"It's something beautiful, don't you think?" Aberlain asked, staring out the shattered windows as he surveyed the crumbling city below.

The once glowing city was slowly being torn apart brick by brick by the demons he'd unleashed upon the world, their rampage never to subside. The oak lined sidewalks and roads of the city had been ripped to shreds, the faces of the homes looming above them had been made bleak and desolate, and the blood running through the nearly deserted streets ran like water from a clogged sewer drain. Aberlain knew that what he had done was necessary, and that with the passage of time all things would correct themselves eventually.

As he clasped his hands behind his back and scanned the ground below with his gleaming yellow eyes, the face of Ryan Bailey began to smile devilishly at the sights before him. The Rootlord had grown quite accustomed to the body he now inhabited and the emotions it carried. Possessing a man such as Ryan was similar to flying a plane for the very first time, the excitement and uncertainty he felt rushing through his blood was a feeling like no other. It was both amazing and disheartening to Aberlain knowing that each and every human possessed such a keen awareness for their surroundings. The potential each one held within was nearly unlimited, and for so many of the weak and ignorant to deny their own potential was heartbreaking to the Rootlord.

"You could certainly say that." Layani responded from upon a black futon in the corner of the room, trying not to stare too long at the open gate to Hell behind her.

It had never occurred to her just how terrifyingly powerful Aberlain had become, and she could now fully understand why he was the most feared and powerful Rootlord in all of Hell. The way he sliced through chaos like a hot knife through butter was astounding to her, the ultimate control he seemed to possess was unlike nothing she had ever seen before. Using the chaos of the demons he had unleashed he would simultaneously gain the respect of the demons and the fearful loyalty of the humans who would survive them. In just one move, everything they had planned had been set into motion at shocking speeds.

"Layani, I'd like to show you something. Follow me." Aberlain suddenly said, walking over to her.

Getting up once he had walked out of the room, Layani followed Aberlain into the elevator as the two of them stayed silent for a moment. She wasn't sure what exactly he was trying to do, and her mind raced with the possibilities. She was fully aware that he trusted her more than the other two Rootlords, so whatever she was about to see was surely something grand.

As the elevator doors closed, Layani noticed her reflection in the mirrored doors as it began its ascent. Her long red dress sparkled with a crimson hue as her orange eyes scanned the human she possessed. She preferred inhabiting a human body rather than her true demonic form, just as Aberlain seemed as well. The raw unfiltered emotions humans carried were like an endless buffet of power for a demon, the stronger the human the more addicting they were. For the life of her, however, she couldn't seem to remember the name of her human host any longer. Perhaps the human soul had begun to vanish underneath the weight of her own, or perhaps it had simply gone quiet from fear.

Playing with her curly afro for a moment to fix it, Layani looked over to Aberlain as he stared coldly into his own reflection, not even blinking as he searched deep within himself for a trace of who he once was. The face of the CEO seemed cold and stoic as Aberlain inhabited him, which was something very much unlike the personality of the human man. She wasn't sure what it would feel like to inhabit a man full of so much ambition and wondered just how addicting it would be to find a host with similar tendencies to herself.

As the elevator slowly came to a halt, the doors opened softly revealing a large metal staircase leading towards the roof of the building. Looking over to Aberlain confusingly, Layani reluctantly followed after him as he made his way up the stairs. It was only when he shoved open the door to the cold night sky that she began to understand what the mind of Aberlain truly was like.

"You wanted to show me... this?" She asked with awe filling her soul, looking out at the surrounding devastation the city had been subjected to.

From the windows of the CEO's office the view was immaculate, but the rooftop seemed to show the world for what it truly was. The crumbling city below burned brighter than the stars in the sky, its smoke reaching higher than any skyscraper could ever hope to achieve. The once brilliant lights fighting back against the natural sky had been snuffed out entirely as they were replaced by the raging fires of destruction. The air smelled of sulfur and fire, the invigorating stench of the future.

As Layani walked forward and took in her surroundings, she reached her arms up to the sky as if reaching out towards the stars. The large white air conditioning units atop the nearly barren rooftop stood quietly nearby, as did Aberlain next to them as he watched Layani bask in his own glorious ego. As her hands found their way back down to her sides, she looked towards Aberlain with adoration in her heart.

"This is our future, Layani! The future only I can bring forth! A future worthy of striving for!" He shouted, trying to outmatch the screams of the weak and pathetic humans cowering within the city as they echoed against the deserted buildings.

The demons ran amuck along the entire west coast now, spreading the seed of survival within every living soul they came across. Humanity had been docile and care-free for far too long, and Aberlain knew that the only way he was to truly succeed was to wake them up to reality. Reality was cruel and unforgiving, and to fight back against cruelty one must become cruel themselves. To fight fire with fire, the only way to win is to simply grow a bigger flame. As the moon shines unapologetically upon all who see it, just as the sun burns brightly without a care in the world, Aberlain would reign supreme over all he deemed worthy of ruling.

