Demonheart: Book 2: Walkers From Another Dimension

by J. J. Egosi

  “Right.” Michael looked down, downhearted.

  “And we still don’t know how you summoned or got that titan in the first place,” Isabella added.

  “Yeah. That, too. Look, I”—

  “But, you’re nothing like your brother outside of his face. Your selflessness proves that much,” said Alexa.

  “No matter what you learn about yourself, you’ll still be you. And well, we like you a lot,” Ursula said with a smile.

  Their smiles and sincere words they brought stunned him. He shook in place and succumbed to emotions.

  “I don’t know what to say. Just thank you so much.”

  “Don’t cry.” Ursula wiped his tears away.

  “And don’t keep secret from us, either. Understand?” Alexa said.

  “Yes.” Michael nodded with a smile. He then remembered the vision he had back in the estate. “Now that you mention it, there is something really important I’d like to tell you all if that’s alright.”

  “Please do, Michael,” Julianna said.

  Michael smiled and nodded, then recounted his vision during the battle with Lucifer. From the very beginning, when he walked through the bazaars like a ghost, to the strong bond he felt in the estate. He told them about the darkened figures he saw—how they seemed rather familiar and how they appeared to be watching him, the understanding during the fall he had that everything he saw and felt were fragments of who he was, waiting to be put together.

  “What do you think?” Michael asked.

  The four of them looked at one another in silence before smiling.

  “You have an interesting imagination.” Julianna laughed. They joined her in laughter.

  “But it sounds like you’ve made some major progress in figuring out who you were. For that, I’m proud of you.” Isabella smiled.

  “And for the first time in a while, I actually can’t wait to have another dream,” Michael said.

  “Just be sure not to go drinking before bed—or at all, if you can help it,” said Alexa. They all laughed and nodded.

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Good. Now, let’s get the hell out of this swamp before another beast appears and tries to consume us,” said Julianna. “It’s still a while before sundown, but I don’t want to take my chances.”

  “Speaking of which, how about the four of us make dinner tonight?” Alexa said.

  Michael’s eyes widened. “Really? You don’t have to if”—

  “We’d be happy to,” Julianna insisted.

  “But you have to clean up,” Ursula said.

  “That hardly seems fair.” Michael sighed before smiling. “Even so, I’d be happy to.”

  “Then, let’s go. I’m starving for some boar,” said Alexa.

  The others nodded.

  Together, the five of them released their wings and took to the sky, flying over the swamplands. They were bound for their campsite, ready to celebrate their evening of reconciliation with a freshly roasted meal.

  Chapter 10

  The Mechanical Witch

  T

  he following morning, Michael creaked open his eyes to the rays of the morning sun beaming into his tent, flustered by the staining sensation. He wondered how early it was, feeling a slight aching in his head.

  This ordeal of being sober and not sleeping through the mornings won’t be easy, he thought.

  He looked down, thinking he was in some sort of dream. He found the girls gathered in his tent, all wrapped around him—barely dressed, with smiles on their faces.

  What the hell are they all doing here?

  Michael’s eyes scanned every corner of the tent in search of their clothes.

  I know we made up and everything during dinner last night.

  Michael recalled the night laughter they all shared during dinner: from cooking together to telling many stories. They all wore elated smiles as they basked one another’s company.

  I was so relieved to be back with them again. My friends.

  Their grip around him tightened. His face turning blue, he inched his fingers out from under them. The clinginess seemed a bit too much to him.

  As he tried to get up, Julianna and Alexa dragged him back onto the floor.

  Michael realized that even in their sleep, they wouldn’t let go, feeling their collective grip tighten. He looked for another way out.

  I know. I’ll slowly slide through.

  He tried to slip through the girls, slithering like a caterpillar. After a few inches of progress, a tugging on his pants stopped him. It was Isabella pulling his pants off with a wide grin and a giggle.

  Well, I knew I wouldn’t make it out of here with my clothes, but as long as I can make it out at all, I should be fine.

  Michael persisted in trying to slip past them. He then felt a kissing sensation on his leg. He looked down, found out it was Ursula’s touch this time. She grabbed on, moving farther up his leg than he could keep up.

  What’s come over them? Not that I mind. Embarrassment filled Michael. He drooled from the many hands and lips latching on.

  He could feel his heart pounding out of his chest and his blood rushing when Alexa dragged him down, burying his face between her breasts.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Alexa said with a playful smile.

  “You’re awake?” Michael’s face turned blue from the suffocating grip.

  “Of course. We all are. We just like watching you squirm a bit,” Alexa said, holding tighter.

  The others opened their eyes. They wiped out their smiles and gasped at Michael’s face going from blue to purple.

  “Hey, you’re hurting him,” Julianna said, mulled at his arms.

  “No, I wasn’t. If he had a problem with getting a face full of breasts in the morning, then he wouldn’t be pitching a second tent by Ursula’s face,” said Alexa.

  “I think she means he can’t breathe,” Ursula said, who noticed his tent drooping.

  Alexa looked down at Michael’s face, which had now gone completely purple. “Oh, no. You’re right!” She swiftly released her grip on him.

