In the depths of the Blackened Boscage, a group of hooded figures stood in a circle around a single, gagged human. Several of the figures chanted in the strange, and inhuman language of demons, while some of the remaining figures drew daggers and began to creep towards the gagged human. One of the figures silently watched all of this, judging every single one of the actions of her subordinates.

The human wasn't blindfolded and could see some of the demons approaching him, as well as hear the chanting of the others in the group. His eyes were filled with fear, as he was naked and at the mercy of creatures who were universally known to be utterly merciless. What he couldn't see were the other creatures approaching him.

Sombra kept her eyes keenly focused on the sacrifice she had prepared for her master, but her sensitive hearing allowed her to hear the conquistadors who stealthily approached the man from the branches of the tall trees that surrounded them all. The powerful spider-like creatures, honored in the shadowy faith that worshiped the Hungering Void as children as of Althos, served a key role in this monthly sacrifice.

It only took a few moments before the powerful and large creatures appeared in Sombra's vision, though they didn't touch the ground. Instead of landing behind the sacrifice, they hovered close to him and kept themselves suspended via their powerful webs.

Sombra smiled at this, and the human who was watching them, powerless to stop this dark and occult ritual, began to gaze worriedly at her. She was dressed in the dark robes of a shadow-druid and was overseeing this ritual as one of the high priestesses of her faith.

Sombra had grown in the three years she had spent largely away from her master. She had become a respected member of her race and an influential leader of her faith, due in part to numerous rumors that speculated about her relationship with her master. She had also sunk ever deeper into the throes of zealous insanity.

She didn't carry a dagger or chant. She held a staff made of darkness, in a strange and almost endearing imitation of her master's staff, the powerful artifact with which he could even bring magic to life. She gazed at the human, her eyes devoid of any emotion but anticipation. She loved the foul ritual they were performing, it was her favorite of the monthly celebrations they held that sought to please their master.

The chanting coming from her fellow followers of the Hungering Void intensified, and those who held daggers drew closer and closer to the sacrifice they had chosen to satiate their master. That said, their dark demon lord was a demon lord of lies, and the actual ritual began right as those who held daggers were almost close enough to touch the human.

One of the conquistadors lunged as one of the clerics of the Hungering Void began to raise his dagger into the air. The creature detached itself from its web and tackled the human, painfully knocking him over and striking him with its blade-like legs. The human screeched out in pain, even though the sound was greatly muffled by the gag he had in his mouth. The conquistador began to emanate a terrifying sounding hiss that Sombra had long identified as their laughter.

The human found himself painfully pinned to the ground by the enormous weight of the creature, and the creature lunged at its prey. Distantly, Althos himself began to smile at the notification even as he entered Ascendance's grand library. Sombra watched, a cruel smile on her stunning lips, as her sacrifice began to be bit by the gluttonous child of Althos.

The human continued to cry out, uselessly, thanks to the gag, as the conquistador began to speedily bite into him. Sombra was fascinated by the sight before her and watched it for several minutes and right as the man began to perish due to the conquistador poison spreading through his veins, all of the demons in the circle received a surprising notification. And Sombra was instantly taken from the circle, and even the Blackened Boscage itself, and teleported into the warm, powerful arms of her master.

The suddenness of the teleportation caught her off guard, so she instinctively embraced her master so as to keep from falling over. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden change in light around her since she went from a pitch-black forest into a well-lit library, but even before she could confirm that the arms around her belonged to her master, she knew she had been summoned by him. She smelled his warm, earthy scent, and it reminded her of the Rodan forest, where the two of them had first met.

"Althos..." She uttered, reverentially, amazed at his sudden proximity and more than that the sheer power he radiated. Even beyond his terrifying power as a god, she felt him casually radiate a level of power that was simply beyond the power of any demon lord she had ever met or even heard of. He casually stroked her hair, and smiled, without uttering a single word.

I relaxed when I felt Sombra in my arms. I had waited until the important part of the monthly sacrifice to me was done before informing the clerics and druids of that particular section of the Blackened Boscage to report to a new high-priest, an incubus who was actually in the circle where the sacrifice was taking place, and then returning Sombra to my side.

