~Valarendrik~
The sound of William loudly slurping on his sweet-smelling drink disturbed the eerie and tense silence which suffocated the room like a miasma of apprehension. Meanwhile, Darrell apathetically prepared for the demonic summoning, having the sigil in place on the small table and the candle lit. It was strange being among them. I had heard many tales about both men and felt as though I already somewhat knew them. The erroneous familiarity created a nagging need to converse with them within my mind, yet I didn't really know what to say.
Not to mention I was growing more nervous by the second. Trepidation blossomed within my heart at the thought of facing Azathoth after all that had happened. There would be no hiding the fact that I shamefully deceived him to keep Lucilia a secret. That I'd intentionally avoided him, making him mad with worry and go off pointlessly searching around the deathly depths of the abyss for me.
...I just hope he won't be too angry.
"He will never forgive you..." The crown distantly whispered.
Lucilia gently gave my forearm a comforting little squeeze from her place on my lap, with my arms woven loosely around her petite frame. Her bright blue eyes sparkled in the dim candlelight while she lovingly smiled up at me, assuaging away my gnawing anxiousness. The crown softly twitched and a smile graced my lips. I adoringly gazed back down at her, feeling a torrent of appreciation wash over me.
"Is that Azathoth's sigil?" She curiously asked while daintily pointing to the hellish design engraven into a slab of grey stone.
There was a twinkle in Darrell's dark eyes as he nodded and pricked his dark finger with a needle, eliciting a small glistening bead of living crimson blood. "Sure is." He answered with a smile, then looked at me. "I'm honestly a little surprised you haven't already tried to summon him yourselves?"
My hair tumbled over my shoulder and tickled Lucilia's arm as I shook my head. "Sigils do not work in the abyss, so I don't bother keeping one with me. Not only have demons deemed it as a forsaken world, but the clouds of Hsarohpem swallow and destroy any energies that try to pass through their veil."
"Right!" William joyously nodded while plopping his feet on the table to get more comfortable. I curiously tilted my head, observing his strange fuzzy white shoes that looked like little creatures with long floppy ears. "I remember him mentioning once that the abyss was a dead zone in more ways than one." He loudly slurped on his drink again, making Lucilia giggle.
Darrell's leather jacket crinkled as he crouched down and pressed the single drop of red blood onto the sigil. The candle flame immediately roared to life, wildly flickering to cast dancing shadows over our gazing faces and throughout the earthly room. The familiar feeling of demonic energy suddenly seemed to palpate to life all around us with primeval power, making my hair stand on end and my black stagnate blood sizzle within my deathly veins. Lucilia's heartbeat thrummed all the faster and she subtly curled deeper into my side, holding Speedy close. Yet, the two human men remained completely unphased by the dramatic energy shift.
"I swear if you're summoning me to pick you fresh fucking mangos for your yogurt again, I will show up only to rip your head off." Azathoth's deep hellish voice disembodiedly boomed throughout the room.
"Well, you shouldn't have spoiled me with the ones straight off the trees in India. The store-bought ones just don't cut it anymore." Darrell retorted with a scoff, forgoing any sense of solemnity.
"You can't blame me for being of the opinion that everyone should try a mango straight from the tree at least once in their lifetime." Azathoth growled with annoyance. "If that's all, I'm hanging up on you now."
"No, no, no, wait..." He waved his hand over the sigil with urgency, while William softly snickered into his cup. "That's not why I'm summoning you. Valarendrik, the abyss prince guy, he's here."
An enraged beastly rumble suddenly shook the walls and the candle flame roared upward like a pillar of fury. Lucilia jumped in startlement, her bright blue eyes frightenedly shifting around. "That's not even slightly funny, Darrell! Not only are you taking me away from valuable time that could be spent searching for him, but-"
I awkwardly cleared my throat, interrupting what was undoubtedly going to become a lengthy and insufferable tirade. "Azathoth? Can you hear me?" I held Lucilia a bit tighter while leaning in to better speak at the sigil. "He's telling the truth. I am indeed on earth."
