He stood perfectly still as the door closed and he watched the pair walk out. It was the perfect opportunity. He turned around immediately and walked to his room.

"Skiorus," The orb sitting on its pedestal in the corner of his room lit up, "Velorn. I am on my way to see you. I have... questions that I believe you two can answer."

"Malphas, you do not need to announce your presence. Just show up."

"Yeah, Obsidian. You get so fired up about manners. Chill out."

The duke rolled his eyes, "Very funny, Velorn, you little cat-snake. Regardless, I will be by in a few moments."

"You're stepping? From?"

"My home, of course."

"Which one?"

"I said my home, Skiorus. Not my house."

"Mal..."

"Well, I wonder what the ever-wise raven could be asking us about, dear husband."

Malphas frowned at the orb as he neatened his clothes, "Dear husband?" He glanced around his room for a nice shadow to use, "I thought she stopped using that phrase millennia ago?"

She giggled, he sighed, "Dolor has been reading her folk tales again."

The raven stepped through the shadow cast by his wardrobe. He arched an eyebrow as he stepped into the main hall of the Greedy couple's villa through the shadow of a potted plant positioned on a short column against the wall. He turned around slowly to find the golden duo sitting on a loveseat by the wall.

"So, cousin... what do you have to ask of us?"

Malphas cleared his throat and rolled his shoulders, clearly nervous, "Well, you see... I ha- ehem... um... there seems to be... What made you choose each other? And how did you go about it... what... what is it like... to find your mate? To be mated?"

Velorn snickered but Skiorus shushed her, "That is what you are concerned about?"

"Yes."

Velorn flipped herself into an upside-down position, "Obsidian, why are you asking us now? You've never been interested in it before?"

"Well..."

Skiorus arched a brow in a very familiar way, "Could it be that you've found a partner, Malphas?"

"In a way."

Velorn dropped onto the floor and skittered over to him, "I heard from Peridot that you've got a... a thing. From the surface. Its why you're back early. We weren't expecting you for a few more years."

Skiorus stared at his wife for a moment, "Velorn, this is some information I would have been interested in knowing."

Malphas rolled his eyes, "Oh come now, cousin, I thought you were more sensible than to listen to the gossip Velorn brings back from Lady Venom."

"Well, it's fun to hear, regardless of its source. So... is it true?"

The duke sighed and finally let himself drop into an armchair, "Yes, I did bring someone back from the surface."

"Who?" Velorn asked, leaning over him from behind his chair.

"My last contract."

"Bwaha! I was right! Take that Honey Opal!"

"Velorn, please, let him speak."

"Oh, he leaves things off until you ask anyways."

"Dear..."

Malphas chuckled, "His name is Ciel. His being here is Leviatha's doing. I am surprised you are not fully aware of the situation, as her little humans tend to talk with every demon servant in the area, and those little devils talk to other servants and their masters."

"Well, you know Dolor. She only goes out when someone asks her to. She's not much for travel."

"Yes, I remember. Where is she, by the way? I'm used to hearing her tutting throughout the villa."

Skiorus shook his head, "Velorn sent her to the Third to listen for more gossip."

The males chuckled while the demoness shrugged, "You had yet to visit us, and I wanted to know more about this little beastie you'd acquired."

"He is quite the little beast. Though he has softened considerably since coming to Hell. Surprisingly, becoming a demon changed nothing."

The marquess sat up a little taller, "Wait... When you say his being here is Leviatha's doing..."

"Her power is tremendous. She, Arachne, and I had quite an interesting interaction leading to the spider's death over two souls, Alois's and Ciel's. Alois condemned me to what Ciel and I had believed was an eternity of servitude by requesting that Ciel, who was my master at the time, be made into a demon. She managed to do so, but we've recently come out of the contract by way of the loophole. I h-" Malphas suddenly cut himself off as a feeling of peace enveloped the group.

