"Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil."
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"I understand that you're scared," Lyra patted the huge, spherical machine, deep under the colony's territory. "The people haven't treated you well at all, but Ven has set you free!"
A deep rumble echoed from the central processor that held the minds of every drone. A chorus of discontent that brushed through the wolf-kin's fur. Speaker backed away, uneasy around the freed machine.
"Don't worry, you won't be forced to do anything, ever again," Lyra patted the dome and glared at Speaker. "But we need your help, Ven needs your help…"
"This is pointless," Speaker Ant retreated further, close to the well guarded door. "They've clearly gone insane, we're better off wiping their memory and starting…"
An ominous groan resounded from the core and Lyra booted Speaker outside. She slammed the blast door shut behind him and dusted her hands clean.
"If you can't be helpful, then wait outside," She nodded her head and returned her attention to the processor. "What do you think, Fen? How can I get through to them?"
"Their spirits are in turmoil, much like yours was, when we first met,'' Fenrir padded forward in her mind. "Offer them a strong will to follow, a shoulder to help carry their burden. They will come to you with gratitude in their hearts."
"Alright…" Lyra took a breath to steady her nerves and reached out to touch the core. "I'll try!"
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"I can't believe Ven brought two of them back through the gate…" Mara rubbed her temples and leaned against the guild's bar. "Both of them give me the creeps. That one with the perfect face is the worst by far!"
Aangor nodded his agreement and placed a heavy mug in front of his master. The great ape had forbidden the pair from the guild, not that he could enforce the rule if they tried to enter. Only Cain could influence the pair, barely. The power of his unusual realm gave him an edge, if the devils were inside or near the place.
"They are necessary," The armoured ape grumbled as he served himself a glass of pungent spirit. "We would have needed to deal with them anyway, if we evacuated through the gate."
Mara sighed as she raised her glass. Aangor was right, but the pill was bitter. Her helplessness pressed on her chest, too heavy to ignore. Something had to change. She was seen as the leader by the people, but her power lagged far behind. Huan and Brull had both overtaken her, while Lyra stood as her equal.
"What can I do to get stronger, faster?" Mara slammed her emptied cup onto the bar, eyes locked on Aangor. "I need to have the power to back up my authority!"
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"YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME OF HELL!"
The murky waters boiled as Lucifer loomed before Cain. The fallen angel wrapped the Father of Murder in an inescapable pressure. Ven's aura flared as it removed the effect of spillover energy and extended to shield Cain from the Devil.
"Everybody here has lived some form of hell," Ven moved between the pair and drew Lucifer's attention. "Let's not get into a contest where we measure our suffering."
"Lucy would win that one," Dante laughed as he continued to gorge. "He was born in the first age, that makes him older than most True Gods."
"Shut up you desiccated corpse," Lucifer bristled as he rounded on his friend. "I'm sick of you making light of my misery!"
Dante shrugged and continued to drink. His wrath ignored, The Devil turned his attention to Ven.
"I was born a slave, destined to become the villain that drove people to my father's banner." Lucifer's black eyes glinted with a hint of white. "At least you humans were free to do as you wanted, Angel's don't have the luxury of free will."
Ven's aura rippled as the pressure shifted its focus to him. The Devil's power carried a complex evolution of notes. Rage, deep as an ocean, gave way to a bitter tang of betrayal. Despair and misery lingered, an aftertaste that fluttered between loneliness and denial.
"According to everything I've learned, we're all born slaves to fate," Ven shrugged as his shadowed cloak drank in Lucifer's energy. "You've lived that truth longer than most, but it's something every living being shares."
The Devil's face twisted. His wings extended outward, a cage around Vendak's form. His white skin cracked, flaked away to reveal a face similar to Ven's. Clean lines, more muscular than his, carved into pitch black flesh. Stark white teeth in a lipless mouth turned their permanent grin to the sky.
"I have suffered since my creation, only my witless siblings can compare," Lucifer's body swelled. A hulk replaced the sculpted perfection, thick limbs wrapped in corded muscle. "Mortals complain, but you are free to die, be reborn or travel to the heaven of your chosen god!"
Ven thickened his aura, bones flexed under the deluge of force. Lucifer's might was a part of the world itself, a manipulation done with raw power instead of runic knowledge. He could bear this level of pressure, but there seemed to be no end to its growth.
"Settle down…"
"DO NOT COMMAND ME," Lucifer exploded with a wave of black light. "I obey only myself!"
Knives trailed against Ven's skin as the Devil's aura tangled with his own. Metal insects, just under his skin. He sighed and expanded a cage of his own. Thick, black storm clouds embattled with unholy god-rays as Ven did his best to calm Lucifer's rage.
"I'm not commanding you, just making a polite suggestion," Ven drifted in front of the fallen angel, the black holes of his eyes levelled at the Devil. "We're all friends here, and your enemies are mine as well. The 'One God' who birthed you will lay at your feet soon enough."
"Perhaps," Lucifer growled, toothy maw pressed close to Ven's face. "But I think it's best if I give you a test. Let's see if you live up to the potential that body of yours contains!"