“Are we finally going home?” The shorter human asked.
Chen was acting like himself again. He got over every suspicious thing that happened in the last two days with no regrets.973Please respect copyright.PENANA9mLK3nRlcX
973Please respect copyright.PENANAgz0JzpoquC
Ezekiel was a different story, though. He's been staring at Zoe for long periods of time on the way back but it didn't seem like she was aware of it.
Chen took the passenger seat and let the two culprits in the back, not realizing how uncomfortable Ezekiel was.
“Hey, Zek. You’re too obvious,” Chen mumbled as he was staring at his friend through review mirror.
She was sleeping peacefully and coincidentally, leaned on his shoulder. Ezekiel flinched but didn't move further to the right.
“Just pretend I didn’t say anything. You act suspiciously,” Chen continued, his eyes following every twitch of his friend.
Iaosur moved the review mirror so he could see the human too; he drove them there and was the one driving them back.973Please respect copyright.PENANAruKEy9DbgQ
973Please respect copyright.PENANAti6a2rMjjW
“What did you two talk about that affected you so badly?” Iaosur interfered, his hand still tingling on the wheel.
Chen sighed, “I kind of asked him if he likes Zoe as more than a friend. He’s been thinking about it ever since.”
Iaosur laughed, “Human emotions are so annoying,” Next to his bemused expression, his statement was rather cold, “So? Do you like her, Zek? You have the highest chance to stay by her side anyway,”
Ezekiel narrowed his eyes at the two boys who were making fun of him; or at least that was how it sounded to him.973Please respect copyright.PENANAeFu7CrzUVZ
973Please respect copyright.PENANACo5Yk8MZuj
“I don’t like her like that. Besides, she made it clear that she loves Mehrdir,” The human boy mumbled, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
“That asshole won’t take responsibility anytime soon. You can consider yourself the lucky winner,” Iaosur added.
That only made Ezekiel feel worse and uncomfortable, mostly because she was breathing on his neck and her hand was twitching on his lap from whatever she was dreaming of.973Please respect copyright.PENANAXllbl9dDEW
973Please respect copyright.PENANAxoVgRfXZ5V
“What about Alice? She’s your girlfriend,” Chen teased.
Ezekiel threw a pack of gum at Chen’s head, making the younger human whine.
“I don’t like Zoe like that. Stop messing with my head,”
Chen and Iaosur glanced at each other and smirked.973Please respect copyright.PENANAA4Hld7vl5A
973Please respect copyright.PENANALZENzBdF6n
“Whatever you say,”
Iaosur got hit by a roll of plastic bags, as well.
The rest of the ride to London was silent. Chen fell asleep too and Ezekiel was staring out the window silently. Iaosur glanced at him through the mirror and chuckled.973Please respect copyright.PENANA0zbEx0VJga
973Please respect copyright.PENANAhv4Qd3W23z
“You shouldn’t be afraid,” The demon started, “Loving her is not a sin. It won’t get you in Hell.”
“But being her legacy will,” He responded without taking his eyes off the scenery.973Please respect copyright.PENANABnYa4adlaN
973Please respect copyright.PENANAkJDb0yTPwV
“That depends on you. The former inheritors didn’t get to Hell, they lived their lives peacefully. But just because they didn’t face the problems doesn’t mean the problems were never there. Zoe chose the hard way and she’s going against the flood. She’s a true commander,”
Ezekiel glanced at Iaosur’s seat smiling softly, “You care,”
Iaosur nodded. Unlike some other demons -Mehrdir- he knew when to accept the reality.
“She made you all care for her without a single spell,” Ezekiel was still not sure if that was good or not but he was amazed nonetheless.973Please respect copyright.PENANAFWJtMgTjDC
973Please respect copyright.PENANAWTMhDW2aCQ
“That’s because she doesn’t only protect the inheritor. She protects everyone around her, including the demons. Being under her natural spell is better than being all alone,” 973Please respect copyright.PENANAdKOBrxZ9ix
973Please respect copyright.PENANAhNM2kJEKyZ
Ezekiel moved Zoe a bit, trying not to wake her and leaned closer to the back of Iaosur's seat, “Demons feel lonely too, huh?”
