Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

Closing my eyes, surrounded by the tempering flames searing my flesh, Soulforce coursed through my bones and veins, ensuring I had every opportunity to adapt to my fullest ability.

Letting the Ring of Bael and Bloodstone touch, a soft tide erupted from my index finger, and in a pulse of uncontrollable Qi, I found my mind within what appeared to be a throne room. The walls were an onyx black, lined with an exotic gold that seemed to bring out a rich golden glow. At the center of the room stood a throne. It wasn't elevated like most other thrones were that allowed the king to look down on their subjects, but it was instead on even ground—a foreign concept to me.

The hell kind of devil was this? In fact, whose throne was this?

My stomach bubbled as I studied the golden black throne that seemed to be surrounded by infernal runes. Royal infernal runes, said to be made by the royals of hell. From what I knew from my blood, each King of Hell created their intricate language based upon these runes and their Sin.

"Do you like it?" the familiar voice held within the Ring of Bael uttered, "What you see is the original throne of the first Bael, when it all started. Back then, everything was so different; there were no Twelve Realms during my Kings time. There was only Heaven, Earth, and Hell."

Lifting my eyes to my rear, I glanced a the short black and purple imp, whose expression could rewrite the meaning of cold. His features were the definition of rugged. Not that he was ugly, but this imp seemed like it had a stick up its ass.

A little shock, he could open the door and stand behind me without me knowing; the little imp walked past me and stood on the right of the empty throne.

"My King, the Supreme Lord of the Arcanes, had forged this throne out of Bloodstones, taking almost Seven Chaos Cycles, the exact time it had taken for The One to create Heaven and Earth and all that may lie in-between. A marvelous accomplishment that not only granted him attention from Lord Lucifer, but even some of the Angels, had taken notice. In this Era, the Fallens were at war with the Angels. And both sides were using humans of all things like chess boards."

The imp ran his fingers over the edge of the throne's armrest, trembling as if he had done something that had been the greatest honor in his life. He continued, " Have you ever wondered why there are so many other races? Elves, Dragons, Chimera's, Emperiaons?"

"Let me guess; the Angels and Fallen created them?" I answered, blown away by what I had heard.

"Correct, but what if I told you, aside from a selected few, most of these races were constructed based upon a single type of entity. Something we called at the time Abominations." My brow rose, and I smiled, intrigued by what this little man was speaking of," When The One was creating the Angels, he went through a trial period. He did the same thing with humans. Crafting a few other races whose powers, minds, and features were outrageous. While they count compared to True Angels, they were powerful entities nonetheless."

"The Forsaken," I blurted out. I didn't know why I said so, but I felt it was right and the imp arched his thick furry brow, slowly nodding.

"Indeed, the very same blood that runs through your veins." He said, placing his hands behind his back, " I've seen many things, but even the Mother of Demons, Lilith, was defeated by one of the Progenitors. The next to fall was Adam and Eve. Who the Forsaken almost felled despite their blessing from Heaven and The One."

It got to a point where the Forsaken bloodline grew so intense that Lord Mephistopheles barged into heaven and demanded an audience with the One. It was only rumored, and nothing was confirmed, but Lord Mephistopheles was said to have battled all Seven Arch-Angels to a standstill; It was there he created the First of All Fallen Spells. The Necrotic Blade."

I sucked in a deep breath, recalling Arkanos and when she summoned that accursed Qi. I know my Qi could potentially rival that power, but I had tons of help; many people supported me. If I was by myself, I don't think I would have created such a thing.

"When Lord Mephistopheles returned, a great accord had been struck between the Heavens and the Nine Hells. One that not only divided the Bloodline into Seven Clans but banished them to the far reaches of what became known as the Bed of Chaos."

"Seven Clans," I muttered, crossing my arm, " What happened to the Progenitors? I assume they were more than just one— was there a first generation of sorts? How did the bloodline separation work?"

"The One thought it was unfair that the Progenitors who were once weak as humans pushed ahead through so much adversity to be restricted, so he allowed them to pick a specific bloodline they wished to pass on to their generation. So they remained whole while the others of their choice decided whose side they wanted to join." The imp uttered, lifting his head in a bitter sigh. "After that, they vanished. No one knows where they went. But I heard that My Master, the Supreme Lord of the Arcanes, was personally given a mission by Lord Mephistopheles to find any remnants of the Forsaken."

"Why are you telling me all this?" I asked, unsure what to even do with this knowledge.

"Are you so depraved that you miss the finery of knowledge?" he said in a snap, "You were once part of the Bael bloodline, or have you forgotten?"

I actually did. My blood keeps changing. I don't have time to be remembering all this shit. But that leaves the question lingering in the air.

"Did Bael ever find the Forsaken Clans?"

"I have no idea. I'd ask the same question, but Lord Bael merely shook his head, stating that what he found was less than a fragment and would lead to humiliation if he were to take it to Lord Mephistopheles," he said

Less than Fragments? What the hell does that even mean? More importantly, my Mother, who the hell was she?