Death Met the Devil

Chapter Three

Aki woke up at some point. She never knew if it was night or day. Darkness reigned eternally in this realm, and time paused forever. How long had she been alone? When did mother leave? How long would it be until she would be relieved from her duty?

She longed to feel what others called happiness. She took no joy in the pain she inflicted. It merely satisfied her hunger.

Aki pulled in her cloak once more and went to the prisoner. He was awake, the whispers having kept him up the entire time. Did he even need sleep? He felt pain, she knew that, but was he tired? Was he sad? Could he feel anything other than that pain?

She saw him look up to her. She adjusted her hood.

His head tilted. "Why don't you show your face? Are you hideous or something?" His dry lips formed a grin. Something tugged inside her chest.

"Yes. My physical form would drive you insane. I'm not allowed to show it to anyone."

He blinked. "Oh. Well, aside from your voice cutting like razor blades, you sound pleasant. But if your physical form is hideous, why not show it? Wouldn't that be torture?"

Aki mimicked his blink. "Mother says no. There is a process to these things. The process can't be altered. If I do something wrong, Mother will get mad." Her eyes widened, the darkness pressing down on them again. "I don't want to get punished again."

Lucifer registered the emotion in her voice. She was terrified of her mother. He processed that information. Fear harbors resentment. Perhaps he could persuade the goddess into letting him go, after all. She would be a powerful ally, and she seemed quite naive for who she was.

Aki went quiet. "Yes, the process. We have to stick to it." Her head tilted and Lucifer shivered. Naive? He had to have imagined that air of innocence.  He felt the evil. He thought he knew what evil was, but this... This was a creature made for this. Despite how well he had taken to it, this goddess was born from it.

She stepped closer. "You didn't react to the first step like the others. But the strongest ones are always the most satisfying ones to break. I am hungry and your pain is awfully sweet."

She didn't move any closer, and yet he felt hands on his throat, blocking his airway. He choked. His lungs clenched. His face tightened and he began to fight his chains. Yet the invisible fingers kept choking him.

The hands left, and he gasped for air. He looked at his naive goddess. She watched him from beneath her hood, but he could feel her satisfaction. She really did feed on pain. For what might have been the first time in his existence, Lucifer felt a twinge of fear.

Her head jerked up, as if she caught scent if something in the air. She laughed. "You just gave me a different meal. Thank you, but I'm eager for seconds."

The choking fingers returned. Lucifer had finally found someone who could rival him.

He didn't know how to feel about this.

***

Aki fell back. The fear gave her a rush. A rush so powerful that she was beginning to sway. She stopped the torture in order to clear her head. Pain was sustaining, it was pleasant, but fear. Fear was... a drug. Addicting.

She laughed, a small little giggle that sounded demented even to her. Lucifer looked up at her. He was panting. His windpipe probably felt like it was broken.

"How was that, Morning Star," she sneered. "Do you still think of me as a naive little goddess?"

His eyes widened. "No, not anymore." Aki grinned, a feral one he couldn't see.