"Wait... Are you fucking serious?" A large black column of hellish smoke immediately appeared near the right side of the table. It menacingly swirled and hissed like a whirlwind of death, then quickly dissipated around Azathoth's imposing demonic form. Lucilia's eyes grew wide at the sight of him and her lips slightly parted in disbelief.
"Holy shit..." She whispered under her breath.
Azathoth's fiery golden eyes blazed as they found mine, filling with a melded look of relief, fury, and utter confusion. His hair was slightly disheveled as it cascaded over his shoulder and down between his folded wings, with weariness from stress evident on his features. "How on earth are you on earth?" He calmly tilted his head with curiosity, the candlelight dancing across his sharp glossy horns. Then he quickly shifted his gaze to the frightened little female sitting on my lap and raised a bewildered brow. "And what are you doing with that girl and that turtle?"
Once again, I awkwardly cleared my throat and nervously scratched the back of my head. Although the heat of his stare was far less scrutinizing than I'd expected, it still felt as though his eyes were scorching through my soul... He probably is actually looking directly into my soul... "Well, uh you see, there's quite a lot to explain about how I got here... But um, first I'd like you to meet my wife, Lucilia, and her pet turtle, Speedy." I gestured to Lucilia then tapped on Speedy's shell with my claw.
"Hi." Lucilia shyly waved with a little squeak-like voice.
William choked on his drink as if shocked by the scandal. "Oh my god..." He drawled in a very feminine-sounding voice.
Azathoth leaned in a little closer with a raised brow. The candlelight made him appear all the more menacing as he drank in the sight of Lucilia with suspicious eyes. "Your wife?" His silky hair curtained the side of his face as he glanced back and forth between us.
"Yes." I nodded. "She got lost in the abyss a few months ago, and we kindled love together. Then Cerindier forced us to wed because she is carrying my child."
There was an awkward moment of overly drawn-out silence which stretched between us. Black candle wax slowly dripped onto the table and the floorboards squeaked beneath Darrell's shifting feet. William was smirking while sipping his drink and softly humming. His mischievous gaze was shifting between us, seeming to absolutely love all this new information.
"Oh, so she's not just your wife, but your pregnant wife too?" Azathoth drawled with a lighthearted and understanding demeanor as he gestured to her. "And we're speaking English right now, aren't we?" He curiously pointed between us.
"I performed a tenverian tongue-rooting spell with her shortly after we met." I mentioned with a slight shrug and a smile.
"Yes, of course, of course." He nodded while thoughtfully smiling back.
Huh, well, he's taking this much better than I expected...
"OKAY, WHAT THE LIVING FUCK IS GOING ON!?" He abruptly roared with webs of liquid hellfire lividly coursing through his sparking wings. His eyes brightly burned with fury and his fangs flashed. "When I last saw you just a few fucking weeks ago you were a single four-thousand-year-old virgin living in the abyss! And now you're suddenly hanging out on earth with your pregnant human wife!? Meanwhile, I've been worried sick that you were being held hostage and relentlessly tortured by fucking lloigors in some obscure stygian void! I mean, I've practically incinerated half the fucking abyss looking for you!" He aggressively waved his arms all around, yelling like a crazed maniac.
I flinched in remorse, recognizing the emotional turmoil I'd needlessly put my good friend through. "It was not my intention to worry you. I am sorry."
Darrell cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him. "So um, Az, I don't mean to interrupt or anything, but perhaps you guys can have this conversation in Hell? I had to go all renegade to get them here, and it's only a matter of time before the authorities come looking for us." He warily glanced at the dark glassy window, which was slightly open allowing the gentle breeze to whisper through the heavy black drapes.
The incandescent veins dimmed away in Azathoth's leathery wings and his shoulders slumped. "Alright. Just make sure all the lights are off." He exhaustedly ran a clawed hand through his hair as his demonic gaze shifted back to me. The long seat squeaked as William got up to help Darrell turn off all the lights, mumbling about something about the lights upstairs. "You have a lot of explaining to do. But I'm really glad that you're okay." His expression softened further as his focus moved to Lucilia. "I apologize for my rude introduction. I've been at my wit's end trying to find this bumbling bonehead, and this was the last thing I would have ever expected."
