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Bilgames

The shock of power that races through the land gives me hope for the first time in centuries. When my sweet Amelie and little Galina disappeared, I thought all hope was lost, continuing my duties of building the army to stand against Solomon and his hoard out of obligation. But there was no mistaking that power, or who it belongs to. My sweet Galina lives, and she's found her rightful place within the heart of a circle of warriors handpicked by my closest allies to finally bring this war to a close, one way or another.

Golden tears of ichor race down my face at the thought of something so precious, lost so long, finally finding its way home.

With renewed faith in my fellows in my heart and a hope for a better outcome than the one I'd been seeing foretold in my mind, I renew my efforts, gathering information and allies and checking on the status of what's already been done, and what still needs doing.

The new moon, Lady Guinevere said. She foresees darkness overtaking so much then. No doubt Solomon plans to make his move on such an auspicious night as the upcoming alignment.

And my sweet Galina will be at the epicenter once more. I can only hope that she's learned what she needs without my guiding hand.

~

Lucipher

When Bilgames sends his call for help, I have no desire to respond. But with Justice having chosen his place in this war, I'm helpless to refuse. It's all so tedious, the war between these creatures who place themselves so high above the rest of us. Cthonians. God killers. Source keepers. So many names have been given to them throughout history, but they're just leeches, the lot of them. Powerful leeches, of course, but leeches, none the less.

They draw their power from the very fabric of reality, and while Bilgames and his kin seek to maintain the balance of existence, Solomon and his hoards seek to destroy and remake the world in their image. Whatever that means. The darkness in their hearts would earn them a place in the darkest recesses of my many underworlds, if only they were subject to the rules the rest of us must abide by.

I did try to join one of Bilgames divinity chains once, but he denied me, saying my duties were too important for me to fade. I'm so tired. Tired of fighting, of ruling, of being the good and the bad in the stories told to children at night. When do I get a break? When can I pass the torch?

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. Never. That's when. Because the realms of the dead are too important. Even if Solomon wins, he'll still need a keeper for his prisoners and his dead. A place to torture, or whatever it is he seeks for Bilgames and his ilk.

Bilgames. Now there's a name. His real name, of course, but that's not what he's ever been known for. Gilgamesh. That's what the mortals know him as. One of the first mortal heroes told of in epic tales. So many of the Cthonic deities are born mortal, achieving their status through great deeds, good and evil. Solomon didn't feel the need to maintain use of his given name when his chosen one was immortalized, preferring instead the fear instilled in so many when spoken of. Solomon, the master of demons. Of course, the stories have been distorted enough to make him seem like a hero, a savior, protecting humans and even some others from the influence of demonic entities.

Of course someone such as he would use the innate fear that humans have for the darker powers, convincing so many that demons are evil incarnate, and that by controlling them as he did, he was doing all mortals a favor.

I snort. Demons are no more evil than angels, they just represent a darker side of magic. Night is not inherently evil because of its absence of light, and those that live in light are not inherently benevolent. Oh no, I've found that it's more often the opposite. Those who have ill will use the light to hide, and those who do good do so by darkness, not needing the attention garnered by good deeds, only the knowledge for themselves of doing the deed.

I am ever so tired, but still, I send my response to Bilgames.

'The deed is done. The sun rises. The children await. The kingdom of mercy seeks your aid. Justice aids the calming hands of your sword.'

~

Seraphiel

I feel the moment she awakens, relief coursing through me. No doubt that, had Therian's goals succeeded, the power would not have felt so pristine. Nobody questioned when my right hand advisor disappeared three years ago, ostensibly sent on a mission to ensure the goals of Solomon were carried out. In reality, Amelie took him, having finally regained her strength enough to contain her tainted kin.

Everyone, likely even little Galina, believed Amelie to have been eliminated in an attack on our compound. She survived the attack, during which Therian drove a cursed blade through her back, but only just. I had to hide her away in the recesses of Hel, Lucipher grudgingly assisting me in exchange for a favor of his own.

It took nearly seven hundred years for Amelie to recover, the curse finally running out of steam. And when she did, she returned for Therian with a vengeance. We thought he was one of Solomon's main assets, but she discovered that the rat was just a greedy, power hungry fool. His absense making little dent in any plans.

And still I sit, working and plotting and playing so many sides that, sometimes, I don't even know which one I'm really on. Sometimes I'm not sure who I should be rooting for. Ostensibly, Gilgamesh is the one I should ensure wins, but even his benevolence has a darkness to it. Sometimes, I find myself questioning if I'm really doing the right thing. Maybe wiping it all out and starting over, as Solomon seeks, is the right move. Or maybe I've just gone mad from all the back and forth. Regardless, everything is coming to a head, and what I do or do not want will soon be as irrelevant as I am.

~~~

Author's Note: Whoa, that was a lot, wasn't it?

Who is the Seraphim? Friend or foe? What about Lucipher?

Gilgamesh, Solomon, so many familiar names, right? But you know what they say, when the winners write the history books, sometimes facts can be distorted, and the person you thought was good was really just the loser.

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