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Year 12 AL, Receiving the Daystar

The air was still, too silent for what had just transpired. One would think that now would be the time for the storm to pour down its heaviest rain, to shake the ground itself with its thunder, to send out lightning that streaked across the entire night sky!

But none of that happened.

Even the wind died, causing the storm clouds to half-heartedly scatter across the sky. It seemed as if the silence was created by Ilias herself as an insult to Lucifina's already ripped-open and bleeding injury.

Almost to say, "Yes, clear your mind and think of the entire World you just lost."

A mockery it was. No, a spit in her face! Lucifina knew better, she knew that eventually Ilias would grow interested in her son. Now, for whatever reason the Goddess had for doing so, she had him to herself.

Lucifina, still kneeling on the ground her son had been moments before when she had all but crashed into it, wept bitter tears onto the grass and dirt below. 'First a Monster nearly takes my son's innocence, and now that bitch takes him away for good!? No, no I can't stand for that...'

She gripped the ground under her tightly, easily clawing out soil and grass. '...I WON'T STAND FOR THAT!' Lucifina pushed herself to her feet in a hurry, barely noticing her older sister standing beside her as she stared up at the low hovering Heaven above. Micaela's gaze was hardened, "I'm sure I know what you're planning, Lucifina..."

Lucifina never broke her haze from Heaven, her Angelic body shining bright like her sister's. "I know it would be a lot to ask for your help, Micaela. If you don't want to get involved, I understand..." She turned to her sister with a fire raging in her eyes, "...But I cannot stay here a moment longer while she has Luka."

Micaela met her sister's gaze, her tone resolute. "I won't allow you to fight this battle alone, sister. Whatever the outcome, I will fight alongside you."

A small smile came onto Lucifina's face after hearing her sister's words. "Thank you..." She trailed off, the smile disappearing as she tensed her body before firing off the ground and into the air. Her sister followed suit as they both soared towards Heaven.

Luka had his eyes closed tightly, the sheer amount of light around him keeping the boy from being able to open his sensitive eyes. He was lying on his back, though the ground beneath him was oddly soft. It felt as if he was lying on a large, feathered quilt. The young boy sat up, trying to open his eyes again, but everything around him was much too bright. The boy sat up slowly, keeping his eyes covered while he did so.

Very slowly, Luka was able to uncover his eyes, and soon, he could glance around to get a feel for his surroundings. All around the purple-haired boy were heaping mounds of golden, fluffy cloud. Reaching out carefully, Luka felt just how soft they were. Moments after, a voice spoke up.

"I'm glad that my Heaven is to your liking so far, Luka." The voice could be described as nothing short of harmonious, almost like a harpsichord being played to the boy. He attempted to peer at where he had heard the voice coming from, gasping lightly when it rang out once more. "Here, child, let me help you see..." He felt a hand gently cover the top of his head. "...Your Goddess."

Almost immediately Luka felt his vision strengthen, the harsh light of Heaven fading away and becoming less overbearing. However, no amount of preparation could help prepare him for who appeared before him. The woman had to be close to three meters tall, her form absolutely towering over the boy with ease. Nevertheless, despite the overwhelming size difference, the boy held no fear for the figure as she pulled back the hand that had been lying on his head.

Her face was very soft-looking, a pleasant youthfulness radiating from her. The woman's bright blue eyes struck him with their color and size, the orbs almost piercing in their gaze. Luka then noticed that behind her ridiculously long blond locks was a pair of massive white wings coming from her back. Ilias bent down in front of the boy, who felt himself blush upon reluctantly noticing that the pure white dress that the woman wore significantly helped in showing her endowment.

Though this wasn't something Luka tried to focus on and so, for the sake of respectfulness, he turned away his gaze.

Misunderstanding the boy's aversion for shyness, Ilias cupped his cheek with a hand, gentling guiding him to look up at her. "Do not look away, child. Your Goddess wants for you to look upon her." At her urging, the boy looked back at her, focusing his gaze on her own. The Goddess's blue eyes were striking, though were devoid of any menacing pressure. In fact, the boy could say that her eyes were very warm, disarmingly so.