Walking forward towards the edge of the rooftop, Aberlain planted his feet proudly as he raised his arms to his sides. As if holding the night sky up with his own two hands, he laughed triumphantly as he stared directly into the stars above.

"To deny the existence of weakness is to become weak yourself and thus giving in to the degeneracy all run from! I will bring forth strength! I, Aberlain Estella, King of Hell and Earth itself, will usher in an era of overwhelming ambition!" He bellowed, screaming out to the stars above as he watched them for any hint of a reaction.

His voice would reach the furthest corners of the universe, echoing throughout Yggdrasil and within the hearts of all who sought power. All who fall beneath Aberlain would know nothing but unlimited willpower and the desire for a stronger tomorrow. The cruelty of the world would no longer govern the existence of everyone, rather their souls would govern themselves. To force the world under his heel he would stop at nothing, damning all of reality to a fate only he could see.

Layani watched in admiration as Aberlain stopped his laughter and dropped his hands back down, now staring down below at the events unfolding before the two of them. The demons were merely under their influence, but not completely under their control. They all shared the ambitions of fighting to find strength within humanity, but their demonic nature still led them to the most gruesome of paths. The path forward was sure to be a vile one, but through pain comes strength. All who would one day survive Aberlain's wrath would become the backbone of humanity itself, marching forward to a future where no one was ever left behind. Aberlain knew his methods could be seen as questionable, but nevertheless, the end goal was all that mattered now.

"Sometimes I wonder what it'd be like being you. You see the world in such a different light, I don't think I'd ever be able to comprehend it." Layani found herself saying, unsure of why she was openly admitting to her admiration for Aberlain, but his power was just simply undeniable.

As if her words struck him like a spear through the heart, Aberlain hung his head down to his chest for a moment before turning to speak with her.

"No, Layani, that isn't the case. I don't see the world in any light whatsoever, which is precisely why I do the things I must. I want to bring light to this world by any means necessary, we've been shrouded in darkness for far too long. Everyone carries their own light within, but that light has never once shone through to Yggdrasil as a whole." He said, but soon noticed a confused look plastered upon Layani's face.

"What I'm trying to say is that one day, if we don't become united... we will all die. For good. Yggdrasil will burn itself to ash at the rate we're going now, and nothing can stop it. Nothing but myself. I alone can march forward towards our future, regardless of whom I may step on to do so. The weakness infesting the souls of not just demons, but angels and humans as well has corrupted our very lives into destroying one another. There must be an end goal to all this, I absolutely refuse to let this thing we call life destroy itself simply because it lacks direction."

At the mention of this, Layani suddenly remembered something quite important about Aberlain. It had been several hundred years since she'd passed, but his wife had come to mind at the thought of stepping over others towards the future. Even his own daughter was to be used as a steppingstone in the eyes of Aberlain, and as she was about to mention something to him about this, she suddenly bit her tongue in fear of possibly angering him. She didn't know exactly what his past held, but if this is what he had become due to it then it surely was nothing to bring up too lightly.

"Aberlain... you have my complete devotion. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, I will be there without question. We share the same goal, but I believe only you hold the strength to reach it. If I can do anything for you in any capacity, it will be done. You may use all of my assets as you please, and I wish to give you reign over even my own territory of Hell. All I ask... is that I stay by your side." She said, bending to one knee before him as he looked down at her with his shining golden eyes.

"I truly appreciate it, Layani. You've been far more of a help than you could ever know... now please, run."

Looking up at Aberlain confusingly, Layani stood back up slowly as she scanned her surroundings. Perhaps she had simply misunderstood him, she didn't sense anyone else nearby. If there was something to run from, she couldn't see it.

"What do you mean? Is everything alright?"

As soon as she had asked her question, however, she could begin to feel the presence Aberlain seemed to have sensed far before her. An overwhelming rage sending shockwaves of anger their way had found its way atop the roof, hiding from them behind one of the large AC units. She suspected it wasn't aware of the fact they knew it was there and wondered why Aberlain had told her to run from it. Surely the two of them together posed too much of a threat for the mysterious creature to handle.

"I see... but why run? It's not like it stands a chance against the two of us." She asked, her voice growing a bit irritated with Aberlain as she looked towards him.

"You're wrong, Layani. In all my years of preparation for this day to finally come, the presence you feel now is the one thing I somehow overlooked. Get going, immediately." Aberlain commanded, ordering her to return inside as he pointed swiftly towards the door on the other side of the roof.

Reluctantly obeying his command, Aberlain watched as Layani hurried through the door and down the stairs towards the elevator. After he knew she was at a safe distance, he then began calling out for his enemy to show themself.

"E! It's been quite some time! How long have you been standing there?" He shouted but received no verbal response.

As if on cue, however, Ephram slinked out of the shadow cast by the large AC unit to reveal himself. His red eyes bore holes through the yellow eyes of Aberlain as he focused on the Rootlord, never once looking away as he prepared himself for what came next.