"P-Pixie?" Lilith asked. The night around them had gone silent once more. No longer were they surrounded by the myriad cries of spectres. No more fires threatening to reduce the trio of Nohrians to ashes. No enemies at all, really. The petite demoness standing in front of them had seen to that, calling down massive bolts of lightning from the sky to incinerate the offensive green monsters in a single strike. Now that they were gone, the night had descended to an unnatural silence. Lilith couldn't even hear the sounds of the myriad species of insects that made the forest their home. It was early, and for a place so big, it felt very small.

It was almost unbelievable. Even Lilith, who had lived through events most people thought only existed in legends was reeling from the sudden turn. Not only had they been assaulted by demons, but they had been saved by one? What was going on?

"Yep! It's nice to met ya! Hold on a sec, I'd love to talk to you both, but just let me give him a quick checkup," Pixie replied happily. The tiny, auburn-haired fairy had begun walking towards where Felicia had set Corrin down onto the ground. Taking care not to touch him, Pixie began to examine his wounds, nodding and muttering to herself as she did so. In the end she seemed satisfied. Sighing, she turned back to the two stunned servants and cocked her head to the side. "Wow. He actually tore himself apart. Just wow. I guess reincarnation really doesn't do much for your common sense, huh?"

The attempt at a joke didn't do much to lighten the mood. "Is-is he going to be all right?" Lilith asked with bated breath.

The small demon rolled her eyes. "Well duh! If he wasn't I would have gone nuclear on that metal faced, chicken winged, mother-" Pixie stopped mid sentence and looked off to the side. "Wait, you guys don't what nuclear means, do you?" The two servants shook their heads, prompting the fairy to pout. Turning back towards Corrin, the demon complained to herself as she summoned a soft, soothing light and began to work on the healing. "Crap! I'm going to have to go through all my rants and make sure they're all medieval friendly. Ugh, that's going to be such a pain."

"Wait! What about Kaze?! Is he all right?" Felicia asked, almost begging. "Please, if you're a demon, you've got to help him!"

"Why do you care about Corrin? Why are you helping us?!" Lilith blurted out, confused. This entire situation was bizarre and the stable girl had had just about enough of it. "Not that I don't appreciate what you're doing, but every time I've met a demon so far, they've tried to kill me. What makes you different?"

"First off, your friend was fine when I got here, a little banged up for sure, but definitely breathing. I left a couple of my subordinates behind to clean up, and I can personally guarantee that at least one of them is competent. So as long as Frosty can pick up Fuu-Ki's slack, he should be okay." Pixie seemed to take the questions in stride, barely even looking up from her work. "Two, how am I different? You mean besides my devilish good looks? Quite a lot actually. For one, we're from different tribes, what with Ose being Fallen and the Spectres Foul. Personally I'm from the Fairy tribe, which is of course the best tribe out of all of them. That also explains why I don't really feel the need to kill you. We fairies are more mischievous than murderous. As to why I'm helping you, Corrin is a very old and very, very close friend of mine. Nothing, and I mean nothing, happens to him if I have a say about it."

"But then where were you when Ose-" Lilith began but was quickly interrupted by Pixie flying off the handle.

"THAT, oh ho ho, THAT was because a stupid, lame-brained, stick-up-his-but, high and mighty, doofus thought it would be a great idea to let the whole thing play out. Do you know how long I was trying to come and help you guys for? Do you? THE ENTIRE DAMN FIGHT! It took me that long just to break down Metatron's stupid barrier! By the time I got there all I could do was damage control and healing.(Kind of like what's happening now actually…)"

"Wait," Lilith said, finally putting the pieces together. She had thought the ball of light looked vaguely familiar. "After the battle, that orb of light that punched Azura… That was you, wasn't it?"

"Bingo," Pixie answered as she continued to heal the former- prince. The soft green light seemed to hum as flesh was reconnected and bones set all on their own. Already Corrin's breathing was starting to stabilize. "I was hoping you'd remember that, Lily. Do you mind if I call you Lily?"

Whatever Lilith had been expecting to hear from the demoness, that had not been it. And unfortunately, after a day filled with largely unwelcome surprises, she was not in any condition to hide her shock. "W-what? I- I guess not. But why?"

"Lily is a cute name. You're a cute girl. Makes sense to me," Pixie said with a smile which quickly faded into a scowl. "Besides, I already know someone named Lilith, and unlike her, I actually like you. As far as I'm concerned, the less you share with that skanky succubus the better."

