Arsgoetia was known by many names throughout the world but chief among them was The Infernal City. Said to be the Demon capital of the world Arsgoetia was actually home to the first civilization started by the ancient Arch-Demons who escaped the confines of hell several millennia ago. Back then it was little more than a small settlement but now it stands as a monument to corruption and a dark metropolis to all infernal kind. Having expanded its borders to the size of a small continent Arsgoetia’s cultural significance has risen to where it arguably rivals the Royal Makai, the seat of power of the Overlord herself.

As Arsgoetia was the ancestral home of all Demons many are born here and many are drawn to its borders to the point where there is not a Demon in existence that hasn’t stepped foot in Arsgoetia at least once in their lifetime. Like all ‘dark’ Demon Realms the sun never shines and the entire continent is always cast in red twilight from an ever present full red ‘blood’ moon. Beneath the crimson cast skies are the denizens and while it may be called the ‘Demon’ capital Arsgoetia was host to many monsters, spirits and dark entities who were not necessarily of infernal ancestry.

In the past the country was split into territories by the descendants of the original 72 founders resulting in Arsgoetia being comprised of 72 territories. This is not the case now as several millennia of war, internal strife amongst the Archdemons and intermarriage among others have diminished the founding clans to a percentage of what they were. The remaining clans that have managed to survive to this day have thrived and through discourse as well as violence have cemented their rule over the country uncontested.

One such clan was the Greater House of Astaroth whose members were descended from their house’s namesake. The original Astaroth was a powerful Arch-Demon duke of hell, scholar, philosopher and dark sorcerer of the highest caliber. It was due to his efforts in laying the foundation that the present members of the Astaroth family have maintained their standing as nobility across the eons and continue to thrive.

Today the House Astaroth is known to be a family of powerful demonic sorcerers like their founder before them. Their contributions to Demon society go beyond the war against Heaven as they are one of the most contributing factors to the development of Arsgoetia and dark sorcery as a whole. Currently the Astaroth family consists of six core members, the current matriarch, her husband, their three daughters and the husband of the eldest daughter.

It is a known fact that the second eldest daughter had left Arsgoetia to venture into the human realm. The reason for her departure remains unknown though there was speculation. The main takeaway was that for several years only two daughters of House Astaroth were present in Arsgoetia at any given time.

At least that was the case until one day the aforementioned second daughter inexplicably returned to the ancestral Astaroth castle located in the city of Qliphoth.

~O~

Heeled boots clacked against the stone ground in long strides, its owner marching down the expansive castle corridors uncaring of the servants that bowed in their wake. It was expected of course for she was above them all in every conceivable way, her power, her authority and her beauty could fell entire Kingdoms of man. She further stood out from the other Demons by wearing a white ‘general’s’ uniform as opposed to the dark clothing of typical infernal fashion.

This Demon was Sarsea Astaroth, eldest daughter of the current matriarch and moments ago she was given news of what should have been a momentous occasion. Her younger sibling had returned home however the news was tainted to paint a portrait that was most dire.

She arrived at an ornate door and bypassed the two armored knights guarding the area without issue. Beyond the door was a spacious room that could easily fit a small house and comprised of opulence that would make even royalty gape in astonishment. Sarsea only had eyes for one however and she was lying on a large bed being tended to by the capable hands of the healers. These particular healers are specialists of the highest caliber kept on call by House Astaroth and were utilizing spells, potions, rituals and magitech to see to the full recovery of their patient.

Sarsea made her way over “how is she?”

“Please do not come any closer” one of them snapped without so much as looking in her direction.

Usually such impertinence would have been punished or at least verbally admonished however Sarsea let it slide. One does not interrupt a healer when they are doing their work and at the moment they were frantically moving about in their duties. Sarsea’s presence could well be the distraction that could result in the difference between her sister recovering or not. Luckily the sheer size of the room allowed for her to retreat without leaving entirely by making her presence as small as possible and put wards on the door to disallow entry.

