by Ryan Attard
"I couldn't really use this inside," he panted. Then he chuckled cruelly. "But out here it's a different story."
His blood caught fire, flaring into dazzling colors from bright magenta to royal purple. The fire seemed to ooze from within him as if it were his blood pumping life into him. His skin, hair, and all facial features melted away until there was nothing left but pure fire, hot and bright. The flames condensed together, still retaining a humanoid form. All around him, sparse tongues of intense solid fire licked the air with incendiary heat. Sparks of lightning crackled like a chorus of whips. The concrete beneath his feet cracked and melted.
Luke rose a few inches above ground, and the sky above him darkened. Rain clouds gathered as his heat affected the atmosphere around us. It was suddenly hard to breathe, much less swallow, and I stood there, amazed at the display of magic. Luke had become fire itself. No, not just fire. He had become a mixture of plasma, solid flame, and condensed ions. He had taken the Laws of Thermodynamics to a whole new level, bending them to his will.
A beam of orange light shot from his hand. Only an unconscious reflex managed to save me from a world of pain. The spell burnt a hole through the roof and into the floor below.
Oh, good. Fire Boy now has lasers.
I swung Djinn, shooting another beam of azure energy at him. But once blue met orange, my spell simply went through him and he somehow absorbed it.
"I'm close to pure energy, genius," he spat with utter venom in his voice.
Then he brought both his hands together. Energy swirled in between them and formed a tiny spec of light. Like a miniature sun, the spell became more intense until I felt it was about to explode. I wasn't sure I would recover from that, even with my healing powers. This was not your average fire spell. Luke's life energy was mixed with it. He was willing to shorten his lifespan or even downright give up his life, just to make that spell happen. Magic like that tended to hurt on a deeper level than just scars and bruises.
The horizon began shifting and the sky transformed into a massive rift, a tear in the fabric of the universe. Something about the way the energy swirled was calling to me. I recognized it as Prime, the basic essence of life, the primordial energy of the universe and what held it all together. It was also the supposed secret behind my curse and the power that coursed through my veins. I could somehow manipulate Life magic, an ancient branch of magic that used Prime to shape life itself.
Some even called it the magic of the gods.
And just seeing all of that Prime swirling in the sky over an entire landscape triggered something inside my soul, like a tugging at my most basic instincts. At that moment nothing else mattered—not Luke, not the Key, not the Sins, not even the other dimension crashing down onto ours. It was as if the personification of my power, the alter ego inside me—Dark Erik—was having a spotlight on it just looking at the Prime.
Back in the real world, Luke pushed both arms out and the tiny ball of light shot forward. It exploded like a small nuke, with a brilliant, dazzling display of fire followed by a cloud of smoke.
But none of that dangerous energy ever touched me.
I raised my left hand in the Pyromancer's direction, fingers splayed. A wall of black shadows erected between me and the fire spell. Once the explosion dissipated, the shadows fell on the floor, carpeting the entire area in obsidian. Living shadows oozed from me, a familiar power flowing like a skill acquired long ago—unused but never forgotten.
I loved it. This was true, absolute power. Truly amazing. This was…
Addictive.
My reasoning, what was left of my rationale, emerged from beneath the black fog of my mind and I struggled to regain control over myself. I was human, and not some savage personification of a long-lost magic.
There was something wrong and forced about this power I was using. Usually it came out naturally as a reaction to the Sins' power. But there were no Sins here; just a dumbass, literally playing with fire. I was forcing this power out and I knew, deep down, that there would be a price to pay.
The carpet of shadows rose upwards like stalagmites, spearing into Luke. He dodged the majority but a graze made him cry out in agony. His dazzling fiery shape now had broken down to a mismatched swirl of flames coating his body. The smell of burning flesh wafted in the air, and when the flames weakened bits of charred skin and bone were suddenly bare. That was his remuneration for using such potent magic: pain and permanent body damage in exchange for unstoppable firepower.
What would my price be?
