Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Riveria POV.
"What do you mean, she is coming?" I asked quickly as my eyes opened. Bellatrix shrugged.
"It means she should be here in just a few seconds," she said casually.
"Seconds... you're definitely joking, she can't just appear in seconds." Loki said tensely, and Bellatrix smiled amusedly.
"No, it's not impossible in the slightest- " My eyes opened as a mist began to open behind Bellatrix. Bellatrix reacted instantly, trying to turn around, but before she could respond, something came out of the fog and wrapped itself around Bellatrix's neck.
We all went on guard at that moment. Bellatrix seemed confused for a few moments before she began to smile broadly and… lovingly? As she was being hanged.
"Bellatrix." A voice, undoubtedly female, said. The fog grew to the size of a person as someone began to emerge from it.
I recognized Serena Prince immediately from the portraits.
She was tall, much taller than I expected. I was one of the tallest women in the Loki Familia, even in Orario. Only the Amazons were my height or taller, but Serena far surpassed any woman I'd ever seen. She was a full head taller than I was.
Even Bete, who was half a head taller than me, was shorter than her. The only person I've ever seen taller than her would be Ottar from the Freya family.
The portraits didn't do her justice at all. While she looked the same, she was much more impressive in person.
With her short hair, which left her earlobes exposed and adorned with earrings, she had a sharp, angular face, quite elegant. Her t-shirt was slightly loose, but still clung to all the right places, revealing her slender figure.
Despite being tall, her figure was not at all disproportionate; in fact, it was almost perfect: slightly wide hips, a moderate bust, and a slim waist.
Then there was all the metal she wore on top of it. Metal, like in accessories; she had dozens of rings that seemed to be connected by chains that wrapped around her hand and then her wrist, metal bracelets, earrings, and metal piercings.
Then she had… star-shaped markings on its cheeks. But the most baffling thing was the horns, wings, and tail. I mean, there were several races with horns, like the demi-human Bulls, Sheep, and others that had tails, and even though I couldn't remember anyone with wings, they should exist.
But all three at the same time? That was disconcerting.
Especially like that. The wings were similar to a bat's, but what was disconcerting was that she had four pairs that seemed to gently envelop her. Her tail was strange; it was long enough to strangle Bellatrix several times over, but the tip was odd, shaped like a four-pointed yellow star. And then the horns didn't resemble any animal she remembered seeing; they looked more like those of a… monster.
And finally, her magic power. All my senses were wholly focused on her. The amount of magic she possessed overwhelmed me so easily that it was almost laughable. If I were a bucket of water, she was a damn lake.
But if I had to describe it seriously… unholy, the same kind of magic I could sense in Bellatrix, but much denser, more concentrated, and in greater quantities. So much so that it almost seemed intoxicating.
I was so captivated watching Serena that I began to blush slightly, enough almost to miss the two people who entered with her. My eyes widened slightly.
That… that girl had pale blue skin and green hair? And the other one… does she have rainbow-colored hair?Howw… just how?
"Anything to say for yourself?" Serena asked coldly, ignoring us, her wings folded and disappearing into the lower part of her back as she looked towards Bellatrix, who only smiled with pleasure.
"Harder," Bellatrix moaned breathlessly. I could see Serena's eye twitch slightly as the woman's tail tightened more around Bellatrix's neck. I was almost sure she couldn't breathe from the stifled noise Bellatrix was making, but even so, the sheer euphoric smile was truly disconcerting.
Serena pulls her tail down, forcing Bellatrix to her knees.
" Kinky." The blue woman said playfully as she looked around. Serena sighed wearily.
"I really feel sorry for Bellatrix," Serena said apologetically. "Is that the original contract? We can break it and get on with our day, if you'll excuse me," Serena said, pointing to the paper. My eyes widened slightly.
"Wait," Loki said, stepping between them and cautiously eyeing Serena. "First of all, I just... what the fuck are you?" Loki asked, sounding genuinely confused. And I was just as confused. Horns, a tail, wings, and her magic—that... like I said, that wasn't a typical combination.
Serena paused for a few seconds before nodding, positioned herself, and bowed slightly.
