Cherry’s threats and roars of angers rang out through the elevator shaft, bouncing off the smooth metallic walls and drowning out the clinking of chains and the creaking of the cogwheels. Completely overwhelmed, Cobalt just sat on the floor, struggling to keep his heartrate in check as he descended. Beside him, Lilith manifested with an irate look on her face.
“Just what the Hell was that, kid?!” she cried, her fists balled.
He swallowed hard.
“This lift only goes far as the middle layer. Only one lift heads to the bottom; we need to find it,” he gasped urgently.
“You gonna let me in on this big plan of yours yet?!”
“Just trust me, Lilith, okay?! Just trust me!”
Shaking her head, the Devil folded her arms as her eye glinted in the dim light.
“… Can I trust you?” she asked spitefully.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“When exactly did you plan on telling me?”
“Telling you what?! Enough dancing around it!”
Her eye narrowed.
“When did you plan on telling me that you’re descended from Lady Fesser?” she asked, her voice edged with something sinister.
Sighing, Cobalt wiped his brow try and clambered to his feet.
“Never,” he said simply as he readjusted his clothes.
Baring her teeth, Lilith grabbed him by the tie.
“You were just gonna keep it a secret?! That you’re the spawn of the same bitch who consigned my people to death?!” she yelled, nearly choking him.
“Yes, I was! What, did you think it was fun growing up here with that kind of heritage?! All those expectations! No!”
He shoved her back. The Devil’s eye went wide with surprise from how forcefully he did it.
“My name is Trayer, and as far as anyone in my life is concerned, that’s all I need to be,” he said resolutely, readjusting his tight.
“Lady Fesser, she-!”
“Died over a thousand years ago, Lilith! I’m under no illusion that she was any kind of saint, but I do not need you blaming me for her misdeeds!”
The two stared at each other as the lift lurched and groaned.
“I… I’m sorry,” Lilith admitted, her shoulders slumping as she sighed heavily.
The Incubus shook his head and sat back down on the floor.
“It’s okay, just… We’re not gonna get far if we keep lunging at each other.”
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the case. Popping the lid open, Cobalt ran his thumb around the metallic syringe, feeling his chest tighten.
“You don’t have to trust me, Lilith. Just please, while we’re here, I need you to just-”
“I do trust you, kid.”
Sitting down next to him, the Devil extended one of her wings to cover his back.
“Haven’t trusted anyone in a while. Still getting the hang of it. But you… you got a decent head on your shoulders, and whatever you’re trying to get done here… I’m sure you’ve got your reasons. And I’m sure they’re good ones,” she sighed, not daring to make eye-contact lest she lose her nerve.
Cobalt stared, shocked by such sincere words from the Devil.
“This middle layer… what’s the layout?” she asked, quickly changing the subject as her cheeks darkened.
“R- Right, right… It mostly houses research labs and containment cells.”
“Sounds fancy.”
“What little technology Phrodival has is all down there. The scholars study a lot of different subjects, but most pertain to either magic or medicine. A lot of outsiders don’t just request access to the Undercroft for fun; some come for help with things like cervical cancer and fertility problems.”
Lilith nodded.
“Seems intense.”
“It’s a part of the Fesserite creed. Healthy body and all that.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“And they develop magic, too?”
Cobalt nodded.
“Mostly psychomancy, though a lot of spells they produce can be dangerous in the wrong hands,” he explained.
“No wonder security’s so tight.”
“But most of the middle floors are dedicated to housing humans.”
Lilith’s eye flew wide open as she turned her shocked gaze onto him.
“Seriously?! There’s humans here?!”
“Yeah. Used to be a lot of Succubi would go out and ‘hunt’ humans with those powerful psychomancy spells. They’d take them, bend them to their will, then leave them when they were done. Magic like that… can leave scars on the psyche, maybe even break it entirely. Fesserites try to atone for their wayward sisters by looking after the victims until they feel well enough to go on their own.”
“Doesn’t that risk exposing Hell to-?”
