Sorry for the long wait. This chapter proved to be a bit more troublesome than I thought but I managed to power through it.
Review Responses:
Bladewolf101- Thank you.
Hope- Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Svenion- Well, that's the beauty of being a fanfic writer. You can make a seemingly weak ability and write it to be more powerful than it canonically is.
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The Lost Heir
CH.2
The truth is, you're a Devil
Roman had his share of crazy dreams but the one he had last night was by far the craziest.
People with wings flying above him and fighting each other with swords and spears. His home destroyed by the bombardment of fireballs produced by those fighting around him.
He also remembered seeing his parents' lifeless and bloodied bodies consumed by the rubble of their home and then he also remembered that crazy priest that shot him. Then he remembered seeing Yuuma, his girlfriend, acting nothing like her sweet and timid self and acting as if she was the cause of the destruction and saying all sorts of ridiculous things.
Roman shifted in his warm bed to lie on his side. He was relieved that it was all just a bad dream, a fact that allowed him to relax his body further into his comfy bed. His far too comfy bed.
Finally opening his eyes, his sight blurred for but a moment before adjusting to a perfect vision. This was strange, his sight was never this perfect, not even with his glasses on.
Speaking of glasses. He felt around his face, thinking that he fell asleep with them only to find that they were not there.
"What the…" He shot up to a sitting position. This could not be right. Without his glasses, he is blind as a bat, and yet he had pristine vision. Even better than pristine.
His eyes flitted around the room that he came to realize was not his own. The room was far too large, even larger than his own parents' bedroom from the look of it, and the furniture looked to be antique but still in excellent condition. The room seemed bright to him but the lights to the chandelier above were off and the tall windows to his right were covered by the thick grey curtains.
Not only was he able to see perfectly in the dark, his sight somehow seemed to be magnified as well. He could see every detail in anything that he set his gaze upon, from the crown molding on the furthest wall to every single thread stitched on his thick comforter.
Roman did not know what to panic about more, the fact that he woke up in an unknown room or the fact that he can see better without his glasses without knowing the reason behind it.
Leaping out of the bed, Roman jumped clear across the room before crashing against the wall with a loud thud, once for when he hit the wall and a second for when he fell on the wooden floor.
Roman's eyes grew wide as he realized what he had just done. He could not figure out what was happening or why it was happening to him. Was this a dream? Was he still dreaming?
"If it's a dream, then why did that hurt?" Roman asked himself when he became aware of the throb to his side when he fell on the ground. "You can't feel pain in a dream. You shouldn't."
Getting up from the floor, he crept to the windows and carefully pushed aside the curtain to see where he could be.
If he was not so occupied with worry over whose house he was in, he might have taken the time to appreciate the beautiful landscape before him.
Gorgeous majestic mountains surrounded what he came to realize was not a house at all but a castle. The castle was situated on a mountain as well, though at a lower peak with luscious green foliage growing along the outer walls of the castle ramparts.
It was becoming apparent to Roman that he was nowhere near his home. His heart began to race as he tried to comprehend what was going on or if this was still real.
He jumped back suddenly when he heard the loud sound of water running. He frantically searched the room for the noise, fearing that it could be his captors nearby. Water was certainly running but not through the pipes. When he found the source, he walked over and observed the droplets of water running down a cold clear glass pitcher of water. Each droplet made the exact same loud running noise as it trailed down into the puddle underneath the pitcher.
"What is happening?" Roman's quivering voice mumbled as he placed his hands on his head, feeling himself beginning to panic. His heart was pounding uncontrollably against his heaving chest as he felt his breathing begin to feel constricted as well.
"This can't be real...this is all just a dream." He kept saying to himself while pacing across the room. "None of this is real...I just need to wake up…" he slapped his face repeatedly but nothing was happening other than feeling the stinging pain on his right cheek. "When I wake up, I'll be in my room and my parents will be…"
The images of his parents' lifeless and mangled bodies entered his mind once again, trying to convince him that what he saw and what he went through did in fact happen. None of it was a dream. His parents were dead, killed right in front of him. His girlfriend wanted him dead. And he did get shot.
