Memories

Soul's breath caught in his throat as Nia's accusation hung in the air. If word got out, he'd be in loads of trouble – naturally, so would his sister. That's why he had to kill Nia; there was no other option.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, his voice strained.

Nia's eyes narrowed, "You lying again?"

"I don't know what's going on but – let's talk outside, shall we?" Lilith suggested. "Come on."

"And who are you? I didn't see you at the academy," asked Nia.

"I'm – his friend. Close friend."

"She's right, Nia. Let's talk outside."

As they exited Icy Hearts, Soul stopped for a moment. His determination about offing Nia was slowly fading away, as he realized that killing an innocent person was a messy business even for him. He was a bad man, yes. But not a monster. He would never kill someone that didn't deserve what's coming to them.

His breath was as heavy as the burdens on his shoulders. He had no idea what to do next. For the first time in his life, he was clueless.

He took out his pocket knife and opened a small cut on his finger. He couldn't risk his sister getting hurt just because his older brother was a blood magic user. Soul would never let that happen. She needed to be silenced.

"I'm sorry," Soul apologized.

Blood leaked from his small wound and formed a small dagger. Nia was standing next to him, trying but failing to close the inn's door because there was an orange cat in the way. Her back was turned, she was vulnerable, the streets were empty -- it was time to strike.

Lilith punched Soul in the mouth, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"The fact that you're being more diabolical than me, a demon, is concerning, Soul," Lilith remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"A demon?" Nia's head whipped around, her expression shifting to shock as she unsheathed her sword in a flash, her posture tense and ready for a fight.

"Let's go somewhere private," Lilith suggested, holding her hands up to defuse the sudden tension. "Soul, can you get us a room at the inn?"

Soul kept his silence and entered the inn. He had no idea why Lilith acted like that; he felt like it was unnecessary. He wasn't about to end Nia's life, his plan was to merely inflict enough pain to force her into submission. Had it failed, then yes, he would've killed her at some point.

He paid the waiter three pieces of gold and got a room for one night.

'Crap… It's going to be one of those nights…'

Soul opened the door and stepped inside. The room was dusty and its red carpet had all sorts of stains on it. There was a single bed leaning against the left wall, with a small table situated on the right side of the bed. Through the window above the table, one could see the statue of the Hero-God Take outside.

Nia had her sword ready. Soul could read her distrust from her movements.

"Yes, I am a demon," Lilith cut the growing silence. "If we are going to kill all the false gods, we're going to need allies."

"Why would I be an ally of a demon! And – and killing the 'false' gods? You are mad. A mad demon." Nia retorted, her voice rising with indignation.

"These – gods, they are just pretenders. Do you know how they get their powers?"

"From people who worship them," She answered with confidence.

"And how do you think they do that, huh?"

"Their champions help the people of Gum'n! And in return, people worship them, it's simple. You have no idea what you…"

"Lies!" Lilith screamed, her voice filled with rage. "Lies! Your beloved Take and the others are just a bunch of liars!"

"The Hero-God died with honor on the battlefield. And Lilith was defeated," Nia said, repeating the common narrative.

"He died on the battlefield -- is that how it's written in the books?" Her voice was filled with disdain. "I was defeated, yes. But Take survived, and he captured me. Then he died a pathetic man." She bit her lip, her eyes hardening. "I was tortured for months by that monster!"

Lilith's anger slowly faded into a deep sadness, her shoulders slumping slightly as the memories of her ordeal overwhelmed her. The fire in her eyes dimmed, replaced by a haunting look of pain.

"What do you mean… are you Lilith? What the fuck, Soul?" Nia's voice shot up, her eyes wide with disbelief.

He didn't say anything.

"Hero-God Take captured you! How… no, you are not Demon Queen Lilith. Is this some kinda joke?"

"I wish it was."

Lilith turned her back to Nia and started to undress. The moonlight entering through the window was illuminating her.

On her backside, the writing 'Take's Little Sex Slave' was deeply carved with a knife. It looked horrible. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only scar she had; she had a small cut near her right shoulder, her left side, her neck, her lower body… she had lots of them.

Soul saw Lilith's reflection in the window, her cheeks were red, perhaps from the embarrassment of her scars.

'So demons can get sad too, huh?'

"These… can't be…" Nia dropped her sword in shock. "No. Hero-Go…"

"Oh, please…" Lilith shrugged. "Do not call that asswipe a Hero or a god."

"He saved this country. He… he wouldn't do that."

"Still don't believe me?"

"But… in the old writings, he was described as a merciful god. The one that always protects and smiles upon humans."

"I'm sorry, Nia, but those are all lies," Lilith replied, her voice steady but full of contempt. "Him and his little 'god' posse are nothing more than a big fat lie."

Nia, her gaze fixed on the dirty carpet, was trying to comprehend what she had just heard. Looks like learning the true identity of the god she had revered and prayed to since birth took a toll on her. Soul could feel it – her whole world was collapsing.

