“Sorry again.”
“Stop apologizing. I get it.”
“It doesn’t excuse me ignoring you. I’m out of my head, and?—”
Her palm covers my mouth, shutting me up. She doesn’t say anything, instead just gives me a smile, one that speaks volumes. If anyone here understands what I feel, it’s her.
I nod, lifting my gaze as Niyla and Brice approach. My hand slips from behind Syd’s head, and hers moves away from my mouth as she steps back. Her eyes flick toward them, then return to mine—a silent indication that she wants us to step away together.
“Give us a moment.” My tone alone makes it clear it isn’t a request.
She guides me around a few bookshelves, lined with new and old texts alike. This small library smells of aged paper and leather, mingled with asubtle, earthy scent of the wooden shelves themselves. A faint hint of mustiness mixes with the clean, crisp aroma of that new book smell.
As we’re about to turn in to another aisle of books, she holds out her hand to stop me. Then, she grabs a book, pulling it from between two others. It stands out—its leather spine looks freshly re-bound, while the others around it resemble comic books and manga.
“Hands out.” She turns to face me, and I do as she requests.
“What book is this?” I ask as she rests it into one palm, and then opens it up.
“It’s the history of Dylox breeds.” She uses my hands as a makeshift table, and begins turning the pages. Grateful she’s faced the text right side up in my direction, I watch her shift past a large section about Vampires and Shifters. I’m certain I saw Werewolves, Sirens, Witches, and something like an Yldarwright, but I’m unsure because she’s flipping so fast.
When she finally stops, she pauses on Section XII, titled ‘Demons’.
“As we know, there are different subsets of Demons: Succubae and Incubi being two of them. There isn’t a lot—Hellhounds, Shadow Fiends, and a few more I’m not too familiar with.” She turns the page just once, and at the top it reads ‘Incubi/Succubae’.
She takes a deep breath. “There are three pages.”
The textbook she has is at least eight hundred pages long, so for Xera’s kind to take up only three of them is insane.
“Most of this we already know about her. Her Amoro, that they’re unkillable, they feed of lifeforces through their gates which only open during an orgasm. However, there are two things we don’t know about. One is the Mark.”
She turns the page, and on it, are a set of gates. She points down under the image, where the text that speaks about the image haswritten:
The Mark of an Incubus/Succubus will be able to enter their gates freely without a sexual encounter. Marks are protected under Proserpina’s Codex. Marks are never to be killed;Any individual responsible for the death of a Mark shall face eternal damnation.* Only one Mark is fated to their Incubus/Succubus partner, and is chosen by Proserpina herself at the birth of the Amoro.
“What’sthe footnote for that part?” I point at the asterisk.
She turns the page.
*Eternal damnation can occur in all species if they kill a Succubae/Incubi’s Mark.
My eyes meethers as she says, “This is the other part.”
She drags her finger down to the last paragraph on the page we are on, which I read immediately.
The eradication of this species has been occurring for thousands of years, starting in the early 500s. A prophecy written by [Redacted], states that a reincarnation of Proserpina will bring about the dreaded Black Plague.
There are no texts written of who, why, or when this will occur.
Black Plague – Revitalization of all Demon kind.
“Proserpina is saidto have been the daughter of a Mundane and Belial,” Sydni plugs in as she begins turning the pages. “This also says she is his wife now, and he is the father of all Succubae and Incubi.” Shepauses briefly. “And that Proserpina is the mother to them.”
She suddenly stops flipping through the book and I don’t miss the ‘Gods’ titled section. The page she halts on reads, ‘Fallen’.
She whispers, “Again, less than three pages on them, but this is what is important to read.”
I read the spot where her finger rests, under a photo of a male with a sword gripped in his hand. He has a singular large, white dove wing splayed out behind him.
