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tothesolarium · 4 months

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Dining Out (click for better resolution)

Chapter Four

As Avery was trying to leave, he bumped into someone called an RA. To Avery, it was an Adult to avoid, even if the soul was barely 19. They reminded him about the orientation dinner and offered to show him around. Avery muttered something about finding the Library and ducked out the door.

Do they always have a big dinner for the new kid? Avery’s stomach turned.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like people, in fact, he’d always had quite a few friends at his own school, but now. It felt wrong. There were friends he should still have, and moving on so quickly to people he might not even like? Avery’s hands clench and he tries to ignore the taste of copper.

Avery shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked to the Campus ring. Only his mother could get him to do what he didn’t want to do. Even then it could be a battle. Avery was sure his mom would understand why he was leaving. Now his head only felt worse, remembering her warmth and laugh. If she was here he could talk to her while she cooks, and relax over the perfect meal. She always knew what to make that made the day feel better. Guilt stirred in Avery’s stomach, and he cursed himself for longing that she’d join him. He told himself that Earth must need her more.

The sky was starting to grow dark, casting Avery’s shadow out ahead. As a golden sunset kissed his back he took a hand out to play with his shadow. So Avery walked with rabbits and dogs that ran across buildings. Till Avery reached the onyx ring that lifted campus. When Lucifer had been taking Avery through town, he’d seen a couple of really curious restaurants. A few that looked familiar, but Avery wanted to try what he’d never seen before.

While Avery’s brain and stomach were caught in grumbling fantasies, Avery slammed into nothing.

Avery bit back curses as he was sure blood would be running down his nose. No matter how much he blinked he saw nothing ahead of him, other than the city and the way down. So Avery tried to take the ramp down but instead hit the same nothingness. Now, when he stumbled back, Avery could see a shimmer that arched up into the air. Like a bubble of soap over Campus.

Avery rolls up his sleeves and charges the barrier. Flung back, Avery gets up again and starts to kick the shimmering air. Avery mocks and curses every inch of Hell as they try to break free. He tried to walk through the barrier again, and again. He walked a couple of feet to the right and tried it. Then gave a running jump. The more he tried the farther back the barrier threw him. Now he did have a bruised nose and shoulder.

A couple of people were walking the street beyond and watched the little human bounce. A few were spirits of Hell who found it very funny. One apparent human looked on sympathetically. None stopped to tell him it was pointless.

“You know, the Demon council has alerts on these things,” a voice calls out from behind. Avery spins with a first raised.

“Oh my, are we fighting?” The stranger laughs. Avery’s hands lower enough to see the stranger’s eyes. They were too bright, reflecting the sunset with spots of green.

Avery’s hands nearly dropped when he noticed what the stranger was wearing. Black overalls over a patterned leotard, with bronze bangles and a feather boa.

“I don’t want to fight,” Avery says, their fists relaxing.

“Then let’s not,” the stranger smiles, showing crooked and pointed teeth. “You’re the new kid right?“ Avery nods stiffly.

“Didn’t want to go to your big welcome dinner?” The stranger’s smile only grew more crooked.

“Not at all,” Avery grimaces as they glance over to the Campus.

“Too stuffy?” They cock their head to the side.

“I just died and I am supposed to eat dinner in a cafeteria?” Avery was surprised at his volume, but the stranger just laughed and nodded along.

“That’s so true! This school thing is so boring,” The stranger twirls a hand back to the campus, showing off many copper rings on their fingers.

“Why can’t I just have some fun?” Avery sighs heavily.

“Well, I got great news for ya.” The stranger props one hand on their waist and holds out the other. “Hell can be very fun. The name’s Vassago, All pronouns work, and I think I got what it takes to get you through this bubble.” When Avery takes Vassago’s hand, they are pulled closer to a mischievous grin. “Think you can handle it?” Vassago’s grin doesn’t fade as they let go of Avery.

“Of Course!” Avery said with a puffed-up chest.

“Alright give me your hands,” Vassago says and Avery reaches his hands out slowly. Vassago’s hands are much warmer than He is prepared for. Vassago had painted nails that changed color with the heat, so a swirling blue.

“What are you doing?” Avery can only look up at Vassago’s eyes for a moment, then back to their hands.

“You’ll see,” Vassago says calmly, as fire bursts around their hands. Avery tried to let go of Vassago but his hand wouldn’t respond. All they could do was watch the cool green fire wrap around their hands. The flames flicked up Avery’s arms and slipped under his sleeves. A chill washed over his whole body, and then the fire was gone.

“How do you have magic?” Avery blurts out once he can let go of Vassago.

“I study,” Vassago flutters their eyelashes innocently. “It’s a simple charm, It’ll help you through, mainly this barrier but…” Vassago closes one eye as he looks from Avery to the bubble. “It’ll be fun,”

“What does that mean?” Avery’s eyes narrow.

“What I said,” Vassago beams. “Now, you hungry?”

“Yes,” Avery finally said after their stomach’s grumbling stopped him from staring at this stranger. Vassago walks lightly down the steps, her hands out to the sides as she bounces along. Avery follows stiffly behind, watching as the bubble slips over them, for a moment his vision is just the iridescent rainbow, and then Vassago leads the way.

“How did you get into Magic?” Avery lets go of Vassago’s hand once they are on the sidewalk.

“The school has courses on it, and I’ve looked through the books in the library,” Vassago says with a practiced ease, and Avery raises an eyebrow.

“Really?” Avery didn’t trust Vassago’s tone.

“Would I lie?” Vassago smiles brightly.

“How should I know, I just met you,” Avery glares, which makes Vassago laugh. “Well, How long will the school’s magic class take for me to do, whatever that was?” Avery asks.

“A year at best. That’s if you show you're dedicated and write an essay explaining so.” Vassago sneers.

“Gross,” Avery grumbles.

“Right? I think the school should be open to folk with natural talent, but no, they got to get the same writing practice and fundamentals as everyone else,” Vassago rolls his eyes.

“Can they stop me from doing magic on my own?” Avery asks, and Vassago tries to keep an innocent expression.

“Well, it’s not a crime if you don’t get caught?” Vassago said with a smirk, “Just don’t bite off more than you can chew,” was the best warning Vassago could muster, but it landed in passing as they both became distracted by their colorful surroundings.

Vassago and Avery walked blindly through the city. Avery trusts that Vassago would say something if she didn’t intend to go somewhere. While Vassago assumed Avery had seen a particular restaurant they wanted to go to. This could be a nightmare to those in need of a plan, but Avery was having a great time.

The two have a conversation that leaps from topic to topic, following every rabbit trail imaginable. When Avery’s words start to run dry, the silence is easy. Vassago explained the oddities of the city every once in a while but happily walked in the silence. Avery assumed they were walking past stores, as they had quite the display of arts, crafts, and other creations or gadgets. Till he had looked at one longingly enough that Vassago pushed him through the door.

A simple watch, with a black band and face, with red hands that ticked a gentle tune. Avery had never had a watch, but one of his friend’s father had said that all men should have one.

“Uh- my uh- friend said that I can, just…ask for this?” Avery felt like his face would melt off with embarrassment as he approached the old stranger. To Avery’s great surprise, The watchmaker’s eyes lit up in glee.

“Young, man?” Avery nods. “Young man! It’s been so long since a kid has wanted what I make. Do you want the Onyx one? Certainly, it’s yours.” The watchmaker, a round human with a joyfully wrinkled face, got up and retrieved the watch from its display. The watchmaker put it on for Avery and explained the basic care.

“If something happens, feel free to come here. I can teach you how to fix it yourself, but also, I won’t be going anywhere,” The watchmaker laughs and pats Avery’s shoulder. Avery smiles, and thanks the crafter over and over.

“What just happened?” Avery asks Vassago, staring at the watch that feels far too precious for his wrist.

