After they had misted the pumpkins away, Ramel and Shem led me through rolling hills filled with tall, midnight grass that made up the landscape outside of the city. The farther we walked into the countryside, the more wildflowers seemed to grow in the waist-high grass.
“What types of flowers are these?” I asked, gently running my fingers through the licorice-colored stalks as we walked.
“All of the deadly ones.” Ramel smirked at me. He picked a sprig of white flowers and tucked it gently into my hair. “This is white oleander,” he informed me. “You used to wear a crown of black oleander when I first met you.” He was looking at me with so much tenderness it was hard to remember how much of a monster he was.
“You’ll also find lily of the valley and foxglove in these fields,” Shem said, picking several more sprigs of flowers as we walked until he had made a lethal bouquet. He handed the flowers to me with a flourish, and I giggled, accepting them with a smile.
“They’re beautiful.”
“Beautiful but deadly, just like you,” Shem said, swooping in to give me a kiss on the cheek.
“I’m not deadly,” I frowned. They had proven time and time again that I was helpless against them.
“Maybe not right now. But you were, and you will be again. All of this exists because of you, Lilith. Even without you here, Hell has thrived on your magic. You impregnated the very land with your death magic, and it has been working tirelessly to maintain the natural order of things in your absence,” Shem explained.
I could hear the sound of running water. Tugging me forward, Ramel parted the grass, and we found ourselves standing on the bank of a dark, rushing river. We walked along the edge to a large glassy pool that seemed to be the meeting place of several babbling streams that came from almost every direction through the fields. In the center of the pool was a circular pedestal with what looked like Ramel’s scythe hovering above it. Water was pouring out of the center of the pedestal in a steady gush as if it were a fountain, and the scythe glowed with a deep violet light.
What was the scythe doing all the way out here? I wondered, stepping closer to the water’s edge. Ramel snatched up my wrist and tore me away from the riverbank so fast I gasped. Wrapping his arms around me, he pressed me into him tightly.
“Don’t enter the pool. It’s deadly for mortals,” he growled. I looked up at him, startled. Glancing down into the large pond before us, I realized that the black liquid was much too thick to be water.
“What is this?” I asked, unnerved. Ramel pointed to the scythe, where it spun slowly in place, pulsing with that dark purple light.
“This is the Fountain of Death. When I’m not using the scythe, it’s left here to charge. You filled these streams with the very blood that ran in your veins long before you met me. Your blood maintains the balance and allows me to wield the scythe in your absence.”
I gaped. That wasa lotof fucking blood. And why was itblack!?
“Why would I do that?” I wondered, truly confused. Had I known I was going to be put into purgatory?
“There’s nothing you cared about more than balance, Lilith,” Shem explained as he looked out at the scythe. “You wanted there to be a failsafe in case anything happened to you. Over time, the scythe has become so full of your magic that natural death has become entirely dependent on it. Even if you were to return to your full powers, without the scythe, death could very well end. Mortals, animals, and even plants would live eternally. It would be an absolute disaster. You made it so that only demons could wield the scythe, thank fuck. Imagine if Yahweh took over death as well?”
For some reason, my entire body suddenly felt cold with fear and dread. “Why would Yahweh want to wield death?” I whispered, and Ramel tugged me along the riverbank until we came to what looked like a massive cemetery.
“Yahweh wants to rule everything,” he said, his tone dark.
I stared in awe at the cemetery that sprawled out before us. Why was there a cemetery in Hell? The gravestones were elaborate and haunting. The flowers here seemed to glow with unearthly magic, and the stars above burned so bright that it was easy to read every carved inscription.
I stepped over the threshold into hallowed ground and felt an immediate rush of power explode through the soles of my feet. A gasp flew unbidden from my mouth.
“Oh…” I rasped, my entire body suddenly overwhelmed with an unearthly energy. Ramel and Shem were both on me instantly, holding me steady as my body acclimated to the strange energy that seemed to have taken hold of me.
“Breathe through it. You’re alright, we’ve got you,” Ramel said, pulling me forward into his chest. Shem slid up behind me, and together, they held me as I rode out the strange feeling.
“I didn’t realize it would affect her this much, even as a human,” Ramel murmured against my hair.
“Me neither. Just goes to show how much He fucked everything up,” Shem replied as he gently stroked the sides of my arms. “Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart; it’ll pass in a few moments.”
I quivered until the strange feeling dissipated. Finally, I felt back to myself, but there was an aching sadness in my chest that wasn’t there before. I looked up at my two demons, and they stared down at me with faces full of concern. Ramel touched my chin, frowning.
“Better?” he asked, and I nodded, still feeling a little shaky.
“What was that?” I breathed, and Shem kissed my temple before releasing me.
“This is the graveyard of the gods. Even in sleep, their power can be felt by the most null demons,” he explained. “Before Yahweh, there were many gods, but He killed them all and stole from them to create His legacy.”
I glanced at Ramel, eyes wide. “Is that true?” I asked, and he nodded.
“Yes. Though He didn’tkillthem, per se. You cannot kill gods. The scepter can unmake immortals like demons and angels, but gods and goddesses, like you, are nearly impossible to truly kill. They are all sleeping here,” Ramel explained, taking my hand and leading me deeper into the cemetery.
