O~o~O

The night passed without much incident.

Demons shrieked and roared in triumph, dancing and beating around the burning Base. After the Commanders had left, the soldiers finished their work on making sure the Base was damaged beyond repair. The demons that hadn't been to invade Paranomia's territory were confused, but they were carried away by the excitement of destruction and didn't care for reason. What kind of demon would heed their leaders when all around them was fire and screaming and everything that could possibly appeal to their wild side?

Their sheer inability to be controlled led to things more typical of a demon and true to their nature. A few unfortunate souls in the wrong place at the wrong time asked questions and ended up being fuel for the fires.

Flesh and bone ended up being excellent feed for a fire that big, after all.

The chilling screams of both the liberated and the lost rang around the region, catching the interest of several more nearby. It wasn't long before an alarming amount of demons ran free around the area, and as a consequence, it became dangerous to approach.

O~o~O

"Are you sure you wish to go on this mission, young one?"

"I am sure, my Lord."

"Pray, do explain why you would wish to go on such a risky investigation? You do understand how dangerous it is."

"Of course I do. I simply wish to contribute more to the Angelican objective."

"..."

"...Sir?"

"...Good, good, yes, very good, my child."

"Hnn."

"You have such a cute smile. You should smile more often."

"O-oh...Thank you...My Lord."

"Remember to be careful. I need you here to continue assisting me in monitoring the progression of the plan."

"Of course."

"Take the salt. It will protect you if anything goes wrong. I can expect a full report from you when you return?"

"Aye, sir."

O~o~O

'Aping my soul…'

A soft breeze gently disturbed the space, carrying along the faint tinkling noise of harps in the distance. Arthur's hair stirred from it, and he opened his eyes just slightly at the familiar sensation. It was soothing enough to almost put him right back to sleep.

Instead, he processed what was happening, and opened his eyes.

Blue. Blue was all he could see.

The same shade of gorgeous blue that had haunted his dreams for...what felt like years.

'You stole my overture…'

Letting out an awed breath he didn't know he'd been holding, Arthur blinked once and lowered his gaze as he sat up, trying to take in the rest of his surroundings. The vast landscape...He was sure he'd never seen it before, but something about it was achingly familiar.

'Of course.' he thought, letting out a startled, disbelieving laugh. He was in Heaven. He was home.

The silhouettes along the horizon were cathedrals within the main part of God's Kingdom of Paradise, Arthur was certain of it. He could see various shrines from where he was, when he abruptly brought himself to a stand, and the clouds were as white and fluffy as he remembered.

Arthur hadn't been this warm in too long. He quickly glanced down at himself once he realised that, and noted that he was in his natural, angelic form. After a moment, he became overwhelmed with the familiar scents and sounds all around him, and covered his face to collect himself.

'Trapped in God's program…'

Slowly taking his hands from his face, Arthur forced himself to take a deep breath and look around once more. There was no way this was real. But...Arthur had to calm himself down when his breathing became heavy, his mind unable to wrap itself around what he was seeing and his body wanting nothing more than to collapse and weep for sheer joy. It was taking him a few moments to come to terms with what he was looking at; muscles had delayed responses and he spent more time than he meant to just staring at everything.

But...Was this real?

Had they taken him back? After all he had done to defect them and the demons... Did they pull him out of Hell and put him back home? Was that what this was? He turned, half expecting to see Alfred there beside him, looking around in just as much awe, but found that the demon was not there. Of course he wasn't. He couldn't be, could he?

Then...Why was Arthur there? He had wronged just as much, if not more than a demon could, hadn't he? Was this all a dream? Had he conjured up a universe in his head where angels could not be trusted in his sleep, and suddenly woken up?

Or...Was this a dream?

Was he so desperate for warmth and comfort that he had dreamed of Heaven?

'Oh, I...Can't...Escape…'

The voices, they had been faraway before, but now they seemed to be getting louder...Someone was there, someone was yelling, lots of people were yelling for him or at him, he didn't know, but they were there and he was-

"What do you mean, 'everyone's gotta hide in here?!' Come on, man, this isn't exactly a safe haven! What the hell is going on?!"

