FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Zerrex looked back and forth through the dismal forest, a quiet fog rolling over the boggy ground and obscuring most of it from sight, the trees all enormous, leafless, and dead-looking... but most of them were far from it, groaning in pain and covered in bleeding moss and armory bark, some of them seemingly made of screaming faces and others smooth and bent into the rough shape of a person. The only other life came from the tangled weeds and scrub brush that grew here and there, and the Drakkaren made a face: so far the only nasty habit he saw from this legendary forest was the fact that the trees liked to get up and literally move around, then settle back down in different places when they thought you weren't looking.

Sin and Ami were standing nearby, the former in her dress as always, the latter wearing plain mortal jeans modified for his unguligrade legs and a white shirt, his scythe floating nearby as he poked at some sort of compass device and mumbled irritably. The weapon - Grim War its name - bounced in the air as if laughing, and Ami reached out and slapped the straight black pole of the long-bladed scythe, muttering: "Shut up, I'm trying to concentrate."

Grim made a disdainful gesture, and Zerrex smiled a bit as he reached up and squeezed the handle of Blackheart, glad that his personal weapon didn't argue loudly with him. And then Amiglion finally sighed and slipped the device back into his pocket, looking at the others and saying in a quiet voice: "Sorry, something is interfering with my compass. I can't tell which way is north anymore."

"Grim, can you point the way?" Sin asked quietly, and the scythe responded by spinning in a circle before it gestured quickly to their left, and the Naganatine half-bowed with a bit of a smile, Ami looking sour. "Thank you, Grim."

"He's wrong about half the time, you know." Ami mumbled, and Grim made a rolling gesture as Zerrex shook his head. Ami opened his mouth, and the Drakkaren glared at him as Sin started ahead, and the former Reaper quickly covered his mouth and grabbed the scythe with an embarrassed grin, resting the pole of the weapon on his shoulder as he followed behind the reptile as he followed the female Naganatine.

A wave of fog rolled over them, and Zerrex found himself standing alone for a moment, looking back and forth in shock... and then Sin's voice said quietly: "Don't be fooled, Lord Zerrex, I'm right in front of you, and Amiglion is right behind you. Just wait a moment: the fog carries spores that distort the senses. Just wait a moment."

The Drakkaren nodded, and only some ten seconds later, Sin's shape faded back into existence, as did Ami's. The reptile looked at the two with relief, and then the female motioned quietly at him, ignoring a large tree that groaned and pulled itself out of the ground, using its roots to slide itself several feet to the left as the sick-looking apples clinging to its branches rattled. "This way. We're getting closer, I can feel that spark still clinging to her remains now."

Zerrex nodded, and they carefully wended their way forwards until they reached a trench in the trees filled with smoky mist. Sin paused, and the Drakkaren frowned as he continued forwards anyway, anxious to get out of this dark maze of trees, but Amiglion grabbed him with a wince, jerking him backwards to a kneel and shushing him as he and Sin both crouched.

A moment later, a long, thin ferryboat rolled over the top of the mist, hovering through the air and composed of ancient, cracked lumber and steel plates from which hung rings here and there along the length of it. There was no figurehead, only the steep front and six rusted steel rings on either side of the boat... at the prow of the ship stood a figure with skin the same color as the wood that composed his vessel, his eyes a baleful orange-red, the demon with bug-like features and large mandibles, his two main arms long and lean and two smaller pairs of arms shackles behind his back, standing easily on two large legs but his long, flat tail like the lower body of an earwig, ending in a pair of blunt pincers and made of fat sections of chitinous black shell. He wore only a loincloth and shackles around his limbs, broken, rusty chains hanging from these, and he was slowly rowing the ship through the mist as a bucket full of coins jangled at his feet, whispering in a terrible, empty voice: "Come, sinners... to the darkness, we descend forevermore..."

"It's Charon..." Ami whispered, leaning in close as Zerrex watched with horror as crying lost souls clung to each other, all of them in chains and stuffed on the benches of the longboat into a thick, uncomfortable drove that reminded him of prisoners being dragged away to death camps. "He works with us Reapers... but he is a very unfriendly person, as you can probably tell. Demigod or something. He takes particularly-difficult souls of the dead, and ferries them to the Judges for sentencing and placement."

Zerrex nodded slowly, watching as he passed, and how the trees parted for the ship... but the moment it was gone, they slowly began to slide their way back in, the misty trench in the ground closing up with surprising speed and a sickening groan. Then he stood up as the sounds of crying faded into the distance, and the other Naganatine did the same, Sin murmuring quietly: "We should keep going before our presence is noticed here... while Charon likely wouldn't offer much of an obstacle to us, there are other, worse things in this forest that would enjoy tormenting anything it caught."

The Drakkaren nodded as Ami made a face and looked back and forth, probably knowing better than either of them what exactly those worse things were... and Sin once more stepped into the lead, Zerrex following closely behind and doing his best to ignore the trees when they tried to reach for him or whispered his name.

So far, however, the Forest of the Departed had been a relatively-easy trek: Sin was able to sense the location of the crypt and always lead them in the right direction, and Ami was able to use the Reaper skills he'd learned over his many years to deal with the problems that the forest offered up, from the terrible chills to the way it tried to manipulate them with illusions, both auditory and visual. They'd had no conflict - unless a tree swiping at them once counted, but Zerrex had cut off the offending branch with Blackheart with ease, and the tree had quickly backed off, bleeding blood instead of sap and moaning in pain - which was a big bonus... and Zerrex thought that maybe the dangers of this whole forest trek had been exaggerated... but then again, very few of the trees they'd passed so far had been inhabited by very angry spirits, meaning that Sin and Ami had probably just been able to plot a good path together with their natural Naganatine instincts.

Then they emerged into a clearing, and Sin frowned, Ami holding up his scythe and Zerrex's own eyes narrowing. Across the circular, misty clearing was a rocky outcrop, with a stone, patterned door chiseled into it... and tampering with this door was some kind of Dragokkaren, who was grunting and huffing as he uselessly tried to lever it open with a crowbar. He was perhaps ten feet tall, and covered in large, bulging muscles... but Zerrex still had to wonder how the hell he'd managed to get across the Forest when magical abilities in this area were negated and he obviously wasn't the brightest kid on the block.

He paused after a moment more, then slowly looked over his shoulder before his eyes widened in shock, and he quickly jumped to a ready position, his hands out at his sides, a wince visible in his dark brown eyes. Zerrex looked meditatively at his red scales that lightened over his body, and then at his white pants, braided sash, and sandals, and he said finally, pointing Blackheart at him: "You're a walking fashion crisis. Is that why the evil spirits didn't attack you, because they already knew you were killing yourself inside?"

"As witty as I expected you to be, High King Zerrex Narrius." said the Dragokkaren drolly, and then he drew himself up to his full height, his wings extending from his back and flapping once before they furled back against him, and he bowed deeply with one hand on his chest, saying courteously: "I am known as Sergei Rasputin... now, if you please, I have a job that must be done."

"Getting in that tomb is my job, actually." Zerrex said mildly, stepping forwards as he rested his sword on his shoulder, and then he half-bowed in return as he added mildly: "And I'd introduce myself, but you seem to already know who I am. Tell me, why is it that everywhere I go I run into someone who either works for Animaxander or has something to do with his bosses?"

"You have no idea what you're dealing with here." Rasputin replied quietly, and he looked at the Drakkaren with something like sympathy as he rolled his eyes, touching his own bare chest emphatically. "Once, you know, I was small and weak, but they have given me a strength that I barely understand myself. If we must battle, we must... but come, Zerrex, must we?"

"We must." Zerrex smiled a bit, and then he shook his head, holding his arms out when Ami and Sin tried to step forwards, before he slammed Blackheart point-down into the ground and left it standing in the bog... and then he made a face when the ground shifted and the sword seemed to sidle quickly away from the reptile, but Sin reached out and caught it, pulling it free from the earth and almost hugging it against her frame with a blush as the Drakkaren sighed and hung his arms in front of himself. "I hate this place."

"On this, I will agree with you." Rasputin glanced back and forth, making a face, and then he finally rubbed his hands together, getting into a boxer's pose as he said firmly: "Listen to me, Lord Zerrex, I-"

Zerrex walked up to him and simply punched him hard in the face, and Rasputin was knocked on his ass, staring in shock before he grunted and climbed to his feet, his bruised scales healing almost immediately as he looked at the Drakkaren with disgust and accused: "Cheap shot!"

"What? Frigging hell, every time I fight I get lectured these days!" Zerrex retorted, and then he grabbed Rasputin's fist when the Dragokkaren tried to punch him, before he twisted it slowly but firmly, making the burly male wince. "So what are you? Demigod? God? Sock puppet?"

Rasputin swung his other fist up, and the reptile caught, making him grunt in surprise before Zerrex shoved him backwards by the hands, the Dragokkaren grimacing as he staggered, but then caught himself and shook his head quickly. He swung in hard, and Zerrex blocked it with his forearm before he slammed a palm into his chest, and the breath wheezed out of the Dragokkaren before his head snapped back when Zerrex swung his fist upwards, and then he stepped forwards and headbutted the male's nose, knocking Rasputin onto his ass as he clutched at the end of his muzzle even as he tried to throw a kick up into the Drakkaren's knee.

Zerrex grinned, blocking it with his foot before he winced as the male's other foot slammed into his shin with enough force to hurt: not enough to damage the bone at all, but enough so that it was more than a stinging irritation, and he drew back a step just in case the Dragokkaren could muster a harder blow. He rose his fists gamely, and Rasputin climbed up to his feet, before he made a rookie mistake: he closed his eyes and let his head drop forwards.

