Rumors and Reality (Private/Venir)

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

The sound of a drawn out breath in the form of a sigh filled the small bit of air surrounding Deniel the moment that he let it out. Closing his eyes as he did so, and having his arms crossed, the sigh was composed of a sense of boredom and irritation. Perched up against a wall with one of his boots crossed behind the other, he found protection from the midday sun in the shade of a building--all that it had to offer anyway. The afternoon ground had very little to now shadows to offer. Though the temperature did not bother him, he merely felt as if he should be temporarily left out of the sunlight. His black cloak was over his shoulders just as it usually had been, though it was not sealed off in the front as he had his arms crossed; it was opened wide with his elbows and revealed underneath the steel grey T-shirt, and everything else his jet black clothing had to offer. He found himself on the breeches of Fiore, within Clover Town. He had been contemplating whether or not he should turn back and search Fiore once more, or go out on a brief adventure in some other bordering--or perhaps distant--country. Recent days found no adventure or excitement within his life, and no orders from the Magic Council to slay some grand monster or retaliate against some evil ploy. Nothing. He was almost thinking that they saw him as only a puppet, though that assumption seemed a bit excessive; only time could truly tell what they thought of him.

Just when the decision had almost hit him to venture out of Fiore, something had kept him in. A group of people had passed him by, ignoring the person that they showed absolutely no interest in, and were nonchalantly discussing and debating a recent destruction of a certain guild. From what the Nephalem could gather by overhearing, he figured out what Guild it was...and who did it. A scowl did not manifest itself on his features, but instead his red orbs had begun to narrow: "That's very interesting."


It was not just a rumor. At first assuming that it had been, or some details had been switched around or lies had been told, Deniel very quickly discovered through more rumor and information that it was the truth. Eclipse Soul, the guild that he had briefly run only several months ago, was completely annihilated, disbanded, and its Guild Hall destroyed. The one responsible for the destruction of its Guild Hall had a name that he would know anywhere: Venir. "Hmmm...what did the little child do this time?" It was a thought he was keen about discovering the truth for, except the thought itself did not have one particular truth in it: Venir was no longer a child. Of course he never questioned whether she was or wasn't, as the last time he saw her she was, and it seemed completely illogical for her to make a sudden shift. But because he had assumed so, no one had ever seen her because his physical description of her was wrong. Perhaps passing the name might have gained a clue here or there, but he found no need to. A name would cause trouble.

Thus, after two days of traveling and searching, he found himself within Talonia. Apparently a save haven for Guildless people, though he himself never visited there, he knew that it was also a place that offered a hub of information. And Deniel was more than willing to trade anything for the information of Venir's whereabouts. Entering the Soul Bar with a sudden opening of the door, wearing the exact same clothes that he always did along with his black cloak, his red irises looked around. He felt some eyes on him, though many had returned to their activities and talking. A shady figure in Talonia was no uncommon site, and Deniel, despite being a God of Ishval, had made his name known, but not his face. His combat boots took slow steps against the wooden--and slightly creaking floor--as the tall figure slowly made his way over to the bar to sit on a stool. He still kept his cloak wide open with his hands, swinging them only slightly from side to side with each step that he took. Every blink of his eyes that he took they were pointed in a different direction, so that he may get a glimpse of anyone still watching them, and make them buzz off or just to give them a glare. Being a scary person was still something he was good at; intentional or not.

He sat himself down on a stool, and when the bartender came to serve him, Deniel did not order a drink. When asked what he wanted, the only words that came out were: "I'm looking for someone." Almost everyone was, but still contemplating whether or not Deniel was worth his time, the bartender asked: "Who?" Placing his elbows on the bar along with the rest of his arms, Deniel tapped one of his index fingers and answered. "A girl. White hair. About four feet in height. Almost like a little kid, though she uses Magic. Know anything?" The bartender raised his eyebrow and shook his head, about also inquired: "The Hell would a little girl be doing in Talonia? And what do you want with one?" Deniel sighed as he rolled his shoulders a little bit. He rested his cheek right on the palm of his right hand on the bar table, and bluntly answered: "Dunno'. Just trying to find any source, really. And she's an old friend of mine. Haven't seen her in a bit. It'd be nice to talk and catch up, ya' know?"

"No. I don't know."

Notes

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

Deniel never really took a glance at the woman next to him, aside from the moment that he sat down. A pretty blonde was certainly hard to come by in bars, but right now he wasn't searching for a girl to pick up and flirt with and then leave behind once he went out on his adventures again, though he was guilty of doing that from time to time. So in spite of everything he had not laid eyes on her once, and instead focused his attention on the bartender. Regardless of his pair of eyes not moving just a little bit to the left to notice that he was right next to his target, someone else's did. Perched and nestled right within the collarbone and neck area of Deniel was a puny reptilian figure in the same of a serpent, coiling itself around one side of his neck to the other, and shutting its eyes. Due to the fact that all of Deniel's clothing was black, especially his coat and cloak, the creature blended in with relative ease; it would take an especially trained eye to notice a pair of black scales on a black shirt next to a black coat covered by a black cloak. So much black... Its eyes were closed most of the time because it was either a sleep, or resting. And if it were doing either of the two, Venir probably would have gotten away from Deniel without him so much as batting an eye; for despite the small panic attack she had been having, Deniel himself paid her no mind. A blonde struggling with herself was the very least of his concerns.

