Yellow eyes. Shining brighter than anything Ephram had ever seen before. In comparison to even the city lights he had seen from afar in the Garden, they shone brighter. It was the first thing he had noticed about Aberlain, his gleaming golden eyes. He was dressed in a brilliant yellow king's robe with black fur trim which flowed behind him as he walked. The first thought that appeared in Ephram's mind when he saw this demon and his appearance was 'power'.
Aberlain looked down at the three of them from the balcony of the great hall, his dark void of a face almost blotted out by the stars he called his eyes. His hands wrapped in what seemed to be white silk gloves, gripping the banister firmly. He seemed to be a quiet and thoughtful stoic figure, analyzing the trio as they stood below him in the hall.
Ephram looked up towards the ceiling, an extraordinarily large diamond chandelier hung freely above his head, illuminating the room to the point of daylight. It was so far out of his reach that even if he had wings it would take quite a while to reach it. The word palace was an understatement for this massive estate, it was the largest and most impressive place Ephram had ever bore witness to. Upon entering the grounds, he had walked past thousands of large stone sculptures of Aberlain himself, and even a few of both May and her father together. Lush green bushes and towering pine trees lined the gates which concealed the estate entirely from the outside world.
Upon his arrival, Ephram had walked by an enormous water fountain which seemed to be made entirely from Gold, sitting proudly in front of the main entrance. It roared with the clearest water he had seen, far different from that which ran through the streets of Ygdransi.
"May, daughter... who are these two you've brought before me?" Aberlain's voice rang through the great hall, echoing off each and every surface imaginable. The strength in his voice was apparent, not a hint of weakness to be found.
His eyes were locked on Ephram, ignoring the other two entirely as he spoke. They pierced through him like a spear through mere paper.
"This one here is E, a newborn demon who just awakened not too long ago in the Garden. I was hoping you could shed some light on his situation for him?" May hesitated, correcting herself, "For me, father? I'm sure you sense it too." She said, glancing over at Ephram quickly.
Aberlain clasped his hands behind his back, strolling down the white marble staircase towards the three of them. He nodded towards May, looking just slightly above her at her sunhat.
"The other is a lesser demon by the name of Silo, he's been a great help in securing E, so I was wondering if it was alright for him to stay here for a while as well? I will take full responsibility for both E and Silo during their stay here, father." May said shakily, something about her tone had begun to break, revealing a side of herself Ephram had yet to see.
Ephram looked at May, wondering why she seemed so different, it was as if she were afraid of her own father. He had to admit to himself that Aberlain did seem like quite a powerful figure, but for his own daughter to feel fear at his presence was just peculiar to him.
"E, is it? It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm sure my daughter has made you aware of me, but I would like to properly introduce myself." Aberlain said, his voice as smooth as the marble flooring they all stood upon. His demeanor had entirely changed when speaking to Ephram, the overwhelming power he placed in their hearts had been replaced by something else entirely. Ephram couldn't tell if this change was a good thing, or the sign of something much worse yet to come.
"My name is Aberlain Estella, I am the ruler of three Yggdrasil roots. My title is that of Rootlord, meaning one who has complete authority over a large section of Hell." He began with a calm and collected tone, this was obviously not his first time introducing himself in this manner. His words flowed with a smoothness to them, like the water spouting from the fountain outside.
"It's nice to meet you as well, Aberlain... or... how should I address you? Your... highness?" Ephram said, unsure of whether or not he was correct in assuming the demon before him was royalty. He certainly acted like it.
May and Silo simultaneously seemed to choke back laughter, catching Ephram off guard. As he turned to face them, he noticed Silo hiding his face behind May's hat, trying not to be caught giggling under his breath. May herself seemed to be shaking slightly, but her composure was much more stable than whatever Silo's excuse for a stifled laugh was.
As soon as Ephram realized his mistake, Aberlain unexpectedly burst out into the heartiest of guffaws.
"Your highness! Oh my! No, no... you can just call me Aberlain!" He said as he doubled over, clutching his sides to keep them from falling off his body from the amount of force his laugh commanded. Even May and Silo had begun to loosen up a bit, however their laughter was drowned out by the booming roars coming from Aberlain.
Ephram looked down to see Aberlain reach out his hand, standing back up and regaining his composure. Clasping Ephram's hand firmly and shaking it, the two demons shared a glance. The bright yellow eyes stared deep into Ephram's face right about where his eyes would be, making him feel as if Aberlain could truly see into his very soul. Just a moment ago, everyone had shared a good laugh, and not even ten seconds later, he had felt that same uneasy feeling which radiated from the Rootlord.