Arthur abruptly woke to yelling and bustling and the noise of a lot of demons around, and groaned. His eyes wouldn't stay open, but he had no intention of getting up quite yet. The dream was slowly being forgotten, and he vaguely could remember that he hadn't gotten much time to rest. "Alfred, tell them to go away. I need some more sleep." he mumbled, not sure if the demon was close enough to hear.

The activity didn't stop, and suddenly Arthur was very grateful for the large curtain Alfred had hung up to separate the bed and the balcony. At least no one could see him struggling to wake up.

He growled when the stomping of boots wouldn't stop and the incessant chatter kept on going, and going...So many people were in the room on the other side of that curtain and he had to let out a slow breath, trying to collect himself.

There were lots of voices that he couldn't be bothered to recognise. "Something's happened, okay? We don't think anywhere else is safe. This kind of thing, we have to ride it out! We can't get caught up in it." someone was saying, and Arthur seethed, starting to get up. "The entire region is being razed, we came because-"

"Look, dude, I told you. Y'all can't come in here. I know, I- I know, I heard you. But you gotta listen to me, Arthur's asleep, or at least trying to be, and he's not gonna be happy when he wakes up. No. No no no no no, you don't understand. The guy is freakin' terrifying when he hasn't slept. Listen to me! You- you don't wanna do tha-"

"ALFRED?! ALFRED, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

A sound which Arthur assumed to be Alfred yelping was the last noise before the entire room went silent. All of the demons were staring at Arthur after he'd shoved aside the curtain, and he stared right back. His hands were shaking slightly and he could hardly keep his eyes open to maintain the bleary glare he had on all of them, breathing short and fast, but he made a sort of half-snarl at them anyway. He looked furious.

Before anyone could move, one demon spoke up. "Arthur, you look awful. What happened to you?"

Another beat of silence passed, before Arthur turned his head to look at her, attempting to take a deep breath. Someone accidentally snorted out loud, but quickly covered it with a straight face before Arthur could really be angry about it.

Luckily, Alfred darted toward him and held up a hand to everyone else. "Shut up, j-just shut up you guys," he said to all of them, before turning and gently taking Arthur's arms. "Hey, hey buddy, it's okay. I'll take care of it. You go back to sleep, it's fine." he smiled sweetly, trying to turn Arthur around back towards the bed.

Arthur wouldn't have it. He started to resist, wrinkling his nose and turning back towards the crowd of demons. "Oi, I said I want to know what the hell is-"

"Yea, yea, I know. I know, it's okay. I'll find out and tell you later. Okay? Just lemme take care of this, you go back to sleep." Alfred grinned nervously at the group before hurrying Arthur to bed. In a flurry of movement, Alfred had ushered Arthur out of sight and Arthur was almost pulling Alfred along with him. As soon as the curtain dropped behind them, Alfred let out a sigh of relief, and so did Arthur. They both relaxed almost immediately, with Alfred letting out a dramatic groan. "Oh, man, thanks dude. You have no idea how stressful that was. You never yelled Operation Tsunami, though." he grinned jokingly.

Rolling his eyes, Arthur smiled wryly. He no longer looked tired at all. "What good would that have done? Besides, I'm sure we know well enough when to get each other out of, er, iffy situations. Anyway, what's going on? I was actually sleeping, you know." he paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Was."

Alfred grimaced. "Sorry." he apologised, and rubbed the back of his head. "Something's happened. Someone said something about the Base being destroyed? I'm not exactly sure yet. I still have to talk to them to find out. From what I know, the group high-tailed it over here so they wouldn't get caught up in the destruction."

"Ah." Arthur crossed his arms, nodding along like he understood. But then he shook his head abruptly. "Come again?"

