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

Chapter 19: Incubus' Wrath

"Joan!"

"Huh? Who's there?"

"Joan!"

"That voice..."

Joan was on a green hill. She looked back, to grow shocked - Tsukishiro, the kind spirit she sought for, stood right before her, in all his magnificence.

"Tsukishiro!"

She ran towards him with tears in her eyes and wanted to hug him when he vanished.

"Huh?"

"I waited for so long, yet you've never reached me. I got tired of you, worthless human."

"Eh?"

She, terrified, looked behind, to see Tsukishiro reappear, piercing her eyes with his stern gaze. She trembled:

"W... What do you mean?"

"Such a perfect being as I have no need for worthless worms like you. Goodbye, Joan."

He faded away.

"Huh? Wait! Tsukishiro! No!!!"

Joan, realising that the spirit had indeed abandoned her, fell to her knees and let out an agonized shrill. Tears poured off her eyes. She sobbed and wept, for her only hope had shattered before her eyes.

She woke up, all in sweat. She was heavily breathing. She sprang up and looked outside. The moon was still shining - it was the middle of the night.

Whew, it was a dream... A nightmare, and a terrible one, at that. Well, might as well go back to sleep, then.

She fell back onto her bed and soon dozed off. However, it wasn't long before she woke up again. Her nightmares got worse and worse each time she tried to fall asleep. Finally, when she saw her benefactor Tsukishiro burn her in wrathful infernal flames, she opened her eyes wide, took a deep breath, and snarled:

"Five nightmares in a row and it's not even past four o'clock yet! No, it's clearly not a coincidence. Some idiot from the underworld is messing with me... Okay then, demon who loves toying with people's emotions, just you dare come once more and I'll let you suffer in celestial flames of your doom!"

Determined to punish her wrong-doer severely as only she could do, she fell asleep again. This time, she appeared in a far worse place than any of her previous nightmares - a blackened mountain filled with lava and black tar. She could hear people's tormented, agonized screams. She was in hell.

Wh... What am I doing here?! 

Her eyes had widened in horror as she contemplated the tormented souls roaring with infernal pain. 

Goodness, take me out of here! 

She, agonized by such a torturous scene, covered her ears and closed her eyes, trying not to look anymore, but it was vain. She was in a dream, hence, could do also the impossible - see with her eyes closed, and hear with her ears covered.

She heard a terrorizing, unearthly cackle. She reopened her eyes in fright. She had appeared inside a black castle. On a black throne, sat a blackened creature with claws, fangs, and torn robes, laughing with the deep voice of a monstrous beast of the underworld. Once she beheld him, Joan screamed in terror - such a malevolent, horrid apparition!

"Begone!" she yelled.

"Now, now, you've challenged me yourself, and now want to escape? That won't do!"

The demon sneered, sprang from the throne, and appeared before her in an instant. He grabbed her throat with his black claws and began suffocating her.

"I'll torment you in your dreams for your arrogance, you pitiful human brat!"

"Ah!"

Joan helplessly cramped in his grip. She activated light energy in her hands and burned the demon's arm. The latter squealed in pain and let her go. She fell to the ground and gasped for air.

"Ugh, you spiteful human! I shall make you pay for insulting me!"

The beast made a giant pitch-black slicer appear in his hands and advanced towards her.

"W... What have I done to you?! Why are you tormenting me? Who are you?"

Tears streamed down Johanne's cheeks. Dream or no dream, she was terrified of pain, since they had always disciplined her and the other orphans the hard way back in her childhood. She didn't want to experience that ever again.

"What have you done? You insolent little brat dare mess in our unearthly affairs, kill my fellow demons, my subordinates, and still wonder what you've done?!" The demon growled and slapped her across the face so hard that her nose and mouth bled. "I, their Crown Prince, Incubus, shall avenge their deaths! All of your dreams, for the rest of your worthless life, I shall turn into torturous nightmares!"

Incubus, the Crown Prince of the Underworld, the son of Lord Samael of Destruction, and Queen Lilith?! Joan's terrified gaze changed into one full of pity:

"Incubus, huh? Now I understand..."

"Eh? What are you babbling about?!"

The demon snarled and hit her again, making her bleed more. He grabbed her hair and raised her up to meet his nightmarish red eyes.

"Don't you dare look at me with that annoying face, woman!"

He roared and cut her cheek with his slicer, making her scream in pain.

"That's what you get for looking down on me!"

He threw her to the ground hard, breaking her bones. She shrilled, but then took a deep breath, wiped the blood off her mouth, and looked up at the demon, her eyes still shimmering with pity. They showed no fear anymore, neither hatred nor disgust... Just pity. Seeing such eyes of hers, the demon roared with irritation:

"Quit looking at me like that!"

He kicked her head with his clawed foot, making her cough blood. He glanced down at her, craving to see her begging forgiveness and shivering with fear before his might. But all he got, was a gentle, almost motherly smile.

"Child of a human and an angel, yet tainted with dark energy since birth... You do resemble a naughty human boy who is lost on his path and knows not what he truly is... Incubus, huh? Angel Samael and Lilith, first wife of Adam, are your parents, hence you appear dark, but serve the light, and suffer internal torment of split natures, just like we, humans, do. As you are the one who has decided to punish me, I shall yield and bear your rage. After all, you are one of those two angelic children who have saved us, humans, from certain doom, so I have nothing against you."

"Huh? You worthless mortal, what are you babbling about?! I'm the prince of demons!"

He beat and kicked her with his clawed feet, and still, all he could get in return was her maternal smile. In the end, he roared and kicked her hard:

"Begone! Begone, you annoying woman! I hate you! I hate you so much!"

Joan woke up. She was sweating, heavily breathing, and... bleeding too, but only a little, compared to what she had suffered in her "dream". She wiped the blood off her mouth and took a glance at her tainted fingers. She heaved a sigh and fell back asleep. This time, nothing bothered her anymore.