"There, much better." She said, rising to full height once more. "I want you to feel welcome here, Luka."

Ilias turned, walking up to the large throne behind her and sitting down on it. "What do you think of my Heaven?" The purple-haired boy glanced around the large room. At least, he thought it was large. Due to how it was made up of nothing but golden cloud, it was difficult to tell how big it really was.

"It is quite lovely, although somewhat barren..." He finally answered, before asking his own question. "Where are all the Angels at?"

Ilias laughed at the question, a very pleasing noise to the boy. "Well, Luka, this is the very top of Heaven itself. It is reserved only for me. The levels below are where the Angels would be at." Luka nodded to show his understanding, and then Ilias continued. "But enough about them, I want to talk about you."

Something about her cadence made him shiver, "Me?" he asked. The Goddess bowed her head, "Oh yes, you are a very special boy, Luka. Special to me, as well as all of Heaven."

Luka frowned, a more important matter coming to the forefront of his mind. "But Ilias, my Goddess, I must ask you something..." Ilias's smile stretched all across her face at the sound of the boy addressing her in such a way, her heart fluttering as a result. "...Have you found my Mother yet?"

The bright smile on the Goddess's face fell, the Goddess herself having dreaded the moment, knowing that he would inevitably ask about Lucifina. "Yes, come here, my boy." Luka frowned at the Goddess's heavy tone. He made for the Goddess's marble throne, feeling nervous from the regretful look in her eyes.

The Goddess bowed over deeply; her eyes leveled with his own as she placed a hand on his cheek. "This may be difficult for you to hear, Luka, but your Mother..." Ilias paused, resolving herself to the lie she was about to tell. "...She is no longer with us, I am afraid."

Luka's breathing hitched, a strange gasping noise coming from his throat. "My-My Mother, she is..." He fought to keep himself steady, his small hands latching onto the Goddess's arm in support as he found himself unable to properly finish his sentence. "...She is gone, forever?"

Ilias's face was wracked with grief, though more for the boy's distress than anything else. "I am sorry, my child." Luka nearly fell to his knees, only being stopped due to the Goddess before him grabbing the boy from under his arms and pulling him into a hug. She felt his body shake aggressively with his cries and knew that his eyes had already begun to tear when she felt wetness on her dress. Of course, neither of these things bothered her.

In fact, despite the boy's desolation, Ilias's smile had returned full force. 'Look how quickly you seek comfort in me, that is very good. Hopefully, you'll only go to me for support from now on.'

Ilias ran a hand through his head, noticing something a bit odd. 'Huh, why does he smell like... flowers?' It was quite the nice smell, although it... stirred something strange in her chest. 'Perhaps that is his normal scent? I quite like it, actually.' A certain type of warmth flowed through her body, and she felt her cheeks start to redden from the sensation it gave her.

Ilias gently pushed the boy away by his shoulders to look him in the eyes again, although this was difficult due to her overwhelming desire to hold him even closer now. "How?" Luka asked bluntly, "How did my Mother pass?"

Ilias shook her head knowingly, "I'm sorry to say that your Mother perished at the hands of a Monster, Luka. It was a tragic thing, but do not worry. I made sure personally that your Mother passed on with ease. She is in a better place now."

Luka grimaced, a dark thought entering his brain. 'A Monster... Could it have been the same one I encountered in town? Wait, but that was a dream... wasn't it?' The purple-haired boy's frown deepened as his confusion worsened, but before he could think about asking Ilias about this, he felt a hand under his chin.

"Luka, do not lament this. Your Mother's passing upsets even me, but there is more you can do than just mourn." The blonde-haired Goddess waved her hand, and in an instant, a large portal opened up in the ground. Luka turned to view what she had done, sharply taking in a breath as he did. The sight he was allowed to see was somewhat impossible for him to comprehend.

Before him, in the clouds, was an image of the entirety of the World. The Ilias Continent, Sentora, and Hellgondo were all visible to him. It was an amazing sight to the boy who had only seen the continents before in sketches. Ilias watched with soft eyes as the boy gawked at the sight, though her smile disappeared as she began to sense a disturbing amount of power being gathered outside of the borders of Heaven.

