Pink Narcissus in the Desert
Disclaimer: I do not own Disgaea 5.
Summary: Seraphina is done playing second fiddle to Lieze. She finally decides that the only way she can have Killia now is if she gets rid of the competition. To not make it obvious that she was the obvious culprit, she asks Lieze to help her find a lost family item that her Prinnies had foolishly dropped in one of the more dangerous Netherworlds. Lieze has her suspicions and goes on her own. Seraphina waits for the news unaware that she is going to cause more problems with Killia and everyone around her…
Pairing: Killia/Lieze, Cube/Void and one-sided Killia/Seraphina
Rated: T (for Teen)
Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama and Hurt/Comfort
Warning: Swearing, violence, bullying and unintentional OOC
I do have a fic idea per member of the group but it just adds to how Lieze and Void shake things up in the Rebel Army. This fic is more Lieze and Seraphina focused as I do want a fanfic showing that not everything is going to be a good relationship in the Rebel Army. Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Trying to get Away with Murder
In the Pocket Netherworld, the sound of a wine glass shattering into the wall could barely be heard. It broke in a soundproof room, so nobody heard the pieces break apart. However, inside the room was another story. In the room stood one Overlord standing over a shattered glass with a look that would bring basilisks to shame.
"Garrghh! I hate that snake! I hate her! I hate her! I hate her!"
The hateful words could only be spewed by the Overlord of the Gorgeous Netherworld, Seraphina. The shrewd princess's reason for her angry outburst concerned a certain dragonnewt and his horrible girlfriend. Everyone in all of the Netherworlds knew about Seraphina's love for Killia. She fell in love with him after he saved her from The Lost years ago. Her love became an obsession and she insisted that she was the only one for Killia. It didn't matter if he loved another. Seraphina had always gotten what she wanted and she wasn't going to let the fact Killia had a significant other get in the way of her love. The problem came from the fact that his lover was still alive and it was all thanks to Void Dark.
Seraphina never liked Void Dark. First he was the reason her life was ruined. Then he brought misery to everyone around her. Finally, he used his powers to revive his dead sister. If Void was as heartless as everyone thought he was, she would have Killia all to herself. Her pride would not allow Killia to be with Lieze. Even if she caved in and allowed Lieze to stay in her Pocket Netherworld, she sure as hell wasn't going to let the lioness be with her Killia all the time. On the surface, she only tolerated the other demon, but deep down, she hated her guts and wanted her gone. The guys had all swooned for her due to her fake kindness. Seraphina could see right through her façade. The fact no one could see how fake Lieze was only infuriated her and now that Lieze's brother and father were in the Pocket Netherworld, it was near impossible to go after her directly. All the plans she had failed and the recent one resulted in her taking her anger out on the first thing that she got her hands on in her room. Okay, maybe the plan wasn't foolproof. She thought that poisoning the curry that Lieze made would surely hurt her relationship with Killia. But then poisoning the curry backfired for two reasons. One, it was that stupid monkey Red Magnus who ate the curry and got poisoned. And two, Majorita took the blame for the poisoning of the curry. It didn't help that Lieze stood up for Majorita despite the blame falling on the former demon general.
But if Seraphina were to stop and think about why everything was working against her, she would know why. Killia only saw her as a friend. No matter what she did, she wouldn't have room in his heart. From the way Killia spoke of Lieze during the war, it was obvious to even the most oblivious members of the party that he was madly in love with the lioness. Seraphina refused to believe there was anyone who could match her. Seeing her corpse in the room Void had for his sister made her heart crumble. Her spiteful words flew out before anyone could stop her…but Void's wish came true and she was revived. Oh, how Seraphina wanted to rub it in that Lieze only returned to the world of the living after her brother killed millions of lives and ruined even more. Alas, there was a time and place for everything so she had to keep that one to herself.
And the more Seraphina saw her beloved with that woman, her heart continued to grasp for another chance at life. Killia wouldn't give her heart that chance. He was perfectly happy and content with being with his true love again, never mind that Seraphina had gone through hell and back for the dragonnewt. Not like she cared if Killia was with Lieze because the succubus convinced herself she and her beloved were tied to the red strings of fate. When Lieze died, her string was cut; therefore, she lost the right to have Killia. Unfortunately, no one agreed with her sentiment.
Of course, another problem came in the form of Void Dark. His mere presence caused demons to quiver in fear. It did not matter if Killia purified the man or if his family welcomed him back. He was still a demon that committed many atrocities. Seraphina would not have tolerated the man if Killia didn't ask her. This man, after all, was supposed to be her fiancé. Fortunately for her, Void had no idea about the marriage that her father tried to set up so she could pretend like it never happened. That was fine with the succubus because it meant she could continue pursuing Killia.
Void could have been her partner in crime if she didn't hold a low opinion of his sister. Lieze was the world to the former Demon Emperor. Without her, he would go on a rampage again. That much was clear. His purified heart allowed him to think things through but it was clear that Lieze held a huge spot in his life. The desire for his sister's love and approval was why he had no problem throwing away his jealousy for Killia and allowing the happy couple together. If it was the old Void Dark, he would happily keep Killia and Lieze apart regardless of his older sister's wishes. Now, he had his own way of annoying Killia without resorting to his childish ways.
