As it was already established in the past, despite its ominous name, being inhabited by definitely-not-demons, and ostensibly being a prison island of sorts, the Abyss was considerably less weird than its Celestial counterpart. While the architecture was admittedly more gothic than the Elysium's fancy, organically grown crystal spires, the technology level was considerably more up-to-date. It wasn't quite up to the standards of Timaeus (especially after our inadvertent efforts caused it to leapfrog three decades of tech development in three months), I would've pegged it firmly in the late sixties or early seventies.

That might have sounded like damning with faint praise, but in comparison, one had to consider that outside of the magitech Migdáls of the Elysium, the lower caste of Celestial society lived in borderline medieval conditions. While I had little insight into the civil liberties and economic mobility of the average Abyssal, at least they didn't exist as serfs, and they had such luxuries as running water, electricity, and even cars and TVs, which meant the Abyss definitely won the contest in my book.

Of course, not everything was rosy down there (as much as 'down' applied to pocket dimensions). As far as the social structure was concerned, the Abyss was ruled by the Lords, who were acting like the worst stereotypes of the snotty, Victorian-era nobles seen in popular fiction, with some vampire literature tropes sprinkled on top. At least, that was the best way I could explain why they governed their territories from towering gothic castles constantly surrounded by swarms of bats and such.

One such castle I was fairly familiar with, both on the inside and the outside, thanks to my regular observations of the Lord of Inanna, better known by the name Crowy, and his gaggle of colourful underlings. As such, it was a bit of a culture shock seeing him in a brand-new environment.

On second thought, calling it 'brand-new' might've been a bit of a stretch, as it was another dour medieval stone castle, slightly updated with some modern conveniences, such as a central heating system and electric lights. At the moment, Crowy was walking down a poorly lit walkway with a long, red carpet under his feet. On his left, there was a railing, over which a large hall could be seen with a huge stone heart flanked by stained glass windows. In front of it, there were several padded chairs and divans, meaning it most likely served as a parlour or meeting place between the Abyssal elite.

At the moment, it was all deserted, and if one looked closely, they could quickly find visible signs of damage. Some of the wood panels on the walls were cracked and hastily fastened back in place, at least two windows were shattered and covered with tarp, and the columns holding up the overpass, on which the Abyssal Lord was passing over, held visible claw- and scorch-marks. Said walkway also had its fair share of nicks and scratches, and as Crowy passed through the huge, carved doors at the far end, the room they led into was in even worse shape.

The old portraits of the Ashur Lords of yore torn off and stuffed into some out-of-the-way storage room. The décor was also pilfered, leaving the tables bereft of their fancy Ming Dynasty vases and silver candlesticks, and the trophies and old curios hanging from the walls of the chamber mostly gone, only leaving behind the ones damaged during the takeover of the estate. My mark didn't pay much attention to the sorry state of the place, and turned to the door at the other end of the room, leading into the study of the dethroned Lord of Ashur, currently serving as Crowy's temporary office while staying over in the castle.

The Lord's personal office was, surprisingly, in much better shape than one would've expected after seeing the state of the small lobby leading to it. It was also much better lit, and so it was easier to take a good look at its new occupant.

Gone were the circles from under the eyes of the Lord of House Inanna. He not only fully recovered from his previous poisoning (which was an accident, I swear), but he appeared remarkably healthy, practically glowing. Both figuratively and literally, but we'll probably get back to that later.

He was dressed in fancy clothes, in the spitting image of an 18^th-century French dandy, with a tailored black suit, golden buttons on his red gothic long coat and a fancy cravat. Upon arrival, he casually pulled off the black leather gloves covering his hands and threw them onto the large hardwood desk dominating the solemn office before taking a seat behind it. His movements were much livelier than I'd ever seen, and he was even humming to himself as he organized the documents piled in front of him, though usually only sparing a single glance at any of them.

After just a few short minutes, and just before I was about to move on from him, there was a knock on the door, and Crowy let out an annoyed sigh.

"It's open."

"Pardon the intrusion, My Liege," a familiar man spoke as he entered the office. His long, straight hair reached past his scapula, and his spotless light grey navy uniform was as tidy as ever. "I'm here to give my report."

"Is it that late already?" Crowy grumbled, though without a clock in the room, he obviously couldn't tell. "Is there anything of importance to mention?"

"Nos as such, My Liege," the man in the navy uniform admitted as he closed the door behind himself and walked over to the desk. "The Nergals sent another envoy, but they are being barred from entry, as you commanded."

"Those snakes still try to act like they are completely unrelated to Ashurs and only concerned about the law, I reckon."

"It is as you predicted," the man responded in a deferential tone.

"Typical." Huffing and puffing, Crowy finally put his papers down and levelled his eyes upon his subordinate. "Keep them placated for the time being. We're not ready to move ahead yet."

"As you command." The man gave a shallow bow, and after a beat, asked, "If I may dare to ask, are you still certain of your course, My Liege?"

"As certain as I ever were," the young Lord responded off-handedly. Then, probably for emphasis, he raised his right hand to eye level and clenched his fist. Without warning, it burst into pale, blue flames, their cold light casting strange, ominous shadows in the room. Then, just as soon as they appeared, the flames vanished without leaving a mark or smoke behind. "So long as we can buy more time, my mastery will be indisputable."

"I wish you success, My Liege," the man bowed again.

"Stop that," Crowy muttered and jerked his hand dismissively. "Speaking of time, is there any news of Sukkal?"

"Lady Tajana has yet to report back, no."

Hearing the answer, a long groan escaped the black-haired Lord's mouth and he put the same hand on his forehead.