Neither of them knew how to react to that. So instead Felicia tried to change the subject. "U-uhm.. M-miss Pixie?"

"Yes. The woman in the maid outfit. Felicia I think?" Pixie made a sweeping gesture towards the maid, almost as if she were an academy professor calling on a particularly unlucky student. The demon even got the stuffy, uptight facial expression right. To her credit she held it for about ten seconds before breaking into a fit of giggles and returning to her examination of Corrin. "Word to the wise, you don't need to call me miss. Just Pixie is fine. Or Pix. Or the great, mighty, and magnanimous uber Pixie if you're feeling formal. Whatever you prefer, we're all friends here. Anyway, what's up?" Pixie looked back and forth between the bewildered faces of the servants. "Oh, come on! That last one was a joke!"

"S-sorry, I was just… You're really a demon?" Felicia replied despite a very red face. As she asked, Lilith noticed she was trembling. I forgot, this is the first time Felicia has ever seen a demon. What must she be thinking right now?

"Last time I checked, yes," Pixe answered. "But try not to worry, I'm not like those other losers. I've even got a lot of friends who are humans."

"O-oh. Okay." The flustered maid looked off to the side in embarrassment. "It's just- you don't really seem all that scary."

"Mhmm. I am pretty adorable, aren't I?" Pixie replied matter of factly.

"Uhh, yes actually…" Felicia trailed off before she sat up straight with a start. "Wait! How did you know my name?!"

"Uhhhh… Yaaaa about that…" Pixie smiled sheepishly while refusing to meet their gaze. "I might have been watching over Shi- sorry Corrin since he was in diapers. It was for his own protection of course. (And not at all because I was taking pictures to humiliate him with later on...) Unfortunately that also means that I've been watching the two of you for a while as well… Ya, sorry about that."

Her mouth went dry as Lilith realized just what that statement entailed. If that was true then it would mean… That would mean she knew."Y-you've been watching us our entire lives?!"

"No. I've been watching you and Corrin for your entire lives," Pixie corrected. "I've only been watching Felicia since she moved into the Northern Fortress."

Lilith paled while Felicia cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Wait, you were watching Lilith too? Why would you want to do that?"

"Why indeed?" Pixie winked at Lilith. "Anyways. I'm almost done here." Looking down at her boss, Lilith was startled to find that Pixie was telling the truth. Where five minutes ago Corrin had been near death and only just hanging on, now it was almost as if it had never happened. Ignoring the broken armor and blood stains, he looked completely refreshed. Lilith and Felicia both let out a sigh of relief as Pixie continued, "Felicia, would you be a dear and bandage up his left eye?"

"Sure. I have some real bandages back at the campsite, but I can use some cloth for a temporary one now."

Lilith ripped off a small portion of from her apron and handed it to Felicia. As the maid worked, Lilith turned to the demon. "Is there something odd about his eye?"

"There's only so much I can do about the point where the Magatama were first introduced," Pixie said despondently. "No matter what I do his draconic side is going to be at war with his demonic. And considering that his left eye is where his demonic power originated… Well let's just say it's going to be a little tender for the next couple days."

Questions swarmed her mind but pragmatism won out in the end. "But is that it? That's the most he'll have to worry about? A tender eye for a few days? That doesn't sound too bad all things considered."

"Oh, well I mean he's going to be sore for a few days. Like really sore. I doubt he'll be able to walk actually." Pixie flew off of Corrin's chest and landed on Lilith's shoulder, leaning up against the side of her head. "But all things considered, he's going to be juuust fine. But promise me one thing, 'kay, Lily?"

She didn't even need to think about her answer. "I guess that's fair. I mean, after all you've done…"

"Y-yes. Of course!" Felicia agreed enthusiastically. "Anything!

"If Corrin tries to pull another stunt like this, kick him below the belt. And don't hold back either; I want him in tears," Pixie deadpanned.

Shock exploded over both of their faces at Pixie's request, prompting her to hastily explain. "Hey, look, it's not that I like the prospect. (Though he might deserve it a little.) But the fact remains that what he did today put a target on this entire dimension! It's like he lit a torch in the middle of the night. All the demons will flock to it like moths! If he did something like that again… well, it would be devastating." Pixie put her hands behind her head and looked away. It was the first time Lilith had even considered the fact that a demon could be nervous. "And that would be bad for everyone, Corrin included, and I can't very well have that happen. Based on what he said before he used the attack I'm guessing there was quite the internal battle going on."

