How Death Lived

by Crimson Wisp


Chap. 17 Succumbing to Darkness...

////////Avalon, just before sundown/////////

Having returned from my hunt, I knelt down to inspect the last of the golems I had been assigned. The armor was dented in some places and part of the faceplate was missing, exposing it's hollow interior. With a sigh of disappointment, I stood upright once more.

"This forest is gonna be the death of me... I left this castle with fifteen golems, and now I have only eight!"

I complained to myself as the golem returned to the others that stood perfectly still. The sound of large doors being opened resounded, and I turned around to see my master exit the castle and walk towards me. I braced myself to brief him while standing at attention, not really knowing how he'd react to the news of how the hunt went.

As the sun descended over the treeline, Azazel's heavy footsteps stopped in front of me.

"Report."

He ordered, and on pure instinct I obeyed.

"Our hunt was unsuccessful, sir. We encountered a pack of manticores that scared off the game we were chasing. We killed five of them before the remainder decided to retreat, and unfortunately it cost me a few golems. I was hoping you'd come with me to retrieve the bodies. They could prove useful as hunters or guards."

As I explained, I could see my master examining the golems and he could clearly see the damage to the survivors. I searched his face for any indication of anything, but his expression was giving me nothing to work with. After a bit, his eyes locked back onto mine, and he spoke.

"Then let's go."

He ordered monotonously, looking off into the forest. As I looked into those eyes that would've frightened anyone else, there was something in them that was... off. Aside from the bags under those demonic eyeballs, his slitted pupils were dilating, but only a little. And I could've sworn I saw the blood in his capillaries glowing faintly.

"Sir?.."

I asked with some hesitation. His eyes zeroed in on me, scanning my face—or lack thereof—with an unsettling intensity. He seemed to pick up on my concern, and did something I wasn't at all pleased with.

"Let's go. Scavengers will find the bodies if we don't-"

He began, looking away from me and trying to walk around me in no particular direction. He was caught off guard when I grabbed his arm, effectively cutting him off and startling him enough that he stopped his march.

"Azazel... Is something on your mind?"

I asked, turning to look at him. He was facing forward, and I could tell by the sudden grinding of his teeth that he was trying and failing to hide something from me. He said nothing for a while, but he did eventually speak up.

"Avalon, I'm fine. Let's go."

He urged, grabbing my hand and gently prying it off of his arm. Now peeved at my question being met with a lie, I took a deep breath and looked him right in the eye as I turned around and we began our march towards the site of our hunt.

We walked for a few minutes before the urge to voice my concern became to much to repress.

"Master, you are to the art of soulmancy as Mistress Lilith was to the art of deception and Lord Astoshan to necromancy. You're a very skilled healer and I do not question your abilities as a hunter and a sorcerer. But unlike your mother you are a terrible liar. And unlike your father, you didn't make a mindless undead construct that follows your every whim blindly."

I pointed out with my frustration slowly seeping into my words. And I ensured he wouldn't escape by placing myself in his way.

He put on a mask of stoicism that seemed to have been practiced, but by the narrowing of his slitted eyes; I knew he wasn't prepared for my bluntness. Now that I had his attention, I continued.

"Sir, If we want to survive, there can be no secrets between us. I will follow you to the ends of this world if you need me to, but I can't help you if I don't know what's going on. So I'll ask again. What's on your mind?"

I finished, confident that he would cave in and answer me... oh how wrong I was... He didn't say anything as our eyes locked once more.

His pupils had constricted even more so than before, now being two black lines amidst a pair of crimson eyes. I could tell he was getting nervous by the slight quickening of his breathing and his inability to unclench his fists.

Our focus was then broken by the sound of a loud, gutteral roar bellowing from behind the trees.

"Shit... They found us..."

I muttered to myself as I turned around to face the noise. As the sound of debris being broken, stomped on, and violently thrown out of the way drew closer, another sound I was much more familiar with rumbled behind me.

Wheeling back around, I turned to see Azazel's maw of sharp teeth laid bare as a growl that could've been confused for a hiss escape his lips. His ribcage was visible through his chest as the red light of hellfire lit up his torso and throat. As he walked around me, wisps of a black miasma began to eminate from between his teeth like an angry chimney.

I had been the only one of Azazel's undead to travel with him when he was younger, and seeing this display of territorial behavior filled me with a hint of nostalgia that abated my nerves, if only a little.

As my master stood between me and the direction of the incoming beast with his wings outstretched, the interlopers made themselves known. As their massive paws carried their muscular bodies forward, the alpha manticore with an entourage of four males emerged from the trees. With their teeth bared and a sneer on their faces, they roared at us.

The beast's collective roar shook the leaves off the trees and forced me to cover my... well I don't have ears, but you get the idea. Once they stopped, I made the mistake of uncovering the sides of my skull to stop it from rattling open.

My master let out a demonic warcry of his own; causing the floor to rumble and trees to rattle from the sheer volume. The alpha, who had a comedically square face, didn't back down or flinch; the same could not be said for it's pack. Instead, he looked back to his cohorts and growled in what seemed to be annoyance at their flinching.

