Chapter 5: The First Defection – Leviathan Comes Alone
Moonfall hit like a bruise across the sky.
One dragon screamed in. Black scales. Eyes like storm clouds.
Then landed hard in the outer courtyard. No fanfare. No entourage. Just Leviathan sliding off its back alone. Armor already cracked along the seams. Sea green hair dripping salt water that hissed on the obsidian.
He strode through the gates without knocking.
The lesser demons scattered.
Even the air smelled sharper. Like envy made solid.
I was on the throne when he entered. Legs crossed. Teacup in hand. Still the same cheap instant from Tokyo memories.
Beelzebub knelt at my right. Naked except for the collar. Wings folded tight. Tail curled around my ankle like he was afraid to let go.
Elowen curled at my left. Golden chains linking her wrists to the throne arm. Head on my thigh. Breathing slow and content after the last round.
Leviathan stopped ten paces away.
His eyes flicked to Beelzebub first. Pure venom. Then to Elowen. Then to me.
"You," he said. Voice like waves on jagged rocks. "A human in a suit. And they kneel to you."
Beelzebub lifted his head slightly. "I chose better than waiting for you to lead."
Leviathan snarled. "You were supposed to be our king. Not some pet with a name tag on his throat."
I set the teacup down.
In Tokyo, I had bosses like him. Always the loudest in the room. Always the one who thought envy made him strong. They would steal credit. Hoard praise. Then rage when someone else got promoted. I smiled through it. Always smiled. Until I did not.
Now I did not smile.
I stood.
"Leviathan," I said. "King of Envy. You came alone. No army. No backup. Why?"
He took one step forward. Armor groaned. "To take him back. To remind him who he is."
Beelzebub laughed. Soft. Low. "I am exactly who I want to be."
Leviathan lunged.
Claws extended. Water surging around him like a tidal wave.
I snapped my fingers.
Time did not freeze. Just the water. It hung in mid air. Droplets suspended. Then turned to black ice.
The dragon statue from earlier. The one that tried to flee. Cracked under the weight of new frost.
Leviathan skidded to a halt inches from the throne steps. Breath heaving.
I walked down slowly.
Stopped in front of him.
"Look at them," I said.
He did. Beelzebub met his gaze without flinching. Elowen lifted her head. Chains clinking softly. Eyes calm.
"They asked," I continued. "They chose. You? You are still fighting the obvious."
His fists clenched. "I do not kneel to humans."
"Then leave." I shrugged. "Walk out. Take your envy and your broken armor. No one will stop you."
He did not move.
I tilted my head. "Or stay. And prove you can handle what they already have."
Silence stretched.
Leviathan's shoulders dropped. Not defeat. Something smaller. Tired.
"I have hated him for millennia," he muttered. "Hated all of them. The way they look at you. I want to know what that feels like. Even once."
I reached out. Gripped his sea green hair. Not hard. Just enough to tilt his face up.
"Then earn the collar," I said quietly. "One night. No chains yet. No commands you cannot walk away from. Just obey. Show me you can put the envy aside long enough to feel something else."
He swallowed. Eyes flicked to Beelzebub again. Still jealous. But softer now.
"Yes, Director."
I released him.
"Strip the armor. Kneel properly."
He did. Slowly. Piece by piece. The nightmare forged plates clattered to the floor. Underneath, skin marked with old battle scars and faint glowing veins like deep ocean currents.
When he knelt. Forehead almost to marble. I circled him once.
"You are shaking."
"Cold," he lied.
I stopped behind him. Trailed fingers down his spine. Felt the shiver.
"Jealousy does not suit you when it is aimed at yourself," I murmured. "Let it go. Or keep it and leave."
He exhaled. Rough. "I do not know how."
"Then let me show you."
I snapped once.
A single thin collar appeared. Woven from frozen seawater and faint electric blue. I fastened it around his throat myself.
The moment it locked, the glowing veins on his skin dimmed. Calmed.
He gasped. Not pain. Relief.
Beelzebub watched. Tail twitching.
Elowen smiled faintly. Like she recognized the look.
I stepped back. "Stand."
Leviathan rose on unsteady legs.
"Now thank me," I said.
He met my eyes. Voice low. "Thank you. For letting me try."
I nodded. "Good start. We will see how the night goes."
I beckoned him closer.
Pulled Beelzebub and Elowen in too.
We did not rush.
Talked first. Awkward. Halting. Leviathan admitting he had spent eons envying power he never felt worthy of. Beelzebub quietly admitting he had been lonely at the top. Elowen sharing how the nightmares had stripped her armor long before I did.
Then hands. Mouths. Slow exploration. Jealous glances turning curious. Leviathan trembling when I touched him. Then leaning in like he had been starving.
By dawn he was on his knees again. Not broken. But open.
Collar pulsing softly.
The other three Kings?
They would hear about this soon enough.
And when they came. Angry. Scheming. Or curious.
They would find the same choice waiting.
I sat back on the throne.
Three at my feet now.
Quiet.
Content.
For the first time in a long while, the hells felt managed.