Princess of Hell

The conversation had lulled into an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the soft hum of the VCD's ventilation system. I found myself studying Faith's transformed features again, trying to reconcile this new reality with everything I thought I understood about magic and transformation.

"Actually," I said slowly, breaking the quiet, "I might know someone who could help."

Galahad's golden eyes sharpened with interest. "Oh?"

I hesitated, weighing my words carefully. The truth was complicated—more complicated than I was willing to share with everyone in this room. "My parents might have some insight into what's happening to Faith."

Faith's mismatched eyes—one human brown, one demonic red—focused on me with a mixture of hope and wariness. She knew who my parents were, thanks to my confession during our final goodbye. But Galahad… well, he might have his suspicions, but I wasn't about to hand him confirmation on a silver platter.

"However," I continued, my voice taking on a more cautious tone, "I seriously doubt they'd be willing to help. And even if they were…" I trailed off, imagining Lilith's reaction to learning about Faith's condition. The mental image made my stomach clench with dread.

"Even if they were?" Galahad prompted.

I chose my words with surgical precision. "Their methods would likely involve extensive experimentation. Without much regard for Faith's comfort or wellbeing during the process."

That was putting it mildly. If Lilith discovered that I cared enough about a mortal to seek help for her, She would either transform Faith completely into a succubus or worse, turn her into my personal slave as some twisted gift.

And then there was the deeper fear, the one I barely acknowledged even to myself. What if my parents' discovered something that confirmed I wasn't really their daughter? Despite everything I'd come to believe about my identity, a small seed of doubt still lingered in the darkest corners of my mind.

"Though I still think Kyriakos would be the safest option," I said. "Even if he doesn't have an immediate solution, he at least has some expertise in the subject."

Galahad's expression grew sceptical. "But you said it yourself—we shouldn't trust the undead."

I shrugged, spreading my hands in a gesture of resignation. "We don't really have better options, unless you want to take the risk with my parents."

Faith let out a frustrated grumble, running her hand through her hair. "Then what am I supposed to do? Wait for a solution that might not exist? I can't even leave the office looking like this."

Aria suddenly perked up, her purple eyes lighting with inspiration. "Why don't you just use glamour to hide the horn and eye? We do it all the time."

To demonstrate, she let her own glamour drop. Her horns materialized, along with her spaded tail, and her skin took on its natural demonic luminescence. Then, just as quickly, the illusion snapped back into place, leaving her looking perfectly human again.

"Aria, don't be ridiculous," Isabella said with her characteristic aristocratic dismissal. "Faith is a mortal, she can't—"

But she stopped mid-sentence, her ice-blue eyes widening as the implications hit her. "Actually… that might work. She's no longer fully mortal, after all."

Isabella's analytical mind was clearly working through the possibilities, though her expression remained sceptical. "Of course, she's not a full succubus either, so the glamour might not take. But we won't know unless we try."

Faith looked between us with growing hope. "You really think it might work?"

"Glamour is an innate ability for our kind," I explained, trying to keep my voice encouraging while managing expectations. "It's not learned magic—it's instinctual. If your transformation has given you access to any demonic abilities, glamour would likely be among the first to manifest."

Aria bounced slightly in her chair with excitement. "Oh, this could be so cool! Faith, just imagine yourself looking completely human again. Picture your face the way it used to be, focus on that image, and then…"

"And then what?" Faith asked, clearly eager to try anything that might restore some normalcy to her life.

"Then you kind of… push that image outward," I said, searching for words to describe something that came as naturally to me as breathing. "It's like projecting your will onto reality. The magic responds to your intent."

Galahad watched this exchange with the expression of someone witnessing a particularly fascinating scientific experiment. "This is highly irregular," he muttered, though he didn't try to stop us.

Faith closed her eyes, her brow furrowing in concentration. For a long moment, nothing happened. Then, gradually, I felt the subtle shift in magical energy that accompanied activating glamour.

The horn began to fade first, becoming translucent before disappearing entirely. Her demonic eye flickered, the red iris shifting back to its original brown. Within seconds, Faith looked completely human again.

"Holy shit," she breathed, opening her eyes and immediately reaching up to touch her forehead where the horn had been. "Did it work?"

"Perfectly," Isabella said, sounding genuinely impressed. "Though I have to admit, I didn't expect it to be that effective."

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Faith's relief was palpable. "So I can actually leave this place now?"

"Just remember," I warned, "glamour requires constant, albeit minimal, mental energy to maintain. If you're exhausted or emotionally overwhelmed, it might slip."

The irony wasn't lost on me—here I was, teaching my ex-girlfriend how to hide her demonic features so she could blend in with humanity. Life had certainly taken some unexpected turns.

* * *

I stood up from my chair, smoothing down my skirt. "Well, it's time for us to go."

Faith's hand shot out, catching my wrist. "Wait, Lily—"

I sighed, gently extracting myself from her grip. "Don't worry. I'll visit from time to time to make sure everything is alright."

The words felt hollow even as I spoke them. What was I supposed to do—check in on my ex-girlfriend like some kind of supernatural social worker? But the alternative was cutting ties completely, and despite everything that had happened between us, I couldn't bring myself to do that again.

As we moved toward the door, I heard Galahad's voice behind us.

"Agent Clarke, what exactly is your relationship with—?"

