.^^ Michael ^^

— Seth —

"Wonderful... first, before we decide anything, I'd like to know the laws in place halting you from attacking demons, and why it stopped me from harming you, but not the other way around." I laced my fingers together.

He sighed. "Sunlight can harm you, even if I can't."

"A loophole, Wonderful. How fitting, that Angels are lawyers, just like Demons." I responded dryly.

He frowned. "I do not appreciate the comparison."

"I don't appreciate your face. Move on." I shot back casually.

He shook his head slowly. "Some humans... no respect."

"If you are not lord over my fate, as you claim, what respect is owed you, an Extradimensional entity that is literally no different from a demon?" I asked.

He gritted his teeth. "My Patience is not meant to be tested..."

"Perhaps you should work out your anger issues on your own time, then." I shrugged.

He stood up, and leaned against the mantle. "Damn you..."

"Well, there's a demon in my head, so it might be a little too late for that." I responded dryly.

He paused, and glanced over his shoulder, at my perfectly deadpan features, and laughed heartily, plopping down into the seat. "No, not entirely. You didn't let the demon devour you, so that's good. Your Soul is not bound for the Abyss, currently. You will be reincarnated, like any human, or live for a very long time, like any Sorcerer, however you choose."

I blinked slowly. "Reincarnated? So heaven is a pipe dream?"

"Essentially... it exists, but it is the Realm my kind come from, the Realm of Light. Just like the Abyss, we are the equal and opposite, the eternal enemies. But no, human souls don't come to us. We save them, sometimes, and send them back into the River of Life, to be reincarnated sometime... else. Sometimes past, sometimes future. It's rather interesting to watch, actually. Hell, though, that's real. The Abyss takes all corrupt souls, in the end, and doesn't allow them to reincarnate." He shrugged.

"But humans just keep making more." I chuckled.

He nodded. "Yes. We try to stop it from taking good souls, like yours... well, loosely like yours. You're still an asshole, with severe sadistic tendencies, Power Fantasies, and a serious complex about rich people, but you're not Evil, per se." He begrudgingly admitted.

I shrugged. "I knew that. I try not to allow the Sadistic Tendencies to roam free. Anyway, laws! What stops us from hurting one another, outside of loopholes?"

He nodded. "The Abyss, sort of the God of Darkness, if there is such a thing, made a Deal with the Sentient Mind Of the Realm of Light, that its denizens would not be able to attack one another."

"So what I would know as God and the Devil, there's a truce in effect?" I clarified.

He nodded. "Something like that. They're both just collections of psychic energy, really... they have Sentience, but it's rarely seen. The Council was established, with the eldest of us, but then those stories began to circulate... religions began to be built around us, from the times we showed ourselves to humans, usually to fight monsters, and we allowed it, because their psychic energy flowed into our realm, making us stronger."

"Interesting... So god's exist, but they're... less divine, and more just Creatures of Immense Power?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Tadah."

"But they got some things right. Michael and Gabriel, Archangels... if God doesn't exist, are you even Angels? Or do you just believe your own press?" I smirked.

He laughed. "You could say that. But after thousands of years, names develop Power. Even if it's not accurate, it becomes accurate. Angels didn't originally exist, but after thousands of years being called that, we took the name for ourselves. Simple, really."

"And Lucifer? Great War in Heaven and Creation of Humans, Eden... all fairy tales?" I asked.

He shrugged. "There's bits of truth... there was an Eden, but Adam and Eve was a human invention... most of the Bible was just a collection of older legends, with new names. The first commercialized rebranding or plagiarism, however you want to see it, really." He chuckled at the thought.

I nodded. "Thought as much... anyway, explain to me the concept of War. If I Declare War, What's to stop you from killing me? My plan is simple: I want to basically conquer all four Realms of Demons that are currently close to this Realm, hold them in place, so that the other realms can't get closer, and then see if I can destroy the strongest of them. Leaving the little ones, because Genocide is totally wrong, firstly, and secondly, because a balance is necessary, no?"

He hummed. "That's a good plan... but you couldn't hold all four realms, not even with all the power you would accumulate. You could hold... maybe Two? The Realm Of Dreams always stays attached to this realm, because humans created it, when they first began to Dream... but you could drag closer two more, not all three."

"Alright... the Realms of Ice and Fire are primordial Realms, though, Correct? So they wouldn't go anywhere... right?" I asked.

"Well... they would, actually. Why do you think most of human history happened in the past 20,000 years? Because the Realm of Fire represents human innovation, and without it, you'd be hard pressed to find inspiration for the life of you. The Realm of Ice is the Realm of Cruelty, and no one would miss that one, honestly. The Realm of Storms is the Realm of Emotion, and that one... well, that's also necessary." He shrugged.

"So... is it possible, once I have the Realm of Dreams, to pull other Realms into it? Merge them? Make Dreams and Inspiration and Emotions go hand in hand? And you're right, let the Realm of Ice float off into the dark, fuck that place." I waved a hand casually.

'That is my home you speak of.' Briar grumbled.

