Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

Falling to my knee before the Scepter of the Demon Mother, my head hung low to the ground as her demonic essence rippled into this world.

"Mother," I greeted the best I could.

Trying to mask my discontent over our last meeting, I dared not lift my head in fear of my mask cracking before her mighty gaze.

"I have a mission for you, Baphomet. One I fear that may end our partnership."

Her voice was like a cold dagger in my heart as I looked up in utter surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I've mostly figured out Zantar's and Balor's ploy, and now I think it's time I need you to help them." She said, and my fist clenched.

"Help the man who humiliated me?" I muttered as a burning "heat pressed against my throat; help the man I was forced to hand over the Tome of Blood. Something I worked almost all my life to figure out. You can't be serious!"

"Oh, but I am, and you will do well to watch that tone, boy." Lilith coldly said, and the Scepter flared like fire to life, almost crushing my soul with its pressure alone.

My cheeks paled, and my heart skipped hundreds of beats as I lowered my head, trembling under the mercy of the Demonic Mother.

"It is not strange for you're kind to change Gods, as you change your woman or men. And personally, it means very little to me. You are but an illusion molded by my power. You are not within the Fourth Heaven anymore, Baphomet, but the Abyss; it would be well within my right to descend and tear you apart only to bring you back to life and restart the process."

Tasting the tinge of copper and brimstone spilling into my mouth from the back of my throat, I could only nod my head. What was I to do? Act on my pride, and suffer eternal damnation?

"I've no fate Arsene will come out of his hollowing without some assistance. Despite Arsene's progress in the Archive of my dear Son, that boy is, without a doubt, possesses one of the worse cases of Sloth I've seen in a while. Who has an invincible body but doesn't take advantage of it till now? Idiot. You will help Arsene out and then meet up with Zantar and Balor. From there, I'd deliver the rest of your instruction."

"Y-e-s," I strain fully said, but even as I did, the presence of Lilith vanished before she could hear me speak.

On my knee, blood spilled from my lips as I could bearly find it in me to smile, much less hold my head high, knowing that no matter what I did or thought, the Demon Mother would probably know what I was thinking.

She was our creator, after all. Reading minds, manipulating my actions, it was all within her power.

Holding back the anger, as I knew it was not about what I thought but how I carried myself, I stood up and stared at the Scepter of the Demonic Mother, hovering where I left it.

"Everyone is a pawn," I reminded myself. "It matters not how far you come. In the end, all you will ever be is a pawn. "

Taking hold of the Scepter, I closed my eyes and reached into myself. I felt the hum of the staff come to life, and the pulse rippled through the air as I found Arsene more than a few hundred years away.

Lifting my left hand free of anything, I cut open a passage into subspace.

p "Going somewhere, Baphomet?" The obnoxious voice of the king who invented the term dick riding asked.

I turned to look at Paimon stroking his beard. " I'd sense subspace open up and thought I'd take a look. So, where are you—" He paused and stared at the Scepter of the Demonic Mother. " Oh, did you get yourself a mission from our Lord Mother?"

"Why ask the obvious? Her aura still permeates this tent." I said, pondering what he was after.

"Well, I wonder if I should join you; after all, I've just got instruction from the King of Fallen, the Empyrean of all that is Sin, the—"

"Enough Dick riding. You can just say Lord Lucifer contacted you."

"I just did, my good sir." He responded, bearing a cheeky smile. "Seems he even attended Arsene's wedding, did you know that? Maybe I was too dismissive of that girl."

A/N: Asmo mentioned Lucifer was in the Bed of Chaos long ago.

I gulped at the thought of a fallen being within our Heaven. And of all Fallen's Lucifer himself. By the Hells, just what is about to go down?"

"And your mission?" I probed.

"To assist Arsene through this tough time of his," He said, stepping towards me with the brightest smile I'd ever seen on this old goat. " How marvelous to speak with a being who plagues my dreams each night, to fill me with such hope. By his will, I hope I will have the honor to face eternal damnation by his hand. To be ravaged by his anger! YES! HAIL SATAN!!!"

"..."

A/N: "..."

"What? Surely you recognize our Kings majesty? The Fallen King who battled for the Throne of The Father and was cheated by that bastard Michael!" he said, and I could not believe my ears as he continued to speak. "Even so, the Great Serpent rose once more, from the depts of hell, he spread his wings blanketing the darkness, and the Light, AH~~~ He rose from the Nine Hells, causing the Seven Sins to run wild. He pushed form out of the Flames of Hellfire to the land above, took Lilith under his wing, and tempted Adam and Eve. AH, the Marvelous tale of the—'

"Paimon, please, for the love of all, shut the fuck up. You have been spouting that tale since you found your fate in Lord Lucifer. Everyone knows the story," I pleaded for this fool to stop. "Shut the fuck up!"

"None sense! My friend! One must spread his will of Freedom. HAIL S—"

"Just hurry it up; I've found Arsene." I coldly snapped, leaping into the subspace portal to escape this bastard's infernal torment.

Piercing through space and time, it had only taken a few seconds to emerge into a blazing inferno of flames burning with the heat of a thousand suns that carried the touch of the Hells, the depths of the Abyss, and the presence of the Night.