୨⎯ "vera" ⎯୧

Leviathan: Similar to Mammon, instead he's all "hell NO". He attempts to scare the spider away by throwing around it to get it to move. However, when he came back with another item, the spider disappeared. And then when he saw it on the ground approaching his foot, he accidentally summoned Lotan.

Satan: He just laughs, "pfff- you live in a house full of the most powerful demons, and you're scared of a spider?". It takes only those pleading eyes of yours to make him shut up as his cheeks turned rosy. "Okay, I'll help you." Also uses magic like Lucifer. (Bonus scene: he might try to train the stray cat he found and tell the cat to go catch the spider).

Asmodeus: Okay, why would you ask him out of all demons? Most he'd do is give you bug spray... or if you somehow manage to convince him to come physically, then he'd most likely charm the spider into leaving. (Complains afterwards that you made him have to even look at the spider for that long).

Beelzebub: *Eats the spider* "It's good protein".

Mammon continues banging on the door, “what’s taking ya so long?! Hurry up! Lucifer’s gonna kill us!” He complained and I panicked even more, pacing around my room and finding a spare bag that I could use for school. I did not bother to do my hair and pulled the door open to face a grumpy Mammon, “finally! Woah, someone’s a mess!” He laughed and I groaned, already having a bad morning and I handed him my tie, which he paused and stared at me in disbelief, “man… What're ya, three? Do it yourself!” I continued to beg him to help me as he gave in and looped the tie over my head, adjusting it on my collar and measuring the size. He complained and made fun of me all while he had this huge grin on his face. He looped the tie around and to my surprise, it was pretty decent compared to his, since his was loose. “What’re ya gonna do without me…” he let out a sigh and laughed to himself and finished off by pushing the knot of the tie to the top of my collar, “y’know, asking the Great Mammon for such favors requires some reward…pay up, 10000 grimm!” he boomed, hands on his hips with this huge grin that was immediately wiped off the moment I grabbed his arm and dashed towards the dining room. 

“Wh– hey! At least a thank you would be nice!” Mammon yelled from behind me after losing his balance for a split second before running behind me, his arm locked in my grip.

Mammon and I entered the dining room, the door slamming close behind us in a loud bang as we previously pushed through aggressively. Lucifer was the last one there and he wasn’t pleased that he saw that the two of us still haven’t eaten based on the way he glared at the two of us, especially towards Mammon. 

“It is a bad impression to be late on the first day, MC, Mammon,” giving each of us a look one by one, “Hurry up to class now, there is no time for breakfast.” Lucifer lectured, which earned a protest from Mammon who immediately blamed me for being the reason that he was late too and that it was Lucifer’s fault for assigning him to be responsible for me. I apologised briefly to Lucifer and dragged Mammon out, not wanting him to escalate the situation further. And I do admit, it was my fault, but I’m not saying that out loud. 

Mammon and I dashed towards RAD, and we reached the school just in time. I didn’t know how the schedules and classes worked here but Mammon told me to follow his lead. He explained on the way to class that all our classes are all together along with his other brothers and the rest of the exchange students, so I can just find someone I know and tag along with them in case I ever get lost. I thanked him for the useful information as we soon entered the almost full classroom, panting and sweating, trying to catch our breaths. The other students turned to look at us from all the ruckus we’ve caused, which angered the teacher who forced us into the two empty seats immediately. 

“You owe me one.” Mammon panted, stating that he deserves credit for getting me to class on time as we sat down at the same table, him officially being my desk mate for this class.

Class went by quickly, I listened and took notes to what the teacher was saying, and saved Mammon from being caught slacking by the teacher as he got called on multiple times and I had to whisper the answers to him. “You owe me one.” I teased as he rolled his eyes, “yeah, yeah.”

The day went by quickly as well, meeting the other exchange students, Simeon and Luke, whom I got along with quite well as they were very kind and open. I managed to exchange contact numbers with them as well, after teaching Simeon how to use his D.D.D to contact people. 

The rest of the classes were manageable. I tried to keep an eye on who was in each of my classes as they seemed to rotate, so in case I was lost, I could follow someone to class. I noticed Lucifer in some of my classes, often sitting quietly alone. Watching him a bit before taking steady footsteps towards him quietly, not wanting to appear as some sort of stalker; I’d sit next to him in hopes of getting to know him better. He was willing to talk more this time, but the conversation didn’t reveal anything about himself, and I wouldn’t reveal my true intentions to him that easily either. It went from asking how our day was, how classes were going, and eventually how busy he is with the student council.

In a brief moment, Lucifer’s head turns towards me. Truly acknowledging my presence as his eyes met mine and I watched as he parts his lips to speak, he asks, “Tell me, why are you here, MC?” 

Startled by the sudden question, I blink a couple of times before tilting my head, “what do you mean?” Letting out a breathy laugh from holding my breath in. I’m here as part of an exchange student program I’ve heard of through Solomon, but I was only admitted until yesterday thanks to Solomon. He should know that, that I’m here for education. Unless he meant something else.

“Humans don’t just want to come to hell. Solomon got you a spot here, didn’t he? So tell me MC, why are you really here?” 

The moment he said those words, I paused, and his eyes only slightly narrowed but obvious enough to notice. Taken aback by his questions. Why am I really here? I look down and stare at my hands on the desk, fiddling with each fingertip, it feels like heat has crept to my chest, thoughts swarming my mind as I try to articulate a response. Am I truly here just to train magic as Solomon said? I know that’s only partially the reason why I’m here. Why do I need to get close to Lucifer? What will I truly gain out of it for my power? These thoughts swarm my head as I try to fight the pressure of awkward silence while Lucifer’s tense stare at my hesitation tells me everything I need to know. 