But just when I thought Azazel and the beast were going to rip each other apart, the ground began to shake. From the earth, hundreds of black, vine-like tendrils with blue spines erupted outward and towered over us as they rose higher and higher. Weaving together and fusing into the plants we had seen before, their maws opened and hissed at the manticores.

The beasts tried to fight back, hacking away with their sharp talons and stabbing the massive plants with the stingers, but it was futile. For every plant that went down, two more would grow to replace it; if they did not outright regenerate.

Before long, the manticores had been knocked out by the noxious fumes they spewed out. The ground then split open to reveal a massive maw of blue, crystalline teeth that glowed and was slick with what I could only assume to be digestive fluids. The unconcsious monsters were then dragged into the small abyss, and disappeared out of sight as the earth returned to it's previous state without signs of any change having occurred.

While this happened, the golems had formed a defensive line in front of us to defend my master, but to my utter shock proved to be unnecessary. As the massive plants faced us, they lowered themselves... almost as if bowing...

"What are they doing?.. Why aren't they attacking us?.."

I muttered, mostly to myself as I continued to watch the once hostile flora lay their bodies close to the ground and make small hisses. My master said nothing, but his stance became less defensive and his large wings were tucked onto his back. He stepped forward, and placed his left hand on one of the larger flower's "head".

"Fracti meam ego regena quod est conprobabit... Nunc quoque iternum te..."

He muttered, causing a quiet flash of blue light that blinded me momentarily. Once my vision came back into focus, a patch of grass formed infront of him with small blue flowers decorating the earth. With a gesture from his hand, Azazel wordlessly ordered one of the golems to step forward. Just as the last time, the golem's crimson "eyes" turned blue and around the golem's feet a slue of blue flowers blossomed.

"Ŷ̴̩̲ͅo̴͇̪̯̿͌ú̴͉͚̏̑'̵͕̈́d̴̢͈̂ ̵̭̒b̷̯͙̳̀̊̐ȅ̴͔͓̭͌̂t̴̛͖̬t̸͓͙̒̃ë̴̹́͛̕r̵͎̖͚̚ ̷̤̐͌h̵̨̠͌a̷̟̤͂͠v̷̢͕͈͋͝e̵͕͗̓̚ ̷͎̼̊ą̴̞͉̓͂ ̵̟̑g̵͖͌ô̸͕̊̕ȏ̴͙d̸̦̑̕͠ ̵̨̛r̶͙͆̎̓ḛ̵́̇̄a̷͖͙̲͂̈͑s̸̪͇̚o̷͈̻͑n̷̺̱̦̾ ̵̯̂͌̂f̷̗̎̑o̵̱̘̓ŗ̷̜̳̊̅̍ ̴̩̤̃̇ͅc̵̯̗̫̚ȯ̷̠̺͜͝m̵̬̔i̶̝͚̭̇̐͠ň̷͍͉̘̀̕g̵̢̯̰̋ ̴̫͇̂̍b̸͖̥̿a̸̝͝c̷͉̈͋k̷̘͙̃,̶̯̮̌ ̸̺̀͑b̶̤̀ê̴̦̯̟ć̵̢̮̠͋̚a̴̛̠̻͉u̸͓̍̏ͅş̵͙̥̌̃̎è̵͔̦̆̚ ̴͕͖̯̒̉̋ạ̸̦̟͂̐̚s̶̨͐ͅ ̸̧̖̤͝ȉ̸̮̣̒̀t̷̮̖͝ ̷̛͓ş̵̋̃ț̶̄̒̚a̸̖͚͆n̵͚͖̺̅̈́d̸̠̩̄s̵̻͗̄ ̸̼̑̀͠ṋ̸͛o̸̜̗͜͝w̷̼̥̐̽;̵̻̍̽ ̷͎͎̘̀̋I̷̗̩̐'̸̝̫͋͋m̴̳̟̂͑ ̴̧̢̺̚i̴̮̓ñ̷̞̥̦̍ ̴͉̞͊d̵̻̋̓͐ḙ̶̖͇͐̂͋s̶̺̻͌͘͜ṗ̴̭e̵͕͎͛̂ř̷̤͙͚̅̆à̴̤͇̤t̴̤́̄͜ḛ̴͓͋̋ ̵̨͓̹̂̚n̸̞̥͇̐ę̸̦͝ͅe̷̡̫͆ḓ̷̱̟͂ ̸̬͐͝ò̷̙͘f̴͓͈͒̎̕ ̸̯̅́͠s̵̔ͅo̵̖̎̏͜m̴̧̡̤̔̕e̷̡̼̓̐t̵̜͠h̸͇͇̆̆͝i̵͚͂̓͗ṉ̸̔̏g̴̰̮͈̀ ̷͎̙̄t̷̡̨̃̽o̴̭͚͎͘ ̶̘̉t̶̞̯͇̔́e̴̛̦̍͌ȃ̸̰̤͘r̶̲͑̑̍ ̶̩͔͠͝ḁ̸̟͑̏p̷̼̈̓a̴̫̗͇͊̌̓r̶̟͔͇͒͐͝t̶͔͖̹̏!̶̺̺͠͠"

(You'd better have a good reason for coming back, because as it stands now. I'm in desperate need of something to tear apart!)

