Fallen Angel Part 2
When Fallen awoke the next morning she was surprised the sun did not harm her. She looked baffled around the roof, then out at the sun, from her window, unaware she was being observed. "It can't hurt you, you know?" Fallen Angel turned to the doorway, to see a grimacing Grave Sinner.
"What cant," asked Fallen Angel, pretending that she had not the faintest idea of what he was talking about.
"The sun, for it is only damaging to a vampire, though the myth of vampires falling into a puff of dust at sunrise is just folk lore. But our poor Countess, she would die immediately in these conditions, though not to say her species doesn't have its advantages. Depending on the class and breed of vampire, abilities such as enhanced senses, inhuman strength and speed, transformations of simple creatures- Bats, rats, crows, ravens, small breeds of serpent, mice, and owls all being very common choices -and in some cases special vampires have the ability of hypnosis through eye contact."
"Though all are very exceptional traits that in combination make up a very exceptional creature, do not for a moment envy them, for though you, every demon in this reality and I are in pain at all times, we have not been deprived of our emotions, our greatest gift in all the world. That is not the same for the vampires. They feel no anger, simply hatred and distain for all beings but themselves. They feel no sadness, simply a depressive tint on their night-to-night lives out of the boredom they feel. They feel no joy, only the satisfaction of a successful kill, seduction, or creation of another vampire. The one thing that makes me pity them more than all else, the absolute pure downfall that comes with their honorable power, they feel no love, none at all," spoke the wise grave Sinner.
Fallen Angel asked, "What about us, Grave Sinner? What of demons?"
"Demons are swift, sense fear, sin, and pain, and depending on experience we could have powers such as telekinesis, telepathy, control fire, harness the power of fire, and some can even create fire from their very palms. All demons have a small level of shape shifting ability, and some demons even practice that as their expertise. Personally I choose to stick with telekinesis more than anything else. Anyways, breakfast is being prepared in the kitchen, and will be brought to the dining room momentarily, where demons, and a small range of other creatures will be feasting, vampires excluded of course. I shall meet you there," said Grave Sinner, and then walking down the bright crimson halls, he made his exit.
The dining room table was a buzz, wound of commotion, gossip, and plenty of other ill stresses. It was there she saw several new faces, but one stood above the rest. A large dragon, that would have been twenty-six feet tall on his hind legs, though only 5'4" in regular stance. The dragons name was Galfor. He was not actually a member, but a friend of Blood Lust. Galfor was very wise, and well liked. Galfor was decorated of crisp blue chilling scales, white frost like spikes that traveled from his scalp of his head, along the spine, to the fork of his tail. His eyes were equally frost like, and gave the sensation that his knowledge was infinite, and well stored through those gaping white eyes.
"Itsa' certonly grand ta' meetcha," said Galfor in a thick, and to Fallen Angel unidentified accent.
"Thank you, and it is a pleasure to meet you as well," politely said Fallen.
"Listen, I hove a little training program thot' might interest ya'. Itsa' noth'n special, jost a few members of yar family who wish ta improve thar battle skills," offered Galfor.
"I would be pleased to join your training program. When and where is it?" asked Fallen Angel.
"At dusk north of har, at an old once volcanic crater, that's me oll' perch," said Galfor. "
Alright. I will be there," said Fallen Angel.
"Breakfast is ready," yelled Grave Sinner, followed by what seemed to be endless flow of silver trays, covered with silver lids, each giving an extravagant aroma. "Listen up!" bellowed Grave Sinner past the jibber jabber of the room. He waited for a calm silence, and then proceeded, "Some of you know the good news, some of you don't. Well the good news is that we have a fresh member here with us this morning. Her name is Fallen Angel. She is a demon, though as you can see the demon in her is subtle at sight, but deadly at touch. I warn you all, though she looks delicate, a creature with her sort of power who can fly, due to her angelic form is nothing to spit at... Commence with the feast!"
