And I'm back with chapter 7 of MoO. I hope the last one was a good read for those who read it. Not much to say here except thanks for the reviews! Without further ado, let's get into chapter 7.
"Inside the remains of a…beast. This is no environment fit for an emperor, let alone the emperor of the Cabal. I followed the Collector's shadowy form, not knowing where he would lead me. 'This creature's size is…it is unspeakable, I can not put it into words.' I spoke. 'If you were a mere child, what type of danger could you have posed to creatures of this stature? Why would they trap you in such a form?' I inquired. I watched him think."
"Well. I think it was a game that got a little out of hand, I think. I want to know why they did it too. That's why I asked for your help!"
"If he was trapped for playing a mere 'game', what would this final Titan do to me? 'Then short work will be made of this Titan. We can't have the same thing happening to me.' I did not fear for me, but for my people. What would my Loyalists do without their emperor? Surely that hotheaded Za'aurk wouldn't suffice as a leader. Nevertheless, the great Emperor Calus has slain threats greater than Titans! I will always prevail, even without an army!"
"Of course not! That's why you're gonna bring your big robot clone things!"
"If one single automaton was able to show the cracks of a team of Guardians. I am sure a dozen could take down a Titan. 'Yes, my automatons. They will make our endeavors far more palpable. Once we find this Titan, I will call upon them, so that they may aid us in slaying it.' Though I was certain that the Titan would be defeated, one question lingered in my mind, 'Tell me, Collector. What will you do after the Titan is slain?' I asked."
"I'm gonna be free! Only with your help of course! Well, not exactly. There's gonna be a little more to it than just taking down that Titan."
"In my mind, I laughed, and although I myself did not hear it, I may also have laughed a little out loud. The Collector looked at me with a sneer. He did not think I would actually free a being as powerful as him, did he? To interrupt my reign over this new world? Heavens, no. This was a new beginning for the Cabal. And with the power of a slain mystical beast at that? We'd be unstoppable. 'Of course, Collector. As I said before, I am at your service.' I felt like that roach, the Consul, with my dubious nature. But to compare myself to such an insignificant sycophant would bring me lower. No, I am better than him, always."
"Hey, I think we're getting close."
"We came upon a…heart. I was disgusted, but remained iron willed. 'This is the heart of what this Titan once was?' I asked."
"Yep. Poor guy. He probably gave out from not playing enough games."
"I ignored the latter half of the comment. The heart was about the size of a fully grown Colossus, if not bigger! I was astounded. I was taken out of my starstruck state of mind when I heard a large thump. 'It…it still beats? Collector! It still beats!' If not surprised, I was taken aback. A dead creature with a heart that still beats. Marvelous."
"Yeah, they do that sometimes. Don't worry though, it's not alive! Just…being weird."
"There are plans yet to come with this revelation. Hm. Perhaps this will benefit me more than I thought. But if my plans were to be foiled…"
Infernal screams could be heard. The screams of an enemy of the Cabal. The clanging of swords and the gunshots of Cabal weapons could be heard echoing through a large hall. All of the noise was drowned out by the loud, boisterous laughter of Calus, sitting on a throne overgrown with decaying Egregore. "Good! Good! It has been so long since I have been entertained by the joys of the Menagerie. Who knew that these Hive have been feeding their worms off of the excess Egregore?" He clapped his hands as he saw a gladiator pierce the abdomen of a Knight. "It is certainly a shame we must kill them all. If any were to somehow escape, it would be catastrophic." Calus got out of his throne to be faced by Primus Za'aurk. "Za'aurk, I had no idea you were here. Did you come here to witness the Menagerie back in action? Did you miss it as much as I did?" He laughed.
Za'aurk bowed his head, "I wish the circumstances of my presence here were so simple, my emperor."
Calus looked at him confused, "What? Explain, Primus."
Za'aurl shook his head in a disappointed manner, "Qexal and Ilzat have failed to report in. I have tried contacting them to no avail and our Psions here have been unable to reach them through psychic means. What shall we do?"
Calus's jaw dropped in shock, "No this cannot be. They were so close, I felt it. This will hinder our plans greatly." He turned around, thinking.
"Shall I deploy forces to liberate them? I believe they have done their duty well enough already." Za'aurk suggested.
"Well, there is no other choice. This is rather unfortunate. Deploy your men, Za'aurk."
Za'aurk nodded, and began to walk away, until he was abruptly stopped by Calus.
"Za'aurk, cancel that order!" Calus yelled. "Prepare my ship. I will go to bargain for them myself."
