Shadow of the Abyss

Raven was dreaming of darkness, of the Vale, swallowed by an unyielding void rippling like a lake across the distance. She shuddered, peering at the nameless kingdom of souls far away. There, she traveled, finding hundreds of names.

Soon, the scene shifted, and now she was gathered above the clouds, where twenty-four thrones and twenty-four elders, dressed in white and bearing crowns of gold, circled the One and Only Throne that seemed to hold significance, that shone brightly beyond the chaos, encompassing authority itself.

From below the throne, strange elder beings, the highest order of beings in this realm, heralded the words, "In his holy name we serve." They repeated this axiom, their voices echoing through the hall.

As she stared, they stared back, curiosity finding their expressions.

"Who are you, girl?" a man whose voice she didn't quite recognize said from the twenty-four elders.

Raven touched her head, where a crown stood. Eldrich and black, it seemed to tarnish the very presence of the hall set above the clouds.

"The Night Will Perish And Seven Stars of Order and Chaos Shall Aline, To Burn Three To Create One. A Brilliance Of Blackest Night Shall Form, As The Fallen King and Sins Shall Aline. Order Will Shatter, and God's Will Weap, Kings Will Break, And Monarchs Will Perish. Megatron, scribed of the Heavens, expressed in an infallible voice. He took another breath, echoing…

When Raven woke beneath the sun, weakened by the aimless rays, a yawn escaped her lips as she stood up, rubbing her beady eyes.

"What a weird dream…" she muttered to herself, standing to her feet. She stretched out her arms and looked towards the Heavens when her stomach rumbled. She beamed, hurrying back to her cave to roast some corn.

"You were sunbathing again, weren't you." Altair snapped, bonking his guardian on the head with the end of his scabbard.

Raven teared up. "That's child abuse!"

"You're not a child," Altair argued.

Raven touched her chest and said with unyielding vigor, "Ravens a child at heart!"

Altair bonked her again. Hard enough, a welp rose across her forehead. She was crying now, but Altair didn't give beneath her shimmering amethyst eyes.

"Master is bullying Raven." She sniffled. "I–I–I hate master!"

With another bonk on the head, Altair lowered his scabbard. He sighed, looking over the little thing a few heads shorter, glaring up at him. "Raven, you can't just disappear like that. In our kingdom, it's fine, but in unknown territory, you need to tell someone. What if someone tried to capture you or, worse, tried to kill you?"

"I'm strong," Raven drawled, cupping her swollen forehead.

"But not invincible," Altair said. If someone had taken you, we would have had a headstart on finding you because you told us your location. I'm not asking a lot. Just a heads-up when you wander off alone or when you decide to take a nap." He plucked a leaf from the rainfall of her black hair and tossed it away. "Were you that tired or something?"

Raven nodded. "Sowwy Master. I'll do better." she lowered her head.

"Good nap, at least?"

"Strange dream," Raven muttered, shaking her head. "How was Master's nap?"

Altair brows scrunched, and he bonked her on the head again. "That was two weeks ago. That's how long we've been looking for you. We found you a week ago, napping in the open."

Raven flashed a lovely smile. "And Master let Raven nap? Master does love Raven!"

[Your Vale Guardian, Raven Blackwood, has become Enlightened]

Altair brow beetled. "Rav.. are you enlightened?"

"For corn." She's aid, unsure of what he was talking about. She pulled out a new spice rub from her ring, showing it to her master. "I've gotten a Burbon Hot Rub from Big Sis Medusa. She said we might like it."

The Young Emperor sighed. "You're a handful. Yeah. I'd like some.

Raven ran off, stumbling to a pause, and looked towards the Heavens. "What a strange dream!" she muttered, recalling the twenty-four thrones and twenty-four elders. "I wonder if such a place exists?"

***

As a month came and went, Altair stood in the lotus position shrouded by the Mind Insense that had burned through the afternoon hours. He'd decided to meditate, and while at night, he came out to experience the Endless Night. He felt like a night owl, lurking while everyone else meditated, but it felt right.

He was always more comfortable beneath the moon and night. It reminded him much of his time in the Serpents Outreach, which seemed almost a lifetime ago.

"It's almost time," Tasha said, opening her eyes. How are you coming along, Master?"

"I'm close to mastering the basics," Altair revealed. "The Sword of the Heavenly Raijin has aided me in better comprehending the Fourth and Fifth forms of Grave of Night, Weeping Moon, and Heaven End, though they are still a bit much for my current body to handle. My tight arm turned into a fine mist merely trying to pull off Weeping Moon."