Today, Seraphina decided to follow Killia around and make him do stuff with her today. However, the love of her life was too busy talking to that horrible lion girl. They thought they were alone in the Pocket Netherworld. Seraphina had eyes throughout this place. There was no way she wouldn't know where they are. They were so happy together that it made the succubus imagine putting a bullet in the back of her pretty head. Her index finger brushed against the magazine of her gun. She was this close to just pulling on the grip and firing away. Seraphina lost the opportunity only because another person ruined the moment between the two demons.
"Sister~!"
Killia's expression dampened hearing Void's voice. Lieze's ears perked up in comparison. She smiled upon seeing Void float behind her. Because of Killia's presence he resisted the urge to embrace his sister from behind. In fact, Void refused to show any familial gestures to anyone unless he was alone with them.
"…What is it, Void?" Killia asked in an annoyed tone. "You seem to be in a good mood…"
"It's your imagination," Void responded rather quickly. However, one could see the killer aura around him was nonexistent as long as he was around Lieze. "Sister, you said you'd speak with me today."
Lieze chuckled nervously. "I said that?"
Void nodded his head. "I never forget what you tell me."
Seraphina wanted to laugh at how ridiculous Void was being. He was ruining the romantic moment between the two by trying to take his sister for himself. At first, Killia hated how that part of Void didn't go away upon purifying him. Then again, Killia knew better than anyone that this was the personality of the white haired demon.
"Oh? Tell me what we were going to talk about," Lieze hummed.
Void had the answer prepared. "You promised I could assist you in making dinner. We'd go out today for the groceries, spend some private time together and then make it together."
"Lieze, please tell me he made that up…" Killia groaned.
Lieze shook her head. She forced herself to smile. "Sorry, Killia. Void doesn't forget this sort of thing."
The dragonnewt grunted in response. Knowing that Void was going to have his sister for the rest of day agitated him. He was hoping that on a day where not much was going on, he would be able to spend time with his girlfriend. As long as Void was alive though, that dream had difficulty coming true.
The worst part was Void was aware of how much this annoyed the younger demon. He went above and beyond today finally embracing his sister from behind.
"Killia, it's your turn to clean the house," Void added. "Think you can do that?"
Lieze didn't make much of an attempt to wiggle out of her brother's grip. She gave the rebel leader an apologetic look. "Sorry, Killia."
"No…it's fine…" Killia grumbled. "Void, I know it's my turn to clean, but I thought you were going to go out to dinner with Cube."
It was Killia's turn to mess with the lion demon. Void's expression faltered but his grip on his sister didn't loosen.
"It's family time today!" Void exclaimed.
"Even when it's family time, you always end up doing reconstruction-"
"Cube said he would do it!"
"…Cube is an idiot for doing your job…" Killia sighed. Sometimes I wonder if Void is serious about redemption…
Killia knew the answer to that. After all, he wouldn't be able to have a playful banter with Void if he didn't change. It was better than trying to kill each other.
This entire scene should have been hilarious and cute for anyone to see. No one would think that the two demons who used to hate each other were throwing jabs at one another in an attempt to get time away with the person they loved. The former Demon Emperor acting like a jealous boyfriend instead of a protective younger brother would be something to laugh at over a few drinks. However, Seraphina couldn't find the joy in the scene before her. She wasn't like everyone else who accepted Killia and Lieze together. The lioness needed to be erased. She needed to be the one the guys fought over. In Gorgeous, demons lusted after her. They asked for her hand in marriage. They pledged their loyalty to her. She only cared about Killia and if she couldn't have him…
No, she didn't need to resort to murdering Killia. What good would it be if something as rare as Killia were to die by her own hands if he didn't feel the same way toward her? All she needed to do was remove Lieze from the equation and everything would go her way. She just needed a plan that wouldn't fail miserably. Surely, she could take advantage of something Lieze had and use it to end her…
As much as Seraphina loved to brag about how her Pocket Netherworld having the ultimate security system, it still had holes in it. Zeroken was able to sneak in and mess things up, thus preventing the group from leaving to the outside world. Usalia's rabbit companion also managed to sneak in undetected and steal Killia's curry.
Another demon was able to make her way inside the Pocket Netherworld with relative ease. She didn't need to sneak in like the others. No, this demon didn't need to be crafty because she was the creator of the Pocket Netherworld. Seraphina liked to pretend that everything was designed by her but in reality, a lot of money went into one demon who could build anything out of everything. That's what it meant to be the Overlord of Steel Titans…one of the three richest Netherworlds around. While Gorgeous flaunted its status as the richest Netherworld, what was needed to maintain the economy was different in comparison to Steel Titans. This Netherworld industrialized to the extreme. They made almost anything and everything in the Netherworld. Homes, weapons, battleships, Pocket Dimensions…this Netherworld made them all for a reasonable price. It depended on what you wanted and how quickly you wanted it done. Quality was also important and that affected the price of something more than the quantity for obvious reasons.
The Overlord of this Netherworld was a good salesperson. She knew how to build things, come up with an estimated price and then deliver on the product. As a result, she was rich from her own merits instead of others.
"HEY, WHERE IS CONROY?!"
