Yay for new posts. And yay for old ones. I'm reminiscing so I'll post a few little snippets from Season 1. ^-^

[Hider= How angels used to be][center]Lucien and Hazumi's first meeting : How angels used to be[/center]

Nothing. There was nothing in this damn city to kill! Lucien was close to losing it. There was not a single Demon to stab. Nothing to kill! Nothing to do with this rage that the fucking maggot had lured out. After a few hours of flying, he had found exactly nothing. Except humans. And more humans. And even more humans. And what were they good for? Certainly not putting up a fight! Landing in an abandoned warehouse, Lucien screamed in rage and helplessness, his armored fist crashing against a solid concrete pillar. A sizeable dent was left, and various bits and pieces came crashing down. Lucien's hand also snapped like a twig, causing pain to shoot through Lucien, resulting in a muffled curse from the Angel as he realized what he had done. The pain brought clarity, and calm, slowing Lucien's breathing. Well, calm is a loose term. He wasn't screaming in wrath and wanting to kill anything anymore, but he was still considerably enraged. 

That's when he became aware that he was being watched. Years of warfare against Demons had heightened his 'sixth sense' as he liked to call it. Or, his paranoia as his wife had liked to call it. Regardless, he turned around, searching. "I know you're there," He called out, grunting in pain as he fixed his broken hand. " so why don't you come out rather than skulking in the shadows?"

Hazumi stared for a second longer, asessing the situation before smiling to herself. Here there were no Council members to see. Here they could talk openly. 

She jumped down from her vantage point and landed softly on her toes her wings flapping a final time before settling calmly behind her back. Her hands were also crossed behind her back in a gesture of utter calm that was sure to piss the already enraged angel even more. 

"Yes?" She asked with a small smile as if it was Lucien following her and not the other way around. 

This was great. Wonderful. Not only was she deciding that being around an angry Battle Angel, thousands of years her better, was nothing to be wary about, she wanted to be coy! Suppressing both a sigh and the urge to punch the concrete pillar again, Lucien gritted out, "What, exactly, do you want to talk about so badly that you followed me from the meeting. To kill me? Please. If the cowards sent you, they're more pathetic than I originally thought. If you decided to kill me on your own, I applaude your initiative, but don't really feel like exerting the energy required to beat you without ending your fragile life." Still, his hand moved a bit closer to his sword. Better safe than sorry, especially when it came to brainwashed sheep. With fangs.

Hazumi seemed to... pout[size=1]?[]/size] a little bit. Her mouth curled up in that typical way that dissapointed people's did without them realizing. She tilted her head to the side and stared at him, as if that could tell her more about him than she already knew. 

And that was exactly the problem, wasn't it? She didn't know him and she hadn't seen him around, but that meant nothing as she hadn't met half of the angel community in Loom, let alone around the whole world (and she had no doubt every angel still alive was called for that meeting). She didn't know him, but she knew that something was weird about him. Not only because he was screaming to himself like crazy. But because he was talking back to the most important beings ever created. 

"Who are you? And why were you... arguing with the Council?" 

Don't hit the pillar again. Don't hit the pillar again. Lucien ordered himself as she tilted her head at him, as if he was some strange new creature (which he kind of was, all things considered) to be studied ,rather than answering his question. His hand reflexively clenched into a fist, and slowly released. Her next question, he wasn't expecting. Thus, he only blinked in surprise when she asked. Not the last question, that was expected, if not really high up on the 'what would happen if a Battle Angel met me in a secluded place' list. It was the first one that offset him. 

He would have thought that even the 'lowliest' of Angels would have been told about his 'great hubris' to argue with the Archangels. An example of what good little soldiers, sheep in reality, should avoid at all costs. When it became clear that she wasn't joking, he responded. "I am Lucien. The last of the Angels to have never known death, the last Angel survivor of the Great War. The cowards, the Archangels as you call them, do not count as rather than staying an Angel, they decided to become Gods and Masters, ruling over both the new breed of Angels, and the humans. When we entered this world, we were content to watch and live silently side by side with the humans. The invisible guardians. But that wasn't enough for the cowards, they had to rule the humans, and blind our future to what the Demons were actually like. I was sealed in Onyx for challenging their rule, though they say it was because I wiped out a city when battling a Demon. One by one, my former friends and allies died while I was trapped. Leaving only the cowards in power.

"They finally decided to release me when Hell's Gate began breaking under the wrath of the Hellions for our arrogance in the decision that we could just live in a world not ours. To keep me from slaughtering them upon sight, they surrounded themselves with their guard sheep, and threaten the life of another. Why was I arguing with the cowards and their lapdogs? Because we do not belong here. This is not our home, not our world. We shouldn't be babysitting the humans. We should be in Heaven, preparing to strike back against the Demons for their crimes. Does that answer your question, girl?"

That was a lot to take in and, admittedly, it was truly beyond her expectations. It was enough to make her blink but she did so slowly, any weariness of the stranger absent in the laziness of her movement. It was obvious that she was trying to grasp everything as she was seething through the information and extracting the most important bits and pieces. 

