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The Drakkaren glanced up as Cherry walked into the room, carrying one of the large demonic crystals, and the reptile rolled his eyes as she held up the orb, saying cheerfully: "Well, how else did you plan on getting down to Hell, huh? It ain't like I asked for no limo service, and opening a portal is goddamn hard work. I'd prefer to use some quick magic over a long-ass runic ritual. 'Sides, this is all your fault for closing all the Black Holes."

"And if we'd left them open, we'd still be dealing with the false Az'Iriel's minions." Zerrex replied, and Cherry rubbed at her head thoughtfully. "As long as they could move freely between the planes, they were far more than capable of survival."

"Yeah, and they still do survive today. Oh, don't split hairs, them and the Miserable Ones are the same damn deal." Cherry huffed, and Zerrex rolled his eyes. The two glowered at each other, then Zerrex slipped his boots on and tied them up quickly as the demoness gave herself a quick check to make sure she'd grabbed everything she wanted, before she paused and said: "Now okay. Remind me how a-"

Zerrex rose his cane, and the eyes of the dragon head glowed before dark lightning sparked in the doorway, bouncing back and forth between it as reality visibly tore at itself until a dark portal formed. Cherry gaped, dropping the crystalline orb, and the reptile winced before leaning forwards, catching it as the female huffed and crossed her arms, muttering: "I should've known your cane was all tricked out and shit. So what, it's got... holy super special warping powers?"

"They enchanted it with a spell for creating short-lived portals so I could freely travel to and from Hell, since I can't use that level of magic myself." Zerrex said mildly, as he picked up his bag in the other hand and headed for the portal. Cherry followed him quickly, grumbling to herself, and the two stepped through the portal a moment later, both of them seeing only twisted and crazy shadows for a moment as a wind seemed to rush by them despite the fact it ruffled not even their clothes, and a few seconds later, both of them stepped out the other side and into Hell as the portal shut quickly behind them.

It was Hell just as Zerrex remembered it: dark, yet beautiful, and majestic in what it represented. He looked back and forth from where they stood, and the Drakkaren recognized where they'd emerged after a few moments as Cherry took a long, deep breath. She was smiling widely, her eyes alight... and Zerrex could feel strength and energy flooding his body too. It felt goddamn good... and the Drakkaren smiled himself as he watched Cherry prance around in a quick circle around him through the tall grasses, looking up at the spiraling red-and-black 'sky' above that formed the ceiling of Hell, with nothing but darkness beyond. "Fuck, it is good to be back downstairs, baby!"

Zerrex laughed despite himself, shaking his head in slow amusement before he threw his bag over his shoulder, walking forwards as Cherry followed quickly, her whip jangling at her side and her sidepack stuffed with what was likely waste. Cherry never carried much of anything with her down to Hell, just as Zerrex didn't... they both had more than enough to sustain themselves in this realm, after all, as the demoness glanced curiously back and forth as they walked down a road full of snap-together houses, and a moment later she brightened as she said: "Hey, I know where we are! This is where you used to first live or some shit, right?"

"That's right." Zerrex said softly, nodding with a quiet laugh. They were in the Southern Province, one of the four vast expanses surrounding the Nine Circles of Hell. Past the immense Provinces was a terrible desert that surrounded all of Hell, and Zerrex knew from his own explorations that there were ruins scattered throughout this desert, as well as great deep cracks from which the souls of the dead were said to crawl free from... as if there was some lower Hell beneath Hell that demons went to when they died, and this was where they escaped if they were strong enough.

Zerrex didn't know the truth to it: he only knew that if a demon was powerful enough or at least old enough, after many years it would crawl out of the desert, once more alive but weak. Then again, he didn't pretend to understand many of the secrets of Hell: despite all his years down here, many of them had been spent in rulership at the Central Spire, a tower that reached from the bottom of the Ninth Circle of Hell all the way up to the domed roof of spiraling sky above. Known to few others, it went just as deep into the ground, and into a place called the Undersea... but even fewer people considered that as a real part of Hell, with the terrible monstrosities that inhabited it.

The Drakkaren glanced back and forth, wondering how many of these little homes were ones he'd built himself, as he walked along the dirt road between them with Cherry toddling along behind him, looking curious. Now that he thought about it, they'd never really walked along here by themselves... sure, they'd been here before, but never when they'd actually had free time or slipped in under the radar. A few demons were outside, mostly minotaurs and soldier demons - shouldn't call them that anymore, but I don't like calling them 'lower demons,' either - but for the most part, everyone was inside their little homes, the base of them all a concrete cube that gave adequate shelter but most of them sporting all manner of expansions and offshoots. Even Hell had luxuries, after all... and Zerrex smiled a bit as he passed a construction team at the end of the road putting together the housing for what Zerrex guessed would be one of the new generator systems Hell would be using, three minotaurs and a megataur - a much larger minotaur, to put it simply - arguing over a schematic sitting on top of a pile of materials they had.

The lizard laughed a bit as he walked off the end of the road and into a field, and Cherry grinned, asking him curiously: "So like... was that your idea?"

"No, the perpetual motion power system was Sin's idea... and Selena helped with it too, actually, when we were stuck on figuring out an initial power source." Zerrex replied quietly, as the two walked through one of Hell's many fields. The Drakkaren paused, then knelt in front of some pink flowers, plucking one gently and standing up as he looked at it curiously. "Selena was the one who pointed out we could just use one good magic boost to start the system... and we worked it so that it would require very little maintenance afterwards. Besides, the mages aren't doing anything, anyway, so they're just lucky I don't force them to sit at these machines and make sure they work all the time."

The reptile paused, then he held the flower out to Cherry, and she grinned a bit as she took it, looking pleased. Zerrex rolled his eyes, then he said mildly: "Someone transplanted that from the mortal world, it's not a flower I've ever seen in Hell before. Not that I'm complaining, of course... ever since someone smuggled some different grains down here, we've been able to produce all sorts of delicious little goodies that were originally very hard to get in Hell. Good food makes for a happy populace."

"Or a fat one, if you're mortal." Cherry said thoughtfully, then she sniffed the flower before stuffing it in her muzzle and chewing it up, and Zerrex rolled his eyes. Then she choked and gargled, but the reptile only looked at her flatly before he winced as she sneezed and bits of flower came out her nose, the female making a face and blinking owlishly several times. "Ugh, goddammit, I'm going to be blowing pollen out my nostrils for... like... years."

Zerrex muttered a cleansing spell and grabbed Cherry's head, and she flailed at him before mumbling a 'thank you' in return as the bits of flower vanished out of her nose. Then she turned around to look towards the Central Spire, little more than a line in the furthest distance, and she asked softly: "Amazing how you can see so damn clearly down here, ain't it?"

"Well, the ground's flat and there's little weather." Zerrex shrugged a bit, following her gaze. His own eyes trailed downwards after only a few moments, however, taking in what he could see of the different Circles of Hell: little kingdoms of their own, each governed by a different ruler who answered only to the Four Thrones and the High King, which, unfortunately, was still him. Then the reptile finally looked moodily over at Cherry, asking finally: "So when exactly is this party supposed to be held, anyway?"

"Soon." Cherry said mysteriously, before she coughed at Zerrex's look and cleared her throat, shouting: "Sin!"

Nothing happened, and Zerrex looked at her flatly. "Cherry, for the hundredth time, Sin only answers when..." A pause, and then he glared at her as she grinned and winked at him. Oh. That was low. "You tricked me, you bitch!"

Cherry cackled and danced out of his reach, but before Zerrex could give chase, a dark, oval-shaped portal appeared and Sin stepped out of it, smiling warmly. She paused long enough to bow slightly to Cherry, then she made her way over to Zerrex and took his hands lightly, looking up at him softly. "Hello, Lord Zerrex... I heard you call my name and I couldn't resist coming to see you. I hope you don't think I'm trying to shirk my duties as High Princess..."

"Yeah, 'cause the Boss is always real strict about shit like that. We all know how much he loves to do his own duties each and every day." Cherry said cheerfully, then she yelped when Zerrex pointed at her feet and the ground erupted upwards, knocking her flat on her rear as she huffed. "Okay, that one caught me all like... off... kilter."

"Center." Zerrex connected absently, then he smiled at Sin, adding softly: "And I could never think little of you... you should know that by now." He kissed her forehead softly, and Sin blushed a bit before she hugged him quietly, and he squeezed her tightly around the waist as he gazed into her eyes with quiet amusement. With her height, it was a little bit awkward... but Zerrex didn't mind awkward in the slightest, as he asked curiously: "So how've things been going?"

"Very well, Zerrex... Selena, Lily, and Amiglion have all done well with you gone as rulers... although Selena pines for you in her way and Lily has missed you greatly herself." Sin smiled a bit. "But then again, I think all of us have missed you, however long or short these several thousand years have been... although, Miss Cherry, I thought you were bringing him a day or two earlier than this... the party is tomorrow, and we were starting to worry you wouldn't arrive in time."

"Dude, I totally calculated when we should leave like... to the fucking second. If anything, we should be early 'cause numb-nuts there never told me about his fancy-ass cane's fancy-ass portal power." the demoness replied, frowning a bit and scratching her head. Zerrex frowned as well at this, but Sin only nodded slowly, looking down contemplatively.

After another moment, she spoke, looking at Zerrex with worry in her soulful violet eyes. "It's like I feared, Lord Zerrex... although it is only slight and almost imperceptible at the moment, with the difference being a few days, the time between the planes seems to be aligning itself with that on the mortal plane. That is to say, it seems that in a matter of eons... or perhaps only mortal years... eventually the mortal plane and the supernatural planes will lose their time difference, and a single mortal day will be a standard day for Heaven and Hell as well."

Zerrex frowned at this... and then Cherry slapped the back of Sin's head, making the Naganatine wince as she lost her glammer for a moment, instead appearing as a demon with a dragon-like head, a black, Mohawk-like mane, and faintly feline features, although the black-purple coloration over her scales turned the same, even if they seemed to change color in her embarrassment. Then the strange ability of the being Zerrex thought was beautiful in her own right came back into place, and she clenched her hands into fists, fuming silently as Cherry said cheerily: "Fuck that shit! Come on, we're all supposed to be having fun here, right? So like, get it on, let's have some fun and worry about this shit later!"

