H.E.L.L - Highly Entertaining Life in Limbo

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"Ocu, huh. That's a nice name." Annabelle replied, unaware of his name actually being longer than that. That smile he had given her was quite... Different. Almost horrifying. But Annabelle refused her body's wishes to run away. He wasn't dangerous, only different. Very different. It would be so mean to just run away without reason.

A few pulled up buds later, Ocu suddenly came closer and reached for her dress, but immediately pulled back. She looked confused at him, and maybe even a bit frightened as she had no idea what was going on as he was frantically looking everywhere as if he was afraid of something. What was going on? Before she could ask, Ocu reached for her dress again and flipped a piece over to reveal a sprout.

"Oh." Annabelle sighed relieved. She hadn't known what to expect, but she were in hell, so something a bit worse than saving a sprout was definitely expected. "I'm sorry, I'll make sure to look out for them next time. I'm not too used to dresses." Even for women who loved dresses, they were rarely worn the year around anymore and rarely every day, not even during summer time. She preferred pants and only had dresses on special occasions.

"I'll see if I can get a hold of a pair of pants before the next time I come over." She assured him. It wasn't like the men down there was wearing dresses, so there definitely were some type of pants. She just needed a fitting size.
 
[fieldbox="Gardening, #cd5c5c, dashed"]
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Even if Annabelle broke away into a frightened escape, Ocu wouldn't pay it much mind. He rarely, if ever, came in contact with other souls so her frantic running would not phase him, if only make him question if she was insane. But this was not the moment to ponder on what ifs. She nearly flattened a sprout and that was more important to the gardening demon than the way she regarded him inside her mind. Clearly, he was not very familiar with female dresses either for assuming that the light fabric would hurt the flower. Over the bridge, a much more clearer scream of the tortured ones carried over to the garden and the demon looked up. He knew what it meant. The overlord has left through the gates and was on his way back. So soon? He was barely done! Jumping to his feet, his eyes were again jumping from place to place. If only his sight could get everything done, what a relief that would be! Sharp breaths coming into his lungs, clearly he would have uttered something detrimental if the soldier wasn't suddenly by their side, arriving as if he has just found the girl he's been looking for.

"There you are, lady Annabelle!" He exclaimed, looking nothing like the many eyed demon who was now scattering around to gather things. This man looked more human, but after seeing Ocu it might have only been a camouflage. A foreseeing thought of the overlord to not frighten the girl right from the start and place a cloaking order onto the majority of demons that Annabelle would come in contact with. Apparently, the gardener didn't cross his mind and making others appear as something else only went so far... "Don't pay much attention to Oculquiar. He is a scatter brain. But please, let me escort you back indoors. The darkness will fall soon." Whatever the darkness was supposed to be, it made Ocu squeak out in a desperate attempts to finish his work. He probably would have said goodbye, if his robes didn't fly behind him as he rushed across the garden, indiscernible sounds coming form his mouth...failed attempts on words.​
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Annabelle jumped in surprise by the clear scream echoing through hell. It sent shivers down her spine. They just seemed to get louder and louder every time. Was it her imagination that made it seem that way? Distracted by her thoughts she barely even noticed how frantic Ocu had become again. That was until an unfamiliar voice pulled her back into reality.

Oculquiar, so that was his full first name. She definitely preferred his nickname though, the longer version was a bit harder to remember. Annabelle didn't have the best memory in the world when it came to longer names. At least the kind of names she didn't stumble across in her everyday life. Jonathan was easy because she had known four of them throughout her life, but if someone was named Akanksha, they would definitely have to repeat it ten times before it went in.

As she rose from the ground she looked nervously between the guard and Ocu. That poor thing seemed to be in quite the hurry for some reason. "Darkness huh. I guess we will just have to hurry up then so we can be done before that." Annabelle replied with a smile. She had no intentions of leaving Ocu completely alone when she had told him she would help. "I think I can find my way back inside on my own later. Darkness or no darkness." She shrugged and kneeled down again, continuing to pick the buds as Ocu had instructed her. Annabelle had never been scared of the dark, not even as a child. It wasn't like it could kill her or anything.
 
