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In a thousand years Valen couldn't have imagined leading another charge of Sentinel Warriors into the Dark Realm after his betrayal.
But now he was here.
Spearheading one of the most impactful and difficult expeditions of his people as he had the Siege on Imorra.
If he was honest with himself, he had believed he'd die at some point during the grueling fights on top and on the sides of stone pillars slick with disgusting hellgrowth and a half-rotten liquid-like substance disgustingly similar to putrid water yet distinctly not.
When acid ate away at his prosthetic.
When a Mancubus pulled him with it as it fell from a pillar - nearly crushing him at the rough side of the stone collum.
Yet, despite everything he and the other handful Sentinels accompanying him had persevered.
Had made their way through out the Blood Swamps; their goal firmly in their minds (visible to a part through the green-ish clouds above). Mind never slipping from why they were doing all of this for even a moment.
Through some miracle everyone had survived up to this point and though some of the argenta warriors still distrusted him deeply (as they should) they followed his lead nonetheless (despite Irjal being the official leader of this expedition). Even saving him from certain death at the last minute a few times.
Sure, it was all due to the fact that he was the most experienced out of all of them when it came to the Dark Realm and how to survive in it but he couldn't help himself but notice that some of the younger Sentinels were getting increasingly open with him - asking him to tell them of the Second Golden Age of Argent D'Nur under Novik's rule.
Before the betrayal.
Before The Slayer.
Before the Dark Realm.
Before everything.
Seeing them practically glued to his lips when they got him to tell of the past while they made camp for the night made something squeeze painful in his chest.
They reminded him so much of- of-
He forced those thoughts as deep down into the abyss of his mind as he could whenever they came.
Now was not the time for thoughts such as those.
~***~<|>~***~
They'd been trekking through Hell for days at this point. Held at bay from their goal by the Dark Realm’s everchanging logic-defying properties.
The repetition only broken by the occasional skirmish with demons and their arrival at the true trial grounds in the center of the ever-expanding swamps.
So, it was a vindicating feeling that after nearly a month spent with nothing but fighting, navigating increasingly impassable terrain and many, many, near-death experiences for them all to finally bring down the demon that they had to summon and thus complete the Trial Of Maligog after a grueling fight.
If the thousands of skeletons, weapons and half-corroded carcasses they'd seen along the way were of any indication than their group was one of the very, very few that had even reached this point.
Let alone kill the boss-ranked demon here.
"Sooo~" one of the youngest Sentinels spoke up in the half-quiet "Any idea how we're gonna get up there, Lord Valen?"
One of the older warriors scoffed at the title. Muttering some rather...unflattering things under his breath to put it mildly.
"The Slayer seems to have waited too." Navigator Alren spoke up over the shared intercom of the group. "The data the humans got from the Praetor Suite suggest something lifted him up to the Sanctum. Something with enough Argent and Hell Energy in it to put it off the charts.”
The Betrayer frowned slightly. As did some of the others.
"Not good." The rough voice of Fren'al sounded. "If that's the case than we should-"
He didn't get to finish the sentence as he was interrupted by pulses of Hell Energy setting off their equipment.
The group spun around, snapped to attention, just in time to see a bifurcated structure looking to be made of a dark horn dissolving into nothingness.
"What was-"
With a loud rumble they turned jet again.
Seeing a massive eye open on what they had previously presumed to be part of the mountain.
"By the gods…" He whispered as the massive Titan pushed itself up into a proper standing position. Not the half-slump it had been moments before.
"Prepare for battle!" Kaiel yelled. "Weapons at the ready-!"
"Cease!"
It took a moment for Valen to realize that he had been the one to bark the command.
"You fool!" He hissed, not letting the surprise of his own outburst show on his face. Grabbing Kaiel's plasma shotgun by the barrel and forcing it to point downwards
"You don't stand a chance against a titan! Especially not without an Atlan or at least a dozen fully trained platoons of Sentinels by your side!"
