Chapter Text
I call out to Bea, "Hey, wait for me!"
The Spawn of Sloth stops walking with the three exchange students as I catch up. Goatstar bleats.
"Apologies, I-"
"Were you feeling awkward too?" she cuts me off.
"Unfortunately."
"I was showing them to their classes. Do you know where you"re going?"
"I…do not."
"Check your Tasks on your D.D.D."
I pull my D.D.D. out of my pocket and flip it open. The screen unlocks, and I"m met with an array of application icons on a plain gradient background. Bea comes over to me and leans over.
"That." She points to a R.A.D. badge icon. "That’s your Tasks app. It has your school schedule, grades, all that stuff."
I open the app, and I"m met with an attendance card that automatically stamps itself.
"Oh yeah, there"s also that." She turns to the exchange students. "Don"t forget to log in daily. Otherwise, you"ll be counted absent."
The exchange students click to flip open their D.D.D.s. She focuses back on me and guides me through the Tasks application. I find my schedule.
Isaiah"s Schedule
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Classes
Forbidden Lore 101 (11:00 am to 11:50 am)
Ethics of Soul Contracts (12:00 pm to 12:50 pm)
Infernal Languages and Communications (1:00 pm to 1:50 pm)
Tuesday and Thursday Classes
Hexes and Curses (2:00 pm to 3:00 pm)
Intro to Ancient Relics (3:00 pm to 3:50 pm)
"I"ve got Forbidden Lore in…"
I check the time: 10:40 am.
"20 minutes."
"Forbidden Lore 101 at 11?" Jacey squeaks, "I"ve got the same class; we can walk together!"
"Forbidden Lore is on the third floor; you shouldn"t miss it."
"Oh, but our tour…"
"Tasks has a map of the school with all the classes. You’ll be fine without me."
Jacey beams. "Oh my! For the Spawn of Sloth, you"re certainly proactive!"
"I guess…"
"Isaiah, could we walk together? I"d love to pick your brain a bit more!"
"Sure, might as well, right?" I shrug, the angel happily trots up next to me, and we begin walking to class. She waves Leonardo goodbye, and he returns it with a shrug. I wave goodbye to Bea, and she simply raises her hand at me before lowering it.
As we stroll through the hallway, we are surrounded by its stone architecture and warm lighting provided by chandeliers holding many candles. Jacey gazes at the scenery with radiance and joy that could rival the flame of a candle. A menagerie of students hangs around in the main hall, killing time before classes by talking, laughing, etc.
"Bea said the classroom is on the third floor," I notice the beginning of the spiral staircase.
"Ooh, a climb, just like at home!"
"Are there a lot of stairs in the Celestial Realm?"
"A lot just to get to the gates!"
Every word out of her mouth is full of genuine joy. She doesn"t hesitate to ask me questions as we climb the spiral staircase.
"Why is your uniform red, but everyone else"s is gray?"
"Oh, it"s just because I"m the prince. My uniform is unique to reflect that."
"But the other student council are royalty too, aren"t they? Princesses. Why are their uniforms the same as everyone else"s?"
"I"m not too sure about that. I believe it"s a matter of status; I"m the king"s son while they are the daughters of lords."
"And lords are not on par with a king?"
"Here? No. My father rules all the Devildom; each lord rules over a single ring."
"I see, I see. We don"t have a system like this in the Celestial Realm; Father is in charge, and Michael and Gabriel aid him."
"Your father?"
"Not my father. Father."
I blink.
"I know it can be quite confusing," she says. "Father is the one who created six of the seven lords, according to Uncle Luke."
"Oh!" I realize.
"Father is our version of Diavolo, just less involved."
"Michael and Gabriel tend to do a lot of his work, don"t they?"
"They tend to be his messengers because he"s always busy."
"Must be nice."
"Hm?"
"Oh, I meant it must be nice to have a king that does his share of work."
"King Diavolo does plenty, does he not?"
I shrug. "He does, but he doesn"t enjoy doing work."
"What leader does?"
"He just doesn"t enjoy doing work, and I theorize he just doesn"t like being told what to do."
"That"s what Uncle Luke has told me," Jacey says, twirling a strand of her curls with her finger. "He would tell me stories about his time here and describe King Diavolo as that way. He had a quote to describe demons; ‘No matter how many eons pass, the demon remains bound to their nature.’"
