A week since Ruvella's last visit. Two weeks since... their, deaths. Raylix sat up, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes as his body shifted out of sleep. Another silent yawn escaped him as he pulled his bedcovers off of him, and scratched a random itch that had formed on his balls. He slid out of bed and picked up his copy of Stephen King's Carrie, which he seemed to have fallen asleep reading the night before, and sent it back to the bookshelf with a transportation-circle.
With nothing but the silence that came with being alone in his bedroom (ever since Venelana had... taught him the ins and outs in all things pleasurable, so many centuries ago, he had NEVER gone upwards of two weeks without someone accompanying him to bed in one form or another), Raylix's body was essentially on autopilot as he shuffled over to his bathroom, freshening himself up as much as he cared to. Semi-wrecked by grief as he was, Raylix wasn't quite so screwed that he didn't give a shit about his personal appearance.
Twenty minutes of cleaning and generally freshening himself up later, Raylix emerged from his bathroom, stretching as he made his way into his closet. Ten minutes after that, he emerged from said closet, with a black jacket, matching pants, solid red shirt and dark-red shoes. Zeoticus and Venelana had told him that something was going on in Gemyem that they wanted him to be there for today, and that he "didn't like he was about to go to another noble gathering, but must still dress according to your station"... their words, not his.
Stretching again, Raylix made for his bedroom door, which opened before he could make it all the way there.
"Ah, Raylix. You're up, good." Zeoticus- dressed in white and red noble attire, far smarter than what Raylix was dressed in- spoke up, by way of greeting as he looked him up and down. "Perfect attire, great."
Raylix didn't reply as Zeoticus ushered him out of his bedroom, shutting the door behind the pair of them and allowing Raylix to magically lock it before making their way through the Gremory Castle, down towards the main hall. Gyokuro, Venelana, Jarahn, Josarry and Ereht were already there, waiting for Zeoticus and Raylix as they descended the castle's main stairs.
"Good morning, Raylix." Venelana greeted her younger son, as he and Zeoticus finished descending the stairs, and made their way towards them. "We're on a bit of a tight schedule for what we've got planned for you this morning, but if you really need something to eat, I'm sure something can be whipped up for you really quickly. Are you hungry?"
Raylix's eyes flicked between all seven demonic beings (including Zeoticus, as he stepped between Gyokuro and Venelana) for a few seconds, before shaking his head. He'd had enough to eat at last night's dinner, and may or may not have gone and had a full extra pizza from the human world ordered for him by one of the maids, just because he felt slightly more peckish than usual. Though he was certain that the fourteen Souls that it cost to purchase such a pizza would go completely unnoticed against the fourteen THOUSAND that the Gremory Large Enterprise pulled in every day.
"Alright, good." Zeoticus nodded, as Josarry and Ereht took their places on either side of their charge, for the second time since Zeoticus had appointed them to the role of Raylix's bodyguards. "We can get to the city quickly, then."
Raylix found himself wondering- as he'd done several times since Zeoticus and Venelana had told him about the event that would be taking place tomorrow, which was now today- just what the hell was so important about this event that he was being taken to. Though, he figured, he'd find out soon enough as, with Zeoticus, Venelana and their respective Queens leading the way, the seven of them made their way out of the Gremory Castle and through the castle grounds. Though the city was only about a mile away, Raylix could see from where he was that the city looked... rather livelier than usual. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, there was just something about the city today that looked a lot more full-of-life than usual.
It was probably whatever event that his parents have got going on, which they were now taking him to, and probably NOT the fact that the wrecked gathering-hall had now been repaired. Yeah, Raylix doubted that it had anything to do with that.
As soon as the seven demonic beings crossed the border of the Gremory Castle's grounds, Zeoticus opened a large transportation-circle, which the seven of them all stepped into, taking them to Gemyem in a flash of crimson light. And almost instantly upon landing in the city streets, Raylix could tell that his initial thoughts about the city being more full-of-life than usual were... absolutely correct.
There were far more Devils- and some Lilim- going about the city streets than what was usual in the capital of Gremory Clan-controlled territory. Most walking, some flying, but definitely more than other days that Raylix had been in the city.
"Isn't it wonderful, Raylix?" Zeoticus turned around, grinning over at his younger son. "All these Devils and Lilim, all these potential friends, here for you!"
Raylix looked back, blinking, not quite sure what his father was talking about.
"We invited many Devils and Lilim, from all over our territory, to Gemyem, today." Venelana explained, looking back at Raylix herself. "We understand, Raylix, just how close you were to your previous bodyguards, we totally understand that you even viewed them as friends. With them unfortunately gone, you obviously need new friends, which is why everyone is here today."
"Indeed!" Zeoticus brought his hand together, another Gremory-brand winning smile fresh on his face. "So please, Raylix, enjoy yourself today. Wander around the city, be sure to talk to as many people as possible, I'm sure you'll be able to find at least someone that's worthy of your friendship!"
Raylix could only look, slightly blanky, back at his parents, it not fully registering in his mind right away what they'd both said to him, and just what that meant.
"We'll see you later, along with your new friends... hopefully." Venelana remarked, by way of goodbye, as Zeoticus opened up another transportation-circle- slightly smaller than the one that he'd opened a minute or so before- that he, Gyokuro, Venelana and Jarahn stepped into, before disappearing (presumably back to the Gremory Castle) in another flash of crimson light, and leaving Raylix, Josarry and Ereht alone.
There was silence between the three of them for a moment, as Raylix's bodyguards silently awaited their charge's next orders, and Raylix just seemed to stare blankly down the street, not even registering the sight of a couple of Succubi who came into view, and waved.
For a moment, the Gremory Heir found it rather hard to comprehend what his parents had said, and what was transpiring in front of him. Though after that moment, his mind caught up with his eyes, and he began to comprehend it just fine. Alongside that, his numbness at the events in front of him were replaced by a rather different feeling. Though to be fair, anything would be different to the... lack, of feeling that Raylix had had up until now.
That feeling... anger. Anger at what was going on in front of him, at what his parents had planned. Anger at the fact that they thought that THIS was the best course of action to take. Anger at the insult, both to him and to Sabemka and Tomosei's respective memories.
Did his parents even know the circumstances behind how Raylix had met, grown to care for and eventually became rock-solid friends with them? They had to, he'd told them that the first time they'd MET his parents: they hadn't exactly been secretive about it!
But... did they even care?
…
"Sir?" Either Josarry or Ereht- Raylix wasn't looking- spoke up.
Raylix didn't reply, initially, instead spreading his wings and taking to the skies, flying out of Gemyem practically instantly and creating a mini-shockwave around him as he went. His two bodyguards stumbled slightly from the shockwave that their charge created as he left: though they took to the skies themselves in an attempt to follow him, the sight of a transportation-circle several thousand feet up in the Underworld sky was all that was left of the Gremory Heir, not even a second after he'd taken off.
Both bodyguards looked at each other as they reached the magic-circle, as it completely closed. Zeoticus and Venelana weren't going to like this. Not one bit.
Meanwhile, Raylix had come out of the other end of his transportation-circle, and come to a near-stop in mid-air as it closed on his side. For a few seconds, it hadn't quite registered where he'd gone, as he hadn't had a specific location in mind when he'd taken off in the streets of Gemyem. It hadn't mattered to him where he'd gone, just as long as it was AWAY from Gemyem. Some small part of him felt bad for leaving the event that his parents had planned just for him, but that small part was quickly crushed by the much, much larger part of him that was quietly boiling at what said parents had just told him, so any possible thoughts of returning to Gemyem were gone before he could even consider them.
Raylix touched down on the ground again, taking a couple of breaths as he looked up, now realising just where he was. He wasn't in Gemyem, or anywhere near the Gremory's capital city, thank Lilith... he was outside Sabemka and Tomosei's village. The Gremory Heir's breath almost immediately quickened slightly at the realisation of that fact, not knowing what to do.
He'd been tempted once or twice, but never made the conscious decision to return to this village, not since his and Ruvella's engagement party. Though he never really engaged with the village-folk all that much throughout the time that Sabemka and Tomosei had lived there- since the early 16th century- he knew that they'd been very popular figures in their own right in the village that they'd called home for over three and a half centuries, nearly four. Definitely more popular than him, which was both weird to think about and made total sense at the same time.
And ever since the deaths of his two best friends, ever since the thought of returning to their village had first crossed Raylix's mind, said mind had been spinning around and around on it all. Go there? Don't? Apologize for their deaths? What good would that do, Sabemka and Tomosei were already dead! Apologizing wouldn't make up for their deaths! It wouldn't bring them back! IT WOULDN'T DO A LILITH-DAMN THING!
Raylix caught his breath as he felt a familiar wetness on his cheek. Reaching up and touching his face... son of a bitch, he'd started crying again. Taking another breath in an attempt to calm himself, the Gremory Heir raised an arm to his face, wiped the tears on his sleeve, dried his face. As the tears threatened to come out again, Raylix felt his stomach clenching up as he forced himself to not cry again.
Would the village-folk even accept him in the village, in the aftermath of their death? Would anyone even speak to him? It'd hardly surprise him if they just shunned him, refused to speak to or even engage with him in any way, like certain sects of religions up in the human world when a perceived transgression was committed against them. Some part of him figured that he deserved that.
Or, shit, maybe no-one was there in the village at all. Maybe everyone was at Gemyem, at that finding-new-friends insult that Zeoticus and Venelana had planned for him. That would actually be pretty funny, in a weird sort of way.
Sighing, Raylix opened a transportation-circle with one hand, and prepared to step through it, step away from the village. He just wanted to be alone right now: no emotionless bodyguards watching over his every move, no-one vying for a spot in his life as a replacement-friend, no villagers, no-one. He took another step towards the transportation-circle that he'd conjured, but the sound of chatter, stepping feet and general life registering in his mind from the village made Raylix pause, turn.
Turned out that not everyone, if anyone at all, from Sabemka and Tomosei's village had gone to Gemyem today. Turning around, Raylix's mind was invaded by further thoughts of entering the village, though he didn't move at first.
