Vanessa awoke, her gaze wandering through the mystical designs of Azazel’s palace in Avalon. Her eyes were tired, and her head throbbed. She sat up, looking around, clutching her head as she tried to recall what had happened.
"Azazel... What did he do to ?" No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t figure out what Azazel had done to her mind. Vanessa cursed and attempted to stand.
"I think that would be a bad idea for you, Vivian," Azazel said with a smile. Vanessa nearly fell off the bed when she suddenly noticed Azazel’s presence. Fortunately, her physical strength allowed her to grab the bed at the last second.
"You scared ," Vanessa sighed, growing tense at his presence. As much as she hated to admit it, she was truly afraid of Azazel.
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Azazel, sensing Vanessa’s fear of him, smiled. "It’s perfectly normal to fear . After all, it’s the first ti you’ve seen a being like . You’ll get used to it soon enough."
As Vanessa rose from the bed, Azazel watched her. While he sensed a hint of courage in her, he didn’t particularly enjoy how frightened she seed. A more fearless Vanessa would have been more to his liking.
"If you still have unanswered questions, you may ask anything now," Azazel said, sitting on a chair. Vanessa seized the opportunity, deciding to be bolder in her inquiries this ti. Azazel seed to tolerate her, and she was intuitive enough to sense that he didn’t intend to kill her—at least not yet.
"Why do you keep calling Vivian?" The question that had been bothering her the most was why he addressed her with the na of the Fairy Queen. Since the beginning, Azazel had called her Vivian, not Vanessa. She was curious about what Azazel was hiding from her.
"Because you are Vivian," Azazel said calmly. At first, Vanessa thought he was mocking her, but she couldn’t detect any deceit in his words. It felt as though he was telling the truth.
"But how?" Vanessa furrowed her brow, frustrated by Azazel’s vague explanations. Azazel looked at her thoughtfully. "King Arthur and the False Goddess didn’t only exile and others like to Avalon."
He smiled before continuing. "Vampires, demons, and lastly, you, Vivian, were also exiled here. You were sent here with your fairies."
"No, that’s impossible," Vanessa snapped, rejecting his words. She had lived her life as the daughter of ordinary people in a mundane world. It was inconceivable for her to be a fairy.
Azazel, unfazed by Vanessa’s thoughts, continued. "King Arthur used you as a sacrifice to seal us here. Avalon wasn’t always like this; it was once a paradise and a realm of peaceful races."
"But Avalon looks terrible now, doesn’t it? If it was a paradise, why is it in such a state?" Vanessa was certain Avalon resembled more of a hell than a paradise. She was curious how such a transformation could have occurred.
"Morgana took control of the fairies and corrupted them," Azazel said, rising to his feet and placing his hands on Vanessa’s shoulders. His face bore a thoughtful yet serious expression. "Avalon thrived because of the fairies’ determination and your hard work, Vivian."
"But I still don’t understand..." Vanessa clutched her head. The influx of information made her head hurt. She struggled to make sense of it. Was she truly Vivian, as Azazel claid?
"When the fairies abandoned you, Avalon began to collapse." Azazel gestured toward the window. Huge fragnts of land floated aimlessly, and the surroundings looked like a battlefield.
"Avalon survives now only because of my power, Vivian," Azazel said calmly. "Even maintaining this dinsion drains much of my strength. But it wasn’t always like this. You once tried to bring order here."
Azazel gently cupped Vanessa’s cheeks. She felt an unexpected warmth in his touch, which made her relax despite herself. Azazel smirked and continued. "You were close to turning Avalon back into the paradise it once was, using your light. But you were exhausted."
As Vanessa listened intently, Azazel maintained his seriousness. "You sacrificed everything to make Avalon a paradise again. You would have died. So, I transferred your soul into the newborn child of a family in the world you lived in."
Vanessa stepped back, needing ti to process. Azazel allowed her the space to think. She sat on the bed, staring at the ground in contemplation as her expression shifted through a range of emotions.
"Please, tell the truth."
Azazel observed her distracted face and smiled when he saw her willingness to listen. "You grew up as a human after that. Even without your mories, you retained your old habits—especially your strong sense of responsibility."
Vanessa recalled her actions in the police departnt. She was dedicated to her job and worked tirelessly to correct the mistakes she observed there, even to the point of depression and near-suicide.
Just as Azazel had described. The more Vanessa thought about it, the more convinced she beca that Azazel was right. She was Vivian, the Fairy Queen who had aided King Arthur...
And also the betrayed queen, stripped of her title by Morgana, whose realm was destroyed, and whose life had been sacrificed.
Vanessa—no, Vivian—finally accepted her identity. Her eyes sparkled as she turned to Azazel. "Tell everything, Azazel."
Azazel was pleased by the woman’s resolute deanor. "As you wish."
"I don’t know what you were doing there, but I could always feel your presence—your dreams, and sotis even your thoughts," Azazel said, causing Vivian to blush with embarrassnt as he continued. "I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but your world is currently in a weakened and dangerous state."
