by J. J. Egosi
“What’s he about to do?” Ursula asked.
“This enchantment allows me to cast any duplicate spawn that’s been conjured during this game. Then, I can destroy one creature on the battlefield for every one of your spawn destroyed so far. And lastly, you take trample damage equal to the power of your fallen beast!”
“No way, he’s beating Lucifer at his own game,” Alexa said, shaking with both fear and excitement. The other girls looked on, nervously.
“You destroyed over twenty spawn during our game. Now, say goodbye to all of your familiars!”
Michael raised his scepter high. As the clouds grew dark and the thunder roared, lightning struck all around them, sending chills of fear through the girls’ bodies.
“Did I forget to mention that if you run out of familiars, you take the rest of the damage as damage equal to your own power? It’s over!”
“Unholy shit!” the girls exclaimed.
“This is the true extent to not only my power but to my undying loyalty to those I care about too. This world is shit and I couldn’t care less about all others who inhabit it, but anyone who crosses my friends pays the price. Goodbye!”
The lightning from his enchantment came crashing down, striking everything opposing his unbridled hatred. First, the orcs, then the dragon, and lastly, the witch. The gruesome assault filled with blood and screams left nothing but their charcoal remains blowing in the unforgiving winds as the light swallowed the last of the darkness.
With his enemies’ demise, the storm cleared, and the sun dominated the sky again. Michael fell to his knees, overcome with fatigue. The girls walked over to him in complete shock.
“Michael, where did that come from?” Alexa asked.
Michael took a deep breath as he struggled back up. The four of them helped him to his feet.
“I don’t know. I must have read the spell while you were skimming through your books,” Michael said.
“Do you think it’s possible you just knew the spell before and you happened to regain the memory?” Isabella asked.
Michael’s head ached. “It’s possible. If that’s true, I’ll be sure not to forget that spell again.”
“You got lucky calling it when you did. I was certain you were finished,” said Alexa.
“Thanks,” Michael said with a dim eyed glare.
“You know what I meant,” said Alexa.
“I do.” Michael smiled. “And I think a part of me wanted to remember that spell. Not just to win some game, but to prove to myself I’m above being intimated by my visions and dreams. No longer will I see them as nightmares or obstacles, but as opportunities to better myself with the knowledge they could give.”
“I think you’re reading a lot into this like before with the image of that estate,” said Alexa.
“Maybe I am,” Michael began, “but I think there’s meaning in everything I see. And in the case of my dreams; something to prove.”
“And what is it you have to prove?” Alexa asked.
The four of them looked with curiosity as Michael looked to them with a smile. His confidence mystified them as the light from above cast over him.
“That Lucifer is neither going to intimidate me with any of his games nor will he get away with what he’s done. Stealing, physical abuse, threatening to enslave this world with his scheme of amassing all the titans… It ends now.”
The four of them looked at him and smiled.
“And we’ll end it together,” said Isabella.
“That, we will.” Michael nodded.
He looked towards the heavens with a stoic gaze. He could almost sense the clouds trembling under his resolution.
“Wherever you are, demon king, know that you won’t get away with your endeavors. Next time we meet, be it in this reality or my dreams, you’ll be the one to lose. So, get ready. Because it’s only a matter of time. Until I call checkmate.”
Far from where the five of them confidently stood, Lucifer hunched over his desk with a furious gaze.
“Inconceivable. To think the archangel could wield the power of a titan. He’ll prove a more formidable foe than I thought.”
He sewed the fragments of his broken mask together with thread crafted from his shadows. With the last stitch, the thread melded into the mask. It appeared now just as it was before it shattered.
Shame little Hecate isn’t here. I could have used her to sew this. Oh, well. What’s getting your hands dirty from time to time?
Lucifer placed the mask onto his face, staring outside his window. The sun was absent out there. In its place, the crimson moon hung supreme.
“None of this will matter in the end because I will return soon enough. Take haven with your friends, traversing whichever dimensions you like. It matters not to me. Any corner of our cosmos, any realm of reality, even in your darkest and most unforgiving dreams, I will find you, Michael. And when we meet again, I will cast you down from your arrogant ways and rule over the omniverse as its sole overlord. Lest you wait, brother. Your chance to cast judgment over this world beside has now imploding like a dying star. Now, it’s only a matter of time until the king overcomes the ace.”
Book 3
Cult Of Blackwater
Chapter 1
Old Talents And New Worlds
T
he once-lush twilight forest was now an assemblage of barren trees, with streaks of morning light beaming on the amber blanket of fallen leaves. Distant sounds of birdsong and calm streams in the forest surrounded the campsite. The new season came with a fresh breeze, rekindling possibilities of new beginnings for Michael and his friends.
“It’s even colder than yesterday,” Isabella said as she gripped the blanket tighter. Before she could get a response, she noticed Michael’s empty sleeping quarters and added, “Hey, Michael isn’t here.” She narrowed her eyes in wonder.
