It was official—they were married!
No, not Azazel and Emma.
Lucifer and Emilia had just sealed their wedding vows with a kiss! A kiss that lingered on long past its welcome.
Azazel thought it was absurd that the Lord of Hell would want to register his marriage and have a wedding in the human world.
Lucifer and Emilia's wedding wasn't even a glorious ceremony; it was attended by oddballs from Britannica, the tribal cat people, and various creatures from Hell.
Lucifer had taken it upon himself to summon various Hell Shades, which groaned endlessly, walking on varying paths.
One building caught fire from the dozens of Hell Shades walking without purpose.
The Hell Scholar building caught fire. It was a little ironic.
Luke had been authoring a new manuscript entitled "The Charms of Our Savior, Lucifer." The writings were to be the gospel for those who would join the ranks of the Hell Scholars. The manuscript literally contained the direct word from their Lord, Lucifer. Luke figured he would become a prophet once he completed the manuscript.
When Luke was nearly finished with his manuscript, he noticed the scent of burning wood. He grabbed the precious manuscript, tucking it under his arm, and hurriedly ran from the building.
Emma worked tirelessly, through the ceremony, to put out the fire the Hell Shade's had created. With the use of a water-elemental spell conjured from the nearby lake, she single-handedly put out the fire.
It was in that moment that Luke realized Emma was the daughter Emilia had spoken about. She would be added to his "Specimens to Research" list.
Claps were heard after the fire was put out. Emma bowed. She had displayed her abilities as a mage, having studied for years under a grand wizard. It was the one thing Emma was cocky about. As a half-demon, she had inherent ability, but her relentless training made her into a spell-casting machine.
Unfortunately, Emma rarely had a need to use magic, so most were unaware of her abilities.
Azazel vowed to meet the wizard Emma had trained under. One way or another, he would force the wizard to join his kingdom.
Emma pointed at the ground. A mischievous smile spread across her face. "Line up here for autographs."
Lucifer decided he would officially become a citizen of Britannica after the wedding. He stated he would work remotely, even though the logistics of remote work weren't clear.
Lucifer let it be known himself, and Emilia would be moving into the palace once the renovations were complete. It was enough for Lucifer to become cozy in the mortal realm, let alone live under the same roof as Azazel.
Azazel didn't have time to object to the decision, as Granny was standing nearby to give them her seal of approval.
Azazel watched as the post-wedding party began. It was late at night, and he tasked himself with lighting the campfire. Unlike the previous one he lit, he was able to instantly ignite it with magical flames.
I am getting better at using magic. It was a small victory. He still had a long road ahead of him to even match Emma's ability to wield magic. I need to train with that wizard.
A few of Felix's and Oliver's friends danced around the campfire. It was a way to summon good luck and fortune from the almighty Nekomata, which was the feline deity they worshipped. The tale of hers had been spread across generations. It was said she lived on top of a mountain and worked tirelessly to kill humans.
I wonder how many corpses are on the mountain where Nekomata is said to live.
As Azazel heard about more gods and demons on Terra, he began to believe the tales on Earth really did have some layers of truth to them.
Emma snuck up behind Azazel. She placed her hand in his. Her hand was decorated with the engagement moonstone.
"I guess it's a good thing if my mother is happy." Emilia pondered, leaning closer to the demon.
"I suppose so."
"Did you see my awesome magic?" Emma asked, her eyes flickering with excitement.
"Indeed, I did," Azazel grinned. "My kitten is most impressive."
Emma smiled. She was happy Azazel witnessed her put out the fire. "I need to write Blumbledore a letter to thank him."
Azazel's eyes lit up. "Is Blumbledore the wizard?"
Emma nodded. "Yes. He travels most of the time, but he has a house in Azuche, the enchanted city."
Azazel raises his brow. "The enchanted city? The city is...enchanted."
"No." Emma laughed softly. "The name comes from the great number of magic users in the city. It's not literally enchanted."
"Don't worry about writing a letter," Azazel hummed.
"Why not?" Emma asked in confusion.
"We shall travel to Azuche," Azazel grinned. "You can thank him in person."
They watched as the zombie orcs brought out a keg of orc ale. Before they could even set the keg down, Emilia had run up next to them, attempting to break into the keg. She wanted the sweet taste of revolting zombie booze.
Too bad Alcoholics Anonymous isn't a thing here.
The orcs really did set up a small shop. They had a business selling their ale. Britannica still wasn't getting much foot traffic, but a few men from the nearby cat village would stop by periodically to purchase the ale.
Periodically, traveling merchants would show up to barter goods, but they never seemed interested in the unique brew the orcs had.
Emilia stood with a mug of ale in hand, flirting with her new husband. The two of them were all over each other when their wedding was crashed by a very rude individual.
Without warning, a flash of blinding white light manifested in the sky. It was a light that illuminated everything in a magnificent holy bask of rays.
Azazel sighed. He just knew something strange was about to happen. Something strange always happened.
Zeus looked. He pointed at the light. "Look, it's a thunderstorm."
Lucifer frowned. He knew the origin of the light. "It's not a thunderstorm."
Emma looked up, clasping her hands against her chest. "The light is so pretty."
