The Beginning Of An End

Chapter 23

As I was sitting in the chair, waiting for the booze to take the hold of me, the long arched window on the other side of the room was the only thing I had my eyes fixated on. The time seemed to stretch out until I noticed some white flakes falling. I thought that maybe some volcano erupted, sending the ashes towards the castle. However, the more I stared outside, I noticed that it was far too consistent and vertical to be ashes. I frowned lightly as I slowly stood up from the chair and made my way towards the window.

I almost pressed my face against the glass just so I could take a closer look. I turned my gaze upwards and noticed that the flakes were falling directly from the sky. It was... snow. My eyes widened in shock as I took one step away, trying to wrap my mind around what I had just seen. Snow in Hell?! I had a really hard time grasping that notion as I just stumbled away from the window and pushed the door open. I leaned on the door frame as I was looking out at the crowd gathering. I hectically scanned them trying to see if enough of them were present.

"There's snow in Hell." I spoke somewhat loudly but my voice cracked as I noticed my mouth beginning to dry out at the sheer shock. Naturally nobody heard me, so I cleared my throat, and repeated much louder, "SNOW IS IN HELL!" My voice spread out through the hallway rapidly, making everyone stop in their tracks and turned their gazes at me. "YES, YOU HEARD ME. SNOW IS HERE." I continued and everyone started packing and talking amongst themselves.

Mammon's eyes locked onto mine, a rare display of anxiety flickering across his face. I shrugged in response, scanning the crowd for Beelzebub, but he was nowhere to be found. Was this the leakage of Ragnarok the Devil had warned us about? Hell was truly about to freeze over. A whirlwind of thoughts raced through my mind as I observed the chaos unfolding around me, and then I spotted the Devil descending the stairs.

His frown deepened as he witnessed the frenzy, his gaze piercing through the crowd until it settled on me. I met his stare with a blank expression, refusing to succumb to the weight of his accusatory gaze. Without hesitation, he hastened towards the east wing, his voice booming with authority, "EVERYONE MOVE!"

Instantly, the demons scattered away from the windows, revealing the cause of the panic. The Devil's face muscles suddenly relaxed as he watched the scene outside. Like watching an exact moment when someone loses the last bit of hope. I slowly moved away from the door frame and made my way towards the boss as I stood right next to him, crossing my arms.

"Do you still think letting Loki leave was the best idea?" I asked with a small smirk despite knowing Loki was in Hell because of me to begin with. The Devil clenched his jaw as he looked towards me.

"You are just as doomed as I am, Asmodeus." He said.

"I know, it's just fun looking at your face." I snorted and then walked away from him as I noticed from the corner of my eye Beelzebub enter the room. His eyes were also fixated on the scene outside so I went over to him to share the misery.

"Is it... because of Ragnarok?" He asked as his eyes slowly locked on me.

"There's no other explanation." I quickly responded as I too began watching the snowfall along with everyone else. That made me wonder how Loki was holding up. I desperately wanted him to somehow give me a sign he was alive and well.