Chapter 96: The Cursed Vessel
Lirian could barely breathe as she stared at Raphael—no, the thing inside Raphael.
His once-warm eyes were now bottomless pits of black, full of evil and malice.
His body trembled, his fingers twitched as if something else was adjusting to its new vessel.
Gabriel took a slow step forward, his knuckles white on his sword.
"Raphael," he said carefully. "I know you’re in there. You have to fight it."
Raphael—the demon—tilted his head, a slow grin stretched across his lips.
"Oh, Gabriel. Always so proud. Always so naive."
The voice was Raphael’s.
But it was wrong- with something deeper, something old and very ancient.
Lirian’s stomach twisted.
This isn’t him. This isn’t Raphael.
Kael, standing beside Gabriel, tensed. "Well, this is bad," he muttered.
Gabriel gave him a glare. "No kidding."
Kael shrugged. "I mean, I could have said ’this is a disaster,’ but I was trying to be optimistic."
Before Gabriel could respond, a sudden whoosh of wings burst into the room.
"CAW! HUMANS ARE SO HOPELESS!"
Everyone, even the demon-possessed Raphael, turned to see a large, overly dramatic parrot flapping wildly near the ceiling.
Lirian blinked in disbelief. "Pedro...?"
"OF COURSE, IT’S ME, YOU FOOLS!" the parrot screeched.
"AND LOOK AT YOU ALL! A DEMON RUNNING AROUND, A DEAD DAD, A HALF-NAKED GIRL—TYPICAL HUMAN PROBLEMS!"
Kael coughed into his fist, clearly trying to suppress a laugh.
Gabriel just pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Pedro," Gabriel growled. "Now is NOT the time."
The parrot flapped down, landing dramatically on Kael’s shoulder.
"No, no, NO. Now is EXACTLY the time. Because you IDIOTS need me!"
Lirian frowned. "Pedro, what—?"
Before she could finish, a flash of golden light erupted from the parrot’s form.
In an instant, Pedro was no longer a parrot.
A boy stood where the bird had been—tall, with messy hair and golden eyes that showed something not quite human.
His smirk was sharp, his stance looked lazy but with power.
Kael blinked. "...Oh. So the bird is a hot guy again...this whole time. Huh."
Gabriel showed him another glare. "Kael. Focus."
Kael raised his hands.
"I am focusing. Just... acknowledging the weirdness, that’s all."
Pedro rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up, pretty boy."
Gabriel’s grip on his sword tightened. "If you’re done showing off, maybe HELP US?!"
Pedro smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Relax, Sir Grumpy. I am helping."
Before anyone could question him further, Raphael moved.
The demon rushed, faster than anything humanly possible.
Gabriel barely raised his blade in time, blocking the blow, but the force sent him skidding back.
The demon grinned. "So slow, little knight."
Gabriel gritted his teeth. "Kael—!"
Kael was already moving, sending an ice magic formed from water toward the possessed Raphael.
The demon twisted unnaturally, dodging it with ease.
Pedro rolled his shoulders, then clapped his hands together.
"Alright, dumbasses, listen up."
Gabriel groaned. "Pedro, focus—"
Pedro snapped his fingers, and a golden sigil flared into existence beneath Raphael.
The demon screeched, its moves faded for a fraction of a second.
Pedro grinned. "We’re sealing this bastard."
Lirian gasped. "You can do that?!"
Pedro tossed her a wink. "Sweetheart, I can do a lot of things."
Gabriel groaned again. "Can you do them faster?!"
The demon roared, shaking off the sigil’s hold.
Its voice came out layered—both Raphael’s and something far worse.
"I WILL NOT BE CONTAINED."
It turned toward Lirian—
And she fell.
Her legs finally gave out, exhaustion slammed into her like a hammer.
Her body hit the cold stone, her vision blurred, blocking the view.
She heard Gabriel shout her name—
But the demon was already moving toward her.
No. No, NO.
It wanted her. It wanted to take her.
The shadows wrapped around her, slithering up her arms like tendrils of ice.
"Gabriel!!!" Lirian screamed as she felt something push into her mind, clawing at her soul, trying to get in.
But then—
Gabriel was there.
His sword came down, severing the shadows. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"
The demon screeched, recoiling.
Gabriel grabbed Lirian, pulling her against him. "I’ve got you," he murmured.
She could barely focus. She was so tired.
But then—
"Gabriel..."
The voice was Raphael’s.
For the first time since being possessed, his face showed pain.
The black pits in his eyes moved. His hands shook.
And then—
His sword lowered.
"Gabriel," Raphael’s voice cracked. "Kill me."
Gabriel froze, not believing what he just heard.
Lirian’s breath hitched.
"No," Gabriel whispered. "No, I can’t—"
Raphael let out a shuddering breath.
His body trembled violently, the demon trying to force its control back over him.
"Please," Raphael choked. "I can’t... I can’t hold it much longer."
Gabriel shook his head. "There has to be another way—"
Raphael grabbed his arm, his grip was tight, desperate.
"Gabriel," he whispered again in a breaking voice. "Don’t let it take me."
Gabriel’s eyes burned with anguish.
His blade shook in his hands.
But he knew.
There was no other way.
If they hesitated, the demon would win.
Lirian watched, helpless, as Gabriel’s hands tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"Raphael," Gabriel breathed.
Raphael smiled. It was small, pained. But it was his.
"Do it," he whispered.
Gabriel plunged the sword into his chest.
A strangled gasp left Raphael’s lips.
The demon screamed, its form bursted from his body in a final, violent thrash—
But Raphael was already falling.
Gabriel caught him before he hit the ground.
Raphael smiled up at him, blood trickled down his lips.
"You idiot," Gabriel whispered, not being able to stop the shaking and trembling in his shoulders and lips.
Raphael let out a soft, broken laugh. "Took you... long enough."
His fingers weakly gripped Gabriel’s sleeve. His eyes, for the first time in so long, were his own.
"Take care of them," Raphael murmured. "Take care of... Lirian, and our kingdom..."
And then—
His hand fell away.
His body went still.
Gabriel’s breath hitched.
Lirian’s heart shattered.
The chamber was silent.
But then—
A whisper.
A breath of darkness.
The demon, still somewhere, still hungry—
Found a new host.
And before they could stop it—
The shadows slithered into Kael’s body.
And his eyes—
Turned black.
"Son of a bitch..."