“Evil comes in many forms.

There is the one that looks only for gain and self-reward, greed.

The one that simply wants more and is never satisfied, gluttony.

When it doesn’t care, it simply looks away from the suffering without a single distraught emotion, sloth.

There is the one that doesn’t only want but takes what it shouldn’t own, lust.

The one that takes away what you hold most dear just for spite, envy.

When it is blind not out of mere anger but purposely drunk on it’s own power, wrath.

But then there is one more isn’t there? Pride.”

Lucifer stated as he stood up from his obsidian black throne, the room he stood in a charred black hall of stone brick. He gazed down at the three Devils kneeling in front of him then glanced up at the one hovering above locked inside a sphere of ethereal red, they all held similar features to him with some key differences. He called them out by their names “Dagon” he called at the one-horned Devil, “Lilith” he motioned at the wingless female Devil, “Belial” he briefly ended his gaze on the shortest youngest Devil with a long blade tipped tail.

He then looked up at the Devil shivering inside the sphere of red “Legion!” he exclaimed with faked cheer “Can any of you…Tell me why Pride is my sin?” he continued to glance between them.

The Devil called Legion was about to answer but was cut off by Lilith as she suddenly stood up and bowed “A sin is rather rhetorical father, the fools use your pride to shadow your majesty!”

Lucifer chuckled coldly at her answer “Maybe you wish to join your brother in floating agony Lilith? I did not ask for your opinion on my banishment, I asked for your understanding of my pride.” His voice changed half way, a deep cold voice that emanated power with each sound. Lilith quietly kneeled back down, her expression shaking as she stared down at the ground.

“Father!” Legion managed a bow as he aimlessly floated inside the red bubble, his expression mangled with pain.

Lucifer glanced up at him “Well boy? I don’t have all damn eternity, speak.”

Legion spoke through the pain “Pride is your sin because of the relentless love you felt for your own father, how-”

“Enough, enough” Lucifer gestured at the sphere and it dissipated “You’ve said enough, well done at least one of you understands.” Legion hovered down next to the others as relief briefly took his expression as he joined them in kneeling.

Luficer looked straight up as his arms fell limply by his side, his fists clenched tightly “I did not call you here today for lessons, we today are gathered here as family. You all know of your elder sister Abaddon’s banishment from my court, how she cowardly ran from the battlefield those decades ago.” He took a deep sigh “Even after death took her, I felt her soul remain in this world. I left her to her doings, let her stray alone so she could ponder on her mistakes. It seems as though that was the true mistake.”

Lilith looked up at him after moments of silence , her expression changing from fear to worry “Father?...”

“Your sister’s soul has been destroyed, she can no longer be restored” Lucifer’s voice went cold yet again as he spoke the words, he stood stalk still for even longer before looking down at his children. Lilith stared at him with disbelief, having been the closest with Abaddon and even looked up to her. Dagon stood motionless as he continued to properly kneel, the middle son and the least emotion prone one amongst them.

Belial the youngest was shaking as his anger reached heights not even he knew about, his eyes where unfocused and tail lashing about behind him. The eldest son Legion was also shaking, although more from the agony of his previous torture than emotional. Legion shakily stood up and bowed “Father please allow me to-”

Lucifer’s glare froze on him as even Legion himself felt it do so, stopping him from speaking “You wish to avenge her? You? Who has already failed me? Taking my likeness to imbue fear into the arrivals only to be laughably kicked back into your own rift, tarnishing not only your name but MY OWN!?” as Lucifer raised his voice the room itself shook and trembled.

Luficer took a deep breath calming his own temper “No Legion, you shall stay here where I can watch over you. If I could do so I would go there myself but alas none of you can withstand holding up the barrier, not even Abaddon could do so at her best.

As much as it pains me to send one of my own to destroy those that which already have done to my eldest, I have no choice but to do so. Legion you will continue to aid Lilith and Belial with preparations for uncle Asmodeus’s arrival, Dagon I’m afraid I must leave the other responsibilities to you my son.”

Dagon stood up and gave a brief bow before standing still and meeting his father’s gaze “I accept father, I will correct elder brother’s mistakes and avenge elder sister. The roaches will understand what they truly weigh in worth against us.” he stated solemnly.

