Among the many struggles within the land of Wrath, no struggle was as fruitful as this.

Nobody had expected the birth of a rebellion within the lands of Wrath, the most violent circle of hell. Even less expected an actual success under said rebellion...however it was done. And all done by someone who found their way in hell without having died or been banished to the realm.

Cole Arkenach, the leader of this band of rebels, made his stand against the leaders and rulers of Wrath, seeing the souls being forced into an endless battle against one another and being stricken with disgust. He knew that it had to end. And with tons of perseverance and a group of rebels were formed among the souls of Wrath, wishing to end their seemingly endless cycle of killing each other, and instead seeking to direct their wrath and hatred against the ones ruling the place. It took little time before the rebellion was successful with the battle ending in merely an hour.

By the end, a new leader was needed to take care of Wrath, and the one who helped make the rebellion in the first place was chosen. Reluctant to lead, Cole pleaded.

"I have very little experience in leadership..."

However with the overbearing responsibility of what he had just done by actually managing to overthrow a circle of hell, he begrudgingly accepted...however that wasn't the end. Cole had other plans in mind. Now, as the ruler of Wrath, he sought to take all of the other circles of hell as well.

"Perhaps." He spoke to himself, musing about the issue as he stood upon one of the many balconies of the towers within the realm. "There's hope for those here. Maybe there's purpose to what I'm doing now. I have to think so...else I kinda just trashed a circle in hell for the fun of it."

With that, the gears had started to turn. Cole sought to start a conquest inside hell itself.

A chilling cold gripped the souls of the fifth circle, and fear rippled through them. Most of them knew not why, but they fell to their knees, sobbing in panic and despair. A few knew what it was, and what was coming. These were the wise ones, they too fell to their knees but immediatly began begging the lords of the circle for forgiveness, asking any demon that would still listen. A few foolish souls tried to resist, and for their transgression, they suddenly and inexplicably dissolved, vanishing in a flash of terrible light.

This chill spread further and further across the fifth circle, as the rebelious souls either surrendered themselves, fell to their knees with broken wills, or were utterly destroyed. As the cold spread so too did a shadow, a pall. And eventually this shadow reached over and covered Cole

Cole would feel this chill, a feeling of certain doom, the primal fear deep in his bones born of generations of repetition from a single truth: Death was here, true death, the death of his very soul.

A whisper in his ear spoke. "You have commited a crime against the throne, and for this you will be punished, unless you submit to your kings authority and bow."

It took several hours to traverse the circles from Lust to Wrath, but it would have taken longer had Elandis not been leading the party. Even so, as they drew closer to hell, Elandis slowed and became wary, cautious and careful. He removed from the sheathe upon his back a long blade, with a simple hilt, pommel, and crossguard. The blade itself was long and clean, and shone brilliantly. It was beautiful, so much so that it made the drab and dark realm they traversed through look ever more decayed. The blade was meant as a two handed sword, but Elandis wielded it in one hand, and lightly as though it were no heavier than a twig.

His eyes flashed from side to side and all about, all his senses pricked and listening. "Atreviel is the Blade of Dusk, and as that title suggests, he is an ending to all things. Even immortals and gods need fear of him, for his very existence is to end theirs. Out of every creature that exists in this reality, he is the most dangerous, as he and he alone could end reality itself, if he were given the opportunity."

He paused a moment and looked back at them. "Normally he is no threat, and performs only the will of the King, however he takes much joy in performing his function and has been known to lose himself in excitement." He turned forward and strode a few paces further. "If you begin to feel a chill on the back of your neck, start running as fast as you can, oh and also let me know."

"If I feel the need to suddenly escape, I shall slit the priests throat, and hijack his soul on a one-way trip to heaven," Ezrael stated calmly.
Jean-Paul stopped walking to turn and stare at him for several moments, then continued moving.