The eyes of the Primus widened, "My lord!? You can not! There is no telling what those Witches would do to you!"
Calus turned back around, "That is why you and my guard will be accompanying me."
"What makes you think they will even return them to us? What if they aren't even alive? They are but magic wielding Humans, no doubt as insatiable as them."
"To be honest with you, I do not know, Za'aurk." Calus turned around, "But we will be finding those Psions. Through negotiation…or by force. I would hate to completely obliterate such interesting creatures…but the safety of my empire is much more important." Calus turned to walk out of the room, "Come, Za'aurk."
"I do as you wish, my lord." Za'aurk followed Calus.
Meanwhile at Emperor Belos's castle, Qexal and Ilzat sat chained up by their arms in a dungeon below. Their cell was dead silent, save for the few rodents they could hear scurry inside the walls, scraping as they ran.
"Do you believe Calus will come for us?" Ilzat broke the silence.
Qexal turned to his partner, "I have full faith in the emperor. We are integral to his plan. Or, we were. This will hinder him greatly." Qexal stopped, and spoke once again, "Have you tried contacting anyone psychically? It seems I am unable to."
"I have tried, time and time again. There is no answer, I am afraid. It is almost like there is something stopping us from doing so."
"Then it would seem our best course of action would be to wait." Qexal responded.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. They looked up at the door across from them. It opened, and Emperor Belos entered, followed by Hunter and Kikimora.
"It seems our guests are still alive and well." Kikimora said, disappointed.
"Yes, very much." Belos said as he walked up to the Psions, "Tell me more about this Emperor Calus of yours. Why would he send you two here to 'document' the Demon Realm. Why wouldn't he come himself?" He asked.
"His presence is a gracing that you Witches aren't deserving of. So he sent us, his loyal servants, in his place." Qexal told Belos. "Besides, he has spent enough time in this forsaken realm."
"Spent enough time in this realm? Hm. I guess the stories of old were true then." Belos turned around, "And if they are true, then that means there is something the Collector hasn't told me." He started to walk out of the dungeon, before turning his head back, "Kikimora, Hunter. Watch over our guests until I return, please. Get anything out of them" He closed the door behind him as he walked out.
Kikimora bowed, "As you wish, Emperor Belos." She turned to look at the Psions. "So, continuing our conversation. Tell us more about this 'Emperor Calus' of yours." She summoned a small pen and notepad.
"We wanted to speak to your emperor. Not his pet." Ilzat said out loud.
Hunter could be heard quietly laughing in the corner. Kikimora looked at him with a vengeful expression, and he immediately stopped, clearing his throat.
"I will have you know, I am not the emperor's 'pet', I am his assistant. Just as you are to your emperor. Although the difference between you and me is that Belos actually cares for me, unlike your 'emperor'." Kikimora said smugly.
"You will regret your words, insect. Emperor Calus would give his life for his people." Qexal retorted.
Kikimora laughed, "Oh, I bet he does. And I also suppose he is a master of magic?"
"Emperor Calus will make you eat those words, fool." Qexal responded.
"Are you so sure?" Kikimora summoned a ball of fire out of her hand and blasted it toward the pair, "I would like to see him try." Qexal and Ilzat watched as the ball of fire hit the wall in between them, leaving a burn mark next to them both. "And there is quite more where that came from. If you are interested." She said facetiously.
Belos retreated to his throne room, where he ordered his guards to leave him. He stood near his throne, taking off his mask and pulling out a tablet. With this, he summoned the Collector, still in his shadowy form. "Collector. I require your presence, old friend."
"Heya there, Belos! Have you made any more progress on the Draining Spell?" Collector flew around Belos's throne room.
Belos took a seat, locked on to the Collector with his eyes, "Yes, but I am afraid that is not the topic of discussion. I need…information."
Collector stopped and appeared next to Belos, "Oooh, I have all types of information, pal! I can tell you anything you wish!" He exclaimed cheerfully.
"How convenient. Then you should be able to tell me this. Do you know of an Emperor Calus? He is a man who slips my mind at the moment, and I was hoping you would know."
Collector fell silent, "Are you sure you made progress on the Draining Spell?" He asked, ignoring Belos's question, smiling.
Belos became vexed, looking wherever the Collector floated, "Collector. Do not test my patience, please. Answer my question. Or you'll remain forever trapped. I swear it."
