— "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the , of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Seola- Soul; Numa- Spirit

~...~

I was born in the house of Adara. Many births are happy events, foreseen and praised when completed. Fingers and toes are kissed and newly made mothers and fathers smile upon one another in love. Things were a little different in my case.

The Adara were a wealthy family; the wealthiest in the land of Numa. They were also very much human so when the last Seraphim came knocking on their door in the night, they were quite surprised to be suddenly gifted with a new life.

My mother apparently was very beautiful. Her skin was glowing in a tinge of white within the night, reflecting the power of the Seraphim as they are known to do. Her hair was red like fire and her eyes, like the eyes of a true Seraph, were golden bright like the sun. But she was hurt, the meat of her neck torn into and blood caking her skin dangerously. And she was heavily pregnant.

The Adara family head, Derek Adara, was stunned by the injured beauty before him. He gave her the greatest of care, shelter, and in that same night he helped to deliver a child from this otherworldly creature himself. However, the greatly injured Seraph was too far gone. She and I shared only ten breaths together and then she passed onto another life.

That night, Derek Adara had choices to make. In this world, the Daemons had been thought to have killed all the Seraphim in the world. He could give me up, protecting himself and possibly even be rewarded. But he would tell me my entire life, as he looked into my face, my own eyes would open. Two glowing orbs of gold would greet his own sapphire eyes and within two blinks the gold faded into matching blue eyes. He saw himself in me and he decided then that I would be his daughter.

This is a story I was told by my Father for years and one I was sworn to never tell another.

I was crouched low under a table, the skirt of the table flowing low enough to cover all but my slippers. I remained frozen and unmoving as the sound of multiple feet began to echo closer and closer down the halls. My heart pulsed steady and loudly as I tensed, preparing to make a run for it if necessary. The steps were louder and I could hear doors being opened, objects being moved as they searched for me.

Suddenly, feet moved quickly just outside of my vision, and I held my breath as they stormed past where I remained hidden. The movement halted just as abruptly as they had run past. I waited, but when nothing came for me, I released a quiet sigh of relief.

"GOTCHA," The small but shrill voice of Lupa declared with evil glee as she ripped the skirt of the table up to reveal my presence. I gasped, but quickly slipped past her reach and nearly ran into Liza, who stood with her legs parted and hands on her hip triumphantly in my path.

I dove around Liza, very nearly being caught by the tip of her fingers, and then I made a run for it.

"Get her!" Liza roared in a battle cry most impressive.

I ran down the hall with an army of footsteps chasing behind me determinedly. I reached the stairs and leapt with familiar skill, lifting myself onto the railing before sliding down the stairway. Lupa and Liza were both still too small to achieve this accomplishment, but they leapt over steps with their own familiar skill so that when they did learn they would no doubt become better at it than even I was.

I turned the corner and was greeted by a loud roar and the feel of a small body diving into my waist and legs. I cried out as I tripped mid-run, slamming into a nearby table, knocking over a vase atop, and sending it to the floor to shatter.

Before I could even be concerned about that, Rory yelled out happily, "I CAUGHT HER!"

Suddenly, the bodies of Lupa and Liza joined their brother, tackling over my fallen corpse and clinging onto me for dear life.

"You scoundrels," I cried out in false anger, "You little beasts! You haven't won, yet!"

I roared before pushing against the floor, lifting myself under the weight of their bodies slowly. The triplets held on with impressive strength, laughter leaving their throats as I lifted all three from the ground and left them clinging to me with their feet dangling uselessly under them. I couldn't see anything beyond their mass of curly blonde hair as they held onto me for dear life.

"Corrine Adara, you put those children down right this minute," I suddenly heard the sharp voice of Sylvia Adara demand, the mother of the triplets. I quickly bent my knee as though curtseying, but really only lowering so the three cherubs hanging off of me could place their feet on the ground.

"Go on. Play time is over," I coaxed them, but the three of them only tightened their grip on me enough to make me wince.

