Mañjusaka (2)

Translator’s note: Chapter not suitable for children.

The next morning, I’d hoped to wake up beside an adorable little companion. But when I opened my eyes, the one I saw was “Lord Lucifer, adult edition”. Still not quite used to our relationship, I chuckled nervously and inched back a bit.

Lucifer, on the other hand, was completely at ease. “Metatron’s here. He brought food from the Demon Realm. Want to try some?”

My heart clenched at the mention of Metatron. Facing him now was bound to be a little awkward, but I’d have to eventually. I nodded and followed Lucifer into the grand hall.

Metatron was standing beside the marble table. When he saw me, he opened his red gloves to reveal a small black sphere and grinned. “Little Isar, you’re looking great! So great, in fact, you could probably slurp noodles with your nose. Aha.”

I glanced back at Lucifer, the silk adornments of his robes fluttering in the air, giving him that effortlessly detached, sleeves-floating-in-the-wind kind of look.

Metatron picked up a small silver bowl from the table. “I’m not asking you to eat much—just one bowl is enough.” With that, he flicked the black sphere with his finger. A smooth seam split open at its center, and a thumb-sized object dropped inside. A stream of steaming liquid followed, and the moment the object touched it, there was a soft pop. Smoke curled up from the bowl, and within seconds, it was full of freshly cooked noodles.

So this was the famed specialty of hell: Chef Metatron’s Instant Noodles, aha.

He picked up a fork, twirled a fragrant strand of noodle, and spun it a few times in the air before slowly bringing it under my nose. “Come on, try it. It’s good stuff. Seventy-two different seasonings.”

Something in my sinuses throbbed instinctively, and I waved my hands frantically. “N-no, no, I’ve got sinusitis these days…”

“No problem. These noodles also reduce swelling and detoxify.”

I turned around and looked at Lucifer with the most sincere and desperate expression I could muster. He looked at Metatron, then at me. “What’s this?”

“Lord Metatron is trying to make me eat noodles with my nose.”

Lucifer chuckled lightly. “Metatron, what kind of fetish is that?”

“Little Isar said it himself so it’s not on me. He said if he ever liked you, he’d eat noodles with his nose.”

“He doesn’t like me,” Lucifer said, smiling. “He says he loves me.”

My whole body shivered as I wiped my face, covered in goosebumps.

Metatron let out a long “ohhh,” then said, “Well, then I’ll eat the noodles.”

He started eating, head buried in the bowl, face hidden. I squatted next to the marble table, eyeing the strange assortment laid out. I picked up a brightly colored candy, unwrapping it to reveal a white piece that looked like a milk toffee but was etched with demonic script. I popped it in my mouth without thinking, and pain shot through me.

Lucifer slapped me hard on the back. The candy popped out, hitting the ground with a bit of blood.

I froze and wiped my lips. That’s my blood.

Metatron, spotting the candy on the floor, suddenly looked up at me. “Little Isar, how old are you really? Why do you still shove everything you see into your mouth?”

I held my mouth, face scrunched up.

Lucifer held the back of my neck, and I instinctively tilted my head up. He leaned in, his tongue slipping into my mouth and twirled around mine fully. I pushed him away.

“Disgusting! You’re making me swallow your spit!”

“I’m healing you.”

I moved my tongue… It did feel better.

Metatron continued stirring his noodles. “That candy is used for pranks. Don’t just eat anything you see next time. Since Lord Lucifer can read demon script, I won’t bother translating them one by one… Isar, I know you’ve been busy lately, so we’ll postpone rehearsals. But don’t forget the Divine Summon. Lord Lucifer, I’ll take my leave now.” He quickened his pace toward the palace gates and took flight before even fully stepping out.

Lucifer took out a pill from his robes and pressed it to my lips. “Open up.”

“What is it?”

He had already tossed it in. “The antidote for the Mila worm.”

I stared in shock. “Where did you get it?”

