ã€ŠMy Love for the Demon Queenã€‹


 Chapter 1: The Traveler

    This story happens in a world in the middle of a big war. The Demon Queen, the last survivor of her species, gave a start to her plan of domination. Cities, villages and even kingdoms fell on her hands. She left a trail of chaos and despair whenever her army went. As the kingdoms started to wonder how to deal with her, she kidnapped the princess of the biggest kingdom in the region. That started the flame of war.

    However, together with armies that attacked the Demon Queen stronghold, most of them not even making a scratch on her walls, another smaller group of warriors reunited. Led by the daughter of the hero who slaughtered the Demon King in the past, the small army marched between the kingdoms engulfed by the flames of destruction, facing several adversities along the way, with their eyes on the Demon Queen¡¯s stronghold. The heroine carried the legendary sword her father left to her. Bathed in the blood of the Demon King, it was sharper and more powerful than any common sword in the world. The prince, whose marriage was promised to her, travel together to support his fiance, fighting alongside her.

    This story doesn¡¯t belong to these brave warriors who faced several perils to fight for the sake of the world. This story doesn¡¯t belong to the Demon Queen, who tried to change the whole world with her own hands. Instead, this story belongs to a single, ordinary, human girl.

    But this story doesn¡¯t begin in the war. Instead, we should go back to two years prior the princess kidnapping. To a desolated village in a remote area, to the east of the kingdom. There our protagonist lived since she was born, never putting her foot outside the borders. She was a sixteen years old girl called Lyneth Starmis. An ordinary girl by all means. Not too short, not too tall. Slender body, but nothing that dragged people¡¯s attention.

    But it wasn¡¯t her body that people noticed more about her. Nor her voice, that rarely escaped her lips anyway. Or her long brown hair, usually freely floating in the wind. It was her eyes that caught everyone¡¯s attention. Shiny green eyes, like emeralds hiding behind the glass of her glasses. Combined with her childish face, it gave her an innocent and inoffensive look. And since she talked little and complained even less, the image of a little angel who could do no harm to anyone was the impression she gave everyone.

    And that was perfect. She couldn¡¯t ask for more. Because it was the further away from the truth as it could.

    Lyneth didn¡¯t talk much, but not because she was shy or trying to be a good girl. She was just bored. She was bored since she was a little kid. There wasn¡¯t much to do in that village, so she always tried to improvise. What no one dreamed about it that the little angel that they always praised was responsible for the most devilish actions.

    It might be hard to imagine that such a sweet girl could ever do anything wrong. Since this is her story, we should lea a few of her past achievements. Of course, that''s just a little part of her life of pranks.

    Seven years old, she drank spoiled milk by mistake. Next morning, the milkman found the rest of his milk mixed with fresh blood. Where she got the blood, that¡¯s a mystery. And no one found out she was the one who did it.

    Ten years old, a pack of wolves traveled close to the village. Everyone was afraid and no one went outside. No one except the little angel, who, hiding from the village people, made a trail of meat that brought the pack to the center of the village. She laughed as the men of the village tried to make the pack go away, believing they planned to attack their families. Their legs shaking as cowards. Of course, her prank was never found out.

    Twelve years old, she promised a kiss to a boy who said he loved her. Only if he bring her a doll, she said, the same doll the daughter of the village''s chief had. The boy was caught trying to steal it. He cried and said it was Lyneth¡¯s plan. Of course, no one believed. The chief''s daughter liked him and gave him the doll, asking the villagers to forget about it. When he gave the promised toy, and the little angel threw it in the mud, saying she was furious about his betrayal. Of course, the boy never got his kiss. Of course, the girl never planned to give it anyway. And the truth was never found out by anyone else.

    And that was Lyneth Starmis. Although no one knew that.

    But with sixteen years, she wasn''t the same little devilish girl she was all her life. In fact, if there was ever a time she could be called an angel was after her fifteenth birthday, like suddenly maturity hit her and said she should stop being a brat.

    Not that it helped in her boredom.

    She lived with her father, on the tailor shop plus Inn he opened. There wasn''t an Inn in the village, although she always thought an Inn in a place no one visits was useless. Still, her father concluded that someone could need it one day, so he opened two rooms of their already big house for that. They rented it once, twice, sometimes even three times a year for an occasional traveler who just happened to lost their way there.

    The tailor shop, though, was a success. What made sense since there was no one else making clothes in the village. The population was less than two hundred people, after all. And the merchants, while coming with a certain frequency, always asked as much money as they felt their time wasted getting there was worth.

    And Lyneth¡¯s father was a good tailor. What was definitely a good thing, since he was bad at everything else.

    All this is important because Lyneth story started there, in the same shop she spent most of her days, behind the counter, dealing with the boring requests her boring neighbor made.

    It started on a winter afternoon. Lyneth liked cold days. Almost no one showed up on those days. It was still boring. But better being bored than annoyed. That day, though, there was an unexpected visit.

    It was easy to recognize travelers in the village. First, because she knew everyone already. But also because most of the people living in the village were bland people who would hardly impress anyone. And the woman who entered the shop that afternoon did impress Lyneth. As much as that was a rare thing to happen.

    With her long red hair, shining like rubies. A tall body with curves that didn¡¯t belie the form of a mature woman. Her skin wasn¡¯t white as most girls in the village. It was darker. Kinda like the men who made labor under the sun. Although it didn¡¯t seem like the consequences of the sun in her but her natural form. Her black eyes scrutinized the small shop, as the frills of her black dress fluttered with her movements.

    Lyneth fell in love with the stranger. Better saying, it wasn¡¯t love. You need to know someone before love them. Lyneth desired the woman. She felt an attraction she never did for anyone before in her life.

    Romance never mattered to her. She had some female acknowledges, most that thought of her as a friend, although the feeling wasn¡¯t mutual, and she had heard a lifetime worth of love stories between the girls and the boys from the village. She never cared for them. The boys were gross and she never thought about even touching them. Kissing was out of question.

    She had thought that maybe kissing her female friends would be more interesting but never had the desire to do it either.

    So, while for most girls she knew, the thought of being attracted by someone of her own gender would make them confused, for her it was just a meaningless detail. Being attracted to someone, anyone, was confused enough. It actually made more sense that she was a female. Lyneth didn¡¯t think a boy could ever be that attractive.

    The woman probed the shop with her eyes. She was gorgeous, no doubt. But for some reason, Lyneth also thought she was kinda cute. She looked lost there, and she wouldn¡¯t be surprised if soon the woman would start crying like a little kid.

    But she didn¡¯t.

    Still, it rose inside Lyneth a wish to tease her. Or at least, talk with her. What might sound like the natural thing to do with a client, but being Lyneth, it was all but natural.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t think we can help you, madam ¡±, she said. The woman looked at her. Just those dark eyes examining her face was enough to make Lyneth more excited than she ever did before.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± the woman approached her counter while saying it. Even her voice sent chills through Lyneth¡¯s body. She had a mature tone, but a melodious voice.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have clothes for goddesses¡±. She said it with no trace of shame.

    The woman smiled. Her smile, again, setting a whole wide of reactions to Lyneth¡¯s body and mind that she never felt before. The woman tackled the counter surface with her short nails, painted in a dark red.

    ¡°I''m not interested in clothes¡­¡±

    ¡°Me neither¡± Lyneth¡¯s eyes wandered through the black dress the woman was wearing.

    With a smile on her face. The little angel¡¯s smile, feigning innocence.

    ¡°I''m looking for a room.¡± The woman said, ignoring Lyneth¡¯s words. ¡°You run an inn as well, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just an old room, but yes, dad rents it. Although, even without the inn, I could invite you to sleep with us.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, but I would rather pay for it.¡± she threw a little stone on the counter. It shined yellow on the light of the day. ¡°Is that enough?¡±

    It was a small stone. But it was still gold. As such, it was even more than enough.

    ¡°With this, dad would happily sell the whole room, madam. And would throw me together as a bonus.¡±

    The woman smiled. There was something really exotic in her eyes as she did it.

    ¡°I''ll just take the room, thanks.¡±

    ¡°That hurts¡±, Lynette said, but a smile covered her face.

    ***

    The bad thing about running an inn that no one rents is the fact that, if there''s no reason for that anyway, you even forget to keep it clean. It was Lyneth¡¯s work to keep the rooms clean. And of course, she would rarely do it. So when they finally had a guest, she was forced to hurry and prepare everything.

    The woman, that gave the name Lilith, with no surname, said she would take a walk on the village until the night, so she had time. Still, as she cleaned, she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about their guest. She had never met anyone who caught her attention like that before. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the woman¡¯s voice and body. While tidying up the room, she wished she could see Lilith sleeping there that night. With her night clothes, that if she wore clothes at all to sleep. Lyneth really wished to see that.

    So she did.

    That night, she opened the door of the guest¡¯s room without any warning. Lilith was preparing to sleep, on her black underwears. She turned to Lyneth, moving her red hair away from her eyes. Lyneth watched her half-naked body. Her breasts were bigger than most woman in the village but still beautiful. Her slender body showed a lot of curves outside the black dress.

    ¡°Dad said I should see if you need anything.¡± Lyneth¡¯s sleeping clothes looked quite childish. A pink shirt and pink shorts made of silk. That was because she had a sudden growth sprout at twelve. Most of her clothes from then still suited her, so she had a lot of childish, cute clothes her father made that time. ¡°Some company, for example.¡±

    Lyneth¡¯s heart pondered as Lilith walked to her and touched her face.

    ¡°It''s cold.¡± Her face was serious and cool. ¡°I could use another body on the bed.¡±

    Her face was close. So close that Lyneth inclined her head forward, closing her eyes and opening her lips. But Lilith retracted two passes and put her finger on Lyneth¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Not that, though.¡±

    ¡°S-Sorry.¡± For the first time, maybe in all her life, Lyneth was flustered. It wasn¡¯t like her doing embarrassing things by impulse like that. Although, Lilith didn¡¯t seem to care that much.

