Chapter 104: Lilith
"A Diamond Drakion..." the demon murmured, his eyes gradually returning to a more human shape and color. "No wonder Lilith chose you. Which means you're not even a full cambion yet."
Blanche hadn't paid much attention the first time he mentioned it, but now she wanted answers.
"Lilith's power... You brought it up earlier. What exactly does that mean?"
"Demons are born in Hell, when corrupted souls end up there after death. Down there, they live through a true nightmare. The older and more powerful they become, the higher they climb... and the more they become like me."
Asmodeus looked uncomfortable.
Truly uncomfortable.
Which, honestly, was already such a rare historical event that it deserved to be carved into stone.
Since meeting him, Blanche had seen him arrogant, charming, mocking, provocative, theatrical, vaguely megalomaniacal, and occasionally terrifying.
But embarrassed?
Never.
And yet the expression crossing his face looked dangerously close to exactly that.
As though someone had just handed him a particularly cruel mirror.
As though his brain had suddenly decided to replay their entire conversation at high speed.
Every single one.
One by one.
With the horrifying hindsight that only a family revelation could provide.
Blanche practically watched him do the math.
And the further he progressed through his memories, the worse his expression became.
Because only a few minutes ago, he had thought he was talking to an interesting young woman.
Just a friend. An old acquaintance he hadn't seen in what? Ten years?
Not his daughter.
Definitely not his daughter.
The problem was that Asmodeus had spent the entire conversation behaving like... well, Asmodeus.
In other words, like a multi-millennial demon incapable of filtering a single embarrassing detail.
He had bragged about his murders.
With almost refreshing honesty.
He had talked about his manipulations.
His wars.
His centuries of debauchery.
His conquests.
And not just military conquests.
No.
The other kind.
The many, many other kind.
The sort a normal father generally avoids discussing during a first meeting with his child.
The demon's stare gradually went blank.
Like a man contemplating his own grave.
Then Blanche saw the exact moment his mind reached the heart of the problem.
His eyes widened slightly.
His jaw tightened.
And he dragged a hand across his face with the look of a man seriously considering changing dimensions.
By Lucifer...
The silence lasted a second.
In front of my own daughter.
Blanche had to summon every ounce of willpower not to burst out laughing.
A lost cause.
Her laughter escaped first, infecting both men until none of them could stop.
It dissolved into a collective fit of laughter.
Because the situation was objectively catastrophic.
And thoroughly deserved.
She could perfectly imagine the course of his thoughts.
Him, casually recounting several centuries of depravity the way a grandfather might describe a vacation.
Him, detailing his exploits with utterly scandalous pride.
Him, who had probably forgotten long ago that certain things were supposed to inspire shame.
And who was suddenly realizing, in horror, that he had done all of this in front of his child...
Wonderful.
Blanche had always thought family gatherings were awkward.
Christmas dinners.
Embarrassing questions.
Old photographs pulled out without permission.
Today she discovered there was an advanced level.
A level reserved for multi-millennial demon princes who realize far too late that they have just presented their daughter with a complete report of their crimes, executions, and romantic history.
The upside, at least, was that they had already blown past every possible awkward stage.
At this point, there was probably nothing left to reveal.
Although...
With Asmodeus, that assumption felt dangerously optimistic.
The most incredible thing, however, was his expression.
Because behind the embarrassment, behind the unexpected shame and obvious humiliation, Blanche sensed something else.
Something far more touching.
Asmodeus did not truly regret what he had been.
He did not regret becoming a demon.
He did not even regret his centuries of existence.
What he regretted was that she had heard it.
She.
His daughter.
As though, for the first time in a very long while, the image he projected to someone actually mattered.
As though her opinion had suddenly become more important than the rest of the world combined.
And that...
That was infinitely more revealing than all of his previous confessions.
He had missed her childhood, and he genuinely seemed to regret it.
Nevertheless, he returned to the conversation. It was important.
"Cambions, on the other hand, are born that way. They do not become cambions. Like certain species, they must reach adulthood before their powers manifest. Generally, they inherit the abilities of their demonic parent. Which means you're a succubus. The female equivalent of an incubus."
Kiyan pulled out a cigarette and offered one to the demon, who accepted with pleasure. He took the first drag, then handed it to Blanche.
She accepted it without thinking.
She had never smoked before, but now that she was immortal... why not?
She took a puff.
The taste was atrocious, but her Poison skill increased, which made her smile before she handed the cigarette back to her father.
"According to an ancient demonic legend, one day a demon will be born so powerful that Lilith's dormant power will seek them out and name them its successor. That's what happened to you, my Blanchette. Now I know it was at eighteen that the ancestral power of demons came to you."
"Successor?" Blanche repeated.
"Lilith's power allows its bearer to transform into a siren, a lamia, and a harpy. It also greatly amplifies demonic power. Lilith ruled Hell during Lucifer's slumber after his defeat at Michael's hands. According to the prophecy, whoever inherits her power is destined to rule Hell. Though Lucifer has reclaimed his throne for now."
"Oh, sure. Nothing major. Wow," Blanche laughed dryly. "I suppose I'm not exactly short on crowns anymore."
She stood and began pacing.
Eighteen...
At the rate things were moving, she would be celebrating that birthday in less than two months.
A siren...
Of course!
That was what Sapphire had been talking about the last time she saw him.
The rascal!
She smacked her forehead.
Idiot!
She owned a book about Lilith and had never even taken the time to read it.