-Eight hundred and thirty five years before Ankorr entered Hellderworld-

“Oh dear, how I’ve longed to see your gorgeous face. How the crimson sun seems ever so pale to the colour of your cheeks” A pale faced man dressed in dark purple livery prances through the doors of Lith’s chambers, soaring his way through and to her side within a single of her heartbeats.

“Oh you…please stop talking and fuck me raw already” Her tentacles wildly encase him as she pushes him violently on to the bed, tumbling after him.

“Ahem, Lith, you do know I’m still here right?” An awkwardly coughing wraith lingers in the center of the room looking at the meshing couple

She detaches from her lover for a moment to look at the wraith.

“Windshaw, you’ve seen us so many times already, hell you’ve even joined us-”

“That was a hundred years ago Lith and I’ve seen you plenty, too many times since then” he butts in before she can finish off

She giggles as her lovers tongue explores her clavicle “So you won’t mind another time will you”

“Really now, we’ve still go-ANHH…neverAAANH”

He quickly retreats from the room, leaving the two lovers in a hot bundle.

Several hours pass before the man saunters out the door, swaying side to side slightly.

He turns to see Windshaw waiting patiently outside seemingly rather unamused.

Wrapping an arm around his ethereal shoulder they begin to walk down the corridor.

“Sorry about that my old friend, it’s been a while since I’ve been here and we both know how demanding Lith can be…and how brutal she is if her wishes are not met”

They both look out the window to see the bone garden; a garden created from those who disobeyed her.

“Don’t worry about it, seeing Lith happy is a good change to her usual mood”

“Ah yes, I heard from the servants that she’s spending an unusual time in the pleasure rooms”

“The stress of war is starting to get with her, especially since I’m trying my best to stop it”

“Ha! It is true she would rather massacre them all”

“She could, but then it will ruin everything Rerenum, all our plans and wishes”

Rerenum stops, stroking his thin black goatee in deep thought.

“I can delay her for a week at most, after that, she will probably go to war knowing her impatience”

Windshaw copies his pose.

“And how will you do that?”

“The old fashioned way my friend” He chuckles and sets off back down the corridor towards her chambers once more

“Really now, using the plan as an excuse to have more time with Lith…well at least it gives us time” He chuckles lightly and floats down the corridor once more

…

Aethelx sat atop his volcano watching the small skirmishes of his foolish subjects.

Really now, can you stop killing yourselves for the sake of land that isn’t even yours?

He grumbles to himself darkly as he watches them clash and bash against eachother in fervent melee.

“fools aren’t they” A voice from his side suddenly speaks, startling him slightly, for he did not expect it.

Turning towards the voice, he sees it to be a wraith, looking towards the battlefield.

Normally Aethelx would kill any being stupid enough to be within killing range, but this wraith was simply watching the battle, commenting his very thoughts.

“Who are you, wraith?”

“I’m but a messenger, here to tell you how to stop this pointless fighting”

The words brought questions to his mind and he raised his eyebrow suspiciously.

“Go on”

“Why do they fight?” The wraith asks

He muses “Because they need souls to survive my dimension do they not”

“Exactly, so how do you propose we stop this fighting?”

The question takes him aback, since he thought this ‘messenger’ was going to give him the answer.

“It seems like you know, so do tell before I rip your body to shreds, messenger”

“We give them an alternative way to survive your dimension. Your blood”

“My blood? You are asking me to give my BLOOD to fools like you?” His anger rises and he thinks to kill this messenger for being so blatantly moronic

“I’m not asking for you to give, I’m asking for you to allow us to take your blood if we’re worthy”

The anger subsides somewhat as this strange idea forms a few more interesting ones within his mind.

After a short musing he makes his decision.

“Hmm, an interesting idea, but only those who can wound me may take the blood that drops from that wound”

The messenger bows and floats off silently into the distance.

Aethelx looks up at the crimson sun wondering how this new plan would work; an army of followers that have the strength equal to an epitomical but are not, so as to hide them from those Overworld Divines.

