The Half-Lilin Chapter 13 by Shin Eris

Mom let go of my lips, pushed my head to the side and whispered, "Glyph Shield: Thurisaz!"

There was a loud boom and I closed my eyes, hugging mom tightly. Then I heard two voices, male and female, saying, "What the hell?!!!"

I opened my eyes. Mom's face was one of shock, so I looked behind. Uriel's face was a picture of outrage. Between us, was a spear with its tip buried to the ground. I can barely make out the word 'Amphillogiai'.

Mom suddenly let out a great laugh, "Uriel, it seems like your old friend has something to say about your habit of abducting brides."

---

Chapter 13

So I picked up the cup of coffee and tipped it to my lips.

Even the taste was divine. Strong, rich and exquisitely divine. It felt wonderful on my tongue and lingers even after the first sip. It kept me alert, my senses awake. I could feel the presence of the the other angels of death in Tartarus. I could count each and every one of them and could tell exactly what they were doing. I closed my eyes, enjoying the brew's wonderful effect on my mind, heightening my senses as I started to get the feel of the terrain of Tartarus.

Only now did I realize that the Hall of Records of which I was sitting in was only a tiny part of Tartarus. As my senses expanded, I started to measure the length and depth of Tartarus from my seat in the Hall of Records at the top of Mount Purgatory. What I found was astonishing, beyond what mere words could explain.

It seemed like even with my heightened, highly attuned senses, I wasn't able to totally plumb the depths of Tartarus. There were deep chasms and areas that seemed to defy my attempts to probe it. I heard a strong, hypnotic voice in the winds telling me the names of the areas as I explored them and what kind of souls inhabit the area as if giving me a grand tour.

I noticed some familiar souls in some areas, though who they were exactly was too hard to tell. It was like looking at a perfectly white page, instead of one with a black dot in the middle, so it was quite impossible to tell who was who. But then, as I scanned the Isle of the Blessed in the Elysian Fields, I noticed a particularly familiar soul.

It was mom! Great Mother! I totally forgot the reason that I came here in the first place. I opened my eyes abruptly, immediately noticing a crushing pressure on my legs. So, I looked down, and was shocked at what I saw.

"Archangel Uriel! What have you done?" I asked, horrified at the sight of snakes coiling around my legs, binding it to the chair's legs.

"Me? Nothing at all. I'm just giving you a feel of what being the boss of Tartarus is all about. Don't you find it enlightening?" he said as if joking. His face a perfect mask of mirth.

I pointed downward. Without even looking at that thing down there that I was pointing at, he told me that it was normal. Told me that it was nothing to worry about. Yeah right. I'd bet a million bucks (which I didn't have anyway) that he didn't have a single snake coiling around his legs. Of course I wouldn't check to see if it was true, since that would involve me peeking under the table, which would put my face within striking distance of the snakes. Now, I never had snake phobias, but it was still a scary thought.

Despite the slithering movements of the serpents around my legs, I summoned up a bit more will from deep inside me. "I want to see mom, Archangel Uriel," I said.

"You're talking about the Half-Lili Sarai who killed the Antichrist thus canceling Armageddon 1999?" he asked, actually sounding more like a statement instead of a question.

"She killed the Antichrist? 1999 was supposed to be Armageddon?"

"An Antichrist if you want to be technical. But please, call me Uriel. I disregard formality when I'm with friends. And yes, you may see Sarai if you want. As my friend, you have certain... privileges."

I didn't think I like the suggestive way his last word was spoken. Nor did I like the predatory smile on his ruggedly handsome face. Despite my worries though, it was much better than being kicked down to Papua New Guinea.

"So do I just go down there and find her or are there some protocols I that need to adhere to?" I asked.

"Oh no, it's not safe for you down there. I'll send for her to come here. I assume you want to talk to her?"

I answered with a, "Yes, please," at the same time wondering if it was really going to be that easy.

"Very well..." he said while getting up from his chair, "...please make yourself comfortable. I'll send her up here shortly." Then he left.

I was expecting a couch or at least a lazy chair when he told me to make myself comfortable. Imagine my surprise when I turned around and saw a four poster bed instead. Apparently Archangel Uriel has a smashingly wicked sense of humor.

I took another sip of the coffee, silently praising Uriel for such a wonderful brew. I'd really love to get the blend. I wonder if I'd be able to find the ingredients in Assiah. As I was busy scanning the outer reaches of Tartarus, I heard a voice saying something. My already overloaded mind was unable to comprehend what was being said. It was like listening to hundreds of voices and looking at hundreds of faces at the same time, making it impossible to catch any details.

So I pulled my senses back, narrowing it to my immediate surrounding. I noticed a presence of someone, neither angel nor demon standing to my right.The presence was familiar... and warm, much like the memories of childhood on a bright spring day.

"Did you ask for me, sister?" asked a melodious, childlike voice as I opened my eyes.

I looked to my right and noticed a teenage girl with long blond hair in curly loli-girl style. Her eyes were brown and her skin was... deathly pale. It wasn't just pale, just corpse-like, like the skin people who has died looked like, though a bit whiter, like a ghost. Her nails however were perfectly manicured. Her two horns originated from the same point as the one on my head, but while my horns twist and twirl like a ram's horn, hers were swept backwards, curved in some section much like how a kris looked. Her wings are of the same shape and size as mine, though unlike mine, her wings are also whitish. Her breasts are smaller than mine, probably a B cup. She couldn't have been more than 14 if she was a regular human.

But I knew that she was never a regular human. "Wow, you look different."

She gave me an appraising look. I noticed that her eyes were her normal brown, not yellow slits like the Lilim. "Considering that I don't remember you at all yet you seem to know me, I'd say you look different too, sister."

"Mom! Don't call me sister! That sounds so wrong," I whined.

"You called me 'mom'. So does that mean that you're my child?" she asked, looking rather confused.

"Yes mom, you died a year ago, remember? From brain tumor?"

She looked outraged as she cried, "You are one big fat liar, sister! I've never had a Lilim daughter and I didn't die from brain tumor."

I was disappointed that she didn't recognize me. Has it been so long here? Does time here pass the same way as time in Sheol? When she said that she never had a Lilim daughter, I felt like a knife was driven through my heart. Then it struck me that maybe she didn't recognize me because I was in Lilin form. Of course she never had a Lilim daughter, I was her son.

"I'm not your daughter, mom. I'm your son, Patrick."

"Patrick?" she said, looking confused again, "but you don't look like a Patrick".

I sighed, then explained why I appear as a girl and offered to show her my Patrick form. She in turn told me that it would be impossible as it was Tartarus' nature to purge all tangible deceptions. Therefore my current form was my true form and the only form I could adopt while in Tartarus. So I started going into long tales of how Mother claimed me when I was 3 days old, how mom died and left me in the care of Mother Gaea, and how Mother Gaea went murderous on me thus giving Mother Lilith a chance to reclaim me. I omitted the part about being Asmodeus' torture toy so that she wouldn't be worried by it."

