{ HELL’s HIGHEST PEAK—THE RESENTFUL REALM, LOVELESS GARDEN}

The Loveless Garden was a vast place blanketed in cursed snow and a few dead trees with disfigured branches. There were also large walls of crystals, whose sharp peaks pierced the stormy skies above.

A place with no beginning and end.

A secret place of the Resentful realm. Harsh and cold but still manages to look like a peaceful and quiet place. Where demons could gather their thoughts and think in peace of their next sin.

Light flickered in the distance as an entity treaded upon the blankets of snow. Moving at a slow and hypnotizing pace. The entity had a long silver hair that covered its face and dragged behind it.

It was not as tall as a regular street trash bin. A saintly robe on its small body as its hand squeezed tight against a hanging magical lantern held by a dark wooden stick.

It moved silently until it reached the center of the forbidden garden where a large tree stood to show off its might and growth among other trees.

Though the tree barely had any leaves on its branches, the few golden leaves on it glowed richly as shiny red threads hung from each golden leaf.

The entity paused before the tree and fell before the figure that stood before it with a melancholy look.

The entity carefully lowered his lantern on the frozen soil before bowing his head completely at the return of the Prince Of Hell.

’’Your Highness,’’ the entity greeted in an eerie voice that carried both masculine and feminine tones. Ichor moved from the tree to stare at the Demon of Light and Time.

’’Who planted this tree?’’ he asked and the demon stared up briefly at the tree in question and answered after a while.

’’Nemis, the demon of love. She planted this tree and weaved the threads around the leaves for any demon aching to be joined with what the humans call a soulmate.’’

Ichor blinked, turning around briefly to stare at the weird tree again.

’’She placed a spell on it a thousand years ago that whoever the thread is bound to will leave no room for separation or regrets. Heartaches or betrayal. Longing and parting. Hardships or death.’’

The demon explained as Ichor stared at the tree.

Why does it feel like no one has plucked a single thread down from this tree before?

Is lust, greed, sin and destruction all that mattered to the demons here?

’’Your Highness,’’ the entity called out again when Ichor kept staring at the weird tree. The tree the Red dragon had ordered long ago to be taken down soon and burned in the fires of hell.

’’It is time for you to see the red dragon now.’’

Ichor’s pretty eyes blinked as he stared down from the tree again, moving slightly as he found himself once again reminded of his unfortunate roots. It hurt to exist in a world where love itself struggled to survive. Even the demons that opened up to that concept found it boring at the end.

He had always envied those who could be loved by their parents or lovers naturally. Even when they were not as good, powerful, ancient or beautiful as him. He hated when such demons take that privilege for granted or dismiss it as nothing.

They have no idea how perfect they were in his eyes every time.

It hurts not to be as lucky as any of them.

’’Alright,’’ he said, not particularly excited to be granted a rare audience with his father after lurking around in Hell for two hours and a half.

(One hour in hell is a day on earth.)

The entity nodded his head before grabbing his lantern and rising to his feet to lead the young prince to see the red dragon.

Meanwhile, a demon lurking in one of the giant ice pillars that surrounded the garden had seen and recognized the young prince.

The basket of fruit had fallen from her hands as she turned and ran with all her might out of the Loveless garden and straight to the grey region of the Resentful Realm.

’’Your Great Divine,’’ a demon on her knees moved just enough to show the great divine, one of the newly made jewels for the royal family in Hell. ’’This is one of the bracelet recently made from the tears of the condemned souls of the bottomless pit.’’

Lilith moved to receive the jewelry. Her diamond gaze twinkled in pleasure as she held on to the pure white bracelet, a pleased smile easing on her red lips. The demons surrounding her chuckled, matching her grin as she put on the bracelet. Instruments made out of the flesh and bones of sinners were playing in the background of the Phoenix Hall of the Queen Mother of all of Hell.

The mother of demons and the origin of rebellion and symbol of rivalry.

Lilith wore the bracelet, looking pleased as it fit perfectly around her wrist. She showed it to her admirers, the ones who praised her day and night for her beauty and perfection.

The first human bride and love of the red dragon. Now made the demon queen of Hell.

’’It costs ten pounds of greed, fifteen pounds of lust and thirty carats of mortal suffering.’’ The demon said proudly to the queen mother and the other demons gathered at her feet stared about looking impressed by the jewelry. Their naked bodies huddled together as they gossiped about the unimaginable worth of the piece of jewelry.

Lilith sat proudly on her golden throne, a phoenix crown with twelve golden spikes around it, forming a half-ring on her head. Her long, wine colored hair formed around her endowed figure as she was dressed in a revealing golden dress, long slits forming at the side of her thighs as she was adorned from head to toe in material things both the mortal and divine world could only dream of.

’’There is no end to your grace, beauty and dominion. Your Grace shines forever...’’ a female demon said as she crawled over on the white, marbled floor naked.

’’There is nothing that can compare to you. Not even the divine beings above or the souls suffering beneath...’’

Lilith sat proudly, her deep eyes like two sharp venomous splits of purity and evil moved over each and every demon around her to see who could dare rival her in anything.

’’Hell, even the great and terrible red dragon worships at your feet.’’

Lilith was deeply pleased by the praises of her, even if none of them were completely true but she loves the superior feeling it gives knowing she had that much power and influence.

Lilith smiled again as two demons in a corner teased each other with sinful touches, moaning softly in pleasure.

Who above and beneath or within could threaten her place at the top?

The answer to her question came quickly as the little feet of a demon sped down the white halls of the Phoenix palace and announced the arrival of someone unexpected.

’’F-F-Forgive me, my Lords and Your Grace, but I just saw a demon that looked so much like His Highness Ichor with the demon Falak in the Loveless Garden heading towards the All-seeing Peak!’’

The female demons with Lilith paused with whatever they were doing as they stared about in shock and in disbelief.

Silence swept across the Phoenix Hall.

And Lilith’s smile faded.