The most important problem was, of course, his power. She saw him being aggravated but she knew he won’t attack – he wouldn’t attack her, for one reason or another… and that was puzzling. All angels talked back, all angels would try to “put you in your place” when aggravated, to lash out at you or at least talk you down… 
And if anyone had the right to talk down on her, it was someone as old as he was. An Original. Immortal, over 7,000 years old? Someone who should have been an Archangel, should have become a wise leader…

…someone who failed. Someone who submitted to his weakness like demons and humans did. 

Hazumi smirked and her smirk only grew to a full-blown grin once she realized she was doing something she hadn’t presumed she could. 
“You… are about to fall, aren’t you? You are diving for a fall head-first and you can’t wait to hit the ground and dirty it with your existence. ”

Lucien tilted his head in slight confusion at the girl's grinning. Anger, confusion, denial. These, he had expected. Grinning, was...unusual. Well, until he remembered how Dark Angel's were treated this day and age. Likely she had never gotten the opportunity to speak her mind to anyone, much less an immortal. What she asked next was amusing, to say the least. Lucien chuckled before responding to her. "If you mean fall by having my wings and power stripped by the cowards, then no. They're not foolish, nor strong enough, to attempt an act like that. If you mean fall as in, I either die or disappear, then yes. Specifically after I kill all of the cowards and their elevated lapdogs. If we kill each other, good. If I survive, I'll slip away and make sure that the Angels don't follow the path that lead them here again. I've no wish to rule, to lead.

"I only wish to cut down as many demons as I can. Multiple times, preferably. If your real question is do I seek death, then also yes. I've seen hundreds, thousands, of my friends torn apart by Hellions. I watched my daughter be executed by those I thought I could trust. I watched as we went from a race that respected the Demons for their power, to hating anything abnormal, and thinking ourselves invincible, Gods amongst weaklings. We are better than them. But we are not Gods. They can kill us. They will kill us, given the chance. Anyone who thinks otherwise goes beyond arrogance. I no longer have a place in this world. The Original Angels are a dead race, with no chance of revival. Beings weaker than us have taken up the mantle to fight against the scum of Hell. So, I will kill the ones called 'the Archangels' and then I will disappear and die." He shrugged.

"You still haven't answered my question. What do you want?"

It was Hazumi's turn to be surprised and she was about to let herself blink when she caught herself and decided she wouldn't give him the pleasure. Narrowing her eyes instead portrayed her annoyance at the fact that he had just made a point of her being an untaught little darkling. She was also puzzled beyond belief because for the first time in her life she couldn't class a being as good or evil. Half of what he said was nonsense. The other half sounded very wise indeed. 

He could have been a Council member. He could have been a leader. 

He was throwing everything away. 

A decision was made. And with it came long-forgotten emotions. Rage.
"So you wish to destroy everything they have created. You want to destory and leave nothing behind. You're not an angel! You are a coward and a demon! You are no better than them and you are unfit the trust you're receiving!"

He had expected denial, vehemnent denial. Violent denial, in fact. He was prepared to face that, prepared to remain in control. What he was not prepared to face was being called a Demon. As soon as the word exited her mouth, Lucien went still. For a brief moment, he wasn't breathing, the words echoing in his mind. You are a Demon!..Demon...Demon.. For long moments, nothing happened. Then Lucien took a deep breath.

And everything went pitch black and silent for Hazumi. 

It wasn't a perfect illusion, likely she got flashes of the real world, both in hearing and in sight. But Lucien didn't need perfection. He just needed in close. There was a rustle of wings and heavy steps as the Angel closed the distance, a gauntleted hand wrapping around her throat and lifting her into the air. The next thing she would be aware of was the pressure of a sharp point just beneath her ribcage.

Sight and sound returned in a rush, Lucien spoke...well, roared at this little annoyance. "You have no idea what you speak of, bitch! I have seen the wrath of the Hellions, and your precious Council would not be able to protect you and your fellows if it is stirred again! Do not compare me to the maggots that writh in the filth of Hell! I nearly died fighting them, and all of the Original Angels did die battling against them. I may not belong in this world any longer, but I have not sunk so low as the cowards! I am still an Angel!"

Hazumi could feel his rage infecting her but it wasn't his actions or words themselves that made her blood boil over, but his cold steel fingers wrapped tightly around the claw-like scar on her neck. He was right. He was so much worse than a demon. 

"If you're going to talk to me-" her hand shot up to squeeze his wrist, "-then at least look at me in the eyes!" she growled and her voice thundered in his helm. No, it was the helm itself that produced its own sound and it just blend in with her yell. 
It took Lucien just a moment to realize what had happened – the girl had grown saber-like claws on her hands and one of them was now protruding from the other side of his wrist. The other one had managed to sneak under the collar of his helm and pierce through his throat and jaw. As she swept her hand to the side she ripped through flesh, schattered bone and sliced the helm in half, sending it thrumbling off his face. 