'Very rude to cut into my time with my Prophet, Lucifina...' Ilias sighed, before reaching out with her mind to her Second in Command.

'Eden, if you cannot already tell, we are expecting company soon in Heaven. Clear out the lower levels, I do not wish for a second Angel Killer incident to occur. Await in your Garden for further instruction.'

The Goddess, satisfied with her order, moved on to more important matters. "Tell me, Luka, do you know of the Great Monster Wars?"

The boy tilted his head at the question, caught off guard by the inquiry. "...My Mother never said anything about it, but I remember seeing it written in a book at Ilias Village's library. My Father said it was a large and horrible war that happened a long time ago."

Ilias hummed, "Yes, that is true. It was a war between my Angels and the Monsters. To say that it was bloody would be too cordial." Luka turned to Ilias, finding her gaze locked on the Continents below, something swimming in her eyes that he couldn't quite identify. It seemed angry, yet sad at the same time.

"Great loss came from that, terrible loss. Truthfully, Humanity itself was nearly lost completely due to the fighting. There was a point in which there were ten times more Angels than Humans, and easily over a dozen times more Monsters..." The Goddess of Light shook her head, "The fighting had brought so many casualties, that Humanity almost became extinct, Luka."

The boy somberly watched on, not sure what to say about all of the information he was being told. "The end of the war was a blessing, but the times after haven't exactly been peaceful, either. Tensions are still high, and fighting is still prevalent." Luka stared down at Earth, watching the continents and imagining all the pain that was occurring right at that moment.

"Is there nothing that can be done to stop it?" He asked, a great sorrow in his voice.

A satisfied smile grew on Ilias's face, 'Oh, there is now...' she thought as she leaned down, grasping the boy by the shoulder and slowly turning him towards her. She placed a hand on either side of his face, bringing her own face very close to his order to gain his undivided attention. "You can help stop it."

The boy gawked at the Goddess, "W-What do you mean?"

The Goddess of Light pulled away some, allowing the boy breathing room while she began to sow the seeds for her Prophet. "I said you were special, and I meant it. I've seen it for a long time, you were meant for greatness, to help liberate this World from evil." The air was still, for a long moment all Luka could even register was his own breathing and the intense eyes of the Goddess looking down upon him. "But... But how? What can I do?"

Ilias chuckled, "You will know in all due time..." She placed a hand on his head, conjuring a spell as she did. In moments, Luka's eyelids began to feel very heavy.

"...All in due time, my Prophet."

The boy began to collapse from a sudden onset of exhaustion that hit him, falling into the Goddess's awaiting arms.

Breathe in.

"Blood."

She hated this. The power surged through her, the glow coming off her body as the air around her shifted and changed. She hated all of it. She had abandoned it so long ago, that she had cleansed herself of its barbaric nature, as her strength had only the capacity to brutalize and kill. It wasn't what she had wanted, at least, not anymore...

Breathe out.

"Pain."

...After falling from Heaven, Lucifina had lived among Humans as something of a hermit. She traveled from village to village with little aim in her destination other than to meet people, to talk to people. She even talked to some friendly Monsters from time to time. However, the Seraph was still terribly lost. She had no Goddess, no Heaven, no fellow Angels. She was truly, for the first time ever, alone...

Exhale.

"Heads roll."

...Then she met a young, troubled man named Marcellus. The purple-haired man was strikingly handsome and was endlessly charismatic. It had always struck her how much he could make her laugh. She had never laughed before then unless it was the adrenaline-fueled cackling she would utter while cutting down Monsters by the dozens during her time in the Monster Wars...

Expel.

"Heads fall."

...But the feeling of happiness the man gave her had been more precious to her than anything she had received under Ilias's rule. The man was complicated, as she soon found when certain activities, he partook in with a group known as Ilias Kreuz came to life. However, she didn't leave him even after finding out his radical views because he had reminded her of herself. A lost soul, looking to drown themselves in pain...

...When Lucifina finally got the lost Hero to break down, to tell her of everything, she had a breakthrough with him. Oddly enough, knowing that Marcellus had been just as misguided drew her closer to him. After all, taking into account her towering body count, she could not judge the man for his wrongdoings. The blood on her hands far superseded his. Eventually, she helped to heal his heart of anger and sadness, and in return, he had stolen hers...