Too bad the Overlord had much to be desired in terms of physical appearance. Calling this girl a demon wasn't exactly correct. The Overlord of Steel Titans was what one called a dwarf. Dwarves were closer to humans by description instead of demons. Dwarves didn't have that much magic in their blood. Though what they lacked in magic, they compensated in physical prowess. It didn't matter if dwarves were tiny, they could lift something four times their size if they so choose. Most dwarves were ugly in nature and had a disgusting odor that made Seraphina nauseous a few times in their presence. They were also workaholics. They were always building something for money. Money made the world go round for them, and that meant sacrificing common sense like cleaning themselves up or sleep didn't come to mind for them.
At least the Overlord was a cute little dwarf if not obnoxious…
"I KNOW YOU PEOPLE ARE HERE! COME GREET ME!"
Seraphina sighed at the girl's voice blaring through the intercom that she recently installed. The Overlord created the Pocket Netherworld and took control of her stuff when she came in. Today was no different, the Overlord wanted something and until a compromise was made, she wasn't going to leave any time soon.
Fortunately, Seraphina was lucky that the dwarf wasn't looking for her per say. Rather, she had her eyes on a certain lion…
"You don't need to shout."
The dwarf was friends with Goldion. Despite her size, she had been friends with Goldion for a long time. Dwarves aged a little slower than demons. That was hard to believe but the race was known for living a while and recording the details of history in their wake. What Seraphina didn't want to think about was how this Overlord was also friends with her deceased mother and it was the main reason why she had access to the Pocket Netherworld in the first place. Now, this little girl was demanding to see someone else close to Seraphina.
"Ah-ha! Goldion, I'm so glad to see you again!" the dwarf exclaimed. "Quick, tell me where Conroy is so I can knock him into next week."
"Not here. You're wasting your time, Gwen."
Gwen was the Overlord of Steel Titans. Her given title was the Steel Princess. Despite her tiny appearance, she packed a punch. Her weapon of choice was an axe that she customized herself. She was the same height as Usalia if not a little shorter. She was one of the few dwarves who took care of her hair and forced it to stand out.
"He's not here," Goldion continued. "Do you honestly believe he would hide in a Pocket Netherworld that you have easy access to?"
Seraphina wondered where the other members of the Rebel Army were. If given the opportunity, they would probably try to drown out Gwen. The only one who would actually greet her besides Goldion (albeit reluctantly) is Red Magnus.
Gwen didn't appreciate that Goldion gave her an answer she didn't want to hear. "Then where is he?!"
"Did you not check Gorgeous?"
Gwen glared at the Demon Fist as a response. "Of course I did! That's why I'm here! That coward hasn't contacted me in so damn long! I'm annoyed!"
"I bet you are…"
Conroy was the name of Seraphina's father. If she had to guess, nobody in the Rebel Army but Goldion, Red Magnus and she knew that. Conroy was a name older demons would recall but he wasn't a memorable fellow.
"Why do you need to see him?" Goldion asked casually.
"I told you I'm angry that he hasn't gotten back with me!" Gwen exclaimed. "I got back in contact with you so Conroy is next! Then I'm going to make him help me find Jen!"
"…Jen is probably in the same Netherworld she's always been in."
Gwen decided to ignore that statement to Goldion's agitation. Seraphina picked up the hints that this is how their friendship had been their whole lives and why Goldion even cut her out of his life to begin with. Then again, Seraphina didn't understand what went on in the mind of adults. All she knew was that Gwen was trespassing yet again.
"Eh-hem," Seraphina cleared her throat to get Gwen's attention. "Is there business you have with me?"
Gwen looked at the succubus and shook her head. "Not with you. I need to see Conroy."
"My father is not here," Seraphina answered, "and do not think for a moment I would lie to hide him from you. That sorry excuse for a Father would only tarnish this place more so than he already has."
Gwen laughed loudly and obnoxiously. "Hahahaha! That's harsh! I know my apprentice is a loser but you gotta give him credit where credit is due."
Seraphina rolled her eyes. Another thing that the Rebel Army wouldn't know about was Gwen's connection with her family. Gwen was the best friend of her late mother and the mentor to her father. For all of his cowardice, the succubus's father was very intelligent. Before he sent Gorgeous into bankruptcy, he was able to determine how dangerous Void was before he became a threat. He built a defense system that specifically countered the type of magic Void Dark used. And for intent and purposes, the engagement was an extra leverage in case everything up to this point didn't work. And when all of that failed, he would turn Gorgeous into its own Pocket Netherworld and escape where Void Dark couldn't reach him.
That must have been why Gwen took him in the first place. If Conroy had a great intuition like that, he would be one of the most useful pawns for Gwen. However, Conroy's paranoia resulted in him shunning himself from everyone and not trusting in any demon. Seraphina had this nagging feeling her father hid away so many details of the past that might justify said paranoia. But she refused to sympathize with her pathetic father.
"Seriously though, where is my apprentice? I got in contact with him last year but he failed to meet up with me at the desired location…"
"You had your axe with you, I assumed…" Goldion grumbled.
"Yeah, why?"
Goldion didn't need to tell her. His silence spoke volumes. Seraphina laughed.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho. My father wouldn't meet up with someone who can take him out. Even if you are his teacher, he still isn't going to show his face!"
Gwen's eyebrow twitched. She had her hand on the hilt of her giant axe. Nothing came of it as she let go and sighed in defeat.
