“They’ll try to freeze it.” Thesan noted, with his gaze still fixated upon the two remaining heads of the Hydra God. He could feel the temperature dropping around him as the storm began to worsen. “I reckon they aren’t done yet with this strange spire.” The dragons around him felt the cold air as well but they were no mere lizards. They carried the essence of their lord with them. Even as Ros tried to lower the temperature, Thesan and Lira released their own power. The dragons around them released their hot breath. Fighting off the cold while triggering a conflagration on the vegetation around them. It didn’t take long before smoke rose up into the freezing air.

But then the first lightning flashed through the air and struck the spire. “They don’t stand a chance against that.” Lira noted with some amusement as the storm continued to rage yet Thesan looked less at ease. “That’s the power of a god they’re using though. Even the flames were divine and look at what the spire did to them.” He said to his sister. “They’re not the god of fire. Theirs is not divine.” Still, Thesan shifted anxiously around. “It's still not right. That spire is creating too much.” Lira let out a heavy sigh. For ten days she believed her brother had not changed. Now faced with his nemesis and another great power he almost looked afraid. “Very well then brother. Let us show them the power of our Lord.”

The fire on the mountain shifted as both Arch-Dragons looked towards the spire and gathered the flames around them. Streams of fire swirled around the air as the other dragons joined with their own power. Making an orb of fire. First, it burned fierce and yellow. Yet when the Arch-Dragons focused their own power into it, the flame’s purity increased and the orb turned blue. Neither Arch-Dragons found that intensity enough. As the fire began to suck the air around him, forming a strong gust of wind, they kept feeding it power.

---

Deep within the Rift they had remained for what felt ages now. Severed from the power of their lord. The Arch-Dragons had breathed fire and raged again and again. Constantly punished for it by the vile magic of their cage. Now they could rage no more. The fire within them began to flutter and die. Even now they felt their embers being smothered. They would not last much longer.

Location:
White Dawn

---

The snow crunched under her feet as she walked. It was an odd feeling, having so much in her head. It made her giggle. The gift of knowledge was both a burden and a curse. Ah if only they could all see it, too. She wanted to share it. Wanted to give it to them. Wanted to teach. Enlighten. That was what she was here for now, after all. That was her mission. Her job. To be a gate to the Library and teach the mortals.

She paused, her steps carrying her to the edge of the village. A cold wind blew past, carrying with it the smell of freshly cooked deer and fruits from the forest. Failing their planned sacrifice, they had quickly put together something else it seemed. She knew what they were doing well. A feast to honor the pilgrims. Mere fools, they were. They learned nothing. They took it as a sign Lazhria wasn't suitable. That the Illuminator wanted another mind. A greater mind as perceived by them. But no, the Kadisht would not volunteer himself. A coward, but that was fine.

The Library had use, even for those.

Silently, she began walking again. Past the huts the people lived in, the night easily hiding her from any prying eyes should there be any. Slow and purposeful was her steps, yet not slow enough to let think she was aimlessly walking as she weaved through the shadows until she came to the beach where the bonfire was burning brightly. Crowded around it, sitting comfortably in a circle on mats and rugs of animal fur were all the residents of White Dawn. The Kadisht was easy to find, his bright dyed red furs easy to pick out...and the one with the largest amount of food in front of him.

"Are we really sending Cxatha?" Standing at the edge, she could hear the conversation he was having with one of the Lloi's. She leaned closer, a frown forming. Just seeing them angered her.

"There is little to be done. He is the brightest and must be sent. The Illuminator wills it." The Kadisht replied. Oh did he now? La-Zha's frown turned back into a smile. Oh how ignorantly wrong they were. Did they ever even know what the Illuminator wanted? Perhaps in the past, when he first revealed themselves to these people, but if they did they had long forgotten it, it seemed.

Some more conversation. Whispering to the Lloi beside him. What were they saying, in such hushed tones? Her ears couldn't reach, but she knew anyways. Cxatha. Son of one of the Lloi's. A Lloi of which, seemed to disagree. How droll. They planned trickery. To let him leave, but only for a few days before returning saying that reaching the wall was impossible. Pathetic. Had they not sworn, to pursue knowledge above all else? They were letting petty things such as emotions get in the way.

She began walking closer as the Kadisht took a stand. No one would notice her just yet, because she didn't want them too. A little trick of the mind, so they would simply fail to notice her.

"Brothers," The Kadisht began. "Sisters! Friends. The Illuminator has blessed us once more with a year of enlightenment, well being and luxury." Hah...how pathetically false. La-Zha smiled as she arrived at the fur rug he was standing on. She took a seat next to him, grabbing a rather juicy looking deer leg from a bone plate in front of him as he continued. "But as with every year...progress demands sacrifice. Since the first generation we have always honored the White Stars missive. Send a single person to the wall, so that the Library may welcome them." He had started walking by now, making a slow circle around the bonfire so that he could see each and everyone here. "We had planned for a suitable sacrifice in his name - one of the weak of minded, given to the Lord of Knowledge so that he may enlighten them in death." His red colored robes fluttered lightly in the cold breeze of the sea. "But our plans were hindered. Bryyre is a traitor, and Lazhria is to be henceforth exiled from White Dawn, should she ever find her way back here she is to be killed." Walking to a tall, lanky looking boy with sharp features he placed a gentle hand on their shoulder. "In her stead, we must make another. Cxatha, you will go to the wall and make the journey in her stead."

"I would be honored, Kadisht. Anyone would, for the chance to visit the Library. I shall redeem us for the ignorance of that child."

"You shall be recorded in the histories as a Saint, Cxatha." La-Zha merely smiled as she tore another piece of meet off the leg of the deer. She had almost eaten all of it. She hadn't realized how hungry she had been. Or was it something else? She didn't spend too long thinking about it. "But without further ado, we shall begin the festivities! Come, Cxatha."

clap

A small cheer erupted among the populace, the first slow one going unheard.

clap

The second broke through the loud cheers, a piercing thunderclap, silencing them within seconds.

clap

The Kadisht turned slowly, not understanding what had just happened. How had she gotten so close? Without anyone seeing?

clap

"La...Lazhria?" His voice was unsteady as La-Zha smiled up at him from her seat, a bone, picked clean of all of the meat on it held lightly in her hands. "How did...how are you-?!" Silence befell the Lloi's and the hunters. How had they not seen her?

"Surprised?" La-Zha's smile never faded as she waved the bone lazily in the air. Something about the way she moved seemed unnatural. Her joints didn't seem to bend right. "Thought I died or something? Took Bryyre on a wild snow hare chase?" She chuckled lightly, chewing lightly on the bone. The fire crackled in silence. "Well, I did. Sort of. He's no longer with us but he made quite the lovely paint."

Silence.

"Nothing to say? And here I thought talking was the only thing you were good at." Slowly, she stood, her voice dry and humorless as she responded. "That was quite the speech you gave. I have to wonder why you gave the same one the year before. Oh, and how incredibly false it was as well. Lord Iva? Bless your small mind with anything? How arrogant." La-Zha stepped closer, the Kadisht took a step back. Something primal, something was telling him he should flee. Something was wrong.

"Ah, he even knows it." The Kadisht stumbled backwards, heat from the bonfire against his back. "You know what you've done. You know your insults well, don't you? I can see it aaaaaalllll in the dark corners of your mind where you try and hide it." Her voice had odd disjointedness to it as she spoke, it was dry and almost monotone. The rest of the others gathered seemed entirely unsure on what to do. Some of the hunters simply watched.

"I-I don't know how you got back here so easily." He seemed to be calming himself down after her sudden interruption. "Or what nonsense you speak of. Has the Illuminator taken your wits, girl?" He seemed to be ignoring or not noticing her obvious inhuman qualities now. That was fine, and expected.

"No no, he has given me more wits than you will ever have!" An amused chuckle. "Not that you have any to begin with..."

"Insolent...!" He glared at her, but before he could say anything else she interrupted him once more.

"Afraid, Kadisht?" She was so close now. Close enough he could smell a slightly antiseptic smell coming from her.

"Of what?"

"Of being discovered. What Lord Iva will do now that you've offended him?"

"I've done no such thing." He scoffed. "I've led this village to prosperity with his blessing!"

"Then why, oh why have you done nothing but but fatten yourself?"

"I've done no such thing!"

"Have you not? Am I wrong? Are we wrong? He says we're wrong. There is one way, to find out Kadisht. Knowledge above all else. That's what we want. Throw yourself into the bonfire." By now some of the other people had gotten to their feet, most were understandably confused, but did nothing. Unable to decide what they should do.

Poor little fish. So used to being led around, not thinking for themselves.

"I am under no obligation to listen to the deranged mind of a mad woman!" He spat.

"Ah, no? You won't? So we're right then? Of course we are. I know all that there is, and all that there can be. I know your mind, Kadisht. Your selfish, rotten, putrid mind...If you refuse your role so easily...then I shall simply take it."

Gammaton

---

@Leotamer

"Welcome, Lord Ferron, to my humble hive," Gammaton greeted, ushering Ferron into the dirt cone. Insects buzzed everywhere while tapestries hung loosely from cross branches that supported the structure. Woven baskets lay strewn about, filled with various nothings. Gammaton sat down on the dirt and motioned Ferron to do the same. "The discussion would constitute two parts, a request, and a chance for you to ask me the reason behind my request. For you see, I have made this same request to a few of our other siblings, and have received, in response, a few non-committal answers. I suspect the truth of the matter is they do not know the reason for my urgency, so I am offering a chance to sit down and spend some time to explain. As for the request itself, I am planning on hosting a General Assembly of the Gods to discuss a very important matter, one that ideally requires all of us to come to some sort of agreement. My request is for you to be one of the attendees." Gammaton produced a scroll and a pen for Ferron to sign, though it was not urgent so he slipped them into a basket and put it aside for now. "As for your dwarves, I will gladly write up a set of laws for them to follow, according to your desires. In addition to my previous request, I would like to ask that you, in return for my writing these laws, inform any other god you meet of my planned Assembly, so that they might attend as well."

Ferron
@Stern Algorithm-Gammaton
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ferron cautiously approached the insect god, however he did not sit down. He carefully listened to Gammaton speech, and carefully eyed the scroll that he had produced. He was formulating a reply whenever he felt the cries of the dwarves, their voices carried to him through their guardian, Rook.

While his people needed his aid, he realized the long-term importance of this deal. However, he did not choose to do nothing. He looked towards Gammaton, his facial expression obscured by the power of his earthen cloak, "I plead for a few moments to tend towards matters elsewhere." he said, in a cold, emotionless tone. However he did not wait for a respond before turning away and walking towards the entrance of the hive.

He focused a part of his essence into an orb. If Gammaton were to inspect this sphere of divine power, he would realize that it was a crystallized blessing that would grant strength and endurance to whoever it was bestowed upon. He made no attempt to hide the fact that he was using his divine power, nor that he was using a sizable amount of his renewed power.

He placed the orb into Bishop chest region, and it begun to sink within the construct's form. Without a word, he gave the golem its orders. Bishop began to melt into the earth as it went to achieve the task set before it.

The lord of metal then turned around, and re-approached Gammaton, still refusing to sit down. If the bug god had said anything else, he would not have heard it. "I apologize for my slight rudeness. I had to quickly attend to something very urgent. As for your proposal, you should know I have little interest in doomed projects. I do believe there will be a much more reasonable compensation for your work. However I will agree to listen the reasoning behind your absurd proposal.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Stag, the Dwarf
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Stag found himself trapped in one of the collapsed tunnels of the dwarven colony. He would have attempted to remove the blockage, except his legs were injured in the collapse and he could not stand up. Helpless, he recollected on his day. It was a rather normal day, and he was attending to his duty of taking water from the upper colony deeper into mountain in order to tend to the orchard. Some dwarves grew concerned as the earth began to rumble, and there was some gossip as to the origin of the shaking but Stag had payed little attention to that.

Stag had been walking up towards the aquifer in order to refill his bucket whenever the first roots broke through the earth. He was luckily already above the highest root, but the damage to the cave system had caused his current situation. However, he soon heard the familiar sound of metal against stone. After a few moments, he heard Guard Captain Crom instruct one of the members of the Ironguard to bring Stag to the Great Church, while he lead the rest of his group deeper into the caves to excavate more dwarves from the lower colony.

Once inside of the church, a member of the clergy tended to his wounds. He had barely noticed until now, but his right leg was wet with blue, dwarven blood. The clergyman did the best he could do to apply a small amount of medicine to the wound and bandage it. However, both medicine and silk were farmed and stored deeper into the cave, and thus what little supplies the church had for emergencies would need to be carefully rationed.

The small dwarf briefly rested his eyes, when suddenly the caverns were dark for just a moment. However, immediately afterwards Stag felt the presence of his creator god. It would take awhile for the blessing to fully take effect, however the dwarves could immediately feel the divine power being granted to them. However, shortly after Ferron's miracle, Stag's heart sunk.

The members of the Ironguard had continued to evacuate dwarves to higher ground, and bringing the injured to the church. However one of the Ironguard had a forlorn look on his face as he carried a dwarf into the church. Stag, and many of the other dwarves averted their eyes from what they saw. A dwarven priest quickly looked over the corpse, and said a prayer over the corpse to Ferron and Azhriel before asking for it to be placed within an unoccupied house. Stag overheard the cleric saying that would need to wait to properly entomb the body as the catacombs were within the deepest cavern of the colony.

---

---

"Why are we doing this, Dratiri? We could be punished by the elders!" the young man shouted above the roar of the waterfall, unsure of what to do. He stood precariously upon the edge of a large waterfall, right behind a young woman. She wore nothing but simple clothing, the mist in the air coated her body in tiny water droplets, reflecting the bright light of the day. Her chestnut hair was long and curly as it fell down her back.

"Quite your crying Tiok, you know exactly why we are here! You even agreed to come!" the Dratiri shouted back at Tiok, he looked flustered and afraid. He was taller then she, and it didn't really look like he had grown into himself just yet. He looked young for his age, with soft hazel eyes and a mess of brown hair a top his head. His usual boyish grin was replaced with a stoic look. She cursed under her breath and turned her head around. There was no going back now, it was far too late for that.

"I know, I know!" Tiok said, "I just didn't think we would actually be doing this! Just look how high up we are!" and it was true, the waterfall was the largest in the land, even taller than the trees. Below them was a large tumultuous pool of clear water, that then continued to flow down river. The pool itself was deep, cool, and was the home of many sharp rocks.

The elders had forbidden anyone from swimming or jumping in the pool of water. It was dangerous, they said, and likely to cause injury. Such talk never had persuaded Dratiri to seek safer pursuits, in fact, she relished a challenge. The girl was a thrill seeker, and when not tied down with chores, she was out exploring the land. Tiok was just like her, but more levelheaded when it came to certain dangers. This was one of those times.