I felt myself melt into the shadows and emerge in front of Luke. A magical blast from Djinn sent him flying. He oozed blood and fire from his wounds and his form dissipated again.
I felt tendrils of black extend from my back and crawl around the pedestal where the Etherium Key was perched. Strong and delicate, the shadows twisted around the metallic arms holding the Pendulum in place and sapped the energy, all that precious Prime. The arms crumbled to dust and the shadow tendrils held the device, grasping it like a hand. I willed the shadows back, bringing the device towards me. I felt the shadows claw at the power inside the device, trying to wrench out more energy.
No, I thought. If I allowed my power to get stronger I could lose control. I could lose myself to the darkness and the mindlessness that followed.
So instead I willed my shadows to reverse themselves, to become the power source for the device. My intention was to overload the Etherium Key with such a huge input of energy that it would shut down the rift. Perhaps not the most subtle of strategies, but my options were limited.
I felt something break inside the device and the connection to the other dimension disappeared. My shadows exploded around me and evaporated. All of my energy left me and I fell to the ground, once again devoid of any superpowers.
"What the fuck are you?" Luke held onto the edge of the roof, using the ledge to prop himself up. His skin was burnt off and his blood evaporated as soon as it left his body.
I pried the device from my clenched fingers and dropped it on the ground. Slowly, I lifted my head to look over the horizon. The rift was still there, an extra-dimensional gaping hole, with a whole other world behind it superimposed on our own.
Why the hell didn't it work?
As if to answer my question, the wind gathered violently. A particularly violent and obnoxious gust solidified into Mephisto in front of me. His polished dress shoes gently touched the ground, and he offered me a devious smile.
"Tut, tut. Not the best of your improvisations, Master Erik."
I got up and picked the discarded Etherium Key from the ground. "Why didn't it close?"
"You merely overloaded the device," he coolly replied. "Dimensional magic doesn't respond to brute force. However, the good news is that the portal can no longer grow and its progress has been temporarily halted."
"Lemme guess," I said. "The bad news is there's no way to close it now."
"Precisely." He held out a white-gloved hand. "Not unless you give me the device to return to Master Gil. She can repair it, reactivate it, and close the rift."
I plopped it into his hand. "Tell her to hurry."
"That I shall." He turned to leave and pointed at Luke. "Shall I dispose of him?"
"A demon?" Luke spat in my direction. Judging from his expression, he'd never seen one, but most likely paid enough attention in class to know they were not good news.
He let out a blast of flame and shot himself in the air. Bad idea. The sky was Mephisto's playground. Luke's propulsion suddenly halted, as the demon used his dominion over the air itself to hold him in place, fifteen feet above ground.
"Let him go," I ordered.
The demon smiled and released his grip. Luke careened in midair, before he regained control and flew off.
"That's one you owe me, kid," I yelled.
Mephisto chuckled. "That's the wrong creature to be attaining favors from."
"What do you mean?"
He pointed to the side, where a little gir
l with pretty blonde hair, a pretty dress and giant disproportionate angel wings, appeared from nowhere. Mephisto disappeared in a gust of wind, leaving me alone with Jehudiel.
Chapter 16
"Where's Raphael?"
Angels. Was there a blunter, colder, more uptight species in the known multiverse?
Jehudiel's little girl form strode up to me and somehow managed to stare me down. I had no idea how a four-foot prepubescent brat could stare down a full grown, nearly-six-feet-tall guy, but then again, my life was full of short women who constantly made me feel uncomfortable. It was like a running gag at this point.
I shrugged. "How the hell should I know?" I said. "Your boy went on a homicidal rampage and tried to kill me. I try not to stalk those types."
Jehudiel was having none of my backtalk. "Erik Ashendale."
Why do people only use your full name when you're in deep shit? Is that written somewhere?
"You were tasked with working in tandem with Heaven's emissary," he said. "And yet, you attack him."
"He was killing innocents," I retorted.
