Searching for the Answers

by Paige Orr

  The surprise on his face leaves me more than a little confused, does he really think I’m not happy to see him? Seeing the way I’m looking at him, he clears his throat looking thoroughly embarrassed. “I’m sorry, it’s just that with what you know of us, I find it strange that you would be glad I’m here. If I was in your position, I would be more than wary and I wouldn’t really blame you. You haven’t seen the best of demon kind since you found out about us, and it couldn’t have been the nicest thing to find out that your family hated that you were born. I’m actually really ashamed of the way I acted last time I was here, with the unveiled threats, and just generally being unpleasant. I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said to me that day, and you were right, the fact that we have solely judged you on a prophecy isn’t fair on you. If we all keep treating you like that, we’re going to end up making it a self fulfilling prophecy. I’m not saying these things just so you don’t kill me when the time come, but because you opened my eyes to how stupid we’ve been acting since we heard about the prophecy.

  I told you when I left last time, that I would feel my brothers out for their opinions on you. I’m afraid apart from me and Abbadon, only Satan doesn’t want you taken care of. Those of us that are on your side, have decided to work together to help you where we can. We don’t exactly want our brothers dead, but we do understand that they are stuck in the past and they can’t go on that way. We would like to ask that you try to get through to them, but we do understand it’s most likely pointless and we leave their fate in your hands. As you said, it's not like you asked for any of this to be dumped on your shoulders, and they have been scared of this prophecy for too long. Me and the other two think that change is exactly what we need, if the fighting between races doesn’t end, it puts us all at more risk of being discovered and no one wants that.”

  It’s my turn to look at Lucifer wide eyed, that really wasn’t what I was thinking he was going to tell us, but before I can say anything to him he begins to rush ahead. “Now this isn’t something that I’m particularly comfortable with, but when the time comes we will be able to tell you what you need to know to defeat the others. It will not be an easy feat, and it will be your choice what you decide to do with them. I don’t want to try and sway you, when the time comes you will know what the right thing to do. You’ve already proven with your kindness towards me and Abaddon, that you are a better person than we could ever be.”

  I’m gobsmacked. On one hand I feel even more pressure on my shoulders, but on the other hand it makes me feel warm inside that he believes I’ll make the right choice. “Thank you for believing in me, I know that it can’t be easy, you must be close with your brothers, and I really don’t want to come between that. I want to try and do this as peacefully as possible, I didn’t really want to do it in the first place but I’m not being left with any other choices. I can assure you though that I would rather not kill anyone unless I have no other choice. When I was kidnapped, I killed enough people to last me a lifetime, and yes they might have been evil but that doesn’t make it any easier to live with. I also want to thank you for choosing to help us, and give us the information we’ll need, I don’t think you realise how much I truly appreciate it.”

  I lean in giving him a tight hug, causing his whole body to stiffen in surprise. Feeling like I’m making him uncomfortable I go to pull away, but before I can he relaxes into my hold, bringing his arms around me and squeezing me gently. Leaning back, he reaches out, patting me on the shoulder with a strange look in his eyes, looking like he still doesn’t quite know how to take me. I turn to the others, hoping that they’re as happy as I am, and at my silly grin they all smirk at me causing me to blush. Turning back to Lucifer I give him a huge smile, before getting down to the questions I have for him.

  “There’s a few things I need to ask you, but it’s not about my other uncles. I know that I’ll need to learn whatever I can when the time comes, but before then there are a few hurdles that have come up that I need to deal with first. You see, we came out here because we found that my father had left a prisoner in his attic that we didn’t know about, and he had escaped. We have been trying to work out how to deal with him, since the others said that only my dad knew how to deal with him. Before we left, the guys locked him in a cell, and we recently found out that he managed to get out, and killed half of the security team left at the house. Do you know of a demon named Xilas, because right now he is hunting me, and any advice you could give us would be appreciated.

  On top of that, Aziel got a threatening call from Archangel Gabriel. It seems that most of my family would rather I was dead, we didn’t want to start a war with the angels, even if I’m going to have to someday soon. I just don’t know how to handle any of this.”

  I look up, to find him staring at me pensively. “First I need to know what powers you have that you know of. Then I have a task for Sam, I will tell him what he needs to know to find the solution to your problems, but you have a long road ahead of you with Gabriel, things may not be as easy as you would hope. After I tell you what I can I must return to the others before they become suspicious.”

  Sam

  I’m completely stunned by the news of which of the Princes are willing to help us. I really never would have thought Lucifer and Satan would want anything to do with planning this, they used to be the most loyal of their brothers, and it’s astounding that they would do anything against them. Abbadon is a lazy bastard, so he isn’t as surprising, but the two most ruthless rulers of hell really has thrown me for a loop. Yes those two will be the most useful to have on our side, they’re fucking built for war, but that’s what is freaking me out. Any other time they would be on the front line against any threat to them, so what could have happened since Asmo’s death to cause such a big change. There haven’t been any rumours in the demon community about any fighting between them, so I don’t know whether to be highly suspicious, or really fucking thanful that they’ve decided not to go against Lilith, since they would’ve been her biggest hurdle other than the angels.

