Throughout the following month, Xavier was so incessantly occupied that he was practically a ghost. He remained stationed at the edge of the Sea of Oblivion attending to various arcane labors, strictly forbidding Huey from tagging along under the pretext of mortal danger. Having no alternative, Huey busied himself by taking on a few live-streaming sales gigs to pass the time and pocket a tidy sum of extra pocket money.
“Frank, is the lord returning this evening?” Huey inquired, nibbling on the tines of his fork with a dejected droop. “It’s already been three full days since I last laid eyes on him.”
“Uncertain,” Frank responded, shaking his head as he hastily shoved a piece of bread into his mouth. “The lord has been deeply engrossed in setting up magical arrays around the Sea of Oblivion lately, so he likely won’t have the spare bandwidth to return.”
“Right…” Resting his chin in his hand, Huey sighed heavily. Even with a sprawling banquet spread out before him, he felt entirely devoid of appetite, mindlessly jabbing his fork into the meal on his plate.
“Oh, right.” Stuffing a few additional bread rolls into his storage ring just as he prepared to depart, Frank paused upon recalling something. Turning back, he announced, “The lord mentioned that if you genuinely miss him or find yourself unable to sleep at night you are welcome to occupy his personal bedchamber.”
At that, Frank tilted his head in mild perplexity, muttering skeptically, “Would that even make any difference?”
“Of course it makes a difference!” Huey’s spirits rallied instantly, a sweet, radiant smile blooming across his features as he chimed dreamily, “Even if the lord isn’t home, simply sleeping in his bed makes it feel as though one is being enfolded within his warm embrace!”
“If you’re happy with it, then so be it.” Shaking his head, Frank confessed internally that he had entirely ceased trying to comprehend the dynamics between his superior and this particular little succubus. Besides, he still needed to rush back and assist down at the Sea of Oblivion and, naturally, relay the young demon’s current status back to that succubus-obsessed superior of his.
Bidding Frank farewell, Huey spotted a familiar presence lingering near the dining hall entrance and promptly intercepted him, dragging the protesting assistant away despite his frantic resistance.
Sigh
Huey let out a wistful, melancholic sigh. “Herman truly is an impressively capable succubus. When will I ever reach his level of mastery, where I can permeate a man’s space with my very own scent?”
The little succubus sniffled. The spot where Frank had just occupied at the dining table still lingered with the distinctly ambiguous, intimate aura of another succubus.
Puff
Slumping forward, Huey rested his pointed chin directly against the tabletop, causing his cheeks to bunch up into soft, rounded mounds.
“Perhaps… I should seek out Herman for some tutoring later on?”
That evening, true to expectation, Xavier did not return home.
Huey lay tucked within Xavier’s bed, swaddling himself tightly within the heavy duvet. Because Xavier hadn’t rested in this bed for ages, coupled with the household maids’ relentless diligence in laundering the linens, Huey struggled to detect even a faint trace of Xavier’s personal scent, no matter how tightly he cocooned himself.
Wrinkling his petite nose, the young demon took a deep breath buried deep within the covers, trying pathetically to salvage whatever scant remnants of comfort remained.
“When on earth is the lord coming back?”
Burying himself further beneath the blankets, Huey left only the very crown of his dark head exposed.
His platinum-gold heart-shaped tail coiled securely around his waist beneath the covers, attempting to mimic the sturdy, powerful arm Xavier had draped over him that night they shared a bed.
Curled into a tiny ball, the petite succubus drifted off into a deep, yearning slumber wrapped entirely in thoughts of a certain someone…
Simultaneously, high above the epicenter of the Sea of Oblivion.
The radiant, sacred Grand Archangel shone with the brilliance of a midday sun, illuminating the pitch-black ocean waters below. A colossal magic array manifested beneath his boots, drawing upon focused light elements to trace out the concluding runic sequences.
A blinding column of luminosity pierced upward through the roiling cloud cover, reflecting off the blood-red moon suspended in the night sky and bathing its surface in a brilliant, golden-hued glow.
