Princess of Hell

I stretched languidly as consciousness slowly returned, my body pleasantly sore from the previous night's activities. The morning light filtering through our dormitory windows cast everything in a warm, golden glow that made even our simple room feel luxurious. Between Aria and me, Bellas still slept peacefully, his breathing steady and deep.

For a moment, I simply lay there enjoying the comfortable weight of satisfied exhaustion, but then my thoughts drifted to other matters. Specifically, to a certain studious succubus with midnight-blue hair and the mysterious letter we'd promised to return.

"You're thinking again," Aria mumbled from the other side of Bellas, her voice thick with sleep. "I can practically hear the gears turning in your head."

I turned to look at her, noting how her short black hair stuck up at odd angles. "Good morning to you too."

"Don't worry about Faith," she continued, stretching like a contented cat. "She'll be a proper demon in no time. You saw how quickly she adapted last night once she stopped fighting it."

"It's not that," I said, carefully extricating myself from the tangle of limbs without waking Bellas. "I was thinking about Nyx."

"Oh, right. The letter." Aria propped herself up on one elbow, suddenly more alert. "I wonder what our bookish little classmate is really hiding. Something tells me it's more interesting than academic texts."

I padded over to my dresser, where Nyx's letter sat alongside Isabella's response from yesterday. "Isabella was probably right. It's likely just books or research materials at most."

"Ugh," Aria grumbled, finally sitting up properly. "You two and your logical explanations ruin all the fun of speculation." Then her expression brightened. "But we'll see for ourselves soon enough, won't we?"

I laughed at her obvious excitement about our planned surveillance mission. "Yes, we will. Now get ready—we've already slept in longer than we should have."

That got her attention. Aria twisted to peer at the small timepiece on her nightstand, then bolted upright with a curse that would have made even veteran demons blush. "Classes start in thirty minutes!"

"Exactly. I doubt we have time for a proper shower."

We both scrambled into motion, though we tried to keep our movements quiet to avoid disturbing Bellas. He'd earned his rest after last night's enthusiastic performance. Aria grabbed her toiletries and made a beeline for our shared bathroom while I gathered my own supplies.

The shower was blessedly quick, though I couldn't help but appreciate the way the hot water soothed muscles I'd forgotten I'd used. Aria and I managed to share the space without too much chaos, our movements efficient from months of practice living together.

"Ten minutes left," Aria announced as we emerged from the bathroom, water still dripping from our hair.

I moved to my wardrobe with practiced efficiency, pulling out the pieces of my Academy uniform. The familiar routine of dressing had become almost meditative over the months—each piece fitting perfectly into place. As I fastened the white cropped shirt and adjusted the red necktie, I found myself appreciating how the fabric hugged my form. The black corset that followed emphasized my waist beautifully, while the short skirt showcased the length of my legs above the thigh-high stockings.

There was something satisfying about how the uniform accentuated every curve, how it made me feel both academically serious and undeniably alluring. The black heels added just the right amount of height, making my movements more graceful and purposeful. I caught my reflection in the mirror as I adjusted the corset's lacing, and smiled at what I saw—confident, poised, exactly as a succubus should look.

"Ready?" Aria asked, appearing beside me in the mirror. Her own uniform looked immaculate despite our rushed preparations, her purple eyes bright with anticipation for the day ahead.

"Ready," I confirmed, grabbing Nyx's letter from my dresser and slipping it into my spatial ring. "Let's go face whatever Professor Scarlet has planned for us today."

We moved toward the door together, our heels clicking against the stone floor in synchrony. Bellas stirred slightly as we passed, but didn't wake—a testament to exactly how thoroughly we'd exhausted him the night before.

"I really hope we're not going to be late for Professor Scarlet's class," Aria said as we stepped into the corridor. "You know how creative her punishments get when students arrive after the bell."

I shuddered slightly at the memory of previous incidents involving phantom sensations and extended periods of enforced stillness. "Then we'd better hurry."

We set off down the hallway at a brisk pace, joining the stream of other students making their way to morning classes.

* * *

We slipped into Professor Scarlet's classroom just as the bell chimed, earning a sharp look from our instructor but avoiding any creative consequences. Isabella glanced up from her seat as we hurried to join her, raising an eyebrow at our slightly dishevelled appearance.

"Rough morning?" she murmured as we settled into our chairs.

"Late night," Aria whispered back with a grin that made Isabella's expression shift to one of mild exasperation.

Professor Scarlet's lecture on the geography of Silvanus proved as engaging as ever, complete with detailed maps of the endless forest canopy and the root-highway systems that connected the tree-cities. She demonstrated the phosphorescent spore patterns with actual samples, filling the classroom with an eerie, beautiful glow that reminded me why I genuinely enjoyed her classes despite her reputation for creative punishments.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"The Third Circle's unique ecosystem," Professor Scarlet explained, her riding crop pointing to specific locations on the floating map, "creates natural barriers that have shaped political boundaries for millennia. Notice how House territories follow the ancient root systems rather than arbitrary lines."

The remainder of our morning classes passed in their usual blur of academic rigor and supernatural demonstrations. Professor Vox's mathematics lecture involved calculating dimensional stress points in portal networks—a topic that engaged me more than I cared to admit. Professor Moira's seduction techniques class focused on reading micro-expressions and body language, skills that proved increasingly useful in Hell's complex social hierarchy.

By the time our final morning class concluded, anticipation about Nyx's mysterious appointment had built to an almost tangible tension between the three of us. Isabella had grown thoughtful during Professor Valdris's magical theory lecture, while Aria practically vibrated with barely contained curiosity.

