by K R Leikvoll
"You must believe in your visions," she said dismissively. She turned sideways so she wasn't facing me anymore.
I wasn’t going to let her shut me out. "He's a monster! He killed my mother... he's responsible for the Void spreading. How could I be asked to trust someone like that?" I replied, not wanting to believe my ears.
She turned back with an unsure, concerned expression. Her left hand reached out to touch me, but she decided against it at the last moment. "I will not deny he is a monster, but he is a vital piece of the puzzle," she whispered with her arms crossed hugging her chest for comfort. "Without him, you could not complete your final transformation into the Nephilim, thus saving us all. You must trust that your destiny will lead you both to what needs to happen to eliminate the Naazvaba threat." I wondered if she was in the same boat as Kirin with the way she had grief written on her face.
"But what if I can't do it? What if I mess up and get more people killed?" I wanted to know.
Her eyes, staring into the nothingness, gradually made their way back up to meet mine. "You will defeat Naazvaba, but only if you follow the message you were given. You must find inner balance, which won't be achieved without accepting the darkness as much as you accept the light."
"I don't think I can do this anymore," I whispered weakly. I buried my face into my hands until I felt her gentle grasp on my shoulder.
"You can. Remember what I told you," she replied as a loud hum began to pull me back into reality.
I reached out to grab her hand a moment too late as the light guided me back to my dying body.
I couldn't help expelling a weak groan of pain as the weight of the twisted sword was taken from my shoulder. It was so dense; I was having trouble feeling pain. My blood, a shade away from pitch black, was the first thing I saw as I opened my eyes. It sprayed outward in a sluggish spritz as the very curve of the blade made its way out of my shoulder.
Everything was foggy; all I could do was squint at the large figure yelling at me. Their words were mashed and didn't sound like anything I could understand. Even the flames of sacrifice that were attacking my nerves weren't enough to bring me out of my daze. Vince needed to help me, or we would both die. I reached out expecting the forcefulness of his grasp, but instead a familiar face came into view.
It was Kirin. He was practically glowing from how bright he appeared, almost like he was sent from the light, even though I knew that wasn't possible. His beautiful silver eyes were a gate to another world free of pain. Kirin's lips touched mine. I was certain I wasn't alive. There was no way he was there saving me.
Until his kiss turned into more of a forceful way for him to give me blood. I was slowly grasping that he was really there, doing all he could to get me to drink. I swallowed, exhaling in relief as the burning started to fade. His lips left mine and went back to his wrist. My hand, tangled in his hair, pulled him back. Another swallow.
Sounds were becoming clear. Levia’s screeches of fury were louder than the sounds of demons crying or magic wailing in the air.
Kirin's lips parted from mine even though I didn't want them to. My shoulder was healing itself thankfully with both the light and the aid of his blood.
"You idiot, you came back to help me," I said shakily. My glove transferred some of the blood soaking me to his cheek. The light wasn't surrounding him at all, I realized as I stared at him. His eyes were black and silver. Shadowy horns grew from his head.
"Using a weapon of destruction as leverage to get them to support you was never going to work. I had to convince them," he said as he lifted me up. "Can you stand?"
It didn't matter whether I could or couldn't, I did. I wanted nothing else but to stay in his arms, dazed, out of the fight. My brain and Vince were nagging me to keep going. I stumbled a few steps out of his grasp.
"Levia!" I called with a hoarse voice over the sounds of fighting.
Her massive horned head ceased its burst of flames and looked at me. She kept the monsters at bay with her tail and wings striking them down while she waited for orders.
I pointed upward, using the ring to send healing to her. I'm not sure how good the healing was because of the distance and her sheer size, but it took more energy out of me than it normally would have—enough to make me stumble forward and almost fall. The shadows of Vince caught me and dragged me back to my feet.
Levia understood immediately and took off into the air. I breathed a sigh of relief as her flames started to engulf the oncoming wave. They were climbing over the west wall, as Kirin had led the cavalry straight through the southern gate. It was relieving to see them cutting our enemies down on the opposite side as well. Even though their aid was needed and I had no time to spare helping them, I desperately hoped they would be able to fight off Morgan who was leading the defense of the breach with his master absent.
