[center][b]THE EMPTY LORD[/b][/center] IoI watched calmly as Lucien came closer to his location--not by the relation between oculars and light, but through the harmony (or lack thereof) of the original angel's actions; Especially against the demons and angels whose perishing bodies released their souls. Normally, the Empty Lord would have intervened with such affairs, as his faithful followers had said 'no original lives must be lost.' That was [i]then[/i], as [i]now[/i] the transcendent being knew [i]exactly[/i] where these slain creations were going. Lucien approached on the dilapidated Red Square, the space between him and this 'unknown obstacle' only measuring up a few yards. By now, the Empty Lord's dark, smoky wisps numbered just shy of a hundred and had begun to wander farther and farther away, in circular semi-random paths. Additionally, light and shadow in the area were having an awfully hard time working, but visibility and hiding was still somewhat possible. Not that the original angel would have any need for subterfuge, now would he? Ioi certainly didn't have any need for stealth. There was no pretense here, just sheer desire manifested in their forms of people, but then... Ioi spoke. The tone, gentle but firm, was evident. His raspy, lingering voice knew no equal in presentation, as well, for every person in Loom would hear it. [i]Perfectly.[/i] All other aural sources temporarily muted as he spoke to the original angel. Indeed, no barrier, be it physical, language, or dumb understanding, stopped Ioi from addressing every element in his plan. He spoke to the innermost core of a person's essence, bypassing all mental safeguards and defenses. Additionally, knowledge was imputed to all listeners: the name, that is, [i]eye-oh-eye[/i], IoI, the Empty Lord, who knew them, and the understanding of what Lucien was saying to him. Repeating, everyone would hear what Ioi said to Lucien and [i]why[/i]. "What you already believe," he warned everyone, pausing deliberately, "will determine what you shall believe next." His face lowered slightly, his pupil-less, purple eyes examining the blade before looking back up at Lucien. "I will not, although I have no intention to wield it," Ioi declared, hinting that he would only give the sword to someone who meets [i]his[/i] standards for worthiness. "More shall come judging," he added, lowering the sword so that its tip tapped the ground, [b]and he spoke no more.[/b] Ioi's attention to Lucien then shifted, as though someone unseen was talking to him. A very subtle nod and dimming of his eyes confirmed some request. Without further cue, several blue, semi-transparent rectangles, full of multiplying cubes, appeared on the Empty Lord's left side--the strange manifestations faded, leaving their passengers on the ground, all of their eyes closed that then opened in sync. The lot consisted of a short, bearded old man, a tall spiffy gentleman with a top hat, two lovely ladies in elegant dresses (one more extravagant than the other), and a single petite girl with a strange 'gray' composition, spiky hair, and eerie stare. All, save for the gray girl, turned toward Ioi, bidding him thanks--one of the ladies even squeezed his hand. Then they all departed from the Red Square by various means: running with demonic swiftness, empowered jumping and parkour, and then the old man just simply meandered out of sight, sipping some delightful tea. The gray girl, known as the Reclaimer, gave Lucien one interested look before blinking and turning her gaze skywards. Wingless, her body flew straight up into the sky above the Red Square, leaving Ioi seemingly alone. But he was not. Kneeling behind him, an unseen being stretched her long, soft white wings outwards past Ioi's sides. Then standing, her wings docked as she brushed a strand of chestnut hair over her ear and came to Ioi's left side. He glanced at her, seeing her body trembling as her dour demeanor fought her will to lift her eyes. But she finally did, looking on the other original angel before her, Lucien. She swallowed, shuddering as she took another step forward as her lord watched her. "Lucien... y-you [i]are[/i] alive," she breathed, clasping her shaky hands together in front of her. She stopped, a mere 10 feet from Lucien. "It's me... [i]Ilana.