My master threatened angrily, giving her a harsh glare tha- HIS EYES!!! They were surrounded with the dark streaks of a-

"Please forgive me and my kin! Jaunty lost control! I swear it won't happen again!"

The spirit pleaded, it's voice feminine and of a higher pitch than that of the late Jaunty. As the spectre spoke, it knelt down as best as it's body would allow while shaking in fear.

"For your sake, I hope she speaks for the rest of you as well."

My master spat out the words like a spoiled cut of meat, turning to look at the rest of the damned spirits. The oversized plants flinched and "whimpered" as he threatened them. The entire time this happened, I was transfixed on my master's eyes.

That's what he was hiding... Those dark streaks are the second stage of a blood rage, and if it were allowed to fester in Azazel's current state... may the gods have mercy on this world...

"W-we've c-c-come out of desperation... S-Son of D-Death... W-We humbly ask th-that you please hear us..."

The possessed golem stammered, the loose plating rattling and threatening to become undone. My master said nothing for a moment before finally replying with a tone colder than death.

"Speak."

He ordered.

"Y-you command the living and the d-dead... a-and you have the power to free us from our curse."

The spirit began, now looking up at Azazel.

"Th-this forest is plagued by an ancient evil that took here during the age of chaos... it won't let us rest..."

She continued, at first sounding dejected, but now she sounded... tense.

"We feel nothing! not the air brushing against our cheeks... the food we ingest feeds the growth, while we are left to starve... and the screaming... day in! and day out! IT WON-!!"

As the spirit grew more and more agitated, dark vines began to grow between the golem's legs. Unlike the last time, my master knew what was to come.

Charging his right foot with necrotic energy, he raised his leg and slammed it down in front of the distrought spirit. When a shockwave of black and red magic spread through the small crater Azazel made with his clawed foot, every single plant in a two meter radius began to whither away and turned to ash.

With his wings outstretched and a weak vortex of wind forming around the pair that raised said ash off the ground, my master growled angrily before speaking once more.

"Stay. Focused."

He ordered, a ravenous mirth filling his voice and the streaks around his eyes began to spread further. The spirit began to shudder with even more furvor than before under Azazel's gaze. The spectre couldn't bring itself to speak, and that was making Azazel's irritated mood to worsen. As the spirit buckled under the pressure, it balled up into a fetal position and made itself as small as possible.

Seeing this the other plants began to hiss, but not at my master. This went on for a few more seconds before the possessed golem looked towards it's distressed brethren. There was an awkward silence that ended when the spectre looked up at the unimpressed, yet less menacing glare Azazel was giving her.

With an audible gulp, from a throat that did not exist, the spirit spoke once more.

"You offered us your help... Does that offer still stand?..."

She said, her fear being abated slightly by my master's less threatening posture. My master didn't speak right away, but by the lulling of the wind swirling around him and the streaks around his eyes retracting slightly; I could tell what his answer would be.

"Is there anything of use that I could gain from this?"

He asked, sounding mildly interested. The golem began to stand, though still somewhat nervous.

"If you destroy the heart of the great evil, we will be free to roam the Everfree in peace and to rest. Those of us that stay can provide you with the location of valuable treasures that lie deep in this forest."

The spirit replied, now sounding hopeful and it's dreadful shaking had stopped.

"If you lead the way, I will follow. But make no mistake spirit, betrayal will free you and your ilk from your prison... only to be condemned to an eternity of torture within me. Have I made myself clear?"

Azazel said, his fear aura flaring for only a second to punctuate his threat. With a slight flinch, the spectre bowed it's head and the other plants began bobbing up and down in a funny manner.

"Crystal clear."

She replied before turning to the large plants and nodding. The sentient greenery burrowed int the ground and out of sight, leaving only my master, the spirit, myself and the golems.

"Follow me, I will take you to a cave that leads directly to the evil's heart."

The phantom said as it began walking in a northeastern direction. Without missing a beat, Azazel followed; forcing me to run after him to catch up.

"Azazel wait!"

I pleaded, getting between Azazel and the spirit.

"Sir, you have to stop. You're not thinking straight. This could very well be a trap, not to mention that what you're doing is starting a war with an entire nation!"

I urged, making him stop in his tracks for a third time today. Unfortunately, my master's brow furrowed in anger as he retorted.

"Start a war? Avalon, Equestria declared war against us the moment Celestia and her assassins tried to murder me!"

He said angrily.

"But sir, what you are proposing is madness! We can't challenge an entire kingdom on our own!"

I countered, hoping he would listen to reason.

"I don't intend on doing it alone."

He stated matter of factly, catching me off guard. Noticing this, he continued.

