***The Infernal Plane of Lust***

***Isabella***

I was screaming manically while I used the pillow to beat Claire and Danielle, alternating between the two of them. Meanwhile, they were laughing like maniacs, showing no sign of remorse about encroaching on my territory without an explicit invitation. I would have voiced my vehement objection sooner, but at the time I wasn’t able to muster the required energy, nor was I capable of forming a coherent thought.

Amon had been something else once he got going – empowered by the new artefact he simply blew my mind away. Despite Kasdeya's assurances about the amulet's function, I had the sneaking suspicion that the artefact did a little more than just increase Amon's physical endurance. My belief was only enforced by the fact that Kas had kept silent about the artefact’s exact function.

It would be just like her to sneak some additional stimulating effect into the enchantment.

“Little sis, please. It’s not their fault,” Kasdeya pleaded while sitting on the bed next to me. She waved her arms and sidled closer, trying to reach for my pillow, but I wasn't stopped so easily, now that I was awake and rested.

“That’s right! It’s yours!” I turned on her and swung the pillow. “You invited them! All your fault!”

Kas blocked the pillow half-heartedly. It was clear that she was still tired and not up to stopping me from venting my frustration. On the third swing, I got her good, but the pillow got caught on one of her horns and ripped, showering her with angel feathers.

“It’s not like I had much choice,” Kas sputtered while she did her best to defend herself from subsequent swings that doused her in more feathers. “I was half-conscious while he plowed you into the bedsheets. There was no telling what would have happened if he had turned on me again once he was done with you. I had already lost count of how many times we did it at that point and he was relentless.”

“You made that amulet way too good!” I complained. “This isn’t how I wanted things to go! Amon is mine first and foremost! My territory! I don't want to share him with everyone.”

Kas had been an exception since she was kind of a loner. I had been relatively sure that inviting her wouldn't end with half the family in my bed. It hadn't turned into the worst-case scenario, but inviting two socialites like Danielle and Claire only meant that there was more to come.

I knew that I was whining like a little imp and that this situation was something that would have happened sooner or later anyway, given the nature of my family. But there was no helping it. The indignation and hurt that I felt were my honest feelings, whether they were real or contractually induced.

And I had found that I didn’t want it any other way.

I liked… loved the fool. Watching him stumble along on his path to power was just too entertaining. At least in my mind, it was certain that he would become powerful if only given the chance. Of that, I had no doubt.

In any case, I didn’t need my sisters messing with our relationship before we had this thing between the two of us worked out! It was probably impossible to keep my sisters off of Amon forever. I didn't mind sharing him within limits of course, but he needed to know that I would always come first.

I glared at the others. They just had to go and throw everything out of whack when Amon had just begun opening up a little. The Infernum knew it had taken me more than long enough to soften him up to the idea of claiming me as his partner!

Groaning, I dropped the remains of the pillow and massaged my forehead. “I have to talk to him about everything before he gets the wrong ideas about all of this. Infernum, help me. What if the simple-minded fool thinks that there is no difference between me and my sisters?”

I had only muttered it to myself, but apparently, my words hadn't gone by unheard.

“You should talk to him, little sis,” Danielle affirmed while picking feathers out of Kasdeya’s hair. “But not before we have ensured that mother won’t be able to throw a wrench in the works. Your little plan is dangerous as it is. We can't risk mother deciding that it's too much of a gamble. You know her. If there is a choice, she always goes for the safe solution.”

I stared at her.

She rolled her eyes when she noticed my shock. “Oh, please, you are far too young to play this game. But with our help, you might have a chance of keeping it from mother. If she wasn't so distracted by Khorne, she would have already found out if we hadn’t already covered for you – oh, and don’t tell Jada. She might also dislike the outcome. Right, sisters?”

The others nodded along, apparently well informed of what was going on in the castle.

“We were lucky enough that neither our mother nor Hellith connected the dots so far,” Claire commented. “Theoretically, they have all the hints they need to find out what you are likely planning. Even if they had suspicions about your abnormal behaviour earlier, the fact that it was Khorne who invited Amon helped to shift attention away from you. Lucky.”

Not so lucky. It was me who planted the idea in the heads of one of Khorne's advisors by using one of Hellith's spying channels. It hadn't been easy to sneak into her office to write a missive in her name.

“Abnormal behaviour?” I asked. Had they really deduced my entire plan just from watching me?

