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The Vault of Truth

"(Malkar, are you alright)?" asked Zardes when he saw his friend started to open his eyes.

"(Got myself the worst fright I've ever had)," replied Malkar while rubbing his head. "(That was stupid of me. If it wasn't for Belial...)."

"(If it wasn't for Belial, you'd turn around. The fear-inducing magic was aimed to repel, not to kill. Good thing your psyche's still fine)."

"(That's a relief. Anyway, who's the hound? How's Ammon? Did you get what he was trying to understand)?"

"(About that...)."

Zardes then proceeded to tell Malkar about the events that was happening when the scholar hound was investigating the ruins. Malkar listened to Zardes intently, but Zardes knew that his friend was rather disappointed.

"(I never thought the risk would be that great. I guess we know what happened to the other Vessels aside from Ammon. Still...if we haven't met any other demon bats like Ammon, then we're too late)."

"(How about you?)"

Malkar shook his head. "(The ruins have magic protecting the entrance. I am not sure if there's any journal inside, but I have a feeling there is something in there that's equally important. I mean, there is a reason to the barrier, right? Unless it's a prank from one of the Ashen Kingdom's denizens that somehow survived the test of time)."

"(Why do you always think of weird things?)"

"(Hey, I'm an archaeologist. I can't just dismiss an ancient graffiti before you realize it's a graffiti and not scriptures written on the wall, right? That's part of my job: to find out about the truth given to us by the people from the past)."

"(Well, if that's how you think of it)," said Zardes with a smile.

Zardes then stood up, leaving Malkar to rest as Alhen took care of him. He wanted to go out and join Itresil, but he was a little worried about the magic field around the house. If he walked out into where the magic field was the strongest, what would happen to him? He quickly asked Alhen about any protection, to which the ash hound gave him a pouch full of magic-infused ashes.

"(Take this pouch with you when you get out and into my home)," said Alhen. "(You don't need to do anything. Just keep this pouch with you)."

"(Thanks)."

"(Don't worry about it)."

Zardes then walked out of the home with the pouch in his hand. Alhen was right. There was no feeling of dread or danger he felt before. In fact, the feeling was rather normal. He then simply walked out of Alhen's house and towards Itresil. The dragon was waiting for him, apparently knowing about the magic field and did not want to risk getting into it.

The dragon greeted Zardes as he walked closer to her. She then immediately stood up and said, "Follow me."

Curious, Zardes walked beside her into the town. Her big body clearly took most of the space reserved for the ash hounds, though it wasn't too big to disturb the buildings.

"What happened?"

"A demon is demanding me to take someone, or everyone, to the ruins. He's an Asmodian."

"No, not just any Asmodian," said Zardes, his expression changed to that of a serious hellhound. "He's Asmodel."

Itresil looked at her partner with a draconic expression of a surprise. It seemed that her rider partner had more encounters than what she thought at first.

"You never told me about the prince of wickedness being directly involved," said Itresil.

"His involvement is rather sketchy. Belial distrusts him so much, as I do. I know he has been helping us when we hit a snag, but he has a hidden motive. I'm sure of it."

"It's good that you're still sure," said Itresil. "Asmodians are rather complicated for a demon of wrath. When you mentioned their prince's name, I suddenly have a bad feeling about this."

"But we have no other way to deal with things."

"I know, and that worries me," said Itresil with a growl. "I think you have been playing his games ever since the travel began."

Itresil may be a dragon, but like most dragons, their intelligence knew no bounds. She may have only been involved later in the journey, but she quickly assessed the fact that they were being manipulated just from the fact that Asmodel wanted to talk to them. Of course, the group, especially Belial, knew that they had been manipulated ever since they found out that the journals in the Sorcerers' Village were in fact not Infernal Texts, but Asmodian Texts. Also, Belial's reason of journeying was also the fact that Asmodel told his rather straightforward and simple-minded brother that they held secrets to something an Infernal would like to have, without ever telling him what they were. He did not even suspect that the journals could simply be fake. Still, the journals were genuine, and they held many facts about life in the Ashen Kingdom, its purpose, and Ammon's involvement in all this.

