~Third Person PoV~
On Daemos, Lady Grandma is walking through the palace corridors, her mind filled to the brim with thoughts of her grandson and his knights. Roughly half a week had passed on Daemos and Rhys still had yet to contact her. She could only pray that they were not in danger.
She comes to a stop at the end of the hall, hearing a loud banging sound as well as the shouts of her other, less capable grandson, Rhal. He is also accompanied by his power-hungry wife, Lady Bish.
"Asch! ASCH! BROTHER!!" Rhal yells, his fist still pounding Asch's door.
"Perhaps he's asleep." Bish suggests.
"At such a time as this? He should well know his place!"
Bish smirks. "Well then, my dear. Maybe you should remind him."
"You're right." He continues knocking harshly on the door. "Come out, lesser heir of the great Daemos empire... and royal pain in my-"
"Asch." Bish cuts him off, deciding to try to speak with Asch herself. "Asch, are you there?"
Rhal is getting more frustrated by the minute, and it's all too evident in his voice. "BROTHER! OPEN UP!!"
"Oh! Perhaps he simply can't hear your knocking..." Lady Grandma butts in, sarcastically.
Rhal turns to face her. "I've been knocking loud enough that the whole castle could hear me!"
"Hmmm... Maybe, just maybe, Asch isn't in there."
He shakes his head. "Nonsense, he's supposed to be in their getting ready." He turns back towards the door, violently knocking once again. "Open UP!!"
Bish looks at Lady Grandma with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Lady Grandma, a pleasure to see you on this fine day." She curtsies, gracefully.
The older woman only rolls her eyes. "Bite your tongue, I don't need respect from you." She replies, in a bored tone.
"Oh, that's not fair, Grandmother." Bish whines, straightening her posture. "You must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."
Lady Grandma scowls. "Did I give you permission to call me Grandmother?"
"Oh, come now. I've been married to Rhal for many moons. Why won't you accept me as part of your fam-"
Her inquiry is suddenly cut off by the increase of Rhal's volume behind her.
"Oh, will you stop that incessant banging!"
"He's not coming out!" Rhal pouts. "He must not be inside..." Lady Grandma and Bish stare at him, blank-faced, as if to say, "Obviously."
Rhal turns back to Lady Grandma. "Mee maw, Asch is set to attend the crisis summit in two hours and he's not here! He will be punished for his not being here!"
"Oh! Now, wherever could he be...?" Lady Grandma questions, innocently.
Bish glares back. "I don't suppose you know?" She smiles again, her tone undeniably fake. "We've been ever so worried..."
Lady Grandma laughs, waving her hand around. "I'm just a cute old lady! I can't possibly keep up with you youths!" She looks up, trying not to smile. "Who knows where any of my grandchildren have run off to? Certainly not me..."
"Mee maw, if Asch doesn't go to the summit, then I have to got to the summit." He crosses his arms. "And if I have to got to the summit, then I have you, y'know? Be there!"
"A crown prince's work includes attending summits." Lady Grandma states, as if she knew the line by heart.
"Even-"
"Yes, even the boring ones."
"Hmph!" Rhal pouts, looking at the floor, clearly still agitated.
Lady Bish clears her throat, disrupting the previous back and forth. The older woman turns to face her.
"Perhaps... I could attend my darling's meeting in his stead?"
Lady Grandma shoots her a dirty look, all the while mumbling "Wench..." under her breath.
"What?"
"Wrenching matters such as the magic crisis are no places for newcomers of the royal family." Lady Grandma states.
Bish visibly tenses, now speaking through her teeth. "I know you may not accept me as a member of the royal family, but someday I will be queen, once Rhal ascends the throne."
"Don't remind me." Lady Grandma scoffs.
"This is the WORST!" Rhal screams, bringing the attention back to him. "Where is Asch? I've got raining, I don't wanna go to the summit!" He turns around, hitting Asch's door in anger a few more times before it ultimately shatters under the force of his fist.
His grandmother sighs. "Calm down, Rhal. I'll attend the summit in your place."
"Really?" He asks, his eyes lighting up. Then he shakes his head to recompose himself. He walks up to her and leans down to her height, finally calm. "Thank you." His wife only glares daggers, knowing that her first opportunity to be an exemplar ruler had turned to dust before her eyes.