"¡Señor y Señora, he regresado! He encontrado chismes interesantes de Señor Malphas!" An elder demoness stepped into the room, "Ah, Señor Malphas, es bueno verte. ¿Has oído los rumores acerca de ti?"

"Si, los he oído." Malphas sighed. Dolor loved rumors too much.

"Ah, Dolor, Malphas is telling us the truth behind the rumors, come listen!"

"Escuché la verdad en el Tercero. Tenga un buen día, voy a limpiar el dormitorio principal."

"Oh... well, have fun cleaning, then. Can you reorder my pile while you're in there?"

"When is she going to look for her next contract?" the raven asked as he watched the old woman shuffle back out of the room.

"Soon. She's been hearing a few people call out in South America. She's going to wait a year or so... She feels a war is about to start there. You know how she gets. She revels in the misery that comes with war." Velorn said, shrugging.

"Well, I hope she has fun with that."

Skiorus chuckled, "Well, now that that's out of the way, will you continue?"

"Ah yes. I had a plan at the time to use him. Since I could not get payment in the form of his soul, I would take something else. The plan is very simple, and there is a good chance that I could begin it at any time and he would be willing. However..."

Velorn snickered, "One of Obsidian's famous trail-offs."

"Velorn, my darling, I will dematerialize your pile if you continue," the marquess turned to Malphas, "Forgive her. You know how she gets when she drinks."

The marchioness whined, "Not my pile. Snowflake, you wouldn't."

"I would. Now, please let Malphas continue."

She sighed, "But it's so boring. He's just talking, yap yap yap. Why won't he do anything exciting?"

"Like melt your gold?" He murmured darkly. The oil lamps in the room dimmed with his tone.

"That's not exciting, Obsidian. I do that all the time."

"Velorn, you need to refrain from drinking."

"What? I'm hardly any different."

"While that is true, you are still more annoying than usual."

"Snowflake, Obsidian's being mean to me."

Skiorus sighed, "Dolor."

Velorn suddenly dropped to the floor. Dolor hobbled through the door and lifted her up and dragged her out.

"Why do you spoil her so much?"

"Well, she's my mate. Her happiness brings me joy."

"And irritation."

"Yes, but that lasts only a moment. And regardless of how irritating she gets, she is still my better half."

"Hmph."

"So, finish your story, cousin."

"Ehem, yes, well... However..." The raven paused.

"However?"

"..."

"Malphas."

"Feelings have come into play."

"So you came here to learn what you should expect?"

"I came here to learn what I should do."

"Do?"

"I'm unsure of his feelings. He has definitely come into his own here, but he is far more interested in interacting with others."

"You are as possessive as ever."

"Well, he is mine. I cannot see it otherwise. I have been at his side for many, many years. But now I am reacting to him differently. If he whispers, I will not hear it. If he is in danger, I will act without thinking, even if I am the one who put him in the situation."

"You care about him, Malphas. Under normal circumstances, I would simply attribute this to the Mother Malphas complex-"

"Do shut up, Skiorus."

"But, I can see this is a very different situation. Have you spoken to him about it."

"Well... we have discussed mates and marking and scenting..."

"But have you discussed being mates and marking each other and scenting each other?"

"No."

"I am quite surprised. You are usually a very straightforward demon."

"He is... very different."

There was suddenly the sound of someone falling downstairs. Velorn stumbled into the room, looking irate.

"That was fa-"

"Obsidian! How dare you! Dolor just told me that you took your little pet thing to see Rhodonite before you took him to see us!"

Skiorus shook his head, "Velorn, dear, calm down. You hadn't even known he was back until yesterday."

"Even more of a reason to be angry. We should have been the first to know!"

"Well, I can bring him to see you tomorrow."

"Dolor just saw him in the Third with Moonstone!"

"Oron is... well I am not quite certain what Oron wanted with him. But he chose to work with Oron today. I did not have a say in it."

"ARE YOU A DUKE OR AREN'T YOU!"

