Arpious of the Planes



"Too many times. I've had thousands of lovers, but after seeing them die over and over again, I've begun to grow lonely. Even if I have a lover like you, and we know our relationship is purely beneficial, I can't help but feel lonely. So, if you survive this mission, I just hope you won't abandon me." 

"... Can I ask you a question?" 

"Go ahead." 

"How many people have you sent on this mission to eradicate the plane you are sending me to?" 

The woman lightly smiled, turning away from me. "Too many times…." 

Clearly, all of her lovers were strong warriors, mages, or just fighters in general, and she most likely seduced them in order to use them for her benefit. 

It was obvious from the start she wanted to use me, but now that I knew the reason, I could tell she just wanted the best for hell. 

It's an evil place full of evil people, but at least it's good to know that there are good ones amongst the seemingly endless sea of evil ones. 

Well, to be honest, that might not even be correct, as from what I've seen, the spawns of hell are pretty much no different than the monsters and humans lurking across the tower of planes. 

They were just chosen to be at the bottom and were labeled as evil ones because, well… churches need an enemy to hate and worship against. 

"No, we definitely did some fucked up shit back then. I will admit that, and I will make sure everybody is aware of that. I mean, we could've been the ones being worshipped, and the angels could have been the ones being hated… although we fucked up." 

"Please don't read my mind without permission…." 

"I know, I just felt like wanting to hear your thoughts on what I said… everybody has different reactions and skepticism…." 

"Then can I ask… was I right? Did I get it correct?"

"Yeah, you were pretty spot on. It's easiest to manipulate people when they're in love with you, and seducing others wasn't very hard with my charisma. Sure, I could have used a potion or a skill, but the ones I wanted to go after were so strong that they'd definitely catch on just as I activate the skill or drip a bit of the potion." 

"Is it all for the sake of hell?" 

The woman just smiled, withdrawing an answer as she snapped her fingers again, causing me to appear in her throne room. 

"I can teleport you there instantly as soon as you want. You may have to make room for this mission in your already tightly packed schedule where you visit your family… but I think you can do it." 

Her hand slowly trailed down my cheek, to my chin, down my neck, and then to the collar of my shirt, where she pulled me forward ever so slightly. 

"I really hope you survive." 

"I really hope I do as well," I smiled, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her in towards me, this time taking the lead. 

She was a little taken aback by the sudden yank, but as I brought my face closer to hers, she turned away and covered her own face with her hand. 

From behind those slender red fingers of hers, I could see her already red skin turning an even brighter shade of red. 

"I-I have to get back to work. I've already spent too much time giving you a tour and entertaining those fools."

"You're so cute," I lightly chuckled, pulling her hand to the side and giving her lips a light peck before pulling away. 

Her blush deepened even darker, her eyes unable to meet mine and her voice slightly quivering as her lips cracked open. "Please don't die." 

I was surprised by her spoken honesty as it seemed pretty out of character for her, but upon mulling over her story, I knew she had tons of suppressed emotions that she didn't know how to deal with. 

"Then why don't you just come with me? I won't die if you're there, right?" 

"Didn't you hear me bef-" 

"I'm just joking," I chuckled, grabbing both of her hands and squeezing them tightly. "I'll come back for you. Don't worry, I won't die." 

…

(Devil POV) 

"I'm just joking," I chuckled, grabbing both of her hands and squeezing them tightly. "I'll come back for you. Don't worry, I won't die." 

The words that flowed from her mouth were something I had heard before, yet this time they seemed more believable and genuine than ever. 

Her eyes trailed down my body, all the way to the tips of my fingers, where she let go of my left hand and held my right hand with both of her own hands. 

They held my slender fingers upwards toward her mouth, allowing her to kiss the back of my hand like she was a loyal knight… yet I've seen this before again. 

But this time, it looked more genuine, and the kiss looked more loving than ever since everybody else was after my body, my looks, my power… but she just wanted my heart. 

"This is cheesy as shit…." I covered my face while blushing. 

"I'm happy…." I saw the woman's smile peek through my fingers as my free hand continued to cover my face. 

My eyes were glued onto her, unable to move. Yet in the corner of my blocky vision, interrupted by my fingers, I saw a man in long white robes staring at the situation going down. 

He was looking at us with nostalgia flickering between each blink of his, seemingly beginning to stare past us… way past until the images of our past began to flood into his mind. 

Slowly, he began to walk toward us, and as I was embraced by Arpious, the dragon's fingers wrapped around her shoulder. 

The air was tense for but a moment until Arpious recognized the man who had just gripped her. 

"Let me go with you. I want to redeem myself."