The Devil & The Draxon

53. The Queen's Return

"Still no sign of him?" La'rayel asks worriedly.

Ella shakes her head. "No."

The dragon bits her lip. "This is bad... I mean, you know Nyxeus. For him to have disappeared like this..."

"He's either really upset or really angry," Dan says, getting a nod from La'rayel. "That doesn't explain where he's gone though."

"Would he have gone back to the Dragonlands?" Chloe suggests.

La'rayel shakes her head, "He said he didn't want to go back until he remembers more... But having seen what he did, it's possible."

"Well, you can go check," Ella suggests. La'rayel tenses, her eyes wide and Ella winces, "Oh right... Well, you're gonna have to go eventually, right?"

"I was hoping Nyxeus would be with me," La'rayel says, fidgeting nervously.

"I'm not busy right now, I can take a break," Ella offers.

The dragon brightens. "Really?"

The scientist nods. "Yeah, sure."

"Right, while you do that, Dan and I will try to solve this case," Chloe says, getting a nod from La'rayel.

She picks up Ella, her snowy white wings coming out. With a whoosh of wind, the two are gone. La'rayel lands in the meadow Nyx's palace overlooks and sets Ella down. The dragon's pale blue eyes dart around nervously.

Seeing this, Ella grasps her hand tightly, giving her a reassuring smile. "Hey, you'll be fine," she says. "You'll be fine."

La'rayel hesitates for a second before nodding and smiling softly. "Alright... Alright. Thank you for coming with me."

"Aw, of course."

The dragon blinks in surprise when Ella's arms wrap around her. Slowly, the dragon returns the hug, her tense posture relaxing.

*You.*

The two pull away to see Jinx and Vortex standing nearby, tails swishing and eyes narrowed.

"What are you doing here?" Jinx continues in English, red eyes flaring with hatred as he glares at the white-haired woman.

"Guys, there's a good explanation," Ella says, holding her arms out and standing between La'rayel and the two dragons of the guard.

"Is there?" Vortex hisses, "Because it looks like the sadistic sister of our king had the audacity to return."

"She's not like that anymore though," Ella says quickly.

"How can you know that?" Jinx growls. "How can you know it's not just one of her schemes?"

"I'll be on my way," La'rayel says coolly, "I can see Nyxeus isn't here."

"Hold on, you." Ella grabs her arm, keeping her from disappearing. "We came here to clear up some things too."

"Did we?"

"Come on guys," Ella says. "You think Nyxeus would want to watch you fight? Look, Jinx, Vortex, she's different. She's different and I trust her and Nyx trusts her, so you can try."

Jinx scowls. "Give me a couple millennia and we'll see. Nyxeus has returned?"

"And is now missing," La'rayel says.

"Why hasn't he come here then?" Vortex asks.

"He lost his memories," the white dragon replies. "He didn't want to come back without remembering how he was."

"And you?"

"I lost my emotions, my personality. I remember everything though, and... I'm sorry. I don't understand why I did what I did, but I don't want it to happen again."

Vortex studies her carefully before giving a small nod. "Very well. But no, Nyxeus hasn't been here. Nor has he been to Hell, Lucifer is still... well, upset. What is it?"

"My brother was hurt greatly by an angel with Lucifer's face," La'rayel says, scowling.

Jinx's eyes flare, "Michael's been messing with him?"

"You know him? But yes, the demon Mazikeen said Michael has been posing as Lucifer and was intent on destroying Lucifer's life on Earth. Apparently, that involved fooling Nyxeus and hurting him."

"He what?" Jinx growls. "Take me to him. I'm doing to do what I should have done centuries ago."

"He's gone," Ella says. "Chloe confronted him last night and he's disappeared."

The golden dragon growls again, pacing through the grass. "Alright... And what does 'hurting Nyxeus' entail?"

"Hitting him, ignoring him, just generally being a dick," Ella lists. "Oh and kissing Maze, which Nyx saw and disappeared after."

"Yep, I'm gonna disembowel that fucking archangel," Jinx hisses, his tail furiously swishing behind him.

Vortex rolls his eyes at the golden dragon. "For now, we'll send some of the guard out to be sure Nyx isn't hiding in the realm. We'll have to alert Lucifer of this as well. Oh, that'll be fun to explain."

La'rayel scoffs. "Sure. Just say, 'hey, your twin brother was impersonating you on Earth and fucking up your relationship with our king and now said king is gone and we're looking for him but it's been two days and no sign of him so yeah...'"

Jinx growls again. "Great. Just great."

⚯

A soft ding echoes in the empty penthouse as the elevator doors slide open. A couple of women step out, expressions blank as their eyes dart around.

"Lucifer?" the first calls, stepping further inside. "Are you here?"

No reply is given, the penthouse dark with late evening light. The two women explore more, heels clicking on the smooth floor. The first looks through the rest of the penthouse, the second staying near the bar as if waiting for someone.

"Nothing?" the second asks when the first returns.

"Nothing," the first woman confirms.

"Where else would he be then?"

"Vacation? I could sure use one..."

"Focus, Sarah."

The first woman, Sarah, rolls her eyes. "Like you disagree at all, Veronica. Between work, night clubs and now this, it's a wonder I get any free time."

"Are you saying you want to be free of me, darling?"

Not surprised at all, both women look over to the balcony where the draxon now stands, his wings still out and his expression blank.

"Nothing," Veronica says, referring to what their search turned up. "Again. I don't think he's been here at all, Nyxeus."

"He has to be somewhere," Nyx says emptily, shaking his head. "Though... Sister said Luci was the King of Hell, so maybe... Maybe he's gone back."

"Hell?" Sarah asks.

"Don't bother yourself with it, dear," Nyx says. "You and your sister can go back downstairs and join the others again. Let me know if you see anyone else who seems fun to add to my little collection."

"Yes, sir," Sarah replies, bowing her head.

With that, the two women walk back towards the elevator. Nyx turns back towards the balcony, biting his lip.

"No..." he whispers, fingers gripping the guard rail tightly. "No backing out. No stopping now."

His wings open and a second later, he's gone.