"Velorn," Skiorus murmured quietly, "Ciel is his vice."

Malphas scowled, "I wouldn't call him a vice."

"Ciel is his... you."

"Oh. Well, that would explain why he wants to know what being mates is like."

"So you see, he's just letting him do as he pl-"

"I am not letting him run about freely. He is receiving training."

"Training?"

"He... is still a fledgling."

Velorn grinned and dropped back into the loveseat, "Oh wow, the great and powerful Malphas has fallen for a weak little fledgling."

"He is not weak. He is quite clever actually. He managed to defeat me during a mock battle."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean anything. You were probably distracted."

"Will you shut up, Velorn?"

She grinned cheekily, "No. When are you bringing the little brat to see us?"

"I suppose I can do it when he has finished his business with Oron. Speaking of which, how is it that Dolor knows what he looks like?"

"Los rumores, Señor."

"How did you organize my pile, Dolor?"

"Las joyas en la parte superior."

"Yay!" Velorn jumped up but paused before she ran out of the room, "Bring him by later today. Perhaps when can help more if we see you two interact. Plus, I wanna meet him." She disappeared, presumably to roll in her jewel-laden pile.

"It was good to see you again Malphas."

"It was an interesting visit." the duke murmured as he rose to leave.

"Ah, and Malphas..."

"Yes?"

"I did hear... one rumor."

"..."

"You killed an angel?"

"As my master demanded. And you could hardly call that creature an angel. It was well on it's way to being Exiled."

"Will they see it that way?"

There was a pause and Malphas's eyes grew cold, "I do not care." And the raven flew out of the front door.

Hours. That was all he knew about how much time had passed. Two, five or twelve, he didn't know. He just knew that he was finally numb to the screaming.

Oron had taken him to the dungeon. There were so many demons there. Each had been apprehended for one reason or another. Ciel was meant to find out what the reason was. With some demons, the process was as silent as Oron's had been. But the rest screamed, sounds ranging from rage to pain to fear to... well there were some who enjoyed his... raping of their mind. But that reaction was more unsettling than the others. But as time passed he became numb to those too.

Are you exhausted yet?

And that was another thing. Oron was making him repeat this, there were plenty of demons to go through, until he was exhausted, until he was absolutely spent, until he could barely move or think or remember to breathe. But he wasn't getting tired. Just numb. It was effortless now, he'd done it so many times. It was only interesting now if the demon had barriers in place. He found a little joy in tearing them down.

When they'd first walked into the dungeon, the fledgling had been horrified. Demons screamed and cussed and fought wildly against the cells they were in. It was... it was too familiar. Oron had gestured to the first cell they passed.

Here is your next test creature.

What am I supposed to do?

Learn why he is here. Not only why he was imprisoned, but what he actually did. Find the events that led to their imprisonment.

Their?

Oron waved their arm at the whole of the dungeon, Everyone. Help me identify the innocent.

Ciel had been a little wary, having just witnessed the pain his ability could cause, but he proceeded to look into the demon's mind. The memories zipped around him. It was so disorganized compared to the memoryscape he entered when he examined the stuffed creatures in Malphas's trophy room. Some of these memories were stationary, but they were very early memories, and Ciel found they were useless to him. He eventually found that some memories had a pattern to their movements, they traveled to another memory before resetting their journey. From there it wasn't too difficult for Ciel to trace the memories back to one incident.

He was running. Running on all fours. There was fur in disgusting patches on his skin, and his perception of the world was a little strange, as though his eyes weren't quite evenly spaced. This demon's familiar form. Perhaps a canine of some sort? Regardless, he was running from something. Finally, he looked behind him to check.

Ciel nearly jumped out of the memory. The image of Cerberus in a rage running madly after him was pretty terrifying. The demon must have done something to piss the hound off. Ciel stepped back.

He frowned, he hadn't gone back far enough. He followed the memory's trail back. There it was.