"And? It's a frozen wasteland. Fuck that place. Moving on, is it possible? It's been done before, right? That's how the Blade of the East is so powerful?" I asked.

Michael hummed. "Yes... in theory, though the amount of power necessary would be... impressive, even to me."

"Good. That's the plan, then. Now, again, what's to stop you from just killing me, the moment you're able to?" I asked. He opened his mouth, and I held up a finger. "And if you say Faith, so help me god..."

He grinned. "Sorry, Reflex. No, a good contract, actually. You're doing a Good thing, and while I find the demon inside you repugnant, you do make a good point, and you do plan on eventually removing him, and attempting to do good by the realms, so I would basically have no reason to harm you. As the council has already offered, once everything is over, I would attempt to remove the parasite from your soul, and then either kill it or banish it, whichever worked best at the time."

"Mm... last question; is there a sort of magic that I can use, to make myself and others be able to tell whether or not someone is corrupted in the soul, just by glancing at them?" I asked.

He blinked. "You want to be able to tell if people are... evil?"

"Basically. And I want to be able to make others capable of it as well. I plan on ordering all my Sorcerers to only make deals with corrupt or evil individuals." I explained.

He chuckled. "If it's possible... yes, such a thing is easily done, for me. Here, a freebie." He tossed a small page of paper towards me.

I nodded, reading it and tucking it into my pocket. "Alright. Then, I believe that's everything... please, take that suggestion back to your council... but no promises, as of now. For now, I will accept your current proposition, of you removing the Briar, once I've managed to destroy the other Greater Daemons."

He nodded, and stood up. "I'll see to it, then. Goodbye for now, Seth. We will speak again, soon. And that was a good couple of blows. Had there not been a Taboo, you might have made me bruise a little. Maybe." He winked, and stepped through the fireplace, disappearing.

Diana finally released the breath she sounded like she'd been holding the entire time, and punched my shoulder. "What the fuck?!?" She snapped.

"What?" I asked.

"You just almost got Smote from existence!" She growled.

"No, I didn't. He wasn't able to harm me, beyond the sunlight damage, which I'll have managed in a little while... for now, though, I'll spread the word that Thorn is Dead, and his people are Mine, and the New Way Of Things." I shrugged.

She nodded, punching my shoulder again, and walked towards the stairs. "Alright... Call Your Demon Pen-Pal, then, we'll all head back to the Home Base. Adelaide and Gale will stay here, for now, to help oversee things."

"Understood." I nodded. "We'll establish this house as a Satellite Facility, for you, and my permanent residence." She waved, heading up the stairs and weaving through the thick curtains.

I turned towards the circle, and snapped my fingers, Summoning the Informants, both the Thorn's and Briar's.

Only one creature appeared, to my amusement. "Ahh, Hello, Talkative One... I am amused by your treachery, but it is of no consequence, now. The Thorn is Dead, and I have defeated him in Mortal Combat, devouring his essence and being awarded his followers and territory by the Abyss itself. Spread the word, that the Thorn Camp no longer exists. The Briar is now Lord of the Realms of both Ice and Fire. Inspired Cruelty... how quaint." I chuckled.

He seemed to shiver, and then bowed deeply. "The Lord Briar is my Lord and Master, of course... the Followers of the Thorn and Briar will be informed immediately, Master... particularly those under the impression that a war begins in a few hours."

"Yes... I decided to go straight to the source. Those that do not pledge themselves to me, of course, must be delivered to the location of the Summoning. They will be used as Fodder for the next Summoning." I explained, and stood. "Go and spread your whispers swiftly, Talkative One."

He bowed again. "By your Command, Master." His form disappeared into a mist, and drifted back into the circle.

I nodded, and walked upstairs, avoiding the sunlight with a hiss, and dove back through the portal, into the Summoning Chamber. I walked into the center, and stabbed my sword into the stone platform, changing the makeup very slightly, so that the Reservoir was connected to my mind, and then nodded, walking out.

Next, I opened a portal, slowly, laboriously, into the strip club where I had found my followers previously, in the Bronx, and stepped through.

The middle-aged man bowed immediately, and the two women, whom I remembered from last night as the two unbound Sorceresses, knelt as well, while the fourth, a young man, looked at them, confused.

"Greetings again, children." I said, and sat in my icy throne, which was still there. The boy immediately knelt, on some instinct. "Lorenzo... who is this child, and why is he here?"

He bowed his head again. "He is my grandson, Lord Briar... Gifted, but unskilled, and weak... if you require-"

I raised a finger, cutting him off. "Are you offering me a second of your blood?" I asked carefully, keeping my rage contained.

He nodded. "If it pleases you, Lord Briar."

"It does not. I prefer my food Aged... and Corrupted. Good tastes... like Sunshine. Sunshine burns my skin. I prefer Darkness." I shrugged casually.

He bowed again. "As you wish, Lord Briar."

"Hmm... child, what is your name?" I asked, and cast the spell that Michael had given me, looking about the room. Everyone but him stank of irrevocable evil, unsurprisingly.

He sat up. "Oh! I'm Vincent Faccit, l-Lord Briar!" His Voice cracked, still in the middle of puberty.