"…Conroy shouldn't worry about the minor details…"
"You'll give him a concussion," Goldion snarked. "Then his usefulness gets thrown out the window."
"I have punched him in the past. I have thrown him down the stairs. I have used him as a test subject. Surely, just meeting with him and my axe won't be a big deal."
"…I'm not even going to try and explain why that guy won't see you any time soon…"
"And I'll have you know that we can talk about your debt with me if I can't find Conroy."
This was Gwen's way to get Goldion to do what she wanted. It was Void's fault the debt fell on his shoulders in the first place. As a caring father, he had to hold the L.
"I already told you, I will help you with what you need. Leave my son out of this."
"But the only thing I want is your body-."
"That will never be an option."
Gwen didn't even get to finish her sentence. She puffed her cheeks at how quick the rejection was. "Dammit…"
"…If that's it, I suggest you leave," Seraphina interrupted. "I have many things to do and I don't think you lounging around will help."
The dwarf didn't appreciate being talked down to. "Hey! Your father is the reason why Gorgeous is in debt! I got to talk to him about that too!"
Seraphina rolled her eyes. "I already dealt with that. You are so behind schedule."
"What? I don't believe it! Conroy would have told me."
"If my father has been avoiding you, he probably wouldn't. Gorgeous is ruled by me now and I have spent the past few years paying the debt that my father put the Netherworld in."
Gwen at first didn't believe her. Then she had to search her little purse to pull out a notebook. It was obvious that this was her reference notes for people that owed her money. The dwarf flipped through her pages quickly and stopped on a specific page. Skimming through that particular pages confirmed many things.
"Oh…I guess I missed that. Conroy lost his authority of Gorgeous a while ago and his daughter is in fact the new Overlord…my b…"
Gwen shut her book and chuckled nervously. Seraphina proved her point but the dwarf wasn't done questioning her yet.
"So…I don't really need to talk to my apprentice about this then. So Overlord Seraphina, where are the treasures of Gorgeous?"
"I got them back."
"My notes say that only some of the items have made it back in one piece. I want to know what happened to the other items. Where is the Summon Skull? Where are the Banana Coins? Where is the Portrait of Ruin? These are some of the priceless artifacts that your mother collected when she was still alive."
The rich succubus vaguely remembered those items. Instead of admitting she didn't know, she said something else. "Ohohoho! That garbage? I got rid of it. Gorgeous doesn't need filth that is labeled as treasure!"
The usually quirky mood that Gwen had all but vanished in an instant. Seraphina had this nagging feeling that she might have stepped on a landmine. She couldn't read the expression the dwarf had on her face. However, the unreadable countenance became one that Seraphina could read…and it was something she didn't want to see.
A mixture of anger and disappointment.
"Priceless treasures of Celica were thrown away because they looked tacky to you?!" Gwen asked. She tried to keep her anger in check but that wasn't happening any time soon. "Where is the respect for your mother?! She would be furious if she found out treasures that took years to gather up were thrown away like garbage! WHAT THE FUCKKKKK?!"
The succubus didn't understand why the dwarf just snapped. Not like she had any intention of calming her down. This midget had the audacity to imply that she didn't know what was considered valuable and what wasn't! How the Overlord of Gorgeous could be accused of such riffraff was beyond her. She couldn't fix her Netherworld without knowing what was important and what wasn't!
The worst part was, Red Magnus of all people had to be the one to calm Gwen down. Patting her on the head like a child didn't seem like the best strategy but the steam that built up in her head came out of her ears.
"Gwen, you really expect a super spoiled princess like Sera to understand Celica's taste?" Magnus asked with a huge grin on his face. "Celica and Sera are as different as night and day! Bwahaha!"
Without fail, a bullet found its way in the back of Magnus' head. He passed out but he wasn't dead (unfortunately). Gwen was taken back by the violence displayed in front of her before rolling her eyes. Said eyes went back to glaring at the pink haired succubus who had put her guns away.
"Celica would have known the value of an item just by a single glance," Gwen rambled. "She would never throw something away even if it wasn't a shiny object. Every treasure Celica obtained had a story to it! You have no right to judge the value of what your mother possessed!"
The Gorgeous Overlord wasn't convinced. "I'm pretty sure cracked pots forced together by tacky glue or expired food in wrappers is something Mother would not keep."
"THOSE ITEMS HAD A HISTORY BEHIND IT!" Gwen screeched. "Now I got to fucking find those items and pray to whatever God is out there that they are in one piece!"
"…It's literally spoiled trash or broken glass. It's not important," Seraphina insisted. "Gwen, you may be my mother's friend but your tastes are different from Mother's."
Seraphina just had to go there. Again, Gwen's expression changed. The comically angry look morphed into one of a scornful grandmother. The succubus hated it because she didn't have the intimidating stare that the Steel Titan Overlord had.
"Your mother and I knew each other for a long time. Don't tell me that I don't know your mother when you probably don't know the history of how Gorgeous came to be!"
At this point, Magnus recovered from the bullet wound. His tolerance for bullets grew to the point that he would wake up from his slumber in a few minutes instead of a few hours. He kept the stupid grin on his face as he patted Gwen's head again. Head patting really calmed her down even if her hair continued to stick out like lightning bolts.
"It will be fine, Gwen. Just have Goldion help you out like old times."
