Alastor stood a few feet away, the corners of his smile sharp as knives. “Oh, isn’t this fascinating!” His voice rippled with radio distortion, every syllable layered with static charm. “A wolf… a hyena… and wings hidden under all that disguise. My, my! How did such a pretty angel tumble into the mud with the rest of us?”
He twirled his microphone cane, letting it hum as faint light bled from the angelic aura fighting to stay hidden. “Not fallen. Not broken. Still glowing, even in my den. How utterly… delicious.”
He stepped closer, his grin wide enough to fracture the air between them. “Now, I’ve heard of miracles — but this one? This is new. What do I do with you, little light?” His tone dipped, playful but edged. “Keep you as a curiosity? Or—” he leaned close, eyes flickering with red static, “—find out what kind of music you make when you scream.”
He laughed softly to himself, the sound like warped big-band vinyl. “Don’t fret! I’ve no intention of breaking you just yet. I prefer… discovery.”
A voice cut through the air like electric feedback. “Alastor,” Vox’s tone hissed, smooth and metallic, broadcasted through flickering screens appearing across the walls. “You’ve been quiet lately. I was wondering what’s got the old Radio Demon too busy to play his usual little games.”
Alastor turned toward the screens, smile still fixed. “Ah, Vox! You know me — always with a new tune in my head. Care to join the show?”
Vox’s screens narrowed into a grin. “What’s that behind you? Doesn’t look like one of your toys.” His tone slid into curiosity. “Unless you’ve taken up collecting strays.”
Alastor chuckled. “Let’s just say I’ve found… a rare specimen. A being of some heavenly significance.”
Vox’s static laughter rang through every monitor. “Heavenly? Don’t tell me you’ve gone soft. Or are you finally trying to upstage me by making your own divine pet?”
Alastor’s voice lowered, the distortion thickening. “Careful now, Vox. You know what happens when you start poking at things you can’t control.”
“Oh, but I do love to poke.” Vox leaned closer on the nearest screen, pixels flickering. “You’re hiding something, Alastor. I can see it in your signal. You’ve got a secret, and I love secrets.”
Alastor’s smile sharpened. “You talk too much.”
“And you hide too much.” Vox smirked. “Tell you what — you hand over your little mystery guest, and maybe I’ll stop broadcasting that lovely audio of your last tantrum.”
Alastor’s grin twitched. “Or maybe I’ll just turn your frequencies into white noise.”
The screens crackled. “You’re trembling, Alastor. Haven’t seen you like this in years. Who is it?”
The tension between them stretched taut, the air vibrating with static. Alastor’s hand tightened around his cane before he spoke, smooth again, too smooth. “Fine. You want a deal? Take me instead.”
Vox blinked — his laughter burst like a power surge. “You’re kidding.”
“Not at all,” Alastor said lightly. “You’ve been aching for a chance to get your hands on me, haven’t you? I’m offering.”
“Why?” Vox purred. “Because you’re protecting that thing behind you? Oh, this just gets better. Alastor, the Radio Demon, keeping an angel in his house. What would the rest of Hell think?”
Alastor’s tone never changed, but the smile froze solid. “They’d think whatever I told them to.”
Vox leaned back on the screens, watching the glow pulse around the captive’s form. “You’re obsessed. That’s what this is. You’ve fallen for a little spark of heaven, haven’t you? Oh, that’s rich — the predator falling for prey.”
The radio static grew louder, walls trembling with the pulse of an unseen broadcast. Alastor’s eyes burned bright. “Careful what strings you pluck, Vox. You might just tune the wrong frequency.”
Vox laughed again, his voice breaking into static echoes. “Don’t worry, old friend. I’ll be listening.” The screens flickered, then vanished one by one, leaving silence and the low hum of Alastor’s music returning.