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Korosuakuma POV:

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{moments before}

My eyes slowly peeled open. I don't feel like I just woke up from a coma, it feels like I just took a nap. I heard a thump and, against better judgment, I ignored it. After the second, nearly inaudible thump, I bolted up.

I didn't get out of bed, but I saw figures in the shadows, my eyes easily picking their movement. I couldn't see much and they didn't notice I was looking at them until one looked right at me. They were dressed in all black and it was hard to tell if they were human.

At the speed he was coming towards me, definitely not human. I could barely move. It was almost like a dream. I snapped out of it when one of them grabbed my arm, and I jolted into action.

This is real, they are trying to kidnap you, do something! I lashed out and scratched his arm. he let me go with a hiss and I fell out of bed. The thump was loud and ran throughout the house. "Time for plan B. Grab her and lets go." one of them whispered in a hushed tone.

Amaimon! Please help! I scrambled to get up and to the door, but one quickly grabbed my ankle. I immediately fell to the floor and the impact had my head spinning. My vision blurred and I could only hear ringing. They grabbed my legs and started to drag me as I clawed at the floorboards but I wasn't strong enough.

One threw me over their shoulder while the other put a cloth over my mouth. I was slipping in and out of consciousness but I could feel them moving. His shoulder was almost stabbing my stomach and I didn't noticed they jumped until the impact of them hitting the ground pushed the air out of my lungs.

Amaimon where are you? That was all I could think as they continued to run into the night and the dark of it grew into the abyss. 

{time skip brought to you by, this feels redundant but it's necessary}

I woke up with an ache in my body, the kind of ache you can only have by sleeping on the ground. This wasn't like the last time I woke up, I remembered what happened before I fell unconscious. Everything was cold but that might be because Amaimon isn't here to give me the warmth I grew accustomed to waking up with.

Sigh, I'm here again. Captured again. Why can't I do anything right? I was about to get up when I heard voices. One being strangely familiar. I relaxed and turned so my back would face the door. At least maybe they will think I'm still asleep. "She hasn't gotten up? Are you sure she was awake when you went to get her?" the familiar voice asked.

"Does this look like she was sleeping?" said a voice I recognized as one of my captors. "Did you hurt her?" said the person behind the voice I hadn't quite figured out yet. "No, sir." the captor said. "I'll go in. Just me. The guards have to leave too. She isn't a prisoner." I heard him say. I heard the door creak open and the man slowly step closer.

The man's footsteps slowly drew nearer and came to a stop when he towered over me. I could see his figure in the shadow it cast in the room. He leaned down and upon touching my shoulder I sprung into action.

I spun and grabbed his wrist and rolled my body, his arm coming with, forcing him onto the floor. I let go of his wrist and by instinct I wrapped my arms around his throat. I could feel myself pressing down harder, wanting to crush him. It was an instinct, something inside of me. Something inside me wanted this man dead, for whatever reason.

He had laid there for a few seconds in shock, but when he snapped out of it he grabbed my wrist and tried to get me off. "Wow, I didn't think you would be this strong." he grumbled as I started to squeeze tighter, wishing him to shut up.   

He opened his eyes and something clicked. I remember who this man is! I scrambled to get off of him and in seconds I was on the other side of the room. I put my head in my hands and tried not to break down, not only in sadness but in relief.  

"Oh my God, what have I done?" I whispered. But is it even really him or is it just my imagination? "You were never like that as a kid." he said raspy and started coughing. "People change a lot." I whispered looking up at my once important friend.

"Is it really you?" I asked hopefully. "Yeah, Korosuakuma. It's been a very long time. A little over 11 years right?" he asked sitting up.

"Everyone thought you were dead. I was at the funeral but there was no body in your coffin. Everyone said you suddenly went missing and that due to your health, you would have no doubt died." I said angry at the memory.

"What did they find?" he asked scooting closer to me. "Your blood in the woods, you were anemic and there was a lot of it. The town said it was an animal attack. They said you were eaten by an animal. And then suddenly your family disappeared. Everyone assumed it was because they couldn't handle the memories of you in the town." I said remembering that day vividly.

"What happened to you?" I asked. "I was attacked by a werewolf. I managed to escape but the poison had entered my body already. After seeing what was happening to me I panicked. I ran from home and was found by rogues, a huge family of them. They took me in. The leader was reckless and horrible so when I turned 15 I challenged him and won. The rogues became a pack and we didn't have land so we roamed the no mans land, most of us in search of mates. Most of us are males. You're here because- well I'll let you see for yourself." He said as if not to uncover too much. He had always been like that.

His name is Rayic. We grew up together in the same town. We'd been childhood friends up until the age of 6 when he mysteriously disappeared. No one had seen him since, so we all assumed he passed away. He disappeared shortly after the death of my mother. The depression and grief had gotten worse after that, and my best friend was not there to help me cope.

