“Took you long enough to get back on two feet Katherine.” Octavian said calmly.


    “You called for me?” She asked him.


    “Sit.” He ordered her, and she obliged.


    How she hated being dragged back to that office like a bitch on a leash. She hated seeing Octavian’s smug expression of superiority every time he looked at her or made her do something. But she had to endure, especially now, knowing the fate that awaited her, the reason she was here.


    “Dudael then.” She quietly spoke. “How do you plan to get in there?”


    “My dear Katherine, getting into Dudael isn’t the difficult part. It’s getting out.”


    “So I presume you’ll want to just walk through the front door then?”


    “No, that’ll be Kaidan’s job. He’s taking some particularly loud and rowdy boys with him to draw most of Asmodeus’ forces closer to the surface.” Octavian said, and as he did, he unrolled a large blueprint of Dudael. He pointed at one of the lower levels in the mountain. “You and I, meanwhile, will be going in from the other side.”


    Katherine leaned forward, took a quick glance, and leaned back. All the while her face had the same deadpan expression. “You honestly want me to believe that a secret passage under the mountain exists and has not been covered up yet? Asmodeus just left it open for us to waltz in?”


    “Indeed.” He said plainly.


    Katherine stood up, but her anger left her, instead confusion gripped her senses. “How are you so sure of this? How do you even know this? Octavian… What are you not telling me?” She asked, staring deep into his emerald eyes.


    “Many things Katherine. There are many things that you not only don’t need to know, but don’t have the authority to know.”


    “You sack of shit.”


    “Don’t worry little hunter. I’ll tell you in due time. The story of the demon that escaped the pit.” He said with a smirk. “You had your chance to retrieve the prized prisoners without going into Dudael, now you listen to me, obey my every order, and maybe by the end of this, you’ll still be alive to shout all your pathetic insults at me.”


    “Guhh.” Katherine grunted, gritting her teeth and bearing Octavian’s humiliating attitude. “Alright, what then?”


    “After that, we fight whatever loud and rowdy things we encounter, find the prisoners, and take them out.”


    “That easy, huh?”


    “That easy.” He echoed her. “Ten days. That''s how long you have to prepare yourself until we begin our assault. Now go, I’ve had my men prepare a fancy dinner for you, I don’t know how long its been since you’ve had some decent food.”


    “How kind of you, I’ll have to refus-” She interrupted him, but Octavian interrupted her right back.


    “Don’t play tough with me Katherine, I’m not forcing you to dine with me. It was only an offer. You can have it alone if you’d like to keep playing the loner.”


    “I’ll do that, thank you.” She smugly said, making her way out of Octavian’s office before he could say anything. She heard him sigh and swear in anger, which satisfied her immensely.


    Returning to her room, Katherine found quite an exquisite meal waiting on her table. A perfectly cooked steak filet with stuffed grilled pepper and sautéed vegetables on the side. Katherine shook her head.


    “Damn Octavian’s got demon cooks too?” She said, making her way to her bathroom to wash up. Inside, she caught herself in the mirror. Her pure-white hair had almost grown back to the same length it used to be back before she shaved it on the side. She blew a stray flock from her face.


    Well Kath, you’re gonna die in that prison anyway. Might as well look good and enjoy yourself these last few days. You even got a decent last dinner waiting for you. She thought deciding now was a good time to trim her bangs. She grabbed a nearby pair of scissors, and cut them straight, leaving them just barely above her eyebrows. After reaching her desired look, she stepped into the shower. When she finished she made her way back to the living room, where her meal awaited her. Katherine then sat down, giving the filet a light tap of the finger.


    Still piping hot, huh.


    She picked up her utensils, cutting off a small portion along with some of the pepper. It was unbelievably juicy and delicious. The flavor of the steak like melted butter combined with the bite of the stuffed pepper created a symphonic richness in her mouth.


    “Fucking hell!” Katherine exclaimed. “Quite literally in this case.” She made herself laugh before taking another bite.


    <hr>


    Uriel clutched the frigid bag of ice tightly against her head, keeping the brain-splitting headache she was currently experiencing somewhat at bay.


