the hedge and see Adelheid sprawling on the ground.

"I don't know why she fainted. We were just talking and this happened. What's wrong with her, Father?"

The king's brows furrow after his hand came in contact with his niece. The high temperature is unusual and he only knows a handful of demons who had warm bodies and they only have one thing similar.

'Perhaps...'

Adelheid is from the Ring of Iracundia where the Crimson Sun is the nearest. It has always been told the first Devil King, who was a Nephilim, created the Crimson Sun and his power is tied closely to it.

With the blood of the Nephilim and the Crimson Sun's untimely visit, King Reno easily put two in two.

"I'll take her back to her chamber."

"Allow me, your majesty," a man interrupts. His red orbs have the same tint as the surroundings. It is a color that can only be found in a Shade.

"No!" Shanea strongly refuses and realizes how unusual her reaction is. "I mean, my cousin is unmarried and there are only female servants here. It is best for Father to take her."

"I agree. Let's go." King Reno lifts Adelheid, ignoring the stinging pain of her burning skin while countless thoughts come across his mind.

><><><><><><><

Raging fire envelops Adelheid's senses. It continues rising from the tips of her toes to the top of her scalp. She strives to escape the unbearable pain but waves of heat scald her whole being.

The trickles of sweat cover her skin as she thrashes on the bed, fighting to relieve herself from the burning sensation. It travels and engraves itself on the depths of her marrows.

The dangerous warmth settles on her chest. One second, everything becomes normal but she cannot even finish a sigh when her heart seems to burst. The agony from earlier cannot compare to the compressing hotness of the pulsating organ. It is as if her ribcage has been set ablaze in a cage of flames and closing towards her heart.

Heavy pants resound the room as the excruciating torture remains. Adelheid finally surrenders to the misery and endures all of it. Her body stills while the heat lingers on her bones.

Just when she gives up, the invisible fire tormenting her cools down. Black ink sprouts on her left chest and travels to her abdomen. The pointed swirls lower further and the Devil's Crest marks her navel where the colors change.

Unlike other Courts, only the emblems of Satanael had the circular mark dyed in red. It is the symbol of the Crimson Sun and the pride of the Nephilims. Adelheid has become a Candidate.