Possession of Eveline White

Two days have passed since the last incident. Alice could finally return from her ‘break’, much to the protests of Beatrice. Another good news was Lilim being officially part of the Extermination Force and Purgatorio finally coming to life. To celebrate, the half-angel planned a surprise welcome party for the succubus. The surprise part lasted a whole hour before Alice got too excited and revealed everything to the demon. Lilim couldn't blame her. She, too, was glad to finally get the job. It meant that she could keep an eye on the half-angel much better than before. And the party was a nice addition too. But what shocked succubus the most was the fact that Alice wanted to introduce her to her friends. Lilim didn't really know how to react to that. What was she supposed to tell them anyway? That she was a demon that just happened to work in the same facility as Alice? Did they even know who Alice truly was?

The half-angel kept saying that everything would be fine and that she didn't have anything to worry about. Finally giving into that damned smile that she could never resist, Lilim agreed to take part in the no longer surprise party. Right now she was going through her wardrobe, choosing which long white dress was more suitable for the party. While the demon was making a hard choice between the long white dress in the middle and the one far to the left, Alice was already ready to go. Dressed in a light yellow cardigan with a light green shirt under it and white pants, she was waiting for the succubus to make her mind up. As the demon finally took one dress from the wardrobe, she quietly admired the angel. Both yellow and green looked good on her. The shirt really worked well with her eyes, and the cardigan, while slightly oversized, added more charm than she already had.

"Lilim, why do you only wear those white dresses?" Alice asked as Lilim made her way towards the bathroom to get changed.

"They are the only thing that looks good on me."

"Don't say that; I'm sure you look good in anything." The half-angel added with a smile before understanding what she just said. The smirk on the succubus's face didn't mean anything good.

"Anything you say? Say one thing you want to wear, and we'll see." And with a wink, she vanished behind the bathroom doors, leaving a flustered angel alone.

Being ready to go, Alice led Lilim to one of the many bars in the center of Znena. The one in which the party was supposed to be didn't stand out by anything. A simple modern bar, all white inside with black furniture, packed into a rather small room. The only thing that indicated it was a bar was a purple neon sign above its wide window spanning nearly across the entrance, which read "Lady Pank." Through the large window, Lilim could see four tables, three with chairs, and one in the back with a red sofa and the black bar counter. Entering, her gaze stopped at three girls sitting on the couch, waving at Alice.

The one sitting in the middle was a tall, tanned blonde in a gray tracksuit with red lines. On her left was a brunette dressed in a black sweater, and to the right of the blonde was probably the weirdest one of the group. A ginger-haired girl with glasses, a dark green shirt, and what seemed to be a dark blue cape or cloak reminding her of something a wizard would wear.

"Sup Al." The blonde said, her accent indicating that she wasn't from these parts of the country.

"So this is the Lilim you have talked about?" The girl in the black sweater studied Lilim with a rather cautious look.

"Say, how did you two meet?" The little wizard could barely hold her voice down. "Is she really a succubus?" The blue-eyed demon gave Alice a questioning look. Just how did she know that? Did they also know about Alice and the Extermination Force? On the one hand, it would make the upcoming conservation less awkward, but on the other hand, she was really doubting that it was a good idea.

"Yo Eve, let the girls sit down first." The blonde stood up and shook succubus's hand. "I'm Julie; nice to finally meet you." The demon had to admit that she had quite a strong grip. The succubus guessed that Eve was the name of the little wizard, so for now only the girl in black remained unknown to her.

"I'm Veronica." She answered, seeing how the blue-eyed girl had been staring at her. The black-haired girl simply nodded and sat down, rather close to Alice. Veronica couldn't help but wonder who she exactly was to the ginger. A work acquaintance, of course, but there seemed to be something more than that. It could have just been her imagination, and she hoped for it. Veronica didn't mean anything bad by that, or so she thought; it was just that she wasn't sure that getting so close to a demon was a good idea. Alice was killing them after all, so how did the demon react to that?