"T̴h̷i̵s̸ ̷w̴o̷r̷l̸d̴ ̸h̶a̴s̶ ̴a̷n̸ ̴e̶n̷t̷i̸r̸e̸ ̸n̸a̶t̷i̷o̸n̷ ̸p̷o̷p̶u̷l̵a̸t̶e̸d̷ ̷w̵i̵t̴h̵ ̷d̵r̵a̷g̷o̴n̵s̶,̸ ̶n̶o̷t̷ ̸t̴o̷ ̷m̷e̴n̵t̸i̷o̴n̷ ̵t̷h̸e̵ ̵m̸e̵n̵a̶g̷e̵r̶i̶e̷ ̷o̶f̴ ̸o̸t̸h̵e̴r̶ ̵b̵e̸a̶s̸t̷s̶ ̶b̴e̵t̵w̶e̸e̶n̸ ̸h̷e̶r̸e̵ ̸a̸n̶d̴ ̷t̷h̵e̶ ̶d̶r̷a̶g̸o̷n̶ ̴l̸a̸n̴d̷s̸.̸ ̵I̶f̵ ̷t̴h̸i̸s̴ ̵"̸e̶v̵i̶l̶"̸ ̷t̶h̷a̶t̸ ̷t̶h̴e̶ ̸s̵p̸i̶r̴i̵t̵'̵s̶ ̷t̸a̷l̷k̶ ̴a̸b̴o̵u̶t̶ ̴i̶s̵ ̴f̷e̷e̶d̵i̵n̵g̷ ̵o̶f̷f̸ ̸o̸f̸ ̶s̶o̵u̷l̶s̴ ̸a̵s̴ ̶I̶ ̵d̵o̸,̴ ̵t̶h̵e̸n̷ ̷I̶ ̶c̴a̴n̸ ̸c̶o̷n̶s̸u̶m̶e̴ ̷i̷t̶ ̸a̴n̷d̴ ̵g̶r̷o̴w̷ ̷s̸t̷r̸o̵n̴g̶e̷r̵.̴ ̵T̴h̷i̸n̶k̷ ̷a̷b̷o̸u̷t̵ ̵i̷t̸!̶ ̸A̷ ̸b̸e̷i̴n̸g̶ ̸w̸h̷o̴'̴s̷ ̴p̵o̵w̷e̶r̸ ̵r̵e̷a̶c̷h̵e̶s̷ ̴a̸c̵r̶o̴s̷s̷ ̷a̸n̸ ̵e̴n̶t̷i̵r̵e̵ ̸f̶o̴r̶e̶s̶t̸ ̴a̷n̶d̷ ̸p̶r̵o̸b̷a̴b̵l̷y̸ ̵h̴a̸s̸ ̷h̴u̵n̸d̶r̴e̷d̸s̸ ̶o̸f̴ ̶s̵o̶u̵l̵s̷!̶?̸ ̷I̴'̵d̷ ̵h̵a̵v̶e̴ ̶e̴n̵o̷u̵g̴h̶ ̴m̶a̸n̸a̶ ̴t̴o̷ ̴r̴a̴i̷s̸e̶ ̵a̸n̵ ̸a̸r̷m̵y̵ ̸t̵h̵a̸t̷ ̶c̶o̶u̴l̸d̸ ̷R̸A̴Z̷E̷ ̶t̵h̷i̵s̴ ̵p̵l̸a̵n̸e̵t̸ ̶t̶e̴n̵ ̶t̸i̶m̷e̵s̵ ̵o̴v̷e̸r̶!̸ ̴I̷t̶'̸s̸ ̶p̸e̶r̸f̸e̵c̴t̵!̵"

(This world has an entire nation populated with dragons, not to mention the menagerie of other beasts between here and the dragon lands. If this "evil" that the spirit's talk about is feeding off of souls as I do, then I can consume it and grow stronger. Think about it! A being who's power reaches across an entire forest and probably has hundreds of souls!? I'd have enough mana to raise an army that could RAZE this planet ten times over! It's perfect!)

He exclaimed, hoping it would be enough.

"But what of the Elements of Harmony? If what Celestia and Luna said is true, we'll lose! They've faced threats WAY stronger than you!"

I countered, genuinely afraid Azazel would persist down this path. Azazel's mood took an immediate nose dive upon the mentioning of the diarchs.

"You've seen what their promises are worth; or have you forgotten what happened to Mia and Trephor!?"

He questioned, the dark streaks around his eyes growing more pronounced and his fear aura flaring eratically. The effects of the spell kept me from answering; my eyes going from a deep red to a bright yellow. Picking up on this, Azazel backed off and took a deep breath to calm himself, achieving minimal amounts of success.

"You are asking me to wait for them to come for us and do nothing! its... it's..."

He continued, struggling to get the word out with his fists clenched tightly and his gaze averted. With the fear aura gone, I could think somewhat clearly again and with an almost knee-jerk to peer into his mind, I learned the reason for his indignation.

"...say it."

It was all I said, letting my head drop as the weight of the implication filled me with shame.

"Cowardice..."

Azazel said, the word leaving a bad taste in his mouth. We said nothing to each other for a while, and it wasn't until my master took a deep breath, that our exchange continued.

"A demon is only as good as their word... and I will keep my word."

He threatened ominously, walking around me and continuing his journey with his guide. I stood there unable to go through with what he was asking. As I shut my eyes to try and rationalize his demand, one of my first memories as an undead came to the forefront of my mind.

///////nine years ago in the Ursan forest///////

With two scaly fingers from each hand pressed against the side of his head, a young nephilim was trying to exert his will over a tall skeleton that was looking at him blankly. When his face turned red from the exertion, he fell onto his rear and let out groan mixed with a growl of frustration.

