CHAPTER 11

ADRESTIA

Amidst the vast subterranean maze of gloomy chambers…. I was sitting on my purple Quartz throne at the end of my room… the violet fog in the huge room full of mirrors surrounded my throne making me invisible... My head was fogged up like the room, with the thoughts of my older sister… Astrea… The memories of me being a rebel towards HuoShu palace… tying up knots with demon god… The curse from Jade emperor… Astrea, pushing me down into the underworld as the punishment for my rebellious actions towards the heavenly realm… What did I do so wrong? My only desire was to get a place of authority in heaven, to sit in the royal court aside Jade emperor… My only resentment was, why did I always receive secondhand treatment? Was it my fault for being born after Astrea, in the hour of the red moon? Treating me like an unlucky child ever since my birth, What was the reason to only let Astrea receive all the divine powers and leaving me alone in the palace? Just because I was an unfortunate lowly girl with no bright halo around me like other children in the heavenly realm?? Just because I was born with the fate of Red Moon?? Or was it because only an older child could get all the fortunes in heaven??? The agony in my heart grew up as the days passed by like a little poisonous seed turns into a huge ugly poisonous tree…

"My lady, please follow me to the fourth court, Demon King awaits you at the Lake of Blood," said an Ox-headed guardian who stood at the door of my Temptation chamber.

I nodded quietly and followed him to the fourth court of the Underworld realm. The place where souls after death were brought to repent for their evil Karma. The Lake of Blood was filled with the evil blood from the souls and the terrible bee torture made souls give up on their journey towards rebirth.

I walked down majestically to the fourth court, where Demon lord was sitting down at the lake of blood. I went closer to him, bowed down… he was in his original form of Red face with a crimson red robe, giving off the black smoke through his scaled skin… I had always disgusted this real look of Demon Lord… I looked away from him as he moved forward to push one of the souls in a transparent glass box full of stingy red honeybees. The soul howled in pain… tapping on the walls of the glass box to let it free… the screams pierced my ears… I looked at the Demon Lord with pitiful eyes…

"Your Majesty, don't you ever get fed up? By torturing these poor souls??", I asked him a few meters apart from Blood lake.

He turned back and walked towards me with his Red ugly face, his robe sweeping the ground…

"How could someone get fed up of giving punishments to evil souls on the earth? That's my job… assigned by Jade emperor… how could I not obey our dear emperor's orders??" He smirked at me.

I was utterly disgusted with his ugly look and stepped away from him, "Still, you want to rebel against the heavens. Am I unaware of your ugly desires, your majesty?" I forced a smile at him.

"Just like my ugly face, Goddess Adrestia?? Don't you ever forget my favors on you! You would've burned down under the lava bed of Underworld if it wasn't for me... Who saved you from dying for being a silly rebel against the heavenly realm… you could've never received these Godly powers… this solid position of Goddess of Temptation, Lust, and Greed in the Underworld realm… you own me a lot Adrestia. And it's about time, you pay me off for all those favors…" He held up my chin and came closer to my face. I closed my eyes as his original form of demon lord was unbearable. The dark smoke emitting through his skin entered me inside me through his touch. I felt a sense of provocation within me, my eyes burned and left me with no choice but to open them. Demon lord had returned to his human form., back to being a trap to attract innocent creatures like me… His handsome face when he saved me from dying in hell fires was the biggest reason why I decided to partner up with him… he had trapped me in his desires… pushing his dirty desires over me… turning me into an Evil Goddess… It's been several thousand years, I'm living in The Underworld with him… hearing these screams every day… and trying to find a strong core soul to get me out of this shitty place…

Arisa had a diamond core, I could've easily overpowered Demon Lord and take the charge of Underworld. I could've easily gained back the trust of the Jade emperor and become one of the royal courtiers in the Heavenly realm. But, again… my dear sister stood as the great wall between me and Arisa! After the rebirth of Arin, still… once again she pulled the diamond core away from my hands… And still, Arin thinks of me as a villain? What am I exactly trying to do? Just receive an equal and fair treatment in heaven! What's so wrong with going all the way out for achieving my goals and drop down low to fulfill my desires?? Is a mere human life that important to call a cold war between Gods?? Can't Astrea just leave me alone with my activities?? Why can't Arin just mind her own business as she has already ruined diamond core? Why does she need to meddle in the Underworld and Park Iseul's internal relationships? Huh… these dumb righteous souls… creating more hassles in my work of Underworld propagation…

"Adrestia! Will you ever stop thinking so much?? Didn't you realize in all these infinite periods you were here?" Lord screamed over me.

"Wh... What??", I blurted out suddenly.

"I can hear your thoughts… What's wrong with you?"

"No, no... Your majesty, I didn't mean to think those…" for a moment I forgot this fact.

"Forget it! I know your desires… But let me tell you! You will never sit in that Royal court in the Heavenly realm! No one needs you after knowing the sin that you've committed towards your sister!" He laughed at me in a sarcastic tone and walked away.

I looked at him with rageful eyes and threw my fist in thin air, "I will!! I will take Astrea's place in the heavenly realm!! I will make them beg at my feet!!!"

