Layers
Chapter Three
By: Brenli and Jael

The strange scent of incense blanketing the faint metallic smell of blood filled Uriel's nostrils as he and Jinho were lead deep into the heart of Judas' mansion. He fought down the nausea that kicked at his stomach and murmured to Jinho, "Do Vampires actually like that smell?"

"I suppose." Jinho replied quietly, so their escort couldn't hear them. "To some, it's like the aroma of cooking food. The incense is a strange touch, though."

"Mmm." Uriel nodded and followed Jinho and their sharply-dressed, serious-looking escort down the long, slightly chilly hallway. If the dim lights were meant to comfort and soothe... they didn't quite succeed.

"And when I reannounce my King's visitors-" The escort started, but Jinho held up a white-gloved hand.

"Please... I do not believe good King Judas would need to be reintroduced to Uriel so soon. His presence is fresh on the brain, I'm sure."

"Putting it lightly." Their escort couldn't help but remark dryly.

Jinho didn't give the man the pleasure of rising to his comment. "Merely inform his Grace that Jinho of Sheol is here seeking counsel with him."

"Very well." The serious-looking escort didn't waste any time, immediately opening the door at the end of the hallway and announcing with a voice that suddenly boomed, "Jinho, Revenant of Sheol, requesting the presence of his Highness King Judas of the Assiah Revenants."

The Vampire King was silent, in mid-sip from a wine glass as Jinho crossed into the room and took off his top hat, laying it over his heart with a flourish as he bowed. "Your Grace..."

Judas' slight smile didn't reach his eyes, traveling to the tall Earth Angel behind him before regarding Jinho with a nod. "Jinho... of Sheol? You come from... further away than any Revenant I've held audience with."

Those eyes... Jinho knew he was walking in with the odds stacked against him, but he met the King's iciness with a careful mixture of humility and confidence, his back straight as he placed his top hat back upon his head, his ink black eyes downcast. "Lord Lucifer saw fit to acquire a Gehenna Vampire to serve in his court."

"I see. How lucky for you." His words were short and sharp.

Jinho only met those words with cool, placid tones. "Luck is a matter of perspective. I was raised in Assiah. Assiah is my home."

Judas' eyebrow raised just slightly, but he frowned. "Oh?"

"Seoul, South Korea. I very briefly spent time in Tokyo before Lord Lucifer summoned me."

King Judas snapped his fingers, and a woman stepped forward with a few wine glasses on a silver tray. Jinho took in the scent of blood and accepted a glass with a small smile, raising his glass with the King before taking a sip. Years... Decades... So much time had passed since the last time he'd drank pure blood, undiluted with food or drink... It made a rush hit him, and he shut his ink black eyes to mask his surprise.

Masking his surprise was a good idea, because suddenly King Judas was remarking coldly, fingers steepled as he leaned back in his chair, "Is the time you've spent in my world supposed to get you on my good side, Jinho of Sheol? Everyone knows exactly how I feel about the Gehenna Vampires... pretend cousins, nothing more. You and I both know we are not the same. Our heritage is entirely different."

Jinho took a breath through his nose as he finished his glass. No problem. He already knew this would be an issue with Judas, and why shouldn't it have been? Here he was, proud King of all Assiahbound Revenants, bending his ear to a free-roaming Gehenna Vampire... "I know we are not the same. It would be silly to make that argument." He set the empty glass back on the silver platter, his tongue briefly licking along his bottom lip, "But being raised in this world has shown me it's merits. We share an interest in Assiah's welfare, your Grace, and I can understand your uneasiness, your wish to look out for your own people. Every good King must do so."

Judas only gave him that same smile that didn't reach his cold eyes. "Your flattery is only wasting my time. What do you want?"

He resisted the urge to look over his shoulder at the Earth Angel. "As I assume you may have already guessed... I have come to request that you aid the Dragonmaster Lilith of the Evils and her allies in preventing the advent of certain destruction of your world."

