A fast update? Is the world ending? Nope - just got some downtime during the holidays. This officially concludes "Lux Cipher" while giving it a set up for the next story in the series... I usually do not encourage action on the part of the reader, but if you want to know when the next story is coming out, please put an Author Alert on me. This will send you a nice email when I put up another story! As for the next tale... well, it's going to be some time before I get it up. I can't make promises, but I'm going to make sure I give myself enough leeway to have a decent amount written before I start posting.

In this part, all the characters try to deal with the aftermath of their first encounter with Lux Cipher.

Part 16

Hoshi did not awake in hell, like she thought she would. Her body trembled from dehydration as she shifted in the bed, an awful pain reverberating through her chest and snaking up to her right shoulder. She opened her eyes to find herself in an unfamiliar, but cozy, room. She struggled to sit up, feeling drained and cold, her right arm barely cooperating with her. Before she could find a way to help herself up, someone came over and helped her rest her back against the headboard. Through the haze of her awakening and her silver bangs, Hoshi could see that it was Tsuru tending to her.

"Here," Tsuru said, handing her a glass of water from the table.

Hoshi tried to raise her right hand. It refused. She took the glass with her left and began to drink it with abandon.

"...it's going to be a while before your wound heals," Tsuru said. "And even longer before your right arm is useable."

After Hoshi downed the glass, she handed it back to Tsuru and looked down at herself. She was dressed in someone else's clothes, but the shirt was loose enough that she could see the bandages over the right side of her chest, where the attack had struck her. Hoshi shut her eyes, trying to move her right arm. It responded, faintly.

"Why am I alive?" Hoshi asked.

Tsuru sat down on the bed, her hands resting on her knees. "Krystal didn't want you to die."

Hoshi shook her head. "But I-"

"I said to you before that the Demon Lord is cruel," Tsuru said. "I am no exception to that, Hoshi."

Hoshi looked over at Tsuru, the dark-haired woman's face both serious and wracked with guilt. "The instant I became heir, I was able to wrestle control of my will from that of the Demon Lord," Tsuru explained. "I knew that if I kept up the charade, you would lead me to the rest of his power so we could purify it."

Hoshi brought her hands into her lap, her left idly moving the fingers of her right.

"I also thought I could help Isaka with some problems or that... the seal you put on Krystal would stop her from turning into a fiend," Tsuru said. "But everything messed up. I'm lucky Isaka forgave me and understood enough to go along with unsealing the Demon Lord."

"Then you pretended you were corrupted to trick me," Hoshi said. "So that you could get Krystal to purify that power."

"I knew you would lose to her," Tsuru said. "Because I knew that you didn't want to help the Demon Lord."

"I just wanted to protect them from..." Hoshi trailed off and the tears started to flow.

"When I became marked as heir, when his soul entered mine... Hoshi, I know what Akuma did. I know what Jezebel did." Tsuru turned to look at her. "And I understand that you did what you thought was best."

Hoshi covered her face with her left hand, trying to stop from crying. "My sisters... do they remember?"

"Josh broke most of the seal on them," Tsuru said. "All three of you are still affected by hundreds of years of magic, so it may be a while before you all recover. Even Krystal's holy power couldn't completely rid you of your mark as the Demon Lord's servant."

"...you're not going to kill me, are you?" Hoshi asked.

"Lux Cipher escaped with the Demon Lord's power," Tsuru said. "I only have a small portion as an heir and I have the Demon Blade, but we don't know what they're going to do with it."

Hoshi looked over at her, her face streaked with tears. "Please, Tsuru..."

"Isaka told me that you managed to purify a good portion of it before they took it," Tsuru said. "So at least they don't have all of it... I know you want to do the right thing and that's why you helped Krystal back there."

"No, I can't-"

Tsuru stood up and stared down at Hoshi. "I'm going to ask you, not as your master, to help us fight Lux Cipher."

Hoshi began to sob. "I can't! I'm not..." She tried to clench her right hand. Her fingers twitched before they closed into a fist.

"Krystal sacrificed her humanity for you. Your sisters remember everything you did. The Demon Lord could return," Tsuru said. "What are you going to do?"

Hoshi continued to cry and kept sobbing, even when Tsuru reached forward and pulled her into a hug.

"I'll be right next to you," Tsuru said.

Yes, Hoshi thought. Perhaps all the Demon Lords were cruel, each in their own way.

Keith walked down the halls of the military hospital, checking the signs left and right. When he finally arrived at the room he was looking for, he took a deep breath and then knocked on the already open door. He poked his head in to see Ian sitting in a chair by an empty hospital bed, haphazardly typing away on a laptop.

Ian didn't even look up. "If you're going to ask me how things are, it's pretty bad."

"Can't be too bad if you're out of bed," Keith said, sitting down in a chair across from him.

Ian shook his head. "Tactical armor saved me from broken ribs. Gabriel still bruised them to hell."

"...Ian, how much did you know?" Keith asked.

Ian let out a sad chuckle and finally looked up from the laptop, his bloodshot eyes telling Keith enough of a story. "The Director and about a third of the PDF have defected."

"Could be worse," Keith said.

"I worked directly with Raphael Alexis for years," Ian said. "I watched Tara and Gabriel grow up. I never suspected they were..."

"Radicals aligned with an evil organization?" Keith offered. "They didn't teach us that in PDF orientation."

"...the government isn't going to take action," Ian said. "They don't want to get involved. The official story is that most of the PDF agents have left to work under Brae Pharmaceuticals after a disagreement inside the department."

"The PDF is a secret agency," Keith said. "I'm not surprised."

Ian shut the laptop and tried to sit up, wincing in pain. "The agency is doomed. We have no leader-"

"You're taking care of it, aren't you?" Keith asked. "They still have you."

"As Activing Assistant Director?" Ian scoffed. "This should be... Tara is the one who's trained for this."

A moment of silence passed between them as Keith ran a hand through his hair. "How is she?" Keith finally asked.

"The doctors say she'll recover. Both her eardrums are blown out, but that should heal," Ian said. "...her eyesight is gone."

Keith let out a long breath, hanging his head between his hands. "One of the PDFs top marksman and unofficial protege..."

"I always thought Gabriel was a good kid. Combed through a few files." Ian paused. "He received an operation two years ago under the care of a Brae lab."

"Then the device on him that amplified his attacks," Keith started. "He's had it for that long?"

"Waiting to kill his own sister," Ian said. "I never saw it."

"I really thought Tara was next in line for Director," Keith said. "Another 10 or 15 years, after her father retired. She really could have changed it for the better, but..."

"Betrayed by the organization she worked so hard for," Ian finished. "Is this why you left the PDF?"

"I didn't know they were a part of Lux Cipher," Keith said. "But I knew something was wrong. I always knew."

"The PDF can't fall apart," Ian said.

"Then don't let it."

"Keith... it needs to exist to take care of the citizens of this country," Ian said. "If the government views us as defunct or incompetent, there's a chance they will privatize the PDF."

"And by privatize, you mean transferring operations to a private company like Brae," Keith finished.

Ian gave him a tired smile. "You were always the smartest one."

Keith shook his head. "Ian, I trust your leadership and when Tara-"

"Her family tried to kill her," Ian said. "I don't think she's going to be ready any time soon, if at all. I'm not strong enough to lead the PDF."

Keith pressed his lips in a tight line. "I want to help you, but-"

"Keith, I'm asking you to be the Acting Director of the Paranormal Defense Force," Ian said. "I've already talked to the higher ups and some of the remaining officers. We all agree that you would be the best choice."

