It shouldn't have happened but you let it Now you're down on the ground screaming medic The only thing that comes is the post-traumatic stresses Shields, body armors and vests don't properly work That's why you're in a locker full of hurt The enemy within and all the fires from your friends The best medicine's to probably just let it win These battle scars don't look like they're fading

“Faye! I can’t believe you are eating ice cream on such a cold day!” A certain puppet flailed her wooden arms around. If her eyes were capable of moving, it was much possible that the doll would even end up glaring at its owner. After all, the owner herself had no excuse for what she was doing. It had barely been a day since Faye was thrown into a train to fight some demons along with Snowflake. She didn’t think, even in her wildest dreams, that a simple day of fun was going to turn into one of the worst days in her life. She had killed a group of weaker demons that came at her with tooth, claw, and every possible weapon. Her body ached just thinking of it. Besides, ever since the demon invasion, something seemed very strange within herself. She couldn’t quite put a finger on it herself but these days, she felt a presence other that herself nearby, almost as if something was just peeking at her from the shadows, ready to jump on her the moment she let her guard down.

That said, Faye attempted to brush most of the feeling off. Going off in the middle of a cold, winter day to get ice cream was just another attempt at it. A plastic cover hung from her left wrist while she used the same hand to hold a popsicle in her mouth. The sweet, sugary lemon flavor in fusion with the coldness that wrapped around her, Faye found peace, albeit for a short moment, with no thoughts crossing her mind. Sometimes, thinking was too much of a chore. Especially so when unnecessary thoughts decided to play interludes every now and then. There were too many decisions to make.

Turning a corner, she came to a stop when she noticed someone standing there just watching the falling snow. The image seemed to jump out right from a drama as the young puppeteer paused to look at it. “Faye, isn’t that someone from the guild,” Hana finally placed Faye’s suspicion into words. Yes, she definitely seemed like someone from their same guild. While it was true that it hasn’t been long since Faye joined Blue Pegasus, her natural curiosity on people had given her ample excuses to find out more about the guild and the stronger people in it. If she wasn’t wrong, this person she was currently looking at was one of those in that list.

As she decided to approach her and did so, she heard the other musing out loud about some summoning. Ah, the demonic incursions? Her mind wandered once again. By the time it came back, she was already standing a few feet behind the raven haired woman. “Hello there,” Hana once again became her spokesperson. “Speaking like this, does it mean you have found some other facts about the sudden demonic invasions?” She decided to ask about what she was most curious about.

made by Wolf of GS

It shouldn't have happened but you let it Now you're down on the ground screaming medic The only thing that comes is the post-traumatic stresses Shields, body armors and vests don't properly work That's why you're in a locker full of hurt The enemy within and all the fires from your friends The best medicine's to probably just let it win These battle scars don't look like they're fading

Hunting after the invasion? Hmm, was she? Faye threw a brief glance towards the pretty little puppet in her hands. To be very honest, Faye cared not for these sudden, unexpected oncoming of demons. Not at all. It had nothing to do with her, and if she could, she would like to stay far away from it. There was no “save the world” agenda for a simple person like Faye whose only pleasure in life was living amongst her puppets and playing out new scenarios every other day. If she did take even a remotely curious interested in it, then the only reason was that ever since that day, Faye couldn’t ignore the change –a looming shadow in her sleep, the recurring dreams- that took place around her. Even someone as highly perspective as herself couldn’t quite explain it or find the right words. It frankly scared her. Also the enchanting voice she had heard that day in the train; could she have been imagining it?

Pulled out of her thoughts, Faye vaguely heard the dark haired woman speak and nodded. Given her circumstances, yes, she was after the trail of the invasion. Faye was about to have Hana say so when a voice interrupted them. Another woman made her appearance out from the darkness and this one was evidently close to the other one because she had immediately entered into a conversation with her upon her arrival while the young puppeteer was left standing to a side. Now she listened.

While this person was busy with her theories, Faye’s eyes were zeroing in on her appearance; from the bounce of her hair to the brilliance of her skin. She was no less beautiful than the first one, standing almost equal in height to Faye, with an air of unwavering confidence. It was a fine trait Faye only came across very rarely. Her profile, her stride, and even her voice commanded attention and importance. But as taken to her looks as Faye initially was, she was even more interested in her words.

Demon lord? Those existed? Well sure, given that she had fought actual demons a few days ago, perhaps they did exist. But the prospect of a demon lord appearing after the tough time the normal ones gave her made Faye take in a cold, anxious breath.

As instantly as an image of something so frightening crossed her mind, Faye felt a strange tug on her right hand. She looked down confusedly at the little puppet sitting there, narrowing her bewildered eyes in wonder at the lifeless orbs of Hana which suddenly looked so alive. That was not her imagination anymore, was it? Hana had really moved. This dark presence over her shoulder couldn’t be denied.

