Rule 9: I will not include a self-destruct mechanism unless absolutely necessary. If it is necessary, it will not be a large red button labelled "Danger: Do Not Push". The big red button marked "Do Not Push" will instead trigger a spray of bullets on anyone stupid enough to disregard it. Similarly, the ON/OFF switch will not clearly be labelled as such.
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Rule 9
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The Demon King's Castle stood proud, firmly having rooted itself in the middle of the Central Continent. Despite humanity's bests attempts at cleansing the infernal citadel, the building persisted, pulsing a faint a purple glow against the starry night sky.
The Castle's menacing aura somewhat subsided as a figure, as bright as a star with two brilliant albatross-sized wings, descended to its ruined gate. The glorious white wings retracted as the figure softly landed on the discolored marble. Light seeped into the floor, returning the marble to its former glory, grass daring to grow through the cracks for the first time in centuries.
Gabriel surveyed the landscape and felt a pout form. This used to be a wonderful castle, filled with decorative statues of winged guardians, a reminder of Heaven's providence.
The difference was made all the more prominent as Gabriel wandered through the hallways, past the decaying remains of humans and demons alike. His figure pulsed with an angelic glow, chasing away the darkness and providing a faint light against the Castle's oppressive abyss.
Eventually Gabriel reached a room with an absurdly tall ceiling, one of the walls being made up of stone selves as far up as the eye could see.
A Library. Or at least the pillaged corpse of one, with torn pages littering the floor, volumes upon volumes of encyclopedias, literature, essays having lost their former glory, laying discarded and, in some cases burned.
Gabriel's wings unfurled and he scanned the topmost selves of the library, the higher ones having been left mostly untouched by the destruction.
There, hidden among a heavy and dusty Grimoire, lay a neatly bound stack of handwritten papers. Gabriel tossed away the Grimoire to reveal the contents below. On the top-most paper, made up of a thicker, cover-like material, lay two words in messy handwriting.
'Research Notes'
Gabriel smiled, and his hand reached out for the papers.
His hand passed right through the paper and the object gave a flicker before disappearing entirely.
A large hammer materialized out of nowhere and hit him square in the jaw.
Gabriel flew through the room, then through several rooms, until his fall was broken by a small collection of plants. Desert plants, specifically. Cacti, if Gabriel remembered correctly. It was not the first time something like this had happened in Gabriel's very long existence. And every single time the one responsible had been…
"Lailah, you little-!"
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