[fieldbox="Go home before the boogey man eats you, #cd5c5c, dashed"]
Ocu disappeared somewhere within the gardens as Annabelle has decided to determinedly stay and help as she promised. If only promises got people in hell as far as ruthless self-centred behaviour. Either way, it threw the soldier of balance for a moment and he was unsure whether to just grab and drag her back indoors or try and reason with her. Figuring out that violence was one of the forbidden things to do in front of the guest, the soldier had to result to methods he had never really used before. Shifting in his position, he cleared his throat. "Um, I'm afraid it is Belzhar's wish to keep you safe within the castle walls during the darkness." The man said and reached down to help the girl stand up. Somehow, however, it seemed more like he was set on making her stand up. Courtesy was not something demon soldiers were blessed with. They were trained to fight and kill, not to court women and be gentlemanly. Yet despite his overtly resolute action, there was no threat in his expression. It was just clear that he lacked tact big time.​
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Annabelle was starting to loose patience with this guy just as much as he was loosing it with her. "If this Belzhar is hellbent on putting rules on me, I suggest you tell him to talk to me about it instead of sending everyone else to do it for him. I don't take orders from someone I haven't even met. And if you are hellbent on getting me inside quickly, maybe you should help out so we can get done faster." She looked at the guard with a challenging smirk.

Backing down was not in Annabelle's nature. If she wanted to stay, she would. Who did this Belzhar think he was anyways? Ordering her around without even having shown himself. He should learn some manners, or at least give her an instruction book for this place.
 
[fieldbox="Come on home with me, #cd5c5c, dashed"]
thief___baron_mansion_garden_by_matlatart-d7a0vx8.jpg
Her reaction was worth the gaping face the demon was giving her. Did she realize that she was in the care of the Overlord? She could be out there, suffering with all the other souls or even worse, over the bridge living through her worst nightmares! But here she was, speaking up against those who were, for whatever reason, protecting and even serving her to a certain extent. In hell there was a way how to deal with insolence but that would mean breaking the no violence against the guest rule. The soldier wasn't sure whether he was more astonished by her audacity or the fact that she spoke out in such a way with scruples. "I think you should..." The soldier started his voice condemning in all the means of the word before he was interrupted by an order that rang through the air with authority and solidity. "That's enough."

All the way by the entrance from the castle into the gardens, stood a man who gave away the sense of 'do not fuck with me, it definitely is not a good idea'. Eyes hardset on the soldier, who seemed to have paled that instances, rather than on the guest who was the one in the wrong. His leather boots hit the ground with resolute thuds and for anyone who didn't know any better, this man seemed absolutely in charge. "You're dismissed." The man said as he descended the stairs and the guard replied in a bow almost palpable apprehension in his features and he hastily marched away. But as long as the strict expression on the man's face lasted, it disappeared just as fast as his eyes finally found the woman. Gaze lightly running over her appearance as if he saw her for the first time before he offered her a somewhat kind and apologetic smile. "Pardon the man. Soldiers in hell just have no manners. All they know is fight and violence." The apology seemed genuine along with the light smile that curved his lips as he gently bowed his head to punctuate his words. "But I believe your demands for the Overlord will have to wait. Didn't Leilah tell you he was not in the castle and no one knew where he would return?" The man questioned, knowing for sure that Leilah did mention it. After all, it was his own mouth that said the words. A smudge in the air passed close by and in a blink of an eye the buds that Annabelle collected were gone, along with all the other ones she was yet to pick. To the human eyes this was hard to distinguish, but it was Ocu using his one good ability in order to finish his work.

