"Hmph. Great Elder, do you forget where we stand?" The Nightmare Lord's voice rose and fell like a fever, its tones fractured . "This is the Abyssal Plane."
"A violent flare of energy erupts, and I'm not allowed to investigate? Look closely this thing is no child of the abyss. He is a human!"
The creature's shifting silhouette wavered, its emotions unreadable. But the elder of the succubus clan merely smiled, unthreatened. She already knew Soren wasn't a demon, yet she showed no fear, no hostility.
If anything, her posture leaned toward… interest.
"Soren," She said softly, her voice oddly compelling, "I am the Great Elder of the Succubus Clan. Would you honor us by visiting our territory as a guest?"
She didn't even glance at the Nightmare Lord. The invitation flowed like warm silk, her tone enchanting without being overt.
Soren blinked, genuinely curious.
She knew his name, he certainly hadn't introduced himself.
For a moment, he studied her, then gave a short nod. A guest invitation from a demon prophetess wasn't something to take lightly.
The Nightmare Lord's form shuddered violently, black vapor coiling like a storm. "Elder, have you lost your mind?"
"This human slays our kind and you invite him as if he were a friend? Do you intend to betray the abyss?!"
His aura surged, jagged and hungry. He clearly didn't want Soren walking away. Soren could practically feel the creature's envy, its hunger. The Nightmare Lord coveted Soren's mental power, defeating Mephisto and surviving the Abyss marked Soren as an irresistible prize.
He'd analyze and observe… and now believed Soren exhausted from combat. His plan was simple:,devour him.
Soren raised an eyebrow, annoyed.
So this thing saw him as an easy target? A chew toy?
"What I choose to do," Soren said, "Is none of the business of a creature who doesn't even have a body. And if your mind is itching to try something… go ahead."
Two circles ignited at Soren's feet one woven from fractures of time, the other from twisting space. Power surged between them, colliding, shredding the air with a pressure that felt like the edge of annihilation.
If the Nightmare Lord made the slightest move, Soren would erase him.
The Nightmare Lord recoiled instinctively.
The aura pouring from Soren wasn't bluster. Even without an expression, the terror in its presence was unmistakable.
Soren continued. "Mephisto died because he came looking for trouble. If you're eager to join him, say the word. I don't mind adding another corpse to the abyss."
Time and space twisted around him ready to strike.
"Lord of Nightmares… I see a thread of your fate," the succubus elder whispered. Her pupils melting into swirling chaos, colorless and bottomless.
The seductive warmth that had clung to her moments ago vanished, replaced by a transcendent stillness. "In the near future, Soren will be the one who kills you."
The Nightmare Lord froze.
The succubi were infamous for many things, but their prophetic sight was the one ability every demon feared. And this woman was the strongest seer their race had produced in countless ages.
For her to declare such a prophecy openly…
Was it a threat?
Or a truth he could not escape?
Black mist churned violently around his form, betraying his panic. Soren's aura woven from time and space, pressed against him like the edge of a collapsing world.
Hesitation rippled through the Nightmare Lord, then finally. "…Hmph."
His form unraveled into drifting vapor and vanished… he had chosen to retreat.
Only then did Soren slowly lower his hands, letting the twin circles of time and space fade. He still held plenty of power, but he wasn't reckless, the Abyss was crawling with predators waiting for exactly this kind of moment.
Best not to waste strength unless absolutely necessary.
When the temporal energy around him dissolved, the succubus elder's eyes cleared. The holy, untouchable aura melted away. Her charm returned like a warm tide… overpoweringly graceful.
"Soren," She said, voice silky, "I didn't bluff him, I truly caught a glimpse of that possible future. It is a gift unique to my race."
She moved closer gliding rather than walking, her presence a blend of softness and quiet confidence. Soren tensed despite himself.
He had just watched hellfire, space confinement, and mental incineration fail to shake him… yet one beautiful demoness stepping forward gave him pause
He wasn't naive.
A creature who could see fate was infinitely more dangerous than one who could crush mountains.
"The future isn't fixed," She continued. "It branches. What I see is only one path. If the Nightmare Lord had chosen to fight you today, he would have died by your hand."
"If he restrains himself, if he does not provoke you…" She smiled slightly. "I believe you are not the kind to kill needlessly."
Her charm settled around him like perfume… subtle yet not overpowering, but undeniably real. Even Soren felt its tug at the edges of his mind.
But it was her words, not her beauty, that struck him.
Her insight into his thoughts, her understanding of restraint versus wrath.
Her perfect calibration of what he needed to hear to stay calm.
She didn't only predict futures.
She read people.
And Soren suddenly understood why even lords of the Abyss treated the succubus race with wary respect.
They didn't just seduce bodies… they seduced choices.