Shadow of the Abyss

"Did you see him?" A dark-haired woman asked, kicking her feet languidly across a shingled rooftop. She wasn't exactly beautiful, yet the elements themselves seemed almost frightened of her, pulling away so as not to touch her.

"Of course, though I feel slightly offended he did not sense me," the fox-faced Syris proclaimed. Her once silvery white hair was now a tangle of curls. She was pretty, though, with a freckled face and eyes a deep shade of blue. It was still quite the difference. So much so it was hard to imagine she was Altair's

Saintess.

Syris had not liked her new look, but then again, neither did Reina. They were quite the downgrade.

Reina laughed. "You are traveling with me. So, of course, he'll not sense you. No one can." That seemed to startle the woman, her friend—former friend. They had traveled together for nearly six months, seven if they counted their journey through the first few floors of Babel's tower.

She couldn't say whether it was due to faith or not, but it didn't matter. It hardly mattered when she channeled Seraphine to smite the woman down. It didn't kill her, but it had ended the fight faster than she liked.

Syris made a face. "You're still not going to tell me what power you're using, are you?"

"You can see him if you want—" She dearly wanted to "—But I've other matters to attend to." Of course, she wouldn't tell Syris of her plan. Few knew about the Court of Shadows, fewer yet about that they were a group of Fallen Angels. It was a mystery why such a faction had agents scattered through Babels Tower.

She, too, might not have heard if Zero had not appeared when he had to inform her about the news. He had purposefully refrained from telling her how he came by such information, seemingly either to test her or to keep his agents a mystery; either way, his appearance made her own master expression hard. A rare thing. It had only been like that when she faced the one called Mephistopheles, though he had allowed her to call him Mephisto.

They both had hard expressions, staring down the other before they broke into laughs, with her forced to pour the two a cup of tea.

"It's been a long time, Mepho," Luna said lightly in the usual tone she took when lecturing. "Can I call you Mepho? I swear that little girl has a way with names. Has she said it already?"

The tan-skinned man grimaced, though it was not out of shame. There was a bit of helplessness there. "She has. Even after I told her I'll torture her. The girl went on and did it as if to test me. Crazy bastard. And I've confirmed she is the one. What confuses me, however, is how I allowed my memories…" He glanced at Reina, those scarlet obsidian eyes narrowing in a way some might presume were dangerous. THen it was gone. His eyes were back on Master Luna. " to be taken away from me."

"Well, it could have been the Father's doing. As you know, time has been a very dangerous concept since its inception. It's maintained by the Father and his little Agents of Time, the—" she stopped then smiled, almost as if she'd said something unnecessary. She had, and Reina was not about to forget any of it. "Anyway, have they found Iza or Vesyrn? The two ought to be stronger than some Gods."

"The Time Lords are a bit annoying. They've been after Vita since she first used that accrued Movement Art that allows her to partially go back in time. A ridiculous ability, but then again, all Abyssals are ridiculous. They've been a bit of a problem, but the Twins handle them well. Nearly throwing Genesis into an upheaval. The Archons are pissed. It's a good thing this upstarter… what was his name? Altair Blackwood has their attention right now."

Reina could not keep her face smooth at the time, breaking out in surprise before quickly breaking into a start. "The Archons are after Altair?"

"Shush, girl,' Luna snapped. And Reina's lips thinned, her head bowing.

"Quite, his name has been thrown around a lot. I even met the brat. He has a nasty ability; I was forced to ban that or kill him. I truly hope he leaves Babels Tower to raise it. There is to be a conference about Altair Blackwood in a few weeks by the Council of Omnis. And the ability he used."

There was a fierce look across Reina as she stood. Recalling her curse that brought wretched disaster to Father and Mother. It was the Council of Omnis who created such a thing.

Mephisto grinned, those sharp eyes narrowing into playful malice. "Are you scared they might try to seal him? Just as they had tried to do with Aurelia Morningstar?" And his playful expression evaporated like it was never there. So many faces. "Well, don't be. Altair's ability, just like Aurelia's, can't be sealed—at least not in the traditional sense—they tried, and quite a few lost their lives, the bloody fools. Aurelia has visited you, right? She visits all Nephilims, being the first and all. She has full authority over Seraphine and whether it should be granted."

'He knows a lot about Seraphine,' Reina thought, nodding slightly. She did not want to look too unraveled than she already had. "Aunty Aurelia came to an—"

"So she really has escaped. Good to have confirmation." Experience more on empire

Reina's cheeks flared as the two erupted into laughter. Anger bubbled in her belly like a torrent of fire, rising to—Luna patted her shoulders, "Let it go, disciple. Mephisto is a big old trickster and a big teddy bear when dealing with youngsters."

"Then they grow up," he added, muttering unpleasantly about her 'teddy bear' comment. "Well, it doesn't matter. I owe them a big favor for what they did for me. If not for them, the path to—Oops, I forgot you're not a god yet."

"Correct, and you're not supposed to be in this Heaven. You were banned, remember?"

"It's just a clone made out of Intent. A figment of my imagination. Surely that doesn't count."

"You know you've never fooled our Father. Watch it, or he'll give you another spanking."

"I'm a man now!" Mephisto said, outraged, though that silly smile of his never ceases. He really was a teddy bear at times.

Of course, all his faces were a part of his schemes, all of which Reina recalled vividly. Her Master had warned her that that particular man was the most dangerous being in all the Myriad Heavens. And the very person who told her about the Court of Shadows.

She had already put that much together, but putting a face to the name was something else. He was certainly handsome, a bit childish at times, but not in the least overbearing. If anything, he seemed fair. Of course, that could all be a trap.

'Reserve judgment for only those under your blade. Only the dead do not change," Luna told her after he had left. "Mephisto is a man I personally trained and one who I now consider a rival."

'I really have much to learn,' she told herself, breaking her eyes away from Altairs Parade. They would meet another time after she got the information she wanted. Hopping down from a rooftop. Syris followed with a lithe step behind her.

***

"My ear is itchy," The Vale King muttered, looking down at the two fixing his morning wood. One on each side, their tongue whirling to keep down the swelling. "What a lovely way to wake up." He gave Alyssa's ass a clap, fixing two fingers inside, doing the same for Ashara. "I swear I could go on a hundred-year binge with you two."

Heated faces met him until sighs broke out. It was a shame that he had so many enemies and a kingdom to run. He certainly needed a regent to act in his place. Syris could do so, but she was in Babels Tower and Reina—He had not thought of Reina in a long time—he wondered where she was, abruptly grunting at the sudden climax, then showered his snow over their stark faces: where was Reina?

She was the first woman the Vale King had and perhaps the only one he had ever felt so strongly about. There was Syris, and while Altair did love her, the Vale King was more infatuated with the one who, in a way, had betrayed him a long time ago. It could hardly be counted as betrayal, but betrayal was betrayal. That had taken guts. Commitment. Conviction.

'Still, what is one woman versus ten or twenty?

He suddenly groaned as Alyssa mounted him, squeezing him so tightly he had to squeeze her supple waist. "My Lord, what are you thinking about when there are two ladies present."

The Amazonian had gotten a lot less shy. She could now talk with a cock in her ass without blushing in shame. Flicking her clit, she threw her head back to moan.

"Ride me like a true Amazonian. Show me what your sisters showed you."