Blinking, Alfred tilted his head at Arthur, before it finally hit him. "Oh. Right. Duh, haha, sorry. Okay, so, the thing about demons? We- uh, they- really like destruction. Like, a lot. Even if it's like our own property or whatever, we kinda become primitive or something and keep it going. Something feral and wild like that can't really be controlled, so I think they were trying not to let themselves be exposed to it." he suddenly stopped for a moment, and then started laughing quietly, making Arthur frown. "Pfft, sorry. That's just...Wow. You wanna know how loyal they are to you? They resisted demon nature. That's like telling your God to stick it."

Arthur nodded slowly, and raised his eyebrows. "...Interesting." he murmured to himself. But then, like something had hit him from clear across the room, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"...What?" Alfred frowned in concern. "What, what is it, what?"

Shaking his head, Arthur gestured around, his mouth forming silent words in an attempt to explain. The longer it went on, the more he seemed to put together. "I- ah- er, the- the Base. It was destroyed. Why?" before Alfred had the chance to say he didn't know, Arthur kept going. "The army that invaded yesterday. They came, we chased them off, with their tails practically between their legs. They were terrified because we humiliated their leaders, and I threatened to kill them. What did I tell them after that? I told them that they are all caught in a web of lies."

There was no stopping Arthur on a tangent like this. Alfred could only try to keep up. "I- I explained to them and reasoned why they should believe me, and I made them question their leader's motives. What did that do? It made them question their trust towards Phobos and Deimos, their commanders in that moment. Where did they go when we chased them off?"

"The Base," Alfred gasped, the realisation hitting him.

Arthur nodded vigorously, his eyes sharp and his expression eager. "The Base! When Phobos and Deimos couldn't answer their questions, when they foolishly refused to even attempt to correct what I had done, or maybe they didn't even realise it, I don't know, they revolted!" he let out a shocked laugh. "The army that invaded us started a riot and from there it couldn't be stopped! And now the entire Region is in disorder…"

Trailing off, Arthur looked up when Alfred started laughing, a cute little giggle escalating to a full scale fit of laughter. He laughed so hard he was shaking, and had to stumble over to a wall to keep from falling. Arthur watched, unable to hold back a slowly growing grin at the sight. "You burned the Base down, Artie!" Alfred laughed hysterically. "You scared them so much that you burned the Base down!"

They were making a lot of noise, Arthur realised. But he didn't really care, even though the demons still present in the room were bound to wonder what was going on. Sure enough, the curtain was drawn back just a little bit to reveal Basch and Ludwig, who saw Arthur holding Alfred steady as he came down from his mirthful outburst. As he giggled into Arthur's shoulder, hugging him back tightly, Arthur glanced over to the demons and shrugged slightly. 'I'll explain later,' he mouthed.

Eventually, Alfred calmed down enough that they could come out and successfully explain the whole ordeal to the group. Arthur lost the whole sleepy act and took charge, saying that the group could stay there so long as they kept quiet. In a while, he and Alfred and a few others, whom of which he trusted for their self control, would go around to check if the region was safe. Perhaps these rebel demons could add to Arthur's army, once they calmed down, at least. That was the plan that stood, before Arthur promptly went back behind the curtain to try and go back to sleep.

Unfortunately, he couldn't.

Alfred sat with him while he mulled over what he just realised. He wasn't sure what he had expected to happen; sure, a revolt of some kind, but not something immediate and massive as the complete demolition of the Base! Arthur hadn't realised his little speech would resonate so deeply with the invading army. He figured that would only take a small toll on the Demonocracy, perhaps over time there would be some very subtle fraying at the threads of the Base, but not something so abrupt, so largescale. There just wasn't anything he could say or do about it; he'd gone farther than he'd intended.

Gingerly resting his head against Arthur's shoulder, Alfred let his tail flop around and play around with Arthur's. "What are we gonna do now?" he asked quietly. He pouted slightly and lowered his eyebrows worriedly, like he could feel Arthur's internal conflict. Then, like he'd done since their incident with the halo, he softly added "What are you feeling?"

