First Demonic Dragon-Chapter 1026: Friends in Strange Places

By and large, demons are not to be trusted.

The promise of a biblical demon is less worse than a sand dollar in Las Vegas. They aren’t bound to keep it unless they use their true name when making the promise—and even then, not all demons possess true names to begin with.

Everyone in the heavenly realms knows this. It’s why demons from hell are so immensely disliked.

Surely, Percival would know that Ziz, one of God’s first creations, would know this.

’So the why is he still talking...?’

"- And then I told him, I’m like, there’s no freaking way you met the original Immortal Phoenix- like that’s fucking crazy. I mean, I know everyone’s got a real hard on for the second one, given that she’s got that crazy bod and all, but c’mon. You are the numero uno, man. The blueprint!"

Percival’s eyes became giddy like a child’s. Ziz was having a hard time believing what he was looking at.

"So then Belial asked me, he’s like, "Do you want to meet him, my lord?" And I’m like, "No, are you crazy? I can’t just go meet my idol like that, I wouldn’t even have anything to wear! Plus I’d probably just start stuttering and stuff- I would just embarrass myself."

"...You done?"

"Not buying it, huh?"

"Even dirty foreskin doesn’t have this much cheesy shit."

Percival sighed and seemingly dropped the act.

"Alright, fine, it didn’t happen exactly like that. But I didn’t know they were torturing you. Like I said, I just asked them to get the materials we needed. I didn’t ask them to be barbaric about it."

"Don’t give me that. They’re demons, and you asked them to obtain something from a living source. The hell did you think they were going to do?"

Percival held up his hands in surrender. "Right, right, I get it. Failures of the underlings are also failures on the part of those who hold their leashes. That’s my bad."

Ziz’s mind remained unchanged.

"And what about your decision to torture the old drunk? Gulban was a wreck when the others found him."

At that, Percival sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

He leaned back into his chair and seemed to be staring up at a ceiling that Ziz couldn’t see.

"What can I say...? War is... ugly. I don’t do things because I’m proud of them, but because they’re necessary. Gulban was never going to give me his powers or his key. To protect those underneath me, I did what had to be done. What was necessary for survival."

"You tortured an old man." Ziz pointed.

"Oh, don’t give me that." Percival dismissed. "How many old beings has Abaddon harmed in pursuit of power? No one chastised him for it when he did it. You’re all only upset because he happens to be fucking this one’s daughter."

"We’re upset because you tortured and drained the life from an ancient integral aspect of the balance. You could have condemned us all to Bekka if Valerie weren’t around. And for what? Demons?? It’s disgusting."

Percival seemed offended. "That’s not fair. Demons deserve to exist in peace just like everyone else. And somewhere nice that’s not made of the old dragon’s stomach lining."

"Demons don’t want to live anywhere nice. They want to destroy nice places. They are evil, impure beings who have no place among the light."

"Does that line of thinking go for my brothers too?"

"Belphegor’s too busy living the married life and sleeping all day to cause havoc. Asmodeus has never been malicious, despite what everyone would say about him- he just likes sex and wanted other people to like it too. In a sexually positive society, he poses no danger."

"And Satan?"

"Has been beaten so badly he’s always on his best behavior nowadays. Even if they haven’t learned to fix his mouth just yet..."

Ziz still shuddered with anger at the demon lord’s name for him. Twinky-Bird.

It wasn’t even clever! Ziz wasn’t that small and he didn’t like men!

"So what?" Percival sighed. "Are you trying to say that demons only deserve to live somewhere nice when they fit into your standards of behavior? That sounds dangerously close to bigotry."

"Cut the fake moral superiority act. Biblical demons are one of the few multiversal constants. Almost all are evil. But they have their place. In hell- torturing the souls of damned humans and serving as a reminder of what happens when they choose to be massive twat waffles in their life."

"But what if they want more? What if they deserve more?"

Percival stood up.

He placed his hand over his chest and clenched his shirt tightly as if he were in great pain.

"When I look into the faces of all of my cute and anguished subordinates, I want to help them. I want to give them a place where they can run wild and play without scrutiny from the eyes of up high, or having work they don’t want to do thrust onto them. I want them to be happy, even if they are demons. Can’t you understand that?"

Again, Ziz did not look moved.

Sighing, Percival sat back on the bed.

Despite failing to get through to him, he smiled warmly at Ziz. Shocking the phoenix.

"I wasn’t lying about being a fan, you know? Birds have always been my favorite animals. And I’ve shared a chemistry with phoenixes since I was young. I too have immense respect for the cleansing power of fire."

Ziz began to feel like a fool. "I’ve let this go on too long... You’re just sitting here babbling trying to fill my head with needless flattery."

"Needless? Maybe. But flattery? No." Percival shook his head. "I don’t flatter. I speak my mind. Especially when I see an idol of mine being underappreciated."

"The hell are you talking about, demon?"

Percival tapped his palm.

"Know thy enemy. I know Abaddon gives a bit of his blood to everyone close enough to live in his house. Enhancing their strength, making them dragons... protecting them from untimely deaths. You’ve been in Tehom for a while. I thought he would have given it to you by now." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Ziz bit his lip awkwardly and turned away. Percival’s eyes glowed.

"Ah, as I thought- you’re a bit on the outs in the land of dark dragons, huh? No doubt they don’t know how to handle someone like you."

Flames licked at Ziz’s face and hair. His eyes began to glow with a powerful anger.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?"

If Percival was bothered by the phoenix’s rage or the rising heat, he certainly didn’t show it.

"Abaddon and his wives are all about humility and all of that nonsense. They don’t know how to handle someone who is unashamedly confident and doesn’t conform to spaces to make themselves small for the comfort of other weaklings."

Ziz made a disgruntled noise.

Percival let out another sigh and finally stood up.

"I can see that I’ve put you in a bit of an imposition with my babbling. That’s always been my problem, sticking my nose into places where it doesn’t belong. I really need to learn my lesson one day."

Percival’s form began to shimmer under the light.

"It was a pleasure getting to speak to someone normally for once. Feel free to give that gem a little tap again anytime that you want to talk. Just keep it a secret from the big man. People like him aren’t exactly accepting of those with differing views on life."

Percival’s body began to disintegrate from his feet up.

The last thing that Ziz could see before Percival disappeared was the demon’s uncannily wide smile.

"And remember, my friend. Don’t let those bastards make you feel small."

Just like that, Percival was gone from the room, and Ziz had an even larger headache now than he did when he first picked up the crystal.

His first instinct was to run outside and tell someone in the hall about what it did, and who he had just spoken to.

But he didn’t. And he didn’t know why.

Even worse, when he heard the sound of footsteps thundering towards him, he stuffed the rock into his pocket in secret. Guilt gnawed at him like a rodent.

The door to his room was thrown open, and Behemoth barged in.

Ziz’s shock at his earlier conversation was immediately displaced when his eyes settled on Behemoth.

Tears ran down her face in rivers, and Ziz... had never seen such a thing before.

"Sister...?"

"Brother..." Behemoth sniffled. "I believe that I may have liked it better when I did not have emotions... everything inside of me hurts."

Ziz smiled at his sister pitifully.

He held his arms out for her and was nearly knocked over when she rushed to hug him.

Her frame was larger than his. She wrapped her arms around him and nearly crushed him as she cried silently into his neck.

"I don’t like feeling like this... How do I make it stop... please, tell me."

Ziz struggled to catch a breath as his sister’s biceps crushed his windpipe.

"Believe me, sis. I wish I knew the answer to that myself..."