"Okay, okay, fine. I'll tell you. Just don't keep me trapped, okay?" The Collector took a deep breath, "That Emperor Calus guy is some type of alien leader from another realm. I have no idea where from but, whenever I heard him talking about it, it seemed a lot like that Human Realm you talk about so much. Y'know, just more…futuristic and stuff. Also yeah, he's also trapped somewhere in the Demon Realm, I have no idea where though. Or he was from what I've heard. Seems like you have another emperor to worry about, huh, friend?"
Belos's face widened in surprise, "Another…emperor? Here? So those two foreigners were being truthful. But tell me, Collector. How do I know you aren't lying to me?"
"One, I'd never lie to you. Two, me and him were like best buds back then. We played a few games 'n stuff. And hey, we may have even defeated the very Titan who's heart you sit under." The Collector shrugged his shoulders, "Not telling though."
"You can't possibly mean…" Belos looked at the Titan's heart. "You slayed the Titan?"
The Collector smiled, "Well, I don't want to take any credit for it. How about I tell ya another time?"
"Of course. Much appreciated, Collector. I promise you that you will be free of your prison soon. Once, and for all." Belos waved his hand as he walked out of the room, "That is all I needed from you, Collector."
The Collector frowned, and disappeared.
On the Leviathan, Calus and Za'aurk were preparing to make their way to the Demon Realm.
Za'aurk walked in front of Calus, extending his arms out, "My lord. Please explain to me. Why did we simply not transmat to the Demon Realm? We would have been to Torobatl and back by now - entire armies at the ready."
"How will I make an entrance Za'aurk!? Though small, with only one ship, those Witches must get at least a small taste of Cabal technology! Do not question it, Za'aurk. I command it." Calus said.
"Yes, my lord. We will proceed, my lord." Za'aurk responded.
"We will get nowhere if we have the same mindset as Ghaul. Now come along." Calus boarded a Harvester carrying a barge. Za'aurk did the same, and a squad of shadow guards followed behind. The ship took off from a docking area, and flew toward the seemingly never closing portal. A portal no one knows of, except for Calus and his Loyalists.
The Harvester entered the portal with no issue, it flew over the Boiling Sea and headed toward the remains of the Titan. The barge beneath the Harvester detached, with Calus, Za'aurk and their guard aboard. The barge made its way over the Titan, flying over Bonesborough, and hovered somewhere over the town marketplace. Blaring loud Cabal fanfare over speakers, Calus and the others disembarked from the barge from a ramp, slowly walking down it.
Calus raised his hands in the air, letting it flow through his fingers, he breathed it all in, "Ah, the air of the Demon Realm. It has changed since my last visit here. Desperation coats the atmosphere." He walked further, his escort followed. Calus looked at the various booths of the marketplace. Everyone there looked up at Calus, Witch and Demon alike. He and his Cabal towered over them. "I remember there being much…larger creatures here. How times have changed." Their steps boomed with each drop of a foot.
"The magic-wielding alternates of Humans. I have never seen any of their civilization up close. But from this, they seem to have not evolved very much, if not at all." Za'aurk said out loud.
"Halt! Stay where you are!" A male voice called out. Coven Scouts arrived at the marketplace and intercepted Calus. They all looked up at him as if they were looking at a giant. "Who are you? State your intention here." The same person asked.
"I am Emperor Calus of the Cabal Loyalist regime. And I am here to reclaim something that is mine." Calus clenched his fist. "So, I'll continue. Take me to whoever rules this realm, and you will never see me again."
"You wish to seek an audience with Emperor Belos?" The Coven Scout asked.
"Yes, yes. The minister, the general, whoever. Take me to someone with any authority here."
"First off, what is it that you seek to 'reclaim'?"
Calus looked down directly at the tiny Witch, "My followers."
"I'm sorry, Emperor Calus, was it? We can't just let you waltz into the presence of Emperor Belos because you seek to reclaim something. But if it'll satisfy you, we could always connect you with the Emperor's assistant. Though, I'm not exactly too sure if she'll get to you when you want."
Though Calus's full expression wasn't visible, the displeasement in his eyes was clear and concise. "You expect me, the great Emperor Calus to sit and wait for an assistant!? Pah!" Calus raised his hands in anger, and walked away with his escort close behind him.
Luz and her friends were also at the marketplace, "Hey, Luz! What about this?" Gus called out, holding a small pamphlet.
