Sinful Obsession

27. 27 – Asmodeus

27 – Asmodeus

I return to hell, resting against the very throne set aside from my woman. She’s finally assumed who she is, an event that would always come to pass no matter how hard the angels try to postpone it.

Across from me, Satan, lounges on his throne. He’s laughing, the faint fire dancing around him

“You’ve done it again,” he booms, slapping a hand against the armrest of his throne. The sound rings out in the darkness, metal against the leather form he now holds. “You’ve found her, my clever son. Against all odds, you’ve found Lilith yet again.”

I lean back, a smirk playing at the corner of my lips. “Was there ever any doubt, Father?”

Satan shakes his head, his laughter tapering off into a low chuckle. “Oh, the angels tried. They always do, don’t they? Hiding her, scattering her essence across the mortal plane, wrapping her up in new names, new lives. But they always fail.”

“She has to exist,” I reply, very proud of my efforts. “They know that as well as we do. Balance requires her. Without Lilith, their precious light would collapse under the weight of itself. They need our destruction to rebuild.”

“And yet,” Satan says, his grin widening, “they never stop trying to keep her from you. I wonder why they bother. They must know by now that it’s futile.”

I shrug. “They don’t understand her like I do. Lilith is chaos and creation wrapped in mortal flesh. She belongs to the darkness, no matter how hard they try to mold her into something else. I’d recognize her in any form, in any life.”

Satan leans forward, his crimson gaze locking onto mine. “How is it that you always find her? Tell me, my son. What is it about her that calls to you?” It’s such a contrast between now and a few days ago when he was berating me for being distracted by a human. Then again, he’s always been like that where I am concerned. How he hasn’t come to trust that I know what I’m doing is beyond me.

I pause, considering his question. How do I explain something so instinctual, so intrinsic to my very being? “It’s everything,” I finally push out. “The way she moves, the way she looks at the world. Her defiance, her hunger for something more. Lilith is my goddess of darkness. She’s written into the marrow of my existence. I don’t need to look for her—I feel her. I always will.”

Satan laughs again, the sound rolling through the space like thunder. “You’re a sentimental fool,” he says, though his tone carries no malice. “But a clever one. This game you play with the angels, with the mortal world—it’s entertaining, I’ll give you that.”

I allow myself a small smile, basking in his praise. He played a game with the angels, with the supposed god himself and while everyone believes he lost, Satan now has a kingdom to himself. “It’s not just a game to me. It’s a reunion. Every time I find her, every time I wake her, it’s a reminder of what they can’t take from us. The angels can try to hide her, bury her under their rules and sanctity, but they’ll never erase what we are.”

“And what are you, my son?” Satan asks, leaning back with an expression of amusement.

“We’re an inevitability, a promise, something that can’t be broken,” I say simply.

“Well said. You’ve done well, Asmodeus. Bringing her back, finding her in that pathetic shell of a place the angels call an institution. It’s no small feat.”

I don’t bother hiding my pride. I’ve earned it. Every crack in the portal is a testament to my success, to the inevitability of Lilith’s return and the chaos she will bring.

“I love this part,” I admit, my voice softer now. “The rediscovery. The chase. The way she’ll look at me when she remembers who she is, who we are. There’s nothing like it.”

“And the angels?” Satan asks, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “Don’t tell me you don’t enjoy sticking it to them every time you bring her back.”

“Of course I do,” I chuckle. “Their desperation is almost as satisfying as the reunion itself.”

Satan leans back, his laughter echoing again. “You’re my son, through and through. But tell me, Asmodeus, how do you plan to give her what she deserves this time? You’ve always been good at bringing her back, but you’ve never been able to keep her. The game always resets, doesn’t it?”

I stiffen, the weight of his words settling over me. He’s right. Every cycle ends the same way—with Lilith torn from me, the portal sealed, and the angels celebrating their hollow victory. And then it begins again, the search, the awakening, the fight to bring her back to me.

“She always finds it endearing,” I say quietly, more to myself than to him. “The way we start over. The way I never stop looking for her.”

Satan hums. “Perhaps. But what if this time is different? What if this time, she decides she’s tired of the game?”

The thought sends a chill through me, one that even the fires of Hell can’t banish. Lilith—my Vienna—she’s not like the others. She never has been. She’s always had a mind of her own, a will as strong as the darkness itself.

“And what if she doesn’t?” I ask, my voice quiet but resolute. “What if she chooses me again?”

Satan’s grin widens. “Then you’ve won. But remember, Asmodeus, the choice is always hers. You may find her, wake her, but you cannot force her hand. That’s what makes this game so deliciously unpredictable.”

I rise from my throne—Lilith’s throne, the weight of his words pressing against my chest. The energy in this place pulsates, flowing more freely as I feel the portal from Briarwood shake, another crack splitting across those stones.

As I step into the shadows, letting the darkness wrap around me like a second skin, I allow myself a moment of hope. Hope that Vienna—my Lilith—will see this cycle for what it is. A reunion, a rebirth, a chance to reclaim the world that was always meant to be ours.