Peanut played another video after Ceres had composed herself from the emotional impact of the last one.
"Why are you taking a video?" a voice asked at the very start.
The camera turned toward a young man, Casadin. Everyone now recognized him by name.
Casadin looked exactly like Caspian, Caelum's best friend from Earth.
Caelum's chest tightened. Casadin had been born before Caelum's death, but grief had swallowed him whole after losing Ceres. He had deliberately shut himself off, avoiding friends and people who might try to reach out. He hadn't wanted them to spiral with him. He couldn't even stand to see hope reflected back at him.
He had been named Casadin's godfather.
And yet… he had never seen the boy. Not even once.
"It's evidence for the police, just in case," said the voice holding the camera, Hades. Caelum's younger adopted brother.
The footage revealed a penthouse in complete disarray.
The camera panned through the wreckage, furniture overturned, drawers pulled out, papers and clothes strewn everywhere. From the living room to the master bedroom and into the walk-in closet, the mess grew worse. Oddly enough, the most expensive jewelry lay scattered and untouched, as if the intruder hadn't cared for valuables at all.
"I don't think this was a robbery," said Evadne as the camera focused on her crouched form, picking up items off the floor one by one.
"You sure the door alarm still works?" Casadin asked Hades.
"Of course. I check it every week." Hades's voice came from behind the lens. "Did you lose anything?"
"Fuck!" Casadin suddenly cursed.
"What?" Evadne and Hades said at the same time.
"Princess, one of your panties is missing," Casadin said, his previously serious face breaking into a mischievous grin. "Oops… never mind. I just remembered… I tore it while you were still wearing it yesterday."
"Are you crazy?!" Hades sounded halfway to a breakdown. "I told you I'm sending this to the police!"
"Oh no!" Evadne cried out, and the camera whipped back to her.
"What's wrong, baby?" Hades asked, now clearly worried.
"My toys!" she gasped, dropping to her knees and frantically scooping up scattered sex toys from the carpet.
"AGHHHHH! Baby!!!" Hades groaned in agony. "I can't believe you two." He sounded like a man on the brink. The camera swerved away, focusing on the opposite corner of the room as the laughter of Evadne and Casadin echoed in the background.
Those watching the recording weren't sure whether to laugh or feel sorry for Hades. It was obvious the poor man was always being driven to the edge by the two chaos gremlins he lived with.
The video moved toward the door that led to an open veranda.
"What the…" Hades muttered suddenly. But the camera quickly spun back toward the room, avoiding whatever he had seen.
"Woahh. What? Got a joke entry?" Casadin asked, amused.
"Uhh… my briefs?" Hades said awkwardly.
Casadin snorted. "Your humor's hopeless."
Evadne tried not to laugh, lips twitching.
"Let's go. I'm getting the CCTV checked," Hades muttered, clearly in a rush to end the recording. The video stopped there.
"Go back," Milo said sharply, eyes locked on the screen. With his ability to manipulate time, he must've noticed something others missed.
"Which part?" Peanut asked.
"The veranda," Alpha answered. "Someone was there."
"You saw it too?" Milo asked him.
"I'm not sure if I saw it right," Alpha admitted, eyes narrowed.
Peanut rewound the clip to the veranda section and played it again.
"Stop," Milo and Alpha said in unison.
The screen froze on the glass wall, showing the city skyline. In the faint reflection of the glass, barely visible, was a silhouette. A figure. A person.
Leaning forward.
Poised above Hades.
A blade raised, ready to strike.
"There," Alpha said, pointing directly at the image.
Everyone stared, breath caught in their throats.
"That's an archangel," Ceres said, eyes wide in disbelief as she stared at the figure Alpha had pointed out.
The being was dressed in a striking white and gold suit, its upper face hidden beneath a gleaming helmet.
"Are you sure, Mother?" Nugget asked.
"Yes. I've met five of them before, remember?" Ceres replied, voice steady but laced with tension. "Lucifer is the exception, but Azrael and the Fates wore the same uniform."
"But why would an angel target Hades?" Caelum asked, confused and frowning.
"No… more than that." Alpha leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "How did he even recognize an angel? That wasn't fear. It was urgency. Recognition. He knew what he saw. But angels don't reveal themselves to humans, not on Earth."
"According to Evadne, there are angels pretending to be human," Ceres said, her voice lowering. "She met one. Uriel."
"Uriel?" she whispered to herself, before her expression abruptly changed. "Oh no, why did I forget that?"
"Love?" Caelum prompted, seeing the sudden panic behind her eyes.
"That book," Ceres said, looking straight at him. "The one from Cosmo. It was written by Uriel."
"Not Lucifer?" Caelum asked, brow furrowing.
"No. I didn't think the title mattered before, but it was called The Veiled Chronicle of Lucifer & Lilith: A Testament by Uriel, Keeper of Heaven's Secrets."