"May, if you'd be so kind as to show our other guest his quarters? I'd like to have a word with E in my study." He said, catching everyone off guard with what felt like an odd request.
Ephram looked back to May, who shared his concerning glance. She decided not to challenge her father, however, and only nodded in agreement with him. As she walked slowly away with Silo atop her hat, Ephram could swear he felt a warm breeze pass through the hall, all but fading away as May walked up the stairs and through the large oak double doors resting above.
"Did I do something?" Ephram asked, unsure what the Rootlord could possibly want to speak to him about. He knew from May that he was something special seeing as how he had no memories of his human master, but it was far too early for Aberlain to get directly involved with this in his opinion.
"Of course not, I simply have a few questions for you, that's all. You needn't fear." He said slyly, it was clear to Ephram that Aberlain had something else occupying his mind.
As the two of them walked through a separate set of doors to their left, Ephram was taken aback at the sheer size of just the hallway itself. Large busts of figures he had never seen before lined the left side of the wall; their portraits hung gallantly behind them. On the right side the wall was made entirely of glass, overlooking what seemed to be an enormous garden filled with breathtaking plants, flowers, trees, and bushes alike. An entire forest of pink, blue, green, red, and every color Ephram knew had been neatly placed within this garden. On the other side of the forest lay another section of the palace, yet it was too far away to make out any details. This place was much bigger than Ephram had previously imagined.
"Wow... this is beautiful! I've never seen anything like it." He said, awe filling his voice.
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Aberlain said nothing as the two of them walked, their footsteps echoing through the hall. He seemed to ignore Ephram completely, as if the second they had walked through the doors he had ceased to exist. The air around the two felt tense, like a wound up steel spring ready to break under the pressure at any moment. Whatever persona Aberlain had revealed to the three of them in the Great Hall had been wiped off the face of Hell.
Another pair of large oak double doors stood proudly at the end of the hall, and as they reached the doors, the Rootlord sighed loudly. Opening them and walking through, he raised his arms in triumph, revealing his study to Ephram. Bookcases lined the walls, their colorful spines protruding as if to say 'read me!'
A large metal spiral staircase stood towards the back of the room, leading up to even more bookcases, each one larger and grander than the last. The room smelled of knowledge, each word of each book seemingly floating through the air.
"Over here, have a seat." Aberlain commanded, pointing to a large oak desk in the back of the room, dimly lit by a single lamp sitting quaintly atop it. A neat stack of papers sat upon the desk next to the lamp, all seemed to be signed by the same gold ink pen kept in a small container on the opposite side.
Aberlain pulled back his own chair, removing his yellow robe and draping it over the back to sit down. Ephram shortly after followed suit, sitting in the velvety red cushioned chair opposite to the Rootlord. As he sat, he noticed how unbelievably soft this chair was, its cushions seemed to memorize every inch of his body as he sat upon it, tailoring itself to his every comfort.
"Let's skip the small talk, shall we? I have reason to believe you are not who you say you are." The Rootlord spoke quickly, it was obvious he had become irritated.
This accusation took Ephram by surprise and caused him to lose any train of thought he had previously had.
"What do you mean? As far as I know, I just woke up in the Garden amongst the red flowers not too long ago? I know next to nothing, I swear." He said defensively, not sure why he was being targeted like this. Sure, he had no memories of his human master and for some reason May had taken an interest in him when she had sensed something odd in him, but that certainly wasn't reason enough to accuse him of lying, was it?
Aberlain groaned, bringing his hands to his face and rubbing his eyes with the silky white gloves he wore.
"Fine... I'll play along for now. Where was it you woke up again?"
"The Garden? With the red flowers?"
"Again."
"The... Garden? What are you getting at here? I don't understand." Ephram said as he grew increasingly irritated. There was no reason to put him through whatever this was, perhaps Aberlain was testing him? Whatever the reason, it made him quite annoyed.
"And do you know what those flowers do? What they are called?" The Rootlord asked, trying to provoke something out of Ephram.
"No, not at all. I do think they're quite pretty, though? I'm telling you, I don't know anything!" He said with an exasperated tone, clearly becoming more and more frustrated with every poke and prod into his mind.
"They are called hellfire roses. The purpose of these flowers is to accumulate the memories and knowledge of every demon that wakes inside the Garden. Having no memories of your human master is simply impossible if you awaken in the Garden. Therefore, you are a liar!" Aberlain said, slamming his fists down on the desk in an effort to scare Ephram, but no such fear could be observed.
Ephram watched as the Rootlord slowly put his hands in his lap, leaning back in his chair awaiting a response. His yellow eyes narrowed, anger filling the silence of the room.