Lucifer smiled at this. Dagon being his favourite due to his obedience and genius yet showing his own worth by doing what his brethren couldn’t, aggressively meeting his gaze “Remember Dagon, you mustn’t destroy them. We do not know which one it will be but a chosen will join our side, the prophecy demands so. It may be a chosen hero and it may be a simple arrival, keep your eyes out for all.”

“Your will is my command father!” Dagon bowed momentarily before disappearing into shadow.

----

Deep below New Ruk, Dungeon Lilior

Having waited long enough Kyle and the others stepped into the hall, where Birse and Skill seemed to have encountered someone. As he walked in Kyle noticed the rest, Birse and Skill were speaking with Sly and a cloaked woman while Draxxer lay sitting to the side resting as a noble looking woman worriedly watched over him.

“Oh good everyone’s come over” Birse mused as he glanced back at them “Listen to this crap!”. Sly rolled his eyes in annoyance while everyone gather, he looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else right now. “Well?” Birse asked him with an amused smirk “Tell em what you just told me”.

The cloaked woman began to explain “The churches had long begun a takeover on the Dominion, earlier this evening Blade brought in your friend after one of his fits.”

Kyle inspected the woman as she spoke.

Rin [{Soul Seeker}]-[{Chosen of Dark}] (Hero of night) Level 191

“What Blade thought to be a Nephilim is actually a Devil’s spawn, your friend is Devilborn or more likely the descendant of one” she explained thoroughly, “A priest of the church of night was positioned to watch us without our knowing, they acted too quick as if waiting for us to misstep as we did.” Her tone turned bitter and she stopped talking to gaze at the other woman. Kyle followed Darkness’s gaze and inspected her as well as Draxxer out of curiosity.

Draxxer [Blademaster]-[{Beast of Chaos}] (Hero of the blessed blade) Level 182 Caitlyn [Fire mage] (Descendant of Esfelt) Level 28

“They…” Darkness continued her explanation “Along with a high ranking officer in the royal military, probably more, they initiated a hostile takeover of said military. We were forced to escape, by your comrade’s suggestion we came to you.”

“And?” Birse asked while staring at Sly with a raised brow.

“They offered us a secret treasure the royal family holds, I accepted and as per our procedure aided them immediately.” Sly replied, dreading what was to come next.

Birse began to pace “So let’s see if I got this right, you placed us against the whole damn Esfeltian military and religious cults after being promised a non-currency based reward which you have no clue of it’s worth or existence. Do I have this right?” he stopped to look at Sly who just rolled his eyes turned around and walked away “Where are you going?”.

“To rest” Sly replied walking further out of the dungeon.

Birse shrugged “Well he’s acting off”.

“Guy just found out he’s descended from a Devil, who wouldn’t be?” Skill pointed out.

“Heh” Birse turned to Darkness “So what’s the vault worth?” he asked with a frown.

“It’s priceless” Caitlyn declared as she approached them “The vault contains a large treasury filled with priceless magical items, all collected over the years by my family. Only I know it’s location and what resides inside and only someone of my bloodline can open it.”

Birse’s eyes shone briefly at the mention of what it contained “Then let us discuss the details of this contract, I expect you can also clear up some holes in our information.”

“I can…help with that too” Draxxer pushed himself up by the wall, blood stained his nostrils, lips and chin while his expression was ghostly pale.

Caitlyn rushed over to help him “Don’t push yourself…”

“I’m fine, discussing the future is more important right now.” Draxxer replied dismissing her worries.

Birse gestured for Jacky and Death to follow him as he walked up to them.

“Well unless any of you have some more crazy crap to announce, I’m taking a long nap” Cherry stated before walking back into the core room, all except for Kyle and Wood followed him. Wood who was slowly stalking over to where Birse, Death and Jacky were talking with Caitlyn and Draxxer to listen in.

Kyle on the other hand was about to join the others in the core room when he noticed Darkness gazing at him deep in thought, he met her gaze with a glare “What?” he had enough to think about right now and wasn’t in the best of moods.

Darkness frowned at his tone but eventually sighed then spoke “You aren’t human either are you?”

