Hazbin Hotel: Another Adam

Stolas's mansion loomed before me, a majestic, even regal building of dark burgundy stone or brick. At night, under the dim light of hellish stars and neon signs, it took on deep dark blue and violet tones, as if trying to imitate a real night sky – a pathetic parody, of course, but it looked impressive. The mansion's windows were elegant and tall, pointed, and in some of them, stained glass with some kind of pink patterns shimmered dimly – coats of arms or just decorative elements. Quite pompous for a house where, according to Octavia's stories, eternal scandal reigned.

By the way, while thinking about this aristocratic owl-daddy, another interesting thought came to mind. Why, exactly, is Stolas's family even allowed to constantly hang around the Pride Ring? To live here, to own a mansion? A surprising thing, if you think about it. After all, most other high-ranking demons, all sorts of Dukes and Marquises of Hell, as far as I remember from fragments of Adam's knowledge and general rumors, are strictly forbidden from doing so.

Obviously, why – Lucifer is afraid (quite justifiably, by the way) that these power-hungry and greedy idiots will immediately start buying up or extorting sinners' souls, making contracts with them bypassing established rules, or doing some other crap on his personal territory. For such tricks, Lucifer, in theory, would be simply obliged to personally rip off their stupid heads to maintain at least some order in his mess, and he, let me remind you, doesn't want to do jack shit except his ducks, so he nips any extra hassle in the bud.

But Stolas's family – there you go, feeling perfectly fine in the very center of Pentagram City, mingling with sinners, owning real estate. Which, again, is an extremely surprising and not at all logical fact. Maybe his official duties are somehow connected specifically with this place, with the Pride Ring? Doesn't seem like it; his main job as an astrologer and predictor, as far as I remember from the same grimoire, is primarily related to astrological observations, which he can conduct from anywhere, and he opens portals all over Hell and to Earth. Besides, formally, his domains and title are more tied to the Wrath Ring. So I have absolutely no idea what the hell he's doing so firmly established right here. Maybe ask Luci when I see him? Ha! Although, to hell with him, that homegrown duck-aficionado. One hundred percent he either doesn't know the details himself, or has long forgotten, or simply doesn't give a damn. Useless. Another mystery of this madhouse called Hell. I'm starting to get used to it.

I hid between the buildings opposite the entrance to the mansion and waited. The drone hung silently just above, transmitting image and sound to me. I didn't have to wait long. Soon, the master himself appeared from the doors – the tall, lanky owl-demon Prince Stolas, dressed in his usual aristocratic attire. He had clearly come out to meet his guest. And here was the guest – Blitzø, a small imp-demon, nervously shifting from foot to foot, holding my fake copy of the grimoire in his hands.

I waited for the right moment – when Stolas had already spread into his affected smile and began to approach Blitzø – and mentally dispelled the light copy of the grimoire the imp was holding. Simply turned it back into pure Light, which immediately dissolved into space.

Oh, and how Blitzø's face changed instantly when he realized his hands were empty! A second ago, he was holding a heavy book, and now – nothing! At first, he looked at the approaching Stolas with desperate hope, apparently hoping Stolas had simply teleported the book to himself in some magical way. But no. Stolas was too engrossed in anticipating the meeting and was already beginning his usual social chat on the topic of "shouldn't we, my dear Blitzy, head straight to my cozy bedroom to… ahem… discuss our further plans for tonight." Brrr…

That bewildered, panicked face of Blitzø's made me smile widely. Damn, that was too funny! I had to get a grip on myself not to laugh out loud and spoil the image of a mysterious stranger. Because of this hesitation, I was a little late with my entrance, literally by a couple of seconds, which slightly changed the situation: Stolas, having approached almost closely, also noticed the absence of the grimoire in his lover's hands and, instantly changing his playful tone to a demanding one, asked the obvious question:

"My dear Blitzy, and where, exactly, is my grimoire? You did bring it, didn't you?"

"Um… I… Uhh…" The imp faltered, his eyes darting around panickedly, as if the book might just be lying somewhere on the cobblestones.

This was the exact moment I chose for my dramatic appearance. Concentrating, I stepped out of the deep shadow by the mansion wall (which I had previously slightly infused with Light – a little parody of the style of a certain deer acquaintance who loves shadows and voodoo magic), holding Stolas's real, heavy grimoire in my hand.

