by J. J. Egosi
“No way. This must be some mistake!” Michael said, “Why does he”—
Lucifer brushed the black hair away from his crimson eyes. “Oh, this is no mistake, Michael. The face you see is your own. Because I am you.”
Michael froze in shock with no logical words to come out of his mouth as he stared into a mirror image of his face.
Chapter 8
Star Crossed Rivals
“
Tell me this is some sort of spell,” Michael said, still in disbelief.
“I’m afraid not, for not even the strongest demon could perform an enchantment powerful enough to replicate what you see before you now. What you see is the truth,” Lucifer said, smiling.
“And what is the truth? That you’re some sort of copy of me?” Michael asked.
Lucifer looked at him, pondering over the question. “I think it would be best to say you and I are twin brothers. Born from the same chaos that was this omniverse before it became what you see today.”
“You and I are brothers?” Michael said. He didn’t think he could get any more stunned.
“Indeed, we are,” said Lucifer.
The girls watched their exchange, utterly mesmerized.
“Just when I thought this couldn’t get more absurd, Lucifer tells us he’s brothers with Michael? Ridiculous!” said Isabella.
“This doesn’t surprise me,” Alexa said, calmly.
“What? Are you saying he’s telling the truth?” Isabella asked.
“I’m saying there are some legends from my home dimension, albeit rather scarce, that depict these gods as having a special bond, not unlike that of a family. I don’t think this is some sort of coincidence or act of magic. No, I think they are, as he said, twin brothers born from the same chaos,” said Alexa.
“No way!” said Isabella in disbelief. “I’ve known him all my life as just my brother. Now, he’s so much I never knew him to be. The archangel, a god, and the brother of this sadistic asshole. Who is our friend, really?”
“It’s alright.” Julianna patted her on the shoulder. “He’s still our friend.”
“What I want to know is how twin brothers came to be so different? Our Michael is so sweet and Lucifer’s so gross,” said Ursula.
“Whatever happened, that face definitely goes better with blue eyes and white hair,” said Alexa. The other girls nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Lucifer looked at Michael with a devious grin. “So, would you like to pick up where we left off?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Michael said, raising his scepter.
“Good, because I think it’s time I stop holding back.” From his shadows, Lucifer forged a scepter identical to his. Michael’s eyes widened.
“Surprised to see I carry the same weapon?”
Michael sneered. “Not in the slightest.”
“Very good. That means you’re getting it now.”
Lucifer surprised Michael with a swing of his scepter, slicing his neck open with the end. Michael vomited blood as blood gushed through his fingers covering the wound.
“How did you?” Michael said, dropping to his knees.
“That’s the power of a destroyer god. My speed is otherworldly. I wouldn’t expect a weak little god with amnesia to understand that,” Lucifer said before repeatedly stabbing Michael in the chest and stomach with the end of his scepter.
Michael could no longer hold back his screams, as the pain became unbearable. “It’s a good thing you’re immortal. Otherwise, my fun would have ended a long time ago.” Kicking Michael while he was down. “Unfortunately, that means there’s no end to the level of pain you can experience. And every ounce of it, you’ll fucking feel!”
“Stop it! You’re seriously hurting him.” Against her fear, Ursula rushed towards Michael, ready to help.
“Don’t worry about me,” Michael whimpered as he attempted to stand up straight. “I can handle him on my own.”
“I don’t care,” Ursula refuted. “This battle needs to end before”—
“Before what? You’ll take his spot?” Lucifer asked.
Ursula looked at him, unsure of what to say before stepping back.
“That’s what I thought. Your lives are only temporary, whereas Michael’s suffering can forever endure. Would you give up your life to keep Michael from taking any more damage, assuming I was even that generous?” Lucifer inquired with a smirk.
“That’s enough!” Alexa shouted. “Don’t pick on her!”
“After all, what’s to stop me from killing you all, dead, or making you my servants? I’m clearly the superior one here, and your pathetic friend knows it. He should concede,” Lucifer exclaimed.
Tears rolled down Ursula’s face.
“It’s alright, Ursula. Michael will pull through,” said Isabella, holding her in a comforting embrace.
“I hate feeling so helpless. He’s in so much pain and we can’t do anything,” Ursula whimpered.
“That’s not true,” said Alexa.
“What?” Ursula wondered.
“Alexa’s right. We can still believe in him. Remember. They’re gods, so they are immortal. In other words, this battle only ends when someone yields. As long as Michael can push forward, he’ll rise above that prick of a twin brother,” said Julianna.
“But, what if he can’t?” Ursula suggested. The eyes of the other three sharply turned towards her with worry.
“What if he hurts himself so bad, falls into a comatose state?” Ursula asked.
“Ursula…” Alexa began with a lachrymose stare. “…I don’t think he”—
“We know he lost his memories when he entered a long sleep, but we don’t know how the sleep began,” Ursula continued.
“It was because”—
“Because a winner couldn’t be decided,” Alexa said with a fearful gaze before Julianna could finish her sentence. The words Lucifer said about the battle he and Michael had long ago were even more haunting now.
