The Jigoku's meeting courtroom.

Artemis' hand placed the Teiko drum on the table's center, and the noise of rumbling from its impact on the table caused the noise to echo across the chamber's air. "As you can see, I've brought the agreed-upon condition."

"The lighting god's holy drum," Shukufuku muttered, her feline pupils dilating at the sight of the divine artifact, her claws digging subconsciously, yet even the subtle pressure was enough to make cracks on the table.

"It... can't be true..." Zuruzuru sizzled, their face contracted with veins marking and their jaw dripping with scarlet liquid. "This is obviously a deception! No demon could get a divine artifact in that little period, much less an impertinent child!"

"Silence," Satanael demanded, instantly causing the two to sit back down. The king of hell stood, extending his big, obsidian, clawed hand at the instrument. He picked it between his razor-sharp nails, bringing it close to his glowing eye, staring into it. He eyed the symbol intently, the remnants of electric strikes scattered against its surface, accompanied by the fleeting yet ever-present ethereal aura. "It is authentic."

The other lords stared on in silence, some of them showing interest, like Yokubo, who leaned her face into her hand, her eyes twinkling in turquoise, oozing shine. Others, like Senko or Hae, watched with a spoken hostility towards the demon child, the wish to object and disagree crystal clear on their faces, and yet it was covered by the fear of questioning their king.

Artemis hummed, his sight only set on Satanael, disregarding the glances of the other sins. "Well then, I believe that I have met my end of our compromise, no?"

"Indeed." The demon king set the godly drum on the table, his vision meeting Artemis with a direct and clear look. "You have brought us a treasure that no other demon, high or low class, had ever achieved. But I must ask." He placed his finger on the table. "How did you convince the gods to relinquish it?"

"Technically speaking, I didn't." He brought the drum back into his hand. "I proposed dialogue, but the lighting god was unwilling and uncooperative, so of course, he proposed a duel. Because, of course, he did."

"You are not seriously suggesting you battled Raijin and expect us to believe you, are you?" Senko scrawled lowly, the volume of his voice barely kept in check as the claws of his feet dragged on the ground, and his feathers ruffled on his arms and neck.

"I have no reason to lie, Lord of Pride. Besides, do you truly believe I would be unprepared for such a possibility? We all know gods are brazen, impatient, and most of all, ignorant." Artemis spun the Taiko on his finger. "So, when the god of lightning was oh so eager to test me, who would I be to refuse his proposal for a duel? Sounds sensible enough, correct?"

"Raijin is known for his fierceness in battle." Tao sneered, her various wings buzzling and ringing incessantly, and her multiple eyes narrowing in his direction. "He would never give you his Taiko willingly, regardless of the battle's result.... Unless..." her eyes widened, "Don't tell me you...."

Artemis hummed a bit, glancing at the Lord of Gluttony from the corner of his eye. "I merely played by his rules. Moreover, I gave him every chance to cease his purposeless attempts; his undoing is no one's to blame."

The conference room fell into silence, the revelation hitting like a nuclear bomb, even without him saying it out right. A god had met its end, an event that had not occurred in centuries since the boiling point of the war, and even then, it was under clouded circumstances. To think demon, a child could take a divine life, it filled the audience with a mixture of emotions, astonishment, outrage, dismay, bitterness, and perhaps, even respect.

"You insolent child!" Zuruzuru slammed their hands on the table, their pupils contracting as their tongue spilled out of their mouth aggressively. "Do you have any idea of what you've done? Killing a god, if even possible, is unnatural! Do you even know what they will do when they know that one of us has the power to kill them?" they sneered, their voice rising to a dangerous pitch as their semblance emanated an oozing, almost liquid emerald aura.

"Then tell me, Lord of Envy," Artemis stared him up. "Why are they not swarming this place as we speak?"

The snake demon opened their mouth to speak, but not a sound came out, their reptilian pupils shifting in though. A couple of seconds later, Satanael interrupted, "You made a deal, didn't you?"

"Precisely!" he grinned with closed eyes, beginning to pace around the table. "I proposed a deal through conversation, but Raijin insisted on a duel to take place, a duel that came out of his request, which the higher gods accepted. Most importantly, a challenge he refused to give up after I gave him the opportunity to surrender. Therefore, neither I nor the Jigoku can be held accountable for the lighting god's death."