“Nothing?” Vassago tilts his head to the side.

“This watch looks so fancy, why’d they just give it to me?” Avery asks while staring at the masterpiece on his wrist.

“I mean- you got all sentimental looking, I noticed and I’m sure the maker did too.”

“Shouldn’t I have to pay? Or do something for them?” Avery asks, and Vassago throws her arms into the air. So many words want to come out, and instead, their hands drop back down with a curse.

“Money’s bullshit and a gift is wonderful to give!” That is all that Vassago can manage to get out.

“Aren’t these stores?” Avery points to the window full of gowns and colorful suits.

“Nah, we don’t have money like that. Some people will want some help if you want something big from them but, these are people’s studios and homes,” Vassago stops herself from going on a rant about fair trading and the magic of a gift when she sees the wonder in Avery’s eyes.

Avery stops at a crosswalk, “Which way?” Avery asks and Vassago shrugs.

They cross the street and finally, Avery spots a restaurant that catches his attention. Well, it’s a food truck that sells candied crickets and smoked lizards.

“So I don’t need money?” Avery looks to Vassago.

“Nah, just ask but…that’s… that’s your pick?” Vassago’s eyebrows look like they are going to fly off his face.

“I’ve never seen it before!” Avery beams and skips over to the truck. Avery and the cook start laughing as Avery explains his friend’s horror. Avery shuffles back like a happy penguin to Vassago, chewing on the smoked stick with a small basket of candied crickets.

Avery certainly thought it was a weird meal, but the calmer he acted, the more disgusted Vassago was. So Avery had to keep the act up.

Vassago eventually turns his back on Avery, holding an arm out to keep Avery away.

“We are now going to get something good,” Vassago declares.

“Oh I’m full,” Avery grins.

“For Me,” Vassago glares over his shoulder at Avery but is shaking with a laugh as they walk on. They walk quietly. Avery happily eats, a relaxed brain starting to feel the haze of sleep. Avery’s mind tries to go down familiar paths, but they lead to a life now gone. To people he wouldn’t see, and would never be able to make laugh again. His old friends would have thought this was so funny, and his mother would have had a similar reaction to Vassago. Instead of lingering on the weight on his chest, Avery tried to focus on what was in front of him, the sweetness on his tongue keeping him present.

Then Vassago started to talk about the place they were going, and Avery focused on their voice. It was a voice Avery could not describe. Sweet and rough, a laugh that bubbled easily, despite the harsh banks she was hiding from Avery. The light way Vassago talked, brought memories of the time Avery had seen his mom come home from the first date she’d ever told him about. She was all smiles and with a slight sway to her step. That night they had chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream.

Once they got Vassago a smoothie, Avery’s mind was back to its bouncy state and had more questions.

“So, Can I learn magic outside of class?” Avery asks.

“Well, Of course, but it depends on who you know, and how many risks you want to take,” Vassago says carefully.

“So you’ll teach me?” Avery’s eyes were wide.

“God No,” Vassago smiles with closed eyes, though she knows Avery is glaring. “I can help you with some things but, just cuz I know magic doesn’t mean I know how to teach.”

“But you can teach me a little bit?” Avery was not daunted.

“What do you think I’ve been doing?” Vassago snorts a little. “Seriously though, don’t try anything too quickly. You are magic now, so messing with it could permanently affect your body and… humanity.” Vassago tries to see if Avery is taking this seriously, but the child is off in thoughts about bolts of fire, and starry robes.

“Alright give me the basics,” Avery was almost bouncing while they walked.

“That’s the thing, there aren’t basics. You need to learn more about your magic body and how magic can react to different elements, offerings, intentions, people, and environment, but It depends on what you believe on Earth and what you will eventually believe. It all can affect your soul if you’re not careful!.” Vassago looks to see if Avery is overwhelmed. While Avery was daunted, he still wanted to climb the cliff. So Vassago kept talking.

“Hell doesn’t have atoms or quarks, all it has is magic. Hell tries to replicate the tangible matter of Earth, but it’s fundamentally an illusion. If you believe the illusion it’s real, you play by its rules, but the more you learn about the framework the more you can play and make spells, of a sort. Even on Earth, people think life isn’t real, so it can be even wigglier here. It’s great for changing things, but if you can’t come back to our shared reality or get lost in the illusion…” Vassago winces instead of going down all the ways things could go wrong.

“Nothings real?” Avery’s voice shakes slightly.

“Haven’t you heard? I mean, your vision on Earth is an illusion of sorts too, it’s upside down till you- our brain fixes it.” Vassago is grateful for the slight existential crisis Avery had which distracted them from her fumble. Then she rubs Avery’s back to try and bring him back to the present. “Nothing is technically real, which makes everything we do vastly more important. Even if this isn’t real, there are still souls that can experience suffering and joy. The unrestrained pursuit of magic has warped people out of their Humanity. Which is why we have capital W Wizards, which are… no longer humans, and can have no moral compass or one that is… unique.” Vassago takes a deep breath.

“Take your time to learn the fun magic, and take even more time to just enjoy yourself,” Vassago says with a hearty clap to Avery’s back.

“So you’re saying I gotta take the damn class?” Avery’s nose wrinkles up.

“It would help you a lot more than I can,” Vassago grins.

“Lame,” Avery says with a sigh, but his mind keeps wandering.

“How many Wizards are there?” Avery asks.

“Hard to know, only three live within the city.”

Avery’s eyes go wide.

“They wouldn’t be in the city if they were a threat to us. I don’t want to say go and burn your humanity, as these kind Wizards didn’t go about it recklessly. They are simply ancient and… Red did a lot for the early days of Hell. She sometimes comes out to talk, and she’s fun if confusing. ”

“Red?” Avery blinks.

“I’ve taught enough!” Vassago flings his hands into the air, hiding a wash of grief in his eyes.

“Lame, could be fun to learn from one,” Avery shoves their hands in their pockets.

“My point on the Wizards is, if something goes badly it might not be the end of your life with friends, but you still gotta be careful!” Vassago says loudly and pokes Avery’s chest.

The Silence felt different, and they were no longer walking blindly through the City. Vassago was directing turns and heading into a tighter-packed part of the city. Till they stopped in front of a black building with no windows. Across the front was a shock of colors that almost looked like flowers.

“Well, it’s now time for me to meet with some of my other friends, do you want to come along?” Vassago asks with a raised brow, and Avery’s face scrunches up. The sound of heavy music shook its way through the door, and Avery did not want to experience it directly.

“I think I got Wizards to find,” Avery says with a crooked smile.

“Good luck with that,” Vassago laughs. “It was nice meeting you Avery, enjoy the rest of your night.”

Avery was then wrapped in a tight hug. Warm, and steady with a soft smell of flowers and amber. Then Vassago let go, waved goodbye, and vanished into the building.

Avery did not take a direct walk back home, and when they fell into bed it was filled with dreams he would not remember. A sword falling from his hands no matter how much he tried to hold it, a flower opening as people far away reaching out for his hand. A horse trying to eat a hat that fit him perfectly.

#Welcome to Hell #Avery #Vassago #hell #demon #demons #my art #my story #my oc #fantasy #digital #digital art #art #illustration #painting #color

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youracecard · 3 months

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Hi, I saw you’re taking requests and liked all four of these so can you draw my TADC oc and my Hazbin/Helluva oc interacting?

If you need personalities to get ideas feel free to dm me

That is if you want to! You don’t have to if you don’t want to

Vassago (Angel looking demon), and Ness (computer/tv head)

HI SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG

school :<

anyways other vers under cut

w/o the darkness and w/o the text

#my art #kei-maki #hazbin hotel oc #helluva boss oc #tadc oc #the amazing digital circus oc #Vassago #Ness #sorry #not my oc #finished request

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indragonsaur · 1 year

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Vassago ref

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p3xchuu · 10 months

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yuh just have some fun

#digital art #drawing #oc #demon #Vassago #demon oc #vassago infernales #sketch #sketch art

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p-p-panda · 1 year

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Drew @tothesolarium oc Vassago!!! I like them a lotttt💖💖💖I’m happy with this!