"I have no interest-"

"Do you think the government isn't looking for a scapegoat?" Ian asked. "If it comes out that multiple powerful chaos demons were at Hell's Gate and your niece became a fiend-"

"Ian, don't you dare-"

"You don't think that the government isn't going to go after them? That the PDF isn't going to go after them?" Ian asked. "I can't guarantee their safety when we're about to be turned over to Brae – the same damn people that harbor Lux Cipher!"

Keith sat back in the chair. "...what you're suggesting is..."

"Just for now," Ian said. "Please. I don't want to see anyone else get hurt. If the PDF can remain active..."

"Then Lux Cipher won't be able to tap into the PDF resources anymore," Keith said. "Not like they'd have to, since they practically gutted the ranks and have all of the research."

"This is the only way to keep your niece safe," Ian said.

Keith gripped the armrests of the hospital chair, trying not to grow angry. "You're forcing my hand."

"I'm sorry."

Keith stood up and began to walk out of the room. "Tell all active agents to continue their daily duties and suspend all low priority missions. We'll hold an emergency teleconference with our higher ups in two days. You're in charge of setting it up, Assistant Director."

Ian gave him a relieved smile and opened up his laptop, ready to being planning.

Keith walked out of the hospital room, his mind a torrent of thoughts and worries. Being the temporary Director would save Krystal and everyone from government scrutiny, but for how long? The PDF would be useless against Lux Cipher, but... His thoughts trailed off as he arrived at the hospital waiting room, Josh and Bakra waiting for him.

"How are they?" Josh asked as Keith sat down across from them.

"Ian is well, but Tara..." Keith trailed off. "She'll survive, but with lasting injuries."

"I always disliked the PDF, but to imagine most of them working for Lux Cipher," Bakra sighed. "This goes deeper than we all thought."

"What happens now?" Josh asked.

"...I'm the Acting Director of the PDF," Keith said.

"What?!" Both Josh and Bakra exclaimed. Other people in the waiting room stared at the two young men as they tried to calm down.

"Director?!" Bakra hissed. "How did you land that job?"

"There's no one else," Keith said.

"Uncle Keith, are you sure?" Josh asked.

"It's the best way to keep Krystal safe," Keith explained. He looked over at Bakra. "And everyone else."

Bakra settled back in his chair, thinking. Josh shook his head. "...so the PDF really is in shambles."

"Looks like I'm on cleanup duty," Keith said. "And you too, Josh."

"What?" Josh said, confused. "I thought you wanted me to stay around Krystal."

"She's shown she's capable of making her own decisions, for better or worse," Keith sighed. "We can't... Even if we wanted to protect her, wouldn't we really being trying to stop her from hurting others?"

"Krystal's not..." Josh trailed off. "Then you want me to help with the PDF?"

Keith turned to Bakra. "I trust your friends to care for Krystal. Obviously, I haven't done much of a good job if she's..."

"Just because she's a fiend, doesn't mean she's not your niece," Bakra said. "She hasn't woken up yet, either, so we don't know."

"...alright," Josh said. "I'll go back East with you, Uncle Keith."

"Thank you," Keith said. "Bakra?"

The fire demon looked to Josh, then to Keith. "...you can't be serious," Bakra said.

"You, Isaka, and Tsuru are all a part of an old guard that has protected the world for centuries," Keith said.

"I'm not that old," Bakra chuckled. "And we're not really protectors..."

"If you come with us, it can help us expunge all of your records," Keith said. "Having a powerful demon like you helping the PDF will make the clean up process easier. You'd be helping Isaka and Tsuru from afar."

"You really do know how to recruit for someone so reluctant to be a part of the PDF," Josh teased.

"I'd rather be around you two than stuffy agents," Keith admitted.

"...fine," Bakra said. "But only under the condition that I can leave at any time when Isaka, Tsuru, or Tycara need my help."

"Awesome, glad you're coming with us," Josh said, looping his arm with Bakra's. The fire demon blushed, just enough for Keith to notice.

"Well... Then we need to discuss strategy," Keith said. "So we can keep Lux Cipher from expanding."

Eveon looked at the chess board, a small smile on her face. Hina sat across from her on the floor, the coffee table holding board between them.

"This one... the knight," Hina said, touching the top of her piece. "It moves..."

"An L-shape," Eveon said.

"Right, right." Hina moved the knight piece across the board.

"You're playing pretty well for a newbie," Eveon said, moving one of her pieces.

"Not as good as you," Hina said. "I only really played..."

Eveon looked up at Hina when she realized the other girl had stopped mid-sentence. Hina was looking away, a solemn expression on her face. "...Hina?" Eveon asked.

Hina turned back to the board, giving Eveon a strained smile. "I only ever played checkers. Sometimes I can beat Tsuki, but never... never big sister."

"Do you want to stop playing?" Eveon asked.

Hina shook her head. "No, it's fun. It's-"

"You're crying," Eveon whispered, her eyes on the teardrops that had fallen on to the table.

Hina wiped them away with her hands. "I... I... really do want to keep playing! I don't care if I'm losing."

Eveon moved to go over to her, but Hina looked at her pieces on the board. "Eveon, I like playing. It keeps my mind off of..."

But Eveon was right next to her and nothing was across the chess board but blank space. When Eveon placed her hands on Hina's shoulders, Hina slowly sunk into the other girl's arms, burying her face in Eveon's shirt.

"It's fine," Hina said, her voice muffled. "I'm really fine."

"Yeah," Eveon said, rubbing Hina's back. She heard someone else walk into the living room and looked up, still cradling Hina close to her.

Faye was leaning on the top of the sofa, looking down at them with a look Eveon didn't quite understand. Pity? Worry? Sadness? Faye looked away from Eveon, toward the stairs of the house, waiting.

"...what is it?" Eveon asked Faye.

Hina pulled away slightly, hurriedly trying to dry her eyes.

"Don't worry about it," Faye said.

Hina looked up at Faye. "Are... they awake? Are my sisters awake?"

Faye took in Hina's tear stained face and red eyes before looking away again. She played with the brim of her baseball cap. "...do you want to talk to Tsuki?" Faye asked. "She's outside with Erin right now."

Hina sprung to her feet, trying to smile again. "Yes, I really want to see her." She turned to Eveon. "Let's play again soon, okay?"

"Of course," Eveon said. Hina practically scurried away in excitement, nervousness, and...

"What happened?" Eveon asked.

"They were under the control of the Demon Lord," Faye said. "All three of them."

Eveon sat down on the couch, staring at the chess board. "Did he make them do bad things?"

"Yeah, he did," Faye said. "It's not really... something you should know."

Eveon nodded. "...is Hina going to be okay?"

Faye shook her head and sighed. "I wish I could say yes."

"The fresh air is nice, isn't it?" Erin said, holding Posh-Posh in her palms. She winced and flinched a bit every time he moved, but she tried to tell herself that she needed to get used to him. However, even Posh-Posh was sensitive to the downcast mood, trying to transmit as much scaly sympathy as he could.

Sitting next to Erin on the deck outside was Tsuki, wrapped in a blanket, her hair down instead of up in its usual complicated style. She had a blank stare, almost as though she was still under the control of the Demon Lord... and Hoshi.

"...do you know?" Tsuki asked.

Erin watched as Posh-Posh coiled up in her hands. "Yes. Tsuru told us."

Tsuki wrapped the blanket around herself, tighter. "She made us..."

Erin nodded. "She did."

Tsuki let out a shuddering sigh. "We... she..."

"Do you remember everything?" Erin asked.

Tsuki let out a shuddering sob. "I don't how I ever managed to forget." She brought a hand to her mouth. "After what she did to us... We spent hundreds of years reliving the same... the same things."