Danielle looked at the ceiling. “Please, have some common sense. Normally, you are hiding out at the family estate day and night. But ever since that dimensional rift appeared in the sky you are only rarely at home. It doesn't take a genius to realize that you are up to something.”

Kasdeya huffed while she tried to pick the feathers from her sweaty skin, but they clung to her fingers just as much, turning the clean-up into an impossible task. “Tell your man as much as you must, but not 'every- everything'. If you get what we mean. Damn, why are these things so fluffy and I so sticky? Better, who got the bright idea to put this stuff into the pillows?” She swung her hand ineffectively, trying to get rid of the feathers she had touched.

I winced, deciding not to comment on the likely source of the stickiness that covered all of us. There was no way that I was the one to take the conversation there.

“Ahem,” Danielle cleared her throat, unable to keep her mouth shut. “I am afraid all of us are... sticky.” She pulled a face while looking at her own hands that were now full of feathers. So she gave up on saving her sister’s hair and instead rubbed her own hands together in an attempt to get rid of the feathers.

Kas’ face scrunched up and she threw up her hands. “Forget it! I am taking a shower. Let's change the bedsheets too while we are at it. Or ask Rutensia to work one of her cleaning spells on the whole room. No, forget that; she would smell what was going on in here. Who would have thought that it was possible to get into this state with an orgy that included just a single guy?”

Danielle clapped her hands together. “Oh, have yooou forgotten the time when we went to that party with the titan and Jada went for it when-”

“No! Let's not go there,” Claire interrupted. “I believe nobody wants to remember that mess. Plus, little Isa almost drowned. It was lucky that Ashley never found out, or she would have used the opportunity to waterboard us.”

It was too late. I remembered that mess of an evolution party nonetheless. The memory flashed vividly through my mind. I had just freshly evolved into a succubus, sweet and innocent as a demon could be. My sisters had taken me to that party, supposedly to celebrate my adulthood. Stupid Jada, always going for the biggest ones, had decided to take on the titan. And then…

I shuddered involuntarily.

Why did they have to bring that up now?

“Let’s forget that fiasco and return to the matter at hand. I think all of you are taking this a little too easy,” Claire continued, pulling our minds away from the memory of a white tidal wave.

“Focus!” Claire stood up and searched her clothes which had fallen next to the bed. “There is something we still have to talk about. You guys should be aware that we are playing with fire.” She came back up and materialized a large tome from a storage ring. “If we really want to do this, we have to commit ourselves fully. Doing this half-heartedly might be really bad.”

“What's that?” I asked and gestured at the tome. Claire was always buried in one of her books when she had the time, but this one didn't look like her usual reading material. A single look told me that it was old.

“This is one of our detailed records of Gluttony's history.” She looked at the book. “The only one that we have in the castle as far as I know. More precisely, it covers the time from 33-2-30-13 to 33-7-30-13. Which are the five millenia of what’s known in Gluttony as ‘Amon's Rule’. I remembered it when I heard your boyfriend's name. It's a hobby of mine to compare everyone I meet to important historical figures.” She wrinkled her nose. “Too bad that most demons don't care to think much of the past or try to learn from it aside from immediately gaining power.”

“When I saw how powerful he is, I couldn’t believe him being just some random demon on a quest for power. I got curious and decided to make certain, purely out of historic curiosity of course. So I did some research of my own, going in a somewhat different direction than what Hellith probably did. Whoa, little Isa, you are so lucky that our favoured spymaster only went through her more recent records and didn’t bother with the old stuff. No guarantee though that Mom or Hellith won’t remember it on their own if something jogs their old brains.”

I hedged, making myself a little smaller while the others got more curious.

“What's that to do with little Isa's boyfriend?” Kas asked. “And where did you get that from?”

“From Hellith's records, obviously,” Claire explained smugly. “I may have 'borrowed' it. For the time being, I am keeping custody of the tome so that Hellith doesn't stumble over it after all.”

She looked at me meaningfully and raised an eyebrow. “Or should we return the book to her archive?”

“Please don't,” I replied, having no other choice. Unfortunately, my timidness also served as a confirmation for Claire that she was on the right track.

“If that's really from Hellith's records, then you are in big trouble once she finds out,” Danielle whined. “No matter that it's from some old storage, she is particularly sensitive about anything messing with her intelligence files. I don't want to deal with being on Hellith's bad side. Mom listens to every word she says.”

