Serpents's Heart

“Even the most beautiful of flowers… eventually wilt.”

For weeks we made our way across Europe, keeping a low profile. At this point, I lost track of time, not sure what day or what month it was. The passage of time soon became a nuisance. Each new day dawned with the fear of death that loomed ever present over us. Every now and again we’d catch small bits of current events happening around the world. Russia’s turmoil had escalated into what was described as the world’s bloodiest civil war. Thousands had died, both military and civilian. Erik said that he attributed that to Russia being ground zero for the chasm to hell opening in the region.

Elsewhere, things weren’t fairing much better. The Middle East’s terrorism problem had only increased. In America and most of Europe, political, financial, and racial unrest had sparked violence throughout the regions. Beyond issues with the Human population, erratic weather patterns had been reported on nearly every place on Earth.

Each time the game is underway, as Erik explains, the world is affected greatly by the large Demonic energies spilling onto the surface. Should we succeed, everything should right itself soon after. That is… until next game.

In these last few weeks, we had only encountered a few Demon companies, but nothing we weren’t able to dispatch with only moderate effort. The rest we found were but stragglers, looking to nab some glory for their Master. Luckily, we had not caught sight of any of the Exercitus Daemonum. We had both grown as fighters. Not only had we been able to hold our own in fights with the Demons with our swords, we’d become accustomed to using the spirit pearls. The Holy Water, flash bombs, and healing incantations were all recited by memory and were quick and decisive when need be.

We stopped one night to rest at the base of a waterfall in a mountainous area. Virginia set up the Holy Water barrier, and I submerged the ruby to hide it from our foes. Erik marked the boundaries with his arrows. His bow had been repaired some time back in a small city we came through.

“You know the drill,” Erik advised. “I’m going to scout the area. Don’t leave the barrier.”

Erik walked off leaving Virginia and I with only the light of the full moon and the soft flowing of the water. I found a comfy spot on the grass and lay down, gazing at the moon above. It was a chilly night. I wasn’t even sure of the season anymore. Winter? Autumn? Spring? I suppose it didn’t matter. I wondered if the University thought Virginia and I were dead. Or how Ms. Gladwin was doing. Could we even go back to our old lives? I sighed, and tried to put it out of my mind as I usually do, and closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but it would not come easily. At some point, Virginia joined me.

“There’s been something I’ve wanted to ask you ever since the fight with Penemuel,” she spoke eventually. “Why… was the image it summoned for its illusion… me?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“It’s supposed to be the image of the person that is most loved or most admired by the one who was trapped in the Demon’s illusion,” she clarified. “Of all the people from your memories, why was it me?”

A loaded question for sure. “I guess it could be any number of reasons. I still harbor so much guilt for you being dragged into this,” I answered.

“But that’s really not the reason, is it?” she inquired.

“Isn’t it enough?” I refuted.

“Maybe… but I think there would need to be a much stronger reason than that for it to think it would stop you from killing it cold,” she continued. “To have strong feelings above any other.”

“Do you think I do not care about you?” I asked, annoyed slightly.

Virginia shook her head. “Let me go about this from another angle. Whose image do you think would have been projected if the Demon had been able to pluck anyone from my mind?”

I thought for a moment. “If I had to guess, I’d say your fiancé.”

Virginia looked away, avoiding eye contact. “You would think that, but I feel it would be someone else. Ryan and I… We’ve been drifting apart for some time now. We’ve talked recently about calling off the engagement for months now. I’ve been over here for a little over a year and a half, and it’s been a struggle for us as a couple. And with me deciding to stay, well, I’m sure it would be the final act that ended it. I feel… like I don’t love him anymore.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Then… then who would it be?”

Virginia grabbed my hand. She leaned over, and our lips met in a passionate kiss. “I’ve met someone who shares the same passions as I do. Someone who challenges me on every level… Someone who cares for me so much…”

I remained in a silent awe at her. Perhaps I had known all along how she felt. I would be lying to myself if I said I had no feelings for her. I never thought I would act on them. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. As smart as I am, the romantic side of life I’ve always been at a loss with.

“Are you really choosing me over Ryan?” I managed to ask eventually.

“I… I… maybe… I don’t have an answer for that yet,” she answered. “These feelings have been on my mind for a long time. I suppose the chance of me not being able to see you again spurred them forward.”

I sighed. “There is that chance, we don’t know if we’ll make it to the next dawn.”

