"The reasons your eyes sparkle just like a light is being shined, on two emeralds that are beautiful, is that you are the true meaning of love and beauty. I will be longing for that gentle touch, and that your warm embrace. If you are near me, I yearn for the hug, I am longing for that everlasting kiss when you lay next to me. Your personality is unable to be matched. These are the reasons you are perfect, and have been perfect. I will never stop loving you. The easiest thing I have ever done, is listening to your singing heart. A song was heard by my ears, my eyes sang along. The words were muttered by my lips, cuddled in your arms, I heard the whispering of charms." Alexa turned around. Her bright white angel glow decreased reasonably. "It took me hundred years Alexa but I memorized this poem just for you. Waiting for the right time."
Alexa's eyes turned from golden to her normal eye colour. Liam stepped in front of Alexa and glared at him.
"It is done. You cannot do anything about it."
"Will you leave everything behind Alexa?" Elliot said, ignoring Liam's words. "What about your mum? She's sick and dying of cancer, she needs you."
"She is not my true mother. The Lord is my father and my mother. She will rest in peace once she leaves," Lexa finally said something that sounded like her own words.
"And the orphanage? The kids look up to you. What should they do when you're gone?"
Lexa didn't say anything anymore. She looked like she was in thought.
"Let's go," Liam grabbed her hand and planned to fly her away but she retaliated.
She left Liam's grip and took a step closer to Elliot. "Why do you think you are to determine my choices?"
'That sounded a lot like Alexa,' Elliot thought. Liam looked confused but he knew that the pearl was powerful and it 'would' overpower Elliot so he watched what would happen next.
"I am not choosing for you. I'm like a businessman wanting a contract. I have to make my point look the best to win it."
"I am not something you can objectify."
Her angelic side was calming down and her evil side was coming up.
"I have no plan to do so. But do you want to leave your friends, your mother, your life, your dreams ...me?"
Her hair instantly turned black but the white angelic glow was still there. Liam decided to interfere.
He put Lexa behind him and turned to Elliot, for the last time. "Enough! Goodbye."
He took to the skies with Alexa but Elliot acted fast and snapped his fingers. Out of the blue, a dome like barrier covered them, preventing Liam from moving forward. Elliot had five minutes left before the pearl's effect would be permanent and the barrier would automatically open.
Liam returned to land with Alexa when he realized there was no way out. He was the most furious angel Elliot had seen. "You can only delay but never stop what is right."
"The power of love can overcome everything."
Cold wind circled in the dome and the only things they could see inside were themselves.
Liam laughed. "You are not in love, devil. It is an obsession, lust, infatuation. You can no know love."
Elliot's eyes traced to Lexa. She was looking at him with confusion. Two choices were pounding in her head and screaming in her ears. She didn't know what to do and Elliot could sense her agony.
He didn't want to do that to her but he wouldn't let her go either. He had no choice. He made a leap and landed directly in front of furious Liam.
"Do you know why I got mad the day you asked me why people call me the devil?"
Lexa blinked, a sign of realization and curiosity.
"Why?" she asked in a whisper.
"Everyone calls me the devil but when you do..." Black tears streamed down from Elliot's eyes. It was sudden and completely unexpected. Liam was in shock. The last time a devil cried was when Lucifer shed tears when he was thrown down from heaven and swore to make everyone come to his side. Liam took steps back, his hands shaking. "...I consider dropping my devil crown."
The barrier disappeared and Lexa's ten minutes was complete.
Lexa's angelic glow was still on her and when Elliot saw this, he dropped to the floor. The devil never cried unless he has truly felt something in all his life that deeply hurt him.
And that only happens in one of every hundred devil kings.
Liam couldn't understand. Was the devil in love with an Angel? He was always told that no evil could understand the true meaning of love but why did Elliot then cry? Could he...
Liam walked to Lexa and held her hand. The first rule he ever learnt was that love was the most powerful element and should always be considered first but God had sent him an errand that he had to accomplish.
Elliot was broken down, his tears burnt his skin like acid. Lot was tearing him up from inside because he couldn't tolerate the alien emotions. He also found it unbearable to see his mate with another man, especially an angel.
The dark forest lit up with light. The eeriness disappeared. The lost souls of the dead in the forest that were waiting for their judgement... returned to where they belonged. The evil spirits tormenting them were sent to Elliot's kingdom.
The warm wind engulfed the coldness. The trees shined brightly and beautiful colours painted the place. Grass shot up from the barren ground along with beautiful flowers and ornamental plants.
Animals that never dared step foot in the place rushed into the beautiful forest and the climax community of a beautiful forest-jungle was established. Everywhere was picture perfect.
Liam released his wings attempting to fly her away but she didn't budge. He looked back to her to realize that her angelic glow... was gone.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Elliot on the floor. Her throat was clogged and she couldn't say a word. Her face turned red in sadness. Her white robe turned black and she returned to normal except that her hair wasn't black anymore.
