Chapter 296: 173

Zamiel, Lucifer and Euphorion had been busy finding witches and trying to get information from them. Zamiel didn't have time to waste. As soon as he found a witch, he didn't care to interrogate them. He just read their minds and continued further. 

The things he found out were that this witch clan knew what they were dealing with. They didn't give information about themselves to anyone, and they moved places often. 

They were known as the demon hunters. Everyone had heard of them, but none knew anything about them. Zamiel was losing his patience. 

"My Lord." Ilyas came to him, looking concerned. 

"Not now Ilyas."

"It is about Lady Heaven. I know where she is." 

All of them turned to him, their eyes lighting up. 

"Where?!" 

Ilyas took them to where Heaven had been abducted. It was an old, abandoned house. Zamiel knew this wasn't where the witches lived. They probably only stayed here until they completed their mission. 

They watched from a hill far away. 

"Don't kill them yet." Zamiel said, fuming with anger. 

"No. We need them to lead us to the rest. We should bury all these demon hunters once and for all," Lucifer said with venom in his voice, and then vanished to go look for Irene. 

**********

Lothaire looked for Irene everywhere. For some reason, he could sense Heaven. She was locked in a room and he didn't care to look for her, knowing Zamiel would save her, but he couldn't sense Irene. 

Not wasting time, he went straight to the witches. They were shocked that he had found them. Before they could escape, he grabbed one of them by the neck. "Where is Irene?" He yelled. 

The male witch shook in fear, still unable to believe that they had been found. This was probably the only time they didn't get away. 

"They… they are burning her." 

Lucifer froze. "Where?" He then yelled. 

Before the witch could reply, he saw where in his mind and within the blink of an eye; he was there. 

But... he was too late. 

What he witnessed left him paralyzed. Irene was lying on the ground, in a pool of blood and completely burned. Lucifer ignored the witches that ran away as soon as they saw him and hurried to Irene's side instead. He fell on his knees next to her. 

Her heart was still beating, but slowing down fast. Her face was burned, she could barely open her mouth. He didn't know where to touch her. Any kind of touch would be painful. 

"Irene." 

She turned her head but couldn't open her eyes completely. Lucifer felt his stomach turn seeing her in this state. She tried to speak, but only a gasp left her lips. 

"Don't say anything," he said, tearing up. "You will be alright." 

He took off his shirt. He knew it was going to hurt, but he had to stop the bleeding. Irene groaned in pain when he moved her. 

"I know but bare with me." He said when she cried in pain. 

They knew how to kill demons, so they had stabbed her in the back. He tied his shirt around her waist and held her in his lap. 

"Heaven," she breathed. 

"She is alright." He told her. "And you will be fine too." 

She shook her head. "Pain. Ple… ase end it." 

"No!" 

He felt wetness under his eyes and on his cheeks. Was he crying? 

He sensed Euphorions' presence, but didn't care to turn to him. The demon was probably shocked as well. 

Lucifer just held Irene in his lap. He was too afraid to move and cause more pain. He didn't know what to do. But Irene looked like she wanted to tell him something. She tried her best to speak, but strange words came out of her mouth. 

Lucifer turned to Euphorion. "What does she want to say?"

Euphorion was frozen in shock. His face was completely pale. "She is in much pain. She wants you to end it." His voice broke. 

"No! I am not doing that." He told her. He refused to believe that she was going to die. 

She looked over at Euphorion. Lucifer guessed that she was now asking him because Euphorion's face twisted in pain. 

"Don't think of it!" Lucifer threatened. 

"Lucifer." Irene called. 

"Yes." He quickly turned back to her and was glad to hear that she could say his name now. "You will be fine." He promised.

If she was still alive, she had to be fine. Maybe they missed stabbing her right in the spine. Maybe they stabbed next to it. It had to be. He wanted to turn her over and take a good look, but that would cause her more pain. 

"I will take you home," he said. 

"No!" She shook her head violently. 

He turned to Euphorion because she kept looking at him. 

"She doesn't want to be seen like this," Euphorion said. 

"You have to let me do something." He said, frustrated. 

"It is my time to leave." She said calmly. 

"No, it is not. You always wanted to be with your family. You can't leave them. You have to fight to be with them."

She grimaced. "You always… separate me from them..." 

Lucifer stiffened, then clenched his jaw. The words hit him hard. 

"You couldn't let me go. Now you have no choice." 

He shook his head as more tears streamed down his face. He thought he was being punished before, but this felt like the real punishment. Was God trying to show him his power again? 

Alright, you win, he wanted to scream. 

Irene's breathing and heartbeat were slowing down even more. Lucifer started to panic. "Irene. Stay awake." 

He shook her and she groaned. 

"Don't cause her more pain!" Euphorion said angrily. 

"Stay out of it." Lucifer snapped. 

Euphorion, who stood frozen in the same place, finally came next to Irene. Lucifer would have punched him for coming near her if she weren't in this state. 

"Irene." He called her softly. 

Irene turned to Euphorion and, from the way he was quiet and just looked at her, she was telling him something that Lucifer couldn't hear. It made him fume with anger. 

"What is she saying?" 

Euphorion ignored his question and seemed to ignore whatever Irene told him as well. 

"She is till alive. We should take her home." He said. 

Clearly, he wasn't giving up on her as well. 

Lucifer carried her up despite her cries of pain, then teleported them back to the castle. He placed her on her bed. 

He took her hand. "Draw power from me to heal yourself." He told her. 

He hoped she would have the strength, but he was losing her. 

"Her magic is gone." Euphorion spoke from behind him. 

Lucifer cursed. 

"I'll go find a witch." He said, standing up, but Irene held onto him so he couldn't leave. 

"Lothaire. Just promise me to… leave our children alone. Let them be happy when I am gone." 

Tears fell down her tempels. 

No! He couldn't accept that. She wasn't leaving! 

"I'll go find a witch. Stay with her." Euphorion said, and vanished. 

Lothaire wasn't sure if Euphorion would be back before Irene was gone. Her heartbeat was becoming nonexistent. 

He had never felt this lost and powerless. The tears just kept falling down. He never cried. This must be the effects of the possession. 

When Euphorion came back with a witch, it was too late. 

She was gone. 

He didn't know whether it was forever or if there was still a chance, but he just lost it. Euphorion was the one taking care of the rest. He talked to the witch, they turned Irene around and looked at her wound. They spoke about things, but Lothaire couldn't hear what they were saying. 

He could only focus on the pain. He still had hope because otherwise he couldn't live with this. He just couldn't. 

From the way Euphorion kept making efforts to save her, it looked like there was still a chance. Or maybe the demon was in denial, just like him. 

How could Euphorion keep a straight face? How could he not cry and lose his mind? Lothaire knew that after all, the water demon had bonded with her emotionally. He could tell in his eyes. 

Right now, he couldn't even be angry about it. What was the point if she was gone? 

While Euphorion took care of her, Lothaire drowned in self pity. 

"She is alright." Euphorion finally spoke. 

Lothaire quickly stood up. "Are you sure?" 

"The stab didn't reach her spine so she should heal and come back soon." 

Lothaire felt weak in the knees and his head spun. So many emotions came over him. This was so unlike him to feel this way. The relief made him almost collapse. He slowly went to a chair in the room and sat down. 

He just sat there, letting everything that just happened sink in, and after a while he slowly heard her heartbeat. 

She was back! 

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