As hard as she tried, Lily couldn't feel Luke anymore. She hadn't realized that she could until the essence of him wasn't in her anymore. She felt hollow inside. Her power felt weaker. She had the distinct feeling that he was no longer in this realm, but it was hard telling which one he had been sent to. She didn't know enough about the mark connecting them to use it to locate him. The only thing she knew was that he was alive. Whether he was okay or not? She shuddered. She didn't want to think about that.
Why had her uncle taken Luke in the first place? What made Luke so important? Or was it the fact that he made Lily happy that caught her uncle's attention? Everything that had happened in the last hour ran through her mind. The fact that Asmodeus had taken her priest the way he had? It lit a fury in her she didn't know she had. Her power rose at the strength of her emotions. It felt like a faint flicker in her bones compared to what it had felt like over the past couple days. Since she marked Luke.
She set her resolve. Lily had to find out more information about the mark and get Luke back. There was only one person she could think of that could help her. Lily had planned on taking Luke to him earlier that day, in fact. Now that travelling between realms wouldn't be a problem, she pictured her father's home in her mind and closed her eyes.
Cool air whipped around her, and when she opened her eyes, she was in front of her father's magnificent home. Being back in her demon realm made her uneasy. It felt like home, but it was empty. Nothing in this realm ever benefitted her. Most humans thought Hell was a fiery, hot place. In reality, it was more like a beach scene. Her father's home sat atop a cliff that overlooked the demon equivalent of an ocean. In front of it was lush green grass. Her father always loved the comforts of life. She hadn't seen him in so long.
With a deep sigh, she walked in the door. Her parents had changed nothing about the house. She hadn't stepped foot in it in almost 500 years, since her father's 'friends' had run her out. She caught tingles of her mother's magic. The essence of it wasn't strong enough for the famed Lilith to be near, though. She walked through the foyer and turned instinctively to her right where she remembered her father's study to be. She touched the wide oak door lightly and pushed it open.
Her father was nothing if he wasn't a creature of habit. He was perched at his desk, head dropped, poring over a document that was no doubt important to the health of the realm. Not only was her father the King, but he also had his own territory to govern over. Most of the time he gave that duty to his Queen, but his subjects only answered to him. Lily walked over to him slowly, clearing her throat as she approached his desk. Her father looked up at her, surprise glinting in his blackened eyes. He stood abruptly from his desk and walked over to her, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"Shynra!" he said warmly, "What brings you here?"
He let her go, holding her at arm's length. Lily smiled widely. Her father projected to his subjects that he had disowned his only heir, but in reality, she still had high regard in his heart. As high a regard as one demon can have for another, that is.
"Hi, Dad," she said. He backed away from her and sat back at his desk. He motioned for her to take a seat, and she did so. "I have a problem."
The expression on his face told her that he expected nothing less, "What is it this time, Shynra? We haven't seen you here in hundreds of years."
Lily took in a deep breath and recounted the story of her Priest. Her father listened aptly. She never thought she would see the great Samael, Prince of Wrath and King of Hell, as surprised as he was when she finished her recount. He leaned forward in his seat and settled his chin into the palm of his hand. He tapped the fingers of his other hand excitedly on the desk.
"Oh my! You found him!" he exclaimed. The surprise on his face changed into excitement, then into concern. "How did my brother get him, Shynra?"
"I already told you," Lily said. She didn't want to go through it again. She had left out a few key details, like Asmodeus finger fucking Luke, but the premise was the same.
"You're not telling me something. It's not easy to send a human through realms. It takes a great deal of power and not even Asmodeus can do it without your priest being willing. Or unless his defenses were down." Samael led her on.
"Do I really have to say it?" she asked. Her father nodded.
"Tell me what actually happened. It's important, it may let us know where my brother took him."
"He seduced Luke," Lily said, her voice tingling with jealousy. "My priest got his release and then he was gone."
Samael sat back in his chair, clearly trying to choose his next words carefully. "You marked this man, right?"
"Yes. My wings are on his back."
With those words, Samael's eyes shot up, "You told me you marked him, Shynra. You didn't tell me you gave him your wings."
"Does it matter?" she shrugged, "Either way, I marked him. If he dies, I die. I've got to find him."
"That's not quite how it works, daughter," Samael said softly. "I'm afraid I need to get your mother to have this conversation, though."
"What does mom have to do with this?" Lily asked, confused.
"We've been waiting for you to find this man. We didn't know who he would be, but since you've found him, we can tell you. You're not going to be happy. But we can't let him die." Samael stood from his desk and disappeared out the door.
Lily stayed put. She sat there in stunned silence. What secret had her family been keeping from her? She hadn't seen her mother since the last time she was in this house. Lilith didn't care for the human realm. After Lilith followed Samael into the demon realm, she never left. Her children were spread far and wide, feeding her with the conquests they made. It felt like an eternity before the study doors opened back up and her father strode in with her mother. Lily's breath caught in her throat. She had never been sentimental about her mother. Lilith had never been overly affectionate with Lily. Nevertheless, Lily fought the urge to embrace her mother. 500 years was a long time.
"Mom," Lily said weakly. Lilith smiled down at her.
"Stand up, child. Is that how you greet your own mother?" Lilith opened her arms and Lily walked into them. They embraced tightly, albeit briefly. Lily sat back down after. Her parents took their seats across from her.
"So, what do you need to tell me?" Lily cut to the point. She was tired of being in the dark about her own life.
"Shynra," her father began slowly, "You have a very important role in this family. We have always tried to shield you from it, but it seems as if you have unlocked the key to being able to fulfill that role."
"Congratulations on finding him, by the way. I'm sure marking a human physically was a shock to you. We never expected him to be human." Lilith said. "Tell us a little about what you know."
Lily sighed, "I don't know much. Asmodeus told me the mark bound Luke to me eternally, that our lives were linked together. He said that he didn't know if that gave me a human life, or if it gave Luke immortal life. But that if one of us died, so would the other."
"Is that what he told you?" Samael raised his eyebrow, clearly amused. "I'm surprised you went to your uncle at all, child. Given what he's done to you in the past."
"Trust me, I didn't want to. But I knew I couldn't bring Luke here to get answers. He was my only resource." Lily said, her voice filled with regret. Introducing her uncle to Luke had led to this. Now she didn't know what was happening to her priest.
"You did the best you could. Now we need to fix it." Her father said shortly. "But now onto why it's so important. You are my only heir, and for a female ruler to take over, you have to come into power."
"What do you mean?" Lily felt like her priest now. It was her turn to ask all the questions.
"Female heirs need to prove themselves in ways that male heirs don't. You aren't born with your full powers; you have to come into them. How that happens depends on many factors. Your mother's lineage determined how you needed to be brought into your power." Samael looked over to her mother, who continued.