"Why won't you do as I ask!? Can you PLEASE open the door!? I have been stuck here for hours!!! PLEASE!!!"

He begged at the silent undead with his arms outstretched before letting his head fall onto his knees. With his wings wrapped around himself, he failed to notice the skeleton had turned to stare at the door. After a bit, it took several steps towards the door and placed it's bony fingers on the doorknob. The sound of bone touching metal caught the nephilim's attention, making his wings part and his head to rise. With a shocked look on his face, Azazel locked eyes with the undead, who looked at him in a dead silence. An idea popped into his head, and decided to try it.

"Can you open the door please?"

The nephilim's voice was quiet and barely above a whisper. The skeleton glanced back and forth between the doorknob in it's hand and Azazel, making the young nephilim to nod excitedly at the prospect of his punishment/lesson being over. After a few more seconds of this, the skeleton twisted the doorknob and the door was opened. As the door was opened, an exasperated Azazel began to cheer and jump in place as he celebrated his victory over the door.

"I DID IT!!!"

He shouted with a toothy grin on his face, on the other side of the door, two beings stood with smiles on their faces. The taller of the two let out a giggle at her son's celebration.

"Who would've thought he would make undead that only obey when asked nicely."

Lilith remarked, looking down at her husband. She immediately noticed he was covering his mouth and was jerking eratically.

"Astoshan?"

She asked, hoping what she was seeing wasn't what she was thinking. Unfortunately, it was; the Grey God of Death was trying and failing to keep his composure and his shit-eating grin in check.

Catching her face with her clawed hand and rubbing the bridge of her nose, she let out a disappointed sigh along with a small plume of smoke.

"Please tell me you weren't interfering with Azazel's ma-"

That's as far as she got before Astoshan burst out laughing like a madman. His outburst forced him to prop himself against a wall, and after a bit, Lilith caved in and joined in on the laughing. When the two finally gathered their bearings, the arch-succubus spoke up.

"And then I am the evil one."

She said wiping a tear from her golden eyes. With their laughter reigniting, Azazel looked on as his father guffawed at his struggle; causing his chest to heat up and a frown dominate his face.

This however did not last long, because after a few seconds of trying to kill Astoshan with a glare, the half-breed looked up at the skeleton he had just now learned to control. After the gears in the demon's head finished turning, a devious smile creeped onto his face.

"You and I are going to get along juuuuuuuust fine.~"

Azazel mused to himself in an almost sensual manner.

/////////Several days later//////////

As Lilith sat on the kitchen reading a book while gingerly eating a bowl filled with an assortment of eyeballs. The silence she was enjoying was abruptly stopped when an explosion was heard outside.

As the dishes were rattled and the silverware jumbled in their drawers, she looked around and prayed to no one in particular for the earthquake to pass without breaking anything.

Fortunately, her prayers were answered. Quickly eyeing the furniture around her to make sure nothing was broken, she sighed in relief when she found nothing was amiss.

"What is my husband up to now? I told him to keep his experiments out of the-"

She began to mutter to herself in an irate tone as she walked towards a window in the direction of the assumed explosion.

Her complaint was cut short when she spotted the pillar of smoke rising over the trees. She was not terrified, just confused; staring at the growing mass of dark clouds rising higher and fazing through the now visible shield.

"What the...?"

She mumbled, trying to imagine what in the nine hells could've made that happen without starting a forest fire. Shortly after, the sound of the front door was heard and the sound of her son laughing manically was drawing near her.

She turned around and made her way back to her seat, now curious as to what her son was up to.

"Quickly Avalon! Hide yourself in my closet! I'll keep him busy!"

The nephilim said while running into her view with his undead lackey, now painted entirely black and radiating smoke. With a raised eyebrow, Lilith saw the undead sprint down the hallway leading into the rooms.

Without missing a step, Azazel turned to look at her with an ecstatic smile on his face.

"Mom quick! play along!"

He said hurriedly, just as the door downstairs was opened and thrown shut harshly. Thinking on her feet, the arch-succubus took her bowl of eyeballs and took one in her hand.

"Sweety, catch!"

She said playfully. When she did, she lobbed the eyeball towards Azazel. Seeing what his mother was doing, the half-breed opened his maw and effortlessly caught the tasty treat in his mouth.

After catching it, he raised up his arms victoriously. Just then, Astoshan came barreling into view; sliding to a stop once he saw his wife and son minding their own business.

"Did a cinder wraith pass through here?!"

He asked worriedly. The question made Azazel's resolve falter for a brief moment, forcing him to swallow the eyeball in his mouth to play it off as shock.

Wheeling around, the half-breed took a good look at his startled father, and immediately regretted his decision. The lich's face was covered in soot and a the top most part of his hair was still smoldering away. Astoshan's simple shirt and trousers were burnt around their edges and covered in dirt.

The hilarity of it all was too much for the young trickster, causing him to keel over and guffaw his heart out hysterically. Lilith, finding her husband's current state quite amusing, covered her mouth to staunch her desire to laugh as well.

"My love... *snicker* What happened to you?"

She asked, struggling to keep her composure thanks to her son's infectious laughter. Oblivious to Azazel's hysteria and it's implication, the Lord of undeath gave his wife a brief description of what had happened and his latest project: finding a way to make wraiths of gigantic proportions.