She sat down on the bed, and so did Lilith. Soul was playing with his pocket knife by the door. He had no intention of intervening with them.

"Okay," Nia said, her eyes showing doubt. "I know the Memoria spell. That... that means I can take a peek into anyone's memories, even demons. If what you're saying is true... let me see them."

"I've got many unpleasant memories, Nia. Are you sure?" Lilith asked, her voice holding a warning.

"Yes," Nia replied firmly.

"Then be my guest."

Nia closed her eyes and chanted a spell in a language Soul didn't understand. She touched Lilith's hand, gripping it tightly as if bracing herself for a storm.

Both of them struggled almost immediately, their bodies tensing like someone were choking them, depriving them of air. Soul watched closely, focusing especially on Lilith. He couldn't allow anything to happen to her -- not before curing his little sister. He needed Lilith's help.

Nia suddenly jerked back, her eyes flying open as she fell to the ground. Her face was bright red, and she was on the verge of vomiting. Whatever she had seen in Lilith's memories had overwhelmed her, shattering her composure.

"Fuck. Fuck!" She pulled her hair. "Agh! Please, no more!"

"Told you." Lilith stood up. "Got some bad memories."

"Hero-God Take did – are these memories real? No… no way."

"You can't fake a memory," Soul uttered, "whatever you saw in there… is real."

"Shut it, Soul!"

When Nia shouted at him, Soul could swear he heard a second voice coming from behind her tongue. It was a soothing voice of a young woman.

Soul's eyes briefly flickered to purple -- he was charmed. Those who received the blessing of Nierman, the Goddess of Lust, could easily manipulate men, turning them into their playthings. Ordinarily, in a life-or-death scenario, Soul's blood magic would shield him from such control spells, rendering him immune. But this time, without any threat present and his guard down, the charm spell partially worked.

Nia picked up her sword and exited the room, running with all her power.

Now that the two of them were left alone, the awkward silence grew more and more. Neither Soul nor Lilith was talking, they were just staring at the open door where Nia just exited.

Soul sat down on the chair next to the bed.

"Well… I'm beat." He put his head on the table and shut his eyes.

"Yeah, same. Goodnight… I guess."

"Hmm."

After closing the door, Lilith took off her shoes and sat on the bed. She wasn't sleepy; she'd rather go out and explore Redhaven, seeing places she hadn't seen before.

When Soul turned her head to the left, she locked eyes with Lilith. It was his first time being alone with a woman – with a person other than his little sister. He had no idea how normal human interactions worked. After all, he had been alone his whole life.

"Hey, Lilith," he said, "undress."

Her eyes widened.

"Wha… what?"

"Undress."

"Are you… serious? You – you!"

"I'm not interested in you, Lilith." He stood up from his chair. "I'm going to heal your scars."

"Oh –" She covered her face with frustration. "Why didn't you say that in the first place, idiot?"

He didn't give an answer.

"Healing magic won't work," She said, "I tried, trust me. Take used a holy knife when… when carving me."

"So… you don't want it healed?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then that's enough for me."

With a steady hand, Soul drew a small blade across his own palm, crimson blood welling up in response. But instead of dripping to the ground, the blood floated in the air at his shoulder level.

He put his hand on Lilith, currently sitting on the edge of the bed, and slipped off the straps of her dress after pushing her head onto his stomach. In this way, he could see her scars clearly from above.

A blood-written magic circle, sprawling with strange patterns and ancient symbols appeared on the backside of Lilith. Its lines pulsed with a faint crimson glow, forming a pentagram at the center adorned with elemental sigils. Despite its chaotic appearance, it emanated a powerful and somehow peaceful aura.

"It's gonna sting a bit. You ready?"

"I…" She nodded. "Yeah."

"Well – here it goes nothing."

Soul pressed his palm against the pulsating magic circle. Instantly, a surge of energy coursed through him, connecting him to the ancient magic contained within the intricate symbols.

Lilith felt the magic seep into her skin, penetrating deep into the scars that had plagued her for so long. At first, there was only a faint tingling sensation, like the gentle caress of a summer breeze. But as the magic worked its wonders, the tingling intensified, building to a crescendo of sensation that bordered on discomfort.

"Crap… it hurts, Soul. It…"

"Hang in there."

Lilith gritted her teeth, her breath coming in shallow gasps as the magic surged through her. But despite the pain, she remained resolute, knowing that this was her chance to finally get rid of her scars.

She held onto his long coat, head still resting on his stomach. The pain was getting stronger by the second. Lilith felt like she was about to pass out.

"Just a little longer," he said with a monotonous voice, "you still with me?"

"I am… I am." Her body trembled, each word taking an effort to get out.

The blood-written magic circle shimmered briefly before gradually fading away, its intricate patterns dissipating into the air.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the sensation subsided, leaving behind a profound sense of calm and contentment. Lilith opened her eyes, her gaze meeting Soul's in silent gratitude.

"Is it… over?"

