" The Towering Worlds : Hell's Chalice. ™"
A Story written By @mohhdude.
(Be warned, there will be references from other series in this book!!)
Alternative Names -
"TTW : HC.™"
"Protocol — Hell's Chalice. ™"
"End of Earth, Beginning of Hell. ™"
Chapter : IX
"The Sins of the Father..."
Act II:
Sasaki and Aleksandr.
"Are visited upon the children."
— Exodus 20:5.
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[ FOUR DAYS REMAIN UNTIL HE REACHES AL'ADQAS ]
…Citizens of Igni are quickly evacuated from the city to avoid the threat of the flames of the marching storm several distances from them. In a 80 meter radius, the scorching flames burned meadows, the scent of ash scattered throughout the burnt plains. Neighboring cities evacuated their citizens from the area as well.
His constant mumbling never stopped, he kept going forward as if he was lifeless. His shackles drag against the soil, rattling when they hit a stone, leaving a trail. The rain kept trying to relieve the fire of the meadows, but it just wasn't enough.
They accused his daughter of heresy. They will pay. He shall rip those who worship Aria, and even Aria HERSELF, asunder without reluctance.
…
[ THRONE ROOM, AL'ADQAS ]
Taiyō, with the crystal ball hovering next to him, stood in front of his throne, facing away from it. He looked at the five with a glare, his arms were folded. It had been four years since they all had been together.
"... Would anyone speak up?" Taiyō asked in an irritated manner, Azaad was on the side, waiting for an order. Sheri cleared her throat. "What I wanna know is why did you not tell us Leif was alive?!" Sheri pointed at Rien, being obviously vexed from Taiyō keeping it a secret that her friend didn't actually die.
"And risk my subordinates getting attacked? Did you not hear a bounty on his head was sent by Archangel Nexrael? I thought you were a half-valkyire, Sheriel." Sheri clenched her fist, gritting her teeth. "YOU HELPED ME OUT WHEN I WAS GRIEVING!" She shouted, Victor, Aurum and Rien looked away.
"YOU…You…" Sheri sighed, her heart beat gets faster, then slows down as she calms down with an exhale. She looked to the ground. "Just get on with it." Sheri said with irritation, knowing that Taiyō wouldn't summon them without a point, letting go of her clenched fist.
"..Very well. I summoned you five here today to hone your skills all in individual aspects to face that demon. Not to attack it, but to stall it." Taiyō said without hesitation, no build up. It was clear that the situation was dire, but why these places specifically?
"First, Gudo and Sheriel will go to Tsūkikami to meet with her majesty of Tsūkikami and recover an item I gave her." They all had thought about the tension between the two, Rien sweats a little wondering if Sheri might actually kill Gudo when she gets the chance, Sheri looks at Gudo with anger in her eyes that could pierce through his soul.
"Second, Victor and I will go to Ledyanoy to spar with Sir Volan Sokolov. The one that captured Gudo." Gudo rubbed the side of his head, still feeling that force from the blunt side of Sir Volan's spear knocking him out.
"And finally, Aurum and Rien will go to Kanónas to take care of young Kalon." Victor took note of the fairly easy task of taking care of Kalon. "Hey, why do they get easy tasks and we have to break our backs for ours?!"
A moment of silence before Sheri glances at Victor with a deadly gaze, Aurum looks at Victor, gesturing his hand to tell Victor to shut up. He has been getting letters from Sheri venting how difficult it is to catch Kalon in forests nowadays.
"Ahem–" Taiyō clears his throat, wanting this meeting to end. He gestured to Victor to come to his side, Sheri to Gu… Gudo to Sheri's side and then Rien to Aurum.
"Alright, now, if anyone is forgetting anything, please go get it." Taiyō stated, Gudo had his things back after he agreed to cooperate, and the fact that he will explode if he doesn't comply with either Taiyō or Queen Ame. Queen Ame's voice echoed from the crystal ball; "King Taiyō, I shall join Gudo Nomasaki and the girl to observe his behavior."
