Two Worlds Collide: Chapter 20

Far away, another set of malevolent eyes bore witness to the event unfolding before her.

Beryl stared at the unraveling chaos before her. Before, it was her destruction and violence that turned Crystal Tokyo into a place of despair. Now another evil had joined the fray, further deepening the wound she had created with its own chaos.

The dark queen was beside herself. She had come to Crystal Tokyo with her own army, intent on razing it to the ground and taking her revenge upon the child-queen, for Serenity still had the mind and personality of a child even in her thousand-year life.

That and her glorious victory had been taken from her in the form of another army, one of massive red giants that fought with advanced technologies that countered her numberless hordes and plethora of dark magics they brought to the field. She had never seen such a powerful force, so powerful it had decimated her whole army in mere minutes.

Then came the time when she tried one last attempt at revenge, only to be cheated once again of her chance when the last of her Youma suddenly transformed into those hideous formless beasts. She had seen the gibbering madness that plagued them, and the eldritch flame that spewed forth from their misshapen maws turned all it touched into something entirely different.

She had seen people caught in its wake transformed into animals, inanimate objects, liquids, or reduced in size or suffer multiple aberrations such as the growing of numerous limbs. Not even inanimate matter was spared; whole marble and crystal walls were turned into fleshy ramparts rife with leering eyes and gaping mouths, or whole buildings come to life simply through the flame’s touch.

That strange fire the monsters brought forth had done the unimaginable and the impossible to all it touched, and such power astounded Beryl………..and even made her crave for it. The power to reshape any object into anything of her choosing, it was so hypnotic and addictive! She wanted it.
And then, she bore witness to the arrival of hell for the Silver Millennium. She had seen it all.

Thunder rolled and boomed from above, and lightning cracked and sizzled between the clouds. From the dead air a chorus of cries, quiet but steadily increasing in volume, could be heard everywhere. Sibilant voices and cries of help spread like wildfire throughout the city. With it came a strange feeling: a greasy, electric tang in the air that robbed the atmosphere of all life and energy. If the sense of death Beryl had brought to Crystal Tokyo was bad enough, this was worse. It now felt as if the air around the city was nothing more but an endless, infinite void of nothingness.

Beryl had seen the army pour through the vast portal high above, an army straight from a child’s worst nightmare. Even she felt fear at its coming. But worse, she felt…….inferior.

This evil was far greater than all the power she had ever amassed. It was so much more potent. Thus, she felt inferior.

That was what Beryl had felt. And she had seen the giant warrior that emerged from the orifice  formed from a young girl’s body, and seen him take down all of the Senshi and the accursed king with a single blow, all the while holding Serenity herself with his other hand.

Beryl, along with the wounded Senshi and the king, even heard the giant’s words: “Hear me now, and know that you have a choice. Speak the words of Lorgar, submit to the truth of the Word, and you shall live forever in the glory of Chaos. Speak them not and every one of you shall die today.”

To hear his voice was intoxicating. He had such power, such charisma that it eclipsed her own. Beryl suddenly had a sense of longing, a desire to openly submit herself and learn from him. She even wondered to herself: Who is this great being? Is this Lorgar his patron? What Word does he speak of? Can I learn his power?

But her vain, egotistic side intervened.

I am Beryl, mistress of the Dark Kingdom! she thundered in her mind. And I will not bow to anyone!
Is that so?
……………………………………………………………

The mental response came from nowhere.

Beryl swiftly turned around, surprised to see another giant stand behind her! How could he have quickly gotten to her without her realizing it? His size and bulk were such that he could easily make a loud noise when approaching, and Beryl could sense the soul-emanations of her foes with ease. But not his.

Was he masked?

The giant, Beryl noted, was the same as his comrade below: the same crimson armor of split blood, the same silver trim, the same demonic symbol, and the same number of parchments all over his battle-plate. He even mirrored his companion’s dark smile on his own evil features.

