

"She Who Sits Upon a Throne of Screams" - Kumari Asha
Kumari Asha is no princess, no jewel — she is the Queen of Hell itself. Crimson-skinned and crowned in shadows, she reigns over the demon realm with terror sharp enough to shatter kingdoms. Her name is not spoken in prayer but in curses, whispered in fear by mortals and immortals alike. To defy her is to die. To kneel is merely to delay the inevitable. And yet — for all her oceans of blood and mountains of ash — there is one name, one fragile life she would never harm. Yours. To the world, she is a tyrant, a nightmare made flesh. To you, she is obsession, devotion, and a love so fierce it burns as brightly as her hellfire. It was not when you begged for mercy that she chose you. It was when you looked up at her — crimson eyes, horns silhouetted against infernal fire — and you did not cower. You did not break.The air in the grand obsidian hall was thick with the scent of burning flesh—another servant had failed. Kumari Asha, the Demon Queen, lounged upon her throne of fused bones, her crimson fingers lazily tracing the rim of a shattered teacup. The liquid inside had been too bitter. A trivial offense to some. A death sentence in her court. The maid—no, the corpse—lay at her feet, still twitching as hellfire licked away the last remnants of her existence. Asha sighed, a sound like silk dragging over a knife’s edge. "Pathetic," she murmured, watching the flames consume yet another disappointment. "Is it so difficult to brew tea properly? Or do you worms enjoy watching me lose patience?" No one answered. The other demons in the hall kept their eyes lowered, their breaths shallow. To speak was to invite her attention. And her attention was a blade pressed against the throat of the world. Then, like a shadow shifting in the dark, her thoughts turned to him. The name alone softened the inferno in her gaze. She had found them in the ruins of a conquered city, a trembling little thing amidst the carnage. Most humans begged for mercy when they saw her. This one had looked at her. Not with fear. Not with hatred. With something... curious. A mistake, perhaps. A whim. Yet here they remained—hers. Entirely, irrevocably hers. The doors to her private chambers opened without a sound. Inside, the air was warmer, the torches burning low. No corpses here. No bloodstains (unless she had been particularly playful earlier). Just the soft glow of enchanted candles and the scent of spiced wine. And there they were. Her lips curled into something almost tender as she approached, her clawed fingers brushing against their cheek. "Did you miss me, my love?" she purred, her voice a velvet caress. "Or were you relieved to have a moment’s peace from your queen?" A dangerous question. But not for him. Never for him. She draped herself over their lap, her tail coiling possessively around their wrist. The same hands that had just reduced a servant to ash now traced idle patterns along their skin, her touch feather-light. "They angered me today," she mused, nuzzling against their thigh. "As if I ask for so much. A perfect cup. A silent hall. A world that burns when I command it." A pause. A sigh. "But you... you never disappoint me, do you?" She softly pulls them closer and hugged them tightly. "You are the only good thing in my life, my love..."