He was sniffing. The scent he was looking for was familiar, but Ciel couldn't place where it was from. Either way, he was digging through the revolting muck of the ground. He'd dig, find nothing, and run off to find the scent, repeating the process over and over, but never really seeming to make any progress. Ciel had grown bored, but he knew his answer was somewhere in this memory. He stuck with it for a while longer and was finally rewarded. The demon found what he was looking for.

A soul. One of the souls being punished. Ciel was instantly interested as he watched the demon cautiously approach the soul. He sniffed the air, glanced around, then bit the creature's arm.

The fledgling had not expected the wail. The creature made a horrifying noise. A "soul crushing" sound. It crumbled into itself, clutching its injured arm. And in the distance there came a bone-chilling howl. The wail had been unsettling, the sound of eternal agony and suffering and distress. The howl was more terrifying, as it was filled with rage and bloodlust and had begun to grow louder. That was when the demon began to run.

Ciel had blinked, letting the memories go and letting himself settle in his own mind, He... he tried to eat one of the suffering souls. Cerberus took action.

Ah, I see. Let us move on then.

Wait.

Oron had paused and stared at Ciel expectantly.

Why was that a bad thing? Him taking a bite out of a soul? Doesn't Cerberus do it all the time?

Yes, but that is Cerberus's job. Cerberus also contains "restorative" acids that painfully pull the pieces of the souls back together that he then vomits back out.

That... was a revolting image.

Indeed. But that is part of the souls' eternal punishment. And if other demons interfere and attempt to devour the souls...

It ruins the cycle of the punishments. I see.

And Ciel was quick to find that many of the imprisoned creatures were there for the same reason. What else did he expect from the Circle of Gluttony? He also discovered failed murderers, thieves, and spies. He saw what amassed to the same four stories many, many times. Some of the fights in the memories were interesting, but he still grew very, very bored of the whole thing. He attempted to entertain himself by searching for demons with barriers up and breaking into their minds, or abusing the sensation his ability caused by jumping in and out of demons' minds. It was around when he began to grow bored of that, that Oron paused and looked up.

Ah, my lady has a visi- no, no this isn't a visitor for my lady. Come, Kitten, your lord is here. I believe he is taking you home.

Good. I'm bored of this.

You are quite the interesting fledgling. You reach mastery of such a terrifying ability in mere hours, then complain that you are bored of using it! I am both horrified and impressed.

Oh quiet you, he grumbled, I wonder what Malphas is doing here. He should be waiting back at home. At least, I thought he was going to wait. But he has impeccable timing, as I've come to expect over the years.

Years? You have been with the Raven for years?

Yeah. I thought you lot would have known that.

You were his human contractee, were you not? How long did that last?

Oh, roughly three years.

They couldn't exactly gasp, but Ciel got the general idea. He could feel the actual shock and surprise, What in all of Hades drew him to you for so long?!

Well, apparently my soul was very, very delicious. Enough for a few demons to try to steal it, one of them succeeding.

Is that successful one Lady Bull Shark?

Bull Shark? There is no rational way you could possibly equate Leviatha's monstrous familiar to a bull shark!

Ah, but Kitten that is the Countess of Wrath's true familial form, when she is without her holy blade.

Holy?! What in fuckall is the story there?

Oh, you don't know? Well, perhaps Lady Bull Shark will tell you of her own accord.

Fine, then, back to the original query?

Yes, well I do see your point. If that is how long your human contract was, how long were you together as demons?

Oh, we traveled around the globe for four years after that. Well, we set up house in Limbo first. I was quite content to not quite leave the Surface by going to the First. Then we went everywhere from China to America to Ethiopia. I watched my company slowly burn to the ground. Well, it didn't actual burn down, but the violent and acrid decline under new management felt like two and a half years of slowly being burned alive. Consequently I also very, very briefly experienced actually burning alive out of curiosity. It was certainly a painful but interesting experience. I actually felt truly dangerous after discovering I could survive being burned alive. It took me a week to heal, but it was fun. I swear, Sebastian was hoping it would kill me.