He had just enough time to widen his eyes in surprise before pain shot through the hand holding his sword, and his helm was torn off. Along with his jaw being turned into splinters, and blood leaking from his neck. Once again, pain brought clarity, dousing the fires of his rage...if only enough to make him see anything but red. For a brief moment, the blood flowed from his neck. Then, it stopped. There was a series of small cracks as his jaw fixed itself, and the blood reentered his neck, the wound closing. Lucien smirked, a new respect in his eyes. The girl had spine. Interesting. "For someone so used to being looked down upon, you seem to be very concerned about how people talk to you. Regardless, I will bring down the hierarchy they have created. We do not belong here, and the cowards should not be in control. Their, and my, time has ended. You need to learn the truth, rather than the lies. " 

He let go of her throat, dropping her. Yanking his wrist free from her claws, he stepped back, not going so far as to sheathe his sword. "I'll ask again. What do you want? Besides to speak with someone who doesn't think your wings are any reason to view you as lesser, that is. You can't have followed me just for my charming personality."

"Don't try to talk me over to your side, demon" she hissed, rubbing her neck, although she couldn't feel any pain in it. It was mostly just shock nausea from his fingers on the scar. She knew she was provoking him and she knew he might well win a potential battle - it was impossible for her to regenerate so quickly. But his young face - younger than hers - didn't let her take him seriously. Or maybe it was pride speaking. Maybe she just wanted to prove herself better for once. Maybe it was the respect in his eyes that kept her going. 

"I won't let you destroy the Council. I followed you exactly because I don't trust you, I wanted to stop you..." Hazumi tried taking a deep breath to calm down. "or aid you, to help you adapt. I'm not going to kill you. Not yet. But I won't let you out of my sight, and if you slip I'll be the one to take your head off."

Demon. Lucien resisted snapping again, if only just. This girl was not his enemy. Not yet at least. He showed no reaction to her words until she was done. Then, he spoke, hate infusing his tone, "I tried to adapt. I tried to make do with new situations. You know what happened? Those I thought I could trust tried to kill me. When that failed, they went for those closest to me. So don't waste your time, girl. If you're seeking to save me, I'm too far gone. But you are a smart one, aren't you? Not trusting the cowards decision to trust me completely. Perhaps they haven't completely turned you into a loyal little sheep. You can try to kill me, I'll even welcome it if it's after I slaughtered the cowards. But if you try to stop me from killing them, I won't hesitate. You'll simply join them in death."

Hazumi just nodded. It was a mutual agreement and one she was happy with, despite the desire to rip his head off still lingering in her. She kept reminding herself that the Council trusted him and tried to convince herself that they knew what they were doing. She could behave for as long as she had to get proof of him deserving death. She assumed she would only have to wait anywhere between 24 and 48 hours. 

Well. That was settled then. She would attempt to kill him in the near future. That would be an..interesting battle. "I await your attempt on my life. Do try to dig up information about dark wings. It would be..revealing." With that, he placed on his helm and prepared to leave. There was nothing more to discuss. Well, not now anyways. He was fairly certain that he had not seen the last of her.[/hider]

[hider=The Hero][center]The Hero[/center]
Thorpe, a small rural town just on the outskirts of Loom, was like a small paradise compared to the dark and evil city only a mere mile away. Its corrupting shadow slowly consuming the village every time the sun would set. One hour from curfew, the town's streets slowly began to empty. Everyone heading home to lock their windows and doors from something they fear, or something they were told to fear. In the comercial district, people were done with their day's shopping, mostly stockpiling on food and ammunition to keep their families safe through the coming night. A strange car slowly rolled by, staring at it all. A car caked in so much mud and dust that it was impossible to tell what color it was anymore. But one thing was for certain, it was large and bulky, an old muscle car perhaps, it was difficult to tell in the misty dusk, as by each minute the day was getting replaced by the dark, and the fog from last night's rain was getting thicker, making the car indistinguishable from any other from a distance.

The vehicle continued to roll along the cobblestone paved streets towards the residential district, where a multitude suburban houses sprawled the edges of the town, beyond which was an estate the to Governer of Thorpe lived. The car arrived at a large steel gate, with a halogen light on each side, illuminating the car's features clearly through the mist. Beyond the gate was a sillouette of a large house, fit for a governer. A guard arrived at the gate, still vigilent, and then overwhelmed with sudden surprise from what he saw behind the gate, waiting for permission to enter.

 

A mud covered metal beast stood, it's engine a low, angry growl, and it's bright headlights glairing at the guard, judging him. The metal covering the car was crudely placed, almost haphazardly in a rushed DIY fassion. Its glass windows where replaced with thick metal grills, the passanger side of the windshield was nothing but a steel plate, with a small rectangular hole to see through. The back of the car had no lights at all, just metal on top of more metal. But the car's most noticeable feature, was a menacing pair of gatling guns metal-welded to the right side of the bonet on the car. But even a monkey could tell that those guns weren't loaded, as there was no ammo belt that would normal protrude out of them. The guns themselves appeared to be a new feature, added quite recently.