"Please, forgive me, my sweet little lily," she said as the fog in her mind was lifted and she looked healthier, her skin getting pinkier and her lips became redder, "It's the 'perks' of being dead in Tartarus. You lose yourself pretty easily".

"Did you fall into the River Styx or something, mom?" I asked, glad that she finally regained her own self.

"Styx?" again, she looked confused, "What are you talking about?"

"The water of the river could make you lose your memories, right? Or did I mixed up my mythologies?"

"I think you meant the River Lethe. The River Lethe is where people lose their memories. The River Styx is where people go to make oaths or suffer for eternity. Neither of them was the cause of my problem since when Lucifel was sent to Tartarus, Hades was renamed into Sheol and separated from Tartarus, taking with it the 5 main rivers of Hades. All the departed souls were sent here, to Mount Purgatory or the Elysian Fields after being briefly judged. We're all waiting for for Armageddon to happen so we could get out of here and either go to Hell or Heaven."

"If you're talking about Lucifer, I thought he was sent to Hell? And why would Hades be separated from Tartarus?"

"Lucifel was not sent to Hell, because Hell didn't exist before Lucifel was sent down there. Hell was Lucifel, Lucifel was Hell. Gehenna was made from Lucifel's body, which was why Lucifel couldn't leave Gehenna to this day. Oh, and contrary to what the Christian Bible said, he never rebelled against God, the only angels to have ever rebelled against God were the Grigoris and Gabriel was the only Archangel to have actually came close to being casted down to Earth."

"So why would God cast Lucifer down to Earth if he never rebelled?"

"He was never casted down to Earth. God told Lucifel his role as the master of Hell and he accepted it. Whether he went there without a protest was a different story."

Well, that was news. I've been raised watching movies and reading books about how Lucifer was casted down to Earth because he in his arrogance and wickedness rebelled against God and ran to Hell to create his own domain in a sick parody of Heaven. To hear that he never rebelled was a revelation.

"So Lucifer is here now?"

"No, he's in Gehenna. I know what you're thinking, it's true that at one point Sheol, Gehenna and Tartarus were connected, being right next to each other. Then Uriel broke off the bond and drifted Tartarus closer to Yetzirah."

"Anyway, neither of the rivers were the source of my amnesia. It's the nature of this place to make you forget so that you don't keep pestering the Angels of Death about going back to Assiah for various reasons. It's all in the mist."

I looked around me in reflex to her words. Finding nothing peculiar, I asked, "Mist? What mist, mom? I don't see any mist."

"No mist in here. Uriel put up a ward around the Hall of Records at the same time he created the mist. I imagine even he would be affected by the long exposure to the mist," then she noticed the contents of my cup, "Hey, is that coffee?"

Without even asking for permission, she picked the coffee up and drained it in one gulp. Then a sort of dreamy look came over her face. I wondered if I looked like that when I sipped the beverage earlier. There was a particular satisfied demeanor over her as it slowly lessened and she returned to normal.

It took quite some time before she sobered up. "Oh my, that's a good cup of coffee. I've forgotten how good it feels. We don't really drink here, you see. We just wander around like mindless ghosts under the influence of the mist."

"It must be terrible, mom. Why would you want to die then if you knew about it?"

"It's actually not so bad. It's preferable to being made aware of everything and constantly feeling like wanting to return to Earth to see your loved ones. At least this way we can avoid feeling bored, down or even angry for being kept waiting for the final day. I imagine many of us would be more than happy to bring down Armageddon by ourselves if we were made aware of how long we've been here. Some has been here for tens of thousands of years," she said, then appearing lost in thought, "Have anyone told you why I died?"

"Not from brain tumor?" I asked, getting the hint from her earlier outburst.

"No, I died because I was starving. Now don't blame your father. He allowed me to go out to feed as much as I needed, albeit reluctantly. It was I who decided that it was enough, that I have lived too long for anyone with a heart. This time, I decided to die before my family did," she said with a forced smile.

"Dad knew about you being one of the Lilim?" I asked, hardly able to grasp the idea. Was it the same case as me and Chris?

Her face again took on a dreamy look, "Oh yes, and it was quite romantic, the way we met. Maybe one day you can ask him, since it's hardly likely that Uriel will allow you to speak to me for the second time. Come to think of it, how did you persuade him to allow you to see me?"

"I didn't persuade him at all, I simply sat down on this chair and asked him to let me see you," I said, realizing as I spoke that my feet was no longer bound by the snakes.

"That's weird, I've never heard of anyone being treated that way. Back when I was still alive, I heard of many who was kicked down to Papua New Guinea for just stepping foot here. I can't imagine why he would treat you differently," she said, now taking a seat on the chair left vacant by Uriel.

Dryly, I said, "Yeah, I know of one like that."

"So how's life since I was gone. Found a girlfriend yet?" she asked with a grin.

"No long term relationships," I said, then remembered something and gave her a murderous glare, "What were you thinking when you asked Chris to take care of me, mom? Don't you think I can take care of myself? I don't need him to take care of me. I can take care of myself, mom!"

"Gee, pipe down. There's no need to be hysterical now, my beautiful little lily. My, if I knew you would be this beautiful, I would've let Mother have you sooner. Anyway, I meant nothing by asking him to take care of you. You were both mutually attracted to each other, even without me saying anything, you would've ended up taking care of each other. You wouldn't be able to resist it, with your cute childhood vow and the binding mark..."

"Woooh, hold on there. What did you mean by 'mark'?" I heard a muffled 'oops', "Are you saying that Chris is carrying my mark? Mom! How the hell did he came to carry my mark? I didn't even know how to put a mark on someone. How the hell did he get my MARK?!!!"

I noticed mom was stuffing her ears with her fingers by the time I finished yelling at her. "You're being hysterical again. I admit, I may have been quite underhanded when I put your mark on him, but it's for your own good. You don't want to kill your future husband. Trust me, the sight of your husband lying lifeless in front of you would be too much to bear."

I simply glared at mom. "Mom, how did you put my mark on him? Why did you put my mark on him? Where on his body did you put my mark at?"

"Yes..." she was looking sheepish, like a child who was caught swiping cookies from the cookie jar, "...you see, when you were 12, I was worried that you would go mad with the sudden hunger that should have surfaced at puberty. I was afraid that you in your inexperience would find one you were most compatible to and the most convenient - I'm talking about Chris by the way - and accidentally killing him in your frenzy. So one night, while you were both asleep, I laid his body next to yours and... umm... it was rather tricky".

The more I listened to her, the more annoyed I become. "Mom..." I said, barely controlling myself from raising my voice, "... do you realize that you have just confessed to abusing your 12 year old son?"

"Abusing you?" she said, feinting hurt, "Don't be silly, I did no such thing, I was merely securing your future. I have never forced or tricked you into having underage sex with a boy. So I don't see where you get the idea that I was abusing you".

