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Alastor wasn't expecting the scene he walked into when he returned to the hotel that evening. Almost everyone was gathered in the lobby, as well as Beelzebub and Asmodeus. He wasn't there for long before he heard the flapping of wings outside and a loud thud before the doors swung open behind him, a distressed Satan striding into the room in a shrunken guise. "I just combed all of Wrath and Envy. No sign of him," the dragon growled out, his brows furrowed in worry.
"Fuck!" the dog sin barked, stamping her foot on the ground. "Vortex just got back with Belle," she said, holding up her phone to show the text. "He's not in Sloth either."
"Mammon's still searching Greed," Ozzie offered hopefully. "Maybe he's there."
"Apologies, but I appear to have come in at an inopportune time. Care to enlighten me as to why everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off?" the Radio Demon asked, arching a brow as he leaned on his staff. He heard the rooster cluck in irritation, but said nothing, his focus moving around the room to those gathered.
Charlie gulped, stepping forward. Or rather, Angel pushed her forward. Seems she'd been elected to break whatever news there was. Fidgeting, the princess stared at the floor before pulling out her phone and showing him her message screen. There was a text from Lucifer three hours earlier that said he'd be home after dinner, but the two messages she'd sent since then were undeliverable. "Dad isn't getting my texts," she explained.
"...So he forgot to charge his phone?" he asked, arching a brow. "Dinner should be in progress as we speak, should it not? He said he'd be late."
"No, you don't understand," she insisted. "He doesn't need to charge it; he just snaps his fingers and the battery is replaced with one of three separate spares he keeps at the palace on chargers. He's never without a charged phone. Something's wrong."
Alastor let out a careful breath, his eye twitching as he fought to keep his ears still. "...Where did that say he was going?" he inquired steadily, gesturing to her cellular device.
"The Embassy. Vaggi and I already checked there. The anti-sinner wards were still active, but there's no trace of anyone there. I deactivated the wards on the way out if you want to check again, but-" she didn't get the chance to finish, the demon already melting into the shadows and racing off to the gilded building in the center of the city.
The princess's focus jerked toward her uncles before Satan stepped toward the doors. "I'll go after him," he agreed without being asked, shoving the doors open and taking off as he grew back to his normal size.
~
The Radio Demon never desired to be inside the Embassy proper before. He had no reason to be there, after all. This was a meeting place to speak with those in charge in Heaven, people he had no intention of fraternizing with. He strode into the entry hall with purpose, ignoring the burning tingle at the back of his neck as the holy wards surrounding the place made him aware of how unwelcome he was in this place. It wasn't enough to push him out or hurt him; more a warning that he better not overstep his bounds while he was here.
He checked the sign-in log first. Outside of Charlie and Vaggi, no one had signed this book since Lucifer signed it. There was also no legible signature above his for the day. Whoever met with him chose not to sign the log, which meant whoever he was meeting with didn't want anyone else to know who spoke with him. Making them his first suspect for the king's disappearance. He chose not to sign the book either, instead heading straight to the left for the conference room he was in last time with the Speaker and two other archangels.
The chairs were still in disarray, two pushed out with one twisted to the side. The two dots of dark amber were what caught his attention though, little droplets on the ground that were long since dry. Either someone was painting in here or there was a scuffle between angels. Someone drew blood, and whoever was injured wasn't moving when it happened. He crouched down, lightly scraping up some of the amber and bringing it to his nose for a sniff. Not paint. He dabbed at it with his tongue, then grimaced, spitting it back out.
The taste was terrible, almost ashen with overtones of bathtub gin. The taste reminded him of his father in all the worst ways, a low growl rumbling in his throat. Straightening up, he strode out of the Embassy, only to run into Satan on the way out.
"What is it, worm?" he hissed, glaring up at him.
"I'm just as fuckin' pissed as you are," the dragon snapped in response, baring his teeth at him. "Find anything of note?"
Claws tapped against his staff as he glanced away, ears pinned back in irritation. "...Angelic blood. Not Lucifer's; the taste was all wrong," he explained.
"Going to ignore the fact that you know what the king's blood tastes like. Anything else?"
"Signs of a struggle," he stated, strolling down the steps. "But a short one. Either he was taken off-guard or completely outclassed. I'm leaning toward the former. He's the King of Hell, one of the first archangels and the strongest of the Seven Deadly Sins. If he were ready for the fight, he would have won. Or at the very least, escaped to find help."
"I need to return to the hotel," the overlord stated, already starting to sink into the shadows. "See you there, toad," he chimed.
The drake lifted his head to level as his eyelids drooped, a resigned snort shooting smoke and flames toward the door of the Embassy before he spread his wings again to fly back.
~
Upon returning to the hotel, Al strode past everyone in the lobby, marching up the stairs. "Charlotte, call on Lucifer's brothers," he called over his shoulder, not stopping to see if she agreed to do so. "I have something to check on." Pressing the button to the thirteenth floor, he watched the doors close before the elevator rose, carrying him up to the floor of his personal suite.
