The scene was worthy of a Greek tragedy—or a hellish comedy, depending on your perspective.
Liora sat on the living room couch, her hands sweaty, heart racing, and a rotten apple hidden under the cushion (she no longer trusted fruit). In front of her, the Demon King—yes, that one, capitalized—was calmly accepting a cup of tea from her mother.
Herbal tea. With honey.
The most feared creature in the underworld was holding a cup with hand-painted flowers, smiling as if he'd been invited to a heavenly picnic.
"So, Mister...?" Lúcia looked at the visitor with her usual warm and innocent smile, completely unaware she was offering butter cookies to the incarnation of doom.
"Call me Morian," said the Demon King, bowing so dramatically that his dark robes spilled across the sacred carpet like a puddle of shadows.
Oh, great. Now he has an elf-poet name. Wonderful, Liora thought, resisting the urge to slam her face into the wall.
Valério watched him with narrowed eyes, crossing his arms in peak "suspicious paladin" form. "And what do you do for a living, Mr. Morian?"
"Oh," Morian replied with a devilishly polite smile, "I run a... family business."
A family business? Liora nearly choked on her tea. What kind of family? The Apocalypse Family?
"How lovely!" Lúcia exclaimed, offering more cookies. "We treasure family so much here. Our daughter, for example, is growing in the light every day!"
"Yes, I can tell," Morian said, looking directly at Liora with that gleam in his eyes that said I know exactly who you are, and this is hilarious.
Liora smiled. Or tried to. It came out more like a facial twitch.
"She's very special," Lúcia beamed. "Always so devoted to the light, so full of divine energy!"
"She blew up an apple this morning," Valério added, as if that were a sign of holy potential.
Morian raised an eyebrow. "Blew it up, did she?"
"It was... an accident," Liora jumped in. "The fruit was... overloaded."
"Yes. Overloaded with untapped power, perhaps?" Morian answered, smiling in that way that screamed You're so screwed, and I love it.
Liora suddenly stood up. "Mom, Dad, would it be okay if I had a word with our guest? Alone. Like, outside. Just a quick walk."
"Of course, dear," Lúcia said. "Just don't take too long. Tea loses its charm after fifteen minutes!"
If only tea was the biggest magical disaster in this house.
---
Outside, Morian strolled calmly through the garden, completely unfazed by the holy grounds. Flowers quietly wilted as he passed. Liora followed him like an annoyed child chasing an embarrassing uncle at a family reunion.
"Are you insane?" she hissed. "What are you doing here? You're going to blow my cover!"
"I merely came to see how my favorite employee was adjusting to post-death life," he said, as if commenting on the weather.
"I am not your employee anymore!" she snapped. "I died, reincarnated, became a paladin's daughter, got stuck with a ridiculous name, and I'm trying to live a peaceful life—full of light, tea, and the occasional fruit explosion!"
Morian smiled, pretending to ponder. "Liora… or should I say... Inferna the Tireless. Do you really think you can run from your nature? You're practically glowing with suppressed rage."
"I'm glowing because my mom bathes me in holy oil and angel water every night."
"Fancy."
She rubbed her face. "What do you want?"
Morian stopped and turned to her, his tone suddenly serious. "Did you think you were the only one who reincarnated?"
Liora froze.
"Some of your... old colleagues are also out there. And let's just say... not all of them are trying to adjust to this new life with hugs and herbal tea."
A chill ran down her spine.
"And why come here? To recruit me?"
"Not exactly," he replied. "I came to warn you. Something is moving. Something that might... affect your bright little home. And honestly? I just want to see how you'll handle it. As a hero."
Liora blinked.
"You want to see me... be good?"
"Yes. It sounds delightful."
She looked at him, then at the house full of white curtains, mystical flowers, and unconditional love. Her mind raced, recalling her old life — following absurd orders, managing armies of imbeciles, enduring endless meetings where he always had a new "grand plan" that usually involved burning at least three kingdoms before lunch.
She had led invasions, for heaven's sake. She once fought a talking volcano because he thought it'd be "funny." And now here he was, sipping tea and grinning like a saint.
A horrible idea formed in her mind.
"If I agree to help... will you stop showing up in my garden uninvited?"
"No promises. But I might bring less chaos."
"You are the chaos, Morian."
"Thank you."
She sighed.
"Fine. But on one condition."
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."
"You have to pretend to be my celestial mentor in front of my parents. Like... a spiritual guide."
Morian laughed. That deep, guttural laugh that made the holy birds fly away in terror.
"You want me to act like an agent of light?"
"Either that or go back to Hell and leave me alone."
He considered it for two seconds.
"Deal."
And just like that, the Demon King became the new "spiritual mentor" of the holiest daughter in the region.
Liora could already feel the divine migraine coming.
---
Hook for the next chapter:
With the Demon King now pretending to be her angelic mentor and ex-demon colleagues reincarnating all over the place, Liora realizes retirement may be harder than winning a war. And she hasn't even started her holy chant lessons yet…