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foxydivaxx · 5 years ago

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Abel and Cain Chapter 1

This is the Blue Exorcist fic I have been working on lately that will lead to the anime Titans story. It is an AU of sorts and explores the dark facets of Rin and Yukio's personalities. This chapter is told from Yukio's POV mostly. This takes place after Rin's powers are exposed. I originally named this fic Abel and Cain

YUKIO's POV

I sigh to myself as I walk out of the conference room haven been briefed about the , all these formalities and nonsensical bureaucracy is doing my head in. Thankfully I managed to slip out without Rin ever finding out. Like I would want that fool to ruin things for me and steal the spotlight like he always does. You see that is the problem with Rin; he is nothing more than an attention whore who wants the world to revolve around him and adore him. As if, when he is not just Satan's son but also the closet thing to an actual demon whilst I am nothing more than the most perfect angel the world has ever seen. The idiot exposed himself to the world so it is only natural that I make things worse for him. The boy is nowhere to be seen, not like I give a fuck. He can die for all I care. Soon, the world shall bow to me once I enact my evil diabolical plan.

Ok, now I know you all gonna be like why am I being mean to him? He deserves it tbh because I am tired of being in his shadow. Sure he downplayed his intelligence to make me shine and also has helped in the past. But little does he realize that he is helping me that way. The more the fool destroys himself, the more powerful and popular I become. Although I do not show it in public, I do enjoy and crave the attention I get from those putrid whiny bitches that throw themselves at me.

That ironically gave me an idea which I shall put into action. But before that, I need to ditch the other thorn at my side that would surely ruin my plans; Shura. Yes idiot Shura, Shura who thinks she is superior to me. Well newsflash bitch, I am hundred times way better than everyone especially her, Rin and that wretched old man that rotted in hell. Oh yeah, on that side note, that is part of why I hate Rin or rather, that is my legitimate excuse for hating Rin when in fact, I have always hated my big brother and is trying to destroy him at every cost.

Yeah I told him all was forgiven and shit but I was just toying with him. Nii-san is extremely emotional and thus that makes it easier to exploit and manipulate him like I have always done ever since we were little kids. Anyhow, I digress. Back to the main topic at hand here people. Now where was I? Oh yes...

"Excuse me guys, gonna go to the loo." I lied as convincingly as I could and slip into the bathroom. Once inside, I make sure to lock up the door. "You may come out now my underlings." I say. A massive shadow is casted across the room and out come two male demons, one is much taller than I am with red hair and the other has messy green hair. Both have horns on their heads though they do not have tails, both wearing school uniforms. These two are my brothers Iblis the King of Fire and Beelzebub the King of Insects. Yes bitches, I do have demonic powers but they were supressed till recently hence why I have managed to get away with my evil deeds and put Rin in trouble all the time. Yes all the fights the buffoon gets into are my doing plus a couple of other things.

"Must you keep on calling us that?" Beelzebub whines. Iblis smacks upside in the head. "Silence!" he barked. Beelzebub pouts. I simply rolled my eyes. "Look I did not summon you here for some prit a prat. I have a mission for you both." I say with the most deadliest smirk in place.

NORMAL POV

"Where is Okumura-san?" Konekomaru asked. Shiemi looks up. " I haven't seen him since that incident." says Shiemi. "I did see him walking along the corridors at one point but he has been skipping classes." says Shima."Let's just forget about him." says Suguro. The others just do that and pretend that he does not exist. All except Izumo who is standing outside fists clenches.Those fakeass bitches!!! How dare they treat him that way?!!! I must find him at once and bring him back. With that, she races off to find him.

Rin meanwhile was seated on the rooftop of their dorm, breaking down in tears. They have all abandoned me. he says to himself. Kuro nuzzles him. Rin don't cry. I am sure your friends would find you. he says. He nods and absentmindedly pets the cat. Without realizing it, he opens his mouth and words began to flow:

Amaimon, Mephisto and a newly revived Astaroth walk towards the Okumura brothers’ dorms. “I am sure our little brother is here.” Sure enough, they find the boy sitting on the roof in tears.

Upon seeing him in such a pitiful state, Amaimon hugs his brother without a moment of hesitation whilst Astaroth pats his head. Kuro grins. See told ya so. The poor boy was confused out of his mind. "W-what are you guys doing here?" he asked. "What else?" says Mephisto.

"What are they doing here?! And is Reiji still under the influence?!!" he yelled, pointing at both Amaimon and Astaroth. "Whoa! Calm down otouto! We mean, no harm. Honest. Plus I actually do kinda look like Reiji in human form." says Astaroth, raising his hand. Rin glares at him suspiciously. "And besides, we have been searching for you following that little incident back there." says Mephisto.

Amaimon nods."It was not my intention to fight you or anything but it seemed like some powerful force had control over me and made me not only attack you but also enabled you to expose your powers." he said.

He gaped at them. "You mean via mind control?" Rin asked. Mephisto nodded. "Even I do not know who could have done that as Amaimon was perfectly sane when we left the house." Rin thinks. Unless that perpetrator might have followed them and placed some magic charm on Amaimon to act that way. "Indeed but we need to redeem Rin's image first because I discovered that someone filmed that fight and posted it on social media." says Mephisto.

"WHAT?!" Rin shouts. "Let me ask you something Rin, have you noticed anything strange about Yukio?" asked Mephisto. Rin sighs. “Besides the fact that he distances himself from me and often acts coldly towards me, nothing else.”

Mephisto simply nods. He too has been observing Yukio’s behaviour and had grown suspicious of the boy. The increased presence of minions of their brothers Beelzebub and Iblis certainly do not help matters. Amaimon did say that he say the two around True Cross talking to Yukio once which makes Yukio look even more shadier. What could that boy be discussing with those two? And if Lucifer is involved in this, that makes it worse.

"Now otouto, we must make haste and take you out of here to somewhere where you can relax and unwind and become the man you ought to be and not what Yukio dictates you to be." he says.

Rin nods. "You do have a point there. I am tired of always playing second fiddle to that bastard." He then smirks deviously. "I want to be the man I ought to be." Amaimon pats his back. "See? This is what we wanted to tell you otouto." he said. Astaroth pats him on the back. " Now you will have to pack up though and bring both Kurikara and that familiar of yours with ya." says Mephisto. Rin nods. "Here goes nothing." he says.

Rin's POV

I sigh as soon as I reach the dorm. Yukio hasn't arrived home yet which is a blessing because I cannot stand another week of talkless days and nights with my twin. Speaking of which, said boy has been acting weird towards me, almost as if I do not exist. I do not blame him afterall, I killed Shiro Fujimoto our beloved adoptive Father plus all this stuff regarding me being Satan's Son and inheriting his flames is causing all sorts of drama for me.

