Cobalt was becoming something of a one-man spectacle, and he wasn't enjoying his newfound fame in the slightest.

It was bad enough with the rampant reporters and the constant probing questions from his students, and the fiasco with Magnus and his situation with Lilith certainly wasn't helping matters. But now that every Succubus in third-year had borne witness to what happened...

Some people were making jokes that the ghost of Diate was haunting him. Others speculated that he somehow absorbed the Devil's power. One giddy first-year was even caught spreading rumours that Incubi somehow evolved into Devils.

It was all getting far too out of hand.

Cobalt sat at his kitchen table, nervously clutching his arm to his chest as he watched the bowl in the microwave slowly spin around. His forearm still stung from where the barbed wire ripped into his skin, and every time he thought of what happened, the wounds throbbed harder.

Karazelle had tried to approach him on the issue. Multiple times, in fact. But like always, Cobalt just couldn't muster the courage to face her.

Maybe Lilith was right. Maybe he was a coward.

"If you mope any harder you'll sink right into the floor," remarked the Devil in question from the main room.

He shot her an irate glare. She was sitting on his bed, idly flicking through one of his textbooks. Though only the light of the microwave illuminated the early-morning gloom, he could still see her single red eye glowing in the darkness.

"You're the cause of this whole damn mess in the first place," Cobalt snapped, wincing as his finger brushed the bandages on his arm.

"You should be thanking me. Devil magic used to be very highly sought after."

The Incubus scoffed.

"And why the Hell would that be?! All it's done is make my life more miserable!"

With a sigh, Lilith leaned back and raised a hand, counting off her fingers as she spoke.

"Access to the Iron Arsenal. Mastery over metal. Usurpation of lesser demonic magic. Need I continue?" she sighed.

Cobalt's eyes widened.

"Usurpation of... what? You can control other demons' magic?"

"More like revoke their access to it. Some Devils can even temporarily channel lower demonic elements. But it's not an easy feat, and certainly not something you'd be able to pick up in a day."

He went quiet as she returned to reading the book. As the microwave began to beep, the Incubus stuck out his lip and thought, pensively gazing at his wounded arm.

His magic as he knew it was gone, or at least severely weakened. He could still tap into the barest trickles of umbramantic and psychomantic energy, but it was far from enough to cast a proper spell. But now that he had the horns of a Devil, he was able to use their magic, at least to some extent. That whole situation in Madam Pudon's close more or less confirmed that. He would have to experiment more, but if he could gain a better understanding of both Devil magic and the contract through which he was bound to Lilith, then maybe-

"Your food's done," Lilith remarked unhelpfully.

But then there was the matter of what happened that night in the common room, with Magnus. Cobalt could still feel the fire in his gut, and it had only gotten more intense since meeting Lilith. The abilities of an Incubus - this "carnimancy" - didn't seem to follow the rules as most demonic magic. Alison had told him that it something to do with his blood, as opposed to his nervous system, as was the convention. In a way, he was relieved to hear that he still held on to some aspects of who he was, but in another, he wished that the contract had done something to quell the hunger in his gut. It was only getting worse as they days ticked by, and he was beginning to fear that-

"Kid, will you open the fucking microwave already?!" the Devil snapped.

"Alright, alright!" he retorted, climbing to his feet.

The quicker he got rid of her, the better. Cordelia Fesser's journal was far too difficult for him to decipher, but maybe if he got it into Alison's hands, she could perhaps concoct some sort of solution. She had a knack for that kind of thing, after all.

Opening the microwave, Cobalt retrieved the bowl of steaming scrambled eggs he was making. After grabbing a fork, he sat down at the table and began to eat his breakfast.

Perhaps she could find a solution for his dietary issues as well. At present, he was having to rely on a lot of meat and eggs, and they weren't his favourite meals. Milk and cheese was fine, but the Incubus was really starting to miss caesar salads.

As he ate, he eyed up the Devil sitting on his bed. He still knew nothing about her. What was her game? Who was she running from? Why are they hunting her?

"Quit staring," she said, snapping the book shut.

He furrowed his brow.

"Lilith?" he asked in a calm voice.

"What?"

"Why do you keep that eye shut?"

She flinched, ever so slightly, before glaring at him.