"Just how much time could she need for a task so simple?" Shaking his head, he reached down and opened the door on the desk. From it, he retrieved a small bottle of brandy and two glasses. "She's lucky she's the only competent Seducer our house had in this generation."

"With all due respect, My Liege," the navy man spoke softly, with one hand on his heart. "You specifically instructed Lady Tajana to be subtle, and convince your sister to return by her own free will. I believe such an operation would naturally take more time to accomplish."

"I know," Crowy growled as he filled up the glasses. "I wish I could just grab her and drag her back to the Abyss, but I can't enter into open conflict with Leonard Dunning yet."

He offered one glass to his subordinate, and he graciously accepted it. After both of them took a sip, the man in the navy uniform lightly cleared his throat, and inquired, "Forgive me, My Liege, but while I am bound to obey your command, I can't help but wonder why you changed your attitude towards that Chimera Slayer of Critias so suddenly."

"Have I never told you?" the man behind the desk asked back with a genuinely baffled brow raised on his infuriating visage, and when the other man shook his head, he let out a low, throaty chuckle. "Now that I think about it, I have only shared this with the matron. By now, I thought you would have heard it from her."

"I'm afraid not."

Crowy remained silent as he sloshed the amber liquid in his glass.

"You see, Dimas, we are but pawns on a chessboard." He took a long sip from his drink and put it down onto the desk with an audible knock. "You, my sister, the Chimera Slayer… Even I am no more than a puppet on someone's strings. The only difference is that I have realized this, and chose to play along for my own benefit."

"Who could possibly claim to puppeteer you, My Liege?" the navy man burst out in a mixture of shock and indignation, and I partially shared his sentiment.

What Crowy just said sounded dangerously like being fourth-wall aware, something I absolutely didn't expect from him. Fortunately, my initial apprehensions were proven unfounded the moment he opened his mouth again.

"Bel of the Abyss," he stated in a low voice, and then remained silent to let the words sink in. "Without a doubt, all the recent developments are his work. The forming of this 'Draconic Federation', the return of this so-called 'Second True Archon', and even my growth in power and influence; all of it is due to his actions. We are all dancing in his palms without ever realizing it."

"My apologies, but I don't follow," the man (Dimas, if I've heard his name right) spoke frankly, and Crowy smirked at him like he was a child.

"It's not that complicated. The clues were there all along." Before continuing, the young Lord emptied his glass in one go and used it to point at his subordinate. "Do you remember the letter?"

"From when you were poisoned?"

"Yes! The one which was signed by 'The Second True Archon' and a 'Murder of Crows'. It was, in retrospect, clearly pointing at Leonard Dunning, yet at the time, I couldn't fathom the reason why. After all, he couldn't have entered the Abyss unseen, let alone break into my office without anyone's notice."

"But Bel of the Abyss could."

"Precisely! It was all his doing, and he even left a cryptic message for me, one that I would only understand much later. It was all part of his plans, of this, I'm certain."

"But why would he poison you, My Liege?"

"Oh, that was something that I couldn't quite grasp until recently either," Crowy spoke with a grin on his face and a zealous light in his eyes. "Not until his second appearance in our castle, when he disrupted the Mana Well! If I wasn't in a weakened state at the time, still recuperating from the effects of the Blood Amalgam, my innate power would've interfered with my ability to touch the Mana Well, and without it, I would've never realized the untapped potential I could manifest through it. Nor could I gain control over the Mana Well of the Ashurs so quickly, if ever. This newfound power of mine is all due to the intervention of Bel of the Abyss."

"My Liege managed to fully control the Mana Well of the Ashurs already?" Looking genuinely shocked, the navy man put his hand on his heart again. "Please accept my earnest congratulations."

"It's too early for that, and no, my control isn't complete yet. That's why we need more time, and I need my sister to buy that for me." Shaking his head, he refilled his glass and offered the bottle to the other man, but he politely declined. "It was a long shot, and I wasn't expecting much from Sukkal either. With some luck, I would be able to fully bind this Mana Well to my will in a matter of days. We absolutely must withstand the pressure from the other houses until then, and after that, their objections will no longer matter."

"And then?"

"And then…" Crowy paused, glass raised and a wistful look in his eyes. "After that, we prepare for war."

"Are you certain it's what you wish for, My Liege?"

"It's not about what I want," he answered a touch flatly and drank about half the glass. "The trajectory of the future arranged by Bel of the Abyss is clear to see. He united the forces of the dragonblooded ones, pacified the ley-line leeches of the Assembly, and somehow maneuvered the Chimera Slayer, my mortal nemesis, into the seat of command of all Celestials. It is blindingly obvious to me that he was setting us up for war. If my role is to harness the power of the Mana Wells and reunite the Abyss in preparation for the last climactic conflict, then so be it!"

His final declaration was followed by a long, deafening silence, only occasionally broken by Crowy sipping his drink. At last, it was broken when the other man let out a soft yet heavy sigh.

"I wish we could be sure of his intentions. Or identity."

"Oh, I'm certain he will reveal himself in due time," Crowy mused with a crooked smile on his face. "All in due time. Until then, we must prepare, and amass power, so that when the horns of war sound for the last time, we would be ready to march before anyone else."

And with that, the study fell silent again, this time for a long while, with the men inside quietly pondering what the future might bring and its ramifications.

As far as I was concerned, there was only one thing I could be absolutely sure of: after hearing that diatribe of conjecture, speculation, and borderline conspiracy-theory-level nonsense, I had to conclude that Crowy couldn't ever deny his distant Celestial heritage, even if he tried to…