Shadows lapped hungrily at the edges of a table barely visible in the darkness, it was circular with six chairs arranged evenly around its circumference. A red glow radiated from a six pointed star carved into the table, a thick red liquid rested lazily in the cracks. It glowed ominously, the only light in this seemingly endless void. All six chairs held a shadowed figure, there seemed to be two heads to this table sitting across from each other.

One of the shadows leaned forward and the red glow crawled up it's face leaving facial features in its wake, a young looking white man with red eyes. The man's face was painted with a neutral expression, but his eyes held a serious purpose.

"Despair, the floor is yours to present." the red eyed man spoke as he gestured to the shadow beside him.

The shadow stood up however it didn't reveal itself, but the way it accompanied its words with hand motions gave off the vibe of an eccentric individual. The shadow held the shape of an older man in a lab coat.

"Yes yes, of course Shadow. You see my fellow Bishops the experiments have reached their climax and our destination is finally on the horizon. We know the ritual and ingredients needed to have our Lord walk this plane once more." After his little speech he sat down again, this prompted another to speak up, a Shadow sitting in the other head seat. The only discernible feature was his green eyes and white smile that seemed to stretch unnaturally wide.

"Really, we're still on this old geezer, am I the only one who's craving a change here. That girl you're looking at Shadow, she's a good vessel for a new Lord rather than getting that old fart back we should raise her and get a new beautiful lord to follow." His voice was eloquent but as he spoke Shadow's face fell further and further as he pressed on his temples.

"Chaos sir, you are the one person at this table I have no desire to include on the current plans so feel free to go have your fun elsewhere. As long as you don't interfere in Kozak, everything should proceed smoothly." Shadow finally spoke with exasperation. "Anyways, Deceit, you're currently stationed in Madreachia. You've done a wonderful job assimilating, soon as the plan unfolds the first anomalies will appear in your neck of the woods so could you make sure they go unnoticed." The shadow referred to as Deceit nodded but declined to open its mouth. It's silhouette definitely contained pigtails that shook with the motion of her head. She was also the shortest at this table.

Shadow then turned to the final person, "War, our final brother. You're pulling the strings to a conflict between the elves and the dwarves right, well feel free to keep that up for now. Sharpen your fangs for when the Lord's army rises it'll need a general to command it. While you're at it, do your best to whittle down the numbers of both species as much as possible. Our conquest will be easier without the blacksmiths and the archers in our way."

"Shadow, you'll be pulling that girl Illia and her brother for this right. That nobleman your eyeing will take a liking to her, you sure you wanna put her in his hands?" Chaos asked, "wouldn't it be better to use Gordon, he's more talented anyways right."

"The mission in Aguris is rather simple, it will be fine for her, besides she needs experience. It'll be her first proper mission, and I wanna see how she'll deal with having to work beneath someone she will certainly despise. Besides, Gordon will be preparing for a project in Gulress." Maxwell said, "Aguris will be unimportant after our business concludes. She can burn the place to the ground if she wishes."

"Isn't it cruel to make an ex-slave work for a slaver and protect his business?" Chaos asked with a smirk. "You're not afraid she'll betray you."

"Cruel, she's a trained assassin, cruel is her job. She'll probably have her fun with the man when her job is over." Shadow said, then he turned to the right of Chaos's seat, the shadow there was feminine and had demon like horns. "Prophecy, tell me, is everything going according to plan?" The demonic shadow moved and two glowing white eyes appeared and a collection of runes began morphing and flashing in a halo like pattern around her skull.

"The future still contains our rise, the next war of the demons and mortals will happen. . . It's destined. The vessel of despair will be a sufficient sacrifice, the hero will be defeated. It's truly a beautiful future." Her voice wavered a bit at the end, there was something she saw that shook her. For a moment she glanced at Chaos, but he didn't react and the light in her eyes faded as she turned back to the group.

"That's wonderful to hear, and with that let's conclude our business, you all have your respective desires and duties to carry out, in the future you'll be called here again to be updated when any major changes or accomplishments happen. Till then-" he stood up and placed his fist over his heart and a black flame consumed him before he vanished. The others followed suit till only Chaos and Prophecy were left, Chaos stood up and walked around the table before he looked towards the void. He gave a smirk before opening his mouth.

"A plan that goes according to is no fun. So let's add a little chaos to the pot." As chaos said that he reached into the darkness and pulled a sword from its depths. A dark blade, with a demonic eye in the center. "They won't notice it's absence till it's too late. This'll be fun."

"Chaos sir, what are you gonna do, my visions were unstable and you seemed to be at the center." Chaos reached out his hand as she asked.