Yet, moments after Deniel sat himself down on the chair and asked the first series of questions, the eyes opened up. Beady red dots, small in size but glowing with a scowl of hatred, revealed themselves and looked right over Deniel's collar. The serpent slithered only slightly so that its face could peak past the upturned collar of Deniel. In Venir's perspective, unless she had been focusing on Deniel's shoulder area alone, the first movements would go unnoticed. The only thing her--and anyone else curious enough to be looking at his shoulder--would notice is a pair of extra black eyes mysteriously creeping around his collar and looking at her. Dead straight at her face. Though it did not have a pair of pupils to follow its gaze, it then turned around to focus on her hand covering her thigh. And it continued to watch...and watch.

Whilst that was happening Deniel had still been conversing with the bartender, attempting to negotiate any source of information or lead that he could perhaps follow. The description of her was simple, but he even went out of his way to giving a much more intricately detailed image of her: "Snow white hair that matches her outfit. A little over four feet in height. Bright blue eyes. Dresses in an elegant manner, and the mark of E--....A mark on her thigh." The bartender shook his head the entire time, with each and every description that Deniel made. No leads, no sources, no nothing to work with. Once again Deniel was at square one, and had no other reason to stay here and waste his time dallying with anyone who didn't have any credible information. Though before he could push himself off of his seat, a whisper came into his ear.

The whisper had come from the creature on his shoulder. For it had been watching the woman that was seated right next to his master, and she was behaving in a very peculiar and queer manner. She seemed to be incited with panic of some sort; either she was swooning over how good looking Deniel was, or something had triggered her. So he watched. And watched. Watched as she struggled and squirmed, how her expression only got more worried and filled with distress by the second, and how she covered up her thigh.


The beady red eyes went wide for a moment, staring intensely straight at the mark of Eclipse Soul, a mark that it knew all too well, and one that was still on the right hand of his master. It turned itself away from her, its figure almost invisible once more due to its intense eyes no longer giving away its position. And it whispered straight into the ear of Deniel, whom had just finished conversing with the Bartender: "Look to your left." Irritated that once again his attempts at finding the girl were once again in vain, Deniel annoyingly looked to his left, only turning his eyes and not his face. It was the blonde, but there was something about her that he could see that before he could not: the mark on her thigh. Indeed, it was the exact same color and on the same position that he recalled the girl he had been searching for had. Either coincidental, or...no. It was impossible. It had only been several months; there was no way the little girl could have grown up to this buxom blonde. Regardless a former member of Eclipse Soul was perhaps the best kind of lead he could ever attain. It was almost as if fate for him had reached a churning point, in which it gave way into his favor. His eyes had gone wide once he saw the mark, and he made no hesitation to make a move or strike up a conversation. It was almost too fortunate to be true.

"Had too much alcohol, darlin'?" His eyes were on her thighs, before looking right up at her blue orbs, contrasting his red irises. He turned himself in his seat, crossing one of his legs over the other so that he may face her direction. She seemed to be in distress, though it was the least of his concern. If she needed help he would give it, but under no circumstances was he about to lose this lead. He placed his cheek right in the palm of his right hand, which had its elbow pressed against the bar counter. The way he spoke to her was a bit quiet, in a bit of a cold whisper as well. And the way he referred to her as "darlin'" was a method of flirting he often used on girls: act nice to them and they'd do almost anything you like. Mostly. He wasn't really attempting to get with this woman, but information at the very least would require some form of kindness. "Eclipse Soul, huh? I heard it was burned to the ground. Know anything about that?" He never revealed he was a former member, or even Guild Master. In fact his mark was perfectly covered up by the glove on his right hand that he always wore. And only on his right. He never saw her face before, so she might have been new and around during the time of the attack. She can't recognize me...unless Alyia decided to honor my name and face. Doubt it. But let's see where this goes..."

Notes

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

She appeared a little nervous, and that was intriguing to say the least. Though it was a possibility for the young blonde to be intoxicated with alcohol a little too much, her behavior was not nearly as peculiar enough for him to consider it the highest option. It was an option up there, but her demeanor certainly did not make it the most probable. Instead of stating this aloud, the young man merely smirked with a bit of his white teeth being shown off, and a chuckle escaping from him that caused his shoulders to shrug up and down a bit. She was quite amusing, whomever she was. It certainly wasn't the alcohol that was influencing her behavior, it was another factor, and part of Deniel suspected it was because she was a little swooned by him, or even a little flattered. It wasn't out of the picture, as he learned that girls did seem to love a young man who looked like a bad boy, especially one that paid mind to them. Alcohol and him flirting with her were options, but there was one more option that he had been thinking of in the back of his head, perhaps the most impossible one of them all. That this girl--this woman--was someone that he knew, and she knew him; it would explain why she was behaving the way that she was, certainly awkward and uncomfortable in his presence, and the only way that would happen is if she suspected him of wishing something from her. Perhaps...it couldn't be. He didn't want to believe it, but the thought kept on bothering him.

So much so did it bother the young man that a frown temporarily creased itself across his features, his red eyes being narrowed as his black eyebrows furrowed slightly and his red eyes began to glow ever more. This, however, only lasted for a moment, as he once again concentrated on the moments occurring rather than his insane suspicions. She was stuttering again, at the mention of Eclipse Soul, and he narrowed his eyes again. He had his face rested against his palm the entirety of this time, and he started to run his fingers across his cheek while he awaited her response. It was quite delayed, as if she needed time to think about it, almost as if she didn't want to lie to him. Or if something about it troubled her. Regardless of the reason her reactions only added on to the suspicions of the impossible option of who she was, which got more and more likely as the moments passed. The crimson blush on her face...how unusual. She had not blushed when he called her "darlin'" and was obviously flirting in some way or form, but the mentioning of Eclipse Soul caused her to do so, conveying that she felt a sense of distress in regards to that topic.