The healers would have their privacy but under her scrutiny in case something went wrong. Sarsea didn’t know what she could do that the peerless women attending her sister could not, actually there would be nothing she could do if something went wrong but it was more for her peace of mind that she be there to witness this than anything else. Still it was not a pleasant thing to watch, especially considering she recognized what ailed her sibling.

Light poisoning otherwise called the blessed-scourge is when holy energy takes root in the body like a sickness and systematically purges them from the inside out. It is a slow and excruciating thing as the holy energy isn’t just killing them but erasing their existence in an agonizing purge of their entire being, mind, body and soul. Sarsea could smell the stink of holy energy coming from her sister, enough to render most Demons to naught but ashes.

Sarsea’s tail undulated in worry at the thought even as she continued to watch the healers tend to her.

‘What did you get yourself into Eveleena?’

For her sister to end up in such a state she must have encountered a Hero of significant power or one of Erestia’s emissaries. It was the only explanation for the clear signs of battle wrought upon her body. Sarsea cared not who was responsible for either way their continued survival rests on the shoulders of these healers. If they should fail to save Eveleena, if her sibling were to perish this or any day then she will make it her personal prerogative to hunt down her murderer and personally Show. Them. HELL.

So promises the heiress to the Greater Demon House of Astaroth.

~O~

Her sleep was not a pleasant one, her body was wracked with the painful sensations of burning, her mind was plagued by thoughts of loss and she felt a consistent drain on her very essence. All this combined had Eveleena ‘Evelyn’ Astaroth waking up with a jolt, heart hammering in her chest, drenched in sweat and feeling weaker than she ever had in her life.

Her bleary vision took time to adjust before she found herself looking at the ceiling of a room that was most certainly not the one she’d come to know in Everguard. Thoughts of that town had the prodigal daughter of Astaroth sit up or tried to however the motions were arrested by restraints of the magical variety. Her gaze swiveled to find several women around her, attending to her.

One of them had light violet skin, a pink halo over her head and black feathered wings folded on her back denoting her as a Fallen Angel. It might be due to her past experience with the Valkyrie but she did not take kindly to her presence, especially when it seemed that she was the one responsible for restraining her.

“What is the *cough* meaning of this!?” she demanded and though her body, mind and spirit were weakened her ire compensated.

“Do not take your grievances out on them Eveleena they are merely keeping you alive as is their duty” came a familiar voice.

The voice had the bedridden demon turn to find a familiar face approaching from the side.

“Sarsea.”

“I am happy to see you return sister” the smile on her face lessened considerably “though I wish it weren’t in these dire circumstances.”

“What happened?” even with her presence assuring Eveleena of her safety the Demon did not settle down.

“I was hoping you could tell me” she retorted lightly “how did you come to have the blessed-scourge?”

The memories of the Valkyrie and that accursed weapon came to the fore causing her expression to twist into a scowl. The emotion was so intense that it caused her mana to flare up which was a mistake.

“Argh!”

“Don’t use your mana we haven’t gotten the holy energy completely out of your body yet.”

Eveleena grunted in pain but managed to snap at the one who spoke “then hurry up!”

“No, disregard my sister’s words, clearly she is delirious. Do not rush, take your time and ensure that no mistakes are made” Sarsea spoke up not for the benefit of the healers per se but to let her sister know that she could not and will not take liberties with her care.

Eveleena recognized as much which why she became more frustrated “Sarsea-”

“No Eveleena, you were very close to being completely purged by that accursed light, I will not have anything but the best care for you. I will have nothing and no one preventing your full recovery, least of all your stubbornness” she spoke all this with all the stern authority of an older sibling.

This however did not have the intended effect “no-no-no I cannot stay here I have-I need to find him!”

“Who?”

“Urgh” her body became wracked with spasms as the consequences of flaring her mana came.

“She’s not calming down, put her to sleep!” spoke the Dark Angel.

That was the last thing Eveleena heard before unconsciousness claimed her.

