On a completely opposite side of Visoleer, a city was currently under seige.
However, this particular region had seen much less damage since the start of the war than others.
And the reason for this was likely all because of one man.
High in the sky above, there was a man flying around on a very large, and very old dragon.
He stood atop the dragon's head as it spewed baleful columns of fla onto the battlefield underneath them.
The heat of the flas was more than enough to reduce the incoming invaders to half lted inconveniences within a few monts.
Once they were lted, the man riding atop the dragon's head would wave his hands and a deluge of icy magic would descend from the skies, encasing the dark creatures in blocks of ice.
"That's enough, Carrea. We've done all we can for the day." The man finally said.
The shining golden dragon dove out of the sky and quickly dropped her altitude.
Once she was at a sufficient height, the man atop her back waived his hands in a circular pattern.
A large do of ice ford over the entire city in just the span of a few short seconds.
The dark creatures who were still rushing towards the city were stopped dead in their tracks once they reached the barrier.
No matter the desperation of their attempts, they couldn't manage to break through the ice that seed impenetrable.
With no more obstacles approaching, the dragon carried it's rider towards the steps of what seed to be a large castle.
When it's massive feet touched the ground, it's rider descended from atop it's head while the dragon reverted to a much smaller, human form.
The great creature soon ca to resemble an older visoleeran woman.
She was beautiful, with long flowing white hair and amber-ish red eyes.
In human terms, she looked to be in around her mid to late thirties, or early forties. Her figure was slim and sowhat diminutive, not at all like the form she had just displayed re monts ago.
With a satisfied giggle, she intertwined her arm with the man who'd previously been standing atop her head.
Sohow, he was significantly more attractive than her.
He was a tall man, reaching nearly seven feet in height without taking into account the short horns coming out of his head.
His face was chiseled, yet sharp. Giving him a model esquire appearance that was only further enhanced by his natural cold deanor.
He wore a radiant set of pure white armor with a thick fur cloak of the sa color billowing from behind his shoulders.
Despite the beauty clinging to his arm, he still looked rather pessimistic and bothered.
"So many have co again today… Yet none of them were that dragon from the projections who declared himself fourth… or the lord he claims to serve for that matter."
Purring like a cat, the dragoness nestled her head against the man's shoulder.
"Perhaps they've yet to show themselves because they are hoping to exhaust your strength before arriving. A coward's tactic, and one that you are far above, my darling."
The man narrowed his eyes as the woman's flattery fell on deaf ears.
"…No. Sothing about this feels all too different…"
He had felt it from the mont these creatures first arrived several days ago.
The energy within the air was nefariously chilling.
He had never felt anything like it before.
It was almost as if he was being stalked from afar by a creature he could neither perceive nor identify.
Even worse was the fact that he had gradually sensed the presence growing closer with every passing minute.
Almost like it was… taking its ti arriving.
It was all horrifically unsettling.
As the man in white and the pale dragoness traveled up the staircase, soldiers lining the opposite walls showered them with praise for their efforts.
"A thousand glad tidings for the almighty Imperial One!"
"With him and the 6th Lady defending us, we will survive this scourge yet!"
"Glory to the welder of WhiteBane!"
As always, the pairing ignored the aningless praises of the ones around them as they found it to be unmoving in the slightest.
Just before they entered their grand castle structure, the man noticed his concubine stop dead in her tracks and begin sweating profusely.
"Carrea? What's wrong with you?"
The dragoness looked like she was going to fall over from a particularly lethal surprise at any mont.
"I-It's-"
Suddenly, the most unbelievable thing imaginable happened.
A large nightmarish hand suddenly descended from the sky and grabbed hold of the do.
The hand was large, clawed, black, and scaly. With one squeeze it was able to crush the supposedly indestructible barrier of ice like it was a simple china cup.
The monsters being kept outside finally flung their bodies inside and got to work on destroying everything in sight.
The n who were cheering the Imperial couple on just a few monts ago were suddenly on the verge of death without s o much as a single explanation.
"T-This…"
The Imperial one summoned a large white spear into his hand.
It was a majestic weapon tied with a red cloth just underneath the straight lined blade.
Once it appeared in the Imperial's hand, he banged the butt of the weapon on the ground.
A brilliant pulse of white energy blasted forth in all directions; turning enemy, soldier, and stone alike into mounds of rubble.
When the amalgamation of dust and blood mist finally cleared, The Imperial one expected to see the creatures stitching themselves back together as they had many tis before.
He was unbelievably surprised when they weren't, but in their place was an assortnt of large demonic looking n.
"A dragon parading around with a dragon slayer atop her back… I quite honestly don't know if I've ever been more disgusted."
