We exit the portal walking into a massive hall with slick black floors and upper floors, looking down upon this one with brass railings. A glass tube seems to reach further up into the building and it seems to carry an odd metal thing up and down like magic. That’s not the only incredible thing, there’s a huge fountain in the center of the room, with a muscular bronze figure holding a trident. It reminds me of Belphegor, but less demonic and more human. “Where are we?” I ask Gates.

“The CPO, the Citizens Protection Offices. This will be the place you live. Elmira, let’s give you a background,” she mutters. She turns to me, then stops, slowing me down with a hand. “Even if they have mind-readers, which are rare enough as it is, we have to-”

“Won’t work,” Janus interrupts. He switches my hand over, walking to my left side, giving Gates an almost hostile look. Gates seems controlling, while she’s smart, she also seems unlikable. “I mean, psychics can’t read her mind, only her emotions. She has protection. The only ones who can be read are us, and even if we do, it’s only hearsay at this point. In other words, if we can come up with a story that seems believable, even to us, then they’ll believe the one that is the most believable from an outside perspective.”

“Then I have a story that’s even more believable that a female demon and a demon lord in our midst. Elmira,” Gates commands my attention and I look at her. “You’re a warlock who found out her abilities at an incredibly young age and ended up creating a portal to the Demon Plane. Your long period of time caused your body to absorb the magic in the plane. This resulted in the appearance you have, with the horns and golden eyes.”

“That’s believable?” Hercules grumbles. “Wouldn’t someone die in the Demon Plane?”

“More believable than a female demon. Warlocks can feed on magic energy in the Demon Plane, if she teleported to a place that’s uninhabited then she would be able to live for decades if undisturbed. Of course, during the developmental stages, it would cause deformities, but she would survive. Do you have magic?”

I look around, to see who she’s talking to. It takes me a moment to realize that she’s asking me. I nod and I raise my hand, my back burns for a moment and light starts burning down my hand through my veins, causing my fingers to grow longer and claw-like, in the center of my hand shines an orb of white light. “Only Lucifer’s magic right now. As I use more power, my septagram will grow stronger and I’ll be able to use more magic.”

Gates leans in, her eyes twinkling with interest. “Demon Lord magic?” Her hands are almost shaking in anticipation. Janus, steps in front of me, blocking Gates’ view of me. She snaps her head to the side. I can’t help but think she’s pissed off. “And the deformities, do they get worse the more you use?” She asks me, in a hushed voice.

“Deformities?” I ask. How offensive. They aren’t deformities, they’re part of my natural growth. “I’m a perfectly healthy demon. And I don’t need to complete the septagram for my horns to grow. They’ll grow naturally, just like my height. But I can force temporary growth if I use the magic of the septagram which will grow my horns and then I’ll grow wings.”

“So… If you were a Warlock you’d be a channeler, which is an incredibly rare type of warlock. I’m a Warlock magician, which in terms of a rare role such as a Warlock, is common. Channelers alter their bodies and are Warlock magicians at the same time.” She taps her chin, thinking about something for a while. “For now, you’ll be my apprentice, at least that way they won’t touch you unless they really want to piss me off.” She marches down the hall and we pass the fountain

I watch the fountain as we pass, it’s surrounded by small potted plants an armada of color. A smell that I can almost taste a beauty long forgotten in the Demon Plane. I turn around, walking backward as I look at the entire building, taking in everything I didn’t see at first. The glass walls with paper posters hanging on it. Hundreds of people milling through the hall, all of them with special uniqueness, not like demons, they don’t have horns or sharp teeth or tails or wings. No, they have different hair color, eyes color, skin color, some colors that mimic the plants at the fountain. Hercules gives me a thin-lipped smile as I look at him, then I move on, looking at a large area with a line of people. A desk with glass bays, people stand within those bays, with papers and circular, sharp objects in their grasps. I turn back to look where we’re walking, nearly tripping on a set of stairs. “This way, Elmira,” Janus informs me. He places a hand on my shoulder, then leads me to one of the glass tubes between two sets of stairs.