"I must say your Regeneration is top-notch, Lord Blackwood. It's comparable to Lord Baphomets."

Remembering the madness within the City of Sacrilege, Altair made a face. "Baphomet is a true demon, isn't he? One who craves utter chaos."

"Of course, he's the bane of most Devils. Only the Arc Dukes can restrain him." Tasha said as a matter of fact. "Baphomet is the most feared Demon of the Nine Hells. I also believe he is the number one enemy of the Sisters of Sepith."

Altair stood to his feet, walking and talking, leaving his cave with Tasha on his heel to a secluded area in the woods. Hidden from prying eyes and gods alike with the aid of his mask. They paused, following the sounds of whispers.

"The Brotherhood of Torment have agreed to the bounty," came the familiar voice of Keiran.

Atticus hummed brightly. "It seems you were right. They were paid, and none seem the wiser, at least for now."

Altair glanced at Tasha, who smiled and whispered, "Shall we see what they're up to?"

The young man nodded, regulating his breathing to nothing as he drew forward, like a shadow, one with the night. Tasha followed without giving herself away, leaping onto a branch to see the two inquisitors of the upper moons in debate.

They had surrounded themselves with wardings to mask the sound. Still, it seemed irrelevant against Altair's Eye of Sacrilege and Spirit Domain, which had invaded the Warding's defense before he'd even realized it.

[Eye of Sacrilege has pierced the veil of the Shadow Rune]

"They'll take care of everything. They've already sent several peltasts to scout the boy." Keiran explained, smiling beneath the moon's radiance. "Altair and that bitch will be dead by the time they enter the fifth floor."

'So they've decided to hunt me?' Altair told himself, smiling. He watched for a few more minutes before leaving beneath the cover of the night and returning to his cave.

'Tasha… Prepare for me some tea,' he ordered, handing Tasha a handful of Soul Blossom peddles. "No more delaying. I want to break through into the Fourth Circle this month."

"Then allow me to aid you, master." Tasha expressed. "I am quite proficient in Infernal Rituals. I can make it so that you'll break through by week's end. Your physical attributes might even double or triple."

"Altair turned to her, eyes narrowing. "What's the price? There is always a price."

Tasha covered her mouth with a small giggle. "Forgive my insolence, but compared to me, Master, you are too weak. My blood alone will be enough."

Altair sneered. "All Infernal Rituals require souls. I'm no fool, Tasha. So I'll ask again: what type of sacrifice do I need to make?"

The Lilim's grin turned cold and savage, like a true Demon of the Nine Hells. "Why, it's the soul of a newborn. Nothing I don't already have in my Soul Space from our delicious time within Yarwin. The Ritual of Infernal Rebirth requires you to be stained in the lifeblood of one who hasn't sinned.

As you already know, the Soul carries the bloodline through reincarnation or rebirth, so all I need to do is spill the blood from the soul. A simple feat for us devils."

"That's…" Altair was hesitant. He was not so gone that he didn't realize right from wrong.

"Oh my lord, you shouldn't feel bad. The newborn is burning as we speak." Tasha explained, chilling the heart of the Emperor. "When we devil take a soul into our bodies, we send them into the fire of our hearts to burn until they can no longer strengthen ourselves. All their delicious screams, pain, hate, and more are turned into energy for us to strengthen ourselves.

I, myself, have over a few billion souls empowering me. Taking out a few hundred souls will do nothing. Especially since I've reached the peak, my body will allow."

Again, Altair was reminded that Tasha was a true devil of the nine hells. He felt sick merely hearing this. Your journey continues on empire

"What will happen to the soul once released?"

"We don't usually release souls," Tasha explained, smiling. "But It'll head to the Nether Realm to be judged. But since there is nothing to judge but the negative Karma we devils inflicted on the soul, an equal amount of positive karma will be given to the little thing, and it'll be reborn as a higher entity after a few million years of recovery."

"A few million!" Altair yelped.

"Of course. My Lord, I am burning the souls alive. The Heart and soul of any Devil carry the attunement of the Hells to turn them into infernal creatures. To remove all that damage we inflicted takes time. When you break an arm, you need time to heal, right? Well, it's the same for a soul."

"But an infant Soul is…"

"They're already burning, my Lord." Tasha smiled, like a devil on his shoulder, slithering close. "They are already dead. Would you like to listen to their little screams? You'll be freeing them from eternal torment. You'll be saving humanity from another devil or demon. So don't hesitate, my Lord.

You're a hero in this scenario. I mean, you've killed quite a handful yourself, allowing Gaia and Earth to fuse. So please don't hesitate. Let this devil help you."