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azrael-the-reaper-demon · 2 years ago

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This is the first chapter of my new story, The Assistant. It’s about Dantalion, a young, rebellious demon who becomes the assistant to the icy angel of death. She must learn to unlock her true powers before the traitorous Astaroth executes her plot to topple Lucifer and start the apocalypse. I hope you enjoy it!

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The air was hot, rough gusts of wind combatting the cooling waves of the river. Her mind raced with thoughts of the future, scenes of the cold lord of death filling her head as the river’s breeze cascaded through her white hair. She almost zoned out, locking her eyes on the water before a clattering set of stiletto footsteps snapped her out of it just as suddenly as she had been consumed.

“Dantalion.” A stern voice barked, “What are you doing out here? You’re supposed to be getting ready.”

“Sorry, Miss Adepha.”

“Lady Death will never accept you looking like that. Now c’mon dear, we have much to do and not a lot of time to do it.”

Adepha grabbed her forearm, her claw-like nails digging into Danatlion’s skin. The manager dragged her into the ferry’s empty main hall, then down a winding hallway and into a stuffy dressing room. The smell of perfume burned her lungs as she sat in a tattered leather chair.

“Take your hair down, dear.”

Dantalion begrudgingly did as she was told.

“Now, we have to get you looking prim and proper for her majesty.”

“I know, you said that before.”

The stern demon huffed, “Don’t give me lip, missy. You’re already on thin ice with that attitude of yours.”

“And I’ve told you a hundred-fifty thousand times that how I look is perfectly fine, and that I don’t need some pretty dress to be ‘proper’ or whatever.”

“Lady Death is a very refined woman, she would not want her assistant looking like a common street rat.”

Dantalion felt her blood boil, “I’m gonna tell my father you said that.”

“Go on ahead. He’ll just laugh it off.”

The young demon sighed, looking to the side with a huff.

Adepha grabbed a brush off a nearby table, running it through the ends of the girl’s curly hair. “Here, I’ll appease you, I won’t do any makeup. It’s not like we have time for it anyway.”

Dantalion didn’t answer, crossing her arms as the woman ran the brush through the thickest parts of her locks, which made her wince harshly.

“Miss Adepha.” The girl spoke up suddenly.

“Yes?”

Dantalion’s expression turned somber, “Do you… think Miss Azrael will like me?”

“I’m sure she will, you are very bright, you have very high potential, I’m sure she will be pleased to have you around.”

“I guess.”

Adepha sighed, “Azrael is a cold woman, but she is not unfeeling, if that makes any sense.”

“It does, kind of.”

The stern demon stopped brushing, “You can put your hair back up now.”

Dantalion put her white hair back up, wrapping it tightly in her hair tie as she stood from the uncomfortable chair. When she walked back out onto the ferry’s lifeless dock, the air around her had turned cold and the sky changed to a deep violet. The land became swampy, with endless pools of brackish muck stretching as far as the eye can see. The old ferry creaked as the river got more violent, the rusted metal exterior flapping like wings against the wind. Scenes ran wild in Dantalion’s mind again, replaying in her head as the smell of death filled her lungs.

Soon, the ship came to a stop, docking at a rickety old port. The young demon grabbed her suitcase from her makeshift bedroom. She dragged it down to the old wooden dock, dreading the long trek through the swamp awaiting her. Her and Adepha began the trudge, being led down a narrow dry path through the thickening trees. Their clothes stuck to their skin as the sauna-hot air beamed down upon them. Adepha’s fiery hair frizzed like an angry cat and Dantalion felt her skin about to melt.

“Who in their right mind would wanna live here?” Asked Dantalion incredulously.

“Death itself, apparently.” Adepha answered off-hand, too busy trying to balance in her heels to give a solid answer.

“I feel like if I make one wrong step, I’ll get eaten alive.”

“Well, considering this place is called ‘The Swamps of Consumption’.”