"I am the Star of Mourning, the Child of Dawn cascaded into the Dark."

...Then, after getting married and having a stretch of what some might define as too much fun, they settled down and had Luka. And was it worth it, for she fell in love with that boy the moment he was born. First seeing him had brought the single greatest feeling of joy the Seraph had ever known. It felt as if a light a hundred, no, a thousand times brighter than Heaven's was shining down on her.

So much so, that Lucifina had been convinced since that day that she gave birth to the most perfect and precious child in existence.

"The Star thrown to Earth, now aimed to Heaven, will obtain Vengeance!"

Lucifina didn't know when the sword manifested in her hands. The golden hilt had not been there one moment and had been the other. While staring at herself in the silver blade, she concluded that it didn't matter. Now, all she felt was rage and sorrow as she glared at the image of herself in the sword's blade. Taking this form was breaking a promise. Not a promise she made to herself out of regret for her actions, not a promise made out of spite towards Ilias. No, it had been a promise of love for her husband and her son, a promise to never betray them in reverting to what she once was.

And she had fucking shattered that promise into innumerable pieces.

"Receive the Daystar!"

Lucifina raised the sword high above her head, seething as she did, taking aim at Heaven above. A bright blue light radiated off her person, engulfing her form until she was completely unseen. Brighter and brighter she became, turning into the brightest star in the night sky. It almost looked as if it was daytime. That is until she swung downwards.

Then, Heaven broke loose.

There are few appropriate ways to describe the ferocity of such an attack. Daystar hadn't been seen in hundreds of years, and that was for the best. To call it devastating was something of a simplification. To truly capture its essence, one would have to imagine how being hit by an attack just a couple steps below a small supernova would feel like. In short, most would instantly die from such a thing.

Daystar was not an attack Lucifina used to submit opponents. It was one she used to lay ruin to them. Any Monster strong enough to live from a direct hit should then be completely helpless if a follow-up attack were to take place. Its sheer pressure was enough to crush cities, to level entire countrysides.

If Ilias wished for a camp of Monster to be eviscerated, she would send Lucifina. The Goddess would never hear of them again. So, with an attack like that right at the helm of Heaven, one would think that Ilias would react immediately to the oncoming strike.

However, none came. And this is what worried Micaela the most. As Ilias's first daughter, her very first creation, she was confident that she knew the Goddess better than anyone else in existence. It was well within the Goddess's power to stop the attack if she wanted, although she rarely would personally step foot into something like this. But Micaela knew that at the very least, Ilias could send Eden out to counter Lucifina's attack. But instead, the Goddess allowed the strike to happen.

Micaela watched as a gigantic gash opened up in the belly of Heaven. The clouds easily split, allowing the two Seraphs entry without needing to bypass Heaven's Gate, a formidable Angel in her own right. Lucifina flew quickly into the opening; Micaela, however, followed with trepidation. 'It should've never been this easy, if Ilias wanted us out then we would've had to fight for it. But there wasn't even an attempt to stop us...' Even still, Micaela flew right behind her sister.

Strangely enough, the two would find Heaven utterly devoid of any defenses. Up and up they went, flying through each level of Heaven with quite literally no resistance. "Lucifina," Micaela called, "This is seeming a bit too easy, is it not?"

Lucifina did not look back but agreed to the sentiment. "Yes, it does seem that way. I am not sure what is happening here."

Micaela frowned, unsure of what the Goddess had planned. 'Does she simply plan on dealing with this by herself? That would be a surprise, Ilias has never liked getting her hands dirty.' Quickly, the two reached the Level of Heaven right below Ilias's throne room: The home of the last Great Seraphim, or rather, the last loyal Seraphim.

Entering the Garden again was a strange sensation. Micaela never believed that she'd ever come back here and was sure that Lucifina thought likewise. The lush shrubbery and neatly trimmed trees were indications of Eden's handiwork. A curious thought entered Lucifina's mind as she gazed around at the greenery, 'I wonder if this is where Luka gets his gardening skills from...'

