~Author's note~ Ok so, you can say it... I'm a failure. Despite all my big talk about publishing regardless of writers block and torrential downpour I did not deliver the goods. Last Wednesday was uh... well, rainy, and chapterless. And for that reason please accept this peace offering of a possibly lackluster and somewhat choppy chapter. I couldn't think of a way to work around structuring the two viewpoints so if you hate it and have any suggestions I'm all ears, if you love it I am also a sucker for compliments (I wont lie). Either way here it is!
bon appétit ?
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~Belphegor~
The war so far had been brutal. In as little time as it had taken for the sun to rise twice in the human world, more demons had perished beneath it than could ever have been anticipated. The Angels had also suffered countless losses. And still the war raged on, not nearly reaching its end.
Traflagor, Major General to the third Royal Division approached me, riding rigidly on some great beast of war. Saluting sharply he came to a stop three paces from me and dismounted, walking quickly to close the distance before speaking.
"Sir!"
I nodded.
"They have broken through the first infantry. Gaining ground to the east and west, losses in our division have reached 20,000. They came in strong with knights and bishops, our foot soldiers were no match. They have abandoned usual tactics in favour of decimating our weak troops. They do not mean for this war to last sir. They mean to kill us all."
I thought momentarily.
"Split the second hierarchy, reinforce the pawns and hold your ground. Tire out their attackers and then add in the remainder of our stronger troops. I will notify Leviathan and Mammon to send reinforcements to the east and west. We must hold them only to draw out their strongest attack. That is when we make out real move. Believe me when I say, that I too do not intend for this war to last."
"Sir!" another stiff salute saw my General riding back towards the front line, blood glinting crimson off of his polished metal armour.
I had not expected such ferocity from the Angels, but in all of this, at least I could count on Allie being safe.
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~Allie~
"Right. That's it."
"Who's what?"
"I am actually going to rip this place in half."
"Of course you are."
I ignored the sarcastic little demon still sat on the bed and stood determinedly.
"It has been at least two god damn days now, I did not go through all that war training to sit in a box and leave the others to fight for me. It doesn't matter if they win this time, the Devil said they won't stop until they have me. So why not go and fight them?"
"I could give you a thousand reasons why that is one of the worst ideas you have ever had, but I can tell you've already made your mind up." Azeolar stood too, stretching out on his cushion before facing me. "So, how are we going to do this?"
"I have a plan." I said, "But it might be impossible..."
"Oh joy..."
I silenced him with an annoyed glance.
"Hear me out before you start telling me it'll never work."
He sighed and nodded.
"Ok so, I can't use any of this rock right, they put the weird oily magic on it like that time before."
"Yes..." Azeolar said, curious as to where I was going with this.
"Well I've been thinking, that it's not the only rock in here."
The demon twisted his little masked face around, searching for some evidence that would support my statement. Finding none he turned back to me. "You've lost it, haven't you?" he said.
"There is rock in here." I emphasized the last word, pointing at my chest firmly where the shadow creature had pushed the small chunk into me. "Just gotta get it out."
Azeolar stared at me with narrowed eyes for a few moments, trying to gauge the success of my plan. "Good luck." Was all he said as he backed away slightly. Hopefully I wouldn't kill anybody...
Okay..... breathe in.... and clear your mind.
.....
How's it going?
Shhh.
Sorry.
......
I searched through my body with my mind. Surely something had to be different. A part of me had to have changed. At least I hoped it had, cause I could think of no other way to find the rock. I called to it gently, and to my surprise, it called back.
"Woah..." I said aloud.
"What? Did you get it?" Azeolar's ears twitched impatiently beneath his mask.
"I um, there's not really an 'it' to get. It's kind of all of me."
"What the hell are you supposed to do with that information?"
"Um..."
I focused all of my energy onto a little space in my palm, willing the rock out of it. My face scrunched up and little beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I basically attempted to separate my own body from itself. Slowly at first, the particles of rock began to crawl out from my cells, gathering steadily into larger and larger blobs beneath my skin. I opened my eyes in shock as I felt it bubble and move inside my palm like hot water in a pot. Azeolar just stared, for once he was speechless.
At first it was difficult, but it quickly became easy. The rock effortlessly pooled in my veins and muscles, rising to the surface before I commanded it to filter through my skin and collect in my palm. It sat slick, like oil on the ocean, shimmering with life in the dull gold of the candlelight.