Her hair was dark brown, long and curly. Her beauty was intact but something was different about her. Though she wasn't an angel anymore, she also wasn't a full human. She was in-between.
Lexa rubbed her tears off and turned to Liam. Managing to bring words out of her mouth.
"I-I c-can't leave." The pearl's effect had been overpowered. No one had ever done that before and it surprised Liam with the same intensity when he saw Elliot cry and crumble to the floor. Their love could not be explained. He had never been so confused and had also never failed a mission. "I can't leave him. I love him. Please let me go."
Lexa cried, unable to bear the state Elliot was in. Her heart was shattering.
For the first time in his life, Liam went against orders. "Love comes first in all. I am sorry for coming between love. I only followed orders." He freed Lexa from his grip, hesitantly.
"Thank you Liam. I..."
"Don't say a word." He hushed me. "He's waiting."
Liam took the skies, disappearing from sight in a matter of seconds. And that was how Liam accepted defeat.
Lexa turned to Elliot, slowly walking to him. She had mixed feelings and couldn't control her emotions. She didn't know whether she was to run or walk to him?
Whether to kiss him or hug him? Whether to help him or wait?
A lot happened in the past several hours but... it was over. Elliot had told her he loved her many times before but not with so much emotion and humanity. She also didn't understand what he meant by 'giving up the devil crown'. Wasn't he the devil from the very beginning?
Lexa pushed every thought away and ran to him, dropping on the floor beside him.
She held his face up. His temperature was high, higher than normal. He was as hot as boiling water but she didn't let go of him even then.
"Elliot. Elliot, it's me Alexa, I'm back. Talk to me."
She tried to shake him awake but he didn't respond. She felt for an heartbeat but there was none. She had never been so afraid in her life. The last time she felt this way was when her mother announced that she had cancer.
Her tears dropped on Elliot and as it did, Elliot struggled to open his eyes even though all he could see was blur.
"Alexa..."
His voice was faint and hard to ear but all she needed to do was read his lips.
"It's me. I'm here. Nothing will happen to you."
As Elliot closed his eyes for the last time, everything turned black.
***
Lexa's POV
I didn't call the doctor like a normal person would. I took the back gate of the mansion like a burglar.
The guards were clueless.
Now, he was on the bed. Taken care by the hands of the only person I knew that could help.
"Will he be fine?"
She continued to squeeze the freezing wet cloth and place it on his head. He was motionless and hadn't given a reply and I was worried but Nora said she knew that she was doing. I just hoped that was true.
"Are you aware that the devil can't die, ma'am?"
He can't? That's a relief." Another question came to mind. "Since when did you know he was the devil?"
She smiled. I guessed that day gave her sweet memories. "It was my first day. Sir lost control of Lot when I poured hot chilli soup on someone. Sir thought it was you."
"And you stayed?"
"I didn't have a choice. But now, sir and I are close."
If that was true then she would know a lot about Elliot that he would never tell me. "When will he regain consciousness?"
"In half an hour, ma'am."
That last word made me very uncomfortable. It had to stop. "Don't call me ma'am. You are a friend to me. You don't need to."
"Sir, wouldn't allow." She turned on the AC and put it to a low temperature. She handed me a thick sweater and motioned me to wear it. I did so and got back to my questions.
"You must not. He listens to me."
"I know...Lexa."
I smiled and stood up from the Wegner Swivel Chair and sat on the soft bed, beside Elliot. Holding his hand firmly.
"Is Elliot tied to a devil crown?"
That question surprised her but she didn't show it. She continued cooling Elliot as she answered my question.
"Sir asked me not to answer any questions connected to this to anyone..." I wanted to disrupt but she shushed me. "But I can make an exception." I lied beside Elliot as I listened to her. "Many years ago Elliot was born into a family of holiness. They were Catholics but a different version. There they served God with all their life and if a sin was committed, the person would ask for forgiveness and then be killed."
That shook me. "That's horrible. You don't have to baae killed for committing a sin."
"Yes, but they didn't think so. Elliot was not appreciated in his family because he was not as successful as his siblings. Successful as in making money from building churches. Elliot always ever wanted to be a shoemaker."
That also surprised me. There were so many things I didn't know about him. "Really?"
She nodded. "This made him angry. The previous devil targeted him and tempted him to take the crown. There were only very few unholy people back then and Elliot was his best shot. It gave him the power to kill his parents but he turned to something else. Lot took over most of his life and he found no peace for years until he learnt to tame Lot and become the demon king."
"He is not the original devil?"
She shook her head. "Oh no, lot of devils have picked and dropped the devil crown."
"Then... why didn't he drop it?"
"He didn't have a choice."
"He still doesn't have a choice?" I asked, expecting a straightforward answer.
"He does."
Then what was holding him back. "Why is he still holding on to the devil crown? Why doesn't he want to let it go?"
She sighed and looked at me, squeezing her eyebrows. "Only he can answer that question."
I felt Elliot's hand shake. He was waking up.