The Damned and The Pure Series: Books 1-4 (The Damned and The Pure Series Box Set)

by J. D. Stonebridge

  Lucifer raised his brows at the sight of the demon. He motioned for his army to stand down, and the seraphim pulled away. He greeted the demon. “And I am surprised that you live, Asmodeus.”

  “Cage us for millennia and we survive, much like how we survived the entire force of Heaven when they came to banish us,” Asmodeus said. “And here we are now, both free to make a mess in this chaotic world.”

  “Chaos is not my purpose,” Lucifer claimed. “I am here to create.”

  Asmodeus laughed. “Creation. Ah, I remember the days when you spoke of your fantasies. Such a long time it has been.”

  “What is your purpose here, Asmodeus?” Lucifer asked, his patience growing thin.

  Asmodeus’ face distorted. His mouth stretched and lowered, his nose flattened, and his jaw widened. Asmodeus became unrecognizable with a square jaw, drooping cheeks, and bulbous black eyes. His voice lowered dramatically when he spoke again. “I came searching for you, brother. I saw the light in the sky, and I knew it was you.”

  Lucifer remained unfazed by Asmodeus’ transformation. Instead, he asked flatly, “And why did you taint my view with your presence?”

  The comment distorted Asmodeus’ face again. His mouth stretched into a sneer and his bulbous eyes turned back to slits. “Really now? After everything we have been through, Brother, that is how you see me?”

  Lucifer remained silent, staring down at the demon before him. Asmodeus snarled at his indifference.

  “I want us to be like we used to be, back when I led your army for you.”

  The statement had Lucifer cracking a smile. “Lead my army?” he repeated. “I have no need for a stain such as you.”

  Asmodeus’ face distorted into a large round head with a wide mouth. He snapped his jaw at Lucifer, but before he could near the archangel, the tip of a blade tickled his long throat. An angel under Lucifer’s command stood between them, brandishing his blade.

  “Shall I kill this filth?” the angel asked for permission.

  Lucifer pursed his lips, his eyes drifting away from them. “There is no need to waste your energy on him.” He breathed in deep and looked at Asmodeus again. “Or is there?”

  Asmodeus’ face shifted back to the long face he’d welcomed Lucifer with before. Anger was still written on his expression, though he kept to himself. “You have made a mistake, brother,” he said to Lucifer.

  The next moment, he transformed into the dark cloud that billowed upward to the sky and sped away.

  From the cloudy night sky, something dark spiraled towards the land below. The swirling darkness gently descended on the ground and opened to reveal four figures. Azrael had brought Caelum, Ariel, and David to Yellowstone Park. Caelum studied the surroundings, seeing no trace of life around. The mountains surrounded them. Snow covered the land and a gaping hole that led to a cave stood meters from them.

  “Is that the place?” Caelum asked, nodding to the cave.

  “Yes,” Azrael confirmed, looking into the shadows that obscured the inside of the cave. Her red eyes pierced through the darkness and saw activity inside. She cocked her head to the side. “I see only two movements inside.”

  “Raphael is alone?” Ariel wondered.

  “I believe so. But we should be on our guard nonetheless,” Azrael warned. Her gaze shifted to the human who looked nauseated by the travel. She wondered how the mortal would be able to fight with them if the need should arise.

  Caelum moved to the opening. He stared inside and felt the pull of energy from within. Finally, a battle. Power whispered in his mind again. I’ve been itching to lash out at something. Caelum ignored the demonic soul, his thoughts already running. With a huff, he turned back to his companions and asked with a smile, “Shall we?”

  They entered the pitch black cave where the cold seeped into David. He clutched his jacket tight, yet the cold reached his bones and made his teeth clatter. The two angels walked in front of him, Ariel holding up her palm that held a faint white glow to illuminate the way. David made sure to keep his distance from them. David reminded himself, I will control it.

  A pat on his back made him release his breath. Caelum walked beside him, his eyes scrutinizing. “Do tell me you will not be collapsing before the fight has even begun.”

  David frowned. “Of course, I won’t.”