Gates presses a square button of sorts on the tube and it shines with red light. Hercules clears his throat. “I really should be going. I’ll fill out everything, so you guys don’t need to worry, then I needta get home to my wife. She’ll castrate me if I’m late again.” I look at him in shock. Is this something Humans do? They still do harsh punishments like that here? I could’ve sworn Lucifer told me that they no longer did medieval punishments like they do in the demonic realm.

“Hopefully, she actually does this time,” Janus laughs. Hercules sticks his middle finger up and shakes his head, before stalking off, leaving me with Gates and Janus. There’s a loud ding and I immediately spin around, my heart shooting into my throat. What was that noise? Where did it- “Come on Elmira.” Janus and Gates step into the tube, into the metal thing I saw going up and down. I hesitate, worried about what magic could be used. Janus rolls his eyes and he pulls me in by my wrist. The doors shut as soon as I’m in and I immediately move up against the glass door. There’s a loud bang and I jump, shivering. The door doesn’t seem to want to open and I feel terror wash over me. There’s a hand on my shoulder. “Calm down. Do you not have elevators in the Demon Planes?”

“Janus, imagine the Demon Planes as an incredibly underdeveloped Human world. It’s likely still in the medieval stages of life with a few oddities. Everything here is very strange to her. So no, she hasn’t seen an elevator.” The calm way they talk about this strange magical contraption is a little comforting, but at the same time, I don’t like being shoved in something I’m not used to. “Perhaps we should have taken the stairs.”

“Oh, that’s not happening,” Janus groans. He leans in closer to me. “It’s fine. There’s nothing that will go wrong. An elevator is a faster way to traverse floors than stairs. It’s completely safe. I promise.” I feel myself grow a little more relaxed. He places a hand on my head. He’s being so tender, but he’s taking steps with complete confidence. He’s treating me exactly how I need him to treat me. The more time I spend with him, the more I grow to trust him and the more Gates seems to scare me. Janus seems incredibly human, different to the demons of the Demon Plane. Gates doesn’t seem all that different from the demons. Destructive curiosity, the sin of greed. She’s like my brother Mammon.

The metal construct shoots upward and I look around, watching the floor get further away. Everything goes dark as the glass chamber enters a shaft and a light turns on. Gates takes a step toward me, stepping in front of me and grabbing my robes. I pull away and my back slams against the side of the box. She grimaces, grinding her teeth together. “Are you wearing anything under those robes? You can’t wear those robes.” She isn’t calm, her voice is once again as commanding as when she commanded the demons. I whimper, pushing myself against the box. “Elmira,” she commands. My back explodes in pain and I strike back at her with my free hand, tears stinging my eyes.

“Enough, Gates!” Janus yells. “What are you doing?” Janus moves in front of me. “Your magic is not to be used for small things you can ask for! She’s listening, but you’re hurting her!” Gates clicks her tongue, taking a step back. She’s impatient, glaring at Janus, waiting for him to do what she asked me to do. He kneels down next to me. “Don’t mind her. She’s kind of a bitch,” he whispers into my ear. “Are you wearing any other clothes? If you walk in with blood, they might think you’re dangerous.” I nod and carefully remove my robes, letting them fall to the ground in a pile. Gates whips them up into her grasp and they shimmer in red light before disappearing.

My remaining clothes are clothes I only usually wear while with my Father. If I don’t cover myself up with robes in the Demon Plane, my differences will be immediately obvious. My chest, my figure, no clothing except bulky clothes can hide that. I tighten the belt on my leather trousers and tug at the silk cloth around my neck. The cloth leaves my arms bear as well as an area around my upper back, revealing the septagram and two large white scars at my shoulder blades. I wrap my hands around my hair letting it splay over my back to cover my septagram. The septagram on my back can be easily mistaken for horrifying scarring and it would be best to avoid explanations like that.

There’s a loud ding and I look at where the sound came from, over the double doors. The doors slide open and Gates steps out. Janus pats me on the shoulder, before helping me out. We step into a large room, a library of sorts. Wooden flooring with a long red rug leading to a set of double doors. The library has incredible shelving with trundling ladders. There are a lot of people running through the library with their hands piled full with papers and books. They rush through doors to the left and right of the room. At the set of double doors, there’s an old looking desk with a square box and a white-haired woman or a very large man. It’s difficult to tell.

