Chapter 58- Malus

Chapter 58

 

Malus

 

           

            Malus flung Gilles over a table. As the Cardinal’s back slammed against the hard wood floor, he grunted with pain. As Malus drew closer, his eyes opened wider and wider with fear. “Let us speak calmly, Malus.”

            Malus punched him across the face and picked him up by his mantle. “Calmly? You murdered a little boy!”

            Gilles raised his decrepit hand, hoping to seize Malus’s anger. “I didn’t kill him! I-I delivered him to the Lord above! You have to believe me!”

            “So you admit it!” Malus pressed him against a table.

            Gilles coughed out blood. “Gorgius…he wanted to ascend…”

“LIES!” Malus flipped Gilles over with the table.

Gilles scrambled back to his feet. “I swear to the Lord above!”

“Don’t pin this on God!”

“You have to believe me, Malus. I was trying to help Gorgius. Give meaning to his life. Just like Dante before him.”

            Malus hesitated. “What does this have to do with Lucifer? What do you mean give meaning?”

            “I was the reason Dante ever became an Archangel. It was me who gave him a second chance at life. The same way I gave Gorgius.”

            “What good is a second life if you’re just going to take it away?”

            “Have you learned nothing? Under the Church, those given a second life are only given that opportunity for one reason. To serve God. How we serve him though, that is rarely the same. You do it under Lucifer’s wing but not all are as fortunate. Sometimes we require sacrifices.”

            Malus looked around the room. “This doesn’t look like a place where people are delivered to the Lord Almighty.” He pointed at Lagrima who was witnessing everything. “This is a place you bring sinners to die.”

            Gilles saw Malus pick up one of the knives lying around and panicked. “Wait, Malus! You’re right, you’re completely right! But you must understand…even Cardinals cannot spill blood in Yggdrasil. Dante, yes, but he’s an Archangel. For me to deliver anyone, even a child, it must be here. In Lucifer’s domain.”

            “It doesn’t change the fact that you killed him, which you didn’t even bother to deny!”

            “Nor will I,” admitted Gilles. “Because I am not ashamed of what I did. I merely did a service as a vessel of God. As I said, we all have our ways of serving the Lord Almighty…and he rewards us accordingly.”

            Malus pointed the knife at Gilles. “Then why is it that the Church was looking for Gorgius? If this is truly a service ordained by God. If it was indeed Gorgius’s choice. Then why is it that no one seems to know about it but you?”

            “That’s where you’re wrong. Another knows very well. Someone you hold dear. Almost like a father.”

            “That’s a lie. Lucifer promised me he would find Gorgius and pass divine judgment on the criminal who abducted him.”

            Gilles grinned. “Is that what he told you? He must’ve wanted to protect you from the truth then, knowing how much loss you have already experienced. But I assure you, Dante knows exactly what happened to Gorgius. He even knows why I did it. Better than anyone else ever could.”

            “You’re lying…”

            “I’m not. Dante and me share a lengthy history. He was a mere boy when I found him, and I not yet a Cardinal. But I took him in, welcomed him, gave him a home, and nurtured him. I gave his life meaning. Taught him what was right and wrong. And God rewarded us both for it.”

            Malus pondered that thought. “If Lucifer became an Archangel on top of his Cardinal’s hat, what other reward did he bestow upon you?”

            Gilles froze for a moment. “How the Lord rewards me is between me and him…”

            “And those you kill…”

            “As I’ve already said. That was a service.”

            Malus shook his head. “Gorgius didn’t want to die. I don’t know what you did or said to bring him here, but this is not what Gorgius wanted. He did not want to be dumped with a pile of bodies like scraps of food! You take advantage of these children, fill their heads up with lies for your own sadistic pleasures, and use God’s name as a shield. But you’re nothing more than a monster.”

            All the wrinkles on Gilles’s face morphed into a demonic expression. “Don’t you dare judge me! Like Dante is any better. How many lies has he drilled into your broken head?”

            “Don’t compare yourself to him. He cares about me. More than any other person in the world ever has.”

            “Bullshit! The only thing he cares about is that w***e you call a mother. If not for her you’d still be rotting at the bottom of the azure dungeons in the darkness.”

            “That’s not true…”

            Gilles started to walk forward at him. “Or does he pay you visits at night? Make sure you’re okay. I’m sure he misses it too. We all make our pacts with God but there’s only so much we can do to control our urges. After all, we’re all nothing but mortals at the end of the day.”

            Malus took a step back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

            Gilles laughed. “Don’t play the fool now that the tables are turned. If you kill me, then that means you have to kill your precious Lucifer.” Gilles grabbed Malus’s wrist and pointed the knife to his heart. “Isn’t that what you want? To kill me so you can punish me for my sins!”

