"Just like the River," Asmodeus whispered as he admired her.
Zarath’s black-feathered wings folded slightly, and her body approached the ground.
Asmodeus slowly walked closer, lost in her crimson eyes.
’This energy, this mana...’ He thought. ’It’s exactly what I was talking about! What I could feel from the moment I laid eyes on Zarath!’
"You don’t seem surprised," Zarath whispered with a knowing smile as her boots reached the ground.
"I could feel it from the start," Asmodeus responded as he stood right in front of her. "Amazing..."
"What do you want to do?" The winged Succubus asked, biting her lip. "Now that you see me in this Form?"
Asmodeus stared for a moment before raising a hand. It was shaking, shivering with excitement.
Understanding his intent, and curious, Zarath extended a hand as well.
"...!"
Black sparks appeared in the air as Asmodeus’s hand came into contact with the energy that engulfed Zarath’s.
"What..." he asked with a gulp. "What is it? What is this?"
Zarath’s eyes, previously black and presently crimson, narrowed.
"The old hag calls it a Lost Art," she explained. "Something that was far more widespread among Demonkind long ago."
"A Lost Art...?"
"Mmh." Zarath nodded. "This is," She spread her black-feathered wings. "My True Demon Form."
Asmodeus gulped.
"As we said earlier, most Demons can theoretically awaken one," she added. "But only a tiny minority do. According to the old hag, every Demon’s True Demon Form is unique, and its effects differ from Demon to Demon."
"I see..." The awed Asmodeus muttered. "True Demon Form, yes... Even the name matches what I felt."
Closer to the core of this world, of the Demon World. A True Demon.
"How?" he asked a moment later. "How did you awaken it?"
"By doing what I wanted," Zarath said with a smirk. "Doing what I wanted until there stood in my path someone who wanted to keep me from doing that."
"And?"
"I was pushed to the edge. I could feel death coming for me, and something happened, something snapped inside of me." She explained. "But that’s just what led to my Awakening. Plenty of Demons are killed without ever Awakening a True Demon Form."
"Someone pushed you to the brink of death?"
"Yes," Zarath smiled. "The only Succubus stronger than I was."
"You mean...?"
"Yes," she nodded. "Nyl beat me within an inch of my life, and I awakened."
"What happened then? Did she still beat you?"
"No," Zarath shook her head. "Well, I couldn’t control all of this energy back then. Either way, I can confidently say that I’m..." Her index finger tapped Asmodeus’s forehead. "The strongest Succubus under the Queen."
"Stronger than Tariana?" he asked.
"We never got to fight, but I believe myself to be, hehe." Zarath chuckled while scratching her head.
"If you’re that strong and have known Nyl for so long, then why does she consider you her daughter instead of her sister like Tariana?"
Zarath pursed her lips together. "Nyl has known Tariana for much longer, and Tariana is much older than I am. Plus, Nyl has always had more of a protective, motherly love for me, despite the fact that our strength levels were relatively similar even at the time."
"Why is that? Why would she be protective of you if you’re as strong, if not stronger, than Tariana?"
Zarath’s black-feathered wings folded. She blinked, and the crimson glow in her eyes faded.
"Because she brought out my True Demon Form," she explained. "I think that event... Might have awakened motherly instincts in Nyl. She started gathering daughters after that."
"You think that your Awakening made Nyl feel like she was giving birth to you?"
"No! Ew! Don’t word it like that!" Zarath sighed. "Well... Awakenings are often called Rebirths as well."
The Succubus walked past him.
"A new me was born that day, and it wouldn’t have come forth were Nyl not there."
She took a couple of steps before crouching.
"What are you going to do with these?" Zarath asked, pointing at the Incubi.
All three were unconscious and down for the count.
"I kept them alive for you," she muttered. "I assume you can drain them better that way, just like we can drain living, weakened males better."
"You can’t drain dead ones?" Asmodeus asked as he walked closer.
"No," Zarath shook her head. "Nyl can, though."
"I see."
Malika had said that Demons usually don’t get along, and Asmodeus hadn’t seen Nyl interact with the Succubi apart from those she considered family. It made more sense now.
’Succubi need to be careful when fighting, careful not to kill their prey,’ Asmodeus thought as he walked towards the fallen Incubus Commanders. ’Nyl can drain energy from the dead though, and she can share her energy with others as well.’
This made her more than fit to rule over the Succubi, allowing her to bring them to her side with more than fear.
’When a Succubus kills her prey, even inadvertently, she has effectively consumed energy but gained nothing. Nyl can fix that.’
Zarath watched carefully, eager to see with her own eyes Asmodeus draining an Incubus.
’He grew in the night,’ she thought. ’By putting to use the energy he gathered during the day from Saphyra, Syndra, and the others, just like Naima said. Probably energy taken during the night from Nyl as well. Three living Incubus Commanders drained of their life force in its entirety...’
Zarath licked her lips.
’Just how much will he change?’