Ultimate Assassin Saga: Woodlands

Coincidentally enough, it was shortly after that he'd discovered that the Blood Demon clan had deserted Dalkia. No one had seen a thing, but that wasn't really that big of a surprise. After all, Blood Demons could move faster than even Demons could see and that did a lot to disguise their movements. He didn't doubt that after he'd wiped out everyone on the street that day that the Blood Demon Lord, Shido, had decided it was time to go.

That was of no consequence to him though. All that mattered was finding his brother and the other traitors to put them to their grisly end. He would make sure that each one of them, especially Acheron himself, was brought back to Dalkia, and when dealing with his brother, he would kill him personally. He would make it apparent to everyone that no matter who you were, if you betrayed the Dalkian Empire, you were going to be killed.

Pushing back his chair, the Chaos Demon pushed to his feet, walking around the desk. He stopped at one of the windows that looked out over the capitol city and he folded his arms behind his back, narrowing his eyes. He stared at the huge black spires that rose up into the air, creating a shadowy tableaux against the darkened floor and rose high into the blood red skies. He watched as the black lightning arced across the blood red sky and he smiled, his emerald green eyes glowing in the darkness of the study as he stared at the landscape before him, showing the power that the Mages of Dalkia had.

When he'd chosen to begin his Kingdom, he'd brought every Demon who had special abilities in magic under him and they'd joined together to use their magic, creating a new, more beautiful sky. Of course, Humans or Elves - the ones that weren't cutthroats - wouldn't see the blood red skies and the black lightning as beautiful, but that didn't mean that it wasn't beautiful. He himself found the sky to be a beautiful sight and he wouldn't trade it for anything. In fact, he wanted to spread his Empire even further, and once this little detail of the traitors would deal with, he would pick a new General to spread the borders of Dalkia even wider, casting a wider net.

Acheron had done very little to spread the borders, but he'd made persuasive arguments as to why they shouldn't spread any further. He'd studied history and he'd found one thing that each spreading Kingdom had in common: they stretched their might too thin. With their might stretched thin, other armies or forces from within could rise up and rebel, striking them down. At the time, the Emperor had understood and had even agreed that it made sense, but now he found himself wondering if it had merely been a tactic to stall his brother from killing any more people.

If that had been his intention though, then it made no sense for Acheron to take the rank of Command Assassin. The rank of Command Assassin was prestigious, marking someone as the top and most powerful Assassin of Dalkia. The Command Assassin was the personal assassin of the Emperor himself, and while many had believed that Acheron had only received his rank based on his relation to the Emperor, the older Demons knew that wasn't true. Namely, the Demon clans who'd been there when he was General and was spreading their borders.

Azrieal closed his eyes and pictured his brother's face in his mind. The emerald green eyes that were so much like his and midnight black hair that was the same as his mother's. He'd watched out for his little brother since the Abyss the very day that he'd been born and he'd promised himself that he would always protect his little brother. However, as his little brother grew, he'd become more powerful, and the more powerful he'd grown, the more independent he'd become as well.

The Emperor had believed that Acheron was loyal to him and would never turn his back on him. However, the day he'd issued the order for his brother to kill the Angel Queen and her son, he'd sensed something different about his brother. He hadn't shown any emotion and had remained very still, but there had been something just under the surface, barely restrained. He'd dismissed it as nothing, but shortly later, he'd become suspicious and he'd sent a spy after his brother. When he'd discovered that Acheron was indeed betraying him, he'd put out the word to the Assassins of Dalkia that the one who killed his brother would be the one that received the rank of Command Assassin.

Almost immediately, there had been over a dozen Upper Flight Demons who had come before him and had informed the Emperor that they were going to do it. However, they weren't together. No, each assassin was individual from the last and whoever came back with the head of his brother would be the one who became the new Command Assassin of the Empire of Dalkia. Also, just in case they didn't know, he'd informed them that to kill his brother they would have to sever his head from his body and then burn the body to ash. Otherwise, he would regenerate and come back to life.