"So order as usual? Beer for me and Ver, juice for our gingers, and for you?" Julie asked while giving Lilim a questioning look. "Beer?" The succubus nodded once again, though anything would be fine for her. Being a demon had its perks, one of which was an absurdly high resistance to various poisons. It meant that she could drink absurd levels of various alcohols and never get drunk, which, depending on the situation, was either good or bad. Julie went to get them drinks, and in the meantime, the girls had time to get to know themselves better.

"Let me get this clear: do you know what Alice is doing?"

"You mean killing demons? We've experienced it firsthand; that was interesting." The green-eyed girl never mentioned anything of the sort.

"You see, Lilim, one time I was out with the girls and a demon appeared. I think you know how it went."

"Alice summoned that badass armor of hers and quickly got rid of him. Do you also have badass armor?" Eve asked with sparkles in her eyes. Lilim felt as if she were dealing with a kid. Killing her excitement, she had to say no, but she had mentioned the Prince. And the few missions she was on with the ginger. The little wizard listened to each of them with great interest.

"And you are fine with killing other demons?" Veronica asked with uncertainty in her voice. Granted, her knowledge of demons ended with them being bloodthirsty beasts that Alice cut down, but she really doubted that they were so different from each other. If angels supposedly shared similar mindsets, then the same should be true for demons. Who was to say that Lilim wasn't just like them? The very thought of Alice being so close to a being that could kill her in a matter of seconds terrified her. But she had to hope that Lilim really was different, at least according to Alice's own words.

"Why shouldn't I be? It's not like we're related or something. They want me dead, and I want them dead; it's as simple as that. Believe me, there is nothing in this world that hates demons as much as other demons. Even angels aren't as fixated on killing us as we are. Though, why do you ask in the first place? I won't hurt Alice if that's what's worrying you."

"Don't mind her; she is always like that. Seriously, give her white armor and a horse, and she will be Alice's very own prince." Eve blurted it out before getting smacked in the head by a slightly flustered and embarrassed Veronica, accompanied by a chuckling Alice and a smirking Lilim.

"Stop calling me that! I just don't want to see my dear friend get into more trouble than she already is."

"I'll stop once you stop acting like a prince."

"Honestly, I can get behind being a prince. I'm already dressed in white, I have a sword, and I could get a horse from somewhere. So what do you say, Al? Do you want me to be your prince?" While Lilim said that with full genuineness in her words, Alice could stare at her with wide eyes, glad that she wasn't drinking anything, as otherwise she would have choked.

"Hey, earth to Al." Succubus said, waving her hand right before half the angel's eyes.

"What are you talking about? I mean, I wouldn't mind that; I would even say that you would make a great prince, but it's too early for me! You get what I say, right? We should get to know each other better. I really wouldn't mind it, I swear. It's just that I don't think I would handle it well as of now. It's not like I don't want you; you are a really pretty girl, maybe even too pretty for someone like me. And can you imagine that? A demon and an angel together? Wait! I said that out loud?" Alice covered her red face with her hands. Though the redness was all caused by her thoughts being heard by everyone gathered, those pretty blue eyes that never stopped staring into her own as she poured her heart out played a major role in it.

"Alice, I pity you for having to deal with people like those two." Veronica said as she went to get the drinks from the returning Julie. The half-angel sheepishly drank her juice as Lilim and Eve were cracking jokes. Mostly of the succubus being her prince.

"I see you two are getting along quite nicely." Julie said this while opening her can of beer. Veronica nodded in confirmation of the blonde's words, and Lilim had to take a while to agree.

"But of course. Finally, someone understands how fun and easy it is to tease her."

"I have to agree with the little wizard. I mean, you have said that you would have no problem letting me sleep with you." This time, Veronica was the one being glad to not drink at the moment. She only gave the half-angel shocked, and confused look, while Julie and Eve gave a rather curious one. Lilim just had a proud smile on her face, and Alice didn't know how to respond to that.

"Ain't you moving too fast, Al?"

"It's nothing like that, I swear." The half-angel tried to defend herself.

"Not yet, you wanted to say." Lilim added. “Don't worry, I'll wait to be your prince." The flustered look on Alice's face was priceless for Lilim. Eveline, in response to that, just let out a rather loud "humph".