    “Here girl.” Madame Léstrava hurriedly said, placing a cup of a dark blue liquid in front of her. “For the pain, and other sores you might have right now. Careful it ta-”


    “BLEGHRH!” Uriel violently coughed, spitting some of the liquid into a nearby napkin.


    “Bad.” Madame finished awkwardly. “Here, some mint candy for the taste after you drink it.”


    The angel composed herself, forcing the repugnant liquid down her throat for her own sake. Once she finished it all, she washed away the taste with Madame’s quite delicious candy. Her eyes darted around the nave of the hilltop church they were in, taking note of everyone that was around. It turned out to be a number larger than she expected. Constantine was there sitting next to her on the altar steps. Up next to him were Nathaniel in a wheelchair and Insect further behind him. Madame just returned from a nearby pantry, although Uriel was curious how she knew to come there in the first place, or who called her. Sitting on one of the nearby pews was Sean, and beside him was a man that Uriel did not know. She had seen him around occasionally, and from her understanding he was one of the few hunters left to protect the city. His icy blue gaze pierced through the shadow cast over his face by his large wide hat. He was tall, and even his large brown overcoat could not hide his massive, imposing physique.


    “You feeling better, Uriel?” Insect signed to her. She nodded in response.


    “Now then, if you’re certain you managed to find them, please, tell us what you saw, Uriel.” Nathaniel said, the pace of his voice quickened and sharp.


    “Its alright if you want to take your time, Uriel.” Constantine reassured her.


    “Give her some damn space you idiots!” Erika’s voice boomed through the church.


    “T-that''s what I said Grandma!” Constantine protested as he shuffled himself further back.


    “Its alright.” Uriel finally spoke. “I’m okay, I can talk.”


    Everyone waited on her with bated breath. She took a second to collect herself and began:


    “Constantine gave me the idea to try a different approach. Something that I hadn''t considered previously. I kept trying to find traces of Evan and Wrath this whole time but… I never considered my fa-'''' She paused, reconsidering her next words carefully, given the questionable crowd surrounding her right now. “Mephisto. And I was able to find a trace. It was like a flaming steed in a glass forest. It led me to this massive tower that seemed… upside down, as if the earth was where the sky should have been. Its top burst open, and inside I found all manner of terrible beasts hunting me. There was something truly horrific, something terrible, deep within the tower. A yawning chasm of hunger and flesh hidden behind the guise of a man. It…”


    Uriel paused, recalling the fear she felt in that moment. “It saw me. It looked at me as if it was… gleeful.” She added, her words causing a cold silence throughout the church. After a brief moment she continued. “There was more, as I kept going, avoiding all the terrible creatures, I found an ocean of blood. At the center of which I saw Evan and Wrath. The instant I saw them, I felt myself being viciously pulled out of the dream. But I saw them! The last thing I recall seeing was this mountain range in a scorching desert, a dome-like structure embedded into it.”


    There was a collective breath of relief between her friends when she finished, except notably from Madame. No one dared be the first to say anything, but Nathan eventually mustered up the courage to say something.


    “You recognize the place don’t you, Erika?” He asked her.


    “Yes. Undoubtedly.” She said, not elaborating further.


    “Well, care to share?” Constantine asked after a while, the tone of his voice subtly layered with frustration.


    “Far west from this place, in a scorching arid desert stand the Mountains of Hennaga. Carved into these mountains lies Dudael, the ‘Cauldron of God’.”


    “What is it?” Uriel pondered.


    “It is a vile pit. A prison. They say it was built by angels, for angels. Fallen angels, damned creatures and the most wicked of demons. But this was hundreds of thousands of years ago. No one truly knows how, not even I, but the old guardians and caretakers were stripped of their forms and enslaved. Broken, shattered, scattered in the depths. The prison was overrun, and its warden gone, lost to time. For hundreds, maybe thousands of years now, it has had a new host, the one who’s most likely taken in your precious friends.”


    “Sounds absolutely wonderful, I can’t wait to see it.” Constantine said with a dead-pan expression on his face. “Nathan, when’re we all leaving?” He said, snapping his fingers and pointing at him.


    Nathaniel chuckled, shaking his head and stroking his beard. “I find it hilarious how you think this will be as simple as walking through the front door of that place, Constantine.”


    “Why not Nathaniel? Seems like a pretty simple situation to me. Get in, kill some fools, get our friends and get out.”