"No, Gus. That's…I don't even know what that's for. We're looking for a book! A big book, preferably from the Human Realm!" Luz ran around the marketplace, looking at the various stands and their items. "I'm hoping that I can find more information about ol' Philip Wittebane for the Echo Mouse! Now, I know there has to be something here." She put a hand on her forehead and squinted, looking for books. She spotted a book at a nearby stand, and sprinted towards it, picking it up. Luz skimmed through the pages, but found that it was only a cookbook.
"Hey, kid. It's 100 snails for every page you read. Ya gonna pay up or what?" A gruff sounding Demon told Luz.
"Sorry, I don't have that kind of money right now. Not my type of book anyway." Luz awkwardly laughed and walked off. Suddenly, Luz noticed a glistening shimmer at the other end of all the stands. She thought nothing of it due to things like that being common there. She continued her search for books.
"Luz, look what I found!" Amity yelled out. She held up a book with no title or anything, only a single logo on the front of it, the logo was an upside down curved triangle with a small circle below it, and on the outside, a large circle, all yellow, save for the purple background. "This looks kinda weird huh?" She walked up to Luz with the book, inspecting it. She opened the book and read the first words she saw, "Huh, there are some words in here, 'The Leviathan is now home to the last of us true Cabal.' That word sounds familiar, I'll continue. 'We will remember the old ways, for I am the wellspring from which our great civilization flows.' Whatever all of that means." She closed the book, "Luz, does any of that sound familiar to you?"
"Well, at this point, I don't think I can forget who or what the Cabal are. I think we should take that book, just in case we need it some time." Luz responded. She then, had seen the shimmer again, this time, her curiosity kicking in, she followed it to its source. The others followed after her, Amity taking the book with her. Luz peeked around a corner and found that the shimmer wasn't coming from one of the stands, but a person. A very large person. She examined them, up and down, to her, they seemed very glamorous and rather wealthy. "This guy must have millions of snails!" She said.
"Yeah, or maybe billions. I've never seen someone with so much…gold on them, literally." Willow added.
They all listened in closer as the person started talking. His voice sounded very familiar to them, although it sounded rejuvenated, almost like he had been born anew.
"Guys, that voice…it's…" Luz started to think before it snapped to her head, "Oh, it's him! But what is he doing here now? Shouldn't his lackeys be done now? And back with him somewhere else?"
"Hey! I remember that old voice! It's the emperor guy!" Gus said, "We should go say hello!"
"Well, maybe we don't say hello. But we should definitely follow them." Luz responded.
Calus and his escort walked away, gathering into a single file line due to their large size. The guards behind Calus and Za'aurk ended up blocking Luz and her friends from getting to them.
"Dangit! All of those guys are in the way." Luz said. She tried to run past them, but could barely even get past them. Despite this, they could all hear the Cabal speaking, and the Cabal could hear them too.
"Za'aurk, this place is in its own right, charmining. It is paltry in its own way, I say." Calus said, stomping his way out of the marketplace and to the town square.
"Yes, my lord. I assume it'll be a shame to-" Za'aurk was interrupted by one of the guards.
"Primus, we've found familiar beings. Spying on us." The guard held up a struggling Luz and her friends in his hands. "These are the ones who freed Emperor Calus."
"The ones who merely helped. Most of the work was done by our brave warriors." Za'aurk responded. He moved the other guards out of the way and walked closer to examine them, "I never really got a good look at them. They look much more soft than the Humans we've met."
"Merely helped? News flash big guy, we did about sixty-percent of the work!" Luz exclaimed angrily. "And what do you mean 'other humans'!? You aren't from Earth!"
Za'aurk looked closely at Luz, the eye slits of his helmet glowing a bright white in her face, "Tell me. You are Human. Yet you claim to know nothing of the Cabal. Are you from a lost colony? Another system?"
"What are you even talking about? I'm from Earth! Planet Earth! The Human Realm! Honestly, I'm not sure what you're talking about because there has never been a single one of you there. It's all nice and clean. And life is flourishing there." Luz responded, confused.
"But…impossible. Your planet is…" Za'aurk snarled at her. "We will find out soon enough." He walked back up to Calus, "My lord, we have individuals you will remember. But first, we should move forward before talking."
"Of course. I'd like to explore more of this beaten and battered town." Calus responded joyfully as he kept walking. "And let me take a look at these individuals of yours." He turned around.
"Hey! What do you want with us!?" Luz yelled out as Calus walked up to her. "And by the way! This town isn't beaten or battered, it's just very…flashy is all!"
Calus looked at Luz and her friends closely, "It's you." He looked up at the guard holding them, "Release them. If they have questions then they will follow closely. And I will listen closely." The guard set them all down.
