CHAPTER XVII

The Coming Storm

"Okay," Lilly sighed as she finished sending Astor, Leon, Yuan, and Ivory back into the real world. "Now, how the heck do we get back to Vacuo? This whole space-time shifting thing is really confusing."

You're telling me, Lilith said.

"Hey, are you all right now?"

No. I was having fun beating the shit out of Ivory. Now I gotta kill something to let out that frustration.

"Okay, kill Grimm or something, not my cousin, please."

Yeah, yeah, whatever. Hey, don't you miss Leon and them?

Her heart skipped a beat. "Of course I do. But we have important stuff to take care of. Vacuo is about to start a war with Atlas and we need to stop it."

How exactly were we planning on doing that?

Lilly didn't answer.

Of course.

"Either way, we're lost. And we somehow ended up in Mistral's Labyrinth instead of Vacuo."

Dude, we've been traveling all over the freakin' world, not just Vacuo and Mistral, you know. Remember the other day when we ended up out in the middle of bumfuck, nowhere?

"I have no idea how any of this works!"

Ariadne's probably panicking right about now, too. And Demetri, and Ruby, and Jaune.

"Ugh, we have to figure out a way to get back without having to walk all across the planet."

Your guess is as good as mine, dude.

With no other recourse, Lilly began walking.

Any idea where you're headed?

"Not really. I'm hoping we warp back just like we warped this way."

What if we warp to, like Atlas instead?

As soon as Lilith finished her sentence, their environment began to distort all around them. Mistral's buildings morphed into massive, concrete structures that reached into the sky.

"Are you serious?" Lilly sighed.

Hey, that wasn't me, okay?

"You jinxed us!"

Oh, shut up!

"Ugh! Where the heck do we go now?"

Ivory slowly opened her eyes. She was dizzy, but at least she was able to regain consciousness. She looked around. Darkness surrounded her, but there was a faint light source in the distance. Lightning flashed, illuminating everything around her for a moment. She was still in the Labyrinth's Third Layer. That was clear from the blood red sky, whose glow reached her even as other light sources failed to extend beyond fifteen yards.

"I can't believe you lost the girl, you idiot."

"Shut your mouth! I'm not the one who screwed up the magic!"

"You'd better watch your tongue, Tyrian, before I cut it out."

"I'd like to see you try, Fall Maiden! I'm not the one who was beaten by a little brat!"

Ivory hid herself behind a broken wall. Somehow, her captors no longer had her in their possession. She needed to get to safety. On second thought, there were no safe places in the Labyrinth. She had no magic to protect her here either. Stupid as it may be, she might be better off revealing herself so that she could stay within the protective magical bubble of the Fall Maiden, whose power enabled her to assert reality around her to some extent.

The problem would solve itself in short order. Ivory turned to face a foe she had never seen before, a man dressed in black clothing, though from the golden halos that filled his irises, she knew that he was no ordinary man.

"Why the hell do we count on humans to do our work anyway?" he sighed heavily before moving faster than her eye could see. He had her in an iron grip before she could even react.

"What do you want with me?" she said without bothering to struggle.

"You're not going to fight back?"

"What's the point? You're one of those Daemon things, aren't you?"

He released her, confident in his ability to subdue her if she decided to resist. "We prefer the term Greater Daemon. It helps to distinguish us from those ugly things that can't even make themselves presentable before an audience."

"There she is!" Tyrian yelled before darting to them.

"You're lucky I was around. Should I tell your mistress that you screwed up?"

"N-No! Please, Asmodeus! Don't tell my mistress!"

"Gods, this is disturbing. Fine, I won't tell Tamiel. Make sure you don't screw up in the future, understand?"

"Yes! Yes! Thank you for your leniency!"

"You followed us," Cinder said. Emerald and Mercury were right behind her.

"Of course," Asmodeus said. "And it's a good thing I did. Otherwise, you four would have lost this one."

"I'm surprised you aren't running away," Mercury said to Ivory, who glared back without a word.

"I'll be joining you since you can't seem to get a simple job done correctly," Asmodeus said.

"Hmph," Cinder grunted.

"Cinder, you may possess the advantage in the real world, but do not forget that you are on my territory now. If I were so inclined, I could have torn you limb from limb."

"Why don't you, then?"