"But excuse my own manners. I'm Niazon, the commander of the guards and Belzhar's forces. Currently the closest you could get to someone in charge. But please, let me escort you back to the castle. The rules in place are in your best interest, Annabelle. The darkness is not pleasant for souls, unless you are the one who indulges in unthinkable suffering, of course." Niazon added, stepping to the side and gently, encouragingly gesturing towards the entrance into the castle. "Don't worry about Ocu. He wouldn't be the gardener if he wasn't capable of taking care of the grounds all by himself."​
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Annabelle's smirk disappeared and she began to glare angrily at the guard as she heard his tone of voice. He would definitely not take no for an answer. What an insolent brat. Didn't they teach their guards any manners? If he just stopped fighting with her, they could get done in the garden so much faster.

Before the guard had finished his sentence, he was cut off by some other man whom Annabelle only could guess was a higher ranked soldier or something. She didn't move from her place on the ground as the man ordered away the guard. A slight blush might have appeared on her cheeks as he came closer. That guy was ripped. "Yeah, I guess she did mention that." Annabelle mumbled slightly embarrassed. Of course she had known about the overlord not being there at the moment, but it wasn't like that changed her position on the matter. She still wanted to talk to him.

"Excuse my stubbornness Niazon, but even if Ocu is capable, which I don't doubt at all, I still made a promise." Annabelle told the commander as she rose from the ground. "At the very least I can help him by finishing th..." Turning her gaze she suddenly noticed that all the buds were gone. Not just the ones she had picked up already, but the ones which had still been in the ground moments earlier. "But.. Just now they weren't.." For a few moments she stood there stunned and confused. What had just happened?

"I Guess.. I'm done?" This was certainly a confusing situation. Just moments earlier she had argued with another guard over needing to finish the job she had taken upon herself and now there was no work to be done. "I suppose I can return for the evening then." Uncertainty was clear in her voice and her eyes seemed to be searching for Ocu. At the very least she wanted to say goodbye, but he wasn't close enough as far as she could see.
 
[fieldbox="Go home before the boogey man eats you, #cd5c5c, dashed"]
The smile on his face changed impressions for a fraction of a moment from just comforting, to knowing and sympathetic as she realized her work has been done for her. There was an air about the commander that was hard to put a finger on. It felt as elusive yet enticing as the man himself. Waiting for Annabelle to walk towards the entrance as the sky slowly started to darken despite the ever present clouds, Ocu was nowhere to be seen or found, just those disembodied smudges in the air hinted to his location.

For a moment they were enveloped in silence, entering the security of the castle and leaving the darkness behind. The Overlord wasn't frightened by it, nor were most of his men. But to souls it was as if there were transported over the bridge and suffered the worst torture imaginable for as long as they stayed outside. Of course...it all happened inside their mind but the illusions were too believable, too real to be ever disputed. In such a way the Overlord was a sadist, finding one's mind their weakest point, the intersection where to break one's heart, mind and soul. Closing the door behind them, Niazon cleared his throat and looked at the guest with eyes that were hard to decipher. "So what brought you outside, Annabelle? Curiosity? Boredom?" He asked, intrigued by her actions, knowing in his mind that such an information would help him anticipate the guest's behaviour. Of course, as the Overlord, he needed to know how to keep everything under his control. Gesturing down the corridor once more, Niazon would listen to her words as he would set out to escort her back to her chambers.​
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Annabelle looked around for Ocu until the moment they stepped into the castle. She felt bad for not having said goodbye to him before leaving. It was just common sense to do that much. Though it did bothered her more than it should have done. Probably since she wasn't sure when she could see him again. Considering she didn't know his work hours it would be hard to know when she could search him up. Except for Leilah, he was the only other person she had gotten to know so far.

The question startled the girl. Mostly because he had been so silent up until then that she thought he just wasn't up for small talk. Why had she gone out? Well, originally it had been to ease the writers block, but boredom and restlessness probably played a role in it too. Curiosity was definitely a big culprit. "I dunno. I guess writers block led to restlessness that led to boredom which then led to walking which led to curiosity. Sooo everything mixed together." Annabelle shrugged. It shouldn't be such a big deal. Everyone would want to walk around such a cool castle if they got the chance. "At least I stayed within the garden, I'm curious of the town too. But Leilah said it was too dangerous or something." It was clear she wasn't too happy about that. She really wanted to see the town as soon as possible. Being confined to one house (or in this case a castle) and one garden wasn't really that funny. She wanted to walk around and meet lots of people and see how everything looked down there. But no, she had to stay in the castle cause some dude she had never met said so.

