Shadow of the Abyss

In the shadowscape of his mind, Altair aimlessly wandered as if he were in a dream. He might have thought it was a dream if not for a strange tree that bore no leaves but small orbs of flames dancing along long branches.

Soul Flames, he knew. They burned like stars, endless and ethereal, banishing the night to birth light. And yet the night seemed to return, to swallow the light. To allow it to exist within its encompassing arms.

What such an ancient tree represented, Altair couldn't say, yet it towered over fifty meters in length and height, its branches fifty feet. Each Soul Flame was never the same shade of color. Some were lighter, others darker, but there was never one that was truly the same. Some glowed bright, others barely seemed to even glow, ready to sizzle out at any moment.

Few appeared as though they stood above the masses, so bright that their light seemed to swallow others, masking them beneath their radiance.

For as long as he could remember, he stared at the strange tree, finding that no matter how far he traveled, he was never too far from reaching and touching its bark. He never did, though he couldn't say why.

"The Godhand," He muttered finally. Confused about why there was a memory that was not a memory, a thought that wasn't a thought, coursing through his mind.

"Is that what you call it?" Another voice reached out, shattering the silence of his Shadowscape. He recognized the voice.

"Uncle," Altair said, shifting to see where he was. Yet, similar to Mephisto, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Yes… You've caused a mess." Zariels voice was sharp. Sharper than it usually was. "The Godhand… You… No, don't tell me. Don't tell anyone. We called in a favor for you. A heavy one.

Zero is pissed. Worse, he's out for blood."

That sent a shiver down his spine. For all the time he spent with Zero. The man seemed as cold as Ice. Colder each time he peered at that black mask.

"Not at you. I think. The Omnis Council. Blood is about to spill. That's for sure." —Altair could just about imagine the stone-faced man shaking his head— "But this is an opportunity for you."

Confused, Altair willed himself erect. "What… what do you mean?"

"The Mark of Cain. It hears your words, senses your thoughts, and observes your actions, all outside the Palace of Stygian. Speak Mephisto's name, and you shall be summoned, or have you forgotten your brand like a common sow? I assure you they are watching you now."

"I… I don't understand. I don't even know how you're here. This is my Mental—"

"It's not my power. It's Aurelia's. All Nephilms. True-born Nephilms are born with a set of abilities, much like angels. Mephisto, the voice you heard before he fell, held your ability. Omniscience.

Though such a thing was lost to time."

Altair was stunned. "Lost?"

"He gave it up to fall alongside his brothers into the Hells; he was the first-ever and only Angel of the highest Order of Archangel to ask the Almighty to Fall. Why… no one seems to know. So don't ask. Yet his name is a name that carries as much power as I, but unlike me, he isn't bound to any one power."

"Will I get an ability as a Nephilim?"

"Perhaps if you bend a knee to the First and accept her, Sire, but I suspect you would never bend a knee to another. And… My wife, like all the women we Snows seem to get caught up in, is mad. You will do well to refuse any request she brings up or demands. I've lost track of the number of times she had me smite."

Altair could hardly believe that. Out of everyone, Aurelia seemed the most tamed. The most normal.

"Well… returning to the topic at hand. Azura will call upon you soon. She is still reeling from her losses within Genesis. Has Syris told you?"

"Yes. And it seems I have been honored by the Archon of Bios."

"Yes. Zelos is quite an asset, especially his family… if he can control them. I—" he stopped, and for a period of time, there was silence before his voice returned. "Sorry. Aurelia cannot keep this up for long. The Soul Exhaustion is too strong. Your journey continues on empire

And you are too far away. You will wake soon. When you do, you must take advantage of this opportunity. Zero will be on a path of War. Find a way to get Azura and her people in his path. He will handle the rest."

"Was it so great? A favor to Mephisto!" Altair couldn't help but ask. "He said that Zero asked him to save me."

"A favor from Mephisto is much like a wish. There is simply no greater treasure, no greater sword, but the Almighty and the Abyss." Zariel told him, his voice distant and far.

"Wait! I…"

"Stay in Almore… Do not return. Stay…"

****

The lids of Altair's eyes shuddered, alerting the women around him where he lay. Shouts and screams cracked like a whip for the Medarcs, for Medusa, and anyone who could hear him.

Light peered through his eyes, shuddering, opening to reveal the sun above and glaring down at him. He was still on the bailey, the grass as green as he remembered.

'Green,' he thought, remembering the horror that was the tribulation that fell.

Suddenly pulling himself up, his gaze searched the bailey, the castle that had crumbled to ruin beneath the rumbling of the heavens. Now, it stood erect, tall, and mighty as if it had never fallen.

The woman, the servants that had burned at the corner of her eyes, turned to dust no better than what was found beneath the bed or one's feet. Not even their bones or clothes remained, and yet there they were. Alive, walking and talking. He blinked, turning to face Medusa… and Raven.

"Raven…" The girl was on his belly, her arms wrapped around him, as light as a feather. Lighter. And utterly naked.

He jumped when he heard Medusa snap, the sound louder than he imagined. The sound twisted to invoke a shadowy sphere that covered them all.

"What is—" Before he could continue, Medusa covered his mouth. A moment later, his body was covered in clothes. The same went for Raven. 'Don't talk. Just nod or shake. Do you feel weak?"

Unsure whether he should be amused or not, something curled beneath his eyes. Still, he shook his head.

"You used your Transcendent might multiple times! …Gods, I can't even understand how anyone is alive. Myself included. I saw it through my soul. The devoisation. You killed it all.

Light, dark. Dead Laws fell, and… Someone stepped in."

Remembering Zariel's words, Altair let the words "Mephisto" slip from his lips.

The name alone appeared to squeeze color from out of Medusa's face. Her serpent-like pupils contracted to a thin line. She covered his mouth, and with a look like she wanted to box him the nose, she said, "Don't you say his name!"

Altair wanted to laugh. He did laugh, pulling her slender hand from his mouth. "But it's true. It seem the Council of Omnis wanted my head. He saved me. And—"

He hadn't needed to say another word before the searing heat of the Mark of Cain returned, dragging his conscience through some nexus in time and space. By the time he realized it, the familiar stench of the Lake of Rot welcomed him.

Sighing, blurring the world around him to gaze at the one glaring at him. He opened his mouth to speak. Azura slapped him hard.

"Don't! Don't think I don't know that you were the cause of the chaos on the first tower!" she growled, her stunning features burning like wildfire.

Again, she slapped him, spinning on her heels to scream, quelling the pained screams within the Lake of Rot.

"An entire Hell Cycle of work… Gone. GONE!" She glared back at Altair, fire now visible. "I should kill you! I should have you burned, whipped, fucked, and gutted. Your lovers, your children… All of them!'

Altair did not take her words to heart, nor her hatred. He found the seat in which he always sat, ignoring the sting on his face.

"The Abyss Watches," he said, half smiling, half intrigued by her fury.

'Cain wants you dead. And I can say, even if we incur the rage of the Abyss, it would be worth it."

"Then what about Mephisto," Altair said, smiling to keep himself from appearing from looking like he was talking out of his ass. "It would seem he wants me alive. Does that count for something?"

The billowing flames seeping out from the goddess' pupils began to lessen. "You are playing a dangerous game… boy."

"Better than being defiled… whatever that means."

"It is your future… " she breathed, reining in the anger across her face as it had never been there. "What did he want?"

Altair grinned. "My life, of course."