Aurora Order... Sam's blood ran cold as he stared at Mr. A with overwhelming intensity, his golden eyes turning reptilian, befitting his nature as Cold-Blooded, wide and luminous like merciless rays of sun.
Deep down, Sam felt conflicted when it came to the True Creator. His heart torn and divided by doubt and faith, clashing in his heart for dominion.
It was said that the True Creator is the inheritor of the will of the Ancient Sun God, but Sam didn't know how to deal with that knowledge. Because his Lord was merciful and warm, while the True Creator was a complete opposite. How could His inheritor be an evil and monstrous god?
He couldn't accept it. No! He refused to accept that as truth. If the True Creator was truly what remained of his Lord, why was He mad and malicious? Why was He so cruel and ruthless? There was no grace within Him, nor was there mercy that brought hope to Sam's heart which was devoid of it.
However, Truth was harsh, yet necessary for growth, even if he wished for the comforting illusion brought by a beautiful lie.
Because even if he wanted to deny it with all his might and strength, even if he wanted to refuse it, to not even acknowledge the slightest possibility of that being truth...
He still couldn't turn his face away and bathe in the sweet delusion, to become happy in a fool's paradise.
There is an abyss in everyone's heart. And the Abyss always presents the ugly, painful truth that will bring nothing but anguish and misery to him.
Sam looked down, getting lost in thought as he felt a deep ache in his heart, his lips pursed while his face turned bleak and sorrowful, anguish visible in the depths of his eyes, as if God bled and his blood filled the land, inevitably creating an ocean of dazzling light.
"Sam?" Trissy asked, feeling hesitant since he had been silent for a few minutes now. She didn't know what he was thinking about but it still worried her. It wasn't the first time she had seen him sinking in thoughts like this.
Hearing her voice, Sam nodded slowly, a deep sigh escaping his mouth, leaning forward with his posture hunched, his hidden face oddly empty yet filled with an unsettling sense of sorrow. "It's fine."
He straightened, composing himself and not allowing his thoughts to distract him, avoiding thinking about the pain he felt from being separated from his Lord.
Seeing him regain his bearings, Trissy nodded to herself, taking a step back to continue observing the gathering but before she could move away, she felt someone touch her waist softly and pull her forward.
She blinked, looking up at the horse mask Sam was wearing with a stunned look, her eyes widening as she felt Sam's body against hers.
"Observe our surroundings, people are starting to exchange materials. Say that you have blood of a Skinless Blood Cat but don't say anything about the Rat King so as not to arouse the target's suspicion." Sam whispered in her ear, making Trissy shiver as she felt his warm breath against her neck. "As for the price... 20 pounds will work. Don't give him the impression that you know it's the supplementary ingredient."
"Uhm... I understand, Lil Devil." She spoke, clearing her throat, trying to collect herself and regain her poise while her heart was beating wildly in her chest, rising and falling quickly, her thoughts disorienting her for a moment. "Can you let me go now?"
Sam blinked rapidly, turning his head and looking down at her, feeling the warmth of her body, and scratched the back of his head, covered with a hood. He felt a bit awkward, luckily his mask concealed whatever stupid expression he was making, reluctantly letting her go, his tone apologetic but his desires spoke otherwise.
"My bad."
"What do you plan to do now?" She exhaled softly, patting her leather trousers and took a deep breath, calming her beating heart.
Sam lingered for a moment, thinking about his next course of action. Hmm... What I need right now is...
"Nothing serious, just will have a nice conversation with him."
Trissy stared at him blankly, her fox mask almost falling as she hit her head to make sure she wasn't hearing things. No, her hearing was as good as always.
Wait! Where did he go? She thought with growing horror, looking around and searching for him, only to see something that made her grimace in resignation, her eye twitching with sudden panic.
My goodness... We're going to die, right?
"Yo, how are things on your side?"
Mr. A frowned as he saw a young man approaching him and taking a seat in front of him, his face covered with a horse mask. He was tall with an athletic body, wearing dark robes, loose trousers and a white shirt.
"Who are you?" He asked, crossing his legs and resting his cheek on his fist, his expression bored and laid-back. A few seconds ago though, he had been watching a stunning young lady with a perverted grin. Even if her body was hidden by robes, he didn't have a problem seeing through it.
