Class 3-F had seen their core teacher go through a lot. Paralysis, impalement, broken limbs; at this point, they'd been desensitised to it all. But when he walked through his homeroom door that Wednesday morning, they all gasped and stared at the Incubus as he slowly made his way towards the head of the classroom. Clutching his satchel to his chest - it dragged on the ground when he tried to carry it normally - he clambered up onto the teacher's chair, his head barely poking over the desk.

Not a word was said for quite some time, until he finally broke the silence by clearing his throat.

"Ahem. Um... Good morning."

They didn't respond.

"I- I'm thertain you're all aware that I look a little, um... different today. I've been athured that thith ith only a temporary thituation, tho pleathe; let'th not allow it to dithrupt our day," he said, arduously pulling his class register out.

Slowly, Quinn rose a hand.

"Uh... what's with the, um..." she asked tentatively, gesturing to her mouth.

"The lithp? It'th jutht a little thpeech impediment I had ath a child. Pay it no heed; it'll be gone thoon ath well," he explained.

At the back of the class, Izzbelle folded her arms, a wide grin plastered across her face.

"So how the fuck are we supposed to know what the Hell you're sayin'?!" she called, looking as though she was enjoying every minute of this.

"I- Izzbelle!" gasped Jelli from her seat, before quickly covering her mouth upon realising she spoke out of turn.

"What?! I can't understand a fuckin' word he said!"

"Regardleth of my condithion," Cobalt called as loudly as his childish voice would let him, "today'th clatheth will protheed ath normal! Tho pleathe thettle down!"

Why did so many words have sibilants?!

Though very red-faced from embarrassment, Cobalt eventually managed to settled his class down just enough for him to start taking roll call.

"Arnn Threnth?" he called.

He heard the Imp snicker.

"Here."

Frowning, he looked to the next name.

"Bobby Talon?"

"Here, sir."

"Karathelle Terna?"

Cobalt was met with pensive silence.

"Karathelle Terna?" he called again, a little louder this time.

Again, nothing. Frowning he peered over the top of the class register at the front row of desks. Despite remaining silent, Karazelle was indeed sitting at her desk, staring directly at the Incubus. Her eyes were wide with shock, her mouth was slightly agape, and when he called her name a third time, the Succubus didn't respond.

"Um... hello? Mith Terna? Are you okay?" he asked, hopping down from the teacher's chair.

Trotting over to his paralysed student, Cobalt stood on his toes and waved a hand in front of Karazelle's face. Blinking a couple of times, she gasped sharply and held a hand to her chest.

"Am I... is this some kind of weird dream?" she murmured aloud.

"Well, no. Thuccubi can't have non-luthid dreamth. Unfortunately, I am thtuck like thith for the day," he sighed.

"Could you say that again?"

Cobalt raised an eyebrow.

"Thay what?"

"Succubi."

"Thuccubi?"

"AAH~!"

In an alarming display of speed and dexterity, Karazelle darted out from behind her desk and swept the Incubus up into a sudden hug. Panicked, he could do nothing to stop himself from behind lifted into the Succubus' arms as she cooed and held him close, affectionately tousling his hair as she spun him around. Around them, a few of the students began to laugh.

"Agh! K- Karathelle, put me down!" Cobalt cried, nervously eyeing the rather sizable distance between himself and the ground.

"You're so small and cute, sweetie! Can't you stay like this forever?!"

"Thtop thith!" the Incubus yelled, futilely flapping his little wings and thrashing his tiny tail.

"I can't help it! I just wanna hug you! Aw, look at your little horns~!" Karazelle said, prodding his forehead.

She wasn't entirely wrong. It was a well-observed phenomenon that affected most Succubi when presented with young children. Some form of maternal instinct is triggered deep within them, spurring them to care and protect young demons that they may not even know. Cobalt dimly remembered reading many news stories about Succubi putting their own lives at risk in order to rescue children stuck in perilous situations. Even back in Phrodival, when he was very young, everyone in the town acted like a guardian for him. Having Karazelle hold him like this was... eerily nostalgic.

