by J. J. Egosi
“You’d like a beating as well? Perhaps to avenge your love rival over there?” Hecate said, indicating Julianna’s body. “Very gallant, but also foolish.”
“That’s partially right. However,” Isabella looked into Hecate’s now puzzled stare. “The only one getting a beating here is you!”
Hecate laughed. “You? Beat me? Last time I checked, you’re just a spoiled aristocrat whose only way of getting out of trouble is by buying her way out of it. Isn’t that it? You’re hoping to buy Michael from me? To save that pretty face of yours from getting hurt.”
“Never,” Isabella replied. “Even with all the money in the world, you still couldn’t put a price on him.”
“Oh? I thought you aristocrats bought and sold people all the time?”
“Not this one. He’s precious. If you harm one hair on him, you’ll be sorry!”
“It looks like the heiress grew herself a heart. Too bad she doesn’t have a brain.”
“Take that back!” Isabella swung her fist in Hecate’s direction, only for it to be intercepted. Hecate grabbed Isabella’s wrist and grinned maliciously.
“Just look how weak you are!”
“Let go,” Isabella said through gritted teeth.
“You’re nothing without your money or your boyfriend to bail you out. How about I just put you out of your misery? You can join the assassin six feet under.”
With a look of disdain, Hecate hurled Isabella into the dirt. She laughed at her ragged state as she struggled to stand.
“You cunt. Stop pretending you know me!”
Isabella got to her feet. Her breathing fell heavily.
“Oh? Did I speak out of turn?” Hecate struck Isabella in the face with her fist. However, this time, she was intercepted by Isabella, who caught her fist in her hand. Hecate’s eyes widened. “You’re really serious about fighting me? Even with no familiars or unholy relics to help you?”
Isabella laughed as she pushed Hecate away. “You think you can read people like open books, don’t you? Well, guess what? You don’t know anything about us, so how about you fight me like a woman? I won’t take no for an answer!”
“Very well. I haven’t gone slumming in a while; this should be fun.”
“We’ll see who’s slumming it with who,” Isabella said, releasing her wings.
“Indeed, we shall,” Hecate said, summoning her ax.
They took to the air for their battle as the rain finally ceased.
“Time to see what the little jewelry heiress is made of!” Hecate swung her ax at Isabella, grazing her across the cheek.
“You’re fast!” Isabella felt the blood trickle down her face.
“No, you’re just slow.”
Hecate swung at her again, cutting into her arm this time.
Isabella painstakingly applied pressure to her arm with her hand to stop the bleeding.
“Do you really think you can take me on? You do know I was holding back during my last battle, right?”
Hecate swung again. This time, she missed entirely. She was shocked to see that her opponent was fast enough to avoid it.
“I’m sure you were. I don’t care. I’ll still beat you,” said Isabella. Her confidence refused to falter, as did the arrogance of her opponent.
Hecate grinned. “How foolish.”
Isabella couldn’t understand how a woman could devote such loyalty to a man who would never return the sentiment. Then it hit her, the two of them carried this same trait. Realizing this brought her to tears. She refused to falter in hopes of changing the way he saw her.
Just before Hecate’s ax could strike Isabella’s face, she caught it in between her hands.
“It seems you’re just as outspoken as the assassin. Very well. I think it’s time I bring this battle to the next level. Rather, the final level.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re about to see!” A purple ring appeared on Hecate’s finger. It oozed with a blackened aura that coursed across her entire hand.
“Where the hell did that come from?” Isabella was mystified at the ring that had seemingly appeared from thin air.
“Nothing is more important to me than my master. And I, his most loyal servant, am most important to him,” Hecate said as the weather turned. The wind blew violently, the ground began to crack. Distant volcanoes erupted.
“What’s going on?! What did you do?”
Hecate smirked.
“Tell me!” Isabella viciously demanded.
“Remember when I said the Legion of Morningstar seeks to collect all seven titans? Well, you’re about to experience the true power of one!”
