A week has passed since Lilim started to live with Alice and Beatrice. The succubus was slowly getting accustomed to her new life, with even plans for her to join the Extermination Force in order to help the half-angel. Right now, both girls were in the training hall, exchanging blows. The spear once again clashed with the blade, echoing throughout the hall. Lilim was on the offensive, not giving the angel time to catch her breath. She changed her dominant hand with each successful strike to further disorient Alice. The half-angel managed to block the upcoming strikes with her spear. She had to think of something fast. As she blocked yet another strike, she moved her right hand to the top of the spear and tried to bring the katana down with her weight. Lilim was having none of that and grabbed the spear with her hand, taking it from the half-angel's grasp and throwing it away. To end it all, she swiped Alice off her feet with a quick kick behind her legs. Before the half-angel touched the ground, the demon caught her, bringing her close to her face.
"That's the third time I've swept you off your feet today. If I didn't know any better, I would say that you are doing it on purpose." The succubus winked before letting Alice go.
"It's not really fair; you are much stronger than me."
"What isn't fair is how you treat your weapon. It's a spear, not a sword. You slash with it too much; instead, try thrusting. "Seeing the smirk appear on the demon's face, Alice knew what was coming next. "And don't worry about not doing it before; I can show you a few thrusts." At this point, the half-angel grew rather accustomed to her innuendos. Though, at the very least, she didn't let the girl tease her as much as before. It didn't mean, of course, that Lilim didn't take enjoyment from doing so.
"I mean, seriously, why won't you ask for a sword? You seem much better with slashing, and I would have an easier time teaching you." Lilim asked as she went to get the towels. An hour-long, nearly nonstop exchange of blows did take its toll on them.
"I couldn't really leave the Rosary behind after all this time." Alice replied, wiping off the sweat from her face. "Especially since it belonged to my mom." She added quietly, hoping that Lilim would ignore it. The demon knew that the matter of Alice's mom wasn't something to bring up casually, even if the angel kept saying that it was fine. The smile that she had at such times surely wasn't. Though it seemed like everyone in the Extermination Force knew that and had not dug around on the matter, let it be to either leave the angel in peace or be in danger of getting on Beatrice's bad side. While Lilim had not experienced it firsthand, she had heard stories about it. For an angel, she was quite brutal.
"At the very least, since the blade is longer than usual, at least try to mix up slashes with thrusts." Before the succubus could show her what she had in mind, an older brown-haired girl in a simple, long brown dress came into the hall.
"Miss Alice, Miss Lilim, bishop Ezekiel would like to see you in his office."
"I didn't do anything bad, did I?" Lilim asked, her gaze constantly shifting from the half-angel towards the 'maid'.
"No, I don't think so. Maria, did the bishop tell you anything more?"
"That's everything I was told. Though maybe it has to do with the application." With that said, all three girls went towards the office, or ran in Alice and Lilim's case. They entered the dimly lit office. The room was filled to the brim with closets of various heights and colors, all of them almost bursting at the seams with documents. Some loose papers and classifiers were on the bishop's desk and even on the window sills. Despite all of that, there wasn't even an ounce of dust anywhere in the office, not even on the polished wooden floor.
"It's good that you came here immediately." Ezekiel said as both girls sat opposite him, barely seeing his silhouette from over the stack of papers, which was swaying dangerously. Wasting no more time, he continued. "I, along with Chairman Tvardovsky and Miss Beatrice, have considered positively the application for Lilim to join the Extermination Force. From now on, you two, along with Beatrice, will form a new squad under the name Purgatorio."
"Of course, that doesn't mean that Lilim will be able to get into the action from the get-go. You will have to pass through all of the required exams to see if you are suited for urban combat." He added, seeing the excitement grow in the half-angel's eyes. "You are now dismissed. Maria, would you take Lilim to the training faculty? And yes, Alice, you can accompany them."
Barely stepping out of the office, the half-angel couldn't help but slightly hug the succubus with sparkling eyes, who did not oblige and was smiling. Maria watched in amusement as the demon gained a pinkish tint to her cheeks before telling the angel to let go, which she did rather hesitantly.
"You are finally part of the team." The excitement in Alice's voice did not die down; in fact, it only seemed to increase. "So what do you think we should do for a welcome party? I should call the girls, shouldn't I?"