"That's okay." She pleasantly smiled up at him with a giggle. "It's nice to finally meet you. Valarendrik has told me a lot of stories about your adventures together."
Azathoth grinned. "Oh has he now?" He glanced back at me with narrowed eyes. "I'm sure he told you all about the time I lost my boot then. He's never let me live that down."
"Yes, he did!" She laughed as I stood back up, allowing her to gently slide off my legs. I smiled down at her, feeling quite pleased that she was already getting along with Azathoth.
Except for the flickering candle still melting on the table, all light in the home was extinguished. Darrell and William returned just as Azathoth leaned down and drowned the last gleaming flame with a puff of his breath, enveloping us in darkness once more.
"Alright, everyone hold hands." Azathoth held out his clawed hands on either side of him.
"Why? Do you want us to all sing kumbaya on our way to Hell?" William teased with a snickery scoff.
"Don't make me throw up." Azathoth glared while snatching his hand in his with a growl. "It's not easy transporting four people across worlds at once!" William began to hum a slow upbeat tune that seemed to intentionally agitate Azathoth.
"Let's just get the fuck out of here already." Darrell reached out and took Azathoth's and Lucilia's hands.
I also reached out and held Lucilia's and William's other hands so that we were all standing in a connected circle, with Speedy and the cupcakes enwreathed within my shadows. It was quite interesting really. I'd never done anything like it before. Black mist suddenly encircled us, encompassing my vision like a dark whirling portal. I held Lucilia's hand a little tighter, expecting it to be similar to the chaotic and jostling vortex which had taken us from the abyss. However, it vanished as quickly as it came, unveiling a completely new living room like a curtain being drawn back. A strangely fiery smell suddenly permeated the air and the temperature became noticeably warmer.
My head shifted from side to side while I glanced around in wonderment, taking in the lovely hellish surroundings. There was an overall dark and elegant design to the place, with varying shades and blacks, reds, and gold making up the main color theme. The floors were made from polished reddish floorboards and the walls were made of dark grey stones with black stone trimming wrapping around the high dome ceiling. Fire peacefully crackled within a large black stone fireplace, with two malevolent battle axes crossed over it upon the wall. More flames danced with enchantment above our heads within a magnificently twisted black iron chandelier dangling from the center of the ceiling like serpentine coils. An exquisite curved staircase led up to an overlooking balcony, with an intricately carved black railing twisting up along with it. And near the base of the stairs was a layout of sumptuous furnishings, making up a welcoming seating area near the fireplace. Considering the beauty of the lantern they'd given me, this was exactly how I had pictured Hell to be.
"It's so beautiful here..." Lucilia said in awe, her gleaming jewel-like eyes seemingly mesmerized by the place. "Very gothic and evil looking." She giggled while happily plucking Speedy from my shadows.
"Thank you." Azathoth politely nodded while the rest of us surrendered our holds on one another's hands. "Gwendolyn just put the kids to bed and she's coming down now." He mentioned, no doubt having just communicated with her using their minds. "She's really excited to see you-"
"Valarendrik!" Gwendolyn practically screeched as she rushed into sight from atop the balcony with wildly flailing arms. Her bare feet quickly pattered down the stairs, then she frantically ran over and practically tripped while dramatically throwing her slender arms around my waist. "Thank the gods you're alive!" Her bright green eyes glistened with the threat of tears as I gently hugged her back, being mindful not to poke her with my armor. "Where the flying flip-flop has he been!?" She turned her head to aggressively ask Azathoth.
"He's been on earth." Azathoth responded. "But no need to ask me. He can speak English now."
"What?" She leaned back while pushing off of me to look up at my face in puzzlement. Her thick wavy brown hair cascaded down her back and brushed her hips, flowing with her black knee-length dress. "Really?"
"Oh, and he's married too."
Her vibrant eyes shifted between Lucilia and I for a second. "Wait, what? Are you kidding?"
