Without Effort, Neither Good Nor Evil Exists

In the room, silence hung heavy.

They stood facing each other, unable to utter a word. Alice sighed deeply, the scent of lilies seemingly having seeped under her skin. If she had lingered here even a moment longer, she would have had to scratch her skin bloody to rid herself of this all-consuming aroma.

"The connection between the nightingale and the demon... What did Cassandra mean?"

Contempt flickered in the demon's eyes immediately.

Emidius's face was like chiseled stone, perfectly beautiful yet cold and merciless, reminiscent of an angel depicted in the church frescoes where the girl had prayed as a child. If Alice had been a tad more devout, she would have fallen to her knees under divine wrath.

But here, in Hell, among a pantheon of bloodthirsty gods, no one judged her for selling her soul, unlike those on Earth ready to crucify a human soul for the slightest vice.

"How can you be so uninformed? Did you never care to learn what awaited you in the realm of the dead? You came here willingly!" His voice was acidic.

"I had a different purpose, so there was no need," she managed to say, the words heavy on her lips.

That was the absolute truth.

A stinging truth. A harsh slap.

Long ago, she had admitted to herself that the location didn't matter: Hell or Heaven. She would follow Damian anywhere, like a loyal dog follows its master. But this thought never brought relief, only returning her to days she wished to forget.

"So why did you decide to descend into the Underworld?" the demon stepped closer, but his icy blue gaze remained unchanged.

"I was looking for someone," Alice answered honestly.

"Unconditional devotion is the most selfish justification for one's desires," he said dryly. "Orpheus and Eurydice, Cupid and Psyche, Orlando and Angelica... Statistically, these stories never end with 'they lived happily ever after.'"

"I don't think I ever asked for your evaluation of my actions."

"And yet, can you claim you've never felt regret? Or that your heart never burned with hatred for the one who caused you to be here?"

Despite his words, it seemed the demon cared little for her reply. He had made up his mind about her from the first day they met, which infuriated Alice. As if he could comprehend her experience.

"I have never pitied myself," the girl shrugged, allowing Emidius to pass by.

He didn't stop, didn't even look at her, just continued walking.

"Every action I've taken was a deliberate and considered decision. My deeds stem from my own will, and I do not intend to regret them... Even if they have led me to the afterlife," Alice spoke more to herself than to Emidius, trying to find confidence in her words to dispel the doubts that settled like soot in her head.

The demon simply threw back coldly, without turning around:

"It's very easy to be faithful when you have nothing else to offer. What do you really amount to? A life preserver?"

"Believe me, in your case, I'd just be a stone dragging you down," she retorted.

Emidius stopped at a window and looked down into the abyss that opened beyond the glass. Then he slid his slender fingers over the surface as if measuring something.

"Fine, nightingale, now come closer to me."

The girl did not move.

"I'll lift you up, and you'll stand on my shoulders," he continued.

"Are you out of your mind?" Alice looked at the demon almost hysterically. "I also dislike the established order in Hell... And I'm not going to spend all night with you! Let's just do what Cassandra suggested."

His next statement was almost calm, though his eyes narrowed unusually, showing tension.

"An act that can bind our bodies and your soul is needed. I suppose sex should suffice," Emidius declared.

The girl fiddled with the sleeve of her dress, hiding the mark of a bird's skull beneath it.

"The stronger the bond, the better the demon and human can feel each other. They literally become one entity, sharing a single human soul," his voice lowered to a whisper, as if the demon was forced to confess something unpleasant. "Some see it as a blessing from the goddess. I view it more as a curse. But even such relationships have their advantages. For instance, the demon can fully feast on the human soul to increase his strength, and the nightingale gains vitality and better control over chaos."

"Why would Cassandra want to bind us? Do the heirs of gods really need a parasite like me?" She almost laughed. "Though maybe you are far more sophisticated in your grandeur since love for all things divine is unnatural."

He didn't respond to her question. It was as if he hadn't heard her reproach.

