The singing didn't last long... Just a couple of minutes. And yes, I couldn't resist – Charlie has some kind of magical voice, if even I was so stirred by it.
At some point, having calmed down and settled back into my chair, I felt a vibration coming from the helmet lying on the table beside me.
Another call?
Picking it up and putting it on, I saw Lute was calling me again. Did she miss me or something?
After the song, I felt relaxed, as if a weight had jumped off my shoulders and run off somewhere on its own business. Though, of course, it hadn't gone anywhere, but the beautiful song of Hell's princess helped me rest mentally. I'll have to inquire if this is normal; it's strange that a simple song has such an effect.
Accepting the call, I glanced at Charlie, who was looking at me with interest. She wouldn't hear my conversation with Lute, would she? In theory, she shouldn't, but a feeling of unease somehow began to whisper that she would. Adam's memory again? And what, should I leave my own office? I can't just kick the girl out...
After thinking for a second, I reached for the mask and "pulled" it over the back of my head. A slight feeling of awkwardness arose due to the emerged horns, but, in theory, now my conversation with Lute would remain between us. Unless I myself wanted otherwise.
"Adam, I found her. The body is in sector 15A," I heard Lute's tired, irritated voice. At the same moment, a photo appeared under the call notification: the decapitated body of an exorcist. But the head wasn't nearby. It seems the demons already know that my girls can indeed be killed. Dammit.
"Understood, Lute. Send someone to retrieve the body. Looks like the extermination postponement is happening," my voice sounded clear, with notes of authority and hidden anger. Damn Adam's influence. It helps, of course, but, fuck, I don't want to lose my personality because of it.
"Yes, Sir," Lute replied curtly and hung up.
I took off the mask and hid it in the sleeves of my robe. A convenient gadget, actually. In my past world, I had augmented reality glasses, but if you compare them... Well, it's like a bow and a sniper rifle.
"Did something happen?" Charlie asked worriedly, watching the mask disappear, then looking me in the eyes again. Beautiful eyes, by the way. And very unusual – red.
"Yes, I was informed of something. You do understand that the meeting with your father wasn't planned just for kicks, right? I wanted to inform you about this," I said and created a paper photograph of the decapitated angel, handing it to Charlie.
Adam could create some holograms, but I can't do that at all, so I have to improvise.
"This is…" Charlie stared at the photograph, clearly not immediately realizing what exactly I was showing her.
"That's a dead exorcist," I explained lazily, watching her eyes gradually widen with realization. "Now do you understand why I wasn't eager to listen to your fairy tales about 'redemption'?"
"Exorcists… can be killed?" she uttered slowly, still stunned.
"Actually, that's not why I showed you the photo," I raised an eyebrow, looking her straight in the eyes. Paused. She got flustered and looked away. Aha, it worked. "You see, while sinners get stronger every year, create even more fucked up shit, and are already encroaching on the sacred – on my girls! – I simply can't sit idly by and wait for one of them to show up demanding rights to something or other."
"I understand, Mr. Adam…" Charlie muttered sadly.
"Just 'Adam'," I corrected her. "As I already said, we won't touch your hotel. I'll give you a chance to prove that it's not just some stupid whim of a hellish princess, but something that actually works. But, as you understand, I can't just turn a blind eye to what happened. Therefore, I've made a decision: the 'exterminations' are rescheduled. In six months, we will appear in Hell again and look for the one who dared to kill an exorcist."
Charlie, who just a minute ago was beaming with joy, now sat with such a devastated face that for a moment I wanted to cheer her up, maybe even hug her. I'll have to chalk it up to her inhuman charisma, and not to me suddenly turning into some kind of "sensitive" dumbass.
"I understand you, Adam," Charlie nodded, diligently trying to look serious. "I will try to meet your expectations."
I silently nodded in response. Well, at least she realizes the seriousness of the situation, and thanks for that.
"And how do I… contact you?" she asked a little uncertainly, fiddling with the edge of her jacket.
Damn, right. We've practically held diplomatic negotiations here, and I didn't even leave her a way to contact me. What a genius I am.
"Um… just a sec…" I thought. How do I even give her my number? And can you even contact Heaven using hellish phones? And how the hell do I find out the number of my mask?
Putting on the mask, I started rummaging through the settings. There were clearly no SIM cards here – I understood that immediately. But after about ten seconds of real time (which felt like five minutes, considering my insane reaction speed), I finally found something resembling a number. Well, let's hope that's it.
"Here, take this," I handed Charlie a piece of paper with numbers, created literally out of thin air, trying to look as if everything was going strictly according to plan.
She carefully took the paper and stared at it incredulously.
"Is this… really your number?" she asked skeptically.
"Well, if you're not satisfied, you can try calling someone else," I chuckled. "But generally, it's better to call me. Questions, requests, suggestions – all here. Though I'm not sure myself if you can reach Heaven from your clunkers. So let's check?"
About thirty seconds passed… and, lo and behold, the call went through.
What kind of fucking magic is this? Does the connection really extend even to Heaven? Definitely didn't expect that.
