The Twelve Apocalypses: A Damned Soul's Path to the Abyss-Chapter 125 Upward Mobility

"You can stop stealing glances at the door now," Glaustro declared, making no effort to hide his amusement. "No one's going to break it down looking for you."

He had a point, I supposed. Several hours had passed, and no one had shown up to punish us.

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It just felt… odd, to say the least. We had left behind a a street full of terrorized demons. There were multiple witnesses. Considering demonic memory, we could be identified in a matter of minutes. In spite of that… nothing.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Do they really not care?"

An upset grumble interrupted Glaustro's reply, reminding me to keep my hand moving.

As soon as we returned to our lodgings in Glaustro's troop compound, Mia had wasted no time in curling up right on top of my wings. Cuddling against my side, she had then proceeded to lift my hand and plop it down on top of her head. It took some prodding on her part for me to realize she was expecting me to pet her, which I did. Continuously.

Now, hours later, I had even more reason to be happy with the results of my ascension. My muscles weren't the slightest bit achy. If I were still a mortal, my hand would have fallen off.

Glaustro shrugged in response to my question. "No, they don't care. As long as no one gets permanently killed, most other issues can be solved. It's amazing what a demonic mind and constitution can shrug off."

I genuinely hoped he was right, because I didn't like the way Mia was acting. Other than her silent demands for petting, the cat demoness had refused to communicate so far. Any attempts to prod her into letting me go, even just long enough to grab something to eat, had been rejected.

Sure, it was cute, but it was also deeply worrying.

"I'm going to venture a guess that anyone who's weak doesn't have a fun time of it in the Abyss," I grumbled, instead of revealing any of my concerns.

"The weak don't have a 'fun time' in Torment," Bronwynn corrected me drolly. "There's plenty of circles out there that are much more hospitable. Passion, for example."

I cast a quick glance at the demon, who was sitting on the couch right next to Glaustro. The sergeant had sent for food an hour ago, so both of them were holding mostly empty plates on their laps. They were also nursing drinks which, according to them, could actually have an effect on demons. Judging by the remarkably happy smile on Glaustro's face, that was probably true.

Before I could answer Bronwynn, I got distracted for what felt like the millionth time by my new senses. They were taking a while for me to adapt to. It wasn't that I couldn't handle their input, but there was just so much to notice.

What caught my attention in this particular moment were the two demons on the couch. I wasn't sure what it meant, but the wisps of Bronwynn's primary Emotion weren't just floating around him like they usually did. Instead, they almost seemed to be creeping towards Glaustro, dancing around the other demon's aura like they were about to latch on.

"Why is your—"

A sudden knock on the door cut me off, and my new senses informed me that a trio of souls was now outside my room. I tensed immediately, all of my previous worries slamming back into the forefront of my mind.

Even Glaustro and Bronwynn stiffened, but only for an instant. Then the former all but teleported to the door and wrenched it open, face twisted in a scowl.

"What do you want?"

His aggression was met by pure indifference by the three demons. Two were mountains of pure muscle encased in thick plate armor, while the last one was wearing a robe and looked like he had never picked up a weapon in his life.

"Am I talking to one Glaustro, currently in possession of a sergeant title?" the robed demon asked calmly, not a hint of emotion slipping into his voice.

Really, his aura was barely there. Dispassion weighed over him like a blanket and etched itself into every line of his face. Everything from the chalky white of his skin to his skeletal features made me want to give up and just stare at a wall.

I had to blink my eyes several times and shake my head before I managed to clear it. Then I instinctively drew on my own Emotion, pulling it around myself like a protective blanket. The two bruisers, Anger and Rage respectively if I was reading them right, looked in my direction suspiciously.

The death of all ambition in demon form didn't even twitch an eye. He just kept staring up at Glaustro.

"Yes. That would be me. Why?" my sergeant growled, clearly still ready for violence.

"Excellent. The general himself has bid me deliver this to you." The chalk-white demon thrust an official-looking scroll at Glaustro, solid gold and bound with a fancy purple ribbon. "Consider this your proof of summons. I wouldn't keep the general waiting for long, if I were you."

The dour demon turned and began to stroll away without waiting for an answer. The two bruisers with him shot us all glares, then hurried after their charge.

It took a second for a pale-faced Glaustro to remember himself and finally shut the door. None of us spoke as he untied the scroll and scanned the contents. His expression first melted into relief, then morphed into concern, and finally settled into a quiet determination.

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"It seems like I'm going to have to visit the general, immediately."

"Is it about what happened today?" I asked, still battling a few remnants of irrational fear.

Glaustro shook his head. "No. He's finished deliberating over the Lagyel mess. From what I can tell, all the officers in charge of that invasion are getting summoned. This is… official. And big. There might even be other officers there, from invasions that have recently concluded."

"Can we come with you?"

To my shock, it was Mia who'd spoken. The cat demoness had lifted her head at some point, regarding Glaustro with worried eyes. I suspected mine reflected much the same emotion.

"You can't," Glaustro replied. "At my rank, I can only bring my second with me. And I wouldn't want you there anyway. I don't know what the general has decided, but none of us came away from that invasion looking good. If they're going to punish someone, I'd rather you stay out of the mess."

Bronwynn nodded, already standing up. "Right. Well, that means I'm going."

"Didn't you hear me? I don't want any of you there if the general decides to punish every fuck-up today."