The Drakkaren stepped forwards and slammed into him with an uppercut so hard it made the Dragokkaren's teeth slam together firmly enough to shatter them, his head snapping into the air as he flew upwards bonelessly and half-flipped, crashing down onto the crown of his head before he fell heavily on his face, drooling mindlessly onto the boggy earth below. Zerrex wiped his hands together absently, looking down at the fallen foe with mild disappointment, and then he turned to ask Sin for his sword, walking a few steps away... but then Rasputin groaned, and Zerrex frowned, watching as the Dragokkaren hobbled up to his feet and shook his head, spitting out blood and a few teeth before he grit them, grabbing his skull with his hands... but his pained grin was perfect and flawless, his teeth already back in place, and Zerrex frowned: even Loki hadn't had that level of regeneration. "What the hell are you?"

"Invincible." Rasputin said softly, and the Drakkaren snorted in distaste as the Dragokkaren cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders slowly as he looked across at the lizard coldly. "You can't kill me, Zerrex. No matter what you do to me, I'll heal."

"Let's test that theory." the Drakkaren responded darkly, and he held out a hand. Immediately, Sin tossed him his sword, and the reptile easily caught it without needing to look, the handle seeming drawn to his fingers, the grip comfortable as always as he readied himself, and Rasputin made a face as the reptile said mildly: "I don't have a lot of time to screw around. You get out of the way, or I'm going to do everything in my power to kill you. And trust me, I can put you through a world of hurt in a very short period of time."

"Believe me, if I could, I would, but I have a job to do for Gods far more powerful than you are." Rasputin replied in a tone that was almost apologetic, and the two faced off against each other before the Dragokkaren finally reached down and snagged up the fallen crowbar, charging forwards with more than a hint of panic in his eyes as the tenseness in the air likely became too much for him.

It was another rookie mistake, and Zerrex almost felt sorry for him as he dashed forwards at the last moment, catching Rasputin across the waist with his blade and hauling forwards, trying to slice in him half... but it was like his sword phased through the Dragokkaren instead of tore through, Rasputin coughing blood and clutching his middle, but the wound was gone by the time he hugged himself, even if the blood splatter remained behind, and Zerrex cursed as he spun around, gracefully moving in closer and smashing the Dragokkaren in the larynx with the pommel of his sword, and the male's eyes bulged as he clawed at his throat, gagging before screaming when Zerrex slashed viciously into his spine, knocking him forwards before he was knocked backwards when the Drakkaren threw a knee into his stomach, and he staggered before falling on his ass, and then he howled in agony, his eyes rolling in his head when the Drakkaren slammed Blackheart down in the junction of shoulder and neck, sawing the blade back and forth after cutting through his collarbone to dig the weapon into where Rasputin's heart would be.

Then he drew the blade back, and Rasputin groaned, rubbing at his chest as the wound healed within moments... and he grunted in pain when Zerrex slammed a foot under his chin hard enough to knock him to his feet, staggering backwards before the Drakkaren dashed forwards and struck him in the gut with the flat of his blade just hard enough to make him bend over and shift his weight in a different direction before the smaller lizard leapt backwards, holding a hand out and gauging the distance before he dropped Blackheart to his side, gritting his teeth and becoming almost a blur as he smashed the sword into the Dragokkaren's front before dragging it around and around his body in a slowly descending movement, sprinting in a circle around Rasputin.

He skidded to a halt standing beside him, bent down almost to waist level and the Dragokkaren gargling, his arms frozen against his sides and lines of blood left over his entire upper body before Zerrex smashed the pommel of his sword into his gut, and then the Drakkaren sliced viciously upwards in a movement that should have beheaded Rasputin, but somehow the wound again healed before his head could even fall off, and Zerrex snarled in frustration as he turned around and smashed the Dragokkaren across the field with a slap of his blade, sending him skidding into a tree. The male stayed there, laying prone and groaning in pain, and Zerrex leaned forwards, panting hard as Ami cheered loudly, waving his arms in the air as Grim bounced slowly beside him. "Holy shit, that's awesome! Fuck, I ain't never seen you go crazy like that before!"

"That's because he's not being serious." Sin said softly, and Ami froze in mid-cheer, staring at her dumbly. "The attack and style is completely different from normal... flashy movements, big, draining attacks. They aren't Lord Zerrex's usual modus operandi... he just wants to see if Sergei is indeed what he says he is. And it seems... that he is."

"He's... invincible?" Ami gaped, then he paused before he brightened, running off to the side of the field as Sin frowned and Rasputin slowly, dazedly got to his feet. The Naganatine closed his eyes and began to concentrate as Grim quickly drew a circle of runes around him with the tip of its blade, and then he began to mumble a complex spell as Zerrex and Rasputin charged at each other, and this time the Dragokkaren managed to catch the Drakkaren's blade with a wince.

They struggled against each other, and then Zerrex stepped forwards and pushed hard, and Rasputin was knocked backwards with a grunt of pain before the reptile kicked him hard in the crotch, making his eyes bulge as he fell slowly to his knees before the reptile followed up with a sweeping upwards kick under his jaw, knocking him flat on his back. The Drakkaren snarled, and then he looked up in shock as Ami stuck two fingers in his muzzle and whistled loudly, and the trees rumbled before parting, Charon and his terrible vessel gliding out from between them as Rasputin and the lizard stared in shock, before the demonic demigod picked up a long chain attached to one of the boat's rings, from the end of which dangled a collar, as he whispered: "No lost soul escapes me..."

He spun the chain rapidly, and Rasputin and Zerrex looked at each other before Charon threw it as he passed by in his vessel, and the collar snapped shut around Rasputin's throat, choking him as Charon simply turned around and once more began to make his long rowing gestures, his ferry of lost souls gliding smoothly into the trees as a wall of mist floated slowly by and dragging the invincible with him as he squawked and yelled, flailing uselessly. Soon enough, however, his cries died off, and Amiglion winced as Zerrex glared at him, the Naganatine rubbing at the back of his head slowly. "Well, you know... you didn't look like you were exactly making progress with the son of a bitch and uh... this forest scares me, and Anathema scares me even more. So... I figured I'd help you out. There'll totally be other times, anyway."

Zerrex mumbled, but he finally nodded, although he continued to glare grudgingly at Amiglion for a few moments before Sin walked by, heading towards the crypt and simply flicking her wrist, and the heavy stone door shuddered before it tore open in a hail of dust and dirt, standing straight before it toppled onto its stone face, and Sin stepped past it and into the dark, dank room beyond. Zerrex and Ami approached, but both hesitantly remained outside, instead simply looking in to watch as Sin stopped for a moment to wring her hands nervously, her glammer vanishing as she stood beside a sarcophagus with the bust of a Naganatine with glaring eyes laying atop the lid, and then she took a breath before she pushed the lid off the large stone coffin, revealing a gleaming pile of skulls.

They all looked the exact same, bone white and still possessing black horns... but Sin reverently reached down and picked up one of the closest to the top, and Zerrex knew he didn't need to doubt her choice as she murmured softly: "Anathema... it's been so long."

She hugged it to her body, then she emerged after a moment from the mausoleum, breathing softly as she cradled it lovingly to her body, before she nodded hesitantly to Zerrex, saying quietly: "I've done everything I needed to here... we can leave now, Lord Zerrex." She paused, then added as she looked back and forth: "In fact, I'd like it best if we left right away. I feel... a terrible chill down my spine. The spirits are drawn to her power... and I don't want anything to happen to her before we can call her."

"Yeah, that'd be a shame." Amiglion muttered as he tried to create a portal and only got sparks in response, and then he winced when Grim bonked him on the back of the head, adding ruefully: "It's no good. I'm getting way too much interference even in this field... I guess our only choice to get out of here fast would be to literally fly above it..."

Then he paused, and both of the Naganatine looked at Zerrex, the Drakkaren frowning at them before he paled and waved his hands, saying immediately: "Hey, there is no way I can carry both of you at once, for one thing, and for another, I don't like flying." He paused when they both looked at him pleadingly, and the reptile sighed, pointing at Sin and saying dryly: "Fine. Then I'm taking her and leaving you here. I'm sure Charon can give you a lift back home, Ami, he likes you Reapers, right?"

"Very funny." Ami said grouchily, crossing his arms, and Zerrex rolled his eyes in amusement as he placed his sword on his back, and then the Naganatine held up his hands when the Drakkaren's angel wings pushed out of his back, reaching out to him with a terrified look on his face. "Seriously, dude! Don't leave me alone here, that's even worse than... not being alone!"

Zerrex muttered under his breath, and then he jumped upwards, hovering a meter or so in the air before he extended a hand to them both, and Sin smiled slightly as she reached up and grasped his wrist firmly, still hugging the skull against her body with her other hand as Ami reached up and clung onto the Drakkaren's free arm, sticking his tongue out at Grim. And then the Drakkaren shot skywards, wincing as the trees surrounding the clearing reached out to try and lash him with their long branches before the scythe shot violently past him, spinning wildly and ripping through wood like grass, blood and bark and wood hailing down past the three before Amiglion yelped as a long, thin branch slashed down his leg, leaving an ugly mark as he shouted angrily: "Grim, I'm making you sleep outside tonight! Fucking... ouch!"

They flew higher and higher, Zerrex making a face as both of his arms held tightly onto the Naganatine, and then a portal finally flickered into existence in midair some several hundred feet above the treetops of the immense forest below, and he grunted his thanks to whichever Naganatine had opened it before he shot towards the large dark hole in reality and tore through it, wincing as he came out into the entrance hall of the Ravenlight Estate and jerking his body backwards to slide to a halt through the air.

He set both of the Naganatine down, and then allowed his wings to vanish, dropping to the ground with a groan and rolling his shoulders slowly, and then he made a face as Grim War shot through the portal and knocked over Amiglion, bouncing off him with as little damage as possible before the scythe fell to the ground beside the Naganatine, who groaned senselessly on the ground. The portal flickered out of existence behind them, and Zerrex looked at Sin, who was quietly stroking a finger up and down between the skull's eyes... and he asked finally, gazing at her quietly: "Where should we do this?"

"I'll do it right here, right now." Sin murmured softly, and the Drakkaren nodded as Ami climbed to his feet with a frown, Grim standing immediately to attention before weapon and master seemed to look at each other for a moment, and then they backed off to the side of the hall as Zerrex stepped back himself, not sure what was going on. Sin gazed at him softly, and then she turned around and put the skull down, before she walked over and gently pushed Zerrex further back, saying quietly: "Just stay there, okay?"

