It had been a rather exhausting day for Lilith, both physically and emotionally. There was her fight with her younger sister that drained her physically, and loath as she was to admit it, even with the curse, it still took more effort to fight evenly with Edalyn than she was comfortable with admitting to.
Well, that's because she's always been a better witch than you, and a better sister for that matter. You stabbed her in the back and-
Snuffing out that thought once again, she was forced to look on her emotional exhaustion that she didn't want to acknowledge. Just seeing her sister again caused all her guilt over her past mistake to flair up, and it took all her self-control to bite it down. Then there was the after affects of her actions today. While she was able to meet with Amity and apologize for what she did, the youngest of the Blight house wasn't in the mood to listen to her and yelled at her to leave. And she couldn't blame her an inch for it.
And then there was her son's anger at her. Not just anger, but disappointment. Seeing that look in his eyes made her feel as much guilt as when she...
Lilith shook her head and continued sneaking down the halls of the Emperor's main castle. Now wasn't the time for bemoaning her mistakes or any melancholy of the sort. Right now, she needed to find answers, and she wasn't going to find them from anywhere else.
Over the past three years, she'd been visiting and searching every nook and cranny of every library on the Boiling Isles in search of anything she could find on the individual Berial spoke of during their battle. This 'Sparda', who had some sort of relation to her son, which she speculated was either direct biological descent or from one of Sparda's immediate offspring, given that demon lords could directly smell his "scent" on her. Making matters worse, because of something he did, her son was now a target for his enemies. She needed to learn who he was and what his connection to the demons of the greater circles of Hell were so that she could better protect her son from their wrath. If any of them so much as hurt a single silver hair on his head...
Don't think about that right now Lilith, just find out about Sparda and leave before the Emperor figures out what you're up to, she thought as her pace quickened. With every library she went to over the years having no information for her, there was only one place that she could search that would have what she needed; the Emperor's personal collection.
Located in the deepest halls of the palace, no one was allowed anywhere near here except for Emperor Belos himself. Lilith had to distract and sneak around a few patrols here and there on the way so they wouldn't get suspicious of her location. Illusion spells and invisibility were very useful in that regard.
But here she was, standing in front of the large doors to Belos' personal book collection at the end of a hallway illuminated only by sparse torches on the walls. A part of her screamed in her head to just walk away and avoid the Emperor's potential wrath from what she was about to do. But she stomached it, because no matter how devoted she was to Belos and the Emperor's Coven, her son's safety had to come first.
Just before she could reach out to open the door, it began to slowly creak. In the split second before they opened, Lilith took flight with her staff and nearly clung to the ceiling, hiding herself in the darkness. From her spot high above, she saw Emperor Belos slowly walk out, leaving the door wide open. He gave the area a brief once over before he walked away, his footsteps echoing throughout the hall.
Lilith's heart almost felt like it was going to fly out of her esophagus had she not clamped her mouth shut, but just as Belos left, the door began to close of its own accord. Seeing opportunity, she flew right into the room as it closed behind her, enshrouding her in complete blackness that hid everything from sight. Spinning a spell circle, she created an orb of light that illuminated the immediate area, revealing a portion of an aisle filled to the brim with books, and walking down it proved that it just kept going and going and going, almost appearing as if there was no end to it.
This is going to be a long search, Lilith mused, You have no idea when the Emperor will get back Lilith, so just find whatever you can on Sparda and leave.
"So, you're curious about my 'curse', so to speak?" Eda began, not really sure how to discuss this with her newfound family member.
"Well, it's just that this is the first time I've even heard about any family outside of mom," her nephew explained, "And your mention of a curse got me confused by what you meant. Plus it kinda gives me an excuse to get out of the house and away from mom for a while." Eda briefly chuckled before her smile fell and she began to scratch the back of her head in response.
"That's...you see..." Try as Eda might, she didn't have a solid idea on where to begin. How exactly did someone go about telling a nephew they'd just met 'Hey, nice to meet you. By the way, I'm cursed to turn into a monster every now and then' without freaking them out?
"Here, let me," thankfully, Luz stepped in to help out with that, "Basically, Eda was cursed a long time ago, no idea who or how, and she turns into...well," she then pulled out that device she called a 'phone' out and opened it, "This." She then showed Nero the image of her cursed form roaring at the camera. As much as Eda thought it gave her a fierce look, it still unnerved her how she came close to killing Luz and King the last time she transformed. She looked to Nero, worried that he might be scared off by her Owl Beast form.
