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The Repulsed God

Amongst the stories that I have collected about Virgo, the one that stood out most to me was that of the 'Repulsed God'. Legend says that when Virgo first became a Goddess, her first act was to turn towards her disgusting husband and unleash her wrath upon him. Her powers, however, would not allow her to kill, merely renew. As a result, she 'purified' her husband, turning him into a blank slate that she could easily turn into the perfect man and her Astral.

She was lauded as this great purifier that traveled the land, cleansing people and bringing them purity. But she was still a god born from a mortal soul. She grew weary of this tedium and eventually grew to resent mankind for all the 'disgusting' injuries and faults that they seemed to inflict themselves with that needed her to purify. Too often, men would commit heinous acts only to have her wipe it from their souls so that they were free of guilt and blame. Women were no better and more often than not, she was washing the blood from their souls.

Disgusted by all of this, Virgo retreated into the stars, into her Domain, sealing herself off from the rest of the world. Man created stories about her eventually descending to purify the world again.

But we all know that is a lie.

_ _

*******

November 28th, 10:30 PM, Castello della Vergine

Even though he had fully expected a fight, Frank had never felt a blow hit so hard as when Virgo had struck him. The clothes that Reaper had given him cushioned a lot of the blow but physics had thrown him clear across the whole foyer and sent him crashing into a nearby wall. Even after tearing through several of the ceiling-mounted harnesses, he still hit the wall with enough force to leave a sizable dent. Pieces of luminescent, blue threads drifted out of his clothes. Each one denoting a fragment of the protection spells woven into the fabric itself being used to protect him as much as possible. The impact didn't hurt but he was still incredibly disoriented from the blow and sudden distance crossed.

His head spun but he fought through it and slipped out from the crater in the wall. The stunned Thralls stood around, completely incapable of thinking for themselves. He had caught the moment when Virgo had dragged the hounds into his Domain. A ballsy move. Clearly, Virgo wanted to claim them for himself without interference from anyone else, especially the other Celestials.

Part of him expected Leo or maybe Libra to suddenly appear and team up with them to keep Virgo from obtaining divinity but that was wishful thinking. For now, it was him, a horde of Thralls and Matteo.

And of course, Jacob Reaper.

Speaking of which...

He caught a small flurry of blue strands floating into the air by the front door. Reaper was on his back, dazed and just starting to get up from his own encounter with Virgo. Being separated from his teammate in enemy territory was a death sentence. With a groan, Frank stormed forward, muscling his way through the gawking Thralls towards the lawyer.

"Stop him!" bellowed Matteo. "And get me the bow!"

Several Thralls threw themselves at the gargantuan Frank even going so far as to try and tear at his fur. They were all still humans. No extra power granted from Virgo or the Astral that made them. Just control over their hearts and minds. They were unlike the Thralls he had made when he attacked Flash's home.

Thinking back, it sickened him how blase he had been with making Thralls. He genuinely wondered if any of these men and women scrambling to pull him down were made by him.

No matter. They were in his way.

He brushed them aside with one mighty arm, storming over to where Matteo stood defiantly watching him. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Reaper getting up as the Thralls turned away from the wizard, focusing all their attention on Frank.

"Reaper!" he bellowed. "If you're going to do anything! Do it now!"

Jacob reached into the sleeves of his coat and like a cardshark in Vegas, flung a whole deck's worth of cards into the air. "Duck!" he cried.

Frank immediately hit the floor, covering his head. Thick, silvery chains exploded from the cards, shooting out in all directions, wrapping around Thralls before snaking over to another and restraining them. Like sentient, silver snakes, each length of chain constricted the helpless Thralls, pinning their arms and legs together and sending them crashing to the ground. The chains even had enough control over their trajectory that they seemed to _pull_the Thralls clamoring over Frank off before binding them.

One of the Thralls, just inches away from Frank, struggled against his bindings before noticing the unicorn. Eyes mad with fanaticism locked with Frank's. Slavering like a rabid dog, the Thrall gnashed his teeth at the unicorn, snarling and growling while trying to wiggle his way over just to bite the Astral.

"Fuck me," Frank growled, disgusted at what these people had become and his part in making them. He stood up in a crouch then slammed a fist right into the man's face, shattering the porcelain mask and throwing the man into unconsciousness. "Reaper, we need to knock them out! They'll kill themselves trying to fight us otherwise!"

"Seriously!?" Jacob exclaimed, fishing out what appeared to be a packet of stickers. "They went that far with these people!? Fine."

The cards exhausted, the lawyer slapped several of the stickers onto his palms then thrust those palms forward. Sapphire lightning exploded from his fingertips, slapping and striking the bound Thralls. Their screams quickly turned to moans as they dropped into unconsciousness.

Frank barreled past the sizzling victims of Virgo, coming to stand right beside Jacob.

"I don't know what's worse," said the wizard, fishing out his baton-staff. "The fact that they'll go to any lengths to try and fulfill their last order or that some of them actually sounded like they liked it when I electrified them."

"It wouldn't have surprised me if they did," he admitted, searching the foyer. His eyes fell on the lone figure striding up the grand staircase towards a few scampering Thralls. Fear immediately gripped his chest when he saw the sickly green bow being handed to Matteo... and the lone woman dressed in a long, white, strapless evening gown with a cigarette in between her fingers. "Oh shit..."

Jacob followed his gaze and readied his batons. "Is that...?"

"The Bow of Pestilence," confirmed Frank. He nodded towards the woman whose pale skin and bright, red, rosy lips almost made her look like a ghost. Despite her advancing years, there wasn't a single wrinkle on her features. Her silver and black hair was tied up in a tight bun, a necklace of pearls around her skinny neck. The dress she wore hugged her waif-like figure. A white, furry scarf was wrapped around her shoulders and curled around her thin, spindly arms. "And that is Galatea Valentino."

The second oldest in terms of actual physical age to Alfonso but one of the 'middle-children' of Virgo, Galatea was the epitome of refinement. Showered with adoration by her Thralls and treated like a queen, she had an extensive network of contacts and exclusive connections that often got the Valentino Family contracts and access to events. She was rarely seen in the actual nightly galas and often preferred 'refined' encounters with select clientèle.

Jacob and Frank approached the grand staircase, stopping just at the base. Galatea and Matteo stared down at them with disdain.

"Brutes," scoffed the Crystal Queen, as she was known. "Both of you are such brutes." She took a puff from her cigarette, blowing the smoke off to the side. "Everything was going so smoothly before you decided to try and break our dear, lord Virgo."

Frank cocked his equine head to the side slightly. "Everything?" he repeated. "What do you mean 'everything'?"

She couldn't just be referring to the nightly romps that happened within these walls or her lavished lifestyle. Galatea was many things but content was never one of them. Ambition burned within her and it was only Alfonso's tempering will that kept her from using all of Virgo's power to begin a global takeover.

"You're too thick-skulled to understand, Frank," snarled Matteo, lifting the legendary bow in his hands towards the two. He pulled at the nearly invisible bowstring. A sizzling arrow of scathing, green energies appeared between his fingers, pressing against the sickly-colored bow. "Too in love with Virgo."

It took Frank all of two seconds to realize exactly what Matteo was alluding to. "You were both conspiring to take power from Virgo!"

Matteo let out a short laugh. In clear, crisp Italian, he said, "You may have been the 'youngest' of us but even I saw just how unstable our 'father' was in just the first few months I spent in his company. You saw how he reacted. Just a few words from your pet dog and he went insane!"

Frank's hands balled into fists. Virgo's reaction to Flash's deconstruction of his mental state was indeed very surprising. A fight was bound to break out. Jacob had warned that he had drawn up the contract specifically to avoid anything preventing Virgo from harming them. This meant that while Angelton and its surrounding towns were free of attack during the challenge, nothing would have stopped Matteo or anyone else from sneaking up and attacking the party. This was on purpose. They had hoped that showing such a brawl would compel some of the watching Celestials to act.

But when Virgo broke down and outright attacked them...

"What were you planning to do?" demanded Frank, responding in Italian. "Keep him imprisoned? Somehow drain him of his power? What?"

"We would never be so unkind to our progenitor," answered Galatea, likewise speaking in Italian. "It is so easy to placate him. Leave the management of the entire empire to us. You actually did us a favor but ridding us of that old dinosaur that constantly kept us at a leash. But you've made your stance clear. So you must die."

Jacob waved a hand. "Just so you know," he said in perfectly fluent Italian. "I can understand you all."

All three of the Valentinos turned towards Reaper, shocked and surprised as if being reminded he was still there.

"I'm curious," Jacob continued. "Who else amongst the Astrals were in on this plan. My guess is that you wouldn't be out here boasting about this unless the majority of them were in on this."

"Observant little American, aren't you?" sneered Galatea.

"Not American," Jacob corrected.

"Whatever." She took another puff from her cigarette and blew it maliciously down in Jacob's direction. Even if they were separated by many steps, the intent was clear; she loathed him. "Yes, most of the other Astrals backed our plans. All save for those you 'liberated'."

She flicked her cigarette in Jacob's direction. It spewed embers and ashes down the polished, wooden stairs to stop at Frank's hooves.

"But you have ruined it," she scowled. Her screech was followed by a sweep of her right hand in their direction. Shards of sharp, glimmering crystal sprang from her fingertips and shot towards them. Frank immediately dodged to the right out of her range. Reaper swung his batons through the air, knocking the shards aside with lightning-fast reflexes.

Galatea's Sphere was known as the Clear Crystal. The ability to generate perfectly transparent and perfect crystal shards was highly valued not only for its beauty but because she could use them as projectiles or even encase people in them.

There _was_just one problem with the power.

"A few years from now and I'm sure you would have seen things our way, Frank," Galatea continued, swinging her left hand in his direction. Long, sharp spears of crystal shot in his direction. "Alfonso would likely be dead and if not, he would have met with an 'accident'. His loss will have been the catalyst that will have allowed us to take over and retire Virgo to a constant state of pleasure. But then, your pups had to open the Celestial Cradle and you had to go and turn on us!"

Frank bolted for the side of the grand staircase, the crystal spears jabbing into the marble floor behind him and shattering into a thousand pieces. One such spear flew at Jacob. The wizard threw his batons into the air, seized the spear from the air and snapped it over his knee as easily as one would shatter a twig.

Galatea's crystal wasn't diamond or even quartz. It was the same crystal used to make those fragile sculptures on display at jewelery stores. Fragile as glass. If Frank hadn't warned Jacob before hand, he would have assumed they were like diamond and bolted.

"We could still have seized control if you had just stayed where you were and left us alone," added Matteo. He unleashed the arrow he nocked. The sizzling, green projectile shot straight towards Jacob. The lawyer caught his batons and immediately jumped into the air, tucking his body into a tight ball and just barely avoiding being piercing by the arrow. Galatea was ready, however, and the moment he was in the air, she fired off several crystal shards that slammed into Reaper's chest the moment he landed. The impact did no harm but did eat away at his coat's shields a little.

There was a moment of hesitation from the two Astrals. This was not going to be a quick fight.

"Honestly?" Jacob responded, dusting his coat free of crystal shards. "I wanted to stay back and train up so we could be a little stronger. But I got outvoted."

"So you just had to come here and challenge us!" spat Matteo, drawing another arrow. "In fact, if you had charged us or tried to sneak in, we would have willingly thrown a few Thralls at you before killing you. That would have been more than enough for us to convince Virgo to retire!" He unleashed a barrage of arrows, each fiery, green arrow of energy flying in a straight line. Galatea supported him by offering a faster barrage of crystal shards like being pelted by sharp hail. Where Matteo's arrow struck, the ground was covered in a sickly, green liquid that bubbled and ate away at the polished, wood floors.

In all his years under Virgo, he had heard that the Bow of Pestilence was one of the Celestial's most powerful weapons. Capable of inflicting any disease upon those it struck or just outright causing anything to decay, the weapon was feared amongst all the other members of the Zodiacs. It served as Virgo's insurance policy against incursion from any of his ambitious siblings or any of the other Celestials. Once struck, nothing could cure the withering effect of the bow for its admittedly short duration. Four seconds was still a long time to suffer from a disease that could instantly tear away at anything it touched like acid.

"That's sick!" Frank bellowed. He grabbed the banister of the grand staircase, tearing a large chunk of it off and hurled it at the two Astrals that he had once called his brother and sister. A crystal wall sprang up between them. Though it was fragile, the wall was still thick enough to stall the airborne projectile. The moment of distraction allowed Reaper to start snapping his popsicle sticks and hurling small fireballs at the two, forcing both Galatea and Matteo to finally move from their perch. Matteo swiveled in place and ducked behind Virgo's chair while Galatea jumped into the air, a crystal slide appearing from the ground and guiding her to soar over the battlefield, raining down shards from above.

"Please," Matteo sneered. "Virgo is an aging relic. Like your pup pointed out, everything he has done to this point has been driven by that one, black stain. Better to let him retire for eternity while we push his legacy to new and bold heights!"

The Astral bolted out from behind the throne, shooting arrows as he went. Frank hurled himself at a nearby wall, punching his fists right through the strong concrete to keep him elevated. Once he was sure he had a foothold, he pulled back his fist and slammed in into the wall about a foot above him, propelling himself up foot by foot up the wall until he reached the underside of the second floor. With a roar, he threw his entire weight upwards, hunching his back so that his traps was the first think to strike the ceiling. He burst out of the ground of the second floor, landing just a few short feet from a stunned Matteo.

He roared again and slammed his fist right into Matteo's pretty face.

Crunch!

Matteo was flung back all the way to the far wall, striking the white surface and creating a crater in its perfect, pearly plane.

"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's betrayal," Frank growled. "You're all scum for leading Virgo on like that."

Crystal shards slammed into Frank's flanks, offering little more than an annoyance but still enough of a distraction. Near the center of the foyer, Galatea stood on a pillar of crystal, hands outstretched at him.

"And you're better?" she shrieked. "You turned on him the moment some wizard offered you something more."

"He showed me the truth," Frank snapped back. "You think you're better than him? You become an Astral because he seeded his soul into others before your time! When they died, that corruption went back into the leylines to be reborn into another soul combined with other fragments! You were just born with the most amount of his soul!"

He lunged for the ground, grabbing a slab of the broken floor and wrenching it powerfully with his immense muscles. After spinning once in place, he hurled the slab right into Galatea. The older Astral had enough time to shoot him a derisive look before a crystal staircase erupted from the ground, allowing her to simply scamper down to avoid the projectile.

"You're not special!" barked Frank. "None of us are! We're just those out of the entire seven billion people that are most like him!"

On instinct, he jumped back down the hole he had just created. Such instincts saved him as a bolt of vicious green energies shot just above his head. Matteo had recovered.

"That makes us the perfect people to carry on his legacy!" shouted the bronzed Astral. "He is stuck in his ways. His soul is stagnant. We have enough of him to control his power but can look beyond the past and into the future!"

"You should join us," added Galatea, reaching the ground floor again and swishing her dress dramatically. She lifted her hand, crossing her arm over her chest. Three spiked daggers of crystal appeared between her fingers. "You have seen the truth. You can help us turn the Valentino Family from this whorehouse peddling bitter wine into something more!"

There was suddenly a blue silhouette that appeared behind Galatea, quickly solidifying into the form of Jacob Reaper. He pressed something against the small of her back. Sapphire lightning crackled between them and her eyes immediately went wide in shock. She dropped to her knees, her legs twitching beneath her dress. Crystal daggers fell from her fingertips as she desperately caught her weight on her hands.

"What?" she gasped. "What did you do to me!?"

"Paralyzed you from the waist down," Jacob replied calmly. "It's temporary but more than enough for me to do this." He reached down, grabbed the back of her head by the tightly wound bun of hair and pressed another sticker into the base of her neck. There was another blast of blue electricity and her entire upper body went limp.

"Galatea!" Matteo cried, peering over the second floor banister.

"This won't hold me!" shouted the Crystal Queen. "Once I get my limbs moving again-"

Jacob didn't give her another second of attention as he quickly flicked out several cards and flung them at her. From those cards, mysterious, black chains erupted. They wrapped around her, binding her tightly and leaving her motionless on the ground like the other Thralls.

A green bolt of energy slammed into the chains a second later... but simply dripped away into green liquid onto the ground.

"What...?" whispered the Astral, staring at the chains binding her. "What is this made of?"

"Aetherite," Jacob responded in a matter-of-factly tone. "All of these chains are made of aetherite. Divine powers won't work on or against them. You'll have to use mundane tools like a blowtorch or some really strong bolt cutters to get through them. But then again, why would Astrals like you ever need such things, right?"

Frank grinned. He took a few steps back, watching Matteo gawk as his co-conspirator was now fully restrained. Jacob boasted a little longer as he reached into his pockets and scattered them all around Galatea. There were some marbles and even some dice thrown into the mix as well.

"You're not going anywhere," declared the wizard.

At that moment, Frank hurled himself at the second floor again, bursting through the ground and immediately grabbing a stunned Matteo by the neck. The moment he landed, he lifted his 'brother' into the air.

"You're done!" he declared. He balled his other hand into a fist and slammed it right into Matteo's gut with all his might. The Astral's eyes bulged as he curled around the black unicorn's entire forearm. For a second, Matteo seemed frozen in that position... then he was hurled clear off his arm and sent flying down the hallway into the east wing.

Jacob bolted up the stairs. "How're you holding up?" asked the wizard.

Frank rolled his shoulders and popped his neck. "Never better. This feels fucking cathartic. I've always wanted to punch Matteo in his pretty face."

Reaper gave him a concerned look. "Sounds like you've got a lot of issues with the guy. Barring the fact that he was plotting to betray Virgo and likely you, was he really that bad?"

Thinking back to the days he had spent in these walls, Frank couldn't help shake the dirty feeling he had whenever he had sex with Matteo. It wasn't the fact that Matteo had previously been a pornstar or that he ran an 'escort service' in Giannivos. Considering how he had sucked Alfonso's dick multiple times, went down on Galatea on occasion and had lived in a mansion that had at least one person fucking at any one time, sex wasn't the issue.

"He had this way of making you feel unclean whenever you're with him," Frank admitted, storming forward. "Might be the way he looks at you or his pillow talk but even when you're balls-deep in him, it's like he's allowing you into the 'temple' that is his body. You're there because he wants you to be. You're under his control. You're his pleasure puppet. Nothing more."