Cobalt shook his head, cutting her off.
“No, the Mesmers have that covered. They adjust and implant memories to account for all the time they spent down here. Then they’re relocated to Earth, compensated for their troubles, and monitored until they’re certain they’ll be okay.”
A painful lump formed in Cobalt’s throat, though he couldn’t fathom why. He could hear the middle floors of the Undercroft approaching; he had to be ready.
“Cherry’s probably already called a lockdown. We’ll need to be quick,” he said, rising to his feet.
Nodding, Lilith stood up alongside him.
“Do you know where this other elevator is?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
A shiver ran through his body.
“Yeah. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”
“Alright. You make the calls, kid.”
She melted away into a flowing mass of ferromantic magic. Washing over Cobalt, the two were bound together once more as the elevator suddenly ground to a halt. Before him, a heavy iron door gradually began to rise, revealing the central chambers of the Phrodival Undercroft.
Unlike the upper floors, the middle layer was much more open in its design, with the ceiling reaching far above Cobalt’s head. The décor was less ornate, and the walls had been cut into flat surfaces rather than complicated carvings. Blocks of prefabricated structures dominated the central area, joined together by metal gantries and made accessible with stairs and skywalks. The open areas between each block had been decorated to resemble small parks and dining areas, while the structures at the far sides of the chamber looked far more clinical in appearance. High above, a grand array of chemical lights dangled, likely designed to resemble the sun.
Wherever he looked, he could see people dressed in simple white robes. A few of them were demons of all stripes, but most were humans. They sat at benches and conversed with one another, or spoke with white-coated Fesserites, or sat and read books. From where Cobalt was sitting, it looked like an entire underground town.
“Fuck… humans and demons, side by side…” Lilith breathed as he watched a human woman play chess with a tired-looking Golem.
“Bound by trauma…” Cobalt concurred, peering around.
He didn’t know why, but a part of him was searching for that telltale flash of blue. A fellow Incubus waiting in the wings in his final few moments of lucidity. He didn’t find it.
“Where’s the elevator?”
“Other side of the chamber, close by the research labs.”
“Let’s get a move on, then.”
Nodding, Cobalt carefully made his way through the chamber, cutting through a small park-like area as he made to pass by the housing blocks. The various humans gawked at him with wide, confused eyes, but thankfully none of them thought to confront him. However, as he approached the very centre, a contingent of Succubi dressed in uniforms similar to Cherry rushed by, relaying orders to one another and fanning out to try and find him. He tried to circle back, but upon spotting a pair of guards behind him, he was forced to clamber up a staircase and try his luck with the second-floor gantries.
“Check everywhere! I want him found!” he heard Cherry’s voice yell, sending shivers of fear down the Incubus’ spine.
“Keep it together, kid,” Lilith encouraged, “One puckered-up Succubus isn’t nothing compared to what you’ve been through.”
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“R- Right…” he replied, feeling much less sure of himself.
Flitting across the gantries and catwalks, Cobalt almost managed to cross over to the research area when a guard suddenly stepped around the corner, startling him something fierce. Blinded by panic, he quickly opened the door to the nearest housing block and threw himself inside, pressing his back up against the door as he listened for their footsteps.
Instead what he heard was a polite cough.
Whipping his head around, Cobalt was faced with the interior of a pleasant little room. Fitted with a bed, a desk, a bathroom and even a little dining area, it almost resembled a rustic motel room. Eyes widening, he held his breath as he stared at the human seated upon the bed, a novel lying half-open upon his lap. He was a skinny, blond-haired man, dressed in the same white robes as the rest of them. He looked tired; his sunken eyes betraying his sleeplessness.
“Hello?” he asked cautiously.
Cobalt frowned. His voice… why was it familiar? Only vaguely, but… there was an accent there.
“Um… hi. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Cobalt said, flinching as he heard heavy boots tromp past the door.
The man shook his head. His hair reached his shoulders and the rough stubble on his face told Cobalt that he hadn’t been keeping all that up to date with his personal grooming. He looked young; twenties at a guess.