As interesting an idea as it was to ponder, she didn't get much time to think on it as the Angel responsible for the upkeep of the Seraphim realm was near. The two sisters happened upon a very familiar figure. The Third Seraph's back was facing the two, her head was bowed as she kneeled on a lone rock jutting from a large pond that lay in the very of center the Garden.

Surprisingly, despite her kneeling, Eden was not praying. Her hands were on her thighs, and her eyes were tightly shut in concentration. The water around her was at unrest, rippling waves drifting away from the Seraph. She huffed, her multiple wings flickering slightly as she stood up from her kneeling position.

She turned, deliberately stopping midway in her to gaze out into the garden. "Hmm, I knew you were coming, Lucifina, but Micaela is a surprise." The two ex-Seraphs stood silent as Eden's solemn eyes drifted aimlessly. "I never wanted it to be this way, you know..." she started, her voice empty of its usual energy. "...You two leaving Heaven really had crushed me at first. I had learned to go on despite it after a while, but..."

She gazed at her older sisters, "...I always wondered if maybe I could've done something different. Perhaps it was something I could've said or maybe I simply should've prayed harder, although it probably wouldn't have mattered either way." Eden's fists balled up as she brought them up to waist height. "Please, if you couldn't listen to me before, do it now for I fear this is our last chance."

Eden stepped to the edge of her rock, both hands held out to her Fallen sisters, pleading with them both. "We don't need to fight over this. If you two repent right now, then all will be forgiven. Please," she said, an edge to her voice now, "This is your last chance, I can promise you that I will plead your case to the Goddess myself if I must!"

The Seraph's plea, while genuine, fell on deaf ears. Lucifina stepped forward, anger in her eyes, "I have no interest in rejoining Ilias, Eden. Especially not when she has stolen my child away from me!" Eden flinched at the retort but was unable to answer as Micaela followed up, "Indeed, such a thing is impossible at this point. We no longer see the world the way Ilias does, her ways are as evil to us as ours are surely evil to her."

The last loyal Seraph leveled a sorrowful glare at her sisters, "If that is how you wish it to be, sisters." From the air around her, Eden conjured up a weapon hadn't used in a long time. It was a long metal spear, its long golden tip shimmering in the light around as she manifested it from the energy of Heaven itself. She took a stance, aiming the pike towards her sisters. "...But first, a quick pre-battle prayer." Eden put her weapon to the side, leaving it to hover there as she muttered into her hands.

Lucifina took a slight turn towards her sister behind her, whispering to her "Micaela, I have to request something of you, though you may not like the idea."

Her older sister replied without taking her eyes off Eden, "What is it?"

Lucifina shuffled in place, nervous energy riddling her body. "Can you take on Eden by yourself while I go on ahead?"

The hushed question caused the First Seraph to break her gaze off of Eden to glance at her younger sister. "What? Do you plan on fighting Ilias yourself?"

Lucifina met a confused look of Micaela with one of unease. "I know it sounds idiotic, but I can't let Luka stay up there with her for another moment. I just can't." Lucifina shook her head, "I can feel him up there with her... I-I don't know what she's doing with him, but I can't bear one more second being apart from him. I've already failed him once; I must not do so again!"

Micaela bit the inside of her mouth, still unsure if it would be wise. "I can handle Eden, I'm sure, but even when fighting together, our chances of beating Ilias would still be slim to none. This is something I had accepted when I came here with you."

Lucifina offered a sad smile to her sister, "And for that, I am thankful, as after you defeat Eden, I want you to leave here with Luka."

The eldest Seraph gave an incredulous look to her sister, who continued before Micaela could retort. "Listen, I know how you feel already. But there's no way we are all getting out of here together. However, if Eden didn't know you were here, then there is a good chance Ilias doesn't either. So, you're the only one who could get out of here with my son, as I can't even attempt to mask my powers right now."

Micaela considered what her sister said, 'She isn't wrong. Eden has always been the greatest sensor out of us all, Ilias always would always use her first to track down our enemies in the past. Out of the two, I'd be more likely to escape if needed...' Micaela's thoughts were cut off by her younger sister's pleading.

