Devil In Your Heart (Book 2)

Case 1 Part 5 - A Sinful Battle

Cerberus had been silent the entire morning, facing her fate through the reflection on the floor. She had been fidgeting back and forth constantly, small flames flickering from her ears. This was the so-called Demon Sin pouring out. I had heard that when Demons felt remorse, fear, or anything apart from pride, they would spew fire from their ears. Seeing it first-hand was something.

I can't say I blamed her over the matter; mind you, I was feeling the butterflies stirring. I'm confident Cerberus is innocent, but even so, with Ariel, who knows how this case can go? Kicking my foot back and forth, I adjusted my suit, suffocating my wings. Clearing my throat, I glanced at Cerberus, muttering, "So... How are you feeling today?"

"To be absolutely honest with you, Gosling... I have already prepared my will. I, of course, hold nothing against you, but I do not see myself getting out of this." She croaks, sitting up. "I'll leave everything to my Demon Cat."

"H-Hey, don't be like that. I promised you I'd get you out of this Cerberus; I intend on keeping that promise." I say this time no so confidently; forced to look away, I pushed my halo down, trying to take back my foul start. "Justice will be served today; whoever killed Valac will pay."

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Ariel boasted, walking in; all that false confidence crumbled into dust as I stepped back. I knew Uriel said she was on the case, but I was praying for a different outcome. It was foolish of me, I know. "I don't quite know what you hope to achieve here, Gosling, but I wish you the best of luck."

"T-T-Thank you, Ariel. You too..." I echo, holding my hand out. Choosing not to shake it, however, I slowly retracted my hand, mumbling. "I bet you never thought we'd face off, right?"

"This isn't a game, Gosling; I don't do bets." She snapped, turning her attention to Cerberus. To my demise, Ariel chose to shake her hand with a firm grip. "May Justice serve you well."

With that, Ariel stormed into the courtroom, leaving us to fall apart. Cerberus held her hand, confused over the matter. "What did she mean by that?"

Sighing, I crossed my arms, bewildered. "Ariel says that to anyone she is up against, unlike most Angels, she doesn't judge the defendant at hand; she believes true justice will come to those who deserve it. Fitting for a defence attorney."

"She's a defence attorney? Why is she taking up the prosecution?"

"She's trained in both, but her preference is defending the innocent... I suppose her drastic change is because of me." I respond, thinking back to our time training. "To her, this is personal."

"Can you beat her?"

"I can try."

****

The courtroom had erupted with Demons bickering among each other; we had gathered quite the crowd; demons from across all levels of Hell had come to witness the first murder case in Hell for thousands of years. Anyone would be stupid to miss this.

In the crowd, I noticed a handful of Angels as well, none I recognised, no Archangels, thankfully, but that didn't mean no high-ranking people weren't here. In the closest to the prosecutor's stand, one Demon stood out. She wore a suit similar to ours, her gaze was terrifying, and her ginger hair was literally on fire. Cerberus looked trembling, looking away. "No w-way... That's the High Tormentor and ruler of the 3rd floor, Iblis..."

"A High Tormentor? The equivalent to one of the Archangels, I knew this case would draw attention, but I didn't expect this."

Ariel cleared her throat, pressing her hands against the desk and getting everyone's attention. "All Rise, for the One Above All."