CHAPTER XVIII
Devil
Azazel sighed as he conferred with his fellow Greater Daemons. He took his regular seat at twelve o'clock on their round table, a shape which he had chosen for the group in order to signify that none of them was greater than the other.
"Part of me wonders," Ba'al said as he took a seat. "Shouldn't this table be, well, at the very least, an oval?"
"Why an oval?" Asmodeus said.
"Well, I understand why Azazel wanted a circle, but still. I'm sure we all know that he truly is the head of this table. After all, he was the one who brought this whole group together and continues to hold it together. This whole ritual was his idea as well."
"I honestly can't tell whether you're trying to elevate me," Azazel began, "or you're mocking the symbolism of the table itself."
"No, I'm not trying to do either. I simply think it should represent the reality rather than a hope."
"I think I get where you're coming from, Ba'al, but did not this group come together for the purpose of hope itself? After all, we all gather with the hope of breaking the chains which bind us to our fates. This table represents a hope that we are all equals and that none of us rules over the other. It wouldn't make any sense for us to wish for freedom and yet to have one who lords over the group."
"Hmm. You make a strong defense for it."
Azazel smiled at him. "Anyway, before we get on with our business...Belial, it is wonderful that you could join us today. I hope I speak for everyone else when I say that I have missed your...feminine? Masculine beauty? Which is it today?"
Belial smiled. "We Greater Daemons don't possess the concept of sex or gender, my dear Azazel."
"Yes, yes, I realize that, but most of us pick one or the other and stick with it. You and Mammon and Malphas, on the other hand, continuously flip between them. With Mammon and Malphas, I understand, since neither of them possess a physical body whatsoever, but you choose to be both."
"I thought you of all people would understand, Azazel. Both men and women are equally beautiful."
"Well, I don't disagree, but, well, pronouns and all that."
"Why are we getting hung up on this?" Samael said, his voice booming. "If pronouns are the issue, then let us refer to Belial as Belial and no other way if you're so bewildered by it."
Azazel put up his hands in surrender, dropping the issue. "Okay, we have mostly everyone here today, from twelve o'clock to eleven, we have myself, Samael, Ashtaroth, Ba'al, Asmodeus, Mammon in incorporeal form, Belial in...ambiguous form, Moloch, an empty seat, Malphas in incorporeal form, Eisheth, and Tamiel." He scratched his head vigorously before raising his voice in frustration. "We really have no leads on where the hell Kokabiel can possibly be?"
"She's been missing since we crossed over," Tamiel said. "We've scoured the entire planet and there isn't a trace of her existence anywhere."
"I have all of my Lesser Daemons on the lookout in every one of the five kingdoms," Eisheth said. "Mammon and Malphas, you haven't picked up on her at all? You both are spread across entire regions."
"Nothing from me," Mammon said.
"Menagerie is also devoid of her presence," Malphas said.
The group looked at the two humanoid clouds of smoke sitting at their seats. Mammon's figure was colored with a greenish tint while Malphas appeared with a blue-gray hue.
"Not even Vacuo, huh?" Azazel said to Mammon.
"If she were here, I would have already noticed her," Mammon answered.
Azazel sighed heavily. "Okay, then, well, there's nothing we can do about that. If she got stuck in some kind of void between our home world and this world, well, let's just hope she's capable of freeing herself."
"You're not going to suggest we try and rescue her?" Ashtaroth said.
"Not yet. We don't have the means to and neither do we even know where she is. There's literally nothing we can do about it right now, but the moment any of you sniff out her presence, that's when we'll move."
"On to actual business," Samael said. "The three of you lost the girl."
"Look," Azazel said, scratching his head, but offering no explanation.
"I'm not saying that they outwitted us," Asmodeus said, "but they may have gotten around our defenses."
"Hey, I had my hands full with that Wraith, all right?" Tamiel said. "The two of you boys did enjoy the show, though, didn't you?"
Azazel smiled. "Oh, very much so."
"Was it worth it, then?" Samael said. "Losing the only possible alternative to the Winter Maiden just so you could enjoy watching Tamiel dance?"
"So you finally admit that it's like dancing!"
"Azazel."
