Demon World

by Balvir Bhullar

  Demon World

  Transcendence

  Balvir Bhullar

  Demon World Transcendence

  Copyright © BALVIR BHULLAR, 2021

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, including photocopying and recording, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief pages in review.

  The book information is catalogued as follows;

  Author Name(s): BALVIR BHULLAR

  Title: DEMON WORLD TRANSCENDENCE

  Description; First Edition

  1st Edition, 2021

  Book Design by Michael Maloney

  ISBN 978-1-913479-83-1 (print)

  ISBN 978-1-913479-84-8 (ebook)

  Published by That Guy’s House

  www.ThatGuysHouse.com

  Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank my mother for always believing in me and encouraging me to pursue my dreams.

  I would like to thank my brother, Inderjit, for helping me to become a stronger person, and to understand the world in a unique light.

  I would like to thank my youngest brother, Suki, for giving me the tools to create my story, and also for patiently listening while I recounted my story to him every day!

  I would like to thank my sister, Meena, for her continual support and encouragement. Thank you for helping me to edit my book, I learnt so much from the process. Thank you for your much needed wise counsel, without which I would probably be lost right now.

  I want to thank Seán, for taking a chance on me, helping me to pursue my dreams and see them become real. Thank you for your kindness and patience, it has meant so much to me.

  Thank you to all those at That Guy’s House, who have worked hard to bring the vision of my book to life. I appreciate all of the work that has gone into producing it.

  I want to thank the Universe for teaching me wisdom through patience and for showing me how beautiful life can be...

  Thank you to my Angels and Demons.

  “Dum spiro, spero”

  -Marcus Tullius Cicero

  CHAPTER 1

  As the cold moon rose, its rays briefly illuminated a neo-gothic building, comprised of spires and steepled roofs: an architect’s gothic vision. The former government building had shut down for the day, and all the windows were dark except for one, lit with the last remaining soul...

  Rowanne put her long, dark hair into a chignon, not bothering to secure it in place as she worked late in the office, finishing off her day’s work.

  The stars were hidden in the bitterly cold Autumn night as the winds picked up and dark clouds covered the moon. The lightning storm converged above the heart of the city, swollen with fury, unleashing nature’s most brilliant light show in flashes of blue and violet.

  From one of the towers outside of the office, a man stepped out of the shadows, having concealed himself there for the past half hour. His patience would now be rewarded, and with no more thought he stepped off the edge. He fell like a dark, avenging angel as his long coat flowed out behind him, spread like two black wings. A rush of wind accompanied his descent and, landing easily, he slowly straightened up whilst keeping a firm eye on the two men before him.

  A streetlight partially revealed his fierce, sapphire eyes, as his black-gloved hands slowly unsheathed his sword from the scabbard on his back. He brought the sword around, gripping it in both hands. The streetlight briefly glinted off the cold metal revealing cold grey eyes in place of sapphire as his body prepared itself for the anticipated fight.

  Alexander waited a heartbeat before rushing towards the men. His sword clashed with theirs as he parried two swords at once, easily deflecting their strikes.

  Alexander recognised these two men as Shadows. These demonic creatures were virtually impossible to kill in their shadow form; he needed them to solidify in order to cause them any harm.

  The Shadow men stepped back from the melee and began to circle Alexander, trying to divide his attention.

  Alexander was in no way daunted by this tactic; on the contrary, some may say he had eyes in the back of his head. The slight displacement of air behind his back let him know exactly where the Shadow men were and he intuitively turned, raised his sword, and again deflected the oncoming attack from the first Shadow man. He immediately followed through with a counter-attack of his own, slashing down the centre of the body of this Shadow man in the blink of an eye. He turned his attention to the remaining demon who stood dumbfounded.

  After all, what had they expected? Alexander was here to do his job in the most efficient way possible; he had no intention of wasting his time with these demons.

  The remaining Shadow man trembled with fear and rage as he helplessly watched his partner disintegrate into ashes, drifting into the night. After seeing his fate reflected in the cold, merciless eyes of the man before him, the Shadow man made a hasty retreat down the road.

  Alexander wiped the red, smoky residue from his blade, leftover from the first dead Shadow man, until it was once again gleaming. With a quick flick of his wrist he sheathed his sword back into the scabbard resting between his shoulder blades. After all, the last thing he needed was to draw attention from the humans. Turning his back, he walked down the road, hell bent on finishing the job.

  Rowanne put on her soft, black winter coat, and adjusted her bag so that it sat comfortably on her hip. She took one last look around, making sure that everything was in order before she left. Usually her editor would have been the last to leave, but Eileen had a meeting outside of London and had left early with a few of her colleagues, leaving Rowanne behind to meet her deadline. She switched off the last light, plunging the office into darkness.

