Chapter 173: TO SAVE A LIFE

A young woman ran as she can,

While asking herself what wrong she have done.

She felt like losing her sanity, seeing all these sorts of monstrosity,

Asking herself, if she had just gone crazy.

So turned out, God was real all along?

But if so, where are His angels to comfort her woes?

Was she really that bad? Well, although she didn't believed in God,

She was sure that she's a good person,

Wasn't she?

She felt mad.

She couldn't help but feel trapped in a dream,

As creatures of hell follow her occasional screams.

Every corner she goes they were there.

With features seemingly from her nightmare.

With her legs feeling tired she tried her best,

To find a safe hiding place.

She saw an old room that she thought could be well,

So she went exactly there.

Seeing that no one seemed to follow soon,

She felt a shimmer of hope.

And knelt to her knees praying of safety.

But than the feeling of happiness and relief,

She felt her intincts take over swift.

She felt cold, as her whole body shivered in fear.

She looked above her, only to see a dog-like creature stare at her,

Exposing it's long sharp teeth.

She was between fainting, and screaming.

As she stared at the hellhound watching.

He quickly came down, it's red eyes never leaving.

As she goes to the window,

but saw the painful fall she may be taking.

She thought of which would be painful,

Falling a high height, or being mawled full.

Taking her chance, she jumped from the high place,

Crying as she did so,

But my, her life was strange.

Belphegor saw the woman leaped,

And quickly warned Haborym about it,

The duke of hell followed quick,

As he casted a huge snake to catch her before falling.

The woman felt hopeless, but more so when she saw all her friends,

Wrapped by other huge snakes.

Their camp was a mess,

As the undead eat their men.

She cried feeling betrayed,

By whoever was superior above all.

"Why? Why did I do to you?"

She asked the man, with red eyes and robe of blue.

The demon did not give her much pleasure and refused to answer,

As all there is in his mind, was to complete his mission.

"These ladies are fairer than the last time,

Now, those who don't hold much beauty can be fed for Lucifer's dogs any time."

Belphegor said in a soft voice, rather expresionless,

As Haborym didn't heard yet smiled, that his work had end.

The woman kept struggling,

But realized only the fair ladies were kept,

So she quickly pulled her blonde hair,

And made an effort to destroy her face.

Haborym turned around, shocked,

As the woman refused to come.

He pulled out his mask.

Which obviously had a frown.

Haborym's deep scars scared the woman silent.

As the demon walked over her,

"You made all the efforts catching you to waste.

Regardless of your unwillingness to go with us,

Your soul will always, go to hell.

But now, you're no use to Lord Lucifer,

You destroyed your hair, and your skin,

how distasteful.

Now, since you seemed to refuse all the options given to you,

I'll give you the pleasure,

To ask how you'd like to die,

And that I'd do."

"Haborym, just let her be. We can use her as a slave or feed her to the dogs,"

Belphegor said, only wanting to go home.

"Ah, no. I've worked hard to find these women and they kept destroying themselves,

Lucifer asked precisely for 29 attractive women,

And now there's one less."

"Haborym, you're just wasting your time on her, let's go,"

"No,"

Haborym let out hus frustrations as he leaped towards the woman,

"You, have always been my nuisance!"

He let his true form show his fully eaten patience,

His horns growing bigger, and his body covered in scales.

He looked like how a demon should.

Letting the spell sealing him from looking like that, crack and split,

Belphegor stepped back, as he gritted his teeth.

Haborym had enough, he thinks.

Haborym strangled the woman, but Belphegor interfered.

"Alright, Haborym, you're wasting resources, that could have been added to Beelzebub's feast.

Hurry now, don't waste your energy no more.

This isn't me begging you, it's more of an order."

Haborym gradually snapped back to his senses,

As he looks at the woman's scared face.

He saw the same fear that he once had,

The first time he saw a demon,

In a forest so dark.

He drags the woman roughly back down,

But as punishment, cut her fingers clean.

Belphegor did not spoke anything against it,

Whatever...makes Haborym at peace.

Uncomfortable with arguments,

Belphegor and Haborym's search became quite silent.

Until they saw a woman seemingly crying in despair,

Clinging for her dear life, in a tree branch,

"Seemed fair."

Haborym murmured as he lets his viper crawl on the tree.

But for some reason, the vipers come back down, seemingly in fear.

Haborym looked at the woman again,

But she seemed to not be very special,

So why again?

She doesn't radiate the same aura an angel has,

Nor does she smell like a demon for a fact.