Lowering his gaze slightly, Xavier’s golden irises remained blank, detached, and utterly devoid of emotion; his features wore a mask of absolute, divine impassivity possessing divine transcendence rather than mortal humanity.
Flinging both arms wide, he directed torrents of radiance to pour continuously from his core straight down into the array beneath his feet.
Watching the luminous spectacle from a distance, Herman glanced sideways toward Frank before scoffing under his breath, “Just why are your wings so pathetically tiny? Are you suffering from chronic malnutrition?”
Frank shot him a murderous, glare. Though his eyes remained inflamed and red-rimmed, and lingering lovebites decorated his throat, the glare still carried a semblance of intimidation. “None of your business! Do you have nothing better to do with your time?”
“Oh, plenty,” Herman retorted smoothly. “Chasing after you happens to be my primary occupation these days.”
Narrowing his alluring eyes, the flamboyant succubus abruptly hooked an arm around the exasperated angel, drawing him in close as he lowered his head to brush his warm breath against the other’s flushed cheek. “This marks my very first time bedding an angel… and I must confess, the experience is rather exquisite.”
“Step away!” Frank shoved him back with a forceful heave, though he failed to dislodge the clinging demon. Glaring angrily, he hissed, “You succubi go around bedding countless partners the moment you reach adulthood don’t you dare touch me! I find you utterly Mmph!”
Before Frank could finish his tirade, a ferocious, demanding kiss descended without warning, cutting off his words entirely. Sharp teeth grazed lightly across his lip, leaving a subtle trace of metallic iron lingering between their teeth.
“You find me tainted?” Clasping his hand firmly around Frank’s waist, Herman forced his tail deep beneath the folds of the angel’s pristine white robes, thrusting forward with unapologetic dominance. “You’ve already let me sleep with you, do you honestly still fancy yourself a pure, unblemished angel?”
Ignoring the sheer, unadulterated shock dilating Frank’s pupils, Herman claimed his lips once more in a deep, forceful embrace.
“Get the hell off me !!”
Driven past his breaking point of humiliation, Frank unleashed a massive, blinding torrent of light-element energy that blasted Herman a dozen meters backward, nearly hurtling him straight into the complex magic array Xavier was actively constructing.
“You two.”
The Grand Archangel’s voice dropped to a temperature colder than millennia-old glacial ice, dripping with unadulterated murderous intent. “If you refuse to assist, cease creating disturbances here.”
With a flick of Xavier’s wrist, twin beams of radiant light materialized, wrapping tightly around the pair to bind them securely and render further bickering impossible.
“Herman, I permitted your presence here solely because I require you to garrison the Sea of Oblivion,” Xavier stated coldly, glaring down at the bound, flamboyant succubus. “That does not grant you license to behave with unbridled insolence. You are not irreplaceable.”
A trace of blood lingered at the corner of Herman’s lip, which he casually swept away with his tongue while managing a wry, unrepentant smirk. “Understood.”
“And as for you.” The Archangel turned his impartial gaze toward his assistant, applying an even-handed disciplinary approach. “Frank, I informed you previously such sweeping generalizations regarding matters of the heart are unwise.”
“Understood,” Frank muttered, lowering his head while shooting an exceptionally disrespectful, hidden glare of utter exhaustion toward his superior. He’s simply defending his own little succubus, that’s all, he grumbled internally.
“Hh,” Herman chuckled aloud, despite his binding. “It appears the charms of our succubus race possess enough potency to compel even a Grand Archangel to fall helplessly in love.”
“Cease your idle speculation,” Xavier dismissed flatly, refocusing his attention entirely upon channeling the remaining energetic currents into the array. “Huey is merely an innocent child.”
“A child?” Herman let out a strange, choked laugh, shaking his head in silent, mocking resignation before falling completely silent.
Remaining subdued, he simply turned his gaze toward Frank, staring intently.
Several hours passed in silence. Just as dawn breached the horizon, Xavier completed the final runic sequences. The colossal luminescence sank downward, plunging deep into the benthic floor where it began working quietly to suppress the subterranean propagation of the black mists.