"Indeed it did..." So far all she had done was restate what he had said, at least on the subject of Eclipse Soul. She did answer his concern about her level of intoxication, though he had begun to figure that was a lie as well; no one could be drunk and physically behave the way she did while having their mental state in check. Something wasn't adding up, and every second he spent with this woman raised a million more questions in his mind. This was the closest lead he had got to finding her, and it seemed as though she was almost within his grasp. If he could pound out just one more answer from her, a reasonable one, then perhaps she would be within his grasp.

Although the events that unfolded next did, quite literally, put her in his grasp.

Ven. Ven. Ven. Ven. Ven. That single word, among all others, echoed through his mind. As well as "burning my counter". Time would have frozen for Deniel, but the next events that unfolded happened all too quickly. The thought came to his mind all too quickly, and it seemed as though the bartender had given him the information he needed. It was an ironic turn of events, and quite unexpected; the one that he counted on for information, and stated that he had none to offer, in the end gave him the most valuable piece that he needed. The puzzle fit.

The very first thing that Deniel did was look straight into the eyes of whom he now identified as Venir, as a wide smile spread across his face; it was not one of sinister intent or even happiness, but it seemed to say: "Got you." Before he could even react and say anything, however, he was swiftly met with a fiery fist straight into his face, clashing right against his nose in a mere second or so. If he had seen it coming it was easily avoidable, but unfortunately it was quite unexpected, though he had only himself to blame for not suspecting so. Obviously a lot of strength had been poured into this blow, and Deniel could feel it within the stinging sensation that followed immediately after, but it was no where near enough to daze him or knock him off of his feet. Almost knocking his stool over with the swiftness in which he escape from his seat, Deniel placed his arm right against the midriff of Venir, which he could feel a boiling hotness from, which meant one of two things within his mind, one being the more obvious choice. He was more than capable of holding her off, and if needed he could add an extra hand of force towards it, but one thing remained obvious: she got the hit, but could not run. That was not to say the hit was a complete failure. For while it did stagger Deniel, a crimson red liquid first trickled out of his nostrils before shortly running out and dripping down on to the floor.

"My, my you're in a hurry. Relax darlin' Venir...I'm not going to hurt you. Unless you do something stupid again." He spoke to her in a low whisper, so not everyone could hear, though all eyes were certainly on the girl who punched the man with a fist coated in black flames, and little to no escalation happened there afterwards. The position they were in did work towards his benefit, for he could get closer to her ear and have her hear out his words in a lower whisper than what he would normally perform. He still called her "darlin'", for a reason in which he kept to himself, but he did reveal that he discovered her identity. And, just to show off, he would also tell her how he solved the puzzle: "Black fire. A boiling hot sensation in your stomach here. Hmm...Flame Goddess...a lacrima. Burned Eclipse Soul right to the ground, and here you are now...as a young woman. That portion I cannot explain." It was not just in a whisper, but he also spoke very quickly, so that he could remove them from the position shortly afterwards. And he did so.

Hoping that she had been at the very least relaxed by now, for if he wanted to hurt her he could have done so already, he let go. He straightened himself up, and returned to his seat, beckoning her to return to hers as well. "Now before either of us jump to ludicrous conclusions...how about we catch up? It's been a while since I've seen your face. Certainly a shift from a child to a..." from her boots all the way up to her eyes and golden blonde hair his eyes scanned her, and he more or less enjoyed the view of what he saw, "A young woman. How have you been, little Venir? Have you eaten well? Getting good sleep? The basics, you know."

Notes

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

Something else grew with her, aside from her figure...her temper. He recalled the days of the childish little girl whom would come crying to him--or cry easily--but despite that had a considerable amount of strength and potential. He always wondered what exactly she would be like if she got stronger, perhaps to his level. And now, it was slowly becoming apparent. She had not given him just a bloody nose, but a few things here and there. Obviously she had not stood still, and although he knew she had been flailing in his grip not too long ago, only now did he notice what effects occurred. The tolerance for heat with Deniel was insane, as well as cold temperatures, so that was why he paid almost no heed to Venir's flaming fists and palms against him, nor was bothered by her boiling hot stomach; to him it only felt like placing his hands on a warm surface. Regardless of that, she did manage to burn through a small bit of his clothing that she had touched, and although not entirely noticeable, there were some very small side effects on his skin. That, coupled with the bit of blood that came out of his nose--which had now stopped--was taken as a sign from him that she had grown stronger. Considerably stronger, it was impressive even to him. A person giving him a bloody nose--even temporary--was very hard to come by.

Though on the note of her temper once more, he noticed it had considerably gone up. Either in general, or because he pushed a few buttons here and there. He recalled the time where he was an extremely irritable person, though that had not entirely passed, and he could understand she didn't want her buttons pushed. Therefor, he made it a goal in his mind to try and not do it too much...for now. He wiped the rest of the blood off of his nose, and sniffed a little bit. He was still more or less appalled by the fact that she was capable of such strength. Her growth, much like his, was exponential. Her first two questions were if he considered her his dad, and he could answer that question honestly and very wholeheartedly, but would wait until she was finished. The last thing he would want to happen is her go running off and have this erupt into a chase. Even such basic questions seemed to infuriate her, it seemed, though it wasn't entirely unexpected.