  “Just checking,” Caelum said. “I do remember the times I travelled with an angel while in my mortal body. Such a horrid experience.” He shook his head.

  “It’s no rollercoaster ride,” David said with a groan. “It’s much worse.”

  Caelum chuckled in agreement.

  They walked for several minutes inside the cave until they reached a fork separating the paths. Azrael halted as she chose which path might lead to her reaper. She closed her eyes and felt the pull of her reaper’s energy. “They’re nearby,” Azrael reported, moving toward the left path. The others followed suit, keeping their steps silent to not alert the enemy of their presence.

  “He is keeping the reaper alive?” Caelum questioned. “If he has it now, why not make the sacrifice already?”

  Azrael looked back at Caelum as they trekked the cave. “You must understand that a reaper’s soul is different from any others’. It would be difficult for them to take its soul to Purgatory, considering it doesn’t require a vessel to remain in this world.”

  “Are they similar to earth-bound spirits?” inquired Ariel.

  “Yes,” Azrael confirmed. “However, there is another factor that separates them from such creatures.”

  “Which is?” Caelum asked.

  “All of them are connected to my soul,” Azrael explained.

  Caelum thought of it for a moment. He wondered if it was truly difficult for the archangel to slay the reaper. “Or maybe he’s still using it as bait for us.”

  A soft blue glow spilled from an opening at the end of the path. Azrael neared jagged rocks that formed a makeshift wall to hide the clearing on the other side. She peered inside. Blue fire roared from one end of the circular space, which stretched on the other side. At the center of the area was a small clear bottle atop a sealing sigil painted in ashes.

  Ashes from bones of the dead. Azrael knew the material. She looked closely at the other side of the area to find the archangel. Finally, she spotted him leaning against the wall, hidden by the stalactites that stretched down from the ceiling.

  “They are here,” Azrael said, turning back to her companions. “Raphael is alone, and he has my reaper in captivity.”

  “So, this is the part where someone comes up with a brilliant plan,” Caelum suggested sarcastically.

  David inched forward, careful not to make contact with Ariel and Azrael until he’d reached the partition. He took a peek inside to study the surroundings. He scanned the area as far as his vision would allow. The area was a perfect circle. He doubted it was naturally so. Above them, sharp pointed rocks reached down while the others were scattered on the ground reaching up. Here and there, he saw deeper shadows on the walls, as if there were more holes in the area.

  He scrutinized the walls around Raphael and noticed a pattern that crossed the wall. He created the walls by forming the stalagmites and stalactites? David wondered. He turned back to his companions and voiced his thoughts. “Raphael created the clearing.” Ariel nodded. “It is likely. He represents the earth and nature.”

  “Then it will be more trouble to fight against him in this place?” Caelum wondered.

  “Quite. But Raphael is not a warrior, unlike his brothers,” Azrael added.

  David’s gaze lingered on Caelum, remembering how he’d fought in Nevada days before. When Caelum noticed David’s attention on him, he raised a brow and asked, “I know it’s a cliché question to be asking, but is there something on my face?”

  “Since you became a demon again, you’ve gained more power,” David said. “I saw that you acquired different skills.”

  “That is true,” Caelum said, while Power laughed in his head. Of
course, that’s because of me!

  David was silent for a moment, then turned to the rest and announced, “I have an idea.”

  Raphael stood motionless in the cave, his focus on the small bottle where the reaper’s soul resided. A deep frown marked his face at his situation, but he kept his protests to himself. His thoughts returned to his last conversation with his brothers and the battle he’d lost. I shall redeem myself this time.

  The blue flame that illuminated his small cave flickered. He diverted his focus from the reaper’s soul to the fire and watched it waver frantically. His brows pulled together, watching the fire until it was completely snuffed out. Darkness enveloped the area, though it wasn’t much of a hindrance to the archangel who could still sense the vibrations of the energies around him. He kept his calm, monitoring the presence moving around him.

  There was a movement to his left. Raphael held out his hand to catch the throat of the human that ran towards him. He met the eyes of the mortal, seeing him grit through the pain as the archangel lifted him up by his neck.