Their walk took them back to the ruins. Zardes was the first to notice a winged feline humanoid demon standing by the ruins' entrance, which as Malkar claimed, was protected by an invisible magic barrier. The demon smiled as he noticed Itresil and Zardes approaching.

"Ah, you've come," said Asmodel. "Good. How's your journey."

"A little help would be appreciated," said Zardes, trying to lighten the mood. "Although I think you don't have any intentions to help us beyond yourself."

"Well said, hellhound," said Asmodel while clapping his hands. "But I wonder. Was it you who thought about this, or the dragon beside you? As you know, the demon dragon beside you knows more about hell than you do. I think she quickly suspected something the moment I asked for a meeting."

"I will admit that I was a little unsure of your intentions," said Zardes with a smile. "Still, I guess in the end, we are all your pawns for your conquest, with mutual benefits. We found what we came for, and you got yourself a little help to secure your victory."

"Again, well said. However, victory is still far from my grasp. Even with all my planning and deceit, my other siblings, especially Belial and Barbatos, are still as troublesome as they always are. Barbatos for being a mysterious planner until the end, and Belial for his resilience. In the end, I do not benefit from all my planning at all, but I got my advantage."

"And that's where your grand scheme unfolds," said Itresil. "You...wished for us to defeat one of your siblings. Or both."

Asmodel seemed to try and say 'well said' again, but Zardes knew that he would be tired of it, too. Itresil and Zardes were unraveling what Asmodel had been planning, but something was wrong. Either Asmodel was glad that someone other than him knew what he was doing, or he had something kept secret. Either way, he seemed to be in a jovial mood.

Then, to Zardes's surprise, he walked through the entrance into the ruins' intact building. Asmodel noticed his surprise and said, "Come on, hellhound. Don't be scared. Don't you want to know the truth of this place?"

"But I thought...."

"One needs to think out of the box to find a way," said Asmodel while smirking and tapping his head. "Your Fuzandre friend knows the symbols because he is a Barbatos's Vessel. He was made to be my brother's body, so of course part of his knowledge was copied into his brain. Thus, he knows the symbol, but he does not know their meaning. I don't either, but you don't need to know what they mean if you can find a way to get through."

Asmodel then threw a small rock-like object towards Zardes, who caught it. It was a runestone with one of the symbols etched on its side. As if to show what the Asmodian prince was capable of, the rock slowly, but steadily, became heavier on Zardes's hand, until it was far to heavy to lift anymore.

"All objects have limits, hellhound," said Asmodel. "Throw that rock away. It has no further use."

The runestone became lighter almost suddenly, throwing Zardes upward. He looked at Asmodel's form disappearing into the shadow as he set the runestone aside.

"Tresi, go back and tell the others of what happened here," said Zardes.

"How about you?"

"He may be a dangerous one, but he is also helping us. Remember, Tresi. We also need his help in finishing our own work."

"It does not mean risking the whole world for it."

"I think Asmodel's motive is not starting a war. Rather, he is trying to win one. It's more a win-win situation, except for Belial, of course. I know he'll be mad because of this, but I think he's far too involved with our travel to be furious about it."

"Alright. You know how to call me when things go wrong."

"I always keep it with me."

Itresil nodded grimly. She knew that, even if Zardes could use it, he would be dead before she could help him. Asmodel was not just a manipulative demon, but also as dangerous as Belial. It was just the way he expressed it was not through sheer violence, but reservation. The dragon knew that Asmodel won because he bid his time and was very patient. He did not need to do the dirty work, even if he could. Also, there was not guarantee that the building they were going to would have room for a dragon.

Zardes also realized that he simply had no help when he passed through the entrance. He made a last glance towards Itresil. The dragon silently nodded and started walking towards where the others were.

"You've made a friend in that demon, hellhound," said Asmodel. "It's a rare pairing."

"Some demons just want friends," said Zardes. "It sounds stupid, but you know what I mean."

"Yes, I do understand. After what you've done to my brother, I know what you mean," said Asmodel. His feline features were keeping their neutral expressions, but Zardes knew, based on his own experiences, that it did not convey their true feelings. In fact, it was hard to read a feline's expression.

