The captive whimpers as Bilorial drags him through the obsidian gates of Vexena's palace.

Mika followed behind, arms crossed, face expressionless as ever. They stride silently through the hellish corridors, the flame-lit sconces casting flickering shadows across crimson walls etched with ancient runes. In her left hand, she casually held a melted piece of what had once been a binding crystal, still steaming.

At the end of the grand hall, atop a throne of polished bone and velvet shadows, Vexena sat in eerie stillness.

"Majesty," Bilorial bowed deeply. "The prisoner, as requested."

Mika kicked the squirming demonkin mage forward. He collapsed at Vexena's feet, panting, blood dripping from his lip.

"I've already pulled everything useful out of his head," Bilorial said coolly, brushing ash off his coat. "He was contracted anonymously. Paid well. Told to create a distraction at the arena. Something big. Messy. And violent."

Vexena's eyes narrowed to slits. "So someone else could snatch the construct during the chaos."

Bilorial nodded once. "That was the idea. They weren't expecting him to intervene."

A long silence.

Then, in a sharp voice like cracking glass, Vexena asked. "Was it Syraleth?"

"No proof. But…" Bilorial glanced down at the groveling mage. "...I'd stake my horns on it."

Vexena groaned and leaned back into her throne. "She's getting bold. Too bold."

"She's endangering our daughters," said Maribelle, stepping forward from the shadows beside Eris. "This constant escalation will spill over. Vuvi's strong, but she's not built for political warfare."

"Neither is Veena," Vexena added grimly.

"Then do something," Maribelle said, stepping closer to the throne, the heat of her power crackling faintly around her fingertips. "You're the Demon Queen. You could end this."

"I could," Vexena said flatly, "but I'm not willing to start a war over a hunch."

Bilorial cleared his throat. "Then let me tighten surveillance. Double the watch on Pip and the girls. No interruptions. No distractions. They need time to prepare for the Dwarven Kingdom."

"Approved," Vexena said. Then she tilted her head and looked down at the trembling mage. "And you…"

The man quivered under her gaze, eyes wide with terror.

Vexena slowly raised her hand, forming a finger gun.

The room seemed to drop ten degrees.

"Wait… wait! I can still be—"

Snap.

The mage vanished in a puff of crimson smoke. In his place, a pathetic little ragdoll version of himself dropped onto the floor with a squeaky wheeze.

Maribelle winced and muttered to Eris, "I hate when she does that."

"I once spent a month as a teddy bear," Eris muttered back. "She gave me to her Virelle. I had to watch twelve puppet shows."

"I can hear you," Vexena said coolly without looking back.

"Sorry," they both muttered in unison.

Vexena turned her attention to Mika, striding across the dais with measured steps. Her imposing presence was impossible to ignore… even for an angel.

"You did well," Vexena said, her tone softer than usual. "Veena's safety matters to me."

Mika folded her arms, gaze averted. "I was just doing my job."

"She means thank you," Maribelle chimed, stepping up beside them. "For keeping Vuvi safe too."

"I mean… sure." Mika grunted, clearly uncomfortable with the praise.

Maribelle leaned toward Eris and whispered, "What's her deal? I've never seen an angel in my lifetime. Seeing one working here is like hallucinating during a fever dream."

Eris chuckled. "She defected. Said heaven was boring. Just… left."

"Just like that?" Maribelle blinked.

"She asked the Great Mother to let her go. The Mother agreed. Didn't strip her powers. Just waved her off."

"That's insane," Maribelle whispered.

"She wandered for a century on a self-declared 'pilgrimage of debauchery.' Made enemies in every major region. Racked up debts, broke at least five blood contracts, and… somehow ended up under a blood oath to Vexena."

Maribelle gasped. "So she's literally working off her sins?"

"She has about seventy years left on her contract. Assuming she doesn't accidentally seduce another demigod or something."

"...She can hear us, right?"

"I have super hearing," Mika groaned, rubbing her temples.

Maribelle turned red. "Oh. Sorry—"

"I'm not even mad," Mika muttered. "It's all true."

Maribelle eyed her and leaned toward Eris again. "Could you take her in a fight?"

Eris exhaled. "Only one person could. Probably."

Vexena lifted a small golden coin from her belt. It gleamed faintly, Pip's silhouette etched into its surface.

She stared at it in silence.

"She's obsessed. She'll escalate until someone stops her."

"So… stop her," Maribelle said again.

Vexena turned her head slightly. "Kyrsil."

A shadow melted out of the floor nearby and bowed low.

"Send a message to Syraleth," Vexena said, her voice ice-cold. "Tell her I'll be visiting in two days."

Kyrsil vanished with a silent whoosh.

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

Across the Demonlands, in the corrupted heart of Syraleth's domain, preparations had already begun.

Thousands of soldiers stood in eerie silence before a massive, golden statue of Pip, arms outstretched like a divine savior. Red banners bearing Syraleth's sigil hung from every building.

Syraleth stood at the statue's base, her long, curved horns gleaming in the morning light. Her eyes shimmered with hunger… and ambition.

"The first piece is in play," she said, smiling at her generals. "He's stronger than I expected. Faster. Beautifully made."

A cloaked figure stumbled toward her, panting and trembling.

"The teleportation crystal array is complete, my lady. The invasion can begin whenever you choose."

"Good," Syraleth purred. "The moment Vexena leaves her palace, we begin. Make sure the landing site is perfect."

Two figures approached her silently from the shadows. Tall, willowy kitsune twins dressed in black, illusion magic rippling off them in shimmering waves.

"My lady," they bowed. "The plan at the arena failed. We underestimated the construct."

"He leapt into the fight," the second added. "We didn't anticipate that."

Syraleth didn't seem disappointed. If anything, she smiled wider. "It only proves his worth. You'll get another chance soon."

The kitsune twins exchange a glance. Their eyes shimmering with raw magic.

Suddenly, the air shimmers, and dozens of shadowy clones burst from their bodies, an entire army of illusions flickering into formation around them.

They drop to their knees and bow in perfect synchrony.

"We live to serve you, Lady Syraleth." they say in unison.

Syraleth turns to face them, arms spread.

"Prepare yourselves," she said, voice echoing with unnatural power. "The Prince is only the beginning. With him at my side, the Demonlands will kneel. And after that..."

She looked to the horizon, her smile razor-sharp.

"The world."

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