Colin's posts

"Sorry." he apologised.

"Recent change. Temporary. Cleaning up down here and don't want things suddenly appearing." he told her.

"Again, sorry." he apologised.

"Attic area." he then told her.

"Whatever it is... should be up there." he went on.

"I'll go get it."

When she made her way to the basement, she saw her son there.

"Eh?" he muttered, looking at her.

"Oh, hey Mom." he greeted her.

"What brings you here?" he asked.

"Something wrong?" he asked further.

"You look like you're looking for something."

Jerren was silent, before glaring at her, and stepping through the rift.

"I won't ask." Zeke muttered.

"For now, thank you." he told her.

"I'll get this to Angela ASAP." he went on.

"It certainly couldn't have been easy to get." he then reasoned.

"Again, thank you so much, Aunt Lilim."

"Ah, yes, thank you." Zeke replied.

"I'm sure this will help save Anya's life." he told her.

That name seemed to elicit a response from Jerren.

A visual one, anyway.

"....seems he doesn't like that name." Zeke muttered, before seeing the broken horn.

"....ah, I get it." he said.

"You want me to try and get something to... cover up his demon-ness?" he asked her.

"Make him look more human, like Azazel?"

Thankfully, Lex had just finished whatever he was doing and had cleaned up.

He wasn't in the room at the moment, but the mana that she was giving off, as well as the rocks she held, would attract him.

Got it. she received in response.

Sure enough, about 5 seconds later, Zeke appeared in the corner of the room.

"....!" Jerren almost yelled out upon seeing him, but Lilim's command stopped him.

"What the!?" Zeke exclaimed, seeing him.

"What's goin' on here?" he asked.

Ronad just sighed.

"Great. THEM." he growled.

"Fair enough." he then said.

"Regardless, get going." he told her, before looking at the lesser demon that was still there... and unceremoniously obliterating him with a blast of powerful mana.

"Good riddance." he muttered.

"Gonna be busy cleaning up the dregs of his that remain." he went on.

"But it'll be a GOOD kinda busy." he went on, cracking his knuckles.

"Regardless. GO." he practically ordered Lilim. She could tell he was... a little irritated, but he wouldn't follow her or anything. The sooner she scrammed, the better.

"Ah... ah..." Jerren stammered.

"You heard the lady." Ronad said.

Jerren responded by immediately jumping through the rift.

"And YOU." Ronad then said to Lilim.

"I will forget I saw you." he told her.

"But don't push your luck." he warned.

"This is no longer a place for you."

The newcomer just laughed.

It was low... dark... and confident.

"My little brother is nothing when compared to me." he said, as he approached them.

"That's right!" Jerren agreed.

"He's way stronger than me, and he'll definitely be able to see to it that you-" he continued, as Ronad got close enough to the two of them... only to backhand his little brother with enough force to send him to the ground.

"Shut up." he hissed.

"You're a disgrace to the family. Always have been." he went on.

"Being wed to Lilim was the only use you would have had. With her exile, she's of no use to us. And neither are YOU." he growled.

"Keep him." he then told Lilim.

"We don't care if we ever see him again."

For a brief moment, he seemed like a hollow husk of his former self... but as soon as the other horn was attached, he regained his faculties.

And she now saw the reality of his situation sinking in, and the despair in his eyes.

"No..." he said. "No, no, no..." he repeated.

"This can't be...!" he went on, as the thought of serving a male... let alone a half-demon male... sunk it. It would be the ultimate humiliation.

However, before either of them could say anything, they heard slow clapping from behind them both.

"Well done." another male voice said.

"Big brother!" Jerren exclaimed.

LIlim knew that voice, too. It was Ronad, and he was nothing like Jerren. He was actually on the same level as her, and having to fight him would probably not end well. The fact that he managed to show up without either her or Jerren noticing until now spoke of the level he was at.

That's when she saw his eyes turn to absolute terror and dispair.

He knew what that meant.

"NO!" he yelled.

"NO, STOP!" he pleaded.

"STOP! I'M SORRY!" he yelled further, as he then tried to pry her hands off of his horns.

But to no avail.

She had a firm grip on them, and wasn't letting go.

"NO!!!" he then yelled out in sheer desperation, and started to build up his mana to try and push her away.

The gravity of his situation suddenly occurred to him.

And his expression changed to that of panic.

Sheer terror and panic.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." he said.

"I, I was too hasty!" he told her.

"I was wrong! I didn't mean it!" he protested.

"Please! Just think about this!" he pleaded.

"I'll stop everything! Okay?" he asked, clearing starting to bargain now.

He was weak. His influence was everything, and right now... he realised he had NO power here.

Jerren just narrowed his eyes.

"You have NO influence here." he said.

"Any moves you make against me WILL result in more people looking for you." he went on, as he approached.

"You made a mistake coming here." he continued.

"I don't care what you think." he went on.

"I am going to murder that human you've attached yourself to, and take you as what you rightfully are! MINE!" he declared.

"What do I want?" Jerren asked in response.

"Simple." he said.

"You." he told her.

"You were promised to me by your mother." he went on.

"...and I always get what I'm promised." he continued, his voice darker in tone now.

"I did good, yes?" the lesser demon asked him.

"Just shut up before you ruin the minor good graces you've managed to accrue." Jerren snapped.

The lesser demon watched as she grabbed some of the rocks, and then started to take a few steps back.

And then some more.

Before she could really say or do anything, she heard a male voice from behind her.

"...Lilim." they said.

"So good to see you again." they said further.

She knew that voice sickeningly well.

Jerren.

He was a demon that she had been intended to join with as his 'bride', so that her mother could form more partnerships with other demonic families of 'nobility', for her planned coup of Hell.