3.56: Damnation – Part 2

I do not know how long Elira held me like that. When I finally felt like I could cry no more, like I had let the impact of the things I had done tear through my mind, I slid across the stone floor and pressed my back against the wall. Elira moved to sit next to me, and to my surprise, her daughter, Avaya, sat on my other side and leaned her head against my arm.

“I… I didn’t know, Elira. I… n-never questioned it. Not once. I’m… sorry. I’m sorry for your son… I’m sorry for… who I am. What I am. I… I don’t know how to make it right. Do you know the penalty in my squad for failure to execute a demon?”

“Judging from the fact I’m the first demon you haven’t killed immediately, I can assume.”

“As the commander of my squadron… It was my duty to execute those who hesitated in any way to kill a demon. I have killed dozens of my kind for the simple crime of not being a mindless murderer. And now… Here I am… contemplating how I can save you and your daughter.”

Elira lifted her head up and looked at me with confusion.

“Save us? What do you mean?”

“Elira, when my squad finds a place of immense demonic corruption, we raze it to the ground. Once we finish eradicating all the living demons, we bombard the city with huge spell attacks until nothing but stone and ash remain. If you and your daughter don’t escape from here…”

My voice trailed off as I thought again at how mindless the actions we had taken in the past truly were. Not only did we murder countless innocent people, but we also destroyed all traces of them as if they never existed in the first place. My eyes followed Elira as she stood up suddenly.

“I know of a way out of the city. It isn’t far from here, but… I’m not sure Avaya and I can make it without one of your squad seeing us. Were you serious about wanting to save us?”

I forced myself to my feet and looked down at the petite demon woman. I inhaled sharply and nodded my head.

“For everything that I have done, it is the absolute least I can do.”

“What will you do if we encounter someone from your squad?”

“I will attempt to order them to stand down, but should they figure out what you are, I will likely be forced to stop them. As loath as I am to fight against my own squad, I doubt that any of them would be willing… or even able to see reason. I will do whatever is necessary to protect you and Avaya. You have my word, Elira.”

No sooner had the words left my mouth did the sounds of nearby explosions fill the air. Without giving it a second thought, I reached down, scooped up the small demon girl in my arms, and motioned with my head to Alira.

“We need to go. Now. Once we’re outside, lead the way.”

I saw the fear and uncertainty in her eyes as she looked around the small building for a few seconds. When her gaze again met mine, she gave me a single nod and started to run towards the door. She spared a single glance at the crumpled body of her son as we passed through the entry room, and then without a single word, we exited the building.

Elira moved quickly through the streets towards our destination. As we rounded a corner, a massive burst of red light was followed by the nearest building exploding in a shower of fire and stone. I spread my wings and pulled Elira tight against my body as I did my best to shield her and her daughter from harm. As the smoke began to clear, I felt a pit in my stomach as I saw the shadow from a figure flying overhead.

“Helaina? Is that you?”

I let out a small whimper as I heard Kellian’s voice. Without turning or moving in such a way that he could see the two demons, I stood up straighter and forced the fear, worry, and doubt from my voice.

“Kellian. Stand down. I’m escorting these two to safety outside of the city. Once they are secured, I will return and assist you in destroying the rest of the corruption.”

I heard the sound of Kellian’s armored boots landing softly on the ground behind me, and I let out a long sigh.

“What do you mean, Helaina? Any humans left in this city would have succumbed to the corruption long ago.”

The sound of Kellian’s massive broadsword being pulled from the sheath rang out.

“I’m not sure what they’ve done to you, Helaina, but I will endeavor to free you from whatever control they have over you.”

I glanced down at Elira and gently handed her daughter to her before turning around slowly. I looked into Kellian’s eyes and saw the pained and worried expression on his face. I could see him studying me closely, looking for something that made this make sense.

“Kellian. The only one with control over my mind is me. Please… Listen to me, my love.”

I saw Kellian flinch upon hearing me call him “my love.” His hand holding his weapon wavered slightly as he warred with indecision. Sensing that he wasn’t going to immediately attack, I held my hands up to show him I intended no harm and gave him a strained smile.