Three more guards approached the gate to see what was going on, who also became somewhat surprised as they layed eyes on the waiting vehicle. The driver's side door clanged open, it's rusty hinges howling as they turned. The guards immediatly raised their weapons at the man who stepped out upon seeing his face, it was like that of a skull, his eye sockets, nostrils and jagged mouth burned with a bright green flame. The driver was in a black heavy trenchcoat that went all the way down to his ankles, covering all of the other clothes that he wore underneath. He appeared to be unarmed, but the guards weren't going to take any chances, especially in times like these.

"State your business here, demon." said one the guards with a snarl. The man with the burning face spoke, but with two voices. One a low, grizzled tone of a veteran warrior. The other even deeper, like the sound of a distorted audio cassette, speaking in demon tongue, occationally speeding up and slowing down. 

"I̸ͬ͑͒̿ ͋͑̇̆̀a͛ͤ̉m̗̞͖̣͙͓͊ ̡̼̰̲̥̮̍ͬ͂̍́ͅS͌҉̦͈͇̳ͅͅò̖̣͉̦̠̖̪̕lͦ̎̾̌͏̖̥ͅu͕ͤ̈̄͑̔͂͌s ̅́̎̄̃̚ ͏̗̠͖G̪̣̟̝̤̭ͅr̥̳̠̩͓̰̟i̙͈͚͕͉ṃ̳̤͍̼͖͙̊̀̿ͭͪ̀̌.̩͍̬ ̠̮̠͉̞͙̓ͤͤI̗̖̬̥̭͗̒ͧ͌̍ ̃͑̌̄̋̊̓͡w̴̙̣͚̬̺̗̏̉ͬͅa̟̜͔̣̺͉ͨ̎̾̉̄ͦͨ͢s̶̜̥͆ͭ̀̽͗̄̚ ̞̠ ̨̼̹̟͈ͫ̍ͯ̎̇ͦ̚t͈̔o̱̗̟̘̮͊̏̃̆̌l͙̲̯̻͙̻͘d̑ ̲ͪ͆̌ͥͥ͞t͈̱̜͉ͪͩ͛͡h̴̿̏a̋͌̿t̵͐̋̐̔̾͒ ͨ̑ͪ̚͏̠̣͙͉͎G̻̥̞̾̐͋ͯ̑̏͜ͅo͇͛ͮ̕ͅv̜͕̜̥̫̬͙͌e͏̝͙̹̗͔̺rͭͣ͗ͭ ̥̮̦̿ṅ̹͍͇̟̦̩ͩ͛ë̟̞͋r͚͍̮͕̥ͪ̐̃͛̚ͅ ̻̯͉̺̒ͮ͛ͭ̏̍P̅̄͡ẹ̛͆͆ͫ̾ͫ̉s͖͇̋̆̒ͯ͑̕k̭̍̌͞a͍͎̞̳̦̐̒ͦ̏̋͟y ̡̳̪̙̞̙͙ ̞ͫ̄ͤ̔G͕̣̖͙̳͕̖͊ͧe̳͈͖̪͊̐̊ͥ͒ń̹͇̲̎̒͂ͩ͛ͫ̕nͥͤͤ҉̤̬͇̣̩̼ͅo ̼͎ͪ̎̽ͥ̄ ̨͎ͣ̎͐̿̆w͍͉̰̰ͬͣ̌̒aͪ͒ͨͦͭͪ̾s̫͈̯̘̠͎̥ͤ̉ͫ̋͡ ̷͔̮̦̀̃̒ŝ̼͎̊ę̞̝͈̅̈̈ͪ̃͑ͅa̪̼ͭ̿̽ͣͨr͕͚̯͇̓ͮ̍̊̋ĉ̥̥̅̓͒ͦ ̮ḩ̻̉͐ͪ̅i̛̦̓͊̏̐n̝̼͍̹͌g̢̖̥̫̈́͛ͧ͆̂ ̻̙͙ͦͭͭ̓̌fͮ̎̋͒͆͌̇҉̫͕͇ọ̯̱́r̸̙̞̞̜̮̼̎ ͨ͌̏̌ͩ҉͍̹̘̲̥a̝̝͉̙͍̦͐̑̅̎̓ͥ͛b̞̳̞̆͌l̗̪͕̿ͫͪ̀̚e̙͈͉ͩ̾̐͑͌͠ ̯ ̫̘̩̲̫̍ͪ̑̄̊̀̊ḧ͇͚͕̣̠̹͔́̿ͭ̓̊͑ͪa̋͋n̷̙̗̤̙͖̞̜ͫd̼̻́ͭ̑̓sͯ̌ ͨ͏̰͙ ̻̉t̨͓̺̆ͪ̋̉o̝͉͙̖̫̰̿̆͋ͅ ̯̮̩̗̮̙̩̈́̔̊ͧͮäͮ͒҉̖i̓ͮ̋͏̬̼̤̦̠̪ḋ̸̞͖̼̯͓̖̥̽̒̉͛͒̆ ͐ͧh͔̪̬͇̹ͬͪ͑ͥͤ̏̀i̼̗͇̰͖ͥ̑̈͝ͅm̤͉͇͉̳͓ͪ͛̈́ͮ̀ ͚͓̖̮̋̓̍͊ͦͯͩi̷̥͔͈̝̝̟ͅnͪ̍ͩͧ̔͏̭̖̪̺͓̮ ̳̱̳̕ĥ̝͓̝̙ͩ̄͜i̹ͥs̷̤̆ͪ̽͒ͣ̑ ͌i̴̹̭̱̪̻͇ͫͧ̄n̢͎̖̏̈ͭ̑̄v̠̲̣̿͐ͭ͆e̸̞̦̹̻̖ͅs҉̟̪̞͍̖t̒̈́ͦ͒̊ ̴̪i̹͉̙ͮ̋ͬͅg̳̦̯̦̳̻̞̿̇̇͋ͦ͞a̡͕̼ͣ̋ṱ͔͔̂̋ͥi̪̇̀ò͈̰̞̭ͅn̐ ̘̲̠̝̙͉̅̋̃̀ͅ.̴͖̰̯ͩ̒̏ͥ̇͆͊.̙̫̤͗ͅ.̾̿͂̆̈́̓҉̬͉̲̪ͅ"