He doesn’t trust me.

Satan: I was thinking history or literature, maybe even geography. Honestly, Satan would do well in anything, even mathematics or sciences because he's quite knowledgable. I'm not quite sure, but I think literature would suit him best, or even sciences- specifically chemistry. I can see him as a math teacher as well. THIS IS A HARD CHOICE OMG. If Lucifer teaches literature then I'd put him as a math/sciences teacher but if not, then he's doing lit.

(Omg I literally thought about this 10 mins later, but Satan could do Law & Criminal Justice as well- he loves his detective stuff).

Asmodeus: Performing arts, arts, or fashion design. Asmo would suit anything within the artistic realm so he can do all of that. I see him most likely as a fashion design teacher, if not, then performance arts (theatre/drama).

Beelzebub: Physical education + food sciences/health. He would be in charge of that for obvious reasons.

Belphegor: Astronomy or physics. He just seems like the type. He could even do religion (kind of based on OM!ido)... but I think astronomy may be the top choice for him since he loves the stars.

Solomon: Sciences teacher, most likely chemistry because... potions and stuff. He could also do biology as well because those are very interconnected (or just life sciences; biochemistry). Honestly, he could even do environmental science.

Diavolo: Okay I also genuinely don't know but he gives off physical education as well. He doesn't really seem to enjoy work and I think he would really have fun seeing people just doing non-academic things... and just having fun. Additionally, this is inspired by the many school activities that he hosts at RAD, so I think it would have something to do with sports. If not, I think he could definitely do culture (diversity & equity) since that's the whole reason he started the exchange student program.

Simeon: World religions for sure...for obvious reasons. And honestly, he also could work as a philosophy or psychology teacher. I think those would suit him well.

Thirteen: Art & Architecture...engineer, for obvious reasons as well.

Raphael: Not really a common subject but he could work as a martial arts teacher. But more realistically, he could also do religions & philosophy like Simeon...or history.

Mephistopheles: I lowkey don't know him that well I'm sorry guys </3. Communications and media would be my guess... but I also don't know him too well.

Luke: Maybe when he grows older, he'd 100% do culinary. If not, then its also most likely religions or history.

Barbatos: Either culinary or philosophy. I'm not too sure.

MC: Would probably end up doing politics and communications because they (you) are literally the one uniting the three worlds together lmao.

Was lowkey hoping someone would fall under the health sciences or medicine subjects. I feel like Beel would be my best candidate somehow but I don't think he'd teach it.

“Yeah. Levi and I were planning to have a TSL marathon tonight. We haven’t hung out in a while so he invited me over to his room and I thought I’d stop by to see how you were doing.” 

I pulled Solomon into an embrace, “I missed you. I wanted to stay in Purgatory Hall with you– I don’t know why they made me stay here.” 

Solomon reciprocated the gesture and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling my body closer against his, “It's most likely for safety measurements. Since you're a human after all.” 

I looked at him and pouted, "but you're a human too…” He only chuckled and gave me a kiss on the cheek. After a moment of embrace, Solomon’s D.D.D. buzzed from his pocket. Our heads both turned towards the noise at the same time and he pulled his phone out of his pocket to check. It was a notification from Leviathan asking where he was and that he should hurry since he wanted to start watching it. 

Still holding onto Solomon in a hug, I read the messages and hugged him tighter, not wanting him to leave. It felt like I could give him the tightest hug and it still wouldn’t be enough. “Haha, you’re adorable, MC. Hm, maybe you should tag along and join us. It’ll be more fun.” Solomon suggested, slipping his phone back into his pocket and caressing the top of my head, his other arm still wrapped around my waist. 

As much as I was dying to agree, I wanted to let Solomon and Levi have a proper catch up. I shook my head and told Solomon it was fine, but the look on his face told me he read through me like an open book. He kept insisting that I tagged along and that Levi wouldn’t mind, eventually I found myself being dragged along to Levi’s room with him. 

Solomon knocked on Levi’s door and was immediately met with a what’s the password question. “Ah, I definitely missed this,” Solomon mused and began to recite a passage from what appears to be from TSL. The moment I entered Levi’s room, I was immediately in awe with the huge fish tank in his walls and the glass ceiling that engrossed the room. His room was like an aquarium within itself, with magical floating jellyfish of different colors and the overall iridescent look of the room. I looked around and noticed his gaming set up, with 3 monitors and a comfortable gaming chair, and saw his many anime posters and figurines displayed neatly on his shelves. In my head, I scored myself a point for being able to observe that on the first day we met. I also realized that there was a random bathtub in the middle of the room– with blankets and pillows…is that his bed? I soon snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Levi’s voice.

“MC?! What are you doing here?” Levi asked, surprised and immediately scrambled the messed up CDs on his desk into one big pile and pushed it to the side, not expecting any other visitors.

“I thought that it would be more fun if MC joined us because they also enjoy TSL, sorry I forgot to give you a heads up.” Solomon responded on my behalf while I was still busy staring at his room in awe, “cool room!”

“Erm, well. It’s alright I guess. I didn’t know you liked TSL, MC.” Levi said, searching for his disk that he had just put into a pile.