‘Ja…co…b…’

~O~

Sarsea was ‘politely’ asked to wait outside whilst the healers do their work. Sarsea would have disputed this order and reminded the doctor of her place but took her own advice and relented. As much as she wanted to stay by her sister’s side, her presence would do nothing more than distract the healers from their work. That was fine because Sarsea would not be kept idle, there was something she could do.

“Vhaara.”

“You called for me Lady Sarsea?”

Sarsea turned to meet the speaker and was met with the sight of a yellow eyed dark purple slime girl. Her amorphous body is set in an approximation of a shapely full figured woman wearing a maid outfit. This one was a Shoggoth, a creature that once served the Chaos Lords in the distant past until they rebelled against their masters. Due to their origins as creations of the god-like eldritch beings from the ‘outer dimensions’ the Shoggoth’s appearance was influenced by their realm and so adopted a few visual quirks that could be considered…disturbing.

Quirks such as yellow lights across their bodies that look and function in the same vain as their eyes as well as their base being a pile of tentacles and misshapen mouths with jagged teeth and tongues. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the Shoggoth (or really any creature born of Chaos) was their behavior. There is a subtle eeriness exuded by them through their mana that can set even the most ignorant on edge just by their mere presence.

Even Sarsea was wary around Vhaara in her youth though the same could not be said now. Vhaara was the head maid of the Astaroth estate and has been for several centuries now. It was plenty of time to get over her fear and get accustomed to her which is why she was not at all perturbed by the maid’s sudden appearance bypassing even her senses.

“How may I be of service?” the maid questioned with a smile.

“Did my sister arrive by herself?”

Vhaara’s smile dropped having been the one to discover Eveleena, call for the healers and notify her (as well as the rest of the family) to what had transpired.

“Yes, neither lady Ysmeina nor lady Riseth were present with her.”

Sarsea almost gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowed and her tail lashed out “those two have some explaining to do.”

“If I may, perhaps it would be wiser to ask lady Eveleena about the incident rather than make assumptions.”

At the suggestion, Sarsea sighed “I know, I just don’t like seeing her like this.”

Vhaara cocked her head to the side seemingly pondering something, one of the many yellow orbs on her body glowed faintly.

“If it is any consolation Lady Eveleena will make a full recovery soon enough.”

As a Shoggoth Vhaara’s unique physiology and magic allows her to maintain a constant surveillance across the entire estate as well as seemingly teleport anywhere within it. So when she claimed Eveleena will be fine then it is the truth gleamed from deducing what was happening behind those closed doors.

“Thank you Vhaara, that is reassuring at least.”

“You are welco-” abruptly she cut herself off “oh my.”

“WHERE IS SHE!?”

Sarsea grimaced at the voice and the power behind it that literally shook the walls knowing exactly who it belonged to.

“It would appear that your sister has arrived” Vhaara unhelpfully informed.

“I noticed” came Sarsea’s reply.

In the next moment a Demon rounded the corner. Unlike Sarsea whose body was that of an older woman this one has the appearance of a young adult in her late teens at best. Another contrast was that her hair was a stark white, a feat achieved through cosmetic magic. The usually impish Demon was livid, her gaze found Sarsea and immediately flew to meet her.

“I heard Evee got hurt! What happened? Where is she? How bad is it? Who do I have to kill?”

The last question was spoken with a flare of her mana resulting in her voice thrumming with power and rage. Sarsea was not at all fazed by this though she did layer a stern gaze onto her younger sibling whilst placing a firm hand on her shoulder.

“Calm yourself Aezaris.”

“How can I be calm when Evee is hurt!?”

“Because Eveleena is being treated behind those door-don’t” firm hands prevented the younger Demon from flying through the doors.

“Why are you stopping me?”

“For the reason why I myself am not in that room at the moment. The healers require privacy and our presence will add nothing but serve as a distraction.”

“But-”

“Eveleena will be fine” Sarsea stressed pulling her sister into a hug “I was assured of this by a credible source.”

The two stayed like this for a moment before Aezaris pushed away now more composed. The Demon looked between her sister, the head maid and the door.

