Daniel replied, “Are you sure? How do you know this?”
Lucille answered, “I still have some influence and powerful friends on the inside that have appreciated my years of service to them, unlike some others. Noah, our leader has broken his alliance and declared war on Lucifer.”
Goliath asked, “What changed their minds?”
Lucille answered, “I’m not sure, but they’ve killed and hanged a Demon Master Arch who used to go by the name Nicholas. Moreover, they’ve killed hundreds more onboard their ship. That should bring enough assurance.”
Daniel said, “Ahh, Nicholas … we knew him very well. He used to be one of us, another traitor to our kingdom.”
Lucille continued, “Unfortunately, good news must come with its bad. Lucifer had the Children of Time eliminated.”
Adam replied, “These Devils are such cowards! Killing adolescents? We must eradicate them all!”
The news hit Adam the hardest, and he left the scene in search of more Demons to eliminate.
“Where is he going?” Lucille asked.
“Trouble him not. This night has fallen to its pillars. He can take care of himself. It will take a complete miracle to restore order in this place,” Abdeen answered.
Daniel said, “It is up to us to bring forth such a miracle, Brother, by any means. We must not give up.”
Goliath said, “Children of Time? What would be the result of their death?”
Lucille answered Goliath, “Nothing to you Immortals, but a huge dilemma to man. You stop time … man cannot age. It would be as if we were Immortal too, almost gods. I must admit, despite the pleasure of knowing I will live forever, time brings balance and meaning to life; and it is a fair warning to us all that each day should not be wasted. Besides, we don’t want the ones controlled by Devils to share such a gift. So I’ll come to terms with having an expiration date.”
Daniel replied, “I see Lucifer’s strategy and the importance of making an alliance with the Dark Graduates. Only they knew the whereabouts of the Children of Time. Once the Children of Time are out of the way, the Dark Graduates would serve no more purpose to them, and eventually he would have them eliminated.”
Goliath asked, “Wait a minute. If they were all slaughtered, wouldn’t it be a too late for the Dark Graduates to have a change of heart?”
Lucille replied, “Unless one of the Children of Time survived the attack, or else was fortunate enough to be absent at the time.”
“Incoming!” They heard Adam’s voice in the distance, as they watched him running in their direction. Judging by the Demon blood on his attire, he had been in a long, hard, fight. Over a dozen Demons gave chase and fired upon them.
“Take cover!” Daniel shouted as they separated. Lasers ricocheted off of Adam’s crystalized impenetrable skin, but his fatigue caused it to transition back into humanoid form.
Abdeen broke the golden chains and released the two Lions of Fire from his Chariot. They trampled Demons underfoot, mauled and devoured them. At the same time, Abdeen gave aid, mercilessly chopping a few down with his elemental flaming sword.
Lucille fired in an alleyway full of fiends, disintegrating pieces of flesh on impact.
Daniel summoned a ghost funnel, which twisted and decapitated every Demon in its path. It vanished into a wall, leaving it stained with blood. Drained of his energy, he took cover behind a parked van.
“Impressive, but you’ve exerted too much energy for that technique,” Goliath playfully mocked as he smashed some Demons with his new sledgehammer axe. It took only a few moments to completely dissect the small Demonic fleet.
“Ok, let’s move East,” Abdeen ordered.
After overhearing their conversation about the Children of Time, Capricorn unleashed a swarm of Dead Rising. “Get the woman. She will take me to my cousin. Make sure no harm comes to her!”
“You were warned to stay out of my way, there is nothing I can do for you.” He unleashed his swarm of Dead Rising upon them.
“Damn you, boy!” Goliath charged and met him in combat. They exchanged gifts while the rest fought with the dead.
“Thank the Heavens, Remiel, Brother. You’re here,” Virtues greeted Remiel and the rest of his fleet shortly after their arrival. They saw the Cathedral under construction and heavily guarded by well-equipped Archangels of different origins.
Remiel replied, “Yes, good to see you too, Brother. Is Elizabeth all right? Was her passage a safe one?”
