Lilith had the wrong idea about success, and so does the demon king. It wasn't about forcing the world to follow your plans but understanding the meaning of every situation while finding your role in the chaos of life.
Adapting to the narrative was a realistic way of handling life's plot twists rather than trying to predict 10 moves ahead in a game where the rules keep changing.
That was where Abaddon went wrong.
That was where the entire demon race went wrong.
Normally in stories, it is the humans who get sent a hero, but this time, it's different. I believe that I was the hero sent for the demon race.
One such plot twist was standing in front of me at this very moment.
The moment I let Roku escape from the classroom, I knew where he would be headed. He would escape into the orange area on the map and would likely enter a dungeon. My guess would be the goblin dungeon.
After school, I would go to the dungeon and kill him.
That was my plan, but what I didn't plan was the situation currently unfolding in front of me.
Someone else had decided to come to the goblin dungeon today. It was Levi, along with Kiki and Mia. There I was, rummaging through one of the goblin's corpses, only to look up and see the three standing above me.
I didn't even sense their approach. That spoke to the skill these three possessed.
It made sense; the three of them had been training inside dungeons and mending their skills since they were kids.
Levi and Kiki greeted me with a polite smile, while Mia glared at me as if I had spat in her coffee.
"Hello there." Levi said smiling kindly.
What is he doing here? He has a system that allows him to go on dungeon quests where he could infinitely level up his stats with points like every other protagonist. It doesn't make sense for him to be inside a D-ranked goblin dungeon.
"Hello, are you okay?" Kiki suddenly appeared in front of me and began waving her hand in front of my face.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," I replied, standing up to greet the trio.
"It looked as if you spaced out there for a second," Kiki giggled, girlishly covering her mouth.
Just then, I realized just how close she was. She stood on her toes in order to look up at me. We were almost chest to chest.
Seeing this, I instinctively took a step back, but to my surprise, she took another step forward, standing even closer than before.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, looking at me curiously.
"No, it's just that…"
"Oh, I know what it is. You don't remember me, do you?" she pouted and folded her arms.
"No, I do. We're…"
"We're in the same class!"
I tried to explain, but she interrupted me once again before grabbing a hold of my hand and taking out a pen. Her face suddenly got super serious, like a soldier defusing a bomb, as she scribbled on my palm.
I imagine if Oliver saw the interaction between us, he would blow a gasket, especially since she was standing this close.
"There!"
I looked down on my palm to see her name written in stylish script, surrounded by hearts.
"Now you can never forget my name." She winked. "Now, your name is Damien, right? You sit at the back next to the window. You're always reading, which goes to show since you look very smart."
Kiki… I almost forgot how observant she could be at times.
"Tell me, I'm curious: how much did you get on the last math test?" she asked with sparkling eyes as she took another step closer to me. She was now so close I could feel her chest armor pressing up against me.
"I scored a 100," I answered, adjusting my glasses.
"I knew it! You are very smart. I usually score the highest when it comes to math, but when the teacher said I only placed second, I knew it must've been because of you."
"Don't get too close to him. He's a pervert that corners girls inside of elevators," Mia chimed in, glaring at me.
The moment she spoke, Kiki turned on her heel to face her and tilted her head in confusion.
"He doesn't seem like a bad guy. I like him," Kiki said with the same cheerful smile she always wore.
At the same time, Levi stepped forward and extended his hand for a handshake.
"I'm Levi Fairchild. I don't think we have ever spoken before, Damien."
"No, we haven't," I said simply, taking his hand.
Levi smiled. I could see him looking over my appearance, and then a hint of concern crossed on his face.
I immediately knew it was because of how I was dressed. I was wearing a black hoodie, matched with black pants and white sneakers, which were in rough shape.
When compared to them, there was a world of difference between us. They were all dressed in various armors since this was a dungeon.
"Are you in need of some help?" Levi asked with concern evident in his tone.
"Just leave him. Let him die for all we care," Mia snapped, which caused Kiki to walk over to her, grab her by the cheeks and began pulling them as if she was needing dumplings.
"Mia, you shouldn't say such mean things. It doesn't suit such a cute face," Kiki scolded.
"I'm fine; I don't need any help. I'm here to train and sharpen my skills, like the rest of you," I replied to Levi ignoring the two girls.
Their presence here complicates things. I'm almost certain that Roku was here. I wanted to deal with him on my own, but with them lurking around…
"Is there any way we can convince you to leave? You see, we actually have an important matter to deal with," Levi chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "It would be nice if no one was in the dungeon with us."
"I'm afraid I can't. I also have important matters to take care of inside this dungeon."
Seeing that we were at a stalemate, it was Kiki who stepped up to offer a solution.
"Oh, I know, what if we clear this dungeon together?!"
…
Arriving at the burning paradise known as the demon world, Lilith made her way through the crimson halls of the castle towards her father's study.
Opening the door, she saw her father, the demon king, standing over a desk with a chessboard on it. This caused a smile to bloom on Lilith's beautiful face.
"Were you visiting the human world again?" the demon king asked, his voice traveling across the room like a melody.
"Yes, I wanted to keep an eye on Abaddon's vessel."
The demon king finally looked up at her, his twisted horns shiny like polished obsidian under the crackling flames of the firepit.
"And?"
"Nothing of interest," Lilith sighed as she entered the room and took a seat on a couch made of snakeskin. "The demon inside Abaddon's vessel isn't entirely stupid, but he isn't smart either. He's nothing but a useless pawn for me to use to get my Abaddon back. It annoys me that such a useless demon is occupying my Abaddon's vessel and he seems a bit arrogant too. The fool only acts out of envy."
"Envy… Is that the sin that drives him?"
Lilith nodded her head.
"Yes, he's driven by envy, and he doesn't even know it. I don't know the cause for his envy, but it will most likely lead to his downfall."
"I suppose it doesn't matter as long as we are able to revive Abaddon," the demon king said as he picked up the queen in his large hand and moved it across the chessboard. "Losing Abaddon was a massive loss for us. The brilliance he displayed only came across every once in a thousand years. If we had him by our side, then we wouldn't have lost the war a century ago."
Suddenly, Lilith's eyes flashed with madness. The demon king's words brough up memories and the feeling that a gaping hole was left in her chest, one that would never heal.
"Papa."
The demon king looked up at her once again.
"Hmm?"
"Don't forget the promise you made. You promised me we'd kill the one who took my Abaddon away from me. Remember, Papa, you were the one that held me back those many years ago. Promise me, Papa, after we revive Abaddon, you'll allow me to kill the vampire king and wipe out his entire bloodline."
Sensing that crazy thoughts were spinning around in his daughter's head once again, the demon king approached his daughter and began stroking her head tenderly.
"I promise you, darling, that once we revive Abaddon, I won't hold you back anymore. You can kill as many vampires as you wish. Paint the world with their blood if that's what it takes to heal your aching heart. Don't worry, it shouldn't be long now; the more that boy continues to increase his proficiency, the sooner we'll get the real Abaddon back."