"What do you suggest then-"
The ground underneath them shook.
Ancient stone and mortar cracking and breaking as the titan's massive hand buried underneath it forced it's way onto the surface.
Taking the platform they were standing on with it.
"Oh gods." Muttered one of the youngest Sentinels - Merin if the once-Commander remembered correctly - hugging his Energy Ax to his chest.
"Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods-" he repeated over and over again.
Meanwhile a few other Sentinels were trying to get a good stance - sliding and stumbling about as the titan lifted them higher and higher towards an unknown fate.
"What by the Wraiths is happening here?!" Another young warrior, Denaan this time, yelled as he lay flat on his chest plate, grabbing at one of the older fighter's ankles and trying very hard not to have a mental breakdown right then and there.
The one he was clinging to like a barnacle to stone, Ar-ler, was equally yelling.
At Denaan to, quote, "Let go of me you insolent fool of a-"
Valen couldn't hear the rest of the sentence. Swallowed by the howling wind as the titan lifted them higher and higher still.
Then their ascent stopped and…they were lowered onto an outcropping of stone slightly elevated from the rest of the mountain's peak.
More rumbling, stone hitting stone and several losses of balance and some curses later and the titan had withdrawn it's clawed hand from underneath the part of the platform it had lifted and returned to it's original state half-slumped against the mountain.
For several long moments there was nothing but silence and the roaring of wind in his ears. Brain struggling to make sense of what just happened - even after millennia in hell.
"Is it over-???" Denaan broke the silence eventually, voice high pitched in still-present panic (and still clinging to Ar-ler's ankle like a child to a stuffed toy).
"So....that's how the Lord Slayer got up here..." Another Sentinel muttered. Shaking hands betraying his shock.
Once everyone had calmed down significantly (and let go of each other) they took in their surroundings properly.
Valen wasn't sure if the titan's massive amounts of Hell Energy and Argent hadn't done anything to him as he stared in no small amount of shock at the scenery.
At first glance it appeared as a barren wasteland, only a few long-dead trees adorning most of it alongside four towering statues akin to the architecture he'd seen in Urdak on footage from the Slayer's Suite the humans had shared with them in each quadrant of the mountain peak. These statues, oddly, were made of the same stone as the mountain, not the white and red metal and golden energy of the Maykr realm. The constructs were almost...rough looking, in a sense. Despite appearing incredibly well-made even from this distance.
Other massive stonework of similar Maykr-like appearance hovered around the four main pillar-like ones.
What was the most captivating part of the mountain's peak though was what stood in it's center, a small path leading from where the titan had deposited them to the structure.
Their original goal in all of this.
Ingmore's Sanctum.
"Come on." He said, pushing the awe out of his voice. "It is better not wait for that titan to change it's mind and crush us after all."
The other agreed wordlessly with him.
Slowly they made their way towards the sanctum. A broad staircase leading up to it.
Around a perfectly circular basin of unnaturally turquoise water - the round platform in it's center only accessible via a comparatively thin bridge - segmented stone walls, their upper ends curved akin to a lotus flower, surrounded the pond.
Above them a massive ethereal sphere of similar color as the water hovered and turned slowly. Illuminating the space below it in a constant, soft, glow.
To the groups utter surprise they were being awaited.
Two Maykrs, Seraphs judging from their robes, floated on either side of the bridge leading to the most inner part of the Sanctum while two more hovered at the opposite end of the bridge - backs turned to the entrance.
"What you are here to do we cannot allow." The pair closest to the entrance spoke in unison. Their otherworldly voices projected directly into the minds of the Argenta - making some of them flinch in surprise.
Valen didn't let his irritation and anger show on his face.
Behind him Irjal, the official leader of the expedition, ground his teeth audibly over the intercom channel - undoubtedly trying as well to hide his emotions.
"We have to." He hissed at the Maykrs. "He's our king. His claim to the throne is irrefutable. Both by law and tradition."
"He is not needed again at this time." The reply came promptly.
