The angel, with patience and tenderness, explained what those things meant to her. She spoke of family as a refuge of love, unity, and mutual support. She described the joy of caring for someone else, of sharing life with those you love. As he listened, the demon began to grasp the words, but not the emotions behind them. He didn't understand how those feelings could bring so much happiness.
However, in that moment, something changed within him. Even though he didn't fully comprehend what the angel was describing, he began to feel a spark of curiosity, a small opening towards a world of emotions and connections he had never experienced before. And although he still didn't know how to handle it, something inside him was beginning to awaken.
She was determined to stay with him, to follow in his footsteps and accompany him, no matter the circumstances or danger. The demon, used to solitude and constant struggle, couldn't understand why the angel insisted on being by his side. Over time, tired of her company, he finally asked:
"Why do you follow me?"
The angel, with an intense gaze and full of conviction, replied, "Because… I love you."
Those words deeply unsettled the demon. "Love" was an idea that had no place in his world, something entirely foreign to his nature. Unable to understand that feeling, he rejected her gaze with disgust and continued on his way, ignoring what he had just heard.
Days later, while following the forest path, the demon encountered a group of other demons. Upon seeing the angel, these demons, true to their instinct for violence and hunger, attempted to attack her, eager to devour and tear her apart. But before that could happen...
Before they could harm her, the demon, in a burst of fury, killed them one by one, defending her with fierce violence. The woman watched in astonishment as the demon's eyes, once black, turned red as he protected her. A violent scarlet fire, once dark, now surrounded his irises.
Tearing, smashing, striking, piercing, biting, breaking, crushing, destroying... Flesh, skin, muscles, organs, bones. Every tissue that belonged to those malevolent beings of his kind was torn apart.
The battle left a desolate and disturbing landscape. Blood and body parts were scattered everywhere on the grass, painted red. The demon was bathed in blood, and the splatter left the woman dressed in a red color that gleamed with the reflection of the light.
When the battle ended, he was gravely wounded, but he did not allow any of them to approach the woman.
When it was all over, the angel, covered in the blood of the slain demons, approached Lucifer and softly asked, "Why did you do that? Do you love me?"
Lucifer, breathing heavily and bleeding profusely, looked at her harshly. "No," he coldly replied, "I don't love you. You are mine. I won't let other fools devour you."
His greed was drawn to the woman.
The demon, weakened by his wounds, tried to keep walking, but soon collapsed from blood loss. The angel held him in her arms, her expression calm yet concerned, staying by his side to care for him. Though she didn't understand it, she felt a deep connection to him, a need to protect him despite his roughness and aggression.
The next day, when Lucifer woke, he still felt weak and in pain. However, his proud nature drove him to try to get up immediately, wanting to distance himself from the angel as quickly as possible. "You shouldn't move," the angel gently warned him. "If you do, your wounds will worsen."
As expected, the demon ignored her words, stubborn and defiant. But as the days went by, his efforts to move led him to succumb to a fever and illness caused by his wounds. Unable to take care of himself, Lucifer was forced to accept the angel's presence.
His pride was drawn to the woman.
During that time, the angel devoted herself to caring for him with affection and patience. Despite his initial hostility, she tended to him day and night, bringing him fresh water and food, healing his wounds with care. Each gesture was filled with a kindness the demon had never known, a compassion that bewildered him and made him feel uncomfortable.
As the days passed, the demon began to recover, though he still couldn't understand why the angel was so devoted to him. His body was healing, but his mind remained trapped in confusion. Why would someone stay to care for such a cold and cruel being as himself? The demon had learned to survive on his own, to distrust everyone, but this woman, with her kindness and purity, planted doubts in his hardened heart.
Over time, the demon fully recovered, but something within him had changed. Though he would never admit it, a small part of his being began to question his own nature. And though he didn't understand the angel's feelings, he couldn't help but feel a strange and unsettling curiosity about her.
The demon looked at the woman in confusion and asked, "Why do you always look so happy?" The angel's response was simple but profound: "Every time I see your scars, I remember the day you protected me. That makes me happy."
That answer unsettled him even more. How could she find joy in the memory of a wound? For him, protection had never been more than an act of possession, of selfishness. Yet something in the angel's words made him reflect, awakening in his mind a troubling question: Why was this woman capable of doing something for another without expecting anything in return? While everything he did was for his own benefit.
It was then that the demon began to see in the darkness—not the physical darkness that had always surrounded him, but the darkness in his own heart.