“You have a guest, Xainayne.”
“What,” the Ancient responded with an annoyed glare. “Send them away, I’m not meeting with anyone right now.”
“With all due respect that would be impossible.”
“Why? How could that possibly be the case? Just tell them to go!”
“It would be in your best interest to greet them properly, as they’re already approaching you as we speak. I’ll be taking my leave.”
“Seriously?”
All he could do was watch as the woman disappeared in the same annoying way she often arrived. A guest arriving in the Vortex was already unreasonable to begin with, but to show up so suddenly? There wasn’t a proper means of punishment he could think of in that moment. However, there was something bothering him overall. It was one of Mayray’s peons who came to deliver the message, but they visited him just as often as she did. If they were the ones coming to him with reports like this that could only mean this would involve her brother.
“Xainayne! It looks like you’ve been... busy,” Zorelle began as she entered the tent. “Not that I’ve ever cared much for your taste in decoration.”
“Of course it’s you. Don’t you have anyone else to bother?”
“Don’t be like that. I’ve been dealing with your baggage for a few years now. The least you could do is greet me like a proper host.”
“Why are you here, Zorelle? I don’t remember calling for you and you didn’t give proper notice of your arrival.”
“Why else?” She asked him as she leaned forward with a smile. “I just brought the boy back. He should be here any moment after dealing with a few problems outside. I wouldn’t say there are many changes, nothing too crazy, but he does seem to be a bit more enlightened as to who he is...”
Her words seemed to fade into the background. Several years had passed by so quickly, and what seemed like such a long time was finally reaching its conclusion. The idea was to have him learn a bit more through experience in as short a time as possible. There was everything he gained from Arc’l, and that alone could carry him a long way, but there were still things he needed to experience for himself to make excellent use of those parts of his past life. However, there was a pressure which filled the air in quite an unsettling manner.
Zorelle’s eyes turned back to the entrance, as if she could feel it too. Xainayne could not tell if this was better or worse when seeing how things had managed to turn out. Seeing him after all this time, he certainly looked displeased. A black beard covering his face and connecting to a head of curly black hair. He wore what looked like a mix of black leather and chainmail; a black cloak draped over his shoulders which, at closer inspection, was nothing more than darkness swaddled over his frame. His eyes held a thick glow, one which could drown the unprepared if they looked directly into them. This was the Gahbreal he had hoped to craft, the aikekunai he had hoped to see, the-
“Didn’t I say to wait for me?” His voice was gruff and mature compared to what it once was.
“Shut up, I’m still your elder you little shit. Besides, I wasn’t going to sit around all day while you toyed with your food.”
“Don’t make it seem so simple. I've been gone for quite some time. I had to make sure things were still in proper order.”
No one would know it, not unless they were alive to experience it for themselves. The way he carried himself, the way he spoke as if constantly talking down to everyone around him, the callous air of unparalleled superiority, those were the traits of the wolf. The characteristic behavior of the first Gahbreal.
“Gahbreal,” Xainayne started as he watched the male approach. “You look as if you’re standing tall.”
“Don’t waste my time with flattery, Xainayne. I lack the patience for that type of crap these days. I came before handling my work to see if there was anything important which needed to be said, but it looks like that was a poor mistake.”
“Holy shit,” Zorelle said with wide eyes.
“You’re still here?”
“Of course! You thought I’d miss this? I knew this was going to be a bad idea from the start, but I guess you didn’t put much thought behind it.”
“You’re talking too much, Zorelle. If you’re going to take up space, then do it silently.”
Xainayne halfway expected the earth claimant to lose her temper and react in a way befitting for who she was. Instead, he found himself surprised when she looked at him as if sizing him up before letting out a puff of air and turning up her nose. She crossed her arms, a clear sign that she was not pleased, but refrained from acting.
“Fine but be quick. I have things to discuss with Xainayne.”
“If you insist... now then, I’ll make this as short as possible for the sake of time,” he started as he poured a glass of wine for both himself and the Ancient. At this point it felt like more of a personal custom to do so, but also a means to calm both of their nerves. “I’ll be visiting my family estate, checking the status of my relatives, then I will be getting work settled.”
“You won’t be taking a break before doing all of that? I did have you aiding in some simple battles, so I have reason to believe you’d be exhausted.”
“I’ll rest when my work is done. The faster everyone realizes that there is a punishment for their insubordination, the sooner they’ll begin to remember what fear is. Claimants like lambs, they will know the weight of their choices when straying too far from the flock. That is my purpose as the Wolf hunting the Lost.”
“Well, I’ll call on you if anything important needs your attention.”
“Of course. I’m taking off now. I’ll be in contact,” the words he left the Ancient with before vanishing into a plume of darkness.
“Well, that was...”
“Unsettling?” Zorelle spoke. “I noticed it when I spoke with him at length, Xainayne. You’ve been hiding things from him.”
“I’ve been telling him what he needs to hear.”
“You’re making a mistake. This isn’t going to turn out how you hope. Not with his type of personality and curiosity.”
“I’ll be the one to decide that.” Xainayne sipped from his glass before continuing. “Do you plan to nag me all afternoon, or will I have to throw you out.”
“I’ll leave now if it gets me away from this hellhole you call a home. However,” Zorelle’s expression shifted to one more serious than before. “Both Kana and Arc’l were the chosen students of your previous aikekunai, and that boy is the descendant of Kana as well as the life Arc’l has chosen to be next as aikekunai. This won’t recreate Marz, no matter how hard you try.”
“You say that as if it would be some impossibility.”
“I didn’t say it was impossible, but I will point out one final thing you’re neglecting before I go.” Xainayne’s brow furrowed following her words. “Gahbreal is a good kid, and those parts of him are very much like Marz, but at the end of the day it won’t matter. His direct family is that of Kana’s line, his life was crafted under Arc’l, both of those claimants were not Marz’s students and they barely answered to you. They belonged almost entirely to Lilith.”
“I know that Zorelle.”
“Then you should know exactly how that boy will turn out if you feed into his instincts. Let him be himself so that he may grow personally, but if you continue guiding him in this direction you will no doubt craft another aikekunai who will be nothing but problems for everyone... including himself.”
Her brow furrowed, lips parting softly as a sigh slipped through her teeth. Her eyes were like garnet resting with the sun at their backs, hair like a drape of black strands tied up into a tightly woven bun of braids. In the palm of her hand rested a black feather which seemed to sing a terrible song of omens and trials, but that was exactly the reason she was there to begin with, why her fingers clutched the item crafted from darkness tightly and her eyes narrowed to fine lines, red pins glaring at their center. She was worried, although she did not enjoy showing it. Or perhaps the better word would be confused.
“Should I be concerned?” Xainayne’s voice interrupted her thoughts as he entered the room. “I believe this may be the first time you’ve ever come to me on your own. Forgive me if I’m led to believe there is a problem.”
“It’s about Lilith. I have some questions.”
“Interesting. Ask away, there isn’t anything to hide.”
“Then I’ll do just that... the way she fights, I have seen it myself on multiple occasions. However, I’m left curious wondering just how much you’ve taught her. Did she learn it all from you?”
“I’m surprised you even cared to ask about that,” he said before sitting down.
“Something isn’t adding up.”
“Is that right? Well, no, she learned nothing from me. I taught Marz most of what he knows involving combat, but he personally did his own research when it came to etiquette and manners. He wanted a role that was more subservient, and I had to teach him combat personally. He was essentially perfect in every way except for combat, but he knew practically nothing about how to fight.”
“That was why he fought like a subpar version of yourself more or less... but, that doesn’t explain Lilith.”
“There isn’t much to explain. You’ve seen her, right? The way she operates?”
“She’s a seductress, almost worse than Phita’s brats when working and yet she doesn’t much care for bodily pleasures as much as she cares for the desires. I’ve seen her sneak into places and empty them out, as if having entire buildings full of people just disappear.”
“She fancies herself a spy, but she’s more like a professional mass murderer, right?” Xainayne pointed to the palm of his hand for a moment before continuing. “If Marz, in terms of combat, were this point in my palm... that would make Lilith the entire hand. She’s naturally gifted, talented in every field of battle and a success among all claimants who have seen her fight. She’s an object of both frustration and envy for many claimants, and it’s all due to her gifted combat prowess.”
“Essentially, she has always been perfect from the start.”
“Exactly. I taught her nothing because she fights almost as if it’s instinct. She knew everything involving violence from the moment she was discovered to be an existence. The Ancients all know that to be true, but that’s because we all saw the main biological difference between her and everyone else.”
“Her pseudo invincibility...”
