Victima

by K R Leikvoll

  I rolled my eyes before closing them. I tried to think of them as a whole, but it was confusing. I didn't remotely know what he meant by that.

  "The key is to let the light guide you to its singular message: that the universe must be balanced," he said across from me.

  That made it a little easier. Instead of thinking about the individual details, I tried to focus on the sensation of the light. It was similar to clarity and warmth. It almost made me want to mull over the Guinevere situation more with a clear mind, but Alvir kept pushing me further.

  "Try to remember where you came from, Divinus," he said quietly. "The light that creates your ring... go back to that place."

  At first, I wanted to scoff, but the light was calling to me. It was as if it was trying to guide me back. My mind finally allowed itself to wander away. One moment I was in Alvir's house, the next I was somewhere across the sea.

  I was standing in a valley. A very particular valley—the valley from eternity.

  I was worried Vince might show up like my previous time there, but instead I had another visitor. Someone I knew. She was facing away from me, staring at the cosmos that lay before us both. I nervously reached out to touch her shoulder.

  Eve turned to me with wide, curious eyes. It was a strange sensation; she was actually seeing me in the flesh for the first time. Our appearances may have differed, but our energy was similar. She touched my face, studying our differences.

  "It's a cruel fate that I was never able to know you," Eve said softly. "I suppose it is all a part of being the same soul."

  "Eve... I'm sorry," was all I could think to say. "I'm sorry for what he—"

  "Enough. We don't have much time," she interrupted, glancing around us. The space of the valley began to shake as if we were in an earthquake. "Don't lose sight of the light. The darkness will take you, and you must find your way back. No matter what happens."

  "I won't," I said as everything began to fade. "Will I see you again?"

  "I am free now," she replied.

  Our hands almost touched, but I was pulled back to my body.

  When I opened my eyes, I had forgotten where I was. It took me a second to adjust to the low lighting. My brain went back to its hangover, beating on the inside of my skull.

  "I don't understand. She didn't tell me anything important," I groaned, holding my head.

  Alvir looked mildly irritated. "Your mother was at her final stage of spiritual freedom. All she needed was the confirmation of your existence to move onto her next plane," he explained. "Do not confuse your communion with a vision. Some day you may have to commune with someone else through the light. Remember the path well. Now, what did you need to tell me?"

  Oh... that's right.

  "Guinevere put a spell on the Evyan king. I think she's going to try to do something," I said.

  Alvir scratched his head. "Guinevere the demon? She's in the city?" he asked curiously.

  "Yes! And she told Kirin that I'm Vince's daughter and she's trying to steal battle plans or something, I don't know!" I replied, absolutely exasperated. "How do we fix the curse on the king?"

  Alvir laughed. "By killing the succubus. That is the only way. What better time to learn how to summon your weapon than now?"

  "No, we need to get the guards or something and capture her," I said, refusing to wait any longer.

  He put a hand on my shoulder. "Relax, Nephilim. She will not flee the city as long as Maundrell is here. We can confront her together after you learn this spell. I fear I do not have much time left in this realm. I wish to teach you as much as I can before death takes me."

  "You're going to die?" I asked, my voice cracking.

  He smiled in response. "I have held on far longer than I wished, just for the chance of meeting you. Do not grieve for me; I am not worth your tears," he said calmly. "I have been ready for death for over a thousand years or more.”

  With a heavy heart and conscious, I followed him out of his house. We walked across the base of the honeycomb city to a massive stone wall. Now that he mentioned it, I could tell that he wasn't doing so well. I had to help him as his cane in order to make it to the sealed stone vault. It was heavily guarded; probably the most guarded place in the entire city. When Alvir pressed his hand against the stone, it dissolved as if it was merely an illusion.

  Inside the cave structure, there were massive piles of treasure—like actual legitimate gold coins in some kind of Scrooge McDuck vault. There were big treasure chests filled to the brim with white gems, golden goblets and jewelry. On the far end of the cave, there was a silver lamp that could have easily held a genie inside. Alvir hobbled to it and stroked the metal in his hands.

