“So what have you been up to all day?” I asked. “Your attire doesn’t seem like it would have taken hours to put on so I’m guessing you had time for other things.”

“Your dress took all day to put on?” He grinned, seeming far too amused by the idea of me spending all day getting ready. I glared at him.

“Don’t remind me. And just for future reference, there’s no way I’m coming to one of these things again unless there’s some serious payment for my suffering.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”

“Well then maybe you should wear the dress instead, Princess.” 

“But it looks amazing on you! I don’t think I could pull it off as well.” 

“Those are just excuses because you know these things are torture devices.”

“Okay!” Kivani raised his free hand in surrender. “Next time I ask you to a ball I’ll make sure to provide more suitable attire so you don’t have to suffer.”

Next time? He said it so casually. Like of course I would always be the one he’d ask. Why did I like the idea of always being the one he asked? I felt my cheeks heat again. Why couldn’t I keep my stupid face under control. 

“Yeah, you’d better.” Kivani’s eye’s sparkled, realizing I’d basically agreed to there being a next time.  “Now back to my question. What did you do today? I want to know so I can decide how annoyed I am that you had a more enjoyable day than me.”

“Well I hate to disappoint you, but my day wasn’t all that fun either. They hold the promotion ceremonies in the morning so I had to sit through speeches from the Monik, and the King, plus various advisors and high ranking officials. Then I had to wait while countless men got called up to receive their promotion. Honestly, it was incredibly boring. The only good part was that Nicolev got promoted to Holy Knight so I got to see his pairing ritual.”

“Pairing ritual?” 

“Yeah, when a Disciple gets promoted to Holy Knight they do a pairing ritual where the new Holy Knight baptizes an angelite weapon in the Eternal Flame. It’s how you infuse a weapon with holy fire. Plus, by being the one to perform the baptism yourself, the holy fire in that weapon is linked to your mana signature so only you can summon it. I’m not really sure how it works. I think it’s something to do with the angel’s blessing. But it’s pretty helpful since it keeps people from stealing a holy weapon and using its holy fire.”

“Oh, makes sense. What weapon did Nicolev choose?”

“He picked a spear.”

“Hm.”

“You don’t seem impressed.”

“Well to each their own. I guess I’m just partial to swords.”

“Like that beautiful sword you were using back when we were closing the tear?”

I scowled at him. “Am I going to have to fire you from being my secret keeper?”

“Sorry, I was just curious. But I’ll shut up. I promise my lips are sealed.” He mimed sealing his lips and then gave me a proud closed lip smile. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Well I guess it’s good your lips are sealed, it means there will be more food for me.”

“Excuse me! I meant in a metaphorical sense! I will definitely be eating the food tonight. I want to get inspiration for my own baking.”

“Woah, already going back on your promise to keep your lips sealed. To think I almost had some peace and quiet.”

“You’re so mean.” Kivani pouted dramatically. 

“Oh toughen up, Princess.”

I was momentarily distracted by the growing crowds as we approached the ballroom. There were so many colorful dresses as well as the white uniforms of Clunaics and the black uniforms of what I assumed were the Kingsmen. 

Everyone packed into the hallway, waiting to enter the ballroom one couple at a time. Kivani and I finally reached the threshold to the ballroom. The space was enormous. A tall domed ceiling soared above, glass skylights letting the star speckled sky peak in. Multiple jeweled chandeliers hung down, casting the room in bright light. Tall windows lined the walls and a second level open hallway hugged the outer edge of the room. 

We’d entered on the second floor to a grand staircase that led down to the main level of the ballroom. I was now even more glad I’d decided to wear practical flats instead of the high heels the servants had tried to convince me to wear. 

Kivani escorted me down the stairs to the center of the ballroom where couples were already waltzing to the orchestra’s beautiful music. I scanned the area. Where was it? 

I surveyed the ballroom. The orchestra played from a raised dais in one corner. At the opposite end from where we’d entered was another wide staircase that led up to elegant thrones. But I didn’t care about all that. 

