Kate awoke to a familiar sight: Apollyon’s bedroom. Once again, the two hell cats Rin and Sera had made themselves comfortable on the bed with her, but this time both were snuggled up on one side.

Apollyon was sitting on a chair nearby, her shoulder wrapped in bandages. “How are you feeling?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“Malice healed your wounds, even the one Arakiel inflicted on you. He struck you with a blessed blade, more than my magic could handle.”

“I remember that… I don’t feel it anymore.”

“Good. Luckily you are still human, a demon would take much longer to recover from that specific injury. Your hand was healed too, of course.”

Kate looked at her right hand. There wasn’t even a hint of what she had done to it.

“A clever idea, to use your tracking tattoo to alert us.”

“I wish it hadn’t been necessary… what happened to Nirrti?”

Apollyon frowned. “She was no match for Arakiel. She is a scholar, not a warrior. He tore her apart. But don’t worry, she is resting and recovering. We can go visit her later.”

“Will she be okay?”

“Yes, in time. Blessed weapons leave a mark that persists through our regeneration. The physical wound is gone, but the pain remains for a while.”

“Hm… are you okay?”

The demon took a moment to think. “I admit, I am not. But I am healing, and there are things you can do to aid in that. But that is a topic for later.”

“Okay. So, what happened to him?”

“Azazel erased him. I told you she exists partly outside of the material worlds, and she used that part of herself to simply make his existence stop.”

“Oh… wow.”

“He will never bother us again. Neither will other angels most likely. His death sent a message, one that they cannot ignore. Raphael, Arakiel’s direct superior, has already contacted us. He has apologised and promised to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

“I see.”

“If you are well enough to get out of bed, there is a surprise waiting in my living room.”

Kate crawled out from the under the blanket, trying not to disturb the cats. “Lead the way.”

 

“Kate!” Adelina shot up from the couch as Kate and Apollyon walked into the room.

“Hey…”

Adelina hadn’t been waiting alone, Eisheth and Evelyn had been playing Heroes and were now looking at Kate as well. The vampire stepped around the couch to hug her friend.

“I am so glad you alright. You are alright, right?”

“I am. I didn’t expect you to be here, is everything okay?”

Evelyn also went for the hug. “It’s all good now. We’re in Hell! Actual for real Hell and it’s awesome.”

Eisheth saved her hug for later. “When we got a sense of what happened to Arakiel and you two, we all agreed it would be best if we took our human friends here.”

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long.” Kate had let go of the two women hugging her and now made room for Apollyon to receive hugs.

“We first saw to Nirrti before coming here. She is doing better than expected but will be stuck in bed for a few more days. We’ve just got into our first game here before you got out of bed.”

“How long was I out then?”

Apollyon and the other humans sat down on the couches. “Less than a cycle. Malice said your body took the healing very well.”

“Then I didn’t miss too much.”

“Just a day of education so far. I suppose those days will add up eventually, I will not simply let you go back.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I held you, I…” Apollyon sighed. “I apologize for cutting your time with your improved body short, but you are not leaving Hell as a human.”

“You want to turn me, like, today?”

“Not today. Today we have fun and rest. I will turn you when you are ready, but I insist on doing so soon.”

“Yea, uhm, sure. So, how does that work exactly?”

“I reach out to your soul, remove the part that defines you as a human and replace it with a part of me. That will not only make you a demon, but also anchor your soul to Hell, granting you our immortality from the moment you feel the first change.”

“Okay, anything else I should know, any rituals or anything really?”

“None that are required, but I would like to ask you to indulge me for one thing. It is still all up to you, of course. There is just a little ceremonial part I would enjoy.”

Kate sat down now as well. “A little ceremony would be nice. It’s a big change, it might be fun to celebrate it and make it feel special. Maybe invite the demons that care about me, share a little meal if that’s a thing I can do after changing.”

“Your soul and mind will transform near instantly, but your body will change slowly. I think a shared dinner with your friends is a good idea to celebrate. I will make preparations, if you allow me to surprise you.”

“Yes, please! But don’t overwork yourself, okay? You’re still injured.”

“A scratch, nothing more.”

Kate shook her head. “It’s a proper stab wound, please be careful.”

“I promise to take care of myself.”

“Please do. Well, you said we should have some fun and some rest today, let’s start with the fun while everyone is here.”