"I did." Bronwynn shrugged, remarkably composed in the face of Glaustro's glower. "I also heard you say you can bring your second. Last time I checked, that's me. And I've decided I'm coming."

The two stared at each other for several excruciatingly long seconds. To my surprise, it was Glaustro who looked away first, huffing in exasperation. "Fine. Fine! I warned you not to already. Whatever happens is on your head. You two! Don't you even think about getting off that bed until I'm back."

I felt so very, very tempted to be a smartass. Judging by the challenge in Glaustro's eyes when he looked at me, he knew it, too.

In the end, though, I resisted the temptation and kept my silence. We had put him through enough already.

"Good. No talking back. You're learning, at least." The sergeant grimaced. "I swear, every time I take you outside, you get into some kind of trouble. Every time. Just… be good while we're gone, at least today."

With those parting words and one final suspicious look, he followed Bronwynn out and shut the door behind him.

Silence lingered in their wake. It took less than a minute for me to feel the need to fill it.

"Want to follow them?"

"No."

"It could be fun."

"No."

"We haven't seen the general in a while. Maybe he still remembers us?"

"No."

"Do you want me to just keep petting you?"

"I'm sorry."

Her voice was so quiet and fragile that I immediately felt bad for my snarky attempt to get her to break her rejection streak. Looking down, I saw she had buried her face into my side again.

"You know, you can look at me." I kept my tone soothing and didn't stop running my fingers gently through her hair. "In fact, I'd prefer it. You're kind of digging your horns into my side in this position."

I hoped the teasing lilt to my voice would be signal enough that I was just trying to break the awkward mood, but Mia winced and scooted a bit, pointing her horns well away from my ribs without lifting her eyes to mine.

It seemed like I needed a bit more prompting to get my cat talking to me again.

"What are you even apologizing for?"

"You know what. I — I almost… I could have…"

Her voice got quieter and quieter. The following sniffle revealed that she was on the verge of tears again.

"That wasn't your fault, Mia. I almost lost it, too. Both during my ascension and, well, when we were trying to help you. This is just… new. We're new. Literally. We were remade in the image of the Abyss. It's not a small thing to go through."

"Isn't it? You don't even know why I ended up with this Emotion. I never told you a thing about my past."

I paused, but forced my fingers to keep moving an instant later.

"Do you want to tell me?"

She shook her head against my side.

"Then you don't have to. Still not your fault, though. I haven't really known you for long, but you're not the type to just go on a rampage, Mia. There must be a reason. Besides, I refuse to blame you for losing control."

She sniffled again, and there was definitely a growing wet patch on my side where she was pressing her face. "Just like that?"

"Just like that. I mean, come on. Remember my recent condition? Did you blame me when I went ahead and pushed too hard towards ascension like an idiot?"

"Yes. I didn't like it when we couldn't wake you up."

I rolled my eyes, but the hint of humor in her voice was enough to send my heart soaring. I didn't like seeing her all… defeated. Morose? Whatever the word for it, I needed my stoic cat demoness back. 'Morose' suited her about as badly as worry suited Glaustro.

"Fair enough. I'll try not to go into an Emotion-induced coma again anytime soon. In exchange, how about you eat something?" I pointed to the rest of the food Glaustro had sent for, waiting on the bedside table. "You haven't had a bite since ascension."

Technically, as demons, we didn't need food. What we needed were souls, mana, and emotions. The latter two were particularly important, since souls were more a means of growth than a dietary staple.

Of course, the chefs of the Abyss knew this, which is why their demonic menus came with many fascinating dishes that could provide all a growing demon needed. The mana saturation level of the dishes was so high, I would have exploded from a single bite as a mortal. But now? When Glaustro offered me a serving of the meal he'd ordered, I found it the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. That I could feel it nourishing me was a nice bonus, too.

"Fine." It took a minute, but Mia finally agreed in a quiet voice. When she pulled her head away from my side, she was almost pouting.

I couldn't stop the grin that stretched over my features. "Well, aren't you adorable," I teased, then did the unthinkable and booped the cat's snoot. Honestly, the only thing that spared me from her claws was the fact that I shoved a plate of food in her face. Discover more content at novelbuddy

She still full-on snarled at me as she dug into the meal, but that lasted all of two seconds before the wonderful taste registered. Then she purred and gave her full attention to the plate of roast… something, I'll call it pork, mushrooms, and pasta, all topped with a delightful sauce that tingled against the tongue.

When she was done, I returned the plate to the nightstand, and we lapsed into a comfortable silence. Some tension between us I hadn't even been aware of earlier faded, and we just enjoyed each other's presence.

At least, until we remembered where Glaustro and Bronwynn were.

That was when we both started radiating worry. Our feelings compounded and amplified each other's, surging through the room and out into the rest of the barracks. After a few hours, we had all but twisted ourselves into a fit, and more than one of the demons who shared the building actually came over to check on who was having a panic attack.

Not something I was expecting, but the genuine concern on the faces of our fellow soldiers under Glaustro was oddly touching.

At long last, I sensed the warmth of two familiar souls as they ventured into the range of my mystical perception. Both Mia and I shot up at once, then collapsed in a tangle of limbs, managing to extricate ourselves just as Glaustro and Bronwynn arrived at the door.

They were moving at a speed which alarmed me, but all other emotions gave way to confusion when the door was ripped open and I was greeted by two smiling faces.

"Major!" Glaustro shouted, his smile stretching even wider somehow. "He made me a major!"