Disclaimer: The characters Megido, Zohar Sandalphon, Zohar Metatron, and all Silhouette Mirage related characters are property of Treasure. Please don't sue me. I lack any sort of treasure of my own. AKA, I have no money.

Author Notes: Been a little while, yes, I apologize. School is still a big factor I have to deal with, and it really kills my writing inspiration. I do enough writing on the homework alone. :( As for the title being unrelated to the story, I have some chapters planned out ahead in my mind that will have something to do with the city. I've got a real nice story angle for it, though "Cause and Effect" might relate to something different than you would think. For the most part, this is still an experimental Fic, and I'm playing with different ideas, right now is the crossover idea, though it looks like nobody knew who that character was (The first disclaimer might help, unless you've absolutely never played such an underappreciated game. ). Also, Laharl/Flonne scenes, at this moment I don't know, but I could not say that anyways cause it would be a spoiler, however minor or major. :P This chapter may feel a bit rushed, but I've got to get out of the prologues and into the main story. Xx

Chapter Notes: Minor cursing, sexual reference, death scene.

Chapter 4: Prologue Part 4

The surge of lightning hurtled towards Laharl, but he spun around, and raised his arms, holding them out and spreading his fingers, palms open.

"Not enough!" The prince called out, and as he did, the Kill Wave channeled up into his hands, absorbing into the tips of his fingers and entering his body, causing him to glow green for a second. "Hah!" Lowering his arms, Laharl snickered and grinned.

The strange man began clapping, nodding his head slowly and smiling. "Very good Overlord! You responded to my attack very promptly. Unfortunately, you are not watching your back, and this will cost you a fair injury in consequence. So sorry." As he said this, Laharl spun around, just in time to see a cluster of pink energy slam into him and send him sprawling backwards, dazed and confused.

"Ahhhh!" Laharl called out, shaking off the trails of wispy pink that were still clinging to him. "Oh what now? More? You brought more people here? ISN'T THIS PLACE SUPPOSED TO BE ALL DESERTED AND…CRAP?"

"Temper, temper, child! I'm sure you'll like our special guest…I believe she's a friend of yours, and she's been just dying to see you. No really! DYING!" The man cackled psychotically, and his demeanor changed some, his eyes glowing a dark red. "So so sad, really. I wanted to test you myself. Even hoping to kill you. But I shall leave that up to her. Come on out, girlie girl."

Saying this, a figure emerges from the shadows, a pink aura flowing around her and illuminating her.

"Etna?" Laharl's eyes were widened, and he backed up a step. Oh come on…not this scenario again.

As Etna came into full view, it was obvious she had been changed too. She dawned on her a tight, studded leather outfit, much resembling one a dominatrix would wear. Small gems, what appeared to be diamonds, ran down the length of her legs on the suit, and he wore on her head a crown, as well as a tiara decorated with a large emerald in the center. Perhaps completing the whole domination image was the fact that she was carrying a whip in her right hand, and wearing a spiked knuckle in her left.

"Ohhhh Priiiiinnnncccceee…how do'ya like my new outfit? I thought it'd be just right for you! I know you're into this sort of thing." She grinned devilishly and cracked the whip. "Or so that picture would tell us."

The overlord's eyes became widened and his cheeks red. "Hey! You…you shut up about that!" For the moment, he forgot about the dangerous position he was in, caught up in embarrassment.

"Awwww, poor thing! Poor poor widdle baaaaabbbbiiiieee!" Etna taunted him and laughed, sticking her tongue out and pulling up an eyelid. "Pffffbbbbbttttt!"

"Hey! Stop that! Are you on something?" This was really starting to get on Laharl's nerves. What began as a deserted, destroyed city, was now slowly gaining populace in the form of possessed friends and "psychotic gentlemen", as it was.

Laharl could not have prepared himself for what happened next, as Etna grabbed her head, and screamed in agony, falling to her knees. Violently shaking her, it was like she was trying to force something out of her. "Pr…PRINCE! You…RUN! GET OUT OF HERE! YOU CAN'T STAY HERE! PLEASE, PRINCE!" Tears were streaming down Etna's eyes, and she appeared to be in a great deal of pain.

The Prince was about to rush to Etna's side, but he found a sword suddenly pressed against his back, and he froze. A voice like nothing he had ever heard before came from his yet-unseen assailant. "The future of this world…of your world…of my world…the future of your friends…your family…and the one you love…depend on you." It sounded low, the voice of a male. But it had an aura to it, like it was coming from the mouth of a great beast. It was not loud, but unnatural.

Etna buried her face in the ground, crying quietly. "Prince…we should not have come here…this wasn't our business…I'm sorry…"

Laharl could not move, for if he did, he risked death by the blade that held him there. "I don't understand any of this…everything is just so damn confusing in this place!" The blade pressed a bit harder, and Laharl remained still, waiting for an opportunity to escape and save Etna.

"You do not remember why you came here. You are confused and you do not understand the events that have transpired thus far. In due time, these things you will know. But here your journey must begin. You have a new purpose, and it is not overlord that you were born to be. You were born to save us. To save us all."

The prince was enraged. Who in the nine hells did this person think he was? Telling Laharl what HIS purpose was? "Just….SHUT THE HELL UP!" He whirled around, kicked the sword out of the attacker's hand, and forced a blast of pure destructive force at the foe. But as the blast collided with the now floating figure, it simply vanished. "Not this again! Come on, can't you guys be hurt?"