They all rubbed their clothes and Luz stepped up, "A little hello would be better next time, y'know?"
"Apologies for the brashness of my guards, young Human. They are adamant to protect their emperor, and I cannot blame them. It has been so long since they have set foot on actual land around potential threats." Calus took an artifact from one of the booths, "So primitive, so baroque." He threw it away. "I suppose we can walk and talk." He turned around and snapped his fingers and began walking.
"Alright, that's more like it." Luz said as she started walking alongside Calus, "So, what are you doing here? How did you even get here?"
Calus let out a brief chuckle, "You wouldn't even believe it, human. Perhaps where I come from, the people there would believe."
"I'm pretty sure however you got here, I'd believe it. I've seen the weirdest things here." Luz responded.
"And that's a fact!" Gus added.
"I came here through a portal. A portal at the edge of space and the end of creation." Calus said.
"A portal? You mean there's more than one portal to the Demon Realm?" Luz asked.
"More than one? How should I know? I only indulged in my curiosities, finding that portal by mere chance." Calus looked around, observing his surroundings. He caught many staring eyes, from everyone he walked past, to them, he was something of an anomaly. "You know, human. I notice that there is something odd."
Luz looked up at Calus, "Hm? What's that?"
"I notice that…well…you are the only human here. Did you too come here through a portal? If so, why is it that no others are here? Did you not inform any Guardians? No officials of the Last City?" Calus looked up as he walked.
"Yeah, I came here through a portal. I'm trying to get home, or at least talk to the people back at home. I tried and failed. I only managed to appear as a sort of apparition. I'll get it right one day though. But I don't know what you mean by 'Guardians' and a 'Last City'. There's plenty of cities on Earth." Luz stopped to think, "Wait, are you from some sort of parallel universe? That's so cool! And weird." She continued walking.
"A parallel Earth? One that was not ravaged by the Collapse? That is…interesting. Perhaps when you figure out a way to return home, I shall send Cabal scientists with you to study it. Think of the opportunities."
"Yeah, uh. Maybe." Luz laughed awkwardly, "Anyways, tell me why you're here. In person. And what was up with those weird one eyed guys you sent here?"
"The reason I am here is to find them. Psions they're called, and they're my advisors. It has been a while since we have heard from them. We expected them to return long ago. So now here we are, me and my second in command have come here to investigate. But all we have found so far are guards of this 'Emperor Belos' and you and your friends."
Za'aurk stepped up, "To our dismay, those guards were no help. I should have crushed them then and there for denying help to Emperor Calus."
Calus looked at Za'aurk, "Please, Za'aurk. We are here on strictly diplomatic matters." He looked down at Luz and her friends, "None of you wouldn't have happened to see them?"
They all shook their heads no. Willow walked up to Calus, "Actually, I think I saw them walking with Coven Scouts the other day. I'm not sure where they were going though." She shrugged.
"That is helpful, plant witch. But I wouldn't even know where to start with such a clue." Calus replied.
"You could always try the emperor's castle. Though I doubt they'd let any of you in. Or if you'd even fit in." Gus added.
"Then that is where we will go. To the 'emperor's' castle. Wherever that may be." Calus turned around and waved his hand forward, and his escort followed.
They looked as Calus walked off, "Was no one going to talk about his new look?" Luz asked.
"Eh, that probably would have sparked a very long conversation. I will admit, he kind of rocks it, in a weird way." Amity responded with crossed arms.
"Yeah, you're probably right. But, I did notice something. Amity, can I see the book you found earlier?" Luz asked.
Amity handed Luz the book with the symbol on it. "Here ya go. Do you think it has something to do with him?"
"Oh, of course.. He has this symbol in like ten different places on his armor. That guy screams 'alien emperor from another universe'." Luz replied. "I'm gonna take this to the Echo Mouse. Maybe we can find something interesting about him from this puppy."
"Luz, that's not a puppy, that's a book." Gus said.
"I know, Gus. It's a figure of speech. I really need to teach you guys some more Human Realm stuff." She skimmed through the book. The first few pages were in coherent English, but then it abruptly switched to a completely different language of letters and symbols she didn't understand, "Wow, okay. Alien language. I hope the Echo Mouse can decipher this." She closed the book and started walking back home.
Once at the Owl House, Luz and her friends ran up to her room. "Echo Mouse! We have some food for you! It's exotic too!" Luz shouted out. The Echo Mouse popped out of a little hole, squeaking. It scurried over to Luz as she placed the book on the floor. The little mouse climbed in and started munching on the pages. Right after, it started projecting the eaten pages. They all sat down in anticipation.