…

“My Lord Dacul I have awoken” Windshaw states as he glides through the doors and into the war room, where all the ministers stand around a large table in thought

“Ah Chief Advisor Windshaw, I trust your sleep was deathless?” Dacul answers almost immediately, as if grateful to be distracted from the meeting

“As per usual” he shrugs as he glides to the table

Dacul opens his mouth once more to speak but is interrupted by Windshaw “I have already updated myself with the news and also come with more”

Everyone looks expectantly at him.

“According to my spies, Lith has ventured from her castle alone, in full view of everyone, telling everyone that she will meet in the Copse of Death”

“So let’s go kill her!” A minister shouts out

“No, it may be a trap” Interjects another

Dacul quickly silences everyone with a raised hand, before an argument breaks out

“And...what am I to take of this Windshaw?”

“I believe she wants a meeting, since no messages have been successfully relayed between the factions due to the last one being an assassination and this may be her way of relaying one”

“Hmm, I see” Dacul muses for a few minutes in complete silence “Well then, I best be off should I not, Windshaw?”

“My lord!” Many cry out distraught at the idea of possibly sending their lord into a trap, but he hushes them quickly

“If you aren’t quick enough, Skelor will be there first” Windshaw chuckles

“Dammit! You could’ve told me that sooner!”

…

“Ah, I see you have made it first” Lith looks towards Dacul as he bursts into the Copse grinning that he is first.

“Ha! Skelor may be the younger but I am surely the faster”

“I just waited till you went in first, just in case” Skelor answers from the bushes as he walks in, to a much distraught Dacul.

“It may have been a few years since we’ve seen eachother, but you really don’t change” Lith chuckles lightly as they stare daggers into eachother.

“So Lith, since you’re not here to kill us, why are we here?” they both ask

“To create peace”

“Peace?” They both look incredulously at her

“Sorry Lith, but you’re the last one out of us three that we’d expect to hear those words come out their mouths” Skelor states while Dacul nods

“Ha…ha, do you want it? Because I’m happy to fight you if I need to”

“No no no” they both answer quickly

“So how do you propose we have peace?” Dacul muses

“We fight because we need souls, correct?”

“Yes” they answer unanimously

“Well what if there was another way?”

“Linkers are hugely inefficient Lith, we’re not going to be able to survive on those” Skelor retorts

“I was talking” she takes out two vials from her pocket “about this” she gives them each one

They both stare at the thick crimson liquid inside, wondering what it is.

“It is the blood of Aethelx and each vial will give us enough to sustain a single harvest”

Both look shocked at the blood, but do not say a thing, waiting for Lith to explain.

Rolling her eyes “Aethelx will allow us to take and drink his blood if we can wound him. So there was have it, peace”

“I still don’t get how it will give us peace” Skelor answers wonderingly

Dacul however looks down at the vial in concentration “Well it would mean instead of killing eachother off we would need to grow strong enough to wound Aethelx” He looks back up at Lith “But that still wouldn’t give peace since such a task is difficult”

“It wouldn’t guarantee it, but we can try use this as a base for peace”

Skelor looks at the two of them, before shrugging and downing his vial “it’s worth a try”

Dacul follows and soon they are both wracked with pain before feeling elated and more powerful.

“I will be sending crates of these to your castles, for your people” Lith says

They nod and all turn away to return to their own castles.

…

-Weeks later-

“My Lord Skelor!” A messenger bursts in to the war room

“What is it messenger, quick!” He speaks hurriedly, worried about the surprise skirmish with the House of Lith as his daughter was part of the attacked retinue

“They have returned, all safe my lord. According to the guard captain there were only slaves, asking to be slaughtered”

Skelor raises his eyebrow in confusion as it came as strange news.

“But stranger still was the fact that none gained any souls, not even him who killed over a hundred of the slaves”

Most of the ministers looked shocked and truly worried at the news, as it was not the first news of battles giving fruitless rewards.

