Ah~ the calm view of the streets at night~ empty, dark, and cold.

The dim, flickering lights cast weak pools of warmth, swallowed instantly by the damp, heavy darkness that clung to the street.

Hurried steps echoed across the street. The shoes weren’t expensive, nor were the steps elegant. It was just a filthy person running. Nothing special.

On that street, on the third corner ahead of where the filthy person stopped, catching their breath, there was a somewhat dark alley. A place where people who lived in that neighborhood knew that it had to be avoided. Still, that filthy creature entered the alley anyway.

The smell of sewage mixed with the manure from the piles of rubbish in the bins made the place even more unwanted and uninviting. Rats, trash, cockroaches, and maggots had their own party until someone entered that alley.

The filthy creature turned out to be an old woman.

She hobbled forward, each step squelching in the mud, in no hurry to step on every worm writhing beneath her bare, cracked feet. Her left leg dragged uselessly behind her, torn open by a savage wound made by a sharp blade.

The flesh around the wound was blackened and peeling as if rotting from the inside out. It was far from being fresh, but too recent to be called old. It oozed a dark, slimy liquid, nothing that resembled blood. Whatever it was, the old woman didn’t have time to pay it enough care. It needed to be a pain forgotten in her memory.

Not minding how heavy it was, she carried a bag in one of her arms. She looked tired, but her bulging eyes betrayed every attempt to look pitiful.

She was desperate.

She walked, walked, walked, and walked some more until reaching a small hut made of cobblestones and dark marbles. Dark roses adorned it, making a path to an altar in the back of the hut.

The altar was beautiful, a sharp contrast to the grim surroundings outside.

At its center rose a tall figure of a woman, sculpted from dark marble. She was stunning and eerie. Her face was solemn and mysterious, the statue’s eyes were closed, but it felt like she could be seeing everything around her. The long, straight hair of the woman portrayed wasn’t made of marble – it was made of carved obsidian.

Around her, black roses bloomed unnaturally, their petals full and lush despite the stagnant air. Their heavy, almost suffocating scent mixed with the sharp, bitter smoke curling up from the incense sticks.

The old lady kneeled and clapped her hands together in a praying position. “My Lady… I’m so sorry…” she apologized, tears swelling in her closed eyes. “I barely had time to polish your statue and clean thy altar… but now I’m so desperate…” she took a box of matches and placed two black candles near the statue’s feet.

When she lit one of the matches, the little light that flame emitted illuminated her partially disfigured face. It was as if a wax sculpture was melting little by little, and a dark disease seemed to rise from her wounded leg to her arms.

The old lady coughed before being able to speak. “I was attacked, My Lady… the person- No! It was a demon! A demon attacked me and stole my report about your boy’s whereabouts! That’s why I came here because I need to give you, My Lady, the information before he–”

She barely had time to gasp, and her body slumped on the muddy flooring. The candles lit illuminated her disfigured face and severed arm.

The metallic clang of the dagger used to take away the last breath of that unidentified being ceased as if it had been sheathed again.

Whoever was responsible knelt on the rug the creature brought to pray in front of the small shrine.

“Geez... that was a close one,” the demon chuckled and grabbed the old lady’s hair, lifting her slumped head. “Wakey wakey~♫ Oops! It seems you went to cosmic court earlier… what a shame…” he chuckled darkly and sank the deceased face into the mud.

The demon buried his claws on the corpse and laughed out loud, tearing the fragile skin and tissues until they turned into minced meat. He took a deep breath and exhaled. The body was successfully absorbed by him.

A cold breeze blew his clothes, and he looked at the candles. Their flames swayed unnaturally, and a dense fog lazily approached the demon, surrounding him.

“It seems I was worthy of a meeting with her…” the demon chuckled and fixed his clothes. Fortunately, only his claws were dirty, but it was manageable.

He knelt and waited patiently until the fog engulfed him.

It swirled around his body, turning his vision dark and hazy.

When it dissipated, he was in an entirely different place. One by one, candles flickered to life around him, a quiet warning that he didn’t belong there.

The demon lifted his head, glancing around. It was spacious, clean, and very fragrant... but it was cloaked in deep shadow. Through large windows, constellations stretched across the sky, surrounding a full, brilliant moon.

A female silhouette lounged on a couch next to the window. When she noticed the demon’s presence, the woman rose lazily to her feet.

Long, wavy hair spilled over her shoulders, some strands stubbornly veiling her face.

The candle flames shifted when the woman chuckled. Once yellow, they now burned blue with orange-tipped tongues.

The woman laughed softly at the change, gliding a few steps closer—close enough to be seen, but not enough to cross the circle of candles.

“Ah… it’s only you, Agarath…” her voice echoed through her ruby lips. Under those plumps, there were a pair of sharp fangs waiting for flesh.

