5th Day of the 1st Fire Cycle[1], 2000 g.c.
On level sixty-nine of the Sycamore Tree, the air carried a sharp blend of crisp herbs and warm spice, clean yet biting, like incense burned too close to skin. Space folded in on itself with a low hum as the Dominion Angel completed his relocation, Omnia's unconscious body cradled in his arms like stolen property. A golden chandelier swayed faintly overhead, its light warm and honeyed, catching on mana crystals and candle flames to paint the room in a noir glow straight out of an old French film. Feathers of dulled gold drifted down behind him, dissolving before they touched the floor.
He stood in a private office hidden at the core of the final floor, buried inside the luxury lounge the witches used for their secret gatherings. Thick walls of living wood muffled the outside noise, and Victorian church furniture filled the space with solemn weight. Dark pew-style couches, a heavy desk carved with prayer sigils, and shelves stacked with enchanted ledgers. This was Orion's nest. The place where he secretly watched the Panty Raiders, like insects trapped under glass. He always knew what they knew, and more importantly, what they didn't.
"It's just as Destini said," he murmured, his voice smooth and certain. "Before dawn on the fifth day of the First Fire Cycle, the Abraxas will complete his return during the year 2000 of the Gaian Calendar."
His gaze dropped to the woman in his arms. Omnia's hair veiled half her face, lips parted slightly, body unnaturally still. No breath stirred her chest, yet a steady rhythm pulsed beneath her skin, slow and stubborn, proof that something vital refused to let go.
"Finding out the Twilight Goddess not only survived Xiro's exit from the Trials, but now answers to him..." A soft chuckle slipped free. "Such a marvelous turn of events."
He tossed her onto the desk like a heavy coat. Wood groaned beneath her weight as he straightened his vest, the brown fabric sinking into shadow under the chandelier's glow. At the same moment, he felt it. A magickal signal traveling through the aether, precise and angry, aimed straight for Omnia's core.
His eyes flashed cobalt-colored mana.
"Disable—[Fallen Death: Samael]."
The command carried the authority of his Vessel Skill. Invisible waves shattered as they reached him, dissolving into static before they could land. The room hummed once, then fell quiet. Orion's bearded face split into a grin that showed too much satisfaction.
"He pushed a spell through my passive domain barrier," he said, impressed despite himself. "That alone makes him exceptional. Still… nothing compared to my Samael."
He paused, fingers tapping his chin, mind racing.
"Regardless... He's stronger than any prior iteration at this point in the Kingdom Cycle," he thought. "If this was as the Archon of Fate had written it, he should be recovering from defeat at the hands of his Chiral Reflection. Not to mention..."
His eyes drifted back to Omnia. A crystal orb rested near her head, glowing faintly. Enchanted documents lay scattered beneath her arm.
"That physical shell she's housed in is uncannily mortal," he realized, eyes narrowing. "Did he create that? Of course he did. Only the Abraxas code could pull that off without a fully blossomed Lord Seed."
A slow nod followed.
"Incredible. The imitation Xero managed to recreate the early stage of the very thing that got Archon Laniakea to her current position in Paradiso. The mortal shell."
He studied her like an artist admiring finished work.
"Every atom placed with intention. Hair follicles aligned. Skin dimples shaped just right. The devil truly lives in the details. Still… this body is nothing more than a doll housing a former Death Aeon."
His fingers slid through his chestnut hair as the chandelier glinted against his glasses.
"Still... Xiro not killing the Twilight Goddess must mean Omnia fixed the flaw in Sonata Core Zero," he said quietly. "The flaw that causes berserk collapse under excess nihility. Once a Lord Seed formed, that core should've eaten itself alive. But now…"
His voice softened.
"Now Destini's words ring clear."
The room dissolved into memory.
He stood in the endless white halls of God's Throne, marble glowing like wet porcelain. Destini faced him, skin flawless and milky-pale, curves lewdly exposed and unashamed while her arms folded beneath those generous breasts. Pink eyes reflected themselves in the lenses of his glasses, dangerous and knowing.
"This will be her thirteenth attempt," Destini said calmly. "And this time, she will succeed. The Syn Sonata Core of Pride will evolve into the Abraxas."
