Emil sighed as he walked through the dense forest filled with all sorts of unique and colorful plants, Horace was following a few meters behind with an awkward expression. The half kilometer tall beast hovered silently above their heads, it did a good job at warding off some of the weaker beasts.

As best as he tried not to, he couldn't help glancing at Lilium who was walking with Lilith in front. Her beautiful red hair fluttered in the breeze, the sound of her voice was like a delicate bell and it pleasant to the ears.

He sighed again as he remembered the rejection from his confession.

"Lilium.. " Emil looked towards Lilium with a stiff expression.

"Yes?" Lilium's beautiful eyes landed upon Emil, curiosity was flickering in them.

"I have a gift for you." Emil handed over an enchanting purple flower that sat comfortably in a stone pot.

"Wow! Such a pretty flower! I can't wait to show mistress Lilith." Lilium held the flower with glee.

"Lilium will.. will you be my wife?" Emil held his fingers nervously as he looked into her ivory eyes.

"Eeeh!?" Lilium put her hand on her chest as a baffled expression overtook her.

"Is there something wrong?" Emil felt his heart drop.

"Uh... no.. just a little surprised. Honestly Emil, you just aren't my type, sorry." Lilium chuckled awkwardly.

"Is it something I can change? Something I can do to win your heart?" There was a faint hope in Emil's eyes.

"I.. I don't know." Lilium looked away.

"Give me a chance? What do you like about General Lilith so much?" The hope Emil had was beginning to dissipate.

Lilium twirled a lock of her hair around her finger as she replied. "Hmm....Mistress Lilith has a certain air about her which attracts me, something about her indomitable will to grow stronger. She's like the moon high in the sky, aloof and free.. "

"Sorry, I got a little carried away there hehe. Anyway, I.. better go. Thanks for the flower Emil!"

Emil shook his head as he rubbed his temple.

"How can I compete with General Lilith?" He muttered despondently.

Horace had been listening to Emil's murmurs for the better part of an hour, although it was a little grating to his ears he still felt bad for pushing Emil to confess.

"I think it's better this way. Even if the feelings are unrequited, at least he tried." Horace nodded as he thought to himself.

Up in front, Lilith was walking at a steady pace. Lilium was following just a step behind, often gazing at the pretty violet flower in her hands.

Lilith was currently lost in her thoughts. Ever since her defeat at the hands of Helel and she became one of the three heavenly generals, she had been doing her utmost to become stronger in order to gain the power necessary to challenge the so-called King once again.

With her firm and complete devotion to the task, she had made leaps and bounds in her cultivation, even eventually passing the heavenly tribulation but no matter how hard she tried; she could feel the distance between them grow wider and wider every time she met Helel.

Just the thought of it irked her, to be under the rule of another...it was unacceptable! But she had no choice. No matter how hard she tried she was always one step behind and it made her feel trapped.

"Maybe I should temper myself out in the unknown lands.. Reports from scouts have revealed that there may be far stronger beasts that we have yet to encounter living there." Lilith pondered as she chewed on a piece of cooked beast meat.

Lilium was inspecting the pretty flower in her possession when she suddenly bumped into Lilith who had stopped.

A little startled, she looked up. "Mistress?" As she saw Lilith's expression, she became alert.

Lilith's eyes were narrowed, her expression solemn. She felt a growing sense of danger, not from one particular direction but from everywhere.

It was something she had never encountered before and it left her feeling a little frightened.

"Is something wrong?" Lilium whispered nervously. Behind her, Emil and Horace had stopped in the tracks. They were giving each other confused glances.

"Shhh.." Lilith put her finger on her lips.

The group stood there in silence, the tension in the air growing thicker by the second.

Seeing as nothing had happened, Lilith was about to give the 'OK' when a scream of pain resounded in their ears. It was so powerful that they felt their very souls shake.

"Ahhh!"

Painful groans left Lilium, Horace and Emil's throats. Only Lilith managed to hold her voice back as she gritted her teeth.

It took the group a few minutes to recover, they stared each other with fear in their eyes.

"We return as fast as possible, leave the beast behind." Lilith said with weakness in her voice.

