Blood Memoir: Blood Red Summer (LEA & Shade)

OoC: This is the theme of this thread. Lyrics and song copyright of A.F.I.

Sacrifice Theory

Hear one thousand screams. Hear one thousand voices. A solitary echo. Feel one thousand pains, but one is receiving a bloody invitation. Do you want to feel the warmth? To taste the life flow? Feel one thousand lost sinking into soft skin. Ingest rejuvenation. One to consume, one to renew. Demanded invitation. I offer grace, I offer blood. I offer everything till my heart is crystal clear. Do you want to feel the warmth? To taste the life? I want to taste the life to taste the life flow.



BiC: Ryiel. A vast, endless ocean of a world hosting a single island. To the right of it, a mountain called Babel rises into the sky, a majestic spiral of gray rock that appears to watch over the world unblinkingly. However, it was not the true guardian. Only the figure now standing atop it held that position. Arimas, a God whose mysterious powers didn't appear to have a limit. He gripped a ruby staff, and his eyes were focused on the heart of the island.

There was, at the core of the island, an impressively large crystal of two colors, and it appeared, much like a mature egg, to be hatching. Cracks were racing across it, each created by the mere exertion of Arimas's mental command. With a final snap and a multicolored flash, the two shapes sealed gently fell to the ground, hidden by the remains of the falling shards and stabilized by the grip of each others' arms. With a beautiful glow, the broken remains of the crystals divided, into two spheres of light, the red entering one form, and the blue entering the other slowly. There was a mass conflagration of energy that took birth around them, and when it dissapated, the reborn stood bare, in all of their phoenix-like glory.

With a swing of Arima's scepter, however, a black ooze took form on their flesh, intricately forming a substitute for clothing. Before they knew what was happening, they were now fully clothed in exceptionally light clothing.

Max looked down, examining his clothes. Into his shirt was embedded a design that looked like the structure of a black leaf. His left sleeve was missing, and a gauntlet was present on both hands. His pants were leather, and his hair felt much wilder. Strangely, everything looked dark. Raising a hand to his face, he touched something that made him smile. Sunglasses. Arimas knew exactly who he was catering to. He looked to his bare arm, and saw taut muscle of a skin color that seemed naturally pale, a chalky white. A deep red line encircled his arm, but he had yet to learn what it's purpose was. He searched for Jenorath, and to his satisfaction, it took birth in his grip from a wisp of smoke.

So, he knew now. All the memories had flooded back just before he had appeared to Mariana in the reflection. His body had been here all along, and like a living projector, he had casted a physical interpretation of his mind into the caves of that infernal angel. There he had met someone, someone he now felt extremely connected to. When he called out her name, he thought he did it with his own mouth, but it was, in fact, telepathy.

MARIANA!


He turned to her, and his eyes grew large when he realized how much she had changed.



OoC: This is a little short, but I want LEA to be the one to describe the reborn Mariana. ^^

Everything had been a blur once Mariana had consented to undergo rebirth. She remembered pain…intense pain, like she was dying. She had died. She knew that now. But she remembered being in Max’s embrace, the warm, safe feeling his arms had created, and the feel of his lips against hers most clearly.

She absent-mindedly put a hand to her mouth and gasped. She was pale now, deathly pale. Her clothes… No longer did she wear her silver robes or the simple blue dress she had always worn. She was clothed in a solid black, full body outfit but for a thick red line that traced the wide, open neck and then plunged straight down her midsection and her white sleeves that were slightly separated from the rest of the outfit, showing more of her new pale skin. A slight breeze made her skin on her sides tingle, and she looked down to see that there were slender openings on both sides of the upper parts of her hips. Part of her hair was over her shoulder, and she put a hand to it, feeling the silky texture and admiring its silver-streaked, midnight-blue shade.

MARIANA!

Mariana nearly jumped out of her skin in utter shock. That voice had been inside her head. She looked up in confusion and saw Max standing nearby, his expression a mirror of the shock that was lancing through her. For a moment, neither of them said a word as they both observed the changes the other had experienced. Mariana sighed in relief. If anything, Max was even more attractive to her as he was now. Still curious as to how he had spoken to her through her mind, she tentatively reached out to him with her own consciousness.

….Max? Was that you just now?

Yes. I think so. It seems that being reborn together granted us more than just new bodies.

Allowing herself to explore this connection further, Mariana found herself deeply connected to Max through more than just being able to communicate telepathically. She could feel him, and she lovingly embraced this feeling. Seeing his smile let her know she wasn’t simply imagining things. He walked over to her, still taking in how much she had changed.

Mariana…you’re so different… He put a hand to her cheek. Your clothes, your hair, your body, your eyes.

My eyes?

Yeah, have a look. He held up Jenorath’s highly reflective surface to allow her to see her face.

Mariana blinked several times. Her eyes were now a deep royal purple rather than their previous navy blue color. She had to admit to herself that they were breathtakingly beautiful. She also took notice of her bangs, which were now a solid silver color.

“That’s…me now…” she said out loud.

“Yes, it is. And you’re so beautiful, Mariana.” He stared lovingly at her before a slight, playful smile touched his lips. “Open your mouth.”

Mariana shook herself out of her inner thoughts and looked up at him. “What?”

He chuckled softly and gently replied. “‘Let me see your teeth. Just do it.’”