Arthur combed back his red hair, and then let the hand rest on top of Alfred's head. His fingers thoughtfully stroked over the ridges of Alfred's horns, and he let out a very deep sigh before he could word his response. "I don't...I...I'll figure something out." he murmured, glancing up towards the blank ceiling. "I feel confused and surprised. But I'm not...I'm not worried, if that's what you mean."

Below him, Alfred, bless him, the adorable thing he was, snuggled closer and buried his face in Arthur's side. His arms came around Arthur's waist, no longer lazily drooping around him, but holding him firmly. Arthur answered with an affectionate stroke down the demon's back and a hesitant smile down at him. They would figure it out. With some time, of course, but they would figure it out.

While Alfred dozed in his lap, Arthur shut his eyes and tried to focus his magic and pick up on the magic coursing through the area. Without his halo, it was hard to pick up very distinct signals, but he could put together some things. Offhandedly, he wondered why he should be able to feel the magic at all; either he had been practicing magic enough and had become relatively powerful with it, or he was being allowed to feel...Arthur would rather it be the former.

The magic felt distant and sometimes indistinguishable, unable to understand. At least he could pick out just enough. There was enough that the Unholy magic was present...But somewhere in there, he could feel Holy magic, emanating from very far and very faintly...Arthur let out a huff and clenched his jaw, trying to focus harder, but he couldn't get much more beyond that.

But did that mean the angels were coming down to Hell? Arthur wasn't aware of any other region Holy magic would be present in, meaning that they would be there to investigate the chaos, but it was possible the violence could have spread on further, if what Alfred said was true. Or he could be completely misunderstanding the feeling and he was just picking up some edge of Heaven

Arthur wanted to bet he knew exactly where the magic was coming from, though.

He awoke Alfred with a gentle shake. "Come on, I have a plan." he muttered lowly, absentmindedly stroking the hair of the stirring demon below him.

O~o~O

The clouds above Hell appeared to thin briefly, the cold temperatures rising and the humidity giving way for just a moment. Hardly enough for it to be noticeable.

At least, not to the deranged and wild mob of demons still ravaging the city. They had calmed down little since the revolt against their leaders, and continued to tear up the town. Several were dead, more were injured, but the ones still mobile were still caught up in the sick thrill of death and destruction. Names were forgotten, alliances had lost meaning, and whatever civilisation they had before wasn't going to come back any time soon. The Demonocracy wouldn't take a step near the region until the worst of it had ridden over.

Some of the older demons couldn't be bothered to take part in all the fun. In various places dotted around the city, buildings were quiet and calm compared to the madness going on throughout the region, holding demons that were cranky that nothing productive could be done until all the excitement was over.

Arthur had spread out his army within these areas, so he had eyes a safe distance away from all the ruination. That way, the faster demons could sneak around and tell him of any developments, and he could monitor the conflict directly, as well as his own demons.

They waited, patiently and quietly while the demons continued their senseless vandalising. It was difficult with the small amount of space they were able to move around in, but Arthur knew they could manage. Even if they were getting bored. Alfred had started kicking around some rocks after some time, and even got Basch to play with him. Arthur had no idea how he managed that, but he watched them with an amused smile.

"Won't you join us, Arthur?" Basch asked him, trying to coax Arthur out of his spot where he watched the demons. Opening his mouth to politely deny the offer, Arthur started to say something, only to sense a very powerful presence nearby. He turned around slowly, and then took in a sharp breath just as he noticed them.

Coming up next to him, Alfred gasped audibly at seeing the angels appear, and, looking around, Arthur could see that the rest of his demons were just as amazed. Sure, they had seen angels before, but perhaps it wasn't often they could get a good look without being attacked. That thought made Arthur smile wryly; he supposed there never would have been time before now, after all.

The angels flew down within a thin ray of light, soft and delicate as to not disturb the demons within the area. There weren't many; Arthur could hardly count enough to make up an entire regiment. Their wings were pure and full in colour, reflecting some of the light, and giving off a very ethereal sense. Their halos glittered, and parts of their uniforms glistened vaguely. Arthur knew they only more brilliant and dazzling in Heaven, but the sheer amount of elegance and grace in their appearance was completely contrasting to the dull grey of Hell.

