Elizabeth, the demon princess E-Book

Sylvia Schwetz

• Herausgeber: novum publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 387

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Elizabeth Baker appears to be a completely normal child who enjoys a sheltered and happy childhood and youth with her father. She is ambitious and hard-working and resolutely pursues her goal of becoming a doctor, which she achieves. Her father is always by her side and supports her in all her endeavors. Elizabeth is happy. The only thing that puzzles her one day is that she can't remember her childhood or her mother. And why does her father sometimes behave so strangely? Wasn't there someone scurrying through his study that she was never allowed to enter? But he has an explanation for everything.

Leseprobe

Foreword

The woman I want to tell you about here is called Elizabeth Baker and was born into a world that is called hell on earth. Her father Lucifer and her mother Sarah, a human, had once met on Earth. Lucifer had come to the Ersurface on a mission, and one day he saw her mother sitting in a café. He immediately fell in love with her and wanted to get to know her. He approached the woman and introduced himself as Mr. Baker. He asked her if he could sit with her. She smiled at him and pointed to the empty seat next to her. Sarah was a beautiful woman with long brown hair and blue-gray eyes. Mr. Baker, who was really Lucifer, sat down and they hit it off immediately. Lucifer was just like any other man on earth. He was tall, had short black hair and his eyes were also black. His build was muscular and he was wearing a black suit. His eyes were covered by dark sunglasses, which he never took off. This is how the love story between her parents began. After a year, they married and Sarah soon became pregnant. Nine months later, their daughter Elizabeth was born. They all lived together for a while in a small, secluded cottage in the woods. After half a year, Lucifer had to go back to hell and promised to visit one day a week. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for the two of them. On one of the days when they were alone, it suddenly happened and no one understands to this day how fate could strike so hard. It was a sunny day and Sarah had been out for a long time with her daughter. When they got home in the evening, it was already getting dark and Sarah gave Elizabeth a bath and then laid her down in her crib. She gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead and switched on the night light. As she left the room shortly afterwards, the doorbell rang downstairs. Sarah went downstairs to check. She smiled, thinking that her husband Lucifer was coming to see her. But when she reached the door and opened it, she looked at the person in astonishment. It was a man dressed all in black and he had an attractive appearance. The only thing that immediately caught Sarah's eye was the paleness of his skin. But she thought nothing more of it. Sarah looked at him and asked if she could help him. He smiled and introduced himself as Baron Mendes. He told her that he was here on behalf of Lucifer. Then he asked if he could come in. Sarah didn't really know if she should, because Lucifer would surely have let her know if he was sending someone by. But as she looked more and more into the man's eyes, she realized that she felt a certain lack of will. As if you were giving yourself to someone even though you weren't ready to. She stepped aside and let him in. The baron bowed and went through the door into the house. As soon as he entered, his expression changed and he looked at Sarah demandingly. She knew immediately that she had made a mistake and anxiously took a few steps back. She turned around and ran to the telephone, which was standing on a small table in the living room. She had reached it and already had the receiver in her hand. She was just about to dial her husband's number when the baron was quicker, grabbed her and dragged her along. She dropped the phone and screamed and kicked at him. He just laughed out loud and was now on top of her. As he stared at her with a cold stare, he slowly opened his mouth. He pushed his upper lip up so far that she could see his long fangs. She stared at his face in fear and was horrified to see who she had let in. It was a vampire. In her mind, she tried to contact Lucifer and hoped that he heard her. She begged the vampire not to hurt her and to spare her. A throaty laugh sounded from his mouth. She still tried to free herself from him. But all attempts failed because he was simply too strong for her. Sarah's tears ran down her face and she thought of her daughter lying upstairs in the nursery. She struggled against him once more, but his grip on her arms did not loosen. The baron's face came closer and closer to her and when he was close enough and she could feel his breath, her senses faded and she was close to fainting. Suddenly he threw his head back and bit her throat without warning. Sarah still felt the pain as the fangs penetrated her throat, and then she lost consciousness and was dead seconds later. The baron feasted on her blood, slowly sucking in every drop. Then he felt the atmosphere change and sensed that someone was on their way to the house. He let go of his victim and disappeared so quickly that it was invisible to the naked eye. Less than ten minutes passed and Lucifer was standing in the doorway, surprised that it was open. He entered the house and sensed the change. He slowly walked into the living room and took a step back in shock. There lay his love, his wife, dead. With her throat torn open. He had seen many a sight in his long life, but this enraged him so much that the atmosphere darkened even more and he began to roar in pain so much that the whole house shook. Then he went to his wife, who was lying in her own pool of blood, staring up at the ceiling. He knelt down, closed her eyes and placed his hands on the center of her body. He promised her that he would pursue and destroy whoever had done this to her. He would avenge her death. He remained kneeling in front of her for a while, then stood up and ordered his guards to take the body to the temple. The two guards nodded and immediately carried out his order. They fetched a blanket from the couch and carefully wrapped Sarah in it. Then they carried the dead woman out of the house together. Lucifer looked after them. He suddenly realized that he had completely forgotten to check on his daughter Elizabeth. He hoped that she was safe and sound in her crib, sleeping peacefully, and then went upstairs. There he turned right and entered the nursery. As he stood in front of the crib, he looked at his daughter for a while. How peacefully she was sleeping. He was glad that she hadn't noticed the massacre in the living room. He was also relieved that he hadn't lost Elizabeth as well. Lucifer stroked his daughter's forehead gently and said aloud:

