“You are the one who must learn, Kairos…” the sound of my name crawling out of its wide mouth, the black venom dripping from sharp, gnarly teeth and onto the pavement, sends a shiver through me. “The girl belongs to Nyx. She always has. You will not save her. Just like you could not save her last time. She will rot alone in darkness just as you tossed Nyx in that cave and left her to rot when you allowed your parents to banish her.” The three demons’ deep, roaring laughter echoes off the brick walls on both sides of us. “And she thought you were friends. One day you will pay with your life, boy.” The deep laughter grows and I stiffen.
I feel dizzy. Not from fear, but from the bullshit spouting from their mouths. The lies. They’ll say anything to get a reaction from me. My hands shake with the desire to slice their throats here and now for even speaking of Nora, but I force myself to wait. I stand in place, tightening my grip on my weapons and willing myself to hold back from ending them, at least for a moment.
“What would Nyx want with Nora? She’s useless to her. Just a celestial and nothing more.” I swallow, keeping my eyes pinned to the one in front, the one who takes a staggered step forward. The ground shakes and crumbles beneath its feet.
“Nyx, too, was once just a celestial. Now she is the most powerful queen to ever exist. Those who are unfortunate enough to look into her eyes end up writhing in pain, begging to be put out of their misery. She cannot wait to watch you writhe, Kairos. She cannot wait to take her away from you all over again.” A wide smile slowly creeps across its face.
I’ve had enough of their mind games. I want them dead.
“If I allowed you another day to live, I’d tell you to pass along that I feel the same. I can’t wait to hear her beg for her life one day.” Tucking my wings behind my back, I raise my daggers, preparing to slowly end them. “Unfortunately for you, I’ve had a shit day and watching the blood drain from your hideous bodies will be much more satisfying than having you pass along that message to your queen.” I smile as their red eyes glow even brighter.
As the first winged demon steps toward me, I tighten my grip on my weapons and strike.
My daggers find their mark in the demon’s neck, and my laughter rings out as its black blood sprays in all directions. It cascades down around me, covering my face and neck in the sticky, warm substance that clings to my skin and sets it ablaze. The pain is worth the kill. As the demon slumps to the ground, it shatters and disintegrates into dust.
The second hell hound approaches, its enormous jaws unhinging inches from my face. The thunderous roar it releases makes my skin prickle with the reminder that it could easily kill me. The demons teeth alone can swiftly end the life of both mortals and immortals, the sharp points resembling three-inch razor blades that gleam and drip with their deadly, dark venom.
With a deafening growl, it stretches out its leathery wings, ready to rip my face off where I stand. I clutch its thick, scaly neck and hurl myself onto its spiky back. As it begins to roll, it takes me down with it, but I refuse to release my grip. Even as my daggers fly through the air and my body meets the pavement, I hold tight to the scales, digging my fingers deep into its flesh and letting it know that it will not win. The demon scratches and claws against the hard cement as it rolls, the horrendous sound like clinging metal against unbreakable stone. As soon as the demon death roll ends, I grip the spike on its head and unsheathe my sword, plunging it deep into the beast’s evil brain.
Then it is nothing and I am death itself.
Nyx’s demons seem to think that all celestials are as forgiving as the ones from the Realm of Light, but that assumption is wrong. I’m the harbinger of death, the future King of the Realm of Darkness, and the guardian of the mortals on the Earth Realm. Ourahnus and his realm can cage them and attempt to tame them all they want, but within my realms I deny them a second chance.
The second demon turns to dust, and I spit on its remains before using the back of my hand to wipe blood from my face. With the wave of a hand, I call my celestial daggers back to me, smiling as their bright lights flash to life in my palms. Red eyes slant as the third demon glares my way, lurking and hiding in the shadows. They come here seeking to hunt, torture, and murder mortals and celestials who lack the same training and power as me, but now it cowers in the corner like the spineless pathetic prey it knows it has become. I stalk toward it, taunting it with the sound of metal slicing through air as I toss my dagger up and expertly catch it.
