Chapter 136: I will leave with Luceriel
Azriel
A whisper of ice ran down my spine at the sound of that name. Pazuzu.
Centuries ago, after the fall of the Primordial Demon King Draca, the demon realm had been shattered by the heavenly armies of Elysium.
While countless high demons were dragged away in chains, those who survived sealed themselves off from the rest of the world. It was Pazuzu who had forged that ancient boundary array to seal the entire realm away, sinking into a deep, uninterrupted slumber the very second the barrier was set.
And there he had remained, undisturbed for hundreds of years—until now.
"So you are saying that Azriel’s core awakening is what triggered Pazuzu’s seal to break?" Raizel asked, the gold of his fan catching the light as he tilted his head.
Luceriel offered a grim nod. "It was the catalyst. Pazuzu’s slumber is ending, and that is precisely why we cannot delay Seraphel’s cultivation a second longer. Pazuzu is far more ruthless than even his father ever was. None of us here have faced him directly, but if this war breaks out, taking down Draca’s bloodline alone will be impossible. We need the human’s divine power."
"Over my dead body," I snapped, shaking my head fiercely. "I will not let Seraphel be taken away to cultivate just to be used as your shield against Pazuzu or Elysium. We only just completed our bonding ceremony! To send him off to Verolona now..."
"Are you in love with the mortal, brother?" Luceriel interrupted, his dark eyes narrowing with sheer disdain.
I shifted uncomfortably against the heavy stone chair, wriggling slightly within the suffocating grip of the restriction rope Taizel had bound me in. Then, taking a slow breath, I looked Luceriel dead in the eye and nodded. "Yes. I love Seraphel. Is it so absurd for me to care for my own mate?"
"Impossible!" Raizel burst out, practically leaping from his seat with a loud, theatrical laugh. "Are you out of your mind?!"
Before I could answer, Raizel darted across the floor, leaning over me to pry my eyelids open, checking my pupils, before forcefully pressing his ear against my chest to listen to my heartbeat.
Satisfied, he let out a long, dramatic sigh and stepped back. "Well, his pulse is normal, so he isn’t possessed! The Sin of Lust... actually fallen in love? I must be dreaming!"
Lumiel let out a low, rough chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief. "Never in my immortal life did I think I’d see the day. Anyone else, sure, but for someone who used to fuck every single hole in sight just to satisfy his urges, you’ll forgive us if we find it hard to swallow."
"I believe him," Taizel spoke up softly, his voice grounding the chaotic room as he looked straight at me. "I have seen the way he looks at the human. Why else would he willingly absorb Mirevale’s death curse into his own core? Why fight his way through Odomos or draw his blade against his own brothers? You all choose to ignore the signs, but his devotion has been obvious for a long time."
Warmth spread through my chest at Taizel’s words.
Finally, someone in this family wasn’t blind. Someone actually understood how deeply I cared for Seraphel, and why the thought of being separated from him felt like having my heart torn out.
"Is this truly love, or merely your obsession with the child he carries?" Luceriel pressed, his voice sharp with skepticism. "Do not let fleeting affection cloud your judgment for the war ahead. It could easily be a simple infatuation."
I gritted my teeth, opening my mouth to lash out, but Sariel cut in before I could speak.
"He isn’t lying," Sariel drawled lazily, his divine eyes piercing through my aura. "My sight sees through all deception. Every word he spoke is true—our lustful brother really has fallen head over heels for the mortal."
A long, heavy breath escaped my lungs, relief washing over me as even Envy vouched for my heart.
Silence settled over the grand council hall until Anomas finally broke it. "Regardless of his feelings, Seraphel must cultivate. There is a reason Castiel’s light chose him, and if he refuses to refine it..." He paused, casting a look toward his brother Thamiel.
Thamiel cleared his throat, stepping forward with a serious expression. "The residual energy of Castiel’s divine light is already overflowing within his meridians. Without proper cultivation training to balance it, the raw power will shatter his mortal core—and put both him and the child at immense risk. His body simply cannot handle that level of divinity without proper foundation."
Panic clawed at my throat. Leave him in Katula? Let him go off to another domain without me? I couldn’t do it.
"I won’t—"
The grand heavy doors of the council chamber suddenly swung open.
The sharp scent of blooming white lotus swept into the room, instantly silencing every Sin.
My head snapped toward the entrance, and my eyes widened in a sudden flush of possessive fury as I saw Seraphel walking in, his arm resting over Malachi’s shoulder for support.
A wave of bitter jealousy exploded in my chest. "Taizel!" I growled out, the demonic energy in my voice vibrating through the floorboards.
"Right, right," Taizel muttered, snapping his fingers casually. The glowing black restriction ropes around Lumiel and me vanished into thin air.
I didn’t wait for my brothers to utter another word. In a single blur of motion, I crossed the hall, appearing directly in front of them.
"Get your hands off him," I commanded, my voice dripping with cold, possessive jealousy as I shoved Malachi back.
Before Seraphel could stumble, I wrapped my arms securely around his waist, lifting his light frame off the stone floor and pulling him flush against my chest. "Seraphel... what on earth are you doing out of bed? You are supposed to be resting!"
Seraphel looked up into my eyes, his pale lips parting as he blurted out, "I’m going with Luceriel."
He didn’t break eye contact as he repeated the words. "I will go to Verolona with Luceriel."