"If you wrote the upcoming future for the Kingdom Cycle," Orion replied, "why not script her failure like the other timelines?"
"I can only use fate to create nexus events to guide a timestream down a path," she answered. "But none of them become promised in this future Kingdom Cycle. Free will is returning, Orion. Fate is weakening."
"That threatens Archon Laniakea's reign," he said. "As her most powerful weapon relies on your shared rule of fate."
"Yes, for her, that would be more than terrible, as she would no longer have the advantage of causality control and foresight," Destini smiled. "But... Not for me. Or you."
"Me?"
"The Abraxas's return cannot be stopped," she said. "But the code doesn't need to stay where it was planted. There is a future for this Stellar Kingdom Cycle that ends with you in ruling the omniverse using that same code as the Demiurge."
"Demiurge? You mean I would stand above all Archons?" Orion asked. "Above even Khaos and Order? But where did that leave you, Archon of Fate?"
She circled him, fingertip dragging across his chest, eyes heavy with promise and seduction.
"I become your lover. Your confidant. Your muse."
He studied her in silence.
"And you trust me not to reduce you to screaming ash to rot for eternalities in the void, like I would with all other Archons?"
Her smile deepened.
"Why the false threat? You wouldn't. Remember, Orion the Hunter, I've seen that future grain and countless others. I know what you think of me," she comfortably rebuttaled. "How much you secretly desire to taste and enjoy me. Well, now here's your opportunity to achieve that fantasy. Something only mortals are blessed with the opportunity of experiencing."
"The fulfillment of a dream…"
"That is correct," she whispered. "Now, listen closely to what I'm about to tell you about the Sonata Cores..."
The memory snapped apart.
A rattling sound pulled Orion back. He turned just in time to catch the flick of a black tail vanishing behind a dark couch. A cat. He sighed and waved it off.
"Seems the time is now," he muttered. "If Xiro's Lord Seed has sprouted, all it needs is adversity. Feed the sin. Force the bloom."
He glanced toward the lounge walls.
"No place seems more perfect than the present. The witches and this factory have served their purpose. If they burn in the fallout, so be it... so be it."
A mirror caught his reflection as he clasped his hands behind his back. Behind him, the black cat stared with lemon-yellow eyes, tail swaying slowly and steadily. The creature appeared to watch with an unblinking gaze. Orion smiled at it, then turned away.
"I'll need someone expendable," he said. "A proper benchmark to measure his limit."
His hand closed around the crystal orb beside Omnia. Magitons poured into it, lighting the glass from within. Static crackled. A connection formed.
"Taurus," Orion said smoothly. "I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. You're being summoned to deal with the Devil of Velonica."
A deep voice answered, thick and eager, green light oozing through the orb.
"Finally, a reward for my work," Taurus growled. "You letting me devour that Syn Sonata holder? Should've happened months ago."
"The true reward is to come," Orion replied. "I have something waiting for you as well. A mortal."
"A mortal?"
"I know how you enjoy sexually breaking them in," Orion said coldly. "Breeding them, as you call it."
Silence followed.
"No good deed goes unpunished," Taurus said at last. "I'll accept it as an apology."
"Of course you will," Orion replied.
"Send forth the portal."
Orion set the orb down, laughter rumbling low in his chest. He snapped his fingers.
A hexagonal portal bloomed open, its surface shimmering with iridescent malice. His cobalt eyes burned bright with mana, the grin on his face unable to hide the darkness beneath his false light.
The hidden office churned like a pressure cooker the moment Orion's portal stabilized. The air thickened, heavy with layered mana signatures rubbing against each other wrong, like static crawling across the skin. The portal's surface rippled again and again, each wave brighter than the last, until reality finally gave up and let something ugly step through.
Taurus arrived with weight. The Great Bull of Heaven pushed through the doorway like he owned the space, slime-green fur stretched tight over a frame built to dominate rooms. He stood tall, chest pushed forward, confidence leaking out of him like rot. His black-and-gold armor clanked with every step, joints grinding as if the metal itself resented being wrapped around him. Black feathered wings folded against his back, feathers twitching as his presence settled in.