“Wait, you’re about to summon one right here? I thought you could only summon familiars?!” Isabella panicked.
“Titans are familiars as well. And with this ring, I summon my strongest familiar.”
Fear grew in Isabella’s eyes as she slowly turned around. Earthquakes, storms, and magma spewing eruptions were now all Isabella could hear. She watched in horror as the massive mountain that had been silent this whole time reshaped itself and took a new form. It stood taller than anything Isabella had ever seen before. The creature had volcanic legs, arms crafted from rushing waterfalls, and a woodland based torso and head. It was mother nature made flesh.
Hecate laughed as the beast took form. She looked out into the distance and began to chant. She spoke in a language Isabella didn’t recognize; smooth and melodic. An enchanting tongue cast from the most vibrant forests and yet delivered in a most heinous spirit.
“Mighty protector of the earth, awaken from your slumber. Together may we crush our foe with haste and without mercy. Come forth, my servant! Quorthon, titan of the fourth dimension!”
The titan’s roar nearly knocked Isabella over.
“That’s a titan?! I’ve never seen anything so huge!”
“They are devastating creatures indeed. Master entrusted me with this titan for the sole purpose of crushing anyone who might get in my way in my mission to retrieve the archangel. Initially, I was only supposed to use it against him if he gave me any trouble, but since I’m feeling particularly sadistic today, I think I’ll use it on you.”
“Your master…” Isabella stared up in awe and terror and the gargantuan beast. “Who is he?”
Hecate smirked. “I thought you’d never ask. You may have already guessed, but my master and the demon king are one and the same.”
“Which means…”
“Which means your boyfriend is his greatest adversary. And you, my friend, stand as the enemy of his most trusted servant.” A twisted grin formed on Hecate’s face; she delighted in the mortified stare of Isabella.
“This whole time, the legend of the archangel and the demon king has been unraveling before our eyes.” Isabella stared up in terror.
“Forfeit now! Or fall!”
“I won’t.”
“Excuse me?” Hecate scoffed in derision.
Isabella clenched her fists. “That titan might be big, but that doesn’t mean it’s unbeatable!”
“Oh, believe me. It is! With no magical abilities at your disposal, this battle is already over!”
“No magic? I’ll have you know I’m the greatest healer in the Dark Realm!” said Isabella, healing the wounds she gained from Hecate’s ax. “Not only that, but I have Michael to fight for as well as the memory of Julianna. I can’t let them down.”
“Talk all you want. You’ll need more than talks of friendship and healing if you hope to stand against the unbridled force of a titan!”
“You’re right,” said Isabella. “Talk is cheap. It’s time to show you what I’ve got.” She confidently flew up to the beast and prepared to launch her first attack.
Releasing her wings, Hecate followed her in intrigue. “Arrogant bitch! You’ll never win.”
“We’ll just see about that.”
“Yes, we will. Quorthon, attack with your volcanic stomp, right now!” Hecate angrily said.
The mighty titan d
id as commanded. The titan raised its foot and unleashed molten flames upon the misty air.
From her left hand, Isabella sent out a dark enchantment towards the titan. It took the shape of several blackened orbs. Each bore the silhouette of a face which ached with the last of its life. They glowed brightly as they rushed towards their target.
“What kind of fool attacks with a healing spell?” Hecate said in bewilderment.
The attack didn’t seem to faze the titan. It bounced off the titan’s foot and struck Isabella instead, nearly knocking her out of the sky.
“I knew you were worthless, but you didn’t have to prove me right so easily.”
“I’m no fool. I just believe in my magic.” Isabella sent an attack towards the chest of Quorthon.
“Ridiculous. Only an imbecile would believe in the nonsense you’re sputtering.”
“As long as I have Michael, I still believe.”
Isabella grew frustrated watching her many consecutive attacks make no impact on the titan.