The two voices overlapping eachother in different tones and speeds only made the man harder to understand, but the clearer, more stable voice, his real one, helped a little. The man, realizing he spoke in two different voices at once, cleared his throut, and spoke again, in a single, much clearer low tone voice. "I am Solus Grim. I was told that Governer Peskay Genno was searching for able hands to aid him in his investigation..."

One of the guards lowered his gun slightly, scaning the visitor up and down with his eyes. The others noticed him do so, and one of them remarked, "You ever heard of a Solus Grim?" The other replied, somewhat reserved, "Yeah, back when I lived in Loom. Heard of a guy by that name that hunted demons, and even went to hell and back. Didn't think he would look like a demon though..."

"I'm here to provide aid, at least ask him if he would have an audience with me."[/hider]

[hider=Rage][center]Rage[/center]

Hans tilted his head at the young vampire that approached him(causing more pieces of the roof to fall), ignoring the human. He wouldn't be able to help the girl, but the longer he was kept busy, the better. Then, the ascended werewolf let out a chuckle. What an insolent little child he was. "Tell me, vampire. What do you care for the human? By all the accounts these two left before you killed them," He nodded towards the gore pile that was Henry and the headless corpse of Fredrick, "You hated her. A weak little whore, I believe is what they reported you screaming. The Angel could sense them, so they were a distance away, but you were quite loud. I realize you're at that age where you flip through moods quickly, but I don't think that quickly or strongly. Regardless, I can't take back what I've done even if I wanted to. It's permanent, and whoever undergoes it usually dies." If he had had lips, Hans would have grinned. As it was, tone of voice would have to suffice. "So, I'd be hoping that your 'weak little whore' is stronger than she appears. Wouldn't do for you to be proven right in this instance would it? And besides, I'd have to find another girl to do this work on and that's just frustrating and boring."

For a moment, Hans looked at the crimson eyes of the vampire. "I don't want this fight. Battling against Demons who should be working with me is...distasteful. Let it be, Vampire. Let what happens happen and allow a-," Hans glanced at Mary, whose clothes are stained with blood from her bones breaking skin. "most of us to leave here alive and in as good of health as we arrived."

At first, Mairyell's face darkened, but then the unthinkable occurred. The vampire smiled at Hans, and boy was it a devilish one. Teeth gleaming in all their glory, all sharp for the piercing of flesh. This was not a normal vampiric trait, and for someone like Hans who had likely seen many a vampire, it would be...confusing. The look in Mairyell's eyes darkened further as the crimson became almost black like dried blood. The aura of fury and violence did not however dissipate, in fact it only became worse as a deadly bloodlust seeped into the room. "I was born in bad health, demon," he spat the word out as if it were bile burning his mouth. Mairyell shook his head and raised one of his clawed hands somewhat, showing as it began to wreath itself in a blue energy.

"You know nothing, werewolf. My mood has little to do with my physical or emotional maturity. It is an entirely separate matter and you'd do well to remember that when I tear you throat out for hurting the last thing I can protect and defiling something that should not be." Mairyell's smile then vanished, "...for Innocence is sacred to me and those such as us have no right to twist it to our will."

The emotion seemed to bleed from his eyes as the dark crimson orbs became dull he slashed sending there blades of partially solidified blood surrounded in a blue glow towards the werewolf at highspeed.

Unlike Julian, who had once known glory, perhaps enjoyed it till it had ruined him, Mairyell did not enjoy any of what he was doing. Not really.

The only thing he might have enjoyed about it, was perhaps that he could try to protect something.

To save someone from sharing his fate...or one worse than even that.

He was a protector, he always had been, and even if he couldn't protect Aeris, he damn well wouldn't let them take someone else who had been put into his care, even if not directly.

It was a creed of sorts, he supposed....

