(A/N: Chapters 14 through 25 all occur around the same time)

This was NOT how she expected her birthday to go.

One minute she was with loving friends and family. The next she was heavily chained up in a straitjacket in a secure and armored room. And her neck ached more and more.

Well, at least the chains were enchanted. Otherwise her demonic Hellbat form she transformed permanently into would burn through them with ease.

Lucy groaned in pain again as she felt something try to claw its way out of her soul. Her eyes seemed to flicker a pale red for a bit. Even worse, this exact scenario seemed to replicate one of her deepest fears.

The fear of loneliness. Ever since she knew of her heritage, Lucy felt like an outcast. Like she'd never fit in. That she was cursed. Maybe she was. In a way far worse than she expected.

Mostly everyone was gone. Sasquatch, Bigfoot, Grady, Wolf, Jacklyn, Conrad, Emily, and Hannah Stoneman had gone with the rest of the Lunar Pack and the Twilight Brood to find the Beast Stone. Van Helsing took the Morgans, Hassads, Gazelle, Thunder, Power, Ben, Gabe, Jack Black, Robyn, and Arthur to find the Curse Stone. The Invisible Man took Cory, Lisa, Hannah Fairchild, Sarah McGinnis, Mirpo, Brent Green, Sammy Jacobs, Super Duper, Arach-Kid, Jay Gardener, Primor, Billy Harlan, Erin, her brother Marty, and Mark Tyler to find the Spirit Stone. And Kruu took the Deeps, Monsty, Dylan, Tina, and the Liptons to find the Deep Stone.

Meanwhile, most of her own friends and family were out in the Mystic Realm, trying to find the ingredients for the Monster's Bane cure to save her. Randy would go after the Kaiju Blood, Lynne took Clarissa and Vanessa to find the Witch Potion, Dina would go for the Unicorn Magic, Environ would target the fairies, Grievor would infiltrate the troll camp, Wargon would fight the dragon, and Ellie would find the goblins.

And here she was, sitting around and doing nothing. Only the Many Mysteries Club, R.L. Stine, I.G.O.R., Frankenstein, Maria, Yolky, the kids, and the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins and Midnight Society were left to stay behind and guard both her and the Creation Stone.

That's when Lucy heard someone come up to the locked door of the Cryptid Keep's Panic Room. She looked upwards, feeling like a bat sleeping right-side up. It was Lushara, in her demon form.

"How are you feeling, little one?"

Lucy's ears perked up. "You…never called me that. Not…in a long time…"

"Listen…what I said before…I know you must think I'm right, but…I was just…worried for you."

"Worried? Why?"

"The mantle of the Nether Lord is a crown that weighs heavily upon he who wears it." Lushara stated. "Lucifer Satan had to be humbled and learn humility many times in order to mature into the leader he is now."

"He was…like me?"

"He was once like all seven of us Sins. Lusting, prideful, envious, greedy, hungry, and lazy. But that was when he was around OUR age."

"18 or 18,000?"

"13,000."

"Woah…so…he was even younger back then…"

"He had to go through a lot to become Lord. Much like how you are now."

"Physically or mentally? Cause I feel like I'm going through both right now."

"He was strengthened both in body and mind. But perhaps…your rule may not be as long as his anyway?"

Lucy perked up. "What?"

"You are the very first hybrid of our kind. You still have mortality from my sister-in-law. Who knows? You may live as long as monsters normally do, yet you retain our immense pain tolerance."

"Really?! So…I can…I don't have to live longer than…than Dina?"

"At first I didn't understand. I was only hard on you to strengthen you. But perhaps I was hard on you for another reason. You are a half-breed. And you try to cut yourself off from your bloodlines."

"I'm a teenager, it's what we do."

"You also love greatly. You see something within the lizard girl that you do not see in your own mothers. Perhaps because I have had so many concubines…I've completely forgotten how to love. I only have an urge to lust and mate."

"Don't YOU have a kid too? Persephone?"

Lushara froze. Yes…Lucille DID have a cousin. But she was still a youngling.

"Yes. With Environ. My first mate and concubine."

"You must've felt something. Something you have for no other succubus girl. What was it?"

"I…I was entranced. By how busty and beautiful she was. She was bubbly on the inside, and yet…I focused only on the outside. She's just so…perfectly shaped and-."

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there before I hurl. The point is, you STARTED to love her, but that love spiraled out of control and you wanted to do the birds and the bees with her."

Lushara had a look of confusion. "What do avians and insects have to do with it?"

"I-It's a term for it in my world. We also have a term for someone who's OBSESSED with pretty girls like you are. And normally being with someone else besides your lover is considered cheating on them."

Lushara only blushed. "She doesn't mind. I am the Deadly Sin of Lust, after all. At least YOU never cheated."

"Those were on tests and you KNOW it." Lucy chuckled. "Still, I…guess I got my love for girls from you. And your sister."

"I…thank you, niece."

Niece. That felt so good to hear. She rarely got to call Lushara her aunt. At least she did it more with Uncle Larry.

"How much time do I have left?"

"Oh, about, uh…25 minutes?" I.G.O.R. stated. Lucy only smiled with tears in her eyes.

"If I'm too far gone to be brought back when I turn…" She said, no longer afraid of the beast within. "I love you all so much. Will you…tell my family that?"

"YOU will." Lushara stated. "They love you as well, and they WILL get that cure made."

"And even IF you turn before the cure is made, well, you've got 24 hours before the change is permanent." I.G.O.R. added. "The cure will be able to turn you back before then if you get it. And it's pretty easy for me to make."

She didn't show it, but Lucy felt the burning pain inside. Her heart was pulsing, her blood was boiling, and she slowly felt the curse eat away at her mind, humanity, and sentience. THAT she was still afraid of, but she had been taught to embrace such fear long ago.

"I now understand who you truly are." Lushara stated. "You are neither Dracula's descendant cursed to bring our end, NOR are you Lucifer's to briefly rule as your birthright. You are simply…yourself. I once had a distrust and a disgust for humans…but now I see that you are far more human than any of us could ever be. And for once…that's not a bad thing."

It almost made sense. Ellie WOULD outlive Lynne, that was true. But Lucy wouldn't have to worry about a cursed long life. Her rule would be but a blink of an eye in the lifespan of the Makai demons.

Who knew? Who in their right minds would have EVER suspected that a hybrid of a monster and a demon would be so HUMAN?

Perhaps that's what she was on the inside, despite being born as something else on the outside. If she was born with the soul of a human, then she would DIE as a human.

Finally, she didn't feel alone anymore. Finally…she had found her TRUE people.