[Somewhere else at a dark place]
An eerie wind blew through the gloomy hallways of the remains of Fort Felpit.
Found deep inside the mountainous terrain of the kingdom of Luxaria, on top of a hill nestled deep inside the Valley of Undying Screams, the fortress once stood mighty and proud.
Now, only its sad remains were left standing here.
Everything visible, from the outside layers and its finely bricked walls up to the giant pointed towers cornering the structure, were proof of its once great glory.
The rigid, naked walls that were made from heavy bricks were so big and sturdy that even the smallest ray of light couldn't possibly penetrate through the cracks between them.
Inside, the walls were decorated with weathered torch holders, tattered curtains and torn banners.
A normal inhabitant of Fira could have easily deduced what had happened here, as these were all signs of one of the thousand battles that had taken place during the Battle of the Elders.
As a matter of fact, the current inhabitants of this place hadn't bothered cleaning up the heaps of skeletons that were scattered throughout this huge building.
These people had bigger things to attend to than playing garbage man.
Besides, this was only one of their many hideouts, so suffice to say they could just assemble somewhere else if need be.
Upstairs, on the third floor of the building, was a large room that once served as the Lord's briefing chamber.
In the middle of the room stood a large circular table, made of the finest of wood one could acquire in Fira.
Sadly, the table had seen better days.
Above it hung a giant weathered chandelier, which gave off a dim light, helped by some other candlesticks in the room.
Around the table were placed seven chairs, five of which were occupied.
On the chair placed the farthest away from the main door of the room sat the organiser of this shady gathering, The Mother.
Her skin was clear, her long curly hair was a deep-purple, and she wore a fancy black garb with lots of frills.
A black veil hung in front of her face, only leaving her mouth visible, which was shaped in the usual expressionless straight line.
Her physique resembled that of a young woman, yet she had lived far longer than anyone else present here.
Beside her stood a beautiful girl dressed in a dark-blue gown, and with silky white hair tied in a nice sustained knot.
Annabelle, as she was called, served as the voice and right hand of The Mother.
Her words were the words of Mother and thus were not to be questioned.
Anyone who did, would meet a fate worse than death.
Besides Mother, four other people were sitting at the table, three of which were called The Harbingers.
These were the Covenant's strongest warriors and when it comes down to strength are truly in a league of their own.
"Dear Mother, it has already been three minutes since our gathering was supposed to commence. How long are you going to tolerate his coarse behaviour?"
The Harbinger of Justice was a tall young man with straight black hair and dark-brown eyes.
He wore a black garment ornamented with silver edges and always carried a big torn book with him.
He is by far the wisest of the three, but also has a very short temper.
Supposedly he comes from a wealthy family, with ties to many other high-regarded and royal people.
However, his 'extreme ideals' eventually led him to be cast out by his family.
Mother made a gesture to let him know she had heard him, but said nothing further.
Instead, she whispered something into Annabelle's ear, who then spoke for her.
"Our Dear Mother understands your frustration, Justice, yet asks you to remain patient."
An unsatisfied grunt left his lips as he lounged back in his chair.
From the other side of the table another sound of complaint was heard, this time by the Harbinger of Fear, whose boorish attitude was ever so present. "Sooo boring! Can't we just start without 'em? My hands're itchin' to snap someone's neck again, if you catch ma drift?"
Once a brave soldier of Elysium, he made an oath to protect his country until his dying breath.
However, the commander of his unit was dealing with great opposition from his higher-ups.
In an attempt to save his own skin, he blamed his men for disobeying his orders and let them get arrested.
The Harbinger was locked up in the dungeons, where his mental health rapidly declined - hence why he acts the way that he does now.
In the end, he escaped during a prison break and was found by the Mother, who believed his strength to be quite useful for achieving her goal.
The only clothing he ever wears are the hides of animals he has slain and his weapons that are made from the bones of Firans he had the delight of picking apart one by one – literally.
He is the embodiment of a psychopath, whose bloodlust is never fully quenched. "If it stays this boring, Imma just leave." "Just shut up, you buffoon!"
The third one, The Harbinger of Might, was seen as the most dangerous of the lot.
Her immense physical power and combat experience made her notorious amongst all other members.
She was raised in the Kingdom of Barbados, where she experienced a truly harsh upbring.
Strength is might inside this realm, which she found out the hard way.
Her father, who was a high-ranked soldier, made her carry out grueling exercises day in and day out.
No matter how exhausted she was or how damaged her body might be, he would force her to complete these exercises.
She literally put her blood, sweat, and tears into it, all just to uphold her family name.
And even so, at the age of sixteen she was thrown out of her house, because she was simply not good enough - or so her father declared.
Since then, she made it her mission to become the most powerful person Fira had ever seen.
She roamed the world in search of fitting opponents and as a result her experience and strength grew at an unprecedented rate.
In just a decade's time, she had already grown powerful enough to beat some of the most powerful monsters Fira could throw at her.
She had made a name for herself as one of the most notorious fighters Fira had ever seen.
People even started calling her by a different name: The Unbreakable.
And all that, simply with her bare hands and indomitable will.
Some say she could even beat a Mountain Wyvern, but that is all speculation at this point.
The Harbinger of Might has long black hair that goes down all the way to her bottom, beautiful purple eyes with a blue undertone, and a muscled body with proportions most women would kill for.