  “Ah, you were in the house that we destroyed,” Raphael recognized David.

  David glared at the archangel and muttered, “Yeah, about that…”

  David removed the gloves he wore and reached for Raphael’s chest. The contact caused something inside the archangel to recoil and burn. Raphael screamed in pain and threw the human to the side, slamming him against a wall. David crashed hard, and bits of rock exploded on impact.

  Raphael fell on the ground and clutched his chest. The pain slowly dulled, but the sting lingered. He searched for the human but found the area empty. Where is he?

  Wind blew from one side, and Raphael swung his hand. A stalactite erupted from the ground to block Azrael’s attack. The Angel of Death spun in the air to bring her sword around to break the rock. She kicked a foot on the ground and brought her shoulder to slam against Raphael’s chest. The archangel stumbled back again and grabbed on to Azrael’s neck. He brought her down on the ground and sneered at her.

  “You’ve caused us a lot of trouble, Azrael,” Raphael said through gritted teeth. “You opened the Gates and let those traitors out.” He gripped Azrael’s throat tighter. “It is your fault we lost our brother!”

  “Now!” a voice shouted from the darkness.

  Azrael’s eyes flew open and she stretched out her hand. Raphael motioned to deflect an attack, but instead, light came from her palm that illuminated the area. The archangel stepped away from her and jumped out only to be halted in his flight. Raphael bounced back on the ground with a thud. He touched the earth to lift himself and felt the unusual coldness of the floor. He got back on his feet and saw himself standing at the center of a black circle. His eyes darted around to see the circle connected with another, and another circle connected to the second.

  “E-Enoch’s seal?” Raphael recognized the sigil. He searched for the energy source the sigil was connected to, only to find that they’d intertwined the seal with the one he’d created to seal the reaper. They are using my own power against me? He cursed, unwilling to disable his own seal, lest he loses another sacrifice.

  “That’s right.” Caelum appeared from the shadows of the cave, flashing a wide smile on his face. Ariel walked in behind him, contrasting his smile with her angry frown.

  Raphael turned around to find Azrael who made sure her attacks would drive him to the area where Caelum had created the shadows that formed the seal. The human who had attacked him first walked forward, glaring at him with such hatred.

  “What is with those eyes?” Raphael asked David. “What power have you claimed for yourself?”

  “Power that can defeat you,” David answered.

  “Oh? Is that so?” Raphael sneered. He looked to the others and laughed. “Interesting. Such a gathering we have here.”

  “Return my reaper to me,” Azrael demanded, stepping towards the archangel.

  Raphael looked at her with amusement. “You do not command me.” He scanned the faces of her comrades and added, “Nor do I fear you.”

  “Perhaps that’s an error on your part,” David suggested. He took a step forward, challenging the archangel with his stare.

  Raphael found the courage of the human amusing. “Perhaps it is yours,” he replied, lifting his hand. Before Azrael could move to stop him, Raphael flicked his fingers and the sound echoed against the walls of the cave.

  “Caelum!” Azrael shouted. Caelum nodded to her and brought his fist down on the ground. From his palm, darkness escaped and stretched out around the cave. The black things covered the walls and the rocks, leaving only the seal uncovered.

  “Futile,” Raphael whispered with a smile.

  Caelum grunted as something echoed against his skull. Ariel knelt beside him, checking his condition. He turned to her and warned, “They’re coming!”

  Ariel heard the thumping sound that came from the black walls. Light peeked from the shadows, and before she could summon her weapon, the wall exploded into pieces, revealing a pure white light from the other side. David and Caelum blocked the light from their eyes as it filled the cave with heat.

  Caelum fought to keep the seal that trapped Raphael, but the light removed the shadows that he’d created to seal the walls. When the light finally faded, he looked up to see the source of the light. Ariel gasped in shock as the figure standing in front of them was one she hadn’t expected.

  They’d prepared to face an army of angels, but they weren’t expecting Lucifer to descend to the mortal land again.

