Devil You Know

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Aniwye 'Demon Of Hearts' Mhwee

My heart skips a beat as I devote my attention to the battle before me in the arena. I couldn't give less of a shit about Weiss' fight; in fact, I hope he dies so I can jump in and finish off the prick against him. No. I wholly am disabled when it comes to removing my eye from the three versus one.

Well, that's a bit disingenuous. It's technically a six-versus-one; only two of them cannot fight, namely Blodwyn and Bonfire, while Lily doesn't yet possess her own body. The thing is, though, I can't actually watch either.

The Eldest created a minor realm for them to war in, making it problematic to observe. The most I can do is monitor their minds through the fluctuations in space. And right now... their minds are puny compared to Eldest's splendor. He's done something to weaken them, to force them into submission.

But my son won't fail. I believe in him. Neither will Killian, though that doesn't need to be noted. The four beside me, however, are not as calm. Silas, and by dependence Mie, glare at Weiss's position where he disappeared into the realm from while he struggles against Ireful, his mind's struggle obvious by his lack of emotion.

He seems knowledgeable about her abilities. Interesting. I thought only Leviathan knew of these three due to meeting them back when kings still walked the lands. My focus wanes only slightly from my family as I investigate Ireful, assuming I will be there to face her next. I doubt Eli Weiss will be enough. He's strong, but his power comes from tricks, not direct conflict.

Furthermore, he's limited in how his Ether moves. It's inconclusive whether it's a trick of its own or a weakness of his new body, but for now, I watch. I observe patiently, taking in every little detail. I become so focused that I don't even notice a new voice until the third word in its sentence.

"... ... is where you all went."

Pivoting, I find the Devil to have already reacted, his palm opened toward a faceless being. It is not faceless because there are no features like a Tallthing, but instead, because the face is constantly shifting with no definition or form.

I recall this one from my little one's memories, the brief glimpses I had when I was inside of it many moons ago. Alexos.

"Do not move, Faceless. Your feud will have to wait."

Alexos doesn't react with his face, nor does he seem angry at all. Instead, he nods shortly, agreeing with the God we are all relying on.

"Indeed it will, Devil. Do you remember the deal we made?"

My eye flickers between the two as pieces start to come together. Yes. Only with this would Alexos grow fast enough to hold any power here. Few are like my son, to proliferate in strength so rapidly that it astounds me. To be more accurate, only one is like my son, and he's on the ground right now. The others lag behind or ride his coattails.

The Devil nods, refusing to direct much attention away from the Court. That is a wise move. He may be a God, but I can sense this thing is rapidly becoming so much more. Is this... Why yes. That must be it. Natural Gods. Much like Solitary Fathoms, Natural Gods must be the other side of the coin from heavy conglomerates of emotions, Sigils, Ether, and significance.

"Yes, I do. How could I not? I take your face, and you may have my blessing for Angelhood."

"Good. And what must I do for your aid in a Dominion? Or to evolve my Power into one?"

The God inhales sharply, his old bones creaking at the swift movement. My mind shimmers with the thought that the Red Judge can aid others in gaining a Dominion. Are his deals truly that influential?

I wait a moment, my heart trembling at the fact that I can no longer sense any minds within the first arena. Yet, the numbers have not yet dropped, meaning they are alive. So, I calm my trepidation and use my time to gain more information. What kind of deal can I make?

"Deals like those are some of the costliest there are. The former: fight alongside Eli Weiss. The latter? Do that and aid me in killing my wife. Additionally, I take nine hundred years."

One doesn't even have to ponder to know these terms are beyond awful. Fight against Ireful? Aid him in killing... who? And lose nine hundred years off one's soul? At least, I assume that is the last thing since the Undead don't age anything but their soul, which can only last so long.

Yet, despite what I might believe, the Undead illusionist answers immediately. He bows, even thanking the Devil for his 'aid' in ruining his afterlife.

"Thank you. Watch after them once I Imagine them, will you?"

The old man, older than even the Binary Lords, nods grimly. He doesn't seem happy about what he is doing, but he does it nonetheless. The Devil must gain great strength from deals with figures like us. That is the only reason he would do them like this. But at the same time... based on how rarely he does it, they must have some kind of cost.

"Of course. There will be no better care than what your wife and children receive should you succeed."

As the Arbiter Of Chaos finishes his words, I feel a mountain's worth of Solid Ether alongside something much deeper pass through the God's hands before he gives Alexos a slip of paper. It is thin, nearly translucent, and written with scrawling letters I cannot understand.

