Chapter 38- Dante Daimios

Chapter 38

 

Dante Daimios

 

           

            Mortals. There was something appealing in their fragileness. Their need for guidance. Their inevitable inferiority and undying strive for greatness. Alas, we cannot all be born Angels. But there are still those that can learn to grow wings and fly.

            Lucifer watched the children train with one another from his pedestal. They were young but already showing a mountain of promise. Lucifer had taught them well, the way only an Archangel could do. He taught them how to wield a sword, shoots a crossbow, kill a man with their bare hands. He taught them how to survive, how to become invisible, how to protect themselves from any danger that might come at them. He taught them how to be obedient, how to lead, and most of all, how to serve God.

            Twenty-seven. That was the number of children who remained alive on the road to becoming Angels. He had originally requested fifty orphans from Uriel, but God only gifted some with the talent to climb to the heavens. Twenty-seven remained, and Lucifer could not have been more proud. When my Angels fly, I will have the most powerful army this world has ever seen.

            “Why do you make them train with real weapons?” asked Venir.

            “Without facing death, you cannot overcome death,” answered Lucifer, quoting the Holy Grimoire.

            “Don’t they get scared?”

            “Fear was what they had before they came into the loving arms of the Church. God has given each and every one of them the opportunity to live once more, the same way he has to you. In return, they give their all to him.” He turned to look at Venir in the eyes. “But remember. There is never any fear in doing what is right, Venir.”

            Venir broke eye contact and stared back at the children training. He didn’t reply, instead he just accepted it as he usually did. It was clear this poor boy no longer had a sense of what was wrong, not that he every had a sense for the right moral system. Even so, it was painful to see him so brutally broken and misguided. So much that the only value he had left was in his own miserable existence. Lucifer could only hope that Venir’s long lost friend would help recover him, but in truth he only believed their reunion would make it worst. If the Cruorians had broken Charles’s son who was a boy, he could only imagine what they did to his friend who was a girl. Women were the most fragile of creatures.

            Lucifer rested a comforting hand on Venir’s shoulder. “In time you will understand, but until then, continue to watch and learn. You will find your path. God does not give second chances to the unworthy.”

            Venir gasped. Blood spilled across the floor as one of the children dropped dead, decapitated. Twenty-six.

            “How can he be so…unmoved?” asked Venir. “He just killed someone.”

            Lucifer looked to the victor. A twelve-year-old boy by the name of Adam. “Because he has abandoned his mortality and with it all selfish intent. He does not feel, he does not care. His only duty is to serve God. Everything else is irrelevant.”

            “Sounds a lot like Judicium’s Youth,” mumbled Venir.

            Lucifer cringed. “The Youth…the orphans from the Youth were never given a choice. The children you see here are here because they willingly choose to give themselves to God. They fight for love, not out of fear.”

            Venir had nothing to say, but Lucifer wondered how much he actually wanted to say. Even after being broken, the child still retained his memory and childhood as a loyal Judician citizen. Under his father’s guidance no less. Only a true blessing could open his eyes to God. 

            “Dante!” a voice called out from behind.

            Lucifer turned. “Yes, Uriel?”

            “I would like to speak with you in private.”

            He excused himself to Venir, “Other duties call for me. Keep watching and learning until my return.”

            Lucifer stepped off the pedestal and walked on the outer edges of the rectangular training grounds. Casually he made his way to the Prophet who was standing by the entrance door. When they came face-to-face, Lucifer gestured the cross on his body and gave a slight bow.

            Uriel opened the door. “Shall we?”

            The two Archangels stepped outside and started walking down the long hall that led to Lucifer’s training grounds. The hall looked much like the rest of Yggdrasil’s interior except that the walls were fully carved with images from the Holy Grimoire. No image was insignificant and no image was placed where they were by mere chance. The hallway was a timeline of the rise and fall of each Archangel.

            God’s first creations were the Archangels. Gabriel. Michael. Raphael. Judas. Uriel. Mary. And Lucifer. Each one made to be perfect in every aspect. But perfection was its own imperfection. After the creation of mankind, God’s second generation of children, it was then that he realized that the perfect beings he had first created were not so perfect after all.

