NEFARIOUS

CHAPTER 5: ASMODEUS

Dracen woke up to the sunray coming through the windows of the room he was currently in. He stretched and sat up. Running a hand through his dark locks, he took his phone to look at the time. It was 8.15 a.m. and he had no notification or missed calls asking where he was last night. Not even from his mother. "What do I expect?"

He stood up and went into the bathroom. Terressa had given him a whole new set of toiletries last night. He brushed his teeth and cleaned up. He wore Terressa's brother's clothes that she had given him and walked out. Just as he passed by Teressa's room, he saw her doing some stretch and folding the yoga mat. "Did she just finish working out? She does exercise?"

His thoughts were cut short by the latter greeting him and asking him to wait in the living room. He did just that and started scrolling through his phone. While, scrolling, he thought about last night. "Does she always stay up late at night? Does she even sleep? Why are you even thinking about her?! So, I can see her every night? Oh God, Dracen! Stop thinking about her!!"

"Good morning, Amherst," a voice cut through his thoughts.

"Good morning,"

"What are you thinking?"

"Nothing,"

"How're your bruises?"

"It's healing,"

"Okay. So....,"

"What?"

"I just wanted to ask,"

"Hmm?"

"Since we didn't have the tutoring session yesterday and today is Saturday. I was wondering if you want to have the session today. Only if you want,"

"When did you start being good to him?" Teressa asked herself.

"I'm fine with it. Can we have it around 2 p.m.? I have some things to take care of,"

"That was easy," She thought.

"Sure. Have breakfast first," 

"There you go again, Terressa!" she scolded herself.

Dracen nodded and went back to looking at his phone. Not even two minutes later, he looked up to see the girl making something. He didn't know why but he couldn't get her off his mind. What she did yesterday, seeing him all bruised up.How she panicked and got a bit scared seeing so much blood. He noticed it. Even though she hid it well, he was able to sense her fear.

After breakfast, Dracen rode his bike back home. Terressa was sitting in her room, reading a book. She then remembered she haven't finished her research for her English assignment yet. She took out the notes she was writing last night and went through them.

Asmodeus's true form was that of a wingless scaled serpent, hundreds of miles long. His form's sheer size made it impossible for him to meet and enter conversations like others. Therefore, he created humanoid-looking avatars. Asmodeus never showed himself except through avatars or project images, both in humanoid forms. Asmodeus's avatars looked like a slim, charismatic,red-skinned humanoid over 13 feet tall, with horns on his head and glowing red eyes. Overall, he had charismatic and beautiful looks that captivated people. He always had a perfectly trimmed beard and wore very expensive red and black clothing, which were valuable enough to cover the annual national spending of any nation. However, underneath these expensive garments, the body was wrecked with bleeding injuries. While he was in pain, he managed to give the impression of someone unconcerned with the pain the injuries caused him. He could manifest ten avatars at once if needed, allowing him to station one on each layer of hell if he needed to with a tenth leftover for managing extraplanar duties. Each of his avatars held a Ruby Rod of Asmodeus.

The Asmodeus of the Book of Tobit is hostile to Sarah, Raguel's daughter, (Tobit 6:13); and slays seven successive husbands on their wedding nights, impeding the s****l consummation of the marriages. In the New Jerusalem Bible translation, he is described as "the worst of demons" (Tobit 3:8). When the young Tobias is about to marry her, Asmodeus proposes the same fate for him, but Tobias is enabled, through the counsels of his attendant angel Raphael, to render him innocuous. By placing a fish's heart and liver on red-hot cinders, Tobias produces a smoky vapour that causes the demon to flee to Egypt, where Raphael binds him (Tobit 8:2–3). According to some translations, Asmodeus is strangled. Perhaps Asmodeus punishes the suitors for their carnal desire since Tobias prays to be free from such desire and is kept safe. 

While reading through it, Terressa's thoughts wandered off for a bit. She had noticed Dracen's bruises this morning. They were really bad last night but this morning, it was like he didn't get into a fight at all. "Do wounds heal that fast? Maybe the medications I used were fast at healing... But--Wait! Why are you even thinking about it? You shouldn't dwell on it too much, Terressa. He is a playboy and you hate him!" She thought to herself. Her inner battle was cut short by the doorbell ringing.

~Somewhere Far~

"The alpha's daughter will be turning sixteen soon," a man in his thirties said to the person in front of him, sitting at his desk. "How are we gonna handle it?"

"She still doesn't have a single idea about this other world we are living in. She only knows of the world filled with humans. She doesn't know about the existence of werewolves like us or the vampires and other supernatural creatures,"

"Is that bad?"

"Am not sure. It depends on how she takes it all,"

"Who?" another man, probably over twenty asked while taking a seat in front of his father. 

"Good morning, son,"

"Morning, Dad. So, who were you talking about?"

"Our next alpha,"

"Huh?"

"Alpha Titus's daughter,"

"She...,"

"Yes, she's alive,"

"So...,"

"She will be turning sixteen soon and it will be her first time changing,"

"Does she know anything?"

"No. Her uncle and aunt kept it from her,"

"Her uncle and aunt?"

"Alpha Titus's sister,"

"The alpha's daughter doesn't know about her family members?"

"Not an idea,"

"Wouldn't it hurt during her change, Dad?"

"It would but her family members will be there to help her through it,"

"She has a lot to learn," the man in his thirties who had been quiet during the whole father and son duo's conversation said.

"We'll have to take it slow on her," the oldest in the room said.

"Yeah. Only she can get revenge on what happened to Alpha Titus and his wife. What those monsters did to them. How they betrayed our clan," the son said as the other two nodded their heads at that.

"Just a few more weeks,"