To say that he was surprised to learn of Vuthe’s and Scythe’s existence would be an understatement. His mother had always done her best for her family and that included both Martin and his Brother Lucifer to learn about their past. Most of it was the notable people in their family, they weren’t some world famous people, but there were a few that Scarlet hammered into them.

The first being their Grandmother, Marie Savart. She was a very diligent person, a workaholic driven by her immense energy and her work doctrine. If what Scarlet told them was true, then his Grandmother would work even on weekends if necessary, always lost in her office, typing away at her keyboard without rest. She was a software developer, nobody notable, but to Scarlet it was important that her children knew about Marie’s diligence.

Then there was Scarlet’s Grandmother, a person very frugal and strict, but loving towards her family. She was the type of person to count every coin twice before buying something. Her husband, Martin’s great grandfather, was quite different yet oddly completed her quite well. He was a humble person who never was one to do things strictly for attention, but he could be quite the big spender if his wife didn’t reign him in.

And then, of course, there was Rin Savart, his aunt. It was a weird thought to have, her being his aunt. She looked younger than Jonathan, but he would be a fool to ignore the wisdom in her eyes. She had experienced a lot, quite a lot of it bad, from his understanding, yet she still seemed… calm was the wrong word, maybe grounded?

She didn’t act like some of the other older beings and beings with immense power. He had met some of the people from the magical society, most notably the Loltharim Siblings, but also a dwarf who had been around since the eighteen hundreds. And while the Loltharim Siblings didn’t flaunt their power, they were more… aggressive, in the way they handled themselves. At least that was his limited experience. They knew they were the strongest people in the room and were not above using that to their advantage.

Rin, or rather Vuthe and Scythe, were quite different. Vuthe was more grounded, she had an elegance that seemed out of this world, which he guessed would actually be an apt description. And while Scythe was a lot more aggressive than her… twin? Clone? She also had the same air of wisdom about her. She came across as more rebellious, more reckless, but she wasn’t an idiot. She had been timid at first, but quickly revealed her personality.

The most startling thing, however, had been Vixus. Vuthe’s child, apparently, was quite the person to meet. He could feel their experienced gaze, despite not seeing their eyes. It was honestly a little horrifying. Yet despite all of that, he knew how skilled they had to be. Not because he was any kind of mage able to sense their power or whatever, no it was the way they handled themselves.

As a manager he had to develop an eye for people who were good at what they did, and from all he could see from Vixus, they fell squarely into that category.

And it had given him an idea. An idea he didn’t like, but nothing about the situation that had given him the idea was something he liked.

His niece, the daughter of Lucifer and his wife Bianca, had been raped a while back and ever since then she had been a wreck. The culprit had never been found, and while the police had given up on the case, more or less, and the rest of the family had reluctantly accepted that there was nothing they could do, really, he hadn’t.

Jessie had been a cheerful girl once, full of energy, but now she was timid, shy, introverted, and depressed.

He had begged his mother to use her influence to get the police to pick up the case again, but she had quite reasonably explained that it had not been a magical accident and she only had so much influence over normal matters. She had managed to get the police to extend the work for a while, but after nothing had come up, they eventually stopped.

But if what Vuthe had said about Vixus was true, then maybe they were the person to ask.

It wouldn’t hurt to try, he reasoned.

And so, after his mother and son had gone to bed, Scarlet had opted to sleep in the guestroom for tonight, he sat in his office, hands interlocked in thought.

After another long moment of thinking things over he spoke, “Vixus?”

He felt like an idiot, honestly. Yes, Vuthe had said they would probably be around, but what reason would they have? He was just some random bloke.

And still he hoped and prayed. And much to his delight, there was an answer.

“Yes?”, the disgustingly melodic voice of the shadow being coming from the darkest corner of his office.

He looked over, but couldn’t see anything.

“I had hoped you’d be around. There is something I would like to talk to you about, preferably with nobody knowing about it, if that is possible?”, he asked, a little uncertain.

After a moment the shadows moved and a person stepped out. He had expected the shadowy figure he had seen earlier, but the woman who approached him was much different. She was a dark elf with sharp features, skin dark even for her race, and hair as white as snow bound up in a bun. She wore red leather armour that would fit into any fantasy movie he had ever seen and had deep purple eyes.