  Once Lucifer finishes talking to Lilith, he gets to his feet motioning for me to follow him to the kitchen, and the nerves in my stomach multiply. So standing up I follow along like a fucking loyal dog, there’s no fucking way I’m going to piss him off when we need him so much! Fuck, he could ask me to bark and prance around on all fours, and I’d do it right now, anything really to keep him on our side. The stories of the things that Lucifer and Satan have done together, used to be told as scary stories to misbehaving children, but they would’ve scared the shit out of any sane adult as well.

  The advantages of having Lucifer and Satan on our side against their brothers is unthinkable, there is a reason that so many people are afraid to step out of line around them. Abbadon does bring his own shit to the table as well, people tend to talk around him since they forget he’s them most of the time. On top of that he may be the most laid back of the brothers, but when he is forced to get involved with anything, he’s a fucking scary fucker. I’ve only had the misfortune of seeing him pissed once before,and to say that I was petrified would be an understatement, I’ve never seen anything like it before and if I had any other choice I’d hope to never see it again. I’m not usually so fearful of anyone, being the more analytical of our group, but Abaddon causes a terror so bone chilling that even my brain couldn’t fight through it to make any sense of what I was seeing.

  Once we’re in the kitchen, Lucifer shuts the door behind him turning to me with a pensive look in his eyes. “I don’t have much time to go over this all with you, making my brothers suspicious right now could be the ruin of us all. I know the most pressing issue is Xilas, so we should probably start there, I have good news and bad news. The good news is, you will be able to defeat him, the bad news though is the only one with the power to do so is Lilith. The powers she described to me have mostly been inherited from Asmodeus, obviously we don’t really know if those will be the full extent of her powers on her demon sid
e, so there could be more to come that are from the rest of my brothers. Asmodeus didn’t tell us the secret to dealing with Xilas until after he had already locked him away, and even at that he only told me. My only guess is that he knew more about what was to come than he was letting on, which would be completely like him. She will need you all to restrain him the best you can, and then she needs to use a combination of her hellfire and her control over his blood to end him. There is a fine balance that she will need for this, but with the way she described her instincts when it comes to her magick I think we’re better off not telling her. Her magick will guide her, the most important part in all of this is you guys working together, she won’t be able to use her control over him without upsetting the balance that she will need to hold, so it will all be on you guys.”

  Shit, I really fucking hope D will be able to prepare her before the fucker attacks, the fear in her eyes when she woke to her fire covering her makes me really fucking nervous about this. Not so long ago she was scared of everything that makes her who she is, and sure she’s become a lot more sure of herself, but that doesn’t mean she won’t need more time before doing something like this. The first time she killed anyone she wasn’t in full control of herself, but she will be the one that has to do it this time, and I don’t know if she will be able to live with that guilt. Me and the guys have had hundreds of years to grow into our powers, whereas she’s had weeks, and if what Tunrida said is true she still has a lot to come. Talking about Tunrida, while I have the chance I should really ask Lucifer about all of her involvement. Turning to him, I motion for him to finish what he has to say first.

  “The angels are a bit more tricky, we’ve been fighting them for centuries with no luck, but if anyone can defeat that fucker Gabriel it’s Lilith. She was born with the abilities to face down all of us, so she will have something in her arsenal of powers that should do the job, and I’m sure she will discover it, the only thing I can suggest is to try and stay out of his grasp until then. The main thing I wanted to speak with you about though isn’t that, there was a part of the prophecy that was kept between me and my brothers, it will help in her fight with any angel and my brothers. There is a relic out there that can be used to take our powers and basically render us human. This relic has been rumoured since the beginning of time, not that any of us believed it to be real, but if anyone can find it it’s you. All I can really tell you about it is that it is a sword with the ability to harness both magicks, now that I know that the half breed in the prophecy had to be of both Angel and Demon descent, it’s starting to all make sense now. Who better to unite us all, than someone who was born to both sides.”

  I stand there gaping at him, completely fucking gobsmacked. He’s got one thing right though, I have heard rumours of such a relic, but he forgot something really important. Not only can it strip any beings of their powers, but it can tear through the fabric of space and time, forming portals to wherever the wielder wishes. When me and my brothers first heard of it, we fucking laughed our arses off in disbelief. But if he says it’s real then I have to find it, no matter what. I don’t exactly have a lot to go on, but I've always been the best at finding things that don’t want to be found. The more we find out about Lilith and the prophecy, the more it seems that this relic was made just for her, and if it will even our chances in the war that awaits us then I will fucking find it.

  “I know the relic you speak of, and I can assure you I’ll do everything in my power to find it. When me and the others first heard of it we thought it was a joke, it had never been heard of for someone to have an affinity to both sides, but you were right in saying that at this point it seems that we were supposed to find out these things for her sake. There is one more thing we have to talk about. When we found Lilith after she was kidnapped, she said something to us that has us all a little on edge, you’ll probably understand why when I explain it to you. We wanted to know how she had managed to wipe out a full nest of vampires, and to say her story was worrying is an understatement. She said that she can speak to her demon, and that she can give full control over to her, which as you know is unheard of. When we told her that’s not how it is for us, she was pretty fucking confused, that’s not even the worst part though, her demon has a name, and we haven’t heard the name in hundreds of years. She says her demon is called Tunrida.”

