A Soulless Year Three

by Eva Brandt

  Cain instantly stopped laughing and wiped his eyes. “Not at all,” he answered, no longer showing any sign of his previous anguish. “Are you ready for the ritual?”

  “More or less,” Lucifer replied, “although there is still something that we have to discuss before we go any further.”

  As he spoke, his consorts all trailed into the room. Alyssa was holding Hope, while Mikael and Callum were helping her along. She sat down on an armchair and fixed us with a determined expression.

  “We have several problems here which we need to deal with,” she explained. “I’m the first one. I feel a little better now, but I’m not confident I’m well enough to contain the Power of Hope for much longer.”

  Right. Lucifer and I had already discussed that earlier. “And how do you propose we solve that?” I asked.

  “I’ll get right to it,” Alyssa replied. “The second problem is Cain’s brother. I’m told he’s somewhere in The Mortal Realm, causing mischief. This ties in with the recent demon rebellion and with a possible conflict with The Celestial Realm.”

  When she put it like that, it sounded very selfish of us to focus on bringing Delilah back and trapping her soul. But even so, I had no intention of changing my mind, and I didn’t think Alyssa expected me to.

  “If you’re telling us this, I assume you have a plan, maybe something that involves Delilah.”

  Alyssa nodded. “Delilah has already returned, on her own.” She frowned and rubbed her forehead, as if uncertain. “Or she will, soon. I can sense her, but I don’t completely trust my powers right now. In any case, I believe she will go after one of her Watchers. She might be angry, but she’ll want to see them and make sure they’re safe.”

  “How could you possibly know that?” Cain asked.

  Alyssa arched a brow at him. “The Power of Hope touches souls. I touched hers when we were on the Schwarz pack lands.”

  Oh, okay. That made sense. It was also scary as fuck, but I decided to not say that.

  “If she’s not back, we’ll use the ritual to contact her,” Lucifer said, “but let’s hope that’s not necessary.”

  I didn’t like his sedate tone. “And why is that?”

  “The second part requires some subterfuge,” Alyssa replied in Lucifer’s stead. “As you know, I am a Vessel of Hope. I can’t extract this power from myself and no known ritual can do it either, not without killing me. But I think Delilah can do it.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. Was she serious? Delilah was powerful, yes, but that didn’t mean she’d play along with The Infernal Realm’s games just because Alyssa wanted her to. “That’s… a lot to ask for. Do you really trust Delilah so much?”

  “I don’t trust her, no,” Alyssa answered. “She has no reason to help me or believe in me, just like I have no reason to help her and believe in her. But I do trust the powers that granted her the skills she is using.”

  “I find that a little hard to believe, Alyssa. You’ve known she was the Grim Reaper’s chosen for some time, and you still tried to kill her.”

  Alyssa didn’t flinch at my accusation. “I don’t know why The Grim Reaper chose her of all people to wield the Power of Death. When we first realized who she was, we deemed her a threat and to tell you the truth, that hasn’t changed. The Grim Reaper’s involvement doesn’t mean I’ll get out of this unscathed. But, Michael, this isn’t just about me. I have no choice but to do this. I’ve already endangered my whole realm and my family. It can’t happen again.

  “If it helps, I don’t intend to tell Delilah what I’ll be doing. I will just provoke her into a fight. It should be enough to trigger her use of the Power of Death, especially if I use my own skill at the same time.”

  I looked around at Alyssa’s consorts, trying to see what they thought about all this. Their faces were grim and Lucifer couldn’t seem to look at her. He didn’t agree with this decision. But he was allowing it anyway, because he knew she was right.

  “If something does happen, Alyssa, I swear to you, I will make sure your soul is safe,” I told her. “You’ll be reunited with your family, even if it takes time to build you anew.”

  That much, at least, I could promise. I couldn’t protect her from her own power. I hadn’t been able to do that for the woman I loved. But I could save her soul.

  “Thank you, Michael,” Alyssa whispered with a gentle smile. “I appreciate that.”

  “Nothing is going to happen,” Mikael said, clenching his jaw. “You’ll be fine.”