"Okay." Zerrex nodded, and then he watched as Sin approached the skull some twenty feet away and drew a circle around it, before she began to trace out complex runes and figures around it, before encircling all of this... until she was left with a massive, many-layered circle full of symbols, most of which Zerrex didn't understand, all glowing a quiet purple before Sin drew a circle outside the massive layered circle, and she sat down in it, closing her eyes and dropping her head forwards.

For a moment, nothing happened... and then the lights in the room died, a dark, cold blue aura descending over everything for a moment before the chandeliers high above began to glow purple, and the runic circle pulsed, the violet light becoming brighter as white shapes whispered through the hall, joining together into a central nexus above the skull before they channeled downwards into it, and the skull began to pulse with a ghastly, strange luminescence. Zerrex looked back and forth as he heard strange murmurs floating through the room, and then there was a long sigh, before a voice asked softly: "Sin, my sister... countless years have passed since our last talk. What can I do for you?"

There was danger in that voice, gentle as it sounded... and Zerrex watched as Sin swallowed, looking visibly nervous before she said quietly: "Anathema... my sister... a lot has changed from the past we knew. The mortal plane is in turmoil, and it is our duty to help it..."

"Help the mortal plane? Ludicrous." Anathema's ghostly voice replied shortly, and then she laughed as the skull glowed brightly, before strange, terrible shapes twisted through the air, energy sparking throughout the hall before her voice asked softly: "Where are the Twins? This is their mansion."

"Dead... their spirits were trapped in their own pocket dimension as it collapsed, after... our new High King was forced to kill them." Sin paused, then she said in a voice filled with quiet urgency: "Listen to me, Anathema. We need your help."

"Dead? Pity... I could have used them..." Anathema murmured, and then a strange pleasure entered her voice as she asked: "A new High King? So did he ruin as many as the prophecy contended he would? Is he a barbarian or a beast or a lucky mage?"

Sin shook her head, closing her eyes and rubbing a hand slowly along her head before she finally said firmly: "Enough of this. We're offering you resurrection, Anathema, if you'll help-"

Anathema laughed, and energy crackled throughout the air before it slowly faded out, and the white glow faded down around the skull before Anathema's voice whispered throughout the hallway, fading in and out: "If you want to revive me... I'll need a powerful soul of the Naganatine bloodline to be sacrificed, to restore my body... the stronger, the better. Come back when you're ready to offer me a suitable body."

With that, strange shapes moaned throughout the hall before they vanished, and the light in the hall returned to normal as the glow died out around the runes, Sin looking quietly at the ground as she leaned back. Zerrex hesitantly approached, and the female dropped her head forwards with a soft sigh, standing slowly up as she rubbed at her face slowly. "She... she wants one of my children. The other Naganatine did not reproduce, could not reproduce... and there are no other choices in Hell or in Heaven that are Naganatine."

Zerrex looked at Sin quietly, and she looked up after a few moments shamefully, whispering: "She's our only chance... and she... I..." She halted, then closed her eyes and hugged herself, before resting her head against the Drakkaren when he stepped forwards and gently pulled her close. "Please... trust my judgment, Lord Zerrex."

"I do, Sin... but... but how do we find a candidate? A sacrifice is... it's... you know..." Zerrex shifted uncomfortably, and Sin nodded after a moment with a quiet sigh, looking down at the ground and showing that she did know indeed. Then they looked at each other, before the Drakkaren closed his eyes, murmuring: "I guess we already know the answer though, huh?"

"Yeah, we do." Sin replied softly, before she looked over to Amiglion and murmured, as he stood awkwardly by: "Guard this hall, don't let anyone damage the runes or move the skull. Put a shield over it if you have to, or any other charms down that might help. Lord Zerrex and I have... some unfinished business to attend to."

"Alright, Sin." Amiglion said quietly, and he let go of Grim, walking to the opposite side of the hall as the scythe began to scratch runes against the wall, and Zerrex and Sin carefully made their way around the large circle, the Drakkaren looking warily at the skull in the center of the rings before they made their way up the stairs, their feet guiding them automatically towards one of the lesser-used sections of the Estate.

The two took their time walking through the Estate, quietly holding hands as they passed pictures and closed doors and people they knew, greeting them cordially enough to let anyone who passed know they wanted to be alone together. Up and up they made their way, time passing slowly as Zerrex and Sin both moved with solemn determination, until they finally reached the upper level gallery... but they halted at the top of the stairs before going through the door leading inside, and the Naganatine quietly reached down and cupped one of the large, spherical tops to one of the banisters leading up, six of these arranged at the head of the stairs to form a decorative sort of handrail.

The one Sin touched glowed, however, and slowly, the wood cracked apart like an egg before it fell off, and beneath the shell glowed a terrible dark orb, full of what looked like the nothingness that lurked between the worlds... or perhaps worse, the nightmarish non-essence of the Unworld. The two looked at each other quietly, and then they walked slowly into the gallery as Sin held this sphere in her hands, almost cradling it to her body with both hands... and they came to a halt after a few minutes in front of a portrait of Aether.

The red-scaled male was pictured lounging back against a throne in a robe fit for a monarch, holding a glass of wine in one hand as his terrible green eyes burned out of the painting, a proud crown of six L-shaped horns standing out of his head. He had the features of the Naganatine, but no Mohawk... and his limbs and body were thicker and straighter, making him seem like some form of evolved First Breed.

The two had fought long and hard against Aether to bring him down, after he'd taken over a power plant and started reconstructing the complex demonic machinery inside in attempt to create a new series of Black Holes throughout reality. Zerrex had caught up to him first, but Aether had proven to be both strong and versatile... but Sin had shown up shortly afterwards and turned the tides back in their favor, negating Aether's magical abilities and letting Zerrex close in on him even as he assumed his full demonic form in a desperate attempt to try and overwhelm his parents: while Aether might have inherited the abilities of both by then, and possessed an insane cruelty that reminded Zerrex all too well of Narrius, Aether's lack of practice left him unskilled and awkward once his confidence had been shaken.

Zerrex had smashed in Aether's armor and ripped a terrible wound in his side that would never heal, thanks more to the wannabe-tyrant's own foolishness than anything else. In response to taking a severe wound, Aether had tried to blast Zerrex away with a forbidden magic... but Sin had reflected it directly back into the gaping hole in the male's side, and Aether had been stunned by the sheer agony that it had sent through him, allowing Zerrex to knock the wicked child out and for Sin to bind him while they figured out what to do with him.

Too strong to keep in a Pit of Torment or perhaps even the Abyss, and his parents too merciful to kill him... they had been faced with one last choice. Since Aether was too dangerous to ever let back into Hell, Sin and the Four Sisters had created a pocket dimension inside a crystal ball... and then they had sealed Aether into this, and hidden it away. Sin had always said that perhaps one day, Aether would find his purpose... and it seemed that perhaps now they had come to find it for him. It was bitterly ironic that they had ended up sparing Aether's life all these years, now just to sacrifice it away to a psychotic Naganatine who might prove to be even worse than the demon had been.

Zerrex and Sin looked at each other quietly, and after a few moments, Sin finally murmured softly, gazing down at the orb between her hands: "I think that... this had to happen anyway. If Aether still refuses to recognize the value of life... to... recognize that he can't hide behind false ideals anymore for his mistakes... if he wants to still hurt others... perhaps we must kill him anyway. If he ever escaped the prison dimension..."

"It would be horrific." Zerrex finished quietly, nodding slowly: despite the permanent wound they'd left in Aether, he would still be a vicious opponent if he had the time to prepare, and more dangerous than perhaps even Crow had been... and the Drakkaren closed his eyes before he finally said: "Then we have to finish this fight quickly, and do enough damage that Aether will stay unconscious for long enough for us to transport him."

"All we have to do is knock him out... I can bind him, and from there... Anathema will do the rest." Sin murmured, looking down silently... and Zerrex reached up, squeezing her shoulder gently. Before he could even ask if she wanted to go through with this, however, she smiled sadly as she glanced at him quietly, murmuring: "My judgment tells me that... we need to go through with this, whatever pain it might bring us both. I'm sorry, Lord Zerrex... I truly, truly am... but... this isn't just for me or my sister anymore, as you know yourself. This is for the mortal plane... and through that, for Hell and Heaven. Sacrifices must be made..."

She looked down, and Zerrex looked at her quietly before he nodded slowly, reaching a hand out to rest on the orb quietly. Sin closed her eyes as she lowered her head, murmuring a soft incantation... and then the two vanished, and the crystal ball fell through the air to bang loudly off the floor of the gallery, rolling several feet slowly as the dark smoke within swirled violently.

Zerrex and Sin found themselves standing side-by-side at the foot of a long, ornate hallway, surrounded by massive pillars that held up a low stone ceiling overhead, the walls beyond obsidian, but with strange, moving purple lines throughout them. Torches burned on the pillars, and the floor of the hall past them was sunken down a step, a long, plush red carpet leading some sixty feet down the almost-tunnel to where a figure sat on a throne, swirling his wine slowly and reminding the Drakkaren of Ravenlight as revulsion and sorrow twisted through his body.

Sin and Zerrex stepped onto the carpet, walking down the hall as Aether leaned on his elbow in his huge throne, pretending not to notice them. Behind him were two immense tapestries, both well-lit by blue flames in braziers beneath them, and both depicting the Hez'Rannan Double Standard: the terrible flag from the Narrius regime. Aether's beliefs, after all, were almost the same as that of his grandfather... that he was a superior being, and that everything inferior should either bow to him or be destroyed.

The male looked up as they stopped some ten feet away, and he made a disgusted face as he sipped at his wine: wine that was created, just like everything around them, by Aether's mind, his abilities and his familiarity with this terrible prison dimension letting him distort reality to suit his needs, creating whatever he wanted... but never letting him create a way to escape or contact the outside world, as he asked sharply: "What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be helping scum replant trees or some nonsense like that?"