"People say that Persephone had a strong connection with her nightingale, and where is she now? Moreover, when one of the bonded dies, the other often goes mad. What do you say to that?"

The thought made the girl's insides clench in a painful spasm, as if coarse banded snakes had crawled through her esophagus, leaving behind a sensation of cold and fear.

"Repeat, where should I stand?" she asked.

Alice approached Emidius uncertainly, feeling a slight shiver on her skin. Her self-preservation instinct had been signaling since their first encounter that she should flee. Some evil, poisonous force lurked behind this polished, perfect beauty. After all, even Lucifer, once cast out of heaven, had been an angel.

She let his hands rest on her waist, feeling their light pressure and warmth. With ease, the demon lifted the girl onto his shoulders, and his simple movements clearly showed strength and control.

Her neck blushed red from the heat his hands left behind.

Somewhere deep inside, Alice hoped Emidius either hadn't noticed or simply chose to ignore it.

"Hey, bird, you're too quiet. Is everything alright?" The demon's voice cut through the silence, sounding unexpectedly sharp, like a gunshot in quietude.

Her gaze slid over the demon's face and met his mocking expression. He knew.

"Just tell me what to do," she hissed, squirming. "And why can't you use magic? Aren't you supposed to be the future king here?"

The demon paused for a moment, his eyes darkening with contemplation or perhaps hidden malice.

"It's very annoying when you try to establish logical connections, even though you admitted just two minutes ago that you hardly understand how this world works," his tone was too sharp. "You have no idea who Cassandra really is. If she said not to use chaos, then I don't intend to test it."

Alice felt Emidius's hands still gripping her waist as she leaned toward the window to open it. The touch was cautious yet firm, as if the demon wanted to ensure her safety.

"Let go, I can handle it myself," the girl said firmly, trying to free herself from his hands.

Her body shivered from the cold air seeping through the frame, but the demon's strength was enough to keep Alice in place.

"When you open the window, call a raven. Tell him to lock us in and ask to open the door from the outside."

"How am I supposed to see anything in this darkness?" she threw back, her fingers touching the cold glass. "At this height, it's hard for me to see anything beyond my own hand, let alone birds blending into the darkness."

"Don't worry about that, they'll be nearby. I doubt the servants will ignore a girl trying to jump out of their lord's window."

Something in his tone made Alice freeze.

Servants? Oddly, she hadn't seen anyone when she walked through the corridors of the residence.

"Your servants are birds?" she drawled thoughtfully. "It seems that in this cursed world, something definitely needs to be done about the imagination."

"They are lesser demons. Their bodies cannot hold enough chaos to maintain a human form all the time," the demon explained. "Besides, they are quite inconspicuous in the world of the living, which allows them to gather information and spy without much trouble."

"You know, I liked them much better as ordinary birds."

The girl reached forward, trying to reach the latch on the frame to open it, but felt resistance. The latch did not yield to her efforts, as if it were locked or stuck. She leaned forward slightly to use more force. However, at that moment, foreign hands roughly pulled Alice back.

"Can you not interfere? I'm trying..."

"Idiot, don't you understand that you could fall?"

"How insufferable you are! Have you been like this all day because it turns out I'm not in love with you, or do you ever have a better mood?"

"Of course, there couldn't possibly be other reasons that don't revolve around you."

A burst of anger flared in her chest, like a canister of gasoline.

Gathering her strength, she reached for the latch again. This time her fingers touched it with more force. The creak and screech broke the silence as the metal slowly began to give way to her efforts.

"And how am I the only one suffering from your excessive attention!" the demon began.

She blinked, trying to digest what she heard.

"I'm afraid to think of what you've concocted, pervert! Don't forget who hid me in the closet at our first meeting, knowing it was an illusion, and didn't want to tell the Reaper that we had switched bodies!" Her voice sounded venomous. "I wouldn't be surprised if this night was part of your conquest plan, plotted together with Cassandra! Or maybe that raven is supposed to bring me flowers or a ring?"

