Black Sunshine

Chapter 14 - Being Able to Tell Friend from Foe is Crucial to Survival in a World Determined to Make the Two Indistinguishable

The large wooden door to the cathedral blew apart in a fiery explosion. Wood chips fell at Solana’s feet. The Bishop of Ruin turned to her.

“See, our enemies seek only to defile and destroy. For the peace and safety we seek, they must be stopped at any cost.”

Solana nodded. It all made perfect sense. After all, the woman that walked through the door was literally a demon. She had seen first hand what the woman had done to the nuns guarding her as she used the machine the Bishop had built to speed up their construction.

“Ah, you must be Nera,” the Bishop of Ruin intoned with what seemed like amusement, “I am known as the Bishop of Ruin, and you, my little demon saboteur, have been futzing up my plans!” The last bit was shouted and the stained glass windows cracked from the force of it.

“If you know who I am, then you know what I’m here for,” the demon replied, lifting a rifle to her shoulder and aiming for the man, electricity crackling at the end of the barrel, “and that I don’t give a rat’s ass for your plans.”

With a resounding crack the demon fired at the Bishop of Ruin, but the bullet lost all of its momentum and fell harmlessly to the floor about halfway to him. Solana had put up a movement suppression field, and she was glad that she had as a weak magical spark fizzled from the harmless hunk of metal.

“Well, shit,” the demon said.

Solana felt the surge of the magic from deep inside her pulse and flow into her outstretched hand. Just as she had been taught by the Bishop of Ruin, when it was large enough she triggered its flight at the demon who defiled their beautiful cathedral with her hellfire.

She felt the fulfillment that the Bishop had promised as the magic burned at the demon's shoulder and sent her flying into the wall. With a nod at the Bishop, acknowledging that she would see to this vile creature, she began walking down the stairs in front of the altar charging another blast. This one would surely hit its target, and free them of this demonic scourge.

She longed to see the Bishop returned to his proper place among the stars. He promised that they would ascend even to the stars themselves once his heavenly chariot was repaired, to live in peace and harmony. She had been helping towards that very goal when she had been kidnapped by the monster in front of her.

The demon stood up, as Solana launched another destructive blast. She snarled as it dodged out of the way. A section of the wall of the cathedral cracking from the force. The Bishop had assured her that violence in the name of peace, even destroying the cathedral to stop evil was good.

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“Solana, what are you doing,” the demon cried, “Do you not even recognize me?”

The Bishop had warned her against listening to the words of the demon. He had said that it would try to poison her mind against what they were building. But how had the demon known her name? It must be reading her mind. She felt sick at the thought of that violation.

“Die,” Solana said in a monotone voice, before she let another blast loose.

Pews flew up into the air from the force of the spell,but the demon managed to duck behind a pillar in time.

“Just stay still, and die!” Solana screamed, magical force pushing everything away from her in a perfect circle, “You’re ruining everything!”

“What are you talking about?” the demon asked.

“Don’t listen to the demon,” the Bishop’s reassuring voice filled her head, “kill it so we may continue our mission of peace.”

Solana felt her rage cooling, and another bolt of magic flew from her hand, just as the demon peeked out from the pillar. Chunks of rock, slashed across the demon’s face. One had apparently broken the demon’s nose. It gasped in pain, but ran from that pillar to the next.

Solana felt her mind twist, as a memory of this demon with a broken nose, lovingly smiling at her, forced itself to the surface. A warmth filled her chest, and she felt tears well up in her eyes. Not sad tears but happy ones. She shook her head. Was this really her memory? It was too vivid to not be.

No. The demon was tricking her. The Bishop had warned Solana that she- no, it would try and poison her mind. The rage returned, she could feel the magic spilling out of her eyes drying the tears and becoming a flame, she focused on pushing beams out at the enemy and the magic complied.

The beams cut through pews as the demon ran for her life. For some reason this brought her joy? Solana didn’t think of herself as a violent person. Memories of her helping patients in a hospital filled her head. Was this the mind poison?

She fell to her knees and clutched her aching head. The demon stopped running away and started running towards her. She felt the desire to stand and embrace her.

No. Not “she”. It. It is a demon. Demons are bad.

And this one in particular was trying to interfere with the divine plan that had been given to the Bishop!

With a vicious scream, a pulse of searing hot magic ripped its way out of her and slammed full force into the demon. It flew and burned. Only stopping when with a disturbing snap it hit a stone pillar. Stone dust fell from the ceiling.

The demon was trying to get up.

Trying to move.

Trying to escape, but seemed unable to.

Was she about to win? A surge of excitement and dread that gave her a stomach ache swelled inside her. Why was she feeling such confusing things at the same time?

The demon looked up at her with tears in its eyes, as Solana prepared the final blow. Why did she feel the need to stop? Were her own desires for peace overriding the divine will of the Bishop of Ruin? Her mind reeled at the swirl of conflicting thoughts filling her head. She stared wide eyed at the demon below her. Why did she look familiar? What was happening to her?

“I’m so sorry, Solana. I love you,” she said before collapsing unconscious.