“Who are you?” Beryl asked. The giant merely gestured behind him, and Beryl saw his point of entry: another portal, swirling with dark energies. How could she not feel such potent energy?
“An ally,” the giant replied, “and you may call me Erebus.”

“Erebus.” Beryl repeated, wary of this giant. “What is it you’re here for?”
The giant, Erebus, merely gestured to his portal as strode towards it. Somehow, some way, Beryl followed, a voice in her head telling her to go with him.

Meanwhile, Erebus answered. “We have purpose for you.”

And into the portal she went.

………………………………………………….

Beryl emerged from the portal into a hallway of bloodstained iron and steel.

It was a place of filth, the corridor littered with filth and bones. Evil symbols stood out in every pillar and wall of the hallway she was in. But she also saw the intricate scriptwork and devotionals written upon the walls, along with the sigils of power woven into the very steelwork.
This was a place of power, she could sense, wherever here was.

“Where are we?” she asked, and Erebus answered. “In high orbit above Crystal Tokyo. You are aboard the Destiny’s Hand, my personal starship. You are here because you have purpose.”

“I have purpose, you say.” Beryl said mockingly; Erebus ignored her condescending tone.
“Yes, you do.” he replied, beginning a monologue. “You have purpose, Beryl. Your petty notions of vengeance and power mean nothing in the great scheme of things. For you are but a pawn of Chaos, a mere servant of its majestic power. The one named Ahzek was right: you have forgotten the first rule of the mysteries, for here before you stands another who is superior to you in power: me.”

Such words angered Beryl to the point that she raised her hand to strike him with a curse, but Erebus preempted her, speaking a single word. “Zaaghrul’ sser.”
Immediately Beryl froze, her whole body suddenly becoming numb and unresponsive. She let out a gasp of surprise as whatever magic Erebus had conjured fully immobilized her.

“Wh-what kind of magic did you use?” she asked, Erebus replying, “The kind that you will never understand, unless you accept my help.” So saying, he released her and Beryl, having not learned her lesson, tried to strike at him again, but Erebus was ready, speaking the same word and once more keeping her frozen, bound to his will.

“Did you not learn from before?” Erebus chastened her. “And what’s more, your victory and your army were destroyed by the forces of the False Emperor, by enemies who I fortuitously happen to know how to fight against.”

Beryl continued to struggle, attempting to resist Erebus’s complete control over her flesh, but it was no use. Erebus said, “Will you not even consider my offer or even accept my support?”
“Why?” Beryl said through gritted teeth. “You would just use me and then leave me behind!” She was rewarded with a chug of dark laughter from the giant. “Quite the amusing answer,” he told her, “but you speak it out of ignorance. Perhaps if you were illuminated alongside your fellow villains you would better understand the offer my kin and I give you.”

“’Fellow villains?’” Beryl said. “You mean I’m not the only one you brought to your ship?”
“No. I brought others, and they will receive the same offer as you.” Erebus once again released her, and then turned around, confident that she would not strike him again after feeling his immense power.

“Come.” he said. “Witness the mustering of my army and the greatness of the power whom I serve.”

…………………………………………………

The hallway terminated in a single enormous doorway, fashioned into the shape of an open demonic mouth. Around the circumference of the aperture was a mural depicting humans and angels in endless agony and suffering, being preyed upon by benevolent-looking demons. An eight-pointed star dominated the top of the arched exit.

Into this hideous entrance Beryl and Erebus passed through, and Beryl gasped as she beheld the sight before her.

A cavernous hall lay before her, dark and ominous, barely lit by candles and glowing lights. The hall had the look of a cathedral, a chapel to which dark prayers and offerings would be given. It was exactly that, she realized, but it was more than that at the moment.
The hall was a mustering place for the gathered force of warriors that stood before her.

Beryl saw them: row upon row of red-armored giants the same as Erebus, clad in the same crimson armor decorated with the same dark prayers and emblems she’d seen back in the hall. Each of the warriors had their heads bowed deep in prayer, in communion with their patron deities, Beryl noted. A low, guttural chanting resounded throughout the darkness of the cathedral, further adding to its dark splendor.

