Light In Darkness

Eternal Curse (Chapter 2) [18+]

Luzbel felt a terrible pain― as if part of her was slowly torn away― and let out a deafening scream that hurt her throat. She tried to escape but found herself chained to the wall by her wrists. Her torturers laughed and pulled at her wings harder until the skin rip and blood gushed out. Her high pitch scream made both beasts cover their ears, wincing with pain while her beautiful feathered wings― white as snow― fell to the ground, silver blood forever smearing their perfection.

The pain of losing her wings― and God knew what else― clouded her sight but somehow she managed to distinguish her brother's figure close by. He ordered his minions to open her mouth while he cut his wrist, letting an onyx liquid drip to the ground. Understanding dawned on Luzbel's exhausted mind and she struggled against her bonds, trying to get away from the dark droplets.

"No, Lucifer. Please have mercy!" Tears slid down her face as she watched her undoing drip a few centimeters away from her lips. "Do not take away my Grace, brother! I BEG OF YOU!"

He just looked at her with indifference and ordered his guards to keep her still. She pulled at the chains again, but the ever growing pain in her back managed to stop all desire to resist any further.

The bloodied wrist of her twin loomed over her face until that evil blood fell between her lips, covering her tongue, teeth... everything inside until she had no choice but swallow it. A burning sensation ran through her esophagus as the damned liquid reached her stomach. Then the world around her ceased to exist and screams filled every floor of that damned palace.

*****

Luzbel awoke screaming and shaking from head to toe. She had her first nightmare, which will surely not be the last.

Her instincts took control of her body when she felt the presence of a being beside her. She quickly moved to the opposite side of the bed and gave a catlike hiss, baring her teeth. Startled by her own actions, so alien to her, she looked at her hands and a whimper escaped her lips. All the skin now had the characteristic grayish hue of human corpses, long fingernails― curved like claws― were black as a starless night, and long fangs hurt her tongue when she tried to swallow.

Crying softly, she hid her face between her knees and saw how two leathery wings― emerging from her own back― covered and protected her from the world. Its interior was white with slightly darker veins that reminded her of the natural designs on marble stones.

"I am aware that all this change must be difficult to accept, but now you're a demon as all those who live here." A golden eye, partially hidden by wings, responded to his voice. "Even so, you aren't like the common devil... now, you are a Nocte Vespertilio and because of that fact, you belong to me."

"Caspiel? Is that you?" Luzbel asked completely ignoring the words of the being before coming out of her wings protection to face him.

The demon in front of her had a well-toned body, with the right amount of muscles that could land him somewhere between an athlete and a gladiator. His black talons and gray skin mimicked hers, but his shiny black wings were twice her size. The long ash-blond hair was pull away from his face in a high ponytail, exposing pointed ears covered by rows of small silver hoops. And while all that could be different, there was something in the shape of his eyes or the height of his cheekbones, eerily similar to her old friend.

"That archangel died a long time ago, Luzbel. You should accept it already." His voice was as cold as Lucifer's. "My name is Gaap, Vespertili King and Governor of Southern Hell. You are in my castle because you were chosen by your own twin to be my new queen. I'll give you three nights alone, but in the fourth one you will sleep with me after the ritual."

"Ritual? Fourth night? But there is no sun here, how can I distinguish the time?"

"Believe me; you will learn to differentiate our nights from the days." The slightest of smiles curled his lips as he turned to exit the room.

"Wait," Luzbel murmured, tugging softly at one of his wings and looking sheepishly to the ground. "I wanted to thank you for getting me out of that dungeon." Without waiting for him to respond, she hugged him and buried her face in Gaap's chest while tears ran over her face. "Thank you."

Any response he could have voiced froze on his lips the moment he felt moisture covering his chest and the faint scent of blood flooding his senses. His heart, which had been inert for a long time, broke into pieces for all she endured. He wrapped his arms around her delicate figure and whispered some soothing words in Enochian, the language of the angels.

It took him a few minutes, but eventually he managed to comfort her enough to stop her tears and heard her faint warning before small fangs brushed the curve of his neck.

"Not yet." His voice was tender as he gently pushed her away. If he allowed her to bite him and drink his blood, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from consummating their union right there. "You're still not ready for the ritual," he said more to himself than to her and stroked her soft face before leaving the room.

Luzbel sighed loudly as Caspiel left, closing the bedroom door behind him. It was fortunate he stopped her when he did because she had no idea what she was doing. She let herself be carried away by the immense thirst she felt as soon as her tears stopped falling.

She sighed again, wiping the moisture from her cheeks. A scream choked in her throat when she saw black blood, just like Lucifer's, staining her fingers. Her breathing accelerated and she began to hyperventilate. Black spots appeared in her vision when she tried to oxygenate her body and fail abysmally. Dizziness threatened to make her fall, but just as she thought she would lose consciousness, her vision returned to normal, her dizziness disappeared and her body stopped breathing altogether; however, she was still alive. How was that possible?

