Serpents's Heart

“Other Demons flee in terror with their mere presence.”

“So this is all real…” Virginia said in disbelief.

“I wish it were all a terrible nightmare,” I said.

“What… are we going to do?” she asked.

“There is no ‘we,’” I corrected. “You are not a part of this mess. You are going to leave here as soon as possible, and rejoin your fiancée.”

“Then what about you?” she asked, her eyes for a moment darting to the ruby on the table.

I sighed. “I don’t know… Do I really have a choice?”

“There are no circumstances in life in which we don’t have choice,” she said. “However, it is what we do in times of adversity that truly defines who we are.”

I smiled. “Wisdom beyond your years, Virginia. I think we’d better get some rest. Hopefully you’ll be able to go home tomorrow.”

She nodded and walked toward the door, when she paused and looked back. “The answer’s yes.”

“Yes?” I asked. “Yes to what?”

She nodded, and smiled. “Your offer. I want to move to Europe, and I want to pursue my passion for knowledge which has led me here in the first place to be with you. So come back, alright?”

I collapsed onto the bed, so weary… but my mind racing. I wasn’t sure how I was going to fall asleep, but exhaustion must have finally caught up with me because I was eventually able drift away at some point. I was awoken at some point by a gentle knocking at my door. Groggily, I looked at the alarm clock… half past four in the morning. A second knocking… I yawned and stretched, and got to my feet as a third knocking tapped the wooden door. At least they were polite and not making a lot of noise.

“Virginia, is that you?” I asked. No answer, just another tap, tap, tap. I turned on the light and I noticed the do not disturb sign. “I guess I should have put that up…” Tap, tap, tap. “Alright, hang on.”

I was approaching the door when a foul odor drifted into the room. I knew that smell… Sulfur! A claw burst through the wood of the door, with a second knocking the door down completely. A Demon entered the room, snarling and screeching, brandishing its claws. There was a quick burst of light, and the Demon screeched wildly and dropped to the ground. In its torso was a golden arrow, glowing with an unearthly aura.

“We must get you out of here now,” Erik said running into my room, a golden bow coupled onto his wrist. “The Serpent’s Heart is going to act as a beacon to your location when Demons are nearby.”

I quickly looked back to the ruby, which began to pulsate with an eerie, red glow. It was in steady intervals. “It’s as if it still has a heartbeat…”

“You will not be safe in one location for very long.” Erik opened his trench coat and pulled out a silver-coated sword. “You’re going to want to use this.”

“I have no idea how to wield a sword!” I protested.

“You stab at things that want to kill you, and they die in your place!” he snapped. “If you can’t do that, you’ll learn how or die. Grab the Serpent’s Heart, we flee now.”

I pocketed the ruby just as there was a scream down the hall. My eyes widened in terror. “Virginia!”

“There is no time! We must leave!” Erik said.

“I am not leaving without her!” I said, darting out toward her room.

A Demon had her cornered in her room, cackling unnervingly. “My, there are certainly some pretty ones in this place. Will your blood taste as sweet as the rest?”

The Demon raised its claw high, ready to swipe. In a flash, Erik pulled up his bow, and pulled back the string. Another golden arrow materialized in place, and he let it fly, piercing the Demon’s chest. It wailed for a moment as it dropped to the floor, dead.

“We must get moving!” Erik said. “More Demons are going to be attracted by the smell of sulfur in the blood of the dead!” He pulled out a second silver sword from the other side of his coat and gave it to Virginia. “I pray you can defend yourself with this.”

She nodded, and took the blade eagerly. “I’m sorry I doubted you, mom. That kendo class is going to actually come in handy.”

“Follow me, and keep up as best you can,” Erik said.

The three of us dashed out of the hotel as fast as we could. The sky was still dark, with the dawn barely on the horizon. Howls and screeches of remaining Demons in the pack echoed in every direction. I couldn’t tell how many there were. All I knew was that I was following a disgraced Angel, hoping somehow I wouldn’t end up as dinner for some creature of the night.

The hotel was in a suburb, but just outside was the start of a wilderness area, and there lay vegetation for hiding. It seemed that was where Erik was leading us. Virginia and I were both gasping for air after running nonstop for an extended time. Erik seemed to be unaffected.

“Erik…” I called. “Erik, we need to stop! We can’t run like this forever!”

Erik groaned, and motioned us in to a small alley between two buildings. “Catch your breath, but we cannot linger.”

“Can’t you just like, beam us up somewhere or something?!” Virginia growled.

“I don’t understand,” Erik stated.

“You can do that teleporting thing, can’t you? The thing you did at the airport!” I clarified.

“I am unable to take mortals with me,” he answered. “At least so we’ve been told.”

“You’ve never tried? How about giving it a go now?” I insisted.

“Because you could end up dead, with your body being sent a near infinite number of locations at once,” Erik explained. “I can’t risk it.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?!” Virginia asked angrily.