She looked at the black sky behind the glass, then loudly added:

"Where is that feathered rat?!"

A surge of emotions overwhelmed her, and Alice violently pulled the latch, instantly flinging open the window. Accompanied by a dull thud, the latch echoed around the room, opening a passage to the outside world. Slightly stunned by her own actions, the girl stared into the darkness and noticed a raven, clumsily falling down due to the sweep of the opened window.

"Master, next time I will definitely be prepared, you can count on me!" the bird cawed. "I hope the lady of your heart likes roses, and I'm very glad you've found your other half! I'll tell the other demons not to disturb you tonight, young master!"

Alice and Emidius exchanged glances.

"I think he misunderstood something…" a heavy sigh escaped her lips.

***

"Remind me, please, why am I sleeping on the floor?"

"Firstly, because someone lost three times at 'Demon-Soul-Chain,' and it was punishment for excessive confidence," Emidius said, curling his fingers. "And secondly, this is my office, and I like to sleep on the couch."

Alice's gaze slid over her dress, and she frowned. It clearly did not deserve such a fate. For some reason, she immediately felt a strange, childish love for it, as if it was the first time she had something of her own.

"Still, I'm sure we could have fit there together…" she continued.

"Let's maintain personal boundaries, at least here," the demon concluded.

She hugged her knees and turned from side to side, searching for a comfortable position, but she didn't feel like sleeping. In her half-lowered eyelids, images of slain nightingales with slit throats and torn limbs alternated. Her attention caught on the male figure, lying calmly on the couch in the dim light of the room. Alice watched his deep breathing, as his chest gently rose and fell in rhythm, when she quietly said:

"Why did you reprimand Noctis yesterday? I thought you also had a low opinion of nightingales."

Emidius reluctantly raised his eyes, which flared with disgust and burned with a seal.

"Don't equate us unless you want to die twice."

Alice wanted to retort, but unexpectedly for herself, she bit her tongue. He was not just a demon but a ticking gas cylinder. And now was not the best time to play with fire.

"His entire family thinks they are almost direct descendants of Hades, though they don't have a drop of divine blood. They try so hard to maintain demonic purity in their lineage that it amuses me, to some extent."

He abruptly stopped, as if he had said too much.

"They're just madmen who don't want to reconcile with Persephone's decision to allow mortals into the realm of the dead. It could mean that someone else might stand on par with divine creations, including them. As for me, I just think that people have no place in Hell. It wasn't created by you and not for you," the demon whispered hoarsely, then unexpectedly added: "The one you're looking for is no longer here."

The girl repeated these words in her mind, savoring the bitterness they carried. What if Damian was truly no longer here?

"So you told me never to come here again?" Her voice was too soft, as if she was thinking about something that could make her heart skip a beat.

"Human bodies and souls are too fragile. Yesterday I couldn't shake the thought that another second and you'd be like those dead nightingales, covered in a patina of dirt and blood... I definitely don't like playing the role of bodyguard. I have too many other concerns."

Alice's jaws clenched too tightly from the words just spoken by the demon. Arguing was pointless. They both knew it. The girl was already well aware of her vulnerability in the world of the dead, but Emidius reminded her too harshly. As if he had pulled the last sinews from her soul and wound them around his fist.

"I will not be a burden."

Her voice sounded normal, ringing with the usual notes of discontent, and she was proud, as if her body itself hadn't noticed the huge hole forming inside.

"Enough, Alice. It's time to sleep."

It was the first time he had used her name.

"Alice…" she repeated to herself, trying to remind her heart of who she was and who she wanted to remain.

Slowly closing her eyes, the girl focused on her breathing. Her thoughts stopped, ceased to disturb, and she did not notice how she sank into darkness. Patiently waiting and promising a new beginning.

Note: "Demon-Soul-Chain" is an analogue of the game "Rock-Paper-Scissors" in the world of the undead.