Deja Vu

Chapter 13: Realizations

Barbatos takes you into the bowels of the castle, explaining that his ability allows him to see into the past and the future, and it also allows him to send people forward or backwards in time using a number of doors in his room. You ask if he knew all of this would happen, and he thinks for a moment on how to answer that.

On one hand, you've repeatedly surprised him throughout this whole ordeal. On the other hand, he can't really explain to you how you've surprised him. He decides to settle on telling you that he didn't know all of this would happen with Belphegor until it was already taking place, which seems to suffice for your question. He goes on to say that knowing what'll happen at all times is quite boring, so it isn't often that he looks into the future.

"The novelty of bringing you here at all is both exciting, and a surprise." he muses, opening the door for you. Inside, his room is akin to an Escher painting- Stairwells and doors all over the walls, hard to traverse.

Barbatos hands you a package, telling you that this might be helpful in getting the answers you're looking for. You see the package and can see that it was sent by Malleus, but also..
"Wait, this says it was sent in the post.. t-tomorrow..?" You blink, looking to Barbatos, who just smiles warmly.

You step to the side and open it, finding a small necklace inside. The letter says that if you're ever in danger and you need to be able to hide from a demon, this necklace has been charmed to help you do that. All you have to do is touch the necklace's charm to your skin, and you'll be hidden completely from the senses of demons, so long as you don't make sound. His letter explains that he's not certain how long the power in it will last, so you should only use it in case of an emergency.

It starts to click that Barbatos knows a lot more than he's letting on. "... Barbatos, can you please be real with me?"

"To the best of my abilities, yes."

"Given that you're handing me this, does that mean... You've seen me die?"

"..." Barbatos is quiet for a moment. He's surprised by your forwardness, but chooses to answer you candidly. After all, you're alone. If he has to, he doesn't mind breaking the rules to ensure Lord Diavolo's vision is met. If he has to wipe your mind from this encounter, he will. ".. Yes."

"How many times?"

".. Only a handful. This is the last danger I see on the immediate horizon for your future. If all goes well, I'll have successfully navigated you through the turmoil of this storm, alive."

"..." It takes a moment for that to sink in. It's not hard to accept, though. After all, you haven't died yet. "So it's very likely that I'll die, but, much like you did with this gift from my friend Malleus, you've manipulated things to give me my best shot at surviving this."

"Precisely."

".. And you didn't tell me while we were upstairs, because if the brothers had known I was walking into a death trap, they'd have never let me go."

"Correct."

"You already know who opened that door, don't you."

"... Correct."

".. Does Diavolo know?"

".. He asked that I ensure your safety. Everything I've done to this point has been to keep you safe, under his instruction."

"... So Diavolo doesn't even know that I could die."

"..." Barbatos is silent for a moment before bowing his head slightly and shaking it.

As you pause, soaking in the information, Barbatos watches you quietly. He's curious about you as a person. You're someone who has become dear to the turbulent group of brothers who incited war against the Celestial Realm itself, and lived to tell the tale. You've mended their relationships, and helped them come out of their shells. From the conversations with Lucifer, he knows you've helped build a community in that house again. How will someone who has been so careful and strong and life-changing react to such a secret..?