“It’s thanks to Solomon.” I laughed and continued to look around, completely in awe with Levi’s room and complimenting the vibe which seemed to throw Levi in a blushing denial.

After Levi found the CD, he inserted it into his player and the three of us found a seat comfortably on the ground, huddling close enough to get a good view of the screen. Levi insisted on sitting in the middle because he wanted the best experience and both Solomon and I didn’t complain. Soon later, we were all so absorbed in the film that I didn’t realize my D.D.D. notification had gone off several times. Levi turned to me with squinted eyes and eyebrows furrowed, “Could you silence that? I’m trying to focus.” 

“Sorry… excuse me.” I apologised and got up, finding a corner of the room to open my D.D.D. and noticed that I had received notifications from Lucifer. I glanced at my boyfriend who was busy watching the film with Levi and then checked the time on my phone. It was 5:50 P.M. I tapped on Lucifer’s chat and read his messages,

Lucifer: You’re not in your room. Where are you? 

Lucifer: Dinner is about to start.

Me: I’m in Levi’s room.

Lucifer: Ah. I’ll be there. Tell him that dinner is ready as well if you could. Thanks.

Me: Okay.

I slipped my phone back in and quietly walked back towards Levi and Solomon who were still absorbed in watching TSL. I lightly tapped on Levi’s shoulder to get his attention and his shoulders jolted for a split second before relaxing. I bent over close enough to Levi’s ear to tell him that dinner is ready and that Lucifer is on his way here to pick us up. Solomon glances briefly at our interaction before turning back to watch the film. I wait for his response and Levi shakes his head, “it’s ok, go without me. I already have food here.” 

“Are you sure?” I asked again.

“Yeah,” Levi responded. I nodded and began to take my leave, walking towards the door before Levi stopped me for a brief moment, “wait—! Will you come back?” I raised my eyebrows and started to turn around to look at him, “could I? I’d love to continue watching.” I said, clasping my hands together in front of me as I anticipated Levi’s response. His eyes darted to a random corner of the room as he hesitated, “I mean, I guess it’ll be nice to have… some company. Just— hurry up, you don’t want to miss this.”

“Great! Thanks, I’ll see you later!” I beamed and Levi immediately whipped his head back to watch the screen, fiddling with his thumbs between his lap and mumbling something. Solomon glances at Levi for a moment before turning to look at me, giving me a wave.

I waved back and quietly left the room. Closing the door behind me, I heard a pair of heavy clacking shoes approaching my direction. I turned my head and realized that it was Lucifer. 

“Ah! Hi, Lucifer,” I pursed my lips together in a slight smile and began walking towards him, greeting him with a small wave, “sorry, I forgot to tell you I went to Levi’s room.” 

Lucifer only nodded and walked me down the hallway towards the dining area. I walked beside him quietly, taking a glance at him and then trying to distract myself by looking at the paintings on the wall. After a brief moment of awkward silence, I mustered up the courage to ask about his day, which only earned me a furrow of his brow.

“Everyday is the same for me. Lots of paperwork.” He sighed. I only nodded and continued walking, holding my hands behind my back as I pretended to be interested in the paintings again. “And you?” Lucifer asked, which had me surprised since I wasn’t expecting him to talk much, “well… It was pretty fun actually. Mammon and Levi helped me get settled in so it was pretty easy, and then I got hungry and went to the kitchen to get some food and met Beel. Then I went out with Beel for lunch since we had no food in the fridge. And then when I came back, I went to Levi’s room to watch TSL—.” I blabbered, and stopped myself immediately after realizing how much I was yapping to Lucifer. I wanted to hit myself in the head because of how unnecessary those details were. He couldn’t care less about how my day was, of course, since he has so many things to attend to. I fixed my hair to keep myself busy as I noticed the other brothers getting ready to sit at the table.

“I’m glad to hear you are settling in, MC.” Lucifer responded with nonchalance. It didn’t really make the conversation less awkward but it was better than me blatantly embarrassing myself with no response. I nodded and smiled, “yep…”. 

“Well, I hope you keep your spirits high for tomorrow. The first day of RAD will be starting and you’ll be meeting the other exchange students. I have already placed your uniform in your room.” Lucifer informed me, and I gave him my thanks.

We entered the dining room and the place was already loud, the brothers were all sat at the table and there were only 3 seats vacant: one at the very head of the table, which I assume was where Lucifer sits, one between Mammon and the strawberry blond haired guy I saw Solomon talking to earlier, and the other one at the end of the table beside Beel. I chose to sit next to Mammon since it was right in the middle of the table and I wanted to have a good view of everyone.

“Oh my!~ You’re MC, right? I’ve heard so much about you! You look even better up close.” The pink haired demon squealed and trailed his finger up my arm the moment I sat down. I tensed and leaned back slightly as the demon leaned in closer to examine my face. 

“Aww, no need to be shy, little lamb. It’s only me, Asmodeus.” He said, eyes sparkling like he’d expected me to know who he was and I only shook my head, which led him to gasp out loud dramatically and pout, “you’re telling me… Solomon didn’t tell you about me at all?! Ugh, what a prick!” He complained and the expression on his face looked like he was hurt.

“He’s not a prick,” I say in Solomon’s defense.

