Visionless

Lilith paused, setting aside her work as she noticed one of the younger sisters lingering by her desk, with two others peeking timidly from behind the doorway. She raised an eyebrow. "Yes? What is it?"

The girl shifted nervously, glancing back at her companions as if for support. "Um… Sister Lilith, did… did you and Father Leonard… you know…" Her voice trailed off, cheeks reddening.

Lilith stared at her, baffled. "Excuse me? What exactly are you asking me?"

The girl stammered, clearly flustered. "N-Nothing! I was just… wondering when… you know… the baby is coming?"

Lilith's eyes widened in shock before narrowing with irritation. She pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated. "All of you—come out here," she commanded in a tone that made the girls jump.

Once they were assembled in front of her, she looked each one in the eye, her voice cold and stern. "It seems you girls need a lesson in respect. Stand up straight." She marched them into the hall and set three heavy buckets of water at their feet. "Each of you will hold one of these buckets without letting go until I say otherwise. And while you're at it, I expect you to recite Chapter 6, Verses 16 to 89 from memory. Make a single mistake, and I'll double the time."

The girls' faces fell as they took the buckets, glancing at each other in regret as Lilith crossed her arms and waited.

As the girls struggled through their recitation, Father Leonard happened to pass by. Taking in the scene—the trembling arms, the heavy buckets, and Lilith's stern gaze—a knowing smirk crossed his face. He stopped beside her, crossing his arms with a glint of approval in his eye.

"Well done, Sister Lilith," he said, nodding toward the trio. "Those three could certainly use a bit of... character-building." 

Lilith gave a slight, satisfied nod, her voice cool and composed. "Thank you, Father. I thought a little discipline might help them remember their manners." 

Father Leonard chuckled, glancing at the girls who were now reciting more fervently. "I believe they'll come out of this much improved."

----

"...Alright, that's enough," Lilith said, releasing the girls with a firm nod. "Go rest, and remember—questions like that are never to be asked again. Understood?" The girls, eyes filled with tears, nodded fervently and scurried off.

Lilith took a deep breath, watching them go before turning back to her desk. But as she glanced out the window, her gaze landed on something unusual in the garden: a lone door, standing eerily without any frame or building. Her heart clenched; she knew that door. Her lips trembled as a sense of foreboding washed over her. "So soon?" she whispered. "I thought I had more time…"

Lost in thought, she jumped as a firm hand gripped her shoulder. She spun around, staring into the face of a demon she knew well—Tom, her old ally, though now empty sockets marked where his eyes once were, taken by her master as punishment. "She's waiting," he said, his voice low. "Go in, and… don't look her in the eyes."

"Tom, I…" Lilith's voice cracked, guilt flickering in her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

The demon merely shrugged. "No time for apologies. Save them for her. Maybe she'll be merciful... this time." 

Lilith's heart pounded as she walked to the door, her fingers trembling as she knocked. It creaked open, revealing the ghastly entrance to the Underworld.

She stepped into a long, dim hallway, lined with grotesque sculptures and paintings that depicted unspeakable horrors—torture, murder, cannibalism. She continued forward, dread curling in her stomach as she passed the lifelike sculptures, realizing with horror that they were not statues but living beings. Mangled figures were nailed to the walls, their hands pinned with rusted spikes, faces twisted in eternal agony. Soft, desperate whimpers filled the air, blood trickling from their tear-streaked eyes.

As she approached the end of the hall, she saw a familiar figure—one of the high-ranking demons closest to *her*. He was nailed across the final door, his body mangled and half gone, his organs spilling downward in a grotesque display. His chest was hollow, yet his heart still beat, visible and exposed, a chilling reminder of the horrors awaiting beyond that door.

Tom knocked on the heavy, ornate door and waited. A voice, cold and smooth as silk, called from within, granting permission. He opened the door, casting a somber glance at Lilith as he stepped aside, allowing her to pass. 

Lilith entered the dim chamber, and there, seated casually at the center, was none other than the Demon of Lust herself—Sara, one of the most feared beings in the Underworld. Her youthful, delicate features belied a cruelty that ran as deep as her powers. She raised an eyebrow and gestured to the chair opposite her.

"Come in, sit down," Sara said, piercing a still-beating human heart with a fork before taking a casual bite. Lilith hesitated but stepped forward, sitting down with her gaze fixed firmly on the floor, waiting for the punishment she knew was coming.

"I was very… disappointed when you left," Sara began, her voice calm yet venomous. "I don't appreciate it when my *belongings* decide they can simply walk away. I waited, expecting you'd come crawling back on your own. But you didn't. And so… here we are."

Sara's eyes narrowed, and she jabbed her fork toward Lilith. "*You* chose humans over *me*!" she spat, each word laced with barely-contained fury.

Lilith flinched but held her tongue, not daring to answer back.

"Look at me!" Sara commanded, and Lilith obeyed, raising her eyes. The demon's face was deceptively innocent—youthful, small, and almost angelic. But Lilith knew better. Behind that facade lay depths of malice no mortal could imagine.

"No one crosses me, no one leaves my grasp without *my* permission. Only I decide what happens, do you understand?"

