by Dahlia Lu
"You are still luckier than me,” a voice said to him.
Trent got to his feet and searched his surroundings. The scent of this demon was the same as the one that had circled above his home. "You.”
"I am quite envious of you, Trent,” Seth confessed. He appeared on top of a tree branch, resting his back against the bark. "Maybe you should realize how lucky you are.”
"Where have they taken him?" Trent was referring to his other self.
"I don't know, and frankly, I do not care,” Seth chuckled. "But I imagine you are better off without an instinct.”
"He’s my brother. Better off or not, I need him.”
"Even without your so-called brother, you still have a lot to go home to,” he suggested, motioning at the limp body of the woman on the ground. "As for me, I don't even have a home.”
"Are you throwing yourself a pity party?"
"Why shouldn't I ?” He materialized in front of Trent. "We are both the same, but our fates are worlds apart. Well, I guess we aren’t the same. Even though you are not fully a demon, your existence is verified by your own father. You were born from a mother who loves you, while I was created in a laboratory. Not even my own father would verify my existence!"
"How were you...created?"
Seth hesitated for a long moment before he spoke again. "Six hundred years ago, the humans excavated the place of Arvin's slumber. They were fascinated by his inability to age and had never before seen regenerative powers. They wanted to know more about him, but they did not know how to wake him. The best option they had was to extract his DNA and make an exact replica of him. That was how I was created. They rejoiced in their success, but they soon realized that they could not replicate to the exact specification of the original. They tested and performed experiments on me until I lost control of myself and killed them all. Their blood awakened Arvin, and he was furious with their actions. Even though he knew of my existence, he'd never acknowledged me. That is why, Trent, I have always been fascinated with you. I have watched you grow with the love of your mother and the protection of your father. You lived in a world that I could only dream of from afar.”
"Judging from the bitterness of your tone, you must have hated the ones who created you.” Trent picked up the body that was once his mother in his arms.
"It’s the price she has to pay,” Seth gently touched her face with the tips of his fingers. "She made her choice.”
"However, it does not mean that my life is any better than yours. Why would your father’s acknowledgement change anything about you?”
"That is where you fall short of your other self,” Seth criticized. "Arvin was right, you may have the blood of your father, but you are nothing like him. You do not even know how a demon is supposed to feel.”
"It is so bad not to be like Lucifer?"
"Without your powers, you are nothing more than a human. You side with them more than you do your own kind. It was only a matter of time before you turned against us. Tell me, my Prince, give me a good reason why I should not strike you down right now, and prevent it all?"
"I'd like to see you try.”
They glared at each other until Seth broke the tension with a chuckle.
"I will not waste your time any longer,” Seth faded into the shadows. "Words of advice, you should find your mother soon or there will longer be a use for that body.”
†††††
The scientists struggled to keep the incision open. Her regenerative abilities made it almost impossible to examine her internal organs. What made it even more difficult was the amount of anesthetic that needed to be injected into her system every five minutes. They feared that even such a high and dangerous concentration of dosage could only keep her immobile for a short time.
"Quickly, quickly another dose,” one scientist said to his assistants. "Five minutes is almost up.”
"But doctor," his assistant said, “Do you think it’s necessary? She won't wake up for days, if not weeks. If we inject her with any more, she could die.”
"I want you to do your job,” the frustrated scientist responded. He pulled away when the girl's flesh seemed to be regenerating over his fingers. He grabbed the loaded needle someone handed to him and injected directly into her blood stream. He breathed easier, thinking he had another five minutes before the next dosage. He picked up his scalpel to make another deep incision. This time, he discovered something hard buried deep underneath her flesh and bones. It appeared to be a clear, round core embedded next to her still heart. It was omitting a bright golden aura of its own. What made it stranger was that most of her veins were connected to it, as if it served some important function.
He dropped the scalpel immediately when her eyes flew open. Frightened by her sudden awakening, the scientists backed away, their legs quivering. Never in their wildest imaginations did they think she could have grown immune to the drugs so quickly.
She rose to her feet on the operating table. Her flesh rapidly closed the gap they had made. There was no question about her anger, even though her face was devoid of emotion. One of the scientists managed to press the emergency button to trigger the alarm. Before they had the chance to run, the exit doors slammed shut. They had no choice but to turn around and face her.
The fierce look in her eyes sent shivers down their spines, and they began to beg for forgiveness. They began to beg for their lives. It didn’t matter how loudly or how many times they begged, she was far too deep in her unconscious mind to hear it. Her feet gently landed on the ground and she walked toward the face she deemed most familiar. She could hear the rapid pace of his heartbeat as the pupil of his eyes dilated with her image. She penetrated his chest and dug out his beating heart. She enjoyed the horrified look on his face as he watched his own heart being crushed in her hand. He grabbed his chest, and then dropped dead to the ground. The last image he saw was a haughty smirk on her beautiful lips.
†††††
Lucifer let out a low, aggravated growl in front of Chevalier and disappeared.
"He really is rude,” Chevalier complained when he suddenly found himself alone in the middle of the conversation.