    Insect pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.


    “Constantine, do you remember the lecture I gave you on demon types?” Nathan continued.


    “I was supposed to actually remember those lessons?” He joked, causing Uriel to snort and chuckle. However Nathaniel and Insect simultaneously gave him what could charitably be called a ‘death glare’. Constantine coughed, and then began recollecting what he was taught a few weeks back and retelling it.


    “Demons come in two main types. Possessive, and resurrected. Possessive demons are tormented souls that come from hell’s dimension and take over a human, animal or other… host in order to interact with the physical world. Numerous and the most common, but not extremely dangerous or powerful because they’re generally bound by the rules of this reality and their physical vessels. Like genies being placed in a bottle, the bottle restricts them.” He said, motioning towards Nathaniel. “I remember that''s how you described it. And then there’s resurrected or reborn demons. Extremely rare and powerful. Demons that create their own false shapes and are thus able to exist without restrictions. Like a genie that made its own bottle as big as it wanted. Was that one it?”


    “Yes.” Nathaniel began. “But a simple yes or no would have sufficed you didn''t have to… anyway-”


    “Screw you old man.” Constantine muttered under his breath.


    “Anyway!” Nathaniel accentuated the word. “The one currently in charge of Dudael is an elder demon named Asmodeus.”


    It was only for half a second, but Uriel noticed Insect’s eyes twitch with fear at the mention of the name.


    “One of the few resurrected demons we know of. He’s dangerous and powerful beyond your wildest imaginations. No hunter dares try and face him. Even Katherine steered clear of him.” He continued.


    “And you know this, how? What are you trying to tell me Nathan? To be scared of some demon?”


    “I’m trying to tell you he’s not just some demon Constantine. Facing Asmodeus is a death sentence. When he first came on this earth thousands of years ago, our covenant was slaughtered. Demon hunters died by the hundreds and still, no one could defeat him. So, they made a bargain. Stuck him in that hole in the desert and let him there to rot. All manner of beasts and demons that we’ve been unable to kill over the years, we lock up in there.”


    Uriel stood up from the cold stone, her expression pained with shock. “The hunters made a deal with a demon?”


    “They were forced to. This demon could have easily eradicated humanity itself in its infancy if allowed to grow. Some sleeping dogs are best left to lie in peace.”


    “Are you… “ Constantine said. “Trying to convince me not to go after them? You’re terrified aren''t you?”


    “You should be as well.” Madame answered. “Perhaps… your friends are already gone. Its best you learn to let go.”


    Constantine spun around in a flash. His eyes were alight with anger, and his fists curled tight, but he stopped himself from going further. “After all of this? All of the stupid lessons, all of the beatings and humiliating failures, you want me to just give up on my friends? Friends that are locked up because I was too weak and stupid? Friends that have been captive for months, in what we now learn is a fucking demonic angel-prison? No. You’re all crazy if you think that’s happening. I''m going there, I’ll be climbing that stupid tower, and I don’t care if I do it alone. If I die, I''ll only be answering for my sins anyway.”


    “You won’t.” Uriel said, defiantly standing beside him. “We both carry the weight of our sins. If you are thinking of atoning for them alone, you best forget it. I’ll be right there with you.”


    From behind them came a light clap. They both turned around and saw Insect, who called everyone’s attention. With a smirk on her face she signed: “I can’t let you go alone with this idiot Uriel, so I’ll be joining you two.”


    Uriel looked at her intensely. She peered into her mind and soul, trying to discern her reasoning. You have some unfinished business with Asmodeus, don’t you Insect? She thought, spotting a glimmer of her intent.


    “No! I forbid you from going.” Nathaniel snapped back at her.


    Insect stepped forward, clapping her hands once more and pointing at him with wide eyes.


    “We are not discussing this now. I won’t let you throw yourself in the jaws of death like a fool!” He kept shouting.


    “But you have no problem with us going…?” Constantine bounced in, perhaps against his better judgement.


    Nathaniel turned to him with a ghastly glare in his eyes. “I tried to convince you not to go mere moments ago, I have no control over you.”


    “But... you control me?” Insect signed.


