Blue

by David Walker

  “Garret is cramming for finals and Kylie is exhausted from working a double shift,” Matthew answered.

  “Aw, that's too bad,” Domingo said.

  “You put any songs in yet?” Leila asked as she sat next to Matthew, though not as close to him as she normally sat.

  “Nope, I was waiting for you guys,” Matthew answered.

  The alcohol in his system urged him to scoot closer and embrace her, but she seemed emotionally distant, so he held back. Drinking gave Matthew boldness, but it was a rare occurrence when he allowed inebriation to direct his actions. His buzz enabled him to engage, and feign interest in the casual conversation that followed. The bar's loud music forced them all to huddle in closely to talk to each other.

  “We're up in a few songs, let's head outside for a bit,” Leila suggested. The group followed her to the smoking patio outside. She looked curiously at Matthew after taking a few puffs of her electronic cigarette.

  “Where's your vape?” she asked him.

  “I quit vaping,” Matthew answered.

  “Ah, that's right, you're a holy man now,” Leila teased with a wry smile. Matthew chuckled, masking his slight annoyance. He took a deep chug of his beer mug.

  “Damn Matty, now that I remember, your spirit body looks crazy now!” Domingo said. Leila nodded in agreement.

  “How'd you guys get caught up in the spirit world, anyway?” Matthew asked.

  “It was all because of me. Make sure that you guys remember to make a memorial for me after we've saved the world,” Domingo joked.

  “Heh. I guess it's true though, huh? Dom convinced us to try Xero herb with him and we all entered Callisto that day. We had so much fun back then,” Leila reminisced.

  “Yeah, then Leila found the brawler's circle,” Carmen giggled.

  “I bet she gave them a run for their money,” Matthew said.

  “You know it. She's been a bruiser since day one,” Domingo said.

  “You taught them how to fight?” Matthew asked Leila.

  “Nah. We all learned how to fight together, sparring with each other,” Leila answered.

  “Just like when we were young,” Carmen added.

  “When we used to beat Dom up and lock him in the closet?” Leila teased. The group joined her in laughter.

  “Why'd you guys join Ordered Chaoz?” Matthew asked.

  “I saw one of their recruitment fliers lying around. I'll never forget what it said: 'You think the world is screwed up? Well, do something about it! Join Ordered Chaoz',” Leila recalled fondly, as she looked into one of the bar's windows. “Crap, our songs are up. We've got to go back in!”

  Leila sang her song first. She performed well, but Matthew was not as mesmerized by her as it was the first time that he had heard her sing. He sang his song next, appreciative of the cheers that the Alverezes gave him when he was finished. Carmen went up on stage to sing next. Matthew was shocked when he heard her deep, melodic voice. It seemed as if she had become a whole different person on stage, exuding a confidence that he had never seen. Matthew could see the gleam of her inner beauty, which caused her outer beauty to radiate.

  For a brief moment, Matthew caught Carmen's eye while she was on stage. It was at that moment he realized that he had deep feelings for her. He wished that he had seen her sing first on the night that he had met the Alverezes. Although, he wondered if he would have ever discovered Callisto if he would have approached Carmen first instead of Leila that night. Could he have ever experienced the beauty of heaven otherwise? Matthew wrestled through conflicting emotions as he pondered the threads of fate. After they finished their songs, they went outside again.

  “Guys, there's no easy way for me to tell you this...” Matthew started, gathering the resolve he needed to say what he had to say. “Victor is an agent of the kingdom of hell. Specifically, he is known as Vice Deceptus. He's been lying to us this entire time.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Leila asked, visibly upset.

  “Yeah, have you had too much to drink, Matty?” Domingo added.

  “Carmen and I found a demonic tome and I saw him in it.”

  “Do you know what he's talking about?” Leila asked Carmen.

  “The creatures that we fought were definitely evil. I won't pretend that I understood what was going on, but I did see the book. I couldn't read it though,” Carmen answered.

  “How convenient. This book was something that only you could read?” Leila murmured.

  “Look, I'm just telling you what I saw. I had no problem with Victor,” Matthew said defensively.