Those stupid Grigori bitches put me on trial and treated me like a fucking animal. Ok, I admit to losing control of my flames but truth be told that I had no idea what happened back there and now that I think about it, Amaimon may most likely have been under some form of mind control. I mean, Mephisto did try to stop him from attacking me. Nothing adds up to be honest and for some weird reason I suspect Yukio here.

I know strange but it is true. That boy has always been suspicious. All this talk about long missions and whatnot is starting to become even more weird to me. Yes he is my brother but at the same time, let me acknowledge the abuse he has subjected me to. I was so naive to have allowed that bastard to take advantage of me for years.

Still, it is strange that these two older brothers of mine plus Mephisto are treating me nicely and seem to understand me, accepting me even better than my own twin. That alone makes me feel uneasy. My train of thoughts gets distracted by a little meow from beside me. Hurry up Rin. You need to pack up. says Kuro. I nod and begin to pack up my stuff. I bet Yukio would throw a fit when he does not see me for days though to be honest, I doubt he would even care since he hasn't been acting brotherly to me lately, probably enjoying all the popularity that he is getting now at school. It is obvious that that bitch enjoys all the attention as he treats me like I am second rate everytime especially behind the scenes but still pretends to be all nice to me in public.

Everyone thinks that I am stupid and clueless about my surroundings. Actually I am not very happy go lucky. If anything I am much darker than that and much smarter than people give me credit for. I just pretend to be stupid to hide my real self because if these bitches knew just how smart and powerful I truly am, that would scare the shit out of them.

I smile bitterly as I throw my clothes into my bag. That dream inspired by what the old man spoke to me as a kid, the words encouraging me to shape up and be the man that loads of people would admire, the hero that I aspire to be, seems almost impossible to reach now, not with the current scandal I have been hit with. I cannot help but chuckle at that word. Yes when the entire school knows about your true heritage, it is certainly one hell of a scandal. Once I am done packing, I take one final look at what has been my home for the past couple months and leave. Chances are this would be the last time Yukio and I would ever see each other again.

Anyhow, I leave that dorm and head off to meet Mephisto and the others at the car park. "I have already sorted out the mess involving people knowing about your identity." says Mephisto. "Uhm, how?" I asked. "Trust me, it's best you do not know." says Astaroth. "Anyhow, we must be off." says Mephisto. We all get into the limo and drive off.

NORMAL POV

Izumo arrives Rin’s dorm, only to find it vacated. “Oh my God....don’t tell me that I am already late...”

Before she could turn around, she gets knocked out by a mysterious person.

So there you have it guys. I originally posted this and deleted it by mistake. Thank goodness I still saved the draft of the original fic and edited some stuff in here. Might do a spinoff on Izumo.

#blue exorcist #ao no exorcist #fanfiction #rin okumura #yukio okumura #mephisto pheles #amaimon #astaroth #lucifer #shiemi moriyama #izumo kamiki #bon suguro #shima #konekomaru miwa

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lolibat · 7 years ago

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Ch. 2- How Many Parts Make a Whole?

By Lolibat, written for @imey-chan and @syphiria

AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11877003/chapters/26844207

Summary: AU long fic: What if William found out about Solomon’s soul much sooner? The last words of a father he can barely remember translates into a very different life for young William Twining. Gen fic (hinted Solomon/Dantalion as per cannon), cannon compliant, spoilers up to most recent chapter (ch. 88).

It could be comical, if the situation wasn't so dire, William thought as he sat next to a still-pale Kelvin and across a still-gobsmacked demon lord. Kevin was oddly tense, he thought as he observed his normally placid butler. Solomon was fully awake now, for sure. He could feel his mentor's presence stir from his mind. He couldn't quite see through their shared pair of eyes, but he could still observe to the best of his capability.

"How- how do you know me?" Dantalion asked uncertainly, despite being in no place to demand answers of any sort. He was seated in a rather bare dining room, a cup of herbal tea before him that was the exact same one from Solomon's studies. It was unnerving.

William considered his question carefully and wondered where to start his explanation. "It's a long story," he admitted. "Perhaps the beginning would be the best." He sipped his tea with his eyes closed, an action he learned from the many tea parties he had with Solomon.

"I am Lord William Twining, currently seventeen years old." His bright green eyes never left Dantalion's crimson ones. "My family is descended of King Solomon, as you can probably tell."

The demon nodded, waving a hand, indicating that he should continue. Kevin was still motionless with shock, and his expression was unreadable.

"My family has been a carrier of Solomon's soul for a very long time. Up until I was six, I was a normal child. When I was six, my parents were killed in a carriage accident, and Solomon's soul moved from my father to me. It so happened that Uncle Barton is a famous archeologist and chanced upon this particular ring in Ethiopia and brought it back."

Here, William held up his right hand, on which wore Solomon's infamous ring. It was a rusted and tattered thing, blood stained and barely worth anything to those not knowing of its history. Dantalion leapt forth, one hand slamming on the table. He spilled his cup of tea, the porcelain falling on its side with a clatter.

"That's Solomon's ring!" He breathed. At the same time, Kevin tensed at the sudden movement, his eyes wide at the ring he had been trusted by Michael to guard. Was this Solomon talking? Would Michael have him smite Solomon once more? Given the choice again, will he make the same one again and lose his other wing.

"Young Master... How do you have this ring?" He asked. William considered the question and looked at his long time friend, blind to his internal turmoil. Perhaps he had some secrets to share as well, given Solomon's memories. He traced a rune int he air with one finger, and both the teacup and the tea righted itself. Dantalion glanced at the teacup. So the child knew magic, he thought. Could he have learned it from Solomon?

"My father had it on him when he was dying," he admitted after a pause. "With his dying breath, he told me to put on the ring and never take it off. He said it would protect me, and he isn't wrong."

Slowly, Dantalion sat back down, and William continued his story. "Nothing dramatic happened after that. I began seeing odd things, like faeries, in the back garden. I took a liking to herbal tea, and I began having odd dreams. I dreamt of an ancient city in the desert, of a great temple overseeing the sunset. All the walls were made of white stone, and there were great towers above the temple- towers filled to the ceiling with books and scrolls."

Recognizing the description for what it was, Kevin looked away. How many times have he visited those very towers only to strike at Solomon?

"In my dreams, I saw a man- he looked so much like my father that my six year old self mistook him as such. He wasn't my father, but he looked after me from that time on. He said he'd take care of me, and he did. I started crying when I realized that he wasn't my father, but he let me cry on his shoulder." William reminisced fondly, one hand under his chin. It was just like Solomon to adopt strays even after his death, Dantalion thought exasperatedly.