A creed bound in blood.

His blood.[/hider]

[hider=The Devil][center]The Devil[/center]

Finally, the demoness of the Southern realm reached the city of Loom. Standing at its entrance, a strange wave of essence began to pull her forward. Closing her eyes, and inhaling, the lordess walked forth, letting the essence guide her. It was a familiar feeling. A safe feeling. 

As she walked she heard the sounds of children crying, and small vile laughs. Ah, Humans, how pleasant they were. Eyes still closed, she continued to move, crystals forming at the edges of her white lashes. Her ivory tresses waved out from her back blown out by a small gust of wind. As they flowed back, ice danced through the air. 

The demoness' pace was slow, but deliberate in its intention. She had come to the surface with a mission, and she intended to complete it. 

Standing atop the crane, Saella's eyes surveyed the area, her ears listening for any sign of demon activity, and her inherent ability to sense allowing her further input, she would go to whomever she heard, her and her charges. Shifting slightly as she heard the metal creak, the angel glanced down, her wings twitching slightly and a frown playing across her dainty features as she beheld her friend and chief demon, Kenen Vax, bending small bits of the metal with his hand. "Could you please stop that, Vax?"

Her voice was pleading, despite the fact that she was totally in control of his actions, should she wish to be. In response, the Sharvalli glanced up at her briefly, his eyes visage still seeming to look at her. "Fine," he said with an aggravated sigh, letting his grip loosen on the crane's structure, his hand falling to his side. Then, shuddering, Kenen's eyes widened and he glanced to the south, seeming to stare in that direction. Following his gaze, Saella's frown deepened, but now only in confusion. "What's wrong?" she questioned, uncertain as to why he might be so directed in his focus. "This isn't good," he stated, not seeming to have even heard her, "this isn't good at all."

"What's not good?" She asked again, but he waved her off and then, for no reason apparent to her, he jumped from the crane and hurtled towards the ground, feet first. If something in that direction caused him so much worry, why would he go towards it? That was what she wondered even as she followed, opening her wings as she jumped off, only to dive bomb down and open them in one sudden movement. The harsh, but exhilirating, sensation of the wind filling her feathers escaped her as her mind was elsewhere. Quickly she slowed her descent and landed soundly behind Vax, who simply stood there, appearing frozen in place.

He was drawn to the presence that he knew Saella couldn't yet feel and he knew exactly why, the lordess had finally come looking for him.

Unfortunately, he no longer knew whether or not he wanted to be rescued....

Continuing her trek northward, Daiyrisa found a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. She could feel tension within the essence that she was following. The small smile remained on her features... That was until she felt another essence slithering alongside that of her Warden's. An angel. An angel was either very near to one of her guardians, or it was the angel that had supposedly captured him. 

A growl flittered in her throat, and her aura flared up a little, heating up the air around her. It wasn't much, but the amount of heat was enough to begin thawing the crystals that had been clinging to various parts of her skin, and hair. Steam drafted from her lips as the ice on them was vaporized by the fire laying semi-dormant inside her throat.

After a few more deliberate steps, the Little Sedusa lept up to a ledge on an apartment complex nearest her, and scaled the wall to the roof. Once atop the building, she began to leap from roof to roof, spinning as she increased her pace, even whilst her eyes were still closed. A small song began to leave her lips, a song that reverberated through the link shared by a lord and her warden.

There was a feeling in the atmosphere characteristic of her presence, the demon knew, and so in an attempt to at least prevent Saella harm, he turned to her and tried to speak. Then a haunting song filled the air and he froze, enchanted and terrified both. Saella could not understand it, but her brow furrowed and she readied herself to take off if need be. She didn't know what was coming, but whatever it was was frightening enough to freeze in place a warden-class demon...and that was saying something.

Sanguine eyes opened as she dropped from a building several blocks away from where she could feel her Warden's essence, as well as the angel's. The heat around her died down as she calmed her irritation. Froze it, more like. 

Her steps were once again, slow and deliberate, and the clicking of her heels began to echo around her as she moved down one street and up another, until she finally reached the destination she had been searching for. Her eyes fell upon her Warden, at first softly, and then, they too turned ice cold. 

"Well, well. If it isn't little Vaxy~! I've been looking for you." The smile on her face was calm, almost caring. But the edge to her voice could draw blood.

Suddenly twitching and then shuddering, the demon, Kenen Vax, turned to face the lordess of the Southern Realm...his lordess. He took in a deep breath and released it before he responded, "Have you been, mistress? My most sincere apologies," his voice shook ever so slightly as he said it, something Saella had never heard in Kenen Vax.... Something that she knew went by the name of 'fear'. Looking to the woman and then to Kenen, Saella whispered into his mind, "Who is she?" His answer was just as simple as her question, "Lordess of the Southern Realm, Daiyrisa. A demonic Lord."

The angel froze as well, her eyes widening in shock before she got ahold of herself and managed to feign confusion rather quickly. It all flashed over her features in a mere second or two. Hopefully the Sedusa wouldn't notice...she sincerely hoped that she wouldn't.

