Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

“I was furious….” 𝒃𝙚𝒅𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒆𝒍．𝙘𝒐𝙢

“Luci…” Amara called, ” Why did you never return to the fold?”

I looked at her, and a dark smile slipped over my lips. “How’d you feel if Lilith suddenly came to you and said she forgave you? How’d you feel if your most hated enemy never looked at you as a threat? That they simply forgave you.

“Pride had taken root in my heart as it would yours if you were in my position. Never in my life had I been so furious. So… I took it out on the world: on Father’s little creations. I tempted every last bastard out there. I wanted, Father, to see that there was nothing wrong with temptation. I wanted him to see, be it Angel or Human.

“We all Sin.

“Father ignored me… Just as he always had. But my brethren didn’t. Michael, in his arrogance, had descended into my kingdom, into my Hells. Storming through my gates, he… I’d never forget the look he gave us. The day he saw what we had become, what the Sins in their purest forms did to an angel’s body. He threw up.

“DEVIL!!!! That’s what he called us! He howled it with such a look it broke any last semblance of love we had for each other.

“There was nothing purer than an Angel. It could be argued we were the closest thing to God, and honestly, we were. We carried his Aura… and his will. But with our fall… our bodies began to change. Some grew horns. Some had halos of brimstone, others warped into hideous abominations that hid themselves in the deepest pits of the Hells.

“Me? Well. I became the ugliest… Do not let this form fool you. I wasn’t always like this. The day Michael stormed into my hells… Most of us hid to hide our humiliation. And for the first time in my life, I saw no love in my brother, no regret like he had when we battled. It was only a burning rage… a Wrath.

“We fought… It wasn’t a battle. A real battle like before. My word, it was a slaughter… No one ever saw this battle but Mephisto and probably Father. The Devils were not born yet. But that day. That year. We fought. I destroyed the living shit out of Michael. I tore him down to nothing… I had fallen into such madness that I called upon the Laws of the Hells and Aunty Tenebrae. And… I won.

“I was about to kill my brother, but… my eye caught sight of the wings of the Bridge of the Damned. Gods, I hate that fucking bridge. But it held my blade from ending my brother… I returned him to the Heavens that day, and Mephisto and I promised never to speak of what happened.

“That simple action probably explains why we were able to still act as a family. While I’m sure the other fallen would spit on me. I don’t mind. That day I learned that an angry king is a foolish one. It’s fine to sin but to allow it to control you. You would think that would be obvious, but it wasn’t. We were young… but that’s not an excuse, is it. Age never mattered.

“But as time began to flow, I slowly learned of Father’s difficulties. I learned what it meant to be a god. I learned of it all. And I learned of his somewhat apparent disregard. I became a god to many. The Devils soon began to Breathe through the Hells… An Eternal Cycle later, Mephisto approached me with a smile, stating he had a surprise.

“Slippery bastard. Did you know Mephisto is super protective of our sister Ariel? I can’t remember when it happened, but Soloman had fallen for her. She was the Angel sent to deliver Father’s blessing, to grant him wisdom beyond any. And that idiot fell for our sister.

“When Mephisto found out, he made it his mission to destroy Soloman. And because my bother always gets what he wants… Solomon lost our Father’s blessing and his kingdom. Ever wondered where the Forsaken was in all this?

“Well, I don’t know either. But one day, Mephisto just showed up with them and unleashed them, stating he had a surprise for me. But his goal… his true goal was for Soloman to watch how his kingdom was going to be divided into dozens of pieces and be defenseless to do anything.

“Perhaps Father felt pity for him, but Soloman had regained his blessing, but he’d lost everything. His kingdom, his harem, and his children… all was destroyed by Mephisto, who he challenged in a burning fit of rage.

“Soloman, despite his blessing, was no challenge. Mephisto tormented him by having his entrails gorged upon by Darma. Vicious creatures Beelzubub had created. These creatures were both the worse of humanity and the best. They were pacifists when their faces were hidden but unclothed; they were walking devils.

A/N: Arsene met them when he got Lily.

“It was only when Mephisto got bored did he allow Soloman, who had nothing left to live for. Did he grant mercy and allow him his freedom… if he could defeat Asmodeus. Solomon managed to win through trickery… man that was a good battle. I’ll give Soloman that.”

“But it was then that the Forsaken had entered the fray of the war between the Angels and Fallen. And it was brutal. My word… I’d never seen such a powerful race. Even Mephisto had miscalculated. The Forsaken were monsters. All of them, but none more than the Progenitors.

“But it was also during that time… I met her. She wasn’t a Progenitor but the first child of one of the Progenitors. I met her when I descended to earth to capture Gabriel, who’d snuck into my Hell. For some reason, I can’t even begin to explain… that boy is a fool. But I’d tracked him down, and after a brief bullying session, I saw a fearless demi-god no more than seven or eight standing with large golden eyes watching Gabriel and my battle.”

“Your first wife?” Amara softly asked, and I nodded with a smile filled with melancholy.

“Aye. My wife. That mad woman. Opened her palm, and to everyone’s amazement, Morningstar, the sword forged with the bones of each Fallen in the Heart of the Hells, was stolen out of my hand. And with a challenging smile… she ran.”