"Internal battle…," Lilith muttered softly. Does that mean he is degenerating after all? But the way Pixie's talking about it… She doesn't sound worried. If she's really his friend she would be just as terrified as I am.

Pixie shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean did you hear him talking? I've heard less introspection from a persona user for crying out loud! If I had to guess, some of his memories have begun to awaken. Probably happened during the Ose fight. Anyway, knowing Shin's pension for melodrama… Ya, can't say I'm really all that surprised by this."

A soft boom radiated out from the direction of the fort, prompting Pixie's head to shoot up towards the sky, as if she had heard something else, inaudible to the assembled humans. "Well crap. It looks like Mets decided to send someone after all. And by the looks of it, it's someone actually worth a damn." Flying off of Lilith's shoulder she floated up a few meters towards the tree line before stopping and turning back to the two servants. "This where I'm going to have to take my leave. It's not that I don't trust my allies but…" Pixie scratched the back of her head. "Ya I'd prefer this didn't turn into a bloodbath. It's been a blast meeting you both! Remember, if there's ever any trouble, I'll be watching over you. Oh and Lily…" Pixie smiled warmly at the stable girl one last time. "We'll speak again soon, promise. After all, and I'm sure that you'll agree, we have a lot to talk about. See ya soon!"

Felicia stood up, nearly in a panic. "Wait! You can't just leave us! What if those monsters come back!"

"Oh don't worry. By now all of those pesky little bastards should be dead," Pixie said, smiling gently down at the two. "They aren't the ones to worry about anymore. Heck, it'll probably be better for you if I'm not here. Whatever angel they sent was probably deployed to retrieve me. I'm not technically supposed to be here…" Once again Pixie began to float up through the trees. "Just stay quiet and hide until morning. One way or another it'll be over by then."

"But- but…" Felicia stuttered uncontrollably as Pixie's head once again darted toward Fort Dragonfall.

"Sorry guys, but I really can't stay any longer." The miniature demoness gave the pair a mock salute before turning away for the last time. Her posture had changed in that moment. No longer jovial and carefree, there was a purpose in her movements. For the first time since meeting her, Lilith could sense the power behind that smile. Pixie had listed several differences between herself and Ose and the spectres, but she had not said just how much her power dwarfed theirs. But looking at her now, at this moment, it couldn't have been more obvious. Her power might have even rivaled that of Anankos. Taking only a brief moment to yell one last, "See you next time!" Pixie shot off into the cold Nohrian night sky. From the little they could see through the trees, she looked almost like a comet streaking through the inky black sky.

And so they made their way back to camp. Mozu had been quite shocked when they first arrived. Even more so when she had noticed Kaze was missing from their party. But the girl had managed to stay professional for the most part, refraining from asking what had happened or why Corrin was draped over Felicia's back. She had simply helped. After setting Corrin down and dousing the few remaining embers of flame, the three women decided to take Pixie's advice and wait out the rest of the night. It wasn't that the morning would bring light, they were in Nohr after all, but giving the battle between the demons ample time to finish could only be advantageous.

Three hours after Pixie's departure, the group received a terrifying reminder of why that was necessary when the sky lit up with a harsh, blinding came from the direction of Fort Dragonfall of course, and it was brighter than even the sun of Hoshido. Almost like millions of white fireworks all exploded at once, in a single flash. And in that flash, there was no shadow, no darkness, no shapes. The light consumed everything. And after it was gone, there was the roar of the explosion. A deep, unbound blast that threatened to tear their eardrums asunder.

But as quickly as it came it was gone. Though, it was quickly followed by the sound of rushing air as the atmosphere surged backwards toward the direction of the blast, no doubt attempting to fill the void created by the extremely powerful reaction. Looking around at her companions, Lilith wasn't surprised to see the horror and shock plastered across their faces. After all, she suspected the same emotions could be seen on her own face.

After that, the sky faded into silence for the most part. There was the off handed twig branch breaking or a cricket chirping, but these were the normal sounds of the night. Eventually the soft booms and crescendos of battle faded and died out completely as time continued its trek towards morning. When the wide-eyed Nohrian birds began to sing from the surrounding trees, there was no trace of demonic activity in the slightest. It was as if the monsters had never existed.

