"We took that strong-willed young man and turned him into a complacent sheep of a boy. And he doesn't even know."

Those words rang in Karazelle's head, over and over and over again. The thought that Cobalt Trayer - a man she trusted right down to the bone - had been psychologically fucked six ways from Sunday by her own mother, to the point where he had completely lost his sense of self...

It beggared belief, and made the Succubus feel ill. After running from her mother's office, she made a beeline straight to her bedroom and buried herself under the covers, her mind awash with countless thoughts. The crushing weight of the knowledge bestowed upon her was enough to make her feel physically weak, and every time she tried to go outside, she was struck by an intense sense of paranoia.

What if she ran into Cobalt? What then? Does she say something, and make an already-stressed man's life worse, or keep her mouth shut and be complicit in Viola's sins?

She had no answer for that, and it was tearing her apart.

When her final day of school rolled around, Karazelle did everything in her power to muster the courage to step outside. She washed, made breakfast, packed her bag, got dressed, and prepared to head out. But she just stood there in front of the door, silently frozen as the conflicting fear nagged at her brain.

She stayed in her room for hours, ruminating on what to do. Cobalt was far closer than a friend now. It would be remiss of her to keep anything from him, especially something like this. And yet... He had been through too much already. Knowledge like this would be enough to break him, and if there was one thing she didn't want, it was to hurt him further.

By the time Karazelle opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, it was already well into the afternoon. She trudged down the stairs to the ground floor and took a long, hard look at the exit.

And with a sigh, she kept going, down into the basement. Reaching the hidden door to the underschool, she pulled the plywood boards aside and dumped them on the floor, deigning to leave the entrance open. She didn't care about anybody discovering what she had been doing, not now that she had no intention on returning ever again.

As she descended, she found the air to grow uncomfortably warm, like the encroaching summer heat had permeated the very bedrock of the school. Once she reached the passages, the Succubus headed straight for the old alchemy lab, tearing her guiding sticky notes off the wall as she passed them by. She didn't need them anyway; she had been down there so many times that muscle memory guided her in place of her eyes. Arriving at the door to the ancient lab, she took a deep breath of the musty air, stepped inside and switched on the generator.

In the time since she had first discovered the old lab, she had turned it into something of a second home for herself. The workbenches were littered with her belongings, the shelves were full of potential alchemy ingredients, and a viable mountain of stolen chemistry equipment sat ready and waiting. An entire bench had been dedicated to storing her failed creations; dozens upon dozens of glass bottles filled with pink fluid, each missing that extra something special that she had been desperately searching for. Her latest batch sat before her, still emitting a thin trail of vapour from their beakers despite having cooled down hours ago.

Frowning, Karazelle slowly walked up to the chalkboard mounted to the wall. Miles of chemical formulae had been scrawled upon it, each broaching - but never quite nailing - the formula she was looking for.

Which was... what, exactly? A magical drink that would suddenly cure Cobalt of all his woes?

What the Hell was she thinking...?

Returning to the workbenches, the Succubus gazed upon the neatly-ordered bottles, each a testament to her complete ineptitude.

"... What am I doing...?"

She had been trying to change Cobalt. Intentions bedamned, she set out to create a concoction to alter how he thought and acted, and to make him drink it without realising it. Through her own misguided folly, she had even accidentally afflicted her friends multiple times. The psychological effects and behavioural changes were temporary then, true, and arguably even humourous at times. But what if they weren't? What if she made a single, tiny slip-up in the formula and accidentally poisoned someone she was close to? What if Cobalt finally drank this creation of hers and suffered permanent damage because of her folly? What if his mind was warped further, and he was rendered into a shell of even the diluted man he was now?

In that regard, Karazelle was just as bad as - if not worse than - her mother. Above all else, that was something she pledged never to become.

"How could I be so stupid?!"

