The Incubus System Chapter 1235. Sleepover
The Incubus System Chapter 1235. Sleepover Dropping Miranda off didn’t take long. She gave me that classic “thanks for everything” look bef
The Incubus System Chapter 1235. Sleepover
Dropping Miranda off didn’t take long. She gave me that classic “thanks for everything” look before shutting the door behind her with a tired wave.
Then came the pizza part.
And yeah… that was harder.
Most places in town were still closed. Not just here, but Lightglen too. The city hadn’t exactly bounced back from the whole demon invasion thing. Shattered windows, empty streets, and even the reliable 24-Hour Pizza place? Dark. That one hit deep.
So I did what any desperate, mildly heroic teenager would do—I portal-hopped.
Town to town. Slice by slice.
After two failed attempts and almost landing in someone's backyard, I finally found a place still open. A tiny shop tucked into a half-lit street. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Greasy tiles. That nostalgic mix of tomato paste, teenage sweat, and dreams that probably died in the fryer.
I ordered three extra-large pepperonis—Larry’s usual. No pineapple, no bell peppers, extra cheese. Then grabbed a haul of snacks, sodas, cups, and napkins. Even threw in a weird bag of caramel popcorn because why not.
As I waited—leaning against the counter, arms crossed, portal still shimmering faintly behind me—I realized something kind of dumb.
Yeah.
I was excited.
Actually excited.
Stupidly so.
No holy swords. No monsters. No politics. Just greasy cardboard boxes and fizzy drinks.
For once, I felt like… not the Demon Prince. Not the Nephilim. Just a teenager.
Just Ethan.
When I got back, the living room looked like something exploded, and I wasn’t even mad. Buni and Shadow were arguing over couch territory. Rave had somehow put on a pair of sunglasses and was lying across the coffee table. Larry had made a throne out of blankets and pillows and declared it the Pizza Throne.
Yuffy and Puriel sat together at the far end, watching with vague disapproval. Yuffy couldn’t eat human food, and Puriel probably didn’t want to, but they stayed. Even curled up together a little under the blanket. Which was… cute.
The TV was on. Cartoons. Something ridiculous and loud. I handed out boxes, drinks, snacks. Everyone roared like I just returned from war again.
“Pepperoni,” I said, tossing a box onto Larry’s lap.
He opened it like it was treasure and sniffed dramatically. “Smells like survival.”
We ate.
We drank.
We spilled soda. Twice.
We made jokes that got worse the later it got. Larry tried to arm wrestle Buni. Lost. Claimed it was rigged. Red kept barking at the cartoons like he was personally offended by the animation budget.
And for a few hours, everything felt… right.
Just right.
No blood. No fire. No death.
Just a room full of weirdos and my weird pets, basking in the glow of bad television and good grease.
Eventually, somewhere between the last slice of pizza and a half-empty soda can, I dozed off.
Didn’t mean to.
But I did.
And in that space between sleep and dream, something shifted.
I didn’t know when the warmth of blankets and sofa faded. The room darkened, then lightened again. I didn’t know where I was.
Only that it was quiet.
And that voice came.
Soft.
Almost whispering.
“What’s your name, child?”
I blinked. Or maybe I didn’t. Maybe I just thought I did.
I was standing in a vast, white space. Not cold. Not warm. Just… endless.
“I’m not a child,” I muttered, feeling oddly exposed. My voice echoed weirdly. Like the air couldn’t decide if it was solid or water.
The voice chuckled—gentle. Feminine. But ageless.
“You sound like one to me.”
Her tone wasn’t mocking. More like a soft pat on the head I couldn’t feel.
“What’s your name?”
I hesitated.
“…Ethan.”
“Ethan,” she repeated. Like she was trying it out. Like it had taste. “That’s a nice name.”
Silence again.
Then—
“You fought the demon lords… while also being one. Why?”
I swallowed.
“No,” I said. “I’m a Nephilim. Half. I was raised in the human world.”
“So you chose to be human?”
Her voice was curious now. Still kind. But digging.
“I didn’t choose it,” I said. “I just… I am. I was raised this way. I didn’t even know what I was for most of my life.”
“But now you do.”
“Yeah.”
“And you still fought them. Why?”
I looked down.
There was no floor. Just whiteness. But I felt it.
Because of them. Because they hurt my people. My friends.
“…because someone had to,” I said quietly. “Because they were going to burn the world down just to prove they could.” Those words came out of my mouth just like that.
“And if you had the power to burn it too?” she asked. “Would you?”
I flinched.
Her voice never turned cruel. That’s what made it worse.
“No,” I said. “Not unless I had to. Not unless there was no other choice.”
A pause.
“You’re strange,” she said.
“Thanks?”
“I’ve seen demons fall faster. I’ve seen humans give up for less. But you still fight. Even when your hands shake. Even when your dreams ache. Even when your blood tries to call you back.”
“…What are you?” I asked, finally.
She didn’t answer.
Just a long breath of silence.
“I see you now. I wonder if the others do. I wonder if they’ll come for you, too.”
“Others?”
“Sleep, Ethan,” she whispered. “You’ve done enough tonight. But they’re watching now. All of them.”
The space trembled slightly.
Her voice faded like smoke in the wind.
And just like that—
Morning.
Sunlight crawled across the floor. My neck ached from the weird angle I’d passed out in. Larry was snoring, a slice of cold pizza clutched in his hand. Buni was snuggled against Red, both of them passed out on a pile of pillows. Shadow was curled around the TV remote like it owed him money.
I sat up slowly.
Looked around.
Everyone safe.
Everyone breathing.
But that voice still lingered.
Like a touch I couldn’t shake.
And I had no idea who she was.
Or what she meant by they.