Serpents's Heart

“Our courage will overcome our fear!”

The sky above darkened with gathering storm clouds, blocking all of the moonlight. Lightening flashed and thunder rumbled, soon followed by a downpour of rain. A bolt crashed down to the earth nearby and sparked a fire that seemed to spread around the two armies, enclosing us in a ring of fire.

“Evil in its most perfect form,” Jolan explained. “No longer Lucifer, but Satan. A creature I thought could only exist in the realm of Hell. Never did I think I’d lay eyes upon it. It’s enough to frighten even the most stalwart of Angels.”

A chill ran up my spine. “You… you are afraid…?”

“For every creature that exists, no matter how great or how small, there is something that will instill great fear.”

Jolan nodded slowly. “I fear this beast, as does every other Angel here. Fear is universal. Even Satan fears something.

“What could that thing possibly be afraid of?” I asked.

“He fears the only being more powerful than himself,” Jolan answered. “He fears God himself.”

“Prattle on and give yourself whatever sense of false hope you desire,” the beast growled. “The game ends this night.”

“He fears not just our Father, but those who have been given his might!” Jolan continued. “He fears us!”

“I fear nothing!” the beast roared, agitated.

“Our courage will overcome our fear!” Erik cried. “My brothers, together we are stronger than the evil we face! Together, we will send them back into the pit!”

Satan was visibly shaken. Whether truly frightened could be left to debate, one thing we could be certain was the bravery of our troupe had struck a chord. “Enough of this! My children, it is time! Slaughter them all! I want my Heart!”

The Demons roared in solidarity and closed in. The Angels let out a battle cry as well, as swords clashed with claws. The final battle had begun.

Satan let out a roar, and dark energies swirled around him. From his mouth he fired a large beam, which incinerated anything within its path, be it Angel or Demon. Abduxuel raised its axe, and ran into battle, swinging wildly.

“Penemuel, control our brother’s movements,” Thamuz ordered. “We can’t afford to have him striking down anything that moves in this battle.”

Penemuel nodded. It jumped and landed on the shoulders of the behemoth, its appendages wrapping around the Demon’s body. “Let me use your strength, brother, and let us together fight!”

Abduxuel’s eyes fell to a milky white. Penemuel raised his arms, and started to control the Archdemon he controlled, almost like one would conduct an orchestra, with each motion of his arms corresponding with a response by its brother.

Zagan snickered in delight as he manipulated its slimy body and contorted it into any manner of weapons, striking against any Angel daring enough to attack it. Thamuz readied its scythe and wings, and took to the sky. Satan, driven by his animalistic desire for his Heart couldn’t command his army. Thamuz, the second in command, took to the sky and acted as standing general, ordering the company of Demons.

“Focus on the Archdemons!” Jolan yelled. “Leave Thamuz alive so we do not trigger the rebirth cycle!”

“We need to get to the maw!” I insisted.

“Unless we do something to edge the odds in our favor, we’ll die before we reach it,” Erik advised. “Once the time is right, we’ll make way for the portal!”

The small Angel army split and converged onto Zagan and the pair of Penemuel and Abduxuel. I was with Erik who descended upon the brothers attacking in tandem. Jolan went with the rest of the Archangels who went directly for Satan, trying their best to keep him isolated from the attack and far from me. Blocking attacks and strikes from a now controlled and stable Abduxuel was difficult. Thamuz, while barking orders, started bombing the battlefield with its energy attacks.

I grabbed a handful of spirit pearls and quickly enchanted them, tossing them into the faces of both Archdemons. Flurries of arrows were shot in quick succession by the Angels, but a quick recovery meant they were blocked by the massive, obsidian axe. Abduxuel swung its mighty axe, taking out three or four Angels. I tossed another handful of pearls at the creatures, when Penemuel noticed I was there.

“You contemptuous creature!” it yelled. “No mere Man has ever broken my perfect illusions!”

The Demon raised its axe and swung down hard, barely missing me. If it weren’t for Erik pulling me out of the way at the last moment, it would have all ended there. The axe’s blade ended up embedded in the soft, muddy ground thanks to the ongoing storm raging above our heads. Penemuel struggled to remove the axe, and in this moment of weakness, Erik struck. He pulled back on his string and charged up an arrow, and fired. The arrow pierced the head of Penemuel, killing it in nearly the same fashion as before.

The Demon shrieked as it collapsed to the ground, turning to ash, soon trampled beneath the feet of all those nearby in the skirmish. Abduxuel’s eyes returned to normal, and it howled. The creature started to swing its mighty axe around indiscriminatingly once more.

Erik grabbed me by the arm. “That behemoth is giving us our best chance to break through, let’s hurry!”