A familiar voice was heard narrating, "My Loyalists, a new age dawns upon us." It was Calus, but he sounded much more depressed, more cynical than what they were used to. "We have been…exiled. From our own home. Kicked to the corners of the universe by the traitorous devil, Ghaul. Or shall I say, Dominus Ghaul. How can one so spoiled and loved, turn to be so evil and devilish at the blink of an eye?"
"Ghaul? I wonder who that is." Willow said. She was shushed by the others.
Illustrations from the book began popping up. It was Calus, surrounded by other Cabal. Most noticeably a giant, albino looking Cabal, standing right in front of him, "I could never forget that day. I was drunk, I could barely even speak or think. But when it happened, I snapped out of my drunken trance. Ghaul approached. Caiatl and Umun'arath behind him. I greeted them joyfully. I wondered what the occasion was. That is until Ghaul pulled his weapon on me, pointing directly in my face, 'What is the meaning of this?' I asked. 'You are unfit to be emperor. The Cabal deserve a true leader, a militant leader. Not one that takes joy in the simplest things. I'm sorry, old friend. But this is your end, and my rise.' I could barely believe what I was hearing, I did not want to believe it. I looked at Caiatl, my own daughter. 'You too, Caiatl?' She didn't even look at me. I thought to myself, 'who could put my most trusted warrior up to such devious deeds?' Then I saw him, the traitor, the disgrace, the exiled, the Roach. The Consul." The mouse skipped to a different page in the book, "Rejoice! Ghaul has perished, along with that roach, the Consul! Killed by his own machinations, his own disciple. What better way to learn of that fool's death? Only if it was by my hands of course! All those who had betrayed me on that fateful day, Ghaul, Consul, Umun'arath, Moli Imoli, Shayotet, Iska'al and Tha'uul were all dead. Except for Caiatl. She still hunts me to this day. Searching the universe for her father. But I am clever, my daughter. You will never find me. And if you do, then my Shadows shall come for you. And if it shall come to it, I will give you the death of a true Cabal warrior." The mouse ended the projection there and ran back to its hole.
"Aww, looks like the mouse got tired," Willow said.
"Yeah, but we still learned quite a bit about him. Not exactly what I thought we'd see. I was kind of hoping we'd see something about the Demon Realm, but it'll do." Luz added.
"Sounds like he had it real rough, huh?" Gus said.
"It also sounds like he wasn't a very good emperor, according to that 'Ghaul' guy." Amity replied.
"Do you guys think that his daughter is still hunting him?" Willow asked.
"Of course! I get it now, he has to be hiding from his daughter! I see no other reason he could be here!" Luz responded.
Gus gasped, "What if she finds him here? And they go to war!? Who knows what could happen? They could destroy the entirety of the Demon Realm for all we know!"
Luz flipped her hand in a dismissing way, "Nah, I'm sure they'll talk it out like father and daughter in a civilized way. Besides, he said he went to the very edge of the universe. There must be like a million edges of the universe, right? We should be fine." Luz assured.
On Caiatl's flagship, the empress looked out of the window, staring into the subspace tunnel. "How far has Calus gone?" She asked herself.
A Cabal engineer spoke, "Empress. We're coming out of subspace soon and we're detecting two signatures. One unknown, and one familiar."
Caiatl walked over to the engineer, "Is it the Leviathan?"
"Yes, empress. At least it seems to be."
"Then I have Calus in my clutches. Finally, I've waited so long for this moment." She said out loud, "And what of the second signature? Is it a Loyalist allied ship?"
"No, empress. It's not Loyalist allied. In fact, it doesn't even appear to be a ship on our scanners."
"Then be prepared. Whatever it is, it will meet the wrath of the Cabal Empire if it is allied with Calus."
"Of course, empress."
A decorated colossus walked into the command bridge. He kneeled in front of Caiatl. "Greetings, my empress."
"Rise, Valus Saatur. What brings you here?" Caiatl asked.
"I was simply wondering how close we were to Calus. My weapons hunger for the blood of the Loyalist traitors." The Valus exclaimed as he stood up.
Caiatl let out a slight chuckle, "In due time. It seems that we will be arriving soon. There will be more than enough foes to satiate your bloodlust. You just leave Calus to me. Now, you may leave."
"Of course, my empress." Saatur walked out of the bridge.