"So, you're here to talk about it?"

Asmodel chuckled. "Oh, no. Belial's life is his own, and so does his choice to step down. There is no rule to stop him, but I don't think his people will understand. I, do, however, have something you might be interested with."

He then approached a nearby pedestal in the small room and tapped it. It suddenly glowed, showing a light blue color uncharacteristic of what he would imagine a hellish kingdom was like. It was more akin to the mysterious construct that imprisoned Arcturus, but of course, there was no connection with that. Arcturus came from outer space, or whatever he claimed to be. This was the Underworld.

"The Ashen Kingdom, as you all call it, is nothing more than the kingdom of the old demons," said Asmodel as the pedestal started to move aside. "It was established by demons fed up by how things were in hell. I feel rather disappointed, too, when I realized that some of my people were in it, too, and I was not involved.

"What they did not know, however, was that it was Barbatos's plan to create a base away from home base. A forward base, if you may. Of course, by the time they found out, they decided not to be pawns of a bigger game, so they destroyed the kingdom in a single night with hellfire. Still, Barbatos's plan was not raising an army. He had his own in the form of the Vessels."

"Why are they so special?" asked Zardes.

"I might as well tell you if you want to succeed, though I doubt it will be easy," said Asmodel. "Like the Asmodians and the Infernals, the Vessels were made with the demon prince as template. Father made us siblings, and he made us armies to play with. However, Barbatos's armies were a little different, and it is part of his plan. His demons are unique due to the fact that they are not true demons like Infernals and Asmodians, but rather, artificial demons designed to his benefits. In this case, they are used as his body."

"I thought you are all immortals."

"Yes, we are. But Barbatos does not have any corporeal form. His being is just darkness and shadow. He needs a body to function."

"So, he can't manipulate darkness at his leisure when he has no body?"

"Something like that. Then, he got an idea. How about if some of his Vessels are made unaware to the fact that they are Vessels, but living, breathing, demons going on their lives? Also, his intentions are always the domination of the other circles. He is a subtle thinker, but he's rather ambitious. Over-ambitious, in fact, to the point where he risked the collapse of order just to have more domains."

"I heard about this 'order' thing from Belial. I thought hell was a chaotic mess?"

Just then, the pedestal had finished sliding to its new position. The room's floor slowly receded to the wall to reveal a staircase going down into the basement. Asmodel let Zardes walk first, in which he complied.

"You may think that our domain is more a prison than a well-structured government, but you're wrong. We do have our own rules, and one of them is to keep our rivalries in our circles. Involving other demons from other circles will guarantee a collapse of hierarchy, and thus the damned. You don't want your surface world to be re-populated by dangerous murderers and...unsavory people, right?"

"Yeah, once is enough in a lifetime. We can kill them again, of course."

"Only if you know how to deal with spirits. 'Killing' them would mean wiping them out of existence. Their spirit will be broken, and they will have no more chance to try and be demons. No. That's where their road ends. Even for me, that's rather disturbing. No afterlife to go to, just...nothing. Nowhere to exist."

"It does sound scary. Being damned and tortured for eternity is one thing, but not existing? People still have memories of you, of course, but then...you're really gone."

"Still, you do understand why invasions are greatly scrutinized, right? Not only will you lose your privileges as a demon, you'll no longer be able to have rights. Worse, you might get sent down to the Eternal prison where the Forever Damned are. But, that is if they are defeated when they are still weak. Now, Barbatos is already too strong to suppress. Like a cancer, the only way to fight back is to destroy its foundation."

"So, you're going to destroy hell just to stop a demon prince from conquering the surface world?"

"Not as drastic as that, of course," said Asmodel, smiling. "That's why I have a plan. Do you know why I told Belial about the journals?"

"To make him let go of his responsibilities? He's that kind of demon."

"Belial would just be replaced. No, I need him to access the journals. Also, he was a rather cocky idiot who did not even think that technologies from circles above ours are just as good to stop him as us. Anyway, the journals were written by Asdal, but who do you think asked him to write them in the first place?"

