"Hello my lady." The red suited man smiled at her, still seemingly concerned. "What are you doing here at this late hour?"
Ahna smiled slightly ashamed. "Ah, I honestly have no idea what time it is. I have been in the council room with Momonga since we met with the guardians. I want to get with you and Albedo soon and go over some things about the Tomb." She yawned tiredly. "Though it might be more of an info dump."
Shock filled the devil's face at her confession. Had she only been planning since she got here? It had been more than a day and was currently falling into the second night. His smile fell slightly at the news and her tired appearance. "My Lady. We have properly secured the borders of Nazarick. Nothing will get through our defenses and Mare has almost finished camouflaging the Tomb. All is well. You need not push yourself to such extremes. You should rest first."
His concern made her feel guilty. It was the second person who had been made to worry on her behalf. This wasn't what she wanted to seem like to the guardians. "Very well, I suppose I can wait until morning."
"Have you eaten, My Lady?" Demiurge nodded to Sous-chef, but the mushroom man shook his head.
"I have had her food sent down to her room as directed by our lady." He told the devil promptly and respectfully. His body turned in her direction and asked. "Are you in need of anything else my lady?"
Though she had not seen it, the mushroom man had agonized over what to feed his mistress in the back, and was hoping that he could make up for any dishes she might find displeasing. He had no idea any of her preferences nor had he even seen any of the Supreme Ones eat. Hopefully something in the dishes he had made would appeal to her. His anxiety was made even worse when he had found that his slow speed had caused his lady to fall asleep at his bar.
"No, Sous. I am quite alright. Though… that does beg the question of what you're doing here?" The succubus looked to Demiurge who smiled at being addressed. She had a soft sleep filled voice and genuinely curious eyes.
"Albedo and I had decided that each floor should be allocated some potions to bolster defenses in case of attack. Therefore I came here to request some from Sous-chef."
Sous nodded to Demiurge. "I shall have them delivered immediately, Lord Demiurge. Would 10 to each floor be enough?"
"Hm…I believe it would be best to double that just in case and give every floor guardian or leader at least 3. Do we have the supplies for that?"
"Of course," He nodded, bowing once more to the Supreme Being and quietly exiting.
Demiurge turned his diamond eyes to the other devil in the room. "Would you allow me to escort you to your room My lady? My subordinates are well instructed and I only have a meeting with Albedo left to do for now and it isn't for another hour or two." He would cancel that meeting if his lady had even suggested he was needed here with her.
"I would appreciate it, Demiurge." She yawned softly into her hand. The yawns were becoming more and more frequent. He extended his hand to her and she readily placed hers within it.
The walk to the room had no words spoken between them. However, glancing at the devil it was obvious there was some burning question on his mind. Yet he kept his silence despite that. It was eerily similar to a certain someone.
"What is it, Demiurge?" She yawned again. Her gold eyes cut into him even though they were half closed. In her vulnerable state, the devil wasn't sure if he should ask any questions, but he wasn't going to not answer her.
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what happened? You were crying?" The memory of her soft sobs had been eating away at him since he had first heard them but the bigger issue had briefly overshadowed it.
She gave a soft hum, acknowledging that he had asked his question. She wasn't sure how to answer him. She could brush it off, act like the event itself never happened. She was sure Demiurge would accept that and never mention it again. But he wouldn't forget. It would always be in the back of his mind.
"That is a question best answered over food. If you would like to join me?" She asked without much thought and the devil jumped on the chance to spend more time with the Supreme One.
"Of course, My Lady. It is an honor to dine with you." It seemed fate was smiling down on him, blessing him with the need to talk to Sous-chef at that time.
Her door was not far from the bar so they were there by the time their conversation had taken a lull. Ahna turned the doorknob only for the devil to put his arm in front of her. "Who is there?" The growl in his voice startled Ahna up from her semi-tired state. Someone was in her room? Who?
"My, my. So aggressive." A soft and almost melodic voice flowed ever so slowly from the room. Ahna had never heard the voice before but she couldn't picture a more perfect tone for the creation within.
"Demiurge." She placed a soft hand on his forearm. "It's Ryujin."
Realization dawned on the devil and he lowered his arm. "Apologies. I was unaware that your creation was stationed here. We have never met before." He dipped his head lower in shame. He should have known but didn't feel too guilty. Had it been an actual intruder, the guardians had to be ready to protect the Supreme Ones.