"Come on, let's do something fun my dear."

~

Thunder cracked the thick gray clouds threateningly, a feeling of dread so deep that the moon hid from it's own sky. A moonless night even in the gaps between the raging storm. The clouds seemed to weep from the beating of the lightning as rain poured down to greet the greedy sidewalk and roofs. Not many walked the streets at this time, those without a place to go huddled in doorways and beneath abandoned alley carts. Even those without any sensory perception could feel that something was wrong tonight. Sort of feeling a prophet might get in the moment their God dies.

However amongst the skittering souls that lingered on the streets a single figured trekked against the wind, against the rain. Her clothes were soaked, a shiver wreaked havoc on her body giving uneven steps and chattering teeth. This girl was different, she wasn't some street urchin without a home, no she was a well known face at this time. However no worries or concern was given to her from those who noticed her whether they be from the windows of the houses she passed or from the alleys she avoided.

This is fine, it shouldn't be epic, it shouldn't be a big deal. Just taking care of a pest no need to bother anyone. She thought as she made no effort to shield herself from the cold or the rain in fact she seemed to lean into it. She relished in the numb pain, her body screaming out in exhaustion. A growing sense of hypothermia was tapping her fingertips, but she did not care and showed no signs of stopping.

She approached the main gate and stepped up to the guards station, a sigh of hesitation passed her mind as she thought about what she was about to do. For a moment there was regret at the loss, but the cost for gaining was too much. This was a loss that must happen, but she couldn't suppress the fear. She was afraid that it would hurt, and she was afraid of what her family would say when they see her.

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She shoved all her feelings down and knocked, the sound of shuffling and some whispered words filled her keen cat like ears. A bit of annoyance was shown on the way her tail tip flicked, but it quieted as anxiety rose up and mellowed out with a mix of sadness.

Smack!

She gave herself a hard slap as a self directed anger, bordering on hate rose up. How pathetic, I can't Even do this right huh? She thought as the door opened roughly.

"Ahh, um." He coughed and cleared his throat before responding. He was trying not to get near her or the rain, he could have been avoiding her because she was soaked but that probably wasn't it. He wouldn't gaze at her with fear and suspicion if that was true. "Skarlet, hey kid. Um heh, what can I do for you at this hour." His mustache and beard seemed to be working together with the dark shadowed environment to hide him from her.

"I would like to go up." Skarlet spoke, she pointed up, towards the top of the wall where the walkway was. The guard hesitated, turning to his partner, who just shrugged

"Um yeah, for you, sure." A smile crossed his face as a thought passed his mind. A beautiful sight in his mind. The same thought currently on repeat in Skarlet's own mind.

"Thank you." Skarlet's words made their smiles disappear as scowls replaced them, she ignored those looks as she headed up the stairs chasing the stormy clouds roaring at her from above. It didn't take her long to step out onto the cobblestone path with short castled walls on either side. A splash rang out as her bare feet trudged through the shallow water pooling on the pathway.

Fear welled up in her once more as she approached the edge and gazed over. It was a long way down, for a moment she saw her body at the bottom broken and bleeding. A sense of hope rose up chased by anxious self-hate as her emotions spiraled once more she stepped up onto the edge and turned around. Her whole body was shaking, and not just from the cold. The stone beneath her was slippery. She had made up her mind to do this, but still couldn't bring herself to face it. She took a deep breath and prepared herself. Letting her emotions run wild she'd use the chaos to jump, they'd never see it coming.

"Are you gonna jump?" A humored voice cut through the air. It was barely off from a laugh, it was so mocking that even Skarlet's eyes flew open to retort. However she paused as she saw the man and woman before her. A man with shaggy almost curly black hair and green eyes, he wore a black jacket left open with a piece of green cloth hanging from his neck. He was interesting looking but not the real eye catcher, no that was the girl.

The girl was standing seductively even enough to twist Skarlet's sexuality especially with the clothes and her beauty. To cut it short, she was dressed as a succubus and added to that were her horns, sharp curves and two tips that pointed upward. She had two bat-like wings and a tail with an upside down heart on the tip. Though her gaze was scathing and arrogant, her hand over her mouth, the knuckle of her pointer finger pressed against the bottom of her nose. Almost like she was thinking.

"U-um who the hell?" Skarlet asked with a frown, her mind was racing with so many questions: what the fuck is a demon doing here and who the hell is the other guy I've never seen him in town before.

"Fufufu, she's got no manners Griax, what are we gonna do if she ju-" Griax put up a hand as he stepped forward. She who was laughing behind her hand lost the look of disdain and arrogance. Instead annoyance overcame her expression and her hand dropped revealing a frown.