“What happened to her?”

Sarsea’s reply was grim “light poisoning.”

Aezaris recoiled her mouth dropped and her gaze went to the door with a spike of fear for her elder sibling “that’s…”

“I know.”

In that moment Vhaara spoke up “it is done.”

Before they could ask what she meant the doors opened and a haggard Dark Angel exited. The poor healer looked just a bit put out by the appearance of another Demon whose intent spiked upon her appearance. Thankfully Sarsea had enough tact to halt her sibling before she could take action.

“How is she?”

To her credit despite being intimidated she quickly gathered herself in a professional manner and replied “stable, we managed to filter out the holy energy and she should make a full recovery.”

The tension that had filled the air dissipated bringing relief upon the Dark Angel whose shoulders sagged just a bit.

“Thank you-”

“Out of my way!” interrupted Aezaris as she stormed past the Dark Angel.

“Wait!”

Aezaris wasn’t listening however as her hand reached for the door a tentacle grabbed her wrist in a tight grip.

Angry red eyes met calm yellow “what do you think you’re doing Vhaara?”

The eldritch slime maid was not the least bit phased by the Demon “you should always listen to what the designated healer has to say.”

“Let go of me before you lose the tentacle” the Demon threatened.

At this point Sarsea intervened “Aezaris stop.”

“Why?” she spun to glare at the older demon “I’m just trying to see my sister.”

“Lady Eveleena is in a delicate state right now” the healer’s voice rose.

All eyes were on her now but she was not cowed.

Sarsea was quick to latch onto her words “please explain.”

“The holy energy was wreaking havoc on lady Eveleena’s mana systems in such a way that we couldn’t get rid of it without taking her mana out as well.”

“What?”

While Aezaris exclaimed this Sarsea’s lips pressed into a thin line and she gestured for her to continue.

“So we did, we performed a ritual to drain her entire mana reserves and flush out the infected mana from her body.”

Sarsea didn’t even know such a procedure even existed.

“The procedure was a success but it was also very extensive and the holy energy did some damage for all the time it was in her body. Right now Lady Eveleena is completely deprived of mana and needs to stay that way while we make the repairs to her mana core.”

Sarsea’s teeth clenched, Vhaara covered her lips with a gasp and Aezaris…

“Are you kidding me!?” the Demon wrenched the slackened tentacle from wrist to glare at the Dark Angel who was suddenly reminded of whom she had been addressing “how can some stupid holy energy do that to her, Eveleena’s strong.”

“My sister speaks the truth” crude as it was “Eveleena should not be this affected by mere holy energy.”

The doctor shook her head “not like this. This is the most pure I have ever seen holy energy. Even in the heart of a Dark Demon Realm like this and with my nurses and I actively corrupting it the energy persisted for a long while before dissipating.”

“What does that mean?” Aezaris questioned.

“Whoever did this to your sister was not a mere Hero or even an Angel. I have only ever heard of two beings that possess holy energy of such purity.”

Sarsea’s eyes widened, knowing where this is going “Erestia.”

The Dark Angel nodded grimly “yes.”

“WHAT!?”

Sarsea was quick to address this “I doubt Eveleena actually encountered the Goddess.”

‘Otherwise she would not be here at all’ went unsaid.

The doctor nodded “you are correct” she trailed off for a moment “however the same cannot be said of the Seraphim.”

Ah, well not even Sarsea was certain of that. The Seraphim were something of a mystery, being the highest caste of angels that usually work closely with the Goddess they serve. They boast the highest authority second only to their Goddess and their power was comparable to demi-gods. Seraphims generally don’t venture outside of their God’s domain for a number of reasons which can range from traditions and duties to a general lack of interest.

That is not to say that they can’t as there have been legitimate encounters with the Seraphim throughout history though these encounters few and far between. In all these encounters the circumstances behind their appearance was followed by Heaven enacting some kind of grand plan.

“We won’t be sure of this until Eveleena wakes up” Sarsea eventually spoke “in the meantime, none of what is said here leaves this castle” she met the gaze of each individual present with a heavy gaze. Her eyes flashed as some of her power leaked out getting nods of affirmation from the lot.