Ahna pushed the door open to reveal two carts ladened with food and no one else in sight. When the male devil glanced at the female she didn't seem too concerned and moved forward towards the bed. Demiurge took a step in and when he wasn't scolded he continued after her. His gaze drifted around the room but he saw no sign of the woman's butler. He had definitely heard them but…
"Would you like help out of your armor My lady?" The hauntingly soft voice had a slight hiss. He looked up to see red eyes looking down at them. Well, they knew how to hide their presence well despite being lower level than him.
"That would be nice Ryu." Ahna commented, flopping onto the bed. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to eat at all and just let herself drift off to sleep on this soft bed.
She heard Ryujin's descent from the ceiling and opened her golden eyes to see long scaley coils sofly coming in contact with the floor making very little sound. Their scales were a light seafoam green and it connected to skin that was slightly olive in color currently covered by a white button up shirt and black vest. A small silver chain attached from one of the vest buttons to the vest pocket and there was a black band around their left bicep. A black tie situated neatly and was tucked neatly into the vest. The naga had a soft face housing deep red eyes. These orbs were contrasted by long hair that hung in soft waves and matched their tail.
Just from looking at Ryujin, they had soft womanly curves and a gentle tilt to their lip. Ahna knew better than to be fooled into thinking they are kind by their looks. She made them.
The naga slid silently across the floor and set about unlatching the succubus' armor leaving her only in a black pair of pants, boots, and a corset. The snakeperson dipped their torso slightly in a bow.
"Are you hun…" She paused, realizing that she had equipped the naga with a Ring of Sustenance so they wouldn't feel hunger. "Would you care to sit and eat with us?"
They smiled with a sweet disarming grin. "My Lady, it would be my utmost honor."
It took no time at all for the two servants to set up a table near the bed for their mistress to eat at. She had thought that having Ryujin with her would have made it easier to speak to Demiurge about this particular subject. But she also felt that Ryu deserved to know, as well. They were what she put towards this place. The being she conjured forth with coding and data crystals.
Honestly, it amazed her that her creation was sitting in front of her with such life. It… pleased her. She thought that this would be perfect to explain it all at once…even though she had forgotten in her sleepy state that Ryu was here. But now she had two pairs of expectant eyes on her. One of which had no idea of the topic.
However, she took a plate of pasta to bide her time. "Demiurge asked me a question earlier. I plan on answering it now but to do that you must first understand some things on Supreme Beings. It will change everything you've ever known. If either of you wish to leave you may do so."
"Mistress," The naga hissed slightly on the s sounds. They were seated on the floor, their thick body coiled up and acting as a chair for their upper torso. "Whatever you tell me I will engrave in my heart as absolute truth."
"Ryujin is correct my lady. If you are willing to, we will listen and will provide assistance where we can."
"It may not be a problem that you can wave a hand and fix Demiurge. Even myself and Momonga are at a loss for now." She placed a fork full of pasta into her mouth to stall. She wanted to tell the two the best way without telling them the whole truth. It would be the cruelest thing she could do to tell them they were ones and zeros in a database for human enjoyment. But Demiurge was smart, maybe a bit too smart. He would notice if she outright lied, but maybe a twist of information would be acceptable. "As I am sure both of you are aware Momonga and I along with the other Supreme Beings are not full time residents of Yggdrasil."
"Yes," The devil gave a slight grin letting her know that he was pleased with her sharing her information with him.
She took a big bite of food, chewing and swallowing swiftly. "We reside in a different dimension so to speak. Separate from Yggdrasil but thinly connected by a pathway. We, the Supreme Beings, created bodies we called Avatars. We used them to interact limitedly with that world." Ahna took another bite letting that information sit there and gauging their reaction. So far they seemed rather accepting. The she-devil knew that they were smart enough to guess at this information though. "In truth, this connection was mental only, thus before now we were immune to death, disease, and didn't actually feel the status effect that our avatars endured. If these bodies" she gestured down to herself. "Died we would need only to make a new one, though that body would not have the skills or powers it once did. However if at a moment in time we did not imbue the body then it would not exist in that moment."
Demiurge looked conflicted and she motioned him to speak. "Sorry for interrupting, but you said you were immune before you came here...does that mean you are no longer…" He trailed off, not sure if he should continue, face set in a grim line. Ryujin had a hard look on their face as well.
