Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

How does he have that ability? That— No! Get it together.

"Tiamat!" I shouted in a hurry snapping my gaze to her dumbfounded expression. "I\'ll explain later. Hurry!"

Rushing to him, I stared with mixed emotions watching Tiamat\'s lips press against my husband\'s.

It\'s so infuriating. Is this what Lilith puts up with? At least he\'s not the man whore he was in his past life. I\'m sure Lilith would have castrated him then.

How dare he cheat!

Wait!!!! I\'m one of the women he cheated on with! NOOOOO~

"How long do I have to do this—"

Words falling flat, the light within Tiamat\'s eyes went still as the dead as she collapsed off to the side of Arsene. Her body was cold as a corpse, yet I could feel a faint life force emanating from her core.

I sighed, taking Arsene\'s serene pulse, before moving on to check on Tiamat. I wasn\'t sure how much Arsene had taken, but if he took \'that\', he\'d better watch out when dealing with the Aspect of Breathing. Many die experimenting with it.

I don\'t know anyone who has been able to maximize the Aspect of Breathing. Many have tried, but only Zariel has managed to use it efficiently. It\'s through this Aspect that you were granted your Adaptability. And even so, he failed so many times he almost killed one of his best friends.

A/N: Vancurro has a similar adaptability to Arsene. Said long ago. His is considered a failure, though.

Glancing towards Mio, glaring with bitter hope in her eyes, a smug grin flashed over my lips as I stared. "You know, even if he dies, you\'ll remain a slave, right? Wipe that disgusting smile off your face less: I have you gargle Hellfire till your mind breaks."

The raven-headed child trembled, almost immediately bowing her head, as I sneered, shifting my attention back to Arsene, struggling to open his eyes as the minutes passed.

"Fuck…" He whispered after a while. " I almost offed my child and wife."

Arsene opened his eyes, but the once crystal clear scarlet seemed tainted by a fog of weakness, dwindling his will the longer he spoke. " How are you? Hows—"

"Shhhh," I told him, ensuring this area was secured to ensure no one heard. He really isn\'t in his right head space. If he were, he never would have mentioned Altair. "Just go to sle—"

"Zariel was wrong— I see it now, Tene," he said softly. " There is no path equal to Paragon. Zariel was wrong. Paragon will forever be the peak. Soul, Blood, and Will the three concepts needed to ascend to Paragon. I\'ve mastered them all but refused to ascend. I finally figured out this uneasy feeling."

Seeing the fog within his eyes shimmer with a deadly ruby hue, coldness kissed my bones, making my skin crawl, as his words continued to echo. " Breathing… it was the true next step. Zariel was too much like Mother… he was too smart for his own good, too intelligent for this world. He skipped all the other layers reaching Paragon. No. That\'s wrong too. It isn\'t that he intentionally skip them. It\'s more that he didn\'t know better. Will Altair be like him?"

"Eh? Arsene, what are you—"

The Well of scarlet in his eyes turned to rich Darkness as he spoke softly: "Mother… she suffered a lot from it. I sensed it when I sent you my \'breath\' The Spirit Zone is his to control. His to mold and break as he pleases." He said as his octave dipped into a soft, gentle whisper. "Mother and Zariel had terrifying Perceptions, Altair… I felt it was the same. But his beginnings are far higher, far richer. There is a large possibility his comprehension will be so high it cripples him."

Startled by what he was saying, I felt my heart freeze, but I shook my head. " You underestimate your bloodline as you do mine, Arsene," I said, stroking his hair as he revealed a bitter smile. " Altair will be of the Darkness, so worry not. I have prepared it all. A master beyond measure, a path for which he will ascend, and a path of failure so that he may learn…."

"The Path of Paragon is incomplete… due to Zariels unparallel comprehension. He jumped ahead of the line… Make sure… altair doesn\'t follow his path… The True Path is the Path of the Archaeon."

Staring as Arsene slipped into an unconscious state, I frowned, pressing my palms against his forehead: "That path… this knowledge you hold… oh Arsene, when will you learn the Spirit Zone isn\'t for you. This knowledge will cripple you one day. But I will do as you ask. I will show him the path you\'ve laid down." I whispered, pressing my lips against his lips, so pale, they felt cold as ice. "Sleep well, Lord Snow."

Unable to resist the sigh creeping up, I shifted my gaze to the little boy with long jet-black hair, staring as though I was a monster. I smiled: "You heard something you weren\'t meant to. What\'s your name, child?"

"Vlad…" He said, trembling like a lost lamb. " Are you going to kill me?"

"That would be the fastest way to hide all information about little Altair. Do you think you deserve to live?" I asked almost teasingly, but the little brat aura didn\'t think so, as it almost broke down with fear. "Come to me, child."

Vlad approached with tears streaming down his cheeks; his steps so slow it seemed almost as though he was torturing himself, delaying the inevitable.

I didn\'t say anything until he was no more than a meter away. " You lack a last name?"

"I\'m unworthy of one?"

"I see." I muttered, " Then how\'d you like to come to the Tower of Babel with me? Not as Vlad, but Vladimir Tepes?"

"Eh?"

"There was a story about him. The Supreme Vampire. And I\'ve got a scenario I wish to play out on one of the Floors of Babels Tower. With you as the main encore. If you\'re talented enough, I can introduce you to Ishar, the Maiden of Blood. Perhaps, she might take you in as a disciple."

"Can…Can I bring a friend?"

"You\'re a greedy brat, huh?" I smiled with a hint of surprise at the peculiar request, flicking his forehead as I arose. "You may, but you\'ll be responsible for his life and actions. If he offends a tower Master, you\'ll bare the brunt of their fury."

He bit his lips, trembling, and nodded. " I understand, but why me?"

Chuckling, I shrugged. " No big reason… you were in the right place at the right time with a particular name that gave me a wonderful idea. So Vladimir Tepes, shall we?"