Azrael was Maddison's only friend.
He was everything to her and she swore that she wasn't going to allow anyone to take that from her, even if she had to kill for it.
But now that she had actually done this, Maddison felt a sick revulsion rising from her stomach. Like bile threatening to choke her to death.
She killed soone.
She really just killed soone.
Maddison watched as Jennifer's body suddenly jerked like a puppet on strings. Jennifer's wounds slowly began to heal before she put her hands on the ground and pushed herself to her feet.
Azrael tightened his hand around his sword, wondering what was happening.
But then he rembered what Maddison's God Aspect was, and he let his hand relax.
Jennifer stood in front of Maddison and stared at her reverently before vanishing into the Aether Zone to wait for Maddison's summons.
'I'm a monster.'
This thought echoed through Maddison's mind continuously, and it haunted her.
It cented the fact that everything that had been said about her all her life; all the things that her family told her… were true.
She was a child of death.
Maddison looked up again, to stare at the one person who mattered most to her in this world.
Azrael was looking at her in a way she had never seen before.
It wasn't his regular impassive gaze, and it wasn't the friendly gaze he gave her whenever she did sothing nice for him.
It was familiarity.
Like a wild creature drenched in the color of blood recognizing one of its own.
Now, Maddison was no longer just a confidant that Azrael spoke to about his plans, neither was she a distant friend that Azrael kept around because of her usefulness.
Maddison was an accomplice who had chosen to dip her hands into the muddy waters along with him.
Soone who didn't hesitate to take another's life for the sake of their own selfishness.
A sinbound creature.
…A murderer.
…
Outside the mansion, the fire departnt had been called along with multiple police patrols. The demigods who had been at the ball watched in shock as the large mansion, which had once stood tall in its glory, burnt to the ground.
Maddison and Azrael had co out of the building after making sure that the storage room where Jennifer and Harold were killed was going to burn along with everything in it.
When asked about what happened, Azrael said he was in the bathroom and Maddison had co to find him. He didn't know what happened.
Azrael made sure that the cri scene was completely devoid of any traces of their DNA since Maddison had been in shock for a long ti, and he left the half-burnt Black Mask behind to throw the police further off his trail.
It was better to have an already known criminal for the police to focus on rather than them bringing up theories about so new criminal that could sohow be traced back to him.
Now, they were resting outside the mansion along with other demigods.
"Azrael."
A voice called Azrael from the side and Azrael turned away from where he was talking with Maddison to face Cleopatra.
She had a small frown on her face as she spoke.
"I haven't seen Jennifer co out yet. I think she might've gone inside to see what happened. Did you see her when you were coming out?"
Azrael shook his head and when Cleopatra looked at Maddison, she shook her head as well.
They had both agreed on the story they would stick to, and Azrael was glad to see that Maddison was smart enough to not expose their secret.
The police could search for Jennifer for the whole night if they wanted to.
She would never be found.
Cleopatra kept her eye on Maddison for a few seconds before she nodded and turned to leave.
The police were still searching the complex for any survivors and Cleopatra was going to go inside and search by herself if they didn't find results soon.
Once she left, Maddison released the breath that she had been holding.
She was gripping the back of Azrael's shirt tightly to make sure she didn't shake in fear, and Azrael gently took her hand away with a grimace when she brushed up against one of the injuries on his back that hadn't healed yet.
The [Shard of Aridite] only healed one injury at a ti, starting from the most threatening to the least, so Azrael was no longer at risk of dying due to the multiple injuries he got from Jehosabeth.
But Azrael knew that it would be too convenient if he walked out of a fire without at least so burns, so he took off the artifact when it was starting to heal his burns and left so parts of his cheek and body injured.
This way, his natural healing would slowly close up the injuries, making the other demigods far less suspicious.
Maddison reached out and held onto Azrael's hand when she could no longer hold his shirt, and Azrael felt her shaking in his grip.
It was obvious that her actions in the mansion had scarred her deeply.
Unlike Azrael, who had gone through the first step of the Lithany and accepted his nature as a creature of greed, Maddison was still confused about her nature.
Maddison never thought it was possible for her to do such a thing until she actually did it, so she was terrified of what she was becoming.
Azrael was sure that once Maddison went through the Lithany as well, she would feel better.
Multiple cars were coming around to pick up the demigods who had been scattered around the mansion courtyard.
It was not even ten in the evening yet, but everyone could tell that the party was over.
Sunny's birthday was definitely going to be one of the most spoken-about events for the rest of the year. An event to rember.
Azrael felt a small, vindictive grin appear on his face at this thought, but he killed it quickly before anyone could see it.
The grip on Azrael's hand tightened when a car approached him and Maddison and Azrael recognized it as the sa one they had co in.
The driver ca out and opened the door for Maddison to enter, but Maddison moved to hide behind Azrael while her grip on his hand tightened even more.
Azrael turned to her.
"You should go ho. You'll feel better after so rest."
Maddison shook her head and closed her eyes tightly.
The image of Jennifer's blood leaking from her lifeless face flashed through Maddison's mind and Maddison opened her eyes with a sharp intake of air.
"Co with . Please."
Maddison's request shocked Azrael, and he turned to the driver before looking back at Maddison in surprise.
"I don't think your parents will like that, and it's getting late. If you just get so rest –"
"Azrael… please. I can't. I can't face my family when I'm like this. I need you there with . You're the only one I trust."
Maddison looked up at him with a desperate gaze, and Azrael saw the complete seriousness in her eyes and knew that she was not playing around.
The way things were now, Maddison could break down at any mont.
Azrael took a breath and looked at the ti. It was only ten, so if he went with her and made sure she got back safe, he could still make it ho before midnight.
"Okay… let's go."
Maddison felt pure happiness fill her entire body as she leaped up and gave Azrael a tight hug, and Azrael grimaced as she disturbed so of the burns on his body.
He gave her a few pats on the back before leading her to the car and getting in after her.
The driver closed the door with a bow, got in after them, and drove off.
…
Maddison's house was huge.
The car had arrived at the large mansion thirty minutes later and Azrael realized that he had underestimated just how rich Maddison's family was.
Their house was easily three tis larger than Harold's forr mansion.
Maddison took Azrael by the hand and led him inside, and Azrael allowed her to take him past the few guards and maids who were moving around the mansion.
Most of them ignored Maddison's presence and the few who bothered to greet her didn't even ask her who Azrael was or why she was taking him into the mansion.
She was practically a ghost in her own house.
Finally, after they were about to head up a flight of stairs, they were stopped by a woman wearing a night robe and holding a glass of wine in her hand. The woman looked elegant, and her entire deanor scread rich snob.
The look that she gave both Azrael and Maddison was the sort of look you would reserve for the dead rat your cat put on your pillow.
The woman spoke a short, clipped sentence.
"Who is this?"
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