Sinful Obsession

39. 39 - Ewan

39 - Ewan

T he portal looms before us, a fractured, pulsing mass of darkness that hums with a power so ancient it feels alive. It draws us closer, an irresistible force pulling at the very core of who we are. Each crack in its surface bleeds energy into the room, heavy and suffocating, filling the space with a soundless rhythm that matches my heartbeat. The end is close now, so close I can taste it in the air, bitter and electric.

I step forward, my boots heavy against the stone floor, my breath shallow. My body feels lighter than it should, as if the pull of the portal is trying to unravel me, to take me apart piece by piece. I glance at the others—Kaua, Vito, Nevan—and then at her. Lilith. The queen of everything, our dark sun.

She’s glowing, not in the radiant, ethereal way of the angels but in a way that feels raw and visceral, like she’s a storm barely held together. Her mark burns brightly on her chest, and her eyes are locked on the swirling black mass of the portal as if it’s the only thing in existence. She’s more than Vienna now. She’s something other, something more . And yet, there’s still something human in the way she carries herself, in the way she clings to Asmodeus’ name like it’s her anchor.

I know what’s coming. I’ve always known. This is who we are—what we are. But as I take another step closer, the weight of it all settles over me like a shroud.

I am Death.

I always have been, and I always will be.

And that’s why it’s me who has to speak.

“Lilith,” I say, my voice cutting through the oppressive silence. She doesn’t turn at first, her focus unwavering, but then she shifts slightly, her gaze flicking to mine.

Her expression is unreadable, but there’s a fire in her eyes, a determination that burns brighter than anything I’ve ever seen. She’s made her choice. I can see it in the way she holds herself, in the way she breathes. But she hasn’t thought this through. Not all the way. Not to the end.

“You know what happens when we do this,” I say, my voice low but steady. “This isn’t just about opening the portal. It’s about what comes after. About what this will do to you .”

She tilts her head slightly, her lips curving into a faint smile. “You think I don’t know what I’m doing?”

“I think you don’t know what this will cost,” I reply. “You’ve embraced your role, your power. But the portal... It doesn’t just give. It takes. Even from you.”

She steps closer, her movements deliberate, her gaze locked on mine. “And what do you think it will take from me, Ewan? My humanity? That’s already gone. My soul? That belongs to Asmodeus.”

I shake my head, my jaw tightening. “It’s not that simple. The portal doesn’t care about love or devotion. It doesn’t care about power. It’s chaos, Lilith. It’s destruction. And once it’s open, you might not be able to control it. You might not be able to control yourself .”

Her smile falters for just a moment, a flicker of something—doubt, maybe, or hesitation—but then it’s gone, replaced by the same fierce determination that brought us here. “I don’t need control,” she says. “I need freedom. For me. For him. For all of us.”

“And when that freedom comes at the cost of everything else?” I press, my voice sharper now. “When it consumes the world, the people, the very balance that keeps us tethered? What then?”

She doesn’t answer immediately, her gaze drifting back to the portal. The silence stretches between us, heavy and suffocating, until she finally speaks.

“Then it burns,” she says, her voice a quiet, resolute whisper. “And I’ll burn with it if I have to.”

Her words hit me like a physical blow, and for a moment, I can’t breathe. I want to argue, to fight, to make her see reason, but I know it’s pointless. She’s already made her choice. She’s chosen Asmodeus. She’s chosen this.

And I’ve chosen her.

I nod slowly, my chest tightening as I take another step closer. “If this is what you want,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper, “then I’ll follow you. Into the fire, into the darkness—wherever this leads, I’ll be there. But know this, Lilith. There’s no coming back. Not for any of us.”

She turns to face me fully now, her gaze steady, her expression softening just enough to remind me of the woman she used to be. “I know,” she says. “And I wouldn’t ask you to. I need you, Ewan. All of you. Until the end.”

Her hand reaches out, brushing against my cheek, and I close my eyes at the warmth of her touch. It’s brief, fleeting, but it’s enough. Enough to remind me why I’m here, why I’ve always been here. I am Death. She is destruction. And together, we are unstoppable.

The others move closer now, their presence grounding me as Lilith steps back toward the portal. Kaua’s fists are clenched, his feral energy barely contained. Nevan’s gaze is sharp, calculating, as if he’s already two steps ahead. Vito’s smirk is gone, replaced by something colder, darker. They’re all ready. They’ve all made their choice.

And as Lilith raises her hands, the portal responds, its energy flaring wildly, filling the room with a deafening roar. The ground trembles beneath us, cracks spidering out from the base of the portal, and the air grows thick with heat and darkness.

This is it. This is the end.

And as the first tendrils of the portal’s energy reach out toward us, wrapping around Lilith like an embrace, I take a deep breath and step forward, ready to meet the darkness head-on.

Whatever happens next, I will stand by her side.

Until the end.