"So be it, but I'll have his head eventually. All soldiers, prepare to retreat back to the castle!" shouted Sarian with his orders. The soldiers spurred into action.
After a short wait, the soldiers were prepared to head back to Brightnight.
Before setting off towards Brightnight, he caught sight of a woman waving at him, her face obscured by a veil of midnight. She soon disappeared from his vision into looming darkness, littering the land of war. Oddly enough, Liliana let out a sigh of complete exhaustion at the sight of the woman.
Their journey back was uninterrupted, mostly thanks to Liliana warding the Devils in hiding away from their position. The whole journey, Sloth was nestled in between Ratella's arms, hovering above the unit, ensuring no one could harm him.
The figure of the castle soon came into view for all the soldiers. He softly touched the ground at the gates, holding Sloth tightly in his arms, protecting him from the unit, but mainly Sarian.
The fury still lingered in his eyes, awaiting the opportunity to target it at Sloth's throat or even his own.
Ratella doubted their friendship would ever be repaired, although their relationship wasn't there in the first place. There was no time for their relationship to blossom into anything more than acquaintances.
The loss didn't affect his mood.
Ratella stood ahead of the unit, pounding against the gates. It was customary to enter through the gates and not the sky. The anti-air defense machines around the castle make it risky to even try to ally with or attack an enemy.
"Open the gates!"
"Ratella, why do you have a devil in your arms?" asked one of the guards, anxiety dancing along his words.
The bizarre situation makes the guard clueless about what to do at present.
"Open the gates, that's an order!" barked Ratella, growing increasingly annoyed at everyone's ignorance of his orders despite his position as head of the choir.
The guard retreated in panic and fear at his increasingly hostile shouting to the other soldiers on the wall. The gates soon opened, revealing the familiar layout of the castle; however, there was no small army of soldiers awaiting him this time.
Ratella ditched the unit, walking off towards the cellar where all would-be prisoners are kept. The idea of prisoners is foreign to the soldiers in the castle, and they wear baffled expressions when gazing upon Sloth's pitch-black horns, but more because he was still breathing and not dead in a ditch.
The harmonic string doesn't say to take prisoners, but that all Devils must be killed; however, there is no explicit time limit on this, leaving prisoners a complete gray area in the laws of Kathoros.
Sloth was still snoring in his arms, not waking even when he fell from Ratella's grasp, thudding to the floor. His laziness is persistent and unyielding.
Finding a cell furthest from the entrance, he placed Sloth inside, throwing him on the ragged bed sheets, finally rousing him from his slumber. Closing the barred door, Ratella stood against the bars, and Liliana, upon a small writing desk in the corner, pecking her feathers.
"I'm going to have to watch you, aren't I? If I leave, they'll try to kill you. This is such a bother," exclaimed Ratella, playing the scenario through his head.
Sarian would most definitely try an attempt on Sloth's life when he was asleep, blaming it on a freak accident. The guards would turn a blind eye, considering their outlook on the war.
Their current location was under the castle's main keep, its unguarded state being the perfect location for a secret conversation between a Sin and a Bird of War.
"That's twice I've saved you now. I deserve some gratitude."
Ratella positioned his wings to block all gaps with the bars, stopping all prying eyes from looking into the cell.
"Thank you, my angelic friend," exclaimed Sloth, groggily gazing at Liliana, anxiety and terror lacing his vision. "Sorry, but I actually don't know who you are."
"This is Ratella Evergarden, and all you need to know is that he has deep connections with the Primordial Darkness."
"Huh, but he's an angel, how does that make sense?"
"What makes you think he's an angel? I know you were watching the battle between the Bloody Barons; they were under your thumb after all."
"I mean, that was too brutal for the average angel, but many angels are just as wicked as Devils. I've heard that Star King is more cruel than most Devils but is somehow not Fallen. Anything could be possible in Kathoros."
Sloth lazily slumped against the wall as he spoke, rubbing his eyes using all of his willpower to not fall into a deep slumber once again.
"There is nothing more evil than God leading the angels. Its cruelty supersedes all other forms of evil in this world."
"So that's why you fight against Kathoros despite being a six-winged. You detest the Primordial Light, it's written all over your face."
"Yes, to see angels as nothing more than entertainment is not something I can allow to continue. I will become the Primordial Light's doom, whether I fall into the oblivion of darkness or succumb to the blinding light, is just two possibilities out of hundreds."
"Devils see death as entertainment, you realise that, right?"
"I do, and once the Primordial Light falls into darkness, I'll rip infection out of every Devil mind."
"You are no angel, that I am sure of. That look in your eye when you watched that brat point those light swords was familiar. You want nothing more than to rip his throat out for overstepping his limits."
