Abaddon was standing alone at the head of the ship staring nonchalantly into the sea, an ocean in front of him and one within his mind.
For the first time in a while, the demonic emperor was traveling without his wives or an army.
Now that he knew his home and his people were going to be under threat, his wives and best soldiers had to remain at home to make certain preparations.
He would be lying if he said that their absence was not weighing on him, but at least he would not be entirely alone on this journey.
"I do so often find you like this."
Abaddon glanced over his shoulder and smiled warmly at his traveling companion.
"My child... you are always such a vision." He said as he noticed her new clothes.
Thea smiled back as she shyly pushed her blonde hair out of her face. "Do these suit me?"
"How could they not?"
An innovation that Abaddon had longed to bring to the world for quite some time was finally being rolled out.
Modern fashion.
As he always did, he used his mental connection with his people to slowly introduce ideas and concepts from his old world into their minds through dreams.
Those with the brightest vision were able to take what he had shown them, and bring it to life while imbuing a bit more of a unique touch.
The designer of this latest trend was a vampire named Camilla, and she had actually designed an entire line for the Tathamet family.
After all, it was a great way to show her respect and gain free advertising.
As of two days ago, her business was even more profitable than most of the brothels in Luxuria.
Right now, Thea had on white pants that clung to her slender legs and a purple blouse that was cut on the shoulders to expose her delicate arms.
Conversely, Abaddon also wore pants similar to hers that were black in color and sandals that came past his ankles.
On his torso he wore a black sweater with shorter flayed sleeves that stopped midway on his forearms.
His chest was bare to reveal his black skin and swirling red tattoos, and he wore the golden wesekh that was so lovingly crafted by his first wife.
His level of comfort was so great, he felt like he was back on earth wearing his signature black hoodie again.
'I wonder if Camilla would be willing to...No, it may be best that I don't ask, I would never take it off.'
"You're still sick." Thea noticed.
Abaddon looked at his long white hair that should have been red and his body that was noticeably slimmer than a few days ago.
"I'm not sick, daughter. My body is just taking a little longer to recuperate is all."
"Yes, recuperate from sickness."
"What a cheeky girl you are."
Abaddon had enough trouble trying to keep his wives from worrying about him, he didn't need to scare his children as well.
He took her hand and the two of them stood side by side, watching the ocean ripple in front of them as they sailed towards their destination.
"I worry sometimes.. Father tends to shoulder a lot of responsibility on his back and with your new condition I don't think-"
"Thea dear, please don't bring this up anymore." Abaddon asked gently. "Your sister already feels guilty enough, I don't want her to feel any more pressure from this."
Thea recalled her youngest sister's downtrodden mood these days and realized that there was one person who was likely even more worried than everyone else.
"Besides..."
Abaddon held up his hand and three enormous walls of water rose up from the sea.
Out of the water, Abaddon created millions of aquatic creatures that he sent dancing around the sailing ship.
The dragon gave a simple mental command and all of the animals became very large ice cubes as they were frozen solid.
For the finale, the icy sculptures broke apart and changed into a gentle snowfall that rested lightly on Thea's face.
"I am no less powerful than I've ever been. Quite the opposite in fact."
"Yes... I can see that." Thea said warmly.
It seemed like no matter what condition her father was in, he always prioritizing her feelings above all and trying to provide her with reassurance.
Even when she did not deserve it.
"I'm glad that you wanted to come with me on this trip daughter, but a fight seems to be inevitable. I don't want you to-"
Before Abaddon could finish, Thea threw herself in his arms to give him the largest hug that she could muster.
"Now what might this be for?" He asked as he warmly returned her hug.
"Everyday I worry about our future... It frightens me to think that one day I may have to wake up without the warmth you have given me... I would do anything to prevent such a fate from happening."
"You need not do anything but trust me, Thea. There's so much that our family still has left to do, so many things that I want all of us to see together. None will interfere in that grand design, least of all the children above."
Thea seemed to find some sense of solace within Abaddon's words and she relaxed in his grasp if only a bit.
He decided that a change of pace may have been needed and he switched the conversation around just a bit.
"Tell me my daughter, how is married life?"
Thea's cheeks warmed at the memory of her two wives whom she loved dearly. "It is wonderful... I do not believe I have ever been more loved in my entire life."
Abaddon pouted slightly at that as he clicked his teeth.
"...I loved you first, you know?"