“Are you suggesting”—Isabella’s eyes widened.
“If Michael pushes himself, he’ll lose all the memories he’s finally gained back. And we’ll lose the person we’ve come to know.”
Despair dropped like boulders down to the bottoms of their chests as they watched the battle continue. They shared in the hope of the battle coming to a swift end.
The four of them looked at each other, nodding. Michael fell on his back, full of punctures from the scepter. Lucifer looked down and grinned.
“It seems our battle is finally over. Oh, well. If you can’t get up, I’ll take this little nap of yours as your resignation.”
Michael looked up into Lucifer’s eyes, and then slowly closed his. His mind mildly slipped out of consciousness.
“Don’t you dare give up!” Julianna shouted.
“Julianna?” Michael said, slowly turning his head towards her.
“Listen. If you don’t win this, I don’t know how long any of us will be around,” said Julianna.
“Couldn’t we at least use the titans to protect ourselves?” Ursula whispered.
“And draw ourselves onto the battlefield? Again, not a good idea,” Alexa replied.
Titan rings, Lucifer thought with a devious grin. I almost forgot.
“You were right before. The man is a brute. The proof, alone, is in the way he treated Hecate. He can’t be trusted,” said Isabella.
“Don’t forget, Michael. We still believe in you, no matter what,” said Ursula.
“Yes. If anyone can knock him out, it’s you,” Alexa added.
Michael smiled as his wounds began to heal. “Thank you,” he said under his breath.
Lucifer looked at him in amusement. “So, you rely on the encouragement of your friends for strength. I see that weakness now.”
“What weakness is there in having friends who believe in me?” Michael said as he rose to his feet.
“Simple. You have to rely on them to get the edge you need,” said Lucifer. “And fall when they aren’
t around.”
“And how is that a sign of being weak?” Michael refuted faintly.
Lucifer laughed. “How is it not? A demon never relies on anyone else to win a battle. Wasting your time depending on others will get you killed.”
“Well, I’m no demon, so I play by my own fucking rules!” Michael exclaimed, striking Lucifer with his scepter.
Lucifer knocked Michael’s scepter out of his hand with his own. “I told you I was no longer holding back, right? Now, it’s time to put those words into action.”
A familiar chill filled the air. The same he felt when he arrived in Lucifer’s castle: the wretched miasma that filled the halls.
“I know that feeling. What are you up to?” Michael said, panicking.
The girls screamed when a horrific sensation overtook them. Fear coursed through Michael as he watched a slew of inky streams permeate from their chests. It was as if they had their souls drained.
“Lucifer, stop this now!”
“I’d rather not, but thanks for the suggestion!”
The girls grew weaker from the plaque-induced air around them. The air felt thinner as their bodies grew frail. They could hardly stand or fight back the unrelenting agony brought upon by the demon king’s surge of wrath.
“What have you done to them?” Michael shouted as he watched them all drop to their hands and knees.
“Oh, not much. I’ve simply taken a couple of things from them,” said Lucifer.
The girls had now grown so weak they collapsed across the ground.
“You monster! Stop this now,” Michael demanded.
“Oh, don’t worry about them. This is only a minor side effect of my plunder magic,” said Lucifer.
“Plunder?”
“Yes, my plunder magic allows me to instantly steal anything I want. Spells, a fledgling thought, or even just an item. And of course, someone’s dreams,” said Lucifer.
“That’s fucking insane! Is that how you enter my dreams so easily?” Michael asked.
“Partially. That’s a part of my dreamwalking magic. It allows me to enter and alter them as I please. Enough of that, though. Aren’t you curious to know what I took from them?” Lucifer asked.
“It crossed my mind,” Michael replied bitterly.
“Good, then you should be able to recognize what I have in store for you. Especially since you’ve fought them before!” Lucifer raised his scepter high. As two rings appeared on his fingers.
“No way! Are those?”—
“That’s right,” Lucifer replied. “They’re the titans you defeated during your last two battles. And here they are again.”
“This can’t be!”
The skies raged in chaos, sifting and swirling into a vortex to prepare for the arrival of two ancient denizens from outer worlds.
“Come forth! Tiamat, titan of the first dimension; and Lycanthrope, titan of the second dimension!”
With his command, the skies tore open to make way for the monolithic vulture. Its shadow cast darkness upon them as it flew past the bloody moon, spirally downwards to land. Its deafening squawk echoed chillingly through the silence. Meanwhile, a rattle on the ground turned into a violent rumble. Cracks emerged before it gave way, splitting open to let out the werewolf.
Michael stared, horrified by the creatures as they both roared into the weeping skies.
“Unreal. You summoned two titans at once?”
“That’s the difference in power between a mere demon and the king of all demons,” Lucifer smugly said as he looked over at the girls.
“Summon whatever you want. I’ve beaten them before and I’ll beat them again!” said Michael.
He beat his wings against the shadow and gripped his scepter tightly before flying towards the titans. He soared until he was at eye level with the beasts.
“That may be true, but I can assure you facing two titans at once will make for a very different experience,” Lucifer warned.
