The Citadel of Dahhak
~March 14th~
"Oh goddamnit- WHY?" She stared at Iblis.
"Because we need you, Zohar." The Mastigos smiled pleasantly at her. Iblis was almost always smiling.
She sighed. "FINE."
*****
The Citadel of Pandemonium stood in sharp contrast with the gentle slopes of the shores of Oroboros. Jagged iron edges opened up before them; the Citadel was shaped like a giant metal lotus. Iblis, Helios, and Zohar walked in.
Don't call attention to yourself. Don't call attention to yourself. Let the Mastigos do the talking. I have no business here. I'm just here because they fucking asked me. Because... fuck if I know. Just assume that Dahhak knows I don't want to be here. Goddamnit.
Dahhak was number two of the trifecta of Aeons she didn't want to meet. Helios wanted to ask his advice about Panopticon. After their testimony from Azazel had been made public, others- Guardians of the Veil, claimed to have spoken with Dahhak, the Syzygy of Pandemonium and sole Aeon representing Mind and Space. Dahhak, according to them, was in favor of the merger. They wanted confirmation.
It was fairly nauseating for her to walk through the corridor into the audience room. Whispers of things she didn't want to remember tickled at her ears, and she had long since lost her sense of anything resembling direction. She kept from getting lost by staying with the group and hoping that something inside wouldn't decide to make her a plaything.
The Syzygy sat upon a massive throne, an expressionless face slack; its human head bobbed to the side. On each shoulder, the sinewy neck of a dragon twisted and moved of their own accord. She remembered the legend of Dahhak. That he was Ahriman, or a Persian prince, or even an Atlantean King. He had clawed his way into power using any means, caring not for who he hurt. When he had finally gotten his crown, his vizier had asked for the boon of touching his person. It had been a trick, and the dragons that emerged from his flesh would forever torture him.
The Aeons weren't human, if they ever were once. They didn't operate on human morality, except for Dahhak. Out of all of them, he was the only one whom scholars described as simply evil. Not like the evil of the Abyss, but simple human evil.
"Kneel, mortals," Dahhak demanded. She couldn't tell if the head or the dragons were speaking. His mind pressing agaisnt her consciousness was almost tangible. Her immediate impulse was to do so, but she glanced at Iblis and Helios. They stood tall, unmoving. They all stared at each other, in silence, for an indiscernable amount of time.
"You may speak," he finally said.
"We have come to speak of the Eye," Iblis said.
"Yes," Helios and Iblis replied. "We wanted your advice."
"I see." Zohar expected him to demand a price, but instead he continued, "Think not about material collateral or promises. Think not about information offered or sold. Instead, consider what they will do."
"I see," Iblis said, smiling. "That is helpful. There's one other matter I came to see you about."
"Speak."
"I would like your throne," he said, with a completely calm and straight face. The twin dragons turned their gaze directly towards him.
Oh fuck me. Zohar braced herself for something unpleasant. You want to usurp him and you wanted me here for what, as canon fodder? Hell no, this goes badly I'm out of here. She expected it to be over fast, the three of them were no match for the Aeon.
An attack never came. Her eyes widened as Dahhak's dragon heads leaned towards Iblis and spoke to him. "Present to me a suitable throne, and you may yet have it."
"Ah, very well then. That's what I shall do." Iblis grinned. "Thank you for your time."
Dahhak made no move to stop the three from leaving. She wondered what possible plan or agenda it would have in its answers or responding to Iblis' challenge like that. She would leave that problem to him. And if things worked out, it would be nice to have an Aeon as a friend.
"I think I'll take a chunk out of that Abyssal tower and reshape it," he said once they'd woken up. "What do you think?"
"I think we have to knock that down before you can even worry about that."
"Oh goddamnit- WHY?" She stared at Iblis.
"Because we need you, Zohar." The Mastigos smiled pleasantly at her. Iblis was almost always smiling.
She sighed. "FINE."
*****
The Citadel of Pandemonium stood in sharp contrast with the gentle slopes of the shores of Oroboros. Jagged iron edges opened up before them; the Citadel was shaped like a giant metal lotus. Iblis, Helios, and Zohar walked in.
Don't call attention to yourself. Don't call attention to yourself. Let the Mastigos do the talking. I have no business here. I'm just here because they fucking asked me. Because... fuck if I know. Just assume that Dahhak knows I don't want to be here. Goddamnit.
Dahhak was number two of the trifecta of Aeons she didn't want to meet. Helios wanted to ask his advice about Panopticon. After their testimony from Azazel had been made public, others- Guardians of the Veil, claimed to have spoken with Dahhak, the Syzygy of Pandemonium and sole Aeon representing Mind and Space. Dahhak, according to them, was in favor of the merger. They wanted confirmation.
It was fairly nauseating for her to walk through the corridor into the audience room. Whispers of things she didn't want to remember tickled at her ears, and she had long since lost her sense of anything resembling direction. She kept from getting lost by staying with the group and hoping that something inside wouldn't decide to make her a plaything.
The Syzygy sat upon a massive throne, an expressionless face slack; its human head bobbed to the side. On each shoulder, the sinewy neck of a dragon twisted and moved of their own accord. She remembered the legend of Dahhak. That he was Ahriman, or a Persian prince, or even an Atlantean King. He had clawed his way into power using any means, caring not for who he hurt. When he had finally gotten his crown, his vizier had asked for the boon of touching his person. It had been a trick, and the dragons that emerged from his flesh would forever torture him.
The Aeons weren't human, if they ever were once. They didn't operate on human morality, except for Dahhak. Out of all of them, he was the only one whom scholars described as simply evil. Not like the evil of the Abyss, but simple human evil.
"Kneel, mortals," Dahhak demanded. She couldn't tell if the head or the dragons were speaking. His mind pressing agaisnt her consciousness was almost tangible. Her immediate impulse was to do so, but she glanced at Iblis and Helios. They stood tall, unmoving. They all stared at each other, in silence, for an indiscernable amount of time.
"You may speak," he finally said.
"We have come to speak of the Eye," Iblis said.
"Yes," Helios and Iblis replied. "We wanted your advice."
"I see." Zohar expected him to demand a price, but instead he continued, "Think not about material collateral or promises. Think not about information offered or sold. Instead, consider what they will do."
"I see," Iblis said, smiling. "That is helpful. There's one other matter I came to see you about."
"Speak."
"I would like your throne," he said, with a completely calm and straight face. The twin dragons turned their gaze directly towards him.
Oh fuck me. Zohar braced herself for something unpleasant. You want to usurp him and you wanted me here for what, as canon fodder? Hell no, this goes badly I'm out of here. She expected it to be over fast, the three of them were no match for the Aeon.
An attack never came. Her eyes widened as Dahhak's dragon heads leaned towards Iblis and spoke to him. "Present to me a suitable throne, and you may yet have it."
"Ah, very well then. That's what I shall do." Iblis grinned. "Thank you for your time."
Dahhak made no move to stop the three from leaving. She wondered what possible plan or agenda it would have in its answers or responding to Iblis' challenge like that. She would leave that problem to him. And if things worked out, it would be nice to have an Aeon as a friend.
"I think I'll take a chunk out of that Abyssal tower and reshape it," he said once they'd woken up. "What do you think?"
"I think we have to knock that down before you can even worry about that."