I'd become accustomed to losing people in my life; I had grown to accept it, but it's like they are all slowly coming back. My mom, Amethyst, and now Rayic. There was still more to come. "Where are we?" I asked looking around the dirt room. "It's known as the Underground, and the land above it is mine." he said getting up. Wrong. It's Amaimon's. But I guess a turned werewolf with no lineage of alphas wouldn't know that.  

"Why am I here?" I asked getting up slowly. My dress was still covered in dirt, making me almost want to cry. "Because my associate needs you. I'll let her explain." he said walking to the door. He opened it and we walked through the Underground, descending down dirt hallways. A few turns and we were at a metal door.  

"Go through there and she will explain everything." he said pushing me lightly towards the door. "You aren't coming with?" I asked nervously. "Me and her aren't allowed to meet face to face. It came with one of the terms we agreed on, we never see each other. It's a sign of the utmost trust." he said.

"How?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "We can only run on the words we hear and not a face. We don't assume based on appearances or facial expressions. Just only listening to what the other says, that is trust. To believe someone's every word." he said opening the door.

I looked down and there were steps behind the doorway. I put my foot on the first step and looked back. "Go on." he said teasing. I took a deep breath and walked down the steps, the metal door closing behind me. I made it to the bottom and there was another door.

I knocked and the door swung open. A girl with blonde hair and purple eyes stood there with her arms crossed. "So you're Korosuakuma?" she asked looking me over. "Yeah." I said raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, follow me." she said turning around and walking down the hall. I tried to keep up with her but she walked so fast. We made it to- Guess what?- ANOTHER DOOR. I'm sick of all the doors. "What's wrong? Can't keep up?" she said, her tone acid. "No, but if you don't shut up, you won't have legs to walk with." I growled. What's wrong with me? Why am I so angry all of the sudden?

She scoffed and opened the door. I looked around and was shocked at everything around me. there was water falling from the ceiling down onto the floor which was miles below me. This one small hallway turned into several, one-walled walkways, everything opening up into this massive space that spanned what looked like two miles to the other side.

The water must be from the surface because it was the main source of natural light that shined from above. I stared in awe at all of it. I stood still, struck by the shock of everything around me. My eye caught a figure and I turned to meet a women in full decked out gear, silver hair, and blue eyes.

"Oh God! Is that her?" she asked almost excited. "Yeah." she hissed. "We've been waiting for you! I'm Regine, the head of this place." she said shaking my hand, her armor clinking at her gesture. "Why am I here?" I asked.

"You are here to help us!" she said smiling at me. "What's going on here? I'm starting to get annoyed at everyone beating around the bush. I need to know where I am and why." I said annoyed.

She smiled wider and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. She turned us to face the opening and said something I didn't expect. "Welcome to the rebellion." she yelled as I looked down over a sea of people that were staring from the bottom floor.

My eye caught something and that's when everything changed and started to make sense. I grabbed Regine by the wrist and brought her hand to my face. There was a small, almost marble like, clear orb in her hand, inside of her skin.

Keyta. She's a Keyta. They all are. "I thought I was the only one." I whispered backing up, unable to hide my shock. "Most of us do, before we come here that is." she said. "I just- I need a minute." I said sliding my back down the wall I had backed into. There is a whole underground village of Keytas. Right under the noses of everyone.

And the rebellion. Why are they called a rebellion? The only need for a rebellion is when they are starting a w- oh no. "How did you find me?" I asked. "We will answer all your questions in the meeting room." she said gesturing me to follow as she walked down the hall.

I followed her into a room with a table and chairs and sat down at the other end of her. I don't know how to feel about all of this. I had a feeling at the pit of my stomach that said this wasn't going to end well. 

"So how did you find me?" I asked when I finally calmed down. "Rayic talked about you and your family fondly. When I heard about what your mother looked like, I knew off the bat that she was Enjeru. She was powerful. Very powerful, and she was one of the strongest guardian angels in the history books. A Keyta is only was strong as the angel they come from. I asked Rayic to find you and to bring you here. We can only dream of what you can do and sources say that you even got cured. We are not as fortunate." she said looking down sadly.

"So you're a Keyta. Is your human trapped in your body?" I asked the sickening feeling returning. "No, our human sides have learned to coexist with us but we can't look the way we used to." she said. "You're the strongest. We need a leader. And that's where you come in." she said confident.

"A leader of what?" I asked shakily, knowing the answer wouldn't be good. "The war." she said dead serious. "What war?" I asked my eyes widening in terror. "We are sick of hiding Korosuakuma! Succubi live amongst humans! And demons like them cause nothing but harm! They won the war all those years ago. We didn't stand a chance back then, but with you, we are sure to win. To kill Satan and take Gehenna. The demons will be slaughtered to extinction like they did to us all those years ago! We refuse to hide anymore, it's the age of the Keyta now and we want you to be our leader." she said in an anger that was sure to prove she was a Keyta in her soul.

