by Dahlia Lu
She pushed against his chest to free herself and slapped him across the face. His head snapped to the side. When he turned back to face her, streams of tears were sliding down her cheeks. “You have no right,” she said, trying to keep her voice strong. “You have no right to say that.”
“Kali…” He reached out for her, but she smacked his hand away.
“You have no right to say that to me after you left me!” she shouted at him. “You have no right to want a family with me after you walked out of my life! Don’t make me hate you more for what you did by saying that now!”
“I wanted you to be happy,” he said, taking a step toward her. “You were in love with Lucifer, I…”
“I can’t help that my stupid heart loves him!” She shook her head. “But there are things even greater than love! Chevalier, if you had asked me, instead of abandoning me…”
“You were the one who abandoned me, Kali. You ripped out my insides when you stepped out of our home.”
“I left because I was afraid of falling in love with you-” She gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. The words rolled off her tongue before she could stop them. She had been going to keep that secret to her grave.
His golden eyes flickered.
Their attention was diverted when the door to the bedroom opened. Chevalier knelt down to the garbage bag and rolled several cans toward the family still cowering in the corner. They were skeptical at first, but the hungry children wouldn’t allow them to reject the offer. The father cautiously bent forward to reach for the rations.
Chapter 21: Only the Beginning
The family had become accustomed to their presence the three days they’d camped out in the building. They seemed to have figured out that if these strange people wanted to hurt them, they could have done so in the beginning. Such simple logic had not occurred to their frantic minds at first. The mother heated up the canned foods each meal time and often invited them to the table. It was clear that she did so out of fear of offending them. Only Bi, the one who needed the comfort of food, accepted the invitation.
Many strange things had happened over the course of three days that made Kali felt restless. A violet aurora had appeared in the northeastern and southwestern sky after the thick thunderclouds dissipated. The water retreated back into the ocean almost overnight, and the survivors rejoiced as if they had won a great victory. They flooded the ruined city streets to look for their loved ones with high hopes that they would have escaped the wrath of ocean.
Still, these good signs were unsettling. It felt too quiet and too modest to be the work of Lucifer. The possibility that his anger had subsided and he had decided to return to Hell was unlikely. If she knew Lucifer like she thought she did, he was the type to hold a grudge until the bitter end. She knew for sure that it was the calm before a vicious storm. This was only the beginning.
If he had set things in motion as she predicted, there was only one place he could be. She ran out of the bedroom she shared with Bi and stopped at the sofa. He looked up at her from his horizontal angle.
“Lucifer is in Hell!” she exclaimed. “He must be.”
“If he had gone through all the trouble to secure the destruction of the human race, why would he retreat to Hell?” Chevalier asked. It didn’t make sense. “Hypothetically speaking, if I were in Lucifer’s shoes, I would stay on earth to make sure my enemies had perished.”
“That is, if he considers them his enemies at all.”
His lips tightened. “If he is indeed in Hell, we can’t do anything about it. Neither of us can enter without serious consequences.”
“Can you open the gate of Hell?”
“I haven’t attempted it since we left the last time.” He caught her hand. “You can’t go.”
“I have to.”
“I wasn’t asking,” he said firmly. “Your body was cursed, so your soul may be as well. Even though you’re in Skye’s body, you still can’t take that kind of risk.”
“I don’t have time to think about that right now.”
“I’ll go.”
“No,” she told him flat out. “You can’t gamble a life that isn’t your own.”
“If one of us has to go and beat some sense into Lucifer, I’d gladly volunteer for the job.”
“I hate your sense of humor at times like this.”
“Who said it was humor?”
She sighed. “I’m asking for your help, Chevalier. Whether you help me or not, I’ll find Lucifer with or without you.”
“You’re asking me to send you to your death!” He was becoming increasingly agitated with her and it manifested in his voice.
“You don’t know that.”
“You’re right!” he agreed. “I don’t know anything! If I send you, I don’t know if I will ever see you again! If you care so much for this goddamn forsaken world, then I’ll go! It can rot as far as I’m concerned.”
“You don’t mean that,” she said in a feeble voice. She was clearly hurt by his unusually nasty display.
“Don’t tell me what to think! And if you knew even a little of why I’m acting this way, you wouldn’t look at me like you are now.”
“Why are you acting this way, Chevalier?”
“Are you going to say this behavior isn’t like me? The only reason you look hurt that I raised my voice to you is because you are too used to me being gentle with you. If I continue to act that way, you’ll never see how cruel you are to me. Send me to Hell to find your Lucifer, you say? Do you even know what kind of choice you’re asking me to make?”
“I do know, and I’m sorry,” she muttered as she closed her eyes to avoid his fierce gaze.
“No, you don’t know!” he accused. “You act as if your welfare has nothing to do with me! You may not be a little girl who needs me to tend to your scrapes and bruises anymore, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt me to watch you fall.” He heaved a heavy sigh. “God, you are so dense! Forget we had this conversation.”