"My dear daughter Elizabeth, I'm so glad you didn't have to see what happened to your mother. It would have been far too much of a shock for you. Your mother loved you very much and I will miss her very much too.

When you are older, I will explain and tell you everything. But now I'm taking you into a world that is meant for you. A world in which you will grow up under my care. I will always be there for you. I love you, my little princess."

With tears in his eyes, Lucifer gently lifted his daughter out of the crib, wrapped her in a blanket and placed her in his arms. Then he left the nursery and the house. He didn't look back and disappeared after a while. The path led him to hell and to his domicile, which was at the very bottom of hell. Once there, Lucifer crossed a bridge that led over a lava flow. This lava stream flowed around the entire domicile, which had the appearance of a large castle. As soon as he had left the bridge, his arms wrapped tighter around the small bundle he was holding in his arms. He knocked on the castle gate and it was opened. Lucifer entered and was immediately barked at by several large, black, snarling dogs. Their bright red eyes fixed on his every move. But Lucifer refused to be intimidated and ordered them to leave immediately. The dogs retreated back to their places after his command. Satisfied, he continued on his way and entered a corridor to the right of the hall. He walked along it until he stopped at a door, opened it and stepped into the room. It was a nursery, lovingly furnished. Lucifer went to the crib and carefully placed his daughter in it. Elizabeth moved a little, but fell asleep again immediately. He tucked her in and quietly left the room.

Part 1 - In hell

First chapter

Three years have now passed since that day.

Elizabeth had grown into a beautiful little girl. She had long, brown hair and a petite stature. She was cheerful and loved to play with her dolls. She was already very independent for her age. She had to be, because her father, Lucifer, as the ruler of hell, sometimes didn't have time to play with his daughter or put her to bed. Elizabeth understood this, as her father had told and shown her early on how to cope with some things in everyday life. But Elizabeth couldn't do everything on her own. She was still too small for that. So Lucifer decided to give his daughter a nanny to play with her and organize her day. This nanny was called Annette and was a demon. She had a nice personality and if you didn't know which entity she belonged to, she could have easily passed for a human woman. Annette had black hair that reached her shoulders and her body was marked with several symbols. When Elizabeth once asked her what these symbols were, Annette replied that she wore them for protection.

Elizabeth loved the nanny because she always took her on fun and educational outings. Sometimes, when her father was too busy, Annette was allowed to stay overnight. On these nights, the nanny often told Elizabeth stories. These stories were sometimes funny, sad, but also mysterious. There was one story that Elizabeth particularly liked. It was about a young woman who had chosen suicide in her real life because of an unrequited love.

Elizabeth already knew that she wouldn't go to heaven for this and listened intently to Annette, the nanny, as the story continued. Annette told the story:

"The young woman, whose name was Susan, went to hell after her death to atone for her sins. When she went through the gates of hell, she was immediately sent on the right path by a guard. And every minute longer she walked along the path, she had to go through her kind of death again and again. Susan should not forget that she had ended her life through her own fault. She became a damned woman."