"Empress. Coming out of subspace in 3, 2, 1." The fleet came out of subspace, and was met with a sight they had sought for many years. The Leviathan, albeit, a shell of its former self.
Caiatl looked out the window of her ship, staring at the Leviathan, "After all these years. I finally found you, father." She looked to the front of the Leviathan, spotting a portal in front of it. "A portal? Perhaps he isn't even on the Leviathan anymore." Caiatl walked to one of the engineers. "You there. That portal. Is it the second signature?"
"It would seem so, empress. There is nothing else that appears on our scanners. But we are detecting several thousand lifeforms aboard the Leviathan. Calus has been rebuilding his army."
"The more traitors we get to slay, the better. But first. I would like to confirm my suspicions. It goes against my better judgment, but I want to know what is inside that portal. I want to know if Calus is inside that portal." Caiatl began to walk out of the bridge. "Vruzra. You may quit hiding."
"Yes, empress. Apologies, empress. Shall I prepare a ship for you?"
"Yes, Vruzra. Make haste." Caiatl ordered two of her guards to follow her.
"Yes, empress. I shall make haste." Vruzra responded. She looked at another Psion on the bridge and nodded to them before leaving.
Calus found his way to the castle of Emperor Belos. "Here we are. One day, my friends, this will be property of the Cabal." Calus walked across a bridge to the castle, and was met by a tall masked man.
The man bowed, "Greetings, my name is Emperor Belos. Emperor of the Demon Realm and all its lands. I have been expecting you."
Calus looked down at Belos, "So, you are Emperor Belos. I've not heard much of you. I did expect so much more from you though."
"This is merely my form. Nothing more. Although, you look just as I expected, save for the armor." Belos looked up a Calus who towered over him.
"You mean you knew of me?" Calus laughed, "So, the legend of Emperor Calus lives on even in alternate realms!"
"So it would seem, my friend. I would appreciate it if you would come in."
"Of course." Calus turned around, "Za'aurk, you will stay outside with the guards. I will return soon."
"Yes, my lord. But at the first sign of danger, this realm will feel the full force of my wrath." Za'aurk responded.
"I assure you, no harm will come to your emperor. It is my guarantee." Belos replied. "Shall we resume?"
"Yes, let's." Calus followed Belos into the castle, and was astounded by the architecture. "This all looks too familiar." Calus chuckled, "Have you seen the halls of the Leviathan also?"
"I'm not sure what you mean by a 'Leviathan', Calus. But I would love to see it one day, whatever it may be."
"Hm, of course. In due time."
"So, tell me. What brings you here to this realm? Surely you aren't just here for a leisurely stroll."
"I am here for many reasons. Originally, I planned a much later visit, but complications have accelerated such plans."
"Tell me, what plans did you have?"
They walked past a room full of trinkets and devices, Calus stared at them as he walked past, before snapping back, "I wanted to meet an old friend. Perhaps learn a few things. But right now, I am here under the impression that two of my advisors have been taken. By your own guards."
"Come to think of it, we did have some rather suspicious guests roaming around, looking for places of magic and such. They wouldn't happen to be your advisors, would they?"
"Yes, they are mine. If you could lead me to them, that would be most appreciated. Then we can get out of your hair."
"Why, of course. But first, I'd like to have a nice, long conversation with you, my friend."
Calus stopped, looking around, thinking. He sighed, "If it shall free them. This is your domain after all. I oblige."
Belos stopped, "Excellent." He led Calus to his throne room.
Calus was reluctant, but followed. Once the door to the room opened, his eyes widened in amazement, in shock, in awe. He looked up, "What is this? It is…divine. Is this your heart?"
Belos laughed, "It is not my heart. But it is my property, of course." He walked to his throne and sat down, "Guards, leave us, please." Belos's guards all left the room, closing the door behind them.
"No, that is the heart of a Titan. I remember." Calus said.
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing. What is it that you wished to ask me?" Calus walked up to Belos. "I have matters that I must attend to."
"I've learned a few things about you before this day. Very interesting things. There are a few more things I'd like to know."
"Such as?"
"How did you get here? Why are you really here?" Belos put his hands together.
"The same way you got here, Emperor Belos. Through a portal."
Belos leant up further, "I'm sorry? The same way I got here? What do you mean?"
"You put on a great facade for these Witches. But you reek of humanity. The failures of my past have taught me to see past false characters such as yours." Calus laughed loudly, mockingly. "I admire it, Belos. Do not bother lying to me, your secret is safe with me. Though, should the time come, I may just have to release it."