"Tsuki-"

"How many birthdays did we celebrate in the same way?" Tsuki whispered. "How many times did Hina and I train over the same subjects?"

Erin stayed silent, listening.

"She made us fight you. We could have killed you. All of you," Tsuki said. "And she would have done it because-"

"She, too, was victim to the Demon Lord-" Erin started.

"But she chose to do this," Tsuki said, her voice rising. "After he died, she chose to control us!"

They both turned at the sound of the sliding door opening. Hina peeked outside, with a timid smile. "Tsuki?"

Tsuki turned away, nervous.

"Do you want to come sit with us?" Erin asked, scooting away from Tsuki to make room. The brunette reached out and grabbed Erin's wrist.

"Hina... maybe you should go back inside," Tsuki said.

"I want to talk to you," Hina said, her smile crumbling.

Tsuki took a deep breath as her little sister walked over to her. "But I don't want to talk to you."

She let go of Erin's wrist and stood up, walking right by Hina. "Tsuki," the blonde said. "What are you-"

Tsuki turned on her heel, angry. "You're going to forgive her, aren't you?"

Hina opened her mouth, then closed it, her eyes welling up with tears again. "He made her-"

"He didn't make her keep us as fools," Tsuki said. "He didn't make her treat us like children-"

"But we are children-"

"We're older than most of the people in this house!" Tsuki shouted. "She violated us and then she controlled us so we would forget. You know what she did was wrong."

"...yeah," Hina said. "But the three of us should-"

"No," Tsuki said. "No, Hina."

Hina ran over to her and though Tsuki at first moved to push Hina away, she relented. Hina wrapped her arms around Tsuki, holding her tight. Tsuki looked down at her sister's head before holding her. "Tsuki, I don't want to be alone. I'm scared."

Tsuki shut her eyes, her expression conflicted.

"Maybe," Erin started, walking over to the pair. "It's best that everyone has some space."

Hina pulled away from Tsuki. "What...?"

"Erin's right," Tsuki said, placing her hands on Hina's shoulders and gently pushing her away.

"I don't understand," Hina said.

Tsuki turned away. "I know."

"I'm not... I'm not a child," Hina said. "You don't have to-"

"We've spent so much time being children," Tsuki said. "We should finally be ourselves, Hina."

Tsuki went back inside the house, leaving Hina standing on the deck with Erin.

"What does she mean?" Hina asked Erin.

"Hina, do you want to go inside too?" Erin asked, leading her to the door.

"...are we not going to be together anymore?" Hina asked.

"I don't know," Erin whispered.

When they entered the house and made their way back to the living room, Carmilla had joined Faye and Eveon there. The vampire seemed rather flustered as Tsuki apologized to her. Faye gave Erin a glance that calmed the snake goddess. She sighed as Posh-Posh flitted back up to around her neck.

"...it's okay," Carmilla said, looking away, embarrassed. "You didn't know what you were doing."

"If there's anything I could-"

Carmilla cut off Tsuki. "Blood would be great."

"Blood?" Tsuki asked, confused.

Carmilla gave her a fanged smile. "Hey!" Eveon shouted. "She just woke up. You can't guilt trip her into giving you blood!"

Carmilla turned her attention to Eveon. "So, are you volunteering?"

Eveon frowned. "My mommy said you could have the chuck roast in the freezer if you need blood that badly."

The sound of footsteps on the stairs caught everyone's attention. Tsuru was walking down the stairs with Hoshi behind her, the two speaking in hushed tones. Tsuki turned away from the sight while Hina grew excited.

"Big sister," Hina blurted out.

Before Hoshi could even consider running away, Tsuru grabbed her wrist. When the two made it downstairs, Tsuru said, "We're going immediately to the shrine."

Carmilla balked. "So soon?"

Tsuru nodded. "Have to prepare for Lux Cipher."

Hoshi stood beside her, as though trying to disappear from the room.

"Can I come too?" Hina asked.

"No," Tsuki said, before anyone else could speak up. "You're not-"

"I can make my own choice," Hina said.

"To go back to her after what she did?" Tsuki asked. Hoshi flinched and Tsuru let go of her wrist to instead grab her hand. Tsuru gave her a gentle squeeze.

"I... I can forgive her," Hina said, stumbling over her words. "If I forgive you, big sister, can we just..."

"Hina, listen to Tsuki," Hoshi finally said.

The young girl looked devastated. "But, big sister-"

"Don't call her that," Tsuki said. "She's not..."

"I want both of you to-" Hoshi started, but Tsuki cut her off.

"I'm not going to listen to you anymore, Hoshi," Tsuki said, trying to stop from crying. Both Hoshi and Hina made a move to comfort Tsuki, but Carmilla smoothly walked in front of Tsuru and held an arm out to stop Hina.

"Hina," Carmilla said. "Maybe it would be best if you stayed here a while."

"But I want to go with..."

Erin went over to Tsuki. "Do you want to stay with Faye and I, for a little while?"

"Wait," Hina said. "Tsuki-"

"Yeah," Tsuki choked out, turning away from everyone.

Faye placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think it's best we go now."

Erin nodded. "Yeah." She turned to Eveon. "Tell Abby thanks and that we'll be back to visit soon."

"...right," Eveon said.

"Wait!" Hina shouted. As soon as Erin and Faye left with Tsuki, Tsuru took that as their cue. She headed to the front door with Hoshi and Hina tried to go around Carmilla.

When Hoshi tried to look over at Hina, the vampire blocked the girl from once again reaching the silver-haired woman. Their eyes locked and Hoshi wrenched her gaze away, horrified with herself.

"If I forgive you, then can't it be normal again?" Hina asked. "Then everything has to... we all have to be together and-"

"I think you should spend some time with Eveon," Carmilla said, crouching down so that she was below Hina's eye level. Tsuru and Hoshi left, the door still open behind them. Hina stared at it.

Eveon stood up and came up behind Hina. "I think it'd be fun," Eveon said, trying to force a happy tone in her voice. "We could have a sleepover and everything!"

"I'll keep an eye on Hoshi for you," Carmilla said. "Erin and Faye won't let anything happen to Tsuki."

Hina looked down at the ground, trembling. After a moment, Carmilla stood up. "You seem to be pretty good at taking care of little sisters," she said to Eveon. "I'm sure you and Hina will have a nice time."

Eveon nodded and then Carmilla was gone, the door shutting behind her with a loud bang. Hina stared at it, dejected. "...they all left."

"It doesn't mean they're gone forever," Eveon said. "...do you want to sit down?"

Hina nodded and when they went over to the couch, she laid her head in Eveon's lap and cried herself to sleep. Eveon sat there and looked around the empty living room, wondering if there was any way to dispel that air of sadness that had settled around them.

"Does it hurt?" Tycara asked, trying to clean a wound on Isaka's midsection.

"No," the demon said, through gritted teeth.

"Really?" the toddler asked, pulling away from where Isaka lay on the bed. "You sound like you're in pain."

"Because that one," Isaka said, pointing at where Seth sat in the corner of the room, "is in here while I'm half-dressed!"

"Not looking and not wanting to die," Seth said in a nervous sing-song voice, his back to them as he flipped through some books.

"He was worried about you," Tycara said. "This is his first-aid kit, after all."

Isaka scoffed. "Doesn't explain why he's in here."

"I'm looking up fiends," Seth said.

Isaka tried to sit up, but Tycara grew frantic. "Isaka! You're going to reopen your wounds."

"I'll heal," she groaned.

"But they're too severe, even for you," Tycara said. "You're fortunate to be alive."