Although their hearing had yet to completely return to normal, the others could make out what she had said as they nodded their heads.

2 Hours later~

Mount Elysia was in chaos. Ever since the loud scream, many had fallen to the ground unconscious especially the weaker children who were being cradled by their frightened parents.

Lilith had since returned from her trip and had begun to restore order with her squad as they rallied the other Heavenly Guards who were in disorder.

She was the only Heavenly General currently in Elysia so it was essential that she act calmly.

"Emil, Horace, Lilium. You three go check to see if the Queen and her daughter are alright!" She shouted to the group as she was directing the stone-faced guards to various parts of the city.

The trio nodded. With a flap of their wings, they sped through the air towards the Kings palace at the peak of the mountain.

The throne room inside the palace was vast, huge pillars that reached the ceiling held of the heavy stone roof. The room was well lit from the burning sconces dotted about. On the floor was a neat fur carpet that stretched from the palace doors to the thrones themselves. What wasn't covered by the carpet was tiled with shiny jade stones.

On the carpet beside the thrones sat Cybele who was holding Pandora in her arms tightly.

Cybele's eyes were wet and worry could be seen in her expression. "Baby are you hurt?" She asked with a soft voice.

Pandora replied weakly. "Mama.. I feel ok," She rubbed her ears. "Just my ears are a little sore."

A gentle white light glowed from Cybele's hands as she put them on Pandora's little ears.

The hints of pain in Pandora's expression gradually disappeared, her eyes shone with wonder as she looked at her mother.

Cybele smiled as she stroked Pandora's hair. "How about now?"

Pandora buried her face in her mothers chest. "Mama I feel better now."

As the two were talking, the palace door opened and in walked Lilium, Emil and Horace.

Cybele was a little surprised but her expression quickly returned to normal. "The 3 guards in-training under Lilith? Where is she?"

Lilium walked forward and then knelt, she replied respectively. "Your Majesty, mistress Lilith is currently busy restoring order to the city. She ordered us to come over and see if you're fine."

Cybele breathed a sigh as she replied. "I'm fine and so is my daughter." She focused on Lilium and asked with a serious expression. "Do you know what happened? What was that scream?"

Lilium shook her head and replied. "No your Majesty, we were in the forest to the south when we heard that scream. We saw nothing."

Cybele frowned as if in thought, she remarked. "If you heard it that far away; that must mean it wasn't an attack directed at the city.. "

As she was thinking, the ground faintly trembled before a loud ring sounded from outside the palace.

Cybele exclaimed in surprise. "Someone activated the city's defensive formation!"

"Defense formation?" Horace whispered curiously.

"General Pazuyu discovered it while carving his pictures into a specific crystal, It's extremely powerful when powered with a General's vast energy." Emil replied in a quiet tone.

Horace nodded his head in understanding. He'd heard quite a few things about General Pazuyu, among all the Seraphim he was the most talented in the art of craft. Whether it be building flying ships or inventing new things, he was unmatched.

"Cybele! Pandora!" A voice was heard from the palace doorway.

Hearing the familiar voice of her husband, Cybele's eyes brightened.

Helel came into the palace, he was tired and wary as if he had just been through a large ordeal.

With Pandora in her arms, Cybele flew towards Helel and landed in front of him.

Helel inspected them both for any injury before being embraced by both Cybele and Pandora. "Dear, are you both alright?" He asked worriedly as he held them both tightly.

"We're fine my love, what happened out there?" Cybele asked as she looked into Helel's eyes.

Helel sighed in relief when Cybele said they were fine.

His expression became solemn as he replied. "There was a battle between unfathomable beings.. I could not estimate their strength or power, they are far beyond me," Helel gave a helpless smile. "Dear.. I felt small and weak for the first time since we awoke."

Cybele gasped. Her husband was the strongest of the Seraphim. She had long ago lost sight of how strong he had become and yet.. even he was nothing compared to these beings.

Helel stroked Cybele's cheek as he stared into her eyes. "But don't worry dear, I have a plan. This event has opened up an opportunity, If I'm successful I'll become far stronger than I am now." He said reassuringly.