Jacob visibly shuddered. "I've seen and met people like that. All they're after is control. Domination. Some of them can actually be good people. They're ultimately very fragile underneath it all, though."

The two stood side by side just at the opening into the hallway. "Matteo is anything but fragile."

The revelation of Matteo and Galatea's plot to overthrow Virgo with gentle contentment left a hot brand of doubt in his mind. How long was this plot going? How did he fit into it all? Were they planning to try and convert him in the end or was he just going to be a casualty in the civil war? Was Matteo even the mastermind of the plot?

These questions burned in the back of his mind and propelled him forward into the familiar and yet unnervingly hostile hallway. For so long, he had lived in these very walls and had been comfortable and proud enough to strut around naked with his cock erect. Yet now, there was an oppressive air that radiated from the Renaissance-esque paintings, plush carpets and shimmering crystal lights above his head. Everything was rejecting him and there was this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that if he just stripped down, he would be welcome again.

He shook these thoughts from his head and stopped the moment he saw the two figures at the end of the hallway.

"Isabella," he snarled.

The well-rounded, well-endowed, chocolate-skinned woman stood in front of Matteo in little more than a skimpy lime-green tube top that exposed her plump but gorgeous belly and a pair of tight, torn denim shorts that looked more like a G-string. A wild cascade of curly, black hair tumbled from her head that only made her bright, green eyes pop all the more. Broad, full lips covered in ocher lipstick smirked at him as she lifted a suspiciously, neon-pink lollipop to her lips.

"Wait!" Frank shouted but it was too late.

She licked the candy. A bolt of pain exploded in the back of Frank's mind like he had just been stabbed with a sharp, condensed, blade of frozen migraines. He fell to one knee, closing his right eye and clutching the sides of his head. Jacob remained standing but bent over, clutching his head with both hands and shutting his eyes.

"Frankie, boo," sighed Isabella in her typical, sassy, American accent. "You really took the shit on us, didn't you? How many times have I told you I'd make a man outta you? Boy, you remember that time I fucked you on the beach? I had you seeing stars!"

The pain subsided and he punched the ground in frustration. "You're in on this too? You were going to betray Virgo?"

"Bitch, you know Isabella looks out for Isabella!" she announced, bobbing her head from side to side. "We make Virgo strong so if we decide the old bitch has to retire, it's time for her to go to a home."

Jacob lifted a hand up, fighting through the ebbing pain. "You know, if we're all just going to turn on Virgo, I don't see why we can't all just work together and -"

"Shut up, twink!" She took another lick from the ghost-pepper lollipop and directed all that pain and agony straight into Jacob. The lawyer gasped and fell to his knees.

Isabella Valentino was notorious between the Astrals of both Virgo and Leo. Her Sphere to take any pain she suffered and redirect it to someone else was more akin to Leo's abilities but her Mantle clearly allowed her to draw power from any new forms of pain and pleasure a person experienced. There was even a sort of bidding war between Virgo and Leo at one point and Isabella loved all the attention it garnered. Though she stayed with Virgo, she developed her Sphere along the same lines as Leo's Astrals, focusing on the aspect of pain instead of pleasure. She became so adept at it that she was now completely impervious to any pain she suffered and could change the shape of the agony she directed at others. The scorching heat of the sadistic lollipop could be turned into a migraine, a sensation of being punched in the gut or even a broken bone.

Her favorite means to inflict pain came from satchel she wore by her hip where various candies filled with dangerous ingredients were stored.

That gave her the moniker the 'Crippling Candy Queen'.

Matteo stepped forward, drawing another arrow of corrosive energies. "Why would we trust anarchists who wish to destroy the very order of the world and kill our Celestials?"

"Better to kill Virgo than lock him up, never to be free!" shouted Frank. "You're basically trapping him in that same fucked up marriage he had before he became a Celestial! You're just expecting him to keep feeding you his power!"

"Then perhaps he can finally find some way to reconcile with his past," sneered Matteo. The bronzed Astral suddenly turned his arrow directly at Isabella's back and fired. The dark-skinned Astral let out a little squeal of delight.

"Oh yeah, baby! That's the spot!"

Once again, Frank was hit by a crawling sense of discomfort like maggots were creeping up his spine just under his skin. This sensation was fleeing, however, as every bone in his body turned to ice, sapping the strength from his muscles with a full-body, stinging pain. He fell to his hands and knees, quaking in agony. Reaper hugged himself, grimacing but managing to remain standing if hunched over.

"This is where your rebellion ends," hissed Matteo. "Virgo is going to claim the three dogs you had turned into the Cradle and return to your bubbling, acid-washed corpses. He'll trust us more than ever and we'll claim the Cradle for ourselves! We are going to be the new pantheon!"

Fighting through the pain, Frank managed to stammer, "A - A - And Virgo?"

"He'll be our Zeus, boo," Isabella said, licking her lollipop once more and sending shards of sharp pain into the back of his head. "He can go around fuckin' whatever the hell he wants but we'll be the ones running things."

"He'll be the king in name only," agreed Matteo.

Frank snarled, baring his teeth. As much as he wanted Virgo to pay for millennia of corruption and manipulation, that fate sounded more like an ironic punishment than a victory. The Celestial would go on with that festering wound untreated. If he could predict the future, he would venture to guess that eventually that Pantheon would fall as well thanks to Virgo's crumbling soul.

"Bastards," he growled, slowly rising to his feet. "That's a fate worse than death."

Isabella placed her hands on her wide hips and leaned forward. "Well what are you going to do about it, boo? You can barely move!"

Frank managed force a smile through the fading agony. "You want to know what we're going to do?" He rested a big hand on Reaper's shoulder. "We're going to sit here and take everything you've got! Why?" He lifted his head arrogantly. "Because all you can do is redirect pain. You're not actually throwing the damage you suffer at us! That means that even if you can't feel Matteo's fucking venom eating away at your back, it still is there chewing away at your fat ass!"

Isabella straightened and threw her head back. "Ha! Bitch, you don't think we didn't think of that?" She turned her back at them, revealing a lack of injury. "We been preparing for this shit since Alfonso left! We've charged the whole frickin' mansion with energy! It's been a non-stop party for days! All I need to do is just tap into that energy and heal up!"

She turned back towards them, licking her candy and sending another lightning bolt of pain through both combatants. "I can't say the same for you two though."

Matteo stepped up beside her. "And your pitiful little armor may protect you from impact but it doesn't stop you from feeling pain. So we can bypass hitting you and just get to the suffering."

Jacob propped himself up on one knee. "I don't suppose this is the point where we prove we can endure a lot of pain and just punch our way through, is it?"

Frank grimaced and indicated a negative. "Isabella will make you suffer for it and if she's constantly throwing pain that'll paralyze us, it'll leave us open to Matteo. Only one way to fight through this..."

Reaper nodded at him. "I've got your back."

He returned the nod then turned a fiery stare at his former brother and sister. "If we can't fight through it, then we'll just have to make it so that we don't feel pain."

"Going to paralyze yourselves?" laughed Matteo.

Frank grinned back at him. "Better. I'm going to fucking tar and feather you."

Before the pretty Astral could question his choice of words, Frank suddenly surged forward. Individual strands of black fur all over his body melted together, giving his coat a slick, oily sheen. Muscles all over his body became more elastic like rubber and his bones joined the black mass that his body quickly became. The pain all over his body vanished as whatever part of his body that Isabella was targeting to inflict pain upon dissolved into the tar. Suddenly free of the crippling pain, he crashed into the stunned Isabella and slammed her into the nearby wall. He partially reformed, retaining his liquid form long enough to send a powerful punch into her cheek, knocking that lollipop out of her lips. He grabbed the pouch containing the rest of her harmful sweets and threw it aside.

"What the fuck!?" she screamed. "What the fuck did that wizard do to you, boo!?"

Frank leaned down, his horn made out of tar pressing dangerously against her neck. "He helped me realize who I am and my value." He lifted her into the air, slamming her head against the ceiling before spinning around and sending her crashing down against the floor.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Matteo lifting the Bow of Pestilence, drawing an arrow of acid. There was a blue flash and Reaper was suddenly in front of the Astral. Both of his wooden batons came smashing against Matteo's elbows with a sickening crack. Matteo released the bow instantly, staggering back. Reaper sheathed his batons and snapped up the green bow. He danced back a few steps, spinning around to build momentum and drew an arrow. Matteo scrambled away as the arrows slammed into the ground around him.

Jacob suddenly gasped and hissed, sucking air between his teeth. He shook the hand that had held the bowstring. Threads of his clothes illuminated in the protective blue light peeled away from his coat.

"You okay?" Frank asked, keeping a struggling Isabella beneath him in a waterfall of tar.

"I'm fine." Reaper pulled back another arrow and watched the sizzling green projectile between his fingers. Frank could see more of those threads peeling away from his coat. Jacob let it loose. "I don't think this bow was meant to be held by anyone without some form of constant regeneration... Or at least those without protection from corrosive substances."

He turned the bow towards a nearby wall and fired. "Matteo must have been draining the energy that Isabella mentioned from the mansion as he's been using this. Which means..." He kept firing, the corrosive, green liquid eating away at the walls. Reaper fired the bow wildly all over him, even shooting it into the foyer.

"Bastard!" Matteo shouted. "Stop that!" The Astral suddenly came bolting out from a nearby room.

Frank intercepted him, crashing into his brother and propelling him right out a nearby window out into the backyard of the villa. With the tar rapidly hardening around Isabella, Frank pulled his full form away from his sister, reforming his body just in front of the window. He was surprised that his clothes reformed with him even though they seemed to have lost some of their integrity.

"You did a good job with these clothes," he admitted as Reaper stopped beside him.

"All part of the R3 package," said the lawyer with a smirk. "Custom experiences for each client." He glanced over his shoulder at where Isabella was desperately trying to pull herself out from underneath the mountain of tar. "Is she going to be a problem?"

Frank eyed her scornfully before turning back to where Matteo was extracting himself from a pool of black tar not too far away. "She was never one of the strongest Astrals, at least physically. It'll take her a while to get out of that."

"Just to be safe..."

Reaper flung a few cards in her direction. Black chains of aetherite sprung from the cards and wrapped themselves over Isabella's form. She screeched as whatever divine strength she mustered became ineffective against the tar that held her.

"Time check," said the lawyer, regarding his phone.

"One," confirmed Frank, glancing over his shoulder. "We've got about five hours."

Five hours until dawn.

He rolled his shoulders. "Better get this over with quickly." With a grunt of exertion, he jumped out the shattered window. He landed with a loud crash on the marble cobblestones with a classic superhero landing. In the back of his mind, he recalled when Virgo had approached him in this very place and asked him to chase down the Celestial Cradle in America. He had been standing atop a horde of 'conquered' men and women, all of them sexually exhausted while his cock was still erect and hungering for more.

Hard to think that had been less than a week ago.

The familiar twang-twang of a bow string going off brought his attention above him. Reaper had similarly jumped out the window but instead of landing directly, he had spun around and peppered the villa with a barrage of arrows. It didn't seem like he was aiming. Just as long as the corrosive projectiles ate away at the the very structure of_Castello della Vergine_ and the runes that were embedded into the walls.

Reaper somersaulted in the air before landing on the ground, sliding a few feet before coming to a stop. Only then did he turn around to face Matteo who was shaking the sticky tar off his pristine, white suit. With a snarl, the Astral simply tore off his garments, revealing his chiseled, perfectly bronzed body and impressive wang.

"So..." Jacob began. "Was he that hung before he became an Astral or...?"

"Au naturale," Frank sighed.

Reaper lifted his eyebrows, thrust his lower lip out and nodded in appreciation. "Nice."

He shot the blue-clad wizard an exasperated look. "Really?"

"What? I can appreciate a big dick when I see one and from what I've seen, Matteo is the biggest dick there is."

That brought a smile to his face and he gave Reaper a light punch on the shoulder. "Nice save."

A new voice exploded from somewhere behind Matteo. "If you're both done?"

Big spotlights suddenly erupted from somewhere and confetti exploded from numerous cannons hidden in the bushes. Frank felt his heart immediately sink not from fear of what was coming next but just utter exasperation. Music immediately began blaring while strobe-lights and lasers blasted off into the night sky.

Fog began rolling out from the sole pavilion behind Matteo and a silhouette stepped down from the stairs, the tell-tale noises of hooves clomping on cobblestones clear through the songs.

Matteo, smirking from ear to ear threw his head back and shed his human form. Gold fur sprouted all over his body, closely trimmed and hugging his perfectly symmetrical form. Not a single strand was out of place. Not much height was added to his already impressive body and though he only gained a little bit of muscle mass, he still exuded an aura of superiority and menace. His equine features were handsome, beautiful and somehow his high cheekbones were still prominent even in his alternate form. A long, sharp, curved horn like someone had stuck a scimitar onto his forehead sprang from his head. The same sun-bleached blonde hair that had given him that boy-next-door look tumbled down the back of his neck as a glorious mane.

However, this transformation was not as glorious as what came next.

Matteo stepped aside and held out his hand. Large, manicured hands with ruby-red nails gently gripped his fingers in a lady-like fashion. Long strands of blonde hair tumbled out from thick forearms, hanging from them like tassels. Dark brown fur followed, covering a broad bicep and similarly broad shoulders. A tight, sequin dress with broad, padded shoulders followed, hiding the masculine shoulders and trying to divert all the attention to two, extremely voluptuous breasts that tapered down to a pair of broad hips, once again contained by the dress. The bulge of an impressive cock and balls that Frank knew to be there was artfully hidden by the strut of Electra Valentino. By keeping one leg in front of the other, she always hid her natural genitals. Much like her nails, Electra had her hooves painted ruby red while keeping the coat of long, blonde hairs on her shins that came with being a Clydesdale as silky as possible. Her broad muzzle was decorated by vibrant, red lipstick and her main was fluffed out, curled and given as much volume as possible.

She held a long, golden microphone between two of her fingers, trying to appear as dainty as possible despite being a whole foot taller than Matteo's 6'10''. With an admittedly dazzling smile, she thrust her chest forward and winked at Frank with long, exaggerated eyelashes.

"I've finally arrived, dah-lings!" she announced in a loud, airy voice. "Let the show begin!"

"Oh wow..." was all Jacob could say.

Frank's shoulder sagged. "Yeah... Electra Valentino. Has the Sphere of the Fatal Flourish. Basically, the flashier your action, the more effective it is. Applies to both her and us. Last I checked, the effective range of her Sphere is about a hundred meters. So if you're going to hit her, make it as gaudy as possible."

Electra let out an offended gasp and pressed her hand against her bosom. "Oh! Frank! Gaudy! You offend me!"

"That's the least of what I'll do to you if you don't get out of our way," he sneered.

"Wait!" shouted Jacob, holding up his hands. "Before we start..." He pointed at Electra's red nails. "What color is that? It really pops."

The off-the-wall question took Matteo by surprise but it was Electra that replied.

"Oh, well aren't you a sweet little thing." She held out her hand, wiggling her fingers at him. "It's call candy rose, dah-ling. Drop this silly fight and I just might let you borrow some."

"I'm honestly not interested in nail polish but I was thinking of different shades for my coat." Reaper held up the blue coat which had been torn to about three-quarters of its length during the fight. "I love blue. Don't get me wrong. This is 'dark sapphire'. But maybe a candy rose one would look just as good. What do you think?"

Electra gave him a little wince. "I don't know, dah-ling. The sapphire makes your eyes pop. They're a lovely shade of blue."

"You think so?" Jacob beamed brightly. "Thanks. I really appreciate that. And I must say, you look - and excuse the cliche - fabulous."

"Oh!" Electra batted her eyes at him. "Why thank you. You should hear me sing."

"You sing?"

Frank's heart sank for a second time. "No... Please no..."

Matteo was clearly getting frustrated as well. "Electra, we should be fighting them."

She pressed a finger against the model's lips, pushing him back. "Hush, dear. The girls are talking." She strut forward, eying Jacob keenly. "I've been known to put on a show. I am the madame of Castello della Vergine. In charge of entertainment and the pleasure of our guests."

Reaper beamed genuinely. "Have you ever done that thing where you shut off the lights in the foyer, have spotlights on you as you descend the steps and belt out a hell of a solo?"

Electra threw her head back as she rolled her eyes. "Only all the time, dah-ling. You need to be inspiring to get people's loins stirring here!"

Jacob cocked his head to the side. "Why though?"

She let out a short laugh. "Because this is the place where people come to experience something new!" As she said this, she thrust her hands into the air. Fireworks exploded out of somewhere, sending crackling colors into the air. "You can't show someone the same old tired old act and expect to set their loins on fire!"

Reaper crossed his arms. "See, I don't think that's true. Nostalgia is a very powerful thing. If you have fond memories of something, I honestly think that'll be far more powerful than making new, shallow memories that are just there for the show."

"Is that so?" she asked, leaning down towards him. "And what makes you say that?"

With a small bob of his head, Jacob said, "I concede that new experiences are fantastic and they help add spice to one's life but if the content of an experience, no matter how often it is repeated, calls out to your very soul, it won't matter how old it gets. It shouldn't be about how new something is that brings us joy. You don't have to constantly be chasing something new. Hell, the charm of some rewrites is the callbacks to the previous versions."

There was a spark of a challenge in Electra's eyes.

"Then how about a little wager?" She tapped his nose. "One song. A duet. Better show wins? What do you say?"

"You must be joking!" shouted Matteo. "Electra, they are trying to invade our homes and ruin our plans!"

She shot him a fierce stare. "What did I just say about the girls talking?" She tossed her hair back, dismissing him. "Besides, I don't want to disappoint a fan. If this little cupcake was able to beat you all the way back here and fight through others, then clearly they are better as allies than enemies." With a wink, she challenged Jacob and stepped up to the nearby pavilion. From a nearby stand, she picked up an ordinary microphone and offered it to him "Well, what do you say?"

Jacob smiled and shrugged. "Singing contest to determine the fate of the universe. Sure. Haven't done that in a while." He stepped up to her and grabbed the microphone but immediately moved to the nearby piano. "But I get to pick the song."

She grinned at him and leaned on the grand piano's side. "Give me your best shot, dah-ling."