  “Of course,” Alyssa answered smoothly, tugging on one of Hope’s blonde curls. “But it’s still a good idea to have the safety net.

  “That brings us to the last part of the plan. Delilah and I will fight and she will extract the Power of Hope from me. At that point, Abel will try to steal it, and we can finally trap him and end this once and for all.”

  “Abel is a powerful man, Alyssa,” Cain said. “If this doesn’t work, if he manages to absorb it himself, it could be a disaster.”

  “Yes, it could be. And that’s why I’m relying on you to make sure nothing goes wrong.

  “You’ve killed your own blood for the good of mankind once, Cain. I’m asking you to do it again. For everyone. For me. And for Delilah.”

  Cain took a deep breath and nodded. “All right. Where do we start?”

  * * *

  All things considered, the plan went as smoothly as could be expected. I didn’t see Delilah’s suicidal attack coming, which in hindsight, had been stupid of me. But I couldn’t intervene, not with those bastard archons blocking my path, not without giving myself away.

  Fortunately, I didn’t have to. Alyssa played her part to perfection—a little too well, if you asked me. As the Power of Death struck her, Shiro extracted her from the middle of the battlefield, keeping her as safe as she could be.

  Azrael was present, which was not ideal, since he could go after Alyssa’s soul if it left her body. But Alyssa had survived instances of disembodiment before she’d even been a demon. She’d survive this too. I hoped.

  Of course, what was happening now was nothing like what had happened at The Academy of the Devil, but it was much too late to back out.

  As I had promised, I monitored Alyssa’s soul. But at the same time, I wasn’t here for her. It was Delilah I had to protect and Delilah had taken a very bad blow—from Alyssa, no less. From the woman I’d agreed to help.

  And the truly dangerous part of the plan was only just beginning. I sensed the moment Abel made his appearance, pursuing the threads of the shattering Vessel of Hope. By my side, Cain was as tense as a bowstring. “This was a bad idea,” he whispered. “We shouldn’t have done this.”

  I’d have liked to reassure him, but it was a little hard to do that, or to speak at all. So I just sat there, cloaked by my brother’s magic and waiting for the right time to strike.

  For the moment, no one seemed to realize we were here. With the collapse of the archon’s magic, countless of demons had streamed in, led by Lucifer himself. But Abel was not deterred.

  He was already absorbing the remnants of Alyssa’s magic. He’d been prepared for this, just like we’d thought. But I could feel very little satisfaction over that, when he was making a beeline for Delilah.

  Sariel, Azazel, and Yeqon were with her, but they wouldn’t be able to fight him off forever. “You’re too dangerous to be left alive, Satan,” he told Delilah. And just like that, I couldn’t hold back any longer.

  Cain and I came out of our hiding spot at the same time. We’d promised to wait for the right moment, but at this rate, the right moment would never come. We’d already waited long enough and compromised far too much.

  On the battlefield, it was utter chaos. Angels, demons, and symbiotes all clashed in a confrontation that was far worse than anything I’d seen before.

  It reminded me a little of the Battle of the Watchers, but that had been different. In terms of scale, there had been more people there, with the full ranks of The Heavenly Host prese
nt, as well as all the Watchers and the additional forces of Hell. This particular fight was less about the numbers and more about the viciousness.

  The symbiotes more than compensated for the absence of the dragons. To make matters worse, we were still in a human city, and while we’d already demolished several blocks, the ruined buildings were, in themselves, dangerous.

  As I watched, a shadowy tentacle flashed through the air, flinging a car at an angel. The angel sliced it in two with his sword, but got distracted. Another tentacle grabbed him from behind and threw him into a nearby structure.

  If things had been different, I’d have gone to help him, but I didn’t have time for it. The ground was already shaking underneath my feet. The fight was getting more and more savage. It was no coincidence.

  “Abel won’t be able to contain the Power of Hope either,” Alyssa had said. “But that’s all right. I don’t think this power was ever meant to be held by one person.”

