by J. J. Egosi
“Get the fuck out of here. Michael’s seriously a god,” Ursula said.
“Unholy shit!” Alexa nervously gulped.
Michael turned towards the girls, sensing apprehension building in them as they slowly backed off from him.
“That, I didn’t know. I promise.”
“Well, it seems my servant, Hecate, did a better job than I expected of not disclosing that information to you,” Lucifer began, “I never thought that obsessive little runt could shut her fucking mouth.”
Michael gritted his teeth and shifted towards his direction. “She died in your name. Perhaps you could learn something from her sacrifice!”
“Oh, but I’m only here to teach”—Lucifer walked towards Michael with a callous look—“And shed a little enlightenment here. Perhaps you could learn something. A certain sheet of wool over the eyes that needs pulling, yes?”
Michael clenched his fists and turned towards the girls one more time. “Please … I’m sorry for not telling you earlier. One thing led to another and between my constant drinking, I was never able to do so.”
“We heard what you said, Michael,” said Ursula. “And we heard what Lucifer said, too.”
Lucifer’s eyes widened with intrigue.
“Are you really a god?” Isabella asked.
“That, he is,” Lucifer replied. “One of the most powerful and ancient there is. Save for yours truly, of course.”
“You knew this all along. Why tell us now? Why didn’t you have Hecate reveal his nature?” Julianna insisted.
“Oh, no special reason. I just wanted to see the look on all your faces when I told you myself. Especially Michael’s,” Lucifer replied with a devious grin.
What a bastard, Isabella thought, clenching her fists.
They don’t seem as bothered as before, Michael thought, staring at their blank expressions. Maybe they’ve forgiven me?
“Well, we should get down to business. The battle between the two greatest forces is about to begin. I hope your friends have a stronger shelter than those pathetic tents. Otherwise, they’ll be blown out of this dimension within seconds,” said Lucifer.
The girls backed off as Michael and Lucifer prepared to face off. Michael was done feeding Lucifer’s ego by showing fear. He would not back down this time. He kept his eyes pinned into Lucifer’s, ready for whatever games he would throw at him.
“This is insane, isn’t it? Tell me I’m not the only one that’s thinking this,” said Isabella.
“You’re not. I just can’t believe it’s true,” Julianna said. “The archangel is also the god of creation.”
“And given the demon’s reputation for his sharp honesty, there’s no denying it,” said Ursula.
“I knew he was important, but to be the one who created the entire world? I thought that was just a legend,” said Alexa.
“Our Michael? The god of all creation?” Isabella said in amazement.
“And the leader of the organization is the god of destruction. How could we have missed that?” Ursula added.
“I don’t know, but it looks like hell’s about to break, so we should definitely take cover,” said Isabella.
“Shouldn’t we help him?” Ursula suggested.
“Against a force as formidable as the god of destruction, we’d only get in his way,” Alexa said.
“She’s right. Michael would focus more on protecting us than on fighting against Lucifer,” Julianna said.
“You’re right,” Ursula said with reluctance.
The girls nodded in agreement before taking formation. Alexa started the magic chant and the other girls joined. Almost instantly, their shadows rose into a shield, not even steel could perforate.
“I’ll be the end to all your wildest dreams and so much more once this is over,” Lucifer warned.
“What you call ‘dreams’, I call ‘nightmares’. And I’ll be the one to rid you from them, once and for all. I swear it,” said Michael.
The hateful look on Michael’s face suggested he could spit at the sight of this scoundrel, but Lucifer simply responded with a swaggering grin.
Enough of this! Michael thought to himself.
A chill rushed through his body as ancient power coursed through him. The skies responded with claps of lightning. A blanket of darkness shrouded the forest as creation and destruction set for battle.
Chapter 7
Secrets From The Shadows
M
ichael’s eyes flared with disgust. Every fiber of his being seeped with hatred for the man facing off against him. His fingers inched towards the sword by his side. As they grazed the handle, he felt a jolt of self-doubt pierce his mind. It left him trembling, panting heavily as a cold sweat formed.
“Still afraid, I see.” Lucifer grinned. “It’s only natural when pitted against an opponent as formidable as me.”
“What is it you want with me, Lucifer?” groaned Michael. “Do you just want our titan rings or are you trying to recreate one of your sick nightmares?”
“A true master of the dark arts never reveals his intentions until it’s too late. Too late for his opponent, that is,” Lucifer replied in a playful tone.
“I’ve had it with your mind games,” Michael snapped. “Tell me what it is you want with me and those dimension titans or I swear I’ll knock you out of this fucking dimension.”
“You boast an impressive game for someone too timid to unsheathe his blade.” Lucifer grinned.
Michael’s face reddened. “We’ll see who’s timid!”
He couldn’t hold back any longer. He swiped his blade out of its sheath and stormed forward with a trail of lightning.
Lucifer chuckled. He manifested an orb of shadows in his hand. The girls watched from the side with awe as it took the shape of a sword. Michael’s blade edged closer before Lucifer struck him deep in the stomach.