She met Caelum's gaze, heart thudding. "Do you think… they're after Vee?"
"I don't know, love," Caelum replied quietly. "But I don't like where this is going."
While the rest of the room fell into silence, absorbing the implications, Peanut played another video.
This time, the footage opened directly on Evadne's face.
She looked worried. Serious.
"Big Sis," she said, voice shaky. "I don't know if this is going to work. We found a portal that connects to Solmara, but Earth magic is so weak here. We can't open it wide enough… so I'm hoping this will reach you. Please, tell Seiryu to open the door for Lissaen Vel'Risha. And hurry."
Her voice faltered. "We don't know how long we can keep her hidden. Warrior angels are hunting her kind, killing them one by one. I'm scared. If they find out we're hiding her… they might come for our parents. Or anyone close to us."
Evadne swallowed, her throat tight. "She has a package for you. And for big brother Zeus. Please, hurry."
The screen went dark.
Ceres's chest tightened, a cold panic blooming under her ribs. That… that was what Vee had wanted to send her. Not just the chaos or laughter. This.
Her eyes shot to Seiryu, who stood frozen, motionless.
"Seiryu…" she asked quietly, "who is Lissaen Vel'Risha?"
It was Cosmo who answered.
"Lissaen Vel'Risha is the First Demon Queen."
The room fell into stunned silence.
"The First Demon Queen?" Luna echoed, staring at Comet in disbelief. "But… we've never heard that name before. And isn't the Demon Crown tied to House Veyraeth?"
"No, Mistress," Comet answered calmly. "We don't know the exact reason her existence was erased from Solmara's records. But yes, she was the first. The twin sister of our ancestor, Asrakh Vel'Blaen, the Crimson Prince. She ascended first as ruler. Then, for reasons unknown, she stepped down and passed the crown to the Veyraeth bloodline. After that… she vanished."
"If she's a demi-human, why did Evadne ask for Seiryu to open the door?" Caelum asked, sharp-eyed.
Seiryu finally answered, his voice low and reverent. "Lissaen Vel'Risha was the only demi-human we were commanded to obey when summoned."
Caelum blinked, stunned. "The Holy Beasts… were tasked to answer a demi-human's call?"
"You were created by Lucifer to protect humans." His voice was steady but incredulous. "Why would he give you a command like that?"
"We do not ask questions, Demon Lord," Seiryu said, his voice flat, eyes unreadable. "We are given tasks. And we do those tasks without question."
"Let's not dwell on that right now," Tuf interjected, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "For now, let's focus on opening whatever door Aunt Evadne was talking about."
Ceres turned to Seiryu. Evadne had been in a hurry, desperate even. Her voice had trembled when she mentioned their parents. And that fear… was starting to wrap itself around Ceres too.
"I don't know what door she meant, Your Highness," Seiryu admitted. "The command was only… to answer the call."
Ceres's knees gave way. Caelum caught her just in time, wrapping an arm around her waist before she could fall.
If Seiryu didn't know what the door was, how were they supposed to open it?
"What if something happens to them?" Ceres whispered, her voice frayed, panic blooming in her chest. "What if… we're too late?"
No one in the room could answer.
Then, suddenly, Neko stepped forward.
"Do you have a number?" he asked Seiryu.
The question caught everyone off-guard. Even Ceres blinked at him.
"Neko?" Nugget started, confused.
"Yes," Seiryu answered flatly, cutting Nugget off.
"What is it?" Neko asked.
But Seiryu didn't respond.
Ceres narrowed her eyes. The question had seemed random. Harmless, even. But Seiryu's hesitation said otherwise.
That silence meant something.
"What's the number, Seiryu?" Ceres asked gently but firmly.
Seiryu let out a long breath. Then answered.
"…Nine."
Everyone turned to look at Neko, tension thickening.
"And your siblings," Neko continued. "They have numbers too?"
Again, silence.
"Answer my child's question, Seiryu."
Another long pause.
"Yes."
"What are they?" Neko asked again.
"I don't know," Seiryu said. "We only know our own. Like our names, the numbers are veiled. Hidden. Forgotten… unless we've been subjugated and found our master."
"Then we need all the Holy Beasts to open the door," Neko declared.
"And how do you know what the door is?" Vivi asked, her voice soft but curious.
"It's the ancient portal Queen Azura told you about," Neko said, pulling a glowing orb from his dimension ring. A round, floating projector hovered in front of them.
"This is a recording from my Deepdive," he said, gesturing with practiced motions. The projection flickered to life.
Everyone watched as images moved through the depths of the Gilded Abyss, past strange reefs, deep chasms, and a haunting darkness. Then… it stopped.
A massive golden arc shimmered at the bottom of the trench.
"That's the portal."
"Why ask about the number?" Milo asked.
"Look closer at the seabed," Neko instructed.
He zoomed in, and the image became clearer.
