THE BROKEN OATH

The silence stretched for what felt like an eternity.

Azrail's heartbeat thundered in her ears, a deafening rhythm against the eerie quiet of the chamber. The air between them was charged, thick with something dark and suffocating. She could taste the tension—bitter, like ash settling on her tongue.

Before her stood Abaddon, his presence warping the very atmosphere. The dim torchlight flickered wildly, casting erratic shadows across his face. He wore a smirk, but his expression held no warmth, only amusement laced with cruelty.

"You…" she whispered, struggling to breathe.

Abaddon tilted his head, as if considering the weight of that single word. His lips curled into something almost… playful.

"Me," he murmured, taking a slow step forward.

The sound of his boots against the cold stone floor sent a shiver up her spine. He moved like a predator—controlled, patient, savoring the moment before the inevitable strike.

For the first time in her life, Azrail felt the world slipping out of her control.

She had imagined this moment countless times. The reunion. The questions. The rage. And yet, nothing could have prepared her for this.

He wasn't her brother.

He was something else. Something worse.

THE TRUTH UNRAVELS...

Asmodeus moved before she could, his tall frame stepping between them. His posture was calm, but his fingers flexed at his sides—ready to summon his magic at a moment's notice.

Abaddon didn't seem fazed. If anything, his smirk feepened.

"Ah, the ever-faithful shadow," he mused, his gaze flickering toward Asmodeus. "Tell me, does it get tiring? Playing protector to something so… fragile?"

Azrail bristled, but Asmodeus didn't react. His voice, when he spoke, was composed, unreadable.

"Say what you came to say," Asmodeus murmured.

Abaddon let out a low chuckle. "Oh, I think she already knows what I'm here for."

His gaze flickered back to Azrail, dark and knowing.

She clenched her fists. "How long have you known?" she demanded.

"Long enough."

A beat of silence.

"Long enough to watch you stumble in the dark. To watch you chase ghosts, looking for a truth you weren't ready for. And long enough to know that it wouldn't matter. Not in the end."

His voice was slow, deliberate, each word dripping like poison.

Azrail took a step forward before she even realized what she was doing, but Asmodeus' hand shot out, wrapping around her wrist. His grip was firm—a silent warning.

Don't.

She ignored him.

"Why?" Azrail's voice was low, shaking with suppressed emotion. "Why do this? Why like... this?"

Abaddon let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head. "You still don't see it, do you?"

His expression darkened, the amusement in his eyes giving way to something colder.

"You think I had a choice?

Wait you think I'll give you explanation? Who are you to me? Do we share a bond? Do i even know you?

I do things to prove something to feel something to enjoy something. And you....you were just amusement to me. That's why I used you.

The room shook.

She gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to stagger.

He spread his arms. "Now you stand there, demanding answers as if you deserve them."

His power crackled, distorting the space around them.

"You don't get to ask why, sister. You only get to suffer."

A WAR OF WILLPOWER...

The tension in the chamber exploded.

"You think you can break me?" she whispered.

Abaddon tilted his head, a slow, almost sympathetic smile forming on his lips. "No, little sister," he murmured.

"I think you're already broken."

The words cut deeper than she expected.

Something in her snapped.

The chamber trembled as their powers clashed, unseen forces colliding like a gathering storm. The torches flickered, their flames struggling against the oppressive magic filling the room.

This wasn't just a confrontation.

This was a war

And Azrail wasn't sure if she would survive it.

THE UNFORGIVABLE CHOICE...

Asmodeus lunged, his magic forming a barrier between them. The force of impact sent shockwaves through the walls, dust crumbling from the ceiling.

"Enough!" he roared, his voice laced with command.

But neither of them listened.

"You always thought you were stronger than me,"You thought you could protect me. But you never understood, did you?"

He vanished and reappeared behind her in a blink.

"I didn't need protection. Keeping an eye on you. I needed you to suffer."

Azrail whirled around, swinging her blade in an arc of energy. Abaddon caught it with his bare hand, stopping the strike inches from his face.

Her heart pounded. She could see it now—he wasn't just fighting her.

He was testing her.

"You still hesitate," he whispered.

His fingers closed around the blade. A crack formed in the steel. "That's why you'll lose."

The sword shattered.

Azrail stumbled back, breath ragged. Her pulse thundered in her ears.

Asmodeus rushed to her side, shielding her with his own power.

Abaddon sighed. "This was never a battle you could win, sister."

Azrail's hands trembled. She wasn't afraid of dying.

She was afraid of what she would have to do to survive.

Because deep down, she knew.

There was only one way to stop him.

Her magic flared, brighter than before. Asmodeus turned to her, eyes widening.

"Azrail, no—"

But she was already moving.

The choice had been made.

The air was heavy with an unspoken tension. The weight of the past promises shattered beyond repair. Azrail stood at the edge of the ruinrd wall. Her fingers clenching the fabric of her cloak as the wind howled around her. The symbols etched into the stone beneath her feet pulsed faintly, remnants of a forgotten power that once bound the world together.

Asmodeus approached cautiously, is Crimson eyes scanning her face for any trace of hesitation. " you don't have to do this," he murmured his voice carrying a rare softness.

Azrail didn't turn. "The oath was already broken the moment they choose betrayal over loyality there's nothing left to protect."

A Shadow shifted in the distance a figure emerging from the darkness-Abbadon. His presence was like a storm chaotic yet eerily controlled. His smirk was taunting. His gaze piercing through the fragile resolve Azrail tried to hold.

"Regreting your choices already sister?" His voice dripped with mockery, each word slicing deeper and the the wounds she had yet to heal.

Azrail's heart clenched, but her face remained impassive. " I only regret not seeing the truth sooner."

Abbadon chuckled, stepping closer. "Truth? The truth is whatever we decided to be and you dear sister were always blind to the real game.

The ground we need them tramled as power cracked in the air. The broken oath had set something in motion, an Irreversible shift in the very fabric of existence. The walls groaned, the sky above dark as if the Gods themselves mourned the choices that had been made.

Asmodeus moved beside Azrail, his stance protective. "Enough of this. If you wanted a war, you have it. But don't think for a second that she stands alone."

Abbadon's smirk widened. "Good. It wouldn't be fun otherwise."

A pulse of energy erupted from shaking the ground beneath them. The final remnantsof the oath disintegrated , leaving only the Ashes of a promise that one's held everything together.

And then the battle began.