Chapter 73: UNEXPLAINABLE HURT

Mar awakened in a strange bed,

Huge, comfortable, that she almost doesn't want to lift her head,

She only woke up after hearing a few knocks on her door,

On which she remembered she wasn't where she was before.

She quickly rubbed her eyes and scanned her surroundings,

And quickly panicked when she had her findings,

She lifted her blanket to see if she was taken advantage of,

And Elenchos entered, confused why the blanket was off.

"It is very cold here, please wear it until I get a you a thicker dress,"

But Mar didn't listen, and he could tell she was still very stressed,

Elenchos sighed, unhappy of his uncle's surprise,

"I'm not like my uncles, I won't take advantage of you, not even make you my wife,"

Those words didn't made things better,

As she cried and have her palms were then soaked wetter,

Elenchos panicked, and not knowing what else to do,

Knocked upon Asmodeus' door, without having the slightest clue-

That Asmodeus was still away,

Flying, watching how Lucifer's plan play,

He was lost, confused in a bundle of emotions,

As he felt his skin shiver, from the clear damnation.

When he heard two knocks returned signalling his absence,

He had no choice but to leave, his shoulders then becoming tensed,

Elenchos, in a panicky state, decided to return,

And in his confused and frantic face, Mar picked up his concern.

He didn't want to scare her, and thus kept a fair distance,

He sighed, as she was too easily frightened, unlike when he was at Sellena's assistance,

He understand her, however, since he still have horns,

However the scene of her frightened face, wrapped his heart with thorns.

He wondered if he should first introduce himself,

Yet in the end, decided to ask hers instead.

"Mar," she simply said,

"Marie? Martha or Maribelle?"

"The second,"

"What?"

"The second..." she said in a tone sounding dead.

Elenchos was confused as to why she seems so gloomy,

But to change her expression, he didn't want to hurry,

He spent half the day with her, trying to make sure she was comfortable,

As he began to tell her human stories, most of which were well-known fables.

Mar listened, although some were all but familiar,

Until Elenchos came to a fable, discussing a country with almost endless wars,

She began to shake, and quickly covered her ears,

While the young demon wonder, of why her eyes rapidly formed tears.

He, although very sympathetic, didn't know much how to comfort Mar,

Whose mind seemed, to have strayed afar,

The poor woman recalls herself running hopelessly,

From huge bombs, the chaos, and the sight of casualties.

"Martha! Keep running!" Her helpless father trapped in debris insisted she go,

As she ran away, from the home she used to know,

She remembered the stinging pain of scratches in her legs,

And the bodies of her neighbors, already dead.

She cried, kept crying, until she saw a kind hearted man,

Carry her, and run, as fast as he can.

Soon, she could only watch, as her home get perfectly demolished,

Along with her family, her memories, whom in a glimpse seemingly vanished.

The greed, the chaos, the slaugher she witnessed,

Continued to torture her, whenever it pleases,

The more she reminisce, the more her chest tighten,

As she barely even know, how all these years she managed fighting.

The demon tried to touch her,

But she refused, and only asked for water,

The demon obeyed, and still uncertain, decided to leave,

As Mar laid her head, and tried to sleep.

...

Sellena wondered why he hasn't returned,

But she distracted herself, continuing to heal Lluming's burns,

The angel was reminded of Eleazar's caring persona,

That he felt a bit saddened, but didn't bothered Sellena.

"I never had an angel this close,"

Sellena tried to start a conversation,

"Heh, how embarrassing to be your first,

An angel so imperfect, whose rashness was its curse,"

"I think you look beautiful,"

"Lying would do no good,"

"I am not lying, you still look wonderful,

I'm sure anyone would reply the same,

You saved me too, so there's nothing to complain,

In my eyes, you are as beautiful as any other angel,

Whether its your true form or not,"

"Oh, you think I'm beautiful even in 'that'?

How crazy of a human you are,"

"Oh, I am not crazy, at least still far,"

The angel and Sellena laughed a bit as she finished off cleaning his wounds,

When Asmodeus came back, the scene quickly worsened his mood,

Driven by jealousy, he pretended to feel weak,

As Sellena rushed to his side, and quickly demanded he sit.