"Twelve gold squares…" Peanut whispered. "That looks like… a keypad?"
Carved into the ocean floor were twelve golden tiles, each etched with glowing ancient symbols.
"I presume those symbols are numbers?" Neko asked Seiryu.
"Yes," Seiryu said simply. "They are."
"Then we have to awaken all the Holy Beasts," Ceres said, rising with sudden urgency.
"Love, no." Caelum stepped in front of her, halting her.
"Why not?" she asked, her voice breaking at the edges. "Why are you stopping me?"
"You know how the Holy Beasts are awakened," Caelum said. "Don't you?"
"Yes, of course," Ceres answered quickly. "A drop of blood, a chant, and their name. Even if Seiryu doesn't remember their names, you do. You and I, we're still human. We can awaken them ourselves."
But Caelum hesitated.
"The Holy Beasts still smell my blood as human, yes," he said carefully. "But technically… I'm not human. Not anymore."
He looked down at his hands.
"This body…" He paused, his voice thickening. "This body isn't mine."
And then, as if struck by a revelation, his eyes widened.
"That package… from Vee. Could it be…?"
"Zeus, what?" Ceres snapped, frustration spilling over. "What are you trying to say?!"
"It's not Luna who's the problem," Caelum said softly. "She isn't the reason the pregnancy isn't working."
Ceres turned to him, eyes glimmering with pain, but listening.
"Luna is the third thread. The shadow-bearer, one born of shadow. She was literally born in it. She was a cat on Earth. And when I made the deal with Lucifer in the Abyss… when we stepped out of that Abyss and entered Solmara, that's when she became demi-human. That's when she became the bearer of shadow."
He paused, gaze heavy with meaning.
"But you and I, this isn't our original form. This body I wear… it's the body of a Demon Lord. And you, you're not in your body either. Your soul inhabits Evadne's original body."
Ceres's breath caught in her throat.
"So the embryo created from the two of us… is being rejected by Luna's body," Caelum continued. "Because, technically, it isn't us. Not our real selves."
And then it clicked.
The prophecy.
The blood of Adam's kin.
Adam, the first man. Human. Pure.
But Caelum wasn't human anymore. He was Demon Lord.
And Lilith, she was never meant to be born from Caelum as a demon, but from Zeus as a human.
Her eyes widened in horror.
"But…" she whispered, dread settling like ice beneath her skin. "Our original bodies are dead. Lucifer wouldn't have sent us to this world if there was no hope to begin with, if what he'd been waiting for all these centuries was already gone."
She couldn't stop the tears that fell.
Had she misunderstood Uriel's book?
Was this all just a manipulation, Lucifer's game, instead of a plan for love?
She sank back into her seat, sobbing, not just for herself, but for Luna. For their child who never was. And for her sister and parents, now threatened by beings of Heaven.
But Caelum moved to her, kneeling in front of her, gently taking her trembling hand.
"Love," he said softly, with a small, hopeful smile, "we do have a baby."
Ceres stared at him, confused.
She tried to recall. The night before her death… they'd talked about it, hadn't they?
They'd been trying. Trying to create a life before everything shattered.
"It doesn't count," she said bitterly. "We don't even know if I got pregnant. And even if I did… I died in that body. That baby would've died with me."
Caelum didn't argue. Instead, he turned to Peanut.
"Peanut, play that video again, the one with the angel's reflection," he said, calm but urgent.
Without hesitation, Peanut obeyed.
As the video played, Caelum studied it, eyes narrowing.
"Can you get me a full 3D model of the penthouse from this?" he asked.
Using advanced Velrathian magitech, Peanut began reconstructing the space from the visual data. Moments later, a glowing model hovered before them.
"Hades wasn't the target," Caelum said quietly. "And neither was Evadne."
He turned back to Ceres, his eyes burning with conviction.
"That angel was looking for something. And I think I know what it was."
Caelum gestured to the model. "Look, love. Doesn't that penthouse look exactly like mine?"
Ceres frowned. "What would an angel want from your penthouse? It's been nearly twenty years since we died. Why now?"
Caelum's voice was low, reverent.
"Our baby."
"Zeus!" Ceres snapped, frustration pouring out of her. "We don't have a baby. Please… stop."
But he wasn't deterred.
"We do. Don't you remember? When you announced your engagement to Ryzel…"
His gaze held hers.
"Just days after that, we played a game. You lost."
Ceres blinked. The memory was hazy… and then it came rushing back.
'You can ask anything tangible from me. But nothing like love, or marrying you.'
Ceres had rolled her eyes.
'It's fine, my love. Let's just say I lost,' Zeus said, sipping his rum.
'Don't patronize me. I admit defeat already. You can ask for any prize, as long as it's tangible,' she had snapped.
'Are you sure?' he asked again.
'Yes.'
'Then… I want an egg from you.'
His tone had been teasing. But his eyes… They had been deadly serious.