One week after everyone departed….
"Why did this have to happen?" Noctis asked miserably in the desolation of war, the grounds around Hazbin Hotel diseased with both demon and angel corpses.
"Because I do want I want!" Adam cackled in the distance, his remaining exorcists surrounding Charlie and the gang for a final slaughter.
"NO...NOOOO!"
His world collapsed into darkness before he could reach them in time, consuming his everything with suffocating coldness that choked his very breath.
Noctis dropped to his knees and clutched his throat as Adam cackled in the darkness, every breath an icy pierce to his lungs as the last bit of light faded above him.
"No….."
"Noctis wake up!"
Noctis snapped awake to the soft comfort of Loona's hand on his chest. As he sat up sweating with deep breaths of fear however he realized he was in his bed with the primordial pup snoring against his chest and her sharing the bed as well. This confused him slightly until he remembered how Loona was taking it very seriously to guard him and make sure he was studying the heaven grimoire.
He turned his head to the right and saw those deep red orbs staring worriedly back at him.
"Loona?"
Noctis practically dropped his guard faster than the maid that came in and set his breakfast in his laps. She zoomed out with haste and slammed the door.
"A nightmare...extermination day...Adam.....the gang was….." he rambled quickly.
"Hey, slow down!" Loona grabbed his shoulders and braced him, her eyes meeting his with understanding. "Dude it was a nightmare from all the stress."
Noctis felt like the biggest idiot in existence for letting a dream dictate his emotional state when Loona helped him get his bearings and shook his head at his own weakness.
"Stress or not, that felt so damn real. I'm starting to wonder if I'm not gonna be ready in time." He admitted with a seriously doubtful look in those eyes, his halo-crown dimming in response to the negativity pounding in his chest.
Loona wasn't going to have this happen though. No she would not let him drown in his own thoughts again when he had a lot of work to do.
She interlocked her own fingers and cracked them with loud pops. Determination rested quite nicely with her smile just before she raised a hand and slapped the back of his of head at the extent of a little sting in her palm.
"Hey! What was that for!?"Noctis yelped in pain and rubbed the back of his head, glaring at the chuckling hellhound.
"For waking you up, dumbass." She snipped with a flick of his nose. "Now get up and get ready. Stolas wants up and dressed for training after breakfast."
Noctis actually felt like hitting Loona back for the unneeded assault to his head but restrained himself on the account that she was right in the first place. He grumbled the entire leave of bed after setting the primordial down and bent over to pick up his sweats.
"Asshole….." he muttered under his breath.
Loona heard that but ignored it on the account she was having quite the supple view pointed right at her with those wings out of the way at just the right angle. Like Blitz with any demon he came across there was the same arousal and perverted thoughts she learned from him. She eyed Noctis for his backside and bit her lower lip needily with some restraint to pushing the limits of their togetherness.
"I would tear that up."
Loona's thoughts took on a rather perverted path as she watched him get dressed. Especially when she saw his face turn red when he looked back.
"I bet Charlie and Vaggie get a field day playing with that."
Noctis felt like he was going to explode from embarrassment, and so he rapidly put on his sweats and a shirt while the primordial pup squeaked a yawn and opened his drowsy eyes.
"I swear a lot of you demons are like Angel Dust when it comes to staring at my ass."
Loona grinned at his discomfort to her seeing him so exposed and rewarded herself with staring at the photo she had taken in secret through the use of her phone. She saw how embarrassed he was and couldn't help but laugh.
"Dude you're gonna get stared at when you have it pointed at me." She laughed teasingly .
Noctis cringed at her statement but focused on the task at hand to go with picking up the primordial after the little pup reached up for him.
Loona saw him getting irritated and decided to go with push his buttons with what she guessed would make him lighten up. She approached Noctis just as he adjusted the pup clinging to his neck and nudged him playfully.
"Dude you gotta chill. Demons are gonna stare at you so take it as a compliment."
Noctis knew she was right but it didn't make him feel any better about being objectified by anyone. He huffed with various negative thoughts and left the room with Loona to follow closely, undeterred by his childish pouting.
"Yeah I get that. I'm just sick of it."
Loona rolled her eyes playfully as they walked the halls to go find Stolas, forgetting breakfast entirely that would spoil on the bed later.
She reached over and held on his arm though as soon as they passed a crowd of goetia nobles that ceased their morning banter just to get a good look at the man.
Dangerously she growled at that, bristling her fur with warning while her tail curled around his waist but continuing the conversation.
"Well you better get used to. You're gonna get popular with who and what you are. And when that happens I have no doubt you'll get the attention of that doll demon bitch you encountered."
"Doll demon?" Noctis questioned as they entered the kitchen to see Octavia eating cereal at the table.
Loona nodded with slight disdain. "Yeah dude. Velvette, that bitch. I heard how in the beginning they tried to kidnap and turn you against the princess."
Noctis stopped dead in his tracks with the utmost shock on his face while the teenage owl showed some hope for her day to be better when she saw them.
