In the aftermath the kids floated on their backs, staring at the darkening sky with empty eyes.
"We won!" Myra jumped in the air, a smile on her face.
"The two adults, students of Ailanthus, managed to defeat some village kids. That's incredible."
Yeah...
Cyril stood nearby, his face calm as ever.
The wet clothes stuck to his skin, giving him a somewhat slimy feeling.
In the end he sighed.
"When will you ever learn mercy, Myra?" A villager exclaimed from their doorstep.
Due to all the noise, a couple of spectators came out, observing the battle with wry smiles.
"Go to your homes. The water is cold!"
Hearing their elder's voices, the kids quickly came alive and scattered.
"This time you win!"
Myra waved them back, then turned towards Cyril, her face shining brightly.
"Let's go home?"
He only nodded, and together they went towards her hut.
Once Cyril climbed the stairs, he hastily cast a spell, cleaning his clothes.
Not sure I am a fan of this after all.
He took one last look at the water around them, then back at Myra, a whim surging within him.
"...You are not going to catch any fish?"
Myra froze before slowly looking him in the eyes.
Suddenly she raised her left hand. In it a fish twisted left and right.
When did she...?
"Tsk. Wild woman."
Stunned, he could only blankly observe Myra pass him and enter the house.
Shortly after, Cyril shook his head and followed her in.
...
What was I doing...?
Cyril sat on a chair in one of the old, lived-in rooms.
He changed out of his uniform and was now wearing a plain shirt and sweatpants.
If Ophelia knew I played with some kids, would she laugh? Probably not...
"Maybe she would be disgusted? She is a demon after all."
Who knows?
He sighed deeply.
"What's wrong, Cyril?"
Myra tilted her head, sitting on a chair nearby.
They've had a quick dinner imposed upon them by Polly and retreated to Myra's old room.
"...Was my smile so terrible?" Cyril asked after a delay.
Myra's eyes widened before she quickly shook her head.
"No such thing! The kids reacted like that because they are unfamiliar with you. Besides, you look-"
She interrupted herself, going silent.
A subtle blush appeared on her face before quickly retreating.
"-With your looks, any smile looks good."
Rhamn materialized sitting on the table, her legs crossed.
"Indeed. Those kids were just stunned by your handsomeness, no doubt." She nodded up and down.
"Thank you," he said to Myra, ignoring Rhamn.
"-Alright! So, I'll sleep with Polly tonight. You can take the bed here!"
Myra got up from the chair and hastily headed towards the door.
"Tomorrow we should get up early. We can't miss the train."
"Good night!" She waved goodbye and disappeared behind the door.
Cyril went towards the bed and lay down, Morpho landing near him soon after.
It was already dark outside, and the moon barely illuminated the small room.
Servants' rooms back home were bigger than this one.
He observed the decorum, the old, darkened wood around him.
It's somewhat cozy.
"Is it? It's decrepit and cheap."
The floor creaked every time he moved in the bed.
The shelves were empty save for some half-broken toys.
The sole wardrobe was slightly opened, its door hanging loose.
To the left of it, in the darkness, stood a humanoid figure.
"...!"
Cyril got up in alarm, preparing to cast a spell.
"Hello, Cyril! It's me." A bony hand waved in the darkness, and the figure stepped forward, getting under the moonlight.
It was a lanky humanoid wearing a tuxedo. Its handsome face was distorted, with sharp, prominent cheekbones outlining a skull. Its skin was sickly white and thin, almost transparent.
Cosmas...?
The archdemon slowly walked closer, on his face a polite smile.
"Ophelia grew a little worried, so she asked me to check on you."
Cyril froze, the magic circle in his hand dissipating.
Morpho landed on the table near Cyril, her antennae twitching with worry.
The demon outstretched his bony hand and bowed slightly.
Cyril recovered after a second and stood straight, ignoring the hand asking for a handshake.
"...Ophelia keeps in contact with you?"
Cosmas took his hand back with some disappointment and shot him a look.
"Yes. Why shouldn't she? My powers are rather convenient, so many keep in contact with me. You can, too, if you want."
Before Cyril could reply, a knock came from the door, followed by a cautious voice.
"...Cyril? Is everything alright?" Myra hesitantly asked, standing just behind the door.
Cyril froze, glancing at the demon in front of him.
Cosmas smiled, motioning towards the door.
"Please," he whispered.
"Yes. I was just talking with Morpho."
"Oh... Alright then..."
After a second Myra left, wood creaking under her feet.
Cyril turned back towards Cosmas, who nodded politely and snapped his fingers.
The room appeared different all of a sudden, almost darker than before.
"Alright, now we can converse freely."
"Are you visiting some human? It's that girl I saw before, right?" Cosmas looked around the room, found a chair, and sat there.
Cyril only observed him silently for a moment.
What should I do? Fight him? It doesn't seem like I can win.
"He is not hostile. There is no need for a fight."
"...How did you know where to find me?"
