"Don't ever make me sit through one of those again. How can something so humiliating also be so boring?" Lilith lamented as Cobalt trudged his way out of the school building.

With a heavy sigh, the Incubus yawned and massaged his face, peering up at the sky as he stepped outside. The sun was already starting to set, and despite his current predicament, Mistress Viola still saw fit to keep him behind with the rest of his colleagues for a general staff meeting. Unfortunately, that meant that Madam Pudon and a couple of other Succubus teachers were in attendance. Even the Headmistress herself showed some adverse effects brought on by his appearance.

It was bizarre seeing such a sharp woman act so... nice to him.

"Humiliation ith putting it politely..." he sighed, shifting his satchel up onto his shoulder.

Cobalt reached up to his left cheek, where Madam Pudon had kept pinching him.

"I don't think this is gonna help your workplace cred, kid."

"Like I had any to begin with."

"Mm. At least the day's over with. That human said this was a one-day deal, right?"

Cobalt shook his head.

"Alithon'th ethtimateth are uthually accurate, yeth, but I thtill have to bring Jelli her thchoolwork," he said, opening up his bag.

The Glutton had left one of her assignments behind in the classroom, and seeing as it was a piece of work that had to be completed before the week was out, he figured it would be prudent to get it back to her before she began to worry.

As he rooted through his satchel, Cobalt frowned at the sight of Immoderata lurking around the bottom. He hadn't seen Elya since their encounter. The infirmary had been locked up, and the Fallen didn't show up for the staff meeting.

"Ugh. Get it over with. I'm tired of people staring at you," the Devil grumbled.

"Alright, alright, keep your hair on," he responded, trotting off towards the dormitories.

Given the hour, there weren't many people out and about on campus, and yet Cobalt still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. The Incubus nervously peered over his shoulder as he made his way down the gravel pathway, occasionally glancing up into the trees lining it. Looking up at the darkening sky, a shiver ran through his body.

"What, you afraid of the dark or something, kid?" Lilith teased, taking notice of his nerves.

Cobalt didn't answer.

Approaching the plaza out in front of the twin dorm buildings, Cobalt's ears were alerted to the sound of discordant twanging. Raising an eyebrow, he looked over to see Karazelle and Whitney sitting side-by-side on one of the benches. The Nymph was going at her guitar with gusto, while the Succubus was listening with a pained expression on her face.

For a moment, Cobalt considered calling out to the pair of them. However, upon realising that Karazelle would more than likely try to dote on him again, he kept his mouth shut and quickly darted for the entrance to the girls' dorms, almost tripping over his own shoes as he did so.

While he didn't generally enjoy entering the girls' dormitories without a proper reason, the Incubus just kept his head down and quickly made his way towards the stairwell. Thankfully, what few students were around paid him no heed; they had long since come to terms with the fact that Cobalt Trayer was a man of good intentions.

Scuttling up the stairs, he eventually came to the landing of Jelli's floor. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, unused to climbing steps with such little legs.

"Hell of a workout," commented Lilith.

"Th- Thut up. I'm not-"

His words died in his throat as he looked up.

The hallway was completely quiet, and the lights had been shut off. The barest hints of illumination shone from underneath a few doorways, but all they did was cause the shadows to twist and contort, making the entire corridor appear as though it was moving.

Jelli's room was at the very end.

"Kid? You alright?"

"... Y- Yeah... I'm fine..." he murmured, swallowing hard and taking a step forward into the darkness.

Beneath his feet, the floorboards creaked and groaned disconcertingly. The dim lights from beneath the doors flashed at the edges of his vision, disappearing whenever he tried to view them directly. The air itself seemed to lower in temperature.

"Kid...?"

The darkness closed in around him. Choking him. Laughing at him. He could feel the movement behind the doors. He was pushed along, fetters biting into his arms... his legs... his throat...

"Kid, what the Hell are you doing?!"

Cold stone tiles all around. Thick metal doors, clanging and rattling every time their inhabitants threw themselves against them. The air smelled of cold, coagulated blood.