“What gave it away? The tail? The fucking ears or the god damn voice in my head!?” Kyle’s outburst didn’t go unnoticed as he gained several stares by the others still in the room, he glanced away annoyed he’d even mentioned the voice.

Darkness continued to look at him but her frown diminished into pity “The very latter I guess. You must have inspected me by now, I have the peculiar ability to read one’s soul as a basis for a class. Just like mine and Blade’s your body isn’t your own, your soul though cannot be replicated.”

Kyle looked at her awkwardly (“Can she help me understand then?...”) “Do you…know what I am?”

She nodded “Generally yes, you are a Kitsune which in simple terms is an elemental fox spirit.”

(“That Devil bitch said something similar…she called me something else though…”) “What about a Yako? I’ve been called that recently.” He asked her hoping to figure out what exactly was his problem.

Darkness hummed in thought as she continued to gaze at him “A Yako is a different type of Kitsune. Where Kitsune are guardians and defenders of their territory, Yako are mischievous tricksters who live purely to deceive. Both kinds are elemental spirits but have differences in their ability.”

She paused as if trying to remember something “This voice you hear, how is it?”

“What do you mean?” Kyle asked not understanding the question.

“Is it guiding? Telling you how to grow, what to do to unlock your abilities?” Darkness asked as she closed her eyes.

Kyle shook his head “At first it was until it started screaming for me to devour and let go…”

She nodded in understanding “That voice is one of your ancestors, the strongest of them. Spirits often take guidance from their ancestors, each type of spirit using a different method than the others. I have not heard of one being so aggressive but…” she opened her eyes and continued to gaze at his as she stepped closer “Close your eyes, I will speak with this ancestor of yours”.

Kyle naturally took a step back “Why?”

“Do you wish to learn more about yourself or not? I understand how confused you must feel, I felt the same before I finally found out that I was the descendant of a Nephilim making me one myself.” She explained as she raised her hand with palm facing him.

Kyle briefly stared at her hand before glancing around, Birse and Death were engrossed in dealing with their customers but Jacky was wary of everyone and Wood had switched to listening in to them instead. “Fine” he decided it was worth the risk, anything to clear up some of his thoughts. He moved in closer and closed his eyes.

Darkness solemnly nodded before placing her hand on his forehead “The spirit realm is unbound by time. Think of the voice, this will only take a moment.”

Kyle did as he was told and the voice returned from it’s slumber, “Void” it began to constantly repeat.

Darkness suddenly stepped back, her expression paled as she stared at him “I understand why you fear it”. She studied him with more caution now, her eyes gained a white hue as she spoke “You are a Yako of ice and a chosen hero for the Winter God Ymir but that is not all. Truly your party is filled with the terrifying.”

“What else?” Kyle asked as he tried to ignore the voice’s constant nagging, it had changed back to repeating “let go”.

“Your ancestor is void” she replied solemnly.

Kyle only felt more confused “Nothing? My ancestor is nothing?”

Darkness shook her head as she sighed “No, I mean literally. Your ancestor is a Void, the Void.” She sighed again as if not even believing what she herself had just stated “There are multiple realms called Voids each were created differently, a couple of them have a very specific similarity. They are conscious.”

“That also doesn’t make sense, how can a space be conscious?” Kyle felt like laughing at what he was hearing, nothing she said was making sense to him.

She narrowed her eyes and frowned while staring at his incredulous expression “These two Voids where created by one of your kind” she briefly stopped and waited for him to pay attention again.

“My kind? How is that possible?” He asked after some awkward moments of waiting.

“When a spirit loses themselves to their desires they change. When a Kitsune or a Yako do so they become something much darker, not dark as in element but dark as in existence. They become what is called a Nogitsune, a fox spirit who lost themselves to one of the seven desires.” She raised her hands as if in surrender “I cannot be entirely sure but it seems the Void that is guiding you lost itself to gluttony, a Nogitsune of gluttony.”

Kyle’s eyes opened wide as he began to understand “Then that hunger…”

Darkness nodded with a smile “You are beginning to understand, it may be your ancestor but you need to learn to block out that voice. That hunger you feel, it is luring you into it. The craving for souls, craving for a being’s consciousness. The more of the seven desires they hold within their souls and the stronger those desires are, the more powerful you will become from devouring it. It will promise you power but that promise will inevitably bring about your destruction.”

