“Where—” I began, then stopped as I widened my eyes to take in my new surroundings.

  “You have entered the domain of my transcendent skill. You have no hope of defeating me here, not that you would have either way,” Isarion replied casually.

  “Where is everyone else?” I questioned, gazing around at the cavernous dimension. There were some similarities to the boss room in Lunarius’ territory; however, rather than a beautiful night sky, the space above was completely devoid of color. It was like being locked inside a cube of absolute darkness, and I could barely make out the glowing angel in front of me, clad in black armor that blended into our surroundings.

  Then, a flash of purple erupted before me, forcing me to close my eyes for a brief moment to avoid searing them to mush. When they finally opened, I realized that I was surrounded by a completely flat floor of clear water, and I could see my reflection staring up at me from the surface. A purple hue illuminated the sizable cube I was locked within, but I could see no source for the ominous light.

  “Your friends are quite safe, demon,” Isarion reassured. “Time moves at a crawl within my transcendent skill’s radius. A mere moment will have passed should we return.”

  “Should we return?” I repeated with a cautious tone.

  “Yes,” Isarion smiled widely. “I can’t have a little demon like you ruining my plans, after all.”

  At that moment, Joshua returned to my consciousness. [Where the hell are we, Carter?]

  Isarion’s skill transported us, or something.

  [Let’s kill him.]

  Yeah, sure.

  I mentally attempted to activate Shadow Mark, hoping that Lunarius would be willing to help, but nothing happened like it had once before when I had fought Eztara.

  Shit.

  [Killing him, it is.]

  “What do you want, then?” I questioned slowly, meeting the gaze of the intimidating aspect. “You gave me one of Luminarch’s relics, why?” I added.

  “Now, now, take your time, demon,” Isarion chuckled.

  “We need to move,” Noctulus, Isarion’s sentient black spear, commented hurriedly.

  “Do not rush me, Noctulus,” the aspect of chaos replied nonchalantly. “Well, demon. I assume that you had already come to be aware of my involvement with the elves’… aggression, considering you seem to be unsurprised by my sudden appearance.”

  I nodded once.

  “Then, allow me to skip the formalities,” Isarion stepped closer, and I raised an eyebrow, but didn’t dare make a move.

  Worst comes to worst, we can try to use Abyssal Rift to escape…

  [Doubt that will work.] Joshua taunted.

  “You see, it has been oh so many years since I have had a reason to come back to the Mortal Realm, of course, I would’ve been unable to perform such a feat if it weren’t for a special little demon such as yourself,” Isarion began.

  I felt a sinking feeling in my chest. “Are you saying you came with me?”

  Isarion tilted his head. “Is it not obvious?”

  I declined to answer, instead gritting my teeth in frustration.

  “Of course, I had to make it a surprise, although I am quite shocked you didn’t notice the small little bird clinging to your back as you activated your skill,” Isarion shrugged. “Just my luck.”

  “Don’t patronize me,” I spat.

  Noctulus clucked his tongue, although I wondered briefly how that was even possible. “Watch your tone, demon.”

  “Now, now, Noctulus, surely we could forgive this little one for his disrespectful manner? We owe him everything, of course.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Do you have any idea of what my goal is, demon?” Isarion's eyes glittered with curiosity.

  I hesitated, contemplating mentally over all the information I had gathered since entering this new world. “You… you want to kill the other immortals for some reason? Using that weapon you created.”

  Stolen story; please report.

  Silence.

  Then, a small laugh.

  Then, it morphed into a full-on rumble.

  I clenched my jaw as Isarion keeled over, then he looked up, and his eyes seemed to widen. “Oh, you were serious?”

  I stayed quiet.

  [Lets. Kill. Him.]

  Shut up, Joshua.

  Isarion stood straight, then regarded me with an unreadable expression. “Do you know what the essence of chaos is, demon?”

  “Randomness?” I offered.

  “An accurate assumption,” the aspect paused. “For an idiot.”

  [Maybe we shouldn’t kill him.] Joshua laughed.

  “Then what?” I asked, growing impatient, but still having no courage to act out violently.