"Very well." Taiyō nodded his head, Rien and Aurum were set, so were Sheri and Victor. Taiyō glanced at the four around him, reminiscing… But then—
"I will see you all in four days, my subordinates! May Aria shine her light on us!" Taiyō exclaims, and without warning, snaps his fingers and opens shining golden portals beneath the feet of the Taiyō and the four, the crystal ball diving with Sheri and Gudo's portal.
And of course, all of them were screaming as they fell.
…
[ FORESTS OF KANÓNAS ]
Aurum was screaming, Rien was stone cold and used to the falling. He free falls while Rien dives closer to Aurum, grabbing his hand as he puts his cloak on him. Shouting: "GRAB THE FOUR CORNERS!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT GONNA DO?!" Aurum shouted back, they were sky high as this was a test to see if they're ready. Rien shouted again: "DO IT OR YOU'LL DIE!"
Aurum complied and grabbed the four corners of the cloak, it was a parachute in disguise. Rien holds on to his sword, his thumb on the guard of the sword. He dives into the forest whilst Aurum lands safely on the ground.
Rien thought in his head, glancing at a house with a smoking chimney nearby, as he landed on one knee, mana reinforcing his body to land, leaving a crater where he landed. Rien looked around, "...Hey, Solomon."
"Yes, Yamamoto, what is it?" Solomon responded, almost irritated. Rien looked at the pact mark, he felt uneasy. "...How do I… meet Kalon?", he paced around, biting the tip of his thumb. Thinking…
"That kid? Just meet him. He'll be happy, I guess.", Rien looked up at the sky, he nodded his head. ".. Yeah, got it. But… Why do I feel…", "Unsettled?" Solomon cuts Rien off in his thoughts, "..Y-yeah… Why?"
"Who knows? I feel unsettled too.", Rien got goosebumps as his eyes widened slightly, his glance shifting at the house. "...From.."
The house had an ominous aura to it. "There…?! Is Kalon okay?!"
Rien quickly rushed to the house, holding his sword in place. He slams the door open, Kalon was nowhere to be seen… Until… He hung from the roof upside down, scaring Rien. "ACK–!"
Kalon giggled, he was wearing black clothes, he had fingerless gloves on, he looked all grown up. His horn was growing smaller since Sheri had clipped it off recently, "Hiya, Lord Taiyō told me that you'd be here, so I wanted to surprise you!"
…
[ SNOWFIELDS OF LEDYANOY ]
Victor, whilst falling, was yelling cuss words Royans use. Taiyō had his arms folded as he fell, his body remained upright, he slightly lifted his right knee up, his left foot pointing down as if he was an arrow sent from the heavens.
The tip of his footwear started to heat up from the speed, as he landed on the snow, some blocks of it flew when Taiyō landed, he looked left and right, then up, seeing… a rather comedic sight to behold. Taiyō struggled to hold in his laughter.
Victor was struggling to remain balanced, flailing his arms around trying to do so, he screamed as his voice got closer each second "aaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" crashing into the snow with a Victor-shaped hole.
Taiyō looked in the distance, it was night. The aurorae in the night sky illuminating bright, as two knights stood at the hill top, it was a woman who was clad in grey armor and green stripes, as she held a large patterned green shield. The woman had a gentle smile on her face, noticing Victor and Taiyō in the visible distance.
The one next to her held a spear, he was wearing his helmet, no doubt it was Sir Volan Sokolov, as he glanced at Taiyō and Victor. He removes his helmet as a dark skinned man with numerous scars on his face grinned at them.
"Welcome! Your majesty! We are here to help you improve! And by you, I mean the gentleman beside you!"
Volan pointed at Victor, his finger curling, gesturing to him to come here. Victor pointed at himself, confused, he pulled Taiyō in front of him, and pointed at Taiyō questioningly. Volan shakes his head in denial, then points at Victor, still grinning.
Victor shouts in his head while smiling. "...WHAT THE FU—"
…
[ MOUNTAINS OF TSŪKIKAMI ]
Both Gudo and Sheri landed onto the mountains, in front of the shrine built for Aria, the crystal orb descending, as it turned to the castle courtyard, where a giant tree with red and white leaves was visible.