Their armor gleamed a crimson sheen, and on all the warriors spikes, horns, and studs were evident on their plate. Upon their shoulder was the mark of their army: a black demon's head in front of a burning flame.

But in front of her were the last people Beryl had ever expected to see again.
………………………………………………..

There, standing upon a giant circular altar, its base marked with unclean sigils of power and magic, were the many villains of the kingdoms, including those who had attacked the Silver Millennium after her near-death.

Farthest from the right stood a tall, gaunt individual. He was clad in a sorcerer’s attire, but instead of the red and black colors of his former life, these were the rich colors of blue, gold, and white, engraved with damned scripts and writhing symbols that drove all who looked upon them to insanity. His once-golden cobra staff was now a serpentine form of blue sapphire and lapis lazuli, the mark of an all-seeing eye and Ouroboros mark resplendent in supernatural glory. Beryl realized with utter shock that the mark of his staff was exactly the same as the mark she bore upon her own scepter.

How? How could he gain the same knowledge I possess? She wondered.

The gaunt man smiled evilly and nodded in greeting to her. “Beryl.” he said in a rich yet sibilant voice. “So good to see you again.”
“Jafar.” Beryl breathed, for this was indeed the former Grand Vizier and confidant to the sultan of Agrabah, but as she recalled, he was once a genie. But he died when his lamp fell into a lava pit during a destructive spell of his own making. So what brought him back alive and well, and how did he get free?

“You have many questions, dark queen.” another voice spoke, one that sounded female but was low-pitched and guttural. It belonged to a fat, obese creature standing beside the resurrected sorcerer. Unlike her fellows, this feminine beast was not human, her lower body being a black mass of writhing, serpentine tentacles. Her skin was a pale purplish hue, the flesh beneath massive and obese. One look upon her disgusting face, however, and Beryl could see the evil within.

She also noted something else: a mark was upon the monster’s brow: three dark circles. But that was secondary to Beryl’s interests, for she recognized who this person was.

It was the sea witch herself. “Ursula.” Beryl breathed. “But you died………..”

The obese sea witch nodded in return. “I did, Beryl, I did. But they,” she gestured to the assembled warriors behind her, “brought me back, stronger than ever before! Oh, you will love these people, Beryl! The power they possess, it is greater than all of ours combined!”

“So I see.” Beryl responded, looking upon the next individual in line. She recognized this woman as well. A lithe female figure stood before her, slender and graceful in her every moment. She was extremely pale-skinned and beautiful in the most perfect sense. Clad in regal yet loose clothing, her attire was of the finest quality and from the finest silks. A crown of gold adorned her black-haired head, and her angelic face was filled with excess makeup. Her gaze found that of Beryl’s, and she smiled openly, revealing a mouth filled with finely curved fangs and a forked tongue.

Beryl was somewhat unsettled by her subtle change, but she noted that the woman also bore another peculiar symbol in a necklace that hung above her ample cleavage: a strange mark that somehow combined the symbols of male and female.
Yet there was no denying who this individual was. This was the Wicked Queen herself, the stepmother of the princess Snow White.

“What happened to you?” said Beryl, as the queen strode seductively towards the dark queen. Beryl discovered she was entranced by the way the Wicked Queen walked, it was so hypnotic and alluring. But why? “You fell to your death.” she continued.

“So I did.” The Queen responded in a seductive, sexual voice. Where had she gotten that? Finally close to Beryl, her forked tongue darted out of her mouth and began to caress Beryl’s pale skin. In sheer disgust and outrage, Beryl backed away while the Queen merely giggled in insane pleasure.

“So delicious.” said the Queen. “So perfect. But not as perfect as me. And the expression you gave me,” she added a small airy laugh, “priceless. Exquisite.”