The young demon peeped, “I’m moving in with a nutcase, aren’t I?”

“She’s one of the more well-adjusted nutcases, actually.”

Dantalion glared, “You’re not helping.”

They continued down the slushy path until they reached a silver stone bridge that looked relatively new, sticking out like a sore thumb in the endless abyss of the swamp. The pair walked across the stone overpass, staring down at the bubbling water beneath their feet as they approached two massive double doors towering high above their heads, connected to a Victorian-style palace. The doors themselves were covered in carvings, with images of hellhounds and ancient beasts scrawled across its wooden exterior. Dantalion felt her nerves rising, her anxiety boiling to the brim as Adepha slammed the doorknocker into the entryway.

There was a rustle from inside the palace, the sounds of arguing filling the space as the door soon swung open to reveal a beast staring them down. She was inhumanly tall, covered in fur, with canine-like features. Her jaws were like a bear trap, two massive razor blades for canines bearing down from her maw onto two bottom teeth that were just as jagged. She ran a hand through her furry head, adjusting her glasses as she stared at the demons on the other side of the doorway.

“Welcome to the Palace of Death.” greeted the beast, “You two must be our esteemed visitors.”

Adepha looked noticeably disgusted, “I didn’t know she employed beasts.”

The creature groaned, “I am Leviathan, Lady Death’s head servant.” She turned her attention to Dantalion. “Here, why don’t we take those heavy bags off of you, dear.”

She barked something in a different language towards a couple other beasts, making them run to her side. One of them quickly grabbed Dantalion’s bag while the other stood there awkwardly, following his buddy back into the palace as Leviathan led the pair in herself.

“So, you must be this new assistant I keep hearing about.” The beast hummed as they walked through the doors.

“Yes, ma’am, I am.”

“I must say, it’s rather exciting to have a new face around here, well, one that doesn’t look like mine at least.”

Dantalion looked around at her surroundings, noticing the horrifically empty walls. “Do you not like them?”

“My fellow species are all idiots,” Leviathan said with nonchalant cynicism. “The fact they haven’t gone extinct is a marvel of demonic conservation, also that no demon dares trek this far.”

“Except for me.”

“You and a few other common visitors. Lady Death isn’t very social, she doesn’t like visitors, except for a particular few.”

“And who might that be?”

Leviathan counted a couple fingers. “Some close friends.”

“You only counted to two.”

“Keep your friends close, and your enemies far away, that’s what I always say.”

Dantalion was visibly confused. “I don’t think that’s how that- y’know what, whatever. Where is Lady Death?”

“Ah, she’s in a meeting with a dead soul. It’s imperative we let her finish.”

“Can you ask her to hurry it up, then? This swamp makes me look like an unwashed dog.” Adepha spoke up.

“I’m sorry your looks are suffering,” The beast answered sardonically.

“What kind of creature are you, anyway?” Asked Dantalion, who hoped to change the subject.

“I am a Nighthound, as are the other beasts you’ll see around here. We once roamed these marshes with reckless abandon, lording with the iron fisted rule of an apex predator! Until they built death’s palace, and convinced us that this was the only way to save ourselves from being eradicated by bullets.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, not fun.” She off-handedly waved. “But, that’s not important now, what is important is that we need to get you ready to see Lady Death.”

“Am I… not ready?”

“Well, other than freshly brushed hair, you look like you just got out of bed.” Leviathan turned her head to Adepha, “Did you not bother to change her clothes?”

“I don’t want to change clothes.” The young demon said softly. “I look just fine.”

“Hmm…” The beast rubbed her furry chin, looking down at her own tattered outfit. “I guess I get your point, though she won’t be very happy about it. You’re probably exhausted anyway. I hear that ferry ride is something out of Lucfier’s torture chamber.”

“It was kinda nice, I liked looking at the water.”

“The water with the screams of the damned and the protruding limbs?”

Dantalion shrugged her shoulders. “I… didn’t see any of those.”

