Time moved like molasses, slow and dragging, sticky with anticipation.
Sasa had played his part as "Dirga" with near-perfection.
Sure, Lilith gave him side-eyes every time he smiled too much during meetings.
Sure, the board noticed Dirga’s sudden overuse of theatrical hand gestures.
And yes, there was that one time he accidentally referred to a hostile takeover as "a spicy little duel of fates."
But it worked. Mostly.
Not the usual quiet chime.
This one buzzed — long. Aggressive. Impatient.
Sasa, still lounging on the penthouse ceiling (because floors were for mortals), slowly floated down with a groan.
"Oh, what now... another mortal bringing coffee and contracts?" he muttered.
Lilith glanced up from her tablet. Her expression changed.
"...You’re not gonna one," she said, tone flat.
Now it was knocking. No — pounding. Like fists slamming with purpose.
Sasa tilted his head. "That’s no intern."
Lilith gave him a look. "It’s her."
And then the voice came.
"DIRGA, OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR TO EVERY GOD AND DEVIL IN EXISTENCE—"
"Jane?" he whispered like a child caught mid-prank.
Lilith nodded, very slowly.
"Yep. Jane. Your lovely Best friend -slash-moral compass-slash-pent-up-rageball."
Another bang on the door.
"She’s been ghosted for two months.
You better have a very good plan, Uncle," Lilith added, backing away toward the kitchen like she wanted no part of what came next.
Sasa straightened his shirt.
Adjusted his fake-Dirga tie.
And summoned a mirror to check his appearance.
"Alright," Sasa exhaled, rolling his neck like a man walking into execution.
"The Devil meets the wrath of the mortal woman scorned..."
He opened the door, face plastered with a forced grin — the kind that tried very hard to suppress a twitch of panic.
"Hello, Jane!" he greeted, doing his best impersonation of Dirga’s casual tone.
She stood in the doorway like a thundercloud in heels.
Her voice cut like a whip. "You’ve been living it up in this damn penthouse, huh? I’ve called. I’ve messaged. Two fucking months — not even a single reply."
Her fists clenched. "Did you forget about Naya already? Out here playing CEO while she’s in a hospital bed?!"
Sasa blinked, stunned by the sheer verbal velocity.
Jane barreled into the room like a mother scolding a child who broke her shrine. Her short pixie cut trembled with fury — more Karen than soldier today, but only on the surface.
Lilith, who had been lurking by the kitchen island, promptly began shrinking into the shadows.
Not my problem, her eyes screamed.
Jane might not have had devil powers, but she was terrifying in her own right. Officially contracted by the Vintasio Group to guard Naya, and unofficially the only human Lilith would rather not piss off.
Jane turned sharply toward Sasa. "Wait. Who the hell are you?"
Lilith froze, mid-sip.
For a second, the penthouse went quiet.
Jane stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "You just look like Dirga, but your energy’s off. Completely off."
She reached out and touched his face.
Sasa inwardly sighed.
Exceptional girl. Maybe proximity to the Hell flower had sharpened her senses. Or maybe she was just always this perceptive. Either way, he couldn’t fool her.
So, he stopped pretending.
In a blink, the illusion dropped — and there stood the rabbit-headed devil in his signature blood-red suit, grinning with faint amusement.
"You caught me." he said, voice low and smooth.
Jane didn’t flinch. "So... you’re the devil Dirga told me about."
"Yes," Sasa replied, adjusting his cufflinks. "And you’re smarter than most mortals. This makes things simpler."
He gestured to the couch. "Dirga’s currently in another dimension. Should be back in about... five more hours, give or take."
Jane squinted. "Another dimension?"
"A vacation for the soul," Sasa said with a wink. "The good kind. With a black hole core and screaming metaphysical rebirth."
"I’ll wait," Jane said finally, plopping onto the couch with a defiant huff, arms crossed and legs folded like a queen staking her throne.
Sasa grinned, wide and toothy. "Please — make yourself at home."
With a dramatic snap, the rabbit-headed devil vanished, replaced by his old-man disguise — the silver-haired gentleman in silk pajamas. He floated backward, feet never touching the floor, drifting toward the TV like a lazy ghost.
The screen lit up with vibrant colors and screaming characters. Some loud anime episode about a hero yelling his heart out before punching a god. Perfect background noise for demonic downtime.
Sasa hovered in front of the television, lying sideways in the air like he’d claimed an invisible hammock.
Jane blinked. "Are you... floating?"
"Hmmm?" he tilted his head, distracted by the explosion on screen. "Yeah. Makes me feel light. Free."
Lilith, in her usual quiet rhythm, padded into the room with a tray. Popcorn. Chips. Two steaming mugs of whatever mortals drank
"I brought snacks," she said with a casual shrug.
Jane took the popcorn without looking. "Thanks."
And then she turned her attention to Sasa.
"Not food. But I enjoy flavor."
"Were you born? Or summoned?"
Sasa’s eyes narrowed, smile lazy. "I’ve always been. As far back as I can remember."
Jane leaned forward. "What do you remember?"
"You really ask a lot of questions," Sasa mused.
"Well, I’ve got a devil on my couch and a dying friend in hell’s custody. I’m going to ask all the questions."
"...Fair," Sasa conceded.
What followed was something no prophecy had ever predicted:
A devil, a secretary , and a mortal woman watching anime reruns and eating takeout under the same roof.
They laughed at a bad dub. Debated the difference between curses and contracts. Jane took notes like she was preparing a thesis.
A ripple, like heat on the horizon. The lights flickered. The shadows deepened.
Right in front of the TV, space tore open with a thunderous CRACK, and a figure stepped out of the void.
Clothed in raw power.
His eyes burned with the orange glow of collapsing stars. The scar above his left eye seemed etched in silver fire. His hair had streaks of orange like flame-kissed metal, and in the center of his chest pulsed a tattoo — a perfect circle with orbiting lines, like the event horizon of a star devouring itself.
He looked divine. Ethereal. Something more than human.
"...Hello?" Dirga said, blinking.
Jane, Sasa, and Lilith turned from the dinner table in perfect sync.
There was a beat of silence.
"Wow, boss." Lilith covered her face with both hands — except for the gap between her fingers. "You’ve got some serious artillery there."
Sasa gave a calm thumbs up. "Nice evolution, kid. Really came back... loaded."
Jane’s voice could have carved stone.
"Dirga, you fucking pervert!" she snapped, eyes shut tight, turning away like she was being blinded by the sun. "Two months of ghosting and this is how you show up?!"
Dirga yelped and bolted for the bedroom like a bat out of hell.
Sasa chuckled, leaning back mid-air. "Ah, home sweet chaos."