He didn't hesitate to burst through the door to his bayou, marching straight up to the vanity and pulling open the bottom right drawer. Inside was a small kit with a vial of glowing golden blood, some chalk, and a scrap of paper with runes drawn on its surface. With his supplies, he journeyed to the very top of the hotel, shoving the door open and walking out onto the rooftop terrace.
The overlord knelt down in the open space, pulling out the chalk and starting to copy the runes from the paper onto the stone that formed the roof. As he worked, he started uttering an incantation under his breath, pouring his intent to search and find into the runes. When the runes were all drawn out, he used a tendril to draw a perfect circle in the center of them.
Rising to his feet, he took a deep breath, drawing the vial of ichor from his pocket as he stepped into the center of the circle. The cork popped out with a flick of his thumb, then he knelt down, dipping a claw into the blood and drawing Lucifer's sigil at the top of the circle. That done, he capped the vial once more, setting it in his supply box and sliding it away from the circle. His arms extended to either side as he tilted his head back, taking a deep breath. "Find the King of Hell," he rumbled, his hair flowing wildly around his head as viridian symbols rose around him, the shadows stretching up as tendrils curled around his form. His eyes tinted entirely black before a green pulse surged throughout the Pride Ring, centered on the roof of the hotel.
After the energy swept over the entirety of the ring, it surged back to the hotel, culminating into an orb in front of his chest before his head was thrown back, a loud crack sounding as his neck popped from the force. A thin beam of light speared through the sky, bold against the deep crimson that normally shrouded the heavens. Higher and higher it climbed before the energy fizzled out, fading away into nothingness. The Radio Demon collapsed, sweat on his face as he panted, staring up at where the beam was headed. His ears fell back, claws digging into the ground as panic swept through his chest.
The door to the rooftop terrace burst open, with Charlie sprinting out, followed by Vaggi, Angel, Husk, Bee, and Ozzie. "What was that?" the princess demanded, then rushed to his side. "Alastor! Are you alright? What happened?"
Her gaze shifted to the small gold sigil at his feet, eyes widening in realization. "That's… that's dad's…" she trailed off.
"I know where he is," Al stated, rubbing his neck with a wince.
That was about when Raphael and Gabriel showed up, both flying straight up to the rooftop where they'd seen the blast of energy. The Messenger stepped forward first, staring at the circle around him. "...Those are…"
"Enochian," Raph confirmed, striding forward with his hands clasped together. "I take it Lucifer taught you these." His tone wasn't unkind, only concerned as he bent down to trace one of them. "...Your chalkwork is flawless."
"I have questions for both of you," he stated sharply, pushing himself to rise and gripping his cane before he pointed it at them. "Why is my fallen angel in Heaven?"
Gabe's eyes widened, and he shared a glance with the Healer, whose expression had grown grave at the news. "We don't know," he admitted. "He shouldn't even be able to leave Hell. Part of his punishment was being shackled here. So if he's in Heaven…"
"Someone took him there," the white-haired angel finished for him, straightening up and dusting his knees off. "Someone powerful. Which narrows our search at least." He snapped his fingers, an emerald portal opening up next to him. "I'll start looking immediately. I'm afraid my… rendezvous… with Belphegor will have to be rescheduled," he stated, striding through before the portal snapped shut behind him.
"Who would take him?" Al asked, his attention turned toward the remaining archangel, who raised his hands defensively.
"I… it would have to be a seraphim, an elder, or another archangel to do it. A high-ranking one, not like Adam. Someone with more pull. Someone as ancient as him that would have been at the trial that cast him out in the first place," he explained.
"Would they have blood that tastes like cigarettes and gin?" he asked, narrowing his gaze.
"...Cigarettes and gin?" he repeated back, looking bewildered. "Maybe? Archangel blood tastes different for everyone. But… I guess?"
After a moment, the overlord held out his hand. "Your blood. I need a sample," he demanded.
Gabriel blinked, glancing over at Charlie as if asking for help, but she didn't look like she knew what to say either at that point. He sighed after a moment, stepping over and letting him prick his finger. He hissed when it burst through his skin, blood welling up right away. The Radio Demon took a swipe immediately and stuck the tip of his finger in his mouth, licking it up.
The taste wasn't one he could place, though it was sweet, almost like a berry perhaps? He glanced at him, then shook his head, wiping his hand off. "Tell me more about how archangel blood works. Why does it taste different for each of you?"
He shrugged after a moment. "The taste of our blood is relevant to what we were meant to lord over. I'm the Messenger; my blood tastes like whatever makes you curious enough to hear me out," he explained. "Lucifer tastes like what makes you feel comfortable. Raphael tastes like what brings you peace. Michael tastes like what fills you with rage."
His last sentence earned a snarl from the demon. "It was Michael, then," he determined.
"What? How do you know?" Charlie asked.
"There was blood on the floor that you missed. In the conference room," he grumbled. "It tasted of cheap smokes and cheaper liquor." He didn't elaborate, glaring at the white sphere in the sky.
"The Archangel of War has stolen what is mine."