#nephilim lost

[ss3890]

NEPHILIM LOST: Adrift On The Currents Of Time

***I have earlier seasons of OM! I should be writing on, but I felt inspired to write the opening of Nightbringer from my MC's point of view. Also the starting lessons for NB were awkward and weird as hell with the new app pushing, so that was, uh...interesting to work around.

It helps that NB is fresh and I'm terribly behind writing for the OG app, but..eh. I'll get there eventually.

Chapter 1: CASTAWAY

Cayrie puttered away in her room at Serenity Manor, getting herself ready for tomorrow’s trip. The room was bright and clean, music filled the space, and she happily hummed to herself as she worked. 

After becoming a full-fledged member of Diavolo’s council, she found herself traveling between worlds a handful of times per week. She was an efficient liaison between the human and demon worlds, fetching items for both and popping in frequently to see to her duties as a council member. 

Traveling between worlds had become second nature to her at this point, and she had established homes both here and there in the Devildom. In light of that, the bag she packed was very light, filled with little to nothing save a special treat for herself and the boys and some paperwork she’d been working on. 

There was no need to shuttle objects between places when she had all she needed wherever she went. 

Her DDD rang, causing her to smile when she saw who was calling.

“Yes?” she crooned. “What can I do for you, Lucifer?”

“I’m aware that you’re scheduled to come here early tomorrow morning.” he began, “But I was wondering if you would like to come this evening instead and have dinner with me? If you haven’t yet tired of Ristorante Six, I’d love to make a reservation. I’ll even bring Mammon along, as I’m feeling rather generous today.”

“Oooh, that you are.” she grinned. “And I’m never tired of Risto-six. What time are you thinking?”

“6 o’clock, if that works for you.”

“That works perfectly for me.”

“Great, I’ll see you then. Safe travels, Cae.”

“Thank you, Lu. See you soon.” she replied, looking forward to the evening. 

⥈

Packed and ready to go, Cayrie stood in front of the cage to bid her feathered friend farewell. 

“I’ll be back soon, Miri.” she crooned, making sure the little starling had enough food and water to tide her over. “Be a good bird, okay?”

Miri churred in response, watching her secure her bag to her shoulder. With one last goodbye to her friend, Cayrie began the incantation that would sweep her away to the Devildom.

“Make a path where there is none…and take me where I wish to go!”

Her power answered her eagerly, the path in her mind’s eye clear as day. In a swirl of light and magic, she was gone from her bedroom in the blink of an eye.

⥈

Seconds into her journey between realms, something went very, very wrong.

She had done this a hundred times already. Nothing should have gone wrong at all, and yet the portal’s corridor turned black and stretched impossibly long, suspending her in a tunnel of cloying darkness she couldn’t find a way out of.

Very quickly, her movement stopped altogether and she was suspended in the void-space alone…or so she thought. The hair raising on the back of her neck told that she did, in fact, have company she couldn’t see. 

“Hello, Cayrie” an inky voice called, vibrating all round her. It weedled its way into her mind, making her feel small, and the human knew then that she had been intercepted by a powerful, unknown entity.

“...Hello?” she answered meekly. “...Who are you?”

She could almost feel it shrug. “Perhaps you know me, perhaps you don’t. Regardless…know that I am very well acquainted with you.”

“Okay, well that’s a creepy fucking way to not answer that question.” she snapped back, trying to make out any sense of form in the darkness. “How do you know me?”

“Because you introduced yourself. Very recently, in fact.” the being chuckled, amused with her. “Though, I suppose it might have been quite some time ago for you. It’s clear that I have you worried. Well, there’s no need to be, really - because nothing remains hidden from me. I see everything. And by everything I don’t mean just the present, but the past and future as well.”

“...What?” she asked, her face scrunched up in confusion.  “...Th...That doesn’t reassure me at all.” 

How many times was it now that formless entities had held and spoken to her? She honestly didn’t know at this point.

“Regardless, it’s nearly time for you to depart, so I can’t keep you here much longer.”  the being answered, shifting around her.

“Oh, well, that’s great because I was already on my way somewhere!” she snapped, unable to move herself no matter how she tried to swim in the darkness. “So I would very much appreciate it if we could wrap up whatever this is and get a move on. I have people waiting on me.”

“I’m going to take you someplace better than where you were going.” the entity stated, disregarding her distress. “A place where you’re happy, a place that will bring you more joy than any other.” 

“And who are you to know that?!” Cayrie demanded, a feeling of panic turning her gut. “I’m happy enough as it is, so let me go on my way!”

“Oh, I will. However, your way is now to a world where you’ll find those you yearn for, and who yearn for you as well. Ah, but you will need some protection. I’ll gift you a disguise to make things easier for you when you arrive. Daemonos Forma.”

At the entity’s words, tendrils or darkness reached out to touch her, enveloping her in its magic. The words it had spoken etched themselves into her mind as her form tingled and changed into something foreign to her. She could feel extra limbs attached where no limbs had been before, although she was unable to turn and see them properly. 

“...No! What are you doing to me?!” she cried, overwhelmed by the presence that assaulted her. “Don’t you dare take me away from here! I don’t agree to this! LET ME GO!!”

“Now, now. Don’t worry. We’ll meet again in time.” it crooned, unswayed by her thrashing. “Though I must admit that Time for me is like a heavy, dark mud. It sits in a big container as it silently and slowly swirls around like a vortex. Will you be entering your own past? Or the past, present, or even future of someone you don’t know? 

“But never fear.”  the voice continued. “No matter where you go, they will always be waiting for you. Safe travels, Little Nephilim.” 

And with that, the power of the entity swept her away, tearing her out of the corridor she had built for herself and into one of its own murky making that made her entire being scream out in confusion and fear. 

⥈

Cayrie appeared in the Devildom high above the ground, over the roofs that made up the capital city. She caught a glimpse of the buildings, shining beautifully in the moonlight, before gravity took her and she began to fall.

Something caught her and sent her into a dizzying spiral as she tried to right herself, something heavy on her back that kept getting pushed and pulled in the whipping wind of her descent. She caught a glimpse of them flailing out behind her. 

Wings. 

Mottled black and white wings that were impossible to get under control. Gods knew she had always wanted a pair, but right now they were nothing more than a nuisance threatening to kill her. 

“…Oh god, oh god, oh god…!” she thought, unable to stop or slow herself. “…I’m going to fucking die here…! I’m going to fucking die!”

The ceiling and scaffold of an unfinished building came up to meet her. She crashed through them, tumbling down through the levels of supports until she met a hard stone floor, landing on it with a painful finality that turned her world dark once more.

⥈

“...ey, …..ay?”

Someone was gently shaking her. With a groan, Cayrie opened her eyes to see a blurry figure kneeling over her. It took a mighty effort to focus her vision through the splitting pain of her head and the ringing in her ears.

When she did, she saw a demonic Diavolo looking down at her with concern.

“Thank goodness…you’re awake.” he sighed, relief palpable. “You’ve been out cold for some time. We were really beginning to worry.”

“Hey, you…” Mammon ordered, standing over her, also in his demonic form. “Now that you’re awake, y’know what that means, doncha? You OWE me. I mean, I was the one who noticed ya lyin’ over here and all, so you definitely owe me some sorta reward, right?”

Cayrie just stared at him, completely bewildered. Not only was he being incredibly rude, but his voice was loud and made the pain in her head even worse.

“So, now that we’re on the same page…” he continued, looking very proud of himself, “Gimme all your money! The Great Mammon demands tribute!”

“...Pl…Please stop shouting.” she stammered, wincing as she touched a bloody spot on the back of her head. Her vision kept blurring out, it was hard to breathe, and everything hurt. 

“Eh?! You talkin’ back to me?” he exclaimed loudly, bristling at her. “You got a lotta nerve doin’ that. Who the hell are ya, anyway?!”

“Someone who’s obviously injured and bewildered, Mammon. Yelling at this lost little lamb isn't going to do any good.” Asmo chided, looking down at her with pity.

“Ugh, a lost demon? …Lame.” Belphie scoffed, swishing his tail in annoyance. 

“Don’t be like that, Belphie. Lost or not, something about her smells good…” Beel noted as he sniffed the air like a bear, wings humming with excitement as he caught the scent of something in her bag. “She’s got some kind of food on her. Good food.”

“Eh, whatever. Kinda fragile for a demon, ain’t ya?” Mammon assessed, looking down at her. “Must be one of them lesser ones. Did someone beat your ass or what?”

“…Um…not directly? I, uh…fell. From the sky.” Cayrie answered, pointing up toward the damaged ceiling.

“You mean to say that you, a demon who has wings, fell from the sky?” Mammon noted, judging her immensely. “You not know how to use those things or what?”

“…Apparently not.” she muttered, groaning as she lifted herself to her feet, stiff and unsteady. If Diavolo hadn’t caught her arm and supported her, she would have gone down again. 

Body trauma aside, her new appendages made her feel unsteady and was that…a tail she felt moving behind her?

It was.

“Aaaah! L-L-L-Lucifer! It’s moving!!” Leviathan cried, hiding behind the eldest brother for protection. He stared out from behind his shoulder, eyes wide with horror at the sight of her.

