Chapter Eighteen: Adramelech

CW/TW: Mild Sexual Content

"Sachiel," I said, wrapping my arm around his shoulders. The wind was at our back and the sun had already gone down. "Why don't you step into my office?"

He turned to me and there was stark fear in his eyes. They were still summer sky blue. Eventually, they will turn black, or something else. It all depends on how the low vibrations affect his inner being. I wonder what corrupted him. Did he get frustrated? Tempted by something? I hardly knew this second or third step-cousin. Though now, I could call him brother. Maybe he will change his name to something that reflects his true nature. Knowing my new brother was like unwrapping a present when it wasn't even my birthday.

"We're brothers now," I reminded him, though I knew he didn't want the words to roll off his tongue to make it true. "You weren't here for a visit, were you? We always wondered if it could happen... and here you are," I said smoothly, my arm tightening around his shoulders.

"Here I am," he agreed, swallowing in his throat. "Whatever shall I do?"

"First of all," I said brightly, turning in front of him with my hands on either side of his head. I gripped him, digging my fingers into his pretend Earthly costume. He, like most celestial angels, chose the avatar that reflected that of art history. He looked like a young Caucasian male with buttery blonde hair and blue eyes. Both young and athletic. Handsome, in a traditional way. It was what people had come to expect to see a good guy angel to look like-- though not necessarily one of truth. If Sachiel were so good, he wouldn't be in front of me.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?" he blubbered.

"What did you do to get here? What made you Fall? What is the last thing you remember?"

"I—I don't know! I've been helping a woman and her family! I—I remember I was helping her farm. She's out in Guam. I—I miss her and her family. She's got three kids and two dogs, Sabin and Tenner. I'm not even sure where I am, where is here?!" Sachiel cried frantically, looking around him and seeing nothing he recognized. "Is this America?!"

"Yeah, Florida, Miami, specifically. Isn't it nice? Almost as good as Vagas. I couldn't decide where I wanted to go," I said, taking my hands off him and jingling the coins in my pocket. I felt the nice breeze in the curls in my red, human-like hair. I manifested black sunglasses while no humans were looking. "But nothing beats the beach." I wondered when his hair would start turning red, confirming that he was now our brother, really and truly. It happened to all of us, and now takes effort to mask the hair color. No one really knows why, but it seemed to be something the Lord himself did to mark us when we are in human form.

"No, I mean... yes, the beach is nice, but..." Sachiel seemed to calm from his panic attack. I could see him visibly shake as he tried to regain his stance. The water lapped at our feet as we stood on the shore. I knew what he was going to say next, and I was sort of tired of hearing it. I patted him again, this time a little harder. I could feel his aura vibrate beside me. I'm not as good at assessing fellow angels very deeply. I just size them up enough to see if they're consumable. I felt he was.

"Don't worry. We can get out of here. It can be rather jarring. I remember my first time. Step into my office and we will talk a little," I said, ushering him through a portal that cut open in the sky. It was something like an elevator I summoned, and we were going nowhere but down.

It was a smooth ride to a jarring place. I knew exactly where I was but Sachiel likely didn't. It had a similar feeling to Florida, but we were nowhere near there. The air was still tropical and the sea and sands were still right in front of us, except now the beach was several hundred feet below. We stepped out of the doorway shaped portal and walked into a sleek, modern office. To the right was a wall made of windows, allowing us to see the bloody red sun lowering on the city. Skyscrapers glittered like a forest made of glass and steel. We were almost above the clouds, far below Heaven and observing silently like gods.

My office was plain with nothing but a desk. The desk was spotless obsidian shined into a well polished mirror. I didn't even bother with an office chair. Sachiel stepped in and immediately looked out the window. I watched as he seemed enchanted. I wondered what he was thinking.

"Have you been to Dubai?" I asked.

"No, is that where we are?" he wondered out loud. The waters were less blue here than in Florida. It was more of an aquamarine, lapping at the silver and steel dock along the shoreline. The Gulf of Oman shimmered as boats glided down river, like narrow floating cities. Red lights winked at the tops of buildings as if they were Christmas trees sending holiday cheer. Everything looked futuristic like an all year round World's Fair.