“Of course you’ll say that, you don’t know how it feels…!” Asmodeus sobbed. I only stared at him and patted him on the shoulder in sympathy, which somehow brought him out of his short-lived misery, “aww MC, you’re so sweet…” Asmo cooed as he turned around to face me again, reaching for both of my hands. Asmo looked me straight in the eyes and smiled, “but, you do want to get to know me more, right?” He blinked slowly— more like elegantly if that was possible, and waited for my response. Feeling as if time slowed down and the only thing that I could comprehend was Asmodeus. I stared blankly into his eyes, noticing as his eyes glowed a faint pink as some kind of force dragged me towards him— he felt alluring, every single part of my body drawn towards him. But before I leaned any closer, I snapped out of it, blinking as I pulled my body back into my chair.

“…uhm, sure.” I responded slowly. His eyes widened a bit but he didn’t say anything. Only that his hands began moving up to my wrist in an attempt to draw me in closer again, but I pulled my hands back and into my lap. The interaction felt a bit off, especially just now where it felt like he was staring straight into my soul. But I tried to brush it off as friendliness and pressed my hands deeper into my lap so that I felt secure.

“Hey! Stop flirtin’ with MC already. It’s annoyin’.” Mammon’s voice appeared from beside me, interrupting whatever Asmo was trying to do. I could only thank Mammon in my head for saving me from whatever that interaction was. 

Eventually, everyone settled down and began eating. I only noticed the empty seat beside Beel was where Levi was supposed to sit, but he was busy watching TSL and said he’d have dinner in his room. I spent the night introducing myself to the others and getting to know them as well. Some were much more approachable, some were neutral, and some were quiet. But at least I got to know their names. In the end, I talked to Mammon and Asmo the most— more specifically Asmo since he pestered me with a lot of interesting facts about himself. Meanwhile, Mammon only talked to me when I asked him questions about himself, but he eventually became obviously annoyed so I didn’t bother pushing it. The dinner was quiet at the first bit but eventually became livelier once I started chatting with the brothers, and it then became a group conversation talking about various topics; Satan and I bonding over our shared interests in thriller novels and finding some commonality with the other brothers. But one thing that I couldn’t help but notice was Lucifer, who didn’t speak the entire dinner. I felt a lingering feeling of being watched. That was when I glanced at the end of the table and met eyes with Lucifer. The way he kept his eyes on me when I talked to one of his brothers. As much as I tried to brush off the feeling of uneasiness, I couldn’t help but feel my heart pounding slightly faster in my chest, feeling a bit hotter than usual. Asmo noticed and offered me an ice cold water which I accepted and took multiple sips.

Finally, dinner was over and everyone was cleaning up. I felt relief that I got along quite well with everyone— well, mostly everyone. However, I maintained my confidence that I would get to know Lucifer better at some point, since it’s only the first day after all. Before I was about to head back to Levi’s room, I was unexpectedly called by Lucifer, along with Mammon.

“Whaddya want now?” Mammon clicked his tongue and approached Lucifer.

“Before you go, Mammon, I am assigning you to be in charge of MC at RAD.” Lucifer instructed. 

“WHA— Why me?!” Mammon groaned and looked at Lucifer with pleading eyes, “why can’t Beel just do it? Or anyone else?!” 

“Because you’re the second eldest and need to learn how to take responsibility. I trust that you will be on your best behavior tomorrow.” Lucifer responded, but it felt more like a threat with his uncanny smile and the way his brows and furrowing despite his ‘calm’ expression.

Mammon gulps and lets out a sigh of defeat before turning to me, “listen up, human! Ya better not cause any trouble, all right?” 

I only responded with a thumbs up.

Eventually, I recalled that I had no idea of Solomon’s whereabouts and where he would be staying. I hoped that his devildom contact number would be the same as his number in the human world as I typed the digits in. Thankfully, it was, and I immediately sent him a message asking him about the matter, “love, I’m staying at the House of Lamentation, where are you?” 

Immediately, I received a reply, “I’m living in Purgatory hall with the other exchange students. Don’t worry though, I’ll come visit you as much as possible. There’s more advantages to staying there anyway.”

I responded with a crying sticker.

Since I didn’t have lunch earlier, I decided to go look for food in the kitchen. I have absolutely no idea where it is, but it’ll be good if I could explore the house anyway. I took my phone with me just in case I got lost, and tried my best to remember where my room was as I walked around exploring the house. As I walked down the stretch of the hallway, I noticed each member’s rooms. There were supposedly seven of them living here, and I would meet them all during dinner tonight. I try to brush off my nervousness by distracting myself with the paintings hung on the walls and the antiques– and several other decorations around the house. A lot of them were old artifacts, some famous and some that I don’t recognise. 

Eventually I found my way into the kitchen and let out a small sigh of relief that I was able to salvage my hunger. My relief died when I saw a man hoarding an armful of food out of the fridge and shoveling it down his throat.

“Um… excuse me…” I started, but it didn’t seem to catch his attention. I watched as he shoveled down more food with such swiftness, I was beginning to worry if he’d even eat me once he realized I was standing there. With that unnerving thought, I turned around and began to take my leave.

“If you were going to eat something, there’s nothing left in the fridge. Sorry.” The man mumbled, mouth full before swallowing the last bite of his food and wiping his mouth against the back of his hand. 

I looked back to see him standing behind the counter in front of the fridge with no trace of the pile of food he had earlier. 

“It’s fine, I'll just wait until dinner.” I responded and he lifted a brow.

“Dinner is not until 4 hours, you could try getting takeout.” He suggested, and I shook my head.

“Actually, I don’t have any money. I just got here today.” 