Iaosur gripped the wheel tighter; that was a touchy subject.973Please respect copyright.PENANAUDzRA0zdQu
973Please respect copyright.PENANAnKmNgG7RvS
“Some demons were humans before they got sentenced to a life of evil and scum. Against what you believe, I never did anything bad in my life. I ended up in Hell because I committed suicide,”
If that wasn’t surprising, Ezekiel didn’t know what was. An angst demon who never sinned, except in the moment he died was never heard of.
“But that happened a long time ago, when we didn’t have computers and internet; when we didn’t even have a cellphone.” The demon chuckled, using his witty attitude to make it sound nicer than it was.973Please respect copyright.PENANAOER60pqDU1
973Please respect copyright.PENANA5BEFlEQbRD
“When did you die?” Ezekiel asked, curiosity getting the best of him.
Iaosur’s eyes softened a little bit as the melancholy of his past life was surfacing.973Please respect copyright.PENANAadv0sULceF
973Please respect copyright.PENANARzyMOE4BUd
“Second World War,” Ezekiel’s eyes widened, “I was so scared that I took my life before anyone else could. Instead of dying like a hero, I died like a coward,”
That was definitely interesting and a little confusing for the human.973Please respect copyright.PENANAlZQsPVXgtM
973Please respect copyright.PENANAEd6O1c3SIr
“Why are you telling me this?” 973Please respect copyright.PENANAtLzwsFxzQM
973Please respect copyright.PENANAHXa0k2j0ho
“Because it’s better to live without regrets. That ‘What if’ question haunts everyone, even after they die and become angst demons,”
He gave two thumbs up in the mirror and turned back to driving. Moreover, he turned on the radio hinting that the conversation was over.
973Please respect copyright.PENANATgxmqBIY9x
When Zoe woke up, she was in her bed. Ezekiel was next to her, looking out the window. She leaned on her elbows and stared at him.973Please respect copyright.PENANANDc6qrDmJ8
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“You have a nice profile,”
That didn’t even sound like a compliment; it sounded like a statement. Just a simple statement.973Please respect copyright.PENANAMwOwntVXHu
973Please respect copyright.PENANAEoVYqUNOII
However, Ezekiel was deeply thinking about what both Chen and Iaosur said. Having a kid with Zoe was out of question since he couldn’t even imagine that friction happening between them but that would save them a lot of trouble, wouldn’t it?
He turned his head to her and blinked, “Let’s have a baby.”
Zoe blinked twice before she registered what he said. She got up and clicked her tongue.973Please respect copyright.PENANAFgOCrq8heQ
973Please respect copyright.PENANAYQCIXaATYj
“Who gave you this crazy idea? Eneizar? Iaosur? Gakhas?” It was something that Gakhas would probably say, “Look, Zek. I love you and I’d give everything for you, but not to the point where I’d do that with you,”
He blushed, “But having a baby wouldn’t make everything easier? Besides, you already made me your legacy. A baby would-“973Please respect copyright.PENANA5btNkX8F7H
973Please respect copyright.PENANAeO0ue44eJ6
“A baby would mean nothing at all. The commander may or may not go along the bloodline. I don’t want to create a mess out of my child’s life. I don’t want one, in the first place,”
It dawned on him. Iaosur was messing with his head, again.
“It would only complicate everything. If you want to have that kid become my legacy because he would be blood from my blood, that is not even for sure. That’s not how it works.”973Please respect copyright.PENANAr8j6CVTf41
973Please respect copyright.PENANAqup8BdLeWn
Ezekiel sighed and moved closer to her, “Then how does it work?”
She sighed heavily and rubbed her eyes, feeling a slight pressure on the back of her head; she was going to have a rough time now that she actually asked a demon prince for help.973Please respect copyright.PENANAn5IAzVT0Nd
973Please respect copyright.PENANArbFba0587a
“I don’t know. The kid has to be born on a full moon but not any kid can become the commander. Hell decides that.”
Ezekiel frowned, “Then, why you? Why not someone else?”
She shrugged, “I don’t know. But your child won’t become the commander. I’ll make sure of it, just in case.”She watched as Ezekiel sighed in relief, “You thought about it for the whole ride back, didn’t you?”
