Chapter One: Damned
I have been in the Ever after for three hundred and fifty years and I am still waiting for Ivy or somebody to set me free. I mean we had a deal I deal with Ku'Sox and I can go home to Ivy in our church but no they said "I'm sorry but we can't let you free again, look what destruction this day walking demon wrought who's to say you won't do the same we can't risk it, I'm sorry." Before being chucked back Ivy promised she'd let me out and I'm still here. Maybe, she's moved on? Maybe she doesn't want me anymore or she forgot about me.
After spending all these years here I have changed, I became more demonic, and I've had to lose all of my morals to survive. I learned to kill fast and slow, quickly and clean with precision. I learned the art of torture which I took to it like a duck to water and took great pleasure in it. I became a sadist in every sense of the word, to the point where watching torture is akin to voyeurism and to torture others is orgasmic, but to be tortured I am still not okay with at all but I learned to deal with it. I learned the arts of thievery, lies and deception, as well as blackmail I lost all that was once me and I loved it. I also trained in making deals and loopholes, ley lines, curses, and weapon crafting. During my hundred and fifty-seventh birthday I crafted my first sword named Soul Drinker, a beautiful Katana with a jade and ruby jeweled hilt designed to look like a damned soul screaming a onyx blade cursed to reap souls from the enemy on the other end of the sword and trap their souls in the sword I mastered combat in all its forms and mastered how to use just about every weapon I could get my hands on be it sword, knife, gun, bow and arrow, spear or chakra. I learned about demons and where we come from, our laws, politics and culture, Elves, Elven law, politics and culture as well as every language known. I trained my ass off to learn and become a better demon to the point where I am as powerful as Newt the only other demoness there is only I am sane, or at least I think I am.
I had long since learned how to save Ivy's soul, in fact as long as I live her soul is safe and when she dies she will still have her soul whether I am here or with her as long as I live she has a soul. I had been in this realm so long I forgot much of my life from before, even my own name so I christened myself a new name as Hel the Keeper of souls, Angel of Death, Lady Death, Belle Morte', and Reaper of the Ever After. Two hundred years after completing my training I began fighting my ass off fielding constant demons trying to kill me due to a bounty on my head after an honor duel with Asmodeus the demon of Lust after he tried to force himself on me after one too many no's. Apparently killing a high level demon grants me their territory and familiars. So after that I had to defend myself from a bounty and territory poachers.
Two hundred and fifty years of battles and victory and I got cocky, getting me knocked out and kidnapped where I have been chained to an iron and sulfur enforced rock in some sort of cave or graveyard and with various demons being tortured and raped repeatedly for one hundred years, and I'm still here waiting to be free. I awoke to my favorite demon (note the sarcasm) Derisor a shape shifting trickster demon of deceit and mockery as Ivy as per usual but this time instead of simply taunting me with his usual spiel "why do you keep hurting me?" Or "Why should I rescue you when you can no longer hurt me?" Or his favorite her dying telling me it's my fault. Instead he shot me with an iron arrow tipped in sulfuric acid. Screaming would only entice more pain as I had long ago learned to keep quite but try as I might I couldn't keep from whimpering in pain at the sudden surprise of pain. Iron and sulfur are a demons biggest weakness having one of the two simply burns and weakens our powers but both burns like the river of fire ten times over and weakens not only our strength and powers but our will to live as well. Having been tied to an iron and sulfur rock for a hundred years has been bad enough but adding the arrow with that shit in my blood stream and I'll be begging for death. Sadly we are all immortal in the ever after so I will forever live in agony unless I return to the surface world than I am in deep shit.
When I recovered I see Ivy or should I say I saw Derisor (it has been getting so hard to tell what is real anymore) holding a crossbow to my heart with a smug look on her face half serious half uneasy. As if unsure to end my life or not, "Where is it?! Where is the Book Hel?!" The way he commanded me sent a thrill of excitement in me as if this was some sort of game, which it was but he sounded so much like Ivy that when she/he said my name like that it turned me on. (Yeah over the years I became a sadist to the extreme did I mention that?) I didn't answer as usual this isn't the first time he tried to get information on where I hid the Book of Hel, which is a Grimoire of sorts that holds the key to my power over the souls of the dead, and a list of the damned.
As the keeper of souls that book holds records of all souls, vampire, werewolf, demon, elves, witches, humans, etc. It also has to power to control, release or punish the souls in the book. As the Angel of Death the book also lists those destined to die and once they die sends their souls into the book. I told people the book was hidden but in reality I am the book, (i.e. my mind) but if people thought it was an actual book then they won't try to kill me permanently because if they do the 'book' is destroyed as well. So the longer I don't answer him the longer I live. I snorted at that thought yeah as if this is living. As if she knew what I was doing she smiled an eerie sort of smile that should be a sin enough to look at other than find endearing. "So dear heart, are you sure you don't want to tell me? Or should I convince you?" She asked saucily and began sexily stalking towards me swaying her hips as she went, I was so busy staring lustfully at her hips I jumped when with vampire speed she struck as quick as a serpent she sank her fangs into my scars with a savageness that hurt like hell and appealed to my sadistic side. Pulling my essence and blood she drank her fill making me weaker and through my pain induced haze I realize she was turning me into her shadow. Before I lost conciseness I saw flash of light and saw a familiar face, a man with golden hair, about 6'4 with violet eyes and a kind face.
Ivy was ripped off of me taking a piece of my flesh with her, crying out in pain, I tried to stay still but my head dropped forward on its own accord bringing a fresh wave of pain to my new wounds. From far away I heard that man who sounded so familiar, call out "Rachel!" Rachel? Who is this Rachel that sounds familiar? Wait Rachel is me! That was my name before I forgot and became Hel. But it doesn't sound like me anymore, I don't like it I tried to tell this man but I could only muster a weak "H-H-Hel...n-name-is- H-Hel," before I was free from the chains and fell. The man caught me as I collapsed. "It's okay. I've got you." A hand touched my forehead, and its coolness was soothing. Those were the last words I heard before the world turned from gray to black.