I want to feel its fear, a dark and poisonous presence coursing through its veins. I want to drink it all in, to bathe in it and fucking savor it until the end.
Quickly, it turns to flee. The impact of its long, spiky tail against my body sends me stumbling backward. I quickly recover and secure my weapons to the straps on my thighs, and with one small leap, I’m airborne, wings beating rapidly behind me as I soar through the night. The scent of adrenaline and desperation permeates the air as my prey realizes its fate. It cries out, its panicked roars pushing me faster and faster.
It’s focused only on making it to the open portal at the end of the alley, and the icy breath of evil that slithers around it as I get closer turns my blood cold. The Underworld is a place of nothing but darkness and despair, a place where the worst nightmares imaginable are brought to life. Nyx is deranged and the demons will do whatever pleases her because they’re even more so.
I push myself faster, the wind against my wings letting me feel weightless and free. As I descend, I tuck them in and allow myself to freefall, the pull of gravity helping get me quickly to the ground. I land in a crouch as my boots hit the pavement, locking eyes with the hell hound and giving it my best ‘fuck you’ grin while spreading my wings out wide behind me. My fist connects with the pavement and the ground splinters and trembles as my power spreads through the cracks, sending lightning racing toward its still shocked face. I focus my unwavering gaze on the monster, and the lightning bolt obediently follows my line of sight, delivering a powerful blow that leaves it stunned. The moment my lightning connects, it coils around the scales and flesh, the cracking and snapping and stench of burning electricity filling the air. As the demon convulses on the ground, there’s a pure, undiluted fear brimming in its eyes. A wave of satisfaction washes over me.
With a wave of a hand, I close the portal the hell hounds ripped open. It won’t matter. There will be another one opened tomorrow and the day after that. They never fucking learn. Staring down at the pathetic demon, I punch a hole through its hard, scaly chest, ripping its heart out with my hand in one swift movement. Holding the lifeless organ in my fist, feeling the burn of the black blood as it drips from my fingers and runs down my arm, I keep my eyes locked on the demon as its life drains away. I enjoy watching the darkness in their eyes disappear. I revel in knowing the realms are one demon closer to being rid of evil for good.
The heart and the body dissolve to dust, but the blackness still clings to my skin.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…” I whisper into the gust of wind I create, scattering the powdery remains around me.
All that remains now is the steady rhythm of my heartbeat, the sound of my breath, and an unwavering determination to hunt down every vile creature across all realms, ensuring their ultimate demise.
“I missed all the fun, I see. What a bummer.” Mio towers over me, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. “You’re a mess, man.
“Always killin’ the vibe, bro. I was having fun.” Smiling up at him, I use my shirt to wipe blood from my scraped-up hands and face.
His laughter is immediate and overdramatic. “Gods, you’re right. That’s awful. I’m embarrassed for you that you just said that. I’ll never say it again.”
“Good. Thank you.” Putting my weapons away, I crack my neck and stretch out my fingers. “Nyx’s demons somehow keep getting stronger… and faster.”
“You getting too old for this, Kairos? Maybe it is time for you to bow out. Old man can’t hang anymore.”
I roll my eyes. “I can hang just fine, thank you. I was just pointing it out. Her creations are getting worse and worse. I fear what they’ll someday become if we don’t end her for good.”
“I know. And we will. I promise. She has had it coming for a while. With the recent increase in demon activity, Gaia and Ouranos, or hell, even the gods themselves might come out of retirement to do something. Either way, something must be done. It can’t go on this way forever.” He turns and we head toward the deserted streets, and I welcome the bright overhead lights as they come into view.
Being in darkness for too long can make you want to live there. It has a way of sucking the life out of you slowly and tempting you to never leave.
“The demons know, Mio. Nyx knows Mera has returned and that she’s here. How the hell did she find out?”