"Huh, so this is what you turn into?" Instead, Nero just gained a curious look and put his reptilian arm under his chin, "How have you been dealing with it all these years?"
Surprised that he wasn't reacting to it like she expected, Eda took a few seconds before reaching into her hair and pulling out one of the elixirs she used. "I've been using these elixirs to keep it suppressed," she explained, "It generally just takes one, maybe two of these a day to hold the damn thing back. Speaking of..." she then uncorked the top, "Bottoms up!" And drank all the contents in a single gulp before throwing the glass into a wall, shattering the container on impact.
"Sounds pretty rough," Nero said apologetically.
"Eh, I've managed for a few decades at this point," Eda feigned nonchalance, not wanting to give away her greater issues with her curse. Better that Luz and King not have to worry too much on that.
"So, to run things back a bit," Nero began, "Mom said that you're wanted, but for what exactly?"
"Oh, the usual kind of crap. Pulled a few scams here and there, some theft on the side, but it's mostly because I refuse to put up with this coven nonsense and never joined one." Eda explained, "Decided a long time ago that it wasn't my thing, and everything in life taught me that they're the bane of existence."
"Here here," Nero agreed, "I'd offer to do a toast to that, but I don't have a drink, and I'm not old enough for that shit just yet."
"You could just do it with a glass of water," Luz pointed out.
"Or the blood of your enemies!" King exclaimed in his usual exuberance about violence. Eda couldn't help but give a light laugh.
"Y'know, your a bit of a shock, kid." Eda said with a smile, "I'd have expected Lily's kid to be all prissy, snobby, and into the same coven crap she's into, but you're pretty alright."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Nero smirked, "Most of the high society witches I've met so far are uptight fuckers anyway, so I'd rather avoid turning into them."
"Uh," Eda looked to Luz and saw that she was raising her hand, "Sorry to interrupt the aunt/nephew bonding and all that, buuuut I was wondering on something if you don't mind answering."
"Shoot kid," Nero said as he leaned back and rested his hands behind his head.
"Why's your arm like that?"
"Sparda. Sparda. Sparda." Lilith had no idea how long she had been searching through the aisles. Only that she was just now getting to the S section and that she'd skimmed over everything else in her rush to find the information she was looking for. As much as she wanted to read through the contents of these tomes and books, all of which likely contained information on Hell, the history of the Boiling Isles, and even Belos himself, she was pressed for time.
Come on! Where is... Lilith thought she saw something as the light passed over several books in the S section. She walked back and saw a book that didn't have much dust on it, implying that Belos read it regularly. More importantly was the title on it, Sparda: The Dark Knight. Yes! Lilith kept her adulation internalized just in case and quickly took the book from the shelf before flipping through the pages. As she read the text, she slowly found herself enthralled and shocked.
2,000 years ago, the armies of Hell sought to invade the human realm, and among the strongest of Hell's army were the beings known only as the Titans; towering giants of unimaginable power. But as the Titans traversed the Boiling Seas of Limbo, marching to cross the bridge between the realms, they were stopped by a lone warrior. A traitor to his kind. The Dark Knight, Sparda.
With blade in hand and power none could match, he laid waste to the Titans before any could leave Limbo, butchering them and scattering their corpses all across the realm. In the end, only one remained to fight Sparda, but even his strength proved meaningless, as the Dark Knight struck him down and left his corpse to drift in the Boiling Sea. The great Titan and the corpses of his kind have remained afloat in Limbo ever since, a constant reminder to all of Hell of the treachery and power of the Dark Knight.
Lilith closed the book for a moment as her mind ran a thousand miles a minute. Sparda…he killed the Titan that all witch kind stands on. The Boiling Isles and all of witchkind exist because of what he did. Something like this was a massive revelation, and it made her wonder what else the Emperor was hiding from his people in these isles. Information like this could change the isles as they-
"No," Lilith whispered to herself as she got her mind back on track. The line of thought she was having bordered on treasonous. The books here are kept by the Emperor for a reason, she told herself, likely to prevent a second coming of the Savage Ages. Putting all her attention on the book in her hands, she flipped through it again, trying to see if she could gleam through any information on Sparda's enemies and how he defeated them previously. That was all that mattered right now. Now that she knew who Sparda was, she needed to figure out a way to stop any Hell lords from hurting her son for his relation to him.