"Miss Cherry, must you be so impetuous and rude?" Sin rounded on her, glaring at her, and Cherry immediately shrank back in fear, her eyes wide and round as plates before Sin cleared her throat, composing herself and looking embarrassed. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so rude... it's the stress of everything weighing down on me, but you're right, there's no need to concern ourselves with this sort of thing yet..."

"You talk too much like Elenora. And look, lemme show you something." Zerrex said mildly, as he put an arm around Sin, and she tilted her head curiously before the Drakkaren threw a hard kick into Cherry's crotch, and the demoness gargled and bounced on the spot, grabbing herself before she fell to her knees... but at Sin's horrified look, Cherry threw her arms wide with a loud 'ta-da!' "Remember, Cherry's precog lets her see pretty much anything before it happens... but she likes to play along, and she doesn't mind risking a good hit now and then. So go ahead, beat on her all you like, and Cherry will play along with it... it's good practice for her, good stress relief for me, and we both get a huge kick out of it. I think you'd enjoy this, too."

Sin shook her head, mumbling and blushing beet red... but Zerrex only gave her a look as Cherry stood up and crossed her arms, huffing. "I am totally insulted, you bitch. Come on, hit me. I'm... Zerrex, uh... what am I again? It starts with... fuck. We had an awesome name for me that one time, you remember it?"

Zerrex looked at her for a moment, then he frowned and rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully, one arm still around Sin as he muttered: "Yeah, that's right... uh... yeah, I remember we were surprised, because Cindy called you it first, right?"

"And it sounded stupid at first. But it was really sheer genius. Um." Cherry sulked a bit, hammering a fist against her skull, and then she finally brightened: "The Second Bitchfaces! The Shit-Eating Cunt Of Nine Different Bitchfaces!"

Zerrex giggled stupidly as Sin looked back and forth between them incredulously, then she finally said: "But... but that isn't funny at all, it's not even that intelligent... I don't understand just-"

"Lighten up, babe!" Cherry slapped Sin on the back of the head again, once more surprising her and causing her glammer to vanish, and Cherry gave a donkey laugh, pointing at her. Sin glared at her, then she finally threw one long, lithe arm in a hard punch into Cherry's gut, and the breath wheezed out of the demoness before she toppled backwards, raising a finger and rasping: "Did not see that one coming."

With that, she sprawled out stupidly on the ground, groaning in pain, and Sin gasped as her illusionary shell snapped back into place, looking terrified as she covered her mouth with both hands... but Zerrex only laughed and hugged her tightly around the back, causing her to blush deeply as he half-lifted her off her feet with a grin, looking up at her as he asked: "So, feel better now?"

Sin blushed deeper as he set her down, then she finally mumbled: "Maybe a little." An awkward pause, then she scuffed a foot against the ground, looking down at Cherry and asking hesitantly: "Are you alright? Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"I'm good." Cherry's voice was weak and stupefied, and then she finally sat up with a groan after a moment, Zerrex snorting laughter as she said dumbly: "Fuck, bitch, you pack one hell of a jab. Last time I got hit that hard was... uh... this morning, but that was a kick to the gonads."

"My apologies." Sin offered her hand, and Cherry took it after a moment, allowing the Naganatine to pull her to her feet. "I didn't mean to hit you so hard... I just... have this thing about being touched."

"I'll remember that." Cherry muttered, then she paused, examining the closeness between Sin and Zerrex before she said suspiciously: "Wait a minute. Then why is he all but groping your ass and shit? Whatever he gets to touch, I wanna touch too! I'm his second, after all."

There was a contemptible snort, and then the three looked to the side as Selena appeared out of another portal, wearing her full leather outfit as she said irritably: "Second? Try more like second-last. And I'd know, 'cause I'm the one he favors most." With that, Selena walked forwards, grabbed Zerrex by the face, then kissed him roughly and passionately, making a show of her hungry movements as she twisted her fingers into the reptile's hair, Zerrex barely able to return the forceful kiss as his arms hung limp at his sides, before she suddenly pulled back and wrapped her arms around his neck, looking content as Zerrex dropped his head on her enormous bosom, his limbs still hanging limply as he grinned stupidly. Selena smiled down at him lovingly, stroking slowly through his hair, before she glared at the other two females with all the fury of a territorial predator. "He's mine!"

"My cock's bigger than your cock!" Cherry shouted, pointing at her, and Selena blinked before snarling: if there was one thing the two shared, it was their love of being able to produce certain male parts with their shapeshifting abilities... and when Selena dropped Zerrex - the Drakkaren wincing as he hit the ground and then staring at Selena stepped over him, wondering abjectly how things could get so bad so fast - Cherry looked at Sin and winked at her before her eyes darted to Zerrex, and Sin gave the slightest of nods.

"You wanna go, bitch? Fine, let's go!" Selena charged at Cherry, and the two fell into a brawl, swinging and wrestling with each other as they rolled away from Sin and Zerrex. The latter climbed to his feet, sighing... but then Sin tapped him on the shoulder as she created a portal, and the Drakkaren smiled a bit at her as they went through it to emerge into what the reptile recognized only a moment later as his private quarters at the Ravenlight Estate.

He rubbed slowly at the back of his head... but Sin shook her head, her long dress swirling around her as she began to automatically tidy up the room as the portal closed, saying softly: "Don't worry about it, Lord Zerrex... we all simply have our own special way of showing how much we missed you..." She paused, then turned around and smile at him softly, adding as she laced her hands together in front of herself with an embarrassed blush. "I missed you a lot, by the way. It's been a long many years... and I have to admit, it was starting to feel like old times, when I could get no... physical comforts."

Zerrex coughed and rose his hands, looking amusedly across at Sin as he said plaintively: "Now hey. We've got the party tomorrow. And if we wanna show up, we probably shouldn't have sex. Because I still remember that first time you dragged me into bed."

Sin laughed at this, relaxing a bit more... before, to Zerrex's surprise, she picked up a pillow and threw it at him. It bounced off his chest, and the reptile caught it automatically as she said amusedly: "Lord Zerrex, I know I wore on you quite a lot... but... that was because I had gone so long without any sort of physical affection. How would you act if you went for eons without sex?" She paused, then blushed a bit at the look she was getting, asking quietly as she laced her fingers together: "What is it?"

"It's like you're blossoming right in front of me." Zerrex tossed the pillow aside, smiling as he walked over to her and grasped her shoulders gently, and she blushed a bit as he said softly: "You used to be so cordial all the damn time, remember? Wouldn't even touch me, everything had to be organized and perfect... and now here you are, starting pillow fights and already trying to get me into bed with you."

Sin only smiled at him, however, and then they hugged again, Zerrex feeling her body pressing tight to his through her long dress as she murmured softly: "You make me feel... good, Lord Zerrex, in a way I haven't felt since I was in Heaven with God, before the rebellion of Mephistopheles. Sometimes I wish those days had never passed, those terrible days... but other days I am glad for it, because now I've met you... and you've shown me that I can... open up and be myself, and people won't hate me for it. Won't see me as the... as the monster I was scared so many of them believed I was..."

She stroked slowly under his chin, gazing into his eyes quietly... and Zerrex shook his head with a faint smile, saying softly: "Well, us freaks have to stick together, Sin... although sometimes I think you only like me because Mephistopheles' power is stored inside me somewhere."

"But you're nothing like him." Sin blushed a bit and nodded, then she quietly kissed his cheek before she led him over to the bed, sitting down with him and quietly lacing her fingers with Zerrex's own. She smiled at him, and he smiled back before she finally added softly: "Maybe you and Cherry have more to teach me on the subject of... friendship and mortal interaction, however. I must admit... the way you two act has always been fascinating to me... and... I've always envied her, even more than you, for the way she acts so... so wonderfully free and uncaring of what anyone thinks of her... and her loyalty is truly outstanding..."

Zerrex nodded, laughing quietly as he said softly: "Cherry is a wonderful person, Sin... even if she acts like a royal bitch sometimes. But I think that's part of her charm and allure... and like, I mean, frustrating you takes a special sort of talent, too, so that's gotta count for something in itself, right?"

Sin laughed a bit herself and shook her head slowly, looking at him with entertainment sparkling in her eyes. Then she and Zerrex fell back on the bed with twin sighs of relief, still holding hands tightly and staring up at the ceiling before the Drakkaren said softly: "Cherry will never admit to it, but she cares deeply for everyone around her... Selena does, too, but she's territorial and clingy, so she expresses her feelings in... a bit of a different way. I think you and Lily are the most normal ones of the whole group, but you're still a nymphomaniac."

"I am not. I haven't had sex with anyone since you've been gone." Sin replied in a voice that would have been pettish if it wasn't so polite still. Zerrex rolled his eyes, but then she smiled and half-rolled towards him, gently guiding one his hands to her stomach as she murmured softly: "Not that I didn't think about it, of course... but as it is, I worry that... you would be upset by it, however slightly."

"I would not. I'm not Selena-possessive-like." Zerrex said mildly, rubbing slowly up and down Sin's taut belly, and she closed her eyes with a soft sigh of pleasure: of all the places on her body, her stomach was the most sensitive... most likely because for countless eons, she had been without one, as part of a punishment on her head Zerrex had felt was far too harsh. His first act had been to remove it from Sin... and that, he felt, had finally made Sin realize just how much he cared for her. "You should be enjoying yourself, Sin. You're a ruler of Hell now, and your period of punishment is over. I understand that Lily does most of the administrative work for everyone, but I know for a fact that you're in charge of the Scholars, the new order of Scribes, and the mages of Hell... and what fun is there in idolizing someone if that someone is perfect all the time? Then you don't have to work to ignore the fact they scream at the press or anything like that, much as everyone hates the paparazzi."

Sin looked confused, but Zerrex only rolled his eyes in amusement. "Nevermind. I'll figure out a better metaphor... but uh... look, hey. What I'm saying is that you're important, and you should strut a bit every now and then. You don't have to still stay in my shadow, pretending that you're like... just my advisor, or something."