"Because Azazel is so fascinated with you." He turned to Ivory. "Will you follow us willingly?"

"Do I have a choice?" she said.

"You do. Either you come without a fuss or I beat you into submission. Whichever you prefer. I am perfectly capable of keeping Wrath under control, unlike my brother and his aspect, but I also can channel it quite well."

"I'll come peacefully, then."

"You're smart. Just like your mother. This way."

"I don't understand," Ivory said as she followed after the Greater Daemon. "Why don't you just beat me up to be certain? You have not even disarmed me."

"You believe that my kin and I should be behaving more like stereotypical bad guys out of a movie, do you?"

"I at least expected you to be more cautious."

"Do you believe you have what it takes to draw your weapon and stab me in the back?"

She didn't answer.

"There you have it. I must add, too, that I'm impressed at your self-control. You're superior to your mother in that regard."

"You seem to know a lot about my family."

"Of course. We've taken a great interest in you."

"Who is 'we'?"

"Myself and my kin, of course."

"I don't suppose you're gonna share your goals with me, are you?"

"A world in which we are free to walk in the light without burning. That is all Azazel wishes for."

"That seems a bit shallow."

Asmodeus smiled. "I did not expect a creature such as yourself to understand. You are blessed to walk among both light and shadow, though you live a short existence. We, on the other hand, have been around for millennia, cursed to forever roam the darkness, expelled by the light itself."

"I mean, aren't you supposed to be evil or something? It's in the name, after all."

"I thought you might understand us better than others. After all, you, too, wish to break away from the chains placed upon you by your society and your lineage. Or am I mistaken?"

He wasn't mistaken at all. These are things that dwelled deep in her heart. She always had dreams of living with her mother outside of the sphere of the Atlas Military, outside of the realm of the Schnee Family. She had always wanted to escape everything, but each time the thoughts sprouted in her mind, she would stamp them out, never permitting herself to be distracted from her destiny.

"Do you believe that you have chosen your destiny for yourself?" Asmodeus asked her.

She didn't answer.

"If you do believe that to be the case, then forget what I have said. But if what you have is not what you want, perhaps you should pursue what you truly desire."

Really, where the heck are you going?

"I don't know!" Lilly yelled back.

Yo, relax, okay? We're still in the Third Layer. There could be Corrupted near by, for shit's sake.

Lilly sighed heavily. "Lilith, please, just, stop being mean."

Being mean? What?

"Something feels funny about something in this direction."

Could you be any more vague?

"Shh."

Lilly stuck to barriers and shadows, keeping hidden from unseen threats.

I'm sensing something.

"Me, too."

If you need me to take over, let me know.

Lilly continued to advance toward that strong presence. It was in the middle of Atlas, but as she neared the center of the sensation, her surroundings began to warp yet again. She was no longer in the streets of Atlas, but in what looked to be a medieval town, complete with a castle in the distance.

"What the?" she said, looking around in shock.

Is this a personal Labyrinth?

"I thought you would know the answer to that."

It can't be. I don't sense any serious distortion.

"But I'm pretty sure we just walked right through a distortion field."

Yeah, me, too, but this space is stable.

"What could it be?"

Now you've got me curious, too.

"What is this place?" Ivory asked as they walked toward the large castle in the distance.

"This space that has manifested before you right now is a result of us forcing a reality in this world," Asmodeus said. "The physical appearance is merely a whim of its creators. My kin can be nostalgic at times. Often they will build these bubbles of reality to resemble our old home."

"You lived in a castle?"

"Not always, but there were many castles where we're from."

Screams came from the grand stone building, growing louder as they neared.

"Are you torturing people?" Ivory asked the Greater Daemon.

"Only the ones that need to be tortured," he said matter-of-factly. "Not all of those screams are torture, however. They are tormented, without a doubt, but not necessarily active torture. This place is the World of Shadow, after all. Or, as you call it, the Labyrinth, a reflection of the souls of humankind. Many who find themselves trapped in this world are doomed to exist in their own personal hells."

Ivory fought to contain her horror as they passed through corridors lined with cells that held countless people, each one in some state of agony. As she looked into every cage, she noticed a frightening pattern. Some of the cells contained not tortured humans, but Corrupted, some crying, some screaming in terror, some shouting in rage, some laughing hysterically.

