Hell’s Consort

Newest Chapter of Highest Tier (July 2021)

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Vampire King Apollyon

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"We successfully subdued Caelano." So the ghastly herald informed Apollyon while it floated at the top of their hands.

  Its hollowed eyes produced an erratic burst of white light when it focused on his wife before it dimmed slightly.

He fought the urge to shake his wife's shoulders awake from impatience because it might make her condition worse.

Instead, Apollyon cast his gaze at her face as clod despair slowly seeped into his bones. 

What was hope?

It was just a tiny flicker in his cold heart.

"Who is this, Caelano?" Apollyon asked as his right hand squeezed on Luna's upper arm while his left supported her back while he knelt on the floor. 

"Caelano is an underworld spirit trapped in the pages of the forbidden section of Hecate's grimoire. Lilith tore those darkest pages herself, memorized everything, and found a way to destroy them so that other High Priestesses will not have access to this secret information." It explained again in that disembodied voice of his, and Apollyon nodded his head in agreement.

"Are you telling me that Lilith unwittingly set this monster from  the Underworld in the Material Realm a long time ago?" His voice was deadly soft when he inquired.

"Yes. Caelano was the only Fury of Hecate who betrayed her by siding with Hades more. Well, maybe it didn't side with either of them on purpose from the start, simply sitting on the fence whenever disputes in both their territories arise. But the Goddess of the Underworld perceived its two faces. A lack of pure loyalty. Celano continued to double deal between Hecate and Hades. Until the Goddess found out that Caelano had fanned the flames because of its desire to see war and witness chaos in the Underworld, feeding on the darkness which comes with it."

"Caelano." Apollyon' let the name roll on his tongue for a minute. Then, a sudden recollection of his conversation with Luna while they danced at the Great Hall made itself known.  "I almost forgot! My wife had mentioned the name to me at the Great Hall to ask around the Summer Fae aristocrats if they could recognize it. I recalled that she wanted to find out if the name had any connection to my mother and the Summer Fae could enlighten us." 

"So, you saw the creature before it decided to  help Lilith take over the High Priestess?" 

"My wife got worried that she had gone mad when she saw this creature at Princess Ourania's room by accident as we strolled the Summer Castle. " Apollyon's mouth was a full frown. "It was a creature that Luna could only see…."

"No." Apollyon shook his head, correcting himself. "Luna and my mother could see this Fury.  I had the chance to peek at the keyhole to see who was inside. I saw Princess Ourania talking to someone while alone, but I couldn't hear what was said. I wouldn't call my wife a liar, but I couldn't affirm Caelano's existence because I  can't see it. Until now."

"Don't forget that Princess Ourania and the Empress have links to the Underworld." 

"Indeed."

Reaching out, Apollyon caressed Luna's face with the back of his hand.

Whether on purpose or not, a mate's abandonment promised a new kind of pain that would crush a soul.

The sight of his wife's unconscious body and the threat of Lilith's soul--taking the reins of a physical vessel that didn't belong to her--looming over them felt like melancholy had befallen on him as if he was told that he wasn't allowed to see the sunshine anymore.

  When will she wake up?

He scowled.

'Maybe, she will after taking a rest. And hopefully, Luna was the Archdemon who won the battle of domination.'

"It was unnecessary for the Fury to create conflict when Hades and Hecate already made agreements about ruling the Underworld." The herald continued to explain as it floated in the air, "Trapping Caelano in Hecate's ancient grimoire was a punishment for being a  hidden traitor. Its powers were strong enough to protect the current holder of the spellbook to whom Hecate bestowed it. Yet, once someone attempted to damage the goddess' prized possession, the Fury would activate the curse and avenge Hecate. Caelano had no choice but to perform its penalty and make the High Priestess suffer for the rest of her life. The Goddess of the Underworld was big on trust between her and her priestesses, so if the holder would fail to respect her, then Hell would break loose."

"Lilith was a human who risked her life to summon an Archdemon to possess me, and she paid for my suffering with her life for the sake of revenge."

"Lilith had torn the forbidden section of the grimoire just a few hours before she was struck dead." The ghost added further,  "Caelano's mission was to make the defiant and ungrateful priestess' life a living Hell. This is why Caelano had stuck to Princess Ourania. She was the nearest female who resembled the hidden dark depths of Lilith's heart. I still can't believe that the Fury attempted to help Lilith take control of the vessel instead of cursing the Archdemon. Caelano was deceptive through and through. His hidden agendas didn't align with the Goddess Hecate at all."

Nostrils flaring, Apollyon remarked as his anger burned like flames as it fueled his bloodstreams, "History really repeated itself. Just like how this Fury chose Princess Ourania, returning to Lilith when it found a golden opportunity."

"Caelano's presence suppressed Luna at her weakest and aided Lilith to take over Luna's body prematurely." Hecate's herald replied,  "For a long time, it became Princess Ourania's familiar for its own selfish reasons, but then it decided to move on to  Lilith because it had sensed her evil presence and decided right away that  Princess Ourania was nothing compared to her. Hecate set the trap properly when she took the grimoire back, and everything went well. It might be a risk, but at least we got rid of the Fury earlier. Caelano had given the Archdemon of Envy awareness and summon demons in here."

"I bet Caelano would love to see this world burn to the ground."

"We must summon the Archdemon Familiar tonight."