"Using the god's vanity against them," Satanael hummed, standing up straight and towering over every other being in the room. His shadow loomed above them as even in the dimly lit space. "What a deliciously ironic end."

Yokubo purred, her head lifted while she sat up straight. "What a clever little devil you are," she tapped her nails. "I think we are quite lucky to have such a bright youngster as yourself to marry my daughter."

"... right." He muttered, taking a deep mental breath. "I suppose that is the subject to address now that we have the whole Raijin story settled," his expression seemed slightly irritated, but subdued enough to seem patient.

"Certainly," The Lord of Lust asserted. "There is a lot to get done, so let us converse now, hmmm?" Just as she said that, the doors of the court opened behind them, followed by frantic steps.

'Oh, goodie,' Artemis thought sarcastically.

"ARTEMIS CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN," the demon princess's energetic voice resounded across the room, both the steps and her shouting became louder as she approached the redhead boy. Without waiting, she jumped towards him, pressing her head against him in an overbearingly affectionate fashion. 

"I knew you could do it! There was never a doubt in my mind you'd come back in no time!" She cheered, closing one of her eyes while she pressed her face against his. "And now that you're here, we can be together!"

"Hello again, Hamette," he muttered through his teeth, his bicolor eyes looking away from her, putting on an irritated semblance to hide the creeping redness painting his cheeks.

'Well, well, aren't you lucky?' Kuro snickered slyly.

'What a devoted little soulmate you've gotten yourself. I wonder if that's why you were so eager to become a monarch of hell," Goliath spoke smugly.

'Quite the comedians you two suddenly are, huh?' Artemis grumbled, both internal and externally. Once Hamette released him, he turned back towards the Demon King and the Lord of Lust. "So, how does this process exactly work? Is there some sort of contract to get this done?"

"Oh, no, no, no. Where is your respect for our tradition, youngster?" Yakedo cooed while shaking her head. 

"Mooooom, don't be mean to him!" Hamette huffed as she balled her fists. "He's been away for two years! You can't expect him to remember every single thing about our traditions!"

"Your daughter is right, Yakedo, the boy has spent much time among humankind; it is only natural that he has forgotten how our customs work." Satanael sat back down, resting his head over his hand in amusement. "For that reason, it is only fitting that you stay and have a conversation with your future partner, which will get you familiarized back into our ways."

Oh, what a delightful idea," Yakedo grinned asshe leaned into her hand.

"Very well then. Congratulations, Artemis, demon child leader of the human realm. We will await your next move, eagerly." The demon king snapped his fingers, disappearing from the court in a spiral of scarlet fire, and the other sins followed suit. And lastly, Yakedo's fire surrounded both Artemis and Hammette. Once it disappeared, the 3 of them stood in the main hall of a palace, one decorated with magenta and silver colors, as well as motives of flames and hearts.

The Lust Ring Palace

'Why is everyone color-coded these days?' Artemis sighed mentally.

'Isn't your laboratory white?' Kuro questioned.

'Sush you.' He cleared his throat. "Okay, would you be so kind as to tell me how this ceremony preparation works?" he asked as he turned to Yakedo.

"Oh, sweet, clever child," The succubus queen snickered as she sat on her throne. "That wedding is only to happen when you two are of proper age. You truly wouldn't think we'd be such animals to force you into a compromise at a young age, would you?" 

Artemis's eye twitched internally, "Well... no, but I must know, if that's the case, why was that one of your conditions to become the Lord of Sloth?" he collected himself. Still, in his mind, he let out an enormous exhale. 'Thanks god' 

"You know very well that human years are a sliver to being like us, or did living among them make you forget?" Yakedo hummed a bit as she tapped her leg.

"I... suppose that is a fair assessment," He sighed, only to open his eyes again, "wait a minute, Hamette, did you know about this?" 

"Emm..." she rubbed her back nervously, "Oopsie," 

"Do be patient with my daughter, she's always been the overexcited side." She giggled a bit, "But if you're so eager not to stay still, I could allow you to assist in the organization of a party that I have coming in the next week. Such a shame, with how much I love organizing events."  She threw her hand over her head overdramatically.

