It was pitch black in the room. Although it was New York, the city that never sleeps, Zoe couldn’t even hear a car honking or a buzzing light from an advertisement panel. There were many sources of noise around the building and yet her apartment was in total silence.296Please respect copyright.PENANAbAlabGd2XB
296Please respect copyright.PENANAjKTp075oSX
Zoe was in bed, sleeping. She had work to do and a boy who could see ghosts was not enough to pull her astray. She chose to ignore the paranormal when she moved all the way to America. Temptation was everywhere, at each living person she could see two ghosts and most of them were wandering with no purpose.296Please respect copyright.PENANAdgxDN2jEOM
296Please respect copyright.PENANAMDZjc5K29T
“You can give them purpose, Zoe. You can push them all into Hell just like you pushed me into the Abyss!”296Please respect copyright.PENANALlP8qCLTau
296Please respect copyright.PENANAaaxw1Frwjy
Zoe’s eyes widened at the voice. She jolted and looked all around herself but she was alone. The shadows forming on the ground where only of trees and the pattern on her curtains. She got back in bed and pulled the covers all the way up to her nose, afraid of what she was going to dream if she went back to sleep.296Please respect copyright.PENANAaVbMv63w3G
296Please respect copyright.PENANAULHl7j3GlV
296Please respect copyright.PENANApZDdQrko4n
“I think the pills are not strong enough,” Zoe told her therapist the next day during their early meeting.296Please respect copyright.PENANAGi6dC6DzyT
296Please respect copyright.PENANA2GVdbatzEQ
“Did you have a nightmare?”296Please respect copyright.PENANAEBkQxIwTuX
296Please respect copyright.PENANA4cO1RtOmwY
That was the beginning of a long day, Dr Saunders could feel it. The session started with the one subject Zoe hated and feared.296Please respect copyright.PENANAPMHuntggry
296Please respect copyright.PENANAWpq8R9bHVd
“Those red eyes, they haunt me even when I’m awake. They’re always there, always watching my every move. He is waiting, plotting his revenge.” Zoe said fidgeting on the couch. Her mouth went dry only at the mention of him so she took the plastic cup and drank half of the water in it.296Please respect copyright.PENANAufDIsof4uY
296Please respect copyright.PENANAUTVajnosju
“I heard you speak before of these eyes, haven’t I? What is so scary about them?” Dr Saunders asked, her pen and notebook ready.296Please respect copyright.PENANAQ4mpGrnAG0
296Please respect copyright.PENANAfk9IQVYCtp
“When you look into them, you lose sight of reality. They are beautiful, mesmerizing and they show you who you truly are.” Zoe explained looking ahead as if she was in a trance.296Please respect copyright.PENANAxiN1OJSSYQ
296Please respect copyright.PENANAMCgkfkQjs4
“And what do you see?”296Please respect copyright.PENANAfWSAT6XGN1
296Please respect copyright.PENANAPmqJdjT88b
Zoe sighed and looked down at the table. She didn’t have to look into his eyes in order to see her true self; she could do it by looking into a mirror. The monster was there, dormant for now, but not gone. Never gone.296Please respect copyright.PENANAs63mhHR9vY
296Please respect copyright.PENANAhcqJxPDKsC
The therapist watched Zoe caress her cheek softly before she almost looked like she wanted to scratch herself.296Please respect copyright.PENANA32nXU4IwZ9
296Please respect copyright.PENANAsVQVkBwCy7
“I see hatred. I see his desire to use me in order accomplish his grand plans. I pushed him into the darkness so I am afraid he will push me into it too.” She finally gave an answer.296Please respect copyright.PENANAcrX7M2yULb
296Please respect copyright.PENANAjsSFUb4fc8
“Then why don’t you protect yourself? Use a shield.”296Please respect copyright.PENANAjk7gG7uZFe
296Please respect copyright.PENANAACN5speBYC
“My shield...is gone.” Zoe said, those blue eyes growing so sad.296Please respect copyright.PENANASsC1mJNnNF
296Please respect copyright.PENANAX0ByFI29iA
“Then find another one. What’s stopping you?”296Please respect copyright.PENANAQYUQ2vWPPe
296Please respect copyright.PENANAgZcCCo4Aeq
Zoe looked up confused.296Please respect copyright.PENANAexP91SLxgD
296Please respect copyright.PENANA4BfyzjAZ2j
“Another one? It’s not that easy.”296Please respect copyright.PENANAwbTHBzhSrF
296Please respect copyright.PENANAJdyH6wTHxG
“Maybe it is. Maybe you should let yourself have another shield.”296Please respect copyright.PENANAoMMClfydk3
296Please respect copyright.PENANAlxo6kCw8ox
The therapist meant well but Zoe was sure she couldn’t drag another innocent soul into her darkness. Too many people died because of her.
