“So, I told her I’m just not ready to be exclusive, but I don’t mind taking her to prom–” Anansi paused, glaring as Auriella’s quick fingers smashed away the buttons on her phone. “Are you even listening?”

“Huh?”

Anansi rolled her eyes. “Of course not.” She took the flip phone from her friend’s hand and shut it.

“Anansi!” Auriella exclaimed.

“You need a break from this,” Anansi said as she dropped the phone into her school bag.

“Anansi, give it back.” Auriella frowned much like a mother would do to her incessant child, which, quite honestly, summed up the duo’s dynamic.

“God, Riel. You’re into him, aren’t you.” It was a declaration, not a question. “Like, really into him.”

Auriella’s frown deepened. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m sure you do,” Anansi replied, expecting Auriella to deny, contradict, and then elaborate. But when the girl remained silent, Anansi’s patience wore thin. She groaned. “That Martin boy, idiot! You like him!”

Auriella raised her brows. “And how did you come to that conclusion?”

Anansi stared at her with a mix of irritation, frustration, and just a bit of you’re fucking kidding me. “How long has it been since we walked together back home from school?”

Auriella opened her mouth to answer, but Anansi hadn’t the patience to hear it.

“A whole month, Riel!” She yelled. “Everyday, since you transferred, we walk from school, get ice cream, and go home. That’s how it’s always been.” Anansi’s lip curled into a pout, an expression she wore unknowingly whenever she felt hurt. In a softer voice, she added, “You’ve replaced me with that Martin boy, and it’s pissing me off.”

Auriella pursed her lips together. Her heart felt hollow and heavy as the unsettling feeling of guilt crossed her. Her friend was right. It’d been a whole month since Auriella walked Anansi home. Since her powers awakened, it had been Kian who walked with her after school. It’d been Kian who walked with her to school. For the past month, it had always been Kian with whom she spent time with.

But of course, that was to be expected. He was the Gemini; she, the Goddess’ Successor. And with the frequent demon attacks which, according to Asclepius, had been increasing in alarming numbers by the day, it was all the more imperative that Kian never lost sight of her.

Especially since she hadn’t even attempted to wield the powers that ran through her veins.

Yet, Anansi didn’t know all of this. She didn’t know why Kian was always two steps behind Auriella. And she couldn’t comprehend why Auriella tolerated it and even gravitated towards him.

But Auriella vowed never to tell Anansi, unless she wanted to drag another friend to their early demise. Anansi didn’t know and will never know of the Goddess, her powers, and of worlds beyond hers. Her naivety remained her only protection.

Auriella understood she was occasionally as much of an ass as she was a coward–though she hoped the acceptance of her fate got rid of the latter– so, she grabbed Anansi’s hands and stared into her black eyes.

“I know I’ve been a terrible friend,” she began.

“No, you’ve been a shitty friend,” Anansi replied.

“Fine. I’ve been a piece of shit lately,” Auriella amended, “and I’m sorry I haven’t been spending as much time with you as I used to. But I will make it up to you. Starting today.”

Anansi’s face brightened, her lips quirking with mischief. But then her brows pinched together as she slipped her hands from Auriella’s and pointed at her.

“How?” The girl demanded. “How will you make it up to me?”

Auriella smirked, holding her hand out. “Give me my phone.”

“So, you can text your boyfriend?” Anansi frowned. “No.”

Auriella rolled her eyes. “One, he’s not my boyfriend. Two, I don’t like him in that way. And three, we will not leave unless you hand me the damn phone.”

Anansi held still for a moment, assessing Auriella with her beady eyes. Shortly after though, she groaned, dug into her bag for the phone, and handed it to her, muttering a curse.

Auriella took it and sent a quick text before slipping it into the pockets of her plaid skirt.

“There.” Auriella smiled. “He won’t bother us anymore.”

“Martin?”

“Yup.” Auriella linked her arm around Anansi’s. “I told him I’m spending the rest of the day with you. No boys. No distractions. Just me and you, Anansi.”

Anansi raised a suspicious brow. “And he won’t follow us?”

“Nope.”

“Are you certain?”