Rhal growls, thinking of his brother once again. "Asch is spacing on his duties again. I would pummel him straight into the ground if he wasn't so-" He slams his fist into his palm. "-valuable..." His wife beams and claps at this statement, cheerfully.
Lady Grandma holds her hand up, silencing them both. "Now now, your brother's already had enough brushes with death as it is. Why don't you go and pummel your soldiers in training for the day?"
Rhal nods, curtly. "Hmph... right." He begins to walk back down the hall, Lady Bish following his steps. But she turns back to look at Lady Grandma one last time before the two leave. Lady Grandma wanders over to Asch's room, looking through the broken door and sighs.
"Well, they've already noticed you're missing, Asch. All I can do for you now is buy you time..." She lowers her head slightly and leaves, returning back down the corridor.
~~~
~(Y/n)'s PoV~
I felt my body tense up when I heard a clapping sound coming from the door, as well as several voices.
"Your highness, was that use of magic really necessary?" An annoyed voice inquires.
"Yes." Another voice replies, somewhat intensely. I hear Johnny's collar as he entered the apartment.
A-Are those people... able to get inside?
"It seems the spirit has allowed us entrance." The first voice states.
"Woah! Cool!" I hear footsteps running through the apartment. I peak outside of my bedroom to see a ginger-haired boy in some kind of demon cosplay seated on the kitchen counter. I gasp, shutting the door and holding it closed.
How?! There's supposed to be a lock on that door!
"Noi." The first voice speaks again, strictly.
I hear the ginger's voice again. "Oooh!" At least someone's happy, I suppose... I peak outside the door again to find a tall brunet male wearing bright blue horns carrying Ava. She's unconscious. I feel even more panicked until he carefully sets her down on the sofa.
Okay, calm down, (Y/n)... Maybe Ava just over heated when she was taking out the trash. And... they ran into Jake while they were trying to help her. Yeah, that's probably it. Nothing to worry about... God, I didn't even believe myself.
The ginger haired boy looked at the living room. "Woah..." He gets off of the counter and runs over to Johnny, who is seated on the coffee table. "Hi, spirit!" He beams, looking at Johnny. It didn't take me being over there to see the stars in his eyes. It was... actually kind of cute... wait, no! "Oh! I think the spirit might like me..." He boops Johnny on the nose. Big mistake. Johnny hisses, causing the boy to run away screaming, with Johnny following close behind. "It's not friendly! Help!!" He cries.
Bit of an overreaction there...
"The spirit has decided Noi must die." The tall man says, grimly.
A black haired main with white horns smirks slightly. "Good." He replies, menacingly. I hear their friend down the hall, still screaming in fear.
"Noi. Die in silence!" The first voice commands. He's wearing a pair of dark blue horns. "The last thing we need you doing is alerting the nearby humans."
"Are we really going to let Noi die?" A fifth man with white hair and green horns asks. At least he's being sorta compassionate... "I mean, I'm all for it but-" ...Never mind.
"That spirit seems harmless, but don't tell Noi that." The dark blue horned man says. God, I can't believe I just said that...
"Oh Gods, this is it! This is the end!" The ginger continues to scream in the background.
The white haired man laughs, semi manically. "His humongous suffering brings me joy!"
"Likewise." The first man says.
The man with the white horns' hands ball up into fists. "Enough. Scout the area!"
~Second Person PoV~
Crap... You shut your door and lock it, apparently too forcefully, because the sound of it slamming echoes through the quiet apartment. You suck in air through your teeth, trying desperately not breathe in the silence. And then you hear a voice.
"There's someone else here, your majesty. I can sense it."
"Then take care of it, Leif."
You back away from the door, searching your room for some kind of blunt object to defend yourself with. All you managed to find in a short amount of time are books, so you scan over the bookshelf for one that's big enough...
...Until you feel breathing on the back of your neck.
A scream escapes your lips, as you try to turn around, a heavy book in hand. But his arms wrap around your waist and over your arms, preventing you from doing moving. You continue to struggle in his grasp, kicking and screaming, tears threatening to overflow your eyes. Your book falls to the floor with a loud bang. Your escape seems impossible, your outnumbered and this one alone is already so strong...
