God of Nothing

Rayse just sat there as he watched the camp begin to settle down. In the midst of the enemy's influence, they moved with some urgency, but eventually, calm finally set in as they fully settled. He stayed on guard, looking for any other protrusions that might begin to pump out that weird ash, when Carrack came before him once more.

"...You sure about this?" Rayse wondered aloud.

"The men are tired. We need a reprieve." He answered curtly. There was still an awkward air between the two, but at least Carrack maintained a formal, professional air. Well, Rayse wasn't going to disrupt it as long as he wasn't, either.

"How safe are we?" He asked. Carrack looked up in response, prompting Rayse to follow his gaze.

"That opening is likely one of those 'burrows' the scouts reported. The mountain's riddled with them, as I understand it. We'd be too far away from taking any action if we back away now."

Rayse nodded to himself. "Makes sense.", He conceded. He stood back up, still looking at the burrow that he so hastily blocked. The shield looked secure, and wasn't likely to move any time soon. Still, he joined the former captain as he looked, inspecting his handiwork.

"Rayse." Carrack suddenly said. "Our work here is vital. I need you on my side if we are to destroy this thing. Can you imagine this thing getting close to the city? It would be chaos."

Rayse gulped. That kind of psychological attack on a city wide scale was the stuff of nightmares.

"I know, Mister. I'll do all I can to help."

A short silence followed, ending in Carrack clearing his throat. He turned and started to walk back to his quarters.

"Oh, and kid?" Carrack added as he was walking away, as if on a whim. Rayse looked at his back, unable to see what sort of expression he had.

"Sorry about forcing you into this. You have my word that we'll be by your side when it comes to the fight with that damned tree. God knows I want a piece of him, too."

Only then did it occur to Rayse that much of the army had a bone to pick with that creature. He recalled how their campaign to defeat Deceit ended in an ambush, and he suspected that the mysterious herald's abilities may have been a factor in how they were taken off guard, resulting in the most significant defeat Mios has incurred to date. In light of this, he felt a sort of camaraderie forming between him and the commander.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." Rayse said remorsefully. He meant it, too. If it was Carrack's call, he would have likely ridden out to destroy the tree herald with him, too, if only for the fact that this, the Herald of Rage, was the most pressing threat at the moment.

Carrack turned back to him, this time, with a smile on his face. It was a stark change, transforming his gruff, battle hardened demeanor into that of a gruff, middle aged uncle.

"No need for that, kid. We all have our moments." He said dismissively. "Now, stop moping around here and get some rest. I need you on the first watch tonight, just in case the enemy tries anything funny."

"Yes, sir!" Rayse answered, walking after the commander.

__________________________________

Aleph woke up with a splitting headache and some drymouth, in the intense heat of the sun. He had passed out on this random fortress spire after spending much of the evening sharing drinks with Prince Vaynard.

He turned to his side, expecting to see said prince, but he was nowhere to be seen. In his place was a note, hastily scribbled, that said he had gone ahead to fulfill his duties.

"Hnggg–"

Aleph pulled himself off the ground stretched, trying to get his alcohol muddled blood to begin flowing again. It was about time for him to do the same. He tried looking down the railing, trying to discern where the heck they ended up in, when he saw a dark haired figure sitting precariously beyond it.

That did the trick. Aleph roused his mana, burning away the effects of the evening's pleasures, as he threw a punch right at the head of his unwelcome guest, only for it to stop short once she faced him. Here he was again, face to face with being who was the spitting image of his fallen beloved.

"Easy there, godling." The demon king said casually. "I'm not here to fight." She casually held his fist in hers, blocking his half hearted strike with ease. 

Aleph jumped back, fully on guard as Lost jumped over the railing before leaning back into it. She seemed at ease, as if she were under one of Erebos' spires instead of the heart of the enemy offensive.

"Why have you come!?" Aleph roared, his mana rising to the heavens.

"Oh, please. Could you not? You're spoiling such a nice day." Lost said dismissively. Eventually, she tore her gaze away from the people walking far below, and lightly confronted him.

"You were a much better company in your sleep."

Aleph's eyes opened wide at that. He was confident, despite being inebriated, that his senses would have alerted him of such a danger being so close by, so how long has she been here?

"Ugh, relax, will ya?" She narrowed her eyes at him, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "I'm not here to fight."

With difficulty, Aleph tore his eyes away from that all too familiar face to see that to be the case. He didn't notice before, but the demon king was covered in bandages. The faint trace of mana that his half woken brain had mistaken for her own was actually different from what he imagined. He felt his disciples’ mana signature emanating from within the bandages, presumably the after effects of their combined offensive.