#friends oc #gift art #tumblr artist #demon oc #oc #original artwork #procreate artwork #monster oc

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kaizuart · 10 months

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[ oc ] Vassago of the Lost

I'm enjoying this watercolory painty style thing I've got going on lately.

#ocs #oc: vassago #kaizuocs #demons

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thebabblingbabs · 1 month

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My wonderful highschool oc’s brought back to life!!! Celia and Vassago (originally Damian) an exorcist for hire and her weird demon that’s haunting her house!

I’ve been planning on redoing their story for a long time so 👀 lookout

#digital art #artists on tumblr #thebabblingbabs #unholy days #unholydays #demon #1920s #1920s fashion #original character #character design #leyendecker style #romance novels

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beelzebuddy-catan · 8 months

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The Not Entirely Human-Human Exchange Student pt. 3

Summary: Tired of wanting to help the brothers, but never being able to, Cass finally reaches her limit. Maybe Levi should make a mental note, when the Avatar of Wrath is worried about a human's anger, you should be too. Warnings: Swearing, mentions of death, heavily implied sexual content Spoilers: Up to Lesson three and Lilith's status Characters: Cass (OC), Lucifer, Mammon, Levi, Satan, Asmo, Beel, Diavolo, Barbatos, Solomon, Simeon, Preta (OC), and Vassago (OC). Notes: Just like Asmo's mind control doesn't work on MC, demon powers in general don't work on Cass, including Diavolo's. Previous Part • next part

“HEY, I TOLD YOU! LISTEN WHEN I’M TALKIN’ TO – wait, the stairs that lead to the attic? Stop stickin’ your nose where it doesn’t belong. And don’t go thinkin’ you can just offer the Great Mammon a little bit of money so he’ll spill the beans. Let’s pretend I did. Lucifer would kill me – no, he’d have me eliminated and it’d take me a good two hundred million years to recover.”

“Oh, so you’re afraid of Lucifer.”

“I ain’t afraid of Lucifer! Tell ya what. I’ll let you buy the information off me for the monetary equivalent of two hundred million years’ worth of the world’s total oil production.”

“Is that with inflation?”

“Is that with – I ain’t gonna tell ya.”

"DOES HE EVER SLEEP?” Cass whispered sharply as she threw a pillow onto her bed.

This was the fifth time this week she’d woken up to some ominous voice in the walls calling for help only to be stopped by Lucifer when she got to the foot of the stairs. At this point she should take him up on his offer to make her a tea that would put her into a coma because it might be the only time she actually gets some rest.

Lilith wasn’t much help either. She couldn't even tell Cass what was at the top of the stairs. Apparently, there was some charm at the very top preventing her from going through. Lilith wasn’t sure what the spell was since it didn’t seem to be related to her ghostly status. Which meant Cass couldn’t even try and get Solomon to help.

The lack of sleep would have been bad enough, but she also had to deal with the brothers. Each of them had more baggage than she had under her eyes at this point. Worst yet, they wouldn’t let her in enough to even help them with it.

Lucifer acted like a politician giving a statement whenever she tried to talk to him. Do not disappoint Diavolo. We’re counting on you to make this a success. Just once she’d like to see him show any side of him that wasn’t polished or annoyed at his brothers.

Whenever Mammon was near her, he started complaining about having to watch over her. Even though he was hovering around her a lot more since making the pact. He started walking her to her classes and hanging out after, even banging on her door until she let him in. If he wasn’t complaining about her or his brothers, he was trying to rope her into some complicated money-making scheme that always seemed more of a bad idea than a pyramid scheme.

She was lucky if she saw Levi more than once a day. If she did, he refused to make eye contact or acknowledge her presence. The little time he spent with his brothers was spent on his phone, mumbling under his breath, or fighting with Mammon.

True to her expectations, Satan was cordial to a fault. Just like Lucifer, she never really saw past his mask unless he was angry. While anything could set him off, she started picking up on his warning signs. The book he was holding would snap shut with an unexpected force. He’d take a long-calculated breath, staring at the person or thing that set him off. When they weren’t in the House of Lamentation, she could feel the murderous aura building around him before he excused himself.

That aura wasn’t exclusive to Satan, she learned. She felt it with all of the brothers when they weren’t at the house. Whenever their emotions started to take over or they lost control of their sin, it would start forming. Mammon, who seemed to have little to no control over his greed or emotional state, seemed to be the only one who didn’t radiate that feeling on a regular basis.

The first time she’d felt it around Asmodeus had taken her by surprise. While he’d been flirty with her since they met and tried to charm anyone he encountered, the darker side only crept up once and a while. There was a sense of desperation behind his actions. A desire for something more, to be seen as something more.

Beel, she’d learned, wasn’t as apathetic as she’d suspected. He was able to stay level-headed, expect when it came to his brothers or food. He simply wasn’t an expressive person. He’d been spending more and more time with her. There was something comforting about his presence. And just when she started to think he may share the sentiment, he would withdraw, as if afraid of getting close to her.

“Why do I get stuck here looking at your face every morning,” Mammon’s outburst pulled Cass from her thoughts. She gave him a quizzical look over her coffee mug. “Ya know, eating a human is a treat for demons, right? Having you sit there and not being able to do anything is like having a premium-grade, medium rare, roast Iriomote musk hog in front of ya when you're stuck eating dried black belly newt legs.”

Cass’s eyebrows scrunched together. Did he just compare her to a roasted hog? Mammon was too busy going on about blackbelly newt legs and roasts to notice the glare she gave him. He jabbed his fork in her attention, finally making eye contact.

“And ya know what the worst part is? That thick juicy hunk of meat started ordering me around like it’s the boss or somethin’. What kind of sick torture is that?”

“Did you just call me a hunk of meat?” Mammon froze, as if he hadn’t even realized that’s what he’d said. After a moment it looked like he was going to double down and confirm the insult, so Cass continued. “This hunk of meat has only given you an order once, by accident. And if you called me by my name to begin with, it wouldn’t have happened.”

“Where are your brothers?” She asked when she saw him open his mouth, knowing it would end in an argument. An argument consisting mostly of him complaining.

“Hell if I know. Asmodeus is a playboy who sneaks out at night, so he’s probably sleepin’. Satan’s a goody two-shoes and I don’t care where he is. And I don’t even want to think about Beel. He ate the custard I was saving after I TOLD him not to eat anything with my name on it.”

Cass rolled her eyes, of course she can’t get a simple answer from him. Most of the time, she found Mammon oddly charming. With the headaches caused from lack of sleep though, it was unbearable. “Pay attention when I’m talking to ya! Bet the others scurried off to class so I had to deal with ya on my own. They’re rotten and it’s all ‘cuz of Lucifer! Stuck with you in a pact, Levi’s lame haircut, Satan’s stupid horns, Lucifer’s nasty smelly feet.”

“Do you know about those stairs on the west end of the house?”

“HEY, I TOLD YOU! LISTEN WHEN I’M TALKIN’ TO – wait, the stairs that lead to the attic?”

Ah, so the others did know about them. So, whatever was blocking Lilith didn’t seem to affect other ghosts or demons. But how would Lucifer know to put up a spell so she couldn’t get up there. He didn’t even know she was there. What was he hiding and who was he hiding it from?

“Stop stickin’ your nose where it doesn’t belong. And don’t go thinkin’ you can just offer the Great Mammon a little bit of money so he’ll spill the beans. Let’s pretend I did. Lucifer would kill me – no, he’d have me eliminated and it’d take me a good two hundred million years to recover.”