Gates takes up a fast pace, forcing Janus and me to match her pace to keep up. She stops in front of the woman, tapping the table with her fist. The woman looks up and she looks Gates up and down, then moves onto Janus and I. “The director isn’t seeing anyone today, Gates. Not after today’s debacle. Unless it’s directly answering why the demons attacked in such a force, he doesn’t want to see you.”

“Why do you think a warlock would come here?” Gates grumbles, sarcasm coating her voice. “Let us through to talk to Director Tagert or I’ll form a portal in his office.” Yes, Gates very much does remind me of Mammon. Janus reminds me of Lucifer and Gates reminds me of Mammon. Both have their pros, but I’d sooner deal with Janus than I would with Gates. Similar to while in the Demon Plane. It’s easy anyway. Greed is the desire to take what is someone-else's. Pride is only self-destructive, it doesn’t take anything but attention. Being a demon comes with the realization that the positives and negatives of sins are both good and bad, but some can be worse than others.

The woman looks up from her box and she sighs. “Go through, but don’t expect him to be very accepting of being disturbed,” Gates grunts in acknowledgment and approaches the doors, pushing one side open.

Janus leans in to whisper in my ear. “The director is a bit better than Gates, but considering I’m getting a chance to warn you. He probably won’t like you just because Gates is interested in you. He just hates everything about Gates.”

“I can sympathize with his plight,” I murmur. Janus bursts out laughing. He gives me an impressed look as if he’s glad to find out that I have even the smallest sense of humor. He clears his throat and steps out of the way, allowing me a look at the room. The room is much like the other room, except with fewer books. There’s a seating area with soft benches and a small table. There’s a massive window at the end of the room, looking out over the massive reaches of the city, a desk sits in front of the window with a box on it. The left wall is covered in pictures, framed paintings and letters. The right wall has a fireplace and a suit of strange looking armor.

A man stands next to the desk, talking into a rectangular box. “Just get on it, for fuck’s sakes. I’m tired of being asked questions and not being given answers.” He lowers the box then turns around. He’s a grizzled man, with a gray-black beard and three scars over his right eye which is a little faded, the blue of his other eye is still there, but it’s closer to a gray color. He grimaces when he sees Gates and then his eyes turn onto Janus and I. “What is the meaning of you bringing this… Demon into my office?” He growls at Gates.

“For those answers you’ve been looking for, Tagert,” Gates hisses. Ah, I see, a collision of opposing forces. Both are harsh leaders and don’t like criticism and both try to lead each other. It’s like two cogs that are misaligned. “And she’s not a demon. There are no female demons.”

“Clearly I’m an idiot because I see two horns and solid gold eyes!” Tagert yells. “How the hell is that not a demon? Are you trying to tell me that she’s some sort of warlock or something because I am not falling for something like that.”

“Yes, you’ve finally realized that you’re an idiot. This is good. No, what I am telling you that you don’t know anything about demons and warlocks. Something I am acutely aware of. There is no such thing as a female demon and this girl before you is something different. She is indeed a warlock, but a kind of warlock that is rarer than even I.”

“Oh, great,” Tagert mutters, sarcasm coating his voice. He collapses into a chair and places his head on the desk. “Okay. Then give me the answers I want. Why were the demons here, what were they after and exactly why does she look like a demon lord?”

“I’m impressed, you actually know what a demon lord is.”

“Don’t be so condescending. Just give me answers!”

“She was born somewhere on Earth, though she can’t give us the answer and discovered her abilities at a very young age, resulting in her appearance in the Demon Plane.” Gate is easily giving a story she came up with and it sounds completely truthful, she doesn’t display any of the telltale signs that she’s lying. “She ended up appearing in a place uninhabited by demons and she grew up there. Warlocks take in nutrition from the Demon Plane while traveling through it, but her development cycle was stunted, resulting in the growths you see such as golden eyes and the white horns you see on her forehead. The reason why the demons were here is because she was chased by them when she fled.”

