In a place sunlight never reaches

One clashes against another, a roar echoes through the hallow halls, and the sounds of thousands of combatants overlap each other, deafening those within driving all of them mad. Deep with the crevices within the earth, a place forever hidden from the sun, a war is being waged. As there are no sides, no ideals, nor kingdoms clashing, a riot might be a better word, but it is no less a hell than the deepest from Dante's dark visions. It is in this place that a lone woman must stand guard and prevent every single soul from entering, though perhaps the best word to use here is invade.

While known particularly well for her twisted personality, she has the honorable duty of protecting the bridge that leads from the overworld to the underworld. While her job has driven her to a state of madness herself, she is no less better a guard than from the very first day she started. It is a testament to show how she's managed to keep this carnage from spilling into a world where it doesn't belong.

However, being that she is a soul protector a few advantages seem to be on her side. For one this is a completely disorganized mob with absolutely no leadership backing it's movements, and two, they fight amongst their own ranks as much as they try to push past the bridge. That she can bottleneck such an opponent has made this more a shooting gallery than a war, but she wasn't complaining, for the moment at least.

"There seems to be a lot of commotion coming from these parts," a voice squeaks from behind the woman, so clearly it's a resident of the Ancient City.

"Be glad you get to rest quietly while someone like me is completely capable of handling this situation," she moans while throwing out flower shaped mines that will explode on contact. "I wish I had someone protecting me."

"Yes, I already know that."

Tensing at the dull rhythm of that monotonous voice, only one person could possibly sound that drab even in this chaotic situation.

"Mistress Satori," the woman calls the pale girl with purple hair, her floating red "third eye" focused squarely on the guardian, "that you'd be so unoccupied that you could come to visit me makes me jealous. Unfortunately I don't have your kind of leisure and can't waste my effort speaking with you, but then again you don't even need to listen to hear, do you?"

"You know very well that I can read your thoughts and emotions, Parsee, so you don't need to divide yourself with carrying on a conversation with me. I will merely share my thoughts aloud so you can hear."

Since Satori can read minds she also knew what rude comments Parsee was about to make, but at least she figured she'd spare the effort and just think what she wanted instead of repeating herself.

"For a few days now these youkai have been coming in droves to the underworld," Satori announces. "You've been fighting them off but don't know why they keep coming, and their numbers are increasing exponentially. These lesser beasts lack intelligent thought, but possess keen instinct. Great fear pushes this migration. All of them are trying to escape the surface world because of some great catastrophe they believe to be coming."

Not that Parsee particularly cared for the motives of other people, but this constant struggle was tiring.

"Do you know what this 'great catastrophe' is?"

"No I do not, as they do not. While I might not know the specifics of what they fear, I know the outcome of that fear."

"What?"

"To put it so the intelligent can understand, I would call it Armageddon, the end of the world."

So the world was ending and they all are fleeing towards the underground?

"Their instincts drive them off the surface, so I think the end will only effect the surface world, but I cannot be sure. This is indeed most troublesome."

To calmly speak of the end of the world and extinction of all life in such a neutral tone made Parsee almost wish she never heard it in the first place.

"Hold on," Satori pauses as if the bridge princess actually cares for this conversation, "something interesting is taking place deeper within. I need to get closer."

As she crosses the bridge and into the fray, any youkai in her way are effortlessly vaporized by lasers emitted from her third eye. Her meager pace isn't hindered even in such a place as a war zone. Honestly, nothing could seem to phase the Mistress of the Palace of the Earth Spirits.

"I'm so jealous," Parsee says as she watches Satori vanish into the mob.

In that "Interesting" place

A few moments before the mind-reader took notice, a lone wolf rests in a spot as if nothing at all was wrong. The innumerable battles taking place somehow seem to avoid him, and only in his area is there peace. Almost is this like the den of a sleeping dragon. Still they must fight, but no matter what they dare not disturb the slumbering giant. Had this wolf commanded that they be quiet, this would have been a silent riot.