    ¡°You have a girlfriend or something?¡± Lilith¡¯s tone was cool, sounding almost uninterested. But yet, even that gave Lyneth shivers. She could just shake her head. Her previous action was still weighing on her. ¡°Fine, then. Let me be clear. You can lie down with me, but nothing more than that.¡±

    But the bed they shared wasn¡¯t that big. At the end, the ¡®nothing more¡¯ had to exclude touching, as their bodies couldn¡¯t stop making contact. Lilith lied with her back to Lyneth, who had her eyes wide open and wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep soon.

    Lilith¡¯s back bore a well-defined curve on the bed. Her bra firmly tied around her body. She probably didn¡¯t sleep with it usually, though. And Lyneth hoped she still wouldn¡¯t do it now. Her golden skin gave off a pleasant scent; So close that Lyneth felt like she would go crazy.

    ¡°C-Can I¡­¡± Her voice shaking. It had never happened before. All that was an entirely new experience for her. ¡°Can I at least touch you a little?¡±

    No answer at first. Lyneth thought she was sleeping...and even wondered if she should touch her anyway...but soon the guest voice came out.

    ¡°Can¡¯t help yourself, huh? How old are you, little girl?¡±

    ¡°S-Sixteen¡­¡±

    She made a long ¡°huh¡± as if considering something, or implying something.

    ¡°I¡¯ll allow it...Don¡¯t be so naughty, though. I¡¯ll tell if you¡¯re trespassing your boundaries.¡±

    Lyneth gulped. She didn¡¯t think the other woman would actually allow it. And it was way too easy. Still, she was happy, although a little nervous. That feeling was new, and it wasn¡¯t really pleasant, but it wasn¡¯t bad either.

    She touched Lilith¡¯s back with her finger. A feeling just like electricity ran through her body. She could feel Lilith, her heat, her skin and the meat behind it. Lyneth opened her hand and pressed her palm on the woman¡¯s back. It was humid. She could feel the sweat on her body.

    It was all so exciting, she felt her own body reacting to it.

    Her hands moved to the side of Lilith¡¯s belly. Most people were tickling there, but the woman didn¡¯t even move. In fact, she wasn¡¯t reacting to any of that, it was actually kind insulting. But she kept doing it. She herself was too excited to stop.

    She touched the woman¡¯s abdomen. Feeling her soft belly. Soft and warm. Her fingers making contact with the soft skin still send shivers through her own body. Her hands started going down...and even lower...lower...until she felt Lilith grabbing her hand.

    ¡°Hu-uh.¡± She said, in a cool voice. ¡°Not there.¡± After a pause, she added: ¡°Don¡¯t even try up, either.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Lyneth smiled. Of course, that was her plan, but she didn¡¯t think she would get away with it anyway. Feeling the woman¡¯s body was nice, though. And that alone was enough to keep her happy.

    She grabbed Lilith¡¯s belly, pressing her entire body against the woman on a hug. Letting her head bury itself in her long red hair, feeling the sweet and exotic smell coming from them. Lilith smelled like a traveler. Like the faraway lands that Lyneth would never meet. But it was comfortable, just being there, just holding her.

    So, Lyneth fell asleep, feeling more at peace than ever before in her life.

    ***

    Lyneth wasn¡¯t a heavy sleeper. She would always wake up for any silly reason. She liked it. Being alert to everything was practical. And that day too, she woke up to find the door being closed as Lilith walked through it.

    It was still night, and it was cold. She remembered her clothes were in her own room. Going back to it would mean losing track of Lilith. Her decision was obvious. She took her glasses from the desk and tailed the woman. As soon as she went out of the home, the cold winter¡¯s wind slapped hard against her bare legs. Still, there was Lilith¡¯s silhouette ahead of her, so she kept walking.

    The guest had her black dress. She intended going out, maybe from the very beginning. Lyneth felt like she was going to regret all her life if she let the woman go and never see her again. She wanted to feel again how she felt that night. Even if she had to stalk the woman forever. She didn¡¯t care about home or family, anyway. Run away from boredom was more important.

    They walked to a forest. The dense forest to the north of the village. There were stories about that place. They all contradicted one another, but all had the same message at the end: ¡°never approach that ominous place.¡±

    Of course, to Lyneth it was just stories meant for children, so they wouldn¡¯t get lost. Even then, she had no reason to go against them before. She did challenge a boy her age to go inside once. He came back crying about something that she didn¡¯t care to listen since she had already lost interest in it.

    Lilith stopped at the center of an open area. It was as if the trees made that stage for her to stand. Lyneth hid behind a rock. At this point, her legs had lots of bruises from the tree¡¯s branches and thorns. Bleeding even. She didn¡¯t care, even though it was stinging.

    ¡°That¡¯s not very kind. Letting a lady waiting.¡± Lilith said to the dark. And, surprisingly, the darkness answered.

    ¡°A fine lady shouldn¡¯t walk through this place alone at night.¡± It was a croaky voice. Lyneth almost didn¡¯t get to hear it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like talking with a disembodied voice. It would be chivalrous of you to show up.¡±

    ¡°I fear soon I¡¯ll be disembodied for real, but fine¡­¡± A shadow emerged from the darkness of the woods. It was an old man, with almost no hair, wrinkled face and of short stature. It looked almost like a walking corpse. He put all his weight on a walking stick made of wood. ¡°What brings such a lovely lady in front of such a dreadful creature?¡±

    ¡°I need something. Something kept deep inside this forest. And, as far as I know, it¡¯ll be faster if you help me. You¡¯re supposed to be guarding it, right?¡±

    ¡°And what makes you think I¡¯ll give you the something I gave all my life to hide?¡±

    ¡°I said it¡¯ll be faster if you help me. But I don¡¯t really need you. You can help me, make me be in a debt with you, and I¡¯ll take that off your shoulders, so you¡¯re free. Or you can defy me, lose anyway, and who knows what kind of fate will fall upon you.¡±

    ¡°I fear you came two hundred years late, my lady. I don¡¯t care about freedom anymore. All I have now is the duty of guarding the destiny of this entire world...the entire universe, even. And you¡¯re asking me to give up on that. For what? Who are you, anyway?¡±

    ¡°Just a witch. A witch with a dream, if I can say it like that.¡±

    ¡°And what grand thing could you give me to make me abandon the job I was entrusted through all my life, may I ask? Maybe I can¡¯t stop you, but I can still delay you. So, if I don¡¯t have a good reason...¡±

    ¡°Sometimes you don¡¯t need a big treasure, old man. Simple things are the pleasure of life. Say...two hundred years, right? So, haven¡¯t you felt the touch of a woman through all these decades? That¡¯s something every man desires, right? Aren¡¯t you tempted?¡±

    ¡°You tempt me with sex? You hope I¡¯ll abandon my duty for such a frivolous thing?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I think you¡¯ll get to keep living and get some pleasure after two centuries of servitude. Otherwise...you can just die.¡±

    From where she was, Lyneth could hear everything, but couldn¡¯t see Lilith¡¯s face. So she couldn¡¯t see the cruel smiled forming on her lips.

    ¡°You¡¯re making such an offer, my lady. I must say, you must be desperate.¡± The old man eyes examined the woman¡¯s body without moving from his place. Lyneth felt nauseous seeing the lust on his face.

    ¡°Oh, no. Not me. You don¡¯t want me. I¡¯m older than you think. I have a more...fresh gift for you.¡±

    She raised her hand.

    Lyneth screamed as she felt like a force had suddenly held her body and pulled her toward the two figures in the woods. She tried to fight it, but it was useless, as she was held above the ground.

    She landed beside Lilith, that pressed the hand on her arm. Even though she was surprised and a little scared, what was again a new experience, her body still reacted with the other woman touch.

    Lilith made a gesture above Lyneth¡¯s wrists and she felt like there got tied up on something she couldn¡¯t see. She couldn¡¯t move them.

    ¡°Here.¡± She said then, looking at the old man. ¡°Fresh meat. She''s only sixteen. Her skin is soft and nice to touch. She''s even a virgin.¡±

    The old man glared at Lyneth. She felt like puking as his eyes crossed over all her body.

    ¡°Pretty eyes.¡± Lilith kept saying, ignoring Lyneth¡¯s pale face. ¡°They''re like emeralds. She looks like an angel, but I can see she''s more than that. She''ll probably scream and cry, but I know men like that too.¡±

    ¡°She has great legs.¡± the old man said, looking at her exposed legs full of bruises.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Lilith put her hand on Lyneth¡¯s tights and squeezed it. Even though Lynette was scared, she still moaned with her touch. ¡°Nice to touch, even¡­¡± She whispered in the girl¡¯s ear, sending shivers through her body.

    The old man had his eyes on her all the time. Lyneth wished he would turn Lilith¡¯s offer down. Or that Lilith killed him. It didn''t matter what.

    Still, he nodded, with lust in his eyes, and turned to the forest interior.

    ¡°I''ll take you through the fastest route, my lady. Then I ask for some time alone. You can even take the girl after that, she''ll just be a bother. Just give me one hour or two, to compensate for two hundred centuries.¡±

    Lilith shrugged and looked to the terrorized face Lyneth made, her green eyes almost tearing up behind her glasses.

    Lilith smiled. And it seemed like the cruelest thing she could do then.

    ¡°Men, right?¡± she said and pulled the girl along through the forest.

    ***

    They walked through the dense forest. Lyneth¡¯s bruises stinging. But even more than that, fear and disappointment by the betrayal she suffered. Not that it was even a betrayal since she was the only one who felt anything.

    Actually, her fear was starting to dry and being substituted by pure anger. Thoughts about how to avoid the gross old man started to pass through her head. She had time. And that was everything she needed to scheme.

    Lilith¡¯s hands pulled her by the wrists. She still thought they felt nice after all. Maybe direct her anger and lust at the same person could be a nice experience.

    ¡°I would give myself to you. I really loved you¡±, she said in a low angry voice.

    ¡°You gave yourself to me. I gave yourself to someone else. Don''t see the problem. I do whatever I want with things that belong to me.¡±

    Now, Lyneth thought that maybe it was her plan all along. Since the moment she allowed them to share a bed. In fact, now that Lyneth thought about it, Lilith was walking too slow while being tailed.