Then, the number shifts on the wall, allowing another to join Eli Weiss. Alexos nods, something in his whole form shrinking and growing fragile.

I stop the man, reaching out with both my mind and a hand.

"Alexos."

He snaps his head onto me, staring right at me with those impossible-to-place eyes. I can't even discern his feelings through our mental connection, which I usually use to gauge one's next move. I can't just trust him. He's Wyatt's first adversary and also after Killian's head.

"Why would you do this? I was led to believe you wanted to kill Killian? What does this do for you? Are you... trying to kill him here?"

My voice ends with a growl, the thoughts following our connection similarly laced with dangerous intent. Alexos shakes his head softly and answers shortly before walking away.

"All I've ever wanted is my family back. Revenge was secondary. With a Power like mine... Nothing is impossible."

Then, he, too, enters the arena as the golden light covers him. Some relief covers me, for the chances of me having to fight Ireful lessens, but I fast concentrate on Alexos in the arena.

The man glances around for a few seconds before locking onto a point in the air. It seems he's found the location of the demi-plane. The human reaches forward as I witness his Power for the first time.

A crackling lighting flows along his arm, and immediately, I sense the Plasmic Ether within his arm. Then, it explodes outwardly, proliferating around where the minds are. The Ether becomes, just as Solid Ether does in immense amounts, a construct. But it's not just any construct. It's a giant steel coffin that snaps shut around the point of contention.

Then, space cracks, fragmenting into a million shards as Weiss and Ireful come tumbling out. They both roll onto the dusty arena grounds, facing each other and pausing for only a moment. And in that quaint moment, Alexos continues his distinguished feats of Ether.

Raising his arms with a focused gaze, Alexos Imagines a deluge of falling spears, each one materializing in the air above before hurtling toward the demon with deadly precision. The air crackles with tension as the demon, with her obsidian skin, unfurls her wings and extends her razor-sharp claws toward the spears, batting away each one by one. The second she deflects a spear, they fragment into motes of Ether, reentering the atmosphere.

Eli Weiss, crafted from porcelain, recovers from his freedom quickly. His features betray none of the fear that indeed lurks within. With a deft movement, he conjures a clone, a life-like doppelganger that mirrors his every action. Together, they engage the demon, though they are supremely cautious, as I would expect from Weiss.

It is somewhat different being able to observe the proper fight with my eyes. The demon without their Dominion struggles to evade the onslaught, but it's not enough as Alexos multiplies himself into a legion of copies, each one a mirror image of the original, each one armed with the same lethal arsenal.

Spears rain down from above while clones dart and weave around Ireful, keeping her off balance and preventing her from gaining the upper hand. Despite the odds stacked against them and their unlikely kinship, the two humans fight impressively well together.

However, not all is good. Each of the Imagined clones of Alexos lasts only a second, the number of them seemingly weakening their lifespan. A bit of air I was unaware I was holding onto leaves my lungs. Alexos' Power seemed to have no limits for a while. But it does.

I now understand why he wants to evolve his Power, but I've never heard of anyone turning a Power into a Dominion. They are different things. One is the soul, and one is the soul dipping lightly into Ether.

Still, the once Phantom Pain continues to conjure more and more things with his mind, whether it's clones, spears, guns, walls, or even copies of Eli to distract Ireful. Though, it doesn't last long before Ireful grows... angry.

A shout, the literal air shattering as she pushes both humans away, rings through the arena. It somehow even reaches me, waving some of my hair.

"Haah! Die!"

Short. Succinct. So very demonic.

I like her. If she wasn't a Motherbound, I reckon I could use her for a few tasks that need doing. But she is. And with her scream, more Darklight flows from her body, the obsidian-like scales growing even further.

Ireful dashes for Eli, the man only surviving due to the virtue of his Duplicate and the sudden jaunt he does to the right. Even still, a long scratch covers the back of his body, the porcelain filling with more cracks. Upon the demon's landing, Alexos conjures a copy of... my son, who grabs Ireful's ankle from its prone position. A maneuver that I recall profoundly from Wyatt's memories. It must have lingered within Alexos' thoughts as well for him to pull it out like this.

A kick strikes the clone in the face, but it doesn't break on the first hit. It shatters into fragments of disheveled Ether on the second but gives Alexos and Eli time for a follow-up.