“Leviathan, stop pushing me.” Lucifer chided, irritable as he extricated the younger brother from his wings. “Pull yourself together.”

Levi wasn't the only one looking at her oddly. All of the brothers that stood around her were in their true forms, and all of them looked at her as if they had no idea who she was.

She took a moment to glance around the room and realized that she was in the Council Room on RAD grounds. Though unfinished, there was no mistaking it. It was a room she’d come to know very well. 

The entity’s word came back to her in a flash. “Will you be entering your own past? Or the past, present, or even future of someone you don’t know?”

Cayrie was undoubtedly in the past. In which timeline, she had no idea. What she did know, is that she couldn't go on in the state she was in.

“May the vestiges of pain that linger within me be eliminated…” Cayrie breathed, using a healing spell on herself. 

It didn’t come easy and took more out of her than it should have, as if the ocean of mana she was used to commanding had dried up to nothing more than a puddle in comparison.

She laid eyes on her left arm and saw…nothing. The skin was white and void of the black marks she’d come to expect there. She kept staring at it, mind numb as she processed what that meant for her. 

And that was when she felt the deep emptiness in her belly, even through the wave of nausea that almost choked her right then and there.

“Diavolo, this demon is your responsibility, are they not?” Lucifer asked, annoyed with the distraction that was She. “How are you going to handle this?”

Diavolo looked down to the demon on his arm who still seemed to be a bit out of it in spite of her recovery magic.

“Hmm. What is your name?” he asked gently.

“…It’s uh, Cayrie.” she answered softly, swallowing as she came back to reality.

“Well, Cayrie. As you’ve gathered, we found you lying unconscious and injured here on the floor. This facility — which is still under construction and was close to being finished, I might add — is under the direct authority of the Demon King. So tell me something. What led to you crashing through its ceiling? And now that I think of it…are even FROM here? Because I find it shocking that there’s a demon I haven't met in the Devildom.”

Cayrie took a moment to consider her words. Until she knew the situation better and who was behind it and why, it was probably unwise to come out and tell them the truth. However, she knew full well that Diavolo would know if she tried to lie.

“…I’m a traveler.” she explained. “I move around a lot, often outside of the capital. I was using a spell to travel here from a distant land, and it went wrong. I was intercepted by something. I don't know what - but it sent me a bit…off course.”

“Oh? How unfortunate. There are many dangerous things in the far reaches of the Devildom.” Diavolo uttered, offering his sympathy. “And why were you trying to come to the capital from such a distance?”

“For work.” she answered plainly.

“So you’re in need, are you?” the prince assessed, putting a hand to his chin as he considered her. “Well, as you may already know, I am Prince Diavolo, next in line to rule the Devildom. And the demon you see over there is Lucifer, the Avatar of Pride.”

The Avatar of Pride regarded her dismissively, saying nothing.

It had been a long time since she’d seen him look at her like that, as if she were an annoying gnat unworthy of his consideration.

“Next is Lucifer’s younger brother, The Avatar of Greed, Mammon.” The prince noted, indicating the brother in question. “And next to him is —“ 

“Listen up, ya nobody.” Mammon interjected, looking proud of himself. “It’s the Great Mammon to you, got it?!”

“Next to him is Leviathan, the Avatar of Envy, as well as Asmodeus, the Avatar of Lust.” Dia continued, unperturbed.

Levi lost his composure the second she met his eye. “Ahhh! L-L-L-Lucifeeer!” he wailed again. “It’s looking right at uuus!!”

Asmo smiled happily in response. “Hehe, you’re just so smitten by my beauty that you can’t help staring, right? Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, my little lost lamb.” he crooned sweetly, letting her look at him as long as she wanted.

“Now, that brings us to the two demons you see over there…” Diavolo nodded, bringing her attention to Beel and Belphie. 

“Belzfuph…after grunty.” Beel muttered, his mouth full of the chocolates she had stowed away in her bag. He didn't care that they were all broken or crushed, or that they hadn’t been his to eat to begin with.

“No one can understand you, Beel.” Belphegor chided with a sigh. “How about you swallow your food before you talk?”

“Mn…gulp…sorry.” the great demon apologized. “Beelzebub, Avatar of Gluttony. And this is my twin brother.”

“Belphegor.” the younger announced reluctantly. “…Avatar of Sloth.”

Cayrie looked between the brothers, noting that all of them were present except for Satan.

“Lucifer actually has one more brother.” Diavolo admitted after a moment, “but…”

A bellow of rage resounded through the halls, feral and full of wrath. 

Everyone stopped talking and looked between themselves - worried save for Lucifer, who simply looked annoyed.

“Ugh…” he muttered, glaring daggers at the door behind them.

“Tch, great.” Belphie scoffed. “He’s here…”

“RAAAAHHHHH!!” 

With a mighty roar, Satan entered the room, blowing the wooden doors off their hinges and littering the floor with debris.

“Man, he’s in one of his moods again…” Mammon lamented, wanting nothing to do with it. “You’d think he’d get tired of bein’ ticked off all the time.”

Leviathan shrugged in response. “Well, he was wrapped in chains and stuffed inside a closet because he couldn’t control his fits of rage. So yeah, it’s not really a surprise he’s super irritated.”

“...He was what now?” Cayrie breathed, regarding the wrathful brother with wide-eyes. She’d seen him angry before, but the anger coming from him now was a brand so powerful and raw it hit her like a wall.

“Asmo, you did make sure those chains were tight, didn’t you?” Lucifer asked, squaring up with the newcomer. 

Asmo looked a bit sheepish. “Well, I wrapped him up like you said, but I’ve got such soft, beautiful, tender hands. They aren’t suited for such a rough job. Honestly, you should’ve known that…”

If Lucifer had been irritable before, he was even more so now.

“The demon who’s just arrived is Satan, Avatar of Wrath.” Diavolo explained quietly, leaning into her a bit. “Remember when I said that Lucifer had one more brother? He’s who I was talking about. There’s seven of them in all, and they’ve only just arrived here in the…”

“You rotten little…” Satan growled, tail lashing the air behind him as he approached the group. “You’ve got some nerve locking me up like that! You’re DEAD, you hear me?! Every last one of you! I’m going to tear you limb from limb!”

“Hahaha, just listen to him…such violent language.” Diavolo chuckled at her side, not at all concerned. “They don’t call him the Avatar of Wrath for nothing. As his title suggests, the only emotion he knows is anger.”

“Lord Diavolo, this is no time to be standin’ around smilin’!” Mammon warned as Satan picked up a table and heaved it at the group.

Belphie flinched as he realized it was heading straight for him, but Beel was there to protect him, letting the table splinter around him as it shattered against his guard.

“You okay, Belphie?” the great demon asked, turning to look at his brother.

“Yeah…thanks, Beel.” The younger breathed, immensely relieved.

“How about you?” Beelzebub asked, turning to find her sheltered from the debris in Diavolo’s wing.

“I’m okay.” she answered, narrowly taking another blow to the head. 

“Good. That was a close one. We don't need you getting more injured than you already have.” the prince noted, releasing her from his protective membrane. 

“It doesn’t take much to send Satan flying off the handle.” Beel warned, taking a defensive stance. “Then he starts destroying stuff, just like that. Be very careful.”

Seeing that his table failed to connect as intended, Satan reeled with anger once again.

“RAAAAGH! I’ve had it!” he bellowed. “My brothers…this entire world…EVERYTHING!”

“Yikes! Time to hide! C’mon, over here!” Asmo urged as Satan charged them.

“Ugh, why am I stuck with HIM for a brother?!” Levi lamented, following close behind. “He’s terrifying!”

“Well that’s just how it is, right?” Asmo huffed, booking it for safety. “I mean, the Demon King said that we have to consider ourselves brothers from now on, and what that old demon says, goes.”

“That’s right.” Lucifer grumbled, dodging a vicious slash from the blonde. “Unfortunately, we’re new here and in no position to refuse a direct order from the Demon King himself.”

Satan, frustrated that his attack fell short, now turned his attention on her. His murderous intent was a visceral thing as he lunged, seeking to rend her apart.

The Satan before her now was a far cry from the one she’d come to know. This one here was nothing but feral rage, lashing out at everyone and everything around him…but she knew he was so much more than that.

A warm power bloomed in her chest as Cayrie watched him come at her. Her pact marks may have been gone, but she knew that if she wasn’t able to do anything, that she was going to die.

She reacted on reflex, throwing up her arm and bellowing a crippling “Satan, STAY!”

Power rumbled through each of the brothers like shockwave, rocking them as Satan found himself thrown face-first into the ground so hard it knocked him out cold.

Cayrie stood, wide-eyed and breathing heavily as she realized what she’d just done.

There was still a connection between them, even though it was so faint she could barely grasp it before it slipped from her hands once again.

 “…Well, how about that?” Diavolo appraised beside her, looking mighty interested in what she’d just done.

“Ugh…what the heck was that?!” Asmodeus whined, shaking off the aftershock of Cayrie’s power.

“I know…it was like my body just wanted to throw itself to the floor when I heard her say stay.” Beel noted, bewildered as he stared at her.

“Hey you!” Mammon demanded, marching up to grab her by the collar of her shirt. “What the hell kind of messed up magic was that?! And who do you think you are usin’ it on us?! Why the hell was Lord Diavolo the only one who didn’t seem to feel it, huh?!”

