She Belongs To The Devil

And when they reappeared in the garden, they only saw Agnes and Arion there.     

"Theodore! You're okay!" Arion happy jumped on his feet but then went to headbutt Theodore for letting his Devil get the better of him.     

Arion hit Theodore right on his chest and shouted, "You are such a selfish and arrogant and short-sighted brat! How could you let your anger get the better of you?"     

"Where's Azriel?" Theodore completely disregarded what Arion was saying and asked with haste.     

"Did you even listen to a word I just said?" Arion flared his nose and gave a glare to Theodore.     

"Arion, you can scold me as much as you want after I see Azriel, alright? Now tell me where he is." However, before Arion could tell him, Theodore sensed his mother's aura together with an unusual aura coming off from his room.     

"Is he in my room?" he sprinted to get to his room's door.     

"Yes, that's where he is. But don't get too surprised," Arion shouted from behind and warned Theodore about what he was going to see, or rather who he was going to see.     

And Arion focused his attention on Adeline. He hadn't got the chance to talk to her or welcome her back properly. So he put his neck on Adeline's shoulder and said, "We thought we lost you for good, Adeline. Don't ever scare us like that again."     

Adeline smiled and gently rubbed Arion's luscious mane. "I'm sorry for not being careful enough. It won't happen again."     

Arion pulled back from the hug and looked into Adeline's eyes. And he asked curiously, "It won't happen again? Does that mean that mad vampire is dead now? Did Theodore kill him?"     

Adeline was reminded by Arion how there was a mad vampire who had killed her and whom Theodore had set out to kill.     

She furrowed her brows and replied, "I don't know. When I got there, Theodore and his father were already fighting. And all I was focused on was stopping their fight. And after I stopped their battle, we came back here."     

Adeline took a deep breath in and tried to recall the scene of that field where the battle was taking place. However, all she recalled was Theodore's clones and getting attacked by the thunderbolts.     

And she said in a dreaded whisper, "I didn't get to ask or see who he killed and how many he killed. Considering how mad his father was at him, I think he… I think he slaughtered quite a lot of them."     

When Adeline and Arion were busy catching up with each other about the war and the slaughter, Theodore entered his room to find his mother tending to his brother.     

Theodore inhaled sharply and his heart ached upon seeing Azriel.     

Azriel was lying on the bed, still unconscious. And his appearance was still that of an old man.     

"How is he?" Theodore went and stood behind his mother and asked her.     

The Goddess gently rubbed her thumb on Azriel's wrinkled knuckles and answered to her other son, "His aura is stable now. And so is his heartbeat. But he has gone into a slumber to preserve his energy and his soul."     

She then turned her head to look at Theodore and gave him a soft smile. She patted the bed and asked Theodore to sit down. "Come."     

Theodore sat beside his brother and in front of his mother. He looked at Azriel's wrinkled face and asked his mother, "When will he wake up from his slumber?"     

The Goddess held Theodore's blood-laced hand and gently patted him. And she said in a consoling voice, "He might take some months to wake up."     

"Months?" Theodore furrowed his brows in worry and heaved a sigh. "What about his appearance? And what about his life force? Will he recover by the time he wakes up?"     

The Goddess took a deep breath in and answered, "It's not going to be that easy. He will have to cultivate his energy from almost level zero. And he will have to earn his immortality back again. His appearance will go back to normal when he gathers enough life force."     

Theodore looked at his brother with a pitiful glance. He felt sorry that his brother was in that state.     

But at the same time, he also felt indebted to his brother as he had given away his immortality to Adeline. Today, Adeline was alive because of Azriel.     

Azriel had cast that spell on Adeline before the two brothers had reconciled. And that fact hit Theodore even harder after seeing the frail condition his brother was currently in.     

He hated the fact that he was so busy hating his brother when the two of them should have sorted things out way before.     

And Theodore also hated the fact that he didn't try to prevent this from happening to Azriel when he knew what Azriel had done.     

Theodore hadn't imagined that Adeline's life would be endangered so soon. After he got to know that Adeline was a changeling, he was certain that she would change into an immortal, and Azriel would never have to give up his immortality. But things didn't sail as smoothly as he had thought they would.     

The Goddess caressed Theodore on his head and rightly assumed what was in his mind. "Theodore, don't blame yourself now. Nothing good will come from thinking about all the 'what-ifs'. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Your brother will be fine."     

Theodore had a remorseful look on his face. But he still sniffled and nodded his head.     

Theodore looked into his mother's eyes and then apologized to her, "I'm sorry that I killed so many souls. I should have waited for you to appear. But I was so blinded by my rage that I ended up losing to my emotions."     

The Goddess didn't speak for quite a while. And she had a sad look on her face when she finally said, "I shouldn't be saying this but those lost souls are the reason your brother is still alive."     

Theodore looked baffled by his mother's statement. And he asked her, "What do you mean by that?"     

The Goddess clenched her jaw upon recalling what her husband had done to prevent her from coming down to Earth.     

And she explained what he had done, "Your father had blocked the path between Heaven and Earth. And I was able to come here only after you killed those souls and enraged your father. He forgot to put up the barrier again and I escaped from Heaven right after him."     

Theodore clenched his fists and noisily took in a few deep breaths. He wasn't even surprised to know that his father would go to such lengths to prevent Azriel from living. He was just disappointed in his father.     

"Will you be able to forgive him for what he did?" Theodore asked his mother.     

"Let's see." The Goddess's serene face looked very disturbed.     

The two of them stayed quiet for a while. Both of their gazes were fixated on Azriel. They hoped that he would wake up soon.     

After some time, there was a knock on the door. Adeline was staring at the Goddess from the door.     

"Adeline…" the Goddess held out her hand towards the door and gestured for Adeline to come in.     

Adeline walked inside the room and properly greeted her mother-in-law. And then she glanced at Azriel. She couldn't help but feel really angry with herself. She felt like she robbed Azriel's life on purpose.     

"If only I had finished that vampire before he could trick me and kill me…" she whispered. Her eyes teared up upon seeing Azriel's fragile state.     

The Goddess lightly held Adeline's hand and said to her, "Adeline, we all make mistakes. We can only learn from it and move ahead."     

The Goddess heaved a sigh and said in a little louder voice, "The soldiers of Wyverndale are waiting for their Queen and their Prince Consort. They are already tired. You two should go back there and lead them home."     

She glanced back at Azriel and said, "I will stay by his side. You two can take as many days as you need to sort things out."     

Theodore nodded and got up on his feet. "Okay. We will go then. If you need anything then the maids and my followers will be outside. I will instruct them to serve you well."     

"Oh… and…" Theodore turned towards his wardrobe and flicked his fingers to open the secret passage. He looked back at his mother and asked her, "You can choose any room you want. And I will ask my followers to shift Azriel to the room beside yours."     

The Goddess knowingly smiled and nodded. And seeing him fretting, she said to her son, "I won't return to Heaven without telling you first. So go along now. Your soldiers and your Palace needs you both."     

Theodore smiled at his mother and hugged her. And he whispered to her, "Thank you for saving Azriel even when it meant going against father."     

The Goddess lightly patted Theodore's back and said, "He is not just your brother, Theodore. He is also my son. Of course, I saved him. I had to."