"Snooping around, Lilith?" The chilling voice said behind her, and her blood ran cold.
"That's...kinda complicated, being honest," Luz listened closely to Eda's nephew as he leaned forward and looked at his right arm, "It's not exactly something I like talking about much."
"Well kiddo, I don't exactly like talking about my curse, but here we are," Eda said, leaning into the couch's side, "So let's hear about the arm. Not gonna lie, kinda curious myself."
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Luz quickly added after Eda's statement. Even if she wanted to know, she didn't want Nero to feel like he was being forced into talking about it.
"Eh, it's alright, she's got a point, so may as well," he began, "Basically, my arm's like this because of a genetic mutation. Doctors say it's from a gene I inherited from my father."
"Oooh, now this I gotta hear!" Eda exclaimed as she sat closer and leaned in, "So, who's the hottie my prissy big sis has been riding all these years?"
"Blegh! Gross! Eda, no one wants to hear about that!" Luz heard King make a vomiting noise as he said this. And she had to agree with her adorable friend, since while she was and still is curious about Nero, the circumstances of his birth is not something she wants to learn about.
"Uh, about that..." Nero stated as he looked away awkwardly Luz assumed either because of how Eda worded the question or because it was just a touchy subject in general, "I...don't really know who my dad is. Mom never talks about him."
Eda then backed away a bit and gave him a sympathetic look, "Oof, let me guess, divorce?"
"More like they never knew each other. Even though mom doesn't talk about him, I was able to figure out about a year back that she just got super drunk one night and, well..." Nero explained as he gestured to himself.
Everyone went quiet for a while, no one knowing how to continue, before King said, "If it makes you feel any better, I never knew my dad either. Then again, I don't really remember anything from before I was overthrown." Luz gave him a couple of affectionate head pats.
"Thanks," Nero replied, "But I've had enough time to cope with that fact. Still kinda wish he was around to explain things about my arm though." He then manifested an ethereal version of his arm and flexed his fingers, the energy version mimicking his real arm's actions before vanishing.
Luz gasped at the new magic she just witnessed while King gained an interested look, his tail wagging back and forth in excitement. "That was so amazing!" Luz exclaimed, "What kind of magic is that?"
"Eh, I'll tell you later. I think I've said enough crap about my life, so how about you?" Nero asked, "How'd you end up on the Boiling Isles anyway?"
"E-Emperor Belos." Lilith could only stammer in fear as she looked the ruler of the isles in his cold, glowing eyes. It was impossible to read his emotions, especially with her mind in a frenzied panic as it was, but one thing was obvious: she was in deep trouble, and she could find no escape. "M-my lord, p-please, just let me e-explain." Before she could say another word, a searing pain coursed through her right arm as dark tendrils outlined with a blue aura began to envelop her from her coven brand, the book falling to the floor. As she was being enveloped, she saw the glow in Belos' eyes, a tranquil yet blistering rage.
"M-my lord," she wheezed in pain, "P-please, just let me e-explain."
"Why should I allow you leave to do so when you have broken into my sanctum and scoured by personal collection?" Belos responded with an immense anger behind his calm tone, "You've seen far more than you should have, Lilith."
"N-no, this is the only book I've read! I pro-" The tendrils wrapping around her mouth and covering her eyes silenced her. She couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't breathe. Everything was fading away fast, and all she could think about in those moments was her family. Of the son she loved so much and just wanted to protect, the sister she wanted to save and make amends with for her horrid mistake, the father who'd suffered the consequences of her selfishness, and the mother whom she just wanted the approval of.
Suddenly, the binding stopped and she was released from the tendrils, her arm no longer in blistering agony and her coven brand no longer glowing through her sleeve. As she gasped for air, she looked up and saw that Belos had picked up the book she was reading and simply flipped through the pages. Before, it was easy to see that he was enraged, but now he was completely unreadable, which Lilith found even more frightening.
"So, you've only read through this one, correct?" Belos looked to her and asked, his tone almost daring her to lie to him. Steeling herself as best as she could, Lilith replied with the honest truth.