Elizabeth interrupted the nanny and asked her why Susan was being tortured like this. There had to be another way to atone for one's sins. Annette looked at the demon princess and explained to her that this was hell and that one was not simply pardoned for one's misdeeds. She also explained to Elizabeth that later, when she learns all about life in hell, she will soon understand. Elizabeth nodded her understanding and the nanny continued the story:

"As Susan walked further and further along the path, she came to a level with a large iron door. She could see many other sinners on the plain. The plain Susan was on was bare with a few sparse and leafless trees. There was also nothing to sit or lean on. The wall to the left and right of the iron door was besieged by guards. The guards on this level looked more frightening than those at the Gates of Hell. They all had strange symbols on their bare skin. Their weapons were crossbows and swords. If you walked too close to them, you were immediately haunted by a strange growl. Suddenly the iron gate opened and the guards began to move to herd the sinners into the room behind it. Susan was too exhausted and almost didn't make it to the iron gate. She could feel herself getting more and more tired with every step she took towards the gate. Susan would have liked to drop to the ground and lie there. But out of the corner of her eye, she could see movement. As she slowly turned her head, she saw one of the guards move towards her and roughly pull her back up by the upper arms. Then he dragged Susan with him to the open gate. Susan was so exhausted that she couldn't even cry out loud and simply resigned herself to her fate. When the guard arrived at the gate with her, he simply hurled the woman through the gate. Susan crashed against a bump. She lay there motionless. It must have been a while before she regained consciousness. Her eyes looked up at the elevation and her breath caught in her throat. Because what she saw made her blood run cold. She was looking straight into the face of a sinister creature that was looking down at her grimly from above. Susan became frightened and slid back as best she could, whimpering. When she felt the wall behind her, she slowly stood up without taking her eyes off the creature. Now that she was standing, Susan saw exactly what the creature was sitting on. It was a throne. This throne looked as if it had been carved out of a rock. The elevation underneath had some steps beneath the throne. Susan's whole body trembled. She could feel the fear of the other sinners. Suddenly it became dark and the atmosphere was threatening. The creature on the throne rose and descended the steps until it stood on the level ground. It straightened up completely and looked at everyone with a grim expression. Then it began to speak:

"I warmly welcome you to my plane. My name is Belial and I am a demon lord. I own your souls and I am the ruler of this plane. Just as you have experienced on the Path of the Damned, I will lead you away on my plane. Yes, you have heard correctly. You are damned, i.e. you must go through the shameful deeds of your lifetime over and over again for the rest of your existence in hell.

I will make sure with my demons that you will never sleep and repeat your way of death minute by minute.

Enough of words now."

The demon prince finished his speech and called various demons to him. They immediately appeared and divided the damned among themselves. Susan was herded into a corner of the room with five other women. The demon looked at them all fearfully. He didn't say a word, but he was adept at speaking with his eyes. Because when Susan looked into his eyes, she felt as if he was hypnotizing her with his eyes and telling her something in her mind. She simply couldn't look away. The demon's fixed gaze held her spellbound. When all the damned had been divided up, the demon suddenly pulled out a whip and struck the women. They all screamed and started to move. The demon drove them into one of the corridors and disappeared with them."

Annette, the nanny, remained silent and looked at the demon princess. Elizabeth, however, was desperate to know what had happened to the woman called Susan and urged the nanny to continue. Annette looked at the little girl and then said that they still don't know what happened to Susan. She explained to Elizabeth that Susan had become a damned woman in hell. Elizabeth was satisfied with the answer and yawned loudly. She snuggled under her comforter and fell asleep immediately. Annette watched the little demon princess for a moment until she got up and turned off the light as she left the room.