There! Under the overhanging balconies, long tables had been set up with beautiful displays of desserts. 

“Would you care to dance?” Kivani asked. 

“Not with an empty stomach!” I dragged him over to the food table, quickly filling a annoyingly small plate with as many desserts as I could fit.

“Woah, you might want to pace yourself there.”

“Why?”

“You don’t want to get sick from all that sugar.”

“I think I can handle it just fine.”

Kivani shook his head in exasperation. “Well, while you stuff your face I’m going to go see if I can find my sister.”

“Your sister’s here?” I said around a mouthful of cheesecake.

“Yeah. She said the healer she apprentices under was invited so she was allowed to come as well. I haven't seen her in almost a year so I’m really looking forward to seeing her tonight. I’ll bring her over to meet you once I find her.”

“Okay.” I said, already moving on to some blueberry pie. Kivani disappeared off into the crowd, leaving me to enjoy my dessert. I leaned up against one of the balcony’s support pillars and observed the ballroom as I ate. 

Up on the raised throne sat who I assumed was the king. He was a little bit chubby, but he looked regal enough I guess with his crisp black suit and dark blue sash. Four young girls sat on small thrones to the King’s left. Probably his daughters. Another throne had been set up to the right of the King where a man with long white robes sat. Probably the Monik, or whatever they called the leader of the Clunaics. Hovering beside the King, a man in a black suit stood tall, golden medals adorning his chest. He stood surveying the ballroom with dark eyes, his graying hair slicked back severely. 

Just as I was studying him from the edge of the ballroom he glanced over at me. We made eye contact for a moment and I could swear there was something familiar about him. I felt involuntary chills shudder through me as I stared into those bottomless dark eyes. 

He studied me for a moment before his eyes widened in shock. He quickly looked away, but I could tell he was flustered. Had I done something wrong? I felt my face to make sure I didn’t have some food stuck embarrassingly to my face. I was in the clear. I considered the man for another minute, but he didn’t look back over again. 

“Ara, I’d like you to meet Mavie!” I jolted, startled out of my inspection of the man. 

Kivani walked up to me, his arm linked with a younger girl. She had dark brown eyes and wavy brown hair. I didn’t really see much of a family resemblance between the two, except for her smile. She smiled broadly just like Kivani. 

“Ara! It’s so nice to meet you!” She shook my free hand enthusiastically. “I’m so glad my brother has finally found himself a girl!” She leaned in close and whispered “Just between you and me, he’s in desperate need of someone to keep him in line. He can be quite the troublemaker when left unsupervised.”

“Oh most definitely.” I said completely straight faced. “I’m always having to bail him out of troublesome situations.”

“Hey!” Kivani protested. “Don’t gang up on me! And if I recall correctly, you're the one always getting into trouble.”

“I think he’s still in denial.” I said to Mavie. “Do you see what I have to deal with?”

She giggled. “I think you picked a good one, Kiv.” Mavie said to Kivani, elbowing him in the ribs. 

“I know.” I felt my check redden yet again at the certainty in his voice. 

“Well, I’m going to go find someone to dance with. Promise you’ll save at least one dance for me, Kiv?” 

“Of course!” 

Mavie skipped off into the mass of dancers to hunt down a partner. 

“She’s lively.”

“Yeah,” Kivani smiled after his sister who was already wrangling herself a dance partner. 

Kivani turned back to me. “Is your stomach full enough to dance now?”

“I suppose so,” I said, putting my plate down on a table. Kivani offered me a hand and I took it. 

I’d never danced before, but how hard could it be? Fighting was kind of like dancing and I was good at that so I should be fine. 

Turns out fighting and dancing were actually pretty different. But despite a rocky start that involved a lot of stepping on Kivani’s toes I finally got into the rhythm of it. And I had to admit, it was pretty fun. 

Kivani twirled me around, my dress flaring out. I guess even though the dress was seriously annoying, it was kind of fun to make it flutter and swish as I danced. 

