“The fact that we’re back in the very place we met our last set of Demons is just our own unfortunate luck.” He sighed, scoffing in bitterness when he thought about his brother. “Greed just enjoys giving me bad news. That fucker. I should’ve run his ass over.”
“Would he have died?” I asked, wishing I didn’t stop Eclipse and had let him run that bigoted ass over. I never thought I’d say it, but I missed Sloth and Gluttony. At least they were the lesser of the evils in comparison to Greed.
“No, but it would’ve been funny regardless.”
“That was really scary,” Coco breathed out in the back, her face pale. She was peering out the window, but I knew her mind was elsewhere.
I gazed at her and Phix through the rearview mirror, recalling Eclipse’s earlier orders for them to stay in the car.
To Eclipse, I asked, “Why did you make Coco and Phix stay in the car?”
“Because I’m Greed’s Demon,” Coco answered feebly.
Her words were meek, but they hit me with the force of a bullet.
My jaw went slack. “What?” I was dumbstruck. “I – I thought Phix was your Creator?”
“I am,” said Phix, his face equally as pale as Coco’s. He glimpsed at Coco and said, “Usually, the Creator gets to ‘keep’ the one he created, but in the end, a Dark Majesty has the executive power.”
My mind continued to draw a blank. “What does that mean?”
“Coco exchanged her soul for fame and fortune,” Eclipse explained as rain fell harder onto the car. “She became a Demon because of greed—that is her sin. If my Elder wants to throw rank, then he has the power to command her into his Kingdom. We Royal Demons usually couldn’t care less about things like this, but since Coco is with Phix and since they are helping me, I wouldn’t put it past my Elder to take Coco away just so I’d be without the extra help.”
“I’m weaker without the one I created,” said Phix. “If he takes her, then her soul belongs to him.”
“And I would die if I go with him,” said Coco, her voice meeker. “I’m still new and he won’t teach me the ways of the new life. I have to stay with Phix if I want a chance of surviving into my ‘adult’ years.”
I went quiet, assimilating everything. All these bylaws of the biblical world remained foreign to me, but I understood the general information they imparted. Phix needed Coco’s soul to keep the remainder of his powers so that he could help Eclipse. Coco needed to stay with Phix so he could continue to train her, and Eclipse and I needed Phix and Coco simply because we couldn’t do this alone.
I shook my head, despising Greed even more.
“He would take Coco,” I murmured seconds later.
The comment garnered a grunt of agreement from everyone. The baby Demons and I may not have personally known Greed, but we knew how cruel someone like Greed could be. I wouldn’t put it past Greed to do something like that. If I were that pissed at someone, then I would do anything to hurt them.
“That would be one of his ultimate ‘fuck you’s’ to me,” said Eclipse, his face twisting with sourness.
“He was such an ass,” I commented, once again riding on Eclipse’s shit-talking coattails.
“You thought Greed was an ass?” Eclipse laughed. “You have no idea. Compared to Wrath and Envy, meeting Greed was the equivalent of rolling down a hill with a big teddy bear.”
My eyes rounded. “Are you serious?”
He nodded.
“What’s the story behind you and Greed?” I then asked, my eyes alert on the rain-slick road. “Why does he dislike you so much? Well, you know, aside from your overbearing personality.”
Eclipse smirked at the little dig I added in.
“Out of the seven of us, Pride was the first one my father created, thereby meaning by an unspoken rule that he is our leader. He is not our King, our God, or our Master, but he is the cohesive glue that is supposed to keep us together—unite us. As much as he can anyway.”
He expelled a weary sigh.
“Growing up, I was closest to my eldest brother. Every time I disobeyed the established bylaws, he was the one who bailed me out. As the youngest, my authority within the monarchy isn’t as prominent as the others. However, with my Elder’s obvious favoritism, I was given more power and leeway than I should’ve been given. He essentially enabled my behavior and that heavily annoyed my other brothers. Greed and I have butted heads since my birth, but as you can tell, Greed heavily respects our father. When I attempted to overthrow the monarchy, it was the last straw. Suffice to say, I’m on his shit list.”
