30. Lost Wife
The second I uttered her name, a thousand emotions hit me all at once, and I was transported back to the day I lost her. The day she was torn from my arms before I was dragged to the caves, only to be reunited in our death. The thought gripped me as I looked down at what I had become. My hands, that of a demon, and one that I had transformed into the moment she had died in them.
But here she was, no longer a ghost of the lake or a fragment of my dreams. She was here now. I had found her at long last and the bitterness of irony wasn’t lost on me.
She was no longer the one that I was searching for.
Ella was.
My Chosen One.
For so long, I had foolishly believed it to be Lerna, yet now I knew the truth. That she had deceived me. For she hadn’t died in my arms at all. It had all been a rouse and I still had no idea why. In fact, I believed I would never get my answers and, in all honesty, since Ella came into my life, I found myself caring less and less about searching for them. About searching for her. Until one day… I just stopped.
I no longer wanted to find her. I hadn’t wanted anything to taint the world in which I had created with Ella. But in the end, the opposite happened.
I was no fool, though, and I didn’t believe in coincidences. Not when I had searched all of Hell for her and nothing. But now after stepping foot back here for no more than a day, and here she was.
In need of saving.
Naturally, at the sound of her scream we all turned to the direction it came from, its echo travelling along the valley walls behind us. The sight of her in a cage being carried by at least thirty demon soldiers was not what I was expecting. But there they were, a dark trail snaking through the mountain pass. From this distance, I was unsure whether we had been spotted, but I took off running regardless.
For she might have betrayed me, but I wasn’t about to witness her die again… and for real this time. I knew the others followed, and we used the tree line to hide our presence, not wanting to alert the enemy and gain the advantage. It soon became clear, the closer I got, the more assured I was that they had no idea we were here. Which would grant me the time to plan our attack.
I finally came to a stop just before they could pass us, the others arriving only seconds after. I glanced to my brother first, who looked as stunned as I was after he had heard me speak my wife’s name. But it was Koro’s tense features I couldn’t account for, that was until I asked,
“Do you recognize the soldiers?”
“I do,” he stated in a hard tone, a furious blaze in his eyes, as if he were transfixed by the sight of them.
A slight movement caught my eye and I glanced down to find the strapping around his hands had coiled tighter, as if responding to his dark mood. For whatever the reason, it was clear that Koro had history with these soldiers. The hatred for them was obvious.
“Hey, Hell to Koro, wanna share information here?” I snapped, clicking my fingers in front of his face, where he was trying to burn holes from a distance with his dark gaze.
“They are the royal guard,” he sneered.
“What would the royal guard want with my wife?”
He gritted his teeth at that, again his curse tightening its hold on him as his death gaze now burned my way before he ground out,
“I don’t know.”
“Okay then, let’s kill them and ask questions later,” I advised, making him grin and say,
“With pleasure.”
Then before we could form any type of plan, he was standing and striding through the trees toward them.
“Fuck, Koro!” I hissed, trying to get his foolish arse back here before he got himself killed. However, he looked over his shoulder at me and said,
“You wanted to know about my curse, HellBeast…”
His dark voice became a chilling reminder that I knew fuck all about this guy. But then he shrugged out of his jacket, letting it drop to the floor to reveal interlocking curved blades at his back. Twin Khopesh Swords, that I knew could be brutal in the right hands. Hands that were now reaching out to his sides, at the same time his voice turned demonic.
“Let me show you how I mastered it!”
This seemed to be all that was needed to release some Hellish force his punishment had manifested into. The bindings that had been intended to have bound him to his curse, all flew from him at once.
Each strip got so far before then turning into an oily liquid, snaking out at the first wave of the soldiers that ran at him. Each had their weapons drawn, but it didn’t matter, as the essence shot out toward them, turning their blades to poison. Then with a flick of movement, these same weapons were turned back on themselves, embedding in their skin and making them die instantly. As if the poison has boiled their flesh, making it bubble, burning them from the inside out. They dropped to their knees as they were still reaching for their melting throats.