Standing up and looking around through the dried up and decrepit trees, Felicia and Mozu slowly but surely began to pack up their bags and belongings. There had been some whisperings during the night before about trying to go and search for Kaze once morning broke, but after that harsh light…

Lilith stayed by Corrin's side. Her powers were returning. Slowly of course, but after the exertion of battle that was hardly a surprise. It would be longer than she had previously predicted before she was able to teleport the group again.

She was so focused on guarding her liege that she almost missed the sound of Felicia gasping in shock and Mozu dropping the bags she had been carrying. Looking up in rush, Lilith's mouth fell to the ground at the sight that greeted her.

Out from the surrounding woods, clothes burnt and covered from head to toe in abrasions and bruises, was Kaze. His green hair, normally well kept, was matted and caked to his head with blood and sweat and by the looks of it he was almost about to collapse from exhaustion. He was alive though, and by the looks of it would make a full recovery.

But, Kaze wasn't what made Felicia cry out in shock. Nor was it what had rendered Lilith speechless. That distinction fell to what, or rather who, was slumped over the ninja's back, unconsciously being cared piggyback style by the ninja. Though both her white and gold dancer's garb and long blue hair were covered in dust, the woman was unmistakable. It had been someone Lilith had thought she would only ever see again on the battlefield.

It was the princess of Hoshido, Azura.

A truce is difficult at the best of times. It requires two ingredients which are often unfortunately sparse. The first is a suitable location. If it is too biased to one party over the other, it invites the possibility of treachery. And even if nothing came of it, the mere possibility of such a move would invite distrust and potentially preclude any meaningful dialogue from taking place.

Yes, the location was incredibly important. But where do you hold a parley when the beings you are treating with claim dominance over the entirety of existence? Where do you go when you must bargain with those whom serve the creator of all? Simply put, you make the best of it. In this case, the meeting was being held between the infinite expanse of the Amala multiverse and the myriad free worlds the Demifiend had ripped from Kagutsuchi over three millennia prior. Not perfect certainly, but it would at least offer the illusion of being beyond heaven's reach. Coupled with the free worlds being the neutral demon's stronghold, and it was as good as it was going to get.

The second ingredient was a mutual willingness to work together, otherwise known as 'that thing which almost never happens.' Never was this more true than when dealing with demons. After all, a human heart can grow and change. Life is fluid, even chaotic, and its slightest caress can bring about unfathomable change, be it good or evil. But, alas, a demon's heart is stone, unyielding, eternal. Even before the endless crashing waves of eternity, they remain perpetually uneroded.

So in spite of a history of conflict between the two, both sides had to put aside their own natures and interests in order to reach even the agreement to meet at all. It was nothing short of a miracle.

Unfortunately, it was also emblematic of the seriousness of the threat to which both sides were now faced.

To face that threat, four demons stood in the pitch-dark void that lies between the worlds. Three were of Aleph and the Demifiend's alliance while the other was an angel of the heavens. They stood juxtaposed to each other, waiting silently for the remaining participants to arrive. Neither side gave the other the pleasure of seeing them give an inch, merely glaring each other down. Even though they abstained from violence, the animosity was incredibly palpable.

Azure light exploded into existence ten meters away from the group as a portal to the labyrinth tore through the fabric of reality. The archangel Metatron turned towards the gate, his silver metallic face set into a perpetual frown. He did not have to wait long before the first travelers exited the portal. Like him, it was an angel, though where Metatron was clad in silver, gleaming, armor-like skin and a robe of beautiful white and gold, the newcomer was dark skinned and had wings the color of night. Black hair fell down from his shoulders and contrasted with the pure white robes he wore. Above his head rested a gleaming halo seemingly crafted from starlight.

In another flash of light, two more angels appeared at the newcomer's side, their crimson armor marking them as Powers. Metatron ignored the neutral demons as one of them let out an undignified snort. Annoying to be sure, disrespectful certainly, but it wasn't a mystery to see why she did it. The normally pristine armor of the Powers was cracked and scarred by elemental blast marks. One of their shields even looked like it had been punctured by a spear or first angel also looked shaken up, but to a far lesser extent. His robes were rusted and dirty and the expression on his face nothing less than furious. He took one glance at the assembled neutral demons and raised an eyebrow.

"What is this? You dare to look upon our glory without bending the knee? Even after we grace you with this concession, this breach of trust? I must say I am less than surprised."

"Mastema, temperance," the silver archangel bade and though it looked physically painful for him, Mastema obeyed, resorting to glare daggers at the neutral demons.