Treading the path with great difficulty, another wolf soon joins the side of the one in rest. Clearly the monsters didn't show the newcomer the same kind of courtesy as his flesh is ripe with minor wounds.

"Master Sköll," this one addresses the other, "I bring a message from your brother."

The one being addressed as Sköll does nothing but yawn.

"Your brother says he's found the path to the moon and he wants you to investigate a fairy calling herself 'Cirno.'"

Sköll's tail wages a few times, but he is otherwise unresponsive.

"Sir," the messenger tries to reiterate, "this is a direct request from your brother."

There's a moment of silence amidst this battlefield, but eventually he responds, "So he found the path to the moon has he? Good for him. I don't imagine he's come across anything that will help me with my objective, has he?"

"Sir, we believe that this 'Cirno' may be-"

"I know of Cirno!" he barks, and for a moment there is another lull in the fighting surrounding him. "Did he call her a 'fairy?' Don't be ridiculous. If it's a fairy then it definitely isn't Cirno, but if it isn't a fairy and it really was Cirno, it makes no difference to my mission. What I desire is a path to the Sun, and Cirno is the furthest from that."

Then finally he lifts his head as if he was awake, "No wait. Given the current situation then Cirno's appearance makes sense. Ha! So that's the origin of all this mayhem!"

Excited, the messenger speaks, "Then shall I return to your brother and tell him you'll accept his request?"

"Of course not. If Cirno's taking action that means the path to the Sun will be unreachable, and stopping her is impossible for myself alone. I think I'll wait out the storm in this place. It's warm, and eventually all these creature will kill each other and it will quiet down. This is a good place for a nice long nap."

"Your brother will be disappointed to hear you say that."

"Pup, were you not of my brother's pack I would have ripped out your throat, so don't say any more than you have to. Leave me before I really start to get angry."

While it might have been a dire threat, Sköll seemed completely indifferent. However, the messenger has gooseflesh and fur standing on end. It wasn't a warning that he gave, but a proclamation with no more emotion than a king sending a thousand soldiers to die. One more word, one more second in this place and his life is forfeit. Wasting not the warning, the messenger plunges back into the fighting where he may be safe. Sköll watches his brother's pack-mate disappear, then lays his head down once again to rest.

"That was an interesting conversation you were having," someone new decides to interrupt him.

Unlike the time before, the wolf actually acknowledges this newest guest when she arrives. Opening one eye he sees a short purple-haired youkai approach.

"Three eyes," he observes, "a satori. If you are speaking to me that means you've had difficultly reading my mind, and since I know of your presence I can adequately protect myself. Disturb me no longer, I will not even waste a thought to help you uncover whatever answer you're searching for."

"My," Satori responds, "how forthcoming. Most people come to hate me because of my ability to read minds, but you could care less about that and simply hate everybody. To think that you hold me in the same esteem as the rest of them is truly flattering."

The wolf remains still.

"You really are guarded against my mental probes, aren't you? This is the first time I've come across a creature as fascinating as you. Would you like to become one of my pets?"

An eye opens from his position of rest.

"That got a reaction, and you leaked some of your true intentions long enough for me to hear something. You are angry that I would make you submit as my pet, but the prospect of biding your time in my mansion is alluring. Very well, I shall invite you into my home as a guest, not a pet."

Sköll says nothing but rises to his feet. As he comes to a stop in front of her, it almost does look like she's his master. A faint bit of a smile almost creeps across her lips, but fade thereafter. Perhaps she was about to make a snarky comment but thought better of it. They depart.

Something that didn't happen before; as the pair walk through the rage-blinded monsters, they somehow remove themselves from their path. When Satori was by herself, even though it was nearly effortless, she was forced to dispatch all those who were in her way. Already a being capable of a considerable amounts of destruction, when these two were together they made the youkai depart in fear. Was it their combined presence which caused this, or was it the wolf himself that terrified them?

"Who are you?" she asks. Then, almost as if she forgot, "My name is Satori Komeiji."

Though she isn't expecting a response, the wolf says, "Sköll."