  “Why would Victor help us stop terrorists if he was evil? Wouldn't that be detrimental to their cause? Weren't you the one who said that Obfuscation worked for hell?” Leila countered.

  “He is the personification of deception, Leila. Obviously, he isn't going to run around with a pitchfork and horns. He's going to pretend that he's one of the good guys,” Matthew retorted.

  “Hell isn't real!” Leila snapped. “You've gone off the deep end with this!”

  Matthew nearly lost his temper with Leila, but he just sat there in silence instead. “Try to be patient with your friends,” he recalled from Isaac. Leila's reaction did not surprise Matthew, but he was hurt, nonetheless. Did she really think that he was crazy? The rest of the night was clouded with tension, eventually ending with a depressing cab ride back to his apartment.

  * * *

  Shade tucked himself into one of the corners of Victor's office, spirit spectrum masked, and waited for the Vice of Deception to arrive. His Holy Armor was crackling with the vast amount of electrical energy that he had channeled into it while waiting. He had been waiting there so long that his spirit energy was nearly depleted. If Victor did not arrive soon, Shade was not sure that he would have the nerve to confront him again. Suddenly, Victor casually walked into the office.

  “It's quite impressive that you've already learned how to mask your aura, but that tactic will not work on me, son,” Victor said, making no effort to defend himself.

  “I guess I shouldn't be surprised,” Shade said, as he stopped masking his spirit spectrum. “I know who you are, Vice Deceptus. You need to tell the guild about your true identity.”

  “And what if I did? Do you think they'd be able to understand the nature of my being?” Deceptus chuckled. Shade hated to admit it, but the Vice had made a valid point.

  “Of course. You and your kind have warped the truth so much that most aren't able to comprehend it,” Shade angrily replied.

  “Me and my kind? Would you blame a pack of wolves for eating a sheep? How would a predator be able to survive without its prey? Why blame us for being true to our natures? Are you humans better than any of us?”

  “No, we're not. Obviously, there is darkness within the human nature as well. That doesn't give us an excuse to do evil.”

  “Evil is relative, my friend. To Obfuscation, Ordered Chaoz is evil. We've prevented them from getting the justice that they are due. Can you truly declare my actions as evil? Didn't I protect you from spirit hackers? Haven't I provided this guild with tools they can use to save people's lives?”

  “Yes. But your actions are clearly a means to manipulate us.”

  “And what if they are? Heaven disapproves of what we do, but the reality is, you need us.”

  “Oh, and why is that?” Shade scoffed.

  “Growth is one of the pillars of life. Could you ever grow in character if there weren't obstacles for you to overcome? Adversity stimulates growth.”

  “True. That is probably why the Judge of Heaven allows hell to exist. But everyone must be held accountable for their actions. That is true justice. You speak of evil being relative, but you wouldn't want others to deceive you the way that you deceive others. Therefore, your actions are not compatible with the harmony of life.”

  “You certainly are a marvel. Look at how far you've come in so little time. Your talents are wasted among the ranks of heaven. Join us. We don't requ
ire that you serve some distant king. In our kingdom, we serve ourselves. I could teach someone like you to obtain anything you could ever want,” Deceptus offered. Shade detected a semblance of honesty in Deceptus's words.

  “Serving yourself at the expense of others. You realize that isn't sustainable, right?”

  “That is what the dogmatic forces of heaven would have you believe. We are close to deciphering the mystery of life itself. Once we do, we'll be able to reclaim our rightful place in the spirit world.”

  “And so, you've deceived yourself. This discussion isn't getting us anywhere. Cease your operations in this realm, or I will banish you,” Shade demanded.

  “You are a fool if you think you can banish me from here, boy,” Deceptus said with darkened eyes.

  “I won't know unless I try,” Shade said as he leaped at Deceptus with a jumping kick aimed at his face. Deceptus side-stepped the kick and took hold of Shade's advancing leg. He used Shade's momentum to twist Shade over his shoulder, violently tossing him at the nearby wall. Shade tucked into a flipping motion, landing at the wall feet first, and used it to propel himself back at Deceptus.

