Lluming would have rolled his eyes at that moment,
But he still needs to talk to Ken after the two have spoken.
He needed to warn the Seer, to convince him to think eagerly,
To convince him that Stacy's a fraud, needed to be exposed as the enemy.
Ken felt the uneasiness in Lluming's eyes,
His expression, clearly not that of delight.
He smiles at the angel and jokingly pats his shoulder,
Which for a moment, made his apperance less colder.
Lluming looked surprised to the sudden action,
But seeing Ken's smile, he felt his lips also curve as reaction.
"So it seemed that it is true, smiles truly are infectious,"
"Thank you, but I have observed,
You seemed to be distracted,
Can I ask a question?"
Ken stopped his steps, not bothering to continue,
As Lluming looks around, if someone else knew.
He sighed, and looked at his good eye.
"What is it Ken? I can try."
"You're the one wanting to rescue Sellena the most,
Shouldn't you be happy she's with us at last?
Your face looked troubled though, gloomy and pale,
Is something up? Are you feeling any pain?"
Ken even tried to peer into his future,
But the heavens won't allow him to use it further.
It seemed as though it was also locked,
Or perhaps, it shouldn't be known, and simply meant to pass.
Lluming looked the other way,
Eyes angered, looking far away.
"Look, I know you and Stacy had had some time together,
But hear me out, she doesn't seem to be the same person.
Based on my encounters with Eligorr,
I can conclude that the change in personality is not simply coincidental.
She may have been the same thing,
She uses a familiar person as guise, to commit her unholy deeds.
You see, not all demons are dumb and just brawn.
Some of them, have incredible knowledge, which I consider more dangerous.
Who knows, maybe Stacy was used for that very purpose, as pawn,
And the kind face you're seeing, is just not her at all.
She's wearing a mask, Ken. So wake up,
Would you believe someone could change that abruptly?
She doesn't even seem to interact with us unless necessary,
She may not have tried to harm the others,
But I'm sure far worse things will be.
I hope you change your mind on the subject quickly."
Ken takes a deep breath to process what had just been said.
"While, that may be all true and possible,
How should we tell the others?
It's not that Archangel Michael would suddenly kick her out for the devils to find,
He's way too nurturing and kind.
And even I, although I owe a lot to her brother,
Talking to her, just doesn't feel the same way as before.
And yet...I can't...I can't just abandon her.
If she is possessed, can't we extract the devil from her?"
Lluming's face turned even more wrinkly,
A bit disappointed, that no one seemed to get him.
"You will regret it once you see it, Ken,
You're a moth, insisting to stay close to the flames.
It's crystal clear that she's not what she seems,
And yet you still treat her the same."
Lluming passed by Ken, as he continued to lead him to Sellena's bed,
But before he can go further, Ken quickly said:
"I'm not the only one who had hope my friend's still inside,
Even you, have hope that Eleazar's still alive."
"I...I didn't say I believe he was,"
"It's crystal clear in your eyes.
How upset you are when you're fighting him,
Despite your flashy attacks, I know it's not all you've got."
"I will kill him the moment he's back.
I have no hope he'd return,
I'm just...too weak to accept that at first.
Ken, you should do the same.
Fine, if you're still not convinced,
Just kill her when she show you a clear hint.
For now, distance yourself from her,
And those you care about, from her."
Ken nodded, as he went further ahead,
Inside a small room, he saw a woman awake,
Brushing her hair with her fingers, as she hums a slow and soft song,
She stops however, after hearing the door.
She looks at them both and smiles,
"I'm sorry, I haven't been much use to the fight,
You, are Ken, right? How noticeable, are your scars.
You must have trained and fought great battles,
As I...could only watch."
Sellena felt guilty she haven't suffered the same,
But Ken only smiles and walked closer anyway.
"Don't feel that way, I've heard what you did,
Isn't that why you've harmed your skin?"
Ken pointed at her back,
To which she only looked away.
"You should have seen the people I've met inside that castle,
They've suffered horribly, too disgusting to tell.
I was just fortunate to be gifted to Asmodeus,
If not, then the result would have been obvious.
If I was married to another demon, I would have been dead right now,
After all, my barrier only works to those not linked to me somehow.
Ah, and I...my abilities are also underdeveloped,
I do not know if I can be on par with you, not even close."
Ken do not know what to say next,
She seemed too serious, too different from himself.
While he's not too optimistic, she's on a different level,
She doesn't even seem to believe in herself.
"I am sorry, I must have said too much,"
"No, it's not like that.
I just think you should believe in yourself more,
Not that I'm not like that before.
I...know it's hard to swallow the responsibilities we were given,
But at least, show importance to your efforts as well.
Oh, and if...it's not too much to ask,
What were the demons really like?"
Sellena's eyes widened in surprise,
As she tried to recall her moments in the palace.
