Demonheart Boxset 1: Book 1-3

by J. J. Egosi

  “No! They’ll-”

  The plague spread. The ice melted, pouring from the titan’s body, flooding its forest chest as it trickled down onto its magma legs, which washed away like droves of candles flickering out. Soon, there was nothing left to hold the titan together but a dampened forest and soaking charcoal.

  The great beast came crashing down in a sizzling stream of rubble.

  Hecate was outraged; tears poured tirelessly down her face. “No! How could I lose with a dimension titan on my side?!”

  “That’s what happens when you place your trust in a master who doesn’t care about you. Michael was right not to give in to my tyranny. It is only with change that I can earn his love. You, however, submit to a master who won’t even look your way. A master who won’t stand beside you through the struggles you face. That’s why you lost.”

  Hecate trembled. She remembered her lonely days as a child spent wandering the lands with nowhere to go and no-one to call a friend. The memories burned away, leaving behind the image of a man on his doorstep on a gloomy day. His face was obscured.

  “Master…”

  Flustered and boiling with contempt, Hecate made a snap decision.

  “Fuck you! You’re wrong. He loves me, and I love him. I’ll prove it by linking my soul to that of my titan. Now, when it falls, I’ll vanish with it. Only this time, when I die, I can’t be revived.” With the dedication in her heart, Hecate’s aura connected with that of the shambling beast.”

  “This is madness. Why would you sacrifice your own life when you can fight for another day to earn his heart?”

  “I’ve failed him time and time again. Even now.” Hecate stared at the bruises across her arms. Tears ran from her face and trickled onto the blue and purple marks he’d left. “This is the only way I have left to pledge my devotion to him.”

  Isabella’s eyes widened when she made the connection between her desperation and her bruises.

  “You’ll really die for that man? Why?”

  “Because…I love him,” she replied. Tears fell from her face as her body slowly turned translucent, like a withering spirit. “I’ll give myself up fighting in his name.”

  “But how can he love you when you’re gone? You’re insane! There’s no way you can do this!” As much as Isabella loathed Hecate, she knew this was wrong. She couldn’t let her go through with it.

  “He’ll see my act of sacrifice and take my hand… I know he will,” her voice weakened.

  Isabella ran to her.

  “You can’t do this. He doesn’t care about you!”

  She reached her hand out for Hecate. It was like being struck by lightning; she was shocked backward, unable to lay a finger upon her.

  “It’s a barrier spell,” said Hecate. Volts of dark energy coursed in an out through the air around her, encasing her in a circular cage. It was a prison meant to keep out those who tried to get in the way of her undying love.

  “He’ll never forget my sacrifice. And neither will you, Isabella. Beware of him, for he will surely come after you. Remember his name… Lucifer.”

  With her last words, Hecate vanished along with her titan. All that was left of her was her ax and purple ring.

  “Lucifer, the demon king.”

  Before Isabella could grab the items, the fatigue of defeating the titan caught up with her, causing her to collapse.

  “Hey, Isabella! Isabella!” a familiar voice called.

  Isabella slowly opened her eyes, finding herself inside a tent. Deep blue eyes stared back at her. “Michael, is that you?”

  “Were you expecting someone else?” Michael smiled.

  She sat up and hugged him as tightly as she could. “Michael! I’m so glad you’re alright. When I saw you pass out after attacking Hecate… I… I really think you should know about my past and why I did what I did. Also, I need to tell you what really happened to those officials and to my parents that night.”

  “Don’t. I already know. I heard everything you said to Hecate.”

  “But I thought-”

  “Even though I was technically unconscious, I could still hear your voice. Talk about sibling bonds!” He laughed.

  Isabella blushed. “You really have such a kind and gentle spirit, Michael.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes, I do, but you should know-”

  “I already know. I killed your parents and those officials. I remember now. I guess regaining my memory is a side effect of finding my archangel form again. The more it happens, the more I can remember, it seems.”

  “Interesting…” Isabella replied. She wondered what this could mean for him in the long run.

  “As for why I did it all, it was because.…” Tears began to roll down Michael’s face.

  “Because of what?” Isabella asked.

  “Do you remember the time you hurt yourself on that swing as a child?”

  “I think so,” Isabella replied after thinking for a moment. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “I remember you being so cruel that day, calling me names and throwing pebbles at me,” said Michael.

  Isabella looked away, red from shame.

  “But I could tell your anger wasn’t genuine. I mean, how could it be? You were just a kid. I could tell there was kindness inside of you.

  “I don’t know, I guess I thought that if I could save you, you’d return to that cute little sister who’d call me silly names and throw pebbles at me.”

  Isabella choked up, and her heart raced. She couldn’t believe he still wanted her after all this time. It was too much for her to handle. She silenced him with a kiss upon his lips, holding him tightly between her arms.

  “Thank you,” she said. “For giving me another chance.”

  Michael stared into her red eyes, completely awestruck.

  Isabella glowed. “Michael, I tormented you for all those years because of a ridiculous reputation I was forced to uphold. And yet, you still believed in me. I’ll forever be in your debt.”

