The Demon Lord Is An Angel
Chapter 197: Hideaway

Chapter 197: Hideaway

Rainier groaned as he woke up, his head not exactly pounding but not exactly alright either.

It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t in his own bed...

"Mmm..." Cassie groaned, her arm hugged around his waist as she snored peacefully.

The events of last night hit him all at once. The drinking. The sex. Part of him felt... lighter. But a more insistent part of him was sounding the alarm that he’d done something very, very dangerous.

Every other part of him was bruised and aching, the injuries of the previous night having been reduced by the medics but not completely removed.

As quietly as he could, Rain slipped out of her reach, quietly falling off the bed as he tried not to stand until she was no longer touching him. He gathered up his clothes and opened the door, slipping the couple of measures distance to his own room.

By the look of things, it was late morning. But no one had come to get them for training...

Remembering the banquet last night, it wasn’t a hard stretch to realize they’d been given the day off.

After a shower that failed to dispel his anxiety, Rainier donned his clothes. He considered holing up in his room, but knowing Cassie was right next door, and not knowing what their relationship was now, his thoughts eventually took him to the one place that he knew would have the fewest angels and Elevated about.

*

The library was quiet, but then again it was always quiet. The small construct that kept the books dusted and sorted was currently in its receptacle, which slowly pulsed yellow as it recharged with mana.

Normally Rain could ask it to be led to books by subject, but not while it was charging. Fortunately, Rain knew where to find the books from Ayther, and it was to that section that he directed his footsteps.

Finding a large tome on the wars of two millennia ago, Rain had just set himself down to open it when a quiet rustle sounded from behind his shoulder.

"Oof, I know that look," Malzkael said. "So Cassie finally got her hooks in you too?"

Rain flinched, nearly shouldering Malz in the chin. "Malz, why are you here?" he asked after turning.

"Same reason as you, I assume. Avoiding people," she smirked, the black lipstick on her dark but reflective. "So how was it?"

"How was what?"

"Sex. With Cassie."

"I don’t think I should-"

"Look, I only ask because I had a... similar experience. A while back," Malz’s voice softened. "Afterwards... she completely lost interest in me... And honestly, it’s all kinda hazy, so I’m just trying to help you assess the damage."

Rain sighed. "It was fine. We were both kind of drunk..."

"Oof. How much did you two drink?" Malz sat across from Rain. With her wings stowed, she looked like a normal, if darkly dressed, elf.

"Not including dinner, about two bottles of Heavenberry spirits," Rain rested his forehead against his hand, the elbow propped against the table. "I normally don’t drink to excess... but last night..." He remembered all the different ways Cassie had fed him alcohol after they’d gotten started. "Gah, I just hope she forgets or something..."

A long, awkward silence passed between them.

"You don’t want her to forget," Malz warned. "If she knows she’s had her fun, she’ll probably go find someone else. And if she’s still interested..." she shrugged. "I suppose she’s an alright girlfriend as long as she gets what she wants... Though I’m sure everyone else thinks ’sleeping with the help’ is beneath her." Malz made air quotes with her fingers.

Rain grimaced. He had a decent rapport with Malz, enough to speak frankly of their opinions of the Executioners, and the Elevated. Through Malz, Rain knew that the Elevated were pretty much a solution to the stark reality that there were less than a million pure angels in total. The Elevated were worshippers, spies, former slaves, and useful agents who had been rewarded with transubstantiation and positions directly serving angels. And now they were being funneled specifically into Executioner squads for reasons even Malz had been unable to divine.

Rain finally settled on "I just don’t want to cause trouble. Cassie’s a good squad leader when she’s sober. Last night was... just an aberration."

"For what it’s worth, I’m glad you came out of last night intact," Malz said, reaching across the table to give Rain’s hand a squeeze.

"Are we still talking about Cassie or-"

"The tempest roc, you dolt," Malz let go of his hand and sat back in her seat, crossing her arms. "If you really want to know, the only big debate about you two was whether or not you fancied boys over girls."

"I don’t... I don’t care about that sort of thing," Rain said.

That got Malz curious, and when she was curious her eyebrows stayed just a bit more raised than normal.

In all their interactions, Malz had studiously avoided the subject of Rain’s interests and sexuality, but today she was being particularly nosy; if Rain was thinking uncharitably.

Something seemed to rest at the edge of Malz’s lips. Something that she wanted to say.

But then the moment passed, and Malz said, "Just... be careful with Cassie," Malz said. "There’s no law against it, but Elevated aren’t supposed to mix with angels... And if there are kids down the line, they’ll suffer for it..."

She held her arm, looking away.

"Why?" Rain asked.

Malz stared at him for a long moment. "You’ve never heard of House Memoriam, have you?"

Rain shook his head.

"Well, that’s where I’m from. Descended from, at any rate... It used to be the Choir Memoriam, and our motto was Memento Veritatis, Memento Unitatis, Memento Mori..."

Rain’s ears perked up a bit. "That doesn’t sound like angelic," he said.

"That’s because it isn’t," Malz replied. "It’s a far, far older language. One of several once taught by Eyko. ’Remember Truth. Remember Unity. Remember Death.’ Grim shit, right?"

"It seems reasonable," Rain said. "Those are all very important things."

"Not in a world that would rather forget," Malz countered. "Not in Heaven."

"Why?" Rain asked.

Malky puffed some air past her lips, pursing them for just a moment. "The rest of angelic society took a bit of exception to that middle part. It might have taken a few millennia but we got whittled down. Pushed out of power, dueled, exiled... or made the vanguard of Harrowings.

All because we weren’t as ’pure’ as the rest of them. I barely know anything about my own House, but I do know that my great-great-grandmother was an elf, and supposedly we are descended from Eyko herself. Hence the black wings. My parents were idiots. They thought that the House Memoriam had cursed itself... But when I started looking into it," she gestured at the library around them, "I pretty much figured out it was anything but a curse."

"Why become an Executioner then?" Rain asked. "Wouldn’t that just be... risking what’s left?"

"Because I want to find out more. And guess where the exiles got sent, with all their books and secrets."

"Ayther," Rain guessed.

"Exactly. Not everything about being an Executioner is hunting. We’d get plenty of days off. Missions to check on Aytherians for heresy. Meetups with locals who might wind up Heaven-sent. I can’t help but feel there’s something down there that can help me restore my House. "

"As long as we survive," Rain said.

"There’s that," Malz smirked. "My problem is Heaven wasn’t exactly keeping records of where my ancestors ended up... But I think you’ll do fine. If you can survive her."

"Can’t be that hard, right?" Rain smiled nervously, a light pair of chuckles escaping him.

"Maybe not. Just don’t ask what happened to the guy you replaced."

"That I...?"

"Don’t. Ask." Malz said firmly. "Please promise me."

Rain swallowed. "Alright, Malz. I won’t ask."

"Thank you," she replied. "Sorry about interrupting you. I’m glad you’re alright."

"Malz..." Rain bit his lip before continuing. "Could you do me a favor and, uh, see if Cassie and I are really related? I still can’t read enough Angelic to figure out where to look."

A strange look came over Malz’s face, but she didn’t seem disapproving; just sad.

"I’ll see what I can find." She stood up and disappeared quickly amongst the shelves, leaving Rain wondering just how bad things might become...

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