While Astoshan lectured away, the short nephilim got to his feet and walked over to his mother. He then proceeded to bury his face in her side to keep himself from looking at his father and start laughing again. By the time Astoshan finished, Lilith had managed to regain her composure and was currently running her fingers through her son's hair.

"None have passed through here. I'll let you know if I see anything."

She said, which somewhat relieved the stressed necromancer.

"Alright, I'll make sure it won't escape the barrier and hopefully catch it before it gets in the house. Azazel stay close to your mother and call me should you see a ghost that looks like a black skeleton made of hellfire."

He ordered.

"Y-yes father."

The half breed stammered, his tail swaying anxiously from side to side as he used every last ounce of will power to not laugh. With a nod and a determined smile, he headed outside to hunt down the apparent threat. Once her husband was gone, the arch-succubus looked at her son with a knowing smirk.

"Would you care to explain to me why you are messing with your father?"

Lilith asked, making Azazel lose his composure and begin to laugh once more. Some time passed before he could speak coherently, but the half-breed was eventually able to explain himself.

"I had Avalon jump down from a tree and scare Dad when he was in the middle of a ritual... heh.. heheHEHAHAHAHA!!!"

He managed to say before his legs failed him. Letting go of his mother, the demon flopped on his side while holding his stomach in pain from splitting his sides.

"You- heheheh... You should have seen his face when Avalon leapt in front of him!"

He said between bouts of wheezes and laughter. Seeing it was pointless to resist, Lilith allowed herself to visualize her husband screaming like a bitch while a summoning circle exploded in his face, then to laugh at it's sheer stupidity.

In no time, the two hellspawns were roaring with laughter and enjoying themselves. Sometime after the two finally caught their bearings, Avalon poked his head out from the adjacent hallway.

"Sir?"

The onyx undead called out, gaining the attention of his master and her mother.

"How did I do?"

He asked meekly. Looking over to her son, Lilith could see a proud smile on her son's face.

"You did admirably Avalon. Thank you for helping me do that, I haven't laught like that in a while."

Azazel complimented his undead friend, causing the red embers to twinkle with green scintillations and sparks. Shaking her head, Lilith began to question whether or not this was her lineage, or Astoshan's unorthodox parenting that had created such a devious child.

//////////Present time/////////////

The undead had flashbacks upon flashbacks of his time with the boy he helped raise, but at the end of each one, he was faced with a bitter, and sullen nephilim that he didn't recognize. As his azure eyes closed, his bony fists were clenched as he forced himself to utter one word.

"N-No..."

The undead's word was nearing a whisper, but Azazel's sharp ears picked it up easily. The demon barely moved a few steps before he was frozen in place with a single word. He slowly turned to look at Avalon, his eyes showing equal parts of anger and shock.

"W̶̻͆͑h̸̝̃̊a̴͈̜͋t̶̪͔̊̿ ̷̘̂d̶͍͍̏̄i̷̖̯̅d̸̛̟̱͗ ̸̡̬͑̀y̴̖̎̃o̶̞̹͋ũ̸̱̖ ̷̙̥̅͗j̶̪͑ù̴͖̜ś̵͕̖̕t̵̥̼̿ ̵͚̑͘s̴͓̎̂a̴͎͉̔̽y̷̺̟̾?̴̢͊"

(What did you just say?)

He asked, the strain on what little remained of his patience finally reaching it's limit. At first, Avalon wasn't sure if it was his master casting a fear aura on him or it was the look in his eyes, but to him; it would be irrelevant if he let Azazel fall any further down the abyss he was being dragged into.

"S-sir... You're going down a path I cannot follow. Please Azazel, I'm begging you. Stop this madness while you still can! I don't want to lose you too..."

He pleaded, desperation seeping through the cracks of his broken composure. Azazel seemed frozen to the outside world, but on the inside, he was struggling to keep the souls within him in check.

"DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM!!!"

"TAKE YOUR REVENGE!!!"

"DON'T WASTE THE ONE CHANCE YOU HAVE TO AVENGE MIA AND TREPHOR!!!"

They screamed, slowly overwhelming Azazel and forcing him to take action.

"Then go back to the castle and keep Anvari safe. Do not leave until I return."

He finally spoke, causing the seething souls within to grow quieter and the migraine he was developing to lessen. Avalon felt as if his heart was being crushed with the coldness of his words, causing blue cinders to fall from his eyes.

When Azazel turned around to follow the spirit, who had been patiently waiting for him to continue; Avalon quickly caught up to him and pulled on Azazel's left forearm.

"Azazel sto-!!"

It was all Avalon could say before the same arm he was holding swung up and around, slapping the undead's skull with a back hand so powerful that he was launched back several feet. When the sable skeleton regained his bearings and looked up at his master, abject terror washed over him.

Azazel was glancing at Avalon over his shoulder, and the only thing that stood out, were Azazel's eyes. The once black eyes with red irises had ignited into orbs of a scarlet fury that burned with hell's wrath. The half-breed had lost control of his body, if only for a few seconds, giving the damned a chance to speak their collective mind.

