Novels2Search

Chapter 5

Azazel

Those little pesky creatures were starting to irritate him at this point. He had given a simple task for them to work on, and what did he receive? A mess of work. With a deep sigh and internal groan, the demon decided to leave his study and entered his bedchambers, where he could think more clearly about what to do with those creatures. He slammed the door shut and stretched his limbs, including his wings, groaning slightly as the tension in his body eased.

It had been a long day, and he refused to sleep, there was a lot of work to complete – thanks to the Council of Hell and the creatures contribute more problems than solutions.

Instead of sulking in his bedchambers, the demon opted to stroll outside the castle. His blazing orbs seemed to catch on a figure beyond the door while passing by the big crystal windows of the hallways. "Who let an intruder in the castle grounds?!" he cried from his vantage point to the beast.

The demon had had a horrible day, and now he had to deal with some bothersome and obnoxious human who had merely intruded on his territory? No way, not today.

He made his way to the main door of the castle, his blood boiling with rage because he didn't want to deal with any trouble. Normally, he would delegate the inconvenience to his servants. However, not this time. The seven-foot demon came to a halt in front of the enormous doors, masking his genuine emotions behind narrowed eyes, and unlatched the doors, revealing the young woman before him. She appeared disoriented, but the minute her gaze fell on him, her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Her shouts appeared to pause, undoubtedly stuck in her throat, as she took in his entire appearance.

He was quite satisfied with her response. Just like his victims before her, they tend to elicit the exact response before he devoured them without a single care.

And she will be one of them.

Instead of frightening the human, the demon opted to invite her into his domain. He had a nice, certainly not fake, smile that perplexed the unfortunate redhead.

"Welcome, welcome to my humble abode. May I trouble you with some tea?" He questioned, a hint of slyness can be heard through his tone.

The woman was astonished and unable to talk. She could only stare at his appearance... and his inquiry. At this time, the devil became agitated and hissed through his words, "Will you enter or not? You're squandering my valuable time."

The human squeaked, unaware of how she was wasting his time by gawking at his appearance. Her fight or flight response seemed to render her immobile for a while, he noticed. He simply grunted, turning his back on the woman, and made his way further into the castle. Black curtains blocked out the sunlight, leaving the torches to do their work while the emptiness of the castle overwhelmed the poor redhead.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Then, she decided to flee. As he expected.

Azazel decided to ignore it instead and made his way toward the underground. The flickering flames seemed to trail alongside the demon, illuminating his pathway down the stone-cold stairs. For humans, the darkness would have blinded them for days — but for Azazel, the darkness felt like home. The air was much colder, in contrast to the weather in Hell, yet the lord of scapegoats preferred the weather here to his own home. Regardless, he had found his home in isolation, and he would not change a single thing.

Silence met him the moment he entered the abandoned basement, full of dust and ashes. His charcoal wings stretched out from his back, dusting away some cobwebs that lingered here and there, while his ember hues seemed to scan the surroundings. A small whimper of fear could be heard from the corner of the basement.

"Awake, are we?" Azazel's voice taunted, approaching the corner where a frail old man was contained in a cage.

The frail old man didn't speak, afraid to even glance at the demon. His breathing was labored and his head hang low, refusing to meet the demon's gaze as Azazel halted right before him, rusty metal bars keeping them separated. He stood there, staring down at the old man, and crossed his arms, inspecting him for a while. Perhaps it was time to drain the human dry before the old man collapsed due to other reasons. With an amused chuckle, he yanked the small black gate and entered, kneeling before the human.

"Your time has come, human. There is no escape this time," Azazel taunted once again.

The old man whimpered once more in fear, backing up until a stone-cold wall hit his back, warm brown eyes finally looking up towards the demon without uttering a single word. He swore he could see Azazel's eyes glowing in the darkness, "Please... don't."

The demon paid no attention to the elderly man; instead, his fingers quickly encircled his neck and hoisted him off the ground. Blood was what he was starving for, and whether it was forced or not, he would get it. He may have been fortunate to capture and hold a few errant humans who ventured further from the human town. The lord of hell bared his teeth in an instant, biting little pieces of flesh and going deep into the human's neck. The man was screaming in anguish, slowly losing his life as the monster proceeded to eat his deteriorating flesh, and his screams filled the basement. Azazel's razor-sharp claws dug deep into the wretched man's arms to stop him from moving as he gnawed on his neck. The demon appeared to be energized by the taste of the man's blood and found the odor to be stimulating.

Azazel spent his sweet time devouring the human, feeling his emotions improving as he fed himself. The man's life perished right before him, his eyes wide open as he died in a state of agony and torture. Satisfied, the demon tossed aside the body like a rag doll, leaving maggots and bugs alike to feed themselves.

"Christine!" He called out from the basement while making his way toward the exit.

His servant, obedient as always, rushed towards her master — eyes lifeless and skin pale — to tend to his needs, "Yes, master?"

"Prepare a bath and a couple of refreshments, the human's filthy blood has stained me," Azazel scowled and marched towards his bedchambers, leaving drops of fresh blood behind on the marbled floor.