THE DEMON'S EXPERIMENT

The cold, damp air of the chamber clung to Azrail's skin like a second layer, seeping into her very bones. Her back pressed against the unyielding stone wall, the jagged surface biting through the thin fabric of her clothes. Heavy chains bound her wrists behind her, their touch unnatural—not just cold metal, but something more. Every movement sent a pulse of energy through them, tightening their hold like a living thing.

A dull, persistent ache throbbed at the back of her skull, a lingering reminder of the blow that had brought her here. She forced her eyes open, but the oppressive darkness made it difficult to focus. Slowly, her vision adjusted to the eerie flicker of blue flames lining the chamber walls. The light cast ghostly shadows that danced like specters, revealing the rough-hewn stone around her.

Not Earth.

Azrail had no idea where she was, but every fiber of her being screamed that this place was wrong. There was no warmth, no life—only an overwhelming sense of something ancient, watching.

And then there was the magic.

She could feel it coursing through the air, thick and heavy. It wasn't just in the chains—it was in the very walls, humming beneath the surface like a heartbeat. Whatever held her wasn't just meant to restrain—it was meant to consume.

Her pulse quickened, not in fear, but in fury. She had been hunted before. She had fought through nightmares and survived the wreckage of a dying world. She would survive this, too.

The silence shattered with the slow, deliberate thud of approaching footsteps.

A door creaked open, light spilling into the chamber in a long, jagged line. Azrail braced herself as a shadow filled the doorway. Even before she saw his face, she felt his presence—vast, suffocating, commanding.

Asmodeus.

The Demon King.

His name was a whisper in legends, a warning in the dark. He stepped forward, his figure bathed in the flickering blue glow, and even the air seemed to bend around him. Power radiated from him, not wild, but controlled, honed like the edge of a blade.

Crimson eyes met hers, burning like embers in the dim light. He studied her—not with curiosity, not with malice, but with something worse. Amusement.

"Awake, I see."

Azrail curled her lip into a sneer, refusing to let the throbbing pain dull her edge. "What gave it away?"

A slow chuckle rumbled from his chest, dark and indulgent. "Still defiant. I like that."

His long coat swept across the stone floor as he stepped closer. Azrail's fingers clenched into fists, the bite of the chains forgotten in her rising anger. "Let me go," she growled. She refused to let her voice waver.

Asmodeus halted just before her, his gaze never leaving hers. "And why would I do that?"

Azrail's heart hammered, but she met his stare with unwavering defiance. "Because if you don't, I'll make you regret it."

A smirk ghosted across his lips, devoid of warmth. "Empty threats," he mused. "I've heard them all before."

Azrail's eyes flashed. "Try me."

His smirk widened—not in mockery, but in something that sent a chill down her spine. Interest.

"You are fascinating, Azrail." His voice was smooth, edged with something unreadable. "I've never met anyone quite like you."

She hated the way he said her name, like she was some curiosity to be examined. "I'm not your pet," she snapped.

Ignoring her, Asmodeus stepped even closer, so close that the very air between them shifted. "Do you know why you're here?"

Azrail's gut twisted. "Because you've got a control problem?"

He didn't blink, didn't react, his eyes pinning her in place. "No. You're here because you're an anomaly."

The word sent a jolt through her.

"Anomaly?" she echoed, suspicion and confusion warring in her mind.

"The virus didn't affect you," he said, his voice smooth but sharp, like a dagger sliding between ribs.

Azrail's fists tightened. "So you're pissed because I didn't turn into one of your mindless puppets?"

His gaze flickered with something indecipherable. "No. It's more than that." He tilted his head slightly, crimson eyes watching her too intently. "You are connected to this curse in a way that even I do not understand."

Her body tensed. Every instinct told her to push back, to fight, but something deep inside her stirred—a pull, foreign yet familiar, like a forgotten memory clawing to the surface.

"That's a load of bullshit," she shot back. Her voice was sharp, but deep down, something in her was afraid.

Asmodeus said nothing.

Then, in a blur of motion, he was suddenly inches away.

Azrail didn't flinch, but the air crackled around them, charged with an energy she didn't understand. A strange pull tightened in her chest, invisible yet undeniable.

His hand hovered near her throat—not touching, just there, fingers barely grazing the charged air between them. "What are you doing?" she demanded, hating the slight tremor in her voice.

"Confirming something," Asmodeus murmured, voice a mere breath.

The chamber pulsed. A deep, thrumming force stirred within her, ancient and restless. For a single, terrifying moment, Azrail felt the universe shift—like the fabric of reality itself had recognized something inside her.

Then, just as suddenly, it was gone.

Asmodeus lowered his hand and stepped back. His expression darkened, the smirk wiped away. "Interesting," he murmured, more to himself than to her. "I've never felt anything like that before."

Azrail's breath came faster. "What the hell was that?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he turned away, cloak swirling behind him as he strode toward the door.

"You are not what I expected," he said before stepping out.

The heavy door slammed shut, the lock clicking into place.

Azrail was alone again. But the silence wasn't empty—it was filled with the lingering weight of his words.

"You belong to me."

Her jaw clenched. No. She didn't belong to anyone.

Her pulse thundered in her ears as she yanked against the chains, ignoring the sting, the burn. She had to get out. She had to fight.

But deep inside, a cold dread curled in her gut.

This was only the beginning.

And something told her that her fight for freedom was about to become more dangerous than she ever imagined.