Next morning, Varzath sits surrounded by his retainers, having summoned them in order to consider his next objective as a Lord.
The room is poorly lit, and the sounds of moaning from deeper within are unmistakable as Varzath leans against the back of his coach and stares out the window in thought.
Biranal stands in a corner nearby, face hidden by a bck helmet matching her armor; After what happened the previous day, Varzath figures she won’t be showing her face around the pace for a while... Were circumstances different, he might’ve teased her about it, but since the Escort’s visit, he can’t think of anything other than what he might be able to accomplish from now on.
“Shouldn’t we be discussing the Seraphim’s threat? I heard our Domain stands closest to the Rift they’re attempting to breach.”
Sunnazoth’s voice, sweet as poison, attracts Varzath’s gaze in her direction.
Bare-chested as usual, Sunnazoth’s expression wouldn’t make you think they face the threat of a Seraphim... Or any threat at all, for that matter. Sitting with her feet up against the back of a blond, naked sephilim on his hands and knees, the dark-skinned succubus drags from a long pipe, before slowly releasing its green smoke as her many pieces of jewelry gleam slightly against her skin, matching the glow of her almond eyes in the dimly lit room.
However, despite her lovely appearance, Varzath harbors no delusions regarding the succubus’ true nature. Sunnazoth is a cruel, hungry thing without a drop of compassion in her perfectly shaped body, and if not for her usefulness (a rge net of incubi and succubi infiltrated across Hell’s many Circles, usually disguised as courtesans, as well as her own personal skills in such matters), he’d have gotten rid of her long ago.
“The Seraphim is of no consequence. Even if he somehow manages to reach Hell, the angel does not know this pce as we do. We’ll hear of his approach long before he’s anywhere near enough to threaten us,” a second voice interjects, sounding confident yet simultaneously dismissive.
The owner of said voice sits surrounded by two naked succubi he doesn’t seem able to keep his hands away from. His eyes, however, gleam sharply during the brief moments he dignifies the rest of the room with a gnce, and Varzath knows from experience the incubus is more than capable of handling a couple of tasks at once.
Zugdradak is a cunning bastard who stops at nothing to have the woman - or man – he wants. The living embodiment of an incubi - and, Varzath is ashamed to admit, somewhat of a younger version of himself - the man has broken more hearts throughout the Cosmos than the number of months he has lived… Even if he now spends his days mostly handling the administrative work of their Domain.
“Zugdradak has a point, but we’d still do well to exert caution against an opponent of such caliber,” a third voice interjects, its owner a short, half-goat, half-man creature of yellow vertical pupils and sharp teeth.
Sonog being the demon in charge of their magical research, magical artifact enhancement, and, occasionally, architecture, he’s a fundamental part of Varzath’s retinue and the one of the three whom he trusts the most... He is also responsible for developing the tattoos Biranal has become so fond of, which Varzath begrudgingly admits, surpass his own skills in rune inscribing by a rge margin. A very rge margin.
Varzath sighs. “Where are the others? Salmorol?”
Sunnazoth shrugs. “Too far away to show up, or busy. My Lord did say it wasn’t an emergency.”
Varzath waves his hand dismissively. “No matter. The three of you will have to suffice.”
“We’re not speaking about the Seraphim, then. Would Lord Varzath care to expin to us the details of the problem?” Sonog interjects.
As always, the short demon’s eyes are clouded by a fog of boredom whenever the topic doesn’t concern magic or crafting. In fact, Varzath is surprised he even showed up.
“The problem, as you’ve put it, is that our Lord is no longer satisfied by current circumstances,” Sunnazoth expins, taking another drag of her pipe, then continuing, “Namely, he is bored, and wishes for a new objective.”
Both Zugdradak and Sonog stare at him at once. The first, as if he’s become insane, the second, wearing a small, knowing grin.
“Ah. I was wondering how long it’d take Milord this time…”
Frowning, Varzath aims the short demon with an annoyed gnce. “This time? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Zugdradak and Sunnazoth exchange a look, as the dark-skinned succubus ughs under her breath softly.
“My Lord, you’re like a child, looking for a new toy whenever you grow tired of your old ones,” Sunnazoth says.
What?!
Zugdradak dodges a kiss from one of his succubi, then nods with a serious expression. “Remember a century ago? You summoned us for, and I quote: ‘Find me an Archangel. Bring her to me unhurt.’. And then, twenty years ter, you ordered Sonog to develop a portal to Elysium, because, and I quote: ‘I grow tired of Heaven and Hell, they’re both equally stupid.’”
