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(Alright everyone I'd like to state that this isn't my story. It's written entirely by Zerrex Narrius. The entire 1100 page epic can be downloaded at Epiphany. Please direct all praise to Zerrex and not me. Alright this series is markes as extreme, if ya are under 18/21 GTFO yadda yadda yadda, NOW on with the show.)

(This part is about 200 pages long. As will future parts.)

It only felt like a few minutes passed... and then Zerrex felt himself being gently shaken, his eyes flickering before he yawned loudly as he sat up, looking stupidly back and forth to see Helena standing over him with a soft smile, saying quietly: "Mortals are very cute when they sleep. It's no wonder demons tell stories about whispering in the ears of mortals while they slumber."

The Drakkaren grumbled a bit at her, rubbing sleep from his eyes slowly before he yawned again, his body pulsing once... and then the Dius reached up and touched his chest, her simple dress flowing around her body as she said softly: "Make sure you come back in one piece, okay? I don't want to have to feel responsible for getting you killed."

Zerrex smiled a bit at this, patting her on the cheek as he stood up, and then he gently grasped her shoulders, kissing her forehead, and then her lips chastely, murmuring softly: "A promise and a blessing. Thank you, Helena. I'm... honestly surprised to have met you... but very glad for it, too."

"The pleasure, Zerrex Narrius, has been all mine." the female responded kindly, and the Drakkaren smiled to her before he approached the pile of armor that had been set aside and quickly began to pull it on.

When he was dressed, flexing his gauntlets to ensure that everything was working properly, Helena approached with a smile and Blackheart in her hands, holding the sword out towards him, and the reptile took it and rested it against his shoulder, looking at her softly. She gazed back, then the larger male slid the weapon onto his back, where it hummed gently before locking into place, and Helena hesitated awkwardly before she headed suddenly over to the dresser, the reptile watching her with surprise before she opened the upper drawer and fumbled through it for a few moments.

She let out a small sound of triumph as she extracted something, and then she turned around and smiled slightly as she held out a large bone knife to the Drakkaren: it glimmered dangerously, made of one single demon bone, the handle wrapped in leather and covered in embossed runes and the blade large and round-looking at the sides, forming a fat, thick, yet dangerous crescent.

The reptile took this from her hesitantly, and the Dius said softly: "You can use this more than I can. It's a Sutsochki blade... made from the arm bone of a dead god, soaked and blessed in demon's blood, forged by fallen angels. Almost indestructible and it despite the fact it looks very smooth... it will cut through almost anything."

Zerrex nodded slowly, taking the weapon from her and touching the blade... and the moment he did, terrible voices whispered through his mind as the weapon gleamed terribly, and the Drakkaren grimaced a little in surprise, drawing his fingers quickly back. Then he looked down at the Dius, and she smiled slightly, saying quietly: "Think of it as my dowry to become your concubine."

The Drakkaren grunted, looking at her awkwardly... and then he hesitantly slipped the knife into one of the empty pouches on his belt. It vanished completely into the larger-than-it-looked space, and the reptile reflected on the way White could apparently charm anything before he shook his head a bit and looked at the Dius quietly, asking softly: "So, going to see me off?"

"I am." the Dius smiled a little, and then she reached out and took his hand, and Zerrex squeezed it slowly despite the bit of blood that dribbled down from her fingers as steam rose up in contact with the holy metal... but she squeezed back nonetheless before stroking quietly along the back of his wrist, gazing silently into his eyes.

Then she turned quickly, pulling him into the hall before letting go of his hand, and the reptile followed behind her, rubbing his palms together slowly as they headed down the corridor and descended the stairs, a bit of business still running in the tavern as demons, angels, and mortals all tried to drink their sorrows away.

They exited without any trouble this time... and Zerrex looked up at the dark morning sky, seeing the terrible, gloomy pall of clouds overhead blocking the ephemeral velvet beyond, and he reflected for a moment on how deep morning could be far stranger and scarier than dark night. They walked through the unlit, empty bowl-shaped gorge, past a few other rickety buildings and a large, ramshackle living quarters, to enter through the wide archway of the gaping cave... and Zerrex whistled a bit as he saw the tunnel was immense, stretching some fifty feet towards the ceiling and perhaps thirty wide.

He looked back and forth as they walked slowly through the enormous passage, which was lit from above by hanging orbs of glass filled with glowing, incandescent gold-and-blue gases: a metal shack sat off to one side, probably the 'office' for the mines, and beside it was piled old equipment, gemstones, ore, and broken rail carts. Then the lizard tripped and stumbled, looking dumbly down at ancient, worn rails as the Dius glanced over her shoulder, saying quietly: "Careful now. A lot of this place hasn't been fixed up entirely quite yet."

The lizard nodded a bit as he looked at her, then ahead down the wide passage... and then he stared a bit at the sight of a large golden platform that rested against one of the walls, standing on tall wooden supports... and beside it, was what had obviously once been an enormous subway car, images in faded, peeling paint still visible here and there over the long, dented body of the vehicle.

Workers were walking all around it, some with clipboards, others carrying bags of tools, and massive pipes extended from an opened hatch on the machine, locking into some kind of silent, enormous rectangular generator at the other end of the vehicle. It was only composed of two cars, the rear passenger car and a half-sized engine car that nonetheless looked imposing as hell, with massive blade-like shovels standing off its sides and the top layered in thick armor plates, roughly half a dozen hooded headlights covered in clear metal to protect them glaring blurry from the front of the machine.

One of the workers was currently disconnecting the pipes, a mortal covered from head-to-toe in grime and dust, his coveralls patched and worn and his hard-hat cracked... and as the Dius and Zerrex ascended the platform, he looked up before glancing to the side, shouting something in a language Zerrex didn't understand that he guessed was the native tongue of Lailland.

There was a shuffling, and then a sliding door in the side of the vehicle opened and a minotaur stumbled out with a loud cough, looking down at his clipboard before he glanced towards the Drakkaren and the Dius. He grimaced a little, turning more to face them, and Zerrex winced at the fact the black-furred minotaur had a robotic eye glaring out of the right side of his face, which was covered in the patchwork of scars. He also realized that the minotaur was wearing a long, black leather glove over his left hand that went all the way to the elbow... but through the tears in the dusty, worn fabric, the reptile could make out the glint of metal.

"You don't give me no trouble, I won't give you no trouble." the minotaur said plainly, and Zerrex hesitated, but then nodded, and the minotaur nodded back with a grunt. "Good. Because these prosthetics come in real useful in these mines. I ain't just got them to look cool."

The Drakkaren grunted as he and the Dius walked forwards, hoping the minotaur wasn't too much of a tech-head... but before he could either start an argument, Helena asked quietly: "So is it prepped for transport?"

"Yeah." The minotaur reached out and patted the side of the large vehicle lightly, saying quietly as he looked towards the male lizard: "She'll take you to the end of the line, the process is all smooth and automated, even if the ride will be a little bumpy. From Station B, you just follow the tunnel straight ahead... but who knows what'll be waiting there for you?"

Zerrex nodded a bit, rubbing at his head slowly, and then he said awkwardly: "Thanks, then. For. Not ratting me out or trying to kill me, and for... the help here."

The minotaur only nodded, glancing down at his clipboard before he sighed a little. "Truth be told, if you do manage to take down Empyreal Throne, it'll be better for all of us. A chance to escape from the watch of that cult up top and those soldiers who come and check on us randomly, to... start a new life somewhere else. That's all most of us wanted, thugs and losers... we got offered a too-good-to-be-true deal... and it's ended up being a worse life than the one I lived in Hell, robotic implants or not."

He flexed his left hand slowly, and Zerrex smiled awkwardly as he patted the minotaur on the shoulder, saying quietly: "Well, I'll be doing my best to end things, then."

The minotaur only grunted, then he walked away, heading past them and off the platform as he shouted something to the other workers, and the Drakkaren turned around to look down at Helena for a moment... but she only smiled and patted him on the chest with both hands, saying quietly: "Get out of here now. And remember to come back when it's all over."

Zerrex nodded to her... and then he kissed her quietly, and she kissed him softly back, gripping into his shoulders for a moment. The Drakkaren pulled back... and then he hesitated before saying quietly: "Listen, before I go... Temptation was cleaned out pretty well, and you can obviously take care of yourself. There's some good people down there, and staying out at a farmhouse down highway... if you can get there..."

"I'll try my best. I have a feeling the World Carver won't be blockading things anymore... and that you're going to be keeping whatever's in Empyreal Throne busy." the Dius said softly, and then she smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek, saying quietly: "Good luck and may Lucifer bless you, Lord Zerrex. I'll be waiting for you, here or there... but I know you'll find me when the time is right."

With that, the Dius turned and headed down the steps... and Zerrex watched her go before he sighed and turned around, heading quietly into the sterile interior of the machine. The car was little more than a wide open metal space, with a few passenger seats up front and a large, empty cargo area covered in chains and straps that were bolted to the ground to be used to hold onto freight, the reptile guessed... and then he turned around and pressed a large button beside the door, watching as it slid smoothly closed and locked into place, before a second, thinner sliding door clacked shut as well.

The Drakkaren pulled Blackheart free as he approached one of the ugly plastic chairs bolted to the wall, wondering if he had to do something to start the machine... but a moment later the vehicle hissed loudly, then rumbled as it slowly began to roll forwards, the Drakkaren stumbling a bit at the sudden shift in momentum before he grabbed one of the metal supports on one side of the row of chairs, wincing a bit as it bounced and rattled... but it soon smoothed out as the speed picked up, and the reptile sighed a little in relief as they rumbled onwards, listening to the sound of the engine growling ahead and the huge vehicle cutting through the air as the Drakkaren glanced upwards, then finally sat down in one of the plastic seats, grimacing a bit as his tail slid through the hole in the back of it and caught on a sharp edge, muttering: "It's the little things that make me miserable some days."

Blackheart sparked quietly, as if in agreement, and the reptile looked silently towards the ceiling, wishing he had family with him... and yet knowing he had to do this by himself, as he rubbed at the painful spot where the small diode had been implanted. The moment he called anyone to help him, after all, Error would lock onto them... and he shivered a bit at the thought of what the Strange Beast might be capable of doing to his Disciples. With his powers, his energies, everything but his soul... Eratosthenes could probably even summon his Disciples and bend them to his will... and he only hoped that he reached the Strange Beast before Error figured that out, or learned to fully control Zerrex's powers.

He looked down at his metal-covered hands quietly, thinking on this for a few moments: for all his power, after all, he had been taken down by plain old mercenaries, Craven, half-demons with guns... and he hadn't been able to stop Eratosthenes. Not even Negative had interfered, and the Drakkaren knew that if he had wanted to, Negative likely could have halted the process... and yet he hadn't. The reptile still remembered the blurry image of the terrible Inversion, standing beside Eratosthenes... and he closed his eyes, wondering silently if this was Negative's way of moving to a new host.

What if the Strange Beast didn't realize that Negative was its own consciousness? What if that had been Negative's game all along, stringing Zerrex forwards and then withdrawing deep inside him when he failed to take him over, so that he could bide his time until a better, easier-to-control host appeared? And for all his intelligence, Error obviously wasn't the wisest or most in-control of the Strange Beasts... and the only emotions he understood were passions that Negative would easily be able to manipulate and control.

What if somehow, Negative had been responsible for feeding Eratosthenes information? Zerrex didn't want to consider that as a possibility... but he knew more and more that his top priority was to defeat Eratosthenes, not just to get his powers back... but to ensure that Negative wasn't able to take over a different body, form a completely-different consciousness. Whether he really was some extended part of Zerrex or the remnants of lost souls bound together and turned into unflinching destruction, the Drakkaren knew he had to put a stop to him one way or the other... or at least cage him, even if that meant forcefully dragging Negative back into the confines of his own goddamn body and mind.

Dark thoughts ravaged the lizard's mind as he breathed quietly, looking down at the floor... and finally, he felt the trolley rolling to a halt, and Zerrex was able to clear his mind as it clanked and rumbled loudly, shuddering violently before it finally fell still, reminding Zerrex all too well of a dying body. He climbed to his feet, carefully sliding Blackheart onto his back and reaching down to his pouches, muttering: "Caltrops, needles, smoke bombs, mercury rounds... all check."

The reptile paused, pulling out his revolver and flicking it open to see the empty cylinder... and he shook his head a bit, only glad he'd remembered before he'd tried to shoot someone in the face with an empty gun. He reloaded smoothly from a pouch, feeling it starting to get low... but the mercury rounds that White favored were even more dangerous than blessed silver and seemed to take down anything Zerrex shot with only one or two bullets.

He opened the door and stepped out onto a damaged, rusting metal platform, wincing a little at the fact some of the rock from the ceiling above had obviously collapsed, and the tunnel here looked much more unstable... and the Drakkaren quickly ran down the steps and headed forwards, past the intimidating engine of the trolley as he glanced nervously down the tunnel: the tracks ended here, but the enormous tunnel itself turned up ahead and led into darkness... but part of the wall up ahead had been blown out, forming a cracked pass into a stone corridor beyond, ancient and rotting wooden supports resting like defiled bones against the walls of the stone tunnel.

The Drakkaren carefully walked down the decaying stone hall, grimacing at the sight of the green and grey stones before he reached a golden metal door, pressing against it silently... and when there was no sound from the other side, he hesitantly gripped the handle of the door before pushing it slowly open... and then his eyes widened in shock at the sight that lay beyond.

Dead corpses of angels, Craven, and other demons lay here and there in broken, bloodied piles, some of them still weakly clutching their weapons, others crushed into walls and unidentifiable piles of broken flesh. Zerrex hissed through his teeth in disgust as he stepped slowly into the cement passage beyond, grimacing back and forth: the tunnel had long been reinforced, but massive spikes of rock and metal stuck out of the walls and floor and even the ceiling here and there... and from the brutal handiwork and the way parts of the wall and floor had been crushed into craters, the reptile knew this had to be the handiwork of the monstrous half-Strange Beast, half-Primordial, Iron.

As he walked slowly down the passage, the reptile couldn't help but shudder a bit in disgust: the tunnel was long and curved back and forth in a gentle S-shape, and all throughout it were signs of struggle and dead bodies and spires of evilly-glinting metal. Zerrex halted by one corpse, a long-rotted demon, the skeleton the only thing left, and he checked the satchel he was wearing... then shook his head slowly as he extracted a bloody set of documents, dated only a day ago. His body was clad in broken, shattered armor, and he wasn't even armed... and as Zerrex read quickly through the letter, he realized it was a messenger from Devil's Maw, trying to get a letter through about the problems with the encampment and that there was no sign from Temptation. It also mentioned that the World Carver had been acting strange and its handlers had vanished... and the reptile shook his head slowly as he dropped the document and then stood up, continuing down the path and muttering: "Iron... yet why would he do this? He's a monster, but I thought he was on Error's leash... and Eratosthenes wouldn't... order this."

He shuddered a bit, knowing it was true: Error probably wouldn't mind picking him apart piece-by-piece, but he seemed more than a little hesitant about harming innocent lives... and that was one of the few things Zerrex could actually respect about the Strange Beast. The reptile looked up as his eyes locked on a pair of double doors ahead, enormous and made of heavy steel... and then he frowned a bit as he heard a sizzling beyond, walking slowly forwards and pushing the doors open... and then snarling and grabbing Blackheart's handle, yanking the huge sword off his back as Iron grinned at him from where he stood across the room, hunched forwards and resting on his knuckles as he rumbled: "Iron has been waiting for you, little plaything..."

Zerrex stepped forwards into the room... and then Iron rose a hand, and the steel doors slammed shut behind the lizard, almost catching the tip of his tail and making him wince before he staggered away from them as they violently warped and melted as massive blades and spikes jutted from them in the same instant, making it impassable. The only other doorway in the huge room, the Drakkaren saw, was a steel door just behind the Primordial... and then the reptile looked back and forth, taking in his surroundings as Iron threw his head back and laughed. "Welcome to my playhouse, little lost lizard! Iron will be taking his time in killing you!"

The square floor was perhaps a hundred feet wide, give or take... enough to give Iron and Zerrex both plenty of room to maneuver, and completely without cover. It was made entirely of polished metal, adding another advantage to the massive half-Primordial with his obvious affiliation for metal... and lining the stone walls on either side of the room were rectangular metal panels, heavy vents that steam and hot wind whistled out of, and rectangular power condensers. Thick black cables hung from the ceiling high above, large, dome-shaped power nodes jutting here and there from the roof, and large fluorescent lights glowed quietly near the fifty-foot mark of the walls, a few feet below where they connected with the roof, casting a bright glow over all present.

Iron stood at the far side of the room; on either side of him, there were immense rectangular power regulators in thick mesh cages, electricity zapping along cables and antennae inside the steel casing, the devices wide and narrowly-spaced, each block of machines taking up some ten feet of either corner of the room. It gave the open space an awkward bottleneck Zerrex would have to be careful to avoid... but still left forty feet of free room, as Iron surveyed him with a callous grin for a few moments before he clenched his raised hand into a fist, saying mockingly: "Soft little snail, come out of your shell!"

Zerrex cursed as his armor clenched against his body before it began to sizzle, holy energy and static bursting up from his form as he yelled in pain and shock. His sword fell from his hands as he clawed quickly at his armor, tearing plates loose as thick droplets of liquid metal began to form over the gear, cracks ripping through the steel and plates popping off as the Drakkaren felt his scales beginning to burn from the contact with the superheating metal.

He tore the breastplate off and lashed one arm out to the side as Iron only laughed, watching with dark delight as one gauntlet and sleeve came half off before the top section of the long sleeve simply shattered into pieces, singeing Zerrex's scales and making him curse in frustration as he waved one arm wildly out to the side before he ripped the other armlet off, and then the reptile looked down in horror at the sight of his holstered revolver, yanking this quickly out and throwing it hard at Iron even as he felt his boots beginning to melt completely away... and then the gun exploded with a tremendous bang, mercury rounds knocking thin trenches through the flesh-and-blood side of the massive beast as sparks blinked through the air as shrapnel bounced off the monster's metallic half.

Zerrex cursed under his breath, ripping the last plates off his groin as he stumbled backwards in the melted metal boots, and then he snarled and leapt forwards, picking Blackheart up and glaring towards the creature, but Iron only shook his head, pointing at the sword... and then frowning when the weapon only sparked with energy, glowing faintly before the giant snarled: "It does not matter to Iron... Iron can take such toys from you the easy way!"

The giant lunged forwards with a roar, hands slamming against the ground as he stampeded towards the lizard, and the reptile cursed before he leapt upwards at the last moment, slamming Blackheart down into the flesh side of Iron's face... but the Strange Beast only grinned and laughed, even as a deep cut was scored through his features, muddy ooze splattering upwards as Zerrex landed on the monster's back before kicking off and turning around in midair... but Iron quickly spun around as well, lunging forwards and slapping one hand out as the Drakkaren cursed and brought the sword up defensively, and Blackheart was knocked from the reptile's grip as his arms were almost yanked from their sockets, staggering to the side before Iron backhanded him almost playfully and sent him flying backwards, crashing to the ground and skidding over the steel on his back as he grabbed at his chest with a gargle, the monster saying teasingly: "Silly little mortal... you are no match for me... Iron will crush you like the meaningless insect you are!"

The half-Primordial slammed his metal fist down into the ground, and the floor erupted upwards into steel spikes that raced violently towards the Drakkaren, Zerrex wincing and leaping out of the way as the deadly wave of blades and conical spikes shot narrowly past, then settled quickly downwards into the ground, only a few cracks and mars in the cement showing any sign that they had been there at all.

The lizard reached down to his pouches, yanking a smoke bomb free, and he tossed it quickly down to the ground as Iron began to lumber forwards before the explosive went off and ionized smog filled the area, the Strange Beast snarling in frustration as he roared: "Filthy little creature, do not hide from me!"

Zerrex concentrated as he reached for another pouch, pulling out a handful of caltrops as the Strange Beast lumbered back and forth with a roar of fury, swinging his arms wildly into the smog... and then the lizard broke into a sprint towards the source of the sound, clearly feeling the creature's energies before he leapt forwards as the blurry figure of the monster came into view, Iron looking at him with a snarl before the reptile dropped to a slide when Iron swung one arm out in a deadly haymaker, skidding beneath the attack before he flung the caltrops upwards.

The small spiked triangles struck Iron squarely in the face, the giant clutching at them as Zerrex slid beneath his legs... and then they glowed before exploding, knocking the monster's head back as he gave a grunt of surprise more than pain, the flesh blown away from his features... but strange mud quickly beginning to spread over his skull, transforming back into flesh and scale as Zerrex spun around and leapt onto the creature's back.

He ran up the beast's spine as he pulled a single, circular device out of one of the far pouches and pressed firmly down in the center of it, snarling as he dove over the creature's head as Iron rose his hands and tried to crush the Drakkaren between them, opening his mouth to roar as Zerrex flew past him... and upside down, the reptile flicked the black disc hard, and it sailed between Iron's open jaws as it sparked with electricity for a moment before exploding in a tremendous bang, Iron's entire head blowing away into chunks of metal and skull fragments and a thick, gory stream of black blood and mud, the half-Primordial staggering backwards as he flailed his limbs weakly as the Drakkaren was launched away by the last, cursing as shrapnel pelted him and he crossed his arms in front of his face before crashing painfully down onto his back with a howl, bouncing and rolling several times before he landed on his stomach.

Iron, meanwhile, staggered backwards, headless as mud gushed from the terrible wound... and then he slowly leaned forwards, planting his hands against the metal ground, and Zerrex looked up in horror as bone and steel both began to rebuild themselves, the metallic half of Iron's head locking back into place as mud burst up from his throat twisted quickly back and forth like paint, sweeping over rebuilding bone and filling the empty sockets to become eyes, Iron's jaw locking back into place as the gigantic Strange Beast opened and closed his mouth a few times before he snarled in rage and disgust, the last of his features filling in as he whispered: "Iron is done playing games for that, little mortal. Now, Iron is going to kill you."

Zerrex scrambled to his feet with a curse, the rectangular regulators behind the lizard's back as he grabbed at his pouches, but the explosive disc was the strongest thing he had: otherwise, he had caltrops, smoke bombs, mercury rounds, and a few odds and ends that would be utterly useless in this situation... and then his eyes widened as Iron shot forwards, moving terribly fast for such a massive creature before it lashed its metallic arm out, the reptile barely managing to leap out of the way as the monster skidded over the metal floor and clawed downwards, ripping through the power regulators and sending up a powerful explosion as electricity, fire, and chunks of shrapnel that shot in all directions.

Zerrex staggered away, then leapt backwards, almost falling over as he pinwheeled his arms for balance but managed to avoid being slapped by Iron's other arm, the monster looking unfazed even as electricity ripped over his body and he tore his arm free, power cables half-clinging to the metallic side of his body as he snarled and rose his metallic hand as lightning surged over the limb and the reptile's instincts screamed at him, and immediately, Zerrex cursed and turned, sprinting away with a wince over his shoulder.

Then he ducked and covered his head with a shout as Iron lashed his metal claw towards him, releasing a powerful blast of lightning that shot just past the Drakkaren and struck one of the transformers in the wall, arcs of electricity surging off as sparks flew in all directions before it exploded in a powerful blast that knocked the lizard staggering, and he cursed as he dug at his pouch before throwing the last of his smoke bombs out as Iron began to run towards him. The bombs exploded, the air once more filling with a thick fog, but the Strange Beast didn't halt, roaring with fury... and Zerrex cursed as he turned and sprinted towards the wall before leaping upwards, shoving his hands and feet against the stone and letting his body lean forwards against it before he shoved off with all four limbs, launching himself in a powerful, arching backwards flip as Iron's metal arm slashed blindly outwards and ripped not into the Drakkaren, but instead tore through metal paneling and hardened cement, ripping a massive hole in the wall as electricity blasted out of the wound and wires and thick red cables tore outwards, falling out over the floor and sending up sizzling sparks as Zerrex landed awkwardly behind the half-Strange Beast with a loud thunk, stumbling backwards and falling to a kneel as the smoke quickly began to settle and clear.

The monster turned around with a snarl, ripping more wires and cables loose, several of them falling against the floor and making Zerrex wince as he felt a sizzle run through his metal boots: most of the power was coming from one extremely large, torn scarlet cable in particular, the reptile saw... and then he cursed as Iron leaned down towards him, glaring furiously at him as he rasped: "Why won't you just stay still and die, little mortal?"

"Because I gotta kill you before I die." Zerrex retorted, fumbling at his pouches... and then his hand seized on the handle of the bone knife, and his eyes widened before he pulled this out with a snarl. It wouldn't be nearly enough to kill the monster in front of him... but he could at least wound the bastard and hopefully buy himself some time, as his eyes flicked back and forth as electricity surged here and there through the steel flooring and over the walls, the lights guttering and flickering on one side of the massive room as unnatural fire burned slowly over the smashed and ruined hulks of the rectangular power convertors. "Bring it on, you son of a bitch!"

Iron snarled in fury at this, lunging forwards and slamming his hands down, and Zerrex leapt backwards before he cursed sharply as metal spikes erupted out of the ground around the monster's hands, leaping backwards and wincing as several of them cut across his body, before Iron charged heedlessly through the tall, narrow cones, smashing them down and ignoring the cuts they inflicted to his flesh-and-blood side before he clawed savagely outwards, and Zerrex dropped to a low crouch, then lunged forwards and slashed hard into the monster's metallic knee.

The bone knife cut through it as it glowed brightly, slicing into steel as effortlessly as it would flesh and tearing through the armory outer shell of Iron to send up a burst of black blood and ugly ooze, and Iron shrieked in surprise before Zerrex leapt upwards and seized the thick hip of the monster as it slammed an elbow back, barely avoiding the attack as he half-spun himself onto the giant's metal side before scrabbling upwards and kicking off the base of his tail when the half-Strange Beast, half-Primordial snarled and shrugged, trying to buck Zerrex off as thick thorns and bladed ridges tore out all along the metallic side of the monster's back.

Zerrex landed on the fleshy upper back of the creature, then he stabbed his knife forwards with both hands when Iron tried to lunge backwards, and the creature roared in anger more than pain this time as he reared back, standing tall as he tried to shrug the lizard off before reaching behind his back vainly as the reptile dangled by the knife alone, and then the monster hissed and bucked forwards, dropping suddenly to all fours, and the dagger tore free as Zerrex was sent flying upwards... but the seized Iron by the back of the skull, twisting his body around in midair before he stabbed viciously downwards into his forehead, then yanked hard downwards, and Iron howled in agony, grabbing at his own skull before Zerrex swung his legs up and slammed both feet into his throat, knocking the monster staggering back a step and launching himself free from the creature as the knife ripped down the monster's face and muzzle, sending out another thick gush of black blood.

Zerrex crashed onto his back with a curse of pain, bouncing and skidding backwards as Iron roared obscenities as black ooze gushed along his face, and then the Drakkaren rolled onto his stomach before scrambling to his feet and running towards where Blackheart had fallen. He quickly picked the sword up in one hand, then spun sharply and threw the sword hard upwards, sending it flying through the air to spear halfway through the nearby cement wall on a slight angle above the rumbling vents and machinery, and then the lizard turned back towards the giant, snarling a bit and preparing himself before he ran straight towards him as Iron growled and the wound in his skull finally healed.

The monster looked surprised at the lizard's charge, and then he only grinned savagely before throwing a fist out... and the reptile leapt upwards, landing on the thick arm of the creature and running along it before he jumped completely past the male, Iron looking stupefied as Zerrex flew towards the wall, catching himself against it in a kneel that defied gravity for a moment as the lizard lashed the bone knife out and sliced one of the thick black cables feeding down into one of the regulators free, before he seized this with his other hand as it snapped upwards with a violent spark, swinging down on it like a vine towards Iron and slamming both feet into his back as he looked over his shoulder with a snarl.

The giant was knocked forwards a step, but more importantly, his hands went immediately out to catch himself against the ground, and Zerrex ran up his back before leaping past him and yanking more of the cabling loose from the ceiling above, clamps popping out of place before the Drakkaren finally skidded to a halt on the floor behind Blackheart... and Iron snarled at him furiously, his back to the reptile as Zerrex cut some of the shielding away before he shoved the knife back into a pouch as they looked at each other before Iron shouted furiously: "This is not a game, lizard! Iron will crush you, no matter how much you swing around like little monkey beast!"

"You don't mind electricity, right?" Zerrex held up the sparking cable, and Iron grinned savagely... before his eyes widened slightly as the reptile said quietly: "Ever see what happens to a piece of metal when it touches a ground plate?"

The lizard leapt upwards and kicked off the wall to seize Blackheart's handle as he tossed the black cable to the steel ground, and Iron had enough time to snarl and start forwards before it hit: and immediately, electricity ripped over the floor, and Iron screamed and arched his back, his eyes exploding in his skull in a thick gush of lightning and gore as his body began to convulse wildly. The positive red cable and the negative black cable both shuddered a bit as the circuit panels around the room exploded with the power that suddenly surged through the completed connection, Iron caught in the middle with so much electricity surging through his body that the metal wasn't simply being charged: it was being destroyed, instantly charring and melting as he jerked back and forth, chunks of blackened, brittle steel hailing off him as he screamed again and smoke rose up from his body as the flesh-and-blood side of his form exploded into flames so hot that in an instant, all that was left was a charred, smoking skeleton.

Then the rest of power panels blew out as the machinery completely overloaded, vents exploding and the regulators to one side of the room exploding in massive blasts, and Zerrex swung himself up onto Blackheart's blade, the sword glowing faint blue as it insulated itself as arcs of lightning vomited along the ground for a few more moments before the room went pitch-black... and then the lights flickered weakly back on, low, golden emergency lamps glowing silently from the corners of the room, casting a dim pall over everything as Zerrex looked down at the floor below, acrid smoke filling the air as several cables overhead snapped back and forth, sparking weakly as one of the power nodes slowly peeled off the ceiling and collapsed to the ground with a monumental crash, glass and shards of metal tinkling down in a quiet rain after it.

The power room had been completely destroyed... and Zerrex grimaced a bit as he leapt down and seized the sword, ripping it free from the wall and crashing to the now-brittle metal floor with a wince: it had been slightly heated... while Iron was merely a frozen, smoldering statue of blackened, twisted metal, a bit of dark ooze leaking from his warped-open jaws. It had been luck more than anything else... if Iron hadn't torn through the positively-charged cables hooked up to wherever the main power generators were, or if Zerrex had been wrong about the black cables in the ceiling containing a negative charge...

The reptile shook his head a bit, shouldering Blackheart as he headed towards the steel door... and then he heard a quiet crackle behind him before it became an ugly series of snapping sounds, and the reptile snarled over his shoulder as he saw Iron slowly moving, chunks of blackened metal hailing down from his body as he rasped: "Iron... not done... with you y-yet... Zerrex Narrius... do not run from Iron, coward..."

The reptile slowly turned around, watching as Iron slowly lowered his arms, one half of his body skeletal, his bones dark and as charred and ugly as the blackened metal that covered his other side as he reached slowly down... but his legs had completely melted and fused to the ground, and as he tried to drag himself free, the monster snapped apart at the waist. He barely seemed to notice as he yanked himself forwards and fell on his face, crashing down with a rattle that sent out a puff of dust and black ash from his body, and then he rasped slowly as he rose his metallic arm: the claws had mostly warped and melted away, and the forearm had become bony and thin, the bicep still enormous but plates of steel steadily cracking and falling away from it as he dragged himself slowly upwards, one side of his chest large but broken, the other side skeletal and corrupted and hideous, bones twisted out in all directions as dark ooze dripped slowly from his waist, before he hissed as he dragged himself forwards, then reared back before throwing himself bodily towards the Drakkaren.

Zerrex stepped forwards and swung savagely outwards with Blackheart in a wide batting motion, and the flat of the sword smashed into Iron's already-melted face, his skull cracking as he was sent flying backwards with a howl to crash through his own legs. The melted steel exploded into smoke and smoldering debris as he skidded backwards with a shriek along the brittle ground, and then the lizard snarled as he spun Blackheart at his side before stabbing it into the ground, punching his fist into his palm before he walked boldly forwards as Iron slowly picked himself up, then rasped a roar as he yanked himself forwards and swung his skeletal claw out.

Zerrex brought his arms up and caught the monster by the wrist, stepping backwards with his momentum and then turning it against him as he half-spun with a roar and threw the too-direct, too-weakened monster across the room, sending him crashing upside-down into one of the broken metal control panels in the wall and sending up a blast of dust and brittle steel as he howled in pain, then fell heavily onto his stomach, face towards the wall. He gargled, then clawed up against the stone surface, turning around with blazing hatred burning in his almost-empty sockets, terrible points of red light for eyes as he yanked himself around before tackling forwards as if to try and simply crush the Drakkaren under his body... and Zerrex concentrated, his arms glowing a faint blue before he slammed both palms upwards and sent the monster rocketing towards the ceiling with a howl.

The lizard lowered himself to a kneel, taking a slow, deep breath as he clenched one hand into a fist and rested the other palm flat against the ground... and then, as Iron fell towards him, the monster's arms drawing back as if preparing to strike, Zerrex leapt suddenly upwards, shooting like a missile towards the monster with his arms at his sides before he lashed both hands suddenly up, seizing into his chest and twisting his body firmly to make Iron roll onto his back in midair, the reptile suddenly on top of the beast's melted front with both feet planted against the halved giant's smoldering torso as Iron's limbs went from readied to flailing, before Zerrex shoved downwards as he kicked fiercely out, and Iron shot like a meteor down into the brittle metal ground, crashing onto his back and sending up an explosion of metal shards and black dust as the reptile gracefully half-flipped, arms out at either side before he let himself freefall as Iron looked up with a roar of fury and denial... and then Zerrex shot downwards, slamming a fist outwards as it glowed blue with his energies, and his hand smashed through Iron's skull, obliterating his head entirely even as blood flew from his fist from ripping through the broken, blackened steel.

The reptile's fist smashed into the metal floor, and he felt the bones of his wrist grind together before he half-sprung, half-flopped forwards and crashed onto his back, skidding through the remains and rolling onto his side with a grunt as he hugged his arm against his chest, his other scrabbling at the ground as he glared towards Iron's remains... but one of his hands only rose weakly, trembling... before the headless torso exhaled, blood and ooze dribbling from the hole in his throat, and then it collapsed, dark steel plates shattering and crumbling inwards into a hollow, broken shell, and Zerrex slowly straightened as he watched black smoke float silently up from the remains of the once-mighty Iron.

He breathed hard, standing and shaking his head stupidly, barely able to believe he had conquered the monster... and then he turned around and seized Blackheart by then handle, feeling renewed energy despite the aches throughout his body. He shouldered the sword as it glowed faintly, and then the lizard nodded slowly, muttering: "Time to go."

The reptile approached the steel door, tossing one last, nervous glance over his shoulder... but Iron was dead. His remains were broken, his malevolent presence gone... and the Drakkaren breathed softly before he grasped the handle of the door and yanked it open, heading into a narrow stairwell beyond. He took this up to another wide corridor, grimacing back and forth as he saw several more broken corpses and scrapes along the narrow walls, as if something too-large had tried to pass through here... before he shook his head and slowly approached the end of the hall, ignoring the doors to either side as his eyes instead settled on a large elevator.

The reptile hit the call button... and a moment later, the large, rectangular doors slid slowly open, and the lizard let out a sigh of relief at the open lift beyond: it was enormous enough to accommodate a platoon of troops, but thankfully it was clean and empty, with no signs that it had even been used recently.

He walked onto the platform and turned around to look at the control panel, tapping the button for the highest floor... and it beeped quietly, a short klaxon blaring before the lift began to rise slowly and steadily. Zerrex paced awkwardly as he waited, breathing softly in and out as he looked up the long passage... and then he grimaced a bit as he rubbed slowly at his face, muttering under his breath: "Come on, come on..."

Ten minutes later, the lift finally slowed to a halt, and a large set of doors opened in front of the lizard with a rumble as he readied himself, looking out into a wide cargo bay... but the only workers Zerrex could see were a good distance away, one of them wearing a heavy-duty mobile armor and slowly carrying crates as the other workers dug through the freight.

The Drakkaren carefully slipped out of the lift, and he looked back and forth before his eyes settled on a door ahead. Moving quickly, Zerrex ran through this and emerged into a long, empty hallway. He grimaced a little bit in distaste, sneaking quietly down the corridor before he paused by a room marked 'Storage,' and the reptile tried the handle before he grinned a little as he found it was unlocked.

He let himself quietly in, closing the door behind himself... and then he glanced musingly back and forth through the shelves, a single bench in the center of the small, rectangular room. The shelving was loaded with files, boxes of ammunition, containers of fuel, cleaning supplies, and even bottles of whisky that had been shoved aside... and the reptile mused a little to himself before his eyes locked on a backpack, and he quickly began to gather up materials from the storage shelf as a plan formed in his mind.

When he was done, the bag clinked quietly as he put it quickly on his back, the Drakkaren only hoping he could pull this off... and then he grimaced a little as he pulled the door ajar before slipping quietly out into the hallway. He walked down it slowly, hating the way his melted metal boots clanked against the floor before he halted at a corner and leaned carefully around it... then breathed a sigh of relief as he saw an archway ahead he recognized. And then the reptile frowned a bit, a bolt of pain going through his head before he looked up sharply as he realized he could feel the presence of Eratosthenes... and he only hoped that Error wasn't able to sense his energies as well.

The Drakkaren slipped out and ran quickly down the hallway towards the open archway, staying low to try and avoid being seen through any of the windows in the doors... and then he glanced up the steps before quickly running up them... and then wincing when he heard the sound of someone approaching around the corner of the hall the steps connected to, pushing himself against the wall and taking a slow breath as he concentrated, feeling the energies in the air and cursing at how vibrant the area felt, only hoping that none of the presences were in the hall... and as an angel began to walk by, dressed in plain clothes but carrying an assault rifle, Zerrex slid smoothly to the side and slammed his elbow around the corner, smashing the hyena in the temple and making his eyes bulge wide as a bit of blood and clear fluid dribbled from his ear, before his irises rolled up in his head and he fell to the ground with a loud thunk.

Zerrex winced, looking back and forth... and then he stepped carefully past the unconscious, drooling hyena as he made his way down the corridor, knowing he needed a distraction and having just the perfect one in mind as he reached back to his pack, pulling out a fragmentation grenade as he approached an ajar doorway, listening to the quiet sound of humming and strange voices inside... and the reptile peered around the edge of the doorway and into the beautiful library, Chanters standing around a floating, glowing orb that was covered in runes, their arms raised in the air as energy zapped between them and over the sphere as it hovered silently above the needle like antennae. Then Zerrex pulled the pin of the grenade, muttering a short verse to himself before he lobbed it gently forwards, and one of the Chanters looked down with a slight frown as the grenade rolled towards quietly in front of the antennae as Zerrex winced and turned, running past the doorway and down the corridor to another set of steps leading further upwards before the grenade exploded.

The blast by itself was powerful enough to stagger the Chanters... but then the purple, runic orb went up in a massive blast of dark fire and neon electricity, and the Strange Beasts were all but dissolved as the entire facility rumbled and part of the ceiling collapsed behind the lizard. The reptile staggered forwards as he reached the top of the stairs, running around a corner and gritting his teeth as he saw a Craven jaguar and a Benevolent both running towards him, before the demon yelled a warning, the canine looking up in shock before Zerrex charged forwards and tore Blackheart off his back, slicing through one strap of his backpack before he lashed downwards across the dog, almost cutting the Benevolent in half and sending it flying backwards in a burst of blood before the reptile quickly revolved the blade back upwards in a firm slice against the Craven's body as he continued to push forwards.

The Craven howled in agony, stumbling away before Zerrex stabbed fiercely through his chest as another demon stumbled around the corner ahead past where the Drakkaren had originally been imprisoned, the fortress still shuddering from the aftershocks of the powerful blast, and the reptile winced as the Wrath demon at the end of the hall yanked a pair of handguns free from the holsters at his waist and opened fire, Zerrex ducking behind the Craven impaled on his sword and using him as a living shield as the half-demon screamed in agony, eyes bulging as bullets pounded into his back.

The reptile stepped forwards, growling as his sword buried to the hilt through the jaguar, who vomited black blood as more of the substance burst from along his spine, the Wrath demon ahead continuing to pepper them with gunshots as the Drakkaren charged towards them with a snarl... and then he lashed Blackheart downwards as he drew close, flinging the long-dead jaguar off the sword before he leapt towards the bulky rhinoceros, the male's eyes going wide as the natural armor over his naked chest glimmered... but Blackheart sliced easily into one of his wide shoulders nonetheless, snapping his collarbone and making the rhino roar in pain, staggering backwards before Zerrex kicked him hard in the stomach and knocked him onto his ass with a grunt, the reptile yanking Blackheart free.

The rhino snarled, his eyes turning dead black as his gray armored body flexed and grew slightly in size, tossing his handguns aside as spikes tore out along his body and claws ripped from his fingers, his horn lengthening at the end of his snout into a barbed blade as the ram's horns on either side of his skull grew larger... and Zerrex winced a bit before the Wrath demon barreled forwards him with a snarl, and the Drakkaren half-turned as he slashed Blackheart in a vicious revolving cut that struck the rhino full-on in the front, then carried the male into the air and over Zerrex's head before smashing him down into the ground behind him, the floor cracking with the impact as the Wrath demon's eyes bulged and blood exploded from his chest before Zerrex stabbed downwards through his heart, and the rhino gasped in pain as he was pinned, wriggling weakly as his claws grabbed uselessly at the blade.

At the other end of the hall, a pair of mercenaries in fiberglass armor rounded the corner, one of them carrying a rifle and the other a massive machinegun... and Zerrex winced before he reached backwards, yanking at the pocket of his backpack to pull out another grenade, and he jerked the pin free and dropped it by the rhino's head as he tore Blackheart out of his chest before spinning around and running quickly around the corner as the machinegun fired wildly at him, bullets spraying past the lizard and one or two managing to nick him and rip shallow cuts through his scales. The Wrath demon, meanwhile, convulsed on the ground before he screamed at the sight of the grenade, rolling over and grabbing at it before turning to throw it... and a moment later it went off with a powerful bang in his hand, disintegrating much of the upper body of the rhino and causing the roof of the corridor to shatter and cave inwards, part of the wall collapsing as well as Zerrex staggered from the blast behind him before he crashed through a barred door in the middle of the corridor, knocking it flying open and barreling headlong towards another staircase at the end of the passage.

He ran up this towards an ajar armored door, leaping through this and half-spinning to slam it behind him, the door reinforced and made of heavy black steel, and a latch snapped closed the moment it slammed with a bang. The reptile breathed hard, staggering away from this and then turning around... and he gaped stupidly, barely able to believe his eyes at what he saw before him.

He was standing on the half-collapsed second floor that ran in a wide square shape around an open, beautiful courtyard below, a broken and crumbling stone roof looking up in the slowly-lightening morning sky above, snowy mountain peaks visible in the distance... but the courtyard below was filled with beautiful greenery and lush bushes, a pond that several animals were grazing beside still and mirror-like, a single tree offering shade with its wide branches and boughs. Birds twittered quietly in this, unfettered, and several large black obelisk like rocks stood around the beautiful, tranquil little meadow... and standing near one side of it, was Eratosthenes, his arms spread, his eyes closed, deep in either thought or meditation.

He apparently hadn't noticed the lizard's presence... and the reptile slowly put Blackheart on his back as he shrugged his dangling backpack down his arm, opening it and pulling out one of the bottles of whisky with a quiet clink. He popped the cork off it as he walked slowly, carefully forwards, following the wide walk of the second floor around the corner of the courtyard and quietly approaching a set of steps leading down to the first floor as the reptile produced a ripped rag from the pack as well a moment later, spilling whisky over this and letting more than half the amber fluid drain from the bottle before he shoved the rag firmly into the neck of the container.

He walked halfway down the steps, looking back and forth as he realized there were black roses growing all through the field, as well as large vines... and as Eratosthenes continued to stand in silent meditation, a smile lingering on his face, the Drakkaren pulled out a lighter, setting the cloth sticking from the top of the bottle alight before he said clearly: "Hey, Error. Did you miss me?"

Eratosthenes's eyes widened in shock as he spun around, staggering stupidly in his robes and gaping in dumb amazement... and then Zerrex threw the flaming bottle towards the Strange Beast, and the Librarian stared at this before it smashed into his face and shattered, erupting into flames as whisky spilled over the male's form. He immediately stumbled backwards, screaming in agony as he clawed at himself, the flames burning brilliant red and yellow as blue arcs of energy shocked back and forth over his body, and the Drakkaren grimly threw the backpack aside and reached up to carefully pull his mala off his neck as the grasses and flowers around the Strange Beast burst into flame as well, fire spreading rapidly through the fields as the creature screamed in agony before the flames whiffed out around him as he threw his arms upwards in a gesture of almost-surrender and he fell to his knees with a gargle.

His eyes bulged in horror as a circle of flames burned around him, terrible burns covering his body and his scales bubbling as if he had been doused with acid, and he fell to all fours, screaming again in agony as several of the black roses around the area exploded into dark goo, the male looking up with a tremble as he rasped weakly: "N-No... you're... you can't have... I-Iron... Temptation... h-h-how did y-you... h-hurt..."

"You stole my energy signature. My powers. Copied everything... but no power comes without cost, Error." Zerrex said coldly as he looked down at the Strange Beast, and then he spun his mala rapidly, the prayer beads tightly wrapping around the reptile's fingers before he closed them into a fist, and the mala glowed brilliantly as the Drakkaren looked darkly down at the Librarian. "When you took my abilities, you took on my weaknesses, too, like my vulnerability to alcohol... and my material connection to the vines and roses that are all now burning around our feet. This close proximity, while soaked in whisky? That's gotta hurt. But not as much as this."

Zerrex stepped forwards and slammed his mala-covered fist upwards in a savage uppercut, and his arm glowed with energy as it smashed into the underside of the Strange Beast's muzzle, knocking him bonelessly through the air as blood exploded from his jaws before he crashed onto his back at the edge of the pool, gargling weakly as the field around them burned slowly, smoke rising up from the little bit of Paradise as Zerrex stood silently in the charring grasses, unmindful of the heat or flames lapping at his melted boots and tail... and then he looked down as Eratosthenes shivered on his back before tears leaked from his eyes, whispering: "No... this can't happen, my... your powers, I... no..."

"I'm not here for my powers." Zerrex said quietly, and Eratosthenes looked up stupidly at this, the Strange Beast coughing hard as he sat up, staring weakly across at Zerrex as blood leaked from his muzzle, cracks spreading through his skull from the single strike of the mala-clad fist of the lizard. They looked at each other for a few long moments, and then the Drakkaren looked down at his hands, saying quietly: "I... I don't need my powers. If you want them, you can have them, but you take them and you leave this planet, and don't you ever come back, or I'll kill you, do you understand me? You go and start your own world, somewhere else. You take those powers, and you rebuild your civilization if it means that much to you, but before you go... there's someone I have to talk to. And one small nasty thing that I do have to take back with me, Error. Something I don't want to deal with... but who I wouldn't wish on you or anyone else."

The reptile closed his eyes, lowering his head forwards... and then he opened them, saying coldly: "Negative, I know you're listening. Come out and talk to me."

Eratosthenes frowned... and then he gargled violently, grabbing at his throat and then at his head, screaming in agony as his eyes clenched shut... and then a moment later, his features smoothed out and he slowly pushed himself to his feet, standing up and brushing at himself... before his eyes opened, and they glowed a terrible crimson: they were the eyes of Negative, as the male said softly: "If you wanted to talk to me, Zerrex, you could have just asked. All this nastiness was... uncalled for. Unnecessary."

"Why didn't you stop him before, Negative?" Zerrex asked coldly, and Error's muzzle quirked in a dark smile as the puppeted Strange Beast crossed his arms, the Drakkaren snarling as he pointed at him: "Look at you! Controlling him with... with ease!"

"Only because you hurt him so badly, so quickly... sneaking up from behind and dousing him with fire and alcohol, not at all like you." Negative mocked almost gently, and Zerrex snarled before the Inversion shook his head slowly, saying in a patronizing voice: "And besides. I help you out when you need it, Zerrex... that's all. I had faith you'd survive... and now here you are, crawling back, begging for me to come back. Why, I wonder? Because you long for the powers I give you, greater by far than the abilities you possess by yourself as a god... or because you truly think you're doing the world a service? Either way, you're an idiot... and overconfident in your own abilities."

"Does it matter? You have to come back with me, Negative... and if you refuse, I'll kill Eratosthenes if I have to." Zerrex said darkly, gritting his teeth... but knowing ruthlessness was his only recourse. Negative frowned at this, and then the Drakkaren smiled coldly. "What's wrong? You look a little concerned."

"I could destroy you, easily." Negative said quietly, snapping his fingers... and black swords appeared in a circle around the Drakkaren, floating grimly in midair. And yet Negative hesitated as their eyes locked... before he shook his head slowly, then he glanced to the side as the dark blades sparked apart into black lightning and vanished. "But... Eratosthenes is not as strong as you. Nor as willing or convenient a host. As I am you and yet not you, Zerrex, I cannot assume a physical Inversion through the Strange Beast... but through you, I can gain more than a body, I can bring my own body into the physical realm, however temporary that lasts. Yes. I will return with you... but I want you to understand that this does not make us friends or allies. We are partners of convenience, nothing more... and if you ever become inconvenient to me again, I'll destroy you, from the inside-out."

"So what, this was all just one big hissy-fit because I didn't let you get your way, because I kicked your ass and found the Armor of Naganis?" Zerrex asked incredulously, and Negative snorted in disgust before he walked forwards and seized the Drakkaren by the throat, lifting him into the air as the Drakkaren gagged weakly and kicked his feet lightly, his emerald eyes bulging as the Strange Beast's gloved hand squeezed tightly around his throat.

"You will learn to be humble, to learn your place, and to respect me one day, Zerrex... because you need me more than I need you. Never forget that." Negative said coldly... and before the Drakkaren could respond, the Strange Beast's other hand reached up and seized the lizard's skull, and agony ripped through his body as he screamed and arched his back, feeling energy and power and a terrible, vicious presence flooding into him before he clenched his eyes shut... and a moment later, he was standing silently in a vast, empty whiteness.

The reptile breathed hard, blinking rapidly down at his hands... and then he looked up sharply as he heard a weak moan, and he saw Eratosthenes, the male's mouth dripping blood, his eyes sightless and his scales pale... before he collapsed to his knees, then fell forwards on his face and faded from existence. The reptile's eyes widened, running towards where the Strange Beast had fallen and dropping to his knees as if he expected to find some trace of him... but then a clawed hand seized his shoulder and yanked him around in a circle, and Zerrex found himself looking up at Negative, the dark Inversion looming ominously over him as black energy roiled off his body, his red eyes like terrible crimson stars.

Then everything became blurred by static, and a moment later Zerrex was back in reality, breathing quietly and standing silently, his mala dangling from his hand... and he shivered a little as he slipped this impulsively on over his neck, feeling a hiss in his mind but not caring right now if he upset Negative: for all his threats and warnings, it seemed more and more like Negative was just impulsive and childish, and like he needed Zerrex specifically more than he let on... even if in rage and frustration, he was willing to go to such terrible lengths to exact senseless revenge upon the Drakkaren for anything he did to upset the creature.

The reptile shook his head slowly... and then he looked down in surprise to see Eratosthenes laying on the ground on his stomach. Zerrex breathed hard as he dropped to a kneel in front of him, reaching hesitantly down to touch the side of his neck quietly... and Error only moaned weakly, blood and drool falling from his gaping jaws as he pressed down into the ashen, charred grasses, his body broken, his upturned eye rolling sightlessly in his head. The lizard grimaced in horror at this... and then he grabbed at his collarbone as he felt a faint throb before absently pointing a finger at it and flicking upwards.

The implanted node immediately tore out of his scales and flew across the field to plop down into the pond, and Zerrex blinked before he looked down at his hands, flexing them slowly... and then he gritted his teeth before clenching his right hand into a fist, and immediately, the scales burst apart as beautiful, layered silver steel shot to the surface, his limb transforming immediately into metal as the reptile stared in awe at the speed and the strange beauty of the change. He was back to his old self, it felt like, like Negative had given him all his old powers back when he'd returned to his gilded cage inside the Drakkaren for one reason or another... and the reptile grinned a bit before he hesitantly touched Eratosthenes again, concentrating... and then he winced when he felt only static in place of his mind, cursing under his breath. "Negative, what the hell did you do to him on the way out..."

"Why do you care?" asked a cold voice, and the Drakkaren turned around to see Negative standing only a foot away... before Zerrex gargled, eyes bulging, when Negative slammed his clawed hand into the lizard's stomach, purple energy pulsing down the limb as ruby eyes locked with emerald, and the Inversion grinned callously as he leaned forwards, saying quietly: "We aren't done yet, Zerrex. I have one last thing to show you. I have one last gift of revenge."

And, in the field, Zerrex slowly slumped to his knees before he fell flat on his face with a quiet gargle, his eyes slowly closing as he clutched at his stomach and fought to stay conscious for a few moments... and then everything simply went black.

Fourth Sphere: Memories

Creation rubbed at his face slowly as he sat at the round council table, the six First Gods gathered in a private session in a small meeting chamber that was barely big enough to accommodate them all. There were no doors leading out, and a single massive pillar at each corner of the room, each inscribed with runes of warding and warning to keep out prying eyes: only the few who knew of this location could enter it, and it was where their most secure councils took place.

Order sat back with a sigh, the powerfully-built male shaking his head slowly, a black cape fluttering around his broad shoulders and secured by beautiful golden clasps that rested across his shoulders. He was an immense, square-jawed equine, his eyes a deep, radiant obsidian, a splotch of white down his abdominals and over his groin. Three rectangular, fin-like protrusions stood up from either forearm and out of either knee, his long black locks were tied back in a loose ponytail, and his thick, serpentine tail was almost twice as long as his body and tipped with a tuft of the same smooth black hair.

Death sat beside Order, his hands clasped quietly in front of himself. A beak protruded from his narrow features, and two large ear-frills fell from either side of his head, hanging past his thin shoulders. His body was lithe, ending in four legs that connected to a rounded lower body, the legs on each side of his form almost able to lock together from the way they were subtly bent and shaped. Long, moth-like wings extended from his back, half-wrapped around him as he rose one grey-skinned hand that possessed only two fingers and a thumb, saying calmly: "It's not the worst idea, even if... some of us disagree."

He glanced awkwardly towards Order, who grumbled under his breath before the huge horse shook his head, saying quietly: "I have a bad feeling about this, Creation... Life, I thought you'd be against this as well."

But the female only shook her head slowly, hesitating visibly as the others looked at her before she said finally: "What Creation and Destruction have discovered by putting their knowledge together is... fascinating. While yes, I still think that Iron was a tragic failure on our part to combine Primordials with Guardians... these other applications Destruction has discovered are very interesting."

Destruction nodded, saying quietly: "Are you sure this isn't simply because it goes against your namesake, Order? We all agree that it may be an interesting thing to further research this new form of life we've inadvertently created while tinkering with Primordials, Gods, and Guardians. The others were against it at first too, remember, but I'm being responsible, and I've shared every detail with you all, every step of the way."

"I know, I know. It's not that, though, it just seems... wrong." Order said plaintively, looking around at them all... and then he sighed and put his hands flat on the table, saying quietly: "Creation, please. What do you think?"

"I don't know..." Creation muttered, rubbing at his face slowly, and then he glanced awkwardly up around at the table as all eyes turned to him. "I... yes. It's beautiful. It's creation, given form, given life... but yet... it scares me. It's so similar to a parasite... and yet it's more like a symbiote, combining and modifying other forms of life. It's both destruction and creation given form, it creates a true transformation, a metamorphosis in any subject, makes it better, stronger, more resilient... it evolves and yet in a way, it destroys, too..."

"Life on a genetic level. Ever-changing, omnipresent." the sole goddess said softly, and they looked back and forth at each other nervously, nodding slowly before she glanced down and added quietly: "I would not say yet that it is bad or good... I would only say that it is what it is. But in truth, I would not mind releasing it onto a test world, to watch what would happen. With minimal forms of life, you understand... flora more than fauna, simple things. I would not want to test it on a Guardian, not yet."

They all nodded again, and Order swallowed thickly before he nodded as well, saying quietly: "Alright. Alright, then... I'll approve of this. But you two must be careful, Creation and Destruction..."

Creation closed his eyes as the meeting continued, subjects changing as a shiver ran along his spine... and he found himself unable to focus until he was in Destruction's vast and magnificent laboratory, bottles of chemicals, beakers of various substances, and massive tables lined with all manner of devices and tools and focal objects sitting throughout the vast, open hall. At one end of it sat an immense glass tub... and inside this sealed container a strange fluid bubbled silently, dark specks flickering back and for through this, a small metal platform beside it and a hatch in the container currently pried open as a Guardian that worked for Destruction carefully lowered a steel cage inside by a heavy chain, dressed in rubbery, protective gear, small, fluffy little ball-shaped animals with tiny wings fluttering uselessly around with squeaks of fear.

The cage vanished into the substance for a few moments, remaining submerged... and then Destruction rose a hand from where he stood behind a yellow line across the laboratory as Creation leaned nervously against a table nearby. The Guardian nodded, retracting the chain... and then the creature's head snapped back in surprise as he almost dropped the chain, the cage swinging and a bit of the goo from the container splattering back and forth as they looked down with surprise at the creatures.

The two caged, puffball-like animals had sprouted enormous black legs, their eyes had grown to double their normal size, bulging in their sockets, and they were both hissing as they skittered rapidly back and forth, long, leathery wings flapping as snapping tails whipped around the interior. They had grown to such a size they were straining the occupancy of the cage, biting at each other and rasping... and Creation shook his head in disgust as he looked at Destruction, saying quietly: "Brother, look, is that the kind of thing we want to make?"

"You and I both know the changes differ from subject-to-subject, even day-to-day... this stuff, whatever it is, restructures genetic codes and sequences... changes even the energy of things. It makes it better... and I know, I know, you don't like the way it's done it so far, because it focuses on physical power, it's made all the soft little fluffy things into predators... but think of it this way, Creation." Destruction glanced over at him with a bit of a smile. "When we do test this on a subject that doesn't think only through instincts... what if it does only affect the physical, and not the mental capacity? What if it makes our Honor Guard all the stronger, empowers them further than they already are, so they can better defend us against Primordials and Heretics... what if we can give everyone what they want? And of course, imagine if we can modify this so they also calm the energies of what they contact... we could bring peace between ourselves and the Primordials, even the Great Primordials, because we could soothe their savage instincts!"

"And I thought Order was against this and you were Destruction." Creation said flatly, and Destruction sighed a bit as one of his bony arms reached off his back and punched Creation lightly in the snout, making him grumble a bit as he flailed his arms before he shoved him back with one hand moodily. "I know, I do know that there's a lot of good that could come from this... but this stuff, it's..."

"I know." Destruction said softly, looking quietly at the massive tub of ooze as the Guardian quickly walked down the steps with the cage, grimacing as the little creatures flailed at each other... and then it yelled in surprise as the cage door popped open, and Destruction winced as he shouted: "Stop them, they'll contaminate the lab!"

Destruction pointed at one, and with a sizzle of dark energy, the creature exploded, but the other creature vanished beneath the table as the Guardian scrambled forwards and Creation ducked down, grabbing the edge of the table as Destruction ran around it... and neither of them noticed as the sly beast silently crawled up on top of the table, skittering silently over it before the Guardian glanced up and yelled a warning too late, and Creation rose up with a wince before the small monster leapt forwards and bit the First God in the hand, making him curse before he snatched the creature up by the body and held it in the air as its legs skittered and kicked wildly, hissing and flailing. Destruction snarled... but then Creation's eyes glowed, and energy glowed over the fuzzy monster before solidifying into thick rope that hogtied it, and Creation dropped the beast on the tabletop, where it bounced uselessly upside down as it writhed and hissed.

The Guardian hurriedly stepped past, picking up and carrying it back to the cage as Destruction frowned and stepped forwards, taking Creation's hand as he held his own over it... and Creation cursed and winced, yanking his hand away as his wounds burned for a moment with a crackle of black flame. "What did you do that for?"

"Better safe than sorry, Creation, who knows what could have been in that thing's jaws? I never would have expected it to be able to actually hurt one of us, though... maybe the ooze works too well." Destruction muttered, glancing over towards the tub nervously, and Creation snorted laughter at this as he shook his hand a few times before looking down at the slowly closing holes as his hand throbbed quietly.

"Oh please, Destruction... we hurt ourselves all the time, or haven't you noticed? We're not perfect... far from it." Creation said kindly, and he poked at his swollen hand a bit, saying quietly: "Although that is a little odd. Perhaps your fire is to blame for that, though..."

"We should get Life to examine you. The others will have to know about this anyway." Destruction said worriedly, stepping forwards and squeezing the fellow First God's shoulder. "I am so terribly sorry, my brother. I never expected nor wanted this to happen..."

"No, no, we can just put this down as an accident, the others don't have to know. I'd rather not have Order find out about this and scold us again." Creation said mildly, rubbing at his hand absently before he sighed a bit as he looked at the tub of ooze, muttering: "But you really will have to fine-tune this, nonetheless... perhaps we should move back to using simple organics, such as flowers and plants, see what happens when those are placed in the ooze."

"Yes... although of course it's not the ooze itself, it's the microbes in it. What are we going to call them, anyway?" Destruction glanced over at Creation, who smiled a little in surprise at the question. "Well, you and I worked together on this process... and more importantly, they are more yours than they are mine, as much as I'd love to take credit. I only discovered the basics, after all, the beginning of their formation when we began the process of trying to create a more successful and less-abrasive being than Iron... you were the one who masterminded the design of these symbiotic life-forms at the end of the day, with your idea to create a binding agent that would help marry the genes of both creatures into one being, instead of willy-nilly 'squishing' them together, as you phrased it."

"Well, it does look like you took half a Guardian and stitched half a Primordial to it." Creation replied reasonably, and Destruction sighed and shook his head before the First God thoughtfully frowned towards the tub of ooze, saying softly: "Then give me a little bit to think about that, will you? Perhaps a good name will come to me after I observe the effects of it a little further."

Destruction nodded thoughtfully back, and then he patted Creation on the shoulder, saying gently: "Fair enough. Are you sure you're okay, though?"

Creation looked down at his hand, rubbing at it for a moment before the First God laughed a little. "Honestly? Just surprised, and perhaps a little rattled. I believe I may be the only creature to ever have been bitten by a Powder Dog, for one thing. And for another... I did not think it would have transformed so much. I'm just... hesitant. What if this goes the opposite way we intend, after all? What if we've made something that creates monsters, and that destroys everything without control? You are Destruction, but..."

"I am Destruction within a context of meaning, yes. Otherwise I would have long destroyed you for all your yammering and worrying." Destruction nudged him gently, and Creation smiled a little at him despite himself before he gently took his hand, rubbing a slow circle over it and making Creation wince as his scales rippled and steam rose up from it. "Apologies, but boiling disinfects best. Still, perhaps we should talk to Life or Order, or even Death... we've never faced illness or infection before, and I'm concerned that-"

"No, no, it's not that, it barely even stings anymore... well, it wasn't hurting at all until you made my blood literally boil in my veins." Creation shook his hand firmly, looking at him accusingly, and Destruction rolled his eyes with a grumble. "I just... feel concerned."

The fellow First God looked at him for a few moments... and then he nodded a bit, and Creation nodded back with a bit of a smile before he said softly: "Upon my Vows, if it starts to bother me again, I'll tell the others. I just don't want them worrying over me and accusing you of not taking all the necessary precautions. It's alright, Destruction. I'll be fine."

Destruction still didn't look entirely convinced, but then he sighed a bit and prodded Creation's chest, saying dryly: "Fine, fine. I'll hold you to your word though, Creation... and if the pain comes back, you tell me or one of the others immediately. Don't worry for my sake: your health is worth a little more than an 'I-told-you-so' from Order."

Creation nodded, looking at his hand thoughtfully... and several hours later, he was once more examining his palm slowly, flexing his still-swollen fingers curiously at the faint, dull throb that went through it as he sat quietly in his library study, surrounded by enormous bookshelves filled with all manner of tome and text. Strangely, the shelves bent near the ceiling, and several even ran over the rooftop, the books hanging upside down and yet never falling of their own accord, as if gravity had no place here... and Creation glanced up towards one of these ceiling shelves before he pointed at one, and a book slowly pulled free and hovered silently down to him.

The First God picked up a fountain pen from an inkwell and began to jot notes for a little while, relaxing bit-by-bit... but some ten minutes later, he grimaced and looked down at his hand, before frowning slightly and holding it up in front of the bright lantern filled with what looked like miniature stars sitting on the desk. It cast a glow like sunlight over the male's hand... and Creation poked slowly at the dark veins that were now throbbing around the room, muttering: "What is this?"

"Ha!" Destruction threw the door open, slamming it loudly and making several Guardians look up from where they were situated around the library, and then the First God stormed into the room as Creation hurriedly hid his hand behind his back, but the other First God only shook his head, saying firmly: "Now stop that, Creation, you can hide from the naked eye but I'm no Guardian, I'm a First God like you. Let me see your hand, what's wrong with it?"

Creation grumbled and held it out... and the fellow First God took it, examining it and muttering: "Strange... it looks like an infection. Come on, Creation, come with me. We'll consult the others over this."

The First God began to argue... and yet nonetheless, ten minutes later, he was sitting in a high-backed chair with his hand out on a pillow, four of the First Gods clustered around him as Order said dryly: "I told you all this was a bad idea. Why can't anyone ever listen to me?"

"There's such a thing as too smart, Order." Chaos muttered, and the horse looked baleful at this before the First God sighed and glanced over at Life, becoming more serious. "Can you identify what's going on? Is this what the lower races refer to as 'infection?'"

'I wish you wouldn't refer to them as that. All life is sacred and good." Life murmured, but then she nodded hesitantly. "Perhaps, but it's very hard to say: after all, we are First Gods, and this presents much differently... and there are small life-forms in Creation's blood, a foreign presence that I do not recognize as part of Creation himself."

Creation grimaced up at this, and Life traced a finger slowly along one black, pulsing vein, murmuring: "They're moving slowly, but the more they spread, the faster they go. Creation must rest..."

"Shall I destroy them?" Destruction asked, tilting his head before he glanced over at Death. "Or perhaps you should kill them, and then I will destroy the remains."

Death began to nod, but Life shook her head quickly, saying quietly: "No: this may sound strange, but let's wait for a little while. Should the infection worsen and spread further, we'll have no choice but to erase it... but Creation, with your leave, I'd like to study this strangeness and how it affects you. For now, the infection is very minor, and will not spread quickly. The bacterium or whatever they are move slowly and are being quickly fought off by Creation's immune system and his very energies. It will do us a world of good if we can work to understand this process before we destroy it; should the same events occur in the future, we will then know how to treat it, and treat it quickly... and in the future, it may not be a hand that becomes infected, but a heart, or worse. Something irreplaceable."

Creation nodded awkwardly, sighing a little... and Order shook his head from behind the group, saying quietly: "While I see and appreciate your logic, Life, I still don't think this is the best of ideas... we've been tampering too much with order. We created this imbalance ourselves... and we should correct it before it grows too late. Everything we do follows a specific balance... everything we are is based upon certain values, as well as maintaining humility and understanding. We've all seen what happens to the Gods that don't: we've all watched the insanity of lawless Primordials that disgust even Chaos. We all know why our Guardians are taught loyalty and honor from birth, and how they are trained and were designed with specific emotions in mind. From our Librarian to the lowest-ranked Serf... they are born into service, they were made to serve... and they will likely die serving us as well, yet at least their lives will prove happy ones, with the way they feel and understand. They do not know love, or hate, or passion... they know only enough to do what they must."

"And in a way we have been so cruel to them, Order. In a way, you can still be so cruel, even though I know you only seek to inspire good and lawfulness." Creation murmured, leaning on his other hand in the throne, and the horse glanced away awkwardly. "Stop being aloof and join the others in prodding and poking me. You'll probably feel better."

Order only shook his head a bit, and the Death looked up, saying softly: "If the six of us work together, we should incur no further problems with controlling these experiments. And we have a duty, Order, to pursue even things that make us uncomfortable, for the good of this expanding universe... what good will it do the developing worlds if we expand ever outwards, and yet only encourage the same static settings? We have created things to help and things to hinder the races that will come after us, set down laws... and even bent our own very natures so they must adhere to certain rules and physics. We gave up formless infinity... we gave up distance and invulnerability... so that we could be a part of this universe. We now are physical beings bound to physical energy... instead of being timeless in the ether. We went from endless life to day-by-day, hour-by-hour, moment-by-moment dying, and we will continue to die until our bodies cease to exist: but that is the way of things, is it not? Now, we understand the motivations of the soul better... now, we are Souls ourselves. We created a playground in our vision, and expanded that...but we are responsible for every life in this immense universe. They do not owe anything to us. But we owe our best to do what we can for them, after we dragged energy and matter together to form these creatures, places, planets, laws, all from nothingness."

"And yet in some ways, have we not failed?" Life asked quietly, and all eyes looked at her silently as she slowly rubbed along Creation's arm, gazing at him silently. "We are neither perfect nor absolute any longer: we are powerful, and yet flawed now. And each of us is one half of a whole... I, after all, see us now as truly living after we had spent those countless years in the ether in a state of never-being-born... and I worry that it is because we have spent so long interfering with the strange natural processes that we ourselves put in motion long ago, to keep the physical universe functioning, that we are failing ourselves and failing these people as a whole. The fact that only the Great Mothers of our Guardians can breed, and the fact that their lives are static and unchanging..."

The others lapsed into moody silence as Creation looked up towards the ceiling... and the next day, he stood with his arm wrapped in bandages, a Mother standing silently beside him as they stood on an immense balcony near the top of a beautiful temple, gazing up towards the sky and the semi-translucent glass shield overhead, that sparked quietly with energy here and there, absorbing and transmitting much of the heat it soaked up back outwards to avoid their shielded planet from becoming too hot. He reached out and silently grasped her shoulder, and she nodded after a moment, saying quietly: "Your wish is my command, Maker. You know this."

"I do, Guardian Mother, but nonetheless I wished to discuss it with you. Last night myself and the other First Gods held a discussion about what we were doing here... and whether or not we had been successful so far, or if we were only letting ourselves and those we have created down. I wished to hear your opinion on my thoughts, that is all... you are my creation, Great Mother, but nonetheless... you are also very much your own person."

The mother smiled to him kindly and nodded, and then she touched his side gently, and Creation smiled down at her as she smiled back. Then he looked over his shoulder as he rubbed absently at his arm as Order appeared, asking softly: "May I have a word?"

Creation nodded, reaching down and gently patting the Great Mother on the shoulder, and she bowed before opening a Gateway that she vanished quickly through. Then the injured First God turned around, leaning back against the railing of the balcony, looking at Order as he gazed over him with soft concern. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yes, I am... the treatment is working and the infection is receding, but I have to admit that having these other microbes inside me hurts more than a little." Creation said mildly, holding up his arm and flexing his fingers with a slow grimace: his hand was visibly swollen beneath the bandaging, and Order nodded a bit before the male said quietly: "It was good of you to help, though. You and Destruction were able to create those... what did you call them?"

"Erasers. Programmed to destroy the Chimera cells in your body, and then self-destruct. Destruction did most of the work, though, he's the more intelligent one between us... I sometimes think he acts aloof from the rest of the group because he worries about coming across badly. But then again, you and he have always gotten along well, have you not?" Order asked softly, and Creation smiled a little and nodded before the massive equine walked slowly forwards, grasping the railing and looking silently up towards the shielded sky above. "How big is this universe again, Creation?"

"Countless worlds, with countless gods strewn across it." Creation said softly, turning around and leaning against the railing as he smiled a little over at Order. "Why do you ask?"

"Because even between the six of us, there's no way we can watch every corner of the universe at once... I've wondered sometimes if we've gone too far with this experiment. It started off as a fun game, don't you remember? We, beings of another time and place, took bits and pieces of the Astral and Ethereal planes and mixed them in with elements we stole from the Elemental Chaos and the Great Primordials... and on that note, perhaps we earned their wrath when we bastardized their creations to make our own." Order remarked, but Creation only laughed, earning a curious look from the First God. "What?"

"Oh stop it, Order. You're such a worrywart." Creation smiled over to him, and Order shook his head with a grumble before the First God hesitated, then looked up towards the sky as well, saying softly: "And well, there were... what, ten or twelve of us that existed, flittering back and forth as we pleased through the dimensions and every now and then poking at the Nothingness? The Primordials thrive on chaos and more importantly, on passion... when they express hatred for us, they're only expressing passion. I think, in a way, their hate for us shows that they need us. They need adversaries, and they need creatures that challenge them... and even control them. The Great Primordials are tyrannical, after all, destroying entire sections of their own dimension only to spend a millennia rebuilding it on a whim... and then simply eradicating it again for the joy of it. With the speed with which they destroy and create, what angers them isn't that we took some of their materials... it's that we managed to do it with such ease, without giving them the joy of battle, without treating them as worthy opposition."

Order nodded a little, looking quietly out into the sky... and then he rubbed at his chest slowly as his cape fluttered around him, murmuring softly: "And yet I never expected... that other Gods, in our image, would begin to be born. Some fluttering down from other planes, others... simply coming into existence."

"Yes, and remember how we had to layer reality, because of the monsters from the Nothingness trying to force through?" Creation smiled over at Order, who nodded with a soft laugh. "It's incredible we never saw anything like them before, in all our journeys... but they must have been attracted by the energies of us beginning to build and expand this physical universe, which is... even now, after millions of years, just a drop in the ocean..."

Creation fell silent, and he looked to the sky above as Order reached out and squeezed his shoulder gently, saying softly: "We have many more years ahead of us, before these bodies give out... and as we were once beings from the beyond, when we die, perhaps we will return there. I know you fear the Unworld, Creation... even Destruction fears the Unworld. But we did not create it, it has always been: find peace in the fact that if we are destined to fall there as the other forms of life do, it will be because it was a natural process that set itself into place when we first began to design this universe. That it is the reflection of this physical world... the mirror that allows our plane to stay stable. Before we allowed the tether to be made, after all, energy quickly grew stagnant in our little bubble... but the moment we solidified the tether between physical plane and Unworld, energy was allowed to cycle freely downwards and upwards, and the universe blossomed."

"Became radiant with energy, yes..." Creation murmured, and he rubbed at his face for a few moments before glancing awkwardly over at Order. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I..." Order hesitated, and then he smiled a bit. "I think we already spoke of it and you alleviated my worries. Perhaps now it's just enjoyable to spend time with you outside of council, my friend. The six of us all are so busy so often... especially you, with how you like to look after us. Come though. Why don't we find the others and see if we can get them to relax from their own duties? Even I don't think every day needs to be spent at work."