Dratiri spun back around to face Tiok and walked up to him. "You promised me we would do this, Tiok! Before the tribe moved on again, you said! Please, please, please! Will you not jump with me?" Dratiri then stood on her toes, and quickly kissed Tiok upon the lips. She then grabbed his hand and moved to the side of him so that they both faced the drop before them. She squeezed his hand, looking up at his worried face.

"It'll be fine!" she said.

Tiok returned the squeeze and bent down to kiss her on the forehead. He took a deep breath of her forest scented hair, always finding it to relax him. He leaned back up and looked at her with a smirk. The look in her eye was fierce, determined and if he said no, he would never hear the end of it.

He took a deep breath and exclaimed, "I love you!"

Dratiri felt warm in that moment, and good and happy. It felt good to be loved, to be wanted. Even better to enjoy such an event with her life partner.

"I love you back!" she shouted at him with joy.

And the two faced the uncertainty of what was before them, together. They held a bond forged by strength of their connection. Both ran in unison to the cliff's edge, hearts pumping with blood through the roar of the water.

They jumped, now letting fate decide their future. The fall could be felt in their stomachs, and adrenaline began to pump in their blood. Dratiri screamed with delight, and Tiok simply screamed. Then as quickly as it had begun, the two disappeared into the mist at the bottom of the falls.

The fight for survival can be seen in all species that walk the earth. They have a will to live, to grow, to reproduce and live contently. Such was the fight they faced in the treacherous waters that pounded their bodies. Thinking smart, Dratiri let the fast current sweep her away, but not without first having her leg sliced by a jagged rock. She let her mouth open to scream and swallowed water, now desperately trying to breath. She began to panic and flail about without thinking, bashing her legs and arms against more rocks. Eventually the current became calm, but she was far too weak to move. Was this how she died?

The world began to go black as she felt something grab her. She tried to breath as her head exited the water, but instead she coughed up water, now feeling dry earth and a hand rubbing her back.

Tiok's voice came next, "Breath Dratiri, breath! You're safe now. You're safe." and safe she felt as her breathing became normal.

She looked up at him with blue eyes, a mischievous smile pursing her lips.

"Let's go again." she said playfully.

Tiok rolled his eyes and began to laugh, which in turn Dratiri laughed as well. After a moment, he kissed her and then looked to her cut leg.

"Hmmm, this one will be an interesting story for the elders. What shall we say? You tripped and fell? Or you tried to ride a Rognyak again?" Tiok said.

Dratiri grumbled, "How many times do I have to tell you, I wasn't trying to ride it! I just wanted a closer look. Now are you going to help me up or what? That cut won't fixed by you after all."

Tiok then helped Dratiri up while saying, "Oh of course, how could I forget that you decided to take a closer look at the Rogynak by attempting to climb it's back? Silly me. Now come on let's g-" Tiok's voice caught off, as his face was frozen with fear. Dratiri began to speak, but instead turned to follow his gaze.

Emerging from the forest, was a group of men brandishing crude weapons stained with blood. In fact, the little torn clothing they wore was dyed a dark red. They were Raving, and there was three of them.

Tiok went to stand in front of Dratiri, the gesture not going unnoticed by the woman. The Raving were feared by all who could think and not act upon darker impulses. The situation was dire, for normally they could outrun the men, but with her cut leg it would be impossible and they both knew that.

Tiok then spoke to them, "We don't want any trouble, please. Just... Just let us go."

They jeered at this, and the largest of the men stepped forward. His bald head loomed above the both of them, and he was riddled with menacing scars. There was hunger in his black eyes, not unlike that of a predator lusting after a kill. To see that in a human was wrong. Tiok and Dratiri were terrified, for they knew what the Raving would do.

"You might not want trouble..." He began in a gruff voice, "But we do. Now... will you make this easy? Or hard?"

Sensing the hopelessness of the situation, Tiok took a defensive stance in front of Dratiri, holding his fists upwards as if ready to strike.

The bald man chuckled, "I like spirit, boy. Makes killing you so much more fun. Rhodak, Yash," He spoke to the other men, "The girl is yours. Leave the boy to me."

Dratiri began to hyperventilate as the men began to approach. Meanwhile, she was being pushed back into the shallow water by Tiok as he stepped backwards.

In a burst of motion, Tiok both ran forward and shouted, "Dratiri run! Run!" as he collided with the men. But they were hardened warriors, and a boy without a weapon was as useless as baby. The bald man quickly let him have a backhanded slap, the force of the blow staggering Tiok to the side.

Dratiri had tried to run, but her leg felt stiff and un-moving, so she fell in the water. The two other men quickly descended upon her as she screamed for help.

Now distraught and needing to help his love, Tiok tried to stand but the bald man stomped on his back repeatedly. He could not scream as he felt his ribs break, but he felt tears roll down his cheek, and heard the laughter of the bald man. The pain was too much to bear, and as his eyes shut, he could vaguely see Dratiri struggling in the water to break free. Then the world went black.

---

@A Lowly Wretch

From the stone's throw of a distance that Hayim stood, he was eerily aware of the changes his body was going under - limbs growing thicker, size increasing, and the multiplication of his petals. The sensations that were once unknown to the God - vibrations, texture, complex touch, now they arrived in bursts that only grew in intensity as the minutes passed by. Hayim paid these changes little mind, however, as his attention was devoted entirely to the black spire that seemed to grow even more quickly than Hayim. Bark surrounded it, twisting and contorting to form a protective sheath around the abomination that disfigured the animal-friends and the Humies. A brief thought flashed in Hayim's mind - he had heard of a fairy tale similar to this, in one of the hundreds of villages he had visited.

But that was decades ago. And decades for a God like Hayim were simply too large to remember.

"Wh... Who are you?"

Turning swiftly, Hayim was shocked to find that the Humies weren't totally decimated - standing before him was a massive tree, but of inconsequential stature when compared to what the spire had become. His figure was one of twisted fashion, branches extending out like limbs before fading into long, mangled fingers, and a face distorted beyond recognition.

"Hayim! I'm Hayim!" The man seemed uncaring, or at the very least unphased by the claims.

"It matters not... I know not what I've become or how but it's clear your feet are free, unlike mine. Whether or not you can fix all this I do not know... Seeing as you haven't ran like those more fortunate than I. You clearly have your aims set upon this... fountain of light. I can get you to the top where the tree opens up for the lights... I must implore you, if it is within your ability... Please disentangle my tribe from the tree... Many rest upon the tree's face but I fear some may have been pulled inside of it... If they remain I fear they may never see the light of day nor the escape of death."

The massive branch was lowered to Hayim's level and, with a speed that his new body and extra limbs afforded him, Hayim leaped on.

"Hayim promise to save Humies! Hayim loves Humies more than anything else, so Hayim do anything to help them!"

There it was again - that damn lack of fear. Hayim knew, even with his childish intellect, that he should have been terrified beyond measure. His body, one which had remained static over the long decades and centuries, was mutating and twisting before his very eyes. While having a stronger body was nice for once, Hayim could tell that whatever was corrupting him was not good.

But even with the very real possibility that he'd lose himself, just like the Humans and Animals, Hayim allowed himself to be lifted to the light.

(Relevant to @Lord Zee)

Dirka sat in the mana pool of her garden, only her head visible. She was lost in thought, with a sad and frustrated visage.

What was wrong with her? She had once never even thought about things like this. She hasn't done something she enjoyed in some time, and it worried her. Was it stress? No, she had been under similar pressures before, and never behaved like this. Was it those spires? No, she was outside their range of influence, and hopefully far away from any future ones. She's been loosing her madness, but why? Maybe she had spent to much time with her 'sane' siblings. Madness breeds madness...but sanity is easily broken. She grabbed her horns and shook her head. Lately all she had done was things to give her allies and her power in a long term plan. Wait...what if that was it? Normally her plans include unconventional ways of getting the task done. And not as mean when doing it. She hadn't done something she'd enjoy in a while, because she had been doing as her siblings!
She stood up from the pool and shouted. "That's it! Well if that's the fix, then I swear by the Styx! No more contracts, bargains or deals, but rather go head over heels! I need a hex, so here's the specs! Empousi, Mesoia, Xentou, Jerstea! " She then looked at her robe that was in disarray. She smirked and snapped her fingers. "Time for a change in wardrobe!" Her robe floated and ripped itself apart until in couldn't be seen by the human eye. She then snapped her fingers again and a new robe formed on top of her. It was blue and purple, with silver accents and facets for gems, which were purple and blue and glowed. Crystals on thin silver chains hung from the ends of her horns, and they seemed to writhe with energy inside. A silver necklace of carnivorous teeth formed around her neck, each getting smaller the closer to the neck they got. She snapped her fingers again and a mirror made of the liquid mana began floating mid-air. She spun and giggled at the sight of herself. She let the mirror drop back into the pool and she turned around, noticing her harp.
She immediately felt guilty for snapping at her brother earlier. He may destroy many things, but for long term benefit of all, whether he realizes it or not, that she had no clue of. She then smiled. He would appreciate it if she made improvements to it, that she knew for sure. And with her new robe, something as primitive looking as that just didn't go with it well. She smirked and snapped her fingers. The harp changed from bone, sinew and all the other materials into wood, silver, and spider's silk. It sculpted itself for more decoration, blue and purple gems, purple and blue paint, and carvings flowing from one another. She then hexed it with a snap to where it seemably had a mind of it's own, but only enough to follow(via floating) her and play a tune. She smirked and whistled to it. It got up and floated to her. She giggled madly, and looked around to make sure that was everything.
That's when her son came in.
He startled her when he spoke. "Hello mother. You look happy, which is more than I can say for me. I attempted to give Anu your gift an apology, but she refused it and cursed me to where magic is a no go zone. She also said the pacts off." Dirka simply smiled. "You probably deserved it. And she was eventually bound to split. She blame everyone for her experience, so no surprise. But what she doesn't realize is that the blood magic scroll, now returns to MY library. Hopefully she got enough use out of it, but now severed are the ties. Jut make sure to tell the fairies. Ta-ta!" She opened a portal, and waved. In a flash, the portal closed, and he sat there with a face of disbelief. What the fresh hell?! How was she so calm!?

---

(@Lmpkio: Hyperion)

Dirka walked towards the entrance of Hyperion's little kingdom. The harp was quietly playing, and she was snapping her fingers to it's tempo. "Hyperion, you pompous ass. It's your sister here to talk! And not to balk! He heh hehe he!"

---

(Relevant to @ReusableSword
Humnuo was watching. He and his friend Sylvani, the Treant, were one of the many pairs of watchers guarding the only way into the mountains safely without immediately being seen as a threat. They trampled through the outermost edges of the Forest of Charity which flowed out of the mountains like a glacier for a mile outside of the pass. The other watchers watched as well. Naswaru was coming, and they were prepared to welcome him to their mistress's domain. They were gifted the gift of seer sight. They saw all that happened in Tabrassa, except places shrouded by divine energy.

Gammaton

---

@Leotamer

Gammaton patiently allowed Ferron a moment to attend to his 'distractions', however Ferron's reply was sub-optimal.

"Well, that was...brusque. Of course, agreement on anything at the Assembly doesn't have to be unanimous, though unanimity would be preferred. I realize it seems impossible to get us all to agree on anything, but the point is to find what common ground exists and to preserve it. Besides, attendance will cost you nothing but a spot of time, so I seriously hope you reconsider. I should also point out that the other god who has flat out refused me has been Lady Dirka. I am not sure if that is the sort of recklessness someone like you wishes to be associated with, but I digress. The only way I see to convince you, is to spell out my reasons for wanting such an Assembly. You, like many of our siblings, have creations. It seems in our nature to shape this world in our image, whether it be lands, creatures, objects, artifacts, structures, knowledge, mortals, or whatever else suits our fancy. Some of us are deeply invested in our creations, so much so, that should harm befall such creations, I am sure, some gods would create quite a row. I'm sure you have things that you want to protect, as do others. While it should be understood that not everything we create deserves protection, I believe that the most precious possessions should be guaranteed to be inviolable through pact of the Gods. Consider if a god's most prized possession were destroyed by another god.This could lead to a great feud. While it is only natural for us to quarrel, squabbling over domains and such, while our mortals fight on our behalf, but such quarrels should never extend to the point where it could result in the death of a god."

Here Gammaton paused, attempting to gauge whether this final statement surprised Ferron or not. "Which brings me to my second point. I have come to the conclusion that we gods are not immortal. Sure, we can live for what seems an indefinite period of time, outlasting mortals and mountains, but that is not to say that we could not be destroyed or replaced. As the god of the Domain of Law, It is my nature to ask the question, 'Who rules?' And the unfortunate answer is that it is most certainly not us. Consider the following, you have a humanoid form. I have a somewhat humanoid form. Most of our siblings also have humanoid forms. Yet who among us is god of humans? Who among us created humans? It is not we who created humans in our image, but whoever created humans, created us in the same image. We are not even the creators of our own domains. Darkness existed before Oao, Light existed before Hyperion. Did our domains create us? Or were we, before our current lives as gods, lesser beings who climbed to divinity? If so, cannot we be usurped by these mortals as well? Which takes me back to my first point. We all have things we want to protect, and it may seem that I, who have created very little, have nothing I desire to protect. But that is not true. What I desire to protect is you, me, all of our siblings: from each other, from the mortals, and from what higher beings may exist. I wish to preserve the status quo, the illusion that we rule this world, until it becomes a reality. To do this, I would police and suppress the mortals from any attempts at achieving divinity, creating a barrier between them and us, so that our power over them remains absolute. And with our backs protected, we can strive against the veil, against the barrier that separates us from the supposed higher beings that have created us, so that we may know of them, for surely, they must know of us. And afterwards, well, if they are a threat to us, we must replace them for the sake of our own preservation."

Gammaton sighed, "I apologize for the lengthy explanation, I would have rather preferred to reserve such a speech for the General Assembly, but with so many doubting my motives, I felt it necessary to share, at least with you, who are level-headed. Do you think me mad, to speculate at greater, unseen forces? No, but this is clarity. We cannot afford to squabble with each other over mortals and domains. We must open our eyes to the possibility that we are but playthings in the hands of greater powers."

Ferron
@Stern Algorithm-Gammaton
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Trying to gauge Ferron's reaction by his face was pointless. His face was obscured by the power imbued into his earthen cloak. However even if Gammaton was to extend his senses beyond the artificial obstruction, Ferron was motionless and he simply looked toward the insect god with a stern expression.

