Yay another chapter done. Hope it being a bit shorter is not a problem.

Chapter 24
"The visions of the World Above"

He only just started telling this story and he already feels exhausted. Emissary now was mentally preparing himself to continue this accursed tale. After a minute he finally continued.

"Few hundred years have passed since that day. The Rotting Mountains finally fade away and with them the body of that Forgotten Lord and no one ever get to know about his demise, but then again, I don't think anyone really cared about it or even noticed it..." Emissary became more and more detached as he talked about that Supreme, soon enough he also stopped caring "Ever since the Mountains were gone I decided to waste my time with fighting other strong Devils. Most of them were quite pathetic. Some weren't even able to fight off the effects of my magic. Although there were some that did put up a good fight, but it was very rare... I won often, but no victory ever felt truly sweet. With time my emotions slowly grew numb, my heart became empty and my magic lost power with them, but even then I still rarely lost. It all became so dull. Until I met him again..."

In the past

Another fight, another dull victory. This one at least managed to get some blood out of him this time, but it was not enough... nothing that could get his heart to start beating fast again. Now that he thinks about it the only Devil that ever managed to almost beat him in the last few years was that one extremely powerful Middle... In a way that memory is probably the only one that still can bring out some kind of emotions from him... Although he couldn't tell if that feeling was that of admiration or embarrassment. Then as that memory also started to go back into depths of his mind he decided to look at the sky, look at the border between their world and World Above. The World they desired and yet were never meant to see. But as he looked closer he saw something, a shadow moving down from the doors themselves. The gargantuan wings carrying an enormous creature of tremendous power that he could feel even from so far away. As this thing got closer he saw it's tail... It was in shape of a spiral. That's when he remembered. That odd Devil from Rotting Mountains. The one that killed a Lord. And before he knew it, he landed right next to him. And just like last time, the world has stopped moving for a moment.

"Hello!" And yet this Devil greeted him with a warm smile on his face.

But something was different about him. He was far less meek and awkward and this presence of his, somehow it grew smaller and yet became more overwhelming at the same time. But what really mattered to him was something else. Gone for hundreds of years...

"Where have you been?" He had to know

Maybe he will get an explanation for his change as well. But this Devil said nothing, he just pointed up with his right hand. And that's when he noticed something. Strange pieces of cloth covering his hands. The material used on them was black and looked almost like fur found on some Lower Devils.

"That's it?" But his vague answer was rather underwhelming "Hundreds of years you spend roaming the upper corners of our world?"

On that, the Great one shook his head.

"No." And his voice became more serious as his hand kept pointing up...

Then it hit him. He was... There.

"You were..! How? Were you summoned!?"

"No." And this time his tone made it sound like he was insulted by this insinuation

This answer made him both confused and uneasy. Then the Great Devil showed him his wrapped by cloth hands.

"Ever since you made me get my hands from the ground... I was afraid." He put his both hands together as his voice became more awkward "And my power... whatever that Supreme Devil did, it made me lose great amount of control over my magic. This horrific power, killing a Lord, loss of control... I wanted to run... Far away..."

His voice started to sound far more similar to what he was used to all those years ago.

"And run I did. Until I was on the border between worlds." He looked up at the doors "I didn't know what to do. My entire being was consumed by fear and then... I touched the doors. I wanted to run... And the small part of the doors... opened."

That part made him stunned... He... was able to open the doors... By himself? What was this Devil!?

"You ran..." He needed some time to process that information "Into World above..."

"Yes." Now his voice became more confident again

But this raised more questions. Many, MANY questions, but there was one that he couldn't keep hidden away.

"Then why are you here?"

World Above. The world every Devil desires. A world that Devils want to toy with, to ruin it, to drive it into chaos. Why would a Devil come back here? Especially if he wasn't summoned... It made no sense...

"I met an Angel..." He spread his hands out in the air

"..." And just like that all of the questions died down. This Devil was a lunatic.

"I'm going away." And he tried to when suddenly...

"WAIT PLEASE!" Lunatic screamed as he was leaving

As he turned around he saw this Great Devil very close to him. He could almost feel his breath. His hand almost touched his body... almost. For some reason he never grabbed him or even touched him and his hand was shaking. Then he moved away. That was seriously uncomfortable, but he decided to not try to go away for now. If only for his own safety.