"Unfortunately, my father"s nature is to be forever childish."
She giggles.
"Does something amuse you?" I inquire, and she nods.
"It"s hard to believe you"re the son of Diavolo and Evangeline. You"re so uptight, it"s funny." Her face is warm and kind as she smiles.
"I believe that a king should be focused. Of course, all work and no play dulls a demon"s horns, but my father plays too much."
"Your mother was the same."
I stop, and Jacey almost tumbles forward. She turns to me, and the warmth on her face remains, but her expression is apologetic.
"You knew my mother?" My mouth feels dry.
She shakes her head.
"Not personally, no. My father did, though."
A weight lifts off my chest.
"My apologies."
"No, no, bringing her up was rude. I apologize."
"Truly, I am sorry I have made the situation-"
"We should just-"
"Of course, of course. We should get to class."
We are halfway through the second floor as we press on.
"What was my mother like, according to your father?"
Jacey fidgets with her uniform cape but keeps her smile.
"He"d tell me about how she wasn"t a big fan of being one of Father"s messengers. She took over after Lucifer"s fall, but before that, she was a guardian angel that watched over humans."
"Did she enjoy humans? Humanity in general?"
She nods. "A bit too much. Sometimes, she"d disguise herself as a human just to go down there and...well, hang around."
"That"s how she met my father."
"Yeah, and the rest is history."
We arrive on the third floor.
“History indeed…”
We’re met with various doors, each leading to a specific classroom. Jacey holds up her D.D.D. and points to her right.
“This way, with time to spare too. We’re 10 minutes early!”
We continue walking towards the designated room. The student chatter faded as we climbed the stairs; the third floor was almost entirely silent.
“Are you nervous? This is your first day at your father’s academy. There are a lot of expectations and such,” she continues, asking her questions.
“I think I’ll survive,” I tell her as we enter the classroom for Forbidden Lore.
A large classroom with arched windows letting the moonlight in. The same stone walls, ceiling, and chandelier as the hallway we just came in from. Rows of wooden tables with quills and benches to sit. Jacey bounces with excitement.
“Let’s sit here!” She points to a table far back from the class.
“The back?”
Our voices have a slight echo in the empty room.
She nods. “Unless you prefer to be in the front? Because you’re a prince and all.”
“Oh, no, it’s not that. I assumed you would have enjoyed sitting in the front.”
“I do, but I want to sit next to the moon.”
“Okay, we can sit there.”
We moved to the back of the class and sat ourselves. She chose to sit close to the window. I took out my D.D.D. and saw a message from Bea.
Bea: Wya?
I text back.
Me: What?
Bea: Wya?
Me: What does that mean?
Bea: Where You At? Where are you?
I should brush up on text slang.
Me: Forbidden Lore classroom with Jacey.
I watch the typing bubbles on her end appear and disappear.
She texts back.
Bea: Oh lol
Me: Where else could I have been?
Bea: Idk lol
Students begin entering the classroom in small groups, talking amongst themselves. Class is about to start.
Me: I’ll text later. Class is starting.
I close my D.D.D. and put it in my pocket.
“I heard our professor’s a human!” I hear one demon remark.
A couple of demons sit at the desk in front of us.
“Yeah, a real-life human,” One of them says, “isn’t that weird?”
“Quite,” The other demon responds, his voice sounding…wait a minute.
“Ides?” I let it slip.
Both of them turn to me and-
“Young Master,” Ides’s eyes brighten. “My apologies I did not seek you out sooner-”
“Ides, it’s fine.”
“You know the prince?” His friend asks.
His purple and orange? Blonde? His hair is purple with highlights. It’s uneven and long in the back but short in the front. His skin is tan, and his eyes are green, like the color of a pear. He looks at me and scoffs.
“So you’re the prince.”
Is there some mileage in bringing up my status?
I don’t want to sound big-headed, but surely people would know me.
“Are you two real demons?”Jacey interjects, looking between Ides and his friend.
“Spawns, unfortunately.” Ides replies, “Are you a real angel?”
“I’m a spawn too!”
“Welcome to the club,” The purple-haired demon chuckles as he offers his hand for her to shake. “Name’s M.J.”