"S-Sorry." He cleared his throat. "She didn't get away from us. Everything is going according to plan. Ivory Schnee is now in close proximity to the Nexus of Remnant. If she stays within its influence long enough, we may not need to keep the Winter Maiden alive any longer. Ashtaroth, what's the status on her?"
"Dr. Watts is working on alternatives to the current technology," he began, "but human technology is somewhat lacking, especially on this world, and without access to the Nexuses of the old world, our options are rather limited. She is, however, still biologically alive, and her Maiden power continues to persist within what remains of her flesh and her soul."
"Is there any way for us to collect the Spring Maiden?"
"Eventually, we should be able to capture her. Not while she maintains the advantage in the real world, however. Thus far, the only person in our entire organization who can rival her power without being in the World of Shadow is Cinder Fall."
"Is the Winter Maiden's treatment going well?"
"Yes. The intense physical pain she experiences because Dr. Watts's machine will not permit her death has caused her to regress into herself. It took nearly two decades for her will to break, but she has finally retreated into her own mind."
"You're saying that a projection of her psychosis has manifested into the World of Shadow."
"As the mortals of this world would say, she now has a Labyrinth active. We've worked to sequester it from the collective Labyrinth of mankind, however. No one should stumble into it without our say."
"And what of the Schnee girl?" Eisheth said to Azazel.
"No human is beyond temptation," Azazel said, kicking up his feet on the table. "Everyone has something they want or something they need to protect. Look at those kids who have already said yes to those Wraith-Knights."
"What do we do about them, by the way?"
"For now, nothing. They can't do anything about our plans in the real world. And even if they were to try and interfere with our work within the World of Shadow, each one of us is much more powerful than incomplete beings of magic. After all, only half of each Wraith-Knight made it through the gate."
"We can't underestimate them, though," Asmodeus said.
"I'm not saying we should underestimate them. I'm saying that right now they are no threat, and that they may also be of some use to us. As I said, no human is beyond temptation. Each of you controls one of the great sins of humanity, do you not? I think it's time to focus on them instead of simply spreading it across the planet."
The group turned to one of their members, who was chewing on the table.
"Moloch?" Azazel said. "Are you...hungry?"
Moloch looked at the table, realizing he was slobbering all over it. He backed away quickly, leaning as far back in his chair as possible.
"You really haven't taken control over it, have you?" Belial said.
"I'd like to see you try and control Gluttony itself," Moloch grumbled.
"I control Lust and you don't see me attempting to fuck everything that moves. Although, I suppose I wouldn't mind it."
"You mock me, but I don't think you realize just how irritating it is to have this intensely idiotic voice in my head constantly screaming 'I'm hungry!' all the bloody time."
"That was a frighteningly accurate impression of that creature," Ba'al said.
Moloch sighed heavily.
"In any case," Azazel said, "you wanna have another shot at those kids?"
"And have my body fall apart again? Thank you, but no."
"Dr. Watts has completed your new body for you," Ashtaroth said.
"You mean like the last body he prepared for me? The one that literally had flesh dripping from my bones?"
"You've seen the new Übersoldaten, haven't you? Those are perfectly capable of housing the essence of a Lesser Daemon and allowing it to persist in the real world indefinitely."
"A Lesser Daemon, Ashtaroth. We are no Lesser Daemons. It takes much more to contain us in physical bodies. Asmodeus and Ba'al got lucky with their vessels. I don't see anyone else sitting at this table who can maintain a physical body in the real world for longer than—hungry!"
The entire group watched in shock as he began chomping on their table, his mouth growing to ghastly proportions as he chewed all the way to the center. He stopped mid-bite, sighing heavily as he regained control over his body.
"I really wish I could separate myself from this bloody thing and beat it to death and revive it over and over again for all eternity," he said, returning to his seat and letting himself fall on it with another heavy sigh, slouching.
"Are you just gonna leave the table one-third eaten like that?" Tamiel said with a chuckle. "It seems like such a waste of food."
"Shut up," Moloch said before waving his hand and restoring the table to its original state with his magic.
"It's settled," Samael said. "Moloch, you and Ashtaroth confer with Dr. Watts on a new body for you, one capable of housing your essence in the real world. In the meantime, Malphas will continue to work within the continent of Menagerie in tandem with Asmodeus in Atlas. This war between the kingdoms is crucial to the success of this ritual. Are there any other questions?"
