Hidden Motives

Standing in the midst of a snowy terrain, their white and black hair fluttered to the side, blown by the wind. Their elegant dress flapped sporadically, as their unwavering smile plastered their face.

Their arm stretched forward, while their voice sounded British and noble.

"Do not be afraid."

They spoke as their white and black eyes gleamed with reassurance.

"I am not here to hurt you."

She spoke again, but her tone was different.

It was complex.

One second you could believe her, and the next you couldn't tell if she was telling the truth.

She was the embodiment of Yin and Yang.

She was true Chaos.

A small giggle escaped her lips as the individual in front of her chattered their teeth. They were scared.

Their body was shaking, and it wasn't from the cold. It was fear, overwhelming their soul and mind. They couldn't do anything but stand there, dreadful in their eyes.

"Are you unnerved, Lucienne?"

"W-Who… are you?!"

It was Lucienne. She was the one in fear.

She stepped back, falling on her back.

She couldn't even walk, that seemed impossible.

"Does it matter who I am?" Asked the lady, "I am me, and you're you. Names are a trivial matter, so come with me, let us talk."

"Why… do we have to talk?" Said the terrified demon, backing away from the enigmatic woman.

"You are the only one who can obtain something that I need. From the very beginning, I planned all of this; for George to be sealed away, for Crimson to lose his Guild Badge, for Angelica to fight the Demon King… and for you to be all alone, by yourself."

"I-I don't… understand!"

"I ordered Belial to work with Lucifer so he could achieve his goal of taking Emperor's throne, but little did he know… he was only a pawn in my hand. He was the piece I moved on the chessboard, knocking down the Knights until I reached the king." She smirked, "I planned every single action from start to finish, so I know your next move. I know that you're willing to use your Guild Envelope to summon the Phantom Mutiny, is that correct?"

Lucienne widened her eyes as her heart sank.

"H-How did you-!"

"Belial's purpose was to free George from his imprisonment after Angelica and Lucifer fought. Now that he is free, I have the ultimate victory in my hands, and all I need is you, Lucienne."

"What… will I do?! Why do you need me, who even are you?" Shouted the demon.

"I am Lilith, Ruler of Zedreda, Queen of Gehenna."

"So… it is you, one of the Four Great Kings?"

"Fufufu~. Yes, indeed. Are you willing to join me, Lucienne? I can offer you something grand, even better than Arcane Magic."

"…Are you serious? Asking me to betray my friends, for the sake of some selfish desire?!"

"Yes. I am offering you something that transcends the limitations of your power."

"Is this power capable of bringing us back to our world?!"

"Yes."

"Why should I believe you?"

"I never lie. Throughout my entire life, I have not lied once from my mouth."

"If what you say is true… and this power can bring us back, why haven't you used it?" Asked the skeptical demon.

"Because I like it here. I like this body, I like this world, I like those who are punished for badmouthing me. It gives me the authority I never had in my previous world. I have a few bits'n bobs already being punished under my rule." Lilith cackled, "Kufufufu! You do not have to worry about any lies. After all, the more players that leave the game, the better it is for me to rule this world.

"Fine… then I'll come with you. I trust in your word, Great King." Lucienne bowed her head, and closed her eyes in slight regret from her words, "Do not make me regret what I said."

"You shan't."

Lucienne stretched her arm forward, grasping Lilith's hand.

"Good. Now let us be off."

***

"Psst," Standing next to Angelica was a small dwarf tugging on her dress, and whispering to her, "Are yer sure it's a wise idea to bring Lucifer to the Kingdom of Arcadia, Lady Angelica?"

"Hm?" Angelica kneeled to be face-to-face with the small dwarf, "Of course it is, Lucifer isn't the guy you think he is. He changed for the greater good." Said the angel, giving a reassuring smile.

"Yes yes, that may be true, but how will the others in Arcadia feel, my lady?"

"Oh!" Angelica looked away in thought, placing her hand underneath her chin, "I never thought of that."

"And what if this is all a trick to let your guard down, so he may strike when you aren't looking?!"

"If he does something like that, then I'll just punch some sense into him again, don't you worry Oin."

"Uhh… hey, you know I can hear you both, right?" Lucifer just stood there with a poker face, watching their entire conversation.