Asmodeus felt embarrassed, but he wanted her nowhere near the other man,

Even if he knew that to feel sexual love, an angel never can.

It just makes him feel inferior, and it felt like he was burning,

This pain he knew so well, but it was hotter this time,

And it was quite alarming.

He wanted to know what was going on with him,

As he have no reason to really be jealous,

Sellena wasn't as beautiful as his other demons,

And definitely, she wasn't the only choice.

And yet among all woman he have been,

It was Sellena, who makes him forget half his sin,

He grew to be more patient, but ever more envious,

As she seemed not to respond to his feelings,

And yet there's sweetness in her voice.

Her eyes were fierce, calculating, and clearly not a prey,

And yet when she needs to be, she could be as sweet and warm as a sunny day,

It was confusing, and Asmodeus didn't want her to do it out of platonic concern,

The thought makes him feel weak, as his stomach churn.

Lluming knew well of Asmo's thoughts,

So he kept his guard up, to prevent a lost,

Sellena has a purpose, and Lluming dare not reveal it yet,

Until the right moment and time is met.

Asmodeus gave him a wrathful stare when he caught him looking,

But he wasn't fazed, of course, that's not really Lluming,

He even smiled, and mocked him for his childish feelings,

As Sellena broke their eye contact, to prevent any fighting.

"Your wounds heal pretty fast, I say even faster than Lluming,"

"I'm a demon, and I have some witches, check on it this morning,"

Sellena frowned, "Then why not let them heal it up for you, fully?"

"I like your touch better, my one and only~"

Of course, Sellena didn't bought it, and instead finished wrapping his wounds quietly,

Asmodeus didn't liked it, "I admit it wasn't funny,"

"Asmodeus, you don't have to pretend I'm the only one,"

"But since I shared a bed with you, I haven't slept with none,"

"You and I know that's a lie, I can hear she-demons gossip about how you make them feel...great,"

"Those were but rumors, they probably spread it because of jealousy and hate,"

"You don't have to explain to me, you're a demon and that's what you are,"

"Even if I used to be so, doesn't mean I can't change so far,"

"Why do you even claim to love me?"

"Because there's things that in only you I witness and see,"

"Like what? Do tell me, and explain how you can fall at such a fast rate,"

"I promise you Sellena, you are not just a leftover in my plate,

You gave me this feeling, I...I couldn't explain it, there's no words I could find anywhere-"

"Because maybe...it wasn't really there..."

Sellena knew he might be saying the truth,

Yet confused longing for love he deems true,

She pitied him, and at the same time, she was just defending herself,

And yet why does her heart screams, that he simply wanted help.

He was quiet, the neediness in his eyes growing more and more,

As Lluming stood up, quite worried she'd fall,

And expecting the demon to finally give in to his desires,

Lluming ran towards him, not worrying if he'd be mawled.

However, rather than what he expected,

He only hugged her, to hear her heartbeat is just what he wanted,

Asmodeus cried, confused, and loveless all his life,

As Sellena comforted the demon, but her cheeks didn't stay dry.

She felt touched for whatever reason,

As she released her vulnerability in her once safeguarded prison,

She cried with him, as Lluming watched, still,

Touching his own chest, unsure of how to feel.

Asmodeus had never find hugs as satisfying before,

But this time, he felt no strong desire at all,

Sellena didn't felt his hand wondering anywhere,

As he was just simply lusting for comfort, and genuine care.

"I do not know what you've been through,

Or if what you said were really true,

But even if you're a demon,

Doesn't mean no one would ever care about you,"

That one word brought so many memories,

And it felt warmer, as he lost away a few worries,

He felt even more fascinated by her,

As Lluming felt much alarmed, afraid of what to happen after.

Despite those however, he cannot help but also wonder,

How despite being a demon with great influence and power,

Asmodeus seemed like a little child, comparable to a flower,

Not those fragrant, blooming type, but that deprived of care, a plant that withered.

What he saw buried in Sellena's arms,

Was not the demon he visualized could do harm,

He looked like an angel, depressed and simply thirsty,

For love, for comfort, he was deprived for centuries many.