  She decided to forgo the lift, and practically flew down the curved staircase, descending it in record time. She opened the main doors and stepped out.

  Alexander was slightly further down the road having followed the trail of the remaining Shadow man. Sensing something, he paused, turned back and noticed the lights go out from the building he had just left the shelter of. Damn it, he thought, and decided to do one last check to make sure there were no more demons lurking around; gut instinct was also urging him back and though he could not ignore it, he just hoped he would not live to regret it. Retracing his steps back down the road, he was in for a nasty surprise.

  Rowanne had taken a couple of steps outside before she started to button her coat. The rain had lightened up by this time. I should still have brought an umbrella, she thought, grimacing as she got wet.

  Her amethyst pendant glinted beneath the street light, attracting the attention of further Shadows who had just portalled in close by. They felt an irresistible pull towards the human, and swiftly took
on the form of men before cautiously stalking their prey.

  Rowanne instinctively felt uncomfortable, as if she were not alone. Though she was not the type to spook easily and was normally quite comfortable in the dark. Having left work late on numerous occasions, she had never encountered any problems before.

  She noticed two men approaching from the rear of the building, but was not unduly worried as she made her way towards the car park. However, the unmistakable sound of running behind her was all the encouragement she needed before deciding to instinctively break into a run herself.

  She sprinted towards the giant fountain situated just before the car park in order to hide. Her heart beat fast, and she had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. As she turned to glimpse at what was happening from behind, she saw the men continuing to run towards her. What do they want? she thought. What will they do once they’re caught up with me...

  The Shadow men increased their speed, not wanting to let the woman out of their sight.

  Years of cross country running now came in handy as Rowanne too, sped up. As she neared the fountain, only a couple of yards away now, something whooshed past her. What the hell was that? After a careful look, she finally noticed that the objects flying close by her face were in fact weapons of some kind. God only knew how she managed to dodge them, and bizarrely they vanished as soon as they had passed her by.

  The street lights glinted off the weapons, and she saw that they were long and tipped at either end by metal spikes. Though the rain had become heavier, it in no way slowed these spears down as they gracefully glided by, cutting out a path for themselves. That’s just great, thought Rowanne, irked.

  Her adrenaline kicked in, keeping her tired legs going. She had no idea who was following her, let alone why. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to be attacked by spears of all things. This situation did not make any sense to her. Maybe it’s some kind of mix up, she thought.

  Alexander’s intuition proved accurate as he spotted more demons. He ran towards them in the hope of catching them before they could transform into people, but he was too late, they were already in pursuit of a human. He picked up his speed as he pursued them, and, getting closer, he withdrew his sword.

  Rowanne turned around to face the men. Even with the street lights illuminating the area, she still could not make out any of their features. The car park had always been poorly lit, and no amount of complaining had resolved the issue; there was always some excuse as to why it could not be done.

  The rain poured down soaking her to the bone. The occasional flashes of light revealed something that her mind could not, or more likely would not, fathom.

  As the men approached, Rowanne was paralyzed with fear. Only the lightning helped to briefly illuminate her otherwise dim surroundings. Her heart was in her mouth, and suddenly the whole area plunged into darkness as the street lights chose to give out that very moment. Seriously? thought Rowanne. She did not need this as well, her situation was already dire.

  Each pause of darkness and flash of light brought them ever closer until she was face to face with them.

  Rowanne noticed that the men appeared to be completely made of smoke, and had to stifle a scream as she finally noticed their faces. They had hollow sockets for where their eyes should have been, and a slit for a gross imitation of a mouth. They appeared to be smiling at her as their mouths curved up simultaneously, moving in a parody of a laugh, though no sound came out.

  The Shadow men looked at each other; an unspoken message passed between them, and they unanimously took a step towards her.

  Rowanne retreated until she felt the rim of the fountain at her back, hindering her progress. Unable to think about what her next move should be, she faced the inevitable.

  Suddenly the sound of approaching footsteps caught her notice, and even the men before her became disturbed by this new addition.

  A man ran flat out towards her, and, grabbing her, pushed her roughly behind himself.

  ‘Hey? What do you think you’re doing?’ Rowanne snapped, affronted with the rudeness of the stranger, her paralysis finally broken.

  The man clearly saw no reason to reply to this inane comment, as his sole focus was on the two Shadow men before him.

  As soon as the words had come out of her mouth, Rowanne regretted them, knowing how ungrateful she must have sounded. But she could not help it, she was not the type of person to ask for help. This man is clearly trying to protect me, and at immense risk to himself, she thought.

  The Shadow men looked at the man, the human momentarily forgotten. He was one of their own kind. They knew who he was; he had made quite the name for himself in their world. Here was an opponent to both respect and fear. Still, if one of them could kill this vile man, they thought, so much the better.

