Achieving Heaven Through Hell Part 3: Only the Results

Chapter 13: Complementarity

Chapter 13: Complementarity

The air shimmered and a portal opened a small distance above a busy sidewalk in Imp City. Two demons fell out of the portal, deftly landing on their feet amid a throng of imps, the portal snapping shut an instant later.

"Ey!" An imp cried. "Watchit! Fekkin' demons and their fekkin' fancy magic..."

"Sorry, I'm not as good at that as Dad," said Octavia, dusting herself off.

"What the Hell, Via?!" Moonchild said, pointing to where the portal was. "Take me back, right now!"

"No! Moonie, that place is bad for you, don't you see?" She walked up to him and took his hand. "I don't know what she has planned for you, but it can't be good!"

"You don't know that! Charlie's been nothing but kind to me ever since we met! She took me in, fed me, she's tried to help me at every turn!" Moonchild snatched his hand away from hers. "Take me back there, right now!"

"I can't do that, Moonie," Octavia said. "It's dangerous, I can't let you–"

"Let me?" Moonchild said, his face darkening with fury. "Let me! You can't let me?!"

Octavia shrank back from him, shocked at the edge in his voice, the rage souring his perfect features. "Moonie?"

"God, you're just like them! I should have known!" Moonchild growled, throwing up his hands.

"What do you mean?"

"Your parents!" He said, jabbing a finger at her. "Telling me what to do, making decisions for me! You just took me from the only people who ever cared about me without even asking how I felt! What I wanted! Did it even occur to you that I was where I wanted to be?! Did it?!"

"I-I didn't mean to–" She stammered.

"I'm not your pet, Via! You can't just whisk me away because you think you should! I'm tired of you fucking royals always controlling my life!" Moonchild stepped forward, looming over her, his eyes flashing green as he grew, his clothes popping at the seams. "That's it! I'm done! I'm done with your father, your mother, with you! Your whole fucking family could do me a favor and stay out of my life!"

Octavia said nothing, eyes cast down to the sidewalk.

"Send me back, now," Moonchild growled. "Send me back to the hotel and go home to your mother."

A long pause hung in the air, her silence audible even over the crowd parting around them, when she finally spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. "...I can't."

"Fine." He turned away from her. "I'll walk."

Her hand shot out and grabbed his. He turned to excoriate her some more, the words dying in his throat as he saw the tears spill down her cheeks. "I can't go home. I confronted Mum the other night. About you, about what she's been doing. She kicked me out. That's why I spent the night, I had nowhere else to go."

"Via..." Moonchild said, taken aback.

"And with Dad in trouble... that's why he sent us away, because we're in danger around him!" She cried. "I was alone, and scared, and I wanted to see you, my only friend. B-but then this happened, you'd changed so much and-and you're so different and I got scared. Scared that maybe it was possible! Scared that you'd get redeemed, that you'd leave and I'd never see you again! And all that casino stuff, and-and the stupid hobby bullshit and-and... Look, I know i-it was selfish, and-and stupid and but I–"