He had killed five of them without even getting close enough to touch them. But clearly this wasn’t good enough for him, as he reached back and took possession of his twin blades. At the same time, his precise movements meant that when the next wave hit, he spun around. Then in a well-executed move to the side, he slit across their guts, making three more drop to the ground.
Meanwhile, his curse continued to attack out in various ways, with streams of red escaping his body, as if he had learned how to conquer the very essence that had been placed upon him as punishment. It hadn’t stripped him of his power, it had only made him stronger.
He had become its master.
“Damn, Icarius is gonna be pissed,” Marcus commented, giving me cause to scowl at him, making him shrug his shoulders.
“Well, are we going to just let him have all the fun or what?” he added, making me look to Orth who smirked,
“What do you say, brother, wanna play hero?” I asked and as usual, I received his honest answer.
“For your bitch ex, fuck no… but as for killing shit, fuck yeah, I wanna do that!” Orth replied, making me grin before we all went running. As for Koro’s Sorcerer, the gypsy looked back and commanded,
“Save the girl!”
And well, it looked like we weren’t the only bloodthirsty ones, as she clearly didn’t need to be told twice. She took off running in the direction of the cage they carried, with magic pouring out of her hands. Lerna cried out when they dropped it on the ground. This told me they were ready to fight, and I glanced that way. The sight of them all drawing their weapons around their prisoner made it clear they weren’t going to give her up without a fight.
As for the three of us, we ran for the enemy. My brother and I put our enhanced bodies to good use. Orthrus went in for the kill first and with far less finesse than most, he ended up resembling a fucking bull! Especially when he used his horns, spearing the closest demon in the chest, before flinging his body off to one side. Then without stopping, he leapt on the next, landing with a crushing of its rib cage and quickly ripping its throat out.
Marcus ran at speed, too, pulling his staff from his jacket and hammering it down before using it to propel himself up in the air. His landing came seconds later with the full force of his staff being impaled into a demon’s chest, its armor doing little to save it from the force.
Black blood spurted up with the pressure as Marcus ripped his staff from the gurgling soldier’s chest cavity. All this before he was using it once again, to swing around fast enough so that no one had a chance at getting close.
Then as expected, he started to draw his kinetic power toward the end of his staff before releasing it and firing it out toward each demon brave enough to face him.
As for Koro, he seemed to be making a point of fighting his way toward the cage, slashing out at incredible speeds with his twin blades. At the same time, his curse lashed out at demons, lifting them in the air to infect them before discarding the putrid bodies and tossing them away.
Others morphed into different entities. Like giant spears that impaled with lightning speed. Some even transformed into the hand of the devil that would break the necks of those it could get its hands on.
Now as for me, I took note of all around me as I waited for eight soldiers to surround me. An arrogant smirk graced my lips the closer they came.
Each of them unsheathed their weapons in unison, whereas I stretched out my claws and allowed my arm to ignite with Hellfire. One fed straight from the flaming river of Phlegethon.
Their demonic eyes widened at the sight, knowing now exactly what I was, hence why they started to back away in fear.
“Don’t go yet, after all… we are just getting started,” I said, my demonic voice promising nothing but pain before death.
Just as the first one started to run, I made my move. I took a page from my brother’s book and leapt on its back, before digging my claws in and tearing into its flash. By the time I stood from my first kill, I turned back to face the others with their comrade’s spine now hanging from my hand. Then I casually tossed the bloody string of bones to the side and grinned. One down, seven to go… better not make it too quick.
I chased the next one down, tearing its head clean from its neck, before using it as a weapon. My fingers embedded in its eye sockets to keep my grip enough to hammer it into the face of the next demon.
He went down, and I dropped the skull before reaching for its horns and twisting violently, killing it instantly. Then I tore one out of its head, dropping to one knee quickly when one was trying to creep up on me.