…
Ugh, fine, Raylix thought, fully turning away from the transportation-circle (which dissipated after a second or two) and beginning to walk towards the village. If only to see what things were like there, to satisfy his own curiosity as to what was going on with the villagefolk in the aftermath of Sabemka and Tomosei's deaths, then he could leave, go back to grieving.
Raylix took another breath as he crossed the threshold, and entered the village. More by reflex than anything else, he turned into the street he always turned into when walking through the village with Sabemka and Tomosei, and began walking through it, allowing himself to function essentially on autopilot as he approached his destination. It didn't take him too long, barely a couple of minutes if that at all, to arrive at said destination: Sabemka and Tomosei's house.
The Gremory Heir's heart dropped as he looked upon the house, the knowledge that he'd never share another carefree afternoon with them- as he'd done so many times over the centuries- ever again. As he looked slightly more intently at the residence, he saw that certain things about it had been... stripped away. The curtains that Sabemka had installed by all the windows (that Raylix could see from where he was standing) were gone, for one, and the furniture that would usually be able to be made out from where he was standing was gone.
Fair enough, he supposed. It wasn't like they'd have any use for their possessions anymore, so chances were someone else in the village would get some use out of it. Taking a breath, Raylix turned around and walked away from the house, only vaguely registering the sight of several of the demonic villagefolk going about their days around him as he walked. Everyone that Raylix passed seemed to recognise him, though none actually made any attempt to speak to him directly. Some spoke in hushed whispers to their fellow villagers as the Gremory Heir passed them, but said Gremory Heir ignored them.
Shoving his hands into his jacket pockets, Raylix fully exited the street on which Sabemka and Tomosei's old house sat, and after a second's hesitation, began to walk down the main street towards the centre of the village, where he could see and hear more stuff going on. Raylix, again, vaguely registered the presence of many Devils and Lilim within the village as he stepped into the village square, though the sight of something else, out of the corner of his eye, got him looking in a specific direction, with the full sight of it making him gasp.
It was a statue. Or rather, a pair of statues, of Sabemka and Tomosei. Carved out of stone and each about three times larger than the two Devils themselves had been, Raylix found himself transfixed by them. They'd even carved an eyepatch onto Tomosei, and were somehow to define Sabemka's artificial fingers as different from his regular ones. The statues depicted Raylix's two former bodyguards/best friends mid-combat: Sabemka was throwing a punch with one of his gauntlet-clad fists, while raising the other to block some form of incoming projectile, while Tomosei was casting a spell through her staff... they'd even got the blades that she'd attached to her staff.
It seemed like a small thing, but... well, it was the small things that really counted. Showed that whoever had made the statue had actually, you know, given a shit.
"I knew you'd come back here, sooner or later." A male voice spoke up, from a few feet behind Raylix. Caught unawares by the new voice, Raylix jumped slightly, and whirled around, his eyes immediately focusing on who the new voice had come from. It was a middle-aged-looking Devil, with long black tied-up hair and dark brown eyes, wearing a cloak. "Though I wish you could have been here to see when they," his eyes shifted away from Raylix, towards the statues "went up."
His eyes shifted back to Raylix, whose eyes narrowed slightly.
"I trust that you like them, Raylix?" the man asked.
"It's... not exactly a feeling I can put into words." Raylix slowly replied, as he turned around to get another look at the statues. A smile came to his face, a small but noticeable one, for the first time since the engagement party. "Though I'd definitely say it's closer to positive than negative. A... a lot closer."
He turned back around, towards the black-haired cloak-wearing Devil.
"I'm sorry, but I... don't think we've been introduced." Raylix continued. "Or if we have, then I don't remember, I'm sorry."
"My name is Malech." the Devil replied. "I suppose you could say I'm the chieftain of this village. And it's quite alright, Raylix: I'm sure that, as the Gremory Heir and the younger brother of Satan Lucifer himself, you've met far too many people for you to remember the names of all of them."
It wasn't a question, more of a statement. A true one, which Raylix didn't reply to. Malech took half a step closer to him, and gently laid a hand on Raylix's shoulder.
"Seriously, though, I'm really glad to see you here, today." he spoke, quietly. "I won't claim to understand how you're feeling, but I can tell that this must've been a huge loss for you. I'm really sorry."
Raylix looked down at the ground, not meeting Malech's eyes as he took his hand off of Raylix's shoulder.
"Most of the village has been mourning." Malech continued. "Sabemka and Tomosei were wonderful people, and will absolutely be missed by everyone here. Though, I'm sure, not as much as you must right now."
"Yeah..." Raylix muttered, nodding. "It might've been two weeks, but... it's still hard, sometimes. To believe that they're gone."
"Hmm." Malech hummed, nodding himself. "If you ever want to... you know, talk about them with someone, don't hesitate to come and find me. I'm always happy to lend an ear, even if you just want to vent any feelings you've got pent-up."
"Thanks." Raylix replied, a smile returning to his face again. "I might take you up on that offer, when I've got free time. Which I'm beginning to have less and less of."
"Ah, of course." Malech nodded again. "With your approaching marriage to the Phenex Heiress, your time is doubtlessly more and more taken up by engagements relating to that. I completely understand, Raylix."
Raylix didn't reply, instead moving around to look back up at the statues of his best friends. Malech noticed this, looking up at them himself.
"We began work on them almost immediately after we heard that they'd died." he remarked. "Took a couple of days to finish them and put them up here. After that, we started clearing out their house in case someone else would like to move in."
"Right..." Raylix replied, still taken in by the statues.
"Almost everything that we got out of the house has found new owners since we cleared the place out." Malech continued. "There's only a couple of things left that we haven't managed to give away, yet."
Raylix looked over at the middle-aged Devil, as he opened a magic-circle. He'd summoned a scarf, an old one of Sabemka's, and a pair of bracelets that Tomosei used to wear, into his hands. After a second or two's consideration, he offered them to Raylix.
"Why don't you take them?" he asked, holding the articles out. "The fact that you haven't got anything of theirs to remember them by yet, after everything they've done... it's almost insulting."
Raylix stared, a blank look on his face, for a couple of seconds at the scarf and bracelets, before tentatively reaching out and taking them. He could remember exactly when Sabemka and Tomosei had worn them: the scarf- coloured a dark red- had been something that Sabemka had found being sold by a merchant in Gemyem one time a couple of hundred years ago, and thinking it looked cool, he'd purchased it. He'd worn it several times, but found it somewhat itchy around his neck, particularly in conjunction with his bodyguard uniform, and decided to stop wearing it.
The bracelets- simple metal bracelets coloured a light blue- Raylix had had made for Tomosei's 400th birthday. Tomosei had liked them well enough, though whoever Raylix had gotten to make them for her had gotten the size wrong, making them too big for her to wear. A shrinking enchantment, applied by Tomosei herself, was all that was needed to make them fit onto her wrists easily, and she'd enjoyed wearing them as part of her outfit. Though after a while, she'd eventually come to realise that blue wasn't really her colour, and decided to stop wearing them, undoing the enchantment she'd done on them as well.
Figuring that now was as good a time as any, Raylix slipped the bracelets onto his wrists. Ironically, they were just large enough to perfectly fit onto his own wrists, in their un-shrunk state. After that, he wrapped the scarf around his neck until it was able to comfortably hang there without any danger of it falling off. After a second or two's consideration, he pulled the scarf up so it sat on his shoulders, as opposed to hung around his neck, and pulled a portion of it over his mouth and nose.
Malech smiled, and looked Raylix up and down as Raylix looked back at him.
"They look good on you, Raylix." he remarked. "Since you're here, would you like something to eat, or drink?"
"Sure thing." Raylix replied, breaking out into a wider smile beneath his scarf as he followed Malech out of the village square, adjusting the scarf again.
Raylix ended up spending the rest of the morning, and a good bit of the afternoon, with Malech at his residence. Eating, drinking and just generally having a relaxing time with the village chieftain, sharing memories of times he'd shared with Sabemka and Tomosei when they entered Raylix's mind. It was pretty relaxing, being able to share stuff like that with someone without fear of... anything, really. Definitely something that Raylix would have liked to have done for longer, but his day with Malech was cut short when the village chieftain was called away for a matter that required his attention, at which Raylix felt it appropriate to return home.
Still wearing the scarf and bracelets that Malech had given him on his person, Raylix appeared through a crimson transportation-circle just outside the walled-off grounds of the Gremory Castle. Raylix flew over the wall and towards the castle, making it there in less than a minute before touching down just outside the door, entering on foot when the guards stationed outside the doors recognised that it was, indeed, him.
As the doors to the castle shut behind him, Raylix immediately made a beeline for the staircase, thoughts of a relaxing afternoon in his room continuing his re-read of The Lord of the Rings (which had been put on hold by the events of the engagement party) entering his mind. Though as he made his way across the castle's main hall, and had begun making his way up the stairs, the door to the living room opened, with Zeoticus and Venelana exiting it.
"Raylix!" Zeoticus called, noticing his younger son almost immediately. "We want a word!"
Raylix let out a quiet sigh, and ceased his ascending of the castle's stairs, instead waiting for Zeoticus and Venelana to make their way to the bottom of the stairs, neither looking too pleased at the sight of their younger son.
"Josarry and Ereht came back a few hours ago, telling us that you took off and left the event at Gemyem, pretty much immediately after we left." Venelana stated, sounding calm but a tinge of disapproval in her voice.
"The event that we planned, specifically for YOU." Zeoticus added, the disapproval in his voice far more pronounced. "Care to explain why you decided to waste all the work we put into today's event? All the Souls we spent to bring so many commoners to the capital city, so you could find your next best friends?"
The relaxed, generally positive feeling within Raylix as a result of the past few hours was gone in an instant. Under the scarf (which he'd pulled back up over his mouth after leaving Malech's home), a small scowl formed on his face as he looked down at his parents.
"And where did you get that scarf, and those bracelets?!" Zeoticus continued, before Raylix could even formulate any kind of response. "They look like the kind of thing you'd dig up out of a river, hardly the kind of thing that a future Duke should be wearing!"
