The Demon Trials (The Demon Trials #1)

Chapter 21

Mal has always been showing off a cold, rigid personality ever since I met him. He rarely shows any emotion like a normal human can. I’m part human, and I have much more emotions than Mal has. The fact he told me he has a son—a son he never mentioned—truly startles me, but just several minutes ago, he wished I was his son.

Was he willingly to put me in harm’s way? I doubt it. But for him to kill his son, I have no words to describe. Now I’m questioning my own father. Did Dantailon have any intention to kill me at some point before deciding to let my mom take care of me?

Glancing over to see Mal, he remains despondent and vexed after what just happened a few minutes ago. Needing to know the reason why he killed his child, I try to make sure he has to stay calm and just tell me why he did it.

“Mal?!”

Mal is barely looking at me. He seems to be daydreaming about something. But what is it? I shake his left shoulder a few times where he snaps out of his trance. He then looks back at me glazing over my eyes. Finally, we can get through this conversation.

“You told me you killed your son.”

“I did.”

“Well can you tell me why? I don’t know if I deserve the truth, but…” Before I can finish, Mal interrupts me. “You do deserve the truth.” He says as he steps back and glances up in the ground below. He then turns back his sights onto me.

“I did have a son, but he was born.”

“The mother?!”

“She was a fellow demon, but Asmodeus had her executed for betraying the Acolytes’ trust.” He continues. “I had to watch as I had to see the mother of my child being killed.”

I listen to what he is saying and try to picture it in my mind.

“Then Asmodeus told me that either my son be part of the Acolytes or face exile.”

“But he was just an infant.” I say.

“I know, but I didn’t want my son to follow his father’s footsteps.”

“Wait, following your footsteps?” I question and then putting the pieces together. “You were one of the Acolytes.”

“Yes, me and as well your father.” He states as I just react stunned after learning not only Mal was this Acolyte yet as well my father, Dantailon. So they knew Asmodeus very well, but decided to give up and splinter away from the other demons.

“I knew keeping my son alive would be endangering his life and forcing him to be part of a society of demons that only serve one thing, The Sovereign.” He says.

 “What you done?” I ask.

“I realized I couldn’t let him be me nor didn’t I want to have him be exiled. So I realize…” As he continues, he starts to tear up.  One of the first times a pure blooded demon is actually showing human emotions. He tears up as he continues, “I realize there was no way out for my son, so I did what was necessary, and I beheaded him.”

I heard that reply and really felt disgusted by it; to listen to how someone could kill an infant, but I could understand Mal’s dilemma. Understand he did not want to have his child be like his father, a servant for evil.

“So that’s why you been so stony all this time, was it because of your loss?” I had to ask.

“Part of it was.” He responds. “The other part was that I couldn’t stand Asmodeus anymore.”

“So you killed your son before you and my father escaped.”

“Yes it was.” He continues, “Your father was the only one who cared about me. He was there for me. And when he had that mortal woman pregnant, your birth mother, I knew I had to be there for him.”