"Do you remember when I slept a lot after my parents' death, Kevin?" William asked idly, looking up at his butler with child-like green eyes.

"Ah... Yes," Kevin replied robotically, his mind still stuck on the fact that William knew of Solomon's existence since he was six.

William nodded. "I went to the dream world every time I went to sleep. I remember- Solomon had a really big lion there, and I'd climb all over the lion and tug at his tail and ears and run up and down the halls of the temple. It must have been quite lonely to be all by himself," he wondered.

"It is," Dantalion affirmed- that much he could attest to. The giant lion in question happened to be one of Solomon's pillars who perished in one of the demon wars. Perhaps, if he were to die one day, he would be together with Solomon in his incarnations? He could only wish.

"We talked a lot, and I'd run up to him every night to tell him all about my day. It was a lot of fun- he's a really cool uncle, and he likes you a lot, Kevin," William grinned over the brim of his cup. Next to him, Kevin jerked in his seat in surprise. Solomon? Taking a liking Uriel the angel of Penance? Preposterous. A person like him doesn't deserve forgiveness.

"He says I'm good for you, whatever that means," William shrugged. "He says I need someone to keep me in line- which I don't. But anyhow, I digress. I started having dreams of Solomon's memories when I was nine years old. I dreamed of his days as a child, locked in the tower King David made for him. I dreamed of his sister bringing him food and water every day. And later on, I dreamed of his days as a king, surrounded by all sorts of demons. It was like I lived a different life entirely," he said wondrously. "What a life I would have had, if I lived in a different time."

Dantalion looked away- Solomon had often said the same thing to him. He supposed the king got his wish now.

Kevin waited on baited breath for the moment when William would say that there was an angel in his memories, but he never did.

"I don't have all his memories quite yet," William admitted. "But since then on, Solomon's been teaching me about magic- I'm not a good magician at all."

"He wasn't either," Dantalion muttered with a touch of fondness in his tone. It was always a sore point with Astaroth, that his however many times son in law wasn't strong magically. Privately, he thought that there was no reason for Solomon to have to lift a finger when he has seventy two demon nobles under his command.

"I know all my diagrams and pentacles. I haven't summoned at all until today, but I don't think that one counts. In any case, I only learned magic to disprove the theory that Gods and demons and angels exist." William said boldly, ignoring the fact that a demon lord was sitting in front of him (and that a seraph was sitting next to him as well).

Kevin could only laugh helplessly at the absurdity of the situation. Of course this wasn't Solomon talking. Only the Young Master can be this stubborn to still ignore the existence of the supernatural when Solomon himself has failed to convince him otherwise for the past ten years and more. What grief he must have caused the magician! He felt a shred of hope, that perhaps if Solomon hasn't taken over, that William may yet be saved from heaven's wrath.

"I'm not Solomon, I am William Twining. I won't make the same decisions that he will, nor will I make the same mistakes. I'm sorry for your loss, but your king will not be coming back," William said calmly to Dantalion, his gaze understanding and steady. He looked away. "In any case, please do take some time to digest the information that I have just given you. I have something that I need to see to very quickly."

William rose from his seat, and with him, Kevin.

"William..." Kevin began as they began to head back to the basement, his expression grim.

"I know that you probably have something you need to tell me," William sighed and stopped. "I won't ask why there's an angel who looks familiar to you in my dreams. There are only two things that I need to know right now: Are you going to kill me?"

The look of utter horror on Kevin's face was reply enough, but the older man was quick to respond vehemently. "No!"

"Okay," William said calmly. "Secondly, are you the Kevin I know? The one to let me experiment on herbal teas and help me hide from the pastor when he's angry? The Kevin who can run the gardeners out of a job, who wins at every horse racing bet?"

Uriel saw that the young human's eyes were earnest and soft, steady and staring firmly at him without looking away. "Yes," he replied. He wasn't perhaps the same Kevin who William knew before he was six, but all those things he said- that he did.

"Then it doesn't matter who you were before," William smiled and turned his back, continuing his way down to the basement. "I'm not Solomon. Who you were before- who you were to him- doesn't matter to me. To me, you are Kevin Cecil, the irreplaceable and loyal butler of of the Twining household who helped raise me after my parents passed on. I never said I was thankful, but I am. Thank you for raising me, Kevin."

In that moment, with the light shining bright on seventeen year old William Twining, Uriel the Seraph of Penance felt the grace of God for the first time in his long life, and it had nothing to do with Heaven. To have found peace in the Twining household, looking after this bright and cheerful child... it is perhaps him who should be thankful.

"Young Master, why are you here?" Kevin asked curiously, and not up with the potentially dangerous demon lord, he finished in his mind.

William opened the door cautiously and kneeled down to the floor where the pentacle was drawn in chalk. He held the lamp over the chalk lines, inspecting the handwriting closely. Kevin waited by the stairs, wondering what the boy was doing.

"I want to see if I can find out who drew that pentacle," William answered. "Someone knew that I, or another of Solomon's descent, would eventually venture here. Why else would they have drawn such a pentacle in an unlit basement, to summon Dantalion of all demons, and make it so that even a complete magical novice will cut himself and bleed over it? Who could have access to the manor to do such a thing?"

Now that William mentioned it, Uriel could see the logic. "I can't recall such a room before," he added, digging through his memory for the possible culprits. He touched his lip, trying to remember who could have wandered here.

"Neither can I, and I know almost every corner of the manor. " William admitted.

"You would, given the amount of trouble you got into," Kevin said drily.

"I could always count on you to bail me out, of course," the lordling pronounced arrogantly, his nose in the air.

"Of course," Kevin chuckled. This was the William Twining he knew, a child without the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Serious once more, William ran a finger against the chalk to see if any dust would stick on his fingers. "Hm... The chalk doesn't flake off. It must have been here for a while. There are some part of this I don't quite understand yet. Perhaps it's best to get Dantalion to see what he makes of his?"

"Something that you don't know?" Kevin mock gasped. Nonetheless, he descended the stairs and knelt to look at the chalk lines. Indeed, it appeared to be a script written for demons- he couldn't make heads or tails out of it otherwise. If it was written in Enochian, he could decode it easily.

"I'm sure there's plenty I don't know," William joked. "Of course, I don't have all of Solomon's memory yet, otherwise I'm sure I wouldn't need Dantalion's help at all. I don't get to choose which memories I see in my sleep."

Privately, Kevin was beyond grateful that William didn't have all of Solomon's memory. He would much prefer it if he didn't have any of Solomon's memories to begin with. Of course, there wasn't much to be done about that now. Before he could do more than to hover, the pentacle activated, and the shadows grew quickly to ensnare William by the waist and face, and the boy was pulled into the portal.

