Lyric had been sitting on the sofa for two hours now and hadn't taken his eyes off the note on the floor for a second.

Fly up my little bird,
Fly up as far as you can,
But pay attention to my little bird,
Sink when the wind turns.

Come to me, my little bird.

N.

The letters were gracefully curved. The author had beautiful handwriting. And as beautiful as his handwriting, so is his appearance. Hell again, what should I do? There was no question who had sent him this message, because no one other than him would send such a cryptic message without waiting for a response. There was only one person in question – Nix.

On the back of the note was a small magic circle – the portal. If he activated it, he would go directly to his host. But what should I do there? It wasn't the invitation that had shocked him, it was the lines. Memories of his past had come to the surface, memories he had wanted to forget.

If Nix has something in mind, then it's usually not a good thing. On the other hand, one could not refuse the invitation of the most powerful oracle of Hell. Lyric sighed. The discomfort that had spread in his body caused him a stomachache.

"Well, it doesn't help."

He got up and read the note again, then went to his bedroom to prepare. The room was square cut with a large four-poster bed, whose bed posts were made of dark wood with the shape of ivy growing carved into it. The basin looked like a large sea of leaves, so he felt like he was sleeping on the forest floor. Warm satin beige bed linen and a pair of grass-green pillows in between rounded it off.

On the other side, there was a mahogany dressing table in the same design as the bed with a matching hump – all handmade, of course. The table served its purpose, only without the make-up. He had stowed numerous pieces of jewelry in the many drawers – rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, hair clips and other bells and whistles. But only a small selection of his favorite pieces.

The walls were painted with a scene from the forest – numerous trees and shrubs. It was the scene in which he felt most comfortable. An approximately two-yard-high mirror with a wooden frame adorned the wall next to the door. He always looked into the mirror before leaving the room. So he often turned, when he found something he didn't like.

He opened the door to his walk-in closet and the wet dream of all fashion lovers stretched out in front of him. Along a corridor you could find everything your heart desired, sorted by type and color.

Lyric first went to the tops and chose a simple light blue shirt. He combined a dark gray vest with a rose pattern and matching trousers and chose black shoes. He rolled up his shirt and the top two buttons of the shirt remained open. Runes came to light, covering his entire upper body.

Now the accessories. He chose his favorite pieces. Two earrings in the shape of a rose and a small silver chain on the left ear, which stretched from a clip at the tip of his ear to the rose earring on his earlobes. In contrast to many demon breeds, he had pointed ears, which often made him appear more ornamental than others.

Then he combed his hair so that his steep cut, which became short at the back and diagonally chin length towards the front, framed his face perfectly. His eyelashes had the same silver color as his hair, which to his chagrin did not do his eyes any good, because they had an obsidian, shiny iris with a silver ring and thus stood out strongly.

Lyric often wore contact lenses to hide them, but today he would do without them. He would also do without the kajal eyeliner, he just didn't feel like it. He breathed a sigh of relief and went to the large mirror for a final check. With his 5' 9" height he wasn't small, but his slim physique often made him appear weak and petite next to his ears.

He took his two Karambit knives and stowed them in an invisible loop on his thighs, after which they also became invisible. An advantage of being a rune demon was being able to hide smaller objects on his body.

Now many are wondering: why the outline of dressing up? Easy. If he should die, then he will do it in style. After all, he had a reputation to lose. Many enriched treasures and riches, but he saw himself as his own personal work of art, which is why he preferred to invest in himself rather than in other things that were just lying around and gathering dust.

A sigh glided over his lips. There is no point in delaying it. So he took the note from the table and left the room. He went to Killuan – his butler/closest confidant. He was a goat demon whose village he had saved from a raid centuries ago. He had sworn allegiance to him at the time and had not left his side.

"I was called by Nix and will follow his call. I don't know how long I'll be away. In the meantime, I will trust you to manage my affairs." Not that there were so many.

Killuan nodded. "Sir, may I ask what the reason for your journey is?" the goat demon asked with a respectful gesture.

"Honestly, I don't know. But in the current situation, I don't think it's a positive thing."

Lyric remained silent for a moment, then continued in a serious voice: "Killuan. Should I find my end, I will transfer all my possessions to you. Then you can decide whether you want to stay here or go back to hell."

Killuan made a worried face. "My Lord, I will wait here for your return."