When Ursula, Julianna, and Alexa noticed, the worry became mutual, and they relayed speculation on his whereabouts.
“Did any of you see him get up to go pee or something?”
“I saw him leave, but I didn’t pay much attention,” Alexa said.
“Where did he say he was going?” Isabella asked.
“Well, he mentioned something about needing to go out for a little bit. I thought he was joking.”
Earlier, Alexa heard clothes fumbling around in the tent. She turned to investigate the cause of the noise, and it turned out to be Michael dressing for the day ahead.
“Michael.” She brushed her hair back and released a groggy moan. “Where are you going?”
“I’m just taking a walk.”
“This early? That’s rather difficult to believe from someone who seldom gets up before noon.”
“I just thought it’d be good to get some exercise. Feel the breeze of a new season.”
“What?” she replied. The incredulous look on her face was a clear sign she wasn’t buying it.
“I’ll be back soon. I promise.”
Despite his explanation ticking all her boxes for harmless deception, she was too tired to push further. The consequences of whatever he was up to could wait, so she let out a defeated sigh and said, “Fine. Just be back before breakfast. I think it’s Ursula’s turn to cook.”
Michael nodded, relief written all over his brightly smiling face, before scuttling out of the tent. His insistence and excitement for whatever he planned to do left Alexa in bewilderment, even after she had rolled herself back into the sheets.
“I told him it was alright as long as he came back right away,” she said, rolling her eyes at the predictability of his failure to follow her rules; she had expected it but held on to a just maybe this time belief. “Seems his ability to follow directions could use some work.”
“Be that as it may, it’s not like him to miss a meal,” Ursula said.
“To make matters worse, it’s been over two hours since he left. That’s definitely not a bathroom break,” Isabella said.
“What other explanation cou
ld there be for him not being here? You think he ran off to exercise or train on his own?” Ursula asked.
“This early and without food?” Alexa raised an eyebrow.
A sense of dread was slowly emanating across the group as they wondered if he could be in serious trouble. It felt as though Michael was pretty good at inviting peril upon himself, especially in their absence.
“You don’t think he ran away, do you?” Isabella said. Her voice carried the shakiness caused by worry.
“I doubt it,” Julianna blankly said stoically.
They brought up memories of what sprouted from his battle against the demon king—how they learned about his familial connection to their enemy and the betrayal that led them to leave him behind. They wondered if he could have been hiding something dark again. Surely, he had to have learned his lesson.
Julianna remembered how they regretted their decision to walk out on him while they traversed the wetlands of Mgla. She also remembered their encounter with the monster that snatched them into its grasp and how he had arrived at the eleventh hour to save them all, despite what she and the rest of the girls had told him. The selflessness and determination he had shown back then had her shaking and on the verge of tears.
“Michael worked too hard to regain our trust to do something like this. Something must have happened when he left the tent.”
“Damn it!” Isabella said, fists clenched. “Then, we need to go after him!”
“Before he gets himself into some serious danger,” Ursula said.
“Knowing him, it’s only a matter of time,” an unimpressed Julianna added.
There was no time to waste; the girls scampered for the nearest pieces of clothing they could get their hands on—not their most flattering outfits but good enough to keep the cold out and to fight in. They stumbled in their boots and rushed toward the tent’s door.
Ursula suddenly stopped just before the tent’s exit and began sniffing aggressively as an aroma wafted its way into the tent.
“I think something’s cooking.”
“I smell it, too,” Julianna said.
The girls exchanged puzzled looks before slowly emerging from the tent. As they peeked outside, they were met with an assortment of tempting aromas filling the clean morning air. They tracked the source to a stovetop with five burners at the makeshift cooking station Julianna had built. It was Michael, preparing breakfast.
The girls watched in stunned silence. Michael kept a nonchalant disposition as he focused on his cooking while the girls slowly approached him.
“You made breakfast?” Isabella asked as she eyed up the scrambled eggs on the frying pan.
“Sure did. I’ve been at it for over an hour. I hope you like it,” Michael said.
The stunned silence returned. The girls gave one another looks that hinted, “What’s he up to?” but there seemed to be no ulterior motive; only blissful ignorance in their worry.
“And what is it you have for us?” Alexa asked.
“Steak and eggs,” Michael said with a proud smile.
“Pretty hardy choice for a schedule so heavy on training. Good thinking,” Julianna said as she warmed up to both the surprise and the heat from the stove.
“I’m glad you think so,” Michael said.
“So this is why you snuck out so early?” Alexa asked.
“Yeah. I was planning on only being a little while, but the next market was six villages over.”
Michael recalled flying over several towns with vacant bazaars before finding a vendor that appeared open for business at the early hour when many would typically line up for their morning grocery trip.
“I heard that rumored attacks of the beast from the swamp are driving vendors as far north as possible.”
He remembered landing in one of the empty villages to explore. On almost every corner, he saw parchment flyers—plastered against the walls of shops and guildhalls—depicting poorly drawn images of the beast he slew.