"I don't wanna stop playing," Lupa complained, a strong pout gracing her soft features as she lifted her face to look into mine pleadingly.

"Then we'll play a new game," I responded with a devious smile, "How long can you hold on against my crazy fingers!?" I reached for each of their sides, poking at them expertly. Their ticklish nature had all three crying out with shrill laughter until fingers loosened and I was mostly free. I stood to greet Sylvia.

Sylvia Adara was my father's wife. She didn't know of my past except the story my father told her; that he had loved a woman and had me out of wedlock. My mother had passed away during childbirth. And that had been close to twelve years before he had met Sylvia. They were married and then the triplets, Lupita, Eliza, and Rory, were born when I was thirteen years old. The three of them looked like their mother; the golden curls and the soft features. They, like me, had our father's sapphire eyes.

Sylvia looked at me with her own dark brown eyes, but where she was currently preparing to scold me, she didn't hold a look of cruelty. I had never felt her to be my mother, but she also wasn't an evil stepmother either.

"Now, I'm sure you all know it's far past your bedtime," Sylvia began to scold her children, pulling them forward until they were lined up in front of me with their heads lowered in mild shame.

"But, mother-" Liza began to plead.

"No 'but, mother'. Off to bed, all of you," Sylvia said firmly, kissing each of their heads before pushing them towards their rooms. She gestured for one of the staff nearby to take them to their beds before turning back on me. "Rin, how long are you going to be like this?"

"We weren't tired," I halfheartedly shrugged.

"You're not a five year old, Rin," Sylvia scolded me sharply before pointing to the broken vase nearby, "You need to be more responsible. You're running around here like a wild animal, breaking things, screaming throughout the mansion... how many times have the children fallen and hurt themselves following you around? You're eighteen now, practically an adult. You need to grow up."

I had heard the lecture plenty of times before, but I didn't have the heart to fight the words. I only stood silently with my head down, similar to the triplets only moments before. Sylvia stared at me a moment longer and then stepped forward, kissing me on the forehead before running her hand through my red hair once.

"Go on," She said, gesturing me to follow the kids, "To bed with you, too. You lot are going to drive me insane, I swear it." I flashed her a sheepish smile before heading up the stairs and to my bedroom.

I had turned eighteen only a few days ago, but the implications were there. I had to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I knew if it was up to my father, I would remain within the walls of this mansion, protected for the rest of my life by his side. But it was lonely here. My days were filled with studying, both academic and artistic. I could play the violin, piano, and harp. I took dance lessons focusing on ballet and contemporary expression. I was raised on proper dinner etiquette, schooled on proper postures, words, and attitudes.

Until the triplets had arrived, my life had been dreary and dull. Their existence was a reprieve, though it meant my own life had been turned upside down. Where I had been a priority, the three Adara children had taken over, their every needs being met on all sides. But I couldn't find it in me to feel jealous or angry with them. The little babies were the only friends I had.

I came into my room, a large bedroom with vaulted ceilings and a bed too large for any normal person. Upon my sheets, three sleeping forms had curled together quietly, the only light in the room being the glow of a nearby dim lamp that reflected shimmers of gold along their soft crowns. I walked to the bed and stared at the triplets for a moment, watching their hair flicker under the light. And as I watched them, my own eyes sharpened, the blue of them fading behind a molten gold that I had worked my entire life to keep hidden when possible.

I blinked hard, pushing my fading concentration to the surface until I felt my eyes dull and become normal again. Then I crawled onto the bed next to the triplets and curled against them, closing my eyes to allow sleep to come for me as well.

~...~

The world was split into two lands; Numa and Seola. Numa used to be the land of Seraphim, creatures of pure light who roamed among the humans and gave solace to an otherwise damaged world. Seola was and still remained under control of the Daemons, creatures of darkness who couldn't survive without feeding on the life of those in this realm. The Seraphim and Daemons had fought a great war against one another, but Seraphim were kind in nature, merciful, peaceful. They found themselves wiped out by Daemons entirely.

