Devil in Shepherd's Robes

Ch 22: Declaration of Love

"As far as I'm concerned, I don't think it's a bad idea. Let's do it!" May said enthusiastically, looking at both Ephram and Silvia as they sat upon the large red velvety chairs of Aberlain's study.

The smell of old books and wooden shelving filled the air of the study, blanketing everyone within the room. The study had been left nearly identical to the last time Ephram had seen it, except for the yellow and black robe Aberlain had hung upon the back of the chair behind his desk. The clutter of it had been tidied up as well, as if the Rootlord had grabbed his belongings and fled after clearing his documents from his desk. It was suspicious to Ephram how quickly the Rootlord had disappeared, leaving nothing but trouble in his wake.

Both Ephram and Silvia nodded in unison at May's remark, and Silvia especially seemed excited. Her presence was a welcome one within the halls of Palace Estella, as if she were the only light shining in all of Hell. Her smile warmed not only the heart of Ephram, but everyone else in the room as well. May had taken notice of just how comforting her presence was, and found herself slipping into an odd sense of safety and security she had never felt before. With both Ephram and Silvia around, she felt as if nothing could ever harm her or those she cared about.

"Alright, then it's settled. We'll travel to mine and Silvia's home and fix it up. It'd be the perfect spot to hide out from Aberlain as well, there's no telling when he'll return to the palace. I'd rather not be here when that happens." Ephram said confidently, glad to have the support of his friends on his side.

As he looked around the room, his heart grew fonder of each and every one of them. The shorter copy of Restavel standing near the door to the sigil looked back at him, nodding slowly to confirm her support in the plan. May and Silo nodded as well, the field mouse perching himself back upon her shoulder. Lastly, Silvia and Ephram shared a quick glance towards each other as well. It had been some time since she'd seen their home, and Ephram could only hope that they were able to restore it to its former beauty.

"Restavel? What do you plan on doing with your main body? Surely you can't just leave it here, right?" Ephram asked, looking at the short maid near the door.

"It's quite alright, actually. Now that Aberlain no longer has control over me, I believe I won't have anything to worry about. It'd be dangerous to move my main body right now as it's healing from the wounds you'd inflicted, and I think it'd be safer to have, excuse my pun, a pair of eyes within these walls."

"Hm... yeah, I suppose so. Even so, make sure your main body stays safe and out of sight, I don't want him finding you while you're vulnerable..." Ephram began, making his way over to the door near her, "... shall we, everyone?"

As the five of them entered the room and shut the door behind them, the familiar stench of sulfur seeped deep within their bones. The dark yellow sigil sprawling across the ground glowed softly with the melting candles surrounding it. As the five of them all held onto one another, the sigil began to activate as the darkness of the void encircled them. Looking away from the bright sphere of light rapidly approaching, Ephram held firmly to the hand of his beloved wife as they were all enveloped in a blinding white light.

Upon their arrival, the white light began to dissipate as the empty CEO's office came into view. The first thing Ephram had noticed was the large glass window they'd broken before was now repaired, yellow tape surrounding the frame to hold it together. He thought it almost amusing to see the window once again shatter due to May, chuckling to himself quietly as he thought of how angered Ryan would be when he saw this once again.

The splintered glass fell with a large shattering scream, and he noticed Silvia jump slightly from the noise. It must've been quite the shock to her seeing Earth once again after all this time, and the bustling noises from the people below must have overstimulated her mind. The only thing he could think to do at the moment was squeeze tightly to her hand, reminding her that he was going nowhere anytime soon. If the two of them were together, everything would be alright in the end.