Missing the obvious cue to shut up, Ezrael continued talking. "Who made this Atreviel, exactly? Something capable of ending all things could surely only be made by something even greater. And for what purpose? That suggests a beginning and an end of all things. No one serves to benefit from that. And-" He suddenly stopped and brushed his chin with fingers. "You know what, maybe its best left inconceivable."

"'ow much further to the soul? I cannot stand this prattling any longer," Jean-Paul muttered irritably.

Elandis smiled at Ezrael. "Unfortunately for you theres no garuntee that hijacking another persons soul would work, as Atreviel would be able to simply snatch that soul before it can transcend. As to how Atreviel came to be, honestly I haven't the first idea."

He paused a moment to listen to his surroundings before continuing. "To set things as simply as possible, it's better not to think of Atreviel by his name, but rather by his title. I have been the Blade of Dawn for only the past eighty two millenia, where as Atreviel has always been the Blade of Dusk." Elandis gestured to his weapon, shining bright in the gloom. "In actuality, this is the Blade of Dawn. It is literally nothing more than a sword, simple and elagant, but with no enchantments or magics upon it. It is simply a weapon."

He looked then to Ezrael and Jaun, and a serious glint in his eye bade them heed well his words. "Atreviel is the Blade of Dusk, and the Blade of Dusk is in fact Atreviel. When you meet him, if you are able to see him, you will find no weapon upon his person. That is become he is himself a weapon. The Blade of Dusk is an ending to things, just as Dusk is the last light of day."

Elandis then paused, and looked around uncertain. "We have been in the circle of wrath for some time now, notice how quiet it is, how there is no sound at all..."

"That is Atreviel."

Ezrael stared on, one eyebrow half raised, then shrugged. "I don't know what good being silent does. If he truly is oblivion and is as beyond-omnipotent as you say then everything else is a formality. Not that I believe he is, because that would put him at a greater power than God. Capital 'G'. And if God wanted to destroy everything, then He would," Ezrael answered dismissively, "If we are consumed by the oblibion that is this 'Blade of Dusk and Dawn', then effectively so is the universe anyway. And as universe ending entities go, he is not the first, nor would he be the last, that I alone know of. I refuse to be frightened by such a concept."

Jean-Paul had not let all of that fall on deaf ears, as sometimes he did just ignore Ezrael speaking. One part in particular outright confused him. "You beleive in god? I must admit I am surprised. You are... Far from the model of a believer, but we do come in many forms..." he spoke in a taunting tone.

Elandis chuckled. "If you ever have the fortune to look upon the King, then you will know beyond doubt that God is real, for only divinity could bring forth such majesty as is Lucifer Morningstar"

Elandis stood, sheathed his sword and turned to Ezrael. "As to that, my good man, Atreviel is not Omnipotent nor Omnipresent, and it is very likely that he was created by God himself. But Atreviel is not simply a universe ending entity. He is a key to ending everything." Elandis then took a couple steps back and crossed his arms, smiling. "You know how some people, who find life hard to bear, will keep a loaded gun somewhere safe where they and they alone know where it is? These people keep those weapons as a sort of security blanket, commonly stating 'It makes it easier to bear knowing that there's always a way out if I want it' or something of that sort. That is what I think Atreviel was made for, Though not for God. I had a conversation with him once about it, and Atreviel said something along the lines of 'Should my lord ever ask for it, I shall give him freedom from his role'. I mentioned this to the king, concerned that Atreviel was plotting to kill him or some such, and Lucifer said to me 'That is what he is for, a gift from my father should I ever value something more than my own existence'."

Elandis shrugged then and nodded at Ezrael. "By the way, You cannot kill him. He's here by my authority and thus is protected."

Ezrael's grin only widened, but he said simply nothing. There were times to talk and times to remain silent. Instead of addressing the matter he instead answered; "How much further until the Flavaar boy? It has been years since I saw him. We were forcefully separated. Quite a marvellous child, to be admired, but ultimately misunderstood."

Jean-Paul was left rudely without an answer and continued his tromping steps. "Your father?" he inquired, ever fishing for information that might be imperative to his survival in the next few minutes of what seemed to be an increasingly shortening lifespan, if the risks that were involved were anything to go by.