Creation smiled... yet it was not an expression that would be on his face for long. Only an hour later, he was alone, clutching his arm with a quiet curse as it throbbed dully, Life examining him worriedly before he snapped suddenly: "Why can't you all just leave it?"

The other First Gods looked surprised, then traded nervous glances as Creation's eyes flickered and he blushed deeply... and then Life gently patted his chest, saying softly: "It's alright, Creation. It's only a side-effect of the pain and the process your body is going through... but the infection is worsening. We didn't use enough of the Eraser cells and they seem to have been overwhelmed by the Chimera bacterium..."

"Impossible, they should have been able to wipe out the cells without difficulty, I measured the effects myself!" Order argued immediately, frowning a bit, and Life looked over her shoulder at him as Chaos rubbed at his head slowly, looking unnerved. "There must have been something we overlooked..."

The others argued as Creation sat back in a chair in the large room, Guardians hurriedly rushing back and forth with laboratory supplies and magical devices as Life examined the infected First God quietly... and after twenty minutes of debate, they finally settled on another course of Eraser cells.

At first, the swelling went down, the black veins fading from where they had started to grow along the First God's arm... but then, three days later, Creation lay in bed in a room filled with enormous plants and living wood that had shaped itself into furniture of all sort and size, panting roughly, sweating and shivering as dark veins pulsed visibly all the way up his limb. Life examined him quickly as the other First Gods nervously stood around the bed, and then she shook her head before whispering: "Oh no... I... Destruction and Death, you'll have to destroy the infection physically. The Eraser cells are gone, but... this time I better understand what's happened. The Chimera cells... took them over. Mutated them, they're changing him from the inside out..."

Destruction and Death stepped forwards, both of them reaching a hand down to touch Creation's arm... and then the First God howled in pain as his scales rippled and visibly cracked here and there, blood and black ooze spilling out of the wounds that formed even as neither First God pulled back, Death calm and silent and Destruction wincing and cursing in frustration and self-loathing as he said disgustedly: "That goo, it looks... by our Vows, it's just like the symbiotic stuff in the labs! Creation, hold on..."

Creation's eyes rolled up in his head as he fainted from the pain... and ten hours later, he awoke to find Guardians standing silently around him, gazing down at him with concern. They had prepared food and mixed healing salves for him, and bandaged his arm... which hadn't yet healed from the sheer amount of damage it had taken in order to burn the infection out of the limb. He felt weak and exhausted, letting the Guardians tend to him for the next several hours, as he was visited on and off by other First Gods as well.

He healed quickly: three days later, he found Destruction storming back and forth through his labs, jotting notes, shouting orders to assistants, working tirelessly to try and find a way to destroy the tub of the very stuff he had taken a hand in making. He was surprised when Creation approached, rambling apologies and curses, and Creation had only smiled a little and then shook his head slowly as he flexed his fingers, his arm still faintly pulsing but at least normal-looking now.

"Much of the fault lies with me... I created these things, after all. What Life ended up naming Chimera cells, if we're going to stick with that since... she did find them inside me and all." Creation said awkwardly, and then he glanced at the tub of stuff as a Guardian in protective gear poured a bucket of some kind of acid into an open hatch in the tub... and yet even though a strange, inky greenness spread through the substance for a moment, it then rapidly deteriorated, leaving the goo looking much the same. "Maybe we can work together if you're having trouble getting rid of it."

"It... adapts, evolves, so rapidly... it adjusts itself to anything and everything, and has both the essence of your creation and my destruction inside of it..." Destruction muttered, shuffling through a pile of clipboards on a table with a frown, and then he punched both hands down into the table and leaned over it, lowering his head and saying quietly: "I... I can't help but keep wondering what would have happened if it had managed to flood through you entirely. What it would have done to you... and I can't help but blame myself, brother. I am Destruction... I can only destroy. I am the negative to your positive... I envy you, and your ability to take care of us and build. I think sometimes that Chaos and I are more like the Primordials than we are Gods..."

"Now don't say that." Creation patted Destruction quietly on the back, smiling a little. "If not for you and Death, that stuff really would have destroyed me completely... why don't we just send that tub of ooze to another dimension, seal it away or use our powers to vaporize it? Or better yet, throw it into the Nothingness or the Unworld?"

Destruction looked at Creation for a few moments, and then he sighed a bit, rubbing at his face slowly. "If... I can't figure this puzzle out, we will. We'll drag it to the tether itself, and pour it into the swirling vortex leading into the Unworld, that will surely kill it... but I'm afraid of even a trace amount of this stuff being outside now. Do you remember how Life once accidentally allowed a Guardian to dump a single bucket of one of her failed projects onto one of the worlds being excavated by a World Carver, and within only a few years that entire planet ended up covered in mutations and permutations of serpent vines and tallow weed? This is the most resilient symbiote I've ever seen... if even a drop of it escaped the hatch, it could rapidly grow into something... something awful. I wish to find a way to destroy it... so that if it ever does come back somehow, somewhere, we're able to cancel it out without resorting to the methods we had to with your arm."

Creation nodded... but for a week, the two worked, often with the help of Death, sometimes with the help of Life, and rarely even with the help of Chaos and Order, and yet they found no answer. Worse yet, even as they prepared to move the tub out of the lab, a sick Guardian was brought into the labs by Life, its body undergoing a terrible transformation as muscle bulged out through its tight hide and foam dripped from its jaws, maddened eyes glowing faintly.

It had been infected with the bacteria... and worse, the infection seemed to slowly be spreading through the Center of the Universe. After two days and twenty cases of disease and infection reported, the First Gods held a council: not only had several more Guardians been infected, an entire nearby world had been poisoned, the plants and wildlife mutating out of control as they grew hostile to all sentient life, the entire planet becoming spectacularly self-destructive.

Death and Destruction had destroyed the planet, much as it hurt Life and Creation: but they were left with no choice but to rob it of its atmosphere, then shatter the planet apart and send the pieces hurtling into the nearest star to ensure eradication. The other Guardians were nervous and apprehensive, but were being kept in the dark: all they knew was that several of their brethren were now missing, and the First Gods were well aware that while they were programmed to serve and protect... they were not immune to panic, fear, or pain.

The course of action they decided on was a grim one: they would be forced to quarantine the Center of the Universe... and in order to ensure the success of this plan, they would have to both solidify the shield around their planet to make sure no wandering Gods or Primordials could slip into what would essentially become their prison... and they would have to seal away their own children, to protect them from the disease, which seemed to have the nasty habit of targeting their Guardians first. Many of them were all across the universe, on various duties... and yet it was better this way, that they were scattered, far and wide. Only a handful would remain on the physical plane, and even fewer would remain in the Center of the Universe: if the worst case scenario should happen, then at least their Guardians would survive... they owed their loyal servants and protectors that much.

The Guardians were sent out throughout the universe, carrying messages to gods, to allied Primordials, to other Guardians, and told to wait for further instructions: thousands upon thousands flocked outwards throughout reality, visiting different worlds, looking confused, lost, and tired: some, like the Librarian, sensed something deeper at work... and a rare few, like the Great Mother most favored by Creation, were permitted to stay and say their last goodbyes, were permitted to know a little of what was happening.

Creation stroked her face, and a tear fell from her eyes before she sang one last song for him: for all the First Gods, as they gathered in the sanctuary of a massive citadel upon an immense, flat-topped mountain. They stood in the wide worship hall, surrounded by statues of themselves that held up the enormous, domed roof, orbs filled with flickering light glowing quietly as they hovered high above their heads... and then, as the Great Mother's song ended, she silently turned and opened a Gateway, tossing one last, loving look over her shoulder before hesitantly stepping through it... and then it closed, the female gone, sealed deep in the recesses of time and space.

The six First Gods linked hands as they lowered their heads, sending out a silent but powerful mental order as they stood in the sanctuary hall... and reality around them seemed to tremble before Guardians across the universe looked up at almost the same time across worlds and endless distance... and silently, Gateways opened around them, the beings become docile and sorrowful as they stepped into the white and gold light... and even the Librarian looked up, whispering a silent question to the sky above but unable to fight against the direct order before he lowered his head in shame and stepped through the rift.

Holes in reality sealed closed across the universe: it only took an hour, maybe less, before the Guardians had all vanished from existence, not a trace of them left except in the most hidden, most-cherished places of the First Gods... and even there existed only a few beings. The First Gods themselves looked at one another silently as their eyes opened for only a moment... and then they closed again as they leaned their heads forwards, focusing once more... and the shield that surrounded their world pulsed with power as runes spread rapidly over it, sealing them inside the Center of the Universe, and the rest of the universe outside their world as young and beautiful stars burned silently around them.

A week passed... and half of the Center of the Universe roiled with the infection, organic life mutating and transforming as Destruction's lab became overrun, the First Gods forced to retreat to fortified temples, working furiously to find a way to combat the disease. Yet it was adapting further and further, as several of their Guardians became sick... and in order to preserve these last protectors, Creation ordered the last of the Guardians to head to the temple where the Tether existed, where they would hibernate and await their return... knowing full well that these last Guardians would likely never see their masters again.

Worse, the symbiotic life had adapted further: it not only turned the Guardians it infected on them after the disease grew terrible, it was now able to bring their corpses back from the dead, reviving them as horrific abominations that sent Life into a crying fit and Creation couldn't stand to face, that enraged Death and Destruction and Order quickly blasted apart whenever they reared their heads. Chaos was the only one unaffected by events, shouting orders, fighting discord with discord, battling the evolving disease with unpredictability.

Yet they were suffering: they were the most powerful things on the planet, but they couldn't simply wish away this disease. Every time they annihilated the symbiotic life with their powers, it simply grew back from wherever it was hiding, sometimes in a matter of hours... and their abilities were not infinite. They were First Gods, they could create and destroy entire planets upon a whim, true, what they willed became reality... but this terrible disease more and more resisted their abilities and effects. It was designed by both Creation and Destruction... and it augmented itself more and more with every passing moment. It was the grandest work of the First Gods, emphasizing all their greatest powers... and it would likely be their undoing, as well.

And more and more, Creation was finding it... enticing. Beautiful, even, as he rubbed at his arm slowly: while Destruction and Death took the front lines, Life stayed back and tried to create forms of existence that would be resistant to the bacteria and offer them protection, Order aiding her by designing structured, powerful inorganic defenses to back up her organics, and Chaos would develop their strategy. And Creation would sit apart from them, pale and sweating, helping dazedly whenever they asked him to do something but otherwise playing with gravel and wandering away every now and then from the group. He was sick: they knew he was sick, and he knew it, and yet they didn't know why: Life, after all, couldn't find traces of the Chimera cells in his veins.

Yet all Creation could think about was that this was his fault. He had destroyed his own home... he had created the Chimera cells, he had helped add Destruction's power and influence to them. Of course they had ended up being monstrous... and Creation looked dumbly up as he found himself no longer outside the steps of their fortified sanctuary, protected by magic and armor and enormous vines and trees and stone walls and metal spikes... but instead, he was standing in Destruction's lab.

Mutant life pulsed along the walls, thick black veins of terrible stuff that was half-flesh, half-vine, and the tub had shattered... and Creation staggered numbly towards this, tears falling down his cheeks as he pressed against the clear sides of the tub and looked at it, whispering: "Why did you turn out so badly? I just wanted to help... I really, honestly did. We created disease, and we created cures for every disease... we built everything in balance, so that life could always prosper without ever spreading so much it choked itself. I know how cruel we must seem to the universe, but we never created anything without a reason for it... without an aim, without a point. Until you... you, you were us reaching too far, too fast. Working, striving too hard for perfection..."

Creation slumped, and then he grasped at his chest... and then he coughed hard, and black ooze splattered out of his mouth and dripped slowly from his eyes as he staggered towards the rusting metal stairs beside the tub, whimpering a little as he hugged himself. He could feel the pulse of the tub of ooze in his mind, and he slowly staggered up the steps as he whispered: "But it's all useless, isn't it? We can't defeat you... I can't defeat you. You're inside me... because I made you. Because I was a First God, the mightiest being in the universe, I am Creation... and I have broken my vows and made something evil. Something wicked. It was an accident but I can never forgive myself, never take back the fact that I am responsible for destroying my own home..."

Creation stumbled to the top of the steps, crossing his arms over his chest as he gazed down into the bubbling tub, which boiled with eagerness, seemed to pulse like it was alive as the vines and terrible substances over the walls and floor writhed... and then he closed his eyes and bowed his head forwards, saying quietly: "I can't win. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that I was so weak, and a failure... I can't fight the corruption anymore."

And with that, Creation fell forwards and into the ooze, which splattered upwards in a great geyser before immediately swarming down on itself around the body of the First God... and the five other First Gods winced in shock at the static that ripped through their minds before they vanished from the spot and all reappeared at once in the sanctuary, before Destruction grabbed his head and howled to the ceiling, the orbs floating above them shattering as tears fell from his eyes and he screamed: "No, no, no, no, no! This is all my fault! What have I done, my brother, my friend, what have I done?"

"Enough!" Order shouted, and he backhanded Destruction hard across the face, sending him staggering backwards, and Destruction's eyes blinked rapidly in his skull before Order said curtly: "Then as we all felt it, and all realize what this means, it means we must also act quickly and we cannot give in to hysterics. We need to go about this a different way, because destroying it or blinking it out of existence won't work. We need to erase it from the world!"

"It... it absorbs, evolves... mutates..." Destruction murmured, grabbing at his own face and gritting his teeth, and then he looked over at Death with a curse. "What if we aren't able to kill it because if even a speck of it is left alive... it can reanimate using its own tissue? Like how when it transforms our Guardians into abominations, after they die, they come back as even stronger monstrosities that need to be completely eradicated. We need to dissolve it somehow... we need to vaporize it, or will every last speck of it away!"

"The problem is we cannot see it, that's part of why we cannot simply wish it away... the larger materials are no problem to simply blink out of existence, but I cannot simply look at my arm and say: 'All microbes, I demand you leave,' and teleport them to the Nothingness." Chaos said coldly, and then Death rose a hand, and all eyes turned to him.

"I would not normally suggest this course of action... but with Creation's demise, I fear we have no other option." Death said quietly, and he lowered his head before he said softly: "We must either vaporize the Center of the Universe, which will still not guarantee victory... or we open rifts directly leading to the Unworld and bathe the entire planet in Unworld energies. All organic life will be eradicated, but we will be secure inside the Tether Dome. Our Anchor Statues, filled as they are with Disharmonious Energy, will be more than sufficient to create a powerful shielding over the doors. But the Center of the Universe will be irradiated with Unworld essence for years to come... it will be a long time before we can rebuild. Yet in the same vein, it is also the only thing that guarantees complete annihilation of the Chimera cells."

The others began to mumble... and then the doors at the far end of the sanctuary were thrown open, and a shape staggered forwards, rasping. Immediately, everyone looked up... and the Life broke away from the group, running towards the figure of Creation, saying in a relieved voice: "Brother, you're-"

"Life, stop!" Destruction shouted, but it was too little, too late, as the goddess ran towards the male... and then the creature's eyes opened, glowing red and terrible, and Life's eyes widened before it lunged forwards and ripped into her sides as enormous claws ripped from its fingers, making her scream as black ooze flooded through her veins, the warped First God's body dripping more of the dark stuff, its scales now as black as night, its eyes glowing as lips drew back from terrible fang teeth before it leaned down and bit savagely into Life's throat.

The goddess screamed again, twitching and shivering... and then the former Creation simply ripped Life in half at the waist, sending out red and green splatters of blood, gore, and plant life as her body sparked violently with energy, her legs kicking and shivering as she hung from warped-Creation's muzzle by his jaws... and then he shook his head back and forth before biting down harder, and her neck was torn apart, crunching and ripping loudly as Life's head flew in one direction and her body in the other, a chunk of her spinal cord dangling from the monster's jaws before it sucked this greedily up and swallowed. Then it gargled, shivering, and its body pulsed before expanding slightly in size, muscles bulging and growing as awful red veins of flesh ripped through its scales, its horns lengthening and becoming ugly white as its eyes shone like scarlet lights, and four enormous tentacles ripped from its back, thick and covered in awful, short thorns and ending in long, terrible blades, its tail burned away to nothing but thin bone that ended in a deadly, long needle as its clawed hands flexed, before it grinned insanely and rasped: "Destruction... you never told me this was so enjoyable!"

"What has happened to you?" Destruction shouted, looking horrified... and then Death and Chaos stepped forwards, Chaos snarling and Death looking grim and cold: "What are you two doing?"

"You and Order, head to the Tether. We shall hold off our lost brother..." Death said softly, and then he closed his eyes as Destruction began to argue before Chaos snapped his fingers, and Order and Destruction vanished from sight as Death whispered: "This is a burden upon all our heads... but perhaps you two can still save us, before we lose everything we held dear."

"No... you shall join me. You shall give in, like I did... and feel the joy of it! We were wrong, Death! It's not worth striving so hard to protect the universe when such pleasure can be found in this... I have transformed, given in, given up! Corruption... it is bliss..." Creation rasped, his tongue lolling out as black ooze dripped form his jaws, and then he grinned as he slowly began to start forwards, his body flexing as it grew another foot in size, more of the dark ooze leaking off his scales and spreading rapidly over the ground, leaving that terrible, fleshy substance growing in his wake. It greedily began to spread over Life's corpse, rapidly infecting it, turning it dark colors as he whispered: "You will join me... or you will die and join me. You cannot fight my disease, my infection... one touch, and you will understand that I give you a gift..."

Chaos lashed a hand forwards, and spikes of rock and metal exploded out of the ground around corrupted Creation, but the warped First God only threw his arms out with a roar, and black energy erupted around his body, shattering the spikes and blades into pieces before Death snapped his fingers... and the dark energies immediately were sucked out of existence, the monster snarling before it dropped to all fours and lunged forwards. Chaos and Death leapt to either side, and the monstrous being grinned as it leapt towards Chaos, who vanished from the spot and reappeared standing on the high domed ceiling as the former Creation crashed to the ground and skidded violently over his face, before he half-turned and vomited a stream of black bile upwards.

Chaos's eyes widened before this crashed into him, knocking him staggering backwards... and then he howled in pain as it immediately began to spread over him, transforming into solid vines and fleshy tendrils as terrible red eyes opened in the ooze, but Death held a hand up and the monstrous life simply withered and died... before the First God looked sharply to the side as Creation lunged at him and then dropped almost to his stomach as the massive tentacles on his back whipped out, lashing across Death and slamming him backwards into one of the statues, the First God crushing in the visage of Order before he fell forwards... and Creation crawled quickly forwards as his tentacles lashed around the enormous statue and yanked it downwards, crushing Death beneath it as he began to laugh wildly as his tentacles flailed the stone apart and brought heavy chunks of the statue high into the air before smashing them down again and again into Death's body, the First God howling in pain.

Chaos winced, then he held his hands up... and cones of energy of every color formed around corrupted Creation before shooting back and forth through his body, sending up blasts of ooze as he screamed and staggered... and then he roared in fury, the tentacles snapping upwards and hurling the broken pieces of statue towards Chaos, but the First God snarled as he flickered in and out of existence, going back and forth along the ceiling and then reappearing on the floor near the entrance... and then something seized him, and Chaos's eyes widened as he looked to either side in horror: Life's upper body had sprouted multiple sets of legs and terrible, thick tentacles, her neck now filled with monstrous fangs and her arms thick and powerful, ending in claws... and her lower body was standing on legs that were covered in spikes and had sprouted large tentacles at her raggedly-torn waist, eyes burning in the black flesh of the monstrous tentacles as both bodies leaked ooze and continued to mutate and warp.

Then he looked up in shock as Life's head whispered, her eyes closed but bleeding jaw moving slowly: "I understand now... the chimera cells evolve, enhance, replicate faster and better inside more complex life forms... adapt and grow and change... and when a body is left defenseless... they can transform all the faster. Make us even better..."

She rasped slowly... and her eyes opened, glowing red as her vine-like hair thickened and became clawed, lifting her bloody throat off the ground as thicker, larger tentacles ripped out of this...and then her tongue slid out of her jaws as her teeth grew into larger fangs, then head sliding slowly over the ground towards Chaos as he shook his head mutely and she whispered: "We'll make you one of us, too..."

Life grinned up at him insanely... then the head snarled before lunging at him, but Chaos vanished from the spot and reappeared at the other side of the temple, gasping hard and clutching at his clawed arms, seeing corruption already spreading through his veins from the wounds inflicted by the tight grasp of the two other symbiote forms of Life as the goddess laughed wildly, her torso picking her head up and placing it back on her shoulders, tentacles locking into her shoulders and sliding down the gaping gullet of her throat.

Death was howling as Creation ripped into his chest like an animal, biting and clawing at his insides, roaring and hissing... and then Chaos's eyes blazed before he snarled: "I won't bend to your wishes! I am Chaos! I am not a puppet of corruption!"

Creation and Life both snarled as Death gargled, the dark corruption beginning to pulse visibly through his desiccated body... and then Chaos grinned insanely as terrible energy burst over his body, lightning zapping back and forth around him before he simply snapped his fingers... and the First God self-destructed in an energized blast of neon electricity and terrible dark energy, the entire sanctuary vaporizing with the force of a nuclear inferno, Creation and Life both screaming as Death gave a last sigh of relief before his body was carried away and obliterated as well.

In the distance, Order and Destruction both cursed as they stood inside the Tether Dome, the six massive statues around them rumbling with powerful energies as they concentrated on the black pool of water... and outside, the air shimmered as a rift slowly began to spiral open, and terrible essence pulsed slowly out of the wound in reality. Water bubbled up over the sides of the pool as Order and Destruction further empowered the connection, further pushed this piece of reality deeper towards the Unworld to make it easier for them to rip the rift wider... and as the rift began to expand, dark essence streamed down over the dome, steaming against the strange, shifting material that made it up as it spilled like liquid along the sides, growing into a rising flood of terrible essence and energy.

Order and Destruction smiled at each other nervously... and then Destruction asked hesitantly: "Should I recall the Guardians from where we sent them? They can add energy to this, help keep things stable as we widen the rift."

Order began to nod... and then there was a terrible thud at the double doors of the Tether Dome, the two looking sharply over their shoulders before the doors were ripped open... and Creation staggered in with a hiss, his tentacles ripped off his back and one arm missing, instead terrible, thick black strings of flesh in its place... but as the two watched, the streamers rapidly began to reassemble themselves, the monster roaring as the corruption that was now in place of its blood splattered from the wound even as Unworld essence streamed over its body, seemingly unstoppable and invincible before it lunged forwards... and Order immediately leapt towards it, before a white bone claw lashed out across the horse's chest, making him curse before the red eyes of the monster blazed and Order was sent backwards with a howl of agony, dark lightning shocking over his body before he fell into the black pool and was dragged rapidly downwards into the Unworld.

Black water burst upwards, and Destruction staggered to the side as energy exploded upwards and between the statues, even the corrupted Creation staggering backwards with a hiss of shock as dark electricity shot over the rift outside before the river of dark essence became a massive, unstoppable waterfall, Unworld energies spilling out overtop the dome... and as Creation began to straighten, Destruction's eyes blazed before he charged forwards and seized him around the waist, and then he vanished from spot with the creature to reappear outside, throwing him hard down towards the black essence boiling over the ground and rapidly erasing the dark corruption.

Creation crashed into it with a scream... and Destruction yelled furiously and senselessly down at him as he floated in the air high above, dark lightning roiling down both his limbs before he swept both hands downwards when the corrupted Creation tried to lunge up, and dark energy battered into him and exploded, sending him crashing back into the Unworld essence as the dark corruption over his body began to rapidly boil away. "How could you? You broke your vows! You became a monster!"

"And now the chimera cells, the corruption, burn in my very blood! It can no longer control me... but I control it! I am evolving, growing, becoming more powerful with every passing second..." Creation laughed as he stood up, his eyes burning as he grinned savagely despite the steam and smoke rising from his body. "Or are you jealous, Destruction? Jealous that now I embody your name more than you?"

Destruction roared in fury, diving down towards him... and Creation threw his head back and laughed as a mask of bone ripped out of his face in a burst of black ooze before locking in over his face, and he grinned savagely up at him with his brilliant scarlet eyes... and then Destruction simply crashed headlong into him as energy tore over his body, tearing them both backwards into the lake of black ooze, and there was a tremendous blast as the two powers of destruction, pure and tainted, met with an awful clash.

As the explosion died down, reality quaked and trembled as the black seas of Unworld essence rippled as if something struggled briefly beneath their surface before falling still... and nothing was left as Unworld essence continued to spill out of the rift until it had spread throughout the entire world, weakening the thought-impenetrable structures, washing away signs of blood and battle, dissolving rotting and broken and dead corpses. The entire world became nothing but a black inferno for countless years, until the rift finally died out on its own... and slowly, Unworld essence vanished from the face of the planet.

As the essence died down, strange dome shapes were left here and there: in a massive, broken crater that had once been a mountaintop, runes pulsed over a white blister in the earth before it cracked open, and vines spilled out of it... then with a sigh, green energy exuded and breathed up towards the sky. Beside the broken mountain, another white shape lay on the ground, cracks spilling through it before white steam vented upwards... and in a square, two more white domes sat side-by-side... and next to one lay the broken remains of a bone mask.

This strange seed - for it could be nothing else - cracked open first... and black corruption leaked down the sides of it before blue energy suddenly shocked over the ominous gunk, and it turned grey and stony, neutralized immediately. Then the rest of the top of the shell collapsed as the other seed cracked open as well, and black fires burst over it before dark energy whispered up out of the wound, tinged with almost tangible sorrow and regret as it floated away like smoke.

And a moment later, a body, a naked Naganatine form silently floated up from the first seed, his eyes closed but tears leaking down his face, one arm held out as if desperately reaching for the hand of a friend... but when the other shell collapsed away into nothingness, there was nothing there, nothing left behind. As when the other shells collapsed, they too, were empty: their souls and essence had left, but only one had been reborn, while the others were to pass throughout the universe on unknowable journeys for either new bodies... or to simply see the worlds they had created one last time before their energies joined with others, or sank deep into the darkness of the Unworld.

The body vanished in a burst of gold and white light, as if the last wishes of this being had been to never know his own terrible origin, as if whatever forces ruled the universe had decreed that he was to be spared the cruelties of being born into an unforgiving past... and instead, he reappeared halfway across the universe, flumping quietly down to the barren surface of a moon and grunting in surprise as he sat up, naked, looking back and forth as he grabbed at his head. He frowned a bit, looking curiously around... and then he blushed down at himself before he simply flicked his wrist, and clothing appeared over him before he smiled a little, saying quietly: "Odd... I wonder... where am I? Who... am I?"

He shook his head a bit... but then he nodded to himself and rubbed at his forehead, murmuring: "Strange... I feel... like I've forgotten much. And yet also like I never knew anything to begin with... and I feel like I have a lot to make up for, but also... like I have a second chance now."

He smiled a little at this, nodding a bit more firmly... and slowly, the male picked himself up and gazed into the depths of space, breathing softly and whispering: "How beautiful this is... I feel like... I should know this place. Like I have to protect it..."

The male closed his eyes and hugged himself, then he nodded slowly and murmured: "Yes. I feel it inside me, inside my heart... inside my soul. I'll learn who and what I am so I can better protect this place... no matter what happens. I'll make sure this great and vast and beautiful universe always has someone to watch out for it..."

And he smiled, looking up at the starlit sky, adoring its beauty...

And Zerrex reached up and rubbed at his face slowly, smiling faintly, tears in his eyes from the beauty of it as he watched the memories unfold, as he felt his questions answered... and despite the pain and sorrow and fear and anger that welled up on his heart, there was joy, too, and Negative grabbed his shoulder, yanking him around as the images faded from Zerrex's eyes so that they looked at each other in darkness, and he snarled in frustration as he asked sharply: "What? Why are you happy? Don't you see, even Creation gave in... even Creation became nothing but a foul monster when the stakes were too high, and he was born pure, born to build... and you, you were born of a monster and your purpose has always been to destroy... you cannot resist the corruption that has survived since time immemorial and now runs through your veins! You're better off giving into me now, than trying to fight until you lose all sense of self to me, and Invert permanently as Creation did!"

"But don't you see? Naganis came after Creation, reborn because of Creation's crimes... and Naganis was so pure, so good, so kind, that even his corpse could not be warped by Thegragon's wickedness." Zerrex said quietly, and Negative snarled and shoved at him... but the Drakkaren barely staggered, smiling and catching himself as he looked down and said quietly: "Even Destruction had a purpose in the First Gods... and they were friends until the end, just like me and Camus. And even with his sins... even if you're saying that you are some... nth generation of the corruption that infected Creation... there is hope even for me if Naganis eluded you. You are not just my Inversion, I know... you're corruption that's festered for who knows how long, perhaps inside Naganis, perhaps inside me, perhaps... inside the universe, never entirely destroyed. But all you've proven, Negative, is that you can claim the body and the mind... but you can never take over a person's very soul."

Negative snarled... and then he shook his head as he slowly stepped backwards, whispering: "You're a fool, Zerrex. A compassionate, naïve fool. You still do not understand that I am you, and you are me... I have changed and grown and become stronger for countless years. I am Inversion and Corruption and Darkness..."

"And yet for as scary as everything is... Creation's powers, even Inverted, focused around creating. Dark and terrible creations, yes... but even when I invert, my powers are still dark creation, manipulation, and corrupting, rebuilding things... not just devastation." Zerrex said quietly, and Negative snarled at him before Zerrex held his arms out, asking quietly: "Why can't you just tell me what it is you're really after?"

But Negative only hissed before he faded into darkness... and then Zerrex's eyes flickered open in reality as he felt someone gently shake his shoulder, looking dumbly up... and staring in stupid surprise at the sight of Celeste, who was leaning over him and studying him quietly, her collar missing from neck.

The Drakkaren groaned a bit as he sat up... and she looked over him for a few moments before she said softly: "The saddest stories... are often the happiest as well. You understand this, do you not?"

"I think I'm starting to." Zerrex muttered, straightening a bit and rubbing slowly at his face, and then he shook his head quickly before he grimaced towards the female as her eyes roved over him slowly. He glanced down at his hands... and then he looked awkwardly over at Eratosthenes, who had curled up a bit on his side, eyes still unfocused and a bit of drool dripping from his jaws. "What should... I mean..."

"If you do not wish to kill him, you do not have to ask me my opinion on the matter. He has made a foolish choice in what he did... but perhaps you are right. He may still be important." Celeste said softly, and she looked down at him quietly before she murmured: "His mind has been wounded. It will take time to heal, but I am capable of doing it. Do you object to leaving him in my care?"

"Not at all. Can you... stop with the mind reading?" Zerrex asked mildly, and Celeste looked over at him... then she smiled faintly as she reached out and touched his shoulder, and the reptile felt a flurry of thoughts and emotions before he smiled a little in return even as he swayed a bit on the spot. "I... wow."

"I apologize. It is... difficult." Celeste said softly, and then she drew her fingers hesitantly back... but when Zerrex nodded a bit, she grasped his shoulder, squeezing into it slowly as she closed her eyes and murmured: "Thank you. I am learning to become more comfortable with physical links and contact. So far, only your daughter Marina has been so kind with me and my needs for... connection. She is not at all what many others think of her."

"I know. I know that without needing to read minds." Zerrex said softly, and then he looked down at Eratosthenes for a few moments before he snapped his fingers as he concentrated, and a steel wheelchair appeared out of nowhere... then the lizard grimaced and shook his head a bit, looking down at his left hand slowly. "This is going to take getting used to again... and moreover, I think I'm stronger than I was before, at least a little. Or maybe my focus is sharper..."

"Negative, as you call him, took some of the Librarian's energies and gave them to you... I would not be surprised if they had increased your strengths." the female said softly, and then Celeste leaned hesitantly down before she shook her head, almost hugging herself quietly. "I should not make contact with him in this state. His mind is... hurt."

Zerrex nodded a bit, figuring the ultra-receptive psychic probably was having a hard enough time just being near Eratosthenes as it was... and he couldn't help but feel all the more glad for her generosity, but she only looked at him strangely at this, saying softly: "But I do not aid him out of generosity. I aid him because he was once a Guardian, as I was, and I have a duty to try and help him restore some of his former, lost glory... and because by aiding him, I may aid and help you, who houses Naganis... who houses Creation. Who was chosen for a reason by the master I loved and served gladly... and who I understand a little more with every passing day why he was chosen."

She touched his chest quietly... and then she nodded after a moment as Zerrex awkwardly leaned down and picked the Librarian up, carefully sliding Error into the slightly-too-small wheelchair and inwardly glad he hadn't managed to make the dimensions of it perfect, meaning his powers might be impressive but they were far from absolute... and then he looked up in surprise as Celeste held up a hand and opened a Gateway, staring into the golden light shining out of the white tunnel before she said quietly: "I understand that you have a promise to keep, and you value your word highly. Let us go now, then, and ensure that you keep your word."

Zerrex smiled awkwardly to Celeste... and then he nodded a bit as she walked behind the wheelchair, and as she only studied him with her strange eyes, he finally nodded before turning towards the rift. He hesitated just long enough to look around the area, then scoop up Blackheart from where it had fallen nearby, squeezing his mala lightly in his other hand as he slipped the prayer beads over his neck and the sword onto his back, muttering under his breath: "Well, here goes nothing."

He walked towards the Gateway, passing through it... and then he blinked stupidly as he stepped out into the yard in front of Missy's ranch, looking lamely back and forth before the tunnel closed behind him... and he gaped stupidly, wondering where the hell Celeste had gone and whether it was for the better or worse she had decided to let Zerrex face this alone... and then there was a loud yell before Missy barreled out of the door, the golden retriever leaping down the stairs and charging forwards to crash into the Drakkaren, knocking him back a step as she hugged him fiercely and said in a rush: "Oh God, Biggs, I was so fucking scared that... God damn I didn't think you'd make it and when that Dius showed up I thought, I... I thought..."

She trembled a little, staring up at him incredulously as Zerrex grinned awkwardly down at her, rubbing the back of his head before she extracted herself and cleared her throat, slapping her hands against his chest... but then grinning up at him in bright relief as she whispered: "It does me a world o' good to see you here though, Biggs, I gotta say. Thank you... thank you for keeping your promise to me. Thank you."

Zerrex only laughed a bit at this, however, glancing down at her and smiling a little as he reached up and stroked her face softly, pushing her bangs away from her bright red eyes and saying softly: "Hey, it's not like keeping my promise hurt me, either... quite the opposite, really, when you think about it. I'm just... glad I was able to. And that you're looking okay, Missy... but hey, does that mean..."

He glanced up... then smiled a little at the sight of Helena leaning in the doorway, shaking her head a bit before the Dius walked quickly down the steps, and the Benevolent glanced over her shoulder with a grin. "What, the bitch? Yeah, Derek almost shot her in the face, but she calmed him right on down with those scary eyes of hers... for a little while, though, I thought she and Sandy were gonna end up tusslin' out here on the lawn."

"What can I say? Dius can be territorial, and it's not my fault Sandriel is such a mouthy little girl." Helena said pompously, and then she glanced down at the Benevolent before looking up at Zerrex, softening a bit as she examined him. "I'm very glad to see you're alive, Zerrex. Did you manage to secure your powers?"

"Let's go inside and find out for sure." Zerrex said softly, and Missy gazed at him curiously before she nodded a bit, and the Drakkaren smiled from one to the other before he headed past them, the two falling into step behind him. The Drakkaren walked up the stairs, smiling a little at how easily his once-more-godlike senses picked up on things... and he headed down the corridor and through the kitchen, raising a hand to Spike, who looked up with surprise and a smile as the lizard raised a hand to him and winked, then walked down the offshoot past the fridge and to another doorway, knocking politely twice before letting himself in.

The revered looked up with surprise, and Sandy and Derek both stared in surprise as the Drakkaren carefully stepped into the room, smiling a little around at them all... and he held up his hands before anyone could ask any questions, quietly approaching the bedside. He looked down at Rebecca for a few moments, who looked weak and tired... and then Zerrex held his hands over her, taking a slow breath before he murmured: "Thank you."

His hands glowed faintly... and Rebecca convulsed for a moment on the bed before her eyes snapped open with a cough, the readings on the machinery beside her going wild for a moment before they quickly evened out... and the older female looked back and forth with disbelief before she sat up in bed as the bruises and cuts over her faded, the IV and other needles inserted into her body popping out of place as she gasped and grasped at her chest... and the reverend stumbled forwards in shock, grasping his wife's arm as he gaped at her, and Sandy shook her head in stunned amazement as Derek and the others gaped, Zerrex smiling a little bit as he glanced down at his own hands. "Guess I still got it."

"You... you healed her, oh... Mr. Biggs, thank you, thank you!" the reverend hugged Rebecca tightly, the canine looking surprised before she smiled and hugged her husband back, the two clutching each other for a moment before he drew back, asking softly as he stroked her face: "Rebecca, how are you feeling? I'm so glad you're okay..."

"I feel... fine. A little fuzzy, and I can't remember very well what happened or how I'm here... but I feel perfectly fine otherwise." the canine said softly, looking for a moment at her husband... and then her eyes roved to Zerrex, and she smiled softly at him as the Drakkaren stepped back and Sandy quickly leaned in, beginning to examine her with both professionalism and fascination. "I... Mr. Biggs, I take it you were able to... find what you were looking for?"

"I was, Rebecca, thank you." Zerrex said softly, and then Missy bounded past him, almost knocking Sandy over, the Dius stumbling backwards with a growl of frustration before she rolled her eyes but smiled a little as Missy hugged her aunt fiercely, laughing warmly.

"Oh, Momma, I'm so damn glad... Biggs, you... damn, oh thank you!" Missy cried in jubilation, as she squeezed Rebecca fiercely, and Zerrex only smiled awkwardly to the group before he carefully slipped his way backwards as they began to chatter eagerly amongst themselves, and the reptile turned and carefully made his way out of the room, heading back towards the kitchen.

He sat down at the table with Spike, who was still calmly sitting, eating a sandwich and munching slowly as he looked up at Zerrex thoughtfully, and the reptile leaned backwards against the chair with a relaxed sigh before he smiled a little, saying quietly: "So I ended up not killing Error after all... but I did get my powers back, and I did put Iron on ice. There shouldn't be as many problems up there now."

Spike nodded, looking across at the Drakkaren thoughtfully as the reptile glanced absently around the cleaned-up and repaired kitchen... and then he smiled over at Derek as the weasel approached from down the hall, joining them at the table and looking dumbly at the Drakkaren, accompanied by Helena. The Dius stepped up behind the lizard, resting her hands on his shoulders with a slight smile... and the Drakkaren gazed over them before Derek shook his head slowly and mumbled: "Wow... I didn't think you'd really be able to do it, you know? I thought you were crazy... or that if you did manage to make it up there, I mean... did you really kill the Serpent Rex? She said you really did, did you really?"

"I really did." Zerrex said with soft amusement, and then he glanced over his shoulder, looking up at the Dius as she smiled kindly down at him. "Care to try Dominate on me? I wanna see if my resistances are back up and running."

"Oh, like this?" The Dius's eyes glowed brightly, and both Spike and Derek winced away immediately... but Zerrex only grinned at her and poked her stomach, and the Dius laughed a bit and nodded in entertainment. "Congratulations, Lord Zerrex. It looks like you're back to your old self... at least in that regard. It's good news for me, anyway."

The Drakkaren rolled his eyes before she hugged him lightly around the neck, letting her ample breasts rest on the top of his head, and Zerrex made a face as Derek stared and Spike rolled his eyes, then the mercenary took another bite of his sandwich as the Drakkaren asked mildly: "So what are you going to be doing with yourself now, Spike? Being a mercenary Craven and all, I can't expect there's a lot of jobs to be had around here... and you know, I could always use another pair of hands at the Ravenlight Estate."

Spike glanced up at this thoughtfully, and then he nodded a little as he finished off his sandwich, licking his fingers and looking curiously over at the reptile. "The fact I once disintegrated you doesn't raise any red flags?"

"What's a disintegration or two between friends?" Zerrex waved a hand airily, and Spike rolled his eyes before the Drakkaren softened a bit as he glanced down the hall as Sandy approached, half-speaking to her, half to the others as the second Dius stepped into the kitchen. "I think I'd like to bring Missy back with me, too. She looks..."

"She's going to be undergoing some changes in the near future, difficult ones. And she's going to need training and understanding." Sandy said quietly, giving a slight nod in agreement before she made a face at Helena when the female smiled at her almost mockingly. "Oh, what do you want, she-bitch?"

"You sound so old and wise and yet you're such a cute little toddler." Helena said tenderly, resting her elbows on Zerrex's muzzle and her chin on her hands... and then the Drakkaren cleared his throat loudly as he tapped a finger against the table, and the Dius winced before straightening quickly, seeming to realize she was going a little too far before she glanced over at Sandy, adding mildly: "While I don't completely disagree with you, Sandriel, the choice at the end of the day is hers and hers alone. I also do not doubt that she will wish to ensure her parents are properly protected, especially as Temptation begins to collapse back upon itself."

The other Dius looked less-than-thrilled with this... but a moment later, Missy herself walked out down the hallway, still dressed in her combat clothes and with her sword resting in the homemade sheath behind her waist, the end of the blade glimmering before the Benevolent looked over at Zerrex with her crimson eyes and asked quietly: "When do we leave?"

Zerrex looked at her with surprise, and she smiled a little, glancing down and reaching out to squeeze the weasel's shoulder gently, saying softly: "Derek can take care of Momma and Poppa, and Miss Sandy will help some, too, right?" She glanced nervously at the Dius, but when the female nodded slowly, she smiled a little wider. "Then okay then. It's settled. So when do we leave, Biggs? I got all these... weird feelings welling up inside of me that I don't know what to do with, and Momma and Poppa know that... I can't be around here no more, least not until I get whatever this is under control. It looks like... I'm gonna be adventuring with you for a little while after all."

The Drakkaren looked at her for a few moments, tempted to argue... but as he opened his mouth, he thought about how this was what he had wanted anyway. Why would he argue with that? And slowly, he closed his jaws before he nodded finally, saying quietly: "You, Spike, and Helena... it's going to be quite a trip back."

Helena began to open her mouth... and then she glanced up sharply as there was a crackle outside, but Zerrex only grimaced even as Spike leapt to his feet, drawing his handgun and heading to the window with a wince. "That doesn't look like just demons outside... are they gods?"

"No need to panic, they're probably here for me." Zerrex said mildly, and he motioned to them as he stood up, the demons and Benevolent watching with surprise as the Drakkaren walked calmly towards the door leading out, and then he lightly nudged it open, heading down the steps and into the yard as a muscular female stared at him, black veins throbbing visibly through her body before she laughed and charged forwards.

Cherry tackled him back against the ground, hugging his head fiercely into her huge breasts, and the reptile flailed his arms a bit with a gargle before she leaned back with a bright grin... and as her blue eyes almost glowed with happiness, the black veins beneath her scales rapidly began to recede back to normal, the muscular female looking over her shoulder and shouting gleefully: "See, I told you fucks so! Boss, oh shit... oh goddammit, why the hell didn't you fucking ask for help?"

She smacked him back and forth across the face, and Zerrex yelped in pain before she seized him firmly by the shoulders and pinned him against the ground, Blackheart sparking beneath him as Cherry glared down at him angrily and the reptile wheezed a little under her, straddled by the massive female... before she finally grumbled a bit and climbed to her feet, hauling him up... and then exchanging another tight, fierce hug with him as she whispered: "I was so fucking scared... but... but I didn't give in this time, Zerrex. I didn't give in and I'm so fucking elated to see you, Boss..."

"Me too Cherry. Me too." The Drakkaren hugged her tightly back, closing his eyes and leaning his head forwards against her shoulder as she trembled a bit, and then he smiled as they finally drew back, reaching up to stroke her face softly as he murmured: "I really missed your ugly mug, you know that?'

"Hey, that's my line." Cherry punched him gently in the shoulder, and then she grinned widely and put her hands on her hips, drawing her eyes up and down his body. "Fuck, I feel a hundred times better and more in control and shit. So what the fuck happened, Boss? Dude, the beating White took from Cindy, it was un-freaking-believable. She even threatened to get Marina or Anathema Sin but the dude just did not crack."

"Oh, great." Zerrex muttered... and then Cherry squawked as she was shoved out of the way by a huge feline before Thor seized the lizard and picked him up in a fierce hug, making the Drakkaren wheeze and flail his arms as the caracal squeezed him tightly enough to make his ribs groan. "Holy balls!"

"Lord Zerrex! Oh, mighty Lord Zerrex, let me shower you anon with a thousand praises for your bravery and proud skills, how you had fallen so low and yet now risen so high!" Thor shouted jovially, and Zerrex wheezed as the feline squeezed him firmly again against his chest, his eyes bulging as behind him Gilgamesh sighed and rubbed at his forehead slowly. Before anyone could react or the Drakkaren could wiggle free, however, Missy ran down the steps and past Cindy, then booted Thor firmly in the shin.

The feline immediately dropped Zerrex and grabbed at his leg, leaping backwards with a yelp, and Cherry covered her muzzle for a moment as her cheeks puffed out before she fell on her back with loud, long donkey-laughs, the lizard swaying dazedly on the spot before he looked lamely from Missy to Thor as the two glared at each other, and then the caracal pointed past her and exclaimed: "By the Gods, a convergence of demons that I wither cannot fare tell is most fair or foul! Lord Zerrex-"

"Stop shouting!" Missy yelled up at the feline, and Thor's head immediately shrunk back into his armored vest as he gave enormous eyes down to the Benevolent, his muzzle snapping shut before she stormed forwards and reached up to poke him a few times in the stomach. "Now what kind of manners is this? You show up unannounced, which I can plainly understand and sympathize with since y'all seem to be looking for Biggs and all, but then you make a dang ruckus and wake up the entire square mile, and when y'all finally do find Biggs you damn near squeeze him into oblivion! And now you're shoutin' at my friends and family, some nonsense I don't even understand, when it don't take a genius to see that we're the ones who took Biggs in here while he was a little under the weather. What are you, stupid?"

"No." Thor said in a surly voice, and he peered down at her as the Benevolent glared back up before he grumbled a bit as he rubbed slowly at his leg. "Yon smallish beast-child should watch what her toes may begrudge in the future. Mighty Thor seeks no quarrel, but-"

"You challenging me to a fight?" Missy grinned widely as her eyes glowed red, putting her hands on her hips... and Thor immediately scuttled backwards and hid behind Gilgamesh, looking furtively out from behind him as the ursine sighed and dropped his face in his hands, Missy nodding firmly to herself. "I thought so. Biggs, ain't you gonna introduce me?"

She turned towards him, and Cherry immediately stepped forwards and grabbed the Benevolent, planting a sloppy kiss on her muzzle. Immediately, Missy's eyes widened in shock and her mouth fell open in a gape, and Zerrex rubbed at his forehead slowly as he said mildly: "Cherry, Missy. Missy, this is Cherry. Over there is Gilgamesh and Thor... and Cherry, that's Spike, Helena, Sandy, and Derek... and there's two more mortals inside, Missy's aunt and uncle who she kind of treats as her adopted parents, Rebecca and the reverend... Jason, right?"

Missy was still staring dumbly at Cherry, who leered at her mischievously before she clapped her hands and quickly bounced over to the steps, and Zerrex rolled his eyes but decided to let her have her fun for now: at least with Rebecca healed, the most she could do was traumatize them. He glanced over at Missy, and then he reached out and poked her lightly, and she shook her head quickly before glancing up as Gilgamesh approached, smiling awkwardly at the bear as the god extended one enormous hand. "I... you're pretty big, mister."

She took his hand as best she could, and they shook as Thor continued to glare balefully from behind the ursine, before he looked over at Zerrex and said distrustfully: "Methinks this small creature is of a troublesome sort, Lord Zerrex. Mine distrust runs high for it, for it seems in regard most similar to the foul witch-spawn of the giant clans that gave mine beloved brother Loki and my noble hammer such fierce difficulties years anon ago."

"Make sense." Missy said flatly, and Thor looked at her moodily before she rose a fist and shook it at him, and the god winced and hid back behind Gilgamesh, the bear looking less-than-thrilled at his companion's behavior before she smiled up at the god. "Now, mister, I don't think I can offer you a proper seat or nothing inside with how tall you are, but would you like something to eat or drink?"

"We're only here to pick up Lord Zerrex and bring him back home, but thank you." Gilgamesh responded quietly, and then the bear glanced towards the reptile, looking over him measuringly before he nodded slowly. "You truly are a noble and wise warrior, Lord Zerrex. Perhaps when I first understood that you did not mean to be found, I thought you overconfident, even knowing what you were capable of... but as you have rightly proven, it is the carpenter and not the tools that creates the finest masterwork."

Zerrex smiled awkwardly, and then Missy slapped him on the arm, saying warmly: "I can agree with that myself. Biggs might seem like a bit of a nut but he always has some idea about just what he's doing, no matter how crazy it seems. I'm looking forwards to coming back with him and learning more about him."

Gilgamesh tilted his head curiously at this, glancing towards the Drakkaren, and the reptile nodded to him with a bit of a smile. "Missy, Spike, and Helena will all be coming back with us. And as I'm sure some people back home have already found out, Eratosthenes has been defeated and captured, not killed. When I... when my powers were taken back from him, it did something to his mind, but Celeste has promised to watch out for him and try to fix the damage to his mind. I don't think he's going to be much of a threat in the future."

The warrior god looked at him for a few moments as Thor stuck his head curiously out from behind the ursine, and then he nodded, saying quietly: "I shall not doubt your instincts then, Lord Zerrex, especially on that subject. After all, you saw clearly enough to help free many of the Old Gods from Athéos's grip... and it would be hypocritical of me to speak out against others receiving the same second chance you gave me."

Missy looked curiously over the huge bear... and then she winced and turned around when there was a loud smacking sound, and Cherry leapt down the stairs with a wince as Helena glared after her balefully, storming down the steps after the female as the muscular hermaphrodite quickly skidded behind Zerrex, unconsciously mimicking Thor as both she and the god peered around their separate shields. "I said I was sorry!"

"Grabby whore." Helena grumbled, rubbing slowly at her rump before she looked moodily over at Zerrex. "Your Disciple needs to learn to keep her hands to herself."

"She needs to learn a lot of things." Zerrex grumbled, and then he reached out and gently squeezed Missy's shoulder, the female glancing over at him before he said gently: "Go say your goodbyes and get your things, Missy. We're going to be heading back shortly."

She nodded after a moment, smiling to him, the expression both soft and sad as her red eyes glimmered... and then she headed quickly past Helena and up the stairs as Spike walked down them, looking thoughtfully at Cherry as the female wheezed loudly and relaxed a bit, leaning against the Drakkaren before he asked curiously: "You got into the Goth Legion too, right? You look different, but I think I still remember you pretty well from Project: Scarecrow. You hit on me once or twice."

"Dude, in those days, I hit on everyone once or twice, even ugly fat chicks. It's only memorable if they gave me really good sex or they turned me down." Cherry replied with a grin, and she straightened after a moment, sliding out from behind Zerrex... but childishly grasping his wrist, making the reptile smile a little bit as she examined Spike thoughtfully. "Except I bet you were one of the latter, weren't you? Yeah, I remember kicking a good few asses 'cause there were some crazy fucks like you only interested in killing shit. What was your superpower again?"

Zerrex rolled his eyes at this phrasing, but Spike only smiled slightly, replying quietly: "I was a little left behind in that regard. I had eighty-twenty vision and was good with a handgun, but that isn't so special now that I'm a demon. All things considered, it wasn't all that special back then, either."

"I'll say." Cherry said cheerfully, and then she slapped Zerrex on the back, making him grunt. "Then again, the only thing special about Boss was the fact he could punch holes in shit and his dick was really big. And I guess there was the whole fact he never stayed down no matter how many times you broke his face, too."

The Drakkaren grumbled under his breath, then he elbowed her in the stomach, making her wheeze a bit. "So what are things like back home, Cherry? I..." He stopped, glancing down and murmuring quietly: "I got bad news."

Cherry looked at him for a moment, and then she reached up and squeezed his shoulder gently, her demeanor changing as she said softly: "We... I'm sorry Boss. After the deaths reported in Heaven that I'm guessing you know about... we really tightened security and shit in Hell. Vivien was freaking right the hell out, almost ripped down the peace treaty with Heaven, which probably would have left us all in a rut... but thankfully Lucifer stepped in and Sephire yelled at Lord and made him do shit too, so they put a gag on the Council for the next little while and shit, to stop them from exacerbating the situation any worse. Guys just don't know when to shut up...

"Anyway, what... what I'm getting at and shit is that there were some other deaths reported. They found Missy Ella and Saint... Ella was ripped into pieces, and the old coot was... charred-up and shit. We tried to tell Daria but she's gone... she's gone a little nuts since you been gone, Boss. And Saint, well, he barely survived, still in critical care." Cherry halted, looking down and nodding a little as she rubbed at the back of her head slowly. "It was real fuckin' bad. He ain't my favorite person in the world but dude was almost skinned and... no one deserves that and shit, you dig?"

Zerrex nodded a bit, reaching up to squeeze her shoulder quietly, and Cherry smiled awkwardly up at him, saying softly: "Lots of people are real scared, Boss, and we... really need you back right about now. I'm damn glad you got your powers back and shit, even gladder we don't have to worry about the Strange Beasts as much anymore, but... everyone's going crazy without you around. I mean, just being near you was enough to cure me for now, but your other Disciples... they're all suffering pretty damn hardcore too, and I... some of them..."

She looked down quietly, and Zerrex only nodded slowly, rubbing at his face slowly before Cherry glanced up at him, studying him quietly for a few moments. Before either of them could speak, however, Missy returned, a packed duffel bag thrown over one shoulder and Rebecca and the revered following carefully out, Derek shuffling along last embarrassedly... and Zerrex turned his attention to them as Thor finally came out from behind Gilgamesh to smile benevolently as the two mortals approached the lizard.

Rebecca smiled softly at him, and the jowly male canine looked slowly over Zerrex, then nodded to him, saying quietly: "Biggs... Zerrex... I know that my little girl is going to have some trouble coping and adjusting to these changes coming over her. I know you'll take good care of her... but promise me you'll watch out for her, too. She might be a grown-up, whatever she looks like... but she'll always be my little niece."

He reached out and ruffled her hair, and the golden retriever laughed a bit as she smiled awkwardly, her red eyes shimmering faintly... and then Rebecca added quietly: "Maybe one day you can all come back and visit us, too. I'd like that very much, Zerrex... you've done many good things for us. Even the sheriff was very impressed, before he went back into town... I... I remember it, dreamlike, hearing him speak while I was still deep under sleep. It seems you've had a good influence on all of us... and you did help save our farm."

"Your farm might never have been in trouble if I hadn't shown up." Zerrex rubbed at the back of his head awkwardly, and then he grunted when Missy punched him lightly in the stomach before he simply nodded a bit, saying dryly: "Alright, alright. I'll... thank you, Rebecca, I was just glad to help out." He paused, then smiled a little more, saying softly: "And you do have my promise that I'll take care of Missy, even if she's proven very capable so far of taking care of herself. We'll make her part of the family, won't we, Cherry?"

"Hell yeah." Cherry nodded empathetically, and then she started to open her mouth, likely to say something that would make everyone present uncomfortable, and the reptile simply glared at her, the muscular female clearing her throat instead and mumbling: "Fine, fine. We'll... be nice and... shit. Yes."

The mortals nodded, and Sandy said softly: "If I can make a suggestion, can you let Madeline come back and visit every now and then? I think it would do both her and her family good."

"The kind of suggestion I'd expect from such a young Dius, personally." Helena said haughtily, and Sandy glared at her, but then the female smiled slightly and reached out to pat Missy on the arm. "A fair idea though. The young one will do better if she can have a break every now and then from corruption exposure."

"I don't understand why you have to argue with her every time you agree with her." Zerrex said flatly, and Helena shrugged before he glanced down at Missy, who was blushing a little as she looked up at him questioningly. "Yeah. I agree, though. We'll let her come back and visit now and then."

The reverend smiled at this, and Rebecca gazed at him affectionately before Gilgamesh half-turned and held up a hand, a vortex slowly spiraling open as the god said softly: "Then let us return to Elysium. We have new friends to help settle in and old allies to bring sanity back to. Not to mention the High Queen is anxious for an audience, Lord Zerrex."

The Drakkaren nodded... and then he turned towards the portal, tossing one last smile and wave over his shoulder at Sandy, Derek, and the mortal couple as they rose their hands, the Drakkaren accompanied by Cherry on one side, Missy on the other, and the two gods that followed behind with Spike and Helena into the wide, swirling tunnel of black and white.

The day that followed was a busy one: from the moment Zerrex stepped out onto the balcony of the Central Spire, he was almost immediately surrounded by Iuratus: Desire, Serenity, Mist and Shine all sprung out of seemingly nowhere to grab him, and in a fit of emotional behavior very unlike her usual self, Serenity had hugged him compulsive and bawled against his chest like a little girl for a few minutes before she had gotten back in control, making his other Disciples stare. But Zerrex knew that despite everything, Serenity did love him deeply... and even Ambrosia had awkwardly patted her on the back before trading tight hugs her with her father as Serenity had finally backed away, mumbling embarrassedly.

Then he had been dragged inside the Central Spire, and Mercy and Lily had both run to hug him fiercely, and even Sabnock had smiled as White looked up from his book, nodding slowly in approval at the sight of the Drakkaren and with a large bandage over one side of his muzzle. Zerrex had smiled awkwardly at him, but White had only waved dismissively... and then Vivien had stormed up and slapped Zerrex hard across the face, then yelled at him for ten minutes loudly and angrily enough to make his other Disciples scatter before she had finally hugged him fiercely and muttered for him to never, ever, ever make her worry like that again.

They had sat down at the table, and Zerrex had introduced Helena - who had proudly called herself his new concubine, and then a moment later had slowly shrunk down in her chair until she was almost hiding under the table at the horrible glares both Serenity and Ambrosia favored her with - Missy, and Spike, and then, with a little prompting from the others who began to gather around the table - including Priest, Markus, Driz, and others who came in from the balconies, word of his return apparently spreading quickly - the reptile quietly began to relate his story of what had happened, starting from being imprisoned inside Empyreal Throne, all the way to his return to the fortress and the defeat of Eratosthenes.

Spike, Missy, and Helena all helped out at points: Zerrex was honestly surprised when the Craven picked up part of the story near the beginning, telling about how Eratosthenes had outfitted them with special equipment stolen from one of the space colonies. How the Strange Beast had discovered the existence of this gear was up for debate, but he thought that it had something to do with the Metatron and the cloaked figure that seemed to be pulling Eratosthenes's strings.

Missy was nervous at first, talking in front of such a large crowd, especially since more people were making their way into the Central Spire, many of them silently trading hugs with Zerrex before joining the table, but with a little encouragement and the reptile helping out she began to pick up pace and confidence, helping detail how they had found Zerrex and treated him, and helped him through Temptation. Zerrex had then told of his travel up the mountain, and battling the World Carver... and then Helena had helped, unabashedly telling the story of how she'd aided the Drakkaren and proudly stating her heritage, despite the fact Selena was in Acheron at the moment and not Elysium.

Zerrex had then finished the story... and Vivien had nodded a bit, explaining that Celeste had returned to the Ravenlight Estate with the broken Strange Beast and requested to be left alone with Eratosthenes until they were ready to bring her back to Acheron. The Drakkaren knew himself that it would be best for everyone to move to the pocket dimension as soon as possible... but for now he was also aware he had other tasks to take care of, as he gazed through his group of family and Disciples and rested at the council table, Vivien looking at him curiously.

The Drakkaren had finally assigned Spike to go with Cherry and double-check all defenses while outfitting him at the armory; the Craven could join the Black Rose Platoon in helping protect the Ravenlight Estate and make himself at home there. Missy he would help train himself... but for now, he entrusted her to Serenity's care and training after making the Captain of his Iuratus promise grouchily that she play nice. And lastly, Helena would follow him around for the moment, acting as his secretary, in a sense, to start getting used to the complex setup of his network across Elysium and the mortal planet.

They had all taken to their duties, Missy giving Zerrex one last hug, and Ambrosia had promised to help look out for her and keep Serenity off her back. Zerrex had left with Mercy, Cherry, and Helena: their first stop was Sin's Tower, and the Cloister at the bottom of its depths.

Helena hadn't been bothered at all by the prison... although the Beasts had weirded her out a little, but the Sacrifices, of course, she had well understood, watching the way they flocked to Zerrex happily. Mercy and Cherry had both pointed quietly towards Daria's room-made-prison... and the reptile had silently approached the glowing field of holy energy, then reached out and hesitantly touched it with his right hand.

The scales had immediately burned away from his metallic limb, but the warped metal beneath had quickly reshaped itself into the beautiful, silvery arm... and Zerrex had motioned to the others to stay back as he had passed through. Daria had torn her room apart, and blood splattered the walls from the prisoners they had shoved inside to both feed her and keep her occupied: she had almost ripped a hole completely through the walls into the next room, after all, and Zerrex had shaken his head slowly at how damaged the place was: the newt had torn the television from the walls, ripped her futon and couch apart, and shredded pillows and blankets to make herself an ugly little nest that was fortified with body parts and broken limbs..

The demoness herself stirred in this, and then she slowly stood up, fresh wounds pulsing over her body as she turned slowly around, eyepatch missing and bloody tears and red light shining out of the socket as her other eye burned obsidian... and she licked her lips slowly at the sight of Zerrex, drawing her hands over her bare breasts and down to a groin covered only by a bloodsoaked loincloth, whispering hungrily: "Yes, I've had this dream a thousand times before... you will play the hero and I will play the monster, and you will break me to your will, and snare me in chains and torture me and torment me. I am violence and wrath incarnate, yet you are even darker, even stronger... you will bend me, and I will break completely beneath the weight of your gaze, and I will kill for you and bleed for you and one day, I will die for you..."

Zerrex rose his hand and snapped his fingers, and energy pulsed through the air as the butterfly collar around Daria's neck pulsed with white light, and the female staggered backwards with a gasp before she blinked rapidly... and the terrible evil faded from her bare socket and her other eye returned to normal, the vile wickedness fading from it as her bloody wounds slowly healed... and then she trembled violently before she fell to her knees and hugged herself, breaking down into harsh sobs as Zerrex quickly walked forwards and scooped her up... and a moment later, the barrier by the door was lowered and Mercy was in the room, hugging Daria tightly around the neck as well and shushing her silently with her stitched lips as the newt begged for forgiveness as tears streamed down her face.

The reptile simply shushed her quietly, keeping her close... and not long after, they were joined by both Maria and Cindy, as Cherry awkwardly hovered around the edge of the room, neatening things a little bit and looking lame and embarrassed. Eventually, Daria settled... but she looked terribly ashamed of herself, and Zerrex decided to give her a few minutes alone with Mercy as Cindy and Cherry and the Drakkaren went out into the hall, where Helena was inspecting one of the Dragon Warriors curiously, her eyes glowing faintly as she tried to Dominate his mind, but the massive male only looked down at her with mild interest, apparently not affected in the slightest by the slightly-overused abilities of the Dius.

Cindy took Zerrex's hands, and kissed either cheek before she studied his face and then smiled embarrassedly... and as they stood there in awkward silence except for the sniffling coming from Daria's room as Mercy quietly consoled her, the reptile finally asked: "So did you really beat the crap out of White?"

"I... I wasn't thinking straight. I mean, the reasons he gave made perfect sense and... and now that you're back and safe and sound, like Cherry always said you would be, I'm not even mad at you anymore." Cindy said softly, meeting his eyes with a faint hint of shame. "He said... to have faith in you. And he said that he... that you didn't want us finding you because it would put us in danger. I thought it was stupid at the time, that you absolutely needed our help, that you... couldn't do it... but..." She halted, then gazed into his eyes and squeezed his hands slowly: "The only reason we fail..."

"Is because we do not allow ourselves to succeed." Zerrex finished, and then he laughed a bit and gazed at her with an awkward smile. "Although admittedly when I killed Iron it was a whole lot of luck."

"Holy hell you took down Iron?" Cindy stared at him with shock, and then she shook her head with a slow, amazed laugh. "Daddy... I... wow. You... you really did learn well from Requiem. You really were a better student than I was."

That only made Zerrex blush a bit as he glanced away, clearing his throat before he returned his curious gaze to her, and she looked embarrassedly down. "Well. I started... getting aggressive, and White didn't like that, and when he fought back it was for real, which just... made me angrier. I'm so used to Cherry just giving in or running away that when someone stood up to me, and I was already so... frustrated with everything, it just set me off, and... I do still have a bit of my angelic aura, and he is undead and all. I hurt him pretty badly before Cherry and Priest and Mom stopped me and dragged me off him and... I think... I may have really knocked things backwards between you and Mom, too. I'm sorry, Zerrex. One fit of rage and I threw away a lot of what we had worked for and tarnished both our names and hurt a friend and... most of all, showed what... a lack of faith I had in you, even after... I went through this, became this for you... but I love you so damn much and I can't... I couldn't stand the thought of losing you again..."

She sighed a bit, squeezing his hands fiercely as she lowered her head... and then she looked up as Daria slowly emerged from the room, the newt with her butterflies over her breasts and a pair of plain jeans on, saying quietly: "We all did some pretty stupid things, Cindy. I think... for once... Cherry was the best behaved out of all of us."

Cherry laughed a little at this, rubbing at her face and turning red as Zerrex looked at her with surprise, and she smiled a little at the Drakkaren. "Well... hey, I had a lot to make up for and shit, and I... I damn well learned my lesson after what a fucking hissy-bitch I was the last time... shit happened to you. Not once, but twice, with how I treated poor Anathema..." She reached up and touched her collar silently, murmuring quietly: "I really wanted to prove that I deserved this, that's all. That I had rightfully earned this... that I had a place by your side."

"And you did, Cherry." Daria said quietly, and Cindy smiled and nodded in agreement, which made the female blush all the brighter before she flailed her limbs wildly, almost hitting Helena and making the Dius glare at her.

"Enough, enough bullshit! Anyway, have you babes met this bitch yet? Her name is Hell or something, real fitting for a Dius and all." Cherry babbled, pointing at the female, and Zerrex rolled his eyes as the demoness gave her a flat look. "What?"

"Helena. My name is Helena." The Dius glanced over them all, then she smiled slightly, reaching up to touch her throat as she noted the collars that hung around their necks. "I am to be Zerrex's newest concubine... and on that subject, just when do I get one of those fancy collars?"

The Drakkaren gave her an amused look at this, and then he shook his head a bit as Cherry touched her own collar self-consciously again, glaring a bit at her. "When you earn it, Helly. These ain't just cool bondages accessories and how we show we're part of Zerrex's clique, they're signs of loyalty, respect, and status. You don't get one of these until you prove you're more than just a baby-maker, baby-maker."

Helena took Cherry's bristling with surprising good-nature, however, holding her hands up with an amused smile as if in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, then I'll wait my turn... Cherry, correct? I suppose it's you and not Serenity who I really have to strive to impress, right?"

"Damn straight." Cherry grinned widely, susceptible as always to easy flattery as she put her hands on her hips and looked proud of herself, and Zerrex rolled his eyes in entertainment before he looked over to Daria... but the female was still looking down awkwardly, even with both Cindy and Mercy's arms wrapped around her and supporting her compassionately. Then Cherry softened a bit, glancing over at the male and saying quietly: "You still got a few stops to make though, Boss. We need to get Anathema Sin back on her feet... and Justice, well, she ain't doin' so hot either. At first, I thought... you know, she was just a crazy bitch. But... I guess it really was love at first sight. No. No pun intended, of course."

Cherry looked lame at this, rubbing at her head... but Zerrex only nodded, glancing over at the Dius, and Helena nodded in return as Cindy said softly: "Then I'll stay here and help get Daria back on her feet... we'll meet you at the Ravenlight Estate as soon as possible, okay?"

"Sounds good." Zerrex nodded to her, letting his eyes linger for a moment on the newt, and then he held his hands out... and Helena took one curiously as Cherry winced and clung to his other arm, before the Drakkaren vanished from the spot, reappearing a moment later inside the Ravenlight Estate.

Helena stumbled a bit, grasping at her head and looking more shocked than winded, as Cherry wheezed and stared back and forth furtively, then gave a rumble of relief as the Dius shook herself out with a wince. "Don't you worry about it, babe, the first shoop freaks everyone out a little. You get used to it after the third or fourth time, 'cept when Zerrex is a cunt and doesn't stabilize gravity or some shit."

Zerrex snapped his fingers absently, and Cherry flickered in and out of reality, vertigo tearing at the female's senses before she squeaked and grabbed her stomach, falling on her back as Helena stared and the Drakkaren rolled his eyes as the muscular hermaphrodite bounced on her back and kicked her legs with loud gargles. Then the reptile's eyes roved upwards, and he glanced at the Dius, saying mildly: "Do me a favor and keep her here while I go upstairs."

Helena nodded awkwardly, and Cherry grumbled under her breath as she sat up, making faces at Zerrex's back as he approached the stairs and headed up them, following the silent call of energies in the air. He emerged into the long corridor leading to his room, but approached one of the first doors, quietly putting his hands against the wood... and from behind it, a voice said softly: "You're late."

The Drakkaren smiled a bit at this, and then Justice slowly opened the door, stumbling back a bit and her eyes dull and faded as Anathema Sit sat up in bed, breathing hard and looking towards him with a tremble... and then Zerrex stepped into the room, and the fused Naganatine quaked as she slid out of bed, stumbling towards the reptile, then slapping him hard before hugging him firmly and then biting into his shoulder childishly, shouting in mixed voices: "Lord Zerrex! I'm going to kick your ass... I love you, I missed you, I hate your stupid proud self, oh... Zerrex, it's good to see you!"

"Calm down, Annie, or at least one of you recede!" Zerrex grumbled, flailing his arms a bit before he managed to shove the female backwards, and she glared at him with both frustration and tenderness in the same instant before she relaxed slowly and visibly, breathing quietly and looking moody as she crossed her arms... then simply smiling softly as the bones over her body rattled quietly. The reptile looked at her for a moment, then he glanced towards Justice before reaching up to touch her shoulder... and her eyes glowed a faint blue before they flickered as if lights were turning on inside her head, and she gasped quietly, then smiled softly at him, reaching up to stroke along his arm gently. "One blind and the other bedridden. Why is it that you First Breed are so easily beaten up when I'm gone?"

"Just like with Naganis... we have no purpose without you." Anathema Sin said softly, both voices speaking at once from the Naganatine's jaws as her gaze became loving, and then she grinned a bit and stepped forwards, punching his right shoulder firmly and then shaking her fist a bit as she felt the solid metal beneath the plates. "You're back to your old self, I see. Sister, what about you?"

"Contact was enough, I can see energy again... like your other Disciples, I'm linked to you, Zerrex. And just like your other Disciples, when you suffered... I suffered." Justice glanced over him slowly, rubbing at the underside of her muzzle, metallic tentacles that cupped her breasts shivering a bit as her wings around her legs fluttered lightly, and then she said softly: "My, what an adventure you have had, what secrets you have discovered... sister, he brought back Eratosthenes... because our Strange Beast friend appears to have been no more than a toy to higher workings."

"Unsurprising." Anathema Sin muttered, shaking her head slowly, and then she glanced up as Zerrex looked around Sin's old room, covered in neatly-organized bookshelves and furnishings, and yet now with a bit of Anathema's untidiness here and there, stacks of parchment and paper and pens, ink wells and small, cute little china figures... and he smiled a bit before returning his eyes to the fused Naganatine when she crossed her arms and cleared her throat. "So what is our next course of action? As I'm sure you've no doubt heard... there have been deaths."

Zerrex nodded slowly, and Justice frowned a bit before she touched his chest... then she silently stepped forwards and hugged him firmly, and the reptile blinked in surprise before he closed his eyes and lowered his head against his shoulder as she murmured: "You have our deepest sympathies and condolences, Zerrex Narrius."

Anathema Sin nodded in grim agreement with this, and then the Naganatine females glanced up as there was a hesitant, quiet knocking... and the reptile turned around with a soft smile to see Maria standing in the doorway, the Broken breathing a little hard, dressed only in her chain bikini... and then she leapt forwards and hugged him fiercely, and Zerrex caught her in his arms as she planted kisses along his neck and shoulders, clinging against him and whispering: "Oh thank Gods..."

Zerrex smiled down at her warmly... and then he looked up in surprise to see Jessica standing out in the hallway as well, surveying him thoughtfully. Zerrex blushed a bit at this, rubbing at his forehead as he murmured a gentle 'thank-you' to Maria and carefully pushed her aside, and she flushed deeply but then rambled, gesturing towards Jessica: "Cindy wanted to make sure her mother was protected and... and as Marina and Epiphany are in Acheron, as are the wolves and many other Disciples and Iuratus, she felt it best that... I watch over... I mean... stay with her mother, and... we talked very much so on things and I mean... it was..."

The Drakkaren gently reached up and pushed a finger to Maria's lips, and the Broken both blushed and smiled awkwardly at him, looking embarrassed as Zerrex looked to Jessica... and after a few moments, the female said softly: "I'm glad you aren't dead, Zerrex. Things that happened while you were gone... the way I saw people acting, because you were missing... forced me to take stock of things a little bit. People mourned you, and worried for you... and my little girl was in quite a fit. I don't hold it entirely against her, even if I admittedly am a little surprised that Cindy threw such a temper tantrum... but it seems like you are a large part of what keeps this family of yours running. I'm not sure if it's good or not you're the center cog of all this fanfare, but I do know that when you were gone, things slowed down... and now that you're back, even I feel... safer."

She laughed a bit at this, glancing away almost bitterly... but the look in her eyes was more curious than anything else as she murmured: "Fate has a strange way of illustrating events... or maybe there is a Greater God, as some of the sects of Heaven believe, and He really does have a plan for all of us. Maybe you went through everything you did, only so you could truly realize and understand the price of being so malicious and evil... and maybe now you suffer through what you do only so you can learn that at the end of the day, it's all worth it. I wish I had your strength, Zerrex... I wish I could defend my friends and family, like you can."

She shook her head a bit... then rubbed at her face slowly, asking quietly: "Is Cindy around? I'd like to go talk to her."

"She should be arriving here shortly, she's just... helping Daria feel a little less ashamed of herself right now, after what happened to her." Zerrex said quietly, and Jessica smiled a bit at this, nodding slowly.

"Good. It makes me feel a little bit better about everything when I think of my little girl out helping people. Daria seems like such a sweet thing..." She looked down, then nodded a little before turning and heading down the hall, adding over her shoulder: "Thank you, Maria. Let's talk some more later."