The nanny woke Elizabeth up early in the morning and helped her get dressed. She had something special planned for her today. She wanted to take Elizabeth for a walk. It wasn't just any walk, but she wanted to take her to a small lake. When Elizabeth had finished breakfast and said goodbye to her father, the two of them left the castle. After crossing the bridge, Annette walked with Elizabeth along a small, narrow path that led them to a large square. Elizabeth looked across the square in amazement and asked Annette, as she looked up at her, if there was a lake up ahead. Annette smiled down at her and nodded. Nothing could stop Elizabeth now and she broke free and stormed across the square towards the lake. Annette immediately set off and followed her with quick steps. She reached Elizabeth and caught up with her. She immediately took her hand, fearing that the little girl might keep running. But Elizabeth stopped abruptly when she noticed movement in the water. She looked questioningly at the nanny. She pointed to a bench nearby. Elizabeth followed her and they sat down. They looked at the water in silence. Annette explained to her that there were water demons and fish in the lake. The water demons were rather peaceful, large animals that appeared on the surface from time to time. The nanny had barely finished her sentence when suddenly a large fish broke the surface of the water. It didn't actually look like a fish, but more like something sinister. If you looked closely, it had a head with two large fins on either side. The creature swam to the shore and emerged from the water. The body was slender and had six small legs. On the legs were feet with long claws. The fish's tail was long and had long spines all the way to the end. There was one very large and one smaller fin at the end. The color of this creature was gray and black striped. Elizabeth looked at the creature with fascination. Suddenly this creature, a water demon, as Annette had explained to her in the meantime, had noticed the two of them and was moving purposefully towards them. When they were only a few meters away from the demon, a figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere next to them and rushed towards the water demon, sword raised. The nanny and Elizabeth saw other demons rise out of the water and swim towards them. The little girl became frightened and clung to Annette. Annette stood up and took Elizabeth's hand, telling her to run quickly across the square. Elizabeth stood there in fear and couldn't move. She wanted to listen to the nanny, but she was also fascinated by the situation that was unfolding before her eyes. Not a sound escaped her lips and she would have liked to stand here longer if Annette hadn't dragged her along. They had crossed the square at high speed and stopped breathlessly. When they had calmed down again, gasping for breath, they both looked at each other and started to laugh. After standing still for a while and watching the hustle and bustle, they turned around and walked back to the castle. There, Elizabeth said goodbye to Annette and thanked her for a wonderful day. She immediately wanted to tell her father about the event at the lake and went into the living room. But it was empty and she couldn't see him anywhere else. She wanted to go straight down the corridor, but she remembered her father's stern words, who had strictly forbidden her to go down that corridor. Unless she was with him. Sad and tired, she decided to recount her experience tonight. Elizabeth went to her room and immediately changed into more comfortable clothes. Then she took the box of toys from the corner and opened it. When she saw the different figures inside, she thought of the water demons she had seen today. She really wanted one of those. She closed the box again and picked up a smaller box that was also in the corner. When she opened it, her face lit up and she immediately started playing with it. They were her favorite dolls. They were dressed in beautiful robes and some also had a headdress, like a crown or a tiara. There were also smaller dolls. Elizabeth was so busy with her toys that she didn't notice the time passing. It was only when someone knocked on the door that she looked up and went to the door. She opened it and a servant stood there and told her that dinner would be served soon. Elizabeth thanked her and went back to her toys to put them in the box. Then she put both boxes back in the corner and left her room. She had to cross the hall on her way to the living room. She looked anxiously to the right, knowing that the hellhounds were there. She quickly hurried to reach the living room and hastily opened the door. She slipped in and immediately closed it again behind her. Her father was already sitting at the table, looking at her anxiously. He immediately wanted to know what was wrong. But Elizabeth was ashamed of her behavior and only said that everything was fine. She gave her father a kiss on the cheek and smiled at him. She was about to tell him about her experience with Annette today. But Lucifer only gave his daughter a punitive look, as he didn't appreciate stories being told before and during the meal. He also didn't like people talking during the meal. So Elizabeth sat down in her seat and waited patiently until the food was brought. After her father had put the cutlery to one side and stood up, Elizabeth also got up and followed her father to the back of the living room. There, Lucifer got himself a drink from the bar and sat down on the couch. His daughter sat down next to him and looked at him from the side. Lucifer noticed her look and her impatience. He looked at her too and then, with a smile, asked her to tell her story. Elizabeth immediately began to happily recount today's event that she had experienced with Annette. Lucifer nodded a few times. When she had finished, she looked at her father expectantly. He stroked her hair with his hand and said that he was very proud of her. But when Elizabeth asked him who had suddenly appeared when the water demon had approached her, he told her the following:

"Elizabeth, you are a demon princess and every guardian demon is obliged to help you in difficult situations. Yes, you heard me right. I have placed demons at your side to protect you. They have the task of protecting you in all your ways. Since you are my daughter, you will one day be protected by even more powerful demons, the demon lords. They will make an oath to you that obliges them to defend you in hopeless battles or situations. But you will find out more about this when you are older."