“We’ll just see about that!” Michael said, pointing his scepter towards them.
Lucifer smiled confidently. “Yes, we will.”
“Great scepter, wipe Tiamat out with blinding lightwave of retribution!” Michael commanded. A colossal wave of claymores rained from the sky. They broke through the starry night, rushing in the bird’s direction.
“You’re using that weak enchantment again?” Lucifer sifted through the shadows and reappeared into the night, hovering just a dozen feet from where Michael was.
“It’s far different,” Michael said.
“Oh?”
“The light these swords emit is far greater,” Michael explained. “No dark based magic can resist or escape its touch. What’s more is that they won’t stop until they hit their target. In other words, your oversized bird can fly to each end of the omniverse and my claymores will be there waiting.”
“What an intriguing theory.” Lucifer chuckled.
“Huh?”
Just as the claymores were about to hit Tiamat, Lycanthrope howled at the moon and deflected the attack effortlessly. Each blade fazed into his fur. Like rays swallowed by the darkness, they were no more.
“What? That wolf blocked all my swords,” Michael said.
“How right you are, my friend. Are you starting to see the direness in your situation? Your claymores may pursue an enemy ‘til the end of time, but if your attack is washed out by the howls of my beast, then I’m afraid it nullifies your attack. That’s the price when you try focusing your energy on one beast at a time when you should have been focusing on them both!” said Lucifer.
Focus on them both? Michael thought. Perhaps he has a point.
“I hope your next assault won’t be so pathetic in execution. Titans all have an innate ability that allows them to protect one another in the heat of battle without fail. What’s more is Tiamat can conceal the magical characteristics of an attack, so the blades you cast are already weakened upon arrival. It makes them easier for Lycanthrope to absorb,” said Lucifer.
“So, they protected each other? Ironic someone who doesn’t believe in teamwork would know so much about it,” said Michael.
“It takes a truly well-educated man to know what’s right and what’s wrong. I may not believe in teamwork, but I believe in having servants. And that’s what these titans are to me. Not guardians. Not friends. They’re servants. Pawns for my bidding.”
“Again with your pawns and your servants? And you wonder why I don’t want to rule with you as dual kings,” said Michael.
“Say what you want about my methods, but my pawns are doing an excellent job of taking you down. Even a master such as myself needs his servants. Why do you think I’m collecting the titans for in the first place?”
Collecting? You stole those titans from my friends, he thought to himself, looking over at them.
A smug smile formed on Michael’s face. “Sounds like you can’t take over the omniverse without them.”
“I can’t do it without you, either, so forfeit and this world will be ours!” said Lucifer.
“Never!”
“Then, I’ll force your will to become my own!” Lucifer shouted as Tiamat struck Michael with his claw, knocking him out of the sky and onto the ground.
Lucifer looked down at Michael. He was like an ant, both from the distance and the way he was spited with no resistance.
“How sad. You preach the importance of friendship and having moral character. Yet, you fall like such a fucking embarrassment. Ridiculous. The humans of this world must have plagued your mind. Perhaps a little motivation from my dreamwalking magic will help,” Lucifer said, chuckling under his breath.
Michael laid there, tossing and turning as if having a terrible nightmare. Deep in his subconscious was exactly that. The same darkness he felt time and time again, tugging at his body without end or remorse.
“Where am I?”
Michael found himself walking through an abandoned village. It was unlike any village he’d seen before. It was as if it came
from another time. A time long before his.
Michael walked through an abandoned village, not unlike the one he grew up in back in the Dark Realm. The buildings were modest and crafted with dark shades of wood and stone, with bazaars lined across either side of the street. It all seemed rather ordinary—dull, even. Yet, there was a growing emptiness beyond the lack of people. Like a black hole pulling him in deeper.
Something isn’t right. This village seems to come a time long before mine. How can that be?
He ventured through the village streets. The vacant alleyways and unattended merchant stands left his legs trembling with fear.
This place feels so familiar, and yet I’ve seen nothing like this.
Michael noticed a stranger carrying her groceries. Many small children quickly followed.
Michael ran towards them with his arm out. “Excuse me, ma’am. What town are we in?” The woman did not respond or even acknowledge his presence. As if nothing more than phantoms, they all walked straight through him, unimpeded.
“How is that even possible?” Michael said, utterly confused as he frantically turned around. He saw that the bazaars were filled with other people. He wondered if they would walk through him just the same. Afraid to find out, sweat began to bead down his face.
He broke into a panicked run, looking over his shoulder and into diverging streets for anyone to provide some information. He turned to a nearby market and navigated through the stands to a man selling chickens.
“Sir, excuse me. I need help!” As he reached out his hand, it went right through the table.
“It’s true. It’s as if I don’t exist. But, why?” Michael wondered.
The search for answers led him out of the town’s borders and to the outskirts, where he found a massive estate with grand and demonic ornamentation. He climbed up the gate and jumped to the other side with a heavy pant.
“Why does this place feel so familiar too? Even more so than the village,” Michael said as he ran through the door.
As he reached out for the circular stone handle, he stopped himself, realizing it was no use.