Take Gehenna? Challenge Satan and win? KILL MY ALMOST FATHER IN LAW? Sure there is proof that demons have caused harm, my mom would know that the most. Her dead body laying there in town. Not to forget my mate who slaughtered  thousands.

People lost daughters, sisters, friends to that war. All prosecuted because a Keyta decided to kill a demon queen. The jewel of Satan. His wife. One mistake that all of our people paid for, regardless of age. No Keyta lived through it. All slaughtered for being the daughters of an angel. 

Demons wanted me dead, the shadow demon, the hybrid, and especially my father in law. But I can't. I can't do it. I have demons who love me, demons who make my life worth it. Rin, Yukio, Grimora, Behemoth, Daidamn, Mephisto, and Amaimon.

I can't betray him. I won't. They have changed my life and I won't do this to them. They made us angry by slaughtering Keytas like me but I refuse to make the same mistake.

"No." I said sitting up, one of the most sure decisions in my life. "Excuse me?" she hissed her smile disappearing. "I won't do it. Even if I am a Keyta, demons have changed my life. Sure they can be a pain in the ass but they also make my life worth it. I won't betray them for revenge on a race that ended long ago and for people who only want to do the same thing to them as they did to you. That makes you just as bad as those you hate and I refuse to stand by you and watch you kill the innocent." I said standing up.

"Demons are not innocent! They are monsters!" she growled. "They said the same thing about you. You're no better than they are." I said walking to the door. Upon opening the door I bumped into a broad chest and looked up at a small group of boys. Werewolves. All Keytas are girls.

"Grab her." she said and when I heard that I tried to run. They easily grabbed me and it took 4 of them to retain me. "Ugh, let me go! Why are you doing this!?" I growled. "I'm not stupid. I know you will go running to the Vatican little exorcist. So you're gonna stay here while we prepare for the war. You won't have time to warn anyone. Maybe a little time in a cell will help you think a little better about betraying your race." she said waving her hand, "Take her away."

"No! Let me go!" I said struggling against the wolves. They brought me upstairs and threw me into a cell just like the one I woke up in. I don't know how long I had been there, only that it hadn't even been a day yet. Just merely hours.

There were guards outside the door and all I could do is hope that Amaimon came for me soon. How could they think I could defeat Satan if I can't even prevent myself getting kidnapped? There was a knock and I perked up at the sound of it.

"Korosuakuma, it's me." Rayic said through the door. "What do you want? An invitation to come in? It's not like you have to ask, you have the key." I said laying on the bed tired, but refusing to sleep.

The door creaked open and he walked in and it shut quickly. "Why won't you do it?" he asked sitting down next to me. "I have my reasons Rayic." I sighed relaxing and sitting up. "Come on, you guys have been in hiding for years." he said trying to reason with me.

"I didn't. I never hid. Granted that hasn't gone well 100% of the time, I'm cursed anyway. But hanging with demons has given me some of the best times of my life." I said.

"There is no way I believe that. Demons and Keytas don't mix." he said like it was a fact when it really wasn't. Screw instinct, screw tradition. "Of course they can. They've protected me, shared their lives with me, and even given me their love." I said smiling at the thought of my mate Amaimon.

"Demons don't love, they can't give what they don't have." he said as a-matter-of-fact. "Lies. You're wrong. You don't know anything about them. They are beautiful and complex creatures just like the rest of us." I hissed.

I can't let him bash on my mate, my family, or my soon to be subjects. "They used to say I couldn't love either." I mumbled.

"What do I smell like to you?" I asked suddenly feeling really awake. "I don't know." he said shrugging. "Come on wolfy, use that nose." I teased. "Kind of like..... happiness, but also like death? But also like a forest, none in specific, like it's all of them." he said looking at me weird.

"Do you see this ring on my finger?" I asked him looking at it. I slowly played with it on my finger. "Is that an engagement ring? It's on the correct finger but it doesn't look like one." he said looking at it.

"Smell it." I said raising it to his face. "What?" he said pushing it way from him. "Trust me, smell it." I said bringing it to his face. he rolled his eyes but took a deep breath anyway.

"It smells almost like you. It's got that forest smell I was talking about." he said looking at it strangely. "It is an engagement ring, it's actually very traditional, just not your kind of wedding. It's my fiancé's blood." I said kissing my ring.

"What kind of wedding is it?" he asked almost disappointed. "A demon wedding." I whispered. He immediately got up and looked at me with wide eyes. "Demon!?" he asked, shocked by my response.

"My fiancé is the Demon King of Earth." I smiled and that is when the ground started to shake.

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