Standing behind Father, who remained in a lotus position, chanting words in a foreign tongue I did not recognize. The language he spoke was quite strange. No matter how much I heard it, they would fade from my soul the moment my soul attempted to retain their meaning.
Standing in the deepest reaches of the Underworld, hidden from the strongest of eyes, I turned to one of the Greatest Fiends within the Twelve Realm, Baphomet the Beast King. Resting silently upon a black iron throne he summoned, fiery air snorted from his nostrils.
"Is it your insanity that allows your eyes to fall upon me?" He slowly asked, snapping his eyelids open, revealing a set of scarlet, black eyes burning with insanity I knew all too well. He was acting, fooling everyone around him. To allow it to grow. To allow the carnage, the very madness to build, till all that is left is the sweet taste of desire in its purest form.
I was lured by that sparkle I recognize in Lilith, and Arsene, now within another. There were not many who held it. Or maybe I had not seen many. It was that look that made my knees weak and my heart heavy.
"Seems like I have my answer," He uttered in his heavy tone that chilled my heart. "Hades," He said, lifting his lips, "Your daughter is quite a woman. To have such potential hidden away is tragic. What a fine demon she would make. A fine one indeed."
"Arsene said the same thing." I curiously told. "What are they like? Demons, that is."
The Minotaur, older than time, chuckled in his mighty voice filled with madness. He lowered his head to stare at me in the eyes. "They are like you but free. You are not your true self until you have seen the Hells. Whether its demons or devils, the insanity, the very madness you see, is a simple contract away."
"I have battled with Asmodeus, the Kings, and even some of the princes. But the wildest fights, the most savage of ones that allow my blood to boil, are the ones against my kind, to tear the head off my enemy and feast upon his family. To shred away the very hope in their heart and enjoy the horror in the purest form, then a demon is your choice.
Touching my heart pounding against my chest, without end. I licked my lips and lowered my head, but under the harsh gaze of the Beast King, I knew I could not hide anything.
"Arsene already has his hands full. But should he turn you, then you shall make a fine demon indeed. We demons are not necessarily weaker than devils, but devils are usually smarter, while we are easily tricked. However, I, alongside a few, are a scarce specimen. Although I do have my days." He claimed, crackling in laughter that shook the walls.
"That is enough, Baphomet." Father grimly uttered after a hundred years of silence. He rose to his feet and towered over me with looming eyes. "That is enough of your temptations."
Shifting our attention towards the Gate that would lead towards the Plane of Oblivian, I could feel a powerful sensation racing through my skin. Stirring my heart, I felt the Essence of Oblivion within me react. Filling me in a sensation of home.
Staring at the pale black marbling consumed in runes that trailed over its side and arches, lit up with an ashen-black light. Captivated by the aura calling to me, I approached and lifted my arm, only for Father to hold onto me.
Holding my palm firmly, he shook his head, "Once you enter, there is no coming back. Not unless you are Baphomet, that is." He calmly remarked, shooting the Beast King a side glance filled with meaning. "You got what you wanted now, leave."
'I have, but the gate is not fully open, is it?" Baphomet suspiciously asserted and bore a cruel smile rising from his throne. He approached near Father and eyed the Gate, standing elegantly within the deepest chamber of the Underworld.
"I do not have much power over such things." He responded, shifting his gaze towards the Oblivion Gate. Baphomet nodded.
"Oh, it's fine. It just means I need to make a little more effort." He responded when all of a sudden, a powerful presence locked both father and I in place. Wrapped in a blanket of demonic energy. My eyes grew wide as Father howled!
"Stop this madness!" He desperately cried as Baphomet carrying us with his all-encompassing divinity, charged towards the Gate when all of a sudden, a large vortex spiraled into creation, banishing us from the Underworld.
Hurdling through a spiral tunnel filled with endless colors that glisten brighter than anything I had seen before, Father's angry roars continued till a blinding light silenced him.
Crashing down on the ground, I landed upon my knee as I looked around in haste. Only to be drawn in by the majestic castle before my eyes. The entirety of the castle was black, with silver racing down in the most refined ways.
The skies, however, were a dusty dark blue, filled with a sea of full-color stars reminding me of the Bed of Chaos. However, there was something off about the skies. It had almost felt ethereal like it was fake—merely an illusion.
Standing on a platform filled with complex sigils and runes melding in and out of reality, the hairs upon my back grew as Father glared viciously at Baphomet. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"Lilith had asked me to do this." He claimed, bellowing in laughter, showing very little regard for Father. "Relax, Hades. I know your legacy compels you not to leave the Underworld, but surely this should give you the incentive to return home, right?"
Glaring till fire rose from his eyes, father clitted his tongue, sneering towards Baphomet without much concern for his life. "This castle." He said after a moment of pause," is called Rense Loren. And its master, if nothing has changed, is known as Irina del Morfray. The Arc-Mage presiding over this land."
Baphomet frowned, shooting Hades a long stare, "And how by chance do you know of this?"
"Because I was the one to gift it to her. She was a concubine or at least the first Hade's concubine."