“Oh, so you’re afraid of Lucifer.”

“I ain’t afraid of Lucifer! Tell ya what. I’ll let you buy the information off me for the monetary equivalent of two hundred million years’ worth of the world’s total oil production.”

“Is that with inflation?”

“Is that with – I ain’t gonna tell ya.”

“You could have just said you don’t know what’s up there.”

"Of course, I know what’s up there!” Silence hung between them. “Fine, you want to know so badly? Then go up there yourself. If you want to get past Lucifer, just distract him. What’s that series Levi likes again? The Tale of the Seven Seas Trying to Get Rich Quick...Wait, no. The Tale of the Seven Kingdoms.

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter. Just get a vinyl edition of the soundtrack from that and use it to distract Lucifer. Don't know why, but he’s interested in it. Get your hands on that soundtrack and you’ll be able to climb those stairs.”

Cass stood up crossing to the door. “Well, let’s go.”

“What makes you think I’m helpin’ ya? If ya want the soundtrack so bad, go find Levi and work it out with him yourself. I gotta get to class.”

“Mammon, I said let’s go,” Cass said, feeling the same warmth from her pact mark she’d felt when she’d first invoked its magic. Mammon followed her out of the dining room grumbling like always.

-- -- --

Cass was about to knock on Levi’s door, when Mammon yelled in her ear. “LEMME GO, DAMMIT!”

She jumped, the magic allowing her to control him, breaking with her concentration. Mammon stumbled backwards, head hitting the edge of the nearby end table. He looked up, rubbing his head. They stared at each other for a moment in shock.

“What the hell, Cass? Ya coulda given me a little warning!”

“I’m sorry! I don’t exactly know how to control a pact. I don’t even like using it.”

“Whatever,” Mammon grumbled, standing up. “You don’t have any prudence, do you? You can’t just storm up to Levi’s room demandin’ the vinyl from the Tale of whatever-it-was.”

“You mean the Tale of the Seven Seas Trying to Get Rich Quick?”

“You know what your problem is? I’ll tell you.” Mammon stepped closer as he spoke.

“Oh, please do,” Cass snapped back.

It probably would have been easier to ask Levi for help without Mammon. The two always seemed to be arguing, even when they got along. Not to mention, his constant put downs and yelling was only making her headache worse.

“Mammon, you jackass,” Levi called out from his room.

“Who said that?” Mammon looked around wildly. “I’m not a jackass! Or an idiot!”

“Or a scumbag or a money-obsessed moron,” Cass added on, unable to resist the urge to mock him a little more.

“I’m tryin’ to help ya!”

“You’re making way too much noise, Mammon,” Levi yelled, “I'm trying to watch Magical Ruri Hana: Demon Girl.”

At this point, Cass didn’t have the energy to trick Levi. She just needed the vinyl, so she could give it to Lucifer and stop whoever was talking all through the night. Every day she was one step closer to poisoning everyone in the house with holy water.

“Open the door, Levi. I need your TSL soundtrack.”

The only response from Levi was a curt laugh. Both Mammon and Cass knew exactly what it meant, not that she expected anything different. She sighed rubbing her temple, what were the odds Mammon could just break the door down. Levi did say he couldn’t beat Mammon in a fight. Maybe she was at her last resort.

“And I’m the idiot.”

“Well, if it isn’t the pair everyone is talking about.” Solomon stepped up to Levi’s door, knocking softly. “I heard a rumor about a certain human who looks very ordinary at first glance. She just arrived and already has a pact with a demon. Though, the demon must be incredibly stupid because he let the human discover and exploit his greatest weakness to then forge a pact.”

“What a total numbskull! Who was the demon?” Mammon laughed, the sound echoing around the hall.

“Definitely a numbskull,” Cass muttered. “What brings you to the House of Lamentation, Solomon?”

“Levi invited me,” he answered, clearly enjoying Mammon’s obliviousness.

“What’s the secret phrase?” Levi called when Solomon knocked again.

“The second lord attempted to steal the Lord of Corruption’s platypus which could lay golden eggs. Having incurred the wrath of the Lord of Corruption for this misdeed, it was ordered that the second lord would forever be dubbed the Lord of Fools.”

Levi’s door opened a crack. “Secret phrase authenticated you may enter.”

Solomon nodded to Mammon and Cass before slipping into Levi’s room. The sound of the lock clicking back into place echoed through the otherwise empty hall. Cass sighed, not sure what to do next. Mammon, in his own world, seemed to just catch on to what Solomon had said.

“OI SOLOMON! I AIN’T STUPID!” He pounded on the door, but there was no answer. “You know what, he’s the stupid one, givin’ away the secret phrase and all, wait, that was the secret phrase!”

Mammon knocked on the door again, gesturing for Cass to repeat what Solomon had said. “The second lord att-” before Cass could finish the sentence, Levi made a buzzing noise.

“Secret phase authentication failure. Access denied.”

“WHAT? Ya didn’t even let her finish? What is it a one-time password?” Mammon yelled, resuming his banging.

Cass linked her arm with his, pulling him away. “Let’s just go, it’s not like he’s going to change his mind.”

“Maybe you should at least watch TSL on DVD before asking for favors.”

Cass let Mammon pull away to return to Levi’s door, knowing it was a lost cause to fight him. He was already hurling insults at Levi and Levi wasn’t hesitating to yell right back at him. Cass sighed, deciding they could be Solomon’s problem for a while. She was running late for class anyways. Luckily, she caught Beel heading towards the door and was able to walk with him.

-- -- --

Cass stared down at the cover of Volume 8 of the TSL series Levi had lent her, pen tapping against her chin. The book ended with the Lord of Emptiness being trapped in the Tower of Shadow by the Lord of Corruption. Based on the parallels between the series and what she knew of the brothers, the writer was someone close to them.

She didn’t know much about their history apart from what little information Lilith would share, but she wouldn’t be surprised if the end of this volume coincided with the start of the exchange program. Beel had been upset about his younger brother but wouldn’t talk about him because of Lucifer. The youngest brother, she had been told, was an exchange student in the human world.

She groaned, letting her head fall to the table. Something told her that it didn’t matter if she could find a connection or could find more information about them from the series. She just knew that the only way she was ever going to learn anything helpful was getting up those stairs. Which she couldn’t do without Levi. Having Levi’s help seemed more and more impossible by the second.

A soft thud drew her from her thoughts. She glanced towards the noise. A fresh chocolate croissant sat next to her now empty mug. The demon who had brought the plate pulled a chair up to sit down with her. She glanced around the coffee shop, realizing only now that it was empty. The demon who had joined her was working. He must have gotten bored and decided to have some fun.

Cass poked at the croissant, hesitant to eat it because she was still learning what was human-safe in the Devildom. That, and she’d only seen the barista in passing, she didn’t know if she could trust him yet. There was something oddly calming about him though, at least compared to the other demons she’d interacted with him.

Then again, he was just treating her with common decency. Maybe the bar was so low for her expectations now that he was just less terrible than the other demons, but terrible none the less. Her brain hurt trying to figure it out. It didn’t help that her, Mammon, and Beel had been up the entire night before watching the TSL series.

Mammon, who complained about being there every chance he could, ended up crying most of the series. When he wasn’t crying or complaining, he was yelling at Beel to stop chewing so loud. Cass still wasn’t sure why Beel had even come to her room. He said he’d heard them talking about the movie marathon and decided there would be popcorn. Yet, he’s the one that brought all the snacks, something he could have done without Cass or Mammon.

“I didn’t do anything to the croissant.” The demon once again pulled her from her thoughts. “And all the food here is edible for humans.” Cass shot him a look, still trying to figure him out. “Diavolo’s been trying to make human and celestial things more accessible here. It’s not a perfect remake, but it’s safe.”

