Alice observed as the demon girl approached the pile of black rocks that was the slumbering dragon. She personally considered that Sid was asleep, although she was aware that he had entirely stopped his heartbeats. She shared a glance with the Lynx, who wasn't pleased that they had allowed the demon girl inside but understood it was unavoidable.

The demon could have easily taken the ring from them whenever she pleased, using that spell.

The Lynx's initial concern was that the demoness might require dragon blood or even his heart for some sort of demonic ritual. However, she had doubted his initial assumptions about her intentions.

Now, he was uncertain as well. It seemed increasingly likely that she wanted to collaborate, but he couldn't determine her motives. Was the story she was currently sharing accurate? Probably not. She had just proven that the old saying that demons cannot lie was incorrect. She could lie, provided she genuinely believed she was telling the truth. It was a deceptive way of presenting falsehood as the truth, a truly demonic talent. Did she do it intentionally or not?

Had she abandoned her previous approach when she realized it wasn't effective? But what was her true objective?

They had to be cautious when dealing with her; on this, they both had agreed.

Alice noticed one thing clearly: Lores was in pain. Her emotions weren't a facade or a mere act. In this regard, her perspective differed from the Lynx's.

He considered her purely malevolent, yet he suggested they cooperate with her since they had experienced her true power.

The mere act of dislodging the ring from the magicore deposit and transferring it to this alternate realm required an enormous display of magical strength, much above what he would trust White Flower to do.

Cooperation would be a temporary measure until they could find an opportunity to escape or until Sid awoke. Perhaps the three of them could mount some form of resistance.

Understanding her intentions and motives was crucial. They needed to grasp her game plan and determine her target, as well as why she was portraying herself as weak and vulnerable.

This all seemed logically sound, but there was a contradiction between her logical assessment and her instincts. Yet, could she trust her instincts when dealing with a demon?

With a deep sigh filled with sorrow, fear, and uncertainty, she divided the prepared food into three plates. The thick soup had been made and stored the day before.

Throughout these actions, she kept a vigilant eye on the demoness.

The demoness was now caressing the dragon's head and murmuring something. Were those incantations? She made a mental note to ask Tina, who was nearby.

Her gaze then shifted to the Lynx, who was sitting beside her, and she tried to calm herself. If what the demoness was saying posed a danger, the Lynx would not just sit there; he would attempt to intervene.

Normally, she would trust her intuition. Throughout her life, she has been adept at understanding people's true emotions. They might speak kind words, but she could discern hate, greed, or ulterior motives beneath the surface. Likewise, she could recognize genuine friendship or love. However, her intuition was now sending mixed signals. It was telling her that the demoness had good intentions and was friendly. Even more perplexing, she felt... love and friendship emanating from the demoness? How could that be possible?

"What do you think?" she asked the Lynx.

He briefly met her gaze and then returned his attention to the demoness. They had been pondering the nature of the world the demoness had brought them to. It was undoubtedly different from the world they had known.

Magic here felt much weaker. They had only encountered a few natives of this realm, and they were all magicless humans. Initially, they had considered the possibility that they were in the demoness's domain in Hades, but it appeared that this was not the case.

Most of what she had told them about this world had proven to be accurate. They hadn't yet come across the formidable weapons she mentioned, but they weren't eager to test that part of her claims.

"I'm not sure what she's planning. She comes across as genuine, and that's throwing me off. I'm no demon expert myself; I always kept my distance from them," he confessed with a shrug before returning his gaze to her. "You're aware that she might have the capability to overhear our conversations. Just yesterday, she demonstrated powers far beyond our own, and who knows what skills accompany that kind of power?" He let out a sigh and glanced back wearily at the demon girl.

Alice raised an inquisitive brow and questioned, "You don't believe her story about losing her power temporarily?"

He let out a breath and hesitated as he swayed his head from side to side, torn. "There might be some truth in it, but we can't predict how it would unfold in case we have to face her in a fight. No demon would willingly reveal such vulnerability without having some backup; it would mean she's essentially allowing us to decide whether she lives or dies. Why would she take such risks? It almost sounds like a trap."

"Perhaps because she simply trusts us?" Alice suggested.

He huffed, his uncertainty clear, but after several moments of considering her response, he replied in a low voice, "You might be onto something."

He said this just as she was approaching them, engaged in a conversation with Tina, seemingly providing her with advice for her magic studies.

Tina inquired, "What is this book you're carrying with you?"

Lores, the demoness, seated herself across from Alice and handed the book to Tina, replying, "It's a book on transformation spells. I'd like to study it; I obtained it after completing the work from the last summon."

Tina's brows furrowed as she leafed through the book.

"I can't decipher this writing. Is it of demonic origin?" she wondered. Lores shook her head, her black hair fluttering beside her horns.