She shakes his hand. “M.J.?”
“Short for”
“Alright, class is in session!” The professor enters the room.
“Anyway, it’s short for Mephistopheles Junior.” M.J. finishes his thought.
Where have I heard that name before?
I brush the thought aside and face forward to the professor at the front of the room, who’s writing his name on a larger chalkboard.
Professor Solomon.
He turns to face the class with a smile.
“My name is Solomon, and I will be your Forbidden Lore professor for the semester.”
He’s wearing an entirely black outfit similar to Miles’s. The difference is that the professor is wearing a black and blue cape resembling the night sky as a fabric.
“We’re only covering the syllabus today, so don’t hesitate to ask questions about the course.”
“There was a syllabus?” I hear M.J. whisper to Ides, who nods.
“Do not tell me you forgot…” he whispers. His eyes dart to me and then back to M.J.
“Dude, I didn’t even know it existed.”
“Is there something interesting back there?” The professor calls the two out.
“Shit,” M.J. mutters.
“Nothing of the sort, sir.” Ides keeps his cool, as expected from the Spawn of Barbados. “We had a question regarding the syllabus?”
“Oh? And what might that question be?”
“The syllabus mentions The War of the Lords; which version are we covering?”
Version?
Ides continues. “Are we covering the original or the autobiographical version written by Lord Satan?”
“Interesting question…” Professor Solomon trails off.
“Ides. My name is Ides, sir.”
“Interesting question, Ides.” he smiles. “I forgot to print that onto the syllabus, but we are covering both versions of the War of the Lords and comparing the two as they have unique perspectives.”
Jacey shoots her hand up into the air, waving it as well.
“Yes, you in the back?”
“How much Devildom history are we going to be covering? I didn’t have time to read the syllabus, and I don’t wish to fall behind, so I’m just curious-”
“You’re an exchange student, yes?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Then there’s a bit of a grace period, although it extends to all students, seeing as the Student Council had a slight delay due to an incident earlier this morning. I assure you, you will not fall behind. However, if you are still worried about it, I will have office hours for further discussion.”
“Thank you, sir! Oh! And one more question?”
“Yes?”
“As a human, why are you teaching here at R.A.D.?”
“Aha,” the professor chuckles, “let’s just say I feel a little bit more at home among demons than with fellow humans.”
Jacey puts her hand down for a millisecond before shooting it back into the air.
“Yes, Ms..?”
“Jacey, and I had another question! What was the incident from earlier today?”
The classroom suddenly fills up with quiet gasps and whispering.
She looks around, and her smile fades.
She whispers to me, “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, it’s alright,” I whisper to her.
“All I was told was that the Student Council has this under control,” Professor Solomon states matter-of-factly.
M.J. snickers under his breath. “Yeah, right…”
I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel annoyed that I, alongside the princesses, must handle an ‘incident’ so large given the subject matter.
“You in the red uniform,” the professor calls me out, and I sit as straight as possible.
“Yes, Professor Solomon?”
“What is your name?”
“Isaiah.”
“Prince Isaiah!” Jacey chimes in, “He’s the son of Diavolo!”
A few students snicker around us, but Professor Solomon shakes his head and chuckles.
“I thought I recognized your uniform. When you get the chance, tell Diavolo I said hi.”
“Of course, sir.” I shake it off. It feels like I’m shaking a lot of things off.
“I might as well let you all out early, but remember to check the syllabus for the next class. We will begin talking about The War of the Lords.”
Students began leaving in droves; I turned to Jacey.
“So, was this everything you dreamed?” I ask, and she nods.
“Wait, you dream of going to class?” M.J. joins in, but he and Ides are still seated.
“Not going to class, but attending R.A.D. was definitely on my bucket list!” Jacey answers.
“Bucket list?”
“Yes, it’s a human tradition where you list off-”
“No, no, I know what a bucket list is, but, like, dude. Angels and demons can’t kick the bucket.”
“Unless someone kicks it for you,” Ides says a little dryly.
“I’ll kick your bucket; I can’t believe you’re dropping out of The Night Mares.”
“Not this again.”
“You’re in a band, Ides?”
“Ooh, a band? D-Rock?”