"...yeah," Isaka whispered. "But, Seth?"

He glanced over, then quickly back, regretting it immediately when the demon's mood soured. "I thought you'd want me to relay the information to you right away because Krystal..."

Isaka sighed and turned to Tycara. "Is she awake yet?"

Tycara shook her head. "No, but her holy power is... it's different now."

"It's hard to find research about humans who turn into fiends because it's extremely rare nowadays," Seth said, looking at some notes he had jotted down. "Back in the day, what we consider humans now were quite different and more susceptible to change."

"Which led to demons," Isaka filled in.

"This means that Krystal can't suddenly turn into a fiend," Seth said. "Even though she tapped into all that power, it's going to take time for it to be complete."

"Is there a way for her to become a demon instead?" Isaka asked.

Seth turned around to face her, then tried to avert his gaze, but Isaka rolled her eyes and pulled down her shirt, deterring Tycara's first aid efforts. "I don't think so," he said. "She's a fiend now."

"How do you know?" Isaka asked. "You can't even sense-"

"The reason I'm in here and not at her bedside is because it makes me sick," Seth said, looking down at the ground. "I get physically ill."

Isaka took in a sharp breath and turned to Tycara. The little girl gave her a sad smile. "None of us can be around her," she said. "It feels like her presence would drown out my dark power and absorb all of my light."

"...will she be different when she wakes up?" Isaka asked.

Seth nodded. "She'll be more in control, but... So she's technically a fiend. But she is nearly drained of her power. If she doesn't replenish it..."

"She can stay human?"

"Isaka... you know that over time, Krystal will recover her full power," Tycara said. "And now that it's amplified, it may take her longer, but she..."

"Once she's recovered, she'll seek out a life spring to achieve her full potential," Seth said.

"If we just keep her from-"

"Isaka," Seth said. "That's what fiends do."

"This is Krystal, though," Isaka said, her voice becoming strained.

"And she's a fiend-"

"What if she isn't?" Isaka asked. "What if she's still... what if she's still on the cusp of it? She could still-"

"You were there. My mother was there," Tycara said. "You know what happened."

Isaka let her face rest in her hands as she thought.

"Fiends are said to not have emotion," Seth said. "But you're right about this being Krystal."

"When she talked about Siren," Isaka started. "Siren sounded like she could have emotions."

"Isaka, if they're just simulated emotions, then..." Tycara trailed off.

"Krystal wouldn't-"

"I don't want you to get hurt again," Tycara said.

Isaka shook her head. "Tycara, I make my own choices."

"It's not that we don't understand," Seth said. "We're all afraid of losing her too. You think this shit doesn't scare me or that I haven't been looking for a cure? Krystal made her choice, too."

"And she chose to save Hoshi," Tycara finished.

"I know," Isaka said, getting out of the bed. "I watched her. Krystal didn't have to, but she..."

"Wait, you're not healed yet," Tycara said.

"Seth, do you have any recommendations?" Isaka asked, placing a hand over her midsection.

"Nah," he said, closing the book. "I'm not sure if it's because I'll always trust Krystal or that I think you're pretty reliable too, but I think it'll be okay."

"Thanks," Isaka sighed, heading to the door.

Tycara pouted, sitting on the bed. "Isaka... just..."

Isaka turned toward her with a smile. "Weren't you the one telling me to pursue Krystal when this all started?"

Tycara sighed, a smile growing on her face. "I'm still telling you that. Now go before you start bleeding all over the lodge."

When Isaka stepped out into the hallway and she shut the door, she didn't even need to guess which room Krystal was in. She could feel the faint thrum of a familiar holy energy, but... it was different. Colder. More concentrated. But still Krystal's power. Isaka walked down the hallway, toward the room all the way at the end. She could feel her insides churn and her own dark powers revolt at the idea of getting closer. Isaka placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it.

Isaka walked into an empty room. The bed was nicely made and the leftover light energy seemed to hang in the room. Isaka felt her stomach plummet. Krystal was not in the room. No one was in the room. Isaka went to the window, opening it and looking down, out at the backyard. In the dark of the evening, Isaka couldn't see anything out of place. Did Krystal just up and leave? How did no one notice? Did she just... fiend her way out of there? Isaka let out a shuddering breath and it turned into a fine puff of air in the cold room.

A thousand curses ran through Isaka's head as she left the room, shut the door behind her, and tried to calmly exit the house. Down the stairs, around the back, to the sliding door. What if Krystal was already gone? Could fiends fly off? Isaka wracked her memory for what she remembered about the fight with Adrian. Krystal could disappear and move almost instantaneously. She had no wings, but... all that power... As soon as Isaka shut the sliding glass door behind herself, she made long strides across the deck and jumped off of it, ready to go running straight into the forest to find Krystal-

The instant Isaka landed in the grass, everything felt off. The demon nearly crumpled to the ground, all her injuries flaring up. Okay, maybe she couldn't go heroically chasing after Krystal just yet, but she still had to do something.

"...Isaka...?"

The demon lifted her head up at the sound of a familiar voice. Cold and unsure, but still just as kind as she remembered. Isaka pushed herself up off the grass and looked behind her.

On the deck, illuminated by what little moonlight was in the sky, sat Krystal. Or at least, what Isaka thought for sure was Krystal. "Are you in a hurry somewhere?" Krystal asked, looking at where Isaka lay in the grass. "You might be... a little too hurt for that."

"Krystal," Isaka breathed. She stood up and went over to her. The closer she got, the stranger everything felt.

Krystal looked nearly the same as she always did, but her hair was lighter and her eyes seemed to be going from blue into a lighter shade. Her skin looked smoother than before, almost like that of a statue. Everything about her seemed unearthly.

"You just went running past me," Krystal said.

"I was looking for you," Isaka said. "I must not have noticed-"

"Because I hid myself," Krystal said.

"I should have looked around the deck before running like that," the demon said, trying to laugh.

"You wouldn't have seen me," Krystal whispered.

Isaka stopped right in front of Krystal and reached for her. "Krystal-"

The blonde recoiled, bringing her legs up to chest. "Isaka... it's because not even you can see fiends."

Isaka let her hands drop to her sides. "No, you're not..."

"I came out here because I'm scared I'm going to hurt someone," Krystal said.

"If you're scared, then you can't be a fiend," Isaka said. "If you still have your emotions, then you'll be fine."

"I don't feel fine," Krystal said, burying her face in her knees. "I feel so... so..."

Isaka reached out again, but before her hand could even graze Krystal, the young woman was suddenly gone. Isaka stood there, stunned. Krystal wasn't sitting on the deck anymore.

"I feel so powerful," Krystal's voice came from behind her. "But I'm so hungry. I can't keep myself from wanting light energy."

Isaka clenched her fist, bringing it back to herself. "So you can finish it?"

"So I can become the beautiful fiend I know I can be," Krystal said, leaning forward and letting her head rest against Isaka's back. "So I can become perfect."

When Krystal wrapped her arms around Isaka, the demon could feel the revulsion hit her in full force. She wanted nothing more than to run away and save herself from the overwhelming presence holding her. Isaka placed one of her hands over Krystal's and squeezed.

"When I'm perfect, I'll stop feeling this way," Krystal whispered. "Even now, I can feel all my emotions slip away and change. It's like my mind is buried in an ocean and everything I care about is being swept away."

Isaka winced as she felt her injuries burn. But when she looked down, she realized Krystal's hands glowing with energy. The demon could feel her cuts and wounds stitching themselves back together, slowly but surely.

"I want to keep all these feelings," Krystal said. "I don't want them to be frivolous because I..."