"That happens to be what I like, though." Sin reached up, stroking along Zerrex's face softly before she motioned around the plain room: it only had a large dresser, a bed big enough for Zerrex and several other people, and a few knickknacks on a small table. "I could say the same to you though, Lord Zerrex... look at this room, how plain it is for-"

"There you are!" Zerrex leapt out of bed, and Sin blinked before she sighed, looking flatly at the Drakkaren's back as he scooped an oddly-shaped device up off the table, grinning in triumph before he coughed and awkwardly looked over his shoulder at the exasperated Naganatine. "I'm sorry, I uh. Was looking all over for this thing." Zerrex paused, then he cursed irritably as he realized Selena must have knocked his bag out of his hand when they'd been fighting, before he snapped his fingers and created a small portal at shoulder-level with himself. The Drakkaren reached through this, concentrating and mumbling to himself... and then his eyes brightened as he drew his hand back and his bag with it, saying cheerfully: "See, I knew I'd get that spell down sometime. Approximate portals really do come in handy."

"Stop being a... geek?" Sin said hesitantly, and Zerrex nodded, smiling slightly despite himself at the Naganatine. Her attempts to use mortal lingo were often adorable, even though most of the time she did it was in an attempt to insult him... but that, too, was nice to see. It wasn't that Sin lacked backbone, or confidence... it was just that she had trouble not being docile and polite around Zerrex, since the only thing she seemed to fear was upsetting him. "Okay. I think I'm getting it better... but Miss Selena was laughing at me the other day because I called her a 'pork,' and she said the word I was looking for was 'dork.'"

"Pork is pigs." Zerrex said mildly, and Sin nodded with a grave expression. It made the reptile laugh again, and she looked confused before the reptile grinned. "You're a dork."

Sin made a face, then her eyes flicked skywards and she sighed and stood, saying softly: "I'm sorry, Lord Zerrex, but I have to leave... I hear Lily ringing the Great Bell. I don't supposed by any chance you'd want to come with us to meet with the monarchal families of the Western Province to discuss tariffs and trading rights, would you?"

Zerrex coughed as he dug in his bag, then he held up his game, saying plainly: "Sorry there, Sin, but uh. I've got to... 'discover the secret that started it all.'" Zerrex shook the game case lightly, and the Naganatine rolled her eyes before the Drakkaren walked over to her and kissed her chastely on the lips, making her blush and smile a bit. "Tell Lily to stop by here tonight, okay? I'd like to see her before tomorrow."

"I'm sure she'll be delighted to see you too. Take care for now. If you need me, call." Sin bowed to him courteously, then she turned away and vanished through a portal, Zerrex shaking his head with quiet entertainment. Over the last ten million years, Zerrex had barely managed to get her to loosen up... but he thought he was making okay progress, considering how long she'd been alive for. The Drakkaren turned around, opening the new game he'd bought and trading it out with the one in the player, then he turned it on as he created a portal and walked through it to emerge into a wheat field he was familiar with in the Circle of Lust, walking through the tall grains to sit down by a well and hum to himself, relaxing with a sigh.

He wondered absently if Cherry and Selena were still fighting, as he played his game, close enough to a rural road to hear people pass but far enough away no one could hear him or his game, as long as he kept the volume low. Not that he had to worry about using up the battery... he'd long ago replaced it a shimmering crystal Sin had made for him, and it provided nearly eternal battery life and the crystal itself could be recharged by his own energies... a perfect gift for a nut like me, in other words. Ugh, I'm such a nerd but they drove me to it... how the hell else am I supposed to get any peace and quiet around here?

Zerrex played for about ten minutes before he realized something was wrong... that the silence was too silent, that the shadow covering him was too dark... and the reptile turned the game system off, lowering it into his lap as he lowered his head and said quietly: "Hello, mother... I didn't think we'd run into each other so soon."

"My son... don't tell me you'd forgotten about me." Celestial Narrius almost purred behind him, and he could hear the smile in her voice even before he stood up and turned around to see her standing on the covered well. She was clothed only in a tattered black robe that floated strangely around her, seemingly weaved of darkness and shimmering black fire... and her hands were long and dexterous, her visible body supple and beautiful, her form curvaceous and her features beautiful. Her eyes, however, were blood red... the color of Narrius's eyes, and Zerrex knew that based upon her moodiness, they would change from their original beautiful emerald to that terrible crimson. Not that they can always be trusted... there have been days when they've been red and she's been perfectly sane... and when they've been green and she's been completely mad. "I've missed you, Light... give me a hug."

Zerrex hesitated, but when she stepped forwards and floated more than hopped down to him, he wrapped his arms automatically around her, and she sighed in pleasure as she curled herself half-over and half-around his body, looking delighted. Zerrex hated to think that it was likely mostly because she fed herself off his body's energy... but he knew nonetheless that was a good part of the reason. Celestial, after all, was no demon... she was something far more powerful and far more terrible all at the same time.

The wife of Narrius on the mortal plane, she had died at his hands, killed in front of her own beloved son... but even in Heaven, she had still been in love with Narrius, and had waited many long and fruitless years for him before she'd given up on ever seeing him again, and she had left the divine plane to fall all the way to the Unworld: the dark place where all things went at the end of the road, where even the most willful of souls were broken down into energy, completing the cycle of life and death. Even there, however, her spirit had lingered long past the time it should have been destroyed... until fragments of Narrius had floated down through the Unworld, and she had greedily gobbled up his energy and chased after whatever other bits of her husband she could find.

In the end, Celestial had become a Broken: a being godlike in power, yet tragic in creation. Her personality was half her own, but half that of the beast that had called itself Ifret Narrius, and her strength was unmatched even by Sin. Zerrex was always saddened by her plight when he saw her... but she scared him as well. If he ever did the wrong thing, treated her the wrong way... it might very well spell his own demise, after all.

But for now, she seemed happy enough just to see him, and she laughed when he spun her around before gently settling her down. Then she kissed him softly, and Zerrex kissed her quietly in return... his mother, after all, had been his first. It was another long story, however, and Zerrex's mind was already reeling with memories... and he could only look at her quietly for a few long moments before she took his face between her hands and said tenderly: "My wonderful little boy... I'm so very glad to see you. They still don't accept me here in Hell, after all, so I spend so much time, too much time, alone in the Rift... but I felt your energy today and I couldn't resist coming out to see you..."

She paused, then slowly leaned forwards, and Zerrex swallowed thickly as she licked slowly up the side of his neck, all the way past his cheek, and she growled softly at him, hungrily. "Such energy and such power... and yet you repress it, don't you? Of course you do, you're always so humble... but I'm sure those children and wives of yours want to feed you more, but haven't been giving you enough. Then again, I know you resist, too..." She smiled slightly, stroking his face gently. "But oh, listen to me going on and on. You know, I hear there's a party tomorrow... am I invited, to meet all my grandchildren?"

Celestial tilted her head curiously, and Zerrex opened his mouth as he tried to think of an excuse... but she quickly covered it, laughing and shaking her head. "No, no. I know, I know... I may scare some of them, and I don't want that. Perhaps instead I'll have a little party for you myself, with all our family..." She looked dreamy, her eyes losing some of their ruby glow. "Yes... a little family gathering, for all the adults, in the Rift... you can introduce me properly to some of your family, and we'll be... all family again... family..."

She tasted the word, then pushed herself against her son, nuzzling into him slowly as Zerrex grasped her arms gently, breathing softly as he lowered his head... and then she pulled away, laughing quietly as she gazed at him with a grin. "But come and see me soon, Zerrex, and we'll talk more on it... before you leave Hell, in any case." A pause, then she halted and slid forwards again, whispering softly: "One more kiss, a goodbye kiss, for Mommy..."

Zerrex nodded, unable to take his eyes off her... and then they slid closed as he met her muzzle in another kiss, their tongues dancing slowly and gently, their mouths working first almost hesitantly, before it became more passionate... and Celestial murred softly into her son's mouth as one of his hands rubbed slowly down her side, the other grasping lightly into her shoulder. Her own grasped into his hips, and she ground her body forwards for a moment before she pulled away, and Zerrex's breath sharpened as he chased her for a moment... but she only laughed quietly before vanishing, and the reptile blinked stupidly a few times as he looked back and forth, feeling awkwardly aroused even as a chill passed through his body. Then he closed his eyes and clenched his hands into fists, shaking his head slowly as he murmured: "Goodbye... mother..." Please... stay gone. Much as I love you... stay gone. You're poisonous.

He shivered a bit as he sat down against the well, looking down at his game player... but suddenly he didn't feel like any video games, as he tucked it carefully into his pocket and instead simply sat, getting his breathing under control as he balled his hands together in his lap. He'd forgotten that things could get complicated, even while down here on Hell... but perhaps that was because the few days he'd spent on the mortal plane had been so different from the usual life he'd lived for the last ten million years, that everything had seemed exotic and strange. And yet within a day... I felt comfortable up there.

He shook his head slowly, not wanting his mind to sink into a deluge of complex thoughts... and instead, he grimaced a bit as he looked up, rolling his shoulders slowly and doing his best to relax. After all, he had a party coming up that apparently Cherry had gone through the trouble of planning for him, and he felt he should at least try and enjoy it a little bit... and the reptile smiled a bit to himself as he leaned back against the well, murmuring softly: "It's not like I can honestly say it's not something I'd enjoy, after all... I mean, the only time I'd get to really see my family was in the Cuddle Room at the big Palace."

The reptile smiled amusedly at this: the Cuddle Room, as he affectionately called it, was really the only reason he'd even consented to buying the 'big Palace,' as he lazily called it. Despite the fact that most monarchs - even lesser monarchs - in Hell usually owned a variety of properties, Zerrex always argued that he was perfectly happy with just the Ravenlight Estate... that in fact, it was far more than he wanted, which was very true. He held onto it mostly because it had once belonged to Sin's siblings Azazel and Astaroth... but instead of keeping the entire estate to himself, he had sectioned parts of the ridiculously-enormous, further-magically-enlarged mansion off, allotting different rooms to different family members.

It was far more than enough, since he didn't exactly have many family members visit here all that often: the Cuddle Room was far better for that. It was an immense room at the Castle of the Hundred Golden Arches, magically enlarged and carefully structured to best suit the comforts and pleasures of a large group. Zerrex thought the castle itself was pretty goddamn dreary... but the Cuddle Room was one hell of a wonderful place.