When the trays were opened she saw an assortment of meats, pork, beef, venison, lamb, pheasant, turkey, and chicken. She saw that it was ranged from half cooked, to not cooked at all. Another thing she saw was that in some of the silver trays lye a set of candles or gas lamp, drawing demons near for them to gather the warmth they feed off from. Demonica stood aside as food was devoured in a wild frenzy. Fallen Angel sat, chewing on a sliver of beef, as if it was like all those years ago with her father. "Fools, all fools," spat Demonica to herself. Fallen Angel was confused by Demonica's behavior. Fallen Angel did not know if Demonica was upset, disgusted, or envies, but whichever one, Fallen Angel pitied Demonica.
After the breakfast feast all the demons and creatures of darkness fled to their rooms, but Fallen Angel did not. Fallen Angel began to travel to the place of training. It was a long path to the crater of which Galfor spoke. Then Fallen Angel noticed something. She noticed that Demonica had been following her. Fallen did not know exactly why, but she did know she wasn't going to make this an easy game of Follow-the-leader. Fallen Angel's wings spread for the first time, as her pace quickened, then with a plunge of both feet, she shot upwards into the ravishing blue, then swooping downwards in a spin just for show. Demonica quickly recognized this as taunting, so she felt an erg to teach the fresh member some tricks. Though fallen knew what Grave Sinner told of demons, Grave sinner did emphasize something. He mentioned that demons are swift, but what he did not mention was that there are some demons that are so fast that physics, time, and all that is can be discarded, forgotten, and replaced with one rule... Determination.
In a single moment Fallen Angel had Demonica clinging to her heel, an eerie crackle of Demonica's laughter cursed the scene, which not only chilled the heart of fallen for its pure wickedness, but for its unnatural host, Demonica, the one known for her psychopathically neutral behavior. Perhaps there was great evil in Demonica, but this meant there was possibility for goodness in Demonica as well.
"What is it you are trying to prove to me, fool? That you can do a little pixie trick with you feathers? Well I am not impressed. All you have shown me is that you are as foolish as any other who dwells this planet, if not more so," said Demonica.
"All I am trying to prove to you is that I belong in this family as much as you do. I don't wish to impress you, and I am not even sure why you're following me," shouted Fallen Angel, as she kicked her leg to rid herself of the tyrant, whom continued to make her way up to the shin, piercing the soft skin every inch in leverage.
"Fool, there is no belonging! The entire manor is a sanctuary from the dreary boredom we all flee, and I am following you for the same reason the others are following us," said Demonica. Fallen Angel looked back, seeing in the horizon of pink light- that of a setting sun -a few bats shifting into view, obviously recently awoken vampires. Another sight was the large hooded spectacle known to be Bull Dozer trudging nearly below the two quarreling she-demons in mid sky.
"We are all on our way to practice, Fallen Angel," shouted Bull Dozer, having well hearing himself. Demonica began to poke at Fallen Angel's thigh teasingly, as the two began to wobble in towards ground, by the crater, now only a short distance away. Fallen Angel perfectly landed on a large ledge that lined the ground south of the crater, But Demonica found herself clinging to Fallen Angel's ankle for life, for she did not make the ledge. Fallen grabbed a strong stick and leveled it down by her ankle. The stick had a protrusion at the end towards the right, where Demonica grabbed hold, letting go of Fallen Angel's ankle.
Fallen Angel pulled up Demonica, frantically asking, "Are you alright? Are you alright?"
"I am fine... Fallen Angel," replied Demonica. When Fallen reached the top of the crater, she saw Galfor eagerly awaiting their presence.
"Warr' ista' other people, lass?"
"They are right behind me," she answered, and then having her answer enforced by the fact, when each member- starting with Demonica, ending with a vampire named Raze -became visible.
"All of ya' please stond in an ordarly line," asked Galfor. The creatures did this. Fallen Angel noticed she was situated between the Countess and Bull Dozer. "Every year Grave Sinner asks me to train ya', membars' of blood lust, and I do. Well every year ya' want to get inta' a duel yar first practice, well its not hap'nen this year, ya' understand," asked Galfor.