“Precisely. Marz did not know the cause behind his ability to be damaged by human weapons, but he knew he could regenerate from it. Even so, he avoided taking damage at all times because the pain could still be felt, and it would take time to regain what was lost. When Lilith arrived, it was entirely different. She showed us that her regeneration can happen more or less immediately. She shrugs off pain like it doesn’t exist, and because of that she just takes attacks of all kinds as if they’re nothing. It was through her that we learned she literally can’t die unless mortally wounded by a true claimant weapon, and if she isn’t mortally wounded then she will regenerate over an extended period. That or-”
“She’ll regenerate faster by devouring others... how troublesome could one claimant get? And you said she was already capable of fighting the way she does upon arriving?”
“Indeed. What could I possibly teach someone who doesn’t feint or block attacks? Doesn’t dodge, doesn’t guard? Someone who will allow half of their head to be cut off because she doesn’t have to worry about losing it? By every sense of the word, Lilith is a monster.”
“That’s what I don’t get. You said she doesn’t guard, and I noticed that as well, but how often does she use a shield?” The question itself sounded almost blasphemous.
“A shield? I’ve never seen her use a shield before. I’ve seen her block weapons with her nails, when she cares for them properly, but she only really cares to put up a defense of that sort when being attacked by claimant weapons.”
“So, it would be odd for her to utilize a shield against a human?”
“That would be completely out of character for her.”
Kana looked confused for a moment, but also lost in thought. It wasn’t something Xainayne let slide by easily. These questions were all oddly specific and since they involved his aikekunai then it was all something that mattered. Kana had essentially become the woman’s shadow for the most part, but that just made all her worries involving Lilith even more legitimate. If she was noticing some type of change then it would only be proper to assume there was something to investigate or observe, but jumping to conclusions would solve nothing.
“In the last battle she took part in, she fought defensively for the most part. Giving orders in a commander role while only joining the fight at specific times. She has also been using a spear rather than her bare hands. It’s almost like she’s keeping her body as far away from her enemies as possible.”
“Interesting... well, wondering won’t do us any good,” Xainayne said as he poured himself a glass of wine.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like? I’m getting ready to call her here.”
It always managed to be some sort of ordeal for the Ancient when dealing with Lilith, and especially involving conversations. No matter what it was they chose to talk about she would always derail the conversation into whatever she wanted to talk about. No matter how serious the conversation was it would always turn out that way. It wasn’t enough for her to have her collection of claimants crawling at her heels, but she also felt that Xainayne belonged to her as well. Or at least that no one else was deserving of the Ancient other than herself. It made every conversation they had an attempt at Xainayne to be serious while Lilith did nothing outside of flirt and act out.
“It’s about time you showed up,” Xainayne started to which Kana began to turn around only to freeze when feeling slender arms wrapping around her shoulders.
“You must forgive me, I had to pick out something proper to wear. I was not expecting a call from you so late at night.”
Kana felt entirely out of place and was left wondering why Xainayne had told her to stay for this meeting. Lilith’s presence now both figuratively and physically weighed her down. She understood that Lilith was relatively harmless to this of their own house. It was the thought of having someone who could snap her neck in two without even putting forth effort just appear behind her so suddenly.
“At least you decided to put something on before coming here, unlike last time.”
“Oh please, it is an honor to be in the presence of my bare body. You should count yourself lucky to have ever seen it.”
“Is this how these meetings normally go?” Kana spoke to which the woman chuckled and placed her lips next to her ear.
“Quiet now, child. The grownups are speaking,” words like acid melting away her spirit. She could taste the malice in the air just from those few words. A voice so pleasant and yet a feeling in her spine which wanted her to flee.
“Don’t bully the girl, Lilith.”
“Fine, fine. Besides, I would like to return as soon as possible. I do not wish to cause any worry.”
Worry?
“Then I’ll be quick. How have the battles been going? No setbacks or major issues?”
“Is that all? Everything has been perfectly fine. Not a single loss, as if I would ever allow that, and our claimants are as resilient as ever. Specifically, this little raven right here,” Lilith’s words almost caused a fire to ignite in Kana’s chest, even more so when she felt the woman’s lips plant a soft kiss on the top of her head. “Good work.”
“I... thank you, Lady Lilith.”
“So, is that all?”
“I suppose. So long as there are no major issues, you’re free to go. I’ll contact you if anything comes up, as always.”
“Then I will be on my way. Expect me to drop by unannounced one of these days. My husband has been dying to have a conversation with you.”
“Your what?!” Xainayne exclaimed before looking directly at Kana who shrugged in a manner which said she had no idea what the woman was talking about. “When did you get married?!”
“When? It has been a few years now.”
“Years! Why have I not heard about any of this? When did it happen? There was no ceremony!”
“I simply desired it and made it as such myself.”
“That’s not how that works!”
“It is not such a big deal. Besides, it would only make sense that we are married at this point... Then again, I suppose now would be a proper time to have you meet.”
“Why would you bring them here now of all times?”
“Not him, silly.”
Kana could feel all her anxieties melt away the moment Lilith’s arms were removed from her shoulders, but that only gave way to an entirely new set of worries once she turned to view the woman who had now stepped past her to close the gap between aikekunai and Ancient. Kana could tell by the look on Xainayne’s face that he was just as baffled as she was, but that did not stop Lilith from smiling as she pressed her hands against her carefully rounded belly.
“You were always wearing armor, so I never noticed,” Kana started as she slipped up to the woman’s side. “Is that truly?”
“Of course, what else would it be?”
“Congratulations, Lady Lilith.”
“I believe we have passed the seven-month period not too long ago.”
Xainayne looked as if he could die and yet these two were just talking away as if this were a normal day. All he could think about was the difficulty of managing Lilith herself, but now there was the slightest possibility of two!
“I’ll assume that the father is this husband you spoke of?”
“Correct.”
“Human?”
“Indeed, and quite kind. I feel as if his interests will get him killed. However, I cannot help but want to see his desires met. This was just an... unexpected turn of events.”
“UNEXPECTED?! You eat those!”
“Is that why you’ve been fighting differently on the battlefield?” Kana asked to which the woman nodded.
“While I can survive a multitude of attacks, I do not know if the same applies for this one.” There was a moment in which Lilith looked down at her stomach before sighing. “I will have to be careful.”
“You’ve brought more stress here than I could have ever possibly imagined.”
“Do not act so fragile, Xainayne. Besides, they will only be another piece of your house. If I am being entirely honest, I did not know how much of a desire this would be for me until it began. But now I wish to see this through. This life, this solitary desire. I plan to make it everything.”
“Is that right? Well, there isn’t much I can do about that... go home, rest, and I’ll let you know if you’re needed again.”
“I will be seeing a few others before I go. Farewell Xainayne, little raven.”
The way the woman became a cloud of black mist and disappeared was as quick as always, but the lingering effects of her visit were as present as ever. Xainayne could swear his insides were swirling like a tornado every time the thought crossed his mind. The amount of trouble this could cause was far higher than any good it could do. Kana knew that as well.
“I’ll have to get her a gift of some sort,” Kana said as she placed her fingers against her chin.
“Well, aren’t you particularly pleased.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m pleased. This opens too many doors that I do not believe you are willing to close. It is, in every sense of the word, a problem. However, this is Lilith we’re talking about. It’s only a problem for anyone willing to make her their enemy.”
“I’m more concerned with another claimant growing up to be like her. She is already enough trouble when she wants to be. Imagining two of her makes my mind ache.”
“Well, there isn’t anything we can do now. Perhaps this would be a good chance for you to take a more direct role in the child’s life. I’m sure Lilith would be pleased by that, and you could raise them properly as well. At least so we don’t have another one of ours eating the humans.”
“Perhaps that would be a possibility,” Xainayne said before sighing. “For now, we’ll keep her away from any battles. Get a few hands to help her manage her territory, the last thing we need is any mishaps. We’ll treat things as normal.”
“Are you certain that’s wise? This could cause problems if she becomes too relaxed.”
“Relaxed is exactly what I want things to be. Besides, there’s no telling what may happen or when. It is best to play things safe when involving her. If this were Marz it would be a different story, but we don’t have that luxury. In the meantime, you will be her replacement. Command her armies, win her battles. Her fighters are more than capable, so you’ll have no reason to fight yourself.”
“Fine. But don’t think that means I’ll be allowing you to order me around.”
“Of course. As if you’d ever listen if I tried.”
