Venatio : True Evil

**Venatio : True Evil** is a Story Arc of the the Exteria Multiverse. It takes place in the Venatio and follows the perspective of several characters. It is as such a sequel to New Age Dawning and Venatio : Game of Life.

## Main Arc

### A Rude Awakening

Sarah Duncan and Lily Evershire wake up only to find out that they are no longer in their Cheshire Isle but in the twisted space of the Venatio, a strange device which is both Plane and game-board and allows to trap Souls in order to play with them. Even more worrying is the fact that the whole Cheshire seems to have been affected by the Venatio's effect.

Rapid investigation and communication with the Venatio's artificial intelligence itself allows them to understand that the Venatio has been used by Angra Mainyu, a powerful existence known as All the World's Evils. They decide to search quickly for a way to defeat the demonic existence in order to exit this soul trap.

### Trapped Desires

Shiruka and Celena Scarlet wake up in a deserted place, where Angra Mainyu attempts to torture the ritualist with visions of his past loves. He resurrects Layla and Elfissia and takes control of them, forcing Shiruka and Celena to kill them, over and over again, with the constant threat of corrupting and taking over the two protagonists should they fail to do so.

However, the couple manages to find a solution, with Celena drawing the attention of both Layla and Elfissia long enough for Shiruka to hack into the Venatio and find a way to purify them. Layla and Elfissia wake up from their trance-like state, and after an awkward reunion with Shiruka, join his group, quickly accepted by Celena who grows to enjoy their presence.

### Apocalyptic Messenger

Meanwhile, Nara Arakawa and Kaguya Irving, two lovers coming from a distant dimension, are also trapped within the Venatio. They immediately fall into a trap made by Evangelo, Angra Mainyu's new right-hand man. Evangelo, attempting to create a new body for Angra Mainyu, a Malevolence, threatens to torture Kaguya until Nara accepts to sacrifice herself.

Despite Kaguya's protests, Nara, unable to accept to see her tortured forever, accepts and is corrupted by Miasma. However, Kaguya manages to call upon the Venatio's thirst for an equilibrium with the help of a passing Kilian Byran, and is filled with Harmony, temporarily stabilizing Nara.

### Grudges of the World's Evil

Meanwhile, Vlad Nolovic, now a Demon God, and his secretary and lover Abrahel, are ambushed by a resurrected Shotan, an ancient Demon God as well. Shotan overpowers Vlad and seemingly seduces Abrahel only to spite him ; however, Abrahel was only bluffing and backstabs Shotan, long enough for Vlad to use his full powers and eradicate the resurrected Demon God.

Angra Mainyu keeps targeting other Demon Gods, this time with Merhan, Celena's arch-rival, and her partner Volker. The two are ambushed by Pandora, a young girl who was once the Venatio's avatar of Revenge, and who attempts to corrupt the pair with past hatred, turning them against eachother. Merhan however manages to break through and almost kill Pandora, although she decides to spare her and keep her, hoping to teach her about better values.

Angra Mainyu still has someone he is bitter about ; Luther of Kaine, the first human to ever challenge him. In order to spite the first of vampires, he summons his brother Abel Dawne and takes advantage of the latter's strange magical curse to take control of him and use him against Luther. However Luther's wives Kementari and Carmilla Voldaren defend him by defeating Abel, while Luther himself attempts to track Evangelo.

### The Prisoner and the Flower

Meanwhile, Levy Dawne, a young girl and sister of Michael Dawne, mysteriously appears in a dark domain, held hostage by an armored figure nicknamed the **Prisoner**. Although he treats her harshly, she attempts to know him better and learns that he is Arhiman, a human being offered as a sacrifice for the birth of Angra Mainyu after being fused with the demon Angra. Arhiman's aim is to prevent the Venatio's war between its pawns and Angra Mainyu from ending, as this war is for him a respite, being separated from Angra's existence.

Levy ends up allying with Arhiman in order to search for allies in his quest, finding among others allies in another victim of Angra Mainyu, Gehen, and his wife Calamity. Then, as they travel, Arhiman notices that Michael Dawne as well as Hina Harumageddon and her dark double Eyna Harumageddon have been taken hostage by Alruna, a creation of Angra Mainyu who embodies suffering. Levy rushes to fight Alruna, but she does not possess the adequate power level.

However, Arhiman unlocks something within Levy, who is flooded with holy magic and defeats the Black Rose. Levy is revealed to be the one chosen by the Venatio as Angra Mainyu's opponent, and Arhiman repressed this power within her, fearful that she would use this power to kill Angra Mainyu and condemn him as well. Despite her initial anger, Levy ends up forgiving Arhiman and promising to find another way.

### Meanwhile, in Darkness

Next to Angra Mainyu's throne, those he summoned - beings of darkness who served as opponents to the forces of the Cheshire Isle across the years - plot and plan. Among them, Zenodora Horenheim, progenitor of the Horenheim Bloodline, attempts to usurp him. She recruits and helps the young Lucianel Omnihil with escaping Angra Mainyu's vigilance and plotting the Demon's demise.