One entire wall was a half-dome of glass, while the rest of the walls were made of beautiful marble, with all variety of artworks painted over it. The room itself was circular, with three indistinct levels: there was only a single step between each, making it seem like there was only one solid purple-stone floor. From one marble wall fell a synthetic waterfall, which poured into a bubbling pool... and from this pool ran a river that curved back and forth from one small heated pool to the next along one wall, until it came to a halt at a deeper, larger pool that sat against the glass wall.

It was a beautiful setup... and the circular room was literally more than three hundred feet in diameter, with a height of over a hundred and fifty feet at the center. And all over the room were stacks of differently-colored pillows and various-patterned blankets, adding to the comfort level of the Cuddle Room... and Zerrex had to admit, the fact that at some point or another, someone had installed an enormous throne that would comfortably seat him when he was at full demon size didn't hurt either. Then again, usually I'd just lay down on the mattress they put underneath it at the size I am now...

The reptile smiled a bit to himself at the thought, and then he glanced up curiously as a portal opened, and Lily stepped through with their eldest daughter, Desire. Lily was dressed in her formal robes, tall, gemstone-incrusted tiara, and the silver formal armor she wore overtop the robes that had little actual combat value, but looked beautiful nonetheless. Lily had that expression of amused exasperation on her face only she could make, while Desire was blushing and clutching something to her stomach, dressed in far-less formal simple cloth wraps that went around her bust and her groin, with a white and gold-edged loincloth hanging down to her knees.

Desire bore a great semblance to her mother, except unlike Lily, her true body really was that of a golden-scaled Drakkaren. She was lither and shorter, with a toned, smooth stomach, and her eyes were the emerald of her father's. In the mortal realm, she could easily pass as a young, exceptionally-beautiful mortal girl... but in reality, Desire was not sixteen, but many millions of years old, and when she took on her full 'Expression' body, she was truly terrifying to behold.

But that didn't matter to Zerrex; what mattered was that whatever form she was in, whether it was this youthful form she favored or her full demonic body, she was sweet and innocent, with a very quiet and almost shy personality. She preferred her father's company even over that of most of her sisters... and in Hell, demons were often raised as if their family was the only people they could trust. Then again, Lily and I spent almost all of our time with Desire... meek little beautiful girl of mine. And the only thing Lily was more obsessive over than her job was her children... "How'd you find me?"

"We felt a disturbance... Mom was heading the council meeting, but when one of the Monarchs said he had to attend to some business and left, she decided to leave herself and... have a word with him." Desire smiled a bit, gazing up at her mother affectionately. "But she stopped by to let me know first and see you..."

"Not just 'cause I missed you, either, you jerk." Lily said softly, punching Zerrex gently in the shoulder as he stood, and he laughed before he hugged both of them tightly, Lily squeezing him firmly around the neck as Desire pushed her head against his chest with a content sigh. Then she shook her head slowly, stepping back with a look of soft amusement as she continued embarrassedly: "Now, I know I've asked you this before, but... how exactly am I supposed to keep them in order when they won't listen to me?"

Zerrex rolled his eyes at this, and then he patted Desire on the shoulder, asking her with a smile: "How do we keep the uncivil civil leaders in order, daughter?"

"We enforce civil penalties, or in the worst case scenario, make a clear show of power, either personal or imperial." Desire answered immediately, and she blushed when Zerrex nodded and Lily rubbed at her forehead slowly. "It means, Mom, that you should either fine them, threaten them with prison time - following out that threat if they do continue to disobey you - or demonstrate the kinds of power you have by taking away their privileges or scaring them."

Lily made a face, rubbing at her head slowly before she said dumbly: "Zerrex, I'm no good at that. I don't like to be mean, just because I have the power to... they need to learn, like you say yourself, and settle their arguments verbally..."

"And we're getting there." Zerrex said soothingly, reaching out to rub Lily's arms slowly, and she looked awkwardly down, looking a bit upset with herself. The Drakkaren guessed it had been a long day for her, though... especially since Lily liked to work countless hours before taking a break for only one or two days. "Look at how many of the monarchs will put up with your long-winded speeches now, and now most of them pay attention instead of sleeping. But there will always be the bad apples who need patience and tolerance, but also a firm hand that's not going to be lenient with all of their antics."

"This is why you're good at the job. You're a real asshole sometimes." Lily muttered, but she was smiling up at him nonetheless as Zerrex sighed and rolled his eyes, looking at her with dry entertainment before he glanced down curiously as Desire nudged him and held up the object she was carrying: a large, green and black-spotted egg, and Zerrex blinked at this. Lily's abjectness turned to amusement as she patted her daughter on the shoulder. "Well, go on, take it. Desire worked for a long time to find this for you. She wanted to wait until tomorrow, but... it seems that it'll have to be today."

The Drakkaren looked confused as he took the egg, tilting it back and forth curiously. It was warm - okay, more like hot - in his hands, and he frowned a bit before staring as the top of the oval egg cracked. More spread through it, and Zerrex stared before the top of the egg simply shattered, bits and pieces of it falling down around his hands as a small head waved back and forth through the air before peering up at him owlishly, and Zerrex looked awkwardly back down at the little creature.

It was a miniature dragon, with a long neck and black scales... and it gave a sound that was more squeak than anything else as it looked up at him with big, round dull-red eyes. Zerrex looked back, and he cleared his throat after a moment before the little dragon sat up on its haunches, half-spreading wings that were bony and too thin, the webbing between them still transparent as it yawned cutely, a long pink tongue stretching out for a moment before it closed its jaws and squeaked again.

"It's so adorable!" Desire gushed, and Lily giggled a bit behind a hand as Zerrex mumbled something before he winced as the little dragon leaned forwards, digging its tiny claws against his scales as it scrambled up his body: it was perhaps just under two feet long and four inches tall at the shoulder, and it settled happily around his shoulders as it stretched its wings again, mewling and then chewing at his hair curiously. "Ooh, it must be hungry! Daddy, you better feed it... oh, right, you don't even know what it is!"

"I know it seems to like my hair." Zerrex said flatly, as the little dragon contentedly continued to chew at his hair, and the reptile reached up, gently trying to nudge it away. It squeaked, then it turned its attention to his fingers, gnawing lightly on them with tiny teeth that were just pushing through its gums, and then it crawled its way up onto the Drakkaren's head as Lily and Desire both covered their muzzles, giggling. "Why the hell did you buy this thing for me?"

"Oh, come on, we both know you like it." Desire said brightly, and Zerrex made a face before he was unable to stop a smile as the tiny dragon dropped its head to look at him inversely, squeaking, before Zerrex flailed as it ran down his muzzle. He dropped the egg, and the sound of it cracking as it hit the ground made the little dragon jump, but the Drakkaren caught it the moment it toppled off him and the little beast purred, immediately curling up in one of the reptile's strong arms. "But that, Daddy, is a pseudodragon. It's created by breeding toy dragons together... they're very rare, but they're said to have very powerful magical abilities, and they attune themselves to their masters. Of course, they're intelligent, so they only accept certain people as masters, but..." Desire coughed and looked away innocently with a grin as the little dragon cheerfully gnawed on Zerrex's hair before it purred happily and snuggled into Zerrex's chest. "I think it likes you plenty, Daddy."

"I hate you two." Zerrex said sourly, and Lily and Desire both laughed before the Drakkaren glanced down, scratching the tiny dragon beneath the chin to elect a pleased squeak from it. He paused, then looked curiously over at his daughter, asking softly: "So does it eat, then? And how fast does it mature?"

Desire laughed softly, then Lily cleared her throat politely and interjected: "Much as I don't want to ruin this moment, I have to go and deal with some... unpleasantness. I'll see you tonight, though, Zerrex... I'll meet you at the Ravenlight Estate, alright?"

"Alright, Lily... and thank you." Zerrex nodded to her, and she smiled softly at him before kissing her fingers and gently tapping his forehead. The reptile laughed a bit, then he watched as she portalled out... but Desire stayed, looking up at him bashfully, and Zerrex tilted his head as he asked softly: "So you have the answers to my questions?"

"You know how much I enjoyed hanging out at the stables and with the breeders... they taught me all kinds of things, Daddy." Desire responded softly, nodding a bit and smiling up at him lovingly, before she reached a finger out to gently stroke over the pseudodragon's features. It purred at the attention, then licked her finger, and Desire giggled a bit. "But well... it needs to be fed for the first few days of its life, and you need to keep a litterbox for it inside until its body develops to full maturity. Then, like all our breeds of Hell dragon, it will cease to produce waste. It eats almost anything, but I hear that they're most fond of beef, from the... cow? Cows are beef, right?"

Zerrex nodded, looking softly amused before he smiled as the pseudodragon nuzzled gently into his neck, and then he tilted his head curiously as he looked down at the small creature, as it squeaked up at him a few times. "It seems very friendly and very intelligent already... as a magical creature, it must mature rapidly, right?"

"Sometimes as soon as within a week... it all depends on how well it's taken care of." Desire said softly, then she walked over to Zerrex's other side and clung to his arm, pressing herself against him and smiling brightly up at him. "I think yours will mature quite quickly, Daddy... he's clung onto you already, after all, just like all of us seem to."

"Not everyone." Zerrex said mildly, then he winced when Desire smacked his bicep firmly with a fist. "What? But hey, why don't we head back to the Estate, since no one's trying to make me work today. We can feed this poor little bugger and see if anyone's around... maybe your sister Cypress is looking for some company."

Desire smiled up at him and nodded as she created a portal large enough for them to pass through, and although the dragon gave a hesitant growl at first, with a gentle squeeze, it seemed to nod and it curled up comfortably in his arm as they walked through the portal. They emerged a moment later into the enormous entrance hall of the Ravenlight Estate, the Drakkaren looking up towards the high ceiling, then he kissed Desire's forehead softly. "Why do I put up with this gratuitousness?"

