Book of torment
"Is there a chance for me to say no?" August chuckled nervously.
"Yes, if you deny Schoel's proposal." Azrael smiled innocently as if it was all her plan.
He swears this woman was pure evil, he was just thrown into hell from another hell. He was doing her a favour by getting married to her. Why was he being bullied for his big heart? No one will marry a vile woman like her.
"No, I will fight. Just a kid ghost…nothing to fear." The last lines were more for him than Azrael. He was trying his best not to get scared of the young child.
Azrael scoffed seeing his scared face, no matter how much he tried to hide it was apparent to her. It was funny how he was scared to death yet he wanted to fight. Just for what, a life? If he loved his life so much, why did he agree to jump off that bridge in the first place? There was something more to him than that and Azrael couldn't help but get curious.
Without pondering much, Azrael looked back at the kid who was still playing, "His name is Darek. He is over 100 years old in netherworld years, in human years he died at age of 7." Azrael gave him the information.
"He was sent to a book of torment, for the crime of continuously harming living animals and humans and many animals. And on his first murder, he was killed by…." Azrael stopped, looking at the boy.
August, who was listening to her the whole time, looked at her and questioned, "By whom?"
"His mother…"
A deep silence was maintained after Azrael explained to him. August dug his nail onto his skin hearing that, his mother… The sense of familiarity eats him up. He can understand what Derek was going through. Betrayal by the one you love most was worse. After all, he died because of it. No death could be more tortuous than being backstabbed by the one you trusted most.
"But now he is a spirit sucking energy from around." Azrael's words brought August back to his senses. "So you ready?" Azrael gazed at August whose eyes remained fixated on Derek.
August just nodded, his gaze still on Derek. Azrael smirked and walked closer and stood in front of him. August couldn't focus on Derek anymore, sensing her standing in front of him, just an inch away.
And without further ado, she moved closer. Wrapping her arms around his neck and supporting her face closer to his. He could feel the cool breeze of her on his skin, her face just inches away from his.
August was frozen on the ground, feeling her so close to him. Azrael closened the distance, their lips were about to touch when she stopped. Not feeling her lips anymore, August opened his eyes that till the moment he didn't realise were closed and looked down.
He let out a small gasp seeing the whitish-grey hazy fumes coming out of her mouth and entering his. The fumes were glowing a bit in the moonlight. It was weird but he felt something different as the fumes entered his system.
It felt like something was replacing his blood. But he was dead to have blood, yet he felt something powerful inside of him. Once the fumes stopped, Azrael moved away from him.
"There you go." Azrael stood in front of him, looking at him with her wicked grey eyes, that could suck in a soul.
Not explaining anything, she turned her back on him and stared at Derek, who soon turned around to face them. As if he sensed something, his gaze turned darker, staring at them, or precisely at August.
And in a blink, Derek was standing in front of him. With a smile on his half-ruined lips, he forwarded his hands towards August innocently. For a moment August felt confused that he was some kid who Azrael introduced as a killer.
He looked at her, who was standing at the side enjoying the show. Just as he was focused on her, a sudden force picked him up from the ground and slammed him onto the poles of the swing.
"Ouch! Nice start. I better get some popcorn." Azrael commented, transporting herself onto the climbing wall behind the sandbox. Making herself comfortably seated on it and crossing her arms over her chest, she smiled widely, seeing them fight.
August felt like his soul was getting crushed, even without a body he felt like his spine was shattered into pieces. He tried to get up from the ground, but again that force confined him and hurled him at the wall, Azrael was sitting.
Seeing August cough vigorously, Derek clapped his hands innocently and laughed like an innocent kid. Azrael on the other hand sipped her tea and enjoyed the show.
It's not like she didn't give August power or anything. She just didn't explain to him, and who needs an explanation on how to use magic? Even those mortal kid shows have magic, only fools will not know how to use it. And it's not like Derek can kill him, not until she is his bride.
"A bit of help here please?" August asked, looking at her who was clearly, enjoying his misery. He tried to get up from the ground but his legs fell. Curse him for deciding he can fight a kid.
"Use your powers," Azrael shouted from her place, continuing to sip. Even she felt pity seeing how bad he got from just two attacks. He was indeed weak. How can he become his groom like that? Nope, it will be a disgrace to someone like her.
"What powe—..." August couldn't finish his words and Derek tossed him around like a feather.
"F**k!" August couldn't help but curse, feeling every part of him aching in pain. "Dude, take a break!" August yelled at Derek. His body was crushed, and he doubted he even had the power to get up from the ground anymore.
"Use the power I gave," Azrael commented again, shaking her head at the state of his.
August tried to look up at her, just so he could understand what in the world she was even talking about. At this point he was pretty sure, she was trolling him for agreeing to it. But as soon as he made a motion, Derek attacked again. This time pinning him directly onto the climbing wall.
Derek was standing at the exact place, just his face towards August and one hand in front. As if all this time, he was controlling the air. If it was air, August didn't know whether to be embarrassed or be awestruck that he was being beaten by air out of all things.
"Derek, my little guy. How about you let go of me and I give you candies?" August tried to strike a deal with him but instead, the pressure on him grew stronger and stronger as Derek moved closer to him.
"And that's how you dig your own grave," Azrael commented again, sipping the last bit of tea on her cup. August heard her and wanted to cry because she was right, with a passing second his distance grew closer the force got stronger, crushing him into the wall.
Preparing himself for his second death of the day, he closed his eyes hoping for another miracle. It looks like marrying the grim reaper was a curse, not a miracle.
Just as he felt every part of shutting off, the force on him was gone. When he opened it to see what happened, Derek was on the ground trembling in fear with a horrified expression. He was puzzled why he was on the ground whimpering, then he looked at Azrael thinking it must be her who saved her. But her face was dazed, eyes widened in shock and fear.