She then quickly remembered Elenchos,
And felt a bit of sadness, when the topic was brought.
"Oh, there was this book-loving young demon I've encountered,
I think he's still inside, or was he killed by your efforts?
I'm not really sure since I was inside all the while,
But he was a demon, I consider kind.
Then, there's Asmodeus. His power as I can see is binding chains,
Unfortunately, due to Ja-,
I mean a demon's attack,
We have been estranged.
I saw him fall on a bridge,
But I hope somehow, he made it okay."
Ken saw her eyes paled as she spilt the information,
Making it clear, she had the demon's affection.
Next, she tried to remember clearly Lucifer,
And had no hard time, explaining his danger.
"The man with long black hair, yes, Lucifer.
He had no mercy, not even to his people.
I have heard he forces humans to labor until they die,
And his demons to search for ladies he could spend the night.
If you dare irritate him, he will kill you in the worst way possible,
Even the other main lords, is not safe from this tormentor.
I've seen him hurt Asmodeus.
No one, could go against Lucifer.
His abilities as I've witnessed is to cast powerful arrows,
Which due to their number, is a task to counter.
But as I can observe, his weakness could be his temper,
As by a maid's experience, he loses to Satan for that particular reason."
"That's quite...something,
But if he treats his people that way,
It's not impossible someone else may be plotting against him as well."
"That isn't too far fetched.
I heard rumors like that, inside as well.
There was a story I've heard from the duke,
Azazel had tried to kill Beelzebub to rise up the ranks,
But because Lucifer still considers Azazel of use,
The whole thing was completely overlooked.
The witch, which he considers his old friend,
Wasn't even in the slightest, spared.
She looked completely different the time I saw her again,
I believe, whatever he does, is what he did to my brother as well."
"What do you mean?"
"Perhaps he modifies them,
But I am not quite sure of the process.
All I know is that Azazel seemed to be harder to see through,
And as a woman barely left to wander alone,
I do not see him often, he was just a name that always roams.
What I am sure however, is that he is responsible for treating the wounded lords,
So it wouldn't be a surprise, if he knows more about biology, compared to most.
His knowledge may not only be limited to that of treating,
But of also, of course, creating.
Which makes him seem...even more frightening."
Ken felt most intrigued to the topic of Azazel,
As he was the demon, he could remember very well.
He crumpled his fists, as he recall the torment,
The feeling of having his eye scooped out, he remembered every moment.
He felt puke coming to his throat,
As he even recall the scent of blood and bones.
The way Azazel's face was placed upclose,
Where he stares into his eyes, too black to see a soul.
He felt even more frustrated when he thinks about the demon's capability,
The possibility that he was the one who killed and manipulated his friends' bodies.
The boiling anger became apparent to Sellena,
The second he saw Ken close his eyes and deeply sighed.
"Azazel, huh? He's not even one of the Seven Lords,
And still...I already feel angry at him the most.
Yet...if I have met the other demons you speak of,
I may have difficulty, knowing which I'd kill the worst."
Sellena gulped as she looked at her hands,
A part of her, wanting Ken to understand.
That although their actions cannot be justified by their past,
Some of them, aren't just simply the color of black.
Ken noticed her sad expression,
And wondered if he had said something wrong.
Before he could part his lips to ask,
Sellena looked at him, with tears in her eyes.
"Some of them, have experienced grave demise."
Ken felt surprised and taken aback,
Surely, she was out of her mind.
He is empathetic, but not dumb enough to look pass their mistakes,
Somehow, hearing her words, he wondered is he is awake.
"Pardon? What do you mean to imply?"
"Ken, is it possible to make them see the light?"
Ken felt like laughing, having suffered enough,
There's no such way, he wouldn't let them pay back.
"I'll let them see the light, once they die,
They had a lot of years to repent, but they didn't switched sides.
I think it is only logical to kill them,
That's how far my mercy would go to make things even.
They don't even feel remorse when they kill our own,
Having spent too much time with them,
Had you feel compassion for the demons?"
Ken's voice lost its gentle tone,
And Sellena, who is reminded of reality, shook in response.
Had she been too soft? Too delusional? Too close?
That she temporarily forgot that they're powerful demons?
Does she truly need to give them her pity?
Are they truly deserving of it?
No? Yes? Maybe?
Sellena bit her lips, apologetic,
More so, knowing that her excuse was pathetic.
Why was she even trying to defend them in the first place.
She hated them, and yet...she felt this way.
"Perhaps you are right,
Perhaps death is the only logical thing to do.
But despite the actions needed to be done,
They're not all that, fully gone."
And there she goes, saying it again.
Even though she doesn't know how to fully explain.
Ken, who felt fed up and curious of her unusual words,
Knelt by her side, and asked for more.
"What made you so sure?"