"I implore you, Micaela. Do whatever it is you need to do to get my son out of here, that is my final wish..." Lucifina's eyes bore into her sister's, a look more desperate than ever before in her gaze. Micaela tried to think of any other solution, but they were already low on options as it was. If the goal was to get Luka away from Ilias, then there wasn't any other option than one of them staying behind and facing the consequences.

The potentially fatal consequences...

Micaela steeled her face, dreading what was to come but ready nonetheless. She nodded to her younger sister, "I promise you; Luka will be safe under my watch." Lucifina smiled, "I know he will..." The bloodied Fallen Angel grabbed her sister into a tight hug, more likely than not the past one they would be able to share. "...I love you, Micaela."

The older sister felt Lucifina bury her face in her shoulder, said shoulder quickly becoming wet from the tears that were falling from her eyes. "I love you as well, Lucifina." They released without another word and Lucifina shot up into Ilias's throne room.

The action created a small boom, which startled the concentrated Eden from her praying. "Wha... H-Hey!" Eden reached out a hand to the ceiling of cloud, "I hadn't finished my prayers yet!"

"Enough." The firm voice of Micaela brought the flabbergasted Eden to attention quickly, an instinctual response from centuries of hearing her commanding tone. "Your battle is with me alone, Eden. Lucifina is now no longer your concern."

Micaela quickly straightened out an arm, summoning a spear of her own. Although this one seemed to be made of pure energy, as opposed to Eden's metal pike. She spun it around with one hand, ending the rotation by pointing it at her opponent. "I'll give you a reminder as to why I am the First Great Seraph in more than just name..."

Eden scowled, grabbing her own weapon. "There is only one Great Seraph now, and she stands before you!" Micaela's face stayed stoic, unaffected by the slight as she whispered a cold rebuttal.

"...Not for long..."

Lucifina burst through the floor of Ilias's throne room, scattering golden clouds every which way with ferocious power. She hovered high in the air for a moment, scanning the room with wide-open eyes. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for. Just a couple meters away was Ilias sitting on her throne, holding the now sleeping form of Luka. The Goddess paid Lucifina no attention at first, simply continuing to watch the resting face of the boy.

Ilias had him cradled in her arms, a strangely loving expression on her face as she stared down at him. "Such a lovely child he is, I couldn't imagine parting with someone so perfect..." Lucifina felt her blood start to boil as Ilias caressed his face gently with her free hand. "...Of course, I suppose some know no other instinct but to abandon everything at a moment's notice when things start to go against what they want." Ilias faced Lucifina with a smug grin, "Is that right, my Daughter?"

Lucifina snapped at the insult, "Hold your tongue, you understand nothing about me or what I do! You only know your own desires."

Ilias huffed, a doubtful look plastered on her face as she stood from her throne, descending down its steps without haste. "You are my second daughter, are you truly under the belief that I'd have nary a clue as to how, you, work!?" Ilias shook her head, annoyance in her voice. "Tell me, it was a Monster, wasn't it?" Lucifina eyed Ilias warily while the Goddess gently placed her sleeping son down on a tuff of cloud, depositing him down with utmost care while she did.

Ilias turned towards the boy's Mother. "I'm no fool, Lucifina. I know enough by now that if you have gone hundreds of years without using your powers, then you must have had a good reason for finally unsealing them. And..." The Goddess aimed a pointed look at Lucifina's blood-covered nightgown, "...It seems to me as if you found a reason. Or rather, the reason found your son." Ilias turned to gaze solemnly at the boy, her arms crossed and meeting at her waist.

"Succubi steal men away in the dead of the night, Harpies steal away children to ensure that their nests will have men for the future, Lamias will latch onto men they want and damned be anyone who tries to interfere with what they want, even if he is already married. Lucifina, you know all of this by heart, dare I go on!?"

The Seraph in question stood still, unshaken by Ilias's outburst. "I am not here to debate viewpoints with you, I am only here for my son."

The Goddess of Light fixed a disappointed look at Lucifina. "As am I..." she began striding towards the Daystar. "...Unlike you, I know how a vulnerable boy like him can become just another victim. However, that will not be the case for Luka. In fact, I think he will do well with assisting me in ending this Monster problem once and for all."

