The Damned and The Pure Series: Books 1-4 (The Damned and The Pure Series Box Set)

by J. D. Stonebridge

  “She’s pretty,” Lili commented in a sarcastic tone.

  I warned you not to get jealous. Caelum smiled.

  “And she’s coming towards here.”

  W- what? Caelum jumped from his chair. Ah, she found out already, huh.

  “Found out what?” Lili asked.

  My leverage, Caelum simply answered.

  Lili stared at him with concern. She crossed her arms over her chest and said with finality, “Okay, I’m out of here. I don’t want to meet your feathered girlfriend.”

  Bye, Lili. And thank you for your help.

  “You owe me,” Lili reminded him. Shadows materialized behind her and swallowed her form.

  Caelum moved over to the armchair at the corner of his home. He lifted it and swiveled it around to face the window. He called on Miss Fortune and sat on the chair with the cat purring on his lap.

  Now, we wait for the angel to pay us a visit. Caelum was eager to meet his coming visitor so he watched the city sky for any sign of her.

  Ariel soared across the morning sky of Chicago, following the trace of dark violet energy. It proved difficult to find the trace of demonic energy in the air, given how much evil had spread through humanity. But Ariel was confident she’d found the one she sought. She sped through the air to confront him. Before her loomed a dark maroon building with a rusting fire escape on the side. The windows were dimmed and narrow. Smoke from the ground below covered the building, but Ariel could still see the demonic energy mixing with the black smoke of fire.

  Ariel saw the small opening of a window on the top floor. She closed her eyes and shifted her position to enter the tight space.

  Suddenly, the air around her was warm, and a carpeted floor met with her foot. She opened her eyes and found herself in a dimly lit room. The carpet beneath her feet was a deep blue, and the walls were lined with red wallpaper. The room was littered with tribal artifacts and bookshelves of ancient books. Unlike Maxwell Saunders’ room, the place had neither a bed nor a sofa, only a wooden study desk and a night table next to a bookshelf. Ariel took a step but froze when she felt small footsteps running towards her. She wheeled around, already brandishing her silver blade, only to see the gray cat with a red collar.

  “Oh,” Ariel said. “Hello.”

  The cat meowed a reply to her, but her mind processed the cat’s language greeting her back. And hello to you, too.

  Ariel looked at the cat curiously, kneeling down before it. She stared into the slits of its eyes and studied the energy within. Just as she figured out why the cat could understand her, it meowed again. Stop staring at her, you’ll make her insecure.

  Ariel sprang to her feet, picking up the blade which she’d settled on the floor. Something in the shadow between the bookcase and the nightstand moved, and Caelum stepped into the light with hands buried in his pockets. He looked over at her with his amused smile. Annoyance filled Ariel. He was without his voice still, but he’d learned to use the cat as his medium.

  “Release this creature from your influences,” Ariel demanded him.

  Return my voice, then, he replied through the cat’s language which irked her even more. You left me with few options, so I had to use Miss Fortune here to communicate. Unfortunately, she still uses her own language to translate my words. Otherwise, I could have made a fortune with an eloquent cat.

  “Miss Fortune?” Ariel repeated the name. “Ah, you mean the cat.”

  Yes. So, Caelum offered her the chair beside the study desk. Care that we move along to business, then? I doubt you came only for a visit.

  Ariel didn’t move, instead, she watched him with fire in her eyes. "You placed a curse on the human I am guarding. Remove it at once."

  Caelum chucked. And you think it will be that easy?

  "No." Ariel switched her handle on the blade and directed the edge towards him. "But I insist."

  Oh, dear. Such a violent beauty, Caelum teased. But please, let's not get carried away with our feelings. A simple chat may fix our worries, you know?

  "I have no intention of negotiating with you, demon," Ariel hissed.

  And I have no intention of harming that pretty face. Nor getting my suit wrinkled, Caelum said. So, why not make this easier for the both us?