However, Ferron did internal react to the mention of the concept of the greater god, though he shown no external reaction. He thought back to the spiral of fear, and how it was created from the core of the earth. This was a troubling revelation, however he had little time to look into the matter. He was unsure what exactly to conclude from this information, however it did reveal how little he knew of the core, and posed the possibility that there was already an entity lurking beyond the deepest wall, though he could not assume that as an absolute with how little he knew of its mysteries. However he decided against sharing this information with Gammaton. Knowledge is valuable, and scarcity is the source of all value.

Ferron paused after Gammaton finished his speech, "I still have no intention of attending this assembly if it can be helped. However, I did require your aid and thus I believe it is only appropriate to explain why your request is unreasonable. I would also hope that we could move forward in this discussion in good faith, and you would not try to manipulate my emotions.

You make the claim that it will be of little cost to me to attend this meeting, however I inclined to disagree. Not only do I value my time, but I will place me at great risk. I have no promise that this assembly will not lead to violence, which I believe is the natural result of having so many gods confined within such a small place. Even beyond that more than sensible reason, it will threaten my neutrality and danger my ability to make arrangements with those opposed to the meeting occurring, such as Dirka.

But I do not believe you are mad. I believe you are simply blinded by your own idealism if this your genuine thoughts. However, I have no fear that a mortal would replace me. If a mortal was capable of stealing away my chord, then I would be unworthy of it. As for this supposed greater god, few gods are my senior. If there is such a greater god, they have been remarkably inactive since the first of our brothers and sisters were born, and for a time being are not a great concern." His voice was mostly monotone, however he had put special emphasis one those last few words before taking a short pause to continue this thoughts.

"Allow me to propose a counter offer, as you bringing law to my creations is firmly within your personal interests but attending the grand assembly would be strictly opposed to my own interests. I would rarely being such a meeting without a strong offer." he said, grabbing a small bag from below his cloak and emptying its contents into his hands.

The golden scarab startled to life in respond to removed from its container, and it scurried along Ferron hand until after a few moments it rested within his palm. He lifted his other hand, and suddenly a small mound of gold appeared on it. The scarab then flew from one hand to other, and rested on top of the golden mound. After a very short amount of time, the scarab had molded the metal into a replica of itself. The replica then flew to the opposing hand.

"This small construct is very potent, a single scarab could construct an entire swarm. An entire swarm could construct buildings, or demolish them. The only way to have the order you seek is to maintain it with a strong hand. I am offering you something that would drastically increase your grip over the mortal world, which you have appear to have a keen interest in."

---

"So much death..."

The world was dark.

"So many Souls left to rot."

Azhriel couldn't tell if he was dreaming.

"The river flows verily, its' currents nigh unstoppable."

This voice, he recognised it but he couldn't remember from where.

"Such a delicacy, the Soul of a Mortal."

He struggled to see anything around him. What had happened?

"They possess so many stories, so many emotions, so much... power!"

Azhriel jolted himself back to consciousness, a deep and sudden gasp for air overcame him as he did so. He was drenched in sweat, yet his body remained cold to the touch. His mind still groggy, Azhriel attempted to gather his bearings. He was lying in his bed entirely naked. A thin duvet had been cast over him to protect his dignity. Instinctively, Azhriel rubbed his eyes using the palms of his hands, his eyesight was still hazy. Once he'd finished, his sight now cleared, he regarded his own hands and their pale-greyness. It had been a long time since he'd last removed his armour. No sooner than he had awoken did the door to his chambers burst open, startling the God.

"Lord Azhriel!" A female cried. The expression on her face was filled with emotion. The most he'd ever seen from her. She didn't stop at the door either, rushing to his bedside to kneel before him. "You've returned, finally." She said, almost in tears.

"L-Lyssa?!" He questioned, still unsure about his current situation. "What has happened to me?"

Lyssa's head slowly rose up to meet his oblivious expression.

"Y-you mean, you don't know?" He could sense the pain in her voice as she asked.

"I've been... asleep. For a long time, haven't I?" Azhriel's confusion only grew, he had no recollection of what or why; he couldn't even remember when he had fallen into slumber.

"Yes, my Lord." She confirmed. "But that's not all." Lyssa's face filled with sorrow as she recalled the events that had passed during his absence.

"What is it? What pains you, my child?"

Lyssa was silent for a while, tears beginning to well up in her eyes before she spoke, "It's the Old God... they've gone!"

The news hit him like a hammer, fear washed over him like a tsunami before transforming into rage. Azhriel launched himself from the bed until he stood above the Ashen Guard, his anger evident by the emerald flames around the room magnifying tremendously. Lyssa's gaze had dropped to the floor instantly.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?!" He roared. Lyssa began to tremble visibly as his voice boomed.

"S-she was here! She sat in your throne! She looked just like-"

"Explain it to me fully." His initial rage had subsided, but an anger deep within him still burned as he spoke.

"It was after you recruited Thaddeus, my Lord. Your power seemed to have drained by a considerable amount more than usual. Before we knew anything, you were slumped in your throne and unconscious. That was when she appeared in front of us all. She tried to kill you, my Lord, but Gibari and the others fought against her whilst I brought you here. By the time I'd returned to the Canyon, the others they were defeated."

Azhriel processed the information quickly, though his anger still remained. It was only then that he noticed his nakedness, which was one of the reasons why Lyssa had refused to raise her head from the floor. He sobered himself slightly, amused by the situation. He needed to calm down, gather all the facts first and then make his move. He'd be swinging in the dark if all he did was attack things with rage. Intent on calming the atmosphere, the God of Souls reached for the duvet on his bed before wrapping it around himself. By his own will, the item quickly began to morph into a dark set of robes covering his modesty.

"My apologies, child. I lost myself to my rage. Come, tell me everything whilst we walk. I must see to the others."

"I am honoured, my Lord, but you do not need to apologise." She rose from the floor gracefully and began to lead the way out of the room. "Gibari and the others are fine now but there is still more bad news I'm afraid."

"Fear not, I am calm now." Lyssa remained tentative, though she eventually began to tell the rest.

"Once I'd returned, the Old God spoke to me. She said that it was her turn to rule, that you were... weak." Lyssa paused a little before continuing on, "She tried to summon a portal to the Pit in order to leave the realm but she failed. After which she grew angry, she started to rant and rave. Most of it was incomprehensible but she did mention something about the Souls, that they held untapped power. Power that you-"

"That's enough." Azhriel interrupted. "I want you to forget about her."

"W-what?! But how can I, after all that?!" Lyssa's protest was out of character, but she couldn't control herself. It took her a moment to realise that she'd spoken out against her God. Azhriel didn't blame her, but he did remain silent. Lyssa would punish herself for this outburst. "I'm sorry, my Lord, I spoke out of turn."

"No matter, it is done. However, I stand by what I said. Forget about the Old God. She is nothing more than a phantom." Lyssa didn't need to answer for him to know she'd comply with his wishes. "Now tell me of the mortal realm, what have I missed?"

The God of Souls walked down the corridor leading away from his bedchambers with his most-trusted disciple. Lyssa had taken him to his castle, far away from the Canyon. He would need to spend some time here to fully recover before attending to his domain. The Old God had finally made her move, after all this time. Now he would need to tread cautiously, lest his secret became known to his siblings.

Location:
White Dawn

---

La-Zha stared

The only grey colored eye visible from her disheveled, messy hair stared at him with malign curiosity. The human knew what he had done, but he could not accept it.

"Egru! Hunters!" The Kadisht shouted. A plea for help. A cry for assistance. To save him from the fate he has reaped. Some leaped, others who had more sense decided they better not get involved. They grabbed their spears, quickly converging on her position.

"You're sweating, aren't you? Curious." The flesh under La-Zha's left arm began to writhe and shift. The bandages on her arm doing little to conceal the moving flesh. "Nervous. Increased heart rate. Fear. Ah, how we hate that. Why are you afraid, Kadisht?" She completely ignore the hunters. They were of little consequence to her now. They posed no threat, but that didn't mean they couldn't be annoying.

"...Ah." A small prick of pain, like something pressing into her back with a sharp point. The unpleasant feeling ran through her body, sinking into the flesh of her back until it reached her chest. The stone tip broke the flesh, and her robe, silvery blood oozing from the wound around the spear. It ran black as it left her body, thick and slow, congealing into a mass of black ooze. "I've been stabbed." La-Zha's head turned to face her assailant, unnaturally twisting 180 degrees.

Egru's eyes were wide with obvious bewilderment as she didn't seem injured in the slightest.

"You know Egru, you always had such a nice spear." Her left hand grabbed the other end of it, the side that had impaled her. The skin on her left arm cracked, splitting apart. The wet sound of flesh splitting filled the area, as grotesque tentacles made of countless dark spheres covered in a slimy black film pierced her skin. "I think I'll keep it." The tentacles grabbed the side of the spear, pulling it completely through her, and yanking it out of Egru's hands with inhuman strength.

"Demon! Monster!" The Kadisht shouted, the rest of those present overcome with bewilderment and shock.

"My my, Kadisht. Demon? How cruel. To some I might be...but to you? I'm an angel." Egru had stumbled backwards, his grip on his spear lost as La-Zha's body turned to correctly orient itself with her head. "You don't recognize it, but that's okay. The Library forgives...but first," La-Zha turned once more, the mass of writhing appendages that made up her left arm slamming into Egru, knocking him completely off his feet as she turned to the Kadisht. "Lets invite the other guests."

Raising her open right palm to the sky, La-Zha began.

"Vulgtlagln syha'h kadishtuagl!" An otherworldly, guttural voice, eerily echoing from nothingness. "Ymg'ahe nyth'drnn uln!" The air crackled with divine energy, splitting the air as voids began tearing open, gates drawing the beings of the Library to the mortal plane. A scream. The mortals didn't understand but that was fine.

Those who were afraid, were not the ones the Library desired.

From the gates poured the Aho'Nohg, dozens of faceless black creatures, oily black wings beating, bringing the sound of silence with them as their curious visage suggested inhuman thoughts and utterances. Curiously, an oily black blob with dozens of eyes fell from the gate. The B'thkor known as Zhavitri. Had it answered the call itself? It plopped onto the ground next to La-Zha before scurrying off to find a meal of its own.

"Ch'nglui'ahog n'ghft'drn, ymg' mgah'n'ghft mgn'ghftog!" A final prayer, a final show of dedication as the Aho'Nohg went to their duties. The Lloi's would not escape. Hunted down, one by one. The red snow glistened in the crackling light of the bonfire. Egru, made an attempt to tackle La-Zha to stop her, but not even he, was a match for the Aho'Nohg protecting their master. His name would not be remembered in history.

The ground began to tremble.

"He comes!" La-Zha laughed, spinning in place. "He comes! He comes! Enlightenment! Open your mind! Accept the light!" But people were fickle creatures, easily swayed by emotions. Unneeded. Useless. The lesser minds were terrified, running to their huts or out of the village altogether. They shall be rectified soon.

The ground heaved once more, knocking some pathetic humans to their knees.

In the distance, the wall began to crack and split. A pillar of white light forcefully shot into the air, illuminating the night sky brightly with a pale, pure light. The light permeated everything, the walls, the air, the sea, their minds. Scratching, clawing, at the edges of their consciousness. Those still alive could only fall to their knees.

A massive, white hand grabbed the edges of the wall from the inside of it, causing the wall to crack and splinter as shards of ice and rock fell to the ground. Slowly, the light began to shift as Iva's crown crest the top of the wall, an orb of bright light, pure and knowing was floated between his horns. They could not look away.

The earth shook once more as Iva stood, the pale light enveloping the entirety of White Dawn and its residence. La-Zha simply laughed, bathing herself in it as the others could only look in awe as the towering God seemed to rise from the earth itself. A long, sinuous white arm reached down, bracing itself on the beach right next to the Kadisht. Iva seemed to laugh, a loud and eerie thing as another arm reached beneath the waves of the sea.

The earth trembled once more as the God pulled stone from the sea. A massive, old stone covered in sea life and plant, easily dwarfing any human. The stone fell from his grasp, slamming into the ground and crushing a human beneath it, sinking firmly into the shoreline. Light began engraving runes and words upon the stone. Rules. Laws, that the humans were soon to follow.



Four, simple tenets. Ignorance shall be met with death. Fear, Shall be met with death. Knowledge above all else. Knowledge is power. Simple enough even the humans would not mess it up. With the task done, the sphere of light upon the gods crown flashed, blinding all, and knocking the weaker over as their minds were assaulted.

When it receded, the god was standing among them in his natural form.

"L-Lord!" The Kadisht was the first to speak, but it would be the last words he ever uttered.

"Ah, Kadisht." La-Zha let the god pass, his calm demeanor a facade to hide the boiling, seething rage. "How quaint. I was hoping your head would explode, but perhaps you do have some value." The god ignored whatever reply he attempted to make. A single, swift, wave of the hand and he lost all feeling in his body, sending him crumpling to the floor. "Ah, my poor little Kadisht. So bright, yet so putrid. Selfish. Vain. What does the rock say, hmm? Did you forget what I told your father's father?" La-Zha handed him Egru's spear. "What was the basic thing I told you all to do?" Iva raised the haft of the spear, slamming the end of it down upon the Kadisht's body. "Of course you didn't." Each sentence that followed was punctuated by another painful beating. "You just didn't care. Or perhaps you thought this was the correct way? Humorous! See? I'm laughing!" Indeed, the god was laughing. "Oh you humans are just so funny! So funny! it INFURIATES ME. I give you knowledge, and you squander it! SQUANDER." Suddenly, the beating stopped. Iva pulled the spear just before it reached the humans head. "...it matters not." Seemingly calming down, Iva knelt down next to the human, grabbing him by the back of the head. "You want the Library to yourself? Its secrets, its knowledge?" He placed his faceless visage next to the humans ear, a low, amused otherworldly giggle followed. "You can have it."

The Kadisht screamed, but he could do nothing. His body was enveloped in a bright, white light before he disappeared entirely.

"You can have this back." He handed the spear back to La-Zha, spinning around. The Aho'Nohg had already rounded up everyone who had tried to leave. The Kadisht got his wish, and the Lloi's were all dead. As it should be. He no longer had use for them. No, it was time for a change. A different experiment, as one might say. Walking away from the dwindling bonfire, Iva began.

"Well now that was a party, hee!" The god laughed. La-Zha had taken to sitting cross-legged on the Kadisht's former rug again, blackened tentacles idly reaching for the remaining food. "Now, I'm sure you funny little humans have many questions...but the only thing you need to know is thus. I am Iva'Krorh. The White Star. The Illuminator. They who bring knowledge and enlightenment." With a whimsical bow, Iva continued. "But you should know this, do you not?"