"Someone gave them to me, as something to remember my friends by." Raylix replied, keeping his voice as even as possible in spite of the anger that quickly began to well inside him. "You know, friends that didn't need to be bribed into becoming potential replacements." he added, slightly more intensely. He took a couple of steps back up the stairs, about to turn around and continue upwards, towards his room.
"Friends that wouldn't have to worry about being distracted from their jobs as bodyguards!" Zeoticus raised his voice in reply, taking a couple of steps up the stairs as well, following his son. Venelana took a single step up, her eyes shifting between Raylix and Zeoticus. "And all of that's gone to waste, Raylix! Because you decided to take off and go do Satan-knows-what, without your bodyguards there to protect you!"
"I can protect myself just fine!" Raylix, his own voice raised now, replied, his hands clenched into fists now as he glared down at his father. There was a tense silence between the Duke Gremory and his son for a couple of seconds, before Raylix turned around and continued his trip up the stairs.
"We know you can, Raylix," Zeoticus replied, in a more even tone after taking a calming breath. "But having more people there with you provides us, your family, with extra peace of mind. That aside, you really shouldn't have left the event we planned for you in the first place, with or without Josarry and Ereht."
"Your father's right, Raylix." Venelana spoke up, taking another step up the stairs so she was on the same level as her husband. "We both understand you're upset, but pushing us away isn't going to help you. Not when we're just trying to help you get over your sadness, and move on with-"
As the words his mother had just spoke registered within his mind, Raylix whirled around to face his parents again, his eyes shifting from their regular blue to a destructive-looking crimson.
"YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" The Gremory Heir yelled, making both of his parents jump slightly. "If this morning was what you think is helping, then STOP IT!"
Turning around again, Raylix stormed up the stairs, ignoring the calls of his parents as he made his way to the residential wing. All the staff in the hallway that Raylix encountered on the way to his bedroom gave him a wide berth as the Gremory Heir unlocked his bedroom door, entered and slammed the door behind him, locking it.
Anything resembling the relaxed, actually-happy feeling that he had been feeling prior to coming back to the Gremory Castle were absolutely gone, as if they were never there in the first place. Raylix was so pissed-off at his parents, for how Lilith-damn disrespectful they'd just been about his friends, that he wanted to just scream into something, or destroy something, anything that would help to work out his anger.
Raylix reached up to his neck, preparing to tear Sabemka's scarf off of himself and toss it aside, though he paused as his fingers made contact with the material. Almost immediately, for whatever reason, Raylix felt his red-hot anger beginning to ebb away from him, as he instead slowly took the scarf off of himself, and held it for a couple of seconds before gently tossing it onto the back of a chair.
Off went Tomosei's bracelets next, which Raylix placed semi-neatly onto the bedside table before lying down on his bed, taking a slower breath as the anger within himself gently subsided, without any need to scream or destroy.
'They might just be a scarf and bracelets, but they're something,' Raylix thought as he summoned his copy of The Two Towers from his bookshelf, looking from the scarf to the bracelets and back again. Something to remember Sabemka and Tomosei by, anything at all... that was pretty nice.
----- ----- -----
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ray- ahh!" Rheliesh moaned out, her already-tight grip on the bedsheets tightening still further as Raylix continued his thrusts into her tight snatch. Another gasp left the nude blonde maid as one of Raylix's hands trailed up her sweaty body, grabbing and gently squeezing one of her breasts as he kept going with his thrusts. A certain tightness building up from within told Rheliesh that she was fast approaching another climax, while low moans escaped Raylix as his cock began to violently pulsate, a telltale sign that he was approaching his as well.
His hand still on Rheliesh's breast, Raylix leant down and pressed his lips against his maid's, claiming her in a deep kiss as the two Devils hit their respective climaxes at about the same time. Rheliesh's moans into Raylix's mouth (though muffled) were MUCH louder than Raylix's moans into hers, and her grip on his bedsheets were such that she wouldn't have been surprised if said sheets ended up tearing apart due to her grip on them.
The shudders that Rheliesh felt herself having, in response to both her climax and the feeling of Raylix's seed inside her (she'd lost count a LONG time ago how many times Raylix had fired into her), slowly subsided as Raylix pulled out of her, sliding off of his bed and standing up.
"Raylix...?" Rheliesh's voice came out in a half-moan half-pant, as she pulled herself up into a sitting position and looked over at the Gremory Heir. Said Gremory Heir, without even breaking step, made a beeline for the bathroom, only taking a couple of seconds to stretch himself before heading through the door and shutting it behind him, leaving Rheliesh alone in her master's bedroom.
It had now been a month since the engagement party, a further two weeks since the failed event that Zeoticus and Venelana had thrown in Gemyem, in an attempt to get new friends for Raylix. Two weeks since Raylix had come by a dark red scarf and two light-blue bracelets, which he'd told Rheliesh (and the others among his favourite maids) belonged to his deceased best friends. A week and a half since Raylix had, for the first time since the engagement party, began taking maids into his bedroom for sexual relief. A bit more in-character, or a sign that Raylix was steadily coming back to normal, that might have been- Zeoticus and Venelana certainly seemed to think so- though there were still some differences: namely that Raylix didn't seem to be engaging with anyone, not even those he used for aforementioned sexual relief.
Before, he usually stayed in bed with them, chatted with them, before even ordered food and drink to be brought up and enjoyed before heading off to clean up, or forgoing that and continuing the debauchery. But now, as soon as he was done, he was gone. No staying in bed, no talking, definitely no food or drink ordered, just pull out and into the bathroom, all within half of a minute, or sometimes even less.
He was DEFINITELY still hurting, Rheliesh thought, as she slid off of the other side of Raylix's bed and bent down, picking up her uniform (which she'd stripped off the night before, as she'd gotten into bed with her master) and holding it all in a pile in her arms as she waited for Raylix to finish cleaning himself up. The blonde maid didn't have to wait all too long, as within ten minutes of stepping into the shower and shutting the door behind him (without even extending the offer for Rheliesh to share the shower with him, as was sometimes the case pre-engagement party), Raylix stepped out of the bathroom, noticeably cleaner and fresher-looking than when he'd stepped in, and had strode into his walk-in wardrobe without even sparing Rheliesh another look. Taking that as the non-verbal invitation to use his shower that it probably was, Rheliesh made her way through the open door, shutting it behind her.
It didn't take long for Raylix to get the clothes he'd needed (much the same outfit as he'd worn two weeks ago) and put them on, before he stepped out again, fully-dressed. He could hear the mixed hiss and hum of the shower in his bathroom as he summoned Sabemka's scarf and Tomosei's bracelets to his body with a thought, and made his way out of his bedroom, shutting it behind him. He didn't lock it, so Rheliesh could get out and go about her regular maid-duties once she was done with her shower, and walked down the hallway of the residential wing of the castle. He passed no Gremory Clan-staff on his way, and adjusted the scarf on his neck slightly as he made his way downstairs into the castle's main hall, making for the dining room as the scent of cooked breakfast reached his demonic nostrils.
Neither Zeoticus or Venelana- both of whom were sat at the table as Raylix walked in- offered their son much in the way of morning greeting as said son sat down and dug into the morning meal provided for him. After their argument two weeks before, things had been rather quiet between parents and child. Neither had spoken to the other for more than a few words at a time, such was the tension hanging in the air between the two parties. And on top of that, neither Raylix's or Zeoticus' pride as Devils would allow them to be the one that apologized to the other for being in the right, as far as this argument was concerned.
Venelana looked between her husband and her child, setting her cutlery down as she finished her morning meal. As one of the maids stepped forward to take away her emptied plate, the Lady Gremory cleared her throat, catching the attention of both Zeoticus and Raylix, who looked up from their respective meals.
"S-Sirzechs called this morning." Venelana spoke up. "He's managed to get himself some rare free time from his... duties, and will be joining us for some of today."
"Right." Zeoticus replied, taking a breath as he returned to his meal. "Thanks for letting me know, Vene."
Raylix simply hummed by way of response, returning to his meal as well, and silence returned to the dining room as if nothing had happened. Raylix himself was next to finish his meal, allowing the emptied plate and bowl to be taken away before standing up, leaving the dining room as quickly as he'd come in.
"I wouldn't bother heading back upstairs, Raylix!" Zeoticus called, before Raylix could leave his sight. "Rika, Renzo and Ruvella will be here any minute! You'll be better off just waiting down here: don't worry, I'm almost finished with breakfast over here."
Raylix didn't verbally reply, only choosing to lean against the wall next to the (open) door that led into the dining room, waiting for his father to finish eating while Venelana remained sitting. Zeoticus was true to his word, finishing his breakfast within a couple of minutes and, after the plate was taken away, standing up (with Venelana joining him) and heading out of the dining room, with Raylix following his parents to the castle's main doors. Said doors were opened by the guards outside, and the three noble Devils stood in silence, waiting for Ruvella and her parents to appear through their transport-circle.
"I don't think Rika is going to approve of... those, Raylix." Zeoticus remarked, his eyes briefly flicking to Raylix's scarf and bracelets.
"Good thing I'm not marrying Rika, then." Raylix replied, not meeting Zeoticus' eyes. He idly reached around to scratch an itch that had randomly formed on his lower back, not noticing his father's face, which had shifted into an unpleasant scowl.
"Just take them off!" Zeoticus hissed, moving to grab at a bit of the scarf. Before he could lay a finger on it, however, Raylix took half a step away from his father, pulling the scarf with him and glaring at his father with an intensity that would have reduced lesser men to dust.
"Both of you, stop it!" Venelana spoke up, taking a step between Zeoticus and Raylix herself. "The Phenexes will be here any minute, now isn't the time to-" She was the first to notice, out of the corner of her eye, an orange transportation-circle appearing at the bottom of the steps leading up to the castle, and immediately moved back to her position on the other side of Zeoticus. Zeoticus himself glared back at Raylix for a second or two, before looking at the transportation-circle in silence, shifting his expression back into a more neutral one. Raylix continued to glare at his father for half a second longer, before doing the same as Rika was the first to appear through the transportation-circle, seemingly flanked by her husband and daughter.