The Mother's face contorted into a look of confusion, "What do you..." But then it quickly changed to that of outrage, "...You had better not think of having him as one of your Heroes!" Lucifina raised her sword to the Goddess, "I will not allow you to turn him into one of your pawns!"

Ilias chuckled before shaking her head. "Oh no, 'pawn' is too expendable a term for your precious son here. I'll be having him known the World over in a much more fitting title: Ilias's Prophet." The Second Seraph snorted in contempt, "You'll be having him in no such way, I'll see to that!"

The Goddess of Light pointedly gazed at her daughter, her eyes plagued by disappointment. "I wish that it hadn't come to this, you were precious to me for so long. Though I suppose, when he is ready, Luka will fill that void and then some." The Goddess turned to the aforementioned boy, "Speaking of..." Ilias approached the boy, putting a hand to his forehead. "...I do not desire to have him leave so quickly, but things will get much too bloody for a child to safely be around." Upon being touched on his head, Luka vanished.

Lucifina snapped at the Goddess, "What did you do, where is Luka!?"

Ilias spun around to face her former Seraph. "Safely away from you, sleeping as if this were all just a dream. Knowing that is the final courtesy I will afford you before you fall at my hand."

Lucifina grabbed a hold of her sword with both hands, "We'll see about that, for you know I will fight to my very last breath."

Ilias held an arm out, a massive golden pike materializing in her hand. She gripped it tightly, "Oh I understand your bottomless naivety quite well. Fight, if the pointless struggle will make you feel any better..." The Goddess of Light turned up her nose at her ex-Angel, a smug smile forming on her lips as she watched Lucifina's firm shake, the air in the room becoming unstable. "...And do not worry, I'll take good care of Luka when you're gone."

Lucifina, having heard enough, charged the Goddess head-on. Gone was the kindness of Mother and Wife, now all that was there was the rage of The Daystar.

Far away from Ilias Village, quite literally across the entire known world, was the continent of Hellgondo. It was the smallest of the three continents, but the mountain range that stretched the entire shoreline more than made up for it. The sheer height of these mountains, some may even say the tallest in the World, made up for this due to their daunting nature.

The thick fog that rolled off this shoreline made its foreboding mysticism doubly so. Standing tall in the northernmost region of the bowl-like island was the enormous Monster Lord Castle. This gothic-styled fortress was the antithesis of Ilias's Heaven. Whereas Heaven was ethereal, bright, and majestic, the Monster Lord Castle was tangible, dark, and lowly.

Atop one of the numerous spiral towers was a large balcony. On this balcony was a bizarre-looking Monster. Her body was quite small, perhaps no larger than that of a preteen child. To assume that this meant that she was a weak creature, however, was a terrible mistake. Her nine golden fox tails ebbed and flowed like waves behind her back, their golden fur glittering in the moonlight.

Just as striking were the pair of large jade eyes that may as well be glowing with how bright they were. Atop her head, alongside her mane of golden hair, were two large fox ears. Right below the left ear was a cute little red ribbon tied right into her hair. The Kitsune's attire was that of a white and purple kimono that seemed to be a bit too big for her body, as the collar practically fell from her shoulders, exposing an odd red tattoo-like seal on her collarbone.

This Kitsune was none other than the infamous Tamamo no Mae. Not only was she one of the most formidable Monsters of them all, but she was also one of the Four Heavenly Knights, a group of Monsters that serve directly underneath the Monster Lord herself.

Tamamo stood at the edge of the balcony, her jade eyes fixed upon the southern horizon towards the Sentora and Ilias continents. The reason at first was due to her curiosity about the enormous storm system that had been raging for most of the night.

But now, she knew there was much more to it than just that.

Earlier, she had faintly felt a shockwave of Holy Magic hit her as the storm began to worsen. That paled in comparison to the quickening strikes of at least Seraph-level power flowing through the air. To make matters even more interesting, the Kitsune could now make out small peeks of gold in the holes of the storm, which could only mean one thing.

Heaven has descended.