"What can I do to prove to you I'm not lying?" He said, trying not to set Aberlain off again. He tried not to show any outward signs of fear towards him, but every fiber of his being was screaming at him to get up and run. If he did so, however, it would only incriminate him more so, and even worse, get May in trouble with her father. After everything she had done for him, there was no way Ephram could allow this demon before him to harm her.
"The only way I would believe you, is if you come with me to the human world. If you can freely move between worlds without your human master being aware of it, then it's possible you're telling the truth." Aberlain said matter of factly, confident his remark would be met with hesitation.
"Okay then, when do we leave?" Ephram said quicker than the Rootlord had anticipated, catching him slightly off guard.
Aberlain's eyes narrowed once more, scanning the peculiar demon across from him.
"Hm... well, most demons cannot willingly travel to Earth without their master summoning them beforehand. I, however, am someone with quite a bit of influence in the human world. We can leave right now, how about it?" He said, quick to the point. In his mind, there was no way Ephram would accept this offer. On the off-chance Ephram really didn't have any memories of his human master, the only way to prove it was to travel to Earth with him. If he couldn't pass through to the other side, then Aberlain's suspicions would be confirmed. Surely his human master would sense their travels and intervene by calling Ephram forth to them.
"Alright... we'll be coming back though, right? I don't want to leave May and Silo on their own here. Both he and your daughter have been a huge help to me and I'd like to repay them somehow, so... I'll do whatever it takes to make you believe me." Ephram said confidently, which seemed to irritate Aberlain once again.
The Rootlord stood up slowly, eyeing him as he made his way past the oak desk and towards a separate room towards the back of the study.
"Through here." He said, beckoning Ephram to follow.
As the two demons entered the room, the stench of sulfur rushed past them. It was dark, the only light coming from a few candles lit upon the edge of the wall and the bright golden beams of Aberlain's eyes. In the center of the room was a large yellow sigil, its intricate design somehow inspired fear within Ephram. The smell of sulfur seemed to be emanating from it, coming off like waves lapping the shore. The pulsating stench was giving Ephram a headache, his brain being tormented with every new wave of rot and decay.
"Come now, grasp my hand... and when you see the light, close your eyes." Aberlain commanded, holding out his hands after throwing aside his white gloves. Ephram reached out hesitantly, but in the end their hands held firm. As soon as their hands made contact, he could feel something strange beginning to happen.
The world around the two of them began to vibrate, the air itself acting more like boiling water. Ephram's vision began to blur, or perhaps the colors of the world around him simply started to melt. He couldn't tell what was real and what was not anymore. The dimly lit room began to fade away, dissipating into pure darkness, leaving Ephram and Aberlain completely alone for what felt like an eternity.
"Where are we?" He asked, but was met with no explanation from the Rootlord.
As soon as Ephram finished speaking, he noticed a small white light on the horizon of darkness, it seemed to be getting closer. As quickly as it appeared, the small white light burst forward and blinded him. His hand tore away from Aberlain, both of them now covering his face in shock as he bent over, trying to get away from the blazing light.
"I did tell you to close your eyes." The Rootlords voice interrupted his shock, and Ephram's vision finally started to blur back into focus, recovering from the sudden flashbang.
He was about to yell at Aberlain for not giving him a little extra warning, but as he took in his new surroundings, the thought had completely vanished from his mind.
Dazzling lights filled the world, as far as the eye could see. Lights of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Tall glass skyscrapers reached the stars, blurring the night sky with the ground below like the reflection of a clear pond. The noise was something else entirely, something that struck a chord through Ephram's heart. The buzz of the cars and people below hummed like a musician testing out the rhythm for a new song, filling the air with a beautiful melody that seemed to be not quite finished.
They were noticeably high up, higher than the other buildings it seemed. In this bustling city, there seemed to be quite a few enormous skyscrapers, the one they had appeared within seemingly the tallest.
"Earth... this is Earth?" Ephram choked out, his voice trembling from the beauty registering within his mind.
"Yes... more precisely, however, this is the CEO's office of Stellarh Incorporated. My home away from home." He said confidently, spinning toward Ephram dramatically, "If you were lying to me about losing your memories, you wouldn't be standing here as of now, so, I sincerely apologize for my transgressions against you... I seek your forgiveness."
"Well... I guess in your position I can't blame you. Don't think much of it, it's alright." Ephram said, not sure whether or not he should trust the Rootlord. It was merely a small offense, but the fact still remained that Aberlain did not trust him completely. The only thing to do now is wait and see what he does next. It still bugged Ephram why he would go through such trouble to bring him to the human world, certainly there had to be another reason. He had a feeling that the kind of demon the Rootlord was just couldn't accept the fact that he was wrong, and that thought scared him.