X X I I - [ D A E M O N ]

aroundmy office, trepidation and fear for Feia's life consuming my mind.

.

I try to convince myself that she'll be just fine on her own, but unfortunately, the one person I can't convince other than Feia is I myself.

"Lucifer," Bub says from his seat in front of my desk. I look sideways at him, raising an eyebrow to see what he wants instead of asking. "You need to chill, man. It's Laufie we're talking about here—she can take care of herself."

"I know, Bub, I know!" I drag a callous hand down my face in frustration. "But I just can't help it! What if she gets eaten by a Hellhound or something?"

Bub scoffs. "Are you kidding me? ? ? It's more like the other way around, man. In fact, I kind of pity the creatures that will have to face her." He purses his lips and shakes his head, probably imagining Feia slaughtering the creatures with her blade. "Oh my poor, creatures."

"Alright then, so not the Hellhounds." I nod my head, seeing that Bub is, in fact, correct; the Hellhounds' only chance of survival is to run the fuck away from her. "But what about the lost souls? What if one of them gets in her body?"

"Oh please," Bub waves me off and rolls his eyes. "The only thing she ever lets in is you, Lucifer."

"BUB—"

"Oh, hush. We both know that's the truth." Bub throws me a wink and makes a bowl of skittles appear on my desk. He reaches for it and grabs a handful of the sweets before shoving it in his mouth and exclaiming, "WHOO! TASTE THE RAINBOWS, BABY."

I rub my temples slowly. "Can't you be serious for five minutes?"

"Meh," He says, cheeks full with candies. "She'll be fine, Lucifer. Seriously. Or, if you're still so goddamned worried, go check up on her."

I give him a look. "Are you ? She'll have my head within seconds!"

"See why you shouldn't worry about her." Bub picks up a red skittle and examines it before popping it in his mouth. "She has the ability to scare you, Lucifer. , of all demons—for the love of Satan, Daemon, you Satanhimself in the flesh. No one, and I mean , has the ability to scare you like that."

, I want to say, but choose to keep quiet instead.

"Oho, I know that look." Bub says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"What look?" I ask, knitting my eyebrows together in genuine puzzlement.

"Oh don't play games with me, Angel." A knowing smirk appears on his face, and it confuses me even more. "You have feelings for her, don't you?"

His words render me speechless. And for the first time in several decades, I am hesitant in replying. "Feelings? What ?" Regaining my composure as quick as I can and narrowing my eyes, I give him a look as if I'm trying to make him believe in my words. "I feel nothing, Bub. We demons do not show such weakness."

"Bullshit,"

"It's the truth, Bub. I—"

"" He sings, picking out the yellow skittles and eating them all at once.

"I—"

"BULL. SHIAT."

"Oh, piss off, would you?" I growl in annoyance.

"So it's true, then? You do gave feelings for her?" He smiles expectantly, though Satan knows just why he's so excited.

"No." I state out, a tone of finality in my voice.

Bub visibly deflates, shoulders slightly hunched. "Well," He sighs, pushing the bowl of candies away. He then gives me a sympathetic smile and says, "Believe what you want, Lucifer. But we both already know the truth anyway."

after her.

I know for one that she will probably behead me when she sees me inside the Circle, but I also know that I am still willing to risk my chances for the sake of making sure that my right hand is still alive.

Now all I've got to do left is to find someone to take charge of Hell while I'm gone.

?

.

.

"Bub?" I speak into the air to no one in particular.

"Yes, Angel?" He replies, appearing in front of my desk as usual.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but..." I sigh, and stand up so that our eyes are levelled. "Do you mind taking charge of Hell for a couple of days or so?"

Bub blinks hard once, twice, thrice. He doesn't seem to be able to comprehend what I have just said, though I'm pretty sure that he heard exactly what.

"Bub? Hello?" I say, waving a hand right in front of his face. Seeing that this does not affect him in any way whatsoever, I start snapping my fingers instead. "Hell to Bub? Are you there, you bastard?"

"You..." He starts, expression still in shock. "Want... " Bub points at himself— "To take charge of Hell while you're gone?"

"Well if you don't want to, I mean, I can always find someone else to—"

"No no no, wait!" Bub says, a wide grin threatening to break onto his face. "I'll do it! Oh, Angel, I've been waiting long for this day to come!"

"Bub, it's only for about a day or so." I remind him as I raise an eyebrow. "And if you call me that again I I'll find someone else better and more responsible than you are and someone who actually me to take charge of Hell."

"Okay, okay! I won't call you that again!" Bub raises both his hands with the palms facing out, mock surrender. "But where will you be going, anyway?"

I don't answer, simply raising an eyebrow yet again as a form of response. He looks confused for a moment there, but quickly gets what I mean and nods in understanding. "I see," He says, and pats me hard in the back. "Oh, Daemon. I knew this day would come."

" day?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing." Bub waves me off and looks away. "Forget I even said anything."

"," I say in a somewhat threatening voice. "Tell me now or you can kiss playing Satan goodbye."

He gasps. "No!"

"Yes. Now what is it?" I ask again, doing my best to keep a straight face.

"Ugh, fine!" Bub pouts and crosses his arms in front of him. "I mean the day you would finally enter the Circle yourself!"

Rolling my eyes, I say, "? That's ?"

", Lucifer! Geez, you're one untrusting demon, you know that?"

I shrug. "Kept my ass alive for over a century now, Bub. Try to... How you say... Suck it up, yes?"

"Oh, I don't mind if I suck another something up." He replies, throwing me a flirtatious wink that makes me want to throw my breakfast back up.

"No, Bub. Just... Don't."

"You know you love it anyways, lover boy." He puckers his lips and lets go of it again, and I resolve to just go now before he tries to do anything funny.

"Bub." I say, looking him dead in the eyes. "No funny business while I'm gone, alright?"

Bub looks like he is about to make another joke of sorts, but he must have realized how serious I currently am and wipes all laughter away from his face.

"Don't worry, Lucifer. Hell's in good hands."

of the Circle towering before me, I make a gesture with my hands and the gates open to let me in. Quickly and without hesitation, I walk in before I try to even think twice about entering or even regretting it.

As soon as I step foot in the Circle, the gates close behind me immediately just like how it was when Feia went in. There is no other choice now than to continue the journey, so I might as well get all this over with and find Feia.

.

As if on cue, Hellhounds start coming in from every corner, eyes filled with hunger and the need to kill and feed. They start lunging at me all at once, but I easily send them whimpering away with a single glare and a flick of my wrist; us Satans have power like that.

I walk further in, knowing that soon enough, more creatures will be coming my way. Fortunately enough, though, the creatures are easy to defeat especially for me so I'll be able to catch up in no time.

.