Azazel shielded his eyes and looked up. The light was approaching rapidly. The light was nearly blinding him. He placed his hand over his brow, shielding his eyes from the light.
I should have been reincarnated with a pair of sunglasses.
Before long, a man who was the splitting image of Lucifer appeared before them.
The man wore a pristine gold robe and had two white, feathered wings. The wings had a magnificent span, about five feet wide on both sides.
A single feather dropped from his right wing. It swayed as it fell to the ground.
One of the zombie orcs ran up and ate it.
That can't be good for the poop shoot. Wait. Do my zombie creations poop? I've never seen one poop. Surely they poop? They have to poop!
Lucifer had a hint of annoyance spread across his face. When he turned around, he glared at the man who had manifested from the light. "What are you doing here, Michael?"
The two men approached each other. Lucifer felt a tinge of disgust rise up into his throat.
"How dare you, Lucifer!" The man, apparently named Michael, belted out in a roaring voice. "You didn't even invite your dear twin brother to your wedding!"
Michael had several tears running down his face. He began to cry.
He ugly-cried. His crying was in full force.
Azazel was dumbfounded by the scene unfolding before him. I think I've seen everything now.
"You know I can't very well travel up to heaven," Lucifer poked his brother on the shoulder. "I was banished from that place, but I did send a Hell Shade up to give an invite to Yahweh."
With his crying in full force, Michael ran forward, hugging Lucifer. "The Hell Shade burned before it even reached the Pearly White Gates!"
Tears fell on Lucifer's shoulder, running like waterfalls from the angel's eyes. Lucifer looked disgusted as he gently patted his brother's back. He diverted his gaze, so he didn't witness the snot dripping from the angel's nose.
Emilia slinked up to the scene. She had a look of amusement on her face. "Two desirable men with the same face. Double the pleasure, double the fun!"
Isn't that from an old commercial on Earth?
Lucifer looked at Emilia. "Now is not the time, darling. Plus, he would never agree to it. He's an Archangel, after all, not to mention my brother."
Michael let go of his grip on Lucifer. He brushed the sleeve of his robe under his nose in one dramatic motion. He looked up at Lucifer with tear-filled eyes. He mumbled something to his brother, but Azazel couldn't make out what he said.
"Calm down!' Lucider commanded.
"I can't calm down." Michael sniffed through his stuffy nose. "Not when I have no love!"
"You have more than enough love from Yahweh," Lucifer stated sarcastically.
"That is not the same as love from my family," Michael retorted.
Lucifer sighed. "I love you, Michael."
"That's a lie!" Michael sobbed.
"Well, I am a demon."
"I KNEW IT. YOU LIED."
"Of course. I lied."
"YOU DIRTY LIAR."
"That's me."
Emilia stood in front of the two as they continued to repeat the same thing to one another repeatedly. They had endless stamina and retorts. She attempted to diffuse the situation, but was unsuccessful.
Zeus approached Azazel and Emma while giving the two brothers a dirty look. "Guys, let's ditch this wedding. They're causing a scene."
Azazel shrugged. "Fine by me."
Zeus led Azazel and Emma to the west, out of sight of the commotion in the village. He sat on the grassy ground, taking sips out of his mug full of orc ale. "What do you think of that archangel guy?"
"He seems nice!" Emma hummed lightly.
"Sure thing, kid," Zeus stated with a sarcastic tone.
"We seem to be attracting quite an interesting crowd to Britannica," Azazel stated, looking over his shoulder toward the village.
Emma clapped her hands together once. "It keeps things interesting."
Azazel rolled his eyes at the statement, but who was he to judge? He was part of said "interesting" crowd.
Azazel narrowed his eyes, focusing on the location in front of him. He thought he had heard a faint cry for help in the distance.
He stepped forward, turning his head to look at Zeus and Emma. "I hear something up ahead. You two return to the village."
Zeus frowned as he stood up, his gait somewhat unsteady because of the alcohol he had consumed. "It might be dangerous. We should go together."
Azazel shook his head. "No, I will be fine. I'm a demon, after all. It's not like it would taste particularly delicious. Nothing is going to eat me, at least."
Emma frowned and took hold of Azazel's hand. She looked at him. A worried look was spread across her face. "What if I go with you? I am able to cast magic."
"No." Azazel frowned. "Make sure Zaus doesn't fall in a ditch. He's drunk."
He cautiously walked forward. The sound slowly became louder with each step he took. He kept his eyes fixed forward, as he believed it to be the direction the noises were coming from.
His nose picked up a scent. Blood.
The scent became stronger as he walked. It wasn't like the blood he had smelled before. It was similar to human blood, but with a strange undertone. This scent is curious. Not as revolting as orc blood, but far from what I'd enjoy indulging in.
Azazel began to see small spots of blood on the ground beneath his feet. He noticed the blood was dark in color and nearly dried.
As he went forward, the splatters littered the ground more frequently. The previous dried-out blood started to appear fresh. The direction it came from also changed.
He followed the trail of blood splatters, curious to see where it was leading.
The scent had become stronger, as if the source of the blood was nearby. He looked in all directions. He finally noticed a faint movement to the north.
Slowly, he approached the source of the movement.
A body writhing on the ground came into view.