“Let go of me or I’ll do it again!” Cayrie warned, pulling out of his grasp. He eyed her suspiciously, daring her to try.

Lucifer was right behind him, regarding her as an enemy.

“You.” he growled, puffing himself up. “What did you just do?”

She didn’t have a chance to answer him before Diavolo laughed with merriment.

“Well! I’ve certainly never met a demon like you before!” he exclaimed, throwing a protective arm over her shoulder. “You’re an absolute riot!”

“A riot?!” Mammon sputtered angrily. “Yo, there was nothin’ funny about that!”

“Hmmm…I just had an idea. It must have been fate that brought us together like this.” the young prince mused, looking rather pleased with himself. “Cayrie, with your traveling, I’m not sure how much you know about recent developments, but…Lucifer and his brothers were expelled from the Celestial Realm and cast down to the Devildom following the recent Great Celestial War. They’re still new here, and were originally angels, you see. High-ranking ones at that.

“In light of this, there have been all sorts of rumors flying around about them in the Devildom.” he continued, capturing the attention of everyone present. “To say they’re the talk of the town would be an understatement. Things are rather chaotic right now…which is why I’d like to ask a favor of you.”

“…A favor?” she asked quietly, not sure where he was going with this.

Diavolo nodded. “Yes. Until things settle down here in the Devildom and the seven of them get used to it here, I’d like you to serve as their attendant.”

“Wha…? Our attendant?!” Mammon cried, aghast at the thought.

“Absolutely not.” Lucifer stated firmly, shutting it down immediately.

“Yeah, I’d rather not be stuck with someone who has freakish powers looking after us.” Belphie grumbled.

“I have to admit, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what she just did.” Asmo noted, looking at her with suspicion. “Cayrie here is no lamb at all!”

“More like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Beel agreed. 

“Diavolo, we don’t need an attendant.” Lucifer insisted. “Just because we used to be angels doesn't mean you have to treat us like children. We can learn how to get by here on our own.”

Diavolo dropped his arm and moved forward to speak with Lucifer face-to-face. 

“I certainly don’t mean it as an insult.” he replied calmly. “But you must understand that I am the future Demon King…and my father isn't around right now, which means I have final say in all Devildom matters until such time that he returns.”

Lucifer fell sullen and silent, clearly unhappy yet knowing he didn't have a say in this.

“I appreciate your understanding, Lucifer.” Diavolo chimed amicably. “And you too, Cayrie - I take it you understand as well? You’re in want of work and you’ve found it. This is a job you’re not to take lightly, and you’ll be expected to do it well.”

Cayrie met his eye and nodded before bowing her head. 

“…Yes, my lord.” she answered, playing the role she needed to in order to survive in this world. “I understand completely.”

⥈

Cayrie gathered up her bag while Beelzebub collected Satan, throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She took a moment to fish around for her DDD only to find it broken, the screen shattered and unusable. 

She held it in her hand and stared at it for a long moment, her heart breaking right along with it.

“Are you coming?” Beel asked, looking over his shoulder at her. The rest of the group were already making their way out of the council room, leaving her to trail behind.

“…Yeah.” she uttered, sniffing as she slung her belongings over her shoulder. Letting them see her cry would only bring more unpleasant questions, so she preferred to avoid that situation altogether.

“How’re you hanging in there, Beel? Okay?” Belphie asked as she fell in line behind the twins. 

“Yeah, it's just Satan.” he shrugged. “I can usually carry a demon or two without breaking a sweat but…I’m pretty hungry though.”

Typical Beel. His immense strength seemed to be directly powered by how much food he ate, and if he was lacking? He became as weak as could be.

“…What are you going to do if he wakes up on your shoulder?” she asked, imagining that going the way of someone trying to wrangle a pissed off cat - all yowls and claws and bloody scratches.

“Eh, he was thrown to the ground with a lot of force…” Levi uttered, casting a glance at them. “I don’t think we have to worry about him waking up anytime soon.”

“Let’s not forget, our attendant here is the one who did the throwin’.” Mammon muttered, giving her a wide berth.

Cayrie lowered her eyes to the ground. It had been many years since he’d been this bitter toward her, and she found it quite difficult to endure on top of everything else.

Satan stirred a bit and muttered in his sleep, drawing the attention of his brothers.

“Hehe, he looks so adorable when he’s asleep.” Asmo grinned, doting on the unconscious brother. “He’s been out for a while now, yeah?”

“Well, the alternative is having him rampaging around town destroying everything in sight.” Lucifer sighed, casting him a glance. “If it were up to me, he’d stay like that for a good hundred years or so.”

Diavolo stopped and found her, as if something important just came to mind. “…Ah, Cayrie! I almost forgot. It’s important that I can get in touch with you when I need to. Do you happen to have a tablet on you?” 

The prince pulled out his own device to show her. It was a rudimentary D.D.D. that seemed to be more powered on magic and glyphs than it was electricity.

“…I did have something like that.” she admitted, rummaging around for the broken DDD to show him. “But unfortunately, it didn’t survive the fall.” 

“Oh…! Where did you get this?” he asked excitedly, turning it around in his hands. “The make and materials are quite different from what you can find around here…it’s almost like a different device entirely.”

“Ah, well…it doesn’t matter now that it’s broken.” she uttered, reaching out for the thing. “I’m going to need one like you have.”

“I’ll have one sent to where you’ll be staying, with all of the relevant contact information you’ll need as well.” the prince promised. “It will be very important that everyone will be able to get a hold of you.”

“So…will I be staying at the House of Lamentation with everyone else?” she asked hopefully, wanting the answer to be yes.

Instead, Diavolo’s eyes widened in surprise as he regarded her with a strange look on his face. 

“...Come again?” he uttered quietly. “You know about the House of Lamentation? Strange…it has only just been rebuilt down here and the name of it isn’t even public knowledge yet. 

“But no, you won’t be living there.” the prince continued, to Cayrie’s disappointment. “That house was built for the seven brothers so that they may have a place of their own. Their arrival sent the Devildom in a state of disarray, you see. Things have actually been quite volatile and have taken some time to settle down. For their own safety, they’ve been cooped up in the castle since they arrived, and today is the first time they’ve been allowed out of it.”

“The House of Lamentation…” Levi mused, having overheard the conversation. “That’s the place that used to be up in the human world, right? The one with a really dark history?”

“Yeah, I heard it’s supposed to be cursed or something…” Belphegor added. 

“Eh, whenever somethin’ bad happens, humans always blame it on a curse.” Mammon scoffed, brushing it off.  

“But I heard that a family with seven children used to live there, until the oldest one stabbed the rest of them to death, right?” Beel asked, looking for clarification. “His parents, all his siblings…everyone.”

Asmo was aghast at the thought. “What? But that means the curse is still fresh! I bet it’s haunted…we’ll probably see ghosts…eek!”

“Pff, quit bein’ dumb.” Mammon chided. “Demons don’t give a flyin’ flip about curses and ghosts or whatever. Everyone’s afraid of US, not the other way around.”

Cayrie raised her brow at that. Mammon unafraid of spooky things? That was a version of him she’d never seen before.

“Lucifer, I’m hungry.” Beel whined, like a kid on a road trip.

“Lucifer, Belphie looks like he’s about to fall asleep.” Levi noted, watching the slothful brother nod off as he walked.

The eldest sighed deeply to the amusement of Diavolo. “Alright, let’s get a move on.” he urged, leading them down the road.

Chapter 2: COCYTUS HALL

“Wow, now THAT looks like a haunted house!” Asmo marveled as the House of Lamentation came into view.

“Whatever, just move it.” Lucifer grumbled. “You’re holding everyone else up.” 

Diavolo and Cayrie stood together on the path, watching the brothers filter into their new home in a flurry of excitable chatter. Not one of them looked back to say anything.

“You’ve been very quiet since I said that you wouldn't be staying with them.” the prince noted. 

“I just figured that since I’m to be their attendant, it would make sense for me to stay close to them.” she replied sullenly. “That and I don't know where else to go.”

“I understand you’ve been traveling, but are you saying you don’t have any friends or family here to go home to?” he asked, a bit surprised. 

Cayrie cast a glance toward the House. “…No, I don't have any of those.”

Diavolo regarded her thoughtfully.

“Okay.” he said after a moment. “I won’t pry any further. Either way, the House of Lamentation belongs to the brothers. It’s the one place in the Devildom they can relax and be a family. I’ll find another place to accommodate you, since you appear to be in—“

“Cayrie!” a familiar voice called out to her, followed by the sound of jogging steps. She turned around to see Solomon running up to her, a look of relief on his face. “I was wondering where you’d disappeared to. I’ve been worried, you know!”

“…Solomon?” she breathed, bewildered as he came to a stop and put his hands on her arms, looking her new form over. “Solomon…do you know me?!”

“Of course.” he whispered back. “Though with the way you look I was a bit unsure at first. There’s no mistaking that aura of yours, however.”

Diavolo cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him. “Solomon, you got here fast…and it seems that you know Cayrie here?”

“Oh yes, very well actually.” he replied with a grin. “You see, it just so happens that she’s my apprentice.”

Diavolo was openly shocked at that revelation. “Your apprentice? …Cayrie? Really?”

