Victima

by K R Leikvoll

  I made my way back to Levia and turned to await their answers. My heart dropped when I saw that they all still wanted to run. I nodded slowly at Sylvia and Jotus, accepting their answer without a verbal argument. The living Femorans were in more pain than anyone else, obviously from their curse. People of every race were hacked up and only just standing. Was it selfish for me to ask them for their lives after they had given me everything else forever, since I was technically born eons ago?

  At least Levia carried the same fury I associated with Vince. Either they had been made for each other, or he had rubbed off on her. She would fight with me; maybe we could make a difference without everyone else's help. Shadows helped elevate me onto her back as she bent over. I'm not sure how I did it, or if it was even me in the first place, but I couldn't waste time thinking about it.

  I reached my hand out to Kirin, waiting for him to grab it expectantly. Instead, he didn't move. He was fighting an internal battle to run. If his predictions of his own death were true, it would be coming soon. Not that I wouldn't try to prevent it.

  The entire group of survivors noticed his hesitation, too. It broke me into pieces, but I had to stay true to my... well… destiny.

  I took a deep breath. "I'll attack the west side where the majority of the demons are. If you decide to help me, we might be able to meet at the south side of the castle where they won't be," I said, speaking more to Sylvia and Kirin than anyone else.

  I closed my eyes and lifted the ring above my head as Levia began to stretch out her wings. In one burst of light, a healing mist covered the survivors, soothing their wounds as best I could.

  "Lux Eterna," I whispered as we took to the air as one.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  My idea to attack the west side, with hopes that the Infernal Army was still there, was a lucky break.

  It was incredible flying with Levia; we soared at a pace I didn't believe was possible. I wasn't even sure how I was breathing at the altitude and speed we were at. She would twirl occasionally in the air enjoying her newfound freedom; the idea of falling off was only mildly terrifying. In truth, without Kirin behind me, I was less scared to be around her. Maybe I had been picking up his anxiety, or maybe my body, the bad side, could remember the sensation of flying.

  Kirin's decision not to come was all I could think about as we flew closer and closer to the heart of Duskwraith. He was the singular person that had kept me going the whole time and seemed ready to lay down his life at any moment. My only conclusion was that he was afraid of the Void. In any case, if he didn't show up, maybe he could live on. If I died, I'd be at peace knowing he wasn't rotting away somewhere in the darkness.

  Duskwraith was an interesting land. The demonic energies didn't seem to affect the only living thing besides demons, which were the peculiar trees. More peculiar than any I had seen so far, even the twisted trees in Naadea. They were clear and composed of crystal except each one had a big, pulsating heart that was distributing what appeared to be blood to the roots and branches. All trees are alive, obviously, but these were somehow almost sentient.

  We slowed and flew high above the forest surrounding the castle so I could understand the layout. It was nerve-wracking to be calling the shots by myself against people with way more experience in battle. All that was keeping me on track was what the scroll said. I was destined to beat them, right? It didn't matter how I did things in that light, or at least I hoped. I didn't know exactly how fate worked on Praetis, but I knew from Earth that avoiding it typically made it happen anyway, so it was pointless trying to fight it.

  Lazarus had ordered a retreat. It was evident by how many demons were pouring in from the west. Exactly what we needed... or I should say what I needed, I guess. The horde was scary; what demon army wouldn't be? They were seemingly endless. I was really hoping that my plan worked and that I didn't end up on the ground fighting. Then it would be over for sure.

  I couldn't figure out where to start my attack originally, but flushing them out back toward Femora seemed like the right idea. The less demons near the castle the better. Even with Levia, I didn't think we'd be unstoppable. With a knotted stomach, I called to her to start torching them.

  The smell before we started to burn them from the sky was actually that of nothing. It was relieving from the smell of sulfur, but only until Levia’s massive maw opened. She unleashed bursts of black fire at the guard post near the western side of the obsidian castle. The tower and its inhabitants didn't have a moment to defend themselves from the blaze. And damn, it smelled like burning bodies, a smell I don't think I would forget as long as I lived.