"It's simple. Last time we met I placed a 'tracker' on you. I can easily find out where you are."
Cosmas raised his bony finger in the air, his smile widening.
Cyril carefully felt his body but found nothing suspicious.
"I also don't see anything... Tsk."
"I originally only had a hunch, but imagine my surprise when Ophelia contacted me! Sorry for any inconveniences between us."
Cyril went to his bed and sat down, his eyes regaining their coldness.
"Why does Ophelia worry about me so much?"
"What do you mean, why? You are a fellow archon! We don't abandon our own," Cosmas said, his voice as righteous as a knight preaching about goodness.
Only he was an archdemon.
Cosmas continued, his eyes narrowing: "But I have to admit there is also a certain curiosity. You see, you shouldn't exist."
"..."
"Rude."
"I mean it literally. A half-human, half-demon shouldn't be possible. These are two completely different species."
Cosmas pinched his chin, staring at Cyril without hiding his fascination.
"More than that, a few archons have been trying to produce such a union for about a year already. All without any results."
Cosmas sighed and relaxed in his chair, his gaze losing any sharpness. "I really wonder what Magdalene did. It's too bad she is no longer with us."
"...Did you know my mother?"
"No, no. She was before my time. I was only born some few years ago."
Pausing for a second, Cyril silently observed him from top to bottom. No matter how he looked, the archdemon seemed like a man in his thirties.
"Hahaha, don't look at me like that."
Cosmas shook his head while laughing, his sharp teeth showing in the process.
"I was born this way. 'Demons' don't grow, we don't change, we just are. So your case is even more unique. Though I wonder..."
Cosmas tilted his head, looking at Cyril with pure curiosity.
"Maybe now that you have 'awakened,' so to speak, it will be different? We'll see with time."
With that, the archdemon got up from the chair and straightened his tuxedo.
"Well, I am a busy man. Now that I made sure you are safe, I am off to tell Ophelia. If you need my help, just call me."
Cyril crossed his arms without saying anything.
"Oh, before I leave, allow me a word of advice." The demon glanced at the red butterfly, who stayed quiet near Cyril.
"I understand you enjoy keeping pets, but, please, think of your future. These humans have no worth to them."
"Morpho is not a pet!"
Cyril frowned, a strong impulse appearing within.
"Is it not possible for me to be on their side?"
Cosmas halted, then slowly turned to look at him. After a pause he chuckled, his smile becoming wider.
"Come now, you are an archon at the end of the day, so it is, indeed, not possible. Let me tell you something:"
Cosmas pointed at himself.
"I saw many humans in my life and killed almost as many. They are all liars to a fault, but you know what's the most honest part about them?"
He moved his finger, now pointing at Cyril's face.
"Their eyes. A feeble human looks at me with hatred clouding their eyes. They attack me on sight, yelling some self-righteous words. Once they see they are outmatched, fear possesses their eyes. They try to escape, plead for their life, or start crying. They are pathetically weak."
"Your eyes aren't a human's. They are good eyes. You never looked at me with hatred, even though I did attack your human companions back at the Tower."
Cosmas slowly nodded, satisfaction obvious on his face.
"Sorry if I got a bit melodramatic, but I am sure you understand. I see a fellow archon before me, so I trust you. Simple as that." Cosmas smiled. His eyes seemed to pierce Cyril whole, with not a sliver of doubt within them.
Cyril stared at Cosmas's pitch-black eyes and the archdemon at his blue ones.
"...Okay, fine. I guess you can get a pet if you want," Cosmas said, as if finally unable to refuse the request of his younger sibling.
"Just tell me who they are if they are in this village. There is one laboratory nearby that occasionally needs some humans. I'll warn them to stay clear from yours."
Cyril's gaze shook a bit.
"Where is that laboratory? I'll tell them myself," he said.
Cosmas raised his brow, giving him a long questioning stare.
"...Sure."
...
"May we meet again, Cyril!" The archdemon politely waved goodbye, and suddenly, he was gone.
Cyril stared at the place he'd disappeared from before slowly lowering his body back on the bed.
Now what...?
A somewhat empty feeling rang within him as he thought about the demon's words.
"Should we just forget this ever happened?"
Don't think so.
"...Myra sure would be surprised if she knew an archdemon was in her house."
Yeah.
"..."
They remained silent for a few minutes. Rhamn crossed her arms, rhythmically tapping her suit's sleeve with a frown on her face.
Finally she chuckled, mockery in her eyes.
"'I saw many humans in my life." Did he not feel ashamed to say that despite only being alive for as long as a human toddler? What a fool."
Cyril slowly raised his body from the bed. Silently, he headed towards the exit.
"...What are you thinking?"
You know what.
Cosmas said something about a laboratory. He asked about its whereabouts more so on impulse. But the more he thought about it, the more he got the urge to go see it.
The red butterfly landed on his shoulder, her antennae twitching with a quiet sense of determination.