Review responses
AadenHelan - Handy: Well on one hand I see where you are coming from but I think that killing him is going too far. Even if someone deserves something done to them you shouldn't stoop to their level. You don't say something is wrong and shouldn't be done to anybody then do that exact thing to them. Or with your suggestion something worse. You can't be better than the people you disagree with if you act like them yourself. If anything his father should go to jail. I'm going to be honest if I was in Jaune's position I don't think I would forgive his father but I wouldn't do anything to him either.
Remzal Von Enili: Fuck my life…Ok, no one summons him, I am running low on OP shit that can ACTUALLY do something against him. Everything is one-use unless ya'll bringing more stuff for me.
Nerdy - Random0915: We never intended their relationship to never be patched up.
Goldiman543: We might be slow due to life and stuff, but we ain't gone yet!
Nerdy - Firetrail: Care to give details? I don't get what you mean.
GeraltRex: Indeed. This is why pairing up the demon gals with the right opponent will also be an important detail in this fic. Or putting them against a good number of enemies to even the odds. As for the Reunion, we still have a bit until then, but for now, read this chapter for another kind of reunion. Also, thank you for the Doctor Strange recommendation, I know just where to send him.
Nerdy - Wolfang21: Don't worry, Jaunes dad is forgiven. And hmmm, maybe we should use that Krampus idea LOL.
246vili: Indeed, although it will come up again in the future. Also, yes, all the girls have demonic forms, some more powerful than others, and yes, Jaune will soon unlock the next level of endurance training.
Deans1000: I am aware, but it is not like Nicholas' crime never happened. If it ever comes up again while Jaune is at Beacon, you can bet that will spark some drama.
Nerdy - Leaf Ranger: We like happy endings so we make sure to always have them with any scenario.
Nerdy - ngl, we have people saying both extremes of the spectrum with Jaunes dad. Both said that we went too far and that we didn't go far enough so we just with what we felt was right.
Faightan Gaims: Good to see you understand, and yes, some guys do dig scars.
Asura: Wow. Thanks for the history lesson on the Doom Slayer, but I already knew those things. Still, thanks for the input.
Truefortune: Good to know people who read one can enjoy the other as well.
Nerdy - Soupreme: Thank you. We don't want to rush things so we are making sure it flows well.
Major Simi: First steps have indeed been taken.
The events that transpired last week for Jaune were intense, to say the least, and more followed after that. Where to begin even? Well, might as well start with Pyrrha; she had gone back home, making sure to hide her scar now behind a fancy bracelet from her mother, thinking to maybe reveal it later as some excuse from training. She still visited with the help of Beel, opening portals to and from her home in Argus, but she could never stay for too long, mostly because her mother would get suspicious.
Such is the life of a famous person, Jaune supposed. He really doesn't want to join in on that craziness, so keeping a low profile was the best option for them, no argument there. As far as the girls go, they all showed increased levels of … eagerness. Just yesterday did he catch Zdrada walking around the house STARK NAKED! He expected that from Modeus, who did try to strip seeing Zdrada, but both of the girls found themselves chained up by Judgement and taken to their rooms.
But something was bothering Jaune lately. Well, two things, actually. The first is Origin, his secondary Semblance. It has been acting up ever since Pyrrha's visits began, and the sensation Jaune felt each time was like someone holding a blow torch near his skin because of it. He tried to read the journal for any pointers on what it might be but found little to no information about it. His ancestors always had Semblances at their call to copy, but maybe that was the issue; he had a Semblance which he was not copying.
Was Origin trying to get him to copy Pyrrha's Semblance? He did tell her about it when he told her about Hell and his experience. But he was not about to ask her for something so intimate from her! They are talking about her Semblance - a manifestation of her soul - here, something that is a part of her and that should never be messed with on a whim.
The second thing bothering Jaune was the sisters, Zdrada and Malina. They had been more or less at each other's throats ever since they returned from Hell, and some of their quarrels have blown up. Literally. He noticed how Zdrada seemed to tease Malina a lot, even calling her Malinka, which the Vodka-loving sister hated, not to mention a lot of teasing regarding her games, her little…kink, and even commentaries from Malina regarding her own sister's kink, her behavior, and so on. He has zero ideas why they act like this, but from his own experience with siblings, both older and younger, when he teased his younger sister, Sapphire, it was usually because of something else than personal enjoyment.
Point is, Zdrada had some reason to be like this with Malina, something that signifies a wrench in their sisterly relationship. He needed to know what was the cause, so that is why he was here right now, in front of her door, already dreading the smell of cigarettes he would feel inside. Still, he knocked on the door. "Don't just stand there if you want to come inside, just open the door! I am not naked or anything!"
