The moment the Crowned Prince vanished, the remaining demon royals turned toward Laurel, their expressions sharp and expectant, silently demanding an explanation.
"Why are you fighting that worthless princess over a human?" Lyra's voice cut through the tense silence when Laurel didn't immediately speak.
"I'm not fighting Nikki for any human," Laurel defended quickly.
"So you're saying the Crowned Prince was mistaken?" the boy with light-blue hair asked coldly.
"I'm sorry I almost got you all killed," she said, her voice tight, "but I refuse to answer any more of your questions."
The boy with dark-blue hair stepped forward, frowning. "Once we get back to the demon world, we'll settle this. Right now, we need to fix this mess."
They turned toward Nikki—her body surrounded by a swirling red aura that filled the entire room.
"She's already broken his time freeze," one of them murmured.
"She's truly impressive," another replied.
"Let's get out of here. Laurel, take care of this mess," the light-blue-haired boy said. A bright flash filled the room—and the royals vanished.
---
Moments Later — The Party Resumes
The music and chatter returned as if nothing had happened. Laughter, clinking glasses, and easy conversation filled the room once more.
Nikki was standing beside Amber, chatting casually, while Alan leaned against a wall in the corner, sipping a can of beer.
The demon royals had rewound time—back to the moment before Laurel's outburst. Everything and everyone returned to normal. Everyone except Nikki.
Images began flashing through Nikki's mind—fragments of what had transpired—violent, disjointed scenes that made no sense. The visions came faster, harsher, and pain bloomed behind her eyes. Her breathing grew uneven. The red aura began to seep from her skin again, crackling like fire beneath her surface.
Amber noticed first. Her brow furrowed as she saw the flicker of red. "What's going on with her…?" she whispered.
From across the room, Laurel also noticed. Panic rippled through her.
No… not again.
If Nikki lost control here, surrounded by humans, the destruction could be catastrophic. Laurel's pulse quickened. She glanced desperately toward Alan, hoping he'd notice something was wrong—but he didn't even look up. He just took another lazy sip of his drink.
Nikki's head throbbed violently. The images came in rapid bursts—too fast, too vivid—and the aura around her intensified.
Amber instinctively stepped back. "Nikki, what's going on with you?" she asked, keeping her distance.
The aura expanded, swirling around Nikki's entire body until she was engulfed in it. Her eyes glowed a deep, burning red.
"Where is Lucian?" she demanded.
Amber froze. "Lucian?"
"I said tell me where he is!" Nikki's voice boomed through the hall, and the room fell silent.
"Nikki, snap out of it—there are humans here!" Amber hissed.
"Bring me Lucian," Nikki growled, "or no one leaves this place alive!"
The red aura flared violently behind her, shaping itself into the enormous figure of a cobra. The serpent rose higher and higher, its shadow swallowing the room.
Screams erupted as people scrambled toward the windows and doors. Panic spread like wildfire.
Laurel rushed to Amber's side. "What's going on?" she demanded, though dread already coiled in her gut.
"I thought you said Nikki was dormant! How does she have powers?" Laurel shouted over the chaos.
"I'm as confused as you are!" Amber yelled back.
The massive cobra finished forming—its scales a hypnotic blend of purple and blue, its fangs long and gleaming like blades. It hissed, the sound rattling every glass in the room.
Laurel's eyes widened. "Isn't that… Keruvim? How is she able to summon Keruvim?"
Amber fell to her knees, her voice trembling. "How the hell did Nikki summon Keruvim?"
It didn't make sense. Keruvim was the pet of the King of Hell himself—a beast bound to only four beings: the King and Crowned Prince of the Serpentines, and the King and Crowned Prince of Hell. Nikki was none of those. So how—how—had the creature answered her call?
Laurel's voice quavered. "How did she summon it in this form?"
Amber blinked, confused, then turned her gaze toward the cobra—and realization struck her like a blow.
The serpent was in its original form. Not a variant, not an echo, but its true self. Keruvim had seven known manifestations, each bound to its summoner's purpose—but this, this was the primal form. Only someone of the highest infernal blood could call forth the real Keruvim.
The beast slithered forward, massive and silent, its crimson eyes gleaming. Amber stood frozen, paralyzed by disbelief, while Laurel simply waited for the inevitable.
No one could fight Keruvim—except the King of Hell and the Crowned Prince. And neither of them were here.
