by J. J. Egosi
Michael looked up into Lucifer’s eyes, and then slowly closed his. His mind mildly slipped out of consciousness.
“Don’t you dare give up!” Julianna shouted.
“Julianna?” Michael said, slowly turning his head towards her.
“Listen. If you don’t win this, I don’t know how long any of us will be around,” said Julianna.
“Couldn’t we at least use the titans to protect ourselves?” Ursula whispered.
“And draw ourselves onto the battlefield? Again, not a good idea,” Alexa replied.
Titan rings, Lucifer thought with a devious grin. I almost forgot.
“You were right before. The man is a brute. The proof, alone, is in the way he treated Hecate. He can’t be trusted,” said Isabella.
“Don’t forget, Michael. We still believe in you, no matter what,” said Ursula.
“Yes. If anyone can knock him out, it’s you,” Alexa added.
Michael smiled as his wounds began to heal. “Thank you,” he said under his breath.
Lucifer looked at him in amusement. “So, you rely on the encouragement of your friends for strength. I see that weakness now.”
“What weakness is there in having friends who believe in me?” Michael said as he rose to his feet.
“Simple. You have to rely on them to get the edge you need,” said Lucifer. “And fall when they aren’t around.”
“And how is that a sign of being weak?” Michael refuted faintly.
Lucifer laughed. “How is it not? A demon never relies on anyone else to win a battle. Wasting your time depending on others will get you killed.”
“Well, I’m no demon, so I play by my own fucking rules!” Michael exclaimed, striking Lucifer with his scepter.
Lucifer knocked Michael’s scepter out of his hand with his own. “I told you I was no longer holding back, right? Now, it’s time to put those words into action.”
A familiar chill filled the air. The same he felt when he arrived in Lucifer’s castle: the wretched miasma that filled the halls.
“I know that feeling. What are you up to?” Michael said, panicking.
The girls screamed when a horrific sensation overtook them. Fear coursed through Michael as he watched a slew of inky streams permeate from their chests. It was as if they had their souls drained.
“Lucifer, stop this now!”
“I’d rather not, but thanks for the suggestion!”
The girls grew weaker from the plaque-induced air around them. The air felt thinner as their bodies grew frail. They could hardly stand or fight back the unrelenting agony brought upon by the demon king’s surge of wrath.
“What have you done to them?” Michael shouted as he watched them all drop to their hands and knees.
“Oh, not much. I’ve simply taken a couple of things from them,” said Lucifer.
The girls had now grown so weak they collapsed across the ground.
“You monster! Stop this now,” Michael demanded.
“Oh, don’t worry about them. This is only a minor side effect of my plunder magic,” said Lucifer.
“Plunder?”
“Yes, my plunder magic allows me to instantly steal anything I want. Spells, a fledgling thought, or even just an item. And of course, someone’s dreams,” said Lucifer.
“That’s fucking insane! Is that how you enter my dreams so easily?” Michael asked.
“Partially. That’s a part of my dreamwalking magic. It allows me to enter and alter them as I please. Enough of that, though. Aren’t you curious to know what I took from them?” Lucifer asked.
“It crossed my mind,” Michael replied bitterly.
“Good, then you should be able to recognize what I have in store for you. Especially since you’ve fought them before!” Lucifer raised his scepter high. As two rings appeared on his fingers.
“No way! Are those?”—
“That’s right,” Lucifer replied. “They’re the titans you defeated during your last two battles. And here they are again.”
“This can’t be!”
The skies raged in chaos, sifting and swirling into a vortex to prepare for the arrival of two ancient denizens from outer worlds.
“Come forth! Tiamat, titan of the first dimension; and Lycanthrope, titan of the second dimension!”
With his command, the skies tore open to make way for the monolithic vulture. Its shadow cast darkness upon them as it flew past the bloody moon, spirally downwards to land. Its deafening squawk echoed chillingly through the silence. Meanwhile, a rattle on the ground turned into a violent rumble. Cracks emerged before it gave way, splitting open to let out the werewolf.
Michael stared, horrified by the creatures as they both roared into the weeping skies.
“Unreal. You summoned two titans at once?”
“That’s the difference in power between a mere demon and the king of all demons,” Lucifer smugly said as he looked over at the girls.
“Summon whatever you want. I’ve beaten them before and I’ll beat them again!” said Michael.
He beat his wings against the shadow and gripped his scepter tightly before flying towards the titans. He soared until he was at eye level with the beasts.
“That may be true, but I can assure you facing two titans at once will make for a very different experience,” Lucifer warned.
“We’ll just see about that!” Michael said, pointing his scepter towards them.
Lucifer smiled confidently. “Yes, we will.”
“Great scepter, wipe Tiamat out with blinding lightwave of retribution!” Michael commanded. A colossal wave of claymores rained from the sky. They broke through the starry night, rushing in the bird’s direction.
“You’re using that weak enchantment again?” Lucifer sifted through the shadows and reappeared into the night, hovering just a dozen feet from where Michael was.
“It’s far different,” Michael said.
“Oh?”