Virtues answered, “Yes, she is doing well. She’s expecting you in the Cathedral. Its well-being has been verified. It is safe to enter.”
Remiel entered the Cathedral with his group of Archangels. They unfastened their armor and placed it on a table along with their special weapons, but kept it within eyesight. They rested and merged with the other Archangels present. One lay down by the fountain, while another added more wood to a fireplace nearby to stay warm. Remiel went to have a word with the pending Pope.
Elizabeth greeted Remiel. “Ah yes, Remiel you’ve made it. Did you bring the Scrolls?”
Remiel answered, “Yes, we’ve taken a lot of Star Gates to get here.” He handed her three Scrolls containing arcane writing. One contained coordinates to a specific location. She briefly read the Scrolls before handing them over to some of her best men. They left to secure the Scrolls in a secret section of the Cathedral.
“My God,” Remiel said to himself as they returned with Giants, each one of them well-aware of their duties to protect the new Pope.
The Giants had been right under the former Pope’s nose, who never knew they existed, or else just never knew the encryption to release them from confinement. Nelson, standing eighteen feet tall and leader of the twelve Giants they had unlocked, did not leave Pope Elizabeth’s side.
Elizabeth spoke, “Thank you, Remiel. You’ve done well. After you and your men have fully rested, you are to return to Heaven’s Gates at once. More of your service is needed there.”
Remiel said, “Yes. Thank you, Your Excellency.”
After a few hours, Remiel departed with his group to the Kingdom of Heaven, and was given one Giant to assure his safety on his journey.
“WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS?”
Out of sight, the former Pope watched Remiel and his colleagues exit the Cathedral. They walked down the lengthy stairs and boarded an awaiting spacecraft. They departed shortly after.
Scorpio spoke, “It appears that you’ve been dethroned.”
“You find that amusing, boy?” the former Pope replied.
Scorpio asked, “What are you going to do?”
The former Pope answered, “Don’t worry your little head about that, Zodiac. Whoever this new Pope imposter is, I will make sure his reign is short-lived.”
They left their hiding place and continued searching for their missing Zodiac associates. They saw Oseem, the Demon Archangel, regrouping with a huge mass of soldiers in a discreet location. After barely fleeing the former Pope’s underground fortress from a vengeance seeking Aries, he radioed in for more men.
“Look who it is. Lucifer will have all of our heads on spikes over your foolishness. Why the fuck would you kill the Zodiac’s boy before her services were fulfilled?” Oseem yelled at the former Pope.
“You killed Aries’ Son? No wonder this whole mission has turned to shit!” Scorpio responded.
The former Pope answered, “What? How did she find out? That’s impossible!”
Oseem continued, “You idiot. The Pursuers slaughtered everyone inside, and the heir that you kept secret from everyone is among the dead. I should kill you myself right here and now.”
The former Pope yelled, “Watch your tongue, Devil! At the end of this night, I might very well have gained my throne and be sitting on it. You would not dare speak to me that way without suffering the severest of consequences.”
Oseem replied, “Ha! We’ll see about that. Have you looked around lately? We must clean up your mess!”
The former Pope said, “
We were going to kill him anyway, so what does it matter?”
Oseem remarked, “You’ll find out how much of a fool you are soon enough. It doesn’t matter who gets to you first … Lucifer or Aries. Oh, she has it out for you. The least you can do is get this Zodiac to these coordinates. Troy will arrive there soon for the remaining Zodiacs, and you had better hope no more have fallen this night, Pope. Taurus and Virgo are already on their way to the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon.”
With over a thousand Demon Archangels behind him, Oseem threw a Scroll over to the former Pope, and marched into the city.
The former Pope yelled, “Wait! Where are you going?”
Oseem answered, “To retrieve the other Zodiacs. Those were strict orders given to me. Unlike you, I prefer to return to the Dark Kingdom with my mission fully executed.”
The former Pope’s poor decision registered. He failed in keeping Aries content, and he knew she trudged the streets in search of blood. He became nervous and distraught.
