Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

"She ran?" Amara exclaimed, covering her mouth as she laughed at me.

"Yeah. Yeah. Keep laughing. But that was the way she was. She loved to run. She'd caused chaos and run. That was her life." I defended, shaking my head. "I should've fallen into a fit of rage, but I was mystified that some child could steal my sword from right out of my hand. It was an impossibility."

"So I chased her—"

"Liar!" A sudden, startling voice claimed. " Aunty Ishtar said you almost blew up the planet because of how angry you got. She even said that Mephisto had to appear and save her because of how humiliated you felt."

I frowned, and my eyes narrowed in slits as I heard my wife's name. I turned to the entrance and stared at the mischievous smile of an almost carbon copy of Lilith's red-amethyst eyes with silky snow-white hair braided over her shoulder. She was beautiful… so beautiful I felt my heart stop for a second.

Arms on her hip, she stepped in draped in a black jerkin that hid a layer of chainmail I couldn't miss. Around the hip laid a—

"Hello, Uncle." Said the Snow white maiden walking in. "You can call me Iza. I'm sure this is our first meeting. Although I could be wrong, I keep forgetting. Time is such a bitch, and I'm bad with names… and faces."

"Iza… Aurelia mentioned that it was short for—"

"Izalith? Yup, that's me!" She claimed, raising her hand with a silly smile. "Hello, aunty Amara. So good to see you too. Although I'd thought you'd have a bun in the oven by now. Does Luci's spunk have no pump?"

"AH~"

I snapped my eye to Amara, who'd instantly covered her mouth, trying to mask her laughter. I growled and turned to Arsene's spawn.

"My brother is looking for you all. Ever since he figured you all were here." I explained to her, but the little lass only smiled.

"We're dealing with Mepho."

… She is strong. Very strong. But how is that possible? How is it possible that we never sensed her? Not once. Surely an anomaly like her should have disrupted the flow of natural law. Just how old is she?

"We can't be talking like this," I said to her, understanding that father couldn't be too happy about this. He detested messing with time.

From the way, he explained it to me. He said that if time travel was possible, time was happening all at once. Which, in a way, makes sense, but it also makes everything confusing and filled with paradoxes.

"Why are you here?"

"Uncle, you break my heart! No hug! No kisses! For your bestest niece!" She opened her arms, pouting like a child." peas!!~"

p "Girl, I don't know you."

"But you're curious, aren't you? I can feel it." She smiled, covering her mouth as the innocent light spiraled into something demonic. "You are even a little impatient. You want me to tell you about Ishtar, don't you, about your lovely wife? What do you want to know? Do you want to hear she's taken on another lover? She's had five children, or perhaps you want to hear— Oh my, now you're angry! Oh, don't be angry, Uncle. I'm sure she screamed your name every time she—"

"She's baiting you." Said Amara coldly.

Izalith suddenly burst into laughter and shrugged. " Oh, aunty… are you sure you want to get involved? From what I heard, Ishtar tor you to pieces, or maybe I'm just laughing, and she's already dead. Cut to shreds by me."

"You're definitely Arsene Spawn," I grunted, controlling my emotions, but Iza only seemed to smile with a look of amusement and interest.

"Father is my Father," she claimed and strutted toward the lab equipment. "Don't be mad, uncle. Aunty Ishtar is fine. Although, she's caged like a dog with hooks puncturing her body. Last I saw her. She was withered with pestilence. Puss was ebbing off her rib cage that seemed festered with maggots and other foul creatures. Her eyes appeared to have been gorged out, and her tongue split down the middle, giving her a snaky vibe. Poor aunty, you can even see her brain where dozens of nails seem to puncture.

Izalith turned to me, smiling with a coldness I'd seen only in Mephisto at times. " And between her legs… there is still the rotting umbilical cord belonging to my dear Aunty Aurelia."

My teeth hadn't clenched so hard since the war between Micheal and me that brought about that taste of blood.

"Why are you telling me this?" I said through sheer control.

Iza giggled. " To feel that madness, that icy bloodlust, of course. Ah~ such a delicacy. Oh, Uncle… I wonder what will you do to rescue your wife?"

"YOU BITCH!" I howled, snapping directly in front of her as I snatched her neck so tight I could feel her warmth and the hammering of her heart.

… She was loving this! What the fuck did Arsene create!

"Teehee! Yup! But don't be mad." Iza said with a blush. "I need your help, is all. And you will help us from beginning to end, even if that means betraying Mepho. Because even if you reach the peak in Arcadia, you will never be able to find your wife."

"Why? Why are you doing this."

"Why? Do I need a reason to hurt you? Do I need a reason to use you? Uncle… we are family. It's only good fun. Or perhaps I just want to look you in the eye at the end and kill Ishtar right before your eyes. And feast on that pain."

… She's mad!

Izalith smiled and slipped away in a blink of an eye; to my amazement, she was out of my palm near the exit. "We own you, Uncle. Oh, and I'd keep quiet about this. Same with you, Aunty Amara. Crowe and Ves don't have the heart to threaten you. After all, your family. I, on the other hand, have no issue with using family. Next time we meet, I hope you comply with some of the requests we have. I'll allow leeway with some of the requests. But not all. And remember…

She turned to me with red in her eyes, overtaking the amethyst. "I've no problem in keeping your darling wife as my pet. After all, behind my back is all of the Abyss. Such a shame their family hates you. None of this wouldn't have happened if Mephisto didn't have them exiled."