At that moment Ezrael would feel a cold hand upon his throat. That hand had absolutely no warmth in it, it was the chill of death itself and his skin, his very soul would recoil at it's presence. A whisper echoed in his ear, mind, and heart. "But why is a mortal here? What purpose does it serve." Atreviel's voice had no source, it seemed to come from nowhere, and from everywhere, within and without.

Jaun would see nothing near or around Ezrael, and indeed it wouldn't seem as though anyone was there, but Ezrael would still be able to feel that presence there, a sensation that felt as though every moment of Ezraels existence had known the presence of the being who's cold grip slowly leeched the life from him.

Elandis shook his head and said "He's searching for something and intends to make a deal, the procedure for such things is very clear, and I'm only following the kings will regarding it. In any case, they are mine to handle, not yours.

The voice sighed and said "I was sent to handle wrath, they are in wrath."

"Yes, but they are under my authority." Elandis countered.

For a lack of a simpler explanation, Ezrael's soul was both absent and present; present enough to be considered having one, but absent enough to be detached from his body, a fact that not even Ezrael or Jean-Paul knew. However, much more significant was the magical protections put in place for Ezrael that protected him mentally from a fight or flight response, which also served as a protection from insanity via revelation, as he often delved into horrific tomes about things that lived between existences and fed on missed seconds in mortals lives then produced waste in the form of literal sin. As such, his reaction to Atreviel was cordial.

"Mortal, immortal? Words that mean nothing. If one can obliviate even oneself, then none are immortal," he spoke to the air, his eyes refusing to acknowledge any individual around him, "The irony being, what makes those in hell 'mortal' is the absence of death." There was something wrong with how he was speaking. Instead of talking about people directly, his manner was to assert the existence of those sorts of people.

Jean-Paul had, again, fallen silent to observe the odd proceedings.

Atreviel hissed and his presence vanished. "I do not like this one, it is like me, it should not be...."

Elandis sighed, and apologised to his charges. "I am most sorry about that, he's usually a far more cordial host..." Elandis began walking again, leading them further into Wrath. "Atreviel, there is a soul here by the name Ezrael Flavaar, could you be so kind as to locate it for me."

Silence was the only response, that and the soft moan of the wind across the now empty circle of wrath.

Cole let out a heavy sigh as he felt the unnaturally chilling air in the circle of wrath. It was worrying...things didn't seem right. He looked down to his blade, Gray speaking to Cole through the telepathic link between them.

"This doesn't feel good, Cole. I've got some chills comin'...really bad chills."

He nodded, agreeing with this notion. The feeling was similar to that of looking down a pit of infinite blackness with very little balance, the emptiness bringing on both a fear of the unknown and a fear of death. Cole drew the intelligent blade from its sheath, the black blade emanating with a magical aura that radiated a blue mystic aura. The whisper was met with him shouting out to the nothingness, shifting his head from side to side. "Show yourself, fiend...There is no king that can make me kneel...you're going to have to come here and force me to kneel." He said this, readying his blade for any sudden surprise attacks in case he wishes to parry.

A chuckle echoed throughout the air, and Cole would find a force attempting swept him off his feet and thrown him through the air into a wall. "You know not what you face, yet you think you can fight it? You may as well fight reality itself"

From the center of the room came forth a figure wrapped in a shawl. It's body was decayed and decrepit, and a wrap obscured it's face, save for two eyes, empty and void of anything. They were not sockets, they were windows into the endless nothing of oblivion. It's hands were clawed, it's hair black, and from the creatures back spread tattered shadows of wings.

"Look upon your end, and find the calm that comes with knowing your suffering is at last over." The being said to him. "But your end is not yet come. I have been sent to give you a choice"

The creature faded from sight, but it's voice echoed throughout the area. "You may Rule this circle of hell in service to The King, you will be no more."

"Make your choice."