"I am Baroness Serena Eileen Prince. King of Pentagram City, and I am a devil," Serena said, finally introducing herself.
"Devil?" Loki asked slowly, her tongue rolling the word as if it were completely unfamiliar. "I can't say I know that race," Loki said, narrowing her eyes cautiously. Serena seemed slightly confused before clearing her head and nodding once more.
"That's right, you shouldn't have any knowledge about devils," Serena said simply. "Devils are... there's no need to go into too much detail, but essentially we are dark beings, our energy is unholy by nature, and we grant wishes to strengthen ourselves," she said easily.
"Wishes?" Loki asked incredulously, and Serena hummed softly.
"We don't grant wishes as such; we can't snap our fingers and magically fulfill them. But we do make contracts. People summon us and hire us to perform a task, and in return, we receive payment depending on the difficulty of the task," Serena explained.
"Wait, anything?" Loki asked slowly as her eyes opened in surprise.
"As long as it's within our means, yes, but we charge according to what's requested. It can range from a simple coin to a whole fortune. We used to ask for souls, but that's in the past." Serena said casually, and my eyes widened.
"Souls? What do you want souls for?! Souls go to Tenkai when a person dies." Loki said quickly, and Serena stopped.
"Not necessarily. If the contract is valid, that person's soul would belong to us. Most devour the soul to increase their power, but some choose to take them as slaves or for their amusement," Serena said with a grimace. My eyes widened slightly.
"A contract," I murmured as I looked towards the table where the engagement contract was. Serena nodded.
"Don't worry, your soul isn't at stake," Serena said immediately, and I almost sighed with relief, along with the rest of the familia. "But I don't think my dear wife explained everything that was involved when you signed that contract," Serena said with a grimace.
"Are there other things involved?" I asked cautiously. Serena grimaced.
"To begin with, a devil's lifespan is measured in millennia, and since the contract you signed binds you to me... well, that's expected to be how long the contract remains valid." Serena said almost casually, and my mind went blank.
"Millennia?! Elves only live for more than 300 years, some even reach 400 years, but millennia?! Impossible?! " I said quickly, Serena laughed amusedly.
"Not really, I have no record of any devil dying of old age in the last 6,000 recorded years," Serena said, making me recoil in shock. I could see everyone else looking surprised. "And since you're linked to me, your lifespan just increased to match mine." My eyes widened even further.
"That?" I mumbled incredulously.
"As long as the contract remains in place, you will live for millennia and may not die of old age," Serena repeated. I stumbled slightly. "If the contract is annulled, you will age again from where you left off," Serena said gently.
"That-" she tried to stutter in surprise.
"As I said, my wife left... a lot of blanks when she offered the contract, which I don't usually like to do, and she knows it." Serena emphasized the words as she glared at her wife. Bellatrix just smiled awkwardly as she tried to catch her breath.
Serena just sighed wearily.
"There are... many other things involved, things I wouldn't want to share with people who aren't involved," Serena said, eyeing Loki cautiously. "Besides, there's the other issue: you can become a devil too. It's almost expected that you will." Serena said, and my eyes widened.
"Become a... devil?" I asked, confused. She nodded.
"Kings like me have the ability to 'reincarnate' 15 people as devils. Our birth rate is low, so it's a way to increase our numbers. I've already reincarnated seven people," Serena said honestly. I was still terribly confused.
"And where do devils live? No, let me rephrase the question: where the fuck did you come from? I've never heard of you, not even a whisper, neither in Tenkai nor in Lower World." Loki said, frowning. Serena smiled mysteriously.
"We're good at hiding and going unnoticed," Serena said playfully. "And we live in the Underworld."
Underworld.
The gods lived in Tenkai, in Heaven, in the upper world. We, mortals, live in Genkai, the Lower World. And apparently… the devils lived in the Underworld. A whole world that even a goddess like Loki didn't know about.
A world completely unknown to everyone, the world from which people like Serena came. That... made me wonder how much more I didn't know about this world.
"And you say... that you're a King in this Underworld?" Finn asked, frowning. Serena hummed.
"While there are ranks of nobility in the underworld, it doesn't really mean much; what's important there is power. Money and political power certainly help, but personal power and the power of your family are what truly matter."
