"I see absolutely no reason for you to have summoned him here."

Barbatos' mood had shifted to something I hadn't seen in him before. Everything about him seemed darker, and far more volatile. The white-haired man, who was the source of his upset, kept a smile on his face as he approached the table.

"It's really great to meet you, (Y/N)! I must say, I've been eager since I was informed last night. You're looking well!" He really didn't seem to know how to read a room, and I couldn't help but be sceptical. Was he another demon? If Barbatos disliked him, could he be trusted?

"(Y/N), allow me to introduce you to Solomon, our human exchange student, and resident sorcerer." When Diavolo spoke, I instantly felt a slight rush of relief. A fellow human. I could find some small comfort in that.

Wait...I'm not exactly a human anymore...and humans are who did this to me in the first place...

"Hello..." I greeted meekly, eyeing the man's movements as he took a seat. He didn't look like a threat, but I wasn't a great judge of character.
"To answer your question, Barbatos, we decided that Solomon could be of use. Magic is his speciality, and being human, he could assist in helping the girl get settled." Lucifer explained their reasoning, swirling his tea.

He didn't like the idea one bit, but Barbatos held his tongue, opting to simply glare daggers and shift closer to me.
"Now that we're all here, (Y/N), I need you to describe the man who orchestrated the ritual. As best you can, please." The Demon Lord turned to me, and everybody else's eyes followed, weighing me down until I sank further in my seat.

"He...was young. M..Mid to late twenties, I'd say...Uh, dark, curly hair, a..and olive skin. He had weird eyes..." I recalled what I could remember, shuddering at the thought of him, and that excitement I had seen on his face, moments before my end.

Solomon's brows furrowed, and that cheery look dissipated quickly once he took in what I had recounted.
"Did he tell you his name?" He asked me, and I fought to remember. He had, I was sure of it, but it was dancing on the tip of my tongue.

"I think...Raz? O..Or Rez? Yeah, it was Rez." I was pretty sure that was it, and Solomon's expression fell further as he sat back in his chair.
"I wish it weren't the case, but I know exactly who he is." He sighed, prompting a round of curious hums.

"Are you intending on sharing, or are you forgetting we aren't mind readers?" Lucifer sounded irritated, which I decided was his natural state, despite only having known him for all of an hour.
"Rezon. A rogue sorcerer who I've met once or twice. If he was involved, I have my doubts of this being any kind of accident."

Was he really implying that whatever that Rezon guy did was meant to send me here? To have me become something so unnatural? Somehow, that made everything feel that much worse.
"Why would you come to that conclusion?" Barbatos was the one to question him this time, less bite to his tone than before.

Folding his arms across his chest, the snowy-haired human chose to close his eyes instead of share his gaze amongst us.
"From what I know, Rezon experiments with the darkest forms of magic and alchemy he can find. If he had even the slightest reason to believe that he could create any kind of demon from a human, he'd test that theory out. Just..leave it with me. I'll look into it."

So I might just be some psycho's experiment?

They each took turns speaking, sometimes overlapping each other, but I just sat there, again wishing I'd shut my mouth and stayed hidden away in that cabin. This whole day had been exhausting, and painful. I just wanted it to be over.

"It's true, I've been keeping any power at bay with curses, yes." I tuned back in at the right moment, it seemed, and my head whipped around towards Barbatos, his eyes flickering away to avoid my shocked expression.

"Did you just say you've been cursing me..?" When he didn't respond I jumped up, suddenly uncaring of our spectators as I tried to grasp the demon's jaw and force him to look at me. "Cursing me?! Are you kidding?! What the actual hell, Barb?!"

After nearly half a century of getting to know him, spotting Barbatos' guilt was pretty easy for me, but it didn't stop me from feeling betrayed.
"I am sorry for keeping it from you, but I am not sorry I did it. There was no other option." He sighed whilst easily keeping me from maiming him.

"I'm supposing there's more you haven't told us, Barbatos. Go on." Diavolo was looking rather surprised by how I was acting with his attendant, but his curiosity trumped it. Once he had managed to settle me enough to force me back down into my seat, Barbatos finally looked at me before casting his eyes to his master.