"Because you secretly like all of it." Desire replied with a slight smile, gesturing at the enormous suits of armor standing silent sentinel against the support pillars at the sides of the hall, spaced evenly between various works of art. Zerrex made a face as he looked up at the golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, then another at the red-carpeted floor beneath his feet, and Desire sighed and rolled her eyes in exaggerated exasperation as she said: "I know, I know, remind you to have it all torn down tomorrow. But you've been saying that for the last nine million years, Daddy, and I wish I was exaggerating."

The reptile huffed, then Desire patted him on the shoulder before she leaned up to kiss his cheek lovingly, saying softly: "Let's set him up in your room so he can be close to you, Daddy. I'll go get a serviceable litterbox and some blankets and food. I'm sure he'd like that."

"As long as he doesn't smell too much." Zerrex said mildly, and then he winced when the pseudodragon growled and nipped his cheek. The reptile glared at it, and it glared back before Zerrex sighed, and it licked his cheek sloppily as the demon muttered to himself and walked towards the staircase at the back of the hall, Desire already gone off on her self-appointed mission. "Everyone around here's a power freak. And what the hell am I going to call you, anyway, tiny? Maybe something ironic, like Titan. What do you think, any suggestions?"

The tiny creature just looked up at him curiously, and then it looked slowly around, seemingly awed by the change of scenery. As Zerrex reached the top of the stairs and the hall leading to his room, he figured he was probably safe... and then he winced as Selena stepped through a portal behind him, and Cherry a portal ahead of him.

He looked back and forth stupidly, caught between the two females, who were both bruised, bleeding here and there, and looked furious... and Selena adjusted her ripped leathers to try and cover up an exposed breast as Cherry brushed herself off, mumbling something about magic. She wasn't nearly as scuffed-up as Selena, but she did have a nasty cut in her side she was still bleeding from, and her own whip had been tightly tied around her body... likely causing her pain every time she moved.

Zerrex coughed as they both turned glares to him... and then he held up his dragon above his head, and it looked curiously from one demoness to the other as he said plainly: "Look what Desire gave me."

"It's a pseudodragon!" Selena stared at it in wonderment, covering her mouth with both hands, and Cherry gaped at the thing before she snorted in amusement as both it and Zerrex gave her an almost identical look. And just like that, the situation was defused... at least for the moment, anyway. It made Zerrex smile in amusement as both of the females walked up to him and looked curiously down at the hatchling, as it curled up against the Drakkaren's chest and squeaked as it looked from one to the other nervously... and then Selena finally said softly: "Amazing. These are very rare indeed... you only find one every few millennia. Desire must have paid a fortune for it."

"That's Desire, always tryin' to show us bitches up." Cherry said morbidly, and Selena grunted agreeably, before she glanced up and blushed a bit as Cherry jangled the chain whip wrapped around her, adding flatly: "By the way, care to remove the binding you put on this thing? It's uh. Chafing. Just a little bit."

"Aw, shit, I'm sorry Cherry. I guess I have a bit of a temper." Selena said grudgingly, reaching out and touching the chain, and it glowed purple for a few moments before fading out, and the chain whip slipped free from Cherry's body to clank around her feet. Cherry rubbed at the marks it left on her body, and then Selena mumbled to herself before finally offering: "You know, if you want, I could heal you..."

"And what, do more damage to me than you did when you were trying to kill me?" Cherry asked stupidly before she could stop herself, and Selena glared at her before lunging towards the female and throttling her, Cherry gargling and flailing her arms wildly as the furious demoness jerked her head back and forth by the neck. Zerrex sighed, then carefully walked around the two, heading for his room and ignoring the loud crash and a yelp of pain from Selena as Cherry cackled.

Zerrex pushed through the door and into his room, closing it to muffle most of the sounds outside: the soundproofing throughout the building was one of the bonuses Zerrex really did enjoy about the building. He gently set the pseudodragon down on the bed, then he dropped onto his knees, elbows resting on the mattress as he looked at it curiously, and it looked back at him before looking down as it padded lightly around on the blanket, testing its claws and feet against the bed with a curious squeak. "So what exactly am I going to call you... Dino? Fido? Mr. Dragon?"

It snorted at the last name, then paused before burping loudly as it released a small gout of flame that burst over the reptile's muzzle. He flailed his arms in more surprise then pain, then fell awkwardly on his back with a loud grunt, rubbing at his head slowly and glowering up at the pseudodragon as it stuck its head over the edge of the bed to squeak down at him. "Maybe I should call you Dork?"

It huffed at him, then leapt forwards and fluttered its little wings weakly: nowhere near enough to fly, but more than enough to carry itself forwards so it landed on Zerrex's head. It turned itself around several times, clawing at his head lightly, and the reptile winced a few times before he reached up to grasp it lightly and pull it free, but it squeaked in protest and clung harder into his scalp. The reptile sighed after a few tries, then he muttered to himself and crossed his arms, saying darkly: "You know, you won't be able to get away with this forever."

Its long tail slapped lightly against the back of his head in response, and then it curled up securely on top of the Drakkaren's head, purring a bit to itself. Zerrex rolled his eyes, but he smiled a bit despite himself as he stood up and sat on the bed, listening absently to the sounds of battle outside before he said thoughtfully: "Maybe I should call you something simple. Then again, I don't even know what sex you are."

He glanced up as the door to the room opened, and Desire pushed into his room with a deep tray filled with what Zerrex guessed was litter and a blanket over one arm, and a plate in her other hand with an assortment of food. She put down the tray, then glanced up at Zerrex with a slight smile as she set up the blanket in a corner of the room and put the plate down on the bed. "It's a male... and so you know, Cherry and Selena are still fighting out there, and I'm a little worried Cherry's going to choke Selena to death with her whip."

"Let them work it out one way or the other, they'll settle down eventually." Zerrex said mildly, waving a hand before he looked at the dragon as it hopped off his skull, watching as it sniffed warily around the plate of food. The reptile smiled slightly, then he picked up a piece of meat off the plate from the variety of small snacks Desire had made, tossing one to the pseudodragon. It caught it and gobbled it down greedily, almost choking itself on the cube of meat, and the reptile snorted in amusement and rolled his eyes. "Don't eat like me, now... ugh, I still can't think of a name, Desire. It's not like with you... you know, when Lily and I first saw your beautiful face, we both agreed on your name right away... well, the first name, at least."

The golden-scaled lizard smiled lovingly up at him, taking one of his large hands gently in both of her own as she murmured softly: "Desire Emana Pal Vrias Celest Narrius. Or, as you taught me in the mortal tongue, Desire Narrius, the Beauty of the Lost Celestial Sky. You were too kind to name me after your lost mother, Zerrex Ravenlight Narrius, High King of Hell, my mighty and honored Father."

"Your mother insisted on mixing both demonic and mortal names together." Zerrex said softly, then he smiled slightly as he squeezed her hand gently and pulled her up under the chin with his other hand to kiss her forehead softly. She smiled brightly, then leaned up a bit further to kiss his lips, sharing the soft, gentle affection with her father for a few long moments before he added with a slight smile: "I've always been glad for it, too, I have to say."

The two gazed at each other softly, and then the pseudodragon snatched another cube of meat off the tray before scrambling up on top of Zerrex's head, and it chewed contentedly there, Desire laughing as Zerrex rolled his eyes in amusement. "Maybe I should call you Fatty. You certainly seem to be scarfing that food down fast enough, after all... or well... okay, okay, nothing so ridiculous." He huffed as the dragon clawed lightly at his scalp and squawked at him. "If you're so smart, help me out then. Do you like names like Jimmy, or names like... Acorn?"

The dragon didn't reply, it only shook its tail back and forth a few times as it settled itself on the reptile's head, and Desire shook her head in entertainment before Zerrex finally said thoughtfully: "I think I'll call you Sammy. I'm sure I'll think of something better and awesomer soon, but Sammy can be your first first name... although I don't think you'll get a second first name, we'll just stick with the first first name, at least at first."

Even Desire looked confused by this, and usually she at least managed to understand the Drakkaren's weird logic. The dragon, however, leapt off Zerrex's skull as the reptile laid back on the bed, and it settled comfortably into his lap as he kicked his boots off. Desire rolled her eyes in entertainment, moving the food tray over to the table and coming back with two chocolates and a cube of beef in one hand, and she lovingly fed one of the chocolates to Zerrex before giving his pseudodragon the meat cube, and popping the last candy into her own mouth with a smile and a look of pleasure on her features: chocolate, after all, was considered a delicacy in Hell.

They rested comfortably together, the little dragon purring a bit as Zerrex absently stroked down the back of its neck, and it sighed contentedly as Desire cuddled herself up against her father's chest with a bright smile, looking up at him adoringly. The Drakkaren gazed back down at her with soft entertainment, enjoying the way their relationship worked: after all, in Hell, it wasn't entirely uncommon for children to become competitive to the point of being murderous with their parents.

But Zerrex felt he was lucky: almost all of his children had turned out well, even if a few of them had also been born Terrors. Sin and Zerrex hadn't realized that she had still been hardwired so that it would still produce Terrors, as it had when Mephistopheles had first taken her as his property and breeding queen. The gruesome experiments he had done on her body, although they left no outside mark, were still working her insides... and Sin had been forced to imprison some of her own children in pocket dimensions and Abyssal dungeons until they learned to control themselves and their abilities... Zerrex could only think of one child he'd had that had wound up being truly evil, after all, but no one dared to mention his name around either himself or Sin; not because they feared anger, but because of the sorrow it always brought them both.

Zerrex knew he was lucky, luckier than any former monarch, perhaps... but he also thought it was because of the way he'd chosen to raise his children. With only a few of them being born within a few years of each other, he was able to devote great amounts of attention to them while they were young, and he never shirked at sharing his own experiences and stories with them. Demons matured quickly, and in Hell, there was no point in censoring his life with the excuse that they wouldn't understand... whether they did or not, a lesson learned was a lesson learned.

The reptile thought quietly about his kids, and then he looked down at Desire, knowing she wouldn't lie to him as he asked softly: "How's Driz doing? Is he going to come to the party tomorrow?"

Desire hesitated... and Zerrex smiled faintly, knowing what that meant even before she said quietly: "He says he's too busy... me and Cypress talked to him about it a few times, but he finally got angry and said he... really just doesn't want to see you. I think... I think maybe it might help if you go and see him."