"Hey, slow down a bit." Lilim knew she had to stop the angel before she would go off the rails with her plan. Once she got fixated on something, she barely let go. Especially when that was something related to her. Now that she thought about it, it happened only when it was about her. That got her thinking. After all, she didn't see Alice be so "fixated" on anyone else like that. Could she...? Well, she could worry about that later. "Look, let me pass the necessary exams first. Then we can celebrate."
"So what are we waiting for? To the exams we go!" Alice exclaimed as she led the two girls towards the training faculty. Lilim couldn't help but smile at the angel. She guessed that in a Force like this, such a bundle of joy was necessary. To her surprise, the faculty was indeed a faculty and not some mere hall like the one Alice used. The building, while rather small, looked to be the most modern of them all. Being in the east wing of the complex, its white walls stood out from the rest, alongside the glass roof. On its left was another even smaller building with a neon green cross on it. Even before entering the building, they saw a bunch of younger cadets sparring with each other or using an open-field shooting range under the keen eye of one of the squad commanders.
The insides of the training faculty were rather modest. One long hall with grand, heavy glass doors on the right, which led into the main part itself, and then a pair of normal wooden ones on the left. One led towards the second medical center and one to the reception. With the necessary papers already filled out, Lilim could start her examination with the medical ones.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you in." The nurse said as Alice and Maria waited outside the doors. "I want to give my patients some privacy."
"Yeah, no looking until we are in the same bed." Lilim added as she closed the doors, missing the sight of Alice turning around with pink cheeks. It wasn't until a while later that Maria decided to break the silence.
"So is she yours, um?"
"No! She isn't! At least not yet."
"I meant to say friend."
"Oh, well, then I guess so. Hey, can you forget what I said before, especially the last part?"
"But of course. If you need any help with her, call me."
"Thanks, but I think I'll manage."
"If you say so, though, I see that you really enjoy her presence here."
"Why wouldn't I? It's good to have someone around my age here. Veronica and her friends can't always come due to obvious reasons, and Beatrice can be too much of a mom sometimes. With Lilim, on the other hand, it's, I don't know, different?"
"Different? How so?"
"I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like she understands me. Like we've been together for a long time. Something like that. I know it sounds weird since she's been here only for a week."
"Well, anyway, I'm glad to see you in such a good mood. After that, I never thought I would see you smile again."
"I couldn't keep everyone worried about me forever, could I?"
"I guess not. Oho, here she comes." Maria said, seeing the doorknob move. The succubus came out with a proud smile on her face, with a pretty confused nurse right behind her. She was almost beaming at Alice's own judgment.
"I'm pretty much a prime example of health." She said, showing her results. "Being a succubus has its pros. So now what?"
"Normally, now we should go to your squad commander for a lesson on gun safety and then training in the shooting range, but seeing how you use katana, we can skip that and go straight to see your combat capabilities." Maria opened the heavy glass doors, and all three of them entered the grand hall. Inside, it was even more massive than it seemed outside. The white concrete walls stood tall without a single scratch on them. The glass roof let in as much sunlight as it could, making the already white walls seem even whiter. All of it was almost futuristic. Just then, Lilim noticed both Alice and Maria going upstairs on the steel staircase. Looking up, she saw that there were, in fact, two floors, or at the very least one and a half. The first one was the hall itself, and higher up were windows from which one could have a very good look at the people in the hall.
"You see, this hall is rarely used by normal cadets. For most of the time, only my mom, Beatrice, and the demons that were captured had their strength measured there. Don't worry; the walls are tough, so feel free to go all out." Alice gave her thumbs up as she headed up to what Lilim could only guess as some sort of research room. Then she heard a metallic clang, and a hatch in the floor opened with a platform rising up with a bunch of human-sized dummies.
"Miss Lilim, we will now proceed to measure your aura. The walls are made of material that doesn't let any aura leak outside. Please release it now." The voice of an older man came out of the speaker. The black-haired demon did as she was told, though she had her worries. She didn't know how Alice would react to her aura, seeing how the last time when the half-angel was around her aura the succubus was rather wounded. There was no way that she would let the half-angel get hurt because of her, but if the wall was supposed to protect them, then she had to try at the very least. Lilim took one glance at the windows and saw Alice waving at her. Maybe it won't be so bad after all.
The entire faculty seemed to be hit by an earthquake. Everything inside the room upstairs was shaking, and many documents were flying in the air. The computer that was supposed to measure her aura was overheating and shut itself down. The researchers, while grabbing everything they could to not fall, were in awe of the succubus. The reading they got from the main research unit was nothing compared to it. And to think that was only in her human form! She truly would be the perfect demon to study further. Especially if she could actually join them. Even the previous demons they had couldn't stand up to her.