She nodded her head slowly, still, she felt a little worried. "My love, why was the defense formation activated? Are we in danger?"

Helel eyes darkened as he looked towards the outside of the palace. "We were, a consequence of that great battle has unleashed a storm of fire and death. It has already reached us but with the great formation in place, Elysia is safe. Lilith, Bael and Pazuyu are currently pouring their power into it so there is no need to worry."

Cybele covered her mouth in shock. "What could cause such a disaster." She thought.

He turned towards Lilium, Emil and Horace. "I need silence, I must concentrate."

Lilium nodded in understanding as she bowed. "My king, we shall be outside if you need us." The trio left and shut the palace doors behind them.

"What are you doing my love?" Cybele asked curiously.

"The veil of the heavens has weakened, now may be the only chance to see through it's secrets.. " Helel's eyes seemed to gleam with an intense desire.

He stood in the center of the palace began to levitate. In the air, he sat in the lotus position. His eyes closed as blue lights gathered at the tips of his fingers.

"Father?" Pandora blinked her eyes in surprise.

Cybele quickly covered her mouth and shushed her, she whispered. "Quiet baby, your father needs to concentrate."

The lights left Helel's fingers and hovered in front of him. With a flash, the ten points of light formed into two blue orbs; they glowed eerily like floating lanterns.

"Let the fog be lifted.. DIVINE EYES!" Helel shouted as he clapped his hands with a thunderous smack.

The two orbs flew towards Helel's closed eyes and entered them.

As he slowly opened his eyes, through the slits of his eyelids a blinding mystic light shone through.

Both Cybele and Pandora who caught a glimpse of the light quickly shut their eyes. Just a small glance caused them to see visions of their past selves and it made them shiver in shock.

Helel lifted his chin upwards as he gazed at the roof of the palace, the divine light bursting forth from his eyes pierced through it like paper as it shot towards the heavens at incredible speeds.

The light from his eyes saw many things, past, present and future. Helel's heart shook as he saw how their world was crafted by gargantuan beings he could not fathom, as he was enraptured in wonder something grabbed ahold of him.

It wasn't physical as it felt like something had reached out and wrapped their hand around his very spirit.

"Argh!" Helel felt like he was being crushed under a mountain. His sight was immediately drawn away from the worlds creation.

It was drawn far away towards the future, it traveled along the streams of time towards an abyss of darkness where no light could reach.

The abyss seemed to be trembling as if it were stopping something from escaping.

As Helel's sight locked onto that endless abyss, fear began to creep into his heart. "Wha-what could be in there?"

It was at that moment that cracks appeared from the center of the abyss, the cracks grew larger until eventually a hand punched forth from within the abyss shattering it's center. Endless energies poured from the hole like a breached dam.

The hand was giant, slender and crystalline.

Beads of sweat had began to fall down Helel's brow.

Another hand reached out and together with both hands, they widened the breach until it was a colossal gaping hole.

Helel watched in fright as a being escaped from the hole, he could not see it's face as it had it's back turned towards him but from the outline, it appeared female.

Her body willowy and nude, long quartz like hair hung down to her waist like a sea of glittering stars. Her skin was made from beautiful crystals that made her body look a little transparent.

"Little brother!!" The woman shouted in a thunderous humming voice which shook Helel's mind.

"You were wrong! The heavens must be cleansed of the insects that now inhabit it!," A furious storm of energy surrounded the woman like a vast hurricane.

"My imprisonment didn't change a thing and now that I am free.. I will finish what I've started!"

Helel's heartbeat sped up, a foreboding feeling welled up inside of him. All he wanted to do now was to escape but he couldn't, whatever was holding him in place prevented any attempt at leaving.

"Oh?" The woman turned around, her gigantic purple eyes had locked onto him.

"I-I-Impossible!? How could she see me? These events have yet to happen!" Helel desperately tried to return but it was all futile.

"A little insect dares spy on me?" Blue lines streaked across her purple eyes making them look bloodshot.

"DIE!!!" Her powerful voice transcended space and time directly striking Helel's body.

