Just Weird

The war ended a long time ago, but it still felt like the day all two hundred and sixty of them crawled out of the abyss was yesterday.

Their home. The home of the condemned.

He blinked, smiled at how long he's been able to keep it all together. He rested his right palm on his chest, hoping to feel something.

Anything.

For hell's sake, how long do I have to wait for you to grant me my redemption?

A soft knock behind turned him away from the floor-length mirror. The door opened, bringing in the smallest light, making his golden eyes shine brighter than they do. He stepped back as far as he could be away from the light. You could call it a silly fear or phobia, but he is an enemy to anything light. He prefers the dark. It's loving enough to keep him hidden. Even loving to cowards.

A figure entered the room, and he sighed when he shut the door and the room was dark again. He took a step forward but groaned with a pained hiss when his brother turned on the lights. His wings sprout out of his backs and shielded him as much as possible. The only thing visible were his golden eyes and angry glares.

Damon found what he did boring and unnecessary. He raised an eyebrow at his silly fear. His long dark coat swept behind him as he drew the curtains aback. Rayven took in a sharp breath and drew back as much as possible from the sunlight that overwhelmed him. He blinked back the traces of tears as it reminded him of something.

A memory.

The sudden intrusion of sunlight felt similar to when the soldiers from the house of Lucifer back in Hell tore down the final walls of protection he had around him and…

"It is no longer funny, little brother. Grow some wings, would you?" Damon folded his hands across his broad chest staring at his brother glaring hard at the rays of sunlight with tears. He tends to be a sensitive demon at times. "Or horns as the case maybe."

Rayven refused and stepped back further, looking like he was moments away from passing out.

Damon rolled his eyes with a tired sigh.

"Alright. I will be a good big brother just this time." He pulled back the curtains and dimmed the lights in the room just a bit.

He waited for his brother to relax before he let his golden wings disappear behind him. Rayven's eyes went to his brother feeling grateful. Damon gave him a side smile before walking up to him and pulling his brother into a warm hug.

"It's alright, Rayven. I won't do that again. In fact, I had more lights in this house removed just for you and more thick, dark curtains are being replaced from the lighter useless one to make things even easier for you and us."

Rayven looked at him with disbelieving eyes. The feel of his brother's dead hands on his cheeks triggered something down his spine.

"I am still looking for that rebellious runaway heartbeat of yours. But meanwhile, the angels are tired of waiting for her to be found. They want you to choose another one. They are all tired of you still being the only one." His cold hands found Rayven's freezing ones, holding it tight. "And I also want to see this happen to you just like it happened to me and the rest of us. I am sure you can't remember how it feels like anymore, do you?"

Rayven shook his head, staring down into his brother's face because of him being taller.

Damon patted his left cheek sympathizing. "Don't worry, I am fighting for you. As always. And I will be forever more. Remember how I saved you, how I saved us from the war?"

Rayven nodded. How could he forget such a huge thing? That single act made him love, trust and respect his brother more than anything in heaven and in hell.

"Good. And I am ready to save you again. Here," He brought out a document with a dark, hard cover and the regal symbol of Hell with the little logo of the house of Mammon under it and gave it to him. Rayven collected the familiar document. Understanding what was in it. He looked up to his brother with a sincere smile of gratitude. A smile that says, how can I ever repay you?

Damon was pleased, patting him on his shoulder. "Take your morning going through that and tick on the one you want and think is capable. Call me once you're done and I will know what to do. While you are at it, I will be going round town searching for the one that ran away, okay?"

Rayven agreed and watched his brother leave his room with one final smile thrown at him by the door.

Ravana.

His smooth hands ran through the hard, dark covers as he lowered himself to his bed.

Why did you run?

He began to flip through the pages containing profiles of the next set of human females, ready and up for the next selection of being heartbeats to monsters. This is his sixth time having to go through this while his brothers and the rest of his families had to go through it once, twice maximum thrice.

It was all about redemption.

How do they go about it?

Well.

Due to his heightened vision and the advantage of being a demon lord it was possible for him to see clearly in the dark. Another reason could be because of him, being used to doing everything with little light around him.

As usual, their profiles, and bodies is filled with promises of them being excellent in bed and can make them feel beyond good. Naked pictures of them all over. Calling out to him and begging to be picked.

All of them forgetting the main reason why they are being selected in the first place.

To redeem a monster by making his dead heart beat.

He continued to flip through the pages. Looking and searching for his next heartbeat that he feel is capable of redeeming him.

At the seventieth page, he thought of just giving up and picking randomly just like he did in his first five attempts at redemption. They are all the same and concerned with fulfilling all sexual fantasizes on earth and out of earth with a demon. They all seemed desperate. Each woman looking less covered at each profile.

Their bios and why they should be chosen, always leaving him wondering.

Do they have any idea what this is really about?

He kept turning the pages.

'I am usually the godly type but for you, I can be as ungodly as you want me to be. Just make sure you have a bed strong enough to hold the numerous sins I want to commit with you.'

He shook his head as he could never un read that. He switched to the next page.

Likewise, he paused as this page was filled with little screenshots and pics of books and the moon?

No pics of her. Not even her face or a pic of her shadow.

'Um…not really sure what I should say or put here. But all you need to know is that I read, a lot. And you probably wouldn't pick me…that is fine. I would rather not be picked if you are not the demon I have in mind. And if you think you are, well, don't pick me. I am most likely not whom you're looking for.'

Oh.

Others just want the craziest form of pleasure but this particular individual must be so weird and ignorant to write something so…weird and…just weird.

Rayven turned the pages and was surprised to find himself smiling. At what? He couldn't tell.

His eyes were fixed on the next revealing picture of this particular Australian red-headed. He brought out a pen as the tip of it hovered over the tiny box he was supposed to mark if he picked her. He smiled again as an idea revealed itself to him. And he picked a girl.

His next heartbeat.