Standing alone in an unpolluted garden far away from his keep where he first offered her his confession, the standing demonic king and once hero, Veridian, had awaited his beloved's arrival.Was it a trap? Was this a falsehood? Was his coming here a mistake? He didn't know, yet his heart had felt compelled enough to come without the intrusion of his many lords and bodyguards who sought his rule and safety. There was only one other soul that knew of this garden's existence; His soulmate, Silvana; The one many rebels have touted as the saint that would save them and their realm from the man she fought alongside to redeem it many lifetimes ago.
Walking through the garden in search of her, Veridian found no other souls present. His armor was still worn, though his helmet had been removed in order for her to recognize him. His favored blade, the Gamma-Calamita, had sat in the sheath on his waist untouched. The demon's soul may have been corrupted, yet his heart remained untouched by taint. True love had lay within the depths of his being, the very same that brought him to fight and persevere alongside her in the first place against the corporate demonic menace that he once called his family. The pollution that darkened the skies had not pierced the bubble of this secret land. As if to preserve her memory, he kept it well-maintained in secret in the hopes that he would use it as his final bastion of peace; As a final thank you for the woman that gave his life meaning.
"Why can't you accept that your beloved is gone. She's dead. The gods do not play games when it comes to their enemies, Veridian." An ethereal voice had come from his cursed sword. It was the epitome of his mind and emotion honed into a weapon of its own. Given the intensity of his emotions, he had cut through every enemy that stood in the way of their happiness until now. The gods were still just too far out of reach for him to cut down. "The moment they took her from you, she was lost. Its been years, hells, centuries since we last saw or even heard of her. Don't let your love blind you, my friend."
Despite his weapon siphoning the fire in his soul to be used as the fuel for its hellish swings, it cared about him. It was even a friend of Silvana's once, willing to work with her to draw the best out of its best friend and master. However, even he grew tired of waiting, holding onto false hope that she was still out there. "Cal. Do not worry about me. If this is again another dead end, so be it, but I would not waste a chance to find her. Not when its involving something that only she and I know."
"It pains me greatly to see you wandering alone like this." Emotionally exhausted at his plight for a reunion, his weapon pleaded for him to change his mind. This was the most vulnerable he had ever made himself in a while. "You deserve better. You deserved a kind end to begin with." Though before it was able to mutter another plea, the sound of a footstep had taken the demon's attention, leading to his hand meeting the hilt of his blade before realizing just who was the source of the sound.
"... Vana?" In front of him was someone unmistakable, untouched by the years that had passed since her departure. For a moment, he looked around her, questioning whether this too was some form of an illusion or trickery that his mind had conjured up. But no matter where he looked, whether it was her hair being blown by the breeze, the footsteps in the ground made by her feet on the way there, or the imperfections in her gear that had made her feel all the more real; Too real for him to dismiss as a mirage. She was there. Breaching the gap as he ran towards her, instead of drawing his weapon, he clutched his arms around her, pulling her close. The humanity she worked so hard to draw from his eyes laid ever present, glimmering from the tears that it yearned to spill for her image.
As he drew her into a hug, his horn had brushed against the side of her hair. Her body held heft to it, unlike many of the dreams he experienced in her absence. Her scent was all the more familiar and the feeling of her breath on his skin alongside the touch of her tightening arms had given the demon king all the evidence he needed to put his faith in where she stood. "I missed you... I missed you so...." He wasn't afraid of being vulnerable around her. No matter how much she might have differed from him, she was the only one he felt like could genuinely understand him for who he was, not as the demonic savior or villain that his allies and enemies had deemed him as, but as Veridian himself.
Regardless of his weapons first beliefs, even it too had recognized that this body was too perfect a mimicry to not be her own. Though there was something odd about it, something that didn't belong. The light of the gods had pervaded her soul. Her eyes had a gentle glow on them as well, blessed by those that held other intentions in mind. Hesitant, yet desiring to give its master his moment in peace, it kept its concern's hushed as it watched onward in curiosity. "Where were you? What happened? I... Never mind, none of that matters. You're back... You're finally back... To meet you here of all places. A place that only you and I know of, I... Didn't think it could be anyone else but you." Dropping his arms from her back to her waist, he kissed her, longing for her touch after eons spent searching, basking in her warmth as though he found his Heaven again.
However, before he continued much longer, there was still a question in mind that he held for the woman that owned his heart. "I've... Heard some unkind rumors about you. That you were leading a rebellion against me. That you're leading an army that seeks my downfall. I presumed it was lies... Until I saw the footage of you working with my enemies. Why?" He didn't hold hostility in his voice towards her nor did he reach for his weapons in preparation of a defense. No matter how terrible her reputation could become, his heart would never stop being fond of her. She was the first to accept him as he was, not for his species or for his family, but for him. If he could do the same for her, was it right to call it love? "Have the gods forced you against me? Your weapon. Your light. Both pain me to see be pointed against me and all I've been working hard on in the meantime."
"I carried the burden of enacting our revenge against the ones who took us apart."
"Why stand against that, Vana? All I desired was a future with you. A marriage. A family. A quiet life." Tracing his fingers against her own, he placed his forehead on hers as he whispered his thoughts. "All I wanted was to live in the peace we fought so hard for, and yet, they took it away. They took you, painted me the villain for the crime of existence as my species with my influence, and now... They seek to turn our empire into a sacrifice, to do away with all we have built together." His voice had trembled as he spoke in hushed whispers, unaware that the gods were listening to his emotional appeal. She might have been his strength by her side, but she was his biggest weakness as well. Only she was able to render this weapon of a being as ordinary. Only she was able to manipulate the strings of this puppet. The curse of his lineage had protected him from the machinations of the gods, though through her were they able to bring about his downfall.
"I don't understand what could motivate you to ruin my revenge." Looking into her eyes, her lover sought her answer. Veridian was pained to have the very same woman he craved being held within the arms of be the one to stand opposing him. "Whatever they did to you, I swear. I will be your revenge. They stripped us of our happy ending then, but they won't do so forever. I will bring retribution to Heaven for you and our people if you'd let me, so please let me."
"I would stop at nothing to protect our happiness."
"Love is vicious; it takes, and it takes, and it takes... Until there is nothing left but that obsession, that need to be with the one you love. Love can drive you to forgive the death of an entire world. I know I did..."
Falling.
That was her first real sensation for a millennia, falling through the atmosphere of Ophelia, her planet, her home. Silvana had spent the last thousand years of her life within heaven; although to her it was barely more than a few days of torture, accursed beings like her were never bound to reside within the gods domain, and her mere presence left her overwhelmed with a sensation akin to immolation which, only subsided after hours of agonising pain, as though her vampiric curse itself was being burned away… How she wished that were true.
All the promises of her gods within that realm could not sway her desire to run back to him, to Vi…. To her happy ending. The promises to scourge hell from her world permanently or to remove her curse from her... the threats that they would deny them to ever be together again unless she obeyed; that once she passed, her demon would go back to ruling with fear, with pain… Silvana denied them all, even as they tortured her, threatening to snuff her soul and scatter its fragments across the universe. Perhaps that's why they banished her back down to the surface; not until after they attached a leash to her very soul so they could see and hear everything she could, so they could break her love, their bond… Through deceit and cohesion instead of direct, divine intervention.
The flash of light when Silvana impacted the planet could be seen for miles and did not go unnoticed by its people. landing in one of the desolate wastelands that occupied the space between the vast hive cities of her home; by the time Silvana had made her way to one of the larger hive spires that pierced the skies, rumours were already abuzz of her return, the return of the saint that had died a thousand years ago. For a while, she managed to stay hidden, after all… No one was truly sure what Silvana even looked like; after a thousand years, her image, her statues, had shifted so much to one of heavenly, divine beauty that it barely held any resemblance to the girl that inspired them.
Then the sightings began; the saint with the golden arm had been seen within her old home, exploring the ruins of the old munitions factory that she had spent so many years of her life before finding her true purpose in life… They continued; grainy pict-captures of Silvana ran rampant through holo-boards and forums, and the people of Ophelia grew ecstatic until the tensions finally boiled over when Silvana was pushed into a crowd of adoring onlookers. Stepping onto a makeshift platform to address the crowd, a speech that was broadcast across the entire planet in the following days and weeks.
"I… I am no saint…" The words left her lips as she glanced down at the masses before her, the malnourished masses of people dressed in rags, all looking to her for an answer, much like their ancestors a thousand years earlier. All awaiting their salvation to be delivered by this crimson-haired girl who had fallen from heaven. A girl so humble she defied her own divinity, which only sent the zealots into a heightened frenzy; The saint who denies her own sainthood – how much more pure of soul could one become… "I am not a saint… I never wanted to be your symbol of hope... But… I see your pain; I can feel it… I see how my home has become a hellscape once more, a place of suffering and death… I don't know what has become of Veridian, of your lord… But I know this isn't right…" She paused as the crowd fell silent, hanging on her every word… She knew what she had to do to resist this shadow that had fallen over her land, and her love… "I will… Save you all. I promise."
So, the god's plan was set in motion. Silvana's very soul was fracturing in two, trapped between her love for Veridian and her love for her people. At first, it was small signs of resistance, charity work for the homeless and the sick, then silent gatherings outside of enforcers stations. Then the violence came; factories were burned down, entire districts were sealed off from Hell's forces, officials were spat on and shamed in public… and Silvana was at the head of it all… But every day she wondered if this was really her love's doing… Whether he would really go this far just for her, to make thousands suffer… In her name.
So the saint found herself once again standing in their garden… The one where he had confessed his love to her all those lifetimes ago, where she had fallen into his arms for the first time… The first step on their journey together. Silvana had been standing on a bridge that crossed a small stream when she heard his voice, the sound of trickling water interrupted by her name… No… His name, for her, carried by the wind. "...Vana?" Her head turned before her feet spun on the spot… It was true; she was here… He was here… Whereas she had been untouched by time, her crimson hair still blazing in the sunlight, her pale skin that still seemed to glisten slightly, and those golden eyes of hers seemed to not carry the weight of all the centuries that Veridian's did… As he broke out into a run, she hesitated before taking the first step in a dash towards him…
A soft yelp of joy escaped her as she felt his arms wrap around her and tug her close, and her arms brushed across the smooth, darkened steel of his armour before they found its edges and clung back… She had to lean up to him as he leaned down, standing on the tips of her toes to feel his breath brush against her pale skin and his horn brush some of her hair from her face… She brought her eyes up to his, her lips barely brushing against his own as he spoke of missing her… She could only respond with tears welling up in her eyes as she tried to force the words out through her trembling voice "I… I-I missed you too…" She murmured before she pressed her face into the crook of his neck, burying herself into his warmth for a moment while her arms raised to drape themselves over his shoulders… "I'm so sorry, Vi.… I… I-I never wanted to leave you, the gods, I…" She trailed off and shook her head and only used the moment to keep her face buried in his perfect skin before she raised a hand to cradle his face while she leaned back ever so slightly. "I'll never leave you again… I…."
Silvana trailed off as his hands dropped to her waist, and she had to tilt her head back to look at him. With the sun behind his form, it was more like a dream… A perfect dream that she might surrender to at any moment… "You kept it… After all those lifetimes apart, you kept the garden…" It was a murmur that left her lips as she glanced across the garden and felt the guilt rising in her chest; for her, it was days… A week at most… For him, lifetimes of grief. Her mind couldn't decide what would make her feel worse… If he had moved on, if he had ever found someone else to share his life with… Or had he grieved over her for a thousand years? She pushed the terrible thoughts away in that brief moment as she rose to meet him, her lips pressing against his as she raised a hand to curl around one of his horns and tug him closer, to keep him there… To keep their lips pressed together for far longer than he might have expected… But eventually, he pulled away to ask about her rebellion, about how she was leading an army against him…
Silvana couldn't match his gaze at that moment as she felt her throat close up and a rising heat creeping up the back of her neck; since she had returned to Ophelia, she knew that something was watching her, that her soul hadn't left heaven unscathed… That there was something behind her eyes… watching, listening… but she knew it would only enrage him further to know. "I…" she stammered out in a timid whisper moments before his forehead pressed against hers, her golden eyes met his as he spoke of their peace, the crime of taking her from him… How he would have his revenge for her loss… Then she spoke; her voice was still a whisper… As though the very act of accusing her soulmate was enough to make an abyss open up beneath her and swallow her whole…
"How many people have died for my revenge…? Did you not think that I would return and be horrified…? If this is what you need for your revenge… For me! I would rather…" She hesitated on the word that caught in her throat… She wouldn't rather die… She was going to say that… To injure him, to wound their love… But she knew it wasn't true… She had forgiven all of his crimes the first time she had seen him in that factory when she was missing an arm and craving blood… That hadn't changed… Even if he caused the death of her entire world, she would always, always fall for him… She spoke again, reaching a hand up to cradle his face as tears streamed down her pale cheeks and dripped from her jaw…. "Our love is killing people, Vi… Our love is burning our dream away… I can't let it continue… One of us has to stop…" She motioned to the horizon, the smog-covered city where she was born all those years ago. "... Stop this."
"I'll be there for you… After your revenge, after you've burnt every one of the gods and my people to ash… I'll always love you... I wish I was strong enough to stop the gods, to stop you... To stop... This. But I'm not. Maybe you will be. One day…. But I can't stand by while you crush millions for your revenge… For me… I can't have that on my soul."
"They said you would do this..."
Why had she said that? Why had she brought the very gods' accusation to him... She hadn't meant it... She knew they were lying to her, so why had it slipped past her lips? She looked up at him... "I... I didn't mean that... There's something... Wrong... With me... You don't... deserve this... I know they lie... I... I love you... but this is all too much... You've had so much time to adjust to this... For me... My entire life, OUR entire life... Fell apart within days." She flexed the fingers of her left hand under her glove, feeling where his ring rested on her finger, a ring that matched his... "Just run away with me... We can get married... Like we always wanted... Just me... and you... Please." She knew it was a fantasy, a dream... But she just wanted her life to continue where they had left off, with their engagement, their wedding... their happy ending... she wrapped her arm around his back, desperately trying to hold him in place as she muttered... "I wish I didn't have a world to care for... It shames me to say it... but I just want to be at your side... I want... You... Vi...."
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I'm sure it'll all work out, as long as we're... Together.New
"My love for you is eternal, Vana. Never underestimate how much you mean to me, please."
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴄʜᴏᴋᴇʜᴏʟᴅ ↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
Even if it hurts me Even if I can't sleep Show me the way
His love was evergreen, a passion ever burning. His flame for her flickered brighter than that of the sun above. "A thousand years of longing means nothing if I get to spend eternity with you." The demon lord was unapologetic in his feelings over the woman that claimed his heart. There was no other that could take his place, not even the love he held for the planet they wished to bring about their future in. As they basked with the star behind the both of them, peeking through the dark smog that choked the planet's atmosphere, he lifted her chin towards his face as she cradled his own as though he were her treasure. "I have never regretted falling for you, nor have I ever regretted choosing you as the one I wished to marry." His ring remained present on the hand that stroked her chin. Though it had endured a thousand years of waiting, its well-maintained nature had proven how much he catered to any material connection to her. "I love you. That's my utmost truth. No amount of time apart would ever change that."
Pure in heart and touched in soul, the demon had brought his lips to her own once again, muttering against her flesh his quiet confessions. "I really hoped I could marry you here, you know? This little world was what I envisioned our future would be: A garden full of life where we could bring whatever dreams we had into reality." A pang of guilt had become present in his speech, knowing truly of the state of the world outside this little bubble of an oasis. "But the gods. They don't wish for that. They don't want us to even have this much. I never asked for any of this. I was content with the bare minimum as long as it was with you." Pain seared through his voice, wondering just what had the gods so riled up about his species. What did he do wrong to deserve this? What did he do to spite them other than exist in a form that goes against their image?
The demon lord brought up his questioning, wondering what could have brought his beloved to turn against him. If the gods above were the ones to blame, forcing her to strike back at everything he built up to earn their revenge, then he would free her no matter what. If it were the works of mages, of rebels, or of other galactic entities, he was sure to crush them for her name. Whatever that stood in the way as a barrier to their future, he would bring onto them ruin; All he needed was the right words, a simple target for his fury. Yet what came out of her mouth was something that even he didn't expect.
"How many people have died for my revenge…? Did you not think that I would return and be horrified…? If this is what you need for your revenge… For me! I would rather…" Vana's words froze in her mouth, as though she couldn't believe what even she herself was saying. They were both hurting, both existing in a nightmare that was never their own choice to begin with. "Would rather... What?"
Despite the morbid curiosity he felt, the demon understood what she meant. After she left, there was a movement to bring revenge onto those that separated them by any means. While most were onboard, it eventually led to the sacrifice of many to accomplish the goal of punishing the gods for playing their schemes on the unfortunate souls of this planet. Regardless of there still being many who supported the demon, many had also felt as though the cost had never warranted the goal, leading to many of his former allies turning traitor in the hopes that the realm could be brought to some sense of normal again.