            Gabriel’s pride never allowed him to show love for God’s new children, seeing their imperfections as beneath him. Michael was seduced by the riches of mankind and enslaved many to satisfy his own greed. Raphael felt the opposite, his gluttony refusing any of God’s heavenly gifts to reach the underserved mankind. Lucifer’s hate for mankind sent him down to unleash his wrath upon the mortals. Judas in the other hand envied God’s love for the mortals so much that he rebelled against the heavens instead. Mary was the only one who didn’t care about the imperfect beings. Her eyes were only for God, driven by an uncontrollable lust for her creator. And Uriel, forever lacking an opinion strong enough to do anything about anything, watched it all happen without lifting as much as a finger. One by one they all fell from glory and eventually were banished, stripped of their wings and doomed to a life of mortality.

            It was only when they became mortals that each realized their sins and how imperfect they truly were, after which they each decided to redeem themselves by demonstrating that even their worst imperfection could be used in service to the Lord Almighty. God gave them a second chance, and they succeeded in regaining their rightful titles as Archangels.

            Uriel stopped walking. “What are you doing, Dante?”

            Lucifer knew instantly that the implications were towards Venir. “You already know.”

            “No. You told us you wanted to use the child as bait for Charles. What you’re doing goes beyond that.”

            Lucifer changed the subject. “Is there anything our Savior desires from me?”

            Uriel grabbed Lucifer by his crimson mantle and pressed him against the wall. “We had a plan, Dante! A plan that we only put aside in order to kill Charles. Well, Charles is still alive and the child is nothing but an issue now.”

            “What is it you fear so much? The boy is not a threat. He doesn’t love his father anymore than we do.”

            “Nor does he love us any more than his father. How do you think Liana will react when she sees him? Sees all that has befallen him in our care. She may hold little value to Caelum Infinitum as a whole but you know how much our Savior favors her.”

            “And you would be a fool to think me any different,” enlightened Lucifer. “Her child will not disappear, and he will become one of us. I will make certain of that today.”

            The disappointment was clear on Uriel’s face. “This is why I preferred her as far away from you as possible. You have no sense whenever it comes to her.”

            There was something peculiar about the way Uriel said it, and then it clicked. “She’s here? Mary is here,” said Lucifer doing all he could to contain his excitement. “When did she arrive? Where is she? Is she hurt?”

            Uriel sighed with frustration. “I’ll never understand your love for that woman. Yet if you must know she is fine, from what I’ve been told anyways. Currently she is still taking refuge in the Azure Palace. I would recommend against seeing…”

            Lucifer started walking back down the hallway without a moment’s hesitation. “The Azure Palace was already my destination,” he shouted from the distance. “It will only be a minor detour!”

            “Just remember,” shouted Uriel from behind. “This is now your responsibility. I pray you do not make us an enemy in the process!”

            Uriel’s fears were justified from an outsider’s perspective, but as an Archangel he should’ve known that Mary was incapable of betraying them. Even if she discovered their faithful allies, the Cruorians, had tortured her son, her kids were never her priority. They were nothing but an unavoidable misfortune that was casted upon her for straying from God’s intended path.

            Before entering the streets of Eden, Lucifer was careful to change his disguise. Although Charles did not know his face, a Cardinal’s robes were little enough reason to be captured and interrogated by the dogs of the Fuhrer. Instead he wore his black frock coat with its hooded mantle.

            The dark streets were never a welcoming site, not during these times. Even though Lucifer was a creature of the night, so was his sworn enemy, Charles. Charles was not only a creature of the night but he controlled all of it as far as Judicium went. Lucifer had bested him so far but he was no fool to underestimate the man despite how confident he reflected himself in the presence of others. For years Lucifer has sought out a way to kill Charles and not once had Charles presented the opportunity. Now less than ever since Lagrima betrayed them.

            To think an Angel blessed by God could be so vile as to fornicate with her own brother. Worst, inside holy grounds. Not only was Lagrima’s betrayal a direct insult and utter disregard to God himself, but it also tainted the Church’s pure image. Lucifer had made an example of her brother, yet the accursed w***e had managed to escape his grasp. By now he could only imagine that she had betrayed the Church in every possible way she could. Why else would Charles lay low after he was offered a reunion with his son? He may be a heartless demon but the man loves his family. Even I could see that.