The air bent. His mana collided with Orion's aura immediately, two members from the Choir of God pressing for control. The room groaned under it. Taurus grinned widely, that villain's smile etched permanently into his muzzle as his eyes locked onto Orion.
"A return to this insufferable tree."
The mana pressure spiked.
It was too much for the small things. The black cat perched in the background stiffened, yellow eyes blown wide as it struggled for breath. Its chest hitched, paws scraping against the shelf as it jumped down and scrambled toward an open vent. The creature disappeared in a flash of fur and panic.
Taurus noticed it. His head tilted, muscles tightening like he considered snapping it out of the air. Then his gaze shifted. Omnia lay unconscious on the table. That was all it took. His tongue slid slowly across his muzzle, saliva catching the light as his breathing deepened. Hunger rolled off him, thick and ugly.
"That wouldn't happen to be the mortal promised to me, would it?"
Orion answered without words, a simple flick of his head. Casual. Almost polite.
"A beauty that would give many women on the planet competition."
Taurus stepped closer.
Each footfall rang heavy against the floor as he approached the table, looking down at Omnia the way predators look at prey that can't run. His shadow swallowed her whole.
"Something about this Unseelie feels familiar," he muttered. "Who is this woman, Orion?"
He pulled off his right gauntlet. Metal scraped, then dropped to the floor with a dull clatter. His bare finger touched the piercing at Omnia's navel. The reaction was instant. Mana flared beneath her skin, luminous and sharp. A crescent moon tattoo bloomed across her stomach, glowing faint violet as magitons rippled outward like disturbed water.
Orion stilled. "Where did that new mana spawn from?"
Taurus frowned, curiosity replacing hunger for half a second.
"Wait," he said slowly. "This ain't nothin' but a mannequin. But the skin feels real. Mortal real. How?"
His hand slid along her side, slow and deliberate, testing. Then it moved higher, fingers closing with force that had no care for comfort or consent around her breast. The table creaked under the shift in weight. Taurus let out a low grunt, followed by a chuckle that scraped against the nerves as he fondled the titty with excitement.
Orion watched. Silent. Interested.
"That woman there," Orion said at last, voice even, "is the Twilight Goddess. Former Elohim of Infernia. And the lover of the now Demon Lord, Xiro Mikazuki."
Taurus froze. His head snapped up, eyes burning as he searched Orion's face for a lie that never came. When he looked back down at Omnia, the hunger returned sharper than before. His grip tightened around her tit as he groped it more. Saliva slipped from his muzzle and down Omnia's side, hitting the table in slow drops as he licked and sucked on the erect nipple.
"That makes this bitch far more valuable," he said while wiping his mouth. "So what's the deal with her body?"
"I believe the Demon Lord created it for pleasure use," Orion replied calmly. "Intimacy is a requirement for those of the Lower Realms."
Taurus barked out a laugh.
"He's a king now?" He leaned in. "Pleasure use, huh? Then that means she's equipped properly. Good."
His hand hooked at the side of her bikini armor, fingers curling to pull. That was when the room snapped back. The mana seal on Omnia's stomach ignited, magitons bursting outward in a violent pulse. Space warped. Light bent. A dimensional barrier slammed into place between them with a deep, resonant hum. Omnia vanished from his reach. A purple, translucent shell locked around her body, mana flowing across its surface in layered currents like storm clouds trapped in glass.
"What the..."
Orion's eyebrows lifted.
"A [Master's Protection] spell?" he muttered. "No wonder she couldn't be sensed from the Heavens. She became a Guardian Armament. Omnia, you cheeky brat."
The form inside the barrier shifted. Flesh folded into light. Limbs stretched, sharpened, restructured. In seconds, Omnia was gone. In her place hovered the Kiss of Twilight. Now known as the Twilight Goddess. The bastard sword gleamed sharp and elegant, its dark blade catching the light in shifting bands of red, blue, and ultraviolet. Mana crawled along its edge, humming low and dangerous behind the barrier.
Taurus stared.
"She turned herself into a damn Genesis Weapon?"
"I see. It erased her unholy aura into the crowd of magical items," Orion said. "Odd. I swear I've seen that design somewhere."
Taurus slammed his palm against the barrier.
