Lilith

“Are you sure, that’s a good idea,” I asked tentatively. Usually tentative, hesitant, timid or insecure weren’t descriptions I’d use for myself, but when face to face with someone, who could order his companion to swallow you whole in the blink of an eye, a little humility went a long way to ensure your continued, unaltered existence. By the abyss, my life sucked…

I had spent a while roaming hell, or rather, what remained of it. A barren wasteland. That alone wouldn’t have been anything new, hell hadn’t exactly been known for its hospitality, beautiful sunsets and tropical beaches, but it had never been lonely. Now it was. At first, I hadn’t been able to make much sense of Cassandra’s warning. There was nothing… nothing to trust in, nothing that could fool me, but after a while, a thought had begun gnawing at the back of my mind. What if the desolation itself was an illusion, or rather a lie?

Once the idea had been born, it had kept bugging me, but I hadn’t been able to figure out how to go about proving it. I had wandered aimlessly, from one deserted palace to the next, always cautious, always on guard, but all I had found were the abandoned testimonies to our former glory. Castles of black glass and blood red stones, burning crevices, filled with eternal hellfire, forgotten ritual sites and seas of blanched bones under a grey, lifeless sky. Wherever I had turned, nothing had moved, nothing had breathed and I had been prepared to call it a day, to return to the real world and Cassandra, but then the core, Delilah’s core, had reacted.

Even though I had placed it in a pocket dimension, I had felt its heat and without a second thought, I had summoned it. The thing had looked almost the same except for a tiny glyph, a silver rune, glowing on its surface. The sneaky angel… demoness, whatever, hadn’t simply given it to me out of the goodness of her heart, which I hadn’t really believed in the first place, but she had obviously left me with a bit more than a chance to meet my sister again.

I had hesitated, but ultimately, if she had wanted to harm me, she could have done so directly and much more thoroughly when last we had met. Still, when I had touched the rune, I had been anxious, dreading what might happen. And for a good reason, as it had turned out.

The very moment I had made my decision and fed the sigil with a drop of blood, hell, or rather my perception of it, had changed. Energy had spread outwards, like ripples in a pond. In its wake, reality had become twisted, contorted, until it shattered. Underneath the flimsy veil something else had appeared, something I hadn’t expected.

A lattice of energy crisscrossed the pockmarked plane, like a power grid, a pulsing, almost living power grid, contorting like a disgusting, artificial heart. To me it had seemed like it was sucking every last bit of energy from the landscape. The remnants of transcendent spells, the lingering power of rituals and the magic imbued into the very essence of the realm were slowly eroded and devoured, channeled to a point not too far away. I had cursed colourfully, my every instinct screaming at me to stay away. Whatever lay in wait there, wouldn’t take kindly to my appearance but I hadn’t been able to simply let it go. Did I already mention that caring was a pain in the ass?

Against my better judgement, I had carefully made my way across the plains, making slightly less noise than a prowling panther. Delilah’s core I had stowed again, the silver rune spent and useless after it had unravelled the concealing enchantments. Step by step I had moved closer, my intuition telling me where I had been headed long before I had been able to see the place. It was an ancient temple, one of the earliest edifices we had created. A temple and a prison, a beacon of hope and the seat of our destruction. The crackling lines of power were converging towards the ruins of our pride, where Lucifer had killed Chaleb and taken the ring, the very same ring Casandra now wore on her finger. Somehow, even though she was an angel, the thought hadn’t bother me as much as I had expected. Maybe it was her youth, her charm, her naivety or maybe the fact that she was going to save my life in her future, but I hadn’t minded that she possessed it. To be honest, I still didn’t and by now, I was even glad the ring was with her. If it had been here…

The building, the lava garden and even the cellar of the temple had been destroyed, leaving behind nothing but dust and fragmented stones, still burning with the forces they had once contained. At the centre of a massive crater, amidst the rubble, where the lines of power ended, a haggard, almost emaciated figure had kneeled. A coarse, brown robe had covered it entirely, except for the very humanoid feet, clad in sandals. It could have been an old human pilgrim, if it hadn’t been for the carved primordial ashen staff at its side and the gargantuan, pitch black wolf, about the size of a truck, growling menacingly at me. That godless beast was one of a kind, the last survivor of a long forgotten race and it served only one master. The one eyed angel, the master of lore and forbidden magics. Odin, he had been called, others had named him Fenrir.

