My Sacrifice

Chapter III

Of perfect love that you gave to me…

Just like any other day, the morning came; though in Hell the morning did not come with a beautiful sunrise. The sky became brighter with life, the dark shades of red switching to something that could make believe that a sea of blood was hanging over the lands. Most mortals never got used to that sight of changing reds over their heads, but it was the same for demons when they went to the surface. Morning light filtered through the curtains, lighting the room a little. That night was finally gone, a night of torment and despair. Belial’s eyes fluttered open very slowly, and he sighed lightly. He was so happy to find himself still held tightly in those strong arms. He had thought that the morning would never come, that the skies would not go bright ever again and that the long night would never really end. He was so glad and relieved to find that things were not so.

“…mornin’ dear…” That was a soft whisper in his ear, as it did every morning. That was part of the comforting things in Belial’s existence. He knew that when he would wake the morning, that no matter when he would need someone, Byleth would be there. It was very weird to think that way, but he thought for a moment that he needed that presence by his side.

“…hello Byleth…” He finally answered after a few long seconds of just trying to wake up. “…did…?” He could not really say the words, but it was useless in their situation.

He was all dressed; he knew that he had slept most of the night with his pants, and with his leather shirt. It was not the most comfortable thing ever, but he just really had to deal with it. He did not need an actual answer to that, silence was enough for him. So nothing of this had been a dream, all that he had seen had happened, all that he had felt was real. And so he knew that Samael would just try hiding it. He would not manage to go up to him and tell him that he should be resting, though he would have a hard time resisting that urge, he would have to control. He did not know what else he could do other than to go see the source of the problem himself. Hopefully Byleth would understand him, and why he was doing it.

“Hey dear…” Belial started really slowly. He knew that this would catch the other man’s attention: sweet words always caught his attention. He looked straight into those dark eyes; he needed to make sure of something. “…please… I know that you never talk to anyone about anything that I tell you, but please… this time it’s really important to keep your mouth shut. I know that you would want to help Samael, because you’re just always so nice with everyone, but not this time. I’ll handle that myself. Please.”

The King really did not say anything for a moment. His silent spoke more than words would. It was obvious with the look on his beautiful face that he did not agree. It was really obvious, and Belial did not even need to look at him, considering that he knew that his friend did not agree on this point. All of this did not concern either of them, and if it was not Byleth’s place to act, it was not Belial’s either. Trying to make the small demon understand that was totally useless. He already knew what the King’s thoughts on the subject were, but neither of them would just change their mind.
The taller demon stood from where he had been resting, finally pulling away from the warm body that he had been holding for the whole night. His body seemed to glow in the morning light, he was facing the window, and the contour of his form was outlined, he really was one handsome man. He did not stay there long enough for the other man to enjoy the sight; he pulled away from the bed and went looking for clothes. Soon, he was dressed in his daily clothing, and he had left the room, letting Belial think in peace. They did not seem to need to talk so much, they really were connected on another level, though it was not love, it probably was greater than that even.
Belial looked at his king leave the room, his annoyance was obvious and he did not even try to hide it, but there was only so little that the small demon could do about that. He had his own problems to deal with, his own things to do. From the way Lucifer had taken advantage of Samael, it was really easy to see that it was not a first and that he probably had for a long time. The small demon could not help but consider this as a failure. A failure to protect the one he loved and a failure toward Byleth because once more he had taken this out on him. It was not an easy situation, but he had seen worse. It took long hours before he actually found the strength to get up as well. He was blaming himself, no matter what Byleth had told him, he did not manage to do otherwise. He should have stopped them, it was horrible. It was not something that they could let happen within the walls of their castle once they knew it. It was wrong. But most demons did not even have a notion of right and wrong, so who was he to judge them.

Everything seemed out of place to Belial. He wandered in the castle for hours, raking his brain to find a solution, but he only could see one. He wondered for a moment if he was ready to risk everything for someone that did not even bother looking at him. He had a hard time thinking about it all. Samael would never hear about it, he would never thank him or even consider caring about what he did, so why should he? But love was not only about recognition, and Belial knew that for a fact. After all, those he loved never once even looked at him, and he never stopped caring. He did not know what to do, and he needed time away from this place, he could hear those screams still echoing through the halls, and he knew that the coming night would be just the same if he did not do something – anything – about it. He went to his own castle, it felt lonely but at least there were only good memories attached to it, he did not have to fear of walking in on Samael either. Or so he thought.

“…You look awfully pale, Master… have you not been resting?” That was Agares’ soft voice. She had surprised Belial; he had not expected to find anyone in his personal lounge. He had told her that she could go anywhere, but something told him that she was really waiting for him to get home. He had thought her the to be the type not to care about him, though she had never been sarcastic with him, it always seemed that her questions were off, like she just forced herself to care.

Belial was indeed very pale, and he was not feeling so good, but it was not his place to actually explain why he was doing so. He just dismissed the issue with a very short nod. It was true that he had not been sleeping so well, and that could pass the at least the biggest part of the story. He crashed down in one of his couches, closing his eyes for a moment, and he was surprised to find that she was not leaving the room. It was unlikely of her to insist about anything, mostly about Belial’s state. It did not anger him, but it made him wonder. She would not speak, and nor would he.

It was actually Samael’s voice that got him out of his mind. He did not know why it surprised him so, but he did not think that he would ever find Samael in his castle. Of course, he was not there enough to know that the small death demon he was so badly crushing on was just often in this place, mostly to see Agares. He had come to her because she could easily help him with his wounds, but Belial did not really know that. So he was wondering.

“’Res?” He asked very softly, not even noticing that Belial was in the room, sitting there and looking at him. “…can you come, please?” His voice was normally steady, now it was quivering, and as Belial lifted his green eyes to see the demon’s face, he could tell that he was still badly hurt from what had happened. He was still not feeling good but he was trying as much as he could to hide what was happening.

“Yes, of course…” Agares tilted her head and she smiled over to her master before walking off with Samael. The demon did not even notice that smile, he was so lost in his thoughts that it was almost hurtful.

He would go see Lucifer. He did not care about his own life right at that moment. It did not matter whether the little slut of Hell was doing fine or not. He just wanted to see Samael happy, even if for a little while, he wanted to know that he was free of that enormous weight that Lucifer could be…

What did it matter that Belial would let someone else have him… it was not like he had any pride when it came to that.

Oh, I remember…