As controversial as her behavior was around her own family, the one bit of happiness she did have was Noctis and Loona and she expressed it wholeheartedly with exiting her seat to hug Loona first who only rubbed her head.
That attention alone though was enough to chip her icy teenage attitude and the depression she suffered every day around her parents.
"She's a doll demon?" Noctis questioned, tilting his head while Octavia hugged him next and he returned it gently with his arm and his three left wings curling instinctively.
Loona started to wonder just how naive Noctis was about the other overlords , her expression hardening with a little irritation as she explained.
"Yeah dude. Pulls apart and puts herself together. It's how she's number one in hell for fashion. She can literally manipulate her body like a doll."
The shock slowly fell off Noctis, his mind wrapping around this surprising discovery about the demoness that tried to harm him in the beginning with Vox and Valentino. Slowly his annoyance from before melted away and slowly grew with the smile he was raising.
He began to snort from severe lack of emotional control, confusing his hellhound friend that cocked her eyebrow while Octavia stepped back to turn off the music in her headphones.
"What's so funny?" Loona asked impatiently.
"Is he alright?" Octavia furrowed her brow at this strange behavior.
Noctis looked as if he was about to explode from the painful restraint in his chest, his grip almost failing from holding the primordial. Even Octavia was now curious as to why he was quickly turned red and was almost crying with such a controlled smile.
"Dude what!?" Loona yelled.
Noctis could barely hold it together, the thought that poisoned his mind with amusement.
He squeaked his answer just as Stolas came into the kitchen fully dressed and ready to continue the training.
"I wonder if her vagina is sold separately."
Loona and Octavia went blank with realizing he just made a dirty joke about the fashion demon. Stolas of course only grabbed himself some coffee as both girls processed this deeply insulting comment about Velvette.
"Good morning everyone. Are we ready for—" Stolas flinched with a slight spill of his coffee when the girls and Noctis suddenly broke into fits of laughter that echoed the halls.
Whatever was going on it had the goetia prince surprised and confused like the primordial pup that focused on being clung to Noctis who was sobbing from laughter while Octavia leaned on the countertop for support.
Loona was leaned over clutching her stomach, laughing heartily with sweet puppy noises that didn't match her crying expression.
Stolas remained perturbed by this sudden out of character interaction, and simply sipped on his morning coffee.
"Seems I missed something."
————————————————————
Meanwhile in The Tower of The Vees…
"I got it…." Vox whispered with a slow drip of blood, his smile growing in and out of the static of his screen. "I fucking got it….."
He stared at the reconstructed footage of a few drones he lost days ago to the intense light that fried the tower of its circuitry, his efforts not as in vain as he had thought after spending working endlessly to figure out what made all of pentagram city temporarily alarmed.
This pain, this frustration that had him almost shorting out, it finally had a delicious taste of revelation to the power source he felt that night when the whole city blacked out for hours.
And the taste was intoxicating, completely addicting with the supple lick of his lips while seeing the replay that made his eyes widen with fascination and greed.
"I knew it…." He grit his smile while Valentino and Velvette came into his office. "I fucking knew it. He's not human at all."
"What are prattling on about?" Velvette asked in an almost caring tone but was too busy enjoying the hot shower she finally got.
"Find something baby?" Valentino teased while Velvette stiffened with wide eyed disgust and stepped away from his musk.
"Fucking right I did!" Vox cackled happily and pressed a finger to his desk monitor. "Look, it's the human. Only he's not human at all!"
Velvette and Valentino groaned at his enthusiastic obsession over Noctis. It was the same thing over and over again for almost a year, his need to find the human that slipped away from their grasp and nothing mattered.
Velvette could almost gag on the sweetness in his voice.
"Vox give it a fucking rest. He's long gone and—"
"Look!" He interrupted with a harsh shove of their faces to the monitor.
The two overlords were thin on their tolerance already but looked regardless to see what had their fellow Vee so fixated. Their eyes widened after the fractured replay on a busted drone showed Noctis completely different from before. The image would static in and out but now both the fashionista and porn director were locked in when they saw him fighting a mysterious angel in the midst of a battlefield full of death and destruction.
"See!?" Vox laughed and used his power to enhance the replay. "I told you fuckers he was more than human!"
"What the fuck?" Velvette whispered, pressing a finger to the details with a narrowed gaze. "He's an angel?"
"Can't be." Vox enhanced the zoom. "He's got fangs and scales. And his eyes are demonic."
"But he has a halo shaped into a crown." Valentino pointed out.
The three overlords watched the battle continue with Noctis and said angel beating one another in a fire destruction of magic and fists, chaos ensuing all around them while the palace was mangled from a previous battle.
This was nothing like Noctis from before but it made Valentino and Velvette curious now as the battle climaxed.
"What the fuck? Moria?" Valentino suddenly screeched angrily and snarled. "How is that mutt whore alive!?"
"And she has wings and a halo." Velvette pointed out before the recording went out completely from the light.