"Are you the ones who manufacture the Corrupted?" she managed to ask.

"Corrupted?" Asmodeus said. "Is that what you call them?"

She nodded.

"We simply call them the Lost, but I suppose Corrupted works perfectly for them. No, we do not create them. They simply come to be. Anyone lost in their own despair ends up this way. It is the natural progression of one lost within the Labyrinth."

They finally came to a central chamber, where other darkly dressed people were present. Cinder and her two followers headed down a different corridor, disappearing into the darkness, while Tyrian ran to one of the only two women of the group.

"Mistress!" he yelled maniacally before lying in her lap. "Did I please you?"

"You did, Tyrian," the woman said with a smile.

Ivory couldn't believe her eyes. How could Salem be here? She was supposed to be sealed away. She had seen that place during a field trip years ago and she knew exactly how she looked.

"Are you seeing the illusion as well?" Asmodeus said to her.

She looked up at him.

"I suppose it's not surprising given your mortal eyes. Tamiel takes on the form of Salem, whom Tyrian obsesses over, for the purpose of placating him."

"That's..." she trailed off.

"Asmodeus, you've finally arrived!"

"Azazel," he said with a bow.

"Ah, and our esteemed guest! Welcome to Castle...Castle..." He turned to the others. "What did we name this place again?"

"We didn't name it," the sternest of the group said.

"Careful, Samael," Tamiel said. "You'll be accused of ruining the fun again."

"None of this is supposed to be fun," Samael said. "We all have a job to do."

"Ivory Schnee, yes?" Azazel said. "How would you like to name our castle? It does move quite often, depending on where it is we gather, corresponding to the physical world, anyway."

"What do you want from me?" Ivory said.

"That's a strange one. Castle What Do You Want From Me. I think it has too many syllables."

Some of the Greater Daemons chuckled.

"Azazel," Samael said, his voice echoing.

"S-Sorry," Azazel said, clearing his throat. "Miss Ivory Schnee, thank you for joining us. You will discover your purpose soon enough, but first, please, enjoy your stay at our castle."

Two maids appeared to either side of Ivory, offering her food and drink.

"I assure you that those are perfectly safe to consume. We may be in the world you call the Labyrinth, but this bubble of reality is perfectly under our control. This world is quite malleable to beings such as ourselves, after all."

"I appreciate your hospitality, but I hope you understand if I don't quite trust you."

"A shrewd girl you are. I expected this response. Eisheth, Tamiel, would you two beautiful ladies mind escorting her to her room?"

Tamiel giggled while Eisheth let out a sigh.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Azazel," Eisheth said.

"Oh, don't be like that. You should enjoy yourself a little more. Like Tamiel!"

"Mm-hmm."

"Ivory, yes?" Tamiel said. "I am Tamiel, this is Eisheth. Will you come join us?"

The behavior of these Greater Daemons was quite unnerving to Ivory, but she had no choice in the matter. She was in a room with eight beings that possessed the power to shape reality around them in the Labyrinth. There was absolutely no escape for her. Resisting would only result in unnecessary harm.

"You have quite the control over your fight and flight response," Eisheth said, leading the way upstairs. "I'm impressed."

"I know which battles to fight and which ones to let go of," Ivory said.

"I assure you, we aren't here to fight you. If we were, you'd have known about it by now."

"You mean how you sent that crony of yours to kidnap me?"

"You must understand," Tamiel began, "we cannot maintain our physical forms in your world just yet. Not for long, anyway. We unfortunately have to resort to such tactics as hiring those from your world to do our bidding. Otherwise, I would have collected you myself and I assure you that your treatment would have been much better."

"Did Tyrian harm you, by the way?" Eisheth asked.

"Nothing beyond the superficial when he yanked me off the ground," Ivory said.

"Ah, here's your room," Tamiel said. "You're free to roam around the castle if you wish. Simply call out for a maid if you need anything. Like this. Maid!"

The same shadowy maids appeared beside them.

"You can easily dismiss them, too. We no longer require your services."

The maids bowed before dissipating.

"Why are you being so friendly to me?" Ivory asked.

"Do we have a reason not to be friendly?" Eisheth said.

"I can give you a tour of the castle if you like," Tamiel said.

"No, thank you," Ivory said. "I think I will rest."