"So you haven't changed at all, have you?" Zerrex asked softly, and Aether snarled as he leapt to his feet, looking infuriated as the Drakkaren snorted and shook his head. "Don't even bother, Aether. Together, Sin and I are too much even for you. We're here because... we have a problem."

"Oh, and you want me to solve it?" Aether threw the glass of wine at Zerrex, but before it could hit, the wine glass and the contents slowed violently to a halt, and instead it simply fell to the ground, shattering at Zerrex's feet. Aether cursed, then he glared at Sin, who had a hand slightly raised as he snapped: "I will never help either of you! Not alive, not dead!"

"We'll have to kill you if you don't cooperate, Aether. If you don't show us some sign of remorse." Zerrex said quietly, and now the demon frowned, leaning forwards as he tilted his head. That, at least, got his attention... and the Drakkaren continued in a soft, calm voice: "If you cooperate, we can work something out... maybe even work together to save the mortal plane. But if you don't, we'll need to resurrect someone else of great powers... except that someone requires your body to come back to life. Listen to me, Aether, if you want to live... I promise, you don't even have to help. But I want you to show some dignity, some... understanding that what you've done in the past was wrong."

Zerrex almost felt like he was pleading with his son... and then he closed his eyes when Aether snorted and sat back in his throne, saying disgustedly: "I'm not afraid of either of you... and I'll never change. Go ahead, kill me, you'll be doing me a favor... I'll escape this prison dimension and my body will be stronger than ever when it comes back!"

"There's no coming back from this." Sin said softly, looking at the ground, and the Drakkaren looked over at her with compassion and surprise as she looked up, meeting her son's eyes steadily. "I don't want to lose another son... I don't want to have to kill you myself... but I will, Aether."

Aether snarled... and then he leapt to his feet, shouting furiously as he threw his arms out and a blast of force issued from him: "We'll see who kills who!"

Zerrex and Sin both covered their faces, and then the Drakkaren winced as Aether slammed his hands together, and the force blowing against them turned into a suction as a cyclone of wind visibly formed around the male, picking up dirt and making the fire in the magical torches that lined the room frantically snap back and forth before the whirlwind turned into a shockwave, the Drakkaren staggering backwards as Sin was knocked off her feet before Aether turned, picking up the throne in one hand and snarling as he threw it hard at his mother.

Zerrex stepped in front of her, catching the throne and tossing it aside before Aether dashed at him, a golden greatsword appearing in his hands before he slashed it viciously at his father, but Zerrex swung Blackheart off his back, meeting the blade and knocking Aether staggering in shock at the force of the blow before the Drakkaren threw a hard kick into the demon's leg. His knee cracked loudly as it bent sideways, and the male shrieked before he swung his sword around in an attack that was both savage and elegant, slicing hard upwards before forming a complex B-shape with the weapon.

Zerrex avoided the attack by stepping quickly backwards, and then he winced when Aether vanished... but the Drakkaren immediately leaned forwards and threw his foot backwards in a kick that slammed his boot into Aether's side, and the male howled in agony, dropping his sword and clutching his stomach. Zerrex snorted, turning around and raising Blackheart to deliver a blow that would end the confrontation... and then Aether grinned before Sin created a wall of golden light between the two that cracked as a terrible telekinetic blast struck into it.

The Drakkaren winced, and then he slammed his sword into the other side of the wall, and chunks of golden, magic forcefield sliced into Aether, the male cursing angrily as he staggered backwards in his robe before he vanished from sight, only to reappear where his throne had once been, panting hard... and then he snarled furiously, straightening to his full height and pulling off his robe, leaving him in only black pants and a heavy, protective belt of some kind that was wrapped around his stomach... and already stained through with blood where it was covering up the wound in his body.

Sin walked up beside Zerrex as Aether held a hand out, and his golden greatsword appeared in it after a moment, the ten-foot-tall male pointing the equally-tall blade at his father as he shouted: "You're going to die, and grandfather's regime will rule! The true Narrius legacy will live on, Zerrex!"

The Drakkaren only shook his head at this slowly, and Aether frowned, obviously not provoking the response he wanted as the reptile murmured softly: "Poor, misguided child..."

"Don't pity me! Don't ever pity me!" Aether screamed, and he charged forwards, bringing his sword up as he glared at Sin and sent her skidding backwards with a psychic attack before she anchored herself and brought a hand up, shouting a spell... and Aether's movements slowed, the male looking like he was running through sludge as he gaped stupidly for a moment before Zerrex stepped forwards and slashed hard down, the tip of his blade cutting a line along the male's chest and neatly slicing off his belt before the Drakkaren spun his weapon around in a C and smashed the black-lined, bloody gap in Aether's side with the full force of the flat of his blade.

Aether vomited blood as he staggered sideways, his eyes rolling up in his head as he moaned weakly, blood falling in a terrible waterfall out of his side... and then he collapsed to one knee, breathing hard as Zerrex said darkly: "Surrender! Just show some goddamn compassion, Aether, that's all you have to do!"

"Never... you're the one who taught me to stick to my beliefs, after all, dear old Dad." The male replied darkly, grinning viciously up at Zerrex... and the Drakkaren snarled as he raised his sword before Aether pointed at him and fired a zap of blue lightning into his body, the reptile's muscles seizing up for a moment before Aether simply stabbed his sword through the Drakkaren's stomach, making the reptile gargle as pain flared through his form and Aether asked viciously: "Isn't this how you died... disembowelment?"

Before he could twist his sword, however, Sin hit Aether with a blast of pure force that knocked him over, his sword sliding free of the reptile's stomach, and he clutched his abdomen with one hand, wheezing as Aether rolled backwards and dodged back and forth to avoid being hit by the bolts of magical energy Sin was throwing at him. Then he snarled and threw his sword hard at her again, but this time it exploded before Sin could deflect it, and the resulting blast sent shards of golden blade flying into the female, knocking her backwards in a splatter of blood.

She cursed, then looked up as Aether charged towards her, his hands burning with terrible blue energy... before her eyes glowed, and she waved a hand outwards, creating a wall of solid ice that he struck into hard before she shoved the same hand forwards with another chanted spell, and a huge spike of the same substance shot out of the ice wall, turning it into a massive spear as the tip rammed into Aether's stomach. He gargled, then screamed when the ice spear shot forwards, impaled on the end of it for a few moments before he slammed his hands into the spearhead and it burst into flames, rapidly melting away even as it pushed him backwards, before he skidded to a halt with his back against the wall and the last of the ice nothing more than a puddle on the floor.

He sighed in relief, then grinned darkly as he stepped forwards... and the water surged upwards, smashing into the underside of his muzzle and knocking out several of his teeth as his eyes bulged and he gargled, and then streamers of water rose up around him and wrapped tight around his body as lightning crackled around one of Sin's arms, and Aether winced before Sin shoved her hand into the other end of the puddle, and a blast of electricity shot down it, smashing into Aether and electrifying him as he screamed and writhed in agony, the water restraining him jerking back and forth wildly before he was blown backwards into the wall, hitting it hard and sliding down it into a heap as he gargled weakly, and Sin snorted as she stood up, anger warping her features into something terrifying for a moment before she shook her head and instead looked with concern for Zerrex.

The Drakkaren only waved a hand as her gaze settled on him, sitting on Aether's fallen throne and using his own energy to heal the terrible cut in his stomach, if only to stop his guts from spilling out if he moved too fast. He glanced up at the body of the male, and then he held a hand up to Sin when she started to move forwards, saying quietly as he passed: "Wait for the right moment."

"Fine." Aether snarled, and then his body morphed, growing rapidly, his arms turning into tree trunks and his jaws a death trap of barbs and fangs, spikes pushing their way out of his body as he turned into something off-center and monstrous. He roared, but Zerrex settled his eyes on the now-gaping hole in his body, knowing that in demon form Aether would be more than deadly... but his vulnerability was all the better revealed. "I'll crush you both!"

He charged forwards, his footsteps rattling the hallway as Zerrex prepared himself, and then he dashed to the side before he threw Blackheart hard forwards, the blade flying point-first like a giant, skillfully-thrown knife... and it passed completely through the demon, Zerrex staring as the illusion vanished before Aether appeared out of nowhere in front of him, his hands wrapping around his throat as Zerrex felt his energy rapidly being drained out of him, his son laughing violently as he screamed up at him: "I won't make the same mistakes twice, father! Not ever, not ever again!"

He cackled... and then his eyes bulged, and his back arched as he dropped Zerrex, before his body pulsed with a terrible light that seemed to come from within him as Sin murmured softly, one hand on his shoulder and the other reaching up into the wound on his side as she stood behind him: "Yes, you have, my child... I'm sorry."

Another pulse of light, and then Aether's head fell limply forwards as his eyes rolled up in his head, drool falling out of his open jaws as Sin stepped away... and he slowly fell down to his knees before his face descended to the ground, smacking quietly against the floor as Zerrex rubbed at his scorched throat and winced. He had seen Sin use that spell only once before over all his years here, against an assassin... and she looked silently at the ground, knitting her hands together. Yes, we took him alive... but Sin... destroyed his mind. If there's anything of Aether left inside him, it's deep inside... and it's never going to come out again.

"I'm sorry." Sin repeated, staring at her son as if she expected a response... and then tears welled up in her eyes before she swallowed hard and rubbed fiercely at them, holding up a hand to Zerrex when he stepped towards her. "No, no, I... I just need a moment."

Zerrex nodded, then he stepped carefully past them as he headed over to pick up Blackheart, feeling strangely empty inside. He looked at his reflection in the flat of the blade for a few moments, then he closed his eyes and sighed softly, shaking his head as he stood up and murmured: "Doing the right thing sometimes offers no condolences... I'm still killing my child. My son. No wonder Driz hates me so much..."