The replay broke away to static but Vox with his smug grin simply turned a dial and started the next image of he was able to fix. It was like the sweetest candy in his mouth to see colleagues now engrossed in the second replay that showed him with all his features now visible from confronting Lucifer.
"Are those horns?" Velvette asked, her eyes focused tightly on the features while Vox nodded from her side.
"And a third eye." He pointed out.
The replay broke away once more into static and the two Vees turned their attention back to Vox. They gawked while Vox just grinned at them and decided to continue hooking their attention with what he guessed was Noctis' heritage.
Namely his rank.
"I don't know what's with the fangs or horns, but he's definitely of seraphim rank." He told them while pretending to check his own claws.
"Seraphim?" Valentino and Velvette asked in unison.
Vox nodded curtly and pushed himself into between the two for his next course of action. He dialed in a frequency on a certain drone, focusing the image to show Noctis in a training room with Stolas and a couple of other girls.
"Who's the tasty hellhound?" Valentino eyed the gothic demon with a lick of his lips.
"Who cares?" Velvette scoffed at his usual pervertedness and focused on the image. "Find out what you can, Vox. You've got our attention now."
"Can do." Vox growled happily and got to work, connecting himself directly into his systems. "When I'm done we will know everything about him."
Not a minute later Vox was going through every video and image he had collected of Noctis and the Hazbin gang. His mind was a honeycomb of collected information that flashed from his mind to every monitor with both video and audio replays categorizing to his need of information.
Velvette and Valentino waited as his screen twisted slowly with satisfying collection of knowledge he gathered from the last year of Noctis' presence, his smile becoming bloody.
"Oh this is fucking good." He chuckled darkly.
"What you find about the bastard?" Velvette asked with taking her attention from her phone again.
Maintaining his plug-in with the system, Vox slowly turned to his colleagues and expressed his true evil in a sinister smile that made even Velvette feel uneasy.
"With all the footage I took before, it seems he's something called a divine beast."
Valentino had no idea what that meant, but the conflicting mix of horror and glee Velvette showed gave Vox the idea that she knew exactly what that was.
"A divine beast you say?" She asked, her smile coming back as the glow in her eyes brightened. "Because if that's true, then we aren't talking some ragtag angel bitch."
"Oh?" Vox hummed invitingly to her words. "Care to elaborate?"
"Gladly." She snarled hungrily, her hands shaking with greedy malice. "I've heard of them, they're the fucking top of the food chain. Monsters that are a combination of angel and demon power made by god. Question is which one is Noctis?"
"Guess we need to find out." Vox laughed and resumed his work.
"I don't understand this at all." Valentino of course had to comment and ruin the moment.
————————————————————
Back at The Goetia Palace…..
"You want me to what?" Noctis asked in confusion of the Goetia prince and his order.
Stolas remained firm on the order he had given after reaching the training room, his body as rigid as his mind while he stood there with his grimoire floating in his aura.
"You heard me. I want you to tap into your power like you did against Lyoria."
"He's gonna get killed." Loona sang quietly to Octavia as they sat against the furthest wall of the rotunda room.
Octavia wasn't at all convinced about Noctis and his power being at that caliber. She shook her head in disagreement.
"My dad is an ass but he can definitely defend himself from attacks. His grimoire has spells meant to block anything angelic or demonic."
Noctis maintained that stupidly goofy look about him while standing there, his own mind unsure if he should try and power up to hurt Stolas.
"Are you sure about this?" He asked slowly, as if his own mind didn't process.
Stolas had no doubt the results he expected to come but quickly grew annoyed by the boy and his mild defiance.
"Yes I am certain." He sighed in frustration whilst he pinched the bridge of his beak.
Noctis eventually grasped how serious Stolas was about being attacked and took a deep breath to hype himself up. He jumped lightly a few times to both warm up his confidence and his wanting of being trained by Stolas.
Loona rolled her eyes playfully while Octavia giggled at how silly he was being.
"He's such a dork."
"Okay!" Noctis braced himself with a light crouch of his body and flexing his muscles at the start. "Power up time!"
Loona pressed a hand to her mouth, quieting her urge to snort while the primordial pup tilted his curiously. "He did not just say that."
"Major dork." Octavia rolled her eyes playfully.
"I have no doubt he will fail." Stolas whispered to himself, watching the progress not grow at all.
"He's gonna shit himself." Loona commented, making Octavia snort.
Noctis heard that clearly and glared at the hellhound as she entertained the primordial in her lap. He had a few choice words to her comment but relented in keeping his composure. He closed his eyes and inhaled a great deal of air, constricting his body in every way he could before he made the attempt to power up.
Everyone waited, even the drone recording in secret high above the rotunda, as Noctis tried what he knew to draw out the power he displayed previously. Unfortunately with a good minute or two passing he only succeeded in frustrating himself and making a bead of sweat form from all the flexing he did while Stolas smirked knowingly of his failure.
The young divine beast gave up after almost making himself dizzy and slumped with a confused look at his own hands that continued to be plain with not a flicker of aura.
"I don't understand. It wasn't hard before."
