E I G H T E E N

E I G H T E E N

Demons' Hell

ADVENTURE HAD ALWAYS meant as a journey to me. It felt as a time to discover something new and find something absolutely enjoyable through the depths of the unknown. Or perhaps adventure could be deemed as a midnight drive around town or a trip to the local fast food chain.

And yet, this adventure wasn't like any other.

Sure, it may have the same beginnings; a thirst and wanderlust, curiosity for the unknown, a trip away with a best friend, and so on so forth. Yet, not every day do people go on an adventure down into the deepest pits of hell with the walls were so hot they were a burning red in color.

Beads of perspiration had already begun to drop down the sides of my face as I wiped them away, trudging towards the light with Minnie by my side. The howls had increased in volume, echoing through the tunnel before jail cells started to appear one by one.

The bars of metal seemed not affected by the heat for they stayed completely solid and gleaming, containing villains and evil beings of all sizes as they growled. A few had skin that matched the crimson color of the walls, a long and pointed tail extending from their behind as scars decorated their backs. Ironically, the scars were placed so strategically that it looked almost like angel wings that were torn violently away from the demon's flesh.

Luckily enough, the road had been wide enough so that we were never too close to the cells, and yet, I could feel fear beginning to tickle down my spine.

"Are you finally rethinking your decision of coming further in?" Minnie wondered out, offering me a pointed look when a demon hissed loudly, green acidic-looking venom spilling from its mouth.

I stared at it with wide eyes, subconsciously edging away from the bars and closer to Minnie before quickening my pace. "Regrets brought me this far in life. I've come to realize that life is best lived on the edge for death could be just around the corner."

"My, my, now that's a name I hadn't heard in quite some time." A low chuckle radiated down the lengthy corridor as my head snapped to face the sound of the voice. It was a new addition, the words of someone I had yet to meet but the tone was definitely furthest from inviting.

"Who's there?" Minnie asked into the dark. The inside of the cell was dimly lit, failing to show even the shadow of the prisoner it kept inside. However, the voice of the person speaking, that taunt and drawl, was enough to remind me of Dimitri's old tone a year ago.

That same sinister tone that held all the evil there could be in the world.

"My dear, you've ventured into my lair, and yet you dare question my identity?" The voice continued, almost in a mocking manner as I squinted into the dark. the figure had moved, and from where I stood, I could make out the faint outlines of neatly gelled-back hair and a tall physique built for a male model. "Mortals, these days."

"Who are you?" I could barely even breathe when a foot stepped out to near the bars, putting on a full-on display of the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. His glistening white-blonde hair was slicked back into a neat quiff, aquamarine eyes shining brighter than a thousand stars in the night sky. He was a stark contrast to Dimitri, whom features I had already gotten used to, and yet the two shared an expression almost twin-like. That same mischievous curve of their lips, the same sinister glint in their bright eyes. The same heart-racing persona.

It didn't even take a genius to know that this man here was more trouble than the rest of the demons here combined.

"I've been known by many names over many lifetimes. Some people call me the angel of light, some call me the fallen one, some had dubbed me as the devil, so on so forth. But I've come to realize that I'm most used to one name, the very same that the almighty had gifted me upon my creation." He paused for a while, hands casually slouched on the horizontal bars of the checkered design before tilting his head slightly with a smirk that screamed 'EVIL!'. "Lucifer."

"Well," I started slowly, turning to face Minnie as her face paled a few shades lighter. "We definitely should not have gone in there."

The look that she had cast me was as plain as day. With an expression that said 'ya think?' she rolled her eyes slightly before taking a step back.

"I'm surprised that darling old Dee-Dee had allowed you to even step foot in hell before your marriage." Lucifer shrugged, picking at his nails nonchalantly as if he had no other care in the world. "Or was there a marriage that he had failed to invite me to?"

Before I could even put a word in to say that Dimitri and I were not even close to the status of dating, much less engagement and marriage, a more familiar voice had resonated from behind us, almost enraged.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Addison."