Agarath chuckled and bowed. “I knew I couldn’t hide myself from you, My Lady…” the demon’s voice turned deeper, and his appearance changed. “I apologize for my rudeness with the demon outside… poor creature was disturbing your dear sanctuary… it was a shame! I needed to intervene!”

A soft chuckle from the mysterious woman echoed again when the wind tickled the candles’ flames. Black rose petals then flew around Agarath, tickling his skin and hair.

“How altruistic of you… Agarath, The Usurper,” she graciously chuckled.

“Sometimes a demon can be altruistic, my dear Lilith,” Agarath respectfully bowed again.

Lilith snapped her fingers, and the snow-white candles turned dark. The flames flickered like will-o'-the-wisps but followed the increasing mist around Agarath. The petals faded, leaving behind a rare sweet scent that filled Agarath's nose and lungs.

“What brings you here?” Lilith asked, turning her back to the demon kneeling not too far from her.

“I came to propose a negotiation,” Agarath calmly said.

The gracious woman sat on her divan and waved her hand. Instantly, a gargoyle came with a tray and fancy desserts made just for the entity. Lilith patted the gargoyle, which turned into stone, and a handy table for the tray.

“How bold of you to come here to negotiate with me after everything you’ve done…” Lilith smiled, biting a blueberry.

Agarath’s body tensed. “It’s just a very dirty water under the bridge now. I’m clean,” he scratched his head.

“Hm… I see…” Lilith munched another dessert made of blueberry.

“Anyway, I came here for a trading offer actually…” Agarath said solemnly.

“Go ahead,” Lilith combed her hair, revealing her facial features with the help of the moon’s shine. However, only her moles and the dim glow of her eyes were barely visible.

“Yes, Mademoiselle,” Agarath cleared his throat and rubbed his hands together. “I heard you lost your only Heir, and I happen to know his whereabouts… So, I’d like to make an equivalent–”

“You found him? You really know where he is?” Lilith urged.

“Yes, My Lady…” Agarath felt his heart be filled with euphoria. “I happened to get the information, but I want a fair trade–”

“What could possibly be worthy of his equivalency?!” Lilith snapped, her crimson eyes glowing in the dark like a haunting entity.

Agarath tensed his shoulders. “A Chronos, commercially speaking,” he said, his voice laced with a mixture of euphoria and haste. “I happen to know My Lady has the youngest Chronos’ information, even if it’s a bit outdated, I’d add… I also heard that My Lady intends to build a weapon worth of her usage by their cloak and blood… but… does Lord Lucifer know this?”

“Dear Agarath…” Lilith darkly chuckled, standing elegantly from her divan. Agarath barely had time to breathe and the entity was inches close, holding a sharp dagger way too close to his throat. “You should mind your damn business…”

Agarath’s eyes bulged in an almost cartoonish-like way when he saw three more daggers around her, aiming right at his vital spots.

“My mouth is perfectly shut then!” Agarath quickly said. “A-ahem… hehe~ s-so… let’s trade? I got all the information about your Heir, from his identity to his whereabouts and background…”

“I’ll send Mephistopheles for the negotiation,” Lilith said, still inches close to Agarath’s face. “He’ll attest your… trust, even if barely. For now, your miserable life is spared," she stored the dagger and crossed her arms. "I heard you'll be throwing a party, am I right?"

When she turned to grab something from the nearby table, Agarath noticed her slightly curled horns. He hadn't noticed them earlier because the room was too dark – maybe her scaled tail was also lurking in the dark, ready to pierce into his heart if he was dumb enough.

“Y-yes, yes~ I’m just finishing some settings,” Agarath grinned. "Ah, and I'll hire the dancers soon. It'll be marvelous."

Lilith's facial features were faint, but Agarath could picture how bad her expression was. Still, in that disturbed mind of his, he still found her pretty.

“Then the negotiation will be held there,” Lilith set, her long, scaled tail glimmering under the moon’s light.

“I knew you would treat me well, dear Mademoiselle,” Agarath bowed. “With the Chronos business, you'll have your Heir back,” he made a ‘ta-da’ pose, all joyful.

"Very well, set the date and track Mephistopheles," Lilith darkly chuckled. "And... one last thing..." she made a sign for him to approach.

"Say it, Mademoiselle," Agarath grinned.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on my Heir," Lilith grabbed Agarath’s face with her claws, pressing him against the floor.

Agarath, feeling his euphoria turn into desperation, wriggled his arms in a desperate pleading for lenience. “A-As you w-wish, Mademoiselle!! B-But how about the Chronos?”

“Do whatever you please, but be sure of one thing,” Lilith pressed Agarath on the floor, her tail approaching his side. “If you use the Chronos as your weapon… I’ll be your first headache,” she threatened, eyes glowing crimson.

“E-Erm… ok, Mademoiselle,” Agarath grinned nervously.

“Now, get out of my sight,” Lilith released him and snapped her fingers.

Agarath blinked, and he was back in that muddy alley.

He fell on his knees and started laughing hysterically.

Information was a good business.