The Little Sedusa's head tilted to the side, as she watched her Warden speak, studying him. And then her eyes found the angel, and a glimmer of humor danced in the bloody pools that gave her sight. "Friend of yours, Vax?" The demoness' voice purred as she--for once--called him by what he actually went by. 

Calmly, and with a lazy, but purposeful slowness, Daiyrisa slid her arms beneath her chest, resting them folded against the upper part of her torso. 

Another gust of wind picked up her white locks, and with it carried the glimmer of ice.

For the eye of the storm was always the safest place to be.[/hider]

[hider=The Beginning of the End][center]The Beginning of the End[/center]

The Gates of hell, a once proud behemoth seemed different; it was in disrepair, neglected, abused and left to rot to nothing in its degeneracy. And throughout its little cracks and nicks an subtle essence flowed through it. Almost entirely undetected, but one could feel it crawling like an insect throughout the great wall. Melody.

But Melody then detected something less subtle flowing through the Gate, carving little pathways in its cracks and fragments and on the other side, before melody. Blood spewed out of the cracks and into a little pool. It sits there for a moment before it a hand forms and rises out of the blood and it begins to take shape of something contorted and perverted, the blood becomes a dripping red hood that flickered and spat like a flame. A body underneath this robe was formed, with a charred, mutilated hand wiping a black tar like substance away from its gaping mouth, with only a few teeth in it. Its face was seemed to be burnt corpse that had been painted on a canvas by a truly disturbed artist. It made a low, horrid grin as it whispered its poison to the Gatekeeper.

“Does it hurt? Watching your wall crumble and your harp become undone? Does it pain you to see everything you've fought for become nothing but rubble and debris?”

Melody's finger almost slipped as the figure materialized, her hand twitching as a grimace passed over her features. In her lifetime she had seen all kinds of beings, some uglier than others, but this... This made her cringe. She pulled a string, meant to hurt a demon, then one meant for a human... and none of them worked. The creature merely flinched. 

"What are you?" She inquired, fingers still combing the Harp, the melody of the world always flowing.

“heh”

“ahah”

“ahahahaha”

“EHAHAHAHHAAHAAAHA”

The gate began to shake slightly in rhythm with its twisted laughter. But its laugh was not of pain. But one of emptiness and fury”

“I knew it! I knew it! You would forget me! You all would forget me. You and your Angelic heathen scum threw me here. And you thought that would be it! I knew it all along, you forgot my face, my form, my body. You and the Council's ineptitude has served me well.”

A red essence begins to flow out of the cracks and wrap themselves around the red robed man. He clasped his hands, as if praying.

“But I shall be forgotten no longer Melody, O Gatekeeper of Hell. Soon the Gods true vision will be enacted. And all will be fixed.”

Melody tried again to ornate her melody in pain and limits, anything to push the being away, but to no avail. She sighed, a frown still set between her brows. "You have lost your form already, pitiful being. You shouldn't exist anymore. What is it that you want? What is it that you cling to so desperately?" 

“Blame the Angels for their arrogance. They should have let nature take its course, but alas, their stupidity will be their undoing.”

The essence swirling around the being began to emit heat, and the region grew hot and stuffy. Almost as if the air around them was boiling.

“I cling to nothing except what I already know. I predicted this would come to pass. I knew the Council was no good. I knew they would manipulate Mankind. I knew they would see us as tools and nothing more. I knew THEY.WERE.HEATHEN.SCUM!”

It beats its chest and stomps on the ground, the red essence becoming violent and filled with Malice and hatred.

“They will all die Melody! Once this Gate crumbles. All Demons and Angels will form a mountain of corpses which Man will climb to reach our creators. To become united with the Gods.”

He pointed to Melody threatening, gurgling the black tar like substance as it spit and drooled all over his robe.

“And you will be the lowest thing under that mountain!” He shrieked loudly, thousand of years of rage built of and now was becoming untamed and unloved. He gnashed his few remaining teeth and they sliced and dug into his black gums as he spewed his vile hatred towards the Gatekeepers

JUST

LIKE 

YOUR

LITTLE

WHORE

SISTER!

Melody didn't know what to make of the creature at first but now it was becoming more and more obvious that it was merely a crazed animal in the shape of a man. His words were slowly losing their effect until he informed her of her future status. That.. now that made a wide smile spread over her lips. If it hated her that much... then it meant she still had some control over it. 

"My little sister met a sad fate indeed. I am no fool and am well aware it's only a matter of time until I join her. However you... you seem to be stuck here, aren't you... little man." 

The being cackles and laughs painfully at her. 

“Of course I'm stuck here, You let them throw me in here Melody. But that’s all ancient history, forgotten by almost everybody. But this is the perfect place to be my dear!”

The essence became calm, still filled with malice and murderous intent. But now it seemed more... precise. More deadly in its aims. A piece of the Gate falls.