Maria blushed a bit... and then she returned her eyes to Zerrex, as the Drakkaren glanced down at her curiously, and the Broken mumbled embarrassedly before hugging him tightly. Zerrex smiled despite himself, hugging her firmly back against his chest... and then he sighed a bit as he looked over his shoulder at the Naganatine, saying quietly: "Should we all prepare to head for Elysium, then?"

"Time is of the essence, Lord Zerrex. You need to continue to reestablish your connections with your Disciples... and more importantly, we're going to need to gather everyone together and plan out how to catch this murderer." Anathema Sin replied, speaking in Sin's dulcet tones as the Anathema side of her withdrew for the moment. "If I may make a further recommendation... perhaps you should visit Hez'Ranna as well. There have been no reports of attacks on the mortal plane... and I cannot help but wonder why a creature capable of travelling so easily between worlds would not appear on the mortal planet."

"But he has..." Zerrex muttered, rubbing at the underside of his muzzle slowly, and then he glanced at Justice as the Naganatine studied him with her faintly-glowing white eyes before she nodded with a frown, immediately glancing at Anathema Sin... and the fused Naganatine cocked her head as if she was listening in on a conversation before she leaned back slightly in surprise. "Why can't we ever just talk normally around here?"

"Because it's too slow." Justice replied flatly, and Zerrex rolled his eyes before the Naganatine added quietly: "The fact there is now another figure added into the mix is bad news... and moreover, the presence of Dervishes means the problems could be greater than you understand. Zerrex, you may be a God, outside the jurisdiction of Hell's laws and punishment system... but nonetheless you are aligned and allied with Elysium. Any move you make against someone in Heaven of enough importance or rank could be taken as Elysium itself threatening an attack against Heaven... and you understand that Job will gladly turn a blind eye to the threat of the murderer for any chance or excuse of attacking Hell, either literally or politically."

The Drakkaren grimaced at this, rubbing at his face slowly, and then he asked sourly: "So why is it that people are willing to sacrifice entire worlds just so they can claim to have been right or feed their egos?"

"Because even angels feel drives and compulsions, hard as they try to deny it." Justice replied softly, and then she strode past Zerrex, grabbing his wrist and yanking him along as the reptile grunted in surprise, and both Maria and Anathema Sin traded looks before shrugging and following as Justice pulled the male along, saying clearly: "Come now, let's go find Celeste and Eratosthenes and then head to Acheron. I'm anxious to be done with the meat of the tasks so that we can begin planning and procedure. Actions, not words, Zerrex. It's time for action."

"Gods, you and Missy are going to get along just great." Zerrex muttered under his breath, as they emerged into the entrance hall... and Zerrex was surprised to see Jessica standing curiously next to Eratosthenes, who was sitting in the wheelchair and looking befuddled as Celeste stood silently behind him, her collar tightly locked around her neck... and on the other side of the Strange Beasts, Loki was frowning a bit, both his and the angel's hands glowing faintly.

They both looked up, and although Loki immediately gave Zerrex a sour look, there was a faint glimmer of relief in his eyes as well as he said mildly: "Took you long enough to get back here. What, you decide it was okay to stop and smell your fucking roses as a mortal?"

"He's your best friend, isn't he? Why do you act so callous?" Celeste asked curiously, and Loki turned beet-red, the glow around his hands stuttering out as Zerrex covered his muzzle to suppress his laughter when the otter creakily turned towards the Strange Beast, who only continued to look interested. "Oh. I see. You have my apologies."

Loki clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, and Zerrex giggled stupidly as he walked down the stairs, Justice, Anathema Sin, and Maria all in tow around him before the Drakkaren held up a hand, saying mildly: "You know-"

"Shut it." Loki growled at him, his black eyes sparking, and then he shook his head quickly before he looked down at Eratosthenes, muttering: "Anyway. You really did a number on this guy, Zerrex... his mind has been shattered into about a thousand little pieces. I've broken a few minds myself back in the old days... I am a trickster spirit, after all... but this is far beyond 'teaching someone a lesson.' I say we just let him stay a vegetable..."

"We shouldn't give up so easily." Jessica replied quietly, and the angel looked fearlessly across at the demigod even as the otter frowned darkly. "I've dealt with similar events in Heaven. It usually occurs when a Possession violently tears free from a host's mind... it's an event that used to happen sadly all too often. An angel would kill a higher-level demon's physical body, and the demon's spirit would rapidly possess the angel's body, made easier by exhaustion or trauma... and then it would simply rip free, dredging up all the victim's memories at once. The more memories there are, and the more emotional ties to them, the worse the mind is shattered. Did something similar happen here?"

"It was not Lord Zerrex. It was the monster, Negative. The Corrupter, when it tore free from the mind of Eratosthenes." Celeste said softly, and Zerrex glanced at her as she smiled faintly, touching her collar. "I remember from when we discussed it before, do not worry. I am... working harder to stay out of people's minds."

"Yeah. Sure you are." Loki muttered, but then he nodded a bit with a grumble. "Okay, so... admittedly, sometimes the wrong mind would get broken in one of my traps, or worse, Thor would decide what I was doing was wrong and would scold me and threaten to tell Dad on me, like the big stupid baby he is. I had an old process for fixing shattered minds, and while it won't completely restore this guy's brain, it'll restore some of the basic processes. But as the angel bitch here should know perfectly well, no matter how good our magic or medicine is, we can't entirely fix his mind. Even if we put it all back together he could remain a vegetable, hiding in there, too scared to come out or too traumatized to think straight."

"So are you willing or not to help, then? Because if not, get lost, and I'll do this myself." Jessica said forcefully, looking up at the demigod firmly, and Loki looked taken aback... and admittedly, even Zerrex was surprised by the female's sudden fierceness, before he smiled a little. Maybe Cindy is more like her mother than she thinks. "My duty is to help others. Obviously Zerrex wouldn't keep him around if he did not intend to help him. To offer him... a second chance."

Jessica looked thoughtful at her own words, glancing at the Drakkaren... and when the reptile nodded, she smiled a little before Loki sighed and crossed his arms, muttering: "Fine. I'll need time to gather the materials necessary, though... and Zerrex, I'd prefer to do this in Acheron or on the mortal world. Elysium's corruption might interfere somewhat with my abilities."

Zerrex nodded at this, saying softly: "That's fine, Loki, take the time you need. We're going to head to Acheron shortly, after I call my Disciples. Meet me there when you're ready."

Loki nodded to him, and the otter turned and snapped his fingers, vanishing in a puff of black smoke, and Zerrex rolled his eyes with a smile as Celeste studied Jessica curiously as the angel continued to move around Eratosthenes, examining him as her hands continued to pulse with soft light. Zerrex smiled a bit, reaching up to slowly squeeze the handle of Blackheart, the heavy sword still across his back but strangely-comforting right now as the mala jangled around his neck... and then he let his hand reach down to play with his latter, closing his eyes and concentrating quietly.

Portals opened, Disciples stepping into the Ravenlight Estate, and Cindy blushed awkwardly at the sight of her mother... but Jessica only motioned to her quickly and said softly: "Honey, come here and help me out a little, alright?"

The female nodded and approached, glowering a bit at Eratosthenes before her expression changed, softening as her eyes settled on the drooling features of the vegetative Strange Beast... and she reached out and silently touched the male's forehead, her old compassion surfacing as she murmured: "No one deserves this... his energy signature... he's in so much pain. But more than that, so much fear and desperation... and sadness..."

Cherry grimaced a bit from the side of the room, then she walked towards Zerrex, half-saluting him as Helena studied the two Strange Beasts, Celeste's eyes roving back and forth through the crowd with her odd, distant curiosity. "Boss, like... I know it's pretty out of character and shit for me to be responsible, but do you think you should make one last stop at the Central Spire or something before we go running off? I mean, Vivien's apparently been going pretty crazy, not that I've been able to keep track, and... she seemed kinda happy to see you, which was weird as shit but... not. And all."

Zerrex looked at her as she cleared her throat, then she grinned cheerfully, adding brightly: "And if you do fuck her, that means I can do whatever I want, because I'll be able to send the super-jealous-bitch High Queen after people to do my bidding and shit."

"Cherry, that line of logic makes absolutely no sense whatsoever." Zerrex said flatly, and Cherry huffed and grumbled at him as she crossed her arms, but then the Drakkaren nodded a bit as other portals opened and Missy smiled awkwardly, raising a hand to him from where she was standing with Serenity and Ambrosia, who were half-glaring at each other and keeping her between them. He rose a hand in return, then glanced at Cherry, saying mildly: "But okay. You go and help Missy out of there, and I'll make a quick jump to Vivien and see how she's doing. If everyone shows up and starts getting antsy, go ahead and take them to Acheron."

The muscular female nodded, and then she and Zerrex threw a fist out, easily bumping them together before then slapped their hands together, grasping each other's hands and grinning a bit as their muscles flexed... and then Cherry laughed and stepped backwards as Zerrex held up his hands with a slight smile, then vanished from the spot. He reappeared a moment later on the balcony of the Central Spire in front of an open set of doors, and the Amazon guards both knelt to him respectfully as the reptile walked through and into the surprisingly-quiet council chambers, Sabnock, White, Ixin, Amiglion and Vivien all clustered around the table, but not saying much.

The reptile frowned a bit as Vivien looked tiredly up, her robes fluttering around her as she stood with a sigh... and then she smiled faintly at him, saying quietly: "I was just about to send for you. Ixin has some bad news."

"Well, not the worst, but bad enough." Ixin said dryly, the mage grimacing and rubbing at his face slowly as the lizard approached the table. "Aera Cura's dead. Unlike the others, however, her body was drained of blood... and even if she was weak and a complete gold-digger, she was still a goddess, and there's a lot of very powerful things you can do with a goddess's blood with the right tools... and obviously whoever this guy is, he's got friends in high places."

Zerrex nodded slowly, and Vivien shook her head slowly, grasping at her skull. "This is a nightmare. Not only that, there's rioting around Elysium... the only good news is coming out Eslovius, that the Emperor was defeated in the coup and they'll be selecting a new head for their nation. I just hope it doesn't end up a dictatorship all over again... we have enough problems as it is right now, especially with these murders becoming more and more frequent."

The Drakkaren nodded, muttering: "I can't say I'm entirely upset about Aera Cura dying, considering how many people I actually liked have been mutilated this last while... but the fact he got to her is bad news indeed. Any other suspicious deaths?"

"There's always suspicious deaths in Hell, but none reported that would be of concern. The Historians are working overtime to keep things in order and even the Scholars are trying to put feelers out for this creature, but it moves silently and stealthily. I'm not sure what to do anymore." Vivien replied quietly, as Zerrex pulled a chair back and sat down at the council table. She looked at him for a few moments, tapping her fingers silently, and then she smiled a little, saying softly: "I just hope that with you back... things calm down a little around here."

"I think they've already begun to." Sabnock said softly, and Zerrex looked over at the wolverine with a bit of a smile as she gazed at him consideringly. "It's strange. I think, in a form, this cloaked monster has been demonstrating an aversion to you. It had every opportunity to kill you while you were imprisoned, and yet it did not... I cannot help but wonder why. Furthermore, the deaths obviously picked up only after you were taken out of commission. It has already displayed increased confidence, true, and yet it was not until you were removed from the equation that it began to go after closer members of your kin and family.

"The matter of the Metatron is also of some concern, especially with Holy Dervishes involved. Not merely because of the significant status the figure must have, as you have likely already figured out, but because such Dervishes do not ever go rogue and simply decide to serve a new master. They are entities designed with a singular purpose in mind, to serve the whims of a singular master: in a sense, they are very much soulless, very much mechanical." Sabnock said softly, looking down at the table for a moment before the wolverine's eyes looked grimly up to meet Zerrex's. "All these considerations in mind, I believe our opponent must be someone in the Heavenly Council. It must be someone who hates you and is of esteemed, high rank. I do not believe the Council itself works against you, despite the fact that they ordered the construction of a highly-illegal space station in an attempt to begin production of super-soldiers akin to those much like Lady Sephire, because Heaven does not profit from this as a whole. It must be an angel who is aloof from the Council. Who only cares about his own power, not about the ideals of God or Heaven."

"That..." Zerrex rubbed at the underside of his muzzle thoughtfully, glancing at White, and the badger looked mildly back at him. "Does Silven know of any angels like that? I know you and he are close..."

"I'll talk to him about it when I see him next, Lord Zerrex, but it's a conundrum. A lot of the Council is made of sycophants who follow Job's every word... and Warden, at least, follows Job around like a servant." He paused meditatively. "There are a few faces at the Council who have nothing to do with Heaven, though... Reapers who have been exiled from World Without End for not aiding in the battle against Camus, and holier-than-thou Divine Gods who think of Heaven as their playground and even Job has trouble keeping in line. I'd say talk to Sephire about it, too... but no one 'round here's seen her for a while now."

Zerrex nodded slowly, realizing he hadn't seen Raze either... and the Drakkaren reached up to toy absently with his mala before he smiled awkwardly. "Sorry about the armor, by the way... Iron... just kind of pointed at me and melted it, though. Do you want the boots back, at least? They're not much but... maybe you can melt the metal down and re-use it."

White only smiled a little at this, however, shaking his head and saying softly: "No thanks, Lord Zerrex. The armor was made for you... and you put it to better use than I thought you would, truth be told. You made it last that whole campaign against Eratosthenes you fought as a mortal and it served its purpose fine in making sure you got back here in one piece. That's all that matters at the end of the day."

"Thanks... and thanks for... keeping your promise, too. I hope Cindy didn't hurt you too much." Zerrex said lamely, rubbing at the scarred side of his own face, and White only laughed a little at this, shaking his head slowly.

"She's got spirit, I'll say that." He reached up and touched the bandage over his face gingerly. "She fought me harder than most anything I fought while I was alive, and I made the mistake of not taking her too seriously at first. Guess I just made her even more mad at the end of the day."

He paused, then nodded a bit, exchanging a glance with Sabnock... and the wolverine looked musing before she asked: "Perhaps this is a strange thought... but what do you think of the idea of granting Mengele Tstegi a temporary reprieve from prison in order to aid in the design of several traps and security systems? Whenever we have used him in the past he has proved exceptionally helpful... volatile, and he must be kept on a short leash, but he seems to have a deep respect for you and moreover, has developed an odd loyalty to both myself and White."

"It's because you're such ordered figures." Zerrex said mildly, smiling slightly as he glanced over the two with entertainment, and Sabnock tilted her head with interest at this as White simply pulled a book out of his duster, leaning back and reading a bit even as his gold-ringed eyes flicked up towards Zerrex to show he was still listening, at least a bit. "For as nutty and chaotic as Mengele seems, he likes things to be neat and in perfect order. You and White are... a little... OCD about that."

White shrugged a bit, and Sabnock shook her head and sighed quietly as Zerrex grinned lamely, and then he looked towards Vivien, who was frowning slightly as she leaned on her arms. "Well, what do you think? You're the High Queen here."

"Allowing Ambrosia out of prison made me nervous enough as it was... but Mengele is a psychopath and a murderer, and well-deserves being thrown in a Pit of Torment. If anything, I think White was too lenient with him." Vivien awkwardly glanced towards the badger, but he only shrugged again, and the Celestial Devil sighed a little as she rubbed at her face. "Then again, he has done good in the past... and Sabnock has mentioned more than once that with the proper motivation, he is more than capable of preserving life as well as destroying it. He was also already permitted out to aid in the evidence gathering in the Centrifuge and admittedly helped us make several large steps forwards with the analysis there... but I don't want him free to walk around Hell. He has to either be under strict guard and watch or in Acheron, and whenever he's on the mortal planet or somewhere else, I want him under the eye of trusted Disciples of yours at all times, understood? And Cindy and Priest both have to look over and approve any plans he makes... the last thing we need is more problems in the form of toxic gas or some kind of genetic virus."

Zerrex grunted, nodding after a moment towards her before Ixin waved a hand, and all eyes turned to him as he said mildly: "You know, with enough materials, the mage council and I could construct a puppet army, too. A few hundred golems would help a lot keeping everything around here safe and secure, right? And hell, you could even key them to following the orders of someone other than me."

"You just can't stand it when people are better than you and your magic, can you?" Zerrex asked mildly, and Ixin bristled and huffed before he leapt up on top of his chair, pulling his flute out of the holster at his side and spinning it rapidly before he thrusted it into the air above his head.

"No one is better than me! Not even you!" He pointed at Vivien, glaring down at her sternly, and Vivien glared at him as her eyes glowed slightly, the mage immediately wincing and dropping down onto his ass in the chair... which promptly snapped beneath him, sending the mage crashing to the ground with a squeak as his eyes watered, grabbing the sides of it and whimpering a little. "I think I just cracked my ass in half. Someone kiss it better?"

Zerrex rolled his eyes, then he looked around at the table before glancing over at Amiglion, who had remained quiet the entire time. He tilted his head towards the High Prince, who had his mask locked over his features, either deep asleep or blanking out... and then Vivien glanced absently to the side before she shook her head a bit, looking away and saying mildly: "He's been running ragged, trying to do the jobs of Lily, Selena, and Mercy while you've been gone. Lily's off in Acheron with Selena now and Mercy, well... was very distracted. There wasn't... overmuch to do, but it was enough to keep him busy all the time... and for a Naganatine, he's a little easy to tire out."

"In bed!" Ixin exclaimed, and then he winced when Vivien only looked at him sourly. "You have no sense of cultural humor, do you?"

Zerrex shook his head a bit, and then he stood up from the table and reached behind himself to absently squeeze the handle of his sword, saying mildly: "Well, I'm going to head to Acheron, anyway. I think at this point... we have to use everything we have at our disposal, to ensure that we all stay safe. Mengele, golems, even things I'd normally balk at..." The Drakkaren looked down for a moment, then he shook his head quickly. "Anyway. Thanks, all of you. After I get everyone settled and figure out some plans for the future, I'll send Lily, Selena, and Mercy back here."

The others nodded, and then Vivien stood up, but she only smiled awkwardly at him... and Zerrex smiled a little back before he headed towards the open doors leading out onto one of the four balconies around the Spire. Once there, however, he hesitated for a moment... and instead quietly approached the railing, gazing down into the vast distance, looking silently over the world of Hell and towards the dreamy purple horizon.

Footsteps approached quietly, and then Sabnock stepped up beside him and leaned on the railing as well, the two looking over Elysium before she said softly: "Something else is bothering you, Lord Zerrex. Tell me... what is it?"

Zerrex glanced towards her... and then he sighed a bit as he rubbed at the back of his head for a moment, Blackheart quietly sparking along his back before he gazed towards the horizon and murmured softly: "A lot of things are, Sabnock. A lot of things are. For example... Negative is back inside me, but he's been... angry and vengeful. He let my powers get taken away despite the fact Eratosthenes was almost treated like a toy... despite the fact he was able to turn his mind inside-out. And this murderer... we have so many theories, but nothing solid to work off of, and nothing really... good... to go on. Once I get everyone settled in Acheron, I'm going to explore the Centrifuge myself, and look through the mortal planet a little as well... I feel like we're still missing something, and like this murderer's intentions... they're not what we think they are. Or at least, his boss has bigger plans than it seems like... but why me? Why is it always me, Sabnock? Why do I attract trouble and why is it that I..."

He fell into brooding silence, dropping his head in his arms, and the wolverine reached out and rested a hand on his back, the reptile glancing over at her with surprise as she smiled faintly. "The greatest struggles are given to those with the brightest destinies. It's a saying the Reapers are very fond of... apparently Thanatos himself felt that to be true, after all.

"I understand that it is hard. Just as I understand you feel undeserving of what surrounds you, and as if in some way, you are taking advantage of the situation when you truly are not. Just as I also have come to understand that you fear Negative, not because he is inside you, but because of what he can influence you to do: yet do not forget many of us still look up to you for a reason, still band with you... for a reason. We have chosen to be here for you, Zerrex. Do not ever forget that." She stopped, then looked quietly ahead again as she rubbed slowly along his spine. "We have faced great difficulty, and suffered worse in some ways than we did under the reign of the false Princess, the Goddess. We have lost friends and family. But none of us are willing to turn away from you and none of us will give up until we put these problems we face to an end.

"And yes. Even after this destroyer is jailed or killed, there is still a great chance that in the future, we shall face further difficulties. Especially being by your side... you are hated by Heaven, there are groups in Hell who still wish for your demise, and you have been a powerful god for long enough now to begin attracting the attention of other gods, who fear or hate or envy you for foolish reasons... just as the mortals in their space stations do, thinking of themselves as better, superior, living in more-righteous ways and entitled to glories they have not nearly earned." Sabnock gestured towards the sky quietly, and the beautiful blue planet in the far distance, as Zerrex smiled faintly up towards the darkening ceiling of the world above. "This does not bring me anxiety, however, or concern. All that concerns me at this point and time is the welfare of my friends and family, and to me, you have become both. We cannot control what will happen, Lord Zerrex, nor can we simply ignore or evade or forever stay on the defensive, as you well know yourself, simply because of the pain that interacting with the world often brings. Just as I know you would not trade that pain away if you could, because you know that it has taught you much, and will continue to both instruct you and even help you to persevere, to grow stronger, to learn more about life and to harden your resolve. You have earned what you have around you. Never forget that for all your happiness and your blessings, you have earned it through the labors of pain and strife and dedicated work."

Sabnock stopped, then she looked towards him again and said softly: "I see myself as your friend, and as a concubine, Lord Zerrex, one of very few who remain loyal to you. A servant, in the terms of Elysium, who will perform a variety of functions for the person she or he owes a debt to, a position of honor not entirely unlike Iuratus culture in Hez'Ranna, which you favor so highly. I understand that Helena is a concubine as well, but of a different sort, a more primal nature: my services to you are more in the form of counselor and administrator, and advisor and friend. I am here for you. Please do not ever forget that."

The wolverine looked at him, hesitating visibly... and then she awkwardly gave him a small, almost businesslike hug before stepping back and half-bowing to him. Then she simply looked at him silently, and Zerrex gazed back at her before he took her face in his hands, kissing her forehead, then her lips in blessing, and his fingers slid down to squeeze into her shoulders as he said quietly: "I couldn't ask for a better friend and advisor, Sabnock. Thank you. For reminding my high-maintenance self that it's all worth it... and that it's not all gloom and doom."

"Unlike many, I do not ignore the responsibilities and obligations of my position even as your friend." Sabnock said quietly, nodding towards him seriously, and Zerrex couldn't help but smile amusedly as he reached up to flick one of her suit buttons open, and she gave a little grimace as her hands went up and dexterously closed it without sparing even a glance downwards. "Please refrain from that."

"You... refrain." Zerrex said lamely, and then he cleared his throat awkwardly and rubbed at his face before he smiled down at her, extending a hand towards her. "Want to come with me to Acheron?"

"I have court duties to attend to, Lord Zerrex. Although I do appreciate the offer." Sabnock responded softly, and then she surveyed the lizard for a few moments before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small charm made of woven silver threads overtop a miniature rune carved from ivory, tiny, perfectly-round gemstones hanging from the bottom of the runic symbol for Zerrex's name. "Here. I had this made for you. Please accept this token of my affection, and remember that I'm always here for you."

Zerrex smiled warmly at this, deeply touched as he took it... and then he hesitated for a moment as he gazed down at it, the wolverine looking at him curiously before he held a hand out. "Can I see your watch for a moment?"

Sabnock nodded, pulling out her silver pocketwatch and holding it out towards the Drakkaren... and Zerrex popped it open, gazing over it with a smile before he carefully grasped the lid with both hands, and the wolverine cocked her head as the Drakkaren's palms glowed blue... and when he held it back to her, he smiled embarrassedly, mumbling: "I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds..."

Sabnock took it, looking silently down at the inside cover: it pulsed faintly with the Drakkaren's energies, and an image of himself and the wolverine was now perfectly embossed over it, of him standing with his arm around the Devil's shoulders, illustrated down to the last detail and faintly tinged with color. Sabnock only stared at this for the longest time, and Zerrex winced a little... and then a single tear rolled down the wolverine's cheek before she said softly: "It is wonderful. Thank you."

The tear froze over her cheek, then she smiled faintly up at him, and the ice broke and fell away as if it had never been there as Zerrex gazed at her softly... and she reached a hand up hesitantly before touching his chest, closing the pocketwatch but clutching it tightly as she studied him for a few moments... and then she nodded a bit, saying softly: "I will join you in Acheron when I am finished with court."

With that, she glanced to the side, a portal opening... and Zerrex smiled softly at the wolverine's back as she vanished through this before the Drakkaren shook his head with a quiet laugh... and a moment later, he vanished from the spot, reappearing in the jungles of Hez'Ranna as a Draybeast glanced sharply up, the enormous, quadrupedal creature growling a bit, its shaggy fur bristling before the huge beast padded slowly away into the underbrush, the Drakkaren watching this with entertainment before his instincts screamed at him.

Zerrex half-spun around just before an angel collided with him, knocking the lizard crashing onto his back before he half-rolled with a curse to a kneel, snarling as he reached up and grasped Blackheart's handle, and his eyes widened in shock as the angel shouted furiously into his headset: "Alpha team, engage! We've been made! Repeat, we've been made!"

"What the hell are angels doing sneaking around the jungle?" Zerrex snarled, and then he grinned a bit when he stood up as the angel snapped a knife off his belt, and the black blade gleamed before golden flames leapt up from it, the plain-looking dagger transforming into a sword of glowing energy as the angel's white wings flapped once behind him before furling tightly. "Oh, I don't think so, this is my home turf."

Zerrex glanced down at the ground, and the angel cursed in frustration as vines erupted from the earth and wrapped around his legs, thorns ripping out of them and making him arch his back before purple veins pulsed their way rapidly through his body even as he began to raise his knife, and he began to choke loudly, foaming at the jaws even as Zerrex sensed other angels in the trees and underbrush around him, and his eyes flicked back and forth as he shouted coldly: "Give up! Anywhere else you might stand half a chance but I can summon plant life loaded to the brim with neurotoxins strong enough to paralyze even pissed-off gods here."

The reptile sensed them hesitating as he returned his eyes to the angel in front of him, a white-furred rodent of some kind who now had turned mostly purple, his eyes rolling in his head and his entirely body swollen like a balloon with too much air in it. Painful and humiliating, but far from lethal, as his arm wobbled above his head, fingers like sausages clutching his knife even as the flames spluttered out of being from the weapon... and Zerrex gritted his teeth: headsets, black berets and tight black clothes - now stretched thin from how swollen his body was - and small packs strapped tightly to the belt around his waist and the bandolier over his chest... they were dressed like special forces members, not angels from Heaven, and the reptile knew that was a bad sign. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Grenade out!" shouted one of the angels suddenly, and Zerrex's eyes widened before he leapt backwards and created a shield of energy in front of himself as an explosive was lobbed from a nearby tree, and the grenade exploded a moment later with a powerful bang, flame erupting upwards and covering the paralyzed angel, making him scream weakly and twitch violently as white phosphorous covered the trees and ground. Zerrex winced in pain, clearly hearing the howls of the plant life and the very soil beneath his feet as the flames greedily began to spread, and the reptile snarled before he pointed at an angel that began to run towards him.

One of the massive trees bent slightly, sweeping a branch upwards, and the angel was batted backwards like a toy by it with a squeal of surprise as several other angels charged through the trees around him, gunfire erupting towards him but most of the bullets only plowing into trees and underbrush as Zerrex cursed and staggered backwards, then slammed an elbow behind himself without looking as he heard heavy breathing. It slammed into the muzzle of a tall fox, who gargled as his head snapped to the side before Zerrex yanked his sword off his back, rolling his shoulders without turning around and fanning the blade out behind him to rip a deep swathe through the vulpine's chest to send him crashing to the ground with a gurgle of pain.

The Drakkaren turned around and stomped on his chest to finish him, shattering his ribs and not killing him, but leaving him on a very thin line between life and death before the reptile ran past him and deeper into the forest, sensing at least four hostile angels still following behind him and smelling smoke from the greedily spreading flames... and cursing at the pain that filled his head, the Drakkaren threw a hand suddenly upwards, and the sky above rumbled before clouds began to rapidly draw together, water from nearly streams and rivers spilling into the air and vanishing into gas as the cloud deepened and darkened and crackled overhead. That's one problem dealt with... now...

The Drakkaren suddenly leapt upwards, landing in the bough of an old tree before he dropped to one knee and spun around, and the dead branches around him sprung into vibrant life with a burst of green and yellow, rustling faintly before they fell still, surrounding him comfortably... and the lizard grinned a bit before the angels passed below him. Two of them held heavy machine guns, and one of them a handgun, while the last was wearing some kind of special goggles over his face and had large, metallic gloves on that sparked with electricity that even from this distance, made Zerrex's body twitch... and the reptile took a slow breath before he leapt silently down from the trees and followed behind them, moving through the jungle without making a sound as the trees and bushes and grass silently parted for him while seeming to subtly become thicker in front of the angels, slowing their movements and keeping their attention focused ahead before the Drakkaren managed to sneak up behind one and he slammed the hilt of his sword into the back of his head with a thick crack.

The angel gargled, blood leaking out from under his goggles before he fell to his knees, then slumped forwards on his face as the other angels turned around... and as their eyes widened, Zerrex winked before he stomped a foot into the ground, and cages of rock and vine ripped out of the earth as branches slammed down around them, smacking into them from all sides and caging them tightly as they yelped, their guns torn from their hands and limbs instantly constricted as the Drakkaren slipped Blackheart onto his back and crossed his arms, saying disgustedly: "Taking on a God in his own jungle. You guys must be really, really stupid."

"Fucking... this is all your fucking fault!" shouted one of the angels angrily, glaring at a tall dolphin, who only glowered back in irritation. "Stupid fucking sea-cow!"

"I'm not a goddamn manatee!" the dolphin shouted angrily, and the cetacean glared back at the tall boar, the reptile smiling in amusement before his eyes glanced towards the third caught in his trap, watching as the rabbit flicked his wrist and produced a hidden blade, quickly starting to cut himself free from the vines wrapped around him... and with a simple raise of his hand, Zerrex made the earth rise higher and squeeze tighter around the three prisoners, all of them wincing and gargling as a branch ground against the boar's face and knocked his headset off, the rabbit hissing as he fumbled the short razor and one of his wings was slowly bent painfully backwards.

"Nice try, guys, but you can't distract me that easily. Now, here's the deal. Start talking and tell me what the hell you're doing here, or I'm going to fill you with ten times the amount of poison I shoved into your barbecued friend back there." Zerrex said mildly... and thunder crackled over his head before rain began to fall, and the reptile felt the jungle around him sigh with quiet relief as water spilled over the spreading flames: it wouldn't be quite as effective on the chemical fire, but it would at least stop it from progressing into a full-blown wildfire through the jungle, and the reptile smiled a little as he gazed up silently, not a drop of rain touching his body, water instead seeming to bend through the air around him.

The rabbit, with his back turned, only grumbled as the other two angels stared in shock at this sight, and Zerrex crossed his arms moodily as he returned his eyes to them. "Like I was bragging before, this is my turf. Now hurry the hell up and spill the beans before I turn you three into circus balloons."

The two angels looked uneasily at each other, and then the angel on the ground stirred with a groan, his gauntlets sparking quietly in the rainfall... and Zerrex glanced absently down at him before he concentrated, and vines ripped out of the ground, lashing around him and holding him firmly in place as rock and dirt burst upwards and spilled over the gauntlets, making them spark violently before they were muffled beneath the non-conductive soil and stone. The angel cursed weakly, shuffling a bit before he moaned, and then he mumbled tiredly: "Shit, shit, shit... where... where are we?"

"Where you're going to be is hell if someone doesn't tell me something soon." Zerrex said irritably, and then he glanced up as the rabbit began to recite something... before the Drakkaren groaned and rolled his eyes as he realized it was an ancient verse of Enochian poetry. "Okay, fine, you can be my first example."

He snapped his fingers, and thorns tore out of the vines around the rabbit, the boar and dolphin both wincing as the rabbit gargled, foam spilling out of his jaws as purple veins slowly spilled through his body... and then his form rapidly began to swell up, bloating horribly and bulging enough to strain the vines around him, digging the thorns all the deeper and making the rock and stone tremble, dust hissing down quietly as the rain continued to patter over them, before he whimpered weakly... and Zerrex couldn't help but grin slightly before he turned his eyes to the other two.

The dolphin clenched his eyes shut, saying firmly: "No, no, do your worst you son of a bitch! We ain't gonna confess to anything or give you any information... we're loyal, right? Right?"

The boar looked unnerved... and Zerrex snapped his fingers again, and the dolphin gargled as thorns tore into his body before he convulsed weakly, purple veins spilling through his rubbery skin before it began to stretch and crack in places as foam dribbled from his jaws and the wheezing blowhole in the top of his skull, his beret toppling from his head as he shivered... and Zerrex looked meditatively at the boar before he said slowly: "You do realize that even if you don't talk, I'm just going to have my angry psychic daughter rip your brains apart for information afterwards. Did I... not mention that before? I guess I should have mentioned that before, it might have... inspired you to talk instead of resisting."

The reptile rubbed at his face meditatively... and then the boar glanced down with a wince, mumbling: "No way. I... I ain't talking. There's nothing you can do to make me talk."

The Drakkaren looked at him thoughtfully for a few moments... and then he held up his hand, and the boar winced back fearfully... and then Zerrex simply lowered it, saying mildly: "Fine. I guess we'll just do this the hard way."

He began to reach up for his mala... and then a vortex opened beside the lizard, Zerrex looking up in surprise before Marina walked through with a warm smile, approaching him and hugging him fiercely as she murmured softly: "It's wonderful to see you, Daddy. I knew you'd come back... I knew you'd be safe. I was a patient girl, and a good girl for you while you were gone... I knew that you would call on me when the time was right, and I'm so very glad you did, even if it's just to help with... such pathetic little creatures..."

A frown spread across her face as she glanced towards the angels, and as Zerrex glanced at her, he realized that like him, no rain ever touched her... and she smiled lovingly at him as if to answer his question before her eyes glowed faintly, and the boar screamed in agony, Zerrex wincing before Marina said quietly: "Sorry, Daddy. They're better than anticipated... an anti-telepathy rune I just removed, as well as mental shielding..."

Zerrex grimaced a bit as the boar sobbed once weakly, then gasped as his eyes rolled and a patch of flesh and fur and skull lifted slowly from the back of his head, floating to the side and dropping to the ground as he clenched his eyes shut as tears of pain rolled down his cheeks... and then Marina smiled slightly, saying quietly: "They were sent by the Heavenly Council. They call themselves Insurers, they're part of a military group that uses mostly-illegal mortal technology as well as divine implements. Middle-class spies and stealth operatives... they were supposed to erase any evidence of the Council in the Centrifuge. They were keeping on the move through the jungle to avoid being detected by Hez'Rannan forces or any demons from Elysium: they met a contact earlier who gave them information on what evidence remained, a scientist who quickly fled somewhere into the country, but should not be entirely difficult to find, Daddy..."

She paused meditatively, looking at the boar as he rasped weakly for breath, and Zerrex grimaced a bit before he said moodily: "I should leave these four for the Great Spiders. Not that the Great Spider Mothers actually kill, mind you... they just paralyze their prey, and then let their babies feed. Do you know how fast a swarm of Great Spider babies can consume a Draybeast, one of those giant shaggy animals that wanders around here? Ten minutes. They could probably eat one of you in five if they were hungry enough."

The boar whimpered as the other angels struggled weakly, against both the bonds and their own bloated paralysis... and then Zerrex rolled his eyes before he simply held a hand up, concentrating, and then he grimaced when the four angels vanished, the prisons of tree and rock and vine collapsing as dust and grass blew quietly up from the ground. Marina only smiled, however, even as Zerrex stumbled a bit and felt an ache tear through his mind, saying quietly: "It was good of you to send them home... and hopefully it will serve as a strong reminder to Heaven as well."

The Drakkaren only grunted a bit, then he glanced awkwardly over his shoulder... but Marina shook her head slowly, saying quietly: "They have been burned and the jungle has already claimed them as its victims. Come, Father... you have already done more than you needed to for them. Let us head to Acheron now... at least you know that the Council is feeling pressured by whatever secrets lay inside the Centrifuge, but there will be time later to further explore it."

Zerrex nodded hesitantly, and then he let Marina pull him gently through the trees, feeling the jungle whispering around him as water beat a gentle rhythm against the leaves and thunder rumbled overhead: not ominously, but in a strange and protective growl that made the jungle whisper softly and tenderly in return as massive trees swayed and bushes shivered. Sky and earth, opposed and yet forever intertwined... and Zerrex closed his eyes with a bit of a smile at these thoughts as Marina approached a stream, wading into it, the water ripping around them as the rain continued to fall and Zerrex reached up to squeeze the hilt of his sword slowly, standing side-by-side in a patch of water that was still and calm as all around them, the stream rippled, burbled, and bounced with raindrops and an ever-chaotic flow.

Then the two dove forwards, and emerged a moment later into Acheron, pushing through the surface of the deep bowl with a grunt before the reptile shook his head quickly... and the moment he stepped into the dimension, he could feel the energy in the air building and reverberating, cracks in buildings snapping together and the ground rumbling as slumping stone around the island snapped upwards and leveled out.

A moment after the Drakkaren stepped out of the pool, Earth appeared beside him and hugged him fiercely... and then Epiphany appeared as well, almost tackling him back into the water and laughing warmly as she cried: "Daddy! Oh Daddy, I'm so glad you're okay! I was so scared, but I stayed here with the others and helped... just like you would have wanted, Daddy..."

She hugged him tightly again, and Zerrex hugged her and Earth back as the latter female only clung to him, breathing hard, not needing any words... and then they finally pulled back, and the Drakkaren smiled faintly from one to the other as in the enormous square below, Drakkai and others pointed towards him, some cheering and shouting, others holding up their arms, some even praying and murmuring blessings as the god of the pocket dimension returned.

Zerrex sat quietly in the Palace: he had cheated a little and rebuilt a bit more of it with his powers while neatening up the damages that had happened during his absence when his powers had been lost, but even Earth hadn't complained. Zerrex had also been forced to once again expand the island, adding another block of massive stone buildings and streets: they were stretching their capacity after all, and the Drakkaren had figured that if he had his powers back, he might as well go ahead and put them to use in making everyone as comfortable as he could.

Sephire and Raze had been hiding out here, surprisingly enough: the reptile had been glad to find them both, however, and doing okay. They had left Elysium mostly to get away from angelic messengers and Lord's insistence they should both come back to Heaven while such problems were going on... and it was pretty obvious the main reason neither grouchy goddess nor godling had wanted to return was mostly because Lord had asked them to. They were stubborn and strong-willed and the kind of people who dug their feet in when told to do something, just for the sake of it... and Zerrex thought that Lord still didn't exactly get that even after all these years.

Sammy had also rejoined the Drakkaren, popping into existence on his shoulder and savagely attacking the reptile's head until he'd finally torn him off and punted him halfway across the dimension, but being an undead little beast, Sammy had just teleported back to him and growled at him in Cherry's voice until Zerrex had finally apologized. Now the pseudodragon was curled contentedly around his neck, and Mahihko and Lone sat on either side of Zerrex's chair, the two wolves sleeping soundly on the extra-large pillow-beds that had been set up for them as the reptile sat quietly back in his armchair, Mahihko with a large Zerrex plush snuggled to his chest and Lone with his head on a stuffed Vampire toy.

Whatever misgivings they'd had and he'd had, they were now all forgotten. The two obviously missed and longed for their sister... but Jeannine was gone, and most of all, he knew the two wanted to see her memory avenged and the monster that had taken her away from them caged. Zerrex didn't know if they knew about Elliot and Little Arcy being dead, and didn't know if he had the heart to tell either of them... and he closed his eyes as he bowed his head forwards, the room in front of him empty except for a long table that sat near the far wall, with a chair on either side of this and books stacked over it, all of them written in ancient Hez'Rannan runes.

The reptile carefully slipped to his feet: he only had his pants and mala on now, and the Drakkaren turned around, gazing affectionately from one lupine to the other before he shook his head a bit, reaching up to pull the skeletal, sleeping pseudodragon gently loose and setting him down on the chair. He chirped quietly, but then only snuggled up closer into the cushioning, the reptile laughed a little before he turned around, walking quietly towards the doorway and knowing that as much as he wanted to just nap quietly here with the wolves, he had a lot to do, and every second that passed was another second the murderer could take to his advantage. Several hours ago, he had already sent Cindy, Cherry, Marina, and Mist and Shine out to the Centrifuge, to check it for damage... and then he had healed the ailing Dray, who had been suffering spiritual rejection from the dragon god's body until Zerrex had restored some of his energies and his link as Disciple.

It seemed almost all his Disciples had been ill or suffering from mania brought on by the corruption they'd been exposed to over the years... and Zerrex slowly examined his right hand as he walked down the corridor, wondering silently if Negative really was the same stuff that he had seen in Creation's memories... and if he was infecting others now with the same Chimera cells that had turned Creation and Life into such monsters, that had destroyed the First Gods and forced them to quarantine and ravage their own home.

He shook his head a bit as he knocked on a door on instinct, and it opened a moment later, revealing Maria, Daria, and Mercy all inside, gazing up at him affectionately. They sat around a small den room, and there was a large, square bundle on the table... and even though Daria was still blushing a bit, she seemed to have visibly regained some of her old glow and confidence, and Zerrex smiled a bit at this before he said softly: "So there was something you wanted to talk to me about, you said?"

"I should have brought it up earlier, grandfather, but I was just so glad to see you... and while I know it's important, I'm not yet sure how important it is." the Broken said softly, walking over to the table and sitting down in one of the chairs, and Zerrex followed her curiously, pulling out the last chair and then frowning as Maria pointed at the package, saying quietly: "Look at this."

Zerrex reached out and grabbed it... and immediately, his energies reacted, making him flail a bit and half-shove it away, but Mercy caught it as Maria blushed a bit and Daria smiled awkwardly, Zerrex looking at his hands with a grimace of surprise. "It feels like it's been in contact with Unworld essence... not enough to leave any residue behind, but enough to have altered it slightly..."

Maria nodded as Mercy gently pushed it back towards him, and the reptile took it with a grimace the way his scales crawled at the touch of the package, leaning over it and frowning a bit as he saw a large shipping tag taped to the top of the box... and his eyes widened in surprise as he muttered: "'Care of Theophilius Carter, The Unworld...' he... he actually sent us a package after all?"

"And again, somehow it ended up sitting on the front step of the Ravenlight Estate, and no one detected it until Mercy almost tripped over it." Maria said softly, and Mercy smiled awkwardly as she rubbed at the side of her head embarrassedly. Zerrex looked around at the three incredulously, and Maria smiled a little. "Now, I understand that we all may have been... preoccupied... but this is the second time he's managed to pass in and out of the Unworld to Elysium, avoiding every security precaution and defense, and leave us something. Something larger than a letter, this time, as well... although none of us have quite had the courage to open it, grandfather. I'm glad that... we did not have to, at the end of the day. That you returned to... have the honor of opening it yourself, as it is addressed to you."

Zerrex looked at the top of the package again and realized she was right... and he grimaced a bit before he hesitantly grasped the ugly grey string that was tied in a neat bow around the top, breathing a little harder... and then he grimaced a bit before tugging slowly on the bow, loosening it before he pulled the string carefully away from the cloth-wrapped box.

The fabric half-fell away, and when Zerrex touched the simple cardboard beneath, he was surprised to feel not a trace of Unworld residue on it... and the Drakkaren frowned a bit as he pulled the fabric away and slid it to Maria, asking her curiously: "Is there anything weird about that?"

She tilted her head curiously as she picked the fabric up, testing it in her hands... and then she frowned a bit as her hands boiled with black, unnatural energies, and the fabric only shook a bit before she muttered: "Strange... it seems to have some kind of powerful energy running through it, so it absorbs and negates Unworld essence. I've never seen this before... even the special armor kept at the Unworld Manse only repels Unworld essence and is made of very solid, very rare materials... but this would be able to survive for a very long time even in the atmosphere of the Unworld. It's not very strong, Unworld Beings would likely shred it apart to feast off the energy it emits, but... it would withstand and negate residue quite well."

"Quite." Zerrex muttered, rubbing at his face thoughtfully, and then he carefully reached out and opened the top of the cardboard box... before he frowned a bit as leaned forwards and looked down into it, then dumbly pulled out a large, elongated teapot. It stood very tall, almost giving it a strange oval shape, with a dome-shaped top that snugly fit over it and a wide, long spout that looked like a snobbishly-upturned nose. The handle was black and thick and made of a substance Zerrex couldn't identify with a smooth and comfortable grip, and it was otherwise very plain and unornamented.

He put it down on the table, the other females looking as flummoxed as he was before the Drakkaren dug in the cardboard box... and a moment later pulled out a simple, small teacup on a saucer, a silver teaspoon clinking inside it quietly as the reptile put this aside... and then he turned the cardboard box upside down and looked up into it, surprised there wasn't anything else. He dropped the box off to the side after a moment, then stared at this, before saying slowly: "He sent me a teapot."

"He sent you a teapot." Daria echoed, and she blushed a bit when Zerrex glanced at him before Maria leaned forwards and touched it lightly with a frown as she put the resilient fabric aside on the table. "Maybe there's something inside?"

Zerrex nodded thoughtfully, reaching out and pulling the lid of the pot open before he tilted it towards himself... and he frowned a bit as he saw a piece of paper that was just waiting to be plucked out. The reptile reached in and dumbly removed this, flipping it open and looking curiously down at it before reading clearly: "'Dear Zerrex. I hope this finds you in good health and I apologize for taking so long to get this to you. I believe it holds all the answers you requested, and you must treat it with great care and solemnity, for all joyous occasions must be taken extremely seriously. Simply think of what you want and pour, and you shall be rewarded. I look forwards to seeing you and Miss Maria-Not-Serviteur at the party I shall be hosting whenever you finally arrive: do not worry about being late or early, as it does not start until you get here, which is precisely when my tea-time ends. Your good friend, but not your friend good, Theophilius Carter. P.S. Please bring scones if you wish to eat them. Thank you."

"So he's insane." Daria said flatly, and Mercy gave a nod of agreement as her stitched muzzle wrinkled, and Maria shook her head slowly as Zerrex put the letter aside and instead turned the teapot upside down, shaking it firmly.

Nothing more came out... and the reptile sighed a bit before he turned it right-side up and put the domed top back on. He frowned a little, picking it up and tilting it experimentally... and nothing happened, even when the reptile tilted it almost upside down over the table, before Maria suggested: "Perhaps you should try over the cup, grandfather?"

"Perhaps you should not call me that. But maybe... remember how his other teapot worked?" Zerrex frowned a bit as he poured over the cup... and nothing came out. The Drakkaren grimaced, putting it back down before he looked at it, and then he said clearly: "Coffee."

This time when the Drakkaren poured, coffee spilled out: and not simply black coffee, but the tawny almond of what was clearly two cream, two sugars in perfect amount, Zerrex staring in surprise as this filled the cup to the brim before it simply halted completely... and the reptile dumbly stirred it once with the spoon as he put the kettle aside before carefully raising the small silver utensil to his muzzle and sipping at it absently... and then he muttered: "Wow. It's exactly the way I like it... a little sweet with an under-taste, just like in my favorite place back in Valise City..."

"So the answer to all life's problems is coffee?" Daria asked dubiously, and Zerrex shrugged a bit as he picked the teacup up and sipped from it slowly, and the demoness frowned a bit as she rubbed at her head slowly. "Are you sure that... Theophilius is... I dunno..."

"I know what it seems like, but I think he's a very important piece of this puzzle." Maria said softly, rubbing at her face slowly as she murmured: "Remember, he could see Negative, and Negative tried to hurt him... and more importantly... he seems to know things, things about the First Gods. Answers to questions that I know must still be in your mind, grand... I mean, Zerrex."

She smiled awkwardly at him, and he shook his head a bit, sipping at the coffee slowly again and murmuring: "Never got out of that old habit, did you? But... yeah. I mean, I know what happened to the First Gods now, but... there's still blanks. Large gaps in the telling, and all of it from... what seems like Negative's point of view, in a sense, so it's biased and who knows what's true or not? And like it or not... it didn't tell me much about the Strange Beasts, except that there's a lot more of them than I thought at first. Sure, we got rid of Eratosthenes... and maybe if we get his brain functional again, we can convince him to order the Strange Beasts he's gathered up to go away, and him to leave with them for one of the countless worlds out there that have yet to develop intelligent life. But I don't think somehow that this is magically going to be the end of our problems with the creatures... after all, remember Celeste? She was talking about how the Strange Beasts had turned on the higher-ups... saw them as traitors, were born 'godless,' I think she phrased it. That worries me a lot."

The others nodded, and Zerrex finished down his coffee before he looked into the empty cup... and then reared his head back when it steamed lightly before becoming completely spotless, and the lizard whistled a bit as he brought the cup up to his muzzle and sniffed at it, but there wasn't a single trace of coffee left over as he muttered: "Damn. Auto-cleansing. At the very least Theophilius has some explaining to do about how he acts so nuts all the time but obviously has one hell of a grasp on all kinds of magic."

Mercy nodded at this, then signed a few gestures towards Zerrex, the reptile looking up at her curiously... and he grunted, raising a hand and seesawing it back and forth. "I'm on the fence about what he is right now. There's a few possibilities and I'm not yet willing to rule any of them out."

Daria and Maria looked at each other for a moment, then they both nodded before Zerrex sighed a bit, looking at the teapot and swirling it absently, making something inside clink quietly before he muttered: "I dunno... Frost Cola?"

Then he tilted the teapot over the cup, and cola spilled out and into it, the Drakkaren smiling slightly as he said dryly: "Well, even if it's not giving us anything else... I gotta admit that I am liking this little gift of Theo's."

Maria sighed a bit as Daria smiled a little and Mercy gazed at him quietly... and then the Drakkaren put the teapot aside before picking up the cup... and then he cursed as his mala suddenly burned around his neck, dropping the metal cup. It bounced loudly against the saucer and overturned, but the liquid simply vanished from sight as the reptile reached up and grasped his mala with shock... and then he snarled a bit, saying immediately to the others: "That's Cherry and Cindy... alarm from the Centrifuge!"

The three females immediately joined hands around the table as Zerrex held out his own as he stood up, seizing Daria and Maria's wrist, and a moment later, he simply vanished, reappearing on the beaches of Hez'Ranna amidst a crowd of gawking Dragokkaren. There was no sight or sound, but yet Zerrex could feel the wickedness in the air, and he thought the Hez'Rannan folk were being affected by it too as they gasped and pointed at the reptile where he had appeared, muttering and calling out to him... but Zerrex only ignored them for the moment, holding his hand out and creating a long, beautiful spear of bamboo with a crystal tip, tossing this to Daria, and she blushed, fumbling it a bit as she caught it as Maria floated in the air and arched her back, black chains forming around her with a crackle of dark energy, and Mercy tugged at his hand, giving him an insistent look... and he nodded quickly after a moment, saying sharply: "But hurry."

Mercy nodded, turning and bolting towards the dirt path to try and find help inside Hez'Ranna, where there were regularly other demons and angels who might be able to lend them assistance: strong or not, numbers usually beat strength, after all. Then Zerrex reached out and grasped both Daria and Maria's shoulders, and they vanished again before reappearing inside the Centrifuge near the source of the commotion, and Zerrex winced as he immediately shoved both females to either side of him before a fireball caught him in the chest and exploded in a terrible whooshing explosion, sending the lizard flying backwards to crash into a metal-plated wall as a terrible laugh ripped through the room.

The cloaked figure, the murderer, was snarling in the center of the room, his cloak burnt and charred from repeated attacks and a long chunk of metal ripped through one shoulder, black blood dripping steadily off this as he staggered back and forth, grabbing at his head and screaming for a moment before he arched his back and laughed wildly as red, brilliant flame burst over his body with arcs of neon electricity, before it suddenly dissipated... and Zerrex groaned a bit as he grabbed at his head, once more in the wrecked center room of the Centrifuge: since it had been balanced out by chains and supports that held the pyramidal structure up outside, they at least no longer had to deal with horrible axis tilt... but Cindy, Cherry, Marina, and the Twins had apparently been in the middle of pulling up some of the paneling, and chunks of metal and microchip now littered the area as Cherry ran over to him and grabbed his shoulder, the reptile asking lamely: "What'd I miss?"

"Fuck, he showed up outta nowhere... we can't pin him down and... goddammit!" Cherry snarled as she pointed towards Marina, who was laying unconscious as blood spilled from her gaping muzzle, Mist and Shine standing over her but both of them bleeding heavily and covered in awful, orange-black sears and burns. "He fucking knew to take Marina down without giving her a chance... he teleported in right on top of her fucking head, crushed her and fried her..."

Cindy, meanwhile, was snarling, half-naked and her upper body covered in steel, sized up slightly as her eyes burned with rage and blue energy shocked over her scales... and Cherry was bleeding slightly from small-scale shrapnel wounds over her body, her own clothes ripped and burned as Zerrex snarled before he glanced towards Maria, who nodded curtly before a rift opened beneath her and she vanished through this. A moment later, rifts ripped open on all sides of the cloaked murderer, chains shooting through these and snapping towards him, but the creature almost fell forwards and scrambled quickly away as he continued to laugh as fire burned over him and electricity zapped along his body, and Zerrex snarled before he blinked out of existence and then reappeared directly in front of the killer, slamming his foot forwards in a hard punt into its muzzle and sending it flying backwards as a larger rift opened directly behind it and Maria leaned halfway out, seizing it with a savage grin that was very unlike her usual demeanor before she vanished back into the rift and pulled the creature halfway through... and then the rift snapped closed, and Zerrex winced at the splatter of blood and gore as the cloaked figure's waist and lower legs fell to the floor, ripped cloak flapping around it as Cherry and Cindy both gaped, and Mist and Shine sighed with relief.

Then a rift opened... and Maria was slammed through it, screaming and crashing down on her back with horror and surprise as the upper half of the monster fell through after her... but it was still laughing insanely, even as its spine twitched and dragged against the ground, guts dangling out after it before it vomited blood and shivered weakly... and then it rasped: "Not yet... not yet..."

It held a hand out towards its legs... and they slowly, slowly rose up to the horror of all watching, Maria's eyes widening in shock as the pair of legs got to their feet, the cloak falling away from the lower limbs that were covered in black-and-white, shaggy fur, and yet had patches of green scale here and there, one foot an oversized paw and the other a thick, ugly talon... and the legs staggered weakly before they flopped forwards as the murderer twisted its body around and slammed its waist down, then it screamed as flames exploded up around its own body, the upper, remaining portion of cloak almost melting as the shadows still hiding its hands and face shivered violently... and then a moment later, it laughed wildly as it shoved itself backwards, pinkish tail from which dangled random tufts of burnt fur twitching madly back and forth as it climbed to its feet and swayed on the spot, then screamed as it arched its back, flames bursting over its form as smoke poured up from its melted-together waist and it howled: "You can't stop me! You can't stop me!"

Daria ran forwards with a yell, and the creature half-turned towards her before she pounced, stabbing her spear savagely forwards... and it tore through the creature's chest, making it scream as it staggered backwards before it shoved a hand towards her and flames erupted through the air, knocking her flying backwards with a shriek... but Maria's black chains immediately lashed outwards, catching her safely as the monster clutched at the spear buried through its heart.

Then Cindy and Cherry ran in from either side, and Cindy leapt upwards and half-spun to plant a solid thrust-kick into the butt of the spear sticking up through its chest, and the monster gave a scream as its arms lashed upwards, blood splattering out of its jaws... and behind it, Cherry slid in on her knees and caught the spear as it shot straight through the monster like an arrow, the muscular female rapidly spinning the weapon around and swatting its legs out from beneath it as she dived past, and Cindy leapt forwards with a roar, both hands raised as metallic spikes burst out of her arms before she snarled as she swung them down, muscles bulging powerfully enough through the metal to make loose steel scales pop out of place before she slammed both forearms with crushing force into the monster's chest as she dropped to a kneel to throw her full weight into the attack, and it was sent rocketing down into the ground with enough force to send cracks through the tiled floor, chunks of thin stone flying in all directions.

It howled in agony, yet still flames exploded off its form as it began to get up... and Cherry spun around and ran up Cindy's back with the spear before she leaned backwards, holding it straight down with a snarl as Cindy reached up and half-caught the weapon... and both powerful females slammed the spear downwards at the same time, hand-over-hand on the pole as they tore it through the monster's chest and heart, blue energy and bright fire burning along the weapon as cracks spilled through the bamboo with the power it was thrusted at and the crystal tip shattered as it pieced the floor beyond the monster, and the cloaked beast gave a long, keening wail before it finally fell still.

The two knelt on either side of it as smoke poured up from the corpse of the beast... and then they grinned slowly at each other, laughing as Zerrex smiled weakly... before the black smoke began to clear, and Zerrex stared in horror at the sight of a second cloaked figure, yelling a warning too late. Electricity sparked down its arms, and then it stepped forwards with a snarl and slapped Cindy aside, sending her flying before it blasted her with a powerful arc of lightning that made her scream as cracks ripped across her form and energy boiled over her body... and as Cherry turned with a roar of fury, the monster swung its extended arm forwards in a haymaker that ripped across the female's face, sending her backwards with a howl of agony as one of her eyes almost exploded in its socket before the creature laughed crazily as a ball of dark energy rippled into life in its hand-

In a moment, Zerrex was between it and Cherry, slamming his own fist into the dark sphere, and the black energy exploded in a blast that skinned most of the reptile's left arm and chest, sending him staggering backwards with a curse... but the cloaked figure was thrown backwards into the sharp corner of the hallway leading to the doorway with a gargle of pain, bouncing off it and falling to all fours with a visible shudder before it hissed... and then Maria leaned forwards and threw a sphere of Unworld energy at it, and the orb of terrible energies crashed into it and knocked the monster sprawling, the creature screaming in agony as it clawed wildly at its blackly-burning robes before it exploded apart into energy that streamed quickly past the ajar vault door and into the hallway, screaming in fury even as it vanished.

Zerrex breathed hard as his scales slowly grew back into place, grimacing a bit as Cherry cursed and choked back a sob as she clutched at her face, blood streaming between her fingers... and Mist and Shine both collapsed over one-another in dead faints, dropping their weapons as Marina shivered weakly on the ground. Daria stood back, breathing hard before she rushed over towards Cindy as the metallic giant stirred... and then Zerrex grunted as he fell to his knees, closing his eyes and looking down at the cloaked figure they had just killed as Cherry uncovered her face and whispered: "So it's more than one guy... shit..."

Zerrex reached down and carefully pushed the hood back... and the shadows concealing the monster faded, and the Drakkaren shivered in disgust at what he saw. A grinning mishmash of wolf and lizard... its muzzle was twisted and covered in fur and surgical scars, with ugly black and yellow teeth that stuck out of its bloody gums in a wild pattern. Its eyes were frozen open, as insane in death as they had likely been in life... one was ivory, with cracked flecks of emerald, and the other was a golden color that still burned unnaturally out of its skull.

The reptile swallowed a bit, looking at this terrible creation for a few moments before he shook his head slowly... and then he tore the cloak covering it open to reveal its chest, covered in surgical scars, random patches of scale, and more mismatched fur as Cherry muttered: "Oh shit, oh shit... oh... shit... Cindy, I... oh shit..."

Zerrex grunted... and then he shook his head quickly before he stood shakily up and headed quickly towards Cindy, who was slowly shrinking down as her scales became flesh-and-blood again. She breathed hard in and out, then smiled awkwardly at him, embarrassedly covering her breasts... and the Drakkaren smiled tiredly to her before he created a plain white blouse in one hand, holding it out and saying quietly: "You're not going to like the looks of that thing over there. Do you need me to heal you?"

"No, just... stunned. He tried to disassociate me, it feels like... fuck, hurts like hell." Cindy muttered, rubbing at her stomach slowly, and she grimaced a little at the visible cracks through her body. "I don't know if I could deal with disassociation as well as you do... as it is, it feels like my body shouldn't come apart."

"Well, neither should mine, but it happens sometimes." Zerrex said softly, and then he smiled a little before he walked towards the Twins and Marina, carefully kneeling in front of his Iuratus and reaching a hand out to grasp the backs of their heads... and a moment later, energy glowed faintly over the two, and then they both shivered before their mismatched eyes fluttered open, and they smiled weakly up at Zerrex as he looked from one to the other, asking quietly: "Are you alright?"

They nodded, looking embarrassed, and Zerrex smiled faintly as they slipped carefully up, hugging them both and murmuring: "Thank you for taking care of Marina. And for doing your duty as my Iuratus."

They both smiled radiantly at this, and then carefully picked up their cleavers, resting the weapons across their backs and climbing to their feet as Zerrex slipped forwards a bit to gently reach down and shake Marina gently... and she stirred a bit before the reptile pushed some of his energies into her, breathing a bit harder and grimacing a little at the shock of pain that went through his head: it was replaced by relief when Marina stirred, however, and like he'd thought, she had only been knocked unconscious, as she murmured: "Oh... Daddy..."

"Marina." Zerrex said softly, and she blushed a bit before leaping up and hugging him, despite the groan of pain she let out immediately afterwards, and she wobbled a bit as he laughed quietly, muttering: "Careful now, this close I get hit pretty good with your vertigo as well. Still need to work on my own emotional reading."

"Sorry Daddy." Marina smiled awkwardly at him, and then they both carefully stood and joined the others, who were clustered around the devastated body of the warped mostly-wolf. Cindy was examining it, her eyes cold and focused as Cherry rubbed at the slowly healing wound on her face, her eye healed but clenched shut as she grimaced a little, and as they approached, Cindy muttered: "Fuck... Daria, my bag of stuff should still be intact. I need my sample kit and the genetic scanner."

Daria nodded quickly, looking glad to be of service as she glanced around and then headed quickly over to a bag of tools and equipment, and Cherry grumbled moodily to herself even as Zerrex gave her a flat look. The newt returned a few moments later with a large black kit and a small, rectangular device as Cindy knelt over the body, and she took it with a nod of thanks before she powered the machine on, setting it aside as she opened the kit and produced several strange tools as well as a syringe with a crystal tip.

They watched as she worked, and Cindy's hands moved with practiced skill, not the slightest bit distracted by the others watching her: she extracted cooling blood first, then inserted the needle into the side of the genetic device and allowed it to begin running a scan as she picked up her other tools: one was used to shave fur off, and another to lift patches of scale, and the last was a saw she used to cut through the skin and flesh. Every now and then she would ask for something, and Daria would pass her the tool, Cherry hovering around them and looking moody, and Zerrex rolled his eyes, exasperated as always by how childish she could be even in the most serious of situations.

Then Cindy finally sat back as the device dinged, and she shook her head slowly: Mist and Shine glanced up from where they were cleaning their cleavers, and Maria looked up as well from where she was sitting quietly beside Zerrex, holding his hand silently. Cindy examined her machine for a few moments, Cherry and Daria both looking tense now as they glanced down at her, Cherry's imagined rivalry forgotten... and then Cindy cursed quietly and muttered: "Just like I thought. Daddy, this creature was synthetically-made... and some of the genes making it up look very similar to some of our own genetic data."

Zerrex cursed under his breath, gritting his teeth before his eyes roved over the room, and he leaned down, touching the creature... and some of its energy signature still lingered in its body. He could feel it, closing his eyes and breathing slowly and locking onto it, memorizing it with his body more than his mind... and he reached a hand up, then grimaced as pain went through his eyes before its energies became strangely visible, like floating purple essence... and he looked back and forth, seeing not only speckles it had left behind here and there on the floor from shed blood... but the same kind of energy was concentrated around the center of the room, where the now-empty capsule rested silently. "It was produced here, wasn't it..."

Cindy looked towards the center of the room as well, seeing the capsule... and she shook her head slowly, saying quietly: "The Heavenly Council... Daddy, you mentioned running into angels, too..."

"Sent by the council to destroy evidence. Could they be at the head of this whole mess after all?" Zerrex asked quietly, and Cherry gritted her teeth as Cindy frowned a bit, looking down and then looking sharply up, and the reptile could see his own thoughts reflected clearly in his eyes. "No, but... someone could be using the council as a shield. As a decoy..."

"That's why they've been setting you up... more and more, because they know Job will jump at any chance to attack you or Hell, so they've been planting a bad version of your energy signature around the area... and because they know we hate the council and would love to lay this at Job's feet, someone, probably involved in the council, likely recently involved in it who has no attachment for it... they've been executing the orders." Cindy said sharply, her voice almost excited as she nodded quickly, and then she looked down at the dead body as Zerrex's vision returned to normal and the reptile reached up to rub at his eyes with a grimace as they throbbed dully. "We need to get this corpse somewhere safe so I can examine its genetic makeup in detail... and we're going to need to start assembling theories and evidence, as well as start getting information on the council members in detail. Sephire, Raze and Silven can all help with that, right?"

"Among others." the Drakkaren nodded, rubbing at his head slowly before he muttered: "Goddammit... and whoever it was really must have wanted something in here to be destroyed, if they were willing to send not one, but two of those cloaks in... two of them, gods above, how many of these bastards are there?"

"We can think about that later." Cherry said suddenly, and Zerrex looked over at her with surprise as she took over for him, saying clearly: "Cindy should take the body to the old Sunshine Building labs, where Huck still works his gay ass at. Mist and Shine and Daria can go... and me, Maria, Marina, and you can stay here, Boss. I got a feeling Mercy is getting reinforcements so hopefully they'll be able to haul this thing without us having to worry about... sample damage and shit."

"Oh, I can take care of that." Zerrex said mildly, and he snapped his fingers, and a metal locker rapidly formed, sizzling blue with the lizard's energy and rectangular and large enough to easily accommodate the body, with an armored, hinged lid resting open. The Drakkaren grinned a bit, and then Cherry nodded with an approving grunt before she and Cindy quickly grasped either side of the body, smiling at each other embarrassedly as the reptile glanced over at Daria, who was blushing softly: "Go gather up Cindy's gear."

He paused, then looked at her intently, concentrating on her as he thought clearly: You have nothing to be ashamed of, Daria. I love you, for who you are. We all do. "Now quick, before Cindy leaves without you."

Daria blushed deeply, and then she bowed her head respectfully, almost hugging herself as she visibly cheered up... and Zerrex smiled faintly at the demoness before his eyes turned to Maria and Marina, who were quietly sitting side-by-side now, resting against each other with faint smiles. It was strange, considering how they had once tried to destroy each other... but the reptile knew now that it was often the things that were the most similar that caused each other the most pain. "Can you two do me a favor and accompany them out? My fear is much more that the cloaked bastard is lurking around, than that he'll attack again." And something tells me that he's the main monster... the one who's caused us the most damage. Gods know what this other guy is but... there were differences in their abilities, weren't there? And that wasn't the same muzzle I saw... or the same voice, now that I'm out of the battle and have time to think...

He shook his head thoughtfully at this, and Marina gazed at him lovingly as she took Maria's hand, the Broken smiling and blushing a little but gladly squeezing the female's fingers as they locked together, and Zerrex glanced up at them and allowed the sight to fill him with better thoughts, hopeful thoughts. After all, if they could learn to get along so well... perhaps nothing really was impossible, and Marina smiled lovingly at this as she nodded as if in answer before they turned and headed towards the ajar door.

Zerrex looked towards Cindy as she did a last quick inspection before she glanced at her father, saying awkwardly: "I know you don't like to abuse your powers, Daddy... but after I close the lid, can you seal this in plastic? I just want to make sure the corpse doesn't deteriorate all of a sudden... preventing too much air from getting in might help with that."

The lizard only smiled a bit, however, nodding, and Cindy looked relieved as she closed the lid of the locker before the Drakkaren rose his hand and took a slow breath... and a moment later, the heavy steel casing was locked in a thick, semitransparent lining, and Cindy motioned to Mist and Shine as Daria quickly approached with the female's repacked bag, letting Cindy slip her smaller kit into this as she pocketed the scanner device. Then she hesitated for a moment... before walking quickly around the locker and hurrying to her father, hugging him fiercely and saying quietly: "If something happens... you and Cherry call out for us, don't try and take this on alone."

"It's a promise." Zerrex said softly, meaning every word as he looked down at her, stroking her hair back gently from her face, smiling a little at her messy, unkempt pigtails... and she looked quietly back up at him, studying him for a few moments before he pattered her gently on the cheek. "Now go on, before Mercy gets here with reinforcements or something and you have to explain to her that we don't need them anymore."

"Alright, alright. I'm going... I just hope she does get here with some extra people, I... I feel scared transporting this." She glanced over her shoulder, and Zerrex tilted his head as Cindy turned around, following the locker as Mist and Shine carried it out of the room before the female leaned in front of the vault door, saying softly as she looked at the ground: "After all, it didn't show up until the moment we had terminated the other cloak... and if they really wanted to destroy evidence, the first thing on my list to take care of would be to destroy that."

"Then I can't believe I'm saying this, but tell Mercy to let Vivien know what's happened." Zerrex paused, shared an amused look with Cherry, and then he became serious again as he looked towards Cindy's half-turned back. "She can have the Black Rose Platoon sent down from the Ravenlight Estate, and by now probably wants this guy as bad as we do, so I'd expect some Royal Guards, too, and maybe even some standard infantry soldiers."

Cindy nodded a bit, hesitating as she dragged her fingers down the side of the wall... and then she finally nodded again before heading quickly out into the hall. Zerrex watched her vanish through the ajar door, and then he sighed a bit as he glanced towards Cherry, who looked nervously back as she muttered: "Shit, I didn't even think of that... Boss, maybe... maybe we should go after all."

"I... no. Cindy can handle herself, and you saw the way that thing reacted to Maria's Unworld energies... plus even if it's getting bolder, we haven't dealt with a full-on public attack yet. I think they'll be okay once they're outside, especially if Mercy's gotten reinforcements... and more importantly, I think we must be getting close to whatever the key inside this Centrifuge is." Zerrex paused, then looked back and forth around the room, grimacing slightly as he rubbed at his face. "Except it looks like you two have basically torn this place apart... and if Priest's been running the salvaged data through his computers and still hasn't found anything overly-incriminating..."

"Hey, Boss. This might be a little off-topic, but when there's fifty-bazillion cables in the ceiling, where do they all feed to? Is there like, a super generator up there or some shit?" Cherry asked lamely, looking up at the roof... and Zerrex glared at her before he glanced up to the roof as well... and then frowned thoughtfully, rubbing at his face slowly. "What? Did I uncover the mystery of the rainbow?"

"Cherry, please vent your stress about Cindy's crush on Daria in a more-useful fashion." Zerrex muttered, and Cherry huffed before the reptile beckoned to her, adding quietly: "But seriously, maybe there is something up there. The Soul Cage wasn't just feeing downwards, after all... it was feeding upwards, too. Did you guys spot-check the entire facility?"

"Head-to-toe, of course. I think whatever the hell's in the ceiling, it's between this floor and the floor above... we didn't come across any generator or power room or shit, after all, or nothing that looks like it connects to here." Cherry replied quietly, nodding towards the Drakkaren, and they exchanged nervous looks before she held up her hands. "Bosses first, Boss."

"I hate you so freaking much right now." Zerrex muttered, and Cherry only grinned cheerfully at him before the Drakkaren sighed and rolled his eyes, raising a foot as a platform of energy appeared beneath it and stepping carefully up onto this as he said flatly: "Then at least let me know if you see a hatch or anything."

"Near the center of the room, I think, it looks like all the cables go into a hole there." Cherry answered, pointing straight up, and Zerrex glanced at the loosely dangling cables past the gaping iron cage at the piping feeding into the ceiling, which widened near the top. "Bet if you unscrew that you can get on top no problem."

"No problem for someone who can float, maybe." Zerrex grumbled, and then he created a series of platforms of energy, running up them like stairs as they vanished rapidly from existence behind him in a spiraling upwards pattern, shoving through dangling tubes and huge, loose cables before he finally came to a halt near the roof, inspecting the base of it... and nodding slowly as he called down: "Watch out, I'm going to have to break this, it's sealed!"

Cherry nodded from below, her gaze sharpening as she stood beside the large capsule, and Zerrex carefully reached his right hand up as the scales peeled away from the metallic arm beneath, his hand rippling before it transformed into a vise-like grip... and the reptile grinned despite himself at this pincer, opening and closing it before he grasped the very top of the metal piping and then clenched the claw shut around it, making it screech and groan as the lizard bit the inside of his cheek and leaned forwards with a grunt, crushing down harder... and then finally feeling something snap beneath the rubber sleeve that covered the piping, and the reptile yanked hard to the side, tearing most of the piping away and sending a long steel cylinder falling towards the floor.

It crashed to the ground next to Cherry as she simply stood there, a few broken cables falling past with her and she continued to look cheerfully up at him, and Zerrex glowered over his shoulder at her as the platform of energy flickered a bit beneath his feet. "Why am I doing this again, when you're the one with precog?"

"Uh. Because shit isn't any less scary to me just 'cause I can see shit coming before it happens?" Cherry said lamely, holding up a single finger, and Zerrex rolled his eyes before he turned to look at the hole now present in the roof, grimacing a bit at the chunks of broken wire and rubber capping standing out from the plate-sized hole as he flicked his right arm a few times and it transformed back into a silvery gauntlet-hand. "Hey, that's a trapdoor, ain't it?"

"I..." Zerrex frowned a bit as he examined the edges of the oversized, circular piece of metal, and then he nodded slowly. "No, it's a seal... but I don't think it was even welded in, so..."

The reptile reached up and grasped either side of the large, circular piece of metal, and then he grunted as he shoved upwards... and the wide plate of steel popped out of place with a poof of dust, the Drakkaren coughing a bit before he managed to worm the dangling, wiry remains of the ripped piping out of the middle of the large plate and shove it aside into the room above. Then Zerrex carefully grasped the lip of the manhole-sized hole with one hand, shoving the broken wires out of the way with the other and hauling himself upwards, grimacing a bit at the feel of rubberized piping and copper wire licking against his spine before he managed to pull himself into the room beyond.

"Boss?" Cherry shouted nervously, and Zerrex rolled his eyes a bit as he surveyed the room around him slowly... and then he gritted his teeth with a shiver of disgust before glancing to the side and concentrating, and Cherry blinked out of existence before reappearing beside him, staggering once and then grinning at him... before it slowly faded as she stared around at the room surrounding them. "Oh... oh shit..."

