Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

Catching Sene, the moment the light faded from his eyes. My smile couldn't have gotten bigger.

"You are a monster; you know that?" I whispered, passing down my abyssal energy with a loving kiss. That seemed to warm his cold body.

Witnessing the entire realm crack and shatter like glass, we appeared once more in the backyard of our estate, standing near Baphomet, eyeing Arsene solemnly.

"Scared?" I mocked, unable to help myself.

"He was looking at me with the power of the Weave. He should not have that ability, Lilith. And even if he does, I have seen quite a few with that ability, but none of them are like his eyes. They seem different. As if hone by a foreign power, for him to control easily."

Creasing my brow, my grip around Sene grew a bit tighter. Was it from the temple of Darkness? No, it can't be. One cannot simply hone a person's ability to hone the Power of the Weave. I still struggle to understand how it works, as it takes far too much Soulforce to use in battle.

"Do you understand the weave?" I hesitantly asked, knowing that one should not ask such a personal question.

"I understand a single string and half of a node. And once a Dao cycle occurs, I will lose that knowledge. Understanding the Weave is impossible. It has its benefits, but--"

"But, it's time-consuming." I finished, having also dabbled a bit in the Weave, I found no use in it. Nevertheless, Sene's eyes and brain can understand it almost instinctually. Could this be a gift? A blessing from a higher being?

"Aye, Lass. " Pursing his lips a bit jealously, he shook his head, "You wanna have around against me? I would love to see that blade you are keeping hidden."

"Nope, I got to meet Father today, remember? You coming?"

Rolling his eyes, Baphomet snorted, snapping his fingers pulling a Gate of Brimstone out of thin air. "Don't really have a choice, Asmo and I have a war to plan. We have a few moles we need to plan for and plug."

Glancing at the simple-looking gate that had turned many realms into rivers of blood, I shook my head at how easy it was to summon versus the old days during the war of devils and Demons.

Back then, the Angels had locked the entire Bed of Chaos down, blocking the devils from forming Gates. It was a massacre on every front. One needed multiple worlds as a sacrifice to summon a gate of brimstone to the material plane.

Tracing my hand over the stones that would sear the skin of any devil or demon, a soft buzz of recognition rang through the air.

"This may be the last time you know. The Angels are probably are about to lock the bed of chaos again. Blood is about to fall. Tons of blood." Baphomet warned, stepping through the swirling vortex.

Glancing back at the manner I stepped through, welcoming the familiar heat of hell against my flesh. Fathers' domain was a bit hot but not enough to kill a mortal. The ninth level was the most normal out of all the other hells.

But it was all a lie, a form of deceit to hide a single truth. This is the layer that not even the strongest wish to fall in. Death is simple, but hell is a beginning of an end that will never come.

Standing in the halls filled with statues of Fallen Angels, with wings that resemble flames, I could not help but marvel at the hundreds around me. I didn't know it back then, but the Devils or Demons do not rule hell, but rather the Fallen.

The ones once banished from Heaven, the ones that are so powerful, killing one is but a fleeting dream that will probably get you killed for having. The devil's rule is but another lie of hell.

Baphomet was nowhere to be found, but I was not surprised. He was probably sent somewhere else, by the Hells. Unlike him, I had authority here. I can come and go to Levatus whenever I please.

Stepping ahead, the echoes of faint screams were like small whispers, yet I was sure this was a form of music to the devils.

"The game has changed. The Angels are no longer following the Text of Concordance. They have given up that path." Hearing the booming voice of Father, I grew a bit surprised. It was pretty rare he would have a guest in his home.

Pushing bit past the Halls of Fallen and down the passageway to the Cardinal Unrest, a central area within Father's palace that reeked of blood, the sounds a somewhat familiar voice seemed to reply.

"The angels are not my problem. It's the King and Shadow that holds my interest. No other." Said a faintly familiar aloof voice.

The Citadel of Cardinal Unrest was where many devils under Fathers thrall would work. The first time I entered this area, I was a bit shocked at the dead eyes within these devils. It was like they had killed their own families with their hands.

I don't know what exactly they did, but these devils were dead inside. their souls were so hollow; it was like they were not even devils anymore.

Pausing my step, I could not help but notice there were no devils around. This place was always busy. What is going on?

Heading deeper in, I quickly found Asmodeus's office. Not bothering to knock, my gaze locked onto the image of a face I would not forget.

Glaring at his silver eyes, a burning hatred erupted into my heart, "Aldrich."

Turning to me with his all-encompassing gaze, the man that was handsome beyond normal measure stared for a bit, returning his gaze to Asmodeus. "I will help you against the angels, as it's my domain that will suffer, but remember, my only worry is those two."

Disconnecting, the image of Aldrich faded, leaving a dead silence with Asmodeus, my father. Who seemed awfully pale, to my surprise.

"Are you ok?" I asked, noticing the faint scent of blood emanating from his body.

"The Artifact Levi got was far more potent than I had thought. I was injured, but it's nothing serious." He said, rolling up his dark sleeve to hide the black blood flowing over this scarlet skin.

"How long till you fully recovered?" I asked.

"A year, maybe three if I don't focus?" He replied, causing my brow to crease. "Come on, Lili, it's a glorious time, your back. Drop that idiot and give your papa a hug!"

Finding a bit of a smile, I nodded, resting Sene on a chair within his office; I leaped into his arms, "It's good to be back here!"