Inferno Of Desire

Chapter 32: The Celestials and Hell"s Legion

The blinding light began to fade, leaving the Sanctuary's hall bathed in its usual soft glow.

But nothing felt the same.

Seraphine, still kneeling on the cold stone floor, breathed heavily as the weight of her memories settled over her. Her body trembled, not from fear, but from the intensity of what she had just seen.

Azrael held her close, his molten amber eyes scanning her face for any sign of pain. But her expression was distant, her mind caught in the torrent of visions that had flooded her.

Slowly, he helped her to her feet, his grip firm yet gentle.

"Seraphine," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper, "what did you see?"

She blinked, her silver eyes refocusing on him. For a moment, she didn't know how to begin. The memories - the truth - had come at her like a storm.

It wasn't just a glimpse of their past; it was the whole unfiltered truth about what had happened between them. And why they were both tied to this place.

"I remember... us," she began, her voice shaky. "The war between Heaven and Hell... it started here, Azrael. In this very place."

Azrael's gaze darkened, memories of blood and chaos flickering in the back of his mind. He had always known that the Abyss was older than any of them, but to hear that it was tied to their own origins felt like a blow. "Go on."

Seraphine swallowed hard. "We were on opposite sides back then. I was with the Celestials, leading the charge to protect the Veil. And you... you were a commander of Hell's legions, but not just any commander. You were at the front, leading the vanguards against us."

The weight of her words hit him like a hammer. Azrael's expression hardened, his fists clenching at his sides.

His memories of the war were fragmented, but the bloodshed and carnage were still etched into his soul.

The thought that he and Seraphine had stood against each other on that battlefield... it sent a surge of guilt through him.

"But we weren't always enemies," Seraphine continued, her voice softer now, as though the next part of her memories pained her more than the war. "Before the war, we... we loved each other."

Azrael froze, his heart skipping a beat. "That's right, Seraphine"

She nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. "We were different then. We weren't just soldiers. We were... more. We were together before the war tore us apart. The war - this place - it twisted everything. The Veil, the Celestial and Demonic realms, even our memories."

Azrael's mind raced as the truth began to further unravel before him.

The Abyss hadn't just been a battlefield; it had been the heart of their connection, a place that had once united them but now threatened to destroy them.

It had taken their love and their bond and turned it into something dark and dangerous.

"That's why you feel drawn to me," Seraphine whispered, taking a step closer to him. "That's why I feel it, too. We were meant to be together, but the war... the Abyss tore us apart. And now, we're caught in this cycle."

Azrael's breath caught in his throat.

Everything he had felt - his need to protect her, the constant pull toward her, even the war within himself - it all made sense.

He saw it when his forgotten memories rushed in.

He had loved her once before the Abyss had twisted their fates.

"I won't let it happen again," he said, his voice firm with determination. "I'm not going to lose you. Not this time."

Seraphine looked up at him, her expression filled with both hope and fear. "Azrael, the Abyss... it's trying to control you. It wants to repeat what happened before. If we don't stop it - if we don't close the Veil - it will consume us both. And this time... it might succeed."

Azrael's eyes flashed with resolve. "We'll stop it. Together."

He took her hand in his, the heat of his touch grounding her. In that moment, the weight of their shared history, the war that had torn them apart, and the love that still lingered between them all came crashing down.

But despite the darkness of their past, there was something stronger that bound them now - a second chance.

The air around them grew colder as the silver glow of the Sanctuary began to flicker. A low rumble echoed through the walls, and the ground beneath their feet trembled.

"The Abyss," Seraphine whispered, her grip tightening on his hand. "It knows we're here."

Azrael's gaze shot to the altar, his eyes narrowing. "It's reacting to us. To our memories. We need to move - before it pulls us in completely."

Together, they turned toward the massive doors they had entered through, only to find them slowly closing, the heavy stone grinding against the floor. The Abyss was trying to trap them.

Seraphine's wings flared out, their silver feathers gleaming in the dim light. "We have to get out of here - now."

Azrael nodded, his wings unfurling behind him in a blaze of shadow and flame. "Let's go."

With a powerful beat of their wings, they shot toward the closing doors, their hearts pounding in unison.

As the Sanctuary trembled around them, the power of the Abyss clawed at their minds, whispering promises of power, revenge, and eternal darkness.

But together, they were stronger.

And together, they would face whatever came next.

[Author's Note:

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