The Mother's Decision

The halls of Lilith's domain were unlike anything else in Kur'thaal. While the Abyss was harsh, broken, and carved from jagged stone, her sanctuary pulsed with an eerie, primordial life. The walls—woven from obsidian roots—shifted with slow, living movement, as if breathing in rhythm with some unseen force. Each step that Vael took echoed with the weight of ancient power. The very air in the sanctuary seemed to hum with energy, alive in a way that was both comforting and unsettling at once.

Vael's bare feet moved silently on the black stone floor. His red eyes gleamed with a quiet intensity, but it wasn't just his eyes that shone—his aura shimmered with a subtle, swirling energy. As he walked, the runes on his skin pulsed faintly, like stars blinking softly beneath the surface of his flesh. They would often fluctuate, shifting in color and intensity depending on his emotions. Tonight, the runes danced with an unsettling shade of violet, a flicker of deep frustration that refused to settle, mingling with the cold, silver energy of control.

It was rare for Vael to feel unsettled, but the pull of the Abyss and the recent events surrounding the portal had left him at odds with his usually steady self.

His power, once contained within himself, seemed to leak outward, unbidden. His aura fluctuated, forming ripples in the air like heat on the horizon, blending reds, silvers, and the occasional flash of blue as though his very emotions were woven into the fabric of the realm itself.

A faint aura of shifting energy flickered around him, swirling in delicate waves.

Tonight, his mind was far from still, and the runes reacted as if reflecting the storm inside him. He couldn't deny it anymore: the recent experience had awakened something deeper, something he had long kept buried beneath layers of rage and numbness. He had spent centuries building his identity, shaping himself into something strong, something revered. But for the first time in a long while, he felt raw. Something from the other side of the Abyss had touched him, something that felt like a whisper from the void calling him back.

Vael exhaled softly, brushing aside the thoughts for now. He was here to meet Lilith, and that was what mattered most.

At the center of her sanctuary, Lilith sat atop a throne formed from the twisting roots of the Abyss itself, her presence both imposing and nurturing. The air around her thrummed with power, as if she were a living embodiment of creation itself. She looked almost ethereal, her long, silken hair cascading down her shoulders like a river of midnight. Her golden eyes never left the creature at her feet, the one she had just created—a small, winged demon with molten eyes. Its wings twitched uncertainly, as it took in the world for the first time.

A dark, winged creature coiled at her feet—something newborn, its molten eyes blinking slowly as it took in the world for the first time.

Vael's eyes flickered over the creature, feeling an odd mixture of awe and distaste. It was a testament to Lilith's mastery over the Abyss, but there was something about the newborn's uncertainty that struck a chord with him. Perhaps it was the rawness of its potential, or perhaps it was the stark contrast to the controlled chaos of his own existence. Either way, it made his thoughts shift in directions he was not ready to face.

Lilith's attention, however, remained solely on the creature as she softly traced her claw across its fragile form. "You rarely visit me, my child," she remarked without looking up.

Vael stopped before her throne, standing tall but with a relaxed stance that betrayed nothing of the turmoil in his chest. "I rarely have reason to," he replied, his voice as steady as the restless energy swirling beneath his skin.

Lilith's lips curled into a soft smile, one that held no warmth, only amusement. "And yet, you are here now. That must mean something troubles you."

Her voice was as smooth as silk, but Vael's aura, already heightened by his inner turmoil, betrayed him before he could answer. A flicker of dark crimson pulsed from his body—anger, irritation, unease.

Lilith's golden eyes flickered toward the shift in his energy, and her smile widened just a fraction. "Ah... I see. Something has unsettled you."

Vael clenched his jaw, willing the wave of frustration to subside. He focused, trying to steady the flow of his aura, but the red flicker still remained, faint but noticeable.

"The war is coming, whether we are ready or not," Vael muttered, his words laced with frustration. "Nethros prepares, the legions stir, and Asphodel has not lessened its attacks. The time for passive survival is over."

Lilith sighed, her fingers continuing to stroke the newborn creature's head with a tenderness that felt out of place in the midst of this conversation. "You sound like Nethros."

Vael's gaze sharpened. "For once, he is right."

Lilith's eyes finally lifted from the creature, her gaze fixing on Vael with a knowing sharpness. "And you, Vael? You have never been a creature of war. Why do you concern yourself with this now?"

For a brief moment, Vael hesitated, the conflict swirling in his chest like a storm he couldn't control. His aura flickered once more, swirling with dark, indigo hues—uncertainty mixed with something deeper, more primal. It was as though the pull of the Abyss was tightening its grip on him, whispering to him that his place here was far from finished.

But he couldn't bring himself to speak of the portal. Not yet.

Instead, he took a slow breath and said, "Because we cannot afford to be weak. If Asphodel sees us as nothing more than filth to be wiped away, then they will never stop hunting us. We need to be stronger. We need to evolve."

Lilith's expression softened slightly as she tilted her head, her golden eyes glinting. "Strength is not always found in war, my dear one. Sometimes, it is found in knowing what to protect."