“And now that you’ve grown tired of Elysium as well, you wish for a new toy,” Sunnazoth completes, nodding in agreement.
Varzath fidgets uncomfortably in his seat, pretending not to notice Biranal’s gaze as it seems to burn its mark against the back of his neck.
It is clear she agrees with the others.
“Fine,” Varzath murmurs at st, “I admit ruling has made me somewhat spoiled as of te. In fact, a part of the reason I called you here is that I don’t merely wish for a new toy, as you’ve put it, but something to make me remember the demon I once was. A change of pace, and scenery, if at all possible.”
Sunnazoth raises an eyebrow. “You’re a Lord of Hell. Other than attempting to amass enough power to become a member of the Table, or conquering more Domains to expand our territory - things you’ve made clear to us you have no interest in – I don’t see how you could strive for something greater.”
Zugdradak shakes his head. “I apologize for my sister, Lord Varzath. She understands nothing but power.”
“Who the fuck is your sister?!”
Ignoring the dirty look Sunnazoth throws him, Zugdradak continues unfazed, “When was the st time My Lord met someone new? And I’m not talking about those crazies from Elysium. Milord should leave the pace more often... Who knows; he might find something, or someone, who will make him interested again...”
Zugdradak is interrupted as his ignored lovers grow tired of waiting, effectively drawing the demon into their embrace while gradually removing what little clothing he still had left, and giggling all the while...
Someone, huh?
Vardash throws Biranal a gnce.
For the past couple of years, duty had so they rarely saw each other, but after yesterday, he now wonders if the solution to his problem, at least in regards to sex, has been closer than he expected…
The noise of someone clearing their throat attracts Varzath’s gaze toward Sonog. To his surprise, he finds that the short demon has an excited look on his face, the one he usually wears during their magic talks.
“You sly goat. You thought of something interesting?”
The room’s attention, including a struggling Zugdradak’s, shifts toward Sonog, and the demon shrugs, smiling confidently.
“Not exactly.”
Snapping his fingers, Sonog produces a fme above his hand, which quickly grows in size as its shape changes, becoming a person-sized parchment. Once the parchment falls onto his grip, the demon rolls it down, where it covers both his legs, and a considerable section of the ground, in order to reveal the drawing of a humanoid creature, nearly covered in magic runes.
Intrigued, Varzath leans forward, although he is soon shocked to realize that the runes are so advanced and convoluted, he can scarcely make sense of them, let alone understand what they’re supposed to accomplish, other than that they belong to the field of Soul Magic.
Sitting straight, Sunnazoth shoos away her sve, whistling softly. “Now, that’s something you don’t see every day.”
“What? What is it?!”
Zugdradak struggles against his succubi for a moment, before finally growling as he throws both of them aside and pulls up his pants.
“Okay, this is serious. Go py with the others for a while darlings, I’ll be right there.”
The succubi pout, but they do comply, leaving the five of them to stare at the parchment as they join what has now become an orgy at the back of the room.
“In truth, I’ve been postponing this presentation for a while now, Milord, in wait of a moment such as this,” Sonog expins, rubbing his beard as he smiles mischievously, clearly enjoying the attention.
Varzath waves his hand, prompting Sonog to continue.
The half-goat demon nods. “This, dies and gentlemen, isn’t simply another toy I’ve created, but the work of a lifetime… Something I’ve spent the past millennium developing, give or take a century.”
“The tattoos were merely a byproduct of it,” Varzath murmurs as he continues to examine the parchment, finding within its runes a simir, if thousands of times more complicated, pattern to that of Biranal’s tattoos.
“Very observant, Milord. Indeed, my research Ied me to discover several new applications to Soul Magic previously thought impossible, or unthinkable... At least that I knew of; Not that anyone shares, when it comes to magic knowledge. Still, they’re nothing when compared to what my baby here is meant to do.”
At this point, even Biranal has left her corner, approaching their circle silently.
“Don’t leave us in the dark, old man, spill it out!” Zugdradak excims, clearly impatient to rejoin his company of choice for the night.
Sonog rolls his eyes, though he does nod. “Very well, but my expnation will require some patience and cooperation,” he says, clearing his throat as he begins, in a much more serious tone, “My friends, what is a Soul?”
