A deal or not?

I sat there, unconcerned about what he was about to say. I understood from the beginning that He only needed me for another war and nothing else. His Majesty's behaviour was to be expected. He required the assistance of other demons to deal with the dark things. It was exactly like 170 million years ago when he needed the strongest demons to fight against the archangels so he could gain fame among the heavens. By the end of the battle, thousands of demons were killed and thousands more were wounded. There was no winner or loser; instead, a compromise was achieved, and the councils were established. My parents were killed in the conflict with the Sword of All Beings. The sword had the power to send all the energy used to create us back to the universe. Back then, I was just a young Demon child that had to grow up by herself to get a high status.

"Lavaress, are you listening?" he asked me without hesitation.

"I am not paid enough to listen to your crap stories on how the entire universe would be much better without the Angels, Archangels, and all that," I said before I took some sips from the wine.

" Funny. But I don't have time for your games. This time is serious," he replied in a pissed tone.

"Serious for you. Let me tell you how we will do it, you will answer some questions and after that, I will decide. How about this?"

"Hah, I think you forgot your place, little Lady!" He said while getting up from his chair.

" Then my mission in here is done. I have no business with you from now on. I will find a way to get out of here as soon as possible."

The moment I tried to get out of my chair, he put his hands on my shoulders and pushed me back into place. His reaction left me a bit shaken since he never dared to use his power against me. Suddenly he got closer to my ear and whispered:

"I suggest not to push my buttons. I have my limits. I know you are feared by many, but not by me."

"And even if I say yes, what will make you think I won't take the most convenient deal that someone could offer me to not get back in this doomed place? You will remain alone again trying to find me, but I will make sure this time that you won't be able to feel my presence anymore. "

A moment of silence covered the entire room. The fact that he remained speechless made me confident that I could get up and leave that place. As he moved away I was finally able to move again. I slowly got up and started walking through the door as I could feel his eyes following me unable to do anything in this regard.

" I will give all the answers that you need about your family and The Forbbiden War if you will help me," he stated when he saw that I was about to open the door.

"How disparate are you that you would talk about something that you swore that you will never talk about?"

" I am not the evil man that you consider me to be. Everyone made me look bad just to make themselves feel better. When you feel like listening to me and taking my offer, this will wait for you," he said while he snapped his fingers. A book appeared from the fin air and he placed it on the table. "It is the book that you were looking for a couple of millions of years ago," he added.

"I... I will think about it. Just give me some time to think, I said before I completely vanished out the door."

While I rushed down the stairs, I saw Gerov giving orders to the maids, so I said to myself that I might ask him for a favor. After all, he offered to help me in the first instance, so why not take his offer?

"Gerov? I might need your help to find someone. I haven't seen him since The War."

"Ughh... My Lady... That would be a hard topic, and as you know, we, the lower rank are not even allowed to mention it."

" I am just curious if you heard anything about The Lord of Vengence and Lust?"

"You are referring to Lord Asmodeus, my Lady?"

"Be sure that I do."

"Last time when I saw him, he was speaking with Our Lord. He came back after years of traveling with his armies to find out answers on why everything from here started to die. You will better find him in The Forest of Three Arches training with his soldiers," he said while stroking his beard.

"Thank you, Gerov. Your help won't be forgotten."

"Have a safe journey, my Lady."

The Forest of Three Arches wasn't that far from the castle. Slowly my power started to take shape and form again in my realm. Because I felt strong enough to use my abilities again, I decided to open a direct portal to the special training place from the forest. My mistake was that I teleported myself into the middle of a battle between two demons. I saw how both of them were coming fast toward me prepared to strike anything that was in their way and I thought:

"Brilliant. I might remember how to teleport myself even if I am not as good as I was before, but I can be 100% sure that I am not ready for a battle."

I expected the worst, but suddenly black lightning came from the sky and formed a cage around me that protected me from getting hit. Meanwhile, the moment the others touched with their power the cage, they were aggressively pushed away. I immediately recognized this type of power and began looking for him, only to realize he was already in front of me.

I could read in his eyes that he was surprised and relieved to see me. Moments later the cage disappeared and from far I heard:

"Master, what happened? Why did you stop the attack?" one of the demons asked.

"You dare to question my decisions?" he replied with an angry look on his face.

"No Master! I beg you to pardon me for my rudeness!"

"Dismissed. You and Parsivlor," he said while he switched his view to the other demon.

The two demons understood the message and fled as quickly as they could. When Asmodeus returned my gaze, I noticed a new scar on his face. I never saw him hurt before, not even once. He was always this well-built strong demon that feared nothing. I used to watch him train back in the day. There were times when I sat in the arena from the Lost City and admired his techniques, while his succubus fans screamed every time he removed his shirt, revealing his muscles. But this time something changed. His brown almond-shaped eyes looked sadder than before. I was standing a few meters away from him, yet no one had the courage to say anything. I was feeling how the eyes of the demons that were around us were watching closely.