Chapter 86 Gluttony’s Welcome
Sera’s question hung in the air as they waited in the Vestibulum’s portal chamber. Three days had passed since leaving Sloth, three days where Lilith had caught Sera writing letters to Belphegor when she thought no one was looking. Morpheus chittered from his perch on Sera’s shoulder, the sprite having adamantly refused to be left behind.
“I don’t know. Maybe we’ll stop being surprised by excess.” Lilith shifted her bag to the other shoulder. “Though knowing Beelzebub, that seems unlikely.”
Lucian appeared through a side entrance, his mirror eyes reflecting the torches as he approached. “Beelzebub sent three separate messages this morning asking when you’d arrive. He’s apparently been planning your visit for weeks and is, quote, ‘vibrating with anticipation.’”
“That’s mildly terrifying,” Sera said.
“That’s Beelzebub.” Lucian began activating the portal, magic gathering around the stone archway. “His kingdom recovered fully from the attack, so you’ll see Gluttony at its absolute peak. Try not to let it consume you. That’s advice and a warning.”
The gateway opened, and immediately the difference was obvious. Where other portals had opened onto relatively calm arrival spaces, this one released a wave of sensation that made Lilith take an involuntary step back. Scents hit first. Baking bread and roasting meat and flowers and spices and a dozen other things she couldn’t identify, all competing for attention. Then sound, music and laughter and conversation bleeding through from somewhere beyond. Even the air looked different, shimmering slightly like heat waves despite no visible source.
“Last kingdom,” Lilith said, the weight of that statement settling in her chest.
“Last one.” Sera adjusted Morpheus on her shoulder. “After this, you’ll have visited all seven.”
“After this, I’ll be out of excuses for not choosing.” But Lilith pushed that thought aside and stepped through the portal before her nerves could stop her.
The courtyard on the other side made her stop walking immediately. She’d thought Mammon’s kingdom was opulent, thought Azrael’s was beautiful, thought Asmodeus’s was overwhelming. But this was different. This was every sense turned up simultaneously until the world felt almost too vivid to be real.
Fountains didn’t just flow with water but with liquids in colors she’d never seen before, some catching sunlight and throwing rainbows across polished marble, others seeming to glow from within. The gardens surrounding the courtyard exploded with flowers so saturated with color they looked painted, petals the size of her hand releasing perfume that changed as the breeze shifted. Buildings rose in the distance, architecture that seemed to compete with itself for attention, towers and domes and structures that defied normal geometry.
“Holy,” Sera didn’t finish the sentence, too busy staring at everything at once.
“I know, right? It’s perfect.”
The voice came from above, and Lilith looked up to find Beelzebub leaning over a balcony railing with a grin that could have lit the entire courtyard. He vaulted over the edge, a drop that should have broken bones, and landed with a thud that shook the ground, completely unbothered.
“You’re here! Finally!” He crossed the distance in three massive steps and swept Lilith into a hug that lifted her completely off her feet. “I’ve been waiting for weeks. Do you know how boring recovery is? So boring. I planned your entire visit just to have something to do.”
He set her down and immediately turned to Sera, who took an instinctive step back. “You must be Sera. And that’s the ugliest dream sprite I’ve ever seen.”
Morpheus chittered indignantly, making Beelzebub laugh so hard he had to bend over. “I’m kidding. Mostly. Belphegor sent a letter about you. Said you’re good people.” He straightened, gesturing broadly at the kingdom around them. “Welcome to Voracia! Capital of Gluttony, best kingdom in all seven realms. I will fight anyone who disagrees.”
“It’s very…” Lilith searched for a word that wasn’t overwhelming and failed. “It’s a lot.”
“It’s supposed to be a lot. That’s the entire point.” Beelzebub started walking, clearly expecting them to follow. “Gluttony isn’t about doing things halfway. If you’re going to have beauty, have so much beauty it hurts to look at. If you’re going to have food, make it so good people cry. If you’re going to live, actually live instead of just existing.”
They followed him through streets that pulsed with energy. Vendors called out from stalls overflowing with goods, street performers competed for attention on every corner, and the crowds moved with purpose, everyone going somewhere or doing something. No one seemed to just be wandering. Everyone was consuming something, food, entertainment, conversation, life itself.
“Market district,” Beelzebub explained as they passed a square where the noise level tripled. “Best in the realm. You can get anything here if you’re willing to pay for it. And I mean anything. Last month someone traded their entire estate for a single pepper. Worth it, apparently. The pepper was transcendent.”
“Someone traded their home for a pepper?” Sera looked horrified.
“For the experience of tasting something that perfect, yes. That’s Gluttony. Understanding that some experiences are worth any cost.” He grabbed something from a passing vendor without breaking stride, a piece of fruit that looked normal but smelled like summer thunderstorms. “Try this.”