"Well, how would giving him my mark help in securing my future? In case you didn't notice, he abused me in every way possible. He spread nasty rumors about me, humiliated me, erased my work, smashed my car and BROKE MY LEG!"

She frowned. "Okay, I didn't approve of that last one too but you must understand that it only happened because you tried to go against your vow," Her eyes took on a sympathetic shade. "We're not like them, honey, we don't have the ability to break our promises."

"Mom, let's just ignore that vow for a moment. Let's not forget the fact that in the real word, I'M A MAN! Two men can't marry each other in the real world, mom. So how exactly am I supposed to fulfill that promise?"

Mom made a dismissive wave. "Details, details. You're a Lili, dear. You are by default female, though you may also be either a succubus or an incubus. You can be either male or female though you may only ever feed in female form. As a succubus, you attract and consume male essence. As an incubus, you exude male essence. Anyway, what's so bad about being his wife? There are much worse fates than to be someone else's wife."

"Mom, he's evil. He abuses me all the time and spares no detail whenever he does that. He's the stereotypical wife beater! I won't be caught dead as his wife! Ever!"

"Now that's an improvement. You've just accepted the idea of yourself being a wife."

"Oh shut up. It didn't mean anything."

I took another look around. "So this is where I'll go after my death? I'm not really looking forward to it. It seems rather dull."

Giggling, she said, "Oh yes, it's dull, but nobody cares because nobody's even aware of themselves here. All thanks to the mist. That's the beauty of being in Tartarus. Sadly, you won't be coming here after you die."

"What do you mean, mom? This is where human souls go to after their death, isn't it?"

"Yes, but you're one of the Lilim. If you die, you will die as a Lili, as a demon."

"Then why are you here? Aren't you a Lili too?"

"Yes, but I'm different because before I died, Mother freed me from my obligations. Mother allowed me to die a human death. Otherwise, I'd probably end up being stripped of my powers and memories to be reborn as another Lili. If I was lucky, I would probably return to Adam Kadmon to be reborned as a new human soul. If I was very unlucky, I might lose myself and become Legion," she winced as she said the last word.

"That's the fate that awaits me?" I asked, totally horrified. I don't want to be Legion!

"Yes, but Mother as our matriarch and owner can decide where we go, so play nice with her. You really want to be on her good side. Becoming Legion would've been the worst punishment that I can think of before Judgement Day," she said with a shudder.

"But that's the problem, mom. I don't want to 'play nice' with Mother. I want to be me! I want to be free! I don't want to do Mother's bidding!"

Mom looked at me with a sad expression. Or was that pity? "Are you sure that's what you really want, dear?"

I hesitated. Truth was, I was starting to like my life as as Lili. As Patrick, I was uptight, vindictive and bitter where as Ilyse, I was more liberated, cheery and fun-loving. I know I'm going to regret thinking this, but for the past few times, I kind of liked the idea of spending time with Chris. Oh, this is so sick!

"Having second thoughts, dear?" mom interrupted with a knowing smile.

I sputtered as I was caught off guard by her remark, "No, no of course not. Why would I be having second thoughts, mom?"

Her smile widened as she said, "Oh, I don't know... why don't you tell me?"

"No! I'm not backing away. I want to be free. I don't want to be forced to do Mother's bidding anymore. I want to live the way I want to. So if you really care for me, mom, you'll help me."

Mom sighed, "Such disrespect. Where have I went wrong with you?"

"MOM!"

"Yes, yes. What kind of help do you wish from me? Just remember I'm already dead," she joked, which I couldn't seem to bring myself to laugh along with.

"Well, how about some info? How do I get myself free like you?"

"I'm afraid you can't take the same route as me, dear. I didn't set out to be freed in the first place, it just happened. Mine was a very special circumstance. Though if you really want to, you can try the same route 6 years from now. There would be a similar event then. Doubt it though, since I have served her for half a millennia before doing that final deed."

"You never told me of your life before. You have 500 years' worth of stories I'd love to hear, mom. Why didn't you ever tell me anything?"

"I'm sorry, my sweet lily. It was just that I was afraid. I was afraid that you would blame me. I was afraid that you would hate me. Til I died, I couldn't bring myself to tell you. Would you ever forgive me?"

"We have time now, mom. You can tell me anything, I'll listen."

"Oh, how would I start? 500 year's worth of memory is a lot of memory."

"How about you start with the place where you grew up, mom. How was England 500 years ago?"

"England? Whoever said I was raised in England?"

"But your accent... and you told us that your family migrated from England."

"I lived in England in the late 19th century and up to the middle of the 20th century. I migrated alone after the Second World War since my parents died of black death in the 16th century. I was actually born in a small hamlet near Leipzig in current Germany on the summer of 1488."

"Germany? You were a German?"

"A generic term. You must understand that when I was born, there was no such thing as Germany. We only had the Holy Roman Empire, but many would argue that it was not a German nation."

"Okay, so how was Germany back then?"

"Very turbulent. You can't travel far without meeting several 'tax collectors'. Minor nobles and raubritter were numerous and they made life pretty hard and dangerous for peasants like my family."

After pausing once, she continued, "But all that paled in comparison to the threat posed by the evil cult of Baphomet."

My interest peaked. "Baphomet? Wasn't he that goat-headed demon that the satanists kept worshipping as the face of the devil? The one they identified as Lucifer?"

With a weak smile, she said, "Yes, that's the one, though he was neither the devil nor Lucifel. He was a minor demon, one only slightly higher in status compared to the imps."

"So how did he get such a huge following? And what was the significance with your story?"

"You need to know that the title 'Baphomet' was originally empty. It was originally a perversion of the muslim prophet Muhammad, who was called Mahomet by the crusaders. This demon, who was originally so insignificant that none remembered his original name, saw the opportunity and attached himself to that name. He became almost an equal to the Seven Sins overnight. Then he started waging war on the Princes and Princesses of Sheol. Lord Astaroth fell first and Agrat Bat Mahlat fell second. Lord Belial tried to rally the other Princes and Princesses of Sheol to join forces and crush Baphomet's army but apart from Agrat and Naamah, he failed to get the others to join the fight. Not even Mother heeded his call to arms."

"I've heard of that, but I thought the Lilim fought Baphomet?"

"Well, we had no choice. He suddenly appeared at our doorstep with his entire army and demanded that Mother be his consort. Of course we couldn't just allow such insult to go unpunished, so we fought, despite the overwhelming odds. All Lilim, whether in Sheol or Assiah were recalled to Yenne Velt to defend the border while the unicornes stayed near Mother's throne in Vanity Meadows to weave a grand spell to stop Baphomet. Against Baphomet's numerically superior army, we fell like stalks of wheat. Not even I with my five guardian artifacts were able to hold them. My subbies all fell by the second wave. If not for Edria's sacrifice, we wouldn't even be able to hold against the third wave. I was overrun by the fourth wave and had to flee to Assiah before they grabbed me. Even in Assiah, I was hunted by Baphomet's worshippers. If not for a kind boy who happened to come across my weakened body, I think I would've been impaled and paraded by Baphomet's worshippers."