“From Caro.”

“Caro was willing to hand it to you?”

“When someone’s wishing for death, they’ll agree to anything.”

“What… did you do to him?”

“Best not to know. He’s not dead, but he’s not exactly alive either.”

I shivered. Was Lucifer really an angel again? Why did he always say such spine-chilling things?

He took my hand and led me back into the room. “Let’s not talk about irrelevant people. Is there anywhere you’ve wanted to go recently?”

I stared at our shadows on the ground and suddenly asked, “How long am I going to be resting?”

Lucifer looked puzzled.

At that moment, we happened to be walking past the grand hall’s main doors. A beam of intense light poured in, obscuring his expression.

I took a chance and asked, “How long do I have to rest… before we can finally do all that we want?”

Lucifer paused. “I don’t quite understand. Could you be more specific?”

I met his gaze for a moment, then gave his arm a firm shove. “Come on, you know exactly what I mean.”

But just as I pushed him, he caught my wrist and pulled me toward him. His eyes narrowed slightly. “Let’s eat something first.”

“No food unless we do it first.”

Lucifer stepped closer and pinched my nose. “And how do you expect to ‘do it’ without eating first?”

“Fine. Wait for me, I’ll be right back.”

I turned, ready to pounce on the food Metatron brought, but was stopped as Lucifer scooped me up in his arms.

“Don’t eat that. Get something more nutritious.” He gave instructions to have a proper meal prepared and for a bath to be drawn. I sat in a chair, a bit uneasy.

Someone brought in a fruit platter.

I grabbed an apple and started chomping away, juice running down my chin. I reached around for a napkin but couldn’t find one, so I tugged at the silk on Lucifer’s shoulder and grinned mischievously. “I’m going to wipe it on you.”

It was just a decorative piece but Lucifer really took it off and gently wiped the corners of my mouth.

I roared, “Hey, what are you doing?!”

Lucifer leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, his fingertips brushing against my hand, lightly holding it.

Light spun at the doorway, the whole world spinning with it.

There was a faint fragrance in his kiss, and for some reason, it reminded me of mañjusaka.

Mañjusaka, Flower of the Other Shore. Legend has it that the road to hell is lined with these blood-red flowers in full bloom.

I wrapped my arms around him in return. Bone-carved armrests, sculpted decorations, sandstone vessels, relief murals, all reflected a mirror image of ourselves on the polished floor. The sunlight was bright, the air shimmered, the floor translucent as the moon over the ocean—it was like stepping into a Renoir painting. After the long kiss, he led me into the dining hall.

A long table stretched across the room, and he sat at one end, miles away, with a massive vase in the middle. I dragged the plate from the east side over to the west, grabbed a chair, and plopped myself right next to Lucifer.

After bustling around for ages, I finally sat down to cut into my fish liver, only to look up and see the pile of dishes already stacked next to him. “You’re so skinny, how do you eat this much? Aren’t you afraid of getting fat?”

“Seraphim don’t get fat.”

“But still, that’s a lot of food.”

Lucifer had food in his mouth and waited to finish chewing before replying. “I’ve always had a good appetite.”

“Ah, that explains it. For a second, I thought you were pregnant with how much you’ve been eating.”

Lucifer froze and gave me an odd expression—part awkward, part pleased—before burying his face back into his meal. After a bit, he looked up and said, “In a little while, I’ll tell you a secret.”

“What is it?”

“I’m not telling you now.”

“Come on, tell me! The more you won’t say it, the more I want to know.”

Lucifer ignored me completely. He didn’t say another word through the rest of the meal. He ate elegantly but silently. Once he finished, he just sat there watching me eat. I felt so pressured I finally looked up and caught his gaze.

He gently ran a hand along my back and said with a soft voice, “It’s okay. Take your time. I’m not rushing you.”

Which only made me feel even more pressure. I wolfed down the rest of my food in a few bites, clapped my hands, and declared, “Done!”

