Book 2 - Chapter 48
Book 2 - Chapter 48
Chapter 48 – The Queen’s Demon
'No...no... This can't happen!' Solene's thoughts proclaimed as cold dread washed over her. This was the demon that killed her. This was the demon that had been causing her fear and suffering since she was a child. This was the mastermind of her father's killing, and now, he has possessed her adoptive brother.
Her sweet, innocent brother.
Memories of that day when he killed her flooded inside her mind. It brought her stiff for a moment. Heaven knows how she just wanted to curl up into a ball in the corner of her room and protect herself from the traumatic experience, but no... No! She wasn't a prey anymore. She changed even better than before. She refused for him to win again, and most importantly, she refused to let her brother get harmed.
Withdrawing from her mother's embrace, Solene flashed a fake smile and acted as if nothing was happening. She didn't want her mother involved in this problem. She didn't want her to be in danger too, so she created an alibi.
"I have a surprise for AC too mom, but I will have to show it to him first."
Briefly, her eyes shifted to the boy. She could still see the demon in him, looking intently at her as he walked into one of the entrance of the maze.
"Oh, Solene, that's very thoughtful of you," Meridith replied, not catching her daughter's secretive movements at all. She straightened in her seat and waved her away. "Alright, you go get him and show him your surprise. He would be so happy, I'm sure."
Solene forced another smile as she left the chair. "Save more desserts for me and AC, mom."
Meridith giggled. "I will do, sweety."
Once free from her mother's attention, Solene followed the boy in haste. She entered the entrance to the maze too and used her conjurer senses to locate the demon. It was with difficulty. As expected for a maze, she turned and twisted, exited and entered the openings she thought brought her to him.
When she finally found him, he was standing near another fountain, but this time it was a gargoyle statue, instead of an angel sprinkling water. The surroundings around her looked the same, but once she stepped foot inside the mini plaza, she could feel the drastic change of atmosphere.
The air was heavier; thick with darkness and soaked with evil. Because of this, Solene was certain she was no longer in the Rantzen Estate. This was the demon's dimension. This was his lair.
"Hello woman. How have you been?" AC stated with a tone less than soft and child-like. It had a rumbling echo, and it dripped with arrogance.
Solene hissed at him. What she saw was the small body of AC in agony. His black irises were crying blood. His fair complexion turned dark and mottled with blue veins. The demon sat on his shoulder like a monkey. His legs folded, but his feet were connected to the boy's chest like a genie to its lamp. His mouth was stretched into an evil grin again, giving Solene the reason to hate him further.
"Amon, the gall of you to show up here and inside my brother's body, no less!" she shouted while clenching her hands.
Amon shrugged. "Well, I didn't get the chance to see you in Gehenna, so here I am." Clad in a black robe, he flipped his hand and gestured to all of him.
"Gehenna?" she parroted.
'Why Gehenna?' her thoughts asked, and then the last memory of her death returned to her. The third 'time spell'...or technically speaking, the first 'time spell' was unlocked the moment he attacked her. It fatally wounded him enough that Solene was confident it would end his demon life.
Now, according to his account, he died, went to Gehenna, but they didn't meet. Those were supposed to be good news; however, why the hell was he here on Earth then? Why was he able to possess a human and a child no less!
'Demons are unpredictable entities, Solene,' she remembered Lady Ursula's words during her training. 'They have a taste for two things: Innocence and negativity. Children are easy targets for a possession simply because they are innocent. Their hearts can be manipulated. Some are exempted, but these children possess the purest of hearts. However, unfortunately, they are a rare case. Demons live and feed with negative emotions created by humans, whether it be from an adult or a child. Negative emotions like hatred, especially hatred. The more these build up in the human, the more these demons can harvest. It will strengthen them when they possess and it will be harder for us to kill them and for exorcist priests to exorcise them.'
Solene gnashed her teeth as Lady Ursula's words hit her in the gut. For her, AC had a pure heart, but it seemed the Universe had a different definition of the word 'pure.'
"Yes, woman, Gehenna," Amon stated in answer to her earlier question. "Didn't you know? Your dear husband caused a crack in Gehenna. After seeing you half-dead, his anger slashed the barrier that divided Gehenna and the rest of the Kingdom of Sattus. He did it because of you. This is the reason I'm here. Souls shouldn't be able to cross Sattus and Earth without your husband's permission, but I am one of the Seven Demon Prince's of Hell. Obviously, I am more than a high-class demon who doesn't need his aid." He gave her a haughty grin. "And it is all thanks to you. Now, Caym's demon army are laying waste on your precious land and I doubt Hein will be able to fix it."
"He will fix it," Solene lashed. She was confident he will save Sattus from Caym and his demon army, but at the same time, she was partly distressed. 'Why didn't he tell her about the crack?' her thoughts questioned. 'Why did he keep it from her?' And her father...surely her father knew, but why was he quiet about it too?
There was only one way to find out, and that was to go to Sattus and interrogate them. However, she needed to save her brother first and kill this demon once and for all.