"You better be. I mean, it's unfair that Alice got herself a demon girlfriend before I got myself a hot incubi boy." As much as the succubus wanted to enjoy the embarrassment that appeared on half an angel's face, the mention of the incubi was her major concern. If Eve meant what she thought, then it wouldn't end well.

"Here she goes again." Veronica commented with a defeated sigh. "You can't even find a normal boyfriend. Why do you think a demon will want you?"

"Here's the catch: The summoned one won't be able to run away." The group pretty much collectively shook their heads, save for the black-haired demon, who gave the little wizard a rather serious look.

"Look, little wizard, I know that you don't mean anything bad by that, but don't try summoning demons; it never ends well. I can show a bunch of examples if you don't believe me." The seriousness in Lilim's voice made Eveline freeze. Veronica gave Alice a rather questioning look, while the half-angel didn't really know how to explain her friend's behavior. At best, she could say that it was her own way of caring about the group, which Alice found rather sweet. Julie, in the meantime, happily finished her can of beer.

"Hey, don't worry. I've never tried anything serious; I'm a cautious witch. Besides, I'm not strong enough to summon one to begin with. And can you imagine how weird it would be anyway?" After hearing that, the succubus seemed to be more at ease, though she would still try to keep an eye on portals opening. If she felt any, then she knew who would be able to. Still, the little wizard was rather irresponsible, potentially giving Alice more work to do.

"Just a warning for the future. Wait, did you say that you are a witch?" Eve nodded. Huh, somehow that went over her head when she first mentioned that.

"Al, why didn't you say that we had a witch? She would be of great assistance. Conjuring a storm, keeping our asses safe from a distance, or maybe even helping with healing." With each task Eve could fulfill, or compliment in Lilim's eyes, the witch was becoming more and more abashed.

"You see, Lilim, Eve is not that kind of witch."

"Oh. Then forget I even said anything."

"I can still be useful, you know!" Eveline shouted in a last-ditch attempt to save her honor.

Veronica shook her head as Julie tried to calm her down. It seemed like her pride in witchcraft was a rather serious matter to her. The girls continued to sit and laugh for another hour. Lilim had to say that she enjoyed the company. It surely was a nice break from hunting demons, and seeing Alice smile brightly was priceless. The time to go home has finally come.

"Aight, prince, take care of our angel." Julie said with a wink directed towards the succubus as she made her way to the bus stop. The remaining two went with the demon and angel for a longer while, with the witch and succubus cracking jokes all the way through. They've stopped before a freshly renovated dormitory. Its old red brick stood out in between more modern houses. It was also rather small, being only two stories high and each of them being the size of a common flat. Alice went with Eve right to the doors of the dormitory, while Lilim and Veronica stayed before the gate.

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"Hey." The brunette started. "Sorry if I've come out as cold towards you. It's just that I want Al to be safe. I guess the same goes for you."

"Why do you even ask? I'm her 'prince', after all." Lilim replied with a smile. "But don't worry; I know what you mean. You can rest easy; I won't let anyone hurt her."

"Thanks." Despite saying that, her tone of voice was still colder than succubus would have preferred, and she could swear that for a moment her eyes seemed rather absent. Seeing Alice return, both girls exchanged goodbyes. "I'd love to talk with you for longer, but I've got groceries to do; otherwise, Eve will only live on instant soups." The demon didn't see a problem in that. They were cheap, quick to prepare, and tasty. Anything you could ever want from a meal. Though if she proposed that to either Alice or Beatrice, she would get scolded.

The pair of angel and demon slowly made their way back home. This time, the half-angel chose a way that Lilim had not seen yet. It led around the old tailor's and shoemaker's workshop that probably stood there since the town was ever built, if succubus was to say. It always smelled of old clothes and various pastes. Though on the window display there were always the most beautiful dresses that the demon had ever seen, each of them looked like it was taken straight from 19th-century nobles. Lilim, of course, had her eyes on the white one that almost looked like a wedding dress, only missing the veil. They went into the alleyway behind the workshop and went down the slope, coming right to the street where the smaller of the two churches in the town stood. It was encircled by a small park that led into the main one. Alice turned right in the direction of the old railroad. Lilim wondered why she went there. It was practically on the outskirts of the town. Except for a few houses that stood there, the only thing past it were various fields, which later turned into forests.

