The Beginning Of An End

Chapter 17

It was late into the party, and I watched as two demons and one trickster god were steadily consumed by the drug. Beelzebub leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, a faint smile resting on his lips. It was rare to see him so completely relaxed, and I was glad he was enjoying himself.

Belial, on the other hand, was slowly spiraling. He kept ordering shots without pause, his laughter growing louder with each one. Despite the obvious madness overtaking him, he seemed genuinely happy, even singing along to the music a few times, hopelessly tone deaf.

And then there was Loki. As expected, he handled it far better than either of them, nearly matching my tolerance. His lips curled into a lazy smile as he rested his head against his palm on the table. His eyes were half-lidded, but his gaze remained fixed on me, as if trying to dissect my thoughts through the haze.

As for me, the euphoria never fully took hold. It felt dulled, as though my focus on the others kept me from surrendering to it completely. That was why I kept ordering shots alongside Belial, forcing my mind to catch up. For a while, it worked. I began to feel a flicker of enjoyment, even excitement. I found myself drawn into the music when it shifted into classic rock, the sound slipping through my senses until relaxation finally began to settle in.

Then it was interrupted.

A commotion stirred near the casino entrance. The music died abruptly, and the room fell into a frozen silence as every gaze snapped toward a single point. Even Belial halted mid-mania, rising from his seat to see what had seized everyone's attention. Beelzebub opened his eyes and raised a brow at me. I only shrugged, until Belial turned back with unmistakable fear in his eyes. I glanced at Loki, who was also straining to see through the crowd.

"The Dark Lord is here," Belial said.

All three of us snapped toward him.

"WHICH ONE OF YOU IS IT?!" The roar tore through the room from the far end, and we rose from our seats almost instinctively. Confused murmurs spread among the demons as I glanced at Loki in concern. His gaze remained locked on the entrance, searching for the Devil.

"ONE OF YOU TOOK SOMETHING FROM ME, AND I WILL MAKE DAMN SURE I FIND OUT WHO IT IS."

His voice swallowed the entire casino. Beelzebub and Belial looked at me, realization dawning instantly.

"I mean... technically it wasn't me," I muttered.

A faint frown creased Beelzebub's forehead.

Then a blood-curdling scream split the air, wrenching our attention away. Our gazes snapped toward the source as a gruesome scene unfolded. Blood sprayed across the wall and ceiling in a grotesque bloom. Gasps rippled through the crowd, dread tightening in my throat.

Panic detonated across the casino. Demons shoved past one another as screams multiplied, echoing through the room.

"I will continue killing each one of you until one of you comes forward!" The Devil growled, his voice warped into something feral, something I had never heard from him before. He was unraveling.

Another scream tore through the casino, followed by another violent bloom of blood somewhere within the crowd. The four of us stood frozen in shared horror until my gaze drifted toward Loki.

I grabbed his arm.

"I'm going over there. Cover me."

Loki's head snapped toward me, disbelief and concern colliding across his face.

"Are you serious?"

"Just be there."

I released him before he could argue and pushed into the sea of panicked demons. The crowd churned around me, desperate bodies colliding as shrieks and chaos folded into a grotesque orchestra of fear.