"As far as I'm concerned, I don't think it's a bad idea. Let's do it!" May said enthusiastically, looking at both Ephram and Silvia as they sat upon the large red velvety chairs of Aberlain's study.
The smell of old books and wooden shelving filled the air of the study, blanketing everyone within the room. The study had been left nearly identical to the last time Ephram had seen it, except for the yellow and black robe Aberlain had hung upon the back of the chair behind his desk. The clutter of it had been tidied up as well, as if the Rootlord had grabbed his belongings and fled after clearing his documents from his desk. It was suspicious to Ephram how quickly the Rootlord had disappeared, leaving nothing but trouble in his wake.
Both Ephram and Silvia nodded in unison at May's remark, and Silvia especially seemed excited. Her presence was a welcome one within the halls of Palace Estella, as if she were the only light shining in all of Hell. Her smile warmed not only the heart of Ephram, but everyone else in the room as well. May had taken notice of just how comforting her presence was, and found herself slipping into an odd sense of safety and security she had never felt before. With both Ephram and Silvia around, she felt as if nothing could ever harm her or those she cared about.
"Alright, then it's settled. We'll travel to mine and Silvia's home and fix it up. It'd be the perfect spot to hide out from Aberlain as well, there's no telling when he'll return to the palace. I'd rather not be here when that happens." Ephram said confidently, glad to have the support of his friends on his side.
As he looked around the room, his heart grew fonder of each and every one of them. The shorter copy of Restavel standing near the door to the sigil looked back at him, nodding slowly to confirm her support in the plan. May and Silo nodded as well, the field mouse perching himself back upon her shoulder. Lastly, Silvia and Ephram shared a quick glance towards each other as well. It had been some time since she'd seen their home, and Ephram could only hope that they were able to restore it to its former beauty.
"Restavel? What do you plan on doing with your main body? Surely you can't just leave it here, right?" Ephram asked, looking at the short maid near the door.
"It's quite alright, actually. Now that Aberlain no longer has control over me, I believe I won't have anything to worry about. It'd be dangerous to move my main body right now as it's healing from the wounds you'd inflicted, and I think it'd be safer to have, excuse my pun, a pair of eyes within these walls, don't you?"
"Hm... yeah, I suppose so. Even so, make sure your main body stays safe and out of sight, I don't want him finding you while you're vulnerable..." Ephram began, making his way over to the door near her, "... shall we, everyone?"
As the five of them entered the room and shut the door behind them, the familiar stench of sulfur seeped deep within their bones. The dark yellow sigil sprawling across the ground glowed softly with the melting candles surrounding it. As the five of them all held onto one another, the sigil began to activate as the darkness of the void encircled them. Looking away from the bright sphere of light rapidly approaching, Ephram held firmly to the hand of his beloved wife as they were all enveloped in a blinding white light.
Upon their arrival, the white light began to dissipate as the empty CEO's office came into view. The first thing Ephram had noticed was the large glass window they'd broken before was now repaired, yellow tape surrounding the frame to hold it together. He thought it almost amusing to see the window once again shatter due to May, chuckling to himself quietly as he thought of how angered Ryan would be when he saw this once again.
The splintered glass fell with a large shattering scream, and he noticed Silvia jump slightly from the noise. It must've been quite the shock to her seeing Earth once again after all this time, and the bustling noises of people below must have overstimulated her mind. The only thing he could think to do at the moment was squeeze tightly to her hand, reminding her that he was going nowhere anytime soon. If the two of them were together, everything would be alright in the end.
As the five of them made their way towards the window, preparing for the long flight ahead, Ephram pointed out towards the horizon of the city.
"Hey, look." He said, gesturing to the morning sun as it rose freely from the city skyline.
Looking out to the sunrise now showing its face upon the city, the five of them stared in wonder as it slowly climbed its way into the sky. Ephram looked at the people he had surrounded himself with, thinking to himself just how lucky he was to have people who seemed to truly cared about him on his side. The rising sun was proof to this fact, that with every day ahead of them, it would shine on them all as they made their way towards a perfect future. With these people by his side, he was sure to accomplish anything and everything he could dream of, absolutely nothing could ever hope to stop him.