“It’s alright. You’re… not staff, are you?”
“I, uh… I’m not.”
Putting his book down, he sat up.
“Exciting,” he said with a small smile.
“Exciting?”
“It’s nice here, but a bit humdrum, you know?”
“R- Right…”
“What’s your name, mister?”
He reached out a hand. Stepping away from the door, Cobalt shook it.
“Cobalt.”
“Cobalt…” the human repeated, rolling his name across his tongue, “I like it. Demons seem to have much nicer names. Hey, I’ve seen a couple of demons like you, but they’re always strapped to-”
Someone pounded on the door from the outside, startling them both. Immediately, the human grabbed Cobalt’s shoulder and lifted the sheets of his bed, pushing the Incubus to crawl underneath before he could figure out what was happening. As the door opened, he peered out from his hiding spot as a white-robed Succubus stepped into the room.
“Hey, sorry to bother you. You didn’t see a man run by here, did you? Blue skin, wings like this?” she asked in a soft voice, fluttering her wings for effect.
Cobalt felt the human adjust his position atop the bed.
“I didn’t, sorry. I’ve been reading all day.”
“That’s alright.”
She lingered in the door for a moment.
“How’ve you been sleeping?”
“A little better.”
“And the nightmares?”
“On and off.”
“Progress, then. Remember the exercises I taught you, okay? Oh, and there’ll be a group session after dinner if you’re feeling up to it.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
The Succubus bowed her head.
“My pleasure. Take care of yourself, and don’t forget to eat.”
She left the room, clicking the door shut behind her. Cobalt crept out and dusted himself down, frowning as something tugged at the back of his mind, but he just couldn’t figure out what.
“Rare for them to drop in unannounced. You must have stirred them right up,” the human laughed, holding his book close to his chest.
“I suppose I did… how long have you been down here?” the Incubus asked, choosing his words carefully.
“Hm… Hard to say, really. Going on three years, I think? I…”
His smile faded.
“… I was a predator’s pet. Those Fesserite ladies conducted a raid on her house and found me in her bedroom, chained to the wall. Gassed on so much of that magic stuff I could barely even think. Can’t even remember half of what happened, but…”
With a sigh, he shook his head.
“Sorry, sorry… this is too much to dump on a stranger,” he said, rubbing his eyes.
“Kid, we don’t have time for this,” Lilith reminded Cobalt, but he tuned her out and took a seat beside him.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said simply.
Why did this all sound so…?
“It’s alright. They’ve been real good to me here. The magic tricks you demons can do… it’s a big help. Sometimes the doctors just delve right into my head and… walk me through the nightmares, you know?” he said with a slight smile, though there was no ignoring the exhaustion in his eyes.
Cobalt gave him a nod, prompting him to smile.
“Amazing to think that demons were real this whole time. All around us, and we didn’t even know it,” the human said, clasping his hands.
“There’s a lot of laws in place to keep things that way. Better for everyone if our two worlds remain separate until they’re ready. A lot of humans aren’t as understanding as you,” the Incubus sighed.
There were plenty of horror stories about what happened to demons who were exposed to the human world. Killings, sacrifices, witch hunts… Supposedly there was even an entire organisation dedicated to wiping them out. It was terrifying stuff.
“Can’t imagine why. Every demon I’ve met has been great. Pretty sure my best friend was one, now that I think about it.”
Looking at the human, Cobalt raised an eyebrow.
“I mean, one day when we were kids she had to transfer out of state for no reason. Met her later on when we were older, and she was just…”
He made a vague gesticulation with her hands, gesturing to an invisible figure much, much bigger than him.
“Never even explained how or why. Then again, that dumbass was never one for explaining anything.”
Realisation hit Cobalt like a ton of bricks as that single, playful name put all the pieces into place. His appearance. His accent. How long he had been here. The circumstances proceeding his arrival. Everything. He had seen it all play out before him, all that time ago when he was still just a newbie teacher.
