Marcus was sitting on Matil’s cabin’s porch watching the nixie and Katia playing around on the flowery meadow that covered the pocket dimension she called home. Watching them play gave ease to his head, making him avoid thinking about the demons attacking the city.Martha served some tea to Tylith who was trembling while sitting on the couch by the fireplace with the plushie of a white dove on her lap.
"Are you ok?" Matthew’s mother asked, sitting by her side.
Tylith just gave her a nervous smile.
"Don’t you worry dear, my Matthew will solve this in no time." Martha smiled while drinking a sip of her tea.
"How can you be certain?" Tylith scoffed.
"Because he came from hell. He always comes back. I have faith in him." The proud mother said.
There was something in her voice, the certainty in her tone, that gave Tylith hope.
"I don’t understand faith." The succubus confessed. "I’m trying to understand all of it. Why are you all so kind and trusting? Matthew almost died fighting for me while he had no business doing so! I’m a fucking mess. I don’t help with anything. I get in the way. Yet you all treat me like..." She had a hard time finding the word.
"Family?" Martha smiled at her.
"Yeah..." Tylith had tears in her eyes. "Even Paula who should hate me. I’m taking advantage of that naive brother of hers and she still treats me well."
"It’s because she’s been in your shoes. She was also hurt and hunted by an evil man." Martha took another sip. "All of us, dear, all of us want to help you. We’ve all known pain in a form or another. And there’s no way we’d turn our back on someone in need when we can help them. That’s how I raised my kids. That’s how all of Matthew’s friends are."
"It makes no sense. Why? You only put yourselves at risk doing it." Tylith asked, almost crying.
"Because that’s what good people do." Martha patted her head.
Tylith started to cry loudly, losing her concentration on her spell and turning back in her demon form.
Hearing the crying, Marcus entered the cabin to see what was happening and was stunned when he saw Tylith with her red skin, red eyes, wings and tail crying under Martha’s tender touch.
The demoness looked up and saw the boy looking at her with wide eyes and trembling on his feet.
"Sorry, kid. I don’t think you knew what I was, did you?" She sniffed loudly, controlling her emotions. "Are you scared?" She teased him with a sly smile.
"Why are you crying?" Marcus asked with a wavering voice.
"She’s scared." Martha answered for her.
"Scared of what?" Marcus took a step back.
"From the demons." Tylith smiled at him showing her fangs. "They’re going to catch us."
Martha, whose hand was still on the succubus’ hair, pulled Tylith’s hair lightly admonishing her.
"Stop playing with the boy."
"Ouch!" Tylith complained.
"W-why are you scared?" Marcus asked.
"Because she’s being hunted by one of them. A very strong one." Robert, Matthew’s father explained.
"Even you are scared? Aren’t you a demon too?" Marcus asked, taking a step forward.
Tylith averted her eyes to the fireplace.
"Yes." She replied embarrassed.
"I-I’m not very strong." Marcus stuttered. "I’m only level 4. But I can try to protect you if they find us." The kid said with a trembling voice.
Tylith looked at him with wide eyes. Her surprise was evident in her face.
"You?"
"I know I’m not strong. I don’t know how to fight. I’m a coward." Marcus said. "But I can try."
"Why even you?" Tylith started to cry again. "You were supposed to run away if you saw me like this. After what you’ve been through... You should be the first one to cast me out!" She protested while crying.
"How can I?" Marcus protested. "You’re crying."
Tylith stopped. She was stunned. That kid who saw his own mother being tortured, raped and quartered in front of his eyes should hate her. He should be attacking her or running away. Instead, there he was, pitying her. Offering his help even.
Tylith let out her demonic mana. She took a step forward clenching her teeth in anger. She raised her hand to hit the boy who just stood still.
His eyes were wide in fear. His stance was wobbling, doing his best to keep up straight. But he didn’t recoil. He didn’t run. He just stood there looking at her.
Tylith fell to the ground on her knees. She covered her face with her hands and cried as if she was in pain. She screamed and trembled as if someone had stabbed her.
Katia and Matil came to the cabin to see what was going on.
Marcus knelt beside her and hugged her.