Quite honestly, Auriella wasn’t. Kian seemed to know where she was even if she was in the next city. It must be the scent of her mana.

She realized from her last attempt to escape him, dousing herself in perfume did nothing to hide her mana’s scent.

Nevertheless, Auriella gave her a confident nod.

Anansi’s features eased into her usual mischievous look, and she leaned into Auriella, a smirk on her lips. “Finally. I have you all to myself.”

Even though she explicitly told Kian not to chase after them, Auriella was still surprised that she hadn’t, for the past hour, seen Kian attempt to barge into Flo’s Froyo bar and drag her out onto the street with a lecture on how dangerous it was for her to be out on her own. And though she promised Anansi her full attention that afternoon, she couldn’t help but slip her gaze back at the door, watching for the shape of his body to appear through the glass window.

Anansi returned to what was now both of their third serving of ice cream, Anansi’s being two scoops of lemon sorbet on a cone and Auriella’s being a scoop of amaretto ice cream in a cup. Her friend commented about the girl behind the counter being cute, and Auriella had to remind her that she had a girlfriend still waiting to be asked to prom.

Just as Anansi began to correct that Lizette, the said girlfriend, was merely just a female friend– with benefits– and nothing exclusive, Auriella’s phone began to ring.

“An hour and forty-five minutes,” Anansi said, licking her sorbet. “Better than I expected.”

Auriella looked at her, brows raised. “You were counting?”

“It’s a new record for Martin.” Anansi shrugged. “Momentous occasions like these should be remembered.”

Auriella rolled her eyes before taking the phone and flipping it. Anansi almost spit out her sorbet.

“You’re answering?” She exclaimed. Auriella parted her lips to reply, but yet again, Anansi cut in. “You said no boys, Riel.”

“I did,” Auriella replied. “But it’s Asc–” Auriella bit her tongue back. Right. It was Axle to her. “It’s my boss, idiot. I have to pick it up.”

Anansi eased into her seat and quietly muttered fine before continuing to eat her sorbet.

Auriella placed the phone against her ear, and without even a greeting, Asclepius yelled, “Riel, where the hell are you?”

Normally, Asclepius wasn’t dramatic. Maybe he was a little showy and gaudy at times, and there was no doubt in Auriella’s mind that he enjoyed the spotlight from time to time. But Asclepius wasn’t one for hysterics. He was levelheaded, sensible, and rarely so much as raised his voice to a yell. So, for him to practically scream from the phone, slightly breathless, Auriella straightened and tensed in her seat.

“Asclep–” Auriella stopped herself. Goddammit. She needed to make sure she was an earshot away from Anansi.

“Is everything okay, Riel?” Anansi asked.

“I–uh.” Auriella slipped herself from the booth, gesturing towards the store’s exit. “I just need to answer this in private.”

“Riel!” She heard Asclepius yell.

“Oh. Okay.” Anansi responded, but before she could finish the last syllable, Auriella was off.

“Riel, answer the question!”

“Okay, okay,” Auriella said after taking to the alley just beside Flo’s Froyo bar. “I’m at Flo’s Froyo.”

“Flo’s…” She heard Asclepius mutter. “And Kian’s at… Dammit. Dammit!”

Auriella’s heart began to race. “Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen–”

“Get out of the shop and run to the cafe,” Asclepius instructed, managing to make his voice even… and somewhat calm. “There’s a demon lord running rampant on the streets looking for you.”

Auriella’s breath hitched.

A demon lord?

Auriella was familiar with them. She knew they were unlike normal demons in that they were driven by a conscience and not innate desire. She understood well that they were much more of a danger than any other demon for they possessed a portion of the Archfiend’s powers. A bloodlust demon with deity-like powers was definitely a deadly combination– a dangerous emergency.

Last she uttered its name was during the attack on Norman’s palace. After all, it had been a demon lord who had launched the attack. It had been a demon lord who killed everyone she’d ever loved–

“Wouldn’t it be better to stay inside?” She asked, quickly averting her thoughts.