He shook his head again as he put Blackheart on his back, and then he returned to Sin. They looked at each other for a moment, and then he gazed down at Aether before he rolled him carefully onto his back, and he picked up his beaten body gently, lifting it into the air as Sin closed her eyes and held up a hand, the pocket dimension trembling as it began to dissolve around them. And in only a few seconds, they were standing once more in the gallery, and the crystal ball lay in several pieces on the floor.

They looked at this for a few moments, but neither felt an urge to do anything about it, before they started slowly towards the stairs... and again, both felt the need to not portal, but to walk, no matter who they passed, no matter who saw this procession. It had a sense of rightness to it... and Zerrex felt it let himself and Sin spend a few moments more with the male who had once been a happy, bouncing baby boy, just like all their other children. A male who had become a Captain of the Elite Guard at a young age, who had aspired to be a High Throne of Hell one day like his parents, who had done both good and bad things over his lifetime... and who had delved too deeply into the teachings of his grandfather. He was a victim of Narrius, even though Narrius was dead... but Zerrex wondered if the chain of conflict that his father had started would ever end, and if the powers and charisma of Narrius would ever fade entirely from the world. Perhaps it would only happen if the world was purged... but Zerrex was not willing to sacrifice the innocent lives such a purging would require. As he looked down at his son, he thought about how it still hurt... but it was better to sacrifice a life that was no longer innocent... to use evil in an evil act, to try and bring about good. At least Aether would be able to finally rest... and perhaps it was kinder than forcing him to spend all eternity, alone in his prison, the make-believe world.

As they walked down a hallway towards the main hall, Cherry shot out of nowhere, skidding around the corner and rushing towards them... before she paled and stopped, and immediately threw herself to the side of the hall as Sin and Zerrex passed quietly, not looking at her... and she fell into step behind them, not speaking, only lowering her head and keeping a respectful distance. At some point, Raze joined them as well, joining Cherry... and just before the main hall, Driz appeared, looking grumpy at first before he saw Aether and he took a quiet breath of shock. Zerrex and Sin looked at Driz silently, a tear rolling down the Drakkaren's cheek... and then Driz turned around and opened the doors leading into the main hall, before he stepped aside and bowed his head forwards respectfully.

They stepped out into the entrance hall, and made their way down the stairs, Zerrex following Sin into the center circle as the rest of the procession that had formed automatically filtered to the sides of the hallway, many of them children of Zerrex and of Sin, watching nervously as Sin knelt down and touched the skull... and the room darkened as the skull glowed white, the runes glowing vibrantly before Anathema almost cooed: "You and another stand in the circle... another who bears... I see, now, sister." A pause and a soft laugh. "Cruel... yet ingenious. You must be the High King..."

She stopped for a moment, but then said meditatively: "And you have brought me a body. A beautiful body, a powerful sacrifice. Yes, I can use him, he is perfect... but I require one last thing, in order to be resurrected. I require materials, and he is not enough... oh, do not worry, sister, I would never ask for you to harm yet another person of your own blood..." Sin turned dark red, lowering her head shamefully as tears rolled down her cheeks, and Zerrex grit his teeth and clenched his eyes shut. "Since you wish for me to help the mortal plane... bring my skull to a mortal cemetery, and summon my spirit. Then I will return to physical form... and I may be of some help to you."

The white glow faded as energy crackled throughout the room, and then the floor shattered beneath their feet, a spiderweb of cracks passing through the runic circle as the runes stuttered before dying out, and Sin shook her head slowly as she looked at Zerrex quietly, before she knelt and picked up the skull, saying in a hushed voice: "Business first. Who needs to speak with us?"

A few mumbles, and then Cherry, Raze, and Driz stepped forwards, the two turning around to face them before Ixin joined the group. He shoved his way to the front, looking disconcerted, but even Raze didn't snap at him, his amber eyes only looking at Zerrex with concern as he still clutched the dead body of his son close. "Sin, Zerrex, not to question your judgment, but this is dangerous. I... Sin, I've worked with you, so I ain't gonna say shit about what you're doing here and the high-level necromancy you wanna perform. What worries me is that there's undead swarming everywhere around the mortal world... if those evil spirits interfere with your ceremony, it could call up some real nasty, real vicious monster from the past to possess Aether's body... and... we all know how strong that body is and the kind of energy it possesses."

Sin and Zerrex looked at each other, and then Sin looked down, saying quietly: "Then come with us, Ashcroft... I implore you. Your mortal magic will be able to keep us safe from the undead and the wicked spirits that might try and stop us."

Ixin sighed, rubbing the back of his head... and then he finally smiled, straightening and saying quietly: "Well, I can't say no to a beautiful lady in distress and a... oh fuck it, even I can't make a joke right now. Yeah, okay, I'll do it."

"Go ahead." Zerrex said quietly, and then he sighed and looked over at Raze and Cherry, asking softly: "What did you two find out?"

"Space invaders." Cherry said finally, and when Zerrex frowned darkly, she held up her hands, looking dead serious. "Fuck, Boss, you know me better than that. I am serious. There are... there are spaceships coming this way, and... we stopped in at Heaven, looked at them with the God's Eye... they're insanely advanced, and they are most definitely warships or an invasion fleet of some kind from the designs. I seriously am scared shitless right now... I... Boss, the last world Animaxander visited, it's all dead and broken-up. I... I don't know what to do."

"One thing at a time." Zerrex said quietly, and then he paused before he asked with a bit of a frown, fear stabbing at him: "Where's Mahihko and Lone?"

"They're fine." Raze replied after a moment, and then he jerked his head in the vague direction of the roof. "They're staying with Mary in Heaven while they recover."

Zerrex nodded slowly, figuring it was probably awkward, but that it would also be good for the two... and then he looked at Driz, asking him quietly: "What happened?"

Driz hesitated, then he shook his head and sighed, saying finally: "Power surges throughout Hell... I don't know what's causing them, and they aren't related to machinery or magical devices, at least nothing of our origin. I did run into that... demigod... Loki, at one of the sites I investigated, and he was scared of something... but he refused to explain what before he ran away."

"Find him, and assemble a team to deal with the power surges." Zerrex instructed quietly, and Driz nodded quickly, before the Drakkaren looked at Raze and Cherry. "Cherry, you're coming with us. Raze, I need you to keep your eyes open in Heaven and deal with any possible power surges or other unusual activities up there, just in case."

"We need to leave now, Lord Zerrex. I'm sorry, but... we can't afford to wait. The others will be able to deal with things as they happen." Sin said quietly, before she held up a hand and concentrated, a white, shimmering vortex opening after a few moments, and the Drakkaren looked at her quietly before he nodded. The others nodded as well, Driz and Raze leaving the hall to deal with their assignments, and the group of four walked through the rift to step out into a back alley in Valise City.

Undead stumbled by along the streets, and Zerrex closed his eyes, lowering his head as Sin asked quietly: "Where's the nearest cemetery? And how can we get there quickly?"

"We have no crystals... no, wait." Zerrex looked down at his nanotech armlet, and then he lowered his head forwards, concentrating before a portal fizzled open, and he smiled grimly as the others looked at him with surprise. "The armlet is powered by demonic crystal... I don't know why I didn't think of it before."

"Good shit." Cherry murmured, and then she followed Zerrex and the others through the portal, stepping out in front of the broken-open gates of Pleasant Hills cemetery. They were almost immediately surrounded by undead and a few humans wielding swords, but Cherry created a firewall at their back as Ixin rammed a zombie over and crushed a skull under one of his moccasins, the group quickly heading down the dirt path that led deeper into the graveyard.

The cemetery was mostly-devoid of zombies, however: most of the bodies had apparently already clawed their way to the surface and left in search of victims, and after a few minutes of avoiding the few shambling corpses that were still wandering the graveyard, they reached the rough center of the cemetery, and Zerrex was finally able to lay Aether's body gently down on a stone bench in front of a dried-up fountain full of dead leaves and moss. Then the Drakkaren rose and turned around, grabbing a zombie that was staggering towards them and crushing its skull in his right hand before he threw the corpse down the path, and a few undead that had been draggling along behind them paused and dropped over the body of their former comrade, beginning to eat greedily, as if it would ease their sufferance.

Ixin began to play a tune on his flute as Sin started sketching out symbols, and a faint purple dome came into existence around the area as Cherry created walls of fire at the paths leading to the fountain, Zerrex simply standing back at the ready as his eyes picked up phantasms that hammered uselessly at the dome here and there, trying to get inside. Then Sin closed her eyes as she stepped backwards, and the female looked down at the skull she was cradling in one arm, and she put it down after a moment on top of Aether's staring, drooling body, gently reaching a hand up and brushing his eyes shut as she said finally: "Anathema, sister... everything is in place. I'm going to begin the ritual."

Sin closed her eyes as she stepped backwards, knotting her hands together as she began to speak, her voice drowning out the tune Ixin was playing... and somehow, the mage let his tune die down to become almost silent, yet still he played, and still his song whispered throughout the area and the dome stayed solid, his magical instrument letting him weave his spells even without demonic crystals as Zerrex turned to watch the show, Cherry wincing as she looked towards Sin as well, barely able to keep up with the runes Sin was almost-shouting, the language foreign and for some reason terrifying.

The sky above darkened... and then Sin swallowed thickly, the very air seeming to vibrate as she whispered: "Anathema, come... please, sister... this isn't magic, only a call for help, to you... and I know that you have a connection still to this, that your spirit lingers where it goes... where are you..."

"Here, sister..." The skull glowed, and then it laughed quietly, saying in a delighted voice: "Yes... wonderful! The energy in this plane is so different... and there are so many bodies in this cemetery, so many buried in mass graves that look so unassuming and plain... but dear sister, here. Let me show you my power... my powers, which surpass trivial needs for toys and crystals, which stem not from Hell's essence or Heaven's purity... but which stem from life and death itself..."