The young man with the horse mask remained silent for some time, his posture straight, giving the impression of someone skilled and experienced, as if he was ready to draw a weapon in a second and butcher everyone here without a second thought.
His scarred fingers that were slightly deformed told him a lot as well. He was not only trained but also tortured. Fingers like that are only seen on people whose fingers were repeatedly broken and put back in place until they healed unnaturally, permanently remaining fractured.
That made Mr. A intrigued, forgetting the irritation he felt when this man distracted him from observing that gorgeous young lady with blonde hair. Well, it wasn't like it was her first time here. She visited quite occasionally so he would see her again.
However, before he could dwell further on the subject, he stilled, hearing a hoarse voice. But what made his eyes widen and blood run cold was the profanity that spilled from his lips, uttered in a language so abhorrent that his expression twisted into a bloodthirsty sneer, the sudden urge to tear out his tongue overwhelming Mr. A.
"...Nod Zrakan."
This bastard... He thought, a vein popping on his forehead as his muscles twitched with restrained strength, his nails secretly elongating as bloodlust filled his heart, his eyes crazed and intense.
But even if he was enraged and provoked to hear such blasphemous words, he still forced himself to remain composed in order to find more information.
Leaning back, he waved his hand with a faint, forced smile, speaking with a languid air, his voice saturated with nothing but mockery.
"Above all law... Hell is empty, and all the devils are here."
He laughed, shaking his head, but the bitterness in his tone was as palpable as his venom and disdain. "What do you want... Filthy Demon?"
Sam gulped with apprehension, chills crawling up his spine as he forced out a nervous smile, feeling sweat sliding down his forehead as his body tensed.
Relax... Keep your breathing stable, don't let him pressure you... He told himself with a grim look, thanking his Lord that his face was hidden so Mr. A couldn't see his terrified expression.
It's unlike me to be this nervous, even knowing that my opponent can murder me in less than a second, so what's... Is it a grazed ability? Which pathway has an ability that inflicts a target's mind with such dread...
Empress of Horror... Shit, it's from the Sleepless pathway but I'm not sure which sequence. He clenched his fist, trying to stabilise his breathing and enter a state of Cogitation, eventually using Ghastly Requiem as well to compose himself, his Spirituality surging forward as he let it flow into the Ghastly Requiem in order to regain his composure.
"I think we can have a quite productive conversation. What do you think?"
Mr. A watched him for some time, his face unflinching and expressionless. He looked devilishly handsome, his features feminine and soft.
A few seconds later, he let out a bored sigh, tilting his head with an annoyed look. "Fine, let's hear it."
Good, he's interested. Sam took a deep breath, relief flooding his veins as his tense expression relaxed, activating [Desire Sense] to acutely grasp his desires.
Oh... He wants to kill me but he also wants to learn what I have to say... Hmm, now this is dangerous. One wrong word and he will rip me to shreds.
Rubbing his sweaty hands on his trousers, Sam leaned forward, trying to appear confident even if he was scared, and spoke, his voice turning serious. "You must know that devils don't wish to remain in the abyss. They desire freedom and long to reunite with other races..."
"Yes, to continue their evil work and slaughter everyone at sight. I'm aware of how devils think. They will do whatever they want, kill, enslave, rape, eat, drink and so on, bringing nothing but malice and despair into this world. They're a plague... And so are you." Mr. A spoke with unhidden disdain, openly stating his hatred for devils and how much he wished for the genocide of Sam's kin.
"I see..." Sam nodded. Mr. A wasn't exactly wrong, devils would really do everything he said, and even more and even worse. "However, I know what the higher ups want. I know what they're searching for. Do you wish to learn about it too?"
Mr. A scoffed, shaking his head with a spiteful look, and spat with venom. "What would a low level brat like you know? Your life is as insignificant as maggots who-"
Mr. A froze, staring at Sam who unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his chest, and on the right side, a bizarre, blasphemous star that made Mr. A's face drain of colour. Instead of finishing his sentence, he uttered only one word.
"Naboredisley..."
Sam suddenly smelled a rotting stench, grimacing in displeasure as an unpleasant odour filled the place, and blood leaked down from Mr. A's hands.
Oh... That's bad... He thought, shivering while feeling more and more unsettled. I need to say something before he kills me.