Mariana smiled, amused that he had turned her own words back on her. Obliging him, she opened her mouth, allowing Max to see her new set of teeth. Pleased, Max smiled and traced a black-nailed finger over Mariana’s fangs.

“You are so radiant, my vampiress.”

Vampiress. That word triggered something inside Mariana, and she noticed something else that was different. The taint that had plagued her for so long was nonexistent, and she was suddenly very aware of her wings. Taking a step or two back from Max, she stretched her wings over her shoulders to take a look at them. To her amazement, the stains that had occupied their white surfaces for so long had been erased. In fact, they were no longer white at all. Her feathers were now a deep midnight blue color that matched her hair. The shock threatened to overwhelm her.

“I’m…I’m whole again. I feel so…perfect.”

"You were always perfect, Mariana." These words had escaped his lips just as he thought them, and he saw the angel's cheeks flush red soon after. Brushing a spare lock of dark hair from his line of UV-proof sight, the vampire leaned towards Mariana, and she obliged him a gentle kiss. He smiled again, and the tinted glasses melted away, as soon as he no longer desired their presence.

Without the shades, Max could see Mariana's newest form more clearly, and it was indeed more breath-taking than his first sight of it, which was saying a lot. Those violet eyes told him more than anything, that she was happy now. Letting Jenorath dissipate from his grip, Maximilian's crimson eyes searched for Arimas. Sure enough, he was standing near the shore, as a small figure in black robes. A moment later, they were face-to-face.

"Lord Arimas...can I ask you something?"

"Yes, speak freely." Feeling awkward, Max finally decided to get a certain something off of his chest.

"Why do you choose such a diminutive form?"

"Well, most powerful beings eventually grow weary of intimidating appearances, and they have a large curiosity of what it is like to be like a mortal. I forgot what that feeling was like, long ago, and this is as close as I can get."

Feeling a little sorry for his master, even though he really didn't understand why he would want to be mortal, Max simply nodded his head respectfully, and turned back to Mariana. She was watching him, a broad smile still carved into her pleasant visage. Using one of his magical talents, the vampire melted into thin air, appearing behind Mariana. Wrapping his hands around her waist, he kissed the back of her neck, the smooth flesh as yielding as a newborn, which, in a way, was exactly what she was. Her response to this,laughter, seemed to peal even to the far borders (if any) of this premature dimension. Max lost himself in that laughter, it seemed, for when she turned in his arms to face him, it took a full two seconds for his eyes to shift from oblivion to focus on her exquisite face.

"Thank you for taking me here, Max." Her eyes moved to the cloaked benefactor standing beside the shore, and she took a few steps in his direction, before bowing.

"...and thank you, whoever you are, for your kindness. Nothing I can do can express how grateful I feel."

I am Arimas, and you are most welcome. I do not see children of Jehovah just everyday, and an opportunity to lend aid to one is simply not something you pass up. That, and Max is fond of you. There would be no end to his whining if I hadn't done something.

His voice rang elegantly in her mind, and she could almost taste it; he sounded oddly like a retired schoolteacher who just decided to have a little fun. She couldn't help it, and laughed again.

Hearing her own laugh amazed Mariana. She hadn’t laughed like this in centuries, much less expressed much of any sort of mirth since that horrible night. The mere sound of it filled her with an elation she didn’t know she could experience. Laughing for the third time, Mariana threw all formality aside and ran forward to wrap Arimas in a firm, appreciative hug. The vampire god chuckled softly and gently stroked the top of Mariana’s head.

I see why Max feels the way he does about you. Your heart is so full of love and kindness, even for those you had a right to hate. He lifted her chin up so she was looking in his eyes. And you have so much love for him that you willingly chose to become something that you, in your angelic nature, should have stoically opposed. That is true love, if I ever saw it.

He smiled at her then, and Mariana smiled back, giving him another grateful squeeze before releasing him. She turned her attention back to Max and exhaled a sigh of content. This was the happiest she had felt in a long time. And not only did she feel great emotionally, but she also felt great physically. That accursed taint was no more, and she felt a strength she had never known before contained inside her body. As she focused on this strength, however, she suddenly noticed that there was something missing inside her, and her eyes widened in fear.

“The Argentsigna! I…I can’t… It’s not there!”

Before she could erupt into full-blown panic, the calming voice of Arimas blanketed her thoughts.

Do not fear. I have it right here, whole and fully intact. It departed from your body during the rebirthing process, unable to handle you dying, but I have kept it safe. Here.

Mariana had turned toward Arimas and watched as the Argentsigna itself materialized out of thin air and floated over to her. It was, just as Arimas had said, still whole and unharmed. When the crystal finally reached her, it stopped just in front of her as if it were hesitating. Mariana stared at it, puzzled. The seal emitted a faint pulse of light, and Mariana felt one of her new wings involuntarily reach gently over her shoulder, its tip lightly brushing the Argentsigna. Several drops of her now-blue blood poured from the feathers and coated the crystal. In amazement, Mariana squinted against the ensuing flash of light that emanated from the crystal, and when her vision was clear again, a wondrous sight met her eyes.

A magnificent sword hovered before her, and she reached out to grasp the midnight-blue, platinum-entwined hilt. There was a shimmering sapphire set as the sword’s pommel stone, and Mariana’s eyes moved up the hilt to find the Argentsigna embedded right in between a pair of outstretched, sapphire angel wings. The blade of the weapon was polished platinum and had words inscribed in crimson on it: “Cursed until dying breath is any life who scathes the one whose pure blood forged me.” It balanced nicely in her hands, and she stroked a gentle finger over the Argentsigna as if to thank it. The second she made contact with the crystal, a thought entered her head, and the name of the weapon became known to her.

