Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

Surrounded by glimmers of light shimmering with such magical light, the land that I was sure was only a fragment of what Eden was felt utterly perfect, from the soil beneath my feet to the towering canopies allowing fragments of light to peer through. Everything felt too beautiful to be true.

But the oddest thing was Lilith. I wasn\'t merely trying to flirt… she really did look more beautiful than the world around me. From the moment we appeared. It was as though her precious features were nothing more than a mask created by my perception. But now, that mask had shattered, revealing something mystifying.

Unable to resist, I trailed my fingers through her hair, through rivers of silk too soft and transcendent to describe. I couldn\'t help but press my lips against it as I stared into her eyes. Amused by the heavy flush over her loveable cheeks.

"A-A-Arsene?!" She stammered, backing away, taking the hair from out of my hands. "What\'s gotten into you?"

I smiled. "It\'s been a while since I saw you so flush."

She turned, shielding herself in such a way I laughed: It had been a while since I\'d teased her like this. In fact… I couldn\'t even remember the last time. Who knew we could still act like we once did?

"Didn\'t we come here to find—" Lilith tried to say but stopped midway as my lips pressed against hers in such a way. Every fiber of my being vibrated with life. My heart hammered, thumping with such force I felt it would burst for the first time in my life.

"You— Damn you—"

Eating her away, I felt Lilith melt into my embrace, her resistance nothing more than a rabbit scrambling against a wolf.

"You bully." She whispered bashfully. Her amethyst gaze pooling an incomprehensible light. "Whats… wrong with you?"

I shrugged, unbothered by her curiosity. "I just felt like it. Did you not like it? I know sex is off the table since you\'re about to pop out two little twins, but… So what?"

Holding myself back as those curious eyes turned to suspicion, I chose to merely smirk rather than laugh my ass off at her perplexed expression.

I didn\'t know what it was, but being here felt oddly refreshing. It was as though I was looking through a different lens in life.

Lilith snorted: "Well… as long as it\'s a kiss."

"Or a lick?"

And her cheeks flared an even deeper color. "I jest! I jest! Maybe. Hehe. Come on, wifey, let\'s tour this so-called Seed of Eden." I said, interlocking our arms as my gaze swayed to my surroundings.

Lilith leaned her head against my shoulder, and I could feel her smile as we began to explore this realm… fragment.

There wasn\'t life in this realm. At least not traditional life. Aside from an abundance of plant life, there was nothing. Animals did not roam this realm, but for some reason, I could faintly hear the echoes of life. It was as though this realm remembered the sounds of wildlife from long ago, causing the leaves to tremble, the ground to shake, and the winds too, at times, the smell of musk only an aminal carried.

"I\'ve heard of this phenomenon," Lilith said, having observed her surroundings.

"As have I," I muttered. "It reminds me of what the Pale Lord once said… She said that once a year in Arcadia, blood shall rain from the heavens for an entire month in remembrance of the stain that had occurred."

"Echos of Eternity," Lilith whispered, reaching towards a fleck of noble light hovering before her eyes. Her expression was clouded by wonder as the fleck of light shattered into embers and faded before our eyes. "It truly is beautiful, isn\'t it?"

I couldn\'t answer her…

I had found myself mystified by her appearance lost in this Heaven. It was perfect here… it was so perfect. It made me wonder why the Father said he created a world for us Mortals but not his angels.

It\'s becoming clear how Mephisto manipulated all those who fell: Envy might have been the catalyst. But it\'s odd that the Father would make a test for those without experience, without a fully developed ego, and expect them not to sin.

Were Adam and Eve\'s fall predetermined? Was Lucifer\'s greed for the Father\'s throne just another manipulation?

"Do you think it was Mephisto…" And I paused, hesitant to speak, "Or the Father that manipulated everything?"

Lilith didn\'t answer, and I honestly didn\'t expect her to. It would perhaps be a forever mystery. It was wrong of me to even bring it up. If it were the Father\'s will, then… who am I to even wonder?

A/N: Who do you think it was?

"Arsene," Lilith finally said. "Can you summon the Spear of Wrath or Pride using the Abyssal Sins?"

Perplexed, I followed her command and opened my palm watching with fascination as the Spear of Pride flashed into my hand.

And my eyes went wide at the… almost demonic energy pooling within my hands. Fear, unlike anything I\'ve ever felt, coiled around my palm like worms, gnawing at my flesh as I held the Spear of Pride.

My unease spiraled out of control as I opened my palm to let go.

"Don\'t." Lilith hastily shouted. And my hand clenched, holding onto the Spear of Pride that felt so disgusting that my stomach churned.

Lilith looked at me, pointing at my head, and to my surprise, I saw a small star scarlet as the rivers of blood I\'d once created, bleeding the very aura of this spear hovering over my head like a crown.

"You truly are… the one to sit by my side for all eternity, oh Emperor of the Abyss." Lilith proclaimed, cupping my cheek with such a flush expression she smiled. "Why don\'t you embrace this sin? You\'ve already allowed it to sink into your bones and soul… why don\'t you accept it?"

"...Lilith, what is going on… what is this?"

"It\'s your birthright… as it is mine." She said, her amethyst eyes no longer filled with wonder but rather something sinister, something chaotic. "You are my chosen… Don\'t you think it\'s time to renounce the will of the Myriad for the Will of the Abyss?"

"... Hey Arsene… When will you renounce the One for me?"

I gulped, knowing the Father was watching, as was the Abyss, my Wife.

Lilith held no smile, no look of anticipation, no gleam of emotion, but I could feel the Reaper scythe against my neck, the will of the One and the All on each side of my being.