Vixus had mentioned that they were ever changing, and he had guessed they may have been some form of shape changer given that statement, but to see this woman in front of him was a little jarring.

She was beautiful, almost too much so, with a lithe frame while retaining enough curves to be seductive, but by the way she walked she was obviously not someone to be trifled with. She had the gait of the Loltharim Siblings, casual at a glance, but deeply confident to those who cared to look for it.

“I know what you wish to ask of me. The answer is no. Right now I’m far too busy to start even more investigations”, she said as she sat down in front of his desk, a chair neatly appearing beneath her.

He frowned, “How did you know?”, he asked suspiciously. Could she read his mind?

“No, I cannot read your mind directly. It’s your aura. If you want details ask my Progenitor, she can explain it to you. Regardless, I can’t help you. While I understand that it’s something that bothers you, it simply isn’t important enough to warrant my time.”

Rage flared up in him, but before he could say something she spoke once more.

“I didn’t say it wasn’t important at all. Hell, my Progenitor would kill me if she ever thinks I thought that way, but I simply have far more important things to attend to right now. World-changing ones.”

He studied her for a long moment, not entirely capable of keeping his mind on track. Both her appearance and voice were incredibly seductive and he had a hard time focusing.

“Is there nothing you can do?”, he asked eventually, not able to hide his disappointment, not that he necessarily wanted to do so.

“I didn’t say that. I simply said I couldn’t handle the matter myself”, she said with a smirk that made his heart skip a beat.

“Then what’s the catch?”, he asked, deciding to end the conversation sooner rather than later before he lost his ability to think clearly entirely.

Her smirk faded, “Once I tell you there is no going back. I know of someone who can help. But that someone will not be happy that I told you about them nor that you showed up knowing what they are.”

While her voice retained its seductive tone, there was now a clear undertone of warning present, a strong discouragement.

Despite his problems focusing he took the time to think it through. Vixus was old, perhaps even nearly as ancient as Vuthe and Scythe were. Vuthe had ordered them explicitly to help her family if need be, so if Vixus was serious about what they had said then he shouldn’t take this lightly.

But at the same time… He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. He knew exactly how much it hurt Jessie, her parents and her siblings to know that the one responsible hadn’t been caught. And the knowledge enraged him.

Martin was not a hero, not by any stretch, he was just a normal guy with a normal life and a normal job. He had a family he loved and work to do that he enjoyed enough. He had no illusions about finding the culprit by himself and delivering the justice they deserved.

But he also couldn’t just sit still.

If he let go of this opportunity would they ever get another chance for closure?

Sure, he had met Vixus just today and maybe they would agree to help in the future, but when would that be? Would it even be a priority to them? They didn’t know him nor his niece. The only other person he could ask would be Vuthe and Scythe, he was sure they could deal with it. But he didn’t just want to ask stuff like that out of the blue and without knowing them better.

Vuthe had said family was important to her, sure, but would she go out of her way to deal with this? She was apparently a Queen, actual Royalty, with subjects to care for.

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No, she wasn’t an option at the moment.

No matter how much he thought about it, this was the only way he could come up with. The police wouldn’t help any further, his mother didn’t have the influence over non-magical matters, and Vuthe had a Kingdom to run.

Vixus and their mystery contact was the only option available to him.

With a deep sigh and a bit of dread clawing at his heart he spoke, “Who are they?”

“Are you sure? Once you go there, there is no going back”, Vixus warned once more, but he simply nodded, jaw set and eyes full of determination.

“Very well. There is a being, as ancient as my progenitor. She is an old acquaintance of her Majesty, albeit one that has fallen out of favour with my progenitor over the years. But she is capable”, Vixus paused for a moment and looked him straight in the eyes, her gaze penetrating his entire being straight into his soul, “When you go to sleep tonight, pray to the Goddess of the Shadow Armory. Ask her for your help. You may mention that I told you she was acquainted with Vuthe should she ask, and tell her you are Vuthe’s family. She may have fallen out of favour with my progenitor, but she will act and help you. But the price for her help is yours to pay.”