The demons exchange looks, and, after a second of hesitation, Varzath is the one to speak first, “Nobody knows for certain. Or, well, if they do, they’ve kept it for themselves.”
Sonog nods. “That’s correct. But I’m sure you all have your guesses. Go on, I won’t make fun of you.”
After another moment of silence, Sunnazoth shrugs. “Fine then, I’ll start; A Soul is energy. Nothing more, nothing less.”
A standard answer. Varzath himself believes as much, and he has heard simir answers from many demons in the past. However, he can already tell Sonog disagrees, by the way the demon smiles knowingly and then shakes his head.
“Energy is either spent, or created, but never motionless,” Sonog says, bringing a rare frown out of Sunnazoth.
“And Souls may be altered, but never destroyed, or spent… Which means they don’t act like other types of energy that we know of,” Varzath completes, understanding the demon’s point.
Sonog nods. “Precisely, Milord. It is possible Souls are a simple gathering of energy, but they certainly don’t act like one.”
Zugdradak snorts, deepening Sunnazoth's frown as she crosses her legs and averts her eyes from the group, clicking her tongue.
“No losing your temper now, sister; Nobody likes a sore loser. Pass me that pipe, will you? I can tell I’m going to need it,” Zugdradak teases.
Sunnazoth flips him, but she does pass him the pipe, from which he takes a long drag, before returning it and speaking, “Have I ever mentioned the time I hooked up with an angel...? Not one of our voluntary sves, mind you, but a free one?”
“Only about a thousand times,” Sunnazoth murmurs, earning herself a wink from Zugdradak.
“Anyway, I don’t care much for this whole Soul business, but she told me the angels believe each Soul is a piece of the Creator, and that they’ll all return to Them eventually. At the time, I ughed in her face… But had she told me so today, I might have given it some more thought,” Zugdradak says, shruging, “You live for long enough in this shithole, and you see some shit, you know?”
Sonog nods. “I also heard of the angels’ beliefs, proof cking as they may be. Milord?”
“Before today, I also thought Souls were some sort of energy,” Varzath confesses, “But I assume you’re about to share your discoveries and change my mind?”
Sonog smiles. “You’re all wrong, but also, not; You see, religious propaganda aside, Souls are undoubtedly a creation from a being beyond our reach, so much so, that even if they are some sort of energy, we’re still incapable of doing more than slightly altering its nature… Until now.”
Sonog points toward his parchment and snaps his fingers, generating a small gust of wind below it to make it float before the five of them.
“I think I see where you’re going, old man, but could you get there a bit faster? The party is about the leave without me,” Zugdradak says, tapping his foot impatiently as the murmurs in the background grow increasingly distant.
Sonog rolls his eyes, sighing. “There’s enough pussy and cock in the pace to draw yourself in it, and yet, you still care so much, Zugdradak... Fine, I’ll show you something interesting, you bastard.”
Sonog snaps his fingers again, causing the images in the parchment to gradually rearrange themselves, forming a new drawing. Meanwhile, the parchment itself changes position, now floating horizontally.
“Tell me, what do you see?”
The parchment’s bottom is now entirely covered by red fmes, while its top is covered in yellow clouds. Its middle, however, remains mostly empty, except for a rge ball of blue surrounded by countless minuscule white stars spread across the entire parchment.
The image is immediately recognizable.
“The Cosmos,” Varzath murmurs.
“Indeed, Milord. More precisely, I’ve depicted our current understanding of the universe, including Heaven, the Infernal Pne, or as we call it, Hell, and the Mortal Pnes… Excepting Elysium, of course, since it seems to exist nowhere and everywhere at once,” Sonog expins, raising a finger, and then swinging it, which causes the parchment’s images to begin moving. “Now, I’m sure we’re all aware of this, but angels and demons are stuck to Heaven and Hell, being unable to stay in a Mortal Pne unless bound to a human by a Contract. Furthermore, they’re only able to enter with the help of a summoning, and the stronger the demon, or angel, the stronger the amount of energy - Life Force - necessary to invoke one in the flesh… But there exists one exception.”
“Demon Lords,” Sunnazoth offers solemnly.
“Precisely,” Sonog continues, nodding at her, then gncing toward Varzath before continuing, “Such is the power of a Demon Lord, or a Seraphim, for that matter, that upon entering a Mortal Pne; That is, being successfully summoned by the humans there present, the Veil which protects their reality is irreparably torn, allowing thereon for both demons and angels to come and go as they please… And so far, no world has survived the ensuing battle following the fall of a Veil.”
