Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

"H-How do you know this?"

Stretching in response to her question, I felt oddly stiff and weak and, good gods, hungry. It had been so long. So long since I gazed upon anyone, much less the light.

One Chaos Cycle. What a chilling number.

"I know where all my people are, "I finally said, admiring the defining features over Victoria as her cross expression scrunched defensively. "It's also why I decided to materialize in front of you. Out of everyone on Iluthath, it was you I wanted to be near." Victoria snorted, but I merely smiled and continued. " You were close to Ezra and the people trying to torment her."

"Trying?"

"Yes, a clan of sorts. I don't know much. My focus was on other things." I admitted, sighed, and staggered to my feet, a little taken back by how weak I was. I could still walk, but simply standing sent vicious pangs throughout my body, painting my forehead in sweat. "Help me stand."

"I'll get a wheel—"

"Nope, let me lean on your shoulder. I want to see the sun," I heard myself say as I crackled in laughter inwardly.

"Guess you're going to be waiting forever. I'll get the wheelchair. " Victoria insisted, narrowing her pearly red eyes. My smile deepened, and I nodded after weighing my options. I took a seat on the wheelchair she created with her Abyssal Qi.

Wheeling me out of this manner, I felt the seven sun's heat dance along my skin, pulling my thoughts away from me.

The Shadowfell. There were now seven natural ones born from the primordial ooze. Strong and fit, they were about a few thousand years old, born in Noctem. Freya had done very well by sensing this. I'm going to have to congratulate her.

"SO you've got into Alchemy?"

Victoria gently nodded, "It's soothing. Just smelling the herbs, the sounds of liquid sizzling. It takes my thoughts off everything." She paused, and I could feel her fingers tighten around the handlebars of the wheelchair. " I found joy in this little hobby."

Does she think I will steal it away from her? Am I so feared? I'm not a bad guy, people. I just eat, torture, and kill people. Something everyone does. I'm not a monster who hurts innocent… Ok, that's Cap! Ummm, who don't I hurt? I don't hurt, bab… damn. Good god, am I truly a bad guy? Oh, I know I don't hurt my people! Thank god I almost thought I was evil.

"When will you recover?"

I frowned, looking down at the shattered bones and ruptured organs around my body. I was only hole due to the Divinity of Sin. " A year, maybe two. Faster if—"

"Victoria?"

Hearing the girly voice of some man, I frowned, noticing a… a mortal, not even a god approaching with a white rose crest on his robes.

"Elgen?" Said Victoria in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"A monster was sighted here,' He replied, and my eyes narrowed as I skimmed my eyes over the low god behind him. An aged old man that seemed to succumb to the laws of Iluthath. "It appeared to be a fanged beast of some kind. A werewolf, perhaps."

"In the height of the day?" I countered, rolling my eyes. "You, their Low God." I soon pointed, drawing the elder's attention. " About two hundred Kilometers due north, there exists a family. A powerful one with a high god or higher present. Do you perhaps know who they are?"

The elder, a man named Da'val, frowned, taking a step out. "Who are you? And—"

,m "Who are you to ask of House Reltar." Elgen snapped, " You a cripple. Is it your wish to—"

My finger twitched, and gravity slammed against this fool's shoulders, forcing Elgen to his knees. Blood began to dribble from his eyes, nose, and mouth as I forced all the organs in his body to bleed, his brain included. Cracks of webs rippled through the surface of the Eben Forest, spreading wide and far as my wrath pressed coldly down.

"Arsene, stop this!" Shouted Victoria sharply. "He's a child!"

"Low God. Do tell me what I need to know. My concubine there is heavily injured. And I've limited patience."

"An Empyrean God!" Said Da'val hurriedly, snapping his spine straight. He bowed, ignoring the whimpering noise of Elgan, whose arm was torn from his body with my impatient Intent. I frowned and tapped my finger in rhythm over the armrest.

"Hurry along, Low God."

"The Clan of Reltar is a noble house dating back many Chaos Years. They've recently fallen from grace due to the recent death of their ancestor during the Forgotten Era."

"Arsene,"

"Shush!' I said to Victoria. " Now continue. What is the Forgotten Era?"

Da'val bowed his head and shot a glance filled with anxiety toward Elgen, annoying me to no end as I held the thought of burning his very soul to ash before these idiots. i????????????????????d. ????o????

"The Forgotten Era is what it sounds, Sir," Da'val said hurriedly, his aged brow dripping with sweat. " When the Lord of Absolution came to power, everything began to fade from the minds of everything. No one remembers much." He gulped. "There were rumors he ascended wishing for no one to remember him. But there's been three eras since then."

Releasing my Intent over the idiot who was a step into death. I nodded and folded my arms over one another. " This family, tell me more."

"There isn't much to say aside from the fact they are demon hunters. But there's not been a demon since the forgotten era."

Demon Hunter. So that's why they took Ezra. Interesting. But to take Ezra, they would need to be far more powerful than her and the army she was with or wield a magical artifact.

Now then, "who are you people showing up here like this claiming a fanged beast is running loose."

"The Sect of the White Rose, Sir." Da'val respectfully remarked. " A powerful sect of over four thousand. With an Eder God as sect Master."

I snickered at the subtle threat. " You are brave, Da'val," I said, turning him stiff.

"H-h-how do you know my name…sir.'

"Never mind that. Take your people and go. And next time you show up here, I'll kill you all." I calmly uttered, shooting an eye towards Elgan, foaming a red substance from the mouth as he lay in his bloody piss.