Jehudiel rolled his eyes. "Innocents? The last few maybe but the rest were perverts and thieves."
"And that makes it all right to murder them in cold blood? The fuck kinda angels are you?"
His wings flared, canvassing my entire field of vision with bright light. "I am not in the mood to tolerate your insolence. You will find Raphael, and you will lead him to the Sin.”
"Okay, listen up Feather-face." My heart was pounding loudly against my chest, and I resisted the urge to scream my next sentences at him. "You remember me telling you not to mess with my world anymore? Well, Raphael is a problem. I don't care if he's allowed to smite people back on your home turf, but over here, that shit's not gonna fly."
"Watch your tongue, human," he began.
"And you better watch yourself, angel," I shot back. "Raphael is your problem, not mine. Just because you can't keep your bitch in line, don't come crying to me."
I knew I had crossed a line as soon as I heard the words come out of my mouth.
Jehudiel's powers shook the entire building, glass exploding outward and cracks snaking along the walls. Below, empty cars flattened and the sky thundered angrily.
"Go on," I challenged. "Take me out. Then who's gonna fight your Sins for you, huh? Who's gonna step up and take my place in destiny?"
For the longest of seconds, I actually thought he was going to smite me and then hold auditions for the next supposedly predestined shmuck to fight the Seven Deadly Sins from toppling the delicate balance of our universe.
But then I felt his powers recede by a fraction.
"Next time you disrespect Heaven, I will show no mercy," he growled.
Despite every iota in my body telling me not to, I stepped towards the angel until we were so close, static electricity arced in between us. "And next time one of you even dares harm a human, there will be hell to pay. I don't care how bad those people are, you do not dish out justice like that on my turf. So next time you make a threat, you better deliver, and deliver good. 'Cause if you don't leave me dead, I'll come back, and I'll hunt every last one of you. Got that, Angel Boy?"
Jehudiel's wings shrunk back, and his influence was no more. He gave me a look of utter disdain, as if completely disgusted not just by me, but my entire species. "I thought better of you, Erik."
"Ditto on that."
He cocked his head. "I wonder, what will you do about the Sin?"
"What do you mean, what am I going to do about it?" I pointed at the rift. "Same thing I always do. I'll find it, I'll kill it somehow, and save the day."
"Without the Virtue to help you, that would be impossible."
"Says who?" I challenged. "Some prophecy written a billion years ago? Call me a skeptic, but I only believe in what a person can or cannot do. That's the only prophecy I go by." I looked into his incandescent blue eyes, way too beautiful to belong in our universe, and said, "I'll fight without Raphael's help, and I will win. Because I have to."
Jehudiel remained silent and just nodded.
"The issue still remains," he said, walking towards the ledge. "You have a rogue angel roaming loose on this plane. I shall bring Heaven's forces to find him and bring him back to the light."
"The hell you will," I replied.
Jehudiel gave me a curious look, one which I returned with a glare. No angels on my turf—how fucking hard was that to remember?
"I'll find him," I said. "After this whole thing is over, I'll find him and bring him to you."
Jehudiel just stared at me for what seemed like an eternity, before finally nodding. He took one step over the ledge and disappeared, leaving behind only a disturbing memory, accompanied by the sound of flapping wings and one lucky-to-be-alive wizard. I let out a sigh. That could have gone wrong very fast and very easy. If I had one superpower, it was pissing off powerful people at the worst possible time.
My eye caught the shift of energy on the horizon again. That rift wasn't going to close itself, and I could still feel that pull towards it.
"Ah, fuck it all," I yelled over the ledge.
One problem at a time, Erik. Close the damn portal to an invading world and then worry about psychotic angels and their uptight bosses.
***
I had never been to the Navy Pier Festival Hall at Lake Michigan. Seemed like the kind of place I would avoid, what with the history, the high class act, and all that crap. If I wanted that charade, I might as well have gone to live back at my old place. Still, even a Neanderthal like myself could appreciate such an architectural monument.