Lilim only stopped when she no longer saw Alice in the window. In a second, everything stopped. With a worried look on her face, she waited for a ginger head to pop up at any moment. After a short while, she did. Despite her hair being messed up, Lilim could still see that Alice also looked at her with awe, maybe even more so than the researcher. But taking a second glance at them, it wasn't the case. They all looked like their eyes would pop out of their heads.
"Thank you, Miss Lilim; it was splendid. Magnificent even." The main researcher did not even try to hide the excitement in his voice. "Now we would like to see your combat capabilities. Please attack the dummies with all of your might." This time, the black-haired demon was the one smiling. They wanted to see her power, and they will see her power. With one swift swing, the bandage that wrapped the prince came off, revealing the shining black blade. Her eyes became ice blue, pretty much shining. Her blade started to burn with a light blue flame.
"Burn them all, Prince!" She shouted as she took the swing with her blade. In an instant, the blade released a wave of blue flame, which devoured all that was on its way. It reached all the way to the windows, startling everyone. Even before Lilim was done, her fire activated the fire sprinklers. The cold water brought her back to her senses. The blue flame vanished, and only now could everyone see what the succubus had done. The dummies were nowhere to be found; their ashes were washed away by the water. The ground on which the fire had traveled was cracked and burned, and the wall on which it stopped was in no better state.
"Whoops..." Was all she could mutter, seeing the scale of her destruction. That probably wasn't what they wanted. Now she has done it. She was already thinking of some good excuse while also hoping that it would be enough to let her pass. Though everything seemed to be lost as Beatrice appeared in the hall in a bright light,
"Is everyone alright? I felt a powerful aura, and, oh." Beatrice took a glance at the burned and now-flooded hall. It wasn't exactly what she expected, but she was glad that, at the very least, it meant that Alice was fine. Lilim was doing her best to keep up her smile and look at the angel, yet she couldn't really keep eye contact. "You do know that it means that you failed? And that we will have to explain this to Ezekiel?" The succubus only nodded, not wanting to disagree with or discuss it with the angel. To make matters worse, Alice came down from the upper floor.
"Beatrice, you should have seen it! Lilim was so cool and all like, "Burn them!" and then the flames were all like, "Whoosh!" and all of the dummies were gone in an instant! And then..." Alice quickly stopped as she saw the somewhat disappointed look on the blonde woman's face, accompanied by a rather flustered Lilim. It's not like the succubus didn't enjoy her compliments, but it wasn't the best time for them. "Of course it was all for show, and in real combat she would reduce the collateral damage to minimal, right, Lilim?" The half-angel said in a last-ditch effort to save the demon's face.
"But, of course. I mean, it's not like I can't control my power output or anything like that. So can we proceed with the exams? Please?"
"Look, I get it. In human form, it can be tough to control yourself. But we can't risk you killing civilians. Fighting in cities is much different than, let's say, fighting in a forest. I also want you to join us, so I won't have to worry about Alice so much, but first we will have to teach you to control your power."
"I know, I know. But I didn't make that much of a mess, did I?"
"I'm guessing this was all done with one spell?" Seeing the demon nod, she continued, "I've managed to do half of that in my true form. And believe me, I'm quite strong myself. I promise to do everything I can to get you officially into the squad, but we need to go to Ezekiel for now."
Lilim, accepting her fate, let her be taken once again to the bishop's office, with the half-angel, of course, coming with them. It seemed like the bishop had expected the outcome of her examination and was waiting for it. The stack of papers on his desk was no smaller than before. Beatrice quickly explained what happened, and the bishop's face remained as stoic as ever. Succubus was hoping that Ezekiel would let her continue and wouldn't throw her out.
"As you can see, Miss Lilim, I can't let you join the Force just yet. While you would excel at terminating targets, we have to keep the safety of civilians our priority. That's why, for now, all of your training schedule will consist of working with Miss Beatrice and Alice, respectively, in order for you to control your power output. Once that's done, you will be able to officially join Purgatorio. Of course, I hope I don't have to add that acting on your own and getting involved directly in combat will result in you getting discharged and further rejection from any squad, if not the entire Extermination Force. Have I made myself clear?" Lilim felt those cold and lifeless eyes of Ezekiel drill right into her soul.
