(General P.O.V)
Belzebub's mandibles clicked against each other as he crawled away. The one chance they had to push back had failed. The hollow lands were under new management and the hell lord despite being millions of years old despaired. He had faced down heaven's armies and prevailed but this...
A groan escaped his mouth as a well polished loafer stepped down on his claw. The bones snapped and the hand broke apart into several scuttling insects. Belzebub raised his head and stared at his tormentor.
He was dressed in a slightly oversized suit with an average face and short black hair. All in all, the Warden looked like an everyday office man. There was no aura about him. Nothing like the obvious dangerous air around his companion, the White Shadow. Which was in itself the creepiest thing. The Warden was scary because he looked too normal.
"What now?"
The Warden asked his creator, master and basically father. He had made a statement. He had introduced himself to his prisoners and now that they knew him, he could go about... rehabilitation...
The White Shadow frowned, staring out at the shifting hollow lands. Shades that looked like dementors flew around the air sucking the joy out of the prisoners lying beaten on the ground.
"You're crueler than I expected Warden."
The Warden bowed with a subservient look on his face.
"Please master, call me Michael..."
And that's what was different between this spirit and the rest. He had even named himself. If it wasn't for the fact that Aden knew none of his spirits could betray him, he would have been wary.
"Michael..." The White Shadow ran the name through his tongue.
"It's a good name. A bit too on the nose with the symbolism however."
The White Shadow stated only for The Warden to cock his head in a little confusion.
"God created Michael as the first being to overlook his creation. I thought the name fitting for this situation for you are my creator as well. Was I wrong?"
The White Shadow's face softened.
"No. You're not wrong." He turned to survey the whole dimension. With his will, all the mist and dreary clouds covering the place lifted. The barren gray world displayed looked beautiful in it's own way. Or rather it would be easier to say wholesome.
"I place all you see before us, under your governance. Let your imagination fly. Create rivers that suck out hope and give back despair. Rains that split the skin and ground that heals at the cost of all your happy memories. This is a place of punishment and atonement Michael." The White Shadow turned to him.
"Make it so it reflects the principle of damnation. Anything less is a failure on your part."
The Warden immediately bowed.
"It shall be so, master. Anyone who offends you shall face a fate worse than mere death." Michael's average face changed into something disturbing. The mouth opened up to show a row of chalk white teeth that had no end in sight and the eyes dulled into a sick gray that had black blood vessels running through the cornea.
His voice didn't change. It remained that normal middle aged office man tone. His body grew skeletal and taller. The bones expanding with cracks. His suit changed into black robes that fell and merged with the similarly black ground. A flash of grey smoke and a huge scythe formed in his left hand. He stooped his shoulders and stared at The White Shadow with the featureless eyes and smile.
"They shall curse my name as I make them squeal like pigs, my Master."
And this was Michael's true form. A combination of over a trillion spirits whose job was to cause pain. The White Shadow immediately understood why The Warden took on the unassuming human form he did. His true form was not like Sai and the others...no his true form was the very effect he caused.
His true form was all the sins, all the pain and all the negative things that had ever happened, will happen and is happening. Were it anyone else witnessing this for themselves, they would have already gone mad. The White Shadow blinked his eyes and unassuming Michael was back.
"By your leave, master?"
The White Shadow gave a nod. It was about time he handled the last issue. The other chaos rifts in the rest of the dimensions close to earth.
The shadow under Michael grew larger and more menacing, as Michael exercised one of his numerous abilities.
More dementors emerged from the shadow, flying above the two of them in a tornado like formation. The world grew darker as a creepy whistling sound rang out. As one, the dementors flew down and started carrying away the prisoners.
When one tried to pick up Belzebub, The White Shadow grabbed it's hand. The creature turned to him and hovered in place. Ice started creeping up The White Shadow's hand before breaking away. The dementor begun screaming in pain.
"Master please..."
Michael pleaded as a bout of weakness hit him. The White Shadow let go with a confused look on his face.
"It, like me is a creature of only negativity. Your light is something we cannot stand. Your touch is like poison."
The White Shadow let go of the creature.
"I'll keep that in mind." He motioned to Belzebub.
"This one is a gift for a friend of mine. I only hope she'll be amiable enough to allow me to me to unravel any rifts in hell."
Knowing Maze...that was not going to be easy. She was the Satan now and things were complicated between them.
The White Shadow grabbed Belzebub who struggled weakly to escape the grasp. A portal then manifested before them.
"I'm sorry I couldn't introduce you to the rest of the family, Michael. Unfortunately none of them are around."
"Oh it's fine Master. Next time perhaps."
The White Shadow had a small smile as he replied.
"Next time."
