Gluttony’s body trembles as hands, knees, and forehead touch ground, prostrating himself before the throne. “Lord Baʿal—”

The man in the throne motions at him, “Gluttony, it’s been far too long. You are blood of my blood, just call me Zeb. Baʿal Zebub and Beelzebub are far in the past.” He scrunches his face. “They bore me”

“Uh, Lord Zeb. I didn’t mean to intrude. Honestly, I’m not sure what happened. One moment I was hunting this human, and the next I was in your presence. Please excuse our intrusion” The waver in his voice betrays him. Anything powerful enough to put fear in this demon is something I’d rather not get wrapped up in. I make myself as small and invisible in the room as possible.

Zeb moves to a more attentive position, “Your senses are dull, Gluttony. Else you’d have known your prey is an acolyte of Lilith”

Gluttony turns to me with wide eyes, then back. “That’s not possible. He’d be way more powerful, this fledgling barely used telekinesis to defend himself. Someone from the thirteen families would put up a more serious fight.” He had a point, I hadn’t the foggiest about Lilith. Short of my family fairy tail, I was running blind.

Zeb’s eyes scrunch, a touch of anger riding his voice. “Remember your senses boy. You could smell the Aeth laced blood from planes away. Traditions may change, but the power still flows.” His harsh gaze falls on me. “Your name, witch?”

“A-Amos. My name is Amos.”

“Where is the shard?” The question evokes a need in me to answer. As if compelled by an unseen force.

I reach into my inner jacket pocket and retrieve the piece. “Do you mean this?”

“Ah, yes. That’s what brought you here. Only blood of the thirteen families can use it. Your intense subconscious need to escape and live on when faced with death must’ve activated it.”

Feeling slightly more at ease, I inquire further. “Why only us? And for what purpose?”

“It’s a bit complicated. The Veil of Lilith is a religious sect that worships the mortal born goddess Lilith, and is comprised of thirteen families. They learn secret forbidden knowledge through communion with Lilith, then use it according to their tenets. You see, Lilith was originally a powerful witch from earth. It was her ambition to ascend to godhood that helped me become what I am today.”

His body changes as he gets to his feet. A thick, sickly green smog builds around his feet and flows down the steps of the dais. Two large horns adorn his head curving out one to the left and one right. The skin of his cheeks are decayed and full of holes, each movement stretching the remaining strands of flesh like chewing gum. When he speaks, black ooze drips from his mouth. “This is the true form of the reigning prince of Gyote—The Barren Lands. The Overlord of The Nether promised this region to his only son Elgaer if he completed the birthright pilgrimage to prove he was a worthy successor. He’d have to kill all seven princes of The Nether and if he won he had his choice of their lands. If he failed he’d die a disgrace. He ruled for eons then as fate would have it, met a witch.”

“Lilith, once a human witch, crafted powerful spells and magickal containers to fill with vast amounts of power over many years. Preparing for the day she’d ascend to the gods. She summoned Elgaer to earth, bound him, then performed a custom and unique ritual. The spell shredded their souls, merging and rebuilding it with modified Aeth. Culminating into a dark, twisted, and corrupt celestial god energy that elevated her to godhood. This made Lilith the rightful ruler. There is only one rule in The Nether. The powerful rule and the powerless obey or die. Lilith abandoned Gyote and left it to rot. In the ensuing power vacuum, I took what was rightfully mine. Lilith’s blessings and knowledge give the witches of the veil their power. It’s what ties them to The Nether, specifically Gyote and its throne. The thirteen stones were created for one purpose, to cross the realm and protect it’s bearer.”

I glance down at the stone, running it between my fingers. “You made a deal, didn’t you.” My attention naps back to him.

His mouth widens, revealing long black fang-like teeth. A demonic smile. “Yes, I did. They made such an enticing offer, I couldn’t pass it up. You see, The Veil’s first tenet and absolute mission is to keep the first born child of Lilith sealed away. Like their mother, the children's mere existence is a perversion of the natural order. It’s said Lilith herself formed the order and ordered the first tenet. Asier committed an atrocity against mankind so vile, that the gods would dispose of him themselves. Whether for his own protection or other reason, she locked him away. It may only be a rumor, but The Veil believe it and will do anything to serve that tenet. Even make pacts with devils.” I don’t really trust his words, but being here fills me with pride.

I was right. The paranormal does exist. Lies or not I’m not about to pass up this opportunity for information. “So, what’s this deal and how does it relate to me?”

He gestures broadly. “Where are my manners? It’s the custom of your kind to converse over a meal, correct?” He raises a hand and snaps. In an instant three large demons appear in black smoke, carrying human bodies with black bags over their heads. They’re malnourished and wearing rags so shredded they cover none of the important parts. Visible scarring on their bodies hint at a sad and gruesome life in this hell. Zeb’s bony hand moves behind the closest body and gestures Gluttony take it. He turns back to me. “Do you prefer male or female?” He asks so casually, you’d think we’re having steak. I shake my head no and he frowns. “We’ll, this one’s yours anyway. Do with it as you will.”

With an upward motion of his hand, the young woman levitates to me and lands at my feet. Fear and disgust battle forever in her eyes with a touch of hope and a hidden plea for help. Tears flood her face and only a slight whimper escapes the black gag cloth in her mouth. I look back to Zeb and Gluttony, both of whom have just started dining. Gluttony tears fingers off the male, eating them whole. The gag doesn’t stop the horrible screams of agony in the slightest. In similar fashion, Zeb slurps the fresh intestines of the male below him like steaming spaghetti. The urge to vomit hits hard but I hold it as my eyes meet the woman below me. She claws her naked body around my legs, screaming and pleading in gibberish through the gag. Trying to comfort her, I smooth her hair back and try to whisper comforting words.

As the two gorge themselves Zeb starts again, voice louder than the rising screams. “So, this witch invades my home one day and kills my best guards. Rude, right? She says she’s come to offer me a deal. If I give her the means to power a spell, she’d make me the Overlord of The Nether for eternity. When I inquired, she informed me the spell would pull the earth’s plane of existence completely out of time and space. Effectively making it’s own pocket dimension. This wasn’t satisfactory, because even I couldn’t cross such a barrier. Human souls are even more delicious than their bodies. Full of Aeth and brimming with raw power. I couldn’t give up such a perfect hunting and feeding ground. So we struck a deal. A third of the human souls that die per year would come to me to do with as I please.”

He cracks open the mans skull and elegantly eats the brain in pieces on black claws, like shish kabob. Somehow both men were still alive and screaming despite being almost completely eaten alive. Zeb’s voice brings me out of the trance induced by watching the feeding frenzy. “The only exception is the thirteen families are protected because they ‘serve a higher purpose.’ I agreed and gave them my own creations for their power source, Gluttony and Envy. They went and swayed the rest of the sins who were created by the other princes. The sins periodically feed to their hearts content on human vices, and their power directly powers the spell. Once the spell was in place the old Overlord tried to intervene. When he made his move, we were ready. All members of all thirteen families temporarily lent me power. Added to my own, it was more than enough to kill the Overlord and take his place.”

Zeb raises his head from eating. “Hmm. It seems unexpected visitors are everywhere today, and this one is most interesting.” Two large demon guards materialize through black smoke and take up guard in front. Something moves in the darker side of the room, sticking to the shadows. The air stills until you can hear a pin drop. A voice beckons from the darkness. “I assume you’re Baʿal Zebub, Gluttony I know, but who is the human and why are they here?”