    ¡°And don''t talk about love¡±, Lilith said again, after a brief pause. ¡°You know nothing about love. You can''t love someone you just met hours ago. That''s called lust.¡±

    The cold air of the night was still chastising her bare legs. And Lilith forcedly pulling her through the dense woods didn¡¯t help. She couldn¡¯t watch where she put her foot, what meant her skin was bleeding by all the sharp vegetation she had made contact with. The slippers she was wearing were meant to be used indoors. In her hurry to catch Lilith, she hadn¡¯t searched for more appropriate shoes.

    They walked for a long time through the treacherous path. Lilith and the old man didn¡¯t seem to be affected like Lyneth. Maybe being a witch, if that was even true, Lilith knew some tricks to protect herself. And the old man, having lived two hundred years in that forest, probably knew everything he needed to walk easily.

    They stopped. Lyneth put her hands on her knees and started to breathe hard. Lilith released her wrists, but she still felt glued to the ground she was put on. She glared at the woman¡¯s back. A desire to crave her nails on her skin filled her mind. It would be exciting. Also painful. Would her screams of pain be as sexy as her voice?

    ¡°Are we there?¡± She asked the old man. They were in front of a big rock blocking their passage. Although they could keep going circling through the rock¡¯s side.

    ¡°Almost, my lady. But it¡¯s not going to be easy. Say, how much your powers work against real demons?¡±

    Lilith seemed surprised. And the old man¡¯s eyes seemed to examine her face.

    ¡°A demon? Why a demon?¡±

    ¡°A trophy from the war, my lady. It was violent and dangerous, but we were stronger. Be careful, It doesn¡¯t even know what it¡¯s doing anymore, nor he can difference ally from foe. It will just attack everything it sets its eyes.¡±

    As Lyneth wondered what they were talking about, the big rock started to move. Not just moving, but metamorphosing. From its rocky hard body, limbs formed, giving it long arms with big claws on his hands and long, muscular legs. It also changed the color from grey to black, and a head with red eyes and long horns became visible. It looked more like a giant bull who could stand on two legs. It was bigger than most of the trees around them. The old man and Lilith looked like two children compared to its size.

    The demon ignored the old man and walked to Lilith¡¯s direction. Lyneth knew that if the woman died, she would be the next. It raised his claw and brought it down against the small body on its front.

    The claws stopped mid-air when Lilith raised a hand in front of it.

    She waved her hand, and suddenly it was as if the creature started to boil from inside. It retreated two steps and its body was shaking. Belly vibrating unnaturally. Agony stamped on its face.

    Until it finally imploded, like something opened it from inside. Blood splashed through all the area. Dark blood. Some fell on Lyneth¡¯s face and glasses, but most of it sullied the old man and Lilith¡¯s body.

    The woman raised her hand and moved the hair plastered with blood from her face. Her red hair covered by the muck.

    The old man had watched everything in silence and looked impressed. But also suspicious.

    ¡°Was that it?¡± Lilith said, with coldness in her voice.

    ¡°That was...impressive...for a witch.¡± The old man eyes kept analyzing her as if studying her expression.

    ¡°That was a weak demon. Maybe years of waiting weakened it. So, it¡¯s here, right?¡±

    She walked into the space the demon, or rather, the rock left behind. Behind it, Lyneth could see a big tree, looking as old as the man guiding them, or more. But her vast leaves still of a dark green, giving it a lively look. In the middle of the gigantic trunk, branches entwining together, forming a kind of natural cage. A faint red light could be seen inside it.

    ¡°Will you break the seal?¡± she asked, looking at the big tree. ¡°I could do it, but with my abilities, it can take some time.¡±

    The old man looked at her in silence. There was a mysterious, puzzled look in his eyes.

    ¡°I''ll do it¡­¡± his eyes looked behind Lilith, where lied Lyneth, unable to move on the ground. ¡°Give me the girl first.¡±

    Lilith made another movement with her hand and, with a surprised gasp, Lyneth¡¯s body came to her again. The girl tried to fight it again, but it was useless.

    ¡°Break the seal first.¡±

    The old man shook his head.

    ¡°You¡¯re strong, my lady. If you decide to go back on your word, no much I can do. Just give me the girl with the nice legs and the seal is broken.¡±

    Lyneth looked at Lilith¡¯s stern face and, although with difficulty, put a defying smile on her face.

    ¡°You still has a chance to do it right, madam. Don''t do that.¡±

    She almost amended a ¡®please¡¯ at the end, but her pride won at the end, and she thought it wouldn''t help much.

    Still, Lilith faltered. Her grip on Lyneth¡¯s got stronger and the girl saw a slice of hope.

    But in the end, Lilith murmured an inaudible ¡®I''m sorry¡¯ and pushed the girl away. The old man put his hands on her back and pulled her closer.

    He pressed her bare legs with his fingers, making her retract in disgust.

    ¡°Very nice legs, indeed. You must run fast, my angel.¡±

    ¡°You can have fun later. Don''t worry, she''s still bond and won''t go anywhere. ¡± Lilith said, with no patience. ¡°First, keep your word.¡±

    ¡°Of course, my lady, of course.¡±

    The old man turned to the tree and raised his cane in the direction of the cage made with branches. He said something in a language that Lyneth didn''t understand and a red flash came from inside the cage as the branches opened and let a small red rock out. It fluctuated slowly and landed on the old man open hand.

    From the anxious look Lilith made, that was exactly what she wanted. She extended her hand, waiting for the rock, but the old man didn''t turn.

    ¡°Say, my lady. Why you needed the seal broken. As a human, it should be easy to go beyond it. It''s only here to protect us from demons.¡±

    Lilith clenched her teeth. Lyneth could see she was annoyed by her eyes.

    ¡°You take me for a fool and a pervert, my lady. I''m offended.¡±

    The old man turned his cane in Lilith¡¯s direction. The same instant, two tree branches wrapped around her two arms. She gave a surprised scream as another branch made a circle on her neck. From the ground, a large root erupted and wrapped around her legs. She raised her head and glared at the old man with fury in her eyes.

    Lyneth just watched everything in confusion. She realized she could move again, but didn¡¯t move away from her place.

    ¡°You¡¯re the children of the Demon King, right? The only survivor. I heard about you.¡±

    Lilith¡¯s eyes became red and her face distorted with an angry expression as she said, with a threatening voice.

    ¡°Call me Demon Queen, you miserable little man. Think you can hold me forever? When I¡¯m out, you¡¯re dead!¡±

    She tried to move her body but didn¡¯t have success.

    ¡°I know I can¡¯t hold you forever. But I¡¯m two hundred years old, my lady. I didn¡¯t spend all this time fooling around or being a perverted fool like you take me for. You¡¯ll escape eventually, but that will take time.¡± He turned to Lyneth, still frozen in her place. ¡°Come here, girl.¡±

    Even though she avoided getting close to him almost as much as she could before, now she walked without questioning. Not that she trusted him, but she didn¡¯t know what to do and the whole situation was too surreal.

    Still, getting closer, she started to walk at wary steps.

    ¡°What are you afraid of? I¡¯m not going to do anything to you. I don¡¯t think I could, even if I wanted. I¡¯m more than two hundred years old, you know.¡± the old man gave a bitter smile.

    As she entered in his field of action, the old man shoved the stone he had got from the cage tree on her hand, while still holding the crane with the other hand. She looked at him, doubt in her eyes.

    ¡°This little stone is the essence of the strongest Demon King that ever existed. The one who conquered this world once. I fought against him together with my companions. It was hard, but we emerged victoriously. He was this woman¡¯s grandfather.¡± He pointed to Lilith.

    Lyneth still looked at him confused. She lowered her gaze to the stone on her hand.

    ¡°You do have fine legs, girl. I supposed you can run a lot. I can hold this demon for weeks, maybe even months. But someday she¡¯ll escape. I need you to take this stone. Take it to the kingdom, to the king, to a hero. You need to make sure it¡¯s somewhere safe. Because, while it¡¯s a useless stone for humans, at the moment this woman put her hands on it, it¡¯s all over. She¡¯ll have power enough to hold the entire world in her hands.¡±

    Lyneth still hesitated. Her eyes going from the stone to the old man and Lilith.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I scared you.¡± The old man said, with a comforting smile. ¡°I couldn¡¯t fight her by myself, so I played along. Go, girl. The fate of the world is in your hands.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Lyneth said finally, looking at the stone on her hand. Then she raised her head to Lilith. ¡°Before that, though, I want to say goodbye.¡±

    There was bitterness in her voice and on her steps as she walked to the place Lilith was rooted on. The old man tried to stop her but gave up as she ignored him. The black dress was torn where the roots grabbed her, and Lyneth could see the woman¡¯s bare leg through it.

    She grabbed the woman face with her own hands and pulled it close to her own face. She smiled. Lilith kept a defiant expression on her face, not giving it to the girl¡¯s provocation.

    ¡°But even after everything, what I¡¯m feeling didn¡¯t change. So I want a taste at least¡­¡±

    She pulled the woman¡¯s face and kissed her lips. Her first kiss. Lilith¡¯s lips were warm and soft. It felt good. As she moved her head back and looked at Lilith¡¯s face, the expression on her face was still the same.

    ¡°Did you hate it? That offends me.¡± She said, smiling mischievously.

    Lyneth glanced behind her and the old man was trying to deviate his eyes from the scene.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She said, looking back at Lilith. ¡°I¡¯m still not satisfied.¡±

    This time Lyneth grabbed her by the waist and pulled her whole body closer. Being more daring. At the end, she was kissing a demon anyway, so it probably wasn¡¯t wrong or immoral to take advantage.

    ¡°And try to keep your eyes closed this time. It¡¯s our goodbye kiss.¡±

    Her mouth encountered Lilith¡¯s lips again. This time she used her tongue as well, feeling the demon queen¡¯s tongue against her. She wondered if everyone had a tongue so warm or if it was different because she was a demon. She pushed it with her tongue and slipped her hand down on the woman¡¯s back.

    It was good. It made her excited. And, as she stopped the kiss and looked at the demon¡¯s face, she could see this time Lilith had a face as flushed as her own.

    She smiled.

    Lilith smiled, too.

    ¡°Are you done having fun?¡± The old man asked, uncomfortable with the whole situation.

    Lyneth turned to him. There was an impish look on her face as she smiled and said:

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, grandpa. I think I lost it inside her¡­¡±

    ¡°What are sa¡­¡± He started but stopped as Lilith¡¯s eyes became bright red and she moved her arms, breaking the branches entangling her and pulling the ones on her neck.