A wave of echoes drenched the perch, all bellowing that same two words; "Yes, Sir." The training started off with the basics of punching, blocking, and kicking, which lasted the first two hours of the night. Around 10:00 PM the training began to progress to dodging and flipping until 1:00 PM. Class was then dismissed. Fallen using her newly explored ability of flight made it back to the manor at 2:21 PM, though it took her from morning to dusk to get there by foot. When Fallen Angel entered her room her eyes fell upon a handsome gentleman she knew to be Grave Sinner. Instead of his pin striped suit and bowler cap he now wore casual silk night wear, including his silk nightcap that resembled the shape of his bowler cap. His hair was not in his traditional ponytail; rather it freely waved down along his face and shoulders.
"What is it, Grave Sinner," asked Fallen Angel. He simply gazed at her, as a smile formed locked in his crimson skin. Fallen began to feel nervous. "Is everything alright, mister Grave Sinner?" Fallen Angel found herself in the pattern of questioning with out answer. Grave Sinner rouses to his feet, and gently began to approach Fallen Angel. Each step of his was gentle. Each breath of one became more precious to the other. Each of Fallen Angel's recent fantasies was being caressed into her reality. Fallen now found her body pressed against his shoulder. He planted a sweet kiss on her blushing left cheek.
Suddenly a strange flash came to Fallen Angel. In this flash everything had a deep scarlet tint. Fallen Angel could barely see Grave's face, but of what she could see he seemed very different. His skin seemed to no longer have its once sleek fleshy quality, but now more of a scaly texture. His teeth were not in their average state. The teeth were small two-centimeter fangs along his bottom gums and upper gums. The most disturbing feature was the sight of his empty eyes sockets. Flames surrounded his figure, and paved the floorboards. In this momentary flash Fallen Angel felt her blood turn cold.
"Are you alright, Fallen," asked Grave Sinner. Fallen opened her mouth, but she could not speak. She just felt her self continuously distancing herself from Grave Sinner. It was now apparent to Fallen Angel that Grave Sinner was not everything she thought he was, in fact she felt that he was something completely different.
Fallen cleared her throat and gathered her courage, as she stopped backing away and stood her ground. She then shouted, "You aren't all you say you are? Are you?" As soon as Fallen Angel asks this Grave Sinner felt something he had not felt in a very long time. Grave Sinner had felt true pain. Pain that was not explained through physical damage, nor could it be. Grave Sinner was stung with a concoction made up of betrayal, heartbreak, anger, and spliced altogether with a huge portion of confusion.
"I really don't know what you are talking about, Fallen Angel," responded Grave Sinner, as he stepped closer to her.
"Don't you move," snapped Fallen Angel.
"If you take one more step, I'll... I'll be forced to duel you," she continued. Grave Sinner was truly stunned. He did not know what force possessed her to say such things, but he knew that if she did duel him, it would be easy enough for him to win. Even though his victory would be assured, he still would not be able to bring himself to hurt her.
Grave Sinner drops to his knees, as he whispers a single word, "fine." Grave Sinner felt deeply enough for Fallen Angel that he would not risk facing her in the arena. Fallen Angel then ran from his sight. He set on his knees, not willing to pursue her, in fear that she would act upon her challenge if he did. Grave Sinner reached for a knife that he always kept hidden under his night wear, strapped to the front of his thigh with leather bounds.
Fallen Angel runs through the hallway, in horror of the red flash. Could I be crazy, she wondered to herself. Or maybe I am right in thinking that Grave Sinner has been deceitful, she thought. As Fallen Angel reached the end of the hall she heard a scream from behind her. Despite Fallen Angel's suspicions and fears, she turned back to see what was wrong. As she entered the room that she had just fled, she saw Grave Sinner's limp body nestled into the arms of the Countess. Fallen Angel's blood nearly froze solid inside of her, as her breath nearly halted entirely. "No... No, no, no... He is a demon, a creature of the after life, so he can't die, right," asked Fallen Angel to the Countess. The countess had a sad look in her eye.