"No, it's not demonic. This is a different script I encountered there. I believe it was not even on Prom'ethea but from another world!"

The Lynx's ears perked up at the mention of that name.

He turned to the demon girl as she accepted the saucer from Alice and innocently asked.

"Do you have memories from places other than those of Cala, White Flower, and... what was that girl's name? Dolores?"

The demoness shook her horned head and shrugged as if it were an obvious thing.

"No."

"Oh?" The Lynx mused. "Is this what people here in Dolores' world call our world?"

She chuckled and replied, a bit irritated. "No. They call it Mephisto's world here. Prom'ethea is what the spawns there call it! Why do you ask?"

"Ah, no!" Tina exclaimed, confused. "We call it Aldea. I've never heard of the name Promethea? In what kingdom, what language do you mean?"

The demoness turned to her with a blank stare.

"Where did you hear that name, Prom'ethea?" The Lynx wondered with an inquisitive light in his eyes.

Alice observed as the demoness remained with her mouth wide open, trying to answer the Lynx. Would she get angry that he had uncovered her? What was her reaction going to be? Few knew that Promethea was the name demons gave to Aldea.

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“I... I...” - the demoness mumbled, her eyes becoming glassy while her head stooped - ”My mother told it to me...”

“Your mother?” - The Lynx raised a brow, still seemingly much more interested in the huge heap of meat - about half of a deer - Alice was putting in front of him out of her inventory, than in the conversation.

“Lili... “ - the demon girl continued.

“Lilith was your mother's name?” - Alice wondered.

“No, Lilian. Lilith was the great-great-greatmother.”

The demoness seemed to recover from whatever memories she was reckoning. She continued with a sigh.

“Cala's mother.” - she explained - ”She died when I was, I mean, Cala was young, leaving her an orphan...”

There was a moment of silence. Even the Lynx interrupted his happy deer chewing, to glance at her. He swallowed, and before the next bite, he asked his next question.

"I wonder where and from whom Cala's mother learned that name and why she used it instead of the name used by the spawns there?

Alice eyed the demoness to check her reaction. It was risky to try and provoke her like this, but maybe the Lynx was right, and they should try to poke holes in her story.

“From her grandmother, Linda, who learned it from her mother. Liebe was her name.” - the demoness' eyes became glassy as if deep in some memory.

Then she shook her head and smiled – “Actually, why should I not tell you? Liebe was the daughter of a human and a succubus, Lilith.”

Tina exclaimed, clearly shocked.

“Cala was a half-demon? That explains some of her actions!”

Lores, the demon girl, turned towards her, her brows furrowing.

“Hey? What actions? What do you mean? Besides, she was not a half-demon but the daughter of the daughter of a half-demon. Cala had never awakened her ancestry. Neither did her mother. I did that... I mean, Dolores did that...”

Alice's brows went up.

“How could Dolores awaken Cala's ancestry?” she wondered.

The demon girl sipped from her soup before answering, her head dipping lower. She was obviously uncomfortable to speak further, but nevertheless, she continued.

“It was in some unfortunate circumstances... errr... well, White Flower was as much of a stone as our dragon there, you know; I made her promise she would let me free, and that was the only way she could do it without killing me... and... then... I walked into a bad neighborhood, and... shit happened... I mean, I got violated, you know, when something like this happens... oh well... you try to wake up anything in you to cope with it... that's how it happened..."

She took a deep breath and raised her eyes.

"Anyhow, we were getting mixed up; the possession, my possession, oh, whatever, our possession had taken too long, and our traits had started to mix up. If you keep a possession open for both sides to be able to act, the traits go slowly over... Besides, that possession had gotten awry from the beginning when she had accidentally taken me in possession, too. I mean, besides Cala, I took Dolores too. I mean, besides taking me, she took Dolores too. Oh, well....”

"You had been violated?" - Tina asked, shocked.

"They did not live to tell the story!" - Lores answered bluntly, while like a dark veil passed over her face, her eyes lighting with a demonic aura.

Alice was doing her best to keep up with the demon's ramblings, trying to piece together the information. When the girl mentioned having been violated, there was a notable shift in her demeanor, something profound. It was as if that memory had awakened something in her. Alice could sense a mixture of negative feelings, of hate and fear, at levels that took her aback. She moved closer to Lores, hugged her, and felt as though that overwhelming affliction might gradually fade.

"Is that the reason why you prefer to be called Lores?" Tina inquired. The demoness turned to her, looking surprised as Tina continued. "Lilith, Liebe, Linda, Lilian, Lara, Lores?"

The demon girl raised a brow.

Alice would have kissed Tina if she had not been too occupied with holding Lores in her arms.

