Blitzø's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he came face to face with Shadow.
"Blitzø, meet Shadow" said Nightfright.
"Something wrong, Blitzø" Shadow asked him.
Blitzø was still silent and staring in disbelief.
"Shocking, I know, but I can assure you, Blitzø, I am very much real" said Shadow.
"W-what even are you? W-why do you look and sound exactly like me" Blitzø asked.
"Shadow here is a…shadowy doppelganger of you. One created from all your negative emotions" Scarlett replied.
"Yes! More specifically, all the mountains of self-loathing you carry" said Shadow.
"It's because those emotions came from you, that Shadow looks and sounds just like you. Not only that, he also has your memories too" said Nightfright.
"Exactly" said Shadow.
"So, you're basically a shadowy clone of me" Blitzø asked him.
"Yes, in a way" he replied.
Nightfright and Scarlett glanced at each other and nodded silently.
"We'll leave you two to…talk" said Nightfright.
"We'll be in our office. Come by and let us know when you're done, Shadow" said Scarlett.
"As you wish, mistress" said Shadow.
Nightfright and Scarlett then exited the room and closed the door as Shadow pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Blitzø.
"So, Shadow…what do you want to talk about" Blitzø asked him.
"I wanna try and help you, Blitzø. Help you, mentally" he replied.
Blitzø got quiet and looked down.
"First, about what happened regarding Stolas. You fucked up, sure, but Stolas fucked up just as much, if not more" said Shadow.
"How exactly did he fuck up when I said that shit to him" Blitzø asked him.
"What you said isn't too far off. Most royals treat everyone else beneath them like worthless trash" he replied.
Blitzø was silent.
"At least you acknowledged that you fucked up, tried to fix it and want to change. Stolas, however, thinks that he did nothing wrong. Gotta say, it was pretty satisfying to watch your employees and daughter lay into him for what he did" said Shadow.
Blitzø was taken aback.
"Wait, what" he asked.
"Oh, yeah. Remember when my master said that your employees and daughter showed up? Yeah, Stolas was with them" said Shadow.
Blitzø sighed.
"Why the fuck did he show up? I thought he was-" Shadow cut him off.
"Over you? Either he isn't actually over you or they called him for help when they couldn't get ahold of you" he said.
Blitzø was silent.
"Anyway…I was actually behind mistress Scarlett and heard and saw everything unfold" said Shadow.
"What happened" Blitzø asked him.
"Basically, my master revealed to your employees and daughter everything that happened on the full moon and at the Anti-Blitzø party" he replied
"And how did they react" Blitzø asked him.
"Loona was angry and growling, while Moxxie and Millie looked disgusted. Stolas couldn't hide the guilt and shame and didn't look like he tried either" he replied.
Blitzø was silent, not knowing how to respond to that.
"In the end, Loona, Moxxie and Millie agreed to the terms and will be informed to join you, my master and mistress at Lucifer's castle later" said Shadow.
Blitzø raised an eyebrow.
"What about Stolas" he asked him.
"I don't know. My master never mentioned if Stolas was a part of that" Shadow replied.
"Weird" Blitzø uttered.
"Yes, but maybe Lucifer has something else in mind for Stolas or to let the other royals deal with him" said Shadow.
Blitzø was silent.
"Anyway…in the end, my master opened portal back to the office for Loona, Moxxie and Millie and they walked through. As for Stolas, he left all by himself, looking sadder than ever" said Shadow.
"How sad" Blitzø asked him.
"I think he had tears in his eyes. I guess the guilt, regret and being ganged up on got to him" Shadow replied.
Blitzø sighed while looking down at the floor.
"Satan fucking damn it" he muttered.
"Don't feel sorry for him, Blitzø. He deserved that for what he pulled and for living in his own delusional fantasy land" said Shadow.
Blitzø looked up at him.
"First of all, no, he doesn't. Second of all, what was that last part" he asked him.
"First of all, are you kidding me? He does deserve it. Second, have you not noticed the pattern? Stolas wanting YOU to save him from Striker? Expecting you to confess your feelings for him when he confessed his feelings for you? His mind is in a fantasy land! He expects one thing to happen and then is disappointed when it doesn't happen. Stolas literally can't tell apart fantasy from reality to save his fucking life" Shadow replied.
Blitzø looked down at the floor as he realized that Shadow was right – Stolas was living his life like it was a fantasy, expecting something to happen and then being disappointed when it doesn't.
"I…I can't believe it. You're right" said Blitzø.
"Of course, I am. After all, I'm you" said Shadow.
"So, what do I do" Blitzø asked him.
"Simple – nothing" he replied.
Blitzø raised an eyebrow, confused.
"Nothing" he asked.
"Yeah, you've at least apologized for what you did. Now, Stolas needs to apologize to you" Shadow replied.
"And if he doesn't" Blitzø asked him.
"Trust me or, rather, you. Sooner or later, Stolas will break from the guilt and will reach out to apologize to you" said Shadow.
