Rise of the Cosmic_Emperor

The hundredth game of chess was lengthy.

It was a curious sight and one that had Sassy smiling all the while.

The chair Hal had been sitting in was now completely transformed into a throne.

A throne that Hal lounged in and comfortably moved his bishop to get ever closer to trapping his Purgatory-twin who stared at the board with total seriousness.

He had been ordered to play seriously and that was exactly what he would do.

Purgatory-Hal moved his king one space forward.

The last move he could make as he awaited the end.

Hal did not reach for the board or the game pieces.

His throne was much too high after all.

Instead, he controlled the piece with telekinesis but paused before he put it down to seal the win,

"Had it been the situation of a few games ago where you could get by as my equal just for knowing what I know, just from being a product of my mind, you would be making this move right now instead of me.

You hate it, don't you?

You hate not having control.

I know I would." Hal said and shrugged but still did not put down his chess piece.

Purgatory-Hal sneered but said nothing.

Instead, he stared at the chess piece floating a few inches above the board.

His expression made it clear that he anticipated the moment it would touch the board.

Hal chuckled maniacally before bursting out a full malevolently gleeful sound that could never be imitated and finally placed the chess piece on the board.

"Checkmate" he said.

The word sounded once in the eerie silence that suddenly descended upon the plane and then just as Hal had expected, his Purgatory-twin grinned widely.

The inner demon kicked the table back and burst out a burst of laughter of his own. The laughter sought to imitate Hal's but ultimately failed.

"Nothing beats the original" Hal said in a whisper before his Inner demon's form morphed.

This time, it actually looked demonic.

It looked menacing.

Being the Devil that he was, the shape was nothing surprising to Hal.

If anything, it looked just right.

However, the shape of an inner demon is never what makes it terrifying.

Rather, it's how much of an impact... How much of an effect it has on its prey.

The moment the game ended, Hal's sovereign order was done and no longer had a hold on the demon.

So it had been planning to use its effect... Its impact to full measure on Hal before the Devil could give another sovereign order.

"It's not over yet" The demon said with a wide smile that looked all the more menacing in its current menacing form.

However, Hal remained relaxed and merely rolled his eyes,

"Actually it is. Sovereign Law!" he said and snapped his fingers.

Instantly, a mighty golden scepter bejeweled with impressive sapphires and topped with a large Orb-shaped sapphire appeared in mid-air. Right above the inner demon.

As it fell, it was not the tapered end that looked wickedly sharp that was the most awe-inspiring. Rather it was the weight of command that not only forced the inner demon in place but also forced it to bend over that was most impressive.

*Skisch*

It was over in a second.

The Inner demon was impaled and not only did it begin to vanish from the space but Hal could also feel it vanishing within him.

Leaving him free to strengthen his Dao heart which was quite paramount now that he had a taste of the power of the Dao Of Sovereignty.

Hal knew that this was not the end.

He had discovered his Dao but he was yet to truly comprehend what it meant.

He was not in too much of a rush though.

After all, the hard part was over.

And he had comprehended enough of his Dao to move freely and act as he wished within this annoying Array space.

Speaking of which, he looked over at the apparition of the owner of the tomb.

The forty-something man was now free to speak again after the destruction of the inner demon but he was still too awestruck by the events that at the moment, he merely looked between Hal and the majestic Scepter that was stuck in the ground.

Hal rose from his throne and it fade away along with the scepter while he reached out to all his ladies within the Array and found he could only sense Lillian within it.

And she was having trouble.

He assumed since he could not sense and any of the others who might have come into the Array, that they must have gotten past its obstacles.

That was not surprising in the case of Emily who had admitted to Hal about knowing what her Dao was.

The owner of the tomb finally found his voice,

"What sort of person are you? That authority... I've never seen or felt anything it." he said.

Hal furrowed his brows,

"I have to go" he said and with one step forward and a tight hold on his connection to Lillian, he crossed whatever distance was between them within the array to arrive by her side.

Sassy was with him.

And so was the apparition of the tomb owner who looked to have followed them.

Lillian was on her knees and her eyes were red in anguish.

Tears streaked down her face as she cried.

Her sobs were heartbreaking but Hal's expression remained the same as he looked over at the source of her sorrow.

Her inner Demon had taken the form of her dead son, Rad.

This was the self-Purgatory her mind had created.

For her to be tortured by a callous version of her son.

Now, Rad was a callous person in life but never to his mother. He cared about her.

When Purgatory-Rad looked over at Hal, he sneered,

"Well well well, If it isn't my brother Hal. Killed me, destroyed my entire family line, humiliated my father, and to top it all off, slept with my mother right in front of him.

And did it all with a smug grin on his face"

Hal took a mocking bow,

"Thank you for taking note of those accomplishments. I quite enjoyed doing them and would gladly do it all over again."

Purgatory-Rad kept sneering but there was even more malice in his eyes now as opposed to before as he said,

"A real scum of the earth. One that struts about like the world is or should be his"

Hal rolled his eyes,

"Are these meant to be insults? Cause I honestly expected you to try harder than that. I mean, it would never work but still... At least try" he said.

Purgatory-Rad shook his head,

"Why waste my time insulting you. I'm here for the bawling excuse for a mother (gestures at Lillian) and not you. Seriously, not everything is about you, you narcissistic bastard."

Hal chuckled to himself,

"You could not be any farther from the truth. Lillian is my woman. As such, her matters concern me. That said, there is only so much help I can offer her" Hal said in a low voice.

Lillian's Dao heart was in shambles.

A parallel to how her heart was broken at the resurgence of the memories of her dead son.

Hal crouched next to her.

Her head was bowed and she continued to cry with no indications that she noticed she was no longer alone with her inner demon.

The apparition of the owner of the tomb spoke up before Hal could reach out to an oblivious Lillian,

"You can't interfere. This is not your Purgatory. if she can't get through it on her own, then she will and should be ejected from the A-A-A-Array..." He said but had to stammer the last word when Hal glared at him and had him shivering,

What was with that authority?

Hal then sighed,

"I see no real reason for her to be inside this Array and suffer and would have gladly allowed her to be ejected but this is a valuable opportunity.

An opportunity for her to finally let go of the past. She had nothing to do with Rad's death.

I killed him and his father was too stupid and proud to prevent it.

She was innocent.

She is a victim."

Purgatory-Rad cackled,

"You slept with her. She enjoyed being with her Son's Killer..."

"Shut up" Hal interrupted and Lillian's inner demon was struck dumb.

"I was not explaining Lillian's choices to you. No one has the right to question how her life has turned out.

I pointed out that she is a victim and I was pointing it out to her.

Because I want her to let go of this feeling of guilt.

She has no reason to feel guilty.

No one has any right to question her choices...

She is mine... And therefore she is above all scrutiny."

Lillian's sobs stopped and she stood to her feet.

She did not notice Hal crouching next to her.

Her eyes were totally on her inner demon who she approached and was soon only a foot from.

The inner demon stared but could not move away or say one word.

He only ever had as much power as Lillian allowed him and now he had nothing because now, she had clarity.

Nothing was her fault.

Why then, should her inner demon torment her with these memories?

"Even if I stood by and watched you die... Even if I killed you with my own hands... Even if I actively seduced your killer and fucked him right in front of your idiot of a father, who the HELL are you to question me?

I belong to Hal.

He's my god.

He's my world.

If he says I don't have to explain myself... If he says I am right, then even when the world says I am wrong, 'Right' I will be"

And upon the last word, Lillian struck her hand into her inner Demon's chest...