  Somewhere to my right, my son was busy bringing his wife back to life. Alyssa’s gift hadn’t fully left her—that would have killed her—but Abel didn’t realize that and didn’t see the true threat to him.

  The closer I got to him, the thicker the cloud of despair became. This power had been suffocating and ominous when Alyssa had used it, but wielded by Abel, it hit like a sledgehammer.

  Sariel, Azazel, and Yeqon handled it well. Azazel stayed by Delilah’s side, continuing to help her with her injuries. The other two Watchers blocked Abel’s path.

  “You know we can’t allow you to pass.”

  “You’ve tried to save her from me before,” he said with a laugh. “The last time, she had to save you. What chance do you think you have?”

  “Oh, don’t count us out just yet,” Yeqon answered. “We’re stronger now than we used to be.”

  He must have noticed us, but he didn’t show it. He and Sariel both had their swords in their hands and extended their wings, forming a barrier between Abel and Delilah.

  Abel sighed. “Pathetic. But fine. I’ll play your game. After all, I did want to test out this power before I returned it to my mother.”

  As he spoke, the air thickened with a magic so potent it seemed to change the fabric of reality. My lungs seized and spots danced in front of my eyes as I struggled to breathe. Cain stumbled, clutching his chest, his lips white with pain.

  It wasn’t a completely physical response. Angels didn’t need to breathe and Cain was far more resilient than a human. But Abel’s power didn’t affect the body. It affected the mind.

  We didn’t stop, though, not when we knew how important this was, not when Delilah was relying on us, whether she realized it or not. Yeqon and Sariel were still holding their ground, but they needed reinforcements.

  They didn’t try to attack him. Instead, they stood there, staring at him, obviously knowing that it would be a mistake to challenge him outright. Or maybe it was a delay tactic, meant to buy time.

  Either way, it worked. A group of symbiotes saw us coming and zeroed in on us. Extending my wings, I bathed the area in divine light, making them screech in protest. Naturally, this meant Abel noticed us, but that wasn’t a bad thing. It distracted him from his attack on Sariel and Yeqon.

  He turned toward us and narrowed his eyes, obviously displeased. “Brother. Why am I not surprised you’re here? You’re supposed to have stayed in The In-Between.”

  “Well, I’ve never been good at doing what other people tell me to,” Cain answered. “Mother is dead, by the way. So if you want to give her that power, you’ll find yourself with a little problem on your hands.”

  Unlike earlier, Cain didn’t seem shaken at all by his confession. Abel’s eyes widened comically. “You didn’t…”

  “I couldn’t let you win. I realized my mistake and I had to fix it, no matter what it cost me.”

  Cain’s tone must have made it clear that he was telling the truth, because Abel forgot all about Delilah and launched himself at his brother instead. I blasted him back with a bolt of divine energy.

  “Sorry, but we’re not going to make it so easy for you.”

  Abel’s eyes glowed from within, his pupils almost consumed by white. Impossibly, the tension in the air grew even thicker. “Easy? When has life ever been easy for us?” He looked at his brother, and I could have sworn he was hurt. “You’re insane, Cain! You’re the one who brought me back! Specifically to fight Lucifer, to fight The Infernal Realm. And now you’re joining their side?”

  “I’m not on Lucifer’s side. And things are different now.”

  “How? What’s changed? What could possibly be more important than our family?”

  “The future.”

  It wasn’t the answer Abel wanted to hear. Unfortunately, he could also see straight through his brother and understood what Cain wasn’t saying.

  “No. This isn’t about the future. This is about Satan. Somehow, she’s touched you.”

  Maybe Cain would have denied it, but in the time the Watchers had bought, Delilah had managed to recover. She was still injured, but she stood up.

  Barely visible from behind Sariel and Yeqon’s wings, still covered in blood and pale, she was easily the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. She grinned at Abel and licked her lips. “So what if I have? Jealous? If you’d wanted to protect your brother’s chastity, you’re about a thousand years too late.”

  “It’s not his chastity I want to protect,” Abel answered. “It’s his soul.”