The half-angel kept on marching along the railroad, towards the houses, with a curious demon following right behind her. Once they got to the houses, Alice turned left and led Lilim for a good twenty minutes before stopping right next to the green sign with a white Znena crossed out with a red line. That was the very edge of the town; what could Alice want from there? The other half pointed at the horizon. Lilim could only see a tall oak tree and one building that peaked out from behind it.

"Lilim, do you think you could fly us down there?" In response to that, the succubus spread out her wings and took Alice to the tree. Up close, the oak was bigger than Lilim originally thought. It had to be at least as wide as the half of the house next to it, and it had to be at least twenty or more meters in height. It completely overshadowed the small beige house with a horribly run-down red roof. It was a miracle that the building even stood. Alice climbed on the lowest branch, the furthest one from the house. Lilim followed her suit, and both girls glanced at the setting sun, sitting in silence for a good few minutes.

"It's my old home." The half-angel finally said, seeing how the black-haired demon kept on looking at the rundown building.

"Say, do you often come here?"

"I used to when I was younger. I always came here if something was bothering me or if I needed to organize my thoughts. My little hideout, if you will." Lilim said nothing but sat closer to the green-eyed girl.

In the dormitory, Eveline was going through all the cupboards and shelves in search of something. Taking a book, a bunch of various colorful salts, metal rods thin enough to bend them with ease, candles, and a lighter, she took it all to the table in her bedroom. Although calling it a bedroom would clash with what the place has become, no matter where one would've looked, there would be books, jars filled with various things, still unpacked boxes, jewels from all around the world on display behind the glass shelves, papers written in ancient languages, and runes littering the floor. And that would only be mentioning the things not in the wardrobes, cupboards, or wherever else Eve could place them. Even her still-unmade bed was acting like an additional table where even more curious things were placed.

Eve put everything down on the table and started her work. First was the black tablet, which showed signs of being used time and time again. Then the witch bent the first bunch of metal rods, creating a circle. Then another bunch was used to create a seal. Nothing special, just a simple nine-star seal. At the very edges of the arms, she placed the unlit candles, putting a slight amount of salt in the corresponding color on each of them. She was almost done. She lit them up and started an incantation.

"O life-giving flame, come to me and listen to my plea. Take the abundance of my gifts and keep me away from harm." As she spoke, a small green fire started to form in between her hands. At first, it was nothing more than a tongue, but then it started to grow. "O flame, let the worlds meet and let those in need cross to me. O eternal flame, let the-" Doors on the lower floor opened with a loud thud, startling the witch. She broke the incantation, and the green flame exploded, creating a cloud of smoke that quickly filled the entire dormitory.

"Christ Eve, do you want to kill us all!?" Veronica said after storming into her room and opening the window, letting the dark gray cloud out. Both she and Eve were horribly coughing and had to go outside to catch their breath.

"Seriously, do you want to suffocate us?"

"No! I was just casting a protective spell, and then-"

"If you want to use magic, then at least do something useful. Do you have one that heals headaches? I could use it right now." After the dust cloud has faded, both girls have returned to the dormitory. While Veronica would have liked to have more people living with them, Eveline's antics kept reminding her why it would be a bad idea. As the brunette went to get some painkillers, the little witch returned to her room only to see the seal molten and charred in half. She quickly went to examine it. Such a thing happened to her for the first time, and she didn't really know what to make of it. Did she put too much energy into the spell, and that's why it ended like that? Or perhaps something tried to pass through it but got cut off halfway? No matter the case, she should probably clean the table; otherwise, Veronica would scold her again. As she was about to throw the metal seal away, the words of the black-haired succubus rang in her mind. What if something actually managed to slip by? Something that was with them right now? No, she shouldn't get herself paranoid for no reason. If a demon managed to get to them, it would appear as of now, right? Though when she touched the not-burned part of the seal, something cold touched her neck.

