My answer was clear the instant I understood the truth.
The bow and arrow in my hands had an intricate design. The bow was golden, edged with flecks of blood-red. The arrow was pure white, marked by golden streaks. Their colors echoed Lucifer's duality, before and after the fall.
The moment my fingers closed around them, a tidal wave of raw, otherworldly power surged through me, rooting me in place. Breath shaky, I steadied myself against the terrifying force clamoring to break free.
My eyes sought Dagon one final time before I began to speak. I expected my words in English, but a foreign language flowed instead:
Created from light, torn in two,
Between luminosity and darkness hovering,
Suspended, waiting, concealed.
The in-between veil is lifting.
I call upon the blood spilled in the past,
Accept the blood I’ll spill, merge into one.
With the knife hidden in my pocket, I sliced my hand, letting blood drip first onto the bow, then the arrow. Flames erupted, licking across them as I continued:
With crimson from the past
And crimson from the present,
I pledge my soul to Lucifer,
To Hell – in the in-between, and below.
Set the power free,
Let the crimson burn bright,
Together, we step into the dark.
Blinding red exploded outward. Power surged so violently, it brought me to my knees. Agony tore through me as if blades shredded me from within. I tightened my grip, teeth grinding against the pain, forcing myself to witness the transformation.
Slowly, agonizingly, the arrow's pristine white darkened to blood-red, its golden marks turning black. The bow followed, morphing into deep crimson and black. Lucifer's colors swallowed the old design.
The deal with the Devil was sealed.
My soul belonged to Lucifer now. It was the choice I'd made willingly. Now, it was time to unleash Hell on the bastards threatening me and my demon.
Focusing my power, I aimed the arrow at the woman who held a blade to my throat and released it.
Her scream was horrifying, primal, and chilling. She kept screaming as her body dissolving, flames consuming her. The sight of it was as sickening as the noise.
The crimson smoke around us thinned, revealing chaos. My eyes desperately sought Dagon. He had to be safe. Please.
But before I could move, the air behind me shimmered ominously. The hair on my arms stood, and the smell of what I could only describe as a storm brewing closing in on me from every side. The air electrified, and if I didn’t know better, I would have thought thunder was about to hit.
My body vibrated with an unexplainable need to kneel and bow my head. The arrow and bow danced with flames in my hands. Instinctively, I knew who was behind me. Slowly, I turned and froze in place.
Lucifer himself stood mere feet away. The freakingLucifer.The King of Hell.
Holy fuck.
I was held prisoner by the horror coursing through my veins as I stared at red eyes brimming with the promise of Hell’s wrath. Terror immobilized me.
