Chapter 82: Your little weakness

Dyvian's POV

Sweat trickled from my temples as I rushed into Azrakel's room, my body blazing with anger. My fists were clenched, and my eyes were red with rage.

The stench of desire filled the air, clinging to my skin like something vile. Inside, Azrakel lay sprawled languidly, women draped over him, their hands stroking his exposed chest. He did not even bat an eyelid when I walked in.

"It’s been two good weeks since I left, for what? To witness your nonsense?" My voice came out as a growl, my fury barely contained. My body was trembling, but not from physical effort, but rather from the intense annoyance of returning to this forsaken place.

My days had been the same routine I had been accustomed to for decades—training, indulging, and acting as though I was not thinking about him—ever since I had returned to the Underworld. But I was.

Every damn day. Avaris haunted me, even when I tried to bury myself in distractions. I had abandoned him, and it sat heavy in my chest. No matter what I did, I couldn’t erase him from my mind.

God, I felt so terrible.

My father’s reason for summoning me back here had remained unclear. All he ever said was, "Keep pushing past your limits." My training had reached a level meant only for the highest rank of demons—the same brutal trials that belonged to one being in history: my grandfather, Lucifer.

Azrakel finally looked at me, his lips curling into that infuriatingly smug smile. "Be calm, son. Good things come slowly."

Son. That word always felt like acid on my skin coming from him. He played the role of my father when it suited him, but I had never known him as one. The constant charade was sickening.

Dismissing the women, he stretched lazily. They giggled as they left, some casting flirtatious glances my way.

I ignored them.

Azrakel got up and walked around the room naked, totally unconcerned. I should have been impressed by his flawlessly toned body, but instead I felt disgusted. His physique was unblemished by age, giving him a youthful appearance, but that was not who he really was.

It was just another illusion.

When he finally picked up a robe, he draped it over his shoulders and turned to smirk slowly and deliberately at me. "I see you’ve been getting ready. That’s good. It is time for me to explain my goal to you."

Exhaling as though this were merely a friendly exchange, he walked over to a comfortable sofa and took a seat. "Your grandfather, the great Lucifer… I want to awaken him from his deep slumber."

I froze in place. My breath became trapped in my throat. "You know you can’t do that." I spoke in a raspy, almost incredulous voice. "The Almighty put him in that slumber for a reason."

The look on Azrakel's face darkened. "For what reason? To elevate humanity above us? That should have never happened."

I took a deep breath. Now it made sense. It had all been building to this point, the guards' whispered conversations, the weird energy pulsing through the Underworld. He had been planning this for a long time.

"You are mistaken if you believe that I will engage in an activity that defies the laws of nature. I'm not interested."

Azrakel chuckled and shook his head. "What order? The Underworld is a place without rules, Dyvian. The Almighty abandoned us, abandoned his own creations."

"Do you think that justifies this?" I challenged. "There was a reason He left you all behind. You know what happened, some demons rebelled against Him, against the balance of existence."

Azrakel snorted. "Some? You really believe that? He abandoned us all. If we were truly forsaken, why would you still worship his judgment? Why would you defend the slumber he placed Lucifer in?"

I fixed my jaw. "Because He did what had to be done. Lucifer was too powerful, too dangerous. He had to be stopped."

Azrakel grinned, a hint of laughter visible in his eyes. "You think I would sit idly while our kind remains shackled by rules that were never meant for us? The Underworld was abandoned, Dyvian. Left to rot. Do you truly believe this is how it should be?"

I closed my eyes in frustration "There was a reason he abandoned you—all of you."

"There was no reason!" Azrakel snapped, his voice finally cracking with frustration. "Only some of the demons went against him! He punished all of us for the sins of the few. Is that justice? Is that fairness?"

With my hands balled into fists, I took a sharp breath. "You can't undo what’s been done. You’re playing with forces beyond your understanding."

He laughed darkly. "Beyond my understanding? You forget, I was there, Dyvian. I watched as he was sealed away. I know what it takes to wake him up."

I shook my head. "I won’t do it. I won’t be a part of this."

Azrakel leaned forward, his lips curling into a knowing smirk. "Oh, but you will. Because I finally know what moves you." He left his words hanging in the air, his eyes slyly fixed on me.

Azrakel's patience dwindled. I noticed the change in his face, the emergence of annoyance. Then his lips curled into a sinister expression. "It’s good to know that someone is your weakness."

My muscles became tense. "What are you talking about?"

Leaning forward, he spoke in a tone that was almost derisive. "Avaris."

I felt my whole body stiffen.

Azrakel smirked. "Or maybe I should kill him, so your tiny little weakness could go away. Then you wouldn’t have anything holding you back. No more distractions."

I felt a growl tear through me, anger causing my vision to blur. "Don’t you dare touch him."

Azrakel's grin broadened. "And why not? He’s just a human."

"I swear," I seethed, my voice trembling, "if you lay a single hand on him, if you even breathe in his direction, I will kill you. Do you hear me? I will kill you."

Azrakel chuckled, pleased with my reaction. "Then do the right thing."

I did not respond, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

"We leave for the human realm tonight," he continued, voice smooth and casual. "There’s something I’ve been searching for, something that will finally bring Lucifer back. And now, we have a lead on where it might be."

His gaze locked onto mine, daring me to refuse. "So get ready, Dyvian. You’re coming with me."