How long had it been since he’d visited this place? His eyes rested on the building for a moment before he made his way inside, the doors opening with a subtle silence which echoed throughout the entire area. Gahbreal knew the entire estate was filled with humans and claimants, but there was never a sound to be heard unless someone wanted to be heard. It was for that reason he also didn’t make a single sound. His steps, his breathing, his every movement leaving no sound behind as he approached the statue which waited motionlessly in the center of the luxury foyer. It wasn’t until his face was mere centimeters away from the statue that he spoke.
“Cousin,” his voice nearly shocked the soul out of the woman as she immediately gasped in panic.
“By the Void! Can you not contain yourself Gahbreal?” Her words were only met with laughter which shattered the silence which had previously existed. “Honestly, you’re such an asshole!”
“Be that as it may, it’s your fault for being unprepared.”
“You almost never visit here, why would I be prepared for anything you do?”
“And I thought you knew me better than that. Auntie Nostelle would be beside herself with anger if she heard you say something like that.”
“Yeah, well I’m not supposed to keep my eyes on you Gahbreal,” she took a deep breath before continuing. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were on some important tasks from Xainayne.”
“I was, but now I finished and thought I’d stop by.”
“And you didn’t think to return home? I’m sure your mother is dying to see you.”
“She can see me whenever she wants. I have no obligation to see her.”
“I see you two are still fighting.”
“Well, it’s her own fault.”
There was a brief moment in which the two did not speak. Gahbreal never seemed to enjoy the topic of his mother, but his cousin always brought it up whenever they met. It wasn’t her attempt at spiting him. In fact, she felt that it was something the two of them should have settled long ago. Gahbreal refused to even see her and Kikana wasn’t the type of person who chose to acknowledge things of this nature in a straightforward manner. Because of that it made the chances of them bringing things to a proper conclusion nearly impossible. Or at least that was what one of her mothers had said.
“You’ll never get anywhere with an attitude like that, Gahbreal. You should-”
“あなたの意見を聞いた覚えはありません、ノクスティーナ.”
(I don't recall asking your opinion, Nokstina.)
“Of course. I apologize, Gahbreal.”
“...Sorry, I shouldn’t let my temper get the better of me,” the woman found herself amply surprised when feeling his arms wrap around her. A part of her felt he would surely snap her in half, but she was pleasantly surprised to find it being nothing more than a hug. “It’s good to see you again.”
“I... uh... likewise.” Her response was staggered as she eventually chose to return the embrace. “You’re a bit more relaxed than normal. Almost like mother.”
“Please don’t compare me to auntie Kikara.”
“I had a feeling you were here,” the woman’s voice overshadowed everything around them as Gahbreal’s eyes turned to meet her. “You’re the only person to this day who can agitate your cousin enough have her raise her voice. Then again you two have always had a problem keeping quiet when around one another.”
This would be the end of his reunion with his cousin and the start of his true reason for coming here. He released her just as she did him, both turning to the woman who took carefully silent steps down the stairs. It wasn’t that she was stronger or more capable by any means, but there was a reason for him to respect her that caused them both to lower their heads into a bow no one else would ever receive from him. The weight of her presence was always something he enjoyed, but that was only due to how it did not really matter to him. His cousin, on the other hand, always seemed nervous when around her.
“帰ってきましたよ、おばあちゃん.”
(I have returned, grandmother.”)
“全ての儀式は必要ありません。あなたは何のためにここにいるの？理由がなければあなたが現れないことはわかっています.”
(No need for all the ceremony. What are you here for? I know you wouldn't show up without a reason.)
“質問がありますので、あなたなら答えられると思います。私はあなたを大いに尊敬していますが、虚偽の情報は容認しません。誰もが私が求めているものを古代人が与えてくれるのを待つべきだと信じているようです...私にはこれ以上待つ忍耐力がないと思います.”
(I have questions which I believe you can answer. While I hold a great deal of respect for you, I won't be tolerating false information. Everyone seems to believe I should wait for the Ancient to give me what I seek... I do not believe I have the patience to wait around any longer.)
“Hmm... come. We will discuss things in private,” Kaya said before turning to Nokstina. “Go and inform your mothers of your cousin’s arrival. I’m certain they would like to say hello.”
“Yes, grandmother,” the woman spoke before vanishing into darkness itself.
“Now then, with her prying ears out of the way we may speak freely. Believe it or not, it has only grown more difficult to keep secrets away from her. It’s almost as if she hears even what cannot be heard within these walls. That should keep her busy for the next half hour.”
The two ascended the stairs until reaching that familiar long hallway he could never forget. The normal guards who would stand outside were in their normal positions and everything still looked the exact same. They did not speak or share any words the entire way, only stopping when reaching the door to his grandmother’s office which was quickly opened by the two who stood just outside of the door. They both entered, but Kaya turned before the doors were shut to give a single order.
“Clear out the building. This conversation is to be kept strictly private. Now go,” an order which they all bowed their heads to before the doors shut between them. “Well then, what is it that you want to know?”
“It involves the first of our line, Kana Dimea.”
“Grandmother? Interesting, I don’t recall you ever having any interest in her.”
“That wasn’t until I learned she was a student of Lilith’s... right beside Arc’l. I’ve heard many things surrounding them, but there are things which don’t add up. Particularly involving Lilith and why she would even care to take them in as pupils. I know very little about Arc’l and everyone tends to keep that information from me, especially Xainayne. But with Lilith it always seems like it's either Xainayne describing her as passive and kind, or a claimant making her out to be a warlord and harbinger of vile acts.”
“And you’d like me to differentiate the two for you?”
“Not only that, but also explain who Arc’l was. He is my previous life. All I know is that he was a capable individual, but other than that there is no other information. All I’ve gained from him is his combat knowledge. I don’t even know much about who he was.”
“Hmph, well what exactly would you like to know?”
“I’d like to know why there are two sides to Lilith like this, and who exactly Arc’l was. I at least deserve those answers.”
Kaya looked at him for a moment as if sizing him up. Checking for gaps in his steadfast gaze but finding none as always. This wasn’t the type of information that could just be shared around to anyone, and Xainayne would most likely be unpleased to learn that she gave it to him to begin with, but wouldn’t that very reason alone be enough for her to comply? Besides, just like Kana, Kaya hated Xainayne with no chance for change in resolution.
“Fine. Those are both things I can answer, but the source of that information isn’t to leave this room. I’ll be speaking quickly so we can finish this up before your cousin returns, so listen closely.”
The day was calm, the air more subtle and cool than it normally was. Days like these would often make her think of her home back in the northeast, but now she was content with her thoughts remaining on where she was now. Her actions went unhindered, often wildly so, mainly due to how they rarely ever affected anyone. It was only when she preyed on claimants that it became a problem for others who shared the same house. Of course, the aikekunai did not care so long as she did not indulge herself in toying with those they cared for. Even so, it had been a long while since she had even done anything.
“Lilith.” The voice caught her attention from ahead. None other than Baramecht approaching from the tree line.
'Since when did he get out there? Since when was I outside? If I recall I was sitting inside, waiting for him to prepare a meal. He has become so good at working his blood into meals, but I do enjoy it directly from the source more than anything else.'
“Lilith,” she could hear the voice at the same tempo, the same distance, the same rhythm. “Lilith, you have to get up.”
‘What?’
She looked at him and things felt... odd. He looked as if he were moving in her direction, but the gap between them seemed to remain unclosed. Her eyes squinted, but they couldn’t seem to focus. This didn’t feel right, like anything else she had ever experienced, but it was so substantially calm compared to what she knew. It felt almost as if she were floating on air, the colors around them more vibrant than they normally were, the taste of the air flowing with nature around them far more distinct. The abnormality of serenity drove her senses wild and drew a smile to her face.
‘So, this is a dream? He often explained to me what they were, but I did not experience them until now. I do not sleep. It is beyond me, but perhaps with me dreaming as I am now that means I am growing ever so slightly closer to him...’
“Lilith.”
‘Queen of the Demons, my red eyed kindred. Am I not seen as the most violent and vile of claimants? My record of deeds enough to tarnish even the purest soul? I do not understand feelings or emotions like others do, but I understand desires. The desire to take, the desire to have, the desire to want everything within your reach. O how low I would dive for my desires.’
“Lilith. Look at me.”
‘I have slain both mothers and fathers, their children even, their souls all tabs on my list to the void. I do not smile because I am happy, nor frown because I am angry, nor do I cry when upset. My everything acts in accordance with my desires. It is why Xainayne and Baramecht both believe others do not understand. No one, except for you... but perhaps I've been wrong this entire time...’
“Lilith, please.”
‘Just let me dream for a bit longer, dear. My soul feels so much lighter here. The taste of blood does not foul my mouth, my eyes do not cause all creatures to flee... I wonder if while I am here then everyone would forgive me for taking their friends and family as I have?’
