Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

It was silent for a while now. The kids were asleep, and there was finally no distraction. A week had passed in the real world. However, about fifty years had skimmed by within this time chamber. It was not the most practical of time manipulation I had seen, but it would seem fifty years was all I needed.

Selna was a lovely surprise. It was hard to believe she was a founder, but she held something in her that none of the founders had that made me a little apprehensive. I could not place my finger on it, but when she first appeared, my heart hammered against my chest. And her heaven-defying bosom did not help.

Sucking in a deep breath, a surge of willpower flowed through my soul. I had played with my soul for years and experimented on all the God Souls I gathered from the Holy Swords.

Splitting my fellow sect brother and sister souls apart, till their screams fell hushed. I would gain more and more progress the more I tried. My research, however, had failed during its first year. The difference between a strong soul and a weak soul not to dismiss these god souls but were the quality of talent and divinity they collected throughout their lifetime, something that did nothing for me. I was splitting a soul not to harm it but to do it to myself.

Nevertheless, my fellow acolytes had heard my plea. Following my will, they had begun slaughtering in my name, gathering more souls than I would ever need. The more they lived in sin, the more divinity I would receive. It had been a hundred years, and with Idunn leading my people, the quality of life had dramatically increased, leading to more divinity for yours truly.

Releasing the long breath flowing inside me, I arched my palm and smiled. Releasing a surge of Soul Qi that cloaked my palm, a heavy-weight touched my hands. Far heavier than any force I had ever used before aside from Abyssal Night, I marveled at the encompassing applications of Soul Qi.

Drenching my robes with heavy sweat. A chill ran down my heart. I had experimented for the longest. Tearing apart souls without end for decades, I was confident, but not my soul. Shit, I had created a soul attack from cutting apart souls, but cutting my soul was scary beyond hell. One wrong move and ill be sip juice from a sippy cup.

"Papa!!!!!" shouted Arkanos suddenly. Startling me, I turned to her, watching me curiously. Her eyes sparkled. "Papa! Mama Two is out! She is out! She said to tell you hi!"

Blinking repeatably at the ignorant dragon, asking for my death, I gulped. 'She is going to kill me. No, she needs my baby-makers. I need to sacrifice these kids to getaway!

Clitting my teeth, I hardened my heart and closed my eyes. Glaring at my soul flame burning a heavy heart, I cast away my fears and arched my palm covered in a dense soul qi. Cleaving downwards, a coldness flickered through my heart as I changed my intent at the last second instead of cutting my soul in half. I went for four little pieces.

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"Arsene Snow! Brother of The Great Sin, the Devil of the Wonder, and the Lord of Absolution." He roared at the end of the great bridge of darkness. Surrounded by the grandest of night and an arm placed over my shoulder, my heart thundered. The stranger was tall, with bulging muscles carrying a deadly force that made my bones weak. "I am Balor, the Arbiter of this Temple of Eternal Darkness."

Taking a step back, I could not help clench my chest. Stirring my soul held in my real body, a fear so great I did not understand ran through me. Unsure if my anxiety came from this man calling himself Balor, my eyes remained on the vortex of mist, towering over this man.

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"He has already received had two Soul Reaver Pills. Anymore will bankrupt our sect!" A desperate cry rang.

"He is a damn chosen! What the hell do you think is going to happen if we let his soul get crippled? He will not die in my sect. Feed him another one." Shouted a strong voice grim to a bone.

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Opening my eyes, a wave of nausea raced over me as four separate images of the same picture touched over my soul.

"The Path of Abyssal Night saw to your request. Congrats." Said Lilith, resting near me on a bed.

Still a little confused, I glanced at her, then at the light peering into an unfamiliar room.

"It's only been an hour. Three Soul Reaver Pill capable of saving a Peak Mid God was just wasted on you. What the hell were you thinking?" She added, twisting my head back to her. A little grim, she glared at me and frowned.

"Balor," I muttered, confused why that name seemed so foul over the tip of my tongue. "I met a man by the name of Balor in the Temple of Eternal Darkness."

"Arsene? What happened?" She grimly questioned; rising from off the bed, she peered at me darkly.

I shook my head, as I could not remember anymore, but I had a feeling that splitting my soul may be the only way of getting my memory back.

Staggering out of bed, I groan at my head pounding against my skull.

"You will get used to it." Lilith comforted me, patting my head, "But before you split your soul again, we need to buy some Soul Pills and work on the Path of Abyssal Night. And we have quite an opportunity for you."

'We?" I muttered, glancing up with a hint of curiosity.

"Your cultivation technique is called the Path of Abyssal Night. How can it show its full ability if you have never been to the abyss? I spoke with Death, Aldrich, and Asmodeus. A massive change is coming to the Bed of Chaos alongside the Twelve Realms."

Narrowing my eyes, Lilith leaned closer till her lips touched against mine, "How would you like to head home? To the Kingdom of Ilia?"