Annabelle sighed. "I just came to a medieval, demon filled, fantasy like world. Of course I would want to take a look at everything. This is like an MMORPG geeks dream. And for a non-geek like me, it is still pretty damn cool. It's torture to tell me not to explore it." Torture was a bit of an overstatement considering people were actually being tortured just a bridge away, but she was hellbent on not thinking about that fact. If she just pretended that the place over the bridge didn't exist, this world would become so much more pleasant.
 
[fieldbox="Come...ride with me, #cd5c5c, dashed"]
Walking through the corridor, Niazon listened to her words. Writer's block? It was something he hasn't heard about before, but he had enough of an abstract imagination to figure out what it could probably be. After all, without any sort of imagination he would not survive in this world. But the way she phrased her whole response, coaxed a hint of an amused smile on his lips that somehow lightened up his features that otherwise seemed to have been set in stern or non-descriptive expression. At that moment, he was almost enchantingly charming. "Yes, the town can be dangerous. Especially when the darkness falls. Leilah was not lying about that. But maybe, at some point, something could be arranged for you to go and have a look there." The man next to her said, the smile still gracing his features even as he looked at her shortly. He wanted to assure her that her imprisonment, whether she saw it as such or not, was not absolute. The Overlord knew that he could never hope to keep Annabelle within these walls without her ever wanting to leave.

Yet, her following pouring out of her heart, caught the overlord slightly off guard. He did not realize, it was so urgent. His arched eyebrows only hinted on the surprise and amongst the confusion from her confession that basically read as 'I am not happy here' or 'something is bothering me and I might cause trouble because of it', Niazon couldn't help but feel pang of worry. Slowly, he came to a stop. Eyes settling on the girl pensively, the previous handsomeness slowly draining but never disappearing from his features. It was clear he was thinking about something very hard. "You do realize it is for your safety, right? This is no fantasy. You die here, you die for good. No more lives. No more chances. Souls are important for hell and so losing any, even one, can be detrimental." His words were heavy with truth, but strangely even a very distant hint of the need for her to understand. Or could it have been care? If it was, it was, perhaps, only due to the fact that the Overlord did not want to lose the only advantage he had on other overlords either.

Huffing and puffing for a moment, Niazon crossed his arms on his chest, accentuating his built covered in fur that was like no other on Earth. Not once in this moment, Niazon appeared angry, only supremely thoughtful. He knew that the decision he has just made would probably work well to deter Annabelle from venturing outside of the castle for a while. "But...if you really want to explore. I can take you into the darkness so you see why you are asked to stay within the walls until Belzhar returns." As strange as it was to talk about himself as if he wasn't present, it was the only way how to keep the girl from the real danger that came from his own being if she was ever to see him in his true form. He alone was able to torture thousands of souls over the bridge, but he could not afford to stay there forever.​
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At some point? How long would that take? She was curios now. It's not like that would just go away because she heard that she might get to go in the future. No one her age was patient enough to wait, why did no one down there understand that? The talk about her dying for good didn't really bother her. It was quite hard to realize the reality of the situation. Instead of thinking of it as reality, it was taken more as a dream, even if Annabelle hadn't realized that yet.

The girl was pouting as the man spoke, still not happy even with the so called danger. Then she lit up. "Really? You would take me?" Suddenly Annabelle was like a child on Christmas. She was going to see something new. "Well, if you take me, and it scares me, I promise I will stay in the castle until this lord returns. But. If I don't get scared, you'll take me to the town within the next week, during daytime." Annabelle was determined to get her way. She just had to pretend not to be scared if something happened to frighten her. This guy wouldn't let her get hurt after all, so she wouldn't be in any real danger. At least if Belzhar truly was keen on keeping her unharmed. Maybe she trusted a stranger a bit too much, but she had quite the chance here, she wouldn't miss out on it.