    She easily moved her feet and escaped from the roots chaining her on the ground too.

    ¡°How?¡± The old man asked, confused. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Lilith smiled. A cruel smile. And there, between her teeth, glowing red, the stone he had entrusted to the young human girl. Lilith closed her mouth and swallowed it.

    ¡°You¡­¡± He said, looking at Lyneth. A frightened expression deforming his old face. ¡°What have you done? You know you...You just doomed this entire world. Why?¡±

    Lyneth smiled. She turned to Lilith¡¯s direction and kneeled before her, holding the demon¡¯s hand and planting a kiss on its back.

    ¡°My Mistress. Let me be by your side, as you burn this entire world down.¡±

    The old man gave two steps back.

    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re crazy¡­ Your family...your friends...They¡¯re all going to suffer because of that. You could be a hero! But now¡­¡±

    But Lyneth ignored him completely. Her eyes didn¡¯t want to turn away from the woman in front of her. The woman that raised her hand in the direction of the old man and said, with a dark tone:

    ¡°Old man, it¡¯s been two hundred years, now. Thanks for your hard work. But now it¡¯s time to rest and let it go. This world doesn¡¯t concern you anymore.¡±

    He opened his mouth. But after a moment of silence, the only words to came out from it was: ¡°I give up¡±, as he closed his eyes and relaxed his body, waiting the blow that would put an end to his life.

    But that¡¯s not important anymore. This story is not about the old guardian. This story is about Lyneth, a normal human girl.

    This is not a story about how she saved the world and became a hero. It¡¯s not a story about her suffering in times of war and the tyranny of a cruel demon queen. This is just a story about love. A love that¡¯s neither evil or good, but had the power to overcome both.

 Chapter 2: Kiril

    Since she was a little kid, Annabelle always had a dream. When someone asked what she wanted to do when growing up, she would answer without delay: ¡°I want to be a mommy!¡±. She always loved babies and kids younger than her and taking care of others. So the thought of being a mother and raising, maybe, five children of her own used to fill her with excitement.

    But as Annabelle grew up, she realized there was something fundamental for making children, something that she couldn¡¯t hold any interest in. Boys. Thinking that making her dream true would mean lying to herself and doing things she would hate left her in a melancholic state. Now even the thought of her dream upset her.

    And still, people kept asking about when she would find the perfect father to her children. ¡°It¡¯s your dream, right?¡±, they would say.

    In her sixteen years old, Annabelle was taking care of kids in the village. There were several families who worked on the farms nearby and had trouble taking care of their own children. Annabelle did it. And she loved it. She loved all those children like they were her own. Even though that was not true. At the end of the day, the parents would come back to take them home, leaving her lonely again.

    ***

    Lyneth and Lilith were still awake that night. They didn¡¯t even talk about what happened, walking home in silence. Lyneth had seen the Demon Queen pulverize the old man existence, but cared little. Still, they were both covered in demon blood, so Lyneth went straight to the bath. She still invited the other woman to go with her but received a cold stare as an answer.

    After washing herself on the water, Lyneth thought about how Lilith had no luggage on her. Going to her room, she took a red dress that belonged to her mom, and, of course, a pair of her own underwear. In the living room where Lilith waited in silence looking through the window, Lyneth offered her the clothes, saying she should bathe as well. After a long cold silence when Lilith¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t move away from Lyneth, she nodded, took the clothes and disappeared into the bathroom.

    Lyneth looked at the big clock they had on the wall. It was 4 in the morning. Probably none of them would go back to sleep and she was getting hungry, so she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Lyneth wondered if Lilith could eat food like her. She remembered the last night her guest skipped dinner saying she had eaten somewhere else. Still, preparing food for two was easy.

    While preparing the breakfast, Lyneth thought about Lilith, with her naked body, bathing just some few meters away from her.

    ¡°She''ll even wear my underwear¡­My underwear¡­ on her body¡­¡± she thought, feeling excited.

    ***

    The smell of coffee, bread, and jam was all over the kitchen as Lilith entered it. She looked with a serious face at the table, an inviting chair prepared to her.

    ¡°I don''t even know if you eat as we do¡±, said Lyneth, putting two cups on the table. ¡°But I''m hungry, so it won''t go to waste anyway.¡±

    Lilith sat on the chair, so Lyneth sat across her, looking at her face from over her glasses and smiling. Lilith raised the cup with coffee in front of her and gave it a sip.

    ¡°You do realize your situation, right?¡± she said, with a cold voice. ¡°You understand the consequences of what you did?¡±

    Lyneth nodded, smiling.

    ¡°So what are you planning? Did you do it out ow lust for me? Do you hate your own kind?¡±

    Lyneth took the bread and put jam over it, casually, like any other breakfast she had before.

    ¡°I don''t hate them¡±, she said. ¡°It''s more like, they bore me. You''re interesting, madam.¡± she took a bite of her bread and swallowed it ¡°And it''s not lust. It''s love!¡±

    Lilith smiled. But soon her face darkened again.

    ¡°I don''t know what kind of delusion you''re building inside your head, little girl, but I have to make it clear to you. I had every intention of sacrificing you to get what I needed. I would let that old man do whatever he wanted with you.¡±

    ¡°You didn''t actually want to do that.¡± As Lilith gave a puzzling look to Lyneth, she clarified: ¡°You did say you were sorry.¡±

    Lilith gave a cruel smile.

    ¡°Yes, I was sorry. Leaving you to that decrepit old man was such a waste. But that doesn''t mean I would stop him and save you.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you wouldn''t. I''m not sure, but I don''t care. I was angry with you, but that kiss cleared my mind.¡± Lyneth took another bite of the bread and looked at Lilith¡¯s eyes. ¡°Nothing too bad happened at the end, so I¡¯m okay with it. And I did let an innocent man die. No, I actually killed him indirectly. I''m not hypocrite enough to ignore it.¡±

    ¡°So, what do you actually want?¡±

    ¡°To assist you. I want to see you create a new world, even if I have no place in it. And I want to get closer to you.¡±

    ¡°I don''t have much use for a little human girl. Well¡­ maybe as a bait, again.¡±

    ¡°I''m offering myself, so you can use me however you want. I can prove to be more useful than you imagine, though.¡±

    Lilith took a piece of bread and, without putting anything in it, gave it a bite. Lyneth watched curiously since she still wondered how different humans and demons actually were.

    ¡°I do owe you one. Making you my servant is an odd way to show gratitude, but if that''s how you want it¡­¡±

    ¡°So you do feel indebted, even if I¡¯m a human?¡±

    Lilith gave a prideful smile, and Lyneth could see something even my attractive in the way she looked. Like some kind of dignified aura that she was hiding until then.

    ¡°Don''t forget I am a queen. Even if you''re human, you shouldn''t expect a queen to forget your actions. A ruler pride recognizes even the actions of the lowliest beings.¡±

    Finding that amusing, Lyneth just smiled as the queen finished her breakfast.

    After that, they shared some small talk. Lyneth taught Lilith about the village she was in since she didn¡¯t have time to research it before. Greenheaven was the name. It was just a small community inside the Ondan Kingdom. Since it was away from borders of the kingdom and the main activity was agriculture, most of it made for internal consumption, most people just ignored its existence. Lilith made it clear that it was the perfect place for her to start her plans.

    ***

    Lyneth wanted to stay awake but realized she was more sleepy than she thought. So, making sure her guest didn''t need anything more, she excused herself to have at least some hours of sleep, leaving Lilith on the living room examining the books her mother kept stored. Since she didn''t use her room last night, there was nothing to do except to lie down and sleep.

    She looked at the clock beside her bed as she woke up. Ten o¡¯clock. Lyneth had overslept, but still had time to make lunch. She found Lilith the same place she was at dawn, sitting on a couch, an old book in her hands. It was a silly book about a prince living in an empire full of treachery plot that her mother loved to read.

    ¡°Intriguing book,¡± Lilith said when Lyneth showed up. ¡°Do your people actually fight this much among yourselves?¡±

    ¡°It''s a fiction book. But yeah, we do, actually. Demons have a single kingdom, right? I would guess it''s more pacific. Well, we did fight together in the war against¡­ your grandfather?¡± Lyneth said with caution, observing if Lilith would react, but the demon queen didn''t seem to care.

    ¡°Maybe it''s a consequence of your large number.¡±

    ¡°Or maybe we''re just evil.¡± Lyneth smiled impishly.

    ¡°Is this yours?¡± Lilith asked, pointing with the now closed book in Lyneth¡¯s direction.

    ¡°It''s from mom. I tried reading it, but it''s boring. All these books are. The only I did learn of them is to not to trust men. Did you realize it? Every female just ends up killed, slaved, raped, or, even worse, married.¡± Lyneth had a straight face while saying it. ¡°Mom is the one who loves those kinds of stories.¡±

    ¡°Your mother looks like¡­ An interesting woman, for sure.¡±

    ¡°You would understand if you meet her. She''s more like a demon than human.¡±

    Lilith gave an understanding smile but didn''t say anything.

    ¡°The way you talk about her, I assume she''s alive.¡±

    ¡°She is. I mean, she probably is. I don''t know where, though. It''s probably for the better. The farthest that woman is, the best.¡±

    ¡°I did meet your father. He looked busy but wanted to meet his guest. Seems like a decent human, at least.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that man.¡± a disdaining expression covered Lyneth¡¯s face. ¡°That man actually makes me confused about how human breeding works. The thought that his blood runs through my veins is nonsense. Bullshit! I used to think that maybe I¡¯m not even his daughter. Of course, knowing my mother, that¡¯s actually possible.¡± She gave a radiant smile. ¡°But of course, I would never say that to my dearest father.¡±

    ¡°Maybe your real father is a demon.¡±

    ¡°Is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is. And it¡¯s just as uncommon as our species hate each other.¡± Seeing Lyneth¡¯s face change in serious contemplation, Lilith added: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, though. You¡¯re completely human.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, I realized that. No, I was thinking about something else.¡± And paused before naughty smile. ¡°I was just thinking I wanted you to carry my children, then.¡±

    Lilith¡¯s face darkened. But soon it softened as she replied:

    ¡°I think you¡¯re forgetting the biggest problem there.¡±

    Lyneth smiled back and turned to the door.