“Why are you giving it to me?”

“You’ve been here for a few hours and haven’t eaten. I don’t really know how often humans are supposed to eat and don’t want you to die.” He looked up from the notebook he was reading. “Sorry, should I rephrase that? I don’t care if you live or die, but if you die here, it’s going to cause me problems.”

He looked back down at Cass’s notes. Cass tried to hide her smile as she began picking at the croissant. Most everyone ignored her or treated her like dinner. Despite adding the second part, she knew the gesture was genuine.

“I’m Cass, by the way.”

The demon laughed, setting the notebook down. “Is there anyone in the Devildom who doesn’t know who you are at this point? I’m Vassago.”

“I’m starting to think Solomon’s having demons follow me,” Cass murmured.

“How’d you know – " The shop bell rang, cutting Vassago off. He rolled his eyes before going to the front. “Leave her alone. I’m seri – PRETA.”

Cass jumped at the sudden change in his volume. Standing in front of her was the demon she’d seen on her first day. One thing she’d noticed quickly was that most demons stayed in their human form, especially in classes and around the Academy. The demon in front of her was definitely an exception to the rule.

“I’m Preta.” They grinned, mouth stretching further than humanly possible, adding to the unease Cass felt.

The next few seconds happened so fast that Cass almost didn’t process it. Vassago snatched the croissant out of Cass’s hand, jumping up on the chair. He held it out of Preta’s reach, but barely had time to gain his balance before Beel tried tackling him. Did he come in with Preta? Preta’s hand shot out to stop him, knocking over the half-full cup he’d left when the bell had rung.

“Stop trying to steal Cass’s food,” Vas snapped at the two demons.

Beel hung his head and grumbled a quiet ‘sorry’. Preta, on the other hand, didn’t even try to look remorseful. “Vas, I’m hungry. You said you there wasn’t any baked goods left.”

“There aren’t any baked goods left.”

“She’s not even eating it!” Preta yelled.

“I ALREADY ORDERED YOU FOOD. IT WILL BE HERE IN TEN MINUTES.”

It wasn’t until Cass felt something wet hit her foot that she realized the coffee from Vas’s cup had spilled. She shot up, trying to move the papers out of the way. It was too late. The cup had landed directly on Levi’s book, soaking the pages.

She held the book up, coffee dripping from the pages onto the table. The reality of the situation hit her like bricks. An exasperated sound left her lips. It wasn’t quite a laugh, but it had a similar cadence. They were fighting over an old croissant. A croissant she didn’t even care about. What a stupid, normal thing to do. In most contexts, it would have been funny to watch.

Except she wasn’t in most contexts. She was just a human, stuck in hell, surrounded by demons threatening to kill her daily. She didn’t have the luxury to enjoy stupid, normal things. Their fight ended as easily as Vas ordering takeout. Yet, at the end of the day, she was the one whose life was on the line.

She hung her head, letting the book fall to the ground as her hand dropped. The book Levi made her swear she wouldn’t ruin. The book he’d barely been able to bring himself to lend her. Levi, who had threatened to kill her moments after meeting. Levi, who wished death on his own brother for leaving a figurine in a box. Not ruining it, just not appreciating it.

“Cass?” Beel asked, tilting his head to the side. Cass looked up, tears threatening to fall.

“It’s just a book, we can get you a new one,” Preta added.

“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered. “I told Levi I’d give it back to him tonight. I don’t have time to get a new book.”

“There’s a used book shop on the street over, we can look there.”

Cass picked up the book from the floor, putting it in her bag. She haphazardly threw the rest of her things in after. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll figure it out. Thanks for the croissant, Vassago.” With that, she pushed passed Beel and Preta and left the Bitter Inferno.

Usually, she hated walking down the streets alone. In their human forms, most demons were over six foot tall. Even Asmo, one of the shortest demons she spent any time with, was 6’2. Which made her a lot easier to notice. She’d gotten in the habit of wearing heels over four inches, just to blend easier. Not that it did much good.

The streets were almost empty, though. It had rained earlier and was expected to rain more. Maybe she was finally catching a break. As Preta had said, there was used book shop on the next street. Secondhand Spell Books. Cass sighed, knowing that short luck was already over. There was no way a secondhand spell bookshop would have the TSL book she needed.

Cass pulled at the door, but it didn’t budge. The lights were still on, though low. It wasn’t uncommon for a building to have low lights or for her to have difficulty opening the heavy doors downtown. A small, barely legible, handwritten sign sat near the handle. Secondhand Spell Books will be closed on Tuesday due to a private event.

That was more in line with how the day had been going. Cass sat down in the alley next to the bookstore, leaning against the side wall. Something about the empty alley felt safer than returning to the House of Lamentation and whatever waited. That’s when she realized what she was really dreading, was the look on Levi’s face when he realized the book was ruined.

After making a pact with Mammon and helping Levi, she’d seen him very little. The minute she handed the destroyed book back, it would just serve as confirmation for Levi. Conformation that his interests weren’t worth appreciating. That he wasn’t worth appreciating. He put so much energy into the shows and things he enjoyed. But in his eyes, nobody put any energy towards him.

One of the shop bells rang, followed by a moment of silence, then “Cass?” Satan stood next to the bookstore, close enough to the door that the rain missed him. When did it start raining? Satan opened his umbrella, crossing to her. He sighed, squatting in front of her, hand pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “Did Mammon do something?”

“What?” The question took her so off guard that she started laughing. Satan tilted his head, unsure what the reaction meant. “Why would you automatically assume it was Mammon?”

“Well, for one, you’re crying, alone in the street, at night. He is supposed to be making sure you’re safe. Two, it wouldn’t be inconceivable that Mammon did something stupid.”

“You should be nicer to him.”

Satan hummed, standing up. He held his hand out, helping Cass up. “May I inquire why you’re out here, if Mammon didn’t do anything?”

Cass hesitated, still not entirely sure how she felt about Satan. It wasn’t like him to genuinely care about her. Plus, even if he could help, he wouldn’t do so out of the goodness of his heart. She relented, knowing she was picking the lesser of two evils, and pulled the ruined book from her bag. Satan took it from her, flipping the cover open. Both of them visibly cringed at the sound of the pages peeling apart.

“You’re hiding because you’re afraid?”

“No, it’s not that.” Satan glanced up at her for a moment before looking back at the book. “I receive death threats every day. It’s just, it’s, I don’t know, it’s hard to explain.”

“Well, we’ve got some time on the walk. Unless you planned on sleeping here.”

-- -- --

“If I’m understanding correctly, you’re upset the book is ruined because you think it means you’ll fail a test Levi was giving you?”

“Kind of? It’s not like I think Levi was intentionally testing me. I don’t think he’d even entertain the thought. It’s just a feeling I have. It’s easier for him to push people away before they push him away. I mean, he spends all day comparing himself to you and your brothers. That has to weigh on him.”

“Ah, in a way he’s convinced himself he’s not good enough and acts out on that. That way, when someone does tear him down, he is already expecting it. The book, or anything he lends out, is a way to see if it’s worth getting his hopes up.”

Satan came to a stop outside Purgatory Hall. Cass sighed, looking up at him, knowing he didn’t have an answer, but wishing he did. It wasn’t that she just failed a test. She failed Levi and he didn’t need any more false confirmations that he wasn’t good enough.

“Why do you care so much, though?” Cass’s knitted together in confusion. Why didn’t Satan care more? They were brothers after all. “I’ll be right back. I have to ask Simeon something. Try not to get too upset about Levi, you haven’t failed him.”

Cass didn’t have time to ask Satan what he meant before he disappeared down the hallway. Cass looked around the foyer. Why couldn’t she have been put here with the angels and Solomon? That would have solved all of her problems. Well, not the almost being killed by demons everyday related ones, but the paranormal life coach ones.