"Do we have a deal?" Annabelle reached out her hand to shake on it. "Otherwise I can just try to get to the town on my own and get in all kinds of dangers." She grinned, knowing it would be hard to find a way to refuse as long as that demon lord wished for her to stay in there. She might not respect him enough to just do as he says, but others didn't seem to have much of a choice.
 
[fieldbox="Come...ride with me, #cd5c5c, dashed"]
Her bossy attitude as he offered her help coaxed a jolt of amused laughter from Niazon. It was just like the proverb - give someone a hand and they'll eat your arm. This one was way too literal sometimes in Hell, but that was beside the point. Annabelle was nonetheless trying to do that in the more virtual sense, but that's not how it worked. Not on Niazon's watch. "No, Annabelle. That's not how it works. You are still but a guest and I think some gratitude for being treated well is in order." She was still but a child. Especially compared to the thousands of years of Overlord's existence and somehow, he found her behaviour impishly irritating. Manageable just enough so he would not snap at her and still managed to mask his true emotions. Though that was soon to change.

At her last remark, Niazon's expression changed immediately. The smirk on his face and the glint in his eyes was dangerous. The whole surrounded area seemed to dim giving the man a more heavy, commanding look. He was warning her even before he spoke in voice thick with disagreement and order. "No, Annabelle. I do not think Belzhar would take such an insolent behaviour lightly and neither would I. Not even Leilah. And I strongly advise you against any such action. This is Hell and unless you want to truly find out what this place is capable of, you will stop this childish behaviour at once." The promise of the danger was the reason that made the overlord snap. She did not realize just how unwelcoming this place was. How dangerous it could be to someone like her...someone who was not truly dead. Any of the souls would feel it. They'd hunt her down, try to leech off her remaining life to try an d return to earth. He did not realize it then, but he did indeed fear for her well-being and her lack of regard for it irritated him to no end.​
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These people were worse than her parents. What was with them? If souls were so important to them, why didn't they make the town safer? Even if it wasn't safe it must be safe enough for the majority to survive, otherwise they would be in so much trouble since souls are so important. This dude was seriously frightening, and Annabelle couldn't help but get chills from his eyes alone. But she had stood her grounds with that multi-eyed creature, she could stand up against this dude as well. She focused on one emotion and one only, anger.

"Childish behavior? HA! You know what's truly insolent and childish? Deciding for me where I should live when most souls are thrown to the streets, telling me to stay inside and protecting me without asking what I want. I find Belzhar insolent on the grounds of never bothering for my needs and just expecting me to go along with his demands." They were not her parents nor her legal guardians, that's why they had no right to tell her what to do without her approval. Her heart was beating rapidly because of the adrenaline. It wasn't like she was in a dangerous situation, but standing up to someone who could look so scary made her feel like a rabbit standing in front of a wolf. Her legs wanted to run, but instead she continued to argue loudly with the wolf. "Where I come from it's common sense to ask people if the arrangements are okay with them and then compromise to make sure both parties gain something from the agreement. Something they both wants. If you're just going to ignore me and my wishes, I am going to ignore you. Tell your boss that I'm taking a walk into town. He can find me there when he's ready to speak to me and if I survive."

Yeah, she was definitely childish, but that didn't make her points any less valid. Before someone decides living arrangements for someone else, they ask them if that's what they want. If they decide on a job for someone they'd have to ask them if they were willing to take the job. No one ever asked her what she wanted and she would not let them do as they pleased. It was definitely a decision she would regret within five minutes of leaving the castle, and she was fully aware of that, but maybe if she made it safely into town, she might be able to ask around and get some information on how to make it down there.