"Normally you would be right, Fallen Angel. He would just end up around here somewhere in the backfield of this manor. What do you know of reincarnation, Fallen Angel," asks the Countess.
"Not really anything," answers Fallen.
The Countess looks to Fallen Angel, as she lets out a low sigh, and then says, "Reincarnation is a belief that when something dies, it comes back to life as something, someone, and somewhere else. Another common mortal belief is that when something dies, it goes to an after life. There have been many after lives invented in the imaginations of these mortals, but some, such as Heaven and Hell exist. What mortals don't know is that both the idea of reincarnation and an after life are true. When something dies it is sent into an after life. If anyone from this afterlife, known as hell were to kill grave he would reemerge in Hell in a matter of moments. All though if someone from one after life kills someone in another after life, then it is not killing at all, in fact it's the passage way back to mortality. When this happens the victim is reincarnated back into life."
"Well I don't see the problem... No one from another life hurt him, right," asks Fallen. The countess pauses for a moment and then pulls out a glowing knife from her pocket.
"You are right, but what I hold in my hand is what Grave Sinner used to cut his throat. It is an angelic dagger, known as Sanctuary. Many years ago Grave Sinner achieved this after killing a mighty angel. Who was to know that this Angel's blade would still be his end to this afterlife now that all this time has past," said the Countess. There was another pause that slightly chilled the fire burning inside of Fallen Angel. "Wrathless," said the Countess, breaking the brief pause.
"Wrathless," asked Fallen Angel.
"Wrathless was the name of the angel Grave Sinner killed. Let me tell you that his name did not suit him at all. I do not know if it is or is not true that all sins are cleaned when one enters Heaven, but I am absolutely certain that Angels have the ability to hate. Whether they enter with it, or can grow hate while they are in heaven, I have seen enough to know that Angels can hate. Wrathless was guaranteed proof of that," said the Countess, before she stood up with the corpse in her arms and carried it out of the room. Fallen Angel set on her knees, as she began to weep. Fallen Angel wept as if her soul was being squeezed of its misery. Then seeing the blade, Sanctuary before her she took it into the firm grip of her hands. She placed the tip of the blade on her pulsing chest. For a moment Fallen Angel just breathed the refreshing air, and heard the soothing silence. No, thought Fallen, as she then placed the small dagger in between her pair of bosoms.
Fallen then left her room, in search for the countess, and the body. What Fallen Angel found was a crowd in the backfield of demons, Galfor, Dozer, and surprisingly vampires, for it would be dawn soon. Demonica who was rather separated from the crowd approached Fallen Angel. "Do not worry yourself with him, Fallen," said Demonica. "He will be back very soon. We are immortal so time will move swiftly, which means Grave will turn up sooner or later, because people like him never will change, so fate will never change for him. He will never be one to be accepted into the heavens, or even Purgatory. I am pretty certain he will be back. The only question is what shape and what size," says Demonica to Fallen Angel.
"So this is Hell," asks Fallen Angel to Demonica.
After a momentary blank stare from Demonica, she said, "Yes, it is." Fallen thought for a minute and then asked, "Well if this is Hell, then why are vampires, a dragon and a Minotaur here." Demonica smiled, which caught Fallen Angel of guard.
"You know, I remember asking a that question eons ago. The vampires live in hell during their slumber, which is convenient for them because Life's days are Hell's nights. I think it is a punishment inflicted by whom the mortals refer to as God. As for Galfor and Bull Dozer, creatures like them have lasted here and in other after lives for a very long time. Thos creatures do not enter here or any other after life anymore, because in the mortal world those creatures have been slaughtered for quite a vast millennia," spoke Demonica.
Fallen Angel was beginning to understand all this logic, but why it was such common knowledge confused her. In the mortal world no one truly understood death, but many pretended to. In the mortal world all of life was a mystery. Birth has always raised the question, 'where were we before birth?' Life has always raised the question, 'What is the meaning of life?' Death has raised the question, 'where are we going after death?' All three are the most pursued questions in the universe. Fallen thought, Perhaps these things are common knowledge in the after life, because everyone in the after life has the immortal ability to search as long needed to find the answers.
