Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

“Interesting… So this Maiden might be a Forsaken? And experiment or an actual descendent.” Zariel muttered, but I was quick to shake my head.

“Mother killed every descendent out there, or so I’ve been told by one of our ancestors. So it must be an experiment unless he was lying.” I said, slouching back against the tree’s bark as a dry, weary yawn left me.

“First time I’m hearing of this. What Ancestor are you talking about?” Mephisto asked, and I could see Zariel shared the same interest.

“Richter Snow. Do you all remember him? Although, I guess he’ll be changing the name soon. That idiot got his mind taken over by our ancestral ancestor spirit when we were in the abyss. Seems the ghost was trapped when you tossed Iliah into the abyss. He might have influenced your journey, and you might not even have known. But he was the one who told me. Gave me some valuable info about Mom too. But he was sure the Forsaken all died. Mother slaughtered them all, and it’s how she was injured.”

“Then he lied to you, or at least his knowledge was limited by his surroundings,” Zariel said in a soul whisper. ” Zero is a Forsaken.”

Shaken by that information, my eyes snapped to Mephisto.

“Telling secrets, are we?” Mephisto said, a smiling grin on his face. ” Well, it’s fine. What are we going to do about this Maiden?”

“How about you tell us about the effects of each bloodline?”

Mephisto chuckled. ” Tell me about the little secret Zariel shared with you, and I’ll be happy to share.”

My teeth grew gritted and soon relaxed. “I’ll pass on that.”

He shrugged. “Shame.”

Asshole.

Rising to his feet, a coldness I hadn’t felt in a while swirled around Zariel, materializing in strands of silvery light. He pushed Jin’s sleeping body through the void and turned to me, his sword at his hip. “Shall we go see whose bloodline this woman carries?”

“Aren’t you on probation? No killing, I believe, was the term of your release.” I said, chuckling at Tenebrae’s cruel punishment.

“No need to kill. I can sever every ligament or limb of the Maiden or her little village of weaklings till they wish they were dead or merely toss them into hell. Were they’d never die but suffer for all eternity.”

“… No need to go that far yet,” I told him, scratching my cheek.

My god… I really got my madness from him!

Rising to my feet in a huff, a surge of darkness rushed through my heart as I opened myself to the realm around me. Understanding fluttered through my soul as I flashed southwest past the Graveyard towards where the darkness felt a disturbance in the air. We stopped to stare at the two mountain peaks in the distance.

“There’s… a city here,” Zariel mentioned, with glowing silver eyes.

It would seem he still hasn’t beaten that habit of revealing when he uses the Weave.

He approached, and the winds stirred against our bodies as his hands pressed over what appeared like a barrier. His eyes narrowed, and a great web of cracks shrouded my vision, bleeding an ethereal light.

“There is no need for violence visitors of the Myriad.” A gentle voice echoed through the winds.

The barrier vanished, revealing a beautiful city seemingly ordained by the Gods of Old. Stretching well into the horizon, I paused and stared in wonder at the dream-like city that appeared to come from a fantasy.

And my gaze shifted toward the masked individual. I frowned, staring at the moon’s crest etched over the head of the mask.

“Welcome… Children of the First Maiden,” the woman said, falling to her knees, her head pressing against the earth with poised grace. She stilled. “We have been expecting your arrival.”

“We?”

“What the hell is going on?” I calmly asked, a little unsettled by the sudden shift. I turned to Zariel, and I could also feel something in him change…

Had he noticed something? But what could cause such a great stir within him?

“I am the Songstress of Wind, Frima,” The woman said, lifting her head to gaze upon our feet. Her still eyes were calm and free. “The Maiden is expecting you.”

“What an interesting turn.” Mephisto mused. “I wonder…”

“Fallen Angel, you are not to wander our city without an escort. If so, you will be banished.” Said the Songstress coldly and without fear.

Mephisto chuckled. ” I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

God damn liar.

“Lead the way, Frima,” I told her, sensing the killing intent in her voice, but simply based on the divinity she held. I was sure this Songstress was far weaker than the first ranker I met. She was quite weak.

She rose to her feet, unbothered by the dirt gathered around her robes, and turned. ” Follow me, my Lords and Fallen.”

‘I’m not loved.’ Mephisto’s soul whispered to me.

‘Are you surprised?’ I replied, but he shook his head.

‘Fallen is either hated or loved. Rarely do you find one in the middle. We are, after all, a fallen race. Most of us aren’t like devils or demons. But those that are are worst than the lowest trash.’

‘Don’t I know it?” ｂ𝚎ｄｎ𝚘ｖ𝚎ｌ.𝚌𝚘ｍ

“You don’t,” Mephisto said, closing his eyes. ” My brethren… The Angels are blinded by faith, and the Fallen are all broken by the truth of reality.”

I glanced at him, noticing the sense of melancholy on his serene expression, and turned towards the streets lined with peddlers, pedestrians, guards, and more. The streets were shrouded with life and laughter, carried by the winds, twisting into that of a song.

I stared, nearly enthralled, as the Songstress hummed.

“This land… it’s beneath Luna’s protection,” Zariel said calmly but coldly. “It would seem she knows more than I originally thought.”

“So you know of Her Majesty, Lunafreya?” The Songstress said, maneuvering through the city streets like she’d lived here all her life. From back allies to shady shortcuts to building hopping, we traversed the city as though we were being given a tour.

And I assumed we were.

“How do you know, Luna?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Her Majesty helped cofound this city.” She said. ” Alongside her… and your Mother.”