“Lilith...”
‘I wonder, perhaps, if all the claimants who have tasted my blood are free here? Perhaps I could start over? Just you and me? And of course, this small desire of mine.’
A small chuckle escaped her lips, as if the first in a long while. For a moment her eyes softened as she looked down where her hand rested on her stomach, a smile gracing her features as the wind sang a solemn melody in her ears. Peace did not seem bad. For a moment, her desires all focused on a single point within the entirety of the universe. That desire she had no intention of meeting until she allowed herself to falter for the first time.
“Don’t worry, Lilith... I will wake you...”
‘They will need a name like their father's. Abstract, but with proper depth and balance. A name fitting for a small warrior of Xainayne’s house. We shall name her-’
Baramecht gritted his teeth, straining as hard as he could while drawing the sword from Lilith’s skull. There was so much blood, almost like a never-ending fountain of it pouring from the wound. Thick blood, so red it was almost pink, glowing with an otherworldly vibrancy, the same blood he had seen the first day he met her. It splattered all over his face, into his mouth, on his clothes and skin, but it wasn’t enough to make him stop pulling until the weapon was dislodged from her body. It was almost immediately when the weapon was drawn out that she gasped as if regaining life.
Her eyes seemed to shake about wildly before focusing directly on the ceiling above. She did not understand what was happening. Was she not just dreaming? Or perhaps it was some sort of ruse? There was... shock... but the source was unknown. Her legs and arms were all attached, she could feel them all still in place, but they refused to adhere to her commands. The very moment she could feel her fingers and toes shift even slightly was the moment she attempted to lift herself up from her lying down position.
“Wait!” Baramecht stopped her, forcing her to lie back down. “Listen to me Lilith!”
“Baramecht? What has happened?”
“Don’t move, don’t speak, just listen... my time is slipping away. Just give me a moment to speak.”
Lilith was confused even more, wondering what he could be talking about before finally looking in his direction. Giving him the attention he deserved, only to find both of his legs severed. One at the calf and one at the thigh, while his entire left arm was completely gone.
“What is going on?”
“Listen to me Lilith!” It was odd, hearing him yell with so much desperation. He had been faced with wild animals, things a human could not hope to survive and remained more composed. “Don’t look at anything but me, okay?”
“Okay. Speak.”
“I’m retracting our promise.”
“Wha-”
“There is no point to it now, and I very well can’t allow you to starve... I’m not living through this; I don’t have the strength left to keep clinging to life past helping you... but I want to replace our previous promise with another.”
“A new promise?” she spoke as if his words did not yet seem real.
“Yes, please, for both of us,” he said as he placed his bloodied hand atop her own. “You will not know how to feel, but I want you to feel angry. I want you to feel rage. I want you to let your emotions run wild but target them towards anyone who would ever do something like this again. I want you to feel everything I can feel so that you can make it all a reality.”
“Your promise is for me to make the promise a reality? I do not-”
“Lilith... please,” his breaths becoming more staggered and strained. “That was not my promise, but a predatory request... my real promise is for you to fulfil my last desire...”
The words sparked something in her mind. Calling it his last desire and yet she did not even know he had a first. The man had only ever spoke and worked towards need. He wasn’t materialistic at all and often chided her for her vast scale of desires that seemed to surpass any proper limit.
“Tell me your desire, my soul.”
“I want you to get revenge... I want you to make certain that the ones who did this are punished in the worst possible way... I want you to... to seek out your desires and meet them all, but at the same time make sure no one ever must suffer like this again... please.”
Lilith did not know what to think. She knew it would be something serious, but this was far beyond what she had thought. It was almost as if he were speaking like her. No... it was worse. Had he been driven so deep into a corner in this moment? Was he this spiteful towards the person who would cause his death? It didn’t make any sense for him to act this way, but when he could no longer hold himself up and fell forward onto the woman, she realized the desperation which hid behind it all.
“Baramecht.”
“I know I'm speaking out of anger! I was too weak... to protect you... to protect her. But I will not have you held back because of me! So please... be yourself. Don't change for me or anyone else, but feel. Nothing is wrong with you. It’s everyone else... they don’t get it...” She could feel his hand tighten around her own, carrying it slowly to her stomach where it rested softly. “They’ll never understand...”
“I... I don’t understand this. Baramecht?! What happened?!”
“Feel it all... you’ll need that emotion, that anger, that same rage I feel. It will guide you correctly,” he before goin into what seemed like a daze. It was impossible to focus, but he still spoke the words which barely clung to his mind. “Can you do it? I want you to kill me.”
“Me? I couldn't. I-”
“Please... I can’t bear the thought of at least not being yours for one last time...”
She looked at him for a moment. His eyes did not even look at her as he lay gazing off into who knows where. Perhaps he could see something she could not, but that did not matter. There was a bit of hesitation, but her teeth did drive themselves into his neck in those last moments. Her eyes closed tightly as she tasted that familiar taste. She could just barely see him smile, but it was suddenly difficult and blurry. He seemed so pleased, but would that make what she was feeling the opposite? She did not know.
“Ah, yes... this cold sensation enveloped by a goddess' warmth... I’ve missed it... don’t worry, you won’t have to wander alone for long... Your papa is coming... to find you in... Elysian...”
…Lilith lifted herself up to her feet with Baramecht in tow, placing the lifeless remnants of his corpse onto the bed they once shared. Her steps as she exited the building like echoes of disaster, barely capable of rising from the earth below her feet. She stopped once she found herself standing in sunlight, her mind racing with thoughts that did not seem to fit, or at least she believed that to be the case. However, it was all outweighed by the emotions she now allowed to wash over her like a red tide of blood as her fingers gripped into her stomach, fingers digging into her flesh as if to confirm what she already knew. It couldn't be doubted. What she had given so much focus, so much attention, so much love even when she did not truly understand what it meant to love...
“THERE’S NOTHING THERE...”
She wanted to scream, to cry out, but all she managed was raising her foot from the ground below, slamming it back down with as much force as she could find in her body. The trees shook, the ground shaking as the building she may have once called a home tilted and crumbled, the earth cracking and shattering beneath her before settling once again into a mess of land. He told her to feel, but O did she hate this feeling. The way her teeth strained, the headache which filled her mind, the heat which seemed to boil up from within the depths of her soul, but most importantly was the inability to clear her eyes of tears. It was like a curse.
Her body melted into a thick black, a mist which seemed to stain the very air itself before quickly rising to the clouds and moving through the air without faltering. It did not take long, no matter the distance, to reach her destination. The place she called her palace, her home, the unnamed manor which acted as both a castle fit for a queen as well as a haven for her desires to be piled up and collected like treasure. Seemingly covered in darkness even during the light of day. Upon reaching the building she returned to her normal form, feet hitting the ground as she approached the door only to hear the faint growl of a familiar creature. However, the act of defiance quickly became that of a fearful whimper.
“Remain silent or I will eradicate your entirety,” the words escaped her lips in a growl as she swung the doors open. “Call on Kana! I need to see her immediately!”
The claimants and humans alike who roamed the halls were now sparse, but they still jumped at the sound of her voice. Some were filled with shock from the sudden arrival, others filled with terror at the sight of her person. They did not know what had caused her to become like this, but they certainly knew that now was not the time to dare step out of line in the very slightest. She did not stop, knowing exactly where she was headed, door through door until reaching a large room located in the west wing of the manor. It was there she floated across the room with her hand wrapping around the neck of a certain individual.
“L-lady Lilith?!” his voice staggered in panic.
“Where are they! All of them! Your house’s armies, their hideaways, every single one!”
“I can’t tell you something like that, I’d be killed!”
“Then allow me to enlighten you,” the words like liquid magma as she tossed him against the nearest wall. He couldn’t even gain his bearings before she flashed to his position and pushed him through the walls of several rooms he could not register as screams echoed the halls. “You will speak, or you will die a death more dreadful than that of the most egregious form of torture ever imagined!”
"I-I can’t! This choice ends with my death either way! Y-you’re asking me for too much!”
“Lady Lilith?” Kana’s voice alerted the woman to her arrival. “What is going on here?”
“I did not give you permission to speak!” Her voice made Kana’s stomach turn, the claimant’s spine telling her to flee and yet she knew that was a terrible idea. “This rat will not tell me the current location of active forces for his house. I will break every single bone in his body until he chooses to oblige me those details!”
“Lady Lilith, if I may?”
“My patience is running thin with you, little raven!”
“I know the location of their only current active force, although they aren’t currently doing anything! What reason would you have to find them? Not to mention, because of their leaders, they are currently in a territory you should not-”
“Speak of anything but their location any further and I will have one of your arms and eyes.”