Zardes pondered for a moment before he saw Asmodel slowly pointed to himself. He was surprised by this realization and simply laughed it off.

"Oh, you fucking bastard," said Zardes. "You are a prick, you know that? I can't believe that we can't even guess. The journals are so specific! So, it's your guarantee for your plan, huh? In case something happens and Barbatos starts threatening you?"

"Yeah. That idea of making them Infernal Texts to throw of the scent was ingenious," said Asmodel smiling. "Belial and you would just think that they were written by Asdal and not some winged feline demon. Almost screw up the deception with the journals in that Sorcerer's village, though. It's the only one he did not turn into Infernal Texts because he simply did not know where to look."

"How did you even convince him to write and change them to Infernal Texts? Wasn't he your sworn enemy?"

"Oh, yes, he was my sworn enemy. All Infernals were. However, I did nothing more than to convince him to keep a journal, all the while pretending to be an Infernal. Of course, he realized who I was rather too late. He did know how to make the books untouchable by me, except some books that my agents changed into Asmodian Texts so that I can check them in later dates.

"Still, I think deep down, Asdal knew that Barbatos was up to something. He wished his prince to find out about them, just as planned. His devotion to his prince would be great to throw off any scent from me, and all I needed to do was to stress the importance of the Texts to my dear brother, and all went according to plan."

"Why do you even bother showing us your face, then?"

"Why not? You did not suspect my involvement in this until you found your first journal in that temple," said Asmodel. "Besides, if I'm not around, you might hit a dead end, and that won't be beneficial for the both of us, hmm?"

Zardes felt like an idiot for not thinking about it sooner, but he knew when to stop when he was beaten. He did not think about it, and it did not matter if he knew about it. He would not be able to avoid it since all was according to Asmodel's hundred years old plan. He was the most devious, dangerous, manipulative, and rather charming, planner. Everyone thought that they were not his pawns, but in fact, they were.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" said Zardes. "You just told me everything like a gloating master criminal. I can tell the others about it."

"Oh, yes, do tell," said Asmodel. "You don't really have any choice if you want to save yourselves."

"How about if we stop working with you, then?"

"Then Barbatos will rule your world, and you'll die. Well, of course, when that happens, I'll be in a tight spot, but between two evils, which one do you choose? I, for one, will not try and conquer your world, and my problems are for myself. You no longer have any say on this matter after Barbatos, so you can go on to be ignorant with how we do things down there."

"I guess so," said Zardes. "Well played, Asmodel. Well played, indeed."

"It's always a pleasure to know a good opponent, Zardes," said Asmodel with a bow. "But now, let's see how it ends, hmm?"

Calling Zardes by name was clearly a sign of respect from the demon, so Zardes just nodded and follow Asmodel to the building's dungeon, hoping that Asmodel knew what he was doing.

Down in the dungeon, Zardes expected what he would see: a featureless room with nothing in it. However, the room was bigger than the one above it, meaning that the room with the pedestal was nothing more than an entrance.

Then, Asmodel moved to the wall. He felt the wall for something before he found it and pushed it. There was a hidden switch on the wall that apparently activated something. All of the sudden, the whole room was lit, not with intense light, but with glowing writings. The writings were similarly bright blue in color, and they were written all across the room, including the ceiling and the floor.

Zardes had seen the symbols before when he tried to read Asdal's journal. He quickly realized what the room was.

"This is a journal?" asked Zardes, surprised.

"The building was a base to one of my agents. It was also where Asdal found out about my deception," said Asmodel. "He killed my agent, scribbled the entry on the wall, and sealed the room. However, he clearly did not know his barrier runes, so I quickly knew what he was doing. Of course, this is the first time I've ever opened the room, but Asmodian technology is always easy to use."

"Why didn't he just write in a book like before?"

"Books are easy to move."

"Oh, yeah. That makes sense. Still...should I say thank you?"

"No need. Even if I am helping you, you are still allied with my brother. I think it's best not to be too friendly to each other, unless you want your friendship with Belial fractured."

"You understand the concept of 'friendship'?"

"I know many things," said Asmodel with a wink. "I am not as rigid as the Infernals."