“Hana…”

Faye had missed the Snowflake’s sudden appearance to the scene while being preoccupied with her strange doll. It had been with her for several years as a companion and friend but for some reason, at that moment, Faye felt the puppet was a complete stranger. It startled her so badly that she promptly dropped the female puppet to the ground and took a couple of steps away from it, naturally failing to hear Alisa’s inquiry of her name.

The ghostly pale doll laid unmoving exactly where she dropped it with its limbs stretching out in very odd directions. A couple of cold seconds later, in front of Faye’s gaze, it was suddenly moving. It was a finger at first, a little twitch and a shake, then a hand, and finally, she was starting to stand up, albeit a little haphazardly with all the limbs pulling awkwardly into place. It looked like a scene right out of some old horror movie as she stood and ignoring everyone else, cast its glance at the woman with raven hair.

“Asmodeus,” the doll took a step forward. “Long time no see. That’s a nice vessel you have there.”

This voice…

This voice was so similar to the one she had heard during the demon invasion. Why was it now coming from Hana? No, why was Hana moving on her own? Faye was so confused that it was starting to show on her usually impassive countenance. She had an urge to go grab Hana as well as a reflexive impulse to kill it. But she was rooted to the spot, looking between the other three women as if one of them had an explanation for all of this.

made by Wolf of GS

It shouldn't have happened but you let it Now you're down on the ground screaming medic The only thing that comes is the post-traumatic stresses Shields, body armors and vests don't properly work That's why you're in a locker full of hurt The enemy within and all the fires from your friends The best medicine's to probably just let it win These battle scars don't look like they're fading

Levi felt envious of the other three females in their company. Once upon a time, she was one of the strongest among the seven sins; her insatiable envy forever wanting to be one step ahead of the others. She had ruled over the seas, submerged many cities, seen the rise and fall of many civilization, had a hand in many of it, and now… Yet now, not only did the seven of them have to be trapped inside ridiculous, weak, human vessels, she especially had to draw the shorter end of the stick and ended up having to use a mere doll as her temporary form. This great Leviathan could grit her teeth in irresolvable frustration if it wasn’t for the obvious lack of them on the damned puppet.

Instead, she turned to Asmodeus, half annoyed and half expecting the other demon lord to relate to her. “Oh stop with that annoying way of speech, Asmodeus. You haven’t changed at all except I see that you have found a very promising ‘partner’, indeed. I reckon she must have kept you very happy,” Levi’s voice held some edge as she lingered over the word partner and then melted to a hint of amusement at the last sentence. Even inside this limited mantle of power, she could feel the strong presence of the human carrying this great demon lord of lust. While she needn’t think of how she kept the demon happy, Levi knew very well that for a demon lord like Asmodeus, or any demon lord at that, to acknowledge a vessel so far meant they had created an unusually powerful bond between them. Whether it was for good or bad, Levi was, however, uncertain.

She couldn’t exactly relate to it, anyway. Glancing at the young puppeteer behind her, Levi felt the prick of her vice suddenly acting up once again. It was all that fool’s fault. If it wasn’t for his final attempt in saving his daughter, Levi would have been able to directly influence the young mage’s body without so much trouble. But she had to admit, foolish as he was, the man was strong and despite being driven to the edge of madness by Levi in more ways than one, he had managed to keep a thin thread of conscious intact just in time to stop the demon lord from taking over his daughter’s soul and body altogether. Not only did he manage to put Levi to sleep, but he also managed to strip away a great deal of her powers. If it wasn’t for the large demonic presence during the sudden invasion, Levi would have continued to sleep inside the doll for more years to come.

Newly awakened, Levi had decided to adopt a policy of observation without intervention for a while, just watching the little puppeteer go about her days as usual. She knew the girl realized something was haunting her but lacked the knowledge or power to guess what it was. As such, Levi had enough time to calculate, analyze, and measure the potential, limitations, and pros and cons of the twenty-year-old mage. She wasn’t very pleased with what she got, especially now that she had encountered three stronger and better suited vessels. Yet, she was also aware of how far Faye can soar given the opportunity to. The young woman was weak, but that was only because she didn’t care to get strong enough. Given how much effort the girl puts into her puppet making, if half of that drive went towards strengthening herself, Levi guessed she would eventually grow into a fine force to be reckoned with. However, that would take a long time, perhaps months and years, and she was still very envious of the good fortune Asmodeus had.