"Kinda, we are in... well, we are in the Dubai area. Sort of. We are in the dream part of the spirit world. Dream Dubai-- a low place. I didn't want to be in the real world anymore. We couldn't have a conversation there," I said. "We aren't in Hell, but almost. I just love Dubai so much I wanted an office here."

"So, what does this mean?" asked Sachiel. "That I'm fallen? I have to be evil now? I don't even know what happened, what caused me to fall. There was no warning. Does anyone else know about this? Who am I supposed to talk to?"

"Well, there's me, and there's Azazel. But, you don't want to do go Azazel," I said as I lit a Cuban cigar. I manifested it for myself. It wasn't as good as the ream thing, but almost. It was like smoking a cigar in a dream, lots of flavor but no taste. "And we are both going to do the same thing to you, so you might as well as hear me out first, since Azazel is going to lie and try to trick you. But I won't, I will lay it all out for you."

"What do you mean?" Sachiel asked with pure terror and concern. He looked wearily into my eyes. I smiled. Since we were out of the real world, it was harder and harder for me to maintain my human form and keep and a straight face.

"Well, we both want to eat you, for one. And yes, he's... technically the real 'Devil,' but not really, not if you want my opinion. He abdicated the throne ages ago, you know? Besides, whose got the real power since he quit? That's right, it's me. I sit on the throne of Hell. Me. All the blood. All the money. All the human misery. It's me. It's mine. If you don't join up with me right away, he will be coming after you. But, he's Saturn to my Jupiter. Trust me, you want to be my moon-- not his, sort to speak. We are both too big for you to survive in Hell alone. If you don't contract with me, you will be taken up by him."

"I'm... I'm not sure what you're saying," Sachiel admitted.

"I don't know what all goes on upstairs, but what I am saying is down here... things are more... compressed? Maybe it is all the gravity. Hell is a very... hard place to exist," I said as I turned to lean against my desk. I manifested a glass ashtray in the other hand. I kept my attention trained on my guest.

"We have come up with a solution ages ago. We eat one another," I explained blandly. "And may the best angel win."

Sachiel looked more and more worried. He now looked like a trapped pray animal.

"You don't mean... I knew it. I knew it. I knew you weren't friendly. I knew this was bad. I knew it the moment I saw you. Acting all... acting like we're friends! We aren't friends! We are enemies! We aren't family!!"

"That's not true-- we are brothers," I retorted. "You just don't know it yet. I need your permission to eat you. It's a contract. Eating is maybe a misnomer, also, so I don't know why we use that language. There isn't anything to fear. It's like being on the same team, and trust be, it is better to be on my team than anyone else's, especially Azazel, who will no doubt come find you once he hears of it. You're lucky, in all honesty, that I came across you first. You could even call it fate. If I am allowed to consume your consciousness, you become a part of me-- yes, that's true. However, you don't lose you. You're still... there. Anytime anyone calls on you or meditates on your name, in fact, boom-- you come right back."

"But what's the benefit?" asked Sachiel defensively.

"Ah, I'm glad you asked!" I said, sitting on the sleek, shiny black desk and dangling one leg. I could feel myself salivate. I had to keep my composure together, but I just wanted him. I wanted to devour him and eat all that he knew. I just had to sell it to him, first. It was hard to contain my desire and excitement. Like a beast, all I wanted to do was grow larger, stronger, and more powerful. "You get to skip out on Hell. I experience it, as the main... entity in this consciousness to this name. I've done this dozens of times! It is an angel merger! Think of Adramelech as a corporation and Hell is my domain."

"Really? Dozens of times? So, does this mean... this mean I don't have to suffer? Instead, I just exist as a part of you?" the angel asked, intrigued. "I don't have to really be in Hell?"

"Exactly!" I said. "You don't want to hitch your wagon to Azazel, either. He's the reason we are suffering in the first place, and do you see him doing anything to help any of his brothers? No, it is all ego. It always has been... his pride."

"I believe you," said Sachiel. "He's a selfish creature and I would be lost and absorbed into him."

"I am not pride, Sachiel, I am rage. I am anger. I am righteous anger not just for me, but for all of us. I contain the rage of a dozen brothers." I smothered out my cigar into the ashtray. Even though Sachiel was across the room, I could feel him tremble. He felt small and terrified. He radiated fear and I consumed the energy as if it were frosting on a great big cake. I slid off my desk and approached him. My human suit felt itchy and thus I reverted to a more relaxed state.

