Hazbin Hotel: The Million Year Old Sinner

The Million Year Old Sinner, Chapter 23

The Million Year Old Sinner

[Chapter 23: Father's Guilt]

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Hell, Pride Ring...

The crimson sky that Hell's inhabitants were used to was obscured by blackened clouds that slowly drifted over Pentagram City, followed by unusual gusts of chilly wind. Most of the streets were empty, harboring a few wayfarers here and there but Pentagram City seemed so barren. While it seemed as though an extermination was about to take place, it was the signs of an oncoming storm that would leave the city drenched with rain.

If a demon were to look up towards the sky, there was nothing to see other than the black clouds that glared down at them. However, there was a secret that was staring them right in the face, one hidden behind the opaque billows. Suspended hundreds of feet above Pentagram City, flowing along with the clouds was an enormous palace that sat atop massive rock formations. The palace appeared to be or at least have taken influence from Japanese castles dating back to the Sengoku period.

The palace's size dwarfed that of islands and eclipsed even the largest sections of Pentagram City in a tremendous shadow that spanned for miles on end. The floating structure's stay wouldn't last that long, much like that clouds, its visit would soon pass by and be of little worry to the demons below. Whoever the caretaker of this monumental structure must have been a demon of great power and status and you'd be right on that part.

On the far eastern region of the palace was a lush garden that was home to a utopia of floral life and greenery to a point where it could've been considered its own ecosystem. The soft run of water was the closest thing to noise in this serene showcase, said noise belonged to a stream that ran along the rocks and stones while Koi fish swam along with the smooth current. Overlapping the brook was a curved wooden bridge that led to a green hilltop, one that sported a lone cherry blossom tree, pedals were slowly picked off from their branches by gentle wisps of air.

Despite its isolation, the cherry blossom tree only had one demonic companion by its side. The demon in question sported features similar to that of a crow, the ebony feathers on his head tied into that of a chonmage. His clothing consisted of a black yukata with orange patterns imprinted on the fabric and tied to sash was a katana, tucked away in its sheath and clung to his side. His physical build was muscular in appearance and his height far exceeded that of the average man.

The crow-like demon was seated along the grass, his back rested against the tree's trunk while his legs were crossed together. His eyes were closed and his mind had fallen into a trance-like state, unbothered by the cool air breezing through his feathers or the few cracks of sunlight that managed to pierce through the clouds. Amidst the chaos that was Hell, this demon managed to find his own serenity even in such a fickle hellscape.