    ¡°Lunch will be served at noon, madam¡±, she said, before disappearing into the kitchen.

    ***

    Lyneth watched as Lilith devoured a plate with more food inside than she thought she could eat. She herself actually served the little portion that she was used to.

    But seeing the demon queen making disappear with such pleasure the food she had done made Lyneth quite happy. She never felt such satisfaction by watching her father doing the same.

    ¡°Not bad for someone who skipped dinner last night.¡± She said as the demon woman threw the last bone in the empty plate.

    Lilith ignored the girl¡¯s observation.

    ¡°Are you serious about assisting me?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yeah. I''m not lying, madam. I''m all yours if you need.¡±

    The woman opened her mouth to talk, but was interrupted by a melodious voice coming from the window nearby.

    ¡°Lyn-Lyn,¡± the voice said. It belonged to a young girl, looking the same age as Lyneth. Although her body was a little more chubby and her stature a little shorter. She had long waving dark hairs until the middle of her back.

    ¡°Belle¡±, Lyneth said, modifying her face with an angelic smile that made Lilith frown.

    ¡°Good morning¡±, Annabelle said, with a worried expression, while placing both her hands on the corner of the open window. ¡°I just stopped to ask, if¡­ I mean, I was taking care of Misses Cleant¡¯s son, but the boy disappeared on me. It was just a moment of distraction¡­¡±

    ¡°Babysitting again?¡±

    Annabelle nodded.

    ¡°So I was wondering if you saw him¡­¡±

    Lyneth shook her head slowly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t really see anything. I wish I could help¡­¡±

    Lilith thought she saw a glimpse of the impish smile the girl always had on her face. But soon it disappeared.

    Annabelle didn¡¯t move, but turned her head to the side, looking to the streets of the village. She looked at the verge of tears, and her mouth opened and murmured, so low that Lilith was probably the only to hear it: ¡°What can I do¡­?¡±

    The demon queen raised from her chair and walked to where the girl was, taking her right hand, that was still placed on the window. Startled, the girl looked at the woman¡¯s face, but stopped, like enticed by her black eyes.

    ¡°Maybe I can help you. Huh, Belle?¡±

    ¡°Annabelle¡± the girl murmured. Lilith turned the girl¡¯s right palm up and squeezed her hand. She placed her own hand on the to, putting Annabelle¡¯s palms between both her hands.

    ¡°My name is Lilith. I¡¯m a fortune teller of some sort. A traveling fortune teller. I can read the palms of hands. So, if you want, I can help you.¡±

    Lyneth gave an icy glare to the scene in front of her, but it went unnoticed by Annabelle, that just nodded and said a low: ¡°Please¡­¡±

    ¡°Close your eyes. Think about the boy. Where you last saw him. Imagine his face and remember his voice.¡± Lilith said, closing her own eyes and pressing her hands against the girl''s hand. After seconds of silence, that Lyneth watched with angry eyes and arms crossed against her breast, Lilith opened her eyes again: ¡°The boy is close to the fountain in the middle of the village. He¡¯s hiding behind some boxes waiting for you to find him. He¡¯s safe, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Annabelle opened her eyes and, facing Lilith¡¯s dark eyes, turned away, her flushed face.

    ¡°T-Thanks¡­¡± She said.

    ¡°You can take your hand off, now¡±, Lilith said, smiling.

    The girl retracted fast, her face becoming even redder. She turned away, almost stumbling on her long dress.

    ¡°R-right, sorry.¡± She said, and turning to the window again, smiled at the two woman inside: ¡°Thanks...miss. Thanks, Lyn-Lyn. I¡¯m going.¡± And she trotted away from them, without looking back.

    As Lilith looked inside, she saw a Lyneth with a displeased face, making curls on her brown hair using her finger.

    ¡°Anything bothering you?¡± Lilith asked.

    ¡°Bothering me, madam? I¡¯m your servant, what right have I to get bothered by you?¡± There was nothing of the usual smile on her face.

    ¡°What is that about Lyn-Lyn?¡±

    Hearing that, the smile came back, a little bitter than usual.

    ¡°Madam. If you start to call me that, I swear I¡¯ll start calling you Lili.¡±

    Lilith turned to the window, from where Annabelle had disappeared already, ignoring Lyneth¡¯s words.

    ¡°But as I was saying before. I have to go somewhere. If you actually wish to help, get ready and meet me outside the village in one hour.¡±

    Lyneth¡¯s face softened, and her hand separated from her hair. She looked at Lilith with interest in her eyes, and a glimpse of curiosity.

    ¡°So, where are we going?¡± She asked.

    Lilith turned to her, looking into her green eyes. There was some kind of menacing tone in her voice as she said: ¡°We¡¯re going to recruit an army.¡±

    ***

    Lyneth saw herself inside the dark forest once again. While Lilith wore the same dress she put that morning, and Lyneth made an observation that it did look great in her, she herself decided to wear something easier to walk among all those vegetation and bugs. She wore black shorts, going a little above her knees and a long brown shirt, covering the shorts partly.

    Lilith could move with ease through all those obstacles, even though it probably was hard with what she was wearing. It was almost like the forest made the way easier for her. For Lyneth, however, even though she was watching every step, it wasn¡¯t easy at all. She was wearing shoes for traveling, but still stumbled a lot.

    The long shirt wasn''t the best for that walk either, but it had a purpose. Hiding beneath it, supported by her shorts was a dagger of a medium size she grabbed in her room before going out. That was actually a gift from her mother, for her tenth birthday. Not the kind of present most parents would give their child, but Lyneth did though it could be useful, so she kept it sharp and in good conditions even though she never used it.

    She wanted to avoid staying in the same position as before, even though she agreed with being a bait again if needed. If she had a weapon when the old man grabbed her, she would stab him for sure. Maybe it wouldn''t work out as she hoped, but at least she could fight. She thought there was no reason for Lilith to know about the weapon, though, so she said nothing.

    After a long walk, they arrived at an unusual place. Two large rocks, one beside another, making a passage like a portal between them. Lilith stopped and looked up, to the sunshine making its way across the leaves of those tall trees and bathing that place in a golden light. Her red hair shining against the sun, her skin looking even more like it was made of gold.

    She approached the two big rocks and placed her open hand on the ground between them. After minutes of waiting, she stood up and turned to Lyneth.

    ¡°It''ll take some time for the power to recharge. If I''m here, probably it¡¯ll be faster.¡± She leaned with her back on the rock and crossed her arms.

    Still, in her place, Lyneth ran her eyes to the two tall rocks but didn''t say anything. She gave two taps on a short boulder nearby, brushing some of the dirt away, and sat on it.

    ¡°So, are you going to your homeland or something?¡± She asked.

    ¡°We don''t even have a homeland anymore. No. We''re going after an old friend.¡±

    ¡°One person? That''s your army?¡±

    ¡°We''re few, but one of my kind is worth more than an entire army of yours. She''s not the only one I''m after, though, but she''s the one we''re going recruit now.¡± Lilith turned her eyes to the forest across Lyneth. ¡°I''m thinking about making my base on this same forest. It has enough power around and humans are afraid of it, so it''s perfect.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you should enslave Greenheaven, too.¡±

    ¡°Not like you people can be of much help,¡± Lilith said, giving little attention that Lyneth was betraying her own kind with her words.

    ¡°By the way¡­¡± Lyneth said, stretching the words, and her hand reaching her hair, starting to twirl it. ¡°What was that thing with Annabelle, after all?¡±

    ¡°Annabelle? Oh, that girl. She was in the way, so I just wanted to make her go.¡±

    ¡°She would keep looking anyway, you know. In fact, you probably made her take more time than she would.¡±

    Lilith looked to Lyneth that was making a displeased face.

    ¡°Jealous? My servant think she can decide who I should interact or not?¡±

    Lyneth sighed.

    ¡°I mean, isn''t there a law against helping humans or something?¡±

    ¡°No such a thing. In fact, if there''s something we hate, it¡¯s laws. We never had that kind of organization. Just a king and his subjects. Maybe that was our downfall, though, when I stop to think about it. But we don''t need such things because usually, we would never betray each other like your people do.¡± Seeing as Lyneth¡¯s face was unaltered, Lilith added: ¡°But that girl. She was like you.¡±

    Lyneth frowned.

    ¡°Like me? Annabelle?¡±

    ¡°She has yours¡­ preferences. Or haven''t you thought about it, yet? We''re both females, but you''re infatuated with me.¡±

    ¡°It''s not that I haven''t thought about it. I think I just don''t care. And I don''t love you because you''re a woman, I love you because you''re you. Other women don''t interest me at all, neither do other men.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ I don''t think you can use that as an excuse.¡±

    ¡°As I said, I don''t care. But do you think it¡¯s wrong? Two people of the same gender sexually interested in each other?¡±

    ¡°It''s not that common between human, but I did see many cases like that in my travels. Most human societies seem to condemn or even forbid it, but I wouldn''t call it wrong.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ too bad.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You wanted to be wrong?¡±

    ¡°It would be more interesting. I mean, I don''t care to follow what other people want me to do, anyway. But, huh, you said between humans. Are demons different?¡±

    Lilith looked away, in a contemplating stance. It looked like she was remembering a distant past.

    ¡°It¡¯s more like, like you, we just don''t care about things like that, so it doesn''t feel different. We don''t feel like we have to put a label on it or anything. In my vision, humans create meaningless rules that make no sense to my kind. I don''t see the point in human moral. Most of the time those things don¡¯t have any reason to exist.¡±

    ¡°Well, that''s not what I''m interested in.¡± Lyneth raised from the boulder she was sitting on. In slow pace, she approached Lilith between the two rocks and held the queen¡¯s hands. They were warm. ¡°I want to know what your preferences are.¡±

    Lyneth gazed into Lilith¡¯s eyes for seconds in silence. The other woman remained in silence. She just stood there. Her eyes looking inside the two green orbs behind the glasses in the girl''s face. Lilith raised her hand and her fingers brushed against Lyneth¡¯s hair as she pulled the girl¡¯s face closer. There was some scent emanating from Lilith¡¯s body, Lyneth realized. Aside from her sweet fragrance, there was something like the smell of earth. It wasn¡¯t unpleasant, though. It reminded her of nature.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Lyneth could feel Lilith¡¯s warm breath on her face, so close their faces were. She looked at the woman¡¯s pink lips and remembered about that very night. About how soft they were and how good she felt. She leaned forward¡­

    A loud hiss started to sound around them.