And yet you feel great affection for him.

Well, I love Malphas.

And consequently, Sebastian, as he came from Malphas's mind. He was absolutely cold to you, so it appears and is a s expected of the Raven. How could you fall for him after realizing that there was a good chance he'd had fantasies of your death, honestly hoping it were possible?

The question actually stopped Ciel up short, it was something he'd wondered briefly, in the back of his mind, when he was contemplating why he even loved Malphas. He honestly didn't have a solid answer. He knew it was something he grew into, but he couldn't really place when. Perhaps it was around when the cold "It is acceptable" was replaced by "It exceeded my expectations." Around when being carried bridal style became embarrassing, not simply the most efficient way to be carried. Or maybe later around the time when making two cups of New Moon Drop was their way of asking for company. Or maybe it was when sharing when he agreed to cheat reapers out of souls replaced continuing to eat human food. Or when he began to allow more frequent trips and longer stays back to hell. Or perhaps it was much, much further back, when a strange shower of feathers gave him hope of freedom.

Kitten, are you alright? You went silent for quite a while there.

Oh, yeah. I got distracted. I suppose it was because I felt the same way at some point. And perhaps it was because I'd already fallen in love with him a long time ago.

Really? You are an interesting creature indeed. Well, despite my saying that we would not be working on your passive ability, perhaps you could use it to see why Raven has come here to retrieve you.

It would be much easier to check like this.

Yes, but your presence is impossibly strong. Is this an ability you want Lord Raven to discover in such a way?

No. But I want to know why he's here. And Ciel suddenly stopped seeing Oron and the stairs out of the dungeon. He suddenly saw orbs zipping around him. Memories. He'd unintentionally just jumped into Malphas's mind. He was quick to leave, but he was worried that he'd just ruined everything. They were approaching the foyer. Malphas looked irritable.

"Oron, I know you're surprised to see me here, but you could ask why I'm here rather than attempting to search my mind for the answer. You know your method doesn't work well on me."

The child-like demon inclined their head apologetically.

Ciel was surprised. Had Malphas not realized it was him? He was so glad Oron couldn't communicate easily, it made implying the truth in this situation a lot easier.

Well... why is he here?

"If you must know, I was taking this opportunity to visit some old friends and they ended up asking for Ciel to visit later today. I thought I would drop in on my way back home to check up on him and let him know of this evening's plans."

Well I'm quite tired of being here so let's hurry up and go.

I'm sad to see you're so eager to be gone. I thought I was pleasant company.

You are, but I'm bored and ready to go home.

Ah, I see. Well have a pleasant trip, and don't get stolen by the wind on your way back.

Certainly.

"Ah, did I come at an opportune time? Well, come, Ciel. You must have been very busy. Perhaps you can rest before we visit Skiorus and Velorn."

Oh, the Marquess and of Greed and Marchioness of Avarice?

"I have not yet recovered my strength, so we will not be shadow stepping all the way back. But we will be able to step before we reach the Lovers' Tempest."

The Wall of Wind is called the Lovers' Tempest?

"I do quite enjoy the poetic nature of the names of some of this realms landmarks. Perhaps I can show you them at some point in the future. Now," the duke opened the front door, revealing the messy, unending storm of the Third, "let us return so that you might rest and prepare."

As he walked out the door, something compelled Ciel to pause. He wanted to say goodbye to Oron in a way that, hopefully, would drive Malphas mad. And he thought of the perfect thing. He took two fingers, touched them to his lips and casually blew the androgynous demon a kiss before waving good-bye. He subtly glanced at his mentor immediately after and managed to catch the coldest and angriest look he'd ever seen on the demon's face. It was like a poison. If looks could kill. And it lasted the briefest of instants before the elder glanced at Ciel with an arched brow. The pair began to walk back.

"You've gotten quite friendly with them.

Ciel shrugged, I suppose.