Goldion had hoped not to be involved in the conversation again. Just saying his name erased her terrible move as she stared starry eyed at her crush.
"…Gwen…you're asking for the impossible."
"And you're forgetting that your son owes me a jillion hel for the creation of multiple Netherworlds, battleships, castles and-"
"…Why did I bother trying to talk you out of this?" Goldion asked himself. He resigned himself to his fate. "…When you're like this, nothing will change your mind…"
"Of course!" The dwarf exclaimed. "I'm going to get the items back even if they're long gone!"
"You're going to need a lot of help…" the ogre started, "and I'll be super happy to help you out."
Gwen was caught off by Red Magnus' generosity. Granted, Seraphina was too but she was still mad at the dwarf for insulting her to notice or care.
"Oh? What's your reason?" Gwen asked with a Cheshire grin.
"I am 200% certain that Sera threw away stuff I gave to Celica as a present. I got to make sure those items are super okay!"
Seraphina probably did throw away anything that reminded her of the filthy monkey from Scorching Flames. There were too many items that could have fit this category since Celica had this bad habit of keeping trash and claiming they were worthwhile.
"Sure thing. Although, I bet you can just give me the better version of whatever was thrown away," Gwen teased. "And while we're at it, why don't we play catching up. I want all the juicy details about your parents and how your love life has gone."
Red Magnus laughed loudly before he stopped when he let it register in his brain. "Let's not talk about the love part. I'm too busy with rebuilding Netherworlds. Bwahaha!"
Gwen didn't listen to Seraphina but she listened to Red Magnus. She had no problem leaving the Netherworld as long as the ogre and the lion were behind her. Goldion didn't want to leave without warning his children that he was getting abducted by the little monster again. Seraphina wanted to have the final word in but didn't find the strength to do so. She just had to suck it up and continue doing what she needed to do for the day.
Even after a few hours passed since Gwen left, Seraphina was still in a terrible mood. Despite being the new Gorgeous Overlord, she was still being treated like a child! Gwen might have been her mother's best friend but that didn't mean anything! What her mother did in the past was ruined by her incompetent father. Surely, Gwen was aware of that!
What a stupid brute! Seraphina thought angrily to herself. She stomped her foot causing some Prinnies to flee before the succubus caught sight of them. Does she have short term memory loss?! Surely, she knows that my father made Gorgeous go bankrupt and sold everything that belonged to me and mother! How can she treat that coward of a father better than me?! I returned Gorgeous to its former beauty! Why can't she see that?!
In the back of her mind, the Gorgeous Overlord knew that if she just asked Gwen about what transpired that resulted in her father becoming the demon he is today, she would understand why Gwen sympathized with him more despite threatening to beat him up. However, her pride would not allow that her father had a good excuse. And her pride prevented her from admitting right away that it was wrong to throw out treasures that she deemed not worthy of Gorgeous. As far as she was concerned, anything from Scorching Flames could be thrown in the trash but these treasures confirmed that Gorgeous and Scorching Flames never had an issue with each other to begin with and it was just Sera's strong dislike for their culture.
"I'll just have the Prinnies retrieve whatever is left," Seraphina told herself. If the treasures weren't destroyed, that was fine. If they were destroyed, that was fine too. It didn't matter either way so as long as she reclaimed them. Relying on the Prinnies was a big risk mainly because they were as incompetent as they came. Maybe if she could get someone else to do the dirty work, she wouldn't have to use those darned penguins.
While thinking about which servant would do the job, she had stopped in her tracks upon hearing voices in front of her. Had she not recognized them, she would have kept on walking.
"Sister, help me out here. I don't know what this means!"
Was that Void Dark's voice? It sounded higher pitch than normal. Needing to confirm her suspicion, Seraphina decided to check where the voice was coming from. Of course the people talking were in front of Lieze's room and of course she had to deal with the fact that Lieze was being showered with attention again!
"Void, you're not getting help if you don't get off of me."
"But Sister, you're good at this sort of thing!"
Another side of the twins that Seraphina hadn't seen before, but then she remembered that Killia was probably aware of this and chose not to pay attention. The personalities totally swapped when they were alone! It was Lieze being the disgruntled sibling while Void was being the annoying sibling. Lieze always kept her smiling face no matter what but she didn't have to pretend. Pretending is a red flag that Lieze wasn't all she claimed to be.
"Did you sneak around Father's room again?" Lieze questioned. It sounded more like an accusation but Void barely reacted.
"Sister, this book is mine. Even if Father told me not to use it, Mother specifically told Father to give me the book when I was an adult."
Lieze shook her head in annoyance. "You already used it when you weren't ready. Why would you take it again?"
Void frowned seeing the agitated look on her face. "…When I originally took the book, I wanted the most powerful spell that Mother had in her arsenal. Unfortunately, I had just as much luck as I did with mastering the Final Skill. Now that I mastered the Ultimate Skill, I shouldn't have that problem."
"And yet, you're coming to me for help…"
"…Mother was eccentric. I was angry with how weirdly phrased the spells were. Even now, I don't understand it, but you probably would be able to help."
"If it's more destructive power, I will gladly decline," Lieze answered simply. "I don't want you going down that road again."
