Location: < Ground floor of the 'Temple of Birth' > - One of a few such places scattered through the isolated corners of the lower heavens.

POV.: Nameless silver-haired fledgling angel.

Deciding that querying Lyra about the unfolding events was futile, I couldn't help but redirect my attention to the baby fledgling.

It was undeniably the most adorable sight. Granted, my limited existence didn't provide a vast frame of reference, but the sheer cuteness of the scene was unmistakable.

Internally, I couldn't resist a delighted squeal at the sight of the baby fledgling squirming in its makeshift attire, with its dark yellowish-green hair cascading around it.

I found myself pondering distantly, "Is this how Lyra and Eri feel when they call me cute?" Only to have my thoughts disrupted by the gentle touch of Lyra's hand firmly gripping my shoulder.

Slightly startled by the sensation, I looked up at Lyra, whose gaze was fixed on the baby fledgling, reminiscent of the look she had given me the first time we met. At that moment, a vivid recollection flashed in my mind—the comforting, vice-like hug she had enveloped me in during our initial encounter.

Without thinking, I blurted out in a panicked tone, "Don't hug the baby!"

Lyra gave me a questioning look, and a little ashamedly, I continued quietly, "I-I-I don't think the baby will be able to withstand it..."Sporting an expression caught between the verge of laughter and crestfallen, Lyra playfully tapped me on the head with one of her soft wings, remarking, "Don't worry, I'll rein in my strength."

In response, I murmured quietly to myself, "Still..."

Yet, before we could continue with our banter, the lighthearted exchange was one more interrupted by loud noises emanating from outside the temple. However, unlike Lady Berenices' earlier flight, these sounds only intensified.

Moreover, it was unmistakably the sound of combat.

Swiftly pivoting ninety degrees, I peered beyond the colonnade, beholding a scene that both intrigued and concerned me. Darting through the sky like arrows were around half a dozen angels. While not all were pure combatants, each displayed a level of combat experience, actively contributing to the defence of the barrier and many engaging dozens of the monsters each.

Each of the attacking monsters appeared distinct yet shared commonalities. I observed that they all possessed some form of flight capability, although only a few boasted proper wings; the majority relied on what seemed to be magical levitation.

Additionally, the assaulting monsters exuded a holy aura, saturating the mountaintop with light so bright that even the Temple's interior appeared slightly brighter.

Likewise all the way here within the confines of the Temple, beyond the barrier and throughout the settlement, I could sense a faint holy aura. Its purity was so intense that it bordered on feeling malevolent, sending shivers down my spine.

Having momentarily been distracted by the fighting going on outside I observed the monsters that, given their distinct absence of a proper functional body, appeared to be some variation of spirits.

I noticed several monsters that charged toward the barrier, narrowly avoiding an attack from an angel. Moments later, upon contact with the barrier, they detonated themselves in a slow explosion of holy light.

Continuing to gaze outside, I absentmindedly inquired, "Hey, Lyra, what were these monsters called again?"

As the explosion, which inexplicably endured longer than I had expected, finally dissipated, I heard Lyra respond, "Lesser holy aberrations."

Absorbing Lyra's answer absentmindedly, I surveyed the tumultuous battle. The angels of my coven were significantly outnumbered, grappling with what appeared to be an unending horde of these aberrations. Fortunately, many of these aberrations didn't seem much stronger than me if not weaker.

Soon, another eruption of holy light echoed through the Temple, even louder than the previous one, despite the distance. However, my focus wasn't on the source of the explosion but rather on the sound of crying that reached my ears from not too far away.

Evidently, the noise had startled the baby fledgling into tears. For a moment, the baby's cries unsettled me, leaving me unsure of what to do.

Lyra, also hearing the commotion, glanced over and asked me with a hint of amusement, "I can probably calm it down if I pick it up. Are you okay with that, or are you still worried I'll crush it?"

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I responded with a playful glare. Observing my reluctance to reply, Lyra approached the sleeping angel and bent down to gently scoop up the baby fledgling.

As Lyra's hands neared the crying baby, a feeble barrier formed around it, as if attempting to prevent her from reaching it. However, recognizing that the sorcery had nearly depleted it's mana, Lyra barely hesitated, effortlessly breaking through the thin barrier and lifting the still-crying baby into her arms.

Cradling the baby delicately in her arms, she gently rocked the fledgling back and forth, whispering something so quietly that I couldn't discern the words.

Judging by how swiftly the baby calmed down, I speculated that her words were likely imbued with some form of calming spell or at least mana.

As I pondered this, Lyra murmured to herself as if to confirm my suspicions, "I'm just relieved it worked on a baby fledgling. Hopefully, I toned down the power enough that it won't be an issue."

Scarcely moments later, another prolonged flash of light, accompanied by the sound of yet another loud explosion, reverberated through the Temple. This one appeared to originate from the opposite side of the settlement.