“I don’t have a choice,” she told him.
“Don’t give me that bullshit!” He turned around and cornered her against the wall. “Didn’t I give you a choice when we first got here? There are always choices, Kali. You just need to stop focusing on a single option.” He leaned in and kissed her. He had wanted to kiss her ever since they reunited. She didn’t push him away, and when he broke the kiss, she gaped up at him with her violet eyes.
“Don’t say it,” he softly begged.
“Help me, Chevalier,” she pleaded. “Please…”
“I told you not to say it,” he said, gravely disappointed.
“You’re the only one I can depend on. Please, my knight, I will never ask another favor from you again.”
“Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked, already half giving in.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“I’ll help you,” he finally said the words she had wanted to hear, but before she could thank him, he pulled away from her. “But I have demands of my own.”
“I’ll come with you when this is-”
“No.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to carry you in my heart anymore. I used to be fine with being your shadow as long as I could be by your side to protect you, but now, I don’t want to chase after you anymore. I want to forget you and move on. As long as I still love you, I’ll inevitably be put into situations that make me wish that I was dead. It’s too suffocating.”
She became increasingly confused.
“If you really want me to send you to Hell, it’s easy,” he said as he took in a deep breath. “Tell me you never want to see me again.”
She gasped when she realized his intensions and shook her head violently. “Why are you doing this?” she cried.
“Abandon me a second time, Kali. I’m sure I’ll stay away for good. Even I have some pride.”
“You know I could never say that!” she shouted out of frustration. “Chevalier, please don’t make me do this. You’re my family, the only true frien
d I have. How could you ask me to make such a cruel decision?”
“You think this is cruel? The choices you force on me are hundred times crueler.”
“I won’t say it,” she firmly refused. She felt as if she couldn’t breathe.
“Say it. You have to help me forget you, Kali. I can’t do it on my own.”
She bit her lower lip so hard that it bled. “Don’t force me! You’re asking for too big a sacrifice!”
“Are you willing to pay it for this horrible world?”
“I hated you,” she cried. “I hated you so much for leaving me nineteen years ago. There were nights I just woke up and cried my heart out. If you leave me again, I won’t forgive you, Chevalier. I’ll curse you as long as I shall live!”
“Say it,” he pressed on with a trembling voice.
He was still holding her in place when he felt movement within the earth. Another earthquake ripped through the damp streets. The strong energy released pushed them both against the wall next to the window. Kali pushed away from him to run up the slanted floor and look outside.
A massive body of water in the form of an enormous beast emerged from the ocean. She couldn’t tell if it was a horse or a wolf. It pulled itself away from the rest of the water, and began rampaging through the streets. There were more of them rising from the water as the first hit the line of buildings next to the beach. In the distance, the mountains seemed to move. Another beast of rock and stone in the form of a bull rose from the ground. It violently shook off the excess rubble and trees attached on its back. A shocked prayer came out of her mouth.
Chevalier stood behind her with a cynical expression. “Don’t tell me he has pets,” he muttered.
Bi ran out of the bedroom with a terrified scream. She was pointing toward the side window in the bedroom. Another giant beast of fire was approaching, already dangerously close. She heard the people on the wet streets below screaming in horror. She imagined them running and tripping over each other to get away. Time was running out for her and for them. Time she could not afford seemed to stand still.
“I never…” She inhaled a substantial amount of air to finish her sentence, “I never wanted to see you again.”
She felt her guts twist and pull apart at her own words. She could see the color draining from his eyes. He wasted no time in summoning an entrance to Hell with a spell he had heard once before. With an accepting nod, he summoned his sword and headed toward the window.
“Before you go,” she said to him. He paused to listen to her last words. “I just wanted you to know that you’ve killed whatever was left of me today, Shiva. You took away my brother, my friend, my soul mate, and the last piece of my heart. I will never forgive you.”
Chapter 22: The Damned
Kali had once been fascinated with this place of magic and mystery beyond her understanding. The memories of her first arrival to Hell promptly flooded back. The overlapping images of the past and the present brought her even more grief. Her memories of the past twenty years, her gains and her losses, danced in the reflections of her violet eyes.
Kali gazed down at her body to search for any areas of discomfort. When everything functioned as it should, she examined her mind for any sign of deterioration. Her mind and physical body seemed to be intact. The shell of the demoness had tricked Hell into accepting her for now, at least.
She stared into the distance to the familiar slanted city and its floating castle in the sky. She didn’t recall such a vast distance between the gate and the castle the last time she was here. She estimated five miles, maybe more. Unfortunately, she didn’t know how to fly or to trace like other demons, but at least the walk wouldn’t tire her.
