“Are you concentrating, Hope? We don’t have much time,” he ground out through clenched teeth.
Hope muttered to, as she tried to figure out what she should do. Caspar was throttled by a punch and a kick across his diaphragm and stumbled back slightly.
“She will never be able to do it. I am sure about that,” Lucifer taunted. “Well, I cannot die. So I have as much time as much as you do.”
“You know, Caspar Socrates, I know where your Achilles’ heel is,” he stated confidently. Caspar was sure that he was lying.
Tell me, Solomon! she pleaded.
Caspar raised a brow in question. “Mind telling me?” He pointed at Caspar’s chest. “There.”
“I assume you are pointing at my nipples?” Caspar joked.
“Your heart, Caspar. Your Achilles’ heel is your heart,” Lucifer announced. Caspar’s jaw tightened upon hearing Lucifer’s claim. He continued to deflect
his blows as he bought them a little time. He glanced at Hope out of the corner of his eye. She was talking softly to herself.
“How can that be?”
“Because I have observed you. You try to be cruel and try to act like a fool, sometimes. You also have multiple personalities. What you are not, is a heartless human being. You grow weak when you know you have no one to love. I know your back story, Caspar Socrates.
“I know you took that gargoyle, Balthazar, for your own selfish reasons, because you wanted a companion. You wanted someone on your side because you felt lost and unloved. You longed for love, but you never got it. That made you weak. That is your weak spot. You will be vulnerable if you find out that everyone you know will end.”
Hope saw something take shape in front of her eyes. Solomon stood before her, slender and tall, with boyish features. His brown hair fell over his eyes, impeding his vision momentarily. His smile was sweet and innocent.
“Follow the lines,” he said softly and then disappeared.
Hope grew irritated. Follow the lines? What lines? Where did lines come from? She was the one who would open the gates to Purgatory and she had no idea what or where the lines were. She stared at the ring and saw the star and the symbol. As she contemplated it, lines began to form. The star...it had lines!
She kept her finger upon the star and traced the line toward the symbol. She smiled as the tip of her finger slid past the spot where the lines met. She continued moving her finger, completing the line across the symbols for fire, water, earth, and air. Soon, the lines were completed as she came back to the initial star. To her surprise, the ring began to shine.
Lucifer and Caspar’s attention was drawn the light. Hope threw the ring down and stepped back. The ring began to change its shape, glowing brightly. It became a long, golden blade with a single edge. The hilt shined with numerous sapphires and esoteric runes etched across its entire length. She bent down to pick it up and found that the sword was easy to hold, as if she was meant to wield it.
“I did it! I did it, Caspar!” she cried with delight.
“That’s great, but I think you should use it now,” Caspar recommended. Lucifer swung his blazing sword toward Hope, intent on cutting her down.
With minimal effort, Hope was able to deflect his attack. Stupefied, Lucifer fell back onto the floor.
“NO!” he shouted. “No! This can’t happen! I can’t lose. Not again!”
Caspar’s nose flared slightly. He leaned upon his shotel and pulled himself his feet and wiped the sweat from his brow. “I chose Land of Souls, for a reason, Lucifer. I wanted to end this where it all began. Once and for all, I need it to end. Hope . . .” He turned toward her as she held the powerful sword. “You know what to do.”
He took a deep breath and stepped back. Hope came forward with the sword held high. Lucifer begged for mercy and cried aloud as tears streamed down his face. He refused to accept that a small band of miscreants had done everything within their power to try and take him down.
“The Devil is crying. You don’t see that every day,” Caspar snickered. Hope thrust the blade into his flesh, penetrating it deeply until it pierced the
heart. Black blood spurted of the wound in Morningstar’s chest as Hope pulled the blade free and took a step back. Lucifer pressed his hands against the jagged gash in hopes of stopping the blood that now soaked his white shirt and gray pants. He howled with rage, unable to make sense of things.
“No! No! This is not happening!”
“Make a circle and let’s end this, once and for all,” Caspar yelled.
The doors opened and Caspar the rest of his beloved group pile into the room. Siphon carried the unconscious Vivian within his arms. Fib brought up the rear, severely burned and wounded. Their eyes fell upon the frightened Lucifer as he tried to get as far away as possible from Hope as she moved toward him.
“You think this is the end, Caspar?” he breathed, bright black bubbles coating his lips. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, smearing more of his blood across his chin. “You think everything will end if I die, don’t you? Well, you’re wrong.” He stifled a laugh. Caspar ignored his words as he joined the rest of the
group. “You have no idea, then. You have no idea what’s coming at you, no idea what will happen in future with you.”
Hope drew a circle, making sure that it was perfect.
“I am just the beginning. I thought I could have been the master, but I wasn’t. I learned that. The real master is someone else. Someone more powerful and much more deceptive. Chaotic, even. He’s worse than anything in this world and wants nothing more than to see the world burn.”
Unbeknownst to them, a figure walked slowly, away from the massacred Nephilims and demons. The corridor was empty, partially filled with rotten bodies, eager flies buzzing over them. The figure turned and chuckled as he made a face that glowed with happiness and smiled.
