Chapter 206: Demons Of Destruction
They stayed like that for a few minutes before she pulled away. "Thank you, Viktor. I feel much better now," she said with a smile, tucking her hair behind her ears.
He cleared his throat. "You’re welcome. I’m glad you feel better." Viktor went silent for a few seconds before asking, "Are you hungry?"
"Yes, I am," Charlotte replied quickly, placing a hand over her stomach. "Shall we go have lunch?"
"Yes, of course," he said with a small smile. They walked out of the chamber together toward the dining room.
~~~
After locking the door, Lilith collapsed onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The deafening silence in the room only made her feel worse. She rolled to her side, and the first thing her eyes landed on was Hades’s boots, neatly tucked under the table.
Tears welled in her eyes as vivid memories of how those boots ended up there flooded her mind. Her heart clenched at how much she missed him, aching for whatever torment he must be enduring at that very moment. She could barely imagine him trapped in an endless pit of darkness, his sanity slowly chipped away.
She wished she could take his pain upon herself, just to hold him one more time. Sniffling, Lilith wiped at her cheeks and sat up, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, burying her face between her knees.
Her heart nearly stopped at the sudden sound of a dull thump.
She froze, straining her ears. At first, there was nothing. Then, less than a minute later, the sound came again, louder this time. Lilith’s head shot up, scanning the room for the source.
Slowly and cautiously, she slid off the bed and crept toward the couch, where the noise had come from. She stretched her neck, peeking over to see what it was.
"Damnnn... everything hurts so bad."
Lilith’s eyes widened at the familiar voice. "Grim! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed.
The moggly turned its head toward her, blinking twice before grinning. "Oh, Lilith... it’s lovely to see you again. It’s been so long." Grim’s smile stretched from ear to ear.
"It’s good to see you too. Where have you been? I thought you disappeared?" Lilith asked, perching on the arm of the couch as Grim emerged from behind it.
"I think I’m slowly disappearing. And the same is happening to my master. If he is not saved soon, I won’t be here much longer," Grim announced, settling in front of her.
"Why? Is your life tied to the prince?" Lilith questioned.
"Yes. No moggly can live without its master. If my master is gone, I will cease to exist. I’m not completely against dying, but this isn’t exactly thrilling either." The moggly gave a light chuckle.
"None of that will happen. I will save Hades soon, and everything will go back to normal. Don’t worry, you won’t die," Lilith said, trying to comfort the creature.
"How nice of you, Lilith, but I don’t think that’s possible. Trying to save my master from the clutches of the demon is dangerous. You might lose your life too," Grim warned.
Lilith smiled painfully. "I know that, Grim. I don’t care if I die, as long as Hades is saved and given a chance to live."
The moggly narrowed its eyes. "That’s a strange thing to say, Lilith. Do you really think my master could go on if you sacrificed yourself to save him? He’d be devastated, heartbroken. He cares too much about you to live without you."
Her stomach tightened, though the smile stayed on her lips. "I can’t just sit and do nothing. I’m part of the reason he’s suffering, and it’s up to me to save him. Hades has been living fine without me, and I trust he’ll continue to do so."
Grim stared at her a moment longer before yawning. "I still don’t think that’s a smart thing to do."
"What would you have me do instead?"
"If you must save him, find another way to do so, one that doesn’t involve risking your life or ends with your death," the moggly replied.
"I wish that were possible, but it’s not. And even if there were another way, we don’t have the luxury of time to search for it. Hades only has a few more days," Lilith explained.
The creature stretched out its paws. "If you say so. There is also something important you should know."
Lilith’s interest piqued. "What is that?"
"Do you know how the tree caught fire?"
She shook her head.
"It was Hades’ father who set it ablaze. He wanted to break the prince and grant the demon the opportunity to take full control of his body and mind. The demon’s possession of the prince was his ticket back to Hell. Now, the king has regained his powers and is no longer banished from the underworld."
Lilith leaned forward, eyes shadowed with sorrow, her fists clenched in rage. "His father is truly a horrible man to do that to his own son. I knew they weren’t on good terms, but I didn’t know it was this bad. I can’t believe a father would stoop so low and harm his child for his selfish goals."
"It’s indeed selfish and truly unfortunate things turned out this way," the creature said gravely, "but there’s more you need to know. The king’s brother is now in our world."
Narrowing her eyes, Lilith caught the dread in the moggly’s voice. "Why do you sound afraid? Who is this brother of the king?"
Grim looked up at her. "Evil. He is far worse than anything you can imagine. Chained and locked away for centuries, Asmodeus has somehow managed to broke free from his damnation. Now he hunts for revenge against Hades’ father. Everything he touches destroy and that includes this world if he roams unchecked."
"What!?" Lilith’s voice rose. "We’re already struggling with the demon inside Hades, and now another is on the loose, out for revenge." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Does it get any worse than this?" she muttered.
"It can. Much worse than you realize," Grim warned. "We must stop Asmodeus from meeting the demon. Alone, they might be stopped. Together... there would be no hope for any of us."
Lilith’s shoulders slumped. "That’s... really bad. But, can Asmodeus control the demon in Hades?"
"Unfortunately, he can. They are both demons of destruction created by Lucifer himself. Asmodeus is a higher demon which means he can command and control any lower demon he wishes to. Apart from having the powers of a demon, Hades also possess the powers of an Arnix witch making him much more stronger than a normal demon."
"And also much more dangerous. The higher demon can do irreversible damage in this world and beyond if he gets hold of such god like powers. You see why I’m genuinely terrified of that happening?" Grimm’s voice lowered.
Lilith swallowed, her fist tightening, "Yes. It is truly scary."
"It is. That’s why you must move quickly to break the curse. I can’t do much, but I’ll do my best to keep the demon from meeting Asmodeus. The rest is up to you."
"Alright. Thank you." Lilith offered him a warm smile.
"Good luck, Lilith. We shall meet again soon." Grim bowed his head and walked out, closing the door behind him.
Lilith let out a long breath and sank into the couch.