"D̴̡͈̬̖̽̃ö̷̭̥̝͎̩̙́̍͆̀̉͘ ̶̹̙̜̠̱̓͝n̸̢̫͎̉́̾̿̂ö̸͚͚̜̥́̒̾̾t̶̢̨̺͎̠͇̐̊.̸̛͕̫̰͖̳̓̈́̉̉̍.̴̡̧̡̰̠͑͗̄͆͘.̷̜̮̥̖̔ ̷͖̱͕̱̣̯̆̽̿́͝ì̴̧̛̟̣̦͈̯͊̀̓n̷̡̡̤̥̜̄̽̑̇̆̈t̷͎͒̒̒̽̆ȩ̶̝̮͛͂͆̕̚r̷̯͍̖̥̂f̵̡͇͎̭̈́̕̕ȅ̸̦͖̬̖͇ŕ̸̨̨͍͈̩͔̍̃̕͝e̵̛͕̋̐̆͝.̷̘̥̲̙̙̓̈̕.̶̛͍̣͚̮̅.̷̪̼̼̮̥͚̅̿̄̐͑"

(Do not... interfere...)

The demon hissed, his voice being buried under the hundred or so souls within him. The same ravenous fire he once held passed like a fleeting shadow, and Azazel regained control of his body.

Turning around to continue his journey the golems began to follow the half-breed, only to be stopped with another order.

"Take Avalon back to the castle and lock down the area. No one enters or leaves until I return."

It was the last thing he said before he disappeared into the forest. Whilst a defeated Avalon was escorted back to the ruins without resistance, Azazel followed the possessed golem in silence for the remainder of the trip. The Everfree, though intimidating to Equestria's denizens, was deathly quiet in the path where the demon walked.

As he marched on, the souls within him were making the half-breed consume the life force of the grass and surrounding trees. While the grass whithered away, the few trees he passed began to turn grey and their leaves began to fall. The animals in his path were struck with terror as he drew closer, making them run away or hide in their dens.

The migraine Azazel was feeling was getting gradually worse, but he had to push on before the souls within him got full control of him. After that, he could rest. After Celestia was dead, he could mourn those he had lost. And once this world was dead and silent, he could be at peace... For now, all he could do was push on and ignore the growing swell of regret forming in his chest.

As the silent pair reached the mouth of a cave, the spirit stopped dead in it's tracks. Azazel stopped a short distance away, before looking into the assuming cave and the surrounding area.

The forest had become darker and more wild, and the crickets and other insects if the night were nowhere to be found. The wind rocked back and forth through the gaping maw of stone stalactites and stalagmites further into the cave like the breathing of a sleeping leviathan.

Whilst this was happening, the souls within the demon had gone quiet. Their attempts to seize control had not stopped, but they were... distracted.

Through Azazel's senses, the damned and their warden could feel the life force of hundreds... no... thousands of souls flowing through the ground on which they stood. This flow of energy was amassing somewhere deep under ground, and circulating back out into the forest.

"Why have we stopped?"

The demon asked. Looking over to his guide, he noticed that root like growths were starting to grown around the golem's feet again.

"Please! help me! I don't want to be dragged in again!"

The spirit pleaded as it tried to get away, but the growths had pinned the suit of armor down. Acting quickly, Azazel reached out with his hand, and placed it on the golem's back.

Pulling his hand up and away from the suit of armor, the spirit was pulled free from it's loaned body and condensed into a glowing sphere in the young necromancer's palm. Just as the last of the spirit's essence was pulled free, vine-like growths grew in and around the suit of armor, which was then impaled by familiar blue spines of crystal that shot out from the vines.

The soul in Azazel's hand made the sound of a nervous gulp before speaking, it's glow intensifying with the volume of it's voice; a voice only the nephilim could hear.

"That was close... Thank you."

The spirit said gratefully.

"What now?"

The young necromancer asked, looking into the cave.

"Head inside and follow the stream of souls. The evil's heart is in the central chamber of this cave system."

The spirit instructed. Azazel hesitated, but with the souls within him urging him to go, he relented and walked into the dark cavern. Using a spell of prestidigitation, he left glowing runes to mark a way out should he need to find an exit quickly through the winding tunnles of earth and stone.

"This great evil you speak of... do you know how it came to be?"

Azazel asked the spirit in his hand.

"I do not know for certain... all I know is that it traps the souls of anything that dies in the Everfree... and feeds off their suffering..."

The soul answered. That last part caught Azazel off guard. As the implications of the spirit's statement turned the cogs in Azazel's head, the fairly consistent walls of rocks and dirt began to exhibit more and more of the dark vines.

Spikes and shards of the same teal crystals illuminated the walls of the cave and the deeper they went, the less magical illumination was needed to see. The rest of the trip was relatively quiet, save for the odd whisper or babbling from the damned within the young necromancer.

Then he reached the central chamber. It was a massive opening in the earth, easily ten acres across and it's roof was so high up that it couldn't be seen due to the poor illumination. But there, at the center of this massive area was the alleged "heart of evil".

Wrapped in vines thicker than houses and made of what seemed to be ancient bark was a massive crystal about as big as a small fortress, that glowed with a blinding azure luster.

