The Door

Lorraina watched Lillica struggle as the blackness was trying to cover her skin. She loved her sister dearly and had seen this happen before that last time Lillica over exerted herself.

"I'll help you sister!" Lorraina rushed over to Lillica and hugged her tightly.

Lillica unconsciously fought back and started trying to hit Lorraina, her solid black fists left huge welts on Lorraina's back as Lorraina held Lillica as tightly as she could. Lorraina couldn't hold Lillica down, especially in this state, but just limiting her arm motions would reduce her own injuries.

"I'm sorry you had to suffer for me again sister..." Lorraina gently kissed Lillica's forehead and held the kiss while Lillica continued to swing her solid fists trying to get her arms loose.

Lillica finally succumbed to Lorraina's dream spell and fell asleep as Lorraina held her close. She watched the jet black skin start to recede on Lillica until she was the same beautiful demoness she remembered.

Lillica and Lorraina were not sisters by birth, but they had been raised by the same mother, Vanessa. Vanessa was Lorraina's mother by birth, but Lillica was left in her care and they were supposed to pose as sisters.

While they initially fought, they found a common ground in the other's suffering. Lorraina was shunned for having no potential and Lillica was abandoned by her mother and only knew of her father from the stories and legends others told her after he had died.

Her father was apparently some legendary demon general that had gained a lot of enemies. During his last days, he had Lillica sent to Lorraina's family to be raised as if she was her sister to protect her.

When Lillica finally woke up, she was in the warm embrace of Lorraina who was smiling affectionately at her.

Lillica saw a bruise on Lorraina's face and recognized it as her own doing, she reached up and caressed Lorraina's cheek and said, "I'm so sorry sister, you had to help me again..."

"Don't be like that sis! You're supposed to be the calm, cool, and collected one, but I will still help!"

"So does that mean you're supposed to be my comedic sidekick?" Lillica said playfully

"Glad to see you're feeling better." Lorraina smiled down again at Lillica and kissed her gently on the lips. "I am tired now... need... sleep..."

Lorraina fell asleep leaning over Lillica and Lillica smiled at her and whispered "Such a sweet girl..."

Lillica stood up and picked up Lorraina like a princess, then walked towards the direction of Count Agist's manor and faded away while carrying Lorraina.

__________

Count Agist returned to his manor after allocating his new knights. He was still concerned about why Lord Hawthorne would send them to him, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

The Church had the majority of the population believing that demons were these hulking red, blue, or black devils with horns and pointy tails that fed on people's suffering. This could barely be considered the truth just from the two that Count Agist had met. What surprised him more was that Lillica knew about his ax, Last Stand, was able to 'revive' it, and revealed that her father had created it.

"My father claimed he inherited 'Last Stand' from his father, does that mean my grandfather stole it from demons or just found it by chance?" Count Agist thought to himself.

Out of reverence for his own deceased father, he left the room alone that his father kept as a study. He remembered once snooping around it as a child after hearing strange noises coming from it, but the door was always locked tight and wouldn't even budge when he pushed on it.

He asked his father about it once and his father said with a dreamy look "I will let you in when you are old enough to handle the responsibility." Of course this cryptic reply made him all the more curious, but he was never able to get in.

"Sorry father, I know you have your reasons, and they're probably for the best, but I have a feeling what is behind those doors will help me now."

Count Agist's training had been intense and harsh, his body was reforged with unnatural strength and stamina and spending most of his life improving his physical prowess easily made him one of the strongest warriors in the entire kingdom. And yet no matter how much strength and brute force he leveraged against this door it would not even shudder.

Count Agist summoned for Dion and a few other knights, they brought a log with ropes tied around it to use it as a battering ram against the door.

"Heave!"

The knights, Dion, and Count Agist swung the battering ram back.

"Ho!"

The battering ram was swung forward with tremendous force and a tremendous boom along with the splintering of wood could be heard even in the courtyard outside causing the other inhabitants to look towards where the noise came from with a hint of fear.

"Again!" Count Agist barked. "Heave!"

Everyone swung the battering ram back again, feeling shocked to see that the door was still undamaged.

"Ho!"

The battering ram swung forward with even greater force this time and smashed into the door again, this time shards of wood could be seen flying from the point of contact.

"Once more!" Count Agist barked again. "Heave!"

Battering ram swung back even further this time.

"HO!"

Count Agist yelled as loud as he could as did everyone else and they all felt their bones shake when the log smashed into the door. The battering ram collided against the door with such force that the end that collided with the door shattered causing the ropes to become loose and the rest of the log to fall to the ground.

"Damn it!" Count Agist stormed away towards his room while Dion and the knights started to clean up the log. A minute later Count Agist returned with his ax, Last Stand.

In his own mind Count Agist said, "Simon, can you break down this door?"

"What? Are you kidding me? I can cut solid plate steel! I'll turn a wooden door into firewood!"

Count Agist revealed a smile and then took two steps towards the door and released a heavy overhead chop to smash the door to pieces. Moments before the ax collided with the door, Count Agist felt a tremendously powerful force reflect the ax back.

Count Agist growled and started to wind up for another swing, but suddenly the ax felt so heavy that he could barely hold it, let alone swing it.

"Woah! Easy there killer! That push back was just a warning!" Count Agist heard Simon say in his mind.

"A warning?"

"Yeah, if her and I competed I would win, but she says you're not ready yet and asked me to stop you for now."

"Who said that? She? Why didn't I hear anything?"

The knights were surprised when they saw Count Agist's axe get reflected back without even putting a scratch on the door, but now they were confused when they saw him just standing still while looking at the door.

Dion couldn't help but think that the stress might be getting to Count Agist.

"I'll tell you later, first quit standing around here like a moron or at least learn to act natural while we communicate."

Count Agist nodded and then ordered the knights to take away as much of the battering ram as they could and let the maids clean up the rest.

When Count Agist returned to his room, he held out Last Stand and looked at it like it was a person and said "Ok Simon, now speak, what was that just now."

"Relax, it's not as bad as you think!"

Count Agist furrowed his brows and said "So it is bad than?"

"Erm... let me rephrase that... it is good, but it can be bad, but you're not ready for it. At least that is what she said!"

"She?"

"Yeah, the one behind the door, I can't tell who she is, but she felt similar to me so I suspect she might be bound to the door or maybe something in the room but–"

Simon suddenly went quiet and Count Agist said agitated "But what?"

"They're back!"

In front of Count Agist Lillica materialized holding Lorraina.

"We're back sweetie, my sister is awfully tired though, can we borrow your bed? We can't use an illusion while asleep after all..."

Count Agist noticed that Lorraina had a bruise on her face and wanted to ask about it, but he saw Lillica's eyes pleading with him and he figured now was not the time to ask about it so he merely nodded.

Lillica placed the sleeping Lorraina on Count Agist's bed, then curled up next to Lorraina in the bed. She peeked at Count Agist and said playfully "You're welcome to join us sweetie."

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I'd live through it."

"Oh well, your loss." Lillica teased.

Lillica knew Count Agist would reject her, and frankly she was glad. Magic can reinforce her body and help it recover, but sleep was still needed sometimes. Lillica let her own exhaustion overcome her and she fell asleep while cuddling up with Lorraina.

Count Agist walked over to the side of the bed where they were sleeping, he had never seen a demon sleep before and they looked just as defenseless as a human. Seeing the two of them snuggled together made him think that demons could even feel love.

Count Agist sat down next to the bed and watched as Lorraina and Lillica slept soundly next to each other and found himself getting sleepy as well, letting his own body fall asleep in the chair.