There was silence over the gathered humans. Those who were recovering from Iva's earlier mental assault were slowly regaining their senses and sight, but they would never be quite right again.

"Ah, saying nothing? Hee, that is fine. I'm not in the mood for conversation anyways. The only thing that matters to you humans...is that I have returned." He made a swift motion towards the massive boulder he had dug up from the sea. "And I now rule all of you...and we're going to have such a lovely, wonderful party together."

---

"Well that went well." La-Zha giggled, sitting on a table next to Iva, having finally managed to get her inhuman appendages back under control once more so she could reasonably pass as human.

"Heee, certainly! Even little Zhavitri found itself a nice little meal, heh! It grew quite nicely!" Iva comically splayed himself out on the throne the residents had provided him with. Honestly, he was in a good mood. A far better mood than he had been in nearly a hundred years! Yes, he should have done this earlier, shouldn't he? Humans were clever, but they needed to be herded at times, as much as he really didn't want to do such a thing. "Oh I can barely contain my excitement!" He held the sides of his face as he giggled. "Oh this is wonderful! It shall take some time, but I will turn this place into my new library." Hopping up from his throne, he exited the hut that was now going to be his residence for some time.

"You," Turning to one of the Aho'Nohg as he left, he handed them a scroll. "Deliver this to Ferron. I desire a meeting." With a screech, it flapped its wings and left as La-Zha followed her master out. "You. Take some others and dismantle all but one of the portals for now. I shall...make another when I am more rested."

"Cutting off the library?" La-Zha questioned.

"For now. I shall focus my efforts into this project until it can run by itself. Little Gammy gave me quite the help, hee!"

"Lord Illuminate!" A human interrupted them, kneeling before the both of them. "Lady La-Zha."

"Oh, how quaint. Have they finished already?"

"Yes, the...Aho'Nohg were able to handle most of the construction work." The human messenger replied. "...is it really...able to cross the sea? To the Mainland?"

"You doubt me?" A twist of Iva's head.

"O-Of course not, Lord!"

"Ah, no need to be afraid of me just yet, hee! Doubt is good! Makes one curious of their world! La-Zha!" Swiftly turning to the former human, Iva gave what was to be her mission. "Travel to the mainland. Find the other gods, other settlements...and enlighten them. For a price, of course. Knowledge is not free. It must be acquired."

"I wonder if I can find the place that has those sweets..." She mused idly.

"A word of caution though...only use the Libraries gifts if you must. Be clever. Resourceful. Use what you have, and only the Library should you be in immediate danger of harm." He chuckled. "But I gave you a good body. You should be fine, unless against other divine creatures, but try to avoid fighting."

"On it." La-Zha grinned. "Uh...how do I...control the uh, 'boat' was it?"

"Who knows, figure it out yourself!" Another Aho'Nohg landed next to him, and before La-Zha could get another word out of the Lord of Knowledge, he quickly climbed on its back. "Toodles darling! I have a date with Anu!"

Narrowing her eyes in thought as he left, La-Zha rubbed her chin.

Well, controlling something that has never existed in the history of humanity before couldn't be too hard, now could it?

---

---

The world was darker when Tiok awoke. His head pounded, and every breath was ragged and painful. It took him all his strength to simply move his head up so that he might glance at what was around him, and his heart sank.

This was not a sandy beach, but a forest floor where he lay. The young man then saw a dim fire burning, not three bodies length away. With the flickering flame, and with his foggy vision, he could make out two forms who looked like they were sleeping. Both too large for one to be Dratiri, and his heart began to pound as he struggled to see anything else.

Suddenly he felt a large hand grab the base of his neck, and painfully begin to lift him up. Tiok whimpered softly as another arm wrapped around his chest. He was then dragged, and then at last placed upright at the base of a tree. When his vision stopped blurring, he saw the bald man grinning in front of him.

"I was just about to wake you up, boy. Don't you know it's rude to black out when keeping company? A pity your pain tolerance is so low, takes the fun right out of torture it does. Oh well, Ol'Grambo will keep you awake now." He then pulled out a large stone knife, knapped from a black rock and sharpened to an edge. Tiok's eyes went wide as tears began to flow down his cheeks. Grambo sighed, "There now, boy. Ol'Grambo will make everything alright. Just you relax now."

As Grambo began to cut his right arm, Tiok anticipated the feeling and his throat constricted. He tried to scream but couldn't as the pain flared up. He tried to move his arm, but he was far too weak and Grambo had it pinned down. As Grambo smiled sadistically, Tiok began to panic. He tried desperately to move his arm, but he couldn't, and Grambo was beginning to take notice of Tiok's silence.

The bald man stopped cutting, fresh blood gleamed off the blade in the early moonlight. "What's a matter boy? Devil got your tongue? Why don't you speak a little!" Grambo then forced Tiok's mouth open, "I want to hear you screams boy! Now scream! Scream!" The crazed look in his eyes became unhinged as Grambo was denied his enjoyment. Tiok finally screamed, a harrowing wail of pain and frustration.

"There we are! Good! Very good." The sudden change in his voice almost went unnoticed by Tiok, but now the bald man's eyes glowed a fiery crimson and pulsated the same. He looked at Tiok with an unnatural expression.

"I was beginning to wonder if you had gone mute, child." came the rich voice of a woman from his lips. Grambo then stroked his cheek with the knife, leaving a small cut behind. He did not cry out this time, for he was far too taken aback for such rational action. He thought he had died, or the pain was making him see things that weren't there. Yet it felt real to him, but strangely, he was not afraid of that.

The voice spoke again, "You are free of the curse. It seems not all of your kind give in so easily to their darker passions. Both you and your female companion resisted temptation, but alas, I'm afraid now only you remain."

"W-What?" Came Tiok's weak voice. Dratiri was...? No! She couldn't be, he was alive, that meant she had to be as well! He began to shake his head.

"Come now child, what did you expect from two adult men alone with a woman? Look and you shall see." and Grambo grasped his cheeks slightly, then turned his head so that Tiok might see what the voice wanted him too.

His heart broke into a thousand pieces as he looked up to see Dratiri hanging bare from a tree branch. Try as he might to look away, he could not. There was his best friend, his greatest lover- dead. Tiok tried to get up, but his weak body wouldn't budge. He wanted to cut her down, to hold her one more time. As he continued to look, he no longer felt anything, no pain, no frustration, no sadness- only numbness. Dratiri was dead, and it was all his fault.

He felt his face turn back to the red eyes of Grambo, but Tiok didn't really look.

"A pity, I know. She had such promise, such a bright future and with you by her side of course. But now her soul rests with Azhriel, Lord of the Underworld and he hoards souls for his own plots. It is unfortunate, but this world is cruel." Grambo paused, as if in thought. The woman's voice came again after a moment, "It doesn't seem fair she was taken from you, now does it? Hmm, perhaps I could help you. Yes, would you like that? I know I would."

This caught the broken man's attention, and he whispered, "What do you mean? Who even are you?" while holding Grambo's gaze.

"How rude of me. You may call me Anu, child. The Giver of Gifts and the Patron of the broken. And child, you are broken. You are weak. I say this not to offend you, but as cold truth. These terrible, wicked men brought this upon you. Wouldn't you like revenge? A chance at making them pay for their actions?"

Tiok listened with interest. What the voice spoke was true, he was weak and broken. There was nothing he could do to change that himself, he was going to die here. Even though something inside of him was screaming to not listen, to run far away, he didn't want to. For his numbness was slowly giving away to anger and rage. They had killed Dratiri and they needed to pay for their crimes.

He said yes with little hesitation.

Grambo smiled as the voice spoke again, "I need but one thing from you and you may have your revenge upon these monsters. It is but a small price to pay for my gift to you. I require your soul, so that you may be free to do as you please with the what is to be given to you. Also, we wouldn't want Azhriel to claim your soul as well, now would we?"

At this, Tiok hesitated. His soul? Could that be given away just like that? To any of his choosing? The thought of this Azhriel, claiming his soul, worried Tiok and it angered him that Dratiri was now ensnared to the underworld. Was there not a better place for the dead? He clutched his fists. Tiok knew what he wanted, revenge for Dratiri's death and to reclaim her soul so that they could be together once more. He looked at Grambo with a fierce determination.

"Is it possible to reclaim a soul? I want to save my beloved, I want her back more than anything. I feel hollow without her by my side, and empty." he asked with a clear voice.

"Anything is possible child. To reach your beloved, you would have to cross the land and the great waters, to reach the Pit of Ahael. There you would find what you seek, but whether or not you obtained it remains to be seen. Azhriel is a fiend, and his lordship over souls makes him mighty. You could not do it as you are now. I shall ask once more; will you accept my gift? If not for revenge, then for your beloved?"

Tiok thought on this new information, coming to the conclusion that any chance where he might find her, was one he had to take.

"I accept your offer. Take my soul."

Grambo's twisted smile deepened and distorted. All at once Tiok felt himself shatter as his vision blurred. He felt something hot and sharp bite into his neck, and his body erupted into flame, yet he was not on fire. This pain was beyond anything he had ever felt before, like a thousand flaming knifes ripping his insides over and over again. He screamed and screamed so loudly he felt his voice give out, leaving only the silence of pain.

---

Tiok knew not how long it had been when he opened his eyes to see a world far clearer and more vibrant then it should have been. For reasons he did not know, he could tell it was still night, but he could see as if it was the day and it didn't bother him. He stood up slowly, the pain he had felt earlier now but a distant memory. He felt good, better than he had ever felt before and with energy abounding. He looked down at his hands and was horrified to find them coated in fresh blood, which still dripped.

Tiok looked before him and saw nothing, but when he turned around, he saw the bodies of the men from earlier that day. Their corpses had been mutilated beyond recognition. He looked away from that, and back to where Dratiri had been hanging. Hey body was gone however and Tiok became distraught with rage.

Losing control of himself, he hit a tree and splintered the side of it by the force of the impact. He let out a deep breath, then placed his forearm on what remained of the tree trunk.

A sudden sound, like the tear of fabric, came from behind him. Tiok spun around with inhumane speed, coming face to face with a red and black mass of some strange substance. It hummed softly and covered the area in a soft glow. Before he had time to do anything, a large armored hand came through the portal, grabbed him tightly around the waist and pulled him through.

---

---

The winds continued to intensify further as a blanket of snow and slush began to cover the entire forest below, along with the intense cackles of a fearsome thunderstorm. Without sunlight, the three headed god believes that the spire would soon falter and succumb to the cold. And even if it didn't work, it would provide itself as a perfect counter to weaken the blazing fire dragons that made their presence unannounced. A combination of ice and the spire's nature magic could very well spell doom for them. And it would be all from the safety from the high ground, not risking their bodies turning into a string of leaves of a christmas wreath. It was going to be a long and heavy ordeal to undertake for sure.

But suddenly, after a minute of idle waiting, the two serpents looked up to see the massive vortex above them open up. And out came Kai's long body, followed by a massive horde of ravenous ice dragons. All three heads would utterly rejoice within their presence.

"About time you showed up!" Rós sarcastically barked with a toothy grin.

Kai simply grumbled as he and the ice dragons descended to their level.

"IT WAS ONLY A MINUTE YOU IMPATIENT NOG!" the fiery head exploded impulsively towards the icy head, "Now do want you want with 'em! We don't have all day!"

"Gladly." Rós replied as he rallies up the other dragons, "Brothers and sisters of ice! Ragnagedon's forces are just on the other side of this spire! It's time we draw them back! Keep out of the spire's radius - unless you want to be reduced to a pile of leaves and flowers - but extinguish and keep the enemy in! Without their fire, they will certainly become one with nature. Now, split up and circle around them! To victory!"

The dragon units screeched in acknowledgement as the three serpent gods each took command of a third of their forces and split up around the radius of the spire. Rós went around the right side, hiding behind the mountains before hitting the enemy's blind side. Dra and Kai would do the same but on the west. With the combined auras of the ever increasing ice dragons, the temperature around the area would begin to plummet heavily - way past 0°C - as the cold began to swallow the forest whole. And upon reaching the arch-dragons and their forces, they'd show no mercy or remorse as they began to unleash their payload on the enemy while keeping them within the "cursed" radius.

---

---

Within the ten days after the disastrous attempt regarding the Fear spire, Hyperion was still troubled by the incident. While no trouble has reached Terratoria as of current, he was somewhat concerned whether or not that more of these cursed objects would appear. It almost seemed certainly the case, but then came the question of where. If one of these powerful spires is to appear right in the center of Terratoria - one wielding the power of fear or some other element - his island paradise may very well be compromised. And he'd be able to do nothing against it. It was surely a ghastly thought that he must keep in mind... and prepare for in that instance.

As he continues sitting on his throne, he was then interrupted by one of his advisors.

"My lord," the white hooded angel announced, "We have a visitor at the front gate. I believe it is none other than Dirka."

The armored god sighed heavily as he waved his arm at him.

"Send her in." he answered tiredly as the advisor would let the goddess in.

Hyperion was never too fond of the "Mad Magician" and her cryptic rants, but she wouldn't be here without purpose. Was it regarding that one meeting he signed that week ago? Was she here to remind him about it? Or was it for something more... intimate? Whatever was the case, Hyperion continued to sit on his gleaming throne as Dirka would enter her majesty's golden throne room.

"Dirka." the radiant primarch boomed as the room echoed with his almighty presence, "What business do you inquire from the God of Light?"

---

---

As much as the black dragon tried, this wretched zombie rat would somehow still find himself alive. Even with his futile attempts to kill the dragon, Jimbo was simply reduced to a mindless automaton who felt little to no pain and reeked of utter plagues. But as Jimbo prepared to dig his teeth into the creature's hide, he'd find himself sprayed by a vile spray that caused him to reel in absolute abhorrence. The Plague god whipped out what appeared to be nothing more than a bronze-metal can that sprayed a specific toxin towards the creature's direction. Despite how small it was, it sprayed a huge load of this toxic chemical into the rat's face. Within mere seconds, Jimbo began to feel light-headed and his organ bursting from within, as he let out one last dying screech before it crashed to the floor.

"Begone you wretched beast!" he cried out as he plopped the canister of rat poison on the table.

He'd then inspect the giant corpse carefully as his anguished face began to smile in glee.

"Jimbo Jimbo, you god-damn Bimbo." he taunted at the dead rat, "You may have sacrificed yourself in vain, but hoo-hoo did you give me some ideas!"

Nerplaguis would then turn towards Tetorz as he cleared his throat.

"Apologizes for this utter mess," he answers bluntly, "You may eat the fat corpse if you wish as my consolation fee."

