Shadow of the Abyss

Chapter 99: Brand of the Incubus II

"It's you! The bastard defiling my daughter!" Came the deafening cries of Leto, tearing Altair off his feet by the throat as he awoke once more within the Second Layer of Hell, Irkalla. His soul pulled from his body before he knew what happened.

Panic followed by dread came crashing into the Young Lord's mind as he felt his windpipes closing and his feet kicking back and forth, scrambling to get himself free.

"Lord Leto, please release my master's spawn. Wrath is one of his divinities, you know. "Aynaet de Asmodeus reminded Leto, grinning. She rose from her throne. The very one Altair once saw his Father upon.

"He defiled my daughter!"

"The boy is a virgin," Aynaet assured him, giggling to herself. "I can literally smell it on him. Now, release him. You've more to lose than your daughter's virginity if Altair is harmed."

Leto sneered. "You know you devils don't scare me." He said but still released the boy. "I've fought my share of Kings."

"I'm sure you have," Aynaet said without impression. "But don't you have anything else to do, Duke Leto?"

"Don't call me that." Leto snapped, grimacing at the title forced upon him to save his wife by Arsene when he was at his lowest. Hunted like a dog, Leto, gripping his wife, entered the Second Layer, gaining an audience with Arsene using Luna's name. But that was all his relationship with the Goddess of the Moon got him. If he wanted Erela safe, he had to bend a knee.

And so he fell upon his knees towards the Second Monarch and was made to bow.

"Yes. Yes." Aynaet teased. "Give the Young Master some pictures of Erela and go. We've got a border to secure."

The Duke Leto grimaced but nevertheless shifted his gaze back to Altair. His once furious expression was now of weariness.

Altair found Duke Leto to be a large man with wolfish eyes with, short dark blue hair, over a toned figure, and a stubble beard filled with grays.

"Kid…" Duke Leto muttered, opening his palm as a golden node of light flooded down into Altair's palm, only to vanish. " Give this to Reina. And… take care of her for me. OK?" He patted his shoulder, taking his leave, seemingly aging a few decades.

"What is going on?" Altair finally asked, clenching his fist. "And what's happening with Ren's dad… he looks–"

"Depressed? Well, hell tends to do that to people. Ancients are quite a peaceful race despite their powerful physiques. They hate mindless killing. And that's all Leto has been doing since he gained his title. But we need to secure our borders."

"And who are you?" He finally asked, glaring at the red-haired woman. "I thought my father hated redheads."

"Goodness, no. It's just this red hair keeps sucking him dry each morning and night." Aynaet licked her lips and crossed her legs. " that commandment was to warn of what you're getting into. That Nephilim is going to ride you until your cock is limp and your balls are shriveled."

Altair gaped, so lost for words it brought laughter to Aynaet.

"Young Master, my name is Aynaet de Asmodeus, the second to nine other Kings of Hell. And I am your Father's servant, Knight, and concubine."

"And you brought me here, why?" The young master questioned. He didn't feel comfortable here, beneath that throne of brimstone.

"To aid you, of course." Aynaet rose. "You are the third Young Master, after all. And it's my duty to see you survive. So I'm going to give you my blessing. Nothing special. But it'll help when you need to manipulate men or women."

Suddenly, Altair felt a pair of arms clamp down on his shoulder, sending a jolt of unease down his spine. He turned, finding Aynaet inches from his face, with a glow in her eyes.

"Within the hells, there was once a creature so foul. It took the force of several angels to strike him down as he ran about amongst the humans, pillaging every manner of creature, Be it man, woman, child, dog, or cat. He ran them through birthing millions of progenies. So domineering this creature was when the Heavens learned of it.

They came crashing down into the Hells and demanded the extermination of this subspecies. But in a single stroke, Lord Abbadon of Nexus felled these angels and hung their bodies for all of Heaven to see. Going as far as to gorge their eyes out so that his demons could skull fuck them while their families watched on."

"...Hells." Muttered the Prince.

"Yes. Quite a tail. Furious. The Seven Eternal Heavens took to the Council of Omnis, a court that dictates the Laws of the Myriad Heavens to band this particular subspecies from ever entering the material plane, claiming mortals and most gods would be nothing but thralls before them.

"In the end, it came down to the Mortal Fraction. I'm sure you can guess what happened. The Hells lost. Fearing the Power of the Incubus, they barred their entry. However…" And Aynaet grinned. "As a Knight of His Majesty the Second Monarch, and a King myself… It's well with my right to grant you there, Brand."

Altair heart suddenly went cold as he tried to interject, but the words failed to sound.

"The power of the Incubus is quite something. They are not powerful in a destructive sense. But there is no better devil at manipulating someone's lust than an Incubus. So have fun, my Prince, for when you wake. A new world will be awaiting you."

She touched his brow, casting his vision into eternal darkness.

***

Snapping his eyes open, Altair sprang up, covered in a thick sheen of sweat.

[Fallen Moon Imperfection has attuned itself to the Brand of the Incubus]

[Physical attributes will shift over time.]

(^///^)

[Compulsion Acquired]

Grade: F

Description: Command your will into the hearts of those of a weaker mind, and they shall bend to your eternal will.

A/N: Charisma Check

Feeling his body burning up, Altair grimaced, feeling his mind sway back and forth in a daze of discord at the sudden influx of knowledge regarding the intricate dynamics of his new skill. He groaned, staggering up from his bed, finding Ren locked in her alchemy practice.