“Eh, you must’ve missed them.”

“Is Lady Death finished?” Interrupted Adepha snidely, much to Leviathan’s chagrin. “It feels like we’ve been walking this one hallway for hours.”

Leviathan gave her a taunting grin. “It’s only been five minutes, maybe.”

“In these heels, that’s basically an hour.”

“That’s not my fault, now is it?”

Dantalion visibly winced, expecting her case manager’s wrath to boil over any second. “I’ll have you know that I work for Lucifer, you disgusting freak, and she’ll have you shot faster than JFK in Dallas!”

“Luci-who?”

“Lucifer!”

The beast grinned. “I’m sorry miss, I have no clue who you’re speaking of.”

“Don’t play dumb with me!”

“Miss Adepha, I think you should calm down.” Dantalion said calmly.

“Fine.”

Leviathan gave the teenage demon a grin. “You’re quite the peacemaker, considering who your parents are.”

“How do you know all that?”

The monster grinned, “You’d be surprised how quickly gossip spreads around here, the other night hounds are like church ladies.”

As the trio kept down the hall, the emptiness of the place started to set in. Dantalion tried to look at her surroundings, but it felt like she was walking in place. Empty walls stayed empty, though as they got deeper into the palace’s annals it got darker and murkier. Finally, the beast stopped herself on a paw, turning on her heel to glance at the two again before they went down a spiraling set of stairs.

“Down here is your room, Miss Dantalion. You’ll be pleased to know that you’ll have one to yourself.” She said with a hint of a bite. “It’s just down these stairs and to the left. It’s the only door in the hall that’s not covered in scratch marks.”

“Scratch marks?”

“Down there is also the servant quarters, but trust me, we don’t get too loud… only on holidays.”

Dantalion made an ‘hmph’ noise. “You guys have holidays?”

“I’ll explain it more later, we should get you down there before Lady Death finishes her work for the day.”

The young demon looked back at her case manager, who had now taken off her shoes.

“I guess this is goodbye, Miss Adepha.” Dantalion whispered somberly.

“Well… not really.” The case manager half-scoffed, “I just got a call that the boat that was supposed to pick me up decided to crash into the rut in the river, and is currently six feet underwater, so I guess I’m gonna be here for a while.”

Leviathan audibly sighed, “Then I hope you two are okay with sharing a room.”

They reluctantly nodded in unison, leading the night hound to open the door to their new bedroom.

“I’ll come get you after her macabreness has finished with the final soul, Lady Dantalion.”

“Thanks.”

Leviathan bowed, giving Adepha a stank eye as she shut the door to the room behind her, leaving the pair alone in the vast space. It was as empty as the halls, with unpainted stone walls lit only by the light of dying candles. The room smelled of burning sulfur, but that was a relatively normal smell in hell’s smokey air. Dantalion sat her suitcase down on the bed, popping it open to unpack her many, many items.

She swiftly hung her clothes on old wooden hangers, placed her assortment of makeup and mirrors on her fancy regal dresser, and lastly shoved the empty traveling sarcophagus under her bed. She laid down on the sack’s soft mattress, feeling her body sink into its embrace as she stayed there for a few moments. Her rest wouldn’t last long, however, as the sounds of a snapping acrylic nail pierced her ear.

“SHIT!” Adepha shouted, throwing her heels on the ground.

“Miss Adepha?”

“I HATE this damned place!” She ignored the girl, “It’s hot, and I’m sticky, and my hair’s messed up, and my nails are broken, and my heels- Oh! My heels, and how in the hell am I supposed to get home?! I have a job dammit!”

“Miss Adepha?” Dantalion repeated with a bit more force, beginning to squeeze a nearby pillow.

“This place is filled with mortal scum and monsters!”

“I think it’s pretty…”

Adepha gave her a glare, “Of course you do, they’re sucking up to you.”

“You did call Miss Leviathan a monster at first sight.”

