The Last Gate

Prologue

Drip, drip, drip

Oscar sat at his desk, the study guides to his upcoming exam seemed to clutter the space. The air always seemed to become humid when she came, steam filling the room and causing condensation to build on the windows of his room. The sound of giggles filled the air as the demon appeared, her legs crossed as she seemed to float on a dark cloud.

"At this again, Oscar?" She questioned, letting out a hum as her foot reached out to poke the child on his forehead. "Give it up already! You'll never catch up." She let out a huff, falling back on her fluffy seat as her legs kicked carelessly. "You're going to fail. Just like the first exam. And the one before that...and the one before that." Though her words held venom, her tone was nothing more than cherry sweet. As she spoke, her legs continued to kick as she watched the human ultimately ignore her. She'd been observing him for sometime now, and gradually infected his mind with nothing but demeaning dark thoughts. This demon's goal was a simple one, to push this human to his breaking point and collect his soul.

"I don't think your Momma can handle another failing grade, Oscar. You'll surely be the laughing stock of the family. Again." Her sweet voice came again, this time in a sing song tune. The demon's foot reached out again, her toes pressing against his forehead and pushing against his skin to the rhythm of her voice. "You should drop dead. It would save the trouble." With those words spoken her foot smashed into the student's temple. Though it would barely affect him outwardly, the inward damage caused by the she-demon's presence and words was immeasurable. The blow would merely cause the boy a migraine and scatter his thoughts, making them easier to manipulate.

"C'mooonnn, Oscar." She whined, leaning forward to push her head on his shoulder. "Let's forget about this, let's go play by the train tracks. Eh? Let everything go." Her hair pressed against his cheek, like soft cotton clouds that tickled his cheeks. She could feel it, the child was losing his will to continue on in this life. Soon, she'd have his soul and become closer to escaping the inferno.

The demon's eyes were trained forward, on to the desk before her and her prey. Though in a blink of an eye, occupied boots now stood atop the littered desk. Before she could let out a surprised yelp, the she-demon's face was slashed. She shrieked, falling backwards as her hand came up to hold the now injured side of her face. She bled profusely, no matter how much she tried to hold the wound. Her spine arched as she writhed and screamed in pain, rolling on the floor as the wound seemed to burn into her skin even further.

"So the pagan was correct, moon water does work in injuring your kind." The man before her seemed to muse out loud, absentmindedly admiring his blade as steam rose from it's sharp edge. "High School students? I thought you were better than this, Temera." He raised his blade again, this time allowing it to rest on his shoulder before stepping down from the desk. The man is was huge, similar to a bear in appearance and holding the temper of one as well. There was also no shortage of hair on his arms and face, truly one of the more seasoned warriors against Temera's kind.

"Ares!" She screamed, her face seeming to melt from the effects of the moon water. "I'll kill you! I'll devour your soul!" A shriek left her mouth then, one of unfiltered rage as she writhed on the floor.

Though her threats would be cut short as Ares' blade sliced through her neck, decapitating her. Temera's body began to turn to ash, her eyes remained wild and vengeful as they stared up into his own until her entire form had turned to dust.

"Not today, my love." Ares whispered, giving a skillful swipe of his blade to rid it of the demon's blood. He turned then, looking towards the window as a delicate rainfall began. Turning his focus from the rain he looked down at Oscar, who still slaved away at his work. From the looks of it, he was unaffected by Temera's influence and would continue to live on.

"Better report back to Emanuel," the man mused to himself before he'd disappear from the child's room.