  "You are a thorn to Heaven's plans, therefore, I must end your schemes," Ariel said before charging at Caelum with her sword. Caelum dodged her attack and whirled around to grab her arm. He pulled her arm up behind her, disabling her from attacking.

  Really now, are we doing this again? Miss Fortune meowed at her.

  A kick to his shin made his knees bend, and his hold on her released. Ariel wheeled around and drove the blunt end of her blade against his back. Caelum's hand steadied himself before he could fall. He turned to her and was met with the tip of her blade

  Ariel's eyes were dead serious as she touched the tip to his throat for the second time. “Speak, or you will have death.”

  Caelum smiled at her. And what makes you think that you can wake that human up once I am dead? I assure you I know my way with curses and I am not a fool to create one that would be broken upon my death. Actually, it may never break once I am dead.

  Ariel considered his claim. She gritted her teeth, coming to the realization that he may be speaking the truth. Of course, not all curses and spells could be broken upon the invoker’s death. Caelum was no fool, she knew. However, Caelum was also a liar. “How can I be certain that you are speaking the truth? You are a demon, and I have no love for your kind.”

  The feeling is mutual, believe me. But if you were to kill me, and it fails to break the curse, what will happen to you next? Caelum asked her, and enjoyed the conflict that descended upon her face. If you do trust my words and return my voice in exchange for me waking up our Sleeping Beauty, and I happen to not perform my end of the bargain, you know how to find me and exact revenge. So, which of the two is the best option right now? He ended his proposition with a wink, and the effect was immediate on her.

  Frustration was written all over the beautiful face of Ariel, and Caelum indulged himself in it. Her sapphire eyes pierced through him, but Caelum stared back with his confident hazel ones. Confidence was a key ingredient to making his deals, and Caelum had the talent to push even the holiest soul into damnation if he wanted to.

  “You will break the seal of Maxwell Saunders’ mind,” Ariel said with finality “And if you do not, all of Heaven will descend in pursuit of your head.”

  By all means. Caelum opened his arms as if to welcome the challenge. Conflict was still in Ariel’s eyes, but she lowered her weapon nonetheless. She kept it in her hands, though, still wary of the demon she was dealing with. “Let us go, then.”

  Whatever do you mean? Caelum asked.

  Ariel looked at him with suspicion. “To the home of the human. To break his seal.”

  No, no, Caelum held a finger up and wagged it at her. Return my voice first.

  Ariel’s face crossed. “I will return it when my human is awake.”

  How will I break the seal, then? Without my voice, I can’t—

  “You placed that curse after I took your voice!” Ariel cut him off.

  Indeed. And breaking the curse is not the same as making it, Caelum smiled.

  The angel let out a frustrated groan. She reached out and grabbed Caelum by the shirt. Ariel dragged him and pushed him down into the armchair. Caelum landed with an ‘oof’, and found himself in the same position as before, only it was the bridge of his nose that was directly facing the tip of Ariel’s blade.

  My apologies, I didn’t know you were the dominating type, he commented.

  “If you speak such comments again, I will smite you and the cat who speaks for you.”

  Oh, animal cruelty? Caelum teased. I didn’t know such pure ones are capable of that.

  “Keep quiet,” Ariel ordered. Keeping the weapon directed at him, Ariel closed her eyes and began to speak in Enochian once again. A warm stinging sensation came from his neck, then it b
egan to burn. He cringed at the pain but dared not move. The burn became stronger and stronger, as if an open flame was set on his throat. And then, slowly, it began to wane out. Caelum felt his throat close until the burning sensation disappeared.

  He began to cough, thankful that Ariel had moved the blade away as he did. “Ah, that stung quite a bit.” Caelum lifted his eyes up. He stood abruptly, startling Ariel, who moved a step back.

  “Do not startle me like that,” Ariel told him.

  “I am very sorry, but seeing that my voice has returned to me, I am delighted. I thank you for your kind gesture,” Caelum said to her.

  “It was not a kind gesture, it was a deal. Now it is your turn to meet your end of the bargain,” Ariel reminded him.