With a sigh, Jaune walked in and, surprisingly, found the room to be well aired with Zdrada smoking with her window open to allow the smoke to escape outside. Her room was pretty basic, not having a lot of things at first sight, and mostly resembling a punk teen's room by having a lot of provocative posters with violent sentences written on them, a bed, a dresser, TV, and that was about it. "Zdrada, we need to talk about Malina," Jaune said, being direct with her.
"Oh? Did Malinka do something? Did she spill some of that Screwdriver Cocktail of hers over her set-up?" Zdrada asked as she reached out to one of the drawers on her dresser and pulled it forth, revealing a shit-ton of smoked cigars extinguished in the drawer. That was a poor use of furniture, and honestly not very hygienic. She then grabbed another cigar, snapping her fingers to try and light it.
"No, I want to ask you about your relationship with her," Jaune said, taking a seat on the bed where Zdrada was laying. "I just don't get why you two act this way towards one another."
"Well, I am the older sister, so it is kind of my job to tease her every day," Zdrada replied, finally managing to light her cigar and drawing a big cloud of smoke into her lungs before releasing it. "I am sure you also enjoyed teasing your younger sisters, didn't you Jaune?"
"Don't try to change the subject, Zdrada," Jaune said, more firmly this time as he looked at the Bitch Demon. For her part, however, Zdrada didn't look too amused. "Why are you like this towards Malina? What did she ever do to you? When I talked to her before she said you were always like this towards her, which leads me to believe something happened, and you simply do not want to talk about it."
Zdrada removed the cigar from her mouth, slowly, but strangely, it remained alight as if she was drawing from it. The smoke was rising into the room and going out the window, but the demoness' face showed that she was not too keen on having this talk. "It's none of your business, blondie." She said, her tone showing aggression that was clear as day to Jaune. Yet, he couldn't back down.
"When said business causes damage to the house, I am pretty sure it has become everyone's business," Jaune replied firmly. Normally he would have respected someone's privacy and left them alone by now but he had been doing that for months so something needed to change. "Answer my question, and do not try to dodge it again."
She sneered, not taking him seriously. "Yeah, right. And what are you going to do about it, pretty boy? All the other girls here, I included, might want to jump on that dick of yours, true, but that doesn't mean we are supposed to be as open books to you! So how about you take that act of yours and shove up your-" Before she could finish Jaune was upon her, grabbing her by the deck and pushing her back in the bed. She tried to grab him and burn him, but Jaune was using his Semblance, which reinforced his Aura to a point where her fire cannot hurt him. Actually, to be honest, she was starting to blush a bit.
Oh right, she is into this kind of stuff. "Talk, Zdrada!" He demanded again. He really didn't like getting violent or physical, but there was no use being nice to Zdrada in this situation. He had to remember he was dealing with demons and the nice way wasn't going to work with all of them. She was stubborn, she would never talk easily, that much was a given. He had to force it out of her.
"Or else?" She asked, looking at him with a perverted smile. "Are you going to humiliate me to break me? Beat me? Even now I feel myself growing weak in the knees and wet, pretty boy, so what do you say? Ditch your humanity and bang me right here!"
"I won't play games with you, Zdrada! You either tell me or I will personally go back to Hell and ask around, and I bet that I will find someone willing to talk." Jaune threatened, and that seemed to get a reaction out of Zdrada, the demoness taking a deep breath of clean air before replying.
"Fine." She said, and Jaune released his hold on her, the demoness rubbing her neck a bit. "Damn, that's a good hold you got."
"Zdrada, answer my question. Why are you and Malina like this?" Jaune asked once again, and by this time, it seemed that Zdrada had relented.
"You want to know why? Well, you got your answer. Didn't you find it strange, how I and her are sisters, but never mentioned our parents?" Zdrada said. "We are a rare case, blondie. I and her share the same mother and father, but the latter finally ditched after finding out he was going to have another child. And when Malina was born?" She let out a laugh. "You do not know how lucky you are to still have a mother after the number of children she's had."
"What has that anything to do with this?" Jaune asked, not liking how Zdrada was mentioning his own mother. But then it struck him. Dear Gods, how could he miss the meaning of her words? "D-did your mother…"
"She died in childbirth bringing Malina into Hell," Zdrada replied, without emotion to boot. "I and her were then raised by Lucifer and other higher-ranked demons since we shared the rare trait of being pure sisters, then, when we reached a certain age, given our own places to guard and souls to punish until we finished our service and replacements took over."
"I'm sorry, Zdrada, I didn't know-"
"Save it! You wanted the truth, well here it is!" Venom dripped from her voice. "This is why I am like this, I think because I blame HER for mom's demise."