"Don't worry, Mom! We got this!" Hamette lifted her hands.

Artemis rolled his eyes. "What a disgrace," he mumbled sarcastically. He then exhaled and dropped his head down. Quickly after, he turned his attention to the Lust ring princess. "Fine then, it seems like it's just you and me, Hamette."

When he said those words, her heart-shaped pupils dilated, her hands moved together, and her mouth let an overexcited giggle out that increased in volume until it turned into a euphoric, almost manic squeak. "Y...yes! Of course, Artemis-Chan! Let's go!"

"Let's go where?" Before Artemis could finish his question, Hamette took his hands and pulled him along with her, dragging him out of the throne room and across a long hall until they reached an even bigger room, one that extended nearly the size of two football fields. He stumbled slightly when they stopped, quickly catching himself and examining the room. "... ah, tad bit over expanded; don't you think?"

"Oh, don't worry about that!" She waved her hand, "A royalty party always involves the most important families of hell, this place might actually not be big enough!" She giggled a bit.

"Ah...I guess that level of publicity is only logic when taking into account the status of the people involved." He hummed, rubbing his head in thought. "Are there any manuals I could consult in the knowledge of this event?"

"Yep!" She clapped her hands. Seconds later, a tiny, impish demon ran towards them, holding up a cushion that carried a considerably thick book on it. "I knew you'd prefer reading about this stuff, so I had this prepared just for you!" she beamed happily.

"I... see." He looked at the book, his irritation from before fleeting without him even taking notice. "That is... greatly appreciated." His tone was a bit quieter as he took the book, opening it and moving through the first page.

"Anything for you, Artemis-Chan!" She smiled widely, swinging from side to side with her hands behind her back. "Don't worry! You can take all the time you want to finish the book; I know you've been away for a while-"

"Done," He closed the book, placing it back on the cushion and waving for the imp to leave them. "Should we begin deciding on the decorations?"

Hamette's eyes dilated once more, staring at him like a kitten. "You're so cool, Artemis-Chan..."

Artemis almost perked, but he collected himself before he could let out a visible reaction; he simply adjusted his shirt while he avoided her glance. "It was nothing extraordinary," he waved his hand dismissingly.

"Of course it was! You're amazing!" She cheered, holding her hands together as she continued to stare up at him, her eyes shining and her pupils dilating in adoration.

The redhead boy scoffed quietly, turning his head away and covering his mouth while he cleared his throat. "Anyhow, we shouldn't get distracted. Is there anything that'd be to your mother's preference?"

"Hmm?" she tilted her head. "Well... she really likes shiny things.... But it can't be just any kind of shiny thing....  it has to be special! Mom loves extravagant things! The less common the better! " 

Artemis squinted his eyes, attempting to make sense of her words. After that, he hummed, collecting himself and rubbing his chin. "I understand.... Have you ever heard of the Dreamscape realm?"

"Err..." she tilted her head. "Of course I have! But if Artemis-Chans wants to remind me, I wouldn't mind," She responded nervously as she tugged her hands behind her back.

'Typical,' he shook his head. "The Dreamscape is a realm parallel to the Jigoku, the mortal world, similar to the nothingness realm, or the heavens. However, while those realms are connected through the cycle of life and death, and the dreamscape is very well defined by its name: It is a dimension where the dreams of every living being are manifested."

"And in that place, the pure dreams that had been fulfilled are stored and crystallized in objects known as moonbright pearls." He opened his hand, a blue mechanic circle manifesting on it, projecting the vivid image of beautiful, snow-white gems with a rainbow shine.

"That looks gorgeous..." she muttered, staring at the mirage awestruck. "Oh, that's perfect! Yes! Those are the best lights for a party, I can't wait to see Mom's reaction to them!" She clapped her hands enthusiastically. Then, she straightened up, tapping her foot. "Hmmm... should we send some of Mom's bodyguards to get them?"

"That won't be necessary," He brought his hand down. "I'll be getting the pearls myself."

"Huh?" she looked back at him. "Are... are you sure about that? Shouldn't you stay here so we can keep planning out the Party?" She huffed lightly with her hands behind her back.

"I am sure you can handle the small details on your own. But if you are truly that concerned about me missing any details, here," He snapped his fingers, making a small, phone-like device appear on his hand. "This will allow you to contact me if you ever need my assistance with something."

