Serpents's Heart

“What do you fear most?”

The figure was tall, with a commanding presence. He was clad in sliver armor, tinted orange by the setting sun. Long, flowing blonde hair fell to his back, and gently swayed in the slight breeze. He stood motionless, gazing reverently at the sky. I couldn’t move. I could only gaze at the figure in a hushed awe. The feeling of dread returned, it was far worse than any before. What stood before me was the epitome of evil.

“It has come to this moment,” he said. “The moment here where the two of us were destined to meet.” He paused, turning his head, looking about, still keeping his face hidden. He pointed west for a moment. “Can you see the first stars of dusk? I often forget the beauty of creation. It will be a shame when in the end… it will be gone.”

“Gone…?” I managed to mutter softly.

“In the great war to come, darkness will wash over Heaven and Earth, and the waters will run red with the blood of Man,” he continued. “It is an unavoidable fate. Does that frighten you?”

I couldn’t answer. I was frozen.

“For every creature that exists, no matter how great or how small, there is something that will instill great fear,” the being chuckled. “What do you fear most? Do you fear being alone? Abandoned? Do you fear the unknown or the uncertainty of the future? Or… it is death that you fear most?”

The figure slowly turned around. He was Human, or at least, the most Human-like thing I’ve seen outside of the Angels. His flesh was fair, and his mouth curled up in a smug grin. The eyes of the figure were what I was drawn to the most. Unlike the others I’ve faced, his eyes were a piercing color of blue. Almost… angelic. In all of Christian Scripture I know, only one creature is known to be this alluring, and yet so sinister. This was no mere Demon.

“Perhaps it is I you should fear most,” he mocked. “I am Lucifer the Fallen, King of the Damned.”

He was right. At that moment what I feared most was the being that stood before me. I but a mortal man in the presence of evil that knows no comparison. My legs buckled and I dropped to the ground. I went pale, and tears streamed down my cheek. I felt helpless… powerless… What am I to do now? I hold the one thing in the entire known universe in my hand that he wanted, and I’m sure there was little I could do to prevent him from getting it. His gaze shifted to the ruby in my hand.

“So long has it been since I laid eyes upon my Heart,” Lucifer said. “So long have I dreamt of this moment. Will you give me my Heart?”

I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe. All I could manage was a simple shake of the head.

“I thought you might respond as such,” he replied. “You Humans are a stubborn lot. Allow me to see if I could persuade you.”

Lucifer held out his hand and a mass of Demonic energy began to come from all directions and collect into his palm.

“For the past two millennia, my servants have collected Human souls each time they are free to roam the surface. The Angels seem to think it is to fuel an ever expanding army of Demons. No… I have all the Demons I’ll ever need and more… The souls have a far more malevolent purpose.”

Lucifer held his hand high, and the energy began to writhe and twist, rocketing upwards until it collided into a point. A shockwave tore through the energy, and it began to solidify. Slowly, his creation was revealed. A massive sword, with a blade jagged and twisted into a shape I’ve never seen before. The black blade met a guard which covered most of Lucifer’s hand, with it and the grip being a color I could only describe as similar to rotting flesh. The remaining energies gathered into the guard, and formed a single, Demonic, living eye, with an iris red as the blood that flowed within.

Nearly half the size of Lucifer himself, and he could lift it like it were nothing. He brought the sword down to eye level, and gazed upon it with a smug satisfaction. He looked to me, and chuckled softly, noting my sheer terror as I watched in horror what I assumed was going to be the thing that surely killed me.

“Behold the fruits of my effort,” he said, “the strongest weapon in the realms of Heaven or Hell, the instrument with which my ambitions take shape. I present to you, Hellkaizer. Made purely of the suffering souls of those my servants have personally killed, a weapon that is unmatched by anything before or anything after. My former brothers… they are smug and set in their ways. They had had no perception of my grandiose scheme. They had thought that once set free by the actions of you Humans, I would be like a rabid dog to meat, and blindly seek what I desire above all else. And oh, as tempting as it was, I knew I if I were to wage war upon Heaven and Earth, I would need to arm myself. Lucky for you, you will not live long enough to see Hellkaizer’s true purpose.” He slowly pointed Hellkaizer at me. “Robert, are you going to willingly give me my Heart?”

Again, all I could manage was a meager head shake.

Lucifer scowled. “Then so it shall be. Hellkaizer’s first taste of blood shall be yours.” He motioned with his hand for me to rise. “To your feet, Human! If you die without any sport, I will be disappointed.”