Stolas allowed himself a quick chuckle before approached Noctis with clear understanding as to why his power refused to surface, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"You're trying to force it out when every incident has occurred through great emotional distress. It's responded to your anger."
Noctis blinked a few times to that stupidly obvious fact about his power. The first thing he did was facepalm and groan at his ignorance while Stolas took a hearty laugh and pat his shoulder.
"I'm so dumb."
"No, you're naive. There's a difference." Stolas said kindly and returned to his spot across the room with a swift spin of his cape. "Now then, find that spark that drives your power. Look beneath the anger."
Noctis looked at him with a curious glance, wondering how this would help him tap into his power. Then again he had nothing left to use as motivation to bring out what power he had tapped into.
"Find what drives you." Stolas urged him.
Loona and Octavia were now as piqued by the silence Noctis took on when he closed his eyes and breathed steadily. Whatever it was he had to find he started reaching into himself with the mild twitches he expressed in his loneliness of this power search.
Near but deep, close yet painful, he rushed himself with thoughts to each encounter of his power awakening and felt what always was with him— his anger. It felt so ugly to recall this emotion it was like a disease in his brain with every moment he had expressed it with his power.
That's not what he wanted though. He didn't want to be angry all the time and only be powerful through this emotion. It was disgusting, it made him feel disgusting as he remembered the desperation Charlie and Vaggie showed before they made love that throughout the previous night.
The hurt, the tears, the feeling of pushing away, it walled his thoughts how he could let himself hurt his own mates so badly. The two women who loved him when he was supposedly human, it was unsettling in his chest.
"Never again….."
"Dig." Stolas ordered.
Noctis breathed in a little harder and reached further to what drove him in the first place, and like light in the dark he reached for this drive that changed into the one person that sparked his reason to fight. He could never forget her or the sacrifice she made to help him unlock his power.
Her face, her gentle smile and voice, it became clear as day before he opened his eyes and gasped at her image in his mind.
And he found it in not just her voice but the words she said.
"Promise me you'll be the best dad and the strongest alpha for Max."
That pain alone was it, his spark. Deep inside he grasped it as if he was taking Moira by her hand and felt the burning in his chest not singe him with rage but with a feeling he had forgotten in his time in hell.
Grasping his promise, Noctis smiled and closed his eyes again as he remembered her touch and felt so much of his pain wash away like a gentle stream of water.
He found his drive, and along with it he found underneath the rage the confidence he kept holding onto so weakly.
However, it was his this time.
"Woah." Loona was mildly surprised with Octavia when Noctis slowly transformed with the scales forming first on his chest and arms, followed with bits of them growing back in his hair.
Stolas was surprised the most to see such progress but smiled, impressed at how he struggled so little to tap into his power willingly.
Now the horns and third eye did not show, but Noctis did open his own to show there wasn't a man in pain or hidden fury from all his troubles.
No, it was confidence and certainty to go with that smirk of his while they watched his control take hold.
"Where's his aura?" Octavia asked while rapidly sketching this moment.
"Very good." Stolas slowly clapped his hands. "Now then, what did you find?"
"My promise to Moira." Noctis answered, his voice deep and menacing like the first time he transformed. "Now then, let's get started"
Loona lost all her playfulness when she saw how changed Noctis was all of a sudden, her ears folding back submissively at this alpha-like behavior she sensed the first time. This was who she was drawn by and it was a nectar of feeling running down her shivering spine to see and sense that dominance in his form again.
She grinned cutely and wagged her tail as Stolas got ready with his own methods.
"You good?" Octavia cocked her brow at the hellhound, dropping her confusion to the pup that was panting happily and wagging his tail as well.
"Alpha." The little pup cheered.
"How do you feel?" Stolas asked as he summoned his grimoire.
Noctis craned his neck and closed his eyes again as he became increasingly aware of the feelings between man and animal slipping further into his control. Although his silence made the room uneasy there was a powerful calmness in how he inhaled a large amount of air and slowly exhaled a gentle breath of golden flames before he gave his attention back to Stolas.
"Ready to kick it up a notch." He answered cooly.
Stolas grinned back at the man and started fanning his aura in a misty purple and black that soaked the room in magic from his grimoire.
He could see it in Noctis' eyes he wasn't just ready to be trained. He was ready to be the divine beast. Most importantly he could feel it in the room as radiated from the boy.
His heart…..no, his very soul, it was steady for the battle to come with Adam and Michael.
"Then let's get you started on learning how to fly."
————————————————————
Meanwhile at Hazbin Hotel…..
Charlie was curled up in her bed with Max in her arms as she cried softly to the inevitable release of her emotions after once she finally got a moment to herself. Everything had finally come crashing down on her and she had no idea how to fix any of it.
"Max…." She whimpered, feeling the pup whine worriedly and try to lick her tears away. "I don't know what to do anymore."
Max was not the one to be seeking advice or comfort, but even a pup like him sensed how distressed she was.
