For Lan. For your endless support and friendship.

Prologue

Beelzebub gasped in astonishment as he stared at his hands.

He had failed. His body had failed him.

‘Are you quitting, son?’ Satan’s deep voice echoed from somewhere.

Wild-eyed, Beelzebub searched, but all he could see was the Red mist circling and closing in. He had to regain control, somehow, but his hands trembled and his head pounded. He heaved and groaned in frustration.

‘Father! I can’t… W-what’s happening?’ Beelzebub screamed and held his head. He fell to his knees in indescribable agony.

The Hall doors were thrown open, and the boy rushed in: Lucious.

Mammon, his wolf servant, followed closely.

Lucious screamed and reached at nothing as his wolf servant held him steady. Approaching Beelzebub in that mess would be close to suicide. But Beelzebub could not hear his younger brother’s pleas over his own. The pain intensified. And then his skin cracked. Writhing on the floor as if on fire, Beelzebub’s transformation began. Clothes ripped as he grew in size with muscles that shredded his skin. He bled. His hands twisted in unnatural ways, his fingers became claws and new thick, sharp nails grew, ripping apart the old ones. His tormented screams became beastly growls as his face too changed. As his mouth grew wide and long, his teeth fell along with a mix of saliva and blood giving place to sharp fangs. Finally, his once beautiful deep blue eyes bulged and turned a vicious red. The stench of blood and raw flesh took over the chamber.

Mammon watched in horror as he still gripped his young master. He tried to cover young Lucious’ eyes with his hands but the boy wouldn’t have it as he continued to shout pleas and cries for his brother’s name. No one could stop this.

Satan approached with slow steps. His heavy hooves were loud enough to drown Beelzebub’s agonising growls. 

Satan paused in front of his son, unreadable as he watched the Red consume him. Lucious stopped crying, expectant, desperate. He even smiled at Mammon and the servant nodded in a short reassurance. Satan was the ultimate ruler or Hell, creator and lord of the Colours. He had to be the one to stop this. Even Beelzebub, drowning in his misery, pleaded with groans as he reached up to his father. He had learnt his lesson. He would do anything to be relieved of this torture; to be forgiven.

In a fluid and unseen motion, Satan sliced down. Along with a heavy thud, Lucious’ hopeful smile vanished, giving room only to paralysing dismay.

A split second went by before Beelzebub cut the silence and twisted with horrific howls, making Lucious flinch from his confusion. His brother clung to his missing arm and wriggled away from his father in horror. The lord of Hell had hardened and sharpened his arm to such a state that it became a blade that could cut through anything.

Lucious somehow shook himself free from Mammon and ran towards the bloody scene. An astonished Mammon fell back. He must’ve been too caught in the terror unfolding in front of him. It was unthinkable otherwise for a boy to shake a wolf’s grip with such ease. Before he could grab hold of him again, it was already too late. Lucious had already moved to his brother’s side. His slight frame guarding Beelzebub before their father struck again.

‘Boy, move.’ Satan uttered.

‘No! Please, stop this, father! I beg you!’

Satan rose an eyebrow. ‘You… beg me?’

‘Please! You're the only one who can stop it. He is my brother!’ Lucious pleaded.

‘And he is my firstborn. A disappointment. He is lost to the Red, can you not see? Get away from there. You’re disgusting me with this begging.’

‘No! No!’ — Lucious waved his hand defensively.—  ‘You can save him. Bring him back!’

‘Bring him back? Boy, this is the Test. He failed. He is unfit to rule. There are no second chances. Do you not understand? And why do I have to explain myself to you?’

 Lucious couldn’t hold back his tears. This felt hopeless.

‘Look at you, all weak-willed. You show weakness in front of me, boy? Disgusting!’ Satan spat the words out.

Mammon moved swiftly towards his young charge; He had sensed what was coming. 

But Satan hesitated and studied his youngest son further. It had been enough for the transformed Beelzebub to slash Lucious’ back and leap away. Satan did not give chase. Mammon was quick enough to grab Lucious before he fell on the floor, but the young prince was already unconscious in his arms.

Beelzebub stopped at the stairs leading out of the chamber and still clutched his missing limb. He shook his head, as if attempting to find some focus. His gaze trailed to his unconscious brother. ‘L-L… Lu… Luci...’ He shook his head again. A distorted voice that came out. Words were hard to form through a mouth that was not his own. A mouth that did not belong. Thoughts were muddy and hard to hold. Beelzebub howled in frustration. A long painful howl made Mammon’s skin crawl. And then he was gone.

Satan looked down at Mammon. ‘Wolf, this boy chose you as his mentor, did he not?’

 ‘An honour I will never forget, Your highness.’ Mammon bowed his head over Lucious.

The devil narrowed his black eyes. ‘Mm. He is weak. I cannot afford another weak son.’

Silence. Mammon felt a cold sweat break from his back.

The king of Hell’s heavy hooves moved away from them. ‘Make sure he gets rid of all that sentimentality. Everyone has coddled him too much. He will have to prove himself worthy of the test.’

Mammon remained bent over his young master and held him tight. His hands felt wet and then he saw the blood. He trembled, but after frantic inspections of Lucious back, he noted that the blood was already stopping and the wounds closing. But the three long scars remained.

Lucious stirred and when Mammon looked at Lucious’ face, he saw it wet with tears. ‘Mammon…’

‘Try not to speak Lucious. I will take you to the elders for healing. Rest.’

‘I have to bring him back.’ The boy’s weak voice came through.

‘Bring him back… Beelzebub?’

Lucious nodded, he seemed dazed now.

Mammon held his closer, and said, ‘We will certainly try, my young master, but first let’s-’

Lucious reached for Mammon’s collar. ‘No! Not try! I have to bring him back.’ He was weak, sustained only by his own will. Just then Mammon thought he saw a flash of Red in Lucious’ eyes.

Impossible. He was only 12 years old, with barely formed horns on his head. ‘Lucious, please just calm down for a moment and let’s leave this chamber, the Red in here is too-’

‘It’s my fault! I did this to Beel. I must make it right.’ The boy’s voice cracked now.

‘What do you mean, it’s your fault?’

‘I… we talked about him taking the Test and I pushed him to it. I told him he was ready!’ The child sobbed. Mammon’s heart ached as he struggled to find his words.

‘No, no, don’t say that. Do you not know your own brother? He always follows his own thoughts. He chose this path and to take the Test. This was just an unfortunate and unexpected turn of events. Surely your father will bring him back. He’s just setting an example to dissuade others from taking the Test unprepared.’

‘Mammon, help me. Promise me you will help me get him back.’ Lucious searched Mammon’s face for an answer. There it was again; The Red in the boy’s eyes.

‘Promise me now!’ He squeezed Mammon’s collar. The piercing anger, the aggression that had never been there before, had now taken root and replaced the innocence like it never was.

Mammon lowered his head in submission. ‘Of course, Master. My life is yours to use however you wish.’

Lucious finally loosened his grip and gave in to his slumber.

The distant howls of Beelzebub’s rampage echoed as he left a trail of blood and slaughter throughout Hell’s Royal kingdom. He was nothing but another one of Satan’s children lost to the Colours.