[Fallen Moon Imperfection has imbedded the Brand of the Incubus into its skill list]

[Ding]

Fallen Moon Imperfection

Type: Vale Physique

Effect 1: Almighty Resistance

Effect 2: Brand of the Incubus (Partial Seal)

Effect 3: Sealed

Effect 4: Sealed

Effect 5: Sealed

Effect 6: Sealed

Effect 7: Sealed

Effect 8: Sealed

Effect 9: Sealed

Effect 10: Sealed

Conjuring a bottle of water from the Draupnir Ring, Altair gobbled it down as though he had been starved for days before collapsing, gasping for breath.

[Ding]

[Your Hunger Grows]

When the confusion passed, leaving behind the sizzling desire to feed. To sink his fangs into the nearest sack of meat and gorged himself in a symphony of blood, Altair lay sprawled over the ground.

His will was still strong, having just recently fed, but he was beginning to notice a slight change.

'The need to feed is growing by the day.' he thought, anxious about this new change. On one hand, he was infatuated with the euphoric taste. On the other, he didn't like being a slave to sanguine hunger. It made him feel weak.

Altair stood up and got dressed, throwing on a random shirt and trousers not wet with sweat, taking his leave, not wishing to bother Ren, lost in her craft. He moved through the halls to the outside, where the gust of Fall brushed across his scorching flesh.

The winds felt cool against his skin, calming his boiling blood.

"You there, soldier!" One of the soldiers on patrol shouted. "Curfew is a 2200 Hours. What are you doing outside? You heading to the Training Grounds?"

Altair turned to him, and the soldier froze, somehow finding his heartbeat quicken. His footsteps paused, and his breath caught itself in his chest as he blushed.

'What… the hell?' The soldier thought, shaking his head, drawn in by the otherworldly charm and eyes that seemed to tug at his mind. 'Ain't no way… I've been married for nearly twenty years…'

"You… You can't be out here." The man stuttered, fumbling over his words. "Leave, and I'll forget you were ever here."

Altair grinned. "Can you cut your wrist for me," he asked, with the throb of his pupils.

Warrant officer Thelman Lowl, without forethought or warning, pulled his combat knife from around his thigh and cut across his wrist without hesitation.

"Eh? Why'd I…"

"Shhhhh." The Prince whispered, with a finger to his lips; once more, the throb of his pupils came, calming Thelman. And from the Draupnir Ring came a cup, catching the blood. Altair looked back at him. "Can you forget I was ever here?"

"Of course," Thalman said, and when he blinked, Altair was gone, leaving behind a pool of blood. "What the hell? How…what?"

Watching the soldier fumbling about, Altair felt slivers of ice permeate his heart. "Hells… Thats frightening. It's like I'm able to direct my Presence. But rather than dominate and bring them to their knees. I can turn them into pawns, thralls for me to do as I please." he wryly chuckled. "No wonder these Incubus were banned.

Makes me a little grateful that my Charisma is so high. No one can compel me like that. But the drain is crazy big."

Altair twirled the blood in his plastic cup before taking a sip. He shuddered, quenched by a euphoric nectar sliding down his throat, permeating his bones until he wanted to moan.

[Ding]

[Your Strength has increased by 1]

o((>?< ))o

Altair's eyes expanded, watching the system notification. He gasped, suddenly taken when a realization came with the physique he had been granted.

[Divine Sin, Archeon senses your gain in power and commends you.]

[Divine Being, 'She who hunts' is worried you might succumb to your baser instincts.]

[Divine Being 'Piercing Owl' suggests you learn to control your desire.]

( •? ? •? )y

'... is this emoji thing… the system?' Altair pondered and shook his head for now, deciding to push it to the back of his mind since there wasn't a way to gain a real answer.

Name: Altair (Snow)

Mana Circle:[Second Circle 99.99%]

Physique: First Vale Star

Class: Young Prince Lv 25 [First Awakening]

Strength: 28 ? 29

Dexterity: 30

Constitution: 47

Wisdom: 49

Charisma:49

Mana: 23

Compulsion [F]

Proficiency: 0 ? 12%

Dark Moon Blade [D]

Proficiency: 0.3% ? 0.4

Sword Limit: 7

Enigmatic Step [E]

Proficiency: 57%

Eye of Sacrilege [C]

Proficiency: 90% ? 91%

Fallen Necromancy [D]

Proficiency: 0.2% ? 1.2%

Soul Storage: 31/45

Foresight [F]

Proficiency: 0%

Grave of Night [D]

Proficiency: .01% ? .11%

Hands of Nirvana [E]

Proficiency:0% ? 2%

Hellish Rebuke [F]

Proficiency: 4%

Infernal Bane [D]

Proficiency: 0.01%

Infernal Lightning [D]

Proficiency: 0.5%

Rune Work [F]

Proficiency: 27% ? 37%

Vale Manipulation [F]

Proficiency: 0%

Mana Manipulation [D]

Proficiency: 93.99% ? 94%

Ninth Form, Aeron (F)

Proficiency: 0.0% ? 80%

Soul of the Indomitable (E)

Proficiency: 0.0% ? 34%

Superior Instincts [D]

Proficiency: 93% ? 95%