"Good morning, Rika." Zeoticus inclined his head to the blonde noble, as she ascended the steps with Renzo and Ruvella alongside her. "A pleasure, it truly is, to see you again."
"The pleasure is all mine, Zeoticus." Rika replied, inclining her head to the Gremory Head, as well as to Venelana, before she noticed Raylix, looked him up and down. "Raylix... that scarf, it really doesn't go all that well with your suit. Neither do those bracelets, I'd have taken them off if I wanted to make a good impression to my future in-laws."
Raylix didn't reply, only took half a step back as Rika and Renzo stepped past him, following Zeoticus and Venelana into the castle proper, glaring after the Marquess and her husband as they went. His glare only subsided as he felt a light hand on his shoulder, and turned around to see Ruvella standing next to him, a light smile on her face as she looked her fiancé up and down, wearing a striking golden-coloured dress with blue trim.
"It's nice to see you again, Raylix." Ruvella remarked, leaning in and pressing her lips against one of Raylix's cheeks. Raylix simply hummed and nodded, in reply, turning on his heel and following his and Ruvella's parents into the castle, with Ruvella quickly following as the doors were shut behind the two Clan Heirs.
The two betrothed followed their parents into the living room, taking seats next to each other on the couch and accepting drinks brought by the Clan maids. Though Ruvella only took a sip, Raylix gulped the whole glass of whatever alcoholic beverage had been poured for him straight down his throat, emptying it in a matter of seconds.
"Alright, let's get down to business." Zeoticus set his glass of drink on a table next to his chair, and leaned back within it as he gazed across at Rika. "We've announced the engagement, figured out the formality it's going to be and decided when it's going to be. I guess we should continue from that, yes?"
"Yes." Rika replied. "I've been looking at potential colour schemes for the wedding, and I think they'd both be really good. Though, of course, we can only choose one."
"Indeed." Venelana nodded. "What colour schemes did you come up with?"
"Crimson, gold and blue, was one of them." Rika replied. "The other was, well, crimson, gold and purple. I know they're not that different, but it seemed like a given that crimson and gold would be the primary colours for the wedding, since they're our families' respective colours, you know?"
"It's just a matter of deciding which colour should complement the crimson and gold." Ruvella added. "Either purple, in reference to it being your former family's signature colour, Lady Venelana," she inclined her head to her future mother-in-law, "and my fiancé being half-Bael. Or blue, since... this might seem small, but blue eyes are a rather common trait among all of us." she continued, indicating to herself, Raylix (who was leaning against one arm of the couch, noticeably disengaged from the conversation), her parents and Zeoticus.
"I prefer crimson, gold and blue, myself, if we're voting on this." Another voice spoke up, from the doors to the lounge. Everyone, including Raylix, looked up to see Sirzechs, dressed in a white and red suit, stepping through the door and offering a polite wave to everyone. "The staff let me in, Father."
"L-Lord Lucifer!" Rika exclaimed, standing up and bowing to Sirzechs, with Renzo and Ruvella quickly doing the same. "I-it's an honour to see you! We did not know you'd be joining us, today!"
"Well, now you do." Sirzechs replied, pulling a chair towards the group of couches and chairs, specifically next to Raylix, and sitting down within it. "And please, don't think of me as a Satan, not in this situation. Just a guy who's really happy for his brother, and future sister-in-law." he smiled at Ruvella and inclined his head to her, before leaning back in his chair. "So, yeah, I'm for crimson, gold and blue."
"How about you, Raylix?" Zeoticus asked. Hearing his own name called seemed to jolt Raylix slightly, as he looked up at him, and around at everyone else.
"Huh? Uh... sorry, what were we talking about?"
"We were talking about the colour scheme we were going to have for our wedding, Raylix." Ruvella explained, calmly. "We've come down to either crimson, gold and purple, or crimson, gold and blue. Do you have a preference for either of them?"
"Uh... not really, no." Raylix replied, slowly as he settled back on the couch. "I don't mind."
"Okay..." Ruvella nodded, turning back to everyone else. It was barely noticeable, but she let out the smallest of sighs as she did so. "If I had to pick one over the other, I'd go for blue over purple with crimson and gold, myself, though if the majority of us want crimson, gold and purple, then I wouldn't mind."
"No, I think we can agree on blue." Rika replied, looking to her husband, Venelana and Zeoticus. "If Ruvella wants it, and Raylix... doesn't mind, then that's what we should go with, yes?"
"Yes." Zeoticus nodded. "I'll have notes of that sent to our servants when we're done here." As Renzo and Rika nodded, he looked over at Sirzechs. "Where's Grayfia, Sirzechs? I don't think I've seen you without her by your side for at least a few decades!"
"She's handling everything back in Lucifaad." Sirzechs replied. "Someone's got to run things while I'm here, in on the wedding plans for my lovely brother, and all."
"Of course." Zeoticus nodded again, turning back to Rika. "Next on the list of things to prepare in these... early stages, is, uh, a guest list of some kind, right?"
"I suppose something like that would be pretty easy to figure out." Rika replied. "Every member of every noble Clan, at the very least! Everybody who's anybody in the Underworld will want to be there for the biggest and best wedding there is!"
"Oh, absolutely." Venelana nodded. "From Bael to Dantalion, everyone must at least be invited... and I think that's it."
"Guess you were right, that WAS easy to figure out, Rika." Zeoticus remarked. "Anyway, next... the wedding party. Venelana and I have figured out some potential members of the party, at least ones in roles that specifically pertain to Raylix, rather than those that pertain to Ruvella. Which, I'm sure, you've probably got figured out yourselves."
"Naturally." Rika replied. "I'll go first, shall I?" She pulled out a piece of paper from a magic-circle, which she unfolded and began to read from, after clearing her throat. "Ahem, to start off with, Ruvella has selected her Bishop, Salem, to serve as her maid of honour."
"That's fair enough." Zeoticus nodded. "Your Bishop is one of the best Reincarnated Devils alive today, and extremely talented in her fields. She'll be a fine maid of honour, Ruvella."
Ruvella inclined her head, but didn't verbally reply as Rika continued.
"Her bridesmaids are... slightly less certain, as of now." the blonde Clan Head spoke. we haven't asked some of those that we've considered for the roles, yet. Of those whose co-operation in the wedding party we've secured, we have Eneely, Heiress of the Vassago Clan, and Marish of the Naberius Clan, both of whom have agreed to be Ruvella's bridesmaids."
"Wonderful." Venelana brought her hands together with a smile. "Who else have you got under consideration for such an honour?"
"Iarth, the Heiress of the Oriax Clan, for one." Rika answered. "And her younger sister, Iphiesh, as well. We wanted Phisana, the Stolas Heiress, as well, but she's apparently been retired from public life for the past few weeks. We haven't been able to get a hold of her."
"Huh, really?" Zeoticus blinked. "That news never reached us."
"Yeah, they've been trying to keep that news all hush-hush since it happened." Rika replied. "But, well, there was one other candidate, but she's more of a last resort, in case all the other potential bridesmaids are unavailable."
"A candidate's a candidate." Venelana remarked. "Who is it?"
"The Heiress of the Belial Clan, Imogen." Rika replied. "Though, considering who she is... what she is..."
"Ah." Zeoticus nodded. "Yes. Definitely a last resort."
"Mmhmm." Rika hummed, folding up the piece of paper and returning it to the magic-circle whence it was drawn from. "How about you?"
"Well, as far as the best man goes, Sirzechs has volunteered." Zeoticus replied. Sirzechs nodded, grinning at Rika, Renzo and Ruvella's rather shocked expressions.
"Is that... allowed?" Ruvella asked. "THE Satan Lucifer, acting as someone's best man?"
"I think I said earlier, not to think of me as a Satan, in this present context, Ruvella." Sirzechs replied, flashing another of his charming smiles at the Phenex Heiress. "Just an older brother, who's more than happy to be Raylix's best man. Just like I'm sure Raylix would be more than happy to be my best man, should I ever get married. Right, Raylix?"
Sirzechs, Ruvella and the respective parents looked over at Raylix, all of whom were surprised to see that he didn't even seem to be paying attention to the conversation at all. He was leant back, and staring up at the ceiling, completely spaced-out from whatever had been going on.
"Raylix?" Sirzechs repeated. "Hell to Raylix?"
"Has he really not been paying attention to this, this whole time?" Rika asked, a slight frown coming across her face.
"Smack him back to reality, Ruvella." Venelana spoke, casually. "Zeoticus does this sometimes when I'm trying to talk to him, and a light smack back to reality is all it takes to bring him back."
"You might have to do this sometimes when you're married to Raylix, so best to practice now, right?" Zeoticus remarked, grinning. "I'm sure Grayfia would be doing the same to Sirzechs, if he was married to her."
"Oh, uh..." Ruvella looked over at Rika and Renzo, the latter of whom nodded his approval. "Okay."
After a second or two's further waiting, Ruvella reached out her hand and, as instructed by Venelana and bade to by her parents, delivered several light slaps to Raylix's cheek, followed up by a slightly harder one that was laced with a trace amount of her considerable demonic power when the first slaps didn't work.
Raylix's reaction to suddenly being slapped across the face was both immediate and (as far as everyone in the living room was concerned) unexpected. Rather than jolt back into reality and start paying attention to whatever was going on at the time like Zeoticus often did (and like how everyone in the room expected would happen), Raylix immediately launched himself at Ruvella, his left fist crashing against her face and sending her flying backwards, off the sofa that they had both been sitting on.
Ruvella flipped over in mid-air and landed on her feet, her broken nose healing in a flash of fire. She clutched at her nose (being able to regenerate from most wounds she sustained didn't mean that those wounds didn't hurt), looking over at Raylix with a slightly shocked expression, as Raylix jumped to his feet, whirling around and breathing heavily, his eyes darting around. Rika and Renzo jumped to their feet, Rika in particular looking like she was about to fry Raylix alive for punching his fiancée- HER daughter- in the face, while Zeoticus and Venelana stared up at Raylix and Ruvella, shocked at what had just happened.