Unlike the House of Lamentation, Cass was welcomed with open arms when she visited Purgatory Hall. It was starting to become a safe haven for her. Simeon would bring a cup of tea to cheer her up. There were nearly always fresh baked goods that Luke prepared. Even Solomon’s mumbling when doing experiments had become a comforting sound.

Despite Lucifer’s warning, she and Solomon had become close. She wasn’t sure how it happened. Maybe they both found comfort in being around another human, even if what they knew about each other was limited. Maybe Solomon was secretly after something. Maybe he found it amusing how she didn’t put up with his shit just because he was a famous sorcerer.

She assumed Simeon’s friendly nature was in part because he was an angel. Though it felt like more when he patiently listened to her vent. He was one of the few beings that knew the brothers, that could commiserate with her.

Despite his protests and claims that he was older than her, she started viewing Luke as a younger brother. And while he may deny it, he took on the unofficial role of her guardian angel, unafraid to stand between her and danger.

“Thank you again, Simeon.”

“You really don’t need to mention it.” Cass turned to see Simeon and Satan walking down the stairs. Simeon held a book under his arm. “Cass, it’s lovely to see you.”

“You too. Actually, Simeon, I wanted to see if you and Luke were busy on Saturday. There's a bakery near the coffee shop I like is trying out a new menu.

“I’ll check with Luke, but I’m sure he’d love too.” Simeon held to book out for her to take. “Satan told me what happened earlier. I think this may help soothe things over with Levi.”

It was a first edition of the book that had been ruined earlier. On the inside cover was the author’s signature and a brief note. A piece of notebook paper was placed halfway through the pages. There were various notes and plot developments from the unreleased volume 9 book. Cass shut the book and tried handing it back to Simeon.

“I can’t take this.”

“I insist. It’s just been gathering dust. I’m certain Levi would appreciate it more. Maybe not the notes on volume 9, but you can keep those.”

“This is amazing, I can’t imagine how I’ll repay you.”

Before Simeon could answer, something cold hit Cass’s neck, causing her to scream in surprise. She turned around to see Solomon grinning, holding up a single winged pendant. He was leaning over into her space, so they were almost eye level. Neither of them blinked, not wanting to back down.

“Here I was waiting to give you this. It’s the Lord of Corruption’s lost wing. It was only sold in limited quantities when Volume 1 was released. I happen to know Levi doesn’t have it. What would you give me for it?”

“How about I don’t kick you in the balls?”

“I’m starting to think you might like Simeon more than me.”

“You’re only now picking up on that? I’ll have to be less subtle.” Cass snatched the pendant before Solomon could pull it away.

“Careful, there’s a curse on that so anyone who wears it falls in love with me.”

“I didn’t realize you liked Levi that much.”

Satan or Simeon coughed, causing Cass and Solomon to break eye contact at the same time. “Do you want to continue whatever this is or walk back with me?”

-- -- --

“Did you think coming back with Satan would help you?” Levi yelled as soon as Cass and Satan stepped through the door. As usual, the dark aura she began to sense from Levi vanished after a few seconds. Cass and Satan exchanged a look. “Beel already told me.”

“I’m sorry, Cass. I thought I could talk to Levi for you.”

Cass sighed, casting Beel a reassuring look. She knew his heart was in the right place. It didn’t really matter anyways, Levi would have found out about the book in the end. Besides, she now had two different things to make up for it, so they should be square.

“This is why I don’t lend things out to normies. I just knew you were going to mess it up. Not only are you NOT an otaku, you’re also a human. Can you do anything right?”

Cass’s hand froze, partially through pulling the book out. “Deep breaths, Cass,” she told herself. After living with the brothers, she’d learned Satan wasn’t the only one who would snap at the drop of a hat. While there were far fewer things that set her off, they definitely existed. One of those was demons underestimating her and brushing her off solely because she was human.

“What? Were you seriously going to return my ruined book? LMAO.”

Satan, who had been observing the interaction, stepped forward. He placed his hand on Cass’s as if to stop her from pulling out the book. “Levi,” his tone left little for argument. He also had become more in tune with your anger.

Levi didn’t seem to care. “Why? What’s she going to do? Did you think learning a little bit about TSL would make it, so I’ll like you? You’re lucky Mammon’s such an idiot or you never would have been able to make a pact with a demon.”

“You know what Levi,” Cass snapped tossing the bag to the floor. “I’m over this arrogant, conceited, woe-is me crap. I get you like TSL, but I don’t think you know as much about it as you think you do. I bet I even know more than you.”

Cass wasn’t sure where that came from. She wanted to be there for Levi, but first she wanted to prove him wrong. No, she wanted to beat him, make him think about treating her like that again. She could blame the anger, the wounded ego, the lack of sleep, the constant disparaging remark about Mammon, but really it could be any one of them. The flood gates opened.

Something flashed in Levi’s eyes, but it was gone almost as fast. “Do you seriously think you know more than me about TSL? As if I’d ever accept a challenge like that.” He scoffed, turning to go back to his room.

“The fact that you’re running away, proves I’m right. You know you’d lose.”

Levi spun so quickly it made Cass dizzy, he marched over, glaring down at her. She refused to break eye contact. Given how tall he was, it was near impossible to hold her head back that far. Due to his horrible posture, Cass was always forgetting how tall he actually was.

“Excuse me?” The words flowed out like venom.

“You heard me,” Cass said with the same animosity.

The tension in the room was palpable. Even Levi, who looked like he might snap at any moment, seemed to be holding his breath. Maybe he was trying to intimidate her into backtracking or maybe he was trying to decide if he should just kill her here and now and be done with it.

“Fine, I accept your challenge. I’ll even make a pact with you if I lose, that’s how confident I am,” Levi answered, finally breaking eye contact. He started walking back towards his room before once again turning to call over his shoulder. “Just one thing. If you lose, you might not make it back to the human world alive.”

With that, Levi disappeared up the stairs. Cass let her shoulders drop, instantly feeling some of the tension leave her body. She picked up her abandoned bag and threw it over one shoulder. So much for fixing things and maybe getting a step ahead with the gifts Simeon and Solomon gave her.

“Can I give you some advice?” Beel, who Cass had forgotten was in the entry way, broke the silence. “Levi’s the demon of envy. If you work him into a jealous frenzy, he’ll lose control. Once that happens, he’ll slip up and give you an opening to exploit. But if Levi does lose control, your life will also be in danger.”

“What else is new?” Cass mumbled under her breath.

She thought of the piece of paper Simeon had put in the book and the pendant Solomon just happened to have. Of course, Satan hadn’t genuinely cared. He certainly was calculating, she had to give him that. He must have realized that if she was upset, there was something he could capitalize on later that would piss Lucifer off.

-- -- --

Mammon rattled off question after question about TSL. Despite her recent introduction to the series, she had actually learned a lot about it and was able to answer his questions easily. Not that she really thought she had a chance at beating Levi. Honestly, if it weren’t for the spoilers and the pendant, she’d be screwed.

“You know that right?”

Cass, who hadn’t heard the question, answered as sincerely as she could manage, “Yeah, that actually makes sense.”

Mammon stopped walking, staring at her in shock. Oh no, what had he asked. She just assumed it was something about how great he was or how he didn’t want to be here. He turned away before she could catch his eyeline, but she didn’t miss the faint blush that had appeared.

“It feels weird when you agree with me like that. I mean, doncha think that would’ve been the perfect time to put me down or somethin’?”

Mammon rubbed the back of his neck nervously, still refusing to look at her. She did like poking fun at Mammon because he always had a big reaction, but she was going to have to change how she went about it. The other brothers must really be relentless in their comments.

“Whatever, just forget it. Let’s talk strategy. Beel was right about Levi and jealous. There’s no way you’ll win a competition about TSL in a fair fight, so we’ve just got to figure out how to make him jealous. It can’t just be some braggin’ ‘cuz all that will do is make him talk about how it’s not fair and you’re lucky.”