Lyric had to smile. When it came to this issue, the goat demon would not give in. "Everyone finds their end and I have the feeling that mine is close."

A sad expression ran over Killuan's face.

"Kill, thank you for all the years you've been by my side." Lyric couldn't talk any further. Am I getting sentimental? Hell, the world is really close to its end. Lyric tightened his shoulders and, after patting his friend on the shoulder, walked towards his balcony.

"My Lord, Lyric, I am waiting here for your return, as I have been standing by your side for all the years before," his friend said.

With a smile, Lyric replied, "I understand, see you then!" Then he activated the magic circle and a portal appeared. One last look back, then he walked through it with a queasy feeling in his chest.

When he stepped out of the portal, bare stone walls with colorful light stones awaited him. He looked around and was confused. Where the hell am I? He was in a kind of waiting room where there were various seats on the wall and that's it. It had the "doctor-waiting-room-feeling". There was only one door leading in and out of this room.

What should he do now? Should he wait here? They would surely have noticed his arrival. Or maybe not? Completely confused, he sat down at first. Everything went differently than expected. After about ten minutes, the door opened and a large demon with brown hair, mother-of-pearl eyes and a scar over his left eye entered the room.

Lyric suspected that this was Nix' well-known watchdog, because he looked at him like a sacrificial lamb in the slaughterhouse. Lyric swallowed and withstood his scrutinizing gaze.

"Follow me, he's already waiting for you."

Lyric frowned. That's all? Thank you for the interview. Wordlessly, he followed the demon through a long corridor that looked carved in stone. Where the hell am I? Am I in a cave? He looked suspiciously at his surroundings as he walked along them. Then they reached a high iron door that looked very massive.

"Wait here," the watchdog ordered and entered the room.

The door closed and Lyric stood in front of the door as ordered and did not move. Great, why am I here again? Oh yes, I forgot. I think I'll just go home again. Lyric seriously considered just leaving. The fate of the world will not depend on him...

The door opened again and this time the demon motioned him to go in. Lyric took a deep breath and entered the room. Madness. The room was like a huge hemisphere. The walls were smooth rock with colorful luminous stones and hundreds of pictures carved into the wall. The space was huge. He felt like he recognized every demon breed he had ever seen on the walls.

Wow. In the middle stood a kind of pedestal made of white marble with three steps. On it was a throne of black marble. Red sapphires were embedded in the sides and sparkled in the light of the light stones. He sat on this throne – alabaster skin, ruby red eyes, black hair with a green shimmer and a sweeping smile on his pink lips. In summary – the most beautiful creature Lyric had ever seen. He had met Nix before and yet it took his breath away again.

"Hello, my little bird," a melodic voice greeted him. Then he nodded to Dayan, who then left the room. Now they were alone. Although the space was huge, Lyric felt trapped, constricted.

Nix looked into the room and asked, "What do you think of the room? Does it meet your taste?"

What? Nix had caught him by surprise. He didn't really ask me exactly how I found the room's taste, did he? "Somewhat barren and without life. A few plants would certainly not hurt. I can contact my interior designer," he replied sarcastically.

Nix escaped a quiet laugh that made Lyric's heart skip a beat.

"Nix, stop the play. Why did you call me?"

Lyric's character was a very refreshing change, especially since he didn't seem to be afraid of him in the slightest. He enjoyed annoying the demon a bit. You also have to enjoy the little things. "I called you because of the reference to the second key."

Lyric's body tensed up. Why me? What does this have to do with me?

"Let me put it another way. Lyric, you are the only one who can decipher this clue."

Anticipation spread throughout Lyric. What comes next? Then Nix' magical voice sounded and filled the room. The notes echoed from the walls, so Lyric was enclosed by the melody.

Fly up my little bird,
Fly up as far as possible,
But pay attention to my little bird,
Sink when the wind turns.

He flies leisurely through the window,
He sees a doll there,
Pale skin like ghosts,
Look at her silently so far away.

Next to her a small mirror,
Stretch your hand to the golden ring,
Feel over its seal,
Open your mouth and sing.

_________________________________

The first meeting of the two.

What do you think of Lyric's equipment? Some demons *cough Belial cough* consider it an aberration of taste.

What could Nix mean by the fact that only Lyric can decipher the clue?

Your Mouse Goddess