Part 3
Rebecca watched with interest as ink began to drip down from the ceiling of the room, as a woman she hadn't seen in over 30 years dropped down from the ceiling, in her beautiful form fitting black dress, with gloves that rose all the way to her shoulders. The Goddess of Change herself, Vordea.
"Well well well, if it isn't Rebecca Ashe, my darling husband's favourite." Vordea purred, slowly walking up to Rebecca and caressing her face. "But, you're all mine now."
"So you're Royal Void." Rebecca said.
"Ah yes, the demons love their little nicknames. Yes, Rebecca, you will be perfect, the evil in your heart is so beautifully black, it's like a void." Vordea said, moving her hands down Rebecca's body, keeping one hand over her heart.
"Perfect for what?" Rebecca asked. She wasn't really into women, but she also wasn't not into them.
"To become a demon, my lovely wicked witch. My evil empress. My... Demon Queen." Vordea breathed softly against Rebecca's ear, too low for Xolarand to hear. Rebecca shivered in anticipation.
"A demon?" She whispered back, placing an arm around Vordea.
"Yes. Poor sweet Xolarand just doesn't have the heart to torture the damned. Oh he puts on a very good show, but he feels bad for them. I know you never would. I know you never could." Vordea whispered, embracing Rebecca, and looking her directly in the face, her mouth inches from Rebecca's. "What do you say? Just one little kiss on the lips and you can torture and kill as many people as you want, for all eternity."
Rebecca's face flushed red, but she gave a kiss on the lips to Vordea, sealing the pact. Vordea held her for several minutes as her slimy black tentacles curled around Rebecca, and tore into her soul, reforming it into a demon's immortal, invincible, incorruptible soul. Rebecca gasped as the demonic rune magic activated in her soul, and fed on the evil and unclean energy that had always been there from birth.
King Xolarand felt uneasy. The demonic magic that was pouring off of Vordea and Rebecca seemed excessive, almost divine. No other demon transformation had ever given off so much energy as this one did. "I'm going to be retired, aren't I?" He said out loud to nobody.
Vordea slowly released her hold on Rebecca. The transformation was complete, and the most powerful demon in history was born.
Rebecca looked down at her body. She was wearing a gown that showed off entirely too much cleavage, and her fingernails were now talons. Feeling around her mouth with her tongue, every single tooth was now pointy and triangular, like that of a shark. Without thinking, she held up her hand and a mirror appeared in it. Inspecting her appearance, she now had 2 curled black horns on her head like a sheep, and her eyes were simply black voids.
"Oh my." Rebecca said out loud, in a voice far lower than she had in life. "I look... beautiful."
"You are beyond beauty, Xellma. You are the Demon Queen." Vordea said, smiling. "You are the most powerful demon I've made in a very long time."
"Do I outrank him?" Xellma asked, gesturing at Xolarand.
"My lovely Demon Queen, in Hell, might makes right. You outrank every single demon in Hell. I want you to remember one thing though, before I go." Vordea said, draping her arms over Xellma, and nibbling on her ear. Oh, Xellma was so perfect. The most perfect demon she ever made.
"What's that?" Xellma asked, kissing Vordea on the cheek.
"Oh, naughty. What if Agbus saw?" Vordea said, playfully slapping Xellma. "What you need to remember is no demon can ever permanently die. Your souls are immortal and invincible. Only at the end of time can you die. My lovely Xalgaman will get you up to speed on all things demonic, so treat him well."
It was at this point Vordea realized she was neglecting her oh so sweet Xolarand, and turned her attention to him. She slowly walked up to him, smiling gently, so as to not concern him. It didn't work, she looked as wicked as ever.
"Yes, my Lady?" Xolarand asked as she approached.
"Give her advice, my oh so sweet Xolarand. You were never cut out to rule, you're far too nice. I think sitting at this desk might suit you better." Vordea whispered, before giving Xolarand a kiss on the cheek. "I'll check in on you two in a few thousand years. Ta-ta!"
Vordea melted into a puddle of black ink before Xellma could say anything in response.
"A few thousand years?" Xellma asked Xolarand.
"Time passes faster in Hell, Xellma." Xolarand explained. "A thousand years here is only a week on the mortal plane."
"A week?" Xellma shouted. "So even though I stood in line for over a century-"
"It's only been a day topside, yes." Xolarand finished. "Why, you could ever go see your own funeral."
"I thought demons had to be summoned to Karand." Xellma replied, slightly confused.
"The most powerful demon in history and she thinks she has to be summoned." Xolarand sighed. "Demon Royalty, and that includes Sergeant Xalgaman, are an exception. We can travel to Karand once per thousand years-"
"Hell time or topside?"
"Topside. As I was saying, once per thousand years, and we can remain for up to a month, unless someone manages to banish us." Xolarand finished.
"Leaving Hell alone for 4000 years sounds like a bad idea, Xolarand." Xellma replied, crossing her arms.
"That's why the last time I went it was for less than a day, in 785." Xolarand replied, shaking his head. "Even in that short amount of time, I came back to chaos. But here's the fun part. Your ascension, like a Divine Apotheosis, is retroactive in mortal memory. There has now always been a Demon Queen of Hell named Xellma."
"Oh, I get it." Xellma said, smiling wickedly. "You want me to go cement my legacy as an evil bitch by having the Demon Queen showing up at my funeral."
"Xalgaman will help you craft a convincing mortal disguise, but they're all going to know you're a demon on sight, you know. You won't fool anyone."
"So I need to choose my entry well. I'll wait until they start saying weepy bullshit about how I was a good person. Can't stand that bullshit, no I wasn't. Be honest. When I executed Victoria, I knew she was just a badly damaged person, and needed help. I did it anyway. That's why I grieved for her."
"Do you want to see her?" Xolarand said with a smile. "She convinced herself she deserved to be tortured for what she did to more than 30 children."
"30?" Xellma asked, her temper rising.
"Oh, Anton and Marie were by no means the first ones she harmed, Xellma. Merely the last. She killed every single one of them." Xolarand said, shaking his head.
"How many years did you give her." Xellma said, her hands clenched into fists so hard she was bleeding.
"Ten thousand for each one she killed. I'm sorry to say but she was not a good person either. She simply hid her wickedness quite well."
"Xolarand. As the Demon Queen of Hell, I am making her sentence indefinite. She will suffer for all eternity. I will flay the skin from her bones, I will grind her into dust and heal her one hundred times per day. Assign the most wicked demons you can find to her. When I return from my funeral, I will be her personal torturer. She will not get a moment's rest, not until the end of time. Do I make myself clear?" Xellma said, tears in her eyes.
"Absolutely." Xolarand said, bowing. "You have the power to override any sentence you wish, so I encourage you to check the books regularly, if you feel I am being too lenient. I will say, you are being exceptionally harsh on Miss Valorian."
"Xolarand. She promised me she had never acted on her preferences before then. To find out she was raping children under my nose in the 6 years we travelled together, even killing them."
"No." Xolarand said sadly.
"What?"
"It was during that single year she had Anton and Marie. You encouraged her to act out her long repressed urges, and it was like a dam burst. What she described to me was a year long killing spree of children, violation of corpses. She ate every single one, down to the bones."
It was like something snapped in Xellma's brain. She simply started screaming, waves of black energy pouring out of her. She took flight immediately, and smelled for Victoria. Oh, her torture would be unending. She would be tortured until the end of time, no, beyond that. She would never find rest, not in a million years. Not in a billion years.