<- Part 1 | Part 3 (in progress!)
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It’s the next morning, the sun has woken up but you still haven’t.
In Cocytus Hall, Solomon paces back and forth in the study as he recounts all the things he’ll need to focus on the efforts to break the curse.
He mumbles a bit, whispering broken sentences and slightly nibbling at his right thumb nail. With his brows furrowed, his eyes dart back and forth as he scans the room for anything else that might be of use.
Finally, he huffs and turns on his heel making his way out. He’s a very strong wizard who is very much capable of using teleportation magic, having to come back for something wasn’t the issue at hand.
Deep down, he’s worried about forgetting. Maybe he’s not remembering something that could be the key, or maybe he’ll forget what it was like to hear your soft voice singing as you cooked dinner for you both.
Either way, he was determined, a second wind had washed over him and he was ready to collaborate with Satan, who is a huge asset.
He doesn’t even close the door behind him as he steps out into the hall. Swiftly and with his head down, he makes his way past a few doors all tightly shut.
There’s one room that isn’t sealed though.
Your room had been left ajar, the heavy oak door not being a priority in the blur and chaos that was the last week.
He freezes unwillingly. His back straightens as he takes in a deep breath letting his eyes flutter shut. He swears, he can smell the faint scent of fresh linen and lavender that wafted its way out.
His eyes begin to burn as he relaxes his body, taking in another breath, head going slightly fuzzy. It’s almost like he feels a relief or even better, a certainty that all will be well.
For a second he lets himself relish in the silence. This is what it was like when he would be up late studying as he knew you were sound asleep in just a room over. This is not that though, and he reels himself back in as he regains his composure.
He reestablished his grip on the books and continued to the front door. With an incantation and the lift of his hand, he was brought to the gates of the house of Lamentation.
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“You’re awfully early, did you even get any sleep?”
Satan chimes in as he joins Solomon in the library, who is already sorting through shelves taller than himself with the help of his own magic. A pile of books already pulled from the shelves was cutting close to toppling over like the two other stacks already had.
“Hearing you of all people concerned about my wellness really warms my heart, Satan!”
Satan huffs in response as Solomon slowly descends back down. Shaking his head, Satan motions to the corner of the study.
“There’s a staircase you know, no reason to show off”
“Time is at a premium so while I value efficiency, impressing you is a great bonus!”
Solomon walks past Satan to another corner of the library, that smug look on his face a reminder that even in the face of adversity, this was still definitely Solomon.
Still though, only the most keen observers would’ve noticed something was just not quite right with him.
Satan looked in his direction, pondering as he watched Solomon bring his hand out as he muttered a spell that once again hoisted him up in the air feet planting on the walkway of the second tier. He opened his mouth to respond but nothing had come to mind.
Even Satan could tell, the pressure of the situation was starting to get to Solomon.
To be honest, it was getting to him too. It was affecting all of them, including Lucifer who must’ve slipped into the room while they were both lost in thought.
His voice low and cutting, a pause before he spoke again.
Solomon’s attention was caught but his patience was already ice thin. Entertaining a conversation with Lucifer was not at all something he was up for, but if it gives him access to the knowledge he needs, he’ll do it.
“That is my name. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
His throat slightly taut, his words come out a little more spiteful than he intended. Hopping over the railing he came back down once again, he lifts his head to see the first-born standing by the entrance with his arms folded tightly. He directed himself towards Solomon who was now standing a few feet away.
“What are you doing here?”
Expected, of course his pride would blind him like this.
“What do you mean? Are you purposely being ignorant or have you lost your mind?”
Jumping in, Satans voice is sharp as he demands the attention that Lucifer refused to give him.
Never glancing in Satans direction, he tenses a little more and repeats himself.
“What are you doing here?”
This time, his voice more raised than the last, his eyebrows furrowed as he continued to narrow his eyes and stare.
“Doing more than you are to save our precious, darling girl from the pickle you put her in, Lucifer.”
Lucifer is not at all amused. Somehow, he gets impossibly more tense. If he wasn’t wearing gloves, Solomon is positive he would see nothing but white knuckles.
“Know your place, human.”