"No, he's telling the truth." I softly smiled down at her while she gaped up at me, utterly befuddled by the English words coming from my mouth. "Gwendolyn, I'd like you to meet my wife, Lucilia." I put my arm around Lucilia's shoulder and pulled her a little closer into my side while dropping my arm from around Gwendolyn.
Lucilia warmly smiled while tucking a lock of golden hair behind her ear. She seemed very pleasant, but I could sense that this was a bit awkward for her. "It's nice to meet you. Valarendrik has told me a lot about you and Azathoth."
Gwendolyn stared with her mouth still agape and utter confusion scrawled across her face for a few seconds. Then she seemed to shake herself back to her senses. "Wow, yeah. It's nice to meet you too." The two women shook hands in greeting, then she turned back to Azathoth. "What a surprise!" She laughed and Lucilia giggled.
"Yes, a surprise I would like to hear all about." Azathoth lifted a brow while raking his gaze over Lucilia's neck and face. "But first, we need to have a quick word... Alone." His voice dropped as he said that last bit with a stern expression, pointing between himself and I.
"Very well." I nodded to him, then quickly glanced back down at Lucilia and gently caressed her shoulder with my thumb. "I'll only be gone a few moments. Do not worry, you are very safe here." I lovingly kissed the top of her head.
"Um, okay." She held Speedy to her chest while smiling up at me with uncertainty.
"Alright, come on." Azathoth hurriedly waved his hand over his shoulder, gesturing for me to follow.
Our boots clomped across the firelit floorboards as we walked past the stairs and to some intricately paned glass double doors. I briefly glimpsed a side table with a few framed very life-like pictures on it. Most of them were of the hellions, but one of myself along with Azathoth and Gwendolyn caught my eye. I remembered how the strange device they'd used to create it had trouble capturing our image in the abyssal darkness, so Gwendolyn had to hold the lantern for the portrait.
I quickly glanced at the picture beside it, seeing a slightly younger version of Gwendolyn smiling with another girl. She had smooth brown skin much like Darrell, with sparkling dark brown eyes and thick curly black hair. Her smile was radiant and everything about her seemed to beam with beauty and love. Just by looking at her, I could tell that she was very pure of heart and soul, yet the image still stirred an unexplainable sense of sadness within me.
"Hurry up!" Azathoth's growling voice pulled me from my thoughts, as he held open one of the doors while menacingly glaring at me.
"Oh, right." I quickly snapped back to attention and followed him out onto a large stone balcony, hearing Gwendolyn asking Lucilia about how her and I met as the door swiftly shut behind us with a click.
A warm breeze caressed my face and the sound of rushing water sang through the air. Then my mouth fell wide open at the sight of the otherworldly scenery before me. Azathoth's home appeared to be carved right out of the side of a mighty mountain, overlooking several other massive spear-like mountains jutting above the swirling red clouds slithering below us. The clouds glowed incandescently as though illuminated by scorching flames burning in the low lands, while hundreds of rushing waterfalls poured lattices of powerful torrents from the rocky mountains and into the mist-laden darkness. Millions of stars bejeweled the obsidian horizon, with two red moons brooding above like omens of death. One was set in a sideways crescent, while the other brighter one was round, watching us like a sinister eye.
I peeked over the intricately carved stone railing, confirming that we were extremely high up. Lofty trees twisted up along the sides of the mountains, with firey veins webbing through their thick ebon trunks and woven roots. Sparks seemed to dance through their crimson leaves with brightly trailing paths of madness, fading as they escaped the labyrinth of boughs and ascended to the scintillating skies. Red ferns and pointed flowers eternally burned within their petals and leaves, seemingly whispering unto one another as they gently swayed in the warm winds created by the ever-falling cascades.
Azathoth casually leaned against the railing with a grin, taking in my astonished expression. "Welcome to Hell." He pleasantly gestured out over the vast and beauteous scenery with his long hair fluttering in the wind. "Now tell me what the fuck your freak soul is doing to that girl, and why her face and neck are all bruised up like that." He firmly pointed towards the door, demanding an answer.
...Wait? My soul is doing something to her?