            As soon as the gate guards recognized Lucifer’s face at the Azure Palace’s gates, they opened the way for him to enter. Upon entering the stench of crystallite filled his nostrils, the azure light blinding him. Mortals attempting to see the world through God’s eyes. Every time he saw it he couldn’t help but wonder how pathetic they all looked.

            Lucifer made his way up the stairs all the way to Raphael’s throne room. Sitting in his usual spot was the glutton, unmoved by Lucifer’s presence, next to his daughter and Gravur Ilianos. None of them seemed particularly shocked at Lucifer’s arrival but they all turned their attention towards him.

            “Uriel informs me that Mary has arrived?”

            Raphael laughed. “So it’s true what they say then. The Archangel of Wrath is madly in love with the Archangel of Lust. I’m disappointed, Dante. I always thought you above w****s.”

            “Call her a w***e again and it’ll be your last thought. Where is she?”

            “She’s in one of my many guest rooms, bathing that heavenly body of hers. Tell me, does the thought make your c**k harden?” Raphael laughed loud, deep, and slow.

            Lucifer ignored his rude remarks. “I’ll wait for her to finish. In the meantime, there is another reason I came to see you. I need the girl. The other prisoner you keep in your dungeons.”

            “She’s not my prisoner,” corrected Raphael. “And neither is she yours to take. You only claimed the boy with promises of killing Charles which…if I’m not mistaken still lives. What reason could you possibly have for wanting the girl?”

            “My reasons are my own. She’s of no use to any of you yet she may still hold value in my hands. Talk the Cruorians, they’re eternally in debt to you.”

            Raphael shifted in his throne. “And why should I do that? You’ve done nothing for me. In fact, your failure thus far may just force the Azure Kingdom to go to war.”

            “War? Judicium isn’t stupid enough to attack directly. If Eden became a warzone, Mary’s pilgrimage will bear fruit and the world will see Judicium for what it is.”

            “At the expense of four dead Archangels and our Savior. It wouldn’t be a war. It’d be an annihilation. Without our Savior, Caelum Infinitum will collapse. Whatever small uprisings occur across the world would be eradicated by Judicium in a matter of days without proper guidance.”

            “How can you be so sure Charles will attack?”

            Gravur Ilianos stepped forth. “The man who brought Mary safely to this sinking ship, Simon Gladius, is none other than the Shadow in the Light, Caius Ashfall. The same man who singlehandedly ruined our plans in Lumina with the help of the Cruorian w***e who betrayed us.”

            Lucifer tried to process the sudden turn of events. “Is this Caius dead?”

            “No,” said Raphael. “Mary insisted we kept him alive. Something about him being of value to Charles and talking to Judicium’s Moon directly.”

            Lucifer’s heart skipped a beat. “She can’t be serious...does she not remember what happened to the last wife that betrayed Charles?”

            “My thoughts exactly. Yet she insists. I figured we have nothing to lose.”

            “Except her life,” reminded Lucifer.

            “Which would be forfeit regardless if we all fall here in Eden.”

            “You have an army! We can stand and fight!”

            “I have an army big enough to make the Fuhrer think twice about attacking us. However, if the white ring closes in on us…there’s nothing we can do. Not even a Messiah would be able to stop them.”

            “The people,” suggested Lucifer. “We can use the people.”

            Gravur’s eyes opened wide. “And make our death sentence shorter?”

            “The people are restless. We’ve told them to remain calm but the quarantine has slowly been draining them. If we tell them to stand with us now we may still have the city behind us when we need it.”

            “And when the whole city is behind us what do you think the Fuhrer will do? We’re not looking to start a war, Dante. Or have you forgotten?”

            “I haven’t forgotten. Yet it seems that the war has found us. We’ve already put in work to the alternative in case this happened. It’s time we struck first. Maximillian Osgia has already amassed an undercover army on the outside. One word and he can free the Cruorians from the concentration camps and see our numbers tripled. Once the people outside see the Church and other fellow Judicians standing to the Fuhrer, they will fight.”

            “But we will still die. No matter what we do, we cannot escape Eden. Not for as long as the white ring remains to keep us enclosed.”

            “Then what would you have us do?” asked Lucifer. “It seems to me all of you have already accepted defeat.”