"Our love is killing people, Vi… Our love is burning our dream away… I can't let it continue… One of us has to stop…" Vana was crying and he was to blame. Try and utter his apologies as he might, it would not change the fate of the people that were lost already. Though he knew what she wanted. He knew that only he was able to put an end to the misery and the suffering by placating his cravings for revenge, to teach the gods above that the mortals were not merely their playthings but a capable force deserving of respect. "... Stop this." He grew quiet, carefully wiping the tears from her cheek without motioning his hands too hard. Right now, his Vana appeared to be at her most fragile. As such, she had carved her way past the armor of his resolve, stripping the taint of corruption that possessed his mind for the moment to speak to him in true clarity and understanding as his lover.
"I'll be there for you… After your revenge, after you've burnt every one of the gods and my people to ash… I'll always love you... I wish I was strong enough to stop the gods, to stop you... To stop... This. But I'm not. Maybe you will be. One day…. But I can't stand by while you crush millions for your revenge… For me… I can't have that on my soul." Vi didn't turn away nor did he let her go. He listened. The gods that watched were left in disbelief, seeing the demon they believed was the most tainted ruler that Ophelia had ever known debating about the planet's involvement in his up and coming war. Though as if a peaceful stepdown was nothing their pride was willing to accept, a set of words that had done away with a lot of the progress that she achieved in the short span of time since their reunion began. "They said you would do this..."
They? There was someone else to blame for all this. His other hand began to grip and shake, knowing well who was to blame for their separation. If not for the pride of gods who never cared to begin with, he wouldn't have ever felt the need to resort to such measures in the first place. These sins were not committed by mere indulgence or for the sake of profit like his family, they were essential to bringing down those who pulled the strings from the skies themselves. "So that's how it is.... You believe them, don't you? The rumors about me, of what the followers of the gods say?" It hurt for him to hear, striking deeper than any divine weapon he ever experienced. At least, when it came to the weapons of the enemies, he knew what to expect, but to hear it come from the place where he felt the most comfort was a nightmare brought to reality. "Must they have truly resorted to brainwashing? How low must they be to resort to something as sick as this. If they have, I promise, I'll free you from them no matter what."
"I... I didn't mean that... There's something... Wrong... With me... You don't... deserve this... I know they lie... I... I love you... but this is all too much... You've had so much time to adjust to this... For me... My entire life, OUR entire life... Fell apart within days." Yet despite the strings they pulled in her soul to warrant her speaking words against her will, something within her fought back against their manipulative schemes. Love. "Just run away with me... We can get married... Like we always wanted... Just me... and you... Please. I wish I didn't have a world to care for... It shames me to say it... but I just want to be at your side... I want... You... Vi...."
At first believing it was a trap, his eyes scanned around her, only for her teary own to meet him with no hint of deception. She truly wanted to leave this world behind, to have a future with him separate from their titles as saint and lord. "... Is that what you truly want?" Bringing himself down a knee for their eyes to meet face to face, Vana was given a glimpse of the man who confessed to her in the first place; Of a young Vi that sought nothing more than a happy ending with her. "If it is... If that is the life, you'd wish to live with me... Then I won't say no." Instead of meeting her with the hostility that the gods had presumed he would act out in, Vi smiled. "... I... never needed the title of lord in the first place. All I wished was to live in a world with you that you're content with. To be married to you like we promised each other... But the gods... What of the gods? What if they try to take you away again, my love? What if they won't stop at this?"
Hesitant to accept their future with open arms, the demon lord placed his head against her shoulder, wondering what was the right choice to make. If he stopped now, would all the sacrifices made in order to bring down the gods that wished to take control be made for naught? Would the gods even let them go? Would his own allies and enemies even forgive them for abandoning their roles in this war? "... I'm sorry for hesitating, Vana." He shook his head, looking up to her with a newfound conviction in his eyes. Taking her hand, he held her close, ready to take on whatever the future held in store. He would go against the opinion of the world, the gods, and anything else, all for the sake of remaining by her side. "I'm sure it'll all work out, as long as we're..."
I made another mistake, thought I could change Thought I could make it out
Promises break, need to hear you say You're gonna keep it now
In the distance of the garden, a team of rebels had decided to follow the saint in the case she were to meet with an ambush. Split into two groups, one group had taken upon a long distance position to offer ranged firepower while the other had followed her with stealth suits should they need to extract her quickly from a dangerous situation. However, little did they know that out of everyone she would encounter, it would've been the demon lord himself without his massive entourage. "Holy... Guys, you won't believe this. Its the demon lord, Veridian." Holding their scope out and aiming its crosshairs towards the demon, they weren't able to get a good shot due to how fast her ran over to Silvana to embrace her. "No way... We could end up heroes if we bring him down! Look at him, look at how he's defiling our saint! We need to hurry, before he devours her or corrupts her with his foul magics."
Sensing the impending hostility, his weapon began to shake to warn its master, yet the focus of their discussion had prevented it from being able to garner Veridian's attention until it was too late. Upon kneeling and putting a bit of distance in between the two of them, the sniper finally had the perfect shot. "Take the shot. I doubt we'll get a better chance than this." With one of their fingers on the trigger, a massive round had flashed in the air. Believing it was aimed towards her, the demon moved swiftly, becoming a blur to the sniper and his spotter before throwing his beloved out of the way of danger, subjecting himself to the wound in her stead. The air and gravity had contorted the direction of the round, leading to it embedding itself where her head once was, now replaced by his chest. Grabbing onto his breastplate, he panted as his weapon summoned itself to his hand.
"Vana, are you okay?!" As he turned around, the two stealth suited rebels had appeared beside her, pulling her away and believing that her resistance was not due to her own volition but the hypnotic magic within his words. "Get her out of here!" One of them spoke before drawing a blade of their own. "I won't let you dare put your monstrous digits on her again, you sinful creature." Believing them to be kidnapping her, the demon charged towards his enemy, only for a round to pierce the ground in between them. "You're outnumbered. Outgunned. To think we would find you on the only day you wouldn't be surrounded by your army. Fortunately, that mistake will be your last."
"... So this was a trap... Fine. Bring it. I will take as many of you as I need to just for a chance to be by her side." Wounded and without a way to communicate with his guards, the once hero began to spill his blood on his blade. "... I'll sacrifice anything to get her back, Cal. Take as much of my blood as you need. Don't let me hold back. Our was is just beginning." With dark fire being summoned from his weapon, as he readied himself for true combat, donning his helmet in preparation for war, the sight of something else had caught his attention. Smoke was being emitted from within the bubble, most likely due to a fire in his garden. To add insult to injury, one among the team sent to rescue the saint should anything arise had set fire to the garden, believing that it would help them mask their escape while weakening their enemy for sniper fire. It didn't take long for the scent of smoke to overwhelm the dome, devastating the last vestige of peace for a happy future without war. "It seems that peace is beyond them."
Quickly, Silvana was brought outside where other rebels had surrounded the area, each prepared to engage with their enemy upon realizing that the ambushing party was the demon lord himself. Believing that what they were doing was the best for her, she was bound before being taken to the church for an examination of corruption. To them, she was their heroine. To have her suffer from his darkness was to lose her to the enemy. Though, before she was taken onto a rebel ship to be escorted out, a sudden pillar of dark energy had shot through the dome, only to be followed by the blur of a dark creature escaping their trap, leaving her with the image of the place where he wished to have wedded her, the last bastion of life that knew no war on a desolate world, burning to ash.
Inside stood her third in command, a priest that once fought alongside the two as a healer when they fought the forces of hell the first time. "Hold still, Silvie. I'll make sure Veridian hasn't cursed you. Hey pilot! Close the damn doors already and get us out of here!" With a nod of his head, the pilot did as the priest asked, pressing a button to close the doors before taking off to their rebel headquarters. "By the Gods, Silvana. Nearly had us worried back there!"
When the curtains call the time Will we both go home alive?
It wasn't hard to realize Love's the death of peace of mind
Please find me... Please save me... Even if I'm saying I hate you... I promise... I don't... I'll always love you.New
Silvana may have only felt the passing of a thousand years as a few days, but Vi's touch against her skin, the way his fingers lifted her jaw to look up at him and meet his eyes, it might as well have been a thousand years as she realised how touch-starved she had been since being separated from her love… From the other half of her soul. The rest of the world seemed to melt away, if only for the briefest of moments, as she edged herself closer to him, his words laced with affection sinking into her heart, which ached for him only deeper with each passing second. The thumb brushing against her chin only made her lean in further until she had fallen against him, eyes locked with his as she adoringly stared up into his captivating eyes. A saint lost in her own personal salvation as her fingers ran lines up his chest until their lips met again… She pressed herself into the kiss, and any thoughts of true resistance started to crumble in her mind; she was never going to be able to strike him down, not really… Fight his regime, possibly… With their lips pressed together and their eyes locked onto one another, she could never imagine duelling him with any resolve, with any true intent to harm the only person in life that she loved, that cared about her, and only her.
She slowly pulled herself from his kiss and glanced around the garden he spoke of marrying her in; it had changed since she saw it… denser, greener… quieter than before… "One day… I will marry you here… I promise." she whispered softly in reply, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness, of knowing that their wedding might be many years away… After the war, after the rebuilding… After the very gods themselves had been struck down for what they did to her… To them.
"But the gods. They don't wish for that. They don't want us to even have this much. I never asked for any of this. I was content with the bare minimum as long as it was with you."
'He'll never be content…'
That thought, that foreign notion that floated to the top of her mind, wasn't her own… She knew that there had been a subtle feeling in the past days and weeks. That subtle push to start the rebellion, to take the first step onto the platform in the first week of her return, preaching to her people of rebellion and resistance… In that, she had truly believed, she knew her people were suffering tremendously… but this… That… thought, that violated her very mind… That was in such a jarring contrast to her feelings of being so touch-starved, and her pure affection for the demon... Even though she heard it in her voice, it wasn't hers… She felt her eyes widen before she pushed it from her mind…
The gods watched as she pleaded to the demon through the teary eyes of their unwilling saint, and his response wasn't one of anger, of fury… This Veridian was willing to give up everything, even his crusade against the very people who had stolen his love, his life from her… just at Silvana's word… They could feel his gentle thumb brushing the tears from her cheeks, the way her words seemed to strip any taint from his very soul with such ease that eluded them… Then they pushed Silvana forward… pushing words past her lips she hadn't even thought of.
"So that's how it is.... You believe them, don't you? The rumours about me, of what the followers of the gods say?"
"Must they have truly resorted to brainwashing?"
Silvana frowned at his words then, and before she replied, before she pleaded with him to run away with her, she focused her mind again on that slight pressure at the back of her eyes: '...brainwashing?' Her mind ran over the thought of it; surely the gods power didn't extend far enough to influence her without her mind even realising it, but now she wasn't so sure… No… This wasn't important, not now… She needed Vi… She needed to run away with him, to lie with him in the garden and stare up at the smog-covered sky before starting their life anew… But the thought of the god's influence lingered at the back of her mind, perched on the edges of her perception.
She found the strength to push away any foreign thoughts from her mind, those strange breaches of her soul, long enough to plead with him and watch him accept her for who she was, who she was a thousand years ago and who she was now, and she found herself sinking into his arms again as her hand curled into his. Silvana felt so vulnerable in that fleeting moment with the lord of an entire world kneeling, kneeling for her… Her mind flashed back to the first time she had been invited to the garden, to the park of lush forestry and winding streams, how she had felt adrenaline coursing through her veins as a demon she had only glimpsed in passing and written letters to confessed his undying love to her, to a factory worker with one arm, cursed to feed on others; Why her? of all people who might have won his heart? Even now… As she looked at the matching ring on his finger, the reason was still lost to her, the reason of why he would love a vampire, a nobody; all she knew was that she wanted to return his love, to hold him, and to make all of his worries disappear, like he did for her… She let herself sink into him now, her fangs brushing against his neck as he spoke of his worries about the gods… of them taking her again, She froze as the memories of her time up there flashed in front of her eyes… A sigh escaped her lips as she trailed kisses up to his ear… "If anyone takes me away… Ever… Please find me… Burn it all down for me…"
Silvana paused then, taking a few moments to consider her words, perhaps her last words that were truly hers, free of eldiritch influence. "Vi… Speaking of the gods, I… I know there's something wrong with me; I didn't know for sure until now, but… something came back with me from heaven… I don't know how long I can keep it suppressed, but please… If something happens."
"Please find me... Please save me... Even if I'm saying I hate you... I promise... I don't... I'll always love you."
Settling into his grip after a century of being apart, Silvana found her chin resting against his shoulder, her head tilted so that her hair brushed against the side of his face and his horn… There she spotted something in the distance; at the edge of the garden's perimeter, it was glinting from a balcony that overlooked the garden… a constant reflection of the sun's dim light that seemed to be pointing directly at them… For a moment, she thought it must have been some kind of wind chime or decoration that Vi had hung; it had been a thousand years, after all… Not everything was going to be the same as in her memories… But she couldn't shake that feeling of dread creeping up the back of her neck.
"I'm sure it'll all work out, as long as we're..."
"The saint? We're tracking her… Never seen this part of the city before… There's something off, though; there are no guards… No weapons… Nothing…".
"There she is; send the team."
Silvana had been stepping back, stepping away from the embrace to tell Vi all about her experience with the gods, what they had done to her… And then she found herself being flung across the garden as the bullet impacted Vi's chest, sending a splatter of blood across the stone work they had been standing on moments earlier, crimson blood across Silvana's chest… her neck… her face, and her parted lips…
All thoughts of love subsided; in fact, all of her thoughts disappeared into the abyss of bloodlust that was welling in her chest. She tried to suppress it as she looked up at him with wide eyes… "I… I'm okay. I…" Her tongue ran across her lips that were wet with his blood, hot and metallic… "Fuck…" she managed to mutter out before she felt a hand on each of her shoulders dragging her across the dirt and mud of one of the flower beds, away from the demon lord, away from her love, her obsession... Her eyes settled on one of her own men, one of the rebellion's commandos pulling his blade and stepping between her and her soulmate before she was tugged away further… Stumbling to her feet, she suddenly turned on the other commando before she dragged him to the floor with her, her fangs sunk into the rubberised material of his stealth suit in her manic frenzy for more blood… She could feel the nails on her fingers sinking into the man's chest; she could barely remember what was happening in that moment, that purely blind lust for blood… The commando seemed to waste no time rolling both of them over until the saint was under him, binding her wrists together before he dragged her from the garden, now burning and billowing smoke up to fill the atmospheric dome.
"Get off me! I… need to be with him!" The words hissed out from her lips as her legs violently kicked out; she watched Vi and the commando become engulfed in the smoke of the burning garden, their silhouettes battling against one another… In the final moments, she screamed, raising her voice just enough for Vi to hear. "I love you! I'll never stop loving you! Fuck the gods!" Her voice was manic, yelling through bloodlust and complete, abject fury at their reunion being tragically cut off. The next few minutes were a blur; she found herself kneeling in front of a group of rebel soldiers, rambling in her blood-crazed state. The rebellion knew about her curse… She had never tried to hide her vampirism from the people; in fact, it only drew her zealots to new heights, and this event tonight… Seeing what suffering she went through when her vampirism drove her to madness would only garner more sympathy for the saint that could do no wrong, even as she threatened to rip the throats of her men out there and then… Was that the curse speaking, or her love-starved mind…? In that moment of rage, she didn't know… She couldn't think… Her mind was a mess of radical emotions and depths of depression… She begged the group of soldiers to free her, in what must have been to them, a humiliating display of their entranced saint… "Please take me back! He's not… H-He's not evil! I can fix him! I came here to stop the war, just like I did a thousand years ago… I… He wasn't going to hurt me!" The words fell on deaf ears; soldiers turned their gaze from her, some looked down upon her with sympathy, and almost all of them still fantastically believed in their saint and in her cause as they scattered back into the night after the ship arrived.
"What did he do to you to make you decide to go alone anyways?"
"It was my idea…" Silvana had crumpled into one of the ship's drop seats after watching her love breach the dome of their garden before the smog rushed in to kill any vegetation that had survived… There were still tears dripping from her eyes when they tightened the seatbelts across her chest and left her there, tied down as the ship's engines growled to life and lifted it from the pad with a roar. It was only when they had settled into a cruising speed that she finally raised her eyes to meet the priest sitting opposite her… Her mind was still in a blood-dazed state, which made the thoughts rising to the surface of her mind even more horrific…
"He's not a true priest…" the voice echoed, her own yet… not.
"He was NEVER your friend… This heretic… This… False prophet…"
"...Strike him down as soon as the plane lands, in the god's name."