"No! Stop believing that!" He yelled in between labored breaths while tears fell from his tightly shut eyes. His chest felt so heavy and constricted by this point and his heartfelt as if it was going to burst through his chest.
Getting up, Roman ran to the nearest door and opened it to go into the next room that turned out to be a bathroom. A very nice bathroom with nice and expensive-looking modern fixtures.
Roman's eyes did not linger long on the fixtures, not when he found his reflection in the mirror.
No longer was he this gangly nerdy looking guy that he was used to seeing every day. He seemed to be taller, he certainly felt it. Roman was by no means muscular but his body was filled to be lean and toned. His arms and legs no longer looked like twigs as impressive muscles filled him in.
Slowly looking down his body, his eyes gazed at the amazing six-pack abs that adorned his torso, like deep crevasses of solid muscle.
"What the hell…" Roman breathed in shock at the sight. He was unrecognizable to himself. His body was different. His height was different. Even his facial features were different.
Like everything else in his body, Roman's facial features had enhanced as well. His skin was flawless. Not a pockmark or a crease or wrinkle to be marring is skin.
The only marks that appeared on him were three circular marks on his bare chest.
Suddenly, a door on the other side of the room swung open and two young men came in.
Carefully, he grazed one with his long slender finger and immediately he felt the pain of the bullet as it did when it first pierced him. Then his mind instantly went back to the dream.
"No...not a dream." Roman muttered. None of it was a bad dream. It all happened for real. This was not a dream either. What he is seeing and doing now was real. "Then that means dad is dead and...and mom is...is dead too…"
The realization of the truth was overwhelming for Roman to handle. Feeling weak, he collapsed onto the marble floor. His breathing became labored as he felt his heart racing against his chest. It felt like an asthma attack but he could not find his inhaler to help him.
"Roman?" A voice called out to him, causing his frightened eyes to turn to the doorway.
Roman recognized the two men from the battle, especially the one that rushed to him and knelt down when he collapsed to the floor.
"Roman." the guy called out as he helped Roman to a sitting position against the wall. "Hey, Roman! You gotta breathe, okay? Take slow deep breaths."
Roman shook his head vigorously. "In...inhaler." He was a bad asthmatic and required his inhaler when he felt like this.
"You don't need your inhaler," The guy told him. "This isn't an asthma attack but you need to take slow deep breaths."
"He's gonna pass out," Said the other guy, sounding irritated, and looked it as well while leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed on his chest. "And when he does, we're gonna have to drag this on like we have for another three days while he takes another beauty sleep like we have nothing better to do than wait on him."
"Will you shut up?" The first guy snapped and gave him a quick glare before returning his concerned gaze back on Roman.
Roman tried to do as he was told but the added revelation that everything he thought was a dream was true crashed upon him made it that more difficult for him to calm down and found himself struggling more than ever to relax and found himself feeling like was drowning as he struggled to breathe.
Passing out did not happen as suddenly as he thought it would. Before he fell back into the darkness, he could hear the second guy say "See! What did I tell you!" before he lost consciousness once again.
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"Is he going to be okay?" Roman heard an unfamiliar female voice say. The darkness surrounded him once more but from what he could tell, it was because his eyes were closed. He did not know if he should open them just yet.
"Not if he keeps fainting," Roman recognized the irritated voice. "Seriously. I'll be surprised if he survives another week."
"He just needs time to adjust," the female voice said. He could feel her gentle hand brushing his hair back. It felt really nice. It reminded him of something his mother would do when he was younger. "Roman's been raised as a human."
"All the more reason he needs to remain with humans." the irritated voice responded, sounding more exasperated than ever. "He can't handle this world and yet you want him to live amongst us?"
Whoa! Live amongst them? Roman felt he needed to wake up now.
Continuing his feigning of sleeping, he slowly opened his eyes as he stirred. Muttering he could hear in the room, he gathered that there were more than just the two that were talking about him.
Sitting up, he realized he was lying on the lap of a very beautiful woman. She had long silky black hair and kind violet eyes that watched him carefully.
Roman had no idea who this woman was and yet, he felt a sense of familiarity from her.
