Rise of Time Chapter Two: Demonic Alliance

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The green grass rustled in the slight breeze. The dark oak trees gave out a Timberwood scent, mixing with the smell of the occasional wildflower. The leaves shook slightly in the chilly air. Underfoot, the soft ground absorbed any sound that the hunter would make. Inside the dark woods, the dense leaves blocked out the sunlight. As a result, the light level was very low, perfect for the spawning of prey. The only light present was the rare torchflower, each vibrant petal glowing with light.

Lycaon sniffed the air around him, catching the whiff of a skeleton fifty yards away. The Titan of Hunting, Stealth, Deception, Packs, and Unity was an unusual-looking being. To most humans, he was known as the werewolf. This was probably because of his appearance when he was in a physical form. His form stood upright and was humanoid. However, he was covered in fur, had claws, and had the head of a red eyed-wolf. Lycaon continued his tracking. In the dirt, a slight impression of a bony footstep revealed that he was on the right track. *Can't be far now!* To spark an intriguing chase with his target, the Titan morphed into a wolf. With a quick ground sniff to make sure he was right, he barged after the skeleton.

But as he got to where the skeleton was, he could feel a nagging in the back of his mind. Even as he fought for control of this stretch of territory, the reality around him warped into utter chaos. It didn't surprise Lycaon. This was the realm of the Titans, after all. Every being here saw what they wanted to see unless someone with more power wanted to see something else, which was most likely the case now. Judging by the chaos around, Lycaon assumed that Menoetius was present. He would want to see mayhem all around since he was the Titan of Chaos and untamed energy. And being stronger than Lycaon, Menoetius would see just that.

Just as Lycaon suspected, Menoetius stood a short distance away. Menoetius, as always, hid all but his black hands and feet behind a white robe. Over his head, a white hood hid every facial feature except for his crimson eyes. Menoetius held a wicked iron scythe in his right hand, absent-mindedly twirling it. *He must be waiting on someone. Otherwise, he would be playing with his powers.* Lycaon waited in the shadows, hoping to see what Menoetius was up to. His patience was soon rewarded as a new figure stepped forward. The new arrival looked like an Ardoni, but being a Titan, Lycaon could see through the weak deception. *A demon! What is she doing in our realm?!*

Menoetius scowled at the demon. "You're late, Lilith. You were supposed to be here a while ago!" Lilith sauntered over, smirking as she did. "Don't lose your mind over it. I thought you didn't like order, so I strayed from it in terms of arrival. Isn't that right, Entity 303?" Menoetius growled in response. "I am the Titan of Chaos, so yes, I do appreciate the ideal of breaking order. But this is important business, and we do not have time to waste." Lilith sighed. "Alright, alright, got it." As she spoke, she ran her hand over the chest area of the white robe. Rather than look irritated, Menoetius gave the demon a look of amusement at this gesture. "Now, let's get to business, demon." When Lilith nodded, Menoetius continued. "You wanted to see me for some special reason. I haven't the faintest clue as to what would bring your kind to the Titan realm. It seems a rather foolish thing to me."

Lilith flipped her hair over her shoulders. "Herobrine is protecting a young child, one who is related to a person I've been assigned to corrupt." Menoetius snorted. "If you're looking for someone to help corrupt a person, you should have looked for the Null, not me." But Lillith shook her head. "I came to you because I need the help of someone with boundless powers." Lilith opened her mouth to speak more, but Menoetius cut her off, growling with hatred. "Boundless powers?! I have bounds alright, thanks to that cursed trinity, Herobrine, Kronus, and Flamesinger! With the Ancient Laws in place, I cannot spread the full mayhem I should be able to! And when I try to find workarounds, the blasted Titan of Humanity is always there to foil my schemes! We Titans rule this world, and yet we are bound and restrained!"

Lilith nodded with sympathy. "You should be allowed to do what you wish. It is your world, after all. But you can't do that with Herobrine in the way. I am proposing that you help me take the child. Herobrine seems to have plans for the child, and I do not doubt that they would be against you. Hasn't he fought you for eons now?" Reluctantly, the Titan of Chaos nodded. Lilith, smirking, continued. "So if we take over the child, we stop his plans. I'll be able to finish my mission, and you'll stop Herobrine, giving yourself more chances to get around the Laws. It's a win-win situation!" Menoetius stroked his chin as he considered the idea. "Is your master aware of this, demon?" Lilith nodded. "He is the one who encouraged me to do this." Menoetius chuckled. "To get power here?" Shifting uncomfortably, Lilith nodded.

Menoetius shook his head, booming with laughter. When he had composed himself, the Titan spoke. "After all this time, he cannot stop himself! For eons, he has tried to take this world from us Titans. It irks him to no end that, when he is within this universe, he cannot overpower or overrule us." Menoetius tsked. "Oh, I'll help you, demon. I have a hunch, a suspicion about what Herobrine plans. And if he is doing what I think he is, and he succeeds, it will doom us Dark Titans. So I will help you. But when will your master learn that he is a fool? No matter what he does, he cannot defeat us Titans! He tried once already, and it ended in disaster for him! To defeat us, he would have to destroy this universe, a feat beyond even him! And here, since we are the universe itself, our powers trump all others! He will never take this world. Go tell your master that we will help, but he will never get what he is looking for!"

Lilith nodded, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. *It went well for her. Her master won't punish her since she did what he said.* Menoetius suddenly vanished, and reality conformed once more to Lycaon's will. In front of him, the skeleton stood. It was looking in the opposite direction, so it didn't notice and Lycaon morphed back to his original form. Then, with relish, the Titan of Hunting used his knife to end the skeleton. Picking up the bones from his fallen victim, Lycoan congratulated himself on yet another successful hunt. But as he left, he couldn't help but think back to the conversation he had just witnessed. *If Herobrine is foiled, the Dark Titans will only grow stronger. Without Kronus to reinforce the Ancient Laws, they are slowly but surely finding ways to get past those Laws. Unless they are stopped, they could take down the universe.* The more he thought, the more convinced Lycaon became. With grim determination, he made his decision. *They must be stopped, lest they destroy everything. Including hunting. I must tell Herobrine so he's prepared. If anyone can stop them, it's him. But only if he knows what is happening*. Summoning his power, Lycaon sped his way through the realm. In a short time, he had reached the gates of Herobrine's home. He prepared himself as he knocked on the door. *Time to end this once and for all.*

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