    “I don’t… but I can’t watch someone else I love die because I let them go when I shouldn’t have.” He said quietly, but sternly.


    Insect smiled with confidence. Her gaze was bold, and her eyes alight with flame. Still, Uriel could sense the fear that gripped her body, the fear that she tried to hide. “I won’t die. I promise you.” She signed.


    “Insect, my dear please!” Nathaniel protested, immediately grabbing her hand. “You… can’t…” He pleaded. She grabbed his with her other, and looked at him with reassurance. She mouthed the word “Please” without speaking. They shared a deep longful gaze in silence, before Nathaniel sighed, looking down. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    “I know you’ll hold that promise… Very well. It was perhaps… unbecoming of me to suddenly be so terrified so suddenly. The demon Asmodeus, he is familiar to me. My apologies, Constantine, Uriel, Insect. You’ve been training for this for a long time now, your friends have waited long enough. I will begin making necessary final preparations. The last thing I would want is for you to not have every advantage and bits of information possible. It will take some time, you won''t be able to just go right through the front door. The journey there will also take several days, maybe weeks even. We don’t want any unpleasantries on the way there.” He said, his voice quick and trying to hold back his wild anger. Uriel watched closely, feeling the despair that emanated from his body. Without warning, Nathaniel turned his wheelchair around and quickly rushed out of the church.


    A parent wouldn’t give up so easily… not in the face of such peril. You’re not a weak man Nathaniel, but a cunning one. What is it that you know? Uriel pondered as she watched the priest depart.


    “Two weeks.” Madame Léstrava interjected. “In two weeks you all must be at the gates of Dudael.”


    “For what reason?” Uriel asked, her eyes still glued towards the door.


    “I consulted the cards and crow bones this morning. There’s a stroke of fortune that might await you all if you make it there in two weeks exactly.”


    “A stroke of fortune?” Constantine pondered, the gaze in his eyes turning from perplexed to understanding. “Well, your teaching’s what allowed Uriel to find this prison in the first place. I shouldn’t question where its not my place.”


    “I suppose then…” The man sitting beside Sean said, standing up from the pew. His voice was deep and ragged, and his blue eyes shone gray in the light peering down into the church. The rest of his lower face was covered by a thick black mask that ran down over his chin and neck as well. “You’ll be needing some more hands on deck for this mission?”


    “I was wondering when you’d introduce yourself to us. You are?” Constantine asked.


    “Damien Caramel, at your service.”


    Uriel saw Constantine holding back a smirk, but she did not understand what was so curious about the man’s name.


    “I’ll be gathering some men for a small task-force to accompany you. I’ve seen you two around, you’re both strong, got potential. You’d be invaluable to the protection of this city and its people, so if I can, I will offer what help I can.”


    Constantine stood up and shook the man’s hand. “I appreciate the help. Truly, from everyone here. I’m not exactly sure why you’ve all managed to put up with me for so long, but I thank you. I’ll pay the debts I owe to everyone, I swear it. I’ll fix the mistakes I’ve made, I’ll make things right again with the world.” He said with a sincere tone in his voice.


    Damien’s eyes smiled smugly at him as he turned to leave. “You should be careful making those sorts of promises, friend.” He said as Uriel watched him make his way out, following in Nathan’s wheel-tracks.


    “Very well then!” Madame’s voice boomed. “You are all dismissed for today. Everyone’s free to have today off, so find something to do.”


    The crowd then began to disperse from the church, but Constantine ran to Sean before he left. Uriel watched as the two discussed something, with Constantine handing The Death Rose over to Sean. He inspected it, then handed it back to Constantine, who holstered it on his belt. After Sean left, only Uriel, Constantine, and Insect lingered. Their mentor mentioned she had something to do in another part of the building, so it ended up being just her and Constantine left standing near the altar.


    “What was that about?” Uriel questioned.


    “Nathan told me Sean’s an engineer, so I asked him to take a look at the Rose, see if he can get rid of the nasty drawback it has. Plus, just asked him how far along he is on an additional thing I’ve asked him for.”


    Uriel raised an eyebrow. Constantine only smugly smiled back at her. “He’s real smart, you know. Apparently he’s the one who designed and made Nathan’s prosthetics, the one on your leg. If you want him to change anything about it to make it better, you should tell him.”


