Back in the banquet hall, only the royal family remained.

While his wife’s eyes shot daggers at Leviathan, Satan was at the head of the table, sipping on his wine. Leviathan was on the other end, spinning a toothpick in his teeth, and with his legs crossed on the table he rocked his chair back and forth.

‘Why do you always feel the need to go so far?’ — Odiva said, pacing back and forth. — ‘Must you consistently ruin everything I work so hard for?’

‘I said I was sorry. All this fuss over one little soul.’ He didn’t sound like he meant it.

‘I just don’t understand, honestly!’ — Odiva flipped her hands up in frustration. — ‘You’ve injured your brother, do you even realise that?’

‘Oh come on, he jumped in on his own accord. How can you blame me for that? And look at this, huh? He injured me too!’ He said, exaggeratedly lowering his collar showing already fading bruises.

‘Don’t be ridiculous! Your tail did the damage here, and you know it. You could’ve killed him! You own brother. What were you thinking?!’

‘I couldn’t help it. She smelled so good.’

‘She smelled… Leviathan, will you just grow up!!’

Her raised voice made him stop rocking his chair. This was one of those rare occasions where she let herself get so worked up.

‘I’ve just about had it with you! Do you have any idea how much effort it takes to put this dinner together? Why must you always act like a mad dog? Why can’t you be more like your-’

She held herself short. She’d gone too far.

Slowly, Leviathan lowered his legs off the table. He stood and walked over to his mother casually. He looked at her as she absently rubbed the scar on her neck. A habit that settled itself over the years whenever she got upset; to him, a constant reminder of his own curse.

He stopped beside her and leaned closer to her ear.

‘Oh please, mother, tell me. Why can’t I be more like who? My brothers? Your loving sons? I do nothing but give and give, but you always wave it away, treating my love like it’s a bee sting. I can’t help it, it’s what I am. You gave birth to me though, what would that make you?’ He said in a near whisper, his tone detached.

Odiva flung him an incredulous look. ‘How dare you?!’

‘I am sorry to always disappoint…’ He said with an exaggerated curtsy and his most condescending smile, moving past her. -- ‘Father, you’ve been too quiet. What are your thoughts on all of this? Experiment for Nebula’s Arc, my arse! But you know that already, right?’

Satan took another long sip from his glass. Once he set his glass down, he beckoned his wife closer. Odiva’s troubled expression remained even as his embrace welcomed her. He kissed her shoulder gently and tucked her closer.

‘Don’t you ever speak to your Mother like that again.’ He said with cold indifference and Leviathan’s bitter smile cracked. Odiva caressed her husband’s cheek, but her gaze remained distant, as though trapped in painful memories.

Only then did Satan lift his hooded gaze to his son. ‘You did well tonight.’

This surprised both Odiva and Leviathan.

‘Honey, what are you-’

‘Our son has been training hard, dear. He doesn’t look it, but he is getting stronger. Lucious and his wolf had their guard down, otherwise they wouldn’t have got themselves injured.’

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Leviathan’s surprise turned in to a proud sneer. ‘Thank you, father. It’s true, I’ve been training every day. I might be ready to take the Test with a little more coaching.’

Odiva’s eyes widened while Satan went back to his thoughts for a long moment. Leviathan waited anxiously. His father had that gleaming look in his eyes, the one he carried when he contemplated on how he could best destroy his enemies. Satan waved his empty glass and the nearest grey servant rushed to fill it. With increased disdain, he said, ‘Hmm. Might be ready? A little more coaching? Son, you either are ready or you’re not.’

‘No, I am ready!’

‘Are you? You realise how lucky you were tonight, yes?’

‘What? Lucky?’

‘Ah. So you don’t. The whole thing was clumsy. You never planned for any of it, did you? Just charged in. Admirable, in some respects, but also... how shall I say this... incredibly stupid?'