Nearly choked by the lump in his throat, the Incubus stared at the human before him.
“… James…?” he breathed.
The colour drained from his face.
“That’s… how do you know my-?”
“Izzbelle Suyas. You were… You were best friends with Izzbelle Suyas, right?”
He frowned.
“Wait, do you know…?” the human asked, his voice trailing off as his eyes widened.
Tears glimmered in the corners of James’ eyes as he held his hands to his mouth.
“Oh God… Izzbelle…” he breathed, his shoulders slumping as his book slid off his lap and clattered to the floor.
He stared at his hands.
“We were best friends since we were kids, and… we had this fight before I moved for college. A- And when she found me, I…”
James buried his face into his hands for a moment, causing a pang of shame to tear through Cobalt as he watched this man relive some of his most traumatic moments.
“I… I never got to tell her I was sorry…”
“She knows, James,” the Incubus said in a soft voice.
“Does she…?”
Taking a deep breath, he shifted closer and gently put a hand on James’ shoulder.
“When she started her second year of tertiary school - that’s, um… That’s like compulsory education between high school and college – she had an outburst,” he sighed.
“An outburst…?”
“It’s like… Never mind. Just know she was in a bad way. Inconsolable, really. And in order to help her through it, I had to delve into her memories,” Cobalt explained carefully.
James nodded slowly.
“Just like the doctors here.”
“Yeah. I saw everything she saw. Everything that she was hurting over. She never blamed you; if anything, she blamed herself. For not fighting harder.”
“But…”
“I know. I told her that too. And eventually she understood.”
Taking a deep breath, James nodded slowly and rubbed his eyes.
“… Do you think she’ll forgive me, Cobalt?” the human asked in a small voice.
“I think she already has.”
“Oh thank Christ…”
The two sat in silence for a moment as Lilith nagged at Cobalt to get a move on, but he wasn’t about to just leave James hanging. This man… He was more than Izzbelle’s first friend. He was Izzbelle’s first love. Surely…
His heart twinged painfully.
“James. About Izzbelle, she…” he began, trailing off as he tried to tell him just how she once felt.
“She what?” the human asked, staring at him with deep, wet eyes.
He didn’t know. Izzbelle never told him.
Cobalt could hear his heart pound. He could feel himself began to perspire, and yet when he tried to say anything, he just choked up.
“She… She’s doing alright now. Last year until she graduates,” he finally said, forcing on a reassuring smile.
James tried to return it, but it was clear from a glance that he was overwhelmed.
“… That’s good to hear. I’m serious, that’s… that’s real good to hear…”
Sniffling, he sat up and faced the Incubus.
“Listen, Cobalt; I don’t know what exactly you’re doing here, but could I ask you a favour whenever you see Izzbelle again?”
“Of course.”
“Tell her I’m sorry for dragging her into this mess. She’ll, uh… She’ll know what it means,” he sighed.
A small smile crept across his face.
“And when I’m better and they wipe my memory of this place, tell her I won’t forget her.”
“I will.”
Standing up, Cobalt crossed to the other side of the room and made to open the door, but stopped as he placed his hand upon the handle. Behind him, James watched him leave, still red-eyed and exhausted.
“Cobalt? Just… tell her I’m sorry,” the human sighed, flopping down onto the bed.
“I will, James. Take it easy, okay?”
“Yeah. Good luck with whatever you’re doing.”
“Thanks. I, uh… I’m gonna need it, I think.”
With a final wave, he clicked the door open and stepped back out onto the gantry, feeling as though a light wind would knock him right over. He felt ill, like he had done something terrible, even though he couldn’t fathom what.
“Kid, would you get a hold of yourself?” What is going on with you?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Well, you can’t afford to get caught up in your head. Not now.”
“I- I know, I just-”
He froze up as he saw a blur of movement out of the corner of his eye. Craning his neck, Cobalt caught the gaze of an Undercroft guard, who stared right back at him right as she was about to knock on the door of one of the housing blocks further down.