Blitzø nodded silently.
"OK, great! Now I want to move onto something else – you" said Shadow.
"What about me" Blitzø asked him.
"You really think the difference between you, an Imp, and Stolas, a Goetia Prince, matters" Shadow asked him.
"Well, yeah, how the fuck could he, a Goetia Prince, care about me? How could anybody" Blitzø asked.
"It's not your fault, Blitzø. You've been abused by the piece of shit you called a dad and you're traumatized because of that and…the accident" Shadow replied.
Blitzø looked down with a sad look on his face.
"I'm serious! You are good person and you're lovable! What happened a long time ago was an accident and you would NEVER do something like that on purpose" said Shadow.
Blitzø looked up at him.
"Your mom wouldn't want you to suffer and hate yourself for the rest of your life because of what happened, Blitzø. She would want you to forgive yourself, move forward and make a better life for yourself" said Shadow.
Blitzø smiled.
"Y-yeah…I guess she would" he said.
Shadow smiled.
"That's the spirit! Now about what I said regarding the difference between you and Stolas" he said.
"OK, what about it" Blitzø asked him.
"I know you hate comparisons but I'm just gonna make ONE, OK" Shadow asked him.
Blitzø nodded silently.
"What's wrong about you and Stolas being together? I mean, how can your old pal Fizz be with someone like Asmodeus, with everybody in Hell now knowing about that, and you and Stolas can't" Shadow asked him.
Blitzø looked down.
"I…I don't know. I really don't know how to answer that" he replied.
"I think you actually do. It's because Asmodeus doesn't look down on Fizz but Stolas looks down on you" said Shadow.
"Maybe…maybe" said Blitzø.
Blitzø looked up at Shadow as he smiled and nodded.
"Anything else" he asked him.
"Yeah, Barbie" Shadow replied.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. She said she doesn't want to see me again" said Blitzø.
"Yeah, don't go looking for her and give her what she wants" said Shadow.
Blitzø raised an eyebrow.
"What" he asked.
"Here is a bit of advice when it comes to family, Blitzø. Sometimes, it's a good thing. Other times, who the fuck needs it" Shadow replied.
Blitzø was silent.
"More often than not, you're better off being with the people who actually care about you rather than the people you're related to and who treat you like garbage" said Shadow.
Blitzø understood that Shadow was right, but…he still cared about his twin sister.
"I think it's for the best that you cut her out of your life, Blitzø. Trying to keep people like that who hate your guts in your life isn't healthy" said Shadow.
Blitzø sighed.
"I know, but…" Shadow cut him off.
"But she's your twin and you still care about her. I know, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices. Including big sacrifices like cutting people you're related to out of your life" he said.
Blitzø sighed and looked at Shadow.
"O-OK. Anything, else" Blitzø asked him.
"Apart from all of that, no. There really isn't much left to talk about" he replied.
"I'm gonna be standing before the fucking King of Hell soon. Any advice for that" Blitzø asked him.
"One, it's Lucifer and his daughter. Two, don't be so nervous and remain calm. They won't kill you" he replied.
"How can you be so sure" Blitzø asked him.
"Because they gave you a chance to plea your case for I.M.P. to keep running. I wouldn't be here talking to you, if they didn't" he replied.
Blitzø smiled.
"Yeah…I guess you wouldn't" said Blitzø.
"Also, remain calm, don't get angry or shout and don't make assumptions. Just remain calm, explain anything they ask and I.M.P. should continue running smoothly. Hopefully, without any legal trouble" said Shadow.
"OK, I'll be calm" said Blitzø.
"Well, that's about it. There is literally nothing else I can talk to you about" said Shadow.
"Thanks a lot for talking to me, Shadow. It really helped me out with a lot of things" said Blitzø.
"Anytime, Blitzø" said Shadow.
Suddenly, the door opened and in walked Nightfright and Scarlett.
"So, how did it go" Scarlett asked.
"A lot better than most would think, mistress" Shadow replied.
"Is that so? What did you two talk about" Nightfright asked.
Before Shadow could reply, Blitzø beat him to it.
"A lot of things. Shadow here actually helped me out a ton with my mental health and the…problems in my life" he replied
"Wow, Shadow. I didn't know I created a therapist" said Nightfright.
Shadow snickered.
"It's nothing, master. Just doing what needed to be done" he said.
"It's time to go, Blitzø. Lucifer and his daughter are waiting" said Nightfright.
"We've already called your employees and daughter and they said they'll meet us outside the castle" said Scarlett.
Blitzø inhaled and exhaled.
"OK, I'm ready" he said.
Shadow untied Blitzø and Nightfright and Scarlett handed him back his gun, flintlock and keys.
"Wait, where's the crystal" he asked.
"Oh, the crystal is with Lucifer. Hopefully, he'll give it back to you after this is all over" Nightfright replied.
Blitzø understood and nodded silently. It was time to go and stand before the King and Princess of Hell.