A whimper, soft, drawn out… Terrified, escaped Silvana's lips as more tears welled in her eyes while she averted her gaze from the priest… There, in her chair, she sobbed, feeling the dropship rock back and forth as it was buffeted by Ophelia's storms… Eventually, after a few minutes of self-pity, she felt his hand on her shoulder, tightening his grip as she knelt in front of her… "Silvy… he's not the same man… After he lost you, he lost his humanity…" Silvana shook her head at the thought, her eyes finally meeting his… "Libra… he's the same. He agreed to step down as lord… to leave this all behind, before your men… Fucked everything up!" She spat the words at him; in that moment, she hated him. He had followed her, had his men fire on her love, had her dragged away, arms bound… To leave Vi to his fate… Although she knew it was from a place of love. Silvana sighed and finally reached out with her prosthetic hand, gripping his shoulder in return. "'I'm sorry… I know you were only doing what you thought was right." She paused as Libra answered, a warm smile on his face, with a voice that was always calm and level. "I'm sorry… I just… You've been away a thousand years… I thought he might kill you, see you as some sick illusion by the gods, leave you a crumpled corpse…" Silvana nodded her head before she let both of her hands fall into her lap; she tugged her glove from her left hand, staring at the ring on her finger… Her eyes lingered there, holding the ring up to her eyes and turning her hand over before her gaze finally shifted back to Libra… "I need an exorcist… Not of the gods religion, though… Someone… from the other side… I think you know who I'm talking about."
"Guh… and why are we getting him back…?" The distaste in Libra's voice was clear; whoever it was, he clearly wasn't very happy at the idea of a reunion.
"Because the gods have a leash around my soul… and it's tightening… I can feel it with every passing moment…"
"I'm losing myself… To this world… I can't lose myself… I can't lose him… Please, Libra, for me..."
The two fell quiet as the drop ship hovered to a stop at Sabbat's Cathedral, the largest, oldest holy ground upon Ophelia, nestled within the mountains north of the capital…
Besides, you owe me at least that much if you're making me have to meet up with Dusk again.New
Haunting smoke and bubbling cinder had overtaken the skies around them. With the vault doors that led to the garden smashed open as more of the rebellion's men had intruded their way inside, smoke had led to a great dying of all the remaining plant life that lay within, choking them in fumes and burying them in ash. In front of him was one of them, another blind devotee of the same gods he wished to bring an end too. "I'm... Sorry, Veridian. If I had known..." Instead of being angry, the warrior was disappointed. To have stripped them of even the mercy of a reunion despite him being willing to give everything up was a pity, yet one he expected of the divines that pulled her away the first time. With wings ripping out from his back and the flames of his soul surging through the outline of his blade, the demon donned his helmet as he aimed his sword at the commando that would act as the first victim of his renewed revenge.
"Don't apologize for what you never knew, Calamity. It was my fault for laying my guard down."
Charging at the man, as he prepared to use his weapon to parry the strike of his monstrous foe, his weapon split in two, doing little to slow his strike before the demon lord's cursed weapon met with his shield and then, his flesh underneath. As fast as they took her away was the speed at which he took his life, just another of the many that had sacrificed their own for the sake of freeing themselves from the grasp of the eldritch. "... To think, they would've let me get away with a happy ending." From the smoke, three more had replaced their fallen, summoning their weapons from their hands in the hopes that this time, things would be different; This time, their gods would bless them with the power to bring an end to Veridian's tyranny.
As blood dripped from his chest plate, he stood his ground, marking the very area around him with demon soul flame. "If you truly believe your gods are enough to best me, then come. Sacrifice yourself to my altar. Let me prove to you that the strength of my love could contend with whatever power or boon those selfish deities could offer you." The three had nodded their heads at each other before charging him all at the same time, leading to them placing scratches and gashes into his armor due to strain of the first round piercing his lungs slowing him down. Yet, despite their shared offensive wounding him from three different angles, with themselves having to risk their own body to strike, he had used their attacks to leave a finishing blow, taking the head off one with his blade, punching through the chest of another with his open hand, leaving but one to witness the sudden violence that was combat with the demon lord himself. As though his body was resilient to holy magic and divine weaponry, his wounds began to close, leaving only that of the bullet wound still dripping with his blood to remain.
Please find me. Please save me. Her words had echoed in his ears, adding fuel to his anger. To have made his beloved utter such pleas in front of him had reinforced the resolve he felt when seeing her again. I'll always love you... One day, I promise to marry you here... His happy ending was still within reach. No matter who stood in his way, whether it be mortal or immortal, he would bring ruination. Though, he wasn't foolish enough to risk his own life here, not when he wasn't ready to save her. Outnumbered, outgunned, and lacking the knowledge to fight, if he let his foolish pride root him to this dying garden in the hopes of spilling as much rebel and divine blood as he could, he would only end up becoming terribly wounded if not worse. These rebels were confident, motivated by the symbol of their saint. "Go ahead and take pride in this as your victory. rebel; I promise, it won't be the last you see of me."
Before the holy warrior had a chance to cut or shoot at him again, the demon sprouted his wings and took off through the dome's ceiling, rising far above the ground as he saw his beloved for a quick moment before the ship closed behind her. Other rebels had joined in the attack, flying ships of their own to intercept him should he try to continue chasing. "Never in a thousand years have I imagined that I would be stripped of you again, my love. It looks like I'm still too weak." Placing his hand against his chest, he traced the trail of blood on his armor from its entry wound down to his hilt. It was only one soon-to-be scar that would join many, his skin ever since bearing the history of a life spent chasing the angel who won his heart.
"You're far more than strong enough already, Veridian. Any more and you would risk your own soul." His weapon warned him, wary of its corruptive power. Though, despite whatever it could say, the demon lord's attention was placed on the burning garden full of intruders attempting to search him out through the smoke. "Why tempt fate? We are enough already to deal damage to the gods themselves." Sheathing his weapon, he turned his back to their once hidden site, taking off in the direction of the tallest spire within the city. "And yet, even now, I'm not strong enough to keep her by my side. What is the meaning of strength if you lack the power to protect the one you love? What is the value in the soul when its missing the component that makes it whole?" The demon lord wasn't angry at his blade for caring. He was simply realistic with his expectations. To underestimate the gods was to make a crucial mistake. He failed not just once, but twice now. The next time, he won't let her get away again.
"It appears her corruption is running too deep. We need to get the saint to the priest, now!" By the time she was able to utter those words, the demon lord was too far and too involved in combat for him to hear her calls. The saint was vicious in her struggle, eventually needing a team of four to keep her within control. "Such a terrible thing he must've done to you to make you believe in him this much. We'll free you from this taint... We promise." One of them spoke while the main commando that dragged her this distance wrestled the cuffs onto her wrists, noticing his armor scratched from her fangs attempting to embed themselves into his gear.
Despite them knowing of the curse, they believed that its amplification was not a result of her own doing but rather from his corruptive influence, making her turn against her allies regardless of their "rescue" attempt. Seeing her a victim of his dark machinations, once they called the evac ship to their location, they were gentle with their words while their arms kept her knees to the floor, preventing her from going back into the fray until the ship had landed in front of them. Offering her to the priest and the pilot inside, once she was brought into the ship, her friend was able to share a moment of conversation before being met with surprise.
"Libra… he's the same. He agreed to step down as lord… to leave this all behind, before your men… Fucked everything up!" Her words couldn't be any more wrong. Given everything she was exposed to since being brought back to Ophelia through the use of a ritual to the gods above, he had hoped she would be able to see the devastation around them for what it was rather than be blinded by love. "My men and I were sent here to protect you. That's what we did. Then you went missing, so I had to send someone after you! We didn't know that it was going to be him out of everyone else!" His voice raised for a moment before seeing the resignation in her eyes. At the least, it appeared that the blood frenzy he knew very well seemed to have quelled for now.
"I'm sorry… I know you were only doing what you thought was right." He shook his head, sighing before offering a warm smile as he looked down, unable to look her in the eyes. He was at fault too, knowing truly that if anyone were able to talk sense into the demon lord himself, it would be the lover he did this all for in the first place. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry… I just… You've been away a thousand years… I thought he might kill you, see you as some sick illusion by the gods, leave you a crumpled corpse…" Feeling her hand grip his shoulder, he lifted his gaze, only to find her voice clear and her eyes brought to her ring before meeting his own. "I need an exorcist… Not of the gods' religion, though… Someone… from the other side… I think you know who I'm talking about."
Him. The anathema to his mind and the only man that could unravel his heart the way that Silvana did Veridian. "Guh… and why are we getting him back…?" To call his tone a distaste was to nearly commit a lie. He was disgusted, appalled by the idea that he had to see the man who broke his heart once again. To have broken apart due to differences in opinion; To turn against one another over the sake of religion and in disagreement in how to return Ophelia back to its former glory. He would call him selfish and self indulgent, though as much as he hated the idea of reunion, there was still a lingering sense of want still within him. He hated what had happened, but he didn't hate him.
"Because the gods have a leash around my soul… and it's tightening… I can feel it with every passing moment… I'm losing myself… To this world… I can't lose myself… I can't lose him… Please, Libra, for me..."
Upon being given an appropriate reason followed by a plea for his help, her friend's resilience to her request had faltered, only to soften before being rendered null at the memories of her helping him the same. When he needed her most, she was there for him before. To not do the same for her was to act unfairly. "... Fine, but this time. Stay with me and be honest. I don't want you going off on your own again like that."
Thunk. The ship bounced as it finally landed. Once opened, the pair and their pilot were met with the sight of Sabbat's Cathedral, one of the rebellion's strongholds over Ophelia. "Whatever happened back there, we'll speak about it later, but for now..." Libra coughed, taking a moment to reorient himself as the priest that the rebels believed was ordained by the gods themselves to accompany the saint in her mission to purge the world of its darkness. "Settle down, settle down." Immediately upon seeing the saint step outside onto the stony path, hordes of her followers had congregated at her position, awaiting her divine commandment.
A roar of applause had energized the crowd, causing many to praise the saint's accomplishments. As if protecting her image to keep the truth from being revealed, the priest was willing to lie to ensure that his friend would remain safe. "But alas, he managed to escape. Know that the demon bleeds. Know that he can be brought grace, for the saint herself could bring empathy to any heart, including that of the demon that brought this hellscape to this land." For a moment, Silvana was able to see the glint of deception in his eyes. Libra hated lying. Unlike his ex partner, he felt sinful having to contort the truth so much to fit the narrative of the saint being a savior. However, given her mental state upon reuniting with her beloved, it was likely that she could potentially make a mistake in choosing her words, leading to the wrong eyes becoming suspicious. Though many were loyal to her, many more were more faithful to the gods than the vampire that was meant to represent them.
"Come now, Silvana. Let us get some rest. No reason to burden yourself any more than you've done so already." Hinting at her exhaustion to the crowd, Libra escorted her away from the eyes of the many, eventually bringing her into a quiet room in the cathedral where he believed they wouldn't be disturbed. "Lords and devils... There were more of them this time." He facepalmed, sitting on a bed across from her own. Religious followings were something he was used to, but the devotion of zealots on the other hand had felt akin to the same worship that their enemies had offered their demon lord in exchange for his grace. "Its beginning to feel that the only difference between them and Veridian's army is their devotion to the light; Gods... Both sides are tiring." Alone, she was met with the other side of the priest: The Libra that was more casual in nature yet calm in his demeanor.
"Need a drink, Silvie?" The priest pulled a flask from his robes, tossing it to her beside after taking his own sip of it. Ever since reuniting with her again, he noticed that his flasks seemed to run out faster, not as a result of them holding less liquid per refill, but rather him taking more frequent drinks to calm his nerves. Her existence had reminded him of a past where he was happy, and seeing her exist in a world as different as this one after a thousand years had been a sobering experience rife with lessons where he had to teach her everything that differed from the past. "Always helps me calm down after a long day." Looking outside the stained glass, he saw the light of the sun that peered through the smog turn red as day turned to dusk. "... We'll worry about the exorcist tomorrow. You look like you've been through hell and back twice over."
Walking to her side, he placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her that she wasn't alone in her war. "Hey, back there. When you met with Veridian again. What happened?" Everything about their meeting seemed odd. The guards he expected to usually be around the demon lord were missing. The garden itself was an odd addition, one that even he as a friend of both parties had known nothing about. Then came her reaction; It was the strongest he had ever seen her feel in recent memory ever since coming back. Something must have been said that made her truly believe that she could fix him. Something about the way she claimed her own choice to meet with him had made Libra want to hope in something more. "Don't hide anything from me. I want to help." Taking his hand off, he placed both elbows on his knees before looking at the fading natural light entering the room, soon to be replaced with that of artificial bulbs hanging from the ceiling.
"If you truly think that our friend is still in there, worthy of redemption... I wouldn't mind taking a chance." At the first meeting, the priest had assumed that the demon she brought into their party was like every other demon he met before. Yet, as if transformed by love, somehow, Veridian had acted even more human than the people that sent him on a quest to begin with in the first place. He felt for his people, treating them as his future. He loved his party as though they were his own family. Even when the priest had met with a nightmare of his own, of having his own religious sect turn against him due to his choices in becoming so romantically involved with someone so impure in blood, Veridian was among the first alongside Silvana to stand in support for his decisions, ruling that love was powerful enough to break through barriers. It was these memories that made it hard to blindly believe the words of the divine; The demon he knew was different from the demon they touted as their enemy.
"The blood. It wasn't on your blade." Given enough time, the blood he spilled on her body had dried over her fabrics, staining her clothes in his sacrifice and scent. "Nor are you hurt. I've been told by the commandos that he corrupted you, and yet you seem completely fine, spare a few bruises here and there." His eyes scanned her image for any sight of damage on her body and armor, only to find no more than bruises. "You could be honest with me. I'm not going to go around and spread your secret anyways. Its not like the others in this cathedral even know that I'm drinking in the first place."
The crowd was waiting for her to step off the ship, to say something… They always wanted to hear her voice, night and day… By the way her zealots cried her name, a stranger to the land might've believed she was a deity, as though god herself was walking among them. She abhorred it, but it was a necessity to bring about change on the planet, but by the gods did the zealous cries for violence and revolution that had only grown louder since the day of her return grate against her very soul, especially the calls for Veridian's head on a pike… She stepped off the ship and into the dim moonlight.
"We've come back from a mission, the demon lord has been wounded."
Those words from Libra wounded her very soul, far more then any of the rebels weapons could ever wound Veridian, but the roar of applause seemed to drive a stake into her heart and numbed her to the rest of the world, her eyes met the priest as he lied to the gathered crowd, feeding them deception and fuelling the fires of righteousness in their hearts. Silvana knew she was the one to blame, she had given all of them hope since her return, the bright light that streamed across the sky signalling her arrival, her fall from heaven, was almost prophetic and indeed many believed that the end of Veridian's rule was always mere days away whenever they managed to glimpse Silvana returning from missions… It took her a moment to gain her composure, standing there at the bottom of the ramp to the drop ship with her eyes fixed on the ground… She had to push the events of the night from her mind, to repress her love for the demon for a moment so that she could look her followers in the eyes without tears forming in hers… Finally, she raised her gaze to dance across the gathered masses as she walked with Libra towards the cathedral.
The saint strayed closer to the crowd as she stepped into the shadow of the building itself, her eyes glanced between their faces illuminated in the moonlight, faces of families, of the oppressed… she even stopped to hold some of their hands for brief moments, which seemed to only buoy their fanaticism more, she detested their worship but she had decided weeks earlier she would much rather have their loyalty and worship then have them turn to the gods themselves, if the crowd loved her, she could limit their violence… So she had to at least show her love for them. Although, after tonight, she wanted to convince herself that it was false, that she could never love those who were campaigning against her love, her soul mate… But that wasn't true, she knew why they were angry, why there were desperate… A thousand years may have passed but she could still see her childhood self in many faces of her followers, those that had lost limbs in the factories, had lost family members to the grinding attrition of Veridian's regime, all she truly wanted was to be with Veridian for eternity, but that was a fantasy while his regime still made her home, her people suffer. If she wanted her happy ending, she would have to liberate her people from Veridian's regime, but also the gods themselves… and if she had to replace the gods, so be it.
"It's beginning to feel that the only difference between them and Veridian's army is their devotion to the light; Gods... Both sides are tiring."
Silvana forced a smile onto her face as she looked over to him with a shrug of her shoulders. She settled herself into an armchair before she replied… "I try not to judge them too harshly… They've suffered their entire lives, I can understand why they're so… zealous, I can understand their anger, I used to be like that before I met…" she paused while a sigh escaped her lips and for a moment she could feel tears welling in her eyes as she remembered being dragged from him… "Met Vi…" She jumped in her chair as Libra's flask fell into her lap, and she stared at it for a moment before she lifted it to her lips and downed what was left…"Before I fell, I didn't drink… You're a bad influence, Libra."She felt a smirk creeping onto her lips as she tossed the flask back to him.