    Uriel pulled up the leg of her trousers, looking at her metallic prosthetic. She flexed her ankle, moving the chrome foot in a circular motion. “Nothing that I’d want to change right now, but I’ll keep it in mind… Maybe he can increase the weight a bit, its a bit light and the more confident I get in my strength I get the harder it is to kick with it sometimes. Scared I might accidentally smash it to bits.”


    Constantine chuckled, nodding. The two sat in silence for a while before Constantine sighed, letting his head hang low. “Faaah...”


    “What’s wrong?” Uriel asked.


    “I’m just… trembling. I guess the realization finally hit me. It’s been so long that I never thought this day would come, and now it finally has.”


    “Sorry you thought my abilities were so poor.” She said, shrugging.


    “No I… didn’t mean it like that.” He apologized. “You’re seriously amazing. Evan and Wrath would be dead without you.”


    “I understand, I’m trying to lighten the mood, and t-thanks. I feel the same way, however there’s a burning desire within me now. For the first time in months I feel… like I have reason to hope again. It’s almost time, Constantine, we will endure whatever hell awaits us in that prison and we will find them. I am not afraid anymore. But…” She confessed, looking up at him with her beaming, pallid eyes. “I need you and Insect there with me. I need to know that I can rely on you, can I?”


    “Hey, hey come on now.” He said, walking close and embracing her by the waist, pulling her to him. “I promised you I’ll never leave you behind again, didn''t I? We’ll get through this together, we’ll get them all back and things will be as they were before.” He said, his voice trembling with melancholy. But there was something else trembling in his voice. Uriel peered at him, her breath hot against his chest. She pressed her hand near the base of his neck, feeling his heartbeat.


    “My tainted heart beats within yours, can you feel it still?” She asked, her voice echoing with her angelic vibrato.


    “I must admit Uriel, that moment when you possessed me felt extremely strange. But… I don’t dislike the thought of you always being with me.” He confessed, looking down at her hand. He lifted his gaze, his own hand moving up to caress her cheek and brush her sky-like hair from her face.


    “My angelic nature and upbringing… they made me fall for you the second I laid eyes on you… I really never stood a chance… hah.” Uriel said with a bright smile and laugh. She then leaned in and pressed her cold lips against his.


    The moment their lips touched, it was like a spark of embers flared up, consuming them both with desire. Their kissing intensified, with each pulling the other’s neck and bodies closer. The passion between them became almost feral, animalistic. Uriel never felt her breathing so intense, her body aching in such an unusual yet pleasant way. She unwillingly let out a lascivious moan when Constantine pressed his hand against her modest chest.


    “C-Constantine… f-fuck… what is this feeling...?” She said, her voice breathy and whispery, and smelled pleasantly of the minty candy from earlier.


    Before Constantine could answer, there was a loud cough that made both of them freeze. Insect was standing and staring with quite a perturbed expression on her face. Uriel and Constantine quickly detached themselves from one another and cleaned themselves up. Insect looked away, her cheeks an embarrassed red.


    “This is still a church, idiots. Take it elsewhere.” She signed for them. “At least clean up when you’re done.” She finished before scurrying out of the church.


    Both of them waited for her to leave before turning back to one another. Uriel smiled awkwardly, sensing that the moment had passed. She sat up and began walking away. Before she could say anything however, Constantine said something that made her heart leap.


    “You wanna… go back to our cabin?”


    Uriel spun on her heels with a lustful lip bite. She slowly walked on over to him, and sat down on his lap, facing him. Constantine gulped. He stared into Uriel’s hazy eyes as she tugged on her button-up shirt, revealing her shoulder. She leaned slowly forward, pressing her lips against his ear.


    “No…” Her whisper echoed, making him shiver. “I want to do it right here.”


    <hr>


    “You called for me, Asmodeus?” Mephistopheles asked the demon before him.


    The room they were in was something that turned the inanimaliat’s stomach into a knot. It was dark and damp. A strange humidity was in the air and no matter how closely he looked, Mephisto could not see any walls surrounding him through that pressing darkness. The strangest thing however was in front of him. Asmodeus was sitting in a plain looking office chair, but he looked up at a smashed together arrangement of giant bulbous eyeballs protruding from the walls. Bloodshot eyeballs, with dripping red tendrils surrounding them. Each eye pressing against the other, with each iris a massive black sheet. Mephisto felt nauseous as one of the eyes further to the side blinked and turned to stare at him.


