Nefaria stepped through the portal and into the demon realm, her servant Xappa awaiting her arrival.
"Milady," Xappa said with a bow. "Where have you been? And what happened to you" concern in his voice
Nefaria brushed off the question, her voice cold "Nothing that concerns you."
Xappa's eyes narrowed, sensing something amiss. "You've been out under a Fealty."
Nefaria dropped into a chair in a large hall and let out a tired sigh."You wouldn't understand."
Xappa's persistence was unwavering, driven by loyalty. "Forgive me, milady, but I sense something amiss. Is anything the matter?"
Nefaria's thoughts flashed back to her conversation with Sharone.
"Let me ask you," Sharone had said, her voice devoid of emotion. "Why join the Dark Apostles if you're against them?"
Nefaria's pride swelled, her words laced with venom.
"We demons aren't like you lesser beings. Yes we are beings who boil in the night and are affiliated with chaos and destruction due to our nature but we also have a duty as a celestial race to maintain , Equilibrium .
The equilibrium principle in demon contracts ensures a delicate balance of power and risk between demon and human parties, preventing exploitation and corruption. This is achieved through mutual risk, power balance, soul resonance, self-sustaining energy, and a corruption countermeasure. Clear terms, defined scope, soul anchors, renegotiation clauses, and dissolution protocols maintain contractual balance. Imbalance risks soul corruption, demon overreach, or contract collapse. Regular reevaluations, open communication, and adaptive adjustments maintain equilibrium. This principle prevents cheating and mitigates the risk of corrupting human souls, ensuring a mutually beneficial partnership where neither party gains excessive power, and the demon's granted powers are proportional to the human's offered sacrifice or commitment.
We the rulers of the other planes therefore had made these rules that restricted out kind in their dealings with lesser lifeforms most especially the humans ." Nefaria said.
" Now theirs is a race that has so malice in their hearts it rivals or even surpasses that of us demons."
" Anyway for the pride of our kind, I couldn't bear that a human not only broke the status quo,but humiliated and sealed a Progenitor ."Nefaria said with an annoyed look on her face.
Sharone's gaze remained unyielding, her eyes piercing. "But you're not driven by petty revenge."
"No," Nefaria replied regaining her composure, her tone icy. "That's beneath me."
Sharone's expression turned calculating, her mind racing.
"So according to you ,you were infiltrated so serve as a check on the activities of the Dark Apostles since you wanted to avoid any unnecessary strain on the balance among the celestial races by placing measures to prevent their chaos. And you took control of Kojo because...?"
Nefaria's smile was icy, her fangs glinting. "He's special. You've sensed it too - human in appearance, but he's an anomaly even among the other races."
" Oh?'' Sharone's 's eyes sparkled with interest.
"I aimed to manipulate him into opening a rift to the beginning of time, freeing Dona and severing Minatori's soul link," Nefaria explained, her voice dripping with malice. "But things didn't go as planned" she said with annoyance.
" Now that your Kojo's subordinate I don't think we should be immediately be worried about you betraying us." Sharone thought out loud.
Nefaria raised an eyebrow, intrigued that Sharone thought she'd deliberately get her hands dirty.
Sharone's expression turned thoughtful as she thought about how to use the information.After pondering for a few moments, she'd come to a conclusion.
Sharone chose to withhold Nefaria's Dark Apostles affiliation from the other Moonshadow members, calculating that revealing this information would only spark unnecessary tension due to the varying view in how to deal with this. She recognized that Nefaria's unique position as a Progenitor demon and an Apostle of Doom offered a strategic advantage, providing Moonshadow with an invaluable window of information into the Apostles' inner workings. By keeping Nefaria's secret, Sharone aimed to direct everyone to the goal of their organization without unnecessary setbacks. Time was if the essence and they didn't have much now that their enemy was awake and aware. They'd leveraging Nefaria's insider knowledge to inform Moonshadow's future moves.
Moreover, Sharone suspected that some Moonshadow members would opt for her elimination and this might even draw Kojo's attention to what was going on, undermining their own interests and potentially triggering a catastrophic conflict with the Dark Apostles. By controlling this information, Sharone ensured that Nefaria's utility as a sleeper agent remained intact, allowing Moonshadow to subtly manipulate the shadows and gain the upper hand in their covert struggle against the Apostles.
She would however reveal certain buts if information to Koniko,Lin Sasha and Adriana,letting them in on the full scoop overtime so as to not draw the attention of the others.
She told Nefaria her descision.
"Kojo broke free of your mind control, and the spell failed," Sharone said. "It's likely Minatori has awakened and is planning something. We can gain an edge if we gather enough information to subdue him."
Nefaria was surprised by Sharone's composure and strategic thinking.
"You're a scary one," Nefaria said, a hint of admiration in her voice." I wonder how that boy was able to find someone like you. Then again it's not really surprising."
Sharone blushed, but her expression quickly turned serious.
" It is imoerative that all others know nothing about this arrangement."
Back in the present,
"What's transpired during my absence?" Nefaria asked.
"You weren't present at the gathering. Lord Minatori was not pleased."
A voice called out from the shadows before the servant could speak. Faust walked out of the shadow his white mask a deep contrast the the surrounding area which was lit up but gave of a blackish hue.
"It is what it is." Nefaria said , unconcerned
Faust's expression darkened.
"I've been tasked with eliminating Kojo Atari."
"So? What's that got to do with me?Do as you please." Nefaria said resting her head in her palm.
Faust stood still for a moment then raised his hand and unleashed a powerful blast of Arcana at Nefaria.
She didn't even bat an eyelid and looked on with a bored expression as the blast of Arcana,dispersed harmlessly against Nefaria's energy shield.
Faust then began coughing violently. He coughed blood into his palm.
" I told you,you were not permitted to use magic within my domain." Nefaria said dangerousky her eyes beginning to glow. The two faced each other and for a moment,Xappa thought the two would fight but Faust just pulled out a white handkerchief and whipped his mouth under the mask then wiped the blood of his hand.
" I just came to make you aware that your absence will not be tolerated in the next meeting." He said as the handkerchief he was using disappeared in a burst of flame. Nefaria's disinterest was almost palpable and Faust turned to walk away, disappearing into the shadow once more.
Xappa drew closer, his eyes blazing. "Milady, perhaps I should go eliminate whoever out you under the Contract."
Nefaria dismissed the suggestion, her voice cold. "No, Xappa. This is none of your concern."
Sharone's words echoed in Nefaria's mind: "We can work together to achieve our aims."
Nefaria got up "Follow me, Xappa. We have arrangements to make."
Their walk led them through twisted corridors, the air thick with malevolent energy.