“Oops,” Caelum said to the young Mikaela as he placed the dizzy child on the ground. “Had a bit too much there.” The child managed to crack a smile, though she was dependent on his arms to stay upright.
Caelum prided himself that he was different from the rest of his kind. For a demon not only to father a child with a human but also take the child under his wing was a rarity. Despite this, he was still a demon who found torment flavorful, especially those self-induced.
To raise a cursed child was a thing he deemed unrewarding. Unrewarding in the sense that eventually, she would grow to realize who she was and what her father was. Resentment and alienation were bound to follow.
He had visited when she was born. Unlike most of his kind, who turned a blind eye from the victim they’d taken pleasure from, Caelum had kept watch over the woman who carried a part of him. Though the woman had died upon giving the child life, Caelum couldn’t remember if he ever felt remorse for her demise.
He was there when the midwife shrieked upon the birth of the child, whose cries rattled the kitchenware and stacked the chairs. He was there when she’d been left at a nunnery, and he had taken her before they knew she was even there. He was there when the child first cried out of hunger and somehow conjured a paste from a fruit bowl, which she’d devoured with a smile on her face. He had resorted to hiring a nanny to tend to the toddler, as he was still uncertain if he should keep his distance from her. But because Mikaela used her powers in front of the human, he’d had to induce nightmares within the poor woman’s mind to make her forget. She’d left rather abruptly.
When Mikaela had been seven, she’d been smart enough to cook, albeit using her powers. Though she’d grown up keeping her distance from others, it had proved convenient to the demon as he had moved her from place to place. The child would often spend her days perched on the windowsill with a book in hand, overlooking the street where children her age chased each other.
Caelum had lived a time away from his normal routines to tend to the child himself. He found the change of lifestyle rather calming and enjoyable, though he would often play his tricks while the child was tucked away in her bed. But their days of peace ended when he took the risk of taking the child to a local zoo.
At the age of ten, Mikaela’s bright green eyes had stared in awe at the beasts caged and on display for an audience. Her then bronze hair had swayed softly, cascading in shiny waves down her back. It was truly a picture-perfect day, until they’d gone to see the lions. Caelum had fancied the beasts, with their strength and intimidating demeanor. But when a zookeeper ushered the beast back into its cage with a whip in hand while others took away its small cubs, the scene had struck the heart of the young child.
Caelum had tried to pull her away, wanting to continue their trip, but Mikaela had freed herself from his grasp. Before Caelum could do anything, her green eyes stared at the bars that caged the lion and bent them sideways, creating a gap big enough for the beast to slip out. The crowd gasped and shrieked in horror as the lion stepped out of its cage, slowly making its way to them. Before Mikaela could do the same to the fences that encircled the lion’s den, Caelum hoisted the child up and took her away.
“I want them to be free! Even I don’t want to be taken away from my parents!” The child spat in tantrum as Caelum took her back to their house. Caelum had scolded her for using her gift outside their home, but what the child argued struck him hard.
“Why do you call it a gift? I know what I am, and I know what you are!” she’d yelled. “I have this power because I’m a witch, right? And I can use my powers to punish bad people just like you do every night when you think I’m asleep! You do that because you’re a demon and I’m a witch because my mother was a human!”
It had shocked Caelum how much his daughter knew already. He had always seen her reading books during the day, what he didn’t know was that Mikaela had made a habit of sneaking into his private collection of books when he was away at night, learning what they truly were.
Fear was what made Caelum leave. The fear of being responsible for raising her to become vengeful, fear of becoming a great influence in her life that might result in the innocent child becoming what he was. He didn’t want that, and he didn’t know what else to do.
And so, he’d walked out the door, confident that the smart young girl would be able to take care of herself. Though he didn’t truly leave her; he’d kept watch over her. He witnessed how being abandoned had strengthened the child’s independence. The demon would occasionally visit her for small things, but she had become cold towards him, hence their unstable relationship over the past years.
Caelum knew she resented him for what he’d done. When he saw her again, thirteen years after the incident, to see that she had dyed her hair crimson - a color he had never been truly fond of - he knew it was to erase a part of herself that reminded her of him. Oddly enough, he found it endearing to see her attempts to keep him at arm’s length.