            Malus yanked his arm away. “Lucifer is not like you…”

            “Why don’t you ask him then? Ask him about Gorgius. Ask him about how many crimes he had the power to stop but didn’t just so he can sink his knife into someone’s heart. Just what exactly do you think he does to people he brings here?”

            “Stop it…”

            “Maybe you want to ask him about us. Our history. What we shared. What we continue to share. We all have our secrets, boy. You want to judge me for mine, why don’t we look back at yours instead? Like the day you opened the doors to your manor two years ago.”

            Malus tried his best to keep his forgotten life sealed away. “No! NO! I…”

            “You can lie to yourself all you want. Deep inside you will always know the truth. That it was you who opened the doors to your home that day. The doors allowing the very Church you now serve so loyally to enter and kill your sister! Or maybe you’d like to blame your father who was too busy getting a promotion, or your mother who was too busy f*****g your bodyguard!”

            Malus dropped the knife and fell to his knees, covering his ears. “Stop it! STOP IT! SHUT UP!”

            “Do you ever feel ashamed at night when you worship very entity that brought your entire perfect family to ruin?”

            “Stop it…I can’t take it anymore.”

            Gilles grabbed Malus by his hair and pulled his head up so their eyes could meet. “Doesn’t feel good, does it? To have a stranger invade the one place you know as home and tell you the things you did were wrong.”

            Malus started to cry. “I just…I just want the pain to stop.”

            “You can start by letting me be. You brought this pain upon yourself. Came here of your own accord. You didn’t have to find out about any of this. You want to serve the Lord, do what you’re supposed to and sit tight. Leave me to my pleasures. We’ll all likely be dead soon anyways. Excuse me for wanting one last release before I was dead.”

Release…?

            The whole universe came crashing down as the heavens, earth, and hell collided. “Y-you monster…” Malus gripped the knife from the floor. “You f*****g animal!” Malus dug the knife into Gilles’s chest and stood up, his hand gripped tightly on the handle. “I thought I could find solace in the Church…but it’s no different than Judicium.” Malus pushed him against the wall, knife still firmly in his chest. “I thought if I could close my eyes again I might find happiness once more.” Malus pulled out the knife and stabbed it to Gilles’s groin. “But I was wrong.” Malus twisted the knife. “I’m done closing my eyes. If every truth to be found is this fucked up, then I’m done accepting the truth. I’m done…living in the world of others!”

            Malus slashed Gilles’s throat open, shoved his hand inside, and pulled him to the floor, and mounted him. Without a hint of remorse, he started stabbing Gilles in the torso over and over again. Again. Again. And again. And again. And again. Ripped his ear off with one hand. Stabbed his eye out. Slashed his face. Stabbed his heart. Cut open his chest. Butcher his face over and over and OVER AGAIN. CUT HIS LIPS OFF. MUTILATE HIS GUMS. RIP OUT HIS OTHER EYE. STAB HIS CHEST AND DRIVE THE KNIFE DOWN TO HIS STOMACH. AGAIN. AGAIN. AND AGAIN! STAB THE HEART TEN MORE TIMES! CONTINUE TO MUTILATE THE FACE! BUTCHER ANY RECOGNIZABLE PART OF HIS BODY STILL REMAINING!

            “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

            Silence.

The whole world came into a seize for the exception of Malus’s breathing and the blood of Cardinal Gilles leaking and spreading. It was soothing. Like everything Malus had ever kept inside, all his sadness, anger, happiness, was let loose all at once. He didn’t even realize he was crying until he heard the drops falling on his lap.

He looked at his hands and they were shaking, crimson with blood. Malus started to laugh hysterically, dumping his hand in the puddle of blood and throwing it up, over and over again. He rolled over to the side and started enveloping his body in all of the red, laughing uncontrollably. “I’m free! I’m finally free! Hahahahahaha!”

            He danced in the blood without a damn person to tell him no. No one to punish him for doing what he wanted. For being happy. He was alone and delighted for the first time. He was released.

            “I’m free,” he cried.

            TING!

Malus jumped up, startled. What was that?

TING!

It was the sound of a piano, but where it was coming from he had no idea.

TING!

            Malus stood up and looked around. Lagrima was gone. Gilles was dead. Gorgius was dead. Who’s playing the piano?

TING! It’s coming from outside.

            Malus walked back outside. There were people everywhere. Running here and there. Malus was deaf to their screams. All he heard was the music but there was no piano in sight.

Ting!

He walked through the many halls, alone, unbothered. Only a few fools stopped to acknowledged him, but he paid them no more mind than he did Gilles and his lies. He was done listening to other people. His ears only had room now for the little things in this world that never lied.