Once the echoes of the oddly drawn-out explosion finally subsided, I heard the baby crying again.

Anxiously, my gaze, which had momentarily strayed in the direction of the explosion, snapped back to Lyra, who was once again soothing the baby.

In the ensuing minutes, I attentively observed the clash between my coven and the lesser holy aberrations. As I watched, I endeavoured to absorb as much as possible, studying the varied combat styles of my fellow coven members. Some soared through the air, unleashing potent spells, while others skillfully dispatched aberrations with their weapons.

Nevertheless, the sequence of loud noises disturbing the baby fledgling, only to be soothed by Lyra, repeated itself several times.

Anticipating that this cycle would persist and eventually become tiring for Lyra if it hadn't already, I proposed, "Why don't we take the baby fledgling to the floors below? It should be quiet enough there to avoid disturbing it."

After a moment of consideration, I added, "Besides, we could ask Eri what in the heavens a baby fledging is."

Seconds later, Lyra responded as if she had already contemplated the idea, "While I would like that, what about him?" she asked, pointing towards the sleeping angel. "What if he wakes up in a strange place without his precious fledgling? He would probably panic."

Before I could respond, Lyra continued, "And before you ask, no, we can't bring an unknown angel into the Temple's inner chambers while everyone else in the coven is elsewhere. Even bringing him even into to the ground floor like they did is pushing it."

As another explosion reverberated through the Temple, I glanced towards the figure of the sleeping angel, who, at that moment, shifted his arms as if in his sleep, as though he had sensed the absence of the bundle of white cloth that once held the baby fledgling.

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Location: < A pit cell within 'Uggrock's Den' > - One of many caverns found throughout the upper stratums of the netherworld.

POV.: Nameless silver-haired demon larva.

Seated on the cave floor beside Amethyst, my bone-white smile seemed to have slipped onto my face. I couldn't resist it; Amethyst was precisely what I needed at the moment—a fellow demon larva, intelligent but not excessively so, and most importantly, willing to comply with my requests without hesitation.

However, before diving into my experiments, there were a few preliminary tasks to attend to. Foremost among them: can the other demon larvae communicate, or am I merely an exception to the norm?

Uncertain about the response, I turned to Amethyst and inquired, "Can you speak?"

In response to my question, a surprised expression crossed Amethyst's face, and she pointed to herself as if seeking clarification: "Do you mean me?"

Observing Amethyst's hand gestures, a tinge of disappointment crept over me. However, determined not to give up just yet, I affirmed, "Yes, you."

Upon hearing my slightly annoyed tone, Amethyst appeared momentarily flustered before shrugging timidly.

Despite the absence of words, Amethyst's meaning was unmistakable: "I don't know."

"Why don't you give it a try?" I inquired, making an effort to maintain patience in my voice.

As if the notion hadn't occurred to Amethyst, it hesitated before opening its mouth, then closing it, only to open it again. At this point, I had already resigned myself to the idea that Amethyst wouldn't be able to speak. Fortunately, I mused to myself, it appears that Amethyst can communicate quite effectively with me without words.

To our mutual astonishment, Amethyst managed to utter its first words, stammering, "I- I- I'll tri-try!"

Following those words, we lapsed into a brief silence before a broad grin spread across Amethyst's face. "I- I- I did it!" it exclaimed.

Witnessing Amethyst's excitement, I opted to reward its effort. Extending my claw, I gently patted its dark purple hair and commended, "Good job."

As my claws scratched Amethyst's head, its tail, thinner than mine, stiffened and extended backward in a straight line. Then after a moment, it bent upward and began to sway back and forth, as if conveying its joy.

Pleased that my test subject was in a positive mood, I withdrew my hand before moving on to the next topic. "Did the succubus explain that scroll to you?" I inquired, pointing a claw toward the scroll that Amethyst still unconsciously held in its claws.

Amethyst tilted her head and questioned, "Suc-cu-bus?" After slowly sounding out the unfamiliar word, Amethyst continued, "Whi- What's thi- that?"

Swiftly responding, I clarified, "You know, the demon who threw you in here?" As I uttered those words, I realized that I had been assuming they were brought in by a succubus, similar to my own experience.

However, my concerns were quickly dispelled when Amethyst replied, "Yi- You mi- mean big bi- boobed adi- adult di- demon?"

Chuckling quietly to myself, I responded, "Yes, that's the one," before recalling my initial question. "Anyway, did anyone explain the scroll to you?" I paused, pointing a claw at the scroll. "To you?"

With its head still tilted, Amethyst appeared to ponder for a few moments before responding hesitantly, "No, I di- don't think so."

Upon hearing that, the smile on my face, which had never truly faded, expanded further. Turning around, I reached into the cubby hole I had created behind me.

Retrieving one of the smaller cores, I offered it to Amethyst, instructing, "Press the core against your scroll."

Hesitantly, Amethyst accepted the core from my claws and proceeded to follow my instructions.