"Will you be coming with me?"

"Absolutely not," she declined, dropping my hand. "But you got this." A deep frown was set on my face at her words, but she ignored it and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, sending me two thumbs up before walking back into another hall. Here goes nothing.

As I neared the entrance, the usual banter that took place between the guards was naught. More often than not, they were told to silence their voices by other servants in the palace, which made the foreign quiet of the hall today particularly eerie. My steps stopped a few meters from the wide double doors as I saw three of my men laying on the stone floor, the blood from the lifeless bodies staining the grey floor.

I took shallow breaths as I willed my feet to keep on walking, the bile in my throat rising as I took in the details of the graphic scene in front of me. Their necks were warped in an inhumane direction facing the sky as their bodies were faced down. I swallowed the disgust in my throat, my body beginning to tremble with fear, and I took a deep breath before carefully stepping over the pile of bodies.

"Hello."

At the sound of the voice, I swiveled around in my spot. My eyes landed on a large gentleman leaning against the wall beside the doors, with a silver lighter and cigarette in hand. His jet black wavy hair hung over his forehead as he lit the cigar, and as I watched his movements with a keen eye, my eyes landing on his hands. I let out a gasp as I noticed all the blood, and he looked back at me, leaning his head against the wall, his tousled hair falling to the side, exposing his face to me.

I was met with piercing green eyes that matched my own, and my mouth dropped, knowing exactly who it was. I moved my trembling hand behind my back and stood up straight as I looked at him, and kept my legs from trying to run. "Smoking is very bad for you, Syn. And why the hell would you kill my men?!" I snatched the cigarette from his hand, an immediate regret of mine.

He remained calm, a blank expression on his face, yet I was terrified. Although he was my son, I was always afraid of him to some degree. Unlike most babies when they came into the world, Syn didn't cry. He didn't scream in pain whenever he scraped his knee, or laugh when everyone else did. I didn't truly understand what Lucifer meant by soulless until I met my son for myself.

He felt nothing.

Nothing except anger that is. That single reminder of that anger making me extend the cigarette back to him in a cautious manner, my hand quaking as it neared him.

He looked at the item in my hand, then at me before ignoring both and striding through the palace doors. Throwing the cig to the floor, I followed behind him as quick as I could but yelped when I tripped over one of the bodies and fell to the floor, catching myself on my palms. I let out heavy breaths as my hair fell into my face, and I closed my eyes, taking yet another deep breath. Everything will be okay.

When I opened my eyes, a pair of dark dress shoes stood in front of me. I looked up at Syn who was looking down at me with his hands shoved in his pockets, and I waited for him to offer to help me up. "You should watch out for the bodies," he warned me.

"Thanks, you could've said that five seconds ago." I huffed, getting myself up knowing he wouldn't bother assisting me.

"You're very welcome," his monotonous voice uttered.

"Why haven't you visit me in all these years, Syn?"

"I've been busy."

"For six years?"

"I guess so."

"I've been to Hell so many times to try and see you, but Lucifer always told me you didn't want to see me."

"Then he would be correct in that assumption," he said, looking around the halls and not noticing how badly his words wounded me.

"How come you have time to visit the palace when I'm never here?"

"Strange coincidences."

"Every time?"

"Looks like it."

"You act like you hate me."

"I'm too busy to hate anyone, and I, unfortunately, am too busy to have this conversation with you, mother. If you'd be so kind as to direct me to the area where the meeting is being held..."

"I'm not done talking."

He sighed, looking down at me in boredom. "What else would you like to say?"

"You still haven't told me why you killed my guards."

"Because they were trying to kill me. Apparently, you didn't warn them I was coming and they were told to eliminate all possible threats. I'm assuming that lack of attention to detail has little to do with you, and everything to do with your husband?"

Julius...

"You think he wanted to kill you?"

"No, not at all. I think he wants to play," he said, removing his handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his bloody hands. "If a game is what he desires, I have no issue hosting my own."

"Syn...what are you going to do?"

"Nothing." He shrugged, my worry beginning to ease at his confirmation. "Yet."

"Can you please behave yourself?" I begged. "Just for today. This is an important meeting."

"I said yet, didn't I?" He replied. "I'm always on my best behavior, mother. Everyone knows this."

"We don't even have time to get you cleaned up." I groaned, starting at the blood splatters that the angels would surely throw a fit over. "They're going to ask so many questions!"

Syn sighed, glancing up at me before snapping his fingers and disappearing in front of me in a cloud of black smoke. I waited in the halls, smiling at the passing servants that just saw him seconds ago. They practically ran past me for fear of his return and I sighed, not fully understanding the fear that he evoked in people.

He was simple. If you didn't bother him, he wouldn't bother you.

With another swirl of black smoke appearing in front of me again, Syn reappeared with his arms out. "Better?" I looked down at his black button down and nodded in satisfaction, thankfully that it was clean. Now the only evidence of what happened would be the crying servants scrubbing the blood off the concrete outside. My heart reached out for them and I'd definitely check in with them afterwards, but the fate of our realms relied on this meeting.

I led Syn into the dining room and he lowered his head to enter. How unlucky for him to get his height from his father; the men stood out like sore thumbs wherever they went.

"Welcome," Julius said in a tone exuding extravagance as he sent a smirk my son's way. One would think if he valued his life he would calm it down, but his arrogance always spoke louder than his words. I was the only one who could tell from knowing him so long, but shock was painting the irises of his eyes at seeing Syn. The last time he saw him, he was a child. "Let us all have a seat."

I walked to my chair, leaving Syn to linger back. When I turned to him, he was leaning against a column in the room instead of listening to Julius's instructions and I smiled to myself as I sat down. Finally there was someone else besides me that didn't bend to him every whim.

"We are here to discuss our predicament." Julius sighed, clapping his hands together.

"Your predicament after your indiscretion," Syn spoke up. "I don't even know why I'm here."

"Well, I'm going to tell you." Julius said through a forced smile. "After hours of deliberation, we've reached a consensus on a peace that will unite us all."

"What is it?" Felix asked.

"There will be a union solidified by a marriage between our realms," King Jonathan replied. "A union that will bind the creatures in Heaven with the ones in H-"

"I'm not into this theatric shit," Syn interrupted. "So save it for Heaven and spit it out?"

I glanced at King Jonathan whose bearded jaw clenched as he glared at Syn, yet he seemed to contain himself as his wife took his hand. "The treaty requires that each partner in the marriage represents all creatures of both parties. My daughter Xyla will be one half of the marriage, as she is Angel and Fae."

"Who will be the other half?" Felix asked.

"Syn."