Zerrex nodded slowly... then he stroked the pseudodragon gently before he picked it up and put it on one of the pillows at the head of the bed, and it looked at him sleepily for a moment before yawning and going back to sleep. He shook his head with a soft laugh, then the Drakkaren stood up and rubbed quietly at his forearm as Desire curled up a bit on the bed, gazing up at him softly. "Good idea... I think you might just be on to something there. Keep an eye on Sammy for me while I'm gone?"

Desire nodded a few times, then, as Zerrex created a portal, she added: "Don't be scared of him, Daddy... and don't be scared of hurting him, either. Despite how much he acts like he doesn't like you, I think maybe standing up to him might just do the trick."

"Thanks for the advice, Desire. I'll keep it in mind." Zerrex said softly, then he stepped through the portal and emerged into a bright white room that was small and spherical, the roof only twenty feet or so above Zerrex's head and a large chair floating in the rough middle of the room. Several large white cylinders were floating around this, filled with a strange yellow lightning and a handful of strange black dots that seemed to act as conductors, and the reptile looked back and forth curiously. He couldn't see Driz anyway... and then he noticed that one of the circular doors leading to one of the secondary power control stations was standing open, and the reptile walked over to this before awkwardly scrambling up the wall, grunting as he hauled himself into a long white wall with rounded walls and floors. "I wish I had antigravity powers... or that there were at least ladders in this sci-fi space station."

"Go away." A rough voice shouted irritably, and Zerrex paused for a moment, hesitation as he idly played with the three rings he wore. A bit of fear went through him, and then he cleared his throat and continued forwards as he took a deep breath, emerging into a tall room shaped like a cylinder. It was only five or so feet in diameter, but it was at least forty feet tall, and in the center of the room was a huge white pillar with a glowing purple core: it hung from the ceiling by several steel supports, and around it Driz floated upside down. He cast a single disparaging glance down at his father, then he grit his teeth, already looking angry: of course, that was a slight improvement from how he used to act. "Oh great, it's you. Pissed off I didn't get you an exotic gift like the rest of the family?"

Zerrex gazed at his son quietly: he was a very powerful, very particular demon made entirely of dark energy, black lightning flickering around his body. He looked thin and toned, and his teeth seemed solid, even though they, like his glowing eyes and the four long, thick tendrils of 'hair' that floated from his head and down around his back. The ability to control energy was a trait inherited from his father... but unlike Zerrex, he could only control negative energies, and yet to a point where he could make contact with other people without hurting them, even though his appearance was obviously unsettling.

Driz flipped his body through the air, then floated lazily down to the ground, his hair swirling around him and his eyes glowing as he looked coldly at his father. He landed after a moment, glaring down at him from his ten feet of height, and then he spat at Zerrex's shoeless feet, asking darkly: "What, you expect me to lick them or something?"

"You know I never treated you that badly." the Drakkaren replied in a quiet but firm voice, and then he continued: "Look, Driz, you were my first son and..."

He broke off as Driz snorted and crossed his arms, looking away in disgust, and the Drakkaren realized he was going into the same old speeches: excuses, more or less, for his own behavior, and patronizing. He'd never treated his daughters like that... and then Zerrex finally sighed and bit his tongue as Driz floated up towards the energy core again. He watched for a little while instead, as Driz touched the core here and there to send a charge of his dark energies into it, causing the purple power rod inside to glow stronger and adjusting the energy the core radiated. With Zerrex's plans, Driz was more than simply a cog in his great opus to power all of Hell without the need of crystallized demons or trapped and bound Terrors, constantly sucking out their life force to supply all of Hell with energy... Driz was the only person at the moment who could adjust and control the main generators and control rods such as these, which not only controlled the output from the power generation stations, but also controlled exactly where that energy went and how it was spread out throughout the urban and rural areas of all of Hell.

Driz really only needed to adjust the rods every few hundred years, as the magic that had formed them also helped regulate them... but Driz was fanatic when it came to his work, although Zerrex thought that going from generator station to generator station and keeping them all perfectly in line was less because of obsession or compulsion and more because it helped get his mind off things. Finally, Zerrex looked down, then back up and he said softly: "Driz... I... Raven Narrius." That earned the reptile a surprised look, since Zerrex so rarely used Driz's real name instead of the nickname he'd picked up: Driz, after all, meant 'Shadow' in common demonic slang. "I never told you the reason why I treated you so... so goddamn distantly, did I?"

Driz dropped down to land quietly in front of Zerrex, looking evenly into his eyes with his own solid-white ones, and he said finally, sounding almost hesitant: "No, you never did. But don't think anything you could say would ever excuse the way you made me feel, Zerrex. You ignored me. You kept me always at an arm's length, never even treated me like a child until it was too goddamn late for it to mean much of anything... and you've always favored all your precious daughters over me, especially the ones that wanted to have sex with you."

"Well, I am half-Lust." Zerrex smiled a bit, but Driz only looked at him distastefully. It made the reptile roll his eyes before he sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair, clearing his throat again and mumbling a bit, then he finally looked up and said quietly: "Driz... you know all about Narrius. You know that I took the Throne because I fought off a Calamity that no one else ever faced. But what I never told you is... Driz, that Calamity was named Crow, and it was my first son."

Driz snarled at this, saying disgustedly: "So you lied to me about me being your first son, that was never-"

"I never rose him. I never knew about him. He was born from Celestial, after she... tricked me." Zerrex looked away shamefully, but Driz only continued to look at him with disgust. "I do deserve your hatred in some ways, because I did treat you like crap, and I have lied to you... and that was dishonorable, too, which I am... doubly-ashamed of. And your form... you look very similar to Crow. And... I was scared of you. I was scared that you would turn out like him." Zerrex looked up at him quietly, feeling vulnerable and sorrowful before he looked down and murmured: "It was hard to kill Crow, and I was scared you'd turn out like he did, because... the evil might be in my DNA, not any fault of yours.

"Even more, I was scared I'd be a failure as a father to a son... which... ironically, that fear made me." Zerrex laughed dryly, shaking his head slowly. "I have failed you, Driz, and I don't deserve another chance. But I want one anyway... goddammit, I never did understand what it... this... would feel like until I finally did. You might not believe me, but... I did, I do love you. I have always cared for you, and you have always been one of my favorites. Look at you, doing work for the benefit of Hell, throwing yourself into this cause created by me, who you probably hate more than anyone else in this miserable world, and... and I'm out of gas." Zerrex slumped a bit, rubbing slowly at his head as he looked quietly up at Driz. "I'm sorry. That's all I know to say anymore, it's that... I'm sorry."

The demon looked back down at him, looking furious... and then he closed his eyes and turned away, pressing his hands against the white walls and dropping his head forwards. Zerrex looked at his back, then he hesitantly reached a hand forwards to grasp his shoulder... and when Driz shoved that off, Zerrex grabbed him and spun him around, the male looking shocked before Zerrex seized him in a hug, squeezing himself against the male's body as he said roughly: "I do love you. Fuck, I do care about you, Raven, you are my son, and I have never been disappointed in you. I've always hated and been disappointed far more in myself than in you, Driz... I wish I could say you reminded me of me but... the way you've acted, the path you've taken in life, is far more constructive than the path I took in my life, and I was a mortal then... not a demon who was encouraged, if anything, to be wicked."

Zerrex held on to Driz for a few more moments as the male stood there... and then he finally cleared his throat and stepped away, rubbing at his eyes as he muttered: "Sorry. And I don't care if it makes you hate me more, you ever tell anyone about this, I'll punch your stupid face in."

Driz snorted, then he covered his mouth and looked awkwardly away, mumbling to himself. The two stood in silence for a few moments, then he finally said in a grouchy voice: "Get your stupid emotional ass out of here and... and I might think about showing up at the party tomorrow. Don't expect me to bring a present though, especially since I know I'm probably the last stop on your list of misfit sons."

"No, you were my first and only stop... but now that you mention it, I think I'll go and check on my other kids, too, and see how they're doing. It's been a good while." Zerrex said softly, glancing away, and Driz nodded with a grunt before he hesitantly reached out and patted the reptile on the shoulder. The Drakkaren smiled at him, and Driz grunted and leapt into the air, floating up to go back to work on the pillar. The reptile hesitated a moment to look up at him... and then he finally opened a portal and stepped through it to end up in what looked like an empty, circular dirt lot surrounded by undeveloped, wild fields.

He looked back and forth, clearing his throat and rubbing at his eyes again as he composed himself, and then he walked towards the center of the field before kneeling down and pressing his hands gently into it, concentrating. After a few moments, a circle of demonic runes appeared, following the curve of the circle, and then they spiraled slowly inwards until they formed a solid circular metal covering in the exact center of the field.

The reptile reached down and gently grasped this by the pair of handles inset into the runic covering, and he hefted this lightly with a grunt, putting it aside and leaping down into the empty shaft behind. He freefell through the air for a few moments, then landed quietly on the enchanted floor at the bottom of the shaft, the strange-textured ground morphing itself to match his landing and soften it before returning to its normal shape, and Zerrex stepped out of the square, empty shaft and into the circular room beyond, which was filled with all manner of glowing runes and several specially-shaped crystals.

Most of it, however, was taken up by a gigantic demon: it was trapped by massive, heavy chains that were glowing with purple ruins tattooed over the entire length of each restraint, and it wore a heavy collar and shackles over its wrists and legs, with only a dirty, torn and ancient loincloth hanging loosely around its waist. Much of its body rested in a large indent in the rounded walls, the surfaces here not cement, but instead some sort of heavy brown stone that the ends of the chains had been somehow melted into, but it was so gargantuan that its leaning-forwards pose on its knees made it seem to take up over half of the circular room.

It looked up in surprise at Zerrex's footsteps, then it roared furiously and leaned forwards with a snarl, foaming at the mouth: it seemed half minotaur and half-dragon, its body covered in scales and form reptilian, with a thick tail trapped and chained between its legs... but the moment its black eyes settled on the Drakkaren, it suddenly calmed, snorting from its nostrils as its bull-like features smoothed out, looking handsome but also childish. It breathed softly as Zerrex approached, not cautiously, but quietly and calmly, reaching up a hand to gently stroke down the massive muzzle between its eyes, its brown-scaled body flexing, huge muscles bulging against scale as it tried to make itself more comfortable even as it lowered itself with a quiet whine and a whisper of: "F-Father..."

