Nikolai

Tartar (Land of The treacherous)

2000 Tartar Years Ago

"Master, there's something you should see, we've had to deploy the 2nd string of defense lines." The demon, Agnoc, my 5th Elemental Guard bends his knee as he delivers his words. My back is faced to him, as I stare into the Abyss of my Ethereal eye, gifted to me by Amon, the leader of Knights from Eden, the highest level of the heavens.

It was how long since we've fought on the same side, for the same purpose? I did it to prevent myself from going to hell, but in the end, this was my solace, my choice. Reign over the very thing I spent my life running from.

My jeans, and henely t-shirt the one thing that held me to the earth after millennia. Such material things, but in the end it was the very thing I kept closest to me. Like my attire would hold me longer to the very place I chose to leave.

"See what he says Abyss." The Abyss was actually one of the Chaos, the fallen angels who didn't fall to Tartar but managed to regain their angelic powers and resided on the human realm. We hunted them down and Amon found Abyss, only Abyss refused to go, refused to relinquish his power so Amon turned him into this, the eye of the seen, a watchers Job. And she was mine, my little bit of heaven, my little taste of what I refused to take.

Abyss moves and its black hollow of nothing changes into the mountain of Casteral on my 4th dimension of Tartar.

"Closer."

Abyss listens and like a camera when it's zoomed, but only clearer, I see the newcomer. Fallen? Or something else entirely. I frown, waiting to see what happens. She stirs, I can tell by her body, the leather attire is one I know well. The satin sheen of her sleeves and the long red hair.

"Bring her to me."

"Yes Master, she is outside, she has capacitated over 70 of our Elementals."

Agnoc leaves, and walks with his front to me, as he should. The scared guard was my loyal but extremely cruel creation. When I was given the ability to create my own demons, I knew I was going to spend millennia creating my own demons, ones that were not grotesque.

After a bit longer, an entire fleet of soldiers walks in, and as they part I remain with my back to them, watching from the reflection of the gold plate hanging on the wall next to Abyss.

"Master."

I spin around, looking at her, on her knees, long red hair hiding her face.

"What are you? Fallen? Chaos? Demon? Human? Shifter? should I continue?"

Her legs move to stand up, but the guards push her down, and I am tempted to tell them to leave her, but I kind of enjoy their antics, their ways of making others bend to my will.

She flicks her head, and head butts one of the guards and I am not sure why it makes me laugh but it does, and I lift my fingers, letting them know to leave her be.

She gets up and is quiet as she lifts the rest of her hair from her face. I suck in a breath as I see the fire in her depths. Redder than Kalbreals, and he was the Angel of Fire, the only fire child born to God.

Was she of Lucifer's bloodline? No, his bloodline ended with my sister Julie and me.

Her skin is pure, soft to the dense air. She isn't breathing heavy, or nervous. I push my energy to hers to taste her sorcery or something. But she stares at me, nothing, she gives nothing away. Is she dead? I inhale and taste her warmth, she is not dead, very much alive.

But I smell her anger, her vengeance. She has marked someone, but who? Was she running?

"Speak your name Ethereal," I command, knowing she would have to answer as I release a slither of my control, power.

Her nostrils flare, and her gaze burns for what feels like a lifetime, as her lips open.

"Harlow, The Storm Raider, 3rd Legion, Knight of Amon. And you are Nikolai Blackwyll, most beloved brother of our future King, Lami-El, The Everest Diamond King." I frown, at the mention of a time so long ago, a time when I was that.

"You have me at a disadvantage Love, I don't remember your face in my circle."

She smiles a bit and opens her arms.

"Let me show you," She says, and her entire mist around her diminishes as her body lights up that all the Guard covers their eyes but I watch her leather fall, and a white robe is now wrapped with gold and red diamonds and her red hair tied up, her eyes once red now green, and her skin once pure now full of the black markings of the Knights Legions of Amon. But it's the necklace now visible between her naked flesh around her neckline.

I recall it somewhere in scriptures, and I stare at her as she sends her memory to me. I see her on the Black Dragon of Agrabon, the demon slayer. I see myself in the air fighting Metatron, as she strikes him with an arrow, piercing him in his head.

"Most of that memory has faded over time, but I recall our encounter, brief but full of impact. Do you have a reason to be here Harlow?"

She drops down to one knee and her head bends, as her true self disappears to the warrior she chooses to reveal.

"I'm afraid my silence would be your only answer for now Nikolai Blackwyll. My mind has been touched by the Goddess of knowing, she has taken all my memories of the last 200 years away."

"Aramae?"

"She has chosen the name of Ara since she is the majestical Goddess of knowing."

"And Leegwan?"

She frowns at me for a moment and seems to have a hard time trying to remember but the fire flashing in her eyes screams of vengeance as it dissipates.

"I..I.." Her shoulders sway and like the mist, I relinquish my form to dust and revive it in less than a split millisecond to grab her by the waist and lift her in my arms.

She is heavier than the women I've taken to my bed.

"Well, that went well. Radermer, employ an Istrix to meet me at my chambers." I give the order to the wingless angel hiding on the roof. He jumps down and walks out ahead of me.

"Master, has she been harmed by the Gods?"

"No, Dante, she's just a bit weak from her long fall, what we need to focus on is helping her remember. If someone in heaven tried to kill her that means she could know something."

"Yes, master. Knowledge makes us stronger."

"Yes, Dante, you are learning, now help me take the little bud to my chamber. Then tell the Elementals to spread the word that she is to be left to roam Tartar and for the others to be on their best behaviour."