ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: …ᴄᴏɴ ʟᴇɴᴛɪᴛᴜᴅ ᴘᴏᴅᴇʀᴏꜱᴀ | ᴄʜʀɪꜱ ᴄʜʀɪꜱᴛᴏᴅᴏᴜʟᴏᴜ
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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."
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