It was now morning of the fourth day. Serris had informed Noth that if all went as planned today, then this should be the last day of demon slaying. The fact that she’d bothered to put the qualifier ‘if all goes as planned’ supremely worried him, but all he could do was go along with her as she led him into the green hell of the forest. During the trek Noth’s mind had constantly wandered back to the topic of Helt, who was still unconscious even after half a day of rest. He’d been quite worried for the boy after Helt had inexplicably collapsed yesterday, and no matter what healing wishes he made, nothing worked. Serris assured him that he’d be alright, but Noth was still anxious about his quiet and caring little brother. Part of him wanted to just quickly get this excursion over with so he could rush back home and take care of the poor boy.

The air felt different when Noth entered into the dense forest. The trees afforded him more shade and shelter from the heat of the volcanic lands, and the cooling feeling reminded him of the effects of the Lang trees back in the town, even though he couldn’t see any of them growing here. In fact, if anything it felt even cooler here, almost to an eerie extent. It felt like any second Noth’s teeth might begin to chatter. However, the teen shrugged off the wary feeling that had started to grow inside his stomach, and pushed forth.

Occasionally a rustling sound could be heard from the bushes around him, and eventually Noth stopped in place and stared hard when a particularly loud crunching noise came from nearby. His heart had started beating loudly, and his nerves were screaming at him that this was an insanely dangerous place to be. His eyes itched from how long he’d been staring, but something inside of him told him that if he blinked then that’s when whatever it was would strike.

Serris looked back at him, noticing the sudden distance that had grown between them, and floated her way back over to his side. She giggled, covered his eyes, and then took the terrified teen’s hand, leading him forwards, as one would a child. Noth was glad that his angel was here to help him through such a scary place, but at the same time he felt slightly ashamed that he still needed her to hold his hand, even at this age. He decided to push his terror deep down inside of himself and believe in the might of his all-powerful angel; He didn’t want to be the reason that this mission they were on failed somehow. When Serris could tell that he’d stopped shivering in fear, her hand fell away. Noth could now see that they were coming up to some kind of small, hut-filled village, hidden amongst the trees. He could also see that he was being followed by a small crowd of demons only a few feet away. It took a lot of mental gymnastics for him to convince himself that he was okay with them being that far away, so long as they didn’t take so much as even a step closer.

Eventually, when they seemed to reach the end of the small village, Serris brought him to a sturdy looking house. The cabin-like home deeply resembled what the buildings in Noth’s town had looked like before he’d renovated them. It took a few seconds before his mind reminded him that of course they’d looked similar, since those were traditional demon buildings. He’d been taken off guard with the crude mud-based huts that he’d seen so far in the village, but it only made sense that demons would own a demon house, even if it was only one.

And from that traditional house, a veritable beauty emerged.

Her hair was long and almost see through white.

Her skin was just a shade off of magenta, showing how different she was from all the other demons.

She looked small to Noth, but her magnificent horns more than made up for her lack in height, causing her to look imposing.

And her ethereal beauty almost made her seem to glow.

She was scantily dressed, as if to show off her natural beauty.

Noth wanted to blush and look away, but something about her seemed to hold his gaze and refused to let him look away, modesty be damned.

The demoness walked slowly towards him with a profound grace. Her white eyes seemed to scan over every inch of his body, and as she grew closer he couldn’t help but notice the similarities between her face and the face of his angel. Noth attempted to look to his side and verify the thought he was having, but the sudden touch of the demon’s hand against his chest afforded him no room for other thoughts.

The demon moved as if she would press herself against him, but before she could manage to do so, Serris pulled Noth back.

Surprisingly, the demon seemed to react to Serris’s catty reply. She pouted her lips in the angel’s direction and wiggled her fingers that had been left floating in the air after Noth’s removal.

<...I see. How sad.>

The teen was absolutely astonished to see someone actually reacting to something his angel had done. Usually no one, not even the demons he’d encountered so far, had even seen or heard something Serris had said or done unless she manifested herself. Even the times that he’d asked her to deliver a message to Elillith, the woman had only heard a vague voice in her head. He’d never expected this special looking demon would not only know about his bond with the angel, but also be able to see and hear her. What could this have meant? It was obvious that this demon was different from all the rest. Perhaps she was the type of demon that Elillith had warned him about before?

Serris noticed the gobsmacked expression on Noth's face and couldn’t help but make a wry smile. She hugged the teen tight to catch his attention and leaned in to softly whisper into his ear.

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Noth’s already widened eyes did their best to look at her from their corners.

“What? You want me to miss this, of all things? But it seems really important!”

“B-but I can just cover my ears! I can stay and not listen!”

Noth hesitated deeply. His curiosity was practically screaming at him that he needed to stay and witness this, but the pitiable begging from Serris was winning him over. He’d always had a soft spot for her, his closest companion. He couldn’t just ignore her desperate pleas.

“...Alright, but you better tell me everything about it later.”

Serris let out a small happy gasp, peppering his cheek with kisses before pulling away and waving her hand at him. In a flash Noth found himself back in his room in the villa. Every other time he’d teleported somewhere had been in the embrace of his angel’s arms and wings, so the fact that there was no such thing this time really stood out to the teen.

“...So she could have just done that instead of hugging me all those times?!”

***

The demon puffed out her cheeks like a child.

The angel performed her signature wicked smile, causing the demon to cross her arms and look away from her slightly.

The angel’s smile took a turn for the teasing, and she stepped closer to the demon, leaning towards her as she slightly unfurled her wings and gently flapped them to punctuate her words.

<...We both know that isn’t true.>

The lack of any real reaction from the demon seemed to deflate the angel a tad.

The demon’s words made the angel give a tired giggle, and she began to slowly circle around her.

Serris leaned close and shined a cruel smile down onto the demon.

The corner of the demon’s mouth twitched, and she looked away quickly.

The angel stopped her pacing and crossed her arms.

The angel flared her wings and surrounded the demon, moving her face so close that their noses almost touched. She stared into the demon’s eyes with a twisted gaze.

Serris’s eyes desperately searched through the demon’s. However, when the demon refused to react to her words, the angel pouted and withdrew.

Still, the demon only offered up a sad smile to the angel’s provocative and childish words. Eventually she moved, kneeling down on the floor, and hung her head. Her final words came out muffled and low, and yet they more than filled the space of the room.

The angel had tried her best to sound annoyed, but the saddened look on her face belied her true feelings. The cruel wind seemed to quickly escape from her sails.

The demon looked back up at Serris, but the angel’s sad face was met with a look that could only be described as loving.

Serris grimaced for a moment and looked away, but eventually her gaze returned, solemn and determined.

<...I’m doing my best to make that the case.>

The angel’s face cracked at the demon’s words, and her jaw seemed to tremble.

<... Goodbye, sister.>

A sad smile pulled at the demon’s lips, but she quickly looked back down again to hide it.