“D-emo-n D-Rock.”
“I was in a band, but I must drop out for personal matters.”
“To be your bootlicker.” M.J. points to me, then glares at Ides, “Must be a nice pair of boots.”
“I don’t enjoy wearing boots.” I took out my D.D.D. and saw that I had been added to another group chat.
The R.A.D. Student Council
“Let’s continue this out in the hallway,” Ides says. He gets up and leaves the classroom, and M.J. stumbles to follow him. I get off the bench, and Jacey follows. She immediately runs up to Professor Solomon, though. I follow M.J. and Ides into the hall. M.J. wears his uniform all wrong; his black tie, as are a few of his shirt buttons, aren’t properly done up. He wears his jacket over his shoulders and black fingerless gloves.
“Got a staring problem, Prince?” He scoffs, and I clear my throat.
“Apologies,” I tell him.
He focuses on Ides again; “You can’t just drop out of the band, Ides. If we don’t have a drummer, we don’t have a band.”
“I do not know what to tell you, M.J. My duties come before my extracurriculars.”
“I didn’t even know you were in a band, Ides. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ides’s shoulders stiffen. “Young Master, I prefer to keep my professional and personal lives as separate as I can. The band is part of my personal life, well, was part of my personal life.”
“I never knew you were even in a band, and you were a drummer?”
“The best in the nine rings, Prince.” M.J. states.
Jacey rushes out of the classroom with a large stack of papers, a few slipping away from her grasp. “Hey! Can someone give me a hand with these?” She squeaks, swaying her head from side to side, trying to get a good view of us.
I approach her and take over half her stack so she can see over the papers.
“What even are these?”
“Oh, I asked Professor Solomon for some supplementary material, extra credit, and also any personal notes he might have about the course!” She titters. “I’m going to his office hours; I want to know what R.A.D. was like when he attended here as an exchange student!”
“He had all this but still gave us a syllabus day?” M.J. snickers. “Guess he’s…kinda cool.”
“I’m going to scrapbook all of this and more! So, what were you guys talking about?”
“The usual; Ides being a slave to the crown.”
“You can find another drummer.”
“Not one as talented as you, scumbag.”
“Is scumbag a common insult down here?”
“You adding that to the pile?”
“Yes!”
“That was sarcasm, Jacey,” I tell her.
“Oh! Well, I would still like to include the demonic language in my research!”
“‘Scumbag’ is a common insult that originated from the Pride Ring,” Ides explains, “although it is regularly used in most rings. Greed is the only place you are not allowed to say it.”
“How come?”
“Lord Mammon’s super touchy about it,” M.J. says.
“If my hands weren’t full, I’d be scribbling all this down!”
“You guys have fun with your homework. I’m gonna chill at the Light Music clubroom with Six and Seven.”
“Ooh, a Light Music Club? Can I come?” Jacey inquires.
“Sure, why the hell not? Can’t guarantee we’ll play without a-”
“M.J. do not be rude to an exchange student. If she’d like a show, I suppose I could play one more time. If it is alright with Young Master.” I’m sure Ides turned to me as he said that but I can’t see beyond the stack of work I took from Jacey.
“You don’t have to ask me, Ides,” I tell him.
“Then what the hell are we standing around for? Let’s go already!”
Ides takes a small stack of papers from mine so I can see where I’m going. M.J. and Jacey are already ahead of us. Ides’s red-painted lips smile at me.
“I apologize for M.J.’s demeanor, Young Master,” he says, “he is a lot.”
“How come you never told me you were in a band? I always knew you were into music, but I didn’t know you played it.”
“As I’ve stated-” he pauses for a second, “Young Master, may I speak honestly?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you. Let’s walk and talk.”
As we walk through the hallway together, Ides begins to explain. “As I’ve stated before, I prefer to separate my personal and professional lives. You are part of my professional life as my charge and the crown prince of the Devildom. The band was part of my personal life. Occasionally, I would join up with M.J. and the Night Mares to perform for school events.”
“Then what changed?”
I think I know what he’s thinking.
You.
“You.”
I just nod my head.
“Please do not take this the wrong way, Young Master. Now that you are attending R.A.D., I must put aside my personal life to ensure you are safe and comfortable here. Otherwise, I would be doing a great disservice to King Diavolo, Father, and all the years Father has spent training me to be-”
“One hell of a butler?”