I furrowed my brows in complete confusion and unease. "I was unaware that my soul was doing something to her." The crown nervously twitched upon my head with my sudden anxiety, while my hair writhed with shadows. "Why? What is it doing? Is it bad?"
"Well, I don't really know. That's why I'm asking you." He crossed his arms while tilting his head. "It's sort of swirling out of you like tendrils of light and latching onto hers creating what seems like a grappling one-sided connection. It's the most alien thing I've ever seen a soul do."
I peered inside through the glass doors, seeing Gwendolyn and William fawning over Speedy as Lucilia proudly held him up. Darrell sat on a chair nearby laughing at them. She had a bright smile on her beautiful face, with her shiny golden waves seeming to glow in the firelight as they tumbled over her shoulder. Her bright blue eyes suddenly peered up and searched in my general direction as though she had sensed me watching her, yet she couldn't see into the darkness through the glass.
My claws absentmindedly lengthened and gripped at the railing, scraping against the stone. "I have no idea what that could be." I shook my head while glancing down. "Honestly, a lot of weird stuff that I don't understand has happened since meeting her."
Azathoth silently nodded, seeming to ponder my response for a moment. "And what about her neck and face? How did that happen?"
Shame fell over me as I recalled what Justin had done and what I had done to him. "I failed to protect her." I sorrowfully shrugged while turning to peer down at the crimson clouds, letting the warm breeze kiss my cheeks. "She had a romantic relationship with someone else at the time we started ours, and the other man did not take her rejection well."
Azathoth's eyes glowed a little brighter while widening in surprise. "I see." He nodded.
I leaned over the railing and placed my hand over my forehead to stop the squirming of the crown as I continued to sullenly speak. "He attacked and violated her. And I, well, I shamefully lost myself to my tenverian nature." I remorsefully shook my head while gazing out toward a distant waterfall, feeling the crushing burden of what I'd done.
"What exactly did you do?" He took a step towards me with inquisitiveness teeming upon his face.
"I don't know... I guess I sort of ripped off his cock and mangled it in front of him. Then I bit off a chunk of his face and ate it, and began ripping his bones from his flesh." Penance and contrite glistened in my crimson eyes as I peered back at him, feeling utterly ashamed of my actions.
Azathoth stared at me with a blank expression, the only movement being him blinking a few times and his hair swaying in the breeze. "You ate part of his face?"
I woefully sighed, admitting to my wrongdoing. "Yes."
A delighted grin unexpectedly swept across his face, accentuating his sharp fangs. "Well done, my friend!" He proudly proclaimed with a joyous laugh while giving me a rough pat on the back. "Way to eliminate the competition!"
I held my palms out in front of myself, resting my forearms on the railing with a look of bewilderment. "I do not think that my actions are worthy of praise."
"Pssht! Nonsense!" He dismissively swatted the air between us. "If that cockalorum could intentionally do that to a woman..." He pointed to Lucilia through the door with his thumb. "Then he absolutely had it coming! Honestly, I'd even say you acted heroically. And besides, you showed way more mercy than I would have. You should have seen the way I tortured and drew out the death of Gwendolyn's worthless ex-boyfriend, Fabio, Fava bean, whatever the fuck his name was..." He scrunched his brows and waved his hand in a circle as he spoke.
The hellish winds howled through the trees, sending a blaze of orange sparks swirling through the air. I smiled while straightening back out, feeling reassured by my demonic friend's words of wisdom. "You really think I did the right thing?"
"Oh, I know so!" He placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a good squeeze. "Now, you don't think she'll mind if I offer to heal her, do you? I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable."
I shook my head, letting the shadows in my hair disappear completely. "I believe she would be grateful for such a thing. I know I would prefer for you to heal her wounds."
"Alright then. Let's go back in, shall we?" The stonework crunched under his boots as he took a few steps towards the door. "I want to hear all about the past few months. And a good explanation about why Sagacor isn't with you."
A smile graced my face at the thought of my dear horse. "He is safe, but I will need to explain such things."
With one last glance out over the hellscapes, we both reentered the home and joined the others at the seating area.