[/i] Do you remember?" she asked him with bemusement, and a bit of excitement. --- A closet door opened, and out stepped Poe Medeth Kasteny, former CEO. Behind him, nestling his arm like a lady, was a strangely familiar woman who resembmled Hazumi and Aeris. Of course, only one person here would realize that. Glancing up at her taller escort, the woman let go of Poe and slowly came up to Mairyell, putting a hand on his shoulder as she looked into his eyes. The top-hatted demon went into the other room to meet up with Julian and Mary. "Oh, my son..." she whispered, joy and fear twisted together in her throat. Tears welled up as she put her other hand on him. They rolled down as she blinked, looking him up and down at how he had grown since he was a child. She was certainly impressed, albeit she could sense the taint in him that once plagued her, leading her to her 'death'... "You've changed so much, Mai," she cooed sweetly, then chuckling nervously as she attempted to caress his cheek. Plot, meet [i]twist:[/i] Layna Grace Kasio, mother of two. Elsewhere in the house, Poe reached the last step and sighed. Carefully moving about, he deduced where Mary and Julian were, their heartbeats a nearly muted sound in the background. Entering the doorway, the usually jovial Poe's face tugged downwards, somber and remorseful, as his stoic gaze fell upon Mary and Julian. He took off his huge top hat. "You lot ought to leave Loom soon. If transportation is required, well, it's only a doorknob away," Poe explained, tapping the door's knob, "I would take you two anywhere you'd like that has a door, yes, any structure in all the world." "No charge," he added, almost humorously. --- With the Vampire now gone to grab his friends and ready them for their escape, Solus pulled his keys out of his left coat pocket and moved towards his car, intent on finally meeting Szayeis for the first time, but as he did so, something changed. A massive explosion of pure essence rumbled in the distance, and even Solus with his terrible human senses could smell the purest, untainted essence his nostrils ever felt. But who could have such a clean and holy soul? And so much bottled in power that it would shatter the surroundings like that? Solus reminisced for a moment, emptily staring down at the keys in his hand. Sifting through the lore and knowledge that he studied over the years. His eyes widened as the realization hit him like a bullet train. "The Archangels..." He mumbled out. He was excited, finally the corrupt Council was falling apart, but at the same time he was worried. Without the Council, and the Angels being humanity's 'Protectors', what chances of survival did mankind have now? To Solus, those chances were pretty fucking low. He took another step towards his car, only to stop again as something else reverberated through his very essence. It was like a calling, a faint signal pulling him towards somewhere. He felt like he absolutely needed to be there, that it was his duty to be there... [i]No.[/i] The Necromaster thought to himself as he pushed the feeling aside. For all he knew it could be another of Sir's mind tricks. Or perhaps an attempt at Solus' mind from another entity unknown to him. Having had enough of loligagging about, he forced himself towards his vehicle of choice once more, opened the driver's side door and jumped in. A good while after Solus Grim had hopped into his Mustang and drove out of Serenity Row, a low voice raped and pillaged its way through his skull. It was coming from from every angle. He glanced around the cockpit of his car, through the mirrors, and out the windows, and saw nothing. It wasn't addressed to him either, as it spoke of someone's worthiness, and seemed distant. Grim was for the most part confused, unsure of what it all meant, and he wasn't even going to bother asking himself where it even came from. But he had a moment to think it all over, a strange bluish manifestation rippled in the passenger seat where Rina once sat during the Battle of Thorpe. It vanished as soon as it had begun, and in its place Garnette, former demon, looked up at him. A serene visage and sated eyes captured her demeanor as she adjusted the lower ends of her dress. It felt good to see him again, and she was hoping when all was said and done, he'd let her be a memory. Solus immediately drew his gun and pressed it against the demon's temple with supernatural speed. He didn't expect the unwanted visitor. It took him a moment to recognize her while both looking at her and back on the road ahead. "You... I didn't give you an invitation..." He growled out. Her lips pouted lightly. "I'm sorry... it was either this, or surface-pin to the roof of your car... and you'd probably attack me just for that, wouldn't you, Solus?" she reasoned, looking away. Solus let out a low groan of anger. "That voice... was my master, whom I've told you about once," she whispered with a nod, "and he's returned. Actually sent me to you on errand. I've a message for Rina Genno..." "From her uncle," she clarified, slightly squinting as she thought about the girl. "Spill it!" The Chimera pressed the gun against the former Succubus' temple harder. "Alright," she gasped, pulling away from the gun. Something had changed about Solus, but she couldn't pick up on it. "Peskay Genno is one of us Iotans now and is quite safe and sound," she explained, "and this, he gave me this... paper." Pulling a slip of paper out of her cleavage, she held it toward Solus. He put a foot up on the steering wheel so he could keep the car