NOVPUBRasmus didn't expect Videl to bring the first human condemned to hell by God because she didn't want to submit to Adam, the first man. He had read so many books about religions, and Lilith was one of the vague figures interpreted differently. He didn't know Lilith's true identity or what kind of being she was.
Lilith's title was the Mother of Demons, and her voice was full of pride and sorrow. This made Rasmus think about what she had experienced in hell and what kind of life she had there. However, after he saw how she treated Videl, that meant she didn't have a good relationship with him. He believed there was more to her than what he knew from books and texts. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝔠𝔬𝖒
"What do you know about me, Rasmus Blackheart?" Lilith asked as she rested her hands on her waist.
"A lot of things. The seducer of men, the demon of dreams, the night ruler, the Mother of Demons, the first wife, and many more," Rasmus answered as he tried to recall anything about Lilith from books and texts.
"And do you believe those things you read?" Lilith asked with her brows raised, staring into Rasmus's eyes.
"I don't believe what I know nothing about," Rasmus shook his head with a serious expression. "Those are the names given to you based on the books and texts of a certain religion," he continued as he tried to sit straight, but his hips were numb and useless.
"Can you imagine? Being called the seducer of men, the demon of dreams, the night ruler, and the other things they said about me when I have been living my whole life in hell, being punished and tortured?" Serena asked as she scoffed.
Rasmus slowly collected the pieces of the puzzle from Serena's words and what kind of life she had. He could tell that she wasn't a demon or could be compared to Videl or those fallen watchers. She had too many emotions in her eyes and words, there was pain, the only thing that differentiated her from them.
"Can I ask you something? You didn't deny that you're the Mother of Demons. What exactly is it to be called a Mother of Demons?" Rasmus asked with his brows furrowed slightly as he stared at Serena.
Lilith's expression suddenly became cold when she heard that question. Her gaze toward him was hostile and annoyance, however, those emotions didn't seem to be pointed at him.
"I was condemned to spend my entire life in hell because I refused to submit to Adam. As a human woman, what's the most painful thing? To give birth," Serena answered as she clenched her fists. "With that being said, I was tortured, I gave birth to demons that would rip my body apart every hour, and watched my offsprings torture the souls of the damned," she continued, her gritted teeth making her words sound more painful.
"For thousands of years, I watched my offspring born from my womb, rip me apart as they laughed mockingly at me. They were the personification of my arrogance for not wanting to submit to Adam, so they despised me and thought of me as nothing but a breeder, not as a mother that they would respect," Serena continued, her clenched jawline being visible as she spoke. "The worst part was that I couldn't despise them, I couldn't hate them because I was the one who gave birth to them. God stripped my identity as a human, but my feelings and emotions were of a human..." she continued as she glared at Rasmus with hatred.
Rasmus was overwhelmed by her words, and he could feel the hatred and pain even though he didn't try to imagine it. He just knew how much she suffered, and there were no words that could describe her pain.
"I was created as the first woman, a human. I was created with free will, but somehow, that free will has caused me this suffering. God knew that all along, and he put me down in hell because of my free will. It was all so I could fit in the grand story of his, and I'm nothing but a character to be used as a bad example for all humankind!" Serena said in a raised voice to the point she ended her sentence with a loud yell from her lungs.
Rasmus didn't say a word and listened to her because there was something about her that made her feel like a human being. He could see the amount of rage that was beyond sanity, and to live in that state for almost an eternity, he couldn't comprehend even a tiny bit of the pain and anger that she felt.
"Tell me, Kyros Revenor..." Serena muttered as she leaned against the wall, staring down at the floor. "You're a man who understands both sides, the good and the evil. You're a man of wisdom, so tell me what you think?" She asked without lifting her head to look at Rasmus.
Rasmus was taken aback when Serena called him by his name from his previous life. There was something that she wanted from him, beyond his task of destroying Neva in the body of Rasmus Blackheart. She wanted a man of wisdom who would answer her questions purely from his perspective, not because it would fit his agenda to put her as his ally.