Sirzechs had jumped to his feet as well, and fractions of a second before it looked like a fight would break out between Raylix and Rika (who had actually begun to call her ancestor's famed Hellfire to her hands), grabbed his younger brother around the waist and pulled him backwards, away from Rika, keeping a strong hold over him as Raylix tried to pry himself out of his arms.
"Raylix, RAYLIX!" he shouted, instantly getting Raylix's attention. "Stop it! Calm down! You're not on the battlefield, you're at home! Just, calm, down!"
As Zeoticus and Venelana got to their feet as well, Raylix's breaths slowed, and as he came back to reality, he looked around. Within seconds, he realised that Sirzechs was right. Being slapped back into reality like he'd been had made him think that something far more intense than what seemed like a conversation was going on, which was what had led to him throwing a punch as his first instinct. Ruvella was on the other side of the couch, lowering her hand from her face, while Rika and Renzo were glaring at him, Rika in particular still looking ready to burn Raylix alive, though she'd dispelled the Hellfire around her hands.
"Control your Heir, Zeoticus!" Rika shouted, pointing at Raylix. "We shouldn't be worried about Ruvella having a husband who hits her!"
"Raylix, what in Satan's name is wrong with you?!" Venelana shouted, glaring at Raylix herself. "That's your future wife you just hit!"
"Apologize, now!" Zeoticus ordered, also glaring at Raylix along with his wife.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" Raylix cried, his eyes darting around everyone before settling on Ruvella. "Sorry, Ruvella. Okay?"
"Okay..." Ruvella replied, taking a breath. "Okay, Raylix." Though she sat back down, her expression shifting back into a more neutral one, Rika and Renzo remained standing, neither of whom looked all that convinced by Raylix's apology.
"Maybe it would be best to continue this conversation... another time?" Zeoticus asked, taking small half-steps between Raylix and Rika, while looking over at Sirzechs. The older son seemed to get the non-verbal message, and placed an arm around Raylix's shoulder before proceeding to guide him out of the living room, away from the parents and Ruvella. Though before they even got to the lounge door, Raylix pulled Sirzechs' arm off of him and walked out on his own, with Sirzechs electing to follow.
The walk upstairs was awkward and silent for both brothers, with Sirzechs speaking first as soon as they made their way into Raylix's bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
"Raylix, what's going on?"
Raylix tossed his scarf and bracelets down on a nearby chair and table, and turned around to face his brother. There were only inches between them in terms of height, but something- probably Sirzechs' centuries of experience as one of the Four Satans, the unofficial leader amongst them- allowed him to cut a much more imposing figure over Raylix than usual.
"You're not yourself." Sirzechs continued. "You've been reclusive. You've talked to barely anyone, not even y- our parents. You're spaced out from everything- even things directly relating to and EXTREMELY important to you. There's a wall around you, and I don't know why." he took half a step forward towards Raylix, who in turn took half a step back, towards his bed. "Raylix... please, I'm your brother. If there's anything you don't feel comfortable talking to Mother or Father about, you can tell me. I promise."
Sirzechs summoned one of the chairs (thankfully, not the one that Raylix had tossed Sabemka's scarf down onto), behind himself and gently sat down within it, looking up at Raylix, who remained standing. His breaths slow, his eyes closed, he was clearly preparing to say, or do, something. Sirzechs could only hope that it was the former, and even if it was the latter, he hoped it wasn't anything all too violent. As easily as it'd be for him to take down the Gremory Heir in a fight, Sirzechs really didn't feel that he had the heart to raise a hand against his younger brother. Not right now, maybe not ever.
"Sabemka. Tomosei." Raylix replied, his voice quiet, as he slowly sat down on the edge of his bed. One of his legs was quickly rocking up and down, and he stared down at a spot on the floor, not meeting his older brother's eyes.
"I'm sorry?" Sirzechs blinked, refocusing on Raylix. "Your bodyguards?"
"My friends!" Raylix snapped back, his voice raised, his head snapping up to look Sirzechs dead in the eyes. "My only damn friends, and don't pretend you don't remember!"
Sirzechs initially started at the sound of his brother's raised voice, blinking as he refocused on Raylix.
"Yes, I... I do remember, Raylix." he replied. "Fellow soldiers, co-commanders in whatever group of soldiers you led during the Great and Devil Civil Wars, who you developed a strong bond with, before they ever became your personal bodyguards. Under your personal recommendation, if I remember correctly."
"Yeah, that's right." Raylix nodded. "And now they're gone. After having known them for so long, they're... gone. Like-" he raised his left hand and snapped his fingers. "That. Poof. Gone. Forever. Nothing I can do about it."
"Indeed, not." Sirzechs replied, nodding himself. "Raylix, I'm so sorry-"
"Are you?"
Sirzechs felt himself taken aback as Raylix quietly cut across him. He was back to staring at the ground again. "You say that, but are you actually sorry? Or are you just saying that because you can't think of anything else to say?"
"Well- I-" Sirzechs stammered for a bit, before getting to his feet. "What do you WANT us to say, Raylix? 'You'll be okay after a while'? 'At least your friends lived good lives with you'? It's not like we, your family, get much of a chance to, not when you've been avoiding everyone like the plague!"
"MAYBE IF MY FAMILY ACTED LIKE THEY CARED, I WOULDN'T AVOID THEM SO MUCH!" Raylix yelled, his eyes momentarily glowing red as he jumped to his feet as well. "Maybe if you acted like you cared, I wouldn't have spent most of my time, since last week, at the village where THEY lived, and spent time with people who ACTUALLY care! They've got statues, tributes to them, and I actually feel like I can talk to anyone there about them! They respected them more than you, Mother or Father EVER could!"
Sirzechs took a step back, remaining silent as he looked his little brother, his eyes flickering between their natural blue and furiously destructive crimson, up and down. Taking a breath, he took a step back forward and placed a hand on Raylix's shoulder.
"You know what?" he spoke, trying to keep his inward frustration down. "I think I see the problem here, Raylix. I'll forget that... hurtful, remark at the end, and thank you for what you've told me. I'll leave you to calm down a bit, then find Mother and Father once they're done with Rika and Renzo downstairs. I'll tell them about our conversation just now, and they can get to work finding you the help that you truly need, as this has clearly been something you've been holding onto for a while."
Raylix's glare didn't soften as Sirzechs took his hand off of Raylix's shoulder.
"You'll be back to normal in no time, Raylix." Sirzechs replied. "In a much better position to find yourself some new friends. After all, there's always more friends that can come along, right?"
Sirzechs grinned at Raylix, figuring that he'd reply in the affirmative, or at least nod, maybe even smile at his big brother. Though the little brother, actually, seemed to have a rather... different, reaction.
"Always more that can come along..." Raylix repeated, his voice barely a whisper. "Always more that can come along?" he repeated again, a bit louder and stronger this time. "I guess it doesn't matter if Ajuka drops dead tomorrow of unknown causes, because there are 'always more friends that can come along'. Good to know."
The Gremory Heir's voice practically sagged with sarcasm on the last three words, as he looked upon his older brother with nothing but contempt and thinly-veiled fury.
"Hang on, that's not-" Sirzechs, sensing that he'd made a massive mistake, took a step towards Raylix, though a sudden outpouring of demonic power from his little brother almost caused the Crimson Satan to stumble backwards.
"Isn't it?" Raylix cut across him, again, his voice louder than the last time. "Because from where I'm standing, it sure as hell SOUNDED like it!"
"Raylix, if you'll just let me explain-" Sirzechs spoke up again, taking another step towards his younger brother, though said younger brother let out a growl as his eyes began to glow red again. Sirzechs made the wise choice not to come any closer after seeing that.
"Explain what?" Raylix snarled, his eyes still red. "That I should just forget about everything I've been through with the friends I had, for the good of the Underworld? That I was wrong to have friends in the first place, so I wouldn't have to be in this situation?! That any of the other 'friends that can come along' would be better for me than the two I lost after FIVE HUNDRED YEARS?!"
Sirzechs remained silent, looking down at the floor again. He couldn't think of any kind of answer that wouldn't make his younger brother angrier or more distraught than he clearly already was. There was a tense silence between the two red-haired Devils: the Crimson Satan not meeting Raylix's eyes and breathing as evenly as possible, while Raylix glared up at said Crimson Satan, his breathing wild and erratic as he looked to be on the verge of tears.
"Get out..."
Sirzechs almost started again as Raylix broke the silence between them. When he looked up at his brother again, he saw that said brother was half a step closer to him.
"What?"
"Get. Out."
Raylix's voice was stronger, harder this time. He was even closer to Sirzechs now.
"Raylix, I-"
"GET OUT!" Raylix screamed, at full volume, reaching out and suddenly shoving Sirzechs, so hard that the Super-Class Devil stumbled backwards into the bookshelf that was behind him, knocking some of the books down from it. "DON'T TRY TO SAY ANYTHING! DON'T TRY TO DO ANYTHING! JUST! GET! OUT!"
Sirzechs didn't reply. None of the books that fell down from the shelf that had struck him on the way down hurt him as much as Raylix shoving him just now, and even then, that hadn't hurt all that much physically. Emotionally, on the other hand...
Raylix's eyes began to glow a more intense crimson, a sign that he was about to let loose his concentrated beams of the Power of Destruction from his eyes on his older brother, and a sign that Sirzechs needed to GET THE HELL OUT, if he didn't want to get hurt. Sirzechs took the non-verbal hint, got to his feet, and slowly made for the bedroom door.
"If you even THINK of making another attempt that pathetic to comfort me again, Sirzechs," Raylix practically spat the word, another emotional punch in the gut for the Crimson Satan. "Do us both a favour, and don't bother. And if you thought about it and go through with it anyway... I don't care that you're a Satan, or my younger brother. If you go through with it anyway, I swear to Lilith herself that I will FUCKING kill you!"
Sirzechs didn't reply. He didn't even turn around to look back at Raylix. Only after pausing for a couple of seconds in the aftermath of his rant, did he move out of Raylix's bedroom and quietly shut the door behind him.