"Hey, back there. When you met with Veridian again. What happened?"
The tension between them was palpable as she considered her response, for a moment she wondered whether she could even trust him, although he seemed to be fine with the request for an exorcise, so with a deep inhale she replied… "I wanted to see if the stories were true… if the thousand years without me had completely darkened his soul. It hadn't… Well… Maybe it had, but the moment he saw me, he ran to me… He shows remorse... He was mine again, he wanted to be with me… and when I asked him to step down, he promised he would in a heartbeat, maybe he is this villain the crowd outside portrays him to be, by the gods, I know his regime is… I've seen the suffering in the hive spires… but when we were together tonight, it was like that first time we met… When I stared up at him in awe, missing an arm… He's still in there, he's just bitter that the gods took me from him… So am I. That garden was ours… That last hope for Vi that I might return to him… Now that we've burned it, I imagine the crackdown on our supporters will be vicious." She shook her head at the thought of Veridian's enforcers cracking down on resistance activity and black bagging any who might try to resist.
"The blood. It wasn't on your blade."
"I didn't need to use it… He would never hurt me, he doesn't need to corrupt me… I love him, a thousand years ago and now… I always will… No matter what he does… Things were much worse before I met him, and I still forgave him back then… I don't see how things are different now."Things were different, but it was a comforting lie to think they weren't, back then… In the early days of their blossoming love, the gods barely took notice of them. It was only when they started losing their worshippers, their influence, did the gods finally act… and now they could never be together, not for more than a few fleeting moments before the deities above would act again… No… Veridian and Silvana were right. The treatment of her people, of her home, was unjust, but the gods still had to be killed… Both were in the right in their way, but whether the ends justified the means remained to be seen.
"You could be honest with me. I'm not going to go around and spread your secret anyway. It's not like the others in this cathedral even know that I'm drinking in the first place."
The saint rubbed her eyes as she slumped down in her chair, glancing down at lovers blood that had dried into the fabric of her clothes, she took a moment to pull her shawl from her shoulders and turn it over in her hands, looking at the darkened stains where Vi's blood had splattered across her hours earlier… "If I'm honest…. I agree with him." Her gaze lifted to fix onto Libra's eyes..
"The gods need to die… but… with every passing hour I can feel my thoughts being twisted, as though they're still there…. Something at the back of my mind twisting me to do their work, I'm leading a resistance against my love… I agree that the way he's gone about it… Ruining the lives of hundreds of my people is just as terrible, as tragic as when Hell first started ruling over Ophelia, but… I… I agree with him, the gods have interfered in our lives too much, as much as I hate the idea, I…. I want to replace them, the people need someone to worship, and after this, they'll never follow Vi… So that leaves me… It's why I still make those speeches in the morning, why I still hold their hands and assure them our cause is righteous. Because… As long as they're crying my name, they're not crying out for the gods' help… Even if I supposedly serve them, and they know… They know I could replace them, and that scares them… That's why I need Dusk, before they finish… changing me."
Sleep found Silvana shortly after her discussion with Libra, collapsing into her bed in the modest quarters that had been her home for the past months. By the time she awoke, the twin suns of Ophelia were casting beams of crimson sunlight through her window as they rose over the horizon. It was still early enough for the cathedrals central chamber to be mostly empty, her footsteps echoed against the stone arches before she found a pew to sit in, her prosthetic ached and burned where it met her skin, as though the gods themselves knew of it's origin and punished her for carrying it so close to their place of worship.
Even here, she couldn't find complete isolation from the rest of the rebellion. Those few worshippers who were praying at this early hour stole fervent glances in her direction, honoured at the chance of being able to witness the saint praying, just as they prayed… She knew within the hour she would have to head outside and make some kind of speech to her followers, about what had transpired the night before, how she would explain her absence at the cathedral, and her presence with the demon lord… But for now, she just chose to enjoy the silence of the church, although she held disdain for the gods, she couldn't deny how tranquil their spaces of worship were, and how it focused her mind on the day ahead, she muttered some words, not to the gods, not to herself... But to her love.
When the twin suns finally cleared the horizon she stepped out into their sunlight, some of the crowd applauded as they caught sight of her, and soon her people were gathering in their hundreds from the camps that surronded the cathedral, she often wondered why Veridian didn't just attack the cathedral directly, maybe he knew that it only make them more zealous, more violent… the cathedral was a symbol, and to destroy it, it would almost be as significant as martyring the saint herself.
Stepping up onto a small platform in front of the crowd, Silvana glanced across their faces for a moment before she straightened herself up, smoothing the wrinkles of her still blood-covered tunic. She raised a hand to quiet the crowd with a faint smile on her face. "I saw him last night… The demon Veridian…" she began, pausing as the crowd gasped and let out murmured whispers while Veridian's face filled her mind, even now, all she wanted was to run to him. "I wanted to appeal to him, to bring an end to the suffering that plagues you all, and I… " Another pause, more hesitation…
"I'm not sure we'll be able to end this in a matter of days… But I'm still hoping that one day we can go back to the way things were when I first met Veridian, when I first convinced him to give all of us freedom, but there's still blood to be shed before that day comes, I just hope that when the day of revolution approaches, you will all still listen to me when I appeal for peace, after we've been freed from any Hell… and any deity that dares to command us how to live our lives…" she couldn't go as far as denouncing the gods, not yet… but planting that seed of freedom into the people was a start.
"The demon lord was wounded yesterday by our brave soldiers… I've been told some of whom died in the attack, I hope that we will always remember them as martyrs to our cause… I was blinded by Veridian for a moment… Well… I suppose blinded by my hope that we could bring an end to this peacefully… Unfortunately, I think the very skies themselves will have to burn before we can be free again…" She wanted to continue, to allow herself the indulgence of spitting in the face of gods… but instead, she stepped down off the platform and into the crowd. Being the centre of attention was overwhelming, and after a few passing moments, she excused herself to find Libra.
The dark-lands, a massive expanse for the outcasts of both human and demon society, were an oppressive place to put it lightly. Shanty towns sat within the ruins of Ophelia's first cities, contrasted by diesel generators spewing smog to the sky, its citizens trading plasma weaponry and modern luxuries. Silvana had worn a dark-hued cape to hide her appearance from onlookers, although Libra was far less inconspicuous, but then even here, there were depictions of the saint, clung to by humans and demons alike that prayed to her as though she would ever be able to listen to them…
They were sitting within the centre of an old town square, perched on the edge of a fountain that had dried up long ago… "So you said Dusk was going to meet us here…? He's fallen far from the spires he used to live in a thousand years ago… But then I suppose he doesn't have a home if he aligned with me… A demon who helped the saint… I guess the dark lands are the only place left for him…"
Libra seemed to shrug in response… "I think he's just on some self-imposed exile… There's plenty of demons in hell that worship you, and he's friends with all of them…"
The statement made Silvana frown for a moment as she turned her head to look up at him, her face still obscured by the scarf and hood… "Demons in hell worship me…? I'm a human…"
Libra just smirked in response. "A human that loves a demon, it's like a fairytale... and the demons love the idea of a saint being corrupted by a demon."
Silvana rolled her eyes in response before she leaned back against the stonework of the fountain. "Pretty sure I corrupted him... He's barely a demon when he's around me."
We'll find each other again, my love. No matter what gets in the way.New
With hands clutched in prayer, despite the gods refusing to listen to the dark lord's pleas, Veridian continued this habit for his own sake. His love had made this sanctifying act their ritual; Another moment in peace to bond to in the quiet of a temple or place of prayer. Regardless of the surface level pain he felt while committing to this divine motion, oddly enough, this made him feel closer to the one that had prayed for their future beside him for so many years. "All I ask is for your faith in me; For your forgiveness for my inability to keep you by my side." His words had no destination in Heaven. Instead, it was his way of manifesting his feelings in the hope that somehow, someway, it would reach her.
"Whatever it takes to find you again and keep you; I promise I will do it. Whatever it takes to find our happy ending no matter what hell or heaven does, I will make it happen. You are the only thing in this galaxy that I truly feel is priceless, Vana. You are the only thing that's keeping me together." A drop had spilled onto his hands, not from a leak in the ceiling, but instead from a leak in his heart. His eyes were soft and gentle in this small, quiet room. It was one of the few bastions that remained where he could hone his feelings towards her openly and honestly. While it was no garden, it was a place where promises were made in private; Where the gods had realized just how deep his love lay for the woman they claimed was her favorite to the many rebelling subjects outside. "Please wait for me. I'll be with you again soon."
As he finished the final words of his prayer, the sound of footsteps had turned his attention towards the entrance of the room where he found Dusk leaning against one of the pillars. "My, to see you even praying now, Veridian." Walking towards the demon who sat at the front pew, he leaned against the pew at Veridian's side from behind, amused by the irony of the sight and at the strength and conviction of his love. "You know...? Silvy had said some pretty awful things about you."
Grabbing the remote, the hybrid exorcist flipped on one of the screens nearby, revealing an edited broadcast of the saint's proclamation. While her words may have suggested one thing to those that were present, to the demons and vampires that were still loyal and faithful to the cause, the gods had distributed something else instead to their intel networks, cutting all talks of peace and instead bringing up only the words that brought pride to those who were successful at wounding Veridian. "Its almost... Too awful."
"And? Perhaps she was forced to say these things. I wouldn't put it past the gods to scheme against her; To use her against me and everything I stand for." The demon was resilient to their tactics, though he doubted that his people would feel the same. Loyalists had called for acts of violence to keep them in line; To present a show of force to quell their call for action. His enforcers and generals had thought the same and the numbers of those he felt were moderates were diminishing by the day. Ever since he was wounded after speaking with her over calls of peace, that number had dropped significantly. "At the garden, she was different. She spoke like only Vana would." Clutching his knees before standing up, the demon lord turned to Dusk. "My love is still alive and well; Still in her. If the gods have her in their clutches, then I'll break her free, regardless of what many of my own would want."
"I'm not going to stop loving her because of one simple setback."
"I will heal from this wound, but I won't ever heal from this distance... Though, I doubt that there are many who share my opinion in my ranks. That's why I come to you. At least, you could understand." Hidden in the depths of his citadel's hive city, while his guards were guarding his shadow, Veridian had sneaked out to speak in one of the few places where he felt that he could be open and honest with his feelings. While his past party had become divided ever since the rebellion occurred, they were among the only people he felt he could speak about Vana with without judgement or any preconceived opinions due to their current role on the planet as saint and demon lord.
"Always a fool for love. Some things never change. Then again, I'm not much different." Dusk chuckled before changing the topic to his own partner. "I'll be meeting with Libra soon. Says that he has someone he'd like for me to exorcise." The sudden arrival of his ex's name had made Veridian raise an eyebrow at the idea of their reunion. "Isn't he working with the rebels? Wouldn't that complicate things between you given your... Biological differences?"
The party was well aware of Dusk's genetics. Being born a bastard son between a loving human father and a noble demon mother, he was brought into existence only to be treated differently by both humans and demons alike as a result of his strange combination of species. "He's just as much a fool as I am. Neither one of us wanted to be apart. Title and faction be damned." A hint of regret remained present in his voice at the truth of their reality. This was between the vampires and the demons was not one either of them asked for when at the end of the day, both had sought peace.
"Mhmm. I hope I could bring about a future where you two could be together again. True love lost is a fate I wouldn't even wish on my worst enemy; Not even the gods." Standing himself up from his seat, Veridian turned around to place a hand on his old friend's shoulder. "Thank you for giving me a place to speak my truth. To lend your ear without judgement is among one of the best gifts anyone could offer me."
"What are friends for? Just because you're a demon lord now instead of just a traveling companion doesn't mean shit to me. You'll always be my friend. Same as Libra... And Silvana too." While the numbers of those who felt the same way as he did were few, Dusk was adamant about his feelings towards the people he entrusted his life to long before. They were the ones who took him in when he had nothing left to give; They were the ones to be his family when his family were no longer around to be there for him. "You should get going soon before your guards get nervous again. After what Silva-" Realizing the growing defensiveness of his friend over his lover, he coughed before correcting himself. "What those rebels did to you, I'm sure that they're anxious as well."
With a nod of his head and a pat on his friend's shoulder, Veridian held his weapon close. "It was good speaking to you. I hope it'll be far from the last. Be careful, okay? The gods are always watching. With all of us separated, there's only so much I could do to keep you all safe." Walking towards the door, before he left, he felt a hand grasp at his arm. "Don't worry about me. Its gonna take the gods coming down here themselves for me to go down."
"Have a little faith in me too, yeah? We didn't beat hell before out of luck alone."
The parallels that Silvana and Veridian held between himself and Dusk had made him more comfortable over speaking about romantic affairs in her presence. Their influence on each other was undeniable; Combining the purity of the heavens with the passion of the hells to create something beautiful in between them. "... I have half a mind to believe you bring out his best when you're around. Its no wonder when others around created fiction where the planet of Ophelia knew peace, more often than not does it include you and him together." The priest believed they were the balance between heaven and hell; While she was seen as the light that brought faith to her people, her beloved was instead the guiding force of action, establishing order where there was none before.
As the two bantered together beside the fountain, Libra heard footsteps approach their position. "... Its been a while, Libra." Interestingly, as though he held influence there, the people that once crowded the square were gone, leaving the three some semblance of privacy in the open. "It has been, Dusk. Maybe even too long of a while." An odd air had grown between them, one that surpassed hate or love alone. Their situation had grown complicated as a result of the war in between their two worlds, leading to a strange gravity drawing them together while pushing them apart. "Follow me. I have a room set up for this supposed exorcism." He gestured to the two to follow him, holding his lips quiet about the girl beside him until he felt like they were truly alone. "Fine. But pull any tricks and you won't be escaping us alive."
A several minute walk through different alleys and turns had brought them over to a quiet stretch of road leading in between two abandoned buildings. Some hive gangs that stood around had given him passing nods as he moved through, broken horns and cracked halos displaying where their true allegiances lay. "This is a far cry from the past cathedrals of old." The priest commented, holding close to the consecrated pistol hidden right underneath his holy tome. "This became reality ever since they took Silvana away from us."
Eventually making a turn, the two were met with a dead end of an alley. However, instead of stopping or turning around, the hybrid exorcist walked through, vanishing mid-air as though the dead end itself was an illusion. "Huh, fancy. Didn't think there were still magic mirrors like this around. After you." Offering Silvana the way in first, the priest followed immediately behind her, eventually finding the same room that her beloved had prayed at earlier. Present in the air was the light scent of the man she confessed her hopes and feelings to, fading with every passing moment.
Inside, stained glass windows had offered light from a magical illuminance hidden right behind them, giving the appearance as though they were in a room connected to a world without smog. "So tell me about this person you wanted me to exorcise. Must be someone really important for you to come all this way here in disguise." Dusk didn't realize at first who she was. As he sat in a pew beside them, the monitor above continued to play loops of the edited speech known by the demons. Instead of calls for peace, the message that was delivered to them had called for holy war, summoning the will and spirit of the people to turn against their masters in the name of faith in the divine and the saint's image. "That's not right. Silvana didn't call for any of this at all." His eyes were focused on the screen for a moment, only for it to shut off with the click of a switch.
"That's what I was thinking too. Its not like her to say things like that. That's not the Silvana we know." Scratching his chin, there were many ideas that came to mind as to why the saint's image would be weaponized like this. "But that's a matter for another time. Who is this? What ails her?" Reaching into his bag, instead of pulling divine water to purify the soul, the hybrid drew on a glowing, blue neutral solution: A liquid that suspended the alterations of the soul; Something colloquially known as liquid aether. "I don't have much of this left. It took a lot to heal Veridian after the gods' last scheme... But if its for a favor from you, so be it."
"... If you'd like to introduce yourself." Raising an eyebrow, as he turned to his companion, instead of finding someone ordinary, his eyes grew wide as he saw the very same person that Veridian was praying to. "Silvana...?" His eyes had glared at the priest for a moment. Despite his personal feelings believing there was more to her than what the rebels portrayed, it was only his opinion; True fact had yet to be established and if this were a two against one in a private setting, he doubted that he would be able to come out unscathed let alone alive.
"What sick game are you playing at here, Libra?" A dark aura had emanated from their former ally, cautious at the sight of the saint a place he deemed as safe. "Answer me!" As he spoke, something about her eyes were different than he last recalled; There was a semblance of divinity behind it, as though the gods had truly deemed her worthy of acting as their will on Ophelia; As their chosen saint. "This isn't a trap, I promise you, Dusk. Please, sit down and listen." As if he knew that Silvana's hope lay with him, the priest threw away his consecrated pistol, letting it slide across the floor to reduce him only to his support-based magics. "...You two should better have a good reason as to why you're here."