“I promise I will explain everything, Kellian. I just… need you to let us pass.”

Kellian sighed deeply and narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the two demons behind me.

“Why are you protecting two demons, Helaina? I-I don’t understand.”

“Have you ever seen one demon protect another? Not like a soldier protects their comrade… but… like a father protecting his child?”

His brows furrowed and he gave me a look of confusion as he considered my words.

“Demons don’t-”

“But they do, Kellian! I’ve seen it with my own eyes! Instead of attacking me or begging for her own life, Elira begged me to spare her child! Demonic corruption isn’t what we thought it was! We say that we are protecting humanity, when the reality is we do nothing to aid them beyond slaughtering them should they become demons! The demons themselves do a better job at saving humans than we ever have.”

I saw the pain on Kellian’s face as he heard the words coming out of my mouth. I was so certain that the man I had fallen in love with would simply see me as having lost my nerve, and do what any of my squad would and ended me and the two demons without a second’s hesitation. Instead, I heard the sound of his sword being sheathed and saw him giving me a weary smile.

“You have always been my voice of reason, Helaina. I know you wouldn’t do this without just cause… so despite not completely agreeing with the decision, I will remain by your side, as I always have.”

I smiled at him as Kellian took a step forward and then suddenly stopped. His eyes adopted a vacant expression, and I watched in horror as his head toppled off his shoulders and hit the ground with a wet thud. As his body fell, I looked up to see Adelaine and two other members of my squad, all standing with spells at the ready.

“It is a shame that father chose to let your corrupting words sway him, mother. Had he simply done his duty and killed the three of you, he wouldn’t have had to die.”

A hollow rage filled my entire being as I looked from the lifeless corpse of the man I had loved up to the daughter that he and I created. As I studied the hard lines of Adelaine’s face, I saw not a single shred of pity or doubt within her.

“Adelaine, stop. Please. I-”

“Spare me your words, traitor. What you have done goes far beyond failure to do your duty. You have openly aided a demon, and worse, you cost a fellow soldier his life by convincing him to join you in this blatant act of betrayal.”

Adelaine turned to the archangel on her right and spoke in a voice loud enough for me and the demons to hear.

“Kill the demons and burn their bodies. I will deal with the traitor.”

The other archangels murmured their acknowledgement and began to descend slowly to the ground.

“If you surrender without a fight, Helaina, I will make this quick and painless.”

Bright orange flames began to surround my body as I drew my sword.

“Don’t do this, Adelaine. I’m begging you… stand down.”

Instead of replying, she shook her head and sneered down at me.

“So be it. You’ve made your choice.”

Adelaine made a rapid motion with her hand, and a line of white fire shot outwards from her and arced towards me and the demons. As I brought my sword up to intercept the attack, I saw that Adelaine had folded her wings and moved to dive down at me rapidly. The other two had also unleashed their own spell attacks, and I quickly spun on my heel and wrapped my arms around Elira and Avaya. A protective bubble formed around us and I continued to channel my MP into it as the spells battered against it over and over. As I looked down at the demon woman and her daughter, Elira caught my eye and reached up to place her hand on my cheek.

“I’m sorry about Kellian.”

I fought back tears as I felt the woman’s own magic surge into me. She gave me a smile and I saw that she had started to cry.

“Thank you, for protecting Avaya and me. I hope that we can meet in another life, Helaina.”

With that, the petite demon woman shoved me backwards as hard as she could. The protective spell shattered as I was pushed off my feet and fell to the ground. Before I was able to react, I saw a trio of spells cut through the two of them and tear their bodies to pieces. I turned upon hearing the sounds of armored boots moving directly behind me. I looked up into the face of my daughter, who was glaring at me with nothing but malice and hatred.

I knew that there was absolutely no way I could stand against Adelaine. Not only was I not powerful to fight against her, but I also couldn’t bring myself to attack my own daughter. So… I did the only thing I could.

I ran.