Terrified and exhausted, and about to face evil incarnate. What chance had I to fight Lucifer, and send him back to Hell with the ruby? I took a deep breath, and mustered what was left if any of my courage, and slowly rose to my feet. I held Jolan’s shield between myself and Lucifer, not knowing if it would be strong enough to withstand any strikes from Hellkaizer… But I had to. I had come too far to turn back now. And most of all… Virginia’s death would have been for nothing. An innocent woman dragged into all of this because of her feelings for me. I knew I might die, but I decided to die fighting.

It was in that moment that a sudden warmth came over me. I looked at the sword and shield that Jolan had gifted me. They both were glowing in an otherworldly light. I no longer felt hungry or tired. I felt rejuvenated. I felt stronger than I had ever had before.

“Remember Robert, your courage will always be rewarded!”

Were they reacting to my resolve to continue on? I felt another presence with me; however, I couldn’t discern what it was. Whatever… whoever it was, endowed me with their power, and maybe… just maybe… a chance to do what I came here to do.

Lucifer laughed. “Then let us start! Prepare yourself for death!”

He held the weapon to the sky, the eye on the guard flashed a bright red. The sky became shrouded in storm clouds. Lighting flashed and thunder growled as the heavens rumbled in turmoil. A bolt of lightning struck Hellkaizer, which seemed to charge it with energy. He thrust the blade forward, and from the tip of the blade, shot a wicked bolt of energy right for me. I braced myself against the shield, and hoped for the best. The bolt struck, and while I was pushed back some, I was able to hold my ground, as if someone else held the shield with me.

Cackling with delight, Lucifer released energy again and again. At times I blocked it, other times I was able to dodge the strike before it came. I can’t quite explain how I managed such feats. It felt almost as if I was a puppet, using my thoughts and my desires to move my body. After going on the defensive, between blasts of energy, I ran toward Lucifer and raised my blade to strike, only to have Hellkaizer meet my blade.

We struggled in a lock, with him eventually breaking free. He held Hellkaizer high, and with a mighty swing brought it down upon me. I intercepted with my shield, and to my relief, it didn’t shatter. Lucifer had the advantage, however, as I could feel his sword beginning to overcome my ability to hold the weapon. At the last moment, I rolled out of the way as Hellkaizer slipped, and stuck the ground below.

I realized there was an opening to the maw. I quickly scrambled to my feet, and with a dead sprint, ran toward it. I looked back a moment to see Lucifer hold up his hand. He drew energies into it, concentrated it, fired it at me. I stopped and turned, and readied my shield. It hit me before I could brace myself, and I was sent back, landing on my back. Lucifer howled in amusement as he fired another shot. I was sure this was going to be the end, when something else deflected the shot. Emerging from the woods was Erik and his bow was ready to fire another shot.

Covered in wounds, likely thanks to the small army of Demon rabble he undoubtedly had to cut down in order to make it here, he stood tall, his eyes focused on Lucifer. I couldn’t imagine the animosity between the two, a grudge that had been boiling for nearly two millennia.

Lucifer lost interest in me when he saw the Angel that cut out his Heart. He took off after the Angel as Erik fired his readied arrow. With Hellkaizer, Lucifer cut away at the arrow, and with all he could muster, he swiped at Erik who managed to evade the blow just in time. Erik switched his weapon into a blade, and a close combat duel started between the two foes.

Perhaps Erik knew Lucifer couldn’t pass up the chance to kill the one who had done this to him, because all focus on me was now dropped to duel with him. Taking the chance, I started toward the maw once more, until that is, a large fire erupted in front of me. Emerging from the fire was the last of the Archdemons. Thamuz had returned.

He readied his scythe, and lifted it high above its head. “It’s time you die!”

I hid behind my shield as the Demon brought the scythe down, but it did not crash against it. Rather, it hit another metallic object. “I promised that I shall not let any harm come to you so as long as I live!” Jolan stood between us, holding the Demon’s scythe at bay. “Hurry! You know where you are needed!”

I nodded. “Thank you, Jolan!” And again, I sped off toward the maw.

“Master!” Thamuz called. “The Human is heading toward the portal!”

Lucifer heard his servant’s call, and quickly ended the duel with a large right hook to the chin of Erik, sending him to the ground. “Make no mistake, I must do what is needed. When I have my heart back, you will die!”

Nearing the maw, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It grasped me hard, and tossed me far. I landed hard, but got to my feet after a moment, though a little dazed. Lucifer stood before me, but did not attack.

“I didn’t think that you’d be so hard to kill,” he said. “Nor did I expect your companions to regroup here with you. Your tenacity and stubbornness against certain death is commendable, but now things change. Thamuz! Your Master calls you to his side!”