"Hello, Atlas... my son who carries the weight of Hell on his shoulders." Zerrex murmured softly, then he closed his eyes and stepped forwards to hug him gently around his thick neck, which by itself was easily wider than Zerrex's not-unimpressive form. Atlas smiled, revealing vicious, yellowed teeth, and then he whined softly again as his shackles jangled, trying to hug his father back but unable to. Zerrex felt his odd, tangled mane of thick fur brushing gently against him as one of his gigantic, bull-like horns brushed against the reptile's skull, and then he sighed softly as he held on for a moment longer before he stepped back, gazing at him quietly, taking in the details of his body, from the thick, dirty-yellow fur that surrounded his wrists, his waist, and his ankles, to the small cuts in his body and the dried blood on both his form and the floor... and he said softly, as he stepped back: "You've tried to escape again, huh? It looks like you've been in pain, though, and not just from your muscles."

"Bad Ugly made hurt things drain more... Mommy and Gold Mommy fix it, though, and hurt Bad Ugly lots for doing it." Atlas nodded a few times, and Zerrex snorted in disgust, knowing who and what he was talking about. That son of a bitch... if I catch him around Hell, I'll beat his face in... this entire system was designed to hurt Atlas as little as possible while keeping him and Hell safe, and permitting him to contribute to Hell's safe running.

Atlas was a Terror born of Sin and Zerrex: he was not very intelligent, but he possessed not only insane physical strength and the ability to increase both his size and power, but also complete control over the Earth, able to cause earthquakes with but a single stomp of his hoof and turn gorges into gigantic mountains with a raise of his arms. The problem, however, was that Atlas could not completely control his powers... and after a particularly-destructive rampage, they had finally been forced to imprison Atlas here.

He was often aware and awake as he was now, but Sin regularly came down to not just visit him, but heal his body and cast spells on him that would nullify the pain and atrophy in his trapped limbs. Sedating him was nearly impossible, however, because of his intense strength... but this was regulated, at least, by the chains. They constantly drained Atlas's energy, and yet he always produced more... it was why a collar regulating his energy had not worked to allow him to control himself, as he had quickly burnt the magical device out. This meant that Atlas actually powered most of the Southern Province from the energy drained out of his body by these chains and converted into electricity after it was run through the control stations Driz worked in... and Zerrex knew it was cruel, but Atlas had told him several times he didn't mind... although he wasn't very smart, Zerrex knew he was certainly intelligent enough to make his own decisions, and it made Atlas happy to know that his energy was going towards powering the machines and homes of Hell.

Atlas was no monster, and no failure: the only fault he had was that he was unable to control the insane power constantly surging through him and growing in his body. He wasn't too bright, he was a bit clumsy, and he had always tended to hug a bit too hard... but he was loyal, and he was loving, and he cherished his mother and father and all his brothers and sisters. And Zerrex renewed his promise to himself as he grasped Atlas's huge face between his hands, the male whimpering softly. I will use my own powers to find a cure for you, Atlas. I swear it.

The reptile stepped back after a moment, sitting down on the floor as he looked up at him with a faint smile, asking softly: "So how have you felt lately, Atlas? Would you like me to loosen your chains a little?"

"I don't know... I worry I do something bad." Atlas said hesitantly, and Zerrex smiled faintly as the enormous demon jangled his chains. "But I no wanna do anything bad..."

"Then I think we can loosen them at least a little." Zerrex said softly, and the Drakkaren stood up and walked over to the wall, knowing that he was going to get in trouble for this if anyone found out but not really caring all the same, as he placed one hand against the wall and concentrated, closing his eyes. Over the length of the wall, several symbols glowed while others faded out, and then the lengths of chain that fed out of the wall trembled before they glowed and slowly lengthened, pushing themselves out of the surfaces they were connected to slowly but surely.

Atlas shrugged after a moment, and then he let out a bit of a sigh of relief as Zerrex headed back in front of him, before he squeaked as the giant managed to reach a hand out and squeeze him lightly, pulling him close to his body in a sort of hug as the Drakkaren wriggled a bit. "Thank you, Father, you nice to me!"

Zerrex wheezed, then Atlas gently put him down, looking at him affectionately as the lizard stumbled in a circle before he fell on his rear heavily, grunting and looking awkwardly up at his son as he giggled a bit and carefully adjusted himself with a grunt, gazing down at his father with a smile. "You silly, Father."

"No problem." the Drakkaren said after a moment, waving a hand, then he watched for a few moments as Atlas flexed and stretched out. It made him smile a bit as the huge male obviously relaxed bit-by-bit. The reptile wondered, on the other hand, what they could talk about... but Atlas seemed happy enough with just his presence, even in the silence.

It wasn't awkward, Zerrex realized, as Atlas looked shy but also comfortable: but then again, he'd been forced to spend so long without anyone around that it was more than understandable, the reptile thought. He looked quietly up at the great beast that was his child, a demon that was under most definitions a Terror... but to him, it was only his son, his poor, unlucky child.

Eventually, Zerrex stood with a sigh and gently patted Atlas on the nose, and he whimpered a bit as he asked: "Is Daddy leaving now?"

"I need to visit your other brother... Firenze, you remember him." Zerrex said quietly, and Atlas nodded after a moment with a bit of a smile, looking at his father with soft love and affection. "I'll come back and visit soon, though, I promise, Atlas. I promise you that... you really are important to me, and to your mother, too."

"I know, Father... thank you." Atlas said quietly, and Zerrex nodded to him before he reached up and stroked his face gently. The huge creature whimpered a bit, then the Drakkaren smiled faintly and stepped forwards, hugging him around the neck as Atlas gingerly hugged him back as best he could... and then he stepped quietly back as the gigantic demon stared after him with a whine, watching as his father turned away and approached the ladder built into the back of the long, square shaft.

Zerrex climbed up a few paces, looking back despite himself at his son's soulful and lost eyes... and then he sighed as he continued upwards, hanging his head quietly and closing his eyes. The climb was long and monotonous... but it was exactly what the reptile needed to calm himself down a bit, hating himself for how he'd chained him up in there and left him vulnerable to the whims of greedy demons like Halpas... an ancient demon Zerrex had killed once before, but who had crawled out of the deserts like so many other demons had.

The Drakkaren, of course, had wanted to kill him again... but if he wanted to maintain order, he had to show that no one was above the law, including him. So they'd put Halpas to trial instead, and when he was convicted, thrown him into a Pit of Torment for ten thousand years of pain and suffering before putting him through one of Zerrex's education programs. Halpas was also banned to possess or manipulate any mechanical parts for several million years... and for a good while, he'd behaved himself properly, even during the punishments he'd been put through.

But teaching anyone new ways of behaving was a slow process: most people were very closed off to the initial ideas of the education programs, and the reptile knew it was more than just stubbornness... people didn't like to change at all, they preferred to think that the world would change to suit them. The programs had been designed with this in mind, so they were down-to-earth and calm, focusing on understanding first, then how to change one's own behaviors later... but there were still plenty of kinks to be worked out.

Zerrex was no psychology expert, but what he did know, he knew from his own experiences: and being one of the most stubborn people in existence, as his family often asserted, he felt that looking over his own lifetime and exactly how and why he'd changed from Ravenlight into... whatever the hell he was now, could give him some good insight into how to help other people change as well. At the same time, however, he realized that he could only change people who were ready and willing to change... and anyone who showed tendencies that were too dangerous to themselves or others would have to be locked up in some place or another until the time came when they were ready to at least pretend to go through with the experiments. The reptile knew that giving people freedom was paramount... but ensuring the safety of others came even before that.

Finally, he emerged from the hole, and the strange light of Hell brought him back to his senses as he made a bit of a face before covering the entrance to the dungeon. Either way, he was planning to hunt Halpas down and have a word with the rat bastard about what he'd done to his son... demon lord or not, Halpas had to learn he couldn't get away with the same stuff he used to be able to pull when he was building illegal war machines for the Princess and the Warlord both. He sighed, then finally rose a hand and closed his eyes, concentrating as he created another portal to his last destination for today.

He stepped through it and into an immense white room that was shaped like a dome, the floor solid and warm beneath his feet. The walls and ceiling, however, were of a spongier material and seemed to be neither warm nor cold... and Zerrex knew it was because the walls were designed to block all energy signatures from passing through it... not just to better hide this secret bunker, but also to ensure that its occupant didn't suffer or have an accident.

The occupant was currently seated in his couch: he also had a television, a small shelf of movies, a table and some chairs, and every other amenity Zerrex could think of. There was also an object known to most as a Teleport Stone: a large, runed single plate of stone that was sitting on the table, and could be used to send in various objects to and from the outside world without any interaction between people from either side. The only way in and out of this bunker was through portals... and a single hidden door for emergencies, leading into an airlock and to a science installation beyond.

Zerrex quietly sat down in the armchair, looking at the television before he turned his eyes back to the Drakkaren sitting silently in the couch. His scales were navy blue, as were his eyes... sad, and sorrowful eyes. His build was lithe, his body showing little tone but little flab as well, and he was dressed in a single long white gown, like the kind hospital patients wore. It was part of the agreement Zerrex had to make with the people who allowed him to use this facility... as were the heavy manacles that weighed his son's arms down, ugly steel things with blood-red runes covering them, and a matching collar with small studs that turned into cruel spikes if anyone tried to take it off. These were never removed, and if he was lucky, the male was permitted out once a month, usually to shower a bit... not that it mattered. The room was airtight, and there wasn't a speck of dirt in it other than what Zerrex brought in with him... but the reptile could almost feel the cleansing hum of the medical gas they pumped in here on a regular basis to keep everything clean and fresh. He knew there was a secret vent somewhere that was hooked up to the machine or magical device or whatever they used... but he was damned if he could see it.

"I'm sorry." the lizard finally whispered, and he closed his eyes as he turned his head away. "I really am..."

"It wasn't your fault, so don't say that." Zerrex replied quietly, looking across at his son. Firenze was probably his most tragic child... and the most dangerous. Zerrex wanted to get close to him... but part of him was scared of what would happen if he did. Not that it would be his fault, though... which is what makes it all the more painful.