When I felt I had enough, I stopped my command and held it just for a little while. This rock was definitely different to all the other stuff, there was no question that it's possibilities where limitless. And so maybe, what I could do with it would be limitless too.
"Now what?" Azeolar asked quietly.
"Now," I paused, a grin spreading ear to ear "We fuck shit up."
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~Belphegor~
A sudden deafening screech and howl of wind blasted through the defences. Overhead thunder curled and shuddered in the clouds. The charge of electricity was palpable, the pressure made the air thick as sand.
Something was coming. And it was neither Angel nor Demon.
Without warning the ground beneath our feet shattered and moved, sliding like tectonic plates away from us. Every Angel and demon stood upon it fell, and fear gripped both armies equally.
The ground began to circle. Pacing like a wolf it rose and fell in great waves, spiralling toward a central point between both sides of the fight. Demons and Angels alike scrambled desperately from its raging centre as it hungrily dragged them in, crushing and swallowing them as easily as a bird catching ants.
And then I saw her.
In the very centre of the pool of scattered twisted rock stood a figure, rigid with the power that surged through it. A great peal of thunder struck through the air and obscured the words that desperately tried to reach her as I called out.
She was too close. We had finally gotten what we wanted from the Angels. Angering them to the point at which they could stand no more they had revealed their greatest strength. The power of the King of Angels towered far above even that of my Father. It was from him that all laws and opinions grew, including the intense hatred of Allie's race. It was him that would stop at nothing until she was dead, and it was in front of him that she had appeared.
I watched as her body suddenly slumped and fell, instantly being swept away and submerged by the turbulent currents of rock that surrounded her. And in her place lay a creature so dark it seemed to swallow all light around it. Rising to its feet on four powerful legs a great harrowing howl ripped from between its teeth. She had finally shown her spirit form. The great black animal dug its claws into the rock, and faced its enemy without fear.
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~Allie~
I didn't know much about what had happened in the time between me using my rock to break apart my prison, and feeling the first gusts of fresh air that slammed into my body as I stood at last on the surface. But I knew that it had been something big, I could feel it in my bones.
My bones that felt as though they were no longer mine, in my body that seemed now almost unnecessary. A body that was only there to hold the shadows and nothing else.
A body that was now only shadows, had no need for skin. So I left it behind and crawled out of its mouth, standing at last unrestrained I marvelled at the blissful feeling of the wind flowing over my new form. A noise tore through my body and I revelled in the sound, this was what I was meant to be.
I could feel the Raikes as they seethed and slithered over me, torn by the incredible power they possessed. Like tar black snakes that had been starved for too long they coiled and struck out into the air, impatient to kill.
I felt rather than heard the words that were spoken from above me. Each syllable struck a kind of fierce pain into the very core of me and I knew that they belonged to something that was my equal at least, in both power and evil. It didn't speak in any language I could understand, but I knew immediately that it had told me it was going to kill me.
I still couldn't see what I was supposed to be fighting and suddenly, despite all the power that I felt, fear stuck through me like a hot knife into my gut. This was not the first time I'd been in danger, but it was the first time that death had been a major possibility. Through all the training, all the times I had ever faced off with anything, all the things I'd ever said, I had pretty much assumed that I would survive. The way those words writhed in my stomach made me feel a million miles from anything. Completely alone as I stared death in the face.
Allie!
I had never been more grateful in my life to hear a voice inside my head.
We've got your back.
Azeolar rang through my mind, and behind it I felt the presence of all seven Princes and even the Devil. As Lucifer flooded my head with tactical information about the enemy I now faced I realised that it would take all of us to defeat this 'King of Angels'. And even then it would be no easy task. Leviathan guided me through certain steps and Asmodeus filled me in on my surroundings. While Belphegor protected my flank from the Angels whom were still attacking in force, the Devil, as far as I could tell was mounting an all-out aerial onslaught. Reinforced from every angle I took one last breath to prepare myself before I finally saw what was coming towards me.
It is said that it can take less than a second for you to go blind from the sun. The brightness of the creature that moved towards me could have done it in half that. But my eyes were now darker than night as I watched it come closer. I was ready, and I was either going to defeat this thing. Or die trying.