The music slowed and we rocked gently from side to side. Kivani pulled me closer, our bodies pressed together as we swayed. 

“So, how are you liking the ball?” Kivani rumbled softly in my ear. The question seemed more intimate due to our proximity and it took me a moment to order my thoughts enough to give a response. 

“It’s not so bad,” I murmured back. I didn’t know why we were whispering, but something about the moment felt private. Like we were sharing a secret despite the crowds of people surrounding us. 

He pulled back a bit to look me in the eyes. His gaze was soft, a small smile playing across his lips. 

“Why are you staring at me like that?” I asked, not being able to resist smiling. It was probably a goofy smile too, but he didn’t seem to mind. 

“Because I want to remember this moment forever.” And then he was kissing me. A soft tender kiss that made me feel like I was something to be cherished. The kind of kiss that erased my problems and grounded me to the now. The kind of kiss that promised a future together. 

Warning bells went off in the back of my mind telling me that this was not a good idea. That I should push him away. But my body rebelled against reason, leaning into the kiss. Savoring it. 

When Kivani pulled back all I could do was stand there speechless. Kivani opened his mouth to say something when a commotion drew his attention. I looked over belatedly, still flustered by the kiss.

My eyes widened in shock. What was happening? A tall demon stood up on the dais with the thrones. He was crouched over the throne with the Monik and I glimpsed bright red, stark against the white fabric of the Clunaic robes. 

Everyone in the ballroom seemed to be frozen in shock, not believing that this could be real. Then the demon straightened, hands dripping with blood and started drawing on the wall behind the throne. 

People started panicking and screams echoed through the ballroom. There was a sudden flurry of movement as people began trying to flee the ballroom, but there were far too few exits to accommodate the mass exodus. 

Momentarily distracted by the press of people around us I was startled by the sound of growling. I whipped my attention back over to the dais to see that the demon had drawn a portal rune to the demon realm. Now demons were pouring through the portal and flooding the packed ballroom. 

“Ara, get out of here! Help people evacuate!” Kivani yelled over the chaos. 

“You help evacuate, I’ll fight the demon!”

I started for the dais, burning away my long skirts and extinguishing the flames before they got too high. I needed to smear the rune to break the portal. How was he even able to make portal runes? I’d thought only Lucifer was capable of that. Before I had time to think about it a voice snagged my attention. 

“Zinerva!” I don’t know why that name had caught my attention, soaring above the cacophony of the ballroom. I searched for the source and found my eyes falling on a boy in a dress. And next to him was a girl. A girl who was staring directly at me, wide-eyed. 

Time seemed to slow for a moment, the screams and crying fading away. I felt a sort of weightiness to the encounter. Like the moment was significant but I didn’t know why. 

I felt someone grab my hand, tearing my attention away from the girl. I turned to see Kivani had grabbed me.

“Ara, slow down! What are you even going to do?”

“We need to smear the rune to stop the portal!”

Without questioning how I knew that he simply nodded. I turned back to the thrones only to notice I’d caught the attention of more than just that strange girl. The demon who had killed the Monik was now staring directly at me, demons pouring through the portal behind him. 

I blinked and he was in front of me. His midnight black hair and angular features gave him a harsh look. He was beautiful in a dangerous way. Like a sparkling diamond with razor sharp edges.  

“Well, what do we have here?” He said with menacing enthusiasm. “Lucifer warned me that I might find his runaway heir here.”

“Ara, what’s he…” Kivani was cut off by the demon.

“And who’s this, Samara? You should introduce him. Oh but where are my manners, I’ll go first. I’m General Azazel.” He bowed dramatically and then looked expectantly at me.

“He’s nobody.”

“He doesn’t look like nobody,” Azazel shot back, looking pointedly at our linked hands. I quickly dropped Kivani’s hand and stepped toward the demon. 