"What about me?" Mammon said.
"Your work in Vacuo is largely completed. I don't think there's anything anyone can do to prevent war between that country and Atlas. Vale and Mistral are likely to be drawn in as well given their alliances with the kingdoms."
"Tamiel and I will personally work on drawing out the Nexus at that mountain city in the Kingdom of Vale," Azazel said. "I believe they call it Mountain Glen, right?"
"I hear the summers there are beautiful," Tamiel said.
"I hope the two of you don't get distracted," Samael said.
"Me?" Azazel scoffed. "Distracted?"
"Yes."
"You have such little faith in me, Samael!"
"I do."
Tamiel giggled. "Worry not, Samael. I will make sure he gets his work done and on time."
"And then we can visit the hot springs!" Azazel said gleefully.
Samael let out a long sigh.
—
Ivory woke up to humming. She looked over at her elder cousin, who was drying off her hair with a towel.
"Oh, you're awake!" Lilly said.
"What time is it?" Ivory asked.
"Just past nine. I didn't wake you up cuz you looked super tired and it's a weekend so there's really nothing to do although I guess that doesn't really make any difference since we're not students at Shade Academy and we aren't exactly employed either." She took a deep breath.
"I'm quite impressed at your ability to string together that many words without a single pause."
Lilly giggled. "Are you hungry?"
"A bit."
"Good. Cuz we're gonna go have some breakfast with Ariadne and Demetri."
Demetri. She had been so tired the previous night that his presence barely registered in her mind, but they had shared a silent acknowledgement of each other. She got up out of bed, walking to the window. They were on the highest floor of the dorms at Shade Academy, their window facing the inner courtyard, the vast sprawl of parkland at the front of the massive ziggurat-like structure that served as the campus's main building, housing nearly all of the classrooms and training halls.
She gasped as a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. Lilly trembled as she embraced her tightly. To Ivory, it was months ago that Lilith had tried to kill her, but that memory was fresh in Lilly's mind; she had just gone through it, after all.
"I'm sorry," Lilly sobbed. "I'm sorry for what I put you through in there. I know it was last year that it happened for you, but for me it was literally yesterday and I still feel my fists on your face and..."
Ivory turned around to face her cousin. "Lilly," she began, "I told you back then and I'll tell you again. I'm the one who should be apologizing, not you. I'm the one who made your life a living hell growing up, remember?"
Lilly sniffled, wiping tears away. "That doesn't change what I did to you."
"Which I wholeheartedly deserved."
"No..."
Ivory stepped forward, giving her a tight embrace. Lilly returned the hug.
"It's good to know you've been okay all this time," Ivory said. "Everyone misses you, though."
Lilly nodded, backing away. "You know who's missed you?"
"Hmm?"
"Oh, c'mon. I know you saw him last night. You weren't in that much of a daze. And besides, he sleeps across the room in the bunk under Ariadne's."
She reddened and Lilly grinned. "What are you smirking about, huh?"
"I'm not smirking!"
"You are."
"Nah-uh! Now, c'mon, let's take a break for the day. No Labyrinth business until tomorrow when we're all rested up."
Ivory watched as she rummaged through the closet, humming the same song from earlier.
"What song is that?" she asked her elder cousin.
"Hmm? Oh, it's that one song by Lyon's Pride. Do you listen to them?"
"I do, but not often. I mostly listen to classical."
"That's not surprising." She pulled out her scroll before playing the track. "It's called 'Like Morning Follows Night'. It's about someone who can't get close to other people cuz of the bad stuff she's done in the past and she doesn't wanna hurt anyone, but the other person won't leave her behind cuz he doesn't think it's right for anybody to walk alone and she's a really good friend to him so yeah."
"I like the musicality of it," Ivory said. "It's quite wholesome."
"Leon and Athena actually sang this song back during our Winter Formal last year. It was so awesome. The band even played at our school!"
"We all make mistakes, but we need to move on," Ivory repeated the line as it came up in the song.
"Yeah," Lilly said.
"I think that applies to both of us."
Lilly smiled before pulling out a dress for her to wear. "I think this'll look awesome on you!"
Ivory agreed on the pale green and white, joining her cousin in the closet. "What about this?" she said, pulling out a yellow sundress.