“Ashriel…”

The second the word had left her tongue, another glow of light bathed the sword, and Mariana found herself holding the Argentsigna suspended from a thin, solid black chain. She smiled and placed it around her neck, stroking it once more before sighing contentedly.

Yes, I did make a few modifications to your body, so it could utilize that seal more effectively. You now have the blessings of two deities, my child. You are truly set apart.

She gave a bow of gratitude, her eyes sparkling, and then walked back over to Maximilian, who at this point was sitting near the base of a black tree, looking at his hand with startled interest. He looked like he had just realized he had five fingers. Knowing that couldn’t possibly be the reason he was like this, she took a seat on the grass beside him, her back reclining against the straight wood.

“What’s wrong, Max?”

A little startled, not hearing her approach, he turned his startling bright eyes in her direction, facing her picturesque violet ones, and blinked twice in swift succession. He smiled at her, but the smile faded as he returned his focus to his hand.

“It did something, a moment ago. Like I was bleeding, but it was thicker than that.” Mariana looked, and noticed a dissipating scar, like a thick albino crease upon the wrinkles of his palm-lines. His eyes clouded over with concentration, and Mariana saw with a little fear that the scar was tearing open again; when the flower of flesh bloomed once more, she saw a shiny red substance slip out of it, rising a little, then freezing into a sharp point.

“That’s your…blood? It looks a little like mercury, what some of the elderly folk in Lochylnn took as medicine before I told them it made them worse. Besides, that looks like some sort of weapon…”

“Yeah, it’s pretty strange. I know it’s not just a random thing; it had to have come this way. After all, I just got it.” With this, Max turned his gaze to Arimas, who was looking out to sea. Maybe it was just his imagination, but Max would have bet money He was chuckling with satisfaction right now. Who knew? Maybe He had a few more secrets in store for them.

Feeling the warm touch of lips against the side of his face, Max turned his head to the left, and found himself slipping once more into the dream-like beauty that was Mariana. Her small, petite mouth was curved delicately as she beamed at him, her silver and dark blue hair shimmering in the light of three suns. Her skin, which was nearly as ashen as his own, was now more ample than it was when he had first met her, filling out her figure more nicely. A sudden urge to touch her hip filled him, and he was helpless but to do so. She placed her hand upon his when he did, and for a moment, they just looked at each other, ecstasy carved into both of their faces.

There was a kiss, long as it was lovely, and Max’s other arm slid around her back as he firmly pushed his lips to hers, savoring the taste of her soft, pink lips.

“You look as good as you taste, my angel. I’m so glad you’re here, with me, and that you’re happy this way.” As he was known for it, Max had left his previous mode of goodspirited fun and was now consumed by his growing affection for his radiant and sole “mortal” company. Stealing another kiss, the vampire watched as Mariana pulled him by the front of his shirt as she fell backward. He leaned his face inches away from hers, and grinned as he lowered his lips to each of her cheeks, stealing kisses as strange clouds swirled comfortably overhead.

“I love you. So much.”

“Oh, Max.” She pulled upwards and kissed his chin, then lay back flatly on the grass, positioned comfortably beneath his secure presence. Her voice a little shaky, Max heard her confess something that confirmed for him her insecurity.

“I don’t deserve you…”

“That’s not true. You do deserve me, every bit as much as I deserve you, although it seems a bit of a shocker for me that someone so perfect could enter my life…don’t say such things, okay? You’re much better than anyone who may have spoke ill about your wings in the past, as well as that worthless scum of an incubus who did this to you. Please, don’t let your self-esteem wane anymore. You’re worth the world to me, Mari, and as long as I’m around, you will be exalted, hear me?”

Upon Max’s utterance of those words, Mariana felt herself overwhelmed with emotion. Tears welled up in her violet eyes, tracing glistening trails down her cheeks. Visibly trembling, she slid her hands to touch both sides of Max’s face and leaned up to meet his lips with her own. When her muscles began to tire, she started to allow herself to relax back down to the ground, but Max’s arms wrapped around behind her and pulled her back up to lock her in a kiss once more. Mariana was shaking uncontrollably now, and Max sat up, holding her comfortingly in his strong arms as sobs erupted from his angel. He bent his head down to whisper in her ear.

“Mariana, I mean every word that I said. Don’t ever think you’re unworthy or insufficient ever again because I’ll have something to say about that.”

He pressed his lips gently against her ear before pulling away again. Having forced her shaking back down to a slight trembling, Mariana leaned her head against his and placed one of her hands on his chest, a few tears still trickling from her eyes.

“You’re…so kind to me…so amazingly kind. I never even imagined that I would find anyone like you.”

“I feel the same way about you, Mari. You are the balm that soothes and heals my soul. You breathe life into my dark heart.” He ran a hand through her shimmering hair and kissed her forehead.

Mariana sighed, allowing herself to sink into the immense happiness she felt. “Thank you…so very much. No words can express how grateful I am to you. I love you more than anything, Maximilian.”

The vampire smiled and ran a hand down her soft cheek and to her neck, where he stopped. His smile faltered slightly as he pushed her chin up to look at him.

“Mari…do you understand what you are now?”

