While recruiting for the Vylian army, something happened that had never happened before. Everything Serena tried to repress, every unpleasant thought and emotion she'd tried to bury under a layer of hope and forgiveness, bubbled to the surface. Quicker than a blink, the black aura emanating from her deepened and spread, suddenly covering all of the Dark Forest.
Her eyes burned from teal to fathomless black, and her angel feather burned a glowing black beneath her dress. It burned, but this time, she didn't scream. She welcomed the burning, and the range of the dark mist doubled. An intricate illusion of black-feathered wings with sharp, bladelike teal tips unfurled, leaving the whole of her spine, especially near her shoulders, burning as if in a continuous fire. The feathers burst away, revealing bat-like wings with teal-tipped claws. They appeared to beat the mist out in greater quantities, deepening the black so that nothing could be seen for miles. The most power she'd ever manifested, and it all came from loneliness, from agony and rage that she'd tried to keep hidden even from herself. Soon, every demon in Adornia would bend their knee to her.
To Romain's consternation, Lachlan had not had time to run before the blackness spread to him. Even had he try to run, he could not have outrun the blackness. Dropped to a knee, head bowed at first, then seeing a flutter of teal-tipped wings his head raised in reverence. She looked...
Her wings changed, beating the mist out harder and longer. Demons from every corners of the realm made their way towards her. She was their Mecca.
Romain's new weapon could hardly but please him. She had not told him how long she would be staying this time, but after a display like that, he would sooner be a monkey's uncle then let her go. He would never admit to admiration though, only Romain was admirable.
Taking the time to look for his valet to see how he was responding to being so thoroughly brought to heel. Lachlan had never needed persuasion to be at her service. Romain noticed something, strange about him. Lachlan seemed less dazed then the other demons. Out of anyone he seemed the most himself. Yet how could such a thing have come to be? The first time she had enthralled him, he had been struck with awe in the literallest sense. This time he had must needs been taken by surprise. However he was the least affected. Romain calculated this. Where it anyone else, Romain would hate that the blackness of the demon command did not affect them, for they perchance rebel. However Lachlan, fancied himself to be Romain's friend. He was equally as devoted to his king as the command spell would have made him to Serena. Lachlan would never rebel.
Lachlan would never rebel. He would do anything for two of the most important people in his life.
This ability had never been meant to be used long-term or over such a large area, but damn it, why should she not be powerful? More importantly, why should she not be useful? She had a home here! People valued her! Even after her command spell wore off, the demons didn't rebel, and Romain seemed to appreciate that. And the others, they liked her cooking and her dancing and the general sense of fun she brought to the castle.
Not that there was anything fun about her now, such was her rage and despair, coupled with the overwhelming sense of pride that told her she deserved BETTER than the treatment she'd received when she was younger. Hell, even a few months younger!
The burning in her spine intensified as she beat out greater quantities of the dark mist. She made eye contact with Romain, proud and unwavering. The demons may be hers to command, but she was his weapon, and all he had to do was snap his fingers and point her where he wanted her.
She barely registered that Lachlan seemed pretty much himself, so consumed was she in her task. If she acknowledged him too much, she would lose focus, and if she lost focus, she would lose control, and if she lost control, she would lose her home here and be forced to go back to a world where she was ignored and taken for granted. She couldn't allow that to happen.
Lachlan could sense her spiralling but dared not to do anything. As hard as it was to see her so distraught, breaking her trance would be disastrous. He, too, looked to Romain for command.
As demons made their way to the castle at the heart of the forest. Once every demon in the land was circled there, they bent the knee and pledged they were hers to command.
"Ye're Romain's to command," Lachlan corrected. Every demonic head turned to him. There was a tense moment where Lachlan feared they would rebel, yet since Serena did not want them to, they did not. They agreed that they were Romain's to command.
Romain smirked satisfied. He had his army, larger and more powerful than ever before.
"Welcome, my friends," he said. "You will be treated well here, provided you remain loyal." The truth. Only under Romain had every peoples united. Outcasts normally flocked to him. Serena just gave some of them a boost, a homing beacon. He had always been ambitious and proud, now he was even prouder to have such support. Serena at his left hand, Lachlan at his right. Demons may be compelled to serve via Serena's power, but they chose to stay, did they not?
"Show them to their new rooms," he commanded. "Training begins after supper."
When the front-line knights were showing the demons where they'd be staying, Serena's control wavered, then released as she collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily. She was getting better at maintaining control, but coming out of it was getting harder and harder.
Lucifer had felt the beacon as well. It originated from his power, after all, the feather he had given his wife. He was at her side in an instant. "She'll be fine," he assured Romain. "Perhaps I'll hold her steady next time."
Luci carried his wife to the suite they shared with Lachlan and set her on the bed. They'd done some light renovations via magic and now, the three of them slept in a large bed rather than one bed for Lachlan and one bed for the other two. After all, Lucifer was technically 'with' both of them. He sat next to her and stroked her hair. "You can't keep relying on pain and hatred," he said miserably. "Trust me. I would know."
Romain's face tightened, he frowned. Serena was of great use to him before she had collapsed. He did not wish this to be a regular occurrence.
"See that you do," he said to Lucifer. "If she faints again, it will be down to you to keep my demons under control." He had been equally intrigued by Lucifer. The angel had stronger control than his wife but had not utilized it as of yet. Romain was no fool, he knew that Lucifer had only stayed her for his wife's sake. He had no interest in the going on's of Adornia or it's politics. But he could be useful, a backup general. So he was allowed to stay at Castle Vylia.
***
Lachlan was right on Luci's heals as they went to the suite. The bedroom was painted black and soft pink now, a concession to Serena's tastes.
"He's right," Lachlan murmured. "Is there a way ye can control them without relying on yer emotions?"
Serena heard the question just as she was coming to. "Mm... I don't know," she said. "I haven't tried. What else would I control them with? I'm not sure sheer force of will would get it done. I'm not like you, Luci," she murmured, looking up at her husband.
Lucifer continued to stroke her hair. "There are times when I'm not like me, either," he said, "but... How do you heal people? How do you instigate lust? You want it, don't you? You have to want to keep the demons under control."
Serena thought for a moment, but she got dizzy and laid her head against Lachlan's arm. "Muhhh," she explained.
Lachlan stroked her hair tenderly and laid on the bed next to her. "It's a lot to think about right now," he said. "We can practice later. In the meantime, Lucifer would ye let Romain know ye'll be handlin' the army tomorrow?" Looking at his boyfriend with pleading eyes.
"He won't be happy about it," Lucifer said, but he nodded, stood, and went to tell Romain the news....
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