“Because from here, I get to rot this barrier from the inside out. When I saw that first crack in the Gate, my essence seeped into it and the thing has almost been hollowed out. Five thousand years of work. Now comes to its fruition. What the scared Heathen scum call an apocalypse, I call salvation. These... these ancient relics shall fade into the past. And mankind will dominate the world. As it should be, as was promised to us by our creators.”

Sadness, pain and bitterness swelled up within the being's body as it looked at Melody right in her eyes. Its red glowing pupils burned with a will that could never be tamed.

“The Angels, every single one of them will die in the coming war. Not one will be spared. And the Demons too, they will all burn amidst their own flames. I will have to do nothing, they will simply kill each other when the Gate falls.”

It bends down and scoops up the sand and dirt below and slowly lets it blow along the wind. His eyes, for a moment. There is no hatred in them, just a soft, tugging pain.

“A fitting punishment, considering their crime. What they did to me. What they did to... him. What they have done to my people.” 

Melody didn't say anything. Instead she just concentrated on her fingers, although she didn't really need to look at them to play the harp. It was indeed sad to see it crumble as a worthless piece of ash. The harp that had served this world for so long... But alas, everything had a beginning and everything must have an end. 

"We shall see, Judas. We shall see which one of us outlives the other." Melody whispered thoughtfully, her tone soft and deprived of malice. Hatred was something she was incapable of, because she knew that everything in this world existed for a reason... no matter how hideous it may seem. 

“Oh well aren't you so philosophical Melody” He sneered at her. Spitting in her general direction.

“I already see the future. I saw it seven thousand years ago when I knew those Dirty Angels couldn't be trusted. And look what they've done. They couldn't even keep their own homeland in check, so now they must ruin the surface. At least with a Demon, you expect it to be a reeking failure, but Angels act too proud, too arrogant and all they touch turns to ash.”

Then as if it was skin, the robe started shedding off the body of the man. As this gaunt, hollowed out sunken spirit slowly walked towards Melody. It pointed its long corpse of a finger at her.

“We are the chosen race. And no inferior prototypes shall hold back Mankind any longer. We will be dominate and we will inherit what is rightfully ours.”

Melody didn't respond at first, only smiled at the instrument in her hands, gently caressing it like a baby that would soon be lost forever. She seemed lost in her own thoughts and it was only as the creature approached her when she looked up at him with a smile, neither sad nor happy. 

"You may well be right, my child. You may well be right."

“Of course I'm right!” it shrieked, naked and deformed before her. His ranting and fragmented mind now completely lost in its own cruelty

“I was right before. But the great King of Kings wouldn't listen to me! He wanted to..to... LOVE THEM! WHEN THERE IS NOTHING TO LOVE. They are poisonous Rats with flashy white wings to distract you from the disgusting plague they carry within! And they poured their poison and honeyed words of love and friendship in his ear and he believed EVERY WORD OF IT”

He was panting hard as the essence wrapped itself around him and began to pull him back towards the cracks. In hell, high in the sky. A screaming sun raged endlessly.

“I had to stop that foolishness, that heresy!” he shrieked desperately as if trying to explain his case in a court room

“They... they. THEY TOOK MY FRIEND FROM ME!”

And before he disintegrated and slid his broken body through the cracks. He gave one last final cry not just to Melody. But to the world that had forgotten him.

MY NAME

IS 

JUDAS ISCARIOT!

AND I WILL HAVE

MY.

REVENGE![/hider]

[hider=Chimeras?!][center]Chimeras? A question for the Lord[/center]

Nodding his head, a shadow appeared by the sample and enveloped it. The vial then came out of the palm of the lord's free hand, the skin briefly appearing as a dark shadow before it shifted back. Looking it over for a brief moment, Szayeis raised an eyebrow and uncorked the vial, extracting less than a drop of liquid and seeming to test it between his fingers. However, since he was a nightwalker, it might as well have been the same as when Lily had put it to her tongue.

Except...Szayeis was used to have a cacophony of maddening voices writhing through his skull. As such, he was able to easily sift through the memories and then absorb the essence almost entirely, replacing the cork onto the vial and allowing it to reappear through a shadow onto the table. [b]"Hmmm..."[/b] he said inquisitively, closing his eyes, the infamous eyes of Praestrigia, a power that even the youngest and most untrained black winged angel would know of. Focusing, Szayeis nodded and then a grin spread across his features slowly and he spoke. [b]"We have ourselves a chimera..."[/b] he said without explanation, seeming incredibly amused by the idea. What he meant, however, would be a mystery...one solved only by the questioning of the two old friends.

Maroon’s first instinct was to point out how ridiculous that claim was. His second thought was that that was indeed the only possible explanation to what they were faced with. 

“A chimera?” Lily asked, who obviously had no inhibitions to admit she didn't understand. “But the essence is homogenous… is there a being that could be an angel and a demon at once? Wouldn’t one essence consume the other?” 

Szayeis' smile spread wider at Maroon's seeming disbelief, and then his eyes opened as Lily asked the most wonderful of questions. "Oh, I'm so glad you asked," he said with a devilish grin spread across his face.[/hider]