"But it is not fair towards Malina!" Jaune raised his voice. "Zdrada, this is- I get you are demons, but even this must be a new low, even for you! You cannot blame her for something that was not even in her control!"
"Bullshit! I can and I will do it!" She countered. "Besides, it's not like you can understand how it feels. You got a big ass family with every member of it still kicking!"
Jaune felt his frustration peek. He wasn't sure if it was her stubbornness, just how unfair she was being to her sister, or how dismissive of him she was being. But he found himself gritting his teeth and pushing forward.
"Oh, so just because my mother is alive means I cannot understand you?" Jaune countered, taking Zdrada back a bit. The demoness looked at him, stunned even. Jaune understood a bit too late what he had just said, but before he could have a chance to apologize he was thrown out by Zdrada, the demoness shutting the door behind him. He sighed, walking towards his room to think things over. "I sure screwed the pooch there."
"That you did." Jaune jumped as he climbed his stairs, seeing Beelzebub there, polishing her nails.
"Beel? How long were you- How much did you hear?" Jaune asked, figuring it was a good moment to talk about it with Beel. Who else could he talk to about this? Now that he thought about it, she was the best choice he had.
"Enough to understand the situation." She replied, Jaune going to his bed and sitting down on it. "That was unexpected, I won't lie, from the both of you. For one, Zdrada has never talked so openly about what really bothers her to anyone before, and you … You've never been so forward and ruthless before, Jaune, even to the point of being straight-up insensitive."
"I fucked up, I know." He sighed. "It's just that- Zdrada is complicated, ok? Modeus, Cerberus, Pandemonica, Judgement, Lucifer, you, Malina - everyone has their own perks and personalities, and I've come to understand most of you. Except for Zdrada. She is just so…I don't even know how to describe her!" He fell back onto his bed, looking up at the ceiling as Beel took a seat next to him. "And now I went and said that … Gods, she must hate me right now."
"She might," Beel said, confirming his words. "But she will likely also take a few seconds to think over what you said and I mean all of it not just how it ended. Jaune, look, don't beat yourself over it too much; Zdrada may be stubborn and such, but she is no fool. It's just that, how should I say it…The death of her mother hit her hard."
"...Did you know their mother, Beel?" Jaune asked out of curiosity.
"Baladina, the Party Demon," Beel said, a nostalgic smile on her face as she recalled her. "As her name implies, she was a demoness who often went to parties. Or hell, even host them herself. I myself attended most of them, and believe me, they were legendary throughout hell! This was before the sisters were born, or even Judgement for that matter! In fact, it was even before Ignium was imprisoned, and he was also there on occasions."
"Ignium used to party?" Jaune asked, however, in hindsight, it made a lot of sense considering his overall personality.
"And bang a lot of demonesses as well. I think he was with Baladina once as well." Beel continued. "However, I know for a fact the sisters are not his, otherwise he would've been in a lot of trouble."
"How so?" Jaune asked, but Beel cringed.
"Ignium's black fire." She said, plain and simple. "It's his unique power, so to say, as no one other demon has it. It's a form of hellfire, but times more destructive, and his proficiency with it is above that of any other demon out there. Even those who have mastered the hellfire or fire abilities in general to their finer details, true masters in the art, cannot hold a candle to him! Pun not intended."
"Wait…Do you mean to tell me the sisters would've inherited such an ability? Wait, does that mean Judgement has this fire?!" Jaune asked quickly, realization hitting him.
"Yes," Beel said. "She doesn't use it, however, since her control is not as great as Ignium's. However, Jaune, my point is that we would have known if the sisters were his daughters by this ability. Luckily, it seems that was not the case."
"So…If Baladina was such a big party fiend - pun not intended - how come she got pregnant?" Jaune asked.
"She got too drunk, that's how!" Beel said, recalling the events with a small sweat. "She got lucky the demon who did get her pregnant took responsibility for the first child, but she was not so lucky with the second child … Not to mention she was not the best pregnant woman."
"Heh?"
"Why do you think Zdrada and Malina have smoking and drinking addictions?" She asked, and Jaune recoiled back a bit hearing such information. "Yes, even when pregnant, Baladina continued to smoke and drink. We demons don't really need to worry about problems from such things, but I guess they still left some kind of side-effects on the two."
"I-I see…" Jaune said, thinking for a bit. "Did … Having a child change her in any way?"
"Did it ever." Beel sighed. "When Zdrada came into the world she changed a lot, becoming more responsible, actually drinking less, and she even held fewer parties. In fact, until Zdrada reached the equivalent of 14 in human years she hadn't thrown a single party! She went to parties, yes, but she never stayed long, always worried about her child."