“I did not choose to possess this thing, Asmodeus. It was all his fault,” Levi hissed the last part out to herself. “But worry not, my powers have not diminished so much that I’m unable to take-over her soul completely,” She attempted a sneer that inevitably failed on the puppet’s body but knowingly pretended ignorance to it so as not to draw any more shame to her than what was already done.

Faye, on the other hand, had just realized how silly she must have looked with her widened eyes and mouth left open to the cold air. She attempted to compose herself albeit failing to completely take off the look of bewilderment from her eyes. Between the time the two demon lords took to converse, Faye had had enough time to piece together some of the information they were throwing around. She had also heard Alisa when the older woman explained about the demon lord. It suddenly made sense to her. That was the voice she had heard during the invasion and that was the presence she had felt so much around her. Everything was almost clear now, however, despite the sudden enlightenment, Faye found herself tongue tied and baffled enough to not utter a word for some time longer.

When she did find her voice, she had finally noticed Snowflake next to the raven beauty and felt relieved. The presence of someone she knew –and was sure wouldn’t suddenly turn into a demon lord- made the girl feel comforted and she finally decided to break her silence, using her real voice now that her medium of communication was talking livelier than ever without her.

“Snow, thank Go-whatever spirit up there that you are here,” the girl sighed, then turned to Alisa. “And thank you for, uh, explaining that to me. I have started guessing some of it myself. Perhaps I should have a good conversation with…”

“There is nothing to talk about,” Levi intervened harshly. “You are in no place to hold any conversation with me yet. Later, you will listen to what I have to say and do what I tell you to do.”

The demon lord must have felt she had said enough –that or she must have felt unbearably envious of the powerful trio- that the upright puppet suddenly collapsed onto the ground, once again in an odd angle from which it neither twitched nor rose up from. It seemed she had signed off for the night.

Faye sighed.  

made by Wolf of GS

It shouldn't have happened but you let it Now you're down on the ground screaming medic The only thing that comes is the post-traumatic stresses Shields, body armors and vests don't properly work That's why you're in a locker full of hurt The enemy within and all the fires from your friends The best medicine's to probably just let it win These battle scars don't look like they're fading

Faye hardly felt the touch on her head and shoulders. Usually, she would have politely declined the gesture as it made her feel too childish to be comforted so at such an age. However, for the time being, she was so lost in her own thoughts that Faye allowed it without meaning to. She had been guessing all this time but now with Asmodeus mentioning a vessel of her own, she suddenly realized the gist of what was happening. It seemed that these demon lords existed by making use of human vessels. Only, for some strange reason the demon lord Leviathan seemed to have ended up possessing Hana instead of directly taking control of her body. Judging from their conversation, it wasn’t anything quite normal either.

Alisa seemed to be glad that Levi did not have such a big influence on her, and Faye nodded while taking in her advice. She could understand where her concern was coming from. After realizing she had such a close acquaintance with a demon, even Faye herself was starting to think up of ways to keep her guard up. While the idea of a demon possessing such an adorable puppet did not seem much like a threat for the time being, she could not rule out the possibility that there could come a time when Levi might grow stronger. She might grow more aggressive with her demands for Faye, or they would come to mutually respect each other. It would still pay to be careful.

When the topic steered back towards the invasion, Faye had her own questions. “I wonder what their motive is. Where they looking for something? Or was it just as simple as an offensive invasion with no other agenda but to wreak havoc?” Faye mused, bending to pick the fallen puppet up. As she stood back up, she brushed it off of any dirt or dust. Since it felt too weird to place the recently possessed doll back on her hand, she held it tightly on her right, also putting the silver Blue Pegasus insignia on her wrist at full view.

“I’m not sure how much of a help I will be at my current state. But, if I’m not wrong, this…this demon lord woke up right around the time we fought the demons,” Faye mentioned, giving a quick glance towards Snow at the word ‘we’. She continued, “What that possibly means is that they give away high amount of demonic energy whenever a rift is opened. If you are to treat the demons like radars –like Alisa suggested in nicer words- perhaps we will get something out of it…”. The thought was not complete since Faye was not certain, but it was not all wrong either. There was a good chance that Asmodeus and herself with their demons could now figure out more about the sudden demonic invasions than any other normal group of mages. She was just not sure which side this new demon would choose to take.

“Ah, yes,” Faye suddenly noticed when Alisa spoke of working together. “Since the two of you are so closely associated with Snowflake, I’m guessing we are all from Blue Pegasus. It is such a strange coincidence we met here than in the guild but I suppose it is a very fortunate encounter. We really should work together,” Faye agreed, and then fell silent. She was still not very used to speaking up by herself. There was always Hana for that but since things have come this far, she made up her mind that she really needed to have a talk with the demoness later whether it liked it or not.

made by Wolf of GS