Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

It was silent this night, the buzzing of insects, the rustling of the beast, and even the flapping of wings. From those who govern, the skies did not pierce through the darkness of this night. Serene it was.

Resting upon the clouds a few squared kilometers above the ground, where eyes were least likely to land. I laid my eyes down upon a slew of thickening darkness emanating from the elegant Temple, surrounded by trees that reach far into the skies. They were long, broad, and strong, making it only possible to see the Temple of Eternal Darkness from the high ground.

Even so, flying was almost impossible due to the formation held over this planet. If not for Rule, which granted me control over the darkness, and my bloodline that rejected natural and unnatural laws, I would have struggled to hover, much less levitate.

Taken in the faint stars of light, hidden within the darkness, staining its elegance, squads of soldiers armed in armor, swords, shields, and glaives marched. Their expressions were solemn as they stood in teams of twelve. On the edge of the forest lay large machinery towering like mountains, shaped almost like humanoids, clattering with the sounds of metals grinding against each other as they patrolled.

“Dear God! They have a Gundam! Shit just got serious! Screw the Temple! Give me a Gundamn, and I’m set for life!” I greedily cried, licking my lips chapped with greed.

“Focus, Arsene,” Aegis said.

“But Gundam.”

” Focus,” He said again.

“… But Gundam,” I said softly, staring at the iron giants.

“The hell is with you and the Order of Chaos, being infatuated in Gundams? ” He said, “Get your head together, idiot. Look there, near the border. Do you see that ethereal glimmer? That’s an array formation. If your concentration laps, you will find yourself dead or crippled. During my peak, when it was time to pay homage to the Night Mother, I had some of the strongest watching these temples.”

Clitting my tongue, I only snorted; taken by the steady motions of these Mechs, I smiled, opened my palm, and summoned a mask gifted to me at my wedding. Running my fingers through its once graceful surface, now jagged and dented, littered with unending gashes, I could not help but smile, recalling a fragmented memory of Zero. Hands arced in joy; he screamed over and over the words ‘Gundamn’ like an eager child.

Pouring a sliver of divinity into my mask, dim radiance shone from the slick mask, where the sockets hummed to life. Flickering on and off with light, a string of words, hard and metallic, reached out.

‘Connected. Update Found. Connecting to Servers. Downloading. Installation.” It said, ” DNA not found, soul signature identified. Matching. Welcome to the Order of Chaos, III.”

Startled by the sudden burst of information, the mask within my hand slowly began to mend before my very eyes. By its pace, I suspect it would take maybe a week, two at the latest.

“My Lord, what is your command?” It said as if assuming I knew who it was.

“What are you?” I asked, a little taken back, the metallic voice echoing from the mask I held.

“AI-X, Code Name: Xenos. Your personal Artificial Intelligence created by Zero to assist you personally.”

“Xenos,” I hesitantly acknowledged, “I manage to steal one of those Mecha’s below; what do you think are my chances of infiltration?”

“.001%,” He said coldly, “You are not a pilot, according to your file. You have zero knowledge regarding higher levels of technology. I recommend using your shadow as a distraction, while your real body will push ahead as your shadow sows discord.” 𝑜𝑣𝘭.𝘯𝑡

“And the Array?” I asked, somewhat curious, as a few seconds seemed to echo silence.

“As a Monarch, you hold the Power of Rule. The darkness is yours to command; bending laws should be but a simple task.” Xenos explained, taking away most of the fun. But he was not wrong; I quickly hooked the mask to my waist.

Falling silently from the skies onto the base of the forest’s bed, I quickly separated my shadow from my body with a single stroke from the spear of pestilence near my feet, where the shadow began. I sent my shadow a measuring stare of reassurance.

When the shadow and I slowly went into stealth mode. Allowing the will of the darkness to cloak our bodies, we slowly made our way ahead; hidden from those with lower comprehension, my footsteps were without sound, my mind clear as the ethereal blanket of space, and my blade ready to strike if needed.

“You are about to enter the Formation Array,” Said Aegis firmly, “Be ready for anything. I don’t know what type of formation they are using.”

‘Rule,” I whispered through my heart, casting an intangible wave of essence from the palm of my hand that rippled through the forest. My mind, heart, and soul became one with the darkness, and I pushed ahead through the now apparent formation.

Allowing one of the four parts of my soul to control my shadow, we separated the moment we stepped into the Array when alarms suddenly erupted like screeching bells. Shaking the trees at its sudden vibration, high above the skies, the Forces of Heaven and Earth began to reel.

Light began to bend, twisting in unimaginable ways, as the darkness seemed to enhance the very light. The deeper the darkness became, the brighter the light of Luna became.

The winds had stilled, but the Planets surface had begun to shutter at the congealing pressure above till the magical force suddenly morphed into a giant eye spanning far and wide, taking light from the moon, a cat-like slit carved its way into the iris. Shimmering like a condensing Star, an intense heat whipped over my skin, searing the tip of my clothing.

“Xenos, does this thing see me?” I could not help but ask.

“Negative. However, the chances of being caught have risen from 30% to 47%,” Xeno said eerily calm, not in the least bit concerned.

“Is there like an emotional filter? You are bugging me out.”

The mask fell silent, and I sighed when suddenly it spoke, “All functions will be operational in nine days, seven hours, thirty-eight minutes, and fifty-seven seconds.”