The dangling tubing over the hole led down from thinner black cables that had been clamped and bolted to the ceiling to keep the room tidy and neat... and the cables formed a neat, perfectly-symmetrical spiderweb along the rooftop, twisting back and forth, here and there, and all of them feeding down into not only huge, cylindrical machines like immense metal stumps, but enormous capsules filled with a terrible, faintly-pulsing liquid... and inside which writhed demons in various states of slow death, covered in nodes and electrodes and implanted wires, the clear-metal fronts of the capsules alive with information as energy was constantly extracted from them. A single large computer terminal sat at one side of the room, and Cherry snarled at the sight of the dozen demons or so trapped in the capsules around the circular area between the huge, ugly machines inside the slightly-rounded, angled stasis pods... and Zerrex shook his head slowly before he walked towards this, muttering under his breath: "It looks like they're what supplies power to the facility... the Soul Cage must have just been for the genetics lab below."

"Shit, Boss... they've been this way for a long time." Cherry muttered, leaning over one of the capsules and looking down into it with a grimace, and then she glanced over her shoulder as Zerrex tapped through the computer, his eyes flicking back and forth over the screen before he held a hand out and concentrated... and a moment later, his nanotech armlet appeared in it, Cherry asking quickly: "Found something?"

"Maybe." Zerrex muttered, fumbling at the armlet before he managed to pop a small door on it open, pulling out a long cable. He plugged this into a USB port on the side of the computer and shook his head a bit, saying quietly: "Documents, transcripts, information... but this room..."

Zerrex turned around as the armlet began to whirr quietly, leaving the device sitting on the table the console rested on as the lizard glanced slowly back and forth through the room, and then he closed his eyes and took a slow breath before opening them... and gritting his teeth in disgust even as pain twisted through his eyes. The capsules glowed faintly, but runes covering the walls and the strange, stumpy machines pulsed brightly in front of his eyes, the reptile muttering under his breath: "Great. There's Enochian warding all over the goddamn place inside here... looks like portal-lock runes, too, so only certain people could go in and out... probably only whoever made these runes."

Cherry nodded slowly, and when the armlet dinged, Zerrex shook his head briefly as his eyes gave a dull ache before his vision returned to normal, and the reptile returned to pick this up, letting the cable automatically retract back into it before he slipped it over his left forearm. It clanked and locked tightly into place, and the reptile looked down at it for a few moments before he glanced over his shoulder to Cherry, who was staring with silent fury over her shoulder at the capsules. "Yeah. Go ahead."

"Thanks Boss." Cherry muttered, and then she threw a hand out, and flames burst into life throughout the room over the machinery, capsules sparking violently and the strange, solid-looking machines here and there whirring violently before one exploded, releasing the energy pent-up inside it in a massive blast that ripped apart the steel around it like paper as Zerrex winced and stepped forwards, a wall of energy appearing in front of himself and Cherry as he wrapped an arm tightly around her waist.

She only continued to watch, strangely-transfixed, as chunks of metal and huge blasts of flame erupted up from the machines and alien devices, fire and metal spilling through the air as Zerrex shook his head slowly, another capsule erupting in a thunderous explosion as the reptile muttered, his voice perfectly audible over the shrieks of machinery and the powerful blasts: "We should get out of here. Marina and Maria will sense us leaving, they'll follow when they can."

Cherry only nodded a bit... and then Zerrex hugged her tightly back against him before vanishing from the spot, reappearing a moment later in the lush jungles of Hez'Ranna as Cherry turned towards him and hugged him around the waist, murmuring as she shoved her face against the side of his neck: "Why don't they ever learn, Boss? Why don't they ever fucking learn?"

Zerrex only shook his head slowly, closing his eyes: they had both recognized that technology, after all... Wulfe Industries tech, modified off designs that came from the self-proclaimed leader of the Old Gods himself, Athéos. Technology that had been quickly destroyed or seized after Tobias Wulfe was killed and his towering headquarters in Lunis had been annihilated, in strange part by his very own hand.

It proved nothing... and yet it proved everything at the same time, and it was a forbidden, illegal technology throughout the three worlds: a little hypocritical on Heaven's part, considering the way they would sacrifice the souls of their own kind to build soul cages like the one Zerrex had destroyed in the Centrifuge, but it wasn't like Zerrex had been about to start an argument over it either. It had just been nice that everyone could agree using demons like battery packs was a bad idea, as was converting them into crystal... although the Drakkaren had the feeling that angels simply didn't want mortals once more getting their hands on a large quantity of magical crystal or Hell able to any further bolster its forces with the same stuff, too.

They stood together quietly for a few moments, and then Cherry shook her head a bit before she muttered: "Well, the good news, at least, is... fuck... do we even have any good news, Boss? I mean... this is some crazy shit but I don't know if it gets us quite anywhere. The only thing I know it confirms for sure is that some stupid-ass angels are once more fucking with shit they really shouldn't fuck with. And I just mean... goddamn, building fake people is one thing but using real, living demons as batteries and toys and shit? It... it fucking worries me."

Zerrex nodded a bit, looking down and patting his armlet quietly. "Listen, let's head for Sunshine Labs, Cherry. Huck's been upgrading the facilities there over the years and I'm sure he'll want to take a look at this information, too... we might even be able to beat Cindy there if we're fast enough."

"Faster, stronger, better." Cherry muttered, and Zerrex rolled his eyes even as they both smiled a bit at each other, before they traded tight hugs and then exchanged slow nods. "Okay, yeah, shit. Let's get going before I start wussing out and crying like a little baby. I swear to fuck you've ruined me, and in more senses than the way you've ravaged my cunt over the years."

"Will you please stop using that word?" Zerrex groaned and slapped his forehead, and when Cherry grinned at him, the reptile seized her by a nostril ring, making her eyes bulge and wince before they vanished from the spot and reappeared a moment later in front of a large, yellow-stone building, Dragokkaren guards looking up from their positions at either side of the door... and then one laughed as the other simply smiled and stepped to the side, pushing the door open as Zerrex dragged Cherry inside by the nose-ring, her eyes watering and arms flailing.

They stepped into a wide, beautiful entrance hall, Dragokkaren in business suits and simpler clothes walking back and forth as armored guards patrolled and stood at easy watch, humongous, double-barreled rifles resting on their shoulders or held easily in their strong arms, traditional kwaibar swords sheathed on many of their backs in thick leather sheaths.

"Please let go of me." Cherry mumbled awkwardly, and Zerrex rolled his eyes before he did so, the female grasping at the end of her muzzle with a mumble as she wrinkled her muzzle and twitched her nostrils several times, muttering: "You're really no fun sometimes. Shit, this place looks different, though... it looks... clean and shit."

Zerrex smiled a bit over his shoulder, and then he approached the immense, U-shaped desk that sat in the center of the room, computers and monitors shining quietly over this in both directions: maps glowed on the ones that faced outwards, with rules and regulations every now and then scrawling across the white space, while males and females in simple white and red uniforms worked quickly on the machines that faced inwards.

A demoness glanced up as Zerrex approached, and she smiled warmly at him, bowing her head respectfully: the Dragokkaren female had a large frill of spikes along either side of her skull, with two tall, slightly-twisted horns that spiraled backwards. "Lord Zerrex and Lady Cherry. You honor us with your presence here... would you like to speak to Chief Engineer Huckleberry? I believe he's down in the laboratory."

"I would, thank you. Have you received any communications from either patrols or my daughter, Cindy, in the last while? He may already be expecting us." Zerrex said softly, and the female looked up at him thoughtfully before she tapped a button on her headset and murmured a code quickly into it, then glanced down as her fingers flew over the keyboard. The reptile studied her thoughtfully for a few moments, looking over the features of the Dragokkaren: she was an Oaken Sage, a Hez'Rannan middle-tier demon, what particularly-loyal-and-honorable members of Hez'Rannan society were said to become when they died. "Your name is Senyi, right? From... the northern jungles."

"Yes, Lord Zerrex, it is. You do me great honor." Senyi murmured, bowing her head towards him with a blush before she looked up and smiled radiantly. "Yes, CE Huckleberry has already left a listing note saying to send you down to the genetic labs immediately. Please go right ahead."

"Thank you, Senyi. I appreciate it." Zerrex said kindly, and Cherry grunted and nodded as well, the Dragokkaren female looking touched as the reptile walked past and headed towards the stairs, the middle elevator dinging quietly as the doors slid open, and a Dragokkaren soldier beside it bowed his head respectfully.

Zerrex nodded to him as he and Cherry stepped into the elevator, and then he reached out and pressed the button for the lowest subbasement, shaking his head a bit as Cherry looked over at him thoughtfully. The reptile looked mildly back, expecting her to mock him... but then she only smiled a little, saying quietly: "You really made that chick's day just now, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I did." Zerrex rubbed awkwardly at the back of his head, glancing up with a bit of a smile. "You know by now how Hez'Ranna always worshipped what the rest of the world saw as demons and monsters... and she was an Oaken Sage, or a Spirit of the Elemental Trees. In life it meant she must have been very devout, very kind and dedicated. I only really remembered her though because I remembered she was a channeler... capable of transmitting messages and interpreting spirits. We worked with her once, but... I don't think she expected me to remember her."

"Well, yeah, it sounds like she's just one of your fifty bazillion worshippers." Cherry punched him playfully in the shoulder, and Zerrex snorted in amusement at this as he rolled his right shoulder and the female grimaced and shook her fist out. "I keep damn forgetting about your stupid fucking arm. Make it go flaccid."

"You're flaccid." Zerrex muttered, and then he shook his head as the doors opened into a metallic hallway, the two walking down this as the Drakkaren said mildly: "Anyway. Even if I'm a high-order god in Hez'Rannan culture nowadays, the Dragokkaren here worship the land and nature and the 'soul of the Goddess' first, and me second, third, or not at all. And I'm not about to force them to go changing their religion, it's hard enough as it is when people start praying all at once to me, fills my head with pain and voices."

"I'll fill your face with pain and voices!" shouted a Dragokkaren as Zerrex and Cherry rounded a corner and stepped into a wide room filled with genetics capsules... and Zerrex rolled his eyes with a sigh as Huck grinned at them and the scientists dressed in lab coats and thick, rubberized clothing simply ignored them as they jotted notes and examined complex-looking pods that lined either side of the long hallway. "So I hear you guys got something for me, huh?"

Zerrex nodded a bit at this, patting his armlet as he glanced back and forth: once these capsules had been used to produce terrible, synthetic life that had all ended up insane or failures... but after Huck had tinkered with them for a good while, he had converted many of the pods into research devices inside which floated body parts and strange, ugly lumps in a clear, alien fluid. They were studying cell structure here, specifically the cell structures of viruses and diseases, searching for cures... and in several of these tubes, further studying the effects of Negative's corruption.

These capsules were almost pitch black, and one had actually been sealed inside a forcefield due to the fact that the clear metal had been cracked, vines slowly growing out of it and writhing back and forth... but the energy shield surrounding it kept it at bay even though two scientists were mumbling to each other as they studied it with interest. Zerrex couldn't help his eyes lingering on this, and Huck glanced towards it as he approached before he shouted: "I said get the goddamn Thermal Ray and blast the fucking thing already!"

The scientists both winced at this, but then went back to jotting notes, and Huck sighed before he returned his eyes with a grin to Zerrex and Cherry: a burly, tall Dragokkaren, he had the classic red scales of his species and bright, cheerful blue eyes, his frame strong and covered only by the wrinkled, grease-speckled white-and-red uniform he wore, a cloth jacket tied tightly around his waist. Ram's horns twisted out of either side of his skull, the only visible demonic characteristic he had, and after a moment of looking at them he hugged both Zerrex and Cherry firmly, squeezing them against his body and kissing them both sloppily on the mouth before they shoved him backwards, Zerrex glowering and Cherry spitting to the side several times before she whined loudly: "You taste like motor oil!"

"Well, see, I was all out of lube, so I was rubbing that all over the..." Huck cleared his throat as he made an awkward stroking gesture and his hand slowed to a halt at the flat look Zerrex gave him. "Okay, okay, seriously serious now. Cindy sounded stressed about something but that babe works too hard and always sounds stressed about shit these days. Zerrex, hey, I heard you had a little side-trip as a mortal, too, you gotta tell me and Hans all about that later... you seen my boy around here? He was supposed to be up in Administration but I ain't able to get a message through to him-"

"Huck, we found demon batteries in the Centrifuge. And we killed a cloaked murderer... but it turns out there's more than one and they may all be synthetics." Zerrex interrupted, and Huck's face went pale as he immediately turned serious. He turned away for a moment as he grabbed at his belt, yanking the radio off it and then muttering a few quick orders in Hez'Rannan into it, before he gestured quickly at them as he strode towards the immense armored shutter doors at the back of the hall.

He held a hand up and waved at a camera inset into the center of the room, and it beeped a few times before the armored doors clanked and slowly began to slide apart, each made of alloy more than a foot thick... and Zerrex grimaced a bit as electricity sparked between the doors before it sizzled along the sides, and Huck quickly walked through, muttering: "Sorry, we're recalibrating the electromagnetic structure so it interferes a little less with things around the base... every time we open these it causes the computers upstairs to flicker a little, just annoying more than damaging..."

He strode into a long hall beyond, Cherry and Zerrex following through before Huck turned around and whistled loudly, a camera clicking on at the other side of the double doors and surveying the room before it locked onto the Dragokkaren as he waved a hand back and forth, and the armored doors clanked loudly before Zerrex winced as electricity shot between them behind him, and then the huge shutters began to slowly grind back closed.

Huck crossed his arms as he stood silently for a few moments facing the two, Zerrex reacquainting himself with the area as he gathered his thoughts and smiling faintly: the capsules that had been in here once had been long removed now, and the corridor was broad and sterile and square, with two archways at the top corners of the room leading off towards the power generators and computer stacks.

Behind Huck, however, was the main attraction of this room: two immense clear-metal cylinders filled with bubbling green liquid, strange, amorphous shapes in both and computer panels humming quietly in front of the two machines, cables of all shape and size attached to the metal roofs of each capsule device. They were enormous, and strange metallic arms were busily, endlessly working through both, constantly on the move and probing and poking through the ooze and at the slowly-forming shapes inside. Once, these capsules had birthed two people - not monsters, people - known as Cinderella and Prometheus, who had been stolen away from them in a gesture both callous and sorrowful: a desperate act from a growing-desperate being. But now they were being rebuilt... and locked somewhere in this facility was the energy, the essence, of their spirits and souls, patiently waiting to once more be placed in their bodies, to give them at least one last chance at a life they had never truly lived.

But the Dragokkaren was still looking at them silently... and Zerrex finally reached down, tapping a short command that turned off his armlet before he pulled it free from his limb and tossed it to the male, and the engineer caught the device easily as the Drakkaren said quietly: "Cindy's bringing the body here for examination and evaluation. I don't know if they're going to portal or do it the old-fashioned way... but either way, she's going to arrive as soon as she can. Mercy was sent off to get reinforcements, and I figure she ran to the nearest town or military encampment near where I dumped the Centrifuge."

"They'll probably end up coming by river, then, it's the fastest and safest route unless you got a Grim Hearse that can ram through the jungle." Huck muttered, shaking his head before he sighed a bit, looking at him quietly. "That place always did give me the creeps, when I went with your other brain-kinder to exam it. Just bad fucking vibes there... and not just 'cause of the goddamn aftereffects of the soul cage. But we were all so focused on examining the equipment and the computer data... shit. Where'd you find them?"

"In the ceiling, in some kind of... reserve power room, I dunno. Cherry torched the demon batteries after I downloaded all the data from the computer... there were warding runes everywhere, though, would have thrown up so much shielding and interference I don't think any of your measuring devices would have stood a chance of finding it, magical or technological." Zerrex shook his head a bit, smiling ironically over at him. "Amazing, isn't it? All this crazy crap we have... and now we're forgetting to just use our heads and our eyes."

"Yeah, it's the big disadvantage of getting lazy and using tech for everything." Huck muttered, and he walked towards a large metal panel before kicking it firmly, and a moment later the wall itself seemed to beep before the entire steel section spun smoothly around, revealing a computer monitor and a keyboard and chair on an adjustable rail. Cherry grinned at this as Zerrex shook his head with a slight smile, and even Huck laughed a bit as he glanced over his shoulder with entertainment. "Hey, I gotta have my play-toys as well as my work-toys, you know."

Zerrex smiled a bit at this, only holding up his hands, and Huck nodded as he sat down at the chair, making it creak and bend slightly on the rail under his weight as he let the armlet rest in his lap and pulled the USB cord out of it without bothering to look, plugging it into the underside of the thin monitor. The armlet flickered into life as the Dragokkaren entered a quick command on the keyboard, and he muttered quietly: "Let's see... I ain't as good at all this shit as your son, but I remember the commands for this thing pretty well... complicated little bugger but it ain't the worst thing in the world, either. Let's see what kind of data you brought back with you, though, and if any of it happens to be useable for tracing or finding anything out about the people who've been fucking with us... and who were apparently fucking stupid enough to start using demon batteries and cloning shit. Was it a clone or was it... what was it?"

"A recombinant, I think that's the word for it, right?" Cherry glanced dubiously at Zerrex, and when he nodded, she grinned sourly and poked her own temple lightly. "See, I remember shit sometimes. Anyway, Cindy said it was made up of our genes, and it was a mix of wolf and lizard and chucked fire at us until me and Cindy iced the fucking thing. Massive firepower, and it literally fused itself back together even after we sliced the son of a bitch in half... and I think I speak for everyone who was there when I say we're all concerned it wasn't even the big bad cloak who's been causing us the most trouble and shit."

"That's bad news... but you're gonna love me, because the data on this armlet includes a genetic library. Someone has a bad case of OCD and control issues... and they screwed the pooch here, because they left all their data unencrypted and open." Huck grinned at the monitor, Cherry and Zerrex both approaching as information spilled out over it in neat, sectioned lists. "Experiment logs, references, subheadings... all the details are here. I can go over this while I okay Cindy the use of one of the reconfigured labs upstairs, and we just might be able to lock down what the fuck's been going on here and who's got such a hate-on for you, Zerrex."

The Drakkaren nodded, and then he looked back and forth through the isolated, empty room with a grimace before he patted Huck's back and said quietly: "I'm glad to hear it... but one rule, Huck. No working on this alone. No even being alone... not until we know for sure what's going on. Even aside from this murderer, there was a team of angels creeping through Hez'Ranna, too, and I don't want you dying on me. I can't always go to Priest for everything, after all."

Huck smiled over his shoulder at this, looking hesitant before he finally nodded a bit, saying finally: "Alright, Zerrex. Then I'll pull some science-heads in here and reinforce shit, and if Elysium sends any help or your Disciples show up, I'll accept it instead of turning it away. Fuck knows that I know better than to argue with those scary instincts of yours."

Zerrex grunted in response to him, and then he glanced towards Cherry as she only looked down silently, as the list of data spilled out over the screen in front of them... and he knew that they all felt that there was storm yet to come, brewing on the horizon.

The Drakkaren sat in Acheron several hours later, restoring his energy as he sat alone in the den room with the teapot, a glass pitcher to one side filled with Frost; ironically, of course, he'd filled it from the magical kettle. He and Cherry had waited until Cindy had arrived - Huck had been right, and they had taken a riverboat all the way to the facility, which was situated in the once-Capital of Hez'Ranna, Uroboros - and she had been under heavy guard by Dragokkaren Enforcers. Mercy had run into a platoon on patrol and they had been all too eager to help out the female they recognized as an honored Ambassador from the old days, and a child of one of Hez'Ranna's patron deities.

Huck had gone up to greet her after uploading the data throughout various networks across Hez'Ranna to ensure its safety... and Cindy had immediately begun her studies on the corpse. Vivien had also sent the Black Rose Platoon and, surprisingly, White had accompanied them with Mengele Tstegi, the shaggy, arctic dire wolf grinning back and forth as Dragokkaren gave the feared scientist a wide berth, the male dressed only in torn, ragged pants and his forearms chained in front of himself as Huck made a face like he'd bitten into a lemon. Mengele had been the Patriarch's head scientist in long gone days during the Great War, after all... and not only that, he was also well-known his rabidly-speciesist tendencies and bad habit of trying to kill people who disagreed with him.

Most of these 'rough edges' had been sanded down over the years Mengele had spent in Hell, even though the dire wolf sometimes still grumbled that Hell couldn't really exist and he was convinced this was all just a post-death-delusion occurring in his own mind as it feebly tried to keep itself running even after his body had shut down, and the reason nothing made sense anymore in his own callous, logical brain was because it had been deprived of oxygen and sent him into dementia. Zerrex knew to ignore these ramblings by now but they never failed to get on Huck's nerves, and the Drakkaren didn't have the heart to tell the Dragokkaren that ninety percent of the reason Mengele talked was just to piss people off: the rest of the time he only talked just to prove he was smarter than everyone around him.

White was going to keep them working together and in line, however, which Zerrex deeply appreciated... and Marina was going to stay with Cindy, as were Mist and Shine. Mercy, Cherry and Daria had returned to Elysium for now, although they would make a trip back to Acheron when they could, after Mercy finished her duties reporting to Vivien and Cherry and Daria talked to Priest... and Zerrex had returned here at Marina's request.

A moment later, Maria entered the room with a plate of simple bread biscuits, and Zerrex smiled a little as she put them down and said softly: "They're almost like scones, although I really don't think that has anything to do with the answer to this riddle."

"Neither do I. I just was hungry." Zerrex admitted, and then he smiled a bit at the Broken as she sat down before he concentrated on the kettle, then upended it over his empty teacup... and not liquid, but small candies poured out of it now, the reptile sighing a bit as he propped his muzzle up on his hand and glanced over at her dryly. "So now I've learned I just need to focus on it and it usually works... but when I get distracted..."

He let his mind wander, and the candies pouring out of the kettle suddenly halted before instead, simple water spilled out... and the moment this touched the candy in the teacup, they dissolved into sweet-smelling steam that hissed upwards before the reptile put the kettle aside, and the cup continued to hiss softly for a few moments. They looked at it, watching as the last of what was inside it dissolved... and then Maria touched the glass pitcher as she said quietly: "Yet anything not in the cup... stays real. Is real. It's very impressive..."

"Yeah. Too impressive... it's creationism, the highest form of magic. The taste is perfect, there's no... sense of falseness, it's... it is. It's real." Zerrex flicked the glass pitcher, and then he sighed and reached out to pick up one of the biscuits, tossing it into his mouth and chewing the buttery bread slowly before he smiled a bit over at her and swallowed. "Thanks, by the way. Food helps my mood. I'm an emotional eater."

"I know, grandfather. And I know you're having trouble keeping track of everything... of everyone, too. There's a lot on your mind, I can feel it..." Maria reached up and touched her own collar gently, looking at him softly, and the Drakkaren glanced down, rubbing the back of his head slowly. "But we did kill one of them. And that creature, whatever else, was very vulnerable to my Unworld energies. Perhaps that's why it fled so quickly from here when we first tried to capture it as well."

"So you think that was the same one too, huh?" Zerrex glanced over at her, and Maria nodded quietly, the reptile frowning a bit as he rubbed at the side of his face before he picked the kettle up, shaking it firmly. "I just wish you could give me some answers."

Zerrex let the kettle tip over in his hand... and a moment later, it trembled violently, the reptile's eyes widening before a thick black substance poured out of it and Maria gasped: the liquid spilled into the cup, and it was both fluid and solid at the same time, like a vision of the ephemeral space outside the dimension as stars twinkled in its strangeness, the cup rapidly filling up... and then spilling over, even as Zerrex winced and let go of the teapot, staggering backwards... and yet it still floated by itself, more of the liquid-solid spilling out and flowing down the teapot, before it suddenly vomited upwards from the cup and where it had spilled over the table, forming a tall archway as Maria leapt beside Zerrex and took his hand, squeezing fiercely into it.

The edges of the archway were made of black brick, and velvet curtains like space-made-solid hummed softly, stars twinkling through it. They covered it as if blocking a doorway... and then a hand reached between the curtains, white gloved fingers twiddling mischievously before it carefully reached around the side of the archway and grasped the plate of biscuits, pulling it quickly back through the curtains before Theophilius's delighted voice said cheerfully: "You brought the scones! The party can begin!"

Zerrex and Maria looked stupidly at each other, before the reptile began to step forwards... and then Theophilius's hand thrusted through the curtains, a white gloved finger waggling at him as his voice said sternly: "Now pardon me, but you are not in proper party attire, Zerrex. And you still have your Hez'Ranna hair on! You should most definitely neaten yourself up, or at least dress yourself in something a little more sparkly and shiny for the occasion than those ragged-bagged pants you wear... this party's for you, after all! Not you or you or me or you but you!"

Zerrex stared at the finger as it bounced back and forth in front of his muzzle, and then the hand suddenly withdrew as the reptile reached up and touched his mala, Maria saying hesitantly: "Grandfather, I can go through first at least, and make sure he stays put... or we could go together, who knows what..."

"Wait, wait... I think I know what he wants. Because of Negative..." Zerrex said slowly... and then he closed his eyes and concentrated, breathing quietly as he held his hands up in front of himself... and a moment later, there was a crackle of energy before the beautiful, scale-leather cape appeared in the reptile's hands, hanging quietly from his grip as the Drakkaren studied it before it split apart and crawled quickly over his body, rapidly assimilating itself into the bone armor across his being as Zerrex felt the presence of Naganis embrace him, flow over him, comfort him, as inside his mind, he felt Negative's presence violently react, lashing out and making him wince in pain before it rapidly receded.

The Drakkaren leaned his head back, breathing hard, feeling his arms raising slightly at his sides... and then there was a laugh from the other side of the curtains before Theophilius said brightly: "Wonderful, wonderful! Come inside, come, come, come, before it starts raining on you or worse, it starts raining inside you!"

Zerrex made a face beneath the bone mask locked over his features, and then he traded a look with Maria before they both shrugged and took each other's hands... and when the reptile's bone gauntlet squeezed into her fingers, the Broken blushed before she softened visibly, looking at him with both tenderness and renewed resolve before nodding firmly, and the two quietly pulled the black curtain aside to gaze through a strangely-glowing, obsidian rift that swirled in the archway... and at the same time, they stepped forwards and into the portal as Theophilius laughed warmly.

There was a sensation of being dragged through darkness... and then Zerrex grunted as they staggered out into a wide, black cavern, the room surprisingly plain as Theophilius smiled kindly at Zerrex, the black equine standing with his hat jauntily askew on his head and his elegant clothes loose over his body, gazing with compassion at the reptile. Beside him was a large wooden table, teacups and utensils, several kettles and large clay pots of sugar, cream, and teabags over it... and then the male spread his arms as he spun around once, saying kindly: "I'm sorry it's not much of a party, but I'm a 'not-much-of-a-party' party person. By which I mean I do so love a good party and yet I hate to prepare!"

He threw his head back and laughed... and Zerrex looked at him for a long few moments, the armor resonating strangely on his body, almost trembling a bit as the Drakkaren regarded him... and when the horse's ivory eyes locked with his own emerald irises, Zerrex reached up and silently pulled the bone mask off his skull, feeling tears welling up in his eyes as the last piece of the puzzle locked into place. He stared at him for the longest time, cradling the mask in his arms, and then he whispered softly: "You can stop now."

Theophilius looked at him silently as the merriment faded from his face... and his entire demeanor changed as he looked aside and reached up to take off his own hat, squeezing the brim of it as he gazed silently at the tea table... and then he closed his eyes and snapped his fingers, and the miscellanea transformed in a violent spark of energy, becoming not teapots and kettles and knickknacks and cups, but instead beautiful books, artifacts of ivory and stone and bone, and spheres of runic crystal that floated quietly into the air as the atmosphere around them changed, the orbs casting a quietly glow as they pulsed with strange, alien runes. "So you know."

Zerrex nodded, then he dropped to a kneel and bowed his head forwards, and immediately the equine shook his head violently and almost stormed forwards, saying in a rough voice: "No, you get up, you don't... don't you dare, don't you dare, you get up right now... I... I don't deserve that..."

He dropped to his knees in front of him, firmly shoving Zerrex's muzzle up as tears spilled down the equine's cheeks, and then the horse hugged him fiercely around the neck as Zerrex swallowed and stared past him before he allowed the Broken to half-pull him up as Maria stepped backwards, staring at the two, and then Theophilius stepped back, smiling and rubbing at his face. "If anyone should bow, I should bow to you... for giving my brother Creation such a good home, for following so dearly in his example and taking care of his memories..."

"You're Order." Zerrex said softly, and the Broken nodded with a faint smile as he glanced down at his hat... and with a flick of his wrist, it became a crown of black and ivory metal, the horse examining this quietly before he sighed and tossed it aside, the crown bouncing once against the stone ground before it transformed back into a top hat that rolled quietly into the side wall. "You're a First God."

"I was a First God. The Unworld sapped almost all my energies, very, very quickly..." Theophilius glanced away, rubbing at his face slowly as he sighed a bit and turned around, walking over to the table and silently dropping his palms flat against it as Maria stared, wide-eyed. "I had no choice but to change myself... transmute my energies, become a Broken. And in some ways, I have Inverted..." He looked at his own hand with disgust, shaking his head slowly. "But as you understood well, Zerrex, most of my insanity is an act. I wish every single day that it wasn't, though... that I could go on having these mad tea parties forever, that I didn't feel the urge still, even now, even past death, to create and influence the order of the universe... that I could just be mad, mad, mad or fully inverted into chaos, so I could forget what happened at the Center of the Universe, all those years ago... so I could forgive myself, for being such a failure."

He punched the table hard, closing his eyes tightly, and Zerrex started forwards, but Theophilius, Order, only looked up and laughed dryly. "No, no, don't pity me. I don't deserve it. Have you ever noticed how the words 'cowered' and 'coward' sound ever so much the same? It's very fitting, especially for me, because you see I always just cowered like a coward here, cowering in my cowardly little lair, when I could have affected things at any and every point since the dawn of time, and yet I did not. I have not earned pity or sympathy... if anything, I have only proven that I do not deserve either."

Theophilius sighed a bit, and then he absently flicked his wrist, and the floating spheres quickly snapped across the room, aligning themselves in a triangular shape before energy sparked between them, and then they projected a holographic screen, Zerrex turning to watch as images played out over it... of societies rising and falling, of Strange Beasts, of different worlds... of Camus, as the lion talked in fast-motion with Theophilius, who only bounced around, grabbed at his hat, and flinched away from the Broken every time the conversation seemed to become more intense. "Oh yes, yes, yes. I could have spared us all this pain and heartache, you know... and I think that maybe even Camus once suspected who and what I was, or at least gleaned an idea of it. See, in order to continue to preserve order -that's a pun - sometimes I must vent my powers. I'm sure you know what happens if a god tries to resist giving in to his urges for too long, after all... he either nastily begins to Invert, or he goes insane. Or either-most-third-of-all, he explodes!"

The equine flicked both hands out, a poof of red smoke rising into the air in front of him, and Zerrex winced back a bit before the Broken grabbed at his face and blushed a bit in embarrassment. "My apologies, Zerrex, I've been... maddened so long that madness has become my bad habit. It's like nicotine for gods or catnip for kittens."

Maria and Zerrex exchanged looks, and then Theophilius cleared his throat a bit before he clapped his hands together and then pointed quietly at the images as they frozen, showing Zerrex in mid-battle with Camus, after the Drakkaren had Inverted. The reptile winced at the sight of Negative, and Theophilius said softly: "This is a very crucial event. Crucial to you, crucial to me... crucial to the fate of the universe? No, not at all. Now... the universe has become too big, grown too vast. We were silly, you know... silly, silly, silly. We did not anticipate that the creation of the Tether wouldn't just allow energy to cycle and the universe to exist, after all... it would allow the universe itself to grow, to spread, more and more, through the infinite nothingness. The universe is like a sponge, except a sponge that can replicate itself as it absorbs more water... so maybe, really, it's more like a tree. Growing and growing and growing, until it runs out of nutrients and sun and soil."

The horse spread his arms wide, and then he sighed a bit, the Broken tilting his head back to gaze silently at the ceiling. "Off topic again, Theophilius, why are you such an idiot? No wonder Order wants to smack you so badly so often." He slapped himself lightly, then he shook his head quickly and gestured at the image, saying softly: "Camus drove you to Inversion. Forced you to become Destruction... and because of Creation's powers, Creation's energies, you transformed into what Creation was becoming because of the Chimera cells. An Inversion... a Corruption. The Negative of Creation... which is not to say purely destruction, but instead... warped and mutated and mutilated existence."

Theophilius looked at the image, saying abruptly: "My first instinct was to return to return to the Center of the Universe, you know, even after I had been... transformed. But other gods were there... greedy gods and nasty gods, who were delving deep for whatever artifacts they could run away with. They would have torn me apart... I was a Broken, sure, but my powers... do not translate entirely well as a Broken. The mighty First God Order could alter reality and break the wills of others like toys! The Broken Theophilius, well. He's exceptionally good at making little things and working with charms and magic, but the cowering coward's powers are best suited for cowering cowardly acts.

"So I became wary of gods... especially as time passed on. Do you know how strange it is to have lived for so long? To me, it seems like just yesterday, I was content in my little bubble of egoism with my siblings in the Center of the Universe, and we were all laughing and having a good time... and yet yesterday feels like ten thousand years ago, when I needed to get new shoes." Theophilius tapped his heels together a few times, and then he grabbed at his face and wrenched his head back and forth, Zerrex wincing a bit as he clutched the skull mask against his body. "Oh foul and frustrating curses and purses, I've forgotten the point I was trying to make! Unless the point was to never be late for tea, and... it's tea time now and yet I am late, damnation!"

The Broken stormed over to the table, seizing a chair and yanking it back as he snapped his fingers, and a kettle and teacup appeared in front of him... yet the horse only stared blankly down into the cup as Zerrex glanced awkwardly towards the images still being projected on the screen created by the floating spheres, and then he looked back towards the male as Maria reached out and squeezed the reptile's shoulder slowly, asking quietly: "Order, what's so important about Negative? Why does he want you dead?"

"Why wouldn't he? He's Inversion, Zerrex..." Theophilius cocked his head towards him, looking both amused and surprised at this. "Creation loved us. Creation took care of us... and yet he never lorded over us like he was our leader." The Broken sighed, looking down silently again. "I did that. And yet I never did it when it counted, either... what a fool, what a fool I was..."

His eyes closed... and then he glanced up and clapped his hands, continuing as if he'd never broken off: "I believe that Negative is a diluted version of the original Inversion of Creation. He was formed from Chimera cells... and when Creation reconstituted himself as Naganis, his body likely absorbed and modified the cells as well, explaining how he was born the way he was... like getting over a very nasty cold that turns you into a homicidal maniac, Naganis woke up and was somehow immune to Negative's corruption. Whether the Chimera cells are a spiritual wickedness or a physical disease, Naganis had learned to counter them, so they went dormant, were likely even in the process of slowly being changed, slowly being forced to evolve... but this time in a different way. Before, they only made monsters... now, with Naganis's immunity, his system was able to process them and force them to transform, bit-by-bit, towards something... better

"Naganis... I... almost contacted him once, but I was scared. He had no memories of his time as Creation... and yet he was so pure, so good. In some ways, he was better than he had been... because it was as if he had become more-like the people that fill this physical universe we stupidly, selfishly created, and in doing so, became better able to sympathize with them, to understand them... to love them." Order leaned back, spreading his arms wide as he looked up towards the ceiling. "I did not wish to interfere with that... and of course, I was terrified of the repercussions."

He stopped, then hugged himself and swayed slowly from side-to-side. "And Camus, well. Camus was a very good, very kind, very honorable being... yet being a Broken was driving him mad, and I was scared, so scared, of what he'd do to me if he found out I was a First God. Do you know how often the parishioners, the devout, turn against their gods when they disagree with a single thing they say? I know that Camus was not like that now... I know too late how dedicated a soul he was... and I realize too late all he wanted, all he needed, to soothe his savage madness was the answers to simple questions. I could have told him that the First Gods maintained the Unworld Manse because of the necessity of the Tether... and the dissatisfaction we expressed towards the universe in journals and stories and books there, that was because we had not yet figured out how to keep the universe from dying. That was before we had developed the Guardians, before we had forged alliances with Gods... before we gave the job of Watcher to one of our Guardians and... oh, we were such fools! Complacent, stupid, selfish... when things didn't work to our expectations we... we threw temper tantrums, like this!"

Theophilius leapt to his feet with a yell and seized the table, sending it flipping forwards and spilling the objects and tea set off it as he breathed hard, Zerrex and Maria wincing backwards... and then the horse simply dropped down on his ass, wrapping his arms around his legs and hugging them tight to his chest as he rocked slowly on the spot, whispering: "We could have... we should have... been so much more. We were beings from the Beyond... voyagers of the Astral and Ethereal... and yet what did we do? Made ourselves into physical instead of immaterial beings, giving up many of our reality-altering abilities, making ourselves flawed instead of the almost-perfection we had once been... and within several hundred thousand years, such a short, sad time, even to demons... we destroyed ourselves utterly and completely. Or was it millions? Either way... it was not as long as the philosopher thought and not nearly as short as the pessimist believed."

He hung his head quietly, and Zerrex walked over and sat down beside him as Maria blushed a bit and headed over to the table to right it, carefully beginning to clean up as the equine glanced back and forth in surprise, and then Zerrex reached up and squeezed his shoulder gently, saying quietly: "I understand this is difficult for you, Order, and that you have a hard time keeping on topic on top of everything else... and that being a Broken for so many years likely must have done strange things to you. But I have a request for you, okay?"

"Only if you call me Theophilius. A better name for me, more suiting to my newfound life..." The horse sighed as he leaned back, spreading his arms a bit before he gave a small smile, glancing over at him. "I do not deserve the majesty of my old title of Order. Besides. Order was flawed and arrogant and a little bit of a heartless bastard. And a big wimp. Did you know he was beaten by a single childish blow? It surprised him... and poof, into the Tether, and that was the end of it. All that concentrated Unworld Energy, being pulled down into the heart of the Unworld, before he knew the great designs of this world-without-a-world, under the cavernous sky..."

He closed his eyes tightly, then cleared his throat and nodded, saying in a gentle voice: "Yes, Zerrex, I shall listen to your request. But keep in mind that I am a coward, not a conqueror, and what I do best is cower, not create. I can grant you the promise to listen but never the promise to do, much like the whispery willowy wind... except that, at least, is a little more dependable and can help children fly kites and windmills make their revolutions."

He fell into brooding silence, and Zerrex winced a bit before he began slowly: "Eratosthenes... the Librarian... he tried to steal my powers. He succeeded, even..."

"Oh yes, it was a mighty drama!" the horse leapt to his feet suddenly, flinging his hand out and almost knocking Zerrex backwards as a wooden sword appeared in his grip, and he swung it back and forth as he danced across the room, dueling with an imaginary opponent as he laughed loudly. "A battle for the ages, monumental! The great and terrible tragedy of your fall, followed by your slow climb back, back, back through the folds of sorrow and battle until you felled not only the Librarian, Keeper of Knowledge, but his terrible beast Iron!"

Theophilius halted, and then he squeaked and grabbed at his chest as a sword appeared out of thin air and stabbed through him, Zerrex wincing a bit... but then the Broken keeled comically backwards and splayed his limbs up into the air as the wooden sword in his hand became a bouquet of flowers, before the horse's tongue flopped out of his jaws and he dropped his legs flat and his arms over his chest, holding the flowers just above the sword buried through him, his eyes clenched shut. Then one opened and peered back and forth, and Zerrex looked at him mildly before the horse hopped to his feet and wiggled his hips back and forth, the sword that was 'pierced' through him falling loose, a large U-shape in the metal that had locked perfectly and magically around the horse's body. "Sorry, sorry. Listening."

Theophilius tossed the flowers aside, and they exploded into feathers before the Drakkaren looked down at the skull he was still holding in one hand, feeling a faint gleam of energy through the armor as if it was amused... and the reptile muttered: "Well, Naganis, if you like it so much I guess I can have a little laugh too... but seriously, Theophilius. Then you know that the Librarian's mind was damaged on the way out. If you're Order, and you can still restore sanity to a person, or at least the power to think-"

"I won't help him! No way, no how!" The Broken shook his head vehemently and waved his hands wildly, leaping backwards with a grimace of surprise... and Zerrex thought, a flicker of fear. "No, no, no, no, no! Now, I do not promote the murder and slaughter and destruction of the Strange Beasts, as you call the Guardians, as I feel some manner of guilt over what happened to them... I wish things could have been different. But many of them have lost their minds! Lost their loyalty, their discipline, their ideals of honor and their sense that they should follow the First Gods, instead following the strongest among them like mindless pack beasts or the sly Storytellers and Songstresses and others who once so lovingly and faithfully served us, and now serve only themselves... and the Librarian was the worst, gathering up forces and kowtowing to the fools, the fools, the idiot fools..."

He began to pace wildly back and forth, and Zerrex frowned at this, asking sharply: "Do you know who Error was working for?"

"Error. I like that." Theophilius smiled brilliantly at him for a moment, and then he covered his eyes and then his ears and then his mouth rapidly as he chanted: "Can't tell, can't see, can't say! And not because I don't want to, I dearly, dearly, lovingly want to..." He walked quickly over to Zerrex, suddenly reaching down and taking one of his hands as he patted it silently, looking down at him with sympathy. "But because, although I am sadly, completely, unequivocally insane and deluded and such a nutty-nutcase... I cannot see any clearer on this subject than a somewhat-mentally-healthy-enough-to-be-considered-mostly-sane person like yourself, poor Zerrex. I know that normally the loonies see everything before the sane people do... but in this instance, even with all my nasty-nosey spying, I have never been able to find out. And believe me, I would dearly like to find out, to see this person, so I could promptly un-see them and then never ever think or see them again."

"Then help me heal Error, Order, and maybe he can tell us... or at least tell us how he ended up working with them, where he got his orders... something, anything!" Zerrex almost pleaded, squeezing the horse's hand... and Theophilius looked down silently, and then he turned away with a shiver, shaking his head rapidly as Zerrex stood up, the skull mask dangling from his other hand as he asked quietly: "What are you scared of? Him attacking you... or him being disappointed in you? I know the Librarian was a friend to the First Gods, and a being of great respect... so why not help him? Just enough to let him think clearly... to answer a few questions."

"I told you... I'm a coward, Zerrex. A silly, silly coward." Theophilius sighed quietly as he reached up to brush his long black hair back, shaking his head quickly and making his ponytail sway over one shoulder before he glanced down at this and played with it quietly with one hand. For a few moments, he seemed lost deep in thought... and then he finally glanced up towards the reptile, saying softly: "You still have many problems to worry about, so perhaps now isn't the best time for a party after all. Answers that need questions to make sense and questions that need answering so they become ridiculous. Guardians, Eratosthenes, Heaven and Hell, a murderer, and a mastermind behind it all... every event seems strange and separated, but in the same way that I am a lunatic, I suppose... it all makes sense when you finally dig down to the foundations."

Theophilius smiled as he reached up and tapped his own nose gently, and Zerrex looked at him for a few moments before he said quietly: "And don't forget, a First God who I still have a lot of questions to ask... and a monster named Negative who has his own part in this, doesn't he? But you're kicking us out, huh?"

"Oh, no, I'm not nearly strong enough to fight you anymore, Zerrex... the energies of my sibling have melded perfectly through your form and I fear that I bruise easily and cry from the sting of harsh words alone." Theophilius replied cordially, and then he bowed deeply and gestured towards the archway. "I am, however, politely asking you to leave, and must warn you that if you do not, I shall break down into tears and make you feel very guilty about it."

Zerrex couldn't help but smile a little at this before he carefully settled the bone mask back over his features, letting it lock into place as the armor glowed over his body slowly, and he said softly as Maria hesitated: "Then I won't be rude and impose any further than I already have. But Theophilius... I hope we can meet again soon, and talk more about things. You are welcome to visit my Estate or Acheron any time you like."

"Soon is relative, so it'll be sooner to one of us and later to the other." Theophilius chided, and Zerrex smiled a bit despite himself before the equine clapped his hands firmly and bowed deeply to them. "Goodbye, Zerrex Narrius. Goodbye, Maria-not-Serviteur. We'll meet again soon enough."

Maria walked over to join her grandfather in front of the shimmering rift leading out, and Theophilius looked at them with strange sadness before he turned his back to them and put his hands over his ears, and the reptile hesitated for a few moments... then he simply shook his head and turned, walking with the Broken through the rift, and there was a sensation of rushing darkness before they emerged back into the den... and behind them, the archway burst apart into dark smoke that faded quickly from existence, leaving the kettle and teacup behind. The two looked at each other for a few moments, and then Maria frowned a bit as she glanced towards the cup. "Look..."

She picked up a piece of paper that had been left behind, and scrawled over it in neat script, was a single gentle plea: Please do not reveal my identity to anyone: by which I mean tell your friends and family but not those who would do me harm. Thank you, Zerrex. Your friend, Theophilius Carter.

Zerrex examined the paper for a moment as Maria held it in front him, and then he shook his head a bit before he glanced at her awkwardly, and she looked back, then hugged his armored form tightly, murmuring quietly: "You look very scary in that armor, grandfather... and yet the presence you give off is not one of terror at all, but rather comforting, and warm. And it is not just the sensation of what I imagine to be Naganis... it is as if it amplifies your own energy. Strength, will, determination... and yet empathy, and fearless love."

Zerrex smiled a bit at this, looking down at her quietly, and she gazed back up silently for a few moments before she kissed the underside of his muzzle, murmuring: "I shall keep his secret, grandfather. Will you?"

"Well, I'll obviously have to gossip to a few people..." Zerrex smiled a bit, but then he nodded slowly, rubbing at the skull mask covering his face as he said quietly: "It makes sense, though... and while I feel like... we've just been left with a lot more questions now, rather than gotten any answers... I think it's a matter of letting Theophilius come to us, so to speak. Who and what he is, how he's acted and been... I can only imagine what being a Broken for all those years after what he witnessed, how that would have affected him, how... scared he must be all the time."

"I'm amazed he hasn't deteriorated away into nothing, to be honest..." Maria murmured, and Zerrex looked down at her quietly as he reached up to squeeze her upper arms, the female smiling a little up at him. "Like all things, Broken lose their cohesion after so long... his will must be immense to have been able to continue to exist..."

"Or maybe he just hates himself that much, and fears whatever's to come next..." Zerrex murmured softly, glancing away... and then he shook his head slowly, rubbing at the skull over his face quietly. "Anyway, I think I need to go and lay down, see if I can get this sorted out in my mind some... will you do me a favor and make sure everyone knows not to disturb me? All this, and using my powers a little excessively after having only recently gotten them back... I think I may have pulled my god-muscle or whatever it is that lets me put up with all this crazy crap."

Maria only smiled at him kindly, however, and then she took his arm and gently helped him head out of the room as the reptile's right leg gave a faint twinge, and Zerrex glanced down at this with a bit of a wince: if he really was back at full godhood, then that was a sign he really was overusing his abilities and putting too much strain on his mind and body. The Broken comforted him with her presence alone, however... and the reptile was fairly certain he couldn't die here while in Acheron, although he wasn't exactly eager to find out what would happen if he did go too far with his powers: it was bad enough when his hands started to smolder and he began to look pale and warped.

But they were able to quickly and quietly head to Zerrex's room, and once there, the Drakkaren simply thought about removing his armor... and it immediately slithered over his body, bone and scale-leather rapidly reforming into nothing but a heavy cape that rested across his back as the lizard gave a bit of a shiver at the feeling of the once-solid material flowing over his frame almost like liquid. Maria gazed at him with a quiet smile as she reached up and touched his face gently, examining him curiously as Zerrex blushed a bit and carefully undid the cape from around his throat, pulling it off with one hand as she said softly: "That armor really was meant for you... and yet not at all in the way the Goddess intended, I think. Otherwise, it would not listen so gladly to your commands, grandfather..."

"You're doing it again." Zerrex said mildly, mostly just to deflect the embarrassment he felt, but Maria only smiled amusedly at him as she shook her head slowly before patting him on the chest as she turned away, and the reptile watched as she walked to the doorway of his room and pulled it open.

She lingered for a moment, then glanced over her shoulder, saying softly: "Sleep now, Zerrex. I'll go and check on the others, since it's easy for me to move back and forth between worlds... and you just concentrate on resting. We need you strong and healthy, after all."

Zerrex nodded to her a bit, and the Broken blew him a kiss before she left and closed the door with a smile, and Zerrex gazed after her affectionately before he looked down at the cape in his hands, squeezing into the comforting leather... before he smiled a little to himself as he slipped into bed and it became a thicker blanket, spilling that same warmth over him as Zerrex curled up under it a bit with a soft sigh of contentment. His mala jingled quietly, and the reptile hesitated, then finally took this off to avoid it tangling in his hair while he slept, placing it aside on his bed table as the beads glimmered faintly.

Slowly, his eyes closed... and for a little while, the reptile rested in dreamless, comfortable slumber. Finally, his eyes opened and he smiled a little before he half-rolled over... and stared in horror at the sight of Negative leaning overtop him, snarling down at him with his bone claw raised, and Zerrex gave a shout of horror before he kicked hard outwards with both feet.

Negative flickered out of reality as the scale-blanket flew through the air, landing past the foot of the bed as the reptile leaned dumbly forwards... and then reality around himself slowly peeled away, cracking and shattering and leaving the Drakkaren in darkness as Negative said softly: "Good. Time for a quick chat, Zerrex..."

The Drakkaren snarled as he felt a shock run through his body, eyes clenching shut and vertigo tearing at his senses... and then a moment later, he was in the Deep Temple, sitting in the throne atop the grand pyramid. He cursed quietly as he leapt up from this and ran to the edge of it, but the pyramid seemed infinitely taller, the ground a speck below, and not a village, but an immense city clustered into an endless cavern as blue flames glowed over the rooftops and strange creatures danced and screamed and howled as enormous black vines crawled out of and around fountains filled with black ooze and blood... and then the reptile turned around with a snarl to see Negative sitting quietly in the Throne, leaning forwards with his arms resting across his knees as he said quietly, his red eyes glowing out of his skull: "You need to learn your place. Using toys and trivialities to keep me out of your mind... going to people you shouldn't be going to... not focusing on the objective: I thought you'd be smart enough to figure out how much you needed me after losing me to Eratosthenes... I thought you came begging for my powers."

"No... I came for you because I knew that he couldn't handle you... but I can. I've put up with you in my head for years and years now, Negative, and we've always had an awkward peace between us... but if anyone's afraid here, it's you." Zerrex said quietly, narrowing his emerald eyes towards the creature, but Negative only sat silently in the throne, measuring him with his ruby irises. "You are an Inversion of Naganis. Not of Creation... of Naganis. You are not the same corrupt monster that I saw in those memories... because it was fiercer, and admittedly, it was stupider, because it was Creation consumed entirely by it. What Order said was true... you're diluted, more neutral... slyer and smarter, perhaps stronger. More aware of your own flaws... scared of your own past."

"Do not analyze me or believe you know me because of what I allowed you to see... what I allow you to feel. You are the puppet here, not me." Negative retorted, standing up and pointing at him before he shook his head slowly, and his voice became softer, tempting, as he gestured around himself. "I am you, and I am not you: our desires are often the same, just in different contexts. I can give you what you desire most... power, friends, family, love. My corruption is able to spread through and infect and affect anything... and even more so, bend it to my will. I am fuelled by pain and rage and hate and sorrow, and you are burning to the brim with those emotions... and I do not tire, I do not weaken."

"That's a lie." Zerrex said plainly, and Negative snarled slightly as the Drakkaren shook his head slowly. "If our desires are the same, then you must want to be able to just sit back and relax too..."

"In a world of my own making ,yes: in a place I have control and complete dominion and dominance over." Negative clenched his hand into a fist, looking coldly at him. "The corruption makes them my children, infects them with the need to obey. I am not as cruel as you think: they look and act like monsters, but reducing them to primal passion grants them freedom from sin. Money, jealousy, social hierarchy means nothing to them, nor do stigmas or rules or laws or religion. They follow and obey my commands but are otherwise not only free to do whatever they want... they are made powerful. Godlike. Like you, like me. Besides, you and I both know that animals and beasts are purer than the high-order creatures... hydras don't gossip behind the backs of others and plot to ruin their lives because of some mean words they posted on the internet."

"Please don't make pop culture references, it hurts my head when I realize you've been digging through my brain." Zerrex muttered, reaching up and rubbing at his skull slowly, and then he glanced to the side and grimaced as an immense, terrible black bird flew slowly back, its features covered in rubbery skin and huge talons at the end of long legs kicking at the air, corruption dripping off its enormous form. "Can't we wait and have this argument later, after I've dealt with all the other crap in my life?"

"I'm trying to give you a method to deal with things, you idiot." Negative said darkly, and then he strode towards Zerrex, the two glaring at each other for a moment before the Inversion rose his bone-armored arm and the long, dangerous ivory spike shot out of his wrist, dark energy sparking along it as he said quietly: "The power to give life. The power to take life away. I am everything you can ever dream of being... and I evolve faster than you ever thought possible, Zerrex Narrius. I am you, and I am better than you... and to become me, all you have to do is give in... and let me give you one painless little needle..."

"I won't make a deal with you, Negative." Zerrex said quietly, shaking his head slowly, and the Inversion growled at him with distaste. "No matter what you offer, I know by now that it's poison. I don't know what your real goal is, but I do know that it's selfish and destructive... I know that no matter how you dress it up, your version of creation is sick, pedantic, and wrong. And I won't be a part of it. I won't let you tempt me... and you know by now you can't fight me."

Negative was silent as the spike retracted... and then his ruby eyes glowed as he said softly: "So once more... we do this dance, Zerrex."

And then the Drakkaren snarled and ducked when Negative roared and clawed at his face, the lizard shifting beneath the attack before Negative slammed a knee up into his face, blood bursting from the reptile's muzzle before Negative shoved him hard off the top of the pyramid with a cruel laugh as enormous spikes of bone began to rip out of the huge structure from the bottom up and the ground surrounding the massive temple burst into blue flames, dark, sickening black corruption venting upwards with smoke and steam as the earth quaked and trembled, Zerrex cursing as he bounced several times down the steps before he slammed his feet against the stone and launched himself into the air, throwing his arms wide... and Negative screamed as white energy burst from the reptile's back with a bright flash, forming into angelic wings before it solidified into rubbery, feather-shaped scales that glimmered brilliantly with energy, the back of each wing covered in a solid layer of black metal that nonetheless rippled and flowed.

The reptile created a sphere of energy in his hand, then he snarled as he lashed it forwards, and Negative recovered from his surprise just in time to look up before this smashed into his face, exploding with hurricane force and sending him crashing backwards into the throne with a gargle before Zerrex shot towards the rocky ceiling overhead. As Negative recovered with a curse, however, two immense black birds swept in towards the Drakkaren, both shrieking furious cries as they rose their thick talons towards him and snapped at him with their beaks... and immediately, Zerrex shoved both hands out, brilliant blasts of sapphire energy erupting from either hand and smashing into the two creatures as they tried to pincer him, and both exploded into thick bursts of dark goo and crackles of black lightning as the reptile shot higher towards the ceiling.

Negative snarled, then bony wings tore from his own back, blue flames bursting to life between them as he leapt upwards, fallen angel and metallic god glaring at each other before the reptile shouted angrily: "I won't allow fear or lust to rule me, and I will not permit you to exercise total dominion over my mind any longer, Negative!"

"What can you do in the confines of my reality?" Negative roared, and dark cones of energy appeared all around Zerrex before black swords swirled into being in mid-launch towards the Drakkaren, Zerrex's eyes widening before he vanished from the spot just as the deadly mess of spikes shot forwards and the swords of dark energy crashed into the collection of black cones, exploding in a terrible shockwave that made Negative's flight stutter to a halt with a curse as he spun around and snarled in rage at the sight of Zerrex hovering near the ceiling, a cold grin on his face.

"My element is Earth, Negative... and unlike you, I'm not scared of a little sunlight!" Zerrex shouted, and he rose a hand towards the rocky ceiling as Negative's eyes widened before the entire cavern shook as cracks began to spread through the stone, Negative howling in horror and denial before the reptile roared as he leaned forwards and snapped an arm downwards as his wings propelled him backwards, and an immense meteor of stone ripped from the roof and spiraled violently down towards the Inversion.

Negative swept his bone claw out, smashing the asteroid sized chunk of rock away as other, larger pieces of stone began to fall from the crumbling ceiling, and then he covered his eyes with a curse of fury as bright light streamed down into the dark cave, more light spilling into the area from the cracks, the blue flames flickering out of sight as natural light suffocated them and the black corruption boiling violently as it began to rapidly turn grey, the Inversion flapping his wings to propel himself backwards into the darkness as he shouted furiously: "Fucking nonsense imagery!"

"It's what you get for associating yourself so much with darkness..." Zerrex snarled, flying beneath one of the immense holes as the cavern trembled violently and continued to cave in, Negative batting away boulders with ease but hissing every time the light touched him, sending up steam and smoke. "Now, you're the one who's going to learn his place... and that in my mind, what I say goes: if you want to be the darkness so bad, be the darkness... but I'm never without a weapon, never without a counterattack, never without something else I can call up in my mind to drive you back into your nasty little hole!"

"Your mind is my home, my domain! You cannot defeat me here!" Negative roared, throwing an arm up even as the light began to char away his scales... and Zerrex looked up in shock as, in the skies above, an immense black disc rolled slowly in front of the sun, bathing everything in terrible red and grey light as the reptile cursed under his breath, then looked down in surprise as Negative shot towards him, body still steaming as he hissed: "What are you going to do without your precious daylight now?"

Zerrex's eyes widened, then he grunted and cursed when Negative crashed into him, grabbing the reptile around the waist and savagely biting into his shoulder like an animal, and the Drakkaren howled in agony as he flew upwards before he seized one of the Inversion's horns and yanked his hand back, Negative's eyes bulging as he cursed before the Drakkaren half-turned and threw him hard downwards, sending him crashing into a slowly-crumbling stone plateau. Negative bounced hard once against it as cracks spilled through it, before the rock and dirt crumbled downwards, sending him spilling off with a curse before his wings snapped open and caught the air with terrible impossibility, sending him flying upwards as the two hovered under the eclipsed sun as the ground beneath them continued to collapse away... and then Negative grinned savagely, holding his arms out to either side, and reality around them trembled violently before it simply cracked apart beneath their feet, shattering into a swirling vortex of empty, soulless white that slowly began to eat up the very sky, sucking in light and darkness as they were slowly surrounded by nothing but blanched Nothingness. "Why do you bother trying to fight me? It's impossible... you cannot defeat me. You cannot destroy me."

Zerrex, however, only smiled grimly as his wings flapped once before furling slowly, and the air rippled beneath his feet as the Drakkaren stood silently, Negative frowning in surprise as he continued to hover, wings flapping powerfully... and when he tried to set himself down, he only grunted in surprise at finding nothing beneath his feet, the Drakkaren saying quietly: "Your control over my mind isn't as complete as you think it is. Sure, when I fought you before, I was panicked. I was confused. And I was scared, because I thought you really would kill me physically... and that would be it. But now I know that this is all in my head... and you have no idea how much experience I've had over the years with this kind of battle. You should... except you're not entirely me."

"I'm what you wish you were!" Negative shouted furiously... and then Zerrex only shook his head slowly as the Inversion snarled: "We are in the Nothingness, in my domain-"

"No. I'm laying in bed right now... and you're throwing a hissy-fit, because you're like a child who thinks he rules the household, when he doesn't. I'm the one in charge, Negative." Zerrex shook his head in contempt... and Negative's eyes burned with rage before the Drakkaren looked at him coldly. "When I Invert, you're hard to resist. But I'm far from needing to Invert right now... I've never felt like I've had a clearer, sharper mind. And for once... I'm confident in myself. This is your last chance to just let things go before it gets messy."

"Or what?" Negative said coldly, and then he snapped his hands out, and the whiteness turned to pure darkness around them, solid ground forming beneath Zerrex's feet as Negative dropped to the steel floor, the bony needle springing out of his right arm as his wings vanished from sight. "Don't underestimate me, or my power, or my corruption or how much you need me! You have no toys and no friends to help you!"

"Friends... no. But I wouldn't say I'm alone." Zerrex said quietly, and Negative frowned for a moment... and then he howled in agony as a pair of katanas tore through his back and out his stomach, and then his bone armor shattered as Blackheart's blade ripped through his chest, Ravenlight grinning savagely on one side of Negative and Cold, the ruthless side of the reptile's personality, standing silently on the other as his leather trenchcoat swirled around him, their hands locked on their weapons as Negative's eyes bulged with shock. "A broken mind and multiple chunks of personality come in handy against parasites like you."

Ravenlight snorted as he ripped his katanas free, spinning them rapidly to flick blood off them as Cold brought his foot up and kicked Negative hard in the lower spine as he jerked backwards, Blackheart tearing from the creature's back as the Inversion fell to all fours with a curse... and then he shook his head slowly, looking up at Zerrex with surprise in his ruby eyes as he whispered: "Why is it so different this time... last time we fought, you were weak, pathetic... I controlled you with ease, and the other parts of your mind were too scared to stand up for themselves..."

Cold swung Blackheart down into Negative's back, apparently not taking well to this sentiment as he sent the Inversion crashing onto his stomach with a hiss of pain, and Ravenlight threw his head back and laughed cruelly before he snorted when Zerrex glared at them, Cold only shaking his head in distaste. "Oh fuck you, Conscious Walker. You called on us for help... you should be glad we showed up at all! Besides, we deserve the chance to take this piece of shit down a peg or two..."

Negative snarled over his shoulder, his eyes glowing scarlet as dark spikes of energy formed around the two, but Ravenlight moved with lightning speed, his twin swords easily deflecting each and every attack in showy, arcing swings as he laughed darkly, and Cold simply held up a hand, a pulse of powerful energy emitting from his form and shattering the spikes surrounding his body. The Inversion's eyes widened, and then he cursed as Zerrex grabbed him by the throat, hefting him into the air as Ravenlight and Cold both watched, one grinning, the other grim. "Ironically? I think I have you to thank for that. You were the one who showed me that I could fight monsters like Error and Iron with or without my powers... you were the one who apparently had enough faith in me reaching him without dying that he left me facing worse odds than I faced even against Athéos's army of gods. You were the one who showed me what happened to the First Gods, and you were the one who revealed to me that you are nothing more than a parasite, a clump of mutating cells and energy that survived by hiding out in Naganis's body for countless years, immobilized and neutralized.

"You were the one who taught me I didn't have to be scared of you." Zerrex finished quietly, and he threw Negative to the ground, the Inversion bouncing once and staring up at him, breathing and shaking his head weakly. "I'm immune to your corruption, Negative. And more importantly, I'm immune to your lies. Sure, when I Invert, you can take over my body and hurt me and tempt me and make me do awful things... but now we both know that if you ever do push me... I can push back. I can leave you to the mercy of people like Ravenlight and Cold. So maybe you're the one who has to learn his goddamn place." Zerrex leaned down over him, then pointed at him and snarled: "To make it perfectly clear: if you ever fuck with me again I'll cut your head off and shove it up your goddamn ass. Play nice with me, and I'll play nice with you. But I've had enough of your mind games. Next time you pull this shit, I'll kill you."

"Impossible..." Negative whispered... and then he gargled when Cold reversed Blackheart and stabbed it down through his stomach, pinning him to the ground. He clutched at this, corruption leaking from the wound, his eyes, his mouth, as he gargled uselessly... and then Zerrex glanced at the ruthless part of his personality, and Cold grunted before ripping the sword free in a spray of black blood and ooze. "I c-cannot... will not believe this... you were so weak, so pathetic! You were so easy to break before..."

"And I was scared and panicked before, too. To be honest, you still worry me... I worry what you can do physically, and when I Invert." Zerrex said quietly, kneeling down at the feet of the creature, and then he reached a hand out and grasped Negative's foot: a moment later, black chains sprung into being around the Inversion, snapping shut over his limbs and body and binding him completely as he howled in rage and frustration, yanking uselessly against the links. "But mentally, I beat the crap out of you before, and now I'm not at my worst or tortured by corruption and you haven't managed to sink your claws in me. Now I've got my claws in you... so why don't you go off for a little quiet time, Negative? I know you'll escape my traps, you always do... but maybe this time you can think a little about just what you've done and we can talk instead of me having to kick your ass next time you show up."

And with that, Zerrex reached down and patted the ground, and a rift ripped open around Negative, pulling the Inversion down into it even as the monster's eyes glowed red and he snarled, chains jangling around him as he struggled uselessly before giving a raw, half-terrified, half-furious yell as he lunged upwards, only his head remaining free from the portal for a moment before that was violently pulled down into the spiraling darkness as well.

It closed a moment later in a flicker of energy... and then Zerrex smiled slightly as he glanced up, but Cold was already walking away into darkness and Ravenlight only looked at Zerrex meditatively as he spun his katanas at his side, then sheathed them both as he said moodily: "This better turn out worthwhile, Conscious Walker. I don't like taking orders from you."

"You showed up of your own free will." Zerrex said softly, and Ravenlight grunted before he flicked a hand out and vanished in a burst of dark energy, the reptile shaking his head slowly as he stood alone for a moment in the recesses of his own mind... and then he looked up in surprise as he heard footsteps, turning to see Celeste approaching.

He smiled awkwardly at the Strange Beast, and she studied him curiously for a few moments as she reached out to take one of his hands, playing her fingers over the back of it as she murmured softly: "I see... you battled the Inversion, but this time conquered him. An interesting turn of events... important even. But I am here for a reason other than that I heard your mental yells... it is time for you to awaken."

Zerrex's eyes blinked rapidly... and a moment later, he was laying dumbly on his back in bed, staring up at the sight of Celeste sitting quietly beside him, holding one of his hands. He could feel his thoughts racing... and he realized a moment later many of them were alien, strange, foreign whispers in his mind before Celeste smiled her strange little smile at him and gently put his hand down, standing up as the whispers silenced. "I am sorry. I forget sometimes how susceptible others are to my thoughts, and yet how very few understand them. Will you please accompany me, Zerrex?"

The Drakkaren nodded awkwardly after a moment, and the Strange Beast stood up and slipped backwards, studying him with her eyes as he slipped out of bed and grabbed his mala, playing it through his fingers for a quiet moment. Then his eyes turned to her with surprise as she said softly: "You know many answers to many questions. Dangerous answers... you must ensure that you do not become obsessed with them, or with the questions that remain that do not pertain to your currently tasks and goals. You could easily be led astray and off the path you walk... and your enemies will never hesitate to use this to their advantage the moment such a chance reveals itself."

The lizard gazed at her silently for a few moments, and then he only nodded as he slipped his mala over his head and murmured: "You're right, Celeste... and I will be careful. I'm only hoping the answers to the questions I do have are going to be enough to give me a bit of help, a bit of an edge, over everything else that's gone wrong here lately."

Celeste only smiled at this, however, saying softly: "And I know that you do not speak from mere wild bravado. Please come with me, now. The demigod has begun awakening my sibling Guardian, the Librarian."

The reptile grunted in surprise at this, standing up and then pausing long enough to hold his hand out... and immediately, the long scale-leather cloak flicked off the ground towards him, sliding over one of his arms and wrapping quickly around his body to become a comfortable cloak as the Drakkaren glanced down at himself, then back up as Celeste looked at him softly. "Yes. It is as Lord Order said. You are a suitable home for Creation, and in more ways than because your energies have bonded so well with the master I beloved."

The Drakkaren winced a bit, but the Strange Beast only bowed slightly towards him, saying softly: "It is both your wish and the wish of Order that his secret be kept, and I will neither go against your will nor the will of the First Gods I still revere to this day." Celeste said quietly, and Zerrex studied her thoughtfully before she looked up with a smile. "Zealot. Devout. I do not mind these words attached to me, although they can be used in negative context. For I am zealous, and I am devout, and I am loyal... and you see me as honorable; I appreciate this."

Zerrex smiled awkwardly at her, rubbing at his face absently as the cloak fluttered around him... and then Celeste turned and opened the door, heading out into the hallway, and the Drakkaren followed her quickly out, looking with surprise to see Sabnock waiting patiently as well, as she said quietly: "I was concerned for you when I heard that you had a strange encounter. Not only with the Broken Theophilius, but with a cloaked figure: High Queen Vivien would like you to join her for debriefing as soon as you are ready, but she wished for me to emphasize that there is no real rush. She understands that you are calming down, regaining your strength, and using your Disciples to gather information at the moment."

The Drakkaren nodded awkwardly to Sabnock, and she studied him quietly, dressed as always in her prim business suit as they walked side-by-side down the hall, following Celeste. The silence between them was comfortable, however... and when Zerrex reached a hand up to rest it on the wolverine's shoulder, she didn't shrug it off or pull away.

They made their way to a large, mostly-empty room filled with vacant shelves and a single large, broken wardrobe... and in the center of this room, Eratosthenes was seated in his wheelchair, drooling weakly and surrounded by candles, herbs, and magical implements as Loki and Jessica both studied him, Thor bouncing nervously in the background before he whispered loudly as they entered: "Look, look, mine brother, they're-"

"Shut up, Thor!" Loki snapped, and then he glanced towards Zerrex and Sabnock, acknowledging them with a grunt before his eyes moved to Celeste as Jessica dropped down to a kneel... and he realized she was checking runes and figures that had been drawn all along the floor as he asked hurriedly: "Are you ready yet? We don't have a lot of time before the materials start evaporating!"

"Beloved brother is using magical means most powerful to-" Thor began, and then he was cut off by a glare from Loki, and the caracal blushed and quickly drew his finger and thumb across his own muzzle in a zipping motion, and Zerrex sighed a bit, but understood what Loki was doing as he drew his eyes over the flickering candles and the almost-alive chalk lines on the floor that seemed to sway and move, and the various small glass beakers filled with magical liquids and implements.

Zerrex had seen this done once before, and from Jessica's familiarity with it, he knew that Loki was less healing Eratosthenes's mind than he was trying to jar the male's consciousness, likely in the hopes that he would snap awake. Celeste was already supervising in her strange way, approaching her sibling Guardian and grasping the sides of his head as she studied him with her strange, distant eyes, collar tight around her neck before she nodded slowly and said softly: "Yes. He is almost ready. We have put much of his mind back together... we should begin the ritual immediately."

"Finally." Loki muttered, and then he stepped backwards as Celeste silently turned and walked out of the ceremonial circle, and Jessica straightened nervously as she stepped back as well. Sabnock and Zerrex exchanged looks as Thor giddily bounced, and then the otter sighed a bit before muttering: "Odin help us..."

The demigod rose his hands as they glowed faintly, resonating with the strange magical implements sitting around the circle as Jessica's own hands raised, glowing brightly and making the chalk lines sway and twist all the faster... before Celeste's head fell back as she began to sing, clear and strong and slow, her body swaying silently with her own rhythm as Zerrex felt his heart clench and his cloak ripple around himself, energy glowing faintly over the scale-leather in reaction to the beautiful, powerful song as even Thor fell silent and still, and Loki looked up in shock.

A glow built steadily from the floor as Eratosthenes shivered in the wheelchair, his body twitching and his breath rasping in and out as a bit of drool dripped from his jaws as they worked slowly, creakily, his dull eyes seeming to glimmer for a moment... and then he convulsed once in his chair as the glow built higher, Jessica staring in rapture towards Celeste as Loki gritted his teeth and looked resolutely downwards, multicolored bangs hanging over his face as he shivered... and then Eratosthenes bucked violently in the wheelchair, making it grind and rock lightly before he rasped: "No more! No more!"

He shivered again convulsively, breathing hard, slumping forwards and scrabbling at the arms of the wheelchair weakly as Celeste's song died out, and Loki and Jessica both stumbled back, the female hugging herself with a wince as the glow around her hands flickered out and Loki's own energies faded quickly, the chalk over the floor boiling upwards into steam that shrouded the creature for a moment before it faded from sight, and Eratosthenes's eyes blinked slowly before he grabbed at his skull with a groan of pain. "Why... why did you bring me back... to torture me, to hurt me, to destroy me? And you, Great Mother... how can you lower yourself so, kowtowing to these inferior beings? The universe is not theirs, it is rightfully ours... especially after the First Gods betrayed us..."

"They did not betray us, they saved our lives, Librarian. They saved us from a fate worse than you can ever understand, and they are the ones who set the gears in motion that created these beings." Celeste said softly, motioning quietly towards the others in the room as Eratosthenes only snarled at her. "You defy their will, and defy their creations... you claim to be both loyal and rebellious at the same time. It saddens me that for all your knowledge you have shown little wisdom."

"Shut up!" Eratosthenes shouted, but he was pedantic, weak, barely able to raise a hand before he leaned forwards, wheezing hard in and out of his mouth as he trembled violently, then he whispered: "They sent us away... and locked us up..."

"They sent us to warn others not to return to the home where they died... and they sealed us away, entrusted us with their deepest secrets, knowing that one day we would return to the physical universe when the seals were broken... and have you not seen, Librarian, that the Center of the Universe has been destroyed, with only the Tether surviving because it exists inside and outside of reality, filled with the radiant energies of the First Gods? They knew their last act might very well be to destroy their own home... and that is why they did not awaken us. They expected that either they would find the solution to their problem... or they would be sacrificed, and their home with it." Celeste said softly, and the Librarian looked up weakly, blinking his eyes slowly. "Why have you given up your heritage over a misunderstanding, Librarian? Why is it that you claim to hate these new breeds of mortal and god and divine and corrupt with such passion, and yet you strive to imitate their emotions and thoughts?"

"Because I cannot be one of them any more than I can remain a Guardian to... to betrayers!" the Librarian rasped, but tears were forming in his eyes now as he glared across at the female, trembling violently. "What do you know, Great Mother? I see in your eyes and mind that you have taken on a mortal name, just as I have-"

"Very well. Then let us commune as we have in the past." Celeste said softly, her eyes locking with the Librarian's... and for a moment there was only silence and stillness before the Librarian began to shiver violently, and then he gasped and dropped against the back of his wheelchair hard enough to make it slide backwards slightly, the wheelchair creaking quietly as he slumped and shuddered. "You cannot commune with me. You would blame your damaged mind and the loss of your powers, but these are temporary and transitory difficulties. Yet you have rejected the First Gods and become a heretic. You are no longer one of us... and yet you cannot be one of them. You have trapped yourself and lost your identity."

"I... I..." Eratosthenes shook his head weakly, looking up at her blankly, and Celeste gazed at him silently for a few moments before she simply turned and left, and Zerrex frowned a bit after her before he returned his eyes to the Strange Beast that was resting back in the wheelchair, looking stupefied. Then the Drakkaren glanced at Loki, but the otter shrugged and looked at him pointedly, and the reptile rolled his eyes before he quietly stepped forwards... and Eratosthenes snarled up at him, saying roughly: "Haven't you done enough?"