“Why would they chase after her? I thought you said the area was uninhabited by demons.”

“Not forever. They discovered her and because of the distinct lack of women, they wanted her to bear the children of a race until the day she died. This was an opportunity they don’t usually get and they can’t just ship normal humans there. They’d die. So, this girl here, Elmira, is actually both what they were seeking and the reason why so many demons came to our realm.”

Tagert goes silent, staring at Gate for a few agonizing minutes before he sighs. “I have no clue what is real and what might be false, but considering your… Questionable knowledge on demons and warlocks, I am forced to believe you. I mostly agree because of the clear knowledge of the fact that I have never seen a female demon. As much as the idea of a succubus would clearly interest many men. The question is, what would you have me do with this… Girl?”

“My ambition is to train her as a warlock and as my apprentice, but as she is now, she’s fairly capable but she can’t defend herselff. I’ll train her, but she needs to join a backup division.”

Tagert moves his focus from Gates to Janus then me. He stares at me for a moment then he turns his gaze onto Janus. “Does she understand English.”

“I do,” I murmur, I’m being very quiet, my voice is shaking. Janus gives me a small grin then places a hand on my shoulder. “I do,” I say, this time, louder. “The language in the Demon Plane is not much unlike the language of the Mortal Plane. The Mortal Plane actually got the English language from the Demon Plane.”

“Do you have any idea how preposterous that sounds?” Tagert growls. “You must be lying. Janus, tell me she’s lying?”

“She isn’t lying, sir. She’s telling the truth, or at least she thinks she’s telling the truth. Besides, this is something Gates might have informed you of- no has suggested before, though she’s had no affirmation from any demons or any educated Demon Plane’s inhabitants. This should be the confirmation many historians have long awaited.”

Tagert grimaces and beckons to me, using his hand to display to me to continue. “During the Holy Roman Empire, many Humans learned Latin. A language developed by the Romans. The Romans were just beginning to come up with the idea of demons and a god while Alexander the Great, as you call him, developed a closer language to the English of today from the demons he conversed with at the time. We had English first.”

“We?” Tagert points out.

“It’s easier to consider myself closer to a demon than it is to consider myself a human. I’ve spent more time amongst demons than I have humans.”

“Then you weren’t alone.”

“Not all the time-” I pause. Gates is looking at me, she has a small grin on her face and she nods. I’m lying so easily. Too easily and now I’ve thrown myself off. I clear my throat, continuing. “Uh- I- there were some demons. But not- most- most of them aren’t bad. They obey… The lord’s instructions but they also have their own free will.”

“So they’re like humans.”

“You’d be shocked how much humans resemble demons when you take away their horns, wings, and tails, director Tagert. Their sins are just uglier.”

Tagert grimaces. “Would you like to clarify exactly what you mean, Elmira,” he queries.

“I mean, demons are only capable of displaying one sin. Humans are capable of holding all the seven sins you hold demons accountable for. Humans have more than one face. Demons only have one face.”

Tagert’s head snaps to Gates. “Are all warlocks like this? I swear, if you love demons so much, maybe you should just live with them. I suspect that in this case, at least one in this room spent a lot of her life among them. Janus, what backup division should I put her in? I imagine you have some words to bandy about now that both Gates and Elmira have gone through great effort to offend both me and the entire human race in general, no matter how hypocritical that might have been.”

“If I may suggest, Director Tagert. Backup Division: Hindsight. My brother is on the team and considering both Elmira and my brother’s lack of… Social skills, they could benefit from each other's company. That and I would like to have both of them in one place,” Janus suggests.

“This would complete their team of four, then,” Tagert mutters. “I can’t help but think that with a warlock, they would indeed suit their name. Going up against a team like that, hindsight would indeed be necessary. I approve. Then, Elmira, the warlock will be assigned to backup division: Hindsight. Janus, you’ll be responsible for improving her social skills. Teach her that this world has more laws than where she came from. As for you Gates, make sure she gets a leash on her powers. I don’t need her bringing an army of demons on top of us.”

“You don’t need to tell me anything,” Gates says. “I was going to do that whether you told me to or not. Thing is, she’s going to have to live in the tower. She’s got nowhere else to go.”