She didn't know where to start processing: Lyoria, Vaggie being a former exorcist, the upcoming extermination, Beezlebub being Noctis' wife from the previous life, or that Noctis has been gone a week now to study the heaven grimoire and get the training Lucifer failed miserably to start.
And to top it off she couldn't get ahold of her own father after he miserably screwed up with Noctis.
Why couldn't anything go right?
Razzle and Dazzle had come to adore Noctis over time but right now shared worried glances at their owner. Not even her strained relationship with Vaggie, even after all their time at the palace, made her feel this horrible and useless.
All they could do was offer her tissues and watch her cling to Max.
"Your dad can't do this alone….."
She was so deep in her despair she didn't sense Alastor come in after the little conversation that happened downstairs with the gang finally uncorking how Vaggie was a fallen angel.
"Oh Charlie, you look an absolute mess." The Radio Demon pointed out mockingly just to earn her annoyance as a groan. "Having withdrawal from Noctis while he is trained by that owl?"
"Go away Alastor." She ordered half-heartedly as he took a spot on the edge of her bed, enjoying her misery.
All she could do was hide under her covers from the torment and misery of her failures.
"Now, now, is that any way to act after picking a fight with all of heaven, getting your mate almost killed, and dooming everyone you love?" He asked in a joking manner, or rather a joke to him.
Hearing those words spark a little fire in the princess, her thoughts about how all of this started with making Noctis go with her to heaven for the meeting.
She emerged partially from her bed covers to speak her mind and hide back again with Max tucked in her arm. "I have enough on my mind without hearing your idea of sadistic joke, asshole. I know I screwed up and almost got him killed."
Charlie knew it was foolish to hope for someone like him to actually respect her wishes but still it was all she had to grasp when a week has gone by and not a word from her mate.
And to make matters worse…..
"Who's joking?" Alastor joked loudly, startling the demoness out of her bed but thankfully she had Max secure and did not land on him.
However, even he was starting to get annoyed by Alastor and his antics. He growled weakly and squeaked his barks at the unimpressed overlord, maintaining what courage he had to say he didn't like his teasing with Charlie.
"Oh how adorable." Alastor tilted his head while Charlie got up and fixed herself. "The little mutt thinks he's capable of defending you."
"Don't call my son a mutt!" Charlie suddenly snapped with her horns flared but a moment. "If Noctis was here, you wouldn't say that!"
"But he's not." Alastor sang playfully.
Sadly for Charlie that was an undeniable fact and it made her emotional exhaustion catch up again. She powered down while Alastor pretended to surrender with his hands out to Max.
"Anyway, moping and waiting on our favorite handyman to return or call won't fix things." He gestured to the door knowingly. "You have a captive audience downstairs waiting to hear what kind of inspiring performance you have next."
Charlie knew he was right, she had to eventually face the music and do something with everyone in the hotel. It didn't make it any easier though when she turned away and sat back down on the floor to hide with Max while Alastor laid on his stomach to kick his legs in the air while absorbing in her self-doubt.
"I can't. How can I face them after failing so hard?" She asked somberly, mostly to herself with Max nuzzling her chest to calm her down. "They came here to be saved and all I did was give them more pain, especially with fucking up Noctis' life."
"Obviously." Alastor snipped.
She started to tear up at the remembrance of her failure as a leader, a mate, and mostly as a friend.
"I'm just as bad as the cruelest overlord in hell." She said to herself, believing that partially before she looked to the radio demon leaning in.
She stood up and began to panic. "Maybe worse. At least they don't send their loved ones right into danger!"
She looked to Alastor for some guidance, a foolish desire on her behalf.
"Well…" Alastor hummed in response. "I never expected to see such a miserable display of self-loathing from you. Quite pathetic how Noctis is the one stepping up while you stand there drowning yourself in the past."
"You think I want this!?" Charlie raised her anger, making Max whimper as she gestured to her window. "I didn't want Noctis involved in any of this crap. But here we are, my mate having to accept his past life and tackle both his and my problems and it's all my fault!"
"He chose to put himself in harms way." Alastor reminded with a smug tune. "Perhaps you should reassess the difference between circumstances and involvement."
"Oh fuck you, Alastor!" Charlie barked, shattering her own image of the radio demon when she thought there was a shred of support from him. "All you do is stand smiling while you watch the rest of us struggle. And to top it off, you don't fucking care about Noctis. You just want to see his power."
"So very true." He hummed, widening his smile into a toothy grin as she turned away wallowing in self-pity.
"I don't know how you can enjoy all this suffering so much." She said quietly, hugging the pup tightly to her chest.
At that moment she stiffened at how the cunning demon crawled his hands up her arms to her shoulders, like a spider preying on its next victim as he chuckled with implication.
"Just because you see a smile doesn't mean you know what's going on underneath." He suddenly came to her view and grasped her jaw, forcing a smile with his fingers. "A smile can be a powerful tool. It inspires your friends, keeps your enemies guessing, and ensures that no matter what comes your way you're still in control."