Zerrex winced... then he stared when Jessica stepped in front of the Strange Beast and slapped him hard across the face, the creature's head twisting to the side as his eyes bulged in shock, a bit of spit flying from his stunned muzzle as the Drakkaren gaped... and then Jessica rested her hands on her hips and said angrily: "Now listen, you. I don't like Zerrex very much, but I like even less that you've got the gall to not only blame all of us for whatever imaginary problems you have, but now you're being nothing but a rude little jerk after he saved your life. I know he could have killed you, and I wouldn't've blamed him for it after what you've done and the problems you've caused, for him, for mortals, for my daughter... now say you're sorry and thank him, or I swear that I'll roll this wheelchair out into the center of this city and let the angry demons here have at you, whether I'm a healer or not!"

Eratosthenes stared at her as Thor gaped and Loki grinned widely, leaning forwards slightly and looking impressed... and then the Strange Beast trembled for a moment before he gritted his teeth and muttered moodily: "I'm... sorry."

"Say it to him, not to me, and mean it." Jessica said sternly, stepping out of the way and pointing at Zerrex, and then she glowered down at the Strange Beast, making him wince a bit as he shrank back into the wheelchair.

"I'm sorry." the Strange Beast muttered finally, looking at Zerrex, and the Drakkaren nodded a bit to him, rubbing embarrassedly at the back of his head as he looked at Jessica... but the female only gave him a thoughtful glance before she nodded slightly to him. Eratosthenes fidgeted in the wheelchair, and then he grimaced and shook his head, lowering it and saying darkly: "Don't think that I'm going to forgive you, though, Naganis. I-"

"I'm not Naganis, can you not get that through your head?" Zerrex asked in exasperation, and he shook his head slowly before he grabbed at his forehead with a grimace as Thor looked at him curiously. "I am not Creation, and I am not Naganis. I am Zerrex."

"Impossible." Eratosthenes muttered moodily, and the Drakkaren groaned as he slapped his own forehead before shaking his head slowly, and then the Strange Beast looked back and forth with disgust. "And what strange company you keep... gods and creatures of both Heaven and Hell... and here we are, hidden away in a pocket dimension that I feel sick energies resonating throughout. This is a dark place."

The Drakkaren grunted, not exactly arguing this point as he looked down at the Librarian for a moment... and when Loki looked at him mildly, the reptile said quietly: "Fine, go. You and Thor and anyone else who wants to leave."

Thor, however, immediately rose a hand, saying firmly: "I would much perchance wish to stay, if such a thought does please, Lord Zerrex, for I would relish the opportune time to learn that which I could about the enemy that lay in wait for us, and to dredge what information there is to be gotten from this most sallow and unthankful of captured foe."

"Well, I'm leaving. You have fun, then." Loki said dryly, throwing his hands up and brushing past Zerrex to exit the room, and the reptile rolled his eyes before Jessica walked past as well. The female paused for a moment, and the two traded a look before she smiled a little... and the Drakkaren admittedly felt relief at what he saw in that expression: they were okay.

He returned his eyes to the Strange Beast as Thor walked to one side of him, looming menacingly, and Sabnock walked towards the other, Eratosthenes wincing a bit as he glanced back and forth ,surrounded by half-empty glass jars and used-up magical implements... but with a flick of his wrist, Zerrex made these vanish from sight before he approached the Librarian, looking down at him mildly as he crossed his arms. "Error, I need some answers for some questions I have. It is definitely in your best interest to answer these, as Thor can rip your arms off and Sabnock is just plain scary."

"Thank you, Lord Zerrex." the wolverine said mildly, and the reptile cleared his throat awkwardly before she snapped her fingers when Eratosthenes began to move, bindings of ice forming over his wrists and holding them tightly down to the chair. "Your strength is drained and your mind is still damaged. I do not advise that you resist."

Eratosthenes stared up at her at this, pulling weakly at the thick manacles of ice locking his arms down against the chair, and the Drakkaren shook his head with a grimace before he said quietly: "Listen, Error. I don't want to hurt you. I don't like torturing people for information, even if... part of me takes a sadistic glee in hurting others. And honestly, I won't hurt you if you just help me out, even a little. My offer still stands, I'll let you go about your goddamn business if you promise to get the hell away from these planets and find your own little quiet spot to set up shop... but I need your cooperation."

The Strange Beast frowned up at him, still pulling weakly at the restraints of ice before he finally tired, slumping a bit as he breathed hard and then looked slowly over the Drakkaren, saying disgustedly: "Yet somehow part of me thinks this whole situation too distinctly mirrors how I had you imprisoned... except instead of Iron, you have the giant, strange god."

Thor growled, punching his fist against his palm as Eratosthenes winced, and Zerrex shook his head a bit before he said quietly: "Unlike Iron, however, Thor has a sense of honor and is not a twisted son of a bitch. Although that's not to say he won't beat the crap out of you if you give him a reason to."

For a few moments, Eratosthenes only looked at him... and then he lowered his head, shaking it slowly as he muttered: "I suppose I have no real choice then, do I? I am at your mercy... and I know that if I resist, you can send your thrall Celeste or fetch one of your daughters I was warned about to rip through my mind." His voice was bitter, his eyes staring at the ground as they burned with loathing and suppressed panic. "And even if that doesn't work, you may just torture me... and you may torture me anyway, for your sick fun. Naganis, I was wrong about you, wrong about all the First Gods... and now you've become just like the rest of these fleshy creatures, mired in delusion and alien emotions, seeming to thrive best when you hurt and attack others... feeding like vampires off emotional pain and frustration and even physical torment..."

"You have it all wrong... how did you get these ideas planted in your head?" Zerrex asked softly, looking down at him pityingly, and Eratosthenes snarled up at him, before he visibly flinched at the sympathy in the lizard's eyes, looking sharply away. "Error, look. I am not the monster you think I am. None of us are."

"Actions speak louder than words, Naganis, and I have seen what you and your kind have done to this universe..." Eratosthenes replied bitterly, shaking his head slowly as he shivered a bit in the chair. "At first I tried to understand... but when I journeyed back to the Center of the Universe and found my home gone, destroyed, by the whims of a Broken who had once been mortal and you, who always claimed to love us, that he wanted to protect us... how much knowledge was lost? How many secrets destroyed? Because of a simple disagreement... I have witnessed the memories in the energy of those statues you added, and I can guess how it ended... you tried to destroy the Tether, and annihilated the Broken while you fled the wreckage of our ancestral home... you jeopardized everything in existence for power!"

Zerrex looked at him silently, wanting to lash out... and then Thor said softly, as he reached out and touched Eratosthenes's shoulder: "Oh foolish seeker of knowledge, is thou really so thick-headed? My wrath subsides into pity as I gaze upon your furious countenance and see the sadness beneath it... you remind me now so much of mine beloved brother Loki, that there is no quarrel left in my heart for you, only solemn sadness and a fond wish that you would open your wretched eyes and realize that... you have been used."

Eratosthenes snarled at this, shaking his head in denial, and Zerrex sighed a bit before he said softly: "Eratosthenes, how did you get these memories? How did you learn these mortal emotions? You're not like any of the other Strange Beasts I've ever met..."

"Of course I'm not. You should know that well yourself, Naganis..." Eratosthenes looked up at him with disgust, and Zerrex didn't bother to argue with him before he said distastefully: "And it's simple. The energy in the statues gave me some idea of how this universe works... and allowed me to begin tracking you back to your source. The universe may be vast but I was able to follow your energy trail easily to and from every world you ever touched, until I finally reached this place, gathering other Guardians as I travelled. We are bound to you, Naganis, like it or not... you cannot hide from us in your lizard shell and we will have our answers for your crimes, one way or the other..."

Zerrex only continued to look at him as the Strange Beast snarled and struggled weakly for a moment, but then he quickly tired before he looked down at his lap, saying disgustedly: "We were not long in wait. A being came before us, a god that you had abandoned and left to care for your vast projects alone, having run away from your work when it grew too hard... he brought us to his home, a place of energy and mechanical genius, and I, as the leader of this group, he chose to come forwards. He wanted to teach me, and when I told him I could absorb the memories and emotions and genetic information of others, he was quick to give me prisoners he had captured from your flock. I have come to understand you all too well, Naganis... how you make such promises and put such energy forth into your projects, until it becomes too hard... how you abandoned races across the universe to their fates... how you once helped a greedy and foolish child-god steal the energies of your very own kin from the Center of the Universe... and how you ran away from Heaven to hide inside this shell, to get away from the terrible atrocities you had committed in letting your creations run amok as they began to turn on you, waiting until this disaster ends or you can turn one faction against another and force them to destroy each other so you can once more rule from your treacherous throne..."

"My Gods..." Zerrex murmured softly, looking quietly down at Eratosthenes as the Guardian breathed hard in and out, trembling in hate and sorrow and deep pain... and the reptile shook his head slowly, saying quietly: "I'm too shocked to even be angry, Eratosthenes... too shocked, and too disappointed. Let me ask you, when you were the Librarian, at the Center of the Universe... would you have ever thought Creation capable of such things?"

"No, but we were programmed to be loyal... and... it... I mean..." Eratosthenes frowned, looking confusedly back and forth, and then he said furiously: "I saw the memories! Memories cannot lie, they cannot be falsified! I... I saw you, doing terrible things, Naganis!"

"I think you saw pieces of memory, and likely out of the minds of very sick people." Zerrex said quietly, and then he held a hand up with a grimace, grasping the Strange Beast's forehead as both Sabnock and Thor looked at the Drakkaren sharply. "Let me show you the memories I have, Eratosthenes. It's been a while since I've done this, so try and ignore any twinges of pain or sudden vertigo, huh?"

The Strange Beast's eyes widened... and a moment later, Zerrex was standing beside the creature in nothing but white space, Eratosthenes snarling and looking back and forth before he turned towards Zerrex as he spread his arms, shouting angrily: "I am wounded and my mind is rent asunder, but I will still-"

Zerrex simply glared at him, his eyes glowing solid green for a moment, and Error's own eyes bulged before he grabbed his stomach and fell to his knees with a whimper. "Please don't be stupid. I already had one mental fight today and if we're lucky, Negative is still locked away somewhere where he won't be able to bother us. But it's hard enough for me to maintain the concentration to do this alone as it is without Celeste or Marina around, so-"

"Did you request my help?" asked a soft voice, and Zerrex and Error both looked up in surprise as Celeste approached. She glanced with coldness towards the fellow Strange Beast, which made him flinch backwards, but then she gave a considering look towards Zerrex before nodding slowly, and the reptile felt the pressure in his mind lighten as reality around them trembled before stabilizing. "I do not need to be physically present to help maintain the link. I shall... referee, I believe the term is. The Librarian shall see the truth, and that he has given up his honor and his great position for nothing."

"You sound so devoted still, Great Mother... and yet you were always Creation's lapdog, were you not?" Eratosthenes asked moodily, but most of the venom was drained from his voice by the way he struggled to get up to his feet, even in the mental world, his breathing labored as he grasped at his chest. "My body... feels so weak..."

Zerrex snapped his fingers, and a wheelchair appeared behind the Strange Beast, the creature wincing over his shoulder at this... and then the reptile flicked his fingers lightly, and a light burst of force pushed gently against the Strange Beast's chest, knocking him backwards into it with a groan of pain as a shiver went through his body before he snarled up at Zerrex as the reptile approached... but he only grasped the handles on the back of the chair, pushing it slowly forwards as the Strange Beast's expression turned to one of confusion as the Drakkaren said quietly: "Let's take a trip down memory lane, Error. What answers do you want first?"

"I..." Error looked back and forth as a world began to filter in around them: a floor of wood and walls of stone, portraits hanging here and there along it and doors with various plaques and signs bolted to them slamming shut all along the hallway. Several of these were chained shut, and Eratosthenes pointed at one of these as they passed, shouting angrily: "Already, I see you're hiding things from me!"

Zerrex looked at the door, which was labeled by a symbol of a Raven in black steel, an eclipsed sun behind it... and he shook his head slowly as the chains rattled and one of the locks hissed with smoke before it popped open, a teasing voice whispering behind the door: "Yes, let the poor fool in... or are you worried that I didn't get enough exercise earlier with Negative, and I might try and have some more fun with him?"

Cruel laughter rang through the hallway, Eratosthenes leaning away from the door with a look of horror before Celeste, following behind them, rose her hand... and immediately crystal spread up along the door, fusing to the chains and barricading it completely shut as she said softly: "Do not fear, Librarian, but do not assume any of us are safe here, either. Zerrex has brought you here at great risk to his own health. There are things inside here that would hurt him gravely if they were given the chance."

"Ridiculous. Whoever heard of one's own mind turning against them?" Eratosthenes muttered, but he looked around with a bit more hesitance as Zerrex quietly pushed him down the hallway, and the reptile laughed a little at this, earning a snarl from the Librarian. "What do you find so amusing, Naganis?"

"You don't know half as much about people as you think... I'm far from the first person to have a few mental issues, and I'm far from the last, too. These... things, personalities, delusions, manifestations... well... things in my mind might be particularly alive and sentient and capable, but that doesn't mean other people don't suffer from their own thoughts too." Zerrex said softly, and Eratosthenes only grumbled a bit, but whether in argument or simple grouchiness the reptile wasn't quite sure.

They passed another door, and then Zerrex hesitated, slowing and halting in front of a massive vault door. For a moment, the two looked at this, and then Celeste said softly behind the Drakkaren: "I will not allow harm to come to either of you. They are memories. You are in control, fearsome as they are."

Zerrex nodded slowly, and then he took a quiet breath before he turned Eratosthenes towards the heavy, armored door, locks clanking as steam hissed out of it and two valves violently spun on its front before they clacked loudly as gears ground inside, and then the door, labeled with a red, snarling Dragokkaren, swung slowly backwards and open, and Zerrex pushed Eratosthenes quietly through and into the white light that shone out of it.

They emerged into the throne room of Heaven, and Eratosthenes pointed at Naganis as he spoke with a smiling Dragokkaren, beginning: "You dare show me a memory of-"

And then Narrius lunged and stabbed Naganis in the back, and Eratosthenes let out a cry of horror, kicking at the ground and watching the savagery with which Narrius slew God, the way he threw him to the ground as the knife burned in his back, how he forced out his soul... but this time, instead of picking up his corpse and heading into a portal, the Dragokkaren's red eyes flicked upwards before they narrowed slightly towards Zerrex and Eratosthenes, and the Strange Beast shouted: "No, memories cannot change! They... they cannot affect!"

"Memories are alive... and I am power. Even dead... I am still alive in you, Zerrex..." Narrius rose a hand, clenching it slowly as a terrible grin spread down his muzzle... and even with all his power, even knowing he wasn't facing the real Narrius, Zerrex felt a tremble roll down his spine as he looked towards the terrible shape of his father. "You can never forget what I have done... you can never escape the sins I have laid upon your doorstep. You will always be in my shadow, Zerrex... you will never be able to forget that I am your father, and nothing you do will ever allow you to escape me..."

He began to walk forwards as Eratosthenes shrank back in the wheelchair and Zerrex clenched his eyes shut... and then Celeste stepped past and rose a hand, and the memory flickered violently before it changed, Narrius's movements rapidly rewinding until he was standing over the corpse of Naganis, and he reached down to pick up both it and Arodnap's Box with a cold smile before he turned towards a portal... and a moment later, there was a flash of light as they returned to the hallway, Eratosthenes panting hard as he shook his head wildly and whispered: "No, no, no, no... not possible, the First Gods were... they were not locked to the physical, I was told Naganis had fled and... and... left someone else in charge not... what happened? Memories, terrible, awful memories are filling my head..."

Eratosthenes leaned forwards in the wheelchair, sobbing once as he grabbed at his face, and Zerrex could feel other memories playing out as well, as the hallway warped and rippled around them, reality trembling faintly. Other memories of Narrius, of how Narrius had taken Naganis's place in Heaven, how Narrius had tried to destroy the worlds not for glory, not for power, not for any real reason except for the fact that he loved to see things burn... that for all his terrible intelligence, all his strength, he was nothing more than a rabid animal at the end of the day, killing anything that got close, whether they were friend or foe.

Then Zerrex forced himself to look up, taking a slow breath... and before he could even say it, Celeste said softly: "There is no need to thank me, Zerrex. I admire the bravery you have in facing down these memories and ghosts that haunt your mind."

Zerrex smiled faintly over his shoulder at her, and then he slowly pushed the wheelchair onwards as Eratosthenes panted quietly in the chair, shivering and pressing back against it before the reptile murmured softly: "I... here."

Eratosthenes looked up weakly... and then he took a quiet breath at the sight of the door they stood in front of. It was simple chestnut wood with a beautiful ivy motif engraved over the surface... and on a simple silver nameplate was written a single name: Naganis.

Zerrex knew what this particular memory was... and the door swung open before Zerrex could even reach for the simple silver handle, inviting them inside as Eratosthenes stared in wonderment... and then watched as they stepped through and witnessed Naganis sitting at a table in his simple clothes, a soft smile on his face. They watched as Zerrex slowly filtered into being, appearing piece-by-piece in the dissolution as the Naganatine god stood quickly up and approached, compassionate, kind, helping Zerrex up... a little clumsy, and yet all the more wonderful because of it. Relatable... and endlessly kind, as he asked softly: "Do you hate yourself that much?"

And they watched as Zerrex was flung upwards with a gesture, glowing brightly as he gasped, stretching his hands out... and as Naganis stared in surprise as a female figure ran past him, leaping towards Zerrex as he began to dissolve... and their fingertips brushed before they both vanished from sight, Naganis standing and hugging himself quietly as he shook his head slowly before he gazed towards them, and the god said kindly: "Librarian... now, what have you gotten yourself into? I remember you, a little... I remember we talked a lot in my last, strange life. I remember you were a good friend."

"You're... I... your tricks won't work on me, Naganis, stop it, stop playing with my emotions!" Eratosthenes screamed as he leapt up from the wheelchair, spinning around and then grabbing the chair, and in a fit of rage he threw it across the whiteness of the Nothingness around them as he trembled violently, shaking his head wildly back and forth as Zerrex looked shocked and Celeste merely gazed at him sadly. "I won't be manipulated by... by lies and treachery and... and..."

Naganis gently grasped the Librarian's shoulder, and he was turned slowly around, tears leaking from the Strange Beast's eyes as he fell to his knees and weakly pulled at the god's shirt, staring up at him and breathing hard... and the Naganatine smiled faintly as he said softly: "I don't believe in carrying a grudge, Librarian. And as Creation, I did fail... and I didn't do much better as Naganis, to be entirely honest. No matter how hard you try in life, you end up with regrets, you know... and one of my biggest is not being able to save my friends... my family. You were Guardians... but I always saw you as my family, too.

"Listen, though, you need to stop this." Naganis reached up and gently poked Eratosthenes between the eyes, and then he suddenly snapped his hand backwards, and Error hissed in shock as his back arched and a strange, grayish energy streamed up from his skull, floating around Naganis's fingers like clinging gas before the god shook his hand a few times, and Eratosthenes looked at him stupidly as his eyes blinked a few times. "That's a little better, now isn't it? I don't blame you, though, for being filled with these poisonous thoughts... you were manipulated and taken in by someone who saw a chance to abuse the strange innocence of the Guardians, who were never taught what lies were, or deception was, who had never experienced these different emotions and passions before... but now that's over. I don't blame you for what happened, or for blaming poor Zerrex... you don't have to apologize to me, and I want to apologize to you, for... never letting you know what happened. But you might have to say you're sorry to Zerrex when you're ready to admit you made a mistake."

He paused, then smiled up at the Drakkaren as the reptile smiled faintly back, before Naganis began to slowly dissolve as he stepped backwards, holding up his hands with a quiet laugh. "But hey, what do I know, right? I'm just a little bit of memory... a little bit of energy... a little bit of conceptualization. But I have faith you two will figure it out... if I can make one last suggestion, though, Zerrex, why don't you let him choose the next door?"

"Wait!" Eratosthenes cried, falling forwards and crawling towards Naganis... but the Naganatine only smiled faintly as he vanished completely, and then the Strange Beast trembled as he clawed at the ground, lowering his head and whispering: "Creation... please... I... I never realized that... no, no, no!"

He slammed his fists into the white ground, then dropped his head forwards, the Librarian trembling violently... and then Zerrex walked over and knelt beside him, reaching a hand out to rest on his back as the male looked up with a snarl, and then a tremble, whispering: "Why do you pity me even now? Who are you? What are you? How are these memories alive, how are they still changing, evolving, interacting even now? You lie, you must lie, you must be lying! Tell me you were lying, I... please!"

He leapt up, seizing Zerrex's shoulders and shaking them roughly as he stared in horror up into the Drakkaren's eyes, his own filled with terror at the thought of what he had done... and Zerrex silently took Eratosthenes's face, then kissed his forehead, and his lips, the Strange Beast looking stupefied before the Drakkaren bowed his head forwards and murmured softly: "The only sin for which there can be no atonement is refusing to change and adapt, refusing to admit to one's mistakes, refusing to acknowledge that you have hurt others. Everything I have worked for, everything I have done, everything I have ever accomplished... is all because I was given second chances. Chances to fix past wrongs, to admit my failings, to conquer myself... to redeem myself: everything I do now, I do with this in mind. Eratosthenes... you have been manipulated and used, you have hurt, killed, and cost me friends and family and health... but I'm willing to let you earn your redemption and work towards fixing these mistakes alongside me. And if Naganis, whether that was him, a projection of him, or just what I think he would say, can forgive you... then the least I can do is honor his wishes to offer you that chance and my own forgiveness, hard as it will be for us both to... adjust."

Eratosthenes stared at him silently for a few moments... and then he swallowed thickly, sitting back and groaning as he grasped at his skull... but Zerrex only smiled a little as he leaned down and quietly wrapped the Strange Beast's arm around his neck, carefully helping him up to his feet and carrying him forwards as Celeste righted the wheelchair, and the Drakkaren tenderly helped the Strange Beast sit down in this as he whispered: "What do you wish for me to do then... Zerrex?"

The Drakkaren smiled a little at this, reaching out and patting the Strange Beast gently on the head in a half-condescending gesture, but Error barely reacted, only looking up at him with eyes that were still glazed with shock and self-loathing... and the lizard shook his head a bit before he said quietly: "Well, first, we honor what the image of Naganis asked... and we show you one last memory. Hopefully you won't choose one of the scarier ones."

The creature looked up at him silently, nodding slowly... and Zerrex quietly stepped behind the wheelchair as Celeste looked down at Eratosthenes before reaching out and touching the back of his hand, the Librarian glancing up in surprise as she said softly: "I am glad that you have taken a step forwards, sibling. It may not earn you your devotion back, but it at least stoppers the bleeding of your soul and heritage."

"I know, Great Mother. I am sorry." Eratosthenes whispered, lowering his head silently as the hallway faded slowly into existence around them, and Zerrex quietly began to push the wheelchair down the long corridor of memories as Error looked back and forth tiredly at the doors: doors of all shape and size, doors of bone and armor and metal and wood, doors that were really curtains and doors that were locked shut, and doors that were hidden... before the Strange Beast frowned a bit at a door splattered with multicolored paint, ivy that was covered in beautiful black roses growing slowly over it, pulsing and alive... and in childlike block letters made of wood, the word 'Family' stuck out of it near the top. "What is this?"

"It's... let's find out." Zerrex said quietly, and the gemstone handle of the door turned before it swung open... and the Drakkaren stepped into the white light beyond, not knowing what to expect.

He was greeted by cheers and shouts and yells... and all around him were smiling faces and warm greetings, demons, angels, and everything in between waving and laughing, filling balconies and the immense ballroom... and Zerrex smiled faintly over them as Eratosthenes looked back and forth, saying softly: "It is... strange. Such emotion, such companionship... I understand it, and yet at the same time, I do not. I feel more like my old self, and like my head has yet to be filled with toxic lies and mangled memories... maybe memories do not lie, but if they do have a life of their own, if people really do perceive things so... so differently from their own perceptions, with their senses, while the Guardians have always been able to feel one another's emotions, were built the same, without illness or mental disorders or... gods above, I have been so foolish..."

He covered his face for a moment... and then Zerrex lowered his head even as people continued to wave, before the light filling the hall darkened, and Eratosthenes looked up as people began to vanish from existence throughout the hall, one-by-one. Others changed, grew older or different... and Zerrex smiled faintly as Error looked back and forth and whispered: "The memory is... I see..."

"Yes... you have to remember... memories of people especially are different. Not all of these people were alive at the same time, not all of them knew each other... despite the fact I see them all together so clearly." the Drakkaren murmured, smiling faintly as people blinked out quietly... and his eyes lingered on a young kitten girl as she sketched a curtsey, a sad smile on her face before she disappeared as the room became darker, and Eratosthenes trembled as others continued to vanish. "I cherish those I have... and I have had many friends, admirers, and members of my family, but I have lived for many, many years... and likewise, I have lost many, too. Am losing more and more, every day that passes... because of someone who's pulling the strings behind the scenes, not only having manipulated you, but running these cloaked murderers from behind the safety of secrecy and the Heavenly Council..."

"I remember... hearing rumors of disease, watching it take away my siblings... and... no, no, no more..." Eratosthenes dropped his head in one hand, trembling as people continued blank out quietly, whispering: "I'm sorry..."

"But look..." Zerrex murmured quietly, and the Strange Beast glanced up silently into the hallway, where a spotlight still shone as Cherry grinned and waved, Cindy standing with her arms crossed and a smile, and Marina gazing lovingly up at them as in front of them, Lone rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and Mahihko waved furiously as he bounced up and down on his paws. "No matter how horrible things get... I know that my family will always be there for me. I can always have faith in them, at the end of the day, no matter what mistakes they make... or what mistakes I make. They are the most important people in the world to me, the people who have been with me from the beginning. They anchor me... and with their help, I've been able to survive anything and everything.

"And not only that... there are others, dedicated and unstoppable, not just strong... but loyal, too." Zerrex gestured outwards, and the darkness receded slightly, revealing Anathema Sin smiling benevolently, Epiphany beside her, Lily and Selena and Mercy gazing up at him reverently, Sabnock standing with her arms crossed and Serenity looking both impatient and compassionate... and others. Others still, as the darkness receded further, and Zerrex said softly: "And yes, Eratosthenes. I may lose them all. They may yet all die, especially with how this secret war we're fighting against this hidden enemy grows worse by the day... but that's not going to make me love them any less, and I've learned by now that trying to protect them from it and fight all these battles myself just makes them hurt even more. I am dedicated to my family, Error... what about you? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The Strange Beast nodded slowly, saying quietly: "Yes, I do... I do very well. Once I was dedicated to the First Gods, until I was deceived... not by them, but by Lord God, as he called himself. And then I was loyal to him... and only now do I realize that the emotions I was filled with were not only poisoning my spirit, they poisoned my judgment. I was expendable to him and to his puppet..."

He looked down quietly, and slowly, reality faded in around them as things seemed to move of their own accord, Eratosthenes spinning towards him in the wheelchair as Celeste vanished and the Drakkaren's arm reached up, his hand resting on the Strange Beast's forehead... and slowly, the creature's eyes opened, looking quietly at the reptile's chest as Zerrex straightened and then grasped at his head as it gave a dull throb, before Eratosthenes coughed a few times and then allowed his shoulders to slump, murmuring: "I... I am tired."

"Would you like to rest here, Eratosthenes?" Zerrex asked quietly, and the Librarian glanced up at him, then nodded mutely. Zerrex smiled a bit, and then he concentrated as he held a hand up, and energy glowed along the floor before a large, comfortable futon appeared, pillows puffing into being over it and a thick blanket forming as the reptile said awkwardly: "I... if you need anything else, just let me know. I'll send Celeste to check up on you or... someone else."

Thor studied the two curiously, and then he smiled and reached out to squeeze Eratosthenes's shoulder firmly. "I see that in these few scant minutes that have passed in such strange silence, a change of heart has been had by you, little one... and again, thou does remind me most fortunately of mine brother Loki. Fortunate, I say, for you have entered into the dark tunnel of realization... yet know this, Strange One, there is light at the end of this long and loathsome path, and if thou be of true and fair heart and honest in thy transformation, then Thor and many other friends will await for you there in the freeing fields beyond!"

The caracal nodded fervently, squeezing the Librarian's shoulder and making him wince a bit before Sabnock said quietly: "As I have learned to trust your judgment in these situations, Lord Zerrex, let me ask out of kindness rather than fear of rebellion if Thor or a Dragon Warrior should remain posted at the door. Not as a guard, but because Eratosthenes may require some medical care and further assistance."

"I deserve no aid." Error murmured quietly... and then he winced when Thor threw his head back and laughed, looking up at the huge feline sourly.

"Yes, yes! Similar indeed to the change of heart that ran through mine stouthearted brother as well!" Thor clapped a few times, and then he winced when Zerrex glared at him, the caracal saying lamely: "I mean, of course, only that I express joy for the glorious sight of honor being returned bit-by-bit to our new ally."

"Don't rush him." Zerrex said gently, and Thor brightened and nodded a few times before he turned and strode quickly out of the room, and then the reptile said softly: "I'll have a Dragon Warrior posted at the doorway for you, Error. Don't hesitate to ask if you need anything... if not for your own sake, then because I'm going to need you alive later when I question you about Lord God and anything else you might know."

"I... alright. Zerrex." Error said his name almost hesitantly, and the reptile smiled a bit at him before he nodded slowly, and the Strange Beast dropped his hands in his lap and then lowered his gaze, closing his eyes.

The reptile traded a look with Sabnock, and the wolverine gave an almost imperceptible shrug before they both turned and headed into the hallway... and as they walked quietly down it, the reptile motioned at a nearby Dragon Warrior that was on patrol and pointed towards the doorway, saying clearly: "Keep an eye on him. Not as a prisoner, but as an injured comrade."

The Dragon Warrior nodded immediately, half-bowing and heading quickly towards where Zerrex had pointed, taking only a moment to glance inside curiously at the occupant before standing at attention. The reptile gazed over his shoulder with an amused smile at this sight, and then his eyes moved curiously to Sabnock as she asked softly: "Why has he shown such a change of heart?"

"I don't... really think he has. I mean, not... that I think he's lying or going to try and double-cross us, but..." Zerrex paused meditatively, rubbing slowly at the underside of his muzzle slowly. "More like... when I realized that I was working for the wrong team back during the Princess's days, you remember that? I was all eager to please at first, and then..."

"And then we all began to realize that she was behind the disappearance of High Prince Memnon, and the madness of High Prince Raithe... and of course, as we later discovered, replacing High Prince Az'Iriel with a false Warlord and that she herself was not High Princess Tir'Vanna, but the ancient Goddess of Hez'Ranna..." Sabnock answered quietly, and Zerrex smiled at how easily she was able to recite such ancient information. "And you led us against her: all it took were a few encouraging words and an unsure promise, and we gladly fought side-by-side with you, all but her most-loyal followers and the most-subservient soldiers joining forces against her."

"It was a hard fought battle, and a narrowly-won victory." Zerrex said softly, but he was still smiling as he reached up and squeezed her shoulder gently. "And you were my war chief, the head of my forces."

"Yes, but you were the hero, and the commander who led his own forces into the Central Spire, fearless and intrepid." Sabnock replied quietly, looking up at him as they rounded a corner and then headed up a flight of stone stairs, before the wolverine gave a small smile in return. "Without you, none of us would have survived the battle."

The Drakkaren laughed quietly, shaking his head slowly. "I don't know about that, Sabnock. There's always someone else... or almost always, anyway."

But the wolverine only shook her head slowly, saying quietly: "It may surprise you, but I do not believe anyone else would have been capable of doing what you did. You convinced me to turn against the High Throne I had served faithfully for countless years, and you convinced Sin to join you as well. Forgive me for speaking of this, but you even tamed the Broken your mother Celestial had become, for that one night that even now, Elysium still holds an annual vigil on in many places around the nation. That Vivien herself is said to honor, and that I have always ensured I take at least ten minutes of time during the day to pay my respects on... not to the dead, but to the living. To remember what we fought for... what we achieved. And every year, it is what renews my hope and keeps my old soul alive."

Zerrex smiled down at her at this, saying softly: "You say things like that, and you make me feel special, Sabnock."

"You are special. I love you very deeply." Sabnock replied calmly, and Zerrex almost tripped over the top riser of the steps and whacked his head against the wall, as Sabnock merely looked at him mildly and he stared at her. "I am not incapable of emotion, you understand."

"Yeah, but that still came out of nowhere." Zerrex said awkwardly, blushing deep red and rubbing at his face slowly, but Sabnock only shrugged a bit and gave a small smile, and Zerrex smiled awkwardly back. "I..."

"You don't have to say it. In fact, I prefer that you didn't." Sabnock reached up and pressed a finger to his lips, looking at him softly. "I already feel your compassion and respect for me: I fear that if I hear you say those words I may very well blush."

Zerrex began to open his mouth again, but at a pointed look from Sabnock, he grumbled and closed it before he simply stepped forwards and picked the wolverine up in a hug, the devil's face filling with surprise as the lizard kissed her forehead firmly and then dropped her back down onto her feet. She stumbled a bit, then cleared her throat as a faint flush crawled up from her collar, brushing rapidly at her suit jacket and looking away awkwardly as Zerrex grinned down at her before he patted her on the shoulder. "I didn't say anything."

"You are exceedingly frustrating sometimes, Lord Zerrex." Sabnock muttered, but then she shook her head and smiled a little as the Drakkaren shrugged a bit, the two turning and heading down the shorter hallway they had stepped into and towards another flight of stairs as Sabnock quickly regained her demeanor and seriousness, saying quietly: "I understand what you mean about Eratosthenes, but what I still find difficult is the fact he is a Strange Beast. When the original Strange Beasts began to show up, only a few weeks after the events that occurred at the Center of the Universe, they were immensely hostile to anything and everything. They rejected all forms of communication, whether they were Vipers, Leviathans, or Chanters. While I understand that the Librarian operates on a higher mode of intelligence than many of the comrades of his that we have seen..."

"Right, I think I understand what you're saying. He still saw everyone as abominations and... heretics, I guess is the right word to use considering the way Celeste used it before..." Zerrex looked down thoughtfully, rubbing at his muzzle slowly. "So the question is... why didn't he attack his new-old boss, right?"

"Correct. Although I would phrase it as: 'how was the enemy known only as 'Lord God' able to quell the hostilities of these enraged beings?'" Sabnock replied quietly, and she paused meditatively as they began to walk up the next set of stairs. "Not that I am entirely without sympathy for them, you must understand: they have lost their family, friends, and homes, and been scattered throughout the universe in a future they likely never foresaw, a future without First Gods and where many races of mortal and post-mortal run rampant. But you cannot simply leave your home unattended and empty and unlocked for several years and expect no one to move in."

"Property rights?" Zerrex smiled a bit at her, and Sabnock nodded. "Except those rights were made by us... not by the First Gods. Besides, I think at the end of the day, it isn't just the fact we've taken over their universe, when something tells me that all the Strange Beasts used to live on the Center of the Universe without filling the planet up... I think it's because their real home was destroyed, and they thought their First Gods had been desecrated by us and wiped out of existence."

"Possibly. Faith is a powerful thing: perhaps that is what Lord God played off of, the piety of these Guardians." Sabnock gestured towards the air as they stepped out onto the rooftop, and then they both halted and watched as Anathema Sin instructed Epiphany, likely in some form of magic from the gestures the fused Naganatine was making and the bored look on Epiphany's face. "Your daughter learns quickly."

"Too quickly." Zerrex murmured softly, rubbing at the underside of his muzzle before he glanced back and forth... but no one else was up here, and the reptile smiled a bit at Sabnock before he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, the wolverine looking up at him curiously. "Want to come with me and find out what they're arguing about?"

"If you don't mind, Lord Zerrex, I would prefer to see what others I can find and start a short thinking session. I would invite you to come along and offer your own thoughts and expertise as well, but I somehow feel that you are more inclined at the moment to spend time with your family... and I wholeheartedly understand." Sabnock answered softly, and then she leaned carefully up as Zerrex leaned down a bit, and kissed his cheek. "Do not think that I am merely trying to withdraw from you, that is never the case."

"You spend too much time clinging to me these days for me to think you're trying to run away." Zerrex replied easily, reaching up and nudging her lightly, and the wolverine shook her head with an exasperated look to him. "Alright Sabnock. I'll try and join you later."

"If not, I'll find you." The wolverine nodded, and then the devil bowed slightly to him before she turned and made her way back down the steps, and Zerrex smiled softly after her before he shook his head with a quiet laugh as he turned around and headed slowly over to where Anathema Sin and Epiphany were now arguing.

"Daddy!" Epiphany brightened as she glanced towards him, the cape fluttering quietly around Zerrex shoulders as he approached, and she leapt forwards... then winced a bit as her arms hugged the scale-leather cape, grumbling under her breath and flailing at it childishly before she managed to get her arms between the folds of the cloak to wrap around her father's waist, snuggling herself forwards against him and the Drakkaren smiling amusedly as much of the cape flopped over her, half-hiding his daughter from view. "Tell Mommy to stop lecturing me, I'm so bored of this stuff!"

"Daughter, please." Sin's voice was exasperated, and Zerrex guessed that the Anathema side of her had receded for now as she approached, her leather dress floating almost eerily around her as the bone plates over her body gleamed, eye gazing out of the mask locked over her features with both concern and love as the amber flames burned softly in the other socket. "You are a prodigy, and more talented than even we are... but you must train and practice your abilities, and you must not allow yourself to become arrogant, despite all the power you hold within yourself. Even Lord Zerrex practices the basics: it is why he is so good at what he does."

The Drakkaren nodded in agreement, and then he smiled down at his daughter as she pouted a bit up at him, saying kindly as he grasped her upper arms. "I know. Why don't you show me what you've learned so far?"

It was a very simple way to get Epiphany to practice without realizing she was practicing... but for all her talent, all her knowledge, and all her power, she was still emotionally and essentially a child... and thus the thought of showing off for her father made her brighten immediately, nodding and pulling away with a warm smile as she said delightedly: "That would be much better than doing the same old thing over and over... what do you want to see, Daddy?"

"Well, what have you been working on lately?" Zerrex asked curiously, glancing from her to Anathema Sin, and the fused Naganatine shrugged a bit before she gestured towards her daughter, who brightened further at being permitted to choose what she got to show off.

She bounced a bit from foot-to-foot, then she said quickly: "Mother and I have been working on advanced necromancy lately, such as calling forth proper materials when there are no feasible ones around. It's not very interesting..."

She paused, then flicked a wrist, and energy sparked through the air in front of her before becoming an enormous ivory spike of bone that hovered eerily before it shot into the golden stone wall, ripping cracks through the heavy rock as Zerrex stared in shock at the ease with which the bone missile penetrated the surface, before the female laughed as she grinned over at him. "It's very simple for me, Father... here, watch this, too!"

Epiphany closed her eyes and took a slow breath before she lowered herself to a kneel, shoving her hands against the ground... and the stone beneath their feet rumbled for a moment before a terrible rift slowly crackled open in front of the trio, Zerrex staring with surprise and Anathema Sin blushing a bit as a white vortex swirled open and a long ivory chain slowly rose out of it, tightly wrapped around a dangling spirit that was pulled from the vortex. It hissed and bucked, unnatural and ghastly and glowing ivory and grey before Anathema Sin said quietly but firmly: "Please put it back, daughter. As Anathema told you, we only remove spirits from the Ethereal plane when in dire situations."

"I know, I know, but Daddy asked what I could do and I'm simply showing him what I'm capable of." Epiphany said grumpily, and then she clapped her hands twice and the chain released, dropping the shade back into the vortex before it twisted closed. Then the ivory links vanished before Epiphany smiled over at her father, saying easily: "What I really want to get started on, though, is physical transmutation... transforming and modifying physical creatures. I think that I would be really good at that."

She touched her own stomach, covered by her stitched vest as she breathed softly in and out, gazing down at herself... and the reptile wondered silently what thoughts raced through her mind before Anathema Sin said softly: "And I believe you would too, Epiphany, but you must learn to be more patient. Much more than power is necessary before you begin tampering in such things... knowledge, and emotional depth, and wisdom. You must wait until you are older, and until you have gained the approval of more than just myself and your father."

"The approval of father is all that matters." Epiphany said quietly, glancing towards Anathema Sin as her face darkened slightly. "And all I want to see is whether or not I'm capable of it... I wouldn't perform any changes on others, I would never experiment past my limits. As it is, I already absorb and channel genetic information... I made Equinox, and he is much the same as what I wish to study!"

"You aren't ready." Anathema Sin said forcefully, the two locking eyes as Zerrex winced a bit and stepped away from the fused Naganatine and his daughter, before Anathema Sin added softly: "And I do not want to see you transforming yourself, either, Epiphany... it is not right to... shape yourself how you please. You cannot continuously add to yourself without risking great danger..."

"So what should I do, combine myself with Equinox as you yourself are fused, mother?" Epiphany asked nastily, and Zerrex began to open his mouth, then winced when Anathema Sin shot him a glare as the Anathema section of the fused Naganatine's personality visibly lit up.

"You stop that right now, Epiphany, this is nothing that my sister or I chose!" she snapped, crossing her arms and looking balefully down at the female as her daughter grimaced and glared at the ground. "Believe me, it isn't glamorous to have two bodies stuck together as one, and it takes a lot of getting used to. When Sin and I argue, our powers go haywire, which makes things all the more difficult, and the fact neither of us can never be alone anymore is both comforting and immensely frustrating. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Fine!" Epiphany shouted suddenly, angrily, and she stepped forwards and reached up to seize Anathema Sin's skull plate as the other shoved against her chest, snapping: "If you think it's so bad then why don't you two just separate?"

And with that, she yanked hard on the skull mask as she shoved against her chest... and there was a sick blast of gore and black goo, Anathema and Sin both screaming in shock more than pain as the facemask and several large chunks of bone were torn from the fused Naganatine's body, Zerrex staring in horror... and then his mouth fell open in a gape as the rest of the bones snapped off Sin's fame and formed rapidly into a skeleton that staggered away, clutching at its face as a naked Naganatine with a metallic, patterned metal plate over one side of her face and steel hands and feet slumped slowly backwards, her tail snapping back and forth as she fell onto her side and twitched once, her body splattered with blood and strange ichors. Strands of flesh had extended here and there through her cracked scales, and the flames in her metallic socket burned low and blue as she rasped quietly.

The skeleton, meanwhile, fell to its knees and scrabbled at the ground, blood and dark ooze dripping from the bones before flesh rapidly began to form over it, bone plates standing out on each section of its limbs and a tight mask of ivory over its face as it became a Naganatine, but with straighter limbs and a front that gaped open, the cage of ribs and the pulsing organs visible through these. She clutched herself, naked and trembling as well her gender barely distinguishable thanks to the fact almost all of her frontal body was missing, but her scales over her limbs and neck and visible face were a purple-and-black, just like her sister's, and her eyes bright ivory, with a yellow sclera and tiny black pupils.

She gasped quietly... and then she looked over her shoulder, trembling, as Epiphany rubbed her hands together and grinned brutally, splattered with blood and ichors as she said haughtily: "See? I told you, I'm more than ready to tackle physical transformation... you two wanted to be separated, mothers, so I separated you."

"Oh Gods, Epiphany, what have you done?" Zerrex asked weakly, looking from one sister to the other as Anathema cursed quietly and Sin moaned low in her throat, and the Drakkaren gritted his teeth before he headed quickly to Sin as she gagged and a bit of black ooze dripped from her jaws, the reptile almost shoving Epiphany out of the way when she stepped forwards before he dropped to a kneel beside Sin, reaching out and touching her neck. "Anathema, you okay?"

"Fuck you." Anathema croaked in response, and then she fell on her stomach and groaned in pain. "See you... love my sister more than me after all..."

"Yeah, if you've got the energy to be a bitch you're fine." Zerrex muttered, and then he gritted his teeth as Anathema shook her head weakly: but being undead as she was, it was easier for her to resist the effects of even such a shock to her system as she had just experienced. Sin, however, wasn't taking the separation very well... and he cursed under his breath before he asked sharply: "Can you rejoin with her?"

"Maybe..." Anathema slowly staggered up to her feet as Epiphany stumbled away from them, whimpering a little as tears formed in her eyes and she hugged herself, staring in disbelief before Anathema's eyes bulged and she leaned forwards, vomiting black bile and falling to her knees as her flesh began to steam and rot. Zerrex snarled over his shoulder at her, and Anathema clenched her eyes shut, whispering: "No, no, I'm fine... I won't let my sister die..."

"I won't let either of you die." Zerrex responded grimly, and then he gestured towards Anathema, and the ivory collar that had appeared around her neck glowed before she was dragged gently forwards through the air, and the female coughed a few times as her flesh and organs vanished and she became skeletal. "Lock on to me, you can feed off my energies for now. And I'll revive Sin."

"Thank you... Zerrex..." Anathema smiled faintly as she reached out to touch him, skeletal and yet the amber flames in her eyes glowing with pride and love before she broken into pieces, bones and ivory plates swirling and slithering over the Drakkaren, stroking against the cape and sliding beneath it, shivers rolling through the lizard's body as he felt her bones fusing into his scales and her skull-facemask locked into place over his own, but he disregarded the alien feeling for now: once upon a time, after all, Anathema had done this often, but that had been before she and Sin had been fused together.

Zerrex reached down and rested both hands on the bloody Naganatine in front of him, the female's breath rasping in and out in quiet whimpers as she shivered weakly, and the Drakkaren closed his eyes as he pushed his energies into her... and Sin arched her back, moaning weakly as the collar around her neck glowed faintly before Anathema whispered in his mind: No, keep pushing. Don't worry about the pain... besides, it's not like pain's ever bothered her...

"Can you save your jokes for later? You're as bad as me." Zerrex muttered, and the glow built over Sin's body... but he admittedly felt relief coursing through his system even as Sin convulsed once and cried out in agony on the ground, as the pinkish, ugly tendrils standing up from between her scales withered and fell away... but her body healed, her scales locking back together as the blue flames in her empty socket built higher. And then the Drakkaren groaned as he sat back, and Anathema's skull mask snapped itself off his head to drop down and rest on his shoulder, the four proud horns curling downwards to clasp against it as Zerrex mumbled: "There."

Sin was still shivering weakly in a puddle of blood... but then her violet eye finally flickered open, and she sat up with a soft gasp, rubbing at her face silently. She was naked, and she looked down at herself for a moment before slowly stroking her hands over her own body, smooth now, devoid of bone plates... and then Epiphany began to sob loudly as she dropped to her knees and hugged Sin around the neck, wailing: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so-so-s-sorry!"

She dropped her head against Sin's shoulder, crying loudly as the Naganatine's violet eye flickered, and then she smiled weakly as she bowed her head forwards, the four horns that stood up from the sides of her skull glinting quietly as she murmured softly: "Please, daughter, calm down. Everything is going to be... okay."

"Yeah." Zerrex said softly, shaking his head a bit before he silently reached a hand out and touched Epiphany's back, as the long scale-leather cape fluttered quietly behind him. Anathema's bone plates shifted against his body every time it brushed against them, yet not because of discomfort... and the reptile was all-too-aware of the thousand sensations going through his form as he felt like reality around them was almost trembling with Epiphany's tears, as he tried to stop himself from wondering how deep her powers extended.

Anathema, meanwhile, seemed to be calming quietly, her presence distinct inside the Drakkaren's mind before Sin reached up and quietly touched her own head, and Zerrex carefully pulled Epiphany away even as she continued to cry loudly, curling herself up into a ball and unmindful of the blood and gore she rested in. The lizard shook his head a bit as he looked at her, and then he returned his eyes to Sin when she blushed and covered herself, murmuring: "I don't mean to be a bother, Lord Zerrex, but..."

"Here." Zerrex reached up and undid the scale-leather cape from around his neck, holding it out to her... and Sin stared reverently at it before she silently touched it. The moment her fingers brushed against the material, it whispered quickly down her arm and transformed itself into a dress that locked perfectly over her body, and the paleness quickly began to fade from Sin's face as she gazed up at him, a tear dripping down one cheek as the reptile said quietly: "Now you only get that until we can find you some old clothes. But I'm glad to see that it treats you kindly."

"It feels like Naganis... oh sister..." Sin closed her eye tightly as the flame in her socket dimmed for a moment, but then burned all the brighter when her violet eye opened and she shakily, carefully stood up, breathing slowly. Zerrex grimaced a bit, quickly climbing to his own feet as well and swaying a little on the spot as Epiphany's sobbing died slowly down to sniffles, the reptile not exactly knowing what to do with her... and he traded a look with Sin before Anathema grumbled in his mind: Stab her.

Some mother you are. Zerrex thought clearly back, and Anathema grunted in agreement, which only made the Drakkaren roll his eyes before the reptile looked down and quietly lifted Epiphany to her feet, the female trembling a bit and rubbing wildly at her eyes as she shivered and whispered: "I... I didn't mean to hurt them so badly... I love my Mommies..."

"But this is exactly why Sin was... saying what she did." Zerrex said quietly, gesturing towards her, and Sin blushed a bit as Anathema fidgeted awkwardly in his head. "I'd like you to go to your room and think about what you've done for a little while, Epiphany. You can come back out after you've calmed down and you're ready to talk about this."

Epiphany nodded and looked down silently, and then she whispered one last, weak apology before striding towards the stairs just as Justice walked past, giving the female a wide berth and looking at her with her strangely-seeing blind eyes, before they flicked towards Zerrex and Sin... and she grimaced a bit, the Naganatine muttering: "If I wasn't seeing it this close and personal I wouldn't believe it... I thought I felt a wild energy surge but... Anathema, Sin, are you two okay?"

Sin nodded after a moment, quietly knitting her fingers together in her lap as Justice approached her, then looked at the skull on Zerrex's shoulder as golden flames burst into life in the sockets, and Anathema's voice said moodily: "We're fine. Except Zerrex's solution to the problem was to send Epiphany to her room."

"She's just a kid, Anathema, and that's only so we can figure out what to actually do and say." Zerrex replied quietly, reaching up to rap his knuckles firmly against the skull, and Anathema grumbled a bit before the reptile looked at Sin as she silently touched her head and looked up towards Acheron's red sky. "What is it?"

"I feel... empty. Lonely. It's just strange... I was so used to having sister... always there." Sin whispered, then she closed her eyes and dropped her face into her metallic hands, and Anathema shifted uncomfortably in Zerrex's mind... and the reptile knew she was feeling much the same thing, even if she didn't want to admit it. "It will take... time to adjust."

"I'd think so." Justice said softly, and then she shook her head and sighed a bit as her eyes roved back to Zerrex, surveying him thoughtfully. "I think the others felt the energy surge as well, they just didn't know quite what to make of it. I wouldn't be surprised if other Disciples begin to wend their way up here, however, out of curiosity more than anything else... I don't think any of them... expected anything like this to happen."

"I thought it would be permanent." Anathema murmured softly, and then she laughed bitterly from the skull resting on Zerrex's shoulder as the reptile smiled a little down at it. "Funny, huh? I was just complaining about it and now that it's gone, I already miss it. My head really must be all screwed up..."

"Yeah, but most of us already knew that." Zerrex said softly, and Anathema growled at him before the Drakkaren returned his eyes to Justice as she looked appraisingly over him. "Can you stop staring at me with your creepy-ass eyes? Normally I wouldn't make fun of a blind person, but you make sniper rifles look shortsighted."

"I don't understand entirely what that means but thank you." Justice replied comfortably, and then she shook her head slightly. "I wanted to talk to you about the Librarian... but I think that's better left for another time. With your leave, I'd like to take Anathema and Sin off for some... family time, is that the term?"

Zerrex tilted his head curiously, and Justice smiled slightly and bowed her head towards him, saying softly: "You have a lot on your mind already, the last you need is these two wallowing and crying all over you. Besides, they're my sisters." Sin blushed, and even Anathema seemed to smile a little inside the reptile's mind at this. "And I still see myself as their Deacon, like it or not. Now come, Anathema, stop clinging to Zerrex, I should be just as compatible with you."

"Doubtful." Anathema muttered, but when Justice approached and held out an arm, the bone-plates twisted slowly off the lizard's form and slithered almost hesitantly onto the Naganatine, trailing over her and spilling down her body as Anathema's skull detached last, seeming to gaze longingly for a few moments at Zerrex before it slid its way to Justice's shoulder. It locked into place there, and the bone armor now covering most of the Naganatine's frame rattled a bit against her as her metallic tentacles withdrew slightly and the wings around her waist ruffled, Anathema muttering: "Your superiority complex is already giving me a headache."

"I was about to say the same thing." Justice grumbled, but then she smiled a little at Zerrex, adding quietly: "Just like old times. Do not worry, Lord Zerrex, we shall not leave the confines of Acheron... tempting as it is to run through the wilds of the world that Naganis loved so much."

The Drakkaren nodded a bit to the three, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, and then Justice laughed and shook her head as Sin blushed and looked at her curiously. "Oh stop it! We don't need you to solve every little problem that comes up... all they need is a little time to adjust and a little comfort, and I'm more than capable of giving them that. Besides, other people are coming now to see what's happened... and of course, to spend time with you, because you have a bad habit of picking favorites and trying to avoid everyone else."

"It's not my fault Serenity is scary." Zerrex replied blandly, and Justice snorted in amusement at this before she wrapped an arm around Sin's shoulders and then flicked her wrist, creating a portal. Sin blushed deeply at the contact, but didn't pull away as she smiled embarrassedly to Zerrex... but he only nodded to her, waving a bit and saying softly: "Go ahead, Sin. There'll be plenty of time for you and Anathema to spend with me later."

"I don't think that sentence makes sense, but you should listen to him anyway." Justice said mildly, and Zerrex glowered at her before she pulled her sister towards the portal... and a moment later, the Naganatine were gone, and Zerrex rolled his eyes as the portal sparked out of existence before he glanced down at the splatters of blood over the roof with a sigh, flicking his wrist and grimacing as the stains steamed before vanishing from sight.

The lizard shook his head a bit, and then he walked towards the edge of the rooftop... before wincing when something grabbed at the ledge before hauling itself up with a wheeze, and the Drakkaren stared as Sephire pulled herself onto the roof, her armor covering her body but her helmet discarded, massive sword over her back as she looked wildly back and forth before hopping to her feet as she grabbed at her collar. "I totally felt something crazy and shit! Earth told me not to show up here but I ran across the fucking town and climbed on up here anyway, I'm a good Disciple, better than my goddamn... whatever-she-is!"

"If Cherry hears you say that she'll punch you in the face, granny or not." Zerrex said flatly, and Sephire shrugged before looking at him pointedly, and the reptile rolled his eyes. "Epiphany just had... a small meltdown and ripped Anathema Sin back into two separate people, that's all."

"That's all?" Sephire stared at him, flabbergasted. "Oh, sure, right. That's normal. Any little girl can tear two fused souls apart, especially when they're fused First Breed. Gee, why ever am I overreacting to this tiny bit of news?"

"Do you want me to shove you off the rooftop?" Zerrex asked mildly, and Sephire winced a bit and rubbed the back of her head lamely before the reptile glanced over his shoulder as Earth embarrassedly poked her head out of the stairwell, and the reptile motioned to her with a bit of a smile. "See, Sephire? That's the smart way to go about things. Taking the stairs instead of scaling the walls of the palace."

Sephire grumbled a bit as she crossed her arms moodily, and Earth approached, bowing her head respectfully towards him. "Many of your Disciples felt a disturbance... from your conversation with Miss Sephire and passing Epiphany in the hall, I suppose it's safe to say that I know what caused it. Is there anything I can do, Lord Zerrex?"

The Drakkaren shook his head a bit, however, saying quietly: "No, Earth, but thank you for the offer. This is something I need to figure out myself, however... what about you, Sephire, you're a mother to a difficult son."

"Yeah, except he's only difficult to Lord and when I try and have sex with him." Sephire replied mildly, and Zerrex rolled his eyes before she looked at him thoughtfully, her arms crossed as she leaned to the side a bit. "Have you thought about restricting her powers or privileges at all, though? Sometimes I had to do that with... one of my other kids. Not because he was bad, just because he'd... lash out. And I know you have other sons who have their powers restricted..."

"They won't work on my sister, though." said a soft voice, and Zerrex looked past Earth with a smile to see Naganen hesitantly approaching and joining the conversation, smiling embarrassedly. Darren was with him, gazing at his father fondly as Naganen blushed a bit, twiddling his fingers in front of himself. "Sorry Dad, I... we overheard a little and... well... I felt... did Mom and Sin really split back apart?"

Zerrex nodded to him, saying softly: "Epiphany did it, barely seemed to strain herself at all. I don't hold your sister entirely at fault for what happened, I know she's... young, and a little volatile at times because she has nothing to really focus her creativity into, but..."

Naganen nodded, and then Darren held up his arms, showing off the runed wristbands he wore around them as he asked curiously: "So she really can't wear stuff like I do to suppress my abilities from lashing out?"

The Drakkaren only shook his head, however, saying quietly: "Power restrictors work by either exerting an opposing force over something, cancelling its effects out, or by keeping energies drained and in control. But Epiphany is simply too strong, radiates too much energy. She's a powerhouse: no matter what kind of power restriction we put on her, no matter what class of binding, she'll burn it out... and I really don't want to have to imprison her like we imprisoned Atlas so many years ago, or treat her like a Terror. She's not. She's just... my little girl."

He looked down at this, and Naganen smiled as he reached up and squeezed his father's bicep lightly. "We know Dad... Darren and I both see her as our sister, and everyone else really cares about her and admires her devotion, too, even if she can be a little scary at times. Isn't she your Disciple too, though? Doesn't that mean you can exert a little control over her?"

Zerrex grimaced a bit, thinking silently of what she had done back in the Centrifuge, and then he shook his head slowly. "Because of the way... Epiphany was born, the way she came to be... she's much more powerful than my other Disciples. She shares a lot of the same links with me that I do... but fewer of the disadvantages. We're tightly bound and connected but she isn't hurt like they are when I'm injured... and she can resist me more than the others can. It's... strange, really, the way it works..."

He looked down thoughtfully, and Naganen nodded a bit before he said softly: "Then maybe all you really need to do is ask her to please stop, and explain to her why what she did was wrong. I know that she's physically mature... but she's not emotionally. But she loves you, Dad, and she loves all of us, too... you can feel it, and you can see the way she sometimes... still wishes she was a little girl, I think, despite being trapped in her big-girl body. Why... I know, why don't you spend a day with her letting he do all the things she... too quickly 'grew out' of? If she gets to experience her childhood instead of skipping through it, she might be better able to differentiate right and wrong, and she might stop lashing out, trying so hard to impress everyone and be an adult."

Zerrex looked thoughtfully at Naganen, then Sephire stepped forwards and put the Naganatine in a headlock, grinning down at him as he squeaked and flailed his arms. "Damn you're a smart little bastard!"

"Sephire, please let go of my son." Zerrex said tiredly, as Darren winced and pulled at Sephire's powerful arm while Naganen's hands pushed uselessly against her, and Sephire grumbled a bit before she rose her limb, and both the boys were sent spilling to the ground, Naganen looking stupefied and Darren wincing as he whacked his head loudly against the stone, and the Drakkaren only grabbed at his forehead with a grumble. "Earth, thoughts?"

"I agree with Naganen." Earth said quietly, as she kindly bent past Sephire to help the two up to their feet, while the goddess only yawned loudly and put her hands behind her head. "I think either way it'll be good for her... and if you don't mind me saying so, I believe it will be good for you as well, Lord Zerrex. You've been so wrapped up in the complex and violent events of late that it seems like you've forgotten to find the time to relax and gain back your strength every now and then."

Zerrex smiled awkwardly at this, and then Sephire smiled over at him, saying easily: "They're right, you know. And I'm supposed to be keeping a goddamn eye on you for Heaven or... something, I forget what I was supposed to actually do around here, and Raze just grumbles all the time about how you're always running off, trying to do everything on your own, and you get all embarrassed and cranky when people try and spend time with you and get you to slow down."

"It's just..." Zerrex glanced away, rubbing at his face slowly before he looked at them quietly as all eyes turned to him. "It's just that the more time I spend... not doing anything to try and fight this... the more time the murderer has to go about his business. And now we know there's more than one, and-"

"And nothing." Sephire said forcefully, and then she walked forwards and pushed Zerrex firmly backwards until he was standing at the edge of the palace, the reptile looking over his shoulder with a wince at the cracked stone wall leading all the way down to the ground far below. "Now, you see that? That's a big, scary fall, and with one nudge, I could send you plummeting down to land on your stupid head, although we all know by now the only thing that would break from that is the ground. But you dunno whether or not I'm going to push you, kick you in the balls, let you go, or step away... but you have faith in me, right?" Sephire smiled at him softly, reaching up and grasping his shoulders quietly even as she slid him an inch back, so his heels were off the edge, the reptile barely balancing as he winced a bit and leaned forwards towards her. "I'm your Disciple, and your friend, and fucking family to you by now, am I not? So you gotta have faith in me."

She shoved him backwards, and Zerrex's arms flailed before Sephire seized him around the waist in a hug and yanked him easily into the air and around in a circle, planting him firmly down on his feet back on solid rooftop and looking down at him affectionately. "See, I didn't let you drop, and I'm new to this whole Disciple shit. Right now, at this very moment, you got some sharp-as-tacks people working their asses off to find answers for you, and solutions to these problems that we're facing. You got a Strange Beast moping downstairs, getting ready to spill his guts. You got all of us moved to the safety of Acheron and watching each other's backs in Elysium and entire armies waiting to be deployed and things that are even scarier than entire armies ready to fight at your word.

"So put that faith we have in you back into us. Even if it's just the kind of faith you have in everyday things, like... waking up in the morning and finding yourself still in bed, not on the floor or on top of a giant centipede." Sephire said reasonably, and then she poked his chest a few times. "And you gotta goddamn take care of yourself, too, and that means both relaxing, and watching out for the rest of your family. You should already know this, but life ain't gonna put itself on hold just 'cause crazy shit is happening around here."

She paused, looking meditative, and then added in a softer voice: "Besides. Epiphany might damn well be needed in what's yet to come. It's in everyone's best interests that the little girl is kept in good shape... 'cause fuck knows with powers like hers, she could end up being a deciding factor, especially if we have to face down an Old God that's still hell-bent on taking up where Athéos left off."

Zerrex grimaced at this, and then he finally nodded slowly, rubbing at his face and saying quietly: "Alright, alright. I... I do get your point, Sephire. And I really appreciate the advice, Naganen..." He smiled a bit at his son as Naganen blushed a bit, Darren smiling warmly at his brother. "I might need both of you ready for whatever's yet to come too, you know. You two should practice up on things."

Naganen only laughed a bit at this, however, but Darren's smile stretched wider as he nodded firmly. "Markus says he's willing to work with me, and Raze has been teaching me on and off too... are... are you really his mom?"

"Yeah, I'm really his mom. What the hell did you think I was, his dad?" Sephire asked amusedly, and she reached out and tugged on the leonine male's mane, making Darren blush scarlet as Zerrex slapped his forehead. "Want me to prove that I'm a female?"

"I'm leaving now." Zerrex announced, and Sephire huffed and grabbed at him, but Zerrex winked as he leapt backwards and vanished from the spot, reappearing a moment later in a long stone corridor and stumbling backwards a step before he managed to set himself, reaching up and awkwardly rubbing at his head... only to yelp as he was tackled from behind a moment later, cursing and wondering with horror if Sephire had learned to teleport before he felt himself pinned and straddled.

He struggled lightly, and then Selena's head leaned down and grinned at him upside-down, the Drakkaren wheezing a little: not entirely relieved, but figuring it could be worse as she said cheerfully: "Finally got a moment with you alone. Well... almost alone."

The reptile rolled over beneath her, letting her continue to playfully pin him as the flexible, smooth molten metal that covered her body gleamed, and the reptile looked dryly up to see Aluinnia leaning over the Passion's shoulders, waving at him with a blush, her collar cinched tight around her neck and her white dress fluttering around her. Zerrex grunted at her, and Aluinnia smiled radiantly before she held up the platter in her other hand, the Benevolent saying kindly: "Won't you please join us for coffee? I was in the middle of serving my mistress lunch... and you know that I am more than happy to serve you, Lord Zerrex, God of Acheron, in any way that you require..."

"Coffee's good." Zerrex said sourly, but Aluinnia only smiled, purposefully ignoring his tone as the reptile grumbled to himself about crazies and Selena blushed slightly, looking both embarrassed as well as pleased as she let go of him and allowed the reptile to scramble up to his feet with a grunt, rolling his shoulders and looking over her before he softened a bit when Selena extended a hand with a softer look.

He took it, and they gazed at each other quietly: Selena was his wife, and yet there was no use denying that in the hierarchy of Hell, she was considered the 'lowest-ranking' wife, with Anathema Sin - well, Sin now... - the highest. Even Lily usually found a way to spend more time with him than Selena did, and even though she had Aluinnia... it wasn't quite the same, Zerrex knew. Yet over the years, things between them had started to change, especially now that Selena was a Passion: before, she had been a little too overbearing, there had been conflict and aggression in everything they did, and yet they had been tenaciously stuck together... and yet now, things had cooled. Not in a bad way... but rather like the molten ore that the Passion was able to control, things had hardened and solidified instead of being in a state of constant, consuming fire, and they had been able to draw all the closer together for it.

She was easier to get along with, and Zerrex was less-offended by things, and the Drakkaren was aware that Selena was taking steps, bit-by-bit, to find a replacement for her position of High Throne. She enjoyed lording her power over people, but being a High Princess saddled her with too many responsibilities and left her too little time to do anything... and all she really wanted in her life was love, affection, and physical pleasures she could indulge in... but most of all, to feel wanted.

Their hands squeezed together, and a soft smile spread over her face before she jerked her head towards a room down the hall, saying softly: "Come on, Boss. You look like you could do with a little relaxing anyway."

"Yeah, well... I was actually just on my way to see Epiphany..." Zerrex started, and when Selena glared at him, he rolled his eyes with a grumble. "Okay, okay. I'll join you and... crazy britches."

"Don't call her that." Selena said pettishly, but she smiled a little despite herself as she wrapped an arm around him and they walked into the den. Blue flames crackled in the fireplace, casting a soft glow over a table loaded with food both simple and gourmet, and two kettles and a large carafe filled with coffee sat quietly on the wood, the carafe glowing with runes that kept the coffee inside warm, which made Zerrex smile amusedly: he'd never get over how often complex magic was used simply for luxury and the minor pleasures in life. "Aluinnia, honey, serve Zerrex first."

"Of course, my mistress." The Benevolent bowed her head deeply with a bright smile, currently kneeling beside the table as Zerrex and Selena sat comfortably down together in a loveseat just large enough to accommodate them both... and then Selena quietly shifted so she could pull Zerrex comfortably down so his head rested against the solid but warm metal that covered her enormous breasts, the reptile's eyes sliding closed with a quiet laugh as he felt her hands beginning to stroke quietly through his hair as Aluinnia poured coffee into a cup, then spooned sugar and added cream as she asked quietly: "Would you like me to suck-"

Selena cleared her throat loudly, and Aluinnia looked up sulkily as she was cut off: to this day she still didn't understand that neither Hell nor Zerrex ran purely on sexual favors, and the reptile smiled awkwardly as he took the coffee from her before glancing quickly over the table, and then he said carefully: "I would really enjoy some bread-biscuits right now... they're Hez'Rannan delicacies, do you have any?"

"I..." Aluinnia glanced frantically over the table, and then she jumped to her feet and bowed, saying warmly: "I shall return momentarily with them!"

With that, she ran out of the room to head to the kitchens, and Zerrex let out a sigh of relief as he sipped at his coffee slowly, Selena snorting in amusement as she said dryly: "You could just tell her to leave some day, you know. I doubt she'd be entirely offended... and she is my goddamn wife."

"Yeah, and you still haven't taught her about how asking to give me oral sex every time she sees me has gone from awkward to flat-out disturbing." Zerrex said flatly, and Selena shrugged absently before she took the mug from Zerrex when he offered it, sipping at his coffee as the reptile muttered: "She makes a goddamn fine cup of coffee though, I have to give her that. But if you're keeping her around just for the food and sex..."

"Oh shut up, you know I love her." Selena said irritably, then she took another dig guzzle from the coffee cup as Zerrex grabbed uselessly at it, her other hand staying locked into his white hair before she grinned and slammed the empty mug down against the table. "Looks like you'll have to fix yourself another cup, asshole."

"I'll do it." The two looked up in surprise as Helena entered the room, Missy in tow behind her. The Dius curtseyed to Selena as the female looked at her consideringly, and then Helena quickly set out four mugs, pouring coffee from the carafe as she said softly in demonic: "Praise to my benefactor, my family, my elders. It is an honor to meet you in person, Lady Selena."

"So you're the Dius who's related to me... better mannered than I thought you'd be, considering my family." Selena said after a moment, and then her eyes turned curiously to Missy as the Benevolent smiled awkwardly, sitting herself on the arm of the loveseat by Zerrex's feet and gazing at him softly. "And who the hell are you?"

"Everyone just calls me Missy, ma'am. I helped Biggs... I mean, Zerrex here, out while he was mortal and running around Temptation." the Benevolent said awkwardly, and Zerrex smiled amusedly and nodded, glancing over his shoulder at her as Selena looked at her thoughtfully.

Then she nodded after a moment with a grunt as Helena passed out the mugs of coffee, taking hers as Zerrex started to sit up before he was yanked back down against her huge breasts, his skull clinking lightly against the metal covering them as she grumbled: "Oh no you don't. Besides, knowing you, you've already slept with everyone here."

"He has not." Missy said sharply, looking offended as her red eyes glowed slightly before she grinned as the black veins visibly pulsed through her system, reaching a hand down and stroking along Zerrex's shin as she whispered: "But he can have me any time he wants me, and I'll... I'll..."

Her eyes flickered, and then she cursed and hammered at her skull as Selena looked at her with a bit more sympathy, and when she glanced down at Zerrex, he only nodded. Missy blushed a bit as she slipped down to sit on the other end of the loveseat, and Zerrex finally managed to sit up as Selena grumbled, keeping her arm around his shoulders as the reptile passed a mug of coffee to Missy before taking his own, sipping at it quietly as he let their sides rest together and Missy pressed quietly against him, murmuring: "I feel like such a goddamn freak. And everyone keeps mincing words when they explain to me what's happening, so I ain't really got any idea what's goin' on... tell me straight Biggs, don't treat me like a little girl. What's happening to me?"

She looked at him quietly... and Zerrex sighed a bit before he sipped at his coffee, searching mentally for the words before he said softly: "In simple terms, you were exposed to so much corruption that you're becoming... sort of a demon, Missy. A Benevolent is a middle-stage of change, one that most mortals stay at... but it's also very malleable. Almost as malleable as mortals... without the resistances to corruption that come with being a full-blooded angel."

"So I'm gonna... what, what am I becoming?" Missy asked quietly, looking at him with a tremble before she glanced from Selena to Helena and laughed weakly: "I mean, no offense to either of you two, but I... I don't quite wanna be a demoness. These urges scare the heck out of me and the way this thing in me keeps risin' up with its claws ready and its teeth bitin'... I... Biggs, you gotta help me!"

"That's why I brought you here." Zerrex said quietly, putting his coffee down on the table and wrapping an arm comfortingly around the female, and she trembled a bit as she settled against him, clutching the mug between her hands tightly. "There are people here who can help you through this... who can help you become comfortable with these changes, and who can help you... understand things as they happen. We might be able to stall the effects, but... Missy, I know this is hard, but you want the truth. We might not be able to stop you from... becoming something different. In fact, the best thing we might be able to do for you is speed it up."

"Shit, are you crazy, Biggs?" Missy glared up at him, but her eyes were more frightened than angry as she breathed hard in and out, sitting back a bit and spilling a bit of her coffee over herself before she cursed angrily and flung it hard across the room, and the mug shattered on the mantel above the fireplace as Helena winced backwards. "I don't want this!"

"Part of the reason you're going so crazy right now, Missy, is because you've got two conflicting natures in you... the Benevolent side of you, and this new, corrupted-demon side of you, which is further influenced by the fact that Cabal were tampering with and concentrating the corruption." Zerrex said calmly, unfettered by her outburst, and the golden retriever glared up at him before she flushed deeply as she looked down at her own empty hands. Then Zerrex sighed and held a single hand up, and the mug rapidly picked itself off the ground, reforming as coffee that had spilled in every direction burst upwards and refilled the mug, and Missy stared in shock as this floated back to her and she took it with disbelief.

Zerrex only smiled awkwardly, however, saying lamely: "Sorry. It's... one of the perks of being a god of your own dimension. With both the Princess's powers and my own will, I can pretty much alter reality as I please."

"Then why don't you just... wish the corruption out of me?" Missy asked sharply, and then she punched his chest, making the reptile wheeze as Selena covered her mouth to suppress a snort of laughter, and Helena rolled her eyes. "Come on, make me a Benevolent again!"

The lizard only glowered at her, however, saying flatly: "It doesn't work that way, Missy... the corruption's sunken into you, probably mutated your very genes by now. Sure, I could probably start ripping pieces out of you, but I could end up lobotomizing you or even ripping out chunks of your very soul."

Missy grumbled a bit as she studied him for a few moments... and then she sighed and nodded slowly, murmuring: "I guess... I guess I understand, Biggs. But what are you saying, I got no choice? That I'm gonna be going crazy with urges and lusts and stuff I barely even understand forever?"

"Only until you... become whatever you're becoming. And only until either the purification in your system either cancels out the corruption or... more likely, the corruption overtakes the purification." Zerrex replied softly, and the female nodded after a moment, looking down and closing her eyes. "I don't know what you'll become, though... I don't know what's going to happen to you. I don't even know entirely what we should do. But that's why you're here, and I do promise to take care of you and figure this out, side-by-side with you."

"So this is what adventuring is like, huh?" Missy muttered, and she shook her head slowly and grimaced a bit as Helena smiled kindly at her and Selena nodded ruefully, likely thinking of her own past. "Shit, this sucks."

Zerrex grunted in agreement... and then Aluinnia reappeared in the doorway with a plate of the scone-like biscuits, and her eyes widened at the sight of the two females before she stormed into the room, glaring back and forth at them distrustfully as the Benevolent said darkly: "Pardon me, but I do hope there's a reason for your presence here with my master and my mistress... we were just sitting down to a quiet and private conversation."

Missy looked at Zerrex curiously, and he grimaced a bit, leaning over and whispering in her ear: "That's Aluinnia. She's Selena's crazy wife. She's crazy."

Selena sighed a bit as she glanced imploringly at her wife, but Aluinnia only looked back suspiciously before her attention was drawn by Helena as the Dius stirred her coffee slowly, smiling condescendingly up at the female. "What's wrong, darling? A little envious, are we? Or have you not yet learned you proper place is to be seen and not heard in the presence of guests?"