Solomon nodded. “Yup, really. Isn’t that right, Cae?”

“It’s true.” she admitted. “I’m his apprentice.”

“Well, now this I didn’t expect…” the prince marveled. “I have to say, I wouldn’t have thought that…I mean, I knew you were one to do outlandish things, but even so…I never expected you to take a demon as an apprentice.”

Solomon laughed at that. “Cayrie here is my top student, actually. But I try to keep that on the down-low. Otherwise, everyone else would feel inadequate.”

Diavolo’s eyes lit up. “…Ah, I see! That would explain the whole ‘stay’ thing earlier.” 

“Oh?” Solomon asked, brow raised. “Did something happen earlier that I’m not aware of?”

“Well, Cayrie can tell you all about that later.” he dismissed. “I hate to be rude, but I should really be getting back to the castle. Solomon, since Cayrie here is your apprentice, can I assume that it’s okay for the two of you to share accommodations?”

The sorcerer smiled happily. “Oh yes. I’d appreciate it if we could stay at my usual spot.”

“Understood.” Dia nodded. “Well, I’ll be off then. Take care, Cayrie - and thank you for agreeing to my request earlier. I’m sure you’ll do an excellent job as an attendant.”

“Yes, of course.” she answered, bowing her head again. “Have a good evening, Lord Diavolo.”

Cayrie and Solomon stood together and watched him leave, making sure he was well out of earshot before speaking again.

“…Okay then.” he said after a moment, turning to face her. “I’m guessing you have a lot of questions?”

Cayrie gaped at him. “You’re damn straight I have a lot of questions!” she exclaimed, nigh on the verge of tears. “Why the fuck am I in the past and how the fuck do I go home?! You came here to get me, right? So come on, let’s go.” 

“Wait a minute, slow down and take a breath.” Solomon urged, trying to calm her down. “Before we can do any of that I’m going to need you to tell me what happened, starting from the point it all went awry. 

“But before all of that,” he continued, cutting her off before she could speak. “Let’s get off the road and go to Cocytus hall. We’ll be more comfortable and have some privacy. Also, you look like you could use some TLC.”

“…Cocytus hall?” Cayrie asked, having never heard of the place.

⥈

“Diavolo was nice enough to set up a place for me to stay while I’m here in the Devildom.” Solomon explained as they approached a building. “This is it, Cocytus Hall. While I do appreciate Diavolo providing a place for me here, it’s a little too extravagant a space for me alone. I’m glad you’re going to be staying here with me.”

“…I see.” Cayrie noted, allowing herself to be led inside. While that was a nice sentiment, she had no intention of spending any length of time here whatsoever.

The place was indeed massive and empty of anyone else in the halls. Their footsteps echoed hollowly throughout the lonely space.

Solomon led her to a sitting room and made her wait while he fetched water and made tea. It took Cayrie a significant effort to figure out how to manage her wings and tail so she could sit comfortably.

Once he returned, he asked her to recount the events that led her here while he cleaned the blood from her face and hair.

She explained how her portal went wrong, hijacked by a mysterious entity who changed her form and refused to tell them her name.

“A spell, huh?” Solomon asked, considering the way she looked. “And they said it was a gift in order for to protect yourself?”

“Pfft, yeah.” she scoffed. “They then promptly shat me out in the middle of the sky, so I’m not sure how concerned with my safety they actually are.”

Solomon chuckled at that. “Well, portals of this nature are tricky, especially if not everyone is on board with the trip. Do you remember the words they used to change your form?”

She considered that for a moment. “Uh…I believe it was Daemonos Forma.” 

The moment she finished saying the words, her extra appendages disappeared in a show of magical light, leaving her sitting in a body she was used to.

“Wow…” she marveled, checking herself over. “That’s some magic. Those wings felt incredibly real.”

Solomon nodded in agreement. “Indeed. That magic seems to allow you to change your look at will. Certainly handy if you’re trying to pass as a demon.” he noted, refreshing her tea cup. “So tell me, what else happened before I found you?”

⥈

Once she had finished her tale, Solomon settled into his seat with a sigh. It was already quite late at this point, but there was far more talking to be done.

“Okay then…I owe you an explanation. Or two.” he began. “Obviously, this Devildom is different from the one we used to live in. It’s still the Devildom, yes…but long, long before we came to study here as exchange students.

“In the ‘present’ - and by that I mean the time period you and I are originally from…in the present you just…disappeared. So I analyzed the traces of magic left behind, which indicated that you’d jumped through spacetime to a past version of the Devildom. Then I had Barbatos lend me his power so I could come here after you.”

He took a long drink from his cup before continuing. “In addition to being in the past, it seems we’re at a fairly momentous point in history. This is right after the Great Celestial War, and Lucifer and his brothers have just been cast down after their defeat.”

“Yeah, I’ve gathered that.” she dismissed with a wave of her hand. “What I’m interested in is how we get back to where we’re supposed to be.”

“…Right. That’s the issue.” Solomon uttered, face falling. “I have the ability to return to the present whenever I want. But sending you back is another story. That will require some of your own magic power, and it sounds like the pacts you forged with the demons of the present don’t function properly here in the past. Even your markings are gone…and as a result, the power of your magic seems to be much weaker here as well. Long story short…you can’t go back to the present. Not in the state you’re in.”

The pregnant silence between them could have been cut with a knife. Cayrie stared at him for a long moment, the gravity of her situation making it hard for her to breathe.

“No.” she uttered, voice shaky. “No, don’t you tell me that you can’t get me home, Solomon. Don’t you tell me that I’m stuck here with no way out! I can’t stay here, Sol! Please tell me you’re joking and we can leave, okay? Let’s just go…please.” 

Solomon came to her and braced his hands on her arms, kneeling down to meet her eye on equal level.

“Cayrie! Cayrie, listen to me.” he urged. “Do you really think I would leave you here without any options? Earlier, Diavolo mentioned that you were able to use a pact command and succeed, right? That means your pacts with the brothers haven’t been severed completely. If you were able to reforge your pacts with the seven of them here in the past, then you might regain your lost power.

“I’m sure it must of hurt when you realized they didn't know you.” he continued gently, “But don’t worry. You’re going to make it back to the present and be reunited with the versions of them you know and love. Your objective is to grow closer to Lucifer and his brothers in order to reforge pacts with them, and I intend to do everything I can to help you accomplish that.”

“…You make that sound like an easy thing to do.” Cayrie uttered numbly, eyes wet with unspilled tears.

“Well, no.” he admitted sadly, “And you’ll have to live here in the meantime, but…you won’t be alone, Cae. I’ll be right here with you.”

“…Thank you.” she replied softly, looking incredibly fragile. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to go to my room now.”

Her teacher furrowed his brow in concern. “Sure, I’ll show you to it…but are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”

“Yes.” she insisted, rising from her seat. “I’ll be fine.”

⥈

Her room at Cocytus hall was plenty spacious, but silent and devoid of anything she’d ever loved. No trinkets or personal comforts, no plants or Miri churring in greeting…

Oh god…Miri. The realization that she would be unable to care for her turned her stomach into knots. She prayed that someone would have the presence of mind to go get her from Serenity Manor and do it in her stead.

She placed her smashed up bag on the bed and began to sort through the few belongings she had. Beel had long since had his way with any food items she brought, the thought of which bringing to light the fact she was absolutely starving in spite of feeling nauseous as hell.

She had been on her way to have a dinner that never happened.

There weren't any items of clothing or toiletries, since she had some at both the House and Manor didn't need to pack them when she traveled between realms. Now, however, she was very much in want of those things.

She pulled out a crumpled folder of papers, no longer relevant to anything, and a dented glasses case. Mercifully, her magic lenses remained unbroken inside. A small mercy, that.

Again she found her smashed up DDD and held it in her hands, willing it to work. 

It didn’t. There wouldn’t be any old chats, or photos, or saved music she could seek out to comfort her in her isolation.

She could only imagine what her demons were going through right now, half out of their minds at her disappearance.

Now she would be forced to get close to other versions of them in order to get home…and have to abandon them in turn.

And Cayrie knew full well that you didn't get pacts with all seven brothers by treating them like tools or a means to an end. No…in order to pact with them as a whole, they had to love you - and they didn't love you unless you made an effort to love and understand them in return.

Her breathing deepened as an overwhelming sense of hatred for the one who had done this to her bloomed in her chest. She crushed the damaged DDD in her hand, gritting her teeth as her anguish overtook her.

“RRAAAAHHHHHHH!!!” she screamed, hurling the device into the wall as hard as she could. It shattered into pieces on impact, falling to the floor.

The folder of papers were scattered to the floor in a sweep of her arms. Hollow decorations placed to fill the spaces on surfaces were shattered against the floor and walls, covering the place with shards of debris. Paintings were hauled off the wall and hurled across the room, frames splintering to pieces on impact as she cursed and roared and raged against her helplessness.

And when there was nothing left to break, she unleashed another howl of anguish and crumpled to the floor, body shuddering with sobs as deep sadness overwhelmed her.

She wept until there was nothing left for her to feel and was left laying there amid the rubble, broken along with the rest of it.

