In a cold, dark dungeon, chained to the wall with only one torch in their cell, Cielero was shown weary and beaten; having challenged the might of King Arthur himself.
"You have a lot of explaining to do, jester."
Arthur stood before him, crossing his arms while Scarlet sat in the back, frowning at the Elven Secretary.
"I will tell you nothing!"
Sighing at their words, Arthur turned to face Scarlet, but she shrugged.
"It isn't in character for me to advise torture, Cielero, but you're leaving me with little choice here." Glancing at the jester, a look of pity crossed the King's eyes. "If you tell me what I need to know, then you'll be set free without injury, I promise."
"K-King Arthur! You're not serious, are you?" Scarlet stepped forward, baffled by his kindness. "He's the secretary of Lord Dracula! We can use him for more than just information!"
Arthur lowered his head in thought, questioning Scarlet's claim, but it went against his moral values. He couldn't bring himself to keep someone as a slave forever.
"I'm sorry, Scarlet, but that's not the sort of person I am - he will only be harmed for one specific purpose, and nothing more."
"Oh how gracious of you, O' Mighty King! Sparing an enemy like me?! You really are a symbol of hope, aren't you? Kehehe!"
"Do not test my patience, jester, you may take everything as a joke, but know one thing; pain is a test of loyalty, and it can change a man."
Cielero grinned at his comment, leaning his head forward.
"You can torture me all you want, but it won't change a thing! Lord Dracula has already accessed the void!"
"The void?" Questioned Scarlet in curiosity.
Meanwhile, Arthur was shook to his core, but he refused to believe it.
"That's highly unlikely, jester. You're merely bluffing."
"Oh no, I'm far from it." Cielero leaned back, smirking wide as ever. "He's found the Silver Key."
Widening his eyes, Arthur slammed his palm against the wall, next to the jester's face.
"This is no laughing matter, you fool! If what you say is true, then Dracula will destroy us all!"
"That is the point, O' Mighty King. We all will die with Dracula and be one with Chaos. That is his plan."
Frowning, Arthur leaned forward, face to face with Cielero.
"You suicidal fool! This situation will be just as bad as the Ancient War, can't you see that?!"
Cielero cackled.
"Indeed, indeed! Lord Dracula will sacrifice all of Yggdrasil to Chaos, to serve the Other Gods and become one with their kind!"
Gritting his teeth, King Arthur balled his fist and pulled away, controlling his anger.
"You're beings of pure evil... and nothing more! You cannot be redeemed."
Scarlet widened her eyes.
("King Arthur is saying someone can't be redeemed? This situation must be more dire than I thought.")
"Those creatures feed off of chaos - even Excalibur cannot match their might." Proclaimed Arthur.
"What??" Shouted Scarlet. "What are these Other Gods, Sir Arthur?"
Turning around, he faced his worried Secretary.
"They're responsible for everything up till now. The reason for the Elohim falling out of grace, and the reason for the Ancient and Celestial War. All roads lead to those abominations."
"They're responsible for all of that?"
"Yes..." Arthur's voice became grim. "These creatures exist beyond our world, incomprehensible to the minds of Mortals, and even the Gods."
"Just what are they?!"
"I don't know, nobody does. They're a mystery, but they feed off of entire worlds like parasites, consuming their mana and fueling their chaotic nature."
"Oh yes indeed, O' Mighty King! The Other Gods are creatures where the concepts of dimensions, logic, and reason are utterly meaningless! Kehaha!"
"Undimensional beings... born to destroy reality?" Scarlet gazed at the ground, horrified. "And even Excalibur cannot stop them?" Shivers went up her spine as she hugged herself, falling to her knees, "What will we do? Are we sure to fall by the hands of Dracula?"
"Scarlet, control yourself!" Arthur approached his secretary, crouching to her level. "Do not be afraid!" Placing his hand on her shoulder, his expression was stern. "We will not fall to the hands of these monsters! I will ensure that Dracula is long gone before he can complete his plan of destruction!"
"B-But King Arthur... what happens if it's too late?"
Averting his gaze, Arthur glanced to the side, visibly nervous.
"Do not worry about that, Scarlet... think positive, like you always do."
Her shaky body continued as she nodded her head, glancing at the smug jester.
"Y-Yes sir!"
"Good." Arthur nodded and returned to his feet. "Now then, Cielero, was it?" Approaching the jester, he unsheathed his blade and jabbed it into their shoulder.
