Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

Mephisto and I. Are we the same? Just who the hell is he? To use the Abyss to create Pandora's Box makes me uneasy. I think it's time Lilith makes it harder for people just to come and go into the Abyss whenever they just feel like it. It's too powerful not to be protected in some way.

"I'm curious, Mephisto. Who is it you see as an equal?" I couldn't help but ask, feeling curious at the Origin realm that holds so many truths.

,m "Ah, finally asking the hard questions, are you?" He teased, chuckling, cutting parts of his pancake away. "Ever heard of Azathoth?"

"Eh?"

The Fallen lips bled into a smile. " Sure you have. You've met this particular God on multiple counts. Although the version you know is different, carrying a different name altogether. Azathoth is a being known by many names, one being the Sandman. He's quite a figure, my boy. Like me, his influence is far and wide. "

"I've met him? Who?"

"Baphomet dearest friend, of course, the great fiend Azeroth," Mephisto told, and stillness fell. "Have you not wondered where he is?"

"Bloody Hell!"

"Imagine how I felt when I laid eyes upon him for the first time? In a land where time had stilled and matter ceased into being, my eyes fell upon this 'thing' stirring him from his eternal slumber. At that moment, I felt an unimaginable amount of life fade into dust; their souls were wiped from the myriad heavens. The empty chaos pooled around him, crowning him as he opened his aged eyes. And at that moment, in that instant, I saw unimaginable worlds, shattering into an infinite nebula, leaving only a sea of darkness and the looming hum of the Abyss."

A sweltering feeling prickled my skin, having heard Mephisto's description, forcing me to recall the God, Cthulhu.

"Aren't Cthulhu and Azathoth close? What about him?" I asked, ready to hear the worst.

"Close? Hmm. Well, that's a way of putting it. Azathoth is a being of utter mystery even to me. He answers to none but is the core of all insanity. The Concept of Madness stems from him alone, making him a wild card. Some believe, myself included, that Cthulhu, during his mortal years, came upon Azathoth, who later became his apostle. I've no idea as I've never seen Cthulhu before. Despite my endless travels in the Abyss, I only ever encountered a single beast weak as a high god."

Thoughts racing, I could not help but shudder at the thought as my mind dipped to recall the Daughter of Hades, Melinoë, who carried the Mortal Dao of Madness in her blood. That same Madness was from Azathoth.

Just how powerful is he?

"Azathoth, in my opinion, is similar to Tenebrae, Mithra, the Abyss, and the Father. Azathoth might transcend the concept of time, putting him in league with those beings," he said, sending shivers dancing along my spine.

"While we Angel's predate time as well. Azathoth seems to be an anomaly like Izavith and the other generals."

"So his goal is—"

"Do not forfeit your right to exist, Arsene. I will be powerless to stop Azathoth should he set his eyes upon you. Azathoth has no goal, only a flow. The Madness of that cosmic force of nature ensures he will not have a true aim, only an endless chasm of arbitrary actions. Interfere, and you will die." Mephisto warned, eyeing me with such a cold look I felt my inside wish to freeze.

"You dropped a lot," I said, a little fearful of this thing.

"I say this because the Twins might share the same fate as Azathoth." He replied calmly.

"What do you mean!" I said, pushing up from my chair.

"Look at you, Arsene? You've barely started your journey and already fallen back into who you once were." He coldly reminded. " The Path to the Peak is one of Madness itself. And those little buns of joy will be so powerful that even I fear what will happen in the long run. Lilith's path as an Avatar is limited, but those children are no avatars. They are fully formed creatures with the power capable of destroying the 33 Heavens before they are even born. And that power will only grow. You think such a thing doesn't come with a price?"

"We sealed it," I said, but the Trickster only shook his head.

"You've sealed the power, but not the mind. Look around, Arsene. The Abyss might seem fully formed, but its true face is a sea of endless chaos. A universe of decay and death. And those children will slip into that MMadness faster than you think. All it takes is a sliver of qi, a slip of the hand over someone's neck, or a drop of blood ebbing from their finger. And that Madness the very Abyss holds will consume them."

"Like it did Azathoth?" I softly asked.

"Who knows." Mephisto dryly whispered. "Azathoth never spoke of his creation, so I cannot speculate much, but based on all I saw through his lifeless eyes and all I've seen myself at the peak, I can say the more power one holds, the stronger the madness draws near." He closed his eyes, sucking in a long breath. "Come. Hurry and finish your breakfast; we've much to learn."

Azathoth. so he's the only one Mephisto sees as a rival. I wonder how mad this Trickster who comes and goes as he sees fit is and just how powerful those beings who predate the concept of time are? Sure there are the Angels, but not even Mephisto knows what Azathoth is. Are there more like out there just waiting to be awakened?

Peering down at my breakfast, I lifted the mug of coffee and closed my eyes as I took a small sip of the rich spices subtly tracing over my tongue.

"Is madness a bad thing?" I asked after a long pause of silence.

"Do you think eating people is a problem?"

"No."

"What about killing people?"

"No."

He chuckled. " Madness comes in many forms, Arsene. But it makes you wonder. Where is it you draw the line?"

"Where do you?' I asked, and he smiled.