Hamette's face turned red as he handed her the device, her eyes darting at it while her cheeks heated up at the idea of being able to call him whenever she wanted. After that, she turned back to him. "W...wait! If that dreamscape place is another dimension, wouldn't it be dangerous for you to go?" She frowned lightly, trying to show her concern through her flustered face.

He snickered a bit, brushing some of his hair back. "No sense, those pearls are far too important to send some common guard to get them, besides." he turned back to her. "I am way more in favor of tending to important matters myself." He stepped back, turning around and extending his hand, and creating a shadowy portal.

He glanced back at her. "I will be back in one day, two days max. I trust you will do exemplary work with preparations during my absence. You've had way more experience with this after all." With that, he turned back around, stepping through the portal, which closed shortly after he crossed, leaving the princess with her face red and her hand on her chest.

"He trusts me..." she whispered, then she let out a high-pitched squeal that echoed all across the palace's walls.

On the other side, Artemis landed safely. The landscape was like an endless desert. However, the sand was made of azure grains, the sky was like a gradient of rainbows, ever-changing on irregular, slow patterns while they expanded on a seemingly interminable horizon.

The Dreamscape.

'So... you trust her?' Kuro snarled teasingly.

"You are really amusing yourself with that one, huh?" he hummed as he began walking.

'Can't blame him, dragons had always been so immature," Goliath hummed.

'The hell are you talking about? You were doing the same a few seconds ago," the dark dragon rebutted in irritation.

'I have no idea what you're speaking about,' he hummed with a smug and falsely innocent tone, causing the nothingness beast to growl in return.

'And we're back to normal,' Artemis looked around as he continued to walk on ahead. 'Focus for a moment, we need to find those pearls,' he observed the shifting sky, taking notice of the constant changes in color. "What a peculiar phenomenon."

In the distance, he could spot the shine, star bright twinkles that stood out in contrast to the colorful sky. "Ah, there you are." He tapped his foot against his other ankle, causing the cybernetic implants on his legs and feet to shift into propulsors, which he used to close the distance between him and the shimmering shines.

In a few minutes, he arrived at a field completely adorned with brilliant, spherical gems, each one reflecting the rainbow light of the ambient as they floated aimlessly around the air. 'One wouldn't think these kinds of gems would be left unguarded.' Goliath warned softly.

"More than likely, but the sooner we get them, the less chances we'll have of finding out, so let's hope and act quickly, and perhaps we won't have to meet any Dreamscape inhabitants." He reached out for one of the pearls, only for the area to darken abruptly.

"Seize your burglary, thief," an echoing voice rumbled around the atmosphere. Above him, an imposing figure composed of clouds towered over the pearl-filled field. "The Moonbright pearls are a sacred treasure of the Dreamscape, not mere toys for a rotten stranger to steal them away."

"Guess we're not in luck today," Artemis whispered as the titanic cloud continued its speech. He sighed, narrowing his eyes, the green eye blinked with a faint light.

'Do you see that?' Kuro hummed. Through the clouds, they spotted a much smaller, humanoid shadow that manipulated the imposing avatar.

"Crystal clear," He opened his hand, transforming it into what seemed to be a canon, but rather than shooting, the machine vacuumed the clouds with an impressive air force.

Once the vapors had been completed absorbed, the only thing left was a child floating across the various pearls. A boy, seemingly close to Artemis, looked almost like a ragdoll, his hair composed of clouds, and his clothes were like a pajama sewn together, one of his eyes was a crescent moon, and the other a pointed star of inverted colors.

"Ah..." he stared into the air while he hanged semi-motionless.

'What... is that?' Kuro questioned.

"Hey! Just because you took off my disguise, it doesn't mean you can take the pearls! ... Wait, are you paying attention? Hey, come on! These things are important!" he puffed his cheeks.

"I'm not here for trouble, I just need a moderate amount of the pearls for something important, I promise they will be brought back here as soon as I finish with them." Artemis floated towards him. "Is there any way we can make a compromise?"

"Hmmm...." The boy rubbed his cloud hair. "Oh, I know! Let's play a game! You can get the pearls if you tag me!" He clapped his hands. "Let's go!"