Charlie wanted to believe that but knew deep down it was her greatest weakness as a leader. Control, a bitter reminder that being the princess of hell was just a title for her when she can't keep her own life in check.
"But I'm not!" She pushed away and gestured to her own hotel before gaining distance with heading to her window. "The person I trust the most has been lying to for years. Heaven refuses to listen. Sera is too scared to rebel against Adam. And now Noctis is having to push himself harder just to clean up my mess."
She smacked her fist against the window, expressing her anger. "Even if they listen to Noctis that doesn't help me prove the hotel works!"
She smacked her fist again, raising her voice to match her upset. "Adam has an army that is invincible to our kind and there's nothing I can do to help the man I love about any of it!"
It was at that precise moment Alastor smiled sinisterly for he knew Charlie was backed into a corner and in the right mind for his clutches.
"I know something you don't know." He said in a sing-song tune.
"Huh?" She responded before he rushed over.
"I've overheard your conversation back at the Goetia Palace and let's just say Noctis isn't the only weapon. Those big and scary angels are not quite as indestructible as they seem."
"What are you talking about?" Charlie asked curiously, watching him play with her plant. "Noctis is a cultivation of demon and angel power. What else is there besides him to take Adam down?"
"Hmmm, yes he does have the capability of ending them, as we all saw how he was capable of handling Lyoria." He flicked off a dead leaf and turned to face her. "But what I'm implying is that you and your band of misfits have more of a chance than you think and that you can help Noctis?"
"How?" She asked, pleading and following him, her need so desperate it was obvious. "I'll do anything if it means keeping everyone safe and helping Noctis."
"Anything?" He hummed, watching her nod before he extended his hand. "Then...let's make a deal."
Charlie knew what meant, and it would go against everything she worked hard for.
"You—" she took a step back as he loomed with radiating darkness. "You want my soul?"
"Your soul?" He said hungrily, inflicting a shroud of fear and contorting in a terrifying manner before his demeanor went back to its normal with a wave of his hand. "Heavens no. I know better than to anger that boy of yours. It would certainly dampen things between me and him down the road."
"Then what exactly?" Charlie asked cautiously, petting Max to keep him calm.
"What I need from you is one itty bitty favor." He insinuated the loose stipulation so nonchalant, hugging her with cheek to cheek. "What's a favor between friends?"
Knowing the kind of overlord Alastor was, Charlie nudged him off and replied firmly, "I'm not gonna hurt anyone for you."
"Who's asking?" He reassured, to whatever extent that was. "One favor at a time of MY choosing where you harm no one in return. In return I tell you what I know."
Charlie knew this was not something to take lightly but the cost of her actions weighed heavily on the fight to come. She needed time to think but there wasn't any left to spare while Alastor waited hungrily with his cane spun in one hand and his other hand extended.
If only his smile wasn't so predatory.
"Do we have a deal?" He asked with glee in his voice, his smile cracking wider.
Razzle and Dazzle were already on edge and ready to put Alastor in his place until Charlie hushed them with her hand. She extended her horns and showed the real depth of red in her shifting eyes, her voice firm and ready.
"Deal."
In that moment of triumph for Alastor there was but one moment of weakness in him when Charlie stepped forward and prepared to shake hands with such monster. She knew in her heart Vaggie and Noctis would be all over her about making this farther deal for the sake of others.
However, neither paid attention to what extended between them.
Before Alastor could wrap his senses back to reality he found the darkness and his green aura activated to bind the deal.
But it wasn't Charlie's hand.
"What!?" She exclaimed and looked down to find that Max had reached out of curiosity and grasp two of Alastor's fingers, activating the deal without knowing.
"NO!" Alastor screamed as his power radiated enough to alarm the gang downstairs. "THAT FUCKING MUTT!"
His static screeched all over the room while Max obliviously cackled in delight at the light show from Alastor's powers, thinking it was just fun and new.
"MAX NO!" Charlie screeched, startling the pup just as Vaggie came bursting with her spear materialized.
"Charlie!" She screamed and then gasped in the same horror of seeing the hellhound they consider their son now bound by a deal with Alastor.
Charlie snapped out of her stupor and yanked the pup away but it was far too late. All she could do was shed tears and hold her giggling pup out while Vaggie dropped her spear.
The fallen angel thought Charlie making a deal was the worst nightmare to be had until she showed vulnerability in the tears that poured from her as she stood there feeling her heart drop into her stomach.
Their pup, the very same pup Noctis brought home and together they called son was now bound in this deal.
A true nightmare for a mother.
"Stupid mutt, you ruined things!" Alastor snarled before storming out of the room, shoving the shocked Vaggie aside.
Max had no idea what he did but the look of a broken heart and guilt was the first thing he saw from Charlie. He didn't need to sense how upset she was and grasped her fingers to hopefully take away the pain.
"Mommy….."
Charlie gasped at hearing him talk. This was not how she wanted to hear mommy for the first time. This was supposed to happen during a happy moment when they were all together but now she completely ruined it for being so foolish as to try and make a deal.
"Charlie what did you do!?" Vaggie rushed over angrily after wiping her tears.