It had been a sign since the drinking of the blood and Skelor by now believes that the blood does not allow them to gain souls in a normal fashion any longer

Well, peace we will have certainly, since killing eachother is now pointless

He seethes, calming slightly when an ethereal hand drops onto his shoulder.

“Spies report the same is for Dacul and Lith, though it seems Lith’s lot are handling it much better than the both of you. It’s possible they knew already”

“Thanks for telling me, Windshaw, but why tell me?”

“Because you seem worried my lord, but don’t you see? This is peace and an opportunity to force all your citizens to grow strong, much stronger than before in sake of their existence”

“Hmm, I guess you are right as always” He plays with the thought of raising strong armies and peace

“Well I am chief advisor; it wouldn’t do me good to be wrong now would it?” He chuckles before gliding out the room “I feel the sleep beckoning, maybe a month this time I think”

…

“My lord Skelor, my deepest apologies” Windshaw bows solemnly before him in the corridor

“What is wrong Windshaw?” He asks worriedly

“I have gotten news that Lith, her court and her servants have all been killed”

“WHAT? Tell me how?”

“It seems a coup happened. The residents were not pleased about her using their slaves as showpieces to the effects of the blood it seems”

Skelor nodded solemnly and slowly began walking away

…

-Five hundred and ninety five years later-

“Rerenum, here’s another one” Windshaw glides into the room carrying another crate jingling merrily

“Windshaw, any more and there won’t be any space left in this cave” Rerenum jumps off the high stack of crates, landing nimbly on two feet.

He chuckles “That’s the point friend”

“You think Lith will like it?” He asks as he juggles a crimson filled vial

“She’s going to be ascended into a Divine being, why the hell wouldn’t she like it?” Windshaw laughs merrily.

Rerenum joins in heartily “I still don’t understand why you’re doing this though, thought you’d want to become one”

He loudly snorts “Me, a Divine? Way too much responsibility for me”

“Says the one who is chief advisor to all three Houses” Rerenum snorts equally as loud

“I’m only doing that so I can get access to the vaults, I’d rather spend my time in the Library of Kotush”

“So…I’m guessing that’s where you’re headed when we ‘Divinitise her?”

“Yep, just me, and the smell of ancient books. A fitting life for an ex-historian like me eh?” He chuckles

“Right, just like being the lover of a Divine is fitting for an ex-priest like me”

Both laugh at their very distant, living pasts.

“Now I’ve got to make one more trip to the House of Dacul and take the last few crates for this year. A couple more years, we can give her the best millennium present she could hope for” They both laugh as Windshaw exits the cave

…

Rerenum sat on a large pile of crates, thinking deeply about what he sat upon.

It had been hundreds of years since they had planned this, hundreds of years since a mere twenty three year old Lith had told them it was her dream to become a goddess.

It had been hundreds of years since he stopped loving her.

Ever since she went into hiding, she changed.

He had kept visiting her but the fire that warmed his heart seemed to have blown out.

He did not know why and struggled to stay in love, but he simply could not.

As a friend, she was paramountly important to him. But a cursed question keeps revolving around in his mind; is all this hard work, all these years of stealthily taking crates from each of the vaults. Was it worth giving it to her? Was she worthy of becoming a Divine, for all her faults?

Wasn’t he more worthy?

It was a question he hated, but it was one that lusted, for power, for something that he did not have and could get with just the simple drinking of blood.

It was a temptation hard for him to bear, but bear it he did.

He bore it when the first crates came in, until almost the last ones came in.

But now, sitting atop thousands of blood filled crates, it was akin to sitting atop your everything and willingly giving them to someone else, for nothing.

She would not appreciate it like him, that is what swirled around darkly in his mind.

In the end, the temptation was too much for him; he had endured almost six hundred years of watching them come in, and he was not going to give them to someone who didn’t deserve them.