  “I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” she continued, shaking him back and forth.

  “Just peachy,” Michael said, as he felt his head spin across the room with four sets of eyes staring back at him.

  He caught his breath as his face returned to form and then looked over at their nervous faces with a groan.

  “I appreciate the affection in the morning, but do you mind not sneaking into my tent when I’m still asleep?” Michael suggested.

  “Sorry. It was Alexa’s idea,” Ursula said.

  “Hey!” Alexa groaned. “You and your big mouth.”

  “Wait, you decided to do this?” Michael asked, perplexed.

  Alexa sighed and nodded. “Isabella told me a bit more about your struggle last night.”

  “You mean after the fire?”

  Michael vaguely recalled heading to bed and seeing the two of them converse by the dwindling fire, staring at one another with concern in their eyes.

  “By the sounds of what I heard, I assumed quitting wouldn’t be so easy. So I thought you could use some motivation,” said Alexa.

  “Instead of waking up with a hangover, how about four women by your side?” Julianna said.

  “And all you have to do is refrain from drinking,” Isabella said with a smile.

  Michael looked down at his blanket. Feeling a sensation rise as they gathered closer, he smiled. “I think that could work.”

  The girls responded with a laugh.

  “Let’s hope so,” said Alexa.

  “Now that I’m up, what’s on the schedule?” Michael asked.

  “Training. Lots and lots of training,” said Julianna.

  “I see,” said Michael. “We should be better prepared next time Lucifer strikes.”

  “Exactly,” Ursula said, recalling their entrapment and his robbery of their rings. The helplessness she felt ate at her. “So, hurry. We all need to get in top fi
ghting shape. Especially you, Michael.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Michael nodded with a smile. As he tried to get up, he felt a sharp jolt in his pants.

  “How about you girls get a head start? I’ll meet you guys in about thirty minutes.”

  Alexa sighed. “Thirty minutes? Please try to be more discreet with your plans.”

  “Yes, we all know what thirty minutes means,” Julianna said with a devious grin.

  Michael blushed. “Now, I think I could use a drink.”

  “Calm down. I was kidding. Just get dressed,” said Alexa.

  “Alright,” Michael reluctantly said.

  He got out of his tent to the clanking of swords outside, dressed and ready after nearly forty-five minutes. He looked around and spotted the girls sparring. A sense of warmth filled him, knowing the semblance of his new normal prevailed through the panic of the last few days. His old and new friends trained together in harmony, and he had the chance to be a part of it. He walked towards them with a smile.

  “Sticking to the same weapon, I see.”

  He walked towards them, amazed by the swift and scrupulous movements they made almost effortlessly with their blades.

  “Indeed. We believe doing so will prove to be the most efficient way of gauging our individual strengths,” said Julianna.

  “As if. You clearly have an advantage over the rest of us. You just want to look good in his presence,” said Isabella.

  “And what’s wrong with that? It’s not my fault I’m the only one trained in the art of sword fighting,” Julianna said, unapologetically.

  Alexa rolled her eyes and walked to the side. She placed her sword to her side and pulled out a device from her pocket.

  “Hey, where are you going?” Isabella asked.

  “Nowhere. Just reading something.”

  She scrolled through the screen with her fingers, reading virtual news articles. The others swarmed around with intrigue.

  “Unholy shit; there are words on that thing,” Isabella said.

  “It’s called a screen and yes. You have a lot to learn about steam technology,” Alexa stated.

  “I suppose so,” Isabella said with widened eyes.

  Alexa continued to sift through various articles, twitching with frustration as they all continued to loom over her shoulders.

  “Have you found anything interesting? Perhaps something on magic restrictions in a certain forest being lifted?” Ursula asked with a hopeful smile.

  “Fat chance of that,” Julianna said.

  Alexa stopped scrolling and froze in place. She quivered in disbelief as her hand shook out of control.

  “Is everything alright?” Michael asked.

  “You tell me,” said Alexa, handing Isabella her device.

  “It’s a news article,” Alexa began, “Clockwork Designs declares bankruptcy, falling to the new ownership of”—

  Terrified, Ursula snatched the device from her hand to read it herself. She gasped at the name on the screen.

  “Lucifer Morningstar? This must be some kind of joke!”

  “I’m afraid it’s not. I don’t know how he did it, but that snake bought my company from under me,” Alexa said.

  “Are you sure you’re reading that right?” Michael asked.

  “I am,” Alexa replied in a sullen tone. “The Steam Gazette is the most trustworthy resource in my home dimension.”

  “I don’t know how things work in your homeland, but don’t you have to approve a buyout before it can happen?” Julianna suggested.

  “I guess when you’re as conniving as the demon king, you can work your way around such restraints,” Alexa replied.

  “You really think so?” Isabella suggested.

  “I don’t have any explanation. Just that my money’s gone,” Alexa said with a tremble in her voice.

  “That’s terrible. Just when you thought he couldn’t sink any lower!” Julianna shouted.

  “I don’t think he forgot you guys, either.” Ursula continued, pulling up the other tabs on the device.

  Isabella and Julianna looked at the headlines in shock.

  “No way, my jewelry company,” Isabella lamented.

