41

'Great, it's you,' said Kuro, rolling his eyes at the Devil's Assistant, who had caught up and was now in front of them.

'Silence, cat,' hissed the Assistant, so fiercely that Kuro almost felt like jumping into Grace's arms again.

'Keep walking,' said Grace sharply. 'We don't need to hear a word he says!'

The Assistant smiled, looking rather cruel and amused at the same time. 'So, you're going to ignore me? Fine, but I'll walk with you anyway. This is the Mainland, after all – my land.'

'Do as you like,' said Grace, walking faster.

'I always do that,' said the Assistant, walking next to her. 'Well, I always did that; but when it comes to you, I'm not quite getting what I want, and it's weirdly frustrating but tantalising at the same time. I suppose what's forbidden is always the most tempting, isn't it?'

'Keep a distance, please!' said Grace firmly. 'You don't have to breathe down my neck throughout the walk for me to hear you!'

'I don't have to, but I would like to,' smiled the Assistant. 'And you're the one who said I could do whatever I liked!'

'Ugh. You're impossible.'

'No, I'm very, very, possible to get. All you have to do is ask.'

'You wish.'

'If only. But wishes without effort are rather pointless, aren't they? Hence, my presence here...'

'Please, leave me alone!'

'You know, I can't help but wonder why you're here in the first place... Could it be that you wanted me to find you? Don't be shy!'

'NO! I'm going back right now!'

'Only if I let you,' said the Assistant, his voice growing chillier than the night air. 'What are those in your hand? Moonbells? Now why could you possibly want those at the dead of night... is it curiosity? Is it because that demon sent you on another errand? – he really doesn't care about you, does he... Anyway, whatever the reason, the simple thing is, you're at my mercy now, my dear...'

'I'm not your dear!' said Grace, relieved that she could still at least hate him properly and hadn't fallen under any spell yet.

'Oh, but you are,' said the Assistant in a sickly sweet tone. 'You're very precious to me, you know.'

'In that case, how about you let me go in peace? Or do you only know how to force people into befriending you? That's so pathetic.'

'Heh. I know how to charm without charms, so to say. And I know it quite well, as you will see. Look at you, walking away from me in my land at the dead of night, and yet I have done nothing to you... yet.'

'Well, thanks a lot, I guess. Could you leave us alone now?'

'What are those moonbells for?' said the Assistant sharply once more. 'You seem to be in quite a hurry to deliver them to that demon you slave for these days...'

'I don't slave for him—' began Grace indignantly, but she squealed as the Assistant took them from her hands in an instant.

'Ah, you really need these, don't you...' said the Assistant with another cruel smile. 'Now we have something to bargain over in a civilised manner—'

A snort from Kuro made him look sharply in the direction of the cat.

'What's so funny?' he snapped.

'Hearing the word civilised from your mouth,' said the cat, staring at him, unamused. 'Even you know what a joke it is...'

'So says a wild cat with no manners,' said the Assistant, before turning back to Grace with an unpleasant smile. 'Well, goodbye then, my dear. I'll leave you alone as you so want.'

'Will you at least give those back before going?' said Grace, eyeing the flowers in his hand.

'Oh, these! I nearly forgot about them. Well, if you want them back, you'll have to give something in return...'

'But they are mine!'

'They were yours. But ownership changes, you know. One day, you'll belong to me, too, just like these moonbells are now mine to do with as I please.'

'What do you want?'

'Ah, now we're talking,' smiled the Assistant. 'What I really want is you, but I suppose that's a little too much to ask... so, how about a tiny portion of your life, spent with me? A single meeting with me at my mansion, whenever I call you?'

'So that you can capture her there? No way!' exclaimed Kuro. 'Grace, don't do it!'

'I thought I told you to be quiet!' said the Assistant angrily, and he looked truly demonic for a few seconds as he stared at poor Kuro until he mewed and retreated behind Grace.

'Now, like I said,' he continued, 'it's not much to ask. Just one meeting. If I were to capture you, I could do it right now. But I've already decided to win you over little by little until you're mine completely. Because you're special, Grace.'

Grace hesitated. She knew she shouldn't agree to it, and yet...

'Believe it or not, I keep my word, Grace,' said the Assistant. 'And I promise, I won't do anything harmful to you if you willingly come to visit me. However... I also promise, if you refuse this deal, I will crush these moonbells ruthlessly before your eyes and see to it that all remaining ones in a mile's radius are scorched to oblivion.'

Grace's eyes widened. This was serious. She needed those flowers. And yet, a deal with the Devil's Assistant was almost as bad as a deal with the Devil... But did she really have a choice?

'It would rather be a shame to see something so delicate and beautiful be destroyed due to a girl's dilly-dallying,' said the Assistant, looking into her eyes as he caressed each petal gently.

'Fine, I'll do it!' said Grace begrudgingly. 'I'll agree to meet you wherever you say only once, as long as you give me the flowers back and agree not to try anything.'

The Assistant smiled in a way that would have been charming had she not resented him entirely. 'First the biscuit, and now this... you're beginning to do what I say, and I'm very happy, Grace. I am curious why you care that much about a couple of flowers, but then, I suppose, humans and girls are rather sentimental creatures. Here they are. Goodbye – for now!'

