“You’re still lying,” Glen said, taking a step back, shaking his head. “After all this?”

“Please,” Elian tried, something deep within her fracturing as she reached for him and he dodged, her panic ballooning. “I’m sorry—”

“I didn’t want you to die,” she insisted, voice weak and wobbly. “I thought I could handle it by myself—me and Vincent. We were good during the war, so…I don’t know. I’m sorry, Glennie, I would never just—”

maybe 😘

Because she 𝘸𝘢𝘴 selfish like this. Selfish enough to place her relationship over caution. To be willing to take unnecessary risks to ensure she wouldn’t lose him.

And now, only now, could she see just how good a chance she had at losing him anyway.

they were happy for so many days before this 💀

Glen’s fingers nudging her chin up startled Elian so badly she almost choked on her tears. “I know you’re not selfish like this,” he said, quiet and earnest. “Why didn’t you want me there? Why did you lie?”

Glen cut himself off, scraping both hands through his hair as Elian’s tears spilled over. “I’ve fucking raised that kid,” he whispered. “I could see where every single one of her fingers went in.”

“I’m sorry,” was all Elian was reduced to. “I didn’t…I shouldn’t have…”

“Vincent almost 𝘥𝘪𝘥 die!” Glen reminded her. “Lucian asked me to protect him when he was a baby, Elian, an infant! He needed me and you sent me away, 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦. What if he had? What if 𝘺𝘰𝘶 had, do you really think—”

“Why did you want to split up so badly?” Glen demanded. “You knew it was dangerous!”

“I…I was scared,” Elian managed, smothering the urge to apologize again. “I was afraid you would get hurt, Lacie and Lucian said people died last time, and if—”

Elian winced. “I’m sorry—”

“Sorry doesn’t explain anything,” Glen snapped, his voice heated in a way she’d never heard. It cut at her soul, grated against her bones. There was no blaming this on anyone else. This anger was entirely at 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

succumbing to her emotions but when you combine the two in the same environment you could see how Dima would think one was influencing the other

ohhh okay—honestly it’s more a matter of perception, Dima sees this dark shadow and assumes it can only be bad, evil, when in actuality Lilith wasn’t *doing* anything except existing in the space. I think it was probably due in part to how Elian was acting but that also wasn’t Lilith, just her

Elian didn’t get the chance to formulate a response—Glen was next in line to deliver his wrath upon her.

“You lied to me,” were the first words out of his mouth. “How could you lie to me?”

He was limping off before Elian could remind him that Lilith was the only reason he was still alive. Which was good—it gave Elian time to remember that Chizuru was 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 only alive because of Lilith.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦, 𝘱𝘦𝘵, Lilith said gravely. 𝘐 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘳𝘦.

Elian wrapped her arms around herself as Vincent looked away—likely in Glen’s direction. “I won’t say anything now,” he murmured, “but you keep her the hell away from him. And figure out how to get rid of her.”

Vincent sucked his teeth, but for once, didn’t argue. He knew better than anyone what a toll his injury had taken. “Does Glen know?”

Chills rolled through Elian’s body. “You know he doesn’t. Please don’t…I…”

I’m confused about what the question is…was what Lilith’s attempt at protecting herself/Elian? Dima noticed her first because he’s connected to spirits/the afterlife due to being Larissa’s son, so he’s got a bit more access to the other side, so to speak

Vincent grunted, one hand jerking up to his chest, any fight leaving Elian in an instant. “Please, Vincey,” she whispered. “I’ll explain as best I can, but not right now. You need to rest.”

Elian jerked like she’d been slapped. “I’m not thirty 𝘯𝘰𝘸.”

“I’m not joking,” Vincent said, his stare piercing. “What’s going on with you? You’re possessed? She called you her chosen, what the fuck does that mean, how—”

“Explain,” Vincent growled.

“I don’t know how,” Elian tried not to whine. “Could you tell me how Azhdaha ended up in your head?”

“He’s been there since I was born! You were like thirty when Lilith died!”

“While someone brings Chizuru to the Underworld, we should go back to the apartment and let Vincent rest,” Glen suggested, because it was the only plausible thing to do.

And no one dared to object—they were all tired.

That’s when Ada finally decided to say something because no one else did, “Clearly killing her isn’t enough, we should figure out something else.”

And while it sounded like Ada was feeling pity, her words didn't come from a place of mercy. They came from the type of anger that fueled revenge.

Glen got another hit in to stop her from talking, hoping it wouldn't leave her unconscious for too long. Since they planned on dragging her back to the Underworld and he wanted to make it as painful as possible. When Vincent coughed it snapped Glen out of his rage and back to senses.

“You do not represent the mistress and her cause. How dare you even think to understand the lengths I went to to complete her wishes! I'm her favorite, I've been working for this my entire life!" she argued, her tone becoming more deranged the longer she spoke.

“I'm the mistress's right hand, you shouldn't even be allowed–”

Elian's words cut her off like a sharp knife, "You're not allowed to call him a servant, you are below him now. Awaiting your judgment.”

They expected Chizuru to behave after that warning, but instead something shifted in her.

She kept lashing out nonetheless, “How dare you touch me, you lowly servant?!”

“I’m not the one on the ground, so I would be very quiet if I were you,” he threatened in a low voice.

But instead of scaring her, it annoyed her.

In her eyes wasn't a single hint of remorse or regret. She felt insulted rather than scared. Which only triggered him more.

Glen couldn't help himself and kicked Chizuru back to the ground out of pure rage. She deserved to suffer, to feel pain and despair the way she made them feel. The way she made Lacie and Lucian suffer and so many more people.

today on the adventures of jay and dell cohabitating: we bought @dellsiming.bsky.social a lawnmower

But the moment Chizuru moved without being told to, that fear shifted.

And Glen became near unrecognizable.