He opened up the first of the crates…

…

“My Lord…” Windshaw walks into the room non-chalantly, only to find himself face to face with all three of his lords

“Yes Windshaw, which one are you addressing?” Skelor smiles with that of a predator to a prey

“Well damn, finally caught me, oops”

“Yes…oops. Now it all makes sense, everything. Even from way back in the start, we were all playing to your tune weren’t we? I’m guessing you even incited Lith’s coup?” Dacul bitterly spits out the words

“Yes, I did help that too, but look how it has helped us all thrive”

“It has, and that is why this revelation is of little importance to us” Skelor looks at the slightly seething Dacul “well most of us. However because of this revelation, we have taken inventory…and found ourselves lacking”

“Damn, and I was going to get my last crate today” Windshaw confesses

“GUARDS! ARREST THIS THEIF” Dacul commands, causing the many guards to run towards Windshaw

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH”

Unholy screams shake the castle and everyone, startled, runs outside.

In the distance is a large figure, holding another in the air while a third stands by.

…

Aethelx was having a light conversation with Repleh as they walked on the forest.

They were catching up as it had been half a millennium since that had seen eachother and they were just talking about their luck with love, when suddenly a cave at their feet broke; spewing out a pale vampire bigger than them, holding his head and screaming at the top of his lungs in pain.

Aethelx immediately worried tried to grab hold of Repleh but he was too slow and saw his friend kneel down at the new being and ask if everything were alright.

He did not get to finish his sentence as the beings mouth engulfed and bit off Repleh’s head.

Aethelx recovered from his shell shock only then and began to sprint to his friends aid…but he was not fast enough to stop Repleh’s headless body getting pierced through the heart.

He saw the body stop twitching, and dissipate into the air with no trace of him left behind.

He had, for the first time in his very long life, seen an Elevated Divine killed.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAGRGRHRH”

…

The seconds seems to dissipate in midair and the first runs away into the distance from the third.

All look incredulously at the shadowed figures, both curious and terrified of what they may be.

“Rerenum” The words escape from Windshaw’s lips, causing all to turn towards him

“YOU CAUSED THIS?” Dacul screams at him, in anger and in fear

“I didn’t mean for this to happen, truly, it wasn’t meant for either me or him”

“Then who was it for?”

“It was a millennial birthday present…” He sighs solemnly

Dacul was to be a millennia in just a few short weeks, while Skelor in a dozen years. Both immediately thought the present to be either their own or the others.

“Banishment” They both say simultaneously, both having a small chord of pity struck within them.

They did not want to kill the one who helped them all these years, as well as possibly try give them power beyond their beliefs.

But neither could they trust him anymore, so banishment was the best way to go, for he was at the end of the day a close friend to both of them, like Lith used to be.

And so Windshaw was summarily banished from Hellderworld using a binding stone. A single spy for Lith carried a jumbled message which she interpreted as Windshaw Divinitising her lover and no one but Aethelx truly knew what Rerenum had really become.

…

-Two hundred and fourty years later and a short while before Aethelx returns from the election-

“I’m sorry Lith…” He speaks softly, to no one in particular, since all around him are dead, including Lith.

He had killed her, among all those thousands others, among all here.

He killed them because they made Aethelx weaker, weak enough for him to beat him, weak enough for him to take the power of Aethelx and use it seek revenge on one who betrayed him, wasting over half his life’s planning and caused him to be sealed for almost two centuries in a dank crypt.

He had to kill her, so that he may have his due revenge... for once he killed Aethelx, he would find Rerenum and let him feel the pain of ten thousand lifetimes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Corner:

Hey! so, i got relaly stressed with revising so epilogue appears!

Well according to the lovely 4sai, you didn't really know the motivation behind Windshaw (true, there were only a couple of decently ambiguous hints throughout so verrry fair point).

Hope you enjoyed this little 'backstory' for him and hope that if you reread this arc you'll have a deeper understanding of the slight intricies at work.

Apart from that, It's completely and utterly over now this arc Soooooo time for important things to asssk!!! BELOW:

Ok, so who loved this arc?

Who hated it?

Please tell me why you did because useful criticism will help me write better fiction and will definitely help you enjoy it more.

Comments and reviews are alllllways loved :*

-TRUE NORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRD