Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

I had taken the time to examine the hollow eyes of the Lur’vain pooling darkness congealing into an endless abyss of foreboding night. The Colonel was relatively short, with a buzz-cut hairstyle and a heavy hooked nose, complementing his boney face. Handsome wasn’t the right word, but I was sure this man was pulling.

“This will not end well, Arsene.” He foretold, his tone and expression trying to mask the trepidation oozing from his sweaty brow.

“I’d bed to differ,” said Lilith, hooking her arms through my arm, glancing at the Holocube in my hand; she hoisted my arm to meet her amethyst eye, glittering like vibrant gems. “Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Lilith Snow, the Daughter of the Abyss. I am sure you all are wondering about the explosion of Abyssal Qi, much less the activity regarding the Horseman Gates; well, we have an answer and an invitation.”

The Holocube trembled, and I allowed it to slip from my hand. We witnessed the Holocube morphed with echos of metal clanking into what appeared like a disc when an azure Hologram of another Lur’vain met my eye. A bit similar to the Colonel in bone structure and looks, but a little sharper in the eye. He stood silently with the coldness of a blade.

Sera drew closer and glanced over the horizon with dark eyes that narrowed into a slit. I did not need to ask as my instincts began to ring. I did not sense real danger but a rather potential threat. Trusting myself, I maintained my smile, and the Lur’vain spoke.

“Brigadier General, Niall Roah,” He metallically said. “Release Colonel Cesan, and we will be obliged to speak.”

“You think we are fools?” Richter suddenly joined, somehow finding it in him to side with little bro. “Why not show yourself first? Bring yourself an elder god if you are not comfortable, but this shall be neutral ground.”

I could see the darkness swell through this night under the glow of Lunefraya’s grace. It rippled, with a bleeding flow, stirring something within me. My hands instantly erupted in a flash of night, and the Colonel swiftly shadow-stepped to my will near Seraphina; before anyone could grasp what had happened, a being of pure shadows appeared from the darkness of Noctem. Cloaked in a hood that hid his features, he lifted his head.

“P-P-Prince?” he said, shaken, confused, and vanished into the night of Noctem, hidden from my eye; a frown marred my lips as my eye settled over the General, whose expression contorted into a hideous scowl.

“The Black Hand,” Aegis coldly said. “Be wary, Arsene. I thought them lost after my defeat, but they survived. Be careful where you step against the black hand; darkness is not your friend.”

“Darkness was never my friend,” I coldly replied, locking my eye on Niall. “You will find I am not a saint. I will peel this man’s soul apart, cast him to the Hells, and allow his screams to resound without end.” I furiously said, opening my hand. I had not even needed to say it, but Lilith pulled the spear of Noctem from her soul, and it burned with the flames of hellfire the instant it was placed between my palm.

“Wait!” Cesan shouted, “he was not part of us! We swear! He was a member of the Black Hand. They—”

“I know who they are, but I also know that general hidden a little ways away could have stopped him but didn’t.”

Cesan’s expression darkened. “Then kill me. I am prepared to—”

“Then fucking die,” I coldly declared, piercing my spear towards his neck with the Flame of Hellfire burning hotter than the stars. The forest around us was caught in a blaze of Hell, catching fire.

Death reflected through the darkness of Cesan’s eyes, but my blade quickly came to a halt, as both Lilith and Sera, alongside a familiar face was, caught in my sight, holding my spear in place.

“I see death in your future, Sene. that anger will be your undoing,” Lilith warned, snatching the spear of Noctem from my hand; she sighed. ‘Goddamn,’ she whispered, flicking my forehead. To my dismay, I could only roll my eyes.

“Like there is a Man or God alive that can kill me.”

The Art of Ren-Shii was never to retreat; I had no interest in resisting my sins. I will do whatever the fuck I want and be damn the consequences. Screw showing humility, much less patience, when I used Rule to make Cesan bow, to bend his knee. I didn’t need to do so. I wanted him to fall; he needed to understand who would rule. 𝒆𝙣𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝙚𝙩

Lilith stared at me for a while, as did Sera, and they exchanged glances. For two enemies, it seemed like they were plotting something already. I was no fool. Even in my rage, I still held my foresight in my sin.

I snorted in response to a potential scheme; my eyes landed on the Brigadier General, “I was patient, and you tested that.” I coldly affirmed, seeing through his ploy, “Show me the Imperial City.”

“Even if you kill—”

“Sera, how long do you think it will take for you to kill this man and find the closest city?” I swiftly interrupted.

“A second but—”

“Good, then I will like to confirm. Is that your same answer, Brigadier General?” I calmly asked, feeling a stir in the darkness; my glaze slowly trailed behind Niall and back to the Lur’vain; sensing another soul hidden in subspace, cloaked by the darkness of Tenebrae, I spoke out. “You can come out. I know you’re here. If you wish to have a conversation, this had best be good.”

Silence seemed to descend, and like his older or younger brother, Neill’s expression turned dark.

“You are very arrogant,” said a soft-voiced that seemed to wish to damper the tension. Space around Neill shattered, and my eyes landed on a human-looking old woman. Draped in a grey uniform treaded in a few lines of black over her shoulder, she held onto a simple-looking cane, bearing a hint of a smile mixed with interest. Her hair was tied into a neat bun, and at some angles, I could make out the image of a beautiful woman ravaged by the laws of time.

“Young Man, if you wish to be a king, then you ought to learn—”

“Nothing, but to make those bow their heads, lest they lose them.” I coldly remarked, snorting at those who lacked a clear understanding of fear. “There will always be those who will try to usurp my Rule. They will claim injustice, inequality, etc. But the only thing that matter is power. Unlimited Power.” I told, shaking my head. I crossed my arms and studied the stun expression of the elderly woman,” “How many have tried to overthrow you? How many have you killed to maintain your seat? There is no such thing as a perfect king.”