Dark Requiem [malexmale]

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

"Well, fuck me and call me a corner street prostitute. We're lost. Already."

I couldn't have worded it better if I had tried. Thankfully, Hades was there to do so. And he did so as foully as possible as his electric blue eyes snapped around the third hallway we went down that looked exactly the same as the first one; crude, concrete, clear walls that looked into bubbling molten lava.

I glanced back at Lucifer, who looked as distraught as I felt. Beside him, Joxeia held Euan in his arms, cradling the tiny pixie to his chest. Apparently, after he'd lifted the pixie into his arms, he'd been shocked by the lightweight of the creature and upon further inspection due to his melted clothing, Euan was starving. Literally. His bones protruded from his skin, meat stretched tight over his lean muscles. It was like carrying around a bag of cotton balls, according to Joxeia.

And it was one of the reasons Joxeia found himself unable to return Euan to the surface world. Despite his earlier irritation with the creature, Joxeia wasn't leaving him behind. Period. Thankfully, he knew now was not the time to argue with Lucifer over removing a damned creature from Gehenna and was probably saving such an argument for a later time. Much to my relief.

Because it was taking longer to rescue Michael than I had hoped.

We were lost in this massive maze of tunnels under Gehenna. All the halls were made of clear glass that looked through to lava rivers and pools. Every so often, we'd pass rooms made entirely of glass. Inside, there'd perhaps be one or two creatures huddled together. Sometimes they were even sleeping. Most, however, appeared to be prisoners of some sort.

"The locals lock their finds here," Lucifer supplied for us earlier, "This is like their locker room. It makes sense that Diablo would put Michael here. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier." That made sense why everyone knew where he was at, I supposed, but somehow, I couldn't shake this horrible feeling in the pit of my gut. It happened shortly after we'd started maneuvering the tunnels.

Just a sickening sensation that told me something was wrong.

I fought against it. Tried to ignore it.

Michael was okay. He was alive. He had to be.

Angels didn't die, not permanently, but they were reborn. Into new bodies. New lives. They started all over again from the very beginning. It was long, and once they came into their angelic powers once more, the process was painful. Lucifer's own son, Raven, had gone through the process and spent at least two years constantly becoming ill.

I didn't want that for Michael.

I didn't want any of this for Michael.

"There's got to be some way through this shit," Hades muttered, looking into one of the lava pits as a long black snake-like creature slithered by. Lucifer frowned, glancing over at Euan, and Joxeia shot him a dirty look.

"We are not waking him up just so you can torture him," he said, making Lucifer sigh in frustration, "Don't even think about it."

"He's here for a reason," Lucifer reiterated, making Joxeia glare at him, "No one ends up in Gehenna, unless they deserve it." Joxeia looked positively miffed at Lucifer's logic. It made sense. He had no problem forgiving Hades's mistakes, but when it came to others, Lucifer was tight-laced. And while those in Gehenna could be offered second chances through reincarnation, it didn't happen often and it didn't happen for no reason.

"You have no right to judge him," Joxeia said firmly, "It is not your call to make. You are not the Source."

"This is my realm," Lucifer returned, "And it is Yhwhwa's decision who ends up here in the end. Joxeia, this is not a matter of the Source. This is a matter of morality among creatures. He's committed sins terrible enough to be damned here." Joxeia cut him a dry stare.