First time with this series. Also, I've only watched the anime dubbed.
Blood Ties
Chapter One
Naberius Kalego sat in the waiting room, arms crossed and trying his best to contain his frustration. This night had somehow gone worse than he thought it would.
He had gone out earlier this evening. Normally, going somewhere with Shichirou was never a problem, but of course, they had to have Opera with them. At the time, the only thing he thought worse than this was where the three of them were heading. After all, outside of Opera, there were few demons he wanted to see less than his younger sister.
Kalego let out a low growl, closing his eyes and maintaining his composure. He cut ties with Helena for good reason. It had been over twenty years since they last spoke, and the professor was just fine keeping it that way. She was his parents' only failure. She rejected her future. And by the time she got to Babyls, she had become wild and unruly. Placed in the misfit class, and causing enough trouble to embarrass the family, but not enough to get expelled.
He had no intention to ever see her again. Which was why he couldn't fathom the night turning out any worse after he was dragged out here. So many of her troubles fell into his lap, and he was expected to deal with it each time. Although, if he could say one good thing this time around, at least Helena wasn't the one who caused this fiasco. In fact, Kalego was quite relieved he was in the vicinity this time.
Kalego closed his eyes, reflecting on what led him to be here. Once a week, for the last three months, he had received letters from Helena. He never opened any of them. It's not like his sister had changed at all, and they weren't children anymore. Whatever mess she got herself into, he wasn't going to come by and clean it up.
At least, that's what Kalego thought it was at the time. But, he was corrected when he and Balam were both summoned to the Demon-Chair's office. Opera was with him, holding three envelopes in their hand.
"Come in, come in," he said, a warm smile on his face. Kalego loathed that smile. The old man was so unpredictable, even more so when he was like this. However, being a Khet, he had no choice but to listen to the chain of command.
The old friends stepped to the middle of the room before Balam said: "It's quite unusual for you to request us, Lord Sullivan. Is there something wrong?"
Sullivan tilted his head down, covering his mouth with a closed hand as he let out a chuckle. Then he looked back at them and said: "No. Quite the opposite, in fact. I have some good news for you two!"
The teachers stood there, turning to each other with a perked brow before looking back at the Demon-Chair. "What kind of news, Lord Sullivan?" Balam asked.
Opera turned to them and answered: "It's about Naberius Helena. Our old friend and Kalego's younger sister." Kalego felt a shiver go up his spine. Opera then looked up and added: "Oh, how I miss the chaos she caused. What fun the four of us used to have."
"Speak for yourself!" Kalego yelled at them, his shoulders tense. He closed his eyes, crossed his arms and looked away. "Anything involving Helena brings nothing but disaster! There's nothing good when it comes to her," he added.
Sullivan hummed, tilting his head to the side. "Really? Then how did she raise such a bright child?"
The professor's heads jerked to look at the Demon-Chair, their eyes wide, and Kalego's brow raised. "Child?" They said at the same time.
The old man nodded. "See for yourself!" He said, holding up a piece of paper.
Both of them moved closer to read the document. On it, there was a picture of a young devil. She had long, wild, purple hair, tied back in a pony tail that stopped at her shoulder blades. She had messy bangs, parted so more was on the right side of her forehead than her left. Her eyes were large and gold in color, and her skin tone was the same a Kalego's. She had two horns, also like Kalego's, and was wearing purple in the photo.
"Naberius Lilithein," Sullivan said, passing the paper to Kalego. "Helena's daughter. She's going to start attending Babyls next month. We're quite lucky to have her," he added as Balam and Kalego read her evaluation.
Both made a look of surprise. "Impressive," Balam said. "She barely missed being the class representative. Only beaten by a point," he said, staring at her grade point average from secondary school.
Kalego nodded, maintaining his composure. He refused to admit it, but it seemed Helena was doing better than he thought. Certainly if she had such a bright child coming to Babyls. However, he wasn't convinced that anything good could come of hearing about her. Sure, he acknowledge the potential in his newly-discovered niece, but all that meant was that she prioritized her education. Whether or not Helena was a good influence on her had yet to be seen.
Opera walked towards them, handing two of the three envelopes to them. "Lord Sullivan just got off the phone with her. Helena's been trying to reach you, Kalego. She wants Lilithein to meet the three of us, so she invited us to dinner," they said, holding out two of the envelopes they were holding. "She said Lilithein wants to meet her uncle, and something about burying the hatchet," Opera added as the two took the stationary from them.
Sullivan chuckled. "That sounds wonderful, doesn't it? The three of you should go," he said.
And that sealed their fate. Five days following the meeting, the three met up in front of Babyls and began to fly over the Helena's house, with Opera taking the lead. It was a bit of a flight. They passed several farms and ranches on their way there. And as they continued to fly, the more remote their environment.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Kalego couldn't help but ask. "Helena always hated the countryside," he added, remembering how much she'd whine on family trips whenever they were camping or anything of the like.
Opera turned back and nodded. "She's the watch dog of this area. Her late husband left her the house and barn he ran," they said.
The two younger demons gave Opera raised eyebrows.
"Husband?" Kalego questioned. "How could she have been married without taking the husband's name?" Kalego asked. Female demons, especially those from esteemed families, always took the family names of their husbands.
"And did you say "watch dog?" Helena swore she would never be a dog to anything or anyone," Balam said.