“The light these swords emit is far greater,” Michael explained. “No dark based magic can resist or escape its touch. What’s more is that they won’t stop until they hit their target. In other words, your oversized bird can fly to each end of the omniverse and my claymores will be there waiting.”
“What an intriguing theory.” Lucifer chuckled.
“Huh?”
Just as the claymores were about to hit Tiamat, Lycanthrope howled at the moon and deflected the attack effortlessly. Each blade fazed into his fur. Like rays swallowed by the darkness, they were no more.
“What? That wolf blocked all my swords,” Michael said.
“How right you are, my friend. Are you starting to see the direness in your situation? Your claymores may pursue an enemy ‘til the end of time, but if your attack is washed out by the howls of my beast, then I’m afraid it nullifies your attack. That’s the price when you try focusing your energy on one beast at a time when you should have been focusing on them both!” said Lucifer.
Focus on them both? Michael thought. Perhaps he has a point.
“I hope your next assault won’t be so pathetic in execution. Titans all have an innate ability that allows them to protect one another in the heat of battle without fail. What’s more is Tiamat can conceal the magical characteristics of an attack, so the blades you cast are already weakened upon arrival. It makes them easier for Lycanthrope to absorb,” said Lucifer.
“So, they protected each other? Ironic someone who doesn’t believe in teamwork would know so much about it,” said Michael.
“It takes a truly well-educated man to know what’s right and what’s wrong. I may not believe in teamwork, but I believe in having servants. And that’s what these titans are to me. Not guardians. Not friends. They’re servants. Pawns for my bidding.”
“Again with your pawns and your servants? And you wonder why I don’t want to rule with you as dual kings,” said Michael.
“Say what you want about my methods, but my pawns are doing an excellent job of taking you down. Even a m
aster such as myself needs his servants. Why do you think I’m collecting the titans for in the first place?”
Collecting? You stole those titans from my friends, he thought to himself, looking over at them.
A smug smile formed on Michael’s face. “Sounds like you can’t take over the omniverse without them.”
“I can’t do it without you, either, so forfeit and this world will be ours!” said Lucifer.
“Never!”
“Then, I’ll force your will to become my own!” Lucifer shouted as Tiamat struck Michael with his claw, knocking him out of the sky and onto the ground.
Lucifer looked down at Michael. He was like an ant, both from the distance and the way he was spited with no resistance.
“How sad. You preach the importance of friendship and having moral character. Yet, you fall like such a fucking embarrassment. Ridiculous. The humans of this world must have plagued your mind. Perhaps a little motivation from my dreamwalking magic will help,” Lucifer said, chuckling under his breath.
Michael laid there, tossing and turning as if having a terrible nightmare. Deep in his subconscious was exactly that. The same darkness he felt time and time again, tugging at his body without end or remorse.
“Where am I?”
Michael found himself walking through an abandoned village. It was unlike any village he’d seen before. It was as if it came from another time. A time long before his.
Michael walked through an abandoned village, not unlike the one he grew up in back in the Dark Realm. The buildings were modest and crafted with dark shades of wood and stone, with bazaars lined across either side of the street. It all seemed rather ordinary—dull, even. Yet, there was a growing emptiness beyond the lack of people. Like a black hole pulling him in deeper.
Something isn’t right. This village seems to come a time long before mine. How can that be?
He ventured through the village streets. The vacant alleyways and unattended merchant stands left his legs trembling with fear.
This place feels so familiar, and yet I’ve seen nothing like this.
Michael noticed a stranger carrying her groceries. Many small children quickly followed.
Michael ran towards them with his arm out. “Excuse me, ma’am. What town are we in?” The woman did not respond or even acknowledge his presence. As if nothing more than phantoms, they all walked straight through him, unimpeded.
“How is that even possible?” Michael said, utterly confused as he frantically turned around. He saw that the bazaars were filled with other people. He wondered if they would walk through him just the same. Afraid to find out, sweat began to bead down his face.
He broke into a panicked run, looking over his shoulder and into diverging streets for anyone to provide some information. He turned to a nearby market and navigated through the stands to a man selling chickens.
“Sir, excuse me. I need help!” As he reached out his hand, it went right through the table.
“It’s true. It’s as if I don’t exist. But, why?” Michael wondered.
The search for answers led him out of the town’s borders and to the outskirts, where he found a massive estate with grand and demonic ornamentation. He climbed up the gate and jumped to the other side with a heavy pant.
“Why does this place feel so familiar too? Even more so than the village,” Michael said as he ran through the door.
As he reached out for the circular stone handle, he stopped himself, realizing it was no use.
“Right, if I don’t exist, I probably won’t be able to open this door. Perhaps, I can just walk through it?” he said to himself.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before taking a step forward. He continued to walk when he opened his eyes, finding himself on the other side of the door.
He looked around and saw two spiral staircases, one on either side of the room. The walls were adorned with tapestry, all obscured by shadows. With a nervous gulped, he proceeded up the creaking steps of the righthand side staircase before making his way down the corridors where the shadows awaited.