I summoned up every bit of magic and strength within me, spread my wings, and flew as fast as I could manage away from the daughter who would have been my executioner. I flew until I didn’t have the strength to continue… and then I flew some more. I forced myself to continue until I came upon the edges of what appeared to be a human settlement. Instead of descending slowly, I simply folded my wings and let my body crash into the ground. Pain ripped through my side as the bones in my arm and leg were shattered upon impact. After rolling for a bit and further injuring myself, I came to an abrupt halt when I crashed into a wooden structure. Even as I heard the sounds of rushing feet coming towards me, I simply lay where I had fallen and let the pain of my injuries dull every other sense. When voices began to shout, and I felt hands on my body, I simply let whatever was going to happen happen. The last sensation I felt before I lost consciousness was the feeling of being carried by dozens of strong hands.

Upon waking, I discovered that I had crashed into a small farming village that was home to a small number of humans. Despite my intentions to let my body remain bent and broken, my natural regeneration worked quickly to restore my wounds and knit my bones back together. While I remained unconscious, the villagers had removed my weapons and armor and dressed me in a simple white tunic and cloth breeches. They had cut slits in the back of the tunic for my wings and even found a pair of simple leather boots that they left beside the bed. Stacked neatly in the corner of the simply decorated room, I saw my gleaming white and gold armor. One of the villagers had polished it so well that it shone brightly in the faint sunlight that streamed in from a nearby window. I rose slowly from the bed and moved to look outside the partially opened window. I watched as a young woman began to walk from a nearby barn towards the house. Upon seeing me, her eyes widened and she rushed inside and I heard her talking excitedly to someone. The sounds of feet rushing towards the door to the room I was in filled the air, which was quickly followed by a light knock on the door.

“Enter.”

As the door opened slightly, I peered beyond the doorframe and saw a tall human man and two younger human boys. The man studied me for a moment before taking a step into the room. When I turned towards him and started to move closer, I saw his eyes widen again as he stared at my wings.

“L-Lady archangel! I am glad to see you well! You looked close to death when we found you… And now… you look completely unharmed.”

I gave the man a warm smile and bowed my head slightly.

“Thank you for taking care of me. I’m sorry for being such a burden to you and your-”

“Nonsense, my lady! The honor is ours! We’re just glad that you have healed as well as you have. We were afraid you were beyond saving.”

As the man took another step closer, I followed his gaze as he looked down at the pile of my armor and then back up at me.

“If I may be so bold, my lady… why have you come all this way?”

I saw the look of fear on the man’s face as he considered what reason I could possibly have for coming to a village as remote as this. I held up my hand to assuage the man’s fears, and gave him another smile. I almost started to tell the man the truth, before I thought better of it and quickly came up with something believable.

“Fear not. I didn’t mean to actually crash in your village. My squadron and I had just finished clearing a large city of corruption when we found something that indicated the spread of that corruption to a city some distance away. I was flying as quickly as I could manage towards the city when I ran out of energy. Unfortunately, in my exhaustion, I wasn’t able to land safely. I am sorry for any damage I might have caused when I crashed.”

The man shook his head and gave me a grin.

“Think nothing of it, lady archangel.”

I was just about to give the man my name when I remembered Elira’s reaction towards hearing it, and figured that even somewhere as remote as this, my name would likely still be known.

“Elira.”

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, lady Elira. My name is Dennison. These are my boys, Argen and Felmus. My daughter, Ansilia, is in the other room preparing breakfast for you. Wait… do archangels eat?”

I laughed softly and nodded.

“We do. Especially when the food smells as good as whatever it is she’s cooking.”

As I joined the small family in their dining room, we ate a hearty meal of seasoned meat, mushrooms, and a leafy green vegetable I hadn’t had before. Dennison’s two boys stared at my wings and excitedly asked me question after question while they tore through their own plates of food. Once breakfast was finished, I offered to help clean up. Dennison promptly refused and told me his sons would take care of it. He offered to show me around his farm a little before taking me to the nearby blacksmith who was in the process of repairing my weapons. As we walked through the slightly marshy lands surrounding his farm, he stopped suddenly and gave me a serious look.

“I know your story was false, lady Elira. I won’t push you for details… I just want to know one thing… Are me and my family in danger?”

I considered his words carefully before letting out a long sigh.

“What is your opinion of demons?”