“Too late for that.” Before I had time to react Azazel had punched Kivani, sending him flying back into one of the balcony pillars. Kivani slumped to the floor, struggling to lift his head. 

I saw red. I lunged for the Azazel, pulling out Lamentation in one fluid movement. He blocked my sword lazily with one of his own. 

“Still clinging to your human illusion, huh? C’mon, hurry up and fight me for real. I’ve heard so much about you!”

“Shut up!”

“Not very polite. I’ll have to tell Lucifer to work on that with you.”

We traded a few blows, but I could tell he was holding back. 

“I’m starting to get impatient.” He knocked my blade from my grasp and gave me a nasty gash on my arm. “I was hoping to get in a good fight before I sent you home, but I guess I’ll just kill you quickly.”

I saw the blade going straight for my heart and managed to teleport away just in time. Azazel turned to see me halfway across the ballroom. I noticed the demons brutalizing people all around me, but I kept my focus centered on the real threat here. 

Azazel scowled at me and then a slow, horrible smile spread across his face. He turned and started advancing on Kivani, sword raised. The earth seemed to rumble under him and sparks ignited around him. Kivani struggled to stand and face the oncoming demon, but he was having trouble getting his feet underneath him. 

No. 

I teleported beside the demon, trying to strike him and draw his attention, but he just blew me back with a powerful gust of wind and continued advancing on Kivani. I threw fire and even managed a gust of wind of my own, but Azazel flicked the attacks away like they were nothing. 

How was he that strong? He had strength more on par with Cifer than anyone I’d ever encountered in the Demon Realm. Surely I would have known if someone like him existed. 

I shadow leaped next to Kivani and tried to teleport him to safety, but I froze in my tracks. Not willingly. No, it was like I was paralyzed. And then the stabbing pain hit. My head felt like it was being impaled by countless sharp needles. He was in my head. Somehow this demon had weaseled his way into my mind and taken over. 

I stood frozen as Azazel walked lazily toward us. I stood frozen as he reached us. I stood frozen as he raised his sword, poised to impale Kivani. 

No. No no no no! This couldn’t be happening. I couldn’t let this happen. I wouldn’t let this happen. I screamed, using all the strength this weak human body could muster to rip my mind from the demon’s grasp. Right after I broke free, before he could latch onto my mind again I shifted. I tore off my human form, letting it fall away. My wings burst out and my black hair whipped around me.

I felt glorious. After months stuck inside that inferior human form I’d almost forgotten how it felt to be powerful. I felt waves of mana coursing through me, waiting to be called on. The weight of my horns on my head and my wings at my back gave me comfort. 

I think it was about time Azazel got the fight he’d been wanting. And then some.

I lunged for the demon general, teleporting my sword to my hand. He barely managed to dodge a lethal blow, instead getting stabbed in the shoulder. But it was still good enough. Through our point of contact I dragged him through space, depositing us in the sky high above the ballroom. 

He felt off my blade and began plummeting to the ground. His wound sprayed golden blood as he fell. Gold? Before I could contemplate that fact, wings materialized at his back. Not leathery, bat-like wings like mine. His wings were soft and feathered. And pitch black. 

They were beautiful. 

He pumped his massive wings, stopping his free fall and flying back up to me. 

“Well it’s about time.” He bared his teeth in a menacing grin. 

I managed to avoid the intense cyclone of air that had materialized in the sky. I pumped my wings hard, trying to stay steady. I sent a blaze of fire at Azazel. It turned into more of a huge inferno that lit up the night sky with blaring red light. I guess having my demonic mana levels back was pretty nice. 

Azazel growled as he got singed by the fire before he could disperse it. I used his momentary distraction to teleport right in front of him and stab at him with Lamentation. Unfortunately his battlefield instincts were superb and he blocked me reflexively. 

We entered a frenzied duel, our swords clanging together loudly in the empty sky. Even with my demonic strength returned, I struggled under the weight of his powerful blows. 