The ground trembled as zombies lurched towards them on all sides, pushing against the glowing dome even as the firewalls incinerated them within moments... and then the skull floated slowly into the air, glowing with vibrant white light as it reached its apex some twenty feet above the fountain and hovered, before Aether's eyes opened and his back arched as he screamed in agony, his limbs spasming as Sin covered her face and turned away, and Zerrex could only stare helplessly as his son writhed on the bench, howling before his eyes were torn out of his sockets, pulled into a terrible vortex of light as the skull spun wildly in the air in front of it, and then his scales were stripped off inch-by-inch and his blood and flesh sucked greedily upwards, his organs tearing out of his chest cavity as every inch of his body was consumed, until only a howling skeleton was left... and then this was slowly lifted into the air and the very energy drained out of it into the swirling vortex as Anathema laughed brutally. Evil spirits that had been around the dome fled in terror, as zombies collapsed stupidly to the ground, gargling and howling as some faint semblance of realization appeared in eyes that had been hollow and dead ,before they too were torn apart as the vortex of energy turned in a maelstrom of white lightning, surrounding the skull before bones and strips of flesh were pulled into it, smacking loudly against the sole remains of Anathema.

The ground exploded upwards as more bodies were pulled into the air and dismembered, chunks of rotten flesh and other useless bits, such as heads and limbs, hailed to the ground... but a bit of everything was drawn from every dead body, spinning violently around as Ixin stopped playing and Cherry simply gaped in horror, her firewalls vanishing... but any other protection was needless, now, as a terrible cyclone filled with dead body parts raged around them, several tombstones torn from the ground to join the terrible storm as bones and flesh and blood smacked loudly into the growing orb of broken gore above them, perfectly round and at least twelve feet in diameter now... and then it exploded as the storm died to a halt, chunks of flesh and blood and gore and broken bones hailing down around them, and revealing Anathema in all her glory, her arms spread to the sides, her legs slightly raised, her tail flicking back and forth as she floated in the air.

Her eyes were a hellish gold with white irises, her pupils sharp and small as she laughed to reveal her fang teeth and thick, forked tongue... and then she smiled darkly as she looked down at them, malevolence burning off her frightening body. The skull they had used to summon her with seemed to be laid over her actual features, like a helmet or exoskeleton, the scales beneath it purple and black like Sin's, her four horns gleaming obsidian and standing out of her skull at the four points of the compass. She had no Mohawk, and was unlike a Naganatine in any regard... and few other parts of her body had scale covering them.

Her collarbone and ribcage were literally visible, no flesh whatsoever on the front of her body, no skin, no scale: just the white bones, covering up and protecting the pulsing, enormous heart beneath it and the other organs. At the stomach area, she had another, secondary cage of bones, these descending in curved lines from her bottom ribs to protect a mishmash of odd, pulsing organs... but her hips were clearly covered by scales and heavy, thick square plates of bone that seemed to be melted against them, strong, supple muscle flexing beneath these, and more plates of bone covering her shins, with three small, upwards curved spikes coming out of each. Her feet were huge and ended in cruel, black talons, and two large spikes stood out of each heel in a V, making them look even more vicious.

Her tail was covered in scales, and like the other Naganatine, it was forked near the end, with two flexible, long tendrils; as she slowly spun around on her descent towards the ground, Zerrex saw that her back was covered in scale as well, and she looked almost natural... other than for the huge, rectangular spines of bone that stuck out of her shoulderblades and moved with them, and the fact every vertebrae was plated by an extra-thick segment of bone and clearly visible all the way to her tail. Her shoulders, too, had bone pauldrons over them... and spikes stuck up from each of these, as if she were wearing armor.

Then she landed, and she smiled, extending thin but toned arms that had bone plating similar to the ones on her legs on her biceps and forearms, with three small spikes standing out on the latter. Her hands were strong and dexterous, and she extended these towards her sister with a delighted smile on her face, and Sin stepped forwards... before she gasped when Anathema reached suddenly up and grabbed her by the underside of the jaw, small claws on the end of her fingers digging into her cheeks as she whispered: "Sister. I can tell your body was healed of its punishment... aren't you the lucky one?"

"Anathema..." Sin grasped her wrists, and Anathema snorted before she dropped Sin and turned towards Zerrex, looking over him with a frown as the reptile rested Blackheart on his shoulder, his body tense. Then the creature smiled, before her eyes flicked past him to look at the group of zombies slowly approaching, and she made a disdainful face as Sin said in a trembling voice: "Please... please, you... you have to help us..."

"I don't obey you, sister." Anathema said disgustedly, and then she added darkly: "Especially since I still have to get you back for killing me all those years ago. Although I must admit..." She smiled and looked down at her hand, and it glowed with malevolent purple energy as she purred: "It did have its advantages...

"Now you, you have the essence of Mephistopheles in you..." Anathema walked up to Zerrex, and then she grinned and grasped his wrist, making him wince as the purple energy slowly charred through the scales of his right wrist and into the rocky, twisted substance beneath it. "But do you have his resolve? His determination?"

Zerrex snorted, then he finally tore his arm free before he looked over his shoulder, flexing his fingers as his scales healed back into place, arm smoldering a bit from her touch as she gazed at him with entertainment. "You're here for a reason, and that's to help us. I don't have to answer your questions..." He paused, looking down into her eyes as he added shortly: "But I have more than just all of that."

"Good..." Anathema slipped forwards, and she stroked over his body, saying softly: "Then I need just one thing from you..." A pause, and then she grinned darkly up at him. "A good, hard fuck."

"And they call me a whore." Cherry said darkly, and Anathema snarled over her shoulder, the two glaring at each other furiously before she snorted, saying disgustedly: "There's no time for that. And by the way, you're in pieces."

Anathema snorted, then she looked at Zerrex, her eyes narrowing as she said slowly: "Sex is an act that creates life. Trust me... and it doesn't have to be enjoyable for either of us... I just need your seed."

"Okay, time out, fuck you." Cherry snapped, and then she stomped forwards, reaching out to grab Anathema... before her eyes widened and she ducked and leapt backwards instead when the female slashed viciously out at her, still holding on to Zerrex and making the reptile wince, before that same hand reached up and stroked under his muzzle lightly as she smiled. Cherry looked helplessly at Zerrex, and then she shouted: "Babe, look at him! Beaten up, he just had to kill his own fucking kid, and we're surrounded by the goddamn zombie apocalypse here!"

Cherry snarled... and then Ixin looked away awkwardly as Sin said in a soft, humiliated voice: "Sexual rituals are used... throughout the universe. Anathema... represents death, and Zerrex represents life. If their energy comingles and their bodies... mix... then..."

Zerrex looked steadily at Anathema, who grinned up at him... and he trembled, shaking his head as he said finally: "You are living death. Have sex with Ixin, then."

Ixin winced at this, and then Anathema said harshly: "I want the energy of Mephistopheles, I want the bearer of that energy, you! Now trust me... this is the only time you'll have to do this!"

"Sin's on mark... Anathema's right... I'm sorry, guys." Ixin said apologetically, rubbing the back of his head, and then he cleared his throat as Cherry glared at him. "Look, I'm going to go over there. And hide. Okay?"

Without waiting for an answer, he took off, and then Cherry crossed her arms, saying furiously: "Well, I ain't goin' anywhere... and... fuck, look, they're closing in!"

"We can hold them off. It won't take long." Sin murmured, walking past Zerrex and giving him a look that was both humiliated and apologetic, and Zerrex sighed as Anathema laughed quietly, clinging to him. He looked down at her, and she grinned darkly... before he clenched his eyes shut and nodded, and Cherry cursed under her breath before she created a fireball and snarled, throwing it into the nearest undead and blowing it into bits.

Anathema took the Drakkaren's hand and led him back to the fountain, and the reptile put his sword aside as she laid back, grinning at him as her eyes glowed with malevolent energy. "You're afraid... the real Mephistopheles was never afraid. I was created to control life and death... necromancy and rituals like this are my specialty. Believe me, you'll like the aftereffects."

"Shut up." Zerrex muttered, as he pushed his pants and boxers down... and Anathema gave a purr of pleasure at the sight of his shaft, reaching out to stroke it. And Zerrex twitched, before he grunted as he found himself suddenly feeling alive, aroused... and then he gazed at her, and he winced and closed his eyes, saying grouchily: "Can't you make breasts appear or something."

"No. I am who and what I am, I won't change that." Anathema replied in a voice that was almost angry, and Zerrex opened his eyes slowly, suddenly finding her much more attractive. She looked at him with a hostile glare in her eyes, even as her hand grasped his shaft and stroked it slowly, pumping it towards full erection with a surprising speed... and then she almost sneered at him, her eyes narrowing: "What?"

Zerrex leaned down and kissed her, and she growled in pleasure as her eyes closed, stroking over her face with her other hand as their mouths moved together and their tongues danced... and a lightheaded feeling rolled through him as he found himself fully erect in a matter of moments, before she guided him between her legs... and there was no labia, no lips, only an entrance to a passage that he thrusted into with a grunt, and his eyes opened in shock as the kiss parted, her saliva not tasting like death, not cold but warm and sweet... and he gazed down to watch with both arousal and something like horror as he realized he could see her sexual stretching as he thrusted into it, visible to his naked eye through her fleshless torso before he penetrated directly into her womb... and then he groaned as she reached a hand down with a grin at him through her own open body and grasped the outside of the passage of her sex, stroking him through her own stretched organ as it gripped and clenched into him at the same time, breathing into his hair and then kissing his neck as she whispered: "Don't try to please me... don't try to please yourself. This is business. But later... oh later, then I can show you how exciting death can be..."

The Drakkaren took her advice, beginning to pump hard in and out of her immediately as her strong legs wrapped around his waist, and one of her arms wrapped around his neck as the other rubbed over his chest, the not-alive, not-dead Naganatine grunting as she worked herself back against him with her eyes clenched, her body squelching and moving against him as he felt bare bones, muscle, and scales grinding against his form. And in only a few minutes, he flushed as he felt himself on the verge of release... and then he groaned, thrusting madly into her as her passage milked him for all he had, his seed blasting directly into her womb as he slammed to the hilt again and again and again.