"We need to get inside so their lives aren't wasted for nothing," Kirin commanded. He lifted me, despite that I wanted to stand by myself. With a strong jump, we flew into the air, dodging the various arrows and spears soaring over the battlefield. It was obvious how much more comfortable he was flying on his own, even though I was definitely more at home on Levia’s back than in his arms.
Raven was missing, and I was sure we were tailing him. The ring was responding without requiring too much strength, despite my fall and the stab wound. We would have been struck out of the sky a few times if it wasn't for last-second barriers.
I guided Kirin to the spot on the ramparts where Raven had previously been. By the time we landed on the black stone walls, I was more than ready to walk on my own.
Levia flew past us, crashing through the air with her flames to flank the people fighting on the ground. It looked like we were momentarily winning. As long as we could end it before we were overwhelmed, we could survive it.
Kirin seemed to know where we were going and took off running down the wall. I wasn't going to let him get killed, no way. My body was feeling renewed with only a few swallows of blood and aid from the light. We were able to continue down to the end where Kirin turned sharply toward the crimson-colored stained glass that led into the castle.
"He's this way," he mumbled, pointing at the window.
"How do you know?" I asked, glancing over the rampart edge to the ground forever away.
"I can sense the other pieces of the Essentia. Lazarus hasn't bonded herself with Death, and the only reason I can think of is that she’s trying to avoid Nakarius emerging."
"Should make her easier to fight," I said putting my hand out to create a portal on the glass rather than busting it in.
Kirin grabbed my arm and pulled it down.
"We don't have time for—" I began, but Kirin interrupted me.
"Listen, if you even get scratched by Death, you will die," he said. "War is easier to manage; it's only Lazarus herself that is dangerous. She can call upon Nakarius' fury, so it would be more favorable to fight her together. Pestilence's diseases shouldn't affect you, but he is a powerful necromancer. We can't underestimate either of them. They won't play fair, and we can't either." He was preparing me.
I nodded with chills. Not even a scratch from Death. It seemed impossible; I'd seen how fast Lazarus could move.
I lifted my hand again and created a portal into the castle, shining back at us as a silvery mirror. With a deep breath, I dove through the portal with Kirin tagging along on my left arm. We dropped through like rocks on the other side. The landing was only about ten feet down, but the sight of giant, wood-like spikes protruding from the stone threatened to impale us as soon as we landed.
Before we could skewer ourselves, I formed another portal below for us to fall through. Normally I would've braced myself, waiting for pain, but I simply didn't care anymore. The floor below the balcony was cleared of everything; Raven probably didn't think we would make it past the spikes.
The room in front of us was a colossal library larger than any I had ever seen. The far wall was another enormous panel of red glass facing the ocean, which appe
ared as black as demon's blood. The bookshelves were carved into the stone itself, lining its way all around the room. There was a staircase near where we came in leading to the other parts of the palace. We started toward it, as it was the only visible exit. There were so many tables covered in scrolls; I would've loved the opportunity to see the private writings of Vince that he chose not to share. Maybe in another lifetime.
My hands tingled with fear as we passed the corpse of the green drake. She was in the form of the royally dressed humanoid, but her throat had been gashed open hastily. Either Lazarus or Raven had decided she had lived out her usefulness and used her blood for sacrifice. Dragon's blood helped Vince's power; there was no reason to doubt that the drake Holly's blood would have some beneficial effects.
As we approached the stairs, the dead, wood-like spikes shot upward, shattering all of the glass we had gone through and making it impossible to continue. A strange sensation moved up my spine making me feel itchy, as if I were covered in a pile of bugs. My fingers scratched nervously at my body, but it couldn't be felt under my armor. Kirin clenched my arm hard in his grasp and pulled me behind him.
Raven appeared from the shadows in the corner of the room. He walked politely in front of us and bowed. I would've blown his head off with my gun. I would've tried fighting him right there, but Kirin didn't seem to think it was a good idea based on his grip keeping me behind him. No way was I going to let him die for me, though; I would fight harder than ever before.