    Lilith moved aside and pulled Lyneth with her by the hand. As they moved away, a plumpy mass of dark shadow started to form on the place they were before. It covered the entire space between the two rocks, making some kind of ethereal curtains.

    With a cold ¡°let''s go¡±, Lilith released Lyneth¡¯s hand and walked through the smoke, disappearing inside it.

    Lyneth took her hand to her mouth, putting her fingers on her own lips. She sighed and a bitter smile came to her face. Dragging her feet, she followed behind Lilith, through the thick smoke.

    ***

    It was a weird feeling walking through that portal. Lyneth couldn''t see anything inside the black smoke. She felt as if her body was being crushed at first, although there was no pain. When she finally felt whatever was crushing her body to start dispersing, the smoke started to disappear, allowing her to see through it.

    She was still in the forest, but it felt different. The new forest looked darker and the trees taller and trickier, had a more ominous feel. Even the weather looked different. It was humid, even though it hadn''t rained for days. Lilith had her arms crossed, leaning against a tree, looking like she was waiting for some time.

    ¡°I forgot how hard it is for those not used to it.¡± She said and started walking, without even asking Lyneth if she was fine.

    Walking through those woods was even harder than before. As Lilith probably waited for Lyneth to catch up with her, now Lyneth wondered that she wasn''t more than a burden for the demon queen. The humid path didn''t help and at times she found herself slipping through it, but keeping her balance before falling to the ground.

    Lilith, on the other side, walked skillfully through it, even though her long dress should''ve been a bigger hindrance. She was still slow, probably taking care so she wouldn¡¯t be too far from Lyneth.

    It was so dark because of the thick treetops above them that it was hard for Lyneth to see in front of her. Her glasses getting fogged by the humidity just made it worse. She could still use the bright red of Lilith¡¯s hair as a guidance, though.

    Lilith halted in the middle of their walk. She spun in Lyneth¡¯s way, raising her right hand. The girl felt her body being pushed back by an invisible force. She hit her back on the trunk of a big tree and left out a yell of pain. Soon she realized what was happening, as the place she had been thrown from getting hit by a big lump of something resembling dark brown strings. It made a hole where it landed and strew earth everywhere. Lyneth would¡¯ve been crushed by it, had Lilith not pushed her away.

    The mass of strings started to move again, retracting up, to the top of the trees. Following with her eyes, Lyneth realized the strings were attached to a human form standing on the branches. As the hair became shrink to its normal form, or at least as normal as a hair with the same length of an adult can be, the human looked down to Lyneth. After, her eyes turned to Lilith, and she leaped from the branch, hoping to the nearby tree and disappearing into the darkness formed by the woods.

    ¡°Is that your friend?¡± Lyneth tried not to look as scared as she was, but her voice was shaky.

    ¡°I don''t think so¡­¡± Lilith still had her cool temperament as she examined above. ¡°But definitely related. Let''s follow her.¡±

    Lyneth didn''t know how they would follow a girl who disappeared into the darkness above but stayed in silence. She did her best to keep the pace with Lilith, who wasn¡¯t making effort to wait for her anymore. She managed to sprint through the forest until her feet got entangled on a root and she fell on the floor. She used her hand to prevent a worse hit, and her palms got dirty with mud and blood. Without wasting much time, she ran to the direction Lilith had disappeared.

    At first, she was lost. She took out her glasses and examined the forest around her, finding clear signs on broken branches and feets forms on the mud. Branches and thorns scratching her skin, making her bleed from several small cuts.

    She found Lilith soon after, in a more open space. Putting her glasses back, she approached the demon queen. Just then she realized the figure standing in front. The girl was taller than the two of them, her hair of a brown color darker than Lyneth¡¯s. Her dirty garments were clearly old. Just a piece of cloth covering her chest, leaving her belly exposed and another around her waist, looking like some skirt reaching to her thighs. And, of course, there was the length of her hair. It was as long as the girl''s own stature, with its points dirtying itself on the mud in the ground.

    ¡°Go away!¡± She ordered, glaring menacingly at the two woman.

    Lyneth tried to give one step forward but stopped as the girl¡¯s hair started to move in a pattern of waves, looking alive. Those dark strands formed a circle on her head, like some kind of mane

    ¡°Go¡­ Away!¡± She yelled again.

    Lyneth didn''t dare to move, but Lilith looked unperturbed.

    ¡°I''m looking for a female.¡± She said, without leaving her place. ¡°Her name is Arielle.¡±

    The girl leaned her head to the side and said, with a soft voice: ¡°Mommy?¡±

    ¡°You''re that woman daughter, huh? Makes sense. Where is she now?¡±

    ¡°Mom¡­ dead. They killed mommy!¡± She said pointing to Lyneth. Her face deformed by anger and sadness. ¡°They cut mom¡¯s head off. I saw it. I didn''t save mommy. She was in bed. She was sick.¡± She buried her head in her hands.

    ¡°So she''s dead,¡± Lilith said, more to herself than anything. She looked at the girl and gave a step forward. At the same instant, the girl¡¯s hair moved by itself and thrust in the demon queen¡¯s direction. As it moved, it became even higher in length, like sprouting from the girl¡¯s head. Lilith raised the hand and with a gesture made the hair bounce upwards.

    ¡°Do you think you can hit me, children?¡± She said, her eyes turning red.

    Startled, the girl ran away, her long hair disappearing behind the trees. Perceiving the girl fleeing, Lyneth made way to Lilith¡¯s side.

    ¡°Are you letting her go?¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry. I know exactly where she''s going.¡±

    After some small walk, now with Lilith not having the same urgency on her steps, they arrived at a house in the middle of the forest. It was a small house, made of old wood. Cloaked by the shadows and branches of the thick trees around it. The light brown door was almost the only thing seen through it.

    They walked close to it, but Lilith stopped in front of the door. She scrutinized the house with her eyes, her hand on her chin, deep in thought.

    ¡°As I expected,¡± she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. ¡°I can''t enter.¡± As Lyneth looked at her with inquisitive eyes, she added: ¡°There¡¯s a barrier blocking me.¡±

    With caution, Lyneth raised her hand and touched the door. There wasn''t any reaction.

    ¡°You won''t get affected,¡± Lilith explained. ¡°This barrier has no effect in humans. Otherwise, she would still be alive.¡±

    ¡°So what? She made this to protect herself from other demons?¡± Lyneth asked, remembering that Lilith told her how rare it was for demons to betray each other.

    Lilith shook her head.

    ¡°I think she wanted to protect her daughter. Not from demons. No. It was from¡­ something else. So, little girl, now it''s the time to prove your worth. Open that door to me.¡±

    Without questioning, Lyneth put her hand on the handle and turned it, making the door open with a creaking sound. When the space through the opening was big enough, she felt hands on her back and a push that threw her inside the house. At the same time, a wave of hair held her by her body and arms pulling her inside.

    The girl then held Lyneth¡¯s arm with her right hand, and the strength was something a human couldn''t even dream of escaping from. If she wanted, she probably could break Lyneth¡¯s arm with a little squeeze. But at least, she unrolled her hair from the girl¡¯s body.

    Lyneth realized how that hair was covering the entire little house. Coming out of the girl¡¯s head, it went through the table, to the utensils, through the door leading to the room at the back. It was like the entire house was wrapped in those strands. It was more than ten times bigger than the length she saw before.

    Looking at the entrance, Lyneth saw Lilith smiling, her arms crossed, standing outside the house.

    ¡°Go away!¡±, the girl hissed and held her free hand against Lyneth¡¯s neck. ¡°Or I''ll tear her head off right now.¡±

    Lilith smirked.

    ¡°And why would I care about what happens to that human? Go ahead. She''s disposable.¡±

    The girl made pressure on Lyneth¡¯s neck, not enough to harm her yet. The grip on her left arm was starting to hurt.

    ¡°It would be smart to listen to me first, though.¡± Lilith continued. ¡°If you want them to pay to what happened to your mother, I invite you to come with me.¡± And after a silence, she concluded: ¡°I want to bring our empire back.¡±

    ¡°Empire? I don''t know what is that! I just want mommy!¡±

    While a little scared about her fate, Lyneth realized how that girl, even in that adult body, with that stupid strength, was shaking like a kid.

    ¡°Go away!¡± The girl yelled again, almost crying.

    She released the grip on Lyneth¡¯s arm to clean the tears off her face. That was what Lyneth waited to happen. Before the other girl could even understand what was happening, Lyneth grabbed her long hair close to the root in her head, making sure all the girl¡¯s strands were inside her palm. As fast as she could, she took the dagger off her waist and sliced between her gripped hand and the girl¡¯s head, cutting through all her hair in one movement.

    The girl gave a startled scream and tried to grab her strands of hair, touching up her head in a useless action, since Lyneth had thrown it in the floor already. The girl¡¯s hair now at a length above her neck.

    ¡°Lyneth!¡± she heard Lilith screaming from outside. ¡°Get away from there, now!¡±

    Lyneth looked at the floor and realized the strands of hair were suffering a weird reaction. They were shaking, like boiling in hot water. Not just on the floor, but in the entire house.

    While the demon girl was still confused, Lyneth grabbed her by the hand and pulled her along, running to the house entrance. As she put her feet outside, she heard a loud bang and the impact threw her forward, in Lilith¡¯s arms. She looked behind. Through the windows, door, roof, and through some holes made in the walls, the house looked like a box of black needles. Some objects were thrown outside by the explosion caused when the strands expanded.

    ¡°Just like her mother. When a strand of her hair is cut, it explodes, becoming some kind of piercing needle. It''s pretty sharp and probably would leave you full of holes weren''t you fast enough.¡± Still holding Lyneth¡¯s body against her, Lilith looked at the dagger on her hand. ¡°I didn''t know you had that.¡±

    Lyneth glanced on her hand holding her knife and on her other hand, still holding the other girl¡¯s, now kneeled and shaking behind her. She released the girl and buried her face in Lilith¡¯s chest.