"Oooh, that one's pretty! Okay, I'll wear the yellow, you wear the green one, yeah?"
"Sure. I still can't get used to dresses, though. All I ever wore back home was my uniform."
"Same. I always wear jeans and a t-shirt, though. But I think mom would appreciate if we dressed up in style every now and then. Plus, I think these dresses are cute!"
—
Demetri saluted as Ivory and Lilly joined him and Ariadne down at the mess hall.
"I am no longer with Atlas," Ivory said. "There's no point in saluting me anymore, Demetri."
"Then, let that be my final salute as well," Demetri began, "since I, too, cannot consider myself Atlesian given their belligerence toward Vacuo."
"You've grown to love the people here, it seems."
"There is almost zero order to any of the happenings here, but I have found it to be liberating."
Breakfast was spent with much catching up between Ivory and Lilly. Though Ariadne had been coordinating with Dr. William Hillphire on the Labyrinth work their group had been conducting, it was different getting a firsthand account from one of the actual operatives on that side of the world.
"Lilly," Ivory said, interrupting their conversation.
"Hmm?" Lilly said. "What's up?"
"Do you mind if I...talk to Lilith for a while?"
Why the fuck does she wanna talk to me?
Lilly looked to the side. "I don't know."
Fine. Sure. I guess. Whatever.
Lilly's eyes were accompanied by that golden halo of fire around her pupil, the outward expression of the deepest levels of magic, signifying Lilith's presence.
"What do you want?" she said.
Ivory opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. A few moments of awkward silence passed over the group.
"Lilith," Ivory began. "I know you probably heard all this earlier, but I want to apologize to you, too. Lilly wasn't the only one I insulted while we were growing up. You've always been there, too, haven't you?"
Lilith leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I know you may never forgive me. After all, you seem to be the side of Lilly that's the diametric opposite of her, and I'll understand if you never forgive me. But, I just want you to know, that I do deeply regret my foul treatment of you over all these years. If I could take it all back, I—"
"But you can't take it back, can you?" Lilith said. "You can't go back in time and undo what's already been done."
Ivory looked down at the table. She was absolutely right. What's done is done. There was nothing she could do to erase the pain she had caused her cousin all this time.
"Great. Now Lilly is whining in my head to stop being mean." She shifted in her seat, leaning forward and resting her elbows against the table. "Look. Ice queen version two. I'm never gonna forgive or forget all that fucked up shit you did to me over all those years. Hell, I should be breaking your teeth right now."
Ivory sank even deeper into her seat.
"Fuck it. Ivory."
The younger of the two looked up into Lilith's glowing eyes. The light receded, allowing her light-brown hazels to show through again.
"Okay, let's leave it at this. I won't forgive you, but I also won't try to kill you anymore either."
Through the intended hostility in her words, Ivory could sense an attempt to reach out. It was more than she could hope for, that Lilly's darkest half would actually soften somewhat.
"Hey," Lilith said. "Don't think this makes us friends, okay? I'm still gonna fuck with you as much as I can, so if you trip on shit or find gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe or your shampoo gets replaced with hair remover—"
Hey! What the fuck!
"Okay, Lilith, that's enough," Lilly said, wresting control over her body.
I was just getting to the good parts!
Lilly smiled. She hid the thoughts as deeply as she could, but she knew Lilith could sense her pride in her for making an effort. It was a long road to forgiveness, understandable given the many years of torment, but it was a start.
"Lilly," Ivory began.
"Okay, that's enough of this stuff," Lilly said, sniffling and wiping a small tear that had formed. "Let's relax for the day cuz we've got some work to do tomorrow! Ivory, you've had good experience doing Labyrinth work, right?"
She nodded. "Teams LILY and APEX have liberated many personal Labyrinths since we started early this year. Yuan has led every excursion from the front, providing the whole team with magical enhancements and engaging the largest number of enemies all on his own."
"Good. This is gonna be really weird with just three of us, though."
"Ariadne is your control support, yes?"
Lilly nodded. "She's the one who tells us where to go and stuff. You should see all the awesome equipment she uses and oh she can even see where all the Corrupted are on her map cuz they all show some level of distortion and they show up cuz of that and she can even tell us where all the descents are located!"
