“You coming or not?” John asked. Daniel started, looking from Scott to John. What could he possibly do to help? Sit on the sidelines and throw pom-poms? “No offense man, but I would only get in the way. You seem to have a few things that I don’t going for you.” John cracked a half smile and looked over to Scott. “He doesn’t know yet, does he?” Scott shook his head, “He won’t know until he crosses, and she opens her eyes on the other side.” What the hell were they talking about? Daniel wondered. “Um, hello? Am I going to be let in on this little secret?” John chuckled and flexed his wings, testing their strength. They whirred and clicked in response.
John hoped that the Ancient Keeper didn’t catch on that he had stolen the incantation from the Lost Scrolls. He owed them more than his life this time. “You’re a lot handier than you think, boiya.” Daniel could feel John’s smile as he said the word. His hands balled into fists at his side as his jaw twitched. Daniel looked at the gate. There wasn’t much to be seen from their side. Densely populated Japanese maples and bamboo lined either side, and a long wooden handrail traveled the length of the grey cobblestone path.
Mist rolled through, creeping along the vine covered doorway at the end of the long path beyond the gate’s entrance. He didn’t know what waited on the other side. How the fuck could he help? What was he doing here, anyway? He could leave right then, catch the next flight and have be done with everything. But he knew better. He knew that he couldn’t walk away. Every part of him was on fire─ he felt alive. More than anything he wanted to be near Celeste, or Kiwako or whoever the hell she was. He had known that the first time he had walked through her front door─ from the shared vision he had seen as a young boy, and later shocked as he heard her divulge something that had haunted him his entire life. Daniel knew why she had kept what she really saw from him. Celeste must have realized that he would think she was insane. The scary part, was that it didn’t frighten him at all. That was the scary part. She was somehow a part of him that was lost years ago. Maybe in a past life. Surely he wasn’t the only one. He remembered her eyes, the look on her face and warmth from her kisses and he knew─ she had felt it too.
His gaze shifted to the Moon. All of them knew what the blood-colored Moon meant. War. And from what Scott hinted at, the Demon King had been locked away for Eons. He wasn’t about to give up his chance to right what wrong had been done to him so long ago. Scott was right, they really didn’t have a choice. The world was in some serious shit. Daniel joined John, saying nothing as they strode toward the Gates of Hell.
* * *
20 a father and his daughter
Dai watched from his throne as the Fallen angel, the guardian, and her consort stepped toward the gates. He grinned, thinking about how little they knew. Perfect. This was going to be much easier than he anticipated. Children, all of them, Dai mused. He grew tired of the stale air and decay─ of the endless fields beyond the walls of his manor that stretched over miles and miles of land that he had walked for thousands of years. They would soon walk his same path along the grey, cobbled street that was built by the suffering children under Shozuka-no-baba’s control.
The old hag that stripped the children of their clothing, had been placed by Lord Tentei to punish the child that he had kept hidden for all these years. Every child that came through here, before going to the Ten Judgments and their Demon Kings that ruled, were punished unnecessarily, and for years was cruelly made to build a path that would reach to Heaven. He, above all others, knew that it was not possible. How many times had he traced the back of the doors to the Shrine’s entrance where his beloved remained, forever locked away in a father’s jealous rage? He longed for his quiet fields, for the soft bleating of the sheep as they wandered aimlessly in Heaven. He had never even seen the end of the vast heavenly empire. His face darkened as he thought about the last time he was able to hold her delicate face, or see his child.
“Dai Maō-Sama, shitsureishimasu,” he looked up at the skeleton-like maiden clad in black robes. Her hips creaked and jutted out as she extended herself in a low bow. “douzo hanashi wo tsuzukete kudasai, Kuro-San.” His unusual formal greeting to tell her story confused her and she hesitated before answering. “Eigo, kudasai.” The maiden bowed again and continued. “Kiwako-Sama is in her holding cell and we await her awakening. Shall I have her robes prepared?” He waived and dismissed her, nodding his head. Dai loved speaking in English, it was Tentei’s most loathed language, so he did anything he could to piss the old man off. She bowed and backed out of the room before shuffling down the hall to his daughter’s room. Damn this home, this whole building. He couldn’t wait to be free of his confines. For once, when his daughter opened her eyes, they would be joined on the other side and take their rightful place in Heaven. It was laughable, all the attempts Lord Tentei had made to ensure his daughter’s death. The Heavenly King was always one step behind, however. His pact with The Morning Star sealed that. As long as It lived, the girl would remain safe. I’m coming for you, Tentei, and nothing in the entire Universe will get in my way. The ground rumbled in the distance, rolling like thunder in the earthen sky.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.A. Greyson is a creative mind at Dusk Publishing. She writes, and illustrates comic books as well as creates audiobooks and novels. Currently residing in the heart of Dallas, she finds solace riding her motorcycle and visiting local bistros, cafes, and shopping for her two loveable floofs Owlbie and Nova. (A fancy rat and albino dumbo rat!) Once a month, she releases original audio shorts on Soundcloud called The Haunting Hour that reflect her love for the tales of horror and thrillers she listened to as a child. Growing up in the lower-east side of Dallas gave her a unique perspective on life, and so you can find many forms of that reflected in her work. With an insatiable mind, she is constantly learning, and so with her first book series, she took an astounding 2 years to study about great wars in history, took Krav Maga, and learned a certified rifle course for her third book in the series.
Hell's Gate: Awakening - Book One Page 18