The Demon’s Bride

Elise continue to explained Ian of what happened and the fights she went through briefly. When she arrived at Satan's throne room, Elise mulled over the death that circled around. It appears that fate continue to pull them together, everyone including the two angel of wrath, and those who was involved in their lives. It was as though everything had been leading to this moment.

Satan was in the middle of a conversation with the man whose head held the appearance of a lion while his body was a human's. Satan seeing his granddaughter and her husband quickly turned his face and the lion man excused himself, giving the room.

"You succeed," Satan assessed, "Good work and you," his eyes fell on Ian, "you should be grateful that my granddaughter had to went through lots of things only to bring you back from death."

Ian offered the old man a smile. Once a grumpy old man is always a grumpy one, he thought. "Of course, she is my wife though if you still do not understand, I have to remind you that Elise had to work so hard all because of you."

Satan's smile was about to fall and Elise who didn't want a fight to begin stopped their talk, "I have questions."

Satan left on glare toward Ian before looking at her, "Is it about him? Levi had told you about him, didn't he?"

"Yes, the angel of wrath," replied Elise. Satan stopped her for a second by raising his hand before making a cue toward Orias, having the servant to quickly see out everyone from the room.

"Too many ears had never been good," Satan said to Elise, referring to the amount of demons lingering around them. 

"What is his name?" Asked Elise. Ian who was also interested to know kept a close ears to the King's words.

Satan's eyes sunken for a moment in a darker shade of black as he whispered with a tight cord, "Apollyon, that was his name. He was an angel renown in Hell. Michael took care of him as he does to everyone else but there had been another reason why Michael cared so much toward Apollyon. He was somewhat Michael's twin."

"Twin?" Elise raised her eyebrows, "They are given birth by the same mother?"

"No. There are some angels indeed given birth by the other angels but there are those such as Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael who was made by god. They called themselves brothers regardless how they aren't tied by blood. But it is a different case to Apollyon and Michael. God had made them to acquire the same blood. As you see, Michael had so much anger and temper in him that Apollyon also share. However that temper is never seen inside Apollyon. He was always known as an angel second kindest to Gabriel. At least that's how it was until that day— the day where he had harmed your grandmother."

"How close are you to Apollyon?" Ian was the one to ask. He now understood the background of Apollyon although if he had to be blunt, he didn't care. Now they need to find out the motive of Apollyon's massive genocide which wasn't clear to them yet.

Satan made his way through his seat and passed a sigh, "Not too close but we knew each other quite well through Ariel. She was a bridge of relationship for me, always introducing me to her friends. Ariel never suspected Apollyon to be the man he was, neither did I despite having to meet him many times. He never once showed his true color and hide it very cleverly." and while Satan's words sounded like a praise, Elise could pick out the contempt hidden between his tone.

Ian could second the thought. Even though he had been a very careful person to be able to read almost all people he had met and see their true self, he still couldn't pick the alarming signs that Ernest had dropped but it was because the man had been so clever that he switched the position of himself and his older brother to appear less sketchy.

Elise nodded her head, "Why were you convinced the dark sorcerer is also Apollyon?"

Satan explained, "There was a taboo curse mark on Caleb's wrist, your brother's body to be precise. That curse is no joke. The effect is tremendous to the person who had been casted by it. They have to follow certain rules and only hear the instructions passed by the caster. If the person who bears the curse mark itself doesn't follow even one small rule made by the caster, they can hope to die for eternity, their soul would never be able to pass Hell or Heaven, even the abyss. It would disappear there and never come back. The one who created that sinister curse was Apollyon himself. I found out about it late but before anyone could read the magic, I destroyed it. It is safe to say only him and I know the existence of that curse."

Elise gradually could see through what was actually happening as her lips parted opened. Ian's eyes fell on her as he noticed the change in her expression as well, knowing that Elise had just reached a convincing conclusion.

"If Caleb had been wanting to die, to have a forever rest, why would he follows Ernest's orders?" Elise's question gained the attention of both Satan and Ian, also Leviathan who had came late. "Considering what had happened to his wife where her soul had also disappeared, wouldn't Caleb want to follow that path instead? By breaking the rule?"

"Perhaps he is scared of pain?" came the fifth voice of the room and Elise noticed it was Hallow who was sitting on her father's shoulders. The chick had been near them and though he didn't know the complete situation, he tried to make a few bets of guessing.

"If Caleb had been scared of pain, he wouldn't have reached out and asked me to kill him," Ian rolled his eyes on the chick. "I know him for little time but I can tell this: Caleb is a loyal man and while I am not one to wait for others to fulfill their promise, he did promise to help me when I am in danger."

"If that's what is happening, Apollyon must have also questioned this as well. It's clear as a day that Caleb wish for death. Why doesn't he questioned a sudden obedience from Caleb? If I use his shoes, I would have questioned this as well," Leviathan brought up a point.

Elise who know could see better answered, "That is why Caleb had been doing what he did, to appeal to Ernest that he also hate Heaven and Hell, wanting to destroy both before his death. Apollyon didn't trust Caleb it is why he had casted the curse mark on Caleb's wrist. Is there any side effect to the curse mark?"

Satan hummed, his frown worsened as he tried to jog his memories, "The effect could be tempered to the caster's wish. If instead… Apollyon had changed from killing Caleb for eternity, he could have casted the opposite curse." Though nothing had been made sure, everything adds up.

"By making him to stay alive forever for eternity," Ian answered. Elise watched his eyes filled with rage and his fists clenching tighter, "That son of a whore."

"But there is still one thing that doesn't make sense to me. The resurrection book that Caleb had took was the only book that tells other the method resurrection, and it can only bring random demon souls to life, how did Apollyon resurrected himself?"

"We have to find that answer," Satan replied. "Though we don't seem to have time for that. If we could find out how he resurrected himself, it would be better for us to do so to prevent him from resurrecting ever again."