Another flash and the portal closed, leaving three new demonic arrivals. One was a blue brute with a hole going through his face and a wicked double bladed sword at his side. Looking around quickly his eyes met with the crimson orbs of one of the first three neutral demons causing a brief wave of embarrassment to course across his features.

The other two new arrivals were a short, black snowman with a purple hat and jester's collar and a tiny auburn haired fairy sitting on top of the prior's hat. Unlike the angels, the final participants in the parly showed almost no signs of battle damage, save for a few slight burn marks on Fuu-Ki's robe. Both Black Frost and Pixie showed no signs of wear, a distinction Pixie was only too happy to rub in as she smirked at Mastema. "Ahhhh, did little chicken wings have to run back to mommy, Metatron? Poor widdle Mastema… Can't even retreat without getting your ass set on fire."

The angel she referred to didn't jump off the handle. Instead he just smiled icely at the petite demoness. "Speak all you like, I hardly expect civility from an insignificant little bug such as yourself. If you don't mind your tongue though, we might just have to find a way to remove it."

Pixie chose the most dignified of responses, sticking out her tongue and making a face in his general direction. As she did so, one of the original neutral demons, a beautiful woman in a bright green dress with long golden hair and long slender fairy wings spoke. "Metatron, I am disappointed. It's been less than a minute and your agent is already making threats. I expected better manners from those who proclaim to be the personal agents of the Great Will. How disappointing."

"It's simply what I've been trying to tell you for years Titania," another of the original three spoke up. This one was also similar to a human woman in appearance, but where Titania's beauty had been that of a sunset over the mountains, hers was the raw and uncensored flair of a succubus. Almost completely naked, her golden eyes and black hair was matched by the snake perpetually slithering over her shoulders. "Presumptuous and arrogant to a fault, this is waste of our time." She sighed in exasperation. "Let's just try to get this over with as quickly as possible. I have some urgent… business to attend to."

"We all know what type of business you attend to, Yuriko, and I'm afraid it has no place here," Titania responded with a slight frown.

"Ya, some of us just ate," Pixie deadpanned.

"Are you all quite done?" Metatron asked. He was far from used to dealing with dissidence and his patience had reached its end. In addition, time spent here was time that the forces of Chaos could operate outside of his notice. And that was unacceptable. Perhaps they could feel the Voice of God's irritation for the collection of neutral demons fell silent. "Mastema, an explanation."

"Yes, milord," Mastema said with a courteous bow to his superior. Turning back to rest of the demons, he sneered as he began. "Six hours ago, there was a disturbance from the world that acts as the residence of the recently reincarnated Demifiend. Said disturbance was later identified as a slight resurgence in the Demifiend's power, used to allow the fiend, now named Corrin, to save the lives of himself and his companions." The angel began to pace back and forth as he spoke, looking all the more like a lawyer strolling leisurely in front of the judge. "As a result of this grievous misuse of power, a group of nearly sixty spectres were attracted to the Demifiend's power, no doubt attempting to retrieve the magatama for their master. As was our duty, I lead two Powers in a successful battle against the demons-"

"Bullshit," Fuu-ki snarled in disgust. Staring down the angel, he continued, "By the time you asshats showed up, we had finished off all a the spectres."
Black Frost jumped up and down in accent, prompting Pixie to hang onto his hat for dear life. "Hee Ho! That's right! All of the spectres were already eliminated by the time they showed up Ho. When they did HeeHo arrive, they started to attack us!"

"As well we should!" Mastema spoke with a self righteous glare. "I am sure you and yours remember the deal made over eighteen years ago. In exchange for our assistance in protecting and hiding the reincarnated fiend, any and all of his former allies were banned from making contact with him!"

"To be fair, Corrin was completely unconscious while we were there," Pixie retorted.

Mastema swirled back towards the fairy at that, his eyes carrying the fierce glow of a predator that had cornered its prey. "OH? And what of the time when you healed him while he was a dragon? How can you not understand that your presence alone acts like a beacon to the forces of chaos? If you wish for the fallen angel to know where the Magatama lie then by all means continue to visit your pet. But if you want the plan your master himself came up with, then perhaps you ought follow the rules."

"You want to talk about the plan?!" Pixie shouted furiously, flying off of Black Frost's hat and getting right in Mastema's face. "Well fine by me you sorry, weak, overly-pious piece of trash. I'm sorry to break this to you, but it kind of fails if Corrin dies!"

