I, Devil (a love story)

Chapter 48: Azazel

It took me a minute to gather the nerve to leave. I knew I needed to talk to Meresin. I worried he was behind the thing that Raum talked about-- the cycle. Angels were falling. But, they were also getting better! Raum reiterated that he was given a vision. It happened when he changed. He awoke to feeling... better. Better in a way he could not explain. He felt lighter. He 'woke up' and suddenly knew he was visible to the Creator. It meant he ascended. He was no longer in Hell. Hell wasn't a place, it was a state of being, a bubble carried around your immediate surroundings. For me, I am in Hell all the time. I felt a lot better since throwing a huge portion of the dimension into the Void. I just didn't want to admit it, knowing it also triggered the Earthquake.

"Mad at you?" asked Raum. I continued to stall. I didn't want to talk to Meresin. How was I supposed to word my apology? "I'm not mad at you for throwing Hell into the Void. It was what you were supposed to do. The Creator's great plan. As you pointed out yourself, Azazel, you just "tipped it over" when it was already teetering on the edge. Yes, the Veil was going to collapse. It was threadbare and held on by strings. Hell was going to break loose into Earth due to the amount of negativity in the world. Hell and Earth were merged- and have been for some time in certain areas on the globe. But, you've defeated Hell. The Creator has won. Sure, many are lost. That was perhaps the Creator's plan all along. It isn't I to presume the Creator's intention. But, think of it, Azazel, you've freed them. No longer are the souls in Hell suffering. For the most part, eternal suffering was snuffed out in one swoop. Your actions... dare I say, were maybe for the good? The Creator has prevailed and the afterlife is--"

"Well, it's something," I jumped in. Raum was right. Hell was a dumpster fire. Should I even feel bad for putting it out of its misery? It was... it was just the amount of people-souls lost in the Void that bothered me. Hell was a super populated dimension. I just didn't think I'd make it out of the Apocalypse alive. What now?

"We will see the fallout of your actions till the end of time. I have hope for Earth. That is why I do what I do. I'm just trying to help it along. I just could not have explained that to you before."

"I need to apologize to Meresin," I said lowly, hoping for... well, maybe advice on the matter.

"You keep saying that and I still don't understand," replied the huge raven.

"It's a long story but basically the tl;dr is Meresin got fixated on this human. At first I thought it was Noah, but it wasn't he was actually fixated on this girl. This human girl. So, you know, I do what I do and I stuck my nose in it. Too far. And I got this girl's timeline folder and I went back and... adjusted a few things. I started off by drowning her in a pool so she would be moved on a more flexible timeline and then I... er..."

"Oh, wow, Azazel," said Raum with a frown. His beak seemed to be frowning, anyway.

"Well, I slept with her at a nightclub. Come to find out, she thought me and Meresin were the same guy, because we kind of are-- but not in the way she thinks. The thing is--"

"What?" pressed Raum, his disapproval ever so increasing.

"Well, I kinda-sorta like her, too!!!! She's really cool!!! She's so nice and she's a really good mom to her kids. Sigh. I can see why he has a crush on her!! I saw them kissing, too, Raum. It was so romantic. I could see they were really into each other!!! She's a good artist. She's really smart. And also funny. And I am sure she is super pretty, too! I'd have to 'borrow' a body to see out of human eyes and really have a good look at her--"

"Azazel, enough, enough, that's enough and yes you do owe Meresin an apology."

"Well, he can't love a human woman-- even if she likes him back! She can't! She can't know him so she can't understand him so she can't love him! It's a disaster!! What am I supposed to do?!?! She can't understand a ... a thing that isn't like her and doesn't even live in the same time dimension, let alone time zone! Talk about long distance, Raum! And then there is the little matter of the human soul still using that body! Meresin knows possession is super-duper frowned upon! It's evil! So, he can't love someone while being actively evil in the process! There is so much wrong with this, Raum!!! What should we do?!?!"