Void shook his head. "No…we both know Mother managed to make her powers incapable of doing evil. That's why…if I could just control these powers and use them for good…"
The female lion forced herself from being indifferent to Void's plea to observing him. She knew who the real Void was even if the entire universe perceived him as the ultimate evil. She also knew that her mother was very much like Goldion in that she believed in the goodness of others. The biggest difference was that their mother beseeched love, justice, and peace more than their father…more than any demon she had ever known and many of her spells reflected this. The Void of the past craved for power so the book was overall useless. Now, things should be different with Void looking at life differently.
Lieze didn't have much to talk though when it came to snooping around her father's room. Since she was the one who cleaned up the house, she would know where everything was. Like Void, she was interested in the book Azalea left behind. Void might have trouble understanding it but she didn't. The lioness didn't want to tell Void that one of the reasons he didn't understand was because he didn't experience any of the spells that their mother made.
"Void, while half of those spells are probably as powerful and helpful to others as you expect, the other half are probably selfish and shameless," Lieze mumbled. She tried her best to stop herself from blushing. Just thinking about what half the book had made her head spin.
"Selfish and shameless?"
"Void, there are a lot of sex spells," Lieze said simply. "I'm certain Mother doesn't want you using that…on Father…especially not Father."
Void actually didn't understand what Lieze was implying. Knowing about sex was one thing but sex spells didn't really make sense. Sex was a physical activity so he didn't understand how it could become magical and written in book form.
"…Are you saying Mother wrote about the Birds and the Bees and that's why I can't understand it?"
"Worse than that, Void. Trust me, you're better off not knowing what went on in Mother's mind."
This didn't dissuade Void in the slightest. "Is there a way to understand though? I can't use the book if I don't."
"You're better off not knowing," Lieze repeated. "Ignorance is bliss."
"…Are you calling me dense?" Void asked. His jump of logic never ceased to amuse his elder sister. The moment she giggled, he couldn't help but puff his cheeks. "You know what? Forget I asked. I'll figure it out on my own."
"You know, there's always Cube if you're stuck-." Lieze began but Void cut her off.
"Nope. I'd rather die than ask him for help!"
"Tee-hee~."
"D-Don't laugh at me, Sister! This book is-."
Void stopped speaking when he finally noticed that they weren't alone. The spell around the twins ended. The former Demon Emperor frowned at the presence of another. Lieze forced herself to smile again regardless of who was with them.
Seraphina raised an eyebrow as she gave them an unconcerned look. The nerve of them acting like this in front of her! Hell, Void pretended he didn't have the book in his hands!
"Hey, don't act all surprise. This is my Pocket Netherworld," the succubus reminded them with a huff.
"Oh, don't mind, Void. He's always like that," Lieze said. "Is there something the matter?"
Void rolled his eyes at his sister talking about his "moodswing". Seraphina didn't buy it for a minute with either of the twins. Oh did she wish her Balor Gaze worked on Void and oh did she wish she could one up Lieze…
"She's probably still upset about what Gwen said," Void told his sister. "Don't blame her."
"Void…Father's in debt because of you-"
"Let's not talk about that."
Seraphina hated being ignored. Lieze knew exactly what to do to get on her nerves. She couldn't falter now. Not when she had a plan that could get rid of the lioness.
"I'll pretend that you weren't rude to me just now. Lieze, I have a favor to ask you." Void immediately got on the defensive. The succubus expected this and continued. "It's a favor between women. I expect you to stay out of this."
Of course Void wasn't going to understand the implication. Lieze raised an eyebrow but understood that Seraphina wanted to ask something personal.
"Void, it's okay."
"…What does she mean by that?"
"It's as Seraphina said. It's between us ladies," Lieze hummed. "It's nothing you should be concerned about."
"But, Sis-."
"While we're having our girl talk, you could be asking Cube about the book."
Again, bringing up Cube caused the stubbornness that Void had to drop instantly. He really didn't want to rely on the sorcerer, but his sister wasn't going to help him anyway. Seraphina liked how Lieze made her brother feel like he was wasting his time hanging with her without telling him straight to his face.
"…I'll just read…" Void grumbled. "If anyone needs me, you know where to find me."
Lieze obviously knew what her brother meant. If Seraphina had to guess, he was just going to sulk in his room for a few hours until his sister was free again. Hopefully, he'd be in there longer so she could finish her plan.
"But what about reconstruction?" Lieze had to ask.
Normally, Void would use that as an excuse to dodge any conversation. He didn't try to this time. Seraphina hoped to use that against him later seeing as he did promise he would prioritize the reconstruction of the destroyed Netherworlds.
Once she thought Void was out of sight, she focused on her target.
"I'd rather not talk in these hallways where these annoying men might eavesdrop. Shall we go to my room?"
Lieze nodded her head. "Sure. Lead the way."
At least it was easy to convince Lieze to do something as follow her in her room. There could have been a death trap set up just to finish off the lion demon and Lieze wouldn't notice. She was that stupid.
The pink haired temptress failed to notice in her rush to lead Lieze out of the hallway that Void didn't exactly leave. The reason for that was obvious. He still worried about his sister's safety. He didn't trust Seraphina in the slightest despite what Killia told him. If he wanted to be forgiven, he needed to start trusting the members of the Rebel Army. Yet, Seraphina was the only one who had no intention of being kind to his sister. If he had to disobey his sister to protect her, he would.