"Oh, what an unexpected meeting," I said, feigning slight surprise and looking at Stolas. "I was merely following this gentleman imp, who so carelessly dropped what appears to be a rather valuable artifact, and stumbled upon Prince Stolas himself in person. My respects, Your Highness." And I performed an elegant, deep bow, extending the grimoire to the stunned Blitzø. Strange, but the bow felt somehow… familiar, polished. As if I had done it hundreds of times. My muscles remembered the movement themselves. This isn't Adam. I know that for sure. Then who? I'll have to think about this later, damn secrets.

"Dropped it?" Stolas frowned, casting a reproachful glance at Blitzø. "Blitzy, I asked you to be more careful with my property! Even though I could retrieve the grimoire if it were lost, it absolutely doesn't mean you can treat it so frivolously. This book is priceless!" proclaimed the "proud bird," then shifted his scrutinizing gaze to me.

"Uhh, okay, yeah, got it. Won't happen again," Blitzø mumbled very informatively, greedily snatching the book from me and clutching it to his chest. Attaboy, Blitzø, as articulate as ever!

"And who might you be, curious little demon-tot?" Stolas looked me up and down with unconcealed interest. Clear suspicion was readable in his gaze. It seemed he didn't quite believe the story about a random demon deciding to return some obviously rare and cool book to a pathetic imp who lost it. Perhaps he even suspected that I was the one who stole it and was now trying to worm my way into his confidence by feigning nobility. Well, he was quite close to the truth, but he certainly didn't know the whole picture.

"Oh, surely Via hasn't told you about me?" I asked innocently, watching Stolas's eyes widen in surprise at the mention of his daughter's nickname. Which only her friends called her, according to her. "My name is Tatsumi. And I am very pleased to meet her father. Admittedly, I didn't think it would happen so soon, only a week has passed…" And I feigned slight embarrassment: lowered my gaze a bit, scuffed my foot on the cobblestones, forced a modest smile onto my face. Yes, like that! If you're going to play a role – play it to the end!

"Octavia? Via?" Stolas clearly tensed. "What do you mean, 'hasn't told you about me'? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, my apologies, Your Highness," I feigned embarrassment again, "I'm afraid I'm not sure I can speak of this without her consent… If you wish to know more, I think you'd better ask her yourself. And anyway, I am, unfortunately, in a great hurry, so please excuse me, I must take my leave." I made that same perfect, polished bow again (where did that even come from?), then quickly turned, leaned towards the stunned Blitzø's ear, and whispered quietly:

"You can thank me properly later for fixing this little book." And without waiting for a reaction, I stepped back into the nearest shadow, instantly dissolving into it a second before an agitated and clearly angered Stolas tried to grab me with some kind of wings or something similar.

It seems he's very worried about his little daughter and afraid she'll fall into "the wrong company." Especially the company of such mysterious and potentially dangerous types as myself. Well then, let him sort it out now.

And it's time for me to return to Heaven. And with the help of my beloved drones, watch the continuation of this fascinating "movie," enjoying freshly made popcorn. Hmm, I wonder, is Lute home already? Or is she still drilling the girls on the training ground?

I open a portal directly into the living room, immediately sensing that my girlfriend isn't home. First floor, soft white sofa (which she and I sometimes "test for durability" in our free time). I plop down on it and look at the huge mirrored surface on the opposite wall. Just a mental effort – and the mirror transforms into an incredibly high-quality monitor, which begins to show the recording from the drone following Stolas.

Excellent, everything's working as it should. Time to quickly dash to the kitchen for popcorn and tea. The first act of the theater of the absurd titled "Overprotective Dad Tries to Find Out if His Depressed Teenage Daughter Has a Secret Boyfriend" awaits me.

Mu-ha-ha-ha-ha! Suffer, little owlet, for you shall know all the joys of parental overbearance! Ahem, excuse me, I got a bit carried away.

POV Octavia

I sat in my room, door locked, and just stared blankly at the ceiling, listening to music and mulling over what was happening to me. My mood was rotten. Dad had promised then that he'd always be there, but his behavior hadn't changed, and it seemed like Mom and Dad would keep fighting no matter what.

There was a delicate knock on the door. I recognized that knock. Dad.

"Via? Darling, may I come in?" His voice sounded somewhat… anxious?

"The door's not locked," I grumbled, not moving from my spot.

