"How many hours did yours take again" Jun looked towards his brother, "fourteen?"
"Twelve"
Azrael's jaw dropped.
"Wait, seriously?" Jun covered his mouth with his hand, "how though, mine took fifteen hours"
"Yours didn't seem so bad," Azrael noticed, "so why wouldn't you wanna do it again?"
"I don't know" Juro admitted, "I mean, technically I would since it seemed too easy but I don't want my body to bake from the inside out so"
"Ugh, lucky!" the girl whined, "my fourteen hours were a struggle.."
Jun hummed in agreement, "yeah, it took awhile to get Kronos to acknowledge me"
Azrael snickered, "I just thought of something"
"What?"
The girl bit her lip to stifle her laugh, "we got acknowledged by dragons, but.. Juro got acknowledged by a BIRD"
"You're saying that like he can't shred your dragons in half" the demon fumed.
"My dragon has multiple heads,
your bird would be an appetizer to at least one of them" Jun retorted.
Azrael stared at the two.
They glared at each other intensely, the one thing the boys had in common was that they were both very competitive when they wanted to be.
Juro's irises lit up a fiery red colour in an instant as he stood up, "fine then tomorrow at training let's all fight, we're going to learn the new stuff anyway"
His brothers eyes glowed a bright purple in response, "okay, but I doubt Big Bird is gonna help you win"
"Guys!" the girl snapped, "really? we're not five anymore"
"So you're saying you don't want to find out who's better in a fight?"
"I'm saying that this is childish, but if we were to do this.. I do think maybe I'd have a shot," she claimed.
"Then prove it" Juro gave an enigmatic smile, "if you really think you're gonna win, like you say"
Azrael ran her hand through her hair.
She knew this is exactly what they wanted, and though she thought the idea was immature, she figured she could probably win against them.
Juro's taunting made her all the more determined to prove him wrong.
"Okay" she gave in, "but don't complain when Solano and I destroy you both"
"Suuure you will" Jun whispered under his breath.
"Then it's settled" Juro said returning back to his seat, "tomorrow we fight"
——————✨——————
The three demons had returned home in the morning, all very exhausted from bickering until the late AM's.
However, that did not stop their eagerness.
"Good!" Beelzebub shouted, "you've made it on time"
The proud demon ushered the three inside the castle. Seated at the dining table sipping from a crimson chalice, was Azrael's father and Basileus standing next to him.
"Shall I prepare some food?" the loyal servant inquired.
"No" Asmodeus replied, putting the chalice down, "they are to eat after"
Basileus nodded and bowed in respect of the three before returning to his stance.
"Oh dad" Jun called, "after the training, we're going to battle"
"Hm, a battle you say?" his father mused, "very well, but I am warning you, even after you've learned the next step in using your abilities, you still may not have control.
Should this cause danger, we will have to interfere"
"I think it'll end pretty soon" Azrael chimed, "these idiots are misogynistic for thinking I can't be strong"
"Well Azrael" her father said walking towards her, "you have just as much potential to be"
He then snapped his fingers and the large dining table was engulfed in black flames that disappeared soon after.
All that was left was a very large room, perfect for training.
"Now, the last lesson was simply testing your abilities and seeing what you can do" Asmodeus said standing next to Beelzebub, "but to awaken your true strength, you must connect with your animals. They are the power within you that you can bring out, and are the very representation of your own unique strength"
"Okay... what do you mean connect?" Azrael asked.
"Communicate" Beelzebub answered, "we are going to teach you to talk to them, it is something that can be done only in a certain way"
"They will only talk with you if they are willing, keep in mind" Asmodeus added, "however, if you connect with them often, they will sometimes speak to you"
"I can.. talk to Kronos?" Jun furrowed his eyebrows together.
"Yes" his father confirmed, "now, all of you must close your eyes"
The three did as the demon asked.
"I want you to release your power, do not hold back, let it free, and let it roam your body and soul"
Azrael took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly.
She released all control over her ability.
She could feel the heating sensation of her black flames igniting her body.
She could sense the flames caressing her, filling her body until it was full.
It was almost like she was lit on fire.
Juro and Jun were in a similar state.
"Now, open your eyes"
The three did so.
"Good" Asmodeus commented, "now, call out your animals name, once you do you will be sent into a trance, the only thing you will see is your animal. I want you to approach it, put your hand on its head and if it is willing to speak, it will"
"What are we supposed to say to it?" Juro questioned.
"That you wish to merge"
The three nodded.
Soon afterwards, each of them said their animals name.
"Kronos"
"Thanatos"
"Solano"
Azrael gasped as suddenly her surroundings completely darkened.
No light was present, just a black empty space.
From the darkness, something was beginning to form.
The black mass flew around her, before settling within her vision.
Out emerged a large Chinese dragon.
It was entirely black like the shadows, yet it had fierce golden eyes, a golden Maine, and the same coloured horns, claws and whiskers.
It's eyes glowed and illuminated the darkness—shining brightly.
The dragon snarled as it sat on the ground, observing the girl.
"S-solano..?" Azrael stammered.
The girl carefully took a few steps towards the dragon, being sure not to anger it.
It tilted its head, like it was unsure of what she was doing.
Azrael smiled and reached out her hand hesitantly.
Solano growled, then proceeded to sniff the inside of her palm.
The creature chirped abruptly and lowered its head.
The demoness chuckled and put her hand on Solano's head, petting her.
Her scales were smooth, like silk.
Solano let out a soft growl and nudged the girls hand affectionately.
"Solano" Azrael murmured softly, rubbing underneath her dragon's head, "darkness is disastrous—you and I like the chaos that comes with it, so let's merge"
Solano moved her head away and peered down at the girl, her diamond shaped pupils thinned, "so it is that time.. I will do as you ask" she responded.
Her voice was loud, yet her tone was silvery, almost elegant.
"Please be cautious, the moment we are merged you may get overwhelmed by the change, our ability is not to be taken lightly. You know of it's severity. Nothing will be the same once this happens so do well to control it"
Azrael nodded and pressed her forehead to Solano's, "I understand, thank you"
"If you need me, you know what to do"
Once she blinked, Solano was gone.
Azrael looked around—she was back in the palace.
Her father, Basileus and Beelzebub were still in the same places they stood in.
"What.. the hell" Jun whimpered beside her.
Azrael gasped as a sudden surge of energy overflowed through her veins.
Black fire bursted up from her body.
Her mark began to glow a bright gold.
Branching out from the mark formed veins with a similar colour—some visible, some bulging out from her skin.
Some could even be seen around her eyes.
Azrael's irises were a fierce gold that emitted dark flames, the whites in her eyes turned completely black and her pupils were now a thin diamond shape—just like her dragon's.
Her heart began racing, and she felt as if her body was going to explode.
The two boys not far from her had fallen to their knees; their own fires rupturing from them.
There was a sharp pain coming from two of Azrael's canines, and this was because they were rapidly lengthening to a point.
Following, two small black horns had begun forming on both sides of her forehead.
Her flames still lingered, swaying and crackling as she looked up at her father, who had been observing carefully—a strange rumbling sensation occurred within her throat.
She snarled and let out a booming roar that shook the ground for a moment.
She gasped and touched her throat with her fingers, "did I just—"
—Another booming roar followed by an ear piercing screech cut her off, shaking the ground with twice the force.
'Was that.. Jun and Juro?' she questioned, glancing at them for a moment.
Azrael opened her mouth to feel her sharpened canines, then ran her fingertips along her horns,
'well.. this is certainly not what I expected' she thought.