Hell's Consort

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THE GODDESS OF DARK MAGIC AND THE UNDERWORLD

HECATE

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Luna's physical vessel wasn't really gone.

When the Archdemon of Sloth used her most ancient grimoire to summon her in the birthing room, Hecate's power had kept her priestess' body together by freezing it.

She had purified it from Lilith's dark energy before she could turn into ashes.

Yes.

Hecate had accomplished all of that without going to the Material Realm.

At first, it might seem like Sloth turning into an Archdemon Familiar was a mere coincidence.

But, Hecate believed that Fate had played a part in it so that Luna could still be saved without Apollyon and Ravin's help.

"The Empress was never meant to stay in Hell forever." Hecate muttered to herself as she paced around her bedroom.

Also, Hecate wouldn't allow the Empress to be used by either Satan and Lucifer if her Archdemon soul gets pulled back there.

Her dignity and reputation as a powerful goddess had already been dragged through the mud when she couldn't protect her most favored priestess from Satan's machinations and the Grand Torturer's idea of training Archdemon fledglings.

Just finding out what the Empress had gone through in Hell made Hecate grimace.

Hecate waited for patiently for the right time---the perfect timing--where not even the Three Fates could do anything to flip the outcome they had decided to match their stupid expectations.

Her grimoire had proved itself to be useful, of course, since the hard leather cover wrapped in peeled human skin had a fragment of her.

Between those pages, was an unseen portal, where she could unleash her power despite not leaving the Underworld.

That would only happen as long as she was summoned by those who possess the magic of the Dark Priestess.

In the Empress's case, it was the Archdemon of Sloth who demanded Hecate's appearance in the birthing room, followed by a bold declaration that whatever payment she required in exchange for her help, the Vampire King would be required to pay all of it once he became conscious.

And, not him.

She paused and her feet were planted firmly in place.

Hecate raised a curious eyebrow.

Since the Goddess Hecate could only hear the voice of the one who held her oldest grimoire, she could just imagine this Archdemon waving one hand in dismissal as he fixed his gaze at the empty wall.

There was nothing to look at because she wasn't there.

"It would be the Vampire King's highest honor as a mate to make the sacrifice and save Luna himself. He might blame me if I steal his opportunity to prove how much he loved this woman." Sloth explained calmly as if was the most logical thing he had ever preached.

Hecate wasn't surprised that the Archdemon had already washed his hands and refused to take responsibility for summoning her.

"Don't you love this woman as her Archdemon Familiar, Sloth?"

The Archdemon sighed and pretended he didn't hear that question. "You can find Apollyon in Hell. No. Perhaps, his soul might be hanging around in your backyard right now, don't you think?" Sloth guessed. "The mind link must have helped him sense that Lune's physical vessel had deteriorated."

Hecate had also perceived powerful Archangels surrounding Luna in the birthing room and she couldn't quite believe that the Heavenly Beings hadn't done anything to solve this problem.

Weren't they supposed to help?

What was their purpose in there aside from a quick exorcism after successfully eliminating Luxen and Beelzebub?

And, can they really call it an exorcism if the owner of the physical vessel was an Archdemon too?

Hmm.

Maybe, doing so might break their Creator's rules and in turn, they would be casted out from the heavens and turn into Fallen Angels!

The Priestess should have lost her daughters during childbirth but with the help of the Archangels, they were able to fight for their right to live.

In exchange, Lilith, who was attached to Luxen's offspring, had no choice but to retreat.

Realizing that the Archangels had tried the best they could do, Hecate promised Sloth that she would fetch the Empress' soul to finish the job and cleanse her of Lilith's magical influence before returning Luna in her frozen vessel.

Hecate decided to collect the Vampire King's debt later once everything was settled.

No divine being--not even the Three Fates--could accuse her of her interference when she didn't even jump Realm to another.

That thought amused Hecate to no end.

She wanted Charon to deliver Luna's Archdemon soul to the Underworld by crossing the River Styx with his boat.

That way, Hecate could rightfully untangle Lilith's hold on her priestess and finally get rid of the spell that she had used on her.

She was the only one who could since she had created it herself and the Archangels had weakened the Empress' soul enough.

Furthermore, she appreciated the extent of Apollyon's sacrifice because it had balanced the scale of his wish and strengthened Hecate's dark magic even more, which she liked.

As the new Archdemon of Lust, losing his memories will also dampen his desires towards his mate and that would give the Empress a moment's reprieve.

Luna needed it badly because she just gave birth to twins.

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QUEEN MORGAN OF THE AUTUMN COURTS

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"Long live the Queen of the Autumn Courts!"

Queen Morgan rode in her chariot in front of a cheering crowd at the Autumn Courts, parading their triumph as they returned from the battlefield close to the Tree of the Four Seasons.

Not only did they finally located it and see how it looked like, the Archangels had descended from the Heavenly Realms to come to help the Fairfolks.

She tilted her head to look up at the blue sky.

The assistance was unexpected but the winged creatures were always welcome to save the day.

Queen Morgan was honest enough not to take the entire credit for achieving their peace.

Autumn Faeries, that had survived the second wave of demonic attacks from Luxen's Legion, continued to support their Queen with their loud chants and songs of praise.

The cheers among the vibrant crowd sounded like a roar of emotions as they flowed and swirled around her and the Fae Militia.

The overwhelming respect, honor and recognition they bestowed upon her wasn't the only thing that brought tears to her eyes.

Her one and only son with Archangel Uriel--- whom she had lost along time ago--was with her right now, putting laurels over her head.

The moment her son smiled back at her, she realized that he deserved power and prestige in the Material Realm despite being an Archdemon.

Ravin was next in line to the throne of the Autumn Courts.

Ravin assisted her bloody arms to fit into the loose bell-shaped sleeves of her royal robes.

At first, she couldn't believe that it was Ravin all along but her happiness upon learning the truth about was enough to make her levitate.

Queen Morgan also asked Ravin to wear the same robes she wore and he accepted her request without a fuss.

Warm giggles rose from her throat like bubbles of champagne.

Her precious son held her slender hand, their fingers intertwined as their horses trotted at the pace of the crowd.

The crowd continued to move like sea waves, celebrating the heroes' return, as hooves pounded on the concrete road.