"Of course, Dar…ling." Laughing lightly, Lily skipped playfully across the room, hopping up onto the bed beside Alex. "Earth born, earth slain," she chuckled gently. "Hell born, but it wasn't my destiny to stay hell bound," Lily smirked wistfully.
"So… You… You… You escaped from the hells?" Heart pounding, Alex felt cold chills run across his body as she snuggled up and gently began to stroke his hair again. "Wha… What do you want me with?" Gulping heavily, Alex couldn't even get his words out straight.
"Dar…ling, Dar…ling, Dar…ling. You don't have to be so nervous," Lily whispered seductively into his ear. "It's not like I'm going to eat you. Do we not have a Covenant of Pacifity between us?" Gently pulling his head back down to her massive bosom, Lily rocked gently while humming a peaceful little lullaby.
Saying nothing, Alex went along with the moment, relaxing his body, as was the habit which his dorm mates had drilled into him. Closing his eyes, he surrendered his flesh, while his mind was racing a mile a minute. Finally forcing himself to calm down, Alex took several deep breaths before asking, "Then what does the fine lady demoness want with me? You say we have business, but if so, I don't know what it is. It was your daughter with whom I'd agreed to bargain with." He didn't try to get up, or pull away, as he slowly opened his eyes to look up at the winged beauty beneath him.
"We have lots of things to discuss," Lily assured him, gently rubbing his long hair motherly. "In good faith," she laughed lightly, "allow me to start with the free sharing of truths by asking, 'What does the young lord think is the difference between a demon and an angel? If we are going to have a true relationship – of which I deeply hold the passionate wish that we may – then we must understand each other as fully as possible."
"The difference between demons and angels?" Convincing himself that he wasn't in any immediate danger, Alex slowly forced himself to sit upright on the bed. Crossing his legs underneath his body, he slowly leaned back against the headboard of the bed so he could look directly at Lily. "Is it not an impossible question to ask," he finally answered, frowning his face slightly. "Would it not be like asking, 'What is the difference between an apple and a potato.'? "
"There's so much different between them, that it's almost impossible to say they're the same, unless one just wants to declare, 'They're both roundish and can fit within the palm of your hand usually.' And, even then, many potatoes are more oval than round, so even that similarity is arguable at best."
"Angels and demons are like apples and potatoes, you say?" Laughing melodiously, Lily just smiled gently back at him, as if he if was some sort of ignorant simpleton, wounding Alex's heart as a self-proclaimed scholar.
"Aren't they?" Alex snorted, staring back at her. "If I'm wrong, will the knowledgeable lady before me do the kindness of correcting my misconception?"
"I shall," Lily beamed back, magnanimously. "But first," she chuckled slightly, "can you tell me what you think the difference between Heaven and Hell might be? Are they not destinations in which you humans find your souls being guided, after you pass from this mortal world? What is the difference between the two realms in your human eyes?"
"I've never really gave much thought on the concept of either place," Alex told her, after a few moments deep thinking. "From my readings, people see them as two absolutes for which a person's soul may ascend to. One realm is the realm of eternal honey and paradise, while the other is an endless landscape of flames and torment. Personally though," Alex chuckled, "I've always preferred the idea of a soul being reincarnated and given a second chance upon the earth to further temper itself once more."
Nodding slightly, Lily muttered, "I see. I see," several times before finally raising up a single finger and pointing it at Alex. "Then, my final question for now, before I enlighten you, let me ask, 'What happens to a soul that has been dragged into the Hells by accident? Say such as when a demon may escape the summons of a foolish mortal, and then they drag the soul of that summoner back to the great darkness with them? Should not the soul, if innocent or rightly – such as that of a knight who died fighting to banish the beast – righteously end up either reincarnated, or Heaven bound, by the logic of mortals?"
"I… I don't know," Alex admitted, frowning heavily. "As I said, I've never truly pondered much upon such matters before. I've always had other thoughts weighing heavily upon my mind."
"Then let me share a simple, unadorned truth, with you," Lily laughed mirthfully. "A demon is an angel, just as an angel is a demon. Unlike your apple and potato comparison, the truth is much more simple – they're more comparable to the simple difference between breeds. Much like comparing one breed of cattle against another, the only real difference is the color of their hides. A Red Angus is the same as a Black Angus, with the only difference being as simple as the color of their hides and the environment upon which they exist."
"So you're trying to tell me you're the same as an angel," Alex frowned, staring directly at the glossy black wings which protruded so magnificently from Lily's back.
"Fundamentally," Lily nodded, laughing slightly. "We're both creatures born from the same basic process. We both have wings. We both have claws. We both have fangs. Fundamentally, there's no true difference between us," she assured him, before tauntingly adding, "Except one."
"And what's that fundamental difference?" Alex couldn't help but find himself becoming intrigued by her speech. Even though he'd never had any real interest in angels and demons before, he was finding that meeting one in the flesh had changed his skepticism about their existence.
"It's you humans," Lily giggled, pointing her finger, and placing the blame upon him for some reason. "As you, yourself, stated, 'When a human dies, their soul goes to either one plane or the other.' Righteous souls are sent to the Heavens, and the darkest of souls are sent to be tormented within the darkest hells. Correct?"