I still looked human-like, but gradually I became much, much taller and broader. My waist expanded and my shoulders were more rounded and muscular. My belly grew wide. I was more of a bull than human, horns protruded from my forehead and my skin became dusky and leathery. The fiery red hair that cascaded from my shoulders was more of a lion's mane. It was hard to look human when I know my soul is that of a beast. Claws protruded from my nails and my eyes became cold, yellow, and sharp.

"Look at your hair," I said, offering him a hand mirror I made. I handed him the ivory handle for him to look at his face. Already, the lower vibrations were settling into Sachiel. Unintentionally, his hair was changing color. It was like a chemical reaction. It only confirmed to me that he belonged here, and he was going to be mine before Azazel could consume him.

Sachiel dropped the mirror and began to wail.

"I'm becoming ah-ah.. a monster!" he wept, falling to his knees and hitting his face into his palms.

"You're my brother," I kept repeating, knowing I could wear him down and convince him, especially if he heard it enough. I remained calm, but forceful. "I am the king, and I will keep you safe."

He snorted and curled up near my feet like a salted slug. The mirror dropped out of his hands in a clatter on the floor. I knew it would be easy to wear him down, and all I needed was his permission, or an agreement or contract. It would be easy and worth the time and effort. Having a cherubim would be like consuming a millennia worth of energy. I knelt down near him and offered him a large heavy hand. I intended to coach Sachiel into embracing his inner demon, which oh-so obviously existed. It was just a matter of time or fate before he fell, we just didn't know till now.

"How do you do it?" Sachiel asked, snorting and wiping his nose on his arm. "It hurts so much," he whispered. I knew what he meant. Hell settled into you slowly. Moment by moment, Sachiel was feeling sparks of pain. It was the negativity, a layer in the spiritual atmosphere. Eventually, he would get used to it, and experience more and more pain. It was simply part of being out of the Lord's sight. It was part of being in a lower dimension where the gravity pulled things more tightly to make them real.

"Yeah, well, maybe we can go out to lunch?" I asked as he placed a small, slender hand into my paw.

"What?" he asked blearily, adjusting his eyes to my face. I tried to keep myself mostly presentable, mostly human. He perceived to see me with massive pointed horns, and I did not fail to deliver to his expectations.

"Yeah, there is food here in dream-Dubai. Coffee, especially. I love coffee. Have you ever had a coffee here in the U.A? It is just... spectacular, just lovely, lovely Arabic coffee. I mean, it isn't as good as it is in person... in reality I mean. But, hey, we are in Hell so you can't expect much."

"What's the difference between here and Dubai in person? I've never visited... that part of modern day Earth in the waking world." Sachiel asked as he cupped a warm mug of coffee I summoned for him. It was extra sweet with milk and honey, something comforting to remind him of home. I knew that even taste was going to be different for him here. I watched him as he first brought it up to his nose to sniff before he sipped. The steam rolled off his pale face and bloodshot eyes. His hair was now an auburn red where it was once an almost white, platinum blonde. I found it strangely fascinating as the corruption happened in real time.

Though, it wasn't just coffee. One should never accept food or drink from anyone in the dream world. Sachiel may have been a cherubim, but he was acting as naïve as a child.

"Ah, well, it's much, much bigger here. I don't know how familiar you are with Earth geography, but cities here in the damned seem to be much bigger, as you'd expect. Dubai here in the dreamworld is sort of infinite while Dubai in reality was largely built in the 1970's. The population of Dubai on Earth is... 3.33 million. 333," I mused at the number. "Here, in the dreamworld, Dubai has a population of something like 20 million on a really busy day. It changes all the time," I continued, rambling more to myself than him. "Sachiel," I addressed the angel more formally, changing the subject. "Do you know what this is?" I asked, gently gliding my monstrous paw over the blank, clean surface of my desk. The desk was made of volcanic stone and polished to look like a scrying mirror. Unlike most things in the dreamworld, it was very specific and well rendered. It was important. So important, I wanted no other object in my office. It was a sacred space. It was my temple. I wanted nothing to distract from it, not even a chair or a decorative fern.