  The Shadow men worked together, all of their movements perfectly synced. They snaked their spears in a figure of eight above their heads, and a whistling sound could be heard as they cut through the air with deadly precision, before finally angling their spears towards him in invitation.

  Alexander’s attention was divided between the demons in front of him, and the human behind his back. I suppose this is what they call being stuck between a rock and a hard place, he thought disgustedly. How many more of these demons will I encounter tonight? he wondered.

  He assumed the Fool’s guard stance, and as they attacked, he blocked and retaliated. Their spears gave them the advantage of a longer reach, making them a formidable weapon to use against a sword. Was he worried by their advantage? Hell no. It just made it more interesting. He liked a challenge after all.

  The Shadow men separated and approached him from either side, hoping to divide his attention. They angled their spears and simultaneously thrust them towards Alexander’s head with the intention of blinding him.

  However, Alexander anticipated their attack, and dropped to the ground elegantly, taking the human with him. The Shadow men vanished into smoke to dodge their own attack, and stepped back.

  The woman gasped as she was knocked towards the ground, but a moment before hitting the cold, damp floor, Alexander caught her. She looked up into Alexander’s grey-blue eyes whilst his body protectively leaned over hers like a human shield.

  Alexander silently laughed at the stupidity of these creatures. They actually think they have a chance to beat me?! he thought, as he glowered at them for having the audacity to approach him. He jumped up, lifted the human, threw her behind him, and stepped out of reach, moving to the side of the fountain.

  ‘Hold on,’ whispered Alexander.

  ‘Pardon?’ said the human, barely a second before he grabbed her hand and turned to her, spinning her around so that her back leant against his chest. He held her close with his arms enclosing her shoulders as he pulled them into a vortex.

  Rowanne saw what appeared to be a glowing sphere in the darkness through which they passed. She turned awkwardly around, not liking the feeling of being out of control, and ended up facing her saviour, as time seemed to slow right down. Out of necessity she held onto him for stability as they began to spin in a circle. She closed her eyes, feeling extremely uncomfortable and nauseated, like she was on a rollercoaster about to plunge over the highest point.

  They reappeared behind the Shadow men. What the hell was that? wondered Rowanne, disorientated, as she tried to get her equilibrium back.

  ‘Hells right, my lady,’ the man replied coldly, and missed her bewildered expression behind him.

  Alexander stepped back and deflected the oncoming attacks. He used his speed to get closer into range than the demons would have expected, and to their surprise, parried both spears at once. Unfortunately his attempted counter-attack met air as the demons again vanished into smoke. His eyes sparkled with a grey light as he eagerly awaited their next move.

  The Shadow men simultaneously appeared on either side of the fountain. The one closest to Alexander rushed towards him, intending to cut out his arrogant heart, whereas the other d
emon preferred a smarter tactic: one that would keep him safe, yet hurt his enemy. This demon pulled back his arm and, after judging the distance, hurled the spear towards Alexander’s back.

  Rowanne could see this all unfold in slow motion. The man defending her had his attention focused on only one of the men. By the time he notices, it’ll be too late. Running on pure adrenaline, Rowanne threw herself in the path of the oncoming spear, with no thought of the risk to herself.

  Alexander smiled arrogantly, caught up in the violence of the moment. He had anticipated their pathetic plan, and as the Shadow man came at him with a spear, he used his supernatural speed to whittle it down to size before repeatedly striking the Shadow man in a series of short sharp attacks which found their mark. The blade briefly glowed red with the smoky residue from the demon as he disintegrated.

  The spear flew true from the demon behind Alexander, having been hurled with great force. Unfortunately for the demon, he had not anticipated an intervention, and raged silently as it pierced the human. The demon immediately vanished, giving up the battle for now.

  Rowanne gasped as the silver spear head protruded from her chest. Her eyes closing, she succumbed to oblivion as she fell into the bitterly cold water of the fountain.

  Alexander froze, as the sound reached him. He slowly turned around to face the disaster the demon had left behind. His eyes locked onto the prone figure of the human in the deep fountain, her hair fanned out, like a halo around a martyr.

  The rain continued to lash down, sounding like a thousand needles striking the fountain. A flash of lightning illuminated the fountain’s centrepiece, revealing an angel attacking a demon. The angel wept at the loss of life. The irony of this was not lost on Alexander as he turned his attention towards the human.

  He reluctantly climbed into the fountain and slowly waded through the water. He scooped the woman up into his arms, and checked for a pulse, even as her pale lips spoke of death. He snapped the protruding spear in half, and carried her lifeless body back towards what he knew to be her office building, having earlier gleaned the information from her mind. Her arms dangled by her side as the wind whipped her hair. Her beautiful amethyst pendant dangled like a dead weight around her neck, but strangely began to vanish, unnoticed by Alexander.