The Apocalypse of the Damned

Chapter Twenty-Three: Highway to Hell

Malak often forgets things. It's not his fault his attention span was terrible. Any time something more interesting happens, he gets distracted. It may be a small problem; however, not with his mate. Somehow, anytime his mate talks, he always pays attention. He was able to recall every detail of every conversation he had with his demon. Specifically, when his mate briefly told him how demons travel to Hell.

The first thing he had to do was find a weak barrier to Hell. It's hard to find, but easy to feel once near it. Once he snuck off the boat, he flew to what he believed was Mexico. He walked around, avoiding everyone. Eventually, he felt exactly what Zion described. Pure evil. Devoid of everything. It caused shivers to run through the angel.

Once he found the spot, all he had to do was teleport something he's never done before. When he inquired about it, Zion had said "It's easy. Just think of Hell and you're there." So, that's what he did. Closing his eyes, he painted a picture of Hell. At least, to the best of his ability.

He imagined the giant stone castle where Lucifer resided. Most of the stones were blackened from the ashes that decorated Hell. All the plants were dead, except for the rare exception of the flowers in Lucifer's throne room. Malak didn't know what they were called, but he could see them perfectly in his death due to Zion's detailed description. They were red like a tomato with wisps coming from the center. The center looked like a bunch of small flowers similar to the one he saw on "Lilo and Stich."

Malak was so deep into his imagination he almost didn't realize that he was in Hell. If it wasn't for the sudden feeling of heat, the angel most likely wouldn't have opened his eyes. The angel nervously bit his lip as he stared at the castle in front of him. Lucifer did say he could visit Hell; yet the angel thought maybe he should've called first. Though he realized how silly that was since neither of them had phones.

"Malak! Pleasure to see you here," a voice said, startling the small angel. "When someone told me an angel was here, I was excited to see who Cerberus' new chew toy was. But now that I see it's you, I am more excited, Young Angel!"

Lucifer reminded Malak of a puppy. Of course, a big scary puppy, who could kill him in an instant without breaking a sweat. However, he was also very excited and playful. His eyes light up when he saw the small angel as if Malak would play catch with him. Plus, Malak knew Lucifer was loyal. Maybe, he was loyal simply because of the guilt he felt from his mate's death. Or maybe, he was loyal because he knew the pain of betrayal himself from his father. Malak wasn't sure, but he determined it didn't matter as long as Lucifer remained loyal.

"Oh, um, I­­–" the angel cut himself off. He wasn't sure what to say to the king of Hell. For some reason "Help me learn to fight because my mate treats me like a fragile plate, and the guy he trusts is going to end the world," didn't seem like a good response.

Lucifer didn't seem to care about Malak's awkward greeting, choosing to grab the angel's arm and eagerly drag him inside. "You've completed your bond with Zion! That is wonderful. Congratulations, Malak!" He exclaimed, leading the angel to his throne room, where someone incredibly important to him waited.

"Yes, last night. How- how can you tell?" He softly inquired. Though he trusted Lucifer, he was still quite intimating. It was hard for the angel to talk to powerful people.

"Just can­–" He opened the door for Malak, who shyly walked in. "Malak, there is someone I would like you to meet. Seth, Little one, come here, please."

Set, more commonly known as Seth, was a small demon. Both of his parents were powerful dukes of Hell and had expected great things from their son. However, due to a battle they fought, Seth was born too early, resulting in his small and weak figure. Many demons, including his parents, disliked Seth's small form and disliked his innocence even more. Many beings abused him, though a majority of the demons enjoyed his presence. They were very protective of the small demon, even more so now that he was the future ruler of Hell.

Malak was shocked to see the demon. The only beings shorter than him were younglings or some humans – though most were still taller than him. And despite the fact that Malak only had some lean muscles, he still had more muscle than the demon. Seth was short, and sort of pudgy. His face was round, which Lucifer loved cause it made him more adorable, and he could pinch his cheeks, and his stomach was slightly round, something that Lucifer was also proud of since Seth was malnourished when he found him.

"Seth, this is Malak, Zion's mate. Malak, this is Seth, my mate," Lucifer said, grinning proudly.

Malak tilted his head, questioning Lucifer. Didn't Lucifer have a mate already?

"Yes," Lucifer answered, knowing what the angel was going to inquire. He still hadn't told Seth about his first mate. Rejection scared him. Seth was his second chance: he couldn't lose him too. But he knew, he deserved it for what he did and if Seth chose to reject him, he'd accept it.

Malak bit his lip, wondering if he should ask how it was possible. Though he didn't know a lot about mates, from what he understood you only get one mate. It couldn't be possible. Could it?

"No, it shouldn't," Lucifer answered. "And before you ask, I can't read your mind. Well, actually, I can, but I wasn't. Your face gives everything away, Malak."

"Oh, um, well, it is nice to meet you, Seth," the angel spoke softly.

The smaller demon gave Malak a shy smile, before hiding behind his mate. Malak didn't seem like a threat, in fact, the demon could tell Malak wouldn't hurt anyone if he didn't need to; however, he rather be cautious to prevent any harm to himself. Lucifer bent down and gently kissed Seth's head, calming him down a bit. The action was so sweet and gentle, the complete opposite of how Lucifer looked.

"Just like my demon," Malak thought with a sad smile. His stomach clenched with guilt when he thought of Zion. He couldn't believe he left his mate all alone, especially after bonding. But Malak needed to do this and due to the new strength of the bond, Zion knew Malak was okay.

"Um, Lucifer, can we­– can you help me? I am afraid that the last horseman has gained all his powers. I saw how many he had killed, and it was terrible," the angel said, shuddering slightly.

Lucifer smiled gently at Malak. "Of course, I'd help, Young Angel"

"Great!" The angel exclaimed, flinching from the volume of his own voice. "Sorry, um, yeah. So, can you teach me how to fight? You said I had some demon in me, and I think I need to learn to use that. All I know how to do is fight with my powers, but those are always quick, and I get exhausted easily. I will not last in a fight against the last horseman if he is at full power."