I was too slow to block one of his strikes and I screamed when his sword caught me in the side. Blood rained down to the ballroom below. I shadow leaped back to give myself some space, but the general didn’t give me time to regroup. 

He materialized in front of me a moment after I’d teleported away. Fire engulfed me and I howled as it burned at my flesh. I managed to extinguish the flames with my magic before I was burned to death, but I felt myself falter. I struggled to keep myself in the air, the feeling of phantom flames still burning my senses. 

Azazel was about to attack again when I punched my mana at his mind. He paused his attack, focusing his attention on my declaration for mental warfare. He pushed at the walls of my mind, but my mental stronghold was stronger than it’d been in my human form. I pummeled his mental barriers, searching for a weak spot. 

While I was distracted with my mind assault, he shot spears of hardened air at my wings. I howled as it went through the delicate membrane of my wings. I staggered through the sky, fighting to stay airborne. Fortunately, the tear hadn’t been too large so my wings were still somewhat able to pedal air, but with every flap I could feel the damage worsening. 

If I didn’t finish this soon, I was going to die. And then I would have to face Lucifer’s wrath next. 

No. I wasn’t going to go back like this. I was going to do it on my own terms. I screamed in pain as I pushed all my mana into breaking his mind. I ignored him as he stabbed me in the stomach. I ignored the agony in my failing wings. I ignored the dizziness from the loss of blood and mana. 

My focus was rewarded. I crashed into Azazel’s mind, burning a path of destruction as I stalked through his head. He howled in agony, pulling his sword out of my stomach as he spiraled away from me. He clutched at his head as he spun towards the earth, his wings limp and useless. 

I watched him fall, clutching my bleeding stomach. He crashed through the glass ceiling of the ballroom in a shower of glass. I gritted my teeth against my agony and weariness and teleported back down to the ballroom floor where he lay, his broken wings splayed out. 

He moaned and shifted weakly. I put my foot on his chest, holding him in place. Then I summoned Lamentation to my hand and stabbed him clean through the heart, my blade sticking into the floor below. 

He exploded in a burst of ash and black feathers, leaving only my sword behind. I staggered forward a step, struggling to stay upright. My wings dragged on the floor behind me as I surveyed the room. Where was he? Countless motionless bodies lay strewn about. My heart was in my throat as I prayed that he wasn’t one of them. I’m not exactly sure who I prayed to, but I begged that Kivani would be ok.

“Ara?” A shaky voice murmured. I spun around, quickly regretting the rapid movement as my injuries screamed in protest. Kivani stood a few meters away from me, staring at me in horror. 

“Kivani! You’re okay!” I stumbled in his direction, but as I moved toward him he stepped back. 

“Who are you?” He whispered. “What are you?” Betrayal and revulsion were painted across his face. His eyes looked at me as if I were a monster. 

Because, maybe I was. 

The same eyes that had looked at me with such tenderness not long ago now looked at me with disgust and fear. He was seeing me for who I really was, and it was clear he didn’t like what he saw. 

“Kivani, I promise I can explain…” I tried to approach him again, my foot getting tangled in some sort of fabric on the floor. I tripped, falling painfully to my knees. “I’m sorry, I just…”

I looked up at Kivani, trying to plead to him. He stared at me, his face still frozen in horror. 

And then I felt him. I felt his mana seeping into the room like a toxic poison. His aura gave me chills as I felt his presence thickening. And then I heard his deep purr in my ear.

“My dear Samara, it’s been too long.” I watched Kivani’s face morph from shock to absolute terror as he took in Lucifer looming behind me. 

“I think it’s about time you come home,” Lucifer growled. He hugged me close from behind, pulling me into his suffocating embrace. And then he stabbed me. In the heart. 

I felt the blade sink in, but I didn't notice the pain. All I could feel was defeat as I felt myself fading. I tried to focus. To see Kivani’s face one last time, but my vision was already abandoning me. I seriously had the worst luck. I felt my lungs puff out one last desperate breath, and then there was nothing.