I, Devil (a love story)

Chapter Twenty One: Adramelech

I wanted him to look at my thing. I wanted him to see it, touch it, and become a part of it. The more I stood beside my brothers and in the chamber of my machine the more I felt aware of my own hunger. I wanted them. I wanted both of them. I would do anything to consume Azazel and his consciousness, to know what he knew and to feel what he felt. It felt too tempting. The machine itself was akin to my bowels. I could feel my machine rumbling and gurgling, as if shaking itself to life. It felt like a pot boiling over. I've desired for eons to consume Azazel. I felt like now, now was my chance. I could maybe have them both.

Azazel was chattering away at Sachiel, motioning with a slender arm to the machine. He was explaining it was if it were his invention, his idea. I stood and listened as he explained-- as he so loved to do—that the machine began as a small construct of money. He explained that money started as an energy quantified in numbers that could trade a human's intentions and then their actions--and ultimately their free will. I knew this to be mostly true as it was I that was the consciousness that created it, not him. I listened and spoiled in resentment for Azazel, blathering on and on to our new brother.

The machine itself began reflecting my mood. Some of the numbers that were scrolling across the arms like electronic light bars and began to glitch. They were no longer showing numbers in Arabic numerals but began to misread in stars, shapes, and emoticons. The machine was its own entity with its own thoughts, but it is still inherently connected to me. I could feel what it felt, and it felt what I felt-- and we were both starving. Just Azazel's mere presence in our domain agitated both the machine and I. The cave walls that held it in place began to rumble. Volcanic rocks and sharp stalactites rained down from the ceiling. It felt like an earthquake caused by a deep stomach rumble.

"Shoot, what was that?" Sachiel wondered aloud.

"Yeah, we better get out of here," said Azazel, likely reading my mood and feeling somewhat threatened. We were far from his consciousness' core. He was weaker in my domains. Using all of the combined strength of both myself and my machine, I could possibly overtake him. If not him, then at least Sachiel. It might take everything I had, the strength of a thousand stars. It could take all of the money that ever existed. I did not want to risk myself entirely-- it was the only thing holding me back. What if Azazel felt too threatened and in turn, he consumed me?

The pull became too strong.

Together, the machine and I acted as one. The arms moved together in the most organized fashion, one after another. The machine moved like a centipede, efficient in conserving energy with every step. The body moved fluidly for its size, an elegant wave that came crashing down upon the ledge where Azazel and Sachiel were standing. It was like a hammer descending upon them with all its might.

Yet I could feel it was too late. Azazel, using his power of time, was one step ahead. He slowed time down giving himself enough space to react. We were brothers quarreling. He had escaped me a thousand times. I have the strength but he had the speed. I could feel him elude me seconds before even the machine could take notice. He moved ephemerally, a demon of the air. The machine came down and collided with the rock walls.

I could feel Sachiel somewhere. He drank my coffee-- my blood-- and thus we were always connected. I was now a part of him, so he could not hide forever. It also meant that Azazel couldn't devour him either, he was marked as mine. Only time could wear off the enchantment and I doubted Sachiel had the wherewithal to deflect my persistence for long. He was already considering giving up.

The machine righted itself and used its arms to climb back into its nest, shaking the deep cave systems of Hell with every step. I decided to leave it and find a meal somewhere else.