"Descents? Don't forget to breathe, by the way."
She nodded vigorously. "Usually, it's the personal Labyrinths that drag you into the lower layers, but sometimes you can run into pitfalls and stuff and you suddenly end up in a lower layer without any warning."
"So random shifts in reality."
"Yeah."
"That explains why we experienced that a number of times even when we were nowhere near a personal Labyrinth."
"That other world tends to be inherently unstable," Ariadne said, pushing up her glasses. "Its malleability is what primarily contributes to the formation of Labyrinths in the first place."
"Right, which are nothing more than manifestations of people's minds," Ivory said.
"Precisely. It's the underlying principle behind how those Greater Daemons were able to form a castle and how Lilly and your friend's Wraith-Knight are able to force a stable reality around their vicinity. It's the same fundamental principle we've used in developing these reality anchoring runes you now carry around."
"I see."
Lilly stood up and stretched. "Let's go hit the bazaar!"
"Are you certain about that?" Demetri said. "Ivory is not one to go shopping and I think she may get lost in the crowd."
Ivory gave him a sour look and he smiled. "Since when did you learn to tease?"
He pointed to Lilly.
"Thanks a lot!" Lilly said, throwing her hands on her hips.
—
Cinder began to lose her patience as she awaited her audience. She and her group had been directed to this castle and forced to wait in their quarters and then the Greater Daemons had vacated, leaving no one here.
"At least we have lots of food and shit," Mercury said, eating a grape.
"Are you sure that's not gonna kill you?" Emerald said.
"I've been eating since we first came to this place. Hasn't killed me yet."
"Cinder, should we leave? I don't know if they'll be coming back any time soon. We do have things we need to do."
"I know," she said. "We'll give them some more time."
"But, ma'am."
"We accomplished what we went to Mistral for. By now, William Hillphire should be dead along with that boy Tyrian poisoned if they didn't get him to a hospital in time."
Still, Cinder couldn't sit still, not with the image of that boy's awakening to his Wraith-Knight. He would have certainly killed her if it hadn't been for her years of combat experience. She clenched her fists, irritated with the thought of a child overpowering her.
There was a knock on the door. Emerald opened it. A guard clad in a black suit of armor stood in the corridor.
"Master Azazel wishes to see all of you," the guard said.
"Finally," Mercury yawned, following Cinder out of the room.
Four of the Greater Daemons were present in the great hall today, which was bustling with activity, countless Lesser Daemons scurrying about. In contrast to the humanlike Greater Daemons, the Lesser were far more diabolic in appearance, taking the form of more traditional monsters of folklore.
One of the Lesser Daemons snarled at her as it passed by and she responded by allowing her Fall Maiden power to manifest itself in her eye.
"These guys are disgusting," Mercury said, passing by a group of Lesser Daemons feasting on some kind of meat. "I sure hope that's beef and not what I'm thinking."
Cinder recognized the four Greater Daemons conferring with one another. It was Tamiel and Eisheth, the only two women of the group, Samael, the serious one, and Azazel, their leader.
Azazel smiled as he ended their conversation, approaching Cinder instead.
"Here he goes," Samael said. "I'm going downstairs. Tamiel, Eisheth, please keep him in line."
"I'll do my best," Tamiel said with a smile.
"I'm counting on you, Eisheth."
Eisheth chuckled. "Don't trust these two?"
"Of course not." He disappeared.
"Cinder Fall," Azazel said, sizing her up and down. "You're still as beautiful as when I first laid eyes on you."
She tried to ignore his words, but there was something about these people that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Merely being here with them sent a chill up her spine. They looked human, certainly much more human than the Lesser Daemons which toiled all around them, and yet her hairs stood on end merely speaking to Azazel like this.
"So," he began, slowly circling her. "Have you reconsidered my offer? You've seen what Emerald and Mercury have been capable of since training with Ashtaroth. They can even bear runes now and use their power, whether in this world or yours. I thought you of all people would leap at the opportunity to increase your own power."
"What do you think you know about me?" she snarled, fighting to maintain her calm.
"I know that you nearly lost your life to a child."