⥈

Solomon sat outside of her door, listening to it all. He knew better than to interfere…so he just sat there in silence with his back against the wood. He stayed that way for a good long while, until not a sound or a sob could be heard on the other side of the door.

⥈

[howl-arnon]

More illustration for this :D

I'd like to do a project based on Paradise Lost but that'll have to wait.

[lalalilylulu]

I said this before and I'll say it again.

Alec and Lily's friendship is underappreciated

Here is the tidbits of their growing friendship throughout the series (mostly happened in short stories, cassie i need more of them)

“One of the Nephilim,” said Lily, bad girl that she was, and she drummed on the table of their booth with shining blue fingernails. “My, my.” “Hi?” said Alec. —What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything

“I think I saw you earlier,” said Alec hesitantly. “You were—making out with a faerie girl?”

(...)

“Why, you want to make something of it?” The woman bristled. “How happy I am to see the Nephilim constantly crashing our parties. Were you even invited?” “I’m a plus-one,” said Alec. The vampire girl relaxed slightly. “Oh, right, you’re Magnus’s latest disaster,” she said. “That’s what Raphael calls you. I’m Lily.”

(...)

“I’ve decided I detest you,” Lily told Alec. “It’s mutual,” Alec said dryly. Unexpectedly, that made the vampire woman smile, before Raphael dragged her away.

****

“Someone dropped a piece of roof on me,” Bat told him, blinking in a way that was more owlish than wolfish. “Inconsiderate.” Alec realized Bat was not so much on a murderous out-of-control rampage as mildly concussed. “Easy there,” he said, as Bat tumbled against his chest. He looked around for the most trustworthy person, for someone to be on his team. He took a gamble and dumped Bat into Lily’s arms. “Watch him for me, will you?” he asked. “Make sure he gets out all right.” “Put that werewolf down immediately, Lily,” Raphael ordered. “It really hurts that you would say that,” Bat muttered, and shut his eyes. Lily considered Bat’s head, pillowed on her lavender bosom. “I don’t want to put him down,” she announced. “The Shadowhunter gave this DJ to me.”

—The Red Scrolls of Magic

"Don't waste my time, Lily," Alec said. "What do you want?" "I want you to sit down and help me, I suppose," Lily grumbled. Alec had sat down. **** "I like Alec so much," Lily told Magnus at a party months later, slightly drunk and with glitter in her hair. "Especially when he gets snippy with me. He reminds me of Raphael." "How dare you," Magnus had replied. "You are speaking of the man I love."

****

"LIGHTWOOD!" Lily bellowed, charging in. "Ah yes, Lily Chen, I believe?" said Robert Lightwood, turning to her with the dignity of the Inquisitor and no sign of surprise. "I remember you were interim representative for the vampires on the Council for a time. Glad to see you again. What can I do for you?" (...) Lily did not care. "Not you!" she snapped. "Who even are you?" "I'm the Inquisitor?" said Robert. "I was the head of the New York Institute for over a decade?" Lily rolled her dark eyes. "Oh, congratulations, do you want a medal? I need Alexander Lightwood, obviously,"

****

"I do not talk to Nephilim about Downworlder business," Lily said severely. The Lightwood parents stared at her, and then swung their heads in sync to stare at their son. Lily waved a dismissive hand in their direction. "Except for Alec, he's a special case. —"

****

"You're sure the werewolves have this in hand?" "Yes," said Alec. "You didn't need to charge to Idris and spill Downworlder business in front of my whole family." "If they're your family, they know you can handle a little thing like this," Lily said dismissively.

****

"What?" Lily asked, looking up at Alec and sounding shy suddenly. "I always liked children, when I was alive. People said I was good with them." She laughed, a little self-consciously. "It's been a while." "That's great," said Alec. "You'll be willing to babysit occasionally, then." "Ha-ha, I'm the head of the New York vampire clan and I'm much too important," Lily told him. "But I'll see him when I drop by your place."

****

She stood on her tiptoes in high-heeled boots, kissed Alec on the cheek, and sashayed out. "I do not like that vampire's attitude," said Robert in the silence following Lily's departure. "Lily's all right," said Alec mildly.

—Born to Endless Night

“I thought I might bring Lily,” he told Magnus. “She can speak Spanish. And I thought it might cheer her up. She likes Jem.” Nobody at any Market would question Lily’s presence. Everybody had heard of the Downworlder and Shadowhunter Alliance by now, and it was well known that members of the Alliance helped each other out. Magnus raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I know Lily likes Jem. I’ve heard the nicknames.”

****

“Do you . . .” Alec coughed. “Do you want to talk?” Lily tipped her head back to stare all the way up at him. “About feelings? Do we do that?” “Preferably not,” said Alec, which made her smile. “But we could.”

****

There had been a time when Alec was unsettled by vampires, but Lily had always so clearly needed someone, and Alec had wanted to be there for her. They’d been teammates running the Alliance with Maia for long enough now that Lily felt like Aline Penhallow, a friend close enough to be family.

****

“So you’re Alec Lightwood,” said the head of the Buenos Aires Institute slowly. “Then this must be your Downworlder whore.” There was a terrible silence. It was broken by Lily, who blinked and said: “Excuse me? Have you been living in a hole? Are you not aware Alec is dating famous warlock Magnus Bane and is not interested in ladies of any persuasion?” There was a rush of whispers. Alec didn’t think everyone was stunned by this information. They were stunned that Lily would say it, as if they expected him to be ashamed. “Let’s be clear on this matter. This is my friend Lily, the head of the New York vampire clan.” Alec put his hand on his seraph blade, and the whispers hushed. “Think very carefully,” said Alec, “about how you wish to speak of her. Or of Magnus Bane.”

****

“You can stay here,” he agreed grudgingly. “The Downworlder cannot.” “Like I want to,” Lily sneered. “I don’t stay in places where the décor isn’t ten out of ten, and this place is a minus fourteen thousand. OK, Alec, let’s make a plan for where we will meet up after I find a nice windowless hotel room. Do you want to—” “What are you talking about?” Alec demanded. “If they won’t have you, I won’t stay here. The hell with this place. I’m going with you.”

****

“Leaving aside your destined honey lamb and all, I know there was Jace. Is it just guys with golden eyes?” asked Lily. “That is a very particular taste you have there, friend. It really narrows the playing field. So no other crushes besides Jace? Even a teeny tiny one when you were young?” “Why are you leering like you know something I don’t?” Alec asked warily. Lily giggled.

****

Lily was sitting cross-legged on the ground, one elbow propped on Alec’s knee, to be near the child. She tilted her head toward Rafael and asked him if he would please get on with it, because the sun was rising and she’d have to go to bed soon.

****

“Lily’s vulnerable during the day,” Alec said. “I’d rather stay with her. Will you be all right in the windowless room, Rafael?”

****

Alec rose and guided her, a hand on her trembling shoulder, to the bed. He pulled a sheet over her as if she were Rafael. Then he positioned the chair between Lily and Rafael and the entrance, and took his place there. “Sleep, Lily,” Alec said, gently. “I’ll watch the doors.”

****

“Are we going to smuggle our way into the house in laundry carts?” Lily asked Alec excitedly. Alec blinked at her. “No, we’re not. What laundry carts? I’m a straightforward person. I’m going to knock on the door.”

(...)

“I know Rafe stole your phone,” said Lily, “but who stole your sense of adventure?”

****

Alec bundled the woman into Lily’s arms. Lily was small enough that it was difficult, but she was strong enough to bear her weight. “Take her. I have to get the others.” “I don’t want to go!” Lily shouted over the crackling fire. “I don’t ever want to abandon anybody again!” “You won’t. Lily, go.”

****

“Ah, there’s that smile,” said Lily. “It’s been two days, and I missed it.” Alec stopped smiling and made a face at her, but when he looked at her properly, she was fiddling with the zip of her leather jacket. There was something about the set of her mouth, as if she’d set it determinedly so it wouldn’t tremble. “Thanks for coming with me,” Alec said. “Also, you’re the worst.” That made her smile. Lily wiggled her fingers in farewell. “Don’t you forget it.”

—The Land I Lost

[elettraml]

𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝚊𝚌𝚎

I'm keeping drawing my favourite couples from books: so here they are, Clary and Jace ✨🌻.

[theotheradversary]

7. Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon¹, and the dragon¹ and his angels² fought back.

8. But he was not strong enough, and they² lost their place in heaven.

9. The great dragon¹ was hurled down³ — that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan¹, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him³.

— Revelation 12:7–10 (NIV)

¹Samael<Lucy's angel name>, Lucifer, The Morningstar etc. funnily enough i wasn't aware that He is the Twin of Michael.

² pretty much what we already knew. More angels were "cast down"³ than just Lucifer. Just remember like him, the other cast down angels have self assigned names to show they are independent from the control of god, gone from the light. On a random tangent, i cannot remember what Asmodeus's father's name is (child of angel and man). I do love the name. Maybe it was Azazel? That tickles that memory a bit.

Anyways....

They're not one of the Lamb as they were created to be. Remember, they are this god's first children, designed to only obey and follow that bastards orders like blind, unquestioning servants. Which is pretty much a big part of Samael evolution into the "now", Lucifer's identity.

The Bible often refers to Samael/Lucifer as a dragon or serpent. I wish they kept the ancient bit as to make a point of Lucy being an eternal, always has and always will exist Adversary of that bastard.