Elizabeth looked at her father with wide eyes, not knowing exactly what he was saying. But she would find out in due course. She nodded to her father with a smile and wished him a good night. Elizabeth got up and went to her room. She changed her clothes and went to bed. She fell asleep immediately and dreamed of today.

Second chapter

That morning, Lucifer came into his daughter's room and said that he wanted to do something special with her today. He also thought she was now old enough to learn more about her life. Together they left the castle and set off. Elizabeth looked at her father eagerly and asked him curiously where they were going. He smiled and replied that today they were going to see the entrance to hell, that is, the Gates of Hell. Elizabeth gave him a fearful and astonished look. Lucifer noticed this and squeezed his daughter's hand tighter and gave her an encouraging nod. The path led past the plains and upwards. Suddenly Lucifer stopped and when Elizabeth followed his gaze, she saw a gate lit by two torches. Two tall guards stood in front of it. These guards looked terrifying to her and they also had strange symbols on their arms. Their faces looked straight ahead and they barely moved. Elizabeth touched her father on the arm and he turned to her. He must have seen the fear in her eyes because he reassured her and explained that this was the entrance to hell. Elizabeth looked at him puzzled and couldn't believe his words. She took a closer look at the gate that was open and could see many symbols on it. It was also decorated with several ornaments. These decorations consisted of skulls and demonic figures. When she looked all the way up, she could make out an inscription. As Elizabeth had not yet learned to read, she asked her father what it said up there. He looked at Elizabeth and replied: "TRAP IN WITH ALL YOUR SINS". Elizabeth looked at him questioningly and was about to ask him the meaning of those words when they heard the voice of a man behind them. Lucifer turned around and walked towards him happily. Elizabeth stood still for a while, staring at the inscription. When she lowered her gaze again, Elizabeth saw the path that continued straight ahead from the gate. But the creepiest and most hideous part was the creatures that came through the gate and were immediately herded on by the guards. Elizabeth turned and ran quickly to her father. When she reached the two men, she took her father's hand and looked up at him. Lucifer introduced the other man to his daughter as Belial. He smiled at her, bowed to her and shook her hand. Lucifer and his daughter then followed Belial along the path back to the plains. After about 200 meters, a huge dog with three heads suddenly jumped onto the path in front of them and prevented them from going any further. But when the dog recognized Belial, it wagged its tail and ran towards him. Elizabeth stopped abruptly and just wanted to run back down the path as quickly as possible. But her father held her by the arm and turned her back to the front. Just as she turned around, the dog was very close to her and licked her face with one of its big tongues. Elizabeth screwed up her face and scowled at the dog. Belial came to them and explained to Elizabeth that he was called Cerberus and that he was the guardian of the Gates of Hell and his property. That meant he was responsible for him. Elizabeth nodded at him in astonishment and they continued on their way. After a while, they came to a fork in the road, from which three paths branched off. The right-hand path, Lucifer explained to his daughter, led to the "Path of the Damned". The path straight ahead led further into the plains of hell and the path to the left led to the dwellings of the demon lords. When he had finished, Elizabeth could hear screams and loud wailing from the right. She had an uneasy feeling and wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. Lucifer recognized his daughter's fear and urged Belial to go to his dwelling. So all three of them set off and walked along the path on the left.

When Elizabeth looked around, the surroundings were breathtaking. There were lots of black rocks and the sky, if you could call it that, was red with black clouds slowly drifting around, and then there was also a light wind, almost like a breeze that you could barely feel. This wind was also pleasantly warm, but also hot at times. The air was just right for breathing, as the sulphur that you smelled everywhere here made it difficult to breathe in and out. The path turned right after a few meters and then you could already see the first houses.