“Oh, I have it covered. I have spoilers for the next book, a signed first edition of the book that got ruined, and a limited-edition pendant.”

“Yeah, that’ll do it,” Mammon laughed as they continued walking towards the student council chambers. He continued asking her TSL trivia until they made it to the doors. Mammon stopped her before she could go in. “Ya probably already know this, but if Levi does snap, there’s a real possibility he’ll try and kill ya.”

She really was getting a soft spot for this demon. “Careful Mammon, someone might hear and think you actually care about me.”

There was that blush again. Mammon started sputtering, unable to form a coherent sentence. She stepped back to open the door. Everyone else was already in there. Diavolo, Barbatos, and Lucifer were standing in a cluster discussing something. Levi was looking down at his phone, headphones on, ignoring the world. Asmo was filming a video while Satan and Beel sat waiting.

Asmo lit up when he saw Cass and Mammon enter. He rushed over, looping his arm with Cass and pulling her to the center of the room. As if preparing to shoot a movie scene, he positioned her in front of Diavolo’s seat before fixing her hair. She swatted him away, not worried about fly aways, given the current situation. He continued directing everyone to their seats before forcibly pulling Levi to the center with her.

“All right, everyone! The wait is over!” Asmo announced, ever the performer. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had tried to film this live but was stopped by Lucifer. “It’s time for the Devil’s Trivia Showdown! The quiz show that pits demon against human!” He mock oohed and ahhed behind Levi and Cass. The only one who seemed to be enjoying his antics was an enthusiastic Diavolo.

“Today, we’re testing the knowledge of the super-famous fantasy series known to all The Tale of the Seven Lords! Let’s meet our competitors.” Asmo stood next to Levi holding a fake microphone up for him to speak into. Levi scoffed in response. “First, he’s a demon who freely admits to being a giant TSL nerd, meet Leviathan.”

“I am the G.O.A.T. None can oppose me!”

Asmo oohed again before spinning to introduce Cass. “And his challenger. The human who was only introduced to TSL recently and binged the DVDs. Say hello Cass.”

“Hi.” Asmo didn’t move the microphone, his eyes insisting she say more. “I literally could not care less about this series. I just want to make him cry.” It was a lie. She had really enjoyed TSL. She just wanted Levi to suffer a bit and it’d be even funnier to beat him after saying she didn’t care about it.

Levi inhaled sharply, before turning to face her. “You watched the DVDs ONCE. That’s it! The fact that you even challenged me is an insult to TSL. Do you have any idea how infuriating-”

“Things are really heating up here!” Asmo interrupted stepping up to the bench. “Judging this fierce competition is our very own Demon Lord himself, Diavolo!”

“Hello there, good to see everyone. Thank you for coming!” Diavolo stood up as he made his remarks.

“Color commentary will be provided by Satan, Avatar of Wrath. Can he keep a cool head as a good commentator should?” Satan shot Asmo a dirty look but didn’t answer. “And our guest demon, the always-famished Beelzebub. Appearing for his usual fee, cheeseburgers.”

Cass looked over to see that there was a pile of food in front of Beel. While Beel was describing how much he loved cheeseburgers from Hell’s Kitchen and Asmo started introducing himself, she snatched a few onion rings off the table before going back to her position.

“Are you, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” Levi erupted. “You’re eating right now? Did you really risk your life to steal food from Beel at a time like this?”

Cass coughed, trying to breathe around the bite of onion ring in her mouth. She hadn’t expected them to still be scalding hot. One of the special Devildom tricks she was still getting used to was how they could make take out taste just as fresh as when it was made.

“I mean, every day I risk my life,” Cass said, taking another bite of the onion ring. “Might as well get a snack out of it.”

“She may be fearless, folks,” Asmo chimed in, stepping between them, “but let’s see if she really knows her stuff.”

Asmo proceeded to ask them questions about the series. Levi’s questions started difficult and became increasingly more challenging each round. Cass’s questions started easy and stayed that way. After a while, Diavolo seemed to be the only one still finding the game entertaining. Satan’s commentary was becoming increasingly sardonic and Beel’s cheeseburgers were almost gone.

“How long are we going to keep this charade up? It’s so boring, I might fall asleep.”

“You heard him Cass, let’s see if your trump card livens things up. Crush him like a bug!”

-- -- --

Levi started laughing, the sound more maniacal the longer it went on. It didn’t help that the chamber echoed the sound, adding to the eerie cadence. Nobody dared move, as if any movement would set Levi off.

“You can’t just make things up and think you’ll win. The Lord of Masks wouldn’t do that to the Lord of Shadow.”

Cass grabbed her bag and pulled out the book Simeon had given her. She flipped to the page with the handwritten notes. “What’s better, Henry dies.”

Levi froze, staring at the book in her hands. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Despite his words, Cass could see the panic in his eyes. He knew she wasn’t lying.

“I’ve heard that as well,” Satan added from the side.

“While I’m unable to discern the veracity of Cass’s statement, I can confirm the truth in Satan’s.”

“Take that Levi! You know Lord Diavolo can tell if someone’s tellin’ the truth. Except for Cass I guess, but that doesn’t matter right now. Because Cass totally just won.”

Levi’s head turned between them all as he started mumbling to himself. “THAT CAN’T HAPPEN,” he screamed. “The idea that YOU could be a bigger fan than me.”

Mammon stood up, eyes not leaving Levi. “Woah, Levi –"

“NO, NO, NO, I WON’T STAND FOR IT.”

The dark aura Cass had become accustomed to when the brothers got upset started to overpower her senses. Levi yelled, or hissed, or something as his sin took over. His eyes narrowed as he focused on her, horns sprouting from his head, tail hitting the floor.

She vaguely heard Mammon yelling at her to run, but Levi had already cornered her against the bench. So, this is how she died. Not that she was all too surprised. She had been warned by Beel, Levi, and Mammon that this was a probable outcome. For the briefest moment, she thought it might be fear that caused her to maintain eye contact.

When Levi took a step forward, she realized it wasn’t fear but understanding. Of all the things she’d expect to feel when she was seconds away from being killed by a demon, understanding was not it. Satan was right, she hadn’t failed Levi because the book wasn’t the test. All he wanted was someone like Henry. Someone that stood by him even at his worst moments.

Even if he didn’t intentionally do it, this was the test. Would she stick around after seeing what he thought was the worst side of himself, the anger, fear, obsession, envy that was part of him? What happened to them that this is how his brain processed that information? And what happened to her that made it make sense?

As Levi closed the distance between them, Cass refused to cower or hide. If this was the last he saw of her, she would make it count. The last thing she remembered before everything went dark was hoping Levi understood what she was thinking.

I see you for who you are and I’m not running away.

#obey me #obey me oc #obey me fanfic #obey me lesson 3 #obey me spoilers #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me levi #obey me diavolo #obey me satan #obey me asmo #obey me beel #obey me lilith #obey me solomon #obey me simeon #obey me luke

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themarshmellow · 6 months

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My artistic take on Vassago of the Ars Goetia.

(My oc Nexus used to work for him, was practically his second hand man, but like, shit happens :p)

#my artwork #traditional art #traditional drawing #oc #inktober 2023 #inktober celestial #the demon known as nexus

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cypriathus · 12 days

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Here are my versions of Vassago, Purson, Agares, and Dantalion/Amdusias!

WARNING: I talk about how alcohol affects the first OC and there is a mention of genitalia.

Vurszlago is a good-natured, obedient, and playful kleptomaniac who has a goofy greediness for vintage alcoholic beverages and shiny coins. He’s obnoxiously loud, overly friendly, and foul-mouthed with a habit of annoying others for fun. His alertness is nearly non-existent, and he can be quite clumsy due to his lacklustre coordination skills. He often loses his train of thought and makes irrational statements, and he’ll become belligerent and argumentative when threatened or confused.