She laughed and moaned beneath him, and then she grunted and flexed, her eyes rolling in her head as her arms bulged and her body rocked against him... and then she almost kicked him off, rudely tearing herself free as the last of his volleys shot into her, and he fell heavily on her rear before the Naganatine groaned as she stood up, flexing her body and grunting as he ribs made a loud cracking sound before they opened wide, the lower cage of bones on her body lifting and contorting out of the way as her womb swelled and bulged, growing and expanding until it was hanging like a thick cocoon... and in a single deft movement, she slashed it open with her bare hand, amniotic fluids and a semitransparent sack containing some sort of living being pouring out of her along with a gush of blood and the placenta.

Zerrex stared in horror, and then he scampered backwards, his erection quickly dying as he watched the transparent bag stretch as the figure inside glowed... before a hand and arm tore free, and a grey-scaled, drooling abomination stood up, naked, its arms dangling limply. It was dripping wet, no umbilical cord of any kind present on its form... and after a moment, Zerrex realized in shock that it was Aether, except that his scales were that listless, monotone color as he leapt to his feet... before Sin shrieked: "No, not again Anathema!"

"It has to be." Anathema said in her almost-purring voice... and then she reached out and grasped the back of the replica's head, and it gargled before purple fire burned over its body and it collapsed, turning to ashes even before it hit the ground. Sin screamed, covering her face and falling to her knees as she began to cry, and Zerrex yelled, not knowing what the point of that was... before the vengeful wraith smiled, and she held her still glowing hand up, saying softly: "Death, begets life. Life, begets death. And as the cycle demonstrates... I am the ultimate authority on both."

She waved her hand to the side as Cherry snarled furiously, wanting to rush her but dealing with a large group of zombies that had just smothered out a section of her firewall with sheer strength of numbers... and then she stared as they glowed purple for a moment, snakes of energy whipping out at a terrifying speed from the pile of ashes in front of Anathema and travelling through them like a lightning bolt before continuing onwards, and the zombies simply collapsed to the ground, dead. Then the female rubbed at her face slowly, her womb healing and retracting into her body as he ribs and lower bone-cage closed, and she smiled down at Zerrex, offering her hand as he half-pulled up his pants stupidly. "You may not like my methods... but I'm more effective than my sister."

Zerrex looked at her... and then Sin ran past him, and Anathema looked up with a frown before she staggered as Sin punched her, leaving a large bruise on her cheek before she howled in pain when Sin snaked a hand through her ribcage and grabbed her heart, looking at her with tears streaming down her face as she shouted: "Stop it! Just stop it, Anathema! This isn't the old days, and I'm tired of competing with you for affection... we're supposed to be sisters!"

Sin released her heart after a moment, and Anathema staggered backwards, breathing hard as she sat back on the bench, and then the living Naganatine helped Zerrex to his feet, and he quickly pulled his pants up as she rested her head against his shoulder, trembling and murmuring: "I'm... I'm sorry, Lord Zerrex. I just... couldn't bear to see Aether die again... the pain it must have caused you..."

"I'm... more worried about the pain it caused you." Zerrex said softly, gazing down at her quietly... and then he looked over at Anathema coldly, as she stood up and looked darkly at them, before he asked in as civil a voice as he could manage: "So is that it for the undead?"

"Of course." Anathema said disgustedly, and then she snorted, looking back and forth through the cemetery. "Give it five minutes to travel across this tiny mortal world, and that will be that... they were simple puppet undead. The more complex ones will resist the purge, though... and you should both be thanking me. I may have been bit cruel with who I chose to replicate as the 'sacrifice,' for the Cycle Ritual, but I have handled your problem... but I am disappointed in you, Sin. Being unable to handle a simple signal-interrupt spell yourself... it was child's play."

Sin shrunk down against Zerrex, and then he said irritably after a moment: "How about this, Anathema? You shut your stupid mouth, and we'll forget this all ever happened. Or we can just split you back into pieces and shove you back in that crypt, or better yet, banish you entirely."

Anathema winced at this, looking chastened, and the Drakkaren realized that she really must be bonded to Mephistopheles... because he was pretty sure that if she wanted to, she could kick his ass with the powers she'd just displayed. "But darling..." She grinned as she walked up to him, and then her organs and flesh and scales seemed to vanish out of existence as her body broke apart, and the reptile looked shocked as she spun around him before her very bones latched to his body, her skull stretching somehow over his to form a mask over his face and the rest of her bones twisting and changing themselves until they all managed to cling to his form, making him look like he was wearing some sort of terrible suit of armor, her voice whispering in his mind: We have such a connection between us...

"What have you done to me?" Zerrex looked down at his hands in shock, but even the backs of them were covered by her... and he realized it was most like she had turned into some kind of exoskeleton rather than a suit of armor, her bones lining the outside of his body and conforming to every movement he made as Sin stepped back, covering her mouth in shock. "Get... get off me!"

"Fine, as you wish." The Naganatine sighed as her bones tore off his body, the Drakkaren feeling like a massive suction cup was being pulled off his form before she reformed in front of him, muscles, scales, and flesh and organs all filling it before she put her hands behind her head, smiling up at him placidly: "Can we go now? I'm just so eager to explore Hell... and I assume you're the High King of it, aren't you..." She paused, then said thoughtfully, tapping at her chin: "I don't even know your name."

"Zerrex." The Drakkaren said shortly, and Cherry and Ixin joined him as Sin curled against his side, trembling a bit as she looked across at her sister with pain, discomfort, and perhaps even fear. "And just so you know, I have a problem with parasites."

"Fine, have it your way, I'll walk around on my own." Anathema waved a hand absently, looking disgruntled before she crossed her arms, glaring at the group as they all looked at her distrustfully. "Well, aren't we off to a great start? I haven't led you wrong yet, have I? I just fixed your problem, didn't I? Besides, I can't go against the power of Mephistopheles anyway... and Zerrex bears that power now."

"Then apologize to Sin, and stop holding the past against her." Zerrex said dryly, and Anathema winced, looking like she was fighting with herself as she fidgeted back and forth awkwardly. The Drakkaren crossed his arms as Sin looked back and forth, her cheeks bright crimson, and the reptile realized just how childish this all was... and furthermore, how childlike Anathema was, despite the tremendous powers she obviously possessed. "Come on, I can wait all day."

"I'm... sorry, Sin." the undead female finally mumbled, crossing her arms sulkily over her exposed ribcage as a bit of a blush rose in her cheeks. And then she rolled her eyes when the reptile looked at her pointedly, adding moodily: "And I'm sorry for what you did in the past. I'll try my best to let go of the fact you killed me."

"Then I'll do my best to forgive you for your wickedness in the past." Sin said quietly and genuinely, and Anathema looked off-balance by this, and almost ashamed of herself as the Naganatine looked up at Zerrex quietly, saying softly: "Shall we open a portal and go back to Hell? Or should we find your family first?"

Zerrex hesitated... and then he said quietly: "They'll be fine on their own for a little while longer... I trust Cindy and Marina. We should go back to Hell for now and see what's happened there, and... reacquaint Anathema with things."

The others nodded as the undead Naganatine sighed with something like relief, and then Zerrex let Sin grasp his armlet as she concentrated, drawing power from the crystal to open a vortex. As he started forwards, Anathema tried to nudge Cherry out of the way to stand by Zerrex... but she was immediately shoved forcefully backwards, the female saying haughtily over her shoulder to the surprised Naganatine: "Don't think so bitch. This is my spot, and ain't no one budging me but the Boss."

Anathema snorted, then followed them through the vortex, Ixin shying away from her with a wince as she asked Cherry flatly: "So who are you, then? A consort of some sort? Or perhaps just a lucky whore skilled in fighting more than in bed?"

"Babe, I would rock your socks in bed." Cherry replied airily, as they stepped out into the entrance hall of the Ravenlight Estate, and then she coughed and cleared her throat as Zerrex winced, Sin looking embarrassed as they came face-to-face with a furious Selena, an angry Lily, and several angelic Naganatine, as well as a cadre of Royal Guards. "Uh. Boss. Did we make a boo-boo?"

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Selena burst out, and there were mutters around the room... and Zerrex realized that Sabnock, Vampire, and others were also here, many of them looking nervous... and nervousness on the features of a person like Sabnock was never a good sign. "Do you have any idea what a nightmare you've unleashed?"

"We demand that Anathema immediately be sealed and banished away, forever!" declared one of the Naganatine, this one wearing a long white robe. When Sin stepped forwards, he stumbled backwards, wincing and holding up his hands as he added darkly: "And this one, a High Princess! She should be caged up in the Abyss like the other monsters!"

"Watch your words closely, Epoch." Lily said darkly, and Zerrex realized with relief after a moment that Lily was far angrier with these Heavenly beings mixed among the demons and Royal Guards than she was with them. Zerrex tapped Cherry on the shoulder as Lily began to speak again, and the female nodded, making a silent signal to Vampire as she shifted carefully to better shield Anathema from the crowd between their bodies. "Although Lady Sin may have assisted in bringing a dangerous being back into existence, it should also be noted that she contained a very distinct threat to the mortal plane of her own volition, and that-"

The three Naganatine muttered between themselves, and then another one of them, this one wearing a heavy sword on his back and only a leather kilt and loincloth combination on his body: "She and Sin must be punished and destroyed. They are the remnants of Mephistopheles... and they have both produced countless terrible atrocities."

Zerrex cleared his throat and rose a hand before anyone could start arguing, and as all eyes turned towards him, he said in a reasonable voice: "I have had a long day. I've had to kill my own son, bring back a Naganatine and deal with her bitchiness, and have sex with something to perform a ritual that I would much rather not even look at. So I'm in a bad mood. And it's been a whole series of long days for me lately... killing this, killing that, almost getting killed by this, you know the drill. So I suggest we reconvene tomorrow in a manner more suitable for First Breed who are supposed to be pure and honorable, and discuss this all in a calm, courteous fashion in a council meeting. Because if I have to listen to you, former brethren of Sin, insult her one more time... I'm going to have to beat the living crap out of all of you, and there are plenty of people in this room who will help me."

