Author's Note: A bit short compared to the other chapters, but there's a LOT of information here. I hope I didn't gloss over anything important...if I did, please let me know so I can fix it!
...The council chamber was smaller than he expected, with barely enough room for a circular table and about a dozen chairs. The air was stuffy and warm due to the lack of windows, and thick with the scent of coffee. Five people sat quietly in a half circle, patiently waiting for the Lord Commander to arrive. Rin recognized three of them: Undine, Grim, and the bull from earlier, (what was his name again?)
The other two were new faces. One had short, blonde hair pulled back into a low bun and dull, blue eyes. He had two small horns on his head and a regal, heart-shaped face. The other was, curiously, an incredibly short girl who looked to be no older than ten. Her pitch black hair was arranged into two puffy pigtails and she wore a bored, sulky expression as she sipped her mug.
Each member of the Order had changed into a white uniform—even Grim now wore a large, white robe.
And, each of them turned to look at Rin as the door opened, making him even more uncomfortable than he already was, (if that was even possible at this point.)
"Take a seat," Ammon gestured to the open chair beside Undine. He complied, giving the woman a small smile as he sat down. She smelled strongly of saltwater.
"Thank you all for gathering on such short notice," Ammon began, hands folded behind him. He stood at the head of the table, posture rigid and voice firm. It was as if he had suddenly became a completely different person. Wren stood silently to the side, ready to jump at any commands. "First, I would like to introduce Rin, son of Lord Satan and our new king."
"Pfft—Rin!? Isn't that a girl's name?" The girl with twintails laughed loudly. She had a tinkling, high-pitched voice that made Rin instantly want to strangle her. "Look at him, Ammon! Do you really think someone so pathetic can replace Lord Satan? Hah!" She giggled.
Rin flushed and felt his face heat up with rage. "Hey, I never asked-"
Ammon abruptly silence his retort. "Shut up, Ifrit." Surprisingly, she obeyed and sat back in her chair. "I expect each of you to treat Rin with respect—girl's name or not. You don't have to like him," he eyed the young girl as he said this, "but you must accept him as king.
"Now then," he started to pace the short distance in front of the table. "As a member of the Order of Angels, it is your responsibility to teach Rin the skills he needs to become a successful leader. We are on a race against time, so there will be no failures. If you cannot fulfill your duties to the throne, then I will have you removed from your position and replaced. Do I make myself clear?"
The five members quickly nodded in unison.
"Good." Ammon turned his attention to Rin. "Before you ask your questions, allow me to introduce everyone." He nodded to Undine. "This is Undine, kin to Egyn, king of water. She will teach you basic healing techniques and salve making.
"This is Grim, kin to Astaroth, king of rot. He will guide you in your physical training.
"This is Asterius, kin to Lucifer, king of light. You will study politics and history under him.
"This is Baphomet, kin to Azazel, king of spirit. You will learn proper demon etiquette from him.
"This is Ifrit, kin to Iblis, king of fire. She will teach you to control your flames.
"Your swordmaster, Cain, is not present. He is kin to Beelzebub, king of insects. He will teach you how to wield the weapon of your choice.
"I am Ammon, kin to Amaimon, king of earth. I will oversee your training and teach you how to be a king. As of right now, I hold the title of Lord Commander. This means that, until you become king, I am your superior. If I tell you to do something, you do it. No exceptions. Understand?"
Rin shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."
"You will respond with 'yes sir'."
He rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. "Fine—yes sir."
Ammon sighed stiffly. "We'll have to work on your manners first. Now," he sat and rested his chin in his hand, "ask your questions."
Rin briefly glanced at each member before taking a deep breath. "I want to know why I'm here."
"To be king, duh!" Ifrit glared at him. "The C.O. just said that, like, three times! Are you really that dumb!?"
He easily returned her vicious glare. "I know that!" he snapped through clenched teeth. "I want to know what happened to make you guys kidnap me!"
"Hey, I didn't kidnap you!" Ammon pouted. "You agreed to come with me!"
Ifrit deadpanned and turned to Baphomet. "Yo, is this kid serious?" She sighed and turned back to the prince. "Okay, I'm gonna break this down for you nice and slow, so pay attention. When a man and a woman love each other, they have this magical thing called 'sex'!" Rin narrowed his eyes. "This is how babies are made! Now, you may not know this, but, in Gehenna, babies take on the responsibilities of their parents—the man and woman who had sex—once they die."