  He stands there for a long time, with a blank look on his face, then I watch as horror takes over his features. “That’s not possible! She’s dead, and I know that for a fact! I was there when she was killed! There’s no way for a demon’s soul to be born again inside of another, and if it’s her and she’s still fucking deranged that’s a real fucking problem. I’ll need to meet her demon to check the legitamacy of her claims, because Tunrida is extremely fucking dangerous! I have to get back before my brothers send a search party, but I’ll return soon. I’ll speak to Satan about this development, and get back to you, I need to do some research on this.”

  As soon as he finishes speaking, he begins to shimmer, and in the next second he’s gone. His reaction was far from comforting to say the least. I really need to speak to the others about this shit, I may be the brains of the group, but this issue needs all of us!

  Lilith

  Sam walks back into the room with a nervous expression on his face, as he looks between me and the others. I can only imagine what him and Lucifer were talking about, but the look on his face says that he hasn’t got good news for us. I was really hoping that Lucifer would be able to give us something useful to work from, but each second that passes without Sam speaking, just puts me even more on edge. Didn’t my father tell anyone how to deal with this fucker, and surely the Archdemons have killed some of the stronger angels since they’ve been fighting for so long. I really was hoping to have some answers for once, I hate that I’ve had to deal with everything blindly. I really don’t see how I’m supposed to unite everything, when I have absolutely no idea what the fuck I’m doing, it all feels pretty hopeless.

  He slowly makes his way over taking the seat beside me, as the others fall into silence. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife, and it’s fucking suffocating. We all look towards him expectantly, and I can see the blush covering his ears. It still surprises me how he can be so cute and shy, yet in the bedroom he’s so fucking dominating. I can tell that he’s dreading what he has to tell us, and it doesn’t exactly comfort me, but I reach out taking his hand anyway giving it a reassuring squeeze. He looks at me with an appreciative smile on his face, before taking a deep breath to calm himself down, before finally telling us what he and Lucifer spoke about.

  “Well, Lucifer gave me quite a lot to work with, even if it isn’t all good. Lilith, we are going to have to try and work on your hellfire, because that's the only way to stop Xilas. I know it must be scary, thinking about having to kill him, but we will be with you every step of the way. If it would make it easier on you, I could show him an illusion that would make him unable to feel anything. I don’t want you feeling forced into this, or responsible for any of this, you didn’t ask Xilas to come after us. You won’t be doing any of this alone, we will have to restrain him somehow for you to be able to use your fire on him. Lucifer also asked me to tell you to trust your instincts, and they will guide you on what to do when the time comes. Your grandfather is a little more difficult, but if we all put our heads together I’m sure we will be able to come up with something especially with what Luce just told me. All you need to know right now is that it’s not impossible, and after dealing with Xilas we'll all work together to deal with him.

  The main thing we have to talk about though is Tunrida. I didn’t want to worry you when you first told us about her, but it seems there isn’t much of a choice right now. I know that she has kept you safe, and it’s down to her that your magick isn’t overwhelming you. But the thing is, we’ve all heard that name before, many many years ago. Back at the beginning of the supernatural races, there were seven archangels and seven archdemons,
but there was also the original female supernatural. She wasn't fully an angel or a demon, and she was the voice of the ones who weren’t in power, she held the balance between our kinds. As you’ve probably guessed at this point, her name was Tunrida, and she was the only one who was strong enough to go against any of the more powerful beings from either side. At the start, her presence seemed to help keep the peace between us all, but as time wore on it was like something corroded her mind. She became increasingly more volatile over the centuries, until it got to the point where she almost ended us all.

  That was one of the only times in our history, that the angels and demons worked together towards a common goal. The most powerful of us, teamed up together to seal her away, since no one knew how to truly kill her. We spent many years looking for a way to finally kill her, finding it cruel to lock her away, no one really deserves that death would have been easier. Eventually your dad and his brothers found a way, and they killed her secretly with help from the Archangels. They didn’t tell our people for a long time, and when they finally did the wars truly began. The people held out hope that there was a chance for her to recover in her isolation, and that she would come back to protect them. Over the years her name has turned into a myth, something to tell unruly children to make them behave, and her name has slowly faded from our minds. That is until recently when you brought it up.

  I’m not necessarily saying that this is the exact same entity, but I’m not sure if we can truly trust her. Her mind had been twisted so much from being stuck in the middle of the angels and the demons, when in the beginning she was the most caring being alive. She looked out for the little people, and didn’t much care for the hierarchy where the weaker of our kind were stood all over. In fact she hated the fact that instead of protecting the weaker of us, the strongest of our kind were cruel and downright sadistic towards them. She was loved by those at the bottom of the pile, until she began to change and shut herself away from the world, turning cruel herself.”