Foolish little demon .
It raised its sword behind me, and I smiled sadistically. It had just left itself wide open for an attack on a vulnerable area, and therefore giving me the opportunity to thrust the horn into its gut. It quickly staggered forward, its hands trying to pull it from its stomach.
But instead, I was back on my feet quick enough to kick out and hammer it deeper in its flesh, before spinning and slashing its throat with my claws. I swiftly turned to find another blade headed my way, making me catch it in my hand. The blade wasn’t strong enough to cut my hardened skin that had formed like Igneous rock. A sight that made the demons eyes widen in panic as I started to melt the steel, telling the rest of them that their weapons were useless against me.
“That didn’t go as planned, did it?” I mocked before yanking the demon closer and snapping his own arm under him, breaking it at the elbow and thrusting upward. Whatever was left of his weapon ended up plunged under his breastplate, its burning metal burning his flesh. The second the demon started to choke out blood, I twisted its head and snapped its neck. Something that ended with it now facing the other way, before I dropped it on the ground and grinned at the three remaining.
Two of them ran at me at the same time, and I ducked out of the way, side stepping and hammering my foot down into the back of one of their knees, breaking one leg. But before it could go down, I grabbed its arm and swung its body around so it went barreling into the other. They landed on top of each other, and before they could detangle themselves, I kicked up one of the swords fallen from the dead hands of one missing its head. Then I leapt in the air and hammered the now flaming sword down, impaling both at the same time.
As for the last one… well, the second I heard Lerna’s scream, I knew play time was over.
I pulled the sword free and threw it like a spear, stabbing the demon in the back as he tried to flee. After this, I ran toward the cage, pulling up short to see that all but one remained.
A massacre of dead demons had obviously been enough of a sight to give the last one still breathing the idea to use Lerna as a hostage. It now had a blade to her neck, and her beautiful face was a mask of horror and fear, with tears running clean streaks down her dirt-marred skin. Her frightened eyes focused on Koro, who was the first to reach her and therefore was the one dealing with the situation.
“Unhand her, demon!” Koro threatened, his essence going crazy as it surrounded his back, like angry serpents all begging for the chance to tear this guy apart. But while the demon was watching the threat ahead, he wasn’t watching the threat below, just as Koro had intended. The red tendrils snaked along the floor before turning into a crimson fog, one rolling along the ground like some sinister wave.
“I will slit her throat! Keep back!” it snarled, still keeping its fearful gaze on Koro and still missing the threat forming at its back. We all then were left to watch as Koro nodded slightly, as if giving Lerna the cue she was waiting for.
“Very well, demon,” Koro said with his head lowered, before it suddenly snapped up with his eyes ablaze. At the same time, the serpents had formed and lashed out all at once like whips. Each limb of the demon was captured, forcing the blade from Lerna’s throat.
The relief washed over me, but I wasn’t the only one, as Koro was moving, catching her in his arms the moment she fell forward.
He cradled her head to his chest, hiding his next actions from view as he flicked a wrist, making his essence all tug as one. A move that ended up ripping the demon apart, making it scream for long seconds before it died a horrific death.
After this, his sorceress handed him his jacket as if some silent order had been given. He quickly used this to wrap around her shaking shoulders.
“It’s alright, I am here now… I am here,” he told her softly, his hand stoking down her hair affectionately, making me narrow my gaze at him. Which was when I finally broke the moment by stepping up to them before stating the obvious.
“Why do I get the impression that you know my wife?” I asked, my voice hard, making her flinch before raising her eyes to me. Eyes I had once seen gazing up at me in my dreams. Which was when it suddenly all crashed into me. The realization and true depth of how much I had been fucking played!
Something Koro confirmed when he told me,
“Because she was never your wife…”
Then he paused to look down at her, tilting her chin back to return his loving gaze as he finished turning my world upside down…
“But…·
“…She has always been mine.”
To be continued in
The HellBeast’s Betrayal