            An unforgettable Angel’s voice answered from behind, “We will use Charles to help liberate us of the white ring.”

            Lucifer turned around. Her hair was black and her eyes blue but he could never forget her heavenly features. That perfect skin, perfect smile, and perfect body. If ever there was an Angel living amongst them it was Mary. Pure flawless perfection from head to toe. She was wearing a high collar blue dress bathed in jewels that masked around her voluptuous body. Lucifer was left speechless.

            Mary walked forward to greet him with a kiss on the cheek that sent electricity down his entire body. “I see the years haven’t changed you, Dante,” she teased.

            Lucifer gazed at her as a whole for another ten second. “Speak for yourself. You haven’t aged a day.”

            Mary walked passed him to look up at Raphael. “If what Caius says is true, and they do plan to attack, the only hope we have is me. Charles will meet with me. We only need to deliver a message that only he will understand and he will make it his mission to exclude all other Loyalist at the appointed time.

            The thought of losing her just shortly after being reunited fueled Lucifer. “It’s suicide. You think Charles will listen to you because of a Shadow? He cared little for his…for your son.”

            “We could set up a meeting and have you kill him, Dante,” suggested Raphael.

            “No,” said Mary. “Charles likes to settle his personal vendettas personally. And his love for his family is unconditional. Even if he hates me, he won’t kill me until he has our son back in his hands.”

            “If his son is all we need, why are we keeping the Shadow alive?” asked Gravur.

            “He has his own value. If we can get them both on our side, then the tables would be completely turned to our favor once again.”

            Raphael grimaced. “So our fate lies solely in the hands of Loyalists you think you can tame. Let’s hope you succeed, for all of our sakes. Never thought I’d see the day I had to depend on you.”

            “You’re such a sweetheart,” said Mary, sarcastically.

            “It’s settled then,” said Raphael. “Do what you must and we shall continue to do what the Azure Kingdom has always done. Now leave my f*****g throne room, I can’t stand the sight of you two.”

            Mary started leaving immediately while Lucifer stayed a moment to remind Raphael of his original objective. “The girl…”

            “Take her,” blurted Raphael. “I could give a f**k less. Just get these f*****g Shadows off my back.”

            “Thank you,” said Lucifer.

            Lucifer rushed out of the room to catch up to Mary. As he followed her, his eyes couldn’t help but stray to her perfect behind swaying from side to side.

            “I know you’re looking,” she said without turning around.

            Lucifer’s eyes popped back up to the back of her head. “It’s been a long time since I’ve gazed upon anything so beautiful.”

            Mary turned to face him with a half smile. “So you and Charles. I bet it must’ve been like a dream come true. You have always hated him.”

            “He stole your heart. That which I could never do. Till this day I still don’t know what you saw in him.”

            “Simple,” she said. “A man who didn’t love me for who I was on the outside.”

            Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “I highly doubt he loved the religious woman inside much more.”

            “That’s why you could never understand us. Sometimes it’s the differences that bring people closer together.” She placed a soft hand on his cheek. “And the startling similarities that keep us apart.”

            She tried to put her hand away but Lucifer grabbed it. “For years, I’ve had nothing but word of your letters from someone else’s tongue. For years, I’ve dreamed of killing Charles so you could spread your wings and fly once more. Mary,” he squeezed her hand. “I won’t let you meet him. I can’t let you die.”

            “Then don’t let me, by letting me do this. After my pilgrimage I thought I had lost all value for our Savior. Now it looks as if I still have another role to play. This is why I’m here, Dante. This is why God willed it for me to cross the white ring.” She pulled her hand away. “If you want to stop me, you’ll have to kill me.”

            “Or kill him.”

            “And doom us all in the process.”

            Lucifer clenched his fists. “Perhaps it was better if you had never come then…”

            “Our cause is bigger than just the two of us, Dante. But I won’t forget your kindness. Raphael told me you took Venir under your wing. Whether or not your reasons were genuine, I thank you. I hope he’s doing good.”

            Lucifer felt like telling her everything. How they tortured him and broke him. But his heart would not allow him to hurt Mary. He was going to make sure that the next time she laid eyes on Venir, he was twice the son she remembered. “He’s doing fine…the boy learns quick. Like he was meant to be an Angel.”