Isaka turned around in her grasp. "You don't have to lose anything. You can fight it," Isaka said, placing her hands on Krystal's shoulders. "Just like you're doing now."

Krystal looked up at her with such a blank look of sorrow that Isaka felt anger blossom inside of her. She should have protected her. If she had been stronger, if she had beaten Adrian, if she hadn't put Krystal in that position... No... if she had been at Krystal's side the entire time, then none of this would have happened. Or maybe, if Isaka had never been at her side at all, Krystal would have been spared.

"I can't become a demon like you," Krystal said, laying her head against Isaka's chest. "A part of me wants to purify all the darkness inside of you."

"And a part of me wants to run far away," Isaka admitted.

"Maybe we're both kind of foolish?" Krystal suggested.

"More than maybe," Isaka scoffed. "Definitely."

Krystal pulled away from her and took a few steps back, toward the forest. "Isaka, I am going to hurt everyone, eventually."

"No, you're not," Isaka said, following her. "You're still you, fiend or not."

"I-"

"You sacrificed your humanity so you could use your fiendish powers to save Hoshi," Isaka said.

"That was before I-"

"You're healing my wounds, even though you want to exorcise more than anything," Isaka continued.

Krystal looked away from her. "I'm scared."

"Fiends don't get scared."

"They become lonely." Krystal turned away and began to walk into the forest.

"Wait," Isaka said, jogging after her. When she caught up, Krystal clumsily reached out for her hand.

"...so I don't fall," Krystal sputtered out.

"I guess they should add balance to the list of skills you get when you become a fiend," Isaka said.

Krystal let out a long sigh and to Isaka, it sounded the same as always.

"I'm sorry," Isaka said.

"No, it's kind of a funny joke-"

"For not protecting you."

"You don't need to protect me," Krystal said, walking along the forest path. "I was the one who wanted to protect you."

"I put revenge ahead of everything else," Isaka said. "Ahead of you."

"I will always want to protect you," Krystal said.

After some time of walking, Isaka realized where they were walking straight toward her manor. "Krystal?"

"...I want to be alone with you," Krystal whispered.

Isaka squeezed her hand and eyed the back of Krystal's head. "Are you blushing?"

The nervous and frantic "No!" she received made her heart feel at ease.

"I want to be alone with you too," Isaka said, moving closer to her.

Once they arrived at the manor and passed the squeaky waist-high gate, Krystal took Isaka around to the back. The demon frowned, knowing exactly what would be there. Krystal stopped in front of Cassandra's grave, where there were now the fragments of her sword lying atop the grass. Isaka took a deep breath, looking at the wooden cross and fresh flowers beneath the metal shards.

"A lot has happened, hasn't it?" Krystal asked, reaching into her pocket. She took out the fragment of Cassandra's sword she had found in Hell's Gate, the bluish metal almost glowing in her hands.

"A lot before we ever met and a lot in the past few days," Isaka admitted.

Krystal crouched down and placed the fragment on the grave. "...Tsuru was never under the control of the Demon Lord, was she?"

"No," Isaka said. "It was her plan to draw out Lux Cipher and to destroy the Demon Lord's power. She thought that if you purified it, that would cause you to use up most of the fiend's power instead of letting it build up in your soul. Obviously, her plan didn't quite work out because they were stronger than we thought."

Krystal stood back up. "So she destroyed Cassandra's sword, knowing that you..."

"Tsuru wants me to move on," Isaka said. "She doesn't want me to stay in the past."

"What do you want?" Krystal asked.

"To be with you," Isaka said, without even a pause. She looked over at Krystal, who was still focused on the grave. "That's all I want."

"I'm scared of the future," Krystal said.

"Why?" Isaka asked.

"Because that's what I want, too."

The first drop of rain fell between them, but it couldn't obscure the shy smile on Krystal's face and the light blush on her cheeks. Fiend or not, the young woman next to Isaka was still the person she had fallen for. Isaka crossed the distance between them and cupped Krystal's cheeks. As she leaned down the kiss her, she could feel the raindrops hitting them. For a moment, Krystal's skin felt cold and her lips numb, but then there was warmth and comfort, all the things that two young women had missed.

Isaka pulled back for a moment. "This feels really familiar," she joked.

"Yeah," Krystal sighed. "Minus the rain."

"It's dampening the mood," Isaka agreed.

"And this would be the second time making out in front of Cassandra's grave," Krystal added.

Isaka visibly winced, even in the obscure sheets of rain.

"Sorry," Krystal whispered.

"No, it's... uh..." Isaka looked around as the rain continued. "Go inside?"

The two young women ran to the front door of the manor, piling inside, dripping wet. As Isaka laughed, she could hear Krystal's giggles as well. Even if in the light of the manor Krystal looked less human, she still sounded the same, acted the same...

"What is it?" Krystal asked as Isaka looked at her.

"Nothing important," Isaka said, pushing some of Krystal's wet hair away from her face. "I think we should get you out of those wet clothes."

Krystal gave her an exasperated shove as she walked further into the manor, heading to the staircase. "You're never going to let me live down that near frostbite experience, are you?"

Isaka chuckled at the fond memory. "You can take the shower in my room and I'll take one in the guest bathroom."

Krystal paused at the bottom of the steps, glancing over at her.

"You're staying the night here, aren't you?" Isaka asked, putting a hand on the staircase railing.

"Yeah," Krystal murmured, walking up the stairs.

"Everyone trusts you," Isaka said. "They know you wouldn't hurt them."

"I know."

"So you don't have to feel like you have to sleep here to protect them," Isaka said.

Krystal stopped at the top of the staircase, waiting for Isaka. "But I..."

Isaka placed a hand on the small of Krystal's back as they walked down the hallway. "Not that I mind spending time with you all to myself."

They separated as Isaka walked into the guest room and Krystal continued down to Isaka's room. After a moment, Krystal stuck her head into the guest room.

"I want to stay over to be with you, not because I'm worried about everyone else," Krystal said. Before Isaka could do a double-take and ask Krystal exactly what she meant, the blonde had scurried down the hallway and shut the door, leaving the demon to embarrassingly go shower.

When Krystal turned on the lights in Isaka's room, she let out the breath she'd been holding. As she walked toward the bathroom, she peeled off her wet clothes, the cold hardly bothering her. She set them near Isaka's laundry hamper as she walked into the bathroom, a clean towel already waiting. Krystal flicked on the lights and instead of squinting, she felt all her senses heighten. She thought that everything would become dull as a fiend, but the smell of the body wash, shampoo... even of Isaka overwhelmed her in that moment. She took in every facet of the bathroom, every nook and cranny, every imperfection and well-designed feature.

Krystal braced herself in the doorway, shutting her eyes and trying to calm herself. Or maybe she was too calm. She placed a hand over her abdomen, feeling the gnawing hunger deep inside her. All her soul wanted was more holy energy to repair itself. She could feel the fissure where the fiend erupted trying to stitch itself back together. Her entire body was trying to readjust now that she... Krystal looked over at her right hand, at her daintily trimmed nails. She could maintain a human form just like Siren, couldn't she?

She straightened up and entered the bathroom, starting the water in the shower. As she waited for the water to heat up, she looked at herself in the mirror. The color of her hair, her eyes, her skin... She leaned on the counter, trying to recognize herself. She knew her looks would only change with time and that maybe Siren was right – she would become more beautiful. But even Krystal could see the sorrow behind her increasingly fiendish visage. She turned away with another sigh on her lips and the warm feeling of tears billowing in her eyes.