"Cube…I know you were watching…" Void mumbled to no one in particular. However, there was a single golden butterfly floating in the room. "You know how much I hate you spying on me…but if you're going to keep snooping around…keep an eye on my sister."
The golden butterfly fluttered around Void's head for a bit as if responding to Void's demand before vanishing into a golden light. Void shook his head in annoyance. He didn't understand why the Papillion refused to revert to his human form, but if it meant he was going to remain quiet, then he was fine with not asking.
Seraphina made sure that no one was following her when she led the lioness to her room. She didn't want anyone to leak her plan to someone who would try to stop her. The only person who could actually expose her was Void, and he would be easy to catch if he broke his promise to not stalk them.
"Is there a reason you need this much…space?" Lieze questioned her. Seraphina uttered a small clicking noise. The lioness was already suspicious of her actions.
"I just wanted to get this out…" Seraphina spoke. She wondered if she sounded desperate. "My pride won't allow me to admit mistakes in front of my servants…"
Lieze gave a small nod of acknowledgement. Seraphina looked over to her bed. "You may sit down. Although, I don't think this will take too long."
The blond obeyed as she took a seat on the bed next to the succubus. The pink haired girl took the time to gather up strength to speak. After all, if she messed up, Lieze wouldn't help her.
"I had a conversation with Gwen not too long ago," Seraphina began to explain. Lieze flinched at the mention of the dwarf. "Don't worry. She wasn't here to take your brother. She only took your father."
Lieze sighed in relief. "What a relief."
Seraphina laughed. She didn't realize how genuine it was. The idea that Lieze had no problem with her father being thrown under the bus was hilarious! Even a kind demon like her had a sense of humor!
"Ohohoho~. Anyway, Gwen rambled on and on like the old hag she was. She brought up how I didn't have all the family heirlooms my late mother left behind. I retrieved half of the items but the others are still in unknown locations. My father is so incompetent that he didn't tell me where the missing treasures were last seen!" This was a half-truth. Seraphina needed to force her dad to get all the information out. She did find everything but half of the stuff was a waste of space.
"That sounded quite difficult," Lieze exclaimed.
"Ohohoho! An intelligent and beautiful demon like me knows how to get others to talk." Her eyes shined like a cat when she said this. "However, there is one treasure that got my attention because of Gwen. She mentioned many things but then she brought up about a pearl my mother had."
"A pearl?"
Seraphina nodded her head. "For me, pearls are rather lame but they have a lot of value to them."
"Oh…"
"Think of it this way. Pearls are beautiful jewels you can find in my Netherworld but compared to something like diamonds, rubies or sapphires, the pearl is at the bottom of the barrel. Still…" Seraphina frowned. "My mother did have a thing for pearls and this one in particular meant a whole lot to her. Unfortunately, the Prinnies failed to deliver it and I am stuck to assume that the pearl is still left in the same place that those Prinnies claimed they lost it."
"And which Netherworld would that be?"
Seraphina had to stop and think. She actually didn't know the name of the Netherworld. She had the coordinates to get to the Netherworld and that should be enough.
"…I don't know," she confessed. "I only have the coordinates."
"That should be enough," Lieze hummed.
"Well…yeah…but I don't think it's worth it…"
Lieze tilted her head in confusion. "Why not?"
"I wanted my servants to retrieve the pearl but Prinnies are incompetent. They failed time and time again because of the weather conditions and the overall pollution of that Netherworld. I do want the pearl back though. The more I looked into it, the more that I realized that Mother really treasured that pearl. It was passed down from her mother and then her mother's mother…so I guess having it around as a formality would be nice."
Seraphina didn't know what was lie and what was truth at that point. She didn't look into the history of most of the treasures. That's why Gwen berated her in the first place. Perhaps the pearl had some sentimental value and she failed to realize it. The Gorgeous Overlord could care less about the pearl. As she implied, she didn't value pearls or anything that looked like trash. Seraphina wondered what Lieze got from this explanation.
"I know whatever present that monkey gave to my mother would never see the light of day again. I believe that the pearl wouldn't be something he would be able to obtain so I think it's a safe bet," the stuck-up princess continued.
"I'll retrieve the pearl for you!"
Seraphina was still babbling on about her sob story about the pearl but Lieze cut her off. She already volunteered before learning about the Netherworld.
"Hey, I'm not done talking."
"I don't need to hear anymore. You truly want to get this pearl back. It would leave your mother feeling at ease."
The succubus didn't consider her mother's feelings. From beyond the grave, would she care about such things? Hell, when was the last time Seraphina visited Celica's grave?
"But there is still much you need to know!" Seraphina exclaimed. "I can ask my captain for the name of the Netherworld, but I know it's a Netherworld that has a lot of water. If you're not prepared, you could be carried away by the tides and I know Sir Killia wouldn't be pleased if something happened to you."
Lieze shook her head. "There is no need to worry. I will be okay."
Seraphina had her doubts. Someone with no powers would surely die out there…
"Normally, I would ask Zeroken to handle this. Dogs like him are known for swimming. But…" Seraphina frowned. "He is with Usalia in Toto Bunny."
Usalia spent a lot of time restoring Toto Bunny to its former glory. Tensions arose when Majorita ended up becoming her retainer. It wasn't what Usalia wanted but that's how Majorita's curse worked. Some demons assumed the worst and might consider Usalia was in danger or was part of the problem. Zeroken was there to help Usalia take care of the problem and make things easier for her. Majorita was of no use but had to be around the wererabbit.
