The council room was filled with sleepy members wearing worried expressions. No one knew the details, but the dread was thick in the air. They've all already suspected what this was about, but no one dared to say it out loud.
Lucifer squeezed Lhori's hand under the table, giving her an encouraging smile. But it didn't reach his crimson eyes, which were solemn.
Diavolo entered the room with Barbatos trailing close behind him. Neither of them was smiling. The Demon Lord took his place at the end of the table, but he didn't sit.
"I apologise for dragging you all out of beds at this hour, but this is an emergency. I was informed that Balam and his rebellion are heading to Devildom."
"Surely he and his band of random mutineers have no chance coming even close to forcing their way into the city," said Lucifer raising his brow.
"They alone wouldn't be able to that, yes. But unfortunately, there is another bad news. There was a collective breakout from three circles of hell."
"What?!" sounded collective gasps of different council members.
"How is that even possible?" growled Lucifer.
"To be honest with you Lucifer, I have no idea. I was as shocked as all of you. But we have no time for pondering right now. What we need to focus on is an army of angry and bloodthirsty demons marching on Devildom as we speak." Diavolo sighed and looked at them all with sadness in his golden eyes. "As much as it pains me to say it, we need to suspend the exchange program until we get this situation under control. That said, Lhori, Ariel I want you to go to the dormitories right now, wake all the students and gather them in the auditorium. Ask them to only grab the most necessary things with them. We need to send them all to their homeworlds as soon as possible."
"How far the demons are?" asked Ariel, her beautiful face unnaturally pale. Her usual condescending sneer nowhere to be found.
"According to the scout's report, they are still a day away. But we can't afford the delay. Please, get on with this, ladies, while the rest of us discuss our next moves." Lhori nodded and hastened out of the room.
Going through the whole dormitory and waking up students was a gruelling job, even with the help of students' representatives and some random demons recruited on the way. It took them more than two hours to gather all of them in the auditorium.
There were loads of nervous whispers, and everyone seemed to be on edge. The word of the demon army was spreading like wildfire. Students looked around with pale faces, their hands trembling. Their demonic peers were here also, and they looked concerned too. It's been a long time since anything was threatening the peace of Devildom.
Diavolo entered the room and looked over the crowd.
"Please accept my most sincere apologies, dear students. With a heavy heart, I have to suspend the exchange program immediately. I could not foresee such dreadful events. I need you all to make your way to your home in this instance. That is is the only way we can keep you all safe. Don't worry about all your possessions left behind. We'll make sure it will be all returned to you as soon as possible," he paused for a moment. "I do hope we can bring you all back here as soon as this crisis is over, but at this very moment, I can't guarantee anything. Don't fret though, this is the matter of underworld, and we won't let any rebel demons out of here and into your worlds. The peace treaty is still standing, and it will stay this way as long as I breathe," Diavolo paused again and looked over the crowd to the back of the room, where two demons were giving him thumbs up. "Now, my dear students, at the very end of the hall, two portals have been erected. They will take you to your respective realms. I'm sorry I can't offer you transport directly to your home, but unfortunately, we don't have enough time for that. The portal on the left will take you to the centre of the Celestial Realm; the right one leads to London, to our safe house. You will be taken care of by Devildom representatives there, who were informed about the situation and will help you with the return to your homes. Farewell."
Lhori moved to help with managing the anxious crowd of the students. Some of them were confused, others scared, a few really pissed. But eventually, all of them made their way through the portal.
"I think that's all of them," said Lhori, when Lucifer approached her. His mouth was a thin line, his whole body tensed. It was eerily silent now in the grand auditorium, with just a few demons around.
"That's good. Now it's your turn," Lucifer said. She looked at him, her eyes wide.
"Excuse me?"
"You have to go now, Lhori," he insisted and squeezed her hand gently. "You have to get out of here before they come.
"No!" she protested fiercely. "I'm not leaving you here! If you think you can just..." He closed her mouth with the kiss. She didn't push him away. He kept her in a tight embrace and touched his forehead to hers.
"Lhori, please," he whispered. "You are not safe here anymore. I can't go and face those rebels knowing you are left here defenceless."
"I'm not defenceless," she protested weakly. She knew all too well that if some demon wanted to hurt her while no one else was around, she could do nothing about it. "Wouldn't I be safe in the Palace?"
"I'm not sure anymore. I will not put your life in danger on the assumption that it's safe. If anything happens to you, I..."
"Shhh!" She put the finger on his lips. "Nothing will happen to me, Lucifer. You don't think they could get through to the Palace, do you?"
"I don't think they have to," he replied gloomily.
"What do you mean?"
"It doesn't make sense, Lhori. There is no such thing as a collective prison break. It's not just some uprising of miserable demons. It's a well-planned coup. They must have their agents in Devildom, the timing it's just too convenient. I don't know who I can trust anymore, so I need you to get out of here, right now," his voice started shaking.
"I can't leave you to face it all alone!" she objected, tears filling her eyes.
"Love, you don't have to worry about me. I'm more powerful than all those dissenters put together. And with Diavolo by my side, no one can hope to defeat us. I need to focus on what we must do. And I can't do that knowing your life can be in danger."
"Lucifer..."
"Don't cry, love, it'll be all right." He kissed her, wiping her tears away. "Just a few days, and it will be all over. I'll come for you as soon as it's safe."