Varzath watches as many white stars across the parchment lose their glow, becoming bck.
“The Veil’s absence allows demons to drag Souls directly here, while Heaven would rather see those humans dead, and therefore allowed to rejoin the Cycle, then dragged to Hell… Ironically, most of our fallen Lords fought their st battle on human soil. If history taught us something, it is that Heaven’s fury should not be underestimated, especially when they have already lost that which they swore to protect. Which brings us to my next question: Why do both demons and angels care so much for human Souls?”
“Are you serious?” Zugdradak asks incredulously, only to have his smile wither under Sonog’s gaze.
“Dead serious. In as much detail as possible.”
Zugdradak sighs, though once he speaks, his tone and expression are ones of rare seriousness, “Soldiers. The answer is soldiers. Wait, fuck, you said you wanted details… Fine, here it goes: Nobody knows how the universe started, or how exactly Souls are created, but what we do know is what happens when a human forms a contract with a demon, or is killed by one through feeding; Or, alternatively, when they accept certain restrictions from an angel, and follow them throughout their lifetime... Once their body perishes, instead of rejoining the Cycle of Reincarnation, and being reborn as a human again, they’re respectively dragged to Hell, or allowed to ascend to Heaven… And so, we fight over them, since the side with more soldiers in the end will inevitably emerge victorious, and earn the right to recreate the Cosmos in their image.”
Sonog nods. “Well, I believe most of us fight for the fear of facing extinction were the other side to emerge victorious... But correct, otherwise.”
Sunnazoth snorts. “And for all their talk about mercy and tolerance, the other side wouldn’t hesitate to have our existence erased from the Cosmos, were they to win in the end.”
“Perhaps,” Sonog concedes, “But what’s important about all of this is what happens when a human Soul reaches Hell, and what are demons to begin with.”
“An aggregated of Souls, fused together after decades spent in the Fires,” Varzath offers, “Or a refined Soul, having survived, and returned, while the others remain in the Fire, or are simply destroyed… Nobody is certain of which is it, just that a bunch of human Souls enter, but a much smaller number of demons comes out.”
“Interesting, isn’t it? I was able to extract from our holy friends that angels are produced from a simir process, but using the Light of Heaven’s ‘ceiling’, instead of Infernal Fire. And now, for my st question: What happens when a demon passes? Don’t worry, I’ll answer this one myself; They return to the Fire, eventually giving birth to a new demon, but one with completely different powers and personality.”
Sonog meets the gazes of his listeners, one by one, before continuing.
“As you can see, Hell and Heaven have a constant increase in their numbers, but never a decline, for a Soul, once fallen or ascended, can never return; And as such, one day, the Cosmos is faded to have no more human Souls to be fought over, given start to a st battle, which will then decide how life will continue from thereon, if at all… Apocalypse.”
Zugdradak frowns. “But we already knew most of that, old man. What is your point?”
Sonog leans against his seat, smiling mysteriously. “I have a theory. Once, there existed no Heaven or Hell, but only the Cycle. However, humans weren’t satisfied with what the Creator had envisioned for them; They sought to maintain their memories and personalities even after death, or not to die at all. And so, they created a way to maintain their Souls from returning, and their bodies from aging. I suspect two of such creations came into existence during the history of our universe; Hell’s Firepits, and Heaven’s Light. I do not know how the Veil came into py, perhaps even as a direct intervention from the Creator in an attempt at deying Apocalypse, but I’m almost certain my theory is correct, at least partially.”
“You mean that… We all came from humans to begin with? Even the very first of our kind?” Sunnazoth asks, sounding horrified by the idea.
Sonog shrugs. “Does it sound so unbelievable? Most, if not all of our traces, are derived from either humans or animals. Unlike the creatures of Elysium, who are alien in nature, both angels and demons have always in much resembled humans.”
Sunnazoth shudders. “I could’ve burned again without knowing that…”
“Sonog,” Varzath starts, leaning forward as he meets the demon’s eyes, “You’re saying you’ve found a way to change all of that?”
Sonog shakes his head. “Not all of it, no. As long as angels and demons continue to tear creation apart, Apocalypse is still going to happen, sooner or ter. But perhaps… Perhaps I’ve found a way to save us from it.”