“You say you believe, but your attacks aren’t even phasing my beast. What sort of idiot do you take me for?”
“A losing one.”
Isabella sent out another healing attack, this time towards Quorthon’s waterfall arms. Once again, the attack didn’t so much as leave a mark.
“How sad.” Hecate grinned at the tears of fatigue that rolled down Isabella’s face. “Your weak healing magic can’t destroy a single body part.”
“No, my magic...”
“Just as I suspected, you’re all bark and no bite!”
“That’s not true. I still believe I can win this, as long as I have Michael,” Isabella refuted as she swiped away the sweat rolling down her face.
“Well, you don’t have him! He’s dying, Julianna’s dead, and you’re about to join them both. You’re a fucking embarrassment of a demon.”
Isabella quivered at the sound of the roaring titan. From its mouth came a massive tornado that twisted and turned like an ivory spiral, ceaselessly pouring. It came rushing towards her.
Isabella felt as though she was hypnotized by the oncoming storm. She resisted all she could. Her wings beat against the current. She fought back with more of her healing magic.
None of it was enough to save her.
She could feel herself being dragged inside the tempest winds. Only the echo of her screams was left behind for her opponent to hear.
Hecate grinned on with elation. The titan prepared its final move.
The flowing waters of its arm slowly turned to ice. The air chilled. It froze everything in its path, along with the tornado; everything inside was isolated, including Isabella. The tempest fist came crushing down.
Hecate flew up to the now frozen hurricane to finish her off. “Now, I think it’s time to give this rich bitch a good burning. Quorthon, set her ablaze!” The titan’s foot stomped into the center of the frozen tornado, shattering it in the discharge of smoldering lava.
“That was too easy!” Hecate returned to the ground to take her victory lap through the valley, which was now covered in molten lava on one side and towering shards of ice on the other.
Isabella’s body was nowhere to be found.
Hecate studied the bodies of Julianna and Michael, unable to conceal her pleasure.
“I killed those two whores and captured the archangel for you, Master. I hope you’re now finally willing to take me as your lover and bride!” A single tear rolled down her face.
A crack sounded through the lava and ice. Hecate saw something move in the storm, rising above.
Hecate’s eyes widened as Isabella soared high into the air. Unharmed and with a menacing glare in her eyes.
“You’re still alive?!” She was in utter disbelief.
“Did you really think I’d go down that easily?”
“But how? You should be dead! Just what the hell are you?”
Isabella flew down and landed in front of Hecate. “You know, we have a lot in common, you and I. We’re willing to put it all on the line for the ones we love. Perhaps I was too quick to judge you. Or, maybe you’re just not as devoted to your master as I am to Michael.”
“Ridiculous! I would do anything for him.”
“Really? Would you die for him? I’d die for Michael any day.”
“You spent your whole life tormenting that man until he resented you. What sort of devotion is that?”
“There’s a secret I never told Michael. A secret from my past about my heritage.
“You see, the parents I grew up with were not parents to me. They were tyrants. They beat me every day as a way of motivating me to become a strong businesswoman. They hoped that I’d one day rule over the Asmodai estate in their stead.”
“What does any of this have to do with Michael?” Hecate demanded.
“I’m glad you asked.” Isabella smiled. “They worried that being an only child wouldn’t give me the competitive edge I needed, so they decided to adopt a son. They thought I would work harder if there was a rival to my inheritance if I failed. At such a young age, I was just excited about having a brother, especially such a handsome one. I remember my parents insisting that they pick the child for me, but seeing that little boy with the snow-white hair in that orphanage, my heart skipped a beat that day. I had to take him home with me.”
“What a touching story. I think I might just cry,” Hecate sarcastically remarked.
“Then I think you’ll like what I have to say next.”
As determination coursed through Isabella’s being, her aura grew. The crumbled ice and lava surrounding her began to levitate.
“What’s happening?” Hecate stared with trembling eyes, feeling her heart race.