He looks at me.
“Sorry.”
“No, no, it’s alright, Young Master. I found the comment amusing.”
“No, I’m sorry you have to quit your band for me. It doesn’t feel fair.”
“Life is not fair, Young Master. As your butler, you are my responsibility until someone states otherwise.”
“You’re not just my butler, Ides.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, Young Master.”
“I’m serious, you’re more than just my servant. My first night at the House of Lamentation and without you, I was a little lost…a little lonely even.”
Ides begins to chuckle, “Pardon me, Young Master. When you get so serious, you almost resemble the king.”
“I…I do?”
“Indeed.”
Was that an insult or a compliment?
“I am curious, Ides.”
“Yes, Young Master?”
“Am I just…work to you?”
Ides’s gaze softens, “Young Master, I never intended to make you feel this way.”
He didn’t say no…maybe I am just work.
“I think it was my wording,” I say, “you said I’m part of your professional life but I always thought that…”
Stop it.
“Nevermind, I’m just rambling.”
“Are you sure, Young Master?”
“I’m sure, Ides.”
You’re just work to him.
“If this means anything to you, Young Master…” he continues. “The ones who say the work should be impervious to play have never met a demon like your father. I can only hope to figure out how he balances the two so well.”
“The two? I’d…well, I’d argue he does one more over the other.”
“May I speak freely, Young Master?”
I nod.
“I suggest giving King Diavolo a bit more credit for his efforts. Your father didn’t walk for you to refuse to even skip.”
We arrive at the doors to the light music club room.
“Ides, what did you mean?” I get one more question in before Ides reaches the door handle with a free hand.
He gives me that same smile. “You put the young in Young Master, Isaiah. You’ll most likely learn when you fulfill your role as King.”
Have I been too hard on Father?
No wonder he doesn’t care for me.
Ides opens the door for me, and I step through. The Light Music Club"s room is certainly...a spectacle. The walls are almost smothered with graffiti art and band posters. The furniture has black leather couches with a few tears in the arms of one. The small stage is the room"s focal point, with amplifiers, speakers, and a drum set. The three wide windows behind the drum set could be their own source of lighting when the moon was just right. I look over to a couch on the side of the room where Jacey is seated next to all her papers. The guy beside her has wild black and blue hair in a high ponytail. He"s showing her how to play a guitar.
"M.J. isn"t here?" Ides speaks up, and the black and blue-haired guy looks up and smiles.
"He was, but he fucked off for a "newspaper emergency" or something." He explains. I put the papers down on the empty couch, and Ides does the same after closing the door behind him.
"So, you"re the prince," The guy points at me. "The name"s Six."
His uniform is worn a bit...better than M.J."s, although he"s ditched the jacket entirely and instead just wears the shirt open with a black undershirt. His eyes are green with some sort of red gradient.
"Six?"
"Six. Like, the number."
"Right."
He looks at Ides. "He"s not too bright; makes sense for the son of the King." He has two silver rings piercing the left side of his bottom lip.
"Be nice," Ides tells him.
"Hey, I"m not too happy about you dropping out for him, but M.J. said you wanted to do one more show?"
"For our newest exchange student."
Six turns to Jacey, who"s focused on her fingering along the guitar"s fretboard. It"s a blue and white electric guitar, incredibly tame despite Six"s...intense appearance. She looks up and smiles.
"Hi, Isaiah!" she greets joyfully. I awkwardly wave back.
"Six was teaching me how to play guitar. Apparently, it"s not all that different from the Celestial Realm."
Six returns to her, sitting by her side. "You"ve got a good sense of the fretboard," he tells her. "That"s a start."
"Considering joining the Light Music Club, Jacey?" Ides inquires.
"Maybe there are so many things I want to do while I"m here."
"We haven"t had a girl in the band since Candy." Six remarks. "Would be a welcome change of pace if you"re serious about joining."
"Candy was in the Light Music Club?" I sit on the couch closest to me, right next to Jacey"s papers.
"She was just a stand-in for Seven during a school festival." Ides takes off his gloves and tucks them into his jacket pocket. He walks towards the red and black drum set at the back of the room near the windows.