The invisible force stopped him cold.
"What the hell?" he snarled. "Who cares about the weapon? Where's my treat?"
"Seems you'll have to deal with the one who powers the shell."
Taurus turned slowly.
"You mean the so-called Devil of Velonica?" His voice dropped. "Why? You could remove this with your Vessel Skill."
Orion smiled faintly.
"I could. But I've already done enough for you. It's time you get to work and help yourself."
Rage flashed across Taurus's face. He roared and brought his fist down hard. The barrier didn't budge. The table beneath it exploded into splinters, debris, and dust thrown into the air before drifting back down in silence.
"That barrier is multi-layered with unique magick combinations," Orion said. "Impossible to escape or break without help. At least for you."
"This was his doing, too?" Taurus growled. "He's grown in magick in such a short time."
"The Syn Sonata of Pride is not to be underestimated. He will likely not be such a pushover when you meet him again."
Taurus snorted.
"Still just Lower Realm scum."
"Then you won't need me to call in the assistance of Libra, Gemini, or Aries for you," Orion replied smoothly. "I'd hate for them to find out you couldn't handle our Oni variant friend."
Taurus's smile twitched, then faded. His horizontal pupils tightened as he looked once more at the sword, then back to Orion.
"Where is that shameful Devil? The quicker he's dealt with, the safer Goddess Laniakea's Rapture can go off without a hitch."
"Yes... For Archon Laniakea's will and grace," Orion said, lying clean and easy as his eyes shifted away. "Now, you'll find Xiro Mikazuki on one of the floors below. When you find him, I suggest you don't hold back."
"Don't blame me if innocents get hurt during my search."
"There are no innocents here," Orion said. "Just obstacles for you to deal with however you please."
Taurus laughed, sharp and satisfied.
"Finally, some intelligence from you. I knew we could see eye to eye one day."
Steam blasted from his nostrils as his wings snapped open. A gust of black feathers tore through the room, and then he was gone. Orion stood alone. He ran his fingers through his chestnut hair, a grin spreading slowly and wickedly.
"If Taurus does defeat Xiro, then I'll sweep in at the last minute and steal the Sonata Soul Core for myself," he said quietly, "Proving once and for all that the Syn & Vyrtue Sonatas were never a threat to the Kingdoms of the Heavens or my future reign."
He turned toward the shattered table.
"And if he loses, then I no longer have to deal with that weakling of a Principality. Let's just see if he can kick-start the Devil's Lord Seed into its blossoming crescendo."
The angels of Trappist were already moving. Paradiso's monsters were already close. Luvina and I had no idea how near the storm really was.
Meanwhile, way down at the bottom of the Sycamore Tree, back on the first floor, Alex snapped back into existence like reality had punched him in the chest.
[Quantum Leap] dropped him hard. Not standing. Not even ready. Kneeling as he regained balance and focus. His knee sank straight into something warm and slick. Blood pooled across the floor, thick enough to ripple when he shifted his weight. The smell hit him a split second later. Iron-heavy, sour, rotten. It clung to the back of his throat and refused to let go. Breathing felt like work. Half-eaten limbs were scattered everywhere. Arms gnawed to the bone. Legs torn open. Dark Elf skin lay peeled back like butcher scraps. Ogre torsos split wide, ribs snapped and picked clean. The floor was no longer marble or polished wood. It was a slaughterhouse carpeted in meat.
Whatever party had been happening before was gone. No lust. No perfume. No sweat, heat, and indulgence. That whole decadent opera had been erased and replaced with dread so thick it pressed down on the chest. Alex lifted his head slowly. Dozens of gray-winged figures crouched over the dead.
Watchers.
They fed in silence, broken only by wet crunches and the scrape of bone. Gray mummified chitin skin stretched tight over mechanical-looking frames. Their elongated heads plunged deep into corpses as they devoured marrow and spiritons alike. Pale green motes drifted out of broken bodies, only to be inhaled and absorbed like smoke. The Panty Raiders were there too. Or what was left of them. The women who ran the whole operation lay torn apart among the men they once preyed on. Blood painted the walls. Gore smeared the furniture. The entire floor looked like it had been chewed on.
Alex rubbed his eyes once. Then again.