And with that the woman in front of him, chair and all, vanished into the shadows before he could inquire any further. He blinked a few times, trying to unravel the statement he had just heard. Goddess?!

It slowly dawned on him what Vixus meant when they had said that once he was in there was no going back.

Martin was not a religious man, but to know that gods existed? Should he really ask a goddess for help? Could he afford to pay the price?

This entire situation was bizarre, if he didn’t know magic was real he wouldn’t have believed this one bit!

Suddenly images of Jessie came to mind, how she was before and how she was now. How she had changed from the energetic girl not a year prior to a depressed wreck that barely even ate.

A grim determination settled over him. No matter the price, he would ensure the happiness of his family.

Perspective: Vuthe

Vuthe snarled as she found herself in the one place she didn’t want to be in. She had spent centuries to rid the world of the history of this place, to ensure she would never find herself here ever again.

Yet, for reasons she couldn’t even begin to fathom, she was presently in the throne room beyond the violet veil.

Although to say she was present would be a misnomer. It would be more correct to say that this place was part of her and her mind was simply present because of outside influences.

Divinity was a fickle thing, much more so than magic was. In ways it was more rigid, but overall it was much more open to the imagination of people than even magic could be.

There were many ways to plead to divine authority, sometimes in person, but more often it was done over more arcane ways. Every being with divine authority had their own divine realm, a pseudo-physical representation of their divine power and their authority. It was part of their being and not a physical reality, but it was the place they found themselves in when someone prayed to them for help.

Those prayers could take on many forms, but most often it was done with the one praying showing up there to plead their case.

And now she could feel someone waiting beyond the violet veil. Waiting for her, specifically.

She had no idea who it was and how in the name of the gods they even knew about her divine authority, but even if she really didn’t want to she would not send someone away if she could help them.

The least she could do would be to hear them out. Afterwards she could still decide to leave the topic alone.

Although, deep down, she knew she wouldn’t refuse to help them. That was not how the Goddess of the Shadow Armory did things.

With a deep sigh she walked over to her throne, a massive thing built for her true form. Once she arrived in front of it she looked around. The throne room was made to be a copy of her throne room in the palace of Thelvadore, a place that had been destroyed in their last day on Satien. It felt… unfitting to keep it around any longer.

With a thought the room shifted, the royal insignias vanishing, the decorations changing, and a moment later it was filled with her armoury. Thousands upon thousands of weapons on display, each and every one of them from her own personal collection.

That done she shifted into her true form, letting loose her aura. Divine Authority demanded protocol and in this realm she was the absolute authority. Whomever wanted to speak to her would have to deal with her oppressive nature. If they couldn’t it was no longer her business.

With a deep breath she readied herself.

Enter.

It was not a spoken word, but a simple reality. She did not need to speak to convey her wishes.

As the word boomed throughout her throne room the violet veil at the entrance slowly opened, allowing entrance to this most holy of places.

As the petitioner entered she had to do a double take. It was none other than Martin, a person who should not know about her at all!

She shelved the thought for a moment, she will know soon enough.

As expected he staggered the moment he stepped in, her aura much too oppressive for any normal human. But despite his struggle he continued onwards with gritted teeth, determination practically oozing off of him. What could he possibly want to be this adamant?

Once he made it halfway he stopped, unable to walk any further, and knelt.

What is your name, mortal?

The question was technically redundant, but she had an image to uphold and in this place personal connections didn’t net anyone preferential treatment.

“I… I am… Martin Savart… Your Grace”, he said through gritted teeth, obviously straining desperately to even speak.

Martin Savart… May I ask how you know of this place? I was certain I erased all its history a long time ago.

Normally she would immediately carry on with the purpose of his visit, but this was much too important to let it slide. Regardless, she was the ultimate authority here, the one to make the rules.

“I… am… related to… Vuthe de Thal. One… of her subjects… send me to you… saying that you are… an old acquaintance of… hers that… could help me, your… grace”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, that basically only left Vixus as an explanation. But the way he worded his reply was curious. Did Vixus not tell him that Vuthe was the Goddess of the Shadow Armory? If so then that was at least a small point in their favour, yet still. Why would they even tell him that? Couldn’t they have helped him on their own? They were capable enough. This didn’t make any sense.