"Dee! How great of you to join the party, little brother. We were just talking about you." Lucifer beamed almost joyously, but the time in which I had spent with Dimitri had told me that the smile in which the devil had offered was a mere mocking one.

"I'm not your little brother, Lucifer. What are you doing so near the cell walls? Have a death wish now, don't you?" Dimitri growled with extra hostility as he marched towards us, using his body to block us from the fallen angel's view.

"Yes, just how I wish for you to come visit me from time to time." Sarcasm leaked from every word that came out of Lucifer's mouth, and I had pressed hard in order to suppress my need to laugh at his choice of response. "Just look at you? Such an absolute hero nowadays! What changed? We used to have so much fun back in the times."

I could practically feel the heat waves radiating off of Dimitri as his fists clenched by his side. Instinctively, I reached a single hand over to hold his own, gently rubbing circles on his knuckles in an attempt to cool down his temper. Of course, Lucifer had not let the small action be forgone. His eyes zeroed into my small action, a smirk appearing and widening before leaning casually against the dirt wall.

"Well well. Looks like Death had finally found someone to counter his very own darkness. How cute."

Lucifer reminded me greatly of Dimitri back in the boathouse. That same cynical and ever-mocking tone that leaked with sarcasm and repulsion. In fact, it had been such a perfect model that I allowed myself to wonder for just a moment if it had been the fallen angel with me at the boathouse instead of the almost-kind spirit standing right beside me.

After that though, everything changed within Dimitri. His personality had a sudden snap as his face of anger melted into one of pure amusement and relaxation. It was almost as if the sinister version of Dimitri had been back. The one that toyed with my life, the one that hung around clowns and killers. The one that was more like the title than the real man.

"And to think that it could've been you," Dimitri replied with a sudden wave of calm. His hand removed itself from mine, folding itself across his chest almost gleefully. I was stunned for a moment at the quick personality change.

The air had grown much colder, almost to the point of freezing as my arms instinctively wrapped itself around my body. Clouds of white breath appeared with each gulp of air I took in or let out, and I shivered slightly from my spot.

"Alone and locked in a cell, so eager for human interaction that you prey on all that wanders to your forbidden lair. Trapped in here by people you had once perhaps considered as allies, all alone with eternity as the amount of time left for you to weep about your own pain and misfortunes. My, if I were in your place, I think I might have just about gone mad with boredom."

A low growl sounded from Lucifer's throat as he stood closer to the bars, posture straightened as if to assert authority. And yet, everyone in this god forbidden place knew of one thing. He was no longer the king of Hell. The devil had been dethroned and on rose a new ruler in its place. The fallen angel was no longer the one in charge.

He was a prisoner, a victim of his own decisions.

"Be very careful of what you speak of, boy. You don't know who you are toying with."

"Oh but I do, don't I?" Dimitri's voice had gone lethal, tinged with a bit of mockery as he started to stroll closer to the cell bars of Lucifer's cage. His movements were so relaxed and at ease that he looked as though he was taking a walk in the park, maybe even plucking daisies from the field on his merry way towards the destination. "I'm the high king of Hell, ruler of all that had ceased to breathe. You are just but a barren waste of space in my land, trapped behind bars that suppressed your powers. You may have the lifespan of an immortal, but your abilities are so far gone that you are, in a sense, but as capable as a mere mortal."

Dimitri paused for a dramatic effect, leaning so close to the bars that he bent down slightly so that he could look Lucifer straight into his eyes.

"It's time to bow down to a new king, Angie."

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(EDIT): So... The third book is already complete as of 20 November 2017, all the chapters are already posted on Radish Fiction (which is an app similar to Wattpad). However, some of the chapters are still locked until next January. An update schedule for the third book is also already posted on the Wattpad version. Hopefully, you guys will stick with me till the end (is kay if you don't) and that you'll like it too. ☺️

[Side note, when Dimitri called Lucifer "Angie", it was to mock the fact that he was once an angel.]

Until next time. 💞