“Getting back to that record,” Kas steered the conversation back on topic. “What's that about ‘Amon's Rule’? I thought Amon is a fairly new demon, barely out of the hatchery. His behaviour confirms that as far as I am concerned.”

“Be glad that one of my favoured interests lies with history, children. Because I doubt that any of us aside from Ashley and Hellith would have been old enough to make the connection.” Claire opened the book and cleared her throat triumphantly.

“Let's see. The name Amon was first mentioned in 34-2-30-13. Where he was the participant in a large battle that would later be seen as the beginning of the next great war for the position of Planar Lord of Gluttony. Just recently, Gluttony's previous avatar had died his final death to a particularly nasty curse and left behind a vacuum of power. Hence, the position of Planar Lord was up to being challenged. The plane was in a state of disarray, with many factions grappling for power. It was actually very similar to what’s going on right now here in Lust.”

She ignored a few pages and continued, pointing at another passage while she summarized what she had skipped for us.

“There are a few more mentions during the time of unrest that followed, but it is clear that Amon quickly rose to power, earning himself the title of Demon Lord by slaying several enemies who claimed the title themselves. At that time, it also became clear that Amon was a soul mage – which instilled even more respect in his enemies. He was also known to be slightly unhinged, though nobody dared to challenge him on that account, but the thing he became truly known for came later.”

“Do tell,” Kas threw in, wanting the history lesson to be over. She just wasn't the type who could be interested in anything other than her creations. “It isn't much of a secret that the Infernal Planes experience a true war, a wąr, from time to time. And I suppose you are suggesting that this historic figure is our Amon. If you didn't notice, I happened to work with him for the last few days, and I have to say that it's impossible. Nobody is that good at play-acting. I am sure it's a coincidence.”

Claire threw Kas a glare while she skipped a few more pages. Then she continued. “Gluttony had more than enough time to claim a new avatar while the powers in charge quarrelled. This new Avatar set out to reunite Gluttony and return the plane to order.”

I scoffed. As much as order was possible for demons.

“Gluttony's Avatar went on to conquer the remaining Demon Lords of the time – and then Amon slew him in single combat! It was supposed to be an epic battle.”

“No way!” Danielle gasped. “He nixed an avatar in the open and got away with it? Aren't they supposed to have the backing of their Planar Lord?”

Our storyteller nodded gravely. “The battle is described in great detail, including how Amon used the desecrated corpse of Gluttony's Avatar to demonstrate his superiority over Gluttony. Gluttony himself made an appearance then since Amon had fulfilled all the necessary requirements to issue a challenge for the position of Planar Lord. Everything was in place, reinforced by the Infernum’s laws. And then Amon just refused the opportunity!”

“No way!” Kasdeya gasped. “The Infernum allows refusing a challenge for the position of Planar Lord? I would have thought the matter would be enforced like a contract, given all the procedure that's required just to issue one. And why would Amon refuse a chance at ultimate power? That's not very demon-like of him.”

I nodded along, doubting the accuracy of this historic record. In order to become a Planar Lord, a demon had to prove their worth to the Infernum itself. They had to conquer the plane, name a successor for the title of Avatar, then kill the current Avatar if there was one, and challenge the Planar Lord and defeat him or her in single combat to claim the position.

The exact details of the formalities were still a mystery, but it was generally known that issuing a challenge without fulfilling all the conditions would allow the Planar Lord to come down on the challenger with all the power of a god. No demon was stupid enough to risk that.

I didn't understand exactly why a Planar Lord wouldn't squash a potential challenger pre-emptively, but what being a Planar Lord entailed was a mystery anyway. The uncontended rulers of the Infernal Planes were chosen and empowered by the laws of the Infernum itself. Luckily, they were also incredibly reclusive and generally left us lesser demons to our own devices. The few times they had been known to act, they came down on us with irresistible force. Though, I guessed that if they really wanted something to happen, they would simply name an Avatar and have them execute their will.

It made me wonder why Lust had allowed Khorne to come this far without naming a new Avatar. Did she not care, or was she sure that the contender for her position wouldn't succeed?

