The Demon’s Bride

Elise felt her body engulfed in a sweep as Ian had wrapped his hands around her. Her eyes widened as she want to turn him away so he won't shield her for the attack that explode before them. "Don't," Elise whispered and Ian looked down at her with a smile. "I would rather disappear together with you," she said. 

"How can I ever let that happen?" Ian offer her a smile. He could feel the burn on his wound and the skin of his back but continue to embrace Elise from the blast. Elise's hands grasped on his clothes as she prayed in her heart for Ian to be safe from the injury he suffered for her. Tears went down her eyes as she felt the echoes of the explosion around them spread faster.

They closed their eyes when all of a sudden, the blast around them stopped. Ian was the first to lift his head and let his wings down after he had looked back, making sure that it was save for them to let their guard down. Elise was happy of how the violent shattering around them had stopped and curiously looked on how it had stopped when she saw her grandfather standing before Apollyon with his hands raised. 

Satan's eyes narrowed watching how Apollyon's body had transformed. Without a word, Satan had crumpled his hands together, absorbing the excess outbreak of Apollyon's power, making it disappear into nothingness. Seeing how his hard-earned power disappear in a mere of second shocked Apollyon whose eyes stayed wide while looking at Satan as he fell on the ground on his knees.

"Why…? Why has it always been you?" Apollyon demanded for answer, unacceptable of his own demise. "I have stayed with her for longer than you did but why did she chose you instead?"

Satan looked down on the man who was once the brightest angel in Heaven. His jealousy had caused him to do an unredeemable mistake. Although Apollyon had become the person he is right now, Satan remembered the day when all of them was living peacefully. There was no anger between them, no envy, or jealousy. But a clear water can turn dark at once with a drop of ink this was what happened to Apollyon. 

"I don't know. Perhaps she should have chosen a better person other than me. Perhaps that way I can prevent her death. Perhaps that way she could still be here with me. But those perhaps will never come true as I am living in the future, looking ahead. But you, Apollyon. You are still looking behind you, hoping for things that can never change. You are a man from the past and now is your time to leave this world."

Satan watched how slowly Apollyon's face melted away. His face twisted in pain and anguish as he said, "I hate you…"

Satan stood in front of Apollyon's body in silence. A sigh that he held on his throat caused him to furrow his eyebrows together. 

"And I forgive you," Satan said, "It was Ariel's last request to me."

Satan looked at the sky that was utterly different from the one in Hell. It had reminded him to the time when he saw his wife petting his trusted dog as she stared at the sky that was pitch black despite the rotation of the Sun and Moon in mortal world. Satan had came up to Ariel, as it hadn't been long since the incident when Ariel had been tricked by Apollyon, he could see the heartbreak she had in her heart. "Do you miss the blue sky?"

Ariel was startled with his appearance but greeted him with a wide smile on her lips, "Can you change the color of the sky in Hell?"

"I can't," he honestly replied, "But if you wish to see it, I can find a way to fulfill your request?"

"No need," she chuckled. Satan came closer when Ariel had released her hand from the dog before holding to his hand. "You know, in my entire life you are the only person who had asked what I want. I am grateful for how you never impose your decision on me." 

Satan smiled in response and he looked up, "Do you find anything good from the black sky? There's nothing for you to look at."

"Actually, there are a lot of things that I have noticed once I stared to the sky for a longer time. I realized that despite how pitch black the sky in Hell is, the color continue to change. Some times there are hints of blue and sometimes hints if purple or red. If the purest white can change to black, black can also mix with other color to lightheaded it shades," Ariel sighed and then said, "Maybe I should have expected it. Apollyon is an angel but he is still a soul, and people make mistakes when greed, envy, or jealousy came over them. You asked me last time what kind of wish do I want." 

Satan had a feeling that her wish would be something up to no good, causing a frown on his eyebrows, "If it is to mend my relationship with that fucker, I won't."

"No," Ariel answered with a faint chuckle, not minding his harsh word, "I would like that you forgive him. From the bottom of your heart." Seeing how Satan's eyebrows furrowed in dislike Ariel then took both of his hands to stare at his eyes, "I don't want you to forgive him because I hope his sentence of punishment would become lighter. I want you to forgive him so that when I am not here anymore, you can move forward and forget about him. I want you to look to the future, Malakai. As I won't be the only person important in your life anymore," Ariel said while subtly rubbing her stomach.

Coming back to the future, Satan finally understood what Ariel meant with her words that day. If he had only focused on his revenge toward Apollyon and his anger, perhaps even after he had killed Apollyon, there would still be a void in his heart, a gaping wound. But now as he had learned to accept Ariel's death and let go of his rage to Apollyon, seeing the man dead, made him feel lighter, as if the burden on his shoulder was at once lifted up. 

"Ian," Elise called from behind, and Satan turned his head as he had heard his granddaughter's cry. 

Elise's eyes were filled with tears as she watched Ian's eyes closed.