Her anger overcame her unease and her Maiden power manifested itself through her eye before she struck him with a wave of fire. His whole body was engulfed in flame and he screamed as he thrashed about. When the flames dissipated, his screaming also died down, giving way to a smile.
"Do it again!" he said with elation.
Emerald and Mercury stared in shock while Cinder's anger continued to boil over.
"C'mon, why won't you set me on fire again? That hurt so much it felt good!"
"You're mocking me," Cinder growled.
"Never!" He sighed heavily. "Tamiel, she won't set me on fire again!"
"What do you want me to do?" she chuckled.
"Well, I mean, you have a Fire Rune on you right now, don't you?"
"We don't need runes to use magic," Eisheth said.
"Right. Of course. Um, so, Tamiel."
"You want me to burn you?" she said.
He nodded rapidly.
"Okay, okay."
She snapped her fingers and he was instantly ablaze, running around flailing while screaming his head off. When the flames died down, he stopped running, stooping over and panting.
"Wooo!" he yelled. "What a thrill!"
"You do this for fun?" Mercury asked, face painted with confusion.
"Yup. Wanna try it out?"
"I'll pass. I usually go for a jog if I'm bored."
"You're missin' out, kid. Anyway, Cinder." He paused. "Where were we? Oh, right. That proposal I made before. It still stands. I await your answer."
She looked to the side, pondering the choice. She had absolutely no idea what would greet her should she walk through this door, but she knew what she faced right this very moment. The sheer hatred for those youngsters overrode any caution she should have harbored when dealing with these people.
"Cinder," Emerald said quietly, standing beside her. "You don't have to do this. We don't know what the hell these guys have planned for the world."
"She has a valid point," Azazel said, leaning against a chair.
"Wait, why are you trying to talk her out of it?" Mercury said.
Azazel shrugged. "I don't think any of us can talk her out of it. She's already made up her mind." He locked eyes with Cinder. "Am I correct?"
"What do I have to do?" she asked.
He smiled. "The ritual is simple, really. Most deals with us are sealed with a kiss. We grant you whatever the hell it is you want, you write down your name in blood, and then you go off on your merry way. And then we collect payment later on down the line."
"What's the payment usually?" Mercury said.
"Varies. Sometimes your soul, sometimes one of your children. Other times it's just another favor in return for whatever it was we granted you."
"Sorta like a mafia deal."
Azazel snapped his fingers and pointed at him. "This man gets it."
"So, I kiss you and that's it?" Cinder said.
Azazel gazed at her deeply once more. "Oh, no, my dear. It takes much more than a kiss to seal this kind of deal. After all, I'm not simply granting you some wish. You and I will become one. You shall obtain all of my power. Combined with the power you already possess, you shall become omnipotent, whether in your world or in this one."
"Wait," Mercury said. "So, like, you two are gonna..."
He nodded slowly.
Cinder turned away, balling her fists. The thought of having to do such a deed with someone like him made her skin crawl. But it was a price she was willing to pay. She could never afford to be weak ever again. Being a woman in this cruel world was bad enough. Weakness made her a victim to everyone and everything around her.
She vowed that would never be the case anymore. Not as long as she drew breath.
"If it makes you feel any better," he said from beside her, "it won't hurt. I promise. In fact, it will probably be the greatest ecstasy you will have ever experienced in your life. What you mortals find pleasurable, our kind transcends. Your mind cannot even begin to fathom the sensations that we have explored over uncountable millennia."
"What do I get out of this deal?" she said.
"As I said, you and I will be as one. My power and authority shall be yours, to wield as you see fit."
She thought about it, but not for long enough. The power he wielded was near-godlike. To her, that was intensely seductive.
"All right," she said.
"Hmm? Is that a yes?"
"Yes. I accept your proposal."
He smiled at her, caressing her face with his fingers. His touch sent lightning and fire throughout her body and she crumpled to the ground, her legs trembling.
"Cinder!" Emerald yelled, but she stood her ground.
Cinder panted as she tried to wrap her mind around what those sensations were just now. Her legs were still quivering, her vision unfocused.
"That's just a sample," Azazel said, squatting in front of her. "I promise the real thing will be even more exquisite."
He reached out and put a finger to her chin, seemingly lifting her back up to her feet with that light touch alone. She was still heaving, even as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Again, her whole body was filled with euphoria and ecstasy, the likes of which she thought was impossible.