"There," Aria whispered as we gathered our materials, pointing toward the classroom door where Nyx's distinctive midnight-blue hair was visible among the departing students. "She's heading toward the library wing."

We followed at a discrete distance, weaving through the corridors filled with students transitioning between classes. Nyx moved with purpose, her usual collection of books clutched against her chest, but there was something different about her gait—a tension that suggested nerves rather than her typical scholarly focus.

I quickened my pace as she turned toward a less crowded section of the Academy, calling out just loud enough to catch her attention. "Nyx! Wait a moment."

She turned, blinking in surprise behind her wire-rimmed glasses. "Oh, Lily. What can I do for you?"

"You dropped this yesterday," I said, retrieving the letter from my spatial ring and holding it out to her.

Nyx's pale grey eyes widened as she took the letter, quickly checking the seal. "Oh! Thank you so much. I was wondering where this had gone." She didn't seem particularly concerned about the broken wax seal, confirming Isabella's earlier mention about Hell's casual attitude toward privacy.

Then she glanced at the letter's contents and her expression shifted, a look of dismay crossing her features. "Oh no," she muttered under her breath, "it's today."

"Is everything alright?" I asked, genuinely concerned by her sudden change in demeanour.

"Yes, yes, it's just—this is rather important," she said, clutching the letter tighter. "I really must go. Thank you again for returning this, Lily. I owe you a favour." Without waiting for a response, she hurried away, her usual graceful composure replaced by obvious urgency.

We watched her disappear around a corner, her heels clicking rapidly against the stone floor.

"So," Aria said with barely contained excitement, "now we follow her?"

Isabella sighed, adjusting her pristine uniform with resigned motion. "After all, it is what we agreed to do."

* * *

We stepped outside the Academy grounds into Ardorkeep proper, watching as Nyx's figure moved ahead of us with determined urgency. She'd pulled up a dark hood that concealed her distinctive midnight-blue hair, blending into the crowds with practiced ease.

"Should we be wearing cloaks too?" Aria asked Isabella, eyeing the increasingly rough-looking demons around us as we moved away from the polished northern district.

"It won't harm us," I said, "and we'll certainly be harder to spot."

Isabella reached into her spatial ring and withdrew three dark cloaks, handing one each to Aria and me. The fabric felt expensive despite its plain appearance, designed to provide concealment without drawing attention.

"You're always prepared," Aria commented, securing the clasp at her throat.

"Someone has to be," Isabella replied dryly.

We pulled up our hoods and continued following Nyx's hurried form. She moved south toward the city's outer edges, never once glancing back to check if anyone followed. Her panic seemed complete, consuming her usual scholarly composure.

The polished obsidian streets gradually deteriorated beneath our feet, smooth stones giving way to cracked surfaces and eventually to packed ash and debris. Elegant architecture crumbled into ramshackle structures that leaned against each other for support, their windows boarded with scrap metal and rotting wood.

The air thickened with acrid fumes that burned our throats. Makeshift stalls lined the narrow pathways, manned by scarred imps hawking items of questionable origin. A three-legged table displayed what might have been stolen jewellery alongside vials of glowing liquid that pulsed with unnatural light.

Chained figures huddled in doorways, their skin marked with brands and open wounds that festered in the toxic atmosphere. One human male sat slumped against a wall, his eyes vacant and unseeing, fresh bite marks covering his arms where something had fed repeatedly.

"This market is disgraceful," Isabella muttered, stepping carefully around a puddle of something that steamed. "Look at the condition of that merchandise—poor maintenance, obvious damage. No proper presentation whatsoever."

We passed a cluster of alps lounging near an alley entrance, their yellow eyes tracking movement with predatory interest. One licked its lips as a lone figure stumbled too close to their territory, but the creature's attention shifted when it caught our scent through the concealing cloaks.

"It's my first time in here," Aria whispered, her voice carrying excitement despite the grim surroundings.

"Mine too," I replied, covering my nose as a particularly strong wave of sulphur stench washed over us. "The smell is overwhelming."

"Well, it's not that bad if you ignore the sweat, the rot, the blood, the fear…" Aria's voice trailed off as she catalogued the offensive odours.

"So if you ignore everything," Isabella observed.

"You got me there," Aria admitted with a grin that seemed inappropriate for our surroundings.

We continued deeper into the district, watching Nyx's cloaked figure navigate the chaos with surprising familiarity. The buildings grew more dilapidated, their walls stained with substances I didn't want to identify. From a darkened doorway came muffled screaming that cut off abruptly, followed by the wet sounds of something feeding.

A male demon rounded a corner ahead of us, glancing nervously at the shadows before ducking into what appeared to be an empty alley. His scream echoed off the walls moments later as writhing tentacles emerged from holes in the crumbling masonry, wrapping around his limbs with practiced efficiency. The appendages pulsed as they began their work, the demon's struggles growing weaker with each passing second.

"Should we—" I started to ask.

"Not our concern," she said firmly. "We're here for Nyx."

The screaming faded to whimpers, then silence.

We pressed forward through streets that reeked of desperation and decay. Broken glass crunched under our feet, mixing with ash that swirled in toxic eddies. A vendor sold what looked like chunks of meat from an unidentifiable source, the flesh writhing slightly on its hooks.

Ahead of us, Nyx finally stopped before a three-story building that leaned so far it seemed impossible it remained standing. Boarded windows stared down like blind eyes, and symbols carved into the warped door had faded to barely visible scratches in the wood.

She paused only a moment before pushing through the entrance, disappearing into the building's shadowy interior.

"Now what?" Aria breathed, excitement mixing with apprehension in her voice.

I approached the wall beside the door, pressing my ear against the rough stone. "Now we listen."