The Incubus began to run, his heart hammering in his throat as frigid sweat began to pour down his back. The hall stretched on forever. The Devil was screaming in his head, but he couldn't hear her. All he could hear was the screeching and wailing of those all around him. The other prisoners.

The other Incubi.

"Hey! Calm down! Watch out for that-!"

Up ahead, one of the doors was flung open as someone stepped out into the corridor. Blind with panic and fear, Cobalt blundered right into it. His skull cracked off hard wood, the air was knocked from his lungs, and for a split, terrifying second, he spied a coiling rose vine sprouting from the ceiling, its flowers staring at him like accusatory eyes.

He fell onto his back, and his world went quiet.

~~~~~

"... Give it a rest, pup. If you wanna burn yourself to cinders, then go ahead. But leave me out of it. Leave us all out of it."

~~~~~

"Th- That's a lot of bruises..."

"Yeah. Must have taken a couple of knocks to the head today. You know what he's like."

"Is, um... is he going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine. Probably. I don't know, I'm not a doctor."

Cobalt's head hurt, and it wasn't just from all the bumps he had taken to it that day. Flicking his eyes open, he found himself lying upon a soft bed laden with strawberry patterned sheets among carefully-organised plush toys. The air smelled sweet, and as he shielded his eyes from the light, he heard a small gasp.

"Oh he's up!"

Blinking a couple of times, Cobalt sat up to find himself in a carefully-maintained dormitory bedroom; a girl's one, if the mirrored layout was anything to go by. A lot of frilly pink and white decor decorated it, and sitting at the end of the bed was Whitney, smiling gently at him with her guitar slung across her back.

"Whitney... Ith thith your room...?" the Incubus murmured, rubbing the tender spot on his forehead.

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The Nymph shook her head.

"No, this is Jelli's place. You ran headfirst into her door and, like, knocked yourself right out. She's panic-baking over there," she explained, pointing over at the kitchenette.

Sure enough, when Cobalt peered past her he saw the Glutton in question pulling a tray of fresh chocolate-chip cookies out of the over. Beneath her baking apron she was wearing pajamas. Her eyes were red from crying, and when their gazes met, she flinched and almost dropped the tray.

"A- Ah! H- Hello!" she squeaked, carefully putting them down on the counter.

Whitney laughed.

"Yeah, she rang Karazelle in a panic saying that you were lying unconscious in the hall. I had to come instead of her for... obvious reasons."

The Nymph idly snapped her fingers, causing a spark of electricity to fly between them.

"Not that she didn't put up a fight, though," she added with a sly smile.

Swiftly moving past that, Cobalt unsteadily climbed to his feet and gave the two girls a polite nod.

"I'm, um... terribly thorry for dithturbing you both like thith. Today hath jutht been a meth," he sighed, shaking his head.

Trotting out of the kitchen, Jelli removed her oven gloves and gave him a polite little smile.

"I- It's okay, Mr. Trayer. I didn't mind," she told him, hunkering down to meet his eye level.

Though she had clearly been panicked up until recently, there was something about Jelli's attempt to calm him that just set the Incubus' mind at ease. Noticing the pair staring at each other, Whitney clapped her hands together and climbed to her feet.

"See, Jelli? Told you he'd be fine," she said, adjusting the strap of her guitar.

"Ah, s- sorry for worrying you..."

"Don't mention it. Listen, I gotta go finish up practicing. See you tomorrow, okay? You too, sir!" the Nymph told them both, heading for the door.

Clutching the hem of her apron, Jelli waved to her friend as she left, beaming all the while. As soon as she realised that she was alone with Cobalt, however, her face went beet-red and she began to shuffle back and forth upon her feet.

"U- Um... so..." the Glutton murmured, her tail quietly swishing behind her.

Cobalt swallowed hard. Things always got awkward when he was alone with her. Something about the atmosphere conjured memories of the night she kissed him in the hospital.

"R- Right, I meant to thwing by and give you thith," Cobalt quickly stammered, lunging for his satchel.

Fumbling through his belongings, he retrieved Jelli's assignment work and handed it to her. Eyes wide, she accepted it from her teacher.