The Angel and I rushed through the fighting Demons and Angels, emerging on the side, close to the maw. We didn’t go unseen however. Thamuz quickly swooped down to cut us off. “You are a cunning creature, far more than I ever would have given credit.” It chuckled. “And yet, you can’t seem to do anything on your own, Robert. If it weren’t for that Angel who follows you around, or that girl who died for you, well, you would have been dead long ago. The only reason you’ve gotten this far is due to them saving your hide from certain doom at every turn. Given your remarkable intelligence, Robert, I would have assumed you might have been better than that. Oh, how that poor girl must be weeping in the afterlife knowing she died for you, and yet in the end, you will still fail.”

I clenched my fists. A snarl crossed my face, and without realizing it, I dashed toward the Demon with my sword held high, with a scream of pure anger. I swung as hard as I could, but the Demon blocked my attempt, my sword clashing with the scythe’s blade. What then began was a duel between me and the Archdemon.

I put all of my strength into each swing of my sword. Each strike seemed to get stronger and stronger, Thamuz being forced completely on the defensive. My weapon started to glow brightly, reacting to my willingness to fight. I wasn’t about to let his words become true. It was true I relied on the Angels’ help, but without their guidance, what is a mortal to do? Our victories had been a joint effort, and they could not succeed without me.

Erik had strung up his bow, ready to take out the Archdemon. “Zagan!” it cried. “Kill the Angel!”

The sludgy creature rose from the crowd, lunging toward the Angel with childish glee as it prepared to maul the unsuspecting archer. Erik swung around, releasing the energized projectile at the filthy creature, piercing its chest. The Demon wailed as the arrow passed through its body, before landing in a heap, and turning to ash. Thamuz took the chance to lob a ball of energy, full blast to Erik, sending him flying into a group of lesser Demons. It then turned to me, shoving me to the ground.

“I will rip out your heart, just as your Angel friend did to my master!” it cried, holding its scythe high.

He swung down, but I braced myself against it with my shield, holding him at bay, but struggling against the Demon’s strength. A yell came from behind me, as Jolan rushed in, tackling Thamuz from the air. He pulled me to my feet just as another arrow flew by, with Erik emerging from the pod of Tempters.

“I’ll kill you if you don’t step aside,” I warned.

“That would be an unwise gesture, Human!” roared Satan. He flew to his servant’s side, grasping Abduxuel in both his massive hands. With a quick motion, he broke the Archdemon’s back with ease. He tossed Abduxuel’s corpse to the ground, and it landed with a mighty thud. It laid there for a brief moment before it turned to ash. “Your deaths are imminent,” he said.

Thamuz ran for me, but Erik readied his bow into his blade, and rush to intercept, pushing the Demon back. Jolan snapped his fingers, and a second Arc Sword formed in his hand. He slid the two sword blades together, sparks flying off each one. “Erik is more than capable of keeping the Archdemon at bay,” he said to me. “You and I need to get past the worst of them all if we are to end this. Can you do this with me?”

I didn’t answer for a moment. Everything had come down to this. One last, powerful obstacle stood between me and the fulfillment of my mission. No. The fulfillment of my destiny. I mustered up what was remaining of my courage and nodded. “I would rather die fighting than back down now!”

“Then allow me to accommodate your request, worm!” the beast roared, accompanied by a clap of thunder.

Satan lifted up its massive hands, and swung them down to the ground with a colossal impact, splintering the ground. Fissures and debris raced toward us. We each dove to the side to avoid impact as the earth buckled. Jolan raced up to Satan with his two blades high, swiping madly at the creature. The beast was deceptively quick, defending each swing of his swords with his sharp claws.

Satan eventually was able to get Jolan out of his way enough to turn towards me, brandishing his weaponry, slicing the air, hoping to hit me. Just like when I fought Lucifer, it felt like I was being assisted. Like my movements again weren’t mine. I was far more agile than I should be, bobbing and weaving around the attacks of the leviathan. Eventually I was able to make it in, and I plunged my sword into the arm of Satan. The creature howled as it recoiled from the wound, but only for a brief moment.

With his other claw he swung, hitting his mark, sending me skyward. I fell, but I was caught just before I crash landed by the partner who was with me since the game started. Amid his battle with the Archdemon, Erik was still looking to protect me. He nodded to me briefly but threw me aside as Thamuz’s scythe crashed down, like his more violent brother, it getting embedded in the soft ground.

“Kill it!” Jolan yelled.

“The cycle!” Erik replied.

“Trust me!” Jolan cried.

Erik nodded, and with a close range arrow, shot the creature through the head, reducing it to ashes. Near moments later, four points of light raged from the maw. The four Archdemons landed, encircling us.

“Fools!” Satan condemned. “You have just sown the seeds of your own destruction!”

“Wallow in your delusion, creature!” Jolan exclaimed, pointing to the sky. “I still had my trump card in waiting!”

We all looked up, as many winged creatures emerged from the storm clouds. There were now dozens of Archangels descending upon the battlefield at high speeds, tackling the Archdemons, removing them from our battle and engaging them elsewhere, making sure to keep them well apart. All that remained now was a Human, an Angel, an Archangel, and the Lord of all that is Wicked.

