It's A Wonderful Afterlife: AS Universe

Its A Wonderful Afterlife- Chapter 9: Good Mourning

Sir Pentious

As the morning came around the Pentagram City rose to its daily events or the continuation of the previous night out still lingered in the light of the dusk.

High above the city-dwelling in his menacing tower the slumbering serpent Overlord Pentious rested easy despite the bizarre news of the night before.
Sleeping was very difficult for the overlord as a pesky shadow would taunt and toy with his dreams. Turning sweet memories into nightmares or worse night terrors.

"Your highness, wakey it's time to start the day with a smile!" a spritely enthusiastic all too familiar voice beckoned the snake out of bed. "You cannot rule the city from bed now can you, good fellow!"

Buried in the plush duvet and countless pillows a groan cried out from the pillows. The movement of a long ebony tail shifted onto the floor with a thud, as the tail uncoiled from the duvet a body rose after being face first in the marshmallow goodness of the pillows.
"Must you...always be so peppy in the morning...Alastor..." voiced the bed-headed snake. Sir Pentious rolled on to his back with anguish that the intolerable shadow had awoken him for the trillionth time in the last two decades since fusing with the Britishman.

"Honestly Alastor...why do you still haunt me?" he stayed on his back looking up at the intricate ceiling he so carefully designed some 12 maybe 15 years ago. Time was irrelevant to Pentious, ever since Nissy's demise nothing else mattered anymore. All of this, the castle, the power and the success was for Nissy but...he wasn't here to enjoy it with him.

"Why you ask? Well, you cannot communicate with me any other way Pentious. Or would you rather something more..." the shadow twisted in a black mess into Sir Pentious's old self "...something a bit more personal? I must say I see why this suit was around on us for some time." The voice fused and dissipated into the Overlord's once quirky and flamboyant voice.
Pentious pulled the duvet off himself and got out of bed, rolling his neck and cracking his stiff body from the night's rest; he made his way to his changing screen taking a long red silk robe and cloaking his somewhat scarred body. The shadow kept nattering on about something and the Overlord ignored it mostly half hearing what this over dramatic version of himself was saying. He stood at the tall doors to his balcony tempted to open them but the shadow sparked his attention.

"...I mean you are an Overlord now! Why bother looking for this 'imposter'? We both know the truth...I am in your head. I have your memories...I feel everything you feel my Lord...and we both know the fate of...N-!" it gave a cheesy yet sinister grin to the Overlord. This enraged Pentious and he latched his slender hand onto his old-self's neck hissing at this pathetic ghost of himself. The Shadow squirmed as it was practically lifted off the ground wheezing and fighting for breath.

"Need I remind you...it was I who killed your previous owner. It was I who scared Lucifer out of this ring. It was I who made YOU my slave." he tightened his grip on the shadow's throat. " I am the snake in Lucifer's Garden of Eden now! Nothing can stop me! Not even you! You feed off power but you also abide by it! You listen to me you weakling!" squeezing one more time the shadow dissipated its form into the Overlord's genuine shadow. "Know your place...and do not attempt to feed off my emotional weaknesses again" hissed Pentious as he let the now docile shadow go. It hovered being an obedient soul now.

Pentious scowled at the shadow displeased that it attempted to be somewhat equal. Slithering to the large bedroom doors he let in his imp servants to serve his breakfast and set it up at the table in his room. " Draw me a bath won't you boys...I am in much need of some relaxation today." he clapped his hands to send away the imps to draw his bath. The Egg Boys were no more as the experiments after gaining more power were still unstable to make them less brittle. So Pentious turned to the likes of cyber-connectix, A.I and robotics.

The serpent sat down to his traditional morning tea and whatever his chef had prepared for him that morning, today was fresh fruit parfait with croissants.

A taller imp came in with the district reports for Pentious, "Why thank you Jenkins...did you manage to find the reports of this 'imposter's first sighting?" he gracefully ate some of the croissants he slathered with jam. Taking the tablet as Jenkins explained the district and location of the first sighting it made the Overlord almost drop his teacup. He put it down shakingly. "What district did you say?"

"It was district G-247 camera number B-708. The imposter emerged from an alleyway sire. Allow me to show you..." he opened the files and showed the camera across from the alleyway. Sir Pentious's heart was fluttering and then he sees the 'imposter' emerge from the alleyway. "but...that's...that's my...the...crash site?" he spoke softly but also in shock as this was the first time seeing the Arackniss 'imposter'.

This confused the Overlord but also enraged him. Why was this 'imposter' at the crash site? Where did he come from?
Sir Pentious freezes the frame of the 'imposter' leaning on the wall getting a very clear picture of his face. Anger swelled inside the serpent but also...a small glimmer of hope. Could this be his Nissy?
He gave a quick glare to his shadow making sure it was still docile and not trying to manipulate the Overlord's emotions again. It was obedient and this time felt what he deeply felt. It was sad, mournful and heartbroken...

Sir Pentious slammed his fists on the table cracking the glass on top of it. "Ready my ship...once Lieutenant Python reports in with any update or has failed to apprehend this imposter. I will have to take matters into my own hands..." he snarled as he looked at the image of Arackniss. Shifting his gaze to Jenkins he smirked as he ordered his butler imp to do as he was told. "Alas...I need not stress myself. Monty...is very VERY loyal to me and he will succeed." he takes up his teacup and with decorum sips his tea.
"Soon little spider we will meet...and I will personally handle your interrogation myself." he sips as Jenkins let out a woeful gasp. The Overlord only did interrogations as a means of torture, illusion and to drive the victim mad.

Over the decades Sir Pentious had mastered his hypnotism abilities, so much so that traitors or prisoners would be driven so mad they'd beg for erasure. Blinding them with the illusions of nightmares and possibly confessing to the crimes they committed in the Overlord's domain.
"I think...I will most certainly enjoy my bath this morning, Jenkins. It's nice to know that once our 'visitor' arrives...I'll be welcoming him with...my 'party games'." he laughs maniacally slowly building up into a demonic laugh of both him and his shadow's previous host. A mixture of Pentious's gentlmanly voice with a hint of static almost when he was fuming. His hood flaring up as he laughed at the excitement to come of torturing this false Nissy.

Once calm Sir Pentious sips his tea once again and looks at his shadow, he nods towards the windows commanding it in a silent order.
The shadow rose up into a much more menacing form of Sir Pentious, just dark, inky and downright petrifying even of Jenkins.
It moaned and groaned, mimicking the Overlord's laugh before it evaporated into a mist like liquid. "You know what you must do my friend..." Sir Pentious put the tea down as the shadow launched out the tall doors making them swing open.
"W-what did you tell it sire?" Jenkins asked with a slight fear in his voice.
"I told it to go hunting..." he smirked as he put the jam onto the croissant letting the fresh air come into his bedroom.

"My shadow needed to go for a walk anyway. The poor thing was getting cooped up in here and thought it could overpower me...this will be a lesson for it. To prove its loyalty to me. Both it and Lieutenant Python are now on the hunt for this imposter, I doubt he will be in hiding for much longer." he stood up fixing his robe and went to close the balcony doors.

He slithered to the bedroom door with Jenkins behind him...leaving the photo of Arackniss projecting on the table.

"We'll meet soon enough little imposter...I look forward to meeting you..." he muttered to himself as the imps hurried frantically as he made his way to his bathing room. With the shadow gone and Monty on the prowl, it was the best time to relax for the Overlord for he knew he would need to be in prime condition for their soon to be guest.