Michael looked down at Lucifer’s weapon, coughing up blood and gasping with disbelief. “That’s”—
“Do you see now what it means to be the demon king?” said Lucifer. “I’m more than just a walker of dimensions and dreams. My ability to forge the very darkness to my whim is unparalleled.”
“This feeling…” Michael twitched from the unbearable squirming inside him. “…it’s like your shadows are swallowing me from the inside.”
“Yes, shadows are the opposing element of the angel race. Being stricken by them is like having a flesh-eating disease dwell inside you.”
“That can’t be. Make it stop!” Michael grabbed onto the shadow blade, attempting to pull it out. Like a rabid hound thrice his size, it proved too strong. Fighting his will, it burrowed deeper, forcing out his screams.
“Michael!” Isabella shouted.
She and the others looked with terror as Michael’s body gave out.
“God or liar or whatever, he’s still our friend. We can’t let him do this!” Ursula pleaded.
Lucifer smirked. “I’d avoid stepping closer. Unless you’d like to meet a similar fate. After all, history shows I’m not averse to slaughtering my own blood.”
“You won’t end me.” Michael gritted his teeth, tearing up as blood spilled from his mouth. “I won’t let you because my fate is mine to control.”
“That might be true, but with fate comes resolve. And yours is too weak!” With his other fist, Lucifer thumped Michael square in the face, sending him off the shadows of his blade and to the ground.
Michael’s eyes widened as he coughed up even more blood. He fell to his side, gasping in agony. The girls watched in horror. Ursula tried to intervene but Alexa blocked her, citing the immense danger of daring Lucifer.
“I’m getting bored, already. How about you and I give your little harem a performance to remember?”
Lucifer released his webbed black wings for the night to see. They expanded further than the girls’ did. Michael leaned forward, more intimidated by Lucifer’s power than before. Still, he refused to let his resolve go unrequited.
“Fin
e, if that’s what you want, you’ve got it!” Michael stood up, releasing his white feathered wings.
Lucifer looked at him and grinned as Michael’s wounds healed. “I see you’re able to regenerate when you’re in your angel form.”
“That’s right.” Michael remembered his first booming of the archangel. Amidst the ruins of an elemental stricken city, the gashes left his stomach healed, and his ambitions born.
“Very nice. I’m glad this doesn’t have to end so soon anymore. I was hoping to make a night out of this.”
“In your dreams,” Michael replied, lunging towards him with his sword.
“In that case, where in my dreams would you like to finish this?” Lucifer said, swiftly blocking Michael’s attack.
The one where I bury you!” Michael formed a pulsating stream of bolts in his hand and blasted Lucifer in the face, sending him a dozen feet back.
Lucifer hissed from the burning sensation as it took hold. His eyes grew red and veiny all around as they began to water.
“Shadows may be a flesh-eating disease to angels, but what are lightning bolts to demons if not the equivalent?” Michael asked.
Lucifer stared with a flaring scowl. “You’re more scrupulous than I thought.”
“No kidding,” Alexa said to the girls. “That was quick thinking on Michael’s part.”
“But how long can he maintain that momentum?” Julianna asked.
Lucifer and Michael rushed at each other with their blades. Their blades clashed, forcing a storm of lightning and shadow across the battlefield. The girls screamed as they shielded themselves from the blow.
As the dome-like explosion of black and white slowly dissipated, it revealed the ongoing ferocious combat. Michael and Lucifer exchanged swings of their swords and various light and dark based attacks, respectively.
“You’re not half bad for someone with hardly any recollection of who they are,” Lucifer said.
“It doesn’t take a strong memory to know you can’t be trusted,” Michael refuted.
The two continued to clash their blades, trading blows and splattering blood upon the battlefield.
“Damn, this is hard to watch!” Ursula said in a nervous state, as she covered her eyes with her hand, peeking through her fingers.
“Michael will do fine. He just needs to believe in himself,” Julianna said in a more calm and collected manner.
“Therein lies the problem,” said Alexa.
“What do you mean?” Ursula asked.
“I mean Michael talks a big game, but I doubt he has what it takes to carry out the victory he needs.”
“Yeah, but”—Ursula began.
“Let’s not forget his powers have been dormant for years and his memory is still fledgling. Meanwhile, Lucifer’s power is at full capacity.”
“What are you saying?” Isabella asked.
Alexa sighed. “I’m saying Michael can believe in his ambitions all he wants, but his power just won’t be able to match Lucifer’s in the end.”
“I think you’re wrong,” Ursula said.
“Just look at his battling tactics of you don’t believe me,” Alexa said. “He’s very good at sending out his lightning attacks and he’s decent with his sword, but he’ll need to do more to win this. The last thing he wants is to focus on what he desires out of his future, he blinds himself from what’s in front of him.”
“You’re right,” Julianna said. “We’re dealing with a ruthless tyrant that toys with his victims and won’t stop until he gets what he wants.”
What does he want? Our rings? Or is he here for something more? Ursula thought a feeling of fright surged in her.
Lucifer swung his blade and struck Michael cleanly. Michael tumbled to the ground with blood gushing out of his mouth.
It only infuriated him more. He slowly returned to his feet and said, “That’s it. I’ve had it with you.”