"Narry has my mood been spoiled by such a vulgar sight before…"
"Perhaps we should not have saved this one for last afterall. Sothing this offensive should have been crushed first."
"But then we would have had nothing else to look forward to."
"Well… I suppose that may be right too."
The Imperial one stared awestruck at the individuals that had appeared before him without making so much as a sound.
He didn't even sense their arrival, but sohow it seed as though Carrea had.
He had never in all of their ti together seen her shake as much as she was right now.
One of the n stepped forward wearing a disappointed scowl that was downright scathing.
"… For so many years I had thought you dead. I harbored your lessons, your principles, and your values into my own daughter until she was practically your spitting image in spirit.
And yet this is how I find you now. Lying with your head in the lap of a butcher who would butcher thousands of our kind if it brought him just an inch closer to power.
Such a trifling sight as this has never been recorded before. You've truly outdone yourself today, mother."
The collective jaws of half the n in the group fell open.
Helios had learned the truth from his father only days ago, and had never shared it with the rest of the group.
Several thousands of years ago, Helios' mother and father both had an encounter with the Imperial one just outside of their mountain range.
What Jormir was never able to tell Helios was that his mother didn't even try to fight for their lives or to escape.
Upon feeling the weight of the human ruler's aura, she beca frightened and lowered her head in subservience.
She then turned on her husband and with the help of her new master, nearly killed him.
The only reason Jormir did not die is because the rubble of an entire mountain crashed on top of him and rendered his body pinned at the bottom of a ravine.
He was unaware of anything that happened afterwards, but Carrea returned back to the cave for one last ti to see her son.
In truth, she was supposed to offer her new master another dragon heart to consu, but backed out at the last mont.
Leaving Helios without both of his parents on the sa day.
If Carrea had sothing that she wanted to say, she didn't manage to get it out in ti.
Helios spat at her very feet, but took no further action.
He ignored the sorry looks he was receiving from the n in the group and found his grandson, who very possibly looked the sorriest of all.
"…Don't look so glum, grandchild. Do I strike you as the sort of man to weep from sothing of this sort?"
"No, but-"
"No buts, Abaddon." Helios shook his head.
He placed his hand on his grandson's shoulder and looked up at him with a new expression that Abaddon didn't believe he'd ever seen before.
Pride.
"As you say… This old man is a bit weary from our travels. I believe I might like to return ho a bit early. I trust you to wrap things up here however you see fit. I've full faith in your judgnt, my boy."
Whether Abaddon wanted Helios to leave or not didn't matter, because he never gave him an opportunity to refuse.
Right before the eyes of everyone present, he vanished into the wind like a mirage and left the world he had once called ho.
Seconds after he left, Abaddon couldn't describe how exactly what he had done.
From his perspective all he had done was blink and the planet itself began to crack apart.
"I usually have a rule about killing my own kind, but I believe today it is imperative that an exception be made."
-
A series of knocks rang out on a mahogany wooden door.
Helios waited patiently with his hands behind his back, his mind still slightly in a fog and lacking proper clarity.
Eventually, the door clicked open and two won in bathrobes opened the door.
Yara and Imani were both fast asleep when a surprise visitor ca by to visit.
Since Helios had returned without Asmodeus in sight, they imdiately feared the worst.
"F-Father..? Where is our husband??"
"Oh.. I left him behind on Visoleer."
"I-Is he alright?!"
"I fear that he is still an idiot, but aside from that…"
Yara and Imani sighed in relief in unison.
Yara also playfully punched her father in the stomach.
"And he is not an idiot. I don't know what it will take to convince you that we married a good man."
"…He is indeed not terrible. You both could have done worse."
If Asmodeus were here, Helios would never have admitted such a thing.
And if todays events were ever leaked to his ears, Helios would deny it until he was blue in the face.
"Is everything alright, father..?" Yara finally asked.
Helios, who hadn't even noticed the ti of day outside, showed the girls a harmless smile.
"I'm am well, I just wanted to lay eyes on you girls for a mont is all. But if you have the ti… I was wondering if you might like to go for a walk with ? Just to get a bit of air."
The won glanced between each other for less than a second; seemingly having so internal debate.
"Do you wish for to go as well..?" Imani asked shyly.
Helios was a sowhat aloof man when it ca to her, but she knew at the very least that she wasn't happy when she suddenly married Asmodeus.
But much to her surprise, he smiled at her just as warmly as he did at Yara.
"Naturally… You are my daughter as well, are you not?"
Imani could have squealed out from joy at right that mont.
"We'll be ready in just a mont!"
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