They stopped in front of the first house and Belial explained to Elizabeth that this was his house and took a bunch of keys out of his jacket pocket. He used one of the many keys to open the door to his house and they went inside. As the three of them stood in the hall, Belial turned to the right and opened a door behind which was the living room. They sat down together at the large dining table, which was made of dark, solid wood. There were six chairs around the table. When they had all taken their seats, Belial looked at Elizabeth urgently with a smile on his lips. Elizabeth could only return his gaze briefly, as she couldn't look into those piercing eyes for long. Lucifer had a few more conversations with Belial. When they had finished discussing everything, Lucifer and his daughter stood up and said goodbye to Belial. As they stepped out of the house, they turned left and continued along this path, which led them further and further down and into hell. Elizabeth was glad to have her father by her side as the sounds and atmosphere were eerie and frightening. Finally, after a long time, they arrived back home. Elizabeth looked up at her father and he smiled at her. Together they passed through the gate and found themselves in a huge hall with several corridors leading away from it. If you looked further up, you could see the various sigils of the demon lords above the corridors all around. But the largest sigil, their family crest, hung down in the middle of the hall. If you looked at the seal, it had a hellhound in the center and around this hound were various symbols that meant the demonic words for hell and damnation. The seal was attached in such a way that it could not rotate and you could see it immediately when you entered the hall through the gate. Immediately, large, black hellhounds with red eyes and snarling teeth came running towards them, but Lucifer raised his hand and the dogs immediately disappeared into the darkness. Elizabeth broke free and ran to her room on the right. There she undressed and went into the adjoining bathroom to wash herself. When she had finished, she put on a nightgown and went to bed. Elizabeth had just made herself comfortable when the door to her room opened and her father entered.

Elizabeth loved her father very much because he was always kind to her and she could come to him with any problem. But when she asked him about her mother, he usually avoided her and looked sadly into the distance. But today she didn't want a bedtime story, she wanted an answer, because lately she kept dreaming of a woman who smiled at her and stroked her face with her cold hand. There was something familiar in it. Could it be her mother?

Lucifer came to his daughter's bed and sat on the edge. He straightened the blanket. Then he looked at his daughter and asked her what story she wanted to hear today. Elizabeth took his hand and told him about her dreams and explained that she didn't want to hear a story today, but wanted to know who her mother was.

Lucifer looked at his daughter for a long time before he began to talk:

"Elizabeth, it's hard for me to talk about your mother because I wasn't able to be happy with her for long. The fact that your mother appears in your dreams is a sign that she has not forgotten you. Your mother was a mortal and very weak when you were born. As a result, she died a few days later and I was very, very sad about it because, as you know, I loved your mother very much. Whenever you smile and I look at you, I see your mother and that is more comfort to me than anything else. You are my little princess and I will always be there for you and protect you, no matter what."

With that, he stood up and gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead and was about to leave the room when she asked him what her mother's name was. Lucifer turned to her and said that her name was Sarah. Then he told her to sleep well and that if she dreamed of her mother, she should say hello to her from him. Elizabeth nodded, closed her eyes and fell asleep immediately.

Third chapter

Although Elizabeth was only three years old, Lucifer decided that it was now time for his daughter to begin her training and told her that he would take her to a demon prince today to teach her about the laws and rules of hell. She would also learn the demonic script and begin suitable combat training. He also told his daughter that she had already met the demon prince who would teach her. It was Belial. Elizabeth looked at her father and asked him what laws and rules he meant, as she had already learned some from him. He explained to her that they had their own laws and rules for the family and not for the general public. She would also learn ten resolutions that would be important if she ever had to leave hell for any reason. This would mean that every demon would have to abide by these resolutions. Because if he didn't, he would go to prison for ten years for every offense. "So, now we've talked enough about this. Get your rucksack and take some writing materials and pads with you and then come back to me so that we can set off," Lucifer concluded his explanations.