  We continued south toward the gate. Levia let out screeches of fury as she burnt them to a crisp. The sound itself had the power to shake the foundation of the castle. I hoped Vince was watching his precious dragon annihilate all of his army. Well, Lazarus' army. She had certainly added to the numbers.

  I did my best to assist Levia with both sides of my abilities. I sent out a barrier as a tirade of arrows showered us in waves, while channeling choice flame shots when we got close to enemies on the ramparts. I didn't worry about sacrifice either; I had already made a mental note that I may need to drink something gross to keep myself going.

  Surprisingly, my plan was working. The demons were flocking in the masses outside the gate to do what they could to try and bring us down. I only nearly dodged a gigantic silver javelin thrown to impale Levia, which she had to spiral to avoid. She didn't stop her spray of flames, letting it engulf the sky in every direction as I did my best not to fall off. I would've been demon food had it not been for the last second intervention of Vince's presence keeping me from being flung to the ground.

  "Let's attack the south gate now," I called as loud as I could over the rushing wind.

  Levia’s purple eye blinked in response. I didn't expect the others to show up, but it didn't make sense not to take out the southern wall, just in case. Levia swooped down sharply, crashing into the top of the gate with her legs and tail. She ripped at it as we ascended again, completely knocking it outward.

  I smiled for a split second with the elation I felt at everything working as intended.

  But it doesn't always stay that way, does it?

  As we were raining fire over the southwestern guard tower, the somewhat crimson sky cracked down the center with a purple bolt of lightning. It was impossible not to see despite facing the opposite direction. Before we could react, an orb that was more of a black hole into the nether swallowed Levia’s flying form.

  For a moment, we didn't exist on Praetis at all. We existed somewhere in between no reality and something dark. Flashes of red eyes assaulted my vision along with thousands of pairs of fangs and tendrils that tried to whip at us. I couldn't scream, I couldn't beg Vince for help or call to Levia. I covered my face and held on as tight as I could. We were headed toward a bright red light; it was visible through my eyelids.

  We emerged on the other side of the portal directly above the castle. On the ramparts below, Raven was responsible for creating the black hole in the sky. I could tell it was him by the pale white skull painted on his translucent face.

  The orb started attempting to draw us back into whatever hellish portal we had come out of. The force was so incredible, I thought I might be dismounted entirely. Levia’s wings were strong, but the force of Raven's magic was stronger. Her wings began to pull back, no matter how hard she tried to prevent them from getting pinned behind her. The screams of her pain were louder than the monsters below. The only thing more deafening was the wail of the electric current coming from the orb.

  Dark purple tendrils finally emerged from the hole, grabbing onto her limbs and yanking us back. The portal itself was transforming to the flash of the eye I had seen so many times before. I could feel my heart beating in my throat from fear. What could I do? I clenched my fist as hard as I could, pleading to the ring for help.

  It began to buzz against my hand so hard I lost control of my arm. It lifte
d itself into the air, and in a magnetic pulse of light, an aura erupted around us. Like holy fire, the light smote the tentacles, searing them into ashes the moment they came into contact. Levia’s wings flew forward, desperately swiping at the air to keep us afloat. It seemed like we would make it back over the walls of the fortress until a giant, skeletal hand burst from the earth beneath us.

  Before I could summon the strength to unleash flames or a barrier, it clutched Levia around her wings almost crushing me. Raven's creation ripped us to the ground so fast I didn't have time to brace myself. We plummeted out of the sky, impacting the infrastructure and the ground on all sides. I was flung off Levia and sent soaring yards away from her. My head hit the stone ground, knocking me into a daze. My vision went black and my ears began to ring louder than the sound of the dragon crying.