"It is nice to see you again, brother," Raven said with a fanged smile. "As to you, Nephilim, I don't believe we've been properly introduced." He tried to peer around Kirin, but Kirin blocked his view by physically moving me all the way behind him.
"You will pay for what you did to Alex," Kirin said with a quivering voice. I could tell it was taking everything he had not to rush into battle.
"We will all pay for what we take eventually," Raven replied. "I fear you will suffer more for helping the Nephilim and betraying your family... it is no matter, though. The Void is eternal." He kept his skull-painted face up, still being cautious.
I shoved Kirin out of my way, chrome gun in hand. I didn't have anything to say to that piece of shit. I pulled the trigger three times aiming for his head.
His purple eyes ignited as if they were on fire. The orange light sizzled away into nothingness with several purple barriers. They appeared to work like mine—which would be troublesome.
On my side, Kirin's shadows formed Famine in his hands.
The sight of the blade made Raven grin with insanity similar to what I associated with Lazarus. So far, they seemed perfect for each other. Vince's absence made them flourish even more. Raven raised his hands like he was about to conduct an orchestra. With a slight sway of his fingertips, the deadwood base of Pestilence rose to his awaiting grasp. While Kirin held Famine with a fiercely clenched grip, Raven held his scythe more like a fragile instrument. He stretched it out in front of him and sliced the air.
A black hole, much smaller than the one outside, appeared in the center of the room. It started to violently drag us toward it as four sets of skeletal hands emerged from the portal. Two creatures that I could only describe as wraiths dragged themselves from the force of the hole's gravity.
Each wraith was cloaked in a wispy black cloth that reminded me of the shadowy essence of the Void. They both had two sets of skeletal arms with bits of red flesh clinging to their bones. It made them appear as though they had been some other form of lesser demon in life. Both made a shrieking, gasping noise that sounded like something from a horror movie. One carried two morning stars on its top set of limbs and maces on the bottom. The other had two swords, one axe and a spear. My gut twisted into knots as they started making their way toward us.
The one with morning stars swung its heavy weapons at us, while the other attempted to flank me. I dove to the left as Kirin dove to the right to avoid the swinging ball of death. I tried to roll into my fall as the second wraith swung its axe at my head. The ring buzzed out a barrier, giving me the chance to climb back to my feet. I aimed my gun at its head, but my bullet of light collided with a wall of spikes that shot out of the ground. It cut Kirin and I off completely.
I turned sharply toward Raven, aiming for his face. That was what he wanted the entire time, to separate us. Obviously, I was the target he was after. Kirin wouldn’t be able to help me until he finished off the wraiths. I tried not to think about how menacing they looked. My work was cut out for me as it was.
Raven’s physical demeanor changed almost entirely now that we were alone. He left everything behind in exchange for pure focus. “I am curious to see you fight, Nephilim. After all, my master gave up everything for your foolish experiment,” he called to me.
“Valentine… we must fight as one if you want to defeat him,” Vince’s voice whispered in my mind.
No way. That sounded like a bad idea. Alvir warned me about that. Any dominion he gained over me would have to be with my consent.
“I know Raven better than anyone. You must trust me,” he said more forcefully.
Anyone that has to constantly demand trust probably shouldn’t be trusted. The being from my last vision was nagging me in my consciousness, though. She said that I needed to, even if I didn’t want to. The ring was buzzing intensely on my finger as I pulled the trigger in the direction of Raven. A feeling, similar to the one I experienced while fighting Lilith, washed over me. My insignificant emotions and worries were fading away. I was scared as hell to leave Val behind, to give Vince some sort of dominion, but I couldn’t run anymore. I had to do this.
Raven raised his right hand into the air. Green sparks flew off his arm in all directions. I wasn’t at all sure what kind of magic he used. Vince knew, though, and he was a step ahead as usual. A toxic pool materialized underneath my feet. The smell alone was almost enough to make me puke the moment it appeared. Vince flung us into the air to avoid it before it oozed through my boots. It was more of a high jump, but I seemed to linger midair longer than gravity normally dictated. That agility would’ve been useful a while ago.
