Legion

by Devin Cain

  "Conqueror," he said firmly. I didn’t notice any real respect in the way he said it, but there was no need for it. This was all for the show, nothing else. "I present to you the crown gems specially created for today’s purpose! They are unique, just like the ladies for whom they are!"

  I nodded and took the first of three boxes from his hands, the purple one. I opened it and took out a magnificent necklace with a five-inch large violet gem embedded into gold and platinum threading and walked over to Kris and stood before her. Forcing my head to change back, I kissed her forehead, then clasped the necklace around her neck.

  "You sure hadn’t expected this, huh?" I whispered. She was still flabbergasted and couldn’t speak, instead she just nodded, her eyes welled up with tears.

  I turned back to Samson and took the second box, a scarlet red beauty that seemed as if it was on fire and took out the second necklace. At the center sat a black and red sparkling gem that looked every much alive as I was as it stared back at me. I could feel the energy radiating from deep inside.

  "That’s a God’s tear," Gremory whispered. "We’ve only laid eyes on one during a battle years ago before The Host confiscated it."

  I nodded and looked up at the sky. Gabriel had provided us with the rare gem, but he was still too weak and didn’t want to be around so many people, so he stayed up on Devil in the observatory which had been rearranged to become his own private space.

  "Yes, it’s as rare as you are. Or rather, one of a kind," I replied, framing her face with my hands, then kissed her forehead as well.

  "Excellent!" Emperor Rendan boomed into the microphone that floated before him. "We can now proceed with the second part of this ceremony!"

  Levi walked up to Samson and knelt before us, holding out a yellow box in front of her. Khavvrin first looked up at me, as if asking if all of this was real or a joke. I nodded and waved for him to take the box from Levi, which he promptly did, and almost comically so. Seeing the large man so flustered was truly a sight to behold.

  "Conqueror," Khavvrin said as he knelt after taking the box. "I will never let you down."

  "See that you don’t, Khavvrin. Go, take your bride."

  He nodded and opened the box, revealing a similarly created necklace but with a yellow gem in the middle. It was every much magnificent as the other two as it sparkled under all of the spotlights. He repeated the same process as I had, not caring if it was appropriate or not, but when it came to kissing the princess’ forehead, he had to stand on his tip-toes. Even though being a giant among Humans, he barely reached the height of his new bride.

  "My fellow Entraxilans! My fellow Humans! My fellow Vandredi, Gebradim, Sqvadrians, and Mechanoids! Let the ceremony begin!"

  Thousands of white and red birds flew up into the sky, released from hidden cages. Music blared along with a glittery substance that started raining from overhead. Tiny particles showered the crowd along with everyone who stood atop the central plaza square. All of the aliens and humans alike started drinking, cheering, and screaming their lungs out. All the while as the loves of my life ran up to me and started hugging and kissing me.

  "You idiot!" Gremory cursed. "I would have worn something more spectacular if you’d told us what we were dressing up for!"

  I put my arm around her and kissed her cheek, then walked them up to their respective thrones.

  "If I told you what I had in store, would you have come down to Entraxila?"

  Behind me, Khavvrin was having the life squeezed out of him by his bride before they sat down on their own thrones. All that was left was for me to take my seat after the Emperor and Empress walked down the stage, taking their place at the head of all the guests.

  "No, I wouldn’t!" she hissed, but the scowl on her face quickly turned into a grin. "Hell yes, I would! And you, put a smile on your face, woman!" she snapped at Kris who was all but present. I laughed as I sat down, eliciting a roar of approval both from my allies as well as the domestic Entraxilans.

  I turned to the cameras floating around me and grinned, changing back to my monstrous self, sprouting the Nephilim wings from my back in all their glory.

  The crowd grew silent as if someone had muted them. I could feel millions, no billions of eyes on me. Entraxila was big in comparison to Earth, just as its people were. Huge megapolis were strewn about all over important regions. Just went to show how smart they were with choosing their habitats, or that’s what Kris told me anyway.