  Michael blushed. “Now that I finally have closure, I was wondering if we…”

  “What?” Isabella’s heart pounded in excitement.

  “I was wondering if we could be friends,” said Michael.

  With that word, Isabella’s excitement shattered, as did her smile. “Friends?”

  “Yeah. Friends.” He helped her up and wiped the tears from her face. “Don’t cry, Isabella. Not when I still have something for you.”

  “You got me a present?” Isabella said, slowly regaining some of the joy felt before.

  “I got you a few, actually,” said Michael. Isabella’s smile grew as he dug around in his bag. “Hecate’s ax and ring. I found them just beside you. I assumed you were the one who finally took her and her titan out, so I picked them up for you.”

  Isabella had no clue what to think as he handed her the items.

  “You’ve earned them.”

  “Not exactly how I imagined you handing me a ring, but thank you,” she said with a light laugh.

  “You may have been a shitty sister, but I know you’ll make a damn good friend. And, you never know, maybe we’ll be more than that someday,” said Michael.

  “More?” Isabella’s face lit up as her mind filled with fantasies of their possible future.

  “But that day isn’t today,” Michael said.

  “Right…” She looked around gloomily and attempted to change the subject to ease her aching heart. “Where are we? Is this your tent?”

  Michael’s eyes widened. “Oh, right. I almost forgot. Follow me.”

  He grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the tent and towards the rest of the campsite. Another tent stood, along with a campfire and what appeared to be a large field dedicated to combat.

  “Hey, guess who finally woke up!” Michael jovially said.

  Isabella’s jaw dropped as Julianna emerged from the tent.

  “Well, it’s about time.” Julianna smiled.

  “But you were
dead. Hecate killed you. How are you alive?” Isabella was stunned. She was overcome with joy to see her alive and walking after being torn in two not so long ago.

  “You’re aware of the reversible nature of hexes, correct? Particularly with their healing potential?” Julianna inquired.

  “Of course,” Isabella spoke with snark. “Just get to the point!”

  “Well, a piece of that hex I cast against Hecate latched onto me as I died,” said Julianna.

  “And…”

  “When I woke up, I noticed it,” said Michael. He recalled the sight of a magic shard glowing in his direction. “It was growing bigger, latching on to her remains, like string sewing a doll back together.”

  “So she’s a doll now? As in a pretty thing that people admire?” Isabella replied enviously.

  “No, she’s still a demon,” Michael casually replied.

  Isabella took a deep sigh of frustration. She desperately wished Michael weren’t so painfully thick-headed.

  “Anyway, the fragment was mending her back together pretty slowly. So I used a healing spell I learned from you to get her back on her feet.”

  “Now I’m nice and tight again,” Julianna replied in elation. She wrapped herself around Michael’s arm.

  “That’s just fucking special, isn’t it?” Isabella’s eyes dimmed as she breathed heavily with jealousy. She wished for Julianna to be torn up again, into four pieces this time.

  “That all happened a few hours ago. What do you know, she was so thankful, she apologized to me for what she said about Hecate’s bruises.” Michael glowed with unexpected happiness.

  “Did she?” Isabella replied in displeasure.

  “After that, I carried you into a spare tent Julianna had. We figured you could use the privacy while you recovered.”

  “You carried me?” Isabella blushed at the thought of being held in his arms as he nurtured her back to health.

  The thought only lasted a moment and ended when Julianna spoke again.

  “Death is a curious mistress. When I felt everything suddenly come to an end, I could feel my spirit feel so overcome with regret. The things I’ve done as an assassin and things I’ve said to those I care about, like Michael.”

  “I thought she was about to start crying. She nearly had me in tears. I was so taken by surprise.”

  “Well, of course. What I said was so insensitive.”

  “It’s alright. You don’t like it when people take your things. I’m just sorry about those cores. I looked all around for them, but they were nowhere to be found.”

  “That’s alright. I appreciate the effort. Thank you for forgiving me.”

  “You forgave her?” Isabella exclaimed.

  “So long as she doesn’t go saying things like that again.”

  “I won’t. I promise,” Julianna said.

  “I guess we both have room for improvement if we want to win over Michael’s heart,” said Isabella.

  “That’s right.” Julianna agreed.

  “And I’ll do my best to better myself too. Starting with my confidence,” said Michael.

  “As you should.”

  “Especially now that we’ve got a new mission,” Isabella added.

  “Wait, we do?” Michael asked.

  “To defeat this Legion of Morningstar. Hecate told me who her master is just before sacrificing herself in his name. The demon king himself. He goes by the name of Lucifer.”

  “Lucifer…” Michael muttered pensively. “I’ll be sure to remember that.”

  “If someone that powerful is trying to collect the titan rings to destroy the world and to try and harm you, we have to stop him.”

  “She’s right,” said Julianna. “With one in our possession now, we’re that much closer to taking him down.”

  “Yes. The three of us. Together,” Michael said confidently.

  “Although, a part of me was hoping it could just be you and me,” Isabella said, pouting.

  With a mischievous grin on her face, Julianna wrapped her arm around Isabella. “Aw, you look disappointed that I’m not dead. Were you really hoping to have Michael all for yourself? You should know that while you were out, Michael and I have had the wildest intercourse in that tent.”