"Did I fuck up or something?" he muttered. "This can't be the same mask party."
Danica's voice answered him from the staff on his back, calm but sharp.
"No. You did it correctly. This is the Sycamore Tree we were previously in."
Alex's stomach twisted.
"Then why the hell are those things from Goblin Cave here?"
"You mean the Watchers? They are failed Angels from Paradiso. Wait. Master Alex, move."
Alex didn't question it.
He kicked off the floor as Danica surged with light, her mana flaring warm and radiant through his grip. A blur of claws sliced through the space where his head had just been. My nigga rose fast. One Watcher lunged from his blindside, wings snapping open too late. Alex twisted midair, body rolling into a clean flip. His quarterstaff came around like a thrown spear. The Dawn Goddess drove straight through the creature's skull. Blue ichor exploded outward as the impact crushed what passed for its brain. The Watcher dropped, body folding as Alex landed. The corpse hit the floor with a wet slap, blue fluid mixing with the red pools beneath it, swirling together like oil and blood in rainwater.
That kill lit him up. And aggro'd the entire room. Every Watcher on the floor stopped feeding. All of them turned. Dozens of sickly-green eyes locked onto Alex at once.
"Master," Danica warned, "you cannot afford to fight this horde. Your control over [Quantum Leap] is still inefficient. Each use drains significant mana. You will need reserves if you intend to face the Blood Witch."
Alex rolled his shoulders, eyes scanning the room.
"I hear you," he said, steadying his breath. "But they ain't about to let me just stroll to the stairs either."
"If one of us can reach the ceiling," Danica replied, "we can use [Quantum Leap] to jump floors."
Alex looked up. The ceiling was ridiculous. Five times higher than it had any right to be. A vertical abyss of shadow and hanging fixtures. He clicked his tongue.
"Summoning my wings again is gonna cost a lot of MP," he muttered. "And that shit is way up there."
The Watchers shrieked.
The sound hit like glass scraping bone. Wings snapped open across the room. Green eyes flared brighter. Acidic saliva dripped from open maws as they launched. Alex spun Danica into position across his back and dropped into a stance. Feet planted. Knees bent. His scarlet eyes darted across the swarm, tracking movement, counting angles. His palms were slick with sweat as he pulled in a breath and locked in.
"If I gotta save mana," he said, "then I'm clearing the path old school."
He exploded upward.
Straight into them.
"Let's do it!" Danica shouted.
Alex bounced from body to body, turning Watchers into stepping stones. He struck one mid-flight, crushed its wing, kicked off its back, then spun to crack another across the face with the staff. Feathers burst apart. Blue blood sprayed. Broken bodies fell screaming. He climbed into the air.
"YAAOWW!"
A claw caught him in the back of the calf. Pain flashed white. Blood spilled. His foot slipped mid-step, and gravity grabbed him. For a heartbeat, he dropped. Then he landed hard on the back of another Watcher. The creature shrieked as Alex planted his foot in its spine and sprang again, driving it downward like a thrown weight.
"Are you good?" Danica asked. "They are clogging the airspace."
"Yeah," Alex said through clenched teeth. "Forget that. I got a plan. Get ready."
"I'm always ready."
Alex kicked off another body, twisted backward, and hurled the staff like a javelin. Danica tore through a Watcher mid-flight, split it clean, and kept going. The staff slammed into the ceiling with a solid, ringing impact and stuck.
Alex grinned despite the blood.
"Nice. My turn."
Only one Watcher remained below him. Several hovered between him and the weapon. Alex took one last leap. He rocketed upward, weaving past snapping jaws and swiping claws, arm fully extended. His fingers brushed the staff. The moment his hand closed around it, Danica ignited. Azure light swallowed them. They vanished.
The remaining Watchers crashed into each other, screeching in confusion as they searched for prey that wasn't there anymore. Alex was already gone. He reappeared on the second floor, breath heavy, blood trailing down his leg. And if the rest of that tower looked anything like what he'd just left behind, then the climb ahead wasn't going to be kind. But of course, he'd keep moving. He was a Mikazuki.
We were idiots like that when overcome with passion.
[End of Chapter]
[1] April on Earth.