“It matters not what you do!” Satan bellowed, agitated. “Nothing you do will prevent me from my Heart!”

Satan charged us three, roaring. Erik and Jolan followed suit, weapons primed for combat, their cries of war matching in ferocity to the creature’s angered howls. Both Angels emitted a bright radiance as the two sides closed in on one another. They struck, knocking Satan to the ground, pinning him to the earth by use of their swords through the creature’s massive shoulders.

“Robert!” Erik screamed.

I nodded, and ran toward the maw without hesitation. This was going to be my one and only chance to do what needs to be done. I removed the Heart from my pocket as I approached the ledge. The swirling mass of energies rushed out, and the ruby almost felt like it was buzzing. The maw seemed bottomless, fading out into a shadowy nothingness.

“I will not be defeated!” Satan screamed, throwing Erik and Jolan off of him, removing the sword from his flesh. “I will obtain my Heart!”

Satan took after me with a fiery sprint. I looked down at the ruby and gave it one last look before I forcibly hurled it into the pit. It fell into the shadows before it flashed and rocketed from the pit in a bright light. It slowed to a stop just above the tree line of the surrounding forests. Energy gathered and swirled about it, with the Demonic powers that once poured out of the maw now retracting. It was like a wind tunnel, forcibly drawing in all that was released, back into the pit. In hordes, the Demons involved in the clash were being pulled against their will and forcibly thrown back to Hell, followed by the four Archdemons who wailed as they were sucked in by the energies.

Satan was slowly pulled toward the edge, his power being drained from his body and returned to the pit, he gradually returned to Lucifer. He grabbed hold of the ledge as he was pulled over the boundary of the maw. At first his expression was a hard glare, but it softened as his lips curled into a cocky smirk.

“You are foolish if any of you thinks this is the end,” he chuckled. “You may send me back to the pit, but my return is all but inevitable. You know that eventually Man will succumb to greed. For now we shall dance…”

“Between the two of you, I feel the ending to this game will be remarkably different.”

I looked down to my Arc Sword, and I pointed the blade a Lucifer’s head. “No… You are wrong. This game… it all ends here…”

Lucifer laughed manically. “You wish to kill me with your toy sword? I cannot die by your blade! Would you like me to plunge it into my skull to prove it to you?!”

I shook my head and took a step back, looking up to the ruby still in the air. “No, it’s not you that I will strike.”

Lucifer’s expression quickly dropped to one of disbelief. “What… what are you doing, maggot?!”

I took a deep breath, and summoned what was left of whatever power resided within me. “Whatever presence that has been with me, I implore you to guide this sword with the same grace you have guided me!”

With all my might, I hurled the sword into the air. The blade struck the ruby, and shattered it into a thousand shards, all which degenerated into dust. The forceful draw of the maw now was stronger than ever, and I felt even myself being affected by its pull.

“Damn you!” Lucifer shrieked. “You damned, repulsive worm!” He grabbed onto my ankle. “I will make sure you spend an eternity in fire!”

Lucifer let go of the ledge, and he and I started to fall into the pit. I looked up at the sky now rapidly growing farther away, when I saw Erik leap into the pit after me. He grabbed my arm and yanked me from Lucifer’s grip, throwing me toward the surface. I felt another hand grab onto me, and I was lifted out of the maw just as the earth began to seal it shut. We landed, and I realized it was Jolan who had pulled me the rest of the way from the pit. But Erik… Erik was sealed in the Realm of Hell in my place.

The ordeal was done… the earth quieted. The storm clouds rolled away as the sun began to rise. I didn’t think I’d be so happy to see the dawning of a new day. The air felt refreshing, and the tension that had hung in the air for so long was finally gone. It felt like the Earth itself was finally in a moment of peace.

“That was truly unexpected,” Jolan said. “I was right when I thought you would be the one to end the game.”

“Does this mean it’s finally over?” I asked.

Jolan shook his head. “It’s still foretold. The armies of Heaven and Hell will still clash upon the Earth. It is a fate that is unavoidable. However, now… it will not be caused by the hand of man. Your ordeal however, Robert James Hunter, has come to a conclusion.”

I didn’t know what to think now that this whole thing had come to a conclusion. Could I even go back with my old life? “What… do I do now?”

Jolan smiled, and placed a hand on my sword and shield, making them along with my spirit pearls vanish in a flash of light. “I believe it is time for you to resume your own life now, Robert. I will be taking you home.”

“What do I tell everyone back home…? I don’t know how to explain any of this…” I lamented.

“You’ll find that Erik had taken care of that long ago,” Jolan replied. “Are you ready?”

“Wait… One last question before we part ways… I’ve got to know…” I said. “That power I obtained… You were right. My courage was rewarded with the ability to stand up against the greatest of evils…. But… What exactly was that?”

Jolan chuckled. “I could tell you, but I don’t think I need to. I believe you know exactly what it was.”