Arthur was prepared to move his own army away in case the angels shifted closer, but the small group of the Angelicans stayed at a distance that Arthur felt safe enough to stay.

"Arthur…" Alfred whispered, peeking eagerly over the wall they were crouched behind.

Glancing at him to show he was listening, Arthur motioned for him to back down in case he was seen. Luckily, Alfred complied, and not a second too soon; one angel looked over at them just after they hid again. But something about that particular angel...Arthur frowned and peeked again after a safe amount of time, and his suspicions were confirmed. His expression became stern and a little uncomfortable; why would the Angelicans send Feliciano down with this group?

Alfred nudged him to get his attention again. "Arthur, they're really, really beautiful." he murmured insistently, having to grasp Arthur's hand tightly just to contain his excitement. Shaking his head, Arthur chuckled at him and rolled his eyes. "No, like, seriously! Not as much as you, but…" he trailed off, his blue eyes sparkling with the reflection of the heavenly beings.

Sighing, Arthur reached up to push Alfred's head down again so he wasn't seen. "Of course they are. They were created that way."

None of the demons who were around them appeared to take any mind to Alfred's offhanded comment of Arthur's own beauty, which was a relief. Arthur wished he wouldn't have said anything, however, because his cheeks suddenly felt warm.

Without any immediate danger to worry about, Arthur's group silently observed the angels as they cautiously approached the uncontrollable demons. Those demons were screeching and dancing around fires and praising Satan, all of which didn't seem to faze the feathered creatures. They didn't even look too concerned about staying out of sight like Arthur was, and instead idly fluttered about to watch the demons from only a slight distance. They were clever about keeping behind their backs, but all in all, the angels didn't appear to think of the demons as dangerous.

Arthur had no idea why that was. He would have thought that the angels would be smart about a mission like that and hide like he was, but perhaps they didn't understand the situation entirely.

Time passed, Arthur had no idea how long they were all just sitting there, watching the demons in complete silence. Occasionally, he would move around his group to see if he could get a better view of what the angels were doing, but very little was working.

It began to rain. The water beat very gently upon them and the ground, and the angels did not seem impressed. At least, until Arthur noticed a slight disturbance in their midst. They began to move around like something had snuck in and startled them, but from where Arthur was, he couldn't see anything wrong.

He maneuvered his group again, making sure everyone was safe and hidden before he looked again, trying to figure out the problem. Alfred came up beside him. "Hey…" Arthur narrowed his eyes to try and sharpen his vision, but it was difficult to see through the rain. "Hey, Arthur. Do you see those vials? The ones they're holding."

"Yes, I see." Arthur answered, wondering what Alfred was implying. He glanced at the demon with question.

Alfred nodded to the angels, and then looked back at Arthur. "Look at their feet. If that's what I think it is…"

Skeptically, Arthur turned and looked at the ground near where the angels stood, then noticed some thin white trails. "They brought salt…" he whispered, his eyes widening. The rain must be messing with the salt lines they had created. They had to have brought salt in the place of a more dangerous weapon; after all, it was just a mission of observation, right? They wouldn't need that much to protect them. Just some salt to fling in a demon's face in the event of confrontation.

But, surely a little rain wouldn't worry the angels that much, right? From the distance they were at, Arthur could vaguely see what looked like an argument. He didn't recognise any of them, except for Feliciano, who seemed the most distraught out of all of them.

All of the demons, every single one including Arthur's army, turned in the direction of the angels at the sound of glass shattering.

Arthur watched, with eyes wide, as the angels all looked at Feliciano, who seemed to have thrown down the vial. Feliciano himself was looking around desperately, searching for something, or someone…"They're looking for me." Arthur whispered, ducking down so he wasn't visible to anyone outside of his group. He made a hand motion to indicate that the others do the same, and, with Alfred beside him, he watched the wild demons approach the angels.