Opera blinked before turning forward. "Obviously, her husband took the Naberius name. Why she became a watch dog in the end goes beyond me. You'll have to ask Helena, Shichirou."
The cat demon lifted their head slightly. "There it is!" They said, making the younger demons perk up.
On a hill with bright pink grass, was a modest-sized farmhouse, looming over the area. There was a barn, with many hell cattle roaming the field. In the front yard, there was a large garden, providing color to a rather grey house. The plants by the doors were white and purple, bringing a sense of energy to a property that gave off a calm yet rigid vibe.
"This isn't what I imagined it would be," Shichirou said before turning to Kalego. "Looks like Helena's managed to make an orderly and sustainable life."
Kalego was about to comment on what his friend said, only for an explosion to beat him to it. The three stopped in mid-air, staring at the previously normal farmhouse as it started to burn. In the following moments, several more explosions occurred, bright light came out of every window and crevice, the sound of a dog howling echoed all throughout, and soon died into loud roars of pain and whimpers.
The sounds of the dog made the three demons move, soaring down to the house and breaking down the door. Fire had engulfed the house by this point. The three looked around, ready for a fight. They saw no assailants, nor did they see Helena. They spread out into different rooms. More flames were all that met them. However, Kalego did find an unconscious girl between the debris and flames. Beaten, bleeding, and unconscious.
"Over here!" Kalego called to the others. Balam picked her up and carried her out. All the while, Kalego cleared away anything in their path with Cerberion, while Opera took the rear and made sure nothing landed on the gargoyle.
They made it out, covered in soot and coughing from the smoke. Meanwhile, the girl they found was barely breathing, each breath looking like it took a great deal of effort to make.
Kalego adjusted himself in the seat and crossed his arms. The waiting was insufferable. It was almost the Witching Hour, for Devi's sake! He hadn't moved at all since Lilithein was admitted many hours prior. And where he knew her treatment would take a great deal of time, his blood was reaching the boiling point. Everything had happened so quickly, yet nothing he saw would be useful in the investigation. Every fiber in his being wanted to find the assailants, rip their throats out, then feed them to Cerberion while they bled out and choked on their own blood in agony.
These feelings weren't helped by the fact that neither Balam or Opera came with him when the EMTs showed up. Balam was containing the scene, and Opera was reporting to all the proper authorities, including but not limited to Lord Sullivan and Henri Azazel of Demon Border Control. It had to be done, but if either of them were here, he'd at least have someone around to take his mind off the situation.
The professor sighed, closing his eyes and crossing one leg over the other. It couldn't be helped. He was a blood relative. That made him the only reasonable demon to accompany her here. Granted he had never properly met his niece, but sending Balam or Opera would be inappropriate. Besides, it was his sister's house. He was great at keeping personal bias at bay, but the investigation would have fewer hiccups if he wasn't there. So, outside of answering questions, he really couldn't do anything to help.
"Hello Kalego," a calm voice said.
Kalego looked up, and sure enough, Henri Azazel was standing over him. "Henri," Kalego said. The larger demon took a seat in front of him before the professor spoke again. "Where are Shichirou and Senpai?" He asked.
Henri adjusted his glasses then looked back at Kalego. "I sent them home. They've done all they could for the time being," he said, staring at Kalego for a moment. The man kept exceptional composure, right now being no exception. However, even for a relative he didn't know, he could see the cracks in Kalego's expression.
"And you? How are you holding up?" Henri couldn't help but ask, a healthy frown on his face. The nurses told him that Kalego hadn't moved from his seat since he arrived, so he already knew that the watch dog of Babyls was worried. However, he wasn't sitting in front of Kalego as an occasional coworker. He was a relative of two victims of an attack, and an eyewitness to the event. He could only guess how Kalego was handling it all.
The shorter demon sighed. "I left work expecting an uncomfortable family dinner, and ended up watching an attack on said family's home. I managed to find my niece, but not my sister. The fire caused the ceiling to collapse, and no one has been able to give me an update. Personally, I'm surprised I haven't snapped anyone's neck yet," he said, turning away from the demon.
Henri hummed, pausing before giving a curt nod and saying: "I'm not sure you would have found her. We didn't find anyone else, living or deceased."
Kalego's head snapped in Henri's direction. "What are you saying?" He asked the demon.
The doors opened just then, a demon in a nurse's uniform stepping out. "Naberius Lilithein," she called.
Kalego stood up then, looking at the nurse with the best stern face he could muster. "How is my niece?" He asked, his steady voice wavering slightly.
The nurse turned to him fully. "She's stable. The next twenty-four hours will be critical. But, she's young and strong, plus she was brought here very shortly after the attack." Kalego visibly relaxed a little, his shoulders loosening up and a soft breath of relief escaping his lips. "The odds are in her favor, but due to the severity of her injuries, she needs to stay under observation for a few days."
Kalego nodded and bowed slightly. "I understand. Thank you," he said.
The nurse gave him a smile and walked off. Kalego looked over his shoulder to speak with Henri again, only to find that the demon had left.
What in the Netherworld? Where did he run off to? And why, for that matter? He thought, his face hardening.
If this had been a normal day, he would have gone to find Henri or brainstorm what his behavior meant. However, Kalego was tired and irritable. Whatever it was could wait until tomorrow.
With that, Kalego left for home. Predicting a more hectic day ahead of him.
So, be honest. How'd I do? I got hooked on this anime, and Kalego is my favorite character. I want to do this series some justice.