"Yes, that is the only book I've read here. I haven't read anything else. I swear to you on my life." Her declaration was met with an uncomfortable, deathly silence that lasted for many minutes until he closed the book, with the sound echoing throughout the entire room.
"And what, pray tell, has convinced you to commit such a treasonous act?" He asked, this time with a tinge of curiosity. That meant either his anger at her attempted deception had died down, or he was just hiding it and waiting for the right moment to bring it to the forefront again.
Lilith took a deep breath and said, "I was looking for any information I could regarding the demon known as Sparda. Three years ago, the Hell lord I fought said that I...slept with someone who carried his blood. I believe I either slept with Sparda himself or with a direct descendent of his, and the demons from the lower circles are targeting any who have his blood coursing through their veins," she then gulped, "That...that includes my son."
She went silent again for a moment before continuing, "I've spent the last three years looking all over the isles for any information I could find on him. Who he was, what enemies he had, and how he defeated them, but I could find nothing. I came here because this was the last place I could look, and I was willing to do anything to keep my son safe, even if the act itself is...treasonous."
"I see..." Belos droned, his tone unreadable. Lilith closed her eyes and awaited the searing agony of her brand being set off again. But her mental preparations seemed all for not, as the pain didn't return. Instead, Belos asked, "Tell me, Lilith, don't you find it peculiar? You act against my will and snoop into my personal sanctum, your sister abandoned the correct way of life and lives as a wild witch, and your son has yet to join any of the covens. Perhaps rebellion and thoughts of treason run more strongly in the Clawthorne bloodline than any realize."
Fear overtook Lilith as she pleaded, "My Emperor, I beseech you. I merely wanted what I could find to protect my son. Nothing mo-"
"And if what you were after included anything else here?" Belos' wrathful tone had returned. He walked up to her as she took steps back in equal measure, "You would seek out what could bring about the second coming of the Savage Ages and bring chaos to the isles? All for your son?"
She didn't know how to answer. She couldn't answer as her terror wouldn't allow her. But suddenly, the Emperor bent over and sounded as if he was in pain, dropping the book in the process, with his breathing becoming erratic. He quickly took out a Palisman, one that resembled a serpent, and broke it, absorbing the wild magic as it flowed into the eye holes of his mask as he took a deep breath. The sight left Lilith disturbed, watching the life drain from the deceased Palisman and into the isles' ruler made her sick to her stomach. If she could summon Coronis and cradle him at this moment, she would. It took a lot of convincing to allow Belos to let her keep her Palisman and not utilize the staff he and the Golden Guard used just so he could have another means of revitalizing himself for a few moments. Coronis meant a lot to her, and she wouldn't let anyone take her Palisman away.
"Now, as I was saying, what I have here is more dangerous than you seem to realize. However, seeing as you didn't gleam over anything more than this one book," the Emperor said, gesturing to the book she had previously read, "I shall allow it to pass, for now at least."
Lilith closed her eyes and sighed in relief as she clutched her heart, feeling it's beat calm down as Belos continued, "And I shall grant you one bit of information that you may find useful. I recollect hearing down the grapevine of the Underworld that Sparda had died almost forty years ago, so it stands to reason that whomever your son's father is, they would have to be Sparda's son." Lilith looked up into Belos' hidden eyes as he spoke, her mind reeling at the information as he continued, "Additionally, I once met a man who'd found his way into this very room, seeking whatever he could find. I cast him out and told him he would not find what he was looking for here."
"Y-you mean to tell me that this man is..." Lilith wasn't sure how to continue.
"It is a possibility. Perhaps this man still wanders the isles, slaughtering demons left and right. It would explain why they flock here to hunt for Sparda's kin."
"Why are you telling me this?" Lilith was scared to ask the question, but against her better judgement she did so anyway.
"It's simple," Belos replied, his tone inducing dread in her, "I still have not forgiven what you have done, Lilith. Understand that what I tell you now comes at a price."
Nero looked at the human teenager as she smiled and brightly spoke, "Well, it's a long tale of heroism, violence, and a shocking amount of law breaking that-"
"Owlbert stole her book and she helped us break into the Conformitorium to help me get my crown back," King interrupted before he kicked the ground and crossed his arms. Nero heard him mutter something like 'Stupid jerkface warden, destroying my crown'.
