At the Brink of Insanity

Chapter 25: Celestial

"And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." - 2 Corinthians 11:14
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"You finally came..." Mammon's voice called out to Dante and Lillian. He had waited for hours for them to arrive and when he got bored he decided to investigate the place he was placed in. He made sure to activate all kinds of old Incan traps and eventually got himself caught in one. He was dangling from the ceiling bound in old chains, unable to move an inch.

To tell they weren't surprised would be a lie. Neither of the duo knew if he purposely made himself appear defenseless or if that was just Mammon's game. They were both thinking the same thing: he wants them to draw closer and kill them. That's why neither of the two moved. Instead, they looked around the old temple they were trapped in. In a way, it was a good thing Mammon activated all those traps. It made the two feel a bit safer, at least from non-living objects. 

"Do you mind helping me get down so we can finish this?" asked the prince of greed. 

"No." Lillian and Dante said simultaneously. Evading combat with Mammon was a wise decision, at least for now. 

"Trust me, it's better for the two of you to let me down. Better to fight me than my partner."

Was he bluffing?, the duo asked themselves. In reality, Mammon wasn't in need of a partner. None of the princes were. Besides, they all loved working solo. The only reason why they'd team up with someone else would be only if Lucifer gave strict orders, which if they inspected the situation better, didn't sound so unexpected. Why would the King of Hell divide them in teams if he wasn't planning to do the same thing to his companions? It did make sense. 

"Who's your partner, Mammon?" asked Lillian. She knew how to fight, but even though she spent a lot of time training with Lucifer himself, she still wasn't ready to fight against two princes of Hell on her own. She'd have a lot of trouble with only one and still probably lose in the end. More like definitely, not probably. 

The answer she expected came in the form of someone's footsteps. Glancing, neither Dante nor Lillian were able to locate the source of those confident, powerful strides. Whoever Mammon's partner was, he was accustomed to darkness and blending with shadows. His presence wasn't easy to pit-point, but it was very easy to feel. It came in waves, sending dread and panic down duo's back, while trashing them sideways with terror. It was certainly a bad combination for the two. 

The answer which would confirm their suspicions came in a form of a cut-off head, slowly rolling towards the two. It was William's head. His lifeless, but still wide open eyes were showing the horror he went through. His face was swollen and black, hair completely messed up and his left ear was missing. He was tortured to the point where Dante could barely identify him. Brutally tortured.

White kid's eyes instantly watered, his throat burning with desire to yell and curse the one who did this to his friend, but as much as he wanted to, he could make no sound. He was already frozen with fear as his tears glided down his face as the only reminders of his sadness.

Lucifer emerged from the shadows with a white grin on his face. His happiness increased once he caught the panicked looks on Lillian's and Dante's face, but his smile fell when he noticed Mammon hanging from the ceiling. The King and Prince of Hell were staring at each other, not breaking eye contact.

"Little help?" Mammon broke the silence. 

Turning his attention on the duo, Lucifer ignored the demon. "I'd say this is game over." 

"You said you wouldn't kill them." Fired Lillian, to everyone's surprise.

She wasn't fond of Lucifer's games in the first place, but seeing the bruised lifeless head of a seventeen year old made her sick. Unlike other demons who found humans as nothing more than trash, she found them special, blessed to a point, and hoped to get in contact with them to get to know them better. She never imagined she'd meet humans like this.