If the upper demon royals hadn't left earlier, they might have contained the disaster. But they were gone. Laurel's chest tightened.
Maybe this is how I die.
---
While the entire room descended into chaos—people screaming, furniture crashing, power surging—one person remained utterly still.
Alan Mendes.
He sat quietly in his corner, sipping the last of his beer as though nothing extraordinary was happening. The monstrous cobra loomed behind Nikki, yet Alan didn't even flinch. His face was unreadable—just a faint frown of irritation.
He exhaled deeply. All this over some guy named Lucian?
If Nikki already had someone she cared about, why had she dragged him into this nonsense in the first place? Then again, he remembered—he'd been the one to offer. He sighed again.
"Guess I brought this on myself," he muttered, setting the can down. "Might as well end this."
He stood, brushing off his jacket, and began walking toward the cobra.
The crowd froze, disbelief spreading.
"Is he crazy?" someone whispered.
"I think he's tired of living."
"Do you think the cobra will leave us alone after it eats him?"
"I hope so. If sacrificing him saves us, then let it eat him!"
Amber and Laurel both jerked their heads toward the commotion. When they saw Alan moving toward Keruvim, their eyes widened in horror.
"Has he lost his mind?" Amber snapped.
"Alan, get away from it!" Laurel screamed—but her voice didn't reach him.
Alan stopped directly before the cobra, smiling faintly. "In case you understand me," he said evenly, "tell Nikki I want to speak to her."
Gasps filled the air.
Laurel started forward. "I have to save him!"
Amber grabbed her arm. "You're a Crowned Princess. I can't let you die trying to save a human under my watch."
"He's going to die if I don't help him!" Laurel protested.
"He chose to go there himself. Let him deal with the consequences," Amber snapped, holding her back.
The cobra lowered its massive head until its fanged maw hovered mere inches from Alan's face. It hissed, breath hot and acrid. Then, without warning, it lunged—its fangs flashing like lightning.
"No!" Laurel screamed.
The cobra froze midair—its strike suspended. The great serpent hovered, unmoving, mere inches from Alan.
Alan smiled faintly. "I knew you wouldn't be able to hurt me," he said calmly. Then he stepped past the creature and walked toward Nikki.
Laurel and Amber stared in stunned disbelief.
"Why didn't it attack him?" Amber whispered.
"Is it… going to attack us instead?" Laurel murmured.
Neither could make sense of what they'd just witnessed. Nothing about today made sense.
Alan stopped in front of Nikki. "Hey," he said, his tone low but firm. "What's with the high-and-mighty act? Put an end to this already. I want to go home."
Murmurs rippled through the humans.
"Is he serious?"
"He risked his life just to go home?"
Alan took another step closer. "Come back to your senses, Nikki. You're hurting everyone around you. You almost killed Amber."
Nikki's fist shot up, aimed at his chest—but froze midway.
"I told you before," Alan said quietly. "You can't hurt me."
Then he pulled her into his arms.
Laurel and Amber watched, wide-eyed.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to come get you," Alan whispered. "I'm here now… so please, come back to me."
Her eyes flickered. "Alan?" she breathed.
The crimson glow faded from her irises, the aura dissipating into mist. Behind her, Keruvim dissolved into nothingness.
Alan smiled softly. "It's good to have you back."
Nikki swayed once, then fell unconscious in his arms.
"Nikki!" Amber cried, running toward them—but before she could reach them, she too collapsed to the floor. One by one, everyone in the room dropped into unconsciousness, bodies littering the ground.
The only one left standing was Laurel.
She turned to Alan, bewildered. "What's going on?"
Alan glanced at her over Nikki's shoulder. "I trust you can clean up the mess you made."
Her throat tightened. "Do you… really care about her?"
"You're lucky I was here," he said flatly. "I don't even want to imagine what would've happened if I wasn't."
"I'm really sorry," Laurel whispered.
"Take care of things here while I handle Nikki," Alan said, shifting her weight in his arms.
"Should I take care of Amber too?" Laurel asked hesitantly.
"Just cut out the part that could get her in trouble," he replied. "I'll see you another time."
And with that, he walked away, carrying Nikki in his arms as the lights flickered around him.
Laurel looked around the wrecked hall, at the unconscious bodies and the faint scorch marks left by Nikki's power. Her voice trembled as she whispered to herself:
"I'm going to be in so much trouble when the King finds out about this."
---