A stiff moment of silence passed.
“Fuck.”
Reaching into her shirt, she pulled out a whistle and blew it. A shrill tone ripped through the air, drawing the eyes of everyone in the chamber.
“Found him! Central avenue, north second-level walkway, east side!” she yelled, pulling something from her belt.
Cobalt’s eyes widened. It was a cattle prod; Phrodival didn’t have much in the way of technology, but they certainly didn’t skimp when it came to keeping the Undercroft secure.
Turning on his heel, Cobalt bolted in the opposite direction, only to see a pair of guard quickly ascending the stairs, batons at the ready. Fenced in from both ends, he grabbed hold of the railing and jumped down to the floor below, crying out as he almost landed atop a pair of human girls.
“Gotta get to that elevator…!” he gasped, ignoring the protesting of his ankles as he bolted towards the research blocks.
Skirting past confused humans and panicked Fesserites, the Incubus narrowly avoided the swing of a cattle prod as he barged past the entrance to a chemical supply room. His head was pounding at a thousand miles and hour. His heart felt like it was vibrating. The guards were tight on his heels.
“Lilith…!” he panted, skirting around a corner.
“What?”
“Listen to me close, and do what I say exactly, alright?!”
“Kid, what are you-?!”
“When I give the signal, take the key from my hand and get into the elevator! There's a lock on the side of the lever that’ll start it up!”
“Hey-!”
“Just trust me! Jump as hard as you can; don’t let them see you!”
Turning a corner, he sighed the elevator at the far end of the chamber, just a straight shot from his current position. A wide-open doorway cut into the wall, much heavier duty than the previous lift. He had bad memories about this particular elevator.
“Stop right there!” the voice of Cherry echoed from behind him, spurring the Incubus to run faster.
Taking a deep breath, Cobalt concentrated hard, quickening his heartbeat and causing his blood to heat up. As a bright-red glow shone through his clothes, he gritted his teeth as his temperature began to spike, silently egging himself on as the elevator drew closer and closer. The familiar feeling of frustration and anger came to him much quicker as his vessels ignited.
The lift was a stone’s throw away by the time Cobalt’s veins burst, spraying scalding red steam into the air all around him. He yelled for Lilith and the Devil obliged, leaping forward from his body and snatching Cherry’s master key from his hand in one smooth movement. Though woozy and a little delirious from the sudden separation, he reached into his pocket and hurled the syringe case in after her as the Devil tumbled to a stop by the lift’s control lever. She shot him a confused look.
“Just… Just get him back safe!” was all Cobalt managed to yell as he dove for the crank by the door.
He kicked it, causing the crank to spin wildly. A huge metal shutter suddenly slammed shut over the elevator entrance, and from within he heard the sound of a lock click and a lever screeching in protest.
As the rapid unfurling of chains echoed throughout the chamber, Cobalt fell to his knees, completely winded by his escapade. The steam was fading and the guards were converging all around him, but at least he managed to get Lilith into the lift in time.
He could only trust in her judgement to do the right thing. She’d know it when she saw it.
Bracing his hands against the bloodstained floor, Cobalt coughed as the guards converged all around him, each bearing whips and batons. They parted to allow the long shadow of Cherry Lattess to wash over him. She was clutching a stun gun, and she was not happy.
“This little tantrum ends here,” she spat, glaring at him.
He backed up onto his knees in order to look her in the eyes.
“S- So be it,” the Incubus spluttered.
The stun gun crackled with electricity, causing a few of the guards to flinch.
“A breach like this calls for psychflensing. Could save yourself the trouble by explaining yourself right here, right now.”
The Incubus shook his head.
“No. I don’t want to.”
Leaning down to meet his eye level, Cherry scoffed.
“Good. I was hoping you’d say that.”
She jammed the prongs against the side of his neck, flooding him with volts of excruciating electricity. The smell of burning skin was the last thing he could remember before his vision abruptly went dark and he crumpled to the floor.