The Beginning Of An End

Chapter 26

A/N: old habits die screaming, as Taytay said

The darkness didn't lift in the days that followed. If anything, it settled deeper, like Abaddon's advice had worked in reverse. I found myself wondering whether I was worthy of the title of king at all, when I couldn't escape my own emotions, let alone master them.

For days, Loki's words echoed in my mind. None of this was supposed to happen. The entire charade could have been avoided. Resentment crept in slowly, poisonous and persistent. He had arrived, overturned my world, and left without explanation. I knew better than to expect consistency from a trickster god, yet the hurt lingered anyway. Betrayal had a way of bypassing reason.

No matter how deeply I picked at the wound, I always arrived at the same conclusion. There was no point agonizing anymore. The end was close. The curtain drawn. All that remained was love that had never been meant to last.

"Abaddon's not joining the cause," I said flatly, seated beside Beelzebub at the bar. Even speaking felt like effort, like dragging myself through mud. "So it's just the three of us. He did offer advice, though." I took a slow sip of bourbon.

Beelzebub sighed, slumping further into his chair. "That's unfortunate. What did he say?"

I watched the dark liquid swirl in my glass. "Focus on our allies. Don't let emotions cloud my judgment, but don't repress them either." I scoffed quietly. "Simple, right?"

He nodded. "It's solid advice. Especially now."

"Doesn't change the odds," I muttered. "Or the fact that I can't stop thinking about Loki. How he left. How everything unraveled the moment he appeared."

Beelzebub was silent for a beat. "Love is difficult for humans," he said carefully. "For demons, it's catastrophic."

The words landed deeper than I expected. For the first time in days, I felt understood.

"It feels like being torn in half," I admitted. "One part of me wants to fight for what we had. The other wants to bury it and move on."

"As Abaddon said," Beelzebub replied, "you need balance."

I laughed sharply. "And where exactly do you find that?" I buried my face in my hands, then drained the rest of my drink.

"I don't know," he said quietly.

That answer hurt the most. Demons had always reveled in excess, not balance. Mammon's love for Lucifer had nearly destroyed him, and now I understood why. For a fleeting moment, I understood him. This wasn't something you navigated. It was something you survived, if you were lucky.

So I let it go. I leaned back in my chair, the bar's dim light stretching shadows across the walls, and let the weight of it all settle in my chest.

"Anyway... what's Mammon up to?" I asked, forcing the conversation somewhere safer. "Did you find a way to keep him down?"

"He's been behaving," Beelzebub said, swirling his drink. "Ever since he got his position back, he's kept his head low. At least on the surface." His eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm still watching him. Mammon's a snake. He waits."

I nodded. "Good. The last thing we need is another surprise."

Beelzebub leaned back, exhaling. "Still... doesn't it bother you that Belial has something like Solomon's ring?" He frowned. "I know he's proven himself, but that kind of power shouldn't sit so comfortably with anyone."

I stilled. The thought had already taken root, unpleasant and persistent. Belial's devotion. His efficiency. The speed with which he'd embedded himself into our plans. Maybe it was paranoia, but Beelzebub wasn't wrong.