He nodded, “I’m happy we don’t have to do anything weird,” He literally sighed in relief, “But it would be a pity not to have a kid.”973Please respect copyright.PENANAyLFfsnIgMp
973Please respect copyright.PENANAIZ1zLjhIFy
“For you or for me?” She asked bemusedly.973Please respect copyright.PENANAPgI88TFtw0
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“Both of us. But not with each other.”
She watched him assure and reassure himself of that idea. It was funny to see him so messed up.973Please respect copyright.PENANA3mdck5eHP6
973Please respect copyright.PENANAb8czCVeBac
Of course, that wasn’t Iaosur’s opinion when he started to feel a burning sensation in his hand, crawling up his arm and to his body. It wasn’t something that would hurt for a long period of time but it was just like he had been struck by lightning. It was happening fast but hurt like nothing he felt before.
The thing was, he was getting punished when he genuinely gave advice to Ezekiel.
973Please respect copyright.PENANAaU87jT3176
The next day was Saturday. She had a few amends made for that day. Caleb called just in case she forgot and needed a reminder; she definitely didn’t forget.
She stayed in bed for most of the day, thinking about the time she was a demon. Everything was blurry but she knew she met the inheritor at some point. She couldn't remember him but she was curious if he will remember her.973Please respect copyright.PENANAyne0rdIePH
973Please respect copyright.PENANAJzpyNE10xN
“Where are you going?”
Eneizar just appeared that morning with a guitar. He was strumming it peacefully when he saw her walking out of her room, dressed.973Please respect copyright.PENANAfAxiQmqejk
973Please respect copyright.PENANAow0MmnwFmG
“The question is where did you go when I needed your help?” That shut him up quickly, “That’s what I thought. Oh and, we might get some uninvited guests later today. Prepare yourself mentally,” Zoe announced before she left.
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She knew she had demons sniffing her around and she didn’t want to get Caleb in danger so she took the bus to the airport; alone.973Please respect copyright.PENANAfeDBzBq3PD
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When she arrived, she surveyed the entry before walking towards the meeting spot. Familiar and ghosts already figured who she was since the dark world was always whispering about the commander. 973Please respect copyright.PENANA5aVagbDDyn
973Please respect copyright.PENANAECmBLVBcaW
“Did you miss me?” Elijah blew in her ear.
She closed her eyes in annoyance, her hand twitching, “Not at all.”
He chuckled and grabbed a hand through his hair. She stopped in front of the arrivals gate and followed her. He looked like an old lady, standing with one hand on his waist while he was scratching his head with the other.973Please respect copyright.PENANAu6h5Cy2yEn
973Please respect copyright.PENANADWn6X44Suo
“Levi wants me to stick around you for a while. He wants you to teach me some things,”
First was Gakhas and now, she had Elijah; she was slowly growing annoyed with the babysitting.
“Levi?” She asked, bemused by the lack of respect of that certain ghost.
Elijah shrugged.
“Leviathan is too long. I don’t like to waste my breath,”
That was quite the irony since he was dead already.
However, he continued, “You know, I figured out why he wanted my soul so badly,” She had no choice but listen to his life story, “It seems the commander and the inheritor can be different demons, not only glutton and vanity. For instance, you are definitely a vanity demon with a little bit of greed; no Beelzebub territory. The only thing that connects you to him is the title, actually. I heard he originally wanted you dead as soon as you were born,” He chuckled, “But, the inheritor is not vanity. He’s anything but vanity, as a matter of fact. He has wrath and sloth. Isn’t that just interesting? He’s a lazy ass that would fight for as long as he lives. Quite a contradictory man, I may say,”
Well, that was indeed interesting but it wasn’t very important for the so called cause.973Please respect copyright.PENANAmV6quK09y2
973Please respect copyright.PENANAF4n85nHXim
“So?”
Elijah rolled his eyes and took a step closer to her, “You know how you have Andrew? Well, the inheritor will get me.” She froze, “Don’t look so disappointed. I’m quite an ideal demon/ghost. I am smart.” He finished, pointing at his head with a genuine expression.