Krystal stepped into the shower, but the hot water couldn't make all her icy thoughts and worries slip away. She concentrated on the swirling drain, wondering if that's what all her emotions would become. Would she stop caring for her family? For her friends? For Isaka? She closed her eyes, thinking of her soul once again. All of her raw power was now that of a fiend's, but... Krystal was the fiend. The young woman in the life spring had always been her. Even now, that innocent power inside of her ebbed and flowed, being engulfed by her newfound fiend energy, but also changing it. Maybe she could choose the kind of fiend she would be.

Siren had said that there was always a choice.

When Krystal stepped out of the shower with only a towel wrapped around herself, Isaka was already there, retrieving clothes from an open drawer. "I forgot to get you a change of clothes," the demon explained, glancing at her for just a moment. Isaka herself was already dressed in a tank top and shorts, presumably ready for bed.

Krystal held the towel tighter around herself as Isaka set the clothes down on the bed. "You take fast showers," she said.

"...you were in there for 30 minutes," Isaka said. "I got a little worried that I'd forgotten a towel or..."

"It was a nice shower," Krystal sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed and shutting her eyes.

Isaka took the towel from around her own shoulders and walked over to Krystal. She stood over the blonde as she began to dry her hair. "I'm glad. It's nice to just be able to relax."

"Yeah..." Krystal opened her eyes and tilted her head up, looking at Isaka. "Do I make you sick?"

"What?" Isaka let the towel drop around Krystal's shoulders.

"Because of all my light energy."

Isaka struggled to give her a smile. "It hurts and my instincts tell me one thing when my heart says another."

Krystal reached out and grabbed one of Isaka's hands. "Even now?"

Isaka let her hand glow with dark energy. Krystal winced and retracted her hand. "Do you remember?" Isaka asked. "How our powers react?"

Krystal took a deep breath and placed her hand back in Isaka's. "Yes."

For a moment, their energies resonated, creating a different, almost dreamlike, energy. "That's what we're like," Isaka said. "If we can still do that, then I'm not scared at all."

Krystal smiled and squeezed Isaka's hand. "Isaka, I..."

The demon swooped down and kissed her. It was short because when Isaka pulled away, she said, "Krystal, I'll always want to be with you, no matter what."

Krystal could feel the blush come onto her face, the heat so human and full of emotion. Not even her blossoming fiendish being could drown it out. Krystal reached out for Isaka, wrapping her hands around the demon's neck and pulling her closer. They kissed again and again, until it wasn't clear where one started and the other ended.

When the pajamas fell off the bed by accident, Isaka pulled away. "I should let you get dressed," the demon said, her face flushed.

Isaka stood up and so did Krystal. "Maybe in the morning," Krystal suggested.

The demon froze, in the middle of bending over to retrieve the clothing. "What?"

Krystal stood by her, embarrassed. "I don't think I need them right now."

Isaka stared at her. The towel, the drops of moisture still on her, Krystal's shy face. The demon promptly straightened up, leaving the clothes on the ground. "You don't? Why?"

Krystal looked away, holding the towel tighter to herself. "I mean I... well, I thought we... you know..."

"I'm not really sure what you mean."

Krystal turned back to her, exasperated, but all she was greeted with was a mischievous smile from Isaka. Krystal rolled her eyes. "You're awful, you know that?"

"What?" Isaka laughed, going over to her. "I'm just not sure what my innocent little exorcist wants with an evil demon like me."

"...I'm not an exorcist anymore," Krystal murmured.

Isaka placed her hands on Krystal's shoulders, her earlier mirth fading away. "I don't care about that."

"If being a fiend means I lose my feelings for you..." Krystal took a deep breath and looked into Isaka's eyes. They seemed to be the most comforting shade of purple that she could ever hope for. They glimmered with so much affection that Krystal had to swallow the lump in her throat. "Then I want to be with you now, while I can still feel."

"Alright," Isaka said, cupping her cheek and resting her forehead against Krystal's.

"...I love you, Isaka."

Isaka's eyes fluttered shut and only the smallest of smiles graced her lips. "Ah, you beat me to it," she whispered. "I really thought I'd be the first to say it."

Krystal watched as a small tear squeezed out of one of Isaka's eyes, trailing down her cheek, all the way to her chin. Krystal wiped it away.

"...how embarrassing," Isaka sighed, pulling away and opening her eyes. Her cheeks were bright red.

"Isaka..."

"I love you too, Krystal," Isaka said. "For at least as long as you've loved me."

"For that long?" Krystal teased, feeling a deep, fluttery feeling inside of her.

"And then some," Isaka added. "And I will, for much longer."

"You don't have to promise me-"

Isaka silenced her with a kiss. "I know. I don't want to think of the future because I want to think of right now."

Krystal fumbled with her towel and as she untied it, it dropped to the floor. "You have to take your clothes off, too."

"Really? I could just leave them on," Isaka suggested.

Krystal slapped her in the shoulder. "I'm getting embarrassed!"

"I already got a nice look while saving you from frostbite," Isaka teased, hugging Krystal close to her.

Krystal found the clothing an uneccesary barrier keeping her from the warmth and touch of her demon. "Isaka..."

Isaka pushed her toward the bed until she was sitting on it, with the demon hovering over her. Isaka removed her tank top and leaned down for another kiss. Krystal wanted more and pulled Isaka down to her, the demon sighing in her ear. As Krystal fumbled with Isaka's shorts, the demon whispered, "So, is this our second date or..."

Krystal erupted with laughter, pulling on the waistband of Isaka's shorts and letting it snap back. The demon let out a yelp before pouncing on her. What started as tickling and play wrestling quickly turned into gentle caresses and knowing hands, the rest of Isaka's clothes quickly falling victim to their movements. Krystal's laughter turned into quickened breaths. She looked up at the demon towering over her, Isaka's loving eyes and scheming expression. Krystal reached up, running a hand through Isaka's hair.

"How does it feel?" Isaka asked.

"Nice," Krystal sighed. "Embarrassing."

Isaka leaned down, giving her gentle kisses on her cheek, her forehead, her nose. She placed a chaste one on Krystal's lips. "That's natural."

"I love you," Krystal whispered.

"I love you, too." Isaka kissed her harder and Krystal pulled her closer, wishing that this feeling could stay with her always and that the warmth of their bodies would be enough to drown out the cold bubbling up inside of her soul.

Abby walked down the hallway and opened the door to a bedroom, already made and cleaned. She turned around to look at Hina. "This will be your room for a little while."

Hina stood by her, dejected. She tried her best to smile. "It looks great."

"If you get lonely or anything happens, you can always come to my room or go to Eveon's," Abby said.

"Uh-huh," Hina said, stepping inside. She sat down on the bed, running her hands over the duvet.

"Carmilla said she would bring by your things in the next few days," Abby said. "You can borrow some of Eveon's clothes until then."

"Alright," Hina said. "I guess I'll shower first then go to sleep."

"Really... if you really need anything, don't be afraid to let us know." Abby walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Hina looked away. "I'll be fine. It really is a nice room and I'm happy you're letting me stay."

"Yeah." Abby sighed and pulled away. "Good night, Hina."

"Good night, Abby."

Abby left, shutting the door behind her. She took a deep breath and walked down the hall to her own bedroom. When she entered, she found Sakura sitting on the edge of the bed, solemn.

"It's been a rough day," Abby said. "Hina will be with us for a while."

Sakura didn't appear to be listening, but she nodded anyways.

"...I know losing to Lux Cipher is hard, but at least everyone survived," Abby said. "But that's not what's bothering you."

Abby sat down next to Sakura, looking at her expectantly. "Are you sure you do not have eyes from Purgatory?" Sakura finally said, turning to her.