"I didn't mean to...I..." She lost all ability to speak and hugged Max tightly, regret overcoming her guilt as the pup licked her with love.
Now she felt true despair that buckled her knees beneath her. In her most regrettable moment she cried with no sense or need of self-control while Vaggie stood there unable to look at her the same anymore.
"Mommy." Max chimed, and she cried even harder.
"I can't believe you….." Vaggie fell short of her words and onto her knees, crying blankly at the sobbing princess while Alastor paced outside the door and muttered to himself.
"I'm sorry." Charlie whimpered, clinging Max as if he was about to disappear. "It was supposed to be me."
"Oh shut up you two!" Alastor suddenly barked at the two distraught girls, causing them to flinch. "The mongrel still has his soul."
"And that's supposed to help?" Vaggie growled dangerously, glaring over her should to the radio demon.
Alastor wasn't so swayed by maternal rage when Vaggie stood up and clenched her spear tightly with the intent to kill, her eye boring into that X on his head.
She was ready to fight for Max until Charlie stood up and grabbed her.
"Vaggie stop. He has to follow the deal!"
"What!?" Vaggie snapped and threw her spear down as Alastor regained his less than charming demeanor. "Charlie what fucking deal were you trying to make!?"
Charlie didn't like it anymore than Vaggie but a deal was a deal and now Alastor was begrudgingly caught in his own scheme.
She glared at the overlord and handed Max off to Vaggie who was more than eager to take him when the trust was now fractured more.
"Okay Alastor, Max owes you a favor but a deal is a deal." She crossed her arms and got in his space, glaring into those eyes that reek of hatred right now. "So how do we handle the exorcists?"
"Simple," he hissed with a malicious tone, his hands clenching his cane tightly. "Carmilla Carmine just so happened to kill one in the last extermiantion."
"What?" Vaggie said sharply with rocking Max.
"She killed one in the last extermination." Charlie pondered this deeply. "Which means she knows how they can be harmed."
Vaggie couldn't believe it, her own kind could be killed and frankly it gave her a sense of regret.
"But I—I didn't even know that was possible."
"If you did would you have told me?" Charlie scoffed, hinting her resentment of Vaggie's exposed secret as she got dressed. "I need you to go to her, convince her to teach us. If she can, we might have a chance."
"With just the eight of us?" Vaggie asked skeptically. "I get you want to help Noctis. I do too, but convincing her will be hard when she's stressed over him."
"I know. I know." Charlie complained and pondered what idea she could think of. "We're gonna need numbers. Noctis can't do this alone when he is going to be handling Adam and Michael."
"And I know just who can help." Alastor piped in his input after shifting back in with his shadows to pinch Charlie on her cheek. "As long as Charlie can be her normal, charming self."
"What's that you said about smiles?" Charlie asked with a forced smile, getting herself a pat on the head from him.
"Good girl." Alastor praised before she was pulled away by the uncertain fallen angel.
"Charlie can we talk about this?" Vaggie urged.
Charlie was no longer in a talking mood and yanked her arm away. "We can talk later. Right now we have a job to do and our mate to help. You with us?"
"Am I with you?" Vaggie was offended by that and scoffed. She was done at this point and stormed out with Max with a harsh shove of the princess. "Yeah I'm with you. After all you just fucked up getting our son into a deal."
"That wasn't my fault!" Charlie exclaimed but her words fell on deaf ears.
"It doesn't matter!" Vaggie spun back and shouted furiously. "You shouldn't have agreed in the first place. You wouldn't have done it if Noctis was here!"
She knew deep down Vaggie was right and that Noctis wasn't going to be just unhappy. He would be furious when he got back.
Charlie wanted to say something or anything to make this situation better, but Vaggie didn't give the time or chance with how she stormed off after speaking her peace.
————————————————————
Later at Carmine Industries….
Vaggie trekked her way through the city as wanted by Charlie but made sure after explaining things to the gang about the plan that she had Max with her, the trip being a little strenuous with how heavy he was becoming but nonetheless essential to get him away from the tension at the hotel and the fight to come.
She didn't want to take any chances at this point, not after what Charlie tried to do. If anything she had little trust in Charlie as a mother and would rather burn her muscles all day carrying Max than leaving alone with her for another second.
With the attention of the carmine employees now watching her, Vaggie cast aside her thoughts and disbeliefs for the one focus at hand.
"Carmine! Carmine we need to speak!" She demanded after banging on the sealed doors twice.
It was obvious simple demand wouldn't work so she turned to the camera and adjusted Max in her arm before making it clear as day why she was there.
"I know what you did on extermination. We can talk about it inside or I can yell about it out here!"
No word came from any employee over this aggressive proposal or over an intercom, but the sealed doors opened as indication from Carmilla.
"Yeah you better open the fucking door." Vaggie muttered and stepped inside with Max, walking the darkened lobby in silence before the overlord herself finally gave word, her voice echoing around.
"I don't care if you are mated to my son. You have two minutes to convince me to not silence you."