    Lilith pushed her away, although a little gentler than she expected.

    ¡°Don''t try your luck.¡±

    Lyneth smiled and fixed her glasses, bent on her face after the contact with Lilith¡¯s body.

    ¡°Thanks. That warning saved my life.¡± She said.

    ¡°Don''t be stupid. Why am I being thanked for protecting my property? Also, I couldn''t let the one I came for be destroyed.¡± She looked at the girl who was sobbing on the ground. ¡°Even though she''s not exactly the one I came for¡­¡±

    Lilith approached the girl and offered her hand. The girl just watched in suspicion. Lilith rushed her again and got her hand grabbed. She pulled the girl from the ground.

    ¡°Now, if you''ll listen to me¡­¡± but Lilith stopped, as the girl escaped from her grip and sprinted behind her, in Lyneth¡¯s direction.

    As Lyneth saw it, remembering the strength that the girl had on her arm, she shut her eyes, expecting to at least survive the attack. But the impact she felt on her face was almost imperceptible. It would probably hurt more had she punched her own face.

    She opened her eyes. The girl''s hand was touching her face. She tried to hit again, now on Lyneth¡¯s belly. Not even a sting.

    ¡°Just like your mother,¡± Lilith said behind her. ¡°Losing your hair makes you lose your strength, too.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lyneth made and looked at the girl''s scared eyes. A cruel smile crept across her face.

    Lyneth kicked the girl¡¯s legs, making her fall with her butt on the ground. As she tried to raise, Lyneth pulled her dagger and pressed it against the girl¡¯s cheek, drawing a fillet of blood. More tears coming out of her eyes.

    ¡°Now you stay put and listen what madam has to say.¡±

    Lilith approached them. She moved the dagger in Lyneth¡¯s hands away from the girl''s face but still gave a little nod thanking her. She kneeled in front of the girl and wiped the blood on her face with her fingers.

    ¡°Let''s start again? My name is Lilith. An old friend of your mother, as well as your old king''s granddaughter.¡± She paused before adding: ¡°And your future queen. What''s your name?¡±

    After a silent moment, that took for the girl to calm down, she answered:

    ¡°Kiril¡­¡± she then raised her finger and pointed behind Lilith, where Lyneth was.

    ¡°Don''t worry about her¡­ Kiril. She''s my servant and I won''t let her hurt you anymore. Instead, I have a proposal to make. I wanted your mother, actually, but you look just as worthy. Let''s rebuild our empire, Kiril.¡±

    Kiril gave Lilith a confused look, not saying anything.

    ¡°Say, child. Did you count how many years you are alive?¡± Lilith asked.

    ¡°Mommy said we lived here for fifty years.¡±

    ¡°Fifty?¡± Lyneth said, making Kiril glare at her. ¡°Don''t you mean fifteen?¡±

    ¡°She probably means fifty¡±, Lilith answered. ¡°I know it''s too long for you humans, but by our standards, she''s a little more than a child.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I wonder how old are you, madam¡­¡±

    Lilith ignored it.

    ¡°Two hundred years ago, child, we had an empire. An empire just for us, where we were free to do as we wanted. Where even humankind was in our hands. We lost it. But I''m the one who can bring it back. And it''s exactly what I intend to do. Let''s take our world back, Kiril.¡±

    ¡°This world¡­ ours?¡±

    ¡°I can''t do that alone. Humankind builds strength in union. We should do the same. I want you to become my general, Kiril.¡±

    The girl stood in silence. She kept glancing from Lilith to Lyneth and back to Lilith.

    ¡°Or you can stay,¡± Lyneth said. ¡°Stay. Be hunted and lose your head now that you are even weaker than us, hideous humans.¡±

    Kiril clenched her teeth.

    ¡°Can I kill them?¡± she said, pointing to Lyneth.

    ¡°This one is mine and you can''t kill her. But humankind will be our enemies in this war, so you can kill them. No, you must kill them.¡±

    Kiril remained silent. She just nodded and offered her hand to Lilith. The two stood up and the demon queen caressed the now short hair of her new general. Watching it, Lyneth sighed and went to grab Lilith¡¯s arm, holding it against her own body.

    ***

    As they were near the village, Kiril started to get agitated. She tried to run to the forest¡¯s interior, but Lilith held her arm.

    ¡°What''s your problem?¡±, Lyneth asked, annoyed.

    Kiril glared at her.

    ¡°Your kind¡± she hissed. ¡°Full of them!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, it''s a human village. That''s expected.¡±

    Kiril then glared at Lilith.

    ¡°It''s temporary.¡± the demon Queen answered.

    The girl tried to run again, but this time it was Lyneth who grabbed her and hauled her, throwing her body in the hard ground.

    Lyneth pulled her dagger again and gave a step in Kiril¡¯s direction. Lilith just stared in silence.

    ¡°Now you hear me¡­¡± Lyneth started, grabbing the girl by the hair, making her groan in pain.

    Then Lyneth remembered where she was and looked around to see if anyone was there.

    There was someone.

    Lyneth released Kiril¡¯s hair, letting her fall again on the ground, and looked to Annabelle, looking at them with a horrified face.

    ¡°Lyn-Lyn? What¡­?¡±

    But at that opportunity, Kiril raised from the ground and jumped in Annabelle¡¯s way. Lyneth tried to grab her again, but it was too late. She ran and threw herself against Annabelle¡­ hugging her body tight¡­ hiding her face in Annabelle¡¯s chest and crying.

    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡± Annabelle made, confused. Her hand instinctively caressing Kiril¡¯s short hair, trying to calm her down.

    Lyneth and Lilith just looked at the scene in confusion.

    ¡°Say¡­ does Annabelle looks like your friend?¡± Lyneth asked.

    ¡°No. Not at all.¡±

    ¡°Lyn-Lyn?¡± Annabelle asked again, as confused as the two women. Lilith opened her mouth, but it was Lyneth who said first.

    ¡°This girl is a demon.¡± She said with a serious face. ¡°So is Lilith behind me. In fact, Lilith is the queen of all demons.¡±

    As Annabelle looked confused, Lyneth gave two steps, getting closer to her.

    ¡°She could burn this entire village in a blink, you know. Better not to tell anyone about her. You care about all those children, right?¡±

    ¡°Get her away from me!¡± Kiril cried as Lyneth¡¯s approached.

    ¡°What did you do to this poor girl?¡± Annabelle asked, still caressing the girl''s hair.

    ¡°I said she¡¯s a demon, right? Actually¡­ she looks rather fond of you. Say, take care of her for us, okay?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Just take care of her until her hair grows back. Oh, but don¡¯t even think about cutting it again.¡±

    ¡°Her hair, I don''t¡­¡±

    ¡°Just go!¡± Lyneth interrupted her in a cold voice, making Annabelle shiver.

    She didn¡¯t felt like arguing back, it just wasn¡¯t like her, and she never saw Lyneth like that. Slowly she turned and started to walk away, taking Kiril by the shoulder. She still looked behind one last time and murmured a low ¡°Lyn-Lyn¡±, before disappearing into her house direction.

    Lilith approached Lyneth and put a hand on her shoulder. Lyneth turned to face the demon queen¡¯s face. She smiled and asked, in a confident voice:

    ¡°Have I proven my usefulness to you, madam?¡±

    The demon queen just looked at her without saying anything. Lilith grabbed Lyneth by her waist roughly and pulled her body close, joining their lips in a fierce kiss. She used not only her lips but her tongue, too.

    Lyneth couldn¡¯t understand if the reason was that she was in the passive position now, or maybe without the adrenaline and not being angry her body reacted differently, but that was nothing like the kiss she gave Lilith in the forest. She felt her knees falter as she felt Lilith¡¯s tongue pushing aggressively against her own. If the queen wasn¡¯t holding her tight, she probably would fall to the ground.

    Lilith pushed her away. Lyneth staggered and her back hit against a stone column that marked the village¡¯s entry. Her face bright red and her hand half-covering her mouth.

    ¡°W-why?¡± She said. Talking was hard. She felt her entire bold waving and burning.

    ¡°You were way too confident. It was starting to annoy me. You¡¯re just a little human girl and my property. Don¡¯t get so full of yourself and know your place.¡±

    Lilith turned and walked away, leaving a breathless Lyneth behind, still leaning against the column. The girl touched her lips again and, remembering the moment, felt her heart beating strong on her chest. It would take some time for her to calm down.

 Chapter 2.5: Origins

    ¡°At the beginning, there was only darkness. The darkness embodied the nothing, and it was atemporal and immutable. From that darkness, a light of hope was born. That hope was The Creator, and The Creator then gave birth to the universe. The creator was a being of light but born from darkness. Therefore, it was both. The Creator was shapeless and comprehensive, material as much as conceptual.¡±

    ¡°The Creator used the power of light to create the universe and called it Eden. At the center of this universe, a planet was created. Since the universe was created with the purpose to support that little planet, it was also called Eden. The Creator wished it to be the home of his most magnificent creations. But the creator was exhausted. Creating the universe was a severe task. Using the last of its power before falling into an eternal slumber, The Creator gave birth to two children.¡±

    ¡°The first child was a young man. Angel was his name. He was the child of light, bright and courageous. His confident smile and golden hair enchanted The Creator at the instant he was born. So Angel received the power of light The Creator¡¯s most valuable gift, and, with it, the power of creation.¡±

    ¡°The second child was a young woman. Demon was her name. She was the child of darkness, gloomy and treacherous. Her dark countenance and disheveled dark hair frightened The Creator the instant she came to life. So Demon was cursed with the power of darkness, The Creator¡¯s most hated burden, and, with it, the power of ruin.¡±

    ¡°Angel¡¯s children were called angels. Majestic and immortal creatures in human shape and long white wings. Angel gave them the job of taking care of Eden¡¯s circle of life. They painted the world blue by creating the great ocean, followed by various others colors by creating plants and flowers. They created animals that would support the life of their most valuable creation. And, at last, they create humankind. The angels thought that humankind needed to develop by themselves to achieve the true beauty of the species. So they made a kingdom on the sky to watch over them, without ever intervening.¡±

    ¡°Demon¡¯s children, called demons, were the opposite. Also immortal and in human shape, they had dark red eyes. While angels had the power to create, demons could only destroy. To that end, each had a different idiocracy. As the angels ascended to their thrones in the sky, demons started to corrupt and destroy humankind, the creations of their most hated enemies.¡±

    As she closed the book, Annabelle looked at the children listening in silence. They were in a room on the village¡¯s church. The priests asked her to teach children their stories from time to time since she was respected by them. Most of the church¡¯s stories were about how humankind overcame the trial or the seduction of a demon, in some rare cases with the help of angels. She always started with the basic tales, in a rather simplified language, about the origin of that world.

