Keshiema and Hiro parted ways at the dining hall. The princes were just taking their seats as she walked in. Everyone stared at her as she approached the table to the only spot available, between Pyro and Eurynome. Eurynome pulled out her seat, gesturing for her to sit. He gently pushed her chair in as the servants placed the food.
Without enough energy to care about the taste, Keshiema scarfed down the sandwich and drained the scorching soup. Exhausted from Merihim’s test, she slept through breakfast. And that was after the intruders had interrupted dinner. She struggled to remember anything before that. When she finished her meal, Keshiema stood. As she did, so did the princes. "What time is my training going to start?" she asked.
"Fifteen hundred." Beelzebub gave her a sideways glance.
"Then I'll see you later." She turned towards the door.
Pyro grabbed her wrist. "You can't leave." his words came out sharper than he had intended.
"Get your hand off of me," she stared into his eyes fiercely, turning a bloody crimson. "Unless you wish to lose it." Her aura rose from her skin as she spoke. The shock on Pyro's face showed no one had ever talked back to him like that before. The room froze for what seemed like minutes until Pyro let go of Keshiema's wrist.
"Good choice." Her hair and eyes reverted, but the light mist still clung closely to her. "The Great Temple is nice, but I'd like some fresh air. Am I not allowed to leave campus?” She struggled to keep her attitude in check. Her foul mood was not completely their fault.
“No, you can’t,” Samael barked.
When Keshiema scoffed indignantly, Asmoday quickly cut in, “We will tell you why later. For now, go have fun and enjoy your day, but be back in time for training.”
She nodded in understanding, but her scowl told them how she felt. As she left the room, she heard Ayperos whisper, "Meer, you didn't use your hallucination magic on a Friskalia did you?"
Maybe her bad mood was their fault after all.
***
Finals week was over, and many of the students were resting in their dorms, planning for their end-of-year party, or preparing to ship out or return home. This meant the pool was completely abandoned.
The triple-digit heat normally never bothered her, but with her current mood, it clung around her like a lead weight. The cool water of the pool sounded like the perfect solution. After detaching her gloves and pant legs, Keshiema dove in, barely creating a ripple in the water. Her anger and anxiety slowly melted away.
She knew underwater laps would take off the last of the edge, so she started her way across the Olympic-sized pool. She was fast on land, but her underwater speed was barely average for a demon. After finishing three lengths in just under a minute, she clung to the edge of the pool, resting her head on the warm sidewalk. She heard the fluttering of large wings. For some reason, the sound simultaneously unnerved and comforted her.
"Keshiema?" A dark voice sent a familiar chill down her spine.
"No, I'm the other blue-haired student who likes to be alone." She hissed, aggravated by the sheer presence of another. "Who's asking?" She did not want to look up, but he did not answer her.
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Squinting up at the man, inconveniently standing right in front of the sun, Keshiema saw a familiar silhouette. He crossed his arms in annoyance, and his feathered wings ruffled restlessly. Few demons possessed feathered wings. She could only think of two at the academy. "Ipos?" she questioned as she squinted at the silhouette.
"Who else would it be?" he replied in the midnight voice that was indistinguishable from his doppelg?nger.
"What do you want?" She decided not to answer the question, knowing he would not like the answer.
"How about you get out of the water and we'll talk."
Rolling her eyes, Keshiema climbed out. "So?"
"I wish to talk to you about what happened to your family fifteen years ago." Caught speechless, all Keshiema could do was stare at Ipos. "That's not quite the reaction I thought I would achieve." He frowned at her.
Keshiema's hair and eyes turned black. She sat on the ground, holding her knees to her chest. She took a few moments to steady her breathing. "That's not something I like to talk about." Her eyes stung as she held back tears.
"I know. But I need to know how much you remember."
She dissociated as images of a dark figure entered her mind. She strained to remember more. Her head felt light, and her heart pounded faster as the image started to clear. Her head ached as she tried to grasp the memory. The harder she strained, the worse the pain became. 'Why can't I remember? Why does it hurt so much?'
"Keshiema..." Ipos' voice held a hint of worry hidden in a thick layer of annoyance. She gazed up at him questioningly. "You're bleeding." She did a quick once-over of herself, finding nothing. Kneeling next to her, Ipos lightly brushed the back of his finger above her lips. He showed her the smudge of blood on it. "Whatever you're trying to do, I recommend that you stop."
"I was just trying to remember..."
"I think I should go," Ipos said cautiously.
"Yeah, that's probably best." She breathed out. When she looked up, he was gone. "I'll see you in my dreams..." she spoke softly, absently.
***
"Damnit!" Ipos slammed his fist into the brick wall behind him. "All I wanted to do was talk to you. Why did you have to ruin it?" He clutched his chest, trying desperately to relieve the ache that refused to let up. He felt horrible. 'If you hadn't been visiting her in her dreams, this never would have happened,' He scolded himself. Resting his head against the cool bricks, he tried to calm down. He had exhausted himself over the last few days, unable to rest properly when he used his powers to invade dreams.
A shiver ran down his spine, and he turned to see a familiar demon grinning at him wickedly. The demon's red eyes burned into Ipos's, making him uncomfortable. He kept his blond hair cut short, to mimic the style favored by human military men long ago. It was meant to make him look ruthless and uncaring. It worked perfectly to reflect the demon's true nature.
"Nergal. What do you want?" Ipos hissed.
"Is that any way to speak to your superior, Ipos?" Nergal tsked.
"You forget your place. I am a prince.
"You were a prince, Ipos. Or did you forget that dear old daddy is dead? Murdered by the true king. It's unfortunate your mother couldn't have been taken care of too."
Ipos snapped. Grabbing Nergal by the collar, he shoved him against the building in front of him. He raised his claws to Nergal's throat, ready to slice him open. "You will not speak of her," Ipos growled, pressing his claws against Nergal's skin, just enough to make it hurt, without drawing any blood.
"And how would you explain this to Adramelech?"
"Do you think that tyrant cares about you at all?"
"No, but he certainly would not appreciate the inconvenience caused by having to find a replacement. And of course, there is the matter of the chains." Nergal smiled again.
Ipos lowered Nergal to the ground. "You need to watch your back. If I ever get the chance to kill you, I won't hesitate."
Nergal dusted off his arms. "Trust me, Ipos, I always watch my back."
"Why are you here?" He growled, refusing to give the piece of shit any amount of respect.
"My search continues for a certain halfling. I am ordering you to aid in the efforts."
"What makes you think I would be able to figure out which half-blood in this city is the one you need?"
"Don't play coy, bird-boy. I seek the ice-maiden's daughter."
Ipos growled in frustration. "You know as well as I do that she died years ago."
"I do think I know as well as you, and I don't think she's dead. There is only one hell-child in this academy. Get her blood soon. If its given freely I don't need much. Don't make me bleed her dry just to find out if she's the one."
Ipos was careful to keep his panic in check. Nergal would surely have Keshiema killed just for the sake of hurting him. "I will see what I can do."