Then from the corner of his eye, he saw the black jewel lying underneath a pile of seething green ooze and proceed to pick it up. He'd carefully inspect it for a second, before casually offering it to the black dragon.

"And of course, here is your little rock," he says while throwing it at him.

Gammaton

---

@Leotamer

"Well, violence between the gods was something that I was accounting for. All attendees would be required to sign a temporary waiver of non-aggression and non-violence. My goal is to keep all of us alive, not watch us all kill each other. And the Assembly is not an attempt to draw lines in the sand, it is an opportunity for every god to communicate, to present their interests and opinions and to be heard without interruptions. At the assembly, a god like Hayim could be heard, despite the roars of a god like Ragnagedon. yet Ragnagedon would also be given his due to speak. Is that not worth something? And don't worry about 'alignments'; The Honorable Iva'Krorh has tentatively agreed to attend, as has Lord Hayim, both of whom have decently good relations with Lady Dirka, and said relations do not seem to have soured.

Gammaton paused for a moment, deciding not to try further to convince Ferron, and instead watched with interest as Ferron explained the golden scarab. "A truly fascinating creation. But the best sort of prison is one in which the prisoner believes himself free. The mortals will be controlled, not through obvious, physical means, but behind a veil of ignorance, just as we are ignorant of the greater powers above us, to the point that we perceive them as 'inactive' and 'not a threat'. Still, it is a useful tool, and perhaps I am going about this all wrong. Lord Ferron, if I may ask, am I untrustworthy? And if so, is it because I have no 'precious' creations to call my own? Perhaps I should emulate the rest of you, devote myself to some pet project, make myself vulnerable by creating something of value that others could destroy. Would it put me on the same footing as my siblings? I do not say this to be sarcastic, I am asking sincerely."

Gammaton would wait for Ferron's reply, before finishing with, "For the time being, keep the scarab, and take the scroll with you. If you change your mind and choose to attend, then I will have been properly compensated. But if you end up not attending, and the General Assembly has come and gone, then I will collect the scarab from you, as payment for my work with the dwarves. Deal?"

@Lmpkio

Dirka looked at her brother with a cheerful smile. "And why is the Crusader all unhappy with me? I've gone and let you be! So listen up, chum! I got something, a gift of magic..." She spread her hands and butterflies and wisps flew through the air before dissipating. "And knowledge. So quite being taut as a drum. Anu's got some of my college! Enough to cause harm, but not enough to cause alarm. And to counter, I've got a little trick for you to do, if you promise me something. If I reveal a nasty secret to you, Iva, and Naswaru, will you A not judge me and B keep it secret from other gods? Pretty please?" She had a cute begging face and look, with two wisps doing something similar for extra effect. She was only a few feet away from his throne.
"It's only a small favor. And you'd have leverage over me! But I simply need someone to get it off my chest to, so...PPPllllleeeeaaasssseee?"

---

Terzotz looked at the corpse. He gagged. "No thank you, me'lord on the meal, but if you have no need of it,
have an easier way to dispose of it. And thank you for returning my gem, lord. My conductor is right, some of the darker gods are the nicer ones. He held the dark gem in between two shining claws. He looked at it greedily. "Also expect a visit from my lady soon. She is giving gifts to her favorite siblings." He admired the gem while waiting for the god's reply.

---

---

The God of Light braced himself for some pointless mad rant by the Mad Magician, but alas he still attempted to keep a straight face from underneath his holy headpiece. As he watched her theatrics, he'd be told about Anu having something in her possession. She didn't specify what it was - although the very mention of the heretical goddess of heresy was enough for his mood to have sunken greatly - but also promised to tell him, Nawsaru, and Iva a secret if he 'didn't judge' and keep it away from the other gods.

All of this cryptic communication already tired Hyperion and sighed discontentedly at this entire thing. But before he could affirm his answer, the Goddess of Magic begged for him to do such a small favor and that it'll supposedly give him leverage over her. And after giving him the irresistible and guilt-punching puppy-dog eyes, Hyperion forced himself to acknowledge her request with a divine sigh.

"Cease this petty begging." the God of Light ordered bluntly before responding, "Very well. I shall listen to your little... secret. Make haste with it."

---

---

Nerplaguis turned curiously when the black dragon spoke of Master Dirka giving out gifts to her desirables. He was quite pleased to have made it on the list as he giggles in delight.

"Oh really you say?" he inquires pleasingly as he begins to organize his veils and disease-filled bottles, "Tell her that I'm honored to be on her nice list! I suppose Christmas came early, hee hee!"

He then paused for a minute before looking aimlessly at his feet.

"...What the hell is a Christmas?"

Ferron
@Stern Algorithm-Gammaton
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ferron paused for a moment, "Trust is a commodity not so easily bought. You seem to labor under a misconception, I have placed you at even ranking with our fellow siblings. I can not speak for my fellow siblings, but you are untrustworthy because you are dangerous, and you are dangerous because you are powerful."

The towering god then nodded, and placed one of the scarab constructs into his bag. "I accept the conditions of this transaction." he said, as he took the other construct and using his influence reshaped into a golden sheet of paper.

"This paper has a map that will lead to the colony on one side, and the conditions of the government you are to impose on the other. If we have concluded our business here, I really must attend to urgent matters elsewhere." he said, rolling of the paper and handing it to the sitting god, while reaching his other hand out to receive the scroll.

On the paper was written, "The Church of Ferron shall be the central church of the dwarven colony and have the authority as such, however the worship of the other gods shall not be barred. The government shall be stable in both of times of peace and war, encourage merit, and shall benefit the useful and creative arts. The rule of law shall be used to benefit the dwarves and their culture, and shall not be used to unduly harm them in any way. Gammaton relinquishes his right to alter dwarven law without promise of Ferron once it has been firmly established. Ferron reserves the right to alter dwarven law in anyway, and is the ultimate authority of dwarven law."

@Lmpkio

Dirka smiled at his acceptance. "First I'll tell you what Anu has gained. For one, I abused her for my own purposes by giving her blood magic. A special kind of magic that would slowly kill the user unless they found another source of energy. It was more or less an experiment. But after she cursed my envoy, which I knew would eventually happen, the scroll that contained such knowledge returned to my library. She doesn't know enough to cause mass destruction, but she knows enough to cause harm." She looked a little guilty about that. "Also, according to my envoy, she has a powerful armor now, no doubt made by Ferron. I believe she would have used an excuse to get it, but she has it none the less. Don't blame the god though, he probably thought evening the odds was a good idea to keep both sides alive." She waved her hands and produced a scroll. She handed it to Hyperion and stepped back. "And that is my way of resetting the odds. That is a scroll of what I call holy magic. It uses the power of a gods domain to get rid of enemies, but instead of making the user and god weaker, it makes them both stronger. However, the user must have complete faith in the god that they are channeling, or it won't work. I couldn't find a way around that. Now as for my secret..." She took a deep breath, and released it. "I...may have...produced a..._Demigod..."
She prepared for backlash, her eyes squinted.

---

Terzotz nodded. "Yes, she starting a plan to do it once a winter. But no clue what to call it. But since you said Christmas, maybe she'll call it that. Now I must be off." The dragon hid the gem from sight and grabbed the rat corpse. He flew off towards the Teeth of Madness, but not before dropping the dead rat in a volcano.

Another man fell to the ground but Esif was nearly dragged with him. She took a moment to catch her breathe but it only made her realize how tired she was. The battle had raged for too long now. Still, she would kill. Kill until she was worthy of death. So when another figure appeared, she readied her blade. Only to see an all too familiar face. Right before she could question how he was still walking, Ghoran spoke. No, not Ghoran. That became clear with the first words that came out of his mouth. Esif readied her weapons again. That was not Ghoran. It wasn’t even human. Nor was the portal behind him. The spectacle extinguished the fighting spirit around Ghoran. Raiders and tribesmen stopped fighting as they could feel the strange, dangerous power radiating from the portal.

But when Esif was spoken to in person, as the thing that took over Ghoran’s body spoke of Ragnagedon, she fell down on her knees. Her blades dropping into the ground next to her. For a year now she had fought to get the attention of her god. Only to see another appear. One that wanted nothing but her dead. Was that her fate? To have worshipped a false god for a year now? To have killed in the name of someone who would never look at her? She was too tired for all of it. Esif fell to her knees. Ready to embrace her dead. At least she had lived a full year. Free from the sins of others. Free to live her own sinned life.

Fir watched it all unfold with staff and blade in hand. Much like Esif he felt his body aching. The grip on his items began to falter. When Esif fell, he knew all was lost. They would lose it all. In a way he wanted to give up as well. He too fell to his knees. The brazier-staff dropped, spilling it’s content before Fir. Setting the grass and mud ablaze. Maybe they had killed enough. Maybe it was time to sleep. But when he closed his eyes he could still feel the heat of the fire before him. No, it all felt wrong. This surrender. There was no hope but Fir did not want to surrender. He opened his eyes again to witness the helpless situation, and then he looked at the oil burning before him. Maybe everything was hopeless. Maybe everything was desperate. But maybe that was what was supposed to happen. Fir was not sure about anything he was about to do. Nobody had preceded him in this. Yet he was armored in faith. He pushed his blade into the burning oil before him. Coating it in fire. Before he turned the blade around, aimed for his heart and pushed.

The kill was instant and the oil began to eat away at his skin already. With glass, lifeless eyes a corpse fell over.

Esif opened her eyes again. Expecting to stand before some death god or worse. She did not expect a mountainside looking over a land of sooth and molten rock. Where the sky was black of smoke. A bit further from where she laid stood a figure with fiery red hair. “You’re a awake.” The figure said in a gentle, almost fatherly voice. “I will be honest with you. I never thought a human would make it so far so fast. My mother often told me you were a very surprising race but I’d bet she does look terrified now. Alas, enough about monsters. You and I have other things to talk about.”

When she opened her eyes, she stood amid the bloody battlefield once more. This time not afraid to die a worthless death. She was the first of his Chosen. The demons no longer scared her. One clearly didn’t get the message. With gnawing teeth and a sharp bronze sword he charged straight for Esif. She grabbed one of her swords and one fell, upwards sweep Esif send a wave of fire. It didn’t travel very far before it collapsed onto itself and into embers. Yet it had engulfed the demon who screamed in pain. To Esif, it was the most beautiful thing in existence.

It had to be shown more. Another sweep hit the demon and it dropped down, dead. Esif took his sword and charged the other demons. With newborn savagery she jumped in the air and stabbed the back of a demon. Fire ate away from the inside. Veins of ember grew over its skin before it collapsed in ash. With every hit, with ever slash she commanded the flames. Demons were soon to realize that she was no mere mortal.

In fact, she wasn’t the only one with suddenly inexplicable rule over fire. Almost broken figures were rising up again. Burning away man and demon alike. The demons, afraid like a kicked dogs, whimpered and made way. Opening up a path towards one of the two blood mages. Who locked its glowing eyes with Esif’s. It turned its fully body towards her, lifted up his arms and began his chant. Esif began to feel her blood coursing through her veins. Once she realized that the thing was practicing magic, she began to charge it. With every step her skin opened up. Letting the blood flow from her. Still, she came closer and closer. The demon continued its chant, louder and louder. The bloody lines in her skin began to form hexing patterns. Once complete she’d be doomed to a paralyzed fear. One that wouldn’t last long with this many demons around her, ready to gnaw the flesh off her bones.

Yet Esif charges one. The demon tried to chant louder and faster. He began to see the white in her eyes and then a single blade. It pierced its chest. The blood mage clutched at the wound once the blade was out but the time was already won. Esif delivered a devastating blow to one arm that tried to block it. She slammed down another. Every time bathing the ever further falling blood demon with fire. Until the arm and bone gave way. Esif grabbed the thrown blade and began to cleave its neck. The heated bronze failed to make a clean cut. The demon tried to crawl away but Esif didn’t allow it. She grabbed a horn of its heat and cleaved further. With every hit fire spewed from the blade and the creature let out a pained cry. Until the fourth cleave but Esif was still not done. It took four more hits and one of her blades got dulled by the bone. But she upheld her trophy high. The decapitated head of the demon. She stepped towards the demon and her own people. “Tell your god there is a new power to fear!” She screamed and as she screamed, the remain demons began to flee at the sight of their fallen blood mage and the other demonic corpses heaping up.

Then she turned to the human survivors. “Where are you gods now! Where are they!? Did they come to your aid in this battle? Did they bless you in your fight?” She stepped forward. Still clutching the head at a horn. “If you still believe your gods care about you then leave and never turn back. Run to your village! Run!” And so the tribesmen began to run back north. Abandoning their camp. Yet not all ran. A very few remained. “Why are you still here?” Esif asked.

“The gods abandoned us. Yours hasn’t. Why should we pray for those that don’t care?” One tribesman answered. He was young and fearful. Yet as he shook in his entire body, he tried to stand tall before Esif.

She observed him. Up and down. Much like Fir had done when he first found her. “There will be a price. A steep one. And there is no turning back from this. I’ll let you run back to your village now. Don’t expect me to be this merciful in the coming days.”

Yet the man di did not move.

“Very well. You’re a raider now.” When she said the words, fire engulfed the severed demon head she held. The flames ate away the flesh and blackened the bone beneath. Eventually, the flames faded and revealed the black skull. Like instinct, Esif dropped her blade and put the skull on her head. It fitted perfectly. “All hail the Chosen!” one veteran raider yelled as he raised his weapon. With the second cheer all raiders, young and old, joined in.

---

---

---

---

Ever slowly time crept on in the forest, changing day to night and night to day in an endless cycle. So, intertwined with one another, Maya and Lucius were oblivious to this fact as their love for the other grew deeper and more profound. What was once purely lust, ever so gently changed from joy, to companionship and eventually, a love seldom found by any. They frolicked through the forest like lovebirds, forgetting their duties so that they could have each other's undivided attention. Both had craved such companionship their entire lives without even realizing that they wanted such a thing, and they fell deep into the bliss of affection.

Both Devil and Angel learned from each other, their wants and desires, their passions and goals, and they talked frequently about the future that they might have with one another. The places they might see, the people that they could meet, together. They had been made for each other after all, and now introduced, they would never be able to go back to their old lives. It was but a painful thought to be taken away from each other, for they could no longer see a life alone. They were at last happy, and content! And as they watched the sun set for hundredth time, Maya cradled in Lucius' arms, they both wanted nothing more than the moment to last forever. And it was good.

Yet the two lovers both kept secrets from one another, and secrets were poison.