Frank couldn't imagine that this was happening and yet, he was grateful that he got to at least rest for a few moments. Time was of the essence. If Matteo still had that trump card where he would completely revitalize himself at dawn, then they would always be at a disadvantage. Theoretically, they could try to win this before dawn but he didn't like their chances.

A time-wasting joke could very well be what they needed.

He caught Reaper's gaze and mimed an explosion followed by shaking his hands beside his head while putting on a showy grin. If the lawyer let Electra get the best of him during the performance, he could easily fall under her spell. As Matteo had pointed out, their magical armor protected from physical attacks. Anything that bypassed punches, fire or direct damage would still affect them.

Jacob gave him a short nod and then began tapping away at the keys. It started off with a rather fast, rhythmic base. Then came an almost discordant tenor. There was a distinct 70's or 80's edge to it. For a moment, Electra's eyes were filled with a little bit of confusion. Did she recognize the song or was she puzzled by his song-choice?

Then the first true chords and lyrics started with Jacob's voice hitting the right notes and channeling the 80's Rock edge.

"I would climb any mountain," he sang, waggling his eyebrows at Electra. "Sail across the stormy sea." He began shaking his shoulders and grooving at the piano. "If that's what it takes me baby to show how much you mean to me."

Electra's features brightened and she leaned towards him, holding up her golden microphone to her lips. Challenge accepted.

"And I guess it's just the woman in you," she countered, her airy voice harmonizing perfectly with the keys that he struck. "That brings out the man in me." She sprang from the instrument, spinning in place with a hand against her chest. "I know I can't help myself!" At the end of that line, she shook her firm butt in his direction and he pretended to be struck physically even going so far as to shake his head. He never missed a note. "You're all in the world to me!"

Reaper struck a flourish on the piano and the two of them leaned towards their microphones.

"It feels like the first time!" they sang in unison, their voices meshing together so well that it utterly surprised Frank just how good they were. "Feels like the very first time!"

"This has to be rehearsed," Matteo laughed, unable to keep a grin off his face.

"It feels like the first time!" the duo continued. "It feels like the very first time!"

One some cue, confetti and lights began flashing behind the pavilion and Electra spun in place, taking center stage. Frank shook his head, applauding. He had to give it to her. Despite being possibly one of the flashiest and extravagant of Virgo's current living Astrals, Electra knew how to put on a show.

"I have waited a lifetime," she sang. "Spent my time so foolishly." Stepping forward, she looked towards the sky, he voice taking a more mournful and soulful shadow. "But now that I found you, together we'll make history."

Suddenly Jacob was standing right beside her, the piano somehow playing by itself. He pressed his back against hers, gently causing her to pivot so that he could take center stage. This gave Frank to moment to notice the cards currently placed on the piano, likely enchanting the instrument to continue the rest of the song.

"And I know it must be the woman in you," Reaper sang, using his spare hand to fling a card off to the left. Lights erupted from the piece of paper. Those lights bent and twisted in the air. A wail of an electric guitar joined the piano. An ethereal guitar appeared where the card once stood, strumming away.

"That brings out the man in me!"

A fling of another card and suddenly, the thrumming of a bass guitar joined in.

"I know I can't help myself! You're all my eyes can see!"

Jacob flung a few cards behind him and they quickly formed a drum set materialized, banging away as it built to a crescendo. Electra watched in awe at the band and magic before her, completely captivated. It was only when Reaper nudged her that she quickly regained her composure and followed on to the bridge of the song.

"And it feels like the first time!" she bellowed.

"Like it never did before," Jacob sang.

They stood side by side, two magnificent performers that conquered the stage. Reaper flung fireballs into the air, offering short-range entertainment while fireworks exploded far above them upon Electra's command. Spot lights blazed above them. Jacob flung cards into the air, summoning blocks of ice that shattered and began sending down a flurry of snow down into the idyllic Italian villa.

"Feels like the first time!" began the lawyer.

"Like we've opened up the door," continued Electra. "Feels like the first time!"

"Like it never will again."

They turned towards one another, gazing into each other's eyes knowingly. "Never again."

There was a moment where they paused, the instruments falling into a lull. In that second, Electra blinked.

Then they immediately turned towards the audience - currently consisting of two Astrals. "It feels like the first time!" they sang together.

"It feels like the very first time," declared Electra.

In a softer tone, Jacob sang, "Dontcha know it feels." Then louder, he took the main chorus. "It feels like the first time."

Electra followed up with her of softer verse, "Oh yeah, it feels like the first time."

"It feels like the very first time," they sang in unison. "Won't you open up the door, yeah."

The music swelled and the two of them danced, shaking their hips and bouncing their butts against once another.

"It feels like the first time," they sang, bringing the song to it's conclusion. "It feels like the very first time." The drums slammed away accompanied by the booming bass. "It feels like the first time. Feels like the very first time!" The piano unleashed a swelling riff providing the perfect accompaniment of the blaring guitar.

"And it feels like the first time," cooed Electra, rounding the song home. "Feels like the very first time."

The last twangs of the guitar faded and and the piano gave its last few chords before the lights faded and the two performers lowered their arms.

Electra wiped away at something under her left eye and let out a short laugh. "Well dah-ling, that was certainly an interesting song choice."

"It was either going to be that, Kelly Clarkson's People Like Us or This is Me from The Greatest Showman. But I thought this drove my point across about something old being just as good, if not better, than something new."

The fabulous unicorn let another laugh and bowed towards Jacob. "You put on one hell of a show, dah-ling. Totally fierce. I concede."

Matteo was strangely pensive. Frank expected an outburst, a temper-tantrum or a defiant demand that they try again. Yet as he regarded his once-brother-under-Virgo, he saw something he had never observed in Matteo's bright, blue eyes; deep, introspection.

"Don't tell me that got to you too," he grunted.

Matteo shot him a foul look. "I don't expect a brute like you to understand." He turned towards the pavilion where Jacob and Electra were shaking hands. "Day one, when Virgo first turned me into an Astral, he didn't touch me. He got to me by telling me to say everything that I ever wanted. I told him I wanted control. I never told him that I wanted his job, his power. Over the years, that just seemed like a given."

"Sounds like you were just like him."

"Shut up," scowled Matteo. "But also, you're right." His eyes narrowed at the two on the stage. "I was more than willing to make him suffer for that. He held up a mirror to me and I saw my reflection, who I really was and what I was. I was just like him. Maybe if I got his power, I would have ended up just like him. Miserable, angry at a past I can't change and trying to drown everything in endless sex or denial." Matteo shook his head as the watched the two on stage exchange notes about the performance, laughing and smiling. "When I saw the other Astrals, I saw some part of Virgo in each of them. But I always saw myself as the most like him."

"You think everyone would've just let you claim the crown?"

The golden unicorn shook his head. "Honestly, I wouldn't have given them any choice." His eyes turned back to Frank, looking up at the towering, black unicorn. "But then I saw how you turned into... black goo?"

"Tar."

"Gross." Matteo shrugged. "But still it's something different. It's something that Virgo can't do. And then watching these two... I've seen something in Electra's performance that I've never seen before."

Frank followed his gaze. After having sat through countless performances from the fabulous performer and self-styled madame of Castello della Vergine, he had to admit that this show was definitely different. "I think I saw a little bit of who Electra really is. Beyond the shit that Virgo nurtures in us and pushes to the front."

His brother nodded in agreement. "Yes. That's it. And I think I just realized..." He looked at his own hands. "... If I just stick with Virgo, I'm never going to be more than I am now. I'm never going to be better than him. I'll always be living in his shadow. I'll never have that control that I want."

Frank smirked and offered his fist to Matteo. "So how about we take this rebellion to a whole new level?"

Matteo returned the smirk and gently punched his knuckles. "I have some conditions."

"Of fucking-course you do."

Virgo's Pure World

Virgo's Domain is, predictably, called the Pure World.

Perhaps as a reflection of her simpler farmer's origins, the Pure World consists of a simple farmstead with rolling plains from horizon to horizon and an idyllic, cloudless blue sky. From the stories I've heard, the farmstead is forever out of reach. No matter how far you run or how long you fly, it is forever unreachable; a fitting metaphor for the state of purity that Virgo demands of the world.

A sense of wrongness befalls whoever steps within the Domain. They will always feel dirty and like they do not belong in the world. Every step you take will be plagued by the guilt of desecrating holy ground. Each breath is a taken with the knowledge that it was a gift from a goddess. Every moment another mark against your very soul for merely existing in this divine realm.

But this is all just a reflection of the warped perspective Virgo has of the world. It sees everything and everyone was impure and unclean. Even its own Astrals are barely tolerable and everyone else do not deserve to be in its presence. Long gone is the sense of duty and pride that came from purifying the sick and ailing. Replacing it is this loathing for everyone that is not it and a repulsion for everything that is impure.

_ _

*******

November 28th, 11:15 PM, The Pure World

The air stank of lemon. Not the fresh citrus of lemon bars or a freshly opened can of air freshener. This was the oppressive, rot of lemons that had sat too long out in the open, started to mold over and was now festering. This disgusting scent was what woke Dante from his dreamless sleep. A faint wetness touched his left cheek and he quickly woke, pushing his eyes open.

A completely flat landscape stretched out in front of him. The ground was covered with a thin layer of lemony-sweet, pearly, white liquid, barely a quarter of an inch thick but it was everywhere. The vaguely reflective liquid was matched by a bizarre scene from the sky.

First was the infinitely fluffy, white clouds that stretched from horizon to horizon. Though there didn't seem to be any light streaming in from between them, it was still possible to see the contours and textures the clouds made. Springing from between the clouds were tapestries of what appeared to be starry night skies. These dark, velvety fabric waterfalls cascaded down from the clouds like enormous scrolls, swaying gently in the an unfelt wind. Peeking out between these tapestries were alabaster pillars looking like they were ripped right out of ancient Greek architecture. They didn't hold up any ceilings and just stood abruptly out in the middle of the pearly, wet surface.

Dante propped himself up on his paws and shook his head free of the strange, wet substance. He had been exposed to cum enough times to know that this definitely was not male ejaculate. It was something else. Movement from his right caught his attention.

Flash was just rousing, groaning softly as the big, red wolf rolled onto his back. A short distance beyond him was Russ. The hellhound slowly got up, rubbing his head and grimacing.

"Fuck... what hit me...?" mumbled Russ.

Dante scanned the horizon until his gaze fell on a lone figure standing by himself. He nudged Flash awake and pointed in the direction of Virgo who was standing and looking up at the sky, back to them. Slowly, the trio of hounds got to their feet and approached the Celestial, their footfalls making wet, rippling noises with each step. A flicker of blue caught his attention. It was a thread of magic slipping away from his clothes.

They were in a Domain.

Virgo's Domain. This was the Pure World.

"You constantly surprise me," Virgo said, never turning his head to regard them. "Part of me hoped that the fall would kill you and yet those clothes of yours seem to have protected you from the impact." He waved a hand absently around him. "My Domain also outwardly rejects you. I can see it taking its toll."

Russ growled. His scarf had degraded about halfway and Dante hated seeing his jacket withered down to half its mass. He still had his pants and shirt but they had lighter defenses in exchange for mobility. Flash seem unperturbed.

"This is your Pure World?" asked the crimson wolf. "Not much to look at, to be honest."

Virgo lowered his gaze but still didn't turn to them. "Perhaps as it is now. In ages past, it was so much more." He pointed off to his right. "Over there were mirrors where you could change your own appearance at will. No better new experience than starting with a new body." Then he gestured to his left. "There was an open kitchen where everything you could possibly dream of could manifest. Did you want a blue watermelon that tastes like steak? A freshly poached fish with a hint of thyme and lemon? Wine that was velvety smooth and fruity with just the faintest hint of cinnamon and lemon."

He let out a dark chuckle. "It was actually one of the Astrals that had lived here with me that had suggested we go into the wine-making business when we returned to Earth. I had attempted to recreate the wine he had made in this very realm. Convinced myself that if we could create even a whisper of that glorious brew, we would find our own worshipers and immortality in the mortal world." With a bitter shake of his head, he finally turned to the three hounds. "But how foolish it was to create something perfect from an imperfect world."

That was truly a pitiable thought. Virgo and his Astrals came from a world of dreams and wonder but were forced to return to reality. Trying to enforce their fantasies into reality crushed them. Having to deal with the harsh reality of aging, death and sickness after who only knew how long it must have been in this world where time could very well be meaningless.

"You should've known better," Russ accused. "You call yourself a 'god' and you couldn't guide all those people who looked to you into a peaceful transition back to reality. Why did you even leave Earth in the first place? So that you could have your own little harem where you can fuck about with no consequences?"

"Don't assume to know me," Virgo scolded with low, even tones. "I don't know how you survived this long, Cerberus, but I suspect you had to do what you needed to see through your 'mission'." Virgo jabbed a finger at his own chest. "I did what I thought was best for my people. I was the first to leave that miserable world. I saw it for the sinful, corrupt and polluted world that it was and would have become. No matter how much I tried to purify it, without the Celestial Cradle, some form of evil will always creep up from the depths of mortal hearts and taint what was beautiful and clean! I had to take my people away from all of that to keep them pure!"

His shout came with a blast of wind that caused all the starry tapestries to flutter and disturbed the still liquid they were standing on. Virgo seemed alarmed at this and forced himself to calm.

"You have no idea what it was like," said the Celestial, almost growling between his teeth. "I lived in a perfect world. Where every need was met. Where nothing and no one was ever bored and everyone had a myriad of new experiences that was only limited by their own imagination. With others beside them, their minds could take endless flight and there were an infinite number of permutations, countless combinations that they could entertain themselves for all eternity!"

That didn't quite add up. If this world could generate new experiences, then why couldn't Virgo have fed off those experiences and maintained the world until the end of time?

"Sounds like you would've had enough fuel to sustain yourself," Dante began. "Why did you have to come back? I thought it was because the world was crumbling...?"

Virgo closed his eyes and let out a bitter, sad laugh. "I suppose even in this world where I am god, we are slaves to the rules of entropy." He opened his eyes, giving Dante a sad, broken stare. "Perhaps we could have sustained it for a great long while. Perhaps we would have lasted until the sun had breathed its last and the Earth was consumed in its fiery death throes. But after that?"

The Celestial shook his head. "This Domain is little more than a pocket in space and time. Land leased to the greater laws of the universe. There is only so much that I could alter about existence without the constant influx of power from the Cradle." Virgo lifted his hands to the side of his head, forming claws of frustration. "I had to keep my people from aging, I had to constantly maintain a sense of wonder and awe for every fresh experience, repairing their bodies and stimulating their minds!" He threw his hands into the air, spinning around. "I had to somehow create light where there was no sun or moon! Give everyone air to breathe where no trees existed! This whole world had to be constantly maintained and no matter_how much virgin energies I absorbed from my Astrals, no matter how many Astrals I may have had, it would _never be enough! Even today when I have a whole villa_filled with hedonist that explore their bodies and experiences day and night, it would _never be enough to maintain a world like this for all eternity!"

The supply would never meet or exceed the demand. It made Dante actually wonder if it was possible to rewrite all of reality with the power of the Cradle or the leylines. The only other person he knew who could do that was Jacob - at least according to what the No One said - but he decided to shut his mouth and not divulge that information.

"I lived on borrowed time," lamented Virgo. "Libra and the others convinced me that while I could have lasted possibly for millions of years, without the Celestial Cradle, I would have been forced to return. But return to what? I could not be sure. Would there even be a world to return to? Would humans even exist? Would they have spread across the stars and left Earth little more than a barren wasteland? What then?"

Virgo lifted his hands, palms up and looking to the sky like he was praying. "Even back then, I was already seeing the cracks in my perfect, Pure World. We Celestials could create systems to recycle energy and try to keep ourselves sustained through our actions and Astrals but there is always the slightest amount of loss between exchanges. The 'Rot' Leo called it."

"The Rot?" Flash repeated, looking to Russ for clarification.

"It was something the few Celestials who defected to the Godhunters mentioned," answered the hellhound. "Any Celestial who creates a Domain is basically locking themselves away in their own room. There's nothing going in and out but there is something in there trying to maintain that Domain. The Celestial can do a whole lot of shit to try and keep it up for as long as possible but eventually, it'll collapse in on itself. Big, extravagant Domains will crumble faster."

"Which is why I need the Celestial Cradle!" shouted Virgo, his cry once more shaking the very world around them. This time, he didn't calm down. "With the Cradle, I could've remained immortal! I could have constantly been fed by the power from the leylines and rewritten the very laws of the universe! I could rid the world of entropy as a concept! The Rot would be gone! How can you not see the nobility in that!?"

The sentiment was noble, that was true, but ultimately it was just escapism. Maybe Virgo's Pure World could rewrite reality so stagnation would never be a thing but how could anyone who suffered from the effects of the Rot even conceive of a way to avoid that eventuality? Virgo was avoiding the problem.

"You're not solving the problem," Flash shouted back. "You're just making the problem the new normal! You're saying that it'll be okay that everything is stagnant! Worse, it'll be your kind of stagnation!" He jabbed a claw against his own forehead. "You're still hung up on the past. But there's nothing wrong with that. It's okay to be hurt. Grow stronger from it and stop trying to erase it. That's part of being human."

"Such a child!" spat Virgo. "I am not human. I am a god! The Celestial Cradle -"

"Is gone!" Dante snapped. "We can't tap into the leylines, Virgo. We can't make you immortal. Any attempt you make is just making things worse for everyone else! Can't you see what you've done to the world?"

"You're a cancer," Russ roared, making both Flash and Dante cringe upon the word. "Every Astral and Thrall you make feeds you but whenever they die, they disperse into the leylines, twisting the next generation's minds. Some of them will be reborn as new Astrals but as the world gets bigger, your influence is poisoning people! You're sucking the life out of people and crapping out shit back into the leylines!"

"So what if I am?" scowled the Celestial. "I am perfect! Everyone should be honored to have some part of me in them!"

Flash stepped forward, pointing an accusing finger at the Celestial. "How can you be perfect if you're still hung up on your first taking your virginity?"

Those words stung. Virgo's eyes boggled and for a second, he just stared at Flash with look like he had just been punched in the gut. Then, Virgo's entire world attacked them. He could feel an immense pressure squeeze down on him like thousands of hands pressing down upon him from all directions. His clothes shimmered, spewing glimmering threads as he lifted his arms to defend himself.