  “Ah, true,” Caelum said, walking across the room. He leaned down and gave Miss Fortune a scratch on the head, releasing her of the part of his consciousness that the cat used to speak. “Very well, then. I shall be taking my leave,” Caelum announced. Before Ariel could protest, Caelum had his back turned from her and disappeared.

  “What—” was all Ariel could say as she watched a patch of shadows swallow his figure. It took a moment for her to recover from the shock of his sudden departure. She gritted her teeth and swore to have the demon’s head. Ariel moved over to the window and spread her wings to take flight.

  Curse that demon. I will throw his damned soul back to the fiery pit by my own hands if I must! She cursed in her thoughts. Ariel had never trusted the demon, so she’d kept hold of a part of his energy while she broke his curse. Using that energy, she tracked down his location and was led back to the apartment of Maxwell Saunders. She landed gracefully on the balcony and was surprised at the sight before her.

  Maxwell Saunders had been lying unconscious on his sofa when she’d left him earlier this morning. Now, he was brewing himself some coffee in his kitchen, shaking his head constantly as if to shake off what his prolonged sleep had done to him.

  Caelum leaned forward on the ledge of the building opposite the apartment building. From here, he could see the angel peeking inside the human whom he’d just came into contact with. She seemed to be delighted, now able to carry out her task since her human was awake.

  He smiled to himself. I hope you like my other surprise too, sweet angel.

  Chapter Seven: Revealing Chaos

  Voices whispered in his ears, hushed and frantic, and he couldn’t understand a word. He strained his ears, listening, but the voices grew more panicked. There was a hollow pit in his stomach as if there was nothing in it, nothing but dark emptiness that consumed him from the inside. His throat closed, and he yearned for things beyond his reach. Nothing was around him.

  Without warning, the whispers turned to screams of terror. He turned around and saw the great fire slowly descending towards them. The blazing figure crashed into the land and swallowed everything in a hellish fire. The screams turned into agonizing pleads. Everything burned. The fire crawled into his skin and he howled with them. Heat was in the air and dried his body. He begged for mercy. And mercy was given.

  The flames disappeared as quickly as they’d erupted. He breathed in relief, the pain still lingering on his skin, but bearable at least. He looked around and saw grey sky above his head. The scene was eerie and gloomy. He stared at the slow-paced clouds until a flash of light appeared over the horizon. He watched the curious light in the midst of the grey clouds as it grew. His brows furrowed at the realization that the light wasn’t growing larger, but instead coming closer.

  Faceless people moved in his direction. They were screaming, sprinting away from the light as it came near. He felt the urge to run, but his feet did not move. He was glued to the spot where he stood as strangers bumped his shoulders in their desperation to flee. The screams began to weaken, and then a voice spoke as if it came from within his skull.

  Watch what happens.

  The voice was strange. He couldn’t tell if it was male or female, only that it haunted him as it spoke. It spoke again.

  Watch what will happen.

  And so he watched. The light came closer, and he saw that the light was attached to something. He felt his heart drop to his stomach at the sight of it. The urge to run burned inside him, but something was keeping him in place. Something didn’t want him to move. A blast of heat, smoke, and light ended everything.

  Maxwell’s sleep had been troubled the last few nights. Strange dreams plagued him, and yesterday’s incident happened when he woke up far too late that he missed his morning appointment. That was after he had the nightmarish dream; he’d made an attempt to contact his ex-girlfriend to confirm if there were any truth in the dream. He had no luck in communicating with the woman.

  But tonight, at 3:08 A.M., he awoke from a dream that churned his stomach and had his heart racing. His eyes snapped open, his body covered in cold sweat. Maxwell had rushed out of his bed, nearly slipping on the tiled floor of his bathroom, and vomited his dinner into the toilet. Bitter and sour mixed in his mouth. When he was done, he slumped against the wall and wept. His mind was overloaded with thoughts from his dream and the ones preceding it.