I noticed him shift slightly after hearing that information, clearly, he felt bad about it. Rubbing the back of his head, he sighed, “Ahh… I just remembered I was here to get some food for Belphie. I was so hungry I forgot about it and got carried away.” 

“Belphie?” I asked, and he explained that he was his twin brother, and that his name was Beel.

“Belphie is the Avatar of Sloth, and I am the Avatar of Gluttony. He is the youngest in our family and I’m the sixth born. The two of us are very close.” Beel informed me and I now understood how he was able to eat all the food in the fridge in the span of a minute. I introduced myself to him that I was from the human world and that I joined the exchange program to learn magic. After a small conversation, he thought about what to do about the situation and eventually offered to take me out for lunch and then buy some food for his brother Belphie. 

The rumble of my stomach agreed to his plan and we left the house to go get some food. As I was leaving, I made sure to shoot Lucifer a text, “Hey Lucifer, I will be going out to get some food with Beel since we ran out of food in the kitchen. I will be back before dinner.”

I slid my phone into my pocket and continued walking towards the plaza with Beel to go search for some food. This would be a good opportunity to see the other locations in the Devildom as well. While we were walking down a not too crowded street, I had a chat with Beel and got to know him better. He told me about his other brothers, telling me about their avatars and personalities. It was nice to get to hear a gist of what they are like so I had an idea of who they were before meeting them tonight. Beel was curious about me and my family history, in return and I only told him that I had two younger siblings. 

“Are you and your siblings close?” Beel questioned and I shook my head, “We were… when we were younger, but not anymore, no. I’d prefer not to talk about my family.” Beel did not say anything and I assumed that he noticed the slight change of tone in my voice. I felt him looking at me for a split second and then turned his head back to look into the distance ahead of us. I apologised for the sudden mood shift as I didn’t mean it, and he didn’t push it, only nodded and changed the subject, talking about how Devildom food was different from the human world. He told me that Devildom food is famous for their unique spices and that a lot of food here was often spicy or had a zesty aftertaste. I told him about human world food and talked about how diverse human food can be with their various taste palettes. Beel was intrigued and mentioned the various human world foods he had tried before and talked about how he wished he could visit the human world more sometimes. I offered that in the future, if we had the ingredients, that I could try making some human world food for him which sparked some joy.

We had many conversations that afternoon, ranging from family to food, culture, and hobbies. Beel took me to one of the restaurants he liked in the plaza and I tried Devildom food for the first time. He helped me order a dish that wasn’t too crazy, suitable for humans to eat and not too spicy for the first time trying. It was actually delicious and I thanked him for the meal. We then ordered some take out for his twin brother Belphie and stopped by a bakery before heading back home. The only thing that bothered me about today was the amount of stares and whispers I’ve been getting from the other demons— either the ones I walked past on the street or the ones in the restaurant. I can’t help but feel nervous, wondering when they were looking in my direction, what they were saying, and if they were talking bad about me. I tried to shake off the feeling as it was only my first day and it was obvious that I was a human hanging out in the Devildom. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and shifted my attention back to Beel, who was munching on a bunch of snacks.

“Thank you, Beel. I had a lot of fun this afternoon.” I told him and he smiled, telling me that he had fun as well and was glad to have gotten to know me. 

We returned home and before heading our separate ways, Beel and I exchanged contact numbers. When I entered my room again, I changed into more comfortable clothing since I didn’t plan to go out anywhere and stretched my arms up in the air before plopping down on my bed again. Pulling my D.D.D. out of my pocket, I checked if I had missed any messages.

2 messages from Lucifer: 

“That’s fine. Stick with Beel and don’t get in trouble.”

“Be back before dinner and let me know when you’ve returned.”

I didn’t hear my phone buzz, but luckily it was fine that I left with Beel so I wasn’t in trouble. I texted Lucifer that I am now back and will be in my room until dinner time. As soon as I sent Lucifer the message, I heard a knock on my door.

We spent another hour finishing up what we wanted to bring for our one-year stay at the Devildom and spent the remaining minutes tidying our living space. Solomon and I shared a small but cozy apartment right outside of the city, so it was quiet but also not too far from the commercial buildings. I closed the final curtain and sighed, “well, that’s everything. Are you ready to go, my love?”

Solomon scanned the room one final time before nodding, “everything looks good, I’m ready. Do your thing, my little apprentice.”

I nodded and exhaled, flexing my wrists and hands before recalling the words for the teleportation spell. “In the name of the sorcerer MC, I command you! Create a path where there is none, and lead me where I wish to go!”

I turned to look at my lover for his approval before a bright light flashes, I only noticed the corner of his lips curve up before being completely consumed by the light. Hearing him reciting a few inaudible words in the background before I felt the ground disappear before me and for a split second—

Crash!

Everything was dark before I slowly regained my vision. Moving my hands against the ground, I felt a soft, yet solid surface underneath my cheek. I stared down directly at the maroon red carpet and I pushed myself off the ground, searching for my luggage that had fallen only a few inches beside me. I did a quick body check after regaining my balance on the ground. Usually, I would be completely worn out when performing a spell this physically demanding, but it was weird that I wasn’t too sore even after teleporting across worlds. Maybe after all these years my magic has finally improved? I quickly brush off the thought and look around for Solomon.

“MC, are you alright?” I heard my lover’s voice, “you need to remember to land on your feet.” 

I dust my clothes briefly and drag my hands through my hair to fix it. Solomon removes a piece of hair off my face as well.