  "Fortunately, there is enough left for you. I was inclined to give your mother more than needed, but I chose not to, and I am glad. It should have been proof of the Nephilim," he said, grasping my arm.

  He directed me to a different part of the base of the city. We reached a large open space with straw dummies set up. He instructed me to sit across each other on our knees. For some reason, my heart was pounding in my chest. What if it was a weapon I'd be horrible at? How would I kill Guinevere then?

  "Alvir, I can't use a sword," I said honestly as he rubbed what I assumed to be holy water on his hands.

  He chuckled, which turned into hacking coughs. Tiny blood splatters decorated his white robes and parts of my dress. "It will be something you can use, I promise," he said knowingly. "Are you ready?"

  Before I said yes, my eyes caught Kirin's tall form in the distance. He was leaning against the stone wall watching us. Guinevere wasn't with him. It felt like the perfect opportunity to tell him about her sinister plans, but I couldn't. One detail I had never forgotten was that he mentioned hearing her voice in his head. If he could hear her, she could probably hear him. All I needed was her using whatever power she had over him against me. Alvir was right; we could take her on together with my new weapon.

  Alvir made me cup my hands as he poured the contents of the silver lamp into them. It was an incredibly thick metallic liquid that seemed almost solid. It sat in my hands like melted metal as Alvir took a blank scroll from his side.

  "In order to summon your weapon, you must will it. Just as any power derived from light or demonic essence, it can be controlled telepathically by your mind; you just have to learn the correct pathways. This light essence is enough to help you summon it initially, but it will be up to you to recall it into battle in the future," Alvir explained. "Now close your eyes and focus."

  My powers didn't really feel like I telepathically controlled them; rather each time, it was a singular plea for help. Like I did back at his house, I tried to focus on the light as much as possible. Weapon... make a weapon.

  The ring hummed momentarily before the silver liquid in my hands began to change shape. I wanted to open my eyes, but Alvir instructed me to keep them closed until it was finished. The cold chill of the silver was solidifying. My fingers felt a solid handle.

  After the buzzing and movement stopped, Alvir cleared his throat. "Well, that is something I have never seen before," he said with interest in his voice.

  I opened my eyes cautiously and looked into my hands. Holy shit! Well it turned out to my benefit.

  In my hands, I held a chrome gun.

  An actual gun! It was metallic silver, even the handle. It was some sort of Python six-shooter; probably something I had seen in a movie or video game. Sure, a rocket launcher might've been more useful, but a gun! I could use a gun. The chamber didn't open for bullets, but I could see it was loaded as I pulled down the hammer.

  I stood up and pointed it at a dummy.

  "What kind of weapon is this?" Alvir asked curiously.

  "It's a gun.” It was such a huge relief to be holding something I could actually use.

  Kirin approached us and helped Alvir to his feet. I didn't even glance at him; I was still pretty pissed off.

  "What is a 'gun' again?" Alvir asked, scribbling things onto a
scroll.

  "It's sort of like a bow," I replied. "A weapon from Earth."

  I aimed the barrel at the head of the straw dummy. My finger squeezed the trigger. Instead of firing a bullet, it caused the ring to buzz. A bright spark of orange flew from the barrel and hit the dummy in the forehead. A large circle was seared into the fabric where the bullet of light had burned a hole through its head. I fired a few more rounds into the body. Every time, the ring reacted the same way, producing bullets in the chamber for me.

  "Finally, something you aren't useless at," Kirin said over my shoulder.

  Yeah, whatever. I had saved his life like five times. If I was so shitty, how was I able to do that? It wasn't worth a response. Instead, it just made me angry. I took it out on the dummies and fired ten more shots in rapid succession. By the time the final light bullet hit, they were annihilated. Those demons didn’t stand a chance, especially with how silently it fired.

