The first kiss is something maidens occasionally fantasize about. Alice remembers other young women her age dreaming of their first kiss and who would be the object of their affection. It wasn't a topic that interested her much, but it didn't mean she was excluded from those conversations.
At that moment, she recalled a conversation in which one of the young women finally achieved her goal. Clara described it as soft and warm, as if your lips were caressed by the sweetest breezes and your heart stopped for a second, a second where there would be nothing else.
That first kiss and this first kiss, in Alice's imagination, differ greatly. Instead of the warmth of a bonfire, it felt like being intimately caressed by the sun, though it didn't burn. Instead of a gentle breeze, it was like being kissed by every drop of water in the rain. Instead of a pause shorter than a sigh, it was like having all your worries far away, far beyond your reach. In this kiss, not only Alice's body and heart were involved, but it was also like having her soul touched by the most seductive and tempting of caresses, being drawn from the depths of her being to all her desires, which had just awakened with that kiss.
There was something more behind that kiss; it wasn't done with the pure intention that kisses are usually given. It wasn't an act of passion or affection; it was an act plagued by the purest desperation and a subtle touch of desire. No bee, magical or not, could make honey sweeter than that first kiss, and no scorpion, snake, or spider in the world could have created a kiss as venomous, cruel, and full of nefarious intentions as the one Azmodiel carried.
The tender and innocent soul of Alice succumbed, almost willingly, to the angel's requests. Her soul was drawn into a dance of seduction, a symphony that drained Alice's life force out of her. However, the young woman was too caught up in the moment to notice how her life was slipping away through her lips.
Even as her soul was drawn to the tip of her lips, she remained hypnotized by the kiss. On the other hand, Azmodiel was no longer convinced that he was simply absorbing her life energy; he could feel how Alice's intact soul was voluntarily leaving her body and trying to become one with him.
Just one more second. Rarely do two beings so different and with such opposing intentions come to the same thought.
"Just a few more seconds," thought Alice, if only she could hold on to this feeling for one more second. She had already lost sight of the original goal of the ritual. Not only that, at that moment, nothing mattered; the sadness of the previous night was a distant dream compared to the euphoric tranquility she was feeling at that moment, completely unaware of how close she was to death.
"Just one more second," thought Azmodiel. All he needed was one more second to complete his plan and claim his freedom. The voices in his head could wait because the girl's control over the golden chains would no longer matter. Just a few more seconds and Alice's soul would be his.
Although at first, it was because the girl wanted with all her might to help, Alice's soul was now being drawn by the sweet ambrosia that meant Azmodiel's favoritism.
Both lines of thought were interrupted by the same thing, one after the other. First and without warning, Azmodiel's restraints awakened to the being's intentions and the danger threatening his master. As if to punish him for his intentions, they lashed out at him with unmeasured fury.
Like a mama bear protecting her cub, the chains stopped Azmodiel from any reaction or movement he could execute. In a muffled scream of agony, the angel's muscles trembled and twisted. The chains embraced him at a cellular level, leaving him even more immobile than when he was in prison. In an instant, Azmodiel felt how not only his physical part but the very core of his essence, his soul, was subdued, torn, and strangled, preventing any part of his being from obeying even the slightest action he desired to take; it was an advantage that he didn't need to breathe.
There were no mortal words to describe the pain he was feeling because mortals simply couldn't survive such a thing. In what must have been only a couple of seconds, Azmodiel experienced more pain than he had experienced in his entire life, including both his time in that prison and his time on the battlefields.
Limited by the torment of the golden chains, the only thing he could do was, for the first time in his long existence, surrender to his fate. He let the chains decide the direction of his body, though it was strange that they didn't pull him away from his master; they simply limited themselves to cutting the curse he was trying to impose on Alice. Thus, the connection between their souls is cut off, leaving him only in the link established by the contract between them.
Then, everything stopped, as if nothing had happened, as if it had all been an illusion. Azmodiel regained a small control over his body, as long as his intentions were not to harm Alice, moving away from that kiss didn't seem to cause him pain, and nothing prevented him from doing so.
Even after separating from the kiss, Alice stayed there for a moment, with her eyes closed. Even in his desperation, Azmodiel tried to remain calm and think. However, for the first time in Azmodiel's nearly eternal life, he learned to fear someone other than his creator.