"You have no evidence to prove such a claim!" Belos yelled. "But perhaps you are right, maybe I am a human. What does that make you then? A shapeshifter of some sort? There is only one portal between the Human Realm and Demon Realm."
"You've lived here for centuries, and there are still things you do not know of this realm. Perhaps that is for the better."
"How can there be another portal? That's simply impossible. And it's stayed open for this long? It doesn't make sense."
"Cabal technology, my friend. It works wonders on anything."
"If your technology is able to keep the portal open then…if the portal here can be opened, and stay that way. I could go between both realms as I please. Perhaps I could even find a new realm to conquer." Belos said out loud.
"I keep hearing about this 'Human Realm'. Is it not Earth?"
"Well, yes, it is. It is simply a way to differentiate the realms, of course."
"I suppose that makes my realm a…Universal Realm."
"Very interesting. Calus - Emperor Calus. We could work together. Our powers combined, we could both achieve our goals."
"That depends. What is it that you want?"
"There are many things that I want. But above all, I want revenge. Revenge on the witches of the Demon Realm. It pains me to even treat them as my 'own' people."
"How intriguing. So you truly are human." Calus turned around, "I have no terms, for now. Free my advisors, and stay loyal to me to the very end. You wouldn't want your little secret getting out would you?"
Belos snarled, "No, I wouldn't." Belos stood up. "I will tell one of my guards to retrieve your advisors. I look forward to working with you." Belos extended an arm out toward the exit. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Emperor Calus."
"Indeed. I will wait for you outside. We will return soon enough." Calus walked out of the room.
Belos followed after him and began walking in a different direction. He walked to the dungeon where Qexal and Ilzat were being kept and walked down the stairway. He was met by Hunter. "Hunter, where has Kikimora gone?"
Hunter bowed, "She's gone to help with the preparations for the Coven Day Parade, uncle."
"Of course, that is tomorrow. I will deal with it when the time comes. Right now, I am here for those two." Belos responded. "Their leader has come for them."
Qexal and Ilzat's heads shot up. "The emperor has come for us?" They said in unison.
"Yes, consider yourselves lucky." Belos looked over at Hunter, "Hunter, if you would please unchain them."
Hunter walked over to the pair, and released them from their chains. "There you go. I hope your wrists feel better." He said jokingly.
Qexal and Ilzat felt their wrists and stretched. "The emperor has truly spared this place if he chose to solely free us." Ilzat said, "You should be the ones that are considered lucky."
"Hunter, please take them to the exit. Their emperor will be waiting for them there." Belos said, somewhat distressed after his conversation with Calus.
"Yes, uncle. Follow me, you two." Hunter motioned for them to follow him, and they did.
At the entrance, Calus was speaking with Za'aurk.
"I tell you Za'aurk. This has been most beneficial for us. It did not take much for me to come to terms with their emperor. It is only a matter of time before we move in for the finish." Calus clenched his fist. He looked to the entrance of the castle to see Hunter walking out with Qexal and Ilzat. "Ah yes. There they are! It has been a worrying experience when we lost contact with you, my friends."
"Yes, we nearly damned this realm to hellfire. Until the emperor convinced me to do otherwise." Za'aurk added.
Qexal and Ilzat walked up to Calus and bowed. "My lord. We apologize for our failure. It will never happen again, and any punishment you bring upon us, we accept." Qexal said.
"Rise, advisors. There will be no maltreatment for your failure. You were loyal to the end. That is what matters." Calus turned around, "Now come. We will return to the Leviathan. There is still much to be done." He walked away, his escort following him, along with Qexal and Ilzat.
"Thank you, great one." They said together.
Calus laughed, "In due time, we will be the ones wielding magic." He said quietly.
Hunter stared as the Cabal left, "Yeah, those guys aren't gonna cause any type of trouble. Heh." He walked back into the castle.
And that's the end peeps. I love how the spelling suggestion for Za'aurk is Ta'aurc. I actually wrote and finished this one in under a month, kinda. So that's pretty cool. Hoping to do some big things these next few chapters, especially chapter 10, whenever that comes. Def got no plans to end this anytime soon, it's pretty fun. And I'd love to get to some story beats involving s3 of Owl House for sure. And thanks to the people who left nice comments on the last chapter. Anyways, that's all I gotta say for now. And Merry Christmas, and if you don't celebrate that, then Happy Holidays. (also did you know that there was an actual Cabal enemy named Eratl? I genuinely did NOT know that lol)