Chapter 18

Arthur looked towards Louis in panic, who similarly looked lost. "We should come back tomorrow then," Louis said in a muffled voice. "But mom looks like she's going to die," Arthur replied in a desperate voice. Arthur didn't understand at all what Mallory had told them and just wished for his mother to be able to live.

Picking up the newborn child, Louis stood up and walked to the door. Gesturing at Arthur they quickly left, looking back towards Mallory's chambers every once and a while. After handing the baby to one of the maidservants the two quickly made it back to their own room.

Seeing Arthur still panicking Louis spoke, "Listen to me Arthur, do you remember how humans treat demons?" Arthur replied with a lost look, "Sure I do, they try to kill us and we try to kill them." "Well, now we're the demons, apparently." Scrunching up his face Arthur fell into a deeper panic. "Well then what do we do!" "Obviously we don't do anything. We look perfectly human and lived as humans until now," Louis didn't really believe what he was saying but he needed his twin to calm down.

"Mallory said… we're one of the 12 zodiacs, and at the same time we're demons. I don't really understand how it works but we can just ask her tomorrow," Louis said as he climbed onto his bed. Frowning, Arthur got into his own bed. Laying parallel to one another Arthur asked quietly, "When's our birthday?" Louis thought for a moment before replying, "In two months."

* * *

After a restless sleep, the two ignored their usual schedule and headed straight for their mother's chambers. There, they found Mallory playing with their newest sibling. "His name is Sacra. What a cute child," Mallory gestured for the two to close the door and the two quickly made their way next to her bed.

"Now ask," Mallory calmly said. "What do you mean you'll die when we become ten!" Arthur immediately asked. "I'll no longer be needed when you two become ten." "So you'll die?" Louis asked sullenly. "It's only when I die that I can keep helping you both."

"How will your death help us in any way?" Arthur asked, suppressing his rising emotions. "They must teach you nothing about demons at school. You can eat my heart, or at least one of them." While Arthur blanched Louis kept questioning, "What do you mean, why should we eat your heart."

Shaking her head Mallory set Sacra in a cradle next to her bed. "A demon's power comes from their heart. The longer they live the more hearts they have. Why else would demons be ranked by age, it's because their age represents their strength. Every demon heart increases its power multifold and the stronger its previous heart is the stronger the next one will be. All the succubi are to be fertilizer for the next twelve demon kings. It is our duty and honor to be able to help develop the next twelve," Mallory spoke with a burning passion.