“Understandable. She’ll also need clothing. We’ll set her up on Hindsight’s floor and get her some money to purchase clothing. For now, take her to the right floor and tell her how to get there. Something tells me she doesn’t even know how to operate the damn elevator.”

Janus snorts and I feel my face go red. “You would be right, Director Tagert. Thank you very much. Sorry for bothering you.” Tagert bends over his desk, rifling through it before retrieving something. He throws keys at Janus and he catches it. Janus gives him a thumbs up before turning away and placing a hand on my shoulder to lead me out. Something tells me that if I were to try protest against this guy’s racist thoughts on demons he would fight me to the death about the thoughts. Let those who are ignorant stay ignorant and avoid letting him know that I am indeed what he initially thought. Janus, Gates and I leave the room, making our way back to the metal box.

As we step inside, the door swings open, revealing director Tagert. “Cancel your running bullshit!” Tagert yells at everyone. “I got my answers… From two fucking warlocks! I’m in a bad mood right now and I don’t need idiots coming in to worsen it!”

The door slides shut and Gates snickers. Janus shakes his head. “You know, you’ll make all our lives difficult if you treat him like that, Gates. Please be more careful.” Gates grins, but nods, not saying anything. Janus taps me on the shoulder, pointing at the buttons. The buttons have a bunch of numbers on it. “When you’re using the elevator, just designate a floor to go to. G is the ground floor and the floor you’ll be living on in 47. So that’s all you need to know.” He presses in 47, which turns red and the box starts moving.

Gates leans forward pressing another button, 53. “I’m getting off. I’ll come teach you some magic later after bringing you some proper damn clothes. I can’t have my apprentice be in such bland clothing.” She pulls on my leather jacket, then she parts my hair.

Janus gasps. “What the hell is that? Are those scars?” He asks.

I shake my head, quickly. “No, no, no,” I gasp. “Not scars, markings. The markings of being a demon lord. The septagram is the developments, as I grow my abilities. The scars on my shoulder blades are the marks of where my wings grow.” Janus seems to relax but Gates perks up as if considering something else. Janus looks in her direction with a harsh look in his eyes.

“There is something I find myself curious about,” Gates grunts. “You seem to know where the demons learned English. So what about how their magic works?”

I press my lips together. I nod. “I do.”

“Tell me,” she commands. I feel my back burn up and I grind my teeth. I don’t like warlocks. All this commanding stuff hurts.

“Essentially,” I whisper, so she can barely hear. “There are demon lords in the Demon Plane and they have a basin filled with water. That’s the power the Demon Lords have available. Demons have small cups and they take a small amount of power from the basins.”

“Then wouldn’t their power run out?”

“No. They don’t take much and the demon lords refill their basins. From there, the demon’s cups refill naturally, just like the demon lord’s basin.”

“Wait, then what about warlocks, how does that work?” Janus asks. “I imagine the demon lords don’t exactly like Humans taking their powers.”

“Well- I’m just assuming, but we just steal the demon lord’s power,” Gates says. I imagine she could just think and Janus could hear it, but Gates does strike me as someone who might think out loud or not give a damn as to who knows. “Instead of a cup we use our hands and we shovel out from the basin. The demons won’t lose their power, but warlocks will inevitably have the power fall through the gaps in their hands.”

“And the demon lords?”

“Either they won’t notice, or don’t care. It’s probably very marginal.”

“So- from what I understand… Demons are formed around their cup and a warlock borrows their power for a short period.”

“I’d prefer that you didn’t read my mind, Janus,” Gates hisses.

The box grinds to a halt. “Like I can help it,” he sighs. Gates steps toward the door then steps out without so much of a goodbye. Janus sticks his leg out of the door. “You better bring her clothes fast!” Janus yells. “She can’t sleep in leather!”

Gates tilts her head as if it’s an inconsequential issue but she finishes with a thumbs up over her head. “She doesn’t have my measurements. How will she get my clothes and will she bring it today?”