"And what about the father?" Jaune's question made Beel perk up. "Who is he? Or was. Are they still even alive?" Beel seemed to shuffle nervously for a bit when he asked that, and Jaune, having known her for a while now, knew when she was hiding a secret from him. "Beel…You know who the father is, correct?"
"I-I did! B-but, you see, they had this accident and-"
"Beel, just tell me who it is already, it's not like it will change any-"
"It is Behemoth, alright!" She said, and Jaune recoiled a bit back. "The big ass demon you met in hell with his eye charred over, the guy from Ignium's circle-"
"Of course, I know Behemoth, but, but … HOW?! The guy strikes me as the hard-ass military type, not the absent-father type! And how come Zdrada didn't react when she saw him, it's like she doesn't even know him or something!" Jaune was freaking out by this revelation which Beel just revealed to him, however, the Cardinal of Gluttony was swift to explain things to him.
"Look Jaune, Behemoth was not always like this. Before, when he was younger, he was not truly threatening. Sure, he was damned with a giant frame, but he lacked backbone." Beel explained. "He was very easy to push around and demons would often take advantage of that. Hell, even his looks were different. More normal, and not grey."
"I assumed he was related to Judgement's mother, you know, because of his grey skin. But I take it that's not the case, right?" Jaune asked.
"No, grey demons exist throughout hell, but it is more of a rarer trait. Kinda like human albinos." She said, "The trait is rarely passed down from parent to child, so Judgement got somewhat lucky in that regard as grey demons are known to be more resistant against fire and damage overall. Their skin is simply thicker than normal, but I heard of cases when the gene can be awakened due to large levels of damage to their skin. Like, they were burnt all over, and when their skin healed it became grey. Anyway, Behemoth went to a party once and that is where he and Baladina met."
"One thing led to another and-"
"And out comes Zdrada sometime later." Beel completed his words. "But when she was born, that is when Behemoth began to change somewhat, becoming bolder and braver. I even remember when he first broke the jaw of a demon who tried to touch Baladina" She let out a laugh. "Oh, the bloodshed was simply impressive."
"But why did he ditch Baladina when he heard he was having another child?" At this, Beel sighed and looked down.
"I don't know." She replied. "I was not around, unfortunately. By this point, I had already been imprisoned in the Abyss, so I do not know the entire story. Only Behemoth himself could answer that question now."
"Great," Jaune said. "We know who their father is, and we know something happened that changed his looks to the point Zdrada no longer recognizes him, but what and why still eludes us." He sighed. "I don't know what to do, Beel, I really don't. On one hand, I want to try and fix the relationship between the sisters, but I feel like I am stepping into a minefield-"
"Stepped." Beel corrected. "You already stepped into it and fell into the trap, Jaune, and like it or not you have no choice but to endure all the way to the other side. I would love to see the sisters get along better, as I know Baladina would have wanted to as well, but the situation is truly sensitive."
"What do you propose we do then?" Jaune asked. "Should I call Ignium and confront Behemoth about it? I don't know about you, Beel, but I don't feel like dying today."
"Actually, that's a good idea," Beel said, and Jaune felt terror wash over him. Back in Hell, he didn't fight Behemoth, but Jaune knew for a fact he is strong enough to go mano e mano with Ignium, who is strong enough to go toe to toe with Lucifer! He cannot just go to him and dig up such things, the demon will murder him! "I will prepare the portal."
"Wait, Beel-"
"You did this with your own hands, Jaune." Beel cut him off and looked at him with a stern gaze. "Like it or not, afraid of death or not, you need to see this through to the end! Now, get up and head back into Hell! I will open the portal straight to Ignium's throne room."
"I…" He inhaled deeply. "Ok, Beel. Oh boy, this will be nerve-wracking."
Down in Hell, Ignium, Ryan, Shade, and Behemoth was in the throne room, Ignium sitting on his throne with a cup of wine in his hand while the others stood around him. Ryan was standing with his spear in hand, ready to attack if anyone tried anything while Shade was napping on the floor. Behemoth, however, was standing right next to Ignium, taking his duties seriously. Ignium opened his eyes suddenly, looking up in front of him. "We have a visitor." He said, then the portal opened, with Jaune stepping through it. "Jaune!" Ignium threw his hands up, greeting him, he even got up from his throne, putting the wine aside and going to him. "With what pleasure do you visit Hell? It's usually the other way around, we come to visit you."
"Well, Ignium, I…" He began, but then he caught sight of Behemoth in the back, making him gulp. "I am actually here for Behemoth."
"Behemoth?"