Haborym, impatient, and already fed up,

Decided to cut the tree for good.

But the tree won't budge.

And even the hellhounds refused to come closer.

"Why? Why don't you keep moving?

She can't hurt a thing!"

He yelled, but seeing Belphegor's strained look,

Decided to compose himself some more.

"I apologize Lord Belphegor,

You don't have to work at all.

I'll handle this for good."

The demon of sloth agreed,

As he watch him, with all his effort cut the tree.

However, try as he may with his abilities,

The tree kept healing itself,

Was he seeing things?

"Who are you?" He finally said.

"How unfortunate, I'm sure we've met,"

The black haired woman calmly said,

As her grey eyes, slowly pulled some memories from his head.

"Our Aza?" He asked, confused.

"Good job!" She sent shivers to his spine,

It couldn't be. It's been a while,

He thought she chose to be human,

And died a peaceful life.

"You know...I've been the one messing with your...hunts since the day this chaos broke.

You know? The one killing your dogs.

And...also, if you ever wondered why you don't always get as many,

Well...sorry, the culprit is me.

I've been so...tired seeing you get all this people,

Who could in fact, may repent like I did.

You took too many souls from us, you know,

Even if I'm not an angel,

I'll continue to save as many as I could.

God had forgiven me, and all this time I've secretly kept watch,

But...eh, you've done so much.

How many does Lucifer wants?

That...unbelievable, prideful tyrant."

"You! You had the audacity to stop me from my work!

After betraying us all!

Aza! You will pay for this!

Like all those angels we killed!"

"My, my, my sister Azalea from the heaven above,

Won't approve of that foul mouth you have,

Well then, do as you please,

But this tree is sacred, to fall and be killed."

"Oh, I'll just reach you up there and you'd see,"

"Ah, I wouldn't try if you were me,"

From behind the tree appeared Abaddon the second,

Haborym's past comrade, a human turned demon.

"You traitor...you and your wife!

You chose that God, than us who gave you life!"

"Life? Azazel and Lucifer gave us a burden than life,

You were the one who killed me, isn't that right?

The one who took my humanity,

and tricked our minds,

Into believing,

We're of the same kind."

Belphegor did not liked the way things were displayed,

So as lazy as he is, he came closer,

But Abaddon stinks of Death.

They were all aware of what the person could do.

"Ah, if you wish to come close, shut your eyes as tight as you can,"

Abaddon removed the cloth covering his eyes,

Killing the hellhounds present in his sight.

Haborym quickly avoided his gaze,

As he called the others to retreat.

"Ah, no, you can't just go like that.

You have to give those...poor girls back,"

"You must be kidding me, we can't return there empty-handed!"

Haborym couldn't help but yell.

"Well, Aim, I'm being generous can't you see?

I'm letting you keep your head."

Haborym looked at Belphegor,

Who seemed to be not in a mood to fight,

He have been releasing people's nightmares for so long,

That none in the back can be extracted no more.

He doubts he could touch Abaddon as well,

And, does he even have nightmares?

"Haborym, let's go."

Belphegor calmly said,

Keeping his best,

To avoid the second Abaddon's gaze.

"But our efforts! They'll go to waste!"

"It's better to live another day.."

Belphegor then walked away,

As Haborym was forced to give up,

Already tired and strained.

Abaddon then covered his eyes,

Which were bleeding as his curse applied.

After he was sure that they were gone,

He looked up and talked to his wife.

"Ah, it's good they gave up sooner,

They're rather intimidated quickly,

I wouldn't have known how to handle the two strong demons,

If ever, they were on their undrained power.

Aza, I feel like my eyes...they're getting weaker.

But I hope we can save more people,

Before we ran out of power,

And return to our hundred years of slumber.

Keep praying, dear wife.

But for now, let's comfort this girls,

Who seemed to have seen a lot."

The woman jumped out of the tree,

Which shriveled and died as she leave.

She walked towards the woman who kept crying.

Now aware that hell is real and so was heaven.

"Abaddon, I'll handle them, go rest,"

"It sucks we can only be in one place,"

"It's alright, at least we saved a few,

It still counts. So don't lose hope."

"I wish I have the guts to kill my brothers,"

"It's alright, you don't have to, as long as we hinder their work."

Abaddon only sighs.

"I hope they change soon,

And make use of their time.

They may have ignored everything for years,

But I hope...hope with all my heart

they take this chance.

Time is running fast."