"Mhm, I won't deny my feelings at that moment. The brat will die anyway, so it's not like it matters in the grand scheme. Whether it's by my hand, Liliana's, or even yours."
"Liliana? You mean the Horsemen of War, Lady War?" asked Sloth, confusion spreading over his face. Liliana tilted her head, worriedly looking to and from Ratella.
"Silence, Sloth, you aren't allowed to speak anymore, or I'll impale you like Temperance," declared Liliana, using her authority to avoid any unpleasant conversation from taking place.
Sloth shrank back in terror, shaking his head frantically, trying not to further attract his master's ire.
Ratella didn't speak any further on the subject, seeing no point in angering the woman.
"I sense that Ratella's cover won't last any longer in this castle. Mostly due to Temperance's and Samael's intellect, meaning they must die tonight to not affect the castle's fall into darkness."
"So you intend to start the attack soon, then?"
"Yes, I'll have Lust attack the castle with her legion tomorrow. This castle is nothing but a stepping stone, and its overall warpower is insignificant compared to ours at this moment."
"How do you suggest we'll kill Temperance and what of his lackeys?"
"I'll leave it all up to you for now, but they must die tonight to not affect the attack. That boy is quite powerful; his ability to best Sloth was unexpected."
"And what of Sloth, he'll be executed by a stray soldier if left down here."
"I'm not so weak that a random soldier will be able to kill me!"
"Your habit of falling asleep is troubling to your continued well-being."
"I'll just guard him then."
"No, I need you to be with me when I kill Sarian and Samael. Oh! I've got it. I'll just keep Sloth with me and bring him to witness their deaths."
"I don't want to go with you. You have something sinister planned, don't you? I don't want to bear witness!" exclaimed Sloth, waving his arms around in protest to his plan.
"I have no issue in taking Sloth with us, it'll just raise suspicion, but I suppose it won't matter in the grand scheme of things."
"Oh, you've definitely done worse things compared to me."
"That's an understatement, Sloth here is quite the ugly bug when it comes to bloodshed. Slaughtering a whole unit of troops one by one, reveling in the dread and terror collecting in their eyes."
"I've changed with my age. I'm not so bloodthirsty as to repeat my actions. I've started controlling my bloodlust. I've completely changed. I'll never revel in misery again."
Their conversation was interrupted by the change of scenery through the metal bars of the window overhead. The moon reared its head out of the night sky, replacing the sun and shining its divinity upon the castle, signaling the start of their newfound assassination mission.
"I believe it's time to enact our little plan of assassination. Come, Sloth."
Ratella walked out of the cell. Liliana perched herself upon one of his wings; they were followed by Sloth, lazily and begrudgingly trailing behind, dragging his feet to draw out their walk.
"Come on, if we leave you here, you'll just be killed when you fall asleep."
Ratella pushed Sloth with his wings, pressing the sharpened tip against the nape of his neck, jolting the man awake. This was just to keep up appearances until the very last moment, but it still frightened the Sin to death.
All virtues were given special quarters within every military installation of Kathoros, usually a large room fitted with the highest-quality furniture and sleeping arrangements.
He briefly caught a glimpse of Temperance's room when he first came to the castle; it was much nicer than his own, evoking jealousy in his heart. He got nothing so elegant and extravagant despite his status.
Walking through the castle, the trio caught the suspicious gazes of many soldiers murmuring to each other, but they made no attempt at intervention. Leaving his path to Temperance's room completely devoid of any noise.
His movement was completely unrestricted, despite the unshackled Devil following him; he doubted the soldiers trusted him any more than they did Devil. His actions of torture and bloodlust on the expedition were most definitely reaching all their ears.
His unrestricted movement was out of fear of consequences or orders from his superior not to interfere with his actions.
"It seems I'm not the only one on Sloth's side. Someone has ordered these soldiers not to interfere."
"I'm truly grateful for my silent admirer's intervention, but I'd much rather still be in that cell. The most brutal Devil I know with the man who tortured the Barons so viciously definitely isn't a good pairing," exclaimed Sloth, his expression laced with exhaustion and dread at the events to come.
They spoke openly, not trying to hide their words, but it didn't matter to the three. Every single soldier's fate was already set in stone to be crushed by the legion soon to be knocking at their door.
The trio arrived at Sarian's door; faint sounds of discussion came from the room, and at least three voices were audible. Their voices, despite their isolation within the confines of their own room.
Ratella's devilish personality was creeping into his mind; the promise of death was setting in, corrupting him with malice.
Once its effects started, there was no way to settle its poisonous effects; the only solution was to take someone's life, usually using violent methods.
Ratella softly knocked upon the door, leaving no hint at his identity, no words escaping his mouth.