"I am not broken!" shouted Virgo. "I am perfect! I am pure! The only thing staining me is you and that wizard of yours! You will bow to me, you will grant me the power I seek even if I must turn you into an Astral! You will see how perfect you can be under my rule!"

The Celestial suddenly hunched forward, hugging himself as if in pain. Blistering winds blasted out from him, leaving the mirror-like liquid beneath them strangely untouched even if the tapestries of night fluttered and whipped around him. Dante's feet slipped on the slick surface of the ground. Flash grabbed him and they both crouched on the ground, digging their claws into the ground. Russ placed his paws on the floor. Black and red veins of hellforged matter crawled out from the point of contact and snaked out behind them. The pearly water turned into a low wall of thick, black and red stone, letting the trio of hounds find support against the gale.

Fabric tore across Virgo's back. Strange bulged pressed up against the interior of the expensive, alabaster-white suit. The bulges stretched the fabric until it tore, erupting into long, flat, white ribbons that exploded into the air. Virgo straightened, throwing his head back and spreading his arms wide to his sides. Some power lifted him off the air, gravity pulling down at his torn clothes and revealing the body of an Adonis. It was only a brief glance, however. The white constructs floating behind him revealed themselves to be six, large, hand-shaped growths that began artfully curling around his body, hiding any exposed genitals as his pants fell away and covering his bare chest in their broad embrace. Virgo folded his arms across his chest, grasping his shoulders as the wing-like hands curled around his torso protectively. The lower pair of wing-hands wrapped around his legs, forcing them together and tapering to a point. The last pair that hovered over his shoulders curled protectively around his shoulders, the index fingers crossing over one another to shield his eyes while leaving his lips exposed. The thumbs layered over one another over his head, completing the cocoon.

This was the very same shape Dante saw in the souls of the Thralls, that viral piece of Virgo's soul that was embedded into each of those touched by the Celestial. Virgo's true form. A 'pure' creature protected from the rest of the world by shielding hands. Eyes, ears, nose and most of his body was spared contact with corrupt mortals and only his lips, used to command others, were exposed. Symbolism aside, the bizarre form the Celestial took hovered about ten feet off the air and seemed to grow until it was a whole eight feet tall.

"I am Virgo," spoke the Celestial, his voice containing the strong tenor of his masculine form and a gentle, musical song of a female. "I am the Silver Celestial, the Guiding Star of Youth and the God of Purity! I will purify this world and bring upon it a paradise of endless stimulation! Be purified!"

The Celestial's open mouth suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream. Dante plugged his ears with the heels of his palms but they barely could hold back the screeching noise that pushed him back against Russ' temporary wall. The wail generated hurricane-force winds that only added to the pain.

Through it all, he could still hear Russ snarl. The big hellhound managed to get to his feet even as he continued to plug his ears. He slammed one big foot into the ground. Black and red, fiery veins shot out from his toes, shooting through the pearly liquid beneath them until they reached Virgo. An enormous spike of hellforged matter exploded from the corrupted earth, striking Virgo's form and causing the Celestial to cease his assault.

"Your mere presence is an affront to my Pure World!"

"And you're a fucking disease on mine!" Russ barked back, his deep, gravelly voice with the thick Brooklyn accent booming across the Domain. Dante wasn't sure if he was yelling to get his point across or he couldn't fully control his voice because his ears were still ringing from Virgo's scream. Regardless of the reason, Russ flung his paws upwards, turning more of the white liquid into sharp daggers that shot into the air and he snatched. In a simple, smooth movement, he flung the daggers at the hovering, cocooned Celestial.

The blades dragged across the white shell that protected the true Virgo. No blood was drawn but Dante could clearly see chips across the otherwise pristine surface. Russ took that as encouragement and advanced, hurling wicked, bladed weapons constantly at the God of Purity. However, just a mere half-second after the injuries were inflicted, they closed up and left Virgo's flesh polished and unmarred.

Virgo's Sphere of Influence; the Sphere of Refresh. Virgo would always return to a previous state of 'purity' within moments of any change so long as his reserves of power remained strong. Physically, he would always remain perfect. In a battle of attrition, the hounds were at a severe disadvantage.

"I'm going to help," Flash announced, jumping to his feet. "Russ! Throw me something!"

Without missing a beat, a long spear of hellforged matter sprang from the ground next to the crimson wolf. Flash plucked it from the ground and hurled it like a javelin at Virgo. Despite being encased in a white chrysalis, Virgo could still jerk and slip aside in midair. How he even saw anything with his eyes covered was a mystery.

"How dare you mar my perfect visage!"

Virgo opened his mouth wide. Dante immediately plugged his ears, preparing for another scream. Instead, dazzling light seemed to gathered in front of the Celestial's face, dancing on the tip of his tongue. Realizing what was going to happen, Dante immediately sprang to his feet and -

A high-pitched keening like someone dragging nails across a chalkboard in front of a megaphone raked through the air. Sizzling, white energies blasted from Virgo's mouth, a concentrated beam of light that slammed into all three hounds. Dante shut his eyes and was knocked off his feet. There was surprisingly no pain even as he felt his back slam against Russ' wall. That same wall shattered a second later and he was thrown back several feet, crashing into the wet ground, dazed but relatively unharmed.

When the screaming ended, he squeezed open his eyes while his ears continued to ring. Blue threads swarms around them, floating off into the distance. The arms of his jacket were almost entirely gone and his pants had been reduced to shorts. Flash had completely lost his letterman jacket and Russ' scarf barely fell past his shoulders.

They could not take another hit like that.

"Spread out!" Russ barked. "Keep his attention divided!"

Dante quickly scrambled to his feet and bolted towards one of the nearby pillars that just jutted out of the ground with little rhyme or reason. Flash used his years of football to bolt in the opposite direction of Russ while the legendary hellhound produced hellforged weapons for all three. Virgo hesitated a moment, confused which hound to go after first. He must have realized that Russ was the main source of their weaponry and turned towards him. Light again gathered at his lips as he followed Russ' wide arc.

WHAM!

A heavy hellforged hammer slammed into the back of his head, forcing him to angle the beam right down. An explosion of light and steam momentarily shrouded Virgo as Flash pumped a fist into the air for a successful strike.

Dante regarded the spear that had manifested beside him and clutched it tightly. Virgo let out another loud scream, blowing away the steam that had generated around him and forcing Dante to duck behind the pillar, covering his ears. As he did so, however, he noticed something... odd about the pillar itself.

It was subtle but he could swear he could see veins running through it. Something happened with Virgo to make him stop his sonic attack. Russ must have distracted him. That gave Dante a second to focus on the pillar and reach out to it. The moment his paws touched it, he could feel those veins of energy being drawn to him, seeping into his flesh and filling him with power.

"The Domain is made out of Virgo's power," he realized. "That means..."

A plan hatched in his mind but he first had to test it out. He jabbed the hellforged spear into the ground and then grabbed the pillar in both hands. The flow of power instantly doubled. The perfect, flawless white pillar began to crumble before him. Cracks started appearing and from those cracks, chips began falling away, blackening and fading away into nothingness.

It was slow. Far too slow.

He recalled his experiences with the Thralls. Intimate connections could accelerate the flow but how could he become intimate with a column? On a whim, he leaned forward and pressed his fangs against the marble. Instantly, all that lemon-tasting power came flowing straight into him. The entire pillar immediately began producing cracks, black lightning crawling up its porcelain shaft. Dark corruption spread from those fissures, blackening the entire construct until it immediately crumbled to dust.

"What have you done!?"

Dante's eyes boggled as Virgo turned towards him. He immediately turned and started bolting away as he heard the high-pitched keening from Virgo's beam attack charging. He didn't get more than a few feet before he started feeling sick, his stomach rebelling against him after having eaten such a full meal without much time to digest. He fell to his knees, trying to force down the horrible sensation of throwing up, cheeks puffed out.

He managed to glance over his shoulder, fearing Virgo's retribution. Russ slammed a fist covered in hellforged rock into the Celestial's face, disrupting his aim and sending the beam wide. The sigh of relief he let out was immediately followed by the horrible sensation of throwing up. He could feel the power he had gathered shooting up from his stomach, making it's way up to his diaphragm which instinctively pressed down on it, forcing it up his chest. Finding the cavity that was his pectorals, that energy pooled into his pectorals, filling them until they were plump and bulging, straining against his fur and flesh like someone was inflating his chest from within and his nipples were desperately trying to keep all the air in. Dante thrust his chest upwards, gasping as the oddly arousing sensation hardened his nipples and compelled him to reach for the sensitive nubs. The moment his fingers closed around them, something wet and sticky shot from them, seeping through his shirt. The shock he felt was replaced by a sensation akin to the afterglow of orgasm and the relief of having some of that pressure built in his chest relieved. It was impossible to keep the feeling of this warm, sticky fluid dripping between his fingers from sending tingling sensations down his hands and reverberating with his dick.

Pleasurable sensations tingled up his chest to the point where he had to bit his lower lip to keep himself from moaning loudly. Somehow, he fought through the haze of euphoria and looked down at his chest. Creamy, silvery liquid like mercury was oozing out of his pectorals but it had the strange, non-Newtonian properties of a cornstarch and water solution. It got caught in his big palms and stuck to his fur, never dripping off into the ground and even going so far as to start coating his forearms. His pectorals visibly deflated somewhat as he continued to pour the substance into his paws. When his chest was more manageable and the overwhelming sensation to squeeze his nipples had subsided, he regarded the substance in his paws.

Curious, he pressed his palms together, rubbing the goo together and finding that he could shape it. Thinking quickly, he gathered all the gunk from his forearms and fingers, shaping it into a sphere about the size of a tennis ball.

He sprang to his feet and pulled the ball back. "Flash! Catch!"

He hurled the sphere at the crimson wolf who immediately bolted towards it, snatching it from the air as easily as any star receiver. Flash must have realized what it was as he immediately pressed it between his jaws and gobbled it up. Dante could see the churning transformation of those corrupted energies into the brilliant, pure powers of the leyline network.

Following Dante's lead, Flash bolted towards Russ. The two collided with Russ immediately clamping his muzzle against Flash's in a deep, long kiss. Flash's toes actually curled from the contact. Despite how arousing the scene was, Dante could see Russ draining the purified energies from the younger wolf.

"Oh hell yeah!" roared Russ, breaking the kiss. He dropped Flash abruptly, stunning the dazed wolf and jumped at the still-stunned Virgo who had been trying to process what had just happened. Flinging his paws over his head, hellforged earth sprang from between his fingertips to form an enormous hammer just above as big as he was. Virgo had no time to react as the hammer came slammed down on his head, sending the cocooned Celestial crashing to the ground for the first time since he had transformed.

"Keep it coming, Dante!" Russ shouted, flashing him a grin. "Rip this bastard's Domain to pieces!"

Seems like there was a fifth way to destroy a Domain.

Encouraged by the rallying cry, Dante immediately dashed towards one of the billowing tapestries of a starry night. He grabbed the end of the fabric, immediately feeling Virgo's tainted power seeping into him. It was still a relatively slow process so he pulled the banner towards his lips and sank his teeth into it. The offensive, strong lemon taste that had this sickly-sweet twang to it overtook his taste buds but he fought through it. Like the column before it, the tapestry was quickly overtaken by black cracks that spread a blackening disease all over its surface, extinguishing stars rapidly until the whole piece crumbled to dust.

Strangely, this piece didn't quite give Dante that feeling of having to expel the energy immediately. Instead, he did feel his chest start to rise, filling with what he could only consider as his 'milk'. There was an instinctive need to squeeze his nipples or have someone nurse his tender nubs but it wasn't as overpowering as the first instance. Perhaps his body was adjusting to these new instincts.

"Get your filthy paws off my perfect world!" screamed Virgo, his form as pristine as when he had first donned it.

The cocooned Celestial rose back into the air. The pearly liquid all around him shot into the air, coalescing into sharp, clear crystal shards. They shot straight at Dante, speeding at him at a pace one could liken to a quickly approaching bicycle. Dante began running but the shards were rapidly homing in on him.

"Lay off him!" roared Flash, crashing into one of the shards and knocking it off trajectory. Russ threw what looked like an enormous hellforged sword at another, shattering it but the remaining three crashed into the ground around Dante. Virgo seemed to grin and started gathering light at the tip of his tongue again.

Fear momentarily gripped Dante's heart. Each crystal was about twice his size and made navigating around them difficult. Like the tapestries or pillars, however, they were made of the same basic matter; Virgo's essence. He just had to touch one and it immediately dissolved into black dust, its power absorbed into him.

"They were formed too quickly," he mused. "Haven't had time to really stabilize." He didn't even have to physically touch the remaining two. Like with the Thralls, he pushed his darkness out from his fingertips, latching onto the threads of power that made the crystals and pulled it to himself. Though slower than physical contact, the crystals dissipated mere moments later, filling his pectorals.

"Dante! Move!"

A familiar high-pitched keening screamed through his ears. Virgo's beam shot towards him. On instinct alone, he opened his jaws and held up his paws. When the beam hit, he was immediately overwhelmed by the taste and smell of a thousand lemons being squeezed down his throat and with their juices seeping into his eyes. Yet, he still drew in as much as he could, consuming the might of Virgo. His chest plumped up with each gulp until he could start to feel its frame pushing his arms apart.

The ear-splitting noise ended and he fell to his knees. Most of his jacket had faded away, blue threads drifting off into the air behind him leaving him with only a very short vest. His shirt had similarly started to tear away, leaving hid midriff exposed though he supposed that could also be caused by his much bigger pectorals.

"Flash!" he gasped, one eye shut. "Get over here!"

The red wolf scrambled over, skidding to a halt beside him. "I'm here, Dante! What do you need?"

Dante leaned back on his haunches, grasping his plump and swollen left pectoral. "Suck my nipples."

Flash was startled by the request. "What? Dude, this isn't -"

"Just do it, damnit! I'm going to explode!"

Unsure how else to react, Flash lurched forward and pressed his lips against Dante's left nipple through the fabric. Just the lightest of suckling was all the black wolf needed to start the flood. He couldn't keep his loud moan back as his milk burst from his nipple and flooded into Flash's startled lips. Shocked, Flash was about to pull back but Dante grabbed the back of his head and pressed him back down.

This forced Flash to swallow his first mouthful and, in that moment, he must have truly tasted what this substance really was. His friend and fellow wolf wrapped his paws around Dante's inflamed pec, squeezing down on it and squirting more and more of that nutritious milk into his muzzle, absorbing all the stolen energies into himself and purifying it.

"Fuck yes..." sighed Dante, feeling the relief of carrying all that power fade from his left pec. "Now the other one. Please."

Flash nodded, gave his current nipple a little suckle for good measure before turning towards the right one.

"What kind of perversion is this!?" Virgo screamed. "You shall not befoul my sacred Domain with such acts!" The Celestial summoned a few more spears of crystal and sent them hurtling towards them.

Dante was paralyzed in his current position and Flash had just startled nursing. Thankfully, Russ came charging in, standing in front of the two younger wolves and throwing his paws up. A massive hellforged wall erupted from the ground, forming a shield in front of him.

"Doesn't take a genius to figure out what's going on," growled Russ, holding out a paw. "Give me your paw, pup."

Flash stretched his arm back and grasped Russ' forearm, funneling the purified energies he had accumulated right into the hellhound. With his soul vision, Dante could see the liquid spirit energies being converted within Flash into the clear, pure power of the leylines. This traveled up Flash's arm and into Russ' body where the hellhound converted it into his angry, red and black hellforged power.

Loud _thumps_followed as the crystals slammed into Russ' wall. The legendary hound pressed a hand against the barrier, pushing the gathered power against the volcanic surface. With a roar, the wall abruptly shattered and flung away from his paw, hurtling towards Virgo.

The Celestial was stunned as boulders the size of cars slammed into him, sending him crashing back and causing severe injury. Through this all, Dante felt his reserves being drained and he patted Flash's shoulder, telling him he was empty.

Flash pulled back, wiping his chin with the back of his paw. "This has got to be the weirdest way to pass power from one to the other."

"I can't tell how my body reacts," Dante said with a grim grin. "Not going to say I don't like it. My nipples have always been pretty damn sensitive."

There was a mischievous glint in the red wolf's eyes as he held out his paw to Dante. "Good to know."

Taking the paw, he was pulled to his feet and positioned himself to Russ' right.

"Glad to see you're leaning into your powers, pup," Russ growled. "Both of you. Now we can literally turn his whole world against him."

Recalling his fading defenses, Dante regarded his paws and noted how he was the least clothed of the hounds. The oppressive pressure from Virgo's Domain was still pressing down around him and he could see that it was doing the same with the others. That had to change. Closing his eyes, he focused that seething darkness he emanated to coalesce around him. He didn't push back at the forces of the Domain, he just held it at bay... and took the pressed into himself. Upon opening his eyes, the blue threads of his rapidly deteriorating clothes faded even as his chest slowly but gradually started to plump up again. Nodding to himself, he extended his influence towards Russ and Flash, wrapping the dark aura he exuded over them and holding back the Domain.

A short distance away, Virgo straightened his hovering pattern, lips curled back in frustration.

"I can see now that no matter what, I cannot let you live," sneered the God of Virginity. "You called me the cancer to this world and yet here you are tearing down my Domain! Paradise will not welcome you!"

Silvery hairs began jutting out from the corners of Virgo's lantern-like jawline. His features jut forward, the sound of bones cracking and muscles stretching echoing in the oddly still and silent Pure World. His nostrils flared even as his lips remained in a snarl.

"You are devourers of the divine! Destroyers! Bringers of the Apocalypse and Harbingers of the End! I will not let you stand in the way of me purifying the world!"

Russ took a step forward, compelling Dante and Flash to follow.

"You aren't pure," snarled the hellhound. "The world you're thinking of creating isn't pure either. Because like you, all you'll be doing is creating a cycle where people are stuck trying to relive the same experience over and over again because they're obsessed with that first time."

"Is that so wrong!?" screamed Virgo, his voice sending a shockwave that momentary stalled their advance. Thanks to Dante's protective aura, however, they weren't completely thrown back and they only had to step for a second or two before pressing forward. "What is wrong with seeking the perfect first experience? In my work, the clock will reset as many times as you want! You can have the perfect first experience of any experience!"