Cole, being that he couldn't see whatever it was that was assaulting him the wave of force did indeed sweep him off his feet and once pressed against the wall he growled out. Being caught surprised however, he tenses his muscles now preparing for an assault and attempting to break free from the forceful effect. "I know very well that I'm fighting demons. That's all I need to do."

He took a deep breath and steadied himself and huffed. "You've been sent to give me a chance though. I'm not bowing to any king...but if he wishes for me to leave, I won't. If he wishes me to stop conquering...that I can do. I can keep diplomacy open, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to just bend over backwards to serve you. I hope you understand, as a 'mortal', I'm not conditioned for such things and thus have my own free will."

He grinned and chuckled slowly to himself. "If you're wishing for a fight...I expect a duel. Unless you in hell lack true honour."

"To exist in hell is to Serve the King. If you will not Serve, you will die" The voice echoed reverbated through the air.

Not a moment later the ground began to shake, and a spear of stone shot towards Cole, attempting to impale him upon it

Ezrael continued to wander on almost blindly so. He seemed unaware of his surroundings, like he was observing in the third person, detached from his own conscious. He would remain such until the threat that was Atreviel would pass from his current awareness.

"Atreviel is here then?" Jean-Paul inquired as he moved on, keeping his head down and trying to keep a look out for anything that might be around.

Elandis Nodded to them. "Yes, but don't bother searching for him. He exists in such a way that he simply cannot be sensed. It is a sort of sub realm of being, in a plane that has neither substance nor length. In that place there is no time, no wind, no sensation of any kind. It is a twisted reflection of reality, one that he and he alone inhabits."

Thunder in the distance piqued Elandis' attention, as he turned towards the throne where Leviathan ruled the circle of wrath. "Hmm, it would seem that my brother has begun his hunt. I hope his prey satisfies him, he's rather grumpy when given poor sport."

Feeling the earth begin to shake, his eyes widened a bit and caused him to look around and below him. That was when... "Shit!" He shouted, seeing the spear shoot out from the ground. He was prepared for an attack as he thrashed his blade out to parry...he expected a more direct attack though.

Looking around frantically, he was trying to see if he was perhaps invisible somewhere grumbling. "Either show yourself, or I'll make you come out." Though he couldn't think of a way at the moment that'd allow him to bring the demon out, he knew they had to come out eventually. "I'm much more fun in melee combat. Acting like a coward just isn't fun." Maybe he could appeal to the pride of the demon...they were embodiment of sin, so that means they would be persuaded a little easier in that direction, hopefully. "If you're so sure of victory, you may as well enjoy yourself while doing it."

"I am enjoying myself mortal. You will die, and I will fufil my purpose. That is enjoyment to me."

As the words hissed through the air, it turned sour and sulfurous. The cloud of poison that was formed began to surround Cole, attempting to cut off all escape as it slowly closed in around him.

The air...ack, staying in such a room was dangerous, even with a wi--...a window, of course! He was so high up though. Think...Think! Cole's mind raced as he covered his mouth, eyes starting to water due to the sulfurous nature of the air. He could see, but only barely and doing so was painful.

A web...of course. It wouldn't break his fall completely, but it'd stop him from hitting the ground and breaking his bones. Cole charged shoulder first towards the window, not wishing to stay in the poison any longer and using his shoulder to burst himself through the glass. Now he was falling...shit. Why put the throne room on the third story?! Whose good idea was that?

...Creatures that could fly, probably.

Burying his frustration, he pointed a hand towards the ground and let out the spell's magical energy, the lack of words used to cast took more power but it had to be done, else he would have splat already. A web formed below as he hit it, grunting in pain as the newly formed web now became a newly destroyed web, the magic only being useful for that one instance of catching him, then disappearing. "Forgot...cutting or damaging it made it disappear..." He grunted, and looked up to the top story, and then down and around. Where was this demon bastard?

A rush of air surged towards Cole, the same force as before coming towards him attempting knock him away like a stuffed toy.