"Oh, it won't be a problem," Lieze insisted. "I have time to help you before dinner. I'm going to make the curry today."
When it wasn't Killia making the curry, it was Lieze. Seraphina refused to admit how good her food was. Then again, she was the one that taught the leader of the Rebel Army now to cook so it would make sense he got it from her.
"Zeroken is used to being ordered around."
"But I insist. I want to help you find one of your mother's important possessions."
"Really?"
Lieze nodded her head. Seraphina closed her eyes. She forced herself to not laugh out loud. That would be a dead giveaway that there was malice in her request. The blonde demon was too trusting for her own good. Her naïve attitude would get her killed…and that's what the succubus wanted.
"I'm sorry for asking you to do this…" Seraphina started. She steadied her voice hoping that the evil side wasn't apparent.
"…No, it's okay. A little bit of water won't stop me from helping you," Lieze insisted. Her tail started to wag similarly to a dog. Seraphina found it embarrassing to say the least.
"The captain will tell you the location of the Netherworld and the Prinny will warp you there," Seraphina told her. "Please, you must be careful. It may be a family heirloom but a life is more important than that."
Lieze understood what Seraphina was saying but at the same time, she ignored it. Something resonated deep inside of her. Perhaps it was the fact that Seraphina had something to remember her late mother by. Perhaps it was the desire to have a sisterhood with Seraphina despite being at odds. Perhaps it was the need to be useful in something other than cooking and cleaning…
Regardless, Lieze was determined to return with the pearl. She bid her farewell and left without another word. Seraphina waited until she was certain Lieze was out of sight before she cackled like a wicked witch. What the lioness didn't know was that the treasure in all sense and purposes was probably destroyed. The bad weather in the Netherworld that she dumped her trash in was meant to erase stuff that no sane demon would bother going after. If the polluted air didn't kill Lieze first, she would most likely drown trying to find a worthless item that Seraphina could easily replace.
"What an idiot," Seraphina mumbled to herself. "It must run in her family to be one…ohohoho~."
Of course, while Seraphina was patting herself on the back, she failed to see that golden butterfly that had landed softly in the shadows completely out of view of her cameras. Once Lieze left and the butterfly got a confirmation of Seraphina's plan, it vanished into thin air and pursued the lioness that would fall into a deadly trap.
Me: TBC with 9254 words. Notes!
1. I have names for the three richest Netherworlds in the universe. We only go to Gorgeous Overlord in game. We don't know the theme of Gorgeous that allows it to be rich but I always assumed it was a gambling/high technological Netherworld. The other two include Steel Titans which is a weaponry/forgery Netherworld that pretty much prepares itself for war. The third one is a trading Netherworld that as it implies is about trading cultures and other expensive gifts. The game doesn't bring up if the other two Netherworlds were attacked. I confirm here that Void did speak with Gwen for the military items and weapons (hence the huge debt that Goldion is in). The third Netherworld was kind of pointless because of the economic value. As crazy as Void Dark was, halting an entire universe economy could spell trouble for Steel Titans in terms of production value so he left it alone. The demons of Steel Titans also didn't have to fight in the Lost so as long as they made weapons for the Lost. Alas, Void doesn't remember the details because Void Dark was the one that was speaking to Gwen and not Void himself (that and Bloodis was created around this point and Gwen wasn't saying no to Goldion).
2. I made one of Goldion's friends a dwarf as a way to establish that a sort of demon does exist in the Disgaea universe. There are species related to dwarves classified as demons but dwarves themselves could either be their own race or categorized as a demon. Gwen is sort of based on Ymir from Queen's Blade in terms of race and occupation. Her personality seems identical but dwarves in general are money obsessed monsters and Gwen has demonic traits that make her worse in that regard. That's all the connections she has (besides the hair style but Ymir was actually based on the female archer of Disgaea so…)
3. Gwen's relationship with Goldion is complicated. She's in love with him and has been since they first met that is supposed to be a parallel to Seraphina's one-sided attraction to Killia. The difference is that because Gwen has grown up, she has matured a lot but still has strong feelings for Goldion. Azalea is dead so that should mean that he can move on right? Unfortunately, Goldion has no plans of hooking up with anyone after his wife. So she switches between flirting with him, being a good friend and then being a stalker. Goldion is annoyed with her half the time but is one of the few friends he has left.
4. Celica is the name I gave to Seraphina's mom. I will go into more detail of her character later. I can say now that Seraphina has the looks of her mother and some of her personality. However, that's pretty much a given that Red Magnus obviously idolizes Seraphina's mom.
5. Conroy is the name of Seraphina's dad. He's never given a name in the actual game so I picked a rather generic sounding name but not so much. Seraphina says in game that her father changed his appearance to look scary but he's actually a handsome fella. All I'm saying is Conroy is indeed considered pretty due to his official race being an Alp (a lesser incubus and has more vampire traits).
6. Every item Gwen mentioned is a reference to other anime/video game series. Summon Skull is a reference to a Yugioh card. Banana coins are a reference to the Donkey Kong Country 2 pay coins. Portrait of Ruin is the title of the same game from Castlevania.
That's it. Reviews are appreciated. Ja ne!