"What is happening to me, Lord of Heaven?" She waited for lightning to strike her down, incinerating her instantly for daring to name a being of light when― from now on― she belong to darkness, but nothing happened. Can I name you even while being this abomination, Father?

The blackest of tears wet her cheeks, making her thirst almost unbearable. She grabbed her throat in a vain attempt to alleviate her need, but a strange weakness came over her body and she plunged to the ground. Reaching for the door, Luzbel tried to scream for someone to help her but the pain of her thirst was already paralyzing her body.

Voices were heard from outside the room and then she saw two demons standing in the doorway with surprise on their faces. One looked like a human child of ten or twelve years, while the other could pass for a young adult.

The little one took the bottle that his companion brought in a metal tray and appeared in a microsecond before her.

"Please take it. This will help with the thirst," he said in a sweet voice as the dark bottle was held to her lips.

She didn't think twice and drank as if her life depended on it. A metallic taste filled her mouth as the smell of blood seeped into her nose, making her moan― from satisfaction and pleasure― against the nozzle of the bottle. Any angel would find repulsive the drinking of blood but to her it was almost an aphrodisiac.

Only when there wasn't a single drop, the container was removed from her lips and the young demon, so similar to Gaap, flashed her one dazzling smile that cheered his beautiful violet eyes.

"Hello, my name is Zafan and that redhead you see there is my brother, Lucan." He pointed to the other demon, who was still at the door, as he introduced them. "You must be our new mother."

"Speak for yourself, midget. I do not need a stepmother, let alone an angel." The redhead threw the tray down with obvious rage, breaking the glass cup in a thousand pieces when it hit the granite, and stormed away from the doorway.

"Don't listen to him. He hated angels even before I was born but nobody wants to tell me why," Zafan complained grimacing in disgust but almost immediately something about her caught his eye. He tilted his small face to one side, just like a bird, and extended a hand to caress the inside of her new wings. "They are so beautiful! I've never seen a Vespertilio with white wings!" Hope came over the face of the boy before it was quickly overshadowed by anguish. "If only mine were so beautiful when they finally come out..."

"Just wait and see." Luzbel couldn't resist the urge to wrap Zafan in a hug and plant a kiss on the top of his strange bicolored hair. Was this how human mothers felt with their children? "No matter what color they turn up to be, I'm sure they will be beautiful." She lifted the boy's face and watched him closely. "You look a lot like Caspiel, is he your father?"

"Caspiel?"

"Ah... Gaap. Are you Gaap's son?"

He just nodded, turned away and offered a hand to help her up. Luzbel let him and was surprised by the strength Zafan demonstrated being only a child. She didn't want to imagine how strong he would become when he reached adulthood.

Lucan found his father in the backyard's training arena, which resembled a Roman coliseum in ruins. Gaap wore only his title medallion and black leather pants while battling against the ghostly image of a huge red dragon, whose attacks were real enough to be more than a mere illusion.

"You've got to cancel all this shit. Are you really considering marrying an angel?"

"Thank you, Corson. It was great to stretch the muscles for a few minutes," he said to the other governor, ignoring his son completely. The dragon threw some smoke as a farewell and vanished into the air. "As for my impending union: it's Lucifer's order. What do you want me to do? Challenge the ruler of Hell? I don't wish to die yet, Lucan."

"And yet forcing us to accept an angel in the family is... disgusting."

"She's no longer one of them. Do you forget she was forced to fall?" His firstborn's childishness was annoying him to the point he gritted his teeth in an attempt to control his growing anger.

"But she was one!" Lucan shouted, turning his eyes red like human blood. "Even as a devil there is still light inside that thing."

Gaap closed his eyes, maintaining a calm facade, and when he opened them again, a gust of wind threw his son several meters backwards while creating deep cuts in his flesh. Teleporting in front the bloodied boy, he lifted him with invisible hands until his feet dangled several inches off the ground and looked into his son's eyes.

"First: I was an angel as well," the demon king said increasing the number of cuts in his son's skin. "Do I not deserve your respect?" The young demon tried to say something but Gaap increased the pressure on his neck, silencing any sound. "Second: call her a "thing" again and you will have a cell in my dungeon with your name on it. And third: you are suspended from your duties as my personal guard. Venian will be your replacement."

The pressure in Lucan's neck disappeared without notice and his body collapsed to the ground as his father passed by his side without giving him even a glance. The young Vespertilio grabbed a handful of dirt and squeezed it until his sharp nails dug into his palm. How had he been so stupid to forget, in his anger, that his father was a fallen angel as well? What a pathetic and whiny worm he was; just like a kid! Now, because of his mistake, he had lost the only job that he took pride in doing.