  The only drawback was that, like most of the ring's powers, it drained me. The last bullet was enough to make me weak in the knees. At least I knew now, before battle, that my supply wasn't endless. I'd have to balance using bullets with my shields and heals. If it got bad, I could always rely on the demonic power, too. In the second my mind wandered to the darkness, the gun shimmered in my hands and vanished as if it was never really there in the first place. It was distressing to me to have it leave. I mean, I'm an American; I'm entitled to have my firearm on me at all times, right? The ring glistened as if to tell me not to worry.

  Kirin and I helped Alvir make it back to his bed afterward. I really wanted to march right up to Guinevere that moment, but Kirin’s presence made me feel trapped. I couldn't even discuss things with Alvir with him there. During all of that, my thoughts were with the king sitting in a daze up in his room. Guinevere could even kill him while I sat around doing nothing!

  As if he could hear me muttering her name over and over in my head as a death threat, Kirin cleared his throat. "I need to go talk to... Ronen. I will see you tomorrow, Val," he said unsure of what he was even saying himself. Ronen, huh? Like I'd believe that! He was probably going to go be with his stupid demon girlfriend. There was no doubt in my mind that they were screwing. He was probably busy crying into her tits about how unfair my lineage is.

  Kirin left me alone with Alvir to go "talk to Ronen." He wouldn't look at me either. There was absolutely no contact as he left, slamming the door behind him. I wanted to follow his heels all the way to his little condo, but I didn't. I let him walk away. It was better to catch him in the act than to have a bunch of empty accusations.

  Meanwhile, Alvir motioned for me to sit with him. He wasn't doing well. Leaving his house definitely put a toll on his body. He looked so weak, like he was doing all he could to stay awake. I tried to heal him with the ring, but nothing happened.

  "It's no use," he said sounding eerily similar to James before his death. "I will be free to walk with the Divines. This is my wish."

  "But you can't die yet! There's so much we need to talk about. What if Vince tries to take over my body? How do I even get back to Earth!" I said, starting to tremble.

  Alvir took my hand in his. "Divinus, you must remember you are in control—not him. Any seceding would be done with your own permission," he replied before going into a fit of coughs.

  "And Earth?" I asked again.

  He closed his eyes. "We can discuss Earth after you deal with Guinevere. You cannot allow her to hurt my people. This is all that's left of us," he whispered. "Hurry."

  That old man was senile if he thought I was going to leave him alone to die without at least telling me how to get back home! I couldn't leave him to die before I got answers.

  His hand gripped mine harder. "Please... take care of her and return before it’s too late." Reluctantly, I pulled away and started toward the door.

  "Don't die. I'll be right back," I said with tears in my eyes. I closed his door softly before I broke down. Even though it wasn't violent or unnatural, the death of another person was killing my mind. I hadn't known Alvir that long at all, but in actuality, I felt as though I had known him my entire life and longer. My hands were shaking so bad I struggled to latch his door handle.

  "What's wrong this time?" a voice said over my shoulder. I was overcome with a wave of relief when I saw Ronen coming from the bar again. So much for him and Kirin talking, huh?

  "Thank god, dude," I muttered, wiping my tears away. "Listen, we don't have a lot of time."

  "What's going on?" he asked, concerned.

  I grabbed his clothes and pulled him close enough to whisper. "You were right. Guinevere bewitched the Evyan king," I said under my breath. "I tried to heal him, but he didn't respond."

  "You're sure?"

  "Yes. Can you go check on him?"

  "What are you going to do?" he implored staring into my tear-filled eyes.

  "I'm going to... take care of it," I stammered, starting up the spiral.

  He ran to catch up. "You can't fight a demon like that on your own," he said seriously.

  "If I can kill Nakarius, I can kill Guinevere," I replied slightly too loud over my shoulder.

  He gave me an uneasy look but nodded in agreement. We entered the floor that both Kirin and the king were staying on. He clapped me on the shoulder. "Be careful," he whispered before jogging down the hall toward the king's quarters.

  My hands were shaking so badly from anxiety, I struggled to open Kirin's door. With a heavy wave of anxiety, I quietly crept into the room.

  My gut was instantly filled with fire. He was sitting in the far chair while Guinevere talked to him. Caught in his lie. I silently closed the door and crouched behind a decorative pillar by the entrance.

