Azreal Won't Leave

Azrael's piercing silver eyes gleamed with a hint of amusement as he stood firm, his presence dominating the room. "That still doesn't matter," he said smoothly, his deep voice carrying a confidence that sent shivers down Elliot's spine.

Huh? Elliot's mind stuttered in confusion. How the hell does that not matter?! He was straight! That was the entire problem here!

Azrael, however, remained unbothered by his bewilderment. With an air of absolute authority, he declared, "Well, I'm not straight, so you'll just have to learn to not be straight too."

Elliot's entire body stiffened. His knees wobbled so violently he almost collapsed on the spot. His breath hitched, his heart pounded, and his mind refused to process the words he just heard. Wha—?

No. No. No. NO!

Wasn't this the exact fate he had spent his entire three lives avoiding? Being with a man, entering a relationship with a man, it was everything he had sworn never to do! And yet, here he was, not just being chased by a man, but a male demon. A Demon King, no less! He had fought tooth and nail to avoid anything remotely romantic with men. Now he was being forced into it by a damn demon king?! He suddenly felt like his previous lives weren't so bad after all. At least in those, he was chased by men, not claimed by a literal demon king!!

"This…. it can't work," Elliot choked out, his voice barely above a whisper. He swallowed hard as his eyes darted toward the terrifying being before him. His pulse pounded wildly against his ribs, and his hands trembled at his sides.

His fear was justified. He had read enough about Azrael's exploits to know how utterly fearsome this demon was. He knew exactly who Azrael was. The Demon King had single-handedly annihilated an entire kingdom in mere minutes. Blood had stained his hands so many times that his name alone struck terror into the hearts of both mortals and holy priests alike.

And yet, that same ruthless, bloodthirsty demon was now standing before him, talking about relationships as if it were something so simple.

Elliott shuddered. This sweetness Azrael was displaying…. It was unnatural. This wasn't the real Azrael. The thought of how quickly this demeanor could change made his stomach churn.

And that alone made Elliot shudder in absolute fear.

His body had turned cold from the realization, and just as he was about to panic even further, something happened that made his stomach drop.

The holy knights, who had barely managed to regain their footing, suddenly scrambled to their feet and bolted toward the door.

"W-We're going to report this to the King!!" one of them shouted in horror as they disappeared out of the hall.

Elliot's heart stopped.

"NO!!" He screamed, lurching forward in a desperate attempt to stop them. But it was too late. In mere seconds, they were gone—along with his instructors and classmates who had followed right behind them.

Elliot's mind went blank.

His vision blurred.

One single thought dominated his brain, repeating like an ominous echo.

DOOMED.

He was doomed.

He was so incredibly screwed that no amount of reasoning, begging, or crying would save him now.

If this reached the King, or worse, the Holy Priests, he was dead. No, not just dead. He would be burned at the stake, exorcised, and maybe even erased from existence.

He had committed multiple offenses in just a matter of minutes.

First, he had summoned Azrael, the Demon King. The very entity that the Holy Priests and rulers of this land had spent centuries trying to keep out of the mortal realm. The demon who had spent centuries slaughtering kingdoms, destroying temples, and challenging the heavens themselves.

The peace between their world and the demons' had been fragile at best.

And Elliot?

With a single foolish mistake,

He had stupidly undone all of that peace in mere minutes.

Second, Azrael had claimed him as a husband.

Elliott's stomach twisted. This was bad. Really bad.

Although same-gender relationships weren't outright illegal, they were frowned upon, especially by the Holy Priests, who viewed them as impure. If the priests got word of this, he would be disgraced, possibly even exiled, and they might as well crucify him on the spot.

And those were just the first two offenses.

The more Elliott thought about it, the more terrified he became. There were probably dozens of reasons why what had happened today was an absolute catastrophe, but his brain was too overwhelmed to count them all.

All he knew was that if he didn't find a way out of this, he was finished.

Elliot's survival instincts kicked in. His body moved before his brain could fully catch up. He made a split-second decision, one that he was almost certain was useless, but he had to try anyway.

Maybe… Maybe if he just walked away, went back to his dorm room, and pretended nothing happened… Maybe—just maybe—this entire disaster would cease to exist.

Yes. That was totally how reality worked.

So, without another word, he ignored Azrael's sharp, questioning gaze and turned around stiffly. Step by step, he walked out of the hall-slowly, carefully, as if moving too fast would somehow make the demon king chase him.

He made his way down the halls, his pulse hammering in his ears.

His steps quickened.

He reached his dormitory, and the second he arrived, he flung open his door, dashed inside, and slammed it shut behind him.

But that wasn't enough.

Oh no, he needed more than that.

With frantic hands, he locked the door, then dragged a heavy wooden table in front of it, barricading himself inside.

Just in case.

His entire body slumped in relief.

Finally.

He was safe.

He exhaled heavily and, for the first time in the past hour of pure horror, allowed himself a small, exhausted smile.

See? That wasn't so bad.

Maybe Azrael had lost interest in him. Maybe he had just been toying with him earlier and decided he wasn't worth his time.

Yes. That had to be it.

Maybe if Elliot just pretended this entire thing never happened, it really wouldn't have happened.

Satisfied with his flawless plan, he turned around~

And immediately came face-to-face with the very person he had been running from.

Silver eyes glowed menacingly in the dimly lit room.

Azrael stood right there, just a few feet away from him, arms crossed, watching him with a knowing smirk.

Elliot's soul left his body.

His mouth opened, but no sound came out for a full five seconds.

And then~

"AHHHHH!!!"

A blood-curdling scream ripped through his throat, loud enough to shake the walls.

His feet slipped against the floor as he stumbled back, crashing into the very barricade he had made just seconds ago.

His plan. His brilliant, flawless, foolproof plan—

WORTHLESS.