“I trap human souls and force them to work for me using their own strength. I’m talking about actually draining power from demon souls and funneling it into one’s own essence.”
“You’re saying Lucifer …”
Murmur nodded. “The High King has a deep understanding of the physics of the underworld. He also has a vested interest in ensuring that he remains the most powerful being here. There are many who support an uprising in Hell. Wars are a constant, but many no longer wish to fight them. They’re tired of Lucifer’s tyranny and want stability. Lucifer represents the old ways, and many believe it’s time for change.”
“And you?” She was barely able to keep up with this conversation, but she was clinging to Murmur’s every word all the same. “What’s your stance on this?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Long ago, I had a vision that the High King of Hell would fall, so I’ve been arranging things to bring it about ever since. It is my calling, but also a matter of self-preservation. I want to ensure my own survival and that my immortal soul is not trapped in service to Lucifer for the rest of eternity.”
There was an extended silence as that sank in.
“Your … soul.”
He nodded, mouth twisting into a sour expression.
“Youhave a soul. You evolved and developed a soul.”
He nodded again. He didn’t look happy about it.
“How do you know for sure?”
“Because, again, I’ve seen it in visions. That’s how I know all of this—how I learned about Gamigin’s book and Lucifer’s secret. I have the same vision every time I sleep, and it has made it very clear that my consciousness doesn’t end after my death. I have a soul, whether I like it or not.” His face made it obvious how he felt on the matter.
She searched his gaze. Standing at his side while he sat in the chair, they were at eye level. While the things that had originally disturbed her about his appearance were still there, now, she saw more. The ice-blue irises in his shadowed, bloodshot eyes were striking. His cruel mouth often quirked with humor.
“What happens in your vision?” she dared to ask.
His fingers flexed, claws digging into the desk, and he turned to stare out the window. The red sky was finally starting to lighten.
“I am burning,” he said in a low voice. “The pain is excruciating.”
The scream.He was experiencing how it felt to burn alive while knowing it was going to happen to him.
“And then, I die. It’s a mercy, and at that point, I’m relieved.” His jaw shifted, flexing a muscle at his temple. “Butmy consciousness doesn’t end. My awareness remains. I am stillme. And then, my essence is drawn toward a lightless chasm. I’m trapped there with thousands of other souls. We can never escape. There is nothing but endless black and the never-ending draining of our energy. The despair and hopelessness … It’s far worse than burning alive.”
“That’s fucked up,” Suyin breathed, not knowing what else to say.
“I have this vision every time I sleep.” His voice was distant, his gaze still fixed out the window. “It used to come infrequently, but now I can’t escape it. It’s coming soon. Any day now, I believe.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Lucifer has trapped the soul of every evolved demon who has ever died. I believe he keeps a list of demons he suspects have souls, and he actively hunts them, hoping to kill and add them to his collection. He will come for me soon, and when I die, my soul will go to his prison with the others, and I’ll remain there for eternity.”
He looked suddenly at her, and her heart skipped a beat.
“Unless I find a way to free those souls.”
It was the last thing she’d expected him to say. She’d thought he would try to stop Lucifer from coming after him. Unless …
“Would he be too weak to kill you, then? Without all those souls?”
Murmur scoffed. “Hardly. They may be his greatest source of strength, but one does not hold onto the title of High King of Hell without considerable power of their own.”
“So then how does freeing the souls prevent your death?” she asked. “Even if your soul is free, if Lucifer comes after you, you’ll still be dead.”
Murmur nodded approvingly. “You’re asking the right questions, Suyin.”
She wanted to kick the part of herself that warmed at his praise, but she was too riveted by what he was saying to care.
