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.