“Let us return.” Descending from the sky, Xavier allowed his pure white wings to slowly shed their brilliance, darkening into inky blackness while his golden hair and eyes faded back into their disguised hues once again assuming the persona of the gentle, powerful demon lord, Xavier.
“Over the next few days, I shall accompany Huey on a journey. The two of you are to remain stationed here, conducting routine inspections of the array every few days and reporting any anomalies immediately.”
Releasing the binding spells from both individuals with a casual wave, Xavier issued his parting directives.
“My lord!” Recovering his freedom instantly, Frank lunged forward. “I desire to return to Heaven—is there any conceivable way to dispatch a replacement down here?”
Hearing the request, Herman furrowed his brow sharply, a flash of something unreadable crossing his eyes before he swallowed the words hovering on his tongue.
“Should you succeed in locating a qualified candidate capable of stepping into your post,” Xavier glanced sideways at him, “you are free to depart.”
“However…” Xavier added as a cautionary footnote, “You are well aware, Frank, that Heaven maintains no official prohibitions against romance.”
The sole obstacle, traditionally, stemmed from the natural arrogance of angels, who viewed romantic entanglements as beneath them.
Without offering a rebuttal, Frank turned and bolted into the sky without looking back.
“My gratitude.” Stepping forward, Herman offered a polite nod. “As reciprocation, permit me to offer you a single piece of counsel.”
The notoriously dazzling succubus wore a mask of profound exhaustion. Glancing briefly toward the trajectory where Frank had vanished, he murmured quietly:
“Clarify and declare your true sentiments without delay. It will spare both you and Huey a great deal of needless suffering.”
Frowning slightly, Xavier unconsciously rotated the crimson-gemstone ring resting upon his right ring finger. “Huey is a cherished child whom I hold very dear.”
Herman shook his head with a tired sigh. “You’ll understand in time.”
Straightening his posture, Xavier suddenly recalled an overlooked detail and inquired, “By the way… are you approaching eight hundred years of age?”
Receiving an affirmative nod, Xavier recalled historical records and expressed mild surprise. “In that case… was it you who rescued Frank five hundred years ago?”
“Hush.” Raising a finger to his lips, Herman offered a self-deprecating, helpless shrug. “Since the idiot refuses to remember, I’d prefer you kept that detail to yourself.”
“Perhaps… I ought not to have pretended I never laid eyes on him that night.”
Upon re-entering his bedchamber, Xavier was greeted immediately by the familiar, comforting aura lingering across the mattress.
Stepping forward in silence, the man gently pulled back the blankets encasing the sleeping little succubus, freeing his flushed, heat-flushed little face from beneath the suffocating folds.
The young demon appeared restless even in slumber, his delicate features knitted together into an unhappy little pout while his lips remained stubbornly puffed out in a disgruntled snip.
“Even in your dreams, you manage to harbor such profound grievances.”
A soft chuckle escaping his lips, Xavier channeled a gentle wave of soothing light-element energy directly into Huey’s brow, smoothing away the distress tightening his features.
The sparkling, crimson-gemstone ring caught the morning light, radiating an eye-catching brilliance that instantly drew Xavier’s gaze.
“Clarify and declare your true sentiments without delay, for both your sakes.”
Herman’s parting advice echoed softly within his mind as the Grand Archangel stared down in quiet contemplation at the ring resting upon his finger.
“My lord…” Sensing the familiar, grounding aura settling over him, Huey shifted unconsciously in his sleep. Rolling over blindly, he reached out to clasp Xavier’s hand tightly against his chest, nuzzling against it as he whimpered, “I adore you so, so much…”
Locking his gaze upon the serene, sweet expression resting peacefully upon the young demon’s face, Xavier felt the icy fortifications of his divine composure soften entirely into profound tenderness. Bending low, he pressed his lips gently against the smooth, unblemished expanse of the young demon’s brow.
“I love you just as much, my precious child.”