  Khavvrin was the first to drop to one knee, followed by a hesitating bride. Gremory and Kris followed, after which my troops and allies did the same. The Emperor hesitated for a long moment as he chewed on his upper lip, struggling with his inner demons. But in the end, he let out a deep sigh and followed the example along with the Empress. After all, they’d been promised rule over their people, as long as they were loyal. I had no interest in world domination through fear, no, I wanted loyalty and respect

  The plaza remained silent, all for the shuffle of feet and whispers of fear. I’d be lying if I said that the feelings washing over me weren’t to my liking, but they sure were addictive. Was this how all the Earth’s rulers had felt when the masses prostrated themselves before them? Now I could see why they practiced such a thing, but I wouldn’t have this anymore, not after today.

  "Rise!" I yelled. "Rise, my people! Do not fear me! I’m not here to conquer you! No! I’m here to destroy you!"

  It took me a long time to figure out what the hell it was I just said, but by the looks of everyone present, I must have heard right. No. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t even blink.

  "Devil? Khepri? What the hell is going on?" I asked mentally. But there was no reply — not a single word from either of them.

  My hands shot up, palms toward the sky as it started to darken. Clouds appeared along with occasional flashes of thunder that only added to the surreal feel of the scene. More and more thunder and lightning flashed all around us, connecting with tall skyscrapers, trees and vehicles alike which were blown to pieces.

  "What are you doing?" the Emperor demanded as he rushed up to me. "Stop this insanity! We had a deal!"

  I could feel the corners of my eyes rise slightly in a smirk, but what I felt was all but fun and games. I was terrified. Who could take over someone’s body with as much power as I possessed?

  "That was a deal struck with the owner of this body, not with me," a slightly familiar voice spoke. It felt as if the sound came from all sides at once. Oh, no. It was him, the one God ruling over our system and the known universe. "I must say that I’ve had enough from outside meddling in my domain, and all because of you. You couldn’t help but get drunk on power and accept any bone thrown your way, Cain, but that ends here and now!"

  My hands started burning from the tips of my fingers. It crawled up along my palms, wrists and made its way up to my neck. The suit caught flame and evaporated along with my boots.

  Strangely, the pain wasn’t that bad, whatever the reason may have been, but the fear in my women’s eyes, as well as in everyone present was appalling. I tried to move my body with all of my power, but I couldn’t.

  "See? It would have been much easier on all of you if you hadn’t poked around the hornet’s nest. Now you pay the price, Cain. Watch as you lose everything you ever wanted and almost had. You were so close, yet still so far."

  An enormous thunderbolt struck down the center of the plaza, killing the Emperor instantly and half of the guests. Samson lay unmoving along with Levi on the ground, their bodies badly burned. A second and third bolt struck the Entraxilans around us. A wave of raging flame rose from the ground and engulfed the city in every direction as the earth started shaking.

  Screams of the dying and fleeing echoed throughout the Capitol. Debris littered the streets, and buildings caught fire as blood ran in rivers.

  "Is this what God really is? Petty vengeance and wrath? Revenge over a lost battle? Destruction over life?"

  The voice laughed madly as if the one
behind it had gone crazy. It echoed in my mind, booming in my eardrums, and tore at my mind.

  "It’s so much more, young Cain. It’s absolute power! A power you will never possess, and never would have! You trusted a false god! A god who was long since banished, someone who knows how to whisper sweet things in your ear, but no more."

  I floated up into the sky, the plaza becoming smaller with every second until I stopped high above the city. The people down below were all but tiny dots. Still, I could see my queens sitting there, unable to move. No, run, please. Run from here!

  "What the hell are you doing? Trying to suffocate me?" I snapped, but he remained quiet. Instead, he pointed my hands down at the ground and started humming something in my ear, as if a lullaby. I couldn’t distinguish the words, but I didn’t like what I heard.

  "No, Cain, I’m not. What I’m doing is destroying everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve. Be a witness to your failure, to your demise!"

  "What do you mean? Destroying what I’ve worked so hard for? Haven’t you done enough already? I’m sick of you and The Host and their little games! Can’t we live in peace for a goddamn moment? Have I ever asked for the god of chaos? No! He came to me because your angels were oppressing me!"

  "I’m sorry, but it doesn’t matter anymore now that everything’s set in motion," he replied calmly. "No, who am I kidding? I’m not sorry at all. You’ve chosen chaos over life. Now you’ll be the one to sacrifice everyone you hold dearest to your god!"

