Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

Chapter 292: Infernus

Trembling within a hidden turmoil, I felt more and more power begin to rise within me. Tyr was, without a doubt, an upstanding man. Many would even call him a hero amongst his kind. However, to betray his people, or more importantly, his family, was a heartbreaking tragedy within his heart. I was sure both Heimdall and Tyr held a good relationship, but with a Prince of Hell within Midgard, the fate of his kind was on the line.

"Cat caught your tongue?" I asked, peering deep into the shadow of his heart. Watching the loving scenes of joyful bliss, the familiar love with each and every god, I shuttered in pleasure, enjoying the sweet taste of betrayal upon his heart.

"Heimdall is!"

Placing a single finger up before Astrid could continue, I silenced her, "Not you. It needs to come from him. I know of his intent, and I approve, but Tyr needs to say it."

"You're torturing him, arent you." Said Astrid.

"I am, and I am enjoying it. "

Chuckling at the disapproving grimace, my feet slowly came to a halt. Scratching my brow, a faint voice too obscure to comprehend echoed. Picking up the pace, a feeble shimmer of light began to fill the dark cave we were stepping deeper into.

Beginning to notice the various pentagrams, a chill I had not felt in a while returned. "War, Sacrifice, Death, Blood, purity, Mind, Heart, Life." I read off, now understanding what each pentagram now meant.

"What... what is this?" Astrid fearfully asked, baffled at the strange markings.

"Infernal formations, " I explained, "Straight from The Nine Hells. However, I do not know why all of these formations are scattered all about."

"To train the young, "Tyr icily voiced in hate, "After the War of Demons and Devils. Various cults sprung up. And there were two within our realm, the Church of Bahemet and Infernus. While Bahoment employed pure anarchy and the desire to fallow your sin, Sitri fraction held a cold, calculating order. They ruthlessly experimented on the young and sacrificed an almost endless amount of lives. To call fouth their god."

Pressing on hin haste, the echoes chanting began to echo, causing a profound stir within my soul. I could feel a calling as if something was attempting to reach out from my soul.

"To our Lord, we give. To our King, we slaughter, To our God, we Sacrifice! Burn thy will and free the spirit! Let his will shower us in flames. Hail the Prince of Hell, The Lord of Damnation, Sitri!"

Aghast, I gazed upon hundreds of men and women of various ages, the youngest being infants burning within an inferno of flames. Their bodies were seared by the scarlet flames, yet none screamed as their bodies began pealing, slowly turning to ash. Be it the children or infants, all of them seem to simply accept the torment; even within the shadow of their hearts, this was all they knew, like my faceless, they were hallow and broken.

To shocked for words, Astrid covered her mouth, turning her head in a hurry as the young were the first to break down, their limbs falling from their bodies turning into ash, followed by the adults.

Raising his palm Tyr was about to try something, but I raised my hand, stopping him in his tracks. "Don't, they belong to Sitri. It is not our place, especially when he is physically here. You will only invite a fate worse than death." I warned, walking past the burning members of Infernus towards what looked to be the priest watching over the flames.

"Welcome, Arsene Snow, His Lordship, the Arch Devil Prince of Hell, Lord of Damnation, Sitri foretold of your visit." Said the priest, his eyes and face appearing like they were seared from creation. "We have been awaiting your arrival."

"I am sure you have," I indifferently said, walking past him towards the depts of this hellish madness.

Following in haste, the priest whose face was melted into a fine mess shivered like it was smiling. "His Lordship, the Arch Devil Prince of Hell, Lord of Damnation..."

Flickering my palm, my shadow flames swiftly tore into the seared flesh of the priest, ripping the life from his body before he could even comprehend what had happened. Sneering, I continued on, "That fool, was he going to say Sitri's entire title to me every time? Fucking Idiot."

"What happened to leave them alone?" Tyr suddenly questioned,

"Well, I am already enemies with Sitri, so pissing him off cannot affect me much,"

"So you were worried about me?"

Turning towards the handsome man smiling back, I scoffed, "Tyr, did you forget who I am? What I have done within Midgard?" I could not help but ask. Watching the grim expression slowly appear. "What Sitri has done, while I have not done this perse, my order is quite similar. What do you think the Faceless are? They were once the raging monster known as the Infernal Legion, the ones who rage upon the land doing anything they please.

"How could I forget," Said Tyr grimly.

Snorting, the echoes of more chanting continue on. Ignoring the mindless insanity, we proceeded while Tyr comported the ashen Astrid.

Slowly we came upon a massive underground grotto. It was hallowed and dark with an eerie scent of death; however, at the center, my gaze fell upon a familiar face. She was skinless, or at least that was how she appeared by the neck down. But there she stood, with what looked to be a stillborn attached to her skinless breast.

"Arsene?" Lisa said with an innocent smile. "You came? Are you here to see Rave as well?"

"What the fuck! I think I have had enough," I swiftly said, turning around, " I'm going to just go. I thought that maybe there might be some weapons or artifacts. It seems I was wrong!"

"Do you know her?" Astrid asked, taking me by the arm, horrified by the bloody appearance of Lisa.

"Nope, " I lied, shaking my head, "Never saw her in my life."

"You lying, " Both Tyr and Astrid said.

"Ok, fine, we may have banged... a lot, but I do not know her."

"You're a bloody monster! Are you just going to leave her? Don't you care about her?" Astrid shouted, pointing at the crazy woman smiling back at me.

"I don't do crazy!"