Shortly after the earth behind him began to rumble as stone spikes began to form a cage to trap him in.

"You can run, but you will never escape."

Ezrael blinked and snapped back to attention, a grin forming in his features and hands suddenly giving a swirl. "Well, let's hurry along now, shall we?" In a flash a vortex of light and sound had shaped between his palms as new life scorched through him. The vortex was scrying, scanning across the great expanse that was Wrath's hellscape, searching for Ezrael Flavaar. Wings emerged from the spine of this Ezrael, long, dark and black-feathered, the flared out to either side majestically, or would have done so had one not hit Jean-Paul's armour and half-folded.

"Times wasting. If the apocalypse comes now I'd never get to finish what I came for," Ezrael quipped, terribly self-pleased.

"What has gotten into you?" Jean-Paul answered, then shook his head and spoke truthfully to Elandis, "I think Ezrael is suffering from a detachment from the real world. This is not the first time he has acted strange."

Elandis stepped back worriedly. "I wouldn't open those here, theres a natural predator in this realm that's extremely territorial of it's skies, and they like to swarm"

He gestured to himself. "Why do you think I was choosing to walk instead of taking flight myself? and in any case, we have to head to the this circles throne anyway. Remember you have to make the bargain with the ruler of this realm to get what you want.

In the distance the storm clouds became ever more turbulent.

Three more of the earlier prepared staffs suddenly launched from Ezrael's proximity, two taking off into the sky and hurtling an even distance measured a kilometer away in opposite directions, while the third planted itself right into the ground behind them. "Yes fine fine, already well and good, let's just fly along the ground, or turn the path to ice so we are bound by less friction so I can parlay with this soulkeeper."

The erratic behaviour was beginning to worry Jean-Paul. He suspected something was going on, but kept his words to himself. Better to be left in the background than thrust into danger right now...

Elandis chuckled at Ezrael's eagerness, only to freeze as he felt a familiar presence. "Actually... It seems that your original desire will be fufilled after all." He said, turning once more to the citidale in the distance. He began traveling along that route, leading Jean and Ezrael behind him. "The keeper of the soul you seek seems to have ceased presiding over this area. However, someone of more important station is on their way to the fortress, and they will most certainly be able to assist you.

Cole's eyes narrowed as he brought his blade up, using it to help shield him against the gust of air attempting to beat him back. He had already taken a hit from it once, he wasn't going to be taken aback once more! The gust pushed him back, though he maintained his footing on the ground as he slid while the air behind him kicked up dust by his heels.

His attention was then shifted to the earth being shifted and morphed...shit. He shifted his weight to dodge out of the way, still feeling a bit winded from the gust of air that attacked him. He'd grip his blade tight, swinging it out at the spikes made from the earth below to try and cut them down if they were at all trying to follow him. He grumbled to himself frustrated...where was this fiend? His hand began surging with the gray energy of his corrupted choke as he readied it for casting. The instances he spotted this fiend...it was going to receive the full punishment of his favored spell.

Atreviel chuckled as Cole broke free of the stones grip. "You want me little mortal? You want to kill me?" The whispers breathed upon the air. "I can see your soul, I can see the viciousness you house..."

A distance away, a faded shadow appeared, beckoning at Cole before darting around a corner on it's way back to the throne room. "You want me? Come and get me" He laughed, the sound like a dying mans cough as it echoed through the sulfurous fumes of hell. As the laugh reverbated through the air, the ground continued to shift and morph as it tried to impale Cole upon dry clay and brittle earth, the spines crumbling to dust when and if they missed their mark.

"Of course I want to kill you." He grumbled under his breath, a fiery rage simmering beneath him. The beckoning shadow caught his attention, his eyes narrowing as he began his mad dash towards the spirit, his arm lifting as he clenched his fist, the spell "corrupted choke" going off as a bolt of corrupted energy began surging towards Atreviel, the energy attempting to strike him on its own accord without Cole having to aim.