Thamuz was still locked in combat with Jolan. It darted away from an attack, sprouted its wings, and flew to the right side of its Master. “What does it my Master desire of me?”

Lucifer raised Hellkaizer, with a swift decisive blow, severed the Archdemon’s head. It and the corpse fell to the ground in a heap, and then to ash. The urn at its side, however, remained, and after a moment, it exploded. A stream of colored orbs flew from it and into the sky. A violet one darted at me, circling me twice before flying with the rest.

“If he is killed before the urn returns to Hell, the souls are set free,” Jolan explained. “Those souls he took were saved a grizzly fate.”

“Then that must have been Virginia!” I exclaimed, relieved to know she wouldn’t be suffering in the pit for an eternity.

“It’s a pity those souls weren’t going to be mine,” Lucifer lamented, “but it is for the best. After all, Hellkaizer has been complete. They’d just be turned to more useless Tempters.” He snapped his fingers, and the energies from the maw began to stir.

“The cycle of rebirth only triggers when all four have been slain.”

I was trying to rationalize why Lucifer would kill his strongest subordinate, but it dawned on me. Lucifer killed Thamuz to trigger the rebirth of his four Archdemons. Four points of light shot from the maw, landing near Lucifer, one by one they were revived in the order they died: Zagan, Penemuel, Abduxuel, and Thamuz. Howls followed, with another large number of Tempters climbing from the maw. We were surrounded by Demons. It looked bleak. Lucifer chuckled contently, knowing he played on hell of a trump card… Jolan held up his hand, and opened his palm.

“Are you surrendering, Angel?” Lucifer asked.

“After I had teleported away with Thamuz, we continued the duel high above the land and sea,” Jolan explained. “I was hoping to keep it occupied enough that Robert would send you all back to the hole from which you crawled. When it finally got an opening, it did not kill me, but rather fled to be by your side. It was in that moment I figured things would escalate, and I happen upon another of my brothers. It’s then I put out my dispatch.”

“What are you getting at?” Lucifer sneered.

“You are not the only one with allies,” Jolan said, bringing his arm down and closing his fist.

A brilliant light filled the area for a moment, and when it dimmed, the odds evened a bit more. With us now were now hundreds of Angels, including two more Archangels. Lucifer clenched his hands together, and growled in contempt.

“You are not the only one with a trump card,” Jolan mocked. “It is time this game is put to rest.”

Lucifer’s expression changed from that of frustration to another complacent smile. “You believe the revival of my servants is my trump card?” he laughed. “I’ve been holding it the entire time.”

“Hellkaizer!” I cried.

“Lucky for you, you will not live long enough to see Hellkaizer’s true purpose.”

“Bring all the allies you wish,” Lucifer taunted, “I will slaughter you all!” He brought Hellkaizer close to him. The Demonic eye imbedded in the sword’s guard started twitching, its iris shrinking and glowing with an intense blood red light. Lucifer and his weapon started to emit a dark aura that churned around him. “Ut virtus de igne Meddigo educam verissima a Satana!”

The storming dark aura condensed into the long, twisted blade of Hellkaizer. Slowly he lowered the blade in front of him. His eyes darted between Erik, Jolan, and myself. We were waiting for him to blast us with something nasty, when he did something unexpected. Lucifer reversed the blade, and plunged the weapon into his own chest. He let out a cry, as he pushed the weapon further and further into his flesh until it was gone.

At the site of the wound, the eye from Hellkaizer appeared, and from it veins of energy started to wrap around Lucifer’s body. He contorted and recoiled from the energy boiling within him, screaming as he began a monstrous transformation. His body bulged and heaved and his fair flesh darkened to a dank crimson as his body burst from the armor he wore. He became hunched over, as he took a bestial stance, much like if a lion could stand on its back legs. His arms and legs grew large, with each hand and foot sporting three digits, each armed with long, sharp claws.

Lucifer’s face stretched, and his nose flattened, becoming mere slits, akin to a snake. He grew fangs, and his eyes changed from blue to pools of the deepest black. Large horns burst from his skull, wrapping around to the back of his head, with four large, raven-like wings emerging from his back. The creature he became towered over any other there. Even the Archdemons seemed to cower at this creature’s emergence. Lucifer reared back and let out a roar like no creature I’d ever heard.

“What the hell is that thing?!” I yelled to Jolan in a panic. “Is it even Lucifer anymore?!”

“Behold!” the beast roared. “I am all that is impure! I am all that is darkness! Satan the Abhorrent, Lord of all that is Wicked stands before you!”