"Your journey must begin. You…are already late." The enemy was a strange one indeed, even more so than the gentleman. He was a short, floating, humanoid looking person, with a pale white face and a long pointed nose. On his body he wore a sort of purple armor that was custom designed for him. The armor extended out onto plates that ended in sharp points on his shoulders. He wore a helmet that was in much the same fashion as the armor, and it went up into two long spikes that extended up and off his head. The humanoid had golden blonde hair that was perfectly straightened and extended down his back. His eyes, however, seemed to define him the most. Red eyes, with pink irises centered on pitch black pupils, they contained within them both a very deep, dark evil, but also something else…

A new blade appeared in the assailants hands, but this one was not made out of metal. It seemed more like a beam, fashioned into the likeness of a blade.

"This is all very confusing, isn't it Prince? Your entire life is going to change. I'm sorry it has to be so quick like this. Time is of the essence, however, and there is little I can do to change it." He spoke.

Laharl fumed, and finally lost it, bringing his fist back, he slammed it forward, right into the floating figure's face. The humanoid recoiled, bringing up his arms to shield him. "Tell me what's going on! This is all just stupid and I want some answers NOW! Where are the rest of my Vassals?"

The humanoid lunged forward, grabbing Laharl by the throat, and slowly floating into the air. "Listen to me, and listen well, Prince. Your time in this world is already short; do NOT make it any shorter by angering me!" Spinning around, he flung the Overlord off into the distance, straight towards a building. However, the gentleman intercepted, and brought Laharl to an abrupt but safe stop with a field of energy.

"Zohar…" The gentleman spoke. "Now is not the time to be picking on the prince." Slowly, he lowered Laharl to the ground, and dropped him. The Overlord was obviously not too happy about this, and spouted some curse words at the two. "Give him the answers he wants, or else I am afraid he'll have a tantrum."

Zohar crossed his arms and grinned. "Yeah, alright then. You get the abridged version. My name is Zohar Metatron, and that man is Megido. We don't need to go into longwinded details about who we our, but suffice to say, you have to listen to us now, Prince." Cackling with mocking pleasure, Zohar traced his sword across the ground, cutting a fine line into the concrete.

Stomping his foot, Laharl shook his head. "You? You're both just a couple of weirdoes. I don't have to listen to you. This is really stupid, I'm gone. Come on Etna!" But as he turned around, Etna was standing up again, slowly moving the whip back and forth, chuckling softly, her eyes closed, tears going down her cheeks ever still. It was like she had two completely different emotions going on at once.

"Your Vassals could not handle this place as you could, Prince. I'm afraid they are no longer the ones you knew before. In fact, with further passage of time, the ones you knew will no longer exist." Megido snickered softly, brushing the petals of the rose along his lips. "You remain unaffected by the power of this city. By it's curse. That's why you have to be the one to stop it."

But Laharl ignored him. Instead, he ran to Etna, and reached for her hand, to lead her out of there. It would not be so, however, as she reared the whip back, and snapped it across his face, causing him a bellow of pain, and forcing him onto his knees. "I'm sorry…" Her words were sincere, but it was like she could no longer control herself. Lifting her foot, she planted her heel on Laharl's chest and forced him to lie down on the ground, the immense pain from the whip having stunned him.

Zohar approached steadily, still wielding his blade. "I guess we will do this the hard way. He won't cooperate. Any objections, Megido?"

Clutching the rose, Megido came to stand over the prince. Bending down, he lightly placed the flower on Laharl's forehead, then stood up straight and looked away. "Go on. I do say it's quite brutish…but, eh, for the good of the world, no?"

Laughing, Zohar raised his blade into the air. "It is not this world I care about, Megido. Remember that." Pausing for a moment, Zohar sighed lightly. "We can't explain it all to you now, Overlord, but you will understand. Now…sleep well." Without any further hesitation, Zohar plunged the blade, right into Laharl's chest. His eyes became wide as the steel entered his body, and he clutched at the blade. Etna fell to her knees, and screamed, covering her eyes and sobbing quietly.

It was unfair. Laharl still knew nothing of what was going on, and now, as he was slipping into the dark void of death, he didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to his Vassals. His eyes were closed tightly, and the pain started to fade away. Things were slowly becoming…peaceful. The prince never really expected to die anytime soon. Especially not in such a messed up situation. But…now that he thought about it…it wasn't as bad as he thought. It hurt…but that was going away. It was kind of like falling into a deep sleep.

He wondered how much longer he would be conscious. He wondered what would now happen to his Vassals. Thinking about it…were they really his Vassals anymore? He had always called them that…but he had been with them so long. Of course he did think of them as friends, too, but the subordinate mentality had still been there. But, maybe, maybe all along…he had thought himself…equal to them. They were more than his friends…they had become his family. Even hoggmeiser, strange as it would seem. He had no other family after all…

Was he just going to die in such a stupid situation? Was he just going to leave his family there, in that messed up place? Did he have a choice? Of course…of course he did! How could the Overlord succumb so easily to the blade? He was the ruler of the Netherworld! This was no way for someone like him to die…he had pride and he had family. Two things, he realized, that were extremely important to him.

He could feel the last bit of his conscious world fading away. Moments before falling into the darkness of death, the Prince had one last thought. I'll come back for you guys. Count on it…