Ironic, considering those were the names of mortal enemies in many a culture. Enemies that would bring about the end of the world, but in reality, they were one and the same: Odin and his faithful watchdog, two bodies driven by the same cruel, indomitable will. At least he had still felt like himself. An oppressive, crushing presence, calm at the moment but brimming with unspent wrath and fury, like a storm grey sea under a winter’s sky. As much as I feared the crushing waves, I was still unbelievably glad he hadn’t been changed. If that creature ever became corrupted, even the Cassandra I had met would have to fight spear and wings with all she had to best him. His magic was unique and deadly and he was one of the best fighters I had ever known.

I had breathed in deeply, savouring the familiar odour of sulphur, magics… and a wet dog. Wrinkling my nose, I had approached, ignoring Fenrir’s rising growl.

“Get over yourself, pup. I’m not here for a fight.” A hackling cough, or maybe a chuckle, had escaped Odin. Like the old man he pretended to be, he had climbed to his feet creakily.

“That’s new,” he had commented. “A demoness as an emissary of peace. And I thought I had already seen it all. Down, Fen.” He turned to face me, the lidless gap where his left eye had been filled with an eerie, bluish light, casting shadows over his crooked nose and waxy features. “The little succubus isn’t a danger. Who knows, she might even be a friend. Are you, Lilith?” I had shrugged.

“Honestly, there’s only one immortal I’d consider a friend and you’re not her. She’s much prettier and less cranky.”

“Her? Who… Ah, he has survived, hasn’t he? I should have known. Where is he?” With a gesture, he called his staff to his hand, the runes sparkling as if delighted to be reunited with the grumpy grandpa. I had licked my lips nervously, eyeing the prowling wolf, who had been trying to get behind me. I wasn’t entirely convinced of his playfulness. The gleaming, ebony fangs, flowing mane and glowing eyes made him just a tad to imposing to ignore.

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“Far away and safe until he’s fully grown. What are you doing here?” He raised a practically nonexistent eyebrow but let his question go.

“Salvaging what’s left of this wasteland. Someone had to.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea,” I asked, slowly turning on the spot. The sickly veins of pulsing power didn’t look healthy. For anyone. “It doesn’t seem like it is.” He absentmindedly called his companion over and began stroking the head of the massive wolf, which was about as large as I was tall. The freaking puppy really gave me the creeps.

“I’m tired, Lilith. Too much has happened. Why have you come here? It’s dangerous, you know that. Especially if you know where your feathered friend is hiding.”

“She sent me,” I blabbered, before I could stop myself. “Told me to explore hell, what’s left of it.”

“She? I guess it doesn’t matter.” He brushed his long, black grey hair back with hands that looked more like claws. “You were told to come here and now I’m telling you to leave. There’s nothing waiting for you, they’re all gone.”

“But you aren’t? How, Odin? Why aren’t you…” I gesticulated helplessly.

“Fallen? Disfigured, corrupted? I’ve never bowed my head to anyone, Lilith, you should know best, and I won’t start now. I’ll neither become a pawn to be pushed around nor a servant taking orders. But you… what happened to you? Last I heard, Delilah was tracking you down. Where is she?” I grinned smugly.

“Not too far away, but you don’t have to worry,” I added immediately when I saw him tense up, “she’s… clean.” I hesitated, debating whether or not to share more than I already had, but allies were sparse and if I could somehow convince him to stand with us, it’d be worth so much. Sighing, I produced her core and showed it to him. “That’s her, fresh and innocent like… well, a newborn. In a way, I think she really is.” Transfixed, he stared at the smooth orb in my hand, his spidery fingers reaching. He stopped himself before he made contact, a surprised, almost satisfied light burning in his eye.

“So there really is a way back. I’ve always wondered… Fen, stand guard, the Lady and I will have a long overdue conversation.” With a low howl, the dangerous beast quivered and turned into fleeting shadows, chasing after the last rays of light before they vanished.

“I’m guessing you’re not going to give me much of a choice,” I quipped.

“Afraid not. But I am willing to tell you what I’m doing here in return for some answers.”

“Not like I’m going to get a better deal. Fine, then. What do you want to know?”

“You said you were sent here. Why? What could anyone want in this abandoned place?”

“I could ask you the very same thing. Anyways, I don’t really know either, but if I had to guess, I’d say to meet you. Lucifer… Cassandra, the one I met, she was from the future. I think she knew pretty darn well what I’d find here.”