"Dear, why are you up here really, what are you running from?" He asked, this time with a tad of seriousness, his expression still had a smile though. She felt uneasy, maybe it was the situation though that made her want to express her feelings to at least someone before the end.

"Life, I'm no good, I'm a walking bad luck charm and Even if I worked my whole life I could never pay back what I owe. In fact I'll make a better contribution by jumping." Skarlet's voice was shaky but firm.

"Ah, what if I were to tell you that I know you'll accomplish something great in the future, or that I can prove your family had forgiven you, or that I can help you overturn the way this town looks at you." Griax offered and for the first time her eyes wavered, his smile widened as he approached closer.

"You can do that!?" She was racking her brain for how that could be possible. "Are you a prophet?" It was the only logical explanation.

"Yes, I've seen the future of the hero known as Skarlet." He breathed words her ears wanted to hear.

"Hero! I become a hero." Skarlet felt a surge of hope, proper hope as she began to step down, he offered her his hand. Skarlet took his hand and leaned into it to step down. She suddenly slipped, her balance disappeared and she leaned fully on him, her eyes locked with his as the eerieness of that smile finally reached her. It was scary, fear filled her and then a sense of panic as he kept walking towards the edge. She realized he was pushing rather than pulling. Her body tilted backwards, she looked around frantically as the thought suddenly crossed her mind: I don't wanna die! Alarms began to blare as she slipped over the edge. She grabbed him desperately as his face cracked open to reveal a chilling laughter.

"Dear, weren't you gonna jump, come on let go. It'll only hurt for a moment I'm sure." He began prying her fingers off one by one. "Ten, nine, eight." He laughed as he began to recite some nonsense only he understood, but when he got to the last finger his smile disappeared. "With this the little kitten fell to her death." And then she felt it, the complete loss of connection to anything as she fell back. The air rushed past as she tried to think of anything to save herself but for something that felt like an eternity, moments later a mass amount of pain exploded in her mind before darkness enveloped her every sense.

"Wooowie that was quite the fall, you think she survived." Griax asked while holding back a laugh, he tipped forward and gazed over the edge. Unnaturally, he seemed to know gravity as he gazed below.

"I. . . Um, well Griax. Was this wise? I thought we needed her for the plan what about the vessel for Despair." The woman seemed extremely surprised as she peered over as well. She made no face at the smashed skull and blood smeared with brains. The way her arm sat at a weird angle. She simply seemed confused.

"Asmodeus, a new plan is being set in motion, have you noticed that the other Bishops haven't arrived even though their precious vessel has just gone splat." Griax smiled at her mischievously, he approached her slowly "Will you participate in my plan or theirs?" Asmodeus hesitated, before hardening her face.

"What do I need to do?" She asked with expectation, she wanted to hear of this plan.

"Jump." Griax said simply as he turned towards the edge once more, lighting struck with perfect timing and the sky illuminated not just them but the bloody corpse of a young fifteen year old girl at the bottom of the drop. An array of emotions went through Asmodeus's mind, but the most prominent was confusion as she stepped up onto the edge. She wouldn't die from a fall like this, so what was the point? She had her back to him so she didn't see it as he pulled a sword from his coat. A demonic sword with a red eye in the center of the crossguard, before she could realize something was wrong he plunged it into her back before kicking her off the sword and over the edge.

Asmodeus first felt a flash of pain, then surprise, then finally fear and dread. The sword she'd just been stabbed with was the demon king's sword, and it could take away a demon's natural immunities and defenses making them like the fragile humans.

"Asmodeus, the future is changing can't you tell!" Griax exclaimed and it pushed her to use her ability. Almost instantly her eyes began to glow and images flashed through her mind. Skarlet, Cody, Amelia. . . Amelia why does this random nun feel so important to me. She wondered when suddenly a white explosion erupted out as her head smashed open on the cobblestone.

Moments later Griax landed beside them both. A nice, gentle landing on his feet. The rain seemed to avoid only him, his clothes and hair still dry even in the raging storm. "Head to the church of light Asmodeus your part starts there. I will put my broken toy back together again with your old parts as substitutes." He couldn't seem to see her, but as a powerful demon, Asmodeus was capable of surviving as a spirit and possessing a new body. She snorted but still decided that she would take his advice, her essence soon faded from the area and left a smiling man standing over two bloody corpses.

A couple hours later the door to the guards office opened and a figure stepped out, her black hair was wet, her red eyes were filled with confusion but a slight purpose. Skarlet set off at a jog back home.