  “…and my sword company,” Julianna added.

  “All bought out,” said Alexa.

  “Oh, no. Does this mean?” Ursula began.

  “Yes,” Alexa replied. “This means we don’t have a single gold piece to our names. That prick cleaned us all out.”

  “He even liquidated my lizard farm in the first dimension. How could he? That was my only source of income!” Ursula shouted.

  How could this have happened? Michael thought as he watched his friends grieving. Unaware of a shadow looming over them. He then remembered what Lucifer said about his plundering magic. “That’s it!”

  “What’s it?” Alexa asked.

  “I know how Lucifer did it. His plundering magic. It allows him to steal whatever he wants. That’s how he took your companies and money. I’m so sorry,” Michael said.

  “That belligerent cunt!” Alexa shouted. “Just how low is he willing to go?”

  “I didn’t think he could get much lower than beating an innocent young girl,” Ursula said, remembering her conversation with Julianna after dinner the night prior. She broke down into tears as she went through the memories. “No. He just has to ruin everything around him when he doesn’t get his way. Fuck this guy!”

  “He’ll pay for this. The next time we met, he’s dead! Do you hear me?” Alexa shouted to the sky. “No one crosses the queen of the sixth dimensions and gets away with it!”

  “Why is he even doing this? Is it simply because we’re allied with his enemy?” Isabella suggested.

  I’m sure he’s been planning this ever since he evaded our last encounter, Michael thought with a sneer as he remembered him leaving into his portal.

  He’s callous but shrewd. He knows how to use every piece on the battlefield to his advantage. Even the ones that aren’t his own.

  He recalled their chess game—how his pieces slowly diminished as the game progressed, and those of his opponent. The disregard in Lucifer’s moves proved clearer with his latest action.

  Tears flowed down Michael’s face as he watched them run down Ursula’s. He then remembered something he found.

  “Here.” Michael dug into his pocket, revealing a small golden orb.

  “What’s that?” Ursula asked.

  “It’s the core of the beast I slew in the swamp the other day. Sell it.”

  “Sell it?” Isabella asked.

  “I don’t know how much it’ll be worth, but it should last long enough for us to sort this out,” Michael replied.

  “Michael?” Alexa’s eyes widened. Teary now from the gesture. “You don’t have to.”

  “Yeah, that’s your money,” Isabella insisted.

  “It’s fine.” Michael smiled. “I can always make money some other way. Maybe hunting livestock or chopping wood.”

  His unbridled kindness swept them away and left them lost for words. They simply let their tears trickle down.

  Julianna took a deep breath and picked the core from his hand. “Thank you, Michael. But we can’t sell it.”

  “Why not?” Michael asked.

  “Because it’s a gift from you,” Julianna said. “We could never part ways with it.”

  The other girls looked at one another, nodding in agreement with the sentiment.

  “She’s right. It’s way too precious. Also, it carries the memories of when you saved of in that swamp,” said Ursula.

  “And were we reconciled,” Isabella said with a smile.

  “Are you sure?” Michael’s eyes widened, taken by both the tenderness in their eyes and the sincerity they carried.

  “Besides, we could use it in our future battles,” said Alexa.

  Michael watched the solemn expressions on their faces and nodded.

  “Alright, if that’s your choice, then it looks like we should get busy taking on quest
s to raise the money we need.”

  The girls nodded in agreement. Suddenly, Ursula’s infinity bag began to glow.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” She looked inside and saw a flashing light.

  “That means you’ve received a parcel or mail,” Julianna said.

  “Really?”

  Suddenly, everyone else’s infinity bags began to glow. They opened up their bags to see what awaited them. Inside them were small books, identical in appearance.

  “Gaming manuals?” Michael wondered, reading through his copy.

  “To Eve the Art of Witchcraft. By Lucifer Morningstar.” Julianna read the cover with a disdainful look.

  “Just what is he up to now?” Isabella said.

  “It looked like he sent out a copy to every black magic user across the omniverse,” Alexa said, scrolling through a long list of recipients.

  “These appear to be new battle regulations on how to fight in formal battles,” said Isabella.

  “Fuck that shit. I’m not following his dumb rules,” Ursula declared, crossing her arms in defiance.

  “Sounds like the first piece of good news we’ve heard from him,” said Julianna.

  “How do you figure that?” Ursula asked.

  “Simple. Because now we are on the same playing field as his,” Julianna replied with a grin.

  They all looked at her, realizing her point.

  “That’s right. If we have to follow these same rules, so does he, right?” Michael asked, remembering the various games he played with him in his dream.

  “Yes, and by the looks of it, there are many,” Isabella said, skimming through the book.

  “Indeed. Witchcraft, as a game, seems rather complex. For one, we have to maintain a certain number of terrains on the battlefield if we want to perform certain spells,” Alexa said.

  “Terrains? What does that mean?” Ursula asked.

  “Places like jungles and oceans. Seems you can call them forth much like you can familiars,” Alexa said.

  “You mean you can summon an ocean?” Ursula’s eyes widened.

  “It says here the number of terrains we have is determined by the number of turns we take in battle,” she explained.