Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

"I-I don't feel good." I sickly whispered, opening my eyes to the vibrant sky of Azure, blinking them once more. The Azure skies turned dark, shimmering with a glow of silver.

I honestly had not known how long it had been, but I was dying. Whatever Tia had given me had me bedridden. I was constantly hot and cold, and my Soulforce was always running, dry, trying to force my adaptation into second gear.

"Sene. You awake?" Lilith suddenly inquired with long silver hair and amethyst eyes. Marveling at her bewitching face, too beautiful even to comprehend. My soul fluttered, and my cheek grew flushed at her stare. I felt I had not seen that face in over a million cycles.

Drawing a bit closer, she held a small rag wiping the sweat that held large crystalized blood shards being expelled by my pores.

"Seems like it, but I still feel like I am dying. How long has it been?" I feebly asked, staring in fascination at what our children would be. I was, after all, a true member of the Snow family now.

"That can wait. I hate to do this to you, Sene, but Vancurro asked me to stuff you with every blood I can find." Lilith suddenly said, sending a desperate chill down my spine.

"No." I suddenly said, regaining all my strength in a matter of seconds. Feeling the adrenaline in my blood pumping up a storm, I shot up.

"He said you are not abusing the Perfect Body, Zariel created for you." Lilith hesitantly uttered, pulling out a jar of ruby red liquid swirling back and forth. "I hate to do so, but I must, Sene. I'm going to go hunting for blood and soul again. Just conserve your strength."

"Lili, this is crazy. Why not take one day at a time. This could kill me!" I desperately asked, shuttering at her stare that held such greed.

"For our babies, Sene. We will have the bestest babies the realm has ever seen. "She crazily fumed with drool slipping from her lips. " Now, Go to sleep."

Viciously flashing her hands emitting a fierce might, my vision cut to black as all the energy I thought I regained vanished.

My wife had dared to knock me out!

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"MORE MORE MORE!!!! FATHER, GET ME MORE!!!"

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"Mother, I want your blood too. A great serpent-like yourself! Think of my babies!"

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"Aunty Lili, When is Papa gonna wake up? It's been two years." Said the voice of Arkanos, steering my mind awake once more.

"When our babies are too perfect to exist within the eyes of creation."

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"Let's see. That's about seven hundred bloodlines. Hmmm, let's see what else I can find. Don't worry, Sene. I will forgive you for cheating on me with Tiamat. Think of this as your punishment. Remember, this is all for our mega babies!"

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Slightly quivering at the icy winds blowing across my body, a new world appeared within my sight. The skies were grey, trickling with the air of winter that pressed slightly against my skin.

'You have awakened?" The voice of Aegis sounded.

Remembering his existence, I did not feel the power of Abyssal Night running but rather Lilith's all-encompassing Abyssal QI racing through me, keeping this fiend at bay.

Rising from the chilling grass, I gazed around at the garden surrounding me in a blanket of snow and ice. It was magical, almost mythical in beauty.

"Damn that, Lilith," I muttered, completely drained of energy with a burning hunger in the pit of my stomach. "She really just trusted that bastard and stuffed blood down into my throat. I need to find out how she was able to force a change in me."

"Kill her and rid yourself of this weakness," Aegis added darkly. However, I did not feel the added chilling pressure like I did before on my mind.

Screw off!

"Papa?" A loud cheerful scream howled as a mini dragon loli crashed into my chest, crying tears of joy, "You're awake! Arkanos missed you dearly!"

Wrapping my arms around her tiny body, I smiled, giving her a peck on the cheek, "Missed you too. How have you been? By the way, how long was I sleeping for?"

"Hmm, seven years. Today marks the seventh." Arkanos cheerfully replied. "Uncle Talos helped me back, dropping off the others."

"They're here?" I asked, glancing around at the surreal garden.

Nodding, Arkanos leap from off me, pulling me towards the exit. However, a searing heat began to burn my muscles as I struggled to find the energy to move. Chanting the Montra of Abyssal Night, a wave of Qi washed over my fragile state.

Consumed in a heavenly sea of night, my steps began to grow softer and softer till my footsteps were without sound, while the forces of nature began to part like the red sea. The winds grew fearful of my touch while the snow fluttering in the breeze faded from existence at my presence.

Touching my chest, I ignored the various blood coursing through my veins, focusing only on the single strain of blood Tia had returned to me.

'Mother's bloodline," I whispered gently, recalling the flash of her smile upon a blurred image, 'The Power of the Forsaken. If my fractured memories are correct, this bloodline severed the power of any attack sent at us. Be it Qi, Dao, physical force; it was all halved when my blood was active. Of the three, it was only mother and me who held this power."

Touching my eye, a blemish of scarlet appeared upon my fingers as tears of blood streamed from my eyes. A little confused, my vision grew faint till all that was left was a sea of strings coiling and connecting infinitely.

Bleeding from the nose, a warm touch caressed my cheek, "Who let you up? We still have seven hundred more bloodlines to go, Mr. Snow."

Turning even paler, I ruthlessly pushed Lilith away with all the strength I could gather, "Stop." I barked solemnly with bloody tears flowing. Confused and disoriented, blood gushed from my lips, painting the snow a fiery blemish of blood.

Chanting the Path of Abyssal Night to its max, the strings around me grew more real by the second before vanishing, leaving only a calm I never knew I had.

The wind's had faded, the snow had frozen, and it was at this moment my bloodlines all vanished as if it was waiting for me to awake; all that was within me disappeared, leaving only a lineage black as the Abyss of Night.

'Recede,' I uttered with cloudy eyes.

Watching as all the laws that governed the realm around me melt away. Life, Death, QI, all that encompassed creation receded, leaving nothing but a void that too began to fade into nothingness. All that existed began to be rejected.

"Perfection comes with a price, Elder Bother, but it was I who paid for it. Use my gift to you wisely, for none has a perfect adaptation such as you.. Till we meet again."