"So how did we, I mean the Lilim, survived?"

"Agrat and Naamah's forces arrived shortly before the... you know what, it's easier to just show it to you," she held out her left hand, "Take my hand, we'll explore my memories. Have you ever done this before?"

"Yes, I've done something like this with Mother to find out why Chris was my soulmate."

Mom gave a brief smile. "Was that the word she used? That's totally out of character for her. Now, stand still and wait for awhile. I was never very good with spells and although this one is quite easy, it's still too specific for me."

I felt her hold my hands tighter as a jolt and a slight woozy feeling came over me. Immediately, my view distorted and my left hand flew up to rub my eyes. As I was rubbing, I saw my surrounding change and peel as if there was another reality behind it. After about ten minutes of watching my surrounding distort and peel, the images around me settled. Good thing too, I was about to get sick from all the dizzying sights.

"Recognize this place?" mom asked.

I looked at the gigantic archway over the very long road leading into the forest, realizing that I've been here once before. I was about to answer her when I noticed the gloomy mood around me. The last time I was here, this place was full of joy, full of laughter. Now, there seems to be a cloud of despair and fear around us. I couldn't tell for sure where the feeling came from because we were alone here.

"This is the arched gateway to Inner Yenne Velt. It feels different from the last time I was here. And where's everyone?"

She blushed. "Sorry about that. Specific spells like this were never meant to be used by three horned Lilim. I had to spend ten minutes just to form a sustainable matrix. We normally just use grand spells that drained the hell out of our powers. Hold on, just a bit longer."

Then I heard disjointed noises, the likes you'd hear from scratchy CDs. After petering out a few times, the noises became more understandable as images flickered over the scenery. At some point, there were disembodied but clear noises, screams, shouts and yells. Then something like a fog fell over the scenery and it formed people, mostly Lilim, some looked like human with weird headdresses. Most didn't even look like people. There were creatures that looked like large winged insects with pincers and scorpion's tail, swooping onto the army of Lilim and humans . There were blobs with tentacles firing blob projectiles and casting spells which disintegrated those bugs. None of them were doing very well. Once those Lilim or humans were grabbed by one of those bugs, they weakened and turn into dry husks shortly after. Those tentacled blobs that had one of those bugs stuck into it melted and while those bugs gave birth to more of those foul bugs.

-----

"Mira, you come back here now!" yelled Sarai at the two horned figure running panicly towards the rear.

"You can fight all you want, mistress, but I don't want to die like Serana!"

"Damned coward. Sergei!" she shouted to one of the 5 giant arabian genies standing guard around her. One of the giants, Sergei, nodded at her and elongated his right hand to catch the fleeing Mira.

He then deposited Mira in front of Sarai and her genies. "Now fight..." muttered Sarai so that only Mira would hear, "...or I'll kill you myself."

The two horned Lili, Mira didn't even stand a minute against the Legion onslaught. One of the buglike creatures managed to get its scorpion tail into her guts and drained her of her powers. The Lili's body dried up and turned into dust. The Legion immediately leaped onto Sarai who were too caught up with blasting away one of the Legions and wasn't aware of the one leaping at her. Right before the bug managed to sink its scorpion tail into the top of Sarai's head, a red blast pierced its own head and it fell lifeless to the ground. About a mile to the rear, five very tall Lilim were standing on the arched gateway into Inner Yenne Velt. Three of them were firing magic arrows from their bows, one was reloading her crossbow while another one was aiming her musket.

Thanks for the help, Araminta. Keep that musket shooting!

No problem, Sarai. Just don't get caught like that again.

That's a pretty dumb strategy, Sarai. You should've used her as support instead of a tanker.

Shut up, Beata. I don't tolerate cowards. Is the shield operational yet? Sarai looked behind at a three horn who were flanked by six other three horns on top of a large boulder.

Yes, Milen just told me that the shield is stable and will operate at full power the moment she break contact, which was two minutes ago. This effectively means that we can no longer go in or out of Inner Yenne Velt.

One of Sarai's guardian genies casted a reddish blast that melted hundreds of Legions from the sky. Another slapped a couple of Legions away from Sarai.

I hope their plan works, Beata.

I hope so too. Else we'll just die for nothing out here.

I don't wish to die, Beata. I hope we can all get out of here alive

Unlikely, but I'm sure that some of us would be able to escape when the spell was ready.

Let's just pray that it's soon, I don't think I can last much longer. I almost shortcircuited Gerard just now.

Do your best anyhow, we need to defend for at least another hour.

The three horn, Beata, was very busy giving orders and coordinating between different Lilim squads that she didn't realize one of the Legions had snuck up with his nasty looking tail reared up and ready to pounce on her. This time, it was her turn to be saved by Araminta and her musket. When the Legion didn't die, one of Beata's subbies stomp on it until it turned into fine dust.

Knowing the threat was over, Beata turned to look far to the front line, which had already fallen. "Delilah!" she cried, "You come back here now! You can't fight them all!"

Far to the front line, the first line to fall, Delilah, a three horned Lili whose horns swept back with each of its tips converge together high behind her head was twisting around, her twin katars slashing and striking back and forth against the much numerically superior army of Legions that surrounded her from all sides and from above. A few times you could see her fighting madly for her life as the layers of Legions thinned at some sides. She was never granted much breathing space though as new Legions kept swarming at her despite knowing that none of them would be able to penetrate her killing zone. Her fighting skills were graceful and serene, if one could discount the fact that she had downed hundreds of Legions in a single minute with that deadly dance.

When a much larger swarm seemed to converge on Delilah's position, Beata leaped to the air and flew straight towards Delilah. She immediately drew the attention of several smaller swarms but two of her subbies who flew after her easily crushed them with their own spells. This attracted the attention of the larger swarm causing it to change direction to assault Beata instead.

Beata then stopped in mid air and told her subbies to blink back to their position. At the same time, a whitish glow seemed to encompass her clasped fists. By the time the glow expanded, both of her subbies had already blinked away to their previous position in the rear. The moment the larger swarm surrounded her, she parted her palms and there was a huge explosion that incinerated tens of thousands of Legions within a half mile radius. Some of the exhausted Lilim were killed by the explosion, though judging from their facial expression before their bodies turned to dust under the blinding glow of Beata's spell, they were actually thankful to die that way.

Somehow Delilah managed to remain alive after the explosion, though the sharp edges of her twin katars were damaged and no longer battle-worthy. She sent the katars back into the void and produced a black spear instead.

Beata, somewhat breathless, said, "Delilah! Stop this foolishness. Come back to the rear, you'll be of more help there."

"Leave me alone, Beata! This is my fight and we both know how many I could kill simply by fighting alone."

"This is not an argument. As Mother's retinue, I order you to go back to the rear and work with our..." Beata was about to say more when a swarm of Legions aimed their shooting spines at her. She managed to destroy them all by a weird technique where she made the sky literally fall on them, thus crushing most of them to the ground.

