Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

"Arsene!" Lilith screamed as blood danced through the air, bathing my sight in a sea of red, as Uriel fell to his knee, trembling in a pool of his own making. A petrifying moan burdened our ears as dozens of guards charged around their archangel. "Arsene, are you ok?" Lilith barked, jerking my shoulders. She slapped me, finally jarring me from my thoughts that seemed too ephemeral to grasp.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked, looking up at me.

Unsure how to respond, not that I wanted to, I stared at the cute baby bump Lilith held, and a pleasurable jitter rippled through me. I smiled, wanting to say something. But… for some reason, my eyes couldn't pull away. Pride swelled through my cold heart as I reached out. Cupping the twins. Feeling their two hearts hammering like little rabbits, an indescribable sensation I longed for, steered me greatly.

"Sene?" Lilith called, looking up with wonder in her enriching eyes, consumed in apprehension. They shuttered. "What do you see?"

The Path of Abyssal Night pulsed from the core of my being. A sudden wetness caught itself, ebbing from my nose, eye, ears, and mouth as I staggered to my knees. The world began to spin in every single direction.

"Arsene!" Vita jolted, rushing forward, pushing Lilith away, and placed her hands over my back.

Expecting Vita's soothing might, a deafening shockwave turned dozens into a sea of red mist as a fountain of blood gushed from the back of my throat, spilling over the marble floors. I groaned as my body began to convulse. Fear caught itself in the back of my mind as Azazel's blade reached up for my neck.

"Vita's fine!" Lilith shouted," just check on him. Don't do anything else."

"Looks like we might miss Valentine's day," I whispered with a sad grin. Unable to stop my body from breaking down. I vomited another mouthful of red, tainted with a foul black aura, as my smile slipped into bitterness. "Seems we are always missing something."

Lilith shook her head, holding my hands that never left her womb, as tears trickled down in kind. "You big dummy. You know I'm not that kind of girl to care about such things."

'He's… re-tarnishing himself again… What the bloody hell is this? How is that possible?" Damaris groaned, slitting her wrist with her index finger upwards, ensuring the entire artery was cut; she placed it into my mouth without hesitation. "Feed. You are about to die. Your Majesty, he needs sustenance."

World still spinning, whilst growing darker with each passing second: Images flashed through my mind, images of my daughter, my son, my nephew, and Mephisto flared through my consciousness, when all of a sudden, the ancient script of the Path of Abyssal Night, appeared.

This time it was different. It shone brighter than any star in a devouring light, blanketing my soul in a sea of eternal darkness. It was… com…complete.

"It's ok… Sene. It's ok! I promise you they'll all pay. They all fucking pay!" Lilith cried, tightening her grip on my palm. "I'm going to kill them all. The entire Myriad!"

Too weak to denounce her, weakness soaked my soul. Blood, black as night, emerged from my pores as the light and darkness began to intertwine. The world grew darker as Oblvian called my name.

"URIEL!!!!!" Lilith howled, storming to her feet as her abyssal nature emerged. " I swear I'll kill you!"

Staring at her firey bloodlust, I smiled: Fuck it. Do whatever you want; whether I rule a ruined land or rebuild it matters not.

…

…

…

Coming to within a darkness beyond a night, I rose my hands instantly, understanding I was within my consciousness.

'Hi'

Stirred by the voice, I turned too… little Lilith. A version of her when she was a child. I smiled," Is that you, Abyss-Chan?"

She tilted her head. "Why…" Paushing almost as if finding the words through sheer difficulty. She continued. " Why… Chan?"

"It's cuter. I'm guessing you are taking the image of the version of Lilith I perceive you to be?" I said as she nodded in the affirmative." Odd, I think of you as a kid.'

"Loli-con' She pointed.

Cracking a laugh, I shook my head. " Maybe it's my way of protecting you? After all, I find most people are more protective of children than adults."

Abyss tilted her head and folded her arms. I almost thought she puffed her cheeks as she fell into deliberation. She looked up at me with such purity that I couldn't resist patting her head. I melted at the smoothness and fluff.

"You… failed… to… grasp… Abyssal… Night."

Startled, I swatted to her eye level, "Then Master Abyss-Chan, teach your hubby. This could be some real bonding time."

"Like… Weave… Abyssal…Night… cannot… be explained… in…words…. All… was… illusion."

"All was an illusion?" I whispered, "All the lines?"

"...I… speak… Primordial… It… can't… be… understood… by… creation… only… you."

Primordial, I've never heard of such a language.

"... because… of… Zariel… you… can… understand… Primordial"

"My adaptation," I marveled, and she nodded cutely, earning another head pat. Hmmm. I need to teach my daughter this.

So I've been doing it all wrong. No wonder there was such a reaction between The Path of Abyssal Night and my adaptation all those years ago. It makes sense now.

The Path exists in a higher dimension, as does the Weave. When Zariel first blessed me with access to his power, the Weave, it merely appeared. There was no script, or Mantra I needed, no explanation. It was something I instinctively knew how to use. It was I who added words to it.

That would mean the Path of Abyssal Night is the same. The Mantra I was chanting was only part right. It was meant to put things in perspective. But it wasn't its true nature. I limited it to my limited perception. When I should have allowed it and my Adaptation to run wild.

"Zariel… has… comprehend… five… percent… of weave… it… takes…time." she said, finding a smile almost as if she recognized my thoughts. "We…Await… you…within… the… Primordial..."

Unable to grasp her final words, the darkness within my soul vanished as my eyes shot open to the sight of the bloodstained heavens. Dark clouds marred the scarlet skies in shades of darkness as flickers of light baptized the torn skies in a sea of destruction.