  Shade and Deceptus exchanged rapid attacks, engaging each other with Amezarak's balanced combat style. At that point, Shade realized that Amezarak was likely also a demonic entity, located somewhere in the fourth realm of hell. Sparks flared as Deceptus's strikes crashed against Shade's blocks, which were empowered by electrically charged Holy Armor. Shade's attacks were unable to get beyond Deceptus's cunning, ever-shifting defensive maneuvers. The two warriors locked themselves inside of a fast-paced, tactical stalemate.

  Deceptus back-flipped away from Shade; landing in the air above his head as if it were solid ground. He popped Shade in the mouth with a low-aimed, spinning kick. Shade barely managed to evade Deceptus's follow up attacks, as Deceptus moved in the air as nimbly as he did on the ground. Shade utilized winds that allowed him to fight with Deceptus in the air, but he was unable to maneuver as effectively as Deceptus in aerial combat. Shade quickly spun around Deceptus, treating him as if he were a pivoting axis. Shade used cyclonic winds to propel his motion, as he nailed Deceptus with kicks striking from multiple directions and angles.

  A burst of dark energy exploded out from Deceptus, breaking the flow of Shade's winds, and knocking Shade several feet away from him. An ebony, viscous substance began to cover Deceptus. Black tendrils shot out from Deceptus and several of them wrapped tightly around Shade like a python, restricting his movement. The tendrils pulled Shade toward Deceptus, whose countenance was now as dark and foreboding. Shade felt himself grow weaker as Deceptus clutched him firmly around the neck.

  “I can see why you'd try this. Being forced to exit the realm would be a minor risk, right? There are things that are much worse than being banished, boy. You've heard tales of horror about Akzar but I can assure you, his cruelty pales in comparison to the terror that I can inflict on the soul,” Deceptus roared as his hand dug into Shade's spirit body, grabbing hold of his conscious mind.

  Shade found himself in a dream-like state, free-falling from a sky void of any light. His stomach clenched with anxiety as he continued to fall into total darkness. Suddenly, he dropped into a dark liquid that reminded him of aether. He saw images of Kylie and Garret in the sky enjoying themselves in Callisto. Black-hooded figures beheaded them with scythes.

  “Why did you let this happen to us?” Kylie's head screamed and it dropped from her body.

  “Why would you bring us here?” Garret's head stammered as it tumbled into the liquid.

  Shade gasped, regaining consciousness. He found himself wrapped in Deceptus's tendrils, which were now frozen. Isaac shattered the frozen tendrils with a series of swift strikes from his sword, liberating Shade from Deceptus's grasp. Deceptus armed himself with the Maelstrom's Edge and clashed blades with Isaac. Isaac quickly overwhelmed Deceptus, who exited the realm in a pillar of smoke, narrowly avoiding banishment.

  “Next time you decide to take on one of hell's officers, you should probably give us a heads up.”

  * * *

  Witnessing the exile of the kingdom of hell left Rachel in a state of shock. She thought that she had seen the end of the sixth age, but she was still inside of an observation realm fusion with Ramael, Dominion of visions. Heaven's Great Rebellion was merely the beginning of the age of resource. The King of Heaven called a meeting with the remaining members of the Council of Heaven to discuss the aftermath of hell's insurgency.

  “Prince Gabriel, please go over the damage report,” the King of Heaven requested.

  “Roughly half of our officers have defected, along with approximately a third of the angels and ministering spirits. Earth's surface has been heavily damaged. Thankfully, Duke Suriel was able to quickly provide sanctuary for the surviving animals,” Prince Gabriel reported.

  “Thank you for your quick response, Duke Suriel,” the King of Heaven lauded.

  “It was a privilege and honor, my king,” Duke Suriel replied.

  “How are our defenses, Prince Michael?” the King of Heaven asked.

  “All of our realms have been secured. The earth has been shielded. We have fortified our positions on the luminaries, however, they will remain contested unless we push an offensive into hell's territory,” Prince Michael reported.

  “If we were to start an offensive campaign, now would be an ideal time to do so. My intelligence reports indicate that the forces of hell are in disarray,” Duke Uriel added.