The door opened, and Dad came in. He looked disheveled and… worried? Usually, he was more composed, even when arguing with Mom.

"Via, sweetie, we need to talk." He came over and sat on the edge of my bed. "Tell me, please… you remember we were at Loo Loo Land, right?"

"Well, yeah, you dragged me there yourself," I snapped.

"Yes, yes, of course… Tell me, were you… meeting anyone there? Someone… unfamiliar?"

I tensed. Is he talking about Tatsumi? How?!

"What makes you say that? No, of course not! I was sitting alone in that idiotic House of Fun while you were there entertaining yourself with your… friend!"

"Via, please don't be angry," Dad sighed. "You see… a young… man just approached me. He called himself Tatsumi. And he said he was your… friend. Said you hadn't told me about him. He looked… unusual. Via, who is he?"

Damn it! That Tatsumi! Did he do this on purpose?! Found Dad and spun him this tale?! Why?!

"I… I don't know any Tatsumi!" I blurted out, feeling my cheeks start to burn again. "He probably just made a mistake! Or some psycho! There are plenty of them in Hell!"

"He called you Via," Dad said quietly, looking at me intently. "How could a random psycho know your nickname? And he… he was quite strong. He disappeared into the shadows before I could apprehend him. Via, tell me the truth. Are you seeing him? Is he hurting you?"

"I'm not seeing anyone!" I almost shouted, jumping off the bed. "I saw him for the first time in my life! We just accidentally bumped into each other in that stupid hall with the eyes, exchanged a few words, and that's it! I don't even know who he is! And the nickname… maybe he just overheard you calling me that! Leave me alone, Dad!"

I could see in his eyes that he didn't believe me. He thought I was lying, that I was hiding something. Why are he and Mom always like this?! Why can't he just believe me?!

"Alright, sweetie, alright, calm down," he said placatingly, but I could see he wasn't calm. "I believe you. Just… be careful, okay? The world is dangerous, and… I worry about you."

He patted my shoulder and left the room, leaving me alone with my anger and resentment. Damn Tatsumi!

POV Stolas

I closed the door to Octavia's room behind me, feeling anxiety grip my heart. She's lying. I saw it in her eyes, in the way she blushed and started shouting. She's definitely hiding something. This Tatsumi… Who is he? He certainly didn't look like an ordinary demon, but not from one of the main Goetia families either. Strong, self-assured, wielding strange shadow magic… or something similar. And he knew her nickname. Via… He called her so familiarly.

No, she's definitely seeing him secretly. My little starling… got involved with some shady character! I need to find out who he is. Is he dangerous for her? What if he's from some hostile family? Or worse – some bounty hunter or mercenary trying to get to me through her?

I went down to my study, trying to quell my anxiety. I'll need to increase security around the mansion. And talk to my informants; maybe someone has heard of this Tatsumi. The name is kind of strange, not demonic. Maybe a sinner?

My grimoire, which this Tatsumi had returned, lay on the desk. Thank Satan, the book is intact. This Tatsumi returned it. Why? To make an impression? To distract?

I took the book in my hands. Heavy, familiar, dear. The source of my power, knowledge, connection to the cosmos. I ran my fingers over the ancient cover, feeling the power hidden within. I needed to check some protective spells, now that such types were lurking around my daughter.

I opened the grimoire to the first page to activate it…

And froze.

On the first page, where my sigil usually was, there was some symbol of a kind unknown to me!

I stared at it dumbly for several seconds. A foreign sigil on my ancient, powerful grimoire?! On an artifact created by my father?! How?! This is impossible! The grimoire's pages are protected by the most powerful enchantments; they cannot be altered or damaged! No one could have done this!

But this Tatsumi managed to…

Who the hell is he?!

POV Adam (MC)

I almost choked on my popcorn from laughing, watching the expression on Stolas's face on the "monitor." Oh yes! This was even better than I expected! His shock, bewilderment, and then righteous anger on his aristocratic bird face – priceless! To write my old signature in there (yes, I had a very unusual one) – a simple, childish, but so effective prank! Paimon would probably have turned over in his grave. Or conversely, appreciated the joke; who knows these demons.

After watching the "movie" to the end (Stolas furiously flipped through the grimoire for a long time, trying to find something else or understand how it was possible, and then started pacing his study, muttering something about "damned Tatsumi"), I leaned back on the sofa with a satisfied look. Mission accomplished and exceeded. Returned the grimoire, pissed off Stolas, put Octavia in an awkward position with her father (and admired her embarrassed little face). Perfect.