Lilith took it hesitantly and bit down. The taste exploded across her tongue, sweet and tart and something else she couldn’t name, each flavor distinct but perfectly balanced. It was just fruit, but it was also somehow the best thing she’d ever eaten.
“Good, right?” Beelzebub grinned at her expression. “That’s what I mean. Why settle for regular fruit when you can have that?”
They reached the palace, and Lilith had to tilt her head back to see the top of it. The structure sprawled in every direction like it couldn’t decide where to stop, towers reaching skyward while ground level sections spread across the landscape. Music drifted from various windows, and she could see people moving on balconies, eating and drinking and laughing.
“Home sweet chaos,” Beelzebub said affectionately. “Come on, I’ll show you your quarters first. Then we can do the tour properly.”
The palace interior matched the exterior’s energy. Corridors twisted in ways that seemed architecturally impossible, every surface decorated with carvings or paintings or mosaics that demanded attention. Servants moved efficiently through the chaos, carrying platters of food or bottles of drink or sometimes just flowers that filled the air with competing perfumes.
Beelzebub led them up stairs and through passages until Lilith was completely lost, then threw open a set of double doors with unnecessary force. “Your rooms!”
The space beyond was enormous. Not just large, but genuinely excessive, as if someone had been asked to create guest quarters and had simply refused to stop adding things. A bed that could fit an entire family. Windows overlooking the city that showed views from impossible angles. Furniture scattered everywhere in what might have been deliberate design or might have been beautiful chaos.
“Bathing room’s through there,” Beelzebub pointed at an archway. “Closets are basically the entire east wall. If you need anything that’s not already here, tell literally any servant. They’ve been instructed to get you whatever you want immediately.”
Sera had already wandered to the archway and let out a noise somewhere between a laugh and a groan. “Lilith, you need to see this.”
The bathing room contained what could only be described as a pool. Not a bath, a pool, surrounded by shelves that stretched floor to ceiling, each one lined with bottles in every color imaginable.
“How many?” Lilith started.
“I counted while you were staring,” Sera interrupted. “At least a hundred and fifty bottles. Maybe more. I lost track.”
“Try them all!” Beelzebub called from the main room. “That’s what they’re for! Why have one soap when you could experience one hundred and fifty different soaps?”
Lilith returned to find him lounging on a chair that seemed too small for his frame, grinning like he’d just given them the best gift imaginable. “Tonight we’re having a welcome feast. Nothing too elaborate since it’s your first night. Just twenty courses or so.”
“Twenty courses isn’t elaborate?” Lilith asked weakly.
“It’s downright modest by our standards. Last month’s feast had forty three courses and lasted until dawn.” He stood, somehow making the movement look energetic despite his size. “Servants will come get you at sunset. Wear something comfortable because you’ll be eating for hours. Oh, and don’t fill up before then. Seriously, don’t. You’ll regret it.”
Then he was gone, his energy leaving the room feeling suddenly quiet despite the noise from the city drifting through the windows.
Lilith sank onto the massive bed and looked at Sera, who was holding Morpheus and staring around at everything with wide eyes.
“This is completely insane,” Sera said.
“Completely.” Lilith started laughing, the absurdity of it all breaking through. “A hundred and fifty soaps. Twenty courses for a modest feast. Fruit that tastes like thunderstorms. What even is this kingdom?”
“Excess without apology?” Sera set Morpheus down, and the sprite immediately burrowed into a pile of cushions approximately ten times his size. “I think I might love it here.”
They spent the afternoon exploring their quarters and finding new ridiculous things every few minutes. A mirror that showed different versions of their reflections. A music box that seemed to play whatever song you were thinking about. A wardrobe full of clothes in every style imaginable, each piece more elaborate than the last.
“Should I feel guilty about enjoying this?” Sera asked, trying on a dress made of fabric that changed colors when she moved. “It feels almost wrong to have this much.”
“I think that’s what Beelzebub wants us to get past. The guilt about wanting nice things.” Lilith was examining a book titled Every Flavor that seemed to have taste embedded in the pages. “He’s basically saying it’s okay to want more, to experience everything, to consume joy without apologizing for it.”
“That’s kind of freeing actually.” Sera twirled, watching the dress shift from blue to green to purple. “I’m always so busy taking care of things or being responsible. It’s nice to just have things. Want things.”
When servants arrived at sunset to escort them to the feast, Lilith had changed into something nicer and was already feeling full from sampling mysterious items from the self replenishing fruit bowl she’d found. The servants led them through corridors to a dining hall that made her stop in the doorway.
The table stretched impossibly long, set with more plates and glasses and utensils than seemed necessary for any meal. Beelzebub sat at the head, already eating something while servants brought in more platters. Other demons filled seats down the length, all consuming food with obvious enthusiasm.
“Perfect timing!” Beelzebub waved them over. “We’re just starting. Hope you’re hungry because we’re doing the full experience tonight!”