She smiled softly, taking a piece of a nearby fish dish and let that concept and reality have its full empact. "It is my theory that our immunities are now tied to the race we are. Now that didn't answer your question earlier. You asked me why I was sad."
To their credit Ryujin just sat there taking in the information and reacting very little. More of an observer than an active participant in the conversation.
"As I said, Yggdrasil and the other world were connected by a thin pathway and it was being closed. We would no longer be able to cross over and Nazarick would be lost to us forever."
Horror filled the faces of her subjects. Whatever answer the arch devil had thought up it seemed to have fallen completely short of the truth. She kinda felt bad that Ryujin had no idea what was going on. They had sat forward almost as if to hold the succubus back from leaving. Demiurge opened his mouth but it seemed that words couldn't state just how much the news had shocked him. He was speechless.
She continued on eating the fish as if she hadn't just dropped a mental nuke on the two others in the room. She was trying to be gentle with them and not dump too much on them at once. It was a lot to take in, she knew that and she wanted them to trust her. These two especially. Her creation and his. The two closest things to family she had… No, that was wrong. Nazarick was hers now. The people within its walls were hers. A fire felt like it was growing in her chest at the thought.
"So the pathways didn't close?" Ryujin asked.
Ahna had to cover her mouth as another yawn forced her to pause in her explanation "Well, ordinarily, when the pathways close our…consciousness is returned to our bodies. Rather rudely might I add." She added a touch of humor that fell short. "It was mine and Momonga's intention to stay until the end despite this. This is everything our friends and I built together. I couldn't just abandon it." The female hadn't realized how much food she had eaten until that moment seeing almost three plates empty in front of her. She felt full but also like she wanted something else. "I…we aren't sure what happened but the previous pathways no longer exist.
"My Lady." the devil began hesitantly. He wanted to be gentle, to hide his excitement. To his lady this news must be difficult. She had lost her immortality but Demiurge couldn't help but hope this meant what he thought it meant. "Does that mean… that you and Lord Momonga can't go back to your world?"
"That is our understanding for now. This has never happened before. By all rights it should be impossible." Ahna could feel the conversation winding down and fatigue starting to mount. She tiredly waited for their questions but none came. Just a silence that stretched on for a few minutes. The two creations trying to digest the news and the succubus whose eyes were starting to flutter. Red eyes cut up quickly when Ahna's head jerked as sleep tried to drag her into its depths. Ryujin gently patted the woman's shoulder.
"I think this can wait until morning My lady." The gloved hand gently pushed her back into the bed that she had been sitting on. Her eyes closed tiredly. The naga smiled at their mistress as they gently removed her boots. "I will be taking the carts back down to the kitchen. Will you be alright if Demiurge guards you until I get back?"
At this point Ahna was mostly asleep so she only nodded. The naga wasted no time in clearing away the table and chairs that had sat next to her bed and ushering the carts out of the room leaving the devil alone with the sleeping woman. He sat down on the edge of the bed. It might seem rude but at that particular moment he wanted to be close to her. He didn't want her out of his sight, not till he could calm down. There were many emotions that were tugging at the devil each just as strong as the other. Fear that it would be much easier to take away their Supreme Beings, even if it was still far beyond the feats of any individual thus far. Anger and sadness. But mostly one emotion was bubbling up in his chest slowly drowning the others in its wake. He stared down at the woman.
She was asleep and utterly vulnerable. Now more than ever before, considering the information she had just divulged. He placed his gloved hand on her forehead and slowly brushed her hair out of her face, exposing her pale sleeping expression. One that saw no danger around her and fully trusted him to take care of her.
If she were to open her eyes, he wondered how disappointed she would be with him. He could feel the smile starting to stretch his face. Where she might have been upset by being stranded in a body that was much different and most probably more inefficient than her own, he couldn't help but be elated at the news. She would need them. Vulnerable and in need of his help. Could this have been any more perfect? Wasn't it every guardian's dream to be needed by the Supreme Ones? Now they were. They were no longer just unnecessary figures meant to guard in their leaders' absence, but truly servants that were essential.
And she had chosen to confide in him…and he supposed Ryujin as well. But that was to be expected as her creation held a special place. But she had counted on him to unveil herself of this burden. Yes, he would make himself into her go-to guardian, her sword and shield, and if the time ever came where she would leave. She would take him with her. No, she would entrust him to keep her safe wherever she may roam.