"And you have yet to explain why you intruded upon Hoshido's soil," Mastema said slowly and methodically, refusing to give any ground.

"Oh bite me. If you're going to ignore everything I say, why should I even bother talking to you." Pixie flew back to Black Frost before looking around sheepishly for a second. "But to answer your ehh 'question' ya... technically he was going berserk so I'm not quite sure that counts as 'conscious' either."

"So you entered Hoshido to help calm the savage beast?" Mastema clarified, his singsong voice impossible to pin down.

Pixie cocked her head to the side before answering warily. "Well… ya duh. Why else would I be there?"

The black winged angel smirked. "Oh? Why indeed? And here I thought it was the instinctual reaction of a jealous demon attempting to stop a princess from coming between her and her best friend."

"THAT'S IT BLOWING YOU UP!" Pixie exploded, white light emanating from her fists.

Titania sighed in exasperation. She was used to Pixie's 'outbursts' by now but they never did fail to come at the worst possible moment. In the past they had been tempered by Shin's more methodical nature, but now… With a snap of her fingers the queen of the fairies let out a Glacial Blast, freezing Pixie up to her neck in ice and stopping her more 'fervent' attempts at an argument. "Frosty, be a dear and catch her would you?"

"HeeHo of course your highness!" Black Frost caught the miniature fairy out of the air and summoned a petite flame to begin melting the ice. Pixie's expression shifted from outraged to mildly irritated. She glanced over at Titania as if to ask 'Aww, why did you have to do that?' Titania merely smiled and shrugged at her subject.

"Ahh, do you have to unfreeze her immediately?" Yuriko asked slyly. "Three thousand years and this first time I think she's truly cooled down."

Pixie glared at Yuriko. "Haha very funny. Why don't you go hang yourself with that snake of yours."

The succubus rolled her eyes. "Never heard that one before…"

"I AM IN AN ICE CUBE. I'M SORRY IF MY CURRENT QUIPS ARE SUBPAR!"

"If you're all quite done, might we get back to the topic at hand?" Mastema asked. After the assembled demons quieted down again, he continued. "And in regards to your previous point of Managi dieing… Irrelevant. If the Demifiend should perish we will simply secure the Magatama and bring them to a safe and hidden location." By the way he said it, it was obvious that Mastema would have preferred to have simply taken that route to begin with.

"And just how do you suppose you would do that?" The soft voice of the final neutral demon rang out. Clad entirely in black, the only color that he wore were the twin crimson orbs of his eyes and the faint metallic sheen of his wicked twin bladed staff. "You failed to defeat three demons who happened to be passing through the area at the time. You think you could have defeated a coordinated attack single handedly?" The blade twirled in a wide circle, its path blurring in such a way that it looked for a moment like the moon hovering silently in the void. "If there is one thing I despise more than pure weakness, it is weakness clumsily trying to masquerade as strength."

"You dare to threaten me in the presence of Lord Metatron?!" Mastema gasped. "Why with a single blast from his hand he could-"

"Pixie dear, I might be mistaken but you and Shin did manage to best Lord Metatron in single combat, did you not?" Titania interrupted suddenly. Though she wore a warm smile on her face, it did not reach all the way to her eyes, which remained cold as the ice she often used to smite her enemies.

"That we did." Pixie agreed with a smirk. "And that was just the two of us. I'd love to see what we could do with three tribal leaders and two of their lieutenants as well."

A flash of light, a thunderous boom, and finally silence as Metatron glowered at the assembled demons. Could they not understand the weight of the current situation? "Enough. Your transgressions may be admissible, but if you seek violence here, we shall eradicate the Demifiend's world and be done with it." The archangel turned back to his slightly overzealous subordinate. "Mastema your report is finished. See to it that you watch your tongue for the remainder of these negotiations. If you cannot do that much there will be severe repercussions."

Mastema bowed his head in respect. "But of course, Lord Metatron."

Pixie rolled her eyes, Yuriko snorted, and Titania glared at both of them for it. Choking back the urge to reprimand her allies, the queen of the fairies spoke to the Voice of God. "Thank you, Lord Metatron. Now that we have established what occurred, I believe you wish to go over some of the more fine details?"

"Yes. This meeting was called to determine whether our tenuous alliance is still viable. Though he spoke out of turn, Mastema has made an unfortunate point. Pixie, Black Frost, and Fuu-Ki intentionally violated the terms of our agreement by trespassing into Nohr. I am afraid if they are found guilty, either they will have to be punished or our agreement terminated."

