The Incubus System Chapter 1230. You are Better Than You Think
The Incubus System Chapter 1230. You are Better Than You Think The food was gone. Plates cleared. Spoons retired. Celia had officially banis
The Incubus System Chapter 1230. You are Better Than You Think
The food was gone. Plates cleared. Spoons retired. Celia had officially banished me and Larry from touching anything in the kitchen for the rest of the week—maybe forever—but we both agreed it was worth it.
And now?
Now we were in the desert.
By that, I mean dessert. But also actual suffering. The good kind.
Ice cream.
Celia had dragged out this absurdly large tub from the freezer—vanilla bean with chocolate ripple and some kind of demonic caramel core that might’ve been addictive. Larry called dibs before we even saw it, but I’d already telekineted a spoon into my hand before he finished the sentence.
Puriel sat next to me, prim and elegant, still sipping the same tea that somehow hadn’t gone cold. “You two should be doing something than this.”
Buni had a scoop and declared it “cute.”
Red sniffed it once, sneezed, and wandered off to nap under the table. Shadow ignored the bowl I gave him and just licked mine when I wasn’t looking. I should’ve expected that.
We were all sprawled out now across the living room, half-limp from food coma, the TV humming softly with the volume low. I’d queued up the news replay—because obviously, I had to watch my dramatic rooftop moment. You don’t casually drop a world-class interview in your demon prince form and not watch it back.
The camera feed was on loop. My arrival. The rooftop. The wings. The queens flanking me like sin and vengeance in heels.
Everyone was watching.
Including me.
Larry pointed at the screen. “Bro, that entrance. I swear the wind timed itself.”
“It did,” I said proudly. “I manually adjusted it.”
“You’re insane.”
“You say that like it’s news.”
Celia scoffed. “Why didn’t you warn us it would look like a live villain declaration?”
I scooped more ice cream. “It was a declaration. But I smiled, didn’t I?”
“Like someone planning a massacre with a smiley face sticker,” she replied dryly.
Miranda smirked. “It was effective.”
Puriel nodded. “Terrifying, yes. But strategic.”
Buni added, “You looked like a final boss.”
“I am a final boss,” I said, licking the spoon.
“Yeah, but like… hot,” Yuffy added without looking up from her phone.
I blinked. “Was that a compliment?”
“Kind of,” she said.
Larry laughed. “You really nailed the whole ‘mysterious overlord’ vibe. Even your voice changed. How do you do that?”
I mimicked my demon form tone. “Voice modulation through aether vibration. Adds about twelve percent more intimidation factor. Helps if you’re wearing good boots.”
“You were wearing demon armor.”
“And good boots.”
Shadow muttered from the armrest, “Too dramatic.”
“You’re literally a talking cat,” I replied.
“Still less dramatic than you.”
Celia shook her head. “What’s wild is how calm Elenna interviewing you.”
My stomach tensed a little. I didn’t show it. Just shrugged. “Well… Elenna is Elenna. You know her.”
“She looked like she was about to faint and propose though,” Buni said.
Yuffy grinned. “I support both.”
Larry clutched his bowl like it was sacred. “Can’t believe I missed it live.”
I leaned forward, my smile slowly fading. “Speaking of that…”
He looked up, still mid-spoonful.
“My turn now, Larry.”
The whole vibe shifted. Slightly. Just enough for the temperature to dip in my chest. My voice came out lower. More serious. The kind I didn’t use often.
Larry froze.
Not out of fear. Just realization.
I set my bowl down. The cold of the spoon still lingered in my fingers, but everything inside me felt hot again. Heavy.
I looked at him. Really looked.
“Do you know why your mom isn’t looking for you?”
A pause.
He stared down at the melting caramel swirl in his bowl, then licked it off the side like it gave him time to think.
“Seemed like…” he started slowly, “they used my phone to text her. Maybe told her I went to a friend’s house or something. I dunno. I saw they texted you too. Guess cause they saw me trying to call you.”
I stiffened.
“So…” I muttered, frowning, “that weird-ass message. The one that didn’t sound like you.”
He didn’t respond at first.
Then he huffed. Quiet. Frustrated.
“Yeah,” he said. “That. That was them.”
I felt my jaw tighten. The couch creaked under me when I leaned forward.
Larry didn’t look at me. Just stared at the TV now—replay still going in silence. My wings flickering across the screen. The moment frozen in time like a painting the world couldn’t unsee.
“I didn’t think they’d do this,” he said quietly.
“Do what?” I asked. “Kidnap you? Experiment on you?”
He winced. “Yeah.”
There was something breaking in his voice now. Not the way people cry. Just… hairline fractures. Exhaustion trying not to sound like grief.
“I mean… you know Nathan, right?” he said. “I thought he’d be the one to get that vaccine. He was always the golden boy. Stronger. Sharper. I figured I was the last choice.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re not weak, Larry.”
He shrugged. “Tell that to them.”
I swallowed the taste of something bitter.
“Nathan…” I said slowly. “Was he mad at you?”
Larry shook his head.
“Did he hit you?”
“No,” Larry said, but the word was heavy. Like it had edges. “Rather than hit me… if he could access that place, he would've taken that vaccine for himself.”
The ice cream in my stomach curdled.
“He knew?” I asked.
“I think he suspected,” Larry said.
Miranda tensed slightly. Yuffy stopped scrolling.
No one spoke.
Larry scooped another bite and let it melt on his tongue, eyes blank.
“They picked me,” he said finally. “And I guess… I still don’t know why.”
I reached over and ruffled his hair roughly, messing it up.
“Maybe because they’re stupid.”
“Hey—” he swatted my hand, laughing halfheartedly.
“Or maybe,” I added, “because you’re better than you think.”
He didn’t reply. Just kept eating quietly.
I leaned back again, the weight still coiled tight in my chest.
Whatever they did to him… it wasn’t done healing.