"Chevalier, come quick!" Bi yelled out. She came running to him with the laptop in her arms. She placed the laptop on the table for him to see. “It’s on live stream, Chevalier, its Fey- I mean Kali! They're hunting her down like an animal!"
Chevalier glued himself to the laptop when he saw Kali leap from one building to the next. There were many helicopters shooting at her from above. Behind the reporter, he could see an army of gunmen chasing her.
"What's going on here?" Chevalier asked in frustration. "Why are they after her?"
"...the government would not disclose the detail of the experiments, but the mayor did issue a complete shutdown after the entire central laboratory was destroyed. Please do not attempt to leave your homes...”
"Do you think she's hurt?" Bi asked. "She's covered in blood!"
"Bi, stay here,” he instructed, and then he was gone. Even though they had the talk, it still stunned her to see someone to just disappear like that. She should have been more surprised, but over the years, it was just basic math.
It was not like Chevalier was good at hiding it, either. It wasn't just his exterior appearance, although it did raise a lot of questions. He ate whatever she cooked, but sometimes he completely forgot that he was supposed to feel hunger and went days without food. He didn’t get sick or tired, and his body was always a cool, like a marble statue. He didn’t sleep either, although he did make it seem like he went to bed each night. He didn’t know that she could hear everything he did around the apartment at night. Turns out, it wasn't just insomnia.
She was startled when she turned around to see a young man just as tall as Chevalier standing by the door. She hadn’t heard him come in. His platinum hair and blue eyes rendered her speechless for a long moment. Somewhere in her memories, she recalled the seeing beautiful platinum hair and angelic blue eyes.
>
He brushed her out of the way and then placed the girl in his arms onto the sofa. She was so completely absorbed with his appearance that she had not noticed the girl he was carrying. It should have been the first thing she saw.
"What's wrong with her?" Bi asked as she approached the girl. She placed a hand on the girl's forehead and then withdrew it right away.
"Don't touch her,” he warned.
"She's cold as ice! Is she...dead?" Bi said in an alarmed tone. Bi backed away from him. "Did you...kill her?"
She tripped on the carpet and fell to the ground. Even then, she slowly inched toward the wall. "Chevalier never told me your kind kills for food...”
"What it is with you humans and jumping to conclusions?" Trent asked. Then he took another sniff of her. "No, I'm not quite sure what you are.”
"So...you didn't kill her?" Bi needed confirmation.
"Adria!" Trent called out into the open space. A female form materialized before them. "Take care of my Mother's body. If anything should happen to her, I will hold you responsible.”
The female demon obediently bowed. "Anything for you, my Trent.”
"She's your mother? But she's so young...”
When she returned her attention to him, he was already gone. She must have come on a bad day, Bi thought.
†††††
A series of bullets flew with the rhythm of the firearms. Their speed couldn’t match hers. They were fooled many times by her after-image, and they feared that nothing could stop her. She was a force to be reckoned with.
They didn't know who she was or what she was. They were sent on the sole mission of taking her out, but at this rate, it may be an impossible task.
She stopped.
She turned to face them. Her violet eyes sent an unsettling churning through their guts. A gust of wind swept by her frail figure and right before their eyes, she was gone.
She appeared again on the side of the helicopter. The pilot caught her in his peripheral vision, and before he could be shocked by her ability, he was free-falling to the ground. The other soldiers in the helicopter began to fire wildly at her. The bullets ricocheted off the invisible force field around her body and backfired at them. She leaped out into the air before the helicopter crashed into the buildings below. There was a roaring explosion on impact.
"Did she just do that?" The pilot of another helicopter could not believe what he had just witnessed. "Where did she go? Did we lose her?"
"I'm here,” she whispered into his right ear. The windshield splattered with blood as the helicopter lurched towards the ground.
Chapter 18: His Verdict
The screen went blank. He turned off his television and threw the remote aside. With a frustrated groan, Grant buried his face in his hands. This wasn't how he imagined it would work out. It had spun completely out of control and he was helpless to stop it from happening. If the government hadn’t gotten involved, he was sure he could have helped her get rid of the demon inside of her before she went on a rampage like this. He was sure of it!
How confused and frightened she must have felt when they took her away. With all of the conspiracies going on, God knew what they did to her to trigger such rage. He wished he could have done thing differently, at least brought her to a place where no one could find her. Then, maybe then, she would returns to the admirable girl he knew.
He could have assumed that it was all an act, but he knew better. He had been with many women before, and he knew them like the back of his hand. Even if it was an act, she had nothing to gain from him. There was no reason for him to believe she was anything other than the person he saw. If not for this plague of a curse from that detestable demon, she would not have turned out this way. And she was protecting him. He could not understand why she was protecting him.
When he lifted his head from his hands, his eyes widened at the vision of her. She stood by the open window with the curtain flowing behind her. Her clothes and hair were drenched in blood. From what he had seen on the live stream, it may not have been hers. Her beautiful violet eyes that he once had found seductive were now sharp and pierced his soul.