“Yes, I think you know what I mean. I think you know exactly what I am talking about.” Caspar’s eyes grew wide with amazement. “I didn’t know either, until I found out that he was not just an ordinary trickster. No. No. He was more than that. He was mysterious, secretive. He is someone that nobody can unlock and raised me.
“I thought he was a pawn, but he turned out to be the queen. I was wrong. I was all wrong and you were too, for thinking he had died not too long ago. He cannot die. You can kill me right now, but you must know it is not over. I’ll be damned in Purgatory, but he’s still free.”
“Who is he talking about?” Siphon asked.
“Manfred Croft,” Caspar whispered. “B – But I killed him!”
“You can’t kill what you don’t know,” Lucifer replied. “I’ve learned that everyone has a purpose. There are things that make us do what we do, so that we can achieve the goals we set for ourselves. Manfred is mad, for he does not have a true purpose. ”
The circle was complete. “Where is he now?”
Lucifer smiled, as he remained quiet.
The circle started to shine and a large, ashy pit formed. Caspar caught Lucifer and pulled him toward the circle. Before throwing him into it, he caught the collar of his shirt and inquired angrily, “If he cheated his death, where is he now? Where is Manfred Croft?”
“I didn’t know earlier, until I found out about it recently. He was always with you, Caspar. He never left you. You just didn’t see it.”
Caspar frowned. “Who was it?”
“He always liked you and never once stopped doing soon.” Lucifer grinned. “Think about it. Ugh . . .” He touched the wound staring at the blood coating his fingers momentarily before he looked up and smiled at Caspar. “He’s one of you. The only one you least expected it to be. Think about it.”
Caspar threw him down into the pit. Lucifer yelled and cried with all of his might. His words grew softer as the entire circle closed itself off and disappeared completely with him in it. Yet Caspar wasn’t satisfied. Manfred was alive. He was there. He just didn’t know where.
Thinking about what Lucifer had said, a multitude of pos
sibilities tumbled through his head. He was always with you. The words reverberated inside of his mind and slowly, everything came back to him. The flashes, the words – everything clashed together with vivid clarity.
He always liked you.
He should have known. It all made sense. The answer had always been in front of him the entire time.
He fancies you, Caspar. He adores you. He wants to be with you.
Ivy had said that to him not too along ago about . . .
It never made sense as to why Vivian had left the house in the first place. Unless someone had made her leave. Someone with a vigorous power of persuasion had convinced her to go out.
Realization hit him. He scanned the small group. There was Siphon with unconscious Vivian in his arms. Ivy stood there with confusion written upon her face. Balthazar scratched his head as he frowned. Harvard stood alone in tattered clothes. Yet there was someone missing. Someone who should have been there with them, rejoicing because of Lucifer’s capture.
“Where is Fib?” Caspar reached out and slid his hand across Ivy’s shoulder. “Where the hell is he?”
“He...He . . .” Ivy looked around with blank eyes. Confusion rippled through the depths of her eyes as she stared back at Caspar. “He was just right here a second ago. Why?”
“How did the two of you become friends initially?”
“He just...He just . . .” She couldn’t remember. “I can’t remember. He came up to your house and he...He was suddenly my friend.” The words spilled from her mouth slowly.
It was then that Caspar understood what had happened to her. Hypnotism, a false delusion, had been performed upon her.
Ivy shouted after him as he sped toward the door. “What is wrong? Why are you acting like this?”
He glanced at her over his shoulder as he flung the door open. “Because Fibonacci is Manfred Croft. He always has been!” With that said, Caspar was gone.
Mi
rror
Caspar sprinted down the corridor in hopes of finding Manfred. He searched every corner, but could only see bodies of the deceased. He looked up to see a figure standing on the office balcony. He immediately knew who it was.
Manfred was leaning on the railing and looking down with amusement. His arms were clasped together. His thorny hair was pushed back like sharp razors. His skin rippled with runes and tattoos. He didn’t react as the glass door opened behind him.
“This is the climatic end you always wanted, Manfred,” Caspar said as he appeared. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? Well, here we are, just you and me.” The red sky darkened above them. “This is the end.”
“It was so easy to sneak in under your nose and not be noticed, Caspar,” Manfred replied. “So very easy.” He turned to look at Caspar. A look of joy spread across his face. “You never glanced at me. Not once. You never suspected that I would be the one. I thought being gay would take me off of the radar.”
“You won, then. How did you die that time?”
“That wasn’t me. That was my carbon copy that I was controlling.” Manfred grinned. “I did all the things I could to be with you.”
“Why did you raise Lucifer in the first place if you wanted him to die?” “What? Did you think I wanted him to die?”
“You could have stopped me as Fib whenever you wanted, but you never did, Manfred. You never did!” Caspar spat angrily.
“All right, maybe you are right. But I just wanted to have some fun.” Manfred laughed while clapping his hands together. “It pleased me to I see these small puppets being played by me, the puppet master,” He glanced about with amusement. “I am the puppet master and I just love to see all of you dance to my tune.”