“I wasn’t always the success you see today,” said Isabella. “On my tenth birthday, my parents gave me a gift of ten million gold pieces. However, there was a catch. I would have to return ten times that amount by my next birthday, or Michael would be sent back to the orphanage. What I did was simple: I started buying out fifty-one percent ownership in local jewelry stores. I forced them to pay me back several times what I paid to regain that ownership. I had my hundred million gold pieces before lunch.”
“What a heartless tyrant. To think of the number of lives you must have destroyed.”
“More than I can count,” Isabella replied without a shred of remorse. “I realized just how easy it was to take advantage of others. I knew I had to be the one to decide my future, starting with the taking over of my family’s business.”
“Quite the traitor. No wonder your parents beat you.”
“You’ll really think so after you hear this. With the money I had accumulated with my endeavors, no one saw me buying out shares of my future company so easily. However, my father caught on and stopped me when I had reached forty-nine percent ownership. Unfortunately for him, I’d convinced Michael to hold on to two percent ownership, for when the time finally came.”
“So, you really-”
Isabella smiled. “Inevitably, my father lashed out in more ways than one. He said he’d sell me to the circus, like the demon scum I am, for trying to take his business from under his nose. You can imagine how angry he must have been when I had Michael take part in my plan to overthrow the company. After all, he lost everything that day. The people who were once my parents were now my servants.”
“How deplorable,” Hecate said with disgust. “How could you treat your parents like that?”
“Because those people were never my parents.”
“I beg your pardon?” Hecate said, taken aback.
“Like I said earlier, there’s a secret regarding my heritage. I was adopted as well. They picked me up at an auction. I was purchased like some cheap painting.”
Isabella lost herself in the memories now. She’d been caged and placed on a large stage. Disreputable individuals had placed their bids on her until somebody won and changed her life forever.
“How unfortunate.” Hecate was devoid of any sympathy
for either side.
“They spent years trying to reclaim their wealth in hopes of overthrowing me. Naturally, the fools failed. I oversaw that house, and everyone knew it! However, as time passed, I lost sight of what really mattered.
“Because Michael was an illegal citizen, I had a reputation to uphold. I couldn’t show him any affection, and I certainly couldn’t marry him. Instead, I had to beat him senseless to set an example for my workers. I also had to show them that I shared the same attitude towards illegals in the Dark Realm. That they can’t be trusted.”
“You let money get in the way of your heart. Spoken like a true heiress.”
“You’re right,” her sudden anguish took Hecate by surprise.
“I took control of my family’s business, but at what cost? I have more money than I could ever need, but the one thing I do need, I don’t have. Because I acted like a fool. If you take him away from me, I swear by the weight of all the money I’ve ever made and the lives I’ve ruined, I’ll fucking destroy you!”
The levitating debris around Isabella shattered as her aura continued to grow.
“What’s this?” Hecate stumbled back, overwhelmed by the sudden surge of magical energy filling the air with the arcane fragrance of spells.
Isabella screamed in pain. Her eyes suddenly darkened, and her pupils slit into something like that of a dragon. Hecate watched them change, shaking with unfathomable dread.
“What’s happening to you?!”
Isabella continued to scream. Her aura grew. Black shadows infected the misty air with their inky presence. She grew black horns and a triangular pointed tail.
“This can’t be!” Hecate pleaded. “You can’t be…”
Isabella’s screams ceased. Hecate’s jaw dropped. Isabella’s wings beat fervently through her blistering aura, sending it billowing deeper into the air.
“You’re an ethereal demon.”
Isabella slowly marched towards Hecate. Every floating stone and shard around her was crushed, without Isabella having to twitch a finger.
“I’ve heard of the legend of the ethereal demons,” said Hecate. Her heart thundered against her chest. “You’ve unlocked your full potential by overcoming the darkness within. They say the world only bares one of your kind every thousand years. I thought they were only stories!”