Even if the saint was worshipped in private by the demons around, having her come after such a dangerous speech was inviting chaos and violence to the exorcist that went into hiding because of it. "If one of the enforcers had caught you on the way here, you're going to drag me down with you. Opinions are turning. As much as I could defend you, being involved in the attempted assassination of the man you love would take precedence over anything a friend and member of the party of saviors could say." The blood of their longtime ally was still present on her fabric, causing him to be hesitant to trust them. If she didn't defend him, then something must've been wrong with Silvana. "She wasn't the one who hurt him. I swear to the gods, Dusk. Her blade was clean when they returned her to me-"
Dusk was quick to interrupt them. "Even if I believe you, that doesn't change the fact that many demons out there wouldn't. The fact is, your people spilled demon blood. Of the same demon that has loved the most. To what end will you and your kind be satisfied? How many need to die for you to bend the knee to the same gods that made this all happen in the first place. These rumors of peace that you're preaching feel like nothing more than lip service." Unlike her allies, Dusk provided insight as to demon opinion. "We all agreed that some sacrifice is necessary to get revenge on the gods... But this? This infighting? Its a waste of life and resources. This risks every life sacrificed to the cause to be made in vain."
Ever since I've returned from heaven I'm not... myselfNew
The words were hissed out of Miryra's lips as her subordinate slid backwards away from her, "Uhm… Yes… she requisitioned gunship X-116… It's currently circling the Darklands while the Saint conducts her… business." Miryra rubbed at her eyes as a sigh of frustration escaped her lips. The control room was lit by harsh fluorescent lighting, and currently, Vampire officers were scrambling in every direction at the news that their Saint, their leader, was missing for a second night in a row... If Silvana was the figurehead of the resistance, Miryra was its organizer, and at the moment, she was organizing her anger into a focused fury at Silvana's audacity. "Prep a second gunship, I'll talk to her myself..." The subordinate at her side hesitated; he was a human in a room of vampires that hadn't fed for weeks, and he was right to be nervous as he spoke. "A-Are you sure? The dangers of having both of you in the Darklands... If the demon lord knew you were going out there, it'd be a slaughter..." Mirya merely glanced in his direction before he nodded his head and rushed off to requisition another gunship for the journey. Mirya could merely stand and wait as she watched her officers rush back and forth in a controlled panic.
The saint noticed the square emptying, its inhabitants scattering back to their homes and into darkened alleyways before her golden eyes settled on the familiar face of Dusk… His youthful features had barely shifted in the thousand years of her absence, unlike Libra and Veridian's, whose expressions and faces had hardened after years of war. Dusk still had that ever-youthful glint behind his eyes and that grace to his steps that betrayed the hybrid background of his genetics.
Silvana wanted to embrace Dusk after so long apart, but she knew that revealing herself in the open was dangerous, and she still didn't know how Dusk felt after all these years, so she stayed silent and kept her golden prosthetic hidden under her cloak, her ears tuned into their conversation as her gaze turned to the darkening sky. Libra and Dusk spoke, but her eyes trailed off to look to the gunship circling the city, marked with the dark colours of the resistance, it was difficult to pick out between the craft that came and go from the darklands, but the orange flares of it's old fusion engines contrasted the dark sky at it's back.
They moved off, heading down tighter and tighter alleyways. As her gaze danced over the cracked halos and broken horns lining the streets of the Darklands, Silvana could feel tears welling at the edges of her eyes. The mental torment of knowing an entire planet was divided because of her... because of love, her love… It was almost too much to bear that even here, in a city full of the rejected and unwanted, there were still lines of war being drawn in her name, and his…
Silvana paused as she stepped across the threshold of the illusionary wall, phasing through the fictitious brickwork and into the hidden chapel. Her head turned at the faint scent of her love floating in the air around her, and for a moment, without knowing why, her eyes scanned the room anxiously as her mind searched for the other half of her soul only to find the illusion of the chapel offer nothing but rows of wooden pews with artificial light spilling in from stain glassed windows.
Shaking the thoughts of her love from her mind, the saint's eyes turned to the monitor hanging from the ceiling as she stood between the pews, refusing to sit as she watched the perfect image of her scowling face calling for war against the demonic spawns… her hands curled into white-knuckled fists as she watched the edited version of herself calling for the genocide of the demons and the final ousting of hell itself from her home world… She would have to find who was doing this, who was manipulating her very image, but she pushed the issue aside when the screen went black and Libra's voice cut into her mind.
"... If you'd like to introduce yourself."
Silvana finally turned to face the two sitting in the pews, her hand hesitated at her side, her fingers nervously flexing before they moved upwards to tug her hood downwards to reveal her face to Dusk, her prosthetic arm shifted nervously underneath her cloak, stinging even now in the presence of the humble chapel… But the words Dusk uttered next stung her far worse. The accusations of her harming the only one she loved in the world, the idea that the demons themselves were turning against her, even Dusk seemed to want to lunge at her from across the room… Once again, she had to suppress the tears welling in her eyes before she finally spoke.
"The gods are… manipulating me, I can hear them in my head, see them in my dreams.. I…. I didn't want Veridian to be hurt, I would never raise a hand to him… They edit my speeches, whisper words of violence to my followers… Every day I can feel my bloodlust growing, ever since I've returned from heaven, I'm not… myself." The last words left her with a whisper as she shuffled forward hesitantly, her sword sheathed at her side, clinking as she did so. "I just need a week of silence from them… To see him when I'm myself… Again." The saint fell silent, although her golden eyes burned as her gaze settled on Dusk.
For Silvana, the air fell still and heavy, not from the expected stuffiness of the cramped chapel but instead – what? It was as if the world had somehow slowed to a sudden, irresistible halt and for a moment that stretched to its utmost extremes, all of the colour in the world seemed to fade into blacks and whites… A voice echoed out from inside her, from behind her eyes, a voice that was hers and yet… Not. The divides between the voice and her own thoughts were blurred, and for the first time since falling from heaven, she wasn't quite sure where she ended and the god's influence began…
"They're not your friends… I'm merely doing what's right for the world, for my people… The demons must be excised from the land…"
Sweat beaded on and turned to what felt like ice on her face as she took in deep, hallowed breaths… She felt overtaxed as though she had sprinted across Ophelia's surface for days… In that moment, all she wanted to do was collapse, but even that seemed impossible as her legs refused to fold out from under her; once again, her not-voice echoed in her head, and her hand shifted to the hilt of her sword.
"Dusk is an abomination… a mixing of mortal and demon blood… I should cut him down, here… and now."
The saint snapped her head downwards and yanked her hand from the handle of her sword just as her fingers had been curling around it… she gasped before she fell into one of the pews across the aisle to Libra and Dusk, the former stepped over to her with a tilted head… "Silvana…?" his voice seemed distance, as though he was calling to her across the surface of a vast lake… she could feel something pressing down onto her and her muscles strained against unknown pressures before the colour suddenly, violently snapped back into the world and she collapsed against the back rest of the pew as the gods grip loosened. "Dusk… Please… I just… I need it. I can barely help myself right now, let alone bring peace to Ophelia… I feel as though I'm being pushed to my knees for the gods… Not bending to them willingly, they took me from my home… From him, I would never… Love the gods..."
Dust hesitated as he looked between Libra and the saint leaning against the pew for support, although after a few drawn-out moments, his expression seemed to soften finally as he handed Libra the vial of liquid aether before looking on at Silvana… "It might weaken their connection for a while… Perhaps sever it completely, but I've never had to exorcise a soul that's returned from heaven…"he still seemed wary of Silvana as he widened the space between them.
Libra's hand moved to grip the saint's shoulder before helping her down the contents of the vial, her lips trembling as she swallowed the glowing water… She blinked a few times, that golden glow behind her eyes seemed to dull before dissipating completely, her irises were still tinged a vibrant gold, a colour that had replaced the natural crimson of her thousand-year old genetics, but for the first time since she returned from heaven, she could think clearly again; The fog that had been clouding her mind for months finally dissolved as she looked up to Dusk… A smile formed on her face moments later before she finally drew herself back up to her feet and threw herself at him, tugging him closer before she embraced him tightly enough to stop from squirming away from her grip.
"I...I'm sorry for everything that's happened since my return... I promise, I'll make sure all demons are looked after, once Veridian and I have come to an understanding... I never wanted for any of this to happen, but... He was going too far, spilling far too much blood in my name and I-..." She sighed as she slowly released her grip on Dusk and stepped away. "I... I'll make everything right... But, I feel as though I'm going to need more of that aether soon..."
Dusk still seemed standoffish with the saint, brushing his clothes off as Silvana stepped away from him... He took a few more moments to look her up and down, her eyes lingering on hers, where divinity was emanating from her eyes moments earlier, now she appeared as she did a thousand years earlier, the gold still tinged her irises, but the innocent glint had returned, that naive hopefulness for the world returned... A smile forced its way onto his lips... "Fineeee... I suppose I can get you more for old times' sake... So... Is it true? Were you really in heaven all this time...? If they've sent you back, then it's clear they want you to carry out their bidding... and by the looks of it, they're not just hoping you'll see things their way by your own... If they really are manipulating you, I'm not sure if aether alone will be enough to keep their influence at bay.... We'll have to come up with a long-term solution."
"Thanks... I really appreciate it, Dusk... Just... Don't believe the holo-vids... I try not to call for violence and yet... What gets delivered to the masses is something completely different. I'm going to have to hunt down those responsible one of these days." Silvana's eyes traced back to glance at Libra, who had fallen silent as she and Dusk spoke... Once more she herself fell silent, awkwardly shifting her weight from one foot to the other before she edged herself towards the illusionary exit of the chapel... "I'll uhm... I'll leave you two to talk~ I'll be in the courtyard when you're ready to go, Libra..." The priest merely hummed a response before Silvana left, stepping back into the moonlight of the darklands.
Tugging her hood back over her head and hiding her golden limb underneath her cloak, the saint found herself wandering back towards the courtyard where Dusk had come to fetch them, her eyes occasionally settling on the stray demon children who lingered in the safety of darkened alleyways and crawlspaces between the ramshackle buildings... For a moment she could swear that some of them recognized her, their crimson eyes settling on her in awe as she silently moved through the town, heading towards larger and larger avenues until finally emerging into the clearing of the courtyard, her eyes rose to the sky once again, the iron crown that ringed the planet was a new feature to Ophelia that had appeared in the thousand years she been absent; A massive structure made up of steel and rockcrete that spun within the planets upper atmosphere... Where dockyards forged voidborn ships and massive weapons, some of which were capable of wounding the gods themselves... Her thoughts turned to visiting the ring one day and walking the busy streets of the corporate hellscape that was affectionately named the Iron Crown.
Before she could fantasize about her next late night adventure, she saw the familar shape of a resistance gunship lumbering downwards to the ground, The hulking mass of it's engines turned downwards, nozzles breathing fire towards the ground as it came to a landing in front of her, pneumatic landing gears groaned as they took the ships weight and hydraluics hissed as the landing ramp folded down and revealed Mirya, who strode down the ramp moments later with daggers in her eyes. "You know we have a war to win, Silvana! And you going off endangering yourself every night is not helping in the slightest!" Silvana's vampiric general huffed with fangs bared in an almost feral show of restrained aggression. The saint responded with a slight smile before she motioned to the sky. "The sky is so beautiful at night... I feel as though we never stop to appreciate it..."
Silvana sighed softly as she stared upwards at the stars, for the first time since falling from them, she was no longer afraid to stare upwards... It was as though the gods no longer had sway over her, at least for tonight; the significance was utterly lost on Mirya. "T... Are you even listening to me? We lost three good men saving you from the demon lord last night, and now you drag me out here to the darklands. You could've been captured! Or Killed!" Silvana's eyes finally looked back to Mirya with a smile... "I'm sorry..." she lowered herself down to sit on the edge of the fountain with in the courtyard as her eyes settled on her general, motioning for her to sit before she spoke again. "I want the war to end... I should've talked with you before going to meet Veridian... I believe we can come to an understanding..." The saint raised a hand to silence Mirya's objections before they even left her lips. "I love him. I've never told you that... Never told any of our officers... But they know the stories... The myths that I loved him a thousand years ago... I still do... but that isn't what I wanted to tell you, not really..." Silvana paused again, looking Mirya up and down... The general of hers was a zealot, ever since the vampires had been 'forgiven' by the gods after Silvana's ascension to sainthood, many of them had begun worshipping them again, and Mirya's faith was fantastical... but now she had to see which was stronger, her believe in the gods, or their Saint.... "The gods hate us... Mirya... I wasn't blessed in heaven, I was tortured... For loving Veridian... For being a vampire.... There's no heaven for us... We're all cast to hell when we die... They've been lying to us... To you."
"The gods need to die..."
"That's... That's not true... They sent you back to save us, save us from him!" Mirya's hand motioned to one of the many holo-screens lining the courtyard, Veridian's face shimmering within its borders... "They sent me to sow chaos, Mirya... What's happened since my return? Thousands have died... Cities have burned... and we're not closer to our goal... The gods want me to whip my people to violence... If they had their way, everyone would suffer under my rule, just as they have under Veridians... The only way is for us to make peace... and fight our true enemy..." Silvana's eyes turned to the sky once again, for a moment she felt... no... Saw something - It was not a face, for a face was something of proportions, of limits and tangible features... Distant stars seemed to form eyes, and a gash across the sky twisted into a menacing smile. She blinked and the image was gone, but in that moment she knew the gods were watching, listening... and when they seeped into her mind again, they wouldn't loosen their grip. "I want you to make peace... With Veridian, I know it doesn't make much sense to you know but... I promise... This is the only way." She reached out to take Mirya's hand, squeezing it to force the general to meet her gaze. "Believe in me, not the gods... I promise.. I'll bring peace."
"I promise..."
And I hope they choose each other when push comes to shove.New
Upon being left alone once the short but potent aethereal exorcism was complete, the priest lingered in the room after Silvana's departure, eyeing the soul that made his quiver. The demon was his greatest sin, his darkest hope, his most dangerous vice. To finally see each other after centuries apart, he didn't know whether he loved him, missed him, or hated him more. An unsteady silence had split the two apart, each awaiting the other to speak or do something first. Only after a couple minutes of them organizing their thoughts after spending so long apart only to find each other once again did one of them speak first.
"I missed you... More than you could ever realize." Dusk took the first steps towards his counterpart, eventually sitting right beside him instead of across. Bringing his hand down and interlocking his digits in the crevices that lay in between each finger, the demon vampire sealed the priest's cracks with his own flesh, interlinking himself with the only priest that could earn his faith. "I see you've done well for yourself. Finally became the grand priest you always wanted to be." The robes and the material of the rosary around his neck had betrayed his rank, showing the demon lover that his partner was able to achieve his dreams. "I'm proud of you."
"... I see you remember even after all this time." Libra questioned whether it was appropriate for a priest like him to consort with one that the church had dictated as one of the most tainted existences that ever graced Ophelia's surface. However, the smile and warmth were too real for him to think that he was a mere monster born out of hell's coldest depths. Unlike the other priests and worshippers that only saw him for his rank, this demon had known him and loved him for who he was beyond his title itself. "Silvana's followers could learn a thing about you. That we're more than just what we title ourselves as." Leaning in, the priest rested his head against the demon's shoulder, not taking this moment for granted. There was never a guarantee they would be able to see tomorrow, especially with how much was changing around them as a result of the chaos.
"Such a shame really. Then again, my people aren't much different. They could barely distinguish the past from the present." The demon gave a sad chuckle, finding their situations similar despite how opposite they could be. "Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that we could be recognized for what we did in the past, liberating our people from their original owners and all... But I get tired of it. I get tired of being seen as a hero when I just want to be..." Due to their fame on the planet, they weren't given a chance to move on. The demons that followed him were loyal to his status, not to the friend that he presented himself to be. "... I really missed being able to talk to you like normal. Without all the expectations and all."
Despite their miraculous victory against their past enemy, it had appeared that none of them were able to experience the happy ending they had fought so long and hard for. By their own decisions, they were forced into another war, this time against each other, over reasons neither really gave too much of a care about. They were merely figures too big to not choose a side, people too important to be allowed to coexist.
"Same here. Sometimes, I really wish I could go back. Maybe enjoy things again without thinking too hard about it." Pulling out his flask, the priest took a drink before offering the demon one. At first, the demon refused. "You know I don't drink much, Libra." Waving his hand away, instead of letting the demon push his offer back, Libra held his hand in place. "Solarii Sangria. Your favorite." He shook the flask again. "I got it because... I knew we would find you again. Silvana always has a way of bringing us together, doesn't she?" Finally relenting and taking the flask for himself, as Dusk drank out of the same mouthpiece that Libra shared, he felt the familiar flavor of the same drink they celebrated their first victory together with running down his throat.