A spotlight flickered to life with Carmilla now in the open and standing high above on a balcony. Her posture and demeanor were everything but friendly for the fallen angel that turned to face her and stand her ground on why she entering such dangerous territory.
"Carmilla I'm here because Charlie sent me and that I need you to take Max for his own safety."
"Nana!" Max squealed excitedly.
A brief smile crept Carmilla's lips when she heard Max, but it was gone the moment it came when Vaggie explained her trespass.
"Carmilla we know it was you who killed an angel in the last extermination. We need your help in being able to defend ourselves while Noctis handles Adam and Michael. But most importantly I need you to keep Max safe."
"No." Carmilla replied curtly.
Vaggie recoiled at such a blunt answer and quickly showed aggression while said overlord leapt down to confront her.
"What do you mean no?" Vaggie exclaimed. "Charlie is the princess of hell and—"
"It means nothing to me. You thought coming here and speaking in turn of my son and my grandson would help?" She leaned over with the scrutiny everyone remembered her for as a ruthless overlord. "I will take Max but now you have 90 seconds."
"Take Max and do nothing?" Vaggie was bitter at this point as she confronted the overlord. "With your knowledge we could help Noctis and wouldn't stand helplessly—"
"Clearly I'm not the helpless on here." Carmila interrupted and snatched Max from the fallen angel. "And what makes you think Noctis will be allowed to fight?"
Vaggie's expression lightened at that question just before the sound of turning wheels caught her attention. Both women turned their gazes to Clara and Odette wheeling an intricate cage on a cart, its symbols similar to the heaven grimoire as multiple shackles hung and rattled.
"What is that?" Vaggie asked sharply before drawing her spear.
"A cage." Carmilla answered calmly, her expression unreadable. "To contain Noctis from extermination day."
Vaggie went wide eyed as she couldn't believe Carmilla speaking so crudely while pacing around the cage.
"Since my son is having to do this alone, and clearly you lot can't help, I'm going to make sure he avoids the fight."
"But we have a plan!" Vaggie exclaimed.
"No. You have a hope!"
"You can't cage him like an animal!" Vaggie stated loudly, echoing the main lobby as she drew her spear. "If you try this he will come to hate you. Why do it in the first place?"
"Why?" Carmilla asked, her voice going cold as she adjusted Max. "Because it was your little naive princess who got him hurt and almost killed by Michael."
Vaggie flinched at that harsh truth and didn't deny it that it was their fault for what happened. Still, she couldn't let this slide and stood her ground to argue the overlord who showed how icy she can be.
"So you'll lock him up and not teach us. Why ?"
"I am a mother." Carmilla answered firmly as he eyes glowed to her inner turmoil. "That may be your mate but he is my child and I will do what is necessary to keep him alive. I will not invite destruction on my family!"
"You think we asked for this or for Noctis to have so much expectation put on his shoulders!?" Vaggie shouted angrily, her emotions getting the better of her. "Charlie has done nothing but try to make things better for her people, and newsflash that includes your people."
"And how did that work out!?" Carmilla shouted back before smirking. "Oh that's right. You two got my son on the brink of death. 45 seconds left."
"But he's still here and he's busting his ass to get ready to fight Adam and Michael while you run and hide!" Vaggie pointed her spear in an accusatory manner. "Would you have worked this hard to keep him safe if he was truly a human and not targeted, or would you have stood by and let fate handle him because he's not an asset?"
The overlord was about to retort but found no counter to that question.
With the silence as the answer, Vaggie grinned and stated smugly.
"So it is true. You may have adopted him but he wouldn't be so valuable if he wasn't the leviathan. You may be his mom but there's still that twisted sense of benefit as overlord."
Carmilla narrowed her gaze on the spear pointed at her, feeling a bristle of maternal fury ignite at such an insult. She couldn't deny that Vaggie was correct though, as bitter as it may be.
"Your time is up."
Suddenly she leapt into the air and took advantage of the surprise with a hard press of her knee into Vaggie's chest, sending the fallen angel across the floor while landing gracefully with Max still in her arm.
She didn't even give Vaggie the chance to stand before judging her, both as a mother and an overlord.
"If you're going to help Noctis stop Adam and Michael then you will need to be capable of handling the army to come. Exorcists attack quickly, viciously, and without mercy."
"Your point?" Vaggie groaned from the pain before getting kicked again with scrutiny, yelping at the blunt force that had her knocked back into pillar and coughing.
"My point is who will protect Noctis while he fights the hard fight." Carmilla pointed out before taking a stance and holding Max securely. "Now then, convince me to not cage my son for his own safety and to help."
At that moment Vaggie struggled to stand but was able to push herself up. She knew cruelty was Carmilla's speciality and today was no exception.
Hardening both her mind and heart for herself entirely, she grasped her spear tightly and readied herself.
"Oh I'll fucking make you."
"You better." Carmilla retorted, waiting for Vaggie to make the next move. "Because you also have to earn my blessing of you and that naive girl being his mates."