Shimmering within the shadows, a light manifested with purpose. Humming and crackling and rustling, those were noises of comfort. Not much else to hang onto, as that was the only option. The sensations of the world, experienced in a way that couldn't be grasped quite yet. For the longest of time, it was a constant, unchanging alongside a light that'd shine brighter with seemingly each day. As if by surprise, however, the noises increased one time, way beyond what was known. Murmurs and screams and rumbles, those were horrible commotions. Once the comfort was disrupted, so was the light- What could possibly save it from dimming?

Refusing to give out, the light sought salvation. Snip. Bouncing into each and every curve, to find even a smidge of a crack to seep through. Snip. Cutting corners, ravaging each part that seemed to not hold together well. Snip. Peace in disarray, the light escaped.

One of a kind, this particular shimmer truly was, witnessed by many yet none.

Within the darkness of the abyss, overflown by an unfathomable death, the light found a way to the outside. Broken bones and chipped thorns and shriveled flesh, a green illumination shone through, gripping the edges with cutting claws. Sight and smell and touch and taste, more senses than mere noise punched through. Fractures and splinters and ruptures, at the height of an apocalypse, a monster crawled out of the decaying carcass. The heiress of the hellscape had been brought to light.

— RISE OF A REIGN —

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One of a kind, truly, the demon was the first to be born, rather than spawned through gateway anomalies- To Hell's Emperor, Rastakhan, and the one opponent who bested him in combat with a single scratch. At the height of the carriage, the abyss invested with a new generation of hellspawn, it was a miracle for the first ever born to survive. Remnants of her father's forces salvaged the offspring, allowing further development than in a mere womb. It was unknown how this process of growth would turn out, yet the initial steps seemed to have succeeded. Named Illenium, the elemental would rule over all, lighting a way into the darkness of the universe for demonkind.

Illenium learned of her heritage and everything tied to it, early on. Her father's army smaller than anticipated, though hundreds of servants were still plenty enough to look after the heiress. The elemental grew up pampered in luxury, for a demon at least, yet she was also vigorously trained to be prepared for anything. It'd be apparent soon enough, that the offspring exceeded Hell's Emperor easily- Once she'd existed for a century, she was deemed wise enough to take over as ruler. With more power and fear over demonkind, Illenium would sweep over the abyss and claim it all as rightfully hers- The Verdant Inferno, also known as the Thorn Monarch, would light the path into further depths for them all.

As her conquest continued, so would her influence, demons left and right bowing to her will. The first she titled an Omen, the highest honour within her army, was one of the eldest she'd known- One of the original remnants, Paradox, an archdemon ranking below her in strength, but far above everyone else. The second Omen followed several years later, Razihel, a demonic knight serving as her personal guard. The third Omen was a welcome surprise, Mordhau, a vengeful spirit resurrected to wreak havoc. The fourth and last Omen arrived a century after she took the throne, Lautrec, a cunning strategist who'd whisper tactics at the height of the storm. With these harbingers, Illenium brought forth an apocalypse clouding the abyss, demonkind following in her shadows to do by her will.

At the flick of a flame, her armies reinforced, her fortress built, her empire strengthened. At its height, the elemental commanded the majority of hellspawn as she wished. The heiress was an unstoppable force no one, not even the pathetic leftovers, dared to overtake. Any demon not part of her forces hunted, or driven to the outskirts of the abyss, where no soul roamed. Several centuries into her ruling, she'd surpassed what her father had achieved, proving she was greater than Hell's Emperor himself. 

The comfort of the light above it all, would endure the centuries to come. The Thorn Monarch truly feeling like the empress she deserved to be, indulging in all the luxuries afforded. The first to be born within the abyss, the first to amass a structured army, the first to create a utopia out of a hellscape fit to her desires. No one would stand in her way, nor tip her off the top, and Illenium ensured more than enough that the heiress was irreplaceable. One of a kind, truly.

— AN OPPOSING FORCE —

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Five centuries of wistful ruling, basking in the peak of her chaos reigned. Then a crack appeared within the perfect confinements of her domain- It was of no concern, at first, as the cut was far and far and far away from the centre of her empire, within the outskirts of the shadows. Whispers and rumours and myths, finding a way to disturb the comfort of the heiress- A vengeful spirit, reincarnated as a demon- Ares the Peacekeeper he was called, bringing the outsiders together.