"Oh?" The crimson eyed demon asked, once more raising his weapon. "And just how do you intend to accomplish that?"

"Your bravado is irrelevant, Ongyo-Ki. Heaven cares not for the opinion of the Brute tribe. It does however, care about the punishment for dissent."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Fuu-ki interrupted. Both of his hands were raised in an attempt to calm down both Metatron and his master. "We weren't in Nohr on purpose! We were just… going for a walk."

"Yeesssss." Pixie added, trying very, very hard to hold back a laugh. "We were just out for a midnight stroll and happened to wander into the wrong world."

Black Frost was rapidly nodding in agreement."Hee-Happens to us all every once in while-Ho."

"Pretty sure I was drunk," Pixie added.

"Heh, heh, me too," Fuu-ki agreed.

Silence. Dead silence. Mastema looked like a cat that had a mouse by the tail. Yuriko's eye was twitching as she choked the air with her right hand. Ongyo-Ki could've been about to hit someone and Titania looked like she wished very much so that she were anywhere else than here.

"You honestly expect us to believe that you just accidentally wandered into the world where the Demifiend was just coincidentally being attacked by demons?" Mastema asked incredulously. "The very notion is-"

"I ordered you to remain silent, Mastema. Do not try my patience again." Metatron glared down at Pixie and each of her partners in turn. Was that really the best story they could come up with?It would be inconvenient to be forced to kill them, but he did need a halfway reasonable excuse if he was to spare them. "What is your point?"
"My point is that we didn't do nothing intentionally." Fuu-Ki crossed his arms defiantly.

"Technically that would mean we're exempt from punishment," Pixie added, winking at Mastema. "I mean you Lawful Losers are all familiar with the concept of reading the fine print aren't you?"

Ongyo-Ki laughed a deep, booming laugh. "Well well, it would appear we have quite the conundrum, by the sound of it. I'm no lawyer but it seems you don't have any reason to be here after all. Unless of course you're looking for a fight…"

Metatron looked around at the assembled demons. It would be so easy to wipe them out. A single word and this area would be flooded with angels. The hammer of heaven would be brought down and not even the Demifiend himself would be able to do anything about it. But that was the point after all. And though he hated to admit it, there was some value to Pixie's actions.

The plan could still yet succeed.

"Mastema, from this moment forward the word 'intentionally' is to be purged from our agreement with the so called neutral demons. This time though… their transgressions shall be forgiven. Am I understood?"

"Of course milord." Mastema agreed reluctantly. It would eat at him of course, but he knew better than to disobey. It was their way after all. Metatron nodded and a portal back to their seat of power opened behind him. Mastema and the powers entered solemnly while the Voice of God looked back upon the assembled demons. With an air of absolute authority he made his proclamation.

"From henceforth, any demonic or human ally of the Demifiend's found in the same dimension as Corrin shall be executed and cast down into the depths of hell. Be it intentional or not. If for any reason he ceases to be Corrin and reverts to Shin Managi, like our agreement, this threat is void. You have been forewarned."

And with that he vanished, leaving the six neutrally aligned demons all alone. For a moment they were all as still as statues, shocked that they had gotten off scot-free. Eventually though, the silence was shattered by Ongyo-Ki slapping Fuu-Ki upside the back of the head. "Really?! You were on a walk?! That was the best excuse you could think of?!"

""I'm sorry boss, I didn't have much time ta think!" Fuu-Ki answered sheepishly. Titania facepalmed while Pixie broke out into hysterics.

"Honestly, I'm surprised he managed to come up with anything at all. Brutes having to solve problems with their brains? Might as well kill me now," Yuriko muttered as the mother of succubi grabbed Black Frost by the collar and started to drag the unfortunate snowman towards a newly formed portal.

"B-but mistress, I did what you Hee-Ho asked me too!" Black Frost whimpered as he struggled in vain against Yuriko's grip.

"YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO GET CAUGHT YOU STUPID EXCUSE FOR A SNOW CONE!" Yuriko shouted as the portal to the Night tribe's homeland began to close around them.

Black Frost squirmed and squealed helplessly against his boss's grip. "Hee-Ho-Help me!"

Pixie gave him a sympathetic smile as the portal finished closing. Being on Yuriko's bad side was a pain to be sure. But being under her thumb? Ugh, Black Frost would be sore for weeks.