With the last words still echoing after having raised her voice a bit too much and her face bright red after her outburst, she started walking away from the man. Her legs were trying to run, but she didn't let them. That would seem way too cowardly and she would not let a man like him see that side of her.
 
[fieldbox="Come...ride with me, #cd5c5c, dashed"]
Light was draining from around them, dark aura began surrounding the man. Her words were cutting into his tolerance like scalpel. She just called him insolent and for a second he wanted to show her who he was, have her screaming in terror and die on the other side so he could drag her into the deepest pits of this rotten world and subject her to her own methods. He gave her no chance to walk away. His strong hand grabbed onto her shoulder and pressed sternly against the wall, the other hand slamming next to her head, standing like a mountain over her. Steps began running down the hallway but stopped abruptly. Words in language unknown to Annabelle were shouted. Something was happening and whatever it was, it wasn't good. His face lowered very close to hers, anger of his own making his eyes look so much darker as if the whites in his eyeballs were disappearing. Even his features were starting to look too clouded.

"You are not alive anymore. Here no one cares where you're from or what you used to live by. You live by OUR rules. This is a dictatorship, not democracy. You do as you're told or you end up over the bridge." He made another step closer, hand moving from her shoulder to her neck but there was no intention of throttling her, just having her look at him still as he seemed to submerged further into the thick, dark vapor. "You want to know how hell works? It works from pain and suffering. It's what powers it. There is nothing safe because comfort does not give raise to fear. Even now, I can sense your fluttering mind in the air, the way you want to run. But I choose not to feed of it to survive. You, just like anyone else in here is important for the survival of this god damned place. So I am not saying anything to anyone. And you should get it into your little, forgetting head that Belzhar is away. And frankly, I don't think he'd want to see you anyway when you're being this stupid. He is not as patient I am and he could have already devour you and that, my dear Annabelle, is so much worse than the place over the bridge." His words were growls in her face weighed with truth he must have come to face in the past. Words were still shouted else where and at last a few bits of light pierced the darkness and Niazon shouted something in return. The shadows were disappearing and it seemed as if most of the guard from the castle came to this corridor to protect or prevent. Niazon barked another order and they only reluctantly left, not failing to give Annabelle disagreeing, disapproving or even angry looks themselves. Some even bared their teeth at her in rage that they could not act upon. They were loyal to their overlord and if they had the chance, they would themselves teach her a lesson. But what was more, neither of them looked human anymore. It was as if they all lost their camouflage. Truth was, that Niazon just gave an order to appear as they were. There was no need to carefully handling Annabelle anymore. It clearly wasn't working.

Niazon himself did not let go of her Annabelle just yet, his hand trailed back to her shoulder. His eyes, now clearer just as before, looked into her blue hues. "There are no deals in this world Annabelle. You have no choice but to submit, or be submitted to your own methods of torture. Trust me, I'd much rather you be afraid without any painful incentive." It was a stated fact and if that's what the overlord had to do, he would do it, risking the wrath of heavens on him by killing an innocent soul on earth from this end. After all, if he were to frighten her too much, her heart on the other side would give up, causing a heart attack.​
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No pride in the world could stop Annabelle of showing her fear. Everything from the people in the background to his aura and his words made her so frightened she thought she might get killed. Why was it so hard to breath all of a sudden? Even though she shouldn't need air anymore, it felt as if she was suffocating when she couldn't draw breaths properly. He actually used her stories for real torture? She had probably understood it earlier, but it wasn't a truth she was comfortable with, so it had been blocked out of her mind or seen as 'only the bad people will get it.' Though how bad were they truly to deserve that? She could be way too brutal at times.

It hurt. Her chest was in agonizing pain as she was in conflict whether she should try to get away from them or just curl up into a ball. It was no good though. Black spots started to appear in her eyesight as her heart started to pound loudly in a horrible rhythm. Wait, she could hear her own heart? Before any other thoughts came to her, everything disappeared and her soul fell limp into Niazon as her body started to die. Something that would have been far too agonizing for a soul to handle had she been able to stay awake during the whole process.
 