As he spoke, a sound like concrete cracking during an earthquake split through the Pure World. The upper pair of wing-hands slowly uncurled from where it hugged Virgo's upper torso. These appendages floated above and behind the Celestial, freeing his arms and head. A long, pure white, straight horn jutted from the top of Virgo's silver-furred, equine head. His eyes had completely turned silver, no pupils, no irises, just all silver. That same metallic fur had spread all over his upper torso, covering his muscled arms and shoulders. The second pair of wing-hands concealed most of his broad chest and the rest of his body was still cocooned but it was obvious that the God's form was Herculean in size and proportion.

"It'll never be enough," Flash countered. "In your world, people will never be satisfied with their 'first experience'. There will always be a better way to do it and they'll never find closure. That's the good thing about being mortal. You have to accept the consequence of your choices no matter how much they hurt." For a second, Flash paused, taking a deep breath and shutting his eyes. "It's how we grow. If we get infinite do-overs, we'll never move on and never grow."

"And that's why your Pure World is flawed," Russ added. "Your form of 'purity' is just giving everyone the opportunity to constantly redo everything, to revert to a state where they were never 'tainted' by experience. But just like you, you will always carry the burden of your failures, the weight of every shitting thing that's ever happened to you. Eventually, it'll all build up. You're going to create this fantasy that your reality will never live up to!"

Dante lifted his head in realization. "And that's why your first Pure World failed, didn't it?" Virgo turned his eyes towards the black wolf, lips quivering in rage. "Your Astrals could never be satisfied and every time you reset the world, reset them, they kept their memories of what they had done. So they just knew what they didn't want and was given the opportunity to redo it... and their fantasy of what they did want just kept getting bigger, more extravagant and unobtainable. They could never be satisfied.

"And that's the same with you..." He took a step forward, ahead of the others. "You've been trying to fill that hole in your heart over what happened all those millennia ago. But you can't go back. You even tried purifying your husband and made him an Astral but it wasn't enough. You'll never be satisfied." He shook his head in grim realization. "And with each attempt to make yourself feel whole, your desires grew bigger, grander. There just weren't enough resources to fulfill your every wish. And it ate away at your Pure World... like it'll eat away at reality if you ever make the Pure World the one and only reality."

"Fool!" barked Virgo. "The leyline network has infinite power! Infinite possibilities! If I can rewrite the universe to my desires -"

"That's not the problem!" shouted Dante. "Don't you see? The world you're creating isn't one where everyone is endlessly happy because they will always experience everything for the first time! It's a world where _no one_will ever be satisfied! That's not happiness. That's just... just..." He struggled to put his thoughts into worlds. "... that's just endlessly being thirsty!"

Russ and Flash let out short snorts.

"What?" he protested. "It really is!"

"No, no," Russ said, holding up a paw. "You're right. Just... doesn't make it any less funny."

Virgo let out a scream of frustration. "You know nothing of the world I will create! Nor will you as you will not be part of it! I don't need the Celestial Cradle or whatever it's become! I will kill you and find another way to rewrite this world!"

That high-pitched keening rose once more but this time, instead of a single, screeching note, there was a whole chorus of wails. Each finger from Virgo's extended floating wing-hands screamed as they gathered purifying light at their tips.

"Oh shit..." Flash exclaimed. "We made him mad!"

"And I know how to make him madder," Russ said with a savage grin. "Flash, you and I need to keep hitting him. Aim for the exposed parts of his body. Dante, bring this whole place down!"

It took Dante a whole second to realize exactly what Russ meant. With a nod, he bolted away from the two as they both dashed towards Virgo. Though they left his protective aura, he had gathered enough power to quickly squeeze out two balls of compressed energy and throw it to them to give them the boost they needed to close the gap quickly. Russ generated huge hellforged weapons, giving a pair of daggers to Flash. Virgo unleashed his beams, ten thin rays of light raking through the Pure World in all directions.

Dante danced between them, ducking behind a nearby pillar. Once the lasers had slipped by, he grabbed the pillar and immediately began consuming it. The need to be milked became overwhelming again but he fought through the pleasurable paralysis to squeeze out another orb of liquefied energies. He immediately threw it at his fellow hounds. Flash snapped it out of the air with his jaws, swallowed it and then propelled himself right into Virgo. The impact was met with a resounding boom as the shoulder-check forced the much bigger Celestial to stagger in the air.

Trying to keep up the momentum, Dante grabbed two of the starry tapestries, pulling them aside before grabbing a third and then biting down on all three. All the while, he extended his dark aura around him, pulling in more and more of the Domain into himself. Virgo's scream of frustration sent a wave of force in his direction and he was pushed back several feet. Dante doggedly kept the tapestries in his jaws, tearing them from the fabric of the Domain and filling his pectorals.

This time, he had to kneel down a moment to squeeze out the goo from his nipples. It was with a bit of shame that he found himself growing incredibly hard from the stimulation. Thinking practically, he removed the remnants of his pants, tore it open and then wrapped the strips around his legs to offer some modicum of protection. This allowed his heavy balls and rising, red cock free.

Recalling what Russ mentioned about how genitals were often the focal point of the soul network, he gingerly squatted down on the wet floor, his balls touching the slick surface. Almost immediately, the rush of Virgo's energies crashed into him with the force of a flash flood. He whimpered as his monstrous cock emerged from his sheath, a crimson sword being drawn from its sable scabbard. With little control over the flow of energies, he could only grab his own pecs, stimulating them to try and drew the energy away from his throbbing dick as much as possible. Milk leaked from his nipples but he couldn't stop the flood of arousal that doubled the size of his balls and sent cum bubbling up his cock.

"Guys!" he screamed.

He could only hold out for two more seconds before a hot stream of cum blasted out of his cock, shooting up into the air like a geyser. He bucked madly, barely seeing but feeling Flash's warm paws on his shoulders, offering some relief from the steady stream of seed pumping out of his dick.

"Grab his cock!" roared Russ.

"What?" protested Flash. "But -"

"Just do it!"

Dante whimpered in need and then sighed in relief when Flash's paws seized his dick. He could feel the steady drain of power seep away from his cock even as he continued to rain seed down upon them.

"Help him to his feet. Get his balls off the floor."

Flash pulled him up, giving him some relief. His vision started to clear, making him realize he had barely seen blurs of color and movement during his sexual release. As he focused, he noticed that both Russ and Flash were now covered in his seed, the liquid looking like mercury again which he guessed was because of the pure energy he had stolen from Virgo. The mass was being absorbed into both of their fur, Flash's absorption was quicker than Russ. A wall of hellforged stone was erected between them and Virgo. Heaving thumping indicated the Celestial hadn't stopped attacking.

"Not going to do that again," panted Dante.

Flash gave him a lopsided grin. "You might have to." He pointed upwards. "Look."

Above them, the cloudy sky had changed. Large, black cracks had appeared all over the cloud cover like someone had cracked a mirror reflecting the sky. From these cracks, small specks of black dust began falling. Tapestries were showing similar breaks but it was the white pillars that showed them most of all.

"You've tipped an equilibrium," Russ declared, a grin on his muzzle. "Virgo was barely keeping this place intact. Now that you've drained a hell of a lot of it and ripped it from his control, it's starting to come apart. He can't keep this up especially if he's still fighting us."

A shadow suddenly loomed over the tall barricade. Virgo's wing-hands seized the hellforged rock and easily tore it in half.

"But I still have more than enough to kill you all!"

Russ barely managed to get out a, "Fuck!" before Virgo's wing-hands formed into a fist and slammed into him. The hellhound was hurled several yards away while the other wing-hand seized Flash and lifted him into the air. Virgo's true hands shot forward, generating long spears of crystal that pointed at Dante's neck.

"You three need each other. Much like Thralls, Astrals and Celestials need each other. If I separate you, your circuit dies and you are useless without one another!"

Flash snarled, struggling in the grip of the grotesque limbs. "That's what you think, asshole! It was a big mistake grabbing me!"

The red wolf threw his head back, letting out a howl that was part triumphant and part orgasm. Virgo's silvery eyes boggled and he immediately released Flash only for the red wolf to remain stuck to his palm. Flash's limbs seemed to be sucking in Virgo's flesh like the white palms were made of sticky dough that was glued to Flash's red fur. Flash's feet burst from his sneakers, his toes merging into black hooves. His claws faded into his fingertips, replaced by black nails and a long, sharp horn sprang from his forehead. A bulge throbbed against his shorts. Even Jacob's enchantments couldn't protect against aroused, throbbing equine meat and within seconds, Flash's mottled equine cock burst from the garment.

"No!" screamed Virgo. He slammed Flash into the ground and only then was he able to extract his wing-like limb from the transformed wolf.

The damage was done, however. Flash had absorbed a significant amount of Virgo's very essence and the world around them suffered for it. The ground shook. A sound akin to peeling thunder emanated from the rapidly expanding cracks all over the Domain. Black dust rained down from the sky.

Virgo hovered backwards, watching his Domain crumble.

"This is impossible! My perfect world! My Pure World! What have you done!?"

Even after all the damage done, he remained as unharmed and pristine as ever. The worry on his features was the only signs of weakness in his otherwise perfect features.

"We stand strong together, that's true," Flash growled, rising to his new, hoofed feet. "But we're still able to fight on our own! We've got our own strengths!"

The red half-unicorn, half-wolf let out a thunderous cry and shot forward, faster than he ever moved and leaped at Virgo. His fist slammed into the Celestial's face with enough force that the brilliant horn atop Virgo's head snapped in two. Russ came rushing forward, wielding two huge greatswords of hellforged matter in each hand. He slammed one right into the palm of the left-most wing-hand, pinning it to the ground. The other appendage tried to swat him away but he slashed at it with his other blade, drawing a cut across the palm and forcing it to retreat.

Dante howled in triumph, a completely instinctual act. He gathered more of the raw energies of the Domain around him. Following Russ' example, he slammed his foot on the ground beneath him. Black cracks spread out from his toes, spreading off in all directions and blackening the polished, slippery surface.

"Enough!"

The tremendous cry pushed Dante back several feet. Flash and Russ were flung back as well. Virgo lifted off the ground, any wounds he suffered closing and even his horn healing within moments. He scowled at the trio of hounds.

"You have pushed me to the limits of my patience! If you will not be purified, if you will remain insolent and refuse to die_, I shall show no mercy!_"

The ground shook, unbalancing Dante. He fell on his rump as the very Domain shattered all around them. From his eyes, he could see Virgo drawing the remaining energies that sustained the pocket dimension into himself. As he did so, the last two pairs of wing-hands began to unfurl. The beauty of the Pure World faded into darkness around them before that darkness was sucked into Virgo and they were placed right back in the foyer of Castello della Vergine only it was a very different scene.

Crystals were scattered all about them and signs of a battle were everywhere. Rubble were scattered here and there while parts of the floor appeared to have been eaten away by some sort of acid.

The scenery could wait, however, as the sounds of crackling concrete followed as Virgo spread his wings and revealed his true form. That same, silvery fur covered the rest of his body, almost giving him a mirror-like quality. Perfect legs and divine abdominals gave him an intimidating appearance. No more, however, than the third leg springing from his crotch. Even flaccid, the black, equine dick hung at 11-inches, seemingly unable to be contained by a sheath.

Even without the offensive pressure of the Domain surrounding him, Dante could still feel the divinity radiating from Virgo; a blistering aura that blistered his skin. The Celestial's soul was so bright that it dominated the scene with a silvery light. Dante had to switch off his Soul Vision just to keep himself from being blinded by the intense aura.

"Now," boomed Virgo. His upper pair of wing-hand lifted into the air, heels pressed together. "Begone..."_Scintillating light gathered at the palms of the those appendages, forming into a ball with heat and light as intense as the sun. _"...and be purified!"

Dante scrambled to his feet -

Just as something blue appeared in front of Virgo and pressed something against the Celestial's nose.

... a sticker?

"Boop," was all Jacob said.

Brilliant, blue lightning suddenly smashed through the ceiling and crashed right into Virgo. The Celestial roared more out of annoyance than pain as the wizard landed a short distance away and ran over to the three hounds.

"You three okay?" he asked.

"Did you actually come in at the right time or were you waiting somewhere to make your entrance as dramatic as ever?" Russ accused.

"It had to be dramatic," answered the blue-clad lawyer with a grin. "That's the only way I could take advantage of Electra's Sphere."

Before Dante could ask who 'Electra' was, blistering arrows of angry, green fire slammed into Virgo's hovering form. A golden unicorn wielding the Bow of Pestilence dashed across the second floor, raining down the arrows upon the Celestials. On the opposite side, a brown-furred unicorn with rather rounded features, licked a lollipop that seemed to cause Virgo pain. She scrambled past the crumbling god to stand beside Jacob.

"That's it, dah-lings!" cried a very flamboyantly dressed unicorn as she slid down the banister of the grand stair case. "Now for the finale!"

Two Astrals came charging out from opposite ends of the second floor, one with gray fur and the other unmistakably being Frank. They both jumped off the second floor railings towards one another. The one grey one, an older female, spun in the air and seemed to generate crystals as she spun. Many of them fell down upon Virgo, causing the Celestial further annoyance. They collided in midair, clasping hands like experienced acrobats. The gray-furred one flung Frank right down at Virgo.

"Take this you virgin piece of shit!" roared Frank.

He slammed his fist right into Virgo's forehead, snapping that horn once more and sending the god crashing into the grand staircase, shattering it entirely. Frank jumped away from the rubble as the the ceiling began crumbling from the impact of the lightning. Debris, wood and even a crystal chandelier all came crashing down upon Virgo's form, burying the god beneath the rubble of his villa.

Dante cocked his head in confusion as the other unicorns joined them. "What happened here?"

"We made a few unlikely allies," Jacob explained. "Turns out, Matteo and the other Astrals were actually planning to overthrow Virgo in the first place. After a short fight through the villa and a kick ass musical number, we came to an understanding." He made a gesture like he was drawing a rainbow with his palms. "Friendship is magic."

"Musical number?" repeated Flash. "You guys sang away your differences?"

The golden unicorn which Dante assumed was Matteo shrugged. "It helped."

Dante could only imagine what kind of madness had occurred in their absence but he was certainly glad that both Jacob and Frank had remained relatively unharmed. Their clothes were similarly in tatters, clearly having taken some hits of their own but they came out stronger for it.

Russ began emitting a low growl as the rubble in front of them began to shake. "Don't think it's over just yet!"

Big, white hands burst from the debris. These hovering appendages swept aside the rubble, giving room for Virgo to emerge complete with his other four wing-hands. The injuries all over his body began to heal rapidly, blood fading from his silvery fur, cuts mending almost instantly and even his broken horn once more mending itself within seconds.

"So I have been betrayed by even my Astrals," jeered the Celestial. "Leo and the others must be laughing themselves to death wherever they are hiding." Strength returning to his body, Virgo lifted his head, glaring down at them with his silvery eyes. "I can see now that the foundations of paradise that I sought were fundamentally flawed. How can I make something perfect and pure from something that is already so flawed?"

His eyes scoured the gathered Astrals. "It was a mistake to leave each of you with the corrupted taint of other souls within you. Only I am perfect and truly pure!"

One of the Astrals suddenly screamed. Huge, white hands similar to Virgo's wing-hands exploded from the ground and wrapped around her legs, the fingers quickly starting to cocoon her.

"Isabella!" cried Frank.

Other hands exploded from the ground and started wrapping around the other Astral. "Fuck!" Matteo roared, trying to knock the fingers back but could do little more than delay his entrapment. Frank, who had been purified through Flash, remained unaffected.

"All shall be pure!" roared Virgo. "All shall be me!"

The exasperated sigh from Jacob cut through the chaos.

"Good god! You went from the semi-sympathetic, broken villain to psychotic megalomaniac at the drop of a hat!" The lawyer threw his hands up in exasperation. "You had such a decent character arc going! Seriously, the injured individual who lost her virginity to a brute and has spent her entire immortal existence trying to find some way to regain what she lost even if she never realized that's what she wanted in the first place? That's good character development right there!"

He turned his back to Virgo, forming claws with his hands and turning to the sky as if lamenting to a deity above. "But then you just had to go down crazy psycho bitch that's going to rob everyone of their free will to make them pure. I mean, I guess I get it but that is just so cliched! I would've honestly preferred the over-the-top anime fight that culminates in a combination attack where we all combine our powers and disintegrate you! But this... God..."

Matteo let out a shout of frustration as he desperately tried to keep the white fingers from from closing around his chest."In case you didn't notice, we're dying here!"

Reaper waved him down. "I know, I know. That's bad. But I have just got to get this off my chest." He turned back towards Virgo. "Purity is boring."

Those three, simple words seemed to cut through all the tension and leave a gaping wound of stunned silence. Even cocoons closing in around the Astrals had stopped their advance as even they seemed to await for clarity from Jacob.

"Excuse me?" demanded Virgo. "What is more desirable than purity?"

"Uhm... everything?" Jacob replied, glancing at the others as if he couldn't believe what the Celestial was saying. "Have you ever had pure water? It's so bland. Put some Cool-Aid in that or even a simple lemon and it's so much better! You don't just eat pure sugar unless you're a true psycho gunning for cavities! You bake it, you turn it into candy or caramelize it with some onion to make a beautiful compote."

"Yeah!" shouted the rounded, unicorn.

"Isabella knows what I'm talking about," Jacob laughed. "And the air we breathe isn't even pure oxygen. Nothing is truly pure and those that are are boring! Pure diamonds are pretty and may be damn hard to break but honestly? The just look like pretty glass! Give me a sapphire, emerald or topaz! Something with color that isn't just shiny!"

The lawyer spread his arms. "The true joy in this world isn't the search for purity but the experience of walking through life, making mistakes and learning from them. Stop this quest for a way to purify yourself. Bear every scar, every heartbreak, every bitter memory with pride and know that it has built the building blocks of your life up to this point. Finally accept that, yes, your life sucked all that time ago but look at where it got you! You're a Celestial. How many could claim that?"

For a long moment, Virgo said nothing and simply stared at Reaper.

"Your words fall on deaf ears," said the Celestial evenly. "No mortal can understand the pain that I have gone through. Accept my scars? Just live with my burdens? No. I refuse!" He shook his head defiantly. "I will purify the world and cleanse it even if I must turn every single person on this planet into me_! Then we can_ all be happy!"