At the back of the class, Whitney gave an dramatic sigh and rose from her chair.

"Put him down, Whoretits," the Nymph sighed, planting both hands on her hips.

Placing a protective hand on the back of Cobalt's head, Karazelle shot her a venomous glare.

"Why? What do you want with him?" she asked suspiciously.

"Uh, I want him to do his job? Because he's still our teacher?"

Cobalt breathed a sigh of relief. Whitney was becoming a real bastion in his eyes; he could always count on her to back him up.

Taking advantage of Karazelle's distraction, the Incubus wiggled himself free and plopped to the floor. Gasping, she tried to help him to his feet, but he just scrambled out of her reach and smoothed down his rumpled clothes.

"Thank you Mith Brode," he sighed, returning to his desk.

"You're welcome, sir," the Nymph replied, glaring at Karazelle.

Unlike usual, however, the Succubus didn't shoot back with a lurid quip. Instead, she just sat down, propped her head up in her hands and smiled lovingly at Cobalt.

"Aw, that little lisp is so cute..." she breathed, loud enough for everyone to hear.

A little put-off by his student's demeanour, the Incubus continued taking roll call. Once everyone was marked present, he took a deep breath and surveyed the classroom.

"Now, I know we're only jutht thtarting our thchool year, but now ith ath good a time ath any to begin buckling down with revithion. Everything you guyth covered latht year will thertainly thow up on the eckthams, and more than a few topicth covered by Mithter Whitaker in firtht year. Ath for- Ithbelle will you pleathe thtop laughing?!" he cried, growing more annoyed as Izzbelle's low snicker gradually grew into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The Oni clutched her stomach and gripped her desk in an effort to keep herself upright.

"Sweet hellfire dumbass, did you seriously sound like this as a kid?!" she guffawed.

"Y- Yeth, but it'th not funny!"

As the school bell rang, and the entire class began to pack up their things, Cobalt felt a heavy sensation in his gut as he slipped his books back into his satchel.

"I can already tell today is gonna be a shitshow," Lilith commented as he heaved the satchel beneath his arm.

"Me too..." Cobalt sighed, preparing to climb off his chair.

He misjudged his step, however. Collapsing to the floor, Cobalt let out a fearful yelp as he smacked his forehead off the linoleum, his satchel skidding to a halt just a few feet away. Karazelle screamed and dove for him, only for Whitney to quickly interject, pinning the Succubus' arms back in order to keep her away from him.

"Sir, go!" she called, looking over her shoulder at her teacher.

"Let me go, Butterskin! He might be hurt!"

"You're gonna be hurt in a second if you keep this up!"

Though he didn't like leaving his students to bicker like this, if Karazelle did manage to get a hold of him, she'd likely wind up trying to coddle him for the entire day. Grabbing his things, the Incubus bid farewell to his students and bolted out the door as quickly as his too-big shoes would allow him.

-----

It was a nightmare. Barely halfway through the day, and Cobalt was already at the end of his rope.

Trying to teach a class of first years with a lisp was a lesson in futility. Nobody took him seriously because of his appearance, and every time he spoke, he was met with a barrage of laughter. He even caught a few of them trying to record him with their phones.

He had a terrible feeling that the entire city state would know about this embarrassing transformation before the day was out.

Once lunch rolled around, Cobalt figured that he ought to stop by the staff room and explain his predicament to his colleagues. Avoiding any Succubus students on the way - the maternal instinct thing wasn't exclusive to just Karazelle - he eventually located the teacher's lounge and gathered his resolve outside its door.

"Better hope that flouncy French woman isn't about," Lilith warned.

"Madam Pudon ithn't French. The jutht witheth the wath."

"What? Kid, I can barely understand you."

"I thaid... Nevermind."

A little put-down, Cobalt opened the door to the staff room and stepped inside.