Lucifer took my hand and led me to the bath. He dismissed the others and removed his gloves. “If there’s nothing else… shall we begin?”

I nodded, still a little dazed. In the mist, his face looked luminous and calm, his crystal-clear eyes strangely disorienting. He tossed his gloves carelessly to the floor and walked over to kiss me, fingers already moving to undo my clothes.

But as soon as he loosened my collar, I found it hard to breathe. “I’ll do it myself—really,” I murmured.

He pulled me close, his voice gentle but firm. “Today is different.”

“L-Lu-lu-lu-Lucifer – Let’s-m-maybe another day? I’m not quite ready.”

His movement slowed to a stop as he met my gaze. “Another day?”

It must’ve been the mist, thick as a sauna, that was cooking me. Seeing the smile fade from his face, I swallowed back my words and reached for his clothes. To my surprise, he froze slightly, then took my hand and guided it down—over his firm chest, abdomen, stopping at his waist. He held my hand, as if teaching, and guided me to unbuckle his belt. As the button popped open, his tongue plunged into my mouth, and my heart clenched sharply. Just as I started to settle, the urgency of our undressing sent it racing again.

Before we were even fully undressed, he wrapped his arms around me and leapt with me into the warm water. He brushed aside the floating roses between us, only to end up with a yet another handful of crimson blossoms—vibrant, glistening, almost bleeding with color. Finally, he gave up that struggle and drew me in by the waist, pressing our bodies fully together, the contact subtle yet unmistakably electric.

His chin rested on my shoulder as his arms wrapped around me, gently rubbing my back.

I held him, trying to calm the fire within, but it just burned more instead so I cupped the back of his head and kissed him aggressively.

With that, Lucifer seemed to forget what he was doing. He kissed my nape hard, then lifted my legs onto his waist and entered me before I could even react.

“Ouch!” It wasn’t just my heart that ached. In the unbearable, intense pain, I couldn’t believe that Lucifer was so hasty, rushing to the final step.

I had already guessed that Lucifer would be the one on top, unlike Metatron who was open to both men and women. But shouldn’t we have discussed who would take which role?

But he didn’t! He just came in like that!!

This was absolutely absurd!!

“You… y-you-you…” Before I could adapt to such stimulation or scold him, my lips were sealed, and the subsequent rhythm made my whole body feel as if it had been struck by lightning.

Lucifer was gentle and cultured. When I had fantasized about making love to him, I had imagined he would say a few flirtatious words to set the mood, like “This feels great” or “You’re doing well”… But he still didn’t!!

He pressed me against the large bathtub, attacking fiercely and roughly, leaving me without even the strength to crack a joke. I thought it would be undignified to moan like a woman, so I tried to stay silent, but things didn’t go as planned. The bath was spacious and empty, and apart from the sound of water and flesh, all I could hear was my own rhythmic moans, each one louder and more shameless than the last.

The pure physical stimulation forced tears from my eyes. Time seemed to have ceased to exist. At least in my mind, there was no concept of its length.

I didn’t know how long it had been, but just as I thought I was about to pass out, Lucifer grasped my front end and quickly stroked it a few times. As I released, he climaxed and overflowed inside me.

Death could be no more than this…

Afterward, I lay weakly by the pool, utterly exhausted. This was just one round, yet the fatigue far surpassed that of the usual four or five times.

Lucifer finally returned to normal. He wrapped his arm around my waist and wiped me down. I laughed weakly, kissed him several times, and tried to tickle him. After a while of seeing no reaction, I playfully scratched him a few more times. “So you’re not ticklish,” I said. And as soon as I said that, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

This guy was faking it!

Excited as if I had discovered a new continent, I pounced on him and tickled him with all my might. He finally couldn’t help but bend slightly at the waist, grabbing my wrist in return. “If you keep this up, I’ll take you again,” he said. This time, I didn’t dare to say anything and let him hold me as he wiped my back.