[fieldbox="Dead or alive?, #cd5c5c, dashed"]
He saw it as it unfolded in front of him. The shock, the scent of fear and realization in the air. But most importantly the diminishing light in her eyes and just as she lost her consciousness, fright of a very special kind struck into Belzhar who was masked in a skin that was not his own. It was only due to chance and luck that he managed to catch her limp body thanks to his hand on her shoulder. Either way, she collapsed against him and his arms were the only things the held her upright. Did she just...? "No..." He said quietly and shook her petite body with care. "No!" This time it was a more demanding and frustrated growl, followed by much rougher shaking. Alas, in vain. She would not awake. The overlord wasn't the one to panic easily, but this was the rare occasion when his mind took a second or two to come together. If Annabelle just died on the other side and the angels that guarded the bridge did not see her soul...hell would break loose...quite literally.

Gathering the lifeless form so he could carry her comfortably to her room, the overlord barked orders left and right. All of them to secure the castle, the borders but most importantly, the secret that he now cradled against his chest. Even sending a scout express to earth to see if her physical body truly died. He knew there wasn't much he could do for Annabelle in either world, but he could do a lot more around her. Getting the door the her room opened hastily by one frightened maid, she escaped as soon as he set her free, which was when he carefully laid the girl down on her bed. Her soul wasn't dark enough to be sent to hell. He knew it. But as he looked at her sleeping form, Belzhar wished she was a sinner. He wished her stories counted as a crime and he could keep her. Not for some foolish feelings that did not exist, but for the pretty face and the talent she had. If this was a more sentimental world, and he was a romantic by some ridiculous chance, he would have brushed the few strands off of her face, but he didn't. He was a demon. A king of his own little region and his was the responsibility to keep it sovereign whilst war raged all over Hell. A war he knew he could join and win, but chose not to. However, he was a man enough to at least cover her body with blanket, start the fire with a click of fingers and pull a chair from somewhere in her room next to her bed, to wait until she would wake up again.​
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Once Annabelle came to, she wasn't outside any longer. She was lying under a blanket in a warm, cosy room. It took a while before she opened her eyes and realized what room she was in. Maybe she had hoped that she was lying in her own bed at home and everything up until then had been a dream, but of course that wasn't the case. The scents were different, the bed felt different and even the atmosphere was out of the ordinary.

What happened before? She could remember being terrified, then she became dizzy and it hurt all over and... Her heart. She had no idea that someone else was in the room as she moved her hand up to her chest. She was sure she heard her heart beat, just once, but... How was that even possible? There was still a lingering pain around her chest, but it was so small at this point she could only make it out if she wasn't distracted by something else.

Speaking of something else, it was about time she noticed the other presence in the room. "Niazon?" She sat up and her body moved flawlessly. Odd, she thought she had been about to die just now, and still she could move so well. She didn't even have a headache. On the other hand, she was pretty much a ghost, being sick was probably not part of the package. But then again, how could it hurt like that if she was dead already? Had Niazon done something to her to make her pass out? Did he try to prove his point of how vulnerable she actually was by putting her close to an actual death? She definitely didn't rule the possibility out. "How... What happened back there?" Annabelle was still holding a hand over her chest, almost frantic about getting another beat out of herself. Had it been a hallucination? No, it felt too real. As if her heart had its very last beat before giving up. "Why did I hear my heart... Beat?" The other stuff wasn't even important at the moment. No matter his intentions, no matter how much he frightened her, no matter how angry or frightened the memories would make her later, right now the only thing truly important was to figure out how she could hear her heart even though she was dead, and more importantly, could it happen again?
 
