Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING.

Author's Note: A little more insight.

All flamers (male or female) will be dressed in pretty dresses with nice makeup and sent to Don Corneo's mansion in Sector 6.

Chapter III

Split

Tall trees loomed above the forest floor, forming a sort of makeshift roof. Tiny slivers of leaf-dyed sunlight created bright patches where beautiful flowers bloomed. Various shades of purples, blues, and reds stood out against the fine greenery.

Ultima hated this place. She usually sent others to see him as she stood on her balcony in her bright, open space. Unfortunately, everyone else was busy with their own affairs. She walked grudgingly through the forest, looking for him.

"Where are you…" She whispered to herself. She reached a clearing, and searched around her. "Exodus!" She yelled in frustration.

"May I help you?" A voice said from behind her. Ultima turned around and glared at Exodus.

Exodus was incredibly tall, easily towering over Ultima and the other Scions. He resembled an aging man with his long, white beard and moustache. However, she knew otherwise. Scions were unable to age, and his appearance was only to gain credibility to his role as a Judge. He had green and blue light armor on that contrasted against his grey skin.

Ultima brushed off the dirt from the skirt of her dress and smiled at him. "Do you know anything about this…Mateus?" She asked politely.

He took a long sigh and studied her expression. She had a faint look of impatience etched in her smile. Subtlety was never one of her better qualities… He thought to himself before answering.

"The only thing I am aware of," he began in his monotone voice, "is that he is in ownership of the element ice and is understood to be the sovereign ruler of the Underworld."

Ultima's resolve cracked. Her smile turned into a twisted snarl. "I know that, Exodus." She growled, receiving only a blank expression from the other. She sighed and turned to the side. "What I wanted to know was how powerful he was and what exactly he can do…" She trailed off with a threatening tone, fixing her eyes on him.

"I am unable to answer that." He replied honestly. Ultima snarled. "If you wish for answers, ask him yourself." Exodus's voice faded as he disappeared from the clearing, annoyed with the High Seraph.

"Useless…" Ultima screamed. She stormed out of the forest, crushing every flower that dared live in her path. She paused in the hallway, deciding upon a path to take to find the so-called "Ruler of the Underworld."

~A Few Hours Later~

Mateus awoke with a start as he heard a strange, high-pitch ringing sound. He stood and watched an area on the wall opposite him begin to glow. The wall began to ripple as a woman stepped through it. She had on a long, white dress trimmed in an intricate, golden lace. Her skin was like his, only hers was darker and had a green tint to it. She flicked back her long, platinum blonde hair and smoothed her skirts as she entered the room. He noticed she had six large golden wings folded against her back. She looked up at him with dark, blue eyes. When he looked into her eyes, he was overcome with a wary feeling.

Ultima saw his expression and smiled brightly at him.

"Welcome to the Realm of the Gods, Mateus!" She said as she slightly opened her arms to gesture at the idea. He gave her a confused look and she giggled, delicately holding a hand to her mouth.

"Who are you?" Mateus asked uneasily. He did not trust the strange woman who barged into his domain.

"Ultima the High Seraph at your service!" She smugly bowed. "I guess you could call me the...leader around these parts." She said as she flicked her hair and put a hand on her hip with a smirk.

Mateus was disgusted with the quality of her obvious guise. He took a step backwards as she tried to approach him. Putting up his guard, he awaited her next move. "Leader?" He asked. She happily nodded her head. Ultima knew she had piqued his interest. Mateus straightened himself and stood tall. "Leader of what exactly…"

"Leader of the Scions, of course!" Mateus gave her a hard stare as she answered. "You see, the Gods needed someone to pile all their work on," she rolled her eyes, "so that's why we were created." She nodded her head matter-of-factly.

Mateus slightly tilted his head back, never once taking his sapphire eyes off of her. For one thing, he was appalled with her personality. She obviously was usually not so chipper. He could see the look in her eyes that told him otherwise. "And you are here because?" He inquired, even though he doubted she would tell him the true reason.

"To welcome you to the family. I like to make sure every new member has a nice, warm welcome!" She replied with her sickeningly sweet smile.

A long silence reigned in the room after her response. Ultima rubbed her arm and cleared her throat.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you now. Feel free to come see the others at any time!" She said as she waved goodbye. Mateus nodded as she turned around and disappeared into the glowing void. The glow slowly faded and the wall returned to its original state.

Ultima smoothed her skirts as she stepped into the hallway. A dark smirk appeared on her face as she walked back to her apartments.

Mateus sat down on the ground and crossed his legs. He thought of the strange woman and her mysterious motive.

But what could her true reason be… He chewed his lip in thought. He sighed and ran a hand through his dark blue hair.

Scion…is that what I am? Mateus leaned his head against the wall and looked at his hand. He made a small ice crystal appear over his palm and studied it absentmindedly. It was perfect in shape with intricate detail outlining both symmetrical sides. She implied there were more… He shook the snowflake from his hand and closed his eyes, slowly drifting back off to a deep slumber.

But who could they be?