“Well, that’s what she is! She’s a freak! I can’t believe Lady Death would keep those abominations anywhere near her. If it were up to me, they’d all be fur coats.”

Dantalion was taken aback, beginning to hug the cushion a bit tighter. “Miss Adepha!” She yelled incredulously.

“Can it.” Adepha began to pace, “This place reeks…”

“Smells like death.”

“Yes, because that’s such a pleasant scent.”

The young demon tried to comfort her. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, Miss Adepha. I think you’re overreacting.”

“Overreacting?” She repeated with a venomous bite, “I’m stranded here! Do you not understand that? I’m stuck here in this scumhole until that bitch you call a queen remembers I’m gone!”

“Don’t call Aunt Lucy-“ Dantalion caught herself, her own emotions starting to boil. “Don’t call her majesty a bitch.”

“I’m allowed to call her whatever I please.”

The teenage demon let out a sigh, “Maybe you should rest, Miss Adepha. You’re clearly not thinking straight.”

The case manager scoffed, opening her mouth to shout, but stopping herself halfway. She ran a hand through her fiery hair, letting out a frustrated sigh of her own. “Yeah, maybe I should.”

She laid beside Dantalion on the bed, her breaths shallow and weary as the cloud-like mattress consumed her. The young demon stood from the kip, walking over to her closet to find something at least a little bit nicer. However, it turned out she didn’t have much time, as a slamming knock on the door scared her out of her shoes.

“Lady Dantalion!” Leviathan’s voice barked through the wooden door, “Lady Death is ready for you!”

The teenage demon let out a nervous sigh as she walked out of the bedroom, following the beast back up the hallway.

“Are you excited?” The Nighthound asked with a smile.

“Yeah…”

“That doesn’t sound very excited.”

Dantalion’s hand shook. “I’m kinda nervous, actually.”

“Well, that’s okay, her nightmarishness is a very intimidating figure at first. Trust me, when I first saw her, I was 100% sure she was gonna eat me alive.”

“Oh.”

Leviathan laughed, “Yeah, I was a pretty paranoid puppy.”

“I don’t think she’ll kill me, I’m just… nervous.”

The beast kept a grin, “Yeah, well, I’m sure she’ll like you.”

“You think so?”

“Her grisliness might seem all cruel and scary on the outside, but she’s not like that. She’s actually very sweet.”

Dantalion felt herself calm down slightly, not enough to be considered comfortable, but better than a shaking mess. “I’m glad.”

“Her throne room is right behind the corner, can’t miss it.”

“Are you not gonna go in with me?”

Leviathan chuckled, “Her blackness doesn’t like having too many people in there. It’s a tradition thing.”

“Right.”

Dantalion took a deep breath, looking up at the massive doors that led into the quarters of death. The door was lined with murals, all painted with shades of crimson and black. She slowly opened the gate, taking a step that echoed through the mostly empty room. She could hear her own heavy breaths as she entered the space with trepidation, the only light to guide her being that of a dying candle, just like in her own room.

“Step forward.” A cold voice hummed from afar, leading Dantalion towards it like she was in a trance. The teenage demon anxiously walked through the room, her own footsteps bouncing off the walls as she got closer and closer to the embodiment of expiration. Soon, the figure began to approach her, a dark silhouette towering in the dim light before her features finally came into view.

She was a head taller than Dantalion, her snowy white hair up in a loose ponytail, with a vibrant rose clipped in its mane. Her sharp red eyes looked down at the teenage demon, her tail whipping back and forth as she adjusted the collar on her dark uniform.

“You must be Dantalion.” She spoke with a stoic glare, her voice quiet yet stern.

The young demon hesitated, “H-hello- I mean, good evening! Good evening, your…?”

“Please, just call me Azrael, or Thanatos, or The Arbiter, or the Grim Reaper, or Santa Muerte, or-“

“Uh…”

Death hummed, “Lady Death is the easiest to remember. I have so many titles and names now, it’s like every human has a different thing they call me.”