However, the pair is intercepted by Christina Luka, a young summoner of a rival bloodline. Despite rivalry at first, Christina ends up accepting Zenodora as an ally and the trio begins to manipulate events in order to facilitate the demise of the World's Evil.

At the same time, Angra Mainyu attempts to trick Ruine Harumageddon and Ragnar Den Anfan to join his side by detaching Ragnar's Armatized Exarion from his body and holding her hostage, but Ragnar and Ruine's sheer power and Exarion's will allow her to remain independant, but materialized. Despite rivalry between Ragnar and Exarion, the latter accepts to help the pair until Angra Mainyu is defeated.

### Thalyssa and Ellie

Meanwhile, Thalyssa Delyoro, Nelia and Adrianne Medeah have landed in one of the Venatio's apparent safest spot. One day, however, they find a lost young woman, an art student from Interra's twentieth century, Ellie Monty. Despite Thalyssa's confusion at the presence of the young woman, she accepts to protect Ellie in exchange for having her as a personal servant, which Ellie, excited to live a 'real-world fantasy adventure', gladly accepts.

However, one day, Thalyssa is visited by Ronakh. Her old enemy reveals that Ellie is in fact the human root of Elysandre, the Pathfinder Goddess who destroyed her life. Ronakh asks that Thalyssa kills Ellie in exchange for leaving her alone ; however, Thalyssa refuses, having grown to enjoy her presence. She then uses her power to fight Ronakh one on one, falling into his trap as the two arrive in Angra Mainyu's territory.

Confronted with Angra Mainyu's power, Thalyssa has no choice but to use her Evoker's Candle. Due to her Determination, she summons Queen Sheba, a powerful entity from the Umbra who manages to temporarly destroy Angra Mainyu's physical form, granting the Cheshire Isle's inhabitants a brief respite.

### The Dragon and the Miracle

Lily and Sarah, still looking for a a way out, encounter the massive Dragon Planeswalker Nicol Bolas. Revealing that he has anticipated such an event and that his servant Vayu Monica is working - alongside Eleonora Harumageddon and Yaminh Dimorr - on a way to hack through the Venatio and allow for an exit. However, the pair is quite worried about the dragon's ambitions, as Nicol Bolas's plans would allow him to take the Cheshire for himself. They refuse to ally with him and find their own path.

In quite a bit of luck, a miraculous event happens : in a far away Timeline, the Divine Servant Pyrrha Nikos wishes for Abel's liberation. The first Saint is now freed from his curse and joins the Cheshire in its struggle against Angra Mainyu, empowering even more Levy in the process.

### Preparations for the Final Struggle

Abel plans on using the equilibrium between Nara and Kaguya in order to trap Angra Mainyu's essence within Nara, then exorcize it through Kaguya's magic. However, in order to do so, Angra Mainyu's core must be destroyed. The Cheshire regroups and fights through multiple obstacles in order to find the Core of all evil.

Among these obstacles, Alruna opposes MIchael, Hina and Eyna once again ; however, this time, Hina refuses to fight and instead asks for Alruna to share her pain with her. Alruna and Hina fuse, Eyna also taking a toll from the fusion : the two Harumageddon bear the pain of Alruna within themselves, their soul forever scarred. Still, they carry on.

### End of Evil

The battle rages, and proceeds as planned ; after a long and harsh battle - but without casualties due to the protective magic of Abel and Levy - Angra Mainyu is finally isolated and sealed, and the game ends, leading to everyone returning to the Cheshire, the war finally over, and the World's Evil seemingly eradicated.

However, it is revealed afterwards that Evangelo has been secretely implanted with the heart of Angra Mainy and tasked with creating other bodies made for Angra's eventual merging and resurrection, known as Malevolences. The fight is far from over...

## Characters

* Angra Mainyu
* Evangelo
* Lily Evershire
* Sarah Duncan
* Shiruka
* Celena Scarlet
* Layla
* Elfissia
* Kaguya Irving
* Nara Arakawa
* Kilian Byran
* Vlad Nolovic
* Abrahel
* Shotan
* Merhan
* Volker
* Pandora
* Arhiman
* Levy Dawne
* Abel Dawne
* Luther of Kaine
* Kementari
* Carmilla Voldaren
* Gehen
* Calamity
* Alruna
* Michael Dawne
* Hina Harumageddon
* Eyna Harumageddon
* Zenodora Horenheim
* Lucianel Omnihil
* Christina Luka
* Ragnar Den Anfan
* Ruine Harumageddon
* Thalyssa Delyoro
* Adrianne Medeah
* Nelia
* Ellie Monty
* Ronakh
* Queen Sheba
* Nicol Bolas
* Vayu Monica
* Eleonora Harumageddon
* Yaminh Dimorr

## Trivia

* As of yet, this storyline has no official sequel, although several Storylines were born from consequences of this one.