“Well, you heard him. Whenever you’re done urinating in your robe, let’s move on to those coordinates,” Scorpio said scornfully to the former Pope.
The former Pope replied, “How dare you insult me? I am still the Pope, you little bastard!”
Previously, he never would’ve spoken to the Pope in such a manner, but this one deserved no respect. “You are shit! Give me that damn Scroll, or I’ll take it from you myself.”
The former Pope had had enough of the Zodiac’s total disregard of his status. “Fuck you! There will always be another Scorpio, and he will have some god-damned respect!” His fangs surfaced from his mouth, and his eyes became pitch black. His wrinkled skin strengthened, and his nails morphed into claws. With his identity intact, the Vampeer Pope moved in on the Zodiac. Scorpio smiled, having a hard time taking the Vampeer seriously.
The Zodiac’s quick reflexes made it easy to dodge the former Pope’s attack. “Ha-ha, you cannot touch me. For a Vampeer, you move like a bitch.” He carried on until the former Pope used his robe to blind the Zodiac and knocked him across the street into a small cluster of garbage barrels. Scorpio got up and examined the three gashes across his chest.
The former Pope tasted the Zodiac’s blood dripping from his claws, and licked the remnants from his fangs. “Ahh, your blood brings back a pleasant, distant memory … so pure. I am sure I’ve made you aware of the seriousness of this situation, boy. Are you sure you want to continue this?” the former Pope probed.
He had regained Scorpio’s respect. There were no more smiles as the Zodiac gazed upon the blood flowing from the three gashes in his chest. He unsheathed the stinger on his head, and his frame and eyes became as black as a scorpion. His new form uneased the Vampeer Pope, even more so as he watched six arms sprout from his body. “Ah, I see you’ve been holding out since the last time I visited the Queen. Let’s see how you handle all that power, boy,” the former Pope shouted.
He shot venomous toxins. Acid draped the Pope’s shoulder, and he lost an arm. Though injured, Scorpio knew a Vampeer would heal if left unattended for too long. Scorpio moved in and pursued the fleeing former Pope. Heavy rain rinsed the blood-coated streets.
As the former Pope fled, he raised his remaining arm for aid through the blinding rain. To his surprise, he encountered an infuriated Aries. The commotion had drawn her attention. Her eyes danced with fire upon the sight of her Son’s murderer.
“You won’t be needing this,” Scorpio had come up behind a distracted former Pope and grabbed the Scroll containing the coordinates that Oseem had given him. He departed, but not without delivering a fierce sting to the Vampeer’s leg and waving to his Zodiac counterpart. “Greetings, Cousin!” The former Pope lied immobile and helpless. Scorpio left Aries to fulfill her vengeance.
THE DREAM OF A WATCHER
An Earthquake woke a boy out of his sleep. He heard his neighbor’s screams and yells. His Mother ran into his room, grabbed him, and took him to the cellar. There they would join the rest of their family already huddled in one corner of the cellar. The Earth became dark, and its occupants flurried in fear. Its stinger threatened all of humanity, and its sound cracked the Earth’s core. Everything shook violently upon the Mosquito’s landing, and it was not long before its legs became the new pillars of the Earth. After consuming the evils that plagued humanity, it moved on to other constellations in search of more Earths to restore.
That is the end of the Watcher’s Dream.
“MY GOD. SHE LIVES.”
She wiped her sweaty palms on her pant leg. She took a deep breath and reassured herself that everything would be fine. She pushed the doors open and walked into the room. Representatives from near and distant Planets observed. She felt each eye on her. She reassured herself once again and continued down the aisle. Anxious, she stood before them. The Alignment between the Representatives of the Dark Graduates began.
“Come, my child. No one will ever harm you again.” Noah extended his hand to her. Lisa, the last remaining member of the Children of Time took his hand as he escorted her further into the hall for all to see.
The members talked amongst themselves in disbelief.
“At last, there is hope. I had to see this for myself.” Saturn rejoiced, as he and many others stood from their seats to witness the little marvel.