“In the meantime we shall leave the good doctor to her work.”

“Wait, she can’t stay here” the Dark Angel informed “we have to transport her to the hospital.”

“No” Sarsea shot down “Eveleena is not leaving the estate.”

“But this place doesn’t have the proper facilities…” the doctor trailed off upon being looked down on by the Demon.

“Vhaara see to it that whatever accommodations the good doctor requires are met.”

“Yes, my Lady.”

“Make whatever demands you see fit” Sarsea informed the fallen celestial servant “the resources of House Astaroth are at your disposal, within reason. Spare nothing so long as it will ensure Eveleena’s recovery, understood?”

Feeling a bit cowed the Dark Angel nodded.

“Good, Aezaris let us leave them to it” she then walked off without waiting for her sibling.

The younger Demon hesitated for only a moment before trailing behind leaving the Dark Angel to nervously glance at the Shoggoth who was looming over her with a smile that was teetering between charming and creepy.

Aezaris caught up with Sarsea who was in deep contemplation, she knew why “you think a Seraph might actually be involved?”

Considering the current climate of the war…

“There is some credence to it” she edged.

“No way, why would a Seraph go after Eveleena?”

“Does any servant of that genocidal hatemonger need a reason to go after us?”

Aezaris silently conceded her point.

“Though I have my doubts Eveleena herself warranted the deliberate attention of a Seraph. Most likely their encounter was coincidental.”

Wrong place, wrong time and a daughter of a Greater Demonic House would make too perfect the target of opportunity.

“But this is all just hearsay right?”

Aezaris sounded unsure, she didn’t want to believe that a Seraph was responsible for the state of her sibling.

‘I want to believe it too.’

“Yes” she agreed “but regardless mother and father need to be appraised of the situation.”

“If they don’t already know” Aezaris grumbled.

Sarsea paid no mind to her younger sibling as they walked her mind was elsewhere.

“Sayuri” she spoke and in the next instance someone materialized before her in a kneeling position with their head bowed.

“Yes, Sarsea-dono.”

This woman, Sayuri was known as a ‘Kunoichi’ a species of monsters descended from ancient clans of assassins known as ‘ninjas’ in their home country. Sayuri’s clan, the Mahikari, in particular came into service of House Astaroth centuries ago when their leader at the time made a contract with Sarsea’s mother. Now they serve as agents of house Astaroth, dealing with covert missions, assassination, information gathering and in cases like Sayuri, serve as direct subordinates/bodyguards.

Sarsea was quick to issue orders to her subordinate “travel to Wenia and find out exactly what my sister was up to in Everguard.”

“You’re sending her alone?” Aezaris questioned.

“Sayuri can get there the fastest and if we’re right about angelic presence then she’ll be able to keep out of sight” Sarsea informed “I have full confidence in her ability to do this.”

“At least let me send someone with her.”

“No” Sarsea shot down immediately “Sayuri works better alone and if there is a Seraph in the area then I would rather not risk anyone’s lives unnecessarily. The less presence we have there the better” her gaze went back to said Kunoichi who hasn’t moved an inch and added “seek out Ysmeina and Riseth, get the full story of what my sister was up to and bring them home, take this.”

In Sarsea’s hand materialized an object which drew wide eyes from her sister but ignored her for now as her loyal subordinate took the offered object.

“Understood” Sayuri answered before teleporting away.

“You gave her your Return Stone, mother will not like that.”

“Well it is fortunate then that mother is not here and so will not catch wind of this”

At the look given Aezaris held her hands up in surrender “I won’t say anything but I still think you should have sent someone with her.”

“Noted” was Sarsea’s reply as they continued to walk down the hall.

As she said this Sarsea’s thoughts went back to a more concerning topic.

‘If a Seraph roams the human territories then that does not bode well.’

It meant that Erestia was scheming something and that can never be a good thing for them.

~To Be Continued~

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