“Not when you’re dripping with mana,” he replied. “The safest place you can be in is Astro cafe–” Asclepius grunted, as if he had tripped or collided into something, and he groaned out a curse. Then she heard a snarl, a smack, and finally a whimper.

“I just got off the phone with Kian,” Asclepius continued, exhaling a small breath, “and he said the demon lord found him in that academy of yours. The Gemini wasn’t able to kill it in time and when it realized your scent had already left the academy, it ran for the streets. Wherever you’ve been, it’s heading towards it. And I want you back at the cafe now before it even gets a glimpse of you.”

A heavy feeling dropped inside of Auriella’s chest.

Wherever I’ve been…

“Auriella, do you understand?”

It’s heading towards…

“The demon’s coming for–”

Her.

“Anansi,” Auriella gasped. She darted around the alley towards the front of Flo’s, the phone in her hand dropping to the ground in haste. She heard Asclepius’ frantic voice yelling her name from the fallen device, but she didn’t turn back– didn’t bat an eye. How could she? When a demon lord was heading to Flo’s– to her friend.

To Anansi.

Screams erupted from within the store, accompanied by a snarl. A few people fled into the streets, and the passersby, after a glimpse into the shop, widened their eyes and darted in the same direction as the others. She saw the window shatter as a table was flung out of it, hitting a nearby car and sending its alarms blaring. A painful, animalistic shriek quickly followed, lasting for as long as the alarms were ringing. Once they had died, the same voice that had shrieked, snarled the word, “You.”

“Anansi,” Auriella gasped. She rushed into the shop, finding the people, unfortunate enough to not have been able to escape, crouching down behind the counter and the remaining furniture that had not been tossed about in the wake of the demon lord’s invasion.

Auriella felt her blood rush, her heart racing. She felt the tremble of the voice awaken inside of her, commanding her to run.

Leave.

There was a slight panic in the voice, a certain kind of urgency that bordered desperation.

Hurry.

Auriella found Anansi pressed against the back of a booth, her eyes wide as she stared at the demon lord. It was large with its most noticeable feature being its long, thick tail. It hovered over Anansi with a look of both fascination and hostility.

Auriella should have listened to the voice. She should’ve listened to every fiber of her being that begged for her to run away. But she couldn’t. Not when Anansi trembled before the demon’s bloodlust gaze.

You are not ready.

Auriella watched as the demon lord reached for Anansi’s neck.

Leave now, Successor!

And as the demon’s talons charged at Anansi’s throat, Auriella propelled her body against the creature. It was a heroic gesture, one that she hoped would push the demon away and send it tumbling against a table, leaving enough time for Auriella to take her friend and escape as it recovered.

Much to Auriella’s disappointment, she miscalculated the weight of the demon lord. The damn thing barely even budged, and instead, dipped its head low to stare at her, a victory smile spreading across its contorted mouth.

“Ah, I’ve finally found you,” it hissed.

Auriella stepped back, her horrified gaze never leaving the demon’s.

“Riel,” she heard Anansi’s voice shake.

“Go,” she commanded, though the delivery of it was a little weaker than she intended. It was a difficult task to not physically tremble at the knowledge that Auriella couldn’t do anything to defend against the growing black energy that formed in the demon lord’s hands. “Anansi, go! Go!”

With barely the last ‘go’ uttered, Anansi fled.

“I’m assuming she’s a friend?” The demon lord began, slowly approaching Auriella. With every step, the ball of energy seemed to grow. Auriella kept her gaze on it, frantically deciding her next course of action. “You’d do well to be careful with her, Successor.”

Auriella’s eyes then snapped to meet the demon lord, and in her peripheral, she found the remaining people still trapped in Flo’s.

Goddammit.

This would have been easier if there weren’t at least ten people still trapped in the building. It was one thing to defend and protect oneself against a demon lord, it was another to do the same for ten other people who were all too shocked and terrified to be budged from their hiding places. The latter clearly was more of a difficult task, but Auriella knew she couldn’t abandon them.

She couldn’t. She swore to herself she wouldn’t. Even if all she could save was one, she’d very damn well lose her life for that one.