His lantern dropped to the ground beside him. Silently, Uriel could only run to the dining room- he needed that damned demon to do something other than sit. When he got to the dining room, he only found a single chair toppled over and the demon duke nowhere to be found.

"Where on Earth..." William got up from the floor, where he had fell. He rubbed the lump on his head and wondered if he had a concussion. He wasn't quite expecting his basement to open up into an unknown dimension for a second time today, but he'll make a note to put some very sturdy furniture in that room to at least fill up the space if he can't erase the pentacle.

"Well, you are an unusual guest", said a goat in a three piece suit behind him. The goat was dressed professionally as a butler of some sort.

"No more than you are, Mr. Goat," William rebutted immediately, his mouth not quite receiving the inhibitory signal it was supposed to receive from his brain. He stared straight at the talking goat, not backing down int he slightest.

"No more than a human in hell, Lord William Twining," the goat elaborated, chuckling slightly.

"How do you know my name?" William asked suspiciously.

"Have you met my master? The exceptional grand duke of hell, his excellency Dantalion," the goat asked.

"Just Dantalion," was the automatic reply. He couldn't think of the person who fetched water jugs for Solomon as a grand anything. "You seem to have me at a bit of a disadvantage. May I have your name?" Never be it said that William Twining was raised in a barn.

The goat chuckled again. "I take it that you have then. My name is Bapthomet, Duke Dantalion's butler."

"It's nice to meet you," William said easily. "I wouldn't want to impose, but I do need to get home before I give my own butler an aneurysm. I was inspecting an unknown pentacle in the basement of my house when I suddenly got dragged in into hell, or wherever this is, and I haven't a clue how to get home. I presume there aren't any carriages out of hell?" he asked. He honestly wasn't expecting much, but his day has been topsy-turvy, to say the least.

"No," the goat laughed. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait until Duke Dantalion gets home to send you back. Perhaps you'd like some tea in the meanwhile?"

"Please," he said automatically, noticing that he had skipped his lunch with all the excitement that happened today. "And do tell Dantalion not to find me again- it won't do him any good."

"But my master went all that way to find you, even if the political situation is quite uncertain!" Bapthomet said, aghast while setting down a couple of cakes in front of William.

"Political situation?" He asked while happily cutting himself a slice. "Come to think of it, he never did explain why he wanted to find me to begin with. I assumed that it was purely because I was Solomon's descendant, but I guess not?"

Baphthomet stared at the teen who was happily chewing his way through half a cake and sighed. There is going to be a lot of explaining to do.

"So there is to be an election in hell because Lucifer is going to sleep, and he has said that Solomon's descendant will choose because Solomon himself is long dead," William summed up.

Baphthomet nodded, mentally noting to make more cakes as this human seemed to put it all away at a phenomenal speed. He had heard that human food was disgusting, but to to think that the young lord must have been on the brink of starvation.

"And Dantalion is one of the three chosen candidates, along with Sytry and most likely Camio." William held his head in his hands. What happened to the child frolicking in the fields again? There seems to be a bit of a disconnect between his memories and the present day. "This is a very strange day. Why would they choose all three from the pillars though, knowing that they are all bound to Solomon? Wouldn't an unbound demon be better?"

That, was a good question, Bapthomet thought. One that he didn't have the answers to. The goat could empathize, if this wasn't a perfectly normal day in hell. Little did William know, it was about to get much stranger when the wall behind him suddenly burst into pieces in an explosion that blew away the table (and the cakes with it).

"Good evening!~ Sorry to interrupt your conversation." An odd person with a face tattoo and a purple hat appeared where the wall once stood.

"Do people in hell not believe in knocking?" William muttered, a bit miffed at the sudden appearance of another weirdo. Bapthomet chuckled but moved in front of him in protection nonetheless.

"Gilles de Rais. Unfortunately, my master isn't here," he said.

William thought for a moment from behind Bapthomet, the name striking him as familiar. "Not the Bluebeard, dead four hundred years?" he spoke out loud, self-preserving instincts momentarily forgotten.

"Oh? Someone remembers me? And a human in hell to boot! It's been a long time! Has Dantalion gotten homesick?" He hovered uncomfortably close to William's face.

"Not quite," he said, staring right back at the notorious murderer. He was a bit more than irked, having his meal disrupted.

"I suppose I'll just have to take this boy instead then," he said with a dramatic sigh. With a snap of his fingers, William was floating in the air.

"None of that please," he said firmly before he got nauseous. He flipped through his repertoire of spells and incanted one that would float him gently back to the ground. He crossed his arms as he planted his feet on the ground, decidedly unimpressed with the Frenchman's games.

"Oho, the little human knows magic!" Gilles sang. "Well, let's see you handle this!" He hurled a fireball straight in William's path. In a moment of panic, William threw up the strongest shield he knew, bracing for the impact.

It never came. When he opened his eyes, Dantalion was crouched in front of him and not single hair singed. He blocked the attack and flung Gilles straight back into a wall on the opposite side.

"Are you okay, William?" Dantalion asked, concern evident in his eyes. He held the boy by the shoulder, looking to see if there were any visible injuries on him.

"Fine," he said, brushing a bit of plaster dust off his sleeve.

"Master, the house," Baphomet reminded Dantalion.

"Ah yes," he snapped a finger, and the house readily rebuilt itself. Minus the cakes, much to William's displeasure.

Far sooner than William thought was possible, Gilles dug himself out of a wall, and the battle between political opponents in hell continued. He was willing to let the baiting and roughhousing last, however the fighting was getting to be a bit too much, he thought as he dodged yet another carriage sized chunk of granite flooring. He wondered what the point of repairing the floor was if it was just going to get blown to pieces again.

Especially since Dantalion was beginning to lose control. Thinking of the bond Solomon had with his pillars, he commanded strongly,

"Stop, Dantalion!" And like a charm, the demon's power slipped away from his fingers like water. It was truly genius, how Solomon built his contract to be foolproof in every way.

"Gilles de Rais!" William said strictly, putting on his best impression of an unimpressed schoolmistress. "You are not welcome here, lest you want me to turn you into a pillar as well?" He wasn't sure what the Bluebeard saw in his eyes (was it Solomon?) but whatever it was, he hastily made his retreat.

"William... How did you do that? Are you even human?" Dantalion shook him roughly by the shoulders.

"One hundred percent." He said, still irked. "Now, if you will, this human has to get back before his butler comes down here and retrieves him from hell for being late to dinner."

Little did he know how true that particular statement was.

"Be quiet," the old professor yelled to get order in the classroom. "Ah, today we are going to have a transfer student."