She was only eight years of age … the age she would always be. Her face carried a symbol of time around both of her eyes, similar to roman numerals, but in Immortal writing perceptible only to Archangels. Indeed, an Archangel came before the Dark Graduates to check the authenticity of her existence.
“Don’t worry, he will not harm you,” Noah assured her as Michael approached.
She remained still during the examination. Michael recorded the event in a Scroll and announced her authenticity to everyone in attendance. He departed with his soldiers who waited outside.
“So, this is the child we were all forbidden to see for ages? The one deprived of the ability to age so the rest of us can? Both a gift and a curse.” Jordan, Representative of Venus, said.
“Technically, she must be older than everyone here, including the Vampeers … or even Angels,” Zeer, the Dark Graduate Representative of Mars, pointed out to everyone.
“My apologies, but I’m pretty certain we are not here only to discuss the age of this little girl. I’m sure there are other pressing matters in addition to the Children of Time,” Asq, the Representative for Neptune, countered.
Noah rose up and addressed their statements. “Yes, Asq is right. I brought her here today as collateral. There is still hope for our Universe. Lucifer and his army will not prevail. As we speak, I am sure they are marching on us.”
Genesis, the Representative of Uranus, spoke up. “Why did you eliminate one of his Master Arch’s? You knew that was a declaration of war. When the Dark Graduates were established centuries ago, we swore never to resort to war unless all members of the panel passed it. What has happened to that unity?”
Ephron, the Representative of the Moon, spoke up in agreement with Genesis. “Yes, you could have just escorted them out unharmed.”
Noah said, “Escorted them out unharmed? After what they did to the Children of Time? No, that was unacceptable; and may God help me for not intervening before those Devils boarded my ship. I understand there have been many casualties following the Pursuit of the Zodiacs. When a Zodiac is killed, their Ruling Planet undergoes a violent shift in its atmosphere, resulting in catastrophic events. How are you dealing with your losses?”
Naum, the Representative from Planet Jupiter, answered, “We’ve had many casualties. In addition to the shift, during the rebellion, the Devils attacked our Planet with their Super Satellites. We couldn’t defuse all of them on time as planned. We suffered a casualty count in the millions. It will take years for my Planet to be restored. Yet we are maintaining.”
Lucius, the Representative of Mercury, commented, “Maintaining? That’s easy for you to say. I’ve had countless numbers of casu
alties as well, and many important people perished over the death of Gemini. Restoring Mercury will take a few lifetimes well beyond my reign. We should’ve been more involved in this, but yet we were ordered to turn our heads and await execution!”
Noah said, “We have all suffered casualties. However, we have done the right thing by not intervening. By intervening, you would be breaking our Covenant, and I don’t need to remind you of the repercussions.” Looking around he saw that not many agreed with him. He continued, “If Michael hadn’t departed so soon, he would have approved my decision. Aru, you offered some encouraging words at our last meeting by way of satellite. I told you I would restore order. Do you have anything to add? An apology maybe?”
Aru, the Representative of the People of the Sun, sat there motionless with a wrinkled face. Noah couldn’t figure out if Aru envied his regained presidency or suffered losses during the Pursuit of the Zodiacs.
Asq, the Representative of Neptune, queried, “But what awaits us? Our Zodiac predecessor has yet to fall.”
Lucius, the Representative of Mercury, answered rather pessimistically, “You had better hope and pray he or she survives. Come to my World if you are having doubt. It’s all fucked up there.”
Noah interrupted, “That language is not acceptable here, Lucius.”
Lucius was having none of it and challenged Noah. “Oh, but the slaughter of innocent children is?”
Infuriated, Noah banged on the table. “That is enough! I’ve had it with your conduct! We all knew what the risks were dealing with this Pursuit. Whether we agreed to it or not, we must abide by the laws of the Dark Graduates. The same laws you yourselves have signed with your own blood. Oaths have been sworn, and that’s the end of it. And, that being said, this marks the end of our meeting!”
Some settled with Noah’s ruling, while others disagreed vehemently. All of the Representatives and their associates headed towards the exits.
Pursuit of the Zodiacs Page 46