He glanced around the room he was in. It was not the bedroom he first woke up in but a sitting room of some kind with an expensive modern look to it. He was also aware that this time, he was thankfully fully clothed.
Taking a glance around the room, he found the two guys from earlier. The nicer of the two was sitting on the sleek leather couch across from him and the woman. The disgruntled-looking second guy was leaning against the wall beside the large crackling fireplace, looking even angrier with the shadows of the dancing flames flickering around his face.
There was another person here as well. Another woman, though younger in looks, looked like she could be the twin to the one sitting beside him. Unlike the irritated guy or the concerned two beside him, she had a look with more curiosity on her face as she observed him.
"Roman, how are you feeling?" the older woman beside him asked.
Roman did not know how to answer that question. He was feeling so many things right now that he was still having a hard time processing the whole situation.
"I don't know." was the only answer he could give as he remained alert of his surroundings. None of them appeared to be hostile, except for the guy by the fireplace but until they could give him an explanation for everything, he was going to remain on guard. "I don't even know if this is all real."
"It is...unfortunately." the irritated guy said.
"Sorry about Typhon," the first guy said to Roman and gave the guy named Typhon a quick glare. "His people skills still need some refinement but he really is a good guy once he warms up to you. My name is Milcom, by the way. That's Lillith." Roman turned to the woman beside him that Milcom pointed to the who gave him an encouraging smile. Milcom then pointed to the other woman, who remained quiet this entire time. "This is Pandora and…" Milcom paused and let out a quick breath. "Well...we're your family."
He extended his hand for Roman to shake. Roman looked at the extended hand but did not take it. How could he when he was shocked by the ridiculous lie that he was told?
Roman flitted his gaze between everyone in the room, hoping that one of them would crack a smile or give him any indication that this was a joke.
"W-What are you talking about?" Roman asked when it seemed like there was going to be no joke reveal. "What do you mean?"
"Roman. Sweetheart. The people that you have been raising you...they are not your biological parents." The woman beside him took his hand into her much softer touch. Her eyes looked at him with such guilt as she spoke the second part of her sentence. "The truth is...I am your real mother."
Roman snatched his hand from under her grasp and stood up with such urgency that it caused everyone in the room to get up from their relaxed posture. The guy named Typhon even took a few steps with a clenched fist but the other guy, Milcom, raised a hand for him to halt.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Roman asked. His heart was pounding harder and faster again, his entire body felt twitchy as if he needed to move around only to concede to slowly walking back. "What game are you playing at? Are you trying to kidnap me? Is...is that what this is? You killed my parents to kidnap me for some sick reason?"
"No, Roman! You are my son!" the older woman exclaimed, her voice practically pleading with him to find some reason and listen. "Please, just let us explain."
Roman had no choice. He was at their mercy now and had to do what they wanted. As much as he wanted to leave, he wanted an explanation as well.
Nodding curtly, Roman relaxed but remained a decent distance from the group that claimed to be his family.
"When you were a year old, you were taken from me and your father." Lilith began. Her eyes never left Roman's hard gaze. Roman's flitted between both men in the room. Lilith got the hint of what he was thinking and let out a small chuckle. "Oh, no. Milcom and Typhon are your brothers."
"Half-brothers." Typhon corrected from his corner.
"Typhon is father's son by a different woman and I am mother's son by a different man." Milcom explained.
Roman nodded, getting an idea of the family dynamic. He looked over at the girl, the only one who has yet to say anything since he woke up.
"Are you a half-sibling as well?" He asked her. She gave him a look that he could not decipher.
"No." Pandora responded. Her voice was nothing like Roman assumed it would sound like. He thought it would have a sweet tone similar to Lilith's but it was actually a bit deeper and harsh when she spoke as if she never cracked a joke in her life. "You and I are the only trueborn children of our parents. Which makes your presence all the more important and necessary for our family."
"Why?" Roman asked cautiously. As much as he wanted to know why he was "kidnapped", he too wanted to know why he was suddenly so important. As loved as he was by his parents, he felt insignificant. It did not help that he looked like pre-serum Steve Rogers and had the same health to boot.