He began to feel the air around him shift slightly, and watched as May's arms raised powerfully to her sides as she commanded the wind around them. Holding tightly to Silvia as their feet lifted from the ground, he heard a small whimper escape her throat as the fear of falling settled in. For an angel without wings, heights were now just a problem to her as they were to any ordinary human.
"It's alright, don't worry, I've totally done this before!" May yelled happily, trying but failing to reassure Silvia and the others as they sped dramatically out of the window.
As the air whipped past them and Silvia shut her eyes tightly, Ephram reached out with his other hand to stroke her cheek gently. Opening her eyes carefully, she began to feel the breath escape from her lungs as she looked down at the sparkling city below. Its lights outshone that of any star, shining fiercely through the daylight as if to ignore the sun completely. The beauty of Earth was nearly indescribable to her as they ascended into the white puffy clouds scattered above.
...
The warm afternoon air felt refreshing and clean compared to that of the crowded city, a soft warm breeze drifted softly with the wind as May set the five of them down upon the sidewalk. The large two-story yellow house stood proudly in front of them, with all its boarded up windows and broken shingles crying out for joy at the return of its original owners like a long lost puppy.
"So this is it, huh? It's quite lovely, but I can see there's been a bit of damage since your absence." Restavel said, her gaze settling upon the front porch of the home as a broken baby blue swing rocked softly back and forth with the breeze.
"It's gone quite downhill since last I'd seen it... what happened?" Silvia asked as the five of them made their way inside the home, passing by the swing with a sense of forlorn nostalgia.
Ephram decided not to answer her question as they entered the home, looking at the dumpster it had become and giving his wife her answer by gesturing to the large trash piles lying within. Her guess was as good as his as to how the house came to be this way, but the most likely scenario to him were curious humans who managed to sneak inside of the infamous home of a double suicide. He thought to himself how horrible the world must view them, ignoring all the good they'd done with their life and all the torment they'd been through, just to be remembered by the way they'd gone out. It matters not how you die, but what you die for.
As they made their way into the living room, Ephram stopped suddenly as he scanned his surroundings. It looked to be just about the same as before, but something about the air of the home felt off to him. He couldn't quite place it, however, and decided not to mention anything to the others just yet. Perhaps it was just the feelings overwhelming him from the sight of his discarded home, or perhaps it was something more. Slowly bending down to pick up a mostly intact trash bag, overflowing with miscellaneous garbage, he heaved the bag over his shoulder.
"No time like the present, right?" He said, hauling the garbage outside to the porch and throwing it out onto the small front lawn between the sidewalk and the home.
"By the way, maybe one of us should stay outdoors to make sure nobody spots us? It wouldn't be too helpful if any curious humans pass by and see floating garbage." He said as he re-entered the living room, noticing the others had begun to help clean up.
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"I have an idea, actually. What if Restavel and I stay on watch? May and I were just talking while you were throwing out that bag, she could use her wind magic to clear out a ton of trash while we stayed on watch." Silo suddenly piped up from May's shoulder, hopping over to the short maid as May walked past her and over towards Ephram.
Nodding in agreement, Ephram made a mental note to thank Silo later for coming up with a plan this quickly. It was a wonderful feeling having the support and friendship of these people, and Ephram knew that one day he would repay them all in whatever way he could. As he began picking up yet another trash bag, he thought to himself about ideas for compensation. Perhaps the five of them could use their home as their own, instead of finding a place within Hell to hide from Aberlain and other demons sure to be out to get them. It was certainly safer for them all on Earth, and to go back to Hell would just be looking for trouble at this point.
As Restavel and Silo made their way outside and onto the sidewalk, Ephram watched them through the large window overlooking the front yard in the living room. Some of the boards had fallen off, creating several large openings to view the outside from. It was only when he turned back to face the living room that he was almost hit with a speeding object zooming through the air, and had to duck quickly in order to not be bombarded with flying trash.
"Woah! A little heads up, maybe!?" He said as he looked at May, who now stood in the far corner of the room with her hands up and golden hair flowing with the wind from underneath her red sunhat.
"Sorry! I didn't think you were gonna turn around so fast." She said innocently, trying to hide a small giggle trying to escape from her voice.
Ephram stood back up slowly, fixing his hat upon his head, and heard yet another giggle escape from someone else. Looking over to his right, he spotted Silvia carrying a small metal tray with miscellaneous trash stacked on top, trying not to laugh hysterically as she balanced the tray.
