Aiden woke up and saw an unfamiliar ceiling he sat on the edge of the bed in the lavish guest room Lilith had assigned to him. His fingers ran over the silk sheets, a stark contrast to the scratchy, second-hand blankets he had known all his life. He wasn't sure what to make of this demoness, but her words replayed in his mind.
He stared at the ornate window, the pale, unnatural light of the Hellish landscape spilling into the room. His thoughts lingered on that moment back on Earth, the sharp pain, the sound of something striking him. "A car," he muttered to himself. "That must've been it. I was just… walking without thinking. I didn't care enough to look around."
Lilith's voice interrupted his thoughts as she stepped into the room, her golden curls gleaming in the dim light. "Talking to yourself already? That's a quick descent into madness, Aiden."
Aiden glanced up, startled. Aiden in his mind couldn't figure out what to say to her but he didn't to tell anything as Lilith already figured out what his thoughts were just by hearing what he spoke adding with his darkened expression that whatever happened in his previous world still troubles him.
Lilith stepped closer, sitting beside him on the edge of the bed. "Aiden," she began, her voice calm but firm, "I don't know exactly what happened to you but I can tell that I know you feel like there's nothing left for you, but here's the truth: your life doesn't have to stop because of the pain you've endured. You've survived so much already. That means you're stronger than you think."
Aiden looked at her, his brow furrowed. "So i really died huh, What's the point of surviving if there's nothing to live for?... wait how do you know my name?"
She tilted her head, studying him for a moment ignored his question about knowing how she knew who he is and said. "The point," she said, "is that I get to decide what your life should be starting from now on, any decisions that I will make you will obey Aiden but fear not as I promise that following me will grant you success." This was a bold declaration that Lilith gave to Aiden but this simple few sentences shook Aiden to his core.
He hesitated, her words sinking in. "Me obeying you…"
Lilith with a hint of displeasure in her face as to why he hasn't accepted her fully which made Aiden's shoulder jolt. Lilith said "I don't know how the rules work in your previous world but her in hell, there is no such things as free, everything comes with a price. I granted you the second opportunity to live and that gives me the right to decide your life Aiden but as a I said that I will be lenient with you as this might come as unfair to you."
Continuing with her words "But try to defy me..." For a moment Aiden could feel her bloodlust which made every hair on his body stand up and feel his heart palpitate quickly "Well I don't need to explain further do I?" That momentary feeling that he had felt like an illusion but he wouldn't dare to argue further as he didn't want to argue with a being that has abilities beyond his comprehension.
Aiden nodded slowly, the weight on his chest feeling just a little lighter. "I… I don't know if I can do it, but… I'll try."
"Good," Lilith replied with a charming smile on her face as she glanced at Aiden. Aiden couldn't help but be in awe as to how such beauty exists.
Lilith crossed the room and leaned against the carved wooden dresser. "You have plenty of troubles I can tell and I'll give you plenty of time to figure that out," she said, her tone uncharacteristically gentle. "But for now, stop tormenting yourself. You're alive—well, alive in a way—and that's what matters."
Aiden sighed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "I've just been trying to make sense of… everything. How I got here, what happened to me. It's all a blur."
Lilith crossed the room and leaned against the carved wooden dresser. "You'll have plenty of time to figure that out," she said, her tone uncharacteristically gentle. "But for now, stop tormenting yourself. For now, I'll let you be and treat you as my guest."