Now, Numa was also controlled by Daemons, though it consisted mostly of humans. Between Seola and Numa was a large river called the Division. It spanned miles across and streamed either side to the end of the Earth. Daemons mainly stayed in Seola, being that it was their homeland of inherent darkness, but it wasn't unheard of for them to travel to Numa often, especially in obtaining humans to bring with them back to their land for slavery.

Being that Numa held no royalty and the Adara family was the wealthiest in the land, when Daemons came from Seola, it wasn't uncommon for them to seek temporary shelter among the mansion. But these times were always very uncomfortable for the family and especially for me.

Father had received word that Daemon Royalty was coming to visit and he was panicking.

I sat on the edge of the balcony to the main lobby, my face pressed against the bars of the railing as I peered down at the buzzing staff members dancing around my father and his orders. Rory was on my lap, his small fingers clasped around the bars as he watched with interest.

"I heard they call the Daemon Prince the Mad Prince," Liza cooed next to me, sitting on my left and sucking on a lollipop with concentration. Lupa looked from across my right to her sister with wide eyes.

"Why?" Lupa asked in a hushed tone.

"He's mad all the time," Rory said from my lap, sounding wise and very confident in his response. He twisted his head to look at me questioningly. "Is it true Daemons eat children?"

"Only bad children," I teased, poking Rory's nose and making him frown before he turned to look at Lupa.

"I guess you're going to be eaten, Lupa. Sorry," Rory apologized sincerely, accepting his sister's future death with apparent ease. Liza began giggling with amusement next to me, which did nothing to ease a suddenly horrified Lupa.

"Shut up, Rory!" Lupa whined before grabbing my arm pleadingly, "Tell Rory that's not true. I don't want to be eaten."

"Nobody is going to be eaten," I promised her, reaching to pull her under my arm in a comforting hug. "Father will keep us all safe." Father looked up then, as though sensing us watching him from above.

"Children, go get dressed now!" He called up, obvious stress lighting his features. Despite his concerns, he still looked well. His tawny brown hair was styled professionally and his outfit was untouched by blemishes. I pushed the kids to stand up to listen to Father, nudging their begrudging forms towards their rooms. "Rin, don't bother dressing. Just stay in your room until I say it's safe to come out, understand?"

"Yes, Father," I replied, waving off his words absently. It was the same routine anytime any Daemon came to our house. I would remain in my room for a few days, pretending to be seriously ill, until the Daemons were gone and it was safe to leave. It was lonely, boring, but highly important. Not that I exactly obeyed the terms to the letter... I had a habit of sneaking out to spy on Daemons when they visited, keeping my distance, but watching them curiously as they walked down the hallways, lead by staff to their rooms.

I didn't recall visits from Royals before and I was very curious how a Royal Daemon looked in comparison to other Daemons.

I stayed in my room the rest of the day, being given my food on a trolley, until I could hear the sound of bustle in the distance. The Daemons no doubt arrived and were being introduced to the Adara family minus one, perhaps an obligatory dinner if not just for show, and a tour around the mansion. The children would be taken to their beds for the night. Father would either have a meeting with the Daemons this night or maybe speak about one the following nights. The Daemons would no doubt request a stock of humans to be taken back with them or whatever else terms they would have.

I once had the thought that my father was doing wrong, collecting humans under his employ in the dozens, and having them sign away their freedom to then hand them over to the Daemons regularly for whatever purposes they needed them for. But when I watched him prepare for their visits, I could see his fears bright on his features, and I knew whatever he was doing was because worse things waited for him and his family if he refused.

I waited until well into the night before I moved to my door, leaning my head against the wood to listen for any sounds of movement beyond it. When I heard nothing, I opened the door and began my journey, sneaking through the halls stealthily towards the south side of the mansion where we usually kept the guests from Seola.