Then he walked through the portal.
Upon leaving, Michael's facade broke.
"So...much power..."
He commented looking at the last position The White Shadow had been standing at, in obvious unfiltered awe.
"Father...you are incredible. I only wish I can achieve the expectations you have placed on me."
He turned to survey the hollow lands.
"I will turn this into the hell of hells for you. I will break any who question your will."
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He held out the palm of his left hand and sliced the skin with a long nail from his right hand.
Gray blood trickled down and soaked the ground. The craters caused by the fight between him and the prisoners were all filled up as the damage was undone.
"A river that sucks out hope and gives back despair, huh?"
(Aden's P.O.V)
I clicked on the tab to commence the Air godly ascension trial. I found myself in the same gray space as before.
Then nothing.
(Elsewhere) (A Dimension far from Earth)
Finally after 10 years of preparation, 5 of them spent in hard training. And the rest spent journeying across the 5 lands looking for companions and more power, he'd made it here. The demon king's castle. The whole structure looked bleak and fearsome. Tall spires shot through the dark skies falling with smog and ash.
A tower bigger than any other stood prominent. At its crest was the jewel of dreams. The Symbol of the Demon king's power.
The hero tightened his hands on the pommel of his sword, blessed by the goddess herself. The Jewel of Dreams was perhaps the most important part of the mission. Were he to kill the demon king and seize the Jewel, then power unlimited would be his.
The church would anoint him as the World's custodian, the most important figure just under the Pope himself and Princess Aurelia would be his. For her...for his ambition and billions of lives...he would succeed where none had before.
His companions fought behind him. An army of millions composed of humans, demi-humans, elves and beastmen. Their enemy consisted of demonkind, trolls and orcs. It was up to him, the Hero to take down The Demon King.
'beware, what you seek cannot be owned.'
The elemental spirits around whispered. He stopped in place, listening to the voice of the elements. It was part of his hero unique skills.
'Do not be afraid of death...it is merely a curtain.'
He didn't understand what they meant.
His head rose up to reveal green eyes under a mop of beautiful blonde hair. Above, on the tallest tower of the castle was a shining ball of power. That sphere of power was the reason for the war. He would acquire it and fulfill his destiny.
"My purpose is noble. I will not fail."
He stated and then walked inside the castle. Instead of the usual castle rooms he was expecting...he instead appeared before a battlefield. The sky was red, skeletons of various creatures lay halfway submerged in the sand and wind blew through the whole deserted land. The soil was permanently red due to the blood shed.
In the middle of the battlefield, was a hill made of weapons and corpses. Above that hill sat a throne and above that throne, the sphere of power floated gently.
"The Jewel of Dreams."
He stated in awe. He could feel it calling onto him. Casting a blue light that shone prominent under the gradient of the scarlet color from the sky, he could feel the light brush past his skin under the armor he wore.
The Hero stared around himself and saw death. He strengthened his resolve. He wasn't going to end up like them.
"And another one has come to meet his maker."
A heavy but tired voice stated from the suddenly occupied throne.
The Hero unsheathed his sword and jumped away.
"Demon King."
He stated, holding his weapon in a two handed grip.
"Today you die, fiend!"
The Demon King sighed and wordlessly slumped over his throne in sudden exhaustion. He was dressed in a long black coat, with brown skin, brown eyes and a height of 6 feet 2.
"Do you know how many times I've heard those exact words before?"
"Your reign of terror ends today. No longer shall you..."
"...spread the flames of hate and pain across the five continents...blah blah blah. It's all so exhausting..."
The Hero decided that he was done being mocked and moved.
His body turned into a blur as he appeared before the Demon King and swung down. A clang! Sounded out as the sword met with a shield of metal that surged from the ground. The metal shifted in a liquid like state and spikes shot out at the hero.
The hero activated a skill and disappeared before appearing 50 meters away.
"Blink? I have that skill as well." A voice sounded from beside him. The Demon King slung a hand across the hero's shoulder.
"But the difference is mine was earned the hard way. Through countless years of mastering Space magic. In comparison, you're a cheater."
The hero found himself stuck in place. He couldn't move or even blink. The Demon King started walking back to his throne and behind him, the hero's body begun separating into parts as space expanded evenly around him.
The last thing the hero saw was the weary back of the demon king as he trudged up the steps to his throne, then nothing.
"How long has it been?"
The Demon King wondered after Killing the 76,900,654th annoying hero who had schemed to take control of his precious curse. He eyed the Jewel of Dreams, raising up a hand to allow it to fall into his palm and then he begun narrating, getting lost in the memories.
