Click.

The hollow sound reverberated through Cobalt's skull as the revolver hammer snapped shut and the cylinder turned one sixth of a rotation.

Clang.

All around him, he heard the sound of chains shattering and demons screaming as they toppled off their chairs and to the floor. Shaken, but alive.

Clunk.

The revolver struck the ground with a dull sound as it slipped out of the Incubus' hand. He stood there with his eyes blankly staring ahead, his entire body tensed and rigid. His heart was hammering and his breaths were coming short and fast, and yet he could not move.

He heard the sound of shoes striking concrete as someone ran up to him.

Smack.

A purple hand lashed forward from beyond the haze and struck Cobalt hard across the face. As the Incubus fell back onto the floor, his vision cleared and his thoughts unstuck, allowing him to see Karazelle standing before him, hand outstretched as tears streaked down her cheeks. She was holding his pen, having used its nib to saw through the tape binding her hands.

He lightly touched the stinging handprint.

"K- Karazelle...?" he breathed, shaking all over.

"S- Sugar...! You...!"

Swallowing hard, the Succubus dove forward and wrapped her arms around him, bowling Cobalt onto his back. Unsure of what to do, he just patted her back, his heart still hammering. After a few moments, she pulled back and grabbed his cheeks with both hands.

"What were you thinking?!" she cried, her eyes already going red.

Glancing over at the discarded gun, Cobalt blinked a couple of times.

"I- I don't know..." he breathed.

A little ways away, Quinn picked herself off the floor and shook a switchblade out of her pocket. Opening it with her teeth, she cut open her bindings and limped over to the dropped revolver. Lifting it up, she swung the cylinder out and shook it, causing six brass casings to tinkle to the floor.

"Wanker loaded it with spent shells... What kind of fucking nutter are we dealing with here...?" the Imp breathed, tossing the weapon over her shoulder as she went to help Lottie with the tape around her wrists

Kicking her chair aside, Izzbelle marched across the basement floor, her eyes ablaze and her bindings already burning away. Hoisting Karazelle off her teacher, she grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air. She pinned him to the wall with one hand as she raised the other in a balled fist.

"How many times?! How many times are you gonna fuckin' scare me like that?! Do you really have a death wish, you fuckin' dumbass?!" she roared.

"I- Izzbelle...?!" he choked, limply kicking his legs.

"Did you not listen to a single fuckin' word I've told you?! I don't want no-hurtin' you, least of all yourself!" the Oni cried, her eyes moistening despite her rage.

Her eyes widened upon hearing someone hiccup behind her.

"P- P- Please... s- stop fighting!"

Dropping the Incubus, Izzbelle whipped around to see Jelli lying on the flood, absolutely soaked by her own tears. With puffy eyes and a streaming nose, she gazed pleadingly at Izzbelle and Cobalt. Almost immediately, the Oni rushed to her side, leaving her teacher to pluck himself off the floor by himself.

"Sir?"

To his left, Whitney was sitting on one of the chairs, shaking silently. She was trying to keep a brave face, but judging by terrified glint in her eyes, the Nymph was just barely holding it together. Swallowing hard, she presented her taped hands.

"Could you, like, give me a hand?" she asked.

He nodded and stepped over to her. As he set about peeling the duct tape away, Whitney cleared her throat nervously.

"You, um... You were really gonna do it, huh?" she murmured, her one visible eyes nervously flitting from his face to his hands.

"I don't know what came over me. I just... panicked," he breathed, pulling away the last of the tape.

Nodding, the Nymph rubbed her hands and clasped them together.

"... Thank you."

"Sorry?"

"I dunno. The way you looked at everyone when you had to choose. You didn't even consider kil-"

She choked on her own saliva, prompting her to cough for a few moments before continuing.

"- hurting any of us. I saw it in your eyes. B- But I'm not saying what you did was right either. It was terrifying, I just..."

She buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Eyes widening, Cobalt hunkered down and laid a hand on the Nymph's shoulder.

"It's a bad situation all around... I had no choice," he breathed, still unsure of just what went through his head at that moment.

"I- I know... Just... Give me a minute..."

He nodded and stepped away.

The whole group was in disarray. Izzbelle was cradling Jelli in her arms, trying to console the poor Glutton as Karazelle did her best to help. Lottie was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a bewildered look on her face as Quinn knelt by Elya, doing her best to cut the duct tape off the Fallen's wings. Noticing her teacher's gaze, she gestured for him to join her. Giving him a weak smile, the Imp raised her hand to show him the scar spanning her palm.