Most everyone was asleep by this time, but from my past experience, Daemon's didn't sleep during this time. Sometimes I was able to spot one in the past just briefly, but as I turned a corner I didn't expect what I came across.

At the end of one of the halls was a strange man. I hadn't even made it out of the northern rooms of the mansion, where my family personally slept, so I was surprised to see an unknown figure among these halls. I stepped back quickly, hiding myself behind the wall of the corner. Then I pushed myself against the wall and peeked around the corner carefully.

The man hadn't moved yet. He stood looking at a painting on the wall, his head tilted with a clear face of concern. He was tall, well dressed, and in great shape otherwise. I could see pale skin, skin that wasn't touched by the sun often, onyx hair currently messy but well taken care of, and a line of a well-trimmed beard trailing a sharp jaw. I followed the lines of his feature curiously with great interest, taking in his entire existence with a sudden intensity that made me feel as though I had forgotten where I was.

He was the most handsome man I'd ever seen.

After being stunned by his initial appearance, I began to notice that he seemed to be looking at the painting but not actually seeing it. Then he hesitantly turned towards my direction, making me quickly hide behind the wall with surprise. I heard his footsteps get closer and then stop after only a couple steps. I waited and then gained the courage to peek once more.

He was looking at a door, one that belong to a room kept for my great aunt when she came to visit which was fairly often. The man stepped forward and grasped the doorknob, twisting it before opening the door just briefly. A glance in the room seemed to be enough for the man because he only made a small noise of frustration before shutting it.

I suddenly realized the problem, an idea coming to me so suddenly that it surprised me.

I abruptly stepped from my hiding place, moving on tiptoes towards the man.

"Excuse me," I called out softly, my voice hushed in case any sleeping people would be awakened nearby. The man froze in response, straightening stiffly before me. I lifted my hands to my mouth to stifle a giggle as I tried to ask my question without laughing. "Are you... are you lost?"

He turned his head towards me slowly, pausing, and then turned to face me entirely. My laugh was lost on my lips as I was greeted by the most crimson eyes that painted his features into one of exotic danger. He was undoubtedly a Daemon. And yet, I didn't immediately run away upon being in his presence.

For a moment, he only peered at me with that same look of concern that he held when peering at the painting, as though it was something he wanted to enjoy as a normal person but couldn't because of the predicament he found himself in. I suspected he expected me to panic once realizing what he was, but I only stared at him openly before frowning.

"Well?" I pushed for an answer from this stony statue.

He hesitated and then lifted a hand to run over the back of his neck with discomfort.

"I was looking for my room," He admitted finally before glancing around him with frustration, "I went for a walk without a guide. This place is big... but I guess I can't judge." His voice was deep and yet quiet and calm. It was soothing, but also held power behind it. I knew if he were to yell in anger it would be something fierce to see, but in his current tone it did nothing but draw my interest. He was even more handsome so close in front of me and his voice washed over me, making me feel light and high wired at the same time. I watched his frustration briefly before it pulled a small smile back onto my lips despite those blood red eyes.

"I can help you, if you'd like," I suggested most stupidly.

"Uh, no, no. It's okay. You can just... point me in a direction and I'll be fine," He answered quickly. My amusement grew as I wondered if he was worried about my health if I took him to where the Daemon's were all rooming in the middle of the night by myself.

"Okay, I won't help you, then," I decided firmly, lifting my hand for his determinedly. He looked from my face to my hand with confusion, staring at my offer uncertainly. I shook my hand impatiently before saying, "Come on. Don't be rude. After all, you're my guest right now."

The man hesitated only a moment more before lifting his own hand to grasp mine. His hand was cool and much larger than mine. In his grip, I could feel a hum of restrained power and I felt the brush of a sharpened tip of his claws ever so lightly on my rather vulnerable skin. I widened my eyes briefly, but was immediately curious as I looked at his grip in mine.