    She dismissed her class and the kids walked away. Some laughing and jumping, some with a better behavior. Just one image stood there in the church. Someone who listened to Annabelle¡¯s stories, but wasn¡¯t a kid. A tall young woman with her dark hair at the height of her shoulder. For the last two weeks, she was living in Annabelle¡¯s home. Annabelle told her parents she was a traveler with no money to spend on the inn. The two was sharing the same room. In fact, the girl insisted on sleeping in the same bed as Annabelle.

    ¡°We¡¯re the bad ones?¡± She asked after all the kids disappeared.

    Kiril was a demon, Annabelle knew. Lyneth had made that clear to her, and Kiril confirmed when she showed why it was forbidden to cut her hair. She picked out a single strand that vibrated in the air and became rigid and sharp as a needle. From there, Annabelle had only the option of believing Lyneth¡¯s words.

    ¡°That¡¯s the story we are told since we¡¯re children,¡± Annabelle said. ¡°I never doubted it, but¡­ I really don¡¯t know anymore. You are a good girl, Kiril.¡±

    ¡°Humans who invaded home and killed mommy¡­¡±

    Annabelle walked to Kiril, stopping in front of her. She thought about grabbing the girl¡¯s hand but decided not to.

    ¡°You hate humans that much?¡±

    Kiril nodded. Annabelle learned through her stories that demons had red eyes, so at first, she found it weird how Kiril¡¯s eyes were light brown. But she realized sometimes it would change a color and she would see a glimpse of the hot color. That¡¯s how it was then. Probably because of the anger her memories brought.

    ¡°You hate me, then?¡± Annabelle asked, in a weak voice.

    Kiril shook her head.

    ¡°Not mommy. Mommy¡¯s different.¡±

    Annabelle wasn¡¯t used to be called like that even then. But she was happy with Kiril¡¯s affection, so she hugged the girl. Being shorter, it was a hard effort. But Kiril made it better by hugging her back.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for that¡±, Annabelle said. ¡°That¡¯s the story we were told since young, and I¡¯m supposed to pass it to the children. I¡¯ve been so confused lately. You¡¯re a demon, but you¡¯re not a monster like we were taught¡­¡±

    Annabelle released from Kiril¡¯s grip and walked three steps away, deep in thought. Then she turned to the demon girl and asked:

    ¡°Say, what kind of stories you heard when you were a child?¡±

    It was weird to Annabelle to say that. She learned by Lyneth that Kiril was more than fifty years old. Even so, her behavior was that of a child. Demons were immortal, after all, so it made sense that she still looked young. On the other side, Lilith had said that maturity came to them at the same rate as humans. Maybe life in reclusion and the trauma suffered had a toll on her.

    ¡°None,¡± Kiril said. ¡°Mommy never told me anything like that¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Annabelle started to reflect again, until she found the answer: ¡°Of course, Lilith! If she¡¯s really the demon queen, she should know about something like that. Let¡¯s go ask her. I¡¯ve been listening to our side of the story all this time. I wanted to hear yours now.¡±

    Without waiting for Kiril¡¯s answer, Annabelle grabbed her hand and dragged her outside the church.

    ***

    ¡°It¡¯s like your story¡±, Lilith said. She was sitting on the couch in Lyneth¡¯s living room, with the stance of a queen. Lyneth standing on her side, twirling her hair and glaring at Annabelle, who had a soft blush on her face while talking to Lilith.

    ¡°You mean, even your kind sees your own existence as bringers of ruin?¡±

    ¡°Not quite. The last part is a little different. It says nothing about us bringing destruction to humankind. It actually says something about balance.¡±

    ¡°Balance?¡± Annabelle asked.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Equilibrium. I don¡¯t know. Something like your kind needing someone to oppose so you won¡¯t destroy the world, maybe? I never cared for those stories.¡±

    ¡°I think I like your version better,¡± Annabelle said, after a reflexive pause. ¡°It gives meaning to both existences.¡±

    Lilith smiled impishly and raised from the couch, approaching Annabelle. Lyneth, at her place, gave one more piercing glare.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you misunderstanding something, little girl?¡± Lilith asked. ¡°We¡¯re still demons. Still enemies of humankind. My general got fond of you, so you have a place in my world, but don¡¯t expect me to show mercy to your kind.¡± She turned her head, looking at the floor, avoiding Annabelle. ¡°Our version of the legend was actually used by grandpa in the last war. He said it was our mission to save the world that your kind would end up destroying. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the real reason, and I never bought it, either. He was just tired of hiding even though we were stronger.¡±

    Annabelle¡¯s eyes turned, finding Kiril¡¯s. Lilith noticed the gesture.

    ¡°You¡¯re confused, little girl. After years believing something, anything to shake that belief will do that. You are fond of my general now and don¡¯t want to see her as evil. Just think of her as an exception. You don¡¯t need to change your views.¡±

    ¡°How is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°Your kind has a history of believing just in what is convenient, even if it makes no sense. You¡¯ll do fine.¡±

    Lyneth, who watched everything annoyed in silence, stopped twirling her hair and looked right into Annabelle¡¯s eyes, her face dead serious.

    ¡°You know, I always thought that story was bullshit.¡±

    Annabelle looked at her terrorized. She could understand if a demon would scorn on their legend. But Lyneth, a human girl, was saying that about the story they heard from the church since they were kids. The story that should be the entire support of their human existence.

    ¡°I mean, if we start to think about it, and I really believe most of you never actually tried to, being Angel and Demon the only beings in the universe, how did they ever reproduce?¡±

    Annabelle stared at Lyneth. Yes, she never thought about that. It just seemed obvious. But now she had a hard time trying to figure it out. Lilith also stared at Lyneth, with a curious interest.

    ¡°We need a male and a female to create life. Even if, somehow, they had the power to reproduce without that, it would only make sense for Demon to have children. If Angel had a body that could bear a child, he would be a female.¡±

    Lyneth paused. She was getting to the point she wanted. It was something she wanted to say to those villagers for a long time, but it would mean to stain her image. Now, at least to Annabelle, she could just do it, destroying the story those peoples believed blindly.

    ¡°You know, there¡¯s only a way for them to have children. Since they are, actually, male and female.¡±

    ¡°Wait. You don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Incest,¡± Lyneth said, watching the horrified expression Annabelle made. ¡°That¡¯s the only explanation.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying the divine act that was the birth of angels was actually an immoral act of incest?¡±

    ¡°Yes. But it¡¯s not only that. Think about it. With this new truth, it doesn¡¯t make sense anymore that angels are Angel¡¯s children only and demons are Demon¡¯s children only. They both should have the same parent. That¡¯s why I call it bullshit. Sorry, Belle. You¡¯ll realize I never actually prayed in the church.¡±

    A silence fell the room, while Annabelle tried to avoid Lyneth¡¯s stare and searched for comfort in Kiril. The demon girl seemed to understand the situation, as she grabbed Annabelle¡¯s hand, squeezing it, showing support. Lilith was silent the entire time. But then she raised from her couch.

    ¡°Incest wasn¡¯t wrong at the time, I¡¯m sure.¡± She said. ¡°In fact, your kind is the only one to condemn it.¡±

    As both Lyneth and Annabelle looked at her, Lilith walked to Kiril and gently held a strand of her hair in hand. Lyneth looked annoyed, while Annabelle looked uncomfortable.

    ¡°Look at this girl, for example. This peculiar ability, it¡¯s hers, and hers only.¡± She pulled one strand of hair, making Kiril wince. The strand boiled in the air and exploded, becoming a long needle. ¡°There are several clans of demons¡±, Lilith explained. ¡°This ability belongs to the clan Kiril belongs to. We call it a clan, but we don¡¯t actually give it a name. It¡¯s just, this ability belongs to Kiril¡¯s family line. In my travels, I learned that having children inside the same family for humans weaken that blood. It makes sense you would be against it, then. But it¡¯s different with us. Breeding inside the clan just strengthen the clan¡¯s ability. In fact, mixing blood dilute it, weakening it.¡± She turned to Lyneth. ¡°That¡¯s why incest is not a taboo with my kind. In fact, we encourage it. Well, it was a common practice once, at least.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡± Lyneth made, twirling her hair. ¡°Say, madam, do you have a brother or some male in your family?¡±

    Lilith laughed. But then her face darkened.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear the old man in the forest? I¡¯m the last one alive in my clan. Everyone else is dead. That¡¯s probably also true for Kiril.¡± Lyneth¡¯s face softened and her hand stopped playing with her hair. ¡°And it was never a rule. I said it, we don¡¯t have a lot of rules, contrary to your kind. It was just practical if you wanted a strong child. But some of us didn¡¯t want it. To begin with, the birth rate in our kind was always extremely low. And as I said, there were those who chose to have same-sex relationships, where breeding isn¡¯t possible...save for some rare cases.¡±

    Hearing it, Annabelle blushed and held Kiril¡¯s hand by instinct.

    ¡°So you see, little girl,¡± Lilith said, looking at her. ¡°We are immoral creatures. And we don¡¯t play by your rules. Even though those rules make no sense to me, if you stop following it, you¡¯ll end up rejected by your own kind. So stop thinking so hard about it.¡±

    Annabelle nodded. Saying goodbye and pulling Kiril by the hand, she started to walk to the exit. She was shaken by that entire conversation. Not just because it was blasphemy against the church¡¯s teachings, but because it made sense. If what Lyneth and Lilith talked about was true, the entire base she put her existence on was just a lie.

    Lilith realized the girl¡¯s wavering heart. She smiled, and before Annabelle was out of their reach, said, her eyes turning red:

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about any of that, child. Soon this won¡¯t be your world anymore.¡±