Surely enough, all eyes were on him. All around the lounge, his colleagues stared at him with shocked and surprised expressions. Ethan Zespire and George Hersh looked especially taken aback, while Martha Cain - ever by the coffee machine - just gave him an unimpressed glare over the rim of her mug. Thankfully, Madam Pudon was nowhere to be seen.

"Tell me I'm seeing things," the crotchety old Fallen said, blowing the steam from her beverage.

"Um... Thith ithn't... permanent, um... J- Jutht bear with me..." Cobalt murmured.

"What happened to you, squirt? Why are you so... little?" asked Mr. Zespire, swapping concerned glances with Mr. Hersh.

"I- I don't honethtly know. Firtht the hornth and now thith. I- I have been told it thouldn't latht more than a day, though," he explained quickly.

"Do you need Nurse Yalfre to check you out?"

"N- No! No, I'm fine. I don't need her to... um..."

He watched as everyone's gazes slowly shifted from him to someone standing directly behind him. Feeling a cold presence against his back, Cobalt flinched as an icy hand suddenly gripped his shoulder.

"You must be lost," spoke the monotonous voice of Elya, striking fear into the Incubus' heart.

He had seen neither hide nor hair of the Fallen since their meeting at his mother's house.

"Allow me to escort you from the premises, little one. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you."

Martha looked up.

"Elya, that's not-"

"Don't worry, Miss Cain," Elya interjected sharply, "I'll make sure this young boy is returned to his parents... safely."

With her vice-like grip on his shoulder, the Fallen stiffly steered Cobalt through the door and down the hall, her fingernails threatening to pierce straight through the fabric of his shirt. Her footsteps seemed stilted and robotic, and something about her heavy breathing frightened the Incubus.

"E- Elya...?" he breathed, craning his neck back.

The school nurse was staring dead ahead as she directed him through B.I.D.'s corridors, her face stony and unmoving.

"... Who birthed you?" she asked after a moment.

Did she... not recognise him?

"You look like him. You behave like him. You even smell like him. When? When were you born, and from which deceitful womb did you crawl forth?"

His entire body stiffened as he felt the alarming sensation of a cold, iron point press against his back, hidden from view by her close proximity.

"I shall ask this only once; who stole my beloved's seed? Who birthed you, child?" the Fallen asked in an icy tone.

"E- Elya... thettle down... I'm thtill Cobalt..." he breathed, nervously eyeing up the students passing them by.

"Do not lie to me, child. Answer my question or prepare yourself to bleed."

"Kid, this is looking dicey," warned Lilith.

Cobalt bit his lip, silently begging her to offer any ideas.

"Hold on."

His right arm deadened as the Devil exerted her control over his body. His fist clenched as he unexpectedly rammed his elbow back into Elya's stomach, winding the Fallen and granting him a moment to escape. Alarmed by Lilith's sudden violent action, Cobalt stood there dumbfounded.

"Run, you idiot, before she recovers!"

Though he felt bad, the Incubus swallowed hard and took off down the hall, weaving in and around the commuting students in an effort to lose Elya. The Fallen, however, was relentless. Screeching with rage, she bolted after him, shoving people aside in an effort to catch him.

"Don't run from me, you bastard son of a whore!" she cried, vaulting over a group of Imps with her knife clutched firmly in hand.

"What'th gotten into her?!" Cobalt cried, skidding around a corner.

"I knew she was crazy, but this is just ridiculous."

"I- I'll try to lothe her outthide!"

"Your life is just filled to the brim with crazy women, huh?"

"Lilith, that'th not helping!"

"Just making an observation."

Throwing open the doors to one of the school's courtyards, Cobalt booked it outside to where a fair amount of students were hanging out and eating their lunches. Right as he tried to lose himself in the crowd, however, Elya gave an enraged screech and threw Immoderata at him. The black iron dagger whizzed past his ear, slicing through a few strands of navy hair before burying itself in the far wall, much to the alarm of everyone observing. As students scrambled to get out of the way, the Incubus stopped dead in his tracks, heart hammering in his mouth as he heard her footfalls grow closer.