"That's none of your business," she growled in a threatening tone.

Cobalt just furrowed his own brow, too annoyed to be intimidated by his unwanted guest.

"If you just lost an eye from an injury, I'd understand. But you're hiding something, aren't you?"

"I'm entitled to my own fucking secrets, now butt out."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"If you being in my head is as much of a risk as you say it is, then I think I have a right to-"

There was a flash of steely grey as the Devil stretched out her hand, forming a dark pistol from nothing. It was plated with black iron, and flecks of metal slowly drifted around the barrel.

The very same one she had threatened him with when they first met. But how did she...?

"You're cover, nothing more. Now shut the fuck up before I do something we both regret, kid," Lilith hissed, narrowing her eye.

Raising both of his hands, Cobalt just swallowed hard and nodded. With a wave of Lilith's hand, the pistol melted away into nothing, further confusing him. Did the Iron Arsenal allow Devil's to wield firearms? He was led to believe that Imp revolvers were a special case, that no other kind of demon was capable of utilising magically-synthesised gunpowder. They were the weapons of humans, after all.

Sitting in silence, Cobalt pensively ate his scrambled eggs, occasionally glancing up at Lilith. She looked a little more uncomfortable now, but her eye still glinted angrily.

"Do you-?" he began.

"Shut up."

He'd get her to answer him. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Once he finished his early-morning breakfast and started to consider making another bowl, Cobalt was alerted to the sound of someone knocking quietly on his door. Eyes wide, he glanced over at Lilith, who just groaned and melted away into a dark specter of magical mist, like a cloud of closely-packed iron filings. She wafted into Cobalt's body, causing every one of his nerves to sting for a split second as their consciousnesses bound back together.

He winced. He was never going to get used to that.

Making sure that nothing was amiss, Cobalt crept over to his door and opened it.

"Hello?" he whispered, peering out into the darkened hallway.

He was surprised to find both Whitney Brode and Lottie Deyeyr standing outside of his room. The Nymph was dressed in her pajamas and was supporting the Golem, who was half-dressed and sleeping standing up.

"H- Hey sir," Whitney said with a weak smile, looking rather bleary-eyed.

"Good morning... erm, what are you two doing here?" he asked, glancing around the hallway to make sure nobody saw them.

The Nymph shifted her weight as Lottie snorted in her sleep.

"Myamm... Mista Traya~..." she burbled, threatening to topple the two of them over.

"I'll explain in a minute. Could we come inside?"

Cobalt nodded.

"Of course. Make yourself at home," he said, stepping aside.

Guiding the Golem into his room, Whitney grunted and hefted Lottie onto the bed, who just rolled onto her front and started snoring with her face buried into the pillow. She then stepped over to Cobalt's couch and sat down, sighed as she massaged her shoulder.

"She's heavier than she looks," the Nymph said, yawning.

"Golems are reported to have surprisingly dense muscular systems," replied Cobalt, shutting the door.

"Makes sense. Otherwise her back would be in tatters, having to lug those things around all day."

Pointedly ignoring what the Nymph just said, Cobalt fetched a glass of water from his kitchenette and brought it out to Whitney, who smiled and accepted.

"So, what brings you here?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

Taking a deep swig of her water, Whitney wiped her mouth and held up her hand. The tips of her fingers were red and raw.

"I stayed up practicing my chords all night. Was thinking of giving up when I heard something bumping around the hallway outside. I opened my door, and there Lottie was; zigzagging into all the walls."

He glanced over at Lottie. She was clinging to a stuffed cow plushie that they all won at the Summer Festival for her. Bedda, it was called.

"Sleepwalking?" he asked.

"Seems like it."

"Why didn't you bring her back to her room?"

"I tried, but she started dragging me in the opposite direction. Kept saying your name, over and over.

Well that certainly was strange. Whitney suddenly gave an almighty yawn and rubbed her eyes.

"Lots of weird stuff going on lately, huh sir?" she remarked, leaning back on the couch.

He frowned and did the same.

"You can certainly say that again..."

The two demons sat there in Cobalt's darkened room for a few moments, the silence permeated by the occasional snort or babble from the Golem on the bed.

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"I think they look good on you."