"You alright, blood brother?" she asked.

Looking at the matching scar on his own palm, he sighed and pressed his hand against her.

"I can't rightly say I am," he replied, kneeling down to help with Elya's wings.

"Yeah, well... We're still up the creek without a paddle, so I'd say we ought to keep ourselves busy for now. Here, take over for me; I stashed a bag down her a few weeks ago, I need to go get it," said the Imp, handing him the knife.

"Sure thing."

As she rushed off to rummage through the basement for one of her stash bags, Cobalt leaned in close to Elya's back and did his best to be as gentle as possible. With every strip of silvery tape he cut away, the Fallen flinched.

"S- Sorry," he breathed apologetically, trying and failing to steady his shaking hands.

"... Don't be," she responded, her quiet voice muffled by the floor.

"Are you alright?"

"... No."

She was almost inaudible. Her monotone was gone, replaced instead by a shaky whimper. Swallowing hard, Cobalt gently took the Fallen's shoulder and pulled it back, turning her face towards him. Though her face was unmoving, her glassy green eyes were blurred with tears.

"... You always get hurt because of me..." she whispered, sounding as if she was about to choke.

He raised an eyebrow.

"What? Elya, no, that's not-"

"Yes it is. Because of me, you were a target. Because of me, Harriet Mathers... did all those horrible things to you..."

The general ambient murmur of the basement faded away to nothing as she said that name.

"Elya... What are you talking about...?" Cobalt asked, completely lost.

This time, the Fallen's eyes widened.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"You... don't remember? Second year?" she asked, blinking a few of the tears away.

Tearing away the last of the tape, the Incubus set the switchblade down on the floor and thought back.

Why was it that every time he thought back on his childhood, he felt like he was forgetting things? It was like huge stretches of times were just masses of blurred colour and distorted sounds. The name Harriet Mathers certainly struck a bell, but every time he tried to conjure her face or anything she supposedly did... Cobalt drew a blank. Just like the surgery Alison told him about that he supposedly had at the end of third year. Or those moments in his early childhood that he just...

"... can't remember..." the Incubus murmured, holding a hand to his head.

He looked up, only to almost leap clean out of his skin as Elya's violet gaze bored into his skull, her face a mere inch away from his.

"I failed you. It's my wifely duty to keep you safe, and you almost killed yourself for my folly," she said in her usual monotone.

Cobalt backed away.

"E- Elya, I just said-"

"I'll kill him. I swear to all that burns, I'll part that bastard's head from his neck!" she hissed, rising to her feet.

"No you aren't. Diate duffed you up pretty bad, and that's when all of us were here," Quinn interjected, grabbing the Fallen's shoulder.

She slung a beaten satchel onto the floor and pulled out a first-aid kit.

"You have no idea what I am capable of! I just need to find Immoderata, then I can-!"

"Sit your ass down, you silly bint! Your nose is still bleeding, for fucks sake," the Imp sighed, pulling a wad of cotton pads out of the case.

"Unhand me, Redtile! I can handle myself!" Elya shrieked as Quinn lunged at her.

Swiping her knife off the floor, she gave Cobalt a curt nod.

"Best see to the others. Oi Lottie, help me hold down Elly's arms!" she called over her shoulder.

"Um, okay!" the Golem responded, trotting to her best friend's side.

Leaving the pair of them to clean the blood off the Fallen's face, Cobalt staggered back and held his head in his hands.

He had to get it together.

First thing's first; review the situation.

The Brimstone Institute of Demonics was under siege by the Sulfur Bloods, a heavily-armed cadre of Oni gangsters headed by a Devil. The teachers were being held hostage in the staff room, and the students were all trapped in their classrooms. Arnn had been sent to retrieve the police, but he was unsure whether they'd be of any help. It was already common knowledge that the BPD were in Lorenzo Suyas' pocket, and even if they did try to fight them, they wouldn't be able to contend with Diate.

He had to get the girls to safety, somehow, that was for certain.

As he struggled to find a solution, that unbearable splitting sensation tore through his skull.

"Colour me impressed, disappointed and bemused all in equal measure. Here I thought you'd pick your least favourite, and you immediately attempt to kill yourself. I should have known you'd try to weasel your way out. At least your father had the balls to take a shot at me," the Devil's voice jeered.