She could feel his heart racing. How his body shivered. Yet he was warm. His embrace was comforting.
"Did aunt Tyli get hurt?" Katia asked, completely ignoring her transformation.
"She did." Martha smiled at the girl. "But she’s ok."
Katia walked beside the two of them and gently kissed Tylith’s face.
"There. It will get better, ok? You don’t need to cry." The kid said, oblivious to all that was happening.
Tylith looked up to the girl.
"You remind me of Mitzrael." Tylith said, placing a kiss on Katia’s head.
"Mitzrael?" Katia asked.
"It’s an angel I met with uncle Matt." The succubus smiled at her. "His hair was yellow just like yours."
"Was he strong?" Katia asked.
"Stronger than your father." Tylith smiled.
"No one is stronger than my dad!" Katia pouted.
"Not even Matthew?" Tylith questioned the girl.
"No one!" Katia stomped her feet.
The girl’s stubbornness made everyone laugh and forget the emotional scene that just happened.
Tylith dried her tears and looked at Marcus, getting up with him.
"I’m sorry about that. Thank you kid." She gave him another hug.
"Who wants some cake?" Matil asked and conjured a delicious lemon cake on the table near the window.
Luis, Marcus’ father, turned to Robert and whispered.
"This is so surreal."
"Their word is very different from ours." Robert agreed.
"But I’m glad. I never thought I’d see Marcus like that after what happened with his mother." Luis smiled looking at his son with pride.
"He’s a great kid." Robert praised the 16 year old.
Meanwhile, the army had positioned itself to contain the horde of demons agglomerating in Obongo Park. The small gates spread all over the city were being dealt with by small elite units.
Janos and Katalin were asked to help the main forces fight the bulk of the demonic forces. Faralynn and the others were asked to go and deal with a smaller gate not far from where the army was.
Tina stayed in the military base to help with their equipment. As a Gemcutter she had the power to enhance and restore mana to mana crystals. That was a crucial part of every equipment that the army had. From powering vehicles and tanks to creating defensive structures and empowering their weapons, mana crystals were everywhere.
Erin, Mia, Faralynn, Faynn, Helen and Karynn made up the party responsible for closing the gate on Yinyin Street.
The street was surrounded by soldiers whose mission was just to hold the line while the party located the Impiomancer who was keeping the gate open and brought him down.
"Imps coming from the east." Karynn pointed out.
Faralynn took two of them down with her bow while Mia and Erin used their spells to bring them down even before they could come any closer to them.
"Did your sensing abilities get better?" Faynn teased the priestess.
"After you eluded me in the throne room I had to train it." Karynn answered with clear hostility.
"Wonder if you can find me." Faynn teased her again.
"Shut up." Karynn made an ugly face and pointed up to a building. "Three cambions up there."
Trusting the words of the priestess entirely, Faynn didn’t hesitate and covered the top of the building with shadow spikes forcing the demons to fly out only to be taken down by Faralynn, Mia and Erin’s attacks.
"Five lesser demons up north, ground level." Karynn said. "Fireball incoming."
Helen raised her shield and used her mana to stop the fireball before it could do any harm.
Erin and Mia returned fire using their lightning and light spells to bring down the imps and barbed devils that attacked them.
"It’s like having a radar with us." Erin praised Karynn.
"Can’t you do it, Faynn?" Mia asked the Shadowmancer elf.
"No." Faynn smiled. "This bitch is the best at sensing people. I’m best at hiding."
"I would be good at hiding too if I was as ugly as you." Karynn teased Faynn.
"At least I’m not as fat as you." Faynn teased back.
"I’m not fat!" Karynn protested in a high pitch. "At our back, 10 dretches." She added in a somber tone.
"And I’m not ugly!" Faynn challenged her while shooting shadow spikes at the enemies on their backs, killing them all with ease.
"Why do they work so well if they hate each other?" Helen asked Faralynn in a whisper.
"They’re childhood friends. Before Faynn started to work as a spy for the family they were very close. They had a fallout when Faynn decided to work for us. Even since then they hate each other." The elf explained.
"They don’t seem to hate each other." Helen replied with a giggle.
"Yeah. More like they just resent each other." Faralynn giggled.