It was almost funny to see such a profane and dangerous being look with absolute fear at a small mortal, with her eyes closed and cheeks flushed. A benevolent and manipulable being who had blind confidence in him and was not aware of the expression of deep terror she was causing in Azmodiel. Partly because of the deep hell he had just experienced, and partly because the control of his freedom lay in Alice's hands.
Having been freed from Azmodiel's fatal grip, Alice's soul returned to its place of origin, carrying with it all the vital essence that Azmodiel was about to take from her. Almost miraculously, Alice came out of that close encounter with death unscathed.
For her part, it took Alice a few seconds to return to reality. Perhaps partly because her soul was settling back into her body, but also because she was recovering from the intoxicating sensation she had just experienced. A part of her hoped the moment wouldn't end, especially because the end wasn't abrupt.
Alice's soul may have escaped Azmodiel's hellish grip without being corrupted by his profane essence, but a small pink tint that wasn't there before remained. A new sensation that the girl was not familiar with but somehow wanted more and more of.
Before opening her eyes, inside the girl, there was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions drowning her consciousness and perception of reality. After all the sadness and pain she had experienced, those seconds of happiness were more intense, not only because of the contrast of emotions but also because the contact with a celestial being was indescribable. It could be said that both Azmodiel and Alice experienced sensations beyond this world at that moment, on opposite ends of the spectrum.
Fortunately for both, the whirlwind of madness and despair that Azmodiel unleashed at that moment on his face would forever remain a mystery to the girl, for he knew how to stop just when she was opening her eyes.
It was inevitable, Alice had just had her first kiss, and what she experienced left her a little enchanted, even on the verge of wanting to return to that kiss and never let it end. But when she opened her eyes and faced reality, she remembered the reason for the whole ritual.
Gathering all his mental fortitude, Azmodiel regained his thoughts. This line of thought added a new doubt to the long list he had already formulated in his mind. "What if an external force harms her? Would that hurt me too?" There were more and more questions in Azmodiel's mind, but at this moment, he couldn't afford to dwell on the possibilities.
Azmodiel took the lead, carefully ordering his actions and words in his mind before speaking. Not wanting to give Alice time to come up with her ideas about what happened, he had to provide his explanation of the events, or it would weaken Alice's trust in him.
In a subtle move, he turned his face away from Alice, without letting go of her shoulders. Carefully maintaining eye contact and showing a false expression of tranquility, Azmodiel spoke. "I'm afraid the ritual has failed, Alice."
It wasn't until then that Alice remembered why she was where she was, how she had come to sit at the dining table, and all the steps that followed. Alice felt embarrassed for getting lost in her emotions and not paying full attention to the ritual.
Honestly, that kiss had felt so peaceful that she had stopped thinking about everything else, and even though she scolded herself for the distraction, the mere memory of that kiss made her blush again.
Just trying to recall how someone had taken her first kiss was enough to make Alice dizzy with embarrassment. Who among us can say their first kiss was so passionate and with an angel of all beings?
The only thing the girl could avoid was the intense gaze of those dark eyes, alternating a few shy glances between Azmodiel and other objects in the room, which were not nearly as interesting.
A part of Alice didn't know why, but she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed to realize that Azmodiel didn't seem affected at all by the kiss. Perhaps it was something he had done before, or perhaps kisses meant nothing in the court of the Father God. However one of those ideas caused a knot in her stomach that she didn't understand.
He was unaffected by the kiss, nor did he seem interested in talking about it. Azmodiel just looked at her intently, for what seemed like minutes, until he stepped back and let go of her, adopting a pose of concentration.
However, Alice managed to perceive Azmodiel's words. It was then that she was finally able to organize her priorities and speak. "Why did it fail? Did I do something wrong?" she asked.
Alice, in her innocence, believed that things have gone wrong because of her. Unknowingly, she was giving weapons to this ruthless being with which he could manipulate her in payment for this disappointment.
Evidently, the plan had failed, but that didn't seem to affect the girl's impression of him. Now, Azmodiel had to be smart in his moves. The punishments of the golden chains seemed more cruel, as the attempt to kill Alice seemed more effective.