Maya had fabricated her entire life in the guise of a human. Damning evidence if her Angel ever found out what she truly was. She thought of it daily, and her anxiety was beginning to cripple her to inaction. She had to tell him, she had to come clean, yet every time she tried, her mouth betrayed her. And her mind bred doubt, that if Lucius truly knew what she was, then he would forever more hate her. That was something she would not be able to live with. Then there was still her food problem, for she dared not take Lucius' energy for her own. He would suspect such a thing, and Maya did not know if she would be able to hold back. She had found that normal food, fruits, berries, nuts, and meat could stave off her hunger. However, she was never meant to eat such things, but by being human it allowed her to do so. It gave such little satisfaction, and coupled with her anxiety, she felt as if she might go mad.

For several months they lived in the forest, never staying in one place for too long, and always moving on before either of their secrets caught up to them. By chance, they finally stumbled upon a village of humans and were welcomed to stay as honored guests, for the elders took Lucius to be of great significance. And so, they did, for many more months as the days seemingly blended together repeatedly. During this time Maya began to see the humans in a new light, one wholly different then from which she had been told about. These beings were not monsters to be despised. They were kind souls, who strove to do good for themselves and the world they inhabited. She learned so much every day, and slowly she began to love them for what they were.

But not all was well with Maya. She still craved their essence daily, and it took all her strength to fight it. And the single women of the village were beginning to annoy her and so too was Lucius. These women, they looked at her Angel with wanton desire. For the first time in her life, Maya had grown jealous. Her kind were never meant to be prone to jealousy, for what could be more beautiful then they? But like a seed planted in Maya's heart, it grew and grew with vivacity every passing day they lingered in the village. She began to lash out at the women in the camp, accusing them of wanting Lucius for their own. She seldom left her lover's side, and yet on the rare occasion they were parted, her fear was crippling.

Everything that plagued Maya was beginning to take its toll upon her, and upon the night of a full moon, she lashed out at Lucius. She accused him of wanting to stay in the village so that the women could look at him, so they could steal him away from her. Lucius retorted, speaking of her jealousy and her sudden onset of fear and paranoia. He pleaded with her to think rationally, to reason. He wanted nothing more than to help her feel better, and thus said they would leave in the morning. Maya had taken offense to such accusations and had left crying. Lucius, not knowing what to do, tried to run after her, but lost her in the thick brush of the forest.

There Maya fell into a bout of rage, fueled by her own insecurities. At the same time, she wanted to be with Lucius, she wanted him to be happy and not feel burdened by her presence. When she had at last calmed down, she knew what was needed to be done. She reverted into her original form and took off towards village. She needed to eat something more to her liking, more sustaining. Only then would she be able to feel like her old self while as a human. Only then could she be with Lucius without fear. So, Maya went into the village, and her hunger was so fierce she consumed the essence of two men and a woman before she could even think. She hated herself for what she was doing to them, these creatures she loved, but her frenzy was too great for self-control. When she was finished, she took their husks deep into the forest. She was not done however, for she was petty and sought revenge. So, Maya kidnapped the woman who had most bothered her, a fiery little redhead named Sakira. Maya took her time changing her into a Succubus, in a cave most hidden. When she was finished, Maya left a sleeping Sakira behind with the promise she would return with food. On her way back to the village, she was gripped with anger at herself, and regret for what she had to do to survive.

Upon the next day, when Lucius awoke, he found Maya nestled next to him, sleeping softly. He waited for her to wake, and when she did, they both smiled at each other like upon the first day they met. Both apologized as they spoke at length. Maya promised to change for the better, and not act as she had been, while Lucius promised that there would never be anyone else besides her. They kissed then and were preparing to leave when the villagers came to the Angel for help. They said that four people were missing, two men and two women, a thing unheard of in the village. Everyone knew everyone, and no one left without saying something. Lucius promised to help find them.

They exchanged a few words, and Lucius took off to search the area, leaving Maya alone in their hut. Blinded by hunger and revenge, she had failed to see that her actions would have consequences and her fear returned greater than ever. She had told Sakira never to leave the cave, which would benefit her, unless Lucius found her, and the young succubus told him everything. This jolted her to action, and without thinking she took off into the forest to where the cave was.

---

As the morning sun casted its radiant arms across the forest, Lucius began to set out on his valiant quest to find the missing villagers. And as he searched around from the air, he couldn't help but to reminisce about the love of his life. He had thoroughly enjoyed his time with Maya and had also fallen deeply in love with her. Everything about her seemed absolutely perfect and she was incredibly kind to him. They both had very similar goals in life and both wished to stay with each other for the rest of their lives. The angel general couldn't help but to stay with her for a long as he can, but at the same time he mustn't forget his real duty here.

But he couldn't help but to dreadfully sulk at his old life.

It's been several months since he and the other two angelic researchers made landfall at this remote location. What had turned from simply guard duty, turned into something far more complicated. His team was to remain in this location for a longer period of time - under Hyperion's will - mapping out every single nook and cranny until they were certain that they're ready to report this back to Terratoria. He wasn't ready to deal with the land yet, for there were other more major problems he had to deal with, but he certainly wasn't going to leave the forest unprotected. So, he sent a small brigade of angels to assist the researchers, for he didn't want one stone to be left unchecked.

Lucius had been running to and fro to please both Maya and his forces, but he had to be careful. If he reveals his affection with a mortal woman to them, they'd have to report this to Lord Hyperion himself. And the God of Light forbade such relationships. Angels are to be the purest breed of creatures in the realm and they must always be loyal to the god who created them. He believed that marriage would soften the angels and taint their future bloodline with powers that were designed to remain exclusively divine. He also feared that they'd leave his side and rebel against his rule. And so, he announced that it was forbidden to angels to marry mortals of any kind, unless he deems it so under certain circumstances. What circumstances he meant is rather unknown to Lucius, but the archangel still understood that he would say no to this. In effect, he believed that he and his kind were simply "warrior slaves" to him and that they are not to enjoy the benefits of pleasure and feeling.

But in addition, he must also keep his divine orders away from his lover. They were basically going to conquer this sacred land and therefore decree this land as a satellite campus for Terratoria. What other plans the God of Light had for this land were unknown, other than perhaps developing a massive divine fortress that would destroy a large chunk of this forest and even force the natives of this land to become exiled from their rightfully claimed land. If she were to catch wind of his actual orders here - to scout out and prepare the land for Angelic colonization - he believed that their relationship would crumble to dust and that she'd accuse him of being as an agent bent on destroying her home for greed. And with her recent attitude as of late - despite her claiming that she'd improve - this would no doubt be the piece of straw that would break the donkey's back.

Lucius was stuck between a divine rock and a hard-kept relationship. He'd have to figure out some plan to keep his happiness intact, and fast. He'll have to convince the other angels that this land is not suited for angelic settlement and give valid claims as why it's so. But knowing Hyperion, the archangel knew that he would still attempt this process all the same. But at least this would give him enough time to disappear from the grasp of his master and take Maya with him to a new world where they can be both free and happy. He just needs more time.

And when the angels did find him, they were worried as to where he had gone. Lucius kept calm in this situation and told them about his intense scouting of the area but have found no demons as of yet. The researchers told him that Hyperion ordered them to return to him by sunset and that, according to them, believe that the land was "perfectly" fertile enough to begin the colonization program. The archangel bluntly told them to wait on that order for one more day, for he wanted to make one last sweep of the land to make sure it's ready before they could leave. The researchers seemed a little skeptical about his plan at first, but after a little convincing, they conceded to his request to hold back their report by another day. Relieved, the archangel thanked them and continued to search for the villagers.

However, after an additional thirty minutes of scouring, he managed to catch a glimpse of someone running through the bush. Not sure as to who it was, Lucius silently descended from the tree-tops in order to follow whoever it was. Upon closer inspection, she looked very similar to Maya, although since he couldn't see her face, he wasn't certain. Still, he noticed that she was walking at a brisk pace, as if she was heading somewhere in a hurry. Could she potentially lead to the missing villagers?

There was only one way to find out as he continued to quietly follow her to her next destination.

---

Maya arrived at the cave in about in due haste, though it did manage to take her around a couple of hours due to the fact she had remained in human form. With Lucius about, she had to take certain precautions if he chanced upon her, but Maya knew her lover would not be able to find her in such dense thickets of growth. Though it pained her to keep secrets from him, for them to remain happy it had to be done this way. She did not want to make the situation any worse, so on the way she had come to terms with what she had to do. She would have to send Sakira away or kill her. If anyone found about her, she would be blamed of course, but if Sakira told them another had created her, there would still be a search.

She entered the dark cave, to find a dim fire in an open cavern. It illuminated little, and next to the fire was Sakira. She was an impressive succubus, just the right height with just the right looks to please any mortal she encountered. She would one day make a fine leader. The girl turned to look at Maya with red orange eyes, her face going wide with excitement. She stood slowly, a smile stretching out on her face.

"What's this come before me? Oh, dear child, are you lost? Would you care for some...Comfort?" she spoke softly with a motherly tone.

Maya instinctively began to back up as Sakira stalked ever closer.

"Come now, I don't bite. I just want to have a closer look at that pretty little face of yours." Sakira mused again.

Maya realized she had made a mistake coming in her human form, but one easily rectified. She backed up into a rock, now waiting for Sakira to reach her. When the succubus did, Maya tried to slap her, but the succubus caught her arm mid swing.

"Tsk Tsk. That wasn't very nice, now was it? Trying to slap someone, that's just cruel. And cruel little girls are punished." There was malice in her eyes now, and a profound hunger.

Maya wasted no time and in a stern voice she spoke, "Stop! It's me you dult, Maya!"

Sakira looked confused and let go of Maya's arm. "What do you mean? Maya doesn't look like a human."

"Really Sakira, do you not remember me in this form from your time as a human? You were so boorish then and now your forgetful." Maya spoke in anger.

Sakira backed away from Maya, letting her have some room to breathe. "I apologize, my lady. My memories are still hazy, but when I think about, I do remember you in this form. How are you able to become human?"

"When you become powerful as I, many forms may open up to you. Now, you need to leave this place and head west to the realm of Osarion. You will find shelter there." Maya said quickly.

A contorted look of anger and pain flashed across Sakira's face, "Leave! Why? This is my home, why do I have to leave? You said I wouldn't have to be alone for much longer! You said I would have my own coven to lead!" she said angrily.

"I know what I said Sakira! I know this isn't what you want but you have to go for my safety!"

Sakira hissed, "No! I won't leave just so you can be safe! This isn't even your home! It's my land and I will control it!"

Maya tried to hiss but it came out sounding like a human mocking a snake. She then growled instead, and transformed back into her original, beautiful self. She stood taller than Sakira now, and her violet eyes were glowing with anger. This time, Maya spoke with finality in her voice, "If you won't leave, then I have no choice but to kill you. Forgive me for bringing your wretched self into existence!" Maya then jumped at Sakira, but the other succubus had been anticipating it, so she jumped backwards. Maya hissed properly and lunged at Sakira again, managing to grab the succubus by foot as she tried to run. There was a quick skirmish as the two fought over rock and stone, causing quite the commotion. Then it was over, as a large snap echoed throughout the room. Maya had won, by snapping Sakira's neck. She breathed slowly, dumping the body on the fire. She turned around to leave but stopped in her tracks. Her worst fear had come reality.

Lucius stood before her.

---

And standing before him was Maya. A very, very heretical-looking interpretation of her according to Hyperion's creed. He had seen everything that had taken place just from behind the cavern's entrance, but even then, he was surprised that he wasn't seen earlier. Yet here he is, looking into the face of what once looked to be rather innocent woman of purity, turned into the poster-succubus of chaos. The angel just stood there, glaring at Maya with rather disbelief. He should've seen this coming - in fact, he was surprised as to why and how he couldn't have sensed this. Normally he could tell who and who isn't a demon in disguise just by the aura they emit alone, but he failed here. Was it because of lust taking over his judgement? Was he sick? He really didn't have a clue to as of why.

Normally he would have the overwhelming urge to purge these heretics on the spot with no remorse whatsoever. But here, Lucius didn't immediately go for the killing blow. While his trained sub-conscious boomed in the voice of Hyperion to wipe her off from the realm, he didn't even raise his flaming sword from his back. Because this is no ordinary demon. This was his lover. And even only knowing her for only a mere week, he simply saw her as something more. Yet of course, there were many questions that he must have answered. And being an imposing figure of authority wouldn't help the matter. So instead in attempting to intimidate her, he made himself more cautious yet approachable in his manner.

"Maya...?" he asked concerningly, "Is that... really you?"

In that moment, everything Maya had hoped to achieve was destroyed in an instant. She looked upon Lucius' face, and saw the confusion and hurt in his eyes and expression. It broke her heart to see him in such a state, and it was all her fault. Where could she even begin? How could she even begin? Tears began to well up in her eyes and she opened her mouth several times, trying to find the right words.

At last her broken voice began, "L-L-Lucius...This...This isn't what...what it looks like. I-I-I can explain. I can explain everything." she began to cry, something she knew not she was capable of doing. It was unbefitting of a Succubus, but Maya no longer cared. "Th-This is me. The real me. What I look like. B-But it's not...it's not what I am. Not....Not anymore." she stammered as she cried softly.

Why was it so hard to speak? Why was she letting such emotions dictate her actions? It was all so human, but so heightened due to what she actually was. Maya knew what he was thinking that he had a duty to purge every single devil and demon he encountered, every single heretical thing his God deemed unworthy. It frightened her to the core, for she knew Lucius could kill her easily. Yet he had not even lifted his blade, instead he had asked her a question and she was jumping to conclusions like always. She was such a fool, such an ugly fool. Maya fell to her knees in a disheveled heap, looking up at Lucius with pleading eyes.

"I love you so much. So-so much Lucius, my angel. Please. I just...I was just so hungry and so jealous. I couldn't...I couldn't hold back. Please don't...don't hate me. Please. I can't..." her voice cut off as she broke down. Maya let her head fall to the floor, her long hair now covering her face.

The archangel was simply stunned at what he was witnessing. From all the years he had been slaughtering succubi and other dark chaotic figures for the glory of Terratoria, never had Lucius see anything like this come from a demon. All he knew were that demons supposedly had no emotion - at least no natural emotions other than those revolving around sin. But this wasn't a manifestation of sin. This was different. This felt truly like raw emotion jeering from her form, something he thought was purely absent from her kind. Perhaps some demons were something way more than they initially appeared and with the recent event that happened this certainly proved it. Demon against demon. His inner conflict attempted to strive him back to the realm of light and kill her where she stood, but Lucius fought back. His eyes drooped as he saw Maya drop to the floor sobbing. His heart-strings pulled at such a horrible sight. He hated to see his lover be in this absolute mess. And so, he took several steps towards the demon, kneeled to her level...

And embraced her in his powerful arms.