"You order me? Hah! By seniority alone, you have no right to order me around. You only got that position because you spent a lot of your time kissing Mother's sweet ass!" said Delilah as she helped Beata blast at some of the smaller Legion swarms around them.

"No, you stupid bitch! I got that position because you were too busy mourning for your beloved Samson whom you betrayed for..." Beata countered.

Delilah interjected with great stomp, causing a ripple that downed hundreds of Legions at ground level around her. "You shut your mouth! Shut your mouth! It's between me and him! You have no right to stop me! He's gone and I should've went with him. So shut your mouth, Beata and let me do my WORK!" This time she roared the last word and again, hundreds of Legions fell around her.

Not even Beata was immune to the amount of power that Delilah unleashed. "So that's what you're doing? You're trying to commit suicide? Don't you realize that you're the only one who can save us when the Outer Yenne Velt finally fall?" she swatted at a lone Legion that had lost its swarm, "Stop acting like a brat and start acting your age. I'm not going to let the oldest tricorne die, Delilah!"

Delilah was about to reply when Sarai's voice interjected. Would you two please stop arguing? I'm getting pinned down here. I've lost two of my guardian artifacts and I'm on the verge of losing another. Would either of you please come and save me?

"There you go, Delilah. Nurse your broken heart or save your friend, which will it be?" Beata said as she turned around and flew back to the rear.

Again, came Sarai's voice. Let's focus on the now and only now, Delilah. I need you here now. The only one who can help me, Edria has already blown herself up from overloading herself with tricorne power. Please come, I'll help you beg Uriel to let you see Samson after this, but please, help me!

Delilah hesitated. She looked at Sarai who were almost surrounded by a large swarm of Legions and turned to help her. As a final act of defiance, she blasted at the approaching swarm without even looking.

Then the images flickered and distort again and suddenly the entire scenery shattered like a wall of glass, sending us back to the Hall of Records. I covered my face with my own hands to avoid from being cut by the flying shards.

-----

"What happened, mom?" I asked after the sound of shattering glass disappeared.

"Sorry, I couldn't maintain a stable spell matrix," she answered.

Then her eyes took on a vacant look as if she was looking at a place far far away. "You have no idea. You have absolutely no idea how a demon created by mankind's own stray imaginations could've become so powerful. You have no idea how terrifying it was to see your sisters fall one by one and treated... in such a way. You can't imagine the fear we felt when the red sky of Yenne Velt turned black from all the Legions advancing upon us like a plague. and the feeling of hopelessness we felt as we assumed that all the princes of Sheol had turned against us. You won't understand the feeling of revulsion we felt when those foul creatures entered Vanity Meadows."

As she related her story, her tears flowed like two rapid rivers. I couldn't bear to see her in so much sadness and pain. So I got up from the chair and held her tight, telling her that she didn't need to continue telling the story. She touched my hands lightly, and told me that she was almost done and that I needed to know our history.

When she calmed down somewhat, she wiped away her tears and said, "Shortly after that, Beata realized that it was impossible to control the advance of the Legions and told us all to get away. Most of us was glad to be able to flee, though I felt myself useless for having to leave them both behind. In the end only Beata and Delilah remained behind. From what I was told, Beata protected Delilah while Delilah prepared a spell that stopped time. They managed to hold the enemy long enough before reinforcements, as well as Baphomet himself arrived. Anyway, once the stasis field and the shield were down, the unicornes fought hard in the only way they knew how. The dispelled, they cursed, they banished, they nulled the enemy's strength until in the end there were only Adela and Mother standing on the dais with the spell work they've been preparing throughout the entire battle". Then she went silent, though her mood seemed like it had improved.

After waiting for quite some time, while watching her expression became more and more jovial, I got impatient and said, "Well, feel free to continue the story before next year, mom."

"Hehe, turns out they've prepared a present for Baphomet. The spellwork they completed were designed to seal Baphomet and it worked wonderfully. After Baphomet was sealed, his Legions all fled to some disgusting place that I don't want to know about. It took us years to remove the taint of their filth from our forests, but eventually, we managed to restore Yenne Velt to its earlier purity," she said with a satisfied tone.

"You mean red skies and lush forest?"

"Yes, so do you have anymore questions?"

"Yes I do, how do I get myself free?"

She sighed and said, "You don't give up, do you? I don't know how you can get yourself free, but if anyone can help you, it would be Delilah. She had been my best friend since the Baphomet War. She has lived for over 3000 years and knows a lot more than I do."

"Delilah? Should I assume that it's Samson's Delilah? The one I see in your memory?"

"Yes... but don't ever mention Samson's name in front of her. She still can't forgive herself for what she did back then. Samson was her only real love, you see. I never found out why she betrayed him because everytime I tried, she started wailing like it's the end of the world. I think we might have been able to hold Baphomet's forces better if we made her wail... come to think of it, that's not such a bad idea at all."

"So how do I find Delilah?"

"She'll most likely find you, once she found out that you're my daughter. I know you don't remember, but she visited you when you were born. Whatever you do though, stay away from Adela. She can be nice and wonderful if she wants, but she's downright cruel when dealing with people she doesn't like. Since we don't know where you stand in her eyes, it's best to just stay away from her."

"What does Adela look like?" I asked.

"Have you been to Yenne Velt?"

"Yes, I've been there, once."

"Then you would notice one Lili in particular standing behind the throne whose presence felt like smoke."

"The one that I can see but can't sense?"

"Yes, that's the one. She has total control of herself, so you can't feel her presence until shortly before she kills you. She can also cancel every spell, offensive or defensive, that you may cast," she said with a shudder.

"Cancel every spell? Isn't that cheating?"

"There's no such thing as cheating in our book. Anyway, it's a variant of null field but much more effective. As far as I know, that power was exclusive to her. It probably had something to do with her being a unicorne. They're very rare."

"Unicorne?" I asked, curious after hearing the word again.

"Who's your mentor, dear?"

"Shaina."

"Shaina?" she laughed, "I can't believe Mother would name her as your mentor, she's still a child herself."

"I know, she told me that she's 22. She's three years younger than me, yet she speaks as if I'm a 6 years old.

"Well, in terms of experience, she is indeed older than you. She became one of the Lilim when she was 12, that's 10 years of experience. She's still too young to be anyone's mentor though."

"I think she's more of a brat than Little Tell.

A short laugh and she said, "How's Stella doing? And Shaina didn't tell you about unicorne?"

"Tell's fine. No, Shaina was pretty much in a hurry when we met last time. Then I blasted her away til she went on a feeding frenzy. So there was very little that we managed to talk about. I only know of one-horned horses, but I have a feeling that's not what you're referring to."

"Raise your hands and put them on your head," mom commanded.

"Are you serious?" I asked, being very sceptical.

"Do it! I won't take that attitude from you, young lady!"

"Wow, you sound just like mom," I said as I placed my hands on my head.