Firenze was another Terror, another child of Sin, and his abilities were similar to Zerrex's, yet as different as could be. Firenze naturally absorbed all energy in the air around himself... but unfortunately, he was unable to fully-control this ability, and so much energy would trigger a metamorphosis. Firenze's body would shape itself to match the qualities of that energy... and in Hell, surrounded constantly by demons, it meant Firenze's humble and quiet shape would mutate out of control into that of a raging, goliath monster unable to control its own mind, constantly pulling in more energy and thus constantly morphing and warping itself as it gained more and more abilities. When Firenze had gone out of control, he had been even harder to take down than Atlas... and in some ways, it had hurt far more.

The restraints Firenze wore were similar to Atlas's, in that they dispersed Firenze's energy into the air: unlike Atlas, however, Firenze's energy could not be harvested, as he did not generate it himself, but instead gained it through proximity with others. It was why Firenze had to be sealed away in this specially-designed facility, because otherwise he would pull energy even from the ground itself... and the same bindings that worked on Atlas might have worked in reverse for the sad and downtrodden demon.

Zerrex quietly got up from the armchair and sat beside Firenze, and immediately Firenze grabbed a pillow and hugged it quietly to his chest, almost beginning to hyperventilate as he panicked... but the father gently squeezed his son's shoulder, saying softly: "Remember the practices we've done. Remember about control. I have faith in you."

The younger reptile looked down quietly, then he finally nodded meekly, breathing slower and quieter... and then he smiled weakly as he looked over at Zerrex, saying meekly: "I... I think I'm beginning to understand it better, Father. I don't feel... the pull so much, or my mind getting so... hazy. I think having you and Mother and the Sisters working with me has been paying off."

"I'm glad to hear it." Zerrex nodded, then he quietly wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders, and Firenze closed his eyes as he bowed his head forwards, keeping his hands in his lap. He looked uncomfortable... but when Zerrex made as if to pull away, he immediately looked up pleadingly with his blue eyes, likely even more starved for any sort of contact than Atlas was. "Okay, okay..." A bit of a smile. "So how have you been feeling, kid?"

"Better these days... a bit better. Lonely." Firenze murmured softly, nodding slowly, and Zerrex nodded quietly back. "It's not as hard as it used to be... I'm just... I don't know how to explain it. It feels almost like this is my life, now, as much as I don't want it to be..."

"It won't be forever. You and Atlas both will one day be out of your prisons, I promise you that." Zerrex said quietly, and Firenze smiled faintly at him. "Hey, don't give me that look. I'm serious here."

"I know, I... know." Firenze nodded, looking up at his father quietly. "Will you tell me a story, then, Dad? How about something from your own life... I like your stories. They always make me feel... glad that you're here for me, especially since... you don't lie about things. At least, not to us."

The reptile smiled a bit at this: he did do his best not to lie to his kids, that was true enough. In fact, he disliked lying at all... but it did sometimes save him a fight on the mortal realm or even down around here. "Yeah, but... honesty is something I envy. True honesty. I wish I could always tell the truth... and yet I know how much more complex life would be if I did, get it? But okay... maybe I got a story I could tell you."

Firenze smiled up at him, and perhaps it seemed childish in some ways... but despite Firenze's sterile surroundings, he had always been a bit of a war buff, and he was vastly intelligent when it came to matters of protocol, especially honor. Zerrex knew both of those things contributed to his enjoyments of the stories he could tell about the war, mortal life, and of course, all the things Zerrex had done that bent honor... but he admittedly had tried to keep away from the start of his life. Yet looking at Firenze now and those almost-naïve eyes, he felt that maybe the time was past to stop treating him like a child... by now, after all, Firenze was five million years old, and even if he had been forced to spend ninety-five percent of that time in a bubble, he was still no child by any means and not a... child like Atlas. I just... "Well. I guess I should tell you about the days before I really understood what honor was, then. Ugh, you make me feel like an old grandpa telling stories to his little tyke grandson, though."

"Well, you are twice my age and almost twice my size." Firenze said softly, and he smiled a bit wider as Zerrex gazed down at him with soft entertainment. "You are in Hell, and we all know you were a mortal, Father... so you had to have done something bad to get here."

"I was... very bad." Zerrex said lamely, then he cleared his throat as he tried to figure out how to phrase it best. "I... when I first joined the military, it wasn't just to... well, in no way it was to help the country I lived in, or more importantly, protect the people of that nation. It was to escape my uncle... and because it gave me a free travel pass around the world, which I used to rape, pillage, and slaughter to my heart's content. As infantry, I was always among the first on the battlefield... and the last to come off. But even back then, I had a thing for... getting up close and personal. Even if all they'd let me take with me was a knife, I ended up with more kills with that by the end of my long and... distinguished career than my gun.

"But... it was admittedly the fact I could easily rape a few people here and there without anyone in the Irenic Military giving a shit that really drew me in." Zerrex looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed: this was always awkward to talk about with his family, however close they were to him. "Mostly girls... a few guys, though, when they pissed me off or... I was in a particularly predatory mood. Civilian females were always easier prey than a buff military male... but... you know my particular tastes."

Now it was Firenze's turn to look embarrassed... but he did, like all of Zerrex's family and most of Hell. There were few secrets around this plane, after all, and it was easy enough to bribe someone into spilling all sorts of personal information. Plus, like the children of any other plane, mischievous kids liked to find out everything they could about their parents that they weren't supposed to know... and Firenze and his playmates had talked often about their father and mother and other members of the family, sharing everything they knew. It had used to frustrate Zerrex to no ends... and he smiled a bit up at his father as he said finally: "Well, then you know that I know most of this already..."

"But it has a different effect coming from me, huh?" Zerrex looked softly amused, and Firenze nodded quietly after a moment. It made him feel almost scared, that this huge male who was the High King of Hell was admitting to such wrongdoing, when he knew the Thrones were supposed to be above all law and moral standards... and yet, perhaps because of the way Zerrex had changed the laws of Hell, that was why things were working so well... and also because even as High King, he refused to rule solely by himself. "I do admit that... I miss it sometimes. I miss the excitement, the thrill, and the passion... and the power...

"Ugh, but like I don't have enough power as it is, right?" the reptile asked drolly, and Firenze shook his head with soft entertainment. "Power, I've discovered, is not the ultimate aphrodisiac, as many claim... it's just like any other addictive substance, sometimes helpful in smaller doses but toxic and deadly in larger ones. Nothing makes your dick wilt faster than having a lot of power and realizing there's nothing left for you to do with it."

Firenze made a face, blushing a bit, but Zerrex only grinned slightly as he squeezed him playfully around the shoulders. "Get used to it, this is how I talk to everyone else. You I usually baby, 'cause... I dunno. You're my special little guy in some ways. Almost like the little gay wolf I adopted, but he's admittedly fuzzier and more playful than you. You're more like an unevolved cat."

"What?" Firenze looked at him blankly, and Zerrex laughed before shaking his head slowly, and he kissed his forehead after a moment, causing Firenze to blush deep red again, doubly-unused to such affections. "I... I... why... that's..."

"I'm not even hitting on you. Don't go misconstruing this now." The reptile paused. "I think that's the right word. Anyway, you're just... cute sometimes, Firenze. And I'm no good with sons: daughters I've learned to deal with moderately-well, but sons I still don't know how to treat... I forget my own advice, that people are simply people: the bigger a deal we make of dividing the sexes, the more the sexes become divided."

"I remember that... you gave a speech about that one year." Firenze said softly, and Zerrex looked surprised as the male glanced up at him quietly, smiling a bit. "You talked about... masculinity and femininity, and how we... work so hard to prove we're males or females instead of just acting the way we feel we should act. You talked about self-definition and responding to the outside world... all sorts of things. I remember it very well, Father... I don't see why that surprises you so much."

Zerrex looked down, then he smiled a bit when he looked back up, saying quietly: "It just means a lot to me, Firenze. You're smarter than I am... wiser, too. I shouldn't be the one telling you stories... you should be the one telling me them." He stood up and quietly rubbed a hand over the male's head, and Firenze laughed softly before he hesitantly stood as well. The two looked across from each other, then Zerrex said quietly: "Keep up your exercises, and I promise we'll talk about moving you to a better facility, alright? I'll come and visit again with the Sisters soon... I have to make more of an effort to pay better attention to you, Atlas, and Driz."

"What about..." Firenze hesitated, and Zerrex looked at him quietly as he realized who he was going to ask about. For a few moments, there was an awkward quiet... and then Firenze asked softly: "Do... do you ever think that maybe your sons were the ones you did the better job with? I know how... offensive it might sound but... many of your daughters love you, and few of them dislike you. But they... I mean... but we... Atlas, me, Driz... him... we're all much more screwed up than any of your daughters. Maybe, despite our rebellions... you did an okay job with all of us, too. Even Driz doesn't hate you, after all, Dad... maybe what upsets him is that he feels like a disappointment."

The lizard looked quietly at his son for a few moments, and then he cupped his face quietly in his hands, saying softly: "Firenze, if I had to make a choice at this moment in time, it wouldn't be any of my other kids on the High Throne next... it would be you. You're amazing, and you've earned so much more than my love and loyalty." He hugged him tightly after a moment, and Firenze gasped in surprise before he closed his eyes and dropped his head against his father's neck... and as he breathed softly in and out, waiting for some terrible thing to happen... nothing did, even though he could feel his father's energy as much as his body pressing against his scales.

Finally, Zerrex pulled away with a faint smile, and he nodded to him before creating a portal, saying softly: "Don't let despair weigh you down, Firenze. Don't give in. Because you have a great destiny ahead of you."

With that, he stepped through the portal and vanished, his last sight the tears beginning to fall down Firenze's face as he watched his father go. Zerrex, meanwhile, couldn't help but think on Firenze's words, as he stepped into the Ravenlight Estate's front hall... and then he smiled faintly, shaking his head slowly as he murmured softly: "Well, he is right, at least. Even if some of my daughters hate me, even the strongest of them haven't suffered the same painful fate as Atlas or even Driz."