"Well, I guess that's one way of putting it," Luz's face turned red as she rubbed her right arm.
"Kid, let's be honest, you would have added a bunch of needless details and tried to be all prosy about it like those books you're into." Aunt Eda chimed in with a yawn, "And being honest, we don't have time for that kind of crap right now, it's getting pretty late."
"Okay, so skipping ahead, long story short, I'm spending my summer here on the isles and learning magic. Pretty cool, right!"
"Uh, yeah," Nero replied, rather unsure of the idea of Luz learning magic. He didn't have anything against it, he just never heard of a human being capable of doing so. "I'm...not exactly sure how you're supposed to do magic without having a valknut to draw from though."
"A what nut?"
"It's the name of the bile sac that I showed you," his aunt helpfully explained to her, "I just never used the name since I don't really give a damn about 'medical accuracy' and all that other nonsense."
"Oh," Luz said before she pulled out a sheet of blank paper, "Well, I'm learning how to do magic in my own way. Watch this." She then began drawing a weird symbol on the page. Nero curiously looked at her work, having never seen anything like it either in rune books or any lessons on magic his mother and teachers at Hexside gave him. Just before he could ask her what it was, she tapped the symbol with her hand and the paper crumbled, turning into a ball of light that floated in the air.
"Whoah," Nero muttered as he leaned in to get a better look at the floating orb, "Never seen magic cast that way before. For everyone I've seen, it's always like this," he then formed a spell circle with his left hand and conjured a floating ball of flames, which he dissipated before forming a ball of ice, then a small orb of electricity, "What kind of magic is that?"
Luz gave him a cheery smile and replied, "They're glyphs. I figured out how to do them when Eda was chasing us around the house." She then looked apologetic and looked to his aunt, "Oop, sorry to bring it up Eda."
"Eh, don't sweat it kiddo. It's all good." Eda said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Any others you can do?" Nero asked as he marveled at the small orb of light before it disappeared. While light magic was extremely basic, the method Luz used to conjure it was definitely something that got his attention. Part of him wondered what kind of ways it could be used for fighting. What other kinds of glyphs were out there and what combat applications they had? If he could use them as well, not to mention if they could augment weaponry like-
Huh, he realized, It's...actually been a while since I got interested in something like this.
"Nero," he blinked as he saw Luz waving a hand in front of his face, "You still there? You kinda zoned out for a second."
"Oh, sorry, guess I just found what you did pretty cool," Nero admitted.
"Thanks! Anyway, like I was saying, this is the only one I know how to do." Luz said with a touch of sadness, clearly wishing she knew more magic.
Nero gave her a warm smile and said, "Don't sweat it. Last I checked, I didn't think humans could actually do magic, so if you've already proven that bit wrong, then you'll probably figure out more spells to cast later on." Luz shyly rubbed her head at the praise and encouragement. He then thought up on one of the questions he had mused about earlier and asked, "Say, what are the odds you could apply these glyphs to weapons as an augmentation tool?"
"I actually haven't thought of that. I mean, I made a super big light show that one time, but using them on weapons or tools didn't really occur to me till now," Luz admitted. But then she smiled and took out a notebook and drew another light glyph, "But what if I applied the paper the glyph was drawn on to a tool of some kind? Eda, do you have any weapons I could borrow?"
"Sure. I have an armory down the hall in the back a few doors to the left. Anything in-" Eda was interrupted as Luz ran back with an excited grin, "particular? Well she's excited."
"Hey! How come you never let me play with any of the arsenal?" King whined indignantly, much to Nero's bemusement as he chuckled.
"Because a few months ago, you complained about everything being "too heavy"," Eda chuckled, equally bemused, "Then you insisted that 'A true king has no need for weapons!', so I made the armory a 'No King' zone."
"Oh, right. I forgot about that."
In a few seconds, Luz walked in holding a mace that was about the same size as King. She was panting slightly and struggling to hold it over her shoulder, indicating to Nero that it weighed a lot more then its appearance would make you believe.
"Phew!" Luz places the mace down in front of them before sticking the glyph to its spiked end and tapped it. Unfortunately, much to Nero's disappointment, the paper just turned into a ball of light and floated up.
"Well that was a let down," Nero commented.
Luz scratched her head, "Maybe we're doing something wrong here?"