In a way, it was worse than he thought. He had hoped that she would have some kind of shed of happiness or positivism in her, or even slightly trust him, but it all seemed no more. He had done no harm to her, and yet it seemed as though she treated him as if he were some kind of hostile. And he wondered why...he pondered it. What was it about him that made her so hostile? Or was it about her? It gave him another rush of nostalgia, back to the good old days, and that was the first thing he reminisced with her aloud. "Dad, huh?" He sighed for a moment, and looked up at the ceiling, before back down at her with a look that seemed to be....yearning? "I'm not your dad, and I never will be. Still...as a little kid I tried to act like I was to you. You would come to me crying because some new member doubted your abilities, we would eat strawberry sundaes together, and you'd even enjoy riding on my shoulders. It was fun..." He shook the thought of it all loose with another side, as he suspected Venir might consider him to be lying, or even downright pitiful. "I'm not your dad. And I don't think you'll ever consider me like that again. Still...it was nice that even temporarily I treated you like a daughter. Though there is one thing bothering me..."

He uncrossed one of his legs and now had them both perched on the stool, and neither of his hands held his face within his palms unlike last time. He became tense for a moment, and any shred of a nostalgic longing faded away in almost an instant. The deadly frown came upon his face again. "A monster?" In a flash he covered the short distance between them. Not only was he right in front of her, but he was practically in her face about it. His red eyes was glowing with a fiery hatred almost like the Lacrima in her belly, his voice was stern and cold, and he showed no sighs of wanting to move. "You've no idea what a true monster is, do you?" It wasn't until now that he finally answered her was to why he was here, and he did so by pacing around her with the same look on his face, and the same tone within his harsh voice. "I came here to see how you were doing. And it's worse than I thought. No doubt the Council might have a bounty on you...but I've no interest in that, unless you give me a reason to. Now what happens next is up to you. I can show you what a monster is, if you wish. I can rip that lacrima straight from your belly and rid you of it forever. I can teach you methods of controlling it. I can be the friend you need...because we both know I'll never be afraid of you. And despite what you may think, I want to help." He stopped in his tracks right next to the bar table, and looked at the door. He leaned himself right up against it, with one of his legs crossed behind the other and each of his palms resting upon the edge. His red irises, no longer glowing, and his voice no longer filled with hatred, turned right back to her.

"Or you can run right out there and have me chase after you. I won't guarantee you'll get away, nor will I guarantee I'll be as nice if you do. Everything is in your hands. Make your choice."

Notes

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

Needless to say the responses Venir had been firing right back at him were very irritable. It seemed as though she was testing his patience to some degree, or she was just that stupid to taunt him in the ways that she did; certainly an arrogant stranger would do such, but there was no doubt in his mind that Venir knew of his capabilities. Or she truly was unaware, and was just being blatantly stupid, as he would say. Though regardless of her reasoning, she was testing him, no doubt about that. And without a doubt it was infuriating. Though luck had bestowed upon her the even tempered nature that Deniel was capable of carrying with his persona now more than ever, else he'd have gone straight for an assault long before she would even finish half of her sassy retorts. At the very least she appeared to have the same longing for the "good old days" as he did in his brief melancholic speech he provided earlier, reminiscing the days of her childhood. Her very brief childhood. Unfortunate, it truly was. Now his evaluation of the method in which she had in a sense talked back to him was one of his most critical moments of contemplation, analysis, and evaluation that he had performed yet; for it determined what next course of action he should take against Venir. Aside from the taunting tone that her words were buried beneath, he attempted to find the true meaning behind them all; not much time had passed since the destruction of Eclipse Soul, a month at the most. Give or take. Regardless of the time that elapsed since then, there was no doubt in Deniel's mind that her current way of speaking was coming from the fact that she was still scarred from it.

Assuming that she had not done it intentionally, and that did not gain a sadistic and destructive pleasure from it--which it what he was hoping on--, then it was still eating away at her mind. Traumatized for an event such as that was not rare, and he certainly had his fair share of it. He knew not if he should pity Venir or tell her to grow up...though in a way she had; she became a young woman once the blood of Eclipse Soul had been spilled upon her hands. These were all of his internal thoughts about her as she had commented on nearly every last thing that he shared with her, notably the options that he presented her with. In some instance part of Deniel wanted to believe what she said was completely true: she had no need of any friends, she had control of her powers, and his presence was genuinely having a negative effect on her. Maybe he should leave....


Leaving her wasn't the option. He was no longer the Guild Master of Eclipse Soul, just as she soon pointed out to him, but that did not mean his task was over. And although it had been a while, the lost were still within his grasp to assist, for he too had been lost for a majority of his life. From birth all the way up to adulthood he was lost; drowned within his own mixture of sorrow, rage, madness, and self denial...his own name. In the end, Venir's attempts to push Deniel to the limits of anger had worked for only a mere second or two, and her more obvious attempts at ridding herself of him ultimately failed. Now his vision was set fourth to conveying her the truth of the matter. Although...they were not in the appropriate place, though certainly the right time. The rising temperature of the room, obviously coming from Venir--and weakening her assertion that she had full control over her new-found powers--had attracted some unwanted attention between the two. Though it wasn't a hundred percent obvious, the careful eye of Deniel could very easily notice.