Vurszlago is lanky and emaciated with elongated limbs and a swollen belly, and his legs end in cloven hooves and are covered in spikes. His anus is replaced with a sharp-toothed mouth and there are three mulberry wood eyes with slit pupils placed in an upside-down triangle shape on both buttcheeks. He has dry skin of key lime pie, sunset orange eyes with double amblyopia, droopy eyelids, and a flushed face. He possesses yellowed boar tusks that protrude from his lower jaw, a dangling forked tongue, and a dragon-shaped head. He also has the tail of a leopard, the ears of a brown bull, the wings of a green-breasted mango, and the horns of an antelope. He wears a necklace of pennies, purple pearls, and four-leaf clovers, and a Turkish rose-to-French lilac loincloth. Tied to Vurszlago’s red-stained leather belt is a dirty coin pouch, a ceremonial dagger, and three bottles of alcohol: rum, tequila, and vermouth.

He can easily locate lost objects, incite love within women, and grant people full knowledge on past, present, and future events.

FAMILY:

Unknown

ALIASES/NICKNAMES:

Vassago

FUN FACTS/EXTRA INFORMATION:

As an Æylphitus, their name means “to overthrow, good-natured prophecy or altar pyre of the sea breeze”.

He rules twenty legions of demons

He’s one of the servants to all royal members of Nifjazroghetus

He rides a fiery crocodile

He has a greenish-black pitchfork, but he usually forgets to bring it with him.

He reeks of alcohol and sweats a lot

He likes to whistles random tunes and loudly babble

He’s often in a drunken state, but is capable of proper bodily function.

Puriszlotha is a serious-minded and vigilant fury who has a strong focus on artistic integrity and fidelity. She sees it as a duty to attain balance, harmony, peace, and justice by punishing those who commit violent crimes. She uses her vast stores of charm, intelligence, frankness, persuasion, and seamless connectivity to achieve her goals. She possesses a great accountability for her actions and is purposefully stubborn, but can be quite ruthless and jaded.

She has a feminine body with chiselled muscles, well-endowed breasts, two bluish serpentine tongues, and three straight horns in a partial V-shape. She has the head of a female Asiatic lioness with a mane of rose gold serpents and the hindquarters of a mule deer. Puriszlotha’s torso and arms are a mishmash of galactic green, blue, purple, pink, cyan, red, yellow, orange, and black with beige stars. She wields a ferocious Rahim’s eyelash-pit viper as a whip and a double bass that causes deep fear in the heart of mortals.

She has dominion over mockery, savagery, and daytime, and can turn spiritually undetectable and physically intangible. She’s able to turn everyone into renegades and lechers, bestow people with knowledge of hidden things, and aid in the discovery of treasure. She can shapeshift into any human or spectral form she desires and bring good familiars. Puriszlotha possesses unlimited knowledge of forgotten and remembered histories, earthly things both secret and divine, and the creation of the multiverse. She also holds knowledge on natural sciences and can communicate with the spirits of the dead.

FAMILY:

Unknown

ALIASES/NICKNAMES:

Purson

FUN FACTS/EXTRA INFORMATION:

As an Æylphitus, her name means “bear cub, priest or valet”.

She’s the double bass player of Amara Lignum (“Bitter Wood” in Latin)

She rules over twenty-two legions of demons

She rides a great pizzly bear

L’Agheszrobi is a wise and virile glutton who takes pleasure in teaching immoral expressions and has a keen eye for luxurious sustenance and fashion. He can be quite the self-indulgent loudmouth, especially when alcoholic beverages and lovemaking is involved. However, it doesn’t interfere with his kindness and impartiality too much, but it can make him clumsy, gullible, and slothful. He’s marked by eloquence and full of clever humour, and he finds a semblance of joy in cracking jokes, the idea of enlightenment, and sharing his knowledge.

L’Agheszrobi is a buff, yet overweight man with scaly juniper skin, yellowish-green blushing, anglerfish teeth, upwards-curving horns, and muddy brown claws. He has medium-length light caramel pompadour hair with sideburns and a long bushy bead that has greyish streaks. He has the ears of a horse, the tail of a Chinese alligator, and the hindquarters of a pygmy brocket. His three eyes form a triangular position and they’re a fern green with luxor gold slit pupils and old brick sclera. He wears a gilt-brass cuirass with tassets, a Roman coffee suit jacket with vertical silver rust stripes, and a silky jabot of tuft bush. He also dons a knee-length blue and grey pleated skirt, a Turkish rose royal mantle with red fox fur trim, and a chrysoberyl cocktail ring on his left middle finger. L’Agheszrobi often carries around a bronze pocket watch and a pack of cigars that like cinnamon and grapefruit.

He’s able to teach all languages, stop and retrieve runaway individuals, cause earthquakes, grant noble titles, and summon sharp weapons from the earth. L’Agheszrobi can destroy supernatural and temporal dignities and trap people in brass vessels, casting them into deep lakes. He possesses absolute knowledge on philosophy, astronomy, rhetoric, logic, chiromancy, and pyromancy.

FAMILY:

An unnamed older sister

An unnamed younger brother

12 unnamed nieces

8 unnamed nephews

ALIASES/NICKNAMES:

Agares

FUN FACTS/EXTRA INFORMATION:

As an Æylphitus, his name means “to ruin dignity, to be slothful, glistening field or vigilant guardian”.

He’s the duke of Overconsumption

He was once a knight of Nfjazroghetus before being promoted as a duke

He rules over thirty-one legions of demons

He has three pets: a treasure-guarding Eurasian goshawk, a sleepy cockatrice, and an armoured alligator with ten horns.

Dantezlomius L’Aymdetronus is a benevolent and enlightened fallen angel with a nature that extrudes positivity and amoral charisma. He can be a sadistic mental-breaker with bloodthirsty tendencies, but he continuously retains his introspection and truthful insight. He’s outgoing and energetic, and when he flaunts his knowledge, he comes across as snobbish and standoffish.

He’s an abnormally tall man with a lanky and rectangular figure that has pallid skin, elongated limbs, a bit of well-defined muscle, and a micropenis. He possesses three heads: that of a unicorn (front), a man with the shining aureole of the sun (right), and a woman with a crescent moon tiara (left). Dantezlomius has draconic hands and feet, jazzberry jam eyes with dilated reef gold pupils, and the tail of a pale knob-tailed gecko. He wears a peacock choker with a luxurious gold coating, pink pearls, and pieces of unpolished ruby, emerald, and blue zircon.

He can change his head into all faces of men and women he has silently observed or personally encountered. He’s able to teach all arts and sciences, manipulate infamy, and aid in heightening a person’s emotional intelligence. He’s capable of declaring secret counsel for anyone as he knows all thoughts across the multiverse and can change them at his will. Dantezlomius can cause love and show prophetic visions, and possesses knowledge on similitude of any person. He can manipulate stormy weather, thunderous noises, musical instruments, and mistakes, and make trees bend.

FAMILY:

Unknown

ALIASES/NICKNAMES:

Dantalion

Amdusias

FUN FACTS/EXTRA INFORMATION:

As an Æylphitus, the different parts of his name have special meanings: Dantezlomius means “to declare secret counsel, faces of all living creatures or knower of thoughts” and L’Aymdetronus means “concert of storms, cacophonous thunder or unicorn’s trumpet”.

He’s the duke of Ire

He’s in charge of parades and concerts of cacophonous music in Nifjazroghetus

He’s the trumpeter of Amara Lignum (“Bitter Wood” in Latin)

He protects the only bibliotheca in Nifjazroghetus

Due to his strong association with thunder, many believe that his voice can be heard during vicious storms.

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