Hell’s Consort

It was hard to see the enemy inside the demonic legion's trap, so her sword and shield were useless.

Luna squeezed the hilt of her sword of Hellfire as a parting gesture before she let her weapons vanish from her hands.

Learning how to utilize Archdemon Magic was the best skill she had acquired in Hell, and if she might say so, she would even go as far as thanking the grand Torture for the torment he had inflicted on her when she thought it would never end.

She was grateful for that bastard Satan, Ravin's uncle, for humiliating her every class while he taught Archdemon Magic to fledglings like her.

Satan claimed that he gave special treatment to his favorite students to grow stronger and learn the lessons fast.

Clenching her fists, Luna would never forget how Satan brought her in his stupid class for all his students to see, with her hands and feet tied into a chain with an iron ball like she was a half-human and half-beast in a freak show. 

She was the only one who didn't wear a hood out of all the students, exposing her open wounds, long white scars, and bruises for display, for the other fledglings' delectations.

Luna was just a random fledgling to be mocked to them, for she was the only one who had her face shown to the others. 

Satan made sure that every fledgling would remember her, marking her as easy prey.

She might not be participating in the Battle Royale as a mature Archdemon to possess a Circle in Hell and become a ruler because her husband successfully conjured her back to the Faerie Realm.

Her muscles tightened in readiness, spreading the balls of her feet in a fighting stance.

All of the torment she experienced in Hell and the sacrifices she made… was all for naught.

It was a preparation for gradually building her power up to be ready for this moment.

The Archdemon Magic, she worked so hard to gain, would not let her down, but she should gain the courage to fight this unknown Legion with her acquired Magic. 

Pain can be transformed into power.

Luna will not flee from pain and fear, but rather, she must use them to find the true essence of what she desired, turning it into courage.

Luna regained her balance and straightened her posture, deciding to shut her eyes.

Arms outstretched, she let her sense of touch guide her.

It might give her the focus she needed compared to squinting her eyes in the dark to make out the shapes in front of her.

It was strange that her vampire eyesight didn't work well in this cage like she was trapped in another dimension where the dark wasn't the dark at all.

That must be why her vision didn't work properly.

There was no moment where she didn't struggle with hardships, so it didn't make sense why she was crying like a baby.

Biting her lip, Luna's eyebrows knitted in determination as she hurriedly wiped the tears from her wet cheeks.

The diabolical presence of these unknown Legion amplified her dark emotions—one she didn't want to deal with.

There was no use crying for Apollyon when she was the one who shut him out of their mental link, creating mental and physical distance between them.

Luna swallowed hard as her hands limped to her sides.

As per Apollyon's words, she got her priorities twisted--choosing a moment of separation with her husband than risking her secret.

A memory of the events regarding the tainted faeries flashed in her thoughts, and she wondered why any of these demons hadn't possessed any royals of the Spring Monarch yet.

She advanced and killed many of the possessed faeries, but none of these devils entered her mouth, taking ownership of her body.

None took advantage of Prince Aspen, Prince Aelfric, and Princess Alisabethe.

Of course, these demons wouldn't make the mistake of possessing a human such as Lady Clarence.

Nope, not in the presence of Prince Aspen. 

Wait a minute...

Did power prevent these dark apparitions from taking over the bodies of the creatures who held strength and courage in their souls?

Can these demons sense fear, entering the bodies of whoever carried the greatest willpower while the rest was spared?

Courage comes from power—in believing that one could defeat all odds they might come across, including these demons. 

Fear was also contagious emotion, causing mass hysteria—a shackle.

This collective cage was a unified illusion of the masses—an unbreakable cage of their own making.

This must be the reason why all the creatures were trapped in this dark cage because these unknown Legion fed on terror, corrupting the weak souls until they became a shadow, like them, until no one was left.

These demons increased their power by consuming the fear of the masses, causing this hysteria.

But fear…

Fear is an illusion, and one must learn how to deal with it so they can get out of this cage.

Luna should face her fears, like how a rock showed its resistance to the wind, remaining still and quiet before choosing the best option to fight.

From mere observation, one can understand how to change their strategy by analyzing the situation from a neutral perspective.

She must remove herself from the situation first, imagining it as if she was from the outside looking in to think clearly and see the big picture. 

"What should I do?" Luna asked herself in silence as she listened to her intuition.

Something else inside her chose to answer.

"You shall relax, child. Allow the body to guide the spirit before the mind can guide the body." Eyes widening in shock, Luna can hear Hecate's soft, maternal voice echoing in her mind. "You cannot teach the flesh if it is not willing to learn from you."

It was a challenge initiated by the Goddess of the Underworld.

Luna wasn't a High Priestess of Hecate anymore.

Why did the Goddess desire to connect with her again?