“Do not forget, you are not a necessity, and you are expendable,” Erik snarled at Virginia. “The only reason you are here is due to the will of Robert. I will not hesitate to leave you behind if I feel you may become a burden or obstacle.”

“So do you expect us to just run the entire way to Siberia?” I asked, pulling the ruby from my pocket. The ruby’s heartbeat seemed to have intensified. “If this thing is a Demon, lure, how far do you expect us to get?”

“That is why we need to get to the wooded area. There, you will be able to rest,” Erik said. “I will explain further there. For now, we must get there as soon as possible.”

The three of us started moving again. The howls and cries of the Demon pack were growing louder and more intense. We were nearing the end of the suburban area, with the woods dead ahead, and the sun was soon to rise. For some reason that comforted me, though I knew they weren’t going to cower with the light of day. As we raced past the last few houses, a piercing screech cut through the air like a knife, a small group of Demons leapt out from the shadows, surrounding us.

“It speaks to us,” one of them said. “It longs to be reunited with its body. It cries out to our Master, and to us to retrieve it for him.”

Erik readied his bow. “You may try to claim it, but you shall fail!”

Erik released his arrow, and it pierced the chest of the Demon who wailed as it collapsed to the ground. The others rushed in to take its place. I held my sword firmly as I could, but it was shaking in my hand. A Demon’s claws came at me but I held it back, using my blade as a barrier.

Erik was firing his arrow with such precision, and Virginia was holding her own, slicing and slashing at those who went after her. I’d caught one Demon’s claws by the blade of a sword, and was struggling to keep the sharp points from my flesh. The Demon was able to free itself, and I thought I might die.

“If you can’t do that, you’ll learn how or die.”

Erik’s words echoed through my mind. What I can only surmise was instinctual; I just thrust my blade forward, stabbing the Demon in the chest. It howled in pain as I pulled the sword, and it quickly slumped to the ground.

“Quickly, we must move!” Erik cried, shooting the last few Demon stragglers.

Further into the woods we ran, until we came upon a small clearing with a spring. The Demon howling still hadn’t let up any, and I could not foresee any way out of this chase. As long as the ruby sent out Demon pheromones, we were just going to be hounded until we were killed. Erik walked up to the edge of the water, and took out a small, leather satchel from an inner pocket of the trench coat. From the satchel, he pulled out a small, white pearl.

Erik held it up to his forehead, and he closed his eyes. “Invocato Spiritu Sancto et virtute, Mundate daemones praesentia, quae nos a malo!”

The pearl began to shine with a brilliant blue. He tossed it into the water, which took on the aura of the pearl for a moment, before fading in a blinding flash.

“Quickly, submerge the Heart in the spring!” Erik commanded.

I nodded and ran up to the edge of the water. I pulled the ruby from my pocket and quickly plunged it into the water. It started to react to the water, glowing brightly. I pulled the ruby from the water, and after a moment, the light faded, and it no longer pulsated. Almost immediately the howling of the Demons ceased, and the woods fell silent.

“What just happened?” I asked.

“These are spirit pearls,” Erik explained, pulling another out of the satchel. “They are used by Angels on earth for a variety of functions. With the incantation I used, I turned this spring into Holy Water.”

“That was Latin, if I heard right,” Virginia said. “You asked the Holy Spirit to lend you its power within the pearl.”

“Very astute,” Erik commended. “Doing so placed a warded barrier in and around the water, and protects us from the Demons for now. The Holy Water also counteracts the Heart, subduing it for a short period of time.”

“So how long is this thing going to last?” I asked.

“A few days at max, so we shouldn’t linger here for longer than two days,” Erik answered. “Once the effect of the Holy Water wears off, if there are any Demons nearby, the Heart will start to call out again.”

“So what happens then, another mad dash to the next body of water?” I asked.

Erik knelt down at the water’s edge, and pulled out a golden canteen. He dipped it in the water, filled it, and capped it. “Within this, the Holy Water will remain effective indefinitely. We can fill it with normal water, and with the spirit pearls, we can transform it into more. This is going to be our best weapon to evade the Demon army.”

“Quite the arsenal you’re packing for a disgraced Angel,” Virginia remarked.

“I originally only had my bow,” Erik said, “but as time went on, my brothers gifted me with everything I have now. Most of them share a hatred of me, but there those who have taken pity on me, much like Father has.” Erik shot four arrows into nearby trees. With a flick of the wrist, the bow snapped into an apparatus on his arm. “Those arrows mark the boundaries of the barrier of the spirit pearl. Remain here, and you will be safe. I’m going to find some food. Rest for now.”