"Hehehe! Yes father, I know."
"I just wanted to make sure that it was on the record."
The two of them stood in that position for several more hours, simply chatting and holding hands as they passed through the ocean.
The atmosphere between the two of them was so light and sweet, it was almost as if they were heading for a nice father daughter outing.
Instead they were on a collision course for a one sided conflict.
-
Alvar is exactly as one would imagine a land populated by elves and dryads to be.
The entirety of these lands were populated with thick, dense forest that even an expert survivalist would get lost in.
The only way to traverse through these regions safely is to have a local guide showing you the way.
Or, have senses that are advanced enough to span across several miles of land and act as your own guide.
Within the deepest part of the forest located directly in the center of the continent, there was a beautiful elven city surrounding an enormous tree that seemed to touch the sky above.
Unlike the rest of Dola, Alvar is very technologically outdated.
The elves lived in treehouses above the ground, and there were a plethora of wooden bridges made with rope that made this place seem like one open community.
Even now, the sun had begun to set so there were paper lanterns hanging outside of every home that turned this place into some kind of miniature night market.
Everywhere that one looked, they could find elves of all ages and sizes enjoying the presence of one another in nature.
In that regard, this place was quite a bit like Luxuria.
Albeit a significantly less raunchy and populated version.
"Everyone, magical beasts are approaching!"
An elven scout's shrill cry cut through the festive atmosphere of the city, and everyone stopped dead in their tracks.
There was a single dirt road that led into the city from the outside forest, and was the only place where magical beasts were known to enter.
Even though it wasn't a common occurrence, it happened enough that no one really panicked from the announcement.
Instead, they did what they always do.
The men quickly picked up bows and notched their arrows as their wives and children stood a safe distance behind them, cheering them on in the hopes that they would be the ones to fell the creatures and be celebrated tonight.
"Go papa!"
"Remember dear, we'll love you even if you miss."
"I want to watch you skin it afterwards!"
The men were even more motivated by the rousing cheers coming from their family, their determination and concentration rose to new heights.
A silence fell on the area as the men waited for the beasts to emerge from the forest.
They waited.
And waited.
But when the creatures finally appeared they nearly dropped their bows out of fear.
Even before the creatures buts through the brush, they could already see the glowing red eyes of the beasts that were coming ever closer.
Two hounds burst onto the scene.
They were enormous, easily bigger than horses and much more powerful.
Their bodies were littered with muscles on nearly every part of their body from their tails to their pointed ears.
The faces of these creatures were downright nightmarish, with huge serrated teeth that were similar to nine inch needles.
A constant hunger could be seen in their eyes, and the excitement that came when they saw potential prey was palpable.
The elves were so stunned by the sight of the abyssal hounds that they barely even noticed that they had riders.
But as soon as they did, their jaws subsequently went slack.
For the men, they were mesmerized by the young girl with caramel skin and flowing blonde hair.
Her purple eyes were bright and hypnotizing as they swept across all of the elves, and the men felt their breath leave their lungs.
The older man beside her illiceted even more dramatic reactions from the women.
The sight of his bare chest left them mesmerized and slack jawed, and his charming appearance sapped all strength in their knees.
"S-She's so beautiful.."
"He's a demon but... I've never seen one like him before."
"D-Do you think he is here to acquire a pleasure slave...?"
"I think you should sound more afraid if that is your theory."
"Hm? O-Oh, I am! I am... very...afraid.."
One of the elven men accidentally lost his grip on his bowstring and sent an arrow flying.
But what followed, was actually rather comical in nature.
Tink!
Abaddon allowed the arrow to strike him directly in the chest but it bounced off harmlessly and hit the ground.
"Ouch!"
"Father, don't joke with them."
"Yes, yes... your sister would have found that funny though."
"I am sure she would have."
"ABADDON!"
A booming voice shook the trees comprising the city as the ruler of this place finally arrived.
Abaddon remained unbothered as Cypress appeared in a gust of wind.
Elves are said to almost always be calm and rational, but it was clear that the elven king did not share that same disposition.
Abaddon and Thea stepped down from their mounts and continued to chat as if they were unafraid.
"He looks angry."
"Indeed he does."
"How're you gonna handle it?"
"Still deciding..."
Abaddon felt a bit of insanity creeping into his mind as he stared up at the clearly enraged demigod.
"I have had... so much pent up frustration lately. I will savor this for as long as I am able."
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