Dennison looked confused at my question and I could see him searching my face to see the intent of my question.

“I’m afraid I don’t know much beyond what we’re told, my lady. I know bein’ around them or their influence for too long can cause humans to change into demons themselves. And I’ve heard stories of powerful demons slaughtering entire cities, but beyond that… it's all just rumors and second-hand accounts.”

“The reason I ask, Dennison, is because I encountered a demon who changed everything that I thought to be true. She showed me that demons are scarcely any different than you or I. That they love and care just like we do. That they would do anything to protect their children.”

Dennison’s face darkened as he considered what I had said and he gave me a look of confusion. I let out another sigh and continued.

“My- my squad members refused to listen to me when I told them this. They killed the man I love… And then the demon woman and her daughter that I had been protecting, and would have killed me next had I not fled.

“I don't know if my former squad is hunting me, but I won't gamble the lives of you or your family in the hopes that they are not.”

Dennison nodded and gave me a grim look.

“Thank you for telling me the truth, lady Elira. I'm sorry for the loss of your loved one. I know better than most the pain of losing someone close. But… As you said… It would likely be for the best for you to leave as soon as you are able.”

I nodded resolutely and started walking back towards the house. Once I was in the room I had awoken, I quickly dressed in my armor and moved back into the main part of the house to leave. When I saw the lifeless corpse of Dennison's daughter, I knew that I had brought this senseless destruction down on this family. I burst through the exit to the home and found one of my former squad mates holding Dennison up in the air with a strong hand grasping his throat. Upon seeing me, the tall archangel snapped the human's neck and tossed his body to the side.

“Such a waste, Helaina. These humans needn't have died. This is your fault, traitor. Had you simply let Adelaine do her duty, this man and his family would still be alive. Their deaths are on you, Helaina.”

Instead of replying, I focused on every emotion that was welling up inside of me, all of the pain, all of the loss, all the senseless death… And I released it into a concentrated blast of fire that incinerated everything around me. Upon seeing the smoking crater of what had been the home of the human who had helped me, and the charred corpse of what was once a member of my squad, I spread my wings and began to fly as quickly as I was able to.

I flew for almost a full day, crossing forests of trees made of bone and sinew, jungles made up of twisting flesh and claws, fields of ash stretching further than I could see in every direction, and oceans of roiling fire. Just as the sun began to dip below the horizon, I found myself approaching the outer edges of a city. I slowly began to descend downwards, and saw what appeared to be humans fleeing from the inner part of the city.

Part of me knew what they were running from. Part of me knew that I should just keep flying until I found somewhere suitable to hide. But I think, deep down, I was hoping for one last moment where I could do the right thing. Be the one to save people, not the one who sought only to kill and destroy. So, without a second thought, I descended to the ground.

Humans swarmed around me as I made my way towards the inner city. When I heard the screams of panic fill the air, I grabbed a man by the shoulder and pulled him close enough to me that he could hear me above the noise.

“What is happening? Where are the angel forces who were supposed to be defending this city?”

The man looked terror-stricken, but as he took in the sight of me, he seemed to calm a small bit.

“L-lady archangel! There was a massive explosion in the center of the city, then suddenly a colossal demonic growth took shape and began to expand rapidly. It's only been a few hours since that initial explosion, but more than half the inner city is completely covered in demonic growths.”

A bestial roar echoed through the streets and the man let out a whimper and tried to pull free from my grasp.

“What was that? That sounds like far more than just demonic growths!”

“A huge beast took shape not too long ago. He slaughtered any who got too close, and appeared to be feeding off the corruption itself.”

I let out a long sigh before releasing my hold on the human. He murmured something unintelligible and took off in a full sprint. As I started to move forward, I had to wade through more and more terrified humans fleeing the inner part of the city in large groups. I did my best to move as quickly as I could in the opposite direction, looking at the buildings around me as I strode forward.