"Hmmm," Weirdly enough, King gained a questioning look before he brought up, "Wait, what if you don't tap the glyph while it's on it and just swing it around as is?"
"Don't these things only work when you tap them?" Nero asked.
"Yeah, that's how Luz's been using them so far." Eda added in.
"Actually, I think King might have an idea," Luz admitted, making Nero turn to her perplexedly. She drew up another glyph and stuck it to the spiked end of the mace, this time not touching it further. Surprisingly, after a moment, the weapon glowed yellow for a split-second it before ceasing. Luz smiled and hoisted the mace up on her shoulder, stumbling back slightly. With a huff, she swung the mace with as much strength as she could and slammed it into the floor. Besides splintering the flooring, a small light burst rushed out of where the mace was slammed by a few feet, shattering a table and its vase.
"Ha!" Nero smirked at the success, "That was awesome! Let me try." Luz kindly gave him the weapon, which felt as light as a feather to him. He then slammed it on another part of the floor, but aside from further splintering the floor even more so than when Luz used it, nothing happened. He lifted the weapon to his face in confusion and looked all over it, seeing that the glyph wasn't there anymore.
"Huh, guess it's just one use," Luz said with a shrug, "Still, I didn't know glyphs could do that until now, so it's still super cool." She then ran back down the hallway before sticking her head back in the room, "Wanna test it out with the other stuff we have?"
"Hell yeah!" Nero ran down the hall with her as King joined along with them. He heard Eda exclaim something about having fun breaking things while Hooty yelled about 'not messing around with his interior too much'. They tested out the light glyph with several different weapons, ranging from battle-axes, halberds, flails, and of course, swords, all the while Nero laughed and smiled throughout.
"W-what do you need of me, my Emperor?" Lilith asked, an audible gulp preceding her question. Rather than answer, Belos turned away from her, as if pondering the question.
"As I have stated before, your son has yet to join any of the covens, and I told you long ago that he had immense potential," he said without turning to face her.
"Yes, I remember."
"And yet he squanders that potential by refusing to join a coven," Belos continued, making Lilith's heart sink with worry.
"I can assure you that he does want to join a coven, he just hasn't found the right one yet," Lilith knew her words were a lie. Even she could tell that her son didn't want to become part of a coven with how he actively came up with any excuse he could. It scared her, how it seemed like he was going down a similar road to her sister, and she knew what that kind of life would lead to. Complete isolation from society at best, and petrification for going against the system at worst. Neither of which was something she wanted to happen.
Belos turned back to her, "Here is my price for the information I have given you. I want Nero to become part of my coven. His strength will serve the Titan's wishes well. And by joining us, he will be provided with protection from any rulers from the lower circles of Hell. Is that not enough reason for him to join?"
"I've tried to convince him to join the Emperor's Coven before," Lilith admitted, "But he keeps pushing the subject aside."
"Then find a way to convince him," Belos said as he placed a hand on her shoulder, making her freeze with fear, "And Lilith, be warned. You have until the Day of Unity to bring him into the coven. Should you fail, he will be cast aside as a wild witch, and you know what becomes of their kind, don't you?"
Lilith restrained the urge to scream in anger at the very thought. How dare he threaten to cast her son out and force him to suffer. But no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't. To disobey such an order from her Emperor was tantamount to suicide, and if he got rid of her, then nothing would stop him from casting Nero away as a wild witch, or even just forcing him into the coven. While Lilith wanted her son to become part of the Emperor's Coven, she wanted him to do so by choice.
"I...I understand, Lord Belos," Lilith timidly agreed to her Emperor's terms, "I will find a way to bring him into the coven before then. You have my word."
As soon as the words left her lips, Belos took his arm from her shoulder and picked up the book he had dropped, "Good," he replied, his tone even once again, "Now run along. Should I find you in here again, the consequences will be far more...permanent."
Lilith quickly nodded and ran out of the room as fast as she could before she calmed herself into a more casual walking pace as she returned to the well lit halls of the palace, waving at any guards she came across in an effort to calm her nerves. Until the Day of Unity, she thought. That was how long she had to convince her son to join the Emperor's Coven of his own volition.
You need to figure out how to do this, She told herself, It's all for his own good. Just remember that, Lilith. It's all to keep him safe.
