[b][center]Revertetur In Terram Suam[/center][/b] The words echoed through the darkness surrounding him, encasing him in the endless night. The darkest depths of his soul tortured by the haunting whisper reverberating through his bones - shaking them like some witch's hex. Eyes closing tighter, muscles tensing as his entire body absolutely shivered under the weight of the words. The voice deep, dark - an ominous sound bouncing around inside of his skull. He clenched his fists against it, bracing himself for more. Nails dug into his flesh, piercing through and letting his blood flow freely from the wounds. He didn't respond, he made no motion to respond. Scared of what might come, scared of the darkness that enveloped him from his mind. [b][center]Revertetur In Terram Suam[/center][/b] Again, the voice boomed within his mind. The sound of a command, not a request, and again he fought to control his body's involuntary impulses. The reaction of his subconscious mind against the war that voice began within him. He didn't want to go, he didn't want to leave. It wasn't a request. He knew it, felt it deep in his bones. Already, he could feel the consciousness leaving his mind as his body drained into nothingness. It sank into the darkness, his conscious mind separating from the physical body built for it. The call of the depths reaching up from the void, pulling at his very essence - dragging at what counted as a soul, warped and twisted as it were. The soul pulled from flesh, drug beneath the surface of reality and ripped asunder from the material world he came to call home. "Wake up, Valkyr. You're home." The voice didn't hold the same measure of weight anymore, it wasn't the booming, resonating sound of a mental command, more the quiet sound of a person speaking in close proximity with another. Not commanding, but not friendly either. "No, this isn't my home anymore," the response was cold, without emotion or inflection, "you tore me from my home." "It's been too long since you visited, my son, your power was waning. Replenish yourself of me." The voice spoke softly now, the calm, quiet tone of a mother to her child. Asking the child to eat their vegetables, so that they might gain some measure of strength. Yet, the command was there, hiding beneath the surface. Valkyr opened his eyes, and looked up at the statue of ice in the middle of the lake. Towering over the icy lake, massive beyond comprehension and even then only a physical manifestation of the idea behind it. Valkyr coughed violently, trying to stand but without the strength to do so, only lifting himself up onto one knee. Almost like some force held him down, forcing him to kneel before the stature, his head bowed low enough to touch against the frozen fire. "As you wish, my Lord." His talon-like fingers reached up, scraping at the iced statue for only a moment, before the force released itself around him. As if the air lost a massive weight, holding him in place under it. He pushed himself to his feet, standing, eyes scanning and searching. He wanted to fight back, to fight against the voice commanding him. To go back to where he called home now, to the material world outside of this horrifying existence. Yet, no escape to be found, he could only succumb to the commands of the Almighty. "I will drink of your essence, and in your presence become whole." Valkyr's hand reached up, lifting a golden chalice from a shelf along the precipice of ice. The blackened, viscous fluid within looking like a violent mixture of excrement and blood swirled into a single, horrifying beverage. Yet, he knew from experience that it held no flavor, no taste. It simply existed to sustain, flavor mattered little here. In the darkest, deepest pits of hell the only thing that mattered was obedience. Tilting the cup, swirling the liquid. Valkyr watched it closely, before turning his head back and sucking the liquid down in one, smooth gulp. Immediately he felt the changes within him, the power returning. His body tensed to a stop, nothing moved - no rise and fall of the chest, not even the movement of blood through his veins. It seemed as if the world stood still in that moment, as the drink poured its power through his body. And then he shivered, a deep shiver that ran its course through the whole of his body. The cup dropped, but dissolved into nothingness even as it fell from his grasp. "Welcome home, my Son. Now, I believe I have some business for you." "Yes, Magnus. As you wish, Lord." [b][center] Stultus Luminaria[/center][/b] His movement carried him through the crowds milling around the streets, going about their business and yet unconsciously giving him space. As if some force were pushing them away from him, either passive or active. He glided through them, feet not touching. Beneath the hood of his crimson cloak, there seemed to be only the darkness. No face, no eyes. Nothing to be seen except for the darkest of blacks, a void of its own making. And then he reached the center of the main street, leading to the courtyard and up to the casino itself. The lights shimmering from it, inviting the people in to their games and their fun. He looked up from beneath his hood, orange eyes beginning to glow. Already the stench of this place bothered him, this fake hell, this side-show that sought to be something, but only ended up a stain on the name of his true home, of his true masters. These people fancied themselves demons, yet they knew nothing of true demons. They understood nothing of Hell, except their false existence and their claim to be like him and his brothers. "[b]Exstingue[/b]," the word fell from his lips as barely more than a whisper - but the implication of it was clear. The magic swirled around him, manifesting from the rivers of power that flowed through his home and into him, sinews of power that while only visible to himself, carried an immense strength behind them. The whisper echoed for miles, across the entirety of this would-be hell, this knock-off perdition. Almost as soon as the word uttered, the lights of the casino winked out - as if the power keeping them going were flipped off. The darkness began from there, and much like a blackout when transformers go down - the power began to die around it. Until, after a few moments, only darkness remained. "That's better." Valkyr said, before continuing up the path that would eventually lead him to the casino, and through the courtyard.