"All right. We'll be downstairs if you need anything, okay?"

They both vanished before her eyes. She wondered if they were still in the room with her. Regardless, she immediately got to work, heading to the window first and looking around. It was no good. The landscape kept morphing intermittently, making it impossible to form a map in her head. She headed to the door, peeking in both directions of the hallway before stepping out, maintaining stealth as she headed back downstairs.

She passed by the main hall, where the Greater Daemons were gathered around a table. She continued on, ignoring the wails of the imprisoned people and Corrupted as she hurried to the exit. She threw the front door open, stopping after taking only three steps through the threshold. She was back at the beginning of the long entrance corridor. She turned around. The grand hall was right there.

"Are you lost, by any chance?"

Ivory gasped, turning around to face a man dressed all in black. She turned back around, counting only seven Greater Daemons at the table, one short of the eight she counted earlier. She turned around again, facing the unfamiliar being.

"Oh, I apologize for my rude behavior. I am Ba'al. I noticed you were wandering aimlessly just now. Are you looking for a tour of the castle?"

At this moment, Ivory gave up all prospects of escape. Whatever was going on in this place, there was nothing she could do about it. The illusion of freedom they had granted her was quite effective in shattering the hope that she once possessed.

"This is freaky," Lilly said, passing by dungeon cells, noticing the shift in the prisoners held within. She gasped as she realized what they were. "Lilith! Are these...?"

Yeah. They're Corrupted. I wasn't lying to you when I told you that they're people.

"But..."

People get lost in their own personal hells. It just happens. I told you, there's nothing we can do about it. The best thing you can do for them is to put them out of their misery like we did with Demetri's friends.

Lilly clenched her fists, gritting her teeth.

This is too much for you. I'll take over from here.

"Wait—"

"There we go."

Lilith!

"Relax, I'm not gonna go do anything stupid. You can't keep your head on straight with all these guys to the left and right of us, so just ride shotgun for a while."

Lilith advanced quietly, sticking to shadows in this dark castle. There didn't seem to be any guards around, but there was quite the powerful magical barrier. It took a big chunk of her magic just to keep from alerting whomever had erected it. Even now, the space around her felt oppressive to the core. The place seemed to want to eject her outright, but she was able to resist it to some extent.

She reached the great hall, where a sudden weight forced her to her knees. She struggled to rise, getting herself to a small alcove in the corridor.

Lilith, what's wrong?

What do you mean what's wrong? You don't feel that?

Feel what? And why are you talking in our head?

Because if I say anything out loud, they'll hear us.

They?

Lilith peeked into the great hall, giving Lilly a view of the eight individuals seated at a table.

What are they supposed to be?

Greater Daemons.

W-What?

Yeah. One on one, we might be able to fight, but eight on one and we're done for. Those assholes are nasty. We Wraiths get a bad rap all the time, but we've got nothing on those bastards. Hell, even the Lesser Daemons, despite how fugly they are, aren't even as bad.

C-Can we get out of here?

Hang on. I'm sensing something. Let's go.

Lilith headed upstairs, stopping at the point where her sensations were pointing.

Here, in this room.

She opened the door, only to be shocked by what she saw.

"What the hell?" she mumbled.

Ivory turned around to face her, standing up from the bed.

Ivory!

Lilith began to ball her fists. Her eyes transformed, the light brown hazel irises replaced by that flaming golden halo, but Lilly was quick to recognize the building anger and seized control over her body once more.

Hey! What?

"I'm sorry, Lilith," Lilly said. "You're right, I can't control myself around all those Corrupted, but you have the same problem with Ivory."

Ugh. Screw you.

"Lilly?" Ivory said.

"Ivory!" Lilly said before correcting herself and lowering the volume. "What happened? I just sent you back to the real world!"

"Huh?"

"You know, with Leon? And Yuan? And Astor?"

"Lilly...that was months ago."

"Huh? But how...oh, the time difference."

"How long has it been for you?"

"Like, an hour?"

She sat back down on the bed. "Amazing. So, back in December, it was the future you—this you—who got me out of the Labyrinth."

"After almost beating you to death," she said coyly.

Ivory recalled her cousin talking to herself. "But...that wasn't you, was it?"

"We have a lot to catch up on. But yeah, that was Lilith."

"Lilith?"

"Another me."