"So what?" Another Sentinel, An'butur, asked. "Just because he's not needed at the moment doesn't mean he won't be needed again. You can't just pull him out of that damn thing and then return him to it like a sword to it's sheath once the job's done!"
No one had to ask what "that damned thing" was.
The Sarcophagus had been well-meant back in the old times just before the Unholy Crusades and the Civil War truly began, now though, having it turned into a prison for the Bane Of Hell, it was nothing but a curse.
"It is The Father's will." The two Seraphs seemed to fixate An'butur with their in-human gazes (despite having no eyes in the typical sense).
"Screw the guy." Denaan grumbled, back to his usual confidence. "What good is a god that doesn't even have the guts to admit they're scared shitless by a guy lying in a sarcophagus snoring away the millennia, huh?"
He had, undoubtedly, spent too much time with humans before they had departed from earth for this mission.
The Seraphs, though, didn't react to Denaan's words. Remaining perfectly calm as they answered:
"Your personal opinion of The Father is irrelevant. You are not allowed to pass."
"Oh yeah?" Denaan continued. "Who are you to tell us to back off? We proved ourselves worthy by killing that creepy-ass eye demon for the Trial. You don't have any-"
"That is enough."
The new voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. It's ethereal sound making it impossible to not know who was speaking.
The Sentinels present stiffened slightly.
Valen, though, simply turned to look at the clear blue sky, hands balled into fists at his sides.
"It does not matter whether you have completed the Trial Of Maligog."_ The Father continued. "You may choose one of the Life Spheres in this sanctum to take to the Luminarium. But He remains here. He is not needed at this moment."
"No, we will not."
There was a noticeable pause after Valen's declaration.
"Then leave."
"That we also will not."
The once-Commander's voice was cool, neutral even, but it was also as hard as steel.
"He has served his purpose."
"There is more to life than purpose."
"He will never accept the crown.*
"Then we will not give up on convincing him to take it. No matter how long it may take."
"He will only see you as tools."
"Never. For that he cares too much."
The others watched the exchange with barely contained bewilderment and amusement.
What in the name of all that is holy was going on here??
"He will choose to stay in Hell and continue his crusade for all eternity."
"Then we will follow."
The Father was silent once more. Likely thinking of another way to convince the Argenta to leave for good.
But eventually the silence turned…strange.
Charged, in a way.
"History is repeating." The Father spoke finally.
"What?" This time it was Valen to not know an answer.
"I have made a mistake."
…
"I…am about to…repeat…the same…mistake…"
"What is that supposed to mean??" Irjal snapped. "Stop speaking in riddles, Maykr!"
"I am…no longer fit for this role I have given myself."
…
"What?? That isn't any b-"
*I cannot lead the Maykrs anymore…"
Deathly quiet.
"Father...?" One of the Seraphs spoke up. "Does this have anything to do with…"
"Yes, it does."
"Have to do with what???" Irjal looked uncomfortable red in the face. The Unit Captain was quick to anger when he was denied information. Anger that usually sharpened into ice-cold determination and a thirst for action. Especially so when this happened right infront of him.
"After I had imprisoned Davoth in this very sanctum I asked Samur to remove my life sphere from the Luminarium, bringing it to a safe place while my consciousness reformed into an artificial intelligence by the name of VEGA which Samur entrusted to humanity while reforming his own consciousness to become human as to watch over VEGA"
The Father paused for a moment. It felt almost as if he were struggling with words.
"When VEGA accessed Urdak thanks to the Slayer and realized who he truly was he was not me. At least not fully. He still had his own will after so long being exposed to the Slayer. I only returned as a conscious will to Urdak when the Slayer shattered my Life Sphere and freed the remaining part of my consciousness from it's self-imposed imprisonment within the Sphere."
Again there was a beat of silence.
"Since then VEGA and I have had…altercations, so to speak. He does not agree with what I did in the past."
"In short he doesn't like you." Denaan finished a bit offhand.
"…Yes."