Mikaela. That name was given to her, supposedly to mimic the irony of his own name. A demon named after the angel’s home had named his daughter after the highest of the angels, Michael, whose name meant, “Likeness of God.” Caelum had never admitted to her that it was also his way to honor the happiness he’d felt during the days he’d been with her. For a demon whose only access to happiness was through the pain of others, he’d had the chance to bring life and walk with it, just like God.
She was as close as I could get to love in my infernal existence.
Ariel watched the scene and could no longer hold back her tears. She could no longer feel Mikaela’s presence. Gone were the valiant eyes that she’d only begun to admire. She’d strived so hard to live in the face of fates worse than death. When Ariel had escaped from Hell and felt as though all was lost to her, Mikaela had welcomed her bearing news of hope. Ariel couldn’t have foretold that this would be the same place where she would have to say farewell.
Her gaze fell on Caelum who held the witch. She was hesitant to approach him, still uncertain of his condition. But when tears marked the man’s cheeks, she was assured that Mikaela’s final sacrifice had indeed saved her father.
“Caelum.” She wept, slowly walking towards the man who cradled his child in his arms. No words of comfort came to her. Instead, she embraced him from behind. From his shoulder, Ariel gazed down at the fallen woman. Mikaela’s face, though covered in dirt and scratches, looked so peaceful, as though she was without a trouble in her mind.
Caelum broke into sobs, his throat catching on the tears that spilled. Ariel could only hold him, knowing there was no comfort she or anyone could give. And so, she held him tight as he grieved.
“Mikaela!” Caelum wailed. He shouted into the very heavens that had taken his daughter away from him.
"You abandoned her anyway."
Caelum looked up from Mikaela’s face to find the source of the snake-like hiss. He saw a murky darkness rippling the space before them. The voice came again, more taunting with each word spoken.
"You were afraid that she would be a danger to you," the voice reminded him. From the ripple, a finger extended, stretching the darkness as if lifting a veil. "You indulged yourself in the fantasy of parenthood... AND GOT BORED!"
A face emerged from the rift. Caelum once again faced the demonic part of himself. The part of Azazel's deal: Power.
"LOOK WHERE YOU ARE!"
The demon no longer fully resembled Caelum. Half of him bore the black suit and a smile not unlike Azazel's grin, and the other half was a distorted miasma of undulating darkness.
"AND LOOK WHERE I AM!" it announced triumphantly.
Ariel looked with surprise as she pulled her arms away from Caelum. "That form,” she murmured, confirming that the demonic figure was not anymore in Caelum's mind.
The distorted form limped. Its eyes were bloodshot and its grin was twisted. "I REALLY don't get why you're so hung up! If I were you, I'd be happy! Wait. I AM YOU!"
Unable to tolerate th
e distorted form's mockery, Ariel stood. From her hand, a pillar of light manifested and formed into Raphael's spear. She sneered. "I will take no more of your lies, abomination."
"Wait." Caelum halted her. "It's true." Ariel paused at the revelation. "This thing before me is a part of me. The part that I denied having because I didn't want to be labeled as just a demon." Caelum glanced at Mikaela’s face, gently laying her down and folding her hands upon her chest. "I will deal with him."
"Brave words! Exactly as I would say it!"
The distorted form suddenly pounced at Caelum. The demon met the figure and caught both its arms with his hands. The form's fingers dug into Caelum's arms as they struggled for control of the other. Mustering enough strength, Caelum took a step back and with a huff, drove his knees against its stomach. The other him barely budged, however, and only looked up to him with a smile on its face. Caelum brought his leg around and curled it behind the back of its knee. He pushed the form back, kicking his leg to force its knee to bend. It went tumbling back on the ground. But its hold on his arm was firm, and Caelum was pulled with its momentum. Its knee met with his chest and with a kick of its own leg, it sent Caelum flying over it. Caelum crashed on the ground then rolled to push himself to stand.