While the sight was impressive to the naked eye, to Azazel's trained eye, he could see what that massive structure was doing. Inside the gigantic crystal he could see thousands upon thousands of souls being churned, grounded, and reassembled in vortex of chaotic torture.

The nephilim could feel their agony from where they stood, feeding his power and granting him the strength to silence the souls within him completely. Though freed from the ailments of his blood rage, the apparent "cure", sickened him to no end.

While the damning of souls was nothing new to him, the sheer scale of the root system made Azazel question whether or not he was dealing with a leviathan; and if he had made a wise choice in even coming down here in the first place. Not to mention the fact that there were probably innocent souls suffering along with the guilty...

Unfortunately, being entranced by the great evil's size did not give him the time necessary to reconsider his life choices. In his utter bewilderment, Azazel failed to notice that there were vines slowly growing around his feet and ensnaring him. It wasn't until the growths had reached his right thigh that he looked down and saw what was happening.

In an instinctive act of panic, he let go of the spirit, and discharged a shockwave of necrotic energy to defend himself.

"NOOOOO!!!!! SAAAVE MEEEE PLEEEEASE!!!!"

The spirit screamed in terror as it was violently pulled towards the gargantuant crystal, disappearing from sight. The vines around Azazel's legs died and became brittle once they were struck with necrotic energy.

The cave seemed to roil and writhe to life as the vines that grew from the walls began to sprouts tendrils barbed with blue blades of crystal. Breaking free of his restraints with ease, the necromancer braced himself for whatever would come next.

He did so just in time as well, because several of the tendrils rising up to surround him began to lash out at him like living whips.

Using his scale-plated wings and arms he was able to block several strikes, but as more and more rose to attack him at once, they began to lacerate his back and chest, and slowly overpower the young demon. After getting hit twice in the face, he heard the souls within him scream as one.

"BURN IT WITH HELLFIRE!!!"

Taking their advice, the young demon took in a deep breath before unleashing a torrent of hellfire. Because the vines were being fueled by souls, the dark flames spread and destroyed them with deadly efficiency.

While at the moment it seemed like a small victory, it proved to be a grave mistake on the necromancer's part. The entire chamber began to shake while a deafeningly loud shriek of pain unlike anything Azazel had ever heard disoriented the young half-breed.

As he covered his ears to shield them from the awful noise, the demon failed to see that debris was falling around him. A large rock fell from the ceiling, and the nephilim was unable to shield his head in time to prevent it from falling on him.

Having received a devastating blow to the head, Azazel fell face first to the ground, only to be wrapped in the coils of a massive vine-like tendril that dragged him high into the air and brought him closer to the massive crystal.

From the massive bark, sprouted a large stalk with a bulbous head that snaked its way toward the bleeding head of the dazed necromancer. The head of the plant opened to reveal a gaping mouth with four mandibles and rows upon rows of jagged blue teeth slick with acidic "saliva".

The stalk was then ridden with glowing vein-like streaks up it's length before the "flower" latched on to Azazel's face, burying it's teeth into hiss skin. While the jagged teeth had miraculously missed his eyes, the stinging in his face would be the least of the nephilim's worries.

The entire cave began to rumble and hum as a sound akin to a powerful spell charging filled the chamber; and that is when the true horror began. In an instant, Azazel began to feel the souls within him being violently uprooted and torn out from his very being.

The sensation far surpassed any form of physical pain he had ever experienced. His mind was being torn asunder by the overwhelming paroxysms that ravaged his body. As the damned were ripped away from him, his consciousness drifted towards his memories, and the events of the last few days began to flash before his eyes.

The hunt that began this nightmare, the shattering of the barrier over his home, the appearance of the Astral guard and their captain, the slaughter of the human soldiers, the sting of holy fire against his body, his parent's final words... and the death of Mia and Trephor...

That last memory... it began to fill him with something... something that overrode the mind-numbing agony he was in. He was angry... He was angry at Deus for taking his mother and father... He was angry at Celestia for taking Mia and Trephor... And he was angry that he was going to die here... Alone in some godforsaken hole while what remained of his family whithered away in some ruin...

"No..."

He thought, and that's when he heard it. The last few souls that remained in him were calling to him.

"ARGENT!!!"

They screamed. One word, that's all Azazel needed... to have his revenge... With the last of his strength, he pushed out a piece of Argent energy into the stream of souls being drained from him; which began to corrupt the souls within the great evil... transmutating it into more Argent energy.

A domino effect of Argent transmutation spread through the roots and heart of the leviathan like wildfire, turning every root, crystalline shard, and soul into the miasmic plasma of hellfire and ash. The great evil tried to purge itself of the infectious poison by pouring it all into the young demon, but it only succeeded in hammering the final nail in it's Titanic coffin.

As Azazel thought he could finally escape into the sweet release of unconsciousness, he felt an unending tsunami of power flow into him. With every cell in his body overcharged to their absolute limit with the hellish energy, the souls that remained within did the only thing they could to preserve their host from a critical overload and it's subsequent self destruction.

"RAGE!!!! RAGE!!!! FUCKING RAGE!!!!!"

They chanted into the demon's ear. As if having been injected with an ocean of adrenaline, the young necromancer had no choice but give in. He let the souls within him take charge, and all hell broke loose after that...