"Thanks. I really needed that... And it looks like you didn't forget me either." A blush grew over his face as he felt warm looking into the eyes of his lover so close. While the quantity of the alcohol he consumed was far from enough to make him drunk, it made it a lot easier for the emotions he was once restrictive with to come out. "Hey... Libra, do you think we would be able to figure things out again this time? Silvana and Veridian are apart. We are too... And I'm sure that the others are going through their own shit right now." Looking at the monitor towards the floating city in the sky, he remembered how a couple of their party members made a break to the skies over the sake of their honeymoon before losing contact with them. "Its hard for me to think of a future where we'd all be together in the end. Feels like everything's trying to keep us apart."
"In truth, Dusk? I don't know." The priest sighed as he curled his fingers around the exorcist's hand, choosing him back rather than letting their chemistry be simply one sided. Without the gods or the demons to get in the way of their relationship, Libra chose to make due with what he could in private, enjoying the quiet moment before trouble outside would rip them apart once again. "The more I see it, the bleaker it gets. Silvana's followers are getting more violent. Verdian's on the other hand are becoming more stubborn. Its only a matter of time before they end up seeing each other again... And I hope they choose each other when push comes to shove. Personally? I don't think Veridian is a bad person. I just think his love has forced him to do the unthinkable."
"Echo? Echo! Wake up!" Shaking his arm to wake him up from his slumber atop a diner table, his demonic business partner sighed once they finally made eye contact. A pair of blue cybernetic eyes opened to the man beside, only to be wiped by his hands before seeming rather bored of the circumstances that led to this particular loop. Within five seconds, the waitress was to offer them a glass of water, only for the glass to spill from having her trip on her mop. With the expectation of what was to happen, he reached out his hand to catch the woman behind him by the shoulder. "Oh! Um.. Thanks!"
"Don't mention it. Things like this happen to the best of us." Fifteen, the door would open due to the arrival of a street gang. Already expecting the worst to happen, Echo grabbed the head of his business partner, pulling him down as he kicked the table down for cover. "Don't think we forgot that you fucking killed our boy!" Nearby, the entrance of the diner was kicked open, being followed by a storm of lead shattering the very inside of the shop, tearing apart every customer unfortunate enough to not find cover in time. Within the span of a few minutes, the gunfire didn't stop as the store owner had joined in the fighting, eventually returning accurate slugs of his own to bring the corporate rebels to their quick demise. "Holy shit, Echo... You saved my life." The empty eyes and unchanging expression didn't leave him. This was the seventh loopafter all. Only once the next piece came into place did his tune change.
A faint smile had cracked over his lips as he saw the familiar face of the girl that won his heart multiple lifetimes over. "Took you about long enough." Climbing away from his cover, he felt her head first. "Here, I grabbed you some medicine. Thought you were coming down with a fever last night. Looks like I'm right." Despite her not realizing just how much he knew about her yet, it was a joy for him to get her to fall in love with him in every timeline. Her health and happiness were the only things that could make his heart shift after living through lifetimes of torment.
Noticing her concerned expression over the sight of the bodies and the devastation that took place in the middle of the shop, the cybernetic mercenary patted her head to ease her mind. Her concern wasn't going to change the future, so why have her worry her little heart? "Oh? This? Just some gang dispute. The business man and I are unharmed, don't worry. Told you, you could leave it to me. That being said, you got the chip?" Handling his part of the job of protecting the business partner while she was handling the securing of the chip, as she pulled it out, a gunshot was heard over her shoulder; Of the weapon he held on his person at all times; Her first gift in her first life. With a sigh of relief that he was able to get the shot right this time, he hilted his weapon at his hip. At least, with her life preserved for now, this loop could finally come to an end.
"... You had someone following you, dummy. From the looks of it, it was one of those corpo guard bots." The mercenary gently tapped the top of her head with his fist. In this life, she was still new to operating at the capacity of her past lives, leading to her possibly making a few mistakes. Acting as her mentor and her partner in crime, he felt a little bit of joy teasing her where he can as revenge for how she bullied him over his lack of ability and need to be carried in his first life.
"What did I tell you about leaving witnesses? Doesn't matter if they beg, unless you scramble them, they'll always have a way to track you." The words rolled off the top of his tongue as he mimicked the same advice she gave him over and over again. "Jeez, you're going to leave me worried next time I leave you alone... Good job though." Turning to the business partner, he flicked the chip over to his hands. "Thanks for doing business. Hope to see you again soon." With their business concluded, once the demon corpo left them to themselves, Echo grabbed one of the seats that fell to the floor, standing it up before offering her the non-damaged seat that he sat in before. "With the work all handled, I think we owe ourselves a little break."
As if the risk of death didn't disturb him, he waved over the scared waitress to bring the two a couple menus, satisfied with the opportunity of being able to share another post-mission meal with her. He had a lot to talk about given the events that were happening surface side; From many contracts offered from both sides of the conflict to the reappearance of an old familiar face in the midst of it all, his mind was kept busy with what best route to navigate. In truth, he needed money to buy the expensive corporate cure for his growing madness. His mind was never meant to overheat for extended durations. Hallucinations and visions of lives that were not his present own had haunted him, enough to where he would be left wondering what was real and what wasn't when separated from missions. If not for his anchor being around him, he had doubts that his mind would be present, let alone functioning.
"An omelet for me please." Content with her company as she ordered, once she put the menu down, she was met with a friend's confident smile. With displays on his eyes showing various screens, the idea of visiting the surface to make a profit off of some of these contracts while doing a little good had come to mind as he forwarded the information over. "Hey, I've been thinking about taking some of these jobs. Thought it would be good for us to broaden our horizons doing something more than simple thievery and net-work up here." While the highest paying jobs involved targeted assassinations, the smaller jobs appeared more up their alley in terms of how possible it was to pull them off. "With the civil war going down there and a need for weapons and other goods up here, it sounded like it would make for a perfect opportunity for both of us to make some easy creds."
As he spoke, an unbroken monitor display took his attention, revealing an old friend giving a speech about the demons. As she spoke of her disgust, calling for a joint purge of all the demons that corrupted the planet of Ophelia, the vampire raised an eyebrow. That wasn't like her to say, especially after what he saw of her love between herself and Veridian. Either it must have been a false Silvana that is taking the role as saint against Veridian, or it was a mind controlled Silvana.
Observing the woman at first, the more he looked at her, the more he realized that there was no way she could be a fake. Her scars, even in the least conspicuous of places, were present. The marks that her lover left on her body in exchange for a promise with marks on his own were present as well, and the prosthetic was one of a kind, only existing in one place in the entire galaxy: On Silvana's arm where it belonged. If the gods had truly falsified her image, why leave the parts of her that came as a result of a demon's love? "Hmm... Random question. If you had to choose a side, which side would you prefer to win? The Saint, Silvana's? Or the Demon Lord, Veridian's? You could be honest, there's no wrong answer."
"They demand your blood, Veridian." One of his demon captains raised their concerns at the war table. "I know." "A purging of all demon kind? To think, she had the audacity to tell you that she loved you!" Another one of his vampire generals shouted, faithfully loyal to the demon lord that gave him a second life. "I've heard." "My lord, the demons and vampires under your empire are scared. These rebels need to be excised. Untold lives would be lost over something meaningless if we continue this fruitless bantering with those that already buried themselves in their stance. No amount of reason could change their mind." Even his tactician had attempted to persuade his leader otherwise, in the hopes that he would return to his rightful place as lead commander against the rebels. However, to Veridian, Silvana placed her faith in him; She was alive and well, still breathing and searching for the man she fell in love with over a millennia ago.
"Enough!" Slamming his fist against the table, their king had summoned a silence in the room. "I've heard your thoughts and I understand," Despite his army's aggressive stance against those who turned traitor, there was still something more than love that kept the demon king from declaring all out war. "But I will not stoop to the level of the gods. If they ask for blood, we will return it, but no more than that. An eye for an eye. An arm for an arm. If anyone here thinks otherwise, let your thoughts be known to me now." Commanding his leaders to step up with their complaints, there were few that were able to stand to his glowing eyes. Silvana's love and teachings had instilled a respect for life unknown by the gods who wished the worst on him.
"I don't want to question your loyalty and I appreciate all you've done to make this empire stable. Whatever I say will not take away from the achievements you accomplished under my name. However, I will not stand by and watch you turn on me if you believe my way is unjust. If you cannot respect my decision, I promptly ask you to leave." No movement. No complaints."Good. I have a new objective I want to share with you all. One that would deal a terrible blow to the morale of our enemies." An excited look was shared across his closest cohort, only being held with a cautious eye by the man he deemed his second in command. "And what is that plan, my lord?"
"If these rebels are rallying underneath the face of their organization, what do you think will happen if we steal her away from them?" Plugging in a flash drive into the table, a holographic display of the church and its surroundings appeared over the table, rotating slowly with each passing second. "I believe the best course of action we could all make is setting up an ambush. We will not treat this as a simple capture mission. No. We will treat this as a rescue mission. My Vana exists in their saint. I know she does. Whatever taint these gods had forced into her, I will be sure to render it out of her." Grabbing the helmet resting in his arms, he placed it on his head, revealing his conviction in this operation.
"I'm going in myself and I ask that you all coordinate your attacks to take the pressure off of me. Strike them from different locations at once. I, along with a few of my most trusted, will break in and steal the saint." While the gods were able to predict their general movements with their foresight, due to his cursed blood and his half-soul due to his bond with his weapon, Calamity, he was able to hide from even their mostly-omnipotent eyes. "By nightfall, I promise to free her from their clutches. Have faith in me as I do you. I know you will serve me well."
You'll find me again… Right? | My love... I'm sorry...New
The radiation had killed her; she had figured that out a week ago, and she had kept it from her love, the vampire that had found her in forty previous lives… This was forty-one.
This time around, she was hoping to make it past thirty, an age she had only reached in two of her previous lives, and even that was a step up from the average life expectancy aboard the Iron ring. When she had picked up the radiation, she didn't know… but she had figured it was fatal, perhaps it was the heist on Med-Tech's Bio-servers a month earlier, or maybe it was a fatal dose of radon slipped into her coffee by some corporate assassin, or merely a lethal blast delivered by a gamma beam streamed into the windows of her apartment as she slept… The cause didn't really matter; death's grip was curling around her, she could feel it tightening with every seizure, every blur of her vision, and every time she heaved a breath into her collapsing lungs. Cyberware wouldn't be able to save her this time, every cell of her body was breaking down on the atomic level. She had managed to hide it from him until a few hours before her death… Now she was lying on the sofa, wondering how many times he had looped her final moments, how many times he had watched this version of her die.
"You'll find me again… Right?"
She didn't hear an answer, she watched his lips move, but the cells of her ears had finally died completely, dissolving into nothing as her vision reduced to a tiny point while her retina's dissolved with the rest of her flesh. The last thing she saw was the grief on that pale, beautiful face of his… But that look behind his eyes portrayed what she already knew, that on some level, he had watched this death far, far more than the rest… He was tired of this, tired of her dying… Maybe this was the last one… Part of her hoped she would never meet him again, so she could save him the pain of watching her die all over again…
Her spirit dropped into the void, sinking into the well of lost souls… The gods refused her entrance to heaven, loving a vampire was a mortal sin after all… And hell spat her out each time after choking on the benevolence of her soul.
It tried to cling on, to remember what was so important… There was something to remember… Someone… A soul floating in the void, desperately searching for its other, cursed half… Then…
...Nothing
Nothing for what seemed like months, years… Memories faded… Life faded… Concepts of space and time were forgotten.
Forty-Two.
A bright light in her eyes. Haze, her new name burned into her mind, given to her by a mother who would die of pneumonia six years later.
Childhood… Growing up in the slums of the Iron Crown… Scraping to survive, falling in with the wrong crowd… The crimes were small at first, just like before… before her last death… She fell further into the underbelly of the corporate hell-scape; she always did.
Her first cyberdeck was grafted to her neural cortex.
Her first big score after mugging some corporate executive...
The first brush with death, the hands of an assassin around her throat...
This life was far more eventful then the rest, not since the wedding between Saint and Demon had so much happened in such a finite amount of time that was her life; Been born during the return of the saint, and the subsequent civil war that engulfed Ophelia's surface below, sometimes she travelled to the edges of the Iron Crown, and swung her legs over her home's edge, staring down at the surface of Ophelia to watch it burn with the fires of rebellion… She watched the saint's speeches broadcast from the surface onto the holo-ships that floated above the city streets… Saw the fires in her eyes, Silvana… She was a vampire, and all of those that stood at her side were as well, demons and vampires warring with each other… Neither cared about their human servants, even the corporations of the Iron Crown were run by vampires, executives that had lived for a thousand years and would live for a thousand more… Humans were workers, expendable, replaceable, and without an end to their number… Humans like her lived and died under the watch of vampires and demons every day, who viewed their lives with callous disinterest.
Then she saw him… Saw his pale, beautiful… Pained face for the first time, at least for her, it was the first. Echo…
They had met on a job arranged by a mutual contact, she needed someone to watch her back while she broke the ICE of Tarasaki's mainframe… A mission that she thought was impossible for two people quickly became a simple walk into one of the most well-defended fortresses of corporate greed within the city that clung to the ring of steel orbiting Ophelia… Echo seemed to predict every move that the security teams would make; he seemed to weave through them quicker than a blink, surely quicker than muscles alone could ever allow.
Since that day almost a year ago, Haze had stuck to Echo's side… Now she found herself stalking a Bio-Tech corporate executive on the mag-lev line heading to Libertown, she had been following him ever since he had left his office… She had been stalking her target for almost a week now, and frustratingly, he had chosen today to divert from his usual routine… Putting her off-course and late for the meeting with Echo and their employer… She took the time to slump into the plastic seat she had settled herself into, her eyes occasionally glanced in the direction of her target, a vampire in a suit… Almost the entire mag-car was filled with vampire corps's been shuttled to and from their offices, a few exchanged cursory glances in Haze's direction when they realized a human was sharing the car with them, but few questioned it… It wasn't as though the society that perched itself open the orbital ring was officially segregated, such a policy might lead to all-out riots, which was bad for business. That didn't stop vampires from forming their own gated communities and humans from doing the same, although the latter usually ended up in ramshackle slums and packed mega-blocks as opposed to luxury penthouses and apartments that the former could afford with their many lifetimes of wealth.
The mag-lev came to a sudden halt as it decelerated from ludicrous speeds to halt itself at the next stop, her target stepped out and she followed… her cyberdeck had already infiltrated his system, her malware overwriting the very foundation of the firmware buried within the man's neck, she ascended the stairs behind him and found herself up on street level… her eyes glanced up at the deep blue of the sky that she could glimpse between the clouds of acid rain rolling in from the foundry sections of the ring, a few drops of which splattered onto her cape and trickled down it's dark, artificial fabric.
After hours of stalking her target through the city, she finally had an opportunity to klep the man's chip from his neck, he had turned into a quieter street… Quiet by the ring's standard anyway, it was still bustling with people, but away from city security and the constant patrol routes of the scanner drones that floated overhead. Quickening her pace, Haze fell in line behind her target, one step behind him… Even in such a close proximity she managed to stay noticed thanks to her short stature and dark clothing, she signalled her malware to activate and in the next second the man's neural shard ejected from it's port in the side of his neck, only to find itself landing in Haze's palm before she shoved her hands into her pockets and sharply shifted the direction of her feet, heading down a side alley before she double backed on herself, back towards the maglev station.
It didn't take long before he realized, her malware had only bought her a few precious seconds to slip away into the crowd… and already she could hear the blaring sirens of monitor craft, scanning probes and city security scouring over the area, pulling bystanders, mostly humans, from the crowd and interrogating them with increasing intensity.
It was when she took her first step back down into the maglev station that she knew she was being followed, but the absence of shouting and sirens immediately told her it wasn't city security persuing her, and she hoped that corporate security wouldn't be stupid enough to start a gunfight in the cramped space of a mag-lev station, especially not on their own turf where vampires could be potential collateral of an exchange of bullets. If she were in a human neighbourhood, she might have acted differently. Haze headed further into the mag-lev station, onto a disused platform, just to make sure she really was being followed… a set of footsteps mimicked hers, hiding in her echo… with a sigh her hand moved into her jacket, tugging a snub-nosed pistol from it's holster before her free hand tugged at the fabric of her jacket, which concealed her weapon as she twisted her upper body and squeezed the trigger, three shots broke the relative peace of the platform, followed by screams of agony from the shadow that had been following her.
A corporate suit lay bleeding out on the floor, with a Haze standing over him, tugging a wire from her wrist to scramble the very circuits of his neural connections; Those pleas of his made her hesitate, that soft begging tone to his shaky voice…
"W-Wait! Please! I won't tell anyone… J-Just don't scramble me and turn me into one of those brain-dead vegetables."