“...Gibraltar, just north of the border of Spain and Morocco. Surely you don’t plan to-”
“Go and get one expendable, and both of you meet me there. This stays strictly between us and is not to be told to Xainayne. If you cannot follow that simple order, then I will destroy you with my own hands.”
Kana could only watch as Lilith snapped the neck of the claimant in her grasp, tossing them to the floor like garbage before grabbing them by the leg and dragging them back to the entrance of the building. Kana followed behind as if expecting to receive additional orders, but as she watched the aikekunai toss the body to the pitch-dark large cat which sat just outside of the main entrance she flinched slightly the moment it began to tear through bone and flesh as if this were custom. Lilith looked as if, for a moment, she had found some form of calm. But when Kana could see her body begin to shake, her fists clenching as if attempting to crush any hope of peace she had left, it was clear that this would not be settled without some form of conflict.
“Lady Lilith,” Kana began as she lowered herself down to a single knee for the first time. “What will you have me do upon returning to you?”
“What? Is that not obvious?” Lilith’s eyes seemed almost crazed, as if losing more sanity with each passing second as they locked onto Kana and drew her attention away from anything else. “I will have what I desire. I will have my revenge! And if anyone chooses to stand in my way, then I will have war! You will be my general, and the expendable my knight to die if need be!”
“I understand... I will do as you ask.”
“Good. Do not fail me, Kana. Your life depends on it.”
Kana watched as the woman shifted into a cloud of darkness, rising into the air before darting across the sky like a dark plague. In her mind she knew this was all a terrible idea, she knew that this would no doubt lead to some form of disaster, but there was a part of her which was not willing to betray this woman who held so much of her respect. She would not have called it loyalty before now, but it seemed that was the only word which could properly describe it. And so, she disappeared into darkness itself, an action which would set into motion a series of events which would craft a wolf among her claimants. A demon crafted by her queen. A descendant tested in blood and gifted everything his progenitor desired.
“Do you all see that?” The claimant’s voice alerted the others.
“What? You've been acting paranoid all day. If you keep acting like this, I’ll start thinking you’ve been hanging around that hound too much.”
“We’re only here because of the King’s consort. Nothing is going to happen, or no one would be stupid enough to try anything,” another responded with a hardy laugh.
“Am I truly the only person who sees that?!”
“Novevu’s grace, if it will shut you up. What could possibly... be so... by the void.”
They began to turn in tandem, gasps and discourse growing amongst their ranks as they aimed their eyes toward the sky which had steadily become blanketed with a darkness which stretched over them in contrast to the sunlight which now was incapable of reaching the ground they stood upon. It was like being caught in the eyes of a storm, but that storm crafting a shadow which converged on a single point before crashing to the ground like a meteorite, spreading the darkness across the earth at their feet like a benevolent miasma. It swirled about, swarming around them before centering itself onto a single position where she finally took form for all to see.
“Is that who I think it is?”
“There’s no doubt about it. The real question is what’ is she doing here?” The claimant cleared his throat before stepping forward. “Lady... pardon... Queen Lilith, might I ask what you are doing here?”
She did not respond, her eyes glossing over every single individual as if peeling off their skin and searching their very bones. They could taste it in the air, the malice, the bloodlust, the frenzy. A thick madness which seemed to deprive the weak willed of oxygen. She did not seem damaged at all, but her dress of white satin with silken accents and embroidery was covered in blood. Splatters of bright red blood around her neck and speckling her chest and hair, a thick coating of it covering her stomach and the lower half of her dress. One thing was certain, above all else, she did not look pleased at all.
“Queen Lilith?”
“They know who they are, rats hiding away in the void! Have them brought to me or I shall grant you all a fate worse than death!”
“Is she serious?”
“What is she even talking about?”
“I will not state it again!” Her voice was far more aggressive than before, her patience steadily slipping away with each passing moment.
“Lady Lilith,” one of the claimants spoke up. “We don’t understand. Who exactly are you looking for?”
“Who? As if you do not all know! Deceivers, liars, cheaters, thieves, wanting to take everything away from me! I have seen it, experienced your blades! Your desire to do as you please! The wound remains, I feel it yet seething! You will step forward!”
“Lady Lilith, please calm down!”
“I have been calm enough granted the situation at hand! By all means, grace be given unto the void! The cowards hiding amongst you have sealed your fates to its clutches!”
There wasn’t much time to second guess or act, dregs of fear rising from the pits of all their souls as Lilith lifted her left hand to her side. The ground did not shake, nor did it shift in any way, but the earth seemed to seethe with a heat that only managed to grow in ferocity with each passing moment. The aikekunai of darkness, Dimea incarnate who never once chose to wield their weapon, now called upon it for them? The earth beneath their feet steaming as if preparing to erupt into a violent volcano... that is, until her left arm was severed and fell to the ground.
Lilith looked down at it for a moment. The cut was clean, precise, lacking in even the slightest mistake. It wasn’t that she did not appreciate the work itself, but rather that it was unexpectedly quick of a response. The ground beneath their feet cooled and her arm writhed for a moment before calming into its everlasting slumber having been separated from her person. It only caused her frown to deepen, and a growl slipped from her throat.
“I must admit, you have not lost your knack for swordsmanship.”
“What are you doing here, Lilith? Do you not realize what you’re doing?” His voice could only be described as one which held the full capability to command others.
“Of course, I would not be here if I did not know what I was doing. I expected you to show up, but this is much sooner than I anticipated! Word truly travels fast.”
“I’m going to have to request that you stand down. We have no reason to fight one another. Are we not allies?”
“No reason? Allies?!” She turned and looked him directly in the eyes, and act neither of them were capable of resisting given the circumstances. It had been so long since they had met face to face, but of course this would be the situation calling for it. “This does not concern you, Arthur. Leave this place!”
“This is my territory, and these claimants are my guests here. This absolutely concerns me and requires my attention.”
“Perhaps the title of king has gone to your head,” the words alone soured the air between them. “Kana! I know you are there, so stop hiding!”
The woman emerged from her shadow as if stepping out of a pool of water, stepping to her side before lowering her head. She did not expect it, but the woman’s mood had managed to become even worse than before. She had never seen a single lapse in Lilith’s personality, her mood, anything. All she could focus on now were the eyes which cried out in every way imaginable. She looked both freed and yet shackled at the same time. It was impossible to see her without seeing the features of her normally calm and casual face marred with disdain and torture.
“What do you require of me Lady Li-”
“You and the expendable. Kill them. Do not let a single soul persist. That is my order.”
“Expendable...” His voice, so calm and yet so hurt. It echoed from within metal as he lowered himself to his knees at her side. Lilith was partially perplexed. It wasn’t that he was difficult to notice, rather that he showed so little hostility that his presence didn’t even matter until that very moment. “The fate of shadows is wretched indeed.”
“Don’t take it personally, it’s simply what you are,” Kana responded. “Lady Lilith, are you certain? You want to start a war right now? Against these two houses? Xainayne will not approve, we will be all on our own-”
“What does it matter?” His words lacked any form of defiance as he stood to his feet.
“Excuse me? Do you not understand the situation?”
“I understand plainly, Kana. I understood from the moment I was born. It is you who doesn’t understand, so spare me your feelings on the matter. Me being here is reason enough to know our situation. We fight, we die.”
He plunged the blade of his sword into the ground, the shadows beneath everyone's feet shifting and stirring before closing in on his position. There was a split second which Lilith chose to look at him directly, and it was in that fraction of a moment she saw something uncanny. Underneath the black helmet, hidden behind the visor which shielded his eyes, rested a red she felt could not be ignored.
“What is your name, claimant?” Her question was simple yet direct as she turned her attention back to Arthur.
“You honor me to even ask. I am Arc’l Dimea.”
“Arc’l? The one who can only manipulate shadows?” She started before a smile spread across her face; teeth stained with blood. “Feel honored, Arc’l. Today you will fight as one of my warriors.”
“Lilith,” Arthur started. “I won’t be saying it again. Stand down and have your subordinates do the same!”
“You know me too well to know I will not do as you desire! I came here for a reason, and you have chosen to stand in my path. Your hands are just as sullied as the ones I search for, as these claimants who would refrain from giving me what I desire! Be they Desdon or Mucmoi, their lives will not be spared when standing between me and my desires!”
“No one can help you when you refuse to say what you want! You plan to punish a multitude for the actions of few? What right do you have?”
“Right? What do you know of righteousness?!” her words shook the very foundation beneath them, the clouds above their heads swirling as flashes of white echoed from within them. “They know what they have done, and I do not very much care for the reason. They should have never run to begin with. Now I will have everything they stand for suffer until they bring themself forward!”
