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The Empress Luna

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Luna clutched her throat to stop it from getting entering her system, but she had swallowed the damned thing.

She was finished.

She grabbed unto the Demon King's hands on her neck, forcing him to let her go.

Now that she had taken the Archdemon magic inside her, Lucifer released her, and Luna crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.

Luna felt like she had been beaten up in all directions, and there was a distinct pain in her chest, lungs, and throat.

She experienced full-body tremors, feeling electrified as if something was lighting her up from the core.

Whimpering, she curled up her knees in a fetal position as she wrapped her arms around her belly.

Luna's body had shifted from hot to cold than hot in a short time, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

It felt like she was turned inside and out. Her stomach twisted and turned.

The excruciating sensations went on for a while before it dissolved into nothing.

Blinking with wide-open eyes, her pulse raced as she felt her strength increase as her every exhale released a hot breath that is closer to grey smoke rather than fire.

When it finally stopped, Luna opened her eyes to see that the black void was replaced with the throne room's vermillion walls and ceilings.

Squinting at the royal family of Archdemons in front of her as her left cheek was pressed on the carpets, she noticed that Lucifer was seated at his throne as if nothing monumental had happened.

All of them were as motionless as a scarecrow as they watched her with their full-faced masks.

Luna inserted a finger down her throat to activate her gag reflex and vomit that cursed orb.

She had wheezed and coughed, praying she could get rid of the Archdemon magic, but it was all in vain.

"Stop that, Luna." The Archdemon of Gluttony had said as he got up from his royal seat and stalked towards her. "You couldn't get rid of the Archdemon magic with that."

"You have given up the High Priestess magic for the Vampire King, so consider it as a blessing from my father." He crouched down, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up gently. "You would be better off in Hell than the Vampire Realm."

Luna desired to shake her head in disagreement.

"No." She closed her eyes and groaned as the overwhelming dizziness flooded her brain from that simple motion.

Ravin had let her rest her head on his shoulder.

"I thought you wanted power because you didn't want to be vulnerable against the King." Ravin narrowed his gaze as he leaned his face closer to hers. "I swore, I heard you say it once."

"Did I?"

Luna pressed her fingers as she massaged her temple in recollection.

She had thought about not giving up her status as a High Priestess when she and Apollyon got married.

Luna didn't want to be defenseless against the Vampire King's evil schemes.

She had tried so hard to hold onto her, but the Vampire King had manipulated her to give up her virginity.

But all of that was all in the past. "How did you know about it?"

The Archdemon of Gluttony pretended to consider whether he would tell her or not before speaking. "I hear your thoughts, especially if you are furious or obsessed about something. Your intense thoughts ricocheted back to me again and again when you didn't know how to control it before."

Goddess!

Their link to each other was very much alive even if they were Realms apart!

Her eyes watered with both anguish and longing.

Luna still had the chance to contact Apollyon because of their blood bond.

She would tell him that she was alive and well and not to worry while she was gone.

She would try her best to get back to him as soon as possible if she got a hold of his consciousness.

She just needed to figure out how.

Forgetting her revulsion around Ravin, she clasped unto his shirt for strength and support.

"How about now?"

"You don't project your thoughts so loudly anymore, and I can hear them, but it was the most inaudible of all whispers, so I don't even try," Ravin said simply as he wrapped a hand and stroked his palm on her back, providing much-needed comfort. "With my golden thread attached to yours, I can feel when you are in pain, but I can tolerate it, and Luxen can do that as well. As Archdemons, we aren't new to pain."

"My father, the Demon King, tortures us daily when we were young trainees as Archdemons," Ravin explained further. "If a stronger soul had arrived in Hell and train under his and my uncle's tutelage, then he/she would have a chance to replace an Archdemon and reign one of the Seven Circles of Hell."

Luna's eyes widened in shocked horror. "So that was what happened with Lilith, who became the Archdemon of Envy."

"Lilith was an Ancient High Priestess and had made amazing sacrifices for my father, so that earned her higher leverage to become an Archdemon. King Lucifer was impressed with her deeds at the Upper Realms and decided to train her under him." Ravin drawled as his thin lips curved into a humorless smile. "Now, the past Archdemon of Envy was a pureblood, but Lilith had defeated her despite how strong the past Envy was. Lilith had learned fast as she cultivated her Archdemon magic, and she had slept with King Lucifer multiple times to suck a part of his life force so that she would become stronger."

Oh, goddess!

"A whore will always be a whore."

Ravin corrected, "Not a whore but a succubus."

"Succubus… Whore…" Luna breathed, rolling her eyes in sarcasm. "There is no difference."

"That's enough talking, Ravin." Incensed, Luxen had called Ravin out as he stood up from his throne, took a step forward, and approached the both of them.

Ravin heaved a deep sigh as he rumbled, "I am giving our wife an explanation, brother."

"You can talk all you want later," Luxen replied with a grin. "It's time to decide where our wife would stay tonight."