"Because you are the heir." Typhon coldly scoffed at him and shook his head. "Hell, help us all."
"Heir?" Roman repeated the word questioningly being more confused and asking more questions. "I don't get it. The heir to what?"
"It means you're the heir to the family name," Milcom explained.
"Did I die and wake up in some Game of Thrones universe?" Roman asked in disbelief. "Heir to the family name. Trueborn children. I mean, what is all of this?"
"That's what we are trying to explain sweetheart." Lilith sweetly replied to him. She walked over to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
Roman relaxed at the touch and when she motioned for him to sit down, he obliged and returned to his spot on the couch beside her.
"When you were only a year old, you were kidnapped by our enemy," Milcom continued his explanation from before. Roman was about to ask a question but Lilith squeezed a bit of pressure on his hand with hers to indicate for him to hold off on the questions until the end.
"Saying father was furious would be an understatement," Milcom chuckled nervously. "The man nearly started another war when he went after those responsible for your kidnapping. Especially when he found out what they did to you."
"What did they do?" Roman asked quietly.
"They made you mortal." Said Milcom. He said it so casually that Roman did not instantly pick up the keyword in the statement.
"Wait…" The confused Roman said and sat up straighter. "Mortal. What do you mean by mortal?"
"Roman...we are not humans. And neither are you." Lilith replied to him. Her voice was so caring and considerate of Roman's defensive demeanor that he almost felt calm at hearing such a strange revelation. "The truth is, those people that kidnapped you when you were a baby and the ones that attacked you three days ago were not humans either but...but angels, our enemies. And the truth is, like us, you are a...well, a devil."
Roman looked around the room at the other people before letting out a loud almost maniacal laugh at what he was being told. The others in the room are either staring in bewilderment at his unpredicted reaction or annoyance that he could not grasp what is clearly ridiculous.
"Angels...and...Devils," He managed to say in between laughs. "You really think they exist?!"
Roman wiped away the tears formed due to his fit of laughter to find his supposed family standing up. All of them looked at each other before turning back to Roman. All of them made a sudden jolting move as if pushing out their chests for a moment and the room was filled with the shadows of large black leathery wings flapping behind each of them.
Roman jumped back in fright at the sight of wings suddenly sprouting behind these people. They looked just like the ones he remembered from the battle at his home.
It was true. Everything he witnessed actually happened. And these people...they are devils. Then that would mean…
"The Fallen Angels took you because they wanted to destroy our family," Lilith explained as she stepped closer toward Roman, her wings still out but folded behind her slender back. "When your father found you, they tried to kill you with a poison." She placed a gentle hand on Roman's trembling cheek and softly stroked with her thumb. "Before you could be given the entire poison, your father found you and stopped the Angel that was feeding it to you. They fought a long arduous battle until your father got the upper hand and killed that Fallen Angel." For the first time, Lilith looked angry as she told the story. Roman could see her eyes burning like violet flames while she gazed at him. "Unfortunately, that Angel managed to mortally wound your father."
Roman did not know what to say about that. He, of course, appreciates the sacrifice his father did for him but he also feels guilt. More guilt added to what he already feels for the sacrifice of the parents that raised him.
He could also understand the hostility he felt from Typhon since they both share the same father. Pandora was not as hostile though she still did not give off a friendly vibe either.
"Your father, in his last moments of life, realized that he could still save you," Lilith said to him. Her glare eased back to the softer gaze Roman has become accustomed to. "By using a spell, he transferred what remained of his life force into you, Roman. It was enough to heal you from the poison and place your devil aspects in a dormant state, apparently to awaken in moments of distress, though the long-term effects remained, such as bad eyesight and poor health. For a while you would have to live like a mortal."
Roman nodded in understanding. It explained some things. He was constantly in and out of the hospitals and getting check-ups for his health. It also explained another thing.
"When a person...devil…" Roman corrected himself. "Gives their life force to someone else, does it...is it common to hear a deep menacing voice from time to time? Maybe even feel certain things as well?"
