Chapter 177: Red eyes

Seraphel

"I missed having you by my side," Azriel whispered, his arms tightening around me as he pulled me close against the plush mattress.

The quiet of the cavern enclosed us like a blanket, shielded from the rest of the world.

The sweet scent of lotus-blossom incense lingered in the air, mingling with the warm sandalwood and red lilies that clung to Azriel’s skin.

"Me too," I murmured, letting out a long breath as I rested my cheek against his broad chest.

The steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath my ear was the most soothing sound in the world, an ancient pulse that settled my scattered thoughts.

I traced lazy patterns over his collarbone, feeling the slow rise and fall of his breath.

I shifted, lifting my chin to look up at his sharp profile. His crimson eyes were fixed on the rocky ceiling above, filled with a quiet stillness.

"Azriel..." I began softly, my voice barely more than a whisper in the still room. "Do you... do you think we truly have something to fear from what Luceriel warned us about? About our child?"

Azriel’s gaze dropped to meet mine, his expression softening as he listened.

I swallowed past the tightness in my throat, my fingers curling into the fabric of his robes. "Luceriel spoke as if our baby’s existence is a threat to the world itself. He said Draca would come for our child... that he wouldn’t allow something more powerful than him to exist. Is our baby really going to be born into a world consumed by Draca’s cruelty? What if we can’t protect them? What if they become evil?’’

The fear in my voice carried through the bond between our souls.

I couldn’t hide it from him even if I tried. The thought of bringing a life into a realm where ancient, monstrous beings were already plotting its destruction made my chest tighten with panic.

Azriel didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached up, his fingers cupping the side of my face. He brushed his thumb over my cheekbone in a slow stroke, smoothing away the anxiety that had settled into my features.

"Look at me, Little Lotus," Azriel said, his voice dropping into that deep, commanding tone that always steadied me.

I looked up, letting my eyes lock onto the vivid crimson of his gaze.

"Nothing in this realm, whether it be the gods of Elysium or Draca himself, will ever touch our child," Azriel said, each word delivered with unwavering conviction.

"I did not fight through centuries of darkness, and I did not tear through the heavens to find you, only to let some ancient shadow threaten what is ours. Luceriel spoke of prophecies and visions, but he does not know the full extent of what I am willing to do to keep you both safe."

He slid his hand down from my cheek, resting his palm flat over the middle of my lower abdomen.

I could feel the gentle pulse of his magic beneath his palm, wrapping around our child like a barrier.

"Our child is not a curse, Seraphel," Azriel continued, leaning down until his lips brushed my forehead. "They are proof of our bond. A harmony of light and shadow, divine blood and power. They will not be a victim of Draca’s world — they will be the strength that dismantles it. As long as I draw breath, no harm will come to either of you. I swear it on my immortal life, my soul, and my title as a Sin."

The weight of his promise settled over me. The knot of panic in my chest began to loosen, easing under the warmth of his hand and the certainty in his eyes.

"You always know exactly what to say to make me feel safe," I murmured, a faint, tired smile breaking across my lips.

"That is because it is the truth," Azriel replied, a dark smirk playing at the corners of his mouth before it softened into affection. "Now, no more worrying for tonight. Your body has endured a breakthrough, a divine manifestation, and hours of my undivided attention. You need to rest."

I let out a soft laugh, the exhaustion suddenly settling over me like a heavy tide.

My eyelids felt heavy, the strain of the night finally catching up to every nerve in my body.

"I suppose I am a little tired," I admitted, shifting closer into his embrace until my body was fully contoured against his.

"Sleep, my love," Azriel said. He leaned down and pressed a long, tender kiss against my forehead, his lips lingering against my skin for a few seconds. "I will be right here when you wake."

I closed my eyes, letting the rise and fall of his chest lull me into stillness.

The darkness came quickly, swallowing my consciousness as I drifted away, wrapped in the illusion of safety.

The warmth of the cavern vanished in an instant.

I opened my eyes, but there was no bed, no stone ceiling, and no trace of Azriel’s warmth beside me.

Instead, I stood in the middle of a vast, desolate wasteland beneath a sky the color of bruised iron and dried blood.

The air was thick, suffocating, reeking of ozone, burning ash, and stagnant copper.

Jagged spires of obsidian rock thrust up from the cracked earth like shattered bones, and distant thunder rumbled overhead, shaking the ground beneath my bare feet.

"Azriel?" I called out, my voice swallowed by the freezing wind whipping through the barren landscape.

I spun around, my heart pounding against my ribs. "Azriel! Where are you?"

Silence answered me.

Then the ground beneath my feet trembled.

"Little Lotus..."

A voice echoed through the air and it didn’t sound like Azriel’s.

It didn’t come from behind me or ahead of me; it vibrated from the earth itself, crawling up my spine like icy needles. It sounded scraped together from grinding plates.

My breath caught in my throat. I stumbled backward, my heart slamming against my sternum.

"Did you truly believe a simple seal could hold me forever?" the voice sounded, dripping with malicious amusement. "Did you think a fallen god’s blood would be enough to hide you from my sight?"

"Who’s there? Show yourself!" I shouted, lifting my hands instinctively. I tried to summon Castiel’s divine light, tried to ignite the silver-gold flame that usually burst from my palms, but nothing happened.

My hands remained cold and powerless. Panic seized my lungs.

Fighting back was useless.

"I am coming for you..." the voice hissed, closer now. "I am coming for the child."

Out of the swirling ash storms on the horizon, a pair of red eyes ignited.

They were not like Azriel’s crimson eyes, which carried heat, passion, and life. These eyes were massive, burning pools of pure, malicious red. They glowed like dying stars in the fog, fixed on me like prey.

I turned and ran.