Beryl was angered now, and wanted to strike her down, but another voice spoke out, a voice of the grave. “Calm yourself, Beryl. Leave the Queen be; she is merely enjoying the gifts of her new patron.”

Beryl met the gaze of the one who spoke, but did not recognize him. He was clad in a simple mass of dark blue robes, with a clasp shaped into the same all-seeing eye as that of Jafar’s and her staff holding his cowl in place. Within the voluminous hood Beryl saw a face, a pale face, but it was skeletal in its features, gaunt and emaciated.

The face……..had no eyes, just empty sockets, but he could see her.

“You do not know me.” said the figure, bowing in respect to her. “But I know your enemy, for I too fought against the queen of light and love after your attempt failed. I am Wiseman.”

She responded to his words with a curt nod, and finally beheld the last four. With a gasp, she cried out to them. “You……..you live…………….”
The last four she recognized.

…………………………………………………………….

They were once her subordinates, her generals. She had tasked them, back when they lived, to go out into the Earth and gather the life energy of humans to use for their evil purpose of reviving their formless master.

Of course, due to the interventions of Sailor Moon and her allies, they had failed in their task, all of their servants now dust in the wind, her generals all killed, and she herself banished to a formless existence along with her master.

But Beryl put such thoughts aside. The past was irrelevant. What mattered was that she was alive again, and apparently, so too were her former generals.
She observed them closely.

They all looked the same as before, with the same arrogant expressions. But was what different about them was the armor they wore.

Each was clad in finely polished armor of the darkest obsidian, trimmed with bronze and gold. There was also a pattern on their shoulder pads; the right pad was studded with silver, while the left bore a strange symbol, nearly identical to the one borne by her.
It was another eye: a red eye with a black slit, imposed within the center of an eight-pointed star.

Swords were sheathed at their sides, finely-made rapiers perfect for thrusting and swift strikes. They also had firearms holstered at their right sides, simple pistols that to Beryl seemed to writhe and shift in form.

As one, the four nodded to her in greeting, but said nothing. They were giving their attention to the one called Erebus, who spoke.

“Behold, my lady,” he said to Beryl, “all the foes of your enemies returned. These villains,” he gestured to them and herself, “we have deemed worthy to learn the greatest secret in the whole universe, and worthy enough to harness and wield the powers that my kin and I possess.”

“Now be silent and listen, for I shall tell you a tale.”

………………………………………………………………..

The next hour that passed was one of revelations, truths so powerful it shocked Beryl and all the others into silence.

She heard this Erebus speak of the vast number of souls that lived in the stars, of the false emperor that arose to conquer the galaxy, and more.

Erebus told them everything: the suppression of faith by this emperor and his secular ways, the discovery of the true Chaos by his master, and the holy wars he began to bring the truth of Chaos to all in the cosmos, the wars Erebus and his kin continue to battle to this day.

She was told of the Long War. She was told of the exile he and his kin were forced to endure. She was told of how Chaos came to be. She was told of the Neverborn. And finally, she was told of the Pantheon, the gods whom Erebus worshipped.

All this truth that spanned millennia, she learned in a single hour, for Erebus had shown them with his mind as well as in voice.
It truly was revelation.

………………………………………………………………….

“So,” said Erebus, “now you all know of the Long War.”
“Yes.” said Jafar in a sibilant voice. “What truths you have revealed to us. I can see that they dwarf my own petty notions of revenge ten thousand times over. And I see now why I wear this strange garb.”

“Indeed.” Erebus replied. “You are a keeper of dark knowledge, sorcerer. Such forbidden knowledge is the province of the Changer of Ways. You have unknowingly followed his web of secrets and lies, for the ways of the Weaver of Destinies are ever-changing.”
“Yes, I see that now.” said Jafar. “Oh, to be blessed with the favor of such an all-knowing god! What knowledge I could possess!”

“It is within your reach, sorcerer,” said Erebus, “if you but submit to the service of the Pantheon and to his labyrinthine ways.”
“Yes! Yes!” cried Jafar without hesitation, a crazed desire and unquenchable thirst for knowledge now evident in his eyes. “I willingly submit to his ways! I willingly supplicate myself to the Changer of Ways! I want more, more!”

