Barbatos's heart

Decisions

Barbatos and Elaina had spent the evening trying to figure out what to do about this new obstacle in their way. Barbatos was convinced something terrible was about to unfold but as to what, he didn't know. In the thousands of years, he had been alive, he had never had something so terrifying as to lose his powers. He was worried for his family. His precious children, his loving wife, Diavolo, his friends...

"Barbatos, we can't sit here and worry. We don't know what is causing this. We can't overreact." Elaina tried to reason, but Barbatos didn't let up on his pacing. "I-I just don't understand! Can't you feel it, Elaina Rayne? Something is off!" - "Barbatos... Please come to bed. You're making Wendy nervous." She pleaded once more. Barbatos sighed. He went over to the crib to pick up Wendy, then walked over to the window and watched the rain fall outside in the garden.

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Diavolo felt a chill in the air as he walked out into the garden alone, umbrella in hand. Something was wrong, he felt it. There was only one thing he could think of and the thought wouldn't leave his mind. He had to check to be sure and pray that he was wrong. He made his way to the mausoleum doors, lifted the spell, and pressed on the lever that kept it bolted shut. It opened with a loud creak. It was now or never. He had to face this problem head-on. He entered the tomb.

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Barbatos woke up to his D.D.D vibrating. "ShuT...THAT thinG...OFF!!" Elaina seethed. She wasn't a fan of being woken up. Barbatos quickly scooped it up off of the bed to not disturb her any longer. He checked the phone to see 4 unread texts from Diavolo. He also observed that it was only 3 AM. He figured that Diavolo was drunk again, but after he declined the first call, the phone lit up once more with a message reading "BARBATOS 911! BALLROOM NOW!". He slowly lifted himself out of the bed and quietly made his way up the steps and out the door.

Once he made it to the ballroom, he was surprised to see Lucifer, Mammon, and Solomon there as well. "What is it, my Lord?" He asked nervously. "Barbatos... We have a problem. Aurelia was attacked on her way home from The Fall with Asmodeus and Mammon." Barbatos's skin crawled, he knew something bad was going to happen. "Oh my goodness, my Lord! Is she okay!?" He worried. "She is fine. Asmodeus was able to fend off the attacker while Mammon rushed her here to me. She is resting peacefully in my chambers. Asmodeus is with her now." Diavolo assured him. "But... That isn't all. I have been having this horrible sinking feeling lately like something was wrong. I went to the mausoleum and, Barbatos, HE is gone." Barbatos dropped the teapot he had picked up early to pour tea. It shattered onto the floor into a million pieces.

The room was silent as they realized the danger of the situation. "When?" Barbatos asked curtly, he was pacing, this was his worst fear. "I don't know." Diavolo mumbled,d "but it had to have been recent, after the ball maybe?" - "Or during." Lucifer pointed out. "It would make sense. You and Aurelia were out on the balcony, my brothers and I were in the library sorting out Mammon's interference in your relationship and then you came to join us. There were plenty of times when we were not present at the company of the party. Maybe someone snuck around and got in." He explained. "What about my guards?" Diavolo questioned. "Maybe some inside help?" Solomon suggested. "It's all possible." Mammon sighed. "We have to find him or it could be the end of everything."

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It was late morning when Barbatos trudged back into his bedroom. His eyes were red and tired. He and the others were up half of the night trying to figure out what to do. Diavolo's father had escaped his prison and attacked their friend. Diavolo was beside himself, trying to figure out how his father had broken out and how he had the power to do so. Diavolo had weakened him to a point where he couldn't fight back, but now... He didn't know what his father was capable of.

Eventually, they gave up for the "night" and Diavolo gave everyone their leave. Barbatos did not have to do his duties until the evening. He needed his rest and Diavolo needed to be with Aurelia. To his Suprise, Elaina was up with the girls. "Rough night?" She asked as she bounced Hazel up and down. "Something happened, Elaina. Aurelia... She was attacked." Barbatos sighed. "No! Oh my gosh, Batey please tell me she's okay!?" She cried. "Yes, she is okay. Asmo and Mammon were with her. She's resting with Diavolo. She'll be in bed for a few days though. You can visit her a little later." He explained.

Barbatos debated telling Elaina about Diavolo's father. He felt that she needed to know, but at the same time,e he was afraid. He would want her to leave, to take the girls back to the Celestial Realm, but if he told her why she would want to stay to help them. The girls would be safe, but he wanted her safe as well. He had to think of a way to get her to want to go and then close the portal to her until it was safe.

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Diavolo sat in his bed chambers in the dark. Aurelia had been fussing in her sleep all morning. He could tell she was uncomfortable and all he wanted to do was help, but they had made a promise, that if she was hurt, he would let her heal on her own unless it were life or death and this was not. She would be alright. Luckily, Asmodeus could be serious from time to time and thought as quickly as he did. Mammon too, but Diavolo was still upset with him for telling Aurelia the rumor about him cheating on her. Diavolo realized Mammon was only looking out for her but it was all wrong.

He was lost in thought when Aurelia opened her eyes. "D-Diav..." She croaked. "Relia! Thank goodness you're alright!" Diavolo cried. "I was so scared..." She teared up as she thought about what had happened. She, Asmo, and Mammon were out clubbing pretty late. Everything was going so well until they left the club. They rounded the corner toward the castle when she heard a high-pitched whizzing sound next to her and suddenly the entire left side of her body was slammed into the ground. She wasn't surprised to see the entire left side of her face was bruised pretty heavily. She was in a lot of pain.

"Where are Asmo and Mammon? Are they okay? Was it one of Mammon's thug 'friends' coming after us?" She asked. "No, they didn't harm Asmo or Mammon. They were after you, Aurelia." Diavolo explained. "Why?" Diavolo couldn't tell her about his father right now, not while they were so unsure about what was happening. "B-because the people of Devildom know about us dating. Don't worry though, it will pass in time and now that we are aware of what is going on, we can protect you better." He lied.

Diavolo had plans for Aurelia's safety and explained it all to her. It was a solid plan for the time being. She would have to make sure she always had a bodyguard with her, meaning the brothers, Barbatos, or Diavolo himself. That wasn't unusual it was their original agreement when she first got to Devildom but they had let their guard down once everyone was accustomed to her being around. He also explained that she would now have to have a curfew. Even though it was always night in Devildom, their residents seemed to become more powerful at night. She was to be in a safe place, no later than midnight, which also wasn't that bad. The final piece of the plan was that the safe place mentioned would be the palace. She would move into the palace with Diavolo to ensure her safety.

Things were only going to get more difficult from there on out. Diavolo called a mandatory meeting to set everything in place and fill everyone in on the situation. They would search Devildom for his father and make sure they kept things secret for the time being. Aurelia and Elaina stayed out of the loop for their safety and the brothers stepped up their game. Hopefully,y this would be resolved soon.