She had got up into his face just as he did with her, her final attempt to push him on edge. Her next words mostly went in one ear and out the other, though he did note what she said. He had been more focused on the eyes surrounding them...whispers were exchanged, and subtle fingers were being pointed. Things were shortly turning grim, though luckily for himself....Venir placed everything in his hands. Shortly after examining the rooms, all of his evaluations came to a close, and he locked eyes with Venir. "Call me what you wish..." he first began, noticing the smirk that was spread across her lips. Most likely she assumed that she had him cornered, or had succeeded in pushing him too far back, though just the opposite occurred: "I will do what I must." He took her words quite literally as he intended to. A lost soul in front of him? Then it seemed as though it was high time that he helped her find the way. After the brief exchange of words, a mysterious glint had formed into the eyes of the Nephalem, as well as surrounding his shoulders. There was no telling what it was, but before any assumptions could be made, the bright red light blinded anyone within the vicinity of the bar, and shortly afterwards, the two mages were gone from the realm of reality.


Into the land of Paradise... or at least that's what it was called. That was the destination that Deniel had chosen the two; not the Paradise in which angels tread, but rather the Paradise that Deniel and his mother had conjured through an extremely powerful summoning spell. This very spell enabled him to teleport himself and Venir to this realm. She was more than likely in need of a few seconds to come to grips on her senses once more, and this gave Deniel himself to create some distance between the two of them. He walked around ten meters or so away from Venir, giving her plenty of space.

The environment which they were teleport was quite a beautiful one; there was a beautiful blue sky above them with clouds that only worked to form shapes or patters for an artistic and aesthetic effect. The ground which they stood and walked on was lush and green, with a mild breeze blowing every now and then to calm the state of mind and provide serenity. The sunlight was shining, though the temperatures were quite fair and mild; trees decorated the landscape, and the sound of flowing water could be heard not too far from where they were standing. Once Venir had once again gotten a grip on her body, reality would be this world just as it was with Deniel. "Nidhogg, let's get ready." The serpent dragon hidden within the collar of Deniel gave an assuring nod, before beginning its transformation. As Deniel opened up his palm, black mist swirled as the serpent decomposed itself and changed its state of matter, flowing into the palm of his masters and creating a rod shape. "Control? A monster? Terror? You say you have all of these...yet I have seen the true meaning of each. So come get me, Venir! Show me that you have control! Show me that you really are some kind of monster! And see if--even for a moment--I will be even remotely afraid of you." The black mist materialized itself into the signature black katana that Deniel carried with him everywhere. And his hands laid upon the hilt, gripping it and drawing the black blade from its scabbard, though he showed no signs of assuming a Take Over form, if Venir even remembered that's what he used. It was one way of showing just how seriously he did not heed her words.

But even without his Take Overs, he was far above the strength of any Mage, and should never be underestimated.

Notes

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

Her eagerness wasn't all that surprising to the Nephalem, though he began to ponder just how well this plan would work, if it would work at all. If she burnt herself out--literally--then that would make his job a whole lot easier. Perhaps being reckless and anxious to unleash on Deniel would prove to be more effective in his plans. Readying himself after drawing his blade, he had prepared himself for the worst; he certainly wasn't weak without a Take Over, but a key difference between herself and him at this moment is that he had access to no kind of spells, Magic, or Abilities that came with them. He was just a physically strong mage with a sword, against one that dubbed herself a Goddess Slayer. At least that lacrima entitled her to that; it was something that Deniel always scoffed at when he first heard of it. They were supposed to have the ability to defeat Gods, Dragons, and Demons alike...yet he had never heard of any of them accomplishing such. Himself? He had done all three. Formulating his body for combat, she showed no hesitations in initiating the fight on her own accord, accepting his challenge and his desire for her to give it her absolute best. She closed the narrow distance between them very swiftly, as expected. His battle instincts were honed and developed heavily, to the point where there was a high probability of him instigating a counter attack to her, though he forcefully stopped himself from doing do. The flick to his forehead had hit him with a hard blow, one that was much more powerful than the initial attack that she had delivered to him at the bar, resulting in only a nose bleed.

Abruptly he found himself tumbling backwards from his forehead first, as his vision blurred and his senses had come a little bit dizzy. The full distance of his intended knock back was not attained, as he managed to get a grip of his senses and put some use to his weapon aside from attacking her. Impaling the black blade into the soil beneath him, and skidding a couple more meters, he drew himself to a forceful halt. Shaking loose the ditsy feeling that consumed his head, he looked back up to see Venir already preparing--in fact completing--her next strike. Smart, to say the least, especially if one wanted to win a battle, but also quite reckless. There was no doubt that these were her strongest, or one of her strongest, spells, and using them without waiting for the perfect opportune moment might have resulted in a waste of precious Magic Power. The Nephalem could instantly think of several ways of avoiding this next attack, one of which he had almost done involuntarily, which involved the utilization of his katana and not the necessity of a Take Over. At first raising his blade in response in preparation for a strike, he once again ceased his body movements just as he had done earlier in Venir's initial strike. It was necessary for him to give her false confidence that she could either beat him into submission, or be able to make him think otherwise about improving her. So he could cease the victory at the most opportune moment.

At the very least, shielding himself using his arms did not hurt. Though regardless the blast hit him with an enormous amount of might and power, with the heat around him intensifying to the point where he had actually admitted that the flames of a Fire God Slayer--Goddess in her case--were capable of testing his tolerance. Of course this was without the insanely high resistances of the Black Devil, but it was adequate enough. The flames around him scorched and burned, not just himself but the surrounding environment; killing and burning the grass to a crisp and cratering in the rich soil just beneath his feet. He could feel himself swiftly descending after the inferno of a blast, landing down at the bottom of the crater as he was very close to its epicenter. Throughout its duration he had also shielded his eyes with his eyelids, and with his arms, forcing them to take most of the blow from his face. Though even after this quite extraordinary attack she was not quite finished.