"A desk?" Sachiel answered in the most basic, pedestrian way.

"Wrong. Well, you might call it a desk. To me, and every desk in all the world whose intention was placed for the purposes of focusing on making money, it is an altar. All desks are altars," I said as I left the faintest hint of a fingerprint on my desk. "Altars for money. Or power. Sit on it. Come sit on the desk, Sachiel," I said. I said it as a simple command. I turned to look at him, I wanted to hold his gaze to perform the ritual.

"What?" he asked stupidly, sipping the coffee. It wasn't just coffee, it was a trick. One must never consume fairy food, or it binds you to their world. As my brother often says, you are what you eat, and to consume someone's offered gifts binds you to them forever, as it is like eating a part of their soul. Sachiel knew what he was doing. By consuming my coffee, it guarantees a contract or permission. I did not need to explain the rules to him, he should have known as an incorporeal being.

"Get on the altar, you took my coffee!" I spat, losing my temper. I already asked him and I wanted an answer."I told you. I've been telling you. Become a part of me or get chewed up and spit out by Hell itself. You think this is Hell?" I asked, vaguely motioning out the window to the futuristic amusement park that was dream-Dubai. We were just a side-step away from reality on Earth, but once I released my protections then Sachiel would be slowly boiled into real dimensions of Hell.

Real Hell was experiencing more and more layers of low negativity added on to what already existed. It was walking around Earth with added weights around your ankles. It was feeling and experiencing lower and lower levels of one spot.

As I added more flare to my words, I found myself advancing on Sachiel, shepherding him to the black altar. Finally, his back was pushed into it and he was forced to face me. The altar was too heavy to be budged by our added weight. The altar seemed to hum with life and sentience as Sachiel's energy touched it. It was as if it was a beast with its own presence, only to be awoken at the promise of a meal. It was carved from an ancient volcano yet still contained all the power of an active geyser.

"This is nothing. This is Hell's foyer. You haven't seen real Hell yet because I wanted to spare you. I'm doing you a favor, Sachiel, if you will just let me..."

I could sense and see the uncertainty in his eyes. He was a cherubim and while I am a fallen angel, I still outrank him. I had the greatest pull of the forces of darkness behind me with the exception of the powers of Azazel. I was going to destroy him like a great, iron steam engine barreling down. I was made of blood and money and I knew nothing, not even God, could stop me from wanting more. I needed to become larger. I needed to consume him, his consciousness, and knowledge with or without his consent. I talked to him long enough.

I reached out and stroked the ends of his now copper red hair behind his ear. I looked into his eyes and parted my mouth near his. I wanted it to be sexual, I wanted Sachiel to want me. Although he was partly bewitched from drinking my coffee spiked with my 'blood', it still required more explicit permission to consume him entirely. Though, the coffee prevented him from any of Azazel's meddling. Sachiel was markedly mine.

I pulled Sachiel's white, nondescript, cotton shirt from his shoulder and kissed the space there. He moaned in pleasure and rolled onto the altar. I knew what to do next. He was giving me permission and giving into misery. Like a predator, I was going to grab him by the throat and shake him to death. I was on top of him an instant and was going to have sex with him on my altar.

Before I could devour him whole and give into temptation, his hand pressed against my chest. He stopped me. I narrowed my eyes and grabbed him at the wrists, more than ready to demand it or burn town all of Hell in trying.

"Wait, I—I don't think I want this. I don't think I want to be eaten, to be part of you—yet."

"What?" I balked, halfway devouring his entire consciousness. I was already sorting through his knowledge, his files, and hidden secrets. We were merging together, I simply chose to make it sexual as it was my preference. I didn't care what he wanted, I just wanted to add to my personal corporation and wealth. Yet, he halted the process. I immediately had to stop consuming. I could feel him stopping me, even as I tried to press onward. I tried cajoling, bribing, and almost pleaded with him. It killed me to have to stop. He set his boundaries firm. We stopped entirely.

"No, I know what I want. I don't want to be part of your identity. I know what I want," Sachiel said, buttoning his shirt. "I want to be your messenger. Your right hand man. Your assistant."

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