"Wait. As in, like, a Wraith-Knight?"

"Wraith-Knight? No, she's just a Wraith."

She must be talking about Yuan. He's got a Wraith-Knight awakened in him.

"Oh. What's a Wraith-Knight, then?"

"Are you talking to Lilith right now?" Ivory asked.

"Y-Yeah, sorry."

Tell her I said to go fuck herself.

"Why do I suddenly feel a cold stare coming from somewhere?" Ivory said.

Ha! Good!

"U-Umm, anyway," Lilly began, "what are you doing here?"

"I have no idea. The Greater Daemons had me brought here and I tried to leave, but there must be something magic happening because when I walked through the front door, I was back at the beginning of the hallway."

"Huh. I have magic, so I should be able to do something about that. Have you tried the window?"

"It's no good. The environment out there shifts around like everything's on quicksand."

"We might have no choice but to go through the front door. C'mon, let's go."

"Wait, are you sure it's okay?"

"As long as no one runs into us on our way down."

Not wanting to stay in this castle anymore, Ivory followed her elder cousin down the hall and then down the spiral staircase. Lilly took point the whole time, giving Ivory signals to advance whenever the coast was clear. At some point, Lilly held out a hand and Ivory searched for a place they could hide, finding a small pantry and motioning for her cousin to get in with her. They watched through a crack in the door as two knights in full armor passed by.

"So they do have guards," Ivory whispered. "I never saw any until now, though."

"Lilith's saying it might be an increase in security because they might have detected us, but she's not sure," Lilly said. "The whole magic of this place is still kinda wonky."

They waited for a moment before leaving their hiding place, continuing downstairs and stopping at the great hall, where the eight Greater Daemons had gathered earlier. Lilly peeked past the doorway, staying in the darkness. They were no longer there.

"I hope they haven't detected us," Lilly said, leading the way through the entry hall. She gritted her teeth, fighting to ignore the cries and screams of the people in the cells to either side of her, each one in the process of transforming into Corrupted.

Need me to take over again?

"No, I'm fine," Lilly said.

Don't trust me not to kill that bitch?

"The way you talk about her, absolutely not."

Psh. Relax. I've already forgiven and forgotten.

"You're such a liar."

You're right. I am a liar. And also, my distraction worked. Check it out.

Lilly scanned the courtyard as they exited the castle. The distorted threshold between this place and the surrounding general Labyrinth appeared almost like a desert mirage, bending the images beyond like an organic prism.

They were halfway across the courtyard when Lilly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Ivory said as Lilly turned around, a glare masking her face. She followed her cousin's gaze, gasping as she looked upon three of the Greater Daemons.

"Stealing is not nice, you know," Azazel said to them. He was flanked by Tamiel and Asmodeus. The others were nowhere to be found.

"You know kidnapping is against the law!" Lilly spat back.

"Ooh, wait a minute, I recognize you. Oh, yes, there's no doubting that resemblance. You've come to rescue your little cousin, have you, Lilly Schnee? Unfortunately, I can't let you do that. We have things planned for her."

"Things?" Ivory said.

"Yes, quite grand plans, I might add. Tell me, Ivory. Have you ever in your life fathomed what it would be like to possess the powers of a god?"

"What?" Lilly said.

"Exactly what do you mean by that?" Ivory said.

"Well, everything was supposed to be done little by little, of course. Oh, and with your consent. We don't make it a habit of going around forcing people to do things."

"Is that why you caused the destruction of Kuroyuri?" Lilly yelled.

"That was...unfortunate collateral damage. We are trying to bring about a revolution here."

"Revolution?"

"Yes. To break the shackles which bind us all."

"How exactly do you plan to do that?" Ivory said.

"Oh, you know, a little ritual here, a bit of sacrifice there. In all of human history, no revolution has ever taken place without shedding a single drop of blood, you know."

He's not gonna let us leave.

"What was that?"

Lilly felt a drop of sweat roll down her chin. Lilith did not speak again, but both girls were sure that he had heard her. Ivory was thinking the same thing and kept her mouth shut.

"I think I understand," Azazel said. "In any case, I can't let you take her from us. We need her cooperation if we are to accomplish our goals."

Lilly drew Myrtenaster as Ivory drew Elfenbein.

"I want you to get as far away from here as you can," Lilly said.