Azrieal opened his eyes and he blinked, staring out at the spires of his city. His brother wasn't the only one who could do that though. He wasn't special from everyone else. It was only because he was born a Chaos Demon that he was able to do such a thing. It was one of the reasons the Chaos Demons were considered the most powerful clan among Dalkia as well as the Abyss.

Chaos Demons were by far the most powerful and deadly of all Demon castes. Even a Lesser Flight Chaos Demon - which was very rare - was more powerful than the average Upper Flight Demon. Chaos Demons could start riots and cloud the minds of others with their special abilities. However, Acheron had never done anything like that. Instead, he'd depended on his magical abilities and his skill with a blade. Because of his mastery over both styles of fighting, he'd never had to use the power that only Chaos Demons could access.

The Emperor turned away from the window and he walked across his office to one wall. He reached out and touched a spot on the wall, closing his eyes to whisper a word. After opening his eyes, he stared at the wall where he'd touched and he saw a small light appear on the wall. Pulling his fingers away from the wall, he took a step back as the wall dissolved and turned into a silver shimmering light that fluctuated with its power.

It was a portal to another part of Dalkia.

Taking a moment to compose himself - and after using his magic to turn his skin into powerful diamond that no blade would be able to cut through - he took a step forward towards the shimmering portal. He kept his eyes open even as he stepped through the portal and he knew the portal closed behind him the moment he stepped through, preventing anyone from coming through after him. Meanwhile, he stared at the shimmering silver walls as they seemed to rush past him at an impossible speed and he continued to walk down the portal hall, knowing exactly where it was taking him.

He stepped out on the other side of the portal and he smiled as he looked up at the huge manor in front of him. The Chaos Demon turned his head, his emerald green eyes taking in the large city that was only a mile west of the manor. Then, he turned his head back to the manor and he walked towards the door. He pulled the doors open and he stepped inside, closing the doors behind him. Then, he walked swiftly and surely down the hallway, not paying attention to any sort of decorations around him.

Instead, the Emperor was reaching out with his aura and searching for another person around. The further he walked into the palace, the less he could sense and he began to wonder if there was even anyone here. If he'd come all this way for nothing he was going to be pissed off, but he couldn't really justify his anger. He hadn't sent a message ahead to announce his arrival and for them to prepare for it so if there wasn't anyone here it would be his own fault. Didn't mean that he had to take it that way though.

If he so wished it, Azrieal could kill everyone in the city just west of here. Then, when the Lord of the manor returned, he could kill him. However, he didn't want to kill him because he was a powerful ally and powerful allies were hard to come by these days it would seem. Also, there was the added insurance that the Demon wouldn't be able to desert him and betray him. No, he was stuck to Dalkia and he wouldn't be allowed to leave, but he would be able to if given express permission from the Emperor.

Leaving the hallway, the Chaos Demon stopped out in the middle of the audience chamber. He narrowed his eyes and he reached further out with his aura, searching for any sign of the man he'd come to see. Sensing something in the western wing, he turned and made his way down the hallway that would take him there. By now the man would know that he was here, and to be honest, he should've been mad that the man hadn't come to him right away. However, the man was powerful and coming when expected wasn't exactly his strong suit.

He was a bit headstrong, but that was okay. His power made up for that.

Reaching the end of the hallway, the Emperor walked around the corner and headed left where the aura was permeating from. He stopped in front of a large wooden door and he didn't even bother to knock. He merely pushed open the door and stepped inside, his features blank as he walked into the room. The room was an office of sorts, but it was nowhere near the caliber of his own, though that was to be expected. This man didn't have the same resources the Emperor of Dalkia had after all.

Then, his emerald green eyes narrowed on the man sitting behind the desk and he noticed that when he'd entered the room, the man had looked up. However, instead of fear being prevalent in his eyes like it should've been, there was amusement there instead. That grated on his nerves to no end, but he tried his best to hide his irritation as he walked right up to the man's desk, glaring down at him, his emerald green eyes glowing with his rage, though he kept his face empty of all emotion.

