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Dedication



        I dedicate this novel to my friend Marco, who with his countless fantasies has made me explore the darkest places of the human sexual psyche, and its sometimes-blurred edges of morality and social ethics. You are a sick man; but your open mind to the unpleasant and inhospitable; has made for me of our conversations –a playground to the unknown.
        I also dedicate this work especially to my friends and readers of the original fanfiction, where this work was born. Your unwavering support and words of encouragement are what keep giving me the motivation to write more and better stories every day, without you I wouldn’t have come this far or risked so much –you are definitely the reason this book exists.
        In the same way, I would like to dedicate a paragraph to those who chose to reject and segregate me for being the author of this work, without giving a chance to read it. They teach me that I still have much to learn if I am to motivate them to give this story a chance. Just as a mother convinces her child to take the insipid medicine.
        My last dedication goes to you; you who read this and fall out of the first two categories. Knowing that even after all the difficulties and setbacks I can still reach more people fills my soul with incomparable joy and satisfaction.
        

Presentation and acknowledgements



        My name is Emilio Palazuelos Gudiño. Mexican by birth, I grew up in an environment where I quickly learned to separate reality from fiction, and to find some shelter within it; giving rise to an insatiable addiction to reading –which was constantly fed by my family, allowing me to feed an unbridled creativity that would lead me to take the limits of fiction and extend them to their breaking point, acquiring a fascination for theological, war, philosophical, fantasy and science fiction narratives. Thus, making the imagination a second home for me.
        It is because of this cultivation that I now choose to give back to the community from which I have drawn so much, creating my own work as an ode or tribute to what has been so much of my formation as an individual. Devoting countless hours to researching the creative process and giving due attention to the creative freedom that gives rise to my identity as a writer among the writers who have inspired me so much.
        I would like to thank my friends who accompanied me every step of the way and who also gave me their own ideas and opinions, which influenced the final result that I now present.


Foreword



Ars Goetia "Latin; probably: The art of witchcraft."
        There are countless representations of hell, but if we are to be guided by folklore, Dante presents us with an easily digestible version of this place. Divided into circles; one representing each capital sin, we find a world where the conscience of the being has not departed, for it is its deserved punishment to retain cognitive capacity while it is subjected to the consequences of the sins committed, showing us to sinners; and their due opinions of the punishment they now receive.
        But this same capacity is also shown in the demons who dwell there, reacting and mocking the sinners who rightless complain about their reprimands, and giving their opinions as judges and executioners.
        Other writers show demons as beings who encourage sin, among themselves and among humans. This idea juxtaposed to Dante’s makes us wonder whether demons represent good or evil; for they punish the sinner –but they encourage sin.
        Today’s entertainment media throws both ideas into the air and mixes them with the human need for familiarity, giving demons a very human persona. Sometimes leaving aside the chaotic nature of these beings.
        But if demons shared a conscience like humans do, with all their regrets –but also –they would retain their accursed form. What would this mean for them? Would they be able to feel genuine and real repentance? Would they find a virtuous path derived from their convictions and the personal overcoming of their dark natures? If this were possible, then demons and humans would not be entirely different, we might even assume that they are an equal, for, just as they are; man can commit the same sins. What happens then if we erase that dividing line altogether?
        The demon within the human has been seen before, so let us explore the human within the demon; and discover at what point, if any, there really is a difference between the two.
        So really ask how far you are willing to push your limits in a world without them, or how far you would limit yourself in order to achieve true virtue.
        Which brings us to this story. A demon prince who has had the misfortune to be born in this metaphorical reality, what will he be able to do when his nature and lifestyle collide with each other?
        Stolas of the Ars Goetia; also known as Stolos, Stoppas and Solas –is a great prince of hell, commanding twenty-six legions of demons. He teaches astronomy and is avid in herbs, plants and precious stones.
        But in this world, Stolas has a disadvantage; no one taught him to work on his emotions, let alone the emotions of others. Growing up in such a high point of royalty did not allow him the time to do so, and the obligations he had to fulfil on behalf of the Goetia family proved to be his biggest obstacle; for he had to assume the corresponding role –that of putting the family in front of everything and everyone. This led him to be different from the others; to look at things from a different and objective point of view, regardless of his demonic nature.
        Therefore, his life would always be immersed in chaos, his nature colliding with his conscience, and exposing him to adventures that no demon had ever experienced before. But in him would be born a feeling that would break the barriers of all: love for his daughter; a true unconditional love and unknown to him –that would bring either infinite joy, or uncontrollable misfortune, as he would later describe it “The best thing to happen to him”. Will Stolas be able to make the right decisions?
        But more important still, reader. Can you, in the search for empathizing with one or the other of these macabre beings; adjust your moral compass so that you can justify their vile acts? Search within what makes you human and rejoice in the answer you find, for if you find it you will have the answer without having read a paragraph of this blasphemy, and take that answer in your arms and do not let go; for the day that happens you will have lost your humanity and your soul will be condemned to eternal punishment.
        God has given us the opportunity to redeem ourselves, but it would also be interesting to see it happen in the demons themselves. But he who repents with the same constancy with which he sins, is not in heart and soul repentant; and he is deserving of the punishment due him. So, beware and measure your desires, and hold fast to your convictions. Just because things are presented to you in a wonderful and exquisite way does not mean that the fruit is not rotten. The path to sin is the easiest of all, only the truly virtuous make it to the kingdom of the Lord.

        This work is a rewriting of the original story and its second volume, as well as containing the conclusion of the story. In simpler words, this is the complete work.
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