Janus smirks, removing his leg from the door. The door slides shut and he turns to me. “Gates is a lot of things. A hell of a lot of things, most of them not good, but she’s stuck-up. She has a high opinion of herself, and by extension as her apprentice, she’ll hold you in high esteem. She might be a warlock, but she has a simple rule. If something is to be done, it should be done in style. If you aren’t fashionable, she’ll take it as an insult on herself. She hates that above all things. You’ll get your clothes, probably even sooner than you’ll think and it will both be fashionable and it will fit you perfectly.”

“You aren’t just protecting her otherwise atrocious personality, are you?” I ask. I’m bitter, she’s not a nice person and I hate her attitude. She’s pretty much anchored me to her existence, without her I’m screwed.

“No… God, no,” Janus groans. He seems to have his own opinion of her. “She’s my teammate but she’s a nightmare to get along with. She’s good at her job, but she’s not a friend. I’m explaining her factually. I’m not giving you a favorable impression of her. Just a factual one.”

The elevator dings and the doors slide open, allowing us access to the 47th floor. We step out onto the floor out into a corridor. There are walls on either side and the corridor stretches to a window overlooking the city with boxes with strange bright lights and colorful images on them in an alcove. There are a total of four doors, two on either side. A long distance between each door. The expectation is that each door grants access to absolutely massive rooms. Just thinking about the size of the first floor might give me an idea of what might be behind these doors. Janus stops in front of the first room on the left and raises the key. He sticks the key into the lock and unlocks the door.

We enter the room and as expected, we walk into a huge room. The room has gray, stone-like flooring. Something that is uncommon in the demon world but seems to be everywhere here. The first room is split into three sections it seems. A relaxing area with soft chairs, a table and a box on a cupboard. It’s next to a massive darkened window. Closer to us is a massive training area, with an area with plywood, mats are folded at the side. There’s a small range with a few red targets. There’s a table with strange items and a teenager at it, with earmuffs over his head, messing with small metal parts. Lastly, to the far left of the room, there’s a kitchen.

The kitchen has a marble island and odd boxes. This world seems to be made of a lot of metal objects that I don’t know what they do. It’s a little scary, but at the same time, with my fear nearly discarded sick curiosity is coursing through me. The kitchen has a lot of storage and there’s a basin filled with dirty dishes. There're some stools next to the island, making for a makeshift dining area, but on top of it, there’s a glass table with strange red chairs made of slick, shiny material. Not metal but weaker it seems.

There are doors along the right side of the room. Four in total, probably bedrooms with their own bathrooms considering the clear lack of them in this room. The room, while large and filled with stuff seems stark, completely bare, having no character. Even my brothers littered their castles with paintings and busts.

“Fuck!” I hear the teenager yell. I turn to look at the guy to see him shaking his hand. He flings his earmuffs aside and he turns around. He freezes like a deer in the headlights when he sees us. I can see the resemblance between him and Janus. The boy shares black hair and green eyes with Janus, though his hair is shorter and he doesn’t wear glasses. The boy is just as handsome as Janus, but his eyes are bloodshot, he looks exhausted. “Mattie?” The boy asks. He approaches, rubbing his eyes and looking at Janus.

“It’s Matt or Matthew,” Janus sighs. “Not Mattie. Elmira, this is Kaiden. Kaiden, this is Elmira. She’s your final member. She’s a-”

“What are you doing here?” Kaiden asks. He ignores me completely, causing me to feel a mildly annoyed. I’m alright with being annoyed, not quite used to being introduced then ignored. “Are you here to tell me to go outside?”

“Do whatever you want to do with your life, Kai. I don’t give a damn. At least say hello to Elmira. You’re being very disrespectful.”

Kaiden finally seems to notice me, he turns to me but instead of saying hello, he waves his hand in front of his face. “Is that real or am I just hallucinating? Cause that’s just fucking weird.”

“Kaiden!” Janus roars. “Respect! Just because you’re a fucking genius doesn’t mean you should treat people like your fucking robots! She’s just as unique as you and you just insulted her appearance. Apologize!”

I look at Janus. “He won’t mean it if you’re the one telling him to say it.” This is an odd feeling for me. I’m angry and I’m constantly trying to find a sin to attach him to. To figure out his personality, but his emotionless gaze, his factual statements make things difficult. In fact, he doesn’t have any clear sin besides being overly analytical.