"Hmm..." Vivian wasn’t surprised. She had already seen enough. Azazel, sensing her lack of alarm, smiled and went on. "Have you ever experienced a global plague before?"
"Yes, it happened about 2–3 years ago, I think?" Vivian said, recalling the coronavirus pandemic. Azazel stroked his chin thoughtfully before continuing. "If I were you, I’d be worried. Because what you’ll face next is the Four Horsen of Hell."
Vivian waited for more explanation as Azazel grinned, recalling the rebellious Horsen. "The Four Horsen of Hell were created by Lucifer during his rebellion against Heaven. But for so reason, they gained free will and betrayed our Father."
"Won’t you do sothing about them?" Vivian was uneasy about the danger looming over her world. Azazel, however, seed indifferent. "No. While the Four Horsen are insignificant to , their power is blessed by our Father."
As Vivian wondered about their abilities, Azazel smiled, thinking of his four siblings. "Their existence is tied to Hell itself. As long as Hell exists, so will they."
"But why would Lucifer create sothing like that?" Vivian saw no reason for such powerful beings to exist. Azazel smirked at her question. "Don’t underestimate the power of the Horsen. My Father created them for a reason."
Azazel then continued, pride evident in his tone as he spoke of his father. "The first of the Four Horsen is Victory, who represents conquest and was the first to declare Heaven’s fall."
"The second is War," Azazel said, and Vivian felt a shiver run through her. She felt as though chaos had montarily filled her heart at the ntion of the na. Azazel went on, "War strikes before Victory, crushing everything in his path."
"Next is Famine," Azazel said with a grin. "Famine lays the groundwork for chaos, paving the way for War."
"Is the last one Pestilence?" Vivian said thoughtfully. With Azazel’s denial, she assud she was mistaken. Azazel, however, didn’t appreciate being interrupted but chose to remain silent.
"Pestilence is rely one of the many aspects of the final Horseman, Death," Azazel explained, grinning as he thought of the weakest yet most effective Horseman. "Death is the true instigator of chaos. He lays the groundwork for the arrival of the apocalypse by preparing the stage for the other Horsen."
"The Four Horsen together are so powerful that even the archangels of Heaven were forced to set aside their pride to prevent Hell’s advance," Azazel concluded, falling silent. Vivian sank into deep thought. The world would have to face Death. She wasn’t sure whether to fear or worry about it.
"Will all four Horsen attack us?" Vivian’s biggest fear escaped her lips. The Four Horsen were so powerful they could even corrupt angels. Humanity would be easily obliterated.
"Don’t worry. The Four Horsen won’t attack you simultaneously," Azazel said with a reassuring smile. When he noticed Vivian looking at him expectantly, he continued. "The Horsen don’t possess physical forms like us. They are spiritual entities, feeding off emotions, chaos, and the sins of humanity."
"What are you trying to say?" Vivian asked quickly, needing more information. Azazel chuckled and elaborated. "Death will begin by unleashing plagues, diseases, and natural disasters, creating panic and fear among people."
Vivian listened intently, ntally noting everything. Azazel went on, "Death will feed on humanity’s fear. If you wish to stop him, you’ll have to prevent people from succumbing to fear."
"Isn’t there an easier way?" Vivian asked tiredly. Azazel smirked as if deriving so twisted pleasure from her frustration. "Of course, there is an easier way."
Vivian’s face lit up, eager to hear the easier thod. Azazel paused montarily, then smiled. "My father is still in your world. If you ask for his help, perhaps he might assist you in subduing the Four Horsen once more."
Vivian frowned at the thought of eting that man again, but she had no choice. Enduring Lucifer was better than facing the apocalypse.
"Alright, I’ll do it." She steeled herself and looked Azazel in the eye. "Send back to the world. I want to see my father."
Azazel, noticing her determination, said nothing and waved his hands lightly. "You’re already in the world—physically, at least. Only your mind is here."
Relieved, Vivian exhaled deeply. The re thought of staying in Avalon forever was unbearable. She waited for Azazel to send her consciousness back.
"I’ll contact you again later, Vivian," Azazel said as a glowing light erged from his hand and enveloped her. The last thing she saw before her body disappeared from Avalon was Azazel’s gentle smile.
"Ah!"
Vivian jolted awake and quickly checked if she was still in Avalon. Her breathing was heavy. Hearing the persistent beeping sound next to her and seeing the white walls, she realized she was in a hospital.
"Ugh, my body hurts so much. Damn it!" Vivian groaned, wondering how she ended up there. Her thoughts were interrupted when a doctor entered the room, drawing her attention.
"Discharge ."
"I’m sorry, but you’ll need to stay here a bit longer," the doctor said, accustod to such reactions from patients. "You’re still in the recovery phase. You’ll have to stay at least another day."
Faced with the doctor’s insistence, Vivian finally gave up, burying her head in the pillow and deciding to sleep. At least that way, the day would pass quickly...
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