Mariana’s eyes shifted to Max’s neck, where she could make out the outlines of his veins due to her now-enhanced sight, and she suddenly felt a strong impulse to…

“No!” She shook her head violently and then stared fearfully at Max. “What…?”

“Don’t be afraid of it. It’s the drive all vampires have. That lust for blood that is necessary so that we may survive.”

Mariana looked down, fear coursing through her. She had known. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she had known that making the choice she had would involve…this. But now that it was actually before her, she was frightened.

“I…I don’t know if I can—”

“You must, Mari!” Max’s sudden exclamation jarred Mariana, and she moved away from him a little. The vampire winced and softened his expression, attempting to calm her. “I’m sorry, Mariana. Forgive me. But you need to understand that you must drink blood if you are to survive. If you refuse… Do you remember those vampires we freed from that cave?”

Mariana nodded timidly.

“That’s what you’ll end up like if you refuse to drink. And I don’t intend to see that happening to you.”

“I…understand.”

“Trust me. After you’ve tasted it once, you’ll forget all about that mortal food you’re used to eating.”

Arimas interrupted the conversation, and Max and Mariana both glanced up to see him still peering out at the sea.

“You know, if you wish to taste life, you merely need to cup some of the sea water in your hands.”

Max appeared puzzled. “You never said anything to me about that before.”

“You never asked.” The vampire god chuckled amusedly.

Standing up, Max held out a hand to help Mariana to her feet, and she accepted his aid, still trying to quell the dread that threatened to surface. Gently, Max led her to the shore, where the waters calmly lapped at the sands. He wordlessly released her hand and stood watching her. Mariana sank slowly to her knees in the sand and stared at the water for several long minutes. It seemed just like normal ocean water to her. Taking a deep breath, she dipped her hands in it, trapping some of the liquid in her cupped hands. Max’s eyes widened, and Mariana’s heart was suddenly in her throat. There was blood in her hands. Max touched a hand to her shoulder encouragingly.

“Go on. It’s alright. Don’t be afraid.”

That intense urge that had lanced through her earlier was back, worse now that blood was so easily within her grasp. Surrendering to it, Mariana closed her eyes and put her hands to her mouth. She sipped tentatively at first, but once she had tasted it upon her tongue, she found herself drinking faster and more eagerly. Max had been right. It was as though she had never known anything else. And she wanted more.

After she had downed three more handfuls, she finally stopped and turned her gaze to Max. He was smiling at her.

“Did you like it?”

She breathed slowly, countless emotions raging through her all at once. “…Yes…”

Maximilian, who visibly seemed concerned a moment ago, relaxed as he heard her response.

Of course she likes blood. She IS one of us, after all. Honestly, Max, what were you expecting? The voice of Bastian had said, a mental interpretation of exactly what the rascal would say. Max felt a longing to see him then, and Solomon too; he just didn't think that was going to happen soon. He had sown the seeds of destiny in this place, and they had not nearly reached full fruition. Despite his and his lover's new bodies, he doubted this story would ever fully close. Something like precognition was hitting him now, telling him that many things would come to pass...

Maybe some things he would not like.

A moment later, Max realized those violet eyes were on him again, kick-starting the thought he had just before being caught up in that feeling of prophecy.

"If you thought that was good, you should now move on to something even more delightful." Just as Mariana was going to inquire what that meant, he once again exposed the smooth, pale, tube-like shape of his jugular vein. Her head drew back, but not as far as before. Her eyes were locked on his like an animal in the headlights, helpless to the coming of something most certainly terrible. This made her appear to him as cute, and he laughed a bit himself.

"Look, it isn't as bad as it seems. You just need to utilize your hypnosis."

"Hypnosis?"

"Yes. It's a vampire skill that can prove incredibly valuable. Now, here's how it works: Focus on my eyes, imagine a blissful place, like your heaven, and then try to pass it into my mind. My pain will be numbed, rewiring all touch as pleasure."

A moment later, Max was looking into deep violet. He could see through her eyes to a glorious gate. Humans were everywhere, laughing; the sky was white, a canopy of celestial clouds swirled magnificently; everything was pleasant.

"Is it working?" She asked, and suddenly he found her in the illusion as well, smiling a little uncertainly. Max was unable to answer. A heavenly choir was practically caroling within his mind. It took him a moment to realize that he could see the angels croon harmonically at what seemed like just seventy feet away. Stars were sparkling all around him, and as he felt the awesome sensation of teeth sinking into his neck, he wrapped his arms around Mariana, relishing the feeling of letting go, of passing on his energy into her. One to ingest, one to renew...

Moments later, he slowly felt himself fade back into the clarity of Ryiel. Mariana materialized into his vision even healthier looking than when he had first met her. She was still smiling. Max brought his lips to her neck, gently suckling the tender flesh there, while his fingers massaged her back. Mariana's exquisite eyes were locked onto him as he moved, her own hands stroking his chest as her lips danced on his cheeks. This was the life, no doubt about it.

Mariana was in a state of stunned realization. “I…I just…” The faint taste of Max’s blood lingered in her mouth. It had been the most wonderful thing she had ever tasted, and she remembered the almost animalistic satisfaction that had swept through her when she had sunk her fangs into his neck. Strangely, all of this was becoming increasingly less abhorrent to her; now, it just felt like the natural way of things. And even the fact that she was slowly becoming desensitized to her new vampiric nature did not seem to faze her in the slightest.