Opening his eyes and lower his arms down from shielding himself, he very swiftly found himself in a fiery embrace. Feeling her clasp her hands around him strategically to limit all of his movements, the events following afterwards were quite uncomfortable. He felt the body of the blonde against him heating up immensely, to the point where the clothes he had been wearing started to sear and burn; his black shirt smoked and seared against his skin before quickly melting off, and even the signature glove that he carried upon his right hand had begun to burn and ignite itself from her grip around his wrist. No doubt this was also a set-up for another attack, which had left Deniel with a choice: should he break the act now, or let it go through? There was no question that Venir had consumed an enormous amount of Magic Power, and a move this rash and reckless did show signs of an intent to end the fight there and now. Making a swift and critical condition, Deniel decided that Venir would no longer be able to land blows on him.

Sealing his eyelids shut, with his red eyes no longer in view to the blonde, and the searing of his skin the only thing he could feel...his next move had begun. Magic Power began to course through his veins, as he signaled his body that it was time for a transformation. His pulse had begun to rise, pumping a new form of blood through his body rapidly. Down to the very cellular composition and the signals that his brain sent throughout the rest of his body, Deniel's self became something else.

With the blink of an eye, just before Venir had finished channeling what she had anticipated to be her finishing attack, he was no longer within range of it. Instead he was behind her, several meters behind her in fact, standing perfectly still. The burnt clothes were no longer there, but neither was his skin; in place of his entire body's construct was jet black scales. Claws replaced his fingers, wings resembling a beetle's were attached on to his back, and the sword that he held within his hand was no longer the small black katana known as Nidhogg; replaced by the enormous blade--almost the height of the devil that held it--known as Armageddon. The Black Devil turned himself, witnessing to see just how Venir's attack would follow through without his presence. The burning sensation that his body had been pulsing up as a way of signaling pain was no longer throughout his body, for the Black Devil's tolerance of heat was exponentially greater than that of Deniel himself. Despite this transformation, this was not the end. No doubt Venir had most likely remembered the Black Devil, as it was the Take Over Deniel had first used on her when she was a child, a method of testing out the skills that she had attained. Perhaps she would not be afraid of the monster from her childhood, but there was a brand new one that was about to come up from under the bed. "Know...fear." Those were the only two words muttered by the Devil through his rows of teeth, a deeper voice than that of Deniel's. And as his words had completed themselves, a shadow even darker than the scales upon his body enveloped the Devil, hiding all that he owned save for his eyes.

Without opening his mouth, and without a single movement, the second stage of transformation for him had begun.


The words he uttered were a chant that had been cursed to bring about the unholiest creatures of destruction and mayhem. The shadow hiding the exact details that occurred, they were played out before Venir's eyes. At the start of the chant, the Black Devil's arms had grown much more muscular, and the claws on the tips of its fingers sharpened. His legs, particularly in the thigh region, gained a quantity of muscle mass. The feet hidden within the combat boots that the Black Devil wore suddenly broke free from their prison, shown to have five clawed toes in the front, and two small claws within their backs. The hands of the Black Devil in the middle of the chant perched themselves on the horns extending out from its crown, as the more painful portion of this process had begun. The sound of flesh tearing almost overcame the deep voice reciting the chant; two enormous tattered wings emerged from the upper back region of the Black Devil, literally ripping off the wings that they had replaced. Though this was not the end. The second object that had miraculously spun its way into existence was a spiked tail, ripping through his backside and emerging several feet in length. And at long last, to top it all off, straight from underneath the first set of arms that had now tightened their grip severely from the pain wrought down upon himself, emerged two entirely new arms from underneath the first. And as those came to be, the shadow over this "new" Black Devil faded.

Right at the center of his chest was a red jewel that sent out rivers of molten lava right into the skin of the Omega Black Devil, igniting his body seemingly and causing it to appear as though parts of him was made of pure lava. The monster let out a roar, as it tugged on each of its horns and managed to rip half of one of them right from their position shortly before crushing it underneath his grip. The savage roar that filled the air and caused the trees of Paradise to tremble was cut short as the demon laid its ferocious eyes upon Venir. The fangs of the monster bared themselves as it lunged forward after Venir, unleashing the attack that Deniel himself knew would hopefully open her eyes in some way or another.

The footstep that crushed the earth beneath it seemingly shattered reality around them like glass, and quite literally it did; the image of clear blue skies, crystal clear water, and lush green glass was given almost immediately away to an entirely different dimension. In a single footstep the Omega Black Devil had bent reality around them, causing the battleground of the two to turn into a hellish environment: beneath them was charred black ground and obsidian, above them the sky was choked with volcanic ash and storm clouds to the point where no sun was visible; the only viable source of light for them was the volcanic eruptions in the distance, and the molten fissures and cracks that coated the landscape. Though upon taking a step, the Omega Black Devil need not taketh another. For with the transformation, he was already upon his opposition. And there came the true terror.

Its right claw had been coated in an incredibly dark red aura substance, Unholy Energy that had been magically enhanced, and went straight for the stomach and vulnerable point of Venir. In the meantime, ghostly swords had conjured themselves around the blonde, of the same color to the Black Devil's enhanced strike. These swords perfectly resembled the gargantuan and demonic broadsword Armageddon; five in total, they all launched themselves from various directions at the blonde. Even then, that was not the end of their troubles. Whilst those troubles whipped themselves up, around them three volcanic fissures erupted into waves of molten lava--each of them well over twenty meters in height--came crashing down on their location. And then to top it all off, the last of the assaults was the sword of Armageddon; enhanced very similarly to the claw of the Omega Black Devil. It was charged and ready to unleash an attack that would literally shatter any form of defenses or blocks within existence, regardless of the level of power. These brutal strikes came upon Venir all at the same time, and would certainly spell certain doom for her!