    “What the fuck…?”


    “Come closer Mephisto.” Asmodeus invited him. “What do you see within this eye?” He asked, pointing at one of the bigger ones.


    Mephisto forced himself to look into one. Strange shapes began to form within. At first nothing but abstract lights, but slowly they congealed into proper forms, until it became a proper location.


    I recognize that place. Its… this very prison…


    “Is this your version of a security camera Asmodeus? I must say it completely suits your style.”


    “Why yes, indeed. That''s exactly what it is. Have you been enjoying your exploration of Dudael these past few months?”


    “I’ve seen better places.” Mephisto said, trying to be emotionless.


    “It wounds me to hear you say that, after all the effort I put into making this place seem… human. What about your friends? How are they... holding up?”


    “What do you care? In fact, why did you even call me here, you creep?” He shouted, his voice now alive with anger.


    Mephisto jumped back when a large, chitinous creature suddenly emerged from a hole in the darkness around him. The beast was an unholy cross between a hound, an insect and a massive stallion. Dark black scales covered its lengthy, muscular body all the way up to its scorpion-like tail, from where a vile red liquid dripped from it. It rushed to Mephisto the second it saw him, lunging with its massive frontal sword-like appendages, but stopped when Asmodeus casually raised his hand. The demon spun around in his chair, and looked questioningly at the creature with his unblinking stare.


    “Yes?” He asked it, and the creature responded by opening what was to be its mouth, but looked like two human hands clasped together. Its clicked and shrieked, an ear-grating noise that not even Mephistopheles could stand, covering his ears.


    “Ah, I see. Could you tell Aramia that she has my permission to throw this demon into solitary confinement for a few dozen years?” Asmodeus casually communicated with the creature. It seemed to accept his message, before it scurried back from where it came.


    “All your fucked up shit never ceases to surprise me Deus.” Mephisto told him once the creature left. “What the hell was that?”


    “I call them Locusts of Abaddon. Some of my more successful experiments. Did you know, their blood is extremely flammable? So much so that Lord Azazel would use them as fuel for some of his machines.”


    Ah, so that''s the shit that nearly burned my eyebrows off on our way here.


    “Are they… sentient?” He asked.


    “The locusts are sentient in some capacity, yes, but they obey me because they fear me. Most beasts in this place do, for good reason.” Asmodeus said, smiling ominously at Mephistopheles. A chill shot through his spine, making his hair stand on ends.


    “Is that why you called me here tonight? To try and intimidate me some more?”


    “No Mephistopheles I have no ill-motive such as that. I merely… was curious, and wanted to talk.”


    “I’m listening. Don’t have much choice.”


    “Do you think power and truth are intertwined?” Asmodeus asked, turning back to his wall of eyes.


    Mephisto lingered, trying to come up with a satisfactory answer. He was unable to. “You don’t like talking about boring things, like how’s the weather and stuff, huh?”


    “We’re in a desert, Mephisto. The weather is always the same, dry and hot.” The demon said plainly.


    “I guess, they definitely are intertwined.”


    “You’re correct, even though you’re just answering to placate me. Despite your bravado, you’re just as scared of me as the locust that came here earlier.” Asmodeus said, standing from his chair and floating over to Mephisto, and past him. As Mephisto watched him, he noticed that the door through which he came into this room was gone, replaced by the same darkness he saw around him. The only points of reference for him now were Asmodeus, and the wall of eyes behind him. “Come now Mephisto, you don’t want to get lost in this place.” The demon warned, almost with a chuckle.


    “Where are you taking me?” He said, rushing after the floating demon.


    “I told you, I am curious about you. Truth is a fickle thing is it not?” Asmodeus said, as the two of them walked through the endless dark. “They say when the Progenitor God created the first lights, ‘Truth’ was among them. Truth bound itself to every being, every soul henceforth. The truth of existing, of the supreme self, of ‘I’.” The demon said, as he spoke, he waved his right hand through the air, and bright red lines of blood began to draw shapes into the darkness. A massive serpent that stretched forever in one direction without end. From it, Asmodeus pulled two drops of shining crimson blood, like ripping two scales from a dragon. He then flung them into the darkness, and the two drops became many. Mephisto quickly realized the blood that was shining represented an image of the night sky.