The door closed before I could hear Faith's reply, cutting off whatever explanation she might give. Probably for the best—I wasn't sure I wanted to know how and if she'd describe what we'd been to each other.

The elevator ride up from the underground levels felt interminable. Aria fidgeted beside me, practically vibrating with excitement about something. Isabella maintained her usual composed silence, though I caught her stealing glances at me with an expression I couldn't quite read.

Finally, Aria couldn't contain herself any longer. "Lily, do you realize what you did back there? You created a half-succubus! Well, more like a quarter-succubus, but still—the implications are enormous!"

Isabella's ice-blue eyes sharpened. "Which is exactly why we should keep quiet about this until Lily has learned more about what she actually did."

I nodded slowly, my mind already turning over the possibilities. "You're right. Perhaps it's time I asked Lucifer about True Magic directly. If my… outburst… was really True Magic, then learning to control it properly might help me restore Faith to normal without any outside intervention."

Aria tilted her head, her purple eyes curious. "Are you sure you want to turn her back into a human? I mean, mortals are so… limited. Wouldn't it be better to complete the transformation instead?"

There was something in her tone that made me glance at her sharply. Aria had always been enthusiastic about her succubus nature, but there was an edge to her words now that suggested she viewed mortals as something less than people.

"Think about it," she continued, warming to her theme. "We could be four succubi against the world! Plus, that way she could come back to Igneus with us. She could even attend classes at the Academy! Sure, most succubi are transformed when they're younger, but it's not unprecedented."

I quickly changed the subject before this conversation could go anywhere more uncomfortable. "Speaking of visits, isn't it time we paid your mother a visit too?"

Aria's face immediately fell. "Don't remind me about that."

"But hey, it's still a few days away," she added, brightening slightly.

The elevator dinged as we reached the ground floor. As the doors opened, Aria perked up again with a different kind of enthusiasm.

"So, do you want to snack on a few mortals before heading back? You know, take your mind off current issues?"

I hesitated for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. On one hand, feeding in London felt uncomfortably close to my old life as Liam. On the other hand, Aria was right—it would be a good distraction from everything that had just happened with Faith.

"Alright," I decided. "It might help clear my head."

Aria clapped her hands together excitedly. "Perfect! You can lead the way since you know Lonedom—or whatever this mortal city is called."

"London," Isabella corrected with the patience of someone who'd clearly had this conversation before.

* * *

The familiar heat of Igneus washed over us as we stepped through the transport gate in Ardorkeep's main plaza. The obsidian archway's crimson runes dimmed behind us, and I took a deep breath of the sulphurous air that had somehow become comforting over these past months.

"Well, that was quite the adventure," I said, adjusting my skirt as we moved away from the gate.

Aria practically bounced beside me, her purple eyes sparkling with mischief. "Oh, it certainly was! Especially watching you with those two mortals in that alley. The way you had them wrapped around your finger—literally!"

"Aria, stop," I said, feeling heat rise to my cheeks.

"Someone's embarrassed," she sing-songed, her tail swishing playfully behind her.

I shot her an exasperated look. "I'm not embarrassed. You're just being overly dramatic about the whole thing. Besides, it's not like you were an angel yourself. You did it with three guys—twice!"

Aria grinned unrepentantly. "Hey, but I don't pretend I'm all prudish afterward. You're acting like you didn't just seduce two handsome London businessmen in broad daylight."

Isabella watched our exchange with obvious amusement, a slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "I have to agree with Aria on this one, Lily. You were quite… thorough in your approach."

"See?" Aria gestured dramatically at Isabella. "Even Bella noticed how into it you were!"

"That's because you two were being loud enough to wake the dead," I protested, though I couldn't quite suppress my own smile.

Isabella raised an elegant eyebrow. "I seem to recall someone moaning rather enthusiastically herself."

"Isabella!" I gasped, mortified that even our composed friend was joining in on the teasing.

Aria dissolved into giggles. "Oh, this is perfect! Our little Lily can seduce mortals like a proper succubus but still blushes when we talk about it!"

I sighed, admitting defeat. The encounter had certainly helped clear my mind—there was something to be said for the simple pleasure of feeding without the weight of interdimensional politics or mysterious transformations hanging over everything. The vital energy I'd consumed had left me feeling refreshed and focused in a way I hadn't experienced since before our expedition to Glacius.

"Fine, you win," I conceded. "But can we please change the subject now?"

"Only if you promise to stop acting like you didn't enjoy every second of it," Aria bargained.

"Deal."

As we walked through Ardorkeep's streets toward the Academy, my thoughts turned to more pressing matters. The day's events—Faith's transformation, the evidence we'd gathered about House Viridia, the questions about my own abilities—all swirled together in my mind. I needed answers, and there was really only one person who could provide them.

"I think I need to write a letter to my father," I said suddenly.

Isabella glanced at me with interest. "About the Viridia situation?"

"About True Magic," I clarified. "If I'm going to help Faith—or prevent something like this from happening again—I need to understand what I actually did back in London."

Aria's expression grew more serious. "That's probably wise. From what I've heard, True Magic isn't something you want to experiment with blindly."

We reached the Academy gates, and I felt a familiar sense of homecoming. Despite everything that had happened, this place had become a sanctuary of sorts—a place where I could be myself without constantly looking over my shoulder for political intrigue or supernatural threats.

Well, mostly without those things.

"Come on," I said, leading the way toward our dormitory. "Let's get back to our wonderfully twisted school life."