Helel was brought to his knees causing cracks on the palace floor as her scream resounded within his mind like a endless ringing bell. It was like a curse that caused him waves of incomprehensible suffering. Golden blood streamed down from his eyes as he held his head with shaking hands, he wanted to scream but nothing would leave his mouth except for weak whimpers.

He felt himself slipping away as the powerful voice began to leave cracks on his psyche.

"My love!" Cybele and Pandora ran over toward him worriedly.

Outside the palace~

Lilium, Emil and Horace were looking with fear towards the outskirts of the city where the defense formation did not reach.

A literal storm of fire battered against the barrier defending the city, fiery rocks fell from the sky in droves. It was like the end of the world had descended upon Elysia.

No longer were there lush green forests and clear rivers and lakes surrounding the mountain, all that remained was scorched earth and ashes.

"I-I-I'm n-never leaving the m-mountain again! I-It's way too scary o-out there!" Horace stuttered with a trembling voice. The first thing he's going to do when he gets home is to shut himself in and take up that art hobby he always wanted to do. "Screw being a heavenly guard." He thought.

"I don't think General Lilith will allow that." Emil remarked with a frown.

"W-who cares! S-s-she'll have to d-d-drag me off this mountain, kicking and screaming!" Horace said with as much bravery he could muster.

"I care!! You will listen to mistress Lilith's orders even if I have to beat them into you!" Lilium snorted as she began rolling up her sleeves.

Horace's earlier bravery was immediately snuffed out as he shrank back in fear. "I forgot that the fanatic was listening.. dammit." He mumbled regretfully.

"I heard that!" Lilium's eyes narrowed, as she was about to whack Horace over the head, a feminine scream came from inside the palace.

"That was the Queens voice!" Emil looked towards the palace with caution.

"Something must have happened, we should go check it out." Lilium suggested with a hint of worry in her eyes.

Both Emil and Lilium nodded towards each other before they opened the palace doors and stepped in.

"H-Hey! You guys, the King said we shouldn't disturb them.. " Horace hurriedly said as he hesitantly followed.

As the trio entered the palace, they were greeted by a shocking sight.

In front of them, Helel in each of his hands he gripped the throats of his wife and daughter. Madness coursed through he eyes as golden blood continuously leaked from them. It seemed as if he snuff the life out of them at any moment!

Both Emil and Horace were too stunned and thus their actions were delayed. Only Lilium managed to keep her cool.

"I don't have much time!" As if by instinct, Lilium leapt forward, the floor beneath her feet shattering in a cloud of smoke.

As she flew towards Helel at tremendous speeds her fist began to shimmer with a white light.

"Cease your actions my King!" Her voice rumbled with power as her fist struck Helel square in his chest.

Helel was knocked back as a guttural roar left his mouth. He smashed into a nearby pillar which collapsed onto him. Both Cybele and Pandora were released falling weakly to the ground.

Lilium quickly checked the Queen and princess, both were unconscious and faintly breathing. She wiped sweat off her brow in relief.

While she was checking Cybele and Pandora, both Emil and Horace landed by her side.

"Are they okay?" Emil asked worriedly.

Lilium nodded her head and replied. "They need some rest-"

*Boom!*

The debris covering Helel exploded outwards as his figure rose from the dust cloud. Turning his ferocious gaze towards the group, an unprecedented power began to radiate from his body causing the air the vibrate.

"Horace, take the Queen and Princess and leave the palace. Go tell mistress Lilith that the king.. has gone insane." Lilium whispered as she caught her breath.

"What about y-you guys?" Horace asked uneasily.

Lilium continued to stare at Helel as she replied. "We'll try to hold him back, you must hurry!"

"Lilium's right!" Emil patted Horace's shoulder.

With the Queen and Princess held securely in his arms, Horace shouted to them as he left in a flash. "I'll be back!"

"Do you think we can take him?" Emil looked towards Lilium.

"Not a chance.. There's a reason why he's the king. He wouldn't be the strongest Seraphim otherwise." Lilium said softly.

Emil smiled wryly. "Even if it was a lie, I was hoping you would say yes." His voice carried a clear sense of nervousness.