As interesting as this was, though, it was also somewhat worrying. The Kitsune had to wonder why Ilias would ever resort to doing such a thing. 'The last time she had to do this was at the end of the Great Monster Wars, and that nearly threw the planet into ruin.' However, judging the fact that not nearly as much power was being generated here as it was one thousand years ago, Tamamo had no worries over the planet's potential destruction.

However, this only made matters more complicated. 'Why, then, would Heaven be this close? I can't imagine that there are many things that could makes Ilias bring Heaven down to Earth.'

Tamamo watched on as the waves of power kept rising and falling, her face was set in a look of puzzlement as what seemed to be a battle raged on far in the distance. Truly, the Monster Queen could probably get to the scene in time to assess the situation and get back at a good time, but that would be a good amount of effort and energy being used on her part. 'Eh, either way it'll get back to me eventually, no sense to rush for knowledge.'

Even still, the ancient Monster observed the show, a gnawing sense of curiosity at the back of her mind.

The Monster quickly removed a hand fan from her kimono, prodding the closed end into her own chin in thought, a habit she had developed sometime over the very long time she had been alive. 'Though I do wonder what's got Ilias's panties in a wad this time...'

Tamamo turned away from the somewhat chaotic scene in the distance, deciding to carry on inside the castle. She sauntered down the large and somewhat dilapidated halls with only one destination in mind: The bedroom of the current Monster Lord, Alipheese Fateburn the Sixteenth. Tamamo came up to the sizable wooden door and gently rapped her knuckles against the door. As the Kitsune had figured, the knocking goes unanswered. With a small huff of annoyance, the nine-tailed fox wrenched open the door to peer into the bedroom of the Monster Lord.

And of course, she was still asleep.

Tamamo rolled her eyes, knowing that only this child could possibly sleep through such disturbances. The golden Kitsune snuck into the room, closing the door behind her with a tail. Nearing the large bed, the fox was able to get a better look at the adolescent Monster Lord. The small Monster was burrowed in a nest of silk sheets that didn't actually cover her body but merely surrounded her like a barrier.

The young Monster's long red snake-like tail was interestingly coiled around a large body pillow, the item being somewhat tightly squeezed as it was held close to her petite body. If it was any other Monster Lord, they would've easily sensed the Angelic magic pulsating in the air and had awakened long before now. Tamamo snickered into her hand, 'I swear, she can sleep through a hurricane as long as she's got herself snaked around something.'

The Golden Kitsune's humorous moment was quickly snuffed, though, by what she saw. The lavender face of the adolescent Monster Lord, framed by her waist-long white hair, was contorted in a deep frown while she slept. Tamamo bit her lip, upset at the sight of the upset child. It wasn't a surprising discovery, but the fact that it was so common a sight made it all the worse.

'The only thing I can do is guide her and hope for the best...' The Kitsune glowered, '...Too many times I've had to cultivate one of Alipheese's lineage, just to watch them be cruelly cut down all the same. This time will be different, it has to be.' Tamamo turned away to leave, brooding to herself as she did so.

"I won't let you die in vain like all the others; this I promise to you, Alice."

Well, well, well, we are coming to a head. There'll only be a couple more chapters before the first act of this story is over. Just a bit more slowburning before we get Luka out of Ilias Village for a good long time, I promise. Next chapter the fighting will commence in Heaven and then after that, everything will really begin setting into motion.

Proud Parent: I do apologize. After looking back at the chapter, I realize that in my very late-night editing that I had seemed to negate that Luka was indeed put to sleep by Ilias. I did not mean to imply that he simply had no reaction to seeing his Mother, who had just been pronounced dead moments before. That was my embarrassing mistake. Thank you for catching this.

Nighthunter531: Oh, absolutely. Needed that dramatic tension, after all.

genilgames: You know, I'd hate to say you're wrong because that is actually an interesting interpretation of what Luka had seen. Though unfortunately, it isn't what was happening there. I can't tell you what he saw explicitly because it's kind of a really really big spoiler if I actually explain it. All I can say is that Luka in this story will be periodically receiving two types of "visions". Visions of what can happen, and visons of what will. Whichever one this one was, I'll leave for you to ponder.