I quickly dashed backwards and, using all the knowledge I had gained over the years, I created a Spear of Light which I pointed at Lilith who hadn’t moved.

“You…” I growled as she reached into her pocket.

She pulled out a phone and dialled a number.

“What are you doing-“

I stopped as she suddenly threw her phone at me.

I caught it and saw a familiar number and caller ID so I cautiously placed the phone by my ear.

“Grand Mage Alexter?” I asked.

[Hello, Chuma. It’s been a while-]

“What the fuck is going on?” I snapped while keeping my Spear pointed at Lilith.

[Wow… is that any way to speak to an old friend?]

“Cut the bullshit-“

[Alright, alright. It was decided by the current powers that Lilith be released. They said she had served enough time and so long as she posed no threat to the people of Aréna, she was free to be… well, free.]

My eyes shook upon hearing Alexter’s wheezes.

“I see. But… WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ME?” I yelled only for the old man on the other end to laugh.

[You’re the only person she can relate to what with you being veterans and whatnot, haha!]

“You were there too, old man!” I cried but this just made the geezer laugh even louder.

[I know, I know! Alright, look at it like this, you fought tooth and nail for peace, right?]

I didn’t respond.

[It would be a shame if she were to fall to evil again and ruin all that we built so you can use your immortality to watch over her for an eternity.]

I was dumbfounded.

Flabbergasted!

The idiot was conveniently forgetting that I only had ten years left to live!

I stared at Lilith and my brows furrowed upon seeing that despondent expression she had made all that time ago.

But she was a demon.

All demons knew was hatred…

Then why did she look so sad?

Memories of the Great War flashed in my mind.

The burning of my home village.

The hundreds of thousands that were lost.

I bit my teeth and thought about the possibility of something like that happening again.

But what could I do to stop it and if she was still such a big risk, why did the current Great Mages release her?

I would have to ask them myself but at this moment, I needed to make a decision.

Could I be entrusted to prevent a second Great War?

I had learnt almost every spell and practised almost every martial technique over the years but did that make me worthy?

I was also broke and probably would have to sell this old house and move somewhere smaller.

Mmm…

I had been thinking about starting a business of my own for the longest time but no idea ever stood out as being worthwhile.

Also, according to the Jester’s Curse, I only had ten more years of life so my plate was getting really close to empty.

Maybe I could use Lilith in whatever business venture I wanted as an inexhaustible mule, since demons didn't need to sleep or eat all that often.

This would keep her busy and keep me from moving out.

“Fine.”

[Yay-]

I ended the call but kept my Spear of Light in hand.

I then gave her phone back and tapped the floor once with my Spear.

“What do you really want, mmm? Because I find it had to believe that your kind could ever live in peace.” I raised a brow and this just made her sigh.

“I want… to live a life without war.” She said and although it looked like she was being sincere, I remained sceptical.

Demons were deceptive beings who could even alter their faces to suit their ends.

“Alright. Well, the world as it is has not seen war since you got imprisoned so that life may very well be possible… if you behave.”

Lilith’s eyes briefly flashed orange and I felt my throat tighten as an unseen force tried pressing my body down.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

She quickly blinked away her animosity while I strengthened my Spear by infusing it with more light, dimming the area around us a little.

“Alright.” She nodded albeit reluctantly and it was here that I realized that I was going to be dealing with an uninjured Lilith.

She who fought over a hundred of mankind's greatest warriors at once and managed to survive.

She who faced the near godly might of dragons and repelled them by herself.

My confidence rapidly dwindled but I puffed my chest and moved aside, allowing her to enter.

She closed the door behind her and followed me to the kitchen where I prepared us some tea all while holding my Spear.

“How long are you going to hold that for?” Lilith raised a brow as I handed her a cup.

“For as long as you remain a threat.” I scoffed.

“And what will you do if I become a proper threat?” She asked after taking a sip.

“I will do what I failed to all that time ago.” I clenched my jaws but this just made Lilith smirk.

“How highly the lone Spearman thinks of himself. What is it that inflates your head so? Skill or power? You may have gained a lot of the former but I sense none of the latter.”

Her eyes narrowed and I felt that oppressive weight again.

This was the power of the Demon Queen.

She was able to command terror itself and send it unto me.

She was also right.

I, as a mere human, was nowhere near as powerful as she was but I had learnt a thing or two over the years.

“Do not underestimate the power of the human spirit. Was it not that very spirit that brought your reign of horror to an end?” I asked with a raised chin.

“Yes but, I remember correctly, all you did was stand there.” Lilith snickered.

“Anyway, I didn’t come here to stoke our bad blood. I… I have nowhere else to go in this new world and I would be more than grateful for any help you chose to provide.” She lowered her head and this allowed me to see that her iconic black veil was missing.

What wasn’t missing were her horns and demons were very much still feared in some places.

They actually popped up from time to time causing serious damage to people and property.

What’s odd is that the Demons that followed Lilith’s imprisonment were different.

While her Demons, often referred to as her children, had tall, pale humanoid forms, the new ones were dark and often times animalistic in form and behaviour.

No one seemed to know the exact nature of their origin, only that they appeared from pools of a corrosive black liquid.