"Yeah, it's…"

He couldn't finish his sentence and passed out from overusing his blood. Luckily, Lilith was able to grab him before he fell and hit his temple on the sharp edge of the table. Now, his head was resting in between Lilith's breasts.

She laid him down on the bed and casted a small fire spell to light up his face. Soul didn't look well, he was out of breath, sweating.

"Hey, Soul? Soul, are you okay?"

"Yeah… I'm good." He opened his eyes. "That took more than I thought. Those scars were… strong."

"Yeah – thanks to Take." She sat down on the chair. "Are you going to be okay, want me to cast a healing spell?"

"Need blood. Healing spells won't do much." he replied, voice weak.

"Well… you want mine? A demon's blood is still blood, right?"

"I guess so."

"Just leave some for me, 'kay?" Lilith said with a light smirk, though her eyes showed concern.

After Lilith opened a cut on her finger, Soul used his magic and drained a small portion of her blood.

When he closed his palm, the blood that was lingering in the air moved and entered through his eyes. Soul could feel it; he was getting healthier by the second.

As soon as his body took enough blood, he closed Lilith's cut and stopped draining her.

"Thanks. Needed it."

"Why did you help me? You could've just… I mean, not help me at all. Why remove my scars?"

"Promise to my sister," he explained, "I have to help at least one person a day."

"Wow, that's a bit… childish."

"Yeah… Well, I'm gonna sleep on the chair. It's getting late."

"We can sleep on the bed. Not like you're going to do anything weird… right, Soul?"

"Nah, I'd like to keep my head on my shoulders."

"Great, scooch over."

As Lilith laid down on the bed, Soul turned his back to her. He was looking at the wall with his dull eyes, trying to sleep. It was getting late, in six hours he needed to be in Profesor Yuu's class. But before that, he was going to visit his sister, Ruby. He had to cure her first.

He shifted his dull eyes to the ceiling. He was afraid of doing something weird to Lilith unintentionally and getting branded as a pervert. Or just get his head split open by her.

"Soul… stop moving."

"Sorry."

"Not sleepy?"

He changed the subject by saying, "In the old writings… They describe you as a monster, a devil's spawn."

"Oh yeah? Shame on them."

"I thought you'd be angrier."

"Eh, just heartbroken." she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"So you don't… hate humans, I take it?"

"Only gods, Soul." She forcefully pulled him by the shoulder to make him look at her. "False gods."

"Hmm."

"Humans followed Take without knowing his true identity. I can't blame them." Her tone was grim, her eyes fixed on Soul.

He could feel her breath. They were close. Soul had zero clue what to do next. They were just staring at each other in total silence.

"How old are you?"

'Why in the hells would I ask her age?'

"Seventeen. Buuut… I guess I'm older than that. You know, the whole thing about me being locked away for centuries."

"Right…"

Obscene sounds started to rise from the adjacent room; a man and two women were moaning with pleasure. They didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon, as they were quite the energetic bunch.

The man pushed one of the women against the wall and started thrusting. With each movement, Lilith and Soul's bed was slightly shaking.

"That reminds me – it's my first time sharing a bed with a man," Lilith said, looking at Soul's eyes without blinking.

"Hmm," He turned his back to her, "let's sleep. We'll get up early in the morning."

"Ugh! How can you sound so – dead? You're, like, you have nothing behind those words. Nothing, zero emotion."

"That's how I work. Sorry I guess."

"Yeah, yeah. I just --"

"Lilith…" He took a deep breath. "Nia was blessed by Nierman and I think… she unintentionally charmed me. I can feel my hormones going wild. I'm in a bad spot, let's just sleep."

"Oh, you horny dog! I know something was off with you."

Moanings in the next room got louder.

"It's…" Soul closed his eyes. "going to be a long night…"

"Mmhm," Lilith agreed while looking at the ceiling, "I miss my fancy bedroom. It was so relaxing there and… didn't have some couple having a threesome in the next room."

"Yeah, I bet."

"How about you? How was your life when you were younger?"

"Standart, I'd say. Boring."

"Somehow I don't believe you." she chuckled. "Come on, tell me the truth."

He sighed, "It's the truth."

Lilith knew he was lying, because she could see other people's auras thanks to her 'Demon Eyes' skill.

When she looked at Soul, all she could see was emptiness. He had no aura, no nothing. It was her first time experiencing something like this; because she knew that even the mindless flies would have auras.

Strangely, if she fully focused on him, she could feel something. Something rather disturbing and out of this world. It triggered an emotion she'd never felt before, it was unsettling. Made her feel like something was there – right behind her.

"Okay okay, I won't push. Hide away your past, Soul." She smirked. "And also hide away your boner, too."

"Very funny, Demon Queen. Very funny."

Moanings in the next room stopped.

"Oh… they're done," She pulled the blanket up to her chin, "let's sleep before they start again."

"Yeah, I agree."

"Goodnight, Soul."

"Hmm."