"I AM your mom, girl, and don't you forget it."

"Whatever you say, mom," I replied. Sheesh, just half an hour ago she couldn't even remember me.

"Now touch your horns. How many are there?"

"Two," I said, "A pair".

"Good, but it seems like it's a trait not handed down from mother to daughter," she turned around, her back facing me, "Now how many horns do I have?

"What's with the question - oh my! you got three horns!"

"Correct, I'm a tricorne, a three horned Lili. Adela's a unicorne, which means she has one horn. It's very rare to find unicornes among Lilim. We tricornes are pretty rare ourselves, though not as rare as Adela's kind. Adela told me that she once knew a four-horned Lili, but she was killed by her own powers when it exploded from inside her. Your kind, the bicorne, is the most common of all."

"What's the significance of the number of horns? Are one-horns more powerful than the others?"

"No no, you're totally missing the point. It doesn't matter how many horns you have, as long as you're good at what you do, you can become more powerful than the rest."

"I don't follow," I said with a blank stare.

"Fine, I'll explain. The only real differences between the unicornes, bicornes and tricornes are in the amount of power retention and control. The unicornes have the least power of the three, but they have perfect control over their own powers. Bicornes are the most stable of the three, with moderate amount of power and control. Tricornes have the most power, but suffers from lack of control," she said, then her eyes suddenly looked sad, "When I was younger, it was so hard to control my own powers that it exploded from within me on a number of occasions."

"So the tricornes are the most powerful?"

"No, it's not the matter of who's the most powerful. It's how you use your powers that matters. A unicorne normally can't use greater spells because they won't have enough power to cast it, but they can cast thousands of minor spells without seemingly losing any power at all since they have perfect control over their own spells. Tricornes can't control their powers effectively, so they ended up being unable to cast minor spells because it will fizzle most of the time due to the massive stress on the spell matrix but instead can cast greater spells which drained much power but gives great effect. Some tricornes even abandoned magics and used martial skills all the time. I wasn't willing to abandon magic, so I used three guardian artifacts every time I wanted to cast a spell. Bicornes are capable of utilizing both unicorne and tricorne skills, but not very effective at either of them."

"Another reason why you should avoid Adela is because she has shown the power to disrupt ethereal matrix on a number of occasions, thus causing a perfectly solid form to fizzle and disappear forever. As far as I know, two Lilim have died from her experiments and who knows how many Legions have suffered this spell. She can kill you with just a glance, so avoid her until you know for sure that she likes you."

"Kill me with a glance? That's insane. Not even Mother can do that!"

"Mother can, but she won't. Despite Mother's neglectful demeanor, she still loves us, her children. Adela has no reservations against doing that. She can kill five of us in ten seconds and Mother wouldn't glance even once. She's Mother's favorite daughter, the last of the True Lilim, so she can get away with almost anything. She's like the princess of the Lilim."

"What if she hates me on principle?"

"She won't. She has many other willing toys to abuse. Your only problem would be from the other Lilim. They would love to make you their subbie or bully you until you begged them to accept you as their subbie. I've seen them do it, and I don't really approve of their methods."

"Can a subbie be owned by two mistresses?" I asked.

"It has never happened before, but I don't think that's possible. Why?"

And so I told her about Shaina and our vow.

"That's quick, you have only been activated for a week and you already got yourself a mistress?" she laughed, "Well, I hope you'll do well with her. From the sound of it, you can't kill her even if you decide you hate her but at least she won't harm you, unlike the other mistresses that I know. You're probably better off with her and since you already have a mistress, the other Lilim might leave you alone. If not, I've left something behind for you."

"You mean the house?"

"The house? No, whatever made you think that? The house is under your father's name, anyway. So you'll have to wait until he's dead. I was talking about my powers."

"What do you mean, mom?" I asked, not understanding what her powers had to do with anything.

"When you were born, I decided our family will be the last family I'll ever have. I've fallen in love with many men, but your father was the only man I didn't want to outlive. So I decided to let myself die by giving you most of my powers. Normally, no Lilim will do this because giving your own power to someone else is equal to a suicide attempt."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because, I have planned to die in this generation. So I thought that since I'm going to die anyway, it would be best if I put my powers somewhere it would be needed. I didn't implant all my powers inside you, so there was no danger of me dropping dead suddenly."

"Did you implant your powers inside Little Tell too?"

"No, she's not a Lili. She would die if I implant my Lilin powers inside her."

"Why's that, mom?"

"Well, I guess you can argue that everyone has a small Lilin fragment inside them since Seth's and Cain's descendants had intermingled over the millennium, but normal, average human being can't properly seal the power inside them and they can't convert essence into ether. They will end up the same as us when we got starved to death because their body will keep draining their essence but not convert it, so it disappears into thin air. It's like losing your lifeblood because once you've been infused with ether, your body will be mutated to crave it. That's why there's no longer magic in the world, it's far too addictive for humans."

"That's a nice history lesson, but my real question was why was it that Little Tell's not a Lili?"

"Oh! Well, the answer's simple. She wasn't chosen."

"That's it?"

"Yes, that's the only reason. As to why she wasn't chosen, you have to ask Mother. She's the only one who knew why," she paused, looking slightly thoughtful as if pondering something, then continued, "Have you been having problems with it?"

"Problems with what, mom?"

"The powers that I put inside you. The seal that I casted to contain the power should have broken the moment I died. I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to control the sudden explosion from your soul."

"That sounds dangerous."

"I'm sorry, baby. I was in a hurry back then. So did you have any problem when it came out?"

I told her no. She kept asking similar questions to which I also answered no. Then she started asking me if I experienced any symptoms of power overload or rejection. When I said no to all of the symptoms she listed, she became sceptical and I think she thought I was lying.

She grabbed my wrists and pulled me to her, boobs against boobs, forehead against forehead. "Don't struggle," she said, "I just want to check the status of the sealing spell".

She mmh-ed and ooh-ed, gasped and squealed until at last she said, "Oh shit."

I started to panic as I pushed her away, "Mom! What do you mean with 'oh shit'?!!! You're mom, moms aren't supposed to say 'oh shit'. YOU'RE SCARING ME, MOM!"

"And you're annoying me, girl," she said as she took her fingers off her ears, "It's not such a big deal. I just slightly screwed up with the wording."

"Mom! Listen to yourself. There's no such thing as 'slightly screwed up', you taught me that yourself. Now, what the hell did you screw up, mom?"

"Apparently, it's no big deal, you just can't use that power for as long as you live."

"Explain."

"Instead of the clause, 'after I die', I mistakenly included the clause, 'after you die'. That will make you a very useful suicide bomber or a very dangerous ticking bomb."

"Very nice, mom, " I said dryly, "So either I become a martyr or a murderer. Tough choice."

"Nonsense. It's not like it will explode suddenly. You'll have to die first, so it's entirely safe."

"Well, I'm very pissed off now, mom. So I think I'll leave for now. See you later."

