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Chapter 10: Whispers of War
Scene 1: The Demoness and the Pillar
The great hall of the Pillars of Hell was alive with an ominous energy, its dark walls etched with the blood of past conflicts. In the center of it all stood the demoness, her silhouette sharp against the burning crimson glow of the chamber. Before her, seated upon a throne of obsidian stone, was her grandfather—the Pillar of Hell, one of the 72 entities that ruled over the infernal realm with absolute authority.
He is the 9th pillar ascar forneus.
His eyes, glowing with an ancient fire, locked onto hers. His massive form towered over her, his presence suffocating as the weight of centuries of power pressed down on them both. As one of the most revered and feared beings in all of Hell, he had earned his position as a Pillar not by virtue of age or favor, but by the sheer force of his will. He was a living testament to the darkness of the abyss, and now, he was preparing for a battle that would determine the future of his faction.
"You've come, granddaughter," the Pillar's voice rumbled, low and resonant, as though the very foundations of Hell trembled at his words. "I sent you to the realm of the humans to harvest origin energy but I hear you came back with a child instead"
The demoness nodded, her heart heavy with the weight of her responsibility. "Yes, Grandfather."
The Pillar's gaze grew cold as he regarded her, his eyes narrowing in disappointment. "You failed," he said flatly. "I commanded you to obtain the origin energy. You were to bring it back, but instead, you present me with this... child." His voice dripped with contempt. "Do you realize what you have cost me? The origin energy would have been a power beyond anything Hell has ever seen, but now…" He trailed off, staring at the demoness with an expression of pure disdain.
For a moment, the demoness felt a wave of shame crash over her. She had failed him, and the consequences could be dire. But just as quickly as the thought entered her mind, the Pillar's eyes began to glow brighter. A shift in his demeanor was palpable as his gaze fell upon her belly, now visibly swollen with the child within.
The Pillar's eyes gleamed with a twisted delight as he inspected the child with a newfound curiosity. "Wait… What is this?" he muttered to himself, his voice low and contemplative. His powerful aura pulsed with an energy that seemed to respond to the presence of the unborn child. "This child… it is not the origin energy I sought, but it is something else. A source of power far greater than I could have imagined."
The demoness stood frozen, watching as her grandfather's demeanor shifted. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized the true magnitude of what he was considering. He was no longer disappointed—he was intrigued, eager, even.
"This child…" The Pillar's voice grew colder, sharper. "When it is born, it will be mine to consume. Its energy will be more potent than anything I could have ever hoped for. The energy coursing through its veins will fuel my ascension, and with it, I will grow stronger than any other Pillar. I will devour it when the time is right."
The demoness's blood ran cold. She had failed in one task, but her grandfather's plan now turned to something darker—something far more twisted. She had brought this child into the world to fulfill her mission, but instead, it had become the key to a far more insidious plot.
"But Grandfather, the others… If they find out—" she started, her voice trembling.
The Pillar held up a hand, silencing her. "This will be our secret. No one can know. If they discover what we plan to do, there will be rebellion, a division among the factions. We cannot risk it."
With a sharp motion, the Pillar turned to his generals, who were waiting at the periphery of the room. "Prepare the prison chambers," he ordered. "This child will remain hidden until its birth. The demoness has failed her task, and she must be punished for her disobedience. She will be locked away under the guise of a failure, but in truth, she will be held to ensure this secret remains."
The demoness nodded reluctantly, knowing that her grandfather's decision was final. Her failure had sealed her fate. "I understand, Grandfather."
The Pillar turned away, his dark robes sweeping across the floor. "Good. No one must know of the child. It will remain locked away with you. The moment it is born, it will be mine."
The demoness bowed low, her heart heavy with dread, knowing full well the consequences of what she had just allowed to unfold.
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Scene 2: Ade and Ire's Secret
On the surface, life seemed to go on as usual for Samuel's friends, but the tension between them had grown. Ade and Ire sat in the corner of their favorite café, glancing furtively at one another, their conversation weighed down by uncertainty.
"You've noticed it too, haven't you?" Ade asked, his voice low as he stared out the window. His fingers nervously traced the rim of his coffee cup. "Samuel's been acting weird. Like he's a different person, almost... distant."
Ire's lips pressed together in a thin line as she nodded. "Yeah, it's like he's in his own head all the time. I can't even get a decent conversation out of him anymore. He's not the Samuel we used to know."
She looked down at her hands, tracing the edges of the cup, her mind racing. "It's like he's carrying something heavy. And whatever it is, it's changing him. I just… I just want to know that he's okay. You think he's hiding something?"
Ade frowned, his eyes narrowed in thought. "I don't know, but it feels like he's slipping away from us. Whatever it is, it's like it's pulling him into another world. I hope it's not something bad."
Ire sighed, her gaze distant. "I wish I knew how to help him. He's not just acting weird—he's becoming a stranger."
The two exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between them. Ade leaned forward. "We'll talk to him. We'll find out what's going on with him. Whatever it is, we can't let him go through this alone."
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Scene 3: Samuel's Parents' Worries
Back in the quiet, cozy home that Samuel had left behind, his parents sat together in the living room. The shadows of the evening stretched across the walls as they anxiously waited for their son to return their calls. His mother, sat with her phone in her hands, her thumb scrolling through endless missed calls and unread messages.
"Why won't he answer?" Her voice cracked as she spoke, her eyes red from lack of sleep and worry. "Samuel's always been distant at times, but this is different. He's never ignored us like this."
Her husband, sat beside her, his brow furrowed in concern. His expression was one of quiet frustration—he didn't know what to say, or how to reassure his wife. "He's probably just busy, honey. He's grown, and people change. He'll be fine. He said he found something better that's why he declined the job."
She shook her head, her voice filled with a deep, maternal worry. "I don't know. He seems... different. Something feels off. It's like he's slipping away from us. I can't even reach him anymore."
He took her hand, trying to provide some semblance of comfort. "We'll talk to him. He's our son. Whatever's going on, we'll get through it together."
But even as he spoke those words, a dark shadow lingered in the back of his mind. What if Samuel was going through something they couldn't understand? What if this wasn't just a phase?
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Scene 4: Samuel's Training Progress
Back in the Training Dimension, Samuel stood alone in a vast, empty expanse, his form surrounded by a radiant light. The very air around him pulsed with divine energy, and each breath he took sent ripples through the fabric of reality itself. His wings—two large, fully-formed ones and two smaller, developing wings—fluttered gently as if responding to the immense power within him.
Every day in this dimension felt like a year, but the changes to his body and mind were extraordinary. His control over the energy within him was growing at a terrifying rate. He could feel it—a power deep inside, waiting to be unleashed.
Ramiel stood at a distance, watching him silently. Her eyes narrowed with quiet admiration as she observed his progress. Even for an angel of her caliber, Samuel's development was nothing short of astonishing.
"You are growing stronger," she said quietly, her voice carrying across the expanse. "Faster than I thought possible. At this rate, you will be ready for the trials that lie ahead sooner than we expected."
Samuel, his wings fluttering behind him, focused on controlling the flow of energy through his body. His heart raced as he felt the divine force within him building, his muscles aching from the strain, but he pushed forward. With every move, every breath, he became more than human. He became something else entirely—something divine, something powerful.
But even as he embraced his new identity, Samuel couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming. The changes within him were only the beginning. Something dark, something catastrophic, was on the horizon, and he was preparing to face it head-on
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