"What business do you have with me?" Behemoth walked forward towards them. Jaune could never get past his size and intimidating frame, this demon being strong enough to easily decapitate him with his hands if he wanted. "You are looking nervous, boy."
He gulped. "Well, Behemoth, I am here mostly because of something that happened back at my place…With Zdrada." Behemoth seemed to perk up a bit hearing her name. "And, well, I talked with Beel after me and Zdrada…I wouldn't say that we had a successful talk, but she told me some things regarding the reason why she and Malina do not get along, and while I talked with Beel she told me that-"
"Stop." Behemoth said, cutting Jaune off. He let out a sigh, running his palm over his face. "I…I knew this day would come." Shade opened his eyes and he along with Ryan looked at Behemoth, even Ignium giving him a confused gaze. "So, you found out the sisters are my daughters and that I ditched Baladina, huh- AGH!"
"You did WHAT?!" Shade shouted as the moment he heard the words leave Behemoth's mouth he leaped and charged right into Behemoth's abdomen, pushing him into the wall and causing the entire room to shake. "You abandoned your mate?!" He growled at Behemoth, Jaune being shocked by this turn of events which made him back down a bit.
Ignium and Ryan were quick to act, however, and went to restrain Shade and pulled him away. "Easy there, Shade! I know you despise people who abandon their families, but let Behemoth explain himself."
"Yeah! No need to jump to conclusions so much, you damn mutt!" Ryan said, Shade eventually shaking their arms off. They stared at Behemoth, who coughed a bit as he got up.
"I think…I deserved that." Behemoth took a large gulp of air. "How much do you know?" He asked Jaune.
"I know Zdrada was more of a drunken mishap during a party," Jaune said. "And that you changed when she came around, for the better if Beel's words were anything to go by. But she doesn't know anything else because she was locked away in the Abyss. I am hoping you can shed some light on the holes in Beel's story."
"And I will." Behemoth replied, slowly walking towards Jaune. "But not here." He continued, gaining the attention of others as well. "If I am to confess my sin, then I will do so in the presence of the ones truly hurt by it."
"The sisters…" Ignium muttered.
"Are you sure about that big guy? They didn't exactly inherit your patience." Ryan said.
"I am sure. When I saw them back when we visited Jaune … It hurt." He replied. "Now that my secret is out, there is no use running from it. No, I ran once already. This time I will face it head-on."
"You better." Shade said, threatening him even. "Too many run away in Hell, Behemoth, forgetting the values of one's pack! They sicken me … You sicken me. But if you want to make it right, then I will have to hear this myself."
"We cannot really all go." Ryan pointed out. "I and Ignium will stay here and wait for you guys."
"Will you have us, Jaune?" Behemoth asked, to which Jaune nodded. "Thank you. Now … It is time to meet my daughters."
Behemoth and Jaune returned to the human world, Shade in tow, shortly after the events down in Hell. Technically, Jaune was gone for less than a minute or so, meaning Beel didn't do any sort of preparations. However, that was likely for the better. Behemoth requested a private place where he, Jaune, Shade, and his daughters could talk in peace, which was easier said than done in this house.
Apart from the basement rooms … Oh boy. Beel led them there normally, but Lucifer did see them go down, but Beel was quick to explain to her why the guests were here, and also tell her to get Zdrada and Malina and have them go downstairs. Lucy went to get them, one at a time, making sure not to tell Zdrada the reason for it. They were going to meet in Zdrada's freak nest down in the basement.
"This is not what I had in mind …" Behemoth said as he sat down on the bed, both him and Jaune being shocked by the decorations. This place was, in simple and short terms, a BDSM paradise, with some more or less female-focused equipment most likely for Zdrada's own pleasure. Jaune could see Monica joining Zdrada in here, and something tells him some of this stuff was already used in one way or another.
"Behemoth, mind telling me where your daughter gets this from?" Shade asked, trying not to stare too much at the surrounding area. However, Behemoth had no idea where Zdrada could inherit such tastes.
"Regardless of the architecture of the room, you lot should be prepared for the sisters," Beel said, and just on cue, Malina entered the room, being the first one to show up.
"Ugh. Why, exactly, did you all want to talk? Also, why the extra muscle here? Aren't you two supposed to accompany the new big shot of Hell or something?" Malina asked, addressing herself to the extra demons in the room. "And again, why are we here? I'd rather not see my sister's toys."
"I … I can definitely see my own in her, yes," Behemoth muttered, admitting that Malina acted somewhat like him on a bad day.
"There is something that we need to talk about, Malina, but we need to wait for Zdrada as well," Jaune said, then, as Malina took a seat against the wall opposite of where the toys were placed, Zdrada walked into the room.
