[Assassin: W-who are you? I couldn't feel your presence?]
[Unknown: Me? I'm hurt you guys couldn't even recognise my voice!]
He changed his voice and instantly the four heroes eyes widened with shock.
[Knight: Y-you're…. Zilma?]
[Zilma: (Zilma sneered) Indeed. I'm High Councillor Zilma. A pleasure to finally show you all my true self!]
The assassin's eyes narrowed onto Zilma.
[Assassin: You say your going to help us right now? What do you mean by that?]
[Zilma: Well… I will provide you with aid should you guys need it and I'll provide you with information should you guys seek it.]
The priest looked to the assassin, her eyes worried. She then tugged on the assassin's sleeve.
The assassin shifted his eyes from Zilma to the priest. The priest gestured to the assassin to lower himself down and so he did, his ear was now the same height as her mouth. She whispered into his ear.
[Priest: Dear, I don't think we can trust him.]
The assassin nodded in agreement.
[Knight: Could we even trust you with the aid and information? Demon!]
[Zilma: That is for you to decide. You humans made a deal with us, I'm just simply doing our end of that pact.]
[Knight: Okay, fine. Give us what you know and aid us in our battle against your Demon King.]
Zilma raised an eyebrow.
[Zilma: Yes. But not here. I will give you the information at my home. I live not far from here, you can barely see it from here.]
Zilma pointed in a direction that showed a village but off centre where further off was a big looking house.
{"That Bastard!"}
I turned my head to Lucifer. He was fuming. For the period I've known him, I've never seen him this angry. He had always given off the 'cool uncle' type.
{"He did take my house!"}
[Zilma: Come, I have a collection of Cool looking things I can show you all as well.]
{"Mine! My cool looking things! Mine!"}
{"Honey."}
Lilith appeared beside her husband.
{"Calm yourself. Those things are just things. The house… even though I'm a bit disappointed as well, is just a house. Now, me and your daughter and the rest of our family? Aren't we more important than those things and the house?"} Lilith looked Lucifer in the eyes as she spoke.
Lucifer took a deep breath.
{"Yes."}
{"Good. Because those things can't compare to me! Our love is the only real 'thing'."}
She pressed herself into him as he wrapped his arms around her, pressing so close together, if it weren't for their clothes, they looked like they melded into one. Lucifer leaned in and kissed her deeply.
{"Good point. I love you so much."}
She reversed his leaning by pushing him back with a even deeper kiss. Her eyes were closed and she was on her tippy toes as she pressed him further down. She was strong as she held her stance, not budging an inch even though, she was only standing on the tips of her toes since Lucifer was much taller than her. As they kissed, a strange aura of energy was emitting from her. It was alluring, like my whole body was about to ignite a fire that won't be extinguished unless 'something' happens, to let the fire out… is what I'm currently feeling.
As soon as the feeling came, it was gone. Lilith pouted as she lets go of her husband.
{"Why?"}
{"When this is over, our love making will be intense."}
Lilith looked into her husband's eyes and sighed, {"you want to put his head on a pike? Don't you?"}
A grin formed on his face. {"You know me so well my love."}
Lilith dropped her demeanour and leaned into him. {"After your little crusade, I very well expect you to put a little one in me. It's been soo loooong and Lucilia could use a baby brother."}
{"Oh! I would love a baby brother!"} I could hear Lucilia's voice vibrating with excitement from with in my mind.
I was so engrossed with the demon family's antics that I've forgotten about the story. I looked to where the four heroes and Zilma were and to my surprise, they weren't moving.
There wasn't a prompt or something that allowed me to resume this. Maybe it's time sensitive? Maybe I should wait a bit but focus on the scene in front of me and see if it will continue on…
And so I waited.
Not a few seconds later the whole surrounding area changed. The whole scene morphed into another. Gone were the trees and the path that led to the mountain. Instead we were standing in front of a house. A mansion.
[Welcome to the Hornborn's Family Residence.]
{"What did he do to our home!"} Lucifer roared, his anger festering.
Judging from how Lucifer reacted to seeing his house, this wasn't it used to look like. I have no idea how long from when they joined the Shadow Legion to when this whole event occurred. The mansion looked like it had been fortified from all the extra materials that jutted out. The whole mansion felt like it's whole mood had been changed. It had this doom and gloom aura around it. Like the mansion itself had been tortured for a very long time. Held captive by its new occupant.
Suddenly, a prompt appeared, saying that I should move into the house. I felt a shiver flowing down my spine, fearing what we might see inside.
I placed a hand on Lucifer's shoulder, to reassure him that I'm here for you. Lucifer's rage lowered into a grimace before a small smile tugged on his lips.
We both moved forward and entered the house. Inside the hallway, where we stood, looked fairly normal. Though from the face that Lucifer was showing, this wasn't what it used to look like as well.
I encouraged Lucifer to move forward. He was reluctant at first before he willed himself to do so.
As we walked, he told me why he was acting this way.
{"It's not about my cool things really… I actually don't care if he takes them or not. It's the house… it had been with my family since it's construction."}
I was shocked to hear that. Since it's construction? So his family built this home. It all makes sense as to why when he saw his home for the first time in a very, very long time that something inside of him broke.
{"My parents abandoned me when I was young… the house and the staff that decided to stay, were all that I had. The house even though was furnished, was barren. It had some family heirlooms scattered around the place but that was it. I spent many years filling up the place with things, I've either collected or earned. When Lilith came into my life, she made this house, homely."}
I get what he was saying. The house, to him, was priceless. It was the anchor in his life. I wondered what my anchor would be? My computer? My Manga, Anime or Classic movie collection? Or would my anchor be… eh… hm…
"Your students!" My otaku self exclaimed.
"Agreed." My logical self concurred.
We walked through the hallway and the story starts.
[Zilma, high councillor of the Demon's Caldonia Kingdom invited the human heroes to his house, once belonged to his arch nemesis; Lucifer. What is Zilma planning? Why are the human heroes associated themselves with Zilma? A demon known for deceit.]
The hallway was long with doorways on both sides that led to the different areas of the house. Lucifer told me that at the end of the hallway was the kitchen. There was a stairwell off to the side that led to the bedrooms on the upper floor.
I could hear Zilma cold echoey voice coming from the kitchen. Lucifer gave me a look.
[Zilma: Thank you for coming all this way to my humble abode. Are you guys thirsty? I could get you something, Moonsour Ale, maybe?]
[Knight: We are only here to talk, demon.]
[Assassin: Tell us what you know!]
[Zilma: Sure. Sure. All in due time. I suggest we all should have a drink.]
I wondered why was Zilma so adamant about them having a drink. Was he planning something?
[Knight: Zilma. Don't test me.]
[Zilma: Alright. Fine. Here's some tibbits of information. The former resident of this house, Lucifer Hornborn's wife is actually the daughter of the demon king. Her names Lilith and when he found out about his daughter going missing, the whole kingdom went into an uproar. They even ruled Lucifer as a traitor to the crown and if found, all his possessions as well as the demon lord's title will be taken away from him. You arch an eyebrow as to wonder why am I saying all of this… it's simple really. Your goal is to defeat the demon king. And here's my question to you, how far will you go for a single purpose?]
There was silence in the kitchen. I looked around and wondered if something happened with the story…
After a few minutes of silence, a feminine voice cuts the silence with a single answer.
[Mage: Until our last dying breath.]
Zilma laughed.
[Zilma: Good to know.]
For some strange reason, I could feel a smirk in his words. Had they just fallen into Zilma's trap?