He knew that if he was to attempt this under Hyperion's supervision - or to any other angel at that matter - he would be executed for "treason". He knew full-heartedly that what he was doing was utter taboo, but he simply didn't care. He couldn't kill the one he loved, even if she just so happened to be the very thing he was trained to hate. Even his own eyes began to water as he attempted to hold back his tears.

"Maya..." he whispered to her, holding back his emotions, while he gingerly stroked her luscious hair, "My dear sweet Maya... please do not cry. I will not harm you..."

Maya jumped when Lucius touched her, unsure of what was going to happen. She deserved anything and everything he could give her as punishment, but instead she felt warmth as her body was embraced by the angel. It was such a small gesture, yet it carried more weight than any spoken words. She fell into his chest and cried more, letting her burden's temporarily melt away within her lover's touch. Never had she felt this safe and content then right there, nestled between two large arms. They were her shields, and for that, she was truly grateful.

She let herself be held for a very long time, as she cried and cried. When she finally calmed down, her eyes were red, and her expression was one of sadness. She spoke in a whisper to Lucius next, "T-Thank you Lucius, my Angel. I-I wanted to tell you sooner. I did, ever since we met, but I couldn't find the strength to do so. Because of my inability to speak, I became crippled with paranoia that you might find out and hate me for what I am. I tried to hide it...and I...I killed those people. I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry Lucius. I couldn't help it, I couldn't stop..." she pulled away from his chest so that she could look at his face. His eyes held the same pained expression as her own, and it was one she hated to see, but did so anyways.

She took a deep breath before speaking again, "On the day we met, I-I was going to kill you, but then we started talking and I realized that there was so much more to you then just being a meal. You were pained just like me, wanted to do more with your life just like me, and wanted to choose your own future just like me. Our gods teach us to hate what we don't know, what we don't understand. They make us fear, and with that fear they control us Lucius. Before I met you, I didn't even know your kind existed. For my goddess, you know her well, she is the devil and her lies are poison. I never chose this life, she thrust it upon me and my sisters and ripped everything familiar away. I use to be human, and living with that village these last few months relit my humanity. Anu taught us they should be hated and destroyed, but I look at these humans and all I can do is pity them, Lucius. They can be so pure and kind, and they want to do good. I hate myself for what I am, for what I did to them...I don't know what else to sustain myself upon...I just...I don't want to harm them anymore..." Maya gently touched his face, "But you Lucius, you've shown me there could be another way, free from control and our gods. I look at you and I see a beautiful future. I can't hurt these humans anymore Lucius...They are so tempting... Please...let us go from here. Let us go and never look back...please my love. We can be free for once."

Lucius breathed softly at his lover's response, already on the break of breaking down himself, as he gripped her hands tightly in reassurance. While she may have killed those men, he began to understand that this was not her fault by any means. While Hyperion was right about them being nothing but slaves towards the wretched Anu of Devilry, what he didn't tell him or to any other angel as far as he knew was that they still retained their desire for benevolent freewill. They did not pick this life. Anu did. And she would not let them go until she plunged the realm in chaos. And yet, Lucius felt all the same with Hyperion - seeing it more as "Peace through divine tyranny". Maya was right in so many ways and even she understood all too well of the archangel's burdens.

He smiled faintly at the succubi - eyes misty and his skin flushed a bright crimson - and touched foreheads with her. "Yes..." he whispered in complete agreement, "Yes, my dear, we must make haste at once."

Lucius would rise to his feet, supporting Maya as he looked out the cave entrance upon the beautiful greenery of the forest. He sighed in utter anguish at what was going to happen to this beautiful, untouched, sanctuary.

"My God - Hyperion - has been eying this forest for a long time," he admitted with utter pain in his heart, "I originally came here with a research group to map out the entire area and make way for some 'divine project'. Probably a... damn fortress or something. I was forced to escort them while they made their studies on the land. I would've gone along with the entire process... until I met you, Maya. The joy of my life, the one who gave me a new sense of purpose in this realm of warfare. I tried so hard to keep your presence unknown to the other angels, you know. For if they knew of my involvement, they would forbid it. And now in your current state, they would surely kill you... and punish me severely. And I didn't want them to take you away from me."

He paused a minute as he sniffed sadly.

"I tried to convince them that perhaps we should leave this place alone," Lucius continued, "So we could live our lives in this untouched sacred land. But Hyperion answered with an additional brigade of reinforcements. That damned tyrant. He always strived to control what he couldn't. He'd never take no for an answer, no matter how much you tried to convince him."

The archangel paused before shaking out of his depressive ramblings.

"Today is when the researchers will report back to him," he said somberly while offering her his hand, "Come, my love. Let us not dawdle here any longer. Our new life awaits us."

Maya's heart fluttered at the acceptance she received from her beloved. There was no doubt in her mind, that Lucius was the kindest, bravest soul she had ever met. She felt so safe in his embrace, and she listened to him speak. Long had she suspected that Hyperion was his God, there was no other that would fit the description she had received from Lucius so long ago. Her heart swelled with happiness at the thought he had kept her a secret from his comrades, only to protect her. Yet she was still saddened to know that they would not have approved, even if she was a human.

When they reached the cave entrance, leaving the darkness of the cave behind, Maya took in the view as well. It was a perfect land, and much too precious for either of them. It belonged to the humans, not two immortals who only brought pain wherever they went. As Lucius tugged at her hand to follow, so they might leave, Maya did not budge. She knew what they needed to do, it wasn't right that they might leave and find freedom, only for the humans to subjugated by a tyrannical God. They wouldn't want that life, she wouldn't want that life, or wish it upon anyone.

She spoke then to Lucius, her voice no longer weakly sounding, but instead she sounded surer of herself and strong. "Lucius, for you to hide me existence from your kin...thank you. I know how painful keeping secrets are. I had a similar goal to yours my love, Anu wanted me to create more Succubi, to ruin this land with our corruption. I would have done it without thought, until I met you." Maya stepped forward and grabbed his other hand so that they faced each other.

She smiled warmly before a look of concern flashed across her face, "I know you tried your hardest to do the right thing, but sometimes the right thing is the hardest action we might take. Those humans...We can't leave them so that they might be subjugated by Hyperion. They would lose themselves to regime and order, when they live so peacefully as they are now. Don't you see? We must save them, we must tell them to leave. They will listen to you, and when that is done, then we can leave to live our lives. We owe them that for letting us stay with them for so long."

Maya began to lead Lucius by the hand, and she looked back at him, "Come Lucius! Let's do the right thing for once."

Lucius was stunned by her determination to save the other inhabitants of this forest. Maya never ceased to surprise him at every turn, being the first succubi he's encountered that actively wanted to help others in need. He honestly thought that she would simply want to leave this place and leave everyone else here to fend for themselves. He wouldn't blame her if she did, but this was something way more honorable than leaving them to their ominous fate ahead. With that, he nodded contently with this plan.

"Alright." he answers with a confident vibe as his shining wings expanded from his back, "Then we shall for the greater good of humanity."

---

They arrived at the village in haste, Lucius had flown, and Maya had run through the forest, no longer confined to her human form. It felt good to stretch out her limbs, but the day was far from over. When she arrived, the villager’s eyes her with profound curiosity. She did not look evil, but rather beautiful. It was a sight they had never witnessed before, but when Lucius flew down from the heavens to join Maya at her side, they began to speak of the danger that was coming. The villagers were shocked and confused and it pained Maya's heart to see them in such a state. But Lucius spoke to them, they had grown to trust his judgement and his wisdom. The village elders believed him, for the Angel could not lead them astray, now could he?

There was much sorrow in the village as the people began to collect their belongings and pack for a long treacherous journey. By all accounts, they had a day before Hyperion's colonizing force arrived and Angels were swift creatures. Maya and Lucius helped in anyways they could, packaging bundles, gathering supplies, and taking down tents. It had been a long hard journey for the two of them, but at last, Maya could see that everything would work out in the end. Devil and Angel could coexist and live with humans in peace.

Then the world erupted in an explosion of chaotic energies, vaporizing a great many humans and flattening what was once the village into nothing but ash. Maya felt the fire wrap around her, but it did not touch her flesh and when the smoke finally cleared, Anu stood before her.

The Goddess was armed with glowing armor and a spear twice as long as Maya was tall. That was new to Maya, who fell to her knees at the sight of all the human’s dead. She picked up a handful of ash, her tears falling into the clump. They had been so close to saving them, only for the cruel hand of fate to deny them of any good deed. It wasn't right! It was so wrong. She looked up, trying to find Lucius, but there was no sign of him. She feared the worst and began to shake.

Anu spoke then, having spotted Maya, "Maya darling, there you are. Seri and Rowa returned months ago and you did not, I feared the worst my sweet. Now come along, we have so much to talk about." a portal then opened behind Anu, but Maya did not budge.

Instead, she screamed at her Goddess, "Monster! You killed them all! I was going to save them, we were going to protect them! I'm never going back!"

Anu was shocked to say the least. She stood with blank expression for a moment, processing what her pet had just screamed at her. Then Anu frowned and began to walk towards Maya. Her voice took on a darker tone as she spoke, "Monster? You dare call your creator, your GOD, a monster? How disappointing Maya. You are coming back to Osarion whether or not you like it, and I will drag you there myself if you do not come willingly."

Maya stared down Anu with daggers, climbing to her feet in defiance of her goddess. "I refuse! Osarion is nothing but a place of lies and wickedness! Everything you speak is poison and I want no more part in it!"

The world seemed to darken as Anu's face distorted into one of rage. She walked up to Maya, her very presence weighted the air down, and backhanded the Succubus to the ground. She then walked over to Maya and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her well into the air. This time when she spoke, the very world trembled, "Your defiance is unwarranted little succubus. Was I not the one who gave you this life? Was I not the one who gave you your powers? Was I not the one who taught you all that you know? This is the thanks I receive in return? What happened to you Maya? What turned you against me? I shall find out and when I do, I will turn it to ash! Now, we are going home."

Anu turned around and began to walk towards the portal. Maya struggled in her grasp, desperately trying to get away but the god's strength was too much for her to overcome. It was hopeless. The humans were dead, and Lucius was...nowhere to be seen. She didn't want to accept her fate, but else could she do?

"Let her go!" a benevolent voice boomed through the village.

From the thick smoke and ash that plagued the ruined village, a bright white light pierced through to greet the succubi goddess. Like the fabled guardian angels of legend, Lucius revealed himself to Anu'Varr as he points his flaming sword of divine judgement towards her. His eyes were gleaming in a divinely yellow light, his armor shinning under the light with a face filled with rage towards the dark foe. He knew exactly who she was, for she was the head heretic that he was trained to purge on sight. At last she was here - on the front lines alone - without her forces or any other high ground for her to tread upon. It was just him, her, and the one he loved.

"Let. Her. Go, Anu'Varr!" Lucius repeated sternly in his booming voice, one reminiscent of Hyperion's but far more emotional to the ears.

He didn't want to fight her as if under Hyperion's orders, but if she isn't going to release Maya, then he'll do what he must to retrieve her from Anu's vile grasp.

Both Maya and Anu turned their heads to see who had spoken. Maya knew that familiar voice, and her heart was filled with relief to know that he was still alive. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she began to shake her head. Trying in vain to speak, to shout at him to run away. Maya renewed her attempts to free herself but try as she might, Anu's grip was adamant.

Anu in the meantime, scowled at the Angel who demanded of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted Maya's distress, and the look in her eye. And the angel's words, telling her to release a succubus? She knew Hyperion to be a god of light, who hated the darkness and chaos. What was this angel doing?
Then it clicked, and Anu let out a small mocking laugh.

She turned to look back at Maya with a devilish smile, "Oh Maya, did you fall in love with an angel? Was it his looks or his wings that turned you against me? I'm so disappointed in you." she finished, and Maya's eyes went wide with horror. She knew, and so soon. How could she be so obvious? Her thoughts went to Lucius, she needed to protect Lucius from Anu or he would die! She began to kick and flail her arms, only for Anu to constrict her throat even harder.

Anu looked back at the angel, "Was she a good lover, little angel? Did she please you well? Oh my, how very unfortunate this is for you. You must realize, your little toy will not harm me, light-spawn. In fact, nothing you possess will harm me, but I can harm you. Yes, I can punish both of you for the price of one." Anu looked back at Maya, "You are right Maya, I am a liar. I'm not going to turn him to ash, but I will turn him into something far...more...useful."

Maya tried to scream, but only a small gasp came out. She was terrified, so very terrified of what Anu was going to do to Lucius and she could not do a thing about it. She hated herself for being so weak, and always a burden. She looked towards Lucius again, her face full of sorrow and regret. She knew in her heart, that he would not be able to resist.

Anu turned back to Lucius with a wicked smile, "You love each other, don't you? But how far are you willing to fall to save her? Until your wings turn black and your heart fills with sorrow? I will kill her unless you take upon yourself everything you hate. This is my offer." and with that Anu began to choke the life out of Maya, slowly but deliberately.

Lucius anger began to boil as he saw Anu begin to slowly crush her beloved Maya's windpipe. His calm composure of rationality was beginning to take a heavy toll on him, for he wasn't going to stand by and let her die by the hands of her old master. He needed to act quickly but be cautious about not harming Maya in the process. Then out of a sudden primal impulse, Lucius roared in an enraged fury as he lunges his sword towards Anu's direction and fired a beam of holy fire at her feet from the tip of his burning blade. Hopefully this would be enough to have the goddess release the succubi without risking Maya being damaged in the process. And once doing so, he lunges towards the goddess with vengeance in his piercing glare. Today - he believed - he will slay this fowl creature not for Hyperion but for the sake of Tabrasa itself... even if it kills him in the process.

Anu was unphased by the attack and made no notion of even noticing it. She waited until Lucius was mere feet in front of her, and in a blink of an eye, she shifted Maya so that she would be a shield from his assault. Maya was able to breathe again, with quick gasps for air and she looked at Lucius with wide eyes. Anu now held Maya by her right shoulder. With her left hand, Anu held the base of Maya's neck. Lucius would know right away that with such a grip, Anu could snap her neck in an instant. However, it would be far too late for that. For Anu knew this all too well, and if the angel would not stop, he would plunge his blade into Maya's flesh.

And yet Lucius would be just a second too late to stop his blade from piercing into his love. His millisecond of terror manifested into a mortified expression within mere milliseconds after his blade tore through her stomach like butter, all while Maya glared into his eyes in absolute horror and bloody agony.

"NO!" the archangel thundered as he saw Maya's body drop to the floor.

He dropped his extinguished blade at that very instant as he dropped down to his knees and comforted a piece of his soul in his arms.

"No..." he cried in disbelief as he tried to comfort her as much as he could, "Maya no... please! I didn't mean to...! I'm sorry I...!"

