Chapter 3

Azelbub

Thunder claps filled the entire forest that was supposed to be the sacred place of the dark king, azelbub or the devil, the name people were familiar with.

A black hole opened and men jumped out of it, naked once again, but this time infuriated.

The last person jumped out and they bowed down to him. His brows were furrowed and his face mirrored disgust. Bushy eyebrows sat gracefully above big hazel eyes. His lips were as red as blood and hair as black as ebony.

He stomped to the middle and tightened his dental bone.

"Whose fault was it?!" He roared and they trembled, raising their heads to view their master. "Answer me!"

"We-we have no-no idea, sir." A man who appeared to be in his early thirties stammered.

"Now our ritual has been spoilt and my butt is out there!" He bellowed. "The world shouldn't be aware of this."

"Calm down, sir. What's the fuss all about when-"

"Silence!" Azelbub's fingers turned to talons and he pointed it towards who had spoken.

The man who could pass for a giant didn't get to finish his sentence because azelbub stroke him with a lightening bolt. He fell on the ground and the earth shook.

"Is there anyone that wants to tell me to calm down again?" He asked, blowing off invisible dust from his fingers and they all shook their heads in dismay. "Good."

He held his hand behind him and rocked back and forth on his heels. "Where's the wolf man and what we've been preserving in him?"

"I'm afraid he died." A man with white beards spoke, almost too bold.

"What?" Azelbub's anger boiled in his veins. "And the substance?"

He went closer to the man and squinted his eyes at him, anger flaring out of his nose.

"I'm afraid it merged with-"

"Damn you!" Azelbub's hand changed into a sword with which he used to stab the man in the gut. Blood gushed down the man's mouth and Azelbub smiled in satisfaction.The sword transformed back into his hand and he licked the blood off his fingers. "Who's next?"

There was no answer.

The demon placed his thumb and index finger into his mouth and whistled. Two beasts–manticores with the head of a human, body of a lion and tail of a scorpion sped out of an even darker part of the forest and immediately, one of the beast bit the head of the man wolf, while the other bit the legs and they tore him into half. They ate him effortlessly, breaking every bone hungrily.

"Yes!" The devil laughed with his hands in the air. "She needs to be found!"

"That means one of us would have to go down to the mortal world and we can't." A short man stated and the devil snapped his head to his direction. The man jerked, afraid of what would become of him if Azelbub's wrath came upon him.

"True." He stroked his chin and gave it a long thought before a devilish grin crawled up his face. "But I hate facts, so we'd have to make that a lie."

"How?" One of them asked.

The devil took in the features of the man that spoke and he wrinkled his face.

"Didn't I tell you not to show up here naked?" His eye brows furrowed. "Naked you disgusts me."

He snapped his fingers and the man was covered in a black attire.

"What's the plan, master?" They chorused, their curiosity bubbling.

"Dracula, I summon you to the sacred place and meeting of Azelbub!" The devil raised his hands to the sky and lightening illuminated the place, making the toothy grin he had on visible before it became dark again.

The wind blew harshly and the sky which had a pale crescent moon that mirrored a talon was now covered by a dark angry cloud. Suddenly, a man dropped out of the sky with his head bowed and after five seconds, he stood up with a vicious grin.

"Hello..." He drawled then shoved his hands into the pocket of his black leather garment. "–best friend."

The members looked back and forth at the devil and Dracula in anticipation of what was going to happen next.

"Spare me the fake pleasantries."

"Oh, really?" His grey eyes glittered with mischief. "But you summoned me and we're still best friends aren't we?"

"After what you did?" The devil's nose flared with anger as he clenched his fists. "Hell, no."

"But you punished me, isn't that enough to prove my newly found loyalty?." Dracula asked, puckering his forehead. "I'm a changed person, Azel."

The devil stared longly at his supposed best friend. "You would have been turned into ashes, but you're still useful and I need your help."

"The devil... Needs my help?" Dracula laughed. "And why should I help you?"

"Because if you don't, we'll have no illam, no ritual, no forgiveness from me, no lifting of the curse and you'd miss the opportunity of gaining the powers I am planning to bestow on you."

"I can't go down to the world, you know-"

"I'll give you powers that'll sustain you. You'd feed on human blood to stay alive, you'd be fast, strong and you'd never die!" The devil exclaimed.

Dracula poked a finger in his ear and winced. "What was the shouting for and you already made me a demon, I'm alive forever."

"Have I been speaking some foreign language? I said the ritual wasn't successful and we have to find someone... She has what we need and she also has my nudes." The devil stated with a straight face.

"What are the downsides of this power and what are the weaknesses?"

"Sun." Answered the devil before poking at his wrist with a finger and letting his blood drip into a cup. "I already cursed you not to be able to walk under the sun because of your betrayal... You'd live with it and so would your followers."

Dracula stepped forward and gulped down the concoction that was made by the devil and he clutched his stomach, his eyes rolled skyward.

"Yes!" The devil cackled. "It's working."

Dracula fell on the ground and shivered before letting out a loud shout that shook the earth. A new demon was born!

"All hail Azelbub!" They chanted, bowing down to the master.

"Jonathan!" The devil exclaimed and a young man answered. "Step into the middle."

The man did as he was told and before any one could say jack, Dracula launched at him and sent them to the ground. Dracula's fangs elongated and his skin became white. Instantly, he dug his head into Jonathan's neck and bit him.

A deafening shout flew out of Jonathan's mouth and the birds flew out of their trees. The manticores roared and a windy storm began.

Dracula sucked the blood out of Jonathan and when he was done, he got to his feet and blood was dripping down his fangs. He wiped his mouth with the back of his palm and gazed upon the devil.

"What am I now?" Dracula asked, voice as scary as the dead of the night.

Manticores devoured Jonathan. Their sharp edged teeth chewed on his limbs, and bones.

"A vampire." The devil grinned wickedly.