Where Illenium ruled with fear, Ares ruled with respect, a division seeping into demonkind. Where she remained at the centre of it all, the outer edges of the abyss became one. About two centuries after his first appearance, they dared to lash out. When they persisted against her forces, Illenium sent more. When they persisted against her fortress, Illenium expanded the edges. When they persisted against her empire, Illenium failed to cease their existence. Peace in disarray, the light needed to fix it.

A force to be reckoned with, the Verdant Inferno persisted in return, only to be disappointed her servants would return with tails between legs. It was discomforting, when the demon couldn't get the Peacekeeper and his army to budge, as if they were too stubborn to. The Peacekeeper had more strength than imagined, possibly on par with the Omens of her army- Let alone the fact he was hidden beyond ranks of forces himself. The resistance was impossible!

A force to be reckoned with, the Verdant Inferno expanded her reach further. It was increasingly discomforting, when the demon couldn't pin down the enemy, as they moved fluidly within the shadows themselves. Wherever she went, they'd gone few steps further, out of reach to disintegrate properly. The Peacekeeper had more strategy than imagined, which aided his cause immensely- Let alone the fact his forces were organised and truly loyal at that. The withdrawal was impossible!

A force to be reckoned with, the Verdant Inferno could wrap any demon around her finger. It was extremely discomforting, when the demon couldn't win over the Peacekeeper himself, straying him away from his forces. All her existence, demonkind bowed to her, with any loose ends dimmed to quiet them down. The fact Illenium, the powerful ruler of the abyss, had an obstacle to clear up, was infuriating! The rejection was impossible!

War broke out between the two sides, when it was clear Ares was more than a mere speck of dust. A feud that would never have a victor or a loser, the Verdant Inferno and the Peacekeeper at odds for decades, for centuries, for millennia. Whenever one had the upper hand, so would the other the next time, the demonic enemies circling around one another without end in sight. It turned out the Peacekeeper, much like her, was one of a kind. Peace was in disarray, remaining so for the time to come. Seemingly everlasting, it divided demonkind in two, splitting the abyss in two.

— BEYOND THE SHADOWS —

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Like her father before her, Illenium wished for more. A hunger, a desire, an ambition to go beyond the abyss, to see what was out there. Her comfort disturbed for centuries, the heiress needed more power, more control, more reign. The demon was meant to consume it all, a dying wish instilled by Hell's Emperor, though more so a dream realised on her own- At the top of the hierarchy, to have every other entity bow down, to rule over all that existed, an ambition the demon wanted true.

Handpicking special forces out of her army, Illenium assigned these demons to find a way out. The abyss had always been connected to the rest of the universe, albeit by chance- Gateway anomalies, wormholes, would only appear during particular alignments within their realm- Even then, it wasn't a guarantee the destination would be favourable.

Civilisations and planets and worlds had been overtaken before, albeit none suitable to replace the abyss itself. Too small, too lush, too lively- Illenium wanted more, needing control beyond herself to reign her empire. The ability to create portals herself, would render her potent- The ability to control the alignments of the moon, would render her powerful- The ability to send forth her demons herself into the universe, would render her unstoppable.

Led by the fourth Omen, Lautrec, demons considered above the masses were given the honours. A demon in tune with the abyss, Naxxramas was assigned the seer, attempting predictions for the next alignment event. A demon in tune with the hellspawn, Osprey was assigned the pursuer, attempting capture of more outsiders than possible before. A demon in tune with the soul, Daikokuze was assigned the harvester, attempting collection of souls for energy. Last but not least, a demon in tune with the mystic, Murtaugh was assigned the executioner, attempting creation of portals with the pool of magic.

Centuries upon centuries, experiments were attempted, with many more sacrifices made. A way to create their own opportunity to escape was never found, further infuriating the heiress of the abyss. Illenium had to have control of everything in reach- The fact she didn't have the abyss in its entirety either anymore, made the blood within boil beyond measure.

Despite the overall dream still unrealised, there were several opportunities that would improve her means. The longer the feud against Ares went on, the more the tides would turn- To a point it was no longer evenly split, but rather a clever prey, against a strong predator. Even if the other side was never truly exterminated, there was no chance for the Peacekeeper to ever take over her empire.