[fieldbox="Is it real?, #cd5c5c, dashed"]
He sat there by her bed for who knew how long. Only once another demon entered to report. They revived her. For a moment she died on the other side but the hold Hell had on her didn't allow her soul to disappear back to the bridge. Belzhar made certain precautions from that happening even if heaven would try to pry her out of his grip. However, at last the girl stirred in her bed, causing the man at her side to part with staring at the flames so his gaze settled on her as she opened her eyes. She seemed lost until she noticed him too. Surprisingly weak, yet glad smile crossed the man's features. Truth be told, he was starting to plan for war and conflicts if heaven found out, but having her wake up, it somehow eased his mind. Even though, her reference to her heart attack unsettled him, it did not show on his features. He would have to be more careful about this connection she still had to her mortal body.

"I had to remind you how weak you are when faced with a demon. You are in our mercy Annabelle. Though you are but a soul, pain stays with you. Any kind. The fear you experienced evoked something that might have been similar to what you've experienced as a human." He quickly explained, without as much as a hint of remorse for what he's done. He would not apologize for it. He was not in the wrong. "I hope you understand now why you're treated the way you are. If anything like this happened to you outside the walls, you would not wake up again. Either the darkness, or other souls would consume you and you'd be gone forever."​
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He did that? He made her heart beat? Could he do it again? She couldn't exactly explain why but she wanted to feel it again. The sound of her heart. The beat inside her chest. The feeling of blood flowing through her. It had felt so real. It had made her feel.. Alive. If he could make her feel like that... But, he probably wouldn't just do it. It was apparently meant as a scare tactic. Sure, it had been frightening while it happened, and looking back at it, it was still horrifying, but that one second, when her heart seemingly pumped one more time. She needed to experience it again. With other words, she had to anger him.

That wasn't something she would do immediately though, quite frankly she was still a bit scared of him even now when everything had calmed down. Making him upset right after wouldn't just be an odd behavior on her part, but she would probably not dare at the moment. Her body wouldn't let her at this point. There would probably be more opportunities, once she was feeling calmer, once an opportunity arouse. Annabelle knew some of his buttons already, once the right time came, she would use them.

"It still doesn't make sense though." Annabelle argued. Not so much to make him angry, but because she was genuinely curious about it. "There must be hundreds of thousands of souls down here, possibly millions. If I were to go into town, where people walk around every day, most of them without being consumed I would presume, how would I be of any higher risk than others? I would be in as much danger as any other, and if they are so important for the survival of this place, I doubt you would let them die like flies out there. If they aren't dying in hoards, then statistically, I would be pretty safe there. Sure, risks exists, but they did so in life as well. If one soul on average was killed per day, and there were a hundred thousand souls here at any given time, there would only be one chance in a hundred thousand that I specifically would die. I haven't asked for a house down town, I'm just asking for a few hours. The risks in that, no matter how many attacks per day you have, are probably close to zero." Instead of acting angry and childish, she just tried to present her case as an adult. They couldn't blame her for trying. Okay, they probably could, but she would try anyways.

Dictatorship or not, danger or not, she wanted to see that town. "I mean, it's not like there is any reason for me to be targeted more than any other soul down here."
 
[fieldbox="Punishment for every crime, #cd5c5c, dashed"]
His logic was starting to be flawed and she just pointed out the gaps in it. She was a bright girl and Niazon was unsure whether he found that highly interesting or slightly annoying. Why couldn't she just accept the given word without questioning anything? Perhaps...this was the reason why the Overlord rarely communicated with the souls. If even a quarter of them were like Annabelle, he'd probably end up freaking out on everyone and causing that amount of population to die of fear. Quite frankly, he had no way around her argument. It was solid.

Leaning forth in his chair, lacing his fingers as he rested his elbows on his thighs, Niazon placed his chin atop his fingers, looking at Annabelle for a long while, pensively. He couldn't find a way around that without telling her the truth and lying even more could dig him a bigger hole than he'd be able to deal with. "Supervised visit for a few hours a day. That's all I can offer you." At this point it was the best solution he could come up with, holding his hand up before any more would be said, Niazon straighted up in his chair. "Remember Annabelle, supervised. And that's either me or Leilah. Understood? You ever break that rule and I am taking you over the bridge for excursion."​
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