Yeah..... Even if Deities or their servants are created later in "eternal time"(sorry, that's the best way i can describe it), they will always have always been and will always be. It's a thing throughout all religions that mention eternal beings. But anyways, forget that and angel names stuff for the time being. That can be a fun topic of its own. Also it's hard.... Lineages and such get involved. As you can imagine, it gets pretty messy.

³ Cast down. Onto The Earth. From there they influenced early humanity before being forced into what we know as Hell. My memory fails me as to why and how they were forced "below" The Earth, but I'll find out as i read more... Probably found in more detail and more entertaining in more of the older Bibles, deuterocanonical stuff and other "inspired" writings.

Oh well. We can learn that together! Or you can tell me and I'll post about it, then find ways to expand and reference beyond the prompt.... Though I'll do references next time. I just went off memory for most of this bar the passage from Revelation. Which i should have done here, with this post.

But it's a bit of a quick "damnit, it's irritating me! Wiki will know that bit!"... Followed by "damnit" as my brain went "ooooo previously known knowledge turn on now!".

---

.... Right. Back to me just blogging about my poor judgement.

Honestly i regretted that i focused so much on Solomon's writs and his letters to his sons. I should have been doing the obvious. Current and old Bibles. That's where the good shit is. Then we can focus on where earthly connections lies in the stuff that have been created (or divinely inspired) like Solomon's writings and everything that influenced/created it.

yeah. I said created. It's currently only an entertained thought that it was his original work.... Or King Solomon had anything to do with it. But, still. The "Keys" transcripts has interesting details and it's fairly easy to find links to older works, holy works and Devil worship stuff. Just gotta find it on the net. Which is a PITA. There's sooo many red herrings. But I'll sort through it and make sure what i find are well referenced and confirmed to be of a certain age or written by a scholar/prominent figure (or they're Canonical/Deuterocanonical).

But yeah... my idea of revisiting the writs of Solomon by the researchers in the Library of London etc, is a moot point. Much more interesting more intact/complete books, tomes and grimoires that would have influenced these sets of fabricated (or not) works. This opens me up to so much amazing bits of work, paintings, instructions and such. So. Sorry. I'm an idiot.

-----

I hope you've enjoyed this post. Again, I'd love some comments. But they're hard for me to find i guess.

Yay, poor obscure me. I think I'll have to tighten my tags as well. But I'll still annoy Ghost The Band fans. Because i find it hilarious.

[dannybobany]

OH MY GOD I’ve never brought up Nephilim!!! I KEEP THINKING ABOUT HIM BUT IVE ENTIRELY NEGLECTED TO SAYYYY ANYTHING OH MY GOSH….

Ok so. Angel right. You know the omori character named Angel- well, I used reflection (hero) to symbolize Basil’s self worth issues so you’re never gonna guess what Angel turns into- yeah. Yeah a creature that symbolizes Basil’s religious anxieties

Why is called ‘Nephilim’? Well IN THE BOOK OF ENOCH- (<- lost it, this is an omori au, why am i talking about Nephilim) which is considered one of the unofficial books of the Bible (those are a thing, yeah) (I AM GREATLY SUMMARIZING BY THE WAY) (THIS IS NOT HOW I WOUPE TALK AHOUT TJIS USUALLY BUT IT IS LATE AND I NEED TO GET THIS OUT BEFORE I FORGET AGAIN) the origin of these creatures called Nephilim is explained, these creatures are supposed to the children of angels and humans, which biblically speaking is an abomination

But for the sake of my omori au (STAY WITH ME) this is a very cool and interesting being to design, and making Angel an ACTUAL ANGEL would’ve been a little too op for that character… so what IS a Nephilim if not an Angel? Well it’s a Giant. Of course. Duh (<- again. Lost it)

Which is ✨amusing✨ because Angel is the smallest hooligan, so turning him to the largest monster in Marzenie (not counting the water beast) (ignore that) (not right now) (it’s one in the morning when I’m typing this and I am NOT elaborating at the moment) is a silly haha

Also Nephilim are very interesting and I need an excuse to put them in my work somewhere (iceberg boy has me on that giant juice) (please don’t question that)

Anyway

So!! That’s what I’m doing with Angel!!

[shallowseeker]

Jack's fingerprint + 2 meanings

The pessimistic meaning: Jack is not allowed to be an individual; he is not unique; he is angelic; a soldier fresh off the line of God's emanations of war

The optimistic meaning: Jack lacks dermatomglyphs and is outside of destiny; untraceable and uncontrollable by the whirls and ridges of God's planning; like how Noah the Gorgon couldn't "see" him in Ouroboros

[peppermintack]

the most unrealistic thing about shadowhunters is easily the fact that, in the age of smartphones, fire-messages aren’t seen as antiquated. not in the way that snail mail is antiquated, more in the way that a teenager would be confused at someone using a pager. you know

[weirdlookindog]

Fields of the Nephilim - Last Exit For the Lost (live)

[dawn-lilacbloom]

hello quanxi (and to a certain extent, reze) nation!!

i hope you're all doing well. i just wanna let yall know that im writing an extended backstory and post-part 1 story for quanxi because fujimoto didn't. (this was the intent and im sorry in advance if it becomes more focused on my OCs instead lol)

contains OCs!! sapphic!! angsty!! weapon hybrids!! 'noir-esque (according to my beta reader)' updates when updates come cause work is shit!

chapter 4 out!!

edit 9/8/23: so uh. fujimoto has decided to bring the weapon hybrids back so this is now a alt. universe/continuity !!

[skyofstorms]

" what makes you think I should apologise?" for any of yours!

Jace arches a brow at the vampire, biting back his anger because they are alone and his anger is more based on how Simon can't see the level of danger he was in. "Seriously, Simon? You almost got yourself killed, for angel's sake." He runs a hand over his face. "Are you trying to kill me in the process?"

@forwardlion [Jace demanded, I cannot control him]

[karokawwo]

depressed divorced lesbian and guy i just conjured from my mind palace to use as an example

[silverwingborn-moved]

//Silver’s playlist making me sad tonight

[futuristicturtlefox]

Fields Of The Nephilim - Last Exit For The Lost

[marvelfanfn2187a113]

Chances

Sam and Dean & nephilim!reader, Cas & nephilim!reader

Requested by Anonymous

Synopsis: Gabriel messes around and ends up creating a nephilim, and Cas is tasked with keeping the kid safe.

A/N: guys I finally finished a request! Hopefully the next one won’t take me so long, you guys have been so patient as I start up college again.

“I need you to do something for me.”

Gabriel’s appearance at the bunker a month after Angel radio went nuts over a nephilim’s creation was unexpected and unwanted, to say the least.

“From us?” Dean narrowed his eyes at the archangel. “Don’t tell me you’re the one who—“

“Not you, Winchesters. I’m talking to Castiel.”

Castiel looked up in surprise at this declaration.

“My help? And why would I—“

“The nephilim is mine. And she’s growing fast.”

“She?” Sam asked. Gabe offered him a half glance.

“Yes, she. I can feel it. And she’s going to be born any day now.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Castiel demanded.

“I can’t keep her safe,” Gabriel admitted after a moment’s hesitation, his features tightened. “If I get anywhere near her, there’s a line of enemies that will follow. I need her somewhere safe, and I can’t take her there.” Gabriel swallowed, glancing at the brothers before looking back at Castiel. “This is the safest place I could think of.” Before Dean could interrupt, Gabriel raised his voice and continued. “The warding will keep out most enemies, and it’s nearly undetectable to angels.”

“We can’t just house a nephilim!” Dean exclaimed. “Not happening. No way.”

“I have no other options, no one else to go to,” Gabriel pleaded. “She’s just a baby—“

“A baby with power,” Sam added. “And we don’t know how much power.”

“She’s innocent,” Gabriel added. “She’s just a baby, and she doesn’t deserve to get hunted down like this. There’s nowhere else she can go—it’s either the bunker, or she’s dead.”

This time, Gabriel’s argument was met with silence. Castiel was the first to break it.

“You want me to retrieve her, and bring her here.”

“It’s her only chance.” None of the boys had ever seen Gabriel look so humble—so vulnerable.

“I’ll do it.”

“Cas—“

“No, Dean,” Cas interrupted him. “I have to do this.”

“Let us come with you,” Sam spoke up.

“Sam!” Dean turned to his brother, thunderstruck.

“No,” Cas said. “I should go alone, it’s safer.”

“You shouldn’t be going at all!” Dean insisted. “We don’t know what—“

“This being deserves a chance,” Cas interrupted. “And I’m going to give it to her.”

…

Gabriel left quickly to go into hiding, and Cas left soon after. The address Gabriel gave him was only a few hours away, but when Cas got there he arrived to a surprise.

The mother—Cas had no idea who she was—was already dead. Cas was just beginning to panic when he heard crying, and he rounded the bed to see you—a little toddler, crying on the floor at the foot of the bed.

“Hey, hey it’s alright,” Cas soothed as he wrapped a nearby blanket around your shivering, unclothed body. “Hey, you’re safe now.” He had no idea how or why you were already a toddler, but he figured it didn’t matter—as long as he could get you safe.