"I swear on my beloved's life, I will make you confess who you're-!"

She tripped.

Catching her foot on an errant schoolbag, Elya Yalfre suddenly toppled forward into the dirt, skidding to a halt in front of everyone. A blanket of silence fell across the courtyard. Spotting a few students pull out their phones, Cobalt raised his hands.

"Hey, put those away! Nothing to thee here! Jutht go about your lunch, okay?" he called, trotting over to Elya's side.

"Kid, she just tried to kill you. Leave her be and get outta there."

"I'm not jutht gonna leave her, alright? Elya might be... erratic, but that doethn't mean I'm not her friend," he sighed, lifting the Fallen's arm and throwing it over his shoulder.

She groaned in pain and unsteadily climbed to her feet, eyes held shut. Helping her over to a nearby bench, Cobalt shooed away a few curious students and carefully sat her down. After wiping the dirt off of her uniform, he took a deep breath.

"You can't deny she's been acting absolutely insane lately, though."

He frowned and peered over at Immoderata. The iron dagger was lodged deep into the stonework; she must have thrown it with incredible force.

"True, Elya wath acting incredibly thrange at my mother'th... But thtill. The'th alwayth been a little odd."

"This is more than 'odd', kid."

"I... I know."

Creeping over to the dagger, Cobalt urged a Glutton boy away from touching it. Figuring it wouldn't be a good idea to leave such a dangerous object out in the open, he grabbed the handle and pulled. It was stuck fast.

"Wait..."

The iron handle was eerily cold to the touch, and as the Incubus set about dislodging it, he heard Lilith's voice grow uneasy.

"That... That knife..."

With a grunt of exertion, Cobalt pulled it free. It was oddly heavy. He stared down at the intricate carvings upon the warped blade, feeling a cold sensation settle in his stomach as he did so.

"... Sweet hellfire. She's-"

A bloodcurdling scream suddenly tore through the courtyard. Whipping his head around, Cobalt saw Elya standing upright, shaking all over as she pointed a finger at him. Her emerald eyes were wide with terror, and her wings rattled with fear.

"C- Cobalt, what are you doing...?" she breathed, staring right at Immoderata.

Now she realised who he was?

"Elya, are you okay?" the Incubus asked, stepping forward.

"Stay back! Keep it away!"

He stopped in place.

"Elya... What'th the matter?" Cobalt asked, keeping his voice low as he carefully picked his words.

The Fallen tore her gaze away from the dagger for just a moment in order to stare straight into the Incubus' eyes. She was crying.

"I- I'm sorry."

"For what-?"

"Sutnev! Enoitaripsni!"

Elya splayed out her hand. A blast of air surged forth, slamming into the juvenile Incubus and knocking him clean off his feet. The collective cry of a dozen students rang out all around him as the back of his head struck the ground.

Everything went dark for a split second.

~~~~~

"Wait... this says... I didn't write this... what are you doing? Let go of me, you freak! Wait! No! NO!"

~~~~~

When Cobalt's eyes opened, he found a myriad of B.I.D. students clustered around him, murmuring to one another as they peered down at him. Groaning in pain, the Incubus unsteadily climbed to his feet, blearily peering around the courtyard for any sign of Elya. The Fallen was nowhere to be seen. She had fled right after concussing him, leaving naught but a few scattered grey feathers in her wake.

"What happened...?" he murmured, looking down at the dagger still clutched in his hand.

"I was right."

Something was off about Lilith. She sounded... disturbed.

"Right about what?"

"That Fallen... she really is Cursed..."

"If... you thay tho..."

Though Elya's increasingly erratic behaviour was beginning to alarm him, Cobalt reasoned that his involvement would likely only make things worse. He figured it would be best to give her some time to herself. Deigning to return Immoderata later, he slipped the knife into his satchel and began to make his way back to the teacher's lounge.