I tried to fire more shots at Raven, not able to make it past his purple barrier that popped up to deflect every ray of light.
He slashed his scythe through the air from the other side of the room. I braced myself waiting for some sort of frontal attack to come from the blade, but instead, the wooden spikes to my right splintered off in my direction. Thankfully, the ring was totally obedient in summoning a barrier to block them.
The sound of thunder echoed through the onyx library, despite it being clear outside. Raven’s right hand grasped at empty space, summoning a strange purple aura that cloaked our surroundings in scentless smog. He reached through the air and used some sort of gravitational pull to rip me toward him. I would’ve flown right into his arms had it not been for a force tethering me to one of the spikes. My heart might have stopped for a moment when I saw a black tendril seemingly growing from my back. It was wrapped around the spine keeping me away from him. The energy of his pull was so strong it physically hurt to resist it, like my skin might rip entirely off my body.
With a suspicious smile, Raven ended the pull abruptly. The amount of effort it took to stay away from him drained me so much I couldn’t help slipping back to the ground. The ring forced out a brief barrier to block the wooden shards attempting to stab me while I stood back up. I didn’t have enough time to react to Raven’s next spell.
A swarm of black scarabs was sent soaring my way in a cluster. Not even the ring or Vince could stifle my extreme hatred for bugs. Let alone demonic bugs that would actually hurt me. Each one had glowing purple eyes and let out high-pitched screeches like something out of a nightmare. I put my hand in front of my face, hoping deeply that the ring would be able to produce another barrier. Instead, black flames wrapped their way around my left arm, melting the bugs away as they flew into me. I closed my eyes tightly for a moment in utter disgust, hoping it wouldn’t result i
n my death. Horrible burning in localized spots seared at my flesh through my armor. The bugs had burst into green, acidic pools, catching parts of my skin and expanding on the floor.
With agility I didn’t know was even possible, I vaulted backward to avoid the pools. The jump was entirely instinctual, though I could feel that it wasn’t me at all that was capable of it. Maybe sharing a body during a fight wasn’t such a bad idea.
Stupid me, I was too in awe of myself to notice the black orb forming near the center of the room. Much like the ones before it, tentacles emerged and whipped their way toward me. One caught my left arm, the other nabbed my leg. It tore me out of my backflip and dragged me in the direction of Pestilence’s curved blade. Vince, or I, channeled more flames to burn them away. I could’ve smote them like outside, since the ring was being obedient, but I needed all my strength for my bullets. I didn’t want to get anywhere near Raven.
I was able to break away from the mass trying to close our gap; I wasn’t able to avoid the spikes shooting upward on my right side. I blocked the first two wooden shards, but the third was staggered to hit me after my barrier faded. It was really nerve-racking that Raven understood it well enough to work around it. The third shard went straight through my fibula and tibia on my right leg, breaking off as I fell back to the ground. Hell! It hurt like a bitch, especially when I landed on the balls of my feet.
Raven saw an opening and sent another swarm of black insects at me. Damn it! I was never going to get an opening to hit him with the speed he was able to utilize his abilities. I needed Kirin to hurry up and finish off the wraiths before I ran out of ground to run to. The ring produced a barrier right as the insect cloud collided with me again. I fired a few more shots at Raven while I had a small opening. None made contact and I was forced to pull my arm back as the acidic insects melted my starlight shield. They created acid pools on the stone, cutting off more of my grounding.
I couldn’t even catch my breath. Another gravitational wave threw me forward, dragging me into one of the acidic puddles. Organic, acid burns were unlike any other kind of wound. Sure, the flames of sacrifice were terrible, but that was on another level. It dissolved my boots and started working its way into the cracks of my armor. I could feel my flesh burning and melting away from my bones. I couldn’t prevent a scream of panic from escaping my lips as I desperately dragged myself out of the pool. Even the metal of my gloves and my palms were deeply affected by the time I finally got out.