"What did she play?"
"Bass."
"Electric bass, not that giant cello you probably have," Six says with a tone of mockery I don"t appreciate.
"I"m aware of what an electric bass is," I tell him.
"Really? I assumed you"d just listen to classical music."
"I like classical music," Jacey interjects. "But-"
BA-DUM! BOM! CRASH!
We all face Ides"s direction as he holds up two drumsticks. "I found my drumsticks." He says, "Just warming up." He spins them in his hands.
The door opens, and M.J. strolls through the room to the stage with another incredibly similar student to Six. His hair is white and pink but done up in the same style.
"Alright, we ready to go?" M.J. gets onto the slightly elevated stage and gets behind the microphone.
"I"m gonna need this, Angel," Six tells Jacey, gingerly taking the guitar from her. He gets up from the sofa to take his place on the stage. She invites me over, and I oblige, moving to sit beside her. From here, I have a much better view of Ides. While the band begins setting up their amps and speakers, I try making conversation.
“Jacey, I realized I never properly answered your question,” I say.
“I’ve asked a lot of questions, Prince Isaiah. You’re going to need to be a smidge more specific!”
“Um, when you asked “what leader does?” in response to-”
“Oh, you saying King Diavolo plays too much?”
The speaker"s awkward feedback makes both of us grit our teeth as we focus on the band whose members are all staring at us. M.J. with a particular cocky smirk.
“The Prince himself hates his old man, ain’t that the twist of the century?”
He’s really starting to get on my nerves.
“Hate is a very strong-”
“Correct-”
“Word.”
“So it’s the correct word.”
“No, I just-”
M.J. carelessly swings the microphone stand in one hand and holds the microphone itself in the other. “Look Prince, I get it. I hate my old man too, pompous dick.”
He’s really on my nerves.
“I never said I hated my father. Sometimes he can just be-”
“Annoying?”
“No-”
“Loud?”
“No-”
“Persis-”
This guy-
The next thing I know; I am on my feet, blindly walking to the stage. I grab M.J.’s tie with one hand and ball my other hand into a fist. I pull him forward and look down at him, seeing that he’s just a few inches shorter than I when he tries to shrink himself down.
“ Interrupt me again. ”
I don’t recognize the sound of my voice.
“ Do it. ”
What is this?
“ See what happens next. ”
His pupils shrink.
“Young Master.” Ides touches my shoulder and…
I’m back.
I exhale.
M.J. drops onto the stage with a thud . I look at Ides and the fear in his eyes, it’s alien to me. He’s standing by my side.
“Breathe.”
I breathe; in…and out. In…and out.
My shoulders feel lighter and I sigh. I lend a hand to M.J.
“My apologies,” I tell him.
He looks at my hand then looks at me. I give him my best smile, but he rolls his eyes. He gets back up on his own. The tension in the air is still there as silence fills the room.
“I am sorry, I had no idea what came over me.”
“It’s…” he shrugs. “Whatever. You royals are really all the same, huh?”
“I’m…I’m going to leave.”
I hop off the stage and immediately rush towards the door, open it and disappear into the hallway. I don’t think I’m running.
It doesn’t feel like I’m running.
It feels like I’m just disappearing.
Fading even.
I don’t even register where I’m disappearing to.
I just needed to get out.
I just need to get out.
Out.
Outside.
I’m outside in the gardens.
My heart is in my throat.
The beating is in my ears.
I smell smoke.
Smoke?
I finally take in my surroundings; A courtyard garden under the moonlight. The stone walls and pathways are clear. Purple smoke trails from behind a group of bushes. I step carefully, inching closer and closer to the bushes. I pull them back and…it’s just Bea. Bea is lying there on her back, asleep with a black cigarette in her mouth. Her sleeping mask is over her eyes. She shouldn’t be sleeping while smoking. She shouldn’t be smoking on school property in general, but this is not the time. I kneel down and delicately pull the cigarette out of her mouth then drop it to the ground and put it out with my foot. She shifts in her sleep, curling up.
There’s a slight breeze out here but it’s nothing too serious.
She’s folded up her jacket and is using it like a pillow.
I take off my jacket and drape it over her.
She stops curling up.
I sit by her.
I guess we both needed a moment to relax.