The ground beneath him shifted causing his footing to be interrupted. He slowed down his pace, taking things more carefully...he could feel the burn of one of the spikes as it grazed him across his arm, a slow trickle of blood hitting the floor. Shit...he can't let this fiend bring him to its pace, otherwise he'd get fully impaled by one of the spikes. Gripping his blade tighter, Cole readied himself to cast another spell...perhaps flight would ease the difficulty of the terrain for him.

Ezrael seemed giddy. He wasn't putting on his usual casual outer appearance and seemed almost child-like with glee, grin spread from ear to ear. "Lucifer is coming?" he inquired, then looked out upon Wrath with narrowed eyes, magically trickling over his vision enhancing what he might see, "Jean-Paul on your best behaviour."

The Frenchman scoffed in his suit. "I have no quarrel with Lucifer," he answered flatly.

Atreviel only chuckled at Cole, although that chuckle quickly turned to a grunt of pain once the spell had hit. It took a moment for him to manage to counteract the spell, but once he had he was truly outraged by the mortals arrogance. "I will enjoy watching you burn, wretch, your soul shall sustain me for years to come, and when You beg me for release I shall..."

Whatever he shall have done, he never finished, for at that moment an explosion of light revealed Atreviel's true form, and framed Cole in the shadows. The light was not warm, it was not soft, and it was not kind. It was a pale, harsh light that felt sickening to the very soul, as though it pierced and made those it touched feel hollow and empty. This light shone out over all of Ira, visible even far off where the travelers in the valley were.

Below, Elandis turned to Ezrael and Jean paul and smiled pleasantly. "He is not coming, he is already here."

--

As the light faded, it resolved into the wings of an angel. No, not an angel, Lucifer Morningstar himself. The King of Lies stood in the throne room of Violence and looked between Atreviel and Cole. He said to Atreviel, "You are dismissed." And just like that the wraith faded away and was gone, returning to the infernal sanctum to await further commands.

Lucifer turned to Cole, his wings shining with the same pale light from before, garbed in a Royal gown cinched at the waist with a sword belt, whos sheath was empty. To Cole he said "Tell me, child. You have come here and waged war, you have broken a circle and led the souls within in revolt. I know you thought to do this to overthrow the circle and take command, but in starting and uprising you have only fulfilled the sin of Wrath, for it is wrath that drives those who have been bent for so long to lash out upon their rulers. You have then fought against my blade, seeing threat and danger to you, but that was not why you came here. No your desires do not lie in wanton violence and destruction, nor in the rebellion of established order. So tell me, child."

"What do you desire?"

Cole stood finally, not being assaulted at all sides...however his excitement was cut off by another voice which was not his enemies'...on top of that, Atreviel was 'dismissed' from the scene. Cole kept his hand upon his sword's hilt, the energy surging from the blade lowered its intensity to an occasional pulse. He was being confronted by a being of immense power...he knew challenging this one was a horrible idea, yet he felt his hatred for these fiends burning slowly in him. Trying to swallow this, Cole sighed.

"I don't do deals." He replied simply and curtly, head tilting to the 'big man' as he maintained his calm composure. "If you wish to negotiate...fine...but I'm not doing a deal with the devil, and I'm not bowing down to you." He said this, giving a sarcastic curtsy with a nonexistent skirt. He wasn't going to be pushed around by some high class demon...but he'd listen.

"Is he?" Ezrael said, black-feathered wings opening up out of his back and extending far enough to force Jean-Paul to move aside. Then he launched up into the air with one wing beat, ascending higher and higher like some form of dark angel. Except he was much more like a child standing on their toes peering over the top of a crowd to see their childhood hero in a parade.

Jean-Paul looked up at Ezrael's sudden rise, then at Elandis with a hint of hesitation. He was not pleased at being left so far from Ezrael.

In the valley below, the moment Ezrael had taken to the skies, a swarm of creatures like flying mouthes with dilapidated bodies hanging off flew up into the air and rushed the black winged boy. They swarmed like locusts, gnawing, gnashing, biting, grinding, chewing, spitting, and flailing as they tried to swarm over and devour the overeager winged one.