“Well, what’s your real name?”

“Azrael, that’s what my mother named me.”

Dantalion’s eyes widened, “You had a mother?”

“You seem a bit surprised.”

“Well, y’know, I always kinda thought you just-“

“Happened? What, did you think all creatures were immortal until I came along to take their souls?”

The young demon laughed anxiously, shifting her eyes around the dim, empty room. “Yeah, kinda like that.”

“No, actually, I had an entire existence before I ended up stuck in this infinite loop of torturous labor.”

“Torturous?”

Azrael’s face remained stoic, “It’s not as fun as it used to be.” She gave Dantalion a look, “I was hoping you would help with that.”

“Really?”

“It would be far better than spending every waking second alone.”

The young demon stared at her own feet. “I’d think anything would be better than that.”

“Loneliness is both a blessing and a curse, more often a curse.” Lady Death walked back towards her throne, grabbing a fire-engulfed weapon from its holder. “However, this isn’t about me, is it?”

Dantalion’s eyes went wide as the white flame lit the darkness of the room.

“This is my scythe. It burns with the flames of Tartarus. If you touch it, I will feed you to the servants.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The teenage demon answered with a nervous bow.

“Put your head back up.”

Dantalion anxiously did as she was told, feeling Azrael’s cold fingertips brush across her chin.

“You’re here to learn, yes?”

“My father told me I’d be here to be your assistant.”

Death chuckled, “Your parents are politicians, natural born liars.”

“What do you mean?” Dantalion raised an eyebrow.

“You ask a lot of questions.”

“I’m a very curious demon.” The younger one responded with a bit of a bite.

“I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

“I’d like to know now.”

Azrael whipped her eyes towards her. “Now I know why they warned me about you, that smart mouth of yours does seem to have a mind of its own.”

“I’m not being ‘smart’, I’m just asking for information.”

“And I told you that I would tell you tomorrow. You have to be patient.”

Dantalion huffed. “If my parents were lying to me, I’d like to know why.” She spoke now with a hint of desperation.

Azrael didn’t respond, putting her scythe back in its place and turning her back to the girl.

“Did you hear me?” The young demon raised her voice.

“I did.” The embodiment answered softly.

“Then why won’t you answer me?”

“Because I told you I would tell you tomorrow.”

Dantalion felt her hair raise, “I wanna know now.”

“Dantalion-“

“I said I wanna know now!”

Azrael scoffed, her eyes staring straight through the girl as her eyebrows furrowed. “Quit whining like a petulant brat. I said you would learn tomorrow, and yet here you are acting like a child. What? Do you think you’ll die in your sleep?”

“I-“

“No, I’ve had enough of you for the night. Go to bed.”

“It’s only 7:30.” The girl said incredulously.

The death demon flicked her wrist, turning on her heel and sitting back down on her throne. “Then sit in your room and scream for all I care. As long as it gets you out of here.” She gave her one final glare, “And next time I see you, you better be wearing something nicer than your pajamas.”

Dantalion let out an angry huff, storming out of the room with bullish footsteps.

“How’d it go, Miss Dantalion?” Asked Leviathan with her signature grin, however, she received no answer. She watched Dantalion storm by like a whirlwind before poking her head into the death demon’s chamber, seeing her lounging on her throne with an unfazed expression.

“I see you, Leviathan. You can come in.” She barked.

“Lady death, what happened?”

“Don’t pretend like you didn’t hear it.”

Leviathan sighed, “I did, but it was only part of it.”

“I messed up. I tried to approach her like an adult, and it seems she couldn’t handle it. The girl’s a bull in a china closet.”

“I could’ve told you that by the file, your macabreness.”

Azrael groaned with annoyed apathy, “Stop calling me that.”

“Right.”

“Anyway, it seems my efforts went haywire.” The demon spoke with a waving hand, “She certainly takes after those parents of hers.”