"Artie." Alfred said quietly. Arthur ignored him, in favour of scowling at the impending conflict. The demons greatly outnumbered the angels, and a little salt would definitely not be enough to hold them all off. They were all looking at a bloody battle, uncivilised demons tearing apart the angels in a brutal attack. Arthur would wait for it patiently. Beside him, Alfred hopped up, unsure of what to do. "Arthur, Arthur, are we just going to let them-?"

Trying to calm Alfred down with a wave of his hand, Arthur continued to watch, his gaze cold and unfeeling. The angels came here, so it was their own fault if they were attacked. They could afford a few casualties here and there, after all. All Arthur had to do was watch.

The angels began backing away, realising the danger they were in. Feliciano kept looking around, hopelessly trying to find him, but...Arthur didn't care. They wouldn't find him, they wouldn't ruin him. They would leave him and his army alone. He couldn't trust any of them, because no one knew who was really in control. No one did. And they could try to find him, try to kill him, but he wouldn't let them take him.

"Arthur!" Alfred finally snapped at him, and grabbed both of his shoulders to force Arthur to face him. "Arthur, we can't just let this happen! We can stop it, can't we?" he asked hopelessly. "No one has to die today!"

Glaring back defiantly, Arthur opened his mouth to protest, ready to explain that it was their own fault if they were killed. Alfred must have noticed the ruthlessness in his expression, because he blinked at Arthur, trying to read him for any sign of empathy. But, there must not have been much there. The sheer shock and dismal look in his big blue eyes made Arthur clench his jaw and let out a rough sigh through his nose. "Fine." he spat.

He turned and yelled to get the attention of his army. "Distract the demons, but don't let yourself be seen!" he ordered. "Make sure the angels escape safely!" With that, he and Alfred jumped forward and flew towards the desperate situation.

Keeping in the shadows and staying indistinguishable from any of the other demons, his army worked quietly, holding off demons by slowing them down, and giving the angels as much time as possible to get away before the crowd became too excitable. Arthur had to punch one in the face to keep him from chasing them, and that initiated an entire brawl that got the demon's minds off the angels only briefly.

"Look at the pretty birdies!" one slurred, and Arthur cursed while wiping blood from his chin. Why wouldn't they just fly away already? "Birdies look tasty...Tasty birdies~" Arthur angrily swung his fist, and it connected with the demon's head hard enough to knock him right out.

The angels continued their retreat down the streets, staying in an organised formation. For a reason Arthur couldn't figure out, they wouldn't fly up. He began to get concerned that it was a trap, but he didn't think the angels would look so genuinely afraid if it were; angels were very bad at hiding their true emotions. So, he hesitantly continued to try and slow down the mob of violent demons as much as he and his army could.

As it went on, it was looking like they couldn't do it for much longer. Almost in a drunken trance, the demons became fixated with the angels, and vocally expressed how much they would like to eat them, or torture them, or do whatever it took to hear them scream. There was nothing Arthur could do would stop them unless he wanted his army to be hypnotised into the trance as well.

He shared a look with Alfred, and with Basch, Ludwig, and Ivan, who appeared to be coming to the same realisation he was. They could only do one more thing. Without the ability to explain it in detail without revealing himself, Arthur did what he could to convey his plan. Luckily, his army caught on.

Alfred flew over to cover Arthur, shielding him from view. Basch and Ivan went towards the front of the crowd, leading the others with them so they took the brunt of the demon's approach. Ludwig flew out in front of them all, turning to face the angels.

"You have to leave!" he yelled at them, raising his wings and baring his teeth to frighten them, trying urge them to fly away. "Go now! Unless you want to be eaten alive!"

Startled, the angels fluttered further away, while Arthur, Alfred, Ivan, and the others tried to shove off the approaching demons. It was beginning to cause a stir, and fights were breaking out. It was becoming more and more dangerous the longer the angels waited.

But, finally, Arthur peeked back just as Feliciano flew up, leading the others with him. He had chosen a bad time to look, because he could have sworn that he and Feliciano locked eyes for just a moment, a moment long enough to be significant. Did Feliciano recognise him? Arthur had no idea, but it certainly felt like it. Before the demons could really react to follow them, the angels took off and soared up high in the sky, heading back towards Heaven.