Grabbing the legs of a stool, the Succubus abruptly raised it up and swept it across the workbench before her, knocking bunsen burners aside and throwing beaker stands to the stone floor. She smashed the beakers apart, splattering their contents everywhere. Pink steam rose from the spillage, filling the lab with a sweet stench, but the Succubus was far from done. Reaffirming her grip, she rushed over to her collection of failed concoctions and drove the stool through all of them, causing a tidal wave of broken glass and bright-pink sludge to slop to the floor. The smell intensified, prompting her to splutter.

"I- I'm done with this..." she choked, holding her hand to her face.

The smell was overwhelming; a sickly-sweet miasma that choked the breath right from her lungs. Staggering back, Karazelle noticed a pink fog rising from the spilled fluid. It swirled and shifted in magnificent patterns, but did not dissipate. Alarmed, she looked up at the ventilation duct in the ceiling.

The grating over the shaft had been completely clogged up with residue from countless previous experiments, cutting off air circulation in the room. Eyes wide, she turned for the door, but her body refused to obey her right to the letter. She turned on her ankle and collapsed to the floor, landing in the puddle with a splash. The smell became overwhelming, enough to make her eyes water and her nostrils sting.

"Sh- Shit...!" Karazelle guttered, struggling to raise her head.

But all she succeeded in doing was twitching her eyelids. After all the tests she had done, she had failed to account for the sheer volatility of her creations. When they all mixed like this, something was causing them to produce an ungodly amount of vapour. She had to contain it somehow, but her body just wouldn't respond.

"W- Wait...!"

A foggy haze began to collect at the edges of her vision as the entire room gradually filled with swirling pink gas.

"N- No...!"

Her vision blurred, her senses deadened, and thoughts that were not her own gradually drowned out the panic in her mind. With her last shred of willpower, Karazelle reached a futile hand towards the door, her nose bleeding as her body gave out with one final, defeated gasp.

"C- Cobalt... help..."

-----

It was funny how clear Cobalt's mind had gotten now that he was facing the end. Now that he knew that there was no avoiding it. He could feel his body breaking down; like every individual cell was crying out in pain. He had done everything he could to hold it at by; tiding himself with blood and meat, tempering the Incupsychosis, repressing himself in any way he could... But it the end, all that did was serve to delay the inevitable. He had been through this a thousand times over the past few weeks, and yet only now - with his connection to his students severed - did he finally feel ready to embrace his end.

He was Jelli's first love, and through his own stupid mistakes, he destroyed those beautiful, precious feelings and left a fissure in her heart that would never quite heal.

Izzbelle once saw fit to call him an equal. But he shattered the trust they had just how he shattered the bones in her arm, like the love she felt had never truly mattered.

Lottie and Quinn were his right and left hands at one point; true confidants that had gone through Hell and back with him. But now Quinn could never forgive his lack of loyalty, and Lottie would never know the reason why she couldn't speak to her friend anymore.

Elya was his own first love, one he had forgotten a long, long time ago. But the time for apologies had long slipped him by, and she couldn't stand to witness a man she had seen fallen from grace, time and time again.

And Whitney, ever an afterthought, wouldn't seek his counsel again. Not after what he had just told her. That the man she trusted was the reason her life had been forever ruined.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Only Karazelle remained. Once that tie was severed...

The Incubus frowned.

He more or less screwed himself over on that front. The moment had presented itself to him beautifully. To turn her feelings down and get her to finally back off. But where logic and pragmatism usually prevailed, his own emotions got the better of him. He accepted her with open arms and delved headfirst into acts he didn't even think himself capable of. Perhaps in his heart of hearts he had hoped that seeking advice from Brass would clear his mind, but all that succeeded in doing was confusing the Incubus further.

Confusion was the last thing he needed. Remain mired in doubt for too long, and he would falter when the time finally came.

Such was what he had been telling himself. He had to find Karazelle, sit her down, and tell her that everything that happened meant absolutely nothing. No matter what.