"And now it's my turn to keep my end of the deal," Azazel said before pressing his hand to the left side of her face, right over where her eye used to be. She began screaming as Tamiel tore off her left arm, which was made of Grimm flesh even to this day. Emerald drew her weapons to defend her friend, but Eisheth barred her path.
"Do not interfere with the ritual," she said. "If you do, there's no telling what may happen to her."
"Let's just keep our distance," Mercury said to his partner. "We kinda have zero leverage. Cinder knows what she's doing."
Cinder continued to scream as something burned in the left side of her skull. After discarding her Grimm arm, Tamiel walked over to Azazel, tearing off his left arm as well before replacing Cinder's missing arm with it. She fell to the ground, panting and shivering. Whatever had just happened, it was the greatest amount of pain she had ever felt in her life, as if something was invading her very soul and impregnating it with a horror beyond imagination. There was a pit in her stomach, as if she had just violated some law of nature.
She noticed something strange. Her vision was complete again, a sensation she had not felt in years. She moved her hair out of the way, covering her right eye. She was able to see from the left side again. Her left arm was also no longer black and grisly. It was human. Fully human—
She screamed, falling backwards as she looked at her left hand, whose appearance was ghastly, covered with sores and boils and insects that chewed on her flesh. She looked up at Azazel and Tamiel, shrieking once more at their horrible figures before turning to Emerald and Mercury, who stared at her without a clue what to do.
"That's your eye, isn't it?" Tamiel asked Azazel.
"Mm-hmm," he said. "And my arm."
"Makes sense."
"What do you mean?" Mercury asked as Cinder hid herself in Emerald's arms.
"She's seeing through Azazel's eye," Eisheth said. "This permits her to view what is normally invisible to mortal eyes. Of course, because it's only one eye, she can see both the truth and the façade all at once."
Emerald could not believe her ears as Cinder sobbed and whimpered. Never had she heard such pitiful sounds come from the mouth of the Fall Maiden. Azazel neared them and when Cinder turned to look into his face, she screamed once more before vanishing, reappearing across the room.
"What the?" Mercury said.
"How did she do that?" Emerald said.
"I told you," Azazel said, placing his hands in his pockets. "She possesses my power. Tamiel, you're the only one who can mask your true form in its totality. Do you mind bringing her back here?"
"For you, I'll do anything," she said with a smile.
"Oooh, this is bad. I have to choose between you and Cinder tonight? This truly is hell we inhabit."
Tamiel vanished, approaching Cinder with a complete veil over her true form so as not to terrify her.
"Cinder," she said, her voice as soothing as possible as she reached out to her. "Be not afraid."
Cinder looked up at her. She could no longer see that terrifying visage, but she could never forget how it appeared.
"Come, now. This cannot be the great and terrible Cinder Fall. You're too strong to be scared by a few Halloween masks, are you not?"
Cinder swallowed hard, steeling herself before taking Tamiel's hand and standing up. They vanished together, reappearing among the group. Cinder nearly lost her balance upon seeing both Azazel and Eisheth, but she remained steadfast.
"If it's too much for you," Azazel said, "I can have an eye patch made for you, one with the runic inscription necessary to block your vision from that eye."
"N-No," she said, calming her nerves as she acclimated to their ghastly appearance. "I don't need your help."
He smiled. "That's my girl." He held out a hand. "Now, I've fulfilled my end of the bargain. It's your turn."
She looked down at his hand, trying to ignore the open sores and critters chewing on his flesh. They're not real, she told herself. This is all just an illusion because of this new eye. She tentatively reached out, stopping midway before finally committing.
"There we go," Azazel said, his voice unnervingly soothing.
"Can I join you two?" Tamiel said.
"You know the ritual must remain untainted, Tamiel. That said, I don't mind if you're the one who serves as our witness."
"I promise I'll behave," she said with a smile.
"We'll all bear witness," Eisheth said with a sigh. "I don't want Samael taking his frustration out on the rest of us if things go south."
"W-Wait," Mercury said. "Emerald and I have to watch?"
"You don't enjoy watching?" Tamiel said with a smirk.
"No," Emerald said sternly.
"I don't think we have a choice," Mercury said quietly.