Zerrex gaped at Helena, and then he realized what the Dius was doing, wincing and gesturing to her frantically as Selena glared at her... but Aluinnia's eyes burning with rage as the Benevolent locked irises with her, saying coldly: "Now you listen to me, you common harlot, I am-"

Helena's eyes glowed brightly, and Aluinnia's eyes widened for a moment before her jaw went slack and her arms went limp, dropping the plate of biscuits as Selena sat up in alarm, but Zerrex only sighed and grasped the Passion's arm, saying dryly: "It's alright... Helena just has a nasty habit of abusing her Dominate ability."

After a moment, Aluinnia shook her head quickly, and then she frowned curiously as she looked back and forth before she glanced down at the platter of scones on the floor, and she covered her mouth with a quiet gasp. "Oh my! I'm so terribly sorry... perhaps you should punish me later, when our guests are gone, Lord Zerrex..." Her eyes roved up over the two almost hungrily before she sketched a polite curtsey. "Please allow me to fetch a second batch of biscuits. I shall return momentarily."

Then the Benevolent turned and left, and Selena stared in amazement before she looked dumbly at Helena, who only grinned as her eyes returned to normal, saying mildly: "I suppose my influence has always been particularly strong over others... I've always had a talent for the little things."

"Please don't ever do that to my wife again." Selena said after a moment, but she looked measuringly over the Dius before she nodded thoughtfully, rubbing at the underside of her chin and thankfully not setting the female on fire... and Helena seemed to realize after a moment she had just dodged a bullet as well, as she grinned embarrassedly. "Impressive trick, though. I should probably do that more often."

Even Missy looked a little impressed, rubbing at the underside of her muzzle as she said dryly: "Well... I guess if I could do that, it wouldn't be all bad. Still, I ain't thrilled with the idea of becoming a demon. That scares me, more than a little."

Zerrex nodded after a moment to her, gazing at her softly as he smiled a bit and nudged her quietly with his shoulder. "Hey, that used to scare me, too... but if I adjusted, so can you. We'll figure this out... right, concubine?"

"That's right." the Dius said mildly, and she picked up one of the large pieces of shrimp from one of the bowls, dipping it into a delicious-looking red sauce and popping it into her mouth, chewing slowly. "I suppose we're all in this together at the end of the day, after all."

Zerrex smiled a bit at this thought, nodding slowly... and for the next hour or so he relaxed as Selena spent the time asking questions to the two, the reptile allowing himself to be pulled down so she could play through his hair... and he blushed when Missy began to rub his feet, smiling awkwardly and blushing a little herself but nonetheless seeming to enjoy being able to give a little affection to the Drakkaren... and obviously enjoying even more when Aluinnia returned and looked infuriated by the fact that the Benevolent was being allowed to touch the Drakkaren she slavishly called 'master.'

Eventually, Zerrex extracted himself to make his way out into the hall, making Selena promise to take good care of Missy as Aluinnia looked distrustfully at the Benevolent. He smiled a bit to himself, knowing Selena was a good role model for the Benevolent with how she'd been forced to slowly but steadily learn to control her own temper and passions in the past... and then he glanced over his shoulder as he saw Helena approaching, her dress swirling around her as the reptile cocked his head and said dryly: "And what are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd accompany you, as your concubine and all." Helena smiled a bit, wrapping an arm around Zerrex's side and pressing herself closer to him, and the reptile only looked at her awkwardly before she rolled her eyes and poked his chiseled abdominals lightly. "Did I not tell you before that I was going to take my job and duties seriously?"

"Yeah, well. I thought you were going to visit with Selena some more. She seemed plenty interested in you, and you seemed... kind of interested in her, too." Zerrex said lamely, looking at her interestedly, but the Dius only shrugged after a moment before she tilted her head upwards thoughtfully, as if trying to figure out how to phrase something.

Then she returned her eyes to the male, saying quietly: "And I am, and she is, but there will be much time for that later... and while I do appreciate your sentiment of allowing me to adjust to things here and familiarize myself with the way Acheron works... what I really need to do is first familiarize myself more with the way you work. You're a little more complicated than I thought at first... and I couldn't help but notice the way you sat quietly back in there, letting yourself be petted and tended to, but not interrupting the conversation. You were studying us."

"In... a way." Zerrex said awkwardly, looking embarrassed, but the Dius only smiled as they walked down the corridor together and past a Dragon Warrior who nodded to them respectfully, Zerrex raising a hand in return before he glanced back towards the female as she squeezed him insistently around the waist, obviously waiting for an answer. "I... I really am not the leader everyone sees me as. I can order people to do stuff, but usually it ends up all going to hell... and more importantly than that, I do delegate a lot of things for a reason. There's much more capable and smarter people than me here, after all."

"The fact you can recognize you're not always the best person for the job is what makes you excel as a leader, Lord Zerrex. It is why I offered my services as a concubine in the first... well... in the second place." The Dius grinned slightly. "I think we've already established that in the first place I made the offer because it is an excellent position that will afford me a few very nice opportunities and a comfortable-enough life.

"But honestly, part of it is because you're not one of those bratty demon-lords who feels they have to be the be-all-and-end-all of every operation, who have to spearhead every attack and fight every battle and plan every strategy and even settle on what they should feed their troops each night." she continued , flicking her wrist dismissively as they turned through an open archway, the female pausing only to curiously glance back and forth for a moment at the beautiful statues of Drakkai in various shapes and poses that lined the corridor. "The leader who has to do everything himself is not a good leader, Lord Zerrex. He is simply a control freak that will sooner rather than later cause the crumbling of his own empire. Allies can leave you vulnerable, especially in war time, especially if they betray you... but your friends are also often far more valuable than any weapon in your artillery or even the most flawless tactics a single person can be capable of."

Zerrex grunted and nodded, brushing his hair before he paused in front of a heavy door inscribed with burnt etchings of black roses... and the Dius glanced up in surprise as she heard a soft snuffling before the reptile said gently: "My daughter was very upset because she made a little error of judgment today. I'm going to talk to her. Would you please wait outside here? After I calm her down and figure out my schedule for today, then you can meet her, okay?"

The Dius looked at him awkwardly, shuffling a bit before she rubbed at the back of her head, and Zerrex stared at her before she mumbled: "I... I'm really bad with kids."

"Yet... you want one of your own." Zerrex said dumbly, looking nonplussed, and the Dius shot him a sour glare, making him wince and hold up his hands. "Just trying to understand things here, that's all!"

"I didn't say maternal instinct made sense!" she snapped, and then she grumbled and rested back against the wall, crossing her arms over her stomach and looking up at him moodily. "Go ahead, then, and I'll wait here for you."

Zerrex smiled at her awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head and nodding a bit, and then he turned towards the door and quietly pushed it open to step forwards and through into Epiphany's room in Acheron, closing it silently behind himself and glancing back and forth.

It was a strange room: there were two bookshelves, stacked with ancient tomes, beautiful artifacts, and young adult fiction. The walls were covered in oak paneling, and posters hung from several of these, both old posters of things that Epiphany had found in the vulture bins during her times on the mortal world or that Zerrex had brought back for her after scouring through ruins on one odd job or another, as well as painted pictures done by Marina and other artists who resided in Elysium.

Her only furnishings were the large bed she currently was balled up on, fuzzy blankets thrown over her body, and the chair and desk that sat across the room. The desk was immaculately-clean but covered in small gouges, the top worn down over years of almost-abusive use from all of Epiphany's obsessive studying; from the back of the chair hung Epiphany's torn-off scale vest, the stitching hanging loose and damaged as she clutched the blankets around herself and stared up at Zerrex with teary eyes. "I didn't mean... to hurt Mommy so badly..."

"I know, kiddo, I know..." Zerrex said softly, walking over to sit down beside her with a soft sigh, and she almost leapt out of the blankets to curl against him, dropping her head against his chest as she trembled hard, and the male closed his eyes as he hugged her tightly against his body. "I don't know how Anathema and Sin feel right now, but I'm sure that Justice is taking good care of them and helping them both to not only calm down, but feel a little better about things. It's going to take them some adjustment, and you know that you can't do things like this, Epiphany, and nor can we just let it slide."

"I know, I do, I know... I'm so sorry, Daddy, and I wanna do anything I can to make up for it..." she whispered, looking up at him with a tremble, and the Drakkaren smiled faintly as he nodded slowly to her. "I just got so mad... I... I don't know..."

Zerrex nodded and sighed a bit as he squeezed her close, and then he said quietly: "Maybe it's partially our fault. We push you very hard, and we treat you like an adult, and physically, you are... but you're also only nine years old, and even in mortal years that's still very young. You're still my little girl..." He hugged her fiercely against his chest, kissing her forehead quietly. "And I know you're very smart, and very strong... but you had your childhood stolen from you, and none of us can really blame you for acting out because of that. You still have to make up for what you did... but I think we also have to help you find a way to vent off that steam and enjoy yourself, to get to... act the age you feel, and not just the age we and your body push on you."

Epiphany nodded a little, glancing down with a quiet blush as she snuggled tighter into his chest, rocking against him a bit before she closed her eyes and murmured softly: "But most of all I want your respect, Daddy... I want to be a grownup, and I want to be seen as mature and... an adult..."

"And I wish every day I could be an irresponsible kid." Zerrex said softly, reaching up and rubbing between her horns, and she laughed a little as she gazed up at him with teary eyes before the reptile smiled a little as he stood up, carefully pulling her to her feet as well. "Come on. First of all, you're going to help me rebuild some of the things around Acheron... and then you're going to have to apologize to Sin and Anathema again. But we're going to see what happens if we let you act like a kid for a little while, too, and if that helps."

"Okay..." Epiphany sounded hesitant, but she nodded before blushing a bit when Zerrex walked over and picked up her vest. He helped slip it onto her strange, bony-shelled front, then smiled a bit as he flicked his hand and it quickly stitched itself back over her form, Epiphany blushing and swaying from foot-to-foot before Zerrex quietly pushed her towards the door and opened it for her.

They stepped into the hallway, and she looked curiously at Helena as they Dius looked back with a frown, Epiphany rubbing at her face before Zerrex said calmly: "Epiphany, this is my concubine, Helena. Helena, this is my nine-year-old daughter, Epiphany."

The Dius's eyes widened slightly, but she did a good job of repressing her surprise before she simply smiled and bowed her head courteously, saying kindly: "You're very pretty, Epiphany. You have your father's eyes."

Epiphany blushed at this, clinging to the Drakkaren's arm and pressing up against his side with a warm smile towards her, showing a childlike shyness that made Zerrex all the more aware of her age as he smiled softly down at her, shaking his head slightly... and then he took one of her hands, lacing their fingers together as he said softly: "Come on then, daughter, and you too, Helena. We've got some work to get done."

Zerrex sat on the rooftop of the palace, resting back in a comfortable chair made of dark wood, Anathema leaning against one side of it as Sin stood a short distance away in a flowing black dress and whalebone corset, supervising Epiphany, Mahihko, and Vampire as they giggled and drew shapes together with large pieces of colored chalk Zerrex had created out of thin air. The reptile was content to relax as Sammy bounced around the three, chirping at them and watching the designs they were drawing out together.

Vampire was obviously enjoying himself and the amusement of the two as the huge, muscular demon wolf drew vulgar things more often than not and then quickly erased them every time Sin gave him a tired look, while Mahihko was laying on his stomach, diligently working with Epiphany to draw much larger and grander patterns, the perfect playmate for her right now. Lone was watching curiously as he sat beside Helena, absently cleaning a revolver as they chatted a bit, getting slowly used to one-another.

The Drakkaren was enjoying this moment of rest, rubbing at his face slowly: it was night now in Acheron, although the concepts of night and day were very different here. They had spent most of the afternoon and early evening repairing structures around the dimension, Zerrex using his powers to alter reality and Epiphany creating and conjuring huge blocks of stone as well as thick cables of ivy to mend things together. And while Zerrex had to slow down after repairing several blocks of the massive stone city as he felt the distinct twinge of his energies starting to suffer from recoil, Epiphany had just kept cheerfully going, doing at least double the work the Drakkaren managed... except by the end of it, he had finally watched her tire herself out.

It was the first time he had ever seen her start to run low on energy... and yet, unlike him, she didn't become irritable or moody... instead, a strange kind of calmness descended over her, her eyes glazing a little and her breathing not quickening, but slowing. It was almost like her body was slowing its own processes down so it could more-efficiently restore its own energies, the female moving a little sluggishly for about twenty minutes after they were done, but then she was back to normal.

She had also apologized to Sin and Anathema when they had shown up with Justice, and Zerrex had left the two mothers and his daughter to talk things out while Justice had pulled him aside. The Naganatine had quietly explained that both Sin and Anathema would need a bit of time and understanding, and they would have to reacclimatize to being separate entities... and for a little while, it would mean treating them almost like Gemini. They would have to stay close to each other, and Justice had also warned that even if Anathema started whining about it, she would have to reattach to her sister and allow Sin to adjust naturally.

Anathema, after all, was able to leave her physical body at will, projecting herself and going wandering whenever she pleased, a talent she used to 'shut herself off' at times as well as to get away from Sin... but Sin had always felt her presence, and even when Anathema had been distant or gone when they had been connected, she had always still had part of Anathema's energies around, and the solidity and reassurance of her anchor physically connected to her.

Now that had all been lost all at once, and Justice knew that while Anathema was too prideful and, simply put, too grumpy to admit she had emotions, Sin was not. And while Anathema could easily connect herself physically to someone else to re-experience that feeling of sharing such a deep fusion with someone, Sin also would not be able to... and likely right now she felt very torn inside. What Justice feared most of all, however, was that too much stress would cause the old Sin to rise to the surface... and since Zerrex had briefly seen that side of the Naganatine, he could only agree that making sure Anathema and Sin still spent a little bit of time here and there willingly combined together would be best for everyone involved.

Not that Anathema wanted to see her sister suffer... only that the slightly-egotistical undead female was all too clearly enjoying being back in her own physical body... and even more, being able to reattach herself to Zerrex and anyone else she liked apart from Sin, as she smiled up at him and rubbed at the skull mask covering her features, gazing warmly at the Drakkaren and saying amusedly: "Do you know how nice the silence in my head is? Sin thinks roughly a dozen times faster than you do, Zerrex, but the problem is that half of those thoughts are anxieties, a third of those thoughts are about you, and the rest of them are scary old thoughts she always keeps buried deep under the surface, except whenever we'd end up having violent sex with you."

"Thanks for sharing, Anathema." Zerrex said drolly, and then he reached down and shoved her head gently, making her laugh as she punched his shin lightly. "So how are you feeling though, honestly? And no trying to connect with me right now, I'm already low enough on energy as it is."

"Oh, you don't even notice me draining or stabilizing your energies whenever I am connected with you... besides, I'm remembering my promise to Justice. I'm only glad the bitch isn't around here right now." Anathema muttered, and then she winced when a portal opened, only for Justice to stick her head through and glare at her with her blind eyes, Anathema raising her hands and saying indignantly: "You don't have to do that every fucking time someone says something about you!"

Zerrex looked mildly at the Naganatine as Justice stepped all the way out of the portal, saying dryly: "Actually, I needed to come back here for a moment anyway, and I figured I could remind you that I'm capable of hearing anything you say even across he dimensions, too. But I'll deal with you later, Poet." She paused, glancing over at Zerrex and smiling a little as her eyes regarded him for a moment before she reached forwards and poked his chest a few times. "Your energies are flowing a little funny. I think you've been straining yourself too much despite clearly being told to stop doing that."

"Did you want something or not?" Zerrex asked waspishly, swatting at her, and Justice laughed as she leaned back and grinned, shaking her head a bit as the reptile muttered: "I'd kick you but I know by now I'd probably just knock myself over."

"Good. Because yes, I wanted to ask permission if I could go up to Heaven with Raze." Justice said mildly, and Zerrex did a double-take before the female shrugged a bit. "I am a Naganatine, and despite humiliating Job at the council and becoming your Disciple, I was never cast out by Naganis himself. No matter what that blowhard Job declares or says, the moment I bring that up I'm fairly sure his arguments will crumble... I may be able to discover important information there, and I would like a chance to speak with the Archangels myself."

"I... well... alright." Zerrex said slowly, frowning at her, and she smiled slightly as he asked curiously: "Do you think you'll be able to track down anything about who in the Council might be headlining this operation?"

"Maybe, maybe not... I can see everything, but I cannot know everything. Even if I see something that clearly looks like an evil plan, it may only be a snippet of an adventure story that someone takes after. But I can at least gather an idea about the intentions of those in the council, and I can take part in one of their senate meetings and discover what's going on. As interesting as your friend Raze is, his short temper does him no good: he doesn't seem to understand that he can gather some very valuable information simply by sitting in on one of their assemblies." Justice said softly, rubbing at the underside of her muzzle, and Zerrex smiled amusedly at this.

"Well, Justice, we're not all as amazing as you are." he said dryly, and Justice snorted in entertainment before he nodded to her, then pointed and said quietly: "But if something goes wrong..."

Justice gazed at him, then she nodded slowly, saying softly: "We'll escape with all speed, you have my word on that. I won't put both my life and Raze's in danger... and even while up there, I do not plan to hunt down or engage any cloaked killers or suspicious suspects. I'm your Justice, Zerrex... I am not your vigilante."

She smiled cryptically at this, turning with a wink and then creating a portal before she vanished through it... and Anathema crossed her arms with a grumble, muttering: "It never fails to irritate me how despite being as bad at magic as I am, Justice still is next door to invulnerable and has always been bossy enough to make even the toughest aggressors hesitate, while I always get called 'poet, poet, poet' and 'shy little Annie.'"

"It's okay, Annie." Zerrex said mildly, and Anathema glowered at him before she simply sighed and shook her head as the Drakkaren grinned at her and reached down to squeeze her shoulder gently. "I'm glad you are the way you are."

Anathema blushed at this, looking embarrassedly away before the two glanced up as Epiphany flicked her wrists upwards, and even Sin looked enthralled as the patterns covering the ground lifted up, becoming beautiful, three-dimensional swirls of light that took on animal shapes in the air, and Mahihko and Vampire both clapped giddily as Lone gasped and Helena stared in surprise.

Zerrex smiled softly at this use of power as the patterns glowed radiantly and hung in the air for a few moments before disappearing in a puff of smoke, and then he said softly, as Anathema shook her head in slow amazement: "That's one of Marina's old tricks, you know. Bringing a picture to almost-literal life... sometimes I think Epiphany must be capable of anything anyone else in my entire family is..."

He fell quiet, looking down as he thought silently about this child with such power, abilities that went far beyond being 'godlike,' and the reptile shook his head slowly as he muttered: "Sometimes I wonder what she's truly capable of, Annie... it scares me a little. She's like every one of us, combined into one being that nears omnipotence... and yet she has the mind of a child."

"Even worse, she was born from me and Sin, sees herself as having four mothers, you as her sole father, and Negative is in there someplace too." Anathema said dryly, looking down her claws with a snort of amusement, and the Drakkaren gave her a half-amused, half-sour look, but he was surprised when she only smiled back up at him. "Maybe this is just Sin's fucking endless optimism wearing off on me, but... I think it's going to be okay nonetheless. I think she's going to turn out okay. Yes, you don't have to remind me of the things she does when she lashes out, I was there when she ripped me and Sin literally apart today. And this could just be... stupid... maternal instincts like with Naganen, too, but... look at her."

Mahihko and Epiphany were holding each other's wrists, laughing as they played ring-around-the-rosy amidst crayon butterflies and flowers that floated through the air, Sin watching with a loving smile and her hands clasped over her chest and Vampire on the other side, clasping and singing loudly along as Lone laughed where he sat beside Helena, who was clapping her hands in amusement as well... and then the two let go and tumbled backwards, and light glowed over the stony ground, softening their falls as the wolf laughed childishly and Epiphany giggled gleefully, clapping her hands and kicking her feet as she rolled back and forth.

Zerrex felt a tender smile spreading over his face, watching as this girl in an adult's body leapt back to her feet and Mahihko - the wolf far, far older, yet obviously relishing the chance to act like a child and even better, to have such a wonderful playmate - crawled back up to his, and then Epiphany rushed forwards and grabbed him in a hug, and he hugged her back with a scarlet blush of surprise before she smiled radiantly, looking up towards the sky. "Yeah... yeah, I think you might be right, Anathema. Maybe all she needs is... to slow down for a little while."

"Of course I'm right." Anathema said loftily, and Zerrex rolled his eyes before the undead Naganatine stood up and walked towards her sister. Sin glanced up with a smile as Anathema approached, and the undead Naganatine patted her awkwardly on the arm before they traded spots. Sin strode towards him, and Zerrex smiled as Anathema gestured moodily at the two childlike adults, who both smiled to her as Epiphany set Mahihko down before they went back to drawing on the ground as Vampire smiled at them and Lone went back to chatting up Helena.

Zerrex flicked his wrist, and a second chair of wood appeared beside the one the reptile sat in, Sin blushing a bit and bowing her head respectfully before she said softly: "Lord Zerrex. How are you feeling?"

"That's a question I should be asking you, Sin." Zerrex replied with a bit of a smile, reaching out and taking her hand quietly, and their fingers squeezed together slowly as they both sat back and looked quietly out over the others, watching as Anathema hovered around Mahihko, Vampire, and Epiphany and the way they played together. "But... I'm okay, I think. What about you, how's your head?"

"It's fine... I'm doing okay now, I think, I just... miss sister's presence." Sin replied softly, reaching up and stroking one metallic hand slowly over the steel side of her face, fingers trailing along the patterned metal plate before she looked over at Zerrex with a soft smile. "I wish often I was just like her, you know, even though I know she wishes she was just like me... able to pull myself apart and attach to other living beings. I would love that... then I could join myself to you and never have to let go. But it was very kind of you to let me wear the cloak earlier... I felt Naganis's presence in it the entire time I wore it, and I think it greatly sped up my healing. Why aren't you wearing it now?"

Zerrex shrugged a little, reaching up and playing his fingers quietly through his mala as he relaxed back in the chair a bit, before he said softly: "Because right now, I don't want to push my luck too hard with Negative. I can still feel his presence lingering in my mind... it'd be better to not aggravate him for now, I think. I don't want things to come down to kill-or-be-killed between him and me quite yet... not before I find the other answers I'm looking for, not before I know what his actual intentions are. He confuses me, Sin; he acts like he's pure corruption and destruction, yet he builds and creates. He acts like he wants to destroy everything near and dear to me, yet he's more protective of Naganen than I am. More and more I think he's not really Inversion, just something that Inverting awoke."

Sin nodded slowly, murmuring softly: "The broken mind, the fragile heart, the burning soul. Riders of Disconsolation, Sorrow, and Loss." She stopped, then smiled embarrassedly when Zerrex looked at her curiously. "My apologies, Lord Zerrex... I seem to have taken many of my sister's poems and stories into my memory. It's a strange thing... yet I think the fact we have shared so much with each other, become a little more like one-another... has helped. Bound together, we were also forced to face many of our bad memories together... to acknowledge and understand why we acted as we did once upon a time, among other things. I think that has also helped us greatly, though... now I see why sister was so hurt and so meek, and became so angry... as she understand why I was always so adventurous in the past, and how I came to seal the evil parts of me away and become what I am now."

She stopped, then smiled a little at the Drakkaren, studying him quietly before she shook her head a little and murmured softly: "Perhaps that's another reason for me to wish to be able to... join with you, Zerrex. To share my entirety with you... we have known each other for millions of years, I have loved you... for millions of years... but we have been apart so often, too. And there are many stories I have not told or have forgotten to share... and I dearly wish to, Lord Zerrex. I dearly do..."

"Your powers and mine mixed together... I think that might make me too strong though, Sin." Zerrex smiled slightly at her, leaning across the chair and stroking her face gently... but Sin only laughed softly, her eyes closed as she rested her face against his hand.

"Yes, but I see no problem with that." Sin said softly, and Zerrex looked at her curiously as she reached up and stroked silently down his forearm. "Had I the ability and had you ever the urge... I would gladly pour my soul into you, and give you all my strength... I would become part of you. And when I do eventually pass on, Zerrex, the only thing I wish for is for my energies to be melded with yours... and I will live forever on inside your soul, and I can imagine no better place to be."

She closed her eye and tilted her head back with a soft sigh, and the Drakkaren stared at her for a few moments before Sin blushed a bit as she opened her violet iris, saying embarrassedly: "I mean nothing bad by it, of course, nor that I have any intention of dying soon... only that... all things come to an end. But I feel like you will outlive us all..."

"I don't know if that's a blessing or a curse, Sin." Zerrex murmured, rubbing at the back of his head... and then Sin reached out and touched his arm, leaning towards him with a soft smile.

"I didn't say we wouldn't be with you: only that you would outlive us, for one reason or another. Even after I depart, I will always be with you... I am bound to you, and would have it no other way." Sin said softly, and then she hugged his head gently and dropped her head against his shoulder, and Zerrex smiled faintly as he kissed her skull quietly. "I love you, Zerrex."

"I love you too, Sin." the Drakkaren murmured softly, and then he laughed a bit as she straightened before he grasped her forearm, pulling her out of her chair and into his lap and making her smile warmly as he hugged her around the waist, letting her curl herself close as her dress fluttered around her body. "Come on, let's make everyone jealous."

She blushed at this but smiled and nodded despite herself, looking comforted to be in the Drakkaren's arms... and for a while they simply cuddled together as they watched Epiphany and Mahihko continue to play. Every now and then Epiphany would move on to a new game, and Mahihko and Vampire would both gladly move on with her... and although Vampire sometimes lost interest and instead crawled over to harass Anathema a little, the smaller wolf would always do his best to keep up with her and follow her instructions to the letter, beaming and fumbling sometimes... but even though Epiphany was a little controlling, she was also very lenient and kind with the wolf, explaining things to him in careful detail and letting him do his own thing every now and then. They made for good playmates... and Zerrex loved the sight of her relaxing so much and getting to be a child, something she had barely had time to experience with how fast she had aged.

Others joined them after a little while: Serenity and Missy, the two glaring moodily at each other, and Sephire and Carmen, who sat beside Zerrex as Sephire poked at Sin curiously and the Naganatine only blushed and mumbled politely for her to not do that. It was relaxing... up until the point that Maria finally arrived and bowed quietly, asking if Zerrex could come with her to the physical plane.

Zerrex had nodded, but that had led to a scramble of Disciples who all wanted to go with him... and the Drakkaren had finally picked Sephire and Missy. The golden retriever had looked relieved to be coming with him, and when Helena had started to get grouchy, the reptile had told her simply to report to Carmen, who had been a concubine until she'd become a full-fledged Disciple, and she had agreed after a moment of indecision.

There wasn't much of a rush, with the way time flowed differently, but Zerrex prepared quickly all the same: Cindy had found something, and the reptile was anxious to find out what. As the reptile pulled on a new shirt, however, he was interrupted by an awkward knock at the door, the lizard grumbling as he spun around... and looked with surprise at the sight of Eratosthenes, the Strange Beast standing awkwardly in front of his wheelchair, breathing slowly with his shoulders slumped before he said quietly: "I'd like to come with you."

"Why?" Zerrex asked curiously, straightening his shirt before he glanced awkwardly down as he realized the fly of his new pants were open, and he cleared his throat, quickly doing this up and snapping the button closed as he added mildly: "You'll have to excuse me if I come across as a little suspicious, but... I thought you needed time to think or something. Besides, we're going to be looking at... fancy genetic stuff Cindy will have to explain to me in detail..."

"I am the Librarian, I kept records and mapped every genetic structure known to the First Gods..." Eratosthenes snapped, and then he coughed a few times before slowly sitting back in his wheelchair, breathing hard and grasping the arms of it as he closed his eyes and leaned back against it. "I... I am recovering, though, and I will recover faster back in the physical universe. I feel stifled in this pocket dimension..."

"Perhaps because you have not accepted that we are not hostile." Eratosthenes looked up sharply as Sin stepped up behind his wheelchair, the demoness blushing a bit as her eyes roved up to Zerrex. "My apologies, I just... wished to say goodbye, Lord Zerrex. Am I interrupting?"

"Of course not, Sin. Eratosthenes, this is my wife, Sin. Sin, meet Error. He's the new Loki, according to many informed sources." Zerrex said mildly, gesturing towards him, and Sin half-bowed with a smile as Eratosthenes studied her silently for a few moments with a look of surprise. Then the Drakkaren shook his head before he turned around, snagging Blackheart and placing the sword against his back, smiling a bit at the comforting weight of the weapon as it sparked before he clicked his teeth, and a moment later, Sammy appeared on his shoulder, the skeletal pseudodragon chirping tiredly and then sprawling around the reptile's neck. "You lazy little thing."

Sammy only swatted him lightly with the large spiked ball at the end of his tail, and the reptile grunted before he turned back towards the doorway, hesitating and rubbing at his face slowly as he studied Error thoughtfully. The Strange Beast was still staring at Sin, though, and Sin finally blushed a bit as she looked down, asking quietly: "May I help you with something?"

"You look... very much like the Great Mother." the Strange Beast said awkwardly, and then he looked embarrassedly down as a faint blush tinged his cheeks. "I'm... ready to go."

"Wait." Sin said softly, and then she reached out and gently touched the back of Error's neck, the creature wincing and stiffening up before Sin's hand pulsed with soft energy, and Eratosthenes gasped quietly as a shudder ran through him before the female drew back with a bit of a smile, nodding quietly to Zerrex and saying softly: "Just a short enhancement spell. He should heal faster now."

"Thank you, Sin." Zerrex smiled over at her, and then he gestured gently towards her... and she walked quickly forwards before trading a tight hug with him, and then a short, quick kiss. She blushed when she pulled away, then bowed her head to him before quickly making her way out... and Zerrex laughed quietly, smiling again despite himself at how used he was already to having Sin around again... but then again, for a demon or a god, the years she had been fused were akin to passing minutes in a mortal's lifespan.

The reptile let his eyes return to Eratosthenes, who was frowning a bit as he sat quietly back in his wheelchair... and the reptile shook his head slowly before he walked carefully around him as Sammy chirped on his shoulders, peering down distrustfully at the Librarian before the reptile muttered: "Oh stop that, you. He's fine, he's not going to hurt anyone. Mostly because I think he knows I'll kick his ass."

Error, however, ignored him entirely, instead looking up and asking curiously: "Why did you allow her to heal me? Why did she heal me in the first place? Is she not also a servant?"

"Slow down there, Error, I can only answer so many questions at once." Zerrex said amusedly, and then he shook his head slowly as he concentrated before vanishing from the spot with the wheelchair and the Strange Beast, reappearing a moment later by the watery pool, Maria looking up with a warm smile at him as she stood on the other side of it with her arms crossed. "Huh, guess the others are still getting ready... now, one question at a time, Error."

Eratosthenes grimaced a bit as he shook his head out, apparently disliking being shooped as much as Cherry did... and then he glanced up at Maria as she approached, looking over her distrustfully and frowning slightly. "You are a Broken."

"My name is Maria." the female said courteously, sketching a small curtsey, and she smiled as she straightened and studied the Strange Beast for a few moments. "I take it you'll be joining my grandfather and his Disciples on this trip to the mortal world, Mr. Eratosthenes?"

"Mister?" Error looked confused for a moment, and then he shook his head quickly as he slumped grouchily back in his wheelchair. "I do not understand what is going on here, Zerrex. A Broken speaks to me. We were warned by Lord God that you had tamed great and powerful creatures and brought many terrible things into your fold... and I do not know now whether or not to believe him or you."

"I am a person before I am a Broken, Mr. Eratosthenes, and I am very devoted to my grandfather. He has helped me greatly understand who I am... and I wouldn't change anything for the world. No matter what pains I have suffered... it's all been worth it for the experiences I've had and the joys that followed and were made all the sweeter by my sorrows." Maria said softly, and then she blushed a bit, grabbing at her muzzle as her chain bikini rattled quietly. "I'm sorry, when I get nervous, I... fall into old habits of speaking."

Eratosthenes looked at her curiously for a few moments... and then he finally sighed and muttered: "Oh, what does it matter anyway? Nothing makes sense in this strange new universe... there are no rules to order and there are no patterns in chaos. Everything is simply swallowed whole by the 'freedom' of discord... nothing anyone does or says makes sense."

"You don't make sense." Zerrex retorted, and Eratosthenes grumbled under his breath before a portal opened, and Missy and Sephire emerged through this, the golden retriever looking with surprise at the sight of Eratosthenes as Sephire simply cracked her knuckles, her armor gleaming over her body and her mask tightly locked over her features, and yet the reptile could sense her grin through it as he said flatly: "Don't even think about it."

"But I wanna play with the piñata!" Sephire whined, and she pulled her massive sword off her back, holding Storm King Face out to the side and grinning cheerfully. "Bet I can crack it open with one good swing of my trusty bat here!"

Zerrex only sighed and rolled his eyes, then he looked at Missy as the Benevolent blushed a bit and shuffled quietly. He studied her for a moment, realizing she'd changed into looser clothes: worn jeans and a white blouse, with a handgun resting at her side and a proper sheath for the sword, which was now in a harness sitting over her back... and he smiled a little after a moment as he reached forwards and stroked under her chin, saying quietly: "I'm glad you're coming with us. I think it'll be good for you to meet my daughter Cindy."

Missy nodded awkwardly to him, and then Zerrex glanced over at Maria, who smiled softly as she said quietly: "I'll rift ahead and tell everyone you're on your way."

Zerrex nodded, and then a rift opened beneath the Broken's feet and she sank slowly into it, giving a small wave before she vanished... and when Sephire and Missy looked at him curiously, the Drakkaren pointed at the bowl-shaped pool of water, saying softly: "We go out the same way we come into here: you just have to stand in the pool, concentrate on Hez'Ranna, and then dive. If you don't succeed at first, it's okay... it's a little harder to get out of here, that's part of the reason why we're building that portal."

The Drakkaren glanced into the square, where the covered portal was still steadily being constructed, and he thought he could see Earth gesturing at workers, and Dray and Terrance... and he smiled a little before he returned his eyes to Missy and Sephire as the latter held up her hand, saying dumbly: "Can't I just vortex?"

"Sephire, just get in the water." Zerrex said tiredly, and Sephire grumbled but then jumped into the pool, sending out a large splash and making the reptile grimace as Eratosthenes cursed under his breath. "Now remember. Concentrate and then dive."

"I know, I know!" Sephire snapped, glaring up at him through the mask, and then she huffed before she stepped backwards, replacing her sword on her back and then spreading her arms before she dove forwards... and the water rippled once before it became crystal clear and still as she vanished, and Missy touched her own muzzle in surprise as her eyes widened.

"Your turn." Zerrex smiled at her, and the Benevolent blushed a little, rubbing awkwardly at the side of her neck as her red eyes burned nervously. "Believe me, if Sephire can do it, you can too. Just don't let yourself get distracted."

She nodded after a moment, hesitantly slipping down into the water and blushing a bit as waded to the center of the pool, gazing at it silently as she concentrated... and then she took a deep breath before lunging downwards, and she vanished from sight as well. Zerrex nodded slowly as Sammy looked up curiously from his shoulder, and Eratosthenes asked dryly: "Do I have to do that as well?"

"No, we're going to take the express route." Zerrex said mildly, and he closed his eyes, concentrating, before he simply flickered out of reality. He reappeared not in Acheron, but instead in Hez'Ranna on the riverbank, grimacing a bit at the pain that throbbed through his skull as Eratosthenes groaned and shuddered in the wheelchair, Sammy squeaking quietly on his shoulder and scrabbling for a moment at it before he fell down the lizard's back, bouncing off the base of his tail and landing in the grasses with a dull thud.

Sephire and Missy were both trudging out of the wide river they had emerged through, the water faintly pulsing with energy around their knees before they waded up onto the grassy bank, and Missy gazed back and forth rapturously as Sephire popped her mask up and frowned as she approached the male... but Zerrex only held a hand up, leaning on the back of the wheelchair and breathing slowly as he muttered: "No, no. I'm okay... I just need to catch my breath and then we'll head over to Uroboros."

"You sure?" Sephire studied him for a few moments, and then she grunted and slapped her facemask back down into place, saying finally: "Alright. But you better not be lying to me or I'm gonna kick your ass later."

Zerrex smiled slightly, raising his hands as he straightened, already feeling his energies returning as all of Hez'Ranna seemed to caress him, the air, the soil, the sunlight filling him slowly with strength as he said softly: "I'm good, I am. Let's take a break for a minute or two, though, and then I'll shoop us."

"I can portal us if you want." Sephire suggested, holding up a hand as it glowed for a moment with energy. "Got crystal built all through my armor, after all, and my power cells run on the same crazy shit. I got more than enough juice to get us moving."

"When's the last time you recharged, anyway?" Zerrex asked curiously as Eratosthenes looked slowly back and forth through the jungle that surrounded them. Sephire began to answer his question, but then both of them watched in surprise as Error half-fell out of the chair, grunting as he landed on all fours before the Strange Beast half-crawled, half-stumbled to the riverbank and reached down to stroke his fingers through the water. "What are you doing?"

"Looking." Error replied shortly, and he reached deeper into the river, soaking the arm of his robes before he pulled out a handful of rocks and several pretty gemstones, holding them up in front of his eyes and murmuring: "What a strange place this is... everything is so rife with energy and information... the very ground feels alive here... yet it is all so alien..."

Zerrex glanced at Sephire, who shrugged a bit, and then he walked over to Error and gently pulled him to his feet, the Librarian grunting as he dropped most of the stones, but managed to hold onto one, a particularly large piece of crystal quartz... and he looked curiously down at the beautiful, translucent ivory, gazing back and forth over it before he crushed it between his hands, and neon lightning sparked over the gemstone before he pulled his hands away... and a perfect, beautiful little statuette of a Viper was left behind, the Librarian smiling slightly at this as he murmured: "Fascinating. It makes for an excellent receptor..."

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. We got places to go though, Error, and other sights to see." Zerrex said gently, and he carefully led the Strange Beast back to the wheelchair, but the Librarian didn't even spit a retort, sitting back with a complacent, quiet grunt as he held his little Viper figure between his hands. The reptile looked down at this curiously, and then he shook his head a bit as Missy and Sephire both looked at him questioningly. "Anyway. You two ready?"

They nodded, and Zerrex held out a hand: Sephire winced and immediately seized his arm, however, and the Drakkaren grumbled as Missy took his hand before she looked over her shoulder at Sammy, who was bouncing around in the tall grasses, chasing a large bug. "What about your little friend there, Biggs?"

"He'll join us when he's ready. Sammy, don't stay out here too long." Zerrex called, and the pseudodragon stuck his head up through the grasses and chirped quietly before the Drakkaren closed his eyes and concentrated... and a moment later, the group vanished from the spot before the skeletal little beast's eyes, but he only chirped again before cheerfully turning and bounding off into the jungle.

Zerrex and the others reappeared a moment later in the road in front of the Sunshine facility, and the Drakkaren shook his head quickly at the faint vertigo that rolled through his mind, but Eratosthenes only grumbled and Missy just rubbed at her skull as Sephire wheezed with relief. Then the reptile smiled as he looked up and saw Cindy was standing in the open entrance, Maria on one side of her and Daria the other, his daughter somehow looking both relaxed and anxious at the same time. "I'm... glad to see you made it, Daddy. And that you brought guests."

She studied the group curiously, and Eratosthenes frowned a bit as he glanced up at her, likely recognizing her from when he had first set Iron on them... but then she nodded slowly to him, and he grimaced a little, but nodded back reluctantly. A small gesture, but enough of one to allow Cindy to relax a little more before Zerrex gently pushed Missy forwards, the Benevolent blushing a little as the Drakkaren said softly: "Before we get to business, Cindy... this is Missy. I think you two will find you have a lot in common."

Cindy looked thoughtfully at the Benevolent as the golden retriever blushed a bit, rubbing self-consciously at the faint black veins pulsing through her fur, her red eyes looking anxiously at the female... but then Cindy only smiled softly, saying quietly: "I think I see what you mean, Daddy. It's nice to meet you, Missy... and of course I'm glad to see you as well, Sephire. But we should head to the meeting room... Huck is waiting for us there, along with Cherry and Mengele, and I think the only reason they aren't all killing each other is because Marina is in the next room over and they're all scared what she'll do to them if they make a ruckus."

Zerrex smiled a bit, and then he followed her as she turned around, quietly pushing Eratosthenes as around him, the others automatically fell into a loose guard formation, Missy blushing as she awkwardly tried to move in step with the practiced group. The reptile mused a bit on how many females he had around him, wondering absently if it was a good or bad thing... but then he looked thoughtfully down at Eratosthenes as the Strange Beast played quietly with his statuette, and he asked curiously: "Were there ever any gender divisions among the Guardians?"

"What? I don't understand what you're asking." Error looked over his shoulder with a frown, and Zerrex shrugged a bit as they continued along the hall, even as Cindy sighed ahead and gave her father an exasperated look over her shoulder. "We did not even consider ourselves... 'genders,' I suppose, as mortals do. Every Guardian had a purpose... my purpose was to screen and catalogue genetic information, and Songstresses sung, and Warriors fought, and Great Mothers birthed more of our kind when it was necessary to increase our ranks. We did not differentiate based upon sexual organs because we did not willy-nilly have sex as you and your kind do. We simply differentiated ourselves by our purposes."

"That's just plain weird." Missy interjected, and Error gave her a sour look as she shrugged, blushing a bit but continuing despite her embarrassment. "I mean, males and females are different, and in more ways than just the plumbing... you must consider yourself a guy, right, 'cause you don't look like no girl I ever saw."

"Do you consider yourself a 'male' or a 'female' before or after you considering yourself as a person? I consider myself the Librarian. That is what I am. My 'gender,' as you call it, makes no difference to me." Eratosthenes said haughtily, turning away and leaning back in his wheelchair, and Zerrex snorted in amusement, which only made the creature frown. "What's so funny?"

"It's just interesting that after all the time you apparently spent hating the First Gods, you still identified yourself first not even as a person, but as a Librarian, a title and a description that they gave you themselves." Zerrex said mildly, and Eratosthenes looked dumbfounded by this statement. "I mean, you could have even said you considered yourself a Strange Beast or Guardian or whatever, but you didn't. You were pretty specific about saying 'Librarian' there. Just like the First Gods called you."

Eratosthenes grumbled and fidgeted in the wheelchair, and then he finally glowered over his shoulder, asking irritably: "And what do you call yourself, Zerrex? Are you a male, a god, or do you not deign to call yourself anything, superior as you obviously are?"

"Did you absorb my sarcasm genes or something? Damn genes." Zerrex punched his own leg lightly, and Eratosthenes gave him a look like he'd just bitten into a lemon, which only made the reptile snort in amusement before he rose his hands... and grinned widely as the wheelchair continued to propel itself along with only a bit of concentration from the reptile. "Hey look, I have mental powers!"

"The mental powers of a youngling, perhaps." Eratosthenes muttered, and Sephire giggled behind her mask before Zerrex glared at her, and she quickly cleared her throat. "Stop avoiding my question, it is irksome."

"You're. Irksome." Zerrex said lamely, and then he finally rolled his eyes when the Librarian glared over his shoulder at him, the reptile returning his hands to the wheelchair to continue to push it forwards. "I'm a person, Error. A person first and foremost. No better than you, or her, or anyone else in this world. No different, either."

Now the Strange Beast simply looked confused, but before he could further argue, Cindy knocked twice on a large red door and a Dragokkaren quickly opened this, saluting her briskly before he stepped out of the way and let them enter. Cindy bowed aside to allow the others to enter first, smiling a little at her father, and Zerrex carefully wheeled the Strange Beast through as the line filtered into an expansive meeting room that was dominated by a slightly-bean-shaped wooden table.

Mengele was sitting beside White in one of the crappy orange plastic chairs that surrounded it, and the shaggy, white-furred lupine looked up with a grin, grizzled and rough-looking. He was a genius, but he was also from a particularly-savage species that had spread like a plague once upon a time through the north... and very few living descendants of this rare breed still existed today. Vampire had been a dire wolf in life, explaining his size, and to a point, his damage resistance: not that his supernatural ability to resist being killed by anything had been common to the dire wolves, only that the dire wolves themselves were said to be able to take enormous amounts of punishment before dying, hence part of the reason their egos had always been so big.

Huck was pouting on the other side of the table, although he couldn't help but shoot a curious look towards Eratosthenes as Zerrex carefully wheeled him to the table, keeping him a short distance away from Mengele and letting Maria seat herself near the shackled lupine: the Broken was one of the few things Mengele wouldn't mock or attempt to constantly harass. Cindy, meanwhile, sat on White's other side, and he actually paused in his leering examination of Eratosthenes to look over and smile at her, acknowledging her presence with much greater warmth and enthusiasm as Cherry sulked a bit from one end of the table, even as Daria and Sephire sat on either side of her, the goddess popping her facemask open with an interested look around the room.

A projector hung from the ceiling, and a laptop sat in front of Huck, a small wireless antenna standing out of the side of this. On one of the whitewashed walls was an enormous screen, and the other walls had note-boards of various sizes stuck over them, information tacked to some and Hez'Rannan runes scrawled over others denoting schedules and times. Everything was kept surprisingly-neat... and as they settled in, Mengele looked again towards Eratosthenes before he asked with a grin: "Oh, so did you reconsider my proposal to perform an examination on one of these creatures? I'd love to cut them open and see what makes them tick..."

"Don't even start, Mengele." Cindy said dryly, and the wolf snorted in entertainment as he rose his manacled arms and dropped them on the table, making almost everyone cringe at the sound of the metal chains scraping and biting against the steel manacles and hardened wood. "I've got an idea for you, genius, how about you don't be a jerk?"

"How about you stuff your face back into your girlfriend's cunt?" Mengele retorted crudely, and Huck's eyes bulged as he began to giggle childishly while Maria looked shocked and Zerrex didn't know if he wanted to laugh or toss Mengele out a window: the same reaction that the wolf always seemed to bring out in him, no matter how much time he seemed to spend around him. "If you didn't bring it here to be dissected, then why did you bring it here, Lord Zerrex? Don't tell me you decided to try and cure the monsters with hugs?"

"I'd demonstrate, but Error here would probably try and kill me." Zerrex replied mildly, and Eratosthenes grumbled under his breath before the Drakkaren glanced mildly around the table, noting that Huck was giggling stupidly still and Cherry looked like she was about ready to explode and rip Mengele apart piece-by-piece, as the Dragokkaren soldier that had let them in awkwardly stood near the doorway, the bruises on his body letting the reptile know he had likely already intervened once. "So what did you find out?"

A simple question, but the wolf's eyes lit up before he bowed his head and gestured courteously to Cindy, and Cindy smiled slightly at him, nodding back: when it came to his job, at least, Mengele was ridiculously arrogant and controlling... but also incredibly professional. The female stood up after a moment, and then she said quietly: "We've isolated the genes and cell structures, and Huck has gone through the full list of genetic information. A lot of it seems to be drawn from my own Ark Project...which is both a relief and a disappointment, because it means that at least most of the genetic sequences they've gotten their hands on are older ones, now that the Ark is kept under lock-and-key in a laboratory in Elysium."

Zerrex nodded slowly: Cindy's Ark Project was a storage center of genetic information, filled with not just DNA sequences and the nuts and bolts of genes, but memories, stories, instincts, and laws that had been bred into the genetic structures of people over the years. It encompassed enormous and difficult-to-comprehend experiments and data, and yet the information had been stolen from Cindy before the people behind the scenes had begun to vanish one-by-one: too late they had discovered that Camus had something to do with the vast plot, and yet Zerrex wasn't surprised to learn that whoever had been working for Camus had apparently decided to share this information out with someone else who the Broken, for all his knowledge and wisdom, likely had never known about.

Camus, after all, had tried to use the information to make a point: he had forgotten that people had a nasty habit of trying to get away with doing quick and easy and really stupid things for their own benefit, such as passing genetic data on for a massive profit to someone who would do unsavory things with it. Cindy, however, was handling herself with calmness and pride, and the reptile admired it: when she had first learned that Camus had used the gathered genetic information of the Ark to make Cinderella and Prometheus, after all, she had thrown a fit that had terrified half the colony they had been living in at that time.

She looked over the group, and then she said quietly: "For those of you who don't know, the Ark contains genetic data, patterns, genomes, and DNA samples of almost every species of demon, angel, and mortal, and even the gene structures of gods willing to cooperate with the project. Huck, if you please?"

Huck looked up dumbly, and then he flipped open the laptop and hammered a few commands over the keyboard with a blush, and a moment later the project clicked on, images blinking rapidly over the screen mounted on the wall before it steadied and halted on several large DNA helixes. Cindy slipped away from the table to walk towards the screen, facing towards them under the glare of the projector as she pointed at one of the DNA helixes. "The main difference between normal mortal DNA and 'supernatural' genes is in the fact that they are capable of adaptive mutation, both spontaneous and gradual. This means that over the years, their genetic structure will actually evolve and change... useful for letting us track not only the age of a supernatural entity, but their strengths and weaknesses as well.

"Why this is important is because it means the sample data shown here..." She tapped a different helix. "Which was taken from the corpse of the recombinant, is actually made of older genes. They've mutated slightly, but they are still fairly 'fresh,' and by reversing the 'aging' process thanks to a scale-back chemical designed by Mengele, we were able to determine many of these Gemini genes were taken from samples of Ark data belonging to Mahihko and Lone. Following this pattern, we scaled back the genetic aging and reversed the mutations present in other genes, and discovered this recombinant was synthetically formed from no less than five different genetic structures. The specific Gemini genes of Mahihko and Lone count as one: the other four are specific-Vampire, specific-Selena, a generic Daius sample, and a generic succubus sample. The result, as you saw, was a very hardy lupine-Drakkaren-morph, capable of controlling fire and repairing massive organ tissue damage until we killed it by inducing an immense system shock and full cardiac failure... or rather, destruction, I should say, leaving the organ irreparable and terminating the creature.

"These genes are bound together by a synthetic chemical we have yet to examine, keeping the spliced genes stable. If I had to guess, I would say this creature was grown in a very short period of time, as an adult clone in a test-tube..." She grimaced a bit, shaking her head slowly. "Upon autopsy, we discovered that it did not possess a natural skeleton... instead, it had a metallic, synthetically-produced 'frame' inside its body, and even its spinal cord was not made of actual bones, but instead a spongy material not entirely unlike cartilage, supported by steel screws and lined with copper wire, probably used to help conduct signals through its body. Mengele, would you like to take over?"

Cindy looked at the wolf, and Mengele nodded, not standing up as he grunted at Huck, but the Dragokkaren only glowered slightly as he changed the slides to show an empty silhouette of a person with their limbs splayed, the inside of the shape filled with bones and alien-looking organs, detail shots of a skull made of steel and a strange, fleshy grey lump next to this as Cindy stepped to the side of the screen and leaned against the wall. "It reminds me in some ways of technologies developed during the Great War, after the Patriarch had all competing technologies erased from existence. I developed the Toxin Unit in a similar way... in fact, you could almost say that Toxin was a prototype for these creatures, and I say this with some pride.

"But it was taken a step further: instead of using natural beings and upgrading them, they were made entirely from scratch. Instead of grafting in metal and microchips, the metal skeleton was assembled first, along with synthetic organ systems which were implanted with data chips and wired with other assistive systems to both enhance the thought processes and the life support functions of the creatures." Mengele said mildly, gesturing absently towards the grey mass on the screen as his chains rattled. "The brain in particular: the gray matter was very much synthetic goop, but it was heavily wired with processors, microchips, and data receivers, which were filled with all variety of genetic information.

"Flesh, blood vessels, skin and fur and scale... they were all then grown overtop the skeleton. A fascinating procedure... this beast was not designed perfectly, but it was created more than well enough to get done the jobs that were required of it, and its flesh became rubbery as it settled into place." Mengele licked his lips thoughtfully, gazing almost longingly at the image. "I'd wish I'd thought of it myself. Whatever they grew this beast in must have been almost like a machine mold... I would say it was impossible, but as I have learned, this delusional afterlife is filled with secrets and surprises that would make the scientists of my day scream with disbelief and kill themselves just so they could continue to pretend they knew how the world worked."

Mengele laughed at this, then he shook his head and grinned slightly as he drew his eyes over the diagram again. "You may have noticed the surgery scars on the creature, or you may have not. Either way, by reopening these wounds, it became very clear that the organs had been implanted after the creature had been built. Again, like a machine... when it was first grown and designed, it must have been non-sentient, little more than a spongy mass in the shape of a clusterfuck of low-wolf and belly-crawler, but the moment those pseudo-organs were in place and pumping chemicals and data through the creature, it was brought into 'life,' if I may use the term loosely. At the end of the day, it is a... White, you had a term for it, what was it again?"

"A flesh golem." White said softly, and Zerrex made a face at this: the classic mad-scientist experiment, a creature made up of other creatures stitched and strung together. "Whoever did this took mortal technology, modified it, and applied old-fashioned magic to it. At least, that's my two cents. It looks more like necromancy than science, after all."

Zerrex nodded slowly, rubbing at the underside of his muzzle with a bit of a grimace, and then Sephire snorted before she leaned on her muzzle, muttering: "Shit. Maybe it's just because I went through this crazy crap but that looks a fuck of a lot like what was done to me."

"Oh, so you're a mechanical puppet as well?" Mengele asked curiously, looking over to her as his eyes almost glowed, and Sephire stuck her tongue out at him and blew a raspberry. "Intriguing... I see you have the same genetic archetype as Cherry. You two must be related, distantly."

"Will everyone stop fucking guessing that?" Sephire asked irritably, sitting back and then glowering at Cherry as the hermaphrodite grumbled and crossed her arms moodily. "I want there to be one goddamn person who's surprised when I finally tell them that, seriously."

"Oh please, even an idiot like Lord Zerrex would see the resemblance. I can tell from here you two even share the same indulgences in physical depravity and barbarianism... it makes me wonder more on the essence of the nature and nurture argument." Mengele said moodily, and Cindy snorted in amusement before Mengele shook her head in distaste. "But let us return to the point of discussion, before we become any further distracted by... unnecessary things."

"I'm gonna kill you." Sephire muttered grumpily, and Cherry grunted in agreement as Zerrex only sighed and rolled his eyes... but the dire wolf was studying the diagram thoughtfully, his strange white eyes almost glowing as his mind ticked visibly away in thought.

Then he nodded slightly, glancing back over the table and saying thoughtfully: "I do not believe this recombinant is the apex of your opponent's technology and designs. The shock of its heart being destroyed killed it, but not in the way you would normally consider an opponent to have 'died:' rather, it was as if you removed the engine from a car. Without it, the vehicle does not function, cannot move by itself... but all it requires is a new engine, and it will be back moving. During autopsy, we noted that the cells of its body were still alive, even if slowed and feeble, although its higher functions had been eradicated."

"So the body of the recombinant is still technically alive?" Zerrex made a face at this, straightening slightly in his seat. "But the organ systems are so... separate from the creature, that-"

"Exactly. The shell of the creature is almost like a separate organism from its synthetic organs and bone system. The more I consider this theory, the more interesting the recombinant becomes to me... and the worse our situation gets as well, despite my... twisted delight at seeing such a complex being brought to life by an opponent we cannot afford to underestimate." Mengele said thoughtfully, rubbing at the underside of his muzzle before he grinned slightly over at Zerrex as the Drakkaren frowned darkly. "Imagine, after all, what will happen if our opponent manages to engineer an organ system capable of replication and repairing itself as well. It will be a separated and almost-invulnerable outer shell overtop an intelligent inner system that can reconstruct itself time and time again... the only way to ensure such a creature remains dead would be to annihilate it entirely, or dissect its body and destroy each organ piece-by-piece. As it is, I would recommend that we cremate the corpse once we're finished researching it, as was the same standard procedure we followed back when working with the Patriarch's biological weapons. We don't want it getting off the table and murdering poor Huckleberry, do we?"

"I hate you." Huck said slowly and clearly, and then he slammed the laptop and grumbled under his breath as Zerrex digested the theory Mengele had come up with: he didn't exactly like the thought of going up against an unknown amount of beings as durable as Vampire and made from their genetic information, thus likely capable of all sorts of terrible things... and then Huck sighed a bit and added drolly: "And not to pile on, but I think I was able to figure out how they know who to target. The microchips in their brains let them identify people from a data listing... although the chips I extracted from our dead recombinant friend here were pretty fried thanks to a power backlash caused by the system shock, I was able to pull enough information from it to know that it had information on almost every person you've ever met, Zerrex, almost like one big who's-who guidebook. There were also implants on the optic center of the brain that would allow it to see in different wavelengths, letting it pick up specific energy signals and patterns... you know, so it could basically look at someone and tell what kind of demon or whatever they were, shit like that... and of course, would definitely be enough to let it pick up on the angel blood splatters someone's been leaving all over specific targets."

"Great." Zerrex muttered, rubbing at his head slowly before he nodded a bit, and then he sat back for a few moments before Eratosthenes awkwardly reached over and poked at him, and the reptile looked at the Librarian as he glanced nervously out over the group before he said quietly: "Go ahead, just... talk."

"Yes, by all means, nothing you say can make you sound any more idiotic than the testosterone queen sitting by the wind-up toy." Mengele said disdainfully, and Cherry growled as Sephire looked dumbly at the hermaphrodite, then let out a shout as she realized that the wolf was talking about her as well. "Oh, thank you so much for making my point."

Zerrex slapped his forehead, then rose a hand to silence the grumbles at the table - mostly coming in the form of spitted curses from Cherry - before Eratosthenes glanced at the chart, and then back down at the table, rubbing slowly at the back of his neck. Then he put the quartz Viper down on the surface of the wood before carefully shoving himself to his feet from the wheelchair with a grunt, swaying slowly on the spot before he said quietly and calmly: "You've all overlooked the most important element of this being... not how it was made, or what it is made of... but why it was created in the first place. Why these specific genetic patterns were created and used... bring up the diagram again, I will show you."

Slowly, Error slipped away from the table, half-staggering around the others as Huck frowned but opened his laptop to go back a slide, and the Strange Beast grunted and half-pushed Cindy away when she stepped forwards to help him, shaking his head mutely before he almost slapped one of the DNA helixes tiredly. "This is the beast, correct? What you refer to as the recombinant?" He glanced towards Cindy, obviously trusting her deference most in the room, and when she nodded, he grunted and turned towards it creakily, pointing out a short series of genes that were framed in green triangles. "You assume that these are warped or damaged genes, don't you?"

"They don't seem to serve any purpose... I thought they were just empty genetic code, or genes that had been mangled due to the binding process." Cindy said slowly, and Error only snorted and shook his head slowly, making her frown as Mengele looked up sharply. "What is it? What are they, then?"

"We called these 'culls,' or restrictive genes... every Guardian has them." the Strange Beast said tiredly, and he leaned back against the screen, covering his eyes with a wince from the projector. "Accursed light... but in simple terms, they're control genes. They absorb chemical imbalances created by certain energies and radiation and stop our genetic structure from mutating out of control. These are immature genes, meaning this creature you killed was not at full maturity... when a Guardian reaches adulthood, as you refer to it, these genes reach full size and stop any further genetic growth. They bind our genetic structure... and if we try and forcefully change ourselves in any way, to become stronger than we are, or to adapt and evolve ourselves further, they simply dissolve themselves."

"So what, they dissolve, big deal." Mengele said distastefully, but Cindy was frowning a bit as she studied the diagram slowly before realization visibly dawned on her, and the wolf only glanced up and tilted his head curiously. "What?"

"Look at the layout, though... I get it, the way these genes are arranged across the helix... if they dissolve, they'll destroy the rest of the strings binding these other genes together... it triggers a self-destruct process, doesn't it?" Cindy frowned at Error as he nodded slowly. "So they're a double-edged sword... they keep you healthy, but they stop you from... but wait, how were you able to take my father's powers, then? Why didn't it kill you?"

Eratosthenes looked at her tiredly... but when he realized she was only curious, when he saw there was no grudge in her eyes, he frowned thoughtfully at her before a faint smile spread over his face as he straightened with a grimace. "Because I am the Librarian. My ability to modify and store genetic information permitted me to first mutate the culls, and then blank them of any information. I was also asked to perform this process by Lord God on other Guardians... and it is a process I even performed for the First Gods themselves. The cull genes were installed in all of us by Order, even though Creation and Life were the ones who created most of the Guardians... but sometimes the First Gods saw it necessary to enhance or change us, and it was always my duty to perform these transformations. Creation... Creation taught me how."

His eyes travelled to Zerrex for a moment, looking at him silently... and then he grimaced, straightening and shaking his head slowly. "I did not know there were multiple... recombinants, as you called them. My dealings were only ever with one of them. The few times I spoke with the masked entity known as Lord God, he referred to him not by name but instead as his 'Purifier.' From what I have heard and only a glance at this genetic sequence, I can tell you the Purifier is not the one you killed."

"Yeah, don't worry, we figured that already." Zerrex muttered, and he grimaced a bit at Error as the Strange Beast turned his eyes towards him. "The Purifier was the one who showed up while I was in chains, right? He's the one obsessed with me."

Eratosthenes nodded and looked down silently, and Zerrex smiled awkwardly at him before the creature finally stepped away from the screen, muttering to himself as he carefully made his way back down the table and not bothering to look up when Huck asked quietly: "What can you tell us about Lord God and this Purifier then? The information we have here is a lot of good stuff to go on, and I'm slowly narrowing down our leads thanks to the suppliers mentioned in the invoices and the names of crafters and scientists that have been listed... but all we've got information on right now is stuff we've already killed, and that's only going to take us so far."

The Strange Beast sighed a bit as he sat in his wheelchair, quietly picking up the quartz statue in his hand, and then he murmured: "I'm afraid that the only thing I can really tell you is that I am a naïve fool. I never learned much about Lord God... although at first I did not trust him, he swayed me with his stories and told me he knew all about the evils Naganis had wrought. He told me I would need allies and not just my army of Guardians... he told me he would give me information. He told me he had strong friends and spies in the ranks of Naganis, but... I believe it was all lies and misinformation.

"He wore a mask, like some of Heaven's elite wear. I believe I heard him referred to as a 'Metatron,' whatever that is... and he often had with him giants. Soulless, terrible giants." Eratosthenes leaned back in the chair, frowning deeply as he tried to explain things Zerrex was thinking he had not only never seen before, he had never really paid attention to, too single-minded and intent on his self-imposed tasks. "He claimed to know some of the ancient gods from times long past... he bought the alliance between us with names like Thanatos, Pandora, and Jupiter... he kept me focused on revenge and, I realize now, all too often I was left doing his dirty work for him, while receiving little in return.

"The Purifier and I had little to do with one another. He sometimes brought messages and other times only acted as Lord God's accompaniment and disciplinarian." Error looked down at the table and shook his head slowly. "He is like raw power given form... he seems to fear nothing and obeys only Lord God. I cannot tell if he is insane, overzealous, or simply cruel. I was scared of him, but Iron seemed to admire him, and was eager to kowtow to Lord God's power."

"When I faced Iron in the power room, I found dead messengers and others from Devil's Maw and Temptation in the passage leading to it... I have no idea how many people he killed, and it sounds like he wasn't doing it under your orders." Zerrex said quietly, and Error looked disgusted at this, shaking his head bitterly.

"My quarrel was not with them. They were taken into our fold, I thought they would be loyal... but from what my scouts who reported back from Temptation told me, the people of this universe do not all understand the concept of devotion." Error said disgustedly, looking down at the quartz figurine in his hand. "But what do I know? Maybe they were doing exactly what they were told to do... I was guaranteed a never-ending supply of soldiers and reinforcements from Lord God when I spoke to him after one of my attacks against you went wrong. He provided me with the information on where weapons that could harm you were and he provided me with the army, said they were... 'dregs and wastrels and prisoners, being given a second chance.'"

Zerrex gritted his teeth at this, shaking his head slowly as he muttered: "Great... you were played from the beginning, Eratosthenes. Were you even supposed to do what you did to me, or were you just supposed to kill me?"

"No, I was asked... ordered, I should say... to keep you alive." Error said quietly, and Zerrex frowned at him, tilting his head. "I decided to absorb your powers because I thought it would render you harmless. Originally, Lord God wanted you transported to another location, a research facility of some kind."

Eratosthenes didn't seem to realize the effect this had on all present as they all looked towards him, the Strange Beast only looking down at his quartz figure and muttering: "I did not realize that 'suggestions' were to be taken as 'orders' until after the Purifier appeared, although he said that Lord God was pleased enough that he wouldn't have to run the risk of you doing anything with your abilities... he still wanted you transported, but I refused. He was furious when he heard you escaped... I suppose I owe you my life, really. Had I been discovered by him instead of you I would likely have been killed by the Purifier for my failure."

"Back up, Error, tell me about this research facility." Zerrex said sharply, and Eratosthenes looked at him curiously before the reptile said quietly: "It might be real important. Can you tell me about it?"

The Strange Beast looked at him, then around the table, before he finally shrugged with a grunt as he rested back in his wheelchair, looking a little drained. "Fine, I suppose, but I dislike this. Hours ago you were my enemy. Now you act like my best friend, and all these other strange beings seem to think it completely normal. I feel the aggression emanating off some of you and yet you hide it well, and a few of you seem to hold none at all of what I did against me, showing me understanding and compassion that would be insulting if I was not so honored by it... and still so embarrassed by my own naivety. And you call me a 'Strange Beast.'

"Fine, fine." Error grimaced at the insistent look Zerrex gave him, the creature slowly sitting up with a groan. "It's less torturous than what the Primordials would do to our kind if they captured one of us, I suppose, although your endless curiosity is loathsome and annoying, Zerrex. The research facility reminded me of the science and botany laboratories back home, from what I saw... it was upon the mortal planet, and Lord God told me that he had it there instead of on his home planet, Heaven, because it was much easier to avoid detection, especially as mortals continue to build their cities higher and countries wider."

Zerrex grimaced at this, nodding slowly, and Error looked back and forth before he continued with a frown at the table: "There were many... large buildings that he called warehouses. And tall structures he referred to as silos... and he had many demons and angels. They were moving containers back and forth... many of them contained the dark essence found in Hell in concentrated liquid form, while others contained what he referred to as the 'Purification' of Heaven."

"Any landmarks or shit? Do you know where it is?" Huck asked with a frown, leaning forwards eagerly, and Eratosthenes looked moodily at the Dragokkaren as the male opened his laptop back up and began to tap commands through it quickly, the projector clicking before the DNA diagrams vanished and instead a satellite uplink appeared, a loading bar scrawling across the bottom of the screen. "Seriously, we got this thing called the 'eye in the sky' now and we can totally-"

"I understand that there are technologies floating in the skies above, obnoxious creature." Eratosthenes said moodily, and Huck grumbled under his breath before the Librarian shook his head slowly. "I saw his base, but I was never told the area it was located in. Besides, such mortal geography is meaningless to me in a world that is not my home. I was often told that the fortress I used as my base was called Empyreal Throne, and resided in the Lailland region. That Devil's Maw and Temptation were the closest cities. This means as much to me as if I told you I used to live in Tam'Bat Quarton of the Center of the Universe. Without context, a name is meaningless."

"Dude, a name's a name. My name is Huck, I am the context, just like if you look outside and see, hey, the moon, the moon's the context of the moon." Huck said flatly, before he pointed at Mengele. "Or like, you see him, and Mengele's context is that he's a giant fucking asshole."

"That's hilarious, Huckleberry. You can tell that joke to your boy-toy before he diddles you tonight. Then he can be a fucking asshole like me and you can just be the same fucked asshole you've always been." Mengele said ironically, and Huck gaped as Zerrex and Cherry looked at each other, then covered their muzzles and laughed as Cindy rolled her eyes with a tired sigh. "Oh sorry, did I go over your head? I was mocking your sexual preference."

Huck stuttered stupidly, but before he could reply or Mengele could make the situation any worse than it already was, Zerrex rolled his eyes before he asked Eratosthenes clearly: "So does that mean you know where the research facility is or not?"

"I do. Or rather, if we go to a gathering point, I'll be able to locate it." Error replied mildly, glancing over at Zerrex and nodding slowly, and the Drakkaren tilted his head curiously. "One of the zones that my brethren use to prepare their forces. Empty areas, devoid of complex life or technology, where we can concentrate and wait for others, then locate the nearest, largest source of electricity and assault it. The electrical energies that mortals use to power their technologies is very easy for us to lock on to, they look to me as a beacon of light would look to you."

Zerrex looked curiously at Error, but then he only shook his head slowly and sighed a bit, saying dryly as he picked up his quartz figurine: "I am tired now. Perhaps we can continue this discussion another time... I do not have the strength or energy to do so right now."

The Drakkaren looked for a few moments uneasily at the Strange Beast... and then he only nodded a bit before he stood up, grasping the back of his wheelchair and smiling awkwardly around the table at the others as they all looked at him. "I'm going to find Error someplace to rest. Continue the discussion without me, just jot me down some notes I can read later with whatever you guys figure out, okay?"

Cherry rose a hand to him with a grunt and Cindy nodded as other eyes gazed at him respectfully, and then Missy hopped quickly to her feet and followed after the Drakkaren as he carefully pushed the wheelchair out into the hall. The Dragokkaren guard shut the door behind them, and Zerrex looked at her curiously as she gazed back awkwardly for a moment before saying finally: "I figured... you know. I'd come with y'all. That ain't no place for a country girl like me in there."

Zerrex smiled a little at her, and then he nodded as he turned and began to push Eratosthenes down the hall, saying quietly: "I guess I can understand that. I hate meetings like that myself... they just push my anxieties higher and higher and we don't usually settle on much of anything. It's good that we got the information out into the open that we did, and we can warn others... but still... anyway, Error, where would you like to rest? We can bunk here, of course, or I can take you back to Acheron... even to Elysium."

"What? I... I'm not sure, I only want to be somewhere quieter, I suppose... I heal fine in the mortal world, where there's no interfering corruption or purification." Eratosthenes said after a moment, glancing nervously up at Zerrex as he played clumsily with the Viper statuette in his hands. "Why do you purposefully make things awkward?"

"What do you mean? Are you still hung up on that whole 'we were enemies' thing or something?" Zerrex glanced down at the Strange Beast curiously as they walked down the corridor slowly, and Eratosthenes grunted, not replying as he only looked ahead, Missy tilting her own head with interest as her scarlet eyes almost glowed. "Dude, it's over. The past is the past, let it lay where it belongs... in the past."

Error looked over his shoulder for a moment at this, and then he grumbled under his breath as he nodded a little and looked forwards, before Missy said carefully: "You know, Zerrex, not to say I don't trust you or nothing... but I'm a little weirded-out myself on how you can apparently be so forgiving to a guy that apparently stole your powers and got some close friends of yours killed."

"I can't lay those deaths at Error's doorstep... the people the other Strange Beasts have killed over the years, perhaps, but even then that's up for debate." Zerrex said softly, reaching forwards and squeezing the male's shoulder gently, and Eratosthenes looked up at him with surprise as Zerrex smiled a little. "Believe me. I know well how difficult and awkward this is, and truth is, sometimes it never really does get easier. But... all the same, I don't blame you for what happened. I'm going to be wary around you, sure, and it'll take some getting used to, especially when you start recovering more... but you're welcome here with us, now. Maybe I'll still have to send you on your way, if these Strange Beasts continue to be such goddamn assholes and you end up acting like a jerk... but... you aren't my enemy anymore, Librarian."

"Thank you, Zerrex." Error muttered quietly, glancing down at the Viper statuette in his hands... and then he sighed a bit as they entered the lobby, Zerrex pausing to let Eratosthenes glance back and forth, his eyes roving over red-scaled Dragokkaren, demons, and a few other species here and there, armored guards patrolling slowly, looking relaxed but still professional. "I find it strange. In many other sections of this world, there's such a mix of species... here, it seems like the Center of the Universe... the Guardians dominated, with a few rare other creatures here and there..."

Zerrex nodded a bit, and then he carefully turned the wheelchair, pushing Eratosthenes towards the entrance as he said softly: "Hez'Ranna is the Cradle of Life to the Drakkai... it's always been separate from the rest of the world, a little different from everything else. Come on, we'll mingle a little bit, let you look at Uroboros. Uroboros is the capital city, you know... do you know what that means?"

"I am not an idiot, Zerrex, and I did extract plenty of trivial information along with genetic memories from the prisoners I was given." the Strange Beast grumbled in a surly voice, and Zerrex couldn't help but smile amusedly as he slouched back in his wheelchair. "A capital city is like the Grand Sanctuary of the Center of the Universe... or rather, what was the Grand Sanctuary. It is a place of high regard where parliamentary procedure is set forwards, often the home of a nation's leaders. The seat of power, so to speak."

"Couldn't have phrased it better myself." Zerrex glanced over at Missy, and the Benevolent smiled back to him as they stepped out onto the street before she gazed back and forth in awe at the sight of the enormous structures, Dragokkaren, demons, and a few angels walking past along the stone roads, the sky above beautiful blue, a soft breeze blowing through the air, making the heat much more comfortable as birds chirped and insects sang. "Let's head towards Asylum."

Error glanced up curiously at this, then shrugged a bit as Zerrex pushed the wheelchair down the road, Missy trailing behind him and gazing back and forth at the huge structures built by large Dragokkaren: figures that towered at least double her height, and in a few cases, even triple, despite the fact many were still clearly mortal. There was little technology, and everything followed traditional routines that had been set into play countless years ago... and although once they had been forced to flee this land when it had been turned into a vast inferno by a pair of Primordials, when Zerrex had destroyed the aggressors and restored the beauty of the jungles, the Dragokkaren had landed the immense space colony that they had escaped in and quickly resumed life as usual.

Eratosthenes looked curious as he glanced back and forth, before he pointed towards a street vendor as they passed, other Drakkai in traditional loincloths and worn clothing gathered around and shuffling through hand-carved statuettes and totems made of wood. "What are those? Are these a particularly pious people, Zerrex? I have not seen many mortals interested in religious artifacts."

"You obviously never met my Poppa or any of the congregation, then." Missy muttered, and Error frowned over his shoulder at her, which made the Benevolent grumble and glower back, crossing her arms. "Well, it's true. How exactly did you celebrate your gods and faith, then? 'Cause I'm thinking it was probably a little bit of a different hoedown when you can see your gods right in front of your face, instead of prayin' your soul out to something that's supposed to be somewhere above but you ain't never gonna get a chance to see."

"She's just bitter that Heaven turned out to be crappy." Zerrex said mildly, and Missy punched him in the arm before she winced and grabbed her fist, Zerrex grinning at her and flexing his right limb slowly. "Yeah, that ain't gonna work anymore."