Her eyes fixated on the squirming form of the agent… lingering on the fangs set behind his pale lips, she had a certain contempt for most vampires… but even she was above scrambling an immortal's mind and leaving him to a thousand years of recovering his senses… Although scrambling someone's cyberware means they never fully recover… "Fine…" the word dripped from her lips and was laced with spite. "Don't follow me." she added before turning away and climbing the set of stairs that led away from the disused platform to one that was actually in service.
The ride across town to meet with Echo was uneventful to the point Haze almost passed out in her seat, months of work to retrieve one shard had caught up with her, the stress of planning and executing a job suddenly lifted from her sunken shoulders, chill synthwave pulsed in her ears as she watched the city skyline go by, the sun was setting over Ophelia and rays of crimson sunlight passed through the Mag-Lev as it came to a stop at Sixth-Street Station.
When she arrived at the diner she found it's front riddled with bullet holes with corpses strewn across the floor in crumpled messes, the sight alone was almost enough to make her scatter and go to ground, thinking that Echo might've been compromised, but as she stepped through the door she saw his face peeking up from one of the Diner's booths.
"Took you about long enough."
"Here, I grabbed you some medicine. Thought you were coming down with a fever last night. Looks like I'm right."
Haze swatted at his hand with her own as he went to feel her temperature, even now, with the diner filled with corpses was he so nonchalant, as though nothing in the world mattered… her gaze glimpsed the bottle of medication in his hands before she held out her palm flat to take it from him… "It's nothing… I'm just getting a cold, I'll be fine." she said with a roll of her eyes while she tried to shrug off her own problems. She did appreciate the thought, though… Echo always seemed to be one step ahead of even herself, he seemed to know when she fell sick, when she had a bad day, when all she wanted to do was collapse into bed and not leave it for a week… His timing was extraordinary.
Her other hand moved up and tugged the chip that she had relieved the executive of hours earlier, holding it out to him before the gunshot rang out, loud enough to leave a ringing in her ears as she glanced back and watched some corporate security bot collapse with a clang as it hit the floor… She didn't realize she had jumped into Echo at the sound, pressing herself against his chest before she regained her composure and huffed before handing him the chip, another example of Echo's perfect timing. "I… I know, I only left one… he was begging not to be scrambled, okay!" Internally, she scolded herself more than Echo ever would with the tap of his fist to the top of her head.
Haze gave a feigned look of disinterest as Echo concluded his business with the demon, her eyes barely traced over their employer as he left, she much preferred being out on the street nabbing shards and pick-pocketing corpos than actually talking to them. Echo dealt with them much more diplomatically than she ever could. After composing herself as she glanced back at the pile of corpses, which were already been dragged away by street cleaners she sat herself across from her partner in crime, her eyes lingered on his pale features for a moment longer then she intended, and she quickly looked down at the menu in front of her when his eyes raised to meet hers.
Burying her head into the menu to hide the blood rushing to her face, Haze scanned the menu as she tried to settle against the backrest of her chair before she spoke up, raising her gaze to look at the waitress with a faint smile… "I uhm… A hot chocolate, please, and some pancakes." She slid the menu away from her before she finally met Echo's eyes again, which were currently scrolling through the various mission boards… She hadn't replaced her eyes this life yet with Bio-Tech Optics… She knew it would let her hack faster and be far more integrated with what little cyberware she did have grafted onto her spine… But the idea of someone taking her eyes unsettled her to no end.
"The jobs on the surface…? I don't know… Demons and Vampires fighting it out…?" She paused as she glimpsed Echo's fangs through his smile. "I suppose you have an interest…" she trailed off as she sighed, looking out the window to stare at another holo-board that was playing Veridian's latest speech on loop… "I mean… I guess if they pay well." she finally relented with a shrug of her shoulders, Haze didn't care much for the civil war, whether demons or vampires won, humans were still going to suffer either way, at least that's how she saw it; All that mattered to her was getting paid, Credits were the only thing that mattered when living on the Iron Crown, you were either rich or you were nothing.
Haze followed Echo's gaze as he looked to Silvana on the monitor on the far wall of the diner, there was something eerily familiar about the Saint's face, and not just because she was on every holo-board and broadcast in the city, it was as though she personally knew the saint, well… her face anyway, her calls for violence and anarchy seemed completely alien to Haze's feeling of familiarity for the returned vampire.
"Hmm... Random question. If you had to choose a side, which side would you prefer to win? The Saint, Silvana's? Or the Demon Lord, Veridian's? You could be honest, there's no wrong answer."
"Huh?" she muttered in reply, lost in the steam coming off her hot chocolate that the waitress had brought over moments earlier. "Oh… I don't know… Silvana, I guess, Veridian's been ruling for a thousand years, right? And everyone's been suffering… Normal people are the most. Then again… Silvana seems just as bad, I imagine if she ever did seize power, it wouldn't be any better under her." Haze tried to shift the conversation away, but the surface was far, far away. She paused before she finally spoke again, with flushed cheeks.
"I'm not brave enough for politics anyway… I'd rather just stay here, with you."
The resistance control room was ablaze with proximity alarms, dozens of bases were screaming for help as Demonic forces assaulted their positions in the outskirts of the capital, even the rural safehouses were being hit by hostile strike teams… Mirya was pacing between stations, barking orders at subordinates, and dispatching gunships to respond to such brazen attacks on the saint's territory. Suddenly, she felt the distant tremor of a missile impacting the base outside, the blast that followed was barely muffled by the blast doors of the command bunker… With a growl, Miryra strode across to her office and pulled on her coat before she tugged at one of the drawers set into her desk, retrieving a pulse pistol before she raised her voice. "Guh… Peace the Saint wants… Look at where that's getting us." she motioned towards a group of guards waiting at the exit to the bunker. "Follow me…"
The sounds of distant gunfire and explosions rocked the cathedral before Silvana awoke at the sound of the stained glass window of her room shattering into pieces and falling to the stone floor before the bright blooms of oranges and reds from distant explosions in the distance filled the room.. The saint sat there in bed for a moment, frozen in place as she stared at the window while sleep loosened its grip on her… For a moment, she thought it must've been a nightmare, a terrible, perhaps prophetic case of sleep paralysis given to her by the gods themselves; Then she managed to slowly shift her legs off the bed until her bare feet pressed against the cold stone. She rose slowly when she fully realized the depth of destruction happening outside, not daring to fully step over to the window due to the shards of glass on the floor… Although she didn't need to see much to witness the destruction of the outer defence lines of the cathedral, trenches had been replaced by ditches of incinerated wood and men… Demonic gunships, terrifying amalgamations of flesh and steel, tour up the land with explosions and warp-fire.
In a rush, Silvana moved to her door, grabbing her pistol belt and strapping it to her waist before she grabbed her sword and yanked it from its sheath. It was a brutal tool… a longsword that was almost as tall as her… She strode through the cramped side passages of the cathedral in nothing but a night gown. "Libra...?" she muttered in the darkened corridor, calling out for an absent friend... Eventually, she found herself standing in the main atrium, passing by the altar and striding towards the massive front doors moments before they were blown completely off their ancient iron hinges. The next few seconds were a confusing barrage of flashes of white, yelling, and bootsteps… Silvana found herself thrown back against the altar of the cathedral in a crumpled mess. When the blurred lines of her vision finally cleared, she was staring down the barrel of a gun. Demonic special forces, those most loyal to Veridian were already sweeping the cathedral while two of them kept their guns trained on her, yelling commands in her face as her vision swam and her ears rang incessantly, blocking all hopes of her ever complying with their commands, instead she just sat there and gasped for breath as she pushed herself upwards to rest against the alter, she thought for a moment she might pass out there and then, but she urged herself to stay awake. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, and suddenly,
The blood in her veins began to flow.
It should have been a lethal shot; those closest to Veridian were ruthless warriors, veterans of the final war against Hell, but then, this was Silvana, a vampire ascended. It all happened in the matter of a single heartbeat. It was stunning in its brutality and swiftness, leaving some of the demonic onlookers lurking in the doorway to the cathedral wide-eyed, frozen in shock. The saint darted to the side, moving just in time for the stun round to impact the alter and embed itself into the stonework, in the next moment Silvana was grabbing the surprised demon by the wrists, a heartbeat followed before she sunk her teeth into his exposed flesh of his neck, draining the soldier of just enough blood to have him collaspe to the floor, and just enough to send the Saint into a tranquil state of murder.
She twisted the demon's arm savagely. Snap.
The demon released his hold on his rifle and snarled in pain. Silvana's free hand grabbed the weapon as it fell to the floor, another heartbeat, and a squeeze of the trigger. The demon's partner fell in a fit of seizures as the stun round embedded itself into the demon's cracking, blackened skin; his screams died on his tongue as he fainted from the pain. Another heartbeat, and the rifle slipped from Silvana's fingers to the floor before she broke the other demon's arm entirely, but never let go of his wrist… He collapsed to his knees, screaming for mercy as the others turned to face the Saint, bathed in moonlight that streamed in through the smashed windows of the cathedral.
The rest of the soldiers had turned to face her now, battle-hardened veterans. They were surprised by Silvana's sudden recovery, of course, but even now, in the next heartbeat, those that had been frozen a half-second earlier were now raising their rifles, drawing their mauls, and injecting combat stims. They were not frozen into inaction, far from it… Six soldiers posed a real threat, four now after Silvana had cripped two. The rest, fresher demons younger than a thousand years of age, hesitated at the entrance to the cathedral and watched in terrified awe, whether that was because it was holy ground, or because the saint had just dropped two of their leaders in less than a second, was unclear...
Four heavily armed and armoured veterans of a dozen wars against a single saint in a night gown. There could be only one possible outcome to this fight. And yet the outcome of the fight was anything but certain. Even alone and unarmed, Silvana was never an opponent to be taken lightly. There was a reason they won the war against hell, and the onlookers were about to witness that the myths of Silvana's fury were not exaggerated. If anything, the myths had been watered down over the years.
Silvana straightened her back as she matched the eyes of her next victim, who squeezed the trigger of his stunrifle, she yanked at the demons hand that she was still clutching, pulling her victim from the floor to intercept the stunround which impacted his helmet and sunk into his skull, using him as a shield as she moved with ungodly speed towards the demon who had just crippled his comrade for life, even now she still dragged and pushed at him, keeping him in front of her until she suddenly kicked the demon away, planting a bare foot into the small of the soldiers back before she sent him flying across the room into his ally.
A movement to her right. Silvana dropped to one knee as a stun round whipped over her head, cutting through some loose strands of crimson hair that struggled to keep up with her grace; that bark of gunfire had come from one of the four, the one to her right, who was blocking the main exit to the cathedral. Another heartbeat, and Silvana's pistol was loosed from its holster, it managed to bark three times, sending silver bullets towards the one at the entrance, these were not stun rounds. The demon's skull exploded into a blackened cloud before his form burned away completely, his very soul claimed by the holy ground he stood upon.
Three remained.
A maul smashed the pistol from Silvana's hand and crushed two of her fingers in a sickening crunch. Blood dripped from the saint and burned against the marble floor. Leaving her unarmed as the next soldier rounded on her, the saint didn't retreat, in fact… Quite the opposite, she darted within his effective range and left him unable to swing at her effectively as she hooked her prosthetic arm under his elbow and turned him, pushing his weight onto one foot and taking him off balance. darting forward, the demon within her grip, only turning to force her latest victim to catch another stun round fired off by one of the other two demons, who now both had their rifles raised in her direction, barking orders that fell on deaf ears… The one closest to her convulsed as the stun rounds impacted his back. Silvana punched upwards with her fingers outstretched towards his throat, crushing his windpipe and sending him downwards, but not before yanking his combat knife from its sheath. He gurgled black blood as he died before the gods extinguished his very essence, suffering the same fate of soul-death as his brother moments earlier.
Two remained.
The closet of the two charged her after his rifle jammed as Silvana stood there exposed, a blessing from the gods? Or Pure luck… Silvana didn't seem to care… A smile was forming on blood-covered lips, and she let out a sigh of bored indulgence. None of the inhabitants of Ophelia had seen this Silvana before, one forged in the fires of war a thousand years earlier and only drawn out by the presence of fresh blood flowing through her veins… She seemed unfazed by a demon who stood a couple of heads taller than her, charging her down. The stun-baton crackled as it swung at her, she swept herself to the side before savagely stabbing her acquired knife upwards, the tip impacted the demon's helmet and threw his head backwards, the helmet clashed with the armour strapped to his back and sent his head spinning, but only for a single heartbeat before he was on her again.
The stun-baton came at her again, crackling with unholy power, turning and stepping in close, Silvana chopped at the warrior's wrist with her knife, gouging a deep wound down to the bone. Before the warrior could throw himself back, Silvana punched out at his helmet visor with her injured hand, breaking the rest of her fingers in the process… His visor smashed inwards, sending shards of glass into his face and Silvana's knuckles… the hulk of a warrior stammered backwards just in time for Silvana to spot the last of her hunters, he had circled her, moving much fasster then had expected, and sent a stun round into her back, the wave of pain that arched across her form was almost unberable. She found herself falling onto one knee.
The demon who had staggered backwards now came at Silvana, growling like an animal as he brought the stun-baton down to impact her bleeding back. She reached upwards with her good hand, her nails sank into the wound she had inflicted moments earlier before she twisted and broke the demon's wrist completely, before she heaved herself and him upwards, throwing the demon towards his brethren, the larger demon's neck cracked as he impacted the floor and his body burned away to ash a moment later.
One remained.
Silvana roared as she charged the last demon as he recovered and rose to his feet. Leaping into the air as the warrior's stun-rifle barked three more shots, the first swept through the gap between her right ear and her raised, golden arm... the second and third impacted her shoulder just above her collarbone... But it was too late, momentum was already carrying her towards the demon. The knife came down onto him, punching through metallic plating and Kevlar fabric before biting into flesh, stabbing into the meat of his shoulder, and severing arteries. His rifle dropped to the floor moments after, and the saint's fingers soon found themselves curling around his throat and propelling him against the closest pillar
This was the final death, one that she would savour for a few further heartbeats.
She stopped, there was something in the air, she twitched, and her head turned to glance at the entrance.
Veridian was standing there, here, in the cathedral... Her soulmate was here, her love... The other half of her soul... And suddenly, and all at once, a wave of shame washed over her.
Sivana's grip softened on the demon's throat before she dropped the soldier completely. "My love… I…" The ashamed words left her lips as she stepped away from the crumpling form of the snarling demon, who scattered away from her into the darkness after dropping to the cold stone... She froze in place. Staring at Veridian from across the room. In that moment, all she could feel was this heat rising in her chest, pure, burning shame....
Blood leaked from the wound on her back and soaked her night gown…
The fingers on her left hand were twisted and bent at wrong angles and covered in gore
Black Blood dripped from her lips and ran down her neck… and her eyes, wide and golden, which were filled with joyful rage moments earlier, now avoided his, looking to her feet, which also ended up covered in... something's blood. Perhaps her own.
"I… I'm sorry."
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Don't fight it. This is always what you wanted, wasn't it? A fitting end with your beloved? Isn't that what you prayed about?New
"Every life, my love. Fate has bound my heart forever to yours." Forty one full lives spent with her and even now, it was far from enough. In truth, Echo lived across millenia with her. Each life she led took over thousands of his own. Even after all the time he spent, all the pain he lived through, all the deaths he saw, there was still light. Satisfaction. Happiness. These were feelings lost to all but her.
"In every life, I'll always find you again." He knew that her vision was fading. Most likely, she wasn't able to hear him by this point. The radiation sickness her body endured was too severe for her body to preserve her senses, though he still spoke his words, refusing to let his thoughts simply be without sending them into the world, even if it was just for himself. "Like I always have before, I always will. Until the end of forever, and then, even after."
Quiet in the medical room, the vampire held her hand until she was no more, until her fingers lost her grip and the light behind her eyes faded. This tragic end was the terrible cost of an immortal's love to a reincarnating mortal, though no matter how much he could attempt to join her in the afterlife to put an end to this cyclical suffering, Echo knew her soul would be reborn into a different body, with a different mind, a different heart, and a different set of issues to become attached. To imagine a life where she would've never known him had put pause to his attempts on a functioning suicide. He didn't want to leave her alone, lacking the company of her soulmate. She deserved better.
As Echo experienced his lover depart for the forty first time, he gave her past vessel a moment of peace as gratitude for the happiness she gave in this life. With every one that passes, he would get closer and closer to a happy ending, though no matter how much hope he could hold out for, he felt like his dream of a life with her in peace was always out of reach. Not even one of her lives was one where she was able to pass away peacefully. Each demise had its own suffering, each end had its own way of being terrible. "I love you."
"See you again soon." Closing her eyes to give her corpse the look of peaceful sleep before offering a final kiss, Echo finally rested a tarp over her head to prepare her body for a funeral. It was hard for him every time, to be offered words that didn't mean anything due to the nature of his existence being one that only she could understand. Though, while he always held the ability to convert her into an immortal herself, one immune to aging, he never wished to take her agency away in doing so. her humanity was her choice. Immortality to him was a curse, one that was rarely worth it for most, especially in the hellish environment they were trapped in.
