The portal connected Pyralis and I to her chambers; she altered my portal to go there. Her demeanor and body language inverted when we got there, like she was another person entirely. I wasn’t some expert by any means, but I could see no weak spot on her. Her entire aura oozed fearlessness and danger.

The night skies weren’t very dark with the moon in full swing, and in these parts, the miasma of immature demons wasn’t very noticeable. “Celest, come out, it’s me.”

“Pyra? Pyra!” The playful voice sounded and someone ran out from behind some cleverly aligned bookshelves. Honestly, I expected a child from her voice, but the person looked to be around Pyralis’ age – not that I had any idea of how demons aged. The girl jumped into a hug, almost toppling Pyralis, and not at all bothered by her rather non-existent clothing.

“Celest!” Pyralis unclipped her brooch and swung her cloak over the whimsical demon. “Sneaking into my quarters is one thing, but what did I say about your nudity?!” She groaned. “Forget it. Listen, pack only the things you need, things you cannot live without.”

“I’m already holding what I can’t live without, Pyra!” An interesting comment, considering she didn’t have a single article of clothing on her. Her movement and behavior were a bit, eclectic. She would occasionally kiss Pyralis’ neck as she spoke or listened, so I had her figured for a lover.

“Get off, and get serious.” Pyralis pried Celest away from her. “We can’t waste more time.”

I cast Soundless Space on the room, just in case. “Outfitting her with a new wardrobe is a simple matter. I can feel eyes on this place. We must leave now.” In that moment I questioned who the hell I even was. I’m even starting to speak like these people, I thought. Well, at least they understand me better.

Celest released a brain-rattling scream, looking in my general direction. As her eyes beheld nothing, she turned around frightfully, but still couldn’t see where or whom the voice came from.

Thank God for Soundless Space, huh? I decided against removing my stealth spells, as I would do nothing but distract her further. She gave us the feeling of dealing with a child. Pyralis ushered her along and Celest picked up a staff, necklace, and ring, apparently sentimental items.

After Celest finally entered the portal, Pyralis followed. Huh? I expected us to continue searching for her family. But the clan master just nonchalantly went back to my castle. Well, alright then, let’s do that? I entered behind them, now back into the room where I kept Pyralis.

“What’s going on? What about the rest of your family?” I asked.

Celest got spooked again, so I decided to remove my stealth spells, Conceal and Camouflage. Pyralis shook her head dismissively. “My sister is the only person in my family that matters. The rest of them will either try to kill or capture me for treason if they found out. They’re just like the rest of the Hellfire clan, stubborn and hot-blooded.”

“Forgive my tongue, but you seem weak. Not in terms of power, but assertiveness. How did someone like you become the master of the clan?” I asked.

Celest was rather wary of me, but as I spoke with her sister, she calmed down. Pyralis sighed. “Father’s orders. I had to obey his every word. There was a time I admired him, but now I’m just sick of them. They claim to be proud, but are the most servile people I’ve ever seen. I hate them. A-anyway, I only became the clan master because of my magical abilities; the Hellfire clan master is decided upon strictly on magic output.”

I raised a brow, “R-really?” then rubbed my chin. “Limited to just demons, right?”

“Correct.”

“Wow!” Celest got unnervingly close to me, so much so my eyes couldn’t even focus on her at that distance. “You’re pretty!”

“Celest…” Pyralis folded her arms.

The captivated girl was easily distracted, and went on to badmouth my home right in front of me. “This place has some lousy architecture. Was it built a thousand years ago?”

Well, that honesty of hers could be appreciated at least. Anyway, ground rules. “You can live here and be free from your clan. However, remember that you owe me. Now, I think it’s obvious, but if I have to fight the Hellfire clan, you cannot help them, otherwise you can’t stay in this castle.” I Synthesized a couple amulets for them to act as an access pass to the castle and my territory, but I advised them to stay away from the Darkviper clansmen, just so that there wasn’t trouble. “Also, I won’t tolerate any fighting in my home, no matter who you see here. Get some rest.”

That night, I teleported to Perseverance to check on Solina. She had Adam come over, so thankfully, she wasn’t alone. I guess they are an item, huh? I wasn’t too worried about her anymore. It also reminded me to try spending more time with Tina. Things were moving along much faster than I anticipated, so who knew how often I’d be able to goof off with them.

I teleported outside Tina’s house and had some second thoughts. In a way, all this drama with me and the demons started because I wanted to protect the place where my friends were. But at the same time, I was afraid their relationship with me might put them in danger. Nearly half of Perseverance was wiped out, probably because of something I did. Demons even had the gall to attack me in the middle of a funeral service.

“So, will you stand out there like a creep all night?” Tina said, then her window suddenly opened. “Or will you come in?”

Something jerked me awake the following morning. I shimmied away from Tina’s clutch. She awoke dazed and confused. “Babe, what’s wrong?”

I popped open a portal. “There’s something wrong at the castle.”