"Correct," Alex agreed, sounding uncertain now. "At least, that's what the stories always say, for those who believe in such things as the Heavens and Hells." Once again, his pride as a scholar forced him to emphasize that he wasn't necessarily one who believed in such things himself – he was just repeating the opinion of what others say, who claimed to be knowledgeable of such things. If he was wrong, it wasn't his fault!
"No. No. No," Lily smirked happily over at him. "You don't have to be so nervous about answering the question," she assured him, gently. "Essentially, you're not wrong. It's just that things are a bit more complicated that what you humans assume to be the complete story."
"Then please illuminate me with the truth," Alex requested, respectfully placing his hands together and bowing his head in supplication. As a self-proclaimed scholar, how could he pass up the chance to learn the truth of something so fundamental to the existence of humanity, when he was given the chance to do so?
"The truth," Lily whispered conspiratorially, leaning in close towards Alex, "lies only between the core 'heart' of an angel and a demon."
"Core heart?" Frowning, Alex's face showed that he didn't have any idea of what she might be referencing.
"When a human soul enters the hells, for example," Lily laughed lightly, waving her hands gently in front of his confused look, "they end up usually in one of the topmost levels of Hell. Usually, there is nothing more there to confront – or comfort – them than fire, lava, brimstone, other dark souls, and implings who desire nothing less than to consume their existence."
"If a single soul is strong, and if it's lucky," Lily chuckled, "then it may be able to defeat and overpower another soul. Once that soul is defeated, then it can be absorbed – much like pouring one cup of water into a container which already held another cup."
"Of course," Lily warned Alex, playfully blowing him a kiss as she did so, "it's not quite as simple as one cup of water simply joining another, as the two souls aren't exactly the same. It's more like mixing a red wine with a white oil – both are liquids, and both are fluids, both neither perfectly combines such as when water mixes natively with more water."
"Souls are like that," Lily assured him, beaming innocently, in an attempt to show her sincerity. "They combine into the same *puddle* of liquid – for lack of a better comparison – but they're always fighting for dominance. Two souls within only one body, of which only one can be in control of at a time."
"That's the eternal torment of the Hells," Lily warned Alex, frowning heavily as she thought back upon the place where she was reborn for the second time. "Eternal fighting. Eternal battles. From the moment a single soul arrives within the hells, it struggles and battles for its existence. Either it beats down and dominates those that are weaker than it, or else it ends up absorbed and beaten down until it can be controlled by those stronger than it."
"And, as for the only difference between angels and demons," Lily sighed, sounding almost sad as she was talking, "it's nothing more than the outward manifestation of the souls which comprise either of the two."
"If a spirit vessel contains mostly dark souls, such as those destined to the hells, then that vessel grows black wings, dark claws, and a tail, earning it the human given title, 'Devil' or 'Demon'. If, on the other hand," Lily reminded him, "the vessel is comprised of mainly bright souls, then it manifests as what humans call, 'Angels'."
"The only true difference between the two," Lily assured Alex gently, as her eyes seemed to almost be pleading for him to believe her, "is that one vessel contains more *oil*, whereas the other contains more *wine*. In the end, they're still nothing more than containers which do nothing more than store the contents within them – in this case, various human souls rather than oil or wine."
"And how does the 'core heart', as you called it, play into all this?" Alex asked, not wanting to make a mistake with his line of thinking.
"The core heart is the central soul which controls the vessel," Lily assured him, smiling brightly. "It's why innocent virgin sacrifices are so popular for angel or demon worshippers — they're easily beaten down, corrupted, and absorbed with little risk to the core. It's also why knights and those of great will and conviction are simply slain by an angel or a demon, and not consumed. No core wishes to eat another that may end up dominating it instead!"
"And I suppose you're going to tell me you're a pure spirit core, controlling a vessel of mostly evil souls? A… Hell's Angel, I suppose," Alex frowned, "for lack of a better word."
"Oh no. No. No. Dar…ling, there can only be truth between us now," Lily laughed, gently waving her hand back and forth. "I'm nothing like that. I'm what you humans would call pure evil," she assured him, smiling lightly. "Only concerned with my own self interests, I utterly don't give a damn about what happens to you mortal insects, nor how much your puny species suffers."
"Wh… Why would you admit such a thing to me," Alex asked, swallowing back a lump of fear in his throat, as cold sweat began to slowly form upon his body.
"Why so that you can trust me when I tell you I'm not interested in harming *you*, Dar…ling!" Leaning forward, Lily gently placed a soft intimate kiss across Alex's lips. "*You* have nothing to fear from me," she whispered breathlessly into his ear.
"You're much too interesting to kill," Lily assured Alex lightly, as she leaned forward and stroked his cheeks gently. "Much too strong to consume," she assured him, bringing her face down for another gentle kiss upon the lips. "The only true option," she whispered teasingly, "is for there to be utter truth between us, so our relationship can blossom brilliantly in the future."
His mind overwhelmed completely, Alex could only nod stupidly and stare ahead blankly as she proceeded to gently kiss and caress across his whole body.