“Seems like I’m on his shit list too,” I mumbled, remembering how worthless and insignificant he made me feel.
Eclipse turned to me, his visage encouraging. “Next time he talks to you like that, just give him the middle finger.”
“What if he breaks my finger?”
“I’ll break his neck.”
I would have laughed if Coco’s worried voice hadn’t broken us out of our musings and yanked us back to reality.
“Guys,” she announced apprehensively, her complexion turning a shade paler. Her eyes were peering anxiously out the window. “I don’t think that’s normal.”
On her prompt, we turned to our respective windows. My eyes bloomed at once. All around, grayish black fog had started to descend towards us from the mountains, moving with such blurring velocity that I knew it couldn’t be normal fog. My eyes enlarged even further when I recognized it as the same fog we saw on the train.
“I don’t think that’s normal either,” said Phix, whose eyes were staring at the sky.
Almost reluctantly, we cast our gaze upwards and discovered that gloomy clouds had moved over us, just like dark shadows.
A blast of ice-cold air hit my face, sending a layer of frost to rake my body.
Then—
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Two clouds of black smoke swept past us on each side of the car, causing the Rav4 to undulate from side to side.
Like comets flying down towards the earth, the black smokes from the sky started to plunge onto the road around us. One by one, the Demons materialized from the smoke, standing mere yards from us.
Shit.
They had found us.
“Thou shall not tempt the impossible?”
29: Night of the Dead Sun
“Damn it!”
With a reflexive response, Eclipse promptly veered the Rav4 off the road, slammed into several Demons who were in our way, and gunned the car over a hill. The downward slope led us into the grassy countryside. Mud splashed over the windshield, momentarily blocking our view. When the windshield wipers cleared out the mud, we saw that a horde of new Demons had continued to materialize from the black smoke.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
My nerves were on edge as mud flew all around the car. The Rav4 growled exhaustively, fighting past its physical capacity as everyone in the car fell into a deep panic. The only one who preserved his composure was Eclipse. He continued to drive at an unsurpassed speed, bringing us closer and closer to what appeared to be the woods. When we made it close to the towering trees, the car came to a jerking stop.
“Let’s go!” Eclipse was immediately at my door, pulling me out.
Behind us, Phix and Coco followed suit and jumped out. I managed to sling my backpack on, but I could barely get my mind to work. Everything was happening so fast. I didn’t get a chance to register what Eclipse was planning to do until he began ushering me towards the direction of the woods. He led me to the entrance that acted as a gateway between the countryside and the forest that spread beyond the expanse of the land.
“Go!” Eclipse ordered, pushing me towards the dark forest. “Go! Go in now!”
I gaped at him as black shadows soared over us, continuously speeding onto the ground like comets.
“What about you?!” I asked over the loud commotion wracking the land. It felt like I had been transported into a warzone with bombs going off every second.
br />
“I have my powers on and near the Holy Land,” he answered as more Demons materialized around us. “They don’t. I’m going to kill them.”
“But – but you said you’re still recuperating!”
“It will take a while to kill them all, but I will kill them.”
My voice shook at the thought of him using his powers to kill all these Demons. The remembrance of him at the inn came flooding back into my mind.
“Don’t you remember what happened last time?!”
“I lost control last time,” he answered urgently, his distracted eyes canvassing the field. By now, Phix and Coco had stopped beside us, looking around in vigilance and awaiting further instructions from Eclipse. “This time I know what I need to do.”
“But—”
“The ground gets stronger every time you move close to the Holy Land,” he interjected, steering me to the entry point of the woods. Uninterested in dallying around when he had Demons to take care of, he pointed towards the canopy of trees. “From this direction, if you keep running straight, you will find the cathedral. It will be a long way, but if you keep running, you should make it within several hours.”