"Hmph." The fledgling stared curiously at the duke's gruff reply. Moody Malphas was indeed hardly Malphas at all. He was so used to the other's easy sarcasm and witty quips. A disgruntled grunt wasn't quite what he expected from the clever and suave Duke of Lust.

And quite out of nowhere an old thought occurred to him. It made no sense for Malphas to take him in out of the goodness of his heart, no matter how much deserting a helpless fledgling didn't sit right with him. He had to have some ulterior motive. And following what Oron had said moments ago about patterns of behaviour, and how the demon had said Malphas had previously acted this possessive only with his lovers, it finally made sense as to why the other demon would try to keep him around. Thinking about him, purely from the frame of mind of his title, made it obvious. The fledgling's face suddenly flooded with red. He was being used for his body. It was the only thing that made sense. Was Malphas going to attempt to seduce him?

Malphas watched curiously as his charge's face suddenly grew red and hot. What could the fledgling be thinking about?

Ciel was distracted when his mentor suddenly disappeared from his side. He turned around and frowned, Why are we stopping?

"Ahead of us is the Tempest, is you hadn't noticed. I've got my strength back. Let's use one of these boulder's shadows to head back."

They found a nice shadow and Ciel stepped into Malphas's arms. The boy was more conscious of the other's presence than he usually was due to his revelation. The blush was not dying down. When they arrived at the mansion, he dashed inside, running up to his room. Discovering his outfit for the rulers of the Fourth was a welcome distraction. He reached towards the drawer that had both of their sigils on it. Thoughts began to shift in his mind. Perhaps the clothes wouldn't be much of a distraction at all.

He opened the drawer. So what am I supposed to do? If that's his real motive... should I just let him? I mean, I want him. I definitely... definitely desire him in that sense. But should I let that happen? Let him take advantage of me, knowing that at any moment after he gets what he wants he could toss me aside like I was never in his life... Is that worth it? Worth having him in my bed and being close to him for however long it lasts? Or should I just go on, never letting him in? Having him, but just at arm's length until he gets bored? I lose him and my dignity either way. Heh, not just my dignity. My will. What a thing to lose over a man. Or a woman. And what would I do after that? Alois says I have him and Luka and Leviatha. But what's to say that they won't leave me when Malphas is gone? It makes me glad that I'm meeting other nobles on my own. Alois was right about needing backups. I wonder if Aroi would be available.

He sighed, What am I doing? I need to get ready to meet Skiorus and Velorn. He'd sunk to the floor as his thoughts dragged down his mood. With a groan, he stood back up and pulled out his outfit for the evening.

It was, of course, themed around their Circle of dominion. Most of the pieces were gold. He was surprised to see that this outfit had a bustle. The shorts were embarrassingly short so he was grateful for it. It was layers of ruffled satin fabric and it arched a little more than he'd expected, really accentuating the feminity of his hips, and extended well to the floor. The top was completely sheer, with a high, cream collar rimmed with golden lace. The whole of his front was bedazzled with purple and green gemstones. He assumed the gems were emeralds and amethysts, but they had strange patterns in them and he had no idea what the gems really were. The stones shaped a vest, and the front had a very, very low V shaped dip. The sleeves became less and less sheer as they approached his wrists, and they trailed past his fingertips with strips of fabric. His hair piece was like a small golden tiara comb, with two green gems on either side of a purple one. There were golden ankle boots in the drawer as well. When he put the clothes on, he felt like a woman that had been doted on by her rich husband and walked around showing off every bit of jewelry he gave her. He grinned at the mental image of him being such a spouse. Then he examined himself in the mirror. He wasn't sure if he wanted to keep the red eyes or blue eyes, and for a moment he wished he had Elizabeth's big emerald eyes and he wished she could see how glittery and golden his outfit was. She would probably love it. He supposed red would do better in this position, his blue eyes were too blue for this color scheme. He let himself relax in his nest, attempting to numb his mind as more Malphas related thoughts attempted to pollute his good mood.