straight, and grabbed the paper with his free hand. "Any sudden moves and I blow your head off." He holstered his gun and grabbed the wheel again to swerve past a fleeing family sedan. This was the last thing he needed tonight. A demon materializing in his car. These two days have turned into a massive headache, he hasn't even slept and all sorts of shit has happened in a span of 36 hours, and now demons have invaded the city. But then again, this was just another Monday. He opened the paper which read: 00 degrees 50 minutes North, 24 degrees 16 minutes East "Coordinates?" Solus asked. "Where do they go?" "Just a messenger, big guy," she sighed, shrugging. "Um, don't crash." She gestured with her finger at a large semi truck with an empty flatbed pulling out in front of them about 20 yards away Solus squeezed the paper into his hand and slammed his foot down on the gas. Garnette's ears would be filled with pain as the sound of metal grinding on metal surrounded her skull. The Necromaster managed to maneuver the vehicle under the flatbed of the Semi, wenging in between its wheels, its roof scratching against the bottom of the metal slab. Suddenly he slammed the car to a stop 250 yards away from the truck him and his passenger just missed. He unholstered his weapon again and stated, "You sent your message, I believe we're finished here." Bracing herself, Garnette sucked in air and hoped for the best. She could endure a lot of things, but that didn't mean she wanted pain. Not for her, or for anyone. A sigh of relief escaped her as they grinded to a halt. She turned her head as he spoke again, his weapon squarely aimed at her temple again. She sighed again, her shoulders slightly slumping. "I w... was hoping to hang with you for a bit b-before I leave forever... for home," she explained, crestfallen in tone and her clearly saddened visage brought for him to bear. Solus didn't care, and he didn't trust her either. "I don't give a damn about 'Hanging out'..." He growled out, bearing his teeth. "The city is going to shit, and last thing I need right now is some bitch distracting me with pointless horseshit." Garnette's passenger door clicked open. "So head 'home'." She listened to him, every word he said sinking harder into her heart. She glanced at the open door, the pavement there wet with mud. But then glanced back at Solus, the barrel of his gun right over her left eye. "If you don't want my help with anything, then so be it. Pull the trigger, Solus," she mumbled solemnly, "you've been wanting to do that ever since you've met me. So pull the trigger, it will be my last gift to you." To help establish that, she pressed into the barrel until her eye started to feel plucked. Solus kept the gun there for about there seconds, but instead of pulling the trigger, he said "PIR.". Suddenly it felt like the interior of the car exploded, and Garnette was flung out of the open door. It was just a harmless shockwave, she would be fine. Solus slammed the door shut before she had a chance to get back in again. And put the pedal to the metal, speeding away and leaving the demoness in his rear view mirror, quickly turning into a tiny dot in his vision. "Fuck, I'm getting old." He said to himself. He hesitated back there, could have ended her just like that. But he didn't. Whether that was a mistake would be revealed in the future, but for now he had more pressing issues to worry about. Laying there, in the mud... Garnette rubbed her face from top to bottom, her eyes glazed over with disappointment. She felt jaded by Solus. Sure she was a former demon, and sure he had no reason to trust her. Wouldn't do well for a demon hunter to trust a demon. She felt she'd just pick a bad time. She was not like Aulder who could speak so calmly so as to render even the most bloodthirsty barbarians into diplomancy. And then, when she had the last moment to give him something he'd always wanted: to kill her, he changed his mind. "So he is a pussy," she mumbled, before looking up into the sky. She saw the Reclaimer (the gray girl). Closing her eyes, she whispered that she was ready. Without a moment longer, a huge gold chain zipped down to Garnette, consuming her in a flash. Fully reclaimed, the chain disappeared and the Reclaimer kept her eye on the flying Szayeis in the distance. --- "Szayeis... master of the game, indeed," stated a loud, well-trained voice somewhere ahead of the demon lord. In the middle of the street amongst all the choas, a very calm and stoic Aulder stood, still wearing his simple robes and rustic sandals. His beard flapped gently in the wind as he looked up at Szayeis. "I've come to call on Aeriqi, my lord," Aulder explained, his powerful voice, empowered by Ioi, reaching out to Szayeis's mind, and even the old one. "May he come out to play?" the former Incarnate added, stroking his beard calmly as a few people ran past him terrified of Szayeis's all consuming nature.