"What do you want?" She asked, bitterly so. It looked like she was not over the little disaster from earlier. "I really cannot stand seeing your face, Jaune, so whatever reason you got for dragging me down here better be a good one, or else we will have an even bigger problem than we already do."
Jaune scratched the back of his head awkwardly being called out like that.
"What exactly happened that got her pissed?" Malina asked with some form of interest. "It is rare she gets genuinely pissed like this."
"Well … How should I put this … I was trying to inquire about the reason behind your bad sibling relationship, Mal," Jaune said.
"Our relationship? What is there to inquire? Zdrada has always teased me and made fun of me ever since we were young!" Malina said, laying it out bluntly. "I never did anything to be treated as such; why do you think I got a job away from her in the first place?"
"That's the thing!" Jaune said, but he was not allowed to talk further.
"Don't." Zdrada cut in, looking at Jaune dead in the eyes. "Not another word, blondie, or else I swear to fucking Judecca I will burn off your skin right where you stand." Everyone in the room picked up on the threat, which got an additional reaction from Malina.
"Wait a minute, does he know something, Zdrada?" Malina faced her sister. "He knows something I don't know about the reasoning behind your shit behavior?"
"No, he knows shit-"
"I know more than enough, and I learned it from your mouth, Zdrada!" Jaune said, taking a bolder action. He can use his Aura to block any attack from Zdrada, not to mention she was not like Judgement - she was not made for combat. The demoness gave him a sharp glare, a final warning, but he was not stopped. "I know about Baladina."
Zdrada's eyes widened. "How the fuck do you know that name?!"
"Who is Baladina?" Malina asked, curious. "Seriously, what the fuck is going on here anymore? All of this mystery is giving me a headache!"
"It's time for the truth to come to light," Beel said, then she turned to Behemoth while Shade went to the door to block it. "Now, girls, you remember Behemoth, correct? This big hunk of muscle that serves Ignium."
"We do, yes. Why are he and the mutt here?" Malina asked, but Zdrada was more busy grinding her teeth.
"Because of what needs to be said, Malina." Behemoth said, and with a sigh, he decided to bite the bullet. "I won't let Jaune explain this, since he has done enough so far, so I will take the lead and be the one to say it; This is about your mother, girls."
"M-mom?" Malina muttered. "Zdrada never told me anything about her."
"Grrr." And never will, judging by her current mood.
"Your mother's name was Baladina, and she died in childbirth bringing you into the world, Malina," Behemoth revealed, then his gaze shifted to Zdrada. "And your sister blamed you for it."
"She … what?"
"Shut your hole!" Zdrada snapped at Behemoth, even going as far as going up to him and trying to grab his shirt to pull him down, only to fail as the giant did not falter. "What do you know about it, huh? I bet you were ditched right out when you came out of your whore mother's cunt, you giant dick!"
"Zdrada, there is-"
"No, Jaune!" Behemoth said, accepting the verbal assault. "It's ok. I expected this much."
"Wait a minute … You mean to tell me that the reason you were always such a bitch to me was that you blame me for what happened to mom? For being alive?" Malina said, her voice growing in volume as she talked until she was shouting. "What kind of fucked up reason is even that?! We might be from Hell, but even this is not ok!"
"Shut up! It is MY reason!" Zdrada said back.
"Well, that is also the reason I am here." Behemoth said, getting their attention back to him. "Zdrada, I want you to look at me very closely. Do I seem familiar?"
"What kind of question is that, I barely saw you before!"
"Figures …" Behemoth said, Zdrada still holding his shirt. "Your mother, Baladina, was a very big party addict back in the day. One time, when I was at one such party, she got pretty smashed and I was tipsy as well, so we ended up in bed together."
"Ew. Why are you telling us how you banged mom?" Malina remarked, not catching on to what Behemoth was saying. However, Zdrada was not as slow. She realized it, which had her not only let go of Behemoth but also take some steps back.
"No … You are lying." Zdrada looked right at Behemoth. "HE didn't have GREY skin."
Behemoth shook his head. "When you were younger, before Malina was born, you once ran around the house with a cigar up to your nose, trying to smoke it from there." Zdrada froze hearing him, and Jaune was also pretty surprised to hear that. She had been smoking for a long time, hasn't she? Oh boy, he definitely needs to watch out for Zdrada becoming a mother, he doesn't feel like she would be a very good role model.
"Y-you…"
"Can someone simply explain what is going on already? Why does this giant know about that kind of stuff?" Malina was still not picking up on the words of the larger demon. "Zdrada! Be a good bitch for once in your life, and spill the beans yourself! I am sick of their games!"