"Shut up..." Cobalt hissed, quiet enough so that the girls didn't hear.

"Can you feel your rage flaring? Can you feel the need in your teeth? The pain in your gut? The madness in your skull?"

"What was the point of this?!" the Incubus growled, glaring at the discarded gun.

Diate laughed insidiously.

"I want you at your best. Angry and starving in equal measure. Meet me on the roof, Trayer; I promise to give you a good fight."

The pain subsided as the voice faded away. Taking a deep breath, Cobalt turned around to face Karazelle, who was sitting cross-legged on the desk. The Succubus had dried her tears, and appeared to be deep in thought. Looking up at the Incubus, she gave him a smile, but her usual confidence was nowhere to be seen.

"So... what's the plan, sugar? We played that prick's sick little game, so what- we just go?" she asked, rubbing the marks the chains left on her neck.

To their left, Izzbelle turned away from Jelli and shook her head.

"I say we track down the cocksucker and fuckin' ice him! Stone cold, no fuckin' mercy!" the Oni bellow, pumping her fist into the air.

Shoving Quinn away, Elya leaped to her feet, wings freed from the duct tape.

"I concur. He must pay," she hissed venomously.

"Woah woah woah! You all saw what he could do! I've never seen anybody with magic like that before; we can't be sure we can take him!" Whitney interjected, rising from her seat.

"He's just one guy! We can take him all at once!" Izzbelle responded.

"Oh, and you really wanna put Jel in that kinda danger?" spoke Quinn, shoving the first aid kit back into her satchel.

The Oni bared her teeth, but didn't respond. Taking a deep breath, Karazelle nodded.

"She raises a good point. Not all of us are fighters, Izzbelle; Jelli least of all. No offense, sweetie," she said, holding a hand out to the Glutton.

She just nodded.

"I- It's okay. You're right, I mean... I- I don't wanna see him again..."

Izzbelle's face softened upon hearing the Glutton's words.

"Right... but we can't just let him win, right? I mean he wants to kill this dumbass, for fucks sake!" she said, pointing at Cobalt.

"So we get him out of here! Sir, you got in here undetected, right? Surely we can all sneak back out!" suggested Whitney.

"Or we get caught and plugged full of lead."

"Quinn, do you wanna maybe, like, say something constructive, or are you just gonna keep throwing spanners in the works?"

"I'm just being realistic, Whitters."

Sensing the oncoming argument, Karazelle cleared her throat and got to her feet.

"Alright, easy now. First thing's first; we get Mr. Trayer out of here and somewhere safe. Then, we-"

"No."

The Succubus' eyes went wide as she was interrupted. Turning around, she glanced back at Cobalt, who was staring at the floor.

"Sugar? Did you-?"

The Incubus returned her gaze. His legs were shaking and his wings shuddered with every breath, but his jaw was set firm and his fists were clenched. The way that Devil laughed... it stuck in the back of his head, driving him insane. He was a madman to be sure, and even if he was just playing around with that sick game, Cobalt knew for a fact that the killing intent was there.

He couldn't risk the girls getting hurt.

But he knew they wouldn't leave without him. Perhaps he could just go along with their plan; to run from this fight, and hide until the danger had passed.

... No.

Something had changed within the Incubus. Like a fire smouldering in the pit of his stomach, something deep down had sparked. All that rage, frustration, anger... That roiling, boiling ball of intense sensations no longer lay dormant. He didn't know what it was, but it did clue him in on one thing;

He wasn't running anywhere.

He had to face Diate, but he wasn't going to risk their lives. Not with that Devil.

And besides, there were other lives at stake here.

"The others in the school. We're not leaving them," Cobalt said aloud, drawing himself to his full height.

"Cobalt... The whole school's locked down. How are we supposed to-?" began Quinn, only to be silenced by a raised hand from her teacher.

"I saw them on the way in. They're posted in the classrooms and the hallways. If we split into groups, we may be able to incapacitate them, one by one."

His voice grew stronger as the fire in his gut burned brighter. He didn't know where this confidence was coming from, but at that moment in time, Cobalt didn't care.

"They've got guns!" Whitney cried.

"B- Big ones..." added Jelli.