"I may be mistaken, but during the first few months of her revival, (Y/N) was displaying certain abilities. Ones that were identical to a very specific race of demon." He began to explain. "Abilities may be a stretch, but things were odd. Venereal behaviour, and what I can only describe as some form of pheromone."

Venereal behaviour? I mean, sure, I flirt with him sometimes, but not that much...

The table fell silent, and having all eyes on me yet again made me start to sweat.
"Are you certain? If that's the case, then this could be a bigger issue than we originally thought." Lucifer appeared to be taken aback, a hand over his mouth.

"It's been hundreds of years since we've had to worry about those. Yes, this could cause some problems, indeed..." Diavolo added, and Solomon just stared at me, studying closely. Quickly being fed up, I decided to turn to Barbatos again, eyes narrowed.
"Can somebody please tell me what you think I am?"

Just like before, Barbatos seemed to be having trouble forcing himself to make eye contact, signifying his discomfort. I waited for his response, hoping he'd tell it to me straight. He owed it to me, after everything.
"If my suspicions are correct, then I have reason to believe that you are what is known as Succubi."

Succubi...

I knew that that was. A succubus was a demon who drew power and life force from sex, or at least somewhat. Realising what had been said, my eyes widened, and I slumped into the back of my seat.
"So...because I wasn't a virgin sacrifice like intended...it ironically made me a demonic whore..? What the fuck..?"

This keeps getting worse.

"Now now, we don't know if that's really the case, and if it is, you may not have the same level of power." Solomon piped up, reaching into his shirt to pull out a folded sheet of paper. "Actually, I'd like to try something, if I may? To get a grasp of your demon status."

He extended the paper towards me from his seat, but before I could take hold of it Barbatos snatched it away, unfurling it and baring his teeth as he read.
"You are not forging a pact with her. End of story."

A pact?

Glancing between the two of them, then briefly to both Diavolo and Lucifer, who were just watching the exchange in silence, I spoke up.
"Is that like, a deal with the devil? Your soul, or something?" I truly was curious, not because I wanted to partake, but so I could get a grasp on how things actually worked down here.

"If that was the case, he wouldn't have any soul left. I'm not even sure he had one to begin with." My closest companion growled, the paper slightly crumpling in his grip. Solomon, unphased, offered me a friendly smile and a better explanation.

"Essentially, a pact is where a demon and a human make a deal. A contract, so to speak. I give you something, anything, be it an item, information, and yeah, even part of my soul, and in return, you make an oath to be at my call and share your power with me." It was somewhat straight-forward, but at the same time, complicated.

"By be at your call, do you mean, like, under your control..?" That was the one part I wasn't into, at all. I had trouble enough whenever I felt helpless, after my ordeal, but having someone I didn't even know in complete control of me?

"It really isn't a huge deal. Barbatos and I have made a pact, isn't that proof enough?" Solomon rested his cheek in his hand, ignoring Barbatos' vicious glare. If that had been directed towards me I would have died, again, on the spot.
"A regret I shall hold until the end of days."

I...really wanna know what this animosity is all about...

"I..." Again, I looked to the paper, shaking my head slowly. "...don't want to try that. I'm sorry." Thankfully, the guy didn't seem to be offended, retrieving the paper from the table and tucking it back from whence it came.

"Not a problem! It seems Barbatos is relieved by your response as well." Solomon laughed, and I could tell he was right by the way the demon by my side had somewhat relaxed, though I could still feel him bristling.

"Now, (Y/N), we have come to the decision that you will be staying at Purgatory Hall. You'd likely be most comfortable there compared to...other options." Diavolo announced, sharing a knowing look with Lucifer. At least they seemed to be on the same page as each other.

"This means that you shall be sharing a dwelling with Solomon, alongside two esteemed visitors from the Celestial Realm. Does that sound acceptable to you?" The raven-haired demon questioned me. I felt like I didn't have any choice but to accept, even though I had no idea what the Celestial Realm was.