"I... left this behind...?"

"Yeth, but it'th here now, tho there'th no need to worry. I'll, um... I'll be on my way now. I've cauthed enough hathle ath it ith."

Gathering up his things, the juvenile Incubus clutched his satchel close to his chest and scuttled over to the door. Pulling it open, he was faced with the dark, yawning entrance to the hallway. The lights were still out, and he found himself frozen in Jelli's doorway.

"Mr. Trayer...? Are you okay...?" the Glutton asked, setting her schoolwork down upon her desk.

He didn't answer. Instead, he just stared into the hall, eyes wide and body shaking. Noticing this, Jelli swallowed hard and slowly crept up beside him. With a gentle hand, she closed the door and patted his shoulder.

"It's okay. I'm scared of the dark too," she admitted in a small voice.

"I- I... I'm not... I'm not afraid," Cobalt replied, but his voice shook with every word he spoke.

He could feel tears welling in his eyes. Why? He had never been bothered by darkness before! He was a Lust demon; they were masters of shadows!

"Mr. Trayer, you're crying!"

"N- No I'm not!" Cobalt suddenly snapped, hastily wiping his eyes.

As indignation built up within him, Jelli's face softened. She stepped forward and gently embraced him, holding the Incubus close as she patted his head. The Glutton was warm and fluffy, and something about her sweet scent set his mind at ease. Even as his eyes refused to stop leaking, Cobalt allowed himself to fall into the hug, sniffling as she whispered reassurances in his ear.

"It's okay... guter junge..." she murmured to him.

Swallowing hard, Cobalt pulled out of the hug and wiped his streaming eyes, irritated by his own lack of professionalism. Everything that happened today was enough of an embarrassment, and now he had gone ahead and cried in front of a student because of a silly little childhood phobia!

"Mr. Trayer? D- Do you wanna stay here for tonight?" asked Jelli, looking into his eyes.

He blinked a couple of times.

"Here? That wouldn't be prop-"

Cobalt looked out the window. The sun had set, plunging the world into inky darkness. Even if he managed to brave the gloomy halls of the dorms, the thought of braving the dark night - even for a moment - was enough to send his body into fight or flight.

With a deep, shaky breath, the Incubus swallowed his pride and nodded.

"... j- jutht for tonight..."

Surprisingly, Jelli didn't stutter or falter at his answer. Instead, she dutifully set about preparing her room for him. She brought him a pair of her own pajamas to wear; a cream-coloured set embroidered with depictions of various pastries. By the time he had put them on, the Glutton had cleaned up the kitchen and readied herself for bed. She had undone her twin plaits, causing her mousy-brown hair to cascade down her back. The lights were turned off, but a small nightlight filled the room with a soft, orange glow.

"Thorry about thith, Jelli," Cobalt said, glancing at the Glutton.

She smiled sweetly, looking a little uncertain of herself.

"I- It's okay, Mr. Trayer. Here; make yourself comfortable," she replied, leading him over to the bed.

Helping him up, the Glutton tucked him in next to her plushes before grabbing a blanket and heading over to the couch, much to his alarm.

"Won't you be cold?" the Incubus asked.

She thought for a moment before shrugging.

"I'll be okay. I... Mir macht die Kälte nichts aus."

Feeling a little guilty, Cobalt shuffled over and pulled the sheets back. Clearing his throat, he sheepishly looked away.

"I don't mind tharing. Wouldn't want you to get ill or anything," he mumbled.

Jelli stared at him with wide eyes. Slowly, the flush returned to her cheeks.

"Y- You want to share? With me?"

"I- I'll thtay on my thide, I promithe!"

Looking rather shocked, Jelli nodded slowly and crept over to the bed. She climbed in and pulled the covers over the pair of them. Even on the other side, Cobalt could feel her warmth.

They both looked at one another.

"G- Goodnight, Jelli," the Incubus breathed.

"You, um... Y- You too, Mr. Trayer."

His heart was hammering, and if the faint thumping at his back was anything to go by, so was hers. Shutting his eyes, Cobalt took a deep breath of the sweet air and tried to settle himself down for the night. At least, come morning, he'd be back to normal.