"Yes!" his opponent cried, laughing while lying on the ground. "Yes! That's right! You were useless! I had the power! I even allowed you the mercy to spare the angel and help that cursed daughter of yours, yet you still failed!"
Caelum watched the form kick its legs to pull itself up. It landed back on its two feet and turned to him. "Now are you trying to get what was yours back? Or am I going to take what was mine back?!" It charged towards Caelum and he jumped out of its way. But it caught him by the shoulder and pulled him around to face it. "After all! The deal was to get power, and I am power! I am the end of that deal!"
Ariel turned away from the two as she felt a weak but familiar power approach behind her. Azazel slowly materialized from the air. Ariel lifted the spear and aimed it at him.
"Hold it, sweetie!" Azazel said, raising his open palms. "I'm here to help."
"No. You are the reason this has happened." Ariel pushed the spear forward, but Azazel yelped.
"Hold it, I say!" The spear stopped just in front of his chest. Azazel swallowed as he felt the aura of the spear already puncturing him. "If I hadn't made the deal, that witch would have been dead sooner, and you'd be chow by now!"
"I refuse to believe that!" Ariel roared.
"Believe what you must darling. I honor my deals, and since Lilith's out of what’s left of my hair, I wish to provide some value-added service."
Ariel kept the spear aimed at his heart; how she wanted to stab him this very instant. Instead, she chose to listen. "Speak. Then I shall end you."
Azazel replied with a sarcastic smile then faced the two Caelums where the complete one was on one knee. "Caelum!" Azazel announced. "You are a demon different from the riffraff I deal with. You're special!"
His statement was ignored as Caelum simply grunted. Azazel rolled his eyes. "Ever wonder why I never placed a leash on you? Even though I damned your soul in that messed up deal centuries ago, I knew what you wanted. I honored that! Thanks to that you got to play daddy with your daughter, and you got to meet your lover!"
Azazel backed away as he felt a light jab from the spear. He met the angel's furious glare. "Fine! That's me, but what I'm trying to say is that it allowed you to go against me, and even against Hell itself! Now don't tell me you'll lose to yourself after all you've become."
The angel lifted the edge of the spear towards Azazel's throat. "Dispatch the creature at once!"
"Sorry, I truly can't." Azazel shrugged. "You can kill that thing if you want, be my guest. But you'll kill him too. Well, half of him. All I did there was feed that wolf with meat from yours truly."
Ariel glanced at the two Caelums battling each other. The distorted form had pinned Caelum to the ground, its face touching the tip of his nose. Caelum groaned in pain as he could feel the demonic being attempting to enter him again. But he kept his hold on the other him, pushing him away.
"You are not helping," Ariel stated as she pulled the spear back. With conviction, she lunged at Azazel, but he threw himself backwards and landed on his behind.
"Damn it woman! You’re no different than that spear's arrogant owner!" Azazel regained his composure. "Your lover wished for power, and now, his power wants him. It's his battle, so if I were you, I'd wear a short cheerleader outfit and get some damned pom-poms! That’s all the help you can give."
Somehow though, Azazel's words reached him. In his past, Caelum had often wondered how boring it would be to simply follow Azazel's command. To him, being a slave was the true punishment. Being a demon was freeing yourself from the pain of torture, but the payoff was you lose your own will. Caelum had freedom, and he’d used it wisely. Caelum had power that was better than any weapon Azazel could offer him: his free will.
Yet, he exchanged what he had to acquire more power, power to save those he cared for from Lilith, and it was power indeed enough to destroy the woman. With that thought, a question appeared in his mind. I wanted power. But what does power want from me?
"Caelum!" he said, addressing the form in front of him while feeling rather silly at calling his own name. "I wanted power, and I gained you. There is something you want from me, isn’t there? What is it?"
Its eyes widened. "What do I want? What do I want?! What a question!"
Though it sounded mocking, Caelum felt as if it was asking itself the question. Caelum somehow knew what he really wanted. Caelum wanted power, and it wanted something from him.
"You want me because you want control."