That wasn’t necessarily something good. He was also good at lying and manipulating; he was a psychopath, in the end.973Please respect copyright.PENANArfHnOMRPjA
973Please respect copyright.PENANAXIl204V0GV
“You’re dangerous,” She added a characteristic to his extremely modest personality.
He gave her two thumbs up with the most stoic face she had ever seen.973Please respect copyright.PENANA3uZq0yOP1p
973Please respect copyright.PENANAGClfhKlCOp
“You betcha!”
She rubbed her forehead and sighed, the pressure on the back of her head becoming stronger.
Caleb walked towards Zoe as soon as he got into the airport. He found her fast thanks to the familiars. They actually pointed towards the place she was in which wasn't good since they were supposed to hide her from anyone, even him.973Please respect copyright.PENANAcHrvDHMVCw
973Please respect copyright.PENANAnELuY12k6b
“These familiars are way too polite. I only had to ask nicely and they pointed to you,” He whispered once he got next to her.
She glared over her shoulder but the ghosts were acting innocent.
Caleb’s eyes moved on the tall guy sitting next to her,“Who’s he?”973Please respect copyright.PENANAylHDWDhFyX
973Please respect copyright.PENANAL02u1dSdl5
“Your brother’s new friend,” Caleb was confused so she continued, “He’s the ghost that will tag along everywhere he will go like an unwanted yet needed ghostly guardian.” Caleb was still very confused. She sighed and clicked her tongue, “Like Andy is to me.”
That unveiled the mystery, “Won’t that be troublesome?”
She stared at him blankly. Of course it was going to be troublesome; Elijah was not Andy. The difference between the two was Heaven-Hell like.
They waited for an hour before his plane landed. For that entire hour, Elijah spoke about his life before he got into the Cane Hill Asylum. Of course, Caleb found out the back-story and wasn’t happy at all.973Please respect copyright.PENANASkg6FqvAAp
973Please respect copyright.PENANA9natREvI3N
“He is a freaking psychopath!” He hissed.
She became immune at his whining over the past hour.973Please respect copyright.PENANACvlqOMeBBi
973Please respect copyright.PENANA0GlW0ekepD
“Excuse you, but I am a genius undercover. I got there because I let my guard down but that won’t happen again.” Elijah was really offended by Caleb’s words.973Please respect copyright.PENANAKGGp7SYgHh
973Please respect copyright.PENANA3BVXK7yhSc
“Of course not. You’re dead.” Zoe mumbled, rubbing her forehead.
Elijah scoffed and turned his back on them, noticing something and leaving.
“Did he go to report to his Master?” Caleb asked ironically.
Zoe looked after him and saw him a few feet in the back.973Please respect copyright.PENANAF4Pe5vevK3
973Please respect copyright.PENANAuYmIFKcvSp
“He went to steal a bento from a Japanese tourist,” She stated.
Caleb and Zoe glanced at each other before they sighed heavily; that ghost was going to provoke so many problems.
“I’m starting to question his genius,” She mumbled under her hand.973Please respect copyright.PENANAwmRymN0Dy5
973Please respect copyright.PENANAo9Em4UecMz
Plane 3245, coming from Tokyo-Japan to London-United Kingdom is landing right now at Gate 3.973Please respect copyright.PENANAutVoQ9zg6f
973Please respect copyright.PENANALDVPrULiM2
She sighed in relief when she heard the announcement.
Both Caleb and Zoe were waiting for the younger brother with a knot in their stomachs. Caleb gulped when he saw the familiar head of his brother poking above the rest.
Zoe and Elijah were staring ahead with blank expressions. Zoe’s eyes became yellow and her hands were trembling in anticipation; her sign was glowing but not enough to grab attention.973Please respect copyright.PENANAlPeWWs6yti
973Please respect copyright.PENANAAH9Pmkqwxw
Through Zoe’s eyes, the boy was glowing; he had dark mist around him and he was glowing like the light at the end of the tunnel; bright and purple. 973Please respect copyright.PENANAnFY941VRiu
973Please respect copyright.PENANA4ugjRgarCU
When he got in front of them, Caleb didn’t act like a lovely older brother, instead he gulped and stared worriedly at him.973Please respect copyright.PENANAzg0gAlM3pr
973Please respect copyright.PENANA45WJUZvPUA
“Is that how you greet your younger brother?”