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"Ahhh…. So fucking hot…" I wiped up my sweat on my forehead after returning to the Earth realm.

Walking down the stairs inside Seoul city hospital, I took a look around the patients whose time of death was approaching closer, "100??? Waah… why can't these stupid doctors just treat such patients?? It's getting so hectic down there in Underworld!! I'm sick of hearing those ugly screams!!"

While entering the door of the Intensive care unit, I saw Arin and Hongseok sitting on the benches outside. As I was still in my immortal form, Arin couldn't notice me going inside.

"Chchchch… Aishhh… Iseul-ssi… Didn't I tell you to not jump on anyone? Such a nasty girl you are, see… what can you do now? Keep lying on this dirty bed until you regain consciousness… I still can't believe that the Demon lord chose a weak girl like you to be his propagator on Earth… What a joke! Hehe…", I said as my hand was caressing Iseul's face gently.

"Hongseok!!!! Stop!!", Arin screamed from outside the ICU. It startled me and I ran out to check the situation. Arin had collapsed down on the floor, tears flowing down her face…. Hongseok was walking away fiercely through the corridors…

"Ohh??? Is this happening for real??? This perfect couple is fighting with each other?? Finally?? I can't believe my own eyes?! I was wrong… Demon Lord absolutely killed it while choosing Iseul for being his propagator on Earth!!! If she can make Arin and Hongseok fight… she can literally do anything… Wow… So cool… she's like a sweet poison, Arin never realized not even my dear sister could recognize it!! Oh my god… I can use Iseul to get me back to the heavenly realm…" My heart was pounding with happiness. The most difficult thing, which I failed to execute for one year, Iseul did it in only 2-3 months! This girl is crazy! What a piece of shit… she really brought differences between the most perfect couple… disgusting… and I love it.

"Halt your foolish imaginations Adrestia, you're never getting back to HuoShu Palace.", Astrea's voice came out of nowhere. I rolled my eyes annoyingly and turned back.

"Where the hell did you come from?" I asked her loudly.

"From heaven…. You're the one coming from hell, Min…" her calm tone angered me even more.

"Don't you dare spell that name from your dirty mouth!! Get lost! Don't meddle in my business!! Anyways you've got nothing to do with Iseul… she's got no connection with the heavenly realm!!"

"You're right, I've got nothing to do with Iseul, but who told you I'm here for her? Arin is my spiritual daughter, I can't see her sitting down so helplessly"

"She has called this trouble on herself!! I warned her to keep her distance from Iseul, yet she continued to protect her from the Underworld realm. I've done nothing wrong to your spiritual daughter this time! She's the one who is responsible for this damage!!"

"Adrestia, you did used Lavendar seductress over Iseul… didn't you?"

"So what if I used it??"

"Iseul is not even 20 yet, have you lost it?? Lavender seductress is one of the strongest temptation culture techniques!! Has Demon lord forgotten to add some common sense into your brain while training you for spiritual powers? Huh??"

"Ahh… you're so irritating… this is why I hate you!!!!"

"Waah… as If I love being around your tainted spirit! You lowly Underworld creature!!! Get lost from Earth realm before I burn you down with my Fire of purity."

I was completely aware of Astrea's ultimate weapon… Blue Fire of Purity… not even Jade emperor could bear the extreme burn from that fire…

"I'm leaving now, but don't you ever think that I'm scared of your blue fire! I'll see you in royal court very soon!!" saying this I jumped inside the purple halo created behind me.

"In your dreams." She said while the halo closed

"Yes, I'll make my dreams come true… eonni…" I said while walking towards the wheel of rebirth in the tenth court of the underworld realm.

"My respect to Zhuanlun Wang", I bowed down to Zhuanlun, the chief of the tenth court. Owner of the Rebirth wheel.

He looked at me and smiled awfully.

"I see, you didn't like my presence in your court", I said while lying down on the black velvet seating near the wheel of rebirth.

"Who would like to entertain a seductress…"

"Zhuanlun wang! Don't forget my position in Underworld!!! Watch your words!!"

"Just say whatever you need, Goddess Adrestia. I'm a busy person trying to do my job of giving rebirth to these poor souls coming down with heavy punishments…."

"Give me a heavy chunk of information about Yang Hongseok," I said while playing with the wheel.

"Yang Hongseok? Who…"

"The seventh prince of Yang empire. Now, reborn as the descendent in Yang family's north Han river branch from Namiseon."

"Prince Yang Daeshim… why do you suddenly need his information?"

"I just want to know what kind of life did he live? I'm a bit curious person, you know?" I said while laughing at him.

"A very interesting life… hmm... Let me check the records, wait…"

"Interesting life?? Hahaha, he's indeed living an interesting life even in the 21st century."

I really had no idea why did I suddenly became so curious about Hongseok, but as I already knew about his identity 600 years back… just wanted to try learning more about him… who knows maybe I'll get a decent way to tackle with Arin and Astrea…

I smiled slyly looking at the rotating wheel of Rebirth and lied down more spreading my Red silk robe lavishly on the velvet seating.