“In that particular case, apparently you could. You would also see that if you read the records carefully, Amon never intended to become a Planar Lord. He just fulfilled the requirements by accident.” Claire pointed out another passage. “Apparently, Amon refused the position with the words: 'Fuck you, old Bloatbelly. I am not to be bound by this plane!' He then went on and gave the position of Avatar to one of his trusted minions, who subsequently handed the title of Avatar to one of his offspring, Ostreios. Who is also the current avatar of Gluttony.”

I frowned. Some of this I had guessed at, but I had no confirmation whatsoever. I had only seen flashes in Amon's memory of when he found his predecessor's tomb and claimed Amon's name. But my Amon was very protective of those memories, so I wasn't sure whether the whole soul-journey stuff was true, or if Amon had only claimed a Demon Lord's legacy by accident. “So, what makes you so sure that my Amon is the historic figure in your record?”

“We will get to that.” Claire gestured for us to have a little more patience. “There are some more tales of Amon in here, but it gets increasingly clear that he was obsessed with gaining power and reaching true godhood. He terrorized the plane of Gluttony for the next few millennia, leaving the actual governing to his minions. For some reason, even Gluttony himself didn’t dare to bother Amon. And then one day, Amon simply vanished. But what really got me convinced is this.”

She turned be tome and showed us an eerily accurate picture of Amon. A picture that was from a historical record, supposedly several thousands of years old. Yes, he looked a little different. The picture was all regal and this version looked much more confident in himself, but it was clear that we had the same person in front of us. Something that should have been impossible.

I frowned and mentally corrected myself. Amon's legacy had included several very strong souls, supposedly coming directly from Amon himself. So going down the same evolutionary path was maybe not so impossible after all. Little was known how evolutions actually worked, but some were reproducible by claiming the right souls. For example, my family had perfected the process of intentionally creating succubi.

Claire grinned at us while holding the open tome in front of her chest. “Shares his name. Is a soul mage. Looks the same. Same evolutionary path. Both insanely powerful, climbing the ranks as if it's nothing. The only question I have is... how? Has Amon really found a way to true immortality – even if it cost him some memories?”

Danielle shrieked in glee. “Infernal Fire! We fucked a Demon Lord! I don't care anymore whether Hellith finds out that you stole one of her tomes. Good job, Claire! Normally, mother forbids us from meddling with anyone even potentially dangerous, but for you to pull a stunt like that, you have guts, little sister!”

I groaned and massaged my temples while I studied the other's enthusiasm about this revelation. Apparently, they weren't worried about Amon's heritage at all.

Then I pulled on my horns. “I suppose there is no way of not talking to him now.”

The others tried to pull more information out of me, but I ignored their attempts. Instead, I took the opportunity to have them swear to stay true to my cause. Getting a real oath out of my own sisters was a little too much, so I just had them promise.

After that, I took a quick shower and then went on to find Amon, which wasn't all that hard.

There weren't that many places that he frequented in the first place. Secondly, there was the connection between the two of us that led me and the others who followed me directly towards Kasdeya's laboratory.

We found him at the same workbench that he and Kasdeya had used for their other project previously. But upon coming closer, I realized that something was different this time. Instead of working on something, Amon was staring intently at the far wall, preoccupied with something that I couldn't see.

I raised my hand, calling out to him. “Amo-”

A flash of red light enveloped him, and simultaneously a summoning circle appeared beneath his feet. Then he was gone, leaving me gaping at the spot where he just stood a moment ago.

Then I let loose. “Infernal idiot! By everything that's unholy from Lust all the way down to Pride! Didn't anyone tell him not to take contracts during the storm season!?”

The flow of time was a little strange during times like these when the Infernal Plane itself gave its best attempt at wiping out all existence. Taking a contract now? There was no telling when he would return. It was the reason why only the weakest of demons fled to the mortal planes to escape the storms. Thinking of that, it felt like the floor had been pulled out from beneath me.

A steadying hand touched my shoulder, and Claire smiled at me despite what we had just witnessed. “Don't worry. Or did you forget that the two of you are contracted and bonded? The Infernum might do strange things at times like these, but the summonings are also contracts. There is no way the Infernum would have allowed him to go if it would violate another contract.”

I took a deep breath. “You are right. He will be back before other contracts might be in violation.”

Kas frowned and poked with her tail at the spot where the remnants of the summoning circle were still creating softly glowing lines on the ground. “You should still chew him out once he is back. No summonings anywhere close to my sensitive equipment!”