The room falls silent. Even Varzath can’t bring himself to believe his ears.
“By us, do you mean…?” Sunnazoth asks slowly, almond eyes wide.
“The Domain, and the ones we choose to accept within it.”
“Ha! Well, what are you waiting for, old man?!” Zugdradak excims, smiling eagerly as he sps his leg in excitement, “Don’t leave us in the dark over here!”
Sonog sighs. “I need you to understand much of this is based on theory. I can’t guarantee it’s going to work.”
Sunnazoth snorts, crossing her legs as she takes a long drag from her pipe and eyes Sonog with a half-smile on her face. “Don’t worry, we’ll be happy to point out the fws in your pn once you finally stop being a pussy about it and tell us some details.”
Sonog growls, then snaps his fingers one more time, causing the parchment to return to its original position and design, except, this time, Varzath easily recognizes the body beneath the runes… As his own.
“Fine, you crazy idiots, have it your way. This baby over here,” Sonog says, gesturing toward the parchment as he smiles smugly, “Is nothing more than a seal; A seal for the Soul of a Demon Lord.”
“Expin,” Varzath demands, before any of the others could speak.
In the following silence, Sonog shrugs. “It’s simple; In theory, it should allow for a demon’s Soul to forego Hell’s pull and return to the Cycle.”
“…That’s it?” Zugdradak asks incredulously, immediately being silenced by a dirty look from Sonog.
“Of course not. As I’ve expined, it is a seal, and not a way to truly return a Soul to its original state… In other terms, a way to cheat the system, and allow for a Demon Lord to step inside a Mortal Pne without destroying its Veil.”
“I don’t understand,” Sunnazoth interjects, “Even if we assume it’ll work, what would be the point? Lord Varzath would be giving up his body, and I assume, most of his powers, in order to infiltrate some stinking human society… If you’re looking for Souls, why not send a lesser demon? Or one of us? Why risk our Lord?”
“I’m touched by your concern,” Varzath murmurs cynically, “But I believe Sonog does not merely seek to bolster our Soul offerings by another percentage or two.”
“You’re thinking small, sister,” Zugdradak adds, smiling predatoryly, as he throws Sonog a look filled with naked excitement, “Isn’t that so, old man?”
The goat demon snorts. “Naturally. First, there are two reasons Milord must be the one to receive the seal. Second, if nothing is done, we’ll eventually perish regardless... We all know who is going to win this war, don’t we?”
Sunnazoth grimaces, as though forced to eat something disgusting, even as she asks, “And those reasons are?”
Sonog sighs, meeting Varzath’s gaze briefly, before continuing, “The first reason is that I believe only the Soul of a Demon Lord would be strong enough to have a chance at surviving the journey, while maintaining their personality and memories intact. The second is the object of the journey itself, which would require a Demon Lord anyway.”
“And what happens if you’re wrong?” a new voice, Biranal’s, suddenly interjects, attracting the gazes of those present toward her closed-off helmet, “What happens to Lord Varzath?”
To his credit, Sonog does not avert his eyes as he answers, “Assuming I’m correct about most of what I believe? Worst case scenario, Lord Varzath would simply perish, reincarnating in Hell as an entirely new entity. Slightly better, the seal doesn’t fail, but Milord himself isn’t strong enough to survive its power, simply being reborn as an extraordinary human without any memories of his mission, or previous life.”
The noise of Biranal’s gauntlets closing snaps across the room, as does her voice, “And you dare suggest such insanity?!”
Sonog flinches, but does maintain his ground, continuing to face Biranal’s gaze directly as he answers, “Yes, I do. What other choice do we have? Party until the universe colpses around us? Continue to send our citizens to die while pretending it doesn’t concern us? And once Heaven’s armies arrive at our doorstep... Are you going to cry and beg them for mercy, Biranal?”
“I’ll fight,” Biranal retorts coldly.
“And you’ll lose,” Sonog replies, matter-of-fact-like, “Unable to protect a single thing you care about. Is that what you want? To die heroically in battle like some thrice dammed fucking angel!?”
“We still have a thousand millennia before Apocalypse! We could find another solution!”
“You’re wrong,” Sunnazoth interjects, resting her cheek against a closed fist as she takes a short drag from her pipe and smiles, “It is true we’re still far from the end, but it won’t take as long as you seem to think… Not if things continue as they are.”