"I... I know how it sounds, but-"

"You are insane!" He had to spell it out for him... and for the first time in a long while he felt such a sudden burst of emotions

"Maybe, but if you saw what I did-"

"I didn't and I will never see it!" He just wanted him to stop talking

He didn't want to have ANYTHING to do with this crazy Devil.

"But... maybe you can!"

That was almost funny.

"How?!" His rage was great, but even it started to die down as he talked more with him "How could I!?"

On that he grabbed of one of the cloths hiding his hands and removed it, it looked just as he remembered, bone white, the dark energy oozing out of it and there was unnatural cold emanating from them. And then the image of that Supreme Devil with crushed Heart appeared in his mind again... And their long gone eyes...

"OH NONONONO!" And that memory definitely made him VERY wary of this Devil's touch "You will not touch me with that thing! I want to live!"

His patience was at an end and so he turned away yet again.

"NO!" Great Devil screamed again causing him to stop moving "I didn't want to-... Please."

Those fucking pleads. It made him sick.

"Why the fuck do you bother me with this!?" He turned back to him and this never ending nightmare...

Even though this Devil was still far larger than him... he also seemed far smaller now. Even while having to look up at this mentally broken Devil it almost felt like he was looking down on this lunatic now. He didn't know what to think about it. No. He knew. Such a power wasted on someone like this! Why was he bothering HIM of all Devils?! WHY!?

"Because..." He reached out with his exposed hand "You were my first... and only friend."

...

...

Those words were... strange to say the least. They felt so alien. All this time he was murdering and hurting other Devils and when he wasn't doing that he was secluding himself from all that filth. And now he was supposed to be some Devil's friend? Did this concept even exist in their world?

"You are the one that was describing me all those landscapes of those Mountains. You told me so much about yourself. Kept me company and listened to me. And you gave me this freedom from that spot. And we got to even know our names without even saying them." All of it was... true "How can I consider you anything, but my friend?"

Silence was his only answer. The Great Devil just kept reaching out with his hand.

"Please. Trust me." Devil's hand got a little bit closer, but never touched his body "I will try my absolute hardest not to harm you. I only wish to show you."

Ridiculous. That's what it was. What was going on right now was nothing short of complete lunacy. And yet... his hand unwillingly moved up. Did this damn magic of this Devil worked at range too!? But it was of no matter because before he knew it he touched the Devils hand and as a slight pain ran through his head the visions flooded his mind.

Visions of bright light, a sky in a calm blue color. With snow lazily drifting upon it and slowly dissipating. The landscapes of all kind, some similar to Rotting Mountains.. other ones unlike anything he ever saw before like the great bodies of water with endless horizon. The visions of darkness as well. Shining Diamonds filling the dark sky. The great white orb at it's center. The green grounds and strange plants flowing in the wind. The smells he never knew, the sounds so calm one could almost go insane from listening to them, sometimes the snow of the sky covered it entirely and grew darker, it seemed like it was also unfreezing and water fell down from the sky, the storm, the name rings as the bolts of lightning tore through the sky.

Images of creatures, some looking like Low Devils... and yet they seemed so alien too, some small and harmless, some giant and threatening, some really small and really annoying, but all of them so alien. And then, the people. To him none of them worth of note and yet... they felt so familiar. All of them with bright smiles, hopeful eyes, peaceful voices. He could feel the urge to crush them grow stronger, he wanted to tear them apart, make them despair..., but then this feeling passed and he felt empty until he saw her... A small being carrying enormous pieces of cloth made of a strange dark creature among the army of similar white creatures. Her face bearing the brightest smile of all. Name? She has a name... Mary. Is that supposed to be... an Angel? And as the hands of a Devil take the pieces of cloth the vision fades.

And then his eyes open to a reality he was in. It was dark, dirty... He never felt so empty before and at the same time so... infuriated. He wanted to burn this entire realm...

"That world is a beautiful place..." The Great Devil says as he puts on the piece of cloth back on his hand "And that angel..."

Mary... But... something was off there... Although he couldn't really pinpoint what it was.

"At that moment I realized my purpose... The reason for my existence." His voice grew stronger and stronger and soon enough it was like that of a true lord "Who I am..."

"Who are you?" The question rang again from all those years ago... Lunatic? A Supreme Lord? Friend? Or Enemy?