"A transfer student?" William asked, a bit less bored now. He held his chin with his hand, bored beyond belief. School often was a chore for the child genius, and life was dull.

"It's a bit unusual to get transfer students at this time of the year," Isaac added, looking as confused as William did.

"My name is Dantalion Huber, pleased to meet you! I hope we'll get along," the last person William ever wanted to see said winsomely.

William could hear what's left of his sanity fly out the window. He only wished his could flee to his mind and cling onto Solomon like he used to as a child. Maybe Solomon could get this nuisance to leave him alone.

He thought his mentor laugh for a second. Apparently not.

"So I see you met Dantalion," Solomon said, enjoying his wormwood tea atop his temple. He had a smirk playing at his lips. Dantalion was always his most faithful and trusted. At the end, he was the one who fulfilled his last wish, even though it cost the demon very much. While William probably would never know, Dantalion was probably very relieved to know that part of Solomon lived on.

"Met is a bit of an understatement," William said with a sigh, also enjoying his cup of tea. Times like this, he wished that he could stay in the dreamworld forever. He valued his mentor's opinion and wisdom; the other man had a patience and maturity that escaped William. There was still very much to learn.

The king chuckled at the face William pulled. "He's a bit of a handful," he said sympathetically. But so are you, the king mentally added. He was sure they would get along swimmingly.

"He's more than a handful. I almost got killed!" William whined, every bit the teenager he is.

"Would you have minded?" Solomon asked with a shrug and turned to observing his city. He knew that he wouldn't have minded. He whom the gods love dies young, he thought to himself.

"... No, but that's not the point!" William hung on stubbornly.

"His heart's in the right place- do forgive him, Child." Solomon patted him on the head gently, and despite his misgivings, William leaned into the touch.

"You two have history together, don't you?" William asked, looking up at Solomon, knowledge shining in his eyes.

"I have history with quite a few demons; you're going to have to be more specific," he joked good-naturedly. He was sure that William hasn't seen any of their more private memories.

"Not like the usual demons," the younger man said astutely. "There was something else there."

The king sighed. Trust his incarnation to be sharp as a tack and reach the right conclusion with only limited information "... Let me keep my memories for a while longer, William?"

"Of course," he acquiesced easily. "I didn't know that you lose your memories when I gain them."

"I do," he said gracefully. "But it's no great loss- some things are better left forgotten." A great many things, he thought. It's a burden that shouldn't be passed on, but he couldn't help but be relieved every time a memory leaves him. What will be left when they are all gone? He didn't know.

"Not everything," William insisted. Solomon smiled at his young protege. For a child so smart, there were still some things that William didn't understand. He was glad for that, at least.

"Are you angry, that I got you dragged into this war with demons and angels?" Solomon asked casually. He observed the child closely.

"Not as mad as you seem to think I'll be, judging by your reaction," William replied. "You can't help who ends up as your descendants, and you don't seem to want this cycle of rebirth anymore than I do."

"You could die here," the king was solemn. It was very likely that he would, if Lucifer got involved.

"I could die anywhere," William snorted. "Memento mori."

"You can't tell me you possibly believe in the afterlife," Solomon chuckled, knowing the realist well, having spent the past decade living inside his head. It was worse than prying at a clam, getting the teen to admit that magic happened outside the realm of science and mathematics.

"No, I believe in living well. But everyone must die once. Whether I die now or I die later would not matter if I made the most of life. I had my time with my parents. I have Kevin. I have you. For what it's worth, I'm happy with my life," William said nonchalantly.

Solomon smiled down at him. He grew up well, he thought. It's too bad that he's but a pawn on the board that he started a long time ago. A game that was beginning to draw to an end. He dearly wished that William could get to the end of the board and become a king in his own right- at least then he would not be sacrificed needlessly.

That troublesome demon! William gritted his teeth, fuming as he stomped his way back to dorm. For all of his concern about the damned demon, he was off rowing and playing sports with that bunch of muscle heads!

See if I care if he gets exorcised, William spat in his mind. His hands curled into fists as he sat down in his armchair and whipped out his newest homework assignment.

You do care, came a voice that sounded reminiscent of his beloved mentor.

Do not, he replied insistently with the maturity of one half his age.

"And now I'll have to figure out a way to raise funds for my next school term," he sighed, feeling Atlas' own weight on his shoulders. He abandoned his work fell onto his bed with an oomph and hugged his pillow tight, wanting to fall into his dream world and escape this nightmarish world for just a while longer. He was no longer a child, no matter how much he wished otherwise.

A knock came at his door.

"What?!" he shouted, his patience all spent. "Oh, it's you, Isaac. Look, I don't have time for more of your occult talk, alright? I'm really busy." Really, the boy was only a human with an unhealthy obsession for the occult. What he was learning was just kids' play, if he wanted to be honest with himself. It was almost sad, watching his attempts at summoning. How did he make friends with this weirdo again? It was probably Solomon's fault one way or another.

"It's not that..." Isaac's voice was unusually small.

"Good day, upperclassman." A vaguely familiar voice said and entered his room. "My name is Sytry Cartwright, but please call me Sytry."

William blinked as the words processed in his mind and then promptly fell out of his bed.

"Sytry?! What are you doing here?" William said the moment he pushed Isaac out and casted an anti eavesdropping spell.

"Do I know you?" He said, sniffing and turning his head away daintily. He reached a manicured hand into the plate of biscuits on the table.

"Sytry, twelfth pillar of the seventy two pillars of Solomon, viscount and twelfth noble of hell, commander of sixty legions of demons in hell, nephew of Baalberith, king of hell. How have you been? You were just a tiny demon when I saw you last in the fields of Jerusalem. Tell me, is your uncle doing well?" William sighed, draping himself over the armchair much like how Solomon used to. "And don't get crumbs on my work," he added as an afterthought.

"... Solomon?" Sytry gaped. The biscuit dropped from his hand.

"Not quite. I'm his descendant, Lord William Twining. I hold his soul inside of me. He sends his greetings by the way, and says that you are just as lovely as you used to be as a child," William said, deliberately unbalancing the demon. Solomon, of course, did no such thing, but demons aren't the only beings who can manipulate people. He tilted his right hand, deliberately letting him see that he did indeed have his ancestor's ring.

"Gilles did say that you know magic," Sytry surmised. William pulled a face at the thought of the other demon. Sytry chuckled- it was a common reaction.

"I know a bit- Solomon's been teaching me," he shrugged, letting the shadows fall over his face. "Bapthomet told me that you're one of the candidates for substitute king. Did Baalberith put you to this? Has he even slept since Solomon died?" William asked sharply, knowing far more than he had a right to, between Solomon's lessons on demons and Bapthomet's information.