Around her naked upper-body, she wears nothing but a sarashi to hide her bosom from being shown, which is coupled with a pair of black leather pants.
One look at her would make you believe she was a villain from some kind of kung-fu movie. "Honestly, I'm going to punch his ugly mug to pieces once he arrives. Why can't we just get rid of him already?" "Do not doubt our Mother's judgement, Might! If you did not notice, his power is invaluable to her cause." Annabelle clarified.
Though Might's blood was boiling, she remained calm, because she didn't want to make a scene in front of everyone.
While being one of the strongest people in all of Fira, she knew even she stood no chance against Mother's wrath, were she to aim it at her.
Besides the Harbingers, the final person present was the group's largest backer.
A mysterious girl with long black hair, black lips, and wearing a beautiful black dress adorned with silver motives.
Like Mother, she rarely said a word.
Not out of shyness, but because she'd rather watch how things turned out without her input.
"Well, do not expect me to shed even a single tear once that fool finally bites the dust." The Harbinger of Justice proclaimed, to the annoyance of The Mother's Right Hand.
"Justice, enough!"
As already mentioned, these people were waiting for their last two members to arrive.
Right now, they were walking through the creepy corridors of the fortress right beneath them.
The man walking in front would always crack a smile once he came across another pair of skeletons lying in the hallways.
"The poor souls." he would say from time to time.
Behind him walked his companion, who often asked herself how fate decided to pair her with a nut job like him.
"Make haste, Pyra! For our destiny awaits us at the end of this hall!"
"Why must ya always be so dramatic 'bout things, old man."
"Say, did your parents never teach you to respect your elders? Oh, that's right…"
He intentionally didn't finish his sentence to make the silence that followed more painful.
Which, it did.
"Screw you!"
"A little bit of gratitude would come a long way, little phoenix. Were it not for my awe-inspiring generosity, you would have been dead by now."
The man had found the girl in the slums of Gehenna when she was very little.
Like a rat, she ate everything she could get her hands on - even if it was rotting or mouldy.
Her hair was an absolute mess, and she wore a white dress that was covered in mud and torn to shreds.
But the most shocking thing of all was the girl's famished body.
Her arms, legs, and even neck were so thin, he was surprised they could still support her body at all.
Her cheeks were hollow, and her eyes didn't show any signs of life at all.
Something inside his body urged him to rescue her, and he did exactly that.
He took her with him and asked Mother if he could watch over her as her guardian.
Although he expected Mother to deny his wish, she surprisingly didn't.
And thus, the two became partners in crime, who would terrorise Fira for years to come.
Eventually, the two arrived at their destination.
With a loud ruckus, the man opened the giant wooden door.
"You are late!" Annabelle yelled at him, from the other side of the room.
"Took you long enough!" said The Harbinger of Might.
Once the two reached the table, the man sat down while the girl stood right beside him.
Then, for the first time since they had gathered, Mother spoke and addressed the two.
"Welcome back, Lucifer and Pyra. It pleases me to see you two again. I have waited patiently for your return, in the hopes of hearing good news."
"But of course. I am pleased to announce that His Majesty Azazel is no more, albeit he and his kin put up more of a fight than I expected."
Lucifer showed his cut-off arm, which was still in the process of growing back.
"May I have a closer look at that?"
Lucifer stood up from his chair and walked over towards her.
Once he got to her, he knelt down and showed her his arm.
She grabbed the arm and put her right hand on the wound, when a bright white light appeared underneath her hand.
In a split second, his arm grew back to its original form - bones, skin, and all.
"I am ever so grateful for your help, oh Dear Mother."
"That wound, it must have hurt a lot, right?"
Lucifer nodded, not knowing what would follow.
In the blink of an eye, his entire arm withered and turned black.
The texture of its skin changed, as if it had been burned to a crisp.
An absolutely toe-curling and agonizing pain was jolting through his entire arm, as if it was getting skinned piece by piece.
All the others at the table were watching in horror at what was happening in front of them.
Lucifer begged Mother to stop, who only accepted his apology after seeing him suffer for long enough.
The darkness subsided, and his arm turned back to normal.
Afterwards, he fell to the ground, paralysed by the pain.
"Was that truly necessary?" the backer asked Mother, perturbed.
"A mother's goal is to keep her children on the right path. And sometimes, that responsibility forces her to set an example. After all, naughty children need to be punished." she exclaimed.
In the meantime, Pyra had come over to help Lucifer get back up on his feet.
Mother looked at him and announced:
"Listen well, Lucifer, for I have a new task for you! You, Pyra, and Justice are to go to Prudentia, and meet a person named Perykillus. Further instructions will be given by him."
Lucifer, still haunted by the pain he felt in his arm, gave a formal bow and replied:
"Your wish is my every command, oh Mother."
Immediately afterwards, The Harbinger of Justice jumped out of his chair and protested:
"But Mother, why should I-?"
"SILENCE!"
Her words echoed through the room, freezing everyone in place.
Obediently, he dropped his head and responded:
"Yes, My Mother!"
Lucifer and Pyra were already waiting at the exit of the fort, when Justice caught up with them.
He had no intention of spending his precious time besides someone like Lucifer, so he tried his best to stay as far away from him as possible.
Although unbeknownst to him, this would make their journey last even longer.
Once he reached the two, Lucifer teasingly asked him:
"Shall we go then, partner o' mine?"
All he could produce was a woeful sigh and the irritated words:
"Don't call me partner."