The moment Grace took the flowers back, the Assistant vanished as suddenly as he had appeared, and she walked silently back to Sheltered Hell with a heavy heart.

'That went badly,' grumbled Kuro. 'I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to protect you... I feel so useless.'

'It's not your fault,' said Grace at once. 'I know you would have helped me against anything else – except the dog maybe – haha!'

Kuro smiled and walked behind her. 'You're nice.'

'And you're nicer!'

'Hmph. If you say so.'

'There's the gate at last. Thank goodness we didn't encounter those awful trees again!'

'Must be the Assistant's doing...'

They grew silent again and passed thankfully through the Gateland and into Sheltered Hell.

'The moon's still high in the sky,' said Grace. 'I suppose at least we'll reach on time...'

'Good, let's hurry, then,' nodded Kuro. 'We don't want to miss it!'

'Miss what?' said a soft voice ahead of them.

'Azel!?' exclaimed Grace nervously.

The angel was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and a calm expression on his face as he gazed at the oncomers.

'Yes, me,' said Azel, uncrossing his arms and looking at her. 'But you don't look that glad to see me... Did I interrupt something?'

'No!' said Grace and Kuro at once, making the angel frown slightly and nod rather suspiciously.

'Very well. If that is what you say. I shall go now – wait, are those moonbells, Grace?'

'Y–yes,' nodded Grace.

Azel smiled. 'It's a very beautiful flower. But it's mostly found in the Mainland – it's quite rare here, unfortunately. How did you find it?'

'I...' began Grace, wondering how to tell him. He mustn't find out at any cost what they were actually doing.

Azel glanced ahead before looking at her with concern. 'The Gateland is not far from where you are right now... did you wander off to the Mainland by any chance?'

Looks like I'll have to tell him some part of the truth... 'Yes, I did,' admitted Grace. 'I wanted to pick some.'

'That... was rather reckless of you to do,' said Azel reproachfully.

'Well, that's why I went with her to protect her,' said Kuro nervously.

'No, Lucien should have gone with you instead,' said Azel. 'That was careless of him.'

'Well, I didn't tell him,' said Grace hurriedly. 'Or he would never have let me, you see...'

Azel gazed into her eyes, as if seeing past her words and into her mind – into her soul.

Grace gulped. Would he detect her lies? She never wanted to tell him an untruth, but this couldn't be helped.

'Well, you must be more careful,' said Azel, slowly and calmly, still gazing at her. 'It's easy to take risks, but it's difficult to bear their consequences. On dangerous territory, it does not take long for one to fall before one knows it. And sometimes, a single fall can be your last.'

'Y–yes,' nodded Grace, wondering if she was reading too much into his words, or whether he had seen past her somehow.

'I must go,' said Azel, nodding at her, before looking at the cat. 'Kuro?'

'Yes?'

'Protect her properly. If someone next to us is falling, we ought to help them, right?'

'Yes...?'

'Good night, both of you.'

A flash of light later, they were alone again.

'Did he guess?' said Grace nervously.

'I don't think he knows what we're actually doing,' said Kuro. 'Or else he'd swoop in to stop us, of course. He probably thinks you're in danger of falling for the Assistant or something.'

'Oh, that makes sense,' nodded Grace. 'Well, more like falling to the Assistant...'

'Don't take his name again tonight. It's like everything's been messed up since he showed up!'

'That sounds good. Come on, let's run all the way back to the castle before anyone else delays us!'

'I'm tired,' whined Kuro. 'Carry me!'

'Oh, seriously, Kuro! Woah, you're heavy! – but warm! All right, snuggle away!'

*  *  *

Lucien was mid-chant when they reached the castle yard. Kuro and Grace stood there, watching him in awe. In front of him was a large portal that truly seemed to have been woven by moonlight itself, and the mushroom at its centre was glowing a brilliant green.

The demon tossed in an orange-leaved plant before continuing his chanting, but not before nodding to them eagerly.

'Which language is it?' whispered Grace. 'It sounds so musical – but I can't hear a single word. They flow so fast!'

'Yes,' nodded the cat. 'That's how magic works, you know...'

After half an hour of non-stop chanting, Lucien took a deep breath and grasped the moonbells they had placed next to him. 'Zhuvighaaahahlingmzuhhihinnimuli....' he began to say, and the portal glowed a dazzling white as he continued.

With each moonbell he added, the portal actually produced the slightest ringing sound and glowed more.

'Are we going to make it?' said Grace excitedly.

'Of course!' Kuro grinned happily, before looking up. 'Dawn is not far. He'd better hurry.'

As Lucien added the last moonbell and chanted the last pages of the book he was reading from, the portal began to swirl and turn into something that truly seemed able to take them anywhere – even Earth.

'He's going to do it now,' said Kuro eagerly, as Lucien slowly got to his feet, and uprooted the now completely green mushroom, thrusting it into the portal.

Just as he beckoned to her excitedly to come towards him, the portal abruptly changed colour from white to a brilliant crimson, making his face pale.

'Grace! Stop! Don't come near! Something's gone wrong!' he said urgently.

Grace took a step backwards in fright and dismay. Now what?