  Isabella’s heart sank. “You had sex.”

  Michael shook his head, not surprised she’d tell such a lie.

  “I’m just joking. We haven’t done it…yet. But if you don’t get serious about him, I will snatch him from you. Trust me, you don’t want to find yourself on the business side of an assassin’s blade,” said Julianna.

  Isabella scoffed. “Oh, please. I eat blockheads like you for breakfast!”

  “Is that right?” Julianna replied, playfully tackling her to the ground.

  Michael watched two of them wrestling over him and smiled to himself.

  What a surreal couple of weeks it’s been. I don’t know where to begin, or even how I got here. But I do know where I am now. For the first time in my life, I can say that with confidence.

  He gazed up at the morning sun with the most genuine smile he’d worn since he was a child.

  Book 2

  Walkers From Another Dimension

  Chapter 1

  Calls From A Restless Mind

  T

  he air was cold. His footsteps echoed through the halls, each step pounding like a snapping avalanche against the floorboards. He felt a soreness in his mind, sensing he’d been taken far away from his realm of consciousness.

  Michael had been walking down a darkened passageway for what seemed like an eternity. The wooden doors and gargoyle rings upon them ran with no end, slipping out from the shadows with each step he took. The halls were candlelit and ornamented with gothic paintings from times unknown to him. Empty suits of armor holding various forms of weaponry lined the walls, as if to protect them and what lied within.

  This place intrigued and confused him. He had no recollection of how he got here but was determined to find an answer.

  At last, he approached the grand double doors at the end of the hall. He explored towards them with trembling legs. The doors were intricately decorated, with goat skulls on each handle and black wings on each side. Their crimson eyes pierced his mind, sending a shiver through his body.

  As he prepared to knock and face whatever awaited him, the doors slowly opened on their own. The creaking, with every painful inch they opened, left his heart thundering with dread.

  He prepared himself to knock and face whatever awaited him beyond the doors. Not even the deep breath he took could help calm his speeding heart. He inched towards the doors when they slowly opened on their own, creaking with every painful inch they moved.

  A grand reading chamber slowly revealed itself behind the doors. The shelves were stacked with books to the ceilings. A fire sparked in the corner. The walls were clad in tapestries depicting a man and another: the shadow of a young girl. In the center of the chamber was the very man depicted in the tapestries.

  This man appeared familiar to Michael. He sat in his scarlet leather-bound sofa, flipping through pages of a book as he held a glass of crimson wine in one hand. He took in the earthy scent with a mischievous grin running across his face.

  The man’s attire was somewhat formal: black dress shoes and pants, and a black shirt with the top two buttons undone. What was most peculiar, however, was the crow mask covering the top half of his face.

  Michael’s eyes were unwavering as they gazed at him. He did not know why he felt he had met him before, but the sensation was even more alluring.

  Suddenly, the man closed the book and placed it onto the table beside him, before gazing in Michael’s direction.

  Michael stumbled back, feeling a sharp pain course through his body. He panted heavily in the man’s presence, still unable to veer his attention from the faint crimson gaze through the crow mask.

  The man leaned towards the chessboard laid across the table in front of him and picked up the king piece. He took one more s
ip of his wine before putting the glass down, twiddling the king piece between his fingers.

  “So, it appears the stars have finally aligned for us, Michael.” The man grinned under his crow mask, bringing a chill to the room.

  “Who are you and how do you know my name?” Michael exclaimed with sweat beading down his neck. “And your voice—it sounds so familiar.”

  He had a faint recollection of such a tone haunting his mind before fading away in the embers of the man before him.

  The man smiled and stood up, then slowly walked towards Michael. Every step he took echoed while Michael’s heart continued to pound. The man came to a few feet from him, stopped, and looked into Michael’s eyes. “My name is Lucifer. Nice to finally meet you.”

  Michael’s eyes widened. “Lucifer … that name …”—

  “Sounds familiar, does it?” Lucifer interrupted. Michael took a step back from Lucifer, but the masked man persisted.

  “It’s him.” What Isabella had told him about Hecate’s master rang through his mind. In particular, the name she told him. He could recall nearly every bit of his encounter with the witch. Every word of hers and act of jealousy that led to a death he was grateful he did not have to witness. All the while, he could only imagine the person behind her maddening resolve. Until now.

  The demon king.

  Michael frantically ran for an exit. The doors shut before he could reach them, closing them both in.

  “Trying to leave so soon? Such poor manners, my friend.”

  “Let me go. You can’t keep me captive!” Said Michael, adamantly.

  “I think you’ll be quite surprised by what I can and won’t do.” Lucifer grinned as a clap of lightning pierced through the sky. “I’m afraid escape is no longer an option. You’re in my palace now. And in my palace, I have full control.”

  Michael shuddered both at the sight of the rain pouring down on the night and the flashing glow of a few bolts it cast on his grin, as the rain bucketed down the windows. “What do you want from me? And why did you bring me here?”

  Lucifer looked at him with intrigue. “I don’t want much. Just a little conversation. And it was your own heart that led you here tonight, Michael.”