As Cobalt ruminated on just what to do, he found himself sitting alone in one of the school's courtyards, upon one of the benches students usually occupied during their lunchbreaks. He could see them through the windows, rushing through the halls and grouping up with friends for end of year photos. Their voices hummed through the walls, and yet a deep-seated sense of loneliness had settled over the Incubus.

He didn't hate it. It felt right, considering all he was building himself up to do.

Lilith was there, of course, but the Devil had gone silent since the altercation with Whitney. He didn't blame her, nor did he need her to say anything. Their thoughts and feelings had become so intertwined that Cobalt could feel her confliction. How deep down she wanted to find an alternative; to find a way to save his life and his relationship with his students, and the deeply-buried realisation that it was simply not possible.

Lilith had resigned herself to be sacrificed alongside him should the need arise. And yet her heart wasn't in it. Not like his was.

It was funny how these things turned out. How once she was hellbent on taking the fight to the Devils, and he an unwilling participant. Now Lilith just wanted to live, and Cobalt had no other choice.

A cruel machination of fate. But Cobalt was beyond the point of cursing whatever otherworldly power - or lack thereof - that had placed him in this position.

As he sat on that bench, staring at his wounded hands, he felt his vision swim and blur, as it often did when he lost focus. The fire in his gut flared, and he allowed it, letting the crashing waves of repressed violence flow through him and sink deep into his bones, just as Brass had taught him. It didn't hold the Incupsychosis back, but it did make it more bearable. All around the courtyard, vines wormed their way through the stonework of the school, blooming into brilliant red roses that scattered their petals onto the wind. More of the flowers pushed up through the cracks beneath his feet, and yet Cobalt could only muster a slight smile at their emergence. Not a joyful one, but one brought on by exhaustion; the only thing he had left.

Deep down, he could feel a spark of Lilith's fear, and the cloying grasp of her resignation. She couldn't fight this any more than he could.

"Have you finally come to a conclusion?"

Raising an eyebrow, he glanced over to find the black cat sitting on the bench next to him, staring intently at the roses. Cobalt sighed, too tired to muster anything resembling annoyance.

"I think so," he replied, not even bothering to hide his madness from Lilith anymore.

"Eschew the company of those close to you, and throw yourself unto the flames of sacrifice. Very noble. Poetic, even."

Its ears twitched.

"Not that I'm judging," the cat added, "It's hardly my place to tell you what to do."

"I thought that's what you're for. To guide me one way or another."

"I never claimed to do that, Cobalt. I just opened your eyes to the options. Things like right decisions and wrong decisions... they're all your burden to bear."

The Incubus twiddled his fingers.

"... This is the right decision. This way, they stay safe. I know I'm not going to survive this attack. At the very least, I'm not going to come back completely the same. The further away from me they are, the less hurt they'll be in the end," he breathed, clasping his hands tight.

The cat swished its tail, scattering petals everywhere.

"Cold. Callous. But one can't argue with your logic. Tough love, one might say," it commented in a sardonic tone.

"Yeah..."

"And yet..."

The Incubus clenched his teeth.

"You already know what I'm about to ask, don't you?" it asked, turning its glimmering green eyes onto him.

"Karazelle..." he breathed, feeling its gaze burn into him.

"Mm. After all this time, you indulged her fantasies. And your own."

"I..."

"You enjoyed it, Cobalt. No sense in denying it. No shame, either."

His gaze travelled further downwards.

"But you still seek to push her away. Even though you love-"

"Please don't say it. Not out loud. I... I don't think I can handle it," the Incubus interrupted, burying his face in his hands.

Padding over to the Incubus, the black cat invited itself onto his lap, stretching out and playfully batting at his tie as though it were little more than a mundane feline.

"It's not just her, is it?"

Tears were welling in the corners of his eyes. The words of his father echoed in his mind, calling back on that oh-so-familiar sense of reassurance and making it all the harder to keep himself from crying.

Denial was a powerful thing indeed. It had served him well all this time.

But love...?

It was stronger.

And denial could no longer hold it back.

"... Of course I love them," Cobalt finally admitted, feeling the tears cut down the sides of his face.