Azazel's ramblings started to make sense to him. He could feel the form's strength falter a little, allowing himself to gain his feet. "You are me,” Caelum calmly whispered. "You are what I could have been. And even you wanted to…” His eyes passed over Azazel's serious face. "Wanted to break free from Azazel's will."
The form's grin slowly straightened. For a moment, the being didn't struggle and looked at Caelum deep in his eyes. The strength poured back and its face turned into maniacal desperation.
"Yes! YES! I want to be myself! I WANT FREEDOM!"
Caelum pursed his lips and neared his face. “Caelum!" he called it. "Listen to me now.” He smiled, then with a cordial voice, he offered, “Allow me to give you what you want.”
Caelum could almost feel the form's mistrust as its grin flashed from sinister to doubtful and back. "NO! NO! I AM POWER! I WILL TAKE WHAT I WANT!"
The form glanced at Azazel, his expression growing even more desperate. "I WILL NOT BE TAKEN AWAY! I WILL NEVER BE A SLAVE!"
From that statement, Caelum fully understood. "Alright, Caelum," he cooed as he relinquished his strength. Before the demon could grab on to him, he lowered one arm and extended it as if to shake the form’s hand. "How about a deal then?"
Perplexed, the form lowered his own arms and tilted his head. "A deal?"
"Yes, because I need you, and you need me."
The form tilted his head further, like a puppy. "Why shouldn't I just take you for myself?"
Caelum's mind reeled through all the events that have fallen on him, his choice or not. From the moment he’d damned Maxwell's soul, the monster mash with Ramiel, Ariel's abduction, all leading to this point. "Because, I'm not alone. If you take me, you will be alone. My Mikaela,” the name brought back the sadness, “she gave her life to destroy you, and the lovely angel will do the same. Hell, even Azazel will do his very damned best to whip you into kneeling to him."
"That's right." Azazel smiled.
"What's the deal?" the form suddenly asked.
"Surrender to me," Caelum stated.
"And in return?"
"Whenever someone robs us again of our freedom or gets in our way, we will fight. With your power."
"My power?”
"Our power," Caelum reaffirmed.
; With one last glance at Azazel, the form took its dark distorted arm and shook Caelum's hand. The distortion suddenly devoured Caelum's body, its darkness crawling from his arm and spreading all around him. Ariel stepped forward but was stopped by Azazel.
After the black distortion shrank and seeped into the demon, Caelum looked down at himself. His hands balled into fists, tightening and tightening until gently, he released his fingers to relax.
"Caelum?" Ariel called.
"Yeah?"
"I do not feel the other Caelum, but are you…"
Caelum looked at his daughter, sadness washing away his expression. “Yeah, it's me.”
Azazel balled his hands together and watched as smoke seeped into it. "Very good,” he whispered. Ariel felt Azazel's presence grow, but as she turned, Azazel was nowhere to be seen.
The gloom fell back into Caelum. His veins pumped with renewed strength, but his heart sank once again. He neared his daughter and sat beside her. "My dear Mikaela, thank you.” His fingers traced her cheeks, and he stared at her peaceful face as though to burn the image into his own mind. I did love you, he admitted in his thoughts.
Ariel watched him solemnly. She looked down at the spear in her hands. Light glowed in her palms, but before she could distort the space around the spear, a voice stopped her.
"Return the spear at once!"
A myriad of snakes burst from a white loose sleeve, all their fangs racing towards Ariel. The angel quickly jumped back and spun the spear, effectively cutting all the snakes’ heads off. Raphael slid out and retracted his snake-filled right arm. Caelum stood up, but Raphael quickly reacted, and from his left sleeve, a lion's head slid out and unleashed a billow of fire from its mouth.
Caelum rolled to the side and dove into the shadows on the ground. Raphael felt something behind him and quickly swung the flame-throwing lion head around. Caelum crouched, bending his back, and used his arm to push himself back on his feet.
Raphael flew up, but tendrils of darkness shot up to catch him, wrapping around his neck. The snakes and the lion’s head turned back into his arms, and his own hands struggled to pry his binds off.
The Damned and The Pure Series: Books 1-4 (The Damned and The Pure Series Box Set) Page 63