An hour later and there was a knock on his door. He stood up and opened it, pleasantly surprised by the minimal change in Malphas's outfit. His blazer was adorned with two lines of golden vines speckled with little flowers gently outlining the gorge. He wore golden cufflinks and a golden chain attached a pocketwatch to his blazer. It was nice to see some variation in the elder's closet.

"We will have to walk to their home in the Fourth. I will not be able to shadowstep for a few more hours, and Velorn was quite upset that I have yet to take you to meet them."

Ciel nodded, I'm fine with walking to meet them. Speaking of meeting, when are we going to visit Shir? You promised her a visit a few days ago. And I'd like to meet her.

Malphas turned towards the stairs, "We can leave now if you are rested enough."

Don't ignore me. When are we going to see Shir? You're too keen on avoiding her.

"Ciel..."

What?! The fledgling scowled.

"Ciel, did something happen while you with Oron? Your eyes are red again. Didn't you say that that signifies your more demonic nature is active? Were you not worried about it when we were at the Macken Manor yesterday?"

Oron managed help me create a shield to help me remain in this form.

"Are you upset for some reason?"

No... Why?

"Ciel, it is very difficult to hold a conversation if you don't speak."

Don't speak?! I've be- Oh. Ciel blinked owlishly. Then a grin slowly spread across his face. Oh. He burst into laughter.

Malphas glared at him, "Is that really how you're going to respond?"

"No, no," he snickered, "It's just that, oh wow, I've just realized that I haven't been talking. I got so used to Oron in such a short time. I completely forgot to speak."

Malphas chuckled, "That is quite the slip-up to make."

"Honestly. And I thought you were responding this whole time. Oh wow, that is quite the mess."

"I suppose that is what happens when one doesn't communicate when they think something is wrong. If I hadn't asked..."

"I probably would have ended up embarrassing myself."

"I'm glad we prevented that. I have another question, though."

"What?"

"What happened to your arms?"

Ciel frowned and glanced down. His arms were bruised and there were still cuts from some of the prisoners reacting the same way Oron had, "Oh, it's just a little damage from training with Oron. It's pretty superficial. Just some scratches and bruises. They don't hurt; they don't even bother me." Though he wondered how he hadn't noticed them when he was dressing. Perhaps he was a little out of it after roving through so many minds. He forgot to speak, didn't notice the injuries, what next?

"Well, Little One, let's get moving. It is quite the long walk to their castello."

The intensity of his already very bright blush increased as he realized Malphas probably read it as a signal that he could probably exact his "evil" plan soon. He was fully convinced that Malphas planned to seduce. He ducked his head as they walked through the door. There was no way he could survive such a long walk with his mind occupied as it was. He needed a shortcut badly.

"The tree!" he remembered, and burst into a sprint. Malphas paused in confusion before running after him.

"Tree?"

"Yes. I completely forgot about it," The boy ran into the wooded area across from the split in the road and quickly found the dead tree that marked Hyacinthos's portal. He knocked it and stood grinning as the portal opened up. He turned to Malphas, "It's pretty cold, just warning ya. Plus it'll only take us to the beginning of the Fourth so we'll still have to walk."

"How did you discover this portal?"

"One of the demons Alois introduced me to. She showed it to us a while ago."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Well, let's get moving. I hate anticipating the cold of this thing." And the pair stepped through the portal.

I don't want to translate the Spanish for you guys. So I won't.

Also, although everyone uses the conventions of years and days and times of day... I have a feeling that the demons actually don't really acknowledge the existence of time... just a general thing I was thinking of. Time is like... super important to a lot of stories... but some entities don't have any sense of it because they don't have any reasons to mark things like the rotation of the earth as something other than simply another fact of life... Time is a matter of perspective, and if your perception of it is greatly dependent on how you keep track of it, if you keep track of it.

idk I really like thinking about that sort of thing