  “If you were to repeat the events of your life leading up to where you are now, attempting to re-enact every single scenario the same way you did the first time, what would happen?”

  “I… I don’t know. The same thing?” I replied, unsure of myself.

  “Perhaps, or perhaps everything would be different. You see, chaos is not random. It is a deliberate measure taken by the world to rectify the mundanity of fate. There is no universe where every single aspect of existence stays the same; no, chaos is the subtle changes that occur for seemingly no reason at all.”

  “Then, how is it not just randomness?”

  “Because I am the source of Chaos,” Isarion smiled. “Without me, this world would be rather boring, to say the least.”

  Lunarius might like this guy.

  [Agreed.]

  “What are you talking about?” I questioned as my mind pounded in agony. The mysterious angel's words made almost no sense.

  “A matter in which you need not worry yourself about, demon. Here is the true purpose for my presence.”

  I waited, allowing my eyes to glaze over as I felt my breath begin to grow shallower.

  Something felt… wrong.

  “Isarion. You have grown bold in your old age,” A female voice suddenly interjected, and I watched as Isarion’s eye twitched ever so slightly.

  “Ossariel! What a surprise to see you here! How is it going, old friend?” Noctulus exclaimed, whirling his blade around to face the new being.

  She was tall, a woman with a long white cloak obscuring her face. She had huge, white, feathered wings, similar to Atea’s, and her cloak morphed into a sleek set of white, black, and light blue armour that encased her entire form. Her chestplate glowed with a bright blue glow, and she wielded two medium-length scepter-like staffs with curved tips, creating an almost crescent-like point. “Brother, I take it you have dared to go against the god king once more?”

  The dimension created by Isarion’s skill shattered as if made from glass, and we were suddenly transported back to my territory in the Mortal Realm with a blur of motion, so fast that I could barely even see the world disappearing before me. I felt my stomach, then my shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief as I realized the wounds from Calenvir’s blades had healed over.

  The elf king stood exactly where he had been before, having barely even blinked since the last time I saw him. My companions were eerily still, and I turned to face the sight that had caused them to become almost ghost-like in nature.

  Four angels appeared before me, and I instantly recognized the first pair, that being Zerethiel and Seraphael, the aspects of Justice and Mercy, respectively, while the third was Isarion, and finally, the newcomer, Ossariel, whom I remembered as being the aspect of order, the counterpart to Isarion’s chaos.

  “Isarion. Return now, and we may yet have to fight,” Zerethiel commanded, brandishing how glowing golden sword. “Although I would not be against it.”

  Seraphael shot me a knowing look, then returned her gaze to the aspect of chaos. “It would be unwise to test the mettle of your siblings, Isarion.”

  Isarion glanced wearily at the three angels surrounding him, then let out a soft chuckle. “You lot are stupider than I imagined.”

  “Isarion!” Calenvir roared, all six of his blades returning to his side, poised to strike. “This was not part of the deal!”

  “Silence, mortal,” Noctulus seethed, whirling around to face the elf king.

  [Guess they aren’t exactly friends.] Joshua commented.

  “You would honor your pact! To ensure that the future that I saw,” Calenvir pointed towards the crown above his head. “Would not come to fruition!”

  “Silence!” Ossariel shouted, shocking the king into submission.

  Isarion shook his head in disappointment. “You misunderstand, Calenvir. It was never my intention to save your people,” he paused, staring straight towards me. “It was to bring about the rise of the most chaotic being that will ever exist.”

  What is he talking about?

  What? The true influence is… Isarion?

  [Seems so.]

  “Enough games, Isarion,” Ossariel spat, brandishing her twin sceptres. “You will answer to the god king.”

  Isarion raised two hands in surrender, then shrugged as if he had no cares in the world. “My goal has been accomplished.” He smiled, then four beams of light shot down from the heavens, bringing the four angels back to the Celestial Realm from which they came.

  Mount Boom was stunned into absolute silence.

  “What the fuck just happened?” I asked aloud.

  No response.

  Finally, the elven king spoke, and with his next words came more questions than answers. “Where… where am I?”