The Beginning Of An End

Chapter 12

Beelzebub and I instantly stopped in our tracks the moment we heard the voice.

The atmosphere shifted before I even turned around.

The air around us became unnaturally still. My instincts reacted before my thoughts did, every fragment of my essence screaming the same warning.

Danger.

I looked toward the other side of the tower and saw Abaddon approaching.

He wore the same black robe as the last time we had crossed paths, though this time the hood was lowered, revealing his pale, almost skeletal face. His features barely resembled anything living. Where his eyes should have been were two endless black voids, holes that seemed less like they belonged to a body and more like they were openings into something far older.

By the time he reached us, his towering frame blocked the entrance completely. His attention settled on me.

Immediately, I felt as if his gaze was peeling through every layer I had built around myself, searching through memories, intentions, and whatever remained of my soul.

I instinctively took a step back, closer to Beelzebub.

"H-hi, Abaddon." I mumbled as I went a few steps backwards to be closer to Beelzebub.

Beelzebub glanced at me, clearly noticing the unusual hesitation in my voice, before looking back at the void being.

"Hello, sir."

I almost laughed. Hearing Beelzebub politely address anyone like that was so bizarre it almost broke through the tension. He noticed my expression and lightly elbowed me before I could make it worse.

Abaddon's empty gaze shifted toward him. He studied Beelzebub for several seconds before finally speaking.

"What happened to our deal?" His voice remained calm, almost emotionless. "Is it already broken?" His attention returned to me.

"He doesn't know anything yet," I quickly assured him.

The slightest change crossed Abaddon's face. He moved toward us, and every instinct in my being wanted to prepare for a fight, even though I knew that would be pointless. Fighting Abaddon was like trying to fight a hole in reality itself.

His gaze lingered on me.

Then, after a moment, his expression returned to neutrality. "Ah." A pause. "You're not lying." The fact that he sounded almost surprised was somehow worse.

"Of course I'm not," I muttered.

However, he still didn't move from the entrance. He looked almost uncertain, as if trying to decide whether we were worth allowing further.

"Abaddon..." I began carefully. "I'm not here for you-know-who yet." The second those words left my mouth, his expression darkened. I immediately continued. "I'm here for Pandora."

For the first time, something resembling genuine confusion crossed his face.

"Pandora?" He repeated the name quietly, as if searching through an endless archive. Then his head tilted slightly. "Wait." A pause. "Is that the forbidden love the Devil spoke of?"

I could have sworn there was amusement hidden somewhere beneath his usual emptiness.

"It has nothing to do with forbidden love," I snapped.

The fact that the Devil had apparently been telling people about this irritated me more than I wanted to admit.

"Now where is she?"