The demon child raised an eyebrow. "A game of tag? Are you serious-"

'ARTEMIS ABOVE YOU,' Kuro exclaimed, causing his eyes to go wide, moving to the side, avoiding a falling block of solid stone on the second, only for it to bounce on the ground as if it were a bouncy ball, rocketing at him even faster than before, thrusting into him and knocking him out of the air, causing his eyes to go wide as he crashed into the sandy ground.

"Hehehe!" the ragdoll boy snickered. "Got ya! You gotta do better if you wanna tag me!"

"Ugh..." Artemis held his head as he stood up from the ground, dusting the sand off his clothes while the bruise on his head from the headstone slowly healed. Yet still, he didn't have much time to regain his composure, as a spike made of the side rose from the ground and charged at his head.

The redhead boy's pupils shrank for a moment, but quickly after, he took a sidestep, replacing himself with a shadow replica, which exploded in contact with the attack and dispersed the sand. "Tch..."

"Oooohhh! Is that shadow magic? That's so cool!" he pumped his whole-filled fists while he watched him get up. "Try this one on!" They waved their hand in the air, creating a pang of butterflies, sending them flying at him as if they were bullets.

Artemis pressed his foot on the ground, creating numerous dark clones. When the butterflies came into contact with them, they were cut into pieces like cake; luckily, the halves exploded, eliminating most of the living projectiles. As the remaining ones continued to charge at him, he used the propulsors on his feet to drift himself back, flying toward the block of stone and jumping behind it, touching it and sending devices that attached it to the ground in order to use it as a barricade.

'What the hell is THAT thing?' Kuro questioned.

'I assume it's what the books refer to as a dream guardian. I just didn't expect one to be this young,' he panted to catch his breath, glancing back to see the bugs crashing into the block.

"Woah, that was very smart!" The ragdoll boy clapped his hands. "Come on, though! You gotta catch me if you want to win the game!" They lowered towards the ground, tacking a pack of sand and launching it forwards, suddenly making it grow into a whole spiral of fire.

The redhead boy snapped his fingers, turning the device that attached the cube to the ground into a catapult, throwing it into the spiral of fire and using it to ride the vortex. After that, he opened his hand, gathering Goliath's wind-like energy. Once he reached the epicenter, he clasped it with his other hand, releasing a powerful expansive wave that dispersed completely the fire, giving him a clear view of the Dream guard.

"Mortal realm wind, too? That's incredible!" The boy raised his hands, forming an enormous bat from thin air and slamming it into Artemis' head. "BONK"

Once more, he was sent crashing into the ground. However, this time he created a shadow energy platform to ease his fall. He then grumbled as he wiped the blood falling from his forehead. 'Of all the things, it had to be a reality warper.' Placed his hands on the ground, manifested a crowd of shadow replicas, and jumped in the middle.

'How do you know he won't just snap them away?' Goliath pondered.

'While he can trample with the fabric of reality, he still has to follow some of the rules that tie it together.' Artemis placed his hand on his forearm, shifting his arm into a cannon that started to mix scarlet and white energy. "Every realm's reality has a different footprint, meaning he can only manipulate whatever has the same print as the reality of his dimension.' He connected the cannon to the ground.

"What are you doing down there?" he hummed, squinted his eyes, and put his hands around them, acting as binoculars that zoomed in on the crowd of clones, attempting to locate the main one.

'That means we're safe from his abilities,' the lion asserted.

'Didn't stop you from being tossed around like a pinball,' Kuro mocked.

'I'm analyzing the situation, genius.' Artemis narrowed his eyes. After a couple more seconds of charging, he released a wide blast of energy, pushing an expansive chunk of the ground into the air. The clones charged demonic energy into the piece and moved it, hurling it at the dream guardian.

"Woah!" the boy perked up while his hat shot up cartoonishly. From above, Artemis lifted his hand, turning the clones into a sphere of shadow energy, which surrounded him in a coat of white energy from his hands canon before shooting it towards him.

"Oh, I know what to do!" As the piece of earth was about to reach him, he poked it with his index finger, which promptly turned sand particles into a giant racket, which he used to hit the ball back at him, only for it to explode seconds later, sending bright flashes all across the area. "So pretty..."