If they had actually struck. Fortunately for the blonde, they did not. All of this was for show. Before the claw impaled itself inside of her stomach that contained the lacrima, it halted within its path, before the swords could pierce and skewer her body, they all ceased their journey. Before the waves of lava came down to incinerate her very body until nothing remained, they had come still in mid-air as if being held back. And the sword did not strike either. It lay suspended behind the Omega Black Devil's back, ready to strike at any moment, but did not. She was literally trapped with no way out, and the very end of her life could happen at any moment. Letting her absorb the feeling for a moment, hopefully of terror and despair, the Omega Black Devil spoke: "Do you see now?"

The swords vanished from sight, the claw retracted itself away from her stomach, with the Unholy Energy coating both it and the sword fading away in the air and wind, and the waves of magma retracted themselves and went back to their crater. The monster in front of Venir sheathed its blade upon its back, just between its wings, and crossed two of its four arms over its chest. "To some, control of your Magic is apparent; you wield it with great power and precision, and are able to bend it to your will. However, it also bends your will; you constantly fight it for control of your body, as it creates an undying urge within you to fight that can only be sated by engaging in combat. And that it is what you did...though I am disappointed." The tail of the Omega Black Devil swung itself to and fro slowly in his speech, and as he had begun to snap against Venir, he whipped his hand right in front of her with a clawed molten finger pointed right at her. "You used all of your attacks on me at once. Though they were very well executed and combined, one who has completely control would not lose their power, or use it up, so easily as you did." He retracted his hand, and opened up the palm; the gaze of the Devil looked straight towards it.

"You are no monster. This is the face of a true monster, and fear. The only thing people have to be afraid of...is your fear. Your fear of losing control, of killing others, and of making the same mistake again. You are a monster in the making. If you allow yourself to continue down the path of drowning in pity, sorrow, and denial...then you will become truly lost. There still exists good in you, Little Venir. You and I know it."

"TEN!"

Notes

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

There was a moment in which the world around him was seemingly frozen in his perspective; the tense moment in which he had finished speaking and was awaiting for her response. He had executed a daring move with this entire scenario, rolling the dice in hopes that Venir would at long last let down the barrier that she firmly set in front of him. It was difficult, there was no doubt about that; never before had he met someone that was so in self-denial than...he thought about his own name. And then he processed exactly what she had done to get in this scenario. The irony of it all was laughable in his eyes. After the tense moment he relaxed, and despite the instant wail of emotions and sadness that had finally been exhaled from her like a gasp for breath, he felt accomplished. It meant that his faith in her and himself had paid off; she took down the wall and let him in. Giving her as much time as she needed to get everything out was essential to it all, so he bothered not to make a single sound or sudden motion that would startle her, or cause her to cease her actions. The beast of Omega stood there, with his tail swaying slightly behind him and his wings occasionally gave themselves a small flap to make sure they were not given stiff motion. It was quite frustrating for Deniel within; not because of Venir's sudden outburst, but his inability to show any kind of emotion through his face or tone of voice. The Omega Black Devil could never appear anything but malicious, and could only have its ferocious voice that could turn into a growl at any second.

"NINE!"

He would need to choose his next words carefully, and he knew it. He was free to make the next move, and choose the next course of action; though she had invited him to bring about her demise, that was no where near the top of his list to the next course of action. He had recognized the fact that she needed help more than anything now. Even as he was no longer a Guild Master, it was still his duty as a fellow huma--...mortal being to make sure that she would walk away stronger and a better person. But how...? A low, deep growl escaped from his vocal chords briefly, a little bit to his regret since he did not want to make Venir assume that he was about to strike the killing blow on her. Fortunately she was awaiting her fate, and had almost no intention of moving, so it gave him several moments to speak. He contemplated the scenario from the beginning: she messed up, had been scarred from it, and was now vulnerable to further destruction. Instead of pouring salt on her wounds, he needed to bandage them and mend them...

Hearkening back to his earlier consideration about her scenario being similar to someone he once knew, an idea sprouted from it. He knew now what his next course of action would be. Bending himself down on one knee, the Omega Black Devil lowered himself, and stuck out its clawed index finger to the top of Venir's head. In spite of the fact that his body was coated in a constant flowing river of molten lava--almost as if his body was the landscape surrounding them--there was no burning sensation that would happen to her, and it was not because of her current Magic. Instead it would feel like any other hand of flesh would be touching her--aside from the claws on the tips of his fingers--and then he spoke: "I would sooner sacrifice myself than kill you." Pausing briefly to let his words sink in, he took his hand from the back of her head and once again rose to his full height: "Rise." Regardless of whether or not she would take his invitation, he folded the lower two of his arms behind his back, with his hands linking together at around his waist area. The upper of the two crossed themselves across his chest, and he began his story. He attempted to make it as brief as possible, whilst also making sure his message was conveyed. "I once knew a boy like you. He messed up bad...killed innocents unintentionally. He was punished for it, and through that punishment he had distanced himself from others, and felt that there would never be a day that he could fit into society. But there came a wise man, and he taught the boy the most important lesson of his life: the past is to be learned from. Letting it control you, torment you, induce you with negative emotions, or restrain you...will only lead to loneliness."