And only once he was gone, when Raylix was alone again, did he let the tears flow. He didn't even know he'd been holding them back all that time: but now that he wasn't anymore, now that they began to come, they REALLY started coming. His breaths came out in dry heaves as his face was drenched by the tears, with any attempts to dry his face with his sleeves just resulting in fresh tears coming to replace the wiped ones.
Raylix turned around, making to move back to his bed, but tripped over himself in a newfound disorientation and ended up on the ground, rather than on his bed. The Gremory Heir's cries subsided for a moment as he came down from the momentary shock of landing so hard on the floor, the sound of his breaths being the only sound that occupied his bedroom. Said breaths quickly gave way to another scream, much louder and more animalistic than moments earlier. It was so loud, in fact, that Raylix felt that his throat might tear. He could practically feel it tearing for half a second before his screams ceased- more out of instinct than anything else- replaced by heaving coughs which, along with his seemingly never-ending tears, would have crafted a pretty pathetic image for anyone who might have walked in at that moment.
Raylix's coughs subsided, his heavy breaths returned as he continued to cry, attempted to cry out the overwhelming, practically all-consuming misery that came with the realisation that... they didn't care.
His older brother, who he'd fought alongside time and again. His mother, who'd been such good emotional support to him throughout his early life. His father, who had been everything Raylix ever wanted to be. The realisation that they just didn't give a SHIT about the fact that his best friends were dead and gone, and how much that CLEARLY hurt, struck the Gremory Heir harder than any hit he'd taken in any fight he'd had in his life, and just thinking about that was enough for the tears to start coming even harder than they had previously been.
The sound of something crunching within Raylix's hand made the Gremory Heir start, almost completely out of his distraught fit. Picking himself back up again, and looking down revealed what had caused the crunch: the sword-handle that Sirzechs had given him so long ago, that he'd modified with Ajuka's help. He'd summoned it into his hand, virtually unconsciously, and was holding onto it so hard that he'd crushed it in his hand. The casing, the circuit-board, the crystal within, all of it- when Raylix opened his hand to look at the damage- seemed to be crushed. In an instant, he'd rendered the first real weapon he'd ever used completely beyond repair.
Momentarily overcome by a wave of anger for something so stupid, Raylix let out a yell and hurled the now-useless weapon at his bedroom window, which it smashed through, though that was the LAST thing on his mind at that point. All Raylix could do was stumbled towards the bed, land on it, bury his face in the nearest pillow and keep crying, letting out the seemingly-infinite sorrow as best he could.
----- ----- -----
"Achoo!"
Lilith blinked a couple of times, slightly confused at the fact that she, for what seemed like no reason at all, had sneezed.
She wasn't all that cold, in spite of the fact that she currently floated above Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Western Europe that sat practically on the borders between the human-world countries of France, Italy and Switzerland. It couldn't have been because someone was talking about her... mainly because if that was the case, she'd probably be sneezing constantly, every day, without fail.
If she hadn't experienced ACTUAL Hell (both literally and metaphorically), Lucifer's widow would probably have considered such a fate to be ACTUAL Hell.
Idly rubbing her nose with one hand, Lilith refocused her efforts on the mountain, her crimson eyes squinted as she looked down through the snow, trying to find any trace of demonic life. Her search had continued, to the point that she had less than a dozen demonic presences left to find in the country of France before she gave up on the country entirely, and moved on.
Truth be told, she wouldn't have been all that surprised if the one she was looking for turned out to not be in France at all. Knowing her luck in life, the one she was looking for was- more likely than not- not even on the European continent. Shit, for all she knew, the one she was looking for could be in Australia, or something!
But she'd get to Australia, if she had to get to Australia.
The sound of a light-weapon being formed and being thrown caught Lilith's attention, and she refocused her eyes, again, on the mountain. She descended a couple of hundred feet closer to the mountain (she had been hovering around the summit-area, as that was where she had tracked the latest presence to), her eyes darting around. Devils (or demonic-based beings in general) couldn't form light-based weaponry in general, that was obvious, and the only reason she could think of that light-based weaponry would be formed in the presence of a Devil... was if said Devil was being attacked.
"Give it up, Stray!"
Lilith blinked, having heard a voice this time. A loud, male one, followed by a grunt that sounded suspiciously like the grunt one would make if throwing a spear of some kind. The soft 'thud' of a light-spear impacting the snowy ground, along with a short cry of surprise- that sounded like it came from someone much younger, whether male or female, Lilith wasn't certain- drew the Succubus Queen's attention further, as she descended further, closer and closer to the mountain, where she got a much clearer vew of what was going on.
Three Angels- pure Angels, as opposed to their Fallen brethren: easily identified by their white wings and pristine robes- were flying around the mountainside, hurling light-spears down at someone that Lilith couldn't see, from the angle she was floating at. Making an effort to conceal her presence, she floated up and around the Angels, being as careful as she could to not alert their presence through some other method. When she got behind them, her crimson eyes widened at what she saw them throwing light-spears at: the source of the demonic presence that she'd been tracking for the last hour or so, now.
It was a child. Age-wise, Lilith would've placed her at eleven or twelve by human standards, maybe thirteen at a stretch. Whatever clothes she (Lilith could tell they were a girl, now) wore practically reduced to rags that barely hung off of her, she panted heavily while holding one hand out towards the three Angels that were attacking her, with the other clutching a wound across her stomach. All the while, she shivered horribly from the cold.
None of that really attracted Lilith's attention, however. Not even a tenth as much as the young girl's hair, particularly what colour it was... silver. THAT fact, as soon as it became apparent to Lilith, caused her crimson eyes to widen.
Physical age that lined up with what she knew about the person she was looking for, silver hair, demonic presence (that, now that she thought about it, felt rather familiar to her in spite of the fact that she'd never seen the girl in her life)…
The girl let out another cry, and conjured up a ball of dark energy in her outstretched hand, and hurled it at the male Angel who had thrown the latest light-spear her way. Said ball of dark energy collided with the Angel's body and detonated on contact, sending said Angel flying past Lilith and off of the mountain. However, conjuring and throwing that ball of dark energy seemed to cost the girl all of her remaining strength, as she swayed on her feet for a second or two before falling down onto the snow. The two remaining Angels, clearly shocked and angered by the sudden death of their comrade, saw their chance to take revenge for said comrade, and charged at the girl, light-spears conjured and ready to kill.
Unfortunately, Lilith was just that little bit faster. And by 'that little bit faster', one means 'an absolute hell of a lot faster'.
Before the two Angels got anywhere even CLOSE to the girl that they were attacking, Lilith had dashed between the pair of them, slashing at their chests with waves of dark energy- extremely similarly dark energy to the kind that the girl had just used on the male Angel- that originated from her hands. Her aim was perfect and precise, and the effects were lethal. The two Angels that were half a second away from killing the girl were, themselves, dead before they'd even known what had happened. Their bodies fell, with light thuds, into the snow as Lilith bent down and caught the girl before she joined them, slowly straightening up as she looked down at the unconscious girl.
"Finally." Lilith whispered, unfurling her tails and using one of them to brush some of the girl's hair out of her eyes. "After so long, Valian... you're where you belong." The First Succubus held Valian slightly closer to her, using some of her gargantuan reserves of demonic power to warm her up as she did so. "With me."
"Ahh, shit. I suppose I should've known this day would come, sooner or later."
For the first time in rather a long time, Lilith felt herself slightly surprised at the booming voice that crashed into her ears. It was only slightly harder than normal to make out over the howling winds at the top of Mount Blanc, but she heard it nonetheless. A second or two later, she felt a smirk on her face.
"What are the chances, huh?" Lilith muttered to herself, looking her descendent up and down, down and up.
"I would've preferred them to be absolutely zero." the booming voice replied, from within Valian's body. Though she did not herself speak, Lilith still heard the voice, loud and clear, with her own ears. "But I guess true impossibility doesn't exist, Lilith."
"I guess not, Albion." Lilith replied, her smirk growing as she suppressed a giggle. "Irony, however, certainly does seem to. How long has it been?"
"Not long enough!" The Vanishing Dragon growled out, as a reply. "Were I not trapped within your descendant's soul right now, I'd make sure we never have to meet each other again!"
"I'm sure you'd try to." Lilith replied, adjusting her grip on the unconscious Valian. "But I get the feeling that that hypothetical battle would go pretty differently than how you're imagining it right now, I bet. And another thing," she added, before Albion could make a retort. "You ARE trapped in my descendant's soul right now. So I expect less rambling about hypotheticals and more co-operation, got it?"
"Hmph."
Albion fell silent after that, and Lilith allowed herself another giggle. She opened another transportation-circle and stepped into it, still holding onto Valian as the pair of them were warped off the mountain, back to her villa, her mission complete.
This was going to be more interesting than she'd thought.
----- ----- -----
Raylix fiddled with the sleeve of his suit jacket, sighing as he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked through the door of one of the Phenex Clan's many castles, which was being repurposed as a gathering hall for a party that the Phenex Clan had decided to throw, alongside Zeoticus, Venelana, their respective Queens, Josarry and Ereht. The Gremories were among the last to arrive to the party, judging by how Raylix could see people from just about every remaining noble Clan among the Devils: from Bael to Dantalion.
Ruvella could be seen further within the castle's main hall, standing next to her parents as they talked to Diehauser Belial. Raylix vaguely noticed that the young white-haired girl who he'd seen Diehauser with at the engagement party a month and a half ago, when he'd last seen the Prince Belial, wasn't with him this time around. He couldn't hear Diehauser or Rika, but as he watched them, Diehauser turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Rika and Renzo alone together with Ruvella. Seconds after this, Renzo seemed to notice Raylix and his family having entered the party, moved a bit closer to Ruvella- who was clad in the same incredible number that she'd been wearing at the engagement party.
"Remember, Raylix," Zeoticus laid a hand on his younger son's shoulder, holding on hard enough to get Raylix to look over at him. "You'll behave yourself this time. No outbursts, no running off away from your bodyguards, no funny business. You're the future of the Gremory Clan, DO NOT embarrass us."