“I always forget that,” I sighed.

“Hm. If it’s a bad habit you can’t break, then you can fall on top of me next time.”

“…Solomon!” 

I felt my face heat up as I lightly hit him on the shoulder, only earning a playful grin from him. 

Following Solomon’s lead, we made our way into a bigger room where everyone was waiting. It felt spacious in a sense, due to its many windows allowing moonlight inside the building. Not to mention, the room was only dimly lit with many candles. They don’t get sunlight in the Devildom, and I’ve only come to acknowledge that fact now that I’ll be staying here. It’s hard not to notice the amount of chairs in the room as well— it only makes sense if this would be some sort of meeting room. 

My attention then shifted to the real matter, I glanced at all the demons in this room and not only were their auras a bit menacing, they were incredibly tall as well since they towered over both Solomon and I. Of course, this isn’t my first time encountering demons, their species were usually bigger than us. However, there was something different about them, something that made the hairs on my skin stand and my skin shiver. Perhaps it was because they were powerful. I could sense their strength— and the one leaking that presence the most was Lucifer himself.

As Solomon and I made our way towards the crowd of demons, I unwillingly met eyes with Lucifer. Immediately I flash him an awkward smile and a small wave, yet, his face was indifferent, and his attention immediately went back to the man beside him. I cursed underneath my breath, very quietly as we made our way closer. I could already feel a slight heat on my face from the awkwardness of that interaction just now. I’d call myself an idiot for using such casual greetings to the avatar of pride himself.

“Ah! Solomon. Great to see you again! I trust that your journey was well? Sorry for calling you here on such a short notice yesterday.” The red haired demon exclaimed, he looked the most high on spirits today which was relieving, unlike the indifferent Lucifer standing cross-armed beside him. He was the only one who made the room less menacing, although I still sense a stronger aura from him, it was more friendly and welcoming. 

The demon’s eyes shifted to me, and he welcomed me with a genuine smile, “welcome, MC. I am Lord Diavolo. We are all delighted that you were able to join us at RAD.”

“Nice to meet you.” I responded, fiddling with my hands behind my back. I wasn’t sure if I had to bow— but since Solomon greeted him casually, I’d assume that it was fine not to. 

“Well, I would love to show you around but unfortunately I have a meeting to attend to. Lucifer will be in charge of getting you settled.” Diavolo beamed. 

Lucifer’s shoulders tensed up slightly and he shot him a look of disapproval, but Diavolo didn’t register it and maintained his large grin. As Diavolo took his leave along with his butler, Lucifer let out a slow sigh before taking a few steps towards me. 

I glanced at Solomon, who was beside me before he flashed me a light smile and walked towards the crowd of demons waiting on the side. I watched him approach a cute-looking strawberry blond haired demon who greeted him with a playful smile, immediately lacing his fingers on Solomon’s shoulder.

“Hello, MC. I’m sure you’ve heard my name earlier so I trust that we do not need to get into introductions?” A low voice appeared beside me. I turned to look at Lucifer. He was even more menacing up close. I felt a gust of cold wind against my skin, or maybe I was imagining it. 

“Hello.” I responded, that was all I could muster up at the moment as I was trying hard to fix my posture. Lucifer wasted no time getting straight to the point and began giving me a tour around the school. Something about him told me he was annoyed, but he was quite skilled at maintaining professionality, however not so well with his irritance.

After an hour of following him and seeing the various classrooms and locations around the school, Lucifer guided me towards a different building outside of the academy grounds. We approached a creepy old mansion surrounded by creaky metal gates. I could already hear the wings of the bats flapping away and presumably the hoot of an owl.

“This is the House of Lamentation, where you will be staying during your time here on the exchange program. Do you have any questions so far?” Lucifer concluded and I only shook my head, already exhausted from all the walking and information I had to absorb.

“Good.” 

The moment we entered the house, we were already greeted by the ruckus of the other house members— shouting, yelling, and even worse, throwing objects towards one another. I glanced at Lucifer’s expression and noticed the wrinkles forming on his temples and eyebrows furrowing. I stood still behind him as he cleared his throat, “what are you two doing?”

His tone was meant to sound calm, but I can’t help but notice the underlying threat beneath those words. The two males immediately stopped dead in their tracks, scrambling words out and immediately began blaming the other, “it's not my fault, Mammon here started it!”

“HEY! Why’re ya blamin’ me?!”

“Give me back my money…!”

The two began to argue again, fighting over whose fault it was. I was amazed to see how childish they were, given that they were known as the most powerful demons– the seven rulers of hell were fighting like children over who’s right and who’s wrong. It reminded me of my own siblings. When we were younger, we used to fight like that all the time, and then our mother would come in and scold us, telling us how we had to stop wasting time and focus on perfecting our magic. I couldn’t help but be amused by the way they were acting, that they were thousands of years old and still act like children. I looked at Lucifer, whose expression reminded me a bit of my mother. Quickly, I suppress the memories of my childhood and return to the present. I didn’t want to think about it any longer and returned to reality from my daydreaming. A smile secretly crept on my face as I continued to observe the quarrel, desperately trying to hold in my laughter at the foolishness that was displayed in front of me.

I noticed Lucifer let out a sigh, about to speak, “that’s enough–” 

Just then, my laughter slipped, Lucifer and the others turned to me slowly, expressions unreadable. “I’m so sorry.” I continued to laugh, pressing my palm over my mouth to suppress the sound. The room went awkwardly silent for a while, as the three gave me puzzled looks. It took me another second to calm down and stop laughing, straightening myself again and fixing my hair. I gave one last apology for the lack of professionalism and stood there awkwardly. 