  Strangely, I felt he believed that—or at least he thought he did. But we’d all made our choices, and there was no turning back now.

  “That’s what I want too,” I said as I lunged forward.

  Abel was furious, and his anger seeped into me like a poison. He didn’t speak, but his voice echoed in my mind anyway. “You’re not good enough. Everything you touch, you destroy. You’ll never be able to protect your family. Your son hates you. You can’t love.”

  I ignored his venom. Delilah was there, and she was alive. That was more powerful than Abel. Seeing her breathe again, still fighting, still smiling, gave me back the hope Abel was trying to steal.

  I didn’t expect to beat him, and I didn’t. But I was not alone. Lucifer was suddenly there, by my side. So were Stefan and Mikael, and more shockingly, Uriel and Azrael.

  Kemuel and the other archons decided to join in, but they seemed pretty determined to destroy everyone, not just Abel, so Leviathan was still trying to stall them.

  Weirdly, Fara was helping him. I didn’t think I’d ever understand that woman and what she truly wanted. But maybe the part of her that had made her pray for a family was still there, because in the end, she chose Mikael over her own ambitions.

  Before long, everything turned into incomprehensible chaos. Despite Fara and Leviathan’s best attempts, the demons and the angels became more agitated. The fires blazed brighter and destructive magic raged out of control from every direction. We lost track of one another. Several times, I was blasted away, and I couldn’t tell if it was a friend or a foe that had attacked me.

  But everything was building up to what we were truly aiming for. There was only so long Abel could wield a power he wasn’t accustomed to. He started heaving, shaking, and crying, lashing out madly, destroying everything and everyone in his path, but doing just as much damage to himself, if not more.

  Finally, he went down, clawing at himself and writhing, his skin starting to crack and fall apart. The sight of it was so shocking it gave everyone pause.

  “What’s happening?” Delilah asked.

  “He’s losing control of the power he stole,” I replied. “It was never meant for him and now he’s paying the price.”

  I met her eyes and as our gazes locked and held, she understood. “Ah.”

  I wondered if she would hate me for the part I’d played in this whole mess, for using her to free Alyssa. The thought hurt, but I comforted myself with the knowledge that she was back. Like Alyssa had said, she’d returned of her own accord.
Maybe that meant she would be safe.

  Delilah didn’t say anything else after that. Instead, she just leaned against Azazel’s arm and watched. She understood what Cain had to do and what it would cost him.

  Cain didn’t hesitate. I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had, because this had to be difficult for him. But maybe he and I were more alike than I’d originally thought, because he took comfort in Delilah’s silent support.

  He knelt by his brother’s side and produced a knife from his coat. Lucifer had given it to him specifically to help him with this. “I’m sorry about this, Abel,” he said. “Rest now. You’ve done enough.”

  And with that, he buried the blade in his brother’s chest. Abel didn’t scream. He went rigid, and the wound started to emanate light. The blade embedded in his chest burned. I shot forward and pulled Cain out of the way, just in time to avoid the unavoidable backlash of Abel’s death.

  A spiral of light erupted from his chest, bathing the whole battlefield in suffocating power. I fell back on my ass, with Cain on top of me, and instantly shielded us both with as much magic as I could gather.

  I trusted the three Watchers to do the same for Delilah and they did. And even if we were so close to the epicenter of the destruction, to the black hole of despair that Abel had become, I felt no fear.

  I clung to the threads of my connection to Delilah, so strong and real now. I couldn’t see her anymore, but that was okay. I could feel her, and that was enough.

  The eruption of magic seemed to take forever, and yet, it was over before I knew it. Slowly, the energy started to settle and I dared to loosen my hold on my magic and let go of Cain.

  “That went well,” he said. “I think.”

  I nodded, although I was still a little dazed. Honestly, I was surprised things had worked out. Our plan had had so many holes I could have guided a host of angels through it. But against all odds, we’d been successful. Lucifer had been right when he’d guessed Abel would be more vulnerable to Cain due to their history and blood bond. And now the circle was closed. The Power of Hope was out into the world and would be able to find a home in the hearts of more humans.