“What do I do? How do I fight it?” Kyle asked as he stared at her, his eyes wide with anxiety.

“There are ways we can try but unfortunately I have never heard of Kitsune or Yako being alive since the Elven wars, most beast based races were eradicated back then including beast spirits. In the end it will be all up to you, for what it’s worth you’re better off than your friend.” She looked away and at the direction Sly had left “He’s on a completely different level of lost hope”.

“What do you mean?” Kyle followed her gaze.

She shook her head “Devilborn tend to lose themselves very quickly, I’d suggest chaining him up somewhere. The best solution would be to outright destroy him but I don’t believe that is anywhere on your mind is it?”

“Thank you for your help but we’ll deal with our members ourselves” he replied bitterly while walking away, briefly he stopped and glanced back “Nothing short of death will make us give up on our brothers and sisters” then continued to walk away.

Darkness closed her eyes and sighed “If he changes then death will be the last of your problems”.

---

Sly heard him coming in before Kyle even walked into view, the stone corridors echoing footsteps all too well. He was standing with his back to the wall of the next room over, a skull lay in his left hand raised to face his.

Kyle raised a brow at this scene “You’re not going to get all philosophical on me are you?” he joked.

“Meh” was the only answer he got back.

He walked up to the opposite wall, about four meters away and sat down with his back to it “Where’d you even get the skull?”

Sly simply shrugged “Found it, guess if the dungeon doesn’t claim something it just rots in here like it should while out there it just disintegrates into mana.” He gazed into skull with a distant expression “Out there, it’s as if anything we do just dissipates. The monsters we defeat, the allies we lose…the people we kill.”

“Sly what’s this about?” Kyle found it strange, Sly wasn’t the type to ponder on trivialities “You know just as well as we do, this world is kill or be killed. We don’t have a say in the matter, you didn’t have a say in the matter.”

Sly looked away from the skull and at Kyle “That is not my point” he sighed “I couldn’t give a damn about the lives of those that put my own to risk, none of us would but…It’s not the ethics behind it that fazes me. I never cared about that and never will but…I did feel something”

He threw the skull aside “It felt nothing like pity, guilt or shame…” he lay his head to the wall and stared up “I liked it, I enjoyed the thrill of killing something other than a beast.” Silence filled their conversation as Sly continued to stare at the stone roof filled with cracks and holes.

Kyle considered what he had just heard with a solemn expression (“Is she right? Is this really his Devil side or is it just Sly?”) he studied one of his long-time guildmates, a group most just saw as a rag tag bunch with nothing better to do. They didn’t see it that way, each and every one of them considered the rest family. They didn’t bind with each other like any family, they weren’t bound by any blood or emotions.

“Sly” he called out to get his attention “You may turn someday, you may become something else entirely. But also so could I.”

“What do you mean?” Sly looked down with slight confusion, not having heard the conversation Kyle had just had earlier.

Kyle smirked “Looks like you’re not the only monster in the clan; apparently, I’m descended from some majorly evil fox spirit!” he stated sarcastically as he chuckled.

Sly looked genuinely surprised “You what now?”.

“Oh it’s nothing major like your lust for human blood, just your average psychopathic voice in my head telling me to kill everyone and eat them!” Kyle continued to explain with sarcasm.

Sly raised a brow as he continued to stare at him “You what?” he repeated once more. They stared at each other briefly before breaking into laughter “Yo, I’m fucked up but I ain’t eating anybody!”

“I ain’t eating nobody either!” Kyle replied “It’s like, I eat their souls or something!”

They continued to chuckle until Birse called out from the main hall with a mana infused voice “Big Daddy calling in bitches! Bitches come in!”

Sly rolled his eyes “For the love of…I’ll stab him, I will fucking stab him”.

Kyle chuckled “let’s go before he gets antsy” he stood up and began walking back.

Sly whispered as he followed “Kyll promise me something, if I do lose myself.”

“I’ll kill you, chain you up and leave you there to rot.” Kyle replied before Sly could finish “You’d do the same.”