The silence was deafening, Gudo looked away from Sheri, his jaw aching from that punch earlier. He washed his mouth to disinfect the spot where his tooth chipped.
It was windy, the shrine had a seal on it like how Gudo had a seal on his back, the seal on the shrine meant "PRAISE ARIA" in Tsukihi, the language of Tsūkikami, Gudo looks around at the horizon in the distance, it was rumored that Tsūkikami looked beautiful at night.
The sun would set in several hours, the crystal ball with Queen Ame turned to the two, Sheriel was taking in the sights. "Come, you two.", Gudo sighed, looking at the crystal ball. Sheriel kept glaring at him each time he entered her peripheral vision.
The leaves shifted into tiles with a weird sound to it, as if something was playing in reverse. The tiles kept forming from the mountain to the courtyard in the distance, the giant tree becoming more and more bigger each step.
Sheriel and Gudo having to walk side by side was a pain, Gudo kept looking down. He couldn't muster up the courage to look at Sheri, who he looked in the eye as he left them at Ironia that day four years ago.
Sheriel's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, a small sense of grief in her heart, as if she was feeling bad for this… Traitor before her, Sheri brushed that feeling off, she had every right to be angry at Gudo.
…Soon, they reached the courtyard of the Tsūkikami Royal Palace. Ame was sitting by the tree on a bench with a table in front of her, having some tea. She waved at the two with a slight smile, the Queen had pale skin with cracks on her face, as though she was made of porcelain, a rose placed in her right eye socket.
Sheriel and Gudo joined Ame for tea, sitting down. Silence… And then, Ame lifted the cup to her lips, sipping it. "...Tea in the afternoon is quite pleasant, is it not?" Sheriel and Gudo still remained silent. Until Sheri spoke up.
"..Yes, your majesty. But I respectfully ask you, what do we need to do?" Ame sets her teacup down on the table in front of her gently, then keeping one hand on the other. The shamisen and koto are mixed into one pleasant tone, to set the atmosphere.
Ame closes her left eye, then looks at Sheriel and Gudo, Ame holds that same gentle smile. "You two, unlike the other three, have special training that I will assign you to."
…
[ PARADOX, CHARLES' CHAMBERS ]
In a pool of black liquid, Charles was submerged within it, to enhance his grip on the Ring of Gluttony's power. A purple ring tattoo on his ring finger, his eyes were closed. It had been seven hours since his submersion.
When he had opened his eyes after 30 minutes, he saw a shirtless Beelzebub on the side of the pool, looking at him through the black liquid. Beelzebub puts his hand on the pool, Charles' empty eyes softens slightly at the sight of him, and puts his hand against Beelzebubs.
Beelzebub had a grin spread across his face. "Good job, Charlie. Just a few more hours, okay?" Footsteps in the back, a white haired figure. "Never knew you had a soft spot for humans, Beel." Ahriman stated, he touches the wind chime in Charles' room.
"I guess, yeah. He's my vessel, after all, that whole ritual to make him mine wasn't for nothing. Scion and Mammon did the same thing." Beelzebub kept looking at Charles, Charles' expression remained unchanged. But the purple ring glowed at the touch of Beelzebub's palm.
Ahriman scoffed, "Tch, please. Scion and Mammon are man and woman, your little obsession with this man— No… puppet… is creepy." Beelzebub chuckled, looking at Ahriman. "Rich coming from the guy who looks like a nightmare?"
"Anyways, you wouldn't come here nagging me about Charles. What is it, Ahri?" Ahriman looked to Beelzebub, leaving the windchime alone, Beelzebub withdrew his hand from Charles, Ahriman had that creepy smile again with his black, soulless eyes.
"Árgos has acquired the Story of Limbo and the chants to summon 'em." Beelzebub's eyes widened slightly, then smiling. "So, I guess… Árgos is bringing her back, huh?" Ahriman nodded, slicking his bangs back from his eyes, not blocking his view.