The three Naganatine snorted, then Epoch pointed around the room, saying clearly: "Angel. Angel. Angel. Angel. There are too many of us, and granted, while there are many demons here... not all of them can be all that glad to have beings like Sin and Anathema in their midst. Traitors to God, traitors to all of us..." He paused and snorted, looking over them with disgust. "But then again, I guess most of you are traitors as well, aren't you?"

Lily snarled slowly as she turned towards him... but before she could say anything, the double doors of the Ravenlight Estate burst open and Francis and Raze came through, the latter snarling furiously. The Naganatine exchanged confused looks, and then Francis said clearly, looking over at them with visible contempt in his eyes: "All angels are to return to Heaven immediately, under the orders of Lucifer and Lord themselves. We do not interfere with Hell's affairs, not even when they bring back beings such as Anathema. We do not cause a ruckus and insist on creating problems. And we do not dare challenge the authority of Lord Zerrex." A pause, and a small smile over at the Drakkaren, who was looking tired and moody, but thankful for the arrival of the two. "Unless we also want to challenge all of Hell. As is my duty, I will not have you soiling the relations between Heaven and Hell, Epoch, Warden, and Abel."

The three shifted, and then the one with the sword snarled, pointing at them as he shouted: "But they have already damaged relations with us by bringing that monster back to life, and by putting that slut as-"

Zerrex snarled, and then he stepped forwards and grabbed the end of the sword blade before jerking it out of the Naganatine's hand, and he looked surprised before he stared in horror when the Drakkaren bent it in half, dropping the now-useless weapon. "It's rude to point. It's also rude to call people names. As you may be able to tell, I have a problem with rudeness... and I'm developing a serious problem with you three. You call yourselves Naganatine, and yet you're as hostile and stupid as any mortal... God would be disappointed in you."

"Don't you dare talk about God!" the Naganatine threw himself at Zerrex, grabbing his shoulders, and the Drakkaren grappled with him for a moment as people rushed forwards to separate them, before the male managed to tear himself free and jumped at the Drakkaren again... and Zerrex grabbed him by a horn as he fell past him, grunting in pain and wincing as he scampered to get up to his knees before he threw a punch at the Drakkaren's waist.

Sin caught it in her fist before it could collide, and she looked from one to the other before she finally said quietly: "I'm sorry... but I need to fight my own battles, Lord Zerrex. Thank you... for always protecting me, though." She glanced down, then back up, looking at the Naganatine as he trembled fearfully on the ground, the others stepping back from the two before she ducked and gently lifted him up to stand, but he only continued to look at her with terror even as she gently unfolded his fist and held his hand in both of hers, gazing into his eyes. "Warden, what's become of the Naganatine of Heaven? You were all so proud and virtuous... and yet when I look at you three here, I'm saddened. The only one I don't see is Silven... but I expect he may be off with White somewhere, or helping some other poor lost soul. He has always been so kind... so generous..."

Sin looked down, then she patted his hand quietly and smiled up at him faintly, saying in a soft voice: "Go home. Think on things. And remember that Anathema is bound to Mephistopheles, and thus to our Lord Zerrex, the High King, who had his powers inherited through the Heartstone. Go now with the others... protect the mortal plane and watch over it like you're supposed to."

Warden finally nodded mutely, and the others took this as a sign of surrender, lowering their own heads and retreating sulkily towards White and Raze, who shoved Epoch along when he hesitated in the doorway. The other angels and a few demons filtered out afterwards, and finally Warden left as well, his head low as Francis followed him out and Raze closed the doors of the Estate behind him, crossing his arms as he rested back against them.

Then Lily sighed and nodded to Sin, before Selena grabbed her and asked vehemently, gesturing angrily at the undead female: "Why the fuck did you bring her back?"

"Is anyone going to at least acknowledge that I am in the room?" asked Anathema shortly, and she crossed her arms as Selena made a disgusted face at her. "Oh, I'm just going to love you, aren't I?"

"Fuck off and die." Selena said rudely, and then she walked over to Zerrex and slapped him, asking him sharply: "Do you know who that is?" Instead of waiting for an answer, she barged on: "That's a fucking monster! That's a fucking nightmare! That's worse than any Terror Sin ever shat out, okay, you got that?"

"Stop it." Zerrex reached up and grabbed Selena's wrists, and she looked surprised as the reptile glared down into her eyes, shaking her once as he repeated: "Just stop it." He paused, and then he sighed, closing his eyes before he let her go and turned away, rubbing at his forehead slowly. "I think I need to go and lay down... Cherry, do me a huge favor and debrief them, okay? Anathema, come with me. Sin... please, get some rest yourself, okay?"

"I'll just come with you too, then." Sin said softly, before she hesitated and looked over at Lily, adding quietly: "Don't judge Lord Zerrex too harshly. It's my fault more than his... I never told him what we were going to bring back."

Lily nodded, looking down for a moment before she sighed and looked up, saying quietly: "We'll talk about things more in private when you guys are ready. Ixin, can I speak to you, too?"

Ixin cursed under his breath from where he was just about to slip through a doorway, and then he mumbled and walked over as Zerrex headed for the stairs, the two Naganatine following along. Vampire toddled quickly up after them and he peered curiously at Anathema as she looked at him with distaste, before he said dumbly: "If I poke your bone, do you feel it?"

"Go away." Anathema grumbled, and Vampire giggled stupidly behind a hand, before he yelped when she reached out and pushed him down the stairs, which made Zerrex sigh and roll his eyes. It was almost like having another Cherry around... and then he winced when he saw Selena storming across the room, muttering under his breath as he let himself into the hallway and then created a portal the moment the door was closed behind them.

Anathema frowned, but Sin only sighed and motioned for her to follow, and the three stepped out into the Cuddle Room of the Palace, which was currently devoid of life. Anathema looked back and forth in surprise, and then she laughed as she ducked under the huge throne and threw herself down on the futon, putting her hands behind her head as she grinned and closed her eyes. "Beautiful! Now sister, be a darling and tell me about Hell."

Sin hesitated as Zerrex took his sword off, and then the Drakkaren said mildly, as he sat down at the end of the futon. "First, I want some answers from you, actually. Like... do you really have to do anything I say?"

"Unfortunately. I'm getting the feeling you're not a very fun person." Anathema sat up, gently starting to massage Zerrex's tense shoulders, and he made a face as Sin sat quietly on his other side, the undead female saying teasingly: "My, you're so tense... you know, I would be more than glad to take care of that for you..."

"What about answering my questions honestly?" Zerrex asked implacably, and the female sighed and rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath. "What?"

"Yes, I do. Stop it, you're ruining all the fun in this." Anathema said shortly, rubbing along his shoulders, and the Drakkaren shifted, fidgeting awkwardly before he blinked when she pushed a hand against his chest and shoved him down on the futon, Sin wincing before she blushed when her sister grinned at her and beckoned to her. "Come on, Sin! You love sex, we both know it... and rough stuff too. Join in and help me loosen up big boy here... Sin, I know, loves it when you slap her around... she used to scream all the time when-"

"I don't talk about that anymore." Sin said shortly, and she fidgeted awkwardly as Anathema laughed, then cursed when Zerrex shoved her off, landing on her back and laying moodily beside Zerrex. Then Sin laid down as well, and they all sighed at once before Sin finally murmured: "I missed you, sister."

Anathema grunted, not replying... and then she rolled over towards Zerrex, tracing her fingers down his chest as she grinned at him, before asking curiously: "So what can you tell me about Hell? And about yourself, start with you, big boy... you were once a mortal, weren't you?"

Zerrex nodded, and Anathema licked her lips slowly, leaning in and licking up his neck, making the reptile wince and blush a bit as he leaned away and Sin mumbled under her breath, rolling over onto her side. "Good... I love mortals, you know. Just darling little creatures... and you have to tell me all about the mortal world, too. From the little I saw, it looked so advanced..." She looked almost dreamy at this, her head rocking back and forth on her shoulders. "Mephistopheles always had such a low opinion of the mortal world and all of God's crazy ideas... oh, how I miss him..."

"I don't." Sin muttered, and Anathema sat up, looking shocked as Sin glanced over her shoulder with a grumpy look on her face. "He was a bastard, Anathema, and he treated us simply as pawns... if he cared, he never would have abandoned us... and to him, you were just a failed project. Yet he's all you talk about... I've learned so much more over all my years in Hell, that there's so much to the world and so many kinds of people..."

"Mephistopheles was all I knew." Anathema countered, shrugging a bit before she smiled warmly down at Zerrex, stroking his face as she purred: "And now I have you, though... you and I are going to be very happy together..."

"I don't even like you that much." Zerrex said flatly, and the female rolled her eyes, snorting as if that had nothing to do with anything, and then she winced when the Drakkaren grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from his chest. "Stop trying to impress me. I'm nothing like Mephistopheles."

She grunted at this, then paused before she tried to straddle him... and then she snarled when Sin shoved her off before her leg could even touch the other side of the futon, leaning across Zerrex and slapping out a hand glowing with purple malevolence... but Sin caught her hand as her eyes glowed violet, snapping: "Stop it, Anathema! By the name of God, you're worse than Selena!"

"I am the opposite of that bitch!" Anathema said, looking offended, and then she sat up and crossed her arms, sulking. "What can I say? I'm attracted to the essence of Mephistopheles... just as you are, Sin. Except unlike you, I just got my physical body back, and I need some contact. But fine, if you feel so strongly possessive about it, by all means, I'll stay away."

She rolled her eyes, looking grouchy, and Zerrex sighed as he slapped his forehead before he sat up, saying mildly: "Sin, perhaps we could tell Anathema about Hell, and what's changed in it. Maybe a little conversation will break the tension in the air."

The two grumbled like children... but once he got Sin started, he was able to peacefully lay back and doze as they talked. They were like old friends who had gone their separate ways in anger and years later found each other again by chance... at first it was rocky, but once they got talking, whatever issues had passed between them were forgotten.