At that moment, Lute entered the living room. She had already finished her training and changed into comfortable home clothes.

"Well, satisfied with your latest stunt?" she asked with a slight smirk, looking at the empty popcorn bowl and my beaming face.

"Absolutely!" I nodded. "You should have seen that owl's face! It was a masterpiece!"

"You're incorrigible," she shook her head, but mischievous sparks danced in her eyes. "Did you at least study that book?"

"Of course, my precious," I nodded with a satisfied look. "The week flew by. Learned a lot of interesting things."

"Hopefully, nothing too dangerous?" A familiar note of concern sounded in her voice.

"No more dangerous than usual," I answered evasively. "Just… new possibilities. By the way, I was thinking, care for a walk? The weather in Heaven is excellent today. And then we can hit the training ground, practice a bit. I need to work on something."

"A walk? With pleasure," Lute smiled. "And what kind of training? Are you going to cut un-cuttable mannequins again?"

"Not exactly. I want to work on stealth. Try to completely hide my presence even from very sensitive creatures. Think you can find me?"

"Hmm, challenge accepted," her eyes sparkled Datenbank. "But first – a walk and maybe a snack? I got a bit hungry after training."

We spent a couple of hours just strolling through one of Heaven's parks; this time, for a change, it was designed in a Japanese style. Perfect emerald lawns, blooming pink trees with ethereal flowers, quiet ponds with crystal-clear water where koi carp swam. We chatted about all sorts of nonsense, ate incredibly delicious ice cream bought at a local cafeteria, and simply enjoyed each other's company and the tranquility of Heaven. This contrast with the turmoil and dramas of Hell I had just witnessed was particularly pleasant. Home, sweet home.

And then, as the sun began to dip towards the horizon, painting the snow-white clouds in soft pink tones, we teleported to the Exorcist training ground.

"Well, shall we try?" I asked, standing opposite Lute.

"Go on, hide, Adam," she smirked, taking a combat stance.

I concentrated, enveloping myself in a dense cocoon of pure Light that barely extended beyond my body, trying not to just become invisible, but to completely conceal my aura, my presence, to become indistinguishable from the surrounding background of Heaven. Let's see if this works against a first-class warrior like Lute.

I instantly shift with Light about ten meters to the right of my previous position, remaining invisible and imperceptible. Lute, however, continues to stare intently at the exact spot where I stood a second ago, her spear at the ready, her eyes intently scanning the emptiness. Ha! Looks like my Light camouflage method really works even against her! A simple mental effort, the desire to merge with the background, was enough to completely hide my presence even from an elite angel warrior whose senses should be sharpened to the extreme. Pleasantly surprised, didn't expect it to be so easy. First-level magic, based on pure intent, is incredibly versatile if applied correctly.

I decide to tease her a bit. I move behind her, absolutely silently and unnoticed, and then, using Light to manipulate sound, I project my voice from the spot where I appeared after the first shift, to her right:

"What, Lute, you don't feel my presence at all? Have I become such a master of disguise?"

"Huh?" She flinched sharply, turning towards the voice, but her spear was still aimed at my original position. "No… I don't feel it at all. I actually thought you were standing still, trying to confuse me that way, just by hiding your visibility," Lute sighed in disappointment, lowering her spear. "Too bad I didn't guess right."

At that moment, I cancel the invisibility, "materialize" right behind her, and gently place my hand on her shoulder. Her reaction was instantaneous, instinctive. With a speed incredible even for sinners, she spun around, simultaneously thrusting her angelic spear precisely at my chest. I was ready for this – a slight dodge to the side, and the deadly tip passed a centimeter from my jacket. Her combat reflexes are honed to perfection.

"Well, there's a first time for everything," I wink at her. Lute charmingly puffed out her cheeks like an angry little hamster and flashed her eyes at me. She couldn't stand it when I came up behind her… during training, naturally. At other times, her reaction was completely different.

"Well then, since my camouflage works so well, there's probably no point in long stealth training today. Maybe we should go home? Celebrate success?"

"Oh no you don't!" my Valkyrie's eyes flashed combatively, an eager smile touching her lips, though she tried to feign anger. "First, I'm going to give you a good thrashing for such tricks!"