"Our kind... is a horrific one." now his voice was slowly filled malice and distain "Our purpose is seemingly just to destroy that world. To ruin it, to desecrate the beauty of that world. We are like flies flying around this filth of our world and we desire above all to bring this filth into that world as well and corrupt it. And my purpose if you will is to prevent this. To guard that world from us."

"Right..." He didn't like where this was going "And what does that have to do with me?"

"To fulfill that purpose I need help and you are my only friend." He placed his giant hand on his shoulder "I want you to help me. So we can both grow beyond this terrible nature"

"..."

That was so surreal. This Devil right now asks him to go against their kind in order to protect the world they themselves want destroyed... Then again. Is that so strange to him? He already was fighting and killing Devils for a few hundred years. Why not give this purpose? A point... Make it meaningful... But there was one other thing on his mind.

"And if I don't agree?" He had to be careful here

"Then you are free to go..." Lord waved his hand towards the space behind him "Towards you I have no ill will. I believe whatever you will choose will be correct."

"(He definitely puts too much faith into me. It makes me sick.)" He felt both rage and regret slowly growing in his heart "And what would I do for you?"

But he didn't stop.

"Spread my word. Help other Devils see that the World Above doesn't need to be ruined. Bring them to me so I can show them the beauty of that world." His smile grew wider as he described it to him "You will be my Emissary."

So naive...

"Most of them wont agree with you." That was the truth this Devil had to realize "Most of them will only desire it's destruction more... What then?"

Then the black energy started to even go through the pieces of cloth on his hands and his demeanor grew to be far more terrifying.

"Then I will do with them what you do with a fly." He almost clenched his fists, but stopped himself for some reason "I will remove them... Crush them... Convert them in other way. I will become their Lord and I will change them to be better... Our kind is a strong one... Horrific one... With potential to lay waste to all the worlds What other way there could possibly be?!"

"So you will become Lord of the Flies..." He proposed

"That's a nice name... for someone like me." His voice was strange mix of happiness and... self depravation.

"And if they lie?" That is also a possibility

"I will know." Lord of the Flies said with confidence "That's why I trust you completely."

This whole ordeal made his skin crawl. This "Lord" was a lunatic through and through. But... The image of their race, peaceful, with more desires than simple destruction... Free of this filth... It made him eager to try. Was it this Devil's influence? Or... he truly believes him?

"And before you ask..." Lord of the Flies calmed down more and his magic stopped going through the cloth "I will never try to control you. I know you and I know that you will make the right choice. Whatever it may be. And you know me."

"(And I know you wouldn't lie about this...)" The thoughts were crushing against his mind...

The decision was already made as the image of the Spiral from Rotting Mountains came back...

"I will join you..." He got down on one knee and bowed his head "As an Emissary... My Lord."

"Please... Don't call me that. Sounds weird." Lord of the Flies scratched back of his head "And you don't have to kneel."

"For fuck sake..." Emissary was very annoyed with him again "(That is the only way you can be addressed)."

He thought to himself when he looked upon him, a Devil so enormous in both size and power... What other name you could have for someone like this?

Present

"You actually believed this lunatic?" Lucifugus asked with seemingly little regard for this story.

But Emissary could tell. He was silently listening to the whole story, taking in every detail.

"For the most part... No." he shook his head "I thought in most ways he was just insane... But ever since I saw those Mountains that day. I saw that Devil's body and when I finally agreed... I believed there was SOME purpose to all of it. A purpose for him... and me."

Emissary became quiet as he looked at Healer and Pen and everything around him. His... new purpose. All the while Pen and Healer were very quiet, one couldn't tell if they were intrigued or scared.

"And now?" Lucifugus asked again, this time with more curious tone.

This question went deep into Emissary's mind.

"And now... It's all gone." And looked down at his feet

...

In the past

"TO CELEBRATE OUR FRIENDSHIP LET'S GO TO THE MOUNTAINS!" He pointed in the direction where they used to be "Let's see a new shape they took!"

His Lord happily spread his wings and prepared to fly with him.

"They are gone..." But sadly the reality was far more cruel "They faded away about a hundred years ago."

Emissary quickly brought it down on him. To minimize the damage

"Oh..." It didn't seem to help much as his wings fell down...

It was quite amusing.

TBC in chapter 25
"A War long passed"

Again, I know this one is a bit shorter, but the next one will have a bit more in it. More action and return of a certain character. Hopefully it will be worth the wait.