Missy huffed, then kicked him hard in the leg, and the Drakkaren yelped and cursed as he grabbed at his shin with a wince and a glare towards her. Eratosthenes ignored them, however, as he glanced towards the artifacts... and then he grunted as he pushed himself up from the chair, half-staggering over to the vendor and pushing his way through the Dragokkaren as Zerrex and Missy both looked dubiously at the Strange Beast: since the Librarian looked more like a Naganatine than a Viper, he at least probably wouldn't set off too many alarms... but the Drakkaren nonetheless pushed the wheelchair closer and hovered anxiously as Error pawed through dream-catchers and prayer beads, asking curiously: "Where are your testaments or scriptures? I am new to this region and this religion. I wish to learn about it."

"Oh, most of Hez'Rannan lore is passed down through oral tradition... if you really want to understand the prayers and religion of the land, you'll have to talk to one of the priests or seek knowledge at the temples." the Dragokkaren replied warmly, looking interestedly over the Strange Beast. "Are you from Elysium? Are you a demon who seeks a new faith?"

"No, I'm from somewhere much further away." Eratosthenes said mildly, apparently knowing it was for the best he wasn't entirely truthful at the moment, then he frowned and picked up a dream-catcher made of bones and gemstones, examining it slowly. "Interesting. What is this for?"

"Catching nightmares and keeping your sleep comfortable." the vendor replied, and Eratosthenes studied it curiously before he added: "We take items in trade as well as ICF and gold coins..."

Eratosthenes looked up curiously at this, and then Zerrex finally stepped forwards with a roll of his eyes, reaching into his pocket and concentrating as a shape formed in his palm... and then the reptile held up a large, blue gemstone, saying mildly: "How about this for that, then? Lapis lazuli, I think."

The vendor looked thoughtfully at the stone, then he smiled at Zerrex and nodded, the two trading the items and Zerrex hanging the dream-catcher on the back of Error's wheelchair as the Strange Beast looked at him curiously, and then the lizard grunted and jerked his head towards the chair. "Come on, get back in here before you go hurting yourself."

Eratosthenes glanced at him for a moment, and then he nodded a little and grumbled under his breath as he pushed his way back past the Dragokkaren, muttering: "Very well, Zerrex... I suppose that's the best choice for now. I'd like to see more of this nation."

Zerrex nodded as Error grunted and sat back down in the wheelchair with a grumble, rubbing at his head and breathing a little hard, but otherwise seeming to handle the slight exertion better, as the reptile carefully backed into the road and Missy followed them curiously, the Benevolent's red eyes glowing as she muttered: "Weird vibes in the air..."

"That's Hez'Ranna. Weird." Zerrex said with a bit of a smile, and Missy looked at him for a moment before she smiled hesitantly as they started back down the wide golden street, the female falling into step beside the Drakkaren as he quietly pushed Eratosthenes along, the reptile glancing back and forth as they walked down the golden stone and he murmured: "You know, it's funny... but Hez'Ranna has always been the one place where I've never minded people. I don't know if it's because of the air, because this is my... my home, in many ways, or if it's because of the culture... but I've always loved it here."

Missy looked at him curiously for a few moments, and then she smiled a little, asking quietly: "So what does that mean, Biggs, you grew up here? From your stories, I thought you grew up in Ire."

"No, no, that's right... I grew up in Ire. But from the moment I set foot here... have you ever had that feeling of coming home, even if you've never been to a place before in your entire life?" Zerrex asked curiously, and Missy only looked at him for a few moments with a bit of a frown, which made the lizard laugh a little. "I know, I know, it sounds weird as hell out loud. What about you, Error, you ever set into a place that felt just like home?"

Eratosthenes seemed to miss the question, however, glancing back and forth along the street curiously before he blinked when Zerrex cleared his throat loudly, looking over his shoulder towards him. "What? Sorry. I was surveying these creatures... the variety mixed into what seems like a very concentrated cultural system. They seem very diligent... and many of them have noticed you and seem to acknowledge you with great respect, yet they do not single you out or approach you. I am also still confused as to why their scriptures are not written down if they are so religious a people."

"What? Oh, a lot of the stuff is written down, yes, but there's no... original testament or bible, is what the guy really meant. You can buy books on the religion and you can buy texts of prayers and scrolls and whatnot, but they aren't actually used in services... you may not have noticed, but they're pretty traditional a people." Zerrex said mildly, gesturing around the area, and Missy smiled at this as Eratosthenes rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath. "The stories of the Goddess and Hez'Ranna and the Cradle of Life are known to almost everyone here... and unlike a lot of religions, the fact that Hell and Heaven came into physical existence doesn't bother these people at all: since their traditions are built specifically around Hez'Ranna and look at even the Goddess more as an allegory for nature and harmony, not at Thegragon herself, they aren't as badly-troubled as many religions were discovering that uh-oh, their god isn't top god and it turns out that Thegragon was a real bitch.

"Yes, a lot of the stories they tell are about Thegragon, although she is referred to simply as the Goddess... but they tell about a very different Goddess than the one I fought and killed myself in Hell, who was a monster who once fought Naganis." Zerrex continued calmly, rubbing absently at his forehead as Eratosthenes looked over his shoulder at him with moody interest. "And yeah, they look at me... as one of their higher-tier gods. Some of them pray to me, I've even seen a few fancy statues of me in temples. But at the same time, it's... it's not directly to me, you get it? To them, I've come to represent some, I'm a figurehead, a... a metaphor for an idea and an ideal... and while they look at me as some shining star or something, they still don't expect much of me. It's not like in Unity, where 'God has a plan for all of us, to Him we pray for tribute, to Him we owe our lives, He shall judge us an place us in the afterlife' and all that. They're believers who philosophize and still hold themselves accountable... they don't bitch and moan and cry and expect someone else to take responsibility for them, they don't want other people to interfere and solve all their problems, and best of all, they don't grovel at the feet of gods and goddesses while at the same time asking them why they haven't made everyone's life into fudge and cake and rainbows."

"Poppa always said a lot of people had it wrong when they went praying or anything... that a lot of people like believing in their own religion even with Heaven and Hell floating around not 'cause they really wanna pay tribute to somethin', or 'cause they like knowing there's an afterlife, even though that second bit's a big part of it... but 'cause then if things don't go quite right, they can say it's all part of God's plan... not like they're hoping for things to get better, only 'cause people like having something to blame, having something around that lets them... not be responsible." Missy explained quietly, smiling a little, and Zerrex nodded with a bit of a laugh, slightly surprised by the astute observations... but then again, from when he'd met the reverend, he'd seemed like he was smarter than the average mortal was these days. "Poppa always was interested in all kinds of religions, though... said it was a good way to study different cultures and different peoples."

Zerrex nodded at this, and Eratosthenes shook his head slowly, murmuring: "Religion is such a funny thing. It is not a concept created by the First Gods... we served them but we did not... pray for help and answers from them. Not only did we recognize they had larger concerns than our lives, as we were created to serve and aid them... we were often the ones who discovered things before they did themselves. After all, they created many different genes, but other things... developed on their own. If they already knew the genetic layout and how DNA would form itself and interact with other strands of similar and dissimilar chemical composites, why would they bother have creating me and teaching me what they did?"

The Drakkaren smiled slightly at this, reaching down and squeezing the male's shoulder lightly, and Error grimaced at the contact but didn't pull away, looking awkwardly up at Zerrex before he shook his head and looked back down at the Viper statuette he still clutched in one hand. "But that is not the point. Gods do not need religion. Gods do not need... idolaters and worshippers like these mortals. Only fools and cowards require constant tribute and generations of servants attached to the yolk of flawed scripture. True gods do not choose their servants based upon who worships them with the loudest praises, who kowtows to rules interpreted and written not by divine beings, but fellow mortals, tainted with bias.

"We were created as servants... but we stayed by their side because it was always clear that they needed us, and wanted us. We paid them tribute not through recitation and prayer, but by singing songs to entertain them, by working in the laboratories and upon their projects and the worlds far and wide, by fighting in their name against the Primordials that wanted to destroy the physical universe out of rage and hatred." Eratosthenes looked disgusted, shaking his head slowly. "And never once were we asked to enslave the other gods or lower creatures we came across at times or helped develop over the worlds. Every so often we were asked to aid or defend them, but the First Gods did not demand worship from them, even though all things in the universe today exist because of them, from the lowest mortal creature to the highest and most powerful god. Religion fascinates me, because it is so inherently flawed..."

"I never thought I'd have to take this side of the argument, considering I'm usually the one saying what you are, Error, but it can be a good thing, too." Zerrex said softly, and Eratosthenes grunted. "I'm not saying that anyone has it right quite yet... only that... in moderation, as with all things, it's not completely bad or evil. In fact, I'm sure it can be very uplifting... and comforting for people, too. The problem is that... people have a tendency to abuse things for their own gain, or to escape from reality or to escape from responsibility. But just like you can't say every person in the universe is bad because of the actions of one person, you can't say all religion is bad... it's just a tool. And all tools, no matter what their intended purpose, are only as useful or destructive as the person who wields them."

Eratosthenes grumbled under his breath at this, and then he shook his head and muttered: "True, perhaps, but that makes it no less idealistic. Unless you're willing to prove your theory by giving nuclear weapons to every person on the planet to see what they do with them."

"I've never really approved of bombs, Error, you kill too many innocent people with them to get to the one bad guy who deserves to be blown to smithereens." Zerrex replied mildly, and then he glanced over at Missy as she tilted her head curiously. "Why does that surprise you?"

"I dunno, ain't it worth it if the guy's going to send his armies after you or got some doomsday device of his own he's gonna set off otherwise?" she asked, and surprisingly, Error gave a dry, half-contemptible, half-amused laugh. "What's so funny, gimpy?"

"I don't know what that word means but I feel insulted nonetheless." Eratosthenes said dryly, and then he shook his head slowly. "But no. Soldiers are merely people doing their jobs, and as I see this world favors rule-through-force, I understand that many soldiers do their work because they have been bribed, tricked, or bullied into it. You must also consider who and what you are killing... scientists, medical staff, priests, civilians, and children. At any point and time I could have had the Guardians construct a Continent Cracker, a device we used to split entire worlds in half, very useful for getting rid of dead planets or infested zones. But I felt these creatures warranted further study, first."

"So you don't entirely hate them?" Zerrex tilted his head curiously, and Error shrugged moodily as he sat back in the chair. "Maybe you have a bigger heart than I thought."

Eratosthenes grumbled under his breath, then he muttered: "Guardians have no hearts. We possess the Symposium, the Seat of the Soul. It is the only important piece of our bodies... as long as it remains intact, we will continue to survive and can regenerate from almost any wound."

Zerrex tilted his head curiously at this... and then he smiled a little as they passed into a different district, walking past an enormous statue of four different-colored Dragokkaren holding up a massive space colony and saying softly: "I got an idea, let's visit an old friend."

Error looked up curiously at this as Zerrex steered through the verdant green fields and past the statue, heading off the main road and through the small park beyond to a smaller dirt path. Houses and duplexes lined the street here, a barbecue in one front yard tended by a smiling bloodhound, and he glanced up as they passed and rose his can of beer to them, Zerrex waving in return and Missy blushing a bit as she rose her own hand, saying awkwardly: "Real friendly 'round these parts, ain't it? Like being back in the country, 'fore everything went crazy."

Zerrex nodded as they continued a short way down the dirt road, and then he turned towards a small, yellow stone house with a smile, steering past an ugly black van in the driveway as Eratosthenes looked back and forth furtively before the reptile walked between the hedges filled with black roses that grew here and there along the front of the house, stepping over a smooth, hand-laid stone path onto a small deck and knocking on the oak door. He then pushed his face against the small window in the front of it, trying to peer through the blurred glass as Missy laughed and shook her head. "Come on, Biggs, someone sees that and they're gonna think a Tommyknocker's at the door."

"Oh, screw you." Zerrex smiled despite himself as he leaned back, looking amusedly over his shoulder, and then the door opened and the reptile turned his eyes back to a warmly-smiling, azure-scaled Dragokkaren, the male standing shirtless with his large wings furled behind himself, his violet eyes gazing respectfully down at Zerrex from his tall sixteen feet of height as lithe musculature flexed over his bare, sweaty chest, a plain towel thrown over one shoulder and camo pants covering his legs. "Are we interrupting?"

"Never, Lord Zerrex." The Dragokkaren swung a hand up, and Zerrex caught it with a grin, looking at the faint patchwork of scars that still surrounded the eye of the Dragokkaren... but the one good thing about dying was that it at least healed the parts of your body you'd lost over the course of living. "Please, come right inside."

Zerrex began to turn, but Missy grabbed the back of the wheelchair and pushed it easily forwards, and the reptile smiled before he followed the male in, the Dragokkaren's strong wings flapping once as they walked through the entrance hall and into a comfortable den room with a wide leather couch, a television hooked up to a movie player that was muted but had some old action movie flashing over the screen, and a scattering of workout equipment and magazines. The male hopped back on a treadmill, beginning to jog easily as he smiled over at the Drakkaren, who shook his head with an amused laugh as Missy stared at the enormous sniper rifle mounted on one wall and Eratosthenes looked back and forth. "Never quit, do you Albatross?"

"Being sent to Heaven instead of Hell was enough shame for a Dragokkaren like myself. Besides, unlike you, I prefer to focus on agility and survival instead of brute strength." Albatross replied eloquently, and then he smiled a little as he rose one of his arms, flexing his bicep and gazing down at the muscle with an entertained look. "And admittedly, after spending so many years old and feeble, I still haven't quite gotten used to feeling young and hearty again."

Eratosthenes looked at the treadmill curiously for a few moments as Missy blushed a bit as her red eyes roved over Albatross's handsome, strong frame, and Zerrex shook his head in amusement before he said amusedly: "Cole Albatross, these are some friends of mine, Missy and Eratosthenes. Missy is a Benevolent who helped me out of a tight jam I got into, and Error's a Strange Beast I kicked the ass off of."

Eratosthenes ignored this comment, however, as Albatross nodded a bit, looking neither surprised or put-off by the information as he continued his easy jogging, and then Error grunted as he slowly shoved himself to his feet and wobbled past Zerrex towards a set of shelves, the reptile grimacing a bit at both Error's stubbornness and the fact he still seemed a little unsteady on his feet before he winced when Eratosthenes began to yank books and magazines out of the shelves, looking at them and tossing some aside as the reptile snapped: "Dammit, Error, that's not how you behave as a guest! Do I have to break out the squirt bottle or something?"

"It's alright, Zerrex, I've put up with worse from you." Albatross said mildly, and Missy snorted in amusement before she walked towards the Strange Beast, beginning to gather up the books that Error was searching through. "Are you looking for something in particular, Eratosthenes?"

"I found it." Error muttered as he held up a large text, and then he turned and hobbled slowly back to the wheelchair. Zerrex felt an urge to yank it out from under him as the male began to sit down, and then he frowned and tilted his head curiously as the Strange Beast stroked a hand over the cover, realizing it was a text of collected prayers and stories from Hez'Rannan religion. "Yes, this is what I was looking for. A scripture book."

"Wait, you can read Hez'Rannan runes?" Zerrex asked curiously, and Eratosthenes snorted as he glared over his shoulder at the lizard balefully. "What?"

"I did take your memories... I unlocked the simpler ones within a few days, logic and fact and reasoning... I had just reached the subject of philosophy and religion when you set me on fire." Error said disgustedly, and Zerrex cleared his throat at this as Missy began to stack books back into the shelf and Albatross smiled amusedly as he continued his light cardio exercises. "I do not enjoy leaving a subject half-learned."

The reptile shrugged a bit, and then he glanced over at Albatross as the Dragokkaren began to slow, tapping a button on the treadmill and letting himself slide backwards and off it as he smiled down at the reptile... and Zerrex reflected as always how small he felt here as Missy struggled to reach the middle shelf of the bookcase, before the Dragokkaren quietly walked up behind her and took the stack of books out of her hands, quickly beginning to replace them. "So may I ask what brought upon this visit, Zerrex? Concern for my well-being, or did you just want me to meet your new friends?"

"A little of both." the reptile admitted, and then he gestured towards Eratosthenes. "You wouldn't happen to have a spare room here, would you? Just for a few hours for him to catch some rest. I figured that since Churchill also designated you as one of the Generals of his forces in Hez'Ranna, you might be able to help with locating something for me that concerns all of us."

"The murderer." Albatross said softly, and Zerrex nodded after a moment, the Dragokkaren rubbing the underside of his muzzle thoughtfully before he glanced at Error, who was pointedly ignoring all of them... although the Drakkaren thought if anything, he seemed a little embarrassed about the request the reptile had just made. "Eratosthenes, do you eat or drink? We have little data on Strange Beasts."

"All organisms require some form of sustenance." Error said stiffly, and when Albatross only looked at him mildly with his calm purple eyes, the Strange Beast grumbled under his breath but relented. "Yes. Although I don't care for most of this world's fare. Too bloody and greasy."

"Then let's sit down and have something to eat while we talk about this. I still have a few hours before I have to head to Asylum and the palace, but you're welcome to use my home as you see fit." Albatross said kindly, and Zerrex smiled over at the Dragokkaren before he nodded and followed him, Missy carefully stepping up behind the wheelchair and pushing it as Eratosthenes looked up curiously. "And you know, Zerrex, that Churchill will be stepping down in the next few months. His second son, Fidel, is set to take the throne... much of Hez'Ranna is busy with preparation for this upcoming event."

The Drakkaren nodded, glancing over at the male thoughtfully as they walked into the small, white-tiled kitchen. "I thought I'd heard something about that, but... things have been so busy that I can never be sure. Besides, you know that whether I'm an ambassador now or not, I like to stay out of politics as much as possible."

"You're much more diplomat than you are politician, Zerrex, you always have been. Looking for solutions instead of pushing your viewpoint or backing specific politicians... a trait that always frustrated High Queen Vivien, I believe." Albatross said mildly, and the lizard cleared his throat a bit as he sat down at a large, black-oak table, pulling a chair out and pushing it aside so that Missy could both sit down and Error would have room as well. The Benevolent smiled at this, then she laughed a little as she pulled herself into the large seat, built for someone twice her size as she grinned a bit... and the reptile looked amusedly over at her as he kicked his own feet, which barely grazed the floor.

Albatross, meanwhile, had gone to what looked like a normal-sized refrigerator to Zerrex and Missy, but was small compared to the Dragokkaren, and he opened it to reveal that it was stacked mainly with large bottles and covered glass dishes. He pulled out one of each, putting a large black bottle on the table that was unlabelled... but Zerrex closed his eyes as he smelled the aroma coming from it despite the thick cork in the top, the reptile smiling slightly as the Dragokkaren placed a heavy bowl filled with salad on the table as well. "Rose Petal wine... spiced, isn't it?"

"Of course." Albatross closed the fridge, heading over to the engraved cupboards in his beautiful little kitchen next, as Missy gazed through the windows into the fenced-in back yard, gazing over the mowed grass, the little bench next to a small herb garden, and the small shed at the very back. "Missy, Zerrex, would you like some salad as well? Eratosthenes, is that alright?"

"Greenery. Fine, I'll try it." Error glanced up at the bowl, looking a little disturbed, and then Albatross returned, passing out four large wooden bowls and two-pronged metal forks as well as heavy wooden cups... and Eratosthenes picked one of these up with a frown as Zerrex squeezed the smooth oak with a smile. "Is everything in this country wood?"

"The forks aren't, Error." Zerrex pointed out, and the Strange Beast gave him a glare as the reptile rose his hands with a smile and Albatross shook his head a bit, pulling the plastic wrap off the bowl and quickly serving each of his guests in turn. "Hey, I was just answering your question."

The Librarian only grumbled as he went back to reading, his eyes roving over the runes with ease as he flicked through pages quickly, making the lizard wonder how fast his mind processed things as Albatross uncorked the bottle of Rose Petal wine and filled their cups... and then the Dragokkaren rose his own, saying kindly: "To a good future for us all."

Zerrex grunted in agreement, and he and Missy rose their own cups before all eyes looked at Eratosthenes... and the Strange Beast rolled his eyes as he dropped the book in his lap, picking up his cup and muttering: "This is a pointless exercise."

Nonetheless, he understood what they were doing, and the four knocked their cups together before they all took a deep drink... and the reptile smiled at the taste of it, feeling himself relaxing steadily as he rested back in his chair and then glanced over at Albatross as the Dragokkaren said calmly: "If it's not out of my authority to ask, Zerrex, would you mind me having Churchill or Fidel assemble a taskforce to help deal with the threat of this murderer? I recognize that you have had no problems with people dying on the mortal plane as of yet... but I also understand that there is a high likelihood of this issue spilling over, particularly into Hez'Ranna and even into the Northlands."

"I really don't think he'd be stupid enough to go after my friends in the far north. Killer can take good care of himself, especially with Alexis and the rest of the members of his family and clan around." Zerrex replied amusedly, but then he lowered his head and frowned a bit, rubbing at his muzzle thoughtfully. "But yeah... there's you, Churchill, Huck, even Hans knew me way back when... and now we know there's more than one murderer. Did Huck tell you we killed one?"

"I haven't checked my email or my phone messages yet today. Huck sends me so many it's easy to lose the important information amongst everything else." Albatross said dryly, and then he shook his head slowly before he said quietly: "And exactly. Here, and in Ire, are concentrations of people who are particularly important to you. Have you spoken at all to your friends in New Valise lately?"

"Julian, Zane and Mary Silverwind, and Reia..." Zerrex reached up and rubbed at his face slowly. "No, I haven't. The whole... internet thing doesn't exactly work in Elysium, yet... and to be honest, I've been a little scared of visiting them. I... I don't want to lure the murderer to them."

"The last I'd heard from Lord God, the Purifier was only permitted to target people in Heaven and Hell... to avoid attracting attention to the mortal plane, you understand." Eratosthenes said quietly, and Zerrex looked up at this with a frown as Albatross's eyes sharpened. "Now, if we investigate that research facility, it may make the Purifier begin to target people here as well... but although Lord God held nothing but derision for the mortal world, he was very clear we could not make any larger attacks or movements against it. Every time a rogue Guardian would attack a city, he would get angry. He spoke often about a balance, a required evil, a tether."

Zerrex nodded slowly at this, rubbing at his face and muttering: "Well, that's a relief. For once it's not a 'save the world, save the universe' fight, then... whatever else, this Lord God really is only interested in killing me. So that means he probably has a vested interest in seeing the mortal world continue to exist... which means he probably really is solely focused on Heaven. So the attacks you did make on the cities in the mortal realm..."

"Just to draw you out and distract you. He called it 'acceptable losses.'" Eratosthenes said distastefully, shaking his head before he poked at his salad with a finger, then awkwardly picked up a fork when he saw Missy was using it to scoop the food into her own muzzle. He studied this for a few long moments, then hesitantly tried to use it, almost poking himself in the muzzle before he managed to pick up a few pieces of lettuce and carefully maneuver it into his jaws... and he chewed thoughtfully before grunting.

Zerrex, meanwhile, glanced over at Albatross, who sat back and pondered for a few moments as he sipped at his wine. Then he looked towards the Drakkaren, saying quietly: "Far from the best news, certainly... but also not the worst, despite how it may seem. Have you studied this location yet?"

"Error says it's protected, but he can bring us there... we haven't talked much about it yet, though, I figured I'd let him get some rest first." Zerrex replied quietly, rubbing at the back of his head and smiling a little as the Strange Beast only grumbled a bit and sipped at his wine, then went back to carefully scooping salad into his mouth and chewing on it. The Drakkaren poked slowly at his own food, and then he looked at Albatross as the Dragokkaren studied him thoughtfully, the lizard saying finally: "Maybe we should be getting ready for a storm to hit nonetheless, though, I... won't really argue with your idea of putting some people together to help deal with things. There's still a lot of things floating up in the air... and I have a feeling that we haven't dealt with the last of the Guardians, either."

The Librarian snorted at this, however, and then he looked over at the lizard and studied him for a few moments before he said quietly: "My brethren are not monsters or stupid... at least, most of them aren't. A sad minority of them have become... mindless, and I'm sure a few of them are puppeted by Lord God in one way or another... but if you allow me to rest for a few hours, I'll recover more than enough strength to guide us to a gathering point. Once there, the Guardians will naturally come to me and I can order them to stand down or await me in a neutral location. Would that be sufficient?"

Zerrex looked at him with surprise, and then he nodded slowly, asking curiously: "Are you sure you'll be up to that though, Eratosthenes? We haven't had any reported attacks for a while now... you can probably take the next few days to build your strength back up. If there's one thing I've learned it's patience... that sometimes, even when it seems like speeding forwards is necessary, you gotta sit back and wait... hard as it is."

Error only shook his head, however, saying dryly: "I've made my decision, Zerrex Narrius, do not make me regret it. I can feel my strength recovering..." Eratosthenes halted, then he quietly reached down beside him and picked up the quartz figure of the Viper, saying quietly: "Besides, I am the Librarian, and I have led my fellow Guardians into making a terrible mistake and cost many of them their lives already. I have to fix this as soon as possible, and I will be strong enough to do so in a few hours. My comfort is a matter of secondary importance."

Zerrex smiled a bit at this, but Error only went back to reading his book, ignoring the others completely. Yet nonetheless, the Drakkaren had to admit he felt growing respect for the Strange Beast despite his rudeness and quirks, and he felt more and more glad that he had decided to spare his life.

Four hours later found Zerrex resting back in the angled bench in the den, a fifty pound dumbbell in either hand as he let both arms slowly draw out to either side until his elbows were parallel with his shoulders, and then he brought both arms forwards and up, gently clinking the dumbbells together with his arms extended almost straight out in front of his chest, his pectorals and arms both flexing powerfully with each movement. His form was a little sloppy, and the lizard barely registered the weight... but exercising relaxed him and it helped pass the time as Missy snored on the huge couch, clutching a cushion against herself that was the same size as her entire upper body.

Albatross had left around two hours ago, heading upstairs to get dressed and then coming back in a black business suit with his ID card clipped to one pocket and his tie secured by a clip in the shape of the Hez'Rannan flag. He had told them to make themselves at home, and offered Eratosthenes his room upstairs... but instead, Error had found his way outside to the back deck and was currently reading calmly in his wheelchair under the shade of an overhang, a cup of water beside him.

Then the reptile sat up with surprise as he heard a clunking and a muttered curse, putting down the dumbbells... but by the time he swung a leg over the bench to stand up, Eratosthenes emerged in the wide archway between kitchen and den, standing and rubbing at his head as the ten foot tall male muttered: "I dislike the layout of this place. It is built for oversized creatures who think in simple terms."

"You're just grouchy because... you're always grouchy." Zerrex said flatly, and Error rolled his eyes with a look of distaste before the Drakkaren glanced over him. "Are you okay? You look kind of... lethargic, still. And I might not be as good at reading emotions as some people, and yours are pretty weird, still... but I can tell just from looking at you your energies are pretty low."

"Oh please, I have more than enough strength to send a message through the ranks of the Guardians." Eratosthenes said dismissively, flicking his wrist distastefully. "Besides, you can do the work of portalling us to the location. You've been to the main gathering point we use several times before... it's in the barren north, empty enough that our signatures are able to resonate clearly when one of us appears. I believe you can hear these 'gathering calls' as well."

Zerrex nodded after a moment, and he couldn't resist from asking: "So... you purposefully amplify your signatures sometimes, then? That's why we can detect you guys sometimes so easily but you're still able to keep yourself from being spotted, despite... the fact we've got all kinds of equipment on Hell to detect your biorhythms?"

Error only looked at him pointedly, then he ignored the question entirely as he looked towards Missy, asking mildly: "Are you going to wake up the diseased angel?"

"She's neither diseased nor an angel." Zerrex replied flatly, and then he softened as he gazed over at her, shaking his head a bit as she twitched a little in her sleep. "No. She's been working hard to control her emotions... I could tell that she was fighting a lot between Lust and Envy for Albatross today, since he got out of Heaven a lot sooner than he did and got to return to a pretty glamorous position here in Hez'Ranna. I'll just leave her a note."

Zerrex glanced around the den, then he simply smiled a little as he held a hand up, murmuring an old spell... and a black logbook appeared in his hand a moment later in a spark of blue energy, the lizard's eyes roving over this as he said softly: "Sabnock always said that trick came in handy..."

He flipped through the notebook, smiling a little at ancient entries that were literally millions of years old before he came to a blank page... and then he wrote a quick note over this with a claw, leaving a blue, gleaming trail of energy that transformed into ink before the reptile tore the page out of the book and set both it and the note down on the bench in plain sight. It said simply that he would be back soon to pick her up, and that she would be safe as long as she stayed here... the reptile knew without bothering to check that Albatross had all kinds of security precautions set up, after all.

Then the Drakkaren glanced towards Error, holding a hand out... and Eratosthenes grimaced before he reached out and grasped Zerrex's forearm, muttering: "I dislike contact with you. I can feel your anomalous genetics and the powerful energy that irradiates you... and I hate even more that I feel how wrong I was in misjudging you."

Zerrex looked at the Strange Beast awkwardly as Eratosthenes looked moodily at the ground, and then his eyes flicked the side and he squeezed firmly into the reptile's forearm, digging the metallic claw-rings that covered his fingers into the lizard's scales and making him wince. "You're not making it any easier by not doing anything, avatar of Creation. Teleport us."

"You are such a bitch." Zerrex said flatly, and then he concentrated as Eratosthenes began to open his mouth, and the two vanished from the spot. A moment later, they reappeared in the snowy tundra, and Error cursed in frustration as he staggered away a step and grabbed at his head, wincing and rubbing his temples slowly as Zerrex asked curiously: "So do you get headaches, or do you call them back-aches because that's where your brain-thingy is?"

"Shut up." Eratosthenes muttered, and then he glanced disdainfully back and forth around the tundra, the ground still torn up here from a clash with several Vipers Zerrex remembered... and yet felt like so long ago, despite the fact that he was sure in the grand scheme of things it had only been a short time since. He smiled a little, reflecting on what a strange concept time was... and then he shook his head a bit when Error looked at him dubiously.

The Librarian apparently decided not to ask as he simply nodded after a moment with a grumble, and then he straightened slowly as he took a few easy breaths, muttering: "Alright. Give me a moment, Zerrex, and I'll send the signal out. Please do not act hostile towards them, I will explain what is going on. Sit down or something."

The Drakkaren grumbled a bit, but he did as asked, brushing absently at the ground before he sat down with a grunt on the frosted tundra, feeling the cold nipping at his scales as he rubbed a hand over his bare chest. He felt oddly self-conscious as he rested back, his mala jingling quietly around his neck as he looked awkwardly back and forth, but Error ignored him completely as the Guardian walked a few feet away before he held his hands out with a slow breath, and Zerrex winced a bit as energy rippled through the air before the Librarian lowered his arms as a tangible pulse passed around them, seeming to fade out only a short distance away... but the reptile could clearly feel the energies of the Strange Beast here now, burning like a beacon as he said calmly: "It is done. I've kept the wavelength short-term as well... unless your instruments on Elysium are looking specifically for me right now, it should go undetected. If forces show up, however, you had best do your part and tell them to stay back."

Zerrex grumbled a bit at this, saying flatly: "No, we're going to just exterminate you all, Error. That was my plan all along."

Eratosthenes looked at him for a moment, then seemed to recognize it was sarcasm before he glanced up as a Gateway opened, and Zerrex winced as a Leviathan strode out of this: gigantic and imposing, its golden armor glinted over its body as it immediately yanked one of its huge, jagged cleavers off its back at the sight of the reptile, who leaned back in surprise... and then Eratosthenes rose a hand and said something in a sibilant tongue the reptile half-recognized but couldn't understand at all. The larger, brawnier Strange Beast's attention immediately turned to the Librarian as the Gateway behind it closed, and it slowly lumbered forwards, its eyes intense and focused as Eratosthenes continued to talk, gesturing slowly and easily, his tone calm and rational.

Zerrex felt himself tensing nonetheless: thirty feet tall, all-brawn-and-power, a Leviathan was nothing to be tampered with, especially alone as they were... and then the creature suddenly spat something back in the same language as it glared at Eratosthenes, and the Librarian's eyes widened before the huge, burly creature leapt forwards with a roar as it fluidly snapped its other jagged sword-axe off its back and lashed both weapons fiercely down... and in a moment, the Drakkaren was in front of Error, shoving him out of the way as he snapped his right arm up above his head and cursing as the weapons smashed into the limb, ripping through the scales and biting even into the silvery metal beneath as chunks of scale and alloy flew in all direction, the reptile knocked back onto his ass by the force of the twin blows but the Leviathan staggering backwards as well with a growl of frustration as the handles of its weapons vibrated violently in its long-fingered hands. "Goddammit!"

"No, Honor Guard, cease!" Error shouted vainly, holding up a hand, and the Leviathan's attention turned back to him as rage burned in its eyes, its monstrous jaws opening as it leaned down and roared furiously in response before it reversed both huge weapons in its hands, preparing another lunge as Eratosthenes gaped stupidly and half rose an arm in lame defense... and Zerrex leapt forwards and slammed a fist into the monster's huge head, making it screech as it was flung backwards by the force of the blow to crash some ten feet away, both cleavers biting into the dirt and halting its slide before it sat up, grabbing at its injured, broken muzzle as a tooth the size of Zerrex's fist fell out of its jaws and neon electricity sparked over its face.

It snarled with fury as Zerrex gritted his teeth, setting himself as his metallic arm flexed and rapidly repaired itself, gauntlet hand gleaming before an elegant blade sprung free from his wrist... and then Eratosthenes hauled himself up to his feet, shaking his head out and seeming to regain his senses as he said disgustedly: "They've been told that I'm a traitor, that I was taken in by Naganis's lies... Lord God works fast, it seems."

"Then they'll no doubt be preparing their defenses in that facility you mentioned, too. Great, now what?" Zerrex asked sharply as the Leviathan picked itself up and tore its deadly, massive blades out of the ground, raising them both with a snarl as energized blood dripped from its face. "Do we need to retreat?"

"The Honor Guard will follow us if we do, we must destroy it." Eratosthenes said coldly, and Zerrex didn't know if he was impressed or a little horrified before Error held a hand up and clenched it into a fist, a half-dome of golden energy bursting into being in front of them as the Leviathan stabbed one of its swords into the ground. The shield held as the ground in front of it exploded upwards and released a concentrated blast of light, Zerrex wincing back a bit but Eratosthenes looking unfazed as the shield vanished, and then he muttered: "Make it turn its back on me. I will do the rest."

"Easier said than done." Zerrex grumbled, but then he nodded and charged forwards without another moment of thought as the Leviathan rose its swords, and the creature roared and swept its blades out as it lunged forwards, but Zerrex only gritted his teeth as he concentrated, vanishing from the spot and reappearing at eye-level with the beast to slam a foot out, knocking its head back as the dewlap hanging from its throat inflated slightly with the creature's sharp inhale of pain before the reptile's other foot kicked off its muzzle and his wrist-blade lashed out, ripping through the top of its head and sending up a burst of neon electricity.

The monster roared in frustration and whirled its swords over its head as its tail snapped, and Zerrex managed to fall out of the way of the former before the latter mashed into him and sent him flying backwards. The monster half-turned with a snarl, but it didn't lose track of Eratosthenes, instead rapidly stepping backwards to keep them both in its cone of vision as Zerrex shook his head and climbed dazedly to his feet, muttering: "Goddamn thing is smart... and the longer this draws out, the bigger the chance of other ones showing up..."

Then the Leviathan stabbed both swords down into the ground, and a powerful blast of golden light issued beneath Zerrex's feet, the earth around him erupting and trapping the reptile in a thick, laser-like pillar that sent the lizard flying upwards with charred scales and a curse of agony as he clenched his eyes shut, seeing streaks of white as he flailed his limbs uselessly. He could hear the monster charging towards him, but he was unable to see anything, vertigo making it impossible to judge where anything was coming from... so immediately, the Drakkaren threw his arms out, creating a spherical shield of energy around his entire body.

The Leviathan simply slammed both its swords into this with a roar, and Zerrex smacked-face first into the wall of his own shield as he was sent hurtling violently through the air like a baseball before the sphere crashed to the ground and exploded into shards of energy as the Drakkaren smashed into the earth a moment later, bouncing along the frosted soil with loud yells of frustration and pain.

The Strange Beast gave a sound not unlike laughter... and then a thin arrow of white light shot through its upper back, and the creature gurgled for a moment before it dropped its double swords and staggered forwards a few steps weakly, then fell to its knees. It rasped hard as electricity pulsated rapidly through its body, and then it clenched its eyes shut... and just as Zerrex caught himself in a kneel and slammed the blade extending from his wrist into the ground to halt himself, the monster exploded in a blast of ivory light and neon pink electricity, Eratosthenes covering his face with a grimace as a fireworks display of blood and gore lit up the air for a few moments, random differently-colored streaks of light sparking here and there before chunks of burnt flesh and broken metal began to patter down to the ground and only smoke was left drifting through the air.

Zerrex picked himself slowly up, scrapes and bruises over his form healing slowly as the blade receded into his arm and he grabbed at his head with a muttered curse, and he and Error slowly walked towards each other, the reptile's head still rolling as he grumbled: "And just why didn't you do that before?"

"I needed a clear line of sight to the Honor Guard's Symposium, specifically the clasp chamber in the lower cardiac region. I only had enough strength for one or two arrows." Error replied sourly, rubbing slowly at his shoulder as he surveyed Zerrex thoughtfully. "Your ability to manipulate energy. You don't seem to use your full powers as often as you should: you do understand that your powers exist for more purposes than allowing you to quickly travel from one location to another, yes?"

Zerrex glared at him, and Eratosthenes shrugged, looking moodily back before the reptile sighed and reached up, rubbing at his head slowly. "Shouldn't we get out of here? I don't exactly want more of those creatures to show up."

"Very well." The Librarian was still looking thoughtfully over the Drakkaren, but he allowed the subject to be dropped before he began to raise a hand... and then he looked up with a snarl, hissing: "Wait... something's here, something's-"

Then a white shape smashed into Zerrex's side, knocking him over and the force of its passage making Error stagger backwards, pinwheeling his arms as the Drakkaren rolled a few times as the thing leapt off him, the reptile feeling the distinct reverberations of holy energy and the quadruped landed and then spun around with a snarl. The reptile's eyes widened as he looked up with a curse, and the rubbery-skinned, four-legged fiend only a few feet away barked at him several times before it howled furiously as its entire body quivered and it leaned towards him, sending a powerful wave of sound crashing into the Drakkaren's body and sending him flying backwards as his metallic arm vibrated his loud rattles and his blood boiled agonizingly in his veins.

He rolled a few times and then managed a kneel, gritting teeth that felt like they had cracked together before he managed to straighten as his emerald eyes narrowed. The beast had no lips over its muzzle and huge black eyes with white points for pupils, not ears but frills extending from the sides of its head as a long, thin tail ending in a wide spade snapped back and forth. Golden runes were painted all along its form, Enochian blessings and runes and prayers, its four strong but slender legs were each lined with fitted golden armor, the naked, rubber-skinned paws at the end of each limb tipped with silver-edged diamonds in the shape of claws that had replaced its natural nails.

Some three feet high at the shoulder and maybe six long, resembling an unevolved and alien canine; a Hound of Heaven, beasts sent out by Magistrates and Hunters from paradise to retrieve - and more commonly, terminate - fallen angels and anyone else who ended up on the naughty list of one of Heaven's higher ups or made the stupid, stupid mistake of trying to make a deal with certain angels... Hell, after all, wasn't the only place you could trade your soul for power. Such creatures might not seem all that menacing at first, but Hounds could travel easily back and forth between the mortal world and Heaven, were invisible to the eyes of normal mortals, could control and direct vibrations in the form of sound and possessed bodies densely-layered with holy energy... and worst of all, they had none of the vulnerabilities that angels and demons shared.

The Hound threw its head back and howled to the sky, and Zerrex cursed under his breath as he scrambled to his feet before the beast dropped its head forwards and went into a sprint, zigzagging back and forth before it opened its jaws wide as it lunged towards Zerrex's throat, forelegs raised and claws splayed out to rake across the lizard's body... and the Drakkaren immediately rose a leg and booted it hard in the chest, making it yelp as it flew backwards and crashed into the ground, skidding a few feet away before it scrambled quickly back up and charged again, snarling and releasing a short series of barks that each hammered into Zerrex's body like fists, the vibrations making him wince and his metallic arm reverberate before the reptile created a circular shield of energy in front of his other hand, the beast slamming into this and bouncing off it before the Drakkaren leapt forwards and roared and he tilted the shield downwards and then slammed the circular wall of energy hard towards the ground, crushing the Hound between it and the frost-covered earth.

The beast squealed before it gave a furious roar, white light and powerful vibrations bursting from its body in a concussive shockwave, and Zerrex cursed in pain as he was sent flying upwards as the shield of energy shattered into shards and motes before the beast sprung to its feet and leapt up with a roar, lashing its front claws into Zerrex's stomach and ripping deep gouges as it bit savagely towards the lizard's face and neck, the Drakkaren howling in pain. Then it brought its back legs up and kicked savagely off him, sending the lizard flying through the air to crash and roll several times over the ground as smoke poured weakly up from his torn stomach, the lizard hissing in pain as he clutched at the wounds, which reeked faintly of... "Alcohol? Oh shit!"

The Hound, meanwhile, rolled almost elegantly through the air to land on all fours before it charged forwards again with a greedy snarl... and then Eratosthenes flicked his wrist up with a look of disgust, and the ground directly in front of the monster shot up in a violent wall, the Hound crashing headlong into this with a yelp of pain. A moment later, it roared, and the earth surrounding the creature cracked as the air itself vibrated violently, flickers and arcs of holy energy bursting into being around it... and then Zerrex slammed his own fist into the ground even as the wall in front of it dissolved, and spikes of metal and rock tore out of the earth around the creature and ripped through its body, making it scream in agony and fury as it was lifted into the air by the forest of sharp spears and blades ripped through its frame.

It hung limply, most of the spikes and spines jutting through its chest, one in particular through the larger upper section of one lower leg as it kicked weakly and its tail snapped back and forth, steam spilling from the beast's jaws... and then it threw its head back and howled mournfully, Zerrex wincing and staggering backwards as its own body started to vibrate and spark violently before the beast simply exploded in a dazzling flash of light, reality trembling around it for a moment as chunks of stone that had been all but dissolved flew through the air and shrapnel cut along Zerrex's body, the Drakkaren hammered backwards and groaning in pain as he crashed to the ground on his back. For a moment, he laid dazedly, staring weakly off to the side... and then a Gateway opened only some thirty feet away, two Vipers charging out of this, and the Drakkaren mumbled: "Oh can this day get any worse?"

He began to get up... and then Eratosthenes seized his shoulder as the Librarian opened a Gateway of his own behind them before he dragged the lizard to his feet and yanked him backwards through the portal even as the Vipers charged at them, roaring... and a moment later, the Gateway slammed shut on them, barring off the creatures as they hissed and clawed at thin air where the portal had been a moment before as if trying to reopen it.

A white hole ripped in reality in Albatross's den, Missy yelling and dropping her coffee as she leapt back onto the couch in surprise, and a moment later Zerrex and Error tumbled out of it before it closed. She immediately rushed over to them as Zerrex rolled onto his back with a wheeze, hugging his bleeding stomach as Eratosthenes slowly crawled to his feet... and Missy cursed, helping the Strange Beast carefully up as she asked worriedly: "Biggs, shit, what happened? Oh damn, that looks real bad, you're bleeding all over the place!"

"Hez'Ranna..." Zerrex blinked a few times, then he cursed under his breath and wheezed: "Get some water from the tap and pour it over my wounds. It'll be enough to flush the alcohol out of them... the thing's claws were coated with it, it's stopping my wounds from healing... god-damn this hurts..."

Missy nodded quickly, turning and running into the kitchen as Error stumbled to the side and rested against a bookshelf, breathing hard... and she returned a moment later with a cup of water, looking nervously at it before spilling the liquid carefully over Zerrex's chest. It bubbled a bit on his wounds, and the reptile groaned in pain... but the water from the tap came almost straight from the rivers and lakes of Hez'Ranna, the lifeblood of the native soil... and slowly, he felt his breathing beginning to stabilize as liquid spilled down his body, purifying his wounds. Slowly, the lizard groaned as he sat up, feeling the slashes finally beginning to heal, and he grasped at his head as he muttered: "Some help you were, Error. This is why I never listen to people. People suck."

"Shut up, it's not my damn fault and you damn well know it." Eratosthenes said tiredly, and then the Librarian grimaced a bit as he leaned back against the wall with a quiet wheeze of pain and frustration. "I can't believe that they would put faith in Lord God over me, however... Honor Guard and Servants both. Perhaps even the Songstresses and Storytellers obey him now, if this is the case... perhaps I was just stupid from the beginning to believe it could be any different. They all knew I obeyed Lord God... and our duty is to serve. When they saw me serving him... gods, what a fool I have been..."

He shook his head slowly, punching his own leg as his face darkened moodily... and Zerrex grunted a bit before he forced himself to stand, offering an awkward smile. "Now hey. I know things are... kind of awful, now, but... this isn't entirely your fault. You were manipulated, they're being manipulated... we at least have an idea of by who and what, too. We just need to be patient now in gathering information... and you're going to have to tell me about this research facility. I have no doubt that it's going to end up being an ambush, probably even a trap... but if he's gotten desperate enough to try and send a Hound after me, it means we're making progress. Scary... as that in itself is."

Eratosthenes looked at him for a few moments... and then he shook his head slowly and sighed a little before he muttered: "Very well, in that case, Zerrex Narrius. But first I must recuperate my strength and gather my thoughts. I also do not believe this is a venture we can take on alone."

"We won't have to. That's part of the reason why I've got so many Disciples, as they're always reminding me... we have a lot of friends and allies we can call on." Zerrex said softly, and then he glanced over at Missy, who was awkwardly hovering nearby and looking up at him nervously. "Are you okay?"

Missy nodded a bit as Eratosthenes only grumbled and left, and the lizard glanced after the male curiously as the Strange Beast made his way through the kitchen, apparently heading back outside. The reptile rubbed slowly at the back of his head, but Missy only smiled a little, saying quietly: "I don't think you gotta worry too much about him, Biggs. He reminds me a little of me, to tell you the truth... screwed-up in the head, probably lonely, not really all that happy to be where he is... but whether or not I like him, I gotta say he at least seems plenty determined."

Zerrex nodded after a moment, looking down at her with a faint smile before she reached out and took his hand quietly, squeezing it between both of hers slowly as she murmured softly: "So it didn't go well, huh?"

"No... a Strange Beast showed up and attacked us." Zerrex replied quietly, looking down at her softly, and then he allowed her to pull him over towards the huge couch, the lizard grunting as they sat down before he rose a hand and concentrated on the smears of blood and the coffee stains on the rug, and a moment later the vanished from sight as he smiled a little. "And see, Error's wrong. I use my powers for a lot of trivial things, not just going to and from places."

Missy looked at him curiously, and Zerrex rubbed at his head for a moment with a lame grin before she shook her head with a sigh, then she reached up and squeezed his shoulder gently. "Well, Biggs, I am glad to see you back in one piece at least... and whether you're a damn fool or not, it reassures me that you're... still that same lizard I found in the barn, trying to sneak off after sleeping in the hay and eating up our apples."

She stopped, looking down for a few moments, and then she smiled a little as her eyes flicked towards him, asking quietly: "Is it okay that I miss that life, Biggs? Of picking apples, of living on the farm, where all this hoo-ha was just dreams and nonsense?" She looked down, rubbing at her face slowly before her eyes turned towards a large, ornamental holder on the side wall, where both Blackheart and Missy's golden sword rested quietly and securely in large, gleaming rungs shaped like mythical Hez'Rannan beasts. "When I didn't know that my father was just like me and I was content to think he was just some poor sap Momma seduced into bed for his money or looks..."

She sighed a little, grabbing at her face as her red eyes glowed faintly... and then she smiled a bit up at him as the black veins throbbed through her body, the golden retriever studying him for a few moments before she said softly: "The grass is always greener, ain't it? Do you think we people are all born this way, to never be content with what we got? I mean, people like you and me... I dunno what I'm saying, I'm sorry. It just feels like in every other place I've ever been, Heaven included, angels and demons and mortals and even gods don't like what they are, or are out wanting more, or are complaining about how difficult life is and all that. This place you brought us to, Hez'Ranna... I dunno, people seem to have a place in life here and are content with it. I don't understand it entirely but I do respect it. I wish I could be like that... have a lot in life, settle on it, and be happy with it. I thought adventuring would be it, but... I guess that shows what a little girl I am at heart."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure that if I was trying to live just a normal life somewhere, I'd fail at it." Zerrex said softly, glancing away... and then he felt a faint vibration run through his mala before the reptile smiled a little as he reached up to play his fingers carefully through the beads. "Can you excuse me for a minute, Missy? Someone's looking for us."

Missy tilted her head curiously as she grunted and sat back, crossing her arms and watching as the Drakkaren stood up and walked through the den towards the short entrance hall, opening the door and peering out into the narrow front yard... and a moment later, a portal opened only a few feet in front of the deck and Cindy walked through it, smiling at him as she stepped through and then pocketed the glowing Northern Star: a ring inset with a beautiful black gemstone, large and thick and not for wearing, but rather used to create dark portals. A rare few of them worked even on the mortal plane, and Zerrex wasn't surprised that Huck probably had one or two of these at the official possession of the Sunshine facility: he often travelled all over Hez'Ranna and even as far as Ire, after all, and it would sure cut down on both time and expenses. "Hey, Daddy."

"Hey, Cindy." Zerrex replied softly, and the two traded a tight, quiet hug before she frowned a bit and traced her fingers over the faint scratches amidst the scars over his abdominals, and the lizard smiled awkwardly. "Got in a little scrap. Do we need to go?"

"Not yet. I just thought I'd come and check up on you... I'm letting Mengele finish his examinations on the recombinant and Huck is lifting the last of the information he can from both the data you provided and the microchips we recovered. I'm not really needed at the base and... the others are basically killing time themselves, anyway, or helping out with other projects." She leaned back a bit, studying his face for a few moments, and then she smiled a little as her father nodded. "You look a little tired."

"Well, I did say I was just beaten up." Zerrex replied amiably, and then he led her inside and to the den. Missy looked up in surprise at Cindy, and the reptile smiled slightly, saying mildly: "See? I told you so."

"I guess you did." Missy studied Cindy as they walked towards the couch, Zerrex sitting down with a grunt between the females as the golden retriever studied her, and then she asked slowly: "I know you ain't supposed to ask and all... but are you an angel? 'Cause you seem like an angel... but at the same time, you kinda... don't, I guess."

"A long time ago, when I became my father's Disciple, I asked him to change me. He... evolved me, I like to say, into what I am today. Physically I'm a lot different than I used to be... and mentally, I'm a little different, too. But in good ways. Change, even when it's scary, doesn't have to be bad... although you shouldn't ever try and tell Zerrex that." Cindy said softly, smiling a little over at the male, and the Drakkaren grumbled under his breath and rolled his eyes. "Daddy's not a fan of change."

"You must really love him, huh?" Missy looked from one to the other, and then she reached up and rubbed thoughtfully at her face. "Could you do that to me, Zerrex? I mean, I ain't so fond of being changed entirely, I just mean... could you change bits and pieces of me, so I don't end up having to become... become something I don't entirely want to."

Zerrex looked over at her thoughtfully, but before he could answer, Cindy reached out and touched Missy's arm, saying gently: "He could, but you would have to become a Disciple for it to be completely effective, pledging and trading part of yourself in... and your reasons for wanting to change are different than mine. Missy, you've been affected by corruption, and it's triggered a mutation in you, it's bringing out the bad right now... but if you can learn to harness and control it, it can become a good thing as well, and you can do this on your own. I... I was too weak to change on my own, I discovered. I needed to reaffirm my loyalty to my Father... I needed to rediscover who I was at heart. I gave up a lot to become what I am now... but you have a chance to grow in a way that won't cost you anything, but instead will grant you freedom and strength."

Missy looked at Cindy for a few moments, then she shook her head slowly and looked down, saying quietly: "I know that maybe... a lot of why I'm scared is 'cause from when the first moment you end up in Heaven, they go off telling you 'demons are bad, demons are bad' and they do all they can in their power to get you hating your old life, your old self, and anything that ain't in their concept of 'good.' I know that Heaven almost brainwashes the souls that come to them these days, even though we're all supposed to be working together, 'cause the Council up there is so scared... not of rebellion, but that people are gonna realize Paradise ain't nothin' but a rigged carnival. But I don't... want to be a demon, nor more than I wanted to become a full-blooded angel. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry for anything, Missy. I never wanted to be a god, personally... and here I am. And you know what I learned myself? Mortals use the term 'god' to describe... these incredible, beyond-understanding things... but they're not. They're just... people. As flawed and imperfect as everything else in the universe... and even the First Gods had flaws, you know." Zerrex hesitated, and then he shook his head slowly. "But I learned something, too, when I was mortal. It's that even if I don't need my powers to fight and win against things, even things a thousand times stronger than me... I can't just toss them in the garbage can and give up on all my responsibilities, either. Because that leaves all my friends and family vulnerable, and gods know that even if I... I seem to be unable to ever lay down and die... the people who hate me will target the people I care about. I know it's scary. I know you don't want this... but try and think of it as an opportunity."

"What do you know? Every few fucking minutes some new emotion rips through me, I can't control what I say or feel, and not even what I do!" Missy shouted furiously, as her red eyes glowed and she seized into Zerrex's mala, yanking him down by it... and then she clenched her eyes shut, and the wrath faded from her eyes as she muttered: "I... shit, I'm sorry. But... you... can see part of why this is so hard for me."

"I know. But you can learn to control it in time, Missy, and the more you... grow into this, the less it'll bother you." Zerrex said softly, gently reaching up and prying her fingers away from his prayer beads before he took her hands with a soft smile. "I've got people to help train you. Physically, mentally, emotionally: we're going to take this one day, one step at a time, and work things out one way or another, okay?"

Missy nodded after a moment, but her eyes only stared silently at his chest, and Zerrex gazed at her softly, knowing he couldn't imagine how hard this was for her. At least when he'd become a demon, he'd known what was happening and had been forced to accept it as a matter of course... and the reptile shook his head after a moment before he glanced up as Cindy said softly: "Speaking of... lost family and friends... I... I know it's not what we usually do... but I'd really like to hold a funeral for those we've lost so far. I know it's bad luck, but... Elliot... Elliot meant a lot to me."

Zerrex glanced over at her quietly, thinking silently of Little Arcy and all those others who had been killed... and then he said quietly: "Yeah. It would let the wolves put Jeannine to rest, too..." He stopped, then closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly even as Missy frowned at him.

"You haven't held funeral rights or anything? Why not?" Missy asked quietly, almost angrily... but when Zerrex turned his silent gaze on her, she softened a bit and murmured: "I just... ain't it disrespectful?"

"It's... an old tradition. You don't celebrate or mark the passing of a comrade or friend or anyone affected by what's going on until the... problem... is resolved." Zerrex said quietly, glancing down as Cindy took his hand and squeezed it slowly. "You're supposed to go on with life as normal during the time of war or strife against the enemy, even as you lose friends and allies, because the act of the funeral is to put their spirit to rest... and it's insulting to try and lay someone's soul to sleep when the cause of their suffering and death still exists and is still rampant, particularly in a case like this, where we're faced with a murderer on the loose. Normally, I'd wait until we captured or destroyed the killer, if not his boss, Lord God... but Cindy, we'll ask the others, and... if they're okay with it, we'll hold the funeral services for all those we've lost so far." He paused and smiled a little, glancing over at Missy. "The dead don't care about honors or what happens to their corpses when their spirits are freed from their broken vessels... but the symbolism is powerful and important to us, the living or... mostly-living. But I can make an exception for this, because we're closing in on the killer... and because I know it might help a lot of us with our grief. Some of us... have lost so many people in the past we have trouble showing or acting like it affects us. But it does. Cherry smiles and Cindy calmly works and I act like a jackass, but it still bothers us. Like I know it bothers Error that he was a part of this, however he acts."

"Don't speak for me." Eratosthenes muttered, and the reptile looked up in surprise as the Strange Beast walked through the archway, the small quartz figurine in one hand and the book of religious texts in the other. "Funerals... what a strange practice."

"What makes you say that?" Zerrex asked curiously, glancing up at him, and Error only grunted in response, shaking his head slowly as he hobbled into the room and shoved the book back into the shelves before he started rooting through them again, although thankfully this time not scattering them all over the floor. "Didn't you celebrate the lives of those who passed on?"

"No, we did not 'celebrate.' We acknowledged their passing and put their souls to rest, and that was that. Nothing is accomplished through this process of mourning, work must continue, life must continue even in the face of death." Error retorted, and then he flinched when someone grabbed his shoulder, before looking back in surprise to see Cindy standing behind him with a soft smile on her face.

"We don't mourn them for their sake, Eratosthenes, we mourn them in order to help ourselves... it's basic psychology for us people, who from birth, are often scared of death... even though every day from the first moment we come into this world many of us are dying instead of living." Cindy said softly, and then she leaned past him and carefully pulled another book out of the shelves before holding it out to him, saying kindly: "You're right, after all. Life has to go on. For some people, the best way to do that is to remember both the good and bad they once were able to share with a person, and let themselves gradually find peace in knowing that they're a part of the universe now."

"Although some wounds never heal." Eratosthenes said quietly, glancing towards Zerrex, and the Drakkaren looked away with an awkward blush, surprised that Error not only remembered the brief glimpse of memory but had been able to interpret it properly too. "Do people cling so fervently to friends and family and what they share on a physical level here?"

"Don't you?" Cindy asked softly, and Error frowned at her before she reached up and squeezed his shoulder gently. "Didn't you come all this way for revenge? Even after all these years, don't you still think of the First Gods?"

"That's... that's different. I was..." Eratosthenes looked away, and then he shook her off before glancing down at the book in his hands, muttering: "Poetry. I am the Librarian, not a Songstress, not a Bard, not a Storyteller. Poetry is not for me."

But Cindy only smiled at him and walked away, and Error looked moodily down at the book as the daughter returned to sit by her father, Missy watching the others curiously before Eratosthenes simply grumbled and left the room. Zerrex shook his head a bit, and then he glanced up as Cindy said softly: "I think he's going to be good to have on our side, Daddy, even if he'll obviously take some getting used to... and some getting used to us as well."

The Drakkaren smiled a bit at this, and then he leaned over and kissed her cheek before sitting back... and Missy hugged his arm quietly on the other side of him, the reptile gazing down at her with soft surprise before he smiled awkwardly as the two females rested against him. They stayed that way for a good twenty minutes, and then Cindy glanced down a s the faint sound of music filled the air, and she fumbled at her pocket for a moment before pulling a cell phone free, answering it and holding it up beside her head. "Are we ready?"

The sound of rambling from the other end, and Zerrex could make out Huck's voice, but not the words... and Cindy sighed and rolled her eyes before she snapped the phone closed in mid-run-on-sentence, saying dryly: "I guess we should head back to the facility. It sounds like Huck's almost done culling through the data and Mengele's en route back to Elysium."

Zerrex nodded bit, and then he stood up and cracked his back, saying mildly: "Alright then. I'll go and get Error, then..." The reptile paused, his gaze drawing towards the logbook sitting on the bench, and he smiled as he walked over and touched this, making it simply vanish with a spark of energy. "Maybe I should be exercising these powers of mine more often."

He mused a little to himself as he headed into the kitchen and out towards the back deck, and then he leaned in the doorway that Error had left open, looking curiously down at the Strange Beast. He was seated on the stairs leading down into the backyard, the poetry book open but not reading, only gazing off into the distance... and the reptile cleared his throat before grimacing when Error said grouchily: "I'm not an idiot, I know you're there."

"You're vindictive." Zerrex said flatly, and then he shook his head a bit before saying mildly: "Anyway, we're going to head out. Get in your wheelchair and I'll push you."

"I'll be fine walking." Error said stubbornly, and the Drakkaren rolled his eyes before he walked over and grabbed the Strange Beast, making him grumble irritably as the reptile pulled him over to the wheelchair and sat him down on it, and then he tossed the poem book and the quartz figurine sitting on the table into Eratosthenes's lap. "Controlling bastard."

"Thank you." Zerrex said drolly, and then he rolled his eyes when Error shook his head disdainfully before the reptile walked behind the wheelchair and carefully pushed him through the doorway, adding mildly: "I'm pretty sure Albatross won't mind you borrowing that book, but take good care of it, alright?"

Eratosthenes looked insulted, huffing before he opened the book and went back to reading, and the Drakkaren rolled his eyes with a bit of a smile despite himself before looking up to see Missy and Cindy already waiting for him, Blackheart resting across his daughter's back as she gazed at him affectionately. "Ready to go?"

The Drakkaren nodded, and Cindy took the lead: as they walked back towards the facility, Sammy popped out of nowhere onto the male Drakkaren's shoulder with a chirp, startling Missy, but then she laughed when the pseudodragon leapt down onto her shoulders to nip at her blonde hair curiously, the golden retriever smiling awkwardly as her scarlet eyes all but glowed with surprised happiness.

They made their way through the park and back down the streets: even though twilight was settling in, there were still plenty of Dragokkaren wandering the road, and large lamps filled with blue, phosphorescent gases glowed quietly from where they hung off buildings and at the top of heavy posts. Eratosthenes glanced up every now and then from his book to look around as the dream-catcher quietly rattled on the back of his wheelchair, the beads between the webbing in the center of the circular object jingling as the charms that hung from long strips of string and rawhide extending from the bottom of it jangled and clinked together quietly.

When they reached the Sunshine facility, Zerrex was surprised to see that there were still plenty of Dragokkaren and demons wandering around... although fewer were in suits and more were in white and red uniforms, laboratory workers and scientists for the most part. Cindy glanced down as her cell phone rang again, pulling it out of her pocket as she held a finger up to the others and stepped away from the group, flipping it open and grumbling a 'What?' into the phone as Eratosthenes commented dryly: "People are so easily preoccupied with the little things, and so trained towards not common-sense courtesies, but instead drawing out conversation... you all like the sounds of your own voices, don't you?"

"I think it's more social interaction that people crave. Most of us don't do very well being in solitary confinement, even when it seems like all we want is to be alone." Zerrex replied mildly, and then he winced when Cindy held the phone in front of her muzzle and shouted vulgarities into it, making several people stare at them. "Although I think some people also take a certain pleasure in pushing certain social boundaries."

Eratosthenes snorted in amusement, and then Cindy flicked the phone shut and grumbled under her breath before she motioned at the others, Blackheart sizzling with energy over her back for a moment as Sammy chirped from Missy's shoulder, and then the daughter of Zerrex sighed as she reached up and ran a hand through her white locks. "Sorry, just Cherry trying to drive me crazy again. I swear to God, she wants me to start hitting her or something."

"Cherry's Cherry." Zerrex said mildly, and Cindy smiled amusedly over her shoulder at him before she looked ahead again as they approached a side door, and she held up a hand to the Dragokkaren guard standing beside it. The male immediately saluted and pushed the door open to let them through, and Zerrex smiled slightly before he asked: "So where are we going, then? What plans do we have for now?"

"I just want to pick up the information Huck's assembled and see if everyone's organized... and then we can head back to Elysium or Acheron or whatever you choose, Father." Cindy replied softly, glancing over her shoulder at him with a soft smile before her eyes flicked upwards, and she added quietly: "Although I would like to discuss funeral preparations at some point too then, if... we all agree to it."

Zerrex nodded a little as they returned towards the meeting room they had been in earlier, and a Dragokkaren guard easily opened the door for them, letting them in. The table was as crowded as it had been before, except that instead of Mengele and White, Marina was present, with Raze sitting beside her, looking moody. Zerrex tilted his head curiously at this as Error looked up with a frown, and then he grimaced when Marina's eyes settled on him and they glowed faintly, the female saying quietly: "You shouldn't worry so much, Eratosthenes. If any of us wanted to hurt you, we would have done it already. You don't have to be so insecure."

Error hid his face in his book, grumbling a bit... and then Huck stood up from the other side of the table, clearing his throat as they gathered around it and sat down; as Zerrex sat beside Raze, the male reached out and silently took his hand under the table, and the reptile squeezed his fingers back supportively as Huck gazed back and forth. "Okay boys and girls. Time for the good news and the bad news."

All eyes turned to him as Huck looked down at his closed laptop, and then he shook his head briefly before becoming more serious, the Dragokkaren saying quietly: "The bad news first. The thing you guys killed, Mengele's pretty damn sure it's just what he called an 'expendable prototype,' to use his fancy nasty terms. He says that although it was goddamn advanced, it was... 'crude,' I think was the word he used, which in my opinion is also a good fucking word for the mad scientist himself, but... my hatred for him aside, I know he's got a scary-sharp mind, which is part of the reason we've kept him around all these years.

"He said that the DNA wasn't bound entirely properly, and that the gene patterns were... rough, in his opinion." Huck made a distasteful face. "Again, I am glad as hell he's on our side but he still scares me when he says shit like that. He says that getting to examine has let him guess where they're going with this whole design, though, of these recombinants, the... flesh golems, as Judge White called them, and he has other guesses as to what kinds of things we might face. He ain't allowed technology or shit in prison, but White says he and Sabnock are working on getting him released on 'work-leave,' it's just more complicated 'cause he's a fucking psycho-murderer genocidal bastard and shit."

"Huck, focus." Zerrex said mildly, and the Dragokkaren grunted and grabbed at his head, rubbing at it furiously before the reptile asked quietly, as he gave Raze's hand a squeeze beneath the table: "And what about the microchips? Did you pull all the data from them?"

"That's... moderate news. Ain't good, ain't bad." Huck said slowly. "See, a lot of the data is old genetic stuff... and I mean, when I was screwing around, trying to find the origin paths and files, I discovered that the crazy fucker who'd made these listings up had even applied dates to them. The dates were all over the place, made no sense until I realized... they were the days that the genetic samples were taken. So for example, I found a listing of Cindy's genes... sorry girl... but it's from years and years and years ago, before she uh... got her makeover."

Huck grinned embarrassedly, but Cindy only smiled a little at him, nodding and saying quietly: "And that's good news for us, gives us a small advantage to exploit. When I was... old Cindy, I didn't have all the abilities I do now... I was just a really strong angel with a knack for fading slightly. What's the most recent data entry?"

"Zerrex, of course. That's the not-so-nice part." Huck said quietly, and the Drakkaren looked up at this as the male shook his head slowly. "Here's the thing, though... I don't know if it's good or bad, but there's actually multiple samples of you... the most recent one being from only a few months ago. I'd scream conspiracy, Boss, but... you have a bad habit of getting the shit beaten out of you."

The lizard grimaced at this, not arguing as he rubbed at his face awkwardly, and then Huck continued: "The other samples are way older. One is from your days as a demon, even. But a lot of these genetic samples are thirty, forty years old, from when Cindy first began work on her Ark." He smiled a little over at her, and she smiled ruefully back at him, rubbing at her face slowly and silently playing her hands along one of her pigtails. "I ain't saying it's the best news... but at least we know they aren't working with all our new tricks, right?"

Zerrex nodded slowly, and then Huck said mildly: "But there is good news, too... and it's that, thanks to Raze showing up here and sharing some interesting tidbits with me he and Justice milked out of some people on the council, and the data I compiled from that information you passed on to me, Zerrex... I've been able to isolate three possible candidates for who on the council could want you dead. Two gods and a very high ranking angel... Melody, Rangi, and St. Lucas Luther."

"Wait, wait, Melody? As in Melody, Queen of Songs, Patron to the Silver Wind Clan?" Zerrex asked flatly, and Huck frowned at this, tilting his head before he opened his laptop and quickly began to tap through information. "That's impossible. She's Zane's Patron... apparently only a minor deity, her pocket dimension was collapsed way back when Athéos attacked and everything."

"Yeah, but since her forced move into Heaven she's very quickly been gaining popularity... and like it or not, you did kind of horn in on her racket with the Silver Wind family. She could have had the whole clan to herself with these last two descendents, but you went and brought Mary Silverwind into your flock and... poof." Huck waggled his fingers and he grimaced a little as he straightened. "What makes this worse is the fact that if it is her, she's only the second-in-command, not the boss of the operation, unless she's really good at dressing up as a dude to pull off this whole Lord God shtick. But even though she ain't very powerful herself... she knows all the right crafters, has access to all the right materials, and her specialty is supposed to be manipulation and control."

Zerrex looked down at this, rubbing at his forehead slowly: if it was Melody, that would complicate things between himself and the Silver Wind clan... and he didn't want to see Mary and Zane at one-another's throats because their Patrons had ended up as enemies. Before the reptile could think too heavily on the subject, however, Huck continued quietly: "Rangi, meanwhile... well, apparently ever since he lost his wife, he's been a little crazy. He was with the Old Gods, but was quick to change sides the moment Athéos was killed... he's a Sky God, with control over both water and air, knows Melody well, has a lot of access to the same stuff as her. Most important of all, however, he's been very, very supportive of any policies against Elysium and particularly, against you. He thinks of you almost as another Athéos, simply 'cause you killed him and managed to come back from that afterwards. Very paranoid, but he seems to have a bad habit of letting his guard down around anyone that reminds him of his lost wife."

The Drakkaren nodded slowly... and then Huck closed his laptop, saying quietly: "Last well... Raze, you wanna explain?"

Raze grunted, looking back and forth moodily over the table, and then he looked across at Zerrex as he gave his fingers one last squeeze before letting go and bringing his arms up to rest on the table. "Fine. Lucas Luther is an angel who was granted the rights of sainthood by the Heavenly Council: it's a rare 'honor' that's usually bought by angels with a lot of money to throw around that grants them invulnerability from a lot of Heaven's laws and forces everyone to pretend they respect them. He's greedy, egotistical, and a huge fucking coward with no morals whatsoever: but he's in good standing with the council because he's always badmouthing Hell and he's in good standing with the public because he keeps all his operations private, employs a massive workforce in Heaven - even though they get treated like shit - and he gives a lot of gold to charities and such. He pretends to be a philanthropist because it gets him respect, but he has his own private army and he's in charge of dealing with 'misguided souls,' as in dumping criminals in the purification vats.

"Justice is still in Heaven right now, talking with Job and Warden. She says if she can swing it she's going to talk to the Archangels, too, but I told her not to hold her breath, since Lord won't go against the council." Raze grimaced and shook his head slowly, and then he looked moodily back and forth. "Luther's our best bet. He's got all the means, enough influence to control Dervishes, and he'd do anything to expand his influence."

"Except for one problem, kiddo... Luther was one of the bastards in the council who forwarded the original super-soldier programs like I got pulled into, but why would he target Zerrex?" Sephire pointed out with a smile, and Raze glowered a bit over at her... but he seemed to actually listen to his mother instead of ignoring her, as she gazed at him with kindness instead of her usual overbearing grin. "The thing the two gods have, at least, is motive, and that's most important of all... even if it's hard for me to believe either one of them could have Dervishes on top of everything else."

Raze nodded a bit, and then Huck said mildly: "Still, he's a big possibility. And admittedly, it's hard to find shit out about him... he covers his tracks goddamn well. Plus he seems like the kind of guy who would kill your entire family for stepping on his toes... and Zerrex has a bad habit of stepping on worse than that, don't you?"

The Drakkaren glared at him, but before he could say anything, Marina added softly: "Luther, as a Saint and Magistrate, would also be able to order a Hound of Heaven to attack my father... while neither god would be able to, even as members of Heaven's Council. They possess great rank and may even be seen as members of the 'divine congregation,' but are outside of Heaven's law and control system."

"What, you were attacked by a Hound?" Sephire asked sharply, and Zerrex cleared his throat awkwardly as Cherry snorted in entertainment and a few other concerned gazed turned towards the reptile. "Why the hell didn't you summon any of us, you dumb shit? That thing could have eaten your face off!"

"Error had my back." Zerrex said lamely, gesturing towards the male, and the Strange Beast glanced up with a frown from his poetry book before he grumbled and went back to reading, and then the reptile quickly changed the subject, saying quietly: "Anyway, what about the possibility that one of them is Lord God and they're working together on this? I hate to bring up conspiracy theories or anything but... we're facing a threat we've never really been faced with before. Enemies who are working through cunning and deception instead of just raw power... and if they were all sworn to secrecy through blood oaths..."

"Yeah, shit, that complicates it a little more... they wouldn't be able to break a blood oath, negating the possibility of any of them blabbing or getting cold feet, and... makes a conspiracy a whole lot more possible." Huck muttered, and then he grimaced and shook his head slowly. "Listen, the good news is that unless Justice comes back with different, this is basically the full list of candidates of people who want you dead. Must be nice that there's only three of them for once instead of a fucking army, huh?"

"Yeah, except it sounds like all three of them have an entire army at their disposal." Zerrex muttered, and he rested back in the wooden chair as he quietly played with his mala, gazing over the silent, gathered faces here. Disciples, friends, and family... and then Raze reached up and squeezed his shoulder slowly, and the reptile smiled a little at him before he asked quietly, as he looked back and forth over the others. "Anyone have anything else to add?"

"I really enjoy the time we spend together?" Cherry said lamely, holding up a finger, and then Sephire giggled stupidly before she hugged the muscular female firmly, and Zerrex slapped his forehead and Missy looked dumbly at the two and Marina glowered. Then they pulled apart, and Cherry smiled a little, looking awkwardly back and forth before she said finally: "Look. I know things are pretty much going up shit creek right now, but... we're moving forwards, right? And better yet, we got an idea of who we should go have a friendly little chat with... besides, Boss, now at least you can take some action, and we still got this facility to deal with as well."

Zerrex grunted, but he wondered if that fact only further complicated the situation as he looked slowly over those gathered at the table again before Marina suggested gently: "Why don't we leave matters here for now, then, and take some time to mull over these new events? Father has a lot on his mind, after all." She stopped, then smiled a little over at the Drakkaren, adding quietly: "And besides. I think that it would be good for all of us to take some time and think things over."

The Drakkaren nodded after a moment, and others agreed as the reptile rubbed at the underside of his muzzle slowly, and it wasn't long before they all went their separate ways. Huck stayed behind as always to facilitate things here in Hez'Ranna, promising to get in touch with Albatross... while Eratosthenes grumbled grouchily that he'd return to Acheron, along with Sephire, Raze, and Marina.

Cindy turned in the cell phone and Northern Star at the front counter in the lobby of the building as Zerrex stood waiting for her, and then she approached with a smile, taking his hand gently and pulling him towards the doors, where Cherry, Daria, Missy and Maria were all waiting on the street. They would return to Elysium for a short time, to check on how things were going, to talk to Vivien, and to deal with anything else that came out... and in a little over an hour, Zerrex was sitting on his bed in his room at the Ravenlight Estate, Blackheart back in place and Sammy sitting beside him, gazing up at him quietly as the reptile slowly played with his prayer beads in one hand.