"If we manage to beat him... I may consider what you said before." Lilium said it in the heat of the moment but immediately regretted it after as her cheeks flushed red.

"What I said before?" Emil was stunned, his eyes brightened as the previous nervousness he had disappeared.

"Don't celebrate too soon, I said I would only consid-" Before Lilium could finish, she was interrupted by a loud roar.

"ARGGHHH!!" Helel screamed as he hovered in the air. His robes fluttered from the immense energies being released from his body. With a wave of his hand the surrounding pieces of the shattered pillar flew towards Lilium and Emil like bullets.

The duo protected themselves with their wings as the mass of rocks crashed against them.

Emil was feeling the brunt of the attack as he was a little more forward, as he was busy dealing with the rocks a colossal force crashed into his wing.

"Ah!" Emil was flung from his spot like a ragdoll, he crashed through the palace wall landing on the grass outside.

Lilium was now alone in the palace. The rock barrage had stopped but as she looked around fearfully from the cover of her wings.

The previous furious outbursts of power had blown out the lights leaving the palace dark and silent.

Lilium gathered a small amount of power into her finger which began to radiate light. She pointed her finger towards the unlit areas of the palace but there were no traces of the King at all.

A bad feeling swelled in her stomach. "Where is he?" She thought as a cold sweat ran down her back.

Of all the places she had yet to look, the place above her was the last. As she was slowly lifting her head upwards she heard a shout from behind her.

"WATCH OUT!!"

Lilium felt a force push her from behind and before she knew it, she was flying through air.

She craned her head and looked behind her, Emil was standing there with a pained smile on his face. Many emotions could be seen flashing through his eyes, helplessness, yearning and most of all sadness.

"EMIL!" She cried out sorrowfully before a flash of blue lightning from above consumed Emil entirely, it was so bright that her eyes were forced shut.

The palace trembled violently as she crashed against a wall. Reopening her eyes she was greeted by a terrifying sight.

In the center of the palace where she was previously standing, there was a massive bottomless hole. No sign of Emil could be seen, only a few flashes of lightning which struck the edges of the crater.

"EMIL!" Lilium shouted as she struggled to stand up, as she was looking around desperately she felt a hand grip her skull.

Her watery eyes went dim as she whispered. "Emil.. " The hand that held her head began to tighten causing a wave of pain that made her faint.

"HELEL HAVE YOU GONE MAD!!!" An enraged but familiar shout resounded throughout the palace.

A beam of light flew through the palace door and struck Helel who had Lilium in his grip.

Helel roared in pain as he flew backwards landing on floor with a crash. Lilith had already caught Lilium and was now staring venomously at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Lilith shouted towards Helel who stood up, when his eyes locked with hers she was shocked.

None of the cool and aloof Helel remained, only a endless abyss of insanity. With the golden blood pouring from his eyes, it painted an eerie picture.

Hundreds of Heavenly Guards began to pour into the palace with all of them locking their auras onto the crazed Helel. There was disbelief in their eyes, they had heard that the King had gone crazy but the didn't believe until they saw it for themselves.

"Guards! Get ready, we have to subdue the King.. " Lilith handed Lilium to Horace who had followed the Guards in and she began to gather power. In response, the Heavenly guards entered in formation and began to resonate with Lilith.

When their combined powers reach their peak, a devastating attack would be released.

Sensing the danger, Helel roared as the power surging from him suddenly increased thousands of times.

The mountain began to shake, massive energies radiated from it's peak causing endless worry for the inhabitants below.

"Oh no! He's using the awakened form! We must leave!" Lilith cried out as she dropped what she was doing and escaped from the palace. Many of the Heavenly fled as fast as their feet could carry them as soon as they heard. "Awakened form"

They had heard that only the strongest members of their race had managed to unlock this mythical form. It was only used as a last resort to take on the most formidable beasts as it took huge toll on the user, not to mention the time for activation was long!

How could their King bypass these flaws?

Inside the palace, Helel's body began twitch.

Golden lines covered him like a tattoo as his body began to increase in size rapidly causing his robes to shred apart.

His height increased from 13 meters to 100 meters in an instant and continued with no sign of stopping.