The old things, the things of the past, are gone now. Dead. What remains…is who I am now, and I will willingly accept that. I made my choice.

I’m glad to hear you say that.

Max was still massaging her neck with his lips, and so Mariana had been a little surprised to hear him respond to her inner musings. Although, she really should have remembered the bond she shared with her lover. She smiled and looked to see a thin trail of blood still trickling down his neck. Unable to resist, she ran her tongue over it, catching the last of the warm ecstasy, before leaning her head against his shoulder and releasing a slow sigh.

I love you. I don’t think I can say it enough.

It gets better every time you say it, Mari.

The angel felt Max’s lips relinquish her neck and move to tickle her ear. He pulled back, and Mariana looked up from his shoulder to stare into his ruby eyes. She sighed again.

There’s no doubt that I am…a vampire now.

Max’s eyes radiated concern. Yes…and you are happy as you are now?

Mariana leaned against him again, nestling her head underneath his chin. Of course I’m happy. I’m more than happy. I’m…I’m… She ran a hand down his chest and kissed his throat. I’m finally rid of my taint, and I’ve found someone who loves me wholeheartedly. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Intense adoration radiated from Max’s eyes, and he held her closer to himself, lovingly running his hands up and down her back. The moment was broken when Mariana suddenly felt a strange sensation in her palms, and she raised her head up to examine them.

What’s wrong, Mari?

There’s something…in my hands.

She showed her palms to Max. Embedded in the tender flesh were three pod-like shapes, a strange silver color with a hint of blue. They were arranged in a triangular pattern in both of her palms, with the base of the triangle closer to her fingers and the apex of the triangle closer to her wrists. They were glowing faintly, pulsating gently with a light that matched the color of the pods themselves.

What are they?

I…I don’t know. But I can feel a strong concentration of lunar and water energy gathering in them.

As one, the two lovers shifted their gazes to Arimas, waiting for any sort of explanation from him.

Ah, yes. The runic spheres on your hands are simply things I crafted for you both in order to better augment your powers. Nothing more. They dissolve and appear at your whim. Nothing more complicated than that.

Max grew in his curiosity, as this seemed to be something more than just Mariana's new trait.

Both of us?

Arimas turned, his small cloak rustling lightly in the wind he himself no doubt created.

Yes, yes. If you call forth what you call...Photokinesis, you can create and manipulate light just as you please, and those spheres can focus it enough to even create a heat-laser. Like a magnifying glass in direct sunlight, you will singe your enemies like ants. Do you understand?

Of course. It all makes sense, now. After turning his palms upwards, Max also saw orbs emerge from his palms. Each one was golden, an array not dissimilar to the three suns hovering above them in the red-tinted sky. Raising a hand to that very sky, Max focused, and he grinned with satisfaction as a radiant beam ascended into the clouds from the center of his palm. Lifting his other hand, he created a second beam, one that stood beside the first like a brother before they both dissipated in unison, as Max's will for them faded. It appeared Mariana was too distracted to try out her abilities just yet, because her violet eyes were still fixated on the deity standing not too far away from her.

I saw Max's blood become crystal...is that something I can also do?

Why, yes. Only yours works a little differently. His can create sharp shapes, like blades and such, while yours is, like yourself, more delicate-looking and peaceable, a defensive shield against the bleak powers of darkness, those that may seek to violate you...

This statement hit close to home. Could Arimas know about Lucilius? An incubus, in a way, is a vampire, so wasn't there a chance He knew where the sick demon lurked? If so, would he choose not to tell her to protect his own species? This was mere paranoia, she realized, and put these thoughts aside.

Max ran a hand down his chin, smiling as he relaxed and watched his lover and his God converse, not fully paying attention but more relishing in the perfection of his situation. He was in paradise, with the woman he loved and a savior who guaranteed salvation. His new body was also a plus. The vampire yawned, and Mariana turned at the noise. She smiled lovingly at him, and wrapped his arms around her waist and let her head fall to his chest. The vampiress then spoke in a cheerful solemnity that showed her slight change in character that came with this new body.

"Tired, huh? So am I...We've been doing nothing for so long...and now we want to sleep..."

This was the first thing said out loud in a while, and the following laughter reverberated in Max's mind. Mariana's beauty was acting as a sedative, also. Arimas, as understanding as ever, vanished in a red light that ascended to Babel that dissolved upon reaching the peak. Max looked at his lover and smiled ruggedly in his exhaustion. Touching his shirt, he looked with interest as it melted into a kind of feelingless black liquid that dissolved into his flesh. He looked at Mariana, and saw with a growing fascination that her clothing was melting also. He felt her bare flesh slide into his arms, and quietly, their first night together began.

Thusly, in that realm where the sky shines red, not blue, Maximilian and Mariana, now lovers in all truth, became one, from two.

A gentle breeze stirred Mariana’s hair, brushing a few strands across her nose. The tickling sensation brought her back into a state of wakefulness, and she slowly opened her eyes. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was, but the feeling of arms wrapped around her caused the memories to rapidly flood back to her. She had come to this place and had chosen to rid herself of Lucilius’s taint by becoming a vampire. After a long period of sleep, she had awakened to find herself in possession of a completely new body.