"I would comfortably place myself at the top of a high-class devil, almost at the level of an Ultimate-class devil, the highest rank a devil can achieve," Serena said, and I frowned. That... how powerful must this Ultimate-class devil be if she still didn't consider herself one of them, even with so much magic overflowing from her?
"So, having said all that, if you let me break the contract, everything will be canceled immediately. Don't worry, I'll fulfill the agreement even without the contract. I'll just—"
"Wait!" I said abruptly, stopping Serena in her tracks. "I... I already agreed." I said, swallowing audibly. "Bellatrix may not have cleared up some... things, but I still won't go back on my word." I said firmly. Serena stopped and stared at me.
"You really don't have to," Serena said slowly. I nodded.
"I don't have one, but I want one... if what you say is true, it's truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I... I don't want to waste it. And it also means the Loki Familia will be in better hands to be cared for." I said firmly. Serena paused for a few seconds before finally nodding and sighing.
"If you're really sure." She said serenely, sounding tired. I nodded.
"Well... well, then, welcome to the family." Serena said, smiling awkwardly. I nodded, smiling back. It felt different than when I first joined the Loki Familia, despite the exact words.
Even so, it was a very welcome feeling.
"Okay, then... I have some things I need to tell you. Things I'd like to say to you privately." Serena said as she looked at me, and I nodded slightly.
"Wait!" Bete said suddenly. I looked at him, confused. "I want to fight you!" Bete said firmly. Serena blinked.
"I mean... there's no reason?" Serena asked, confused.
"Oh, there is, for starters, she cursed me several times!" Bete exclaimed, pointing at… a still pleased Bellatrix as she was being hanged. I shuddered slightly. "And besides! All that stuff about high-class devils or Ultimate or whatever, it means nothing to us! "
"Riveria doesn't deserve to be with someone weak! Fight us! " Bete growled, and I looked at him in surprise before smiling slightly.
"I don't think that-"
"I agree!" said the blue-skinned woman and Loki happily.
"Becca?" Serena asked, surprised.
"Loki?" I said at the same time as Serena.
"I want to see you fight! I want to see how strong you are! " Becca said with a wide smile. The rainbow-haired woman sighed and looked at us.
"Excuse her, we're new to all this, too. We came suddenly because Serena sensed the contract," she said with an apologetic smile. "And by the way, I'm Lucy, and this is Rebecca. Nice to meet you."
"A pleasure, yes, but Bete is right, I won't hand over my beloved Riveria to someone truly weak, so... show us what you're capable of... devil." Loki said with a wide smile.
Serena seemed confused for a few seconds before sighing resignedly.
"Okay, let's do this," Serena said. "You can all come at me at once, otherwise... it'd be boring." Serena said with a slight smile. I could hear Bete growl.
I could only sigh, but I was also expectant. I really wanted to see how strong she would be, my… future fiancée.
Yes… Let's see how all this turns out.
Author's Notes: Well, as I already warned a few weeks ago, for the next two weeks I will have to reduce the number of chapters I publish due to the holidays. I will try to write as much as I can, but I don't promise anything, but I will try to upload at least one chapter of each novel.
That said, happy holidays! Merry christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy holiday, whatever it is you're celebrating!
Author's Notes 2: Well, someone asked me for updated images of Serena, and I couldn't find any I liked. She still mostly resembles Nana Osaki, but there are so many small differences that none of the images I found seemed right.
I tried using AI to generate some images, and… actually, it was on the right track. After about 200 images, dozens of different prompts, and cursing the AI several times, I finally got three images acceptable enough to share.
https://imgur.com/a/vh77Dk7
I still have to tweak a few things; it was difficult to get to this point, but it's coming along nicely! It turns out it's much easier to start pasting PNG images on top of a base image, like a collage made in Paint, and let the AI replicate that. I just had to ignore the prompts that confuse the AI terribly. Incredibly, it works wonderfully; who would have thought?
A/N: If you liked the story, join my patreon, patreon.com/Camellya_Addams, there are up to 10 chapters in advance, thank you. Or you can also visit my Ko-Fi, ko-fi.com/camellya_addams.