Child of Lilith

Eirene spent the entire day with Dmitri, mostly with him showing her to her classes. She didn’t know what to think of him. When she looked at him she felt something was a bit off. He was tall and broad but she was sure he was all muscle. He wasn’t too muscular looking, just like he knew the inside of a gym or two. His brown hair was about an inch from his scalp in barely there waves. He was dressed in all brown from the zipped up sweater brown button up shirt that was a little loose on his chest. His khaki pants were creased in the front and looked sharp even though when she had first seen him he was folded up tightly against the tree. Something about his entire being was larger than her and slightly menacing but still her brain kept telling her that he was small. He smelled of danger and part of her brain wanted him let her be but the other half was telling her that he could never hurt her even if he tried. So she let him lead. He asked her many questions about herself but she kept all of their contact superficial and deterred all of his questions by a change of subject acting as if she never heard him. He liked to talk but most of their conversation were mostly one sided, she didn’t know how to contribute. Being alone was normal for her. However, he never left her alone. He was always around her and constantly filling the silence that was between them effortlessly. She didn’t mind though so she let him with a light smile on her face that she mostly kept hidden from him.

It seemed to her that all of his classes weren’t far from hers so she let him show her around. She still felt a little worried about his sudden closeness to her but still she held in her uneasiness and allowed him to lead her about the campus. At the end of her last class she walked out to find that he wasn’t there.

Breathing a sigh of relief she made her way to her car. It wasn’t that she hated his company but she didn’t want to have to deal with his constant attempts to get to know her. After she pulled out of the parking lot she drove to a park not too far from where she lived. She knew getting home now would mean that he would be waiting for her. As she arrived she remembered all the times she had hidden in this park. Looking about the now empty park she found her favorite tree and leaned against it slowly letting the cool breeze and the sounds of nature lull her into a light but peaceful slumber.

Dmitri was headed to pick up Eirene from her class when the messenger, a black and blue swallowtail butterfly with little red spots near its body, fluttered in front of him before landing on his shoulder. Taking a deep breath Dmitri looked at the butterfly before rolling his eyes and offering his finger to it. The messenger flutter to his offered digit and wrapped it tongue around it. It tightened the razor like muscle and drew a small line of blood which the creature feasted on. After its offering the messenger let him see to summons that his father sent to him. The messenger fluttered away leaving him as it went off to its next assignment.

Looking in the direction of Eirene’s class he sighed once more before going to the closet door. Before he opened it he whispered patefactio. Pulling the door open he stepped just outside the gates of the fifth layer of hell. His father’s domain was the circle of the sins of wrath and torture. This circle was reserved for the sinners filled with misdirected wrath and the creators and practitioners of torture. His father, Satanachia shared this with the fallen angel Vepar. His father was the true leader of this circle however Vepar was currently patrolling the souls as his father was seeing to the armies of The Morning Sun.

The gates dissolved before him and as he walked over the threshold his true form was revealed. His bronze skin started to show the markings of his position. His true hair was shoulder length and a deep dark brown. The markings ran from the right side of the back of his head to wrap around his chest covered by a silver breast plate, with black marking that looked like a mallet with a braded leather handle soaked in the blood of the many victims he has triumphed over, leading to a mace whose silver induced fear and obedience. The mace itself was clear of all blood and imperfections and the sharp points gleamed. Around mace were the marking his father has incurred during his fall from Eden and heaven alike. Dmitri smiled at the faint smell of brimstone and the heavy smell of suffering and sulfur in the air.

Finally, I am home. IHis large raven colored wings unfurled and carried him over the masses of sinners.

Arriving at the Quinticeps palace he ignored the women writhing all about the place and headed for his father’s personal rooms. The palace itself was simple in design made of a harsh grey marble. Everything was chiseled by the hands of the sinners from floor to wall to chairs even the very thrones Satanachia and Vepar used. The walls were bare of and art, however they were decorated with the souls of the sinners that could never be absolved, nor could they be spared from their fate. Each of them was dammed to an eternity in the fifth circle experiencing the same pain they most enjoyed to give. Each of the sinners had their pain broadcasted to the other and anyone else who happened to walk by. Some were beaten with branding rods others with maces. Dmitri’s favorite sinner was in a state of perpetual starvation nothing more than skin and bones and they were forced to be stripped of their flesh with cuts made from a rather dull knife every day for the rest of damnation. Walking on, Dmitri stood just outside of his father’s main rooms and waited.