"You think you heard your father?" Lilith assumed correctly. It never occurred to Roman that the voice he heard in his last moments during the fight could be him. It was not the first time either. Throughout his life, he has heard the same voice from time to time. Sometimes, he finds himself in places or doing things he has no memory of how he got there or why he was doing something. He did nothing bad but it still worried his parents and they sought professional help only to come up with nothing as well.
The memory of going to a therapist reminded Roman of something else. Something that he must have repressed to the deepest part of his subconscious.
"It's not your father." Lilith sadly said to him. "The spell only helped you live and retain your devil aspects. What you heard…is the devil inside you."
"So, Satan is possessing me?" Roman did not know how to feel about that. He has seen plenty of movies with people being possessed and he did not like that idea.
"You've got a lot to learn about our world," Typhon sighed.
"It's not possession, sweetheart," Lilith kindly explained to Roman. "To be able to hear the devil inside you is a sign that you inherit the incredibly rare ability to transform into your true form." Lilith lovingly placed a hand on his shoulder. Roman was becoming more comfortable with her touch. It was so reassuring. So motherly that reminded him of the mother that raised him that he could not help but lean into her touch. "My son...you are going to be a very powerful devil and powerful head of this family."
"What?" Roman stepped back, much to his mother's confusion. "Head of the family? I uh…" he let out a nervous chuckle. "I don't think I can take that role. I mean, I just barely found out what I really am just moments ago."
"I'm sorry Roman but you must accept your title as Heir to the family name," Lilith told him. "If you are concerned about what the job entails, I promise I can help you every step of the way."
"No that's not it. Well, yeah it kinda is…" said Roman. "It's just that I still have a life out there," He pointed toward the window to the breathtaking mountain view. "Back home, I am still Roman Reed."
"Not anymore." Typhon chimed in. "Roman Reed no longer exists. Neither do your parents."
"What do you mean?" Roman asked suspiciously. "How can I not exist if I am still here?"
"We devils have the ability to erase memories and even the existence of people," Milcom clarified what Typhon said. "It helps keep our presence in the human world a secret. It's very handy considering from time to time, a fight breaks out between us and the Fallen Angels."
"So, if I were to go back home...what would happen?" Roman asked, his voice became nothing more than a loud whisper as he tried to process what he was told.
"Well, you would not have a home to go to," Milcom told him. "Your home might have been magically rebuilt but it is currently occupied by a family that the neighbors will have known for years. They will not remember the Reeds, a loving family of three nor would your friends or parents' colleagues. Any trace that you and your parents existed is gone. Memories. Documentation. All of it."
"I don't exist," Roman said out loud. The words did not sound right as he spoke them. It can't be possible that someone just does not exist. How could he not exist? Or his parents?
"Roman Reed doesn't exist," Lilith said with confidence. "But Roman Belphegor, Heir to one of the most powerful devil clans, exists."
"Why me?" Roman asked in an almost pleading tone. "Why can't either of you take the role?"
"Milcom and Typhon cannot inherit the title because they are illegitimate. Only on the occasion that the family cannot produce a trueborn heir does the mantle get passed on to the next in line," Lilith said to Roman. Well, that explains more of the hostility from Typhon. Being the illegitimate son of their father probably made him next in line if it weren't for Roman's presence.
"And Pandora has had to renounce her name and alignment to her family when she became a Great Satan," Lilith continued. Roman looked at her with even more confusion than he already has from the overload of information he was already given.
"The Great Satans are the leaders of our world," Lilith explained to Roman. "There are seven of them, each chosen from amongst the thirty-three devil clans to take the name of the original Satans. Unlike the other families, we Belphegors are the only family that is allowed to inherit the title so long as the one that holds it remains impartial as the other members do with there families. Pandora is the eldest trueborn but she had to forsake the Belphegor name and instead take Belial as her surname, the name of your father. The last of the original Satans."
"Oh...okay…" Roman was not exactly familiar with devil lore but he was familiar with the names of the seven devils and that they each represent one of the seven deadly sins. If he remembered correctly, he was associated with sloth. Great, nice to know that I am associated with the sin of laziness.