296Please respect copyright.PENANAmEhMuVSgXy
On the other side of the city, one former journalist entered the Central Library of New York, searching for answers. He went straight to the dusty corner, the one about religion. He could have stayed there for the whole day and nothing helpful would ever appear.296Please respect copyright.PENANAbRSYATRFFE
296Please respect copyright.PENANAsuSuLEkupy
“Can I ask what you are searching for, sir?” The little plump librarian asked him.296Please respect copyright.PENANAaOb7FIiULB
296Please respect copyright.PENANAyzr1NugNEZ
Caleb ignored her at first but seeing how he had five books spread in front of him and nothing about the commander, he decided to accept her help.296Please respect copyright.PENANAWHR5Pafh6j
296Please respect copyright.PENANA8Zedglxt0A
“I heard there are stories about demons having children. I’d like to see some of them, particularly about the Commander.” He spoke about the subject with such ease, as if normal people, especially Christians, wouldn’t feel appalled by his curiosities.296Please respect copyright.PENANAFKLrhjBntv
296Please respect copyright.PENANAj2R3K79DYJ
The librarian stared at him for a while before she pushed her glasses up her nose and sighed.296Please respect copyright.PENANAPDao19POkD
296Please respect copyright.PENANAm44QvDUe9N
“There is always one of you coming here looking for that,” she sounded used to it.296Please respect copyright.PENANAMSnA5YdycR
296Please respect copyright.PENANA1e2SQ6MnT9
“Did more people come for this book?”296Please respect copyright.PENANAWyiHBtJQfT
296Please respect copyright.PENANAQ9pe0LlSBS
“It’s a fairy-tale book, one less known by the public written by one of the Grimm brothers.” She said and made a sign for him to follow her.296Please respect copyright.PENANA5mUFmm2qXO
296Please respect copyright.PENANALbMCswOVpt
Caleb’s eyes widened as he walked up to the children corner. The librarian pointed at a dusty book that sat mysteriously on the tallest shelf so that people weren’t even aware of it.296Please respect copyright.PENANAKc5g0Da35o
296Please respect copyright.PENANAaZUcjmJxX7
“The Moon and the Clock. Every young man and woman that touched it during my stay here has vanished three days after reading it.”296Please respect copyright.PENANApJtas1bsZB
296Please respect copyright.PENANAukAo8eQ5rg
Caleb’s interest only intensified, his dark black eyes gleaming with excitement. The librarian shook her head and left swiftly, not wanting to witness his downfall.296Please respect copyright.PENANAywiQP9u5cL
296Please respect copyright.PENANAR2dFJVUOey
Caleb was a tall and lanky man but he still needed the lather in order to reach the book. He patted it softly and smiled as he caressed the handmade cover. It really was very old so he took care to handle it safely.296Please respect copyright.PENANAZ2DeKfR20Q
296Please respect copyright.PENANAslnCuKJb7O
Once he sat down, he made himself comfortable and read it out loud.296Please respect copyright.PENANAWvTM3iO2F7
296Please respect copyright.PENANAkmcTFRQNdl
Once upon a time, in a village at the edge of the woods, there lived a woman. Helga was her name, her smile was as radiant as the moon, her eyes always gleaming in the darkness like two stars. But no matter how many suitors tried to steal her heart, none succeeded. What Helga loved the most were roses. She had a garden full of red roses where she spent most of her days. One day, she grabbed a rose by its thorns and cut herself. She moved quickly to wash it away in the pond that run behind her house. When she dipped her hand in the cold water, something grabbed her. Afraid, Helga leaned back and watched as a man surfaced and walked on water towards her.
“Your beauty is renown even in the land not of this world,” he said grabbing her hand. “I couldn’t help come and see you for myself.”
“Who are you?” She asked.
The man laughed and covered his eyes with her hand. Once uncovered, she looked into the eyes of autumn itself.
“They call me many names, Beelzebub is one of them.”296Please respect copyright.PENANA5GbhS4w7ur
296Please respect copyright.PENANAI5J2JMdXcC
“Holy shit,” Caleb mumbled.296Please respect copyright.PENANASCrvVfNj19
296Please respect copyright.PENANAl95vWTx0dN
From that day on, Beelzebub came every day, rising from the water, from the dirt or even from within air. Helga was entranced by him but the other villagers were horrified. A demon, they called him. A great lord of demons that rose from Hell in order to find himself a bride. So one day, Helga asked him.
“Are you a bad man? Are you who they call The Lord of the Flies?”
“I am if you want me to be. I can be your best dream or your worst nightmare.” He answered her.
Helga held his hand in hers and smiled. Those blue eyes that always shone with purity held such discrepancy to the dead yellow eyes of the one she loved.
“Will you come to me until the end of my days? Or will you forget about me once my existence ends?”
Beelzebub caressed her beautiful face with a sad smile.
“I’m afraid my time on this land is very short.” Helga looked down and a tear slipped down her cheek. “I know why you want me to stay. I know what changes are happening inside your body.”
Helga started crying.
“This will be a hated child, a hunted child...the villagers...”