“This place is spectacular!” he said, as he gazed upon all the goat statues and horns all across the walls and ceilings.
“I wonder what sort of people live here.”
He suddenly heard a noise in this seemingly vacant room. He ran further down the hall to see what made the noise.
He stood in a room of black shadowy figures with a familiar aura. There were about a dozen of them ranging from one large, a medium, and several tiny ones.
“Big family of shadows, I guess.”
The shadowy figures were still. Michael stepped on a loose floorboard and drew the attention of the shadows. They moved towards him.
“Oh, no! They can see me?” Michael said to himself.
The eerie sounds of the faceless beings frightened Michael. They communicated in a tongue akin to ceaseless murmurs Michael couldn’t understand. He ran as far from them as he could, panting with dread when he noticed them looming over his shoulders. He crashed through the floor, falling for a period that felt eternal. He screamed out before noticing something strange. Something out of place in any reality.
I was only on the second floor, but I’ve been falling for what feels like an eternity. And those shadows looking up at me don’t seem to get any smaller, Michael thought as he gazed at the blank expressions on their faces. Though he couldn’t see any eyes or mouths to speak of, he sensed they were curious.
“Is this what my life’s come down to; falling out of control with nothing but these faceless things watching me fall to a death that will never happen? The epitome of futility, it seems. What a nightmare I’ve been dealt.”
Suddenly, he had an epiphany. “Wait a minute. A nightmare? Am I dreaming?”
He looked all around, sensing the dark energy of nightmares prior.
“I am, aren’t I? This reality doesn’t make sense. I’m sure Lucifer has something to do with this, just like he always has. But what? Why can’t I remember? It’s like all I can focus on is this estate.”
He took a deep breath, staring at the family of darkened figments hanging over him.
“Perhaps, these are images from my past. That’s why it all feels so familiar, despite my lack of memory of this place. I see that now. The village, the estate, and those shadows. It’s all a part of a bigger picture, isn’t it?”
Michael nodded and clenched his fists. In his mind, he honed in on his many years of abuse and the friendships that followed, determined to hold on to them, no matter the opposition he faced.
“I don’t know what that picture will look like in the end, but I know every fragment is critical to its foundation. So, I’m not about to lie here, suspended in midair forever, wondering what it will be in the end. No. It’s time to wake up because, now, I know who I am, who I am not, and who I am destined to become!”
Michael suddenly woke up to the sound of the titans roaring on the battlefield. He smiled as he slowly rose to his feet.
“I was correct. That was simply a dream.”
Lucifer grinned. “Sweet ones, were they? Did you see anything interesting?”
“Indeed, I did. Believe me; you’ll be sorry you ever put that enchantment on me,” Michael replied, flying back up to where he was, across Lucifer.
“Really, and why is that?” Lucifer asked.
“Because now you’ve given me a whole new reason to defeat you,” said Michael.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, I’ll admit my goals were selfish. I wanted a life of luxury, despite having no ambitions of making my own money. I wanted to keep my friends, even though I showed no effort in becoming strong enough to protect them.”
He thought of the many mornings he’d slept in under the influence of liquor, wondering how much time he would have allowed himself to waste. How long any of what he had would stay before leaving him behind.
“And I also hated humans but refused to put any effort into dealing with them myself. What’
s worse is I thought you were right when you said I could never amount to anything beyond mediocrity. But now”—
“Now, what? You’ve changed just like that?” Lucifer wondered. “What exactly did you see?”
“Are you saying you don’t know?” Michael grinned. “I take it then you have no control over my dreams if you’re not there to see them?”
“Well played. You’ve found the weakness in my magic,” said Lucifer.
“That’s right. And I just saw a glimpse of my past,” said Michael.
“Really?” Lucifer raised an eyebrow.
“Yes. I don’t know what any of it means, but it’s my life and I could feel its overwhelming significance and the warm embrace it brought to my heart. If defeating you is what it takes to uncover my past and learn of what it all meant, then defeating you is what I’ll do,” said Michael.
“And you really feel that defeating me will help you accomplish this?”
“I know fighting you this far has brought me closer. So perhaps by defeating you, I’ll know who I am and what my ultimate purpose was. In fact, I think it’s my destiny to do just that.”
“Destiny? What a joke!” Lucifer scoffed.
“Say what you want, but I doubt you’ll be able to handle what I have in store for you,” Michael said as his aura grew.
What’s that supposed to mean?”
The increasing strength of Michael’s glow illuminated his face. Fear and confusion replaced the smugness on Lucifer’s as the angelic aura around Michael became so bright it consumed the shadows of the night.
“It’s simple, Lucifer. You see, you’re not the only one with the capacity to take a battle to the next level,” Michael replied with a grin.
As if pushing with all the force his body could muster, Michael screamed from the depth of his lungs, harnessing the power inside and around him. Bolts of lightning struck the ground. Lucifer watched—mesmerized by the cracking ground. The forests quickly caught fire from the violent bursts of lightning.
“It seems I was a bit too generous with my dreamwalking magic. It’s allowed you not only to regain a fragment of who you were, but also the power you possessed.