"I supposed you came to kill me.”
"I cannot forgive you,” she said. Her voice had many layers besides her own. She raised her hand above her, displaying a set of razor sharp nails.
"If you think that I deserve to die just because I wanted to help you, then come at me!" He grabbed a hold of his shirt and ripped it open to reveal his scarred chest. She materialized in front of him. Her sharp nails traced his newly-healed scars, reopening them.
"Do you think that these could stop me?"
"Why should they?” he said with a wince. "I wouldn't mind a few more.”
"Die!" She raised her hand and aimed at his heart. When Grant opened his eyes again, Chevalier had caught her by the wrist.
“No more of this,” he said as he grabbed her other arm. His movements were so quick that Grant could not see them clearly. She struggled to free one of her hands and slashed him across the face. Chevalier regained control of her limbs and pressed her tightly against him to prevent any further movements. The openings from her sharp nails instantly healed.
“That really hurt, Kali,” he said.
"You’re just like her,” Grant realized. "How?"
"You should take care of those wounds, or you're going to bleed to death. I'll take her off your hands now.”
"Not until you answer me!" Grant grabbed Chevalier by the shoulder. "What are you? What is she? Do you have something to do with this?"
"We need to leave here before he arrives,” Chevalier brushed Grant aside. "After he's done with those army brats, he's going to find his way here. And trust me. He will enjoy seeing her kill you.”
"He?"
"I think I will enjoy that very much,” Lucifer materialized into the room.
"Look what you've done!" Chevalier muttered an accusation. "I could have gotten her out of here.”
Lucifer came to Kali's side and lifted her chin with his hand. She responded with a fearful look. "You did not listen,” he said. “Things could have been much simpler.”
"Don't touch her!" Grant shouted. "Can't you see that she's afraid of you?"
"What I do with her is none of your concern,” he said without diverting his attention from her. "Awaken,” he commanded.
"What's wrong?" Chevalier asked when she still struggled with him. "Did it not work?"
Lucifer drew her away from Chevalier and closer to him. "Kali, you are much stronger than you think. Awaken.”
Chevalier shook her by the shoulders. "Can you not hear him, Kali? He asked you to wake up.”
"It is too late for you to get her back,” the instinct said. There was a triumphant but unsteady tone in her voice. "She cowers deep inside her sleep. She cannot hear you now.”
When Chevalier looked to Lucifer for an answer, he found Lucifer's anger directed at Grant. A storm brewed above them.
"Lucifer! Now is not the time for this!" Chevalier tried to become the voice of reason. "We need to find out if there is a way to revert this.”
"She did not want me to take your insignificant life, but if you make me lose her again, I vow that you and your kind will suffer extinction!"
"You almost sound like you care about her,” Grant scoffed.
Lucifer grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the wall. He dropped to the ground and coughed out blood that quickly seeped into the carpet. He slowly got up. He wasn't about to give up, he was going to challenge the demon again. But they had already disappeared from his apartment.
†††††
She huddled at the corner of the cage like a frightened animal. He had neglected her for several hours now, time he'd spent watching over his bride's corpse. Her body was limp and lifeless, like the day he buried her over a decade ago.
"Arvin would not have handed her back so easily,” Lucifer finally said.
"Yes,” Chevalier agreed. They both seemed to be ig
noring the excessively loud mob and tanks right outside the mansion. "Adria informed me that when Trent brought her back, he was acting very strange.”
"I must confess," Trent walked into their conversation, "I didn't expect my day to go this way.”
"Where have you been?" Chevalier asked.
"I was attacked by an army when I went out searching for her,” he said plainly, “but that is unimportant. I was summoned by Arvin and the others. He asked for an exchange, her body for my brother.”
"I thought an instinct can’t be removed,” Chevalier looked to Lucifer.
"So did I, until I woke up without one,” Trent grumbled. He walked toward the cage. "They've done terrible things to her.”
She snarled back at him.
"What did they do to her, exactly?" Chevalier asked.
"I tracked down her scent to the laboratory,” Trent began. "By then, it was already a massacre. I watched through their surveillance videos and saw the cruel things they did to her. If you had seen how they tested and ruthlessly dissected her, it would make your blood boil.”
"They dissected her?" Chevalier growled. He slammed his fists against the mahogany desk and split it in half. The impact caused the floor beneath it to crack for several meters. "Lucifer, has a demon ever recovered from being consumed by his own instinct?" Chevalier asked, but he did not receive an answer.
"I fear she may be in far too deep," Trent turned to Lucifer, "and you are responsible.”
"Lucifer, do something!" Chevalier demanded. "You can't just let her stay like this! When will you stop that indifferent attitude of yours? Do you realize that she may have to stay like this forever? She's your wife, for goodness sake!"
"Do you expect me to wallow in my own tears to express a great pain that I have nothing to compare to? Why must I let you know of my frustration of being a man with absolute power, but who cannot even protect the one he wants to defend? I do not need you or anyone to acknowledge how I feel, that is solely for me to know.”