Raylix didn't reply as he simply jerked his shoulder away from his father's hand, and stepped forward to meet Ruvella, a neutral expression on the Heir's face. Ruvella's face was just as neutral as she silently nodded to him, swiftly taking a place by her fiancé's side. Salem was also by Ruvella's side, though she looked like she was holding back a scowl as she looked over at Raylix. If the Gremory Heir were a betting man, he'd put money on Ruvella's Bishop having heard what went down last week at the Gremory Castle.
Raylix almost opened his mouth to speak to her, tell her- again- that he was sorry about the events of last week at the Gremory Castle, but he kept it shut. He'd already apologized, Ruvella had accepted, that was the end of it. Anyone else's opinion on the situation- even Ruvella's parents, who openly scowled at him as he took a place next to the Phenex Heiress- was irrelevant, as far as he was concerned.
The pair of noble Devils moved, practically in step, back into the middle of the party-hall, with their shared presence seeming to catch the attention of several noble Devils, and many more Vassago Clan-based reporters, all of whom seemed to make their way towards the Gremory and Phenex Heirs as a single unit.
"Raylix, I'd love to arrange a time where we can discuss a shared future for our Clans: would you be willing to travel to our castle? Zeoticus doesn't have to know, of course..."
"Ruvella, will Raylix be taking other lovers after you're married?"
"Raylix, would you be willing to take more than one wife? My daughter Iphiesh would surely be willing to bear your children, just like Ruvella clearly must be! Iphiesh Oriax, be sure to remember that! Zeoticus and I should have the pair of you meet as soon as possible!"
"Ruvella, will the Phenex Clan be providing discounts on Phenex Tears to the Gremory Clan, now that your family is being unified with the Gremory Clan?"
"Uh, n-no comment!" Ruvella replied, her eyes darting around slightly as her face went slightly red. Salem, seeming to get the idea, gently guided Ruvella away from the reporters, with Raylix following (muttering "Same." as he did so), and Josarry and Ereht bringing up the rear.
Raylix noticed Ruvella moving over to one of the many tables around the edge of the main hall that looked to be serving refreshments, and quickly made his way over towards her, with Josarry and Ereht easily in step behind him.
"Reporters, am I right?" Raylix spoke up as he moved in beside Ruvella, picking up a plate and gathering some food for himself (with a single glare at Josarry's attempts to get such food for him being all that it took to get him to step back).
"Yes, they can be rather... exhausting." Ruvella replied, looking over at Raylix, as Salem gathered food on a plate for her King. "Every few days or so, there's one reporter or another making their way to our Clan's main castle, asking for an interview with me. Has that happened with you?"
Raylix blinked.
"Uh... no." he replied. "Or, if it has, my parents haven't let them talk to me. Or even let me know that they were there in the first place. Or I wasn't even at the castle when it was going on."
"Huh... I see." Ruvella nodded, accepting the plate of food from Salem with whispered thanks, before sitting down at one of the tables. Raylix joined her a couple of seconds later, with Josarry and Ereht standing guard over their charge, and Salem doing the same over hers. "Has it been decided who your groomsmen are going to me?"
Raylix shrugged his shoulders.
"If they have been, I haven't heard about it." he replied. "Though I can make a few guesses of who could end up with the supposed honour."
"Oh, really?" Ruvella asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Yea." Raylix nodded. "Magdaran, Bael Heir, cousin on Mother's side. Maybe his older brother Sairaorg, too. Rarzeth and Riser Phenex, your two younger brothers. That's four options right there, as many as there were for bridesmaids for you... I think."
"Out of which, only three have a realistic chance of having the honour." Ruvella replied. "My parents have been trying to set up a meeting between myself and Phisana Stolas for a while, now, but her family are refusing to let anyone talk to her. Apparently," she lowered her voice and leaned in slightly closer to Raylix. "She's lost all ability to use her Clan's ability."
"That's Unholy Lightning, right?" Raylix asked, just as quietly. Ruvella nodded.
"Everyone's stumped as to the reason," the Phenex Heiress continued. "And her family aren't letting her see anyone, until they're able to figure out the reason, and get her able to use her ability again."
"Right..." Raylix replied. "But still, three bridesmaids, three groomsmen. Balanced, isn't it?"
"Perfectly." Ruvella nodded, popping some food into her mouth, chewing on it a bit and swallowing as she looked out across the hall, her dark-blue eyes landing on her parents, who were talking with Ohnex and Kelira Oriax, the Lord and Lady of the Oriax Clan, with their two daughters Iarth and Iphiesh dutifully standing beside them. Both of them were reasonably attractive, with Iphiesh in particular having a particularly nice bust, in spite of clearly looking younger than Iarth in all other areas.
Renzo noticed Ruvella looking over at them and the Oriax's, and made a "come over here!" gesture with his hand, one that Ruvella clearly saw.
"See you later, Raylix. Enjoy the party." The Phenex Heiress bade her fiancé goodbye, standing up and heading off, towards her parents. Salem picked up the plate and carried it after her King, while Raylix remained seated and watched her go, while polishing off the food that he'd gathered on his own plate. As he saw Ruvella reaching her parents and offering greetings to Ohnex, Kelira, Iarth and Iphiesh, he noticed Rika and Renzo looking over at him, and their expressions momentarily hardening before turning back to the Oriax Head and her husband.
Shrugging, Raylix got to his feet, with Josarry picking up the plate that he left on the table, and after shoving his hands in his trouser-pockets, made his way away from the table. As he moved through the party hall, he vaguely registered snippets of conversation from Devils that he closely passed.
"Is Lilith really still unmarried? You think there's a chance she'd go for, you know, one of us?"
"Amon Industries are up forty percent from last quarter? No way!"
"There goes Raylix, again. Of course HE gets to marry the best bachelorette in Hell! Probably thinks he's hot shit!"
"We've simply GOT to set up a meeting between our Heirs, Grula! Zephrydor and Elinora, they're the perfect pair, I can see it!"
"Damn, the Gremory Heir's new bodyguards look much more the part than the last ones he had!"
Raylix, by instinct, did a double-take at that last one. If anyone had been looking at him during that instant, they would've seen his eyes flickering between their natural blue and destructive crimson. Taking a breath in an attempt to calm himself, he turned around to look back at the one who'd said that: it was Najan, a member of the Valac Clan, who had spoken those seventeen words to Borenyth, Heir to the Furcas Clan and oldest son of Fyzevile, who Raylix vaguely remembered as being one of the commanders during the first battle that he'd gone out to during the Great War, after which he'd met...
"Oh, I must agree." Borenyth replied. "What do you think happened to them, anyway?"
"Sacked, probably." Najan remarked. "They were probably incompetent fools, commoners who thought that they'd be getting an easy trip into prestige by getting close to someone like-"
"That's a lie!"
He'd spoken without thinking. He'd stopped, rooted himself in place, and was glaring at the two noble males, only barely keeping his . Both were looking back at him, and some of the other nobles and their servants in Raylix's immediate vicinity- who had heard his outburst- turned. Najan and Borenyth looked at each other, then back at Raylix, then Najan spoke up.
"Oh, it is? Why don't you tell us what really happened to your former bodyguards, then, Raylix? Did you get tired of them? Your parents find a pair of new guards for you that'd take a smaller paycheck?"
"They DIED!" Raylix replied, his voice raising still further. His eyes, which had shifted back to blue, shifted again to red, causing the pair of noble males to back up- seemingly instinctively- though such instinct didn't stop Borenyth from firing back a retort.
"Oh, they did? Dying for a noble's gotta be pretty heroic-"
"SHUT UP!" Raylix yelled, his crimson eyes glowing with deathly intensity. The volume of his shout caught the attention of every noble Devil in the room, who all turned to the source of the shout as one. All with varying degrees of surprise and contempt on their faces at the decidedly un-noble behaviour, but Raylix wasn't paying attention to all of them. He was paying attention to the pair of noble shitheads in front of him that had verbally spat on the legacy of his best friends. As one of the only people around who seemed to give a shit that they had ever existed, Raylix couldn't let that happen.
"Raylix, knock it off!"
The noble Devils parted from a certain direction as Serafall herself, magical-girl attire on as it often was, magical staff in her hand as it always was, came walking through towards the source of the commotion. The Satan Leviathan stopped at the side of Najan and Borenyth- ignoring the lustful looks shot her way by the pair of young males- and fixed Raylix with an uncharacteristically sharp look.
"I understand how you feel, but you're being childish!" Serafall spoke, her voice uncharacteristically hard as well. She opened her mouth to continue talking, hopefully diffuse the situation, but she caught herself as she heard a chuckle coming out of Raylix. Quiet though it was, there was... some dark quality about it that unnerved the dark-haired Sitri descendant. Raylix's crimson eyes ceased to glow, but they didn't shift back to their natural blue as he continued to chuckle.
Master of ice she might be, but she didn't like the chill that ran down her spine as Raylix's chuckle faded, after a few more seconds.
"I'm the one who's childish? Coming from a Lilith-damn cosplayer, and not even a good one at that?"
"Yes, actually!" Serafall took a step forward, her staff making an audible 'clack' in the ground as she took the step. "Do you think you're the only person here who's lost friends in your life, Raylix? And do you see anyone else flipping out at the mere mention of said dead friends? To their fellow Devils, to their betrothed, to their own family?"
Raylix's eyes swept the noble Devils that were all looking at him: it only took him a couple of seconds to point Sirzechs out within the crowd, though his older brother seemed to be making a concerted effort to not meet his eyes.
"Have you had the entire Underworld talking shit about said dead friends behind your back, Serafall?" Raylix asked, his voice shifting back down to a more even level. "Especially when they don't have a damn clue what they're talking about?"
Serafall blinked, not actually expecting Raylix to have talked back to her twice. Once, maybe, but twice?
"Have any of you, huh?" Raylix raised his voice, seemingly speaking to everyone in the room now. "Maybe not? Okay, how about some so-called support that you received from family, after your friends are dead? Was that support actually, you know, nice, or was it actually pretty damn insulting?!" His eyes met Zeoticus and Venelana, who looked like they'd been talking to Agmath and Vynia Astaroth at the time Raylix had yelled at Najan and Borenyth. Zeoticus was sending a death-glare of his own at Raylix, while Venelana looked more shocked than anything.