He gulped, his heart rate rising ridiculously high as his face paled, coughing with a hint of fear noticeable in his posture.
"Easy now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves and do something we will regret later." He said with an amiable smile and added, trying to defuse the tense situation. "I'm not of direct lineage. I'm just one of the random offspring of the Monarch's descendants, His blood is diluted enough as it is, so I can't really be considered an inheritor. However, I know a lot."
He adjusted his mask, inhaling with a shaky breath. Phew... This is scary. Shepherds are really the most powerful at their sequence, rumors don't lie by the looks of it.
"Do you wish to hear what I have to say?" He spoke bleakly. "You can kill me, easily at that, yes. But that action will have its consequences, which means you will never learn the secrets of the upper echelons of the abyss."
Mr. A paused his transformation, his mutated limbs returning to normal as he furrowed his brow, observing Sam for a few seconds in silence.
He's right... I'm curious. And even if I capture him, it's useless since torture almost never works on devils. Not only are they cold-blooded beasts that can endure great suffering, they will still have the audacity to spit venom back at you. That means taking information by force is impossible. Besides, if this vile bastard reveals anything sensitive, which is exactly what I want to know, he will die. There's a curse placed on every devil who learns of knowledge that greater demons don't want to leak to other organisations. That means the moment he speaks about the secrets of the abyss, his spirit body, body of heart and mind and astral projection will rot. A seed of abyss will bloom from the abyss of their heart, corrupting their entire being and turning them into a mad, abominable horror, only to explode in order to kill investigators and protect their secrets.
That's why devils are such a mysterious race. They don't hesitate to slaughter their own kin in order to preserve their status and power, remaining unknowable, vast and dreadful.
Mr. A thought with bitterness finding place on his face. With each second, his expression grew even more displeased.
Sighing, he dropped his head, insanity flashing in his eyes, but he managed to hold himself back, speaking with an irritated tone. "Fine... Speak what you know."
"I will..." Sam smiled, leaning back and taking out a contract from his robe, placing it on the table and cutting his own finger, letting blood spill on the paper as he began writing the terms with it, infusing his Spirituality into it as he drew a demonic circle, and within it was a depiction of a sinister goat holding scales, a perversion of justice which is the symbol of the Sun.
"Do forgive me. But I do not wish to lose my life after giving you information. So please understand my position." Sam scratched the back of his head, sliding the contract towards him.
Mr. A stared at the contract with disdain, picking it up and began reading. After he was done, he reread it, and then again to make sure he wasn't deceived. Trusting a devil was the last thing he would do.
After checking everything, he grunted in displeasure and cut his own hand, letting blood drop on the paper, and signed it without saying another word, gesturing Sam to speak. Or... He made a cutting motion with his thumb across his neck. Which meant his head would part from his neck, which would definitely leave the neck heartbroken.
Sam nodded, taking the contract as the demonic circle burned, two white flames forming on each scale the goat was holding, and both of them finally felt bound by it. Their spirit bodies shackled by the contract, invisible chains forming around them, piercing their spirit bodies and connecting with the abyss in their hearts.
If either of them broke the terms... Well, let's say the results would be quite harrowing, and they would end up as lifeless puppets with no soul.
Sam licked his lips, crossing his fingers and thought about what to reveal and what not to. He wasn't really troubled by the curse since the moment his Lord's Angel of Imagination made Sam in his Lord's image, his curse vanished, every binding removed as if He had simply imagined it to disappear and it did. Back then, he truly felt like he was reborn.
"As of now, the Abyss is in a tumultuous situation. Every devil family is preparing for war. I'm not aware of who they will fight against, but signs of conflict are slowly showing themselves. Many expedition teams are being formed, and they're relentlessly searching all of the Abyss in order to find something... A thing that will change everything. As I've said, no devil wishes to remain in the Abyss, and none of them will. That's why they do everything to find it..."
Sam paused, locking eyes with Mr. A whose eyes were deep and thoughtful, lost in thought while listening to him.
Taking a deep breath, Sam closed his eyes and spoke, his voice turning cold and emotionless, his face devoid of any emotion.
"A key that will open the gates of the Abyss... Nod Zrakan... Hell will be truly empty, and all the devils will be here."