Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

The night hung over the Overword, looming over the surreal embers of scarlet-black dancing like leaves through the breeze. In my sight, fear ran over my chest, lingering like a festering rot as I stared at the Gate of War, resting peacefully, emanating a glow around its arcs that did not exist before.

I did not draw near, keeping my distance of a few meters. There were many things about the Abyss that even Archangels like Micheal, Gabriel, and even Ariel feared. To fight one was to fight all were the words Lord Lucifer had instilled in the Fallen that fell alongside him—then taught to those who would rise from the lower Heavens.

"What will you have me do, Master." Loki voiced from behind on one knee. His head was low, while one arm pressed against his bent knee, the other was poised to his back.

"Where is Lilith Snow?" I calmly asked, sensing the turmoil of the Exalted Wheel, whining at this horrid baptism of Abyssal Qi.

No good could come from this. Lilith Snow was always a wild card. We knew almost nothing of the Abyss or the daughter. Including her was a mistake. Arsene we could handle, we can somewhat gauge his power and abilities, but Lilith was different. The Abyss is too mysterious.

"No idea," He said faintly, a little amused by this failure, but I had long since expected as much from this thrall. I would have killed him if he was not one of my most effective agents. "But," He added deviously, bringing a bit of intrigue to my heart. "We still have the communicator Arsene gave us. We could ask. It\'s not like bridges were burnt. Arsene knows nothing of you. "

A/N: Was given during the War with Sitri.

"Then you are naive," I irritably responded, turning my head towards the thrall, at my mercy, "It\'s not the first time Arsene and I have met. A whisper of my name, a single lead to who I am, will lead to the end of my Master plan."

"But–"

"But what if we used another outlet like, let\'s say, Soloman?" I said, cutting him short. "You go first, see what you can learn if nothing comes of it. Find Soloman, and set everything into motion. If he kills Arsene, I can always find a new Monarch of Darkness."

My thrall seemed to smile, pondering over how he might escape beneath the shadows of his hair. A foolish notion he had no idea I knew about and vanished, leaving for the Material Plane.

"What a foolish thing that one is. A shame, Loki\'s usefulness is about to come to an end once the Gates of Iluthath awakens." I voiced aloud, sensing Zantar near. "How has the preparation been coming along."

"Good, everything is almost set. However, I worry about the one name Seraphina. Her battle against the Dukes was lack of a better word, weak. It appears Sera may be seeing God\'s Grace once more and not the one we put on the throne. I intended to have her kin \'ratify\' such behavior, but she seemed to have gone to find Mr. Asura Bloodgrave, aka, Arsene Snow."

"You know this to be true?" I coldly growled.

"Saw it with my own eyes," he said as a matter of fact. "Arsene\'s disguise means little to me."

I smiled, lifting my head towards the twin moons, "It\'s quite a thing, isn\'t it—those two. Think we should kill her now?"

"I do, but it\'s too late. She is already a part of the plan, and it seems like Lilith is going after the Arbiters."

My heart went cold. I fixed my gaze over Zantar and frowned, "What?"

"It\'s only a thought," He defended, pulling to my side with arms crossed. "Lilith Snow releasing the Abyssal Qi, through the Exalted Plane, is simply asking to piss off the Arbiters. I am sure the Angels will be condemned for this incident, but they will be coming after Lilith. We already gave her Riverfall; we got to protect her."

I snorted and smiled, "leave her be. She isn\'t a fool. Let her handle her mess, and let\'s see, what happens. If anything, I say we help the Arbiters. I don\'t like being in the dark. As for Sera, separate her from Arsene. That bastard has a way with words. A devil heart user, messing with angels is terrible for the plan."

"Was dealing with him so bad in the Tower of Eternal Darkness?" Zantar asked, shooting me a smile to test my nerves. I merely chuckled, dismissing his words.

"A bit, he reminds me of Lady Morningstar. The two are just trouble makers." I shook my head, drawing in a long breath to regain my focus, "If Arsene taints Sera, we are screwed if its spreads. This is especially true if Raziel has yet to complete his version of the Laws of Concordance. If we can\'t stop the boy, then directly kill Seraphina. We can handle the backlash."

Zantar chuckled and nodded, "By thy will,\' He expressed, teleporting away. Leaving the Overworld once more, the rumbling of turbines cried through the silent night. The winds began to pick up, twisting and breaking at every turn, as the twin moons lost their luster, and a large shadow appeared above my head.

Lifting my head towards the skies, I gazed upon a fortress of a ship. Refined by the finest of steel, a cascading sea of silver rippled over the ship\'s surface, reflecting light from its surface. Four large turbines blazed with azure flames at each of the four points of the ship, granting a fair amount of balance near the bowls of the ship.

,m Lifting my lips, it did not take long for the entire sky to be swamped by starships, leaving no room for clouds to exist. My gaze settled upon the Gate of War.

It would not be long before we enter the Abyss, and total war washes over the land. So much blood will fall that even those of the abyss will think twice about interfering.

"Zariel, Aurelia, Mephisto, I am coming. Just you all wait. I, Balor, will rise once more."