She giggled, "Well, take care then, my sweet little lily. Take care of your father and sister for me. Oh and sweety?"

I paused, turned around and looked at the lolita who was somehow my mother.

"I'm sorry for everything," she said, her eyes hinting regret.

"It's OK, mom. It's nice to see you again," I said as I turned to leave.

Immediately, I noticed that something was wrong.

"Mom..." I said.

"Yes, dear?" she said with a puzzled tone.

"Can't move my legs... feels like it turned to stone or something," I said as I started to panic.

"What?" she said, sounding slightly worried, "That can't be right."

"Do I need Uriel's permission to leave, mom?"

"No, shouldn't... unless..." she looked at the table behind her, then asked, "Did you drink the coffee?"

"Yes, is that a problem?"

She looked horrified. "Bloody damned right, it is. You are in Tartarus! Have you already forgotten the tale of Persephone?"

"The who?"

"Persephone! The Queen of Hades!" she groaned, "I read you her stories back when you were young and couldn't sleep without a fairytale."

I was confused, the name sounded familiar, but the memory was fleeting.

My confusion must've showed on my face as she angrily said, "Persephone ate four pomegranate seeds while she was in Hades. There's a rule that says, if you eat anything from Hades, you must stay in Hades. Since you drank the coffee from Tartarus, you must stay in Tartarus. Great Mother, how dense can you be?"

"How was I supposed to know? He's an angel. They're not supposed to be evil," I said, slightly defensive. Okay, very defensive.

"There have been many evil or at least dishonorable angels in recorded and forgotten history. Azazel, Samyaza, Samael, Hubal, Astaroth, even Barbiel, Naamah and Eisheth Zenunim were known as evil or less than honorable angels at some point in the past. Uriel at least has a track record of tricking people before, so you should have been more careful."

"Well, I probably would've been more careful if a certain someone told me things before she died," I said, shooting an accusing glance at mom.

"Ouch. Too bad I don't have heart, because I just know it will hurt me," she replied, her voice suggesting a grin was coming up.

"Whatever, mom. I still can't move my legs, so what are we going to do now?" I said.

"Well, there's only one thing we can do. We'll just have to negotiate with URIEL!" She said that last word with an almighty yell.

Not two seconds later, I felt the air thicken and I heard a deep, hypnotic voice from behind me say, "You called for me, Sarai?"

I immediately turned around and was greeting by his dashing smile. I think I actually blushed. Do all angels look this good and irresistible?

"Heh, Uriel, you never change. Still listening in on other people's conversation, I see," she said with a smirk.

"I'm not listening in on your conversation. I can't stay away from my workstation for too long. Dead people shouldn't be made to wait," he countered.

"Ye-es, of course, keep telling yourself that. Anyway... you tricked my daughter!" mom said, putting great emphasis on 'daughter'

He walked pass me, pass mom, then sat on the chair mom vacated before the memory surfing thing just now, "I did not trick your daughter, since it was entirely her own choice whether to drink it or not. That's what being alive is about, choices. Hey! You drained the whole cup!" he said as he looked into my empty coffee cup.

"Oh please, this is not the first time you've done this. Just because Persephone's on rehab doesn't mean you can lure another poor sucker to keep you company."

I immediately objected at being called a 'poor sucker'.

Uriel simply picked up the cup, balanced it on his fingers and said, "For your information, this blend is very rare and time consuming to make. Why would you drink it, Sarai? You're dead, you don't need to drink. You especially don't need to drink my specialty coffee."

Mom crossed her arms under her breasts, emphasizing her smallish breasts. "Uriel, you shall free my daughter. And you shall free her now. She's already promised to another man in Assiah."

"I do not answer to you, Sarai," he growled.

Mom didn't seem to notice as she kept talking. "Of course with your history, I'm not really expecting you to abide by human's and Sheol's rule. Therefore, I'm fully willing to show you the error in your judgement."

Despite his obvious anger, there was a tone of amusement in his voice. "Is that a challenge, Sarai? Have you forgotten that I'm the Ruler of Tartarus and you're dead?"

"Oh I have not forgotten, dear Uriel, though your mist did a pretty good job at making me forget. However, unlike before, now I'm not without resources."

"Resources? She's only a few days' old, you're not suggesting that you're going to use her to fight me." Then he laughed as if he had just made a smashingly funny joke.

"Oh no, you misunderstood me. I'm the one who will fight you if you refused to let her go." I simply looked at her as if she was insane... well, maybe she was insane. No sane people would challenge the Angel of Death and Ruler of Tartarus for a fight.

"You are dead, Sarai. You no longer have your lilin powers. It seems the beverage you gulped down has had a negative influence on your logical judgement. Come with me, I'll help you go back to the Elysian Fields. You no longer need to worry, we'll take very good care of you," he said with a winning smile in a totally gorgeous, rugged sort of way. I briefly wondered if he reaped souls by seducing them.

"What are you talking about? I have my Lilin powers right here," she said as she wrapped her arms around me from behind.

"Let me help by driving home the fact that you're dead, Sarai. So please, understand your position and go back to dead people's land already!" Uriel said as he threw something that looked like a lightning bolt at us.

At the same time, I heard mom whispered, "Glyph Shield: Ihwaz" as she traced a pattern in the air in front of us with her right hand. Her left hand was held on top my heart, pushing me backwards against herself.

I closed my eyes at what I perceived to be an incoming doom. Then I heard a crackling sound and when I opened my eyes out of curiosity, I saw a bolt of electricity dancing about two feet away from us.

"Don't worry, my dear. He can't harm us, not as long as we're together," mom whispered into my ears, then she bit my ears just a little bit. I was a bit freaked out.

"How can this be? You're a dead soul. You can't have any powers of your own. You're also not Legion, so you can't drain someone else of their power," Uriel said while looking awfully confused.

"What you need to understand, Uriel, is that while I do not own this body," she said, tracing her fingers on my neck while her left hand still held over my heart, "I own half of what's in it."

Now her right hand moved down lower, tracing my breasts, and lower, rubbing my stomach. I freaked out when her hand moved lower.

"Oh please do calm down, baby, mommy's not going to harm you. Has mommy ever harmed you before?" she asked this while rubbing her body on my back, then she continued with, "You see, Uriel, I'm not draining her powers. I'm using my own power for my own benefit. Before I died, I sealed most of my power inside my daughter's body and specified that my power shall be hers the moment she dies. Since she hasn't died yet, the power is still mine and so it's totally my right to do with as I please".

"Disgusting, Sarai. You're using your own daughter for your personal gain. And stop doing that in front of me," Uriel said, probably referring to mom's licking of my neck.

Mom stopped her licking, but her lips were still on my skin. "Hm? Jealous, Uriel? I bet you'd love to kiss her," she kissed my neck, " Lick her," she licked my neck, "Or maybe perhaps give her a love bite?" Then mom gave me a hickey.

I spun around. "Mom! What got into you?"