“I still don’t understand the reason why you are doing this.”
Manfred’s smile vanished. “Because I don’t have one. Not everyone does something for a reason. Some people are just too wicked to have a purpose, you see.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“You know me really well, Caspar. You always did. Do you really think I would have a reason? No, no, no. No, sir, I don’t have. This is just Earth, Caspar. This is just a beginning.” He brought his arms up and looked at the Land of Souls, taking in the smoky mountains spreading out before him. “I will now aim for something higher. Something worse than just a planet and definitely more chaotic.”
“You did a good job fooling me?” Caspar asked as he stepped toward Manfred who paid him no mind as he stared out at the Land of Souls.
***
He could see a goat-headed man slowly descending toward them. It was apparent that he could harm anyone he chose, but he couldn’t be harmed himself. He was the only one who could see the creature. He glanced at the chalky faces of the people within diner alongside him. He didn’t know what to do.
The creature appeared and his hand hovered above the corporate man. The same process started to happen. Sparkles burst into the air as the man’s legs started to
shake and he fell down. His face grew pale. The sheriff knelt beside him and tried to wake him.
“How’d you do it?” the sheriff asked.
“Idiot, I didn’t. I am tied here, defenseless and unable to lift a finger, but I know who did it. Get me out of here and I’ll help you or at least try to.”
The sheriff looked uncertain. He realized that he didn’t have a choice. Tension arose as he stood above Caspar and unlocked his handcuffs. Caspar massaged his wrist where a perfect red circle had formed. He saw the goat-headed man coming toward him.
“Everyone, back to the kitchen!” he cried. “Run fast!”
***
“You do know, Manfred, that one day I will burn and skin you alive.” Caspar said calmly, looking straight into his eyes.
“Nah,” Manfred laughed. “You can’t. You’ll never be able to because you are weak hearted and are dependent on those around you. You’ve fallen in love and are in league with these so called heroes.”
Manfred walked toward the glass door. “Your love is your weakness, Caspar, and you have let it overpower you.”
“Sometimes, love becomes your strength,” Caspar replied with certainty. Manfred stopped within his tracks and turned to face Caspar who was still
leaning against the railing and wasn’t paying attention to him. “Aw, poor lad, love makes wise men fall into the pits of foolishness. When will you learn that this is no fairy tale, Caspar? When will you learn?”
“The day you will realize that fairy tales do exist,” Caspar murmured as he turned about to face him. “But the problem is with us. We just don’t want to admit it.”
“You are wrong. You are one of the heroes. Oh, you are such a hero, one who swindles and has adventures and falls in love. You are just one unlucky hero.”
***
One day, son, you are going to get a choice. A choice that will change the
world.
You just need to know that people will look up to you. These are people who are close to you, people who care for you.
At that time, you need to know that what you are doing is right. You need to know that what you will do will make everything better, once and for all.
You need to make that choice, whether it’s good or bad. You will be the one who will decide the fate of our own world.
***
“I am you, Manfred,” Caspar announced at last. “You are me and I am you. We are both alike. We are not brothers. We are not cousins. We aren’t even connected by blood. But you are me, because I made a mistake years ago. One I regret very much,” he sighed.
“It’s your entirely your fault, Caspar. Your friends are in danger because of you. Your parents died because of you. Your sister was killed because of you. Your Earth was going to be destroyed because of you. You made a mistake. Do you want to
know what mistake that is, Caspar? You brought me here into this world through a portal of your making. I was your mistake,” Manfred replied with a smile.
***
Caspar could
see the demon looking about in search of his prey. The kitchen was small, but it was able to hold everyone, none-the-less. He was caught in a struggle against an unknown entity, one only he could see. He didn’t know what it was or why he was doing what he was doing. He just knew that he had to do something. He couldn’t help but wonder as to why the creature hadn’t killed him yet.
He took that as an advantage and toward the demon shouting, “Hey you! Come at me!”
Faces pressed against the kitchen door’s window, their brows creased with confusion. They had no idea as to what Caspar was trying to do. There was no one there in front of him, yet he was yelling aloud.
The demon walked toward Caspar. Mid-way through its trajectory, it stopped, though. It was as if it couldn’t go any further. It turned its head toward the kitchen and smiled.
***
“I was young. I didn’t know what I was doing.”
“Well, you ruined your life because of your innocence,” Manfred responded. “You killed my parents, my sister, and my dog and left me in a cage from
where I couldn’t escape. Yet escape, I did. I tried to kill you, but you stabbed me with
poison and I had to summon Death to live,” Caspar admitted. “I do wonder sometimes, if you are my mirror reality. If you are chaos, that would make me order.”
Manfred laughed heartily. “It’s over, Caspar Socrates. It’s over. You have lost again. I have won. This is how things were meant to be. This time, you can’t do anything about it because you can’t kill me.”
Caspar stared at the fields in front of him, his shoulders shaking slightly as he began to laugh. Manfred stopped smiling and became a tad apprehensive. He glanced at him out of the corner of his and tried discern as what had gone wrong. What did he do? Why was Caspar laughing?
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