Erebus nodded, pleased at this. No one noticed the subtle smile he gave to one of their company, who returned it with a smile of her own. They had him.

…………………………………………………………………..

So did Erebus appeal to all the others, telling them of all the powers and authority they would hold if they but merely submitted themselves to the will of Chaos. He even offered his own teachings, offering to train and teach them in the sacred ways of the Eightfold Path.

As he continued his work, Erebus let his eyes wander over the assembled and inwardly smiled to himself. His honeyed words were having the desired effect: each of the revenants was filled with desire, greed, and wanting.

They wanted this newfound power he was offering them, but he noted that they all, save for Jafar, were still somewhat against surrendering themselves to this Chaos that he served. He knew the reasons why: each of them once had the freedom of independence, the power to do whatever they pleased, for they listened to no one.

Fools. He privately thought. They truly were fools. They didn’t realize that they were already serving a master, albeit unknowingly, when they had lived. The hand of Chaos touched everything, even if the victim didn’t know it.
They were already treading the path of Chaos long before they realized it.

“So,” he said to them, “now you know of my offer, and now you are left with a choice: will you submit, or will you refuse?”
……………………………………………………………

Beside them, one of the revenants observed her fellow villains with hidden interest. She alone knew the whole truth of the matter, the others deliberately blinded to the rest of the truth.

Maleficent studied their reactions. The obese sea-witch hungered for more power, and this was perhaps the greatest gift she could ever be offered:  the very power of life and death through the inexorable onset of decay. There was no other power in the universe that could match that of decay.

The one known as Wiseman, she could tell, hungered for this power as well. But unlike the others, she sensed that he would the only one other than herself who would willingly give himself to the service of the Pantheon as a whole, not to any one of the gods themselves. All the others she knew would give their service and their souls to one of the gods. But for Wiseman, the power to wreak havoc and suffering with the very energies of the universe was such an intoxicating feeling! His will shall fall, and he will join us. I will be glad to teach him what I’ve learned.

Then she turned her gaze to the four revenants beside her, they who were once the guardians of the prince Endymion and then his traitors and generals to the dark queen herself. They had thrown in their lot with Beryl and her intangible master, leading the hordes of murderous soldiers that sundered the first Silver Millennium centuries ago.

They had paid for their hubris and betrayal with their lives, falling in the service of their queen Metalia. Now here they were, about to give themselves in to the service of another, to the Lord of Skulls, though she knew they too would follow the singular Eightfold Path and not any one of its ideals.

The Wicked Queen she knew would become a servant of the Prince of Excess, of that there was no doubt. His power and desires were exactly what she wanted, for the Queen was the most vain of all present.

They cannot resist. she heard the voice of Erebus in her mind. He was speaking to her telepathically. No, they cannot. she answered in kind. But I sense they will not give you an answer, save for Jafar. Not yet. They wish to see what power you can offer.
And they shall see it. he replied. We shall reveal to them the great power and might of Chaos and how they are already serving its will.
Indeed. Maleficent replied, and then added, In your own personal words, it is written. That made Erebus smile, and no one noticed.
………………………………………………………………..

“Perhaps you wish a demonstration of our power.” Erebus told the assembled group. They looked at him with expectation. “Very well. Join us upon the surface and watch as we unleash hell upon this world, for we will not just attack this kingdom, but all the others. Now watch.”

So saying, he walked away from the revenants and turned to address the assembled warriors, his fellow dark kin.

"Brothers, scions of the Word," he began, speaking to all his dark brethren while the revenants listened, "the time has come. The world below us is ripe for corruption, its people ready to be revealed the truth of the Word. We are its messengers, the harbingers of death and illumination. As sons of Lorgar and chosen of the Pantheon, it is our holy duty to bring all unbelievers to the worship of Chaos!" A bang of fists on chests resonated across the deck as the warriors acknowledged the words of their leader.