Jacob sighed. "Yeah, I didn't think that'd actually work."

"Then what was the point!?" roared Matteo. He let out a panicked cry as the hands began closing around him again.

Jacob grinned. "The point was that speech took up the very precious minutes I needed before dawn."

On cue, somewhere, a rooster crowed.

Virgo just laughed.

"Fool. You think that Matteo's Sphere will save you? Perhaps he can restore you all to full strength at dawn but what good will that do you once he and the other traitors are reflections of me?"

Frank threw his head back and let out a barking laugh. "You're really fucked up in the head if you think we were counting on making friends with Matteo to save us."

There, Virgo paused. "What do -?"

Light suddenly spilled from above, golden rays streaming in through the broken rooftop and angling down at Virgo like an enormous, heavenly spotlight. The Celestial looked up...

BOOM!

... Just as a brilliant, spear of pure light shot down and pierced his chest right down the middle.

Flash pumped a fist through the air. "Bullseye!"

"Alfonso to the rescue!" exclaimed Dante.

Admittedly, the Lance of Longinus had been planned as a counter to Matteo. Knowing full well that Matteo's Sphere would allow him to rejuvenate himself entirely at dawn, they had planned for Alfonso to unleash a Lance of Longinus that Jacob had taught him how to deploy at the crack of dawn. If none of them called Alfonso to confirm they had won, he would unleash the Lance.

It was the reason Jacob had been very conscious about the time.

"Now!" Russ roared. "Dante, free the others! Flash, Frank. You're with me! Reaper, give us covering fire!"

Jacob flicked out his staff and threw Popsicle sticks into the air. He smacked each one with his staff, snapping them and sending fireballs slamming into Virgo's twitching form. The Lance was powerful but with Virgo's Sphere, the Celestial would continue to recover so long as he had power.

Dante knew what he had to do.

He turned towards Matteo and the other trapped Astrals, holding out his paws towards them and rapidly draining the energy from those white constraints. Within mere moments, the marble appendages shattered and crumbled to dust. Matteo stood next to Jacob, holding out his bow and firing arrows straight at Virgo. Isabella licked her lollipops in what he could only assume was somehow helping the party while gray-furred unicorn flung crystals alongside the others. The one holding the golden microphone shouted encouraging words.

As he turned back around, he watched Frank dissolve into a torrent of black tar which Flash and Russ rode all the way up to the gargantuan Virgo. Russ generated hellforged weapons for them both and the plunged their blades into Virgo's flesh. The Celestial screamed as he desperately tried to pull himself off from the Lance. Frank spread himself against the lower two wing-hands, trying to keep them away from the other two hounds. Flash kicked down the right wings while Russ was occupied with the left. Virgo used his own arms to grab the spear and slowly try to extract himself from the weapon while enduring the rain of projectiles upon him.

It was a battle of attrition... but such wars were ones that Virgo would always win.

So there was only one way to win.

Dante bolted forward, baring his fangs. He clamored up the debris beneath Virgo, weaving past Frank's gooey form. With all his might, he lunged upwards...

... and clamped his jaws around Virgo's dick.

The Celestial suddenly froze in shock.

Dante started sucking.

An immense flood of power rushed into him. Not only spiritually but physically as well. Virgo was leaking like a faucet and his precum contained just as much of the lemony energy as mere contact. Dante could feel his pectorals swelling like balloons and his balls jostling, begging for release. His cock sprang from his sheath, throbbing and spewing ropes of increasingly thickening precum beneath him.

Gravity started pulling him down and he realized that he had a poor grip from his position. He lashed out, digging his clawed into Virgo's thighs and causing the Celestial to scream in a mix of agony and pleasure. It was still not enough and he was slowly being dragged off the long, equine dick.

Warm, thick goo wrapped around his legs and pushed him back up. He dared a glance over his shoulder at the slick silhouette of Frank holding him up while supported on a pedestal of his own, liquefied mass. They shared a nod and Frank began gently pushing Dante further and further up Virgo's rapidly swelling cock.

"I will purify you!" Celestial threatened. "You desire my dick! Fine! Be purified in my holy seed!"

The large wing-hands still covered in Frank's tar seized them both, pulling them up and forcing Dante to swallow more of that equine cock. This effort alone took a toll on Virgo ad the flood into Dante only intensified. The other hand-wings visibly weakened, freeing up both Russ and Flash. Knowing what was needed, Flash immediately scrambled beneath Dante.

The black wolf was startled when he felt his fellow lupine's lips wrap around his own cock, heat rushing up his cheeks as Frank's steady gyrations began pumping his seed into Flash. This was intensified when Russ suddenly placed himself behind Flash and pushed his own cock into the red wolf. The circuit flow was completed as Dante absorbed the energy from Virgo, passed it onto Flash who purified it and siphoned it into Russ.

"Purify!" wailed Virgo. "Purity! Be purified!"

The fading cries of the Celestial grew more desperate even as his dick grew harder and harder. Even with his own precum pouring into Flash, it wasn't enough to fully exhaust all the power that was flooding into him. He was on the verge of bursting...

... then he felt Frank's cock slide into his ass.

A moan rose from his throat, muffled by the thick, equine cock in his muzzle. The slick, wet member slipped into his hole, slipping past his tight ass and filling him in a way he had never expected to be filled. The member seemed to inflate inside of him, pressing up against his prostate and causing his eyes to roll into the back of his head. Frank reached up from his waist and gripped his swollen pectorals for support, inadvertently stimulating him further. Thick ropes of milk exploded from his nipples and drooled all over Frank's hands. Whether he knew it or not, the half-tar equine absorbed the raw power he received from Virgo both from being inside Dante and the milk seeping all over his hands.

Frank threw his head back, letting out a loud whinny. The pillar of tar he supported himself on thrashed and thickened, multiplying rapidly and splashing around them wildly. Virgo could only buck his hips as the thick, black mass smeared all of his body, pulling him down into itself and to the ground.

"Corrupt..." moaned the Celestial. "... so... corrupt..."

Dante couldn't take it anymore.

He mentally cried in orgasm as his balls slammed into the base of his cock and sent the first torrent of seed right into Flash's gut. At the same time, this suddenly left a huge gap in his personal storage. Nature abhorred a vacuum. More of Virgo's power flooded into him, fueling the next burst.

Over and over again, he spewed his seed, leaving more room for him to drain Virgo. All the while, Flash gobbled up his warm juices, giving what he could to Russ who absorbed what he could.

By the fifth burst, Virgo's resistances crumbled. The Celestial screamed. His seed pumped through his balls, carrying the last vestiges of his immense, stockpiled power and poured it right into Dante. The poor, sable wolf wasn't ready for the suddenly flood and choked a little, coughing up the cum and letting it spill all over his chest and onto the tar-covered ground. Better than being in Virgo at the very least. Still, he doggedly held his grip on Virgo, draining the Celestial until he dropped to the floor, bathed in Frank's tar and just speared on the tip of the Lance. Frank reached up, pulled the mythical weapon from Virgo's chest and tossed it aside.

What little of Virgo's power was left healed the wound, at least ensuring that he would live.

The rest came gushing out of his equine cock into Dante.

Forever Fresh

As one might expect, like its many Astrals, Virgo's Mantle is that of the Virgin but unlike the Astrals who claim Virgo as their lord and god, the God of Virginity draws strength from all forms of Virginity. Whether it be the loss, preservation, taking or even mere awareness of virginity, Virgo has multiple sources of its power.

Likewise, it possesses the Sphere of Freshness allowing it to renew anything and everything within its influence. One might think that this is akin to its Astrals where it can refresh itself in the midst of battle to forever be fresh. However, it extends beyond that. Virgo can 'refresh' old injuries, making them as if they were freshly inflicted. Similarly, it can revert anything and everything to a predetermined state, rewinding time for that target. There are limits to this power, of course. The further back Virgo has to turn back the clock, the more power it requires. It must also be aware of the state that it is reverting the target to. It cannot simply demand to turn an eighty-year-old back to their twenty-year-old self if they do not have an awareness of how that person looked or acted sixty years ago.

In this way, it makes me wonder why Virgo simply did not grant a level of immortality to its Astrals if it possessed this power. Surely a band of ageless, unwaveringly-loyal Astrals would be far more beneficial than hunting down new Astrals every century or so?

Then again, one could argue that the death of an Astral is required to maintain its grip on the leyline network.

_ _

*******

November 29th, 6:00 PM, Devil's Peak Facility

Virgo was exhausted. Both physically and metaphysically.

The great God of Virginity had no power left to fight and, surrounded by his former Astrals, he had gone somewhat willingly to the airport where he was flown back to Maine on the private jet that Alfonso had chartered. This had to be done without anyone seeing the enormous, silver unicorn with six, hand-wings wrapped around him comfortingly. Jacob's glamor spells helped.

In the long flight back to Maine, the remaining Astrals had asked to be 'cleansed' much like Frank. After having experienced the terror of nearly losing their free will, they wanted nothing to do with Virgo. That involved quite of effort on both Dante and Flash's part as they absorbed the foul seed in the Astrals while leaving them with their Spheres and Mantles.

Upon arrival, Alfonso had organized a small convoy with the aid of the truckers that Frank had initially converted. They shipped Virgo in one of the trucks all the way to Devil's Peak where they arrived at the secret Godhunter Facility.

The snowy peaks of Devil's Peak was the perfect hiding spot for a facility at the base of one of the mountains. Hidden amongst the brush with no roads leading to it, the group brought the imprisoned god to a large, metal door. The same strange emblem that had formed the lock on the Celestial Cradle was emblazoned on the door.

"I know how to open it," Russ announced. He stepped forward and bit the tip of his finger, drawing blood. He smeared it on the lock and, just like with the Cradle, the multiple rings that made up the intricate device began spinning. After a series of clicks, the entire door slid into the ground, opening the way into the facility for them.

Lights flickered on as they entered and the door shut behind them as soon as Electra, who brought up the rear, stepped inside.

"Whoa..." breathed Flash.

Before them was an enormous network of tubes, pipes, wires and interlocking devices. Control panels were scattered in various locations but all seemed to avoid a central platform. The circular dais was enormous and lifted off the ground, a small flight of stairs leading up to it. There was a large slab of metal resting upright at the very center. Four similar slabs were positioned around the central one in the four cardinal directions. Wires, pipes and tubes hung above each one.

"What is this place?" Dante asked, looking to Jacob.

The lawyer and wizard shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. Virgil kept this part to himself." He wandered over to a nearby console and began tapping away at the keys. "Huh. Everything seems to be online and..."

Reaper suddenly jumped back as every screen in the facility suddenly sprang to life. Virgil's kindly face appeared on each one, watery green eyes regarding them with a warmth and kindness that plucked at Dante's heart strings.

"My dearest Dante..." sighed the recording. "If you are listening to this, then you have succeeded like I knew you would. It is time to finally reveal to you the final part of my plan and the way I hope to end this cycle."

Virgo scoffed. His wings were bound to him by thick, black, aetherite chains. Weakened as he was, he would never be able to break through them. "The Godhunters succeeded many times to bring low other Celestials. To think all of this would be necessary to bring just one is a testament to just how desperate you all are."

"Shut up," Frank snarled.

"As you know," Virgil continued, "I had intended for you to open the Celestial Cradle alongside another. That is because I needed three components for the plan to work. An intake for divine power, someone to store that power and the third, Russ, to redistribute the power into the leylines. This was the intention behind this facility. The Godhunters worked long and hard to find ways to carefully and safely redistribute the soul of the Celestial back into the leyline network. We have been burned in the past where simply killing a Celestial will cause the dissipated soul to cause a scar in the leylines that would ultimately ruin the next generation."

Virgo threw his head back and let out a laugh. "Had I known, I would simply have killed myself!"

"You're too proud for that," Matteo accused.

"This device, indeed, this facility, was designed for the captured Celestial to go at the center stage while you, Russ and your companion are positioned in the three other tables. The machine will stimulate your powers, dissolving the Celestial into their soul, passing it through you, going through the purifier in the storage and then using Russ' abilities to redistribute it into the leylines."

"It can't be that simple!" snapped Virgo.

"You may be asking how this is possible," continued Virgil. "Well, over time, a Celestial basically becomes a physical manifestation of their soul. Whether or not they are in human guise, they have mastered the art of connecting their soul with their physical form. This is how they can remain ageless and even change their form at will. They have become so adept at this that the boundaries between soul and body have become blurred. So much so that in my observations, a Celestial is almost entirely this amalgamation."

When Dante looked back at all the times he had gazed upon Virgo with his Soul Vision, he didn't see any differences between his form and his soul. In fact, when they first met, Dante saw the pristine, white-clad man with silvery hair and bronzed skin not the equine abomination that was his true form. This was unlike Jacob who still appeared as a human but whose true form was a lupine with chain-wings or Frank who had to appear as a human while they were at the airport but still towered as a black unicorn in his eyes.

Virgo was truly as he appeared.

"This is a double edged sword," continued Virgil. "It gives the Celestial unprecedented control over their own physical form but at the same time, it means that they are vulnerable to ethereal manipulations. Techniques like the ones employed by this machine will manipulate the Celestial's soul, reducing them them to their most basic form to go through the cycle."

Only now did Virgo start showing some fear. "That's impossible..."

"So was taking down a god but here we are," Russ mocked. His mocker quickly died, however, as he regarded the central platform again. "But he mentioned there's a bed for each of us. What's the spare one for?"

Virgil visibly sighed on the screens.

"I don't know if there are any other Godhunters living or if you have perhaps befriended any descendants of Godhunters that somehow picked up their ancestor's task despite the Order being disbanded but I must apologize. There is... something about this plan that did not sit well with me."

Dante regarded his grandfather's visage with concern. "Grandpa...?"

"The Godhunter's approach always seemed narrow-minded to me," continued Virgil. "It focused too much on the Celestial and not enough on the impact that Celestial had. On the people that would be affected by the Celestial's departure. I'm not sure how much you've gone through my journal before you reached this facility but I purposefully omitted this part for fear that other Godhunters might have found it or any Astral discovered the truth.

"You see, I have altered this machine. It can still do what it was originally designed to do... but you will notice a fourth platform. This is for someone to become a host to the Celestial's power."

Dante jolted in surprise and exchanged glances with the others. "A host..." he repeated.

"All surviving Celestials these days have some form of great influence in the world. They run companies, have influence in the stock market, control political powers or just have big, strong connections. Their Astrals expand this influence."

Virgil looked down at his hands. "I could not help but ask the question of what would happen to those people once their Celestial was gone. They will retain a modicum of their powers once they have departed. Their Mantle and Sphere will be lost but they will still hold the great control they have over their souls that allow them to change shape and this could potentially lead them to manifesting the true power of their Soul. The only reason they were staying together and acting in concert with one another was because of the Celestial holding them together. Whether it was because they respected, feared or hated the Celestial, it didn't matter. That Celestial was keeping them in check, holding them together. What would happen once that Celestial was gone?"

"Anarchy," laughed Virgo, throwing his head back. He threw a mad grin at Matteo. "Tell me, Matteo. Will you have the leadership to hold together this band of traitors?" He shot Isabella a wide-eyed stare. "Will you? Or you? Or you?" He questioned each of the remaining Astrals, going from Electra, Alfonso and even Frank. "Will your ambitions stop here? Will you follow one of you or will you war amongst each other on who will claim my vast riches and title!?"

No one had an answer.

It was just like the numerous suitors coming for Virgil's fortune. Would the Astrals all fight for Virgo's legacy.

"That is why I modified the machine," continued Virgil. "Jacob, Russ... I apologize for keeping this knowledge from you. Russ, I know you have lived for so long and fought for an eternity to kill the remaining Celestials so I didn't know how you would react to me even thinking about preserving their power."

Russ huffed and crossed his arms. "Not well."

"Jacob, you always told me to find my own path and by the time I had brought you into the fray, I was already embarking on this plan. You were still an unknown and even now, I'm not sure how you feel about this."

"I'm honestly impressed," Jacob said with a smile. "This is a lot of foresight."

"Dante," sighed Virgil at length. "I know it is a lot to ask but I have always seen this light in you that draws others to you. This shine of hope, this beacon that draws others to you and inspires others to do the right thing. It is just the brilliance of your soul. I have no doubt that in your journey, you have found someone that is brave enough to take the mantle of the Celestial or Celestials you have captured."

The old Godhunter leaned back and let out a heavy sigh. "But I digress. The machine now has another function. As mentioned, the original function is to pump the Celestial's purified essence back into the leylines. The secondary function is to reduce the Celestial into pure leyline energy but extract the divinity from them. Their soul goes back to the leylines as it was originally intended but the divine qualities can be passed on to a fourth, the host. They become the new Celestial with the same Mantle and Sphere."

"What the hell is the purpose of that!?" Russ barked. "We're not changing anything!"

Jacob held up a hand. "Let him finish."

"The original purpose of the Celestial Cradle was to elevate a few people above others so that they may take aspects of the universe, refine it in new ways, pass that knowledge into others and then return to the leylines so that this new methodology becomes accessible to everyone else. Somewhere along the line, we forgot this and mortals began hoarding the power instead of returning it to the leylines and making the world a little more magical."

Virgil smiled slightly. "I cannot ask you, any of you, to stick around forever to ensure that this cycle continues but I am also well aware that the abrupt loss of a Celestial could be just as devastating as one staying alive in perpetuity. So, I hoped for a compromise. It relies entirely on having faith on the host and the solemn promise never to abuse the divine powers like these Celestials have but I think that is the power that humanity has.

"I propose that whoever you choose to be the host will become the new Celestial and lead whatever family, corporation, army or group that the former Celestial once led. They must swear never to make any more Astrals or Thralls to extend their own life and when it is time, they must pass their Mantle onto the next generation. This will ensure that each generation is able to contribute something new to the world. They will take this power, this gift, make it their own and when they are ready, give it back to the leylines so that everyone can enjoy it. The power passes on to the next generation, be it biological or adoptive, and the cycle continues. That way, we push mankind ever forward."

Russ shook his head angrily. "We're just starting everything over again! Somewhere down the line, someone is going to get it in their head to make Astrals or Thralls and live on forever! They're going to make the excuse that they haven't contributed anything and just keep it forever! Then people will suffer and thousands of years from now, someone will have to do this shit all over again!"