“I’m sorry, Jasper.” Caleb’s voice cracked before he pulled him into a tight hug.
The boy frowned,“You're forgiven for whatever you have done. Don't have to act so dramatically,” He stated once he let go of Caleb.
His head instinctively turned towards Zoe, whose face was somewhat familiar but he couldn't understand why.
“Do I know you?” He asked, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration.
Zoe was trembling from head to toe, licking her lips nervously; she didn’t even know if she was excited or scared.
“She’s Zoe Lestrade. She is the commander, Jaz,” Caleb started on the way to the cab.
The boy tilted his head to the side, confused.
“That’s why father sent you to Japan. But it seems I couldn’t take that burden off your shoulders. No matter how much I try, I cannot be the inheritor.” Caleb admitted; it was better if Jasper knew sooner than later.
Jasper stared at Zoe before turning to his older brother. The difference between Caleb and the new face was only one: she was glowing.973Please respect copyright.PENANApeCiBozG4t
973Please respect copyright.PENANAdLBVteDiix
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jasper questioned further what was happening.
Caleb took a deep breath and thought how to break the news. He didn’t get the chance, though.973Please respect copyright.PENANAMJDzKkv0II
973Please respect copyright.PENANAv60JM89S0d
“He means you’re the inheritor.”
Jasper frowned. That guy wasn’t there before, was he? He was really tall and strange-looking; his eyes were black and scary, he was really pale and his bones were visible through his skin. He looked like a nicer zombie, actually.
Elijah raised an eyebrow, already figuring what Jasper was thinking about.
“I am your new best friend forever. My name is Elijah,"
Jasper shook his hand absent mindedly, not realizing that no one could see Elijah except him, Caleb and Zoe. 973Please respect copyright.PENANAC5BymcT1IH
973Please respect copyright.PENANAeRMUga5NtY
He leaned back and turned to Caleb, “What is he talking about?” 973Please respect copyright.PENANAFRb4Rwfmk9
973Please respect copyright.PENANAOJAVzs1Akb
“Remember the story grandpa used to tell us when we were kids?”
Jasper nodded, “About the secret child of the devil. He used to say it wasn’t just a fairy tale and that this kid was called the inheritor. He also said he kind of surfaces in a random kid at every 50 years or something,”
Caleb nodded.973Please respect copyright.PENANALiadxSw3eR
973Please respect copyright.PENANAmgrAqcqeBI
“That’s you. The inheritor.”
Jasper’s eyes widened, “What?”
The ride in the cab was excruciating. Zoe was lost in space while Caleb tried to make his brother understand what was happening.973Please respect copyright.PENANATfVipfCLnp
973Please respect copyright.PENANARujxnFd1sf
“So, you’re telling me that I’m the newest reincarnation of Devil’s secret child. Also, since he hates my guts, he sent vanity and lust demons to kill me and get my soul to Hell’s basement,”973Please respect copyright.PENANApqNKsVFmcS
973Please respect copyright.PENANAAwi1PyHG7G
“Second level,” Zoe corrected.
Jasper furrowed his eyebrows at his brother, “Anyway, how is that possible?”973Please respect copyright.PENANAY6w3Qb6qnh
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“Well, in the first place, you can’t see the sun. It’s always a dark mist that covers it. And secondly, you have the serpent sign on your back,” Caleb explained.
“I thought you have it too.” Jasper trailed but Caleb shook his head, “So, if I’m the inheritor, who’s she?” He asked and pointed at Zoe.973Please respect copyright.PENANAH3leVOOd5V
973Please respect copyright.PENANAchMgK1GtwO
“She’s the commander; the reincarnation of Beelzebub’s sister. Practically, you and her have a deep bond; deeper than soul mates’. You live to protect each other and right now, she’s so deep into this business that she’s the only one who can help you,”973Please respect copyright.PENANAqHvJqfXZgR
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Jasper frowned and glanced at her from the corner of his eye, “Is that why we’re not going home?” 973Please respect copyright.PENANA4qSF0NvXZq
973Please respect copyright.PENANAvIf746mc4y
“You’re going to live at her place. Believe me, you’ll like it.” Caleb assured his brother.
Jasper doubted that.
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