“You did tell her they were lying to her.”

“Was I wrong?”

Leviathan bit her lip, “Well…”

“She deserves to know the truth, I think. The girl isn’t a fool.”

“You also called her a petulant brat and told her to go to her room like she’s a little pup.”

The death demon’s expression remained unchanged. “She was acting like one.”

“Don’t you think you’re being a little too hard on her? She’s just been through an eight-hour boat ride with an unpleasant wench and got dumped in the swamp with nothing but a suitcase. It’s probably the first time she’s this far away from home, cut her a little slack.”

“And make her weak? I don’t think so.” Azrael scoffed, “The last girl died because she was unprepared. I’m not repeating the same mistake twice.”

“But Miss Dantalion is of far superior blood to her, she’s a bonafide prodigy by genetics alone.”

The death demon rolled her eyes, “Of course, the beast lectures me on genetics.”

“Why are you being so obtuse?” The beast said with a bite, “I just want you to be nice to her. She’s just a scared kid.”

“And so were you, and yet here you are, doing just fine.”

Leviathan scoffed, “If you’re just gonna be rude, I’m leaving.”

“Stay.”

“Why?”

Azrael let out a sigh of her own, “I’ll admit that I lost my temper a little.”

“A little? You made her cry.”

“I just think-“ The death demon caught herself, letting out a begrudged sigh. “Just tell her I’m sorry.”

“Really?” Leviathan asked, a bit taken aback by the shift.

“Yes. Tell her I lost my temper and didn’t mean what I said.”

The beast stayed serious, “Maybe you should tell her that.”

“Why? She probably hates me.”

“And she’d probably hate you more if you apologized like a coward.”

Azrael rolled her eyes, “Fine. I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Leviathan watched the death demon walk back to her throne, sitting down with her legs crossed as she seemingly went back to her endless work. The beast let out a sighing huff, exiting the room with her head hung low. She walked back down the long, straight hallway, paying no attention to the world around her as her vision tunneled. Her feet moved like a machine, unconsciously leading her through the corridor and down the spiraling stairs, towards the only door without the signs of servitude.

“Miss Dantalion?” Leviathan spoke softly as she knocked on the door. “Are you okay?”

There was no answer, not even a sign of movement.

“Miss Dantalion, I know her grimness was rather cruel to you, but she’s not like that, I promise. I want you to be happy here.” The beast pleaded.

It was then when she heard a faint clatter, the sound of a foot hitting the stone floor as the pitter-patter got louder and louder. Then, the doorknob began to rattle.

“What?” Dantalion groaned tiredly as the door swung open.

“I’m just checking on you.”

“I’m fine.” The teenage demon answered quickly.

Leviathan gave her a warm smile, “You should get some rest.”

“Is that an order?”

“No, just a suggestion. You must have had a long day.”

Dantalion smiled weakly, “Yeah, I have.”

“I promise she’s not like that all the time.”

“You said she was sweet.”

The beast laughed awkwardly, “Well, you know, my perception is a bit biased.”

“‘Sweet’ my ass.”

Leviathan hummed. “She’s just being a bit icy.”

“A bit?”

“I’ve seen her be worse, if that’s any consolation.”

Dantalion put her head down, letting out a dim chuckle. “I guess it is.”

“Just don’t worry about her- OOMF!”

Leviathan staggered as Dantalion threw herself into the beast’s arms, her eyes widening as she felt the teenage demon squeeze her furry ribcage. She carefully put her arms around her, reciprocating the hug as a longing silence filled the air around them.

“Have a good night, Miss Dantalion.” The servant whispered softly, slowly letting the girl back away into her bedroom. Dantalion didn’t speak, her sniffles saying more than words as she waved goodbye, shutting the wooden door behind her.

She walked back to her bed, ignoring Adepha’s stares. The young demon laid back down, covering herself up tightly in her blankets as the warm embrace of sleep began to consume her.

One day down, who knows how many left to go.

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