"The story of an orphan. With nothing on his back. A mere child forced to witness the cruelty of life, innocence robbed and naivety crushed under the oppressive might of reality. He sought power and found none. And so he realized, he couldn't merely seek for power. Power was a rare resource after all. Those who had it prospered, those who didn't were like him...hopeless and denied a voice."
"And so to sate his hunger, he took power, stole what he could not earn and earn what he could not steal. Until finally, the heavens decided to reward his will. Whether the reward was a curse or blessing...he has still not decided." At this the demon king grew animated.
"The reward, a dull gemstone turned out to be his lucky break. He wasn't merely limited to sating his hunger when it crept up or finding shelter when it rained. A new hunger befell him. Desire. For what is desire if not hunger for that which you want but don't need? Well, with his new treasure, aptly named, The Jewel of Dreams, he could dare to desire."
"It rewarded any effort he put in with power to break through all obstacles. Every fight the now young man encountered, no matter how much the odds were stacked against him, he won. The powerful saw him as a threat and sought to steal his treasure away. They all fell under his might. Other of his kind, those who sought to fulfill their selfish desires, flocked to his side and he became a feared foe across the lands. 100 years passed, the nations rose up to destroy him, he prevailed."
"1000 years passed, every century, every generation sought to end him through heroes, yet he endured and grew even more powerful. 10000 years, 100000 years, 1000000 years. He grew in power, content to discover more of what the Jewel of Dreams could give. He became the strongest mage, the strongest fighter, the sneakiest thief, the most resourceful ranger, the most accomplished alchemist, the best ruler...every field of what he learnt could be mastered. 10,000,000 years passed."
His voice started growing weary.
"He discovered for all his power, the path seemed to have no end. So he distracted himself. He lived, loved, killed but all in all never once did he let go of the jewel. He betrayed his sons and daughters and wives for the jewel."
"It was all he needed. The distractions worked well to show him or rather comfort him that as long as he had the jewel, then he was okay. And so he got back to his routine, On and on he learned about the secrets of his planet, then his local star system and then the galaxy. His scrying showed him beautiful planets across the galaxy."
"So he journeyed to them. He learned more and more. Made memories with the locals who welcomed him, destroyed those who did not. 100,000,000 years passed. He started noticing death catching up with the universe and so he returned to his home planet. Despite the years that had gone by they still remembered what he was. The legacy left behind had completely changed the world."
"The wars started soon. The new church, despised his existence just like the last one. 120,000,000 years and they still send Champions to end my existence. And after so many long years, the Jewel finally spoke to him for the first time. And he realized he had lied to himself." his eyes teared up.
"The jewel said...'you have lost the very thing you sought to gain.'"
(General P.O.V)
The heroes armies were destroyed with the death of the hero. Many more came after him, all seeking the demon king's death. The result never changed. They all perished.
Years started passing by him. More heroes and champions, then gods all challenged him and lost. He had all the power in his hands. Billions of years went by. The universe cooled around him, the stars lost their glow. All that yet the Jewel's song never ceased.
'You have lost the very thing you sought to gain.'
Until finally when he was all alone in the void, the only light remaining being the Jewel itself, he still vehemently held on to the only thing that could stop the decay. He finally understood what the Jewel was for. A new light.
But his spirit rebelled at the idea of what he had to do. The Jewel of Dreams had forged his dreams into reality. How and why should he let it go? Why should he let go of his freedom...
Freedom.
Freedom.
FREEDOM.
"You have lost that which you sought to gain."
It was Freedom he had lost.
Tears dropped down his cheeks. He had sought power only because of freedom. True freedom to dictate his own actions but now that freedom, the core of his hunger and the drive of his desire, was gone. He had imprisoned himself with the very thing meant to free him. He wept.
And after weeping and with new understanding, he realized what he needed to do. There was nothing around him. In the inside of the infinite canvas of unreality, only he stood the test of time. He held on to the Jewel of Dreams, it's once shining light had dimmed considerably.
No words left his mouth. He was past the point of speech. He crushed the jewel in his hands and let go off all he had received. He let go of the most precious thing he had and in doing so...he was freed.
Light bloomed anew as an explosion of power rippled out into the void. Reality gained and ripped ground from unreality as something new formed. Something eternal and infinite.
Aden's eyes shot open. The whole world venerated his existence. The very air sang it's praise to its master.
Every god in every Pantheon felt the shockwave of power released. A new divinity had ascended. And this new god...was more powerful than any of them could perceive.
(Ascension Complete)
(Authority Acquired: FREEDOM)
(Kronos)
The tides had changed. The god of time now knew without a doubt that the both of them could not exist within the same reality.
Aden Strong had simply grown to be too much of a threat. He needed to perish. And...he couldn't do it alone.