"Ahem." Angelica stood back up and approached Lucifer, tapping his forehead, "Sigilla!" Lucifer's forehead had been inscribed with a triangular sigil. Each point on the triangle had a sphere carved with ancient symbols, sealing away his power and resistances. "There, much better."

Lucifer rubbed his forehead, confused as ever.

"My magic is gone? Why did you do that exactly?"

"Well, it's a pretty long story. When I inhabited the West Continent, we were getting a lot of humanoid and abnormal races trying to live here, and eventually, it got overpopulated in the span of a year. Chaos and violence were bound to happen, so I decided to create a law; those who enter the West Continent will be engraved with a Sigil, sealing away all magical power and resistances, while also eradicating the concept of violence."

"That's quite useful but also dangerous. This law you created is a double-edged sword, Angelica. What if someone attacks your continent, enacting war, and your people cannot fight back?"

"Mhm, I already planned for that! The three spheres on the sigil are seals that compress your magic power and resistances, but they will shatter whenever you're in dire situations. Seal one: If someone is an actual threat and has the capability of killing you, the seal will shatter and return your magic and resistances. Seal Two; If we're ever forced into a war, Seal Two will shatter and increase your level up to 100, not to mention, that Seal One will also shatter as well. Seal three; This seal shatters the entire sigil if you were to leave the West continent, giving everything you lost back."

"Impressive. So if I were to go to war with you, my army would've lost either way. Creating a law to increase the player's level up to 100 is something I never thought of." Responded Lucifer, rubbing under his chin in thought.

Angelica shrugged, boastful as ever, "Well, if you're gonna create a free nation that allows all races and newer opportunities, then it's best to diminish all violence and chaos."

"I suppose so." Said the demon king, "But why didn't I obtain the sigil once I stepped foot into this nation?"

"Well, it's because the law couldn't work on you. Aren't you forgetting you're a Great King? We're outside the realm of possibilities, and laws since we can create our own. That's why I decided to create a better sigil on the spot, specifically made for you."

"So this is Lucifer Exclusive?"

"Yes, exactly!"

"Hahahaha!" The Demon King lifted his head back, laughing to the sky, "This must be karma! From sealing away George, karma has caught back up to me!! Won't you look at that, the great and powerful Demon King is sealed by the power of an angel!"

"And if you do anything bad, I won't just seal your power, but I'll also seal away your rights to freedom, Demon King," Angelica smirked, placing her hands against her hips.

"Oh? Are you threatening me, Angelica?"

"I dunno, am I?"

Lucifer stepped foot in front of the Angel, crossing his arms.

"My pride was on the line in our fight, and now it's been torn to shreds by your hand. But I still have my ego, and I will not let you tear that apart, no matter how hard you try. It is the driving force of my strength."

Angelica was shorter than the Demon King, but she stood in front of him nonetheless, crossing her arms.

"You can keep your ego, I just wanted to punish a bad boy who was quick with assumptions, even if it meant tearing apart your pride, Lucifer."

"Humu," He tittered, "Is that so?"

"Get a room." Muttered Oin.

"Huh?" Angelica turned to face the small dwarf who was lifting her brow in concern.

"Lady Angelica, should I escort him to the castle?" Legolas intervened in their conversation, placing his hand on the rapier's handle in its sheathe.

"Ah, right." Angelica turned back around, holding up her thumb, "Sure thing. I'm counting on yah Legolas!"

The elf seemed to blush, nodding his head towards his King.

"Right, I won't let you down. I trained for this with Oin."

"Hell yeah you did, and if you screw up on anything and make me look like a fool, I'm gonna kick your balls inwards."

"…Are all dwarves like you, brutes?" Asked Legolas.

"What the hell did you say?!" Oin clenched her fist, stepping in front of the elf.

"Hey, knock it off you two. Escort Lucifer to my castle, he can't do anything harmful, I made sure of that. Right now I have some business to have to take care of with Emperor if you don't mind."

"Right, I'll see you till then my lady." Bowed Legolas.

"Hey… enough with the formality." Angelica winked before taking flight with her wings.

"I'll catch you guys soon!"

She soon flew away, dashing across the planet at light speed.