I hummed, and turned my gaze back to Lorenzo. "Now... to business. From this day forth, the Briar Camp will only feed on Corrupt Souls, Evil Souls. Evil Virgins are not that hard to find, so therefore I, your Lord and Master, Forbid the hunting of Non-corrupted humans, and the Corruption of those who are Yet Clean. Understood?"

He blinked. "We follow your orders, Master... but are you sure? We have always fed on the innocent."

I glared at him severely. "While I find your doubt annoying, and your questioning your Lord and Master offensive, I will condescend to explain myself to one of my own servants. I am not telling you to suddenly become Knights in Shining Armor. But, there is a balance to the Realm, and I will keep it. As the time of the Shift in Realms approaches, and I feed more on other Greater Daemons, and kill more of my Brethren, I will gain more power, and therefore, bring more darkness into the realm, with my mere presence. Therefore, uncorrupted humans will only balance me out if they are left uncorrupted. Have your doubts been squashed?" I snarled a bit for effect.

He bowed deeply, prostrating himself. "I apologize, deeply, for ever doubting you... please, do with me as you will, Master."

"I will... Vincent? You may want to step outside... I will tell your Clan that you are now it's Patriarch, and my Voice in This... City. You, women! Accompany him." I flicked my fingers towards the door, not looking away from the prostrating man, and casting the spell on Vincent, so he could see Good and Evil as well, which would be useful.

Vincent stood, and bowed shakily, until the women grabbed him and pulled him with them, out of the room. "You don't want to see that, child." One whispered, turning him away and closing the door.

"Come here." I said simply, and let Briar have the reins.

'I was unaware that you wanted to stop the eating of uncorrupted ones because of the cosmic balance... it is a good point.' He murmured, and shifted my jaws as the man approached, and knelt in front of me.

I hummed. 'It's something of a Win-Win... some semblance moral correctness, and Universal Balance. Lovely that they go together, but I would have done it anyway.'

The man's head disappeared, turned to ash. He tasted like darkness, oil, sand, and dirt. He tasted like what an evil being should taste like, which should have revolted me, but I had been correct; I preferred it somehow, compared to the Veil. It seemed a more honest taste, somehow. Where the Veil tasted like wishes, this tasted like reality; true, gritty reality.

And while I was momentously disgusted by the concept of debating with myself the taste of a person I'd just eaten, I was slightly less appalled, because of the fact that I could see his memories, and he was the scummiest person I could have found.

I mean, who OFFERS UP members of their family to be eaten by an Eldritch Beast?!?

His body turned to Ashe, as I was debating, and I breathed it in over the course of a minute or so, stretching out the 'meal'.

Once finished, I sighed, and rubbed my face. "Return." I called out.

The door opened, and the boy was led in by both women, who uncovered his eyes when they'd closed the door again, apparently more concerned with him seeing what was outside the room, in the club, than inside, with his dead grandfather's ashes on the ground.

"I would like to ask you a question, Vincent, and you may answer however you like, so long as it's honest. I can't stand liars." I sighed again, and gestured at the couches.

They sat, and he nodded slowly. "Y-yes sir?"

"You didn't like your grandfather, did you? Seemed like kinda an asshole. Tried to feed his kids to an Eldritch Beast... I mean, who does that, right?" I chuckled.

"No... he wasn't a very nice person, in general, but feeding you my aunt, even if she wasn't nice either, was a step above and beyond." He set his shoulders, ignoring the cracking of his voice.

I nodded. "I agree."

"But you still ate her."

"Yes. She was evil, and a Virgin, prime food for something like me; I've been in this realm for 3 days. I was in need of a meal, and she was the best one around. I don't regret it. But you are one of the only Sorcerers I've ever seen, that doesn't reek of Evil. We need more like you. Now, my question... A few minutes ago, I gave you an ability, to see whether someone was Good or Evil... I'd like you to tell me what you see when you look at me." I nodded.

He frowned. "Well... I see that you're... kinda Grey... like, Gunmetal, or Silver... but there's a black flame in your stomach."

"Hmm... Gunmetal Grey, you say? I suppose that makes sense... better than darkness throughout, eh?" I chuckled.

"I guess?" He shrugged.

"Mmm... Anyway, you should go tell your family what's transpired, and I'll tell the Talkative One that you are the Patriarch, now... pass that ability I gave you around. Share it. It'll help your new little Crew figure out which deals they can make, and which ones they can't. Anyone who doesn't listen, you send them to me, in Hyde Park, Chicago. Good luck, Vincent. Ciao." I nodded, and started the portal on the wall again, aiming for the basement of the house.

"Can I ask you something?" He piped up, while the women attempted to shush him.

"Sure, kid." I sighed.

"Who are you? Who are you... Really? I know you're the Briar, Lord of Roses... but who are you? Wouldn't the Lord of Roses have a fully Black soul?" He asked shrewdly.

I chuckled deeply, and activated the portal. "Who am I? Oh, sweet, sweet summer child, I'm the Sorcerers' Boogeyman!" I laughed, and stepped through, closing the portal.