Through the lights, Artemis jumped headfirst, placing his fingertips together and opening with his robotic implants. He created thin threads of pearly energy, laced with tiny vortexes of wind gusts from Goliath's magic. After he separated his palms, the strings extended into a wide net.

"Ey, no finishing!" the Dream Guardian huffed, bringing his hand back to the racket and turning it into a giant pair of scissors, which exploded shortly after contact; however, he turned the scissors into a veil that projected him from the detonation. "Hahahaha that's great! We're having a blast!"

'This is just a game for him,' Goliath scoffed while Artemis landed back on the ground, only to see a rain of solid clouds hurling at him, making deep thuds when they crashed back into the ground.

'How are we supposed to deal with that if I can't even get close to him?' Kuro growled.

'I have a plan, so you two just settle down,' Artemis narrowed his eyes, turning the propulsors of his feet into hovering devices, floating across the sand and avoiding the meteoric clouds. His eyes shifted all around the area until he reached a spot where he had a clear view of the floating boy.

He then formed springs on his legs, launching himself into the air and landing on one of the solid clouds, springing from it and grabbing it simultaneously, going from rock to rock until he reached the dream guardian's height. His hand shifted again, turning into a megaphone.

Artemis puffed his chest, taking a deep breath. "I HAVE ANOTHER GAME!" his voiced resounded loud and across the air, making the pearls around them shake for a couple of seconds.

The ragdoll boy stopped in his tracks, blinking a bit before tilting his head. "Another game? Oh, tell me! Tell me!" he pumped his fists, appearing in front of him in seconds.

Artemis sighed in relief, dusting himself off while his forehead had healed by that time. "The game is simple, you give me a challenge from something you need, and if I success, you will lend me a few of those pearls."

"oooooo challenges! I like those!" he rubbed his hands together. "Hmmm... okay! There is something that's been causing issues in here for a long time. If you can help me with that, the Moonbright pearls are all yours!"

Artemis hovered towards the ground. "I'm listening."

He floated beside him. "Have you heard of the other half of the Dreamscape?"

"The nightmares, correct?"

"Yep! The wasteland of nightmares is where all the bad dreams go, but some years ago, one of those nightmares took form, and it has been feeding on the other nightmares, not letting them pass as they should." He frowned as he looked at the ground. "I can't go there, tho; the nightmare half is prohibited for Dream guardians."

"I see..." he fixed his sleeves, "Okay then, I will attend to this anomaly of yours. I'll have it done by the end of this day."

"Woo-hoo! Challenge games!" he lifted his arms. "And just so I know you're doing it, I'll keep an eye on you!" They popped their crescent moon out, only for a new one to float around the redhead boy.

"...Peculiar," He hummed, shaking his head. "Perhaps when we're done with this, we can make another deal. I would be delighted to study this dreamscape further."

The boy gasped, "Really! We could play more! That's amazing! I never had a friend before!" he exclaimed eagerly, appearing behind Artemis and wrapping his arm around his shoulder.

He tensed for a moment, reeling slightly from the contact before glaring at him. "What in the world are you talking about? I don't even know your name."

"Oh right," He chuckled, "I'm Spes, Spes Somnia, what about you, new friend?"

"Artemis," He tried to move back, "relax, will you, a collaboration doesn't make us friends."

"Of it does silly, we are playing together so we're friends now," he poked his cheek, "Boop!"

Artemis growled through his teeth, looking away from him. "Anyhow," he faded into the shadows and appeared a couple of feet away. "I should get going, I have to get going and deal with this little problem of yours." He told him as he turned around and began walking in the opposite direction.

Spes waved at him cheerfully as his eye followed him, "Good luck, new friend! Don't let the nightmares eat you!"

'What a unique encounter.' Goliath hummed.

'That's cute, you made your first friend,'

'Really? Came up with that one all on your own?' Artemis glared as he moved forward, 'Either way, drop the chattering already, we have things to do.' The demon child adjusted his hair, walking on ahead to venture into the depths of the dreamscape's most dangerous half.

To be continued.

Okay, so long story short, I didn't quite think well about one of the plot points here, and after rereading this, I didn't feel too comfortable with it, so I changed it to move away from the questionable stuff. Hope the small changes made the new version better, see you all later!