“I can’t say I blame them. Anyway, I flew to save time, but it started to rain, so that really slowed me down.”
He recalled the rain soaking and weighing down his wings, forcing him to land in another village. Fortunately, there were a few stands open. However, there were only a few bronze coins and some lint in his now drenched pockets.
“I finally got the ingredients I needed, but I didn’t have the money to buy it all, so I worked a couple stands for a few hours to pay it off.”
He remembered the grueling task of handling many irate customers—part of the reason being the morning blues and most of it because he fulfilled orders incorrectly. He was used to being berated far worse in the Light realm, anyway so it was nothing he couldn’t handle.
It didn’t even surprise him that he was fired in the end. His incompetency did him a favor, though, since the merchant gave him his groceries just to get rid of him. He remembered smiling and waving before covering the groceries under his coat and sprinting back home.
“I came back here around an hour ago and have been here cooking ever since.”
The girls looked at him—impressed and astonished—trying to envision Michael having an actual job.
“You really did all that just for a surprise? Where did you even learn to cook? I never had you do any cooking growing up,” Isabella said.
“I can’t seem to recall. For some reason, I just remember being really good at it,” said Michael.
“It must be a memory you regained from slaying Xendrazi. Interesting how that worked out,” Alexa said with a genuinely warm smile.
“Yeah, definitely. I’m glad not all the memories I regain are so serious.”
The memory he had during his battle against Lucifer flashed in his mind. The town from another time in the memory still felt so real, as did the dark ghostly figures in that mansion and the sensation of plummeting through the wooden floor.
“It’s nice to uncover more useful memories like this.”
“Indeed. Although, if you wanted to court us, there are more effective ways than going through all the trouble.” Alexa leaned forward, placing her arm against his, and winked with a lascivious grin.
“Well, I suppose that wouldn’t have involved as much getting yelled at by angry townspeople,” Michael said, then let out a nervous chuckle.
The girls slowly closed in toward him. Their devious smiles left him sweating and fidgeting in blushful awkwardness.
“I don’t know. Something about a man going out of his way to provide for his ladies… there’s just something really old fashioned about it,” Isabella said with a giggle.
Michael could feel a tingle from their hands across his chest. He nearly jumped from his skin before hopping back.
“Well, aside from me not being ready for that sort of thing yet, this just seemed more personal. Besides, I want to give you the best,” he said with an earnest smile.
“Really?” Alexa smiled, then nodded. “In that case, I’d like my eggs scrambled and my steak well done.” The girls backed off but reveled in seeing the look they had plastered on his face.
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” he said. He looked over at the stove and his eyes widened in fright, noticing the fires roaring because of the lapse in attention caused by the girls. “Since it looks like I might end up burning much of the food.”
The girls welcomed his remark with smiles. They gave him their requests and watched him stack their plates with fluffy, moist eggs and crisply charred—though slightly overcooked—steak. He handed them their plates and piled twice the amount on his own before joining them at the table.
The girls looked around, taking in his overwhelming act of kindness.
“Well, don’t just look at it. Eat up!” he said.
They did as instructed.
“So, what do you think?” Michael asked.
Ursula’s mouth watered at the steaming hot plate of food before her. Knowing he’d made it for them gave her steak and eggs an even more appetizing look.
“Marry me!” Ursula said, wrapping her arm around him.
Michael laughed nervously. “I’m glad you like it.”
“Like it? This is incredible!” Ursula said, salivating as she sniffed in the tantalizing aroma.
Alexa groaned at the sight. “Do you really still have to do that?”
“Of course I do,” Ursula said. “Though I’m pretty sure our Michael would never poison us, I have to be extra thorough by sniffing everything out.”
“So, you think there’s a chance I would try to kill you?” he asked. Ursula’s comment bothered him, but he resolved it wasn’t the last culture shock he’d experience, associating with beings with completely different origins. He brushed the comment off.
“You mean you smell your food for more than just the aroma?” Isabella asked.
“Not just food. I remember her sniffing us when she met us,” Julianna said.
“Sorry about that.” Ursula scratched the back of her head while she nervously laughed. “It’s sort of what you need to do to survive where I’m from. Trust the wrong scent and you’re as good as dead.”
“Well, that’s disconcerting!” Isabella said. Julianna nodded in agreement.
She really relies heavily on that nose, Michael thought. His eyes focused on her as she scarfed down the food.
He remembered her saying she came from the first dimension. Her behavior was unusual, but so was her attire; only recently did she begin to wear shoes regularly. He remembered his fight with her when they first met. Her use of bare fists against a weapon still surprised him.
I wonder what sort of place the first dimension is.
The image of Tiamat appeared in his mind, cawing toward the storm-embraced sky, crashing down under Alexa’s beckoning.
Alexa said to Ursula, “This is the fifth dimension. You can’t go sniffing everything and everyone like an animal. It’s rude.”
“Sorry. Habits are just tough to break,” she said. “Besides, I can’t help get excited with these new shoes on.”