11 Walking

Kurt's smile returned as he asked," Have you eaten yet?"

He must have forgotten who taught him that trick.

"I think I had breakfast yesterday."

Between making arrangements for Ms. Storm, reinforcing security, paying for the location of the department of mysteries, and dealing with the goblins, I didn't have the time for any frilliest activities. As Kurt lead me to his study, my thoughts turned to the past.

Five years ago, Kurt defeated the Devil, and it was a mistake. In this reincarnation of Earth, there were beings with the power to meet or exceed the limits of nature. Men, women, and beings beyond understanding with abilities that rewrite functions of reality and the boundaries.

Within the realms of Hell, Mephisto surpasses them all. The unique defining difference between a human and a demon is the soul, and this truth caused me to radically misunderstood the devils' connection with Hell.

In the most material understanding, the soul is the ability to create. Demons can learn, copy, and steal but creation is only within the power of creatures with souls. I had imagined the Devil had the same boundary, and this one mistake had nearly destroyed everything.

I looked at my son.

"Kurt, how long has it been since you last saw me?"

His rodes had far too many sapphires, but as always, a smile found its way onto his blue lips.

"A little over a hundred years, father." We passed the eldest of the women my son had claimed as he answered. She dropped to her knees as we stopped," Where are the others?" I asked.

Kurt answered for her," I had Rogue take them shopping; this one remained so that they don't get any funny ideas." I take a look into the women's mind and then dismiss her.

I didn't approve of some of his actions, but the sentiment I felt for the boy and his rule as King had me overlook his immature behavior. As we walked past a painting made of gold of the final battle, I remembered just how terrifying his fathers' powers had been.

Within Hell, the Devil had nothing but enemies, worshippers, and slaves, but he kept even the darkest monsters tamed. Few challenged him, but his response was always the same for the few that did.

He walked.

With each step, all of Hell quaked, the land convulsed, the air trembled, and the light quivered. To stop him, someone only needed the rebel leader's head along with the heads of anyone that had the same blood running in their veins.

The man had weaponized walking.

In the final battle, Kurt had proven his rule by canceling out Mephistos absolute authority over Hell. The memory of my son standing over his father's broken body was one of the most bitter-sweet. However, without the Devil, Hell began to collapse. There was no way for me to know that Mephisto didn't just rule Hell but produced it. Without Mephisto to stabilize it, the plane was overcome by rampant magic that made the universe uninhabitable. In the end, my son, the Leviathan, surpassed my hopes and stole his father's Kingdom before it collapsed.

Kurt opens two oversized platinum doors with a leviathan eating its tail design in the center. Finally, we reached a room with more ancient books than open walls and giant golden chairs.

As I sat, Kurt taps his odd artistic coffee table three times. As the food appeared, I took a moment to watch through the glass as the scorpions fought dead and were reborn inside the golden table. Kurt went to a cabinet and pulled out a hollowed diamond, and pour two drinks. Kurt passed me a glass and filled me in.

" I managed to unite the strongest of the demon lords under my banner."

Kurt was a great lier, but I knew his tells, but I felt no need to push yet. I took a looked over the food as I asked.

"So, what happened next?"

I could taste the wrath spreading off Kurt,

"Satannish happened; he formed a pact with that psychologically weak Blackheart." With a long drink, Kurt went on a rant about the two.

I had forgotten that Kurt had a brother, and Satannish was known for awarding mortals mystical authority for their souls.

Kurt continued for a time as I waited for his rage to run out. Once he stops, I begin to explore the facts," Let go back for a second what is this deal?"

Kurt calmed as we begin to review. " I haven't got the full details, but the Sluaghs are behind it; best I can tell, they're trying to boost the economy by replacing me with a more war-loving leader."

Kurt stood and began pacing. The Sluaghs were a faction that quickly filled the power gap after the Great collapse; they operated as soul dealers. Souls being the only thing of any value in Hell. With a little over 54 billion souls in Hell, the economy was painfully inadequate.

This was calculated with all the lost and endless souls together, lost souls being evil souls that will fade with time becoming the very sands of Hell; endless souls signify that a willing soul entered a pact. If I was counting endless souls, then the economy was around 20 billion. Earth, for example, has a financial economy of 1.2 quadrillions, with highlights just how little the old leadership cared.

Demons need souls to remain sane, emotions and sins were a healthy part of a Demons diet, and without them, we fall into madness. The closer a demon lives to the capital, the more access to endless souls and the more sound of mind. The older and more powerful monsters live in the Demon Lords' territory of Matanza, where the throne of Hell is.

However, the Sluaghs live outside the influence of the Demon generals in the region of Shar-e-Golgola, buying and selling endless souls from the Hunter factions that capture new souls and live on the cusp of the Akutoku.

Akutoku being the vast land lost to wild magic where most new souls enter Hell. The predicament is that the Akutoku has affected discovering new souls, and the older Demons are unwilling to adapt to this new terrifying reality. Combined with the religious fractionation that pushed the more outspoken of the old King's zealots into hiding, Kurt needed a vacation.

"How bad is this?"

My question was met with silence.

"If something does not change and soon were looking at the collapse of societies." Kurt collapsed in a chair.

I reached over and began eating as I need a few more details," I thought you were planning to update the technology in Hell?" Kurt joins me at the table as we eat for a time before he answers, " I have, but mostly in the Captial, the older Demons are still very resistant to change, and the Cults are just too influential in the Akutoku regions for me to make much progress."

We detail the politics, culture, technology, economy, geography, and religious forces. As things begin to become apparent, I get to the heart of my anger," Is that why you decided to invade the Earth."

I was relieved to see shock and fear on Kurt's face," I never..." I could see the moment he realized his mistake. "Yes, I wonder how your brother will respond when he finds out you are planning to CONQUER EARTH!" I stopped pretending to be calm and let my anger swell out.

"You also may want to check the minds of the girls you stole, seeing as they belonged to El Dorado."

Kurt only looked confused," I care about El Dorado; why?"

My smile was nasty, "You don't, but as Lords of the Octessence, El Dorado and I have an agreement that you may have broken." His complete lack of respect nearly had me ready to put him over my knee.

"Should I kill him?" Was Kurt's childish response. I packed the room to put some space between us. "If killing him was the solution, do you think he would be alive?"

The monster had the planet hostage. "His army is large, but I don't see why you are upset?' Kurt drank deep from his cup.

"If you asked, I would help you destroy them." Child, a hundred years of war, and he is still a child.

"The Kekkai towers are linked to El Dorado; tell me, do you think you can stop all the horrors in the dark before they reached the surface, son?" I couldn't look at him right now.

Trying to calm down, I took a sip of the glass that Kurt handed me and stop.

"Loyalty potion?"

I keep the hurt out of my question as I look into his eyes. This was unexpected but simple to fix. I down the rest of the glass without hesitation; I reached past Kurt and refill my glass, then down it again in one shot.

"I don't know who has been poisoning your view of me, son, but they better be dead by the time I get back."

I turn my back to my son and leave the room but stop at the overly designed door. "I refuse to allow you to become a man I would loathe."

I walked back to my room. I needed to let Magnito and the Pope know that the Brotherhood and the Night Guard would have to hunt even more devils soon.