Beelzebub grabbed her hand and placed something small in her palm. It was a pocket watch made of silver with an intricate pattern on the lid that seemed to have no beginning or end composed of thorns. Inside, in the middle of the screen was a rose made of white gold. The dial shone in the sunlight and then Helga noticed that although the watch functioned, the minute hand never stopped when the time was sharp, it was either forward or backward by a minute.
“If anything bad ever happens, force the minute hand on the right time. I will come immediately.”
Thankfully, Helga gave birth to her daughter on a full moon with the help of only one lady from the village. The little girl looked and acted normal so nothing happened for a long time. The child grew to be as beautiful as her mother and she had many friends. But one day, the village children pushed her on the ground in fear.
“Your eyes!” They screamed. “Your eyes are yellow!”
Although Helga forgot, or maybe never considered Beelzebub to be a demon, the villagers did not. The girl was still just a child, 10 years alive and many believed her father to be someone from another village. But once she awoke her second nature, the villagers panicked. The church men came to take her that night.
“Give us the little devil!” They screamed and barged inside the house.
“My daughter is not evil!” Helga cried hugging her daughter.
“Give it to us! We shall burn the witch!”
“She is not evil! She is not evil!” Helga screamed and begged but it was in vain.
Remembering the pocket watch, she pulled it out from under her bed and forced the minute hand on the time: it was 9:00 PM sharp. Flames engulfed the house and flies surrounded it. Nobody knows what happened inside, they only remember the red haired man holding his daughter tightly as he walked over the dead bodies of the priests. Helga died that night. What Beelzebub didn’t tell her was that once used, the pocket watch will steal her life as sacrifice. Demons do not give anything for free and they do not react well when their possessions are endangered.296Please respect copyright.PENANAdAY2CLqa1s
296Please respect copyright.PENANAHOfXY42HOX
“This...is not what I imagined it to be like...” Caleb mumbled rubbing his forehead.296Please respect copyright.PENANAdPg3uo21m4
296Please respect copyright.PENANAxTTXdHOARH
“Well, the times were different.” Mepalham appeared and commented over his shoulder. “So, what did you learn from this story?”296Please respect copyright.PENANAepT60iq2f0
296Please respect copyright.PENANA71rVUtiQtE
“That you don’t mess with Beelzebub?”296Please respect copyright.PENANATljL2aQMsT
296Please respect copyright.PENANAPfadAOZaaP
“Of course you don’t. What else?”296Please respect copyright.PENANAfA3E2wHCBf
296Please respect copyright.PENANA4akNoSmKuO
“He had a daughter with a woman he more or less killed. He didn’t tell her of what will happen the moment she uses that pocket watch. And this final sentence, it sounds so much like a warning.”296Please respect copyright.PENANAh5AYmjBKMT
296Please respect copyright.PENANARLK0Uu1OdN
“That pocket watch is the alert button in case of emergencies for the commander. Beelzebub never protected Helga, he protected his child. And so, we come to the year 2020.” Mepalham explained as he sat on the table in front of the young man.296Please respect copyright.PENANAfDRAe8hBBe
296Please respect copyright.PENANAUvx6CVsz4x
Caleb blinked, the dots still not connecting in his mind.296Please respect copyright.PENANAjYNeg8xL63
296Please respect copyright.PENANAcra2RpXoxa
“So Zoe is the daughter of Beelzebub reincarnated-”296Please respect copyright.PENANAn6JXxHi3Hi
296Please respect copyright.PENANAn4oPbCqUMA
“No, actually, he randomly picks who will be born with the mark. He found Zoe to be particularly interesting. She awoke her gift when she was 10, just like the original. Grimm only wrote about what he had heard, he was never there to witness it. How could he, though? It happened long before he was born. But he was a weird human and dug deep in order to find traces of the commander.”
“So Zoe is dangerous. Elijah already warned me against becoming her new best friend and yet here I am, following your instructions.”
Caleb was really interesting and witty. Mepalham quite liked him compared to other humans around Zoe, he was a lot more proactive and open.296Please respect copyright.PENANAQlkapi1L2q
296Please respect copyright.PENANAAGXprmD8Ip
“Take that book with you and read it. There are more stories you should know about. Sometimes the enemies are not the ones that have blood on their hands.” The demon said and smiled sarcastically.
“Are you done, sir?” The librarian asked coming to check on the boy. “Were you talking to someone? I heard voices.” She asked checking the perimeter. Mepalham was already gone.
“Just talking to myself. Anyway, I’d like to borrow this,” He replied closing the book and waving it lightly in front of the librarian.
The woman sighed but then again, she knew some way or another the book will find its way back in a few days.
Caleb walked out into the world with new found entertainment. He couldn't believe what he had in his hand, moreover how dark the fairy-tales were. He was a Disney kid, he loved Barbie movies even if he was a boy and he was an overly positive and optimistic man. Therefore, when he passed a woman with a huge tattoo on her arm -she was wearing revealing clothes even if it was chilly outside- that said Asmodeus in red, he couldn't help but follow her.
ns 172.69.7.102da2