"Fall back!" Arthur hollered. "Head for the alley!"

O~o~O

Francis flew over as fast as he could as soon as he heard the news. The group Feliciano had flown out with had returned, finally, and Francis wanted to be the first to hear from the ginger-haired angel. He'd heard something about them being in danger, something had exposed them to the demons they were meant to observe. He could only wonder…

"Feliciano!" he called out, reaching for the angel. He was trembling, and it made Francis concerned. "Feli, are you alright? What happened-?"

Turning abruptly, Feliciano faced Francis with a wide smile. "Francis! I saw him!" before Francis could reply, Feliciano grabbed his arm and flew a distance away from the rest of the angels. He seemed barely able to control his excitement, and hugged Francis before he could react.

Smiling gently, Francis hugged him back. "Saw who?" he questioned calmly.

"I saw Arthur!"

O~o~O

Hey, y'all! Before I go into the stuff about this chapter, I have a very special shoutout for a very special someone :D I met her only recently, but she's already such a great friend and deserves this and more! Mana, or y'all might know her as gallifreyanlibertea or thedoctorwatcheshetalia! Today, the 26th, is her birthday XD So here's to Mana, the sweetest girl ever like ahhh I wish I could hug you! I'm so proud and so happy for you, keep writing and being awesome!

So! Hey, it's been awhile ^.^' This chapter was called Ruled By Secrecy! Originally, it was supposed to be a Linkin Park song, but this Muse song went better with the overall theme. If it were to be sung, it would be sung by Arthur, but perhaps in his dream he'd sing this. That dream in the beginning where he was in Heaven? Yea, I think that's where he'd sing it. And then just gradually over the course of the chapter, it'd build up to that climactic chorus XD

I didn't actually put much lyrical input at all, and the little I did wasn't even from Ruled By Secrecy XD In the dream, I put little quotes that go "Aping my soul...You stole my Overture...Trapped in God's program...Oh I can't escape..." Which is from another Muse song :P This is just getting complicated, sorry XD I'll try to explain, though.

As you all know, Messenger is progressing through arcs. This is where it gets really confusing; there is a very obvious timeline of arcs, and that would be the previous one, The Blackout Arc, and then this one, The Resistance Arc. And then there's separate arcs that cover the course of the entire story. For example, there is The Drones Arc, which is the Muse album that will be a recurring thematic type motif, and then there's The Exogenesis Arc.

The Exogenesis Symphony, is only three songs from the album The Resistance(three movements to the symphony, kinda) and, like The Drones Arc, it will cover the entire story, only, not with nine or ten songs, but just the three XD It's more of a general theme that follows a couple of arcs, representing plot and character development. We are still in Exogenesis Symphony Part One: Overture, which is absolutely gorgeous and where the random lyrical quotes in Arthur's dream come from. If you actually listened to the song, you might not be able to understand what Bellamy is saying, but trust me, those are the lyrics XD I might not make the symphonies actual chapters, it just depends on how the story progresses. Anyway, so you'll be seeing more of that first part of the symphony!

Isn't it sad how Arthur doesn't realise Feliciano seeing him is a good thing? XD Feliciano is like "AHHH HE'S ALIVE" and Arthur's like "AHHH THE ANGELS ARE COMING FOR ME"

...And then you have Alfred, who's just like "Dude, chill" XD

Alright! So, Disclaimer** I don't own the bible, Muse, Linkin Park, sweet Mana(:D), the thing about salt being a weapon against demons, or Hetalia :D

The cover image was drawn by Makoyana! Who, btw, is trying to become an official artist for Muse's next album or single, and she could really use help! You can help us by going on Twitter or Instagram and -ing the band, or any of the members, and using the #Makoyana!

Do you guys like my new name? Tbh I changed it because of recent world events...The outcome of November will determine whether or not I change it back to Innocence or keep Resistance...XD

~Madz