"We are ready," he continued his oratory, his tone redolent with fervor and righteous conviction. "We are blessed with the might of Chaos, with the strength of the Ruinous Powers, with the light of Lorgar's Word! What force can stand against such a powerful trinity? Love? Hope?" He smiled as he confidently spoke his next word. "I will tell you what can stand against us." He bellowed out the word. "NOTHING! No force can withstand the perfection of Chaos! Its holy power shall sweep this world and bring those supplicants to true rapture! The unbelievers who resist us shall be smitten by our wrath, for we are the instruments of their doom! Heed the Word, brothers, and let the blessing of Chaos fill your hearts and minds. Have faith in the gods that they shall help us to victory!"

His sermon completed, Erebus threw his fist into the air, to be answered by a chorus of roars, bellows, and war-cries. The assembled warriors broke with discipline and cohesion and started to yell and roar as if possessed. Erebus grinned devilishly. They were ready.

He then stepped back and proceeded back to the altar, preparing for the ritual. Unclean sigils surrounded him. Only now did the revenants see the chained maidens that lay around the apostle. Somehow they had been hidden from their gaze.

But it mattered not how they had remained hidden, for upon the altar lay the naked bodies of six females, each with their wrists slit and throats cut. The poor souls had been taken from Agrabah, Andalasia, Swan Lake, and the Silver Millennium, all of them virgin maidens.

Their spilled blood pooled around them in a circular pattern, washing over the sigils and completing a complex design around Erebus. A burning iron brazier lay behind their heads, and an eight-pointed star had been carved into their flesh of their foreheads. Erebus kneeled down and began to chant in a low, foul tongue from a heavy skin-wrapped book.

The assembly joined in the chanting, as they did, all of the revenants felt a dark power make its presence known within the hall. They now knew why the maidens had been brought here; they were the victims chosen to be the conduits for the portals necessary to bring forth the armies of the empyrean onto the world, but they only knew that on a basic level, for the mysteries of the immaterium were not yet revealed to them.

But it mattered not; in death, these six would play a role in the coming of the apocalypse. What magic these servants of Chaos possessed!

The chanting rose in pitch and speed, unclean energies playing around the maidens' bodies until dissolving them utterly. The sacrifice accepted, it was time for their warp allies to descend upon the world. An atonal shriek reverberated throughout the deck, signaling the end of the ritual. Erebus rose from his kneeling position, his task complete. Amidst the shrieking, he bellowed out orders to the assembled warriors.

"Now is the time, Word Bearers! To your drop pods and gunships! Arm yourselves and say your final prayers! War calls! Blood calls! Chaos calls!"

So did the assembly of warriors depart the great hall, heading for the enormous bays of his starship upon which their chariots of destruction awaited their arrival. None of the revenants could deny feeling the strong sense of dark power that filled the hall, nor could they ignore the burning zealousness of these strange warriors.

They now knew who these warriors were, these Word Bearers. They weren’t just warriors of great skill. They were religious fanatics, holy missionaries……..believers all.

………………………………………………………………………

“Now do you see the power we offer you?” said Erebus to the group once all the warriors had departed. “Yes………” the guttural voice of the sea witch spoke. “I can feel the power of death flow over me. Whatever you did with those women, oh, I felt it! Who is this god who offers the power that I feel? It is so invigorating!”

Erebus couldn’t help but chuckle, but he answered her question. “The power that you feel, sea witch, belongs to the oldest god of the Pantheon, he who is known by many names. It is not yet time for you to know his name, but may know him as the Master of Plague and Pestilence. That is the power he gives you: the power to spread decay and corruption to your enemies, for who can stand against the inevitable decline of entropy?”

The sea witch gurgled out a harsh laugh, and she asked him, “What must I do to keep this power? What must I commit myself to?”
“Nothing more than your simple submission and loyalty to him,” answered Erebus, “and as you go further into his service, you may experience a few……..changes. But they will be for the better, for you will be far more resilient and stronger than even the healthiest of living beings.”