“Come, you are late.” Satanachia’s deep baritone droned sounding just as bored and dismissive as ever.

Entering the room Dmitri noticed it emptiness but this was nothing new. His father didn’t need a physical form and often didn’t take one. Walking to the center of the room he lowered his right knee to the floor with his right hand over his chest looking at the main chair in the room that sat just before him.

“Tell me of your report Karamat.” Dmitri stiffened at the sound of his true name. It was not a common occurrence for his father to call his name so the sound of it jarred him momentarily. Remembering that an order was given he cleared his throat and started his reiteration of the day.

“Nothing was out of the ordinary Sir.” Looking down Dmitri bit into his tongue to keep from mentioning the girl Eirene, he did not want her to come to harm.

A small sinister chuckle brought shivers down Dmitri’s spine. He could not see it but he could feel the sarcastic smile in the room itself. “Do not lie to me Karamat; you are summoned because something happened. Now tell me.”

Clenching his jaw Dmitri took in a deep breath tensing all of the muscles in his body. “Something about her is different. She is in no way familiar to me.”

There was a short pause, “Explain.”

“She does not smell of any of the blood lines in particular but the smell is similar to all. She is new at first touch, but touch her deeper and you can feel the ancient power.”

“Ancient?”

“Yes. She is stronger than I can grasp but from a touch she is stronger than me… almost strong as you.”

There was an empty silence in the room that made Dmitri look up from his position on the floor. If felt as if his father had left so he stood and observed the room. Looking around he found nothing of his father’s presence so he made his way to the door. Before he could get halfway there he saw the door open. Only momentarily confused he stood and waited before dropping to his knee.

Another soft chuckle sounded as Satanachia walked into the room. Dmitri looked at the pristine shine of his father’s shoes and sharp light bronze on the starched trousers. Satanachia looked down on his spawn with interest for once instead of his normally blatant disinterest. Dmitri was confused and in wonder at the fact that his father had shown himself in flesh when Satanachia spoke.

“Hand, Karamat.” His voice had a touch of amusement and annoyance as he waited for his order to be followed.

Dmitri gnawed the inside of his mouth and slowly extended his hand to his father. Satanachia ran a long sharp nail in the middle of Dmitri’s palm letting blood well for just a moment before he spilt it to the floor. The gray marble seemed to repel the blood for a moment letting it slide and spread along its surface before absorbing it into a crack just a small ways from the two men. The blood disappeared without a trace. Satanachia had an amused look painted in his face. The blood memories were starting to kick in and his smiles spread.

The image of the woman’s face was painted directly on his retina. An exquisite pain making his head lull backwards just a little as a groan was pulled from his throat. He felt the pull of her voice and snapped from the high of the discomfort by a pang of fear. When he felt her skin his dread was forming a lump in his throat, suddenly he was devastatingly parched. His breaths became labored and his vision ended abruptly. He looked down at his son with half wild eyes. That woman, she belongs to… but how is it possible?’
He took a shaky step back. His shoes only making a small sound on the marbled floor as he nearly lost his balance. Shaking his head slowly he smiled sarcastically his eyes swimming with delirium and disbelief. A smile of anger twitched the corners of his mouth up and the depth of his disbelief had made him giddy.

“This must be kept a secret Karamat. Tell no one. Do you understand?” Satanachia stated still a little shell shocked.

“Yes Sir.” Dmitri was shocked by his father’s reaction but understood questioning it was never in his best interest.

“Leave me” Satanachia announced with a wave of his hand as he walked back to the marble thrown. Quickly Dmitri backed to the entryway of the chamber never moving his eyes from the ground exiting quickly.

Never had he seen his father act this way. Not knowing whether to be relieved of frightened for the life of his new fixation he flew back the gates. Never pausing he flew as hard as he could.