Sytry hesitated to answer. This did not go as he has planned. Rather than intimidating or seducing the elector into picking him for substitute, now he was the one backed into a corner.

He was about to answer, only to be interrupted by a shrill scream outside the dormitories.

"Isaac!" William leapt from his seat, seriousness forgotten. He rushed out the door and to the stairway. "Great, what has he done now?" he bemoaned the stupidity of his friend.

Sytry blinked. It seems like the elector may still have his humanity yet, he thought and followed William out in a more languid pace. Certainly, Solomon was never the one to move at a pace faster than a brisk walk.

"Isaac!" William shouted when he was near the woods. Sytry drifted behind him, close enough to protect William if need be but not quite close enough to care. The human boy was just barely an amateur at summoning. He doubted he could control more than an imp. He wasn't at all surprised that he would summon something far beyond his control.

"Here!" came a terrified shriek.

William nearly sagged in relief. Good gods, he has had just enough excitement for the day. What manner of supernatural critter has Isaac summoned this time? Given that he shared headspace with an ancient king who summoned and bound seventy two of Hell's highest nobles into servitude, he really wasn't going to be impressed by whatever Isaac had to come up with.

"Great a demon dog and a demon hog," William face palmed when he saw Isaac run up a tree. He was sure there was a proper name for them somewhere, but he couldn't be bothered to care.

"Would you like me to take care of it?" Sytry drifted down. "Tell me you'll choose me, and you'll never see those demons again."

"If you could," the upperclassman said tiredly. "And I'm not choosing anyone. I'm not Solomon, and like hell am I picking after his messes."

"Of course I can," Sytry said indignantly. "I suppose I'll just have to prove to you that I'm the best candidate."

Three miscommunications, a half ruined forest and a smoking slab of stone later, William was beginning to think that he can't handle it.

"Stop, you two!" he shouted, his headache turning into a dull roar.

"My magic..." Sytry said in wonder. He no longer questioned the authenticity of William as Solomon's incarnation, if he could bind him much like how Solomon used to.

"I. Am going to go to sleep because I have morning roll call at seven in the morning, and I haven't slept a wink! Don't find me and don't disturb me!" William said loudly, stomping his way angrily out of the woods.

"Solomon's heir, huh," Sytry said dumbly, blinking. The kid isn't joking- for a child his age, he commands quite a lot of power.

"He's just a kid," Dantalion sighed. After a moment, Sytry laughed. Solomon this time around is just a kid with a temper. He didn't think Solomon could be so lively. William Twining- how interesting, he thought.

"Upperclassman! Upperclassman! Hurry, it's an emergency!" A short young boy with long red bangs called to William and Isaac. Immediately, his sense of propriety kicked in, and he left the two troublesome arguing demons on their own.

"What is it now? Lead me there." He commanded strongly, tugging Isaac after him. The boy paused for a second as if evaluating them both before running off towards an empty section of the school.

"Why would anyone be there?" William wondered to himself as he chased after the surprisingly fast boy. Something seems odd.

They turned the corner into an empty classroom only to see the boy gone altogether. He looked down and saw the pentacle chalked on the floor light up. The only thought he had was 'shit, not again' before he was dropped head first into the demon world once more.

"I didn't think we would meet as I'm about to enter my 106th rest," a whispery voice said in his dream. He saw a shower of feathers rustling all about him. He reached out to touch one of them only to have it fall through his hands. A dream then, he gathered.

"I'm going to begin my rest now", the voice said. He spied Solomon standing at the edge of the long staircase, a single feather caressing his chin.

"Wait for me," the voice said gently. Who is this person beneath the mass of feathers, William wondered. He couldn't quite see the face underneath.

"Unfortunately, I'll no longer be around in a hundred years. That's why this is goodbye, Lucifer," Solomon whispered, leaning into the feathery touch. What? William gasped.

With a start, William woke with tears at the corner of his eyes. He felt as if he had just witnessed something terribly intimate. Another one of Solomon's memories...? Would that be Lucifer then? How did his mentor know him?

"Ah, you're awake now! You just collapsed and scared me!" Isaac tearfully said.

"Get off, Isaac," William said grumpily as he shoved his friend off. "Where are we this time?" he asked, resigned that his life is a circus.

"Don't worry, Elector. This is my battleship. You're safe here," a sultry female voice said behind him. He turned around to the a tan Egyptian woman in a midriff bearing outfit.

"Astaroth," William said, rubbing his head. Isaac openly gaped. He wonders if his overenthusiastic friend is going to ask for Astaroth's autograph. "How are you? You look well enough."

She paused for only a second, kohl lined eyes wide. "So you do remember me, Solomon!" she crowed, running over and engulfing him in a hug.

"Solomon?" Isaac gasped. He was more or less unheard.

"I'm not Solomon," William said for what seemed like the dozenth time today. He struggled his way out of Astaroth's hold. "I'm his current incarnation. I'm not him."

"You have his memories though," the queen pointed out.

"Some, not all." William shrugged, ignoring Isaac's pestering. He adjusted his tie and his clothes, which were in a disarray

"I see... Well, I suppose it was nostalgic seeing you again," she said, smoothing down her hair, seemingly a bit put out.

"I do need to go home soon," he agreed with the queen. Preferably now, he thought.

"Not so fast!" A childish voice declared from the door.

What is it this time? "Who are you?" William asked, just about done with the absurdity that is his life.

"I won't forgive you for using your position as elector to deceive my Dantalion! I am Lamia, 77th in the hierarchy, and my court rank is Princess! I'm the fiancé of demon duke Dantalion," Lamia yelled with a blush.

Instead of addressing the princess in front of him, William looked disbelieving to Astaroth, who looked a bit sheepish. "Who is she? How old is she?"

"She's my daughter. I had her after your death," Astaroth waved the question away. So a very young child then, by demon standards, William thought.

"With...?" He hedged.

"Beezelbulb." Astaroth pouted and looked away with a blush.

"You got married? To him?" He was sure that if Solomon wasn't busy congratulating her, he would be just as aghast that the beautiful Egyptian queen married the Lord of the Flies.

"We're divorced," she said hastily.

"Why did you even pick him to begin with?" William couldn't help but ask, still poleaxed. He wondered if Lamia knew of Dantalion's... relation with Solomon. Surely Astaroth knew, being a pillar herself, just exactly how close Dantalion was to his summoner.

"I guess we'll have to wait for Dantalion again, unless you can get your princess to stop glaring death at me," William sighed and dropped himself over a couch. He ignored a fuming Lamia in the background, who was surrounded by hissing snakes.

"So we will," the queen hung over the back of the couch rather than try to contain her demon offspring which was throwing a tantrum in the background. Isaac hovered over her uneasily, trying to appease her like his younger siblings. In the back of his mind, William thought that even Isaac should know that Lamia is older than his grandmother.