"Yeah, yeah... you two better watch your backs from now on." He said defeatedly, knowing he was outnumbered.
As the three of them moved the hordes of trash, Ephram began thinking to himself once again about how truly lucky he was to have found so many kindred spirits. It seemed to him that everything was slowly getting better, his life was finally turning around and heading in the right direction. His memories had returned to him, he had saved his wife from the Abyss, and he had found several others along the way who were willing and able to help him. He wasn't sure what he could do to ever fully repay them, but made it his most important next task to do so.
Ephram looked at both May and Silvia, thinking to himself just how important these two people were to him. Restavel and Silo as well held a special place in his heart, and he just couldn't shake the feeling that they felt the same for him. When he was still just a human man living in this house, the only person he could ever turn to had always been Silvia. Ever since coming to Hell, however, he had somehow made companions he knew he would never let go of. He found it quite funny how his entire life as a human being was spent on the run from others, always trying to hide in the shadows. All it took was a quick trip to Hell and back for him to find people he knew he could truly care about.
Picking up yet another trash bag and lugging it outside, Ephram began to hear a small amount of static beginning to flicker from somewhere within the living room. It was faint and very quiet, but it was undoubtedly underneath the piles of trash somewhere.
"Do you two hear that? It sounds like... static?" He asked, looking to May and Silvia as they dropped what they were doing to help him search for the source of the noise.
Rummaging through several large bags of trash and moving the stained floral pattern couch out of the way, Silvia was the first to come across the source. It seemed to be a small box television set hiding underneath several large black trash bags, its screen just barely fading into view as the static grew in volume. How it was operational was beyond them, the wires in the back of the television had been cut and salvaged by whomever had broken into their home.
"How is this happening?" Silvia asked, inspecting the television as she placed it upon the couch and faced the device.
Neither Ephram nor May could think of any plausible explanation, and were bewildered to see this ghost of a television set seemingly come back to life as it displayed its static screen. It was peculiar to them both how all of a sudden it had jumped back to life without any electricity running through it, but it was a clear indicator that something was most definitely wrong.
As the three of them thought of what to do next, their trains of thought had been run entirely off the tracks as they witnessed what happened next. The television screen slowly faded to black, and a pair of yellow eyes slowly opened upon the screen. Their golden hue flowed with the waves of static now fighting back against however the television had come to life, as if it didn't want to be operational any longer. As the three of them stared dumbfoundedly at the screen, the familiar voice of Aberlain the Rootlord echoed from the TV as he began speaking.
"My name is Aberlain Estella, and I am the rightful ruler of both Hell and Earth. I am so very proud... of you all. Every human being residing within this realm has created wonders. Let me start off by saying, I don't do any of this out of malice. I do this to protect you all." The voice of the Rootlord said from the TV, causing the three of them to back up slowly from it in shock.
"What the hell is happening..." May said quietly under her breath as she listened to her fathers words.
"I will no longer be subdued by the ignorance and disgust this world brings upon me and my own. I will no longer be a slave to the machinations of reality. I have brought it upon myself to shed light upon our situation, keeping you all in the dark no longer... there is a war, and you have all been fighting it since the dawn of your existence. Whether you believe me or not is not my concern, because I have taken precautions for this." The Rootlord said, backing up slowly from the screen to allow the viewers to get a good look at him.
As the shadows fell from his face, the face of Aberlain the Rootlord was nowhere to be found. Instead, the face of Ryan Bailey showed itself with its two glowing yellow eyes, dressed in a crimson red suit. Behind the CEO was a large broken window and extravagant wooden desk with a leathery black office chair. The CEO's office of Stellarh Inc. was now inhabited by Aberlain once more, as if he had been waiting in the shadows for the most opportune moment to strike. His plan was finally about to come to fruition, and as Ephram watched him from the television set, he noticed a sinister smile creep onto his face.
"That's Ryan... how..." He muttered with bewilderment, unsure of what to make of this situation.
"The sword I fight with is not one of steel or bronze. The sword I carry is one of knowledge. I am willing to share with all of humanity the knowledge I've accumulated over my years... but first, I must know which of you are worthy. I do this with a heavy heart, but it must be done. Do not think of the coming days as your extinction... but as a cull. Only the strongest and most intelligent of you will survive... I have no room in my kingdom for the ignorant and lazy! So fight! Fight until you can't any longer! Unsheathe the swords of humanity against me! Only those who survive will be worthy of entering my ranks!" Aberlain shouted, his commanding voice booming from the mouth of Ryan Bailey.