  What is happening to me? He asked himself. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed. The images from his dreams still lingered in his mind, from the old man in the church to the nameless boy, and to the light, fire, and screams of the faceless people. What’s going on? He struggled to pull himself up and groggily made for the kitchen. He opened the fridge and fetched himself a cold beer. Quickly draining the bottle of alcohol, he moved over to the couch to lay down again but stopped himself. He did not want to fall prey to slumber again.

  No, no more, he thought. Sleep was like a curse now. If all he could see were images such as those, he’d rather stay awake than enter that world again. He hung his head low, the burden of his own mind weighing down on him. Maxwell couldn’t shake the awful realism of his dream. He could almost still feel the burn on his skin and smell the smoke. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and wondered if he was going insane. Maybe I should get back on the antidepressants.

  He left the sofa and moved to his kitchen. He paused when he saw his reflection in the stainless steel refrigerator. In the reflection, a figure stood behind him. A female form that looked familiar. He turned around but the house was void of others again. The woman in the reflection was gone.

  “Michelle?” Maxwell called out expectantly. Then he chuckled. “I am going insane…”

  Have faith, Max. A voice told him and he wheeled around to see the image of Michelle Reynolds. It was only for the flash of a moment, then her image disintegrated into thin air. The voice still lingered in his mind. Have faith.

  Faith? he questioned. He thought back to the dream of the old man in the church and the man who came from the light. He remembered being overwhelmed by the feeling of hope, much like how the elderly man had seemed. But… that’s impossible. He tried to convince himself of that.

  Hesitantly, he moved over to his study desk and opened his laptop. If there was something divine happening to him, he wanted to know about it. A little research would help him feel better.

  From the window of his penthouse, the angel watching over him was confused. Ariel studied his behavior, finding it odd how the message from Heaven had disturbed him so much. She resorted to showing him a faint image of his deceased lover, but her powers were limited when her target was already conscious. The attempt had an effect on him, though. Ariel wondered why there was still great stress in the man's body.

  Ariel considered stepping into the man's mind. If she could understand the man’s plight, she may be able to do something about it. But the angel restrained herself from interfering. If he is to find the path to Heaven, he must do so by himself, Ariel told herself, though she still couldn’t shake the feeling that the prophecies deeply bothered the man.

  Maxwell Saunders spent the majority of his day in front of his computer, scouring events that had transpired in the past: wars, great catastrophes, and pl
agues that challenge the humans and their humanity. Such events were part of why Ariel was thankful she’d not been forced to set foot on Earth for a long time. All the deaths, all the tragedy; she didn’t wish to witness them. However, she wondered why Maxwell would be recounting such events now. Is he still doubting the word of Heaven? Ariel worried.

  By nightfall, a great change in the man’s energy had taken place. He seemed determined and horrified. Ariel was familiar with the fear of the unknown amongst humans. Their current generations had been prioritizing the wrong ideals, so perhaps the return of God had become a frightful event to them, rather than an enlightening one. The fear of death was also something she didn’t quite understand. Death was just part of a cycle, not the end of it. And from the word that circulates in their society, they had linked the descending of God to the complete end of their world. Ariel pitied how the humans had mistaken many things. She hoped at the least, Maxwell would understand despite the wrong notions he had grown up believing in.

  Time slipped by without the angel taking notice of it. Maxwell had hung his head low in front of his laptop. He had been researching and taking notes, and he read the words he had scribbled over and over. The urge to step into his mind so she could understand his dread irked Ariel once again. She had finally decided to do it, only to take a glimpse, when Maxwell abruptly moved from his desk and gathered a few items from around his home. Ariel watched him set up the equipment she had seen him use to record the messages he sent to the world. Has he finally come to realize his role? Ariel became hopeful.

  Maxwell placed his headphones on his ears and set himself in front of the microphone. With determination in his eyes, he turned on the recorder and greeted the masses.

  “Hello, my fellow freethinkers. This is your truth-seeker, Max. And today, we’re gonna talk about something most of us don’t really think of on a daily basis, but I think we should consider it now more than ever.” Maxwell gave a suspenseful pause. “The end of the world.”