And last night… She smiled softly. Last night…

Mariana took a moment to listen to the slow, rhythmic breathing of Maximilian; she could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest against her back. His arms were wrapped gently around her waist, and his chin was nestled comfortably on the top of her head. Still smiling, Mariana stroked a hand over his arm. She remembered being apprehensive and afraid at first. After all, the only experience she had ever had before had been with…Lucilius. But last night with Max had been as different from that experience as spring is different from winter. And she had loved every second of it.

Max inhaled once, deeper than he had before, and unconsciously relaxed his hold on her waist, allowing Mariana to turn over to face him. She couldn’t help but release a sigh of contentment as she gazed silently at him. Even in sleep, he was breathtakingly gorgeous. Everything about him was so amazing to her, and she wondered again how she had been privileged enough to even find him, much less have him reciprocate her feelings to the degree that he professed. Last night, when words had dissipated into higher forms of declarations of love, he had told her more strongly and convincingly than ever that he cherished her.

The sudden desire to feed broke into her thoughts, and she looked at Max’s neck longingly. Unwilling to disturb him, she instead slipped quietly and carefully out of his arms, lightly brushing his chest and kissing him softly on his cheek as she went. Standing up, she concentrated and willed her clothes to reform and stretched a little before stepping quietly to the shoreline. After drinking enough to satisfy that incessant craving inside her, she stood looking out over the sea, lost in thought.

“Good morning, my beautiful cherub.”

Mariana felt arms encircle her waist and lips press against the back of her neck. She turned around to find Max only half-clothed, and she stroked his bare chest as she kissed him lovingly on his lips.

“Good morning to you, too.”

For a moment, the two just looked at each other, absorbed in what had taken place last night. The almost reverent silence was broken by the Argentsigna itself. It pulsed, catching Max’s attention. Mariana looked down at the crystal and sighed.

“I suppose I should tell you what this is.”

Max hesitated, as if thinking something over, then replied. “I am curious as to what it is, yes. I…do have a confession to make… I…heard your story back in the cave when you were telling it to Drake. I sort of eavesdropped, if you will. I’m sorry if that violates your trust in me.” He lowered his eyes.

Mariana smiled and put a hand under his chin. “No, it doesn’t. You just told me you knew something already. If you had kept that from me, it would have been far worse. You could never do anything to lose my trust. I’ve given you my life, my everything.”

“And I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to you, Mari. You have my word.”

“Thank you…” She kissed him again. “Well, so you know that the Argentsigna is one of seven seals on the infernal demon hordes until their appointed release during the Apocalypse. And you also know about…Lucilius…” She winced.

“Yes…and I know that it wasn’t your fault. He deceived you.”

Mariana sighed. “I know that, but…something else happened that night that I’ve never told anyone else about. There was…a little boy. I was so very fond of him. He was the closest thing I’ve ever had to a child of my own. And that night…Lucilius…” Tears began streaming down her face at the memory, and she began shaking with sobs. “Lucilius murdered him. He left his torn and broken body right on the altar of the church. Blood was everywhere. Cedric’s blood…” Her sobs worsened, and she leaned her head on Max’s shoulder. “And he had tried to save me from Lucilius… He didn’t deserve death at all. He was so innocent…”

The vision came to him just as she could no longer hold up her capacity to speak. A solid whiteness, filled with only a single image: the bleeding corpse of a single child. His cheek was torn into, revealing a portion of his teeth otherwise never seen with a closed mouth. Little hands splayed pitifully, the backs of the hands streaked by the ghosts of wicked claws. A lake of crimson islanded the small body, and it’s eyes peered sightlessly into oblivion. Slowly, the background, which was exactly as Mariana described, materialized around the body. He lay upon the altar, his chest torn open like the result of some sort of unholy ritual, and far behind this, the ivory icon of the savior’s own suffering towered, as if offering hope from the far wall. The cross lit up, and just like that, Max was in Ryiel again.

Mariana was still sobbing, and he held her as tightly as he could, trying the best he could from breaking down himself. He was now amazingly in tune with her emotions, a strong surge of pure feeling that seemed to overwhelm him, but yet he was able to push back the tears and be what she needed him to be. Be it telepathy or just his imagination, he could hear Mariana chanting inside of his mind.

It’s my fault…It’s my fault…It’s my fault…

“No. It wasn’t your fault, Mariana…Just…Just…don’t blame yourself.” Struggling once more with the smothering power of her emotions, he choked on a sob, and held her as tightly as he could.

“No one is to blame but the one who took Cedric’s life. Such a horrible thing could never be…your fault. You aren’t capable of such cruelty…if anyone was to bear the title of ruined or tainted, it should be that monster, Lucilius.”

As he said this, the beautiful angel pulled her soft face from his chest, and looked into his eyes, as if affirming that he was real. She seemed almost in awe of how much she cared about her, like a figment of a dream she never wanted to leave. She saw the understanding of what she endured in his lustrous eyes, and she kissed him with lips stained with her own salty tears. When she finished, Max looked to the sky, his visage devoted with solemnity.

Cedric…I’m sorry…That was a horrible way to go…Whatever heaven you live in now, I pray that you are happy.


**********



Later that evening, when everything was calm again, Maximilian was having a chat with Arimas, while Mariana was close beside him, feeling a little intrusive but too curious to what was going on to just walk away.

“So, Nediryo is still on your mind, Maximilian.”

“Yes. I do not quickly forgive and forget those who destroy whatever life I am living at the time. Revenge may only generate more death, but I'm willing to settle with that.”

“You might not like the conditions for that sort of thing to happen.”

