The Guardian Demon (The Guardians of Nine Heavens #3)

Chapter 8: Demon Azazel's Plans

"She has awoken..."

A deep, ominous voice spread throughout the dark, damp stone room, reaching the ears of a young boy with a long black braid and hazel eyes, dressed in a white coat and darkened clothes. He was sitting at a table, carving strange letters on paper.

"Oh?" he answered to the ominous voice that called out to him and raised both of his eyebrows as if the news wasn't surprising at all. "Anything else?"

"They have taken her to the East Land. She's far from your reach." The voice cackled.

"Far from your own reach, rather." The boy smirked. "I don't really care about that girl. You do."

"Balthazar, we have agreed to work on this together."

The voice sounded in a reproachful tone now. Out of the darkness, stepped a tall man with short white hair, sparkling eyes, torn black wings, and claws, dressed in dark clothes.

"I've only agreed because you'd grant me the power I desired, Azazel," the boy said. "Since you've already fallen to the demonic level from the angelic one, I expressed my joy in using you as my trump card."

The dark angel pouted with displeasure.

"I've never 'fallen' to the demonic level, Balthazar," he spoke in a calm tone, but it clearly seemed he felt insulted. "I was always an angel made with a dark core by Black Energy and operated with High Forces only because they had abducted me from my primal source and wanted to 'purify' me, using me as a test subject to see how well they could purify black energy beings... As if I'd let them do that! I want to get rid of my light and turn back to darkness, my primal source, and my only home."

"Oh? I guess, even though you're made of light, you're already pretty rotten." Balthazar chuckled. "You abandoned that girl on your own when you could freely become her guardian and corrupt her as you wanted. Instead, you came to form a deal with me. I wonder what your true intentions are."

"Oh, you know pretty well that Joan has the purest heart of all humans... She can see through my impure dark core. It would be better to stick with a darkened guy like you instead and harm her from a distance. I am very careful with my actions."

"Hmph, I'd rather say you were afraid of the nearness of two supreme archangels." Balthazar laughed again. "Michael would be pretty close to you if you stayed with that girl. They'd see through you in minutes."

"Hmph..." Azazel crossed his arms with anger - this pest mocked him too much.

"Anyway, you say the reincarnation of Joan is in the East Land?" Balthazar got back to the original topic. "If I may ask - why are you so obsessed with that girl?"

"You know the answer too well, Baldassarre." Azazel puckered. "You remember your past incarnation, don't you?"

"I am a very strong demonologist, so naturally, I remember it all very well. I have already seen through my past lives. But I don't plan on getting back to serving High Forces like back then." Balthazar furrowed his brow.

"Hmph, you weren't really serving them for real even back then." Azazel chuckled. "But my point is - since you too were a High Priest of West Land in your time, you might well remember the stories about a female priestess who was elected a High Priest, disguised as a man, centuries before you."

Balthazar widened his eyes in fright - it seemed that he perfectly knew what Azazel was talking about. Nevertheless, he put his pen down and asked:

"What are you getting at?"

"That very priestess, who was named High Priest Joan and was considered a man (for women were forbidden to become High Priests, and this law stands even now), was, in fact, the High Priest of the purest heart," Azazel explained. "Everyone knew 'him' to be one of the best. Only later did they find out the truth and execute her publicly. You know that story, don't you?"

"Oh, yes..." Balthazar shrugged, averting his eyes from the demon as if not to reveal too much about what he knew. He retook with more caution: "It... It was a popular legend. All of us, the next generation of High Priests, had learned about it. But, why is it so important to you?"

"Because it is no legend. It is the truth. And that pure heart and soul still dwells in her current incarnation - that power which permits her to repel the darkness," Azazel replied. "If I devour such a pure soul, my dark powers shall increase tenfold, or even more, and I'll succumb to complete darkness, achieving my ultimate goal - I shall become the greatest demon I was born to be!"

"Oh..." Balthazar smiled, albeit bitterly. "It seems I've underestimated you - you are quite a powerful demon indeed. I guess I shall use you."

Azazel snarled, disliking the idea of being "used".

"So, shall we work together?" he asked.

"I accept. A High Priest of Joan's calibre is quite a challenging opponent," Balthazar said. "I love challenges."

A vile smile flickered on Azazel's face - he had accepted to cooperate. This foolish human thought he was using him, but in fact, it was the opposite - he would use him for his ultimate goal, and then devour his corrupted soul too, getting even stronger.

Humans are such foolish creatures... He sneered. Black Energy, my mother, I shall soon return to you, and get rid of that annoying black angel who opposes you in hell!