“This goes too far, even for you Lilith,” Arthur said as he raised his sword. "Don't make me fight you."
“Indeed, but I am not the same as I once was. Just as you are not the same,” she spoke as her right hand rose to her side with the palm facing towards the sky. “Did you forget? I have two weapons, little king, both bound to separate hands. If you were as ruthless as I had hoped, then you would have remembered which hand was more dangerous.”
All the nearby claimants could do nothing but spectate as the storm clouds surged and roared. What was once lightning flashing like an obscure sun within those clouds had now changed, as if willed to be something different by her own hands. Red now coursing throughout the sky as crimson electricity tore through the air like cuts in the very atmosphere itself. Building, growing wilder, until finally striking down on her position as if attacking the woman herself.
Excalibur, a weapon fit for a venerable and merciful king. It was a weapon which served as both a symbol of power for claimants and an artifact of justice and heroism for humans. A weapon which could be wielded with pride by its owner... and yet, even as it shined so brightly under the circumstances, there was terror all around. The lighting almost looked as if it were trying to tear Lilith apart. A weapon holding an immense amount of electrical power so vast that the top layer of her skin could be seen turning to dust and revealing the red layers beneath before everyone’s eyes, and yet she still held onto it. The lightning mixing with her blood to form a hellish torrent of electricity which coursed across her whole body. It was too much for anyone who wasn’t one of Chaemai’s own to bear. That is, unless they could out heal the damage.
She raised the weapon across her chest, holding it just shy of her opposite cheek as it hummed and sang hymns of power. A weapon of defiance requested if only to spite both the houses of nature and electricity. A reminder that no stroke of the two would be so capable as to kill her when she did not desire death by them. Ukonvasara. The lesser of her two weapons.
“Come on, Lilith. You must work with me here. This isn’t a fight you can win in your current condition! You’re clearly not in the right state of mind!”
“You’ll never understand,” Arthur had to make sure he wasn’t hearing things incorrectly. This was the first time he had ever heard her speak in such an improper manner. “None of you. You’ll never get it. That’s why I’ll tear it all apart, piece by piece, until I find them!”
“Lilith, just talk to me! You know I’m not your enemy! None of us are your enemies!”
“I’m done talking! I’m sick of all the useless fucking talk! If your houses are willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of one handful of claimants, then I can’t be bothered! I’ll go as far as I must until they are found and made to suffer! Day by day, war by war, I won't ever stop! Not until I craft an entire kingdom from the congealed blood of my enemies!”
“Lady Lilith...”
“You need to calm down! This is not like you!”
“Lady Lilith.”
“And what do you know about me?!”
“Lilith!”
There was hardly any time to register the speed at which the woman turned her gaze in Kana’s direction, her eyes meeting her almost faster than her head could turn. All her senses screaming, crying out for action and yet the mistake had already been made. All that mattered now was getting her to realize what had been noticed by everyone except for her. It was clear that the aikekunai was not focused at all, off balance in a multitude of ways, which was exactly the reason she did nothing outside of pointing in the direction opposite Arthur, towards the claimants who stood at her back and the one who now stood before them.
“Threatening my Arthur? Honestly, I didn’t think you the type to throw a temper tantrum.” The familiarity of Warren’s voice made her sick. As if they were friends, but it had always been for Arthur’s sake she did not attempt to peel her face off.
“Don’t make me drag your corpse across every realm like a discarded doll.”
“And here I thought you’d be pleased with my gift. Aren’t these the ones you were looking for?” Lilith did not even care to acknowledge her words until she continued. “When the situation was brought forward, they chose to willingly turn themselves over to you. These are, in fact, the claimants you came here for. Although they would not elaborate on why that is.”
“Is that right,” she started as she finally turned to see them. Gender did not matter; features did not matter. All she saw now were three errant souls which did not have long to live... save for a certain one. “Which one came up with your plot?”
Only one of them stepped forward. That was more than enough for her to act, but not as anyone expected. Lilith proceeded forward, dropping her weapon to the ground as her steps carried her to her goal. The expected death was close at hand in the minds of everyone around, but to their surprise she passed by the one who presented themself as the one who orchestrated the plan itself. All everyone knew about Lilith, if they managed to know nothing else, is that she was violent beyond violent. That certainly stood to this very day. It was for that reason that, while the target was unexpected, no one flinched as she plunged her hand into the throat of her first victim.
It was almost mesmerizing to see the way she ripped them apart, how easily a claimant’s body can be made into a pile of gore when faced with the overwhelming comparison of an aikekunai. A chest ripped open, ribs pulled out, every vital part concealed within crushed and cast aside so that they might suffer in unimaginable pain for their final moments. The next watched as she approached, placing her bloodied hand on their chin as if caressing them gently, seducing them into some uncannily false state of security as they smeared the blood over their lips, all before ripping their bottom jaw clean off. The now severed appendage was then thrown with enough forced to be lodged directly into their chest where her hand soon followed before lifting them off their feet and throwing them with the other suffering claimant.
“You take lives so callously, so what say you now? Does death fit your house so well? I, Lilith, the one who defies everything simply by existing, was it the proper choice to make an enemy of me?!” The words filled their ears as she reached out her hand and the war hammer bolted to her grasp before she placed her foot atop the two who barely grasped at life. “Well then, Desdon filth, let us see if you can defy your own element to the same degree in which I defy everything!”
The hammer sparked and rattled with energies unnatural to the world, the sky becoming shades of black which no one knew existed before sparks of scarlet and rose struck down on her position in a beam of bloodred light. It was madness, the claimants beneath her steady heel being disintegrated and turned to dust while her own body looked to barely be capable of keeping up. It wasn’t until the torrent of lightning ceased that her body could be seen regenerating from the very brink of destruction, flesh forming on bone, skin on flesh... all but that severed left arm. Yet even with all of that she did not look pleased.
“Well, what an overly extreme display,” Warren’s words made Arthur’s mind spark with the immediate need to react. “All of this, and for what? Because they stained your favorite dress?”
“Warren!”
Arthur’s words made her focus, but it was that same focus which gave insight to the absolute helplessness a situation like this could drag forth. Warren was one of the exceptions which knew Lilith better than most others, but it was that same comforting familiarity which made her lack the expectation that she’d be willing to make an immediate attempt on her life. However, she wasn’t going to just let that be that and stand there while being attacked, no matter what the reason was. Lilith was always a pain to deal with in her opinion, someone who did as they pleased without care for the consequences. It was a common conclusion, or perhaps a misconception, which everyone seemed to relate to her. However, it was exactly that reason which made Warren more than willing to fight.
Thus, a situation was now at hand. Unprecedented, undesired, unneeded in any way. Lilith prepared to kill Warren, Arthur prepared to kill Lilith, both Kana and Arc’l prepared to jump to the defense while the surrounding claimants were all ready to jump to the aid of their aikekunai. How quickly war could start, how suddenly a conclusion could become a disaster. And yet, throughout all of that, none of them were what caused Lilith to stop short. Her eyes grew wide, heel forcing itself to the ground to slow her momentum as she twisted her body upward to shift the trajectory of her attack. Of all the things to stand in her way...
“Zaya!” Her voice in panic as her hammer went flying off into the distance and her balance was completely thrown off. Falling to the dirt being a more reasonable choice in the moment in comparison to attacking her, but now she was left lying on the ground, filthy, as if broken entirely.
“Move damnit!” Warren called out as she pushed Zaya aside to attack, but that was also when all light seemed to vanish entirely from the world itself.
Red eyes darted through the sudden darkness and yet they could not manage the slightest bit of caution. How things had become so grave so quickly, it was not Kana's style to be involved in this type of mess. However, as light returned to everyone’s senses, she could now be seen struggling to even hold a defense against Warren’s weapon bearing down on her.
“Arc’l!”
In his mind he was useless, just as many saw him. A darkness claimant who couldn't even command darkness, more than enough of a reason to never use his abilities in combat, but even hearing one of his fellow claimants call out to him for aid was enough to incite action. The shadow beneath his feet bubbling and surging as he rushed to intercept Warren who stepped back briefly when colorless hands began to reach out from that subtle darkness in her direction as if wanting to drag her in.
“I will act as a wall, prepare to fight.”
“We must move lady Lilith!” Kana started in a panic as she regained her bearings. “This place is no longer safe!”
“There is no retreat, we fight, or we die! Neither of us can move her and we can’t rely on Xainayne either! They all die, here and now, even if we die in the process! Put your soul on the line!”