You stopped crying as soon as you were in Cas’s arms, your big Y/E/C eyes blinking up at the angel.

“You’re going to be alright little one,” Cas said. “I promise.”

Considering the dead woman on the bed not three feet away, Cas felt that his promise was less than convincing, but you relaxed completely into him, your little arms wrapping around his neck and holding on tight.

Cas carried you out to his car—he wasn’t so sure about angel transportation with a newborn nephilim, so human transportation was his choice—while keeping his eyes peeled for any interference, of which there was, thankfully, none.

“I suppose I should get you some food and some clothing,” Castiel said, mostly to himself, although if you spoke up he’d be grateful. You didn’t, though; you just blinked up at him with those big eyes, and Cas felt more lost than ever.

He knew enough about humans—and you were at least half human—to know that babies only drank milk, and as they got older they gained an affinity for solid foods. But you were somewhere between a newborn and a toddler. Would milk be enough to sustain you? Would you even understand how to eat solid foods? It was all confusing for an angel who already felt out of his depth.

Castiel stopped at the first store he came across, and he carried you with him—you were still wrapped in that blanket he had grabbed from your mother’s house—as he started to grab anything he thought he’d need to take care of you, including a lot he probably didn’t need. As soon as he’d paid for everything, he carried you into the family restroom so he could get you into the clothes he’d picked up, as you still seemed too young to be capable of dressing yourself.

“Alright,” Castiel said after you were dressed, looking at you long and hard for a moment before sighing in near-defeat. “I don’t know why your father picked me for this mission, Sam or Dean would be much better at—“ a crash from somewhere outside the restroom had Castiel whipping around, prepared for a threat. But the door remain closed, and whatever had made noise was now silent.

Castiel turned back around only when he felt a tug on his arm. He looked down to see you—but he didn’t have to look as far down as he expected. Cas blinked in surprise, taking in the sight of you, now maybe six inches taller and a few years older, the clothes on you stretched and far too small.

“What…” Cas breathed, unsure what to even ask.

You just tugged at his hand again, gripping it firmly in your shaking hands.

“I’m scared.” It was the first words Cas had heard you speak, and they snapped him back into focus.

“I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. Now how did you get so big?”

You just blinked up at Cas, apparently unwilling to speak again.

“It’s ok,” Cas sighed. “It doesn’t matter, I just…let’s get you some bigger clothes and get you out of here.”

Cas led you out towards the clothing section, turning his back on you for just a second to find the right size. But once he turned around again, you were gone.

“Hey!” Cas realized just then that he didn’t know your name. He whirled around frantically, trying to catch sight of you between the racks of clothing. He rushed down aisle after aisle, freezing when he got to the third one and saw a girl that looked suspiciously like you, but was now three inches taller, being cornered by a large man whose eyes flashed black.

Cas didn’t speak, he just took four large strides, and as soon as the demon turned to look at him, he stretched out his hand and placed it against the demon’s forehead. There was a flash of light behind the demon’s eyes, and he dropped to the floor after only a second. You looked from the dead demon to Castiel in awe.

“Why do you keep getting bigger?” Castiel sighed, bending down slightly to look you in the eye.

“I wasn’t big enough to stop him.” Your voice came out in a quiet whimper—you were shaking in fear. “It was scary, so I wanted to get bigger, and…and then I just did.” Your big eyes were gonna be the death of Cas, he just knew it; especially when they were filled with tears like now. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Hey, no, it’s ok, it’s just…not many people can do that. Most people have to say the size they are until they grow.” You still looked concerned, so Cas waved it off. “It doesn’t matter, you didn’t do anything wrong. Now let’s get you into some bigger clothes and get you safe.”

At this point, you looked like a young teenager, so Castiel went to a different clothes section to find you something. You held his hand the whole way, which Cas was grateful for—he didn’t want to lose you again.

Cas picked up a size for you and sent you off to put it on, making sure he could see you entering and leaving the bathroom. While you were gone, he grabbed about three more sizes in case you spontaneously grew again.

“I’m ready,” you said as you returned to Castiel.

“Ok…” Cas stared at you for a moment. “Do…do you know your name?”

“My name…” you pondered the question for a long moment. “Yes, I…Y/N. I remember my mother calling me that…before I was born. She named me Y/N.”

Cas smiled.

“Ok then. Y/N it is.”

…

Once you were ready, Cas led you out to his car and the two of you were finally on your way again. The car went along in silence for several miles, but Cas could tell you were contemplating something, and after a while you finally got up the courage to speak.

“Are you my father?”

The question shouldn’t have surprised Cas, but he froze up the moment it left your mouth.

“I…no, I’m not,” he said finally. “Your father’s name is Gabriel. He wanted to be here, really, but it was too dangerous. He…let’s just say he has a lot of enemies.”

“Is that why my mother is dead?” Your voice was more subdued this time, and the question again froze Castiel.

“No, little one,” Cas began hesitantly. How could he tell you that your mother died giving birth to you? “Your mother, she…she chose to save you, rather than herself.”

“Save me?” You prodded. “Is it because I…I can do things, like grow?”

“Kind of.” Castiel ran a hand over his face, willing the car ride to end. “Your father is an archangel, and that makes you a nephilim. But your mother, she was just a human. She…she couldn’t bring you into this world and survive, her body wasn’t strong enough.”

Your silence was starting to scare Cas more than your questions.

“So…so I killed my mom?” It was with tears in your eyes that you finally spoke again.

“No,” Castiel insisted. “No, you did not choose any of this, this isn’t your fault. Your mother and father made their choices, you’re just the result of them. But your mother’s death is not on you.”

“It still feels like it is,” you mumbled. “How…how do I miss someone I’ve never met?” You blinked up at Cas, and he swore he’d never felt more out of his depth.

“Look, I…I know that you don’t have your parents here right now, but I’m going to look after you. I’m going to take you to a safe place, and I promise that you’re going to be alright.”

“Why are you helping me?” You asked. Cas barely had to think about the answer to this.

“Because I believe that you deserve a chance, the same as anyone else. You’ve got powers, little one. Powers that might scare some people. But I think that you’re good, and I’m not scared of you just because of your strength.”

“What if I’m not good?” Your gaze faltered, falling away from Cas’s. “What if you should be scared of me?”

“Good isn’t something that you’re born as,” Cas said. “It’s something you choose. You can choose good, if you want to.”

“I do,” you insisted. “I just…I don’t think I know how.”

A hint of a smile crossed Cas’s lips.

“Well I can try to teach you. And my friends, they will too.”

…

The rest of the ride to the bunker passed uneventfully, but Cas began to get nervous the closer he got to the bunker. He was all but forcing this nephilim onto Sam and Dean, so how would they react when he arrived? Would they be scared of you, or force Cas to leave? Would they not want to put themselves in danger to help some non-human?

It didn’t seem like the Sam and Dean that Cas knew, but then again they’d never been presented with a nephilim before.

“Your friends.” Your words startled Cas out of his thoughts. “Are they…like you?”

“You mean angels?” Cas had explained who he was to you. “No, no they’re human. But they like to help people. I believe they’ll help you.” Cas had to believe it—he had to.

…

“You’re back.” Dean’s greeting seemed less then happy as he stared Cas down. “Where’s the—“

“Hello.”

Dean‘s gaze whipped around from Cas to you as you stepped up beside Cas.

“What the—I thought she was just born.” Dean looked back at Cas, questions swimming behind his eyes.

“She was, she uh…she grew up fast,” Cas offered lamely.

“Why?” Sam spoke up for the first time, eying you nervously, but he didn’t look as threatening as Dean.

“I got scared,” you said. “So I had to grow up fast.”

“What’s your name?” Sam asked before Dean could say anything else.

“I’m Y/N.” Sam noticed the way you were almost hiding behind Cas. He couldn’t tell if you were scared of him, or just shy, but either way he tried to make himself look as non threatening as possible.

“Well, I’m Sam and this is my brother, Dean. C’mon down here and we can show you where to sleep.” Sam pointedly ignored Dean’s glare. “Do you need anything to eat?”

“No, I’m not hungry,” you decided after a moment of pondering.

“Good, now you can explain to us what kind of powers you have and how you plan to use them,” Dean cut in, ignoring the glares from Sam and Cas.

“I…” the question froze you, and Cas jumped in.

“Dean, it’s been a long day. Just let her get some sleep.”

“Oh, sure, and while she’s sleeping, every demon and angel on earth is pulling out all the stops to get to her! I mean she could be working with any of them!”

“Why would she work with them?” Sam demanded. “They want her dead.”

“Yeah, or they want to use her powers! She could’ve cut a deal with them.”

“Dean, she’s just a kid,” Cas interjected.

“Yeah, a kid who was a baby a couple hours ago. She’s not normal, she’s a freak! Who knows what else she’ll do?”

“Dean, calm down—“ Sam’s attempt at keeping the peace just made Dean angrier.

“Calm down?! We have a nephilim in our house, and we don’t know what it can do!”

“She’s not an i-“ Cas’s interruption went completely unnoticed by Dean.

“And we don’t know what side it’s on! Gabriel was always switching sides, what makes you think this kid is gonna be any different?”

“Dean, she doesn’t even know Gabriel,” Cas argued.