  “I have a legion of elite soldiers that have been personally trained by my Archangels. I can lead them into hell's territory and we can easily claim control of the luminaries,” Duke Raguel eagerly offered.

  “There will be a time when we lay siege to the kingdom of hell, as there is only room for one of our kingdoms to stand. But now is not the time. We will assault hell at the end of the ages. For now, it is sufficient that we prevent them from penetrating earth's physical realm. Duke Raphael, I need you to restore the surface of the earth,” the King of Heaven commanded.

  “Yes, my Lord,” Duke Raphael affirmed.

  “Prince Jaoel, I will need you to prepare a garden for mankind once the surface has been restored.”

  “It will be done, my Lord,” Prince Jaoel acceded.

  “Duke Phanuel, I will need you to prepare resources for mankind to consume once they are in the garden. We can no longer rely on Baal's fruit.”

  “It is already in the works, my King,” Duke Phanuel reported.

  “Excellent. Thank you all for remaining by my side during these trying times. Your wisdom will be rewarded in the end. For now, we must remain vigilant and do what is necessary for the proper stewardship of life,” The King of Heaven commended, ending the meeting.

  Duke Raphael and his angels restored the earth's surface. Prince Jaoel created a fusion between Eden and a fertile section of the earth, forming the Garden of Eden. Duke Phanuel and his Principalities cultivated the Garden of Eden, replacing the foliage that had been previously planted by the Fallen Seraphim Baal. However, Duke Phanuel was perplexed by one of Baal's trees that he was unable to uproot.

  “My Lord, we haven't been able to remove this tree from the garden. It appears that the tree's fruit contains rare, esoteric knowledge,” Duke Phanuel reported to the King of Heaven.

  “This tree will remain here. Mankind will be allowed to choose the fruit of hell if they so wish. The pillar of balance must be upheld,” the King of Heaven instructed.

  “As you wish, my Lord,” Duke Phanuel replied.

  The King of Heaven formed mankind out of earth's refined dust, a composition similar to the cosmic dust that was used to form the foundations of heaven. Man's physical body was nearly as luminous as an angelic spirit body. The first male became mankind's pillar of authority. The first female became mankind's pillar of resource. Humanity flourished through its connection to the omega realm. Rachel's eyes bulged when she witnessed the King of Heaven give the Staff of Life to the pillar of authori
ty. Authority used it to tend the garden. The King of Heaven issued a single command to mankind: abstain from the fruit of the tree of Baal.

  Hell's aristocracy convened in the King of Hell's throne room in the shadow sun realm. They had recently won a decisive battle against the Infernals and the Raging Horde. The Lower Cherubim had lost their sanity after being exiled from heaven and turned into powerful, uncontrollable beasts known as the Infernals. The Infernals incited a rebellion within the ranks of hell, forming the Raging Horde, a multitude of crazed ministering spirits.

  “Abbadon, how is the situation with Leviathan?” the King of Hell demanded.

  “We have finally subdued her and locked her into the lower realms with the other Infernals,” Abbadon reported.

  “I am working on a device that will allow us to siphon the Infernals' energy in the lower realms, and use it to power our weaponry,” Mammon added.

  “Good. What about these locusts?” the King of Hell asked. The Raging Horde had roused a myriad of dangerous, restless insect souls who had lost their physical bodies during the exile.

  “I've discovered a frequency that they're all attuned to, so I've been able to direct their motion. However, they're still too wild to control, so we've been forced to confine them inside of Baal's abyss,” Beelzebul answered.

  “And what about the other disembodied, restless beasts?” the King of Hell inquired.

  “I've been able to lull them into a trance. They're roaming about in the underworld as if it were the earth,” Jezebel answered.

  “Alright, it seems that everything is finally in order,” the King of Hell sighed.

  “Order? You call this order?” Jezebel screamed, pointing to her marred face, which was formally the most beautiful visage in all of heaven. “Meanwhile, mankind is walking around with divine beauty! Is this the glory of the kingdom that you promised us?”

  “She has a point. None of this has turned out the way that you said it would. Did we make a mistake by electing you as our king?” Baal chided. The King of Hell rushed over to Baal and violently clutched him by the throat.