            Mary laughed. “Really? I always thought he took after his father.”

            “I thought the opposite.”

            “This war has changed him then. It must’ve been the loss of his sister…”

            There was a sparkle in her eye but she quickly brushed it off. Lucifer wondered how much she actually knew. “Loss is God’s greatest gift for growth.”

            “Reciting words from the Holy Grimoire again? You truly never change,” she teased. “Well, there are duties I must attend to. Until we meet again. I know it’s a lot to ask but please keep taking care of my son.”

            “You don’t need to ask it.” Lucifer hugged her tightly. “I’m glad you’re back.”

            After they parted ways Lucifer felt a sense of relief. Not out of being separated from her, but because she hadn’t changed much over the years. Since the end of the Crimson War, after Charles returned from the war, he could no longer see her. For youths who had once been so close, it had been a difficult thing to accept at first, and an even harder thing to resist the temptation of seeing her over the years. Seeing her released of Charles’s chains, unchanged, was more than he could’ve ever asked for. God had heard his prayers once again and he would make hers heard as well.

            Lucifer took the stairs all the way to the dark dungeons of the Azure Palace. As he stepped in, the smell of urine and defecation seeped deep into his nostrils. Those who found themselves behind the iron doors of this dark prison were likely to never see the sunlight again. Venir was a rare exception, his friend soon to become another. But even those that saw the light again were never the same as when last they saw it. This place changed you. Ruined you.

            There was a gate keep at the entrance sitting on a chair. A fat worthless man who did nothing but pick his nose and occasionally go inside to torment the prisoners. Granted, there wasn’t much to do here and just having to be down here was a punishment on its own.

            The gate guard opened the gate as soon as he saw Lucifer. Within the Azure Palace no one really knew who Lucifer was but they all feared him. People carry themselves in a reflection of their self-value and Lucifer walked in the Azure Palace like he owned the place. He was the type of man who always made an impression. His outright confidence and sheer lack of fear was something even the worst of criminals within the Azure Kingdom didn’t have.

            Lucifer walked through the musty damp azure lit hall, crossing passed iron door after iron door. Most were silent on the other side. Those were the ones who had finally accepted the fact that they were never getting out. The ones that still fought were the new victims. Still clinging on to the hopeless dream that someone, whether it’d be someone they knew or just a kind soul on the other side, would rescue them. But this place was the end. There was no underlining reason or lessons to be taught through punishment in these cells. You were brought here to suffer and be forgotten. Nothing more. This was where they brought people to disappear.

            Lucifer stopped in front of his destination. There was sound on the other side of the iron door, but it wasn’t fighting. Lucifer knew the prisoner on the other side had long lost their will to fight, though he had never bothered to visit her in the past. The sound that was coming from the other side was fornication. The sound of flesh bumping against flesh, low moans and grunts, and juices squirting. He must be raping her again.

            The door wasn’t locked which was a dead giveaway that someone from outside was inside. The iron doors here didn’t require keys. Instead they had manual locks on the outside that anybody could open. There was no need to invest in key specific doors since nobody ever came down here. After all, who would want to?

            As the door creaked open, the azure light from outside rushed its way into the darkness within. It only lit a small portion but Lucifer could see all that he had to see.  Bent over naked, facing away from him was the girl. Her long curly creamed colored hair splitting at her neck in front of her shoulders, bouncing back and forth. Behind her, inside her, was her tormenter. The muscles on his back glistening with sweat while his crimson hair flayed from side to side each time he thrust.

            When the light hit him, the tormenter stopped for a second and turned his head slightly, just enough to see his ruby eyes. “Oh, it’s you,” he said, and resumed raping the girl.

            “Yes, it is me,” said Lucifer. “Your fun with the girl is done, Saix. I’m taking her away.”

            Saix stopped, pushed her to the floor, and turned around completely to face Lucifer. Typical of Cruorian culture, he wasn’t bothered by the fact that he was standing completely naked in front of another person with his manhood fully erected. “First you take Mhia’s prisoner, now you’re taking mine?”

            “Yes, that is correct.”

            Saix took two steps towards Lucifer. “And what could you possibly need her for? She’s no one of note. She can’t do anything. She wasn’t even part of the original plan.”