  I thought it was all over. My instincts were screaming at my limbs to get up, but I was stunned. Blurry forms of demonic beings were approaching me and the dragon on all sides. Thankfully, somehow, she had beaten the skeletal hand back with her flames and was swiping at the monsters to keep them at bay.

  The first wave of demons ran at us. I flinched, covering my face, waiting for the disgusting, malformed thrall in front to swing its sword at me. I hoped the ring would produce a barrier, even though I was feeling too drained to summon the light. As my vision was going out again, a black shadow appeared in front of me. The thrall struck at my chest through the shadow, but in a split second it was melted into a droopy puddle.

  Vince stood between us and the horde of monsters. He was back in his ornate, clawed armor, burning each demon that came at us. As I watched Levia through my blurry vision, they fought almost synchronized despite being far away from each other.

  "Get up." His black and red eyes glanced over his shoulder while he fought off the demons without looking. One hand sliced them with shadows with a precision only he knew.

  My arms shook furiously underneath me as the ring finally healed some of my cracked bones. Without any help, I climbed to my feet.

  "Now do what you came here to do," Vince said forcefully.

  His shadowy form rejoined me before I was truly ready to fight my attackers. A red-skinned beast with the skull of an ox swung its axe at my feet. I rolled out of the way nearly losing my foot; I had to sacrifice a piece of my boot to the blade to get away. Another swing came immediately after that. I summoned my chrome gun as the axe fell, pulling the trigger a moment before I would have lost my head. A bullet of orange light shot the creature straight through the neck, blowing its skull off and knocking it backward.

  Another monster was on me just as fast as the one before. I dodged a few swipes while I adjusted to the necessary sensation of the ring attempting to assist me. It was struggling like something was holding it back. I had to face Lilith herself to have it work with me fully; maybe those demons weren't enough.

  I shot at the next beast in the body. The drag of using my strength after such a long fall was enough to make it hard to stand. The third demon was bigger than the first two, holding a blade that looked like it was made from a spare piece of metal. It was twisted and nearly ten feet long, but easily handled by the large hellbeast. I fired at it five times, only managing to hit it once in its mass and missing the other times.

  Levia could sense my struggle and shot flames over my head to wipe out some of the excess monsters starting to surround us. I needed to get her back in the air as soon as possible.

  I didn't want to be like Eve and run inside with no help, but what other choice did I have? I blocked a heavy strike with a barrier and tried to use fire. The flames sputtered slightly, feeling strained from my lack of sacrifice. The beast's sword reverberated off my barrier and came down a second time. Another bubble popped up; too weak to keep the blade back with its strength. I fired from my gun several times as I watched the blade come closer. Lurching to my left was the only way to avoid being cut in half. The demon was hit once more in the mass and the second bullet of light took off its head. It was so heavy that when it fell, I couldn't avoid the swing entirely and took the blade under my clavicle on the right side.

  Heavy pain blossomed in my arm, so dense I couldn't react in any way but shock. I was too weak to stop the monster from falling down on top of me, crushing me with the blade embedded in my flesh. Raven was still out there; so was Lazarus and her demonic wolf. Not to mention the other demons waiting for their chance to taste Nephilim blood. I had to get that beast off me and get out of there.

  The weight of the monster was crushing the sword into my body between my bones further and further. I thrashed with my left arm as much as I could, but still nothing budged. I could feel the chill of losing a lot of blood, and the pain was mounting.

  I was such a fucking idiot. Of course I would fail immediately. I didn't stand a chance against them, did I?

  The sound of Levia roaring was growing distant, as were the crimson clouds and obsidian castle. I reached out pathetically once more, maybe for help from Levia or Vince, but I was met with only air. My vision was going black again; I felt such a strong headrush that I couldn't tell where I was anymore. I took a deep breath, preparing for the inevitable hell waiting for me on the other side of the blade.

  The world was spinning away. I watched the darkness curiously as I fell through it without end. Where was I bound to go? Was my soul captive of the Void because of Vince? Some cruel fate I was tied to?