“What? Can’t you just destroy the exile seal he’s put over Nexus?”

“That shouldn’t be difficult, but the defeat of the King is where the problem starts. He IS said to be invincible…but there is a way, and you won’t like it.” Arimas took a step forward, towards the edge of the cliff he was facing.

“Well…what are the terms?” The vampire was anxious now, and it showed with the wideness of his eyes and his clenched teeth. The deity turned to his disciple, and his shadowed face conveyed a sort of distaste in what he was going to say next.

“You have suffered many losses…In order to slay a God, one that has ascended from a mortal, you need a weapon that has spilled blood…and ultimately ended the life of a loved one.”

Max’s mouth tightened further, into a thin line on his pale face. He knew what this was getting at, and it was impossible.

“I know of only one who bears a weapon of such a dark history…but he was destroyed.” He said this with much irritation. There was no hope left.

“Really? Did he happen to carry a scythe? A blue one?”

This caused Maximilian to peer at his master in confusion.

“Yes…but why?”

“You had a little stowaway on your first arrival here, my child. Too weak to carry a physical form, he was invisible when he entered the portal, and as soon as I felt his aura, he was banished.”

“You’re saying ORION followed me here?!”

“Yes.”

“Where did you banish him?”

“I banished his soul to the Hell of my creation.”

“So, why did you tell me if I can’t ever reach him?”

“You can.”

OoC: To all those reading this thread, take note of the complete switch in perspectives here. This is, in fact, very intentional and does serve a purpose in moving this thread along.

Also, here is one of Lucilius's themes. The other one is saved for a later time. The lyrics and the song are copyright of Demon Hunter.

Screams of the Undead

Every single time I feel the burn I try to throw it away.
A fast fix for the brokenness of every day.
It's like the pain is building up, it's swelling up,
I've got to choke it down and break it down until it's broke down.
It's like a shard of glass, it's like a broken piece.
Of everything I hate, it's everything in me,
A burnt heart stains black the blood it flows.
A dead soul will overshadow.
Push it out. It's everything you never were,
Push it out. I want to see it shatter.
And every day I see my life rewind, tearing through dreams I find I'm wide awake.
And even when it's wrong I start to learn, and then I do it again.
I reach out to grasp and get a broken hand,
And everyone is going to turn their backs.
I want to take them down,
And strike them down and leave them struck down.
It's like I'm made to fail with everything I gain.
Just an infected piece in a defective game.
My two hands give birth to nothing right.
A black past is an effective foresight.
Push it out. It's everything you never were.
Push it out. I want to see it shatter.
And every day I see my life rewind, tearing through dreams I find I'm wide awake.
And everything is building up, a pale heart is an empty cup,
If nothing ever changes, I'm breaking down, giving up.
Burn it out, let it go, break it all, lose control,
Force it out, bring it through, pass it down, make it new.
Kill the pain, scrape it off, leave it here, make it stop.
Tear it down, bleed it out, all the hate, see it straight.
No one ever told me that it would all stay the same.
Every day I fall on shards of my hatred and shame.

IC:

Tortured screams filled the air and coupled with the pungent scent of sulfur, blanketing the entire plane of existence known by such names as the Underworld, Hades, and more commonly, Hell in a layer of the purest form of despair possible. The heat was unbearable to the souls of the damned, who writhed in eternal agony. Their bare bodies were scattered everywhere, flames licking at many, while others were being afflicted by jeering demons. Rivers of fire and blood crisscrossed the barren, rocky landscape and provided another venue of punishment for the sinful humans.

The atmosphere of ultimate suffering brought no enjoyment or satisfaction to Lucilius, however. Normally, he would have relished in unleashing pain and ridicule upon the condemned humans, but for the moment, he was leaning against a large boulder, completely unaffected by the heat radiating from it. The incubus swam in the sea of his thoughts that were fathomable only to him it seemed. And most of them centered on a particular angel…

Lucilius’s green eyes narrowed in controlled anger, his irises smoldering. The memories he retained of Mariana held both pleasure and fury for him. Most of that night had been quite enjoyable; she had been easy prey, after all. For a moment, he recalled the seduction and then the ensuing rape, and a malicious grin spread across his face, only to very quickly be replaced by an enraged scowl.

Everything had been going like clockwork until that whore found some sort of inner strength.

Phantom pains flowed over his body as the memory of that accursed holy energy colliding with him surfaced. Not only had she been able to prevent him from attaining the Argentsigna, but she had also wounded his pride. Never before had he been denied what he wanted, and the fact that someone finally had had consumed him with outrage.

She was weak then, though, and I could have easily taken and destroyed that seal if it hadn’t been for that annoying kid. He laughed, the sound laced with mild traces of insanity. But I still got some fun out of it all in the end, even if I wasn’t able to destroy the seal. I raped that angel wench, and I got to brutally slaughter something all in the same night! Oh, yeah, and desecrate that church on top of it all. He laughed again.

A particularly piercing wail nearby jerked the incubus out of his reminisces, and he scowled again. I’m absolutely bored here. All I want is to find Mariana again. She’d give me a better time than any of these worthless humans would, anyway.

Pushing himself up off the boulder supporting him, Lucilius stalked off through the fiery desolation, desperate to find something to occupy him. Perhaps soon he’d be allowed back to Earth again where Mariana was surely still wandering in a broken state. The last time he’d heard any word of her, that’s what she’d been doing, at any rate. He grinned to himself, reveling in the fact that it was he who had put her in that state in the first place. He could hardly wait to get his hands on her again and make her suffer for the embarrassment she had inflicted upon him that night.