"And as you may have already guessed, I'm really not interested in the matters of your kind, Vampiric or not."

"I'm not asking you to be, your Grace." Jinho raised his smooth voice just slightly as he saw King Judas raise his hand toward the escort.

The escort stepped forth, but Judas turned his hand out, stopping him. "Then what are you asking of me?"

"I am asking you to consider your own needs, and the needs of your people. I would never ask anything more of you, your Highness." His ink black eyes turned to the ground as he gave a little nod of his head.

The King of Revenants didn't bother to hide his annoyance, openly frowning at Jinho, now. "You'll have to be a bit more specific, Jinho of Sheol. I don't know how things happening in the worlds of Angels and Demons have anything to do with mine."

"… So Lilith did not take the time to explain the intricacies of her gift, and of the prophecy...?"

Judas gave Jinho a dry smirk. "Does she really seem like the type who can explain herself eloquently?"

Of course Lilith didn't explain herself eloquently... It was like pulling teeth, trying to get Lilith to explain herself at all. Jinho allowed himself a soft, quiet but visual sigh, delicately playing on whatever bits of sympathy he could latch onto. "The Dragonmaster has been told by the Shinryu that should this never before seen, powerful force succeed in it's plans, the three worlds will cease to exist. It is an Apocalypse of three times the magnitude we would have ever expected, but that is not the part that would concern you... The part that would concern you, good King, is that it means Assiah would be no more."

Judas snapped his fingers and replaced his empty glass of wine with a full one... but the frown on his face had softened into something contemplative. "I'm afraid I don't know much about the Shinryu, Jinho of Sheol. Do you believe that this...prophecy is really true?"

Jinho offered another small nod of his head, keeping his face serene at best, even as his voice raised in confidence. "I do, your Grace. The Shinryu are an all-knowing trio of entities. You could compare them to the Fates that the Greeks revered in the ancient times, here in Assiah. They speak only through the Dragonmaster, but they have proven time and again to guide Gehenna and protect the people there. Unfortunately, the newest Dragonmaster has not often heeded their words, but this... even this prophecy is one that the Dragonmaster Lilith cannot turn away. It is too heavy. Too much is at stake..."

Moments passed, and Jinho waited as Judas leaned back, staring at the blood in his wine glass, but not taking a single sip...

The gentlemanly Gehenna Vampire allowed himself to smile, but kept it small and polite. He got him. "I understand very well that you have no interest in those of other realms. You've made this very clear, good King of Revenants. You look out for your own people and this is a very respectable quality in a King... So I ask you, then, to consider your own people. What if the Dragonmaster's prophecy holds true? Your world is gone, then. All of your people, and you yourself. Gone. Is this something you want to risk, good King?" Jinho allowed Judas to give a small, contemplative hum and sip from his glass, and then offered one last verbal push. "If you are concerned about reaping a profit from offering your aid, I'm sure that we can arrange something as well, your Highness."

Judas took another sip before speaking, this time with a small, subtle smile of his own. "Well, if I am going to have no choice but to help Angels... then there is something that I believe we can arrange, after all, Jinho of Sheol."

Jinho give him a wide, warm, welcoming smile. "Make your proposal, King Judas."

The Revenant King snapped his fingers, and Jinho was offered a second glass of rich blood. "I've heard about this new Rabbit they're calling Azrael. Have you heard of the woman who fights by his side...? The one they say is invincible?"

Uriel spoke up from near the door, arms crossed over his broad chest. "I have heard no such rumor..." Azrael, sure. Uriel may not have left Hades in years, but that didn't stop him from reading newspapers. A woman, though...?

A glare left Judas' sharp eyes, but softened just slightly when he turned his attention back to the Gehenna Vampire. "I believe they call her Celestiel."

"What would you have, regarding this woman...?" Jinho asked as he swirled the blood in his glass, watching it cling to the sides.