I lazily snuggled up to him, staring at the firm and smooth skin of his arms. Unconsciously, I found myself aroused again. Lucifer appeared calm on the surface, kissing me gently, but the part pressed against me quickly hardened as well.

I tried to relax, but his fingers slowly ventured between my thighs, along the inner side… The skin there was as fragile as a swallow’s nest, and the slightest touch tugged at thousands of nerve endings.

His eyes gleamed with a different light again. “Let’s go one more time.”

“Okay,” I said, a slight stir in my heart.

“I’m sorry, I was a bit too hurried earlier. It’s just been so long since I had touched you,” Lucifer said softly, kissing me gently. “Actually, if we don’t get too carried away, we could do this continuously for a whole day or even many days…”

I responded to his kiss, slow and lingering. Unable to control my emotions, I held his neck, my tongue tracing his lips, almost pushing him into the pool. It was as if wine had been poured into the water, seeping through the skin and flowing into my blood. Leaning against the edge, the scene before me swayed, and the world seemed intoxicated.

I wiped the water from my forehead. “Let’s get out; the water is too hot.”

Lucifer nodded and got out, helping me up as well.

There was a wide platform at the edge, covered with snow-white down.

As soon as I lay down halfway, Lucifer leaned over me, quickly and lightly pecking at my body, from my neck to my collarbone, from collarbone to chest, from chest to my abdomen, and finally licking me there, almost making me unable to resist soiling his face.

After going back and forth like this for twenty or thirty minutes, just as I felt I was about to burn up from desire, he spread my legs, leaning his body forward slightly, and looked at me with a questioning gaze.

I stiffened all over and pushed him away. “Wait, today is our first time together, and I’ve already let you be on top. At least let me try it once!”

He leaned down and kissed me. “No, today’s not the first.”

I looked at him in astonishment, not having a chance to respond before he cunningly entered my body again.

Perhaps the physical stimulation this time was less than before, but the painful feeling I had when I first met Lucifer surged again. And even though I was filled, I felt an endless void.

Like a black hole, holding a greedy magnetic pull. No matter how much was poured into it, it would never feel full.

Countless blossoms bloomed around it, buds unfolding in the midst of life.

Like fire.

Like blood.

Like a raging blaze.

Flowers near red-black in hue, hauntingly vivid—so intense they startled the eye.

Their name: mañjusaka.

My legs involuntarily came together but were forced apart by the hardness entering me.

Lucifer lay across my body, becoming a part of me. This time he moved slowly and I could hear the slick, sticky sounds echoing by my ears—like a stick stirring through honey, plunging in and pulling out again and again, claiming and withdrawing without end.

I grabbed Lucifer’s hair and pulled him down hard, wishing we could become one and never ever separate.

He held me tight, kissing me over and over, entering me again and again.

The flower language of the mañjusaka is ominous—separation, and… sorrowful memories.

Mañjusaka, Flower of the Other Shore. Legend has it that it was the favorite flower of Lucifer, Ruler of Demons.

Later, The Lord asked me: If you could freeze a single moment in your life, which would you choose?

Would it be when Lucifer was still the Vice Regent? And you, a Virtue?

Heaven was a land washed over by the tides of time, an ocean turned to mulberry fields.

I turned back, smiled at Him, and shook my head.

I’m content with the life I live now.

My Lord, if ever you visit the Demon Realm, you’ll find vast fields of mañjusaka, blooming more intensely with each passing day, steeped in sorrow.

Some things fade with time, yet some are eternal.

Mañjusaka is sin incarnate.

Drenched in beauty, drenched in blood.

Even in despair, it breathes the perfume of poppies.

Like the innocent wishes of youth, the impossible oaths we once swore.

Like you, standing on the far shore,

and I, here.

Still it bids us wait.

And still we wait, mad with longing.

Author: Tav Tav

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