Zardes knew what he meant. Simply said, Asmodel had been traveling more than Belial, and he had known what it meant to be mortal, even though a periodic return to his own domain ensured his longevity. Maybe Belial could do that if Infernals were not busy trying to fight against other Fifth Circle demons. He would not like it, however.

"So, I guess this is good-bye?" said Zardes.

There was no reply. When Zardes looked around, he noticed that Asmodel was gone. He sighed and said, "Now that's just rude."

Looking at the symbols, he tried his best to understand from the limited amount of knowledge given to him by Malkar. But, he knew he was not the expert, so he simply walked towards the staircase, leaving the room as it was for his friend to read.

***

Outside the ruins, the rest of the group had just reconvened after Itresil told them what happened. Belial, restless upon finding out that Asmodel had something to do about this, rushed into the now unsealed entrance as Malkar followed. That's when Zardes was climbing up the stairs and almost bumped into Belial's horns as the caprine demon charged in. Belial managed to stop just in time.

"Oh fuck!" exclaimed Belial as he stopped. He then noticed Zardes and said, "Where's Asmodel? Where's he?"

"Calm down. He's gone. He might've bumped into you, but seeing your reaction, I don't think he went out this way."

"Zardes!" exclaimed Malkar after he caught up.

"Just the hound I've been waiting for. Come, follow me. You, too, Belial."

The two followed Zardes down into the still glowing dungeon. Both Malkar and Belial were astonished by this. Belial even managed to see what's written all over the room's surface.

"What is this place?" said Malkar. "It's written with the same alphabet of the Infernal language."

"It's a journal," said Belial. "Asdal's journal. He wrote six entries on each side of the room. I think this is our breakthrough."

"You mean, the entries are actually important?"

"It also details the last entry, where to find it, and what happened here," said Belial. "He's desperate enough to not conceal it as codes. He clearly wrote where we can find the final entry: a place called 'The Altar of Zarathos."

"Who is this Zarathos?" asked Malkar.

"One of my generals. An Altar for him meant that it's a place to call Zarathos. But then, the altar does not have to be a free-standing structure. It can be a building."

"And that building can become a base for Infernals, and a safehouse," said Zardes. "I guess that's where he'd run after killing one of his agents."

"Agents?"

Zardes then quickly explained what Asmodel told him in detail, including how he deceived the group and Asdal for a long game to conquer one of his brothers. After talking for about five minutes, he finished his explanation, which made Belial angry.

"If I ever get my hands on that elusive little cat, I'll strangle him like there's no tomorrow before breaking his neck!" shouted Belial in anger. He even stomped the stair nearby, but as it was apparently made out of a strong material, he did not even leave a mark.

"Yeah, I felt like an idiot when he explained everything," said Zardes. "He clearly knew who to use. We don't know the full picture of Barbatos's invasion, and Belial is hopelessly straight-minded to not suspect a thing."

"Hey!"

"Well, what's done is done," said Zardes with a sigh. "I just hoped that when he claimed that what he's doing is not going to change anything much, it's the truth and not just another way to throw us off again."

Belial scoffed. "With him, you'll never be sure."

"No offense, Belial, but you're pretty sure about the journals," said Malkar.

"You remind me of my mistake one more time and you won't get anything from me."

Belial was rather serious with that remark. He could've threatened to kill them, but they knew Belial was no longer that demon, which concerned Zardes when he remembered what Asmodel was talking about.

As the caprine demon walked out of the room, Malkar said, "(Man, he's pissed. I guess he'll have to live with that mistake from now on)."

"(And also, the mistake of ever knowing us)," said Zardes. "(I guess it's inevitable. That demon has thought of everything)."

"(Our meeting with Belial is also Asmodel's plan)?"

"(To make him look unworthy in front of his subjects so he will be forced to resign. Then, a less competent prince will replace him and his domain will fall to Asmodel. Still, even if it's a mistake, we don't know about it, and it changed Belial into someone pleasant)."

"(Yeah. Not demonic, but more a prick, I guess)," said Malkar.

"(I just hope things are not as bad as I feared. Because if it is, we'll be the herald of our own destruction)."