I asked Lilith if she knew anything about the new Demons and she simply shook her head.

“As I’m sure you know and as I confessed during my incarceration, I was born in the Meteor that struck the Drakensburg Mountains all those millennia ago. I mothered every demon- oh- did Great Mage Alexter tell you if any of my children are still alive?” Lilith asked and for the first time, her face showed a deep concern.

“No. I was under the impression that we killed every Demon apart from you but who can ever really say what that old fart knows.” I sighed.

“Mmm… alright. Well, I stopped giving birth when the Meteor struck the Mountains so if more Demons are appearing, then there must be another Demon Queen out there somewhere.”

“But no meteor has since struck this planet.”

“Then this may all also be a part of his plan.”

I bit my teeth before taking a sip of tea.

“Has he appeared before you since?” I asked, unable to hide my dread but Lilith shook her head.

“No. Although his capabilities are clear in you.”

I nodded before coming to a decision.

“I only have ten years left but I plan on using the time I have left to investigate this new wave of demons and lay the foundations future generations will need to combat them because do you remember what else the Jester said?”

Lilith’s brown furrowed.

“A thousand years of peace…” She muttered.

“Before all else collapses.” I sighed.

“So, you’re going to join me in this venture of mine and we will operate as private detectives. This’ll also help me pay the bills around here so there’s that.”

“Why weren’t you paying them before?”

“Err…”

The real reason was because I didn’t see a point in living on any longer and I definitely didn’t wanna pay taxes for a house that was gifted to me nearly a thousand years ago but I couldn’t say that!

Lilith probably saw me as the forlorn Spearman who had been tragically cursed and so I needed to play the part.

“I find myself unable to leave these walls because they are the closest I'll ever get to the old world,” I said while dramatically squeezing my fist but this just made Lilith cross her arms after putting down her cup.

“What does that have to do with anything? Surely you amassed a great deal of wealth over the years, no?”

My eyes widened to their limits and I stood like a deer in headlights.

I never saw the need for wealth until just recently.

The newer generations didn’t care that I was a hero and made me pay for all kinds of things!

Lilith must have noticed my panic because she made the strangest expression before bursting out into laughter.

“Haha, really? Nothing? Just what did you achieve after all this time? What legacy did you create in nine hundred whole years?” Lilith laughed so hard she began to cry and this made me squeeze my Spear a little harder.

“I heard from Great Mage Alexter that your fame had dwindled over time but he didn’t tell me that was because you weren’t doing anything useful, haha!” Lilith clutched her tummy as she continued to laugh.

“Hey, at least I won’t be eternally remembered as the wretch who plunged this world into millennia of darkness and war.” I pouted.

“True although you humans often overlook the fact that I’m a victim of circumstance.” Lilith whimpered deliriously while wiping her tears.

“Doesn’t justify the murder of hundreds of thousands either.”

“I know.” Lilith exhaled before sitting uptight and facing me while trying to make a serious face.

“Ugh, anyway, another problem will be… you.”

Lilith winced a little.

“It won’t be easy operating with the literal Queen of Demons so…” I lightly tapped my index finger on the marble table while trying to think of a way around this.

“I don’t think my appearance will be a problem. I walked here with no issue, after all. A few people even thought I was cosplaying. So much time has passed that almost no one who would know that I was the real deal is alive.” Lilith giggled but we needed a serious solution.

Mmm…

“Cosplaying… yeah, we could say that you’re a freak who got demon horns surgically implanted onto your head.” I nodded but this made Lilith frown for some reason.

“You could have left out the freak part but I guess that could work.” She droned.

“Alright. Now, since you’re gonna be staying here, you’re gonna be needing a room of your own. Come.” I instructed and she followed me up my house’s central staircase to the second floor.

I then guided her to the room next to mine.

“These'll be your quarters- umm… did you bring anything else?”

“I only got released a few hours ago, so no.”

“I see. Well, we’ll need to get you a few things but for now… make yourself at home and remember, no funny business.”

“Got it,” Lilith smirked prompting me to nod and finally destroy my Spear of Light.

I then entered my room where I made my way to the balcony and looked out into my messy backyard.

Acres of long grass and vines.

The past few hours were intense but I found comfort in my home and I guess in a sense I wasn’t lying when I said those words to Lilith.

This was my home and I was more than content with letting it crumble alongside me as our ends drew near.

But my priorities had temporarily shifted.

I focused the surrounding light at the front end of my cigarette but just as it lit up, I was hit by a wave of nausea.

I knew exactly what was causing it and so I stumbled out of my room and knocked on Lilith’s door.

“What’s going on in there? I thought I said no funny business!”

I got no response and at this point, the air was filled with so much magic and malice that my nose started bleeding.

I let out a roar before opening the door to see Lilith clad in a suit of armour that was as black as tar. Sleek chunks of matte matel covered her frame and they were over a black chain mail.

She quickly noticed me and pulled in all of her magic.

“What’s wrong?” She asked as the air cleared up.

“What in the world are doing?” I cried and for some reason, she did a twirl.

“I was seeing if my old armour would appear if I summoned it.”

Huh…

I knew that dealing with her was going to be stressful but I had no idea then just how bad it would get.