With a flash, Erik vanished. Virginia and I sat down, trying to recover from the chase. The silence of the woods was deafening. My lungs ached, and legs were sore… So much had happened in the last few hours, trying to make a clear picture of my situation wasn’t possible. And poor Virginia… She wasn’t even a part of this, and was just dragged into the mess. I wasn’t even sure if she would see her fiancée again. Everything we had with us was now gone, and our fate was unknown. Even if we could have left her behind somewhere we thought was safe, who could say the Demons wouldn’t touch her.

Demons… Angels… Never in my life did I think that I would ever see any of this. I wasn’t sure what to believe in. A part of me thought I’d finally gone insane. The whole situation just angered me. “Why would God allow such madness? Why can’t he end this whole thing now?” I could only imagine how many people had died since this “game” was started. As best I could, I buried my feelings and thoughts away. “I can philosophize when I’m not dead or in danger of dying.”

The sun had finally started to peek in between the tree leaves, and the chilly morning started to give way to the warmth of the sunlight. There was a slight breeze, which rustled the leaves every so often, but still the silence of the forest was almost unbearable.

“I knew you took kendo, but damn… who knew you were that handy in a fight,” I said, finally breaking the silence.

Virginia laughed for a moment. “I’m not the best fighter, though. I only stuck with it as a stress reliever. You have no idea how good it felt to whack people with bamboo swords during practice after a hard day. Though, when I need it, I’m not exactly a pushover.”

I looked to my sword I placed by the water’s edge. “I suppose if I’m going to live, I’m going to need to be more confident in fights. The swings of my blade are going to determine life or death, and I can’t count on you or Erik to be there to rescue me every time.”

“He said we have about two days until the ward wears off, how about I teach you a few things,” she suggested. “I guess I’m a part of this now…”

“You don’t have to be,” I replied. “You could still make it back home.”

“I know, but…” she paused for a moment and sighed.

“But what…?”

She shook her head. “It’s nothing. Just forget that. I think we should be fine fighting the expendable Demon rabble that pop out. Just so as long as we avoid the big man.”

I smiled, nodded. “I think you might be right!”

Erik returned not long after. He tossed us each a small sack containing a sandwich, some greens, and an apple; all of which Virginia and I hungrily devoured. Erik took a seat near us.

“The crisis in Russia has escalated faster than I had anticipated,” he said. “They’re on the brink of civil war. The spark has been lit, and it is only a matter of time until it becomes an inferno.”

“You expected this?” I asked.

“When the pit to Hell emerges, the local population is thrown into a violent frenzy, often with devastating results,” Erik explained. “Soon after, odd weather patterns, strains of sickness, and famine, start to appear in pockets in the world, fueling tension until it erupts and Humanity begins to slaughter one another. That is a sign the Exercitus Daemonum have arrived upon the surface.”

The Exercitus Daemonum. The mere mention of that name sent shivers up and down my spine. “Should we ask?”

“The Exercitus Daemonum are four individuals who are Lucifer’s personal elite taskforce,” Erik explained. “Other Demons flee in terror with their mere presence. They are ruthless, strong, and willing to do whatever they must in order to see that their orders are met. They are bound to Lucifer, giving them life eternal. Should they be slain, their essence returns to their Master, and they are eventually reborn. As long as he remains, so too shall they. The Exercitus Daemonum consist of Abduxuel the Wroth, Zagan the Defiler, Penemuel the Guile, and are led by Thamuz the Condemner. They have but one clear objective: kill the possessor of the Serpent’s Heart while sowing chaos upon Mankind. I have thus far eluded them since the game began, but should we encounter them, may God show mercy upon us.”

I felt my hands beginning to tremble as beads of sweat formed on my forehead. Virginia’s face turned pale, and streams of tears fell down her face. We were naïve to think that all we would face would be the Demon mooks. It suddenly became very clear what odds had been placed before us.

“I see you finally see the weight of the severity of your situation,” Erik said, grimly.

“I don’t see how we’re going to do this,” I said. “The task seemed impossible before, but now it’s just beyond all of my comprehension. I don’t see how I’m going to get out of this alive. And once they kill me, Lucifer wins, yes?”

Erik was silent for a moment. “There is one loophole. If another mortal can touch the Heart before Lucifer, that mortal can continue in his place.”

“Wait, you’re not thinking what I think you are…” I said.

“I was against it at first, but if Virginia stays, we could have a second chance should anything happen to you,” Erik suggested.

“I can’t ask her to do this!” I protested. “She should have no part in this!”

“The decision is hers and hers alone,” he replied.

Virginia stood slowly, and looked to both Erik and I. She took a deep breath. “I’ll do it.”

“Please, Virginia, think about what you’re agreeing to!” I objected.

“There’s nothing to think about,” she said. “If you die, we all do. If I can play any role in preventing it, I will do so.”

“You realize I cannot guarantee your survival,” Erik said. “You go into this knowing you may die.”

She nodded. “I do.”

“Then so shall it be,” Erik said. “We know our goal. We have a lull in which we can truly prepare ourselves. I think it best we start with your combat abilities.”