He stared at the man that he knew all too well, taking in his features even as he identified him: Pyrieal, an Upper Flight Rage Demon. Pyrieal was tall, well over six foot two, and packed heavily with muscle, though it was evenly distributed. He had nape length blood red hair that he wore swept back away from his face and crystal blue eyes that glowed in a tanned, dangerous face. He wore a long sleeve crimson tunic with gold embroidery around the cuffs and the collar, black pants, ankle high black leather boots, a black leather belt, and a javelin strapped to his back.

That weapon was uncommon to see among the Demon ranks, but he knew that the Rage Demon was quite adept with it. He'd seen him fight with it himself and he'd fought against him when they were in the Abyss still. At that time, he and his brother had been fighting side by side. Because of this, the two of them were able to cut down the Rage demon and that was where Acheron thought it ended. However, when they'd started Dalkia, the Emperor had started an insurance policy. He'd resurrected the Rage Demon and had risen him, but when he'd brought the Rage Demon to the Mortal Plane, he'd cast a spell of enslavement over him, making it impossible for him to break free.

Pyrieal had no choice but to follow any orders that the Emperor gave him.

The Emperor walked across the floor and right up to his desk. The other Demon looked up at him, obviously wanting to tell him to fuck off, but he held his tongue. He was obviously learning how to control his tongue a little better. When he'd first enslaved the other Demon, he'd been unable to hold his tongue and had spewed all kinds of venom at him. Because of that, he'd had to punish him, and now after so many years, he was finally domesticated to where he shut his mouth when the Emperor came to visit. It was about damn time.

He took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the Rage Demon's desk and he sat back in the chair. He crossed his long legs and he raised a brow, wondering how long it would take him to break. The Rage Demon sat forward in his chair, resting his forearms on the surface of the desk and he stared at him, his crystal blue eyes shimmering with rage, but there was also question there. It was apparent that he was more curious about this meeting than anything else.

"I have come to ask a favor of you." Azrieal said in monotone, but the implications of his words would be taken much differently. After all, the Rage Demon couldn't exactly turn Azrieal down and would have to do whatever it was he asked which they both knew. He'd only said that it was a favor because he knew that it would grate upon the Rage Demon's pride that Azrieal really wasn't giving him a choice, but made it appear as if he was. He really loved having that sort of power over the man, but he wasn't about to take it to far. He didn't want to have to put him in his place after all.

The Lord of the city narrowed his eyes, his rage increasing by the minute. Being what he was, he couldn't help such ana emotion and he especially couldn't help it when he was helpless to fight back. That was what he was after all: helpless. He had no choice but to go along with what the Chaos Demon wanted because of the enslavement spell and they both knew that it would last until the Chaos Demon was dead. However, he had no intention of dying any time soon, if for no other reason than to torture this man.

"If your favor isn't beyond my scope of capability, I will do this favor for you." Pyrieal replied through gritted teeth, obviously angry that he had to listen to him. After all, he'd been a Lord when in the Abyss, but now he'd been relegated to a mere slave, a servant of one of the men who killed him. He'd been placed here as the Lord of this city because it was on the outside and it wasn't really of any importance. In the grander scheme of things, the city that he ruled over showed his own insignificant existence.

"Oh it's well within your capabilities. In fact, it's one of your core duties." Azrieal replied almost instantly and he waved a hand as if to dismiss what the other man had just said. For the most part, he was doing just that, but he was only doing that to annoy him. The reaction of the other man was what was desired: his eyes narrowed and he clenched his hands into tight fists, obviously having to control himself from leaping over the desk to try to beat him into the ground. "I need you to mobilize every warrior you have and be ready when I give the call. We will be going to war in a few wars and I need your people prepared."

The Rage Demon seemed taken aback by the request. He sat back in his chair, eyes wide with his surprise, rage forgotten for the time being. The Emperor didn't really care how he felt about it and that was why he didn't tear his gaze away from the other man. If he tried to back down from the request, he would make it an order and then he wouldn't be able to resist, no matter how hard he fought. As powerful as the Rage Demon was, even he couldn't overpower an enslavement spell.