“Time travel? Are you serious? He has the power, but he shouldn’t have the skill.”

“Well, I might have summoned her through a tear in time… I gave her a beacon to focus on. It wasn’t really by choice. Delilah… she caught me. Do you know how strong she’s become?” He nodded. “I didn’t stand a chance. I needed help and Lu… Cassandra is… she was the only one I thought capable of defeating my sister and caring enough to actually come. You should meet her. She’s quite the sight for sore eyes and sassy to boot. You’d either be fast friends or at each other’s throat within seconds. Both would be fun to watch.”

“I’ll take your word for it. I’ve never been comfortable in his presence and I don’t think he’s changed that much. Despite his delirious meanderings about choice and free will he never really did. Change, that is.” I chuckled merrily.

“Trust me, you wouldn’t recognise what she was, even if she kicked you in the balls. From what I’ve seen, she’s… different. And I don’t mean her reincarnation. She seems much more… alive. As if there was a fire burning in her. A fire no one can extinguish. Odin… I don’t think she will lose, not this time around.”

“Are you willing to bet on that?”

“Already have. I haven’t told her yet, but I’m with her, every step of the way. Maybe I’m just desperate but I don’t think so. She’s… here, let me show you.” I closed my eyes, my magic stirring. I felt it leave my body, the sparks marshalled into figures and forms, slowly taking on the shape of the breathtaking creature who had come to save me. Her armour, her spear, her wings and lastly her face and her crown, burning brightly, even in my memories.

Odin hissed in surprise when I had finished, his eye reverently roaming over the illusion I had created. “That’s… she’s…,” he stammered, which was a first. It wasn’t everyday you saw an immortal at a loss for words but an angel wearing a demon’s crown was unheard of. Unheard, impossible and a bunch of other adjectives like preposterous, unbelievable or simply wrong, but still, she was there, just like she had appeared before me.

“Yup. Our little princess is more than a beautiful face, maybe even more than we first believed her to be. Humbling, isn’t it? Remembering how much he made us squirm, even before he grew out his horns. And now… by the abyss, the more I think about it, the more I become convinced we aren’t actually the ones who should fear for their life. Facing that… I think I’d rather spend a few centuries in a convent. A strict one.”

“I see what you mean,” he mumbled while he circled the shimmering apparition. “Even through your memories I can feel her power. No wonder Michel has tried his utmost to kill him off. Do you think he has always been like this?”

“I don’t really know, but…. Yeah. He might have forgotten but it would explain why it took most of us to bring him to his knees. This time… she will remember, Odin. This is what she will become. I’ve seen it. No force in heaven can stop it and once she spreads her wings… maybe the Pearly Gates aren’t as impenetrable as we always thought.”

“You think she’ll march on the Silver City?”

“Not today and not tomorrow, but sooner or later, she will remember why she fought us in the first place and when she does, I’d rather be a friend than an enemy. You haven’t seen it, yet.” I changed the flow of power and another silhouette grew from the shadows, hulking and distorted. With little effort, I recalled Cassy’s fight against Delilah, if you could even call it a fight. In hindsight, a thrashing might be more accurate or maybe tough, parental love. The demoness hadn’t had a prayer, her power burned to ashes in the blink of an eye. I felt a grin spread across my features. Like so many tyrants before him, Michael had created his own worst nightmare and one day, she would come to collect and I’d be there, watching and laughing all the way.

“By the Nine Eyes, she could have ended her, just like we would squish a mortal. What will she become,” he asked reverently.

“The future? The past? Does it matter? All we have to figure out is on which side to stand, once the dust settles and I, for one, won’t ever fight against that thing. I’d rather make out with a cactus. Now, can I ask a question in return?” He paused in his tracks and gave me curt nod. “How could that happen?” I indicated the empty parish around us. “Michael promised, he promised us years. How could he…”

“He didn’t,” he interrupted me. “That’s not the doing of an angel, even though I’m sure many of my brethren rejoiced at the thought. No, hell was betrayed by its own people. We didn’t lift a finger, Lilith. Demons, demons did this. I don’t know why, but I can guess, probably as well as you. It’s… it’s getting worse, ever since you’ve been chased away, our people have changed. I’m not even sure if we can rightfully call them that, anymore. That’s also why I’m here. I’m looking for the truth. The last battle this place has seen must have left something behind. Magical residue, transcendent blood… something must be here, but I haven’t found it, yet. It looks almost like… like your family simply packed up one day and vanished without a trace.”