Her words carried weight, and Vael could feel his aura—previously fluctuating—settle into an uneasy balance. A wave of brilliant gold flickered through his aura, signaling a rare moment of conviction.

"Then protect Kur'thaal. Stop pretending that we can endure endless attacks without consequence. We need to strike back, or we will always be on the defensive."

The silence between them stretched, each moment heavy with the weight of unspoken truths.

Lilith studied him with an intensity that seemed to see into the very core of his being, weighing something unseen.

Finally, she rose from her throne. The small creature at her feet stirred, its wings stretching uncertainly as though sensing that something bigger was about to happen.

She stepped closer to Vael, and the air around her shifted, warping with the immense weight of her power. Her voice, when it came, was calm yet filled with finality.

"Very well."

Vael's breath caught in his chest, his aura pulsing brighter as shock flashed through him—a deep violet, then a sudden flicker of silver.

"You agree?"

Lilith's gaze remained inscrutable, her smile widening into something more dangerous, more knowing. "Kur'thaal will not be defenseless. But I do not fight as Nethros does. I do not crave war for the sake of war."

Vael's mind raced, his aura fluctuating between deep indigo and molten red—conflicted anticipation warring within him.

Lilith raised a hand, and the roots of the Abyss trembled in response, the very walls of her domain sighing as if awakening from a deep slumber. The air crackled with energy, and Vael felt his power surge in response.

"You want strength? Then I will give you something new."

Vael watched in awe as Lilith turned away from him, her golden eyes gleaming as she raised her hands to shape something out of nothing. The Abyss seemed to bend toward her, as if answering her will.

She was more than a ruler. She was a creator. And this new creation would change the fate of Kur'thaal—perhaps even the balance between Asphodel and the Abyss itself.

As the energy around them intensified, Vael's aura pulsed wildly now, a storm of silver, crimson, and deep indigo, mirroring the chaos and anticipation in his chest.

For the first time in his long life, he felt true anticipation.

He didn't know what Lilith would create.

But he knew it would change everything.

Lilith's voice broke the silence that had settled between them. Her golden eyes gleamed with a knowing look as she turned back to Vael. "There is one more thing, Vael."

He met her gaze, confused by her sudden change in tone. The air in the room seemed to shift with an added weight, thick with the unspoken.

"You," she continued, her voice soft but carrying a sharp edge, "have every reason to destroy Asphodel."

Vael's eyes flickered, his aura shifting in a subtle, dangerous pulse—a deep red, tinged with hints of violet, the intensity rising in his chest.

"I don't like to talk about it," he said, his voice low and steady, though the shifting energy around him betrayed the emotions roiling beneath the surface.

Lilith's gaze softened for a moment, her lips curving into a small, knowing smile. She stepped closer to him, her presence filling the space like a silent storm. "I know you don't. But it's not just about your hatred for Asphodel, Vael. It's personal."

Vael's heart skipped a beat as he clenched his fists at his sides, his aura flickering dangerously. The memory, the pain—it was still there, buried deep within him. His former lover. The demoness who had been his light in the darkness. She had been everything to him—beautiful, strong, daring—and she had been taken from him. Killed by the angelic forces more than a hundred years ago.

Lilith's eyes held a glint of something more—something ancient. "She was beautiful, wasn't she? Bold. Too bold for Asphodel's perfect order. And they took her from you."

Vael's aura flared—fiery red, darkened with the weight of the past. He exhaled sharply, his mind flashing with memories of her. Her laughter, her strength, her warmth. And then the coldness of her absence. The emptiness that had never fully healed.

"Stop," Vael muttered, his voice strained, the words heavy with suppressed emotion.

Lilith didn't flinch. "It's true, Vael. You have the right to destroy them. You have the power—and the reason."

Vael's breathing quickened as he fought to control the overwhelming surge of emotions threatening to break through. His aura pulsed erratically—fiery red, followed by sharp blue, then darkened violet, mirroring the turmoil inside him. The runes on his skin seemed to move, shifting across his body in response to the rising tide of emotion. They burned across his flesh, a constant reminder of the pain that still lived inside him.

"Enough," Vael finally said, his voice a low growl. He turned away from Lilith, his aura still flickering violently around him, but he forced himself to center his thoughts.

Lilith smiled softly, but there was no pity in her expression. Only understanding. "You don't have to hide from your past, Vael. You can use it. You can let it fuel your strength. The power of the Abyss is yours to wield."

Vael closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply, trying to steady himself. He wasn't sure if he could ever truly escape the weight of his past. But the path forward was clearer now.

"Then let me take the first step," he said quietly, his aura shifting once more, settling into a cold, unwavering silver.

Lilith nodded, her gaze proud and approving. "Yes. The first step toward reclaiming what was lost. The first step toward changing everything."

Vael felt his aura solidify, an unwavering force of strength and resolve. He no longer felt like a broken piece of the world. He was something more. Something that would make Asphodel pay.

The Abyss had always been his home.

And now, it would be his weapon.