Queen Of Adis

"Hello to you too, old man," *Adis greeted nonchalantly.

Elior shook his head and sighed helplessly. "You kids are really troublesome. I told your queen the danger of coming here, but instead of being deterred, she's back and brought an even more bothersome companion." He lamented and looked back at him. "So where is your wife?"

"She's upstairs and taking a nap. I'm in a hurry as we need to keep moving, so let's drop the crap," *Adis indifferently declared and pointed at his past self. "First, I need you to be my interpreter so he can understand me."

"Eh? oh... O-okay."

"Tell him to be wary of Pier Willows. I can't say much because I don't want to distort the past more than it already does. My wife and I will skip time to witness the knighthood ceremony, so I will meet him there again. However, he needed to heighten [Haru's] security, as well as this villa and the three palaces. Most importantly, the enemy's hideout is just a short distance away from here and the wicked boss got a whiff of us." He exposed the important things his other self needed to know.

After Elior conveyed the message, [Adis] nodded in understanding but his scowl was deepening every passing moment. "In a nutshell, you've been busted by the enemy and they might attack my villa at any moment. What a great escape plan, indeed, you son-of-a-bitch!" He spoke fluent sarcasm as he gnashed at Elior.

"Eehh? Why are you glaring at me? I'm just an innocent messenger here." Elior looked at the demon king with aggrieved expression. "I'm just telling you the possibilities. Oh, and don't just stand there like a stupid log and start preparing to defend your fortress. Leave now... I-is what he said," he pointed at the empty space beside him and cringed his neck as he delivered the c.o.c.ky message.

"Unbelievable!" [Adis] grunted but he also knew that his other self was right.

Too much information about the future may lead to another time distortion. He shook his head as he walked out of the bas.e.m.e.nt to clean up the mess left by the unwelcomed guests.

Once *Adis was left alone with the past Elior, he revealed what else was happening in the future as he knew that Elior would bring the secrets to his grave in order to protect Time.

"Be warned, the enemy is in league with the Bloodhound clan. They are slowly changing the course of time as we speak," he ended his story with a warning.

The pope seemed not surprised at all and just lifted the sleeping Vesta to his l.a.p. "I knew that something bad is happening out there the moment I saw you. But I didn't expect that it is this bad."

*Adis also recounted what he saw earlier. "Last night, I discovered something. They are trying to summon the angel of the abyss, Erebos. Do you know who he is?"

"WHAT?!" Elior's eyes grew wide and his lips trembled in disbelief. "Of course, I know him, and he must not exist in this world again! He will bring about the world's end upon his return."

"I heard he used to live in Heaven with the gods but got kicked out. What is his story? Is he really powerful?"

The pope looked at the distance in daze, recalling a tragic tale that was passed down through generations of seers. "According to the kings of the olden days, there was an angel revered by the people due to his benevolence and wisdom. And his name was Erebos. It was said that his might could be compared to the gods and his brilliance brought forth the possibility of resurrection. When he received more tributes and prayers than the others, it earned some of the gods' envy.

"One day, an angel was found dead beside the water well and his wings were ripped into pieces. The jealous gods immediately pointed their fingers to Erebos, claiming that they had witnessed how he killed the poor angel. Without any proper court ruling, he was sentenced to be thrown into hell and live in eternal darkness.

"When a certain goddess heard of the injustice, she was saddened at his misfortune and visited him in his prison. Her name was Anemone, the goddess of spring. And before anyone knew it, Anemone's often visits to Erebos turned into a forbidden love affair between a goddess and a fallen angel.

"Amidst the never-ending darkness of hell, Erebos was grateful to be given a chance to see the light in the form of his beloved, his one and only spring maiden. He endured and worked hard to pay for the crime he never executed until he was awarded a parole. However, he could no longer go back to heaven and will be demoted to an ordinary human. The two love birds were so happy with the news that they already planned a simple wedding ceremony in the human realm.

"A day before Erebos' official release, the Heaven learned Anemone's immoral act and was punished with house arrest and forced her to marry another god. She could not accept her fate and her body collapsed. On that same night, a messenger came to visit Erebos and told him about what happened to his beloved and added something unnecessary -- the love of his life was already dead.

"It was as though someone blew away the flickering light in his heart that kept the corruption and darkness at bay. And when the last straw to his sanity snapped, the monster that he was restraining all those years finally broke free and brought forth hell.

"As if a tempest came without any warning, endless screams and shouts were heard in every corner of the dark building and the river beside it became a huge pool of blood and guts. The prison suddenly became a massive tomb and all the prisoners and wardens inside became its instant dwellers. In one fell swoop, Erebos became famous.

"Some of those who resides in Heaven came down as soon as they heard the massacre. Everyone witnessed the rumored fallen angel's might was actually true. It took the entire three days and three nights before the gods and goddesses successfully defeated Erebos and sealed him inside the prison for all eternity.

"Erebos kept on calling Anemone's name but it only fell on deaf ears. On the fourth morning, that place was finally closed and removed in the records of history." Just as Elior ended his long story, Vesta woke up from her slumber and stretched her plump paws on his l.a.p.

*Adis was standing in front of the lamp, watching the fire flickered its light while intently listening to the pope's story. When he found his voice again, he muttered his conclusion. "So Pier of the future is not obsessed with Haru... but to her aura? Technically, her power came from the last memory of the late spring goddess."

He turned around and walked closer to Elior as he continued, "Erebos must have felt Anemone's presence and light in her, hence he wanted to possess her. He wanted to continue the story that had long ended. He is delusional and blinded by hatred that he could no longer see the true Anemone and not. But the gods' biggest mistake, was to take away the only shackle that's keeping the true monster at bay, and it was in the form of the spring goddess."

"Now I understand why the gods are wary of you," Elior suddenly blurted out. "It's because you remind them of Erebos. A powerful being that will endure everything for the sake of love, but will also bring forth destruction for the exact same reason."

"Perhaps it's true," *Adis nonchalantly agreed. Then he gave him a bone-freezing smile. "But one thing is for sure. I will destroy heaven and this world if fate will take MY spring maiden away. And it's not merely a threat."

Elior grimaced at how evil he looked like. "Geez, you don't have to flaunt it. Everyone in heaven knows that; hence your wife was sent in this world."

He creased his eyebrows when he remembered something. "Elior, why can that Erebos see our ghost appearances?"

"Oh, that's right. It was one of Erebos' abilities, but because the origin of such power came from a fallen angel, all the angels in heaven refused to inherit the ability and thought that it was cursed. Therefore, the gods decided to hand down the gift of vision to the 'blessed humans.' So Erebos is like the progenitor of all seers."