She snuggled closer, and we closed our eyes, just letting the feeling of being together drown out any of the other thoughts we may have had. I’m not sure how long we stayed in that position. It felt like an eternity, but at some point, Erik returned, and he grabbed us both to our feet and handed us our equipment.

“We need to go!” he commanded. “Now!”

“What’s going on?!” I asked.

“There’s a trail of dead Angels, Humans, and Demons heading in this direction,” he explained. “There is only one creature I know in all of Heaven or Hell that has a bloodlust so insatiable that it will kill so indiscriminately and just for the thrill and pleasure of ending another being’s life. We must flee!”

“Is it one of the Exercitus Daemonum?” Virginia asked.

Erik nodded. “Perhaps the most ruthless of the four, it is a creature that is so primeval, so savage that it cannot even speak any languages. It only howls and roars, though it is enough to send even the hardiest of warriors running away from battle in sheer terror. It is Abduxuel the Wroth, Harbinger of Ruination.”

Virginia and I exchanged worried and fearful glances. The look in Erik’s eyes and his warning alone were enough to sway us. I dunked the ruby in the Holy Water one last time, and the three of us started to run. It wasn’t long after that we started hearing the grisly howls of the creature somewhere in the area. It was like nothing I’ve ever heard.

No creature on Earth could make a sound so terrifying. It sounded vicious and unrelenting. It sounded angry. It sounded hungry. What creature could this Demon be that is so bloodthirsty? No Demon we’ve came across was so intent on killing something it would savagely strike down its own kind if it could not find anything else.

The roars of the Demon seemed to come from every direction. As we ran, I wasn’t sure if we were going straight into the jaws of the rabid beast. We were nowhere near any towns of civilization, so I was hoping Erik knew what he was doing. We ran along the top of a nearby cliff face, running toward what looked like the remnants of a bridge. As we got closer, I knew we weren’t going to cross.

“You took us to a dead end?!” Virginia cried.

“This bridge was demolished! It was here less than an hour ago!” Erik proclaimed.

“Abduxuel maybe?” I asked.

Erik shook his head. “Abduxuel is nothing but fury incarnate. He is not capable of the higher thinking required to cut off his prey like this… No… this came from something else, but I dare not think of what it may have been. We must find another route away or we are trapped here!”

It was too late. Foot falls of a massive beast were heard, and we turned in horror to see that the creature had approached us. It was a hulking Demon. Easily larger than any Man or Demon I’ve ever seen. It wore neither clothes nor armor, but it was covered in a plate-like skin. In between the plates was a red glow, almost magmatic, pulsating to match its every breath. Its eyes were black, empty pools of nothing, slanted in a fixed and angry gaze. Its face stretched into a long snout, filled with fangs and dripping with drool. Two large horns adorned its head, and in its hand it held an enormous, obsidian double-bladed axe, permanently stained red from the countless souls it has slain. Gripping that axe were equally large hands, sporting long claws, like its Demon brethren.

Abduxuel rear back, and let out a howl that shook me to my core. It raised its giant axe over its head and swung it right for us. We rolled out of the way just in time to see the axe smash into the ground with immense force, leaving a gash in the earth where it struck.

Erik readied his bow and fired a flurry of arrows into the creature’s hide, but it didn’t even flinch. Virginia and I followed in Erik’s example by attacking from a distance with a handful of spirit pearl flash bombs. Again, the creature didn’t even flinch. If it hurt at all, Abduxuel didn’t show it. I looked down at my silver sword. Compared to the rock-hard hide and giant axe, the Angel steel seemed almost flimsy in comparison. We were cornered on the edge of a cliff with nothing to defend ourselves with and were looking down the figurative barrel of a super weapon.

The Demon rushed towards us. Even as large as he was, wielding a weapon of such mass, the creature was surprisingly agile. The drawback to its size was the fact the axe was much slower, and we could see where it was going. However, if it decided to just swipe with its claws, that would be another matter.

The three of us kept attacking from a distance, hoping not to kill it, but to wound it in hopes we could slip away and find cover. It wasn’t going well. The creature shrugged off every attack we could throw at it, and eventually, Virginia and I exhausted our supply of spirit pearls. We glanced to each other, and then to our own swords. We knew it would be suicide to try to attack it directly with them in melee combat.

Whether or not it was as stupid as Erik had said could be debated, because I believe it figured out we were striking at a distance. It grabbed the blade of the axe, and pulled it from the handle. The axe head was attached to a chain, which ran down into the weapon itself, effectively turning it from an axe, to a large mace. He swung the mace with the same ferocity, and now its reach was just as frightening. The three of us scrambled, moving about to keep it guessing. The Demon caught up with Erik, and with one mighty swipe of its claws, sent the Angel flying into the air.

