15

'Wake up, human! It's almost noon already! Do you intend to sleep the rest of your life away or something?'

Grace's eyes fluttered open. In front of her was Lucien, shaking her gently.

Rays of sunlight streamed into the room and made everything look even more beautiful than it had last night.

'I'm up,' she assured him. 'Gosh, I needed that sleep!'

'I suppose you did,' agreed the demon. 'I'll admit even I only woke up an hour ago. Kuro's still asleep, can you believe that?'

'Well, he is a cat, after all,' smiled Grace, sitting up.

'Whatever,' said Lucien. 'I say, I had a look in the kitchen and I just realised that we're out of supplies. We'll go get them together later, okay?'

'That sounds fun,' said Grace, glancing at the window and suddenly remembering the night's events. 'Oh, by the way, I need to tell you something...'

'Over breakfast!' said Lucien. 'Hot boiled eggs and a slice of toast each is all we have for now, so hurry downstairs. I'll go wake Kuro.'

* * *

Grace, Kuro and Lucien sat at the breakfast table in the parlour, looking at one another. The air was heavy with silence. Then—

'YOU'RE SAYING YOU WENT OUTSIDE BY YOURSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITHOUT TELLING ME?!!' exclaimed Lucien, jumping up so suddenly that even Kuro went under the table for a few seconds before peeping out again.

'I... erm...' said Grace nervously. 'The girl looked like she needed help, so—'

'And you met the DEVIL'S ASSISTANT and then came back inside like it was nothing?!! Are you crazy, human? Do you have a death wish? Do you realise the danger you were in?!'

'You're right, but I didn't realise at first—'

'Why the hell didn't you tell me first before venturing out like that? DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!!' said Lucien, sitting down again, still clearly upset.

'Will you stop scaring her with all your yelling and speak calmly now, please?' said Kuro. 'She didn't get in trouble on purpose, you know.'

'I'M NOT YELLING! I'M CALM!' said Lucien, thumping the table with his hand, making Kuro jump down in a hurry.

'All right, if you say so,' he said, slinking away to a corner. 'Though I find that hard to believe at the moment...'

'Oh, please, Kuro,' said Lucien, looking away for a few seconds before turning to Grace again. 'Look, I know you meant no harm, but you must understand that this is a very hostile place, okay? At night, there are dangerous things around, even here in Sheltered Hell, and it's best not to go outside unless you absolutely must. And this is especially true for you, human; I suspected this earlier but I'm sure of it now: the Devil's Assistant has his eyes on you.'

'W–what?' said Grace, frightened at the thought. 'But why? I barely came here yesterday!"

'That's more than enough time for a powerful demon like him to access whether he wants you or not. He's a soul collector, Grace, and he's seen yours; and trust me, he wants it badly.'

'What does he get out of it?' said Grace.

'Power. Control. And maybe... pleasure?' said Lucien. 'He's a very dangerous person, Grace, and now that he's got you in his sights, he'll do anything to have you. You've had a glimpse of what he can do last night; he'd seen your kind soul and knew that the only way to draw you out was to show you that girl in distress. It was a ploy to get you close to him.'

'I figured,' said Grace, placing her head in her hands. 'But she was real, and I couldn't have just left her there, could I?'

'I know, but you shouldn't have gone by yourself,' said Lucien, more gently. 'That's exactly what the Assistant wants, and he'll find other ways to get you alone and vulnerable with him again. During that limited time, he'll use every method in his arsenal to make you his, and you'll find it harder and harder to resist him, until one day he'll finally succeed and take you away. And let me tell you, if he takes your soul, you're doomed here forever.'

'No!' said Grace in horror. 'He won't do that! – I won't let him! Tell me, how can I fight him and keep him away?'

'You can't,' said Lucien. 'He has too much power for him to be forced into anything or fought.'

Grace's face fell.

'But!' continued Lucien. 'You can do two things: avoid being alone outside, especially at night, and stay here in this castle as much as you can; I've enchanted it so that no one can enter unless they have my permission, so you're perfectly safe here. And the second thing is to remember at all times that he's evil – never doubt it – and resist him. It's hard, but it's possible. As long as you actively resist him, he can't get you.'

'But what if he uses force?' said Grace worriedly. 'I stand no chance against him!'

'You do,' said Lucien. 'For one thing, while the Assistant may enter Sheltered Hell as he pleases, he can't lay a finger on you here; it's not allowed. In the Mainland, it's different, of course; but while he can forcefully take and imprison you in his mansion if you ended up in his clutches, he still can't take your soul unless you give it to him.'

'Really?' said Grace, more relieved. 'That's better than I thought. Then I'm safe, I guess. But why would anyone willingly give their soul to him?'

'That's the trick,' said Lucien. 'He is a master manipulator; he knows how to tempt and play with people's feelings. He also knows certain... arts, which make his work easier.'

'It's all so twisted,' said Grace sadly.

'It is,' said Lucien gravely. 'Now, promise me you won't run off in the middle of the night again – without telling me, at least.'

'I promise,' said Grace. 'I'm sorry, I was just in a hurry to help, and then I didn't want to bother anyone – I never have, you know...'

'Don't be, you did what you had to do,' said Lucien, putting his arm around her. 'I just don't want that jerk taking a nice girl like you, that's all.'

'Is it safe for me to come out now?' said Kuro, padding towards them.

'Of course it is, silly!' laughed Lucien. '"Safe", indeed! You're the only one even the Assistant would be afraid of, I suppose!'

They all laughed.

'So, about those supplies,' said Grace. 'The day isn't getting any longer, and after all you've told me, I'd rather be back before sunset, I think!'

'And this measly breakfast won't sustain us very long, either,' said Kuro with a grave nod.

'Let's go, then!' said Lucien. 'Please get the large basket from the kitchen, Grace – we're going shopping!'