Light in the Darkness - (An Obey Me! Fanfic)

Chapter Two: Not Fire and Brimstone, but Academies and Exchange Students?

     I fought the overwhelming urge to take a step back. How did this man know my name? True, if this was all actually just a dream, it made sense. But everything around me felt so real that my mind couldn't possibly mistake it as a creation of my own unconscious brain.

     "Oh, pardon me." The man's deep voice brought my attention back to his face, his brows furrowed in concern. "Feeling a bit shocked, are we?"

     My lips parted at his question, but I couldn't seem to find the right words to express exactly how I was feeling; "shocked" didn't even begin to cover it. The many eyes that were following my every move further hindered my ability to speak. But just before the silence could become unbearable, the man spoke again.

     "Well, that's understandable. You've only just arrived, after all." He said this with what I perceived as a reassuring smile. Apparent warmth radiated from him like an aura and I could feel the tense muscles in my shoulders relaxing incrementally. However, his next words, accompanied by what I could only describe as a determined expression, put my strained muscles on edge again. "As a human, it will probably take a little while for you to adjust to things here in the Devildom."

     As a human? Was this some sort of roleplay? No, but that didn't make sense of how I had landed from my apartment into this opulent...place. But twice now he had mentioned - "The...Devildom...?" The question fell from my mouth, carrying across the vast hall louder than I anticipated. I cringed inwardly.

     The man's smile lifted into one of satisfaction next, though. "Yes, exactly, the Devildom. I see that you catch on quickly. Excellent." For whatever reason, my response pleased him - but it still didn't help to clear up any of the confusion swirling around in my mind.

      "I suppose I should start by introducing myself." Suddenly, he was making his way down from what I was beginning to think of as his "throne." The urge, again, to reel back was strong, but I bit down hard on the inside of my bottom lip. Sooner than I could comprehend, he was already mere feet away, the other men in the room standing almost at a form of attention. As he drew nearer, I finally realized how large this man was; I probably barely reached his shoulder, and with a swift glance - I could tell that he packed some serious muscle beneath his uniform. "My name is Diavolo." A tanned hand reached out to me, its fingernails adorned in black polish. "I am the ruler of all demons, and all here know of me. And someday soon, I will be crowned king of the Devildom."

     At this point, my mind went completely blank. So much information was bearing down upon it that my brain was about to clock out. The only reason I was able to lift my hand to shake Diavolo's own was pure instinct, and the manners that had been drilled into me over the years. The words "Devildom," "ruler of all demons," and "king of the Devildom" were on repeat in my head. Maybe I should've felt fear, but I really, truly couldn't feel much at that point.

     But then the warmth of Diavolo's hand sent a rush of heat up my forearm. I didn't realize how cold I still was until then - and the sensation of his skin on mine finally seemed to drive home how real this actually was. There was just no way I could be imagining any of this. Well, unless I was crazy. Which, I guess, wasn't entirely impossible.

     His grip was firm, but gentle enough that it didn't feel as if he was trying to show off how strong he was, which was something I noticed men often had the tendency to do. His hand definitely completely enveloped my own, and I doubt I could have pried my palm from his, but in no way did he seem even remotely threatening. That was the thing that surprised me the most. A lot of men left me feeling unsettled, unnerved, or just overall uncomfortable. But this guy...made me feel oddly at ease.

     This revelation made me blink several times, as if a film was dissolving from over my eyes, and although awkwardly - I followed in Diavolo's steps, backpack still slung over my shoulders, as he motioned for me to accompany him through a set of double doors that opened out onto a stone balcony.