Another opportunity presented itself in shape of the fifth and truly last Omen, an entity not from the abyss, but so similar it might've been a demon as well anyway. Epsilon, an extraterrestrial being finding her way into Illenium's empire by chance, yet stayed by strings pulled. Through this encounter, Illenium further expanded her magic by taking over minds, as if brainwashing the enemy. The less powerful or the more loyal the target, the easier to overtake- This way, the elemental gained increased control over her forces, practically ensuring they were fully obedient to her and her only.

Illenium would grasp at every opportunity as if they were straws- If she would gain new forces, new improvements or new magic out of it, all the more welcome. The demon would stop at absolutely nothing to have her comfort returned, her reign secured, her wish fulfilled.

— END OF DAWN —

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The prime opportunity presented itself, in the shape of a divine entity beyond understanding. Illenium had caught the attention of Veernum, the very ruler of the universe itself. The Verdant Inferno reminded the entity of herself in an ancient time, offering her a deal impossible to refuse. Escape from the confinements of the abyss, in exchange for the devouring of the entire universe- How could she not take this opportunity? Little did the demon know, this would be one of the initial cards played, leading to the events of the End Of Dawn.

The shackles removed, the demon sent off her forces into the shadows beyond. It was a power trip. Growing stronger with each fallen mortal, with each fallen civilisation, with each fallen world- Illenium absorbed all the magic for herself, becoming as strong as a divine being. The demon was at the top of the hierarchy, truly- Her demonic Omens following, directing their parts of the army into other depths of the universe. It allowed the demon to create portals, to create havoc, to create reign! It rendered Illenium unstoppable beyond measure! It rendered Illenium above the limited desires of the abyss!

At the height of her divine power, Illenium resurrected the one who'd started it all- Hell's Emperor, together the two demons would surely succeed with their goal, regardless of any obstacle in the way. Illenium went one way, Rastakhan another- Planets would be consumed in a matter of hours, with nothing left behind. Illenium was enjoying every single second of it, the sheer magic, the sheer power, the sheer chaos of it all! The demon didn't even have to properly keep up against the Peacekeeper this time, for she'd far surpassed every single demon known in the entire history of hellspawn! It was a feast enjoyed! It was a comfort returned! It was a reign secured! It was a dream fulfilled!

One of a kind, this entire endeavour was, yet it wouldn't last for eternity.

It was discomforting, when the Peacekeeper managed to land a hit in return. It was increasingly discomforting, when Illenium could feel her soul weakening. It was extremely discomforting, when it all ended as soon as it'd started- Surrounded by the shadows for her entire existence, Illenium could distinguish between realms easily. The abyss was a particular type of shadow- Full of peering eyes, waiting to cause bloodshed. The universe was also a particular type of shadow- Full of empty space, yet filled with stars and other celestial objects, existing without much else.

The shadows she found herself currently surrounded in, were completely unknown to her. For the first time in her existence, the heiress had left her throne behind, unsure what the next steps were- Banished by outer forces, it turned out the End Of Dawn had worked against Illenium's favour- The tides turned with Veernum defeated, their deal slipping through hands as grains of sand. Alongside the heiress appeared her forces truly loyal, such as the fourth Omen Lautrec and her father Rastakhan. As if everything was ripped from her, the ruler had nothing left under her name- Her reign had ended in a whisper, as if it was nothing but a fleeting shadow.

— FUTURE ARC —

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Surrounded by the shadows of the void, it would only be a matter of time, she was sure. It'd been a year since the end. The void had done more than keep them imprisoned- The consequences of a taint left on demons unknown, yet an opportunity presented. Within the emptiness of the universe, humming and crackling and rustling persisted, noises of comfort. Illenium and her forces were still alive, merely constricted by a different realm than the abyss.

Existence was nothing but existence.

No sense of conquest, of control, of chaos- The heiress and her forces merely were, within the void, not much more. It was a static, as if life was set on pause. Yet there was some sort of awareness. Some sort of conscious, a state of being that Illenium had experienced before- For ages before she was born, having to escape the carcass of her slaughtered mother herself. It was this way, that Illenium longed to escape, one way or another. The ruler didn't have all her assets anymore, but no matter- Her initial beginnings were small and simple as well. The ruler had plenty of time to surpass again. The ruler of the abyss was determined with a dream to fulfil once more.

Shimmering within the shadows for eternity if necessary- One of a kind, truly, the light refused to be dimmed once more.