Lilith nodded repeatedly, her head low and her heart pounding. Sara chuckled, her voice soft but laced with dark amusement.

"Good girl... heh."

There was a long pause, then Sara leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "Tell me, do you know why you're still alive?"

Lilith closed her eyes, bracing herself for what she assumed was her last moment. But death didn't come. Instead, she heard a low, mocking sigh.

"Too hard a question? Let's try this. Do you know why you left in the first place? Do you even remember?" Sara asked, her tone almost bored. "No… you probably don't. And that's exactly why you're still breathing."

Sara's gaze sharpened as she pointed a fork first at Lilith, then back at herself, as if to drive home a point Lilith barely dared to understand. "Someone out there thinks they can get to *me* by using *you.* They thought you'd bring me into the overworld, and… well, it worked. But not in any way that will benefit *them.*"

Sara tilted her head, her smile curving into something more sinister. "So tell me, Lilith, do you know *anything* that might interest me? Because if you don't…" She trailed off, her eyes gleaming with cold malice, letting the threat hang heavily in the air.

Sara leaned back with a satisfied smirk, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the table as she watched Lilith's reaction. "Oh, don't look so shocked," she said. "You're free to go... for now. Just remember, your soul is mine. If you ever betray me, you'll suffer in ways even you can't imagine."

Lilith blinked, her mouth opening slightly as if testing the air for permission to speak. "Free to go? Why?"

Sara's smile widened, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Oh, you can thank that devoted little priest of yours. He's been praying every night for your safety. I may be many things, but I'm not about to make a god my enemy—not yet, anyway."

Lilith's shock deepened, but Sara continued, her tone sickeningly sweet. "Besides, I'm curious. I want to watch you... see how things unfold with you and him." She leaned in, her gaze sharp and predatory. "I want to see how you'll look after he dies of old age, while you stay young—while you remain trapped in that body, just shy of thirty. I want to see the hollowness that'll settle in your eyes, how empty you'll become as eternity stretches out before you. That's my gift to you, Lilith. A little taste of what forever *really* feels like."

Her smile grew, cruel and almost gleeful as she relished the pain she was sowing in Lilith's heart.

--------------------

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"...Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we—"

"For the last time, Ren, *no!*" Adam snapped, spinning around to glare at Ren, who looked thoroughly amused, a mischievous glint in his eye and the closest thing to a smirk a tiger could manage.

"Alright, alright," Ren chuckled, putting his hands up in mock surrender, but his grin only grew wider. "Just checking your patience, kid." 

Adam sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, well, it's wearing thin. So maybe save the tests until we're *actually* there?"

Adam shot Ren a glare sharp enough to cut through stone, daring him to say *anything* about the travel time. But Ren merely raised his hands in surrender, his expression surprisingly sincere.

"Soo..." Ren started, watching Adam's face tense, "...why are you headed to the capital?"

Adam blinked, caught off guard. "Oh... uh." He hesitated, glancing ahead, unsure how much he wanted to share. "I have... some things to take care of. Let's just say it's important."

Ren raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Mysterious. I like it," he said with a small grin. "But, uh, just for the record, if that 'important' business gets us chased by guards or worse... I'd like a heads-up."

Adam managed a smirk of his own. "Noted. And same goes for you, if that reunion of yours ends up being more trouble than you're letting on."

Ren chuckled, nodding. "Fair enough, kid. Fair enough."

"Hey, Ren... quick question," Adam began, eyeing Ren with a hint of concern. "Don't big places like the capital have guards? And, you know, checkpoints to make sure no criminals slip through?"

Ren let out a low chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah, yes, the little detail of capital security." He gave Adam a playful nudge. "Technically, yeah. They have guards and checkpoints set up to catch any 'undesirables' coming through."

Adam frowned. "So... you're saying they might stop *you,* then?"

Ren rolled his eyes, waving a dismissive hand. "Might is a strong word. But if I play it cool, we shouldn't have any issues. You'd be surprised what a well-placed cloak and a little confidence can do."

"Confidence?" Adam repeated, doubtful. "So no plan? Just... walk in and hope no one looks too closely?"

Ren winked. "That's the plan. Just stick by me, keep your head down, and try not to look suspicious. They'll be more worried about smugglers and wanted criminals than a couple of weary travelers."

Adam sighed, clearly unconvinced but resigned to Ren's laissez-faire approach. "Right. Just... try not to get us arrested."

"No promises, kid. But I'll do my best."

"..."

"...."

Adam let out an exasperated sigh. "Wait, you were just messing with me? That's not funny, Ren. What are you actually planning to do when we get there?"

Ren chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Alright, alright, don't worry, kid. I've got a little surprise that'll get us through the gate smoothly. All you've gotta do is focus on being my translator, alright?"

Adam raised a brow. "You mean… talk for you? Why?"

Ren grinned, patting his throat dramatically. "Because I don't think I can quite mask my 'accent' enough for capital guards. A tiger-man's voice tends to, uh, stand out."

Adam rolled his eyes, but a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Fine, I'll play along. But if we end up in a holding cell, I'm blaming you." 

Ren threw an arm around Adam's shoulder, guiding him forward. "Deal. Now let's get going. I'd rather not be here after dark with that sense of humor of yours."