"Thank you!" Charlie responded joyfully, carefully tucking the paper into her pocket.
I just sighed heavily. I hope she doesn't start calling me about every little thing… Though, knowing her character, something tells me this number will soon become the busiest in Heaven.
POV Lute
Lute's mood in recent years left much to be desired. It seemed fate had decided to test her resilience, throwing one trial after another at her. First Vaggie's betrayal, then Harfy's death, and now Adam's strange behavior… All of it piled up, forming a knot of unpleasant emotions in her soul that wasn't so easy to suppress.
Lute loved order. A clear hierarchy. Laws that were as unshakeable as commandments carved in stone. Sinners were evil that must be exterminated; angels were good that must be protected. Everything was clear, logical, without unnecessary gray shades. But Vaggie, who had once been her friend and comrade-in-arms, had shattered this orderly system with a single act: letting a sinner go. This blow to her worldview left a deep mark on Lute's soul, but she managed to cope with it, convincing herself it was just an isolated case, a tragic mistake.
But then came a new tragedy – Harfy's death. And this was something unknown. Never before had exorcists died at the hands of sinners. Yes, they could perish in battle, but not like this, not with such ease. It was something unnatural. The realization of this sparked a rage in Lute that burned her from within. But what was worse – this anger found no outlet. Usually, she could vent it during the next purge, tearing sinners to shreds, giving free rein to her emotions, but the last purge had been only a week ago. Even if Adam decided to expedite the next operation, she would still have to wait. Six months. Six whole months until she could once again plunge her blade into the enemies of Heaven.
And now, another concern had been added. Adam.
Today he had behaved… not as usual. Not even in the little things – everything about him seemed slightly blurred, altered. His manner of speaking, reactions, gestures. At one point, Lute even began to test the limits of what was permissible, hoping to understand what had changed. But, alas, there wasn't enough time for that.
The question remained open: what had happened to him?
Hesitating, she activated the "heavenly guardians" – autonomous humanoid drones made of pure light, discreetly present at strategically important points in Heaven and its embassies, including in Hell. She had never before allowed herself to doubt Adam, but today she was forced to. She had to find out what was happening before it was too late.
When the scene unfolded before her eyes, she almost dropped her hands in shock. Adam… he was sitting opposite Lucifer's daughter, talking to her as if they were old friends. Moreover, it was clear from his face that he was enjoying it! A shadow of a smile lurked in the corners of his lips, and there wasn't a hint of disgust or hatred in his eyes.
This was a complete clusterfuck.
Yes, Adam sometimes behaved strangely. He could change minor details of his manner, adjust, adapt, but this? Never before had he allowed himself such a thing. Lute knew that no one could impersonate him – every exorcist who had undergone training felt Adam on an instinctive level. He even specifically trained them for this, creating hundreds of his copies and making them distinguish them from the original. And that was the most frightening part: her instincts screamed that the real Adam was before her. That he wasn't a fake, not an impostor, but him.
But if this was true… Then what the hell was he doing having a pleasant chat with Lucifer's spawn?!
She looked at this picture, and a single question arose in her mind:
What in the motherfucking hell is this world turning into?
POV "Adam"
Having said goodbye to Charlie and mulling over our conversation, I settled back onto the throne, feeling a slight fatigue. The day hadn't been exactly difficult, but, let's say, eventful.
Charlie… I liked Charlie. She's sweet, kind, naive to a fault, but therein lies her special charm. She truly believes in sinners, in their ability to change, and, to the best of her knowledge, tries to influence their fate. I think I've said something similar already, right? Well, repetition is the mother of learning. Or in my case – a way to convince myself of the correctness of my own decisions.
All in all, I'm satisfied with the conversation. If you don't count that stupid outburst caused by fucking Adam, then I completed the "minimum" program: I projected the image of a "world-weary fighter against evil" to the princess, promised not to commit genocide against her guests, and even expressed moderate interest in her theory of redemption. Not ideal, but it'll do.
It would only have been better if she had confessed her love and eternal loyalty to me on her knees, after which she signed a contract to sell her soul. But that, as you understand, sounds, to put it mildly, unrealistic. And, to be honest, I would have even felt a little sorry for her in that case. Yes, I said it. Yes, I'm a little scared of myself.
Nevertheless, since I was alone, I could try experimenting with my powers. As I said, I could control the light that was in the embassy building, as well as the light that was within me. But I didn't feel the light outside this building. Or rather, I felt it, but not as real light, but as some damn thing of unknown nature that, by some ridiculous cosmic error, looks like light.
My theories: it's light altered by evil, which Lucifer perhaps tried to restore to its former state. Or maybe it's not light at all, but some pathetic imitation of it, created solely for ambiance. Maybe it's even darkness, dressed up for the local carnival? Hell if I know.
Fuck, I really lack knowledge about local magic and its equivalents. My thoughts are literally reflections in the style of "light," "wrong light," their interaction, and my place in all this chaos. In short, a muddle.
But one thing I know for sure: since I can release light beyond my body, it means I can start from there.