Outside the palace, Lilith and the heavenly guards watched in shock as a colossal giant grew through the palace roof, destroying it.

The giant didn't stop growing until seconds later. Comparing themselves to the giant, they were like ants before it.

Helel's Awakened form was immense standing at ten kilometers tall with 6 gigantic wings sprouted from his back. His horns had receded into his head and golden hair flowed behind him in the wind. His jade skin shone with a shimmering light and covering his nude body was a sash made from divine power.

He looked down coldly at the mountain which was surrounded by fire. There was now a little clarity in his large ruby red eyes but insanity was still prevalent.

Lilith looked up at Helel with fright as she clenched her fists. Her awakened form only managed to make her three kilometers tall, the gap between them was shown fully.

With a flap of his giant wings which left hurricane winds in their wake, Helel flew outside the city's barrier through the fiery storm surrounding the mountain, disappearing from sight.

Lilith watched Helel leave with a hint of confusion appearing in her eyes.

"Where's he going?" Horace landed beside her. His question was the very thought that now plagued her mind.

Lilith shook her head and replied. "I don't know, how are the Queen, Princess and Lilium?"

Horace answered. "They're sleeping right now, they don't seem to be fatally injured." He looked around with a frown. "I can't see Emil, where did he get off to?"

Lilith was also curious about the whereabouts of her trainee. "Lilium must know."

...

When that flash of light came, Emil felt a brief instant of pain and then there was nothing.

Emil looked around but he could only see darkness.

"Where am I?" He thought.

His memory was a little fuzzy but scenes and pictures gradually came back to him.

"I...I remember!" Emil thought as memories flashed into his mind like a tidal wave. He was fighting the King and then he saved Lilium before being consumed by a blinding light.

"Lilium...I hope she's safe."

"Boy!" A voice sounded from behind him.

Turning around Emil saw a strange sight. In the void of darkness there was a table with a lamp stuck securely on it.

Sitting at the table was an old man in stylish foreign clothes that made the ones he and the Seraphim wore look primitive in comparison.

"Come and sit boy." The old man gestured towards him as a chair appeared on the other side of the desk.

Emil obediently sat in the chair and got a closer look at the old man.

His hair was thin and grey, his features were bony as if he hadn't eaten anything in weeks. His skin was deathly pale and his eyes glowed with a dim white light.

On the side of the desk was a briefcase that had many abstruse patterns that shifted places on it. The old man opened the briefcase and took out a piece of paper which he then placed on the desk, a red pen appeared in his hand and then he stared at Emil.

"Boy, do you know that you're already dead?" The old man said with a gruff voice.

Emil tried to speak but he couldn't, he nodded his head instead. Of the thoughts currently running through his mind, he wondered most who this mysterious man was.

"Good, I don't have to explain it then." The old man sighed in relief.

Emil titled his head curiously.

The old man scratched his head and chuckled. "Usually when someone dies, their memories are scrambled. It's extremely rare for them to remember anything relating to their life or demise and it's takes a while to collect themselves. Honestly it's a pain," The old man cupped his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe it's because they were from the lower heavens? You're the first from the god races to perish and you retained your memories, perhaps that's the reason? I'll have to wait until more of your race dies to see."

"Now to business then." The old man looked him up and down before writing down on the piece of paper, occasionally muttering something Emil couldn't make out.

Emil didn't know how much time passed but eventually the old man put the paper in front of him.

A small red box appeared in the man's hand, he placed it in front of Emil and opened it.

Inside was a damp cushion soaked in red ink.

"I need your signature. Now I know that your races have yet to create a written language so all you need to do is press your thumb on this pad here," The old man pointed to the box. "And the stamp your thumb on this part right here." He pointed to a point on the paper.

Emil nodded and complied.

After the deed was done, the old man packed the paper, pen and box into the briefcase and closed it. Standing up the old man straightened his clothes before looking at Emil.

"Your destination is Limbo boy, work hard and you may have a chance at reincarnation." The old man waved his hand towards Emil.

As he vanished into a blinding light, Emil's thoughts were filled with unanswered questions. What was Limbo? What was Reincarnation? Who was that old man?