#both can be summed up as 'Barbatos knows things but doesn't share them so chaos ensues'

[sideblogofawriter]

This is an old topic, but one that will never die... unlike [REDACTED].

In the aftermath of og Lesson 16™, there's about a million ways things could go. Besides the lack of closure on the casually written and basically never mentioned again death, the more interesting part to me is the casually written and basically never mentioned again relationship to Lilith. I mean, yeah, it's probably the reason MC has more hidden power than Solomon, but the story doesn't ever focus on it. It's a plot device meant to tie the arc up neatly with a bow, not something we're supposed to dwell on... presumably because it can get potentially weird and uncomfortable if you do.

So naturally, imagining the possibilities and potential implications is one of my favorite things to do.

To that end, two of my favorite scenarios/plot bunnies/i-make-it-worse-before-i-fix-its that have spawned from this are (long blocks of text incoming):

MC (like me) either knew or had a very good idea they were related to Lilith by the time Barbatos and Diavolo showed up and spilled the beans... so they don't let them, for fear it would change their relationship with the brothers. At a subtle shake of the head, Diavolo understands and flips the story to "Barbatos has traced Lilith’s lineage all the way to the modern day, and discovered she has (at least) one surviving descendant." No names are named, Belphegor is convinced enough that his sister lead a happy life to let go of his grudge against humans, life should be good... except the brothers develop an obsession with finding Lilith’s descendant. Barbatos won't share any information for some reason, so they set to investigating themselves. And they NEVER stop talking about it. All the things they want to do with Lilith’s descendant, favorite places they want to go, things they want to show them... MC bites their tongue and smiles, saying they're sure Lilith’s descendant will love the new café. Privately, they're more certain than ever they made the right decision: without even having met Lilith’s descendant (or so they think), the brothers are acting as though their sister herself has come back from the dead, already making preparations based on her own likes and dislikes as if they're the same person. And more than that, isn't it rather hypocritical of the demons - who were acting so apathetic or even disdainful toward humans until just recently - to be putting one they've never met on a pedestal? Even Lucifer, who already knew Lilith survived, is thoroughly involved in the investigations now that his brothers are so invested. And then it slips, somehow, not that MC is Lilith’s descendant, but that MC has known who Lilith’s descendant was all this time they've been searching. All this time MC has been "helping" them search. And isn't that just a rock and a hard place.

MC is revealed to be Lilith’s descendant at the usual time and place. In the weeks that follow, however, between Belphegor’s cuddling up to them and the others' general merriment considering the death that just occurred, it starts to weigh on MC mentally that maybe they're so thrilled to have a piece of their sister back that nothing else matters to them. If only MC could do it all again... or could they? Sensing that things are not headed in a good direction right now, Barbatos agrees to send MC back in time again. But it's different this time: instead of having to avoid their past self, they are their past self, restarting the year as if everything up till now has just been a bad dream. It's a completely blank slate, with only MC's mind intact so they can avoid making the same mistakes. And it goes great... until MC learns that in this timeline, Barbatos is in jail, powers sealed, for messing with time without first consulting Diavolo. And moreover, for some reason, he refuses to share with the prince exactly what he did. So not only are any deaths permanent this time, but there's an ongoing investigation into conspiracies against the throne and student council during this crucial time of the exchange program. It's not long before both MC and the brothers discover - at the same time - that they already have pacts. Pacts that powerful demons have no recollection of making with an oddly knowledgeable human they barely know. And isn't that just a rock and a hard place.