"Y-you asshole!" Zdrada shouted as she once again launched at Behemoth, but this time with more anger as she literally leaped at his neck and got him on the floor. Jaune tried to intervene, but Beel stopped him. Everyone simply watched as Zdrada was trying to choke Behemoth, but she was not doing anything. "You dare show yourself now?! After so many years you were nothing but a deadbeat father?!"
Malina heard Zdrada's words, which got her to finally catch up. "F-father?! You mean to tell me this guy is mine and Zdrada's-"
"Biological father, yes," Beel said, confirming it. "Sorry for keeping the secret, from both of you, but I always felt like it was not my place to say it. Behemoth talked to me, in Hell, before we came to the human world, asking me not to say anything. I apologize to you, Malina, and Zdrada for keeping this secret, and to you, Behemoth, for failing to do properly to the end."
"It's alright, Beel … This had to happen at some point." Behemoth looked at Zdrada as she was trying to choke him still.
"Fucking hell, how thick is your neck even?!" She said in frustration as she could feel Behemoth's neck muscle not letting her hands properly close in. "Just let me kill you!"
"Zdrada, get off him!" Malina shouted. "Use your brain, you idiot! He is here now, likely to explain WHY he ran. But between us? He better have a good reason."
Zdrada clicked her tongue in annoyance, but she did as asked, mostly because she agreed with her sister for once. Their 'father' better explain WHY he jumped ship before the two of them really did him in. Everyone watched as Behemoth got up, seemingly unshaken. The emotional and mental fortitude of this demon was making him look like he was not having an issue currently, but what was underneath told a whole different story.
"My reason is one without excuse. Zdrada, you were a drunken mishap, I admit it." Behemoth's words didn't get a reaction out of the said demoness as she didn't seem to care about being called a mistake and simply continued to listen. "But you, Malina? No, you were planned."
"Planned? You mean to tell me you and mom actually WANTED a second child?" Malina asked.
"Wait a fucking second, I didn't know about this!" Zdrada was surprised by the news. "I thought the reason you ran was because of the fact you would not take care of another surprise kid! And now you are telling me you WANTED to have another child? What the actual fuck?"
"Yes, and your mother did too." Behemoth slowly recalled the events. "She was the one to ask me. However, things were not going well. Beel got banished, and due to her relationship with Baladina, we suddenly found ourselves under the watchful eye of Lucifer."
"You mean it was Lucifer's fault?" Jaune was confused and worried, something Beel shared. This was developing in more ways than one, and that got him worried that the entire Harem was in danger if a huge fight was going to break out.
"No," Behemoth said, putting them at ease. "She did nothing. At the time, she was recovering, not to mention Justice had just lost her sight and a new prosecutor had to be named. The battle was chaotic. However, I and Baladina feared for our family, which eventually coupled up with another thing … Baladina's health declined."
"Her health? Impossible! At the number of drinks, smokes, and drugs she had taken at so many parties, that should have happened ages ago if it was possible!" Beel threw her own tidbits of knowledge in. "Baladina had an iron-clad immunity and something as simple as a disease could never hope to take her down!"
"It wasn't so simple, Beel." Behemoth said, trying to go into detail. "It was her womb. Damage from when Zdrada was born was missed by the doctors at the time. There was nothing we could do since she was already pregnant with Malina when we noticed, and to fix it would require an abortion first … She didn't wish to give up on you, Malina."
"Wait … You said the damage was done by me when I was born, correct?" Zdrada said, her previous emotions being somewhat washed away by this news. "Then that means … She didn't die because of Malinka … I was the one to kill her."
"You didn't kill her, Zdrada." Behemoth said sternly. "Neither of you did! Thinking that any of you have a fault in what happened is not just wrong, but completely insulting towards the memory of your mother! The fact you have blamed your sister for so long, Zdrada, is something that would have brought tears to Baladina's eyes …" Behemoth seemed to show more emotions as he talked, his voice growing softer and letting out some hints of sadness.
But despite that, Zdrada was not doing well.
"But I still blamed Malina for everything!"
The alcohol-loving sister turned her head to Zdrada, noticing how she was shaking, but more importantly, at the fact she didn't call her Malinka like she usually did but used her ACTUAL name. But Zdrada was starting to shake, looking down at her hands and with tears in her eyes. Finding out all of that, how Baladina chose to keep Malina despite damage from when she had HER, had her reasoning turned on its head. In her mind, Malina no longer had any fault, but it was HER who killed their mother. Even if their father said otherwise, she cannot simply accept it.
"I-I-I-"
"Zdrada!" Jaune half-shouted to get her attention, then he pulled her into a hug to calm her down. The damn girl was having something akin to a panic attack! "It's ok … Calm down."