I tried to get a word in edgewise, but Eclipse wasn’t having any of it.
“Run in,” he emphasized again. “Find Father Baek and stay in the cathedral with him until I come for you.”
“I—”
“Coco, you’re staying with her,” he instructed Coco, disregarding any impending arguments I wanted to give. “If there are Demons after you, you know what to do.” When Coco nodded in understanding of his commands, Eclipse wheeled around to face Phix. “Do you still have some of your powers left?”
Phix displayed no fear. With his chin held high, he simply said, “Let’s take them.”
“When that Masked Demon comes, he’s going to find out who you are!” I shouted manically.
What was wrong with him? The events of our last visit to Serenity were fresh in my mind, causing my trepidation to increase tenfold. Eclipse’s only saving grace in this world was that no one knew he was a Dark Majesty. When we last left Serenity, this fact was still true. These Demons saw him as my human boyfriend, not my Demon. If it got out that he was actually my Guardian Demon, then he was going to be more screwed than ever. Whoever this Masked Demon was, I had the innate feeling that we couldn’t let him figure out Eclipse’s true identity.
“He won’t,” Eclipse said quickly, already anticipating this problem. “No one will know.” I wanted to argue again, but I was silenced when he stared at me straight in the eyes. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing. No one will find out that I’m a Dark Majesty. If they do, I will kill them before they can even think of telling anyone. Now, I need you to run. There are too many Demons out here—I can’t risk you staying here. Just run. The closer you get to the Holy Land, the safer you’ll be.”
He urgently brought me deeper into the entrance. I knew he wasn’t worried for himself, but for me. When it looked like he was about to push me in and turn away, he instead held my chin with his forefinger and thumb and tilted my gaze up to meet his.
I thought he was going to kiss me—deep down, I wanted him to kiss me. Instead, he let out a sharp exhale before closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against mine. It was hard to accept that less than twenty-four hours prior, we were in our own safe world. It was the polar opposite of the warzone we were currently in.
He gazed down at me, his eyes holding mine with care.
“If you die, I’m going to burn this world alive. So whatever happens, I suggest you stay alive until I see you again.”
Then, without another word, he pushed me into the woods before walking back to where Phix stood. He swept past Phix and walked into a field where rain was pouring profusely. Drawing in a deep breath, Eclipse stood at the center of the field with his arms outstretched. He closed his eyes and inclined his head up to the skies . . .
Almost instantly, a soft rumbling began to take place as the rain stopped pouring. The air quivered with an arctic chill. The ashen skies began to gradually darken as ungodly black clouds began to shroud over the earth. On the ground, a swirl of wind took form, throwing dust all around us with the fervor of a tornado. A sudden hush presided over the world before a dark shadow swept over the entire land, eating up every shred of light and turning day into night.
The stream of my pulse stopped when I registered that Eclipse had literally turned day . . . into night.
If this astronomical feat wasn’t enough, the ground began to crack as black fire rose out of the earth. At that same moment, a torrential snowstorm descended from the black sky, covering the ground with inches of snow within seconds. As the wind worsened and the skies grew darker, the black fire continued to filter out of the fissure. The tendrils of fire curled beside Eclipse, and I swore I could hear it growling. Once the last of the smoke floated out of the pit, it coalesced into three animal silhouettes.
“Grrrr . . .”
Oh my God.
My eyes expanded when I made out what they were.
Hellhounds.
Three to be precise.
Black hellhounds that were as enormous as lions and had the most ferocious faces I had ever seen. With red eyes that had fire dancing within them, their muscles bunched under their big bodies while their growls rivaled the booming of a commencing storm.
The hellhounds breathed roughly, surveying the expanse of the land with their murderous eyes. Upon perusal, they locked their gazes on me and bared their sharp teeth like I was a meal they would love to feast on.
It wasn’t until Eclipse turned to me that I snapped out of my stupor. The velocity of the wind picked up when he opened his eyes.
“Go!” he ordered at once.