Elizabeth finished her last sip of tea and got up. She looked for her rucksack in her room, put the things in it and left. As she was on her way to the hall, her father came out of the living room and together they left the castle through the large gate. The sulphurous smell immediately hit Elizabeth's nose and the air was very hot. Elizabeth took her father's hand and they walked up a cobbled path that led past different levels. When they got to the top level, Lucifer went into a sort of cave entrance and his daughter followed him closely as it was very dark. They then arrived at an iron door and her father knocked on it. After a while, footsteps were heard and the door was opened forcefully. Lucifer and his daughter went through the door and after a short corridor they stood in a large room where a throne stood on a small elevation on the right-hand side. Sitting on this throne was someone who now stood up and came to them. The figure approaching them was tall and had two horns on its head. The eyes were also fixed and penetrating. But the most astonishing thing was that with every step this man took, his form transformed more and more into something more handsome. Until the demon he was still on the throne stood before them as a normal human. He greeted them and embraced Lucifer. Then he leaned down to Elizabeth and shook her hand, smiling mischievously at her. She liked it and laughed out loud.

Elizabeth said goodbye to her father and walked with the man further into the room, where she now realized that this room was very large, with a large dark wood table in the middle and a few chairs around it. To the left, at the end of the room, were some corridors, but she didn't know where they led to at the moment. The demon motioned for her to take a seat on one of the chairs, there were six of them. Elizabeth took her rucksack off her shoulders and sat down. The man took a seat opposite her and they looked at each other for a while. Then he began to speak:

"I am a demon lord and my name is Belial. You met me yesterday at the Gates of Hell. I am also the guardian of the Gates of Hell. I hope you weren't too scared when you saw me sitting on the throne over there. I am very pleased that your father sent you to me. Nothing will happen to you with me and I will teach you the history of hell and its laws, rules and resolutions. You will also learn to write the demonic script, which consists of symbols. You have already learned the language from your father. If you have any questions, you can ask them at any time. I would also like to ask you to come to me every day from Monday to Friday at 8 a.m. on the dot, and we will then study until 12 noon. There will be a few breaks in between.

Now I've explained the most important things to you. Do you have any questions at the moment?"

When Belial had finished, he looked at Elizabeth expectantly. She immediately had a question for him. She asked him if she was really a demon princess? Belial answered in the affirmative and explained that she was the daughter of Lucifer, the ruler of hell, and that made her a demon princess. Elizabeth smiled and told him that she had no further questions at the moment. Belial nodded and stood up to get some books and papers from a shelf behind him. He placed everything on the table in front of her and, before sitting down again, asked her if she was hungry or thirsty. Elizabeth replied that she would like a glass of water and he called out a name and then a small demon appeared and bowed to the demon lord and asked him what he wanted. Belial told him his wish and the demon disappeared and returned after a short time with a bottle of water and a glass. He placed both on the table in front of the demon princess, opened the bottle and filled the glass. Then he closed the bottle again and set it down next to the glass, bowed to them both and disappeared as quickly as he had come. Elizabeth looked after him, then took the glass and drank a large gulp. She then put the glass back on the table and looked at the demon prince. When he realized that he had her attention again, he picked up one of the books and turned to a page. Then he turned the book towards her and Elizabeth saw that the book was full of strange symbols and looked at Belial questioningly. He understood her look and explained that it was a book about hell in demonic script. But she didn't have to understand all the symbols right away. Over the next few days, they would study the scriptures. He also read a few lines from the book to Elizabeth and when he realized that she wanted to look through the book, he got up, came around the table and sat down next to her. They looked at the book together and when Belial began to read again, running his finger over the symbols, it was very exciting for the demon princess and she couldn't wait to finally find out the meaning of all the symbols. Elizabeth also wanted to know what other symbols the demonic ones were made up of. They were so engrossed in the book together that time flew by and Elizabeth had to say goodbye to Belial again. Elizabeth promised him that she would be back the next day at 8 o'clock on the dot. Then she turned and left the hall through the iron door through which she had entered the hall with her father this morning, and as she walked along the cave passage to the path, there stood her father and she hugged him in greeting. They walked home together.