"My Spear... Two years ago, a piece from my private collection went missing. You have likely heard of it as the Spear of Destiny... Based on rumors I have heard, I believe this woman has stolen it."

This time, Jinho kept his sips of blood small and graceful. "And this woman is in alliance with Azrael...?"

"Yes."

Jinho swirled the blood in his glass and thought carefully. "If you agree to aid us, you will be in allegiance with a woman who is actively seeking to quell the unrest Azrael and his group have caused... I'm certain she can draw up a plan to obtain the Spear and return it to you."

Uriel frowned and took a half-step forward. "Jin-"

"This will be fine." Jinho's voice raised slightly - always just slightly, only a delicate change - and lifted his glass. "To our alliance."

"To the promise of my Spear." King Judas replied with a slight smile, and the two Vampires drank to seal the deal.

Uriel did not bother to hide his frown as he watched Jinho and the King drink to seal their arrangement. Although he knew precisely why Jinho had agreed to such a deal, he wondered how the others would have felt about it. Everybody knew about the Spear... It was a weapon created by God to be powerful enough to slay his own son. The Spear was the weapon that pierced his side and killed him when flogging and crucifixion had not done the job. If this mystery woman really did possess the Spear and fought beside Azrael...

Judas set his empty glass back on the surface of his desk. "Now that we have come to an agreement, I must ask, what kind of assistance do you even require, Jinho?"

Jinho lowered his glass and chose his next words very carefully, "I'm afraid I do not know, your Grace. Prophecies tend to be very vague things. All this one has said is that we will need your assistance."

"Ah. I see." Judas reached out a slender, pale hand and snapped his fingers. "Serissa, my dear. Come here."

Neither Jinho, nor Uriel, could do much to hide the surprise on their faces when a woman rose from the leather couch in the corner. How could they not have noticed her before? As soon as she stepped out of the shadows and into the light, Uriel noted that she didn't look like she belonged in this place.

Judas' residence was a place of great decadence and luxury, servants in suits and crisp uniforms, and Judas himself wore some expensive Gucci suit. And this woman wore nothing but a pair of faded blue jeans with a hole in the knee, and a white tank top. Her right arm was covered from shoulder to wrist with a tattoo. Of what design, Uriel couldn't make out.

Jinho noticed a detail that Uriel could not have registered, a red band tattoo around her left wrist. Oh, this woman had been turned by Judas himself. She was a powerful, ancient Vampire indeed.

Serissa tucked a lock of chocolate brown hair behind her ear and reached for a canter of red blood with her tattooed arm. "Yes?"

"Jinho and his entourage will be staying with you until further notice."

The canter slipped from Serissa's hand and landed on the desk with a dull and rattling thud. "What?"

"Your Grace," Jinho reasoned, "The prophecy specifically asked for your aid."

"And you shall have it, when you need it." Judas reached out and grabbed Serissa by the belt of her jeans, pulling her closer. She stumbled and he pulled on the belt, forcing her to sit on the arm of his chair as his hand slipped around her hip... holding her there. "Serissa will be my liaison. I am a very busy man and I haven't the time to sit around on my hands waiting for some impending disaster. If you need me, inform Serissa and she knows how to reach me. She has a very large and spacious mansion. You and your party will be very comfortable there."

"I don't know these people," Serissa said angrily. "You can't just expect me to open my home to them. No, I won't do thi-"

Judas grabbed Serissa by the nape of her neck. The desk rattled when he slammed her cheek against the surface and held her there. He stood on his feet, sneering down at her as he held her.

Jinho's eyes bulged and his stomach twisted at this open display of cruelty, but he swept out an arm to stop Uriel from charging forward. He couldn't deny that he felt urges similar to the Earth Angel's... how could the Revenant King stand to treat his servant this way? Why did a verbal refusal serve as a good reason to slam the poor woman's head into the desk...? Even so, he forced himself to stand still and keep the frown on his face small. The prophecy was the top priority, and he couldn't jeopardize it over this...