"Were you going to have me guess your identity again?" William asked slyly, his memories from Solomon coming forth. It was a trick that Astaroth often played on unsuspecting guests, devouring their soul freely if they lost.

"Maybe," she conceded with a secretive smile. "That look of your is all Solomon's, Elector."

"Well, maybe he rubbed off on me. He did help raise me, after all." William looked wistful. "Did you not tell Lamia of Dantalion and Solomon?"

"I didn't see the point," she shrugged. "She's not really Dantalion's fiancé."

"Ah, I thought as much," William nodded, knowing that Dantalion would certainly not replace Solomon with a shrieking demon child.

"Jealous?" She prodded.

William snorted. "You wish." Still, he couldn't help but flush a bit over his ears as he recalled some of the rarer memories he saw on occasion. Astaroth's laughter didn't help the situation any.

"This Solomon is but a child," Sytry said one day while leaning out the window. In the fields below, William was engrossed in a novel with his back against the tree. It was a fine day to be out- all blue skies and sunshines and fluffy white clouds. Sytry wondered what the skies would look like dyed red over London.

"He's not Solomon," Dantalion replied automatically. He too, looked upon William from above- only his gaze was fond and not assessing.

"Of course, no one can replace your precious Solomon," Sytry sniped at Dantalion

"He's your summoner as well- don't pretend he didn't mean something to you," was the short reply. "But no, he isn't like Solomon at all."

Sytry paused in his thoughts. "He's very much like him though, but not quite as lonely," he thought of the incident over break with the killamous, and he was reminded sharply of the time two women brought Solomon a baby to judge who the rightful mother was. The cleverness and justice with which William handled the situation was very much like his distant ancestor. He had asked Solomon then, how he knew that the crying woman was the rightful mother, and Solomon only told him: "Because that's what my mother would have done" and smiled sadly. Sytry never asked about Solomon's judgements after that.

"Not lonely at all," Dantalion said fondly as Isaac came falling out said tree with a pointed hat on his head and a wand in the other. Even from above, they could almost hear William berating his friend for dabbling in the occult. Soon, the children were chasing each other around the tree, with William using his book as a weapon. Still, the smile at his lips showed that he was not serious at all.

"Does it make that big of a difference?" Sytry wondered aloud. The Solomon he knew was always a wraith- a shadow- drifting through life as a spectator but never all there. This Solomon crashes his way through life loudly, implanting his ideals of science and mathematic theories where he saw fit, yet wise enough not to be in complete denial of what his eyes see. The Solomon he knew wasn't nearly as vivacious. This one was more fiery by far, though brave and headstrong in a different way.

"Would it make a difference for you?" Dantalion shrugged. It was unsaid that he knew it would make a difference for him, at least. Hell was a lonely place, after all. There was no one to trust but your household, and sometimes not even that.

"Even if he's not Solomon, he's going to be treated as such by the demons in hell," the viscount noted, remember Astaroth's reaction and his own. It was unnerving, how similar the two were at first glance. The differences were there, but subtle unless you knew them both well.

Dantalion grimaced, knowing just as well what that means for the mortal. "If only he would stop greeting every demon he knows by the name. He's not powerful enough to deal with them- nowhere near."

Sytry laughed. "He does do that a lot, doesn't he? He'll get there one day," the other demon said calmly. "Even if he doesn't greet them, just the way he acts is very similar to Solomon on a subconscious level. Anyone who knew him would pick up on that."

"Yes, that can't be helped... but he's not getting powerful enough- not soon enough." Dantalion shook his head. His eyebrows were creased in worry. "With the way things are going now, he's not going to reach Solomon's level fast enough."

"Well then we'll just have to protect him until then," Sytry sighed. Playing the human was all fun and games, and he could almost forget being a noble of hell, of being a fallen angel and candidate for substitute king while he was in the mortal world. Mortals feel life strongly; they live vibrantly and fully, with their feelings shining bright on their faces for anyone with experience to read and manipulate. It was a refreshing change from the schemes in hell, where being backstabbed was almost more common than being stabbed from the front. But it only took one summon from Baalberith for the illusion to shatter and for him to be only a puppet dangling from a string once more.

"Would you?" Dantalion asked, suspicion coloring his voice.

"You're not the only one who owes Solomon. Don't think too highly of yourself, Nephilim." Sytry retorted and left.

Dantalion thinks that sooner or later, the one Sytry will be owing will be William and not Solomon. And perhaps before then, he would learn to see the difference.

William really wished that his friends would stop chasing the occult and ghosts and all such nonsense. He also really wished that his prefect duties didn't involve chasing down underclassmen. Once again, he was up at witching hour hunting some nonsensical electrophysical phenomenon or a drug induced hallucination. Only this time, he had his own (real) demonic tag along in the form of Sytry. He sighed.

"Did something happen between you and Dantalion?" He asked curiously, one hand in a jar of biscuits. Honestly, the demon was such a glutton.

"He wouldn't take my warnings of Reverend Crossby seriously!" William said crossly, flushing a dull red. "He knows how to exorcise demons, and Dantalion just laughed it off!" Once again, he was off playing rugby with the bunch of brainless muscle heads. If only he would be serious for once! What sort of demon duke is this?!

"Are you worried about him?" Sytry teased, poking William's cheek with a finger. He swatted it away.

"Not at all!" came the reverberating shout. It was almost enough to wake the dead, Sytry thinks while waiting for his ears to stop ringing. Surely, this version of Solomon has quite the set of lungs on him. He chuckled.

"You shouldn't worry so. Nephilim as he is, he doesn't wear that title as just a decoration." Sytry pointed out. He hated to admit it, but the dirty past human was quite strong even for a demon.

"Still..." William looked away. "I feel uneasy about the Reverend. Solomon feels the same."

That on the other hand, had Sytry on edge. William is young and inexperienced. If William's worries were enough to concern Solomon, then perhaps Dantalion should take his warnings more seriously.

"Did you tell him that Solomon thought so as well?" He asked, one eyebrow raised. If Solomon himself was also concerned...

"... No. I thought he would listen if I just told him," he pouted.

Ah, so herein lies the problem, Sytry thought sagely. "Yes, thank you for warning me too," he said sarcastically, teasing the boy further. "Don't worry, William, I'll be careful too."

William flushed an even duller red as he huffed and chased after his classmates to find the ghost. Sytry followed behind him, laughing all the way.

Suddenly, one of the underclassmen leading them into the forest burst into flames, turning into a shrieking ghoul. Immediately, William covered the eyes of the other underclassmen and put them to sleep on the forest floor.