    “I don’t fully follow, Asmodeus.” Mephisto confessed.


    “The soul is bound to the concept of truth. Be it demon, angel, human, animal, no matter what you are. But truth can never be fully attained, think of it as your consciousness, your very essence in orbit around a star. You’re always in proximity to it, but you’re never able to fully touch it.” Asmodeus explained, showing Mephisto abstract depictions of planets and orbits as he did.


    “And how does that intertwine with power then?”


    “‘Power’ was created in the same instant as ‘Truth’. These two lights of God were like… twins. They touched each other, holding their warm embrace for an infinitesimal moment before being forever stripped from the other. Power represents truth, and truth represents power, and both are forever separated, unable to be grasped. But power is what we, beings of flesh and blood, have control over. Power is what allows us to manipulate the soul, distracting the will of mortals.”


    “Once the will is distracted… the consciousness falls out of orbit, correct?” Mephisto intervened.


    “Exactly. A will that has been corrupted in such a manner plummets from the orbit of the truth like a falling star.” Asmodeus capitulated, his hand closing around the drop of blood that orbited around him. He then threw its shards out in the darkness, and for one moment, the frayed rays of light looked like a rainbow of inconceivable colors to Mephisto. He instinctively reached out to grasp one, but they fell through his fingers. “We both are undeniable truths of this world, Mephisto, but I, unlike you, have the power to manipulate this world as I see fit.” Asmodeus said, smiling.


    The demon reached out into the darkness, grabbing an invisible door-knob, and opening the door through which Mephisto entered. He turned around, and the wall of eyes that slowly shrunk until it disappeared due to their walk was now right behind him as if he never moved from the spot. Mephisto couldn’t help but chuckle as the light from the corridor washed over him.


    “Before I go, Asmodeus, you should know this. Perhaps I’ve not seen the real grand truth of this world that you spoke of now, perhaps I may not have the power to change things as I would like, but what I have seen and done has made my very soul unshakeable. I’ve endured hell beyond what your silly magic tricks can conjure. You do not scare me, and you will be nothing more than an obstacle to overcome. I will take great pleasure in ending your life.”


    “Just like you swore you’d end Azazel’s, correct?”


    “How do you…?” Mephisto asked, his eyes going wide.


    “Hmhmhm.” Asmodeus stifled his laughter. “This is why I enjoy your company Mephisto. You believe you have so much power, and yet, you couldn’t be farther from the truth.”


    “Bite me, fleshbag.”


    “Don’t wish for something you’ll regret.” Asmodeus said, turning back to the darkness. But he paused, turning to face Mephisto once more. “Ah, I forgot. Here’s a piece of the truth that you would love to hear. Your daughter and her friend, they’ve finally found us. They’ve begun preparing for their journey here.”


    Uriel? Constantine? Oh… no… no, no, no, no! YOU CANNOT COME HERE, NO! His thoughts raced, and Asmodeus seemed to take great pleasure in seeing the panic on his face.


    “You should tell your armless friend, he’s been looking forward to their arrival and should use this time to prepare for them.” Asmodeus taunted some more.


    “You BASTARD!“ Mephisto said, lunging forward and grabbing Asmodeus by the collar. The demon did not react. Mephisto stared helplessly up into the demon’s bloodshot eyes. He wanted to rip him apart, but knew that he lacked the power to do so. Accepting his defeat once again, Mephisto let go, gritting his teeth and turning around. He walked out through the door as the demon’s voice still called out to him.


    “Two weeks. That’s when they’ll arrive. What will you do until then Mephisto?” It asked him. “You’ve crawled like a worm all over this prison for months, hoping to find one flaw to exploit. Perhaps you’ve found it, perhaps not yet. Either way, I will enjoy watching you squirm almost as much as I’ll enjoy meeting… ahh, what a lovely name you’ve given her. Was it Camael that came up with it or you? Uriel… so beautiful.” He said, as his damned laughter echoed in the deepest recesses of Mephisto’s mind.