chapter forty-three

Revelation II

“What do you mean I can’t tell her?!” Xiumin yelled at his friend, “She’s been tested without even knowing!”

“I know. I know.” Chen tried to calm him down. He passed his fingers through his hair due to frustration. “It’s one of the new rules. We can’t tell Alice the test already begun because they are going to be watching her from the shadows,” he scoffed, “the others said it was a good idea to watch the apprentices moves if they weren’t aware of our presence”

Xiumin hands formed fits. Soon his arms muscles showed due to the strong way he was pressing his fingers and emanated an intimidating and a bit of sinister aura. All due to madness.

Chen finally got in contact with him and the news he revealed weren’t pleasant at all. The first told him The Council members decided a new way to test the apprentices. It was a new way they created. The majority was in favor to it. Two out of three were in favor. The only one who opposed was Chen.

And he thought it was unfair for the apprentices. Even if they were just three demons it was unbalanced, but at the same it was. Because they will always get an agreement. With an impair number all the issues could be settle. The members had to be ok with the results. They couldn’t oppose if the majority was in favor of the final decision. The person who wasn’t pleased had to maintain in silence and see go things go.

“You are part of The Council, but I’m not. I can freely tell her,” Xiumin insisted.

“No you can´t. If you tell Alice, not only she’d be exposed and she’d fail, but also you and I would be in troubles.”

Xiumin growled in madness.

“She needs to find out by herself,” Chen hoped.

“What if she doesn’t?”

But Chen didn’t answer it, but thought on the answer. Xiumin didn’t need an answer to realize what can happen to her. Both knew the repercussions and hope the best for the girl.

And both knew telling Alice’s tutor about her situation won’t help either. Azazel was just a support for her learning and he had the duty to tell her what’s wrong, right and news about Hell. But he didn’t notify her what was happening for about three months already. Also her mentor saw her as a rebel, hostile apprentice and that vision wasn’t pleasant for him. Alice was supposed to obey him and share her experiences in Earth, which she haven’t done and won’t do ever.

It was like both didn’t acknowledge each other. They just gave each other the space and privacy they needed, but Azazel won’t put his hand on fire for his apprentice and neither Alice will sacrifice herself for her tutor. She won’t because she doesn’t feel comfortable with him (never she did) and also because she doesn’t trust him. She preferred things like that, hidden from him.

And because of her mentor attitude, his selfishness, he won´t be willing to give her a hand. Not now and neither in the near future. Azazel was ok just by watching her and not letting her commit a mistake.

But he didn’t notice Alice already committed a big mistake. She was friend with an angel apprentice and most of all…she was dating a person she wasn’t supposed to. Even if she was still human, in her other half kind she was still a demon. Azazel wasn’t aware of this because he didn’t pay attention to his student acts or whereabouts. He didn’t care if she succeeds in becoming a demon.

And in the case of Xiumin and Chen, it was the total opposite. They tried to hide her, to protect her. But all they could do was to disguise her as an apprentice. The Council already knew about her existence. And Chen was given the duty to bring her back to Hell.

The demon started watching her, following her. And during that time he knew she was just a normal girl, a sincere girl who knew nothing about her origins. He felt wrong of telling her the truth.

He didn’t want to crash her dreams. But he had to.

But there was something they haven’t told Alice. And it was related to her father.

His father was a demon. He was friends with Xiumin and Chen. And he was an apprentice’s tutor. He met Alice’s mother during his stay in Earth, because during those times the teachers were supposed to accompany their pupils during their learning.

And the moment he got to know her, he felt for her. He was hypnotized by her kindness and clumsiness. He loved her persistence and strong personality. And that love leaded him to question if he was supposed to feel that way.  He was a demon. He wasn’t supposed to have those kinds of emotions for a human. It was prohibited!

But he couldn’t stop his heart. He counted the hours, minutes and seconds left to see her again. He felt alive, happy and drowned in such a mixture of feelings he never felt before. No one had made his heart so vulnerable and warm. During his hundreds of years of being a demon, he never thought of the possibility of loving a simple human.

When he knew she was pregnant, he swore to protect both, she and the baby. He swore he wouldn’t let demons corrupt the baby.

But the other demons noticed his weird and unusual behavior. He changed. He wasn’t as cold, severe and emotionless as before.

He was one of the most know demons. One of the most powerful and admired. But his personality changed because of love; something he was expecting to feel.

The Council also noticed is mysterious behavior and decided to investigate.

Chen already knew what was happening to him, but remained silent for both’s sake. Yet he couldn’t do anything to stop the investigation. Chen followed The Council decisions obediently. He was part of that group and he couldn’t give any suspicions.

 As the three members followed him around they find out. They find out what he was hiding. They find out about his sudden change of mind and behavior. All because he felt for a human girl. And what made the other two members furious was the fact he was in love for a normal and simple human. Such a powerful and honored demon in love of a human? Bull.

That love was impossible. It was against the rules.

But those two members didn’t know that love gave life to another living person.

And because of his carelessness he was punished.

Chen told Xiumin all what happened. And both promised him to protect the females, Alice’s mother and Alice, who was a baby when that occurred.

And the most hurtful thing was revealing Alice’s mother about The Council decision. What could they do about a well-know demon? What could happen to him due to his remissness?

They maintained his acts hidden from the other demons.

But he suffered. The Council decided to make him suffer because of his decisions. Even if he was aware of the consequences, he continued. He didn’t stop his growing feelings of love. And he didn’t regret those. Never did he.

The punishment was agonized in loneliness. His vital-energy was taken little by little, day by day, making him undergo in such a pain he couldn’t bear with. And his presence was hidden in the shadows. He wasn’t able to see his family. His body was invisible for them as well as his presence. The only one who could see him was Chen, because he was part of The Council, the only ones who were able to watch his wretchedness.  And the latter saw all the pain, anguish and misery he went through until he disappeared.

Chen told Xiumin all what happened. All the details and pain Alice’s father went thought was mentioned in a conversation. And Xiumin felt sick just by hearing. All the pain was hard to endure, he knew. But he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Demons are such a cruel and unmerciful creatures, aren’t they?

But of course, there are exceptions. There’s needed to be a small balance. By the existence of such like Chen or Xiumin, Hell, Heaven and Earth balance was perfect.

That day, both demons, Chen and Xiumin, promised to protect Alice, because she can suffer the same future of his father if she fail.

But her steps where leading her to the same destiny: failure.