"What happens if I don't take the role?" Roman asked his mother. It was a fair question to ask. It seemed important that he should take the title but he had to know what was at stake if he chose to refuse the offer. "Why is it such a big deal if I don't accept the role?"
"If you don't Roman, we could lose everything." A somber Lilith told him. "The title will pass on to the next of kin and we cannot let that happen."
"So, the only reason you want me here is so you can what? Keep your wealth and nobility?" Roman felt more offended than he intended to but he could not help but feel that was his purpose to them.
"No! Sweetheart that is not why you are here!" Lilith quickly said and stepped closer to him only for Roman to move back further. Taking the hint, Lilith did not move any closer. "Roman, you may not believe this but we have always been there for you." Tears began to form and fall from her soft fair cheeks. He calmed down as he saw his mother cry before him. It was not his intention to make her cry. "I never stopped loving you, Roman. It pained me to see you be raised by another mother but I knew you were in good hands. I picked them myself." Roman's eyes widened in shock as his mother nodded her head. "Your father...your human father...was an inventor with great potential but could never get that big break and was praying to just about every deity to help him. And your human mother, she wanted a child so desperately but she was barren and could never get pregnant."
Roman already assumed that his parents were adopted from all of the family talk, that shocking revelation was already wearing off but to find out that his parents did not choose him by chance but by a deal was adding a whole new layer of shock and even a little doubt whether they truly loved him or not.
Roman felt like his whole existence was a fraud. Everyone in his life was using him for something in return.
"Clan Belphegor is known for aiding inventors so we came to them," Lilith said to him. "We told them everything. About us. About you. About what we can do for them if they do us this favor and raise you until you turned eighteen and reached adulthood where we would have taken you back and awakened the Devil within. It was always the plan. It was always our intention to get you back."
Roman was speechless. His parents knew. All along they knew the truth about him and they never said anything to him. He had the right to know. They should have told him. Then again, would he have even believed them? He was still barely coming to terms with the truth from the family in front of them and proved this new reality many times over to him.
"I know you have mixed feelings about us and about the parents that raised you but I can assure you that they loved you as much as I have and as much as your late father."
Lilith placed a gentle hand on her son once again, her sweet violet eyes meeting his own softening gaze.
"You can renounce your claim, that is your right but know that this decision, affects all of us. We lose our name and the nobility that comes with it. We will lose our power and protection and I can tell you that we…and especially you, Roman, need it."
"Why?" Roman asked her. Why did he especially need protection?
"Because son, I don't think those Fallen Angels attacked you just because you are a devil," Lilith said with a grave tone that gave Roman the slight chills.
"Then what other reason would they have?" he queried suspiciously. "Why attack innocent humans?"
"I think they were hired to attack you and you're parents," Lilith explained. "I also think they were trying to finish what they started when you were a baby."
"Who would hire them?" Roman asked with more suspicion his darker tone.
Lilith did not answer him right away. Whatever it was, it sounded pretty big if it was difficult to say.
"We think, whoever it could be...is another devil."
"Another devil?" Roman repeated sounding perplexed by the notion. Why would a devil he's never met hate him so much that they would try to kill him and his parents?
Lilith nodded curtly. "Our family is very wealthy and powerful, Roman. It's not uncommon that we would have enemies, even within our own world but none of them have a reason to commit such a treasonous crime. Except for one clan."
"What clan would that be?" Roman asked her.
"Clan Diehauser." Milcom answered the question. "They have the most to gain from your and father's death because they are our next of kin. Lord Belias Diehauser is father's youngest and only living brother. After you, he would be next in line, despite having his title stripped from him years ago. He found a loophole in our laws that allow him to take over so long as there are no trueborn heirs."
"If he did this then why can't you report it to the authorities?" Roman looked around at everyone in the room. "You have a police of some kind, don't you?"
"We cannot prove that Belias hired the Fallen Angels, Roman. This is all speculation." Milcom responded
What? Speculation? Roman was stupefied by the words. They did not even have proof that this man...his uncle supposedly...hired crazy Angels to kill him and his father and parents and yet they want him to take their word for it?
This all sounded too coincidental to Roman as if they were using him. He's never met these people before and yet they want him to trust them purely on their word.