"I...guess that would be okay..?" Instinctively, I turned to try and get Barbatos' input, even if it was silent, but he just looked frustrated beyond belief. Diavolo stood abruptly, and it caused me to flinch, his wide smile doing nothing to ease my wariness.
"Wonderful! You should go and get yourself situated, and take some time to relax! I'm sure this has all been very stressful for you!"

They seem to be so accepting of this, but I have a ridiculous amount of questions that still need answering...

Again, I turned to Barbatos as he stood, allowing him to take my hand and guide me to my feet. I really didn't like how tense he was. It made me think that there may be cause for much more alarm.
"I don't think I've seen you quite so openly bothered, Barbatos. Are you certain there isn't anything else you should be telling us?" Lucifer honed in on it just as I had, eyes narrowing.

"No, I have shared all necessary details, I assure you." Barbatos replied swiftly, his hand still firmly holding mine. "I simply detest her new company. There's no crime in that." Yet another filthy look towards the cheerful human had me desperate to know more about their dynamic. "Would you be so kind as to allow us a moment?"

Though Lucifer still seemed sceptical, the three of them allowed us to leave the table to stand across the room to have some privacy. The second I decided we were are enough from earshot, I leaned closer to my demonic friend.

"Okay, I have so many questions! Am I really a succubus? What is a Celestial Realm, why is a human in what's essentially hell for an exchange program, and why can't I just stay with you?! Also what the hell have you been cursing me with?! That's not cool, Barb!"

He let me get it all out before responding, voice having returned to cool, calm and collected once again.
"You cannot stay with me as I have far too many duties to Lord Diavolo and the Devildom. I shall still be watching out for you, but my Lord has made it very clear that this is what he deems best."

That really doesn't seem fair, but I guess I get it. I'd still much prefer to stay with you, Barb...

"I promise, your other questions, any and all, will be answered in time, but regarding the curses...Know that I would not have done such a thing if it wasn't necessary." He continued, not once breaking eye contact. "Nothing I have done to you has brought you harm. Just trust me."

Any normal person would have questioned the hell out of his request for trust, but I felt like I knew him better than I had really known anyone, at least in a way. He'd been my all for forty one years. How could I not trust him?

"Okay...I trust you. But, uh, that Solomon guy? What's the deal? Should I be worried about him?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder towards where the human was conversing.
"Just don't attempt to pact with him, and for the love of all that is good in the three realms, do not ingest his cooking. That would be the only harm he would likely do to you."

His...cooking?

That just brought on more questions, but I let them be, squeezing his hand tight in my own. I was still scared, beyond belief. Four walls had been my world for so long, I felt almost agoraphobic, and wanted to stay as close to Barbatos as possible.

"I won't be far away, and if at any time, any at all, that you feel that you need me, I'm a call away. Lord Diavolo has prepared a D.D.D for you, so you can contact me as you please." Barbatos squeezed my hand back, and whilst it felt comforting it did nothing to quell my ever-growing confusion. I had no clue what a D.D.D was, but I supposed I would learn that eventually.

"Can..." I again glanced quickly over to the others before looking to the floor, shuffling my feet. "...I have a hug goodbye?" He'd held me a fair few times during our strange friendship, but not once had I asked for it. It felt weird.

"Perhaps not whilst they're around. Lucifer is already cooking conspiracies in his head, and I don't wish to fuel them further than I already have." Barbatos sighed, releasing my hand in favour of petting me atop the head, being careful not to mess my hair. "I will visit you tonight, when I'm able. Can you hold out until then?"

I nodded, understanding his reasoning and not taking it to heart. Keeping my head down, I allowed Barbatos to guide me back towards the human and the pair of demons, feeling all eyes return to me.

"Shall we head off, (Y/N)? Your new home awaits!"

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***Writers block has me in its greasy little hands. More ooc Barbatos but meh.

I decided on the name Rezon because that is also the name of an enemy to Solomon the Wise (the actual one) according to what I looked into. Here's some drawings I did of him for reference:

When I tell you I've had LUCK in the current OMN event!

I did two bulk pulls and got x3 Solomons and a Lucifer in one go, then a Simeon and another Lucifer the next 😂 I will never be that lucky again in my life.

Next Time: Angelic***