Lucifer only responded with the same unbothered tone that it was good that I was feeling more comfortable since I’d be living here for the year. This information earned a groan from Mammon, and indifference from the other guy, which I learnt that his name was Levi from the warning that Lucifer had just given the two. Lucifer proceeded to hand me a device called a D.D.D, which was technically exactly like a cellphone, and gave me his contact number in case I needed anything. I only thanked him and received the cellphone.

“I trust that both Mammon and Levi can take care of you from here, I have some work to attend to.” Lucifer shot the brothers a warning glance before leaving. 

“Wha– didn’t Diavolo assign you to this job?” Mammon retorted, but Lucifer only continued to walk off, leaving the work to them as punishment.

“Eh, this was your fault Mammon, so you’re doing this.” Levi stated, and began to walk off.

“Oh no you don’t…!” Mammon grabs Levi by the collar from behind and tugs him back, “why do I gotta be the only one stuck babysittin’ a human? You’re at fault too, y’know?! For overreactin’.”

“Ugh. I’ll only do this because I don’t want to be hung upside down beside you!” Levi retorted.

Yikes, this wasn’t good. If they start fighting again, Lucifer will definitely come back and punish them both. I attempted to distract them from the fighting and asked them if they could show me how the D.D.D. works. Despite Levi’s complaints, he agreed to help and explain the device’s mechanisms. While he was explaining, I noticed that the headphones around his neck were still connected to his phone, which was still running a game. Thinking back on Solomon’s words, if I wanted to have a shot at forming pacts with them, I must manage to earn their trust somehow. Fortunately for me, it seems like starting off with these two wouldn’t be too difficult. 

“...so that’s everything you need to know. It shouldn’t be too hard.” Levi explained, and I nodded, planning on how I would go about asking. 

“One question,” I started, “how do I download apps? Does it have games like the ones in my world?” This earned a surprised look from Levi which was a good sign. I wasn’t sure if my observational skills were right, but it seems like I was on the right track. Now I only had to be careful with what I say next in order to keep his interest.

“Games? What sort of games do you play?” He asked. But it felt more like he was testing me.

“Anything, I see an interesting game and I’ll play it. But I usually don’t have people to play with, so I often get stuck playing singleplayer games.” I say, trying to notice his reactions but it was no use. “Do you have any games that you like? If you can recommend some, that would be great.”

“Why’d ya have to ask him that?!” Mammon exclaimed from beside me, burying his face in his palms and letting out a loud groan. I only stared at his confusion before turning back to Levi, who now had a completely different look on his face. I noticed a small spark in his eyes before he began to open his mouth.

Oh boy.

I turned around and met my lover’s gaze, relaxing my shoulders that I didn’t realize were tense. I stood up from my desk and held him in an embrace. His warm hands against my back while his lips met mine. He had been busy for the entire day, and glancing outside, I could already see the stars in the night sky and the glimmer of the moonlight shining through the window. The only light source in the room aside from the moonlight was the dim yellow light from the lamp on my wooden desk, which was directly shining on my written letter. I rested my head on his shoulder, my arms around his waist as I took in his scent. He smelt different today, he smelt like something foreign— a scent that was not common in this world.

“Where were you today?” I asked, rubbing circles on his back.

“In the Devildom. I have something you might like, I’m sorry that I took so long.” He responded, hand sliding up to gently caress my hair. His touch is tender, loving, and so gentle that I immediately melt onto him more.

“You took too long…”

“I know, I’m sorry. Were you about to send me that letter?”

My heart picked up an extra beat and I shifted to look at his face, “please don’t read that now. Not in front of me…”

The smirk he gave me held no promises, but he complied, “anything you want, I respect that. Thank you for the letter.”

Solomon leaned down and gave me another kiss before taking my hand and guiding me to our island dining table. He pulled my chair for me and sat me down before taking the seat beside me, then pulled out an envelope and placed it in front of me. The envelope was a deep red design with special black markings, stamped with a golden stamp and addressed to me. I opened the envelope, and inside revealed a letter, its contents were: 

“Congratulations!

We’ve received your application and considered your impressive sorcery background and academic experience. We are happy to inform you that you have been accepted into the Royal Academy of Diavolo. We ask that you sign your name in order to confirm your enrollment. We look forward to having you!

Signed: ____Lord Diavolo____.

Your Signature: ___________”

Wide eyed, I look towards Solomon with excitement, “oh my gosh— is this what I think it is?!” I squealed.

Solomon chuckled lightly and nodded, “you’ve been working hard on your magic. This would be an opportunity for you to use it in real situations,” he responded. However, the look on his face told me he had something else to say. I raised my eyebrows, signaling him to continue before he sighed, “and… if you are able to form pacts with any of the 7 lords, you will be able to unlock another level of magic. The person you’d want most would be Lucifer, the avatar of pride. But he’s a tough nut to crack— and even I wasn’t able to do that. Do be careful though, my love. Power is not something you use as a tool, I trust that you are aware of that by now.” He reached a hand to caress my cheek, clearly concerned for my wellbeing with the idea of sending me to the Devildom. 

“I can’t express how grateful I am. Thank you, Solomon.”

