Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

“May you find peace under the Lord of Absolution, ” The one called Cenric griped, bearing down on me, his spear hoisted against my neck. Wincing at the piercing hole in my shoulder from the sudden attack, Cenric lifted his silver glaive, radiating a soul-crushing force.

“Captain Cenric, should we not interrogate him?” Another soldier, female, voiced. Covered in robes, instead of the standard armor I would see on soldiers, she held onto Cenric’s shoulder. Her stance and tone are the only indicators of her stature as a soldier. “We have no idea where we are or how many of our brethren were taken into that ominous cloud.”

Scarred by the sudden shift into the Abyss, the world was brightly saturated, searing my retinas the longer I stared at Cenric, hidden beneath his cloak. Sweat poured from my brow as my body lay paralyzed by some strange force.

The cloaked Cenric lowered his hood, his silver eyes glowing with a radiant force, ” His soul was severely damaged by the shift to—”

“The Abyss,” I said, making myself more valuable through strenuous breath.

“Here that Rey Nala,” Cenric said, pressing his glaive deeper into my neck, stopping just near my artery ” We have a jester.”

Rey Nala paused, but before things could escalate, a bit of feeling returned to my body. Not a lot, but enough; flicking my finger, a sword intent cried with a howling roar that whipped towards Cenric. Sharper than any blade and faster than any element, the captain reeled backward, in haste dodging my strike, giving me enough time to stand up and make some distance. At the same time, Rey Nala drew a strange-looking bow, she nocked the string, but no arrow seemed visible, to my dismay. The bow held two blades that acted as limbs, while the handle and hilt resembled an aiming grip.

“Do not move. Your soul cannot stand another hit,” She warned without the slightest trace of qi, much less divinity racing through her body.

“I wasn’t lying. What Plane do you hail from? You two are obviously not from the Bed of Chaos or the Overworld. They would know of this.” I snapped, knowing escape was not reasonable. They had surprised attack me the moment I spawned, so they were either not affected by the shift to the Abyss or arrived first and adjusted accordingly.

“His understanding of Sword Intent is high, but his soul is low quality,” Cenric said as a matter of fact.

Summoning my Zephyrus, the sword crafted with my very blood to follow the purest form of the laws of wind and light, a calming aura wrapped around me, and my mind grew focused.

“I am not one to lie; if you do not believe me, then there is nothing more to discuss,” I calmly said, pulling out a holocube that slowly transmitted my location. I wasn’t sure who was nearby, but I needed to rest and mend my soul.

“A Holocube? Interesting. But there is no signal—”

“Captain, shut up!” Rey Nala barked beneath her hooded cloak, “What do you mean by we entered the abyss?”

“I cannot explain better. I am sure you heard Lilith Snow’s announcement. Everything she said was the truth,”

Rey Nala lowered her hood, revealing her stunning appearance that seemed to dim light. Graceful as they come, her lips puckered, and she turned to her comrade, whose expression was dark from her earlier scolding. His glaive was low, but I was sure he was ready to cut me down at a moment’s notice.

Cursing Arsene for selling me to Baphomet, ruining my peaceful life, I released a strained breath.

“We good? You guys understand my side, right?” I carefully said, raising Zephyrus to resolve this madness. ” I am not your enemy, despite you putting a hole in my shoulder.”

“And I will apologize for Captain’s Cenric actions. There is no excuse for them.” Rey Nala said, cuffing her arms, but be it her tone or clothing, she was unable to mask the regal aura embedded into her movement and grace. “Here,” she offered, tossing me a small pill that seemed to carry the sigil of pi over hits round pink surface.

Carrying no scent whatsoever, Rey Nala continued, “This is an Astral Pill, called—”

Unable to finish her words, an intense heat so powerful erupted, turning the entire ground into a vast wave of ash, following the bolt of azure that pierced into the ground. Faster than anyone could see, debris and anguish exploded as the shock wave struck me, tearing me off my feet. We were blasted like rag dolls, skidding over the forest bed without end.

“Cenric, run!” Rey Nala howled, picking me up, her face was scarred with blood, and her silver eyes brimming with a coldness. She hoisted me over her shoulders and bolted at an unbelievable speed.

Pain latched onto me, and a grunt lifted my lips almost instinctually, ” Keep your eyes on the sky,” I barely said, clenching onto my holocube, which slowly turned into a disk. “The war has started far too quickly.” 𝒃𝒆𝙙𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“What are you talking about? What war!” Rey Nala shouted, following the piercing bolts of light striking over the ground. Heat whipped over our faces as shockwaves and debris blinded us, or at least me. Ash had dug into my eyes, and a part of me was growing numb.

“Bael,” I desperately contacted on an open line, hoping someone, if not anyone, would answer. “Seraphina? Asmodeus? Master? where the hell are you all!”

“Oh shit!” Cenric cried, “Rey Nala, help!” he howled fearfully, arching his hand out as a massive starship, looming over me as though I were an ant, fell from the skies. Darkening the twin suns, the soldier carrying me dropped me and rushed to her comrades’ side.

Silver essence bled from their bodies and coiled like flames around their flesh. They cried, and suddenly, as an invisible hand had come, the ship burrowing towards us like a meteor began to slow.

I was wiping my eyes, unable to believe my eyes, as I could feel the laws revolving around that ship. I knew that no qi or divinity of a star-lord or heavenly lord could survive coming into contact with that fortress of a starship. Yet here they were? Two soldiers, what I could only believe were star lords based upon their reaction speeds, were doing just that.

Smoke and bits of metal shards rained over the skies, and both Rey Nala and Cenric fell to their knees as they pushed, tilting the starship with all they held with a strange force I simply could not see.

Trying to pull myself up, I cried, falling face first and glaring down at my right leg, missing just above the knee, pouring out blood. Despair crept into my eyes as the ship tumbled over the forest into a massive ball of flames.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!