Road to Eden | ONC 2022

4 - Mammon

"I need another pass." 

The woman did not acknowledge his presence and kept soothing one of the tiny human with gentle taps on his back.

Azazel sighed and crouched down.

"I don't have time for this, I need to go back soon." He pulled out the fluorite crystal from his pocket. It was worthless to most, but priceless to demons. Especially those who wanted to escape Caidos without a contract. The process of refining them to temporarily modify the demon's DNA was full of side effect and not painless. From what he had overheard, it was a lot better than some contracts. He wished he needed that to get out of Caidos. But the lands of the demons didn't want him and basically threw him out every time he sneaked out.

"You can have these, give me the pass quickly."

There was still no reaction from the woman. She didn't even reach for the crystals in the hand that left hanging between them.

"Mammon !" He gritted through clenched teeth. He truly did not have time for this. She would notice his absence soon.

The clawed hand scratched the tip of his nose as he dodged the slap. He lost his balance and fell on his back. The movement attracted the attention of some onlookers, who decided it was nothing to worry about and quickly focused back on their conversation.

The claw disappeared as fast as they had popped, and Mammon's hand returned to the back of the tiny human.

Did the peacefully asleep human know that he was inches away from death? Azazel wondered.

At least, Mammon's gaze was now fixed on him. Her midnight black skin was decorated with intricate patterns of golden tattoos. A silver shawl covered her braids, decorated with various ornaments. Mammon breathed wealth through her pore. As always.

What he could read in her gaze felt unsettling.

"Did you feel it?"

"Yea, I did. You too?" He didn't need to ask what. Even if he tried his best to ignore, he could still fill echoes of the wave of shock under his skin.

She nodded.

"I don't want the gemstones. Do you have any pieces of information?"

Azazel slowly blinked and wondered if he had landed in a parallel dimension. Maybe the plaque had led him to a point zero in a parallel galaxy.

"Since when do you not care about money? Is the world ending?"

"It might, actually. I could feel it in the energy, something twisted, possibly broke. Anyway, no information, no pass."

Azazel attempted to plead his case, but the extended claws dangerously close to the young human skin reminded him that he was dealing with a high demon. They didn't have hearts. Literally and figuratively.

"Give me a pass now, and I promise you I will give you some information the next time I am out."

Mammon was back to ignoring him. It seems that the new Mammon that did not care about money still did not care about delayed payment either.

"Mami, please. I will be dead if they realize I have been out."

The affectionate nickname seemed to rekindle some semblance of interest in the demoness' eyes.

A small smile stretched across her pale lips.

"Those idiots still don't know? You have been slipping out since you were a fetus."

Azazel rolled his eyes. 180 years old seemed old for a fetus to him. He had been asleep for at least 160 of those, so maybe those didn't count.

"Lucifer is too busy dealing with... stuff. And my mother, well..." He shrugged.

The demoness chuckled.

"Leave it to the men to ruin anything good. I am surprised Lucifer is still on that throne."

She studied his face for a few flitting seconds, then grabbed his chin and pressed her lips firmly against his.

Before he could react, her fangs sank lightly into his lower lips. He shoved her back and scrambled backward.  The bitterness and sourness of demon blood took over his mouth. He held it in. She nodded as she licked his blood off her lips.

"With that, we have a contract, double-cross me, and you won't lose just your lips. I expect valuable information by the next red moon."

"Don't you think that a blood contract is a bit overkill?" A silk pouch to his face was the only answer he got.

She pulled her shawl over herself and the three kids. He blinked. They were not there anymore. He could feel their presence in his skin, but the powerful illusion — Mammon's trademark — made them invisible.

He got back to his feet, his newly acquired pass in his pocket, and started thinking about how he would slip out before the next red moon.

»--•--«

Azazel took a quick flight closer to the rock, out of view of the tiny humans on the platforms. Not that they could see much through the foggy atmosphere of point zero.

He pulled out a travel plate and a tiny vial of blood from the silky pouch. He brought the vial closer to the dim yellowish glow emanating from the rock. None of the rays of light could pass through the dark, murky inside.

Unctuous and dense, that's how blood should be.

Not like the purplish liquid flowing through his veins.

He poured the thick substance onto the plaque and carefully drew out the letters for Caidos. He was about to write out the s when he was interrupted.

"Good day, good sir, wouldst thou allow us to tag along please?"

A/N:

WC Chapter: 1577

WC Total: 4364

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