How could he have been such a reckless fool? He let his anger and rage take the better of him and was punished in the most heart-ripping of tragedies. Now his lover was dying in her arms, and he could've prevented this. Why did he act so impulsively? Was this why Hyperion prevented his angels from loving in the first place? It was as if he was reliving a tragedy within the pages of a romantic tragedy in the library of Terratora or living out a bad dream. Only this time, it was anything but fictional. He began to reveal silent tears dripping from his eyes as he began to cry out in utter anguish, muttering to Maya for forgiveness over his impulsive actions.

Maya was in shock, she could not feel the pain, but knew something was terribly wrong. Why had Lucius stabbed her? Why was she so cold? Her violet eyes looked up at Lucius' familiar eyes. Oh, how she loved that color, it brought her such warmth. Those eyes were crying, so she wiped a tear away with a shaking hand and then touched his face, trying to comfort him. She knew it had been an accident, she knew Anu had caused him to do it, not Lucius willingly.

She smiled weakly at him, and when she spoke her voice was quiet, "It's okay Lucius. It's okay. Don't...Don't blame yourself. I-I want you to know that I...I love you...so...so...mu..." and Maya's voice fell silent.

Anu then kneeled down next to Lucius, and she began to whisper in his right ear, "Such a pity...She loved you and you murdered her, simply because you would not listen." Her voice went silent, and then she whispered in his left ear, "I could bring her back. It would be so easy, but there must be a price to pay. Give yourself to me, and I shall bring back your love. Give yourself to me, and you will never know heartbreak again. Or don't...And suffer for eternity. The choice is in your hands." Anu then stood back up and loomed over the angel and her dead succubus. The moment Maya had openly defied her, was the moment she had stopped caring for her. Yet at the same time, she was hurt deeply by the betrayal.

The archangel remained silent after Anu gave him the offer. But before he could give her an answer, he heard a painfully-familiar voice coming from nearby.

"He's here!" it cried out, "Come quickly, my lord!"

It was one of the researchers Lucius had been with and it appeared that he wasn't alone. He could suddenly see the nearby smoke and mist vanish almost instantly from the village as he hears the thunderous footsteps of a massive armored figure. He didn't even need to look up to recognize who had arrived on scene.

"Anu'Varr." Hyperion's voice boomed as he was flanked by six elite guards from his private regiment, "Heretic goddess of chaos. You have caused much damage today. And you are treading on newly acquired Terratorian ground. Surrender and I may let you go empty-handed. This offer will not be repeated."

The armored god then noticed General Lucius on the ground, however he didn't seem to notice what he was holding. Curious, he looked down at him with a piercing glow within his radiant helmet.

"Brother Lucius." he said with bluntness, "Return to Terratora at once. Prepare to lead the Angelic Crusaders to purify the land of arrogant sin. You and the other researchers had done well in your journey."

Lucius remained silent as he looked down at Maya with dreadful sorrow. He began to carefully reflect on Anu's word regarding the possibility of resurrecting her. With her death, he felt as if the world had been sucked dry of any meaning. His pleasure and enjoyment had all but been extinguished. He began to crave this feeling back. He didn't want to remain underneath the iron foot of Hyperion's monarchal rule. And if Anu could potentially resurrect her again, he can finally be happy once more. The temptation was excruciatingly alluring and oh how attractive it was. With his answer underneath his grasp, he looked back at Hyperion with eyes of utter disgust towards him.

"No." Lucius sternly responded as he rose opposite of him.

Hyperion was somewhat surprised at that statement. He didn't know why his most trusted general - one of the strongest warriors in his arsenal - defied his orders at first. However, upon looking at the feminine corpse below him, did he finally understand why. And he was immensely displeased by this defiance of his creed.

"Brother Lucius." he repeated once more but way more sternly, "You know the rules."

"I KNOW ALL TOO WELL!" the archangel yelled out in pure defiance, "AND THAT RULE CAN GO TO THE DARKEST PITS OF HELL!"

Hyperion was of no stranger to butting heads with the hot-headed and passionate general. He had encountered such minor ramblings before. But this was far different then the simple arguments they had in the past. This felt raw and unchained, as if Lucius had reverted to a primal animal. The God of Light feared that this would happen, yet he wasn't necessarily too surprised with it either. But Lucius wasn't finished.

"For too long was I forced to bow to your every will and way!" Lucius shouted with immense hatred, as if he was pouring his entire soul and feeling into such passionate statements, "You claim for us to be beings of light above the features of man! Yet you strip us from the pleasure that humanity enjoys to their fullest! All we do is fight, and fight, and fight, and FIGHT! Purge heretics here, purge heretics there! But you never treated us as actual people with inner desires and souls! Are we nothing but your warrior slaves cursed to do your every bidding for the rest of our lives?! It's madness!"

"DO NOT DEFY MY DIVINE WILL." the god of light boomed as took a step forward, "Of course you are all more than warriors. You are all my brothers and sisters. But there is a reason why I keep you all from achieving certain~"

"LIES!" the archangel roared back with equal resolve, "Your rules had been outdated for centuries! And I'm absolutely sick of your archaic ways! I loved her, you know! And she was willing to change, but you won't see it! You would've purged my only joy in life to ash! I want to be free to live out my life as I wish, instead of living under a tyrannical monarch who wants to achieve the impossible!"

Anu bided her time, watching the interaction between Hyperion and Lucius with amusement. Though Hyperion arriving in person put a damper on her spirits, she took solace in the fact that he was having the same problem she was. Defiance in their subjects, a most unsightly thing. It seemed that this general was tired of the fighting that consumed his life and she could use that to her advantage if needed, but Lucius was broken, and a soul torn asunder fell quickly to the heart’s desire. All she had to do was wait and bide her time as she waited to speak.

When at last she had an opening she spoke with mirth, "Mhm, greetings brother. I hope I’m not interrupting anything, between this... father and son argument. You must realize, I was woefully unaware that you put a claim to this land, and for this I shall apologize. You must forgive me for the damage caused, I'm sure it can grow back in time." she let out a small laugh, "Apologies brother, this situation is highly amusing. Who knew that an Angel and a Devil could fall so deeply in love, that they would cast aside their creators? It truly is a tragic tale, one of sorrow and love. Brother, you should listen to him. All he wants his peace of mind, and to stop killing what he now loves. What's so wrong with that? It seems heresy comes in many forms as of late..."

She spoke to Lucius next, "My offer still stands Lucius, but you must decide quickly before her soul is claimed by Azhriel. Listen to you heart...Let the pain go away..." Anu finished softly.

There was a long pause in between the three figures, as Lucius began to make the final preparations that would seal his fate forever.

"Lucius." Hyperion said concerningly, "You can still make amends. Return to me and you will be spared from punishment. I assure you."

But the decision was already made, as the warrior turned to face his old master with a snarl.

"Save your petty lies of omission." he growled to him with resentment as he picked up his fallen love.

With that, he turns towards Anu for guidance.

"Please..." he begged as he dropped to his knees once again, "Make this immeasurable pain go away. Cease my suffering."

Anu's face distorted into a smile of pure malice. She spoke aloud to Hyperion, "He doesn't want your help, brother. Know that he chose this fate."

In a flash, Anu stood before Lucius and stroked his face. Her eyes burned with a fiery crimson, reflecting her very soul. She was twisted and perverse and used words to her advantage.

She spoke a seductive whisper, lulling Lucius into a state of calm, "As promised Lucius...I shall take your pain and suffering away. You will never know heartbreak, ever again."

The Goddess of Devilry, then ripped out Lucius' very heart and devoured it before him and Hyperion. She then caught his body before it fell, and with her dark powers, she would make him whole again. One did not need a heart to live, no, one only needed the will to survive. To endure, and the rage to guide them. The pervasive energies of Anu's powers, worked wonders upon the body of an angel. Lucius was no different, for without a heart he was easily transformed into a being of the devil. A fallen angel, wicked, spiteful, and full of anger. But there was a freedom to this form, one that escaped the tyrannical oppression of Hyperion's order and light. Lucius would finally be free to do as he pleased, all within Anu's own will of course. His wings turned black, and his heavenly glow was replaced with that of a dark aura of malice. His powers of light were darkened into that of the infernal. He was born anew, as Lucius, the first fallen angel, and he was at last free.

When he awoke, his eyes were no longer yellow, but a stone grey. He was plagued no longer by heartache, only a profound emptiness would remain. And such an emptiness could never be filled. This was the price Lucius had made to be with his lover, for deals with the Devil, seldom went in anyone favor but Anu.

She backed away from Lucius, with a nefarious look. Though she had lost a powerful succubus, she had gained something far greater. A mighty general for her legions, something she sorely lacked.

She asked aloud, "How do you feel Lucius?"

The reborn fallen angel looked at his new form, studying it extensively from top to bottom. He could no longer feel the heartbreak that had pained him for the brief yet utterly agonizing minutes prior. And his new body was just simply... perfect. He chuckled loudly as he turned to face his savior.

"I feel... magnificent." he said contently, with a voice filled with a low-pitched sinister vibe, "Thank you for freeing me from my old ghastly wretched form."

Hyperion was absolutely devastated from what he had the utter displeasure in witnessing. His most prized general - the same one who'd slain thousands of demonic succubi and dark forces - had been corrupted by the wretched Anu to serve her. It was an utterly repulsing sight, a sight which made the God of Light livid. His guards began to raise their own weapons towards the new being as they prepared for a possible conflict.

"Lucius." he boomed woefully towards him, "You have no idea on what you've just done."

The fallen angel would simply cackle maniacally at that pathetic response as he spat towards his direction.

"Oh, I know exactly what I've done." he says with a wicked grin, "I am no longer your miserable lap-dog anymore, Hyperion. For I am finally... at long-last... free!"

Hyperion wasn't going to have any more of this utter nonsense. He knew that his prized warrior had been lost - taken away from him by the vile forces of chaos.

"Then I have no choice but to purge your traitorous heresy." the God of Light answered ominously as he signaled four of his guards to decapitate him.

Yet as the four angels rushed over to eliminate him, Lucius revealed his new "Blazing Sword of Prejudice". The dark blade cackled in chaotic energy as the fallen angel made quick work of the elite guards, thanks to the training of the master who sent them.

"Bawhaha!" he bellowed insensitively, "Is that the best you got? My god have your forces grown soft. To see how your forces have fallen to such new lows is absolutely hilarious!"

He then notices the two cowardly angels who were to frightened to engage the dark angel.

"Oh c'mon you two," he taunted nonchalantly, "Why settle with this old god? If you want real power, then why not join over to my side? Take it from your old pal, Luci' eh?"

Hyperion coldly glared at Lucius' offer before looking back at his two remaining guards. They hesitated for a minute, looking at each other, then at Hyperion, then to Lucius, and back to themselves. Seduced by his dark powers, the guards levitated towards their new master as they were quickly brought onto his side.

"Goooood!" the fallen Angel replied pleasingly, "You both choose wisely. I'll make you both into powerful warriors yet."

He then turns over to Anu and nods at her.

"I believe we're done here." he said confidently, "Shall we get situated with your new residency?"

Anu watched her newest creation fight, and he exceeded her expectations, and even seduced two others to join them. She had no doubt in her mind, that Lucius would bring her great fortune in the wars to come. It seemed he had even forgotten, or no longer desired, to even see Maya again. Which of course, was what Anu had wanted all along. Maya had been useful, but she had earned her fate, as cruel as it was.

With a sudden smile, Anu spoke, 'Of course, I see no further reason to stay here." She looked to Hyperion. "Consider us even, Hyperion. He killed my servant, so I took one of yours. I shall leave this land in your humble care, brother, but venture west any further, and we shall have problems. Farewell for now."

Anu turned around and waved her hand. Before her a portal tore through reality, leading directly back to Osarion. She turned back to Lucius and the angels and beckoned them to follow, "Come now, my angels. We have so much to do." Anu looked at Maya's corpse, a hint of sadness flashed on her face, before she stepped through the portal.

Lucius and the two other angels would follow their new master in pursuit as they began to enter the portal. Little did they know however; a beam of pure light was headed straight towards them by a wrathful god. However, they were gone before the beam could have a chance to hit them, leaving Hyperion alone in the destroyed village with Maya's corpse left to rot. Hyperion's worse fears had just come to light and he was unfortunately a tad too slow to stop the breeding of a new and dangerous threat. As he stood there motionlessly within the rubble, the two loyal angelic researchers came out of cover to assess the situation.

"My god..." one of the researchers gasped in dismay, "She actually did it. She corrupted the almighty Lucius. I... I don't know what to say. Am I dreaming?"

Hyperion remained silent before glancing at Maya's bleeding corpse below him. He walks over towards it and knelt to examine her cold frail body. And yet, he showed a sliver of empathy for the succubi, one of the few times he vaguely felt for her kind. He could simply leave her here and have her soul be transported for Azhriel's judgement... but no. He had other plans for her.

"You have caused much chaos within my ranks, succubi." he whispered quietly into her dying mind, "You've turned my glorious general away and allowed a new breed of treacherous forces to fight against me... Such acts of heresy should not be left unpunished."

He'd then brush the demoness' face gingerly with his golden gauntlet, taking a better look at her face.

"And yet, I believe that redemption is still possible for you..." the god continued, "Your goddess had casted you aside for her own nefarious deeds. She abandoned you... left you for dead. You desire a newfound purpose. Vengeance, perhaps? If so, then I shall grant you that wish. If Anu shall corrupt my angels... then I shall purify her demons' wretched soul anew... that is, if you survive the process..."

Hyperion would rise before revealing a portal behind him. He then signals the researchers to beckon towards him.

"You two." he ordered, "Carry the body to the ritual tables."

The robed angels seemed confused at this statement.

"My lord?" one of them asked, "W-What are you going to do with it?"

"You will see..." Hyperion answered, "But once you do, you will keep a code of silence on the matter. Failure to comply will result in your execution. Understand?"

The two researchers nodded nervously.

"Now go."

They would carry the body into the portal as they head for the ritual tables. Before entering, Hyperion looks back at the destroyed village one last time and out into the horizon beyond.

"May the gods grant mercy upon your cursed soul..." he muttered towards Lucius as he finally entered the portal.

---

As both parties retreated to their realms, they left behind a deafening silence. The humans that inhabited that forest were gone, and their brief moment of suffering was but an afterthought to the Gods. Nothing of them remained but memories of a better time, when two lovers lived in peace and happiness. But much like the village, all that remained of such a pure love was naught now but ash. For devil and angel could never live in harmony, for tragedy would surely follow. But perhaps this story does not have to end in heartbreak, for time heals all wounds...