Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

Stepping through the portal that led to the Palace of Lazarus, I could not help but reminisce about that Forsaken whose ability to recreate any skill or bloodline technique they saw with their eyes. He was a nightmare to fight against, especially if you add in Alvorian\'s ability and the others; he was a fucking beast.

Glancing down at the marble floors that once reflected my image, now murky like dirty water, covered in dust and webs, I looked up at the throne that sat the avatar of the Abyss. Silver hair, Amethyst eyes, and a fascinating glow that carried a pulsed of life that made my heart quiver with anticipation.

There it is.

Lifting my lips, I paid my respects and cuffed my arms, "Lilith Snow, it\'s a pleasure. This is our first meeting, is it not?"

"Mephisto, I presume. I\'ve heard about those lazy eyes of yours for a long time. One of my Generals says they tinge with sin when you scheme." She said and leaned forward, " And there tingeing now."

"HA! I like her!" Beel said, passing his hands through his silky jet black hair and eyeing her with his illustrious emerald eyes, " Fascinating, is it? I am Beelzebub, Lord of Gluttney. But I\'m sure you know me, the Laws of Wisdom, and knowledge is flowing within you. You should know all of us, right?"

"Not even Arsene noticed my hard work to comprehend the Dao of Knowledge to compliment my Wisdom." She said with a swirling force deep within her eyes.

"Now, where the Hell is Arsene." Dagon uttered, standing in a carefree manner, and placed his hands behind his head, "I\'ve never actually seen him with my own eyes. I guess I can kick his ass a few times."

"That boy is under my protection," I sternly warned, " If you wish to kick his ass, you have to pay a toll and get in line. Lucifer has first dibs. "

"Huh! Why!" He asked,

"Because Zariel is defiling my baby girl!" Lucifer snapped, clenching his fist. I swear if Father didn\'t descend to hold him back, who knows what would have happened that day. "And if I can\'t kick his ass, Arsene\'s ass will get kicked. You got a problem with that."

Looking at Lilith blinking all innocently cute as she nodded, I chuckled, " She\'s going to fit right in. But shall we get down to business?"

"Ah yes," Lilith said as she snapped her fingers, summoning thirteen men and women to stand beneath her crystal throne, aged and tattered; they stood at attention akin to knights. And my mind memorized each of their faces.

The air had instantly turned tensed as we felt the powers that all matched our battle prowess and power at our peaks, all standing still, glaring at us.

"Oh my," Samyaza said, narrowing his eyes, "That\'s a terrifying lineup."

Indeed, this is terrifying. If we are to battle against the Abyss, we\'ll need the help of the Angels.

"Shall we now discuss my terms?" Lilith said, pulling out a holocube, and tossing it down from her throne, in an open space. Watching a virtual image of Arsene covered in hundreds of wounds appear, the Seven Fallen all smile.

"You seem to be having a hard time, Disciple," I said as he turned to tilt his head to me.

"Mephisto." He whispered, and I could feel his breath turn shallow.

"It is good to see you alive, my boy. You\'ve no idea how sadden I was to see you perish."

"Your smiling," He pointed out, and I nodded.

"It\'s \'cause I\'m happy. Or do you not wish your Master to see his disciple happy? You wound me, my boy!"

"There he goes again, being a hoe!" Dagon said, stepping to my side, leaning on my shoulder, "Boy, run if you meet this bastard. You\'ll be doing Heaven and hell a favor.

"Agreed," the other six fallen all said in tandem, sending me dead looks.

"Anyway," Lilith intervened, "There\'s a tax for being in my land if you are going to take part in your avatar state."

As expected, and if everything goes as planned, she will ask for something for her child. Material, like Zero, is gathering as we speak. But I\'m glad he\'s not here; things would not go well if he\'s involved. If he wasn\'t part of that accursed bloodline of that particular Forsaken line, I might have taken him as a disciple as I did Arsene.

"A tax, huh?" I steadily repeated and glanced at Lucifer, who also didn\'t seem surprised. It was a fair request on her part, and honestly, it was well deserved.

That child was going to be the True Child of the Abyss. We must all do our part and present Lilith with a gift.

"And since I\'m having twins, the tax is double what you already had planned."

"You are having twins!" Samyaza remarked, to our amazement, " Ariel will have a field day with this. Have you spoken to her yet? She\'d love to be your wet nurse. Plus, she\'s Mephisto\'s nemesis, so it\'s a win-win."

"That\'s pretty true; those two share a very strange rivalry in terms of innervation." Belial, that evil fucker said.

Letting my real body deal with my true feelings, I merely chuckled, " That is true, and I\'d recommend you talk to Ariel. There is no one I\'d trust more than her to deliver you, your twins."

"Now that is some useful information, don\'t you think?\' Arsene said, turning to his wife, who was frowning.

But who could blame her?

Samyaza just insulted her generals and people. All these powerful monsters, here and she must seek help from another fraction because they\'ve no idea the true complications of pregnancies like we\'ve all seen. Despite their hive mind and almost endless knowledge, none of that equates to experience like Ariel has, who delivered Aurelia and her kid alongside a few other angels.

"Why don\'t we talk about such things later," I said, noticing the iciness in Izavith\'s eyes. I was sure if Lilith were to give birth to the child in the Abyss, everything would go smoothly but—

Shaking my head, I clapped my hands together and sent over four times more than what she would ask for in a small ring and tossed it to her as both an apology for Samyaza\'s crude words.

"Now, shall we talk about the rules during this festival?"