"Indeed, Árgos is bringing Soniya back." Beelzebub puts his hand on his chin, thinking. He looks down, then back at Ahriman, snapping his fingers, figuring out why. "Oh, to somewhat bribe Mik, right?", "A plausible theory, Beel. I do not know either." Ahriman opened his eyes, six eyes appearing on his face.
"I am very interested to see my rival once again, I can use his daughter as bait… And fight him again…!" Black mana filled the room ominously, his smile got bigger, his soulless eyes widening, his long hair starting to float. The black colored mana revolved around him. He couldn't contain his laughter, his suppressed chuckles slowly turning into cackling.
"That exhilarating feeling… I must experience it again…!" Beelzebub cleared his throat, looking at Ahriman. Ahriman was already lost in thought of how Rygielski gave him the fight of a lifetime.
Beelzebub sighed, Charlotte knocked on the door. Beelzebub looked at Charlotte. "Oh, Charlotte! Come in, please." Charlotte bowed her head as she came in, her sword was straddled onto her back, as she looked at Charles, still in deep sleep, bathing in that black liquid.
"...Lord Beelzebub, what is Charles bathing in?" Charlotte was curious, Charles was sleeping with his eyes open. She couldn't touch the water, as if an a thin, strong invisible surface prevented her from touching it.
"That? It's the terror and fear from people who feared HIM liquified." Beelzebub answered, his head on his fist, looking at Charles with softness in his eyes.
"...I see… I've heard that during my absence, Charles is now apart of you, Lord Beelzebub, as your vessel. I am very happy and honored that you'd choose him." Again, Charlotte bowed her head. Beelzebub gestured her not to. "Oh no no, please, raise your head. Think of it like I've married him, we're family now!" Beelzebub teasingly said, Ahriman was still spacing out, thinking about his future fight.
Charlotte cleared her throat, her arms behind her back as she looked at Ahriman. "... Lord Ahriman, take heed of my words and actions." Ahriman snapped out of his state of trance, his head turning to Charlotte, with disgust in his eyes. "Approach."
Charlotte walked up to him, removing the sword straddled onto her back, kneeling before him with her offering her sword up to Ahriman. "I wish to be the vessel of Violence, Lord Ahriman. I request you with utmost respect and knowledge for and of your actions."
Ahriman was slightly taken aback by this, so was Beelzebub, but Beelzebub, after being four years with Charles and Charlotte, never saw Charlotte do a bad move unless she had a plan.
Ahriman looked at the sword, taking it, then looking at Charlotte. "You know what happens if you become the vessel of the embodiment of violence, and those who have to fulfill the requirements, yes?" Charlotte kept looking down, her fist on the floor. She remained calm and collected, Ahriman unsheathed the sword.
"I want you to dig your own heart out." Charlotte extended her hand outward without any reluctance in her actions, mana infused within her hand as her nails became sharper. She digs into her own chest, coughing out blood with a hack.
She ripped her heart out, gritting her teeth, and presented it to Ahriman. Ahriman was surprised from her dedication and loyalty to the cause of the Paradox. Ahriman grinned a little, taking her heart, before his black colored mana enveloped the chest cavity where Charlotte dug her hand in. Ahriman presses Charlotte's heart into her fixed chest cavity, as it seals up.
Charlotte floated with Ahriman's magic, as he threw her onto Charles' bed for rest. "I haven't seen a woman crazier like that since a thousand years ago." Ahriman chuckles to himself, then looking at the time.
"Oh my… Beelzebub, wear a shirt. It is almost time for the summoning ritual." Ahriman picked up Beelzebub's shirt and threw it at his face before leaving out the door. "HEY!" Beelzebub wore it, quickly leaving the room.
…
[ KANÓNAS, SHERIEL'S HOUSE ]
Rien was sleeping, so was Aurum. Kalon was the only one that was awake, Kalon felt his heart stop beating for a second, he gasped, keeling as he held his chest, panting. His eyes dart to the pact symbol on Rien's hand, his eyes narrowed.
Kalon thought to himself…
"...Solomon…?"
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— CHAPTER IX, FIN.
— NEXT CHAPTER: "...Are visited upon the daughter."
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