"Belias cannot take back the Belphegor name, Roman." Lilith said rather urgently. "He is a terrible man. He betrayed our family and if he gets the Belphegor title, he will do unspeakable things with the power that comes with it."
Roman was still unsure about what he felt about all of this. He felt overwhelmed by it all and he was still not sure if he even wanted to be the heir to a devil clan. It sounded dangerous as much as it sounded ridiculous. Even more so knowing that there are Devils out there that want to kill him as much as the Angels do.
But is it wise to refuse the offer? What would he do back in the human world? He is still being hunted down and with no training of any kind, he would not survive very long. At least here, he has some protection.
Another part of him wants to hunt the Angels. To get revenge for his parent's murder. Especially that insane one, Freed Sellzen, and Yuuma. Roman's blood boiled at the thought of her name. Yuuma not only betrayed him, but she also made him look like a fool with her lies.
Without his devil powers and training, he would never stand a chance against them. It seemed like he really has no other choice.
"Fine, I accept the title." Roman said with a wavering voice. Lilith smiled at her son's acceptance.
"Oh, Roman I am so happy that you—"
"I accept…" Roman interrupted his mother. "On the condition that I kill the Angels responsible for the death of my parents."
The smile waned on Lilith's face but she gave him a nod in acceptance of his bargain. Milcom and Pandora had an expression of uncertainty at the deal while Typhon looked impressed for the first time since Roman has known him.
"Then, I guess this is settled then," Milcom spoke up and walked over to Roman with an extended hand. "Welcome back home, brother."
Roman took his hand shook it with a strong grip.
"Now, we have to make it official." the quiet Pandora said as she walked over to her mother and brothers. "I will call a meeting with the other Satans to make the announcement that Belial Belphegor's long-lost son has returned and has claimed his title."
Pandora gave Roman a small smile for the first time and bowed her head at him before departing. The positive gesture was a surprising one coming from her. Roman assumed she would not think much of him or the matter what with her having to remain impartial. Despite her position, Pandora must still have a soft spot for her family. No doubt the other six Satans can't keep themselves impartial from time to time.
Roman exhaled out a slow deep breath. He could not begin to imagine the world that he is now a part of and what would be in store for him. Being attacked by those Angels is only the tip of a very large iceberg.
When the conversation was over, Milcom and Typhon retreated to other parts of the castle while Lilith and Roman walked back to what is now his bedroom.
"Since all of your belongings were destroyed in the battle, we'll have to buy you new things.: Lilith informed him as she watched Roman observe his room. It was the same room he woke up in but this time, he got to appreciate the lodging. "For now, you can wear some of Typhon's clothes since he is closer to your size. He won't mind."
I think he does, Roman thought to himself as he looked down at the outfit that was not his.
"I'm glad you decided to step up, Roman." Lilith smiled kindly at him. "I know it was not an easy decision but it was the right one."
Roman gave her a wary smile as he sat down on the edge of his bed. Despite the agreement and the constant reassurance, Roman was still unconvinced that this was the best idea but it was the only suitable one he could take.
"Want to learn how to fight," Roman said suddenly. Lilith looked caught off guard when she turned toward him. "Weapons. Hand-to-Hand combat. I also want to learn magic powers that we have and I especially want to learn how to use my true form."
"Of course," she smiled at him. "I'll have your brothers teach you everything you need to know but for now, I want you to rest. Today was an overwhelming day for you." Roman could agree to that. He felt exhausted in every way. All he wanted to do now was lay down but he knew his mind would be racing with all of the information he was given. He doubts he would be able to get any real sleep for the next few days.
Lilith gave her son a wary hug. She was careful to not overstep her boundaries and respect that to Roman, she was still a stranger to him. Roman did give her a hug in return. It was meek and slightly awkward but it was the best he could do for now.
When Lilith left, Roman laid back down on the bed he woke up from earlier. His eyes closed but he was still very much awake. As predicted, his mind was racing with the conversation he had with his family. Slowly, it was feeling more real to him now. This was going to be his life now.
xXx
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The next chapter will be a small jump forward in time to the beginning of the Highschool DxD series.