"No?!" Raylix's voice raised further, his breathing decidedly heavier than before. His eyes began intensely glowing crimson again. "Well then SHUT UP!" At Raylix's third voice-raise, all of the Devils in his immediate vicinity started, with some even jumping back a bit. "IF YOU DIDN'T SEE WHAT I DID TO THOSE FALLEN ANGELS OVER A MONTH AGO, I'M HAPPY TO DEMONSTRATE! ON YOU!"
There was absolute silence, for a solid moment, in the hall. Thousands of eyes all focused on Raylix, whose eyes continued to glow, by way of warning. Though the sound of loud footsteps upon the floor broke the silence, and the crowd parted again, for the second time that night, as one of the only Devils in the Underworld who it could be argued was even MORE important than Serafall, stepped into the middle of the crowd that she, Raylix, Najan and Borenyth seemed to occupy.
"That is enough, Raylix." Zekram Bael spoke, his voice filled with that composed authority that practically EVERY noble in the Underworld respected him for. "This is remarkably improper behaviour for one of your station, and you will stop right now."
Raylix whirled around, his glowing crimson eyes focused on Zekram now.
"You focus too much on the minutiae of nobility, Raylix." Zekram continued. "You really shouldn't be concerned about your new bodyguards, especially in comparison to your previous ones, for which dying for you- for all of us- was the most noteworthy thing they ever did. You-"
Raylix had heard enough. He'd been holding back out of some semblance of restraint throughout his rage-filled rant at everyone in the room, but what Zekram had said was enough for him to boil over. Letting out a snarl, he let loose his destructive eye-beams, focusing squarely on where he KNEW it would hurt his grandfather the most. Said grandfather's words were cut off by an uncharacteristically high squeal of shock and pain as Raylix's concentrated Power of Destruction impacted his crotch, reducing any kind of... equipment, he had down there to dust.
Even in his rage, Raylix had rather precise aim. Though that was the least of anyone's concerns as Raylix coated his hands in the same Power of Destruction that he'd used to castrate his grandfather, spread his five pairs of wings and launched himself at said grandfather, hands outstretched towards his throat. Before Raylix could get to Zekram's throat, however, a crimson transportation-circle opened up directly in front of him: Raylix had no time to avoid it before he flew straight through it, disappearing from Phenex territory in a flash of light.
His face red with mixed embarrassment and rage, Zeoticus lowered his arm as Venelana, as well as her half-brother Erechus Bael- head of the Bael Clan- rushed forward to check on their father.
----- ----- -----
"Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable!" Zeoticus whispered, pacing back and forth. It was hours later, long after the gathering at one of the Phenex's castles had reached its conclusion. Duke and Heir were both in Raylix's bedroom, with Raylix having been shoved into one of the chairs by Zeoticus, who was in front of the fireplace (which was unlit). Zeoticus cast an occasional glance in his Heir's direction, while Raylix stared defiantly at the ground, refusing to meet his father's eyes.
Zeoticus' pacing suddenly ceased, as he whirled around towards Raylix, anger clear on every square inch of his face.
"Raylix, do you have ANY idea what you've done?!" Zeoticus shouted, taking a step towards Raylix and pointing at him. "What your act today, which I specifically told you NOT to do, has cost us, and will cost us in the future?!"
Raylix refused to speak, still staring down at the ground. Zeoticus waited for a couple of seconds, clearly expecting an answer of some sort out of his younger son, before sighing angrily and turning away from Raylix, holding his head. There was a light knock on the bedroom door, with said door pushed open a second or so later. Zeoticus and Raylix both turned/looked up and saw Venelana shutting the door behind her, and making her way into the bedroom.
"How's your father, Vene?" Zeoticus asked, his voice decidedly softer than a few seconds earlier.
"He'll be alright." Venelana replied, letting out a slow breath. "The rest of his body was unaffected by... what Raylix did to his crotch," her eyes flicked over towards Raylix, a flash of anger appearing within them for a fraction of a second, before she seemed to force it down. "Though he wants to be healed, and quickly. And the only way that that can be done, is, well..." she took a step past Zeoticus and opened her hand in front of Raylix.
"The Tears. Now."
Raylix looked up at his mother, turned his head to let out a gob of spit into the unlit fireplace, opened his hand and summoned the Phoenix Tears out of a magic-circle. He silently held them up to Venelana, who took them and deposited them into a magic-circle of her own, before she stepped back.
"I'm sure the knowledge that you provided these will be enough for Father to... at least consider, forgiving you. But, enough about him." Venelana remarked. "Raylix, this- all of this- has to stop."
"Yes." Zeoticus stepped forward, looking down at his son with a hard expression on his face. "Your tantrum, Raylix, has been going on for over a month, now, and it has to end. You're only going to embarrass yourself, and everyone around you, further, if you continue this... whatever it is you think you're doing. Satan knows your actions tonight will be hard for us to recover from! And the Phenex Clan, too, will doubtlessly be angry: did you even think about how this would reflect on Ruvella? Your FIANCÉE? What will people think of her, with the fact that she's marrying you? Shit, I wouldn't be surprised if Rika tries to withdraw from the Gremory/Phenex deal! If she does, Raylix, that will be on YOUR head! And there will be DIRE consequences for that, I can assure you!"
Venelana laid a hand on her husband's shoulder, which seemed to be enough to at least momentarily calm him down. At the very least, Zeoticus took a breath, as well as a step back from Raylix.
"It's become clear to me and your mother, Raylix," Zeoticus continued, in a far more even tone than before. "That whatever state you've worked yourself into as a result of your... friends'," he had a slight pause as he spoke the word, that didn't go unnoticed by Raylix "Is clearly impeding your ability to act in a manner proper to your station as Heir of the Gremory Clan, and as the younger brother of the Devil King Lucifer. As incredibly disappointing as that is, I suppose we can work with that."
"You're not to leave the castle grounds until further notice, Raylix." Venelana continued on from her husband. "When you've had long enough to think about your recent behaviour, we can have another conversation with you about how we move forward from this."
"Indeed." Zeoticus nodded. "We're honestly going easy on you here, Raylix. I know for a fact that... other, families, would exile you from the Underworld for your actions tonight, were they in this position. Or, at the very least, remove you from the line of succession to the title of Duke Gremory- which we ARE still willing to do, by the way, should it become clear that your behaviour hasn't improved!"
Raylix, back to staring at the ground, resisted the urge to roll his eyes. After everything, the idea of succeeding his father as Duke Gremory didn't seem all that pleasant to him. Especially not if that meant joining a society of pricks like the Devils he'd yelled at tonight. He kept that thought to himself, however, as Zeoticus and Venelana made for the door. Venelana slipped through said door and disappeared from sight, though Zeoticus paused and turned back towards Raylix, who finally looked up and met his father's eyes.
"In case you thought you wouldn't be, you'll be kept a close eye on at all times, Raylix." Zeoticus informed him. "To make sure that you don't breach our agreement, and leave the castle grounds unpermitted. Anything you do, your mother and I will be sure to hear about it."
With that warning hanging in the air, Zeoticus retreated from the room, shutting it behind him, leaving Raylix alone again. Letting out a sigh, Raylix picked himself up from the chair he'd been shoved down into by Zeoticus a few minutes earlier, sauntered over to his bed and flopped down upon it, rolling into a more comfortable lying-down position.
'Might as well get some sleep, if I'm grounded.' He thought, closing his eyes. 'Not like I'll have anything else to do, for the time being.'
Though before sleep could overtake Raylix, before he could leave the events of today behind him and move onto the next day, he heard another knock at his bedroom door. Raylix sat up, glaring at the door as it was pushed open. Knowing what was coming as soon as he saw who had entered his bedroom- surprisingly, it wasn't Zeoticus or Venelana- he sighed.
"Grayfia, whatever you're about to say, I don't want to hear it." Raylix spoke, turning away from the silverette head maid. "Mother and Father have already given me enough of an earful, and I'm sure that Sirzechs'll be along to give me an earful, too, as soon as he gets a second of free time. If you're here for that too, save your breath and leave me alone... please."
Raylix closed his eyes, hoping that Grayfia would leave him alone. The silence that greeted him in return got him thinking, however briefly, that the head maid had obeyed his request. Though a part of his bed behind him sinking slightly, and a soft hand resting on his back, told Raylix that Grayfia hadn't done that, and that she was still in the room with him. She'd made her way over to him, and sat down beside him.
"I wasn't planning on... giving you an earful, as you put it, Raylix." Grayfia replied, her voice rather softer than Raylix had ever heard it before. "Though I can't say I agree with how you've expressed them, over the last month and a half, your feelings on this entire situation, in the aftermath of the loss of your companions- who you obviously deeply cared about- are absolutely valid."
Raylix shifted himself around, moving up into a sitting position as he looked up at Grayfia, a surprised look on his face.
"Should you ever want to talk, while confined to the castle under the orders of Lord Zeoticus and Lady Venelana, I'll make time for you. Where I can." Grayfia continued, standing up from the bed and making her way towards the door. "I can imagine that it would be healthier for you than shouting, screaming and attacking your fellow Devil." Grayfia allowed herself a small smile as she turned around, upon reaching the door. Raylix might've been wrong, but he could've sworn he heard his brother's Queen suppressing a giggle as she looked back at him. "In the meantime, though, would you like a drink? Maybe something to eat?"
"Anything strong that you can get for me to drink, Grayfia, that'd be great." Raylix replied. "And... uh, thanks. For... everything you said before that." Raylix felt a small smile coming to HIS face, as he looked up at the silverette maid, who smiled back at him.
"My pleasure, Raylix." Grayfia replied, her face shifting back into the stone-cold mask that Raylix, his family and the rest of the Underworld knew so well before she retreated from Raylix's bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Alone again, Raylix fell backwards onto the bed, a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Nice as it was to have someone like Malech to talk to... it was also pretty nice to have someone closer, if only until he was un-grounded... whenever that would be.