"Shit, it's getting dark," Nero cursed as he looked outside, "Sorry, but I think I'd better get going. Don't want mom to freak out."
"And if she found out you came here, odds are, Lily'd freak out even more," Aunt Eda said before her voice became apprehensive. Nero gave her a quick nod and said goodbye to everyone, with King yawning and leaving to wherever his bedroom was, before he walked out the door and into the woods as the sky darkened, but before he could get very far, he heard his aunt's voice ask, "So, kid, how's uh...how's my sister been doing these years?"
"Huh?" Nero looked back to her as she stood in the doorframe before he picked up on what she meant, "Oh, well, I'd say she's been pretty good, if that's what you mean. Why?"
What he said wasn't a complete lie, as from what he'd seen, his mother had been doing rather well for herself, given her position and status, but at the same time he occasionally saw this odd sadness in her eyes that came and went, almost like she was trying to force it down. Part of him wanted to ask her if something was wrong, but at the same time, he wanted to respect his mother's privacy. After all, not exactly like he had much room to call her out on keeping shit hidden from him, considering what he used to do a few years ago. Not to mention what he was doing right now.
"It's nothing really," she said a little too quickly, but Nero opted to ignore that for now, "You mentioned that you wanted to get away from her for a while earlier?"
Nero gave a short nod, "Yeah, after the whole, y'know, Covention thing, I was pretty damn pissed at her and needed some space. But I gotta say, being here was actually pretty relaxing. Mom's kind of a smotherer, if that makes sense, not to mention the times she pushes for me to join one of the dumbass covens, so being here without any of those expectations is a nice breath of fresh air."
"Oh believe you me, I know what a smother is like. Hell, maybe that's where Lily gets it from." Eda cringed slightly as she leaned on the side of the doorframe of her house.
Just then, Luz rushed up to her side and excitedly asked, "Wait, you also had an overbearing mom like Nero does? Are we gonna hear more backstory?"
"Sorry kid, no backstory for tonight, or the next, or...ever, for that matter."
"Aw man!" Luz said dejectedly as her arms slumped.
"Oh! Hey Luz, want to hear my backstory?" Hooty obnoxiously said as he stretched out and got in the human girl's face, "I was born when-"
"NO!" Nero, Eda, and Luz all yelled in unison as Eda said, "Hooty, no one wants to hear that!"
"Maybe later then. Hoot!" The bird tube then retracted back into the front door as Eda continued.
"Anyway, as I was saying, if you ever need to get away from Lilith when she's being more uptight than usual, or you just need a place to crash for a few hours to get away from it all, feel free to stop by. Been a while since I've had a family member over that didn't piss me off in some capacity."
"Yeah, and maybe we could talk more about different kinds of magic!" Luz exclaimed, "We learned about using glyphs to augment weapons. Maybe we could figure out more about the kinds of magic your arm could do?"
Nero looked at his arm. In the three years since he stopped going demon hunting, he hadn't used it for anything more than the basics, and the prospect of learning more about what he could do with it here was a tempting one. Hell, just being here made him smile a lot more than he had in the past few years. Nero wasn't sure if it was the more relaxed attitude his aunt and her wards had, the human's exuberance to learning about new magic that reminded him of when he was a kid, or just how open this place seemed, it all made him want to come back here more often.
He looked back to the two in the doorway and smiled, "Sure, I'll visit every now and then. See you around Aunt Eda." He waved to his aunt before looking down at Luz, "Take care kid." The two of them waved back, his aunt more casually while Luz waved more happily. Hooty also said a loud and cheerful goodbye that he promptly ignored since the house demon's voice was like a razor wire sawing through his brain. While he was pretty sure he should have been running back home, given that he didn't want to get there after his curfew, but he was just too at ease and just wanted to enjoy the scenery for once. He'd gotten to meet some family he didn't know he had and it all felt uplifting. At the same time, as he was halfway through the forest, his expression became more serious as his walk broke into a sprint, rushing through Bonesborough as fast as he could, jumping and hopping across buildings to get home in time.
Need to figure out when I can visit them more often without mom figuring out, Nero thought to himself, sadly acknowledging that he was going behind his mother's back again, this time to hang around with his outlaw aunt. Sorry mom, but...I just feel like I might need some space every now and then. Maybe I can tell you someday and you'll understand.
Though he knew that day wouldn't come for a long time.