Dante pursed his lips a little. "Except it won't."

The hellhound regarded him with a mix of anger and confusion. "What makes you so sure?"

He turned towards the gathered Astrals. "Because we won't be lying to everyone about them becoming gods. If there's anything we've proved here and now is that there are no gods. Just mortals. Someone will rise up and bring them down. Someone will rebel against them. It might not be in our generation or even thousands of generations from now but they will always_be reminded that they are mortal. Unlike Virgo and the others who were told that they would become immortal gods. There's no _Cradle to facilitate that."

Russ winced and turned away. "Will that be enough though?"

On cue, Virgil continued. "You may be concerned that this will just continue the cycle which we currently find ourselves stalled within. But there is a slight difference with my method versus the current. Every time the Mantle is passed, it grows weaker. The beauty of the Cradle is that it constantly generated Mantle and Spheres based on which ones had already been touched upon or hadn't been taken. Without the Cradle_, nothing governs this and nothing can grant_new Mantles. Eventually, the existing Mantles will be exhausted as each individual person that has taken it will explore it to its limits. Much of the Mantle and power is exhausted in the transition process and only through the hard work of the soul holding it is it reinforced and strengthened. But it still loses power. In fact, you could use this machine right now to keep passing the Mantle from host to host over and over again, back and forth until it is utterly exhausted and is of no use.

"But I find that the possibility of bettering mankind by building on the mistakes of the past is better."

Russ grumbled. "Still doesn't make me feel better. Feels like one of these assholes might just go ahead and be the next Virgo and start making Astrals or Thralls to preserve their own life."

Electra batted her eyes at him. "Have some faith, dah-ling. We were just about to be turned into mindless thralls less than a day ago. I, for one, am not going to be inflicting that on anyone else."

"I honestly don't want the damned thing," said Galatea Valentino, fanning herself. "But I do like the life of comfort I have now. I would like to see the Valentino Family survive at least until I turn to dust."

"I've always fought for control over my own life," agreed Matteo. "Seeing how close I was to losing that..." He shook his head. "No. No Thralls or Astrals."

Jacob snapped a finger. "Then how about a geas?"

"If you still have doubts," Virgil said,"then I suggest a geas. Jacob can explain."

The lawyer turned towards the screen, giving it a strange look. "Your timing with that was oddly on point, Virgil. You're not secretly alive and are monitoring us right now, are you?"

No response from the still image save for Virgil seemingly waiting and breathing steadily. After a few moments, Virgil said, "As Jacob will have undoubtedly explained, a geas is the best way to ensure the compliance of your host and future generations. I have taken the liberty of printing out a contract that I am sure he will agree to notarize."

The console buzzed. A printout slowly spewed from one of the nearby slots. Jacob plucked the page while explaining that a geas was a magically enforced contract. During the days of the Circle, Warlocks in particular drew up contracts with their chosen Celestials that allowed them to 'borrow' powers from the Celestial in exchange for certain services. These were geas. Anyone who broke the geas usually suffered some sort of extreme punishment. Warlocks could lose their powers, entire limbs or even outright die.

"Let's see what it says here," Jacob began, examining the pages before him. "The recipient of the new Celestial's powers hereby known as 'the Host' is not allowed to make any new Astrals or Thralls and isn't allowed to extend their life or the lives of others beyond natural means with these powers." He began flipping through the pages. "There are clauses here about self-defense especially against other Celestials, coercion..." His eyebrows rose. "... government or public discovery and alien invasion. Wow. He was thorough."

"What happens if we break the clause?" Matteo demanded.

Jacob hit pause on the video of Virgil's recording before he did a bit more reading. "It says here that the Host must assign up to a total of ten other recipients for the power and organize them in a line of succession. Should the Host breach the terms of the geas, the power will pass to the next recipient on the list. The title of Host will pass to the recipient while the previous Host will..." Jacob's eyes boggled and he choked a little. "... be given 24-hours to get their affairs in order before the geas will forcibly eject them into the leyline network."

Dante flinched and regarded Jacob with horror. He padded over and peered over his mentor's shoulder just so that he could confirm the words on the page. Those very same words were printed on the page in black and white.

"Can it do that...?" he asked. "Can a geas really just kill someone like that?"

"Geas are ultimately a form of magical contract and magic is really just secret cheat codes to the universe that lets you do things that you wouldn't think possible. If people agree to this geas, they bind themselves to the spell. They become part of it and basically fuel it with their very souls. It's entirely possible."

He couldn't imagine anyone agreeing to such terms. The alternative was, of course, the loss of Virgo's Mantle and Sphere. Each of the Astrals still had vast knowledge, wealth, riches and their own skills. Surely they could make do without these powers.

"How about we listen to everything else that Virgil has to say?" suggested Flash. "He's not done, right?" The broad shouldered crimson wolf padded over and pressed the play button on the recording.

"I cannot predict everything that may have happened that would have led you here," Virgil continued solemnly. "I don't know what world I have left behind nor can I fully guarantee that you really are my dearest grandson. The most maddening thing about this entire experience is that I simply cannot be there to help despite the fact that I have done so much to set you on this path and thrust my own flesh and blood into a war that I could not finish."

Virgil sighed wearily. "There were days that I wish I could have opened the Cradle myself. I even considered faking my own death and then living the rest of my life in secret trying to destroy the Celestials by using the power of the Cradle. But then I was reminded that this world works in cycles. The Water Cycle. The Nitrogen Cycle. The Life Cycle. And now, I suppose, the Celestial Cycle. When these cycles are stalled, the world crumbles. We cannot be without the Celestials. But at the same time, they must be returned to the cycle."

Virgil took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his eyes becoming watery. "There is so much I wanted to tell you, my dearest Dante. But there is one thing that even the Celestials could never stop."

"Time," Jacob surmised.

"Time marches ever forward. Those of us who refuse to change with it will find ourselves stagnating and being left behind. But that is nothing to be feared. It is to be celebrated."

"Sentimental old fool," scowled Virgo.

Frank smacked the Celestial's cheek, silencing him.

"I await my next adventure," Virgil said, fighting tears. "Whatever it may be. All I can do is prepare you and give you the tools to make yours better than mine ever was. The best thing any person could ever hope for is to plant a tree that they themselves will never enjoy its shade. I know you will make the right decision for you, Dante. I have faith in you. I love you."

And with that, the recording ended. Dante fought back tears, lower lip quivering. Flash's strong arms wrapped around him, keeping him from shaking. There was a moment of silence as everyone present, even Virgo, respected the final words of a the Last Godhunter.

"There's a third option," Alfonso suggested, stepping forward. "We could still stay as a family. We could stay strong as the Valentinos. But we do not need Virgo's power." He rested a hand on Frank's shoulders. "One of our brothers found a new power. We could follow that path. Find our inner strength and use the foundation we have now instead of letting it all go to waste."

"That's foolish," Galatea Valentino huffed. "Foolish and hypocritical. If you wish for us to use our existing resources then why not use Virgo's Mantle? Or are you scared of falling into temptation and being killed by a geas, father? Cannot trust yourself not to give into temptation? Typical priest."

"Hey!" barked Frank, looming over the frail-looking woman. "If anyone here is fit to inherit Virgo's power, it's Alfonso! He's the smartest out of all of us and he basically ran the place! If he doesn't want to sign that geas, then I say we follow his lead!"

"And why should we stay as a family, boo?" demanded Isabella. She licked her lollipop, making both Jacob and Frank flinch for some reason. "The only reason we stuck together was because Virgo gave us power. Lured us with sweets, smokes and mirrors and then took advantage of us like a cheap back-alley ho. We didn't_like_ each other. We could barely stand each other. Let's just go our separate ways. Split up the lands and shit and go our separate ways." She jerked her chin at Jacob. "Hey twink, you're a lawyer, right? You can sort this shit out."

Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. "Wouldn't be the first time I've had to split up assets across multiple parties. Certainly easier than that time I had to split up an entire universe between semi-elemental primordial beings that embodied the loftiest concepts of higher thought."

"See?" she said, waving her candy at Jacob. "Why bother with this bullshit? We were all going to stab Matteo in the back when he took up the Mantle in the end anyway, right?"

Matteo regarded her with shock and offense. "What? You were?"

She gave him an exasperated look. "Bitch, you were so like Virgo that it was like looking at his fucking kid. We weren't going to kill Daddy Deity only to let Jesus Junior hand out the Ten Commandments." She looked pensively at the machine. "Honestly, I don't think we even knew what the fuck we were going to do once you were both dead."

A soft throat was cleared and all eyes went to Electra Valentino. She stepped forward, still holding that golden microphone to her lips even though there was no sound system to propel her voice.

"Dah-lings, I know we haven't been the closest of families but I honestly think that's beside the point here." She regarded them pleadingly. "We've taken so much from this world. Made slaves of innocent people who came to us looking for meaning in their lives. We were this close to being turned into such _boring_drones ourselves." She held her thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "I think this is our opportunity to give back."

"What are you saying?" Matteo demanded. "We give up all our powers, turn ourselves into a goddamn religion and devote yourselves to charity?"

"Religions_do_ get a pretty decent tax break," Jacob offered.

"No, no," sighed Electra. "What I mean is taking up the burden of carrying Virgo's powers through generations, refining it and then having the dignity to pass it on when it's time. It's time we started using our powers to give back to the world we've taken so much from. Better, we don't even have to wait until the previous owner dies or is sickly to pass it on right? Maybe if we're stuck or just want to retire, let's pass it on. Give it to someone else to use it so that they can make the world a little better."

Dante found himself smiling at the sentiment. He doubted that everyone would have such altruistic intentions and some part of him suspected that, somewhere down the line, someone would use Virgo's powers for selfish gain. There would be wars fought over that power. But the idea still sounded nice in concept.

Except for one thing.

"It's still going back to the way things were," snapped Russ. "Sure, for a couple of generations that power might just inject a bit more magic into the world but somewhere down the line, someone is going to twist history and the ideals we have here today and then we'll have another goddamn Celestial Cradle." Russ flung his paws into the air in frustration. "Fuck! Who is to stay this isn't how the Cradle even started? One simple, basic Mantle and Sphere that kept getting developed until it's suddenly granting people goddamn immortality! If we keep doing this, somewhere down the line, we'd have a fuck-ton of Celestial Cradles running around! That'll be a shit ton worse!"

Dante nodded in agreement and stepped forward. "Then that's where we will come in."

His announcement stunned the entire gathering.

"The Godhunters only got inserted into the cycle late in the game. They only came about as a result of Celestials abusing the Cradle. But what if they were always a factor? What if instead of being born from Celestials rebelling against their pantheons or mortals taking up arms against the Celestials that were going to turn them into mindless Thralls or Astrals, they were always there to remind even the most powerful Celestial that they were mortal once and that there are no gods." He looked from face to face. "Just mortals?"

Flash slowly unwound his arms from around him. "What are you saying, Dante?"

"I'm saying..." He paused, finding his words. "... I'm saying that what we need is a different kind of Godhunter. People who teach those with great power that this is a cycle. It's ultimately about bringing magic to the world right? So why don't we make it less about becoming gods and gaining ultimate power and doing the thing that we should be doing with our lives? Enjoying every moment but also making sure that we leave the world better for the next generation? Let's be the harbingers of a better tomorrow."

"That's a bold statement," Jacob said, folding his arms. "A collection of mortals with different powers, come together to perpetuate a cycle of granting the gift of magic to the rest of mankind. You think you can handle that responsibility? Is this the path you're willing to take?"

Dante had to look at his own paws and fell silent for a long moment. After so long drifting between possible futures and remaining indecisive about what his future would hold, was this finally the one course he would take? That sliver of doubt crawled into his mind again and he wondered if he could commit to this when he had his dad and boyfriend to think about.

His worry was answered when a big, red hand curled around his paw, gripping it tightly. He looked to Flash's bright, blue eyes, regarding him with a hopeful glimmer.

"Yes," he said firmly. "I definitely want to do this."

Virgo's laughter cut through the warm moment.

"None of this will matter," cackled the Celestial. He eyed them all with hate burning in his eyes. "Go ahead. Form your covenant and plan your futures. None of you will ever see it to fruition. You've made the mistake of declaring the truth about the Cradle to my brothers and sisters. There are also the other pantheons to worry about. Even my power alone isn't enough to hold them all back!"

He grinned maniacally a them. "The moment you kill me, you will all be a target! You'll be the fools who dared to kill a god! That'll make you a threat to them! Not just the Zodiacs! To everyone! They'll either want your power or your heads!"

A wave of fear rippled throughout the gathered mortals.

"So what?"

All eyes went to a defiant Matteo. "I grew up on the streets with nothing. Not even my parents. The whole world was against me and yet I still pulled through. I made something of myself before you came, Virgo. It may not have been much but it was my path. I was proud of it." He turned towards the rest of the gathering, his fiery stare inspiring them. "Let the others come. We won't be afraid. Because even if we fail, at the very least we got rid of one of the _parasites_that have been killing us slowly and poisoning our world."

Dante nodded firmly in agreement while Russ let out a shout of agreement. Electra applauded while Galatea clapped her hands quietly and politely. Isabella rolled her eyes but gave Matteo a nod of approval.

"Then it's decided," Matteo shouted. He turned and took the contract from Jacob, thrusting it into the air. "This is our path forward! This is where we will take the Valentino Family! We shall are harbingers!"

"We are harbingers!" shouted the Astrals.

"We are harbingers!" cried both Frank and Alfonso.

Dante couldn't help but get caught up in the moment, pumping his fist into the air alongside Flash and Russ.

"We are harbingers!"

End of Virginity

My dearest Dante,

I cannot say that the end of Virgo will ever undo the damage done to our world. Virgo's influence has poisoned the leylines and influenced our people for far too long that it has irrevocably changed the course of human history. While it may be too much to hope that over generations, the wounds will heal and the poison will be expelled from the system, I am not so naive.

The only thing I can say for certain is that the lessons we can learn from Virgo is not that we should treasure our virginity and guard it as one would guard our soul. We only ever have one first experience of anything and that will never replaced. We should embrace the new but still be cautious about whom we share those experiences with.

No. The true lesson here is that while you will never have another 'first', so the speak, you will always have many more 'firsts'.

Your first love.

Your first child.

Your first moment of pride in your grandson.

I am happy to have shared those experiences with you, my dearest Dante, and hope you share many more firsts with people you truly care about.

And even if you don't, always remember that you will have many more.

_ _

Love,

Virgil Demont

The Last Godhunter.

December 5th, 7:00 AM, Reaper Residence

It was like clockwork.

At seven AM in the morning, Dante Demont woke, yawned and stretched in the enormous bed he currently occupied. He grabbed his phone, having to use the keypad to unlock it as it still could not recognize his lupine features and had to be extremely careful as he tapped away at the keys with his clawed fingers.

He did a bit of browsing, watched a few videos that made him chuckle and then at 7:30 AM in the morning, he rolled off his bed. As he had done the past few days since the end of the Virgo-saga and he had managed to enter a relatively normal sleeping schedule, he scratched his black fur where it had gotten tangled during the night. He did a few stretches that Russ had taught him to keep his lupine body warmed up and to avoid cramps. A few wags of his tail to get the blood flowing in there again and he was padding out of his room with his arms full of some clothes and just in his underwear.

As luck would have it, the door to the room on the opposite side of the floor was just opening. The heavy, wet slapping of human feet surprised him but didn't quite stun him. Frank padded out of the bathroom, in full human form but dripping wet, yawning loudly and stretching. Flash emerged a moment later, still in his lupine form, looking groggy, dripping wet and with his dick still slightly hard.

"Morning, you two," Dante giggled.

Flash's ears immediately perked up and he straightened, his cheeks becoming redder if it was at all possible. Despite having slept with every male Astral in the Valentino Family over the past few days - sometimes even with more than one at any given time - Flash still emerged from his room looking like he had just emerged from a pornographic photoshoot and was now about to go to Church. Ironic given that Matteo was a pornstar and Alfonso was a former priest and Dante distinctly remembered those two having slept with Flash three nights ago at the same time.

"Uhm... hey..." Flash said. Hiking a thumb over his shoulder at the showers, Flash said, "It's... It's all yours."

Still, Dante was glad Flash was finding his footing in the new Angelton just as he was getting comfortable in his role as one of the 'Harbingers'. It was a name that he, Russ and Flash had all come up with after they had dealt with Virgo. They would be the Harbingers of a new world order, enforcers of human growth and warrior for free will. They would be the harbingers of magic into the world.

Their ideals, techniques and abilities would eventually spread and grow with the generations. The Valentinos were part of the Harbingers too. 'House Valentino' as they preferred to be called now. Alongside the Hounds, they would pass along what they knew and eventually create a society where where magic and this cycle was public knowledge.

It would take generations, centuries and maybe even millennia to undo the damage of the corrupt Celestials but, eventually, magic would be common.

Dante even had this little fantasy of building magical schools much like his favorite books and movies. House Valentino could very well be the basis of one such school in Italy focusing on restorative magic.

But that was a long time away and he still had a job to do.

Flash and Frank slipped by him, hurrying along while his blush evaporated the hot water dripping form his fur and the other strutting proudly muttering something about proving he was just as good in his human form as his equine. Dante entered the bathroom and despite the heavy steam and the smell of shampoo, he could definitely detect the aroma of sex hanging in the air.

With a shake of his head, he set down his clothes, started the shower in the stall-like showers and stepped inside. It had been somewhat embarrassing when Russ had to first teach him how to bathe himself with fur. The realization that he hadn't bathed for almost eight days since his transformation had only added to the humiliation. Thankfully, as a wolf, he didn't have to shower every day as it would be harmful to the oils in his fur.

He lathered some shampoo into his fur, careful to massage every nook and cranny of his immense, muscled body and let the waters soak in. The seashell necklace around his neck that almost acted like a choker served as a reminder of who he was fighting for and brought a smile to his face.

"One day, I'll tell them," he reaffirmed with himself. "And they'll be my first students."

After a whole thirty minutes of showering - it took that long to make sure he was properly bathed and dried - Dante emerged from the shower, dressed himself and headed up the stairs to the sound of a sizzling breakfast.

