In the quietest, dustiest, and arguably most "boring" corner of Hell, rose the endless library of Prince Dantalion. This was a place where leather-bound books held secrets thousands of years old, and where even time seemed to grow weary of moving forward.
As Madison looked at Dantalion—who sat across from her looking as flawless as a statue and just as lifeless—she realized for the first time in her life that silence could cause physical pain.
Dantalion lowered his bone-rimmed glasses to the tip of his nose, scrutinizing the young woman before him. His gaze was cold and analytical, as if he were inspecting a misplaced shelf in a library rather than a human soul.
"Madison," he said, his voice vibrating like an ancient cello string echoing through the dusty stacks. "I see that deep-seated need for 'validation' within your soul. Every gesture, every sentence leads back to a single point: Tyler."
Madison nearly choked on a sip of her black lava-juice. She slammed the glass onto the table, right on top of a priceless manuscript.
"Whoa! Here we go again. Wasn't your specialty demonology or something? Since when did you become the Agony Aunt of Hell?"
Dantalion closed his eyes, trying to ignore the stain on the table. "You don't actually love Tyler," he continued in an authoritative tone.
"You're simply terrified of a bruised ego, of the idea of being rejected. I can read your mind, Madison. Between us, there would be no secrets, no dark territories. I can give you everything you want before you even think of it. I offer you absolute transparency."
Madison paused for a moment. To a normal person, this offer might have been a blessing, but Madison was not "normal"; she was a modern woman who had built her life on chaos and stalking.
She pushed her chair back with a loud screech and began to circle Dantalion like a predator.
"Mind reading?" she said, her voice ringing through the high ceilings of the library. "Look, honey, your 'absolute transparency' is a total relationship killer for me. If you read my mind, you'll see exactly how many times I refreshed Tyler's ex-girlfriend's profile at exactly 03:42 AM back in 2018. You'd have to know that I dug down to that girl's third-cousin's graduation photos and spent three hours on Google just to find the brand of the dress she was wearing. Where's the mystery in that?Where's the charisma?"
Dantalion recoiled slightly. His thousands of years of wisdom were helpless against Madison's chaotic honesty. "But Madison, that is a useless waste of energy. I could give you every detail of that girl's life in a single second."
Madison stopped and leaned over the table, right into Dantalion's face.
"That's exactly the problem! A relationship is supposed to be a little bit of lies, a healthy dose of stalking, and staying awake wondering, 'What is he thinking right now? Is he thinking of me or that new graphics card he just bought?' If you already know everything, what am I supposed to do for fun? Half my life is spent on the hope that 'maybe he'll change'; if I'm with you, I'll know from the start that he 'never will.' You wouldn't be a boyfriend; you'd be a living Wikipedia!"
The young woman resumed her pacing through the library. Dantalion's perfectly ironed shirt and "I know everything" gaze had triggered something in her.
"Besides," she said, wagging a finger at him, "those glasses remind me too much of Tyler's 'I'm a quantum physics expert' phase—when he actually just watched documentary trailers. He used to look just like that. Take your books and go back to your library, honey. My brain is an algorithm far too chaotic for you. Your ancient processor can't handle my speed."
Dantalion thought that, for the first time in history, a soul was... too noisy. Madison's mind wasn't a book waiting to be read; it was a constant fireworkdisplay.
As Madison headed for the door, Dantalion was still busy adjusting his glasses. "And please," Madison said just before stepping out, "don't wear those glasses again. They don't give off 'genius' vibes; they just give off 'Uncle Google' vibes."
Out in the cool corridor of the underworld, she found Lord Astaroth leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
He raised an eyebrow, looking as if he'd heard every bit of the nonsense inside.
"Well?" he rasped, his voice like a low rumble from the depths of the earth. "Did you let him read your mind?"
Madison reached Astaroth, linked her arm through his, and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Don't be ridiculous darlin'. If he read my mind, he'd be the one going insane. This chaos needs a rock of patience like you!"