Curious… What help do you require, mortal?

In all honesty, Vuthe was very curious to hear what reason he would have to come to her, knowing who she was or not.

“My niece… was raped and-”, he was cut off as the entire room suddenly shook by the unbridled rage of Vuthe upon hearing those words.

She had to desperately try to keep calm to not accidentally knock him out or worse, kill him from the pure pressure.

It took her a few moments to calm down enough to continue the conversation.

Apologies, mortal. I did not mean to threaten you. Abuse of such kind deeply aggravates me. Tell me more about this… situation.

“Yes… your grace”, he said, swallowing once, before he continued, “She was raped… But the culprit… was never found. She suffers greatly… As does her family. I wish for… the culprit to be found…”

WIth a quick thought she looked at the prayer. One function of her authority enabled her to glean the basic details of any prayer she received, but only from the perspective of the petitioner who issued it to her. Nevertheless, it was helpful in quickly gathering the necessary information.

The person Martin spoke about was his niece Jessie and she had been raped by someone she didn’t know after a night out, presumably after he spiked her drink. From the explanation she gave Martin and the rest of the family she was only half-conscious, witnessing it all without being able to prevent it.

Vuthe took a deep breath. She would find him, that much she could promise. What she couldn’t promise was that she held back enough to not eradicate an entire city block once she found him.

I see… I shall see to it that he is found and judged. However.

She paused for a moment, putting a little more pressure onto him, just enough to drive her next point home.

You will NOT speak to anyone about this. You will not mention me or this petition to anyone. Should you do so, I will make sure you will never speak again.

Martin swallowed again, then nodded, “Yes, your grace. My lips are sealed.”

Good. Now go. Come morning the one responsible for your niece’s fate will be gone.

He nodded slowly, relief flooding through him, but he paused. “Your… grace? The person who sent me here has mentioned a price…”

Despite herself Vuthe felt slightly bemused by his unasked question.

Fret not, mortal. This is a matter that has importance to me as well. Rapists are not allowed to live as long as I do. This once I shall act without recompense.

He nodded once more, “Thank you, your grace.”

With that he turned and left hurriedly.

Once the violet veil had closed once more Vuthe took a deep breath and let her anger run rampant. The throne room shook and quivered as her roar shook the world, her aura shattering everything in this room to dust.

Only after she felt sufficiently calm did she stop. The room would return to its previous state soon enough.

With a thought she returned to reality, to the bed she lay in.

Tizanta was already awake next to her, a worried expression on her face.

Her divine realm was part of her, her body was never there. So her anger could be felt clearly by Tizanta sleeping next to her.

Before her girlfriend could ask Vuthe spoke. “I just had a petitioner. He did not know who I was, only my position. And he asked me something that deeply enraged me.”

It was obvious that Tizanta wanted to ask more, but petitions were not something Vuthe spoke about. People came to her with their deepest desires and worries, to talk about them with others felt like betraying their trust.

“Abyss?”, Tizanta asked instead, obviously curious how anyone would know about Vuthe’s divine title.

“Vixus. They told the petitioner, but as I said, they didn’t tell him about my identity, only my title. Still, I need to punish them once I return. For now I will leave. Keep an eye on the news, maybe tell Scarlet that if some weird shit happens, it’s me”, Vuthe explained with a smile that was only partly genuine.

“Vuthe…”, Tizanta said, her tone thick with worry.

“I know. But this is something I cannot ignore”, Vuthe replied with a cold tone. “I’ll be back soon. Love you”

She gave Tizanta a quick kiss before she vanished into the shadows, unable to delay any longer. She was angry, downright pissed really.

Someone had dared to touch her family. Someone had dared to rape a girl not even twenty years of age. Tonight they would pay dearly for that.

The darkness surrounding her grew cold, the shadows sharp, the night uneasy.

Tonight was the night for a hunt, a hunt she would deeply enjoy.

Tonight was the night the world would learn the wrath of a goddess.