Lucifer laughed. “Do you really think you’re fooling anyone? We both know you’re only a fraction of the being you once were. Why don’t you forfeit this little battle and hand your titan rings over?”
“Not to a man who seeks to use them for evil,” said Michael.
“Really? And what’s so evil about wanting to gather all the titans together to protect the dimensions again?” Lucifer asked.
“Protect them? Bullshit! All you’re capable of is destroying each way you turn,” said Michael.
“I’m truly hurt you’d think so little of me,” Lucifer replied in a playful tone. “I simply want to give our little omniverse the care that it needs to thrive.”
“I’ve seen the way you treat the people around you.” Michael grimaced at the memory of the bruises Hecate had during their previous encounter among the elementals. The shades of blue she wore still left him shaking with resentment. “A man like you isn’t capable of protecting anything or anyone.”
Lucifer looked back with a nefarious grin curling wider across his face. “Allow me to make things very simple, then. Without the unification of the titans, the dimensions have gone out of control.”
“What are you talking about?” Michael said in a flustered tone.
“Look around at the world you live in. A lot of unjust behavior taking place regularly, right? Political and legal malpractice and unethical business tactics. Even the officials are tainted by the stain that is human depravity,” said Lucifer.
“Human depravity? What exactly are you getting at?” Michael wondered.
“Humanity is the source of all the world’s problems, Michael. Believe me. The other six dimensions have it just as bad. As soon as a single human enters a dimension, village, or region, for that matter, they instantly plague it with their false promises of prosperity and moral ambiguity.”
Michael remembered his experiences in the various cities of both realms clearly. He witnessed much of their unbridled cruelty for himself, be it from the officials, the townspeople, or his former masters.
“They’re a detriment to everyone and everything around them. Countless races over the eons have fallen to their ways. When I capture all seven titans, the first thing I will do is destroy humankind. Then, I will revive all other races they’ve slaughtered over the years, restoring this omniverse to the way it once was.”
“Wait, you’d bring them back?”
Michael’s eyes widened with wonder as Lucifer’s nightmarish words turned to almost a dream. Michael saw a world where those the humans condemned as unworthy could thrive again. The prospect filled him with envy.
“That’s correct,” Lucifer said. “However, I can’t do that last part on my own. That’s where you come in.”
“Excuse me?” Michael said, confused, as he wiped the blood from his mouth.
“You see, a destroyer god can only destroy. To revive, I must create. Join me, Michael. Together, we can restore this omniverse to the way it once was,” said Lucifer.
“The way it once was?” Michael wondered, puzzled by the notion of things ever having been so different. He found the idea enticing. Shortly, his feet shuffled towards Lucifer without his control.
“Michael, don’t listen to him!” Alexa shouted.
“Silence!” With a ferocious swing of his arm, Lucifer cast forth a wall of shadow from the ground, knocking the four of them over.
“Don’t listen to those fools, Michael…” Lucifer began, “…we can make things as they were before the age of humanity, but even better. There will be no war, no conflict, or corruption. Races of all types will live in harmony, worshipping their gods and the titans. Together, we can create this utopia. As the two king pieces that rule over the board of existence. What do you say?” Lucifer reached out his hand.
“Easy to have no wars everyone’s already been slaughtered,” Julianna said to herself.
Michael looked at the sinisterly grinning Lucifer. He couldn’t decide on what to say. The only thought on his mind was the pain he experienced growing up.
“No government corruption and no money to poison
the minds of the powerful? All those things you said, they’ll all go away when the humans die off?” Michael wondered, slowly reaching out his hand.
“Indeed,” Lucifer said, smiling.
“Don’t do it, he’s lying to you!” said Isabella.
“Enough from the lot of you, already,” Lucifer demanded. “The men are busy at work.”
“Well, the women would like a say, as well. And we say you can’t be trusted,” Isabella announced, matter-of-factly.
“These are just delusions of grandeur you’re feeding him. Regardless of how he may have deceived us, I won’t allow it,” Julianna shouted.
“Julianna. All of you.”
Michael turned towards the girls. The welcoming smiles on their faces told him he had gained back a piece of their trust. He responded with a smile.
“I’d watch your tone if I were you. I can end you with a snap of my fingers,” said Lucifer.
Lucifer looked back at Michael. “Just shake my hand and we can rule over this omniverse together. It’s that simple,” said Lucifer.
“Rule it?” said Michael.
“Yes, you and I will have absolute power over this world. No one will defy the gods of creation and destruction,” he assured.
Michael went into careful thought. His power is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. That much is clear from our battle, and I’m sure he’s holding back a tremendous amount.
He watched in pensive silence as Lucifer’s devious grin grew with every passing moment. Thoughts raced across his mind.
Lucifer was more powerful than the girls, no question about that. In fact, he was leagues beyond them.
The pressure of the dilemma built, then Michael made his decision.
“You’re refusing?” said Lucifer in shock. The girls all sighed with smiles of relief.
Michael grinned. “I’ll admit; I was tempted at first. After all, these damn humans have been the bane of my existence these last twenty years. But when you said you’re in it for the power and not just to fix this world, that’s when I knew.”
“Knew what?” Lucifer asked.
“That you were nothing more than a dirty lying snake!”