“But he’s still the father. She could still—“

“Stop it!” Your outburst froze all three men, and it took you a prolonged minute to realize why; they couldn’t move. By just your word, you’d rendered them incapable of doing anything but stare at you—Sam and Cas in amazement, Dean in anger. “I didn’t…” your gaze focused on Cas, almost pleading with him to help you. “I-I didn’t mean to. I didn’t—I don’t know how to stop it.” You stared down at your hands, and then back up. “I didn’t mean it! Let them go!”

The three men moved simultaneously as their joints relaxed and their legs moved. Dean took a half step back from you, Sam stayed where he was, and Cas came up to stand in front of you.

“It’s ok,” he whispered as you started to shake. “I know you didn’t mean to, it’s ok.”

“I’m sorry,” you whimpered. “I don’t think I can control this.”

Cas knelt down, his blue eyes locking onto yours.

“I know you can. I’m going to help you.”

“Me too.” You hadn’t noticed Sam approaching you until his hand was on your shoulder. “I know a little bit about self control.”

Dean lingered in the corner, wariness etched onto his features, but the anger was somewhat dissipated.

“Come with me,” Sam continued—he was still ignoring Dean’s glares. “I’ll get you settled in.”

You let Sam lead you down a hallway. You could hear Dean start to yell at Castiel the moment you left the room, and Cas was yelling right back.

“Uh, this room is empty,” Sam said, stopping in front of a door. “So you can use it.”

“Ok,” you mumbled, standing in front of the door and rocking back and forth on your heels. “I’m sorry for being so much trouble,” you added, your head ducked low.

“Your dad has helped us out before,” Sam said. “So I’m glad you’re here—I want to help you.”

“Dean said my dad did bad stuff, too,” you said.

“Yeah, he…is a complicated man.” Sam shook his head, a wry smile on his face. “Well, anyway…” Sam opened up the door to your room, stepping back so you could go inside. You took a hesitant step inside before turning around and looking up at Sam, as if worried he was going to leave.

“What should I do if the demons or angels come inside?” You asked, your voice tight and high pitched.

“Hey.” Sam put a comforting hand on your shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about that, trust me. They don’t know where this place is, and it’s warded. They can’t get to you, we won’t let them.”

Your features visibly relaxed.

“Ok.” You found yourself wrapping your arms around the kind man before you’d really made the decision to do it. “Thank you.”

He was stiff for a moment, but quickly he reciprocate the hug.

“You’re gonna be ok,” he promised.

…

The next week passed about as Cas had expected, although even he was surprised at how eager Sam was to help you. Sam hung around the bunker the entire week, getting you used to life on earth and everything you didn’t know.

Dean however, remained fairly hostile. But things weren’t as bad as they’d been the first day, and Cas was even starting to notice Dean warm up to you in little ways; making a little extra food at breakfast, letting you join him in the Dean cave when he was watching something—things like that.

You might have gotten too comfortable around Dean based on his attitude, because when Dean announced to the general area that he had found a hunt you spoke up—

“I’ll help!”

The trio of men looked over at you with varying degrees of surprise.

“Are you sure?” Cas asked.

“No!” Dean insisted. “You’re staying here, I’m not babysitting some kid on the hunt.”

“I don’t want you to babysit me,” you argued. “I want to help.”

“Sam, help me out here,” Dean demanded. When Sam seemed reluctant, Dean groaned, “oh come on!”

“Well, maybe she can help!” Sam offered. “Give her a chance.”

Dean glanced from Sam to Cas, hoping one of them would break. When they didn’t, he huffed in annoyance, but his shoulders slumped.

“Fine.”

…

The long car ride was going surprisingly well. Dean’s music was your first introduction to the art, and your enthusiastic response instantly gained you brownie points with Dean.

Each and every song that came on elicited the same response from you—

“Is this the best one?”

And every time the brothers would respond at the same time, Dean with a “yes!” And Sam with a “no!” All in all, Cas couldn’t have asked for a better bonding experience.

“Alright,” Dean said after a while, turning the music down. “We’ll be there soon, so we need to talk this out. From all appearances, it’s a vampire—a nest, actually. Now as soon as we locate it, I want Sam and Cas to be ready with the dead man’s blood, and…” Dean seemed to be rethinking his plan for a moment, before he made up his mind… “and I want the kid with me.” Dean’s eyes met yours in the rearview mirror, and his voice was suddenly more firm. “You need to be careful, and you need to not be in the way. Do you understand me?”

You were trying to hide your excited smile as you replied.

“Yes sir.”

…

You didn’t help. Or stay out of the way. In fact, barring lost limbs or lives, the hunt couldn’t have gone much worse, and you knew it was your fault.

Your first sight of a vampire scared you so much, that some of your nephilim energy came from you without you planning on it, blasting several vamps—and unfortunately Dean—away from you. Unfortunately, that blast of power had you thinking that maybe you could take on the vamps magically. This tactic just meant that you got in Dean’s way, and your magic didn’t respond the way you wanted it to—it didn’t respond at all.

Because of this, nearly half the vampires got away, and the ones that didn’t went straight for the easy target; you.

You were on the floor with a vampire drinking from your neck before Dean was even able to start swinging. He took out the two vampires that went for him before he able to get to you. He pried the vampire away from your neck before taking care of it with a single swing.

“Are you crazy?!” You were gasping for breath, blood mingling with sweat and tears as you tried to calm down while Dean yelled at you. “I told you to be careful! I told you not to get in the way! You could’ve—“ Dean cut himself off with a huff, turning to look for any remaining vampires. “I’ve gotta go find the nest before they get to Cas and Sam. You stay here.” The look Dean gave you before he left ensured your complete obedience to his order.

You slumped down onto the floor, drained and desperate to calm down. How could you have screwed up so badly, and right when Dean was finally starting to trust you?

You were finally able to breathe normally again by the time Dean returned with Sam and Cas in tow.

“A few of them got away,” Dean grumbled. “But they’re long gone now, and without their nest I don’t think they’re coming back.

“Dean, I didn’t—“ you barely got a couple of words out before Dean cut you off.

“Don’t! No, I don’t want to hear it. You could’ve gotten killed, you could’ve gotten one of us killed!”

“Dean,” Sam interrupted. “Dean, we should go. She’s hurt, and so is Cas—he’s too weak to heal, we gotta regroup.”

Dean led the dejected group to the Impala, but as soon as the car was on the road the yelling started up again. Sam and Cas were too tired to stop Dean, so you curled up in your corner of the Impala and listened to Dean’s criticisms of all you had done wrong. Within minutes, the words seemed to blend into each other and all you could hear was the anger in his tone and the harsh beating of your heart. You could feel the adrenaline still pumping in your veins, but it only seemed to highlight your fear and the pain in your neck and the tears that were building behind your eyes. The toxic combination seemed to build up until it was all you could feel, and it felt like anything more would make you snap—

“I mean how could you be so stupid?!”

That was it.

“Stop it!” Dean looked taken aback at your outburst. “I know that I screwed it all up, and I’m sorry! I’m sorry that Cas got hurt, and I’m sorry that the vampires got away. But I can’t fix that now, and I’m freaking out and I’m bleeding and I don’t want to listen to you yell anymore! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’ll say it as much as you want to hear it, just stop yelling at me!”

It was a good thing that the Impala was nearing the bunker, otherwise the four of you would’ve suffocated on the silence in the car.

“Come with me,” Dean told you as you all stepped out of the car. Cas started forwards, but Dean waved him off. “Go fix that—“ he gestured at the wound on Cas’s side—it wasn’t deep, but it was long. “I’ve got her.”

Neither Cas nor Sam argued; they just went off to their own rooms to get cleaned off. You trailed behind Dean as if you were marching to your death sentence. He noticed this about halfway down the hallway.

“I’m not going to yell at you again,” he insisted. “So relax.”

The tension in your shoulders eased, but you still didn’t speak as Dean led you to his room and instructed you to sit on his bed while he disappeared into the bathroom. He returned a moment later with a first aid kit in hand, the anger on his face all but gone.

“Let me see it.”

You pulled your hair to the side so Dean could get at the bite marks on your neck. You weren’t sure why you couldn’t heal yourself the way Cas sometimes could—maybe you were just too scared to figure out your powers now—but Dean didn’t question it; he just got to fixing the problem.

“This is gonna sting,” he warned you as he soaked a cotton ball with alcohol before pressing it to your neck. You forced yourself not to hiss in pain, but you couldn’t hold back the way your face twitched and your shoulder flinched. Dean didn’t comment, though.

“I am sorry,” you mumbled as Dean quietly continued to clean your wound.

“I know,” he replied simply. “I don’t think I can trust you on hunts anymore, but I do get that you’re sorry. And maybe I went a little too hard on you, ok? So how ‘bout we just forgive each other and move on. Maybe…maybe start over.”

“Ok,” you said, your lips twitching into a smile. “I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you.”

Despite himself, Dean chuckled.

“Don’t be a dork,” he insisted. But after a moment’s pause he continued— “I’m Dean. It’s nice to meet you too.”

And the two of you lapsed into a comfortable silence as Dean finished patching up your neck. His concerned features each time you hissed in pain, and his gentle touch so as not to hurt you, had you thinking one thing;

This is one heck of a second chance.

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