Suddenly a voice in the crowd burst, "Silence." It was Bull Dozer. He was located in the center of the crowd. He wore a sleek black cloak that covered most of his figure. Both his aged face, were visible out from the threads of darkness. Bull Dozer pulled out a pad of paper from under his cloak and began to read, "we are gathered here to say goodbye to the one we know as Grave Sinner, but to say hello to his reborn soul, held in an entirely new body. But the body we knew was originally named Gregory Sins. Gregory was born in Dover, England of the year 1602. Gregory Sins was to become one of the most feared pirates of his time. Perhaps he was better known as the Sin Beard. Gregory was finally killed at the Buckingham gallows in the year of 1650. We wish you fair tidings youthful Gregory Sins, feared pirate Sin Beard, and our friend Grave Sinner."
Bull Dozer flipped one of the pages of the paper pad to the other side, and began to read from the paper. Dozer read, "Grave sinner writes, 'Dear friends and Demonica, if you are reading this it is because I am no longer with you. Of course all of you want a piece of what I have accomplished. Well I suppose that I can not take it with me, so I suppose I should at the least give what ever is coming to who ever deserves it. First I leave a large potion of my fortune, 2.6 billion soul tokens, to Demonica. I know some of you may question my judgment, but allow me to explain. Demonica is the only one of this union that feels superior enough to ignore most luxuries, there for it seems that the fortune should last her the longest. I ask my long time friend, Bull Dozer to protect Fallen Angel, and I leave him my entire collection of weapons in return, because I know how much he adores that collection. I leave Galfor my personal training arena, so that he may continue his training program as the newest member of our family. I leave my best spell book, The Scarlet Droplet to the dear Countess, may all her wishes come true. And finally I leave the leadership of Blood Lust to Fallen Angel, as well as the password to enter my private study. I have faith in you all."
When Bull Dozer was finished speaking he just walked into the manor, with a blank expression. Then the voice of Galfor addressed her, "Fallen Angel, I believe this is yours." He handed her a sealed envelope, marked 'Classified'. "You know it was not easy to keep myself from the temptation of peaking inside all these years, but I believe that what is inside here is what he intended to be yours," said Galfor. As soon as Fallen had the envelope in her hand she brashly dashed to her room, slammed the door, shut the blinds, set the envelope on her nightstand, and just peered at it. After a moment she took a deep breath, and took the envelope in hand. She then opened the envelope to see the word, 'Loveless.'
Fallen after several hours of search in the huge manor, finally found Grave's private study. The door was a blockade of pure steel, which did not seem passable. Fallen Angel then recited the word just revealed to her. "Loveless," she spoke, after a momentary glance around herself to check for eavesdroppers. The door receded 5 feet into the wall. Fallen entered this gap, but she failed to see anything of importance. Out of frustration she began to sob, scream, and finally stomp. As she stomped, she fell through the boards of a small platform, which was the only area of the 5 feet that was not supported by concrete.
She fell into a comfortable velvet chair, triggering a spell in which a message of Grave Sinner could be heard, "Hello, Fallen Angel. I believe there are many secrets that should be revealed. If I am right people have been fooled, and this is just the beginning to something big. I want you to take the large book you see on the desk before you marked Tome of Teleportation. I want you to find the spell to teleport to a very special reality, where an old friend of mine can inspect the blade, presuming I am correct in thinking there was one found near my body. I promise you, all of this will make sense later, Fallen Angel. Look in chapter 42, section B7 of the tome, and hum out the written spell."
It took Fallen Angel about twenty minutes to find the spell. Fallen Angel began to hum the spell, "Stones, berries, monsters, and fairies. Take me to a land forgotten, where all senses find it rotten. I wish to find the one I am seeking. Show me the world where the Cloth Man is sneaking." A large green glowing neon orb sprung from the words and began to steadily grow in size. Fallen Angel jumped into the orb, not sure where she was heading, but was eager to get there.