"Am I going mad, or did I just hear the word 'no' escape your pretty little lips, Serissa?" Judas growled down at the poor woman, the leisure and calmness he had moments ago gone in an instant.

Serissa groaned, her jaw clenched in anger. "No, sir. You must have been hearing things."

"That's what I thought. My imagination seems to be going wild, lately. You seem to get more and more unruly as the centuries pass." Judas' hand fisted into her chocolate hair and he pulled her up by the roots, wrenching her head back so he could stare into her angry eyes. "Am I done imagining things? Are you going to do as I say?"

"Yes. I will always do what you want me to do."

"That's a good girl." Judas loosened his grip on her hair and his hand tenderly swept over her cheek. "That's why you're my favorite."

Jinho and Uriel went rigid when Judas slanted his mouth over Serissa's, giving her a soft and tender kiss that Serissa did not return. She stayed stone still, eyes staring blankly ahead.

"Now go and stay out of trouble." Judas released her and Serissa turned away from him.

Uriel would never be able to forget the glare she gave him... it burned into his very soul. He swallowed the lump in his throat and fought the urge to tear Judas to pieces. What kind of man treated a woman that way...? How long had Serissa been forced to endure this kind of treatment? His muscles vibrated with the effort it took to hold himself back.

Judas stepped around his desk, giving Jinho a pleasant, diplomatic sort of smile. "I'm glad we came to such a good arrangement. Turns out this will work out best for everyone involved, won't it?" He held out his hand, waiting for Jinho to take it.

If Jinho hadn't needed to worry about keeping in the King's good graces for the sake of prophecy, he would've liked to remove one of his white gloves and slap it across Judas' face. But this was for the greater good... he set that statement on repeat in his mind as he reached out that white gloved hand and took hold of Judas', responding with a handshake both firm and graceful, all at once. "Yes, I believe that everyone benefits from this alliance. I'm sure that I speak for everyone when I say that we look forward to putting an end to this prophecy with your aid."

"As do I." Judas said with a smile and a small bow of his head. "The sooner this is over, the sooner we can all get back to our lives."

Uriel chewed the inside of his cheek as he glared at the Revenant King. He wanted to ask just what was going to be so different about Judas' life... it seemed that Serissa's was going to be the one turned upside down.

He didn't give Judas the pleasure of a goodbye, not that he seemed to mind. Instead he turned and followed the brunette Vampire as she stomped out of Judas' office.

"Are you all right?" He asked, hearing Jinho's footsteps behind him.

But Serissa did not answer him. She didn't even look over her shoulder at him.

"Hey..." As gently as possible, Uriel reached out and took her by the wrist. "Wait a minute."

Serissa's eyes glanced at his gentle hand around her wrist... and she looked up to glare at him. "Take your fucking hands off of me. Right now."

Uriel's jaw clenched and his cheeks burned. He released her immediately. "I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine. Other than the fact that I have to let a group of strange Angels live in my home for an undetermined amount of time, I'm right as rain."

"I assure you, we will do you no harm," Jinho reasoned gently, fighting the urge to check if her cheek might be swelling from being forced onto the hard mahogany of Judas' desk. "Nor will our group."

"You're assuming that I'm concerned for myself? You're hilarious." Serissa rolled her eyes. "Let's just fucking go." She gave Uriel one last, fiery glare. "And just so you know, if you ever... put your hands on me again, you'll be picking your teeth up off the floor. Is that clear?"

"Miss Serissa, please. There's no need for that. We just want-" The gentlemanly Vampire stopped in mid-sentence when Uriel gently grasped his arm, giving him a small shake of his head.