Elandis responded to this by drawing his sword and shouting for Ezrael to return to the ground, as there was unfortunately little that he could do while Ezrael was in the air.

--

Lucifer smiled at Cole, then snapped his fingers. Suddenly and without warning they were now outside of the throne room, in one of the dry parched valleys of Ira, surrounded by the kneeling postrate figures that had fallen to their knees with Atreviels arrival. Not a single body moved in the vast cracked plains, and Lucifer held his head in one hand and he looked Cole over.

The winged one spoke again, his voice in gentle tones like a father speaking to his child. "I made no mention of a deal, child of corruption, I asked you a question. Tell me what you desire. Tell me why you came to Hell, domain of the damned. What drove you to seek this place. What is it that you want."

He gestured around him. "If you don't want to tell me, that's quite alright. You can wait here as much as you want. I'll send Atreviel over every so often to bring you food and water so you don't perish without reason, but as you can see you will never have an army. You will have no purpose or reason to stay. And that will always be the case here, till someone claims the throne and becomes the Prince of Wrath."

"But as I said, I only want to know what it is you desire"

Cole stared at the Prince of Lies...he did not feel threatened by him, however...he felt a shudder down his spiine. "My desire?" He asked slowly, rather asking it to himself... He took a deep breath, the blade's pulse continuing slowly and rhythmically.

"I desire a better future for those trapped here...redemption rather than constant eternal torture." He stared to Atreviel, then to Lucifer once more. "It may be a stupid or even impossible goal, but it's my goal and I'm going to aim for it. If it doesn't go over well...I can relinquish it back to you." He frowned and looked away...

Damnable skies, he was so close! With a frustrated grunt the wings opened upwards with a sharp blast of magic to drive off the locusts as he descended rapidly to the ground once more, plummeting to his feet.

"Are you done?" Jean-Paul muttered irritably, "You are being reckless."

The locusts, driven away with a blast of from Ezraels wings, scattered about chattering before swarming once more and driving towards the group. Elandis stepped in front of them however and, with his sword draw, gave a single sweeping blow that held so much strength in it the very air sundered apart, and a large part of the swarm simply burst into slime and viscera, while the rest scattered screaming in fear. Elandis turned and looked at the two mortals and said simply, "Please do not do that again."

--

Lucifer's smile turned sad and he gestured to one of the nearby bodies. They rose and marched with their heads bowed towards him, whereupon he placed his hand on their head. Light shown from his wings and images formed in the air, as the man was shown murdering his wife after having caught her cheating on him. He had murdered her and her lover, and had then gone on to live a life filled with violence and rage, always lashing out at those who tried to help him until at last he had died at the hands of a victim who, in defending themself, had shot the man in the head.

Lucifer looked up at Cole and said "These people are not like you, Cole. They are here because they belong here, they are here because they're actions and choices in life brought them here. They committed the sin of Wrath and are now punished for it, the endless torment and torture that they suffer.... Yet you think they can be redeemed? You believe that they deserve a second chance, after all the evil they committed? The people they murdered, the lives they ruined?"

You would save their souls?

These last words would echo not through the air but through the very fiber and essence of Cole's being.

He stared at the images, his frown remaining as he watched the images go by...his expression did not change in the slightest from the start to the end of the images, and still remaining once called reckless, and being questioned on his beliefs. His natural stubbornness made him want to snap back, eyes narrowing however...yet he didn't say anything. His own beliefs were being challenged, and he had no answer for it...he thought what he was doing was right, but there was no answer.

"Regardless of what you think, I know there is some good in what I'm doing. There's some point."

"So what, we just wait? We should be over there. I can wait in his presence without stepping out of line," Ezrael sighed impatiently, tapping his foot.
"You sound like a zealot. Lucifer is a punished being, cast into Hell for good reasons. He is not to be idolized."
"I don't idolize him. But what he can do for me right now no other can..."