"Aaaaaughh! What the Muspelheim are you doing?!" The jester screamed in pain, watching blood spill from his wound.
"No more games, I will kill you where you stand if you do not answer my question."
"W-What is your question? What do you need to know?!"
Arthur plunged his blade deeper, causing the elven Secretary to wail even louder.
"I'm now mildly aware of Dracula's schemes, because of you, but now I need to know when he will enact his plans."
"D-Dracula cannot bring the Other Gods here except for the avatar of Nyarlathotep!" Cringing in pain, the elf quivered in his knees. "He's the only one who can arrive here from the Ultimate Void!"
"How so?"
"I-I can't say...!"
Excalibur sunk even deeper into his flesh.
"Aaaaaghhh! O-Okay, I'll tell you, please enough! Enough!"
Excalibur was a holy blade that dealt more damage to creatures with impure hearts—thus, Cielero could only shout in agony, feeling his very nucleus tremble in torment.
"Speak, jester!"
"He has the Shining Trapezohedron!"
Lifting his brow, Arthur kept Excalibur at bay.
"Shining Trapezohedron? Tell me it's purpose."
Cielero hesitated at first, gritting his teeth.
"It's a device that can access the void by breaching the infinite gates, and contacting Nyarlathotep directly."
"Infinite gates? I think I've heard of that."
The Infinite Gates were formless, cosmic abysses, outside of worlds and time itself. As the name implies, there were an infinite amount of them; each one overlapped itself, infinitely, until it reached the final gate, where the Other Gods remained.
Beyond this final gate was the void - a realm beyond existence and nonexistence, where chaos was at its most potent.
"W-With this artifact, he can use the Chaos from the Ultimate Void, and manipulate it at will. Lord Dracula is far too strong for anyone in this world, including you... Arthur Pendragon."
Scowling at the jester, the King removed Excalibur from their shoulder, infusing it with mana to burn the blood from the blade.
"Dracula is sacrificing everything for needless power—he's only a narcissistic fool who cares for no one—including you and Nosferatu."
"I'm well aware, O' Mighty King." Grinning with an expression of pain, the jester licked his lips. "Dracula cares for no one, but himself - it makes him a force to be reckoned with! There are no weaknesses to my lord. He doesn't care if we die, or if his kingdom falls, he only wants to watch the world burn, and see chaos in its true, primal form!"
"Monster... you're all incarnates of pure evil!"
"Bwa ha ha! Yes indeed, pure evil is what we are known for. Even if I die, my job here is done."
"What are you talking about?" Asked Scarlet, sitting on her knees.
"What purpose do you think I've come here for, you naive fools!?"
King Arthur stood in front of Scarlet, holding his blade with both hands.
"Scarlet, stand back!"
"B-But sir!"
"Now!"
"Pwaaa haha! Excalibur will not get in the way of Lord Dracula, he has told me to make sure of that!"
A dark aura emanated from the jester's body, rich in darkness and evil.
It derived from a cosmic force, well beyond the reaches of their world.
"My Lord has bestowed me a portion of chaos... for this very purpose!"
"A portion of chaos?! That's not possible!" Shouted Scarlet.
"Evrultan Kaelomanta Parasier!"
A language, separate from the Yggdrasilian tongue, came from the elven jester before a cocoon of darkness filled the entire cell, entrapping all three of them in its grace.
"What is this?" Asked King Arthur, glancing around him.
"It's a spell of chaos, given to me by Lord Dracula. You will be trapped here until he is finished with his ultimate plan."
"Then I'll simply break out with Excalibur's might!"
The jester chuckled, feeling his chains snap apart as the essence of chaos aided him in his endeavors.
"While it may be true that Excalibur has what it takes to break free from this cocoon of darkness, it will only sap away its power."
Arthur widened his eyes.
"What are you saying?"
"Kehahaha!" The jester arched his head back in laughter. "I'm saying; will you break free and have Excalibur sealed, or will you stay within this cocoon until my lord is finished with his work? The choice is yours, Arthur Pendragon!"
"So Dracula has sent you here to stall King Arthur, and prevent us from interfering with his plans?!" Shouted Scarlet.
"Kehehe, yes! That is exactly right! Me, the almighty Cielero, have played you both like fools! You should've killed me while you had the chance, Arthur Pendragon!"
"Damnit...!"
Grinning at their hopeless expressions, the jester hopped around the chaotic darkness, approaching Scarlet from her left.
"Now then, shall we dance, my lady? Like Secretary to Secretary!"