Suddenly, you hear a sizzling sound coming from your door knob, as it and the lock melts. And the others step through the door. You shut your eyes, tight, hoping that this is just some weird nightmare and you'll wake up in the safety of your bed.
"Human." You hear in an authoritative voice. Your eyes stay shut. "Human! Look at me when I'm speaking to you!" He commands again. You shake your head and few tears roll down your face.
"They're... defying Prince Asch?" A higher voice questions. The first voice scowls and you hear the sound of fire crackling. Your eyes shoot open to find that the man with white horns is in front of you, a ball of fire in his hand.
Your eyes widen and your foot shoots up, as if on reflex, harshly striking him just below the abs. As he falls to the floor in pain, your foots swings back, kicking Leif, the one behind you, in the shin. He releases you and you pick up your book, throwing it at Pierce, who's partially blocking the door. He seems fairly unfazed, but it gives you enough of a distraction for you to slip by him and Rhys.
Rather than making a run for the door, you run into the living room, looming over the still unconscious Ava and shaking her awake.
"Ava! Get up, please, we have to go!!" She shoots up, her head almost colliding with yours. She looks up at you, fearfully, before she turns to the side, seeing the men at my bedroom door.
"O-Oh my God, h-how the fu- frick did they-?!" She questions in shock.
"Hell, if I know!" You exclaimed. "We just need to get out of here!"
She nods and the two of you make a beeline for the front door, passing Noi who's lying on the floor with Johnny sleeping on his chest, keeping him down. He hasn't even been paying full attention to the situation, and was only just realizing that he wasn't dead.
He blinks a few times. "Huh? The spirit spared me...?" He looks up, seeing you and Ava rushing over the door. "The humans are escaping!" He informs the others. Ava stops, looking at Noi, frozen with fear that you both were spotted, but you grab her arm and sprint towards the door.
Just as you're reaching out for the door knob, Leif phases in front of you, blocking you both in with a condescending smirk. Ava screams and runs back around towards the kitchen, and as you go to follow, the green-horned Daemos grabs you from behind once again, carrying you with him as he walks back to the rest of the group.
Ava had cornered herself in the kitchen, armed with a frying pan. Leif and Rhys, who had been chasing her, stop in their tracks.
Leif gasps. "A weapon!" He passes you over to Noi, who clings to you as if his life depends on it. Leif, meanwhile, takes out his sickles, as Pierce and Rhys draw their weapons as well.
"Don't touch her!" You scream, reaching out, only to be kept back.
"Back off!" Ava demands. "Or I will f- heckin' scream!"
Leif smirks, slyly, stepping slightly closer to her. "Would't be the first time I made a female human scream~!" Your face burns slightly at his voice.
Damnit, mind! This is NOT the time!!
"Leif, hold your tongue!" Rhys says.
"You know what I mean." Leif counters, defensively.
Ava aims the frying pan at each of them as her eyes shift around. "I thought I dreamed you guys up..."
"Clearly not..." You mumble. "I can see them too."
"She saw us in her sleep?" Noi questions.
"She must have the ability to foresee us coming." Rhys observes. "Humans in this world are powerful..."
Ava raises an eyebrow, knuckles turning white from her grip on the frying pan. "What the hell are you guys talking about?!"
Rhys puts his staff away. "Please, we mean you no harm."
"I... thought we meant all the harm..." Pierce says, confusion evident in his voice.
Rhys clenches his teeth as he speaks. "Asch isn't here..." He turns back to look at you and Ava. "Please, we just need help and-"
"I saw you do magic-power stuff! Are you the Devil's servants?!" Ava inquires, still slightly panicked.
"The... Devil...?" Leif questions, tilting his head slightly.
"She means a demon." Rhys explains.
"Ohhh!"
"No, she meant the Devil. The Devil. Like, makes you pay for your sins by living an eternity of torment." You say, dramatically.
"Ah- What?!" Noi asks as his grip on you falters slightly.
"Never mind that. Just hear me out, we come with peaceful intent to-"
Asch storms out of your bedroom, fuming. "Enough of this idle talk!" He points to Noi. "Noi! Guard the prisoners while we investigate their living space!"
The ginger nods while the others walk off. The Daemos prince turns back to look at you and Ava, the look in his eyes, threatening.
"And don't even think about trying to escape again. We really only need one prisoner..."