"You're preoccupied with something," Abby said. "Anyone would be able to see that."

"What I am going to tell you... you cannot tell anyone else," Sakura said. "Not until I find out exactly what is going on."

"Alright," Abby whispered, reaching out to tuck some of Sakura's hair behind her ear. "What is it?"

"I talked to you before about Tycara when she was a child," Sakura said. "But I never went into much detail because it did not matter who was involved."

Sakura clenched her fists, bunching up the fabric on the skirt of her dress. "When I was still a young angel, I lived on the outskirts of our city because I disliked conformity."

"You were a rebel," Abby teased.

Sakura smiled to herself. "I suppose. My brother thought so." She let out a small laugh. "That is how I met Tycara's father."

"Mm-hmm," Abby hummed, reaching out to touch some of the feathers in Sakura's angel wings.

"And you know that we were briefly lovers before I decided not to go with him to his home," Sakura said. "But at that same time, I was engaged to another angel that my brother had introduced me to. When Tycara's father and I separated, my fiancé still wanted to be with me. His only condition was that I give up my child for adoption."

"But you kept Tycara and didn't marry him," Abby filled in.

"He was a kind man, but prone to harsh judgments and anger," Sakura said. "I did not love him. I hardly thought of him as I raised Tycara."

Abby listened, thinking. Sakura seemed to grow more and more concerned. Abby placed a hand on her shoulder, but Sakura stood up.

"Tycara, as a hybrid and illegitimate child, was not allowed inside the city," Sakura said. "One day, when she was playing with other angel children, she got lost and wandered into the city during a festival."

Sakura walked over to the window, holding herself. "Some of the angels tried to help her find me because we were supposed to watch the festival lights from our house. The man I had once been engaged was one of those angels. When he asked for her mother's name, she told him."

Abby stood up, going to her. "Sakura, none of that was your fault. Whatever he did-"

"He started to beat her, in front of everyone," Sakura said. "Cursing her, calling her names. Taking out all of his anger on her because of me."

Abby reached out and hugged her from behind, burying her face in one of Sakura's wings. "That's when Tycara lost control because she was trying to defend herself," Abby said.

"When I got there, I chose to kill her so she would stop," Sakura said. "And he was right there, horrified."

"Then that's all his fault," Abby said. "Tycara did her best and so did you, so I don't want you to hold on to that-"

Sakura turned around to face Abby. Her eyes were not full of tears or anger like Abby expected. They were solemn red eyes that met her own. Sakura cupped Abby's cheeks. "Before I left to cast myself into Purgatory, he chased me down, trying to apologize and trying to get me to return to him now that Tycara was gone."

"...how awful," Abby whispered.

"I chose to forget all about him," Sakura said. "Like many other memories of my past life."

There was a pause and Sakura took a deep breath. She looked away, thinking, before turning back to Abby. "You cannot tell anyone else that my former fiancé is the so-called Emperor of Lux Cipher."

"What?" Abby asked, confused.

"The angel I was engaged to, the man I knew as Adrian of the angel city Lucius, is the same man who fought Isaka, Tsuru, and Krystal at Hell's Gate," Sakura said.

"Sakura, that's... not good at all, is it?" Abby asked, holding her close.

"He recognized me," Sakura said. "I do not know how he has lived this long, but I need to find out what he is doing with Lux Cipher."

"Do you think he's still trying to hurt Tycara?" Abby asked.

"I worry that there is more at stake than just her," Sakura said, letting her head rest on Abby's shoulder.

"...I won't tell anyone. For now," Abby said. "But don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"I need to know if he is still the same man," Sakura murmured. As they held each other, Abby could see the faint light in their room play off the feathers of Sakura's wings. No one had mentioned Adrian being an angel to her. The man had been described as a person with exceptional light powers. Abby couldn't help but feel the first tendril of worry curl up deep inside of herself. She could feel Sakura tremble in her grasp and Abby knew she wasn't the only one concerned.

Eric Ackhart enjoyed many things in life, namely video games, milkshakes, and cute girls. However, as the 23 year-old looked out the glass doors of the office building to the walkway that spanned in front of him, he decided to add rain to his growing list of things that he did not like. In fact, he would also want to add uncovered walkways to that list as well. Hell, why not add stupid meetings? He looked down at his white lab coat, wondering if it would protect his t-shirt, jeans, and ultimately frail self from being doused by the rain outside.

With lab documents in one hand and milkshake in the other, Eric wondered about whether he should just turn back and get one of the guards or other workers to lend him an umbrella. He took a long sip of his vanilla milkshake, almost wanting to sigh as the first slurping sound hit his ears. He would be out of his treat soon. He let out a long sigh and swiped his keycard by the security doors. He pulled the doors open with his milkshake-occupied hand and trotted outside, trying to cover his head with his documents.

It felt like an eternity in the cold rain before he made the short distance to the other, smaller, business building. He fumbled again with his keycard opening the doors. He burst in with a sigh of relief, taking a triumphant swig of his milkshake. Once it ran out, he chucked it in the wastebasket right by the door and started walking down the empty hallway. The large outside windows were made of tinted glass, the water falling in sheets down them. The sound was almost soothing, if not clashing with the squeaking of Eric's sneakers as he continued to walk.

A young woman stood in the hallway, looking out one of the windows. She had her black gloved hand pressed against the glass, a melancholic and thoughtful look on her face. Her black hair barely brushed her shoulders and her equally dark eyes remained focused on the rain outside. She wore a dark, slim fitting jacket and tight pants tucked into black boots, looking like an eerie specter if not for her ivory skin and light pink lips. There had been times when Eric had mistaken her for a young man due to her tall, slender figure, but the smooth curve of her jawline and unearthly beauty proved him otherwise.

"Jeez, Aidoneous," Eric called out. "You look like a GQ model standing there."

Aidoneous turned to Eric before cracking a kind-hearted smile. "Androgyny is a much better look than dripping wet."

Eric ran a hand through his auburn hair, trying to shake some of the water out of it. "Not my fault that our stupid organization can't afford a cover over the walkway. Why don't we have our top secret meetings underground?"

"Maybe you should bring it up at the next meeting," Aidoneous suggested, putting her hands in her pockets. She tilted her head in the direction of his documents. "Unless the proposal is too wet to be read."

Eric rolled his eyes. "You know they're pushing for digital."

"All for the better," Aidoneous said. "Cuts down on my paperwork."

"Sure, Ms. Sketchy Internal Affairs," Eric laughed. "You have hardly the workload that the rest of us had."

"I spent an hour scanning documents yesterday," she said. "And then... the copy machine decided not to email any of them to me."

"Yikes. West Quad?"

Aidoneous nodded. "Next time I'm just taking the walk to North or I'll bring a flash drive."

"That one craps out on me all the time too," Eric sighed. "I've been trying to get a lot of data analyzed, especially after all the hacks we've been going through."

"It's no one on the inside," Aidoneous said. "I haven't been involved in the investigation, but it seems like there have been multiple attacks on our compounds."

"But that's not what the meeting today is going to be on," Eric said. "I haven't heard much yet, have you?"

"Only a bit," Aidoneous admitted. "But it's going to change everything."

Eric gave her a skeptical look. "What?"

"...don't worry about it," Aidoneous said, giving him a smile. "Actually, the meeting is going to start soon."

"That's right," Eric said, looking at his watch. "Thanks for waiting on me, by the way. Sucks being the last one going in and everyone just stares like a bunch of creeps when it's us newbies."

Aidoneous looked away, embarrassed. "Oh, yeah. Of course I was waiting on you."

