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LAUDON'S POV

"Laudon! I'm back with Myrlande."

Lila bursts into his office with the specialist right behind her. She looks and sounds as panicked as she did when she first came into Laudon's office and found him lying still on the ground.

The two women kneel beside him, Lila having been too nervous to move him, then Myrlande gently flips him over onto his back and angles his head before pouring some foul-tasting liquid into his mouth. As it travels down his throat, Lila strokes his hair while whispering all the ways for which she plans to make Zul pay for having done such a foolish thing.

Even though Laudon has been unable to verbally identify the culprit responsible for attacking him, Lila was quick to correctly guess that it was Zul.

She recalled the fight that Laudon and Zul had days prior, a fight that left Laudon covered in Zul's blood. Could Zul have come back from wherever Laudon had sent him, now seeking vengeance for the way that he was treated? Possibly. But apart from that, the other scent in the room besides Laudon's was Zul's, and when Lila smartly took the wine with her to seek out Myrlande for help, the specialist was able to confirm that it was Zul's prints on the bottle.

The man clearly has a death wish.

"The grogginess will wear off shortly." Myrlande helps Laudon up from the ground and gets him back into his chair, quietly noting how the color of his eyes flashes between red and black. "I am afraid you may not be able to fully transform for a while, my prince. I tested the wine and was able to link it to the Sonne flower, which can be used as a suppressant. Too much of it can also cause temporary paralysis. That flower blooms in Hell once every ten years, so it would appear that..."

"Zul has been planning this attack for quite some time," Lila growls in frustration, pacing the floor. "I'll gut him the next time I see the bastard."

That declaration is one of many that Laudon has been tossing around inside his head. 

There had been a moment when he felt as if he would never be found. Hours and hours passed before Lila had sought him out, having noted that he was the only one of importance who had yet to show his face while everyone else helped prepare for Lucifer's return. Through it all, as Laudon laid in silence on the floor of his office with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company, the need for taking revenge came second to what he deemed was most important.

Finding Maggie.

"This is not how you challenge someone for the throne," Lila continues. "But of course, that cheating asshole never planned on having a fair fight!"

Laudon is still unable to speak despite the paralysis fading, but his thoughts mirror Lila's dramatic outburst. Not only that, but a warning from Jicha—the previous bastard who challenged him for the throne—suddenly returns to him. Jicha told Laudon just before committing suicide, 'He is not who you think he is.' Was Jicha talking about Zul? Is that who helped Jicha cheat during his battle with Laudon? Just how long has Zul been planning on stabbing Laudon in the back? And how is it that Lucifer never caught on to see past Zul's fake smiles and devotion? 

"Does anyone know where Zul has gone?" Myrlande asks, looking at Lila. "Everyone is still focused on Lucifer's return, so I presume Zul has yet to tell the news about Laudon being a halfling. There also has been no official announcement made regarding Laudon being challenged."   

"If that fucker knows what's best for him, he will keep his mouth shut," Lila replies. "Besides, telling Laudon's secret will do nothing but create chaos, and with Lucifer coming back... Zul can forget about taking over Laudon's position. Lucifer will surely kill him for outing his son to the entire kingdom."

"Unless Zul has a plan to take Lucifer out as well," Myrlande adds. "Unfortunately, there is an easy way for him to spin this in his favor."

"How so?" Lila asks.

"Zul can come up with any excuse on how he discovered Laudon is a halfling," Myrlande says. "He can claim that Laudon and Lucifer purposely kept it a secret, having knowingly gone against the rule of the kingdom which forbids angels from entering. Either way, the demon race will undoubtedly lose trust in both Lucifer and Laudon, resulting in Zul—"

"Looking like our new best bet for king," Lila finishes, shaking her head in disgust. "I truly hope you're wrong about this, Myrlande."

"I hope so, too." Myrlande frowns. "Regardless of Zul's plan, I do not believe that Lucifer will stand by and do nothing."

Lila sighs. "I don't know. If Zul is serious about challenging Laudon for his position, Lucifer will have no choice but to let them fight. Those are the rules, and as you implied, Lucifer must abide by them if he wishes to keep his people in check."

Myrlande and Lila knew that Zul would not have gone through all of this unless the outcome resulted in a formal battle between him and Laudon. It is the only way that Zul can rightfully take over Laudon's position, having him be one step closer to getting the throne, which seems to be what he is after.

The biggest question is how will Lucifer react when he returns and sees the mess that his son and his longtime friend have made?

"Mm..." Laudon mumbles softly, the feeling having returned to his face. One by one, his muscles awaken, starting from the top of his body and flowing all the way down. His eyes continue to flash between red and black as he struggles to summon his demonic powers. "Mag..." Laudon huffs, growling in exasperation. "Maggie is..."

Lila rushes to stand next to him; Myrlande standing on his opposite side, both of their faces twisted with worry. "Take it slow, darling. Don't try to force it out all at once."

"Maggie is here." Laudon grips the armrests of the chair so hard that they begin to crack from the pressure. "I can feel her here... in Hell, and..." Laudon releases a harsh, guttural yell as he forces himself to stand on his own. His legs are shaky but at least he can feel them. "Zul is back. I think... he has her. Need one of... you to... find her, keep her safe."

"I'll do it." Lila happily volunteers. "And when I see that fuckface Zul, I'll—"

"No!" Laudon snaps, slamming a hand down on his desk. "Zul is mine."

"Ugh. Fine." Lila points at Myrlande while walking towards the door. "Fucking work some more of your magic and fix him already! He's still in no shape to fight anyone right now."

"The effects of the Sonne flower have almost completely worn off," Myrlande nervously replies. She looks through her medical bag sitting on Laudon's desk, hurriedly searching for something else that she can use that will aid him in getting his powers back faster. "It is not safe for me to give him more of the Isolmn elixir. I will have to find something else that can—"

Lila raises a finger to her lips, silencing Myrlande.

A few seconds after that, the sound of utter mayhem erupts out in the hallway. The trio makes eye contact with one another upon hearing the earsplitting sounds of loud roaring that seems to come from multiple different beasts, paired with the heavy thumping of numerous hooves against the ground. It is almost as if someone has freed a hundred or more of Hell's most savage monsters from their cages, giving them free rein to roam and destroy.

Lila carefully opens the door to peek out into the hallway.   

"What is happening out there?" Myrlande asks. "How bad is it?"

The look of horror on Lila's face after she closes the door and stares off into space is one that makes Laudon's stomach drop and Myrlande break out into a cold sweat. 

"I will leave to find Maggie," Lila says, ignoring Myrlande's questions. She gathers her weapons before giving Laudon a look as if she plans on never seeing him again. "Hurry and get your strength back, darling. You need to make Zul pay for all that he has done."

Laudon nods. "Be careful, Lila."

The brave redhead blows him a kiss before slipping out and joining the madness that is steadily unraveling out in the hallways of Hell.

Laudon has little time to waste and a murder to execute, so he empties Myrlande's medical bag and spreads the contents out on his desk. He gives the specialist a harsh look that forces her to swallow whatever protest she may be tempted to make.

"I know you have something here that can give me and my powers a boost," Laudon says. "Use it. I need to go out there and fix Zul's mess before my father arrives. I'll deal with whatever the consequences are later. Nod if you understand me."

Myrlande nods.

"Good. Now shoot me up with something so that I can get the fuck out of here."

. . .