  "I have done everything for you! I saved you from Vince, and this is the thanks you give your master?" she asked.

  "I wouldn't have needed saving if you hadn't kidnapped me in the first place!" Kirin replied, highly agitated. "Did you really think that you could ruin my life and gain my affection in return?"

  "Ruin your life? I gave you life! I gave you this beautiful gift for what? For you to turn your back on it!" she yelled back at him.

  "You are sick. The Dark Sacrament is not a blessing, you old whore," Kirin responded with venom in his voice.

  "No, it's you who is sick! That's why I have come—to bring you home. The end is coming, and it’s time to return to your true family," she whispered. She crossed the room and sat on his lap. She curled her arms around him and tried to kiss him, but he avoided her.

  "I'm not going anywhere," Kirin replied. "You might as well leave and wait around for us to kill you."

  She sobbed loudly into his chest as if she were throwing a tantrum. "No! I'm never leaving you again. You are coming home to Duskwraith with me. Lazarus even said she would take you with no qualms! You could be one of us again!" she pleaded with him.

  "I will never be one of you.”

  "Why do you betray your own kind? Do you not see that you are hastening your own death? You know what awaits you in the Void if you refuse the prophet," Guinevere said as she sobbed. "We can live forever... please... just come home."

  "There is no 'we'. There never will be," Kirin replied, glaring intensely into her red eyes. "I will never belong to you or them."

  She scoffed, baffled by his response. "This is about that stupid girl, isn't it? She's the reason you can refuse my sway? The reason why you refuse me intimacy?" she asked. Kirin rolled his eyes and looked away. "It is her! Of course. How could I not know when her scent is all over you? First, you leave me for that peasant rubbish, now this child? What have I done but love you unconditionally, Kirin? I have given you everything. I have given you my life, my undying love! I gave you eternity!"

  Kirin didn't respond, which angered her more. I could see her nails digging into his face and neck as she glared back at him.

  "You love her, don't you?"

  Ignoring her gaze, his eyes met mine peeking beyond the pillar, but only for
a second. He adjusted to where she was sitting on his opposite shoulder.

  "More than I could ever love a succubus cunt like you.”

  Guinevere let out a laugh that sounded more distressed than anything else. "Fine! If you want to be this way, I can, too! I will force you to bring her to Lazarus yourself. You can watch her die as your punishment," Guinevere cried, distraught.

  Oh, hell no. Like I'd ever go back to Lazarus as anything but her holy judgment day.

  "If you love me, why would you force me to do anything? Do you not even understand what love is?" he asked her. His eyes met mine again. They were pleading with me to do something.

  I tried to focus on the light to summon my gun, but nothing happened. Not even a buzz from the ring. Per usual, it didn't want to behave when I needed it to. I could see a hint of silver on the table. It looked like a sharp meat knife. Quieter than I had ever been in my entire life, I slowly crept around the pillar toward the table.

  "We will kill her and bathe in her blood, Kirin... then we can be together. Everything will be fine," she said sobbing. She wrapped her arms around his neck again and hugged him. "Lazarus will make this all right. She'll heal this broken planet."

  My shaking hands picked up the knife from the table. The blade scraped the glass, revealing my presence. I wasn't going back to Lazarus. I would never go back to Lazarus. The very thought of her name caused the sensation of the stone prison to almost overtake me.

  Guinevere tried to turn around, but Kirin held her against his chest tightly so she couldn't move.

  Visualizing every demon piece of shit that had hurt me, I stabbed her through her spine. “I’m not going anywhere," I said furiously.

  She instantly spat black blood all over Kirin's chest. Her large red eyes looked into his with shock. Her hands held his face. "We will... be together... forever," she whispered before kissing him. "The Void comes sooner... than you think." Her eyes closed and she struggled for her last few breaths.

  When her chest stopped heaving, shadows much like Vince's swirled around her form and Kirin. They lingered for a moment before dancing into my body. It was like being impaled through the heart for the eternally long second which it lasted.