She followed the stone path and headed down the hill. She let out little surprised gasps now and then when the white grasses growing between the cracks of the path tugged at her feet. It wasn’t hard to pull free, but it would get tedious if this continued for five miles. She turned back when she heard a low growl behind her.
A beast, one very similar to the creatures that had attacked before, was hunched low, keen eyes searching for an angle of attack. She turned and attempted to outrun the beast and the annoying weeds.
“I don’t think he’s chasing after you,” she heard a voice from somewhere on top of the trees. She looked up to find the owner sitting on a red tree’s branch. She turned back to confirm his claim and saw the beast carrying away its new prey, a grey, fluffy-looking creature.
She let out a sigh of relief and returned her attention to the tree branch. He was already gone. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around immediately. “You’re jittery, aren’t you?”
“A little…” she stammered.
“I supposed you want me to take you to Lucifer.”
She gave him a blank stare. “I wasn’t going to ask.”
“Good, because I wasn’t offering.”
She raised a brow at his peculiarity. He was a demon, she knew that for sure. However, his personality was puzzling. “I can find him on my own.”
“If you formally ask, I might help you.”
“No, thank you,” she refused and walked passed him.
“Wait, if you ask, I will help you.”
“The question is why,” she said as she walked on. If she had to struggle with these weeds and stop for chitchat, it would take her weeks to get there. “People don’t just offer help and expect nothing in return, unless you’re planning something against me.”
“That’s a grim view,” he remarked. “We’re not all like Soren, you know.”
“I haven’t heard that name in a while,” Kali sighed. “So I guess you know who I am.”
“No explanation needed. We’re very well informed.”
“Great,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “So where will you be leading me? Maybe to some pit that I can never crawl out of?”
“I can see why we won’t get a long.”
“Are you patronizing me?” she shot him a glare.
“Not at all, my lady,” he flashed a dashing smile.
“What do you expect after what you guys put me through? You can’t blame me for distrusting you.”
“No, I cannot,” he agreed.
“Why are you following me?”
“I’m not following you. We’re just heading the same way.”
Sure, she believed that. “You can trace, and fly, and summon. Why would you want to walk through these annoying grasses?” She stared at his feet and noticed that the grass didn’t bother him. “That’s not even fair. How are you doing that?”
“You have been a demon for a couple of months now, but you don’t even know how to use your powers?” He sounded surprised. “Your friend, Chevalier, picked it up pretty quick. But maybe you don’t want to talk about him, since you guys just had a fight before you came.”
“Are you stalking me?” she paused and looked up at him. “How do you know so much?”
“I guessed,” he shrugged.
“You lie.”
“Of course, I lie. I wouldn’t admit to stalking you.” Then he flashed another smile at her. “Will you ask me for help now?”
She shook her head and continued to struggle with the damned grass. “No, go away.”
“If you don’t trust me, maybe I can teach you to use the skills.”
“I’m not a fast learner.”
“I will teach you anyways.”
“I’m not listening.”
“Just pretend I’m an annoying fly buzzing at your ear.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Aren’t you?”
“If you want that grass to stop bothering you, order it not to.”
“Why would they listen to me?” she asked skeptically.
“Try it,” he suggested.
“I order you to stop bothering me!” she yelled that the grass. She looked up at him when it didn’t seem to work.
He was trying hard not to laugh. He tapped his forefinger on his temple. “Order them from here.”
She decided to trust him one more time. With the order coming from her thoughts, the grass immediately freed her. She felt strangely accomplished.
“Are you sure you didn’t do that for me?” She stared at him suspiciously.
“We can control anything and everything in this realm or the next with our thoughts. Although maybe I shouldn’t have said ‘anything and everything,’ since there are a few exceptions, but you get the idea. We can create illusions and control what people perceive. Shape their mental image to anything we want them to see. That is lesson number one.”
“I want to learn tracing,” Kali requested. “I want to be able to move around easily.”
Tracing was the seemingly effortless method the demons used to travel quickly between points in Hell, in the air, or on Earth.
“Tracing is a little harder to learn, but it gets easier and effortless with time. Eventually it will become second nature to you. First, calm all of your muscles. Locate the position of your feet and move your awareness up your body. You must know where every part of your body is at all times. Next, you need to be able to visualize where you want your body to be.”
“What about places I’ve never been to?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” he said. He pointed toward the bridge ahead. “Try and trace yourself there.”
She did as he instructed and located every part of her body. When she had gained full awareness, she concentrated on the bridge. When she turned back to complain it didn’t work, he was about thirty meters away from her. She looked around, and realized she was standing on the other side of the bridge. He traced toward her.
“You lied about being a slow learner,” he said. It almost sounded like a compliment.
“I said I’m not a fast learner,” she corrected him while wobbling from side to side. “I’m a little dizzy now.”
“That happens to beginners, I guess?” he sounded unsure.
“You guess?”
“I wouldn’t know.”