"And what does that have to do with any of this?!"
Irjal was also quick to anger when someone beat around the bush in an important situation. "You and your Atlan-consciousness-part don't like each other, we get it, but we're not gonna leave either way! No matter you two not getting along or not!"
"…"
"Silent now, are we?" The Captain glowered at the sky. "Nothing to say now-"
"I will go into the eternal. VEGA will lead the Maykr race in my place and assist the Slayer to the best of his abilities."
"What…?" Valen stared at the bright blue expanse of sky above him. Voice barely above a whisper. Mind racing through the information he just learned.
“Why-?”
“I have realized the mistake I made.” The Father cut him off. “I distrusted Davoth from the moment we first met. You did distrust the Slayer in the beginning as well but now…you do not. You…trust…the Slayer.”
There was another beat of silence.
“Tell the Slayer…that he now has control over Urdak…I doubt VEGA will rule without his input for an extended period of time.”
*Crack!*
With an ear-splitting sound of pure energy hitting stone, a shockwave erupted from between the two Seraphs who had quietly stood on either side of the bridge. It nearly knocked the Sentinels to their feet as it passed over them.
When the dust settled something hovered right in the center between the two Maykrs, held up by their telekinesis.
Neither of the two said a word as they let the object hover closer towards the group of Argenta, letting it stop infront of Valen.
The Betrayer stared at it.
Up close the object in question was nothing too remarkable by his standards:
A palm-sized disk with one of it's sides being domed. It's entire surface was made from a white metal-like substance and engraved in partially glowing symbols of Maykr origin.
A Datadrive containing the Father's consciousness.
Or rather...VEGAs if The Father's words were to be believed. An entire life (was VEGA alive?) in his palm yet again.
When he looked up all four Seraphs previously guarding the bridge leading to the actual inter part of the Sanctum were gone. Teleported away.
~***~<|>~***~
For a long time no one spoke.
Everyone needed time to process the information that had just been given to them. Having to sort it into their respective world views and getting, to put it plainly, over the utter shock over The Father's decision.
Eventually though Valen deposited the maykr Datadrive into his Subspace.
"Let's keep moving." The Betrayer broke the silence.
No one dared to object as he walked ahead over the bridge towards the circular platform in the center of Ingmore's Sanctum's pond.
On it rested what they had come all this way for on ancient symbols carved directly into the floor below:
The Sarcophagus or "The Tomb Of Souls" as some called it.
The stone was pitch black, scorched from heat and stained from blood long since spilled. Cracks, claw marks and scour marks where metal had scraped over the stone marked the coffin.
Sigils and script of demonic nature covered the lid and sides, faintly glowing deep red even in the added light.
The stench of iron, stone, blood and sheer danger- sheer hate radiating from it.
"Help me." Valen instructed the other Sentinels as he grabbed part of the sarcophagus's lid.
"You heard him." Irjal grunted as the others hesitated. "Help him."
The Captain took position next to Valen and, once the others had joined in, pushed.
The stone scraped loudly as it was forcefully moved - the sound absurdly loud in the quiet as stone ground against stone.
"Come on." Valen muttered under his breath. "Come back to us, brother in arms."
With a last bit of combined effort, the lid tipped over the edge. The sound of it hitting the floor rang out.
They stepped back hastily.
For a long moment no one moved. Frozen in anticipation.
Then an armored hand rose from within the tomb. Grabbing the edge.
The scraping of metal against stone was heard from withing and then…someone rose from within the confinements of the sarcophagus.
The figure slowly rose to their full height. Towering over the Argenta.
Valen was the first to kneel.
Then Irjal.
Then Denaan.
Then An'butur.
One by one the rest of the group knelt.
Fists over their hearts.
Heads bowed.
"All hail you, Unchained Predator." Irjal said.
"All hail you, Hellwalker." An'butur said
"All hail you, Bane Of Hell." Denaan said.
"All hail you, Doom Slayer." Valen said. "…All hail…the king."