"Sir, yes, sir!" Lilim gave the best salute she could before the bishop shook his head and said that both of them were dismissed for the time being. Both returned to the training hall. Lilim laid down on the bench, and Alice sat next to her. While the succubus tried to hide it, it was obvious that the situation bothered her. The half-angel couldn't really blame anyone. Lilim was eager to help, and that was good, but Ezekiel was also right.
"This stinks." Sighed the dark-haired demon.
"Hey, don't worry. I'll help you control your power in no time." Alice stood up, confidence straight up emanating from her. "Though, why are you so bent on joining so fast? Wouldn't taking it slowly and getting accustomed to your new situation be better?"
"I promised to help you, didn't I?"
"And you are helping me."
"Yeah, only against that, Zmeya. The last two times I couldn't go because I was a third party or something like that." Lilim sat up to look at the half-angel. Especially at her right arm. A furiously red scar was still there, and it didn't seem to want to go for quite some time. If she were there, maybe it wouldn't happen. "To think they allow such a pretty girl to scar herself so much is beyond me." She added it without taking into consideration the half-angel next to her. She would never get tired of seeing her cheeks turn pink.
"So, um, how about I teach you how to control your power?" Alice said this while averting her eyes from the demon. She didn't get many compliments; that was clear enough. Lilim agreed to that; the faster they are done with it, the better.
"But are you sure about that? No matter how many times I cast it, the effect is the same."
"I'm sure it will work out somehow."
Lilim summoned Prince to her side. The black blade rested easily in her hand, ready to let the blue flames devour anything its mistress wanted. Then Alice went up to her. For now, they worked on a simple stance, and the succubus took a few swings without letting the flames out. Though a bunch of times the small blue tongues of fire did appear above the katana, the succubus then quickly stopped and let the tongues die out. It seemed like when the demon was back to full health, it was harder for her to control her power.
The half-angel then summoned her own weapon. She let it be covered in red light and then took an overhead swing. The light vanished from the spear as it released a powerful wave of furious red energy. The wave itself vanished before it hit the ceiling. Then she took another swing, but this time the red light was much dimmer and the wave itself wasn't as furious, vanishing halfway across the distance of the previous one.
"See? It all depends on how much energy you put into a spell." Alice gave her a reassuring smile. "Come on, try to use those flames with as little energy as possible." Lilim wasn't too keen on this idea. She knew that, in theory, she should be able to do so, but if anything went wrong, she could seriously hurt the angel, let alone destroy the whole hall. But maybe, just maybe, if she tried, she could do it.
Lilim took a bunch of deep breaths to calm herself down. She gripped Prince with both hands and put him sideways. She let the flames cover it slowly, the first tongue appearing only above the tip. The half-angel kept on watching the blade as the blue flame slowly but surely covered it entirely. For a moment, she shifted her gaze to look at the demon. In a second, her eyes flashed blue, and in the very same second, the blade seemed to be devoured violently by the flames, almost erupting with them. Startling both of them, Lilim dropped it to the ground. The flame vanished with the blue in her eyes.
"I told you, this is what happens every time!" The succubus exclaimed, reaching for the still-smoking blade.
"Maybe it has to do with those eyes of yours?" The demon stopped in her tracks. What was she talking about? She couldn't be teasing her; that wasn't in her style, nor did she seem to be lying.
"Scuse me?" That was all she could say, with a puzzled look on her face. Succubus took the blade from the ground, waiting for the angel to explain herself.
"You know, when you take that stance and the flames cover Prince, you think there is a..." Alice didn't finish as Lilim let the blade fall with a loud clang, looking even paler than usual. Though what frightened the half-angel the most was the terrified and pained expression on her face: "Lilim, is everything fine?
"I... need to go to the bathroom." The black-haired demon said as she stormed out of the hall. She arrived at the doors, which opened and closed with a banging noise, and went right next to the mirror on the wall. For a split second, she could see her eyes glow. Panicked, she let the sink run, washed her face with cold water, not caring if any of it got on the floor, her hair, or even her white dress, and looked again in the mirror. Save for her deathly pale face and her rapid panting, everything seemed to be fine for now.
Why are you trying to hide me from her?
Lilim felt sick. The world around her was spinning. This voice is so similar to her own, yet so much colder. Why, why now? That damned beast was supposed to be long buried deep inside her. So why did she choose to awaken now? And what was worse, Lilim couldn't feel her presence.