            “You ask too many questions for someone beneath me. Let me reiterate if that’s hard for you to understand. Angels are beneath Archangels. So when I tell you something you listen and obey.”

            Saix shrugged. “Sorry, that’s a Judician trait. I was taught to…”

            Lucifer clenched his manhood tightly, pressing a knife under his groin with his other hand. “Let me reiterate. Talk back again and you will never rape another woman again. Is that clear enough for you?”

            Saix swallowed hard and tried to act cool. But Lucifer could smell his fear. This was what Lucifer lived for. When it came to fear and death there was nothing you could hide from him. “Fine,” said Saix. “I was just about done with her anyways.”

            Lucifer let him go and pushed him to the side.  He walked up to Erica who was on her knees hunched over looking away from them. He crouched beside her and used his hand to make her face him. She’s…beautiful?

            It was startling how much of her beauty was still intact. Lucifer studied her entire body. There were no bruises or signs of abuse. The only scars she had were long healed. Most surprising of all, she was well nourished. Her ribs weren’t visible, very unlike how he found Venir. The only obvious signs of abuse were her big sapphire eyes. There wasn’t a hint of life in them. They were completely hollow.

            “How is it that she’s in such good condition? After seeing Venir I was afraid what I might find.”

            “I like my women pretty,” said Saix. “I treated her well and in return she gave me her body.”

            “You mean you took her body.”

            “Call it what you will. A slave has no rights. I took what was mine and treated her well. And you of all people have no right to play the saint. You revel in breaking victims.”

            “I revel in serving the Lord Almighty. I do nothing out of pure self satisfaction.” Lucifer stood up and reached out his hand to Erica. “Take my hand, Erica. I’ve come to take you away from all this.”

            She rolled her eyes up to look at him without turning her head. Her body was stone, her face showing no hints of emotion.

            “I won’t hurt you, I promise. I’ve come to take you to a safe place. Don’t you want to see your friend? Venir.”

            Her eyes opened wide with shock but her lips remained sealed.

            “That’s what you’re doing?” asked Saix. “I wouldn’t recommend it. The girl probably hates the boy. Back when she used to talk she told me all about how she shouldn’t even be here. It was all just bad place and bad timing.”

            “When you have no one and have lost sight of yourself,” said Lucifer. “Sometimes it takes a remnant of the past to bring you back to life.”

            Saix laughed. “You’re not taking her away to live. You’re taking her away to die. You can’t tame an animal, throw them in a cage, and then set them free and expect them to adapt. You’re wrong if you think you’re doing her any favors.”

            “It’s not her I’m doing the favors for.”

            “I’ll…do…it.”

            Saix and Lucifer both turned their heads.

            “I…want to leave…this place…please.”

Author's Note

So new POV with a lot of one-on-ones. What are your thoughts on Dante? In this chapter you see his personality dealing with an equal, someone below him, someone he cares about, and someone he wants to change. Also curious to know any new thoughts about the other characters in this chapter. (Liana, Venir, Alistair, Erica, and the return of Saix). Tell me all your feelings, I love to know the characters people love and hate lol

Next chapter is a Venir chapter :) It'll be a big one for him so it might take some time.

Reviews

[Dark Rider]

I hate Saix, just putting that out there now. And I'm uncertain about Dante. But I still love Venue! This chapter was great and I can't wait to read the next one. I'm curious to see how Venue will react to Erica and his mother, as well as the side he will choose. I need it as soon as you finish it! :)

[Cynical_Art]

lol can't say I'm surprised you hate Saix with the resume he's racking up XD As for Venir, look forward to his next chapter. Like I said, it'll be a big one for him so it may take me some time. So far it's going good, and if when I finish it I'm completely happy, then after one revision you should have it. As for other coming chapters after that one, look forward to even more long awaited reunions and big conversations between characters. Also, a lot of answers towards previous questions you might've had. I can't lie, I'm pretty excited that I'm reaching these parts ^_^

[Cynical_Art]

By the way, I drew a picture of Liana if you want to check it out.

[Dark Rider]

I can't wait! This is probably the only book I constantly keep a watch for more chapters. XD and I'm going to look at that picture. :)