  Lucifer’s first descent was etched on Jenny’s memory. She had read multiple references that tackled the event, however, she had yet to find anything that might give a clue about what she was searching for. She slammed the book she held shut and threw it back on the table littered with her notes. Enoch’s library provided more information that her family hadn’t acquired before. Yet, spending days with his records hadn’t borne the fruit for her purpose.

  “It would be much easier if Dave helped,” Jenny muttered to herself with a pout, though she could not blame her brother for wanting to do something else. Since the last battle, she couldn’t help but see his remorse for being unable to protect Mikaela. The young lady also mourned for their fallen comrade, though Jenny had to admit to herself that she was incapable of fighting against the forces of Heaven.

  “I’m just sixteen, anyway.” Jenny sighed. She placed her arms on the table and buried her face under them. Even she disliked the idea of being useless, and to read through countless books, hoping to discover something that may prove useful to their cause was the only thing she could offer. If it was like vampires and stuff, I could do something to fight. But where do I stand against an angel?

  A loud thud made her jump. Jenny looked around for the source of the sound, her heart thumping loudly against her ribs. With no weapon, she considered the possibility of an invader. She reminded herself that it was nearly impossible to enter, as the tasks required to enter were difficult.

  Slowly, she rose from her seat, her hands grabbing a thick heavy book from the table. She looked around in search for any anomaly in the library, but the normally messy state of the place made it difficult to spot any. I am so gonna clean this place at some point.

  A gush of wind startled Jenny, forcing her back to straighten. She turned to the source of the wind, curious since the room was completely sealed, only to see a small plant growing from a vase on a small corner table. Her brows furrowed, thinking back to the days she’d spent in the library. I don’t remember having a live plant here. She walked towards the odd plant, but stopped when something nudged at her foot.

  Jenny looked down to see a book lying open on the floor. She picked it up, placing her thumb between the pages where it had opened before looking at the front cover.

  The Holy Bible? She stared at the embossed words on the book. The Scribe of God reads the human version of His story? Jenny let out a nervous laugh at the thought. She turned the book again to read the pag
e the book had opened to. After a few moments of reading, her lips parted in shock.

  “This—this is it!”

  Chapter Four: Beast of Chaos

  Proud and regal, Lucifer marched forward from the hole created by the white light that spilled inside the cave. His face was calm with a gentle smile on it. His eyes scanned the area and saw the alarmed expressions of those who had managed to snare his brother. Raphael stood at the center of Enoch’s seal, delighted to see him.

  “Lucifer,” Raphael greeted him. “I have brought them to you, brother.”

  Lucifer gazed at his brother and his smile widened. “So you have." He took another step, meeting the eyes of his adversaries. Azrael's face was twisted in hate, gripping her sword.

  "Lucifer," Azrael hissed his name like a curse. "How dare you walk on the mortal lands again?"

  "And how dare you speak to me in such a manner," Lucifer said without even bothering to look at her.

  Behind him was his army of angels, all clad in armor and ready for battle at his command. Caelum balled his fists tightly, gauging their chances of escaping. Azrael willingly let herself be trapped in the seal to trick Raphael. Ariel can only do so much without her wings, and David, despite having that strange weapon of his, was still human.

  So, we’ll be leading the party, then? Power offered Caelum.

  A smile stretched Caelum’s lips. I guess so.

  “Let us not delay any further. We are on a schedule after all,” Lucifer said. He raised his right hand, and with a flick of his wrist, his army brandished their weapons, creating a song of blades that echoed around the cave. Ariel stretched out her hand, ready to summon her spear, and David removed his other glove. “Take them down, leave nothing behind.” Lucifer gave the order, and like a switch had flipped, the angels behind him ran and flew at them.

  Ariel threw her hands up in the air, creating a golden glow from her palm that startled those who came for her. Then she brought her hand down and the spear appeared in her hand. She spun the spear while she turned on her heel, slicing two angels in one swift move. Ariel switched her hold on the spear and stabbed another oncoming angel in the shoulder, then tossed him aside. Her hands slipped towards the ends of the spear, and she turned to block the sword of the angel behind her. She angled the spear, bringing the angel to slide to the side, and she brought her knee against his stomach.