Lucien Vale finally awakens, far beyond Earth or heaven, in the magical lands of Eltheria.
A cold wind howls past obsidian pillars that jut from the floor around him. Flickering torches line the opulent hall, casting shifting shadows on carvings of demonic decadence and billowing velvet drapes.
Outside, thunder booms, lightning flashes, and uncountable screams and cries of pain and pleasure ring out from far below.
Lucien finds himself sitting in a throne of bone and jagged black stone, draped in crimson cloth. Slick, raven-black hair hangs neatly across his brow. Two majestic, girthy horns poke out from his head, curling at just the right angle. And inside his new body, he feels it.
Raw, vast, powerful.
A Demon Lord's magic now courses through his veins.
He takes a deep breath.
"Yep." He mutters with a smug grin. "Definitely the bad guy now."
As he stares at his hand, dark magic crackling within his palm, a hiccup echoes through the hall.
He turns toward it, eyes searching between the black stone features around him.
A woman lies sprawled beside the throne, whimpering softly as she cuddles a half-empty keg of wine like it owes her money. She's sinfully stunning. Horns, wings, tail, the full succubus package. But her eyeliner is smudged and she looks like she lost a drinking contest against a minotaur.
"You okay there, sweetheart?" Lucien enquires.
She turns, rubs her eyes, then gasps. "Lu… Lucidius?!"
Lucien blinks. "I guess that's me now."
She squeals like a fangirl in heat, launching to her feet, clawed hands clutching her cheeks in disbelief.
"You're back! Gods, you're finally back! The Dark Lord has returned!" She leaps to the ground, throwing herself before him dramatically as she weeps. "Praise the Abyss! I knew you'd return! Everyone said I was crazy, but I believed!" Then, softer, under her breath, "Who's crazy now, Vex?!"
"Right, so I'm gonna need at least twenty minutes and a PowerPoint presentation to catch up here."
She sniffles, reaches for his shin, and hugs it. "Welcome home, Lord Lucidius, ruler of Ash and Flame. We have kept your fortress in perfect condition. Just the way you like it."
He smirks, steeples his fingers, and leans back into his chair with a content-filled sigh.
"Hm. I like what you've done with the place." Lucien studies the view of his infernal throne room. Opulent beyond measure, soaked in feelings of malice. Quaint, but not quite his style. "Well then. We'll have lots to catch up on and lots to do."
A shriek rings out as the succubus falls backward, eyes wide, staring in horror as a divine light descends beside the throne, and Serenith floats down gracefully, wings arched around her, halo softly glowing above her golden hair.
Lucien doesn't flinch. His grin only grows wider.
"Ah," he says, leaning back, arms wide. "Now this is balance."
The succubus's eyes almost bug out of her skull when Serenith's bare feet touch the cold marble floor of the throne room. She gasps, points a perfectly manicured claw at the glowing beauty standing beside Lucien, and practically screeches.
"W-why is there an angel in the Ash Lands?!"
Lucien lounges back further into the throne, draping his leg over the armrest. "We're a package deal, darling."
The demoness blinks. "D-deal?"
"Part of my resurrection clause." He shrugs. "She's here to keep watch over me. Guide me a little. Assist here and there. But mostly keep me from destroying all creation, enslaving the populace, et cetera. She's basically my divine probation officer in heels."
"I don't wear heels." Serenith mutters, her glow dimming as she flushes with a wave of embarrassment.
Lucien waves a hand dismissively. "Not yet, feathers. But let's not close any doors, shall we?"
He shoots Serenith a wink and her breath hitches. "Y-you can't manipulate me."
"Manipulation? I would never." He moans, feigning offense, clutching at his heart. "I prefer seductive reasoning."
Serenith gasps, cheeks flushed, averting her gaze.
The succubus crawls up Lucien's leg, clutching onto him while her tail wraps around his ankle, a sign of demonic anxiety, if Lucien has ever seen one.
"An angel. Here? In our cursed lands? What if something reacts badly to her holy magic? What if the Void Mother hears of this?"
Lucien yawns and stretches like a man who just woke from a thousand-year nap and is ready for anything.
"Relax," he says smoothly, tousling the succubus's sleek black hair. "I trust her, I like her, and she's with me." He lowers his voice to a menacing purr, sliding his hand around her neck and pulling her face to his. "If I say she stays, she stays. Isn't that right?"