"Nasty pieces of work, those kids of yours. Have they really only been mages for a year? These wounds have been itching for quite a while." As if to prove her point, she began to scratch at a mark on her neck. He recognized it as one of the spots where Lacey's attack had struck her back at the capital. 

He shook his head, catching himself as he stared dumbly at the demon king. Was it the alcohol? Her voice, mannerisms, even the way she spoke all stoked feelings that he thought had died with his late wife. That realization only made him tighten his battle stance. Waves of mana blasted from within him, his agitation reflected in its power.

"Tell me what you want." Aleph demanded. He may have been caught off balance, but even in this state he could tell that this demon king, if she so wanted, could still fight at her peak strength. Once again seeing Emily in the shadow of the enemy, could Aleph say the same?

"Hmph. You're no fun." The demon king replied, but she looked amused nonetheless. That fleeting look of mirth then melted away, and with it arrived the suffocating pressure only an avatar of god possessed.

"Alright. You win." She decided, only this time, her tone was cold, unfeeling, like the endless abyss that she served. Smoke erupted from her feet, working its way up to her head and onto her extremities, solidifying into the gleaming black armor of death's incarnate.

Bang!

The door behind Aleph exploded open, as several men poured out in a sleek march, surrounding the demon king with the prince in tow.

"You!" Vaynard cried. He tried to charge forward, but a purple gleam in Lost's now gauntleted hand revealed a wicked purple gem. The smoke that surrounded her body immediately scattered everywhere, engulfing the balcony into forced night. Within the darkness, a massive figure revealed itself at her back. A dragon's snout emerged, accompanied by a low rumbling. Eventually it revealed itself: the herald that Aleph and Vaynard were on guard against just the night before. It melted into being, claws clamped onto the railing as if he had always been there. The soldiers were taken aback, first by the sudden evening, next by the dragon's arrival. None were as surprised as Aleph was, however. Has it always been here?

The dragon's massive maw opened up, black flames at the ready. The soldiers backed away, intimidated by the display. None retreated though, which Aleph commended, but he began to extend protections upon them nonetheless. Courage was a virtue, but a good soldier's life was even more precious. Aleph molded the mana that emerged from his body, covering everyone on his side in a prism-like barrier. It was either that or blow away the darkness, but he felt the latter would not have helped. 

"Ehem."

The standoff that lasted for a short while was finally broken with a word from Lost.

"Not yet, Betrayal." The demon king commanded, and immediately the herald complied. The flames completely extinguished from its jaw, and the dragon itself laid its head down to rest at her master's side.

"Now, then. Godling, Prince, we've come to announce your demise."

Silence followed the demon king's proclamation. It wasn't a statement of hate, but was told as if stating a fact. He met his former lovers' eyes from within her newly donned helmet, trying to discern some hidden, maybe even hopeful meaning within what she had just said.

"The heralds will gather in this place." The demon king started, her voice suddenly magnified. Her darkness had fully descended upon the fortress, now, and everyone in the city heard her words.

"Embodiments of man's end, made flesh to usher in the coming of the abyss. God, in his infinite mercy, has given me leave to allow you a month. One month to resolve any lingering attachments, and prepare your hearts for His coming."

She let that sink in, pausing for an audience she didn't even see. She said the next lines to the people present, the hollow echo of her helmet making her unmagnified voice even more threatening than the former.

"Bring your armies, Vaynard. Meet our full might with yours, and spare us the trouble of hunting you down."

"Is that a threat?" Vaynard answered, voice laced with venom. Aleph, who was at his side, noticed his hand wrapped around the 'gift', intending to unleash it right at any moment.

"Spare me your bluster, last prince of Mios." The demon king scoffed. "Our lord has offered you a truce, a month’s worth, so that we may gather all the remnants of your pathetic resistance and fell you all at once.

"The God of the Abyss has waited long enough!" She continued, this time addressing the city once again. "The gift will be forced upon your hands regardless of your will."

Such a bold play, Aleph thought, but largely meaningless. They already knew that the demon army was on the march, why announce your coming now? To sow panic? As he wondered, her next words sent him reeling.

"The world has already bent the knee, and you are all that's left."

So here he was again, defending ever shrinking ground. He had a feeling that the enemy's absence was because of this, but it was still a massive blow to his psyche. Once again, humanity has been cornered by Erebos, and once again Aleph and his companions was all that held Him back from claiming the world in its entirety. Now evil was gathering here in full force, eager to lap up the bit of paradise he had carved out for himself.

"One month, humans. Finish your affairs and gather in Mui. Lord Erebos promises leniency on those that bend the knee. And for those that don't–" The demon king declared, as her voice retreated with the darkness.

"Shall be devoured by the void."