“Silence!” Lilith’s voice cut through their chatter. “You will cease your actions and stow your weapons, now. This is no situation to fight in.”
“...Of course, lady Lilith,” Arc’l spoke as the arms reaching out from the shadows retreated from where they had come, the source never truly revealing itself.
“As obedient as ever,” Kana said as she placed her own weapon back into its scabbard.
“Now then,” Lilith started as she looked at Zaya who had, despite all that was going on, managed to weasel her way back to her position. Clinging to her for dear life. “Zaya, what are you doing?”
“I came along to see what was happening when I heard you were preparing to fight. Something told me that couldn’t be right, so I had to see for myself what the cause for this situation was.”
“You came here for that?” It was wildly indifferent to the way Warren carried herself, a chuckle escaping the aikekunai’s lips as she rose to her feet. “This place is obscenely dangerous. You almost made me break a promise... or perhaps an old promise. Why would you put yourself in harm's way to this degree?”
Zaya was comfortable enough around her to make both Arc’l and Kana sick to their stomachs. All these actions that would have normally ended up having them flayed alive were things which Zaya, mercifully, could do without so much as a glare. Arthur was also unreasonably calm in his approach, almost as if he knew Lilith wouldn’t do anything to the woman. However, that did not erase the anger from his face regarding the attempt she had made on Warren’s life.
“You have some nerve, Lilith. Do you realize what you could have done?!”
“Please, spare me the yelling. It would be their faults for getting in my way.”
“This is no a joke, Lilith!” He started as he grabbed her by the collar and lifted her off her feet. “Your actions here today go far beyond what is acceptable, regardless of the reason!”
“You’re being genuinely rude,” Zaya’s words tugged on Arthur’s attention.
“Me? She almost killed you! Tried to kill Warren! Was prepared to incite a war all on her own for reasons she refuses to elaborate! The lives which could have been lost because of what she did here today is uncannily high and you would call me rude?"”
“Do you expect her to act in a sensible manner like this? Look at her. Truly look at her.”
Perhaps it was the way she had said it or Lilith’s lack of response, but Kana was quick to realize it soon after just as everyone else did. From the start she was entirely focused on the woman’s requests and her expression. It was difficult for anyone to do anything outside of focusing on where her eyes were looking in hopes that they weren’t resting on them, the red orbs almost always giving away her intentions and targets. It would be difficult for anyone around to not pay extreme attention to who she chose as a direct target for her special form of violence. But Zaya, of all people, was the only human among them. She was not focused on the fight at all as everyone else was and, of course, the first to notice the unhealed gash going directly through her stomach. Seeping blood which did not seem to stop flowing as did her severed arm.
“Stop talking Zaya,” Lilith said with a stern voice. The manner in which her expression changed enough to make even Warren cautious.
“You’ve been ignoring it, haven’t you? But it’s fine to feel sad. Aren’t we all your friends?” Zaya pulled Arthur’s hand down until Lilith was back on her feet, lifting her hands up to Lilith's shoulders where she would allow them to rest. “Just take things slowly and explain it to us. Aren’t we all your friends? We can see what happened, everyone who knew can see it now.”
“You’re so stupid,” Lilith said as she wrapped her arm around Zaya and held her close. “All you humans are so strange, but it’s a strange I enjoy. He was angry, said things he didn’t truly mean, but I still made a promise, nonetheless. That promise is the replacement for my everything.”
“Talk to us Lilith, we can help if you allow us.”
“She’s right,” Kana said as she lowered her head. “I believe it would be a good choice.”
“I did not think you were so kindhearted, Kana.” Lilith started with a frown.
“I’m nowhere near as sympathetic, that much is true, but your well-being is a priority of mine. May I speak plainly?” Kana watched as Lilith’s eyes seemed to swirl with a gale of disapproval. But, to her surprise, she relented.
“Go on, speak your mind.”
“Thank you, lady Lilith... in all honesty, you’ve been acting hastily. You aren’t accustomed to such strong feelings, and you clearly let them run wild. This situation was uncalled for and could have been solved without conflict if you’d have just requested aid from your allies.”
“That was not my promise.”
“Your promise?” Warren spoke as she watched the woman released Zaya and begin her careful steps toward the last remaining of her marks.
“I thought about it. It has been squirming within my mind for a while now, how I could make this filth pay for what he has done... I do not regret the choices I have made here today, because my desires are more important than reason. I will temper this rage in blood and gore, sully every corner of the realms with my hands in a way that no one can deny. I thought about how I could make it happen and came to a rather sublime conclusion.”
“What are you talking about, Lilith?” Arthur started as his expression became more serious. “You know I can’t allow you to go too far.”
“Is that so? What if I say I will become the arbiter of all claimants,” she began as she wrapped her hand around the claimant’s neck and lifted him into the air. “I will seek out every single claimant who dares to step out of line by even the slightest margin. I will take their bodies and subject them to torture far beyond what this world is capable of imagining. Baramecht once told me of a human belief, of a place so detestable to all humans that no one wishes to reside there nor spend their eternity there after death... and I will craft it upon the very earth.”
“What is this lunatic talking about?” Warren asked Arthur, but Zaya was the one who responded with a proper terror.
“Hell. She means to create Hell.”
“Correct,” Lilith responded with a crazed grin. “For every sin, every act of opposition towards righteousness and justice, I will drag their kicking body to hell and subject them to everlasting torment for the rest of their days. No, not even just claimants. Even humans who go too far can meet their fates in my home, my manor, my Hell on Earth.”
“That’s madness,” the claimant spoke in her grasp. “No one would let you get away with that!”
“Really? You think so? Because I believe that you, my unnamed claimant, should feel honored. An ornament destined to hang in my halls for the rest of your days, watching as I subject hundreds, upon thousands, upon millions of humans and claimants alike to the pit I plan to craft beneath my very feet. A section for each sin, a section for each deed, a layer for everyone’s personal hell. With a cause so just who would rightfully stand against it? And for a method so detestable, who would dare walk hand in hand?”
“Lilith, I don’t think you should-”
“Do not try to stop me, Arthur. I will admit that today was my loss. I was hasty and acting on impulse, but now I will be acting on my desires. And you of all claimants should know what happens to those who get in the way of my desires... you were correct. I was in the wrong today, but starting from this point forward I will not allow outside interference. I will be both the judge and executioner with no need for jury. The actions of the accused will decide their fates.”
Arc’l sighed, offering Arthur, Warren and Zaya their own personal bows before closing the distance between himself and Lilith. Kana did not move from her position and instead chose to just watch as the aikekunai dug her teeth into the claimant’s neck. From what she had heard the woman only ever devoured humans, but perhaps it was all her years with Baramecht which taught her the meaning of holding back even slightly. She did not kill him, did not drain him of all his life, but certainly left him too weak to resist or do more than barely cling to life. However, it was then that she watched the woman’s arm and stomach finally heal completely. If anyone was going to attempt killing her easily, that time was officially over.
She dropped the claimant to the ground where he struggled to lift himself before falling back to the dirt. Lilith licked her lips before spitting on the ground with a look of disgust, finishing things off with a simple yet dire gesture. She lifted her hand to her mouth, teeth digging into her own wrist where she would tear out a chunk of her own flesh. The blood poured out seemingly in an endless manner where she allowed it to fall all over the claimant’s face, into his mouth and eyes, his nose, flooding his senses entirely. It was with this action, and as the wound healed soon after, that her lips curled into a smile.
“Congratulations, my dear sinner. You now belong to me. An item, or as I said, a decoration.”
“As if I’d ever be yours.”
“How adorable of you. Perhaps you have misread the situation you are in,” she raised her hand to which the war hammer lying a distance away immediately met her grip and surged her body with enough electricity to kill any normal person. “The weak do not get to choose. Only the most powerful of our kind decide the fates of fodder like yourself. And you, little claimant, have been laid low indefinitely... now then, Arc’l and Kana.”
“Yes?” Arc’l spoke as Kana finally made her approach to meet them.
“How loyal are you both to me? How far are you willing to go for your aikekunai?” Her words shook them to their cores.
“For you I am willing to do many things, Lady Lilith. You know that much is true. I’ve been at your side following your orders for generations, from the very start. That will not change now.”
“Loyalty,” Arc’l started before lowering his head. “There isn’t much I may offer, but I have always given my all for this house. If you seek my loyalty then, without question, you already have it. Expendable as I am, that doesn’t mean I lack the honor to uphold my duties to you and our house.”
“Good. Then both of you... KNEEL.” It was a strange sensation to say the least, their bodies both falling against their wills. Knees colliding with the earth regardless of whether they wanted them to or not. It wasn't some strange power or ability she held, rather, it was the unquestionable weight of her words. “Arthur, act as my observer for this occasion. If you do not mind. Warren is too wild for my tastes.”