"Are you just going to let her talk to me like this!?" Rin asked Ammon, furious.
The Lord Commander shrugged a shoulder lazily, a bored look on his face. "If you don't like what she says, punch her. That should shut her up."
"What!?" Did he just hear that correctly? "You want me to hit a little girl!?"
Rin immediately knew that was the wrong thing to ask. Ifrit's already ferocious expression darkened with an animalistic rage. "I am not a little girl." He could feel an intense, inhumane heat radiating from her.
"O-okay, s-sorry..." Rin sunk lower into his seat.
Ifrit turned away with a childish huff and crossed her arms. "You're so rude!"
"Anyway, Rin," Ammon brought his attention back to him, "I'll answer your question."
He sat up straighter. "Finally!"
"Hmm," he hesitated, tapping a finger against his chin in thought. "Where to start... Well, Gehenna has always been a pretty abysmal place to live. Crops have trouble growing outside Amahara and literally everything tries to kill you for an easy meal. It's not an ideal place to raise children or start a family. But, just like humans, many demons wanted to fall in love and have happy, healthy families of their own.
"It's sad, really... How something so simple could be so dangerous...
"Lord Satan has always wanted to combine our two worlds because of this—he wanted to provide a safe home for his people so they could live their lives without fear of being some monster's lunch. Humans misinterpreted this and thought that meant he wanted to completely control Assiah. In an attempt to smother his influence, they began hunting and killing innocent demons. Lord Satan has tried everything to sway them, but exorcists are notoriously stubborn.
"Sixteen years ago, Lord Satan came up with a new, more daring plan. He would disperse a very small amount of his power to those closest to him in Assiah, (priests, exorcists, cultists—you know the types.) It was only a tiny bit, not enough for the host to even notice. This would allow him to possess a physical being for a longer period of time. He planned to use this opportunity to rally human supporters hoping that the exorcists would be more willing to listen to their kin.
"It was a brilliant idea, and everyone supported it.
"And then...Lord Satan was murdered.
"The powers he had placed in Assiah exploded out of their hosts, killing them in a horrific blaze of blue fire. We weren't aware this had happened until a few months after his passing, so there was no way we could warn them. Exorcists now refer to this event as 'The Blue Night'. It is categorized as an attack by Lord Satan on the people who supposedly hindered his goal of commandeering Assiah. Naturally, the exorcists won't believe that he's dead.
"...Immediately after Lord Satan passed away, Gehenna plummeted into chaos. Thick clouds block out the sun, ash started to fall, rivers became polluted or dried up, plants died... It was...it was really bad. A few of the demon kings fled Gehenna, abandoning their Octants and their people. The Palace District quickly became overpopulated with demons struggling to survive. Murders and riots were commonplace. People stole, killed, broke into storage buildings, did whatever they could to keep themselves alive. We lost almost thirteen percent of our total population within the first month."
"Jesus..." Rin lowered his eyes—he hadn't realized things here had been that bad.
Ammon continued, "What was left of Lord Satan's army tried to bring things back under control, but even the soldiers were fighting amongst each other. They were divided into two main groups: those who believed Lord Satan was murdered by exorcists, and those who believed he was killed by another demon. Obviously, the group who resented humans and exorcists was significantly larger. Back then, it seemed easier to blame humans than to consider one of their own had killed the king.
"Regardless, the army was useless. No one could agree on anything. No one knew what to do.
"One day, a low ranking lieutenant decided he was done waiting for things to change and tried to do something about their dire situation. He gathered his most trustworthy soldiers—his best friends—and, together, they made the exhausting trip to the exorcist's branch in Italy."
"Ammon, you don't have to-" Undine spoke up, concerned, but she was ignored.
"It should have been obvious that humans would never help them after the Blue Night, but they were desperate, and led by a stupid, selfish man. The squad was invited in to the building and executed one by one. At the last second, the officer used his only remaining comrade as a distraction and ran.
"He ran like the coward he was, abandoning the people who trusted him to death.
"When he came back, he told his superiors what happened. Word spread like wildfire, and then," Ammon stopped abruptly, eyes distant, as if he was remembering something unpleasant. No one spoke as he regained his composure. "The next day, the army fled the Palace. All that remained were seven people and a few servants.