At that same moment, mom's left hand slipped from my heart and the crackling electrical bolt intensified and exploded. I could feel my hair rising from the charged atmosphere.

"Don't move around, girl! Do you want to get killed?" mom pulled me back to her, this time, face to face, instead of from behind while her left hand moved to my spine.

"Sarai, do you seriously think that a single Lili can win against me? I am the Archangel Uriel, I command..."

"Yes yes yes. I bet you'd love to do this," she said as she kissed me full on the lips. I was totally caught off guard.

"That's the last insult, Sarai," he said followed by an almighty roar.

Mom let go of my lips, pushed my head to the side and whispered, "Glyph Shield: Thurisaz!"

There was a loud boom and I closed my eyes, hugging mom tightly. Then I heard two voices, male and female, saying, "What the fuck?!!!"

I opened my eyes. mom's face was one of shock, so I looked behind. Uriel's face was a picture of outrage. Between us, was a spear with its tip buried to the ground. I can barely make out the word 'Amphillogiai'.

Mom suddenly let out a great laugh, "Uriel, it seems like your old friend has something to say about your habit of abducting brides."

Uriel shot mom a dangerous look and then started looking around the hall. "Eris, you troublemaking witch! Show yourself!"

The only reply was a playful giggle from all around us.

I looked to mom for an explanation. She apparently noticed and offered, "Amphillogiai, meaning 'dispute'. Dispute is a child of Eris, the Goddess of Discord. I'm not sure if we're lucky or not, but judging from Uriel's expression, I can guess that he's got a bigger problem than us at the moment."

"Eris, you come back here!" he bellowed, his ruggedly handsome face a mask of pure fury, "And take this lousy piece of garbage with you!"

He grabbed the spear, which in a blinding flash of light turned into a crown. Even from here I could read the inscription, 'Ruler of Tartarus'.

"ERIS!!!" He bellowed again, "I do not need any proof! I AM the Ruler of Tartarus!"

"Maybe I can offer a solution," mom said, her lips right next to my left ear.

"You will be silent if you know what's good for you, demon!"

Mom put her right hand on my hips, her left was still on my spine. "Now that's just plain rude, Uriel. I'm offering you a solution to your current problem," she paused, when Uriel didn't reply, she continued, "The way I see it, you have to get rid of the spear, because if you don't... well, I'm sure we both know what really caused the Trojan War, don't we?"

"What are you suggesting, Sarai?" he said. His voice gravelly and sounding very dangerous.

"Well, since you can't leave Tartarus until your consort returns, you will need someone else to take it out of your domain. You can't trust any of your henchmen, because we both know that not even angels are immune to corruption. Since my daughter has not agreed to become your consort, you can't leave her here and remove it yourself. So the only logical solution, is to let my daughter take it with her when she leaves," somehow I can sense a smirk behind those words, even when her face appeared neutral.

"OUT OF THE QUESTION! She drank the coffee. She's bound to stay here with me as all those who eat or drink in Tartarus must stay in Tartarus. It is the rule here, not even I can change such rule."

"I'm not asking you to change the rule. I'm asking you to bend it. You did the same with Persephone, didn't you?"

"Just what are you suggesting?"

"Sweetie, how many sips did you take?" she said. Only a few seconds later I realized that she was talking to me. I told her that I took only two sips from the cup.

"There, two sips. So she will have to stay here for two weeks every year. It's a win-win situation."

"Unacceptable! Two weeks! Do you take me for a fool, Sarai?"

A corner of her lips turned up as if preparing for a grin, "I knew it would be too good to be true. Two months then, I'm sure that's more than you deserve."

I pinched mom's side hard. I didn't want to have to stay here for two months every year.

"Very well," she shall come here at the turn of each season every year. 15 days each time. No compromise."

"Deal," mom said, to which I countered with a loud, "Mom!"

Uriel threw the crown at us. Mom caught it with her right hand and with a flash, the crown changed again into a staff, with the word 'kratos' inscribed on it. Mom let go of me and her eyes took on a mad gleam, the likes you would see from psychopathic murderers shortly before they dismember their victims.

"Sarai!" yelled Uriel.

Mom appeared startled and dropped the staff, immediately taking two steps back. She looked nervous, shaken and perhaps a little bit embarrassed?

"Be very careful when you pick it up, sweetie, it will take on the form of the one thing you desired most. Don't let it get to you," mom said, this time appearing more like the mom that I once knew instead of the lusty nympho from just now.

I was apprehensive about touching it, but this was my only ticket out of here. So I picked it up. The moment I touched it, it flashed again and turned into a beautifully shaped ring. I wasn't sure if it was gold or silver, but it was very shiny nonetheless. On the ring was a beautifully sparkling gem that shined of every color of the rainbow. The word, 'eudaimonia' was inscribed on the ring. For some reason, I felt happy, content and the idea of staying here forever while not exciting me, seems okay.

I was woken from my revelry by a number of slaps on my cheeks, "You have to go, my sweet little lily. Once you arrived in Yenne Velt, give it straight to Mother. She's the only one who can seal it or send it away. Hurry before the cursed thing possess you again."

I looked at mom, suddenly realizing how much I missed her. I gave her a hug. I promised her that I will return. Then I put the ring on my right ring finger and jumped out of the door of which I came from.

----

I opened my eyes as my legs touched solid ground. I hoped that I blinked to the correct place.

"So did you see Sarai?" asked a feminine voice from behind me.

I turned around and sitting on one of the large boulders on the wastelands of the Outer Yenne Velt was Shaina. She's in full Lilin form and she looked much better than the last time I saw her in Lilin form. She has more color in her skin and her actions were more energetic than before. I guess having fed for two days straight have straightened her up.

"Shaina! Were you waiting for me?"

"Well, I just had to know whether you managed to see Sarai. Probably could use some pointers myself. Did Azrael gave you any trouble?"

"Yes, I did see her and Azrael was such a gentleman".

"What?" she said with a frown, "Azrael? Gentleman? Whatever you're smoking, get it away from me."

Then a glint from the ring caught her eye, "Say, what is that?"

I hid it behind me, "You don't want to have anything to do with it. It's dangerous."

"I'll decide if it's dangerous or not! Hand it over!" she yelled.

"No! If you know what this is, you won't even ask to see it!"

"You dare disobey your mistress, you little bitch!" she said as she lunged at me.

"Stop! Shaina, this is not you! Amphillogiai has possessed you. Ahhh!!! Stop biting my ankle!"

"It's Goddess Stephanie, you disrespectful bitch. Ow ow ow, don't pull my hair!"

"Get away, Shaina! This ring is not for us. I must hand it over to Mother! I said stop biting my ankles!!!"

I gave her a swift kick on the head with my other leg, expanded my wings and flew away to Vanity Meadows with her hot on my trail.

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From Wiki: Katar, also known as a Bundi dagger, is a type of short punching sword that is native to the Indian subcontinent and popular elsewhere for swift and quick attacks.
Kratos: From the Greek word, krá¡tos, meaning strength.