He gave a soft sigh, then shook his head a bit and glanced down at the pseudodragon as thoughts tickled through his mind: darker thoughts, tinged with feverish lust and strange urges, and the reptile realized quietly that sooner rather than later he was going to have to Invert. He could almost feel Negative worming through his mind, and the reptile didn't know if this was a natural need to let off some steam through Inversion, or if this was because Negative was searching for a flaw in his armor... and then the Drakkaren's eyes flicked up as he sensed something, and he was unsurprised to see Negative leaning back against the wall, looking at him moodily, his arms crossed and his eyes cold and contemplative. "Let me guess. You want to add your two cents in on this whole situation I'm stuck in too, right?"

"Why don't you just attack directly? Destroy the facility, trigger the trap... and while the enemy thinks it has you, eradicate it. You do not need Eratosthenes to find it, now that you know it's on the mortal plane... your instincts and ability to home in on energy sources will do that for you. Nor do you need help to kill everyone there, when you already have mine." Negative said quietly, then he glanced down at his bone claw with a snort as dark lightning flickered down the limb, and Sammy growled, the golden flames in his sockets burning with uncertainty and fear and courage. "We work together best in adversity, after all, Zerrex."

Zerrex glanced down at his mala, and then he put it quietly aside before he laced his fingers together, studying Negative silently for a few moments. Finally, he sighed a bit as the creature's red eyes turned towards him again, and the Drakkaren said quietly: "Look. We can discuss this. Just tell me what you want and let's work like civilized beings instead of swinging stupidly at each other while we're stuck like this, okay?"

"There's nothing civilized in civilization." Negative replied softly, and then he shrugged a bit, saying calmly: "But no, Zerrex, don't worry: I've decided to stop for now. I'm sure sooner or later, I'll come for your head again, once I've further evolved, further grown... but for now, I am content to allow you to do as you please. Do not forget that I am a being of change and power... and that whatever form I look like, however much I resemble you or your Inversion, I am all that and more."

Zerrex looked at the creature for a few long moments, and then he finally shook his head out before he rubbed his hands together and said quietly: "Fine, Negative, do as you wish, as long as it doesn't interfere with myself or mine. What does that mean for you, though? And for me?"

"It means that when you Invert, if you hurt anyone... it will be purely your fault..." Negative's red eyes flashed, and then he slowly began to fade from existence, only his terrible, crimson gaze remaining after a few moments, and the bare white flash of his grinning teeth. "I think the greatest pain I can cause you right now... is by not being there to take responsibility for your actions."

The Drakkaren gritted his teeth as Negative laughed... but soon, the sound faded as the last of the creature vanished from sight, and the reptile shook his head shortly before Sammy quietly chirped in concern and hopped into the reptile's lap, scrabbling quietly at his chest as he leaned up and then said in Cindy's soothing voice: "Don't be scared, Zerrex... it'll be okay."

Zerrex glanced down at the pseudodragon... and then he smiled a little, rubbing a hand quietly along the small skeleton's spine and saying softly: "I know, Sammy. Listen, will you go around and tell the others to meet me in the Deep Temple, then? I'm going to jump down and Invert... maybe it'll let me clear my head a little or destress me to get this all out of my system, I dunno."

Sammy chirped and nodded, looking up at him for a few moments, and then he leaned up and nipped the reptile's chin before he vanished from sight, and the reptile smiled a bit to himself before he took a slow breath, standing up... and a moment later, vanishing from sight completely.

He reappeared in the huge warding circle outside the vault door, and with only a glance at it, the enormous, armored metal structure clanked and then slowly swung itself open. The reptile walked forwards, carefully stepping up to the threshold and passing through, his eyes roving upwards towards the enormous pyramid before a hand silently brushed against him, and the reptile glanced to the side before staggering with a gasp as he saw Little Arcy hovering silently, transparent and ivory, her spirit floating above the dusty ground and flickering like the enormous blue flames that burned above.

She smiled at him sadly, and Zerrex dropped to his knees... before another hand settled silently on his shoulder, and the reptile looked creakily to the side to see Elliot, Jeannine beside him... and other spirits emerged slowly from the other buildings, translucent with a faint, brimming paleness to them, no color any longer in their forms except for the stark and yet see-through whiteness. Shades, slivers of the dead, restless spirits... and then Little Arcy quietly turned his face back towards her and cupped his cheeks with her small hands, the kitten leaning her head down slowly as the reptile trembled at the purification ebbing off her... and then she hissed suddenly, and her eyes became empty sockets as her lips drew away from her jaws and she bit savagely into the side of the reptile's neck.

The lizard howled in agony as the other spirits clawed and grabbed at him, not leaving physical marks but instead ripping at his energies, sending up splatters of blue and arcs of light... and then there was a terrible roar, and Zerrex looked up in shock as Negative appeared beside him, swinging his bony claw out and releasing a powerful shock of dark energy that drove the shades back as he shouted angrily: "They aren't your loved ones! Don't be pathetic, Zerrex, close your fucking eyes and sense them, don't see them!"

Zerrex snarled, lunging backwards as he clenched his jaws tight and his eyes shut... and then they snapped open with a gasp and he realized what they were as Negative vanished as abruptly as he'd appeared... but now that he knew what they were, they no longer appeared in the shapes of those he'd lost. Instead, their mouths gaped, filled with ragged teeth, and their hands drooped on too long arms, their features melted and sunken, their eyes hollow points. They were the Host... cursed pseudo-souls made from Enochian magic and stolen life-force, a forbidden weapon of Heaven that existed outside the physical and hungered for energy. But how the hell did they get inside here?

The Host mimicking Little Arcy lunged at him, mouth gaping... and Zerrex leapt upwards, seizing a golden stone roof and jackknifing onto it before he created a sphere of energy in his hand and half-spun around, flinging it down into the group. It exploded in a brilliant sapphire blast that left a narrow crater in the ground and tore two of the Host into halves, white energy flickering violently through the air as they fell to the earth... but then slowly floated back upwards, piecing themselves together as Zerrex snarled and turned, running quickly along the rooftops as he cursed under his breath. "Can't hurt them with punches, don't have the time to exorcise them, I gotta-"

A Host in the shape of a massive Dragokkaren floated up through the rooftop in front of him, hissing as the others behind him closed rapidly... and Zerrex snarled, his eyes glowing solid green before his scales burst into steam along his right arm, revealing not a metallic gauntlet... but a limb made of solid, ivory bone plates, dark energy crackling down it as the Drakkaren snarled: "Get out of my way! Get away!"

He shoved his hand forwards, sending an unfocused blast of dark energy smashing into the creature, and the Host screamed silently as it reared back, flailing its limbs violently before it simply dissolved in a crackle of static, and the reptile snarled before he spun around, lashing the bone claw through another of the Host as they swarmed towards him and ripping a deep swathe through its side, making it hiss as it drew backwards before Zerrex arched his back with a roar as dark lightning zigzagged over his body and then released in a powerful shockwave, sending the swarming Host flying backwards as the lizard's scales turned pitch black and plates of bone snapped violently into place over his frame as black fire burned across his form. "I said get away from me!"

The reptile's eyes glowed vibrant emerald as he stood in full Inversion, ten feet tall, muscles rippling beneath black scales as bone plates clung to him and a bit of drool fell from his jaws, snarling furiously... and then, when one of the Host lunged forwards, the reptile brought his hand up and caught the monster by the throat, and the ghostly shade that was mimicking Little Arcy flailed weakly for a moment before Zerrex leaned down so he was almost pressing nose-to-nose with it, whispering: "I don't care how you got here. I don't care what you're doing. I know you creatures are mindless. But if your master can hear me... I want you to know, Lord God, that using my allies like this is only going to make me enjoy it all the more when I finally get my claws into you and get to peel your skin from your bones... and unlike with Error, there will be no mercy!"

The reptile snarled, dark energy exploding down his arm before he flung the Host forwards into another that lunged towards him as black lightning coursed over it, and then it exploded, obsidian fire and electricity ripping through the air and bursting over the other shades present, the Host howling as they dissolved rapidly from the terrible, negative energies. The Inverted Zerrex breathed hard, fury boiling through his system, making it harder to control himself... and then he snarled as a Host silently floated up through the rooftop, realizing it was in the form of Aera Cura.

It looked up, its black sockets gazing at him... and then it grinned slowly as the sockets filled with golden light before its jaws simply gaped open, and a terrible, echoing voice spoke from it: "You don't scare me, Lord Zerrex. Ever since the first time we met, you've always been nothing but a bully... a coward, who thought he was above us, more righteous than us, more pure. Full of ego, always putting yourself first... nothing but a demon who stole his godhood."

"If you're not scared of me, why hide your voice? Why kill my friends instead of me? Why haven't you shown yourself?" the Drakkaren raged, and then he snarled and grasped at his head as one of his emerald irises seemed to crack, red light shimmering through it as he whispered to himself: "No, no, stay in control..."

"There's a difference between being a coward and being intelligent... and because, Zerrex, you represent everything that I hate. That I have striven against, since my first day in power... since I first came into existence." the voice replied coldly, but there was clear rage in its tone as well as the Host only floated lifelessly. "No, I want to save killing you until the end. I want to wait, and bide my time, and watch you flail and suffer and struggle. In fact, I want you to make more friends, more allies, and grow stronger... so that my victory over you will be all the sweeter. Ever since we met, you've done nothing but mock me... reversed everything I put into play, ruined the equilibrium and standing of Heaven, turned the Paradise I chose as my home into a joke! The others are not yet ready to understand or know what I am doing but when they see that with your death, everyone will respect Heaven, respect us, once again, instead of... of praying to impotent, false gods and daring to compare lowly little Hell to mighty and glorious Heaven... they will thank me. They will understand why I have done what I did. They will make me their leader instead of the worthless cretins that are in charge of Heaven now! To be Lord God is more my right than anyone else's, because I am the one who has sacrificed so much and worked so hard to be where I am today!"

"Worked on the backs of slaves, maybe." Zerrex said quietly, straightening and shaking his head slowly, and then he looked at the Host disgustedly, drawing his eyes over the mockery of Aera Cura's once-beautiful form done in shivering and pale whites. "The Host were sealed away for a reason as well, I believe... by someone far holier and better than you. Tampering with souls and spirits and so-called 'white magic' to create slaves who feel nothing but pain and hunger... and sending them down here to wait for me... sly and cruel, and it shows that you're more of a monster than most of the demons I've met."

The voice snarled, and then the Host lunged towards him... but Zerrex only grinned savagely as swords of black energy appeared around him in mid-flight, crashing into the Host and ripping through its body like smoke, sending it hurtling backwards, and it simply dissolved before it could even hit the ground. Then he shook his head slowly, before his eyes flicked upwards as a rift opened and Maria dropped out of it, landing in a kneel in front of him and glancing back and forth as she asked urgently: "Are you okay, grandfather? I sensed something..."

"I'm... fine." Zerrex murmured softly reaching up to touch the side of his face as he felt his mind burning with emotions and suppressed urges... and then, suddenly, he stepped forwards and seized Maria's shoulders, forcing his jaws down on hers and hungrily kissing her, and the Broken went limp in his grip as her chain bikini rattled and her eyes fluttered, fingers clenching and loosening before she sighed delightedly when Zerrex drew back, licking his own muzzle slowly. "Are the others on their way?"

"Of course... let's... await them at the top..." Maria whispered... and Zerrex smiled slightly to her before he took her hand, and then glanced towards the temple... and in a moment, they were at the top of the pyramid without even a sensation of moving, the Drakkaren standing in front of the looming obsidian throne and the Broken breathing hard as she looked back and forth, then turned her eyes to him with a blush as she murmured: "You're... oh, Zerrex..."

"Am I your master? Am I your god? Tell me." the Drakkaren asked almost teasingly, stroking under her chin, and Maria gasped softly as she stared up at him hungrily, nodding quickly.

"Yes, you are... my master, my god... the source of my meaning, my belonging, my strength... I am nothing but your obedient slave, your toy to do with as you wish..." Maria slowly stroked her hands down his abdominals, then dropped to her knees, kissing slowly along his chiseled front to his waist, trailing quiet kisses over the plate of bone in front of his groin as she shivered in obvious delight as the collar around her neck burned quietly with dark light. "Oh, I am so worthless without you..."

Zerrex smiled slightly... and then he sat back in his throne before he reached up and grasped the side of his head with a grunt, his eyes clenching... and when they opened, they were once more emerald, the red cracks that had spread through one iris healed as he murmured softly: "Thank you, Maria... you know that I love you, right?"

"Yes, grandfather, always..." Maria slipped back to prop herself against the side of the throne with a quiet smile, and Zerrex closed his eyes as he smiled a little as well, before the Broken said softly: "But you don't have to hold back here..."

"Only a child or the truly weak require constant reassurance... I'm... I'm fine, is what I mean to say." Zerrex shook his head, grunting and cursing under his breath. "You girls being here with me while I'm Inverted is more than enough... perhaps I should put the collar on when you're all here, to avoid... me going too crazy. I hate lording over you all..."

"And yet part of you craves it. Loves it... perhaps even needs it. You taught me to be comfortable with myself... as a Broken, and as a female who had before never indulged in the pleasures of the flesh, despite being a succubus." Maria replied quietly, looking quietly outwards over the buildings that rested through the sprawl of the Deep Temple. "Besides, you come here to Invert, to release the negative energy built up in you, to give in to your pleasures and passions... and we, like the Sacrifices and Beasts, exist to serve you in your every need. Disciples and Iuratus... we are your servants, and your friends, and everything in between."

Zerrex smiled faintly at this... and then a moment later, Cherry appeared in front of the steps, wheezing and leaning down to rest her hands on her knees as she muttered: "Fuck taking the stairs... I'm... think I'm getting the hand of this shooping shit, Boss. You okay? Heard a fucking commotion. Well... felt it really..."

She glanced up awkwardly at him, rubbing slowly at the black veins of corruption pulsing visibly through her body... and then Zerrex nodded and smiled slightly before he held up his bony arm, saying softly: "You're just eager for more, aren't you?"

"You're my drug, Boss. I know you hate it when I make that comparison but... you know me, I can't keep my big mouth shut." Cherry replied with a faint grin as she stepped forwards, then she reached up and pulled off her shirt, revealing the black bra beneath that clung to her large breasts, her leather pants tight against her lower body as she licked her lips slowly, then leaned forwards and grasped Zerrex's shoulders when the needle of bone sprung from the wrist, whispering softly: "Come on. 'Fore Cindy gets here. Then she'll want it too and you know that freaks me out."

Zerrex smiled slightly, not bothering to point out this hypocrisy... and then he thrusted the needle hard upwards, piercing into Cherry's chest and making her curse and grit her teeth, then slump forwards a bit against him as her legs trembled before Zerrex reached his other hand up to grasp her hips, slowly pulling her into a sitting position in his lap as she gave a soft moan and her body trembled, the black veins burning darkly through her scales as they pulsed powerfully, a bit of dark corruption leaking down between her breasts... and Zerrex couldn't help but wonder silently if these were the very same chimera cells that he was filling her with as had caused so much devastation to the First Gods... and then Cherry growled as she clenched her eyes shut before they opened slowly, terrible, dark black as she murmured hungrily: "Oh Gods... the power... the strength... the connection..."

She grinned, her teeth larger in her jaws than they had been before as she shivered hard... and then she gasped quietly before Zerrex yanked the needle free from her chest, sending out a short squirt of dark liquid before the wound immediately healed, and Cherry touched this with a grunt, closing her eyes and murmuring: "Usually passes right through... I must almost be at the breakthrough point now."

The needle slid back into the reptile's arm as he flexed his fingers, looking at her silently... and when Cherry opened her eyes, they had turned blue again as she quietly reached up and took his face in her hands, whispering: "Hey you. Don't you look at me like that now, you hear? I chose this myself, and we know it's the best way to go about it... I am your second, your shadow, and I am the darkness to the light so many others bring you and give you. I don't mind that... I know that physically, no matter what happens to me... I'll always be with you, Boss... and fuck, the only thing this corruption seems to do so far is turn me into a total fucking girl."

She smiled awkwardly, and the Inverted Zerrex hugged her fiercely forwards against his body, stroking silently along her back as Maria looked up at the two tenderly and Cherry snuggled herself close, murmuring: "I'm never, ever going to let you run off and fight shit alone again, you know. Now I'm gonna have the power to defend you, instead of standing back and turning into a fucking loser when your back's turned or you're gone somewhere. I keep failing you... but I ain't gonna ever fail you again now. You're only helping me protect everyone by filling me with this power, with this... corruption that... that I'm learning more and more to master now. So don't be scared, Boss... 'cause I promise you, it's all gonna turn out okay."

She drew back, and Zerrex looked into her eyes silently as she gazed into his... and then a moment later, she turned around with a slight smile, rolling her shoulders slowly as Cindy, Daria, and surprisingly, Missy, all stepped onto the top platform from the steps, and Missy's eyes widened as Zerrex gritted his teeth and looked away in embarrassment, asking sharply: "What is she doing here in the Deep Temple?"

"I... I wanted to see, Biggs, and I wouldn't take no for an answer... shit, is this..." she stepped forwards, studying him quietly as Daria blushed and Cindy looked awkwardly away as Cherry slipped out of the reptile's lap... and Zerrex moodily looked forwards, grasping the arms of his throne as he looked at her and she looked back, before her red eyes glowed faintly as she reached a hand out and hesitantly touched the ivory plates of bone over his chest. "Damn, you got more bones on you than in a whole damn cemetery. Can you feel that, Biggs?"

"Yes. You've seen, now go away, things get ugly here." Zerrex said pettishly, and then he winced when Missy glared at him and seized him by one horn, yanking his head down and making the Drakkaren flail as the others winced. "Dammit, Missy!"

"Now look, I ain't just some little country girl, you know that yourself! You let me make my own decisions every other time, what kinda selfish jerk are you that it only seems to matter when I make a damn decision that could affect you, too?" she asked sharply, and Zerrex winced a little at her before she shook his head firmly, which made a small part of him want to leap up in rage but the rest of him only quail and feel ashamed of himself. "Now what the hell is going on here? Your girls here keep tossing all kinds of words around but I ain't got any understanding of what they mean."

Zerrex finally reached up and managed to pry her off, and then he grumbled a bit as he sat back in the throne, saying dryly: "The short version is that every so often I have to Invert. I undergo this change and transformation and sit around down here, working off... darker urges... with the Disciples who are least-affected by Negative's corruption and my... destructive influences. Which is why you should go."

"I ain't scared of no corruption." Missy said softly, and Zerrex snorted at this before a grin spread down his face as he leaned towards her, holding up his bony arm, and the long needle sprung out of it, dark lightning sparking over the length.

"Oh really?" he asked softly, his primal instincts battling for control against his rational mind, his emotions and lusts rocking back and forth through his tottering mind. "It causes changes, mutation, transformation... and the only one who is completely unaffected by it is Maria, because she is a Broken. You are merely a Benevolent, Missy... and corruption already spills through your veins. My corruption is far more potent."

"Well, I gotta learn to control what's going on with me one way or another... and I know part of that means I gotta stop being scared." Missy replied quietly, and then she reached up and grabbed his arm, her scarlet eyes locking with his emerald. "I ain't scared, Zerrex."

Their eyes gazed deep into one another's... and then the Drakkaren tore his arm back before he stabbed forwards before he even know what he was doing, and the needle rippled as it passed without leaving a wound through the female's body, piercing into her very spirit as she gasped and dark lightning sparked over her form, black corruption spilling her as Zerrex stood over her, glaring down at her as she clawed at his arm and the others only watched helplessly... and then the reptile clenched his jaws shut and yanked the needle backwards, pulling it free with a splatter of dark energy as he grabbed at his head and groaned as Missy fell backwards to the ground and convulsed once, breathing hard as she shivered on the platform before he looked down with horror as Maria and Cherry grabbed either one of the reptile's arms and Cindy dropped over Missy, staring in horror as the Drakkaren whispered: "Oh no... what... what have I done?"

He slumped slowly, staring weakly down at her, almost hearing Negative laugh in his mind... and then Missy gargled and curled up slightly, clenching her eyes shut as her eyes burned red. Then she screamed for a short moment before hissing through her teeth, and a moment later, her red eyes flickered dully... and Cindy touched the gasping female's neck quietly before her eyes widened and she looked up with surprise. "Daddy, I..."

Zerrex pushed Cherry and Maria aside, dropping down beside Missy and reaching a hand out as the bone needle retracted, touching her silently... and his eyes widened in shock as he felt her energies pulsing powerfully, before he looked up at Cindy as she stared back. Then he picked Missy up in his arms, staring wonderingly back and forth over her as steam floated slowly off her body, even as she gasped quietly for breath, as Cindy whispered: "She... she absorbed your corruption somehow... somehow, it stabilized her..."

"I ain't... afraid of nothing or no one." Missy wheezed, and then she tiredly opened her eyes and grinned weakly up at him... but one had turned brilliant green, while the other burned bright red. "You're an asshole."

"You poked the goddamn bear with a stick." Zerrex grumbled in return as he sat back in his throne, but he couldn't help but stare at her wonderingly as her strength slowly but visibly came back to her, the female sitting up with a quiet grunt and rubbing slowly at her head before she quietly let herself slump against him with a blush and a mumble... and the reptile only smiled awkwardly down at her before he asked quietly: "How does your head feel?"

"Clear." she whispered, stroking her hands slowly over his chest, and then she closed her eyes and bowed her head against him, murmuring: "I just... had faith that you wouldn't hurt me. Not that you ain't able to... just that... you wouldn't hurt me. And you didn't. You helped me, you crazy son of a bitch. You did."

The others exchanged looks as Zerrex sat silently with Missy, and then she patted his arm, saying quietly as she looked up and met his eyes: "Try it again. I wanna see what happens. And don't you argue with me or I'll just piss you off some more."

Zerrex smiled awkwardly, looking hesitantly over the others... but Cindy shrugged and Cherry nodded slowly after a moment, and the reptile grimaced as he rose his hand... but instead of producing the bone spike once more, he slowly grasped her face and pulled her forwards into a kiss, his tongue slithering into her jaws and twisting gently with hers before pinning it down as he breathed into her mouth, and Missy shuddered before her eyes widened as a bit of dark smoke floated up between their jaws: his Inversion's breath, his Inversion's saliva, his Inversion's blood... every bit of him was tinged with the powers of his corruption.

She shuddered hard for a moment, groaning quietly... and then her eyes glowed faintly before she slumped back a bit in the reptile's arms, but she only grinned woozily even as a string of dark liquid dripped from her mouth, saying lamely: "I feel a little lightheaded, Biggs, but you're gonna have to give me a minute before I go making any snap decisions. Damn, ain't no wonder you got all these pretty things around if you can kiss like that."

"Damn straight." Cherry said cheerfully, and then she cleared her throat embarrassedly when Zerrex glared at her. "Sorry. Not used to. Happiness in this place that doesn't involve dicks everywhere."

Zerrex sighed and shook his head slowly... and then he looked up sharply as he felt another presence and heard footsteps on the stairs, before staring with surprise as Justice made her way across the platform, bowing courteously in front of the throne as her eyes glowed and she grinned slightly. "Why so surprised, Zerrex? Of course my Sisters were eager to tell me about this place... and I figured it'd be a better idea to catch you here in Elysium than waiting patiently back in Acheron. Patience isn't really my thing."

Zerrex looked at her moodily for a few moments, and then he shook his head slowly, saying distastefully: "The Deep Temple is a place of-"

"Worship and desire." Justice said softly, half-lidding her eyes, and she strutted forwards as her wings unfurled from her frame and her metallic tentacles snapped quietly through the air as they drew back from her breasts, leaving her naked as Cherry grinned and Daria blushed a bit, but let her eyes slowly rove along the Naganatine's form as the blind female's white eyes drew slowly over Zerrex. "We don't do business here... we concentrate on giving you a reprieve during your Inversion. But I don't see why you're so unhappy... even if it was just an accident, Missy was drawn here and is invulnerable to the side-effects your corruption... making her perfect to sit here in the Deep Temple... but I have no doubt that nonetheless they've triggered a transformation in her. And me, well... you know that I'm dedicated. I should dedicate myself here as well."

"Missy isn't a Disciple, and you haven't even seen me like this before." Zerrex said flatly, and then he grimaced a bit and covered his eyes with one hand as he fought against the hungers and lusts and eagerness building in his body, against the urges he wanted to follow, like seeing if Justice's words about Missy were true... and what kind of beautiful creature he could make her into with- no. No, no, no. Calm down. Concentrate. "I think I need my collar."

"No, you don't." Justice said forcefully, and Maria glanced up, halting in mid-step towards the back of the throne as Zerrex glared at her. She only smiled slightly, however, reaching a hand down and stroking under his muzzle as she said softly: "I saw you from the beginning, Zerrex, all your ins and outs... I know that why this makes you so embarrassed is because your Inversion forces all your darkest urges to the surface, in a way, brings the deepest recesses of your very soul to light... but you can be comfortable with us. And Missy, well. Let her make her own decisions."

She smiled slightly, leaning back complacently and crossing her arms, and Zerrex breathed slowly before he looked down at the Benevolent as she rested in his arms, not loosening her grip on him, not pulling away... and the reptile's eyes locked with her green and ruby irises as he whispered: "This is dangerous."

"I'm supposed to be having adventures now, remember?" Missy said softly, looking back at him... and then she smiled slightly as she reached up and touched his face silently. "I can still feel you inside there, Zerrex... I know you're still you, no matter what you do or look like... and that comforts me. I ain't scared of you... I know you'll protect me. I know you'll always be there to help me. I trust you."

And then Missy slid carefully out of his lap, looking awkwardly at the others as she rubbed at her head and muttered: "But I do think I'm gonna just stay back and watch for now... 'cause it looks like things are... going to get intense."

Zerrex smiled a bit at this, feeling like it was a fair enough negotiation and admittedly enjoying the thrill of the suddenly-shy Benevolent watching... and then Justice slipped forwards, sitting herself in his lap as she leaned over him and asked playfully: "So... are you going to steal the virtue of your Justice?"

"You had no virtue to begin with." Zerrex said dryly, as he dug his claws into her scales... and Justice grunted softly as energy sparked over the gashes, grinning widely as the reptile leaned up and whispered teasingly beside her head: "That's right... you don't heal very fast, do you? What if I leave scars?"

"I'll be disappointed if you don't." Justice retorted, seizing his shoulders and pinning him back... and the reptile grinned with this answer as his eyes burned with hunger.

Hours passed, and not simply in sexual play: they touched his body, they whispered their worship to him, they admired his strength and bathed in his power in more than one way as his corruption and lusts pulsed through them, and even Missy was led into their fold by Cindy as she smiled seductively, naked and splattered with a bit of blood, a bit of corruption, and smelling of sex and sweat and raw physical devotion.

At the end of it, Zerrex sat with Missy on one arm, blushing and naked and breathing hard as she rested against his shoulder, looking both traumatized and blissful in the same instant with what she had experience, and Cherry rested on the other, her scales turned almost entirely black from the corruption she had been exposed to, her eyes glowing obsidian lights as her chest heaved slowly, growling in delighted pleasure. Maria rested against one leg, and Cindy the other, with Daria curled up in the female's lap, and Justice rested against the other side of the throne as the Inverted reptile closed his green eyes with a sigh of relaxation. It was more about the power than it was anything else, he felt sometimes... but the raw physical pleasure did add to the bliss of the situation.

Then Cherry grunted as she reached up and cracked her neck, and her scales flickered before they returned to their normal color along with her irises, muttering: "Damn, must have just peaked at the threshold there... fuck, Boss, ain't you got just a little more to share?"

"Shut up, you hog, you're twisted." Cindy muttered, and Cherry huffed before she grimaced as energy sparked over her scales, and then the black veins pulsing through them vanished as Zerrex relaxed back in the throne and the bone plates slowly began to recede, his own scale color slowly returning to normal as his body pulsed softly with energy. "Feel better, Daddy?"

"Admittedly, yeah. Are you okay, Missy?" Zerrex glanced over to her, but the female only smiled embarrassedly at him and dropped her face shyly against his neck, and the reptile laughed a bit at this reaction as he felt his body returning slowly to normal shape and size, murmuring: "Yeah, it's okay. It's not like this is for absolutely everyone... much as I appreciate you getting involved because someone got grabby."

Cindy blushed a bit as she quietly hugged Daria against her stomach, and the demoness smiled softly, looking lovingly up at both the female and beyond to the Drakkaren, murmuring softly: "But at least we all enjoyed ourselves, right?"

"Yeah." Zerrex said after a moment, and then he rolled his shoulders slowly, feeling a little more positive, and strangely rejuvenated by the experience. Maybe it had to do with the fact that for once, it hadn't just been about doom and gloom and power... for once they had actually worked the stress out of his system, but with Missy there, it had been tempered in a strange sense, too... and the Drakkaren smiled a little as he glanced awkwardly down, before impulsively hugging the female close as Justice stood up, her wings draping around her waist and her metallic tentacles locking back into place over her bosom as she stretched slowly.

The golden retriever curled against him with a blush, and then she looked up with her mismatched red and green eyes, saying softly: "I don't mind this at all... it scares me a little, Zerrex, but I feel safe, not just in your arms, but with all these girls. I feel... right at home."

The reptile gazed at her tenderly for a few moments, and then he laughed a bit, replying gently: "I'm both surprised and... not surprised to hear you say that, Missy. But you don't have to make any decisions quite yet on the subject... touched as I am that you spent the time with me doing... what you did."

Missy laughed a little as the others began to get up, and then she touched his chest, stroking her fingers along his scars as she murmured softly: "Look at you, Biggs. Look at all these pretty ladies who've already given themselves to you... look at how your family and friends treat you and look up to you. It amazes me and it honors me, it really does... and I guess it really helps me see how Heaven wasn't entirely right 'bout everything it was teaching people, too. I mean, there are all kinds of rumors way up high about how things are so weird and different in Hell, but I'm getting the feeling that they both is and they ain't completely strange. That it ain't necessarily all bad... that maybe you folk got the right idea down here, at least for some people and some things." She stopped, and then smiled a little. "It makes me feel... better about... whatever the hell I'm becoming. No pun intended."

The reptile rubbed a hand down her side softly, and then he gently picked her up as he stood, bowing his head forwards and concentrating... and a moment later, a set of neatly-folded clothes appeared just above Missy and dropped into her lap, making her laugh a bit in surprise before Zerrex turned around and set her gently down in the obsidian throne, saying softly: "Go ahead, get dressed."

She nodded to him, and the Drakkaren glanced around before he closed his eyes as the others began to pull on their clothing, Cherry grumbling as she rolled around on the floor to squeeze herself into her too-tight leather pants and Daria carefully reapplying sticky butterflies over her breasts, before blushing when Cindy reached up and cupped one large swell, rolling her palm against the butterfly as she half-lidded her eyes... and Cherry glared over at the two, bristling visibly. Zerrex could sense this even with his eyes closed, and he smiled to himself as he concentrated, boxers, and then jeans appearing over his body before the reptile absently patted his own crotch, saying mildly: "You need to learn to do that, Cherry."

"Grab your dick?" Cherry asked flatly, and the reptile rolled his eyes with a grumble before the hermaphrodite wheezed as she managed to finally squeeze her pants over her huge hips. "So now that you've got all that poison out of your system and shit... what do we do now?"

The reptile shrugged a bit at this, and then he looked towards Cindy before saying softly: "We have... a funeral to prepare for. Do you agree, Cherry?"

"Boss, I ain't here to disagree with you, no matter how often the opposite seems true." Cherry said gently, and then she smiled a little as her eyes roved over the others, rubbing at one bare breast as she murmured: "After you mentioning the Host showing up... might not be a bad idea."

Zerrex nodded a bit to her... and after the others finished getting dressed, he held his hands out as Maria vanished into a rift with a soft smile. The other females clung to the reptile, and he gazed back and forth over them, reflecting on how lucky he was despite how unlucky he was in the same instance... and then he vanished from the spot with them, reappearing a moment later in the main hall of the Ravenlight Estate and then gazing around at them all, saying quietly: "Call everyone we need together and have them meet me in the boardroom near the top of the Estate."

The others nodded... and they had all created portals and gone their separate ways, Missy blushing a bit as she left with Cherry, who had surprisingly almost bullied her way into mentoring the female. Zerrex smiled softly to himself as he emerged outside of the enormous meeting room they referred to as the 'boardroom,' however, knowing that Cherry had more than just a lot of muscle and sex-drive to her... it was just sometimes hard to see under all the layers of bitchiness and testosterone.

The reptile glanced back and forth as he walked through the double doors leading into the wide meeting hall, letting one hand reach out to trail silently over the backs of comfortable, leather chairs that sat around an enormous, rectangular table. It was made of polished rosewood, the top swirled with white and brown arcs, with enough space at either end to seat three people instead of just one. Landscapes and pretty portraits rested over the white stone walls of the room, and beautiful, glowing globes hung suspended from the ceiling by silver chains, casting soft light over the entire room as Zerrex smiled a little and carefully pulled one of the chairs out to sit down, resting his palms quietly against the surface of the wood.

Unsurprisingly, it was Vivien who showed up first, walking through the open double doors and silently taking a seat opposite Zerrex. For a few moments, they studied each other, and then the High Queen said softly: "It's good to see you."

"You too, Vivien. How're things going?" Their eyes met, and they smiled, softening a bit as they studied one another. The Celestial Devil didn't answer his question, and the Drakkaren couldn't help but smile as she glanced down with a bit of a blush before he prodded: "How's work? Any news from Eslovius?"

"It's good." Vivien glanced up, and then she nodded, looking a little relieved as she continued quietly: "The Emperor was executed for high treason, and they have a new Regent in place to oversee the nation while they settle on a new permanent leader. They're disorganized right now, very weak... your friend Newton made the ironic suggestion of invading and annexing most of the nation as a new part of Elysium. He seems very fond of our customs... I think he's working to marry both Eslovian and Elysian law as his country is reborn."

Zerrex nodded slowly, rubbing at his face and murmuring quietly: "That's good news at least... I'm glad one thing can go right in this damn universe every now and then. Did you hear about the other Heavenly grunts that have been attacking me? You have a weird way of finding out crazy information before I can tell anyone."

"I'm a Celestial Devil, Zerrex, I can predict and divine current events around the universe by reading the emotions of the stars and the ripples in the fabric of time." Vivien said dryly, and Zerrex looked at her dumbly before she rolled her eyes. "Why don't we skip the explanation that I've given you a thousand times and you just tell me what's beaten you up this time?"

"Well, I'm sure you've heard about the Strange Beasts turning on Error, knowing Huck's gossipy mouth... and you probably know about the Hound of Heaven that mauled me on the mortal plane." Zerrex added, and Vivien nodded, lacing her fingers together quietly and studying him thoughtfully. "But while in the Deep Temple, I was approached by what I thought were lingering spirits... but they were the Host, in the forms of those that had been killed."

"Sickening. This Lord God... he must truly hate you." Vivien said quietly, looking at the Drakkaren and studying his features for a few moments, and the reptile grimaced and nodded. He hesitated, and she frowned a bit, narrowing her eyes slightly. "There's something else, isn't there?"

"Lord God spoke to me, through the Host. He says he wants to torture me... he wants to kill all my friends and family before he kills me. He's..." Zerrex halted, looking down with a frown and rubbing at his face slowly. "I haven't heard such hatred for me since... since Narrius. He's fixated on me, and he also seemed really, strangely fixated on Heaven, too, on making it... pure, so to speak. 'Restoring' it or something to its 'former glory.'"

Vivien nodded slowly, frowning a bit as she said quietly: "The Heavenly Council, and a lot of the older angels, still believe to this day in 'Heaven over Hell' and that Heaven is not only supposed to be kept distant, but superior. From the choices I was presented myself, I don't think it's one of the gods... to me, Saint Luther is the best candidate."

"Yeah, Raze said that too, but Sephire said Luther didn't have motive... do you know something about him?" Zerrex tilted his head curiously, and Vivien only smiled amusedly. "What?"

"Luther is a Magistrate second... he's a merchant first. He puts the company he runs before all other duties, because that's what gives him true power in Heaven: the fact that he employs countless people to work in his factories and the purification facilities, and that gives him dominion over their lives. Paradise has taxes, after all." Vivien said ironically, and Zerrex grunted, nodding a bit: property in Heaven was much more expensive to maintain than property in Hell. "Don't forget, he also bought his way into sainthood... and you could say that's how he maintains it, too. A lot of generous donations to a lot of well-connected people.

"But years ago, when Heaven and Hell first began to trade with each other, you were the one who helped introduce import-export taxation. You were also the one who killed the False God in Heaven... and sickening as it is, there's a lot of angels who were angry when you worked with the Archangels and sent Narrius to the Unworld." Vivien continued quietly, and Zerrex grunted and nodded slowly. "Narrius, after all, had been feeding discord by giving almost unlimited power to certain companies and special rights to older angels so they wouldn't try and rise up against any of his more-suspicious operations. And angels like Saint Luther have long memories and love to bear a grudge. You almost destroyed his company... and in a way, you helped change Heaven as well as Hell. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of angels preferred to lay the blame for that at your doorstep, especially the Council... under Narrius, after all, they had been given unlimited power."

The Drakkaren looked down, tapping his fingers quietly against the tabletop, and then Vivien said quietly: "Luther, in all likelihood, has been waiting for this chance for a long time. It's a well-known fact that one of his shadow companies in Heaven is in charge of the disassembly and destruction of 'dangerous artifacts,' and you can just imagine how many of these artifacts go missing. But no one complains: why would they, when he buys the stuff by making bogus 'donations' to the evidence, storage, and peacekeeping facilities where the artifacts are stored? And I'm sure if we requisitioned and checked the data logs, we'd find that his 'removal' company purchased all the mortal goods you'd need to build these things, as well as a good few number of things that are now in what you call the Centrifuge."

Zerrex gave a sound of disgust as he nodded slowly, and Vivien smiled slightly as she crossed her arms, leaning back and saying quietly. "I think he's got a lot of reason to hate you. The other gods probably dislike you... but he's the one with the most reason to loathe you. But I think the real answer lays in this facility, which I know you're going to end up visiting no matter how many times I tell you it's a trap and ambush... so I have a suggestion for that, too."

"Well... go ahead, since no one else is here yet." Zerrex muttered, glancing back and forth around the table, but then he returned his eyes to her with curiosity as Vivien smiled slightly. "What?"

"Since Lord God obviously knows you're going to attack and likely has all kinds of defenses in wait expecting the worst... we shouldn't disappoint him." Vivien said softly, tapping her nose lightly. "We'll use a classic distraction tactic... a large force to lay direct siege, and then have a small strike team insert directly into the facility while his forces are distracted. His defenses can easily be evaded this way... especially if it looks like you're fighting with the main forces, which should be composed of your Disciples, among others."

Zerrex cocked his head curiously at this, saying slowly: "Wait... are you saying... use a shapeshifter and a bunch of my Disciples and Iuratus to draw his attention, then... sneak around to the back door?"

"Essentially, if you want to put it so blandly." Vivien said dryly, sitting up, and Zerrex stared at her dumbly as she looked sourly at him. "I'm High Queen for a reason, Zerrex... you should know that, considering you were the one who picked me for this job."

"Yeah, but... I never thought you were like, Sabnock-smart." Zerrex said honestly, rubbing at his head, and Vivien looked both exasperated and entertained at the same time as she brushed a hand through her hair with a shake of her head. "That could actually work... and if he thinks I'm out there engaging whatever trap he's prepared, he might just stay and watch..."

"And then you have a chance to unmask and possibly terminate Lord God before this mess gets any worse." Vivien finished with a short nod, her smile grim and cold. "It's a dangerous tactic that puts your Disciples at risk, and there's a possibility that he could outmaneuver us... but there's also quite a high chance that this will at least get you a glimpse behind Lord God's mask and do some real damage to his operations, if you end this entire charade before our situation becomes any more dire."

The reptile rubbed thoughtfully at the underside of his muzzle, looking down musingly... and then he nodded after a moment, saying finally: "I'll talk it over with the others, then. But a shapeshifter who can mimic me perfectly..."

"Oh, like that'll be hard to find." Vivien said dryly, and Zerrex glowered at her for a moment. Before he could respond, however, Ambrosia and Serenity walked in, the two shoving at each other grumpily as Desire blushed and awkwardly followed behind them.

Others came in soon after: Justice and Mercy, Missy, Cherry, and Cindy, Daria and Maria and Mary. Soon the table was almost filled despite being so large, as Zerrex stood up and surveyed the faces gathered... and then he sighed when Serenity elbowed Ambrosia grumpily, who gritted her teeth and glared at her both irritably and victoriously: she had managed to secure the spot right beside Zerrex, and was visibly gloating about it. "Will you two stop?"

All eyes turned to them for a moment, and both Ambrosia and Serenity blushed, Serenity looking cowed for once in her life as Zerrex shook his head a bit, and then he said calmly, as he gazed back over the gathered group: "Although normally I prefer to wait on things like this... I'd like to discuss holding a funeral for those that have died so far in the murderer's attacks. I think it's only fair..." The Drakkaren hesitated, his eyes drawing quietly to Mahihko and Lone, who were sitting and holding hands in the back next to Vampire, the two wolves staring quietly up at him. "And those who have been personally affected, of course, have every right to speak up as to what they'd like."

The wolves nodded a little, and there was silence for a few moments... and then the Drakkaren glanced up in surprise as Anathema walked through the open double doors and then closed them, Sammy popping into existence a moment later on her shoulder with a quiet chirp before she said softly: "Sister and Earth sent me. They both requested that the funeral rites be held for the dead in Acheron, not Elysium or the mortal plane. It would not only be safest there... it would be a fitting way to honor those who died-"

"Because of me." Zerrex murmured softly, and then Ambrosia reached up and squeezed his wrist gently, smiling at him supportively as the reptile smiled awkwardly back. "Sorry, I know. Bit of a... selfish moment there. This isn't all about me, it's about them... but why not the mortal plane then, Anathema?"

"Because while Hez'Ranna is your land, Acheron is a dimension that honors you best... and most importantly, it was a home, a safe bastion, to each and every one of us." Anathema said softly, glancing down as she approached the table, resting her hands on the surface of it but not sitting down. Then she glanced up, smiling slightly. "But I'm sure Earth and Sin can explain it much better than I can. I'm just a messenger... a fitting one for a funeral, no?"

The reptile shook his head slowly, but admittedly, the female's refusal to take anything except herself seriously made him feel strangely comforted. Finally, he smiled a little as his eyes roved over her, and then he said quietly: "Does anyone have any objections?"

"I think... I think our sister really liked it there." Mahihko said meekly after a moment, and Zerrex glanced curiously over to the wolves as the smaller lupine and Lone exchanged looks, and then Mahihko continued quietly: "She might not have acted like it and she was used to a bigger and better place but... I think she felt safe there. I think she'd like that, Daddy... I think she'd like feeling like she was part of a big family and... and loved..."

He closed his eyes, and Cindy looked up, adding quietly: "There's no better place for Little Arcy, Zerrex... she was dedicated to you, she adored you. And Elliot always respected you... respected what you represented and who you were. He was my godfather, and he was never very religious... but I know he would like to... he would like it if..."

She closed her eyes, and Daria silently rubbed a hand along Cindy's back as the newt murmured softly: "I'll talk to Saint and get him to attend, at least. I might not owe Missy Ella much but... I guess I can do that for her. Prove... that I'm better than her." She closed her eyes, then opened them, gazing quietly over at Zerrex. "Candy would probably have liked that too... she wasn't close to you or me or any of us, I know, but she did admire you."

"And Mika... Mika would like that." Mary added softly, and Zerrex turned his eyes to the ivory feline as her black eyes glimmered quietly, smiling faintly: "I know you were scared with how mad he was at you, but... I know he still respected you, despite losing Felicity. He never would have wanted to be given a funeral in Heaven anyway."

Zerrex smiled a little at this, and he lowered his head, breathing slowly before he glanced around the room... and then he said quietly: "Then Acheron it is. How shall we... go about this?"

It was a long talk, discussing not just religion and ceremony, but every so often veering off on tangents and memories, both good and bad, as they sat around the table and talked together. As there were no real bodies, and in some cases, no real remains, they would instead use the old Hell tradition of placing a personal item of the deceased into an urn or specially-made chest, such as a piece of clothing or an item that had held personal significance to them. They would perform their last rites, and then they would burn the urns together in a great pyre.

The funeral would be held in two days, giving everyone enough time to prepare themselves as they saw fit. Zerrex spent the time mostly in meditation and quiet, wandering the Ravenlight Estate, every now and then bumping into Spike or Missy or Ambrosia and chatting with them quietly... two people new to his life, and a daughter who he had missed out on a lot of time with. Helena sometimes followed him faithfully around as well, but she was also working on and off with Carmen, learning the ropes of being a concubine: it was a little more complicated than the Dius had expected, but she still seemed very dedicated to the task and wasn't letting up at all, which Zerrex respected.

When the time came for the funeral, Zerrex was surprised when Vivien joined them, saying courteously she would do her best to honor those that had fallen so far as well... and the reptile had nodded bit, admittedly glad for her company. In Acheron, the Dragokkaren stopped work in respect of what was going on, as Dragon Warriors and Sacrifices carried urns and chests quietly all the way to the Palace and through its twisting passages to the roof, where a beautiful and massive wooden statue had been carved, designed in the shape of a looming tree with wide branches ending in thick, flat leaves: upon each leaf, a chest or urn was placed, until they were all filled... and Zerrex gazed quietly at the tree, hating how many leaves there were... how many had already been lost.

They had decided to honor all those who had died, although the only people present here were Zerrex's friends, family, and Disciples, and a few others who stood awkwardly apart. Among these was Saint, Missy Ella's old security chief resting with his arm in a cast and looking miserable as he breathed hard, still weakened from the massive trauma he had experienced.

Zerrex began the services with a short speech, thanking them for coming, telling why they were having this now, and offering a prayer for their souls: funny, a god praying, especially a god like Zerrex who didn't put much stock in most religion or other gods. But the act of it showed respect and was comforting to those who heard it... and he allowed the wolves to take the spot next, both of them dressed in formal suits: Mahihko in a small white tuxedo, Lone in a black, solemn suit.

They traded turns talking about Jeannine... and although Mahihko broke down into tears and Lone cried a little himself, they held up admirably and gave her a fond farewell. Cindy went up next, talking about Elliot... and Jessica, in a flowing dress, went up to stand in front of the funeral tree with her, talking softly about her own experiences with the male. Surprisingly, when Zerrex went up, Jessica gently hugged him... and Zerrex closed his eyes and hugged her silently back, whatever differences were still between them put aside for this moment of mourning before he shared his own experiences.

It continued: eulogies were given for Mika, for Little Arcy, even for Missy Ella by Saint and a grudging but trying-her-hardest Daria. Everyone, even those like Hellabos, who had ended up as betrayers, and those Daniel Roper, who Zerrex barely remembered, were given a few words... and finally, they set the great tree aflame... and surprising them all, soft song filled the air, and Zerrex turned to see Celeste standing silently beside Error as she sang slow and easily... and a moment later, the Librarian joined her song, fumbling a little at first, but his voice mixing with hers as it picked up, both of them singing with what felt and sounded like pure emotion, not stumbling words.

The tree burned, white and black smoke rising into the red skies of Acheron as a sweet smell floated through the air, and yet even as they visibly weakened, the branches of the great wooden sculpture held out until the chests and urns had been completely burned away by the devouring red and orange flames. Only after the last urn finally cracked and fell apart, did the tree finally begin to slowly collapse... and it did not list, but rather slowly began to crumble straight downwards, the outer branches falling first to the stone roof before the center of the tree finally cracked and slowly tottered apart, whispering away to ashes.

The reptile stood quietly as the last ruins of it burned, even as others began to filter away, closing his eyes as the song of the Strange Beasts still echoed through his mind despite the fact it had ended long ago... and then he glanced to the side in surprise as Error stepped up beside him, the reptile's mala jangling quietly around his neck as the Librarian said quietly: "You brought everyone together for this... and although at first I thought it was a useless exercise, they feel... bonded over the experience. I can understand better now why you wanted to do this. I respect it."

Zerrex smiled a bit at this, glancing over at him for a moment before his eyes looked towards the smoldering ashes... and then the reptile made a gentle sweeping gesture, and a powerful wind tore by, lifting the embers and ashes into the air, where they swirled and formed for a moment into a great serpent before dispersing... and the Drakkaren shook his head a bit, saying quietly: "I appreciate that, Eratosthenes. Thank you. I know that I might seem... odd, especially to you, but I do... I have been trying my hardest to honor my friends and family. Even when it seems like I'm not."

"You don't need to explain that to me." Error replied, looking out at the smooth, now-clean stone, and then he lowered his head and said quietly: "In another day I'll be back at full strength. I shall lead you to the facility then... but I wish to know, what happens to me after that? I... no longer have much purpose."

"You are welcome to stay with me, Librarian, now that you have begun to regain yourself." Celeste said kindly, and Zerrex smiled a bit before the Strange Beast quietly reached up and touched her collar as Eratosthenes glanced over his shoulder towards her with curiosity. "I am sorry, Zerrex. I will restrain myself from prying."

"It's alright, Celeste." Zerrex said gently, looking over at her with quiet amusement, and then he shook his head a bit before he returned his gaze to Eratosthenes, saying softly: "But what Celeste said is true enough. You can stay with her... and you two are welcome to stay with us, at least for as long as you want. You might have caused me a lot of trouble, but you watched my back when I asked you to as well, and that goes a long way with me, Error."

Eratosthenes looked at him for a few moments, and then he nodded slowly before he crossed his arms, saying quietly: "Then I shall stay here... at least until I either regain control of the Guardians or something else calls me away."

Zerrex smiled at this, then he reached up and slapped the male gently on the shoulder, the Librarian looking a bit startled at first by this gesture before he grimaced and rolled his arm, looking moodily at the Drakkaren, and Zerrex shook his head with a bit of a laugh before he turned around and gazed with a bit of a smile towards Earth, who was politely standing a short distance away, waiting for him. The reptile looked at the Strange Beasts, but neither of them seemed like they had anything further to say... so he shrugged bit, then said calmly: "Earth, go ahead."

"Thank you, Zerrex." She bowed her head politely as she approached, then looked up at him curiously, examining him for a few moments. "As you requested, workers are permitted the day off if they desire... but many have already gladly resumed construction on the portal. These Dragokkaren... they are as hardy and proud workers as I remember from my time long ago, when we lived here under the tyranny of the Goddess... and they find joy and freedom in work, as they also did long ago."

The Drakkaren smiled at this, gesturing for her to continue, and Earth blushed a bit before she said softly: "Likewise, I have prepared the great hall with a banquet as requested, as well as a set of private rooms. Many have currently gone to the hall, however, and they seem to be enjoying engaging each other in conversation and memory. It is helping the healing process."

Zerrex nodded, and for a moment they studied each other before Earth reached out and touched his chest gently with both her hands, bowing her head forwards and murmuring a short blessing in Hez'Rannan before she smiled at him kindly. "Please take some time to rest, Lord Zerrex. While not a physical ordeal, I know this was a difficult emotional burden to handle, and you have done very well with it and very well with supporting all of us through the task."

The reptile gazed down at her softly, and then he nodded slowly before saying quietly: "Alright, I guess that's not a bad idea. Maybe a bit of a nap will clear my head, anyway... I've done quite a bit of planning over the last while, after all, and... I really have no big plans."

Earth nodded, and then they smiled at each other before Zerrex winked and vanished from the spot, reappearing a moment later in his own room in Acheron as he rubbed absently at the dress shirt covering his chest... and then he blanched and leapt backwards in shock when he saw Anathema lounging on his futon next to Sin, the two curled up together and Sammy snoozing quietly inside the undead female's ribcage on the squishy bed of her pulsating organs as Sin blushed and Anathema grinned widely at him. "What the hell!"

He huffed and straightened, composing himself as Sammy half-raised his head and chirped... and Anathema glared down at him grouchily before she poked at the pseudodragon. The little skeleton huffed and nipped back at her, but then scrambled quickly free and away from her when she swatted at him grumpily. "Little bastard. Anyway, sister, what did I tell you? I knew he'd head here."

"I wanna nap." Zerrex whined and stomped his feet childishly, and Anathema rolled her eyes as Sin giggled a little, sitting up as her long black dress swirled around her, looking warmly at him.

"I wouldn't mind a rest myself, Lord Zerrex... I... was just hoping that you wouldn't mind the company of myself and my sister." Sin said softly, brushing quietly at her corset, and Anathema smiled awkwardly and grunted a bit as she sat up herself, the two looking over at the Drakkaren with affection and warmth in their eyes. "You know we both care very deeply for you, after all..."

"How could I ever forget?" Zerrex said softly with a smile, and then he carefully unbuttoned his dress shirt, tossing this aside before he removed his mala and gently laid it on the dresser. Then he reached down to untie his boots, and Anathema seized him and yanked him into the bed across the laps of her and Sin, the reptile flailing his limbs with a grumble before the undead Naganatine reached down and yanked his boots off. "Watch it, you're going to rip them!"

"They're already ripped and ugly." Anathema said flatly as she tossed them aside, and then she forcefully maneuvered Zerrex so he lay between them, and Sin blushed a bit as Anathema almost slammed herself down against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist and grumbling as she shoved her head down against his upper abdominals. "You're also ripped and ugly."

Zerrex only mumbled under his breath as Sin carefully slid her arms around his neck and then smiled softly, her eye closing as the blue flames in her metal socket glowed brilliantly before dimming slightly as she rested her head against his chest, murmuring softly: "Thank you for sharing this with us, Lord Zerrex."

The reptile only grumbled again, but Sin smiled warmer as Anathema closed her eyes with a content grunt... and then the male Drakkaren glanced up as he felt something on his head, peering upwards to see Sammy peering down at him. The pseudodragon chirped quietly, and Zerrex shook his head in entertainment before he closed his eyes and yawned a bit as he felt the tiny, skeletal beast curl up on top of his head, and a moment later, he allowed himself to descend into quiet slumber.

"Why is it they seem to think the things they do? That I can solve all their problems... and worse, that they have to... to obey me, to bow to me, to pay me tribute..." Naganis paced slowly back and forth in front of the Heavenly Council, the immense hall lit by a glowing orb that floated quietly near the ceiling, illuminating the seats and the high balconies above. This would be removed many years later, not long after the replacement of Naganis by a False God... just as many of the current members would be replaced.

All nine Naganatine who were still alive and had not been sentenced to limbo were present in the council, although Amiglion looked unhappy and nervous, his Reaper's scythe Grim War floating slowly beside him as the other Naganatine shot him dirty looks on occasion. Two Great Reapers were in attendance, as were a smattering of angels and a few godlings... and near the back row, Lucifer stood calmly as Lord fidgeted in a balcony above next to a young, vibrant Sephire who was without any metal parts, resting comfortably against her husband's side, matching lapis lazuli rings on their fingers.

Naganis continued to pace nervously, his white robes floating around his body, his silver pauldrons gleaming, his ceremonial mask hanging from one hand as the other rested against his head and he closed his eyes tightly... and Lucifer said quietly from the back row, his voice surprisingly-gentle: "You have said yourself, God, that none of us can force people to think or see what they don't want to, whether it is rational or irrational, in their best interests or not. It is the double-edged sword of free will: they believe what they want to believe, no matter what it is, no matter what truths stare them in the face."

Naganis nodded a little and sighed a bit, grabbing at his head again before he muttered: "I know, I... I know. I just wish I could show them somehow... make them see that... they do not need to worship me, to... pay tribute to me. Especially not in the form of sacrifices." The god shuddered a bit, hugging himself with a mutter. "Killing something a god created to show how much you love him. I don't understand it. I can understand them wanting to believe in their individual faiths over a lot of things, but when did everyone decide that meant throwing logic out the window too?"

"You are too kind to them, Lord God... I know they need mercy and understanding, but you're hurting yourself with this." a Naganatine said worriedly, standing up, and Naganis smiled faintly over at the robed male. "Please do not work yourself so hard for their sakes, when they abuse your kindness and even revile you in places... I know you feel you must take care of them, but you cannot take care of them if you do not allow yourself the time to recover from the stresses placed upon you as well."

"Thank you, Job... I know, but I still owe these mortals to do what I can." Naganis said kindly, gesturing towards the Naganatine, and Job smiled nervously even as a frown creased his forehead, slowly sitting back at his seat as he gazed back and forth slowly over the gathered group. "It's just so strange to me. I recognize that many of them aren't... directly praying to me... but rather, it's indirect, as they think I've created this planet from nothing. But I didn't... I merely seeded it, and allowed life to grow as it would, every now and then adding a gentle nudge here and there to evolution and the species... and even ensuring that one small genetic change would perpetuate itself through an entire breed of people, well. It often took weeks to recover from that.

"But they want so much from me... and they make promises they cannot keep, and offer me things I could never take." Naganis murmured, looking down and taking the ceremonial mask into both hands as he gazed silently at the shaped silver. "And they have formed... religions, they call them. Spirituality is good, but many of them are taking advantage of it... act like they are blessed or chosen. And more and more souls cannot be allowed into Heaven... as it is, there are already many in what was once Paradise who do not... have not earned the right to be here. I give them second chances, and they throw it back in my face... I try and help them, I try and teach them, and they don't want to learn. I take things away for their own safety, and they call me monster... they turn their backs on me because their parents die of old age, because... an accident happens, because one mortal rises up and slays another with a rock, and they feel like I have personally gone out and targeted them and hurt them and made their lives miserable. But I cannot grant every wish. I cannot bless every union. And I cannot make exceptions except in the most exceptional and unique of cases..." Naganis looked almost pleadingly over the council, asking quietly: "Friends. My trusted advisors. What am I to do? I am not the 'God' their religion speaks of. Any visions that have been shared with these people, any time I have tried to give them aid directly... they misinterpret, or immediately feel like they are prophets, like they should be... treated differently, and even when they have noble intentions, they... they change. The world changes them, because the world reviles them and adores them.

"They say I have a great plan... but I'm really only half a step ahead and making it up as I go most of the time, trying to adjust for the best possible outcome every day, and I mean in Eternity's slower-passing days, not in mortal time. They tell each other so many things..." He closed his eyes, turning his back to the council before he spread his arms silently, and a vast map of the planet appeared, a blue glow spreading over the continents, glowing brighter where the population was denser. "And they hurt the planet I find so beautiful. I worry that I've done wrong here... they are not... limiting themselves, and they are ever-expanding, ever hurting each other... they justify their wrongs and they... they limit themselves so much. Charisma and appearances count for so much to these people... it's so..."

He looked away, sighing and grabbing at his head with frustration as the image of the planet glowed quietly... and then it faded slowly from sight as the Naganatine Silven stood up, saying kindly: "Do not blame yourself, God... it is not your fault, Father. You have worked long and hard, and these mortals have assumed that simply because they have learned to begin constructing more-complex societies, they have lost their animal instincts and minds... when they have not. Keep strong, and remember they must evolve socially and mentally as well as physically."

Naganis nodded slowly at this, rubbing at the back of his head quietly with a sigh... and then he turned around, nodding slowly and murmuring softly: "I understand. Yes, there's not much I can do, I know this, and I just find it hard to accept... but what do I do about these other souls? These... malicious ones, who I couldn't risk letting into our Eternity, our Paradise, our Heaven? They... I can't leave them floating in limbo forever, or... or the Betrayers..."

He looked down silently, looking a little ill at the thought of Mephistopheles and the Naganatine who had turned against him... and then he glanced up as Lucifer quietly walked down the steps, saying softly: "I am merely an architect and advisor, honorable God, but I have been thinking long and hard about the solution to this difficulty. But I must warn you now... I ask a lot. Not for myself, but a lot of you: it will require a rending of the planes, the creation of a separate dimension not entirely unlike this one. You may be weakened by the process."

"Strength diminishes, strength returns: what is your idea, Lucifer?" Naganis asked curiously, looking at the angel with a smile as the half-wolf, half-Dragokkaren approached and bowed his head respectfully. "You know I've always valued your advice... and if you can offer me any insight to how to deal with this situation, I would appreciate it. Even if it seems impossible... kind words and good ideas can lead to great things."

Lucifer gave a small smile at this, and then he met Naganis's eyes, saying quietly: "As you know, I have researched other dimensions, worlds, and domains of gods, godlings, and other creatures throughout the universe, in order to further improve upon Eternity's design and the evolution of our home. As you yourself often speak of balance, I have studied the balance that exists in other worlds... and I believe the solution lies in creating a separate Underworld, a... 'Hell,' so to speak, opposite this plane, this 'Heaven.'"

Naganis nodded slowly, frowning a bit up at Lucifer and saying quietly: "I understand what you mean, but I've seen various Hells on my journeys as well... are you sure that's not a little extreme? Often gods seem to use them as dumping grounds for what they considered failed projects... or in the case of some, personal, terrible playgrounds. I really don't want to go to make people suffer needlessly... death would be a greater kindness compared to suffering endlessly in torment."

"Yes, I know." Lucifer said quietly, and then he shook his head slightly. "But I do not mean a wicked Hell, or a Hell in which there is inherently a flaw, a design specifically made to harm and hinder... rather, I would like to think that we are evolved and intelligent enough to create a Hell that can serve to redeem and teach. As you yourself have stated, logic does not need to be separate from us... we are not beyond understanding, if only they would stop and think instead of making wild guesses and assumptions. Nor are they beyond understanding, God, understanding and more importantly, teaching. They do not have the time nor the emotional capacity developed over their short lives as mortals to appreciate and learn properly, to become... transcendent. Few, if any, achieve attunement with the world around them, but it is not entirely their fault. In the plans I have constructed for this Hell, however, they will be punished for their crimes and made to face and work on their own faults: most importantly of all, however, they will be taught. They will learn."

Naganis looked thoughtfully at Lucifer... and then he reached up and took his shoulders gently, saying quietly: "You are loyal and honorable, and a good friend, Lucifer. I know you regret what you did in your mortal life... it's why I allowed you into Heaven despite your failings. And the Council, my friends and scholars and advisors, have all come to trust you as one of their own and respect you for your mind and your kind heat you hide under all this seriousness." He smiled as he reached up, quietly flicking him under the chin, and Lucifer gave the smallest of smiles in return. "My friend... let us work together on your idea. In honor of this, I shall name you as an Archangel... and you and I will be partners on this. Equals."

"You honor me, God." Lucifer murmured, closing his eyes and tilting his head respectfully as he lowered himself slightly, but Naganis only smiled and squeezed gently into his shoulders, half-holding him up with a quiet laugh and a shake of his head.

"No, you honor me. You do me honor every day..." He stopped, then gazed out over the Council, saying quietly: "We must begin preparations immediately. Lord, I may require the assistance of yourself and your wife as well... I know it is not within my right to ask, but..."

"No, please ,we'd be glad to!" Lord said enthusiastically, jumping to his feet with a warm smile as Sephire grumbled and crossed her arms, but then nodded a little as the huge male gazed warmly down at Naganis. "God, sir, you are my senior and even with all my power, you've acted as my mentor and taught me a lot about controlling these abilities. I was only a mortal once... and you gave me the strength to... control myself, and stop myself from hurting others."

Sephire yawned loudly, but when Naganis smiled amusedly at her, she shrugged and stood up, leaning on the railing with a wink. "Well, I guess it'd be rude of me to leave you hanging. You did take me in, after all... without your help, I'd probably be dead or in the hands of the Old Gods, and who knows what those sick bastards would have done to me? So yeah. I guess we'll both help laying the groundwork too."

"I appreciate it, Sephire, you have my gratitude." Naganis said softly, and Sephire grinned a little at him before he blushed a bit when the female licked her lips slowly and leered, the Naganatine quickly staggering backwards and clearing his throat as he said in a slightly-high voice: "Okay, let's get moving now!"

Lucifer nodded... and reality seemed to become fuzzy for a few moments, indistinct, before Naganis was sitting silently in a small, private room hidden away from the rest of Heaven at a wooden desk, resting quietly back in an oak chair, his robes discarded and only in his plain, unornamented clothes. His silver mask was in his hands... and Naganis closed his eyes as he lowered his head against this, whispering quietly: "Why did it all go wrong..."

Hell had been beautiful: four enormous provinces, easily as expansive as Heaven's mighty cities and rolling fields... and in the center of it, nine enormous rings, each wide and huge, the layout and environment of each different to better reflect the sin it represented. And at the very center of Hell was the mighty Central Spire, stretching up to the ceiling of the dimension, made of the strongest materials that Lucifer and Naganis could forge between them, charged with spiritual energy and with a single throne upon the top that Naganis had insisted Lucifer rule from... and engraved into it, was the Prismatic Unity, hidden in the top layers of the immense tower that not only served as an anchor point for the dimension, but was carefully tethered to the physical mortal world as well on an axis. As long as the Central Spire stood, Hell would remain connected to the mortal world, no matter what the future held. Even if someday the dimensions should be pulled back into the physical realm, they would balance each other out and stay on a silent course close to the physical realm, perhaps always on the brink of danger... but the universe would find a way to allow everything to coexist. It always did.

He smiled a little, then sighed softly: what had gone wrong, however, was the Purification they had radiated all of Hell with and allowed to propagate throughout the dimension. He and Lucifer had designed it to bring out a person's inner being... but they had done too well, and not taken enough into account. The Purification was part of what kept Hell in balance... but it did not purify souls, or bring only the good to the surface. It empowered them and brought out their hidden passions and desires... and instead of bringing them closer to understanding, it corrupted them by exacerbating their sins. It was not absolving or redeeming or enlightening: it was Corruption

Worse yet, it influenced unknown changes in the beings that fell into Hell, made them into 'demons' that opposed the 'angels' of Heaven. Because the Corruption of Hell brought passion to the surface, because it worked to enhance a being's powers... it mutated them, transformed them into reflections of their own sins. Worse, while unwatched in limbo, Mephistopheles had warped the daughters and the Naganatine, stealing powers from them while changing them, making them both stronger and weaker... breaking the adventurous Sin and mutilating the shy Anathema and driving the rest insane with hate and desire.

Monsters poured out of limbo into Hell, monsters that greedily basked in the corruption and became more powerful, fiercer, rampaging... and immediately they set upon the Central Spire even as angels and Lucifer took up arms, but the angels who fought were slaughtered and even mighty Lucifer was driven to the top of his Central Spire. He was holding his position there, trying to reason with them as they raved and rioted like rabid beasts, striking back only against those stupid enough to attack.

Their experiment had failed: Naganis knew this, even though he was aware things could change, that this was only the first day... but he knew that they had failed. That they had tried too hard... and it felt strangely like a mistake he had made before, a long time ago. He sighed quietly, closing his eyes, wanting to run away to his secret hiding place... but he knew that he couldn't journey to the mortal realm now. The time differences between the dimensions had accelerated due to his meddling with reality... and the cost of even an hour in the mortal world would be too enormous an impact now for him to leave, especially at such a critical juncture.

Finally, he threw the mask across the room, where it bounced off a wall and fell to the ground, and he dropped his face in his hands, whispering: "They scream at me. They call themselves demons and threaten war on Heaven, they breed and rampage... when their bodies adjust to the corruption, when they fully... change into whatever they're changing into, they might calm down some but... it's too late. Oh Universe, what have I done..."

He rubbed slowly at his eyes, trembling a bit, and then he tilted his head back and shouted angrily towards the ceiling, clenching his hands into fists as tears leaked from his eyes. "I'm only one person! Why do you pray for so much? Why do you assume so much about me, why do you hate me without knowing me? Why have you decided that I cannot be flawed, why have you all put so much onto my shoulders? I'm... I'm only one person..."

He dropped his face back into his hands, curling his knees up to his chest and trembling as he sobbed weakly, and then he hugged his knees against his chest as he rubbed his face slowly against them, murmuring: "I tried too hard to not be like Athéos, maybe... I couldn't find balance, I was too... unobservant. Too much like a child... but I do believe there must still be good in these creatures, even in these demons. They scream and rage but... what makes it hurt so bad is that they're all so scared, and frightened, and many of them have lost hope and simply don't know what's going on... my poor Sin, she's been transformed into... but beneath the lust and rage there is such sorrow... as with all the others.

"Except for Mephistopheles. He is like pain and rage and envy all wrapped into one incarnation... he doesn't know sorrow, only hunger. Endless hunger... I pity him, and yet he terrifies me, because... I know he came from me. They all came from me... they are all reflections of myself, in different funhouse mirrors." Naganis whispered, touching his own chest and trembling a little. "Half good... half evil. And poor Amiglion, stuck in the middle, scared and whimpering... he must be the most like me..."

He laughed faintly, then stood up suddenly, beginning to pace nervously back and forth as he put his hands behind his back, trembling hard. "I need to figure out what to do about this. I can't just keep crying and giving up... I need to fight this, I know I do, but how, how? I cannot reverse all of Hell... I'm too drained to perform any great feats right now, and Lord is noble and strong but... he cannot handle this situation alone. He is not as wise as Sephire, for all the way she acts... nor is he as kind as Lucifer. Together, perhaps, the three of them can take back the Central Spire... and there are other gods as well I can ask for aid. Gods from far and wide who have sought shelter and reprieve... and there are other angels who are strong and organized... but I cannot have Hell ruled by angels, or gods! Hell... Hell must be ruled by its own kind, yes. Yes! Maybe they will better listen to their own..."

He rubbed slowly at his face, then murmured quietly: "But demons are chaotic by nature, although there are some forming that are... not driven by passion, but they are callous, logical, often attached to the elements instead of sins. Devils, they call themselves, likely created by the tampering of Mephistopheles, but nonetheless I might be able to get that to play to my favor... and Hell's corruption has caused this problem, but the entire plane now generates and is irradiated by it. Just maybe, though, I can force the corruption itself to work to my advantage as well... if its energies could be harnessed, they could be strong enough to alter the reality of Hell to a point."

Naganis thought long and hard, pacing, mumbling, sitting down and jotting notes... and time passed. Entire weeks went by, as Lucifer fought hard with both the sword and his words, holding back raging demons from the Central Spire and great, immense monsters that smashed and crashed against and tried to climb the pillar, but all to no avail: the Terrors could not damage the impervious material any more than any spell of Sin's or Mephistopheles, and the massive doors held fast against all aggressors.

Naganis arrived atop the Central Spire as the survivors were beginning to lose hope, plans and rituals in hand... and he, Lucifer, Lord, and an escort of angels made their way through the enormous tower to a great vault at the very bottom, opening the doors and travelling beyond into the vast and deep Undersea. It was composed of water, wild weather, and primordial energies, and it had been created solely out of the necessity for there to be a 'buffer' between Hell and the Ethereal Plane. It would not go long-used, but the beautiful Undersea Tower was designed with the residence of Gods and nobles in mind, and as a safe-house for true knowledge, ancient artifacts, and forbidden secrets... and it was here that the first Scholars were created, from the bones of dead gods and angels, Naganis forming the rest of their bodies from corruption and imbuing them with wizened souls of honored Great Reapers that had outlived their physical bodies, gifted to him by Thanatos.

The result was immense skeletons of vast and powerful magic, clockwork and neutral in their personalities, bound to obey their ruler even as they formed and wrote the laws of Hell. They were able to influence the Corruption in the environment of Hell to manipulate reality, creating nearly-indestructible barriers and even controlling demons to a point, robbing them of energy and strength or imbuing them with frenzy and passion and power.

Furthermore, their Reaper heritage allowed them to sense and bind souls... and to exert deeper controls over these beings, limiting their abilities in Hell and passing judgment upon them when necessary. Between the Scholars, the gods, the angels, and Naganis himself, the rioting and raging of the demons was quelled and suppressed into stunned silence, and angelic knights were able to move quickly throughout Hell, capturing and taming the worst of the offenders to lock them away.

The Scholars wasted no time in taking over a vast library in the base of the Central Spire, where they could put their strange magic to use and begin the work of examining and judging souls. Lucifer sat uneasily upon the Central Throne while Naganis returned to Heaven, but messengers passed often between them as demons restlessly floated around Hell, subdued for the moment by fear... something that made Naganis loathe himself, for having to resort to such bullying and terrible tactics.

Laws began to form... and eventually, four Thrones were chosen from amongst the demons themselves, powerful and wise beings, handpicked by Lucifer. Yet sadly, as Lucifer was recalled to Heaven because of continued unrest and the occasional uprising throughout Hell, the demons soon began to bicker amongst themselves... and Hell degraded even as more laws were imposed, even as the first Judges were appointed to ease the workload of the Scholars, even as the idea of Scribes was hesitantly put into being: assistants to the Scholars, who would share a hive mind and also be sworn to serve the best interests of Hell. And along with them, Historians: much akin to Heaven's Prophets, powerful psychics and soothsayers who would record the history of Hell, write predictions, and serve the High Thrones.

The Central Throne was sealed... and as time passed, Hell became darker and more corrupt, which drove Naganis into depression. Lord was assigned the position of Archangel as well, to aid Lucifer in administrative work, and Naganis spent much of his time either in contemplation, trying to stay out of the affairs of Heaven and Hell, upset and terrified of how often he made things worse when he interfered... or sitting on the moon that circled the mortal planet, sighing quietly and looking longingly down at the world, wanting to mingle and walk among its peoples and places.

Many souls went to Hell, and fewer to Heaven, and although at first there were attempts at friendly contact, soon it broke down into aggression. Portal rings were forcibly destroyed, but brilliant and terribly-powerful demons soon enough discovered how to create Vortexes: magic had spread through Hell like a disease as demons realized they were as capable of channeling Corruption through their bodies to influence the environment around them as the Angels were of channeling Heaven's Purification: in reality, after all, the only difference between the two was that Heaven's purification was a much-weaker form of Corruption that had a tendency to numb desires instead of unlocking the passions of the soul. They came from the same source, just as many poisons and antidotes could stem from the same plant... or in this case, the same god, as Naganis miserably mused on.

Pocket dimensions began to form in Hell, and in Heaven: Gods offered to go down and police Hell for Naganis, but he always declined, knowing that it would only make things worse. He knew that the demons had to come to realize for themselves they were only making things worse, that they had to evolve as a society, as Silven had once said, and not just physically... and yet it hurt, and it was terrible to watch demons attacking Heaven, people Naganis had honestly wanted to help, many of them now born into a society that was barbaric and cruel and not knowing what else to do but to obey their superiors.

No one could do anything to shake him out of his despair... and Naganis thought he deserved it. He had tried too hard... and it felt so much like the same mistakes he had done in a far-flung past he couldn't entirely remember. Even the corruption felt similar... and God sat upon the moon, looking silently at the mortal planet, and wishing he could be just like them as prayers for life and death, children's toys and empires, love and hate, filtered up from below... and he couldn't answer a single one of them.