"We ought be leaving as well." Ongyo-Ki said, addressing Titania. "Apparently my student requires additional training in stealth. Such an embarrassment."

"Boss, really I'm sorry-" Fuu-Ki began apologetically.

But the head of the brute tribe was having none of it. "Move your ass! I won't be satisfied until you prove you can follow simple instructions. You know, like: 'Don't get caught by angels on your secret mission'. Crap like that. Later Titania. Give my regards to Oberon."

"Naturally. Take care now." Titania waved goodbye to the brute chief as the two returned to their home, leaving only her and the recently thawed out Pixie. "Now, what am I going to do with you…"

Pixie crossed her arms and pouted, hovering silently in the void a meter away from Titania. She looked all the part of a child caught in wrongdoing. "I'm not apologizing."

"Oh come now, don't be unreasonable," Titania chastised gently. "I don't mind that you saved Shin, but did you really have to beat up Mastema? You know how prideful the angels are."

"He attacked first!" Pixie grumbled. "Besides, he was going to exterminate the witnesses. We can't have that! Kaze and Lilith are the only reason Corrin hasn't killed himself yet."

Titania couldn't very well argue with that. For some reason, be it fate or just ill luck, Corrin still had his… 'eccentricities' when it came to strategy that he had developed over the course of his tenure as the Demifiend. Unfortunately now he lacked both the strength and experience to back that up. That fiasco with the pegasi back on the fields of Hoshido had been enough to almost give her and her husband a heart attack back in Anlita. "Speaking of them, am I correct in assuming that all of Corrin's friends made it out alive?"

"Yep. And Kaze even managed to drag Azura out of the wreckage of the Fort." The way Pixie said the princess's name made it seem like she was spitting out poison. Titania couldn't help but smile. Pixie had always been somewhat 'overprotective' when it came to Shin and it seemed that wasn't about to stop anytime soon.

"That's good," Titania began slowly, wondering how much she would be able to get away with, "I would hate to think that poor girl would be left all alone in that terrible place. And I bet Corrin will be happy to see her again as well. They were getting along so well in Hoshido…"

This prompted another eye rolling session as Pixie responded. "Aww your highness, perhaps you should start a career as a comedian! I mean you are just SO funny!"

Chuckling, the queen patted Pixie affectionately on the head. "Come now, you know sarcasm doesn't become you. Though I do find it a bit odd. You get so worked up about Azura but have absolutely no qualms about Lilith in the slightest. If I didn't know better I'd say you're actually fond of the girl. What was it you said? 'We'll speak again soon' I believe."

"Try and tell me you don't find her adorable." Pixie argued, smiling as she did. "And besides she's Shin's sister! By all accounts we are already best friends. She just doesn't know it yet. Man, can you imagine all the stories we're going to get to share. Oh it's going to be perfect…"

"And you're sure the fact that they're being unable to date because they're siblings doesn't factor in at all?" Titania acted innocently.

"Nope. Not all. Not a bit. I don't think that would ever affect anything- okay maybe a little." The tiny fairy smiled sheepishly and rubbed her head in embarrassment. "But you have to admit she has been through a lot. Especially for a non-demon."

Titania nodded sadly. As Shin's new sister they had watched the girl's life as well from the safe confines of Anlita. It had not been a happy story. "You are certainly correct in that assessment. My, that girl could really use a hug."

"Exactly. So as soon as Shin blunders into another dimension again, because you know it's going to happen, I'll zip right in and comfort her." Pixie put her hands on her hips, looking every bit like a valiant little super hero off to save some unfortunate victim.

"And if Azura or Felicia or Mozu should happen to be there as well?" Titania asked with a mischievous half-smile.

"I will not do anything permanent."

"Ooh how ominous." The queen of the fairies chuckled. Raising a hand she called forth a portal that would take the pair back home to Anlita. "Now come. I'm sure Oberon is simply dying to hear about how you almost started a war with the angels."

Author's Note-

Thank you very much for reading! If you have questions, critiques, or predictions, please leave a review and I'll do my best to get back to you!

Chin- Nyx is... well it was hinted at near the end of chapter 14. We will get more info on that later on though.

Gold- Thank you so much! That means the world! As to Azura's retainers... ;)

Mirage- Thank you! I hope this satisfied you!

Disclaimer- This is a nonprofit, fan-based work. All characters and settings belong to their respective owners.

Next Time- Interlude 1.