Demon's Journey

“Ack!” Cory dove downwards, barely avoiding the black flames. The smell of burnt hair and feathers permeated the air. Cory avoided another fireball and shouted, “Calm down! I thought you said I could leave at any time!”

“You think you can leave after stealing my eyes?” Raphael asked in a growling voice. “Be obedient and come here!”

“I think I’ll pass,” Cory said with a shiver. There was something about Raphael’s voice that made her uncomfortable. She squirmed and shook her head. “And what do you mean steal your eyes? These eyes are mine! If I stole your eyes, then where did my eyes go?”

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear a harpy’s logic,” Raphael said. Sometime during the commotion, he had climbed on top of the table. He pointed at the surface. “Come here. Right now.”

Palan, Cleo, and Headmaster stood up and approached Raphael. Creed shook his head and the trio froze in place. Their bodies rose into the air and were placed back into their seats as if an invisible person was playing with dolls. “Not you three,” Creed said. He glanced at Raphael before sighing and leaning back in his seat.

“I don’t want to,” Cory said and shook her head. She landed behind Raea, pressing her wings against her body so no part of her stuck out. Her head glanced over Raea’s shoulder. “Help me, harbinger. We’re best friends, right? You wouldn’t leave me alone to face a crazy person, yeah?”

“The harpy is unaffected by Asura’s power?” Raphael asked and furrowed his brow. His hands clenched. “What are the four of you doing? Bring her to me!”

“But Levy thinks she makes sense?” Levy asked and tilted her head. “If her eyes are hers, then how are they yours?” She blinked twice and glanced at Cory. “Levy thinks you’re overreacting. Didn’t Asura say to not hurt the guests?”

“I can feel a trace of my mana in her eyes,” Raphael said and snorted. The flames around his body had calmed down after Levy’s speech, but they flared up again as he gritted his teeth. “Those are definitely mine!”

“Was the elegant demeanor just an act?” Raea asked Creed and raised an eyebrow. The plain-looking demon seemed to be the most normal one here. She pinched Palan’s side, snapping him out of his daze. “I knew we couldn’t trust them. Look at that.”

Creed cleared his throat and tapped Raphael’s shoulder with his power. Black flames rose out of the blind angel’s side and smacked the air. “Are you sure the mana you’re feeling is due to the eyes and not because you set her feathers on fire?” Creed asked. “You’re ruining the good impression you tried to establish by acting this way, you know?”

“I don’t care about impressions,” Raphael snarled. “Try being blind for millennia! I can’t even remember what colors look like anymore.”

“Maybe you should’ve asked for your eyes back instead of eternal life,” Raea said and placed her hands on her hips. “Irresistible deals?” She snorted. “I knew it was too good to be true.” She looked at Palan with a face that said, “I told you so.”

“I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding,” Palan said and crossed his arms. “I trust my instincts, and my instincts say Asura is trustworthy. Let’s wait for her to wake up before anything else happens.”

“You only trust her because she used her power to order you to trust her!” Raea said and slapped Palan’s cheek, causing his neck to crack as his head was twisted to the side from the impact. Cleo’s eyes widened as she backed away from the heat pouring out of Raea’s body. Blood trickled from the corner of Palan’s lip. His eye twitched as he placed his hand on his head, cracking his neck and fixing his posture.

Raea glared at him, unfazed by the smiling expression on Palan’s face. “What?” Raea asked as her tail cut through the air, smacking Palan in the chest and knocking him out of his seat. Before he could rise, she straddled his stomach and slammed him to the ground by placing her hands on his shoulders while tying up his legs with her tail.

Raphael cleared his throat, but Raea ignored him. “Get off me,” Palan said and lifted his arms. Raea’s wings spread outwards and pinned them down. Palan’s torso mouth opened, but Raea spat a torrent of black fire inside of it. It mewled before slamming shut, refusing to open no matter how hard Palan commanded it to.

“She’s even crazier than Levy,” Creed muttered. “We’re going to have to live with her too?”

“Why do you trust Asura?” Raea asked. Palan’s tails rose behind her, poised to strike. Green hands emerged from Raea’s back and squeezed the snakes’ mouths shut. They thrashed around, but more hands appeared and forced their wriggling bodies to the floor.

“She can be trusted,” Palan snarled. “Have I ever been wrong?”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Raea said. Blood poured out of Palan’s shoulders as Raea clenched her hands and dug her claws into his skin. “Tell me. Why do you trust her? You can’t say you trust her because you trust her.”

“I trust her because she’s a trustworthy person who told me to trust her! What don’t you understand about that?”

“What don’t I understand? Why can’t you see that’s bullshit logic?” Raea exhaled as she raised her head, glaring at the spectators. “You said the seven virtues were already gathered. Which one of you is charity?”

“Levy’s charity!” Levy said and raised her hand with a smile. Her demeanor resembled a child volunteering for a magic trick. “Levy’s very charitable.” Her hair rose and fell as her head bobbed up and down.

“Use your powers on him,” Raea said, gesturing towards Palan with her head. Palan tried to bite her arm, but a fist made of black flames punched his nose. He tried using pride, wrath, envy, and greed to break free, but Raea countered them with her own.

“Levy doesn’t think that’s a good idea,” Levy said and scratched her head. “Then Asura would be mad at Levy. Asura’s scarier than Raffi when she’s mad. Her flames are hot.”

“Oh really?” Raea asked. Sometime during her struggles with Palan, her eyes had turned purple. She released Palan and stood up. “Then you can tell me who’s scarier. Me or Asura.” The carpet and table were set ablaze as heat poured out of Raea’s body. A black mist rose out of her mouth as she lowered her head and exhaled. “It’s so frustrating when no one will listen to you.”

“Right?” Cleo muttered. She glared at Headmaster.