The Demon's Claim [House of Arcane #2]
Chapter 14: Once Upon A Time...

A long time ago, there were two women who were born to be powerful witches. One named Mary and the other named Mona. They were twins but they were totally different.

Mary was a kind person. She had bright fury hair and green eyes. She was the talk of the town when she was only 15 years old and she was attuned to Fire magic. It was magnificent when she can do anyone in her age cannot.

Especially her twin sister, Mona.

Mona was the complete opposite of Mary. She had dark hair and blue eyes. And her magic was not as magnificent like her twin sister. Mona has always been envious of her twin sister that one day, she escaped to the Enchanted forest to summon something.

Someone forbidden of this realm.

But Mona did not care. All she cared was that she would be powerful from Mary, even made a deal with Satan himself. She drew the Porte de Tenebres, the portal to the Underworld called upon him.

‘Oh Satan, come at thy, I wish to bid you in a deal,’ Mona chanted 3 times before the lord of the underworld himself came through the door, smirking at Mona with all his might.

‘I see the little witch summoned me. What do you think that you can give me if we make a deal, witch?’ Satan asked before Mona was bowing her head to him. Satan tilted his head to the left before Mona looked at him in the eyes.

‘I promise my first born will be your bride,’ she said as she was hugging her stomach. Mona was ambitious little witch that she managed to snatch a sorry man to make her pregnant as Mary was married and lived happily with her husband.

She will do anything to be like her twin sister.

‘Hmm,’ the Satan said as he was circling her. Mona gripped her hands into fists and waited for the judgment to be done upon her. She had to get Satan to agree. She just had to if she wanted to be free and more powerful than her sister.

‘Well, I think that promise was tempting enough that I will be agreeing upon it. But, you must remember, Mona.’ Satan said as he kneeled in front of the witch and gripped her chin, staring into her blue orbs.

‘If you run away from this deal, your daughter will face the consequences as well as your soul,’ he said before Satan stepped back as he put his hand over her head.

‘Come to her, oh dark force, for she will be your master at once,’ Satan chanted in Latin before Mona was feeling something inside her. She screamed and before she knew it, she was alone, inside the pentagram that she drew and left with the mark that Satan has blessed her with his powers.

Mona was happy until the day came for her daughter’s birth. It has been a difficult one and a secretive one where her parents did not know about. Unlike Mary, who was being cherished to bring Abigail Hayes to the world.

A powerful witch that will bless the realm someday.

Mona was looking at her daughter and named her Cornelia. She cooed her daughter as she was sitting alone in the cabin while she was waiting for the right moment to return to the town.

‘Someday, Cornelia, you will rule this realm. I promised you that,’ Mona said before everything was put into plan.

Killed her twin sister and her husband, adopted Abigail as her own daughter. Making Cornelia the star of the academy and planned for her match make with Clive Thompson.

Only Clive loved Abigail and everything was in vain when Mona slipped into the Underworld and Cornelia has to pay her dues.

But all is well, until Ezekiel plotted his revenge.

*****

As the realm came into being, the creatures were being born during Samhain, a festival that Celts used to celebrate when their harvest were done. They worship the ancient Gods and Goddesses, one of them was Satan as well.

Satan has not always been Satan. He was a beloved creature by all when one time, he has to face a trial that he did not do. It was all his brother’s doing and he failed to prove his innocence.

Satan’s real named was Samael. He was known as a beloved creature of the Bible and Torah. But then, he was cast downed to the Underworld where he loomed like a king. He has to thank his brother, Ezekiel for that.

Samael’s feature was blonde hair and blue eyes. But his eyes changed when he was shipped to Underworld to ruby red, fitting to the new place that he called home. It all started when he was supposed to be practicing with Ezekiel, the black hair and green eyes brother of his, for a duel.

Their father was prone to duels and they have to fight for it since it will determine their name, job and home afterward. To be the heir for their father was everything that Samael and Ezekiel hoped for.

Their father also promised a mate that will become their queen later on.

Samael has been wanting to replace a mate and the opportunity to have one after a duel burned his hope for it. He tried his best to win the duel and showed off his skills so that his father will choose him.

But then, Ezekiel told their father that Samael cheated and was cast down to the Underworld, a place which was not for him. Samael begged for it as he pleaded to his father, telling him that he did not cheat but their father listened to Ezekiel.

Samael was stripped his own name and replaced it with Lucifer Satan, the lord of the Underworld and the punisher of the damned. Lucifer accepted it before he went to his kingdom and ruled with a just hand.

Later, he was called by a witch named Abigail Hayes, to take revenge on her family. Lucifer sensed a pity for her and decided to help her if she delivered him a bride for her. Abigail died before he can do it and then she was reincarnated in Alice Hughes 500 years later.

Lucifer has been waiting for it and then, the contract that he drew with Mona has come to an end. He caught her and sent her off to the Underworld before he caught a sight of a woman of her dream.

Her blonde hair.

Her green eyes.

The name was Cornelia Hayes, Abigail’s cousin.

It has been written in the deal that she was the firstborn and daughter of Mona. Lucifer cannot say no when all he wanted to do was to claim her.

And claimed her, he did.

*****

It has been 5 months since Cornelia was sitting in the Underworld, a deal from her mother that she will be marrying the lord of the Underworld, Satan himself.

Or Lucifer, as she called her husband.

Cornelia never knew that she was feeling wanted and loved by Lucifer. All she ever knew was she tried to get Clive’s attention when it was clear that he loved her cousin. Cornelia felt sorry for herself and reminded that Lucifer gained something from her love.

Her soul for his taking. Therefore, she guarded her heart so that she will never succumb to his charms again.

But what can a woman do when a man showed interest in her? Cornelia’s fragile heart beat fast when Lucifer promised her that he will only love her for the rest of his life. Even when they were reincarnated.

Can Cornelia believe it? Will she be reincarnated again as Lucifer stated? What will she do now?

She succumbed to her desire and loved Lucifer as a wife would for one’s husband. They were married and Cornelia Hayes was the queen of the Underworld.

Until Ezekiel, Lucifer’s brother came to kill her.

Blood was everywhere.

It was all blood, red and crimson. Some were sticky to her hands and some were on her clothes. She turned to look around before she saw the man that started them all. He has black hair and green eyes.

She gritted her hands on the floor before she stood up on her two feet, wobbling a little bit but otherwise, she was ready to attack him again.

“Why have you come here? What do you want?” she asked with a hiss as she was clutching to her side, the part where the red, crimson blood was oozing off from her body. She can feel that she was swaying before the man in front of her chuckled lowly.

“Ah, my dear sister-in-law, I must say, Luc did nothing spectacular that marrying you. It makes me want you to be mine. All mine,” he said before she laughed at him.

“I beg you to try,” she spit at him before the man just smirked at her, the darkness that was surrounding him was absolute.

Damn, she was doomed.

“Now that you ask me to try, I could not help but to give my best, Cornelia,” he said before Cornelia was gasping for air, gripping the hidden knife that Ezekiel held against her stomach before she was looking at Luc, with his blonde hair and red eyes calling after her.

Then, everything blacked out.