He spits angrily, never addressing the point made.
He scoffed, chuckling lowly with that smug expression still on his lips as he pushes even further.
“Don’t you think it’s time you learned yours?”
Lucifer goes to interrupt but with the flick of his hand, Solomon had bound the lips of his mouth together, effectively keeping him quiet.
“Now, now, Lucifer. You do remember MC is a human too, right? She is MY apprentice after all, maybe you’d have an easier time understanding if you weren’t so deluded.”
Lucifer now lunging, words out of the question. Swiftly, Satan puts himself in between them both and with the stacking power of their magic, Lucifer was easily restrained.
The commotion had alerted everyone else in the house and the rest of the brothers began to make their appearances. Breaking the spell on his mouth, Solomon almost finds this entertaining.
“You shady bastard. That mouth of yours is going to get you killed.”
Solomon hummed as his eyes narrowed, his arm outstretched and parallel to the ground as his chin is lowered close to his collarbone. The slick grin he had doing nothing to hide the sick and twisted feeling that radiated from his anger.
“If you kill me, MC dies too.”
The rooms air now thick, the brothers quick to file in and attempt to mediate once they realize the true stakes of the situation.
“Don’t you say her name-“
The lights in the room begin to flicker as the immense use of magic begins to overwhelm their natural world.
“You need to stand down.”
Satan’s eyes are now glowing, his anger starting to get the best of him as he nearly spits in Lucifer’s face.
The rest are quick to follow. Everyone panicked, some trying to diffuse and others not getting involved at all.
“Yo just quit it Lucifer! It ain’t worth it anymore!”
Mammon stood ready to take action, although his eyes were wide in fear as he felt his heart race. Asmodeus was a hiccuping and teary eyed mess, overwhelmed with fear and emotion.
“Oh please just calm down, MC needs to wake back up!! I don’t know what I’d do if she doesn’t!”
The twins sit silently. Belphegor lurked behind in shame as he watched the mess that truthfully, was his fault more than anybody’s. Beelzebub feeling more conflicted than ever as Leviathan trembles in the corner as he pities himself for not doing more.
The air is stifling as everyone waits for the next move tensely.
“If I die now, she never wakes up. Let’s be responsible in our decision making, okay?”
“tch” almost as if on cue, the magic is released, and Lucifer wasted no time making his way out. Door slamming shut and lights flickering once again.
Everyone is stiff, Satan being the first to break the silence.
“You can’t be serious Satan! We want to help too, if only you’d let us in!”
Asmo was a weeping mess, still in shock along with everyone else.
“It’s best you all stay out of the way and keep yourselves busy.”
He can see the disheartening expressions, and as if he feels bad he gives them something else.
“I think it’s safe to say MC cares about our health, so make sure you’re all taking care of yourselves so you’re not in for an earful from her when she’s up.”
A soft smile cracks through, a genuine one that both shocks and comforts them exactly in the way they need it.
“She is our attendant after all, we will figure it out just as she would.”
Asmo is so overcome he jumps at the chance to hug Satan, gushing over how proud he is of such a heart felt sentiment and his ability to look on the bright side, oh how much he’s grown!
Solomon turns around, starting to wind down after such an adrenaline pumped moment. He is not too interested in witnessing such a tender and loving moment, and Lord knows where Lucifer’s run off too.
For now though, he’s got business to attend to. Slowly but surely, people make their way out, Belphie being the last one in line.
With Satan turned to a shelf, Solomon glances over his shoulder, stare sharper than a knife and killer. He casts a spell to convey a message directly in the consciousness of the receiver.
“Don’t think I have forgotten about you, Belphegor.”
Belphie’s blood runs ice cold as he feels his heart rate picking up. Bullets of sweat forming and chest feeling tighter by the second he carefully turns to find Solomon’s eyes already locked on him.
As if there was nothing more he needed to say, belphie wasted no time fleeing from sight.
“You’re insane for human, you could’ve very well gotten us in worse shape than MC”
Solomon glancing back as if nothing happened, he shook his head with what seemed like the first real smile since the beginning of this mess.
“MC is just as insane, if not worse. You just wait until you witness it for yourself.”