Tina's question seemed to have sparked something in Lores's thoughts. It was probably the best question to bring her thoughts out of that dark blob where they had fallen.

"I never thought of that. Maybe you're right!" Lores exclaimed, her eyes brightening.

The Lynx and Alice exchanged glances while the demon girl received more soup from Tina. They continued to eat in silence, each trying to digest what had been said.

“You're the stupidest demon I've ever encountered,” The Lynx suddenly said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

Lores turned to look at him with wide eyes as he placed a paw on her belly, lifted her in the air, and grabbed her from behind with the other paw. He sat down, holding her like a toy between his paws.

Alice raised a brow at the display while the demon girl, who was taken by surprise in the beginning, shrugged and continued to spoon what remained of her soup.

“What should we do with this little dragonfly?” The Lynx snorted.

“He!” Lores protested.

It was as if the great tension had dissipated.

“You don't look like Cala. Is this Dolores's face that you have?” The Lynx asked, and Lores nodded, finishing her soup.

“I've already told you that!” she said once finished.

He put her slowly down and then shrugged.

“So what's the problem with your appearance? You look like her; you just have the extra wings and horns.”

“And claws,” – she added.

“And claws” – he accepted it – “You can mask them and pass as her, can't you? That's not that difficult to do as it would be to change your whole aspect.”

She looked at her empty bowl, then turned to look at him.

“I guess I could. I could even cut them off...”

He grimaced at that.

“Uh, I wouldn't do that, but those are your wings. Whatever. For how long are you so diminished?”

He splashed her on her belly and watched how she tried unsuccessfully to crawl from under his paw.

“He!” - she protested again

He shrugged.

“Lynx, you are being mean!” - Tina said while Alice shook her head and rolled her eyes but said nothing.

He shrugged and asked again, looking at Lores – “So, how long? You know, I ask for a friend...”

She tried to lift her shoulders in an unknowing shrug from under his paw, giving up any attempts to escape.

“I don't know. Probably until I complete more successful summons. I don't know when the next one comes...”

He raised her in the air with one paw, and as she tried to fly away from him, he swatted her back to the ground with the other paw, then brought her to him and gave her a large tongue swap.

He turned then to look at Alice as if nothing had happened.

“I think she told the truth.”

“Of course, I told the truth!” – Lores, from inside his embrace, protested while feeling at the same time frustrated and appeased. She sighed, resting her back against his furry belly.

"Is it true that you cannot lie?" - Tina asked.

The demon girl raised a hand and scratched the Lynx under his jaw. She shrugged.

"I know the trope that demons cannot lie, but I don't know how it could possibly work..."

"Tell me a lie!" - Tina said.

Lores shrugged.

"Let me think of one... ahm..."

After a while, Tina rolled her eyes.

"Tell me you are twenty meters tall!"

Lores scratched her scalp and watched her slantwise.

"That does not make sense. I can lie, I could tell that I am three meters tall... That is, when I would sit on the Lynx's back, but I do not sit there."

"You would be three meters tall if you would sit on my back. That's not a lie!" - The Lynx said.

"But, it is, because I do not..."

The Lynx sighed and covered her completely. Only faint noises could be further heard.

"She cannot lie!" - he concluded.

Alice rolled her eyes.

“Lynx, let her talk! You don't have to play cat and mouse with her to prove anything!” – she said.

“Why not? When, if not now, when she cannot do nothing against?” - he wondered.

He sighed, and a tear ran down his nose, falling over her head as he freed her from his embrace. Lores raised her eyes up, realizing what the drop of water falling on her was.

“Lynx!” - she exclaimed, grabbing his paw, but he shrugged her off, growled, opened the portal, and jumped outside.

She wanted to run after him, but Alice grabbed her hand.

“Let him go!” – she said – “You remind him too much of her, of Cala."

"Because, I am Cala..."

Alice's eyes narrowed, and a wave of anger overcame her. Not enough that they had lost Cala, this demon comes and tries to usurp her?

"No, you are not! Stop saying that!" - she spoke aloud, almost yelling.

The demon's head drooped, and her eyes became wet while Tina watched her with wide, round eyes, deeply shocked.

A deep sigh escaped Alice's lips, and she closed her eyes. She felt sorry that she had let her anger overcome her. Instinctively, she pulled the demoness to her breast. She spoke softly while a tear slipped down her cheek.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't... We know that Cala is no more. Even if you think that you are Cala, we know, and you know that you are not her, so please, please, don't say that anymore. You're acting too much like Cala would, and this hurts him even more. He needs to come to terms with the news we learned. He'll be back ...sometime later.”

She felt the demoness crying in her arms.

“Let him chase those poor deer...” - Tina said, hugging them both from the other side.