“She means Heaven won’t simply wait until every single human Soul is gone before coming for us,” Zugdradak adds, “And why would they? If their advantage grows rge enough, they’ll simply storm Hell and be done with it. It’d take a while, but in their eyes, saving humanity from extinction would be worth the extra losses… Crazy bastards.”
“You think I don’t know what you’re thinking?” Biranal replies coldly, stepping forward as her wings abruptly unfold themselves, filling the room with a violent gust of cold wind as a pair of bck maces materialize themselves in her grip, nearly humming with power, “What you stand to gain if Varzath were to suddenly disappear?”
“That’s enough, love,” Varzath interjects, casually creating a couple of shadow tentacles in order to have her step back… Not that he could have forced her to do so easily, had she resisted, but it works, in this case.
“You… My Lord, you can’t seriously be-!”
“That’s enough, I said,” Varzath cuts in, this time somewhat sharply, as he aims Biranal with a look of reproach, then smiles toward Sunnazoth and Zugdradak, “I’m sure my treasured subjects have nothing but love in their hearts for their Lord. They’d never pn to overthrow me.”
Sunnazoth snorts.
However, despite her calm facade, Varzath was able to easily spot the glow of fear in her eyes a moment prior... He is not surprised. Among her many fws, Sunnazoth has always been somewhat of a coward, even if one that would rather kill the source of her fears than live under its shadow, given the chance to.
Which is why he has already warned the demon in the past regarding Biranal… But there’s only so much he can do while still remaining impartial. Sunnazoth is not a child, however cruel and cunning she may be, and would not needlessly harm their fighting power without a good reason.
“Sonog, I assume your pn does not have an immediate deadline?” Varzath continues, swiftly changing the subject.
“Other than Apocalypse itself? No, not really.”
Varzath can tell Biranal is sulking, and that Sunnazoth is fuming beneath her facade of indifference, but forces himself to ignore the both of them as he asks, “And are you positive we cannot confirm at least some of your theories, given enough time?”
Sonog shrugs. “I’ve done as much testing as I can, Milord. But the problem is that once I kill a demon, there’s no way to verify where exactly their Soul ends up, only that it did not return to Hell’s Firepits. Furthermore, I’m worried about what would happen if the Table caught wind of my research, so I’ve avoided doing more than this.”
“I see. And how do you know their Soul returns to the Cycle, then?”
“Where else could it have gone? Souls don’t simply disappear; When unattached to a body, they’re always pulled toward something, and the only other pce it could’ve gone is-”
“A Mortal Pne. It’d make no sense for it to go to Heaven.”
Sonog nods. “Precisely.”
Varzath waves his hand dismissively. “Fine. I’m not going to pretend I understand the full scope of your research, or how you’ve arrived at the conclusions you did. But I can at least deduce what you wish to attain from all of this.”
Sonog smiles. “As expected, Milord is different from the muscle-brained idiots I used to serve.”
Zugdradak gnces from Sonog to Varzath and back, clearly lost. “What? What is it?”
Varzath snorts, then returns Sonog smile in kind. “You sly old goat… You’re after the Veil itself, aren’t you? And you’re hoping I’ll be able to steal it from right under the Creator’s nose.”
JBDantas
Rifts: Wormholes that sometimes happen to connect Heaven and Hell. Since they appear randomly and are often big enough to allow for the passage of entire armies, most rge-scale conflict between both sides tends to happen inside or near the entrance of a Rift.
Cosmos: The known universe, other than Elysium, including all Mortal Pnes, Heaven, and Hell (The Infernal Pne).
Creator: Thought of as the creator of the Cosmos, hence the name. As an additional note, Sonog believes the Creator was originally a creature from Elysium who grew powerful enough to make their own universe, which would expin why Elysium seems to follow its own rules in regards to space and time, being either exited or entered (only briefly, in the case of angels and demons, as they begin to feel sick after entering for reasons unknown) but never found. Also, more universes aside from the human one are accessible from Elysium, which is said to be essentially infinite even by creatures who have spent thousands of years in it, giving credence to the belief it is the first universe, from where all others originate.
Elysium: A nd of endless forests, valleys, and mountains, said to stretch infinitely.
Veil: A barrier, presumably erected by the Creator, which prevents demons and angels from entering Mortal Pnes without being summoned, and prevents them from remaining there for unless contracted by a human.
[colpse]