Lilim observed the setting sun over the city. From afar, it seemed to be so small and the tree so big compared to any building that rose on the horizon. Even the house seemed much more lovely in the state it was in. She could see herself living in this place, far away from any hardships and worries, with Alice by her side. Said angel was snuggled up with succubus, her head resting on Lilim's shoulder, which probably was the reason why she was in such a good mood. The demon, of course, had not minded that; if she could, she would stay an entire night with her like that. The half-angel also seemed to enjoy their quiet moment, as she was smiling brightly and nearly dozing off on the shoulder.

"It's nice, isn't it?" The ginger's soft voice was a pleasure to the succubus's ears. She had to fully agree with that one. It really was nice to rest like that and see Znena safe. “I hope that one day we will be able to go here without any worries/” Lilim wished for that too. To see Alice far from any harm. If only. Her further daydreaming was broken by a call to Alice's phone. The half-angel quickly took out her flip phone from her pocket, only to see a message from Beatrice. The coordinates of a demon It was in the middle of the city. Right next to the dormitory.

"Lilim, fly us to the dorm, now!" Alice shouted while summoning her armor alongside the spear. The succubus spread out her wings once again and took off in the direction of the demon.

Back in the dormitory, Eveline was trying her best to keep the beast away from her, only being able to try and fidget around as the demon had her pinned down to the ground. It had a long, snake-like tail made of furiously red scales. Its body was nothing but a skeleton of wide posture; its shoulder bones easily reached each of the opposite walls, even when the demon was low to the ground; and its hammer shark skull was close to the little witch's face. Though the beast seemed to be more like a ghost, the ginger-haired girl could see through it nearly clearly, seeing the horrified look on Veronica's face.

The brunette was hitting the demon over and over again with a broom that time and time again bounced off, doing no harm to the monster.

"Get out of her, you stupid demon!" She hit the skull with all of her might. The broom broke in half, and Veronica was sent flying down the corridor by the demon's mighty tail.

"Veronica!" Eve called out after not seeing the older girl rise up. The demon was practically breathing down her neck. She could almost see steam leaving its mouth.

"Your body...lend me it." The beast breathed out in its horrid voice. Though the voice was more like an echo in her head than anything else. Eveline tried to kick it off, but she couldn't even hit it. Before she could do anything else, the ghostly demon phased into her as a burning sensation filled her body. Red, scar-like markings appeared on her skin as the beast vanished. Eve could only scream in pain as the demon took over her body.

Eveline stood up slowly, or rather, the beast made her do so. She could barely stand up on her legs, if they could still be called hers. Her mind was thrown into complete chaos as the world around her continued to spin more and more. The demon took a bunch of wobbly steps with her as she finally had to hold onto the table to not fall down. If that wasn't the end of her misfortune, the sound of something crashing down drowned out everything from the outside. Two figures outside wasted no time and, in a matter of seconds, were already in the dormitory. The armored one froze as soon as she appeared, while the blue-eyed one only glared at the red markings on Eve's skin. Before any of the newcomers could register what was going on, a fire appeared in the witch's hand, scorching her skin. Trying to keep her arm down but failing, the fire shot out in the direction of the succubus. She blocked the upcoming stream with Prince, making sure that nothing would catch fire. Alice, in the meantime, checked up on Veronica. She was breathing; she was only knocked out. At least that much was good. Though she took her out of the soon-to-be battle field.

"Al, Lilim, please help me!" Eve screamed as, this time, a fireball started forming in her hand.

"Shit." Lilim swore as she ran up to the ginger-haired girl and was ready to close her hand and keep it down in order to break the forming spell, but as she grabbed her wrist, a much bigger and stronger skeletal-like hand grabbed her by the hair and threw her out of the window. Lilim rolled on the ground a bunch of times before stopping on the metal fence, bending it slightly. Just then, she noticed the ghostly apparition floating above the witch's head. A damned parasitic demon. The worst kind of all, a bunch of weaklings and cowards whose souls are not strong enough to keep their physical bodies fully formed, instead having to rely on possessing others and draining them of their strengths. They had to act quickly; otherwise, the little witch would end up dead.

