I, Devil (a love story)

Chapter Thirty: Adramelech

"What? What are YOU doing here?" Azazel asked as I stood on his threshold.

Sachiel and I stood side by side. I didn't want to appear threatening, so we kept our avatars simple. I wore a white suit and tie. Sachiel cleaned up nicely. We could have been Mormons. I could feel Azazel appraising us, first him and then me.

"Are you here to try and eat me again? It comes off more like a dog humping my leg than anything. And why is he here? I thought you were going to add him to your love handles or something," Azazel asked, motioning to Sachiel.

"Just let me inside so that we may talk," I said plainly.

"I'm tired. I'm not seeing any visitors at this time," said Azazel loftily.

We stood outside the gates of his replica of the Garden of Eden. We could not see into the Garden. Azazel had it blocked off with thick, gray walls of mist. Azazel stood inside with the gates barely cracked open, his head peaking out. Sachiel and I could only see his pale complexion and clever, mean, serpentine yellow eyes peering out at us from the fog. He did not look tired or sad. He just looked defensive and hateful.

"I'm not here for you," I answered quickly. I was prepared to fight if he were to shut me out. "I'm here to discuss Meresin," I said in hopes it would get me his attention.

"Oh? Well then," said Azazel more agreeably. I immediately knew my gamble was a success. I appealed to his vanity, knowing he loves to gossip. "Why didn't you say so? Do come in. And wipe your feet."

I hadn't voluntarily met with Azazel on his home ground since the beginning of time. I knew he had a replica of the first Garden of Eden, but this was not it. Clearly, he did not want to meet me there, somewhere so personal. I did not know what to expect.

Instead, Azazel opened the gates and some of the mist began to flee. I followed Azazel down a flight of stairs. Wherever we were going, it was a lower place. That suited me just fine, as I thrived in lower, darker vibrational places. We continued down the stairs and passed through seconds of cool darkness. Then, a room opened up-- not unlike a basement.

It was bright. So bright, it dazzled my eyes as if I had been splashed in sunlight. Of course, we were not outside. We were in Azazel's basement, apparently, a massive room lined with arched windows. What caught my eye and nearly blinded me was a shaft of sunlight beaming onto a intricate, copper structure and creating a flickering, glimmering star. The entire room was filled with them. Spirals, loops, and pointed mega structures decorated every possible space. At first, I was unsure what I was looking at. I was simply amazed. It was not unlike my own machine, but even more grandiose. Yet, I was unsure what it was.

Then, I answered my own question. The answer came trailing along all by itself. A little toy train came rumbling down the tracks. All of the structures were train tracks, in fact. The entire basement was a futuristic, fantasy city built for a toy train to follow. There were soccer ball sized glass domes and titanium disks floating in the air. There were sparking electric Tesla coils and magnetically operating cranes. I even spotted water features and working machinery. All of it was impressive. I just didn't understand it. I wasn't going to question him, either. I wanted Azazel to be cooperative, instead of combative.

As Sachiel climbed down the stairs behind me, the train locomotive and all of its attached carts began to pass. The train had a classic appearance fit with a red caboose. It didn't fit the futuristic, kitschy aesthetic of the city it wandered. I said nothing as Azazel approached the toy train. It whistled and clicked across the tracks.

"I've got a new one," Azazel said. Sure enough, I noticed he had a green Lionel train car in his hand. "Raum gave it to me."

"Raum? I've not heard that name in a while... surprised he's still around," I yawned, bored. I wasn't sure if we were just wasting time or if I was going to get anywhere with him. I could feel that there was a discomfort in the air. Azazel is notoriously unpredictable in his mood.