Unfolding one of his arms, the Omega Black Devil pointed at himself, as he connected the story to her much more obviously: "Nothing in this world is beyond your control. You do not exist because of Magic, your Magic exists because of you. And the same should apply to control. Fear, hatred, sorrow, and denial are your greatest enemies. Not others, not me, not that lacrima, and not yourself. Let them win, and they control who you are and who you will become, and they manifest from past pains. However..." His voice began to rise as two of his four hands reached straight for the ash-choked sky: "Erase those emotions, and have faith in yourself! If you learn from your mistakes rather than regret them, you will become strong enough not to make them again. Reach for the stars, trust in yourself, and nothing will be beyond your control: not even your future!"

"EIGHT!"

The voice had finally struck with him, and he looked down away from Venir for a moment. It seemed all of his energy was suddenly lost, and if it weren't for the permanent demonic expression, she could tell he was worried. Time is running short.

Notes

"A wanderer isn't always lost."

Her response was more or less surprising to Deniel, but it was much more acceptable than some kind of witty remark and/or anything that further pushed him back. She wouldn't tell him? He wouldn't approve? Demonic eyes narrowed themselves at the blonde, questioning in his mind what exactly she was referring to. Had he failed in the end? Or was she really just taking things her own way? In spite of it all, the smile had developed upon her features; whether or not it was fake, at the very least he succeeded in unleashing that out of her. In spite of his monstrous form, and soon-to-be monster personality, he felt a little bit warm on the inside. And the source of it was not the lava coursing through his body. It was the genuine feeling that he had accomplished something, and made someone's life better rather than worse--or had taken it away. A rare feeling for him, indeed. And truly he would savor it for quite some time. "Whatever it is, I'm certain it's the right path for you."

Following that, she seemed to threaten him, though it was in a bit of a non-serious way. At least he hoped it wasn't. She had faith in her own ability to grow stronger, and one day beat him...quite an aspiration in his mind. He suspected many people out there would want to defeat him one day, but the amount of people he calculated doing so were quite minimal. Could she do it? Could she not? Maybe one day. Though if she one, a shoulder ride would be in order. In response to that, the Demon gave her a nod; in spite of her being bigger, there was no doubt in his mind that he would be up to the task. It was another thing she said that made him feel accomplished. The classic shoulder ride. So simple, yet very powerful in the kind of relationship that the two had managed to develop. He wasn't sure if he felt like a father to her, no...perhaps an uncle would be a more accurate depiction. And then ice cream...of course it was. A strawberry sundae was something he could have instantly bequeathed upon her at the current moment, though there was a high likelihood that it would merely melt in all of the heat. Or in the palm of her hand; the flames in her had probably not cooled down just yet.

The very last bit was certainly the most surprising words that had come from her the entire time he had been with her. She apologized for the trouble, and admitted he wasn't "all that bad". As sad as it was...it was far beyond the nicest thing he had heard come from a person to him in...he could not remember. If he wasn't a near-seven foot tall volcanic demon at the moment, the first thing he would do would be embrace Venir, thank her, and say it was all alright. Unfortunately, he could only do one of those things.

"SEVEN!"

Time was running short, though luckily they were almost finished. Just as he did before, he put his clawed hand right atop her head, except this time, he ended it with a gentle pat. "All is forgiven, Venir. You said it yourself: there was a lost soul in front of me...and I needed to help it." One last pat. That's all he needed, and he took his hand off of her. "SIX!" Seriousness came upon his features now, fortunately after all had been resolved. "Now you must go, hopefully better than you have been before. Though we shall meet again; and if you are ever in need of my help...I'll be there. Trust me. In a few moments, I will no longer be myself. So this is good-bye, for now..." He turned his back to her, all four arms crossed over his chest. What else was there for him to say...? He knew he was missing something, but his time had started to run short. Even how he could start to feel the corruption of Omega creeping up on his mind, like darkness being cast straight over light. "There are some things that are beyond even my control... still, it doesn't last for long. Now..." He gave a wave of his right hand, and a dark red Magic Circle had come under Venir's feet. It shone a bright red color, surrounding her body and getting ready for its teleportation. And he decided to leave her with one last thing: a thumbs up, and a few words of advice, "Remember that wanderers are not always lost."

With a brief flash of red light, Venir would be out of the hellish landscape of the Inferno, and right back to where she and Deniel had met at the Soul Bar. Except he would not be accompanying her. He needed to stay a little bit longer, so that the beast would not be unleashed upon the outside world, and it could be trapped here until time had run out.


The Omega Black Devil's demonic eyes shot straight open upon being counted down to five, and Deniel was no longer occupying the body. Now, a true monstrous creature had been unleashed in the Inferno. The moment it had awoken, a deadly Magic Power enveloped the entire land, causing the ground to quake and the lava to spill fourth to destroy all it touched. The beast let loose a savage roar that caused the volcanoes in the distance to erupt with vicious force, shooting high into the sky their volcanic ash to choke out all traces of light and pure air, and unleashing rivers of lava into the fissures beneath the creatures feet. Its four hands clenched themselves in self-harm, with demonic blood oozing out of its palms. Rage shook the monster and its body, enveloping and corrupting the mind down to its every last neuron. With a second roar being let out from its vocal chords, dark red Unholy Energy surrounded the beast and unleashed an explosion within several dozen meters that managed to shatter through the obsidian ground beneath it, and unleash a tidal wave of molten magma. Turning and looking upon the wave, the eyes that were filled with hatred and a desire for cataclysmic mayhem reached unto its back to the demonic broadsword Armageddon, and swung the blade. Beneath its might, not only did the land itself tremble and crumble, but not even the destruction of lava could hope to best it.

Notes