Why are you doing this to me? After all that I've done for you, this is how you repay me? I'm always with you, and you always ignore me.
Shut up! Lilim once again let the water run and was frantically washing her face with even colder water.
Are you afraid of something? Let me be, and I'll help you. I'll get rid of everything that's bothering you.
Shut up! The succubus was screaming at her reflection in the mirror, which drilled holes in her with a mocking and almost pitiful look in her eyes.
Are you afraid of her? Or are you afraid about her? Let me take control, and she won't-
Shut up! Lilim saw the eyes in her reflection shine blue and punched on the left side of the mirror, leaving a sizable crack in the paneled wall and the mirror itself. The shine in her eyes was gone. But that wasn't the end of her problems, as she heard knocking on the doors alongside the overly cheerful voice of the half-angel.
"Lilim, is everything all right? I heard shouts." And how was she supposed to answer that? She couldn't say that everything was alright, as it was clear that it wasn't. And it's not like she could tell Alice about that, at least for now.
"N...no? But it's nothing serious, I promise." The succubus tried to get her voice to be as convincing as possible. Though if she really wanted to show the angel that there was nothing to worry about, then she would have to face her. Opening the door, she saw the shocked face of the half-angel. She could have expected that, seeing how her face was paler than usual and still wet.
"See? Everything's fine. I just got a little dizzy, that's all."
"If you say so." Alice for sure was not buying anything the demon said. Something rather serious was bothering her, and she didn't know how to help her. "How about we take a break for the rest of the day? We don't have to do the training all day."
"Yeah, thanks; I think I'll need a break." Alice stormed off to the bishop's office to inform him about the current situation. Beatrice once again drove them back home while taking a curious yet worried glance at the black-haired demon. The very moment both girls stepped inside, Lilim immediately laid down on the couch. Alice went to the kitchen to get some painkillers, just in case for later.
"So now that we are alone, you can tell me what's wrong." The ginger-haired angel sat right next to the succubus.
"I told you, it's nothing."
"And I've told you that I can tell when someone is lying. It has something to do with the eyes, right?"
"No...maybe. I can't really tell you right now. It's nothing that concerns you. I can handle it myself."
"You really are all secret about yourself, huh? But I understand, and I think so anyway."
"You do?"
"I know that there are some matters that you want to keep to yourself, but remember that I, Beatrice, and the rest are there for you. So if anything's troubling you, then feel free to come to us."
"Thank you, Alice, but it isn't something you would be able to help me with. Though seriously, it's not worth worrying about."
"Right, right. Just remember what I told you. So what would you like to-" Alice couldn't finish as a beeping noise interrupted her. A demon appeared; it was coming from the old railroad. Alice summoned her armor and was ready to get into the action as soon as she saw Lilim get up.
"I think you should stay, at least for today. I don't want you to get hurt. Plus, you've heard what the bishop said. Don't worry, I'll be back soon." She added before Lilim could even say anything. Alice took off, leaving the succubus behind. As much as it pained her, the demon had to stay. She wanted to help her. Why? She couldn't tell, but acting on her own could result in her not being able to see her any longer. But why did she fear it? She was a strong demon; there was nothing that they could do to her. So why?
Why indeed. What's the matter, Lilim? Won't you go to your angel?
Here she was again, with that mocking tone that the succubus hated. If everything up to that point wasn't enough.
Don't tell me that you are afraid of some old man, are you?
No, she wasn't. She just didn't want to lose everything by acting on her own wishes again. That's all there was to it.
If you don't act now, you might lose that angel of yours. It would be a shame to let her die.
Alice couldn't die. She couldn't. Beatrice, and everyone else wouldn't allow that. And yet the thought of her being dead terrified her, and she couldn't tell why. No, nothing like that would ever happen. She was an angel; she couldn't die. She hasn't died yet, but what if this time it was different? What if the demon she would face was too strong for her? The images that flood her head now are making her sick. She couldn't let any of them happen, and again, she couldn't tell why.
So come on, let me be and save her. Let us save Alicia
Lilim could tell that she was messing with her. Doing everything she could to take control, even if for a while. And yet she didn't protest, didn't see through her tricks, and instead agreed with her, even if that was a horrible idea.