"Compared to you, I'm similar to a child who was just born yesterday. Even if I spoke of what I believed, you would deny it because no humans could comprehend your pain," Rasmus answered with a straight face. "But if that's what you want, then my answer is that you shouldn't put yourself in that light, to be seen as a victim where you chose to disobey," he answered.
Serena began to chuckle as she shook her head.
"Because I made a choice? Because I chose to disobey?" Serena tilted her head as she stared down at Rasmus. "So it justified my pain, my punishment for disobeying God's words and commands to be similar to those humans who raped?! Who murdered countless children?! Who killed thousands of lives?! Who aborted babies?! Who put millions of lives to suffer?! And somehow, my punishment is worse than theirs?! So you're saying that my punishment for disobedience is justified?!" She asked as she approached Rasmus and stood in front of him, glaring down at him with nothing but blind rage.
Rasmus chose to be silent because he said that no matter what he said would not matter in Serena's eyes. His understanding of her pain was nonexistent, and no humans could understand her, nor could they comfort her. No humans could live long enough or be powerful enough to understand the suffering of the damned soul.
"You were the same as those souls. They were wise people before they spent their entire afterlife in hell. They said the exact same thing, for me playing the victim while I chose to for this to happen, but the moment I asked them if my punishment was justified, none of them opened their mouths," Serena scoffed as she changed the way she looked at Rasmus. There was nothing but disgust and disappointment in her gaze toward him.
"Because we are human, Lilith," Rasmus answered as he stared back at Serena. "Of course, we have the same limitations in understanding your pain and suffering. Like I said, compared to you, I was just a child who had just been born yesterday. They're the same, none of them can understand you. Don't ask us to understand your pain because nobody can," he continued, his voice calm and collected.
At that moment, Serena fell silent. Her gaze was no longer hostile toward Rasmus. There was a realization in her eyes where she sought understanding when the truth was that she didn't ask to be understood; she asked to be seen. Those wise people couldn't do that, but somehow Rasmus could even though he wasn't that much different than them.
"You're here now, in the world of the living. If God didn't will it, would you still be here right now?" Rasmus asked. "Let's say that we both didn't have a choice, but that didn't mean we weren't given a second life. I'm no longer Kyros, and you're no longer Lilith. I didn't regret what I did in my previous life, but did you?" He asked with his brows furrowed.
Lilith thought for a moment if she regretted that she had disobeyed God's command to submit to Adam. The first thing that came to her mind and in her heart was that she didn't regret it.
"No, I didn't," Serena answered as she shook her head.
"I have done many bad deeds, but I don't regret it because I live how I want to live and believe what I believe. If you want to disobey men, then do that. Even for me, I don't kill for fun or the sake of it. We have reasons that nobody else can understand, and that will raise the words of who you are. But those words don't define you, and don't even try to prove them wrong when they're right or wrong. Live for yourself and be whatever you want to be," Rasmus said as he stared into Serena's eyes.
"I'm not asking you to follow me around, I'm not asking you to be my ally, I'm not asking you to be a part of us. You're free to do what you want to do, and you can be out there on your own, but remember, the paths you choose have consequences, and I hope that you don't regret it," Rasmus continued with a serious expression.
"What are you trying to say?" Serena asked with her brows furrowed.
"While our choices matter, we are still pawns on the board. Where do you want to side with? No side is better than the other," Rasmus answered. "God has stripped down your status as a human. Would you live up to that name or be the human you want to be? The life that you couldn't have?" He asked.
Serena thought for a moment, and the body she possessed was that of a Saint. She had seen what the body had felt and experienced. The betrayal of humankind because they followed the voices of the demons. No side was better than the other, just like Rasmus said, however, she knew that Rasmus experienced the same fate as hers.
"I'll stay, for now..." Serena answered as she stared at Rasmus.
Rasmus nodded without saying a word because no words were needed.
