1 Prologue

The wails  of the deprived, the tormented, the deceived, and the penitent were mimicked by the walls of the dungeon that they were caged in for eternity. The only source of light was the two torches at the entrance - which had a  huge double door in between the two sources of illumination.

Its yellow light ,partially lit the hallway of the dungeon - that had numerous cells at each of its side.

I held a glass of water tightly against my chest, making sure that I did not spill a single drop.

My bright red feet tapped on the cold floor and the chilly draft carrying the strong scent of metallic blood visited my nostrils.

I have lost count of the times that I was warned not to come here.

It was funny that despite being his son, he dare put restrictions on me like I was some child belonging to a Christian family.

Still, I was no fool to willingly go against him.

I was just his child and not a favored one at that. I did not want to betray him but I could not help it, she needed me and I couldn't turn a blind eye on her plea.

Each cell in this dungeon showed various tortures that humans go through. Each human screamed in different heights of volumes. Each human had a sin to repent, they had a sin to suffer for, for an eternity. In this dungeon, they will finally realize that there was a God, but they had no right to call His name anymore.

My tiny hand curled around one of the bars of a cell. The human caged in front of me, rushed out from the darkness that once embraced her. The shackles that bound her ankles made a clanging sound.

Her bare, naked, and tattered skin was out for show. Whip marks, bite marks, and burn marks were scattered over the expanse of her form yet despite being torn as she was, she still had a gentle expression that warmed my heart.

A smile took place on her dry lips. She shakily took the water I held from my hands and she gulped it down to quench her thirst. She wanted more but I could only manage to fetch her that one glass of water.

"Thank you dear," she murmured, her throat still dry and croaky.

She passed her hands through the bars to give me the glass. She gestured at me to come closer and when I did, she stroked the skin below my eye and stared at me longingly. "I had a little kid just like you, before I died."

Her tears trickled down her cheeks and raced their way to her chapped lips."She was such a sweetheart. I miss her...so much."

I placed my little thumb on her cheek and wiped her tears. My tender touch seemed to remind her of a fond memory that must be the only thing keeping her sane. 

She's ruffled her disheveled long brown hair and pursed her lips. Her apple green eyes widened as she raising an index finger. She looked like she had remembered something of great importance.

"I'm sure you want to hear my stories," she cheerfully offered before playfully pinching my chubby cheeks. "You never get tired of them."

I nodded my head at her, clearly giving her approval of what she had to offer.

"Alright, sit down. The earlier I start, the sooner you get to leave this place."

I excitedly sat with my bare buttocks on the cold ground, ignoring the chilled sensation running through my spine. My tail that I inherited from my father slightly swayed in thrill.

The human lady wrapped her hands on the bars of the cell and looked at me delightfully. She slid down on her knees to level her gaze with mine. "Do you want to hear your favourite or do you want to hear a new one?"

I took a second to think before giving her my response.

"Favorite."

"Hmm, I wished to hear more from you but you always have a single-word response unlike the kids your age," she chuckled.

She clapped her hands lightly, trying not to make any noise.

"Okay, let's start. Mama duck had 6 eggs. One day, the eggs started hatching, but one didn't."

Why didn't it hatch? Was a question I always had when we came to this part of the story. The little duck that later hatched, was a little kid like me and I felt my life was related to its. It wasn't treated fairly.

Her breath hitched and her eyes slid to the side as if she sensed something. She scurried back into her cell, causing her chains to clank loudly. The huge metal, double door before me, creaked open - announcing the entrance of another being,.

I narrowed my eyes into a pin and saw a shadow being cast below the torches at the end of the hallway. The sound of hoofs clicked on the floor.  The shadow got bigger as the sound of hoofs got louder.

My petite body became a shivering mess. The silhouettes' bloodshot eyes stared at me, making my entire form freeze in terror. He came closer, hitching my every breath with each thump of his hoof against the ground.

My fingers began to tremble as I saw smoke escaping his nostrils when he grunted. His curved horns  proudly reached for the ceiling.

"Hailbuzar." His deep voice bounced off the walls of the dungeon.

My shoulders jerked as I felt his hot breath fan over my face. His body towered over mine, making me look like a mere insect.

I got up from the ground,fixing my gaze on the floor.  I was caught red-handed.  Shame pricked my skin.

"Papa..."

"What are you doing here with this revolting human?"

His crimson eyes glared at the woman behind the bars as if he was already murdering her.  She curled herself into a ball, and shuddered as my father's gaze burnt through her body.

"Was she corrupting you? Was she begging for her life and proving you her innocence?"

"Oh great Lucifer, I swear, I didn't tell him anything!" The woman tried to explain under her shaky breath.

"Hold your tongue, mongrel!" His voice reverberated around the whole place, causing the ground to shake.

"How dare you speak in my presence?" He asked. The walls trembled as so for the inhabitants of this godforsaken place.

"How dare you to even exist?" He questioned menacingly.

"Please, he just got me water, that's all!" The woman explained.

He wrapped his hands around the bars of the cell, already melting them from his mere touch.

"Foolish child, showing empathy just like your mother. How absurd."

A ball of fire swirled around him, wiping his existence from the room. Then the same fire erupted next to the woman, building his presence inside the cell.

The lady grasped the bars and looked at me with fearful, desperate, and pleading eyes.

"Help me…" she whispered tearfully.

My heart thumped loudly as I watched in horror. My feet were glued to the floor. Papa yanked the lady's head back and raised her from the ground. "Hailbuzar, watch how a devil works."

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Papa...papa please leave her alone."

My voice sounded like a squeaking mouse but managed to make the great devil roar in laughter, sending fear to every part of hell.

"Please, please, I only asked for water," The woman croaked. She looked so helpless in my father's tight grip. Her legs wriggled in the chilly air as she placed her hands on my father's hairy forearm. This was all my fault. She was in this mess because of me.

"And what made you think that you have the privilege of having a drink? You are in hell, water is for paradise, sinner." Papa gritted his teeth which had crooks at its edges. Thick Saliva drooled from the corner of his mouth and made a splat as it soaked the clobbered floor.

"Papa, please leave her!" I cried out, sobbing and grieving for the poor lady struggling in his grasp. Her eyes were looking like they could pop out any minute.

"This is why you can never be good enough Hailbuzar. Why can't you be like your brother—ruthless and rotten right to the core."

His claws lacerated the woman's stomach and her guts flew out of the gaping lesion. She drowned in her own blood and her innards slowly plonked to the ground.

My grip tightened on the bar. "Leave her alone papa...just leave her alone. It's my fault for coming here!" I sobbed.

"You are a devil Hailbuzar, why must you confess your sins?"

Papa did not even spare me a look. He was so engrossed in tearing the human apart like some pillow he had grown tired of.

He tore out the gobbet of the woman's abdominals, causing her entrails to drop out and wobble carelessly.

"Papa please..." My voice grew weak each time I made eye contact with the woman's lifeless eyes.

The smell of her innards ran up my nostrils, causing me to feel nauseated. He stepped on her guts and earned a squelching sound.

He boredly tossed the lady away before giving me his undivided attention.

"Hailbuzar, you are my son, yet you act and speak like an angel sent from heaven, how repulsive."

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