Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

But it\'s strange? Why? Why must I connect these two bloodlines?

Stirring myself awake, everything in this moment was frozen, in a colorless world of black and white. It did not matter where I looked; it was all frozen. In my sight, the laws and concepts were all still like a motionless lake, as were the gods.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, reopening my gaze to the world of color once more. I did not cycle my Divinity in fear of what may happen, but I felt free for some reason.

I wasn\'t stronger, faster, or smarter than before, but I felt different. I felt real, for some strange reason.

Pushing ahead, past the flabbergasted gaze of Kingsly, the pressure thrashing the area had all but evaporated, leaving me free of all things. Approaching the pillar just a distance away, I touched its jade surface and glanced at Instructor Kingsly.

"Seems like I pass," I casually mentioned, catching sight of the dreadful expression written over his face. Licking my lips, I chuckled, "So what\'s next?"

Coming down from the skies, with Wolf in arm, Kingsly gazed softened as a circular talisman of two knightly swords crossing materialized within his hand. Carved for what seemed like jade, I reached my arm out and took it as he nodded.

"Welcome to the Inner Sect. Meditate while I finish this." He said with a touch of respect that had been absent from his voice.

Amused, I nodded, making some distance between the Pillar Crystal and me. Dropping into the lotus position, I closed my eyes, entering a world of absolute darkness.

"You think this will change anything, Arsene?" Aegis voiced after a year of silence.

"I think it changes everything," I replied, envisioning everything within this realm of eternal darkness. It had been a while since I was here. A place I had not visited since I talked with Bael in Tensen Lumireis.

Ever since I muttered the second verse of the Path of Abyssal Night, a stir had taken place that had garnered a response from Aegis. Whether it was due to this deal we made or the fear of the unknown, I had his attention.

"Then you would be a fool. It would seem this Path you have fought for has given you quite a surprise." He viciously snapped as a silver-black flame began to glisten within this perfect sea of darkness.

A shudder passed through my body as I stared at the soul flame. "I-I-Impossible." I yelped, closing in without hesitation. "I am no longer a soulbender?"

"The soul of a soul bender is the fusion of itself into the physical form, but here we are." He said, confusing me immensely." It\'s a clear separation."

Creasing my brow, I touched upon my soul and frowned. Hesitating for a moment, my mind focused as the soul flame within my hand began to glisten. Touched by the soul force flowing from my soul, Aegis roared.

"How!" he cried, causing the Realm of Eternal Night to shake. Sensing another entity materializing within my domain, a carbon copy of myself emerged to my disgust. "This should be impossible! The laws should not support this! not in this dimension! Not without the help of Illuthath.

"So you should have such knowledge. That means you are a foreign entity. I had been wondering, and since you know of Illuthath, it is safe to say you existed during the time of Zariel." I coldly analyzed, "I don\'t understand why you are within me, but it seems like this plot was not centered around me. It just couldn\'t be, as you appeared quite early on, but made your appearance after the Temple of Endless Darkness. It seems to be you needed someone or something\'s help."

Aegis grew silent, and I continued, studying his expression as I spoke. "If it\'s not Zariel, then if Vancurro timeline. Your demeanor seems lofty, and you seemed to be quite proficient in the laws of darkness to allow me to abuse shadow step without a price."

"You could have been a paragon, Arsene, with that ability." He claimed as I sneered.

"I made my own, an attack that always hit, no matters defense or distance. While Shadow Step is amazing, I can recreate it in my image. It shouldn\'t take long with the help of the weave." I sneered, scowling coldly at him only to smile. "And you know, if we share a body, that means you have a soul hidden within my body. Now, how interesting is this?"

Aegis\'s spiritual expression fell, and his face turned ashen. It was a safe bet to say everything I said was true.

"You need me, Arsene," He coldly affirmed, "Or would you not like to know how Zantar played the Monarchs?"

"So it returns to The Fallen Angel Zantar, now that\'s a bit unexpected, and here I thought he wished to keep his distance," I said calmly, studying Aegis closely.

"You were unlucky when being chosen by Tenebrae. Out of the Ten participants, Zantar saw fit to use you for a clear reason, it seems." Aegis claimed, fading away from sight, leaving only a frown on my lips with more unanswered questions than answers.

Zantar was involved, but something was still off about this situation. Something that didn\'t make sense to me. Tenebrae chose me during my infancy due to Zariel, I think. Why would Zantar use me when I have a close relationship with Zariel and Lilith? Seem to me his hands were tied, or someone else got involved forcing his hand.

Shifting my gaze back to the silver-black soul flame shimmering with a cool glint, I smiled, shaking my head, dismissing such thoughts. "Seems like the Path of Abyssal Night is changing me, and it will be my only weapon against the Abyss and the Angels."

"Lily and I need to talk. Maybe she will share what she knows during our time in the Etherial Plane.." Leaving my soul space, I opened my eyes to the vibrant world, taking a deep breath of fresh air.