"What have the underclassmen been eating lately?" William joked nervously as he started incanting a shielding spell over their prone bodies.

"This is nothing," Sytry said, pushing William roughly down to the ground. A black feather dart hit him across the face as his shoved William down. The others missed him barely.

"Go and hide, William," he said and let loose an energy blast that made a crater on the forest floor.

"Are you okay, Sytry?" He asked, concerned. He saw the blood drip down the demon's cheek.

"I'm okay- I'll make that low life regret hurting me," he said darkly. This was clearly the viscount speaking and not the elegant upperclassman Sytry Cartwright. Nonetheless, William stepped in the middle of Sytry's warpath bravely, his hands lit up in green healing energy. The demon looked at him sternly, which did not impress William in the least.

"Let me at least heal this- you got injured on my account," William murmured. The gentleness with which his hand rested across Sytry's face reminded the demon of another who was just as gentle, once upon a time. "And be careful- something seems suspicious about this."

"I will," he said, flying off to the direction to the church.

"William! Say that you need my power- then I'll help him. I would never betray your soul. You should know by now," the demon duke whispered in William's ear.

This wasn't the time to be debating! William fought to swallow his pride and ask for help. He thought himself to be capable, having been taught by the wisest king of Israel. Seeing Sytry's state made him think otherwise. He had gotten rid of the familiars, but even then, he had Isaac to worry about. He was angry at Dantalion and stubbornly refused to summon him, yet he came nonetheless.

Sytry's blood dripped down the cross as he had his wings pinned to the stained glass, his human form reverted to a panther with wings.

"Please," he bit out, looking Dantalion straight in the eyes. He refused to back down from the challenge, even as his lips were pressed tight.

"You only had to ask," the duke flashed a smile and leapt into action.

Sometimes the hardest lessons are ones you have to learn yourself, Solomon's words echoed in William's ears. Perhaps this is what he meant. To think that his pride was almost worth this much- he shook his head and renewed his determination. His hands lit up with power and he began his chanting once more.

"What are you planning to do to the elector?" Dantalion asked darkly as he stalked up the ruined church isle. The rubble around him levitated, vibrating with the energy around the air.

"He may have the right to choose the substitute demon king, but the elector is still a human like you. I can't believe a clergyman would lay his hands on another human being," he reasoned. Having been once a human, he knew how humans worked. They had morals- troublesome things.

"Is that so?" Reverend Crossby asked. "Although he is human, he possesses the right to choose the substitute king. We can't ignore that he has a deep bond with the emperor of hell. We are servants and representatives of God who have been given power to destroy evil. It gives us power to destroy the elector."

"Destroy him...? So you're going to kill him?" Dantalion scoffed. To his side, William jolted in surprised. The reverend wouldn't, right...?

He would, Solomon said solemnly, his voice echoing. Thus such is the rule of heaven. They decide what is right and wrong- and what goes against their will is sin and condemned. Their judgement is not judgement. It is a monarchy, not a democracy.

"You lot haven't changed. Things have been the same as ever. You humans more selfish and foolish than even demons. Fine, I will be your opponent. I'm not losing the elector now. And to think I used to be like you. The look in your eyes remind me of my own once, do you know? Scheming and and cunning- I like that," he said, darting between the benches and slamming the reverend into the opposite wall. The blast send stone shards flying every which way, and William hastily drew up a barrier. Beside him, Isaac took refuge under an upturned bench.

"You guys have always been like this. If you all were going to attack at once, you should do so all together! I'll defile your soul and send you to the purgatory you clergymen hate so much. You would make a good demon, you know." He held up the reverend by the throat with one hand, choking him.

"Stop, Dantalion!" William's voice cut through the air.

"Don't bind me, William," Dantalion's gritted. "You know I'm affected by your words."

"You must stop this at once!" He shook his head and rushed over as the demon lost his grip on the reverend.

"What are you doing?" Dantalion asked in indignation as William knelt over the man and put one glowing hand on him.

"I'm removing some of his memories and sealing the rest," he said quietly. "You can't have anyone knowing that you two are demons, and you were prideful enough not to pick a fake name. It would only take one person who knows your demon identity to put things together. If you kill him, there will be an investigation, and we can't afford that. If I seal the superficial memories and erase the rest, whoever is digging will assume that the sealed ones are the ones we are trying to keep hidden."

Dantalion hesitated, clearly seeing the wisdom in such actions, but he was always a demon of the battlefield. Who thought that weedy little William Twining could be so cunning as to come up with a plan like this on the fly?

William rose, clearly sparing the clergyman. He took the chance as presented and escaped in a flurry of black feathers. The teen let him.

"Now, let's get you down from here, Sytry," he said gently and floated up. With one hand, he undid the wires pinning him down and let them spin into spools in the air. "Look at what that reverend did," he sighed. "This is why I told you to be careful." He laid one healing hand on Sytry's fur, and the blood and gashes began to heal up, leaving clean fur behind.

"Your fur is quite fluffy, you know. I quite like this form," William chuckled, stepping back down to the ground. Dantalion can't help but chortle. Fluffy. Sytry huffed, clearly disagreeing but weak enough not to revert to his human form. He snuggled deeper into William's warm arms.

"I'm hungry," William said, yawning suddenly and wavering on his feet. His vision suddenly began fading, black dots moving in from the peripheries of his vision.

"You used a lot of magic at once for a human child," Dantalion noted. Solomon wasn't quite so practiced with his battle magic at that age, now that he thought of it. A more than competent summoner, battle magic was not his forte. Just the fact that William excelled so much under his teaching was remarkable by itself.

"Can I have another of Bapthomet's cakes?" William smiled up at Dantalion, nearly asleep on his feet. His words were slurred. What did he want to say again? He couldn't recall.

"Of course, anything you want," Dantalion said reflexively.

"Thanks," William said and collapsed into Dantalion's arms.

"He's asleep," the demon noted to Sytry, who was squished by William's bulk.

"He really did overexert himself this time," the leopard demon said.

"They won't send a Hand of God next time," Dantalion muttered. "No, they'll send someone stronger."

"They will," Sytry sighed.

"I think I have a pretty good idea who they will send," the duke muttered as he huffed under the weight of Isaac, William, and Sytry's combined bulk. Such troublesome children, he thought with a sigh.

"Today I'm introducing our new reverend who will be taking Reverend Crosby's place," the principal announced.

"Pleased to meet you- my name is Kevin Cecil." William gasped. To his side, Dantalion narrowed his eyes. He knew it.

#makai ouji #devils and realist #fanfic #HMPTaW #Mild solomon/dantalion #cannon compliant #gen fic #spoilers up to the most recent chapter #churned out another chapter #my joints hurt #But it was worth it

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