"Zdrada, you … You actually regret everything?" Malina asked, going closer to them. Seeing her older sister like that was strange, almost like seeing a dog fuck a cat! However, Jaune allowed Zdrada to go close to Malina, and without warning, the older sister jumped on the younger one.
"I'm … sorry … " Zdrada was sobbing, and still shaking. However, Malina didn't know how to react to this. The two of them were at a knife's edge for as long as she could remember, and now, suddenly, Zdrada was apologizing for seemingly everything she has ever done! Malina didn't know what to do in this situation, but she looked at Jaune who was making some hand signs to her to help her. And with his support, Malina hugged her sister back.
"I … forgive you, sis," Malina said, holding Zdrada as she slowly calmed down. Beel had to admit the scene before them was very wholesome, and Shade nodded his head in approval. Jaune was smiling, but the only one still on the side was Behemoth. He was not yet done.
"The reason I left and left Baladina to give birth to you, Malina, without my aid … The reason you ended up at Lucifer … Was because I was afraid." He admitted, watching as his two daughters turned to face him. "I could not fight Lucifer back then, and afraid she might come after Baladina knowing their relationship with Beelzebub, I went to the only person I was aware of for a fact could help." He traced his hand over his charred eye, remembering the events. "I sought out Ignium."
"Wait … But at the time, Ignium was still free, correct?" Beelzebub turned to Behemoth. "The fight you said the two of you had … What did you do, Behemoth?"
"During our fight, or rather said, during my begging, I implored Ignium to protect Baladina. I didn't know it at the time, but since Ignium knew Lucifer from Heaven, he knew she wouldn't do anything to the girls. Had I done, this wouldn't have happened. He told me he could protect them, but he only would if I could beat him in a fight. I knew of my gene, so to prepare for the fight, I faced a horde of ghouls, the kind that reside in the hot lava. I even swam down to fight them in the lava." Behemoth said, recalling the events. "My skin grew grey as a result, especially as I was using some healing talismans to accelerate the healing of my skin. Then, I went to fight Ignium … And I lost. He burned over my eye as a reminder, but also to mark another promise; until I grew stronger Baladina would not be protected. By the time Lucifer took the two of you, however, I also learned of Ignium's imprisonment, leaving me the only choice to protect you two."
"You joined Lucifer's ranks," Jaune said, piecing together the events.
"I worked hard to achieve my current level of power, boy." Behemoth said, then he looked back at his daughters. "And all of it for them. I never revealed my identity to Lucifer, fearful of what she might do. I was a fool back then. And I still am."
The room was silent as Behemoth finished his story, the giant waiting to be scorned. He was weak, he knew that, and no amount of training and improvement will change it. He revealed the truth to his daughters, and now they know he is their father, but will they accept him as such? He found it very unlikely …
"You sacrificed yourself for your pack…" Shade said, looking at him. "You were a fool, yes, but I am in no position to judge. I was but a teenager when I killed my pops and took over the pack, all for the sake of my own sister, Cerberus. You were no more a fool than I."
"He is right." Malina and Zdrada were facing him, looking at their father. "You did everything for us, so don't mope around? Damn it, I cannot even find it in me to be sour anymore, the situation is just too mopey and weepy for it!"
Zdrada snorted. "With that, I can agree. But to continue from my sister's words … Yeah, no, fuck that! No words! Get here!" The sisters jumped at Behemoth, both at once, and grabbed onto him. They were hugging him, and the giant was surprised by their reaction. He returned the gesture, however, as he wrapped each of his arms around them. He was happy to have his daughters back … He really was.
"Jaune, let's go give those guys some privacy. You too, Shade." Beel said, leading the extra individuals out of the room and allowing this little family to mend its bonds. She had to admit, things turned out better than expected. She would have never believed the sisters would be willing to listen and not act recklessly so easily, but as she looked at Jaune she couldn't help but wonder if it was not him rubbing off on them. He had quite the contagious goody attitude to him, even if they influenced it a bit.
Maybe, if he could help those two, he could help her and Lucifer as well?
Edited by HelpingHand
Well, this was certainly long overdue for us to fix the relationship of the sisters. I am pretty sure we have everyone's family mentioned or revealed by now, leaving us no more plot holes regarding the origin of the girls. Introducing a small OC as their mother, and having Behemoth as the father, while also explaining the gray-skinned demons! Next chapter we plan to do Jaune reuniting with his family, but also arrange for the arrival of someone else.
Nerdy: guys, what do you all feel about roasting? Do you enjoy it in stories? Please let me know.
Personally, if you ask me, using them here and there when they are fitting is good, but overusing them and putting them in stupid situations that make no sense is bad.
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