Besides, there were children there. Auriella glanced at a boy, no older than maybe twelve or thirteen, pressed against the cushion of a booth with a younger child beside him. He stared at Auriella with wide, attentive eyes as if he was waiting for her to tell him to do something.

Then his eyes flickered, realizing something, and he looked around to the other people in the store. He gave Auriella a nod, whispered something to the younger boy beside him, and slowly slipped out of the booth, reaching for the nearest person and pointing towards the froyo counter.

Auriella instantly realized what he was doing as she noticed a small exit that sat beside the register, leading to the entrance of Flo’s. If that kid could get everyone behind the counter, and she kept the demon lord’s gaze from the entrance, then one by one the people could escape.

“Well, Successor?” The demon lord began. “Cat got your tongue or is it fright that keeps you so silent?”

Auriella kept her gaze steady at the demon. “Neither. I guess I was just wondering what a demon lord was doing on Earth.”

“So, you know what I am?”

“More or less,” Auriella replied. She kept her attention at the demon’s, but from her peripheral, she could see the people gathering behind the counter. Auriella carefully backed away from the demon, turning slightly towards the left so that when the demon lord followed her, his front was to the booths and his back against the counter and entrance.

“If you know what I am, then you must know why I’m here,” it continued. From the corner of her eye, the boy gestured for the people to escape to the exit. One by one they left. “To collect you.”

“I’m guessing the Archfiend sent you,” Auriella replied. To this, the boy’s face perked up just as the last person muffled her tears and silently ran for the door.

But before Auriella sighed a breath of relief, the woman, blinded by her own tears and terror, managed to trip over a chair that had been tipped over right beside the door. A loud screech echoed in the air, and the demon lord’s face twitched, slowly twisting its neck to face the woman.

The woman on the floor froze, her hands pressed against her lips to muffle her whimpers. But the action proved fruitless as her whimpers grew into full-on blood-curdling shrieks.

The creature reciprocated its own scream, stumbling a step back and shaking its head violently. Auriella had to dart to the side to escape being crushed by its weight as she watched the demon lord grab one of its ears with its free hand.

“Shut up, you damn mortal!” It screamed, only intensifying the woman’s screams further. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

The demon held out its hand, and just as the black energy blasted from its palm, Auriella dove and pushed its scaly limb towards the froyo machines just behind the counter. The black ball exploded, crushing the machines and creating a huge indent on the wall.

The woman continued to scream, projecting her own hysterics to the demon lord who’d begun to eject more energy out of it.

“UGH!” It yelled. “IT’S TOO DAMN LOUD!”

The demon lord flailed its limbs about, summoning black balls of energy to shoot towards the walls, the furniture, and the rubble that was now Flo’s Froyo Bar.

Auriella ducked and evaded as much as she could, but somehow the demon lord had managed to put her between itself and a wall. That said wall happened to be the farthest from the exit.

Even with her current circumstance, Auriella allowed herself an exhale as she found the boy dragging the woman out the entrance, just as cracks began to form on the ceiling. He looked at her with an expression that itched to go back and rescue her, but Auriella gave him a firm head shake, silently telling him it was too dangerous for a mere mortal to intervene.

Not that she was any better either. But that boy didn’t know what the hell was going on.

“You.” The demon lord pointed at her, regaining some of its exposure. Its head still spasmed as Auriella pushed against a spoon that clattered on the floor in an attempt to back away from the demon. “I am going to take you now, Successor. And if you even dare to resist–” the demon’s threat became weightless to Auriella as her eyes widened at the deepening cracks on the ceiling. It’s gonna collapse– “I shall rip every limb from your body so that you could never escape again.” Then she heard it. The first sound of the crumble. “The governor has no use for that body anyways. He just needs your blood–”

And as Auriella closed her eyes, wondering that out of all the times her life had been endangered, if that day was the day she would finally join Riner and Grandmama to wherever souls wandered to after death, the ceiling of Flo’s Froyo Bar collapsed.

Then she heard it.

Just before she breathed her last.

The faint whisper of the voice–

Or was it her own?

It was so soft that she could barely even hear it utter the first word.

Nonetheless, she heard it.

“...i...es. Awaken.”