Jinho's verbal magic was something many people valued, and yet the Earth Angel knew that silence could be just as good. Especially in this type of situation. Clearly, earning Serissa's trust would take time, and badgering her with words and coddling was just not the best of ideas. Although he wanted to be sure Serissa had suffered no injury at the hands of Judas, it was not his place, nor Jinho's, to step into her life like that.

They had already invaded her life on a scale that made her very, very uncomfortable.

"You've made yourself perfectly clear, Serissa. I will not touch you again, I swear it." Uriel gave her an unblinking stare and a sincere look, and already he could see that his approach was the correct one. Serissa's shoulders lost their stiffness and her glare softened. A subtle change it may have been, but Uriel instantly felt a bit better.

Serissa turned and they followed her out the door, down the long hallway, and back out of the intimidating mansion, to meet up with the rest of Serissa's rather unwelcome guests as they waited just outside the wrought iron gate.

xXxXxXx

Authoress' Note: Okay, so it's been... several months. I'm not about to assume that the majority of the readership checks up on my Tumblr - or even knew that I had one (URL is brenli) - so I feel it's necessary to explain the reason for the lack of updating in a note right here. I'm not exactly interested in getting into the specifics of things; the only thing that needs to be said is that thanks to an unfortunate series of events, I spent my summer homeless and hopping between the houses of friends. Internet access was limited to the 3G on my phone, so working on Layers was more or less impossible. I finally got an apartment in September, and though I'm still struggling to get back on my feet after everything that has happened, Jael and I were finally able to collaborate and weave up Chapter Three. So basically... this is me saying, "Oh my GOD I'm so sorry, guys!" Because it is legitimately bugging me how this happened after all the hiatuses Layers suffered during it's first incarnation...

This note is also going to serve as a forewarning that there will be no updates until January... Jael won't be able to work on Layers for the rest of this month, as she's being taken out of town. I have a court date to attend in early December that's taking me out of town, and then the rest of December is heavy holiday season, so the both of us will be unable to work on it... So, as frustrating as this has all been, I find myself needing to announce another hiatus. Just for December. Things should be stable after the New Year, and Jael and I can establish some kind of regular posting. At least monthly. At LEAST.

I'd also like to use this time to leave behind a note that Jael wrote regarding the character of Shiva as well as others, such as Kaida, etc... The note is meant to be posted on the CotF Tumblr (because yes, I made one for CotF: URL is chronicles-of-the-fallen), but as CotF doesn't have a high following at all, I feel that posting it here will help clear any confusion. So this is where I bow out, readership...!

- Brenli

An author's note from Jael:

Bren has received some questions from our collective fans, regarding certain characters in Layers. She has remained somewhat tight-lipped about these questions because she is not the one 'in charge' of them. I am. XD

As several of these questions have to do with the characters I have created or control, I will take a few moments to level with the fans of the old 'Layers', and share just how this new version of Layers fits in with the old.

Spoiler free, of course. XD

The first point I will address, is the theory that Judas is now replacing Shiva.

The answer to this is both yes... and no.

There are certain roles that Shiva played in the Revenant community that she is no longer playing. I revamped this during the very early planning stages of Layers 2.0. In the original Layers, Judas WAS going to be a character who would have been introduced, however with Layers 2.0 I wanted him to have a much bigger, more dramatic sort of role. So, I gave him back the power he SHOULD have had over the Revenants in Layers 1.0.

As for Shiva? She's still around. In fact, you've already met her. At her core, Shiva is still the same character, but in the development of 2.0, I literally rebuilt her from the ground up. She is now called 'Serissa'. And Serissa will be playing the same role that was intended for 'Shiva'. But she is a much different, much stronger character, now. And I feel like she's really going to jump off the pages at you.

Another question we had was if Kaida and the children Aaron, June, and Chiyo would be present for this new version. Unfortunately for you Kaida fans, her character HAS been eliminated. Sorry, but I just didn't have a need for her, this time around. As for the children? Yes. They will definitely be present. Serissa/Shiva's love for them is a very, very vital part of her.