Elandis put his blade away and gestured towards the throne room. "We start by making our way up there, it'll be awhile before we arrive and when we do I'm certain his lordship will have finished whatever task he has at hand and will be ready to meet with you." He also turned to Jean-Paul. "And he is most certainly worthy of idolization, though he prefers not to be worshiped. He is a being of fairness, just and true, though many have labeled him differently over the years."

--

As the images ceased, Lucifer turned the body to Cole and shrank down, to where Cole, the man, and Lucifer all stood at an equal height. "I made no judgements, and I do not claim to tell you whether you are right or wrong. I only ask you this. What do you desire."

"You say you want a better future for them, you want to redeem them, give them hope that even after all they have done, after how far they have fallen, that they can still be forgiven." Lucifer looked into Cole's eyes, into his very soul, so that he would feel the moment, the impression that his words would decide something that would change the very fate of all that dwelled in this plane. "I ask if that is what you truly want, what you believe in the depths of your very soul."

With words of finality, Lucifer put a final question to the child before him.

"Would you save them"

Cole crossed his arms, staring at the fallen angel with his eyes narrowed...He had seen many people fall so far into the depths of depravity and evil, only to come to a heel-faced turn and fight for what was right. He, himself, was one of these examples. People could shift from good to evil in a matter of a moment...but with some effort, they could achieve the opposite.

"If I can go from a murdering, hateful son of a bitch to who I am now..." He began, taking a deep breath as he spoke. "...I believe even those here could reach that point too. So yes, yes I would save them."

Wind would howl across the plains of Ira, wrapping around Cole and Lucifer and cutting them off from everyone else. The body Lucifer held before him would fade away as the Fallen one stepped towards Cole with a sincere smile on his face. Without warning they would find themselves in the throne room at the palace of Ira, where Cole would realize he was sitting upon the throne, a crown made seemingly of golden blades resting upon his brow. Suddenly the place was alive with light, as spirits and souls rushed too and from. The braziers, previously unlit, were now blazing brightly and the whole of the throne room was revealed in it's splendour.

Rather than gold or white that would be found in human places of extravagance, the Throne Room of the palace in Ira was decorated with silver and Iron, with pendants of tribal design and masks of warlike tribes. Pillars carved with the acts of men caught in the sin of wrath told a story of endless repetition. Lucifer stood before Cole, a smile upon his face as he spoke "For far too long people have misunderstood the purpose of hell. It is not a place of evil in and of itself, but a place where evil is contained. A place where those who have committed crimes in their life are punished for their sin. And the princes of hell, corrupted as they have become, are no longer any better than the sinners they are meant to punish, only they stand above the punishment. For a very long time now I have been watching as my domain fell into disrepair, losing it's purpose and being warped to serve malignant ends."

"I watch no longer, but now I shall rebuild hell to fufil it's true purpose. And you, Devrik Arkenach, son of Banedar the Corrupter, have given me something I had long since left behind." He said, turning and pacing the length of the hall. "Heh, how odd it is that one such as yourself would give me hope."

Lucifer gestured to the hall, and to the plains of Ira outside. "Congratulations. From this day forward you are the ruler of the circle of Wrath. It falls to you now, to judge each soul upon those plains and weigh their sins upon their punishment, to act fairly and justly. Do not take this task in vain however" And here Lucifer looked upon Cole and seemed to grow until the room was nothing and Cole was nothing but a spark insignificant in the presence of the fallen angel. "Above all else you must be wary of your decisions with each soul, for your words will determine whether they achieve redemption, or suffer endlessly under your dominion."

Cole remained staring at Lucifer now, his eyes focused on him...he listened to the words being spoken, the chilling reminder of his true name and lineage caused him to shudder slightly, and once more reworking his calm composure. Once Lucifer was done talking, he nodded his head slowly in understanding...he knew this was a big job he was taking but...he could handle it.

"I understand." He said, leaving everything else he wanted to say and summing it up to just that.