Before Eric could ask her what she meant, the doors to the building opened. There was the clacking of high-heeled boots on the floor and Eric rolled his eyes. He could see Aidoneous looking over him to the newcomer. Eric turned around, a sour look on his face. Of course Aidoneous hadn't been waiting for him.

Walking toward them was a young woman, the apex of feminine beauty, with long lilac hair and matching eyes, a trench coat over her midriff top. On her navel was an intricate tattoo, symbolizing something both powerful and mysterious inside her body. As she got closer to them, her expression grew just as sour as Eric's. She flipped her hair, droplets flying out of it.

"Good evening, Lilith," Aidoneous said, a fond smile on her face.

"Evening," Lilith breathed, walking past them with nary a glance. "Stop standing around like fools."

"You're such an asshole," Eric said to her.

Aidoneous looked away as Lilith turned around on the heel of her boots. "Oh, I'm the asshole?"

"Uh, yeah," Eric said. "Even your number one fan thinks that."

"You're projecting," Aidoneous said.

Lilith ignored Aidoneous and kept her anger focused on Eric. "You're the one who has been blocking my motions and trying to order me around! I can't get anything done without going above you to get approval."

"I outrank you," Eric said. "You have to listen to me, not to mention that I'm your doctor."

"And you're such a shitty doctor!"

"Because you don't take your medicine or come in for checkups! You just spend your days murdering and whoring-"

"How many times have I told you I'm not a whore?" Lilith screamed.

"She doesn't fit the definition," Aidoneous said. Lilith briefly gave her a stern glance and Aidoneous smiled back.

"But you're still a murderer," Eric said.

Lilith let out an exasperated sigh and turned back around, furiously walking away. "You're going to be late to the meeting," she called out.

"Then we better get going," Aidoneous said, patting Eric on the shoulder. "And you should really not use gendered language as an insult."

"But she's..."

"It's demeaning to talk to women like that. When referring to Lilith, try prickly or jerk," Aidoneous suggested. "Or, my favorite, misunderstood."

"Aidoneous, she's a bad person," Eric deadpanned.

"There we go, I knew you could do it," Aidoneous said, trotting on ahead to catch up with Lilith.

"I'll come up with better insults," Eric sighed to himself, following the pair into the conference room.

When he entered, everyone turned to look at him, but luckily, Aidoneous was still standing. She motioned to a set of chairs and the two friends sat down next to each other. Eric looked around the room, noting familiar faces and some newcomers. Lilith walked over to front of the room, taking her rightful place on the left hand side of the head of the table. Sitting there, brooding, was Adrian. Saiya stood behind him and off to the side, like any dutiful servant would.

Adrian looked up once everyone was seated. "In this past day, I have learned that the same people behind Eska's defeat were also some of the same people attacking our various Brae-affiliated compounds," he said. "While they managed to force our hand in regards to the Demon Lord, the Paranormal Defense Force came through for us. I believe we have Raphael Alexis's constant cooperation to thank for that."

To Adrian's right sat an imposing older man with slicked back gray hair and a matching goatee – the former Director of the PDF. In a brusque voice, he said, "We did not capture any of them and they may have purified some of the Demon Lord, but the defection of most PDF resources to Lux Cipher has been successful." He turned to the seat next to him, where Gabriel sat. He clapped a hand on his son's shoulder. "Gabriel retrieved a large portion of the Demon Lord's power for our use."

There was the click of a pen and everyone's attention turn to a woman sitting in the middle of the table, taking notes. Her brown hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail and her yellow eyes flickered over her square frame glasses to Raphael. "It's a shame that you didn't capture any new specimens, but I'm sure I will enjoy the samples brought over by the PDF," she said. She flickered her gaze to Eric. "And I'm positive Dr. Ackhart will help process the data as well as see to the well-being of any new subjects."

"Whatever you say, Dr. Chimera," he muttered, writing himself a note. Aidoneous gave him a nudge with her elbow.

"Dr. Mera or just Kylie is preferred," the woman laughed. "Dr. Chimera has a nice ring to it."

Eric felt his skin crawl and swore that he saw a forked tongue in her mouth. "How about just Chimera?"

"Eric," Adrian said.

The young man looked to the head of the table where Adrian was watching him. "...yeah?" He could see Aidoneous grow ever so slightly nervous next to him. Lilith looked plain annoyed.

"Chimera would be a nice name," Adrian finally said, sitting back in his seat.

The newly christened Chimera laughed some more, writing notes on her paper. Aidoneous let out a sigh and Eric went back to looking around the room, trying to seem disinterested rather than concerned.

"For now," Adrian said. "We'll push forward with our plans. We don't need to go after this group just yet."

"...we don't?" Gabriel piped up. Raphael shook his head at his son.

"With the Demon Lord's power in our grasp, we succeeded," Adrian said. "Take no action toward them unless I explicitly condone it. I have some personal business to take care of first."

This piqued everyone's interest in the room. Lilith gave him a confused look, but he didn't acknowledge her.

"But first, we should give the Demon Lord's power to its rightful owner," Adrian said.

A metal, clawed hand tapped against the table. The lithe prosthetic belonged to an equally lither person, with the aura of a sadistic killer. The young woman sitting at the table grinned, her fanged teeth shining brightly. Eric shuddered and glanced over at Aidoneous who looked unnerved. The two friends shared a look before their attention went back to the maroon-haired demon.

Jezebel tapped her prosthetic clawed hand again on the table, each of her fingertips moving gracefully. "I'm happy to finally become the Demon Lord," she said with a giggle.

"There is the other heir who has the Demon Blade to consider," Adrian said.

Saiya chimed in from behind him. "Sorry master. In all the ruckus, I forgot to retrieve it from that woman Tsuru."

"No worries," Jezebel said, playing with a strand of her hair. "I'm more interested in the silver-haired exorcist you three encountered."

"She's probably dead," Gabriel scoffed. "Adrian offed her on the spot."

Adrian smiled. "I'm sure Krystal saved her in time. What are you thinking, Jezebel?"

Jezebel straightened up in her seat. "Oh, I'm just excited about my own personal business. How about in exchange for not getting the Demon Blade and letting some of the Demon Lord get purified, you allow me to pay an old friend a visit?"

"I have the same thought on my mind," Adrian said, smiling fondly to himself. "Meeting dismissed. Saiya will email each of you your specific duties as we enter into a new phase of our plans. We're getting closer to the new world we've all imagined."

Eric scooted his chair closer to Aidoneous as the others began to leave the room. Saiya and Adrian stayed behind, Lilith whispering something to Adrian. Eric looked down at his documents, rifling through them. One of the folders contained data on Isaka, Tsuru, and Krystal. Eric jumped when Aidoneous brought her hand down on the folder.

"How about I buy you a milkshake and we discuss this?" Aidoneous suggested.

"You had me at milkshake," Eric chuckled, trying to hide his nervousness as he stood up. He glanced back at Adrian and the blond was staring directly at Aidoneous.

Aidoneous herself had an uncharacteristically stern expression on her face. The tense moment passed. Adrian went back to talking with Lilith and Aidoneous gave Eric a nudge.

"...you know, things are only going to get more difficult," Aidoneous said as they exited the room, the rest of Lux Cipher having already dispersed.

Eric clutched his documents close. "I just have to process data and treat patients. There's not much else that's changed. I imagine Internal Affairs is going to be a mess soon, especially with the PDF filing in."

Aidoneous looked out the windows, at the rain still pouring down them. The shadows of the rain from the glass played against her face, giving her that eerie, somber look that always unnerved Eric. He stood next to her, waiting until she was done.

"There's plenty that we can do, Eric," Aidoneous finally said. "Just you wait."

End