Hopefully.

~~~~~

He knew before he opened his eyes that he was in a dream. He was floating in a void, alone. All around him, he could hear the gentle clinking of a hundred unseen chains, punctuated by the creaking of old locks. A voice rang out from the darkness.

"You, me and this bat right here; we're gonna have some fun, you dig?"

A harsh, loud, angry voice. Then another.

"But you know what'll happen if you dare make a move, don't you? Heh... I can see it in your eyes, Trayer. Go on. Do it. Ruin everything."

A snide, stuck up, nasal voice. A third rang out.

"I win. That means you gotta do what I say, pup. Just like old times, am I right?"

A strong, commanding, indignant voice. He had heard them all before.

They rang out through the darkness, slamming into him with full force. He wanted to end this dream, but he couldn't. He couldn't break free. Though the chains were breaking all around him, the ones binding him still held fast.

"Gah, fuck! You son of a bitch! Grab him! Don't let him-!"

Durnall Klarke.

"What is it? What's so important that you have to say that you dragged me to the top of this crumbling shithole?"

Harriet Mathers.

"Quit struggling, pup. I own you now. You just had to make it so fucking difficult, didn't you? Couldn't just be a good dog like before."

... Cherry Lattess.

Their voices grew overwhelming. He tried to cover his ears, but the bindings around his wrists kept his arms pinned to his sides. They were screaming. Screaming all around.

"S- Stay away from me, you f- fucking animal..."

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

"... Give it a rest, pup. If you wanna burn yourself to cinders, then go ahead. But leave me out of it. Leave us all out of it."

He struggled and thrashed, trying to block it all out. The clang of metal against flesh. The crunch of bone against concrete. The hiss of fire against grass. Through the cacophony of it all, he heard a fourth, sorrowful voice ring out, one that he barely registered.

"Oh snookums... what have you done...?

~~~~~

Durnall Klarke. Harriet Mathers. Cherry Lattess. No matter what Cobalt did to try and move past everything that happened and get on with his life, those three names rang out within his mind, louder than ever. They were people he knew. People he had some, long-forgotten connection with. And yet he could remember nothing. Nothing at all.

The Incubus stared at the ceiling, shocked awake by his sudden dream. It was early morning; the sky was still dark, but he could hear the singing of birds outside as he lay basted in his own cold sweat.

"You okay? Why'd you wake up so early?" Lilith asked, clearly perturbed by the sudden awakening.

"I- I don't know. I was having a dream and then-"

"Hey, your lisp is gone!"

His eyes widened.

"So it is... Then that means..."

At some point in his sleep, the changes brought upon him by Alison's bizarre machine reverted, returning the Incubus' body to it's correct age, or at least as correct as his Everlast Syndrome allowed it to be. Unfortunately, his sudden growth back to his regular proportions had caused some considerable strain on the pajamas that Jelli had loaned him. His shirt had come undone in the night, exposing his chest.

That wasn't what worried Cobalt, though.

Jelli, still softly snoring, had rolled over to his side of the bed and was clinging to the Incubus. Her pudgy arms were wrapped around his left arm, and she was gently chewing on it, soaking the pajama top with saliva. He tried to ease his way out of her embrace, but the Glutton babbled something in German and adjusted herself, planting her face right onto his bare chest.

"O- Okay..." Cobalt breathed, suddenly feeling very warm.

"Yeah. I'll let you two fumble your way through this in the morning."

"...Thanks Lilith."

"Happy to help, kid."

Though unnerved by this sudden predicament, Cobalt reasoned that there was no point in trying to escape now, and decided to just lie back and stare at the ceiling, his mind still running hot with the dream he had just had.

Durnall, Harriet and Cherry. Names from his past that he couldn't remember. He had to find out who they were, and why they were so prominent in his mind.

No matter how hard he tried, though, Cobalt just couldn't remember anything from back then.

He glanced over at his satchel on the other side of the room, where the black iron dagger was stashed.

He was going to have to ask someone who did.