Eisheth nodded in agreement. “I would love to finish my game with Evelyn, then we should all play a few rounds and maybe teach Adelina how to play. If you want to learn.” She looked at the vampire.

“It looks fun, least I can do is try.” Adelina sounded quite eager.

“I am optimistic that you will enjoy it.”

 

Adelina did in fact enjoy Heroes. As the time for food approached, everyone agreed that they should visit Nirrti and bring her some good food too. So, Apollyon and Kate prepared something simple yet delicious and teleported into Nirrti’s home.

It felt like a cottage, just big enough for the downstairs to be a sizable living room with a small kitchen and stairs leading up to the bedroom. Kate led the group to the bedroom, where Nirrti was reading in her bed. Rin and Sera apparently had the same idea after being left behind by Kate. They were here too, snuggled up on the bed.

“Kate!”

“Hey. I brought some friends and food.”

“That’s great! How are you?”

“Better than you apparently. I feel fine, if a little sore. How are you holding up?”

“I would be lying if I told you it didn’t hurt… a lot. I was not match for him, but you are safe now. It was all worth it.”

“Can I hug you or would that hurt too much?”

“Just a light one.”

Kate did just that, gently hugging the Nightmare for a short moment before letting go.

“Thank you… I don’t think I would be here if it wasn’t for you.”

Nirrti shook her head and winced slightly. Moving at all hurt. “Someone else would have protected you better. I am just glad it’s over now.”

“I am too. Let’s have some food, shall we?”

“Please! All I have eaten today was small sandwiches.”

Apollyon stepped forward and placed a tray on the bed. “It is nothing special, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.”

“Your cooking is always great, especially now.” She picked up the fork and started on the stir-fry Kate and Apollyon had made.

The others all found a place to get comfortable and eat as well. Few words were exchanged until every last tiny bit was devoured. Kate took initiative when everyone had finished.

“With all of us here, who is at the library?”

Eisheth answered. “War. She took the fried chicken bribe again. I think that kind of simple food and being around people in a quiet place helps her relax.”

“That’s good.”

Evelyn had started gathering up the trays from everyone and stacking them up neatly on a nearby dresser. “I still can’t believe I am actually in Hell.”

“Where exactly are we in Hell?” Kate looked at Nirrti.

“A day’s walk outside of Dis, still in the sixth circle. The small group of houses here is a town called Gehenna.”

“We can take a walk outside.” Eisheth added. “Don’t want to keep everyone cooped up inside… if they don’t have to rest.”

Kate nodded in agreement. “You should go explore and have fun. Our two injured demons need rest and I should take it easy too. We’ll be here when you come back. Maybe we can figure out where we three humans can sleep while you’re gone.”

“A good idea. Evelyn, Adelina, are you up for that?”

“Absolutely.” Evelyn seemed excited.

“Sure, I would love to see more of Hell.” Adelina held her excitement back but was equally eager to explore.

Eisheth led them outside, leaving Apollyon, Nirrti and Kate to relax.

“Are you alright?” Nirrti directed the question at Apollyon.

“I do not know. I have much to think about, Arakiel tore open not just a flesh wound but an old mental scar as well.”

“What do you mean?” Kate was curious.

“Do you remember what he said about my previous human friendship? That my insistence in avoiding a war caused her death?”

“Vaguely, yea.”

“He was right. My last human companion became ‘inconvenient’ to someone working with the angels. I was warned that if I stopped their humans from doing anything to her, there would be war. I watched her execution helplessly. I was a coward.”

Kate remained silent.

“We will not let that happen ever again. When I met with Lucifer and Azazel and talked about how to solve the issue Arakiel presented, we agreed that our human friends must be protected at all costs, even if that means war.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Some seem to have learned their lesson.” Apollyon took a deep breath. “I just want to sort through books, cook for friends and… be happy.” Her voice was shaking at the end, Kate had never heard her like this.

The human got up and hugged Apollyon. “I am here to stay. I don’t know how to make you happy, honestly. But I will try, because that’s what friends do.”

“Just be yourself. You have already brought immense joy into my life. Thinking about possibly losing you was devastating and I can’t express how relieved I am that you are still here now.”

“Well, Polly, you must promise me one thing.”

“Whatever you need.”

Kate smiled. “When I’m a demon, you have to tell me what more I can do. Whenever there is something that would make you a little happier, you must tell me.”

“I promise to try.” Apollyon smiled again too, just as Kate had hoped.