And, before I could answer, she shot off, rushing at me in an attack, her angelic wings spread predatory behind her, giving her additional speed and maneuverability.

"Oh, well, if you want me to spank you that badly, you should have just said so," I wink again, easily dodging her first thrust – the sharp spear whistled past my head. Well then, it's no trouble for me to play along with her a bit.

By the way, funny fact: Exorcist training is always conducted with real, combat-ready angelic weapons. Which is surprising, because in all these countless years of sparring, according to Lute, no one has ever been seriously injured, let alone killed. Apparently, their level of control is extraordinary, or angelic reaction helps them notice the moment when an opponent is nominally "defeated." Or both.

Lute attacked fiercely and swiftly, as befits an angel-exterminator. A series of lightning-fast spear thrusts – one aimed at my throat, a second at my heart, a third trying to sweep my legs. I moved smoothly, almost dancing, dodging the blows at the last moment, allowing the deadly tip to pass millimeters from my body. Her speed was incredible; each blow carried enormous force, capable of piercing any ordinary armor.

She made a sharp feint to the left, then darted right herself, trying to outflank me and strike with her spear from below, under the ribs. I anticipated this – her style was perfectly familiar to me. A light tap to her leg made her lose balance for a fraction of a second, and I easily moved out of the line of attack, ending up behind her. Spank.

"Too predictable, my love!" I shouted, creating a short blade of pure Light in my hand. Not a bad substitute for angelic steel, especially if you have Light as powerful as mine.

She responded with a growl and a new barrage of attacks. The spear in her hands spun with incredible speed, turning into a blur, thrusts following one after another without interruption. She used her wings not only to increase speed but also for sharp changes in direction, soaring into the air and diving at me from above, or using a powerful wing beat to create an air current trying to knock me off my feet.

I parried her attacks with my light blade, striking showers of golden sparks with each collision of angelic metal and my energy. Simultaneously, I used short bursts of teleportation – "blinks" – to break the distance when she got too close, or conversely, to instantly close it, appearing at her side or behind.

Lute adapted quickly. She began to anticipate my teleports, attacking not where I was, but where, according to her calculations, I was supposed to appear a moment later. A couple of times, her spear almost grazed me as I appeared from a flash of Light. She had studied my tricks well.

Then I decided to change tactics. Instead of pure reaction and speed – deception. I created several of my immaterial copies from Light, which simultaneously rushed at her from different directions. Lute hesitated for a moment, trying to identify the real me. That second was enough for me. The real me simply teleported behind her and delivered a light but noticeable spank to her bottom.

She cried out more from surprise than pain and spun around sharply, batting away the light clones with a powerful sweep of her spear. Her eyes burned with excitement and anger.

"Why you little—!"

She rushed to attack again, but now she acted more cautiously, keeping her distance and trying to catch me in a mistake. I, on the other hand, began to "give way," allowing her to push me towards the edge of the training ground, where several pillar-targets stood. She clearly decided to corner me. Excellent, that's exactly what I was waiting for.

When I found myself with my back to one of the pillars, Lute launched a decisive attack, putting all her strength into a direct spear thrust. At that moment, I sharply released a wave of pure Light in front of me – not attacking, but disorienting. The bright flash momentarily blinded her, and the wave of energy itself slightly disrupted her balance at the most crucial moment of the thrust. Using the pillar behind me as a point of support, I pushed off it with my feet, did a somersault in the air right over the blinded Lute, and landed softly, like a cat, behind her.

Before she could realize what had happened and turn around, I did what I had been planning this whole multi-step maneuver for. My palm landed with a hearty smack on her firm bottom, clad in training pants. Three-nil, an excellent result.

"Gotcha!"

Lute froze for a second, then slowly turned her head, looking at me over her shoulder. There was no longer any combat fury in her eyes, only a mixture of slight embarrassment and that familiar playful spark.

"You… you—!" she began, but I didn't let her finish.

Quickly stepping forward, I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulled her close, and kissed her – deeply and passionately, pouring into the kiss all the tension of the just-ended battle and all the tenderness I felt for her. She responded immediately, wrapping her arms around my neck. The spear clattered to the floor of the training ground.

And in the next second, without breaking the kiss, I opened a portal, scooped her up into my arms, and stepped straight into our living room, where I had been finishing off popcorn just a few hours ago. After all, doing this kind of thing at home is much more pleasant than on a dusty training ground. And the sofa here is soft.