The multi-classed follower of mine almost immediately melted, figuratively speaking, when she realized she was in my arms. She sighed and inhaled deeply, taking in the earthly and forest-like scent I normally exuded when I wasn't controlling things about how I affected the senses of lesser beings.

She began to repeat my name over and over, in the throes of heartfelt joy due to our reunion. In the time since we had been apart she had become a more zealous follower of mine as well as more utterly insane, which wasn't normally super obvious but at this moment was.

I began to stroke her hair, and admire her new form. She currently looked like an almost supernaturally beautiful human woman with brunette hair and full, kissable lips. She had full curves, and smelled quite alluring, like expensive perfumes and rare oils. She was quite pale in this form, and I knew that she had used it to attract sacrifices to me, as the Hungering Void, the aspect of myself that she viewed as both her savior, from a life of mediocrity, and her master.

"Your new form is quite something..." I uttered, having known about her recent mastery of her powers but not having actually taken the time to peer at her new form. Due to her training, she had become an altogether more powerful being, to the point that she had actually evolved on her own and become a new type of shadow demon, one with innate shapeshifting abilities and powers not unlike that of a lesser succubus. I was now experiencing her powers directly and it was a fun experience.

Sombra smiled at my words and began to speak. Her voice was soft, and I know that to hear her many humans would have had to get closer to her, which would give her a powerful advantage in luring victims her way.

"I became this powerful to please you. I can take on any form that is the same size as this wonderful body you gave me. Any form." She uttered, her fanaticism and desire mixing as she spoke. She leaned in and began to kiss my chest, her lips so warm that I felt their heat even through my robes.

We were currently in an empty part of the royal library, and aside from the library itself, there was no one watching us. The building was a living thing, but it was also in a sense my creation since I was the one who had brought it to life. It was fully intent on serving me in any capacity it could and if I felt the need to take Sombra here and now it'd ensure that we weren't bothered by anyone.

I shivered as she continued to kiss me, and I felt her smile mischievously at me. I leaned against a bookshelf and as she kissed me I felt her aphrodisiac-like saliva begin to seep through my robes and make contact with my smile. As she continued to kiss me I began to reflect the pleasure she inflicted on me back to her, and I heard her moan in delight even as she kissed me.

I allowed her to play with me for a few minutes, enjoying her kisses and the warmth, softness, and gentleness of her lips before finally separating her from me. I was quite sad when I moved her away from me, but I had come to this world for a reason. And I brought her to me for a reason.

"In time we will fully enjoy ourselves. For now, there's a reason I brought you here, and a reason why I'm here in the first place. I have come to reassert my role as the true leader of this world, and I want you by my side when I do." I told her, smiling as I spoke. Before she could speak, I pulled her back into my arms.

"I... see." She said, sighing in delight as she again felt my arms around her. She wrapped her arms around me and bounced up to signal that she wanted to be kissed. I lifted her off of the ground, and lightly kissed her lips. When I did she began to blush.

Sombra had always struck me as a strange demon. Around me, she was extremely docile, while when she was away from me she was an immensely dangerous and violent assassin and priestess. Today I planned to get to see her more vicious side, face to face for once while we were dealt with some of the royalty of Ascendance who had harbored treasonous thoughts. They would soon find that that was a mistake.

After I kissed her softly she willingly detached herself from me and began to study her surroundings. She took in the sight of the strange library, and I watched her pick up on the fact that the place was alive by studying her thoughts. She didn't speak, and instead just turned to face me and began to wait for me to lead the way. I grabbed her hand and activated my "Aura of normalcy" ability, bestowing it upon her and myself, and began to lead her to our destination: the royal palace.

I could have done this in a thousand different ways, but I had chosen the way that was the most fun for me. It would only take us a few minutes of walking through the library's various rows and rows of bookshelves before we reached our destination: a stone wall with no door, or rather no door existed just yet. When we made it to the wall, I turned around and faced the rows of bookshelves we had passed.

I froze time for everyone but myself and gazed at every single one of the books in the building. It took me about two hours, even considering my immense speed, though of course no time actually passed. It was only when I was done utilizing my odd ability to instantly absorb the contents of books just by looking at them that I allowed time to flow again, and turned back to face the wall. I placed my hand on it, and willed a door to appear that would lead us into the tunnels that connected the library and our destination: the royal palace.