  I expected to see the Void, or if I was lucky, the Imperium. Not a shining star of light, waiting for me patiently at the bottom of the tunnel. My body was the same as a vision; weightless and pain free. But how could I have a vision? Eve was dead and I had seen everything I needed to see. She had mentioned the message of the light, but I had always assumed it was the truth I made for myself, not an actual message.

  More curious than scared about what I could see, I reached out and crushed it in my fist. It burst into light; rather than lining a half sphere around me as usual, it expanded outward for what seemed like forever. It went on until I was surrounded in pure white, replacing the darkness. My reality was nonexistent, like I was nowhere at all. Nothing existed in that place.

  It seemed like limbo, until a shadowy form seemed to be... channeling… into the room. It didn't appear as Vince normally did; it materialized from several beams of blue light coming into the same plane of existence from elsewhere.

  At first, I wasn't sure what the person was. They appeared to be female, but it was hard to tell with their ensemble. It was a strange, black latex suit that covered all but their eyes and hair. It was riddled with silver wires and tubing that connected to all of their body. The lines were tangled into some sort of high tech device on their back, but it was hidden by white geodes that grew down the person’s right arm like a rocky moss. The crazy rocks formed a hand-cannon-like weapon. It engulfed their entire limb from the elbow downward, making it impossible to tell how it functioned or if it was even a weapon to begin with. The only thing that revealed this person to be of interest was their waist length white hair and an eye color similar to Kirin's. They were black, but instead of having silver irises, they were midnight blue. They glowed just as bright as Vince's seemed to, casting a light on their covered cheeks.

  I was puzzled when the person pointed their strange weapon at my face. Light began to glow on the inside of its barrel, charging up to blast me to oblivion with a loud hum. Unsure what else to do, I held up my hands.

  "Wait!" I yelled, flinching and waiting for pain. The person turned their head to the side but didn't move the cannon. "Aren't you supposed to give me the message of the light? If not, why don't you hurry up and blow me away. I need to get back out there so I can do what I came here to do!"

  Cautiously, the person lowered their arm, but their weapon appeared to remain charged. Their left hand (which had some sort of strange tech embedded in the palm) yanked down their mask to reveal their face entirely. She was female, and strangely familiar, though I couldn't say why. Her face was
sunken. Maybe she was another descendent of the Imperium or maybe she was a demon, it was hard to tell. Her eyes were orbs in comparison to the rest of her features, and her skin was scarred in various spots. There was even a strange abundance of dead, black veins coating her left side. She could've been another Divinus for all I knew.

  "Are you going to help me or can I leave?" I asked impatiently even though I was afraid of her. I needed to get back to Levia as soon as possible.

  "What kind of game is this?" she asked the emptiness and looked around us. Her voice was soft and whispery, almost like Vince's. It gave me chills I couldn't explain.

  "I don't know, but I need you to tell me the message of the light! I'm going to die up there if I don't fully understand what I'm doing!" I pleaded with her trying to get some sort of answer.

  She gave me a strange, concerned stare I didn't understand. It seemed as though she was working something out in her head.

  "Well—" I started to say, but she interrupted me.

  "What is your name?" she asked, partially raising her weapon. Her fangs gave her away as a demon, which only made the situation more confusing.

  I put my empty hands back in the air. "It's Valentine!" I said, panicked that she was actually going to shoot me. "I'm the Nephilim! I was sent to destroy Nakarius."

  She breathed a sigh of possible relief—or maybe annoyance. Her cannon shimmered and vanished along with the geodes covering her arm and chest. "Then I suppose I must give you your message?" she asked in a whisper that I barely heard.

  "Please. I don't understand what the visions were trying to tell me. The only conclusion I have is that Vince is my father, and I can't figure out what that means. People keep telling me to trust in my visions, but that would mean trusting in him, and I can't—"