"Our people have since calmed down. I'd like to think it's because of all our hard work, but, the truth is, they're tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of starving. Tired of hoping. They're just...waiting to die.
"Then we discovered that Lord Satan had left two illegitimate sons. And, one of them had, somehow, inherited his flames.
"That's it. That's why we sought you out."
Rin started blankly at him, mouth slightly agape. "I..." He struggled to find his voice. "I had no idea..."
Ammon nodded. "It's not something we can easily explain unless you see it for yourself. That's one of the reasons I 'kidnapped'," he used air quotes, "you and brought you here. Keep in mind that what you've seen in the Palace District is only the tip of the iceberg."
Undine placed a comforting hand on Rin's shoulder. "Don't worry, dear," she said softly. "I know it sounds scary, but we'll be with you every step of the way." Beside her, Grim grunted and gave a curt nod.
"Next question, Rin."
He turned back to Ammon, more confident thanks to Undine. "What, specifically, do you want me to do?"
"Pick up where Lord Satan left off."
"You...want me to get you human supporters?"
Ammon nodded once. "You'll also need to rally as many demons as you possibly can—though, with your status, that shouldn't be too difficult."
"...And then what?"
"Then you will help us recruit soldiers and recreate Lord Satan's army. We'll position squads throughout the Infernal City and try to bring the abandoned Octants back under our control. The army will offer security to frightened citizens, distribute food and supplies, and prove that you are in power.
"Once things in Gehenna have been somewhat restored, we will begin construction on 'The Last Destination'.
"The Last Destination is a prototype demon village in Assiah that you will oversee. We already have a spot picked out away from any nosy humans and builders waiting to get to work. All that we need is for you to pick out volunteers and give the command. These demons will be under the constant threat of death, so I won't let you give the okay until I know you're ready.
"If all goes as planned—the village is a success and you have enough human supporters to get the Vatican's attention—then we will reach out to the exorcists and attempt to create a pact. This might work flawlessly...or it might be a terrible mistake—be prepared for the worst. Until then, you will probably be fending off quite a few exorcists."
Rin paused, absorbing all the information that was thrown at him. "So...all I have to do is convince people to help us and protect them?"
"For the most part, yes. Not so hard, right? But, Rin, you must promise me one thing." He raised his head, unnerved by Ammon's hard stare. "You will not kill anyone. I don't care who they are or what they've done—you will not become a murderer."
That small request relieved some of the tension building in his chest—Rin was never comfortable hurting people to begin with. "No killing... Got it."
Ammon smiled slightly. "You're taking this rather well for someone who doesn't' want to be king."
Rin flushed, suddenly remembering all the things he had said the day before. "Y-yeah... So, uhh... Speaking of which, what's going to happen after I go home?"
"If you decide that you don't want to help us, then I will give the position of Lord Commander to Toor."
Ifrit nearly jumped out of her seat. "What!?"
"A-Ammon!" Wren stepped forward, fidgeting nervously. "Y-you never mentioned that!" He immediately lowered his gaze when the Lord Commander glanced at him. "I-I mean, s-sir..."
"If I cannot convince Rin to take the throne, then I am not fit to be a leader. I will accept failure and give my title to someone who has the influence to help our people. End of discussion."
Rin stood abruptly, knocking his chair back. "B-but! He-he'll start a war and try to conquer Assiah!"
"I'm sorry," he spoke with almost no emotion. "None of these things can be done without someone like you to take the crown. Hopefully this will help you understand how desperately we need you."
He slumped into his chair, stunned speechless with stupefied disbelief, his vision slightly blurred by hot tears. If he didn't become Gehenna's new king, if he didn't throw away everything that made him human, then everyone he ever knew or loved would die. He sniffled angrily.
"I know you don't want to be in this position, Rin. Trust me, I know better than anyone here." Rin looked at Ammon, blinking back his tears before they fell. "I hate this job. I hate my responsibilities. If I could, I would just give up and go home. But I can't. Because then there would be no one left to protect Gehenna's people. Sometimes we have to sacrifice ourselves for the ones we care about. It's terrifying, it's frustrating, and sometimes it feels like you just can't go on... But, if you don't step up, then no one will.
"I can at least emphasize what Undine said and promise you one, small thing, Rin." Ammon tried to smile. "You will never be alone here."