Janus groans. He places hands on my shoulders, addressing me directly. “I know my brother can be a complete pain in the ass, but once he gets to know you, once he opens up, he’s a good guy. I’ll make sure to visit every day and if there’s anything you’re worried about, anything you need. Don’t hesitate to tell me.” I nod and he places the keys into my hand. He folds my hands over them and pushes them closer to me. “Don’t lose those. Okay?”

“Okay,” I murmur. He turns away from me, before approaching Kaiden. He leans in whispering a few words to Kaiden. He nods a few times as if agreeing with Janus. He looks at me and nods once more.

Janus turns around and claps his hands suddenly. “Alright, I’ll leave you two be. I’ll be back tomorrow and Gates will stick her head in for you, Elmira.” He clears his throat. “Bye,” He then leaves us alone, shutting the door. I suddenly feel very vulnerable, alone and scared. Kaiden looks at me with those eyes, curiosity bristling in them. I approach one of the chairs, before collapsing on it. The chair is incredibly comfortable, but contrary to the comfort of the chair, I can’t help but feel discomfort in this plane. Unwelcome.

I wrap my arms around my knees and pull them close to my chest. Lucifer brother, how are you doing? Are you fine? Father hasn’t punished you dearly has he? I turn my face to the back of the chair and I feel tears fill my eyes. I miss my brother, it hasn’t been long but I feel so lonely. I’ve never been lonely, I’ve never been completely alone. During the day, I always had my brothers watching over me and at night, my Father would help funnel intense power into my septagram. The pain of my septagram burning would at times be unbearable, but right now, I’d sooner be in agony than to feel the pain in my chest. The pain of a broken heart. I sob into the pillows, clutching it up to my head.

There’s a loud buzzing noise and I feel something touch my shoulder, something heavy and made of metal. I reach my hand over my shoulder, wrapping my grasp around it then bringing it into my sight. A large metal bug with four wings and a long tail. A dragonfly, I believe, we have them in the Demon Plane, but they don’t tend to look like this. “Easier to talk like this,” a voice comes from its thorax, Kaiden’s voice. “I’m sorry. I find it easier to talk to or through a robot than to talk to… People,” he mutters.

I sit up, placing it on one of the armrests. I look over at Kaiden who is staring into a box, with the earmuffs over his head again. I rub my eyes and sniff, trying to distract myself. “Robot?” I croak. “What’s that?”

“You- Oh, right.” He pauses for a moment as if considering how to say it. “It’s… It’s a man-made object. Something that can work by itself. I built this because dragonflies have an interesting flight pattern.” For a moment, there’s a voice of intense interest as if he could talk about it for hours on end but he stops, apparently rethinking his thoughts. “I- er- I’m sorry for being difficult. I know Janus told me to apologize, but machines don’t get offended. I don’t know what hurts and what doesn’t.”

I feel the tips of my horns and I shake my head. Imagine how much easier it would be without the horns. “That’s fine. I know I’m strange.”

The dragonfly hums, a strange noise and I can hear Kaiden laughing. “That’s what makes machines interesting. They’re strange. Uniqueness is the recipe for greatness. Being strange isn’t bad, it’s interesting. I like your eyes and horns. I mean, I don’t see their practicality, but not everything has to be practical. For example, this machine doesn’t need legs, but it makes it look better. I think your horns and eyes make you look better.”

I feel my face burn red. My appearance is never referenced with interest, rather I spend a lot of time with my face covered and while it’s not covered, my brothers and Father don’t tend to mention anything. Amongst it all, my horns are my prized possession, for all demons, horns are a sign of something to be respected and my diminutive horns are disappointing. “Thank you,” I murmur.

“I think you’ll be fine on the team. Welcome and I hope we get along well.” The small dragonfly takes off from the corner of the chair and I turn away from where Kaiden is at. I close my eyes, shutting the world out.

I steady my breathing, ignoring the pain of not being with my brothers and jamming my eyes shut. I focus on getting some rest, the only thing that will keep me distracted.