"And we have magic. Sulfur Bloods are over reliant on their firearms; I saw as much from my time at Inferno. All of you are attendees of the most prestigious magical academy in Aporue, and possibly all of Hell. Surely if you work together, you can take on a few thugs with guns?" the Incubus stated, clenching his fists.

Karazelle and Whitney glanced at each other as Elya's feathers ruffled.

"Sugar... where's this coming from?" the Succubus asked, raising an eyebrow.

He bit his lip.

"Diate brought the Sulfur Bloods here because of me, and I'm not about to let the entire school suffer because of me."

"But you didn't do anything wrong!"

"Regardless, he's here because of me! So here's the plan!"

Buzzing with adrenaline, Cobalt picked his pen up and started scratching a diagram onto the surface of the old school desk.

"Most of the Sulfur Bloods are spread out though the main building, but they're likely to be stationed in the other buildings as well," he explained, rapidly drawing out a floorplan of the school.

He tapped the individual classrooms, his hands shivering from... something.

Excitement? Fear? Anger?

He shook his head. Now was not the time to focus on himself.

"We need to free the students trapped in the classrooms. Judging by the time the Sulfur Bloods arrived, pretty much every year group should be in the main building. Lottie, Quinn; do you think you could keep the Sulfur Bloods occupied long enough for the others to get out?" he asked, looking over to the Imp.

Quinn frowned and nodded to Lottie, who just shrugged.

"Better than hiding down here, I suppose. You think you can take on an army of geezers with tommyguns?" she asked.

"What's a tommygum?" the Golem responded.

The Imp smiled.

"Yeah, I think we can probably buy the others a few minutes. Give or take," she sighed, patting her satchel.

Giving her a thumbs up, Cobalt drew a circle around the staff room.

"There's a fair few of them keeping the teachers here. Karazelle and Whitney; can I count on you to free them?"

The two demons scoffed.

"Why do I have to go with her?!" Whitney complained, jabbing a finger at the Succubus.

"Mm, as much as I'd love to spend more time with my favourite streak of butter, I have to agree. Is this such a good idea, sugar?" she asked.

"You two are more than capable magicians apart; together, I'm sure you'll be more than enough for them. You just need to confuse them enough for my colleagues to get free, then they can help you properly put them down."

Karazelle's eyes widened as a sidelong smile crept across her face.

"Damn, I'm really liking this new attitude of yours. Way to take charge, sugar," she laughed, sidling up to Whitney.

The Nymph shoved her back, causing the two to start another one of their bickers. Cobalt just looked back at his map, taking a deep breath as his heartrate increase. It was still just a smoulder, but the fire in his stomach was getting hotter and hotter.

"Izzbelle, can you take care of any Sulfur Bloods in the other buildings?" he asked, looking over to the Oni.

She conjured her Bronze Axe and hefted it onto her shoulder.

"Without a doubt," she responded, cracking her neck.

Beside her, Jelli cleared her throat.

"I- I'll go to!" piped the Glutton, her stumpy tail beating behind her.

"What?! No fuckin' way!"

Cobalt raised a hand.

"Izzbelle, she's a grown woman. Let her go with you, that way you can keep an eye on each other."

The Oni growled and looked away, but didn't argue. Finally, Cobalt turned to Elya.

"Elya, I-"

"I will not leave your side, my love. I cannot chance you getting hurt again," the Fallen said, eyes flashing menacingly.

He shook his head.

"Please, I need you to head outside and circle the school's perimeter. The BPD are on their way, and they're going to be met with heavy resistance from the Sulfur Bloods. You have to take out the guys outside the gates."

"I will not leave your side," she repeated, squaring up to Cobalt.

He sighed.

"Elya. Please. For me," the Incubus said, looking deep into her eyes.

For a split second, her eyes glistened oddly, before she backed down and nodded.

"Of course. Whatever you ask of me, I will carry out to the letter, my love."

With that sorted, Cobalt looked to all of them in turn. He gave each of the demons a nervous nod and picked up his pen.

"What about you, sugar?" asked Karazelle, cocking her head.

He stared at the pen as he considered her question.

Diate was on the roof of the main school building. Rooftop access to most buildings wasn't easy to access; the main one least of all. There was only one way up there aside from clambering up a drainpipe, and it involved venturing through a room most students - and some staff - would not dare to enter.

He shoved the pen into his pocket and took a deep breath. Deep down, the warm glow of that smouldering ember grew slightly hotter.

"... I'm going to your mother's office."