Eve followed right after the succubus, the demon inside her not caring about the broken glass in the window frame. The red markings were taking up more and more space on her body, their color growing in intensity. The ghostly demon laughed as it opened its mouth, spewing ghostly red fire at Lilim. While the fire had not burned anything around her, the succubus felt as if her skin was melting off her. The worst thing was not being able to counterattack. One wrong move from her side, and she would end up killing Eve.

"Binding chain of roses!" Alice said while pointing her spear at the possessed witch. The vines on the weapon unwrapped themselves as they shone in blinding light, extending their length. In the blink of an eye, they shot out in the direction of the girl and momentarily wrapped themselves around her. While it wasn't a spell that the half-angel had used often due to the chain itself not being too sturdy, it was the only thing she could do to help and not hurt her friend. Unfortunately for the angel, the demon seemed to not be affected by the chain and was able to freely spit his fire on her. Alice had no time to dodge as a whip of fire kept hitting her over and over, the green-eyed angel being only capable of trying to shield herself from the hits.

Lilim was having none of that and swung the Prince with such force that a spark of blue flame just barely missed the fearful witch, passing through the ghostly beast. She was ready to cast another, much more powerful spell, but the frightened expression on Eve's face made her stop, which gave the demon just enough time to blast her with a fiery breath that was like that of a dragon. Lilim covered herself with the black wings, which, after the fire had faded, were glowing red, with smoke rising from some places.

What in the hell are you doing? Slaughter that demon now! Use my strength and crush it before it humiliates you more. She is going to die anyway, so there's no reason to make a fool out of yourself.

I can't. She is Alice's friend.

Yes! Hers, not yours. Pay no mind to her.

As Lilim was debating what to do, Alice was trying her best to get closer to Eve. Dodging the upcoming flames, she found herself before the terrified witch. The markings on her skin were already drawing blood, and the ghostly demon was becoming less and less ghostly with each passing second. Rosary started turning red as the angel thought that maybe hitting the skull with all of her might would be more than enough to knock the demon out of her, but before she could even take a swing, something flew their way.

Candles of various colors, stones, and whatnot were being thrown at the ghostly demon. They all either missed or had no effect, but they were able to distract the monster. It looked in the direction of the window. Right in front of it was Veronica, who was throwing anything she could find at the demon. It didn't matter to her that it did jackshit to it. As long as she could give Alice and Lilim enough time to save Eveline, it was good for her. Eventually, she grabbed the charred seal and threw it right at the skull. Although it never made it to its original destination, it managed to hit Eve. For a brief second, there was a flash of light, and after it, Alice caught the weakened Eveline as the demon fell to the ground. The half-angel wasted no time and, taking a wide swing with her spear, unleashed the stored energy, cutting the demon's head in half. Its ghostly body turned into an equally ghostly flame as it took off into the unknown.

Veronica ran up to the injured girl. She took her from Alice, who in the meantime called for the Extermination Force, specifically the medical squad. Someone had to tend to their wounds, and she was worried about the effects the markings could have on Eve's body. Not soon after, two ambulances stopped before the dormitory. The people in white hazard suits took both girls and drove off in the direction of the headquarters. Alice and Lilim stayed behind in order to check if there wasn't anything else that had managed to slip past the gateway made by the charred seal. The succubus was impressed that the little witch had enough energy in herself to even open the gates, seeing how most people had little to none and thought of magic as being purely for demons and angels. After a few minutes of checking everything around the dorm, no other demonic aura was found. Seeing no further meaning in staying behind, the pair made their way towards the Force, with Alice worried sick about her friends and Lilim waiting to say that she warned Eve.

"You know, Al, you have quite the troublemakers for friends." Lilim said while spreading her wings, taking Alice, and taking off into the air.

"You don't have to tell me that. But once you get to know them better, they are really good friends."

"I don't doubt that, but if any of them try demon summoning again, I'm personally cutting off their hands."

"At best, you can try to knock them unconscious. That is, if you'll manage to get past me." Alice added, pretending to sound offended by succubus's statement. Lilim could only shake her head and fly in the direction of the complex. She could only hope that Eveline would learn her lessons and wouldn't try to repeat them again.