Now it looked like a battlefield—which I supposed was exactly what it had become.
Jack, the metal elemental, was the first one I recognized: a dark figure dashing around large aquatic monsters that rose from the shores of Lake Michigan and climbed awkwardly onto the pier. He sliced, diced, and shot as many as he could but the bad guys were quite large and tough, as bad guys tended to be.
Next to him, Abi's red hair and golden staff were a sight to behold. She fought like an Amazon, creating mirages of herself to distract the enemy and then going in for the kill: simple and effective.
Amaymon was simpler. The demon wore a smile and a few gallons of blue-green blood as he grabbed one of the monsters and ripped it apart. His claws met another's face, tearing it off, and by the time the second creature died, he was already killing a third monster.
And yet, they were losing.
The monsters were like overgrown anthropomorphic fish, with thick legs and arms, and a flattened fish head with rows of teeth. Their scales went from blue to green to black, catching small glints of sunlight. A fish tail swung behind them like a rudder, counterbalancing their hunched figures. Most had a large spiny fin coming from their backs. In their thick, muscled hands they held a variety of weapons—axes, spears, hammers, clubs, swords. All of their weapons were made from bone, sharp stone and wood. The creatures moved in a heaving motion, taking heavy steady steps. With every movement they made, three wide gills on the side of their necks flared open with a wet slopping sound and exhaled air. But their movements were only labored until they were close enough to swing their weapons. Then it was a quick, heavy blow with all that mass behind it.
There were legions of them, slicing through Lake Michigan like sharks and then climbing awkwardly on land. That was when I realized that I'd been looking at the wrong direction all along. The portal wasn't the mass of ethereal energy swirling in the sky. That was just steam from a kettle.
The real portal was underwater. The invading dimension wasn't crushing down from above, but rising upwards from beneath the waters of the lake.
"Erik. Incoming!"
I barely registered Amaymon's warning, but still managed to duck out of the way. The space my head occupied less than a second ago was snared by a pair of jaws and the monster slammed harmlessly on the ground. It looked like a cross between an eel and a dragon. A long, slimy, serpentine body, wit
h a fish tail and a pair of large fins on each side that flared open like wings on a glider. Its head was like an eel's except it had jaws that unhinged and teeth the size of my fingers that curled backwards.
The monster coiled its body and launched itself into the air, gliding away. It circled around and nose-dived at me again. I pulled my gun out in a flash and squeezed the trigger, once. That was enough to turn whatever that creature was into jelly.
I spun and walked towards Amaymon with a steady pace, picking off Fish Men as I went along. They took a couple of bullets to put down, but I channeled magic into each shot. I reached Amaymon, slammed my back against his, and reached for a fresh clip from my coat.
"What are we fighting?" I yelled over the sounds of battle.
The demon couldn't be more delighted with this battle. He had chunks of rock floating in the air and constantly projected them into the monsters.
"Sahuagin," he replied.
I dodged a spear, directing it away from my face and the back of Amaymon's head. My gun went under the Fish Man's chin and blasted his head off.
"Bullshit. Seriously, man, what's going on?"
Amaymon let out a bark of laughter. "You think I'd fuck with you now?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Well, I'm not."
"Sahuagin are fictional. I played enough Dungeons and Dragons to know," I shot back.
"Those fuckers who invented the game were wizards themselves. Thought it was funny to tell ninety-nine percent of the real story and fill the gaps with bullshit," he pointed out. "Gotta admit, though. They made the game work. Mostly because most of that shit is real."
I blocked a little too late and the club whacked me on the head. Now that Amaymon had pointed it out, there was no other way to describe these monsters other than Sahuagin from that role-playing game. I shot my attacker and heard the gun click empty.
"So what are those?" I asked as I reloaded my weapon and fired off at another of those flying eel monsters.
"Looks like Wurms to me."
But Wurms were usually forest-dwelling giant centipedes with a penchant for eating... well, just about everything, really. Except plastic bottles, funnily enough. Nothing can digest that.