Ting!

Malus recalled the piano that sat by where he used to sing with the choir and searched for it. Its sound was the only pure thing inside this whole tree. As he came face to face with it, his fingers grazed the instrument. Until now, he had never felt its touch. Malus caressed the instrument and whispered to himself, “It’s been a long time, my old friend. I finally know what it sounds like.”

            His whole life he had been searching for the wrong melody. Venir believed that the order people had died for during the unification of the world was the heaven people had always sought. A fantasy Malus knew would never be anything more than a fantasy. People died for power. The power to create the truth they wanted. It wasn’t about right or wrong. It was about ignorance and bliss. And I’ve been awakened. The same way I will awaken the world.

            Malus’s hands flowed through the piano and brought life to the silence around him. Every single note and key was in sync with his heart. Every sound, a reflection of his voice echoed. God’s Requiem was not about mourning the dead. It was about celebrating their deaths!

            Malus played his requiem loud and proudly to its very last note. Right as he finished, something touched his foot.

He got up to see what it was. From a distance, it looked like just a ball of blonde hair. As he drew closer to inspect it, he realized it was actually a decapitated head. Malus grabbed it with both hands and turned it around.

His heart froze solid and burned like the sun. “E…Emilia.”

            Emilia smiled the innocently, the way only she could. “That was beautiful…brother.”

Author's Note

Guide me through your thoughts :)

Reviews

[Dark Rider]

Okay. Let me try to gather my thoughts about this. I am truely speechless, and have no idea where to begin. I guess right now I can only think of two main points to comment on. The first being, MALUS HAS LOST HIS MIND!! I was scared when he was killed Gilles. I really was. But I didn't feel bad for him, I felt bad for Malus. The poor boy! And then what the heck is this with Emilia's head?!?! Talk about creepy and confusing as everything!
I would comment more, but I'm too confused on the feels you gave me. XD Now I wished I had read this chapter sooner! It was incredible!! I loved it! I want more now!

[Cynical_Art]

Lol I just realized this is the last chapter I posted :P Well as usual, I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's definitely one of the huge things towards the end, there's still more to come though. Curious, what did you deduce from what Gilles' crime was? And to clarify a bit, Emilia is the equivalent of Sol and Luna prior.

P.S. there's only five chapters left. I have four already written that only need revising. There will also be an epilogue, so more like six chapters left. Afterwards I'll release more art. I've decided to hold on until then to fill in the gap before I start the sequel.

[Dark Rider]

From what tired, brain dead mind can think of right now is that Gilles' crime was killing for pleasure and saying that he was doing the will of God. So basically kind of what Malus was thinking. But I could be wrong. Like I said, I'm tired. XD Now that we're nearing the end of the book, I'm starting to see how twisted everything really is, and I am not sure who is actually doing the right thing, if anyone is trying to in the first place. And I'm glad you brought Emilia back, if only for this one, creepy moment. It helps shows how bad Malus' mind is getting.

And I don't want it to end!! I want to know how everything turns out, but I don't want it to be completed. But then again, I can't wait for the next book either. XD nor can I wait to see all of those pictures!

[Cynical_Art]

Well let me clarify on Gilles' part. I'll open up by saying that I actually loosely based him on a real historical figure called Gilles de Rais. To put it bluntly, Cardinal Gilles is a pedophile. Hence why way back when he was with Liana he said he misses "the children" the most. Originally I was going to write it that Malus catches him sexually abusing and murdering Gorgius and that's when he snaps. I didn't back down from that approach out of censoring myself lol but the scene just felt a little too forced with Malus catching him in the act, so I took the other route where Malus snaps when he finally realizes what Gilles did to Gorgius, Gilles' last "release" almost serving as Malus' own release from his forcefully concealed mind.

And don't worry, I'll keep a steady consistent release of stuff :) so you'll never have to hold your breath waiting too long to see something new lol

[Dark Rider]

I can understand why Malus now lost his mind. Poor Gorgius! What did he ever do to you?! XD
read moreI can understand why Malus now lost his mind. Poor Gorgius! What did he ever do to you?! XD

You better have the next chapter ready to be posted soon. I can't wait long to read it. XD

[Cynical_Art]

I'm actually revising it now to see if I can have it up in like the next hour :)

[Dark Rider]

Then I'll make sure to look for it tomorrow, because my brain's fried. It needs sleep. XD

[Cynical_Art]

Lol no problem :) Anyways, it's up. I'll honestly try to finish the book soon bc I'm rather excited to start work on the next one.

[Dark Rider]

Then I'll read it as soon as I can! :)