The succubus swallows hard, then quickly bows her head. "Of course, my Dark Lord. All is as you command."
Lucien turns to Serenith and winks. "See? I'm a firm believer in harmony in the workplace."
Serenith only pouts her lips in response.
Lucien turns back to the succubus. "Now, you clearly know who I am, which is excellent, considering I don't know who I am."
The succubus straightens, staring at the Demon Lord, confused. "You… you don't remember?"
"Part of the divine reboot," Lucien lies smoothly through his gleaming teeth, throwing in a dramatic sigh for added flair. "They wiped my memory. Said my charm was too powerful to be left unchecked."
Serenith opens her mouth to interject, but Lucien holds up a waving finger without even looking at her. She closes her mouth and folds her arms with a deeper pout instead.
"So, enlighten me. Who are you, darling?"
"I'm Vile, your High Advisor. I've served your throne for more than three hundred years. I handled your correspondence, day-to-day planning, organized your post-battle orgies and much more."
Lucien raises an impressed eyebrow. "Efficient and enthusiastic. Love it."
She nods proudly. "I also ran your personal logistics, managed your wardrobe, diet, sleep schedule."
Lucien whistles. "An overachiever too."
Vile beams. "And I was also your number one concubine. You always said I gave the best blowjobs in all the realms."
Lucien's mouth parts slightly while Serenith nearly chokes on her own breath.
Vile tilts her head. "Would you like one now, my lord?"
Lucien blinks, tugging on his collar. "Well, I mean, it's not that I need one, per se. I wouldn't want to seem indulgent."
Vile rises with a hop, breasts bouncing like they could crush the minds of lesser men. "You always said to deny oneself pleasure was akin to betraying the infernal code."
He smiles. "Ah yes. That does sound like something I'd say."
Serenith coughs. "I… um… I'm not here to interfere, of course. Only to observe. Offer advice. If… if that's okay. But is it really in your best interest to—"
Lucien flicks a hand. "No worries, halo. We've got plenty of time. And it's important to understand your employees. Their hopes. Their passions. Their techniques."
Serenith croaks a noise of protest before covering her eyes with one glowing wing.
"I don't mind if you watch," Lucien adds. "You might learn something."
A long pause follows. Then one glowing blue eye peeks out over her feathers while Vile giggles like a schoolgirl at prom.
The succubus is infernally beautiful, skin the color of rose-gold, eyes like molten rubies, curves that seem to have been sculpted by sin itself. Her horns gleam, her black-leather outfit clings to her like a second, slightly kinkier skin, and her tail swishes with anticipation.
With a flick of her fingers, a soft red glow shimmers through the air and Lucien's belt unbuckles itself with a satisfying click.
Serenith gasps. "Oh heavens—"
Vile bites her lip in surprise. "D-did you get bigger?"
Lucien shrugs and leans back on his throne, eyes rolling slightly as Vile's forked tongue fondles its way around his new demonic goods before her lips slowly sizzle around it, taking her time on the head first, tongue tracing slow, deliberate circles that have his knuckles going white against the armrest.
And every muscle in her mouth begins to massage him.
All.
The way.
Down.
Pop~
"Holy shit!" he yelps. "Do demons not have gag reflexes? That's… hnnngh~... whoa! Slow down, woman!"
She doesn't slow down. If anything she picks up the pace, one clawed hand braced against his thigh, the other working the base in perfect rhythm with her mouth, horns knocking gently against his hip with every pass, a low satisfied hum vibrating straight up his spine that has his hand finding the back of her head entirely on instinct. Her tail curls tighter around his ankle, tip flicking in small, greedy circles, and every so often she pulls back just far enough to drag her tongue slow along the underside before diving straight back down, determined to prove exactly why she'd once earned the title.
"Gods above," he groans, head falling back against the throne, "remind me to give you a raise. With benefits."
Vile only hums her agreement around him, the vibration alone enough to punch a strangled curse out of his throat, and picks up a rhythm that has the whole throne creaking under him.
Serenith's glowing wing slips another inch lower, and this time she doesn't bother pretending she isn't watching, one hand pressed flat against her own thigh like she's physically restraining herself from something.
Just then, the massive chamber doors explode open with a crash, and a violent shrieks across the hall.
"Vile!" the voice echoes across the chamber. "Are you… oh!"