As soon as I felt the first hints of demonic corruption around me, I knew that there was something different about it. It felt… stronger, more alive, more malevolent than anything I had ever experienced. Blackish red vein-like growths covered every inch of the city the further in I went, and they pulsed with a throbbing red glow from within. When I found what looked like a giant beating heart in the center of the city, I laid eyes on the single largest and most powerful demon I had ever seen in the 2,091 years I had been alive. The creature stood at least 25 feet tall, and had four muscular arms and a massive tail. Every inch of its skin was covered in the same blackish red fleshy substance, and he rippled with muscle from head to toe.

As soon as the creature saw me coming towards him, his giant maw opened and he licked his lips hungrily.

“Have you come to offer your flesh to me that I might sate my hunger, archangel?”

Instead of replying, I summoned up every last bit of magic I could manage and started channeling it into an enormous ball of fire. Before I could even release the spell, the creature moved so quickly that one moment it was sitting against the pulsing heart, the next it was standing in front of me. Two of its arms shot out and grabbed both of my wrists and caused my magic to dissipate, while the other two clutched both pairs of my wings tightly. The creature lifted me up so that I was able to stare into its pupiless black eyes, before letting out a guttural laugh.

“Was that the best you can do, archangel? And here I thought that the great Helaina would be far more powerful than that. Well… At least you'll make for a decent meal.”

With that, the creature slammed me on the ground in front of him. As the air exploded out of my lungs, I barely had time to think before I felt the creature’s bulk pressing down on me as he started to crush my spine with his massive foot. I could scarcely scream in agony as I felt the creature take hold of both pairs of wings as he drove his foot further into my back, and with a sickening sound of ripping flesh, he tore my wings from my body. As if I were nothing but a doll, he kicked me in the side with the point of his clawed foot and sent me flying through the air with incredible force against the giant beating heart. When I struck the object, instead of the feel of flesh and muscle, it was as hard as a stone. I felt the bones in my entire body shatter and both eyes burst within my skull from the force of the impact.

I was just about to resign myself to the darkness that filled my vision, when I felt the tug of something… Powerful. I focused on the feeling, and felt a sudden warmth fill my body. I opened my sightless eyes and saw all around me this pulsing, glowing source of limitless power. The creature who had torn my wings from my body had but a mere fraction of this power within him. But I could feel the raw energy at my fingertips offering itself to me, telling me that it would give me the strength to not only defeat the creature who broke me, but to defend those I deemed worthy of my protection. To destroy those who would harm me, and to annihilate all who would stand against me.

I knew what the power was. I knew what was being offered to me. And I didn't hesitate for a second.

Every nerve in my body flared like exploding stars. I felt myself being torn apart atom by atom, and then forced back into an imperfect shape, only to be torn apart again and again. It felt like hundreds of thousands of years passed while I writhed and twisted with agony. In the moments my body had form, I was able to see all that power, all that demonic essence flowing into me like an artery filling a heart with blood. When I felt the last bit of that power pour into me, I opened my eyes.

I saw the creature standing 40 feet away, chewing on what remained of my wings. It took a moment for him to register that I was now standing naked with my back pressed against the cold husk of the organ that had been beating like a heart. He opened his mouth to speak, but I merely waved my hand and watched as a line of black flames erupted from the ground beneath him and ignited his entire body in fire that quickly reduced him to ash in only a few seconds.

I walked slowly out of the city, barely noticing the humans or demons I passed by. If someone or something moved to block my path, a single wave of my hand and an eruption of black fire was all it took to remove any obstacle. It was only when I saw a pair of gleaming metal boots did I actually recognize the dozen or so archangels gathered before me. I had to resist the urge to laugh as I heard them talking about me.

“I've never seen a demon like that before.”

“She looks almost… Human.”

“The power flowing off of her is anything but human, kill her and let's be done with this place.”

I did laugh at that, and after wiping my face clean of all the ash and grime it had been caked with, I stared into the faces of the nearest of them.

“Is that… Helaina?”

“The commander of Heaven's Justice? That's impossible. This creature is a demon.”

One of them took a step closer to me and as I grinned, widely baring my fangs at him, I saw him recoil in terror.

“What in the hells?! That is Helaina!”

I let out a long deep laugh as black flames surrounded my body.

“No… My name is not Helaina. I am Gehenna, Demon of the Black Flames of Damnation!”