  A high-pitched noise accompanied the buildup of air around me. An extremely bright light started radiating from above and below before they merged into a ball that floated in front of my face. I couldn’t hear anything anymore — not the thunder, not the explosions, and not the fire.

  The ball turned into a dome that started to cover the whole city. Finally, when it stopped growing, my eyes met with Gremory’s one last time before I snapped my finger, releasing a light that expanded so quickly that it devoured everything it touched. I felt myself going both deaf and blind as everything exploded.

  "I bid you farewell, Cain, agent of Chaos and Nephilim. Goodbye, and may our paths never meet again, for if they do, you’ll be next."

  "So, it really is you?"

  The voice remained silent for a long, unnerving moment.

  "My son. Repent, and all of this will just have been a lesson, nothing more. Repent!"

  I couldn’t help myself but laugh. No, it wasn’t the laughter of joy or happiness, but of hatred and rage.

  "First I’ll kill your sons and daughters, father! Then I’ll be coming for you!" I sneered through bloody tears that ran down my cheeks.

  "Such a shame, my son. I’ll be waiting for you, my son, waiting for the day we meet again."

  The pain inside my head and eyes finally dissipated. Before I even know what had happened, I could feel the tears burn into my skin. Everyone was gone. All that remained of the Capitol was an enormous crater that stretched for miles.

  "Cain? Cain! Wake up! Fight it!" a familiar voice bellowed in my mind.

  "Gabriel? You’re alive?"

  "Yes! We all are! You need to—"

  "But they’re dead! Gremory and Kris are dead!"

  "No, they’re— I can’t fight him for much longer! You need to snap out of it!"

  An intense pain shot through my skull, as if someone had just rammed a five-inch nail into my forehead. I focused on Gabriel’s voice, trying to understand what he was saying, but it was all blurry. But there it was, another voice. It was much weaker, but very insistent.

  "Cain?" the voice whispered in my mind. "Hey? What’s wrong? Why are you staring off into space?"

  I shook my head awake, only to find myself sitting on the throne beside Kris and Gremory. My heart stopped beating for a very long moment as I looked around me. Everyone was still alive. What the hell had that been? A dream? A warning?

  I took Gremory’s hand and squeezed it hard. She yelped and pulled it back.

  "Hey! What’s wrong with you?" she hissed under her breath.

  "You’re alive! You both are," I whispered.

  "Why wouldn’t we?" Kris asked worriedly. I sighed and turned toward her.

  "Nevermind. I think I just dozed off," I replied and got to my feet, looking up to the sky. "Thanks, Gabriel," I whispered. I had no idea what would have happened if the all-father had managed to trap me in the illusion, but thanks to Gabriel I managed to free myself. Had he earned the trust we put in him? Totally, but he was still one of them, and that would never change.

  "You’re—welcome. He sure did a number on you—and me just now. The backlash even degraded me somewhat."

  "I’ll make it up to you, Gabriel. My word is my bond."

  "If you want to make it up to me, then how about we sit down once everything is said and done. There’s an interesting destination I have in mind where we could get some much-needed help."

  "Oh?" I asked curiously. "What do you mean?"

  "See, there is an asteroid, a living thing just like Devil serving as a prison ship for anything aligned with the dark. Thousands of prisoners, Human and alien alike, being tortured and experimented on. It’s one of The Host’s most heavily defended possessions, but I think we could do a number on them with the power you’ve gathered so far."

  "Finally some good news. I have to take his warning seriously after all."

  "Oh you do, trust me. Anyway, I’m going into hibernation for a while, I’m barely still standing."

  "Thank you Gabriel, thanks for saving me again." His presence faded as I looked around the crowd and back to my girls, flashing them a broad grin. They didn’t need to know about our little encounter just now, and should instead enjoy what little off-time we had.

  The warning, though, had been loud and clear not to trust into the wrong god, but that was just it, I didn’t trust any of them. All I wanted was to be left alone to live in peace, but I guessed peace was the one thing I’d never have. So be it then.

  I’d become much stronger but on my own. I wouldn’t rely on the god of chaos to fight my battles for me, no, I’d do that myself when the time came. For now, I’d enjoy this party and await the tomorrow when I’d wake up much stronger than I was today, for my greatest battles were yet to be fought.

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