Alice was having a harder time fighting the demon than she would have expected. Standing an imposing nine feet tall and clad in heavy armor, he made a joke out of every spell she cast, not even one of them leaving a considerable scratch. He, on the other hand, managed to score a few lucky hits with his massive sword, which could have hardly been called so, resembling rather a sharpened steel slab, if anything. He took a massive swing with his weapon. Alice jumped to the side, the demon's blade hitting the old rail tracks and launching debris into the air. She retaliated with an electric arrow. It seemed to be her best shot, seeing how the electricity spread through him.
"I'll ask again: What are your ties with Tetra?"
"I answer before my lord only." He replied before striking his weapon into the ground, a cloud of dust rising into the air and obscuring the view. For his size, he was surprisingly fast, appearing right before the half-angel to cut her down. Luckily for the angel, she was quite agile herself, dodging the heavy blade almost every time. Though it was clear that prolonging the fight would turn the tide in his favor,
The armored demon once again brought the sword down. Alice jumped right on it and, using it like stairs, found herself right before the demon's head. With a quick yet powerful thrust, she struck her spear right into one of the holes in his visor. She saw blood leaking out; it had to end him.
The demon grabbed her before she had time to react and threw her into the air, striking her down with his blade. The force of the strike sent her flying a good few meters away from him, effectively knocking the air out of her lungs. Standing up, she saw the demon right next to her with his weapon, ready to deal the final blow.
The blade has struck the ground, with blood covering it. Right next to it was a massive steel gauntlet, leaking fresh blood and staining the ground all around. The demon screamed in pain and shock at the loss of his right hand.
Back in the Extermination Force, Ezekiel, Beatrice, and the rest of the crew were in the A&R Department, their eyes wide open at the readings the monitors were showing. Just now, the radars struggled to keep up with the outbursts of aura that occurred, along with the monitors showcasing the aura not being able to fit on the scale.
"Just look at it; it's unreal. Is it truly our Lilim?" One of the researchers said while taking notes on it.
"That would happen to be the true, unbound her. It's matching one to one, no, surpassing the readings we got from the faculty." Bishop Ezekiel said, scratching his chin. "Though disregarding an order cannot go unpunished."
"Now, bishop, our little demon is providing us with excellent research material as of now. Don't be too harsh on her." The head researcher, Tvardovsky, said with a gleam of excitement in his eyes. It was not every day that he was able to see such a powerful demon. Even Beatrice, despite saying nothing, seemed curious about her, though her worry about Alice was the leading expression on her face. Even her angelic form could barely measure up to this, and she let something like that live with them. She could only pray that her blade would never turn against Alice.
Between the half-angel and the armor-clad warrior stood the demon, with its eyes shining blue and an aura so cold that it could freeze everything around it. The armored one couldn't even register the black-haired beast moving as he felt a cold blade go through him. The black-haired beast brought the blade upwards, pretty much opening its armored victim. The massive demon got on his knees with his arms covering the wound and keeping his inwards from spilling out, yet his blood was leaking like from a waterfall. He turned his head to face whatever the hell was standing right next to him.
"Y..you. Lord Berith won't forgive you for such disgrace-" His head fell to the ground before he had any chance to finish his sentence. Lilim, with a smile, stared as his body set itself in a silver flame. The shine from her eyes vanished as she felt her legs give up under her. Alice caught her at the last second, and the demon gave her a brief and rather exhausted thanks.
"Lilim, are you fine?" Alice asked, her armor vanishing in a quick flash.
"I guess so. What about you?"
"All right, thanks to you, but Lilim, the order!"
"Huh? Ah shit!" Lilim turned to face Alice with a sly smirk on her face. "Say, you think you could cover up for me, you know, as a thanks for saving your life?"
"No can do. I can carry you home at best." The half-angel said while carrying the succubus in bridal style after seeing that she couldn't stand up for herself.
"Aww, come on, you don't want me to get fired, do you?" Lilim tried to persuade the angel with the sweetest smile she could muster at the moment.
"Well, maybe we can think of something together?" Alice wondered as she was slowly making her way towards home. Whatever was bothering the demon seemed to be gone, even if momentarily, and that's all that mattered to the half-angel right now. She could probably plead with Ezekiel to let her stay, but she could worry about that once they get home. Alice took one last glance at the setting sun over the town. Znena was safe for yet another day. It was all she needed to be happy. Lilim, seeing the smile on Alice's face, could not help but smile as well. She was growing accustomed to this life and wouldn't hand it over for anything. Not even if she was awake once more. With Alice by her side, she had nothing to worry about.