Given how often he lost her, Echo already had a graveyard prepared well in advance to act as a fitting resting place for each one of her future bodies. It was a promise he made for her before the end of her first life; Before he knew that she would reincarnate again, that he would give her a beautiful place for her soul to reside, one untouched by the greed of corporations or the devastation of war.
Eventually given enough time to prepare, Echo hosted her a small and quiet funeral among friends and family dear to her in this lifetime. It was a small funeral attended only by humans; Given the distance between them and the supernatural races that held power on this world, it was a strange sight to find a vampire so in love with someone often considered beneath him. As time passed and the others left after giving their brief remarks, he was the last to stand by her grave, planting her favorite flower on top once the dirt had covered her form. This flower was one resilient to the taint and pollution of their accursed world; One that remained beautiful no matter what corruption or challenge it faced.
"I hope that in the next life, it will be the first one we could live in peace with each other." While he was doubtful that it would be given how the last forty one had ended, there was still hope. As long as he could find her again, he would continue to keep rolling the odds on the hope that one day, he won't have to die to be happy. "We deserve to have our happy ending too."
Will you halt this eclipse in me? ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴡɪɴᴅᴡᴀʀᴅ | ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴛᴏᴋᴇɴ ↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
Oh, and I; I used to know myself
Oh, and you; You used to know me well
Oh, and I; Wish that I could leave myself alone
Oh, and you; You wish that you could make me whole
"I'm not brave enough for politics anyway… I'd rather just stay here, with you."
"And I'd want nothing more than to keep you by my side." As he spoke, his hand drifted towards the flash drive that sat around his neck. It was his most valued possession, the item that held a backup of every memory she made with him in her past lives. Wrapping his hands around it, he sighed before letting it go. Now was not the time for her to restore her memories, not yet.
Right now, she seemed pleasantly naive, still hopeful that there was a future at the end of their journey together should nothing go wrong. He didn't want to take these moments away. Lucidity to who he truly was, was itself a curse. Given the conversations he held with her in the past, he was aware that she had question as to whether his place was truly by her side should he be suffering so much to be there. However, to him, there was no other place where he could look forward to, none that ever matched how she made him feel with her smile.
Holding her gaze for the moment, his focus on her shifted once he heard the sound of plates arriving on the surface on their table. "Your orders." Their waitress had finally returned with their food, all fresh and ready for consumption. "Oh, right. Thank you." Realizing that his own face was blushing from being able to share a quiet moment with the love of his life, he quickly swapped the topic of the conversation before giving her current self an in to tease him over it. In truth, their conversational chemistry had always found a way with making every form she appeared to him in incredibly attractive, leading to him having a hard time pulling his eyes away from her when given a choice out of combat.
"It'll be good to at least pay at least a little attention to these things. You'd be surprised by how many markets and opportunities open and close just by inter-planet politics alone, let alone politics on a galactic scale." Bringing his fork to his food, he gestured towards it. "Take food for example. Wars and famine with a lack of galactic support would lead to demand for it skyrocketing. Those who pay attention will be able to make the greatest profit from it. Those who don't are often the ones made subject to it."
Due to his extended longevity compared to hers, he was able to hold on to patterns he found in the long span of his life, from people to nations, gangs, corporations, and governments alike. "Knowing who hates who and who's winning is all you really need to know." A smirk grew over his face as he winked confidently at her. "Though having someone like me by your side is also a good bonus~" Even if he wasn't able to share the truth of the scale of his knowledge quite yet, he didn't feel the need to be humble about it either. It was one of the many things beyond their past relationship that kept her glued to him in the first place; He was too useful to leave for another.
A chuckle cracked from his lips as he offered her a napkin before she sneezed. However, as he did so, the nearby diner monitor displaying the news had swapped over to a current news alert, that an ambush had begun on the surface of Ophelia. The rebels were being raided, attacked from multiple flanks by the demon army over an operation whose goals are unknown.
While the coverage of the story had shown a wide scale offensive, there weren't many who were working at the diner that seemed to care. Given the distance between the Iron Crown and Ophelia's surface, whatever happened between the two factions didn't seem to influence the human corporate slaves much. They were already going through enough problems as is here, why did the problems of a world that wasn't their own matter?
"Hmm... Those rebels are getting the worst of it, it looks like. I wonder how Silf is handling it." Realizing that he referred to the vampire saint through a nickname only known by her party, he coughed to correct himself. "The saint is most likely going to struggle fighting on all those fronts at the same time. From the sounds of it, it probably means that she might rely on extraterrestrial mercenaries soon."
Echo looked smug, seeing this as a business opportunity to help them make even more credits to achieve his cure just that much faster. While it might have taken over forty lives to be able to save up enough to cover his first installment of it in the first place, both he and Haze's past lives were able to build up much of a fortune; More than enough to retire for one of her ordinary life spans.
"Could be where you and I come in. I know the rebels treat vampires better than the demons do, but it seems like they're just as bad when it comes to dealing with humans." As he spoke, his eyes caught track of a couple new jobs posted for any mercenary. Namely, one that read: Recover the saint, that was posted on private channels while another read capture or kill the demon king. The number of credits on display under both of them combined had looked to be enough for him to afford the cure to his increasing madness. The feared snow that cursed his mind further and further with every death, threatening to reduce his mind to decay, could come to its end as long as he was willing to sacrifice his friends.
Before he had a chance to say another word, as he turned to his lover, a painful cracking feeling of his head had forced him to brace in expectation of the pain. No matter how much he could get used to the feeling of everything else, this was one that never got any easier; One that only got worse with every death. "Shit.... Agh.... I'll be fine. Just headaches again."
Looking up towards Haze for comfort, his hallucinations had forced his eyes to shift their world to that of snow, taking nothing from their surroundings but the booth beside them. Nearby, he saw the frozen, decaying bodies of his forty one other loves; A reminder that their tragedies were far from wiped. Only until her hand met his in the middle did his eyes slowly clear from his increasingly terrible reality. Her warmth was enough, but for how long, he didn't know.
The look of concern had stabbed his heart like a knife. She was meant to look to him for comfort and support, not as a liability. The first life, he knew that her death was his fault. He knew it was because he wasn't enough even after the discovery of his time loop ability. She deserved better then, and given his trauma, he still believed she deserved better now. "... Thank you, Haze. Maybe, its about time we pursue something with a bit more risk."
He smiled through the pain, holding still to her desire to stay with him. "What do you think about retiring with me? A life where we don't have to risk ourselves anymore to be by each other's side?" Taking her gloved hand, he brought it up towards his lips to give her knuckles a warm kiss. "I don't think I could need anything more than a life where I'm free to just be yours."
Trapped in a vicious cycle ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴠɪᴄɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴄʏᴄʟᴇ | ᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪʀᴀɢᴇ ↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
Why don't you give me a sign?
I need a last one
When I'm awake, I'm a walking disaster
Fire up my heart and let it burn
War. There was never anything he found glamorous in the act, victorious or not. As he walked towards the cathedral, joining the second wave of offenders, he found corpses of good people on both sides, each most likely with families and futures of their own, stripped of them because of a selfish conflict between him and the gods. He was well aware of the sacrifice that needed to be made in order to do good, though it was a sacrifice he would never feel accustomed to. His beloved was one of them once, a victim. Even now, no matter how strong he could become, the only road that felt as if it could bring redemption to the lost was paved with the bodies of victims that sought simply a happy life.
Muttering a prayer to the dead of both sides, he didn't seem enraged at the bodies of his enemies like many within his cohort. They were all once survivors of a past war against the demons that ruled the world. Now his blade was pointed to those that forced this world to abide by those rules in the first place. If their vision of perfection lacked the freedom to pursue happiness on his own terms, then it was one he would never accept; Especially if they were willing to use his beloved as a pawn to get in their way.
The sounds of combat from within had brought his attention. While few defenders had sought to block his entrance in the cathedral, praying before every single shot they fired towards him, little did they know that the favor of the divine did not influence this accursed being, one that belonged to the bloodline of those that ruled the world with an iron fist a few millennia before. Their attacks lacked the substance to break through his shield, leading to them being overwhelmed by his many powerful, demonic allies that came alongside him to see his vision through for the mission. No matter what was going to happen, he wasn't going to leave without his Vana. No one was going to stop him other than the gods descending themselves.
Only until a child got in the way of him, one far more innocent than any he encountered so far. They stood in front of a door that led to where he could hear the sounds of combat from within; From the energy within the room, he was able to assume that Vana was somewhere nearby, through this child. "You're not going to get past me!" She shouted resiliently, unaware of the horror of the monster and his cohort that stood behind him. "What do we do, my lord?" One of his dark knights asked. "Shall I bring an end to this vampire?" As they drew their blade, Veridian blocked his path to the girl with his arm.
Mercy was one of the virtues that his beloved instilled in him. There was no use in punishing a child for their beliefs, especially one that couldn't harm him. "No. Leave this to me." Walking over to the child, he hilted his monstrous blade, kneeling before her as though she was a princess in her own right. "It brings me great shame to leave your place in such a state, but there's no other way I could come here without worse befalling your people." As he reached over to stroke the girl's head, she attempted to cover herself at first before taking a chance to slap the demon king. The feeling of her flesh against his cheek had brought a gasp from his audience and a chuckle to the man who was subjected to it. "I suppose that was deserved. I didn't knock before I came in after all."
With a hand that channeled a sleep spell, eventually, he brought the naive girl to her knees before catching her as she became exhausted. "Take her. This battlefield is no place for a girl like her." While the other monsters in his battle group had believed this was a sign to feast on fresh blood, Vi punched straight through the marble pillar nearby, withdrawing his hand from a cloud of smoke. "I better see her alive, healthy, and in one piece by the time I'm done here. She's under my personal protection. I'll see to it that whatever bad is done to her, I'll return the same to you fivefold." With his demons offering him a salute in reassurance that his orders were heard, he crossed his arms. "Secure the building. Ensure that if there were any other prisoners here, they become freed. I'll seek out the saint myself."
Turning back towards the door, as he pushed it, he found a darkened corridor on the other side, one that appeared to lead over to an altar. With his hand on his blade, he continued onward, smelling the scent of demon blood and hearing the bones of his allies be rendered from their flesh. Whoever was on the other end was strong, someone he couldn't afford to take lightly. Eventually, his eyes caught onto the sight of sparks from weapons colliding into each other.
Broken cathedral windows that let in moonlight from above had ripped through the darkness of the room, most likely the result of them coming through the windows in the first place to engage and ambush the guardians inside. The crackling of shattered tinted glass had drawn his attention as his warriors danced with his beloved, eventually joining the ranks of the fallen as their souls perished. Given the fact that this was holy ground, those lives born in darkness weren't afforded a way back home; Death here was permanent and hollow. Everyone who engaged their enemy in this sanctified place understood the consequences of a loss, and in spite of it, chose to go through with it out of an undying loyalty to the demon that had brought world peace over a millennium before.
Crack. Crack. Crack. Her eyes had finally caught on to his sound as he stood feet away from her in the cathedral. "My love… I…" The people she had brought to a terrible end were among those that fought alongside him during the final battle against his family; Demons that sought the same happy life as he did. Each body of a vampire and demon he passed beside were simply victims of their love; Tragic endings only made due to the selfishness of the gods and their willingness to be petty enough to go after the demon that took the faith of their followers away. Vana and Vi had proven that the gods were not needed for a heaven on earth nor a lasting peace between Ophelia's native peoples. They were merely selfish powers that "appeared" benevolent to those that never looked too deeply.
"I… I'm sorry." Shame had seemed to overtake her face, contorting the feelings he felt in his heart just that much further. They had both turned against people they believed as family; They had both committed grave sins against those they once loved, all for what? For them to end up blade to blade against each other like this? All for their love to end up befalling the fate that the gods had wished for them? "... Don't apologize, Vana. We're both victims of circumstance, you and I." Approaching her with his arms open, he didn't reach for his weapon. She wasn't his enemy. She was never his enemy. However, before he was able to clutch his lover, a light formed from underneath them; A divine imprisonment sigil, one too powerful to be casted by any mere priest or divine follower. "Huh?"
Clap. Clap. Clap. "How romantic. Hiding a reunion as an offensive. I'd be touched if you weren't such a sinful creation." Behind one of the marble pillars came her friend, the priest, Libra. His eyes had glowed the same as hers when delivering the speech; Suggesting whoever edited the footage must have been the same as the one who had planned this all in advance. "Did you seriously think I would let you get away with the stripping of our control freely? Ha, don't make me laugh, Silvana. You are but a pawn in the grand scheme, a single piece on a chessboard beyond your own understanding."
As he attempted to move, golden chains bound both lovers apart. "Libra? What the hell are you doing?!" To her demonic partner, that light that came from his eyes wasn't visible. "This isn't like you. What the hell is wrong?" The more demonic strength he put into his binds, the more it constrained him, using his own incredible power as a tool against him. "I thought you out of all people would support us?!"
Grabbing Vana's sword, Libra pulled it out of her sheath before walking towards the demon king. "You served me well, Silvana. I'll be sure to respect your name once I'm done with you. To think you would be the perfect bait the second time." Without realizing it, it seemed as though the gods above had more control over both factions than each previously realized. There might've been a mole in his camp, leaking intel of his mission deployments to ensure that they could come out on top in public view. "Veridian... Or was it, Vi...." The priest aimed her blade towards him before digging it deep into his stomach. "Let me ask, would you prefer your demons consuming the flesh of that little vampire girl? Or would you prefer your faction be known for kidnapping her from her home? I wonder what would rile up the vampires even more against you."
Twisting the blade, the possessed priest had found Vana's reaction thrilling. It was her cries that made the demon king contort in place; A torture that not even the most equipped angels could provide. "Please grant me the strength to overcome my enemies. Ach..." As Veridian endured the torment that came with his insides being ruptured, he mumbled a prayer. "Oh? Praying? What god do you think would answer you? All of us are rooting for your demise, Veridian. After what you've done to our pride, not even an eternity spent suffering would ever be enough to pay back your sins."
"You are unforgiveable, a species with no place in Heaven. Its a wonder why Silvana even chose you in the first place-" The moment he got close enough, Veridian rammed his helmet into the priest, causing Libra's nose to bleed. "Ach- You fool. No amount of trauma you inflict on this vessel would ever kill me." Despite his words, his actions seemed to suggest that the god taking his form felt pain from the strike. "Oh, so the gods bleed.... And here I thought you touted your kind as untouchable." The demon taunted, trying to think of any plan he could; However, if he called for help, all it would most likely lead to is more of his own dying without good cause.
"I'll be sure to make you both an example... Unless...." Realizing the opportunity, the god withdrew Veridian's Calamity as he walked towards Silvana, using the blade to cut at the nightgown and expose her body to the demon lord. "It would be a shame if your favorite thrall feels the touch of another, now wouldn't it?" A crooked smile grew as his hands ran through Silvana's chest. However, little did the god realize that the weapon itself was growing darker, absorbing the screaming souls of the fallen demons to be used as a focus for its malice.
"Stop it..." His voice was running out of vigor as his life spilled from his stomach. "What are you going to do about it? Perhaps if you're silent and you let me have my fun, I'll let your little Vana free. Let her be someone else's problem." Using the divine chains to rip control of her as she resisted, Libra bound her hands behind her back as he brought his fingers down her body. "Would you prefer me to stab her with your blade, or would you prefer me to stab her with something else." Grinning darker than any demon he knew, the priest forced his fingers inside before bringing the hilt of his weapon towards her bottom half. "To the rest of the world, it would appear that you have violated the saint before killing yourself. A fitting end to two sinners, no?"
Tossing a drone out to record a record of his sin, the god smirked before taking the form of the demon king himself. "Don't fight it. This is always what you wanted, wasn't it? A fitting end with your beloved? Isn't that what you prayed about?" Grinding the hilt of the weapon against her entrance, he toyed with its blunt end piercing her flesh with its tip, causing it to grow darker without the god realizing it. It was a manifestation of his emotion, of his passion and love, and of his hate as well. "Don't worry, Vana. I'll love you better than any demon can. A divine reward for your efforts, to be loved by a god."
With each passing minute of her suffering, Calamity chipped away at the strength of her chains, using the god's focus on the one-sided pleasuring of her flesh as an opening to work away at what restrained her. In her mind, it spoke, connected to her by blood, flesh, and soul. "My anger knows no bounds. Wield me. Free my master, Silvana. I'll bestow my strength to you. Show me that his eternal faith and love has been placed in the right soulmate."
Why don't you give me a sign?
These dreams don't last, love
I see your ghost, need to get to you faster
And each night is a lesson I didn't learn
A lesson I didn't learn
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