When she got home after lunch, she told her father everything she had learned today. Lucifer wanted to know if his daughter had felt well. She smiled at him and answered in the affirmative. She told him that Belial was very nice and friendly and that she was already looking forward to the next few days of lessons with him. Lucifer smiled at her with relief. In his mind, he knew that he could always rely on his old friends.

Elizabeth went to her room and lay down on the bed. There she thought again about today. She immediately thought of the book Belial had shown her. She really wanted to be able to read and write these symbols as quickly as possible. She hoped it wouldn't be too difficult and was already looking forward to the next day. With this thought and a smile on her face, she closed her eyes and fell asleep immediately.

The next morning, Elizabeth hurried to Belial after breakfast because she had some questions for him. The demon princess entered his level and the demon lord was already waiting for her. Together they went to the table and sat down. Elizabeth immediately began with her first question.

"How did the demon lords actually come about? Is it true that they were once pagan gods? My father once explained to me that they were forgotten by humans and that's why some of them joined him. Were you once a god too?"

Belial answered her:

"Yes, it is true that the demon lords were all once pagan gods, and when they were forgotten by humans through the Christian faith, they conspired with Lucifer over time. Baal and I joined Lucifer shortly after the Angel and Demon War, with Baal becoming the first demon prince and army commander. He was in a relationship with Lilith, your sister, at the time and Lilith made him a demon. Unfortunately, Lilith died in the war between the angels and demons and Lucifer, your father, collected her soul and stored it in a jar. That was many millennia ago and until a hundred years after the calendar, when the whole pagan world was taken over by the Christians, more and more pagan gods sought out Lucifer and gave him their promise to serve for him. And so it happened that hell divided the gods with their seven deadly sins into levels. And so Lucifer chose seven pagan gods to become his demon lords.

One of these gods, who was given the demonic name AZAZEL, told Lucifer that he would not take on mortal sin, but would abide by the laws and rules that were intended for a demon prince. He suggested to Lucifer, so that he would not lose his connection to heaven, that he maintain it with his archangels. Your father agreed and so it happened that AZAZEL inhabited a plane, but shared it with his archangels GABRIEL, MICHAEL, URIEL, ZADKIEL and RAPHAEL."

Elizabeth immediately wanted to know what had happened to her sister Lilith's soul after it had been kept in a jar. And who would watch over this jar? Belial looked at the little demon princess for a moment and answered her:

"Your sister's soul was kept by NEMESIS, the death demoness, until you were born. When you were born, your sister Lilith's soul was implanted in you a few days after your birth. Since then, you have had two souls in your chest."

After the demon lord had finished, Elizabeth looked at him in disbelief. But she also had the feeling that Belial would never lie to her. She also sensed that there was something strange when she went over the words again in her head. As always, the morning was over quickly and she thanked Belial for his frank manner of speaking and then walked home thoughtfully. She had just closed the iron door when Zerbi came to meet her. Elizabeth motioned for him to stay outside and left the cave entrance. On the way out, she hugged one of the hellhound's heads and stroked it between the eyes. She realized that someone had stepped behind her. It was Belial, looking at Zerbi punitively. The latter tilted his middle head slightly to the right and looked sadly at his master. Belial began to laugh and stroked him too. Elizabeth said goodbye to the two of them and set off home.

The months passed and Elizabeth learned the laws and rules that had to be observed in hell. Belial also taught her how to behave. He explained to her that there was a hierarchy in hell as well as on earth and that she, as the daughter of Lucifer, was at the top of the elite. The elite consisted of Lucifer, his children, Baal and him. Belial explained to her that as a demon prince, he was only in the elite because he was an old friend of Lucifer. But according to the rules, no other demon lord had the right to be included in the elite. The demon prince also said that he had no other rights. He would still have to abide by the hierarchy. Coming back to her rights as a demon princess, she could also decide to punish a demon if he had not kept his resolutions when he was on earth. There were so many new impressions and Elizabeth was still so small and didn't want to know everything yet, but the demon prince said that it was important that she knew her place down here from an early age. Elizabeth told him that her father had also told her something about combat training and Belial looked at her and explained that she wouldn't be able to start that for another year or two as she was too young for it at the moment. Elizabeth was disappointed because that was the one thing she hadn't learned yet. She didn't want to wait, so she decided to talk to her father about it.