Nonetheless, I am not meant to see it as space warps once more, Ireful's soul recovering enough to force her Dominion back into reality. Without a target of my admiration and inquisitive mind that wants to learn how to gain more power, I turn to the one who can do that very thing. Staring at the Devil, I ask him what he can do for me.

"How much to make me better at maneuvering Ether?"

The God scoffs, glaring at me with a side-eye. With one hand, the other never once leaving the wall since it appeared, he waves me off. The motion and words don't throw me off, however.

"And why would I make a deal with a demon?"

Crossing my arms, I open my mouth to defend myself, but another is already on it. Mie speaks on my behalf.

"You have made deals with far worse beings, Devil. Eli and Alexos are ten times worse than her. Furthermore, with the only things she cares about being Wyatt and Killian, she is safely on our side. Humor her."

The Arca's voice is cold. So very cold. It nearly gives me a shiver. The death of her previous bearer has broken her. Additionally, seeing Eli like this... What do humans call it? Ah, yes. She must be ready to go into a furore. Wait, no. That's a rare human word. Ah, a massacre! She's ready to burst!

Smiling at Silas, I find the man to be supremely uncomfortable as the Devil considers the Undead's artifact's words. The wrinkled thing lowers his head toward me, asking for clarification.

"Is that true? Have you defected to humanity? Are you freed from Her influence?"

I nod, absolutely sure of my answer. Killian helped me gain my freedom, after all. Not that I remember it, though. It's the only thing I don't in all my life, even my birth. The damage it did to my soul, the freedom, took a long while to heal. I trust that he did it correctly, though.

"Defected to humanity is strong, but I'm certainly not your enemy. Unless you align yourself against Killian and Wyatt."

The Red Judge squints, those shrewd eyes finding mine. Then he probes with a question that I was not anticipating.

"And what if they align against each other? Will you choose the one on humanity's side? Because... they do not seem as though they will get along."

My hand rises to my chin as I think with thoughts that move a thousand times faster than a typical human's mind. Still... it takes several seconds for an answer's shadow even to be revealed. Can I choose between the two?

I don't know if I can.

Once upon a time, just a few months ago, it would be easy. I'd pick Killian in a heartbeat without a second guess. But now? I... I am unsure. My heart wants to say Killian, something pulling me in that direction, but another part of me tells me that is wrong. That it would be a betrayal.

No betrayal in the past has ever made me feel bad, though. This one, however... it stings just thinking about it.

A year ago, I wouldn't care in the slightest for this young human's life. I only helped when Caldwell came because of the fact that Killian would be disappointed in me if his son died.

I breathe in deeply, the stale air of the Underworld filling my lungs and rejuvenating my figure. Ether swims inside my mind, aiding the process of thoughts. I try to get a handle on my emotions to answer this honestly, but it simply doesn't work. The theoretical is impossible to quantify.

I can only think of the memories I've made. There are so few with Killian. And he's always been so cold. He's saved my life many times and gifted me freedom, but...

Wyatt taught me that there are more things that matter than power and loyalty. I realize now that my loyalty, my devotion to Killian has been warped into love over time, a dysfunctional kind. Still, I cannot simply remove it. Yet what I feel for Wyatt is not broken or malformed.

Smiling, I give the God an honest answer, not hiding my thoughts in the slightest.

"I'd choose my little one. No matter his enemies."

The Devil breathes heavily out of his nose before tsking with his mouth. Then, he offers a deal to me, the first of a kind. I know he's never given any of my race such a thing. He hates us more than anything. The Devil might even hate us demons more than the Motherbound. Still, he bestows the offer.

"If you give me your eye, I will give you a far grander sight into the tapestry of Ether."

I shake my head, refusing the offer. It is not enough.

"No. I want more than better sight."

The Devil groans as if the rejection damages him somehow. Then, he provides me a second one.

"You will not get a third. I take all your natural gifts as a demon, and I shall impart the method of Soulful directly into you."

"Deal."

Horror falls upon the God's face as if he cannot comprehend my choice, but he must be naive to think I wouldn't take this. Soulful Strand? Soulful!? Only with it can Sirzas be made. Only with it can... this whole place be made. In some ways Soulful is more important than a Dominion.

So what if I lose my strength? My size? My resilience? There is so much more for me to gain with Soulful. There is... so much more for me to protect. As such, I don't hesitate when the Devil offers the paper.

I need to help my son. I cannot let him perish. If he does, I will be without purpose. Killian is... no longer my goal. It is to see my little one become a God.