“Excuse you?”
“Pfft...”
“What are you laughing about?”
“Fine,” Arthur spoke before Warren and Zaya could go any further. It was clear for both of them to see that he did not agree with what she was planning to do, but there were some things between the aikekunai which were better left unbroken. “Not like it will stop you if I refuse.”
“Perfect, another desire met.”
Both Arc’l and Kana could only watch as Lilith raised her war hammer and lowered it towards them. Kana was first, the metal barely grazing her skin and yet it felt as if her bones were rattling with electricity. She could feel the skin from the point of contact being burned away before the woman’s weapon was lifted and placed on the adjacent shoulder. Was this some form of torture? Or at least that was what she thought until the weapon was raised and placed just barely atop her head. She couldn’t even think, her thoughts scrambled as her body shook. When the war hammer was lifted away, she could only barely force herself to remain upright. This wasn’t some torture; it was a ceremony.
Kana could barely get herself into a position to spectate as Arc’l was next, but surely Lilith was merciful enough to take into consideration that the claimant wore a full suit of armor. Wasn’t she? Head to toe clad in blackened steel, but as the ding of her weapon colliding with his first pauldron echoed out so too did his groans in pain. His entire body surged with waves of red electricity crawling over him. When the weapon was moved to his other shoulder, he retained his voice and remained silent, although it was plain to see he was struggling. It wasn’t until the weapon contacted his helmet that his entire body began to shake violently, no doubt being bombarded with streaks of red lightning within. When the war hammer was removed, he nearly fell to the ground... but his refusal to do so even as the electricity still lingered on his armor made the woman smile.
“Look at you both. Just a small piece of what I can endure, and you can barely hold on. I was certainly correct,” she spoke as if more pleased with herself than anything. “It would have certainly been a waste to let you both go free.”
“Just get it over with already, Lilith.”
“Fine, fine. Do not be so strict, Arthur. Just let me finish,” she said before clearing her throat. “Feel honored. I, Lilith, hereby mark thee into my order. The Queen of Demons needs her demons to rule over, after all. So, arise and be recognized as the first of them.”
“You’re ruthless,” Kana said as she struggled to her feet. It felt as if all her limbs were burning.
“Don’t complain,” Arc’l responded as he too forced himself to stand. “We should, in fact, feel honored. No one else has ever received such an accolade.”
“Now then, my two demons, let us get to work. My pureblood raven and my evanescent shadow... grab my decoration, Arc’l, and be careful with it. We would not want to break it before putting it on display. Kana, you will go and report things to Xainayne. I am certain he will be angry and wish to reprimand me at length if not punish me entirely, but that is a small price to pay. You are to return to me after that. We have much work to do, and a deep pit to dig up.”
“Yes, Lady Lilith.”
Kana quickly disappeared without a trace as Arc’l lifted the weakened claimant over his shoulder. He took a moment to look at Lilith who, in all her grace, could only laugh at the situation now. She looked almost entirely crazed, as if the frame she had built up over her lifetime was shattering apart completely. He had heard so many things about her, had been led to believe she was a great leader and commander in every sense of the word. A combatant only paralleled by the most capable warriors and only bested by the very standard for what would be classified as the strongest claimants. All he saw now, in comparison, was someone who did as they pleased without proper recourse. Just how difficult was she to kill for her to act this way? Then again, he had just seen her heal from injuries that would no doubt have caused anyone else to perish.
“Well, I shall be off. There is much for me to do,” she started as her eyes glossed over the only others she recognized as her peers. “Arthur, Warren, Zaya... thank you again for bringing me to my senses. I will send some form of compensation for the trouble I caused today. Perhaps a gift.”
“It better not be your blood again! If we wanted that we could have just killed you today and taken it!”
“She gave you her blood as a gift?” Arthur questioned Warren.
“It was disgusting, wrapped up to look like fancy wine with an assortment of pastries, but there’s no mistaking her blood. The stuff smells so intoxicatingly alcoholic it makes me sick!”
“How cruel. You could always get it from the source if that would please you?” Lilith antagonized the woman as her war hammer disappeared into a flash of red lightning rising into the sky. “You could nuzzle you face right here on my neck.”
“You common whore. You make me sick!”
“She gave me homemade cookies,” Zaya said with a smile. “I’ve been craving more ever since.”
“Cookies? She gave me a literal head on a spear. I don’t even know who it belonged to, but apparently you see me as some sort of savage,” Arthur spoke as if the memory disgusted him. “You didn’t drug Zaya, did you?”
“Fuck you, Arthur. It took quite a bit of effort to make those things and you know it is not my strongest quality to bake.”
“Why was I the only one presented with a damn trap?” Warren questioned the woman who smiled as if having been caught amid a scheme.
“Well because you’re a fucking asshole, of course.”
“From that moment onward Lilith returned home where she proceeded to meet out her promise,” Kaya spoke as she emptied her pipe into a glass tray. “They may have all played it off well, but she was never truly on good terms with Arthur or Warren ever again. She had always kept a soft spot for Zaya, but they did not often speak after that. Zaya would attempt to have Lilith change... the Queen of Demons was having none of it.”
“Now it makes sense,” Gahbreal started. “So, that’s what Xainayne has been attempting to keep from me.”
“I’d say it’s because of the connection Lilith had with Arc’l and our first ancestor. Grandmother would often tell me that Lady Lilith was more concerned with the future as opposed to the present, crafting some form of everlasting version of herself that will persist even when she does not. A plague upon claimants for all time, I believe was the way she worded it.”
“Sounds like a bunch of nonsense.”
“And yet here you are. Kana Dimea, the raven, taught everything involving the darkness and how to manipulate it with both her body and her blade. Arc’l Dimea, the shadow, warrior gifted in every method the battlefield had to offer. Between the two of them they were taught everything Lilith knew involving combat, and then there’s you. Gahbreal Dimea, the black knight, taught in all of Kana’s ways passed down and born with everything Arc’l knew.”
“You can’t be serious. I am no pawn of my predecessor!”
“And yet here you stand before me crafted in all her ways and wisdom,” Kaya spoke as her hand pressed against his chest. “You still don’t compare; you lack the natural characteristics. However, there is a reason we all fear you in the Chisuke household even though none of us feared Arc’l.”
It was a tense moment. All moments seemed to be tense when dealing with his grandmother. Saying she was incorrect held very little meaning now, especially after she was willing to directly state that she feared him. Kaya never lied, almost as if she were incapable of doing it from birth, and it made his teeth clench. He refused to be a pawn and would not allow anyone to dictate his choices. It made his stomach turn at the very thought of existing in a way designed by another.
“Wouldn’t that have made Arc’l nothing more than a placeholder? Would he not have rebelled against this?” He said it as if expecting to find a hole in Kaya’s words and yet she only smiled.
“Arc’l was far too devout for that. By the vortex, he would have done anything if Lilith requested it of him. She was the first to ever acknowledge him as being worth anything after all. It seems he hid the manner of his death from you, as well as a few other things, so allow me to enlighten you.”
“What are you-”
Gahbreal did not move as Kaya slid forward across the desk between them until her face moved directly next to his own. He could feel her breath tickling his ear, hear her chuckle slightly in a way that always managed to make him uncomfortable. He was the only male claimant in their family and his father was the only other male but from the house of Rhihon. Having the woman this close only served to remind him of how similar they all were. His mother, his aunts, his grandmother, even his cousin all looked the exact same. It was only at times like this they all chose to act the same as well... devious, as if breaking every law they could manage to break.
“Arc’l, in all his grace, killed himself so that you might take his place. Derived from a promise, built upon a vow, conceived by loyalty. Her Hell still exists to this day, although both claimants and humans alike know well to stay away from the entrance to the underworld.”
“Why are you telling me this?” he asked as his eyes sharpened.
“Why else?” she started as she leaned back to sit on her feet. “Because guiding you is my role, where your mother might fail. So, with my blessing, you should go see it. The Hell which Lady Lilith crafted on Earth. Step down through the nine layers of torment everlasting and agony immemorial. See what she has left behind for you. Only then will you truly understand your role.”
“By your blessing? You really have high hopes for this... I’ll entertain it, if that’s what you wish.”
“Indeed. The Queen of the Demons is a terrible arbiter; her raven a merciless scion of violence and her knight a loyal reminder of order and righteousness. She put all of the pieces in place for a promise she held so dear she was prepared to rebel against everyone and everything just to see it through. Now, with everything set in stone, all that’s left is for her wolf pup to return home.”