'How can you say that? Sure, Lucious got me down, but I-'

'If the wolf hadn’t been protecting that little girl, you would've been on the ground much sooner.’

‘How?! He's no one! My tail went straight through him! He’s more likely dead by now!’

‘Hmm, is that what you believe? Perhaps your brain is the bit that needs a little more coaching.’

Leviathan clenched his teeth and looked down, but Satan remained unaffected.

‘Muffin…’ Odiva started, but she seemed unsure as to how to continue. Satan caressed her chin and gave her a gentle glance before he spoke.

‘Why do you think I have wolves serving as our bodyguards? Do you think we put them at the vanguard of every battle for the fun of it? Why do you even think I have them train you, my sons, hmm? You’re with them, day in, day out, and you still don’t understand. Pathetic. You should know this much by now.'

‘It’s not about their strength or their ability to heal or whatever else. It's their loyalty and their refusal to die. It’s unprecedented. When you weren’t even a speck of dust wishing to be born, they were already decimating our people during the Dark wars. They were the last to bend the knee, even when I used the grey on them for several days and nights. It took all the other six kingdoms coming together to defeat them. You heard the glorified stories of our heroic feats, but that’s something the nobles spread; these coward, pretentious twits; most of them weren’t even there to see how they had their way with us. I lost some of the finest warriors I have ever known to the wolves. That makes them the toughest bastards in this realm.’

‘Yet you, with a wave of your scrawny little tail, think that you've killed one of their best warriors tonight? You claim to be ready to take the Test, but you can’t even grasp your own place.’ -- Satan casually took another sip of his wine, caressed his wife’s chin and then added, -- ‘Still, a poor attempt is still an attempt. Keep at it. Leave Lucious' soul to me and just focus on your training.’

Unable to say anything else, Leviathan stifled his frustration and stomped out of the hall.

‘I think I get what you’re trying to do… but wasn’t that a little harsh? And why encourage him to keep on training? Levi is already a superb warrior, if anything, its his ego that gets in the way.’ Odiva said.

‘If he’s serious about taking the Test, he needs to be more. There can be no half-arsed measures.’

‘You really would let him take the Test?’

‘Why wouldn’t I?’

Odiva frowned and looked away.

‘Beel was the strongest of the three, and look at what happened to him. Our first born is out there, lost to us, and now you’re willing to risk losing another son?’

‘I am. I must. I had many children before you came along, if you recall. It is why it must be done.’ He reached for her cheek, but she pulled away and put some distance between them.

‘The way you talk… its like you're willing to sacrifice everyone and everything for the Test.’

Satan leaned back in his chair and scratched his furry chest, as he often did.

‘Not a sacrifice. A necessity. The elders won’t admit it, but weakness is a festering disease. We must cleanse it. How can there be weaklings ruling Hell? You’re a Seer. It was only natural for you to give me powerful sons, and Beelzebub almost made it. These two… well, the potential is there.’

Odiva still could not face him. ‘Must you always be on opposing sides with your own sons.’

Satan chuckled.

‘More importantly, tell me more about Lucious’ girlfriend. I know you’ve dreamt something. Why you didn’t tell me is another matter I don’t feel like getting into. Just tell me now.’

Odiva closed her eyes. When she felt ready, she faced him once more. ‘I did see her in my dreams, but there was nothing.’

‘How is that possible? If she’s no one, why would you even dream her?’

‘I saw her with Lucious, and I saw her paintings, but that was all. There is no reason to believe she is the threat.’

‘Not even after I shot her full of grey and She felt nothing?’

‘That’s not unheard of. Other clans have resisted the grey just as much. You just mentioned the wolves a moment ago.’

‘She’s hardly a wolf now, is she? And why did he cover up her soul?’

Odiva moved closer to Satan and stared deep into his eyes. ‘She’s not the one you’re after. I would know it.’

‘Mm-Hmm.’

When she probed his mind, Odiva found she could no longer read it.