Coco jerked my arm with her. “Let’s go!”
As I left, I saw the hellhounds running in several different directions, attacking the Demons who were closing in on us. Then, the very last thing I saw was Eclipse staring at me one final time before he turned away to fight those Demons . . .
“Coco!” I screamed, struggling to pull away from her so I could run back to them. Snow descended heavily around us, the wind whipping at our bodies without leniency. “No, Coco! We can’t leave them!”
“They’re fine! They’re fine!” Coco shouted, holding me tight. We hurdled around trees and sank deeper into the heart of the forest. “He blacked out the entire world.”
Breathless, I gaped at her. “What?”
“He blacked out the entire world,” she hurriedly explained, continuously guiding us through the shadowy forest. “No one from Heaven or Hell can see him or see what’s happening right now. He and Phix have to fight those Demons and kill them off one by one, but you can’t be there. You’ll just get in the way. If you want to help them, you have to get as far from here as possible.”
Though I wanted to argue, I knew she had a valid point. Plagued with no other choice, I nodded in the darkness and picked up the pace with her. I had never felt more useless than I did at this moment. One of the perils of being human in this powerful world was that I had become that girl—the one who everyone protected and the one who couldn’t help anyone. My reality was that I had to keep going. This wasn’t my world and I had no power over it. If I stayed, I would be a liability. Despite my reluctance, I did the most logical thing and ran because it was too late to do anything else.
The world grew darker and colder as we sprinted through the forest. The wind howled, bringing with it a snowstorm that blinded us. Cold flakes ate at my skin while the branches of trees rammed into us like tidal waves, leaving us disoriented. The only source of light came when the Heavens rumbled with thunder and lightning.
Crack.
All of a sudden, we heard rustling sounds that broke through the harmony of the night, indicating that there was something preternatural in our presence.
“Do you hear that?” asked Coco, her voice intensifying with alertness.
I did.
In t
he vast darkness, my other senses were heightening and I could hear everything clearer. There are others here with us. The rustling sounds amplified before I heard stampeding footsteps digging into the snow.
Damn it.
Accelerating the movement of our legs, we lashed our heads from side to side to try to see past the darkness. And then, we saw them—the silhouettes of two Demons.
“Go first!” Coco hastily screamed when the footsteps advanced on us. “I’ll catch up!”
“Coco, no!” I cried, fearfully tightening my grip on her. I was already worried about Eclipse and Phix. I didn’t want to be worried about her too. “Don’t—Ahh!”
She flattened her hands against my chest and pushed me away, triggering me to fall off the small hill we were on. I rolled down without being able to stop and landed on a pile of leaves and dirt that were being submerged by snow.
Disoriented from the fall, I peered up and could vaguely see Coco doubling back.
Two Demons appeared out of the shadows, both looking like the ones I saw on the train. They were tall, bald, and had faces that were covered with black tattoos. Unlike the last time, they were well prepared for the Holy Land. They each held knives in their hands and came ready to fight. What surprised me more was when I saw Coco rip a nine-section chain whip—the type you’d only see in movies—from inside her black jacket pocket.
There was no warning for the action that came after that.
Coco was out for blood and she was planning on acquiring it through force.
Slash!
The metal chain unraveled like a snake in the cold night, slashing downwards onto the two Demons with unmatched fury. The blade at the end of the chain came down with rapid swipes against their bodies, causing diagonal cuts to appear on their chests. Hints of blood poked out of their wounded chests before Coco began fighting them hand-to-hand with martial art skills that I didn’t know she possessed.
“Hah!”
She leapt against trees and performed bone-crushing punches and lightning fast kicks that seemed out of this world. Standing at an arm’s length from them, she corded the chain around one of the Demon’s arms. When the Demon had no choice but to loosen his grip, Coco pushed him away and roughly kicked at the knife’s pommel. The action sent the knife flying past the cheek of the second Demon, nicking him cleanly across the face before nailing into the tree behind them.