Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

"But of course… Tiamat speaks quite fondly of you."

Almost as if it were a reaction, I snapped towards the other monarch and stared dead at his Ashen hair. He was a bit handsome compared to this king, but there was something familiar about this young man.

His aura… reminded me of Tiamat.

"Who are you?" The way he looked and stood seemed almost familiar…

The Monarch of Times eyes that radiated a vibrant multicolor glow narrowed. He frowned, and a primal air bared its fangs.

"All the story I\'ve heard of you. How disappointing you\'d not even recognize your son."

I almost flinched as the word \'son\' left his mouth. What son? My babies still…Oh. I did dick down, Tia. But… this Man before me doesn\'t have a shred of my blood. There\'s not a sliver of Forsaken Qi or House Lazarus blood.

"You\'d never see him again. He\'s dead. His soul was shredded, baby. You don\'t have a father; forget about him." The Monarch of Time bore his fangs and glared with a viciousness that made me smile. "These were all the things Mother told me about you. When I demanded answers."

"So you are looking for what?" came my response, amused by the suddenty and aggression I saw. "In fact. Why don\'t we start with a name?"

"Zaid Snow, Lord of the Rot," he said as though I should know.

"Snow?" I laughed. "Boy. The balls you\'ve got. The balls, indeed. What makes you think a bastard like you can be a Snow? Zariel, Aurelia, Zhu, Lilith, Jin, Me, and my Twins. Those are Snows. True Snows that carry power. You. You come to me. For what exactly? Validation?"

Zaid\'s shoulders went stiff, and he staggered back, bringing a disappointment I\'d never thought I\'d feel. It\'s only natural to want your parent\'s approval. But how I loath emotion felt after such a rejection.

Son or Daughter. I hope they can stand on their own feet without something so stupid as my validation. It doesn\'t matter what I want. I do not need needy bitches.

"Pathetic," I noted, picking up my lips. " How Tiamat should have run a blade through your neck. Maybe then she\'d have a nice sleep instead of listening to your winy wails of approval. Gods, my blood raised a little bitch."

A/N: No chill, lol.

Turning my back, I sighed. "Leave. And drop the name. You\'ll only embarrass my family. I\'m surprised Zariel hasn\'t killed you yet. It must be because he owes Tia. Such a shame."

A depraved crackle of laughter suddenly drew my attention. I turned to Zaid and saw a black stream of tears billowing from his eyes. "I knew you\'d say that! She was right! Gods! That felt good!"

"Oh?"

"Sorry about the tears. The body can\'t handle my power." Zaid said, wiping them off with his thumb. \'I came to you not to ask your fucking permission, but to tell you. I\'m a Snow. And what better way than to run a spear through your skull."

"Arsene Snow. Draw your weapon."

\'No." I said, stroking the tip of my chin, now proud for some reason.

Is this what it means to be a father? It feels good that my child wants to kill me. Now that is what I call love. It\'s not done out of hate but rather as a necessity. As for what necessity, I don\'t know, and honestly, I don\'t care. To be a Snow means Madness must exist.

"So upon sucking at the tit of my concubine, you grew a set of balls and saw to challenge me." I mused, lowering my hand. "I\'d heard dragons are primal beasts, such a shame I could not raise you myself."

"Sarcasm?" Said Zaid.

"Far from it. Interest, boy." I entertained and turned my back. "Unfortunately, you are stepping into dozens or so schemes happening all at once."

"Not my problem."

"Then attack me," I challenged without looking back. "Strike me down, and bare the consequences." Noting only silence thereafter. I spoke out once more. " Speak to Zariel… Zaid Snow. Perhaps he\'ll kill you, perhaps not. Or perhaps he already knows all about you."

Pushing ahead as the silence enveloped me, Lily was the first to speak. "Want to know more about Zaid?"

"What happened to messing with the timeline?"

"Arsene is worried about the timeline? The Lord of Chaos cares about others? What the hell is happening!"

"Jest as you like, lily."

"Oh, I shall. But worry not about Zaid. He\'s a good kid. A little sadistic and evil, but he\'s a good one. Although too much of a mama\'s boy." She paused for a second and continued. " He\'s powerful too. I don\'t think you would\'ve won that fight."

"I could\'ve told you that. But I don\'t think Zaid would\'ve either." I mused, chuckling as I looked up at the skies. " I wonder what he looks like. Is his hair really Ashen? Oh, and I\'ll take the surprise version."

"Although what type of name is Zaid?"

"Always so picky. Gods, I hate I have to come around the long way. How long before I see my version of…."

I smiled as Lily caught herself almost spilling one of my children\'s names.

Drawn from my thoughts by the howls of the killing winds, nodes of vibrant particles glisten over the heavens. Be it twilight or dawn. I couldn\'t tell as the history of Zariels Era seemed bare before me.

I was near the center… only one step to go, and I\'d be inside.

"I knew you\'d come." A weak whisper stammered from the inside. "Proceed. I\'ll not kill you for entering my grave."

Grave?

Looking up at the Pillar of Dead Laws, my heart shuttered as I wondered what level of respect Zariel must have had for this man. If there was one thing I knew about Zariel was that he was a petty bastard.

He was an ass that liked two things, reading, and eating. I don\'t think I\'ve ever seen him respectful, especially to enemies.

"Come in… I\'ve got a gift."

I sucked in a sharp breath and stepped forward… into the Tomb of Aldrich.