“Oh, I will most certainly enjoy that!” she said. “So be it! I want this power! If this god of decay can hear me, then let him hear my voice and know that I willingly offer my service to him! All I want is this power! That’s all I ask!”

“Then go and find a servant of the Master of Plague and Pestilence, and he will see to the correct blessings and benedictions to fully consecrate you into his master’s service.” said Erebus. He gestured to a cowering hunchback creature that hid in the shadows. “Follow him. He knows the way.”

The sea witch waited no more, taking her leave of the other revenants, her tentacles moving along the iron floor, leaving sticky residue in its wake.
“What of the rest of you?” Erebus asked once she left. “Have you decided yet?”

……………………………………………………………..

Indeed, most had yet to decide, but this did not worry Erebus.

For though they were apprehensive of this new ally of theirs, each of the revenants was quite interested in the power he and his kin wielded. At the very least, they all knew that to fight and resist this Chaos was futile, for it had displayed such power that they all knew was completely superior to their own.

No, in the end, they all told Erebus that they would consider his offer and give him an answer in due time. Erebus, of course, accepted this with calm grace and then let them depart. He even offered them a place in the battle line so that they could see his warriors and others of their ilk wreak havoc upon the kingdoms and their hated enemies with all the myriad powers of Chaos. “There is nothing better than first-hand experience,” he had said to them, “and seeing the legions of Chaos in action may yet convince you.”

In the end, only Jafar and the sea witch Ursula had willingly submitted themselves to their new patrons. Jafar would become the newly-ordained Master of Prophecy and Lord of Secrets to his master, the Changer of Ways, in due time. But for now, he was his newest follower.

As for Ursula, she chose the path of decay and accepted the Master of Plague and Pestilence as her new master. As she would grow in power and experience, she would become one of his greatest champions, the future Plaguewitch and the Lady of Pestilence.

There was one other who had already submitted herself to the will of Chaos, but for now, her allegiance would remain secret………………
……………………………………………..

“We had better success than I expected, Erebus.” said Maleficent, now alone with the first chaplain. He nodded sagely. “Indeed. That all would consider my offer was expected, but I thought only one would submit. It is good that the sea witch accepted the way of the plague. She will make an excellent follower for he who embodies entropy and decay.”

“Just as I will be a great priestess of the Pantheon. I thank good fortune for having given me this opportunity.” Maleficent replied, already dreaming of the power she was soon to wield.
“But until then,” Erebus interrupted her daydreaming, “you are still my acolyte, for you have much to learn.”

“I know.” Maleficent told in a seductive tone. “Fear not, I am willing to suffer for my reward. What would you have me do?”
“Go with the warriors tasked with ravaging the Silver Millennium to the ground.” he said to her. “And while you’re at it, reveal yourself to your enemy. Put fear into their hearts, for they believe you and the others dead, never to return. It is time to shatter their certainty and drown them in despair.”

“Oh, it will be a pleasure.” said Maleficent, eager and ready. “May I have a bodyguard with me? I wish to show them the might of Chaos.”
“You may indeed, and not just any bodyguard.” said Erebus. “Go to the devotional chambers and there you will find two able warriors. You will like them, for they are unlike any other warrior you have seen.”

“Do they have a name?” asked Maleficent.
“Yes, they have a name, these men with daemons in their hearts. You may call them……..the Gal Vorbak.”

…………………………………………..

As the two communed, the screaming continued.

The agonizing shriek that came at the climax of the dark ritual continued to scream and scream, those screams key to the sundering of reality so the legions of hell could pass the veil and come here.

More screams joined its dark melody, revealed to be the tormented screams of the six maidens. Their souls were now forever bound to the dark realm of Chaos as a result of the unclean ritual they had unwillingly participated in death. They were damned forever.

Down on Earth, hell was unleashed.

END Ch. 20