As the camera slowly moved backwards to encompass the entire CEO's office, Ephram and the others stared in horror at the sight before them. Demons crowded the entire room, crawling slowly out of the now open portal to Hell caused by the sigil beneath Aberlain's feet. Each demon crawling through the portal snarled and groaned with rage and frustration, as if each step they took caused them excruciating pain. As the Rootlord sat upon the CEO's desk, his arms wide open as if gesturing for a hug, he began to laugh under his breath at the spectacle he'd created.
Each demon's eyes glowed with either an orange or golden hue, as if each of them had been possessed by a Rootlord and forced to do their bidding. It was only when Aberlain clasped his hands together slowly that the TV set switched screens, now showing a human woman beneath the Stellarh Inc. building.
She was dressed in a simple light blue shirt and dark jeans as she held the microphone shakily to her lips, trying to speak as clearly as she could as she addressed her fellow humans.
"This is Angela Ceralt, L.A. news, I'm not entirely sure what to make of the clip just played moments ago, but as you can see here, there seem to be some kind of... monsters climbing the outside of the Stellarh Incorporated building here in Los Angeles! Authorities haven't made a statement just yet as to what the CEO, Ryan Adrian Bailey, was talking about in the clip, but rest assured when we find out you'll be the first to know!" She said shakily, obviously frightened by being so close to the scene.
"I am also just now receiving word that the Los Angeles police department has requested aid from the U.S. military, and that every citizen of L.A. needs to stay inside and lock their doors, this is not a military exercise or drill! You must stay indoors and do not come out unt-" She stopped suddenly as she watched several demons fall from the top of the skyscraper, landing with a gruesome crunch just 50 feet away from her.
Swearing under her breath and throwing the microphone to the ground, Angela proceeded to run back towards the white news van with her cameraman, who had decided to stay and record the creatures for one second too long.
The rattling of broken bones in the legs of the demons shook the two news people to their core as they watched the tall, thin, and snarling dark demons make their way over to them. The cameraman froze in his tracks from fear as the first demon lunged at Angela, ripping into her lower abdomen with its long sharp teeth. Her screams were drowned out by the howling laughter of the other approaching demons, who had picked up speed at the smell of fear ripening within the air. Once they had reached the cameraman, however, the TV set Ephram and the others all stared at in horror had shut off entirely.
The three of them looked at themselves in shock through the reflection of the pitch-black screen, trying to comprehend the horrors they had just witnessed. Ephram felt as if time were now moving in slow motion as he watched Silvia collapse to her knees, holding her hands over her mouth as tears began to flow from her eyes. Even May had been quite shaken up from the sight of the atrocity her father had just now committed.
"Wait... Restavel! Silo!" Ephram suddenly shouted, remembering the two of them had been waiting outside all this time.
If Aberlain had somehow unleashed an army through the halls of Palace Estella and into the CEO's office, the main body of Restavel might not be as safe as they'd previously believed. Furiously bolting out the door, he ran into the front yard once he spotted the two of them. The short maid had collapsed to the ground, and Silo seemed to be trapped underneath her.
"Are you alright!? Tell me what happened!" He shouted, bending down to hoist the maid into his arms and allowing the field mouse to crawl onto his shoulder.
"I'm not sure, she just collapsed all of a sudden! She started saying something about having a problem, but before I could ask what she meant it was too late!" Silo shouted, holding on to Ephram as he rushed back inside with the maid in his arms.
Kicking the TV set to the floor and placing her gently down upon the couch, he looked back at Silvia and May as they tried comforting one another from the horrors of Aberlain. Ephram didn't know what to do anymore, all of a sudden, his life had once again been torn to shreds by the cruelness of others. It was unfair. There was no possible way he could allow this to happen, Aberlain had gone too far now. Lost in the maze of his mind, Ephram raced to find a solution to this growing problem that called itself the ruler of both Hell and Earth. The ego of Aberlain had begun to engulf the two realms, and Ephram could not stand for it. If he were to change the world for the better, the Rootlord would have to die.