He couldn't... say... no...

Johan tried to open his mouth to speak, but couldn't. He couldn't say no. It was as if her mere presence defeated his will. He felt her high heel press harder against his head, and he knew what he had to say.

"I need to-"

He was interrupted.

"No!"

Naamah was standing. All eyes were on her; Esau's, Belial's, the King's and all of her court. She was struggling to move, as if she was swamped by invisible weights. Her body was trembling. Whatever she was doing she was not meant to be doing. Her outburst echoed in the throne room until it slowly disappeared into silence. Deafening, painful silence. Her mouth opened to speak, but she couldn't think of a follow up.

"Insolent Lilin! I will teach you to know your place!"

From Excelcia's hands burst streaks of black, onyx spikes that burrowed deep into the stone floor where Naamah stood less than a moment ago. The succubus was running towards her, though she wasn't exactly sure why she was doing this. In a moment of lunacy, she snapped off one of her horns. It was hollow, like a flute, but still sharp and deadly. Her hooves clicked-clacked against the stone, her hand raised...

And then there was a spray of blood and a gurgle. Naamah fell down, just a foot away from her target, and her weapon slipped from her fingers. Her blackish demonic blood pooled beneath her. Her eyes twitched, but were firmly looking at her master.

"Naamah... but why?" Esau thought. He realised then that the hold over him was not there, and this was possibly his last moment as a free man if he did not do anything. He lifted his mother's foot off of him, and reached for the horn, gripping it tightly. He saw his mother's eyes slowly pan across from her to him, and the whole world fell into slow motion. In a single arc the horn buried itself into the dead centre of her belly. There was a gasp. It might've been hers or any of the other demons, but there was a gasp. Then again silence. King Excelcia dropped to her knees, her face looking down at her wound. She didn't scream, or blubber, or curse, or whimper; she just let out a single chuckle.

"I should've seen it coming... You really are my son..."

And then she died.

There was confusion amongst the demons of the court who were watching. They whispered amongst each other. Excelcia's dress slowly changed from white to blackish red.

"Master, I know this is a bit much to drop on you right now," Belial was already kneeling besides Naamah, "but you're going to have to decide what to do next real quick."

"I just... killed my own mother."

She hesitated, but then spoke. "Your mother's crown is not sitting on anyone's head, it's only a matter of time before one of them charges over here and takes it."

He stared at his own hand. It was shaking. Then he looked over at Naamah. "What about Naamah?"

"I think... she's just barely alive. Somehow." She paused. "We don't die like you do, we don't have souls. It's hard to kill us, but once we're dead we're dead forever." She touched the onyx spike in the succubi's chest, but hissed and withdrew her hand as if it just burned her.

"M...ma...master..." Naamah whimpered. He drew close to her. He wasn't sure what exactly he was meant to say.

"Why did you do that?"

She looked away. "I don't know... maybe love," her words were slow and her voice was filled with wheezes and coughs, "but I doubt it... I think... I think you're just the first good person I've met in a long time... My standards... are low... I guess..."

The crown lay there on the ground, smouldering with fire. The angel Samael stared at him with it's thousands of eyes, judging. Already bold demons were nearing.