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And yet, I knew my hellhounds had sensed I was different. Dezikiel probably knew too, he’d always given me strange looks and when we’d spoken about my mother he’d instructed me not to tell anyone.
It was because he knew what she was. I ground my teeth at that thought. And yet he hadn’t told me? Why? Surely knowing the truth would’ve helped me?
“Step aside, brother,” my father commanded, breaking me from my thoughts.
My four hellhounds stood firm around me, ready to attack at a moment’s notice and defend me.
“No. You’re one of us, Asmodeus. You should want to open the gates alongside us, not fight us. I remember a time when we took chaos to the surface together, unleashing the four horsemen and watching as the world fell into ruins. Now you want to throw it all away? For an abomination of a child?” Gorzaden growled as demons started to weasel out of the trees around us, chittering as their beady eyes flicked from my hellhounds to me. Their chittering reminded me of cicadas, although I did not like the sound in this instant. It was eerie and made my blood curdle.
“I’m no longer that being. And this child is not just a thing to be cast aside,” my father barked, his voice booming out and silencing the demons around us.
“You are still a Prince of Hell, a demon born by Lucifer’s hands. Why is this creature important to you? You do not have human emotions and sentiments, so what purpose does she serve?” Gorzaden said as he waved a clawed hand at me in frustration.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” my father answered.
“If you will not see reason and stand alongside me, then I have no choice but to kill you and the offspring,” Gorzaden said simply as he spread out his arms.
“Lily, please forgive me. I enjoyed wearing this human face, as I relate to it more now. But to fight my brother, I need to be myself,” my father said as he glanced over his shoulder at me, his face drawn tight and his eyes pulsating. “Get to the rip and survive.”
I didn’t get a chance to say anything as he spun back, his white suit exploding into flames as his body morphed into a more demonic appearance like his brothers.
My eyes widened as his skin flaked off, being replaced with a grey-blue leathery flesh. His suit burned away, leaving him standing with a strange old uniform and sash like Gorzaden. Spikes lined his spine and trailed down his shoulders and arms, while a tail flicked around behind him. His wicked claws were splayed out as he snarled at his brother, and I shuddered as Gorzaden returned it.
The pair lurched towards one another, and Jack tugged me after him as he took off quickly. Creeper was close on my other side, while Chum and Bug took up the rear. My shoes thudded softly on the ashy earth which kicked up all around us as we ran for our lives.
The demons rushed forth, intent to stop us, but my father waved his hand our way, causing them to explode into smoke.
I watched as my father fought his brother in a savage fist fight, switching between using claws, to kicking, punching and whipping their deadly tails. Gorzaden was swept off his feet, and my father dove onto him, clawing open his chest before Gorzaden kicked him off and shrieked. He launched onto him instead, using his wings to drive him powerfully.
My father was not as equal in that regard, lacking a set of wings himself.
“There’s the rip,” Jack snapped as he tugged me to the side abruptly.
I could see the strange red rip in the air, wavering and moving with a cosmic energy and crackling.
Chum and Bug had reverted to their half-shifted states as they took care of two demons blocking our path, while Jack and Creeper remained close to me.
“Did you really think you were the only one to create hellhounds, brother?” Gorzaden roared as he hurled my father across the clearing near us.
I flinched as he struck the ground hard, rolling before he struggled back to his feet.
My stomach knotted at his words, and an oddly familiar yet different snarling rose up nearby.
I cried out as Creeper shoved me into Jack, and I stumbled in his arms as a large black hellhound barreled into Creeper, dragging him to the ground and tearing into him.
I cried out as Creeper kicked at the wretched creature, his shirt torn open and blood tinged with black streaks staining it.
I recognized Bug as he slammed into the snarling hellhound, knocking it off Creeper for just long enough for him to shift as well.
My hellhounds were in their half-shifted humanoid states, while these new hellhounds were in full hellhound state. They looked different to mine, with ugly, boney spines jutting from their backs and lacking tails completely.
“C’mon, don’t look back,” Jack growled as he continued onward, dragging me away from my men.
“Wait! They need help,” I cried out as more hellhounds appeared from the trees, surrounding my three hellhounds and closing in.
They were outnumbered, and if they were matched in strength and speed, my hellhounds wouldn’t survive.
“It’s our job to protect you, I’ll get you to safety,” Jack stated, his jaw clenched as he held onto my hand like a vice.