Alfonso was already at the dinner table, back to his human form, and gently sipping a coffee while Jacob was cooking up a storm like he had been the past few days. Given their refusal to 'digest' the divine energies that they had taken, Flash and Dante had to consume an immense amount of calories just to maintain their health. That led to Jacob making every meal like a Thanksgiving Feast. Not that the lawyer minded. Magical artifacts like Demeter's Cornucopia helped produce the food he needed.

"Good morning," Dante greeted.

Alfonso looked up from the very traditional newspaper he was holding and smiled at him from beneath his half-moon glasses. "Good morning, young Harbinger. Just in time. I was about to head off."

Today was the day when Alfonso and the rest of the Valentinos would fly back to Italy to repair their lives. It had taken some doing but the story had been circulated that a devastating gas leak in Castello dell Vergine had led the Valentinos to flee. Vincent Valentino had sadly been lost to the explosion and now, Alfonso was taking over as head of the family. All of the remaining Valentinos were in agreement. A funeral service would be held soon but first Alfonso and the rest of the newly dubbed House Valentino Harbingers would need to reestablish themselves in the world of Celestials.

Even though they were without their prime Celestial, Alfonso continued to carry the flame of Virgo, now possessing the ancient Mantle and Sphere on top of his existing one. Many of the Zodiacs had already contacted him, querying how he could uphold Virgo's throne and to give it up, to be absorbed into their circles. But Alfonso steadfastly refused and reiterated his conviction to pass the power on to his successor as defined by the geas. Many of the Zodiacs claimed that he was weak for bowing to the Harbingers but Alfonso countered that he was now part of a much bigger, more powerful pantheon; the Pantheon of Mortals. It would be tough but just as the Valentinos would support them if they came under attack, so too would the Harbingers rise to help the Valentinos in their time of need.

"So soon?" asked Dante as he sat down.

"The flight is early. We destroyed the portal that Virgo used to get here so we can't make use of instantaneous travel. I want to start rebuilding as soon as possible before any of the other Celestials start rallying their forces."

"I imagine we'd have at least a month or two to wait," Jacob said, setting down an enormous stack of eight pancakes in front of Dante. "Christmas is right around the corner."

"That's relevant?" asked Dante.

"Totally. Remember, the Godhunters made up Christianity and, as an extension, Christmas to help rob the other Celestials of power. For a brief period in time, everyone will be focused on the holidays, on the spirit of good will and charity. Ideals that the selfish Celestials abhor. It drains them of their resources and they know that for a while, if they try to do something big, they'll be left weakened." Jacob smirked and returned to the kitchen to retrieve an entire plate of bacon. "In fact, one really devilish Godhunter managed to inject a bit of capitalism into Christmas a while ago by basically manipulating the market so that people begin Christmas shopping right after Thanksgiving. That quickly spiraled out of control and shops start selling Christmas baubles all the way back to November 1st, the day right after Halloween."

Dante's ears folded down. "That's diabolical."

"It works. Maybe someday, in the future, you'll be able to clear things up."

With a soft, chuckle, Dante dug into the meal, shoveling as much as he could before Flash and Frank finished fucking (again) right after their shower and making their way up the steps. Jacob kept the food coming and even when the two had finally managed to make it up the stairs, there was still enough to go around.

A knock on the door pulled Jacob away from the kitchen a moment later.

"Matteo," greeted the lawyer. "Breakfast?"

"No thank you," answered the former-Astral cordially and with a pleasant, relaxed smile. "I already had something and given the time, we'll likely be fed on the plane again. I'll have to take a rain check. I have yet to try your famous calzones."

"They're fucking awesome!" roared Frank from the table.

Jacob shrugged and welcomed Matteo inside. "I apparently have rave reviews."

"Clearly."

Well dressed in casual wear, Matteo struck a different figure now that he wasn't clad in all-white and trying to emulate Virgo. He dragged a small carry-on bag behind him as he locked gazes with Alfonso.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

Alfonso folded the paper and set it on the table, letting out a soft sigh. He gazed out into the ocean from the view offered by the home. "Ah, would that I could stay a little longer. The temptation certainly is there. Never before have I felt my age so much than this moment."

"Please," scoffed Jacob, slapping his back. "From what I hear, you fuck like a twenty-year old."

All eyes went to Flash who immediately sat upright. "I never said anything!"

"Yeah, you did," Jacob answered. "These walls can only sound-proof so much and can't protect our delicate ears from your hot, sweaty bodies slamming into walls and the floor. Seriously, what were you guys doing? Sexy Wrestling?"

A laugh rippled throughout the table as Flash sank his head down in embarrassment. Alfonso, however, had to leave for Italy and he got up, grabbed his luggage and said his farewells to each of the Harbingers. He gave Flash a ruffle of his hair, kissed Frank's cheek and hugged Dante before shaking Jacob's hand. Then, he and Matteo were off to the airport to start a new chapter for the Valentinos.

After finishing up with breakfast, Dante went back down to his floor's bathroom and brushed his fangs. Another thing he had to get used to was flossing between his new canines. Even if and when he was able to shift between human and canine forms, foot stuck in his teeth would remain there. Apparently, a leading cause of cavities for those capable of using their soul to reforge their physical appearances was forgetting to floss between their teeth only to have food particles wedged deep between molars.

Once done, he donned his remaining clothes including the new jacket that Jacob had given him as well as the little necklace on a silver chain that hung around his neck. Imbued with the glamor charm, as long as he wore it, it would make him appear human to everyone. The moment he slipped it around his neck, his reflection in the mirror was immediately replaced by that of a much bigger, much broader Dante Demont with a rather light five o'clock shadow and a bit of unkempt hair. That was his queue to brush his hair a little more just so that the changes in his physique wasn't too stunning.

With a nod, he returned upstairs and slipped on his big, leather boots that could protect his pawed feet. Frank was ready to leave at that point as well and he was waiting outside with the engine of his massive motorcycle humming. Frank threw him a helmet which he slipped on and jumped onto the back of the bike, hugging Frank's hips tightly.

Frank pulled out of the driveway and zoomed away into the forested embrace of Angelton. The wind whipped into Dante's face, brushing through his fur and filling him with a sense of elation and apprehension.

After today, Frank was going to start his tour of the US countryside as he had dreamed, finding himself in some way. Eventually, he would return to the Valentinos to help guide them to their new future as harbingers. At the moment, he knew he would miss Frank's company. The tough, brash and strong unicorn had been such a comfort these past few weeks.

"You okay back there?" Frank shouted as they entered _Angelton_proper.

"Just regretting that we didn't sleep together," he laughed softly, letting the wind whip away a tear. "I remembered what you said about taking advantage of the time I had and honestly, I'm a little jealous that you and Flash fooled around a lot."

When Frank laughed, his whole body laughed with him, shaking Dante a little as he did so. "Not like I'm going away forever. You know if you ever need me, all you need to do is call and I'll come right over."

"That's one expensive booty call."

"Virgo had expensive tastes. All that money has to be put to good use."

Frank glanced over his shoulder briefly. "Besides, I think it'd be better if you figured out how to turn back into a human and told your boyfriend about your true mission before you start inviting me over for threesomes. At the very least, talk to Zeke before you start exploring your sexuality."

Dante nodded in agreement. "You're right. Of course you're right. I swear, I'll tell him. One day."

Frank shook his head with a short laugh. The rode in silence for a little longer until they arrived at Dante's home. He got off the bike, stored the spare helmet in the compartment behind the seat and then quickly gave Frank a little kiss on the cheek. He didn't even think about it. It just came as an instinct and he decided to lean into it. Frank was stunned with the gesture but accepted it nonetheless.

Dante waved goodbye and then bolted through the front door of his home.

"Dad! I'm home!"

His father took a moment but emerged from the study a short while later.

"Dante!" exclaimed Shaun brightly. He bounded over, hugging his son and paying no mind to the fact that Dante seemed to have grown a foot in such a short while. "How was your trip to Italy?"

"Transformative," answered Dante. He had been working on that line for the whole week since they got back. "Really learned a lot from Jacob and we sorted out the whole inheritance thing with Frank."

"That's great," Shaun explained, patting his shoulder proudly. "Did that whole horse breeding thing have to do with Frank's case?"

It took him a second to recall the first lie he had ever told both his dad and boyfriend about the situation was that he was sorting out some illegal equine breeding in the Emerald Suburbs.

"Oh yeah," he laughed, waving off the comment. "That was such a small part of it that I totally forgot about it. The thing kind of spiraled out of control but we eventually sorted it all out. Now I'm back!" He reached into his backpack and pulled out a few forms. "And I've got news..."

Shaun took the papers curiously. "Oh...?" He read the first few lines. "A transfer form?"

Dante nodded. "Yep. I've finally decided what career I want to go into."

Shaun's eyebrows rose and as he examined the pages a little more he turned back to his son with a look caught between pride and confusion.

"You want to be a teacher?"

Dante beamed brightly. "Grandpa always said that he wanted to make things better for the next generation. He did that for us and I can't think of any better way to do that than being a teacher."

Shaun grew teary eyed and then hugged his son one more time, quietly sobbing into his Dante's pectorals. "Dante... I'm so proud of you."

Even though he had braced for this moment, Dante found himself tearing up. He had to look at the ceiling as he held his father's head against his chest.

"I love you, dad."

Secret Report - Virgo the Zodiac

I can't help but feel sorry for Virgo.

When you look at her journey in retrospect, it's the tale of a person who fought through adversity, rose to get her own paradise and achieve a modicum of godhood only to fall in a desperate attempt to preserve that divinity. You can't say that she was static either.

Virgo adapted. She found ways to expand the concept of 'virginity' to not just the idea of sexual intercourse but to all 'new experiences'. Taking ideas and concepts from other Celestials, she created her own empire. Her cycle of Astrals, while cruel and barbaric, was still very innovative in its own way.

There are countless realities out there where the 'gods' are these unchanging, stubborn, one-dimensional entities who embody nothing but what they were made for. Ultimately, it is this sort of thinking that leads to their defeat. Virgo, on the other hand, changed. She evolved.

And yet she still fell.

I'm not referring to her defeat and subsequent release into the leylines at the hands of Dante, Flash and Russ. I'm talking about how she started treating humans like cattle, regarding them with disdain, unclean and impure and became obsessed with 'cleansing' the world.

It's just as Flash said. No matter what she did. No matter how much she tried or how much she 'scrubbed' herself over and over again, she would never get rid of the stench of that horrible man who had been her first. I could blame society for putting such a great emphasis on virginity. I could also blame that man for his primitive approach to women. But I don't think there is a right answer here. Virgo was a victim and someone preyed on that victimization to turn her into this avenging angel of purity designed to purge the world.

I'm not exaggerating here.

I've often wondered why the Zodiacs even returned. When you think about it, each of them had the capacity to create Domains - basically a pocket dimension - that they could call their own. In theory, they could have created their own perpetual cycles of powering themselves. We saw this in how Alfonso managed to maintain his comparatively weaker Domain. So long as Alfonso and his two Thralls maintained their virginity, he had enough power to keep the Domain up and even control the other Thralls to attack me. Combine this with, say, a powerful Rule that could perpetuate a cycle like how Matteo's body would refresh itself with the rising sun, and you could create an entire system that could sustain itself.

Virgo could have been a literal deity without any need to return to the mortal realm.

And yet they did because Leo convinced her that she and the other Zodiacs had to come back to retrieve the Celestial Cradle.

Why?

Perhaps at the time Virgo hadn't expanded her concept of virginity enough to create that sort of system. Maybe she needed the different perspectives of other mortals to provide insight into her Sphere and Mantle before she got to that point. Could be, at the time, it seemed the most logical assumption to come back for the Cradle. It has been pointed out that they ultimately suffered from a 'Rot' that slowly ate away at their Domains. That was a threat, yes, but was going back to Earth the only solution?

I have another theory.

When I look at the remaining Celestials, they aren't active deities in religion. They're parts of stories but never truly protagonists themselves. Parables, side characters and passing mentions in mythologies. Yet in their history, they all left Earth at some point or another and are now back for one reason or another. They all came back changed.

Isolated, contained within their own Domains or some collective Domain, they had no one else to interact with in their ageless existence except for one another. Just like how grapes ferment, they sat in their containers basically rotting away with certain qualities being highlighted while others were lost.

And now that they are back? They didn't all come back at once either. Didn't even come back when the Godhunters were weakest. They just came back at certain, unimportant intervals.

Doesn't that sound familiar? Like the entire cycle of Astrals? Think about it.

Celestials could easily find which souls have the strongest concentrations of their qualities in people before awakening them as Astrals. But they have never awakened someone at the moment of their birth. You don't have visitations from angels to declare that a mother's unborn child is divine. You have these adults being approached by a Celestial and then awakening the divine within them.

Why is that? Why wait? What if there's someone else pulling the strings? What if this is exactly what this master puppeteer did to these Celestials?

They planted a seed in the Celestials, first awakening them on Earth before sending them off into their Domains to grow. Then, when they were matured enough, they called the Celestials back, now fully awakened and twisted.

I'm still not sure why they would do this or for what purpose... but I think it all has something to do with Virgil's words.

This world works in cycles and the Celestials are just part of a bigger cycle we aren't fully aware of.

Wherever Virgo is now, I sincerely hope she has it better.

Unknown, Unknown, Anarchy

A chaotic storm swirled around him.

Though the ground was made entirely of the semi-reflective surface with the light layer of silvery liquid that had been his Domain and there were fragments of his cloudy sky with ribbons of starry tapestries falling from them, these were just pieces. Between each piece was a swirling aurora of colors, raging black and red storms that crackled and snapped angrily. Off in the distance were floating motes of rock. Virgo couldn't make out what was on them but he could tell they were simply enormous. As he looked around, it appeared like someone had taken an enormous chunk of his Domain and left it floating in this hurricane of chaos.

"Where am I...?" he whispered.

"Anarchy."

He turned around.

Something that certainly wasn't there before was this dark, twisted throne of black rock wrapped in crimson belts. There seemed to be no clear rhyme or reason to the shape of the throne. Some pieces were circular, smooth and even symmetrical but then it would become jagged, spiked or even had the visage of a screaming face pressed against it. Resting horizontally across the armrests was a white-haired boy with what appeared to be a red bandage across his face, blocking his right eye. The left eye blazed with an unnatural yellow. The boy wore a long, red coat the brought back memories of the blue-clad wizard that had led him to his downfall.

"And who are you meant to be?" scowled the Celestial.

"I'm a No One," answered the child with a dismissive shrug. "You can call me H2 the Harbinger of Havoc. I represent Chaos in all of its aspects. Just as R3 represented reality itself, the laws that bind Time and Space and ultimately the big boss."

"I have no idea who you're talking about."

"Of course you don't. You're not meant to." H2 swung his legs around so that he was seated on the throne. "Jacob Reaper. His title is R3 the Writer of Reality. And yes, if he wanted, he could have rewritten all of reality the way you wanted to but he wouldn't have to do it by looking for some wooden box and sacrificing all the souls of those that have gone before you. All he would have had to do is blink."

Virgo's eyes boggled for a moment... then he let out a bitter laugh. "Ah, I see. I am in Hell. You are my torturer. You understand the total revulsion I have for that man and are going to spin lies about him being able to do what I could only have hoped to accomplish to rub salt into my wounds."

He waved absently at his would-be tormentor."Go ahead. Try your best. Or worst as it may seem. You will find me a hard soul to break."

"I could break you." H2 stepped off his throne, the twisted chain sinking into the silver surface of the broken Domain and vanishing. "But I'm telling you the truth. R3 went into your world because he was called. He could have just said 'fuck it' and written the entire universe into something better. Maybe even given you a happy ending! He could have just taken every soul in that universe when they died and partitioned them into their own plot of the cosmos to do with whatever they wanted. He is_the master of Time and Space, after all." H2 smirked at him. "But that would mean he would have to _break what's already there and entitled pricks like you would never have earned your peace."

He bristled and spun towards this 'No One' with venom burning in his eyes. "Earned? You think I haven't earned my peace? Do you know who I am? Do you know what I've done!?"

"Absolutely and with total clarity." H2 stepped around Virgo, hands clasped behind his back as he recounted everything that the Celestial had done from the smallest of things to the great acts he had accomplished as a god. "At the age of three, you knocked down a pot that your mother had filled with oil. You blamed it on the dog. That oil cost your farther a whole bag of wheat. You once started a war called the War of Olives. You had sex with countless people, some of which you turned into your Astrals and some which you didn't. Your first husband was your first Astral. Some part of you was glad when he died smiling and professing his love to you, the Healing Goddess. You've done things, great and small, some would call good or evil. You've certainly accomplished great things but you have not earned your peace."

"How dare you!" he spat, spinning around to face the child. "I am a god!"

"A god that was strapped down to a metal table, had a dick pump strapped to his cock and had his whole body reduced to soul particles to be refined through three wolves and expelled back into the world while the magical powers that made him a god was passed on to his 'children'. Yes, I am aware of what kind of god you are."

H2 leaned towards him, the uncomfortable proximity causing Virgo to reel back.

"But you haven't earned your peace because you aren't at peace."

"Well, how can I be when I was defeated in such a humiliating fashion!" he snapped back.

H2 rolled his one good eye and padded away, hands still folded behind his back. "You know, it's funny. When Jacob told me that he was capturing your mind and sending it over here so that you could finally earn your own story, he didn't mention just how dense you are. I guess that comes from millennia believing yourself to be infallible."

"So you work with that wizard," snarled Virgo. "What is this then? Some sort of spell? A containment field?"

H2 stopped where he stood. "You are in Anarchy. My world. A place outside of time and space. A reality I call my own. Here, I make the rules." He gestured at the space around him. "These motes are for each of the people who cross my way that I intend to help find their way to their own paradises."

"Just give me a way back to my world and I swear to you, I will find my peace."

The so-called Harbinger of Havoc shook his head and turned back around to face Virgo. "See, your problem doesn't rest with the world you left. It rests with you. But that's why we're here."

H2 reached behind him and out of nowhere, he pulled an enormous greatsword that just seemed to spring out of nowhere. He did the same with his other hand, holding both weapons that were clearly as tall as he was as easily as he would a twig.

"I'll help you figure out exactly what's got you so hung up," concluded the No One. "And in exchange..."

H2's one good eye narrowed.

"... you tell me about Ophiuchus."