"Don't be a fool," Ivory said. "There is no way I can survive out there without your magic keeping my existence stable. This is not my first Labyrinth mission, you know."

Her younger cousin was right. There was no telling what would happen to her outside of this anomaly or whether or not she would even be able physically pass through the distortion.

"Okay, then," Lilly said, readying herself for a fight. Lilith had mentioned earlier that eight against one would be all but suicide, but perhaps three against two might be better odds.

"Tamiel?" Azazel said.

"You want me to start the battle?" she said.

He shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

She sighed heavily. "All right, then."

Tamiel moved with such speed that neither of the cousins could keep track of her. Lilly, with her superior speed and strength born from her rune magic, took on the role of fighting her in close range while Ivory kept her distance, assisting with glyphs.

"Tell me, master Azazel," Asmodeus began, "why is it that you are so fond of having Tamiel start so many battles when you have people like me at your disposal? I do control Wrath, after all. Make use of me."

"It's not the utility that I think about in these situations," Azazel said.

"Oh? What is it, then?"

"I just love to watch her."

Asmodeus looked at his leader, then back out to the fight, and then back to his leader. "I, uh..."

"Look at her. Isn't she so beautiful?"

"...I suppose so. I can't answer that. You're the only one between you and me who can make such a judgment."

He smiled, admiring the lines of Tamiel's body. "I think, after we're done here, that I'm going to take her out to dinner. In the real world, I mean."

"Have you discovered a way to maintain your bodies in the real world yet?"

"No, and that's why we're doing what we're doing, so that we might walk in the sunlight for longer than five minutes without dissolving into molecules and getting sucked right back here."

"Oh. I just...thought that...never mind."

"Look out!" Lilly yelled.

Ivory barely managed to put up a glyph, which shielded her from the explosive fireball attack Tamiel had sent her way, but the blast sent her flying backwards and she tumbled on the ground a few times. She got back on her feet, running to rejoin her cousin in the battle. She looked around. None of the other Greater Daemons had appeared yet. Were they just toying with them? At this point, anything could be possible especially given that eerily friendly treatment they had offered at the castle.

"I'm sure Azazel would have given you the offer, too," Tamiel said as she and Lilly clashed rapiers. "But then again, I guess you already have that Wraith inside you. You need to be empty for our plans."

"And what exactly are your plans?" Lilly grunted.

"He already told you. To be free."

"Free from what?"

"Everything."

Just then, Lilith took control, her eye color replaced by that golden flaming halo. Myrtenaster transformed into the blackened version of Caliburn and Tamiel instantly recognized the sword. It let out a pulse, hurling the Greater Daemon back to just in front of Azazel and Asmodeus.

"Is that what I think it is?" Azazel said.

"Yeah," Tamiel said. "Azazel, Asmodeus, I think it's time to stop screwing around."

"I agree," Asmodeus said, floating a few inches from the ground as his body was engulfed in a blackish aura.

Without giving them time to plan anything, Lilith drove Caliburn into the ground and seven indigo runes opened up on the ground all around her. Out of these runes emerged black knights of different designs, all of which immediately began attacking the three Greater Daemons.

"C'mon!" Lilith yelled, grabbing Ivory by the hand as they ran straight for the edge of the distortion. "They can buy us some time, but they won't last forever!" There was an explosion. "There's one!" There was a second explosion. "And another one!"

They passed through the distortion, stopping as they looked at their surroundings. They were no longer in Atlas.

"What?" Ivory said.

Lilith looked back. The castle was nowhere to be seen. "Holy shit, I think we warped all the way across the fucking planet!"

Ivory was taken aback by her cousin's foul mouth. "L-Lilly? Is that you?"

"Since when did you last hear Lilly say 'fuck', huh?"

"S-Sorry. You have her face and her hair, so—"

"Well, I guess I technically am your cousin, just another aspect of her. The aspect of her that hates you. Really, really hates you."

Ivory swallowed hard. "...Are you going to try and kill me now?"

"I sure want to. But Lilly's yelling in my head not to touch you, so nah."

I'm not yelling anything!

"You are now, though!"

"This is going to be difficult to get used to," Ivory said.

"What? You don't talk to yourself?"

"Not really."

"You should try it sometime. It's pretty awesome."

What? Like...what?