Abduxuel then turned its gaze to me, charging at full speed. I got up to run, but my foot had found a hole, and I tripped, falling to the ground, twisting my ankle. I struggled to get to my feet when the Demon was upon me. It roared as it swung the mace above its head, I just shut my eyes and prepared for the worst.

But nothing hit me. The blade smacked down onto something hard and metal. I opened my eyes to a blinding light. There standing over me was that Angel, holding the Demon’s mace at bay with a large, silver shield and sword, both accented with precious gems and gold. The Angel’s silver wings were outstretched, and shimmering from the light the being was emitting. He was clad in armor of gold and silver. He looked back to me. His helmet was grand, with diamond wings wrapping around the side to the back, and a large ornate star detailed on the crest. The helmet completely covered the Angel’s eyes, but it did not seem to obstruct his vision, as if he could see through the steel. It was the Angel I saw while trapped in the illusion…

He gave me a quick nod, and broke from the mace, and slashed at the Demon. Abduxuel roared in pain as it staggered backwards. A long gash was glowing with the magma-like glow down its chest. Whatever that sword was, it was able to hurt Abduxuel.

“Brother!” Erik ran over, his head bleeding from the impact he suffered, with Virginia behind him.

“He’s an Angel? He looks so different…” Virginia remarked.

“He’s an Archangel,” Erik said. “When in the world of Man, Archangels aren’t limited like the rest of us, and they appear in their Celestial Forms outside the Kingdom of God.”

The Demon screamed and charged the Angel. Erik took a step forward to again engage him, but was stopped by the Angel’s sword. Keeping his gaze locked on the charging tank, he shook his head slowly. Erik understood, and stepped back. Bracing himself behind his shield, the Angel raced towards the Demon.

The Demon’s strikes were agile and fierce but the Angel was one step ahead of the mace, striking blows against the creature one after another. Eventually Abduxuel returned the blade to the handle, and forced the Angel on defense with a series of powerful strikes. Eventually, it was able to hit the Angel with just the right amount of force. He lost the grip of his shield, which went flying. The Demon reared back for another strike, when the Angel stabbed the creature in the shoulder. Abduxuel wretched in pain, and dropped the axe.

The Angel raised his sword, but the Demon swiftly grabbed the Angel’s wrist with its other massive hand, crushing the bone, and the Angel dropped his sword. He yelped in pain as Abduxuel forced the Angel’s back against a nearby slab of rock. It raised its other hand, and prepared to slash the Angel. The Demon’s shoulder may have been injured, but I was sure it could still deliver a killing blow.

“I can’t let him die!” I yelled, pulling out the ruby from my pocket.

“What are you thinking?!” Virginia screamed.

“He saved my life! I will not let him die for me!” I cried, holding the ruby out. “This is what you want, isn’t it?!”

The Demon took one glance at the ruby, and dropped the Angel and rushed toward me. I was thinking the Angel would have swooped in and saved me, but after a moment my mistake became very clear. Abduxuel readied his claws… and I was shoved out of the way of the creature’s massive hand… by Virginia. The creature’s claws tore through her flesh, and she collapsed to the ground.

“Virginia! No! Virginia!” I screamed in horror, as I knelt to cradle her body.

I looked up to see Abduxuel raise his claws once more, but a flash of steel severed the creature’s head, and the body fell to the earth with a mighty thud. The head and the corpse like before turned to ash as the sun began to rise.

Virginia’s breathing was labored. Her body nearly shredded by the claws of the Demon. My eyes welled up and I clutched her hand. “Isn’t there anything you can do? Anything?!”

The Angel averted his gaze. “I’m sorry. She is even beyond what I am capable of healing.”

“Ro… Ro… Robert…” she said meekly. “I said… that I would do what is needed to see this through…”

“Virginia… I’m so sorry… about all of this…I’m sorry all of this happened!” I wept. “Please don’t leave me!”

She smiled, tears flooding from her eyes. “I know… I have no regrets. I… I… love…”

She fell silent. The light of her eyes faded away. I felt sick. My body began to shake. I lost control of my emotions and just started to weep uncontrollably. She was gone. And it was because of me her life was cut short. Near seconds later, a small, violet, translucent orb of light emerged from her forehead. I then felt an overwhelming dread come over me.

“Even the most beautiful of flowers… eventually wilt.”