Making up my mind, I opened a window and released a small wave of true light, directing it into the sky of Hell. A beam of golden radiance burst from my hands. Looks like I just mastered the skill of laser shooting like canon Adam. And the very first shot hit some flying airship, which began to descend rapidly…
Oops?
Well, at least now it's definitely proven that I'm not a stormtrooper – first shot and a direct hit. True, not the one I was aiming for… Yeah…
But, let's not get distracted. I concentrated, trying to direct the light to a specific point, and then hold it there with sheer willpower. At first, the light seemed to slip away, like water through fingers, but gradually, with each second, I began to feel its density, as if controlling something material. And then, as if obeying my command, it froze at the desired point.
Well, excellent, I can fix light. What if now...
I mentally lunged forward – and in the next moment, I was in the zone filled with this very light. Wow. Teleportation, motherfucker. And instantaneous at that. Let's consider that I've mastered another trick in my arsenal, besides laser beams. I wonder, if I can teleport short distances like this, how far can I go? Can I move to any illuminated space? And what if the light there isn't real? For example, artificial? Questions, questions…
But the most important thing isn't teleports or lasers. I need to learn how to create illusions, and certainly, master that mysterious trick of transferring my projection to another world. For now, I don't even imagine how to implement it. Maybe understanding the process will come on its own when I better understand the nature of my powers? Or maybe I should look for some tutorials on the internet… Like "How to Become Mysterio for Dummies."
Alright, no need to linger here. Deeds are done, a couple of discoveries happened, and even accidental genocide didn't occur – already a success. I've done my duty for today, and now it's time to call it a day. I open a portal to Heaven and step inside.
Entering the portal, I found Lute, who quickly slammed her laptop shut and then turned to me with a very forced smile. Suspicious. She's clearly hiding something, and I'm almost sure it's related to me…
"Sir, how did it go?" Lute tried to change the subject.
I narrowed my eyes, mentally considering whether to call her out right now or leave it for later. But it's better to play on contrast.
"Oh, everything's great, in six months we'll avenge Harfy. By the way, we'll need to add a couple of sinners and one place to the exceptions list…" let's see the reaction…
"And who should be added to the whitelist?"
Busted. She was definitely watching me, plain as day. Does the silly girl think I wouldn't notice? How old is she, I wonder? 100? 1000? Certainly not 21, like I was in my past life, but I read her so easily. If she's so perceptive, why is she so bad at hiding the obvious? Or maybe she just believes I won't dig? It's even a little funny.
But on the other hand, her concern is understandable. I wasn't acting like myself today. Maybe she's just worried that I've changed, and she's finding it hard to cope?
"Honestly, I don't know. Can you keep an eye on who's in her hotel and write down information about them?" I cast the line, observing her reaction.
"Yes, Sir, I can direct a few surveillance drones for that. Should I?" The fish took my bait… Fuck, that sounds kind of ambiguous…
"Of course, Lute, you're just a darling, what would I do without you…" I softened my tone slightly, deciding to watch her reaction more closely.
She hesitated a little, as if not expecting such words. Something like joy and embarrassment flashed in her eyes, and then… She blushed. Interesting. Very interesting.
"Um… Yes, of course, thank you…" she averted her gaze, pretending nothing had happened.
So, Adam at least appealed to her. This needs to be used, and also thought about. She probably wouldn't blush like that if they were having an affair or at least kissing. It looks more like a sincere crush, even if slightly naive. Funny and a little… touching? Though, perhaps I shouldn't get too carried away with these thoughts. At least while I know so little about this world and my body's past…
"Don't mention it. So, Lute, we don't have any more urgent matters, do we?" I casually inquired of my lieutenant, simultaneously stretching as if I had just woken up.
"As far as I know, nothing urgent this month. Why?"
"Well, I was thinking of heading home, want to compose some crap, you know…" I threw out casually, although in reality, this moment was far more important than it might have seemed.
In canon, Adam was a musician. Not just some amateur strumming a guitar, but, apparently, quite famous. He had a band, concerts… This was, to put it mildly, a problem. Because let me remind you: I CAN'T play the guitar, I don't know their songs, and generally… If it suddenly turns out we have a concert planned, I'm finished. Of course, one could hope that my fingers would remember what to do on their own, but I wouldn't count on that.
"Oh, alright… Good luck, Sir," Lute nodded, but there was some uncertainty in her voice.
She's been tense lately. Ever since I returned from Hell, she seems different. More cautious, perhaps? Or conversely, more interested in me? What did I do to provoke such a reaction from her?
I looked at her a little more closely. She held herself as usual, but it was noticeable – something was churning inside her.
"Uh-huh, you too, Lute," I nodded, pretending not to notice.
Deal with this now? I don't want to. I need to give her some time, let her decide what to do with it herself; if I pry without preparation, I'm more likely to give myself away than solve the problem.
I headed for the exit, already anticipating the chance to fly. That feeling was simply incredible last time, and I was ready to repeat it again and again.
I'll have to put on the mask, search if there's Spotify here in Heaven, and most importantly – can I listen to music from the human world? If so, then I'll sleep as happy as a clam…