Cobalt raised an eyebrow, prompting Whitney to giggle. Brushing her fringe away with one hand, she reached up and tapped one of his horns with the other.

"I- I'm sorry?" he breathed.

Laughing, the Nymph stuck out her tongue, the chrome stud glinting in the half-gloom. Her pointed ears wiggled back and forth mischievously.

"Never mind!"

Climbing out of her seat, Whitney yawned again and stepped over to the bed. Patting Lottie on the head, she looked back at her teacher and gave a smile.

"It's okay if I leave her here, yeah? I really need to, like, actually get some sleep."

Though still reeling from her sudden compliment, Cobalt shakily nodded.

"O- Of course. You head on back and get some rest. Also maybe go easy on your fingers?" he suggested.

Whitney raised an eyebrow as she parsed what he said. Her eyes widened, her face went red and her ears shot bolt-upright as she came to a realisation.

"O- Oh, you meant because of the guitar! H- Hah, yeah of course!" she yammered, her cheeky bravado instantly crumbling.

Cobalt cocked his head.

"Whitney, are you alri-?"

"Yeah! I'm, like, totally fine, hah! Gotta go sir!"

With that, she bolted out the door before he could say another word. She moved rather quickly for someone in dire need of sleep, but rather than question it any further, Cobalt just stood up and moved over to his bed. Lottie slept on obliviously, hugging Bedda close to her chest as she lazily chewed on the corner of his pillow.

"Lottie?"

"Meesda... Tyeya..." she slurred, rolling over.

"Lottie, if you need something from me, you just need to ask."

"Snrk... helb me..."

That sounded... alarming. Grabbing Lottie's shoulders, Cobalt began to shake her; gently at first, growing more frantic as she refused to wake up. Eventually, the Golem's eyes peeled open.

"Whuh?!" she gasped, shooting upwards.

She clocked her forehead against his, causing both of the demons to recoil and grasp their heads. Lottie winced and gave her teacher a confused look, her cowlick wiggling back and forth.

"Mista Traya?"

He forced on a pained smile.

"Good morning, Lottie."

"Why are you in my room?"

"I'm not in your room. You're in mine."

"Huh?"

Lottie tilted her head, something she and most animals tended to do when confused.

"Where's all your teddies?" the Golem asked, completely mystified.

"I don't-"

Cobalt cleared his throat, figuring he was wasting time.

"Lottie, do you need me for something? You were asking for help in your sleep," he asked gently.

Scrunching up her face, she climbed off the bed and began to dodder around Cobalt's dorm room, staring hard at anything and everything as she thought. He tried to ask her what she was doing, but the Golem was so absorbed in trying to remember that she just bumped past him, eyes almost crossing with concentration as she stared at his oven.

"This one's damaged," Lilith remarked.

He ignored her.

After what seemed like forever, Lottie suddenly gave a dramatic gasp and whipped around, pointing directly at Cobalt.

"I remember! I need to go home! To do a thing! And get a thing! To do the thing!" she cried triumphantly, threatening to wake up everyone in the building.

Cobalt motioned for her to quieten down.

"A- Alright Lottie, settled down. Can't you get Quinn to help you?" he asked, briefly wondering where her constant companion was.

She shook her head violently, to the point where her glasses flew off her face and skidded to the floor.

"No, I can't tell Quinn! Not yet! It's a secret!"

Scooping her spectacles off the floor, Cobalt frowned as he put them back on her face. That was unusual. He never imagined Lottie as the secret-keeping type.

"Right, I see..." he murmured.

"We gotta go on the train!"

"The train?"

"Yah! It's like a big metally worm!"

"I know what-"

He shook his head. This was already exhausting him.

"Right... This wasn't how I planned on spending my weekend, but I suppose if you're really in as much trouble as you infer. I'll need to pack a bag," he said, glancing around his room.

But Lottie shook her head.

"No, we don't got time! We have to go now, Mista Traya!" she exclaimed, grabbing his wrist.

"Lottie, wait! Hold on a moment!" he cried as she dragged him to the door.

But his voice fell upon deaf ears. Babbling excitedly all the while, Lottie pulled her teacher out of his room and down the hall, and before he knew it, they were on their way to the train station.

Whitney was right; she certainly was strong.