"Promise me you'll be fine," she whispered.
"I will. We both will. Go home. Spend time with your family. We'll be back together in no time." She sobbed but nodded.
"I love you, Lucifer."
"I know," he smirked and kissed her forehead. "Wait for me, love. I'll come back to you." He prodded her gently towards the portal.
"It better won't take you three years again," she smiled weakly through her tears.
"I don't think I would last that long without you," he said thoughtfully. She scoffed. "Go, Lhori. Be safe."
"Please, take care of yourself, Lucifer." She stopped just a step short from the portal and looked back at him. She still didn't like the thought she was running away while he was facing the danger alone. As if he could read her mind, he came up to her and kissed her again passionately. She wished this moment could last forever, but after a few seconds, Lucifer pushed her into the portal.
***
When she got out in London, she busied herself with helping to manage all the panicked students that came through the portal earlier. It took most of the day to make sure all of those living locally are on their way home, while the rest living abroad has temporary accommodation in the hostel (owned by Devildom representatives) and have their trips home planned. She couldn't stand the thought of just sitting still, as she would go crazy with worry. Unfortunately, there was nothing more for her to do, so regretfully she took a bus going to her home district.
There were no messages from Devildom. She couldn't blame them, with the upcoming invasion, they were all far too busy to provide her with updates. But her heart ached, and her stomach was a tight knot. She kept fidgeting with her fingers while looking through the bus' window, not really seeing anything. She almost missed her stop.
She should be happy she can see her family; it's been a while since her last visit. But she could not focus on anything; she couldn't even calm her breath. It was a demon army! What if something happens to Lucifer? What if despite all their boasting, they are all in great danger? She might be a human, but Devildom was her home now, and she was worried sick.
When she stood on the porch of her house, she took a long breath and tried to fix her face so that she won't look so miserable. She knocked at the door. There was no answer. She frowned and looked at the windows. She could see that behind the blinds, the lights were on. She knocked again but to no avail. She tried the handle and found out the door was open.
She stopped, feeling the hair on her neck was standing. Something was wrong. It was late evening; the door shouldn't be unlocked. Even if someone forgot to lock them, why didn't they hear her knocking? She fought her rising panic and wiped her suddenly sweaty hands on her jeans. She forced herself to go inside.
"Hello?" she called, her voice trembling. There was no answer. The lights in the hall and the living room were on. The dread twisted her gut, but she walked on into the main room.
Her parents were sitting on the sofa, cuddled together, their eyes closed, their faces calm, as if asleep.
"Mum? Dad?" she hastened to the sofa and started shaking them. "Mum? Wake up!"
But it was useless. Lhori felt her heart pounding as she noticed that their chests were moving, although very slowly. She checked the pulse on Fiona's neck; it was faint, but stable.
"They are just asleep, don't worry about them," said a voice and Lhori jumped startled and turned around.
"Noah?!" she asked. He was leaning on the door frame, his arms crossed, his face a mask of indifference. But his green eyes were full of emotions; regret, shame, but also determination. "What are you doing here? What happened to them?"
"It's a spell. It's better if they are asleep."
"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously and suddenly her eyes got wide with realisation. She called: "Rosie! Rosie, where are you?!" She dashed towards the stairs, but Noah stopped her, his hands on her shoulders.
"She's not here."
"What do you mean she's not here?! Noah, what is happening?" He didn't respond, but she felt something cold clasped around her wrist. She looked down to see a metal bracelet. "What's that?"
"It prevents from using magic. Also, it's blocking your connection with the demons," he said calmly, his hands still on her shoulders.
"What? Noah, tell me where Rosie is, right now!" His face contorted.
"They took her. I... I tried to persuade them, but I failed."
"Who are they?"
"Look, Lhori. You have to come with me now."
"Like hell I am!" she hissed, pushing his hands away and taking a step back. "What have you done, Noah?"
"I did nothing. This is far above me," he said sadly. "Come on. We have to go now."
"I'm not going."
"They've already had Rosie. She is safe, as long as you cooperate."
"Are you blackmailing me?" she asked with disbelieve.
"I'm afraid so. I told them you would cooperate willingly, but they insisted we need to have leverage on you. Maybe they were right..."
"Right?! You kidnapped my sister! A child!" she screamed furiously.
"I told you it was not my idea. Rosie is safe for now. But you have to come with me."
"I can't believe this," she scoffed and hid her face in her hands.
"Lhori, please," Noah said quietly and came closer. "Everything will be fine. I promise. They won't hurt you or Rosie. They assured me you would both be safe." He put a hand on her arm, but she jumped back.
"Don't you dare touch me! What about my parents?" she gestured to the couple asleep on the sofa.
"They are in a magically induced coma. They can be safely kept in this state for as long as it's necessary. I'd say it's better for them not to know."
"Why, are you ashamed?" she growled. "Can't really look them in the face after you abducted their little girl?!"
"Lhori, please..."
"Oh, spare me. I will go with you, only because I don't have any other choice. But I will not forget it, Noah," she said coldly.
"It's all right. I did not expect you to forgive me, or to understand," Noah said sadly and gestured to the door.
"Where are we going?" she asked when they left the house.
"To Demon Hunters' Headquarters."