His heart hammered. His mind fogged up. Deep down, the sting of shock echoed from Lilith's consciousness, startled at his sudden confession.

"I always have. I love everything about them. Their faces, their voices, their words, their deeds... everything. A- And I couldn't handle it," he continued, gasping between each breath.

"You didn't know how," spoke the cat, peering at him with unblinking eyes.

"I... I've always pushed them away. B- But still kept them close. Fuck, I... I just..."

"You didn't want to hurt them, did you? And yet fear kept you rooted in limbo."

He took a deep breath.

"I'm their teacher," he murmured.

"An excuse."

"I'm not good for them."

"Another excuse."

"I... I'm just-"

"It doesn't matter. Excuses on excuses. I am not an emotional being, Cobalt, but even I can see that the only thing ever stopping you from being happy with them was your own fear."

The lump in his throat felt fit to burst, almost choking the Incubus.

".... I know..." the Incubus finally said, wiping his eyes.

Staring at his hands, he clenched them into fists.

"But there's nothing I can do now."

"Isn't there?"

"What do you suggest? I somehow reconcile with all of them? Right before I lose my fucking mind?!" Cobalt snapped, a little irritated at the cat's blunt words.

It blinked slowly at him.

"A little sincerity can go a long way, Cobalt," it said simply.

There was truth in that. A chance to reconcile, no matter how small, was always worth taking. But if fear had ruled his life - his feelings - for this long, then just what the Hell was the point of trying to defy his nature now? On the miniscule chance he was forgiven, all that would do was bring him right back to where he started.

No. Cobalt was staying his course. He had enough of having smoke blown into his face every time he thought to settle on one direction or another. As poorly-thought out and reckless as this path was, he was taking it.

For them.

It was all for them...

"I don't want to talk with you anymore," Cobalt said, the strength in his voice returning as he swept his arm at the cat.

It sprang to the ground, shaking its coat as it gazed back at him.

"That's fine by me. You have something more important to deal with anyway, don't you?"

"What? What do you mean?"

Cocking its head, it stared at him as its nose twitched.

"Don't you smell that?"

Cobalt took a sharp breath, and he picked up on something strange almost immediately. There was a faint tang in the air; sickly sweet notes that caught right in the back of his throat, making his eyes water a little and causing him to gag. As he wiped his eyes, a sudden scream erupted from an open window, snapping the Incubus right out of his reverie.

Pink smoke was spilling from the open frame, and as he turned around to look, more screams and howls echoed from within B.I.D. The halls were thick with the strange vapour, and as the sweet smell grew stronger, a horrid realisation made itself known in his mind as he pinpointed exactly what the scent was.

Fesser's Passion. The primary ingredient of most Succubus alchemical compounds.

"What the Hell...?" he breathed, standing up as he watched the silhouettes of panicking students through the windows.

He leaped back right as a Golem boy toppled through it, smashing both the glass and the frame to pieces. His eyes were cloudy and pink, and he was laughing deliriously as he clawed at his face. The coloured drained from Cobalt's face.

As a base component, Fesser's Passion had the ability to heighten sensations by directly affecting the production of chemicals in the brain. Used correctly, it increased the release of dopamine to enhance the effects of other components used in the brew, generally aphrodisiacs. Used incorrectly, however, it can cause an uncontrollable flood of cortisol, adrenaline, or worse. Panic attacks, hallucinations, heart attacks... it was all on the cards if one overdosed on Fesser's Passion.

From the smell of the gas flooding the school, he could make it out as the primary base, but the stench was far too diluted with other ingredients to figure out just what it was comprised of, only worsening the Incubus' dread.

Every Phrodival child was taught the basics of alchemy as a rule of thumb. And one of the golden rules was to never muddy the mix. Use as few ingredients as possible. Less risk that way.

But with vapour this thick and an overabundance of ingredients in the mix...

Cobalt took a deep breath of the last few snatches of fresh air he had and rushed into the building.