His eyes softened when he looked at me. He was a devoted man, and he had been pursuing me since the day we met. Sometimes I don’t understand his actions, but he does mean well. I learned the meaning behind his words and actions when we started dating, and I came to know him on a deeper level. He was someone I could never bear to lose, and I love him dearly with my entire heart. 

“I can’t express how much I love you. Please, allow me to show you how I feel tonight,” Solomon offered me his hand, and I took it. His smirk tells me that he doesn’t plan on letting me go. Perhaps the two of us won’t be getting any sleep after all.

He freezes, shoulders tensed up as he remained still on his bed. He was faced towards his window before slowly turning his head around to face you. You noticed a faint hue of pink growing on his cheeks as you caught him in the act of talking to himself.

Satan clears his throat, closing his book slightly but still leaving his thumb in between the pages, "I didn't realize you were there."

"Sorry, I knocked but you didn't answer, so I checked to see if you were here. I didn't mean to startle you." You began, studying his slightly flustered face before your eyes shifted to the book that he was holding, "what're you reading?" You tilt your head, stepping closer.

For a moment, he stares at you, looking like he might pretend that nothing happened. Then he exhales, fingers opening the book again to the page where he left off. He looks down at the book on his lap, "Genetics," he admits. "Well— Inheritance, to be precise."

You take a seat beside him, leaning over to take a look at the page. It was some crazy diagrams of squares with random alphabets, and the mentioning of a farmer named Gregor Mendel, with a photo of a ton of pea plants.

That only made you more curious. "Inheritance of what?"

His gaze drifts away again. "Just...Traits."

There's a pause. A very deliberate one, like he was lost in thought, hiding something. Which was very unlikely of Satan since he was always ecstatic to share what he read in his books.

"You were calculating something," you say gently.

Satan hesistates for a bit, refusing to make eye contact with you. Then he lets out a resigned huff. "I suppose there's no point in denying it now." He begins, tapping the page with one finger, pointing to a specific paragraph in which your eyes immediately followed his direction to the text. "I was reading about how traits are passed from parents to offspring. They were talking about alleles and how the phenotype would be different depending on whether the two alleles were dominant, recessive, heterozygous or homozygous. But still, a lot of factors can play into it."

Satan responds, looking up to see your expression.

You blink and stare blankly at the page. "...Okay. I'm already lost." You admitted, defeated with the information that was dumped onto you.

That earned a small, fond smile from Satan, almost relieved.

"That’s alright," he says, softening his voice. "Let me explain it better.”

He turns the book so you can see the diagrams, though he doesn't expect you to read them. "For most traits, each parent carries two alleles. To put it simply, the alleles are different versions of the same gene. One from each of their own parents."

You nod slowly at his explanation and he checks your face before continuing.

"Some alleles are dominant, meaning that they're expressed in the phenotype even if only one is present. Some alleles are recessive, meaning that the phenotype will only appear if both alleles are the same."

You put a finger up, causing him to pause for a moment. "Sorry, wait. What are phenotypes?"

Satan smiles gently at you before explaining, "they're a set of observable traits. So for example, the genotype is the specific set of alleles you carry, and the phenotype is how those genes are expressed, like your hair color, eye color, or blood type."

You nod slowly, eyebrows furrowing a bit but slowly getting the concept.

Satan continues, "So, back to the alleles, if a parent carries one dominant allele and one recessive allele, which is what we call a heterozygous genotype, only the dominant trait will show. But they can still pass the recessive one on." He explains, "For example, in simplified models, curly hair is often treated as dominant over straight hair. So if the child inherits the curly hair gene from one parent, they are most likely to have curls or waves. But genetics like these are quite complex since they involve multiple genes and factors like 'incomplete dominance' or can be influenced by the environment."

You hold up a hand again, "woah woah, slow down a bit. What in the world is incomplete dominance?"

"Incomplete dominance is simply when neither alleles are dominant over the other, so they would result in a heterozygous offspring with an intermediate phenotype." Satan explains, but the look on your face told him that you were still confused.

"Let's say if a red flower and a white flower were to be crossed, the resulting flower would be pink because neither alleles from the parents were completely dominant over the other."

"Okay, I think I kind of get it now." You responded and he smiles, reassuring you that you were doing great.

Satan continues explaining the concept, "If both parents are heterozygous, there's a seventy-five percent chance the dominant phenotype will appear, and a twenty-five percent chance of the recessive one."

You hum in response, before coming back to your previous thoughts. "Wait, if there are so many genes that make up our traits, what were you calculating probabilities for earlier?"

Another pause. You noticed a heavier hue of pink grow on his cheeks as his eyes darted elsewhere, avoiding yours.

"Satan." You say teasingly, a grin growing on your face as you realized what he was doing earlier.

"You were calculating what our hypothetical child would look like, weren't you?" You teased.

Satan's face completely heats up, bright red as he scoffs. "That's… a highly accusing inference..." he stops, and then sighs. "But I guess you weren't wrong."

You laugh, reaching out to lightly touch his arm, "You're cute when you overthink."

He looks away, but he doesn't pull back. "For what it's worth," he adds quietly, "many traits are polygenic, meaning that traits like height, skin color, and hair texture are influenced by multiple genes. So they're far too complex to predict accurately. Not only that, the environment also plays a significant role as well."

You smile. "So basically... you can't actually know."

"Statistically speaking? Yes." He closes the book at last. "But that doesn't make thinking about it any less... interesting." He admitted.

You smiled, leaning gently into his space. "You're adorable."

His ears turned redder.