Chapter 289: Hellborn
"What is this about?" She reached out and pulled it off the shelf.
Completely distracted from her original task, she took her seat on the sofa and opened the book to begin reading.
"At the beginning of all existence, when the universe was born from the endless void, two primordial powers emerged from its creation....
Light and Darkness.
The positive and the negative.
Though opposite in nature, neither could exist without the other. Each possessed its own essence and purpose, yet both held immense importance in maintaining the delicate balance of existence.
From these two primordial powers were born beings of unimaginable strength.
Those who inherited the power of Light came to be known as Gods.
While those who wielded the power of Darkness became known as Demons.
To prevent conflict and preserve the boundaries of existence, these ancient beings established two separate realms for themselves, leaving a single neutral territory in between.
In time, various species rose to populate this middle ground, and it came to be known as the World of the Living.
But this book is not about those who live in the World of the Living. Nor is it about the Gods.
This book is about those who wield tremendous powers of Darkness... beings who thrive within a realm plunged into perpetual darkness.
Some call it the Underworld, while others call it... Hell.
And the beings who dwell there are known as the Hellborn, or simply, Demons."
Aliana paused, her brows furrowing as she realised that the book was, in fact, about demons.
"Why would Gavriel have something like this here?"
Feeling slightly uneasy, she turned to the next page and continued reading.
"Just like the natural order of the World of the Living, the Demons also follow a hierarchy to maintain peace within their realm. However, unlike the mortal world, this hierarchy is determined solely by one thing: power.
The stronger a Demon, the higher their position. And the weaker they are, the lower they remain.
The hierarchy of Hell, or the Underworld, is divided into eight distinct ranks, each determined by the strength of one’s bloodline, magical abilities, and overall power.
From the lowest creatures that wander the barren lands to the sovereign who rules over the entirety of the Underworld, every being has its place.
Inferior Beasts & Higher Beasts: The beasts of Hell are divided into two classifications. Inferior beasts are mindless scavengers, while higher beasts are powerful and intelligent creatures often used for war, guarding territories, and other purposes.
Hell Ghouls: The lowest beings of Hell, driven by hunger and possessing little to no magical ability. They commonly serve as scavengers and servants.
Lower-Level Demons: The common population of Hell, possessing basic dark abilities and often serving as soldiers or labourers.
Higher-Level Demons: Intelligent demons with greater magical abilities who serve as officials, administrators, and commanders within their territories.
Arch Demons: Ancient and immensely powerful warriors who serve as Hell’s greatest military commanders, standing directly beneath the Nobles.
Nobles: Above the Arch Demons stand the Nobles, demons born from pure and ancient bloodlines. Their lineage grants them not only tremendous power but also authority over vast territories and the demons residing within them. They form the ruling class beneath the Royal Bloodline, governing their domains and commanding both Higher Demons and Arch Demons under their banner.
The Royals: Above the Noble Bloodlines stand the Royals, beings born with extraordinary dark power and the purest bloodlines in all of Hell. Their authority extends across the entire Underworld, and every rank beneath them is bound to their command.
The Devil: And above them all stands the Devil.
The sole sovereign of the Underworld, the Devil possesses authority over every soul, beast, demon, Noble, and Royal within his realm. His power stands beyond comparison, and his word is law.
There is no rank above the Devil. There is no throne beside his, except his queen.
For he is not merely the ruler of Hell.
He is Hell’s sovereign."
By now, Aliana’s hands were shaking as she held the book. She knew she could very well be reading simple folklore or mythology. Yet the more she read, the more a sinking feeling in her gut told her this was no work of fiction.
Suddenly, flashes of memories she had kept buried over the past few days began surfacing in her mind like a slideshow.
The island... the demoness Vorra... her powers... and right before she had passed out... she remembered staring into the blood-red eyes of the man she had married.
Not only that, she remembered his pupils. They had been slits... as if she had been looking into the eyes of a beast rather than a... human.
At first, she had thought it was simply her mind playing tricks on her, but now the mere thought sent her pulse racing, and she hurriedly snapped the book shut.
"No! Where are your thoughts wandering, Aliana?"
She pressed her trembling palms against her cheeks, but she could not stop the barrage of memories flooding her mind.
She remembered being in the study with Gavriel and suddenly finding herself behind the closing hidden door, with no recollection of how she had gotten there. Then there was the wall that had crumbled on the other side at the perfect moment, distracting the guards. Not to mention how Gavriel had knocked down the men guarding the place with nothing but his raw, inhuman strength.
And finally, when she had entered that chamber, she had seen fear in every single person’s eyes as they lay sprawled across the floor, while Gavriel stood among them completely unbothered.
Then Vorra’s words echoed in her mind.
"T-this woman... she will harm you, Your High-"
Aliana’s brows furrowed as she recalled the scene.
Vorra had been staring directly behind her when she spoke, and the only person standing behind her had been... Gavriel.
"S-she said... Your High..." Aliana whispered.
She swallowed hard before the horrifying possibility surfaced.
"Did she want to say... Your Highness?"
The moment the words left her lips, her eyes dropped towards the closed book resting on her lap.
Her fingers trembled as she slowly opened it again, desperate to find out what was written on the next page.
But before she could read anything about the powers and characteristics of demons, the sound of an engine coming to a stop echoed from outside the window.
Aliana immediately slammed the book shut and hurried towards the window, where she saw Gavriel stepping out of the car.
As if sensing her gaze, he began to look up. But before their eyes could meet, Aliana instinctively pressed herself against the wall beside the window.
Flattened against the wall, she was suddenly overcome by confusion.
Why had she hidden like some thief? Wasn’t it only a few minutes ago that she had been eagerly waiting for his return?
Panic seized her chest, but as her gaze dropped, her heart plummeted.
She was still clutching the book tightly against her chest.
"Fuck!" she hissed under her breath.
Rushing across the room, she shoved the book back into its place on the shelf, making sure the alignment looked untouched. She then darted towards the sofa, sank onto the leather cushion and snatched up one of the business volumes.
Snapping it open to a random page, she forced herself to stare at the print, trying to project the image of a calm reader.
’Calm down, Aliana! What is wrong with you?! That book means nothing! Why would your mind wander to suspect your own husband?!’
She quickly wiped away the cold sweat breaking across her forehead and began turning the pages with shaky fingers.
Just then she heard those distinctive, purposeful footsteps approaching.
Her throat felt incredibly dry as she closed her eyes and took another deep breath. Her heart continued to drum against her ears, making it difficult to hear anything else around her.
When she finally opened her eyes, two broad, warm hands slid over her shoulders from behind, and a deep, rich voice spoke right beside her ear.
"I’m back."
"Jesus!" Aliana yelped, jumping in her seat.