The City Lord sighed heavily then and he raised a hand from his lap, rubbing it over his face. It was obvious from the look on his face that he hadn't wanted it to come to this. However, he had no doubt that the Lord was relishing in being able to do battle once again. When in the Abyss, he'd done nothing but fight, but once he'd come to the Mortal Plane under the strict control of Azrieal, he'd been unable to do anything like what he'd done in the Abyss. At the time, it was because Azrieal had feared that he would be able to slip free of the enslavement spell, and while he was powerful, it had taken both he and his brother to defeat the Lord before.

If Pyrieal ever escaped his enslavement - something that was very unlikely to happen - Azrieal would have a problem on his hands. He knew that he was powerful, but even as powerful as his magic was, he didn't stand a chance against the pure might of a Rage Demon. Rage Demons were some of the most powerful Demons in existence, able to power through even the worst of injuries to keep fighting. They would often fight until their own death, and by that time, most any enemy would be mowed down under their own physical strength.

It had taken he had Acheron's full might at the time to stop the man. Acheron had used his magic as well as his sword to distract the Rage Demon while Azrieal had gathered the necessary magic to defeat him. However, even after blasting him with all the pure magic that he had, the Rage Demon had still clung to life. Azrieal, after displacing so much magic, had slumped to the ground and had been unable to move. However, Acheron had continued on and it had been his sword to slice the head from the Rage Demon's body to end the battle.

Shaking himself from his reverie, the Emperor straightened and stared at the City Lord. He hadn't moved, but he could sense his rage once again. Now that his surprise was done with, his rage over being a slave to one of the men who had been responsible for his first death had returned. He could understand the man's rage, but it didn't matter to him. He relished in holding it over him actually. It was quite the heady feeling and he wouldn't relinquish that hold for anything. Not only would it be a fatal mistake, but it was simply far too much fun to torture such a powerful Demon.

Confident that Pyrieal would do as he bade him, the Chaos Demon uncrossed his legs and pushed to his feet. He stared at the other man for a moment before turning around and making his way across the office. He stopped at the door to the office and he turned to look over his shoulder at the man, throwing him an arrogant smirk. He sensed the other man's rage pour from him like a tidal wave, but that tidal wave was caught within thick steel so it wouldn't do any damage.

Turning back around, Azrieal opened the door and stepped out of the office. The moment he stepped out of the office, he summoned another portal and he stepped through, heading to a new destination. He had to bring all of his people together and unite them for the coming war. He knew that it might not mean anything and they just might manage to catch his brother, but he didn't honestly believe that.

Acheron hadn't survived as long as he had for no reason after all. He was still alive because he was powerful, but most of all, because he was cautious. Many species' would've called him paranoid, but in Dalkia, paranoia didn't exist. One could assume that someone was out to get them because in Dalkia it wasn't often the truth. Unfortunately, keeping everyone vigilant had worked too well and it was backfiring on him now. If it had been anyone else, then they would've been long dead, but because of Acheron's power, he was still very much alive.

Azrieal stepped through the portal to the other side.

That night, Acheron lay awake in a room in the palace of the Star Elf King. He wasn't able to sleep because he had way to much on his mind. He'd learned much today and he wasn't sure how to take it all. After all, it wasn't everyday that you learned that not only were there other planets out there, but that there was life among those planets. Not only that, but that the life on another planet had come to this planet. It was something truly amazing to him, but he couldn't say that it was farfetched.

Then, there was what he was told after that.

It turned out that Acheron's coming into the Whispering Jungle had been foreseen, but not within this lifetime. No, the one who had foreseen his coming to the Star Elves was King Taro's great ancestor who'd lived on their former planet. The story had passed down through the generations until it reached Taro and Taro had told him the prophecy. As he'd listened to it, he'd found it far too fanciful to be true, but by the end, he found himself believing it.