Ooc: These are the lyrics for Orion's theme....Song and lyrics copyright of Most Precious Blood.


Apparition

You always knew just how to bury your sins, beneath my skin…I am the fevered
words you wished, you'd never said. I am the saddest song that haunts you, in
your sleep. I am the thought that wakes you from, your sweetest dreams.
Tonight I'll walk these halls…studying the cracks in the walls…
To die internally, To die eternally…
The death of all that I dreamed, shaken from your sweetest dream…
The death of all that I dreamed, shaken from your sweetest dream…
From Death’s grasp I shall rise, and will rise one last time, when the tears top the laughter,It’s time to go home, and here I am, the greatest lie, you ever told… I am the incision that leaves behind the deepest scar… I am your heart when your head, says “walk away…”
No one dies…No one dies alone…I’ll send these chills, straight into your bones… I am not…anyone you know… ghost from your past, here to seize your soul.

BiC: Darkness surrounded everything. A bleak, stygian expanse was on all sides of Orion, rocky and seemingly endless. He felt as though he were deaf, for no sounds reached him. Within this emptiness, Orion sat fully erect in a cross-legged position, his middle-fingers touching his thumbs in a meditative gesture. He was praising himself, worshipping his own existence, and within him, a steady culmination of energy was gathering. His sapphire scythe glistened hungrily, it's reflective surface catching only a mere silhouette of it's master's dark face. Here, he bore no mask, only the amusing identical face of his double. How pathetic was it that he, Orion, was defeated twice by WOMEN! Maximilian did lend a hand the second time around, but the physical damage was all brought forth by wenches. Both with whips. Could it be fate was mocking him? Or was Max just a fetishist? He knew fortune was a lady, and she was probably a ***** too, by the way things were looking. After all, he was in Hell, on some level. The blue energy within him began to manifest, and a translucent dome formed around the murderer. The half-circle then retracted into him, and he levitated, bonelessly, to his feet.

"Finally...enough strength to move again..." He motioned his hand in an upward sweep, and there was a little clack as his weapon's long handle bounced from it's place on the floor, freezing in the translucent ghost of his hand. Releasing a sigh of frigid, dead wind, the fiend looked for anything to do. Anything.

He stood motionless for an entire hour.

Frustrated, Orion hurled his worthless weapon to the floor, and dropped to his knees. He swung his translucent fist at the barren ground...and it cracked.

"Hmmm?"

SWIP-SWIIIIP!

His screams echoed in the shadows as a thin tendril exploded from the black tartarus, somehow striking his phantom form before dissipating into tiny particles. A thick bolt of pain struck the spirit, but at the same time, he felt something else. Renewal. Frenzied, the doppelganger brought both of his fists down onto the hard surface. More streaks of immense agony blew through him, filling him with a surreal new idea of power. As he continued the savage ritual, he didn't even notice that every time he was struck, he was left with a fresh onyx stripe on his spiritual body, horizontal tattoos that filled him with painful strength. A wave of blue exploded from his spirit, striking the ground all around him, awakening a horde of the wiry, painful things. It seemed they were what held the floor together, because Orion numbly realized the ground had broken away, and he was falling...falling...

He awoke lying on a small island in a stream of seething magma. Looking at himself, he assessed that he was fine. He had never noticed the black stripes in the first place, so when he saw not a trace was left, he was indifferent. He did, however, feel the power of whatever had freed him from that other Hell coarsing inside of him. Enough power for a weak physical form, at least. Carefully, he surveyed the landscape. A legless corpse lay beside the molten river. He jumped across the burning liquid with ease, landing on the body's chest. Holding out his hand, he saw with satisfaction his scythe was still with him, appearing in a bolt of blue fire.

"GAAAAAAH!"

The chest heaved, and the bloody face of the mortal spat up, his arms grabbing weakly at Orion's foot. The vile one stared at him wide-eyed for a moment, then cackled and jumped on him a few times. Now he remembered. Retarded humans are banished here. Ones that don't serve their purpose to whatever higher lifeform made them. How deliciously...stupid.

"Hehe...Feelin' blue, little fella? Looks like your legs are growin' back...That's an unfortunate side-effect of having a human soul...LEMME TRY!"

With a perfectly aimed slash, the blade dug into the damned human's cheek, releasing a spray of crimson that stained Orion's gleeful, malicious face.

Things weren’t looking any more interesting for Lucilius, and his frustration was beginning to bubble to the surface. Growling, that annoyed scowl plastered on his face, the incubus slunk among the broken and torn bodies of the condemned humans. He passed rather close to a screeching female, who shot an arm out with surprising alacrity to clasp onto his leg. Lucilius snarled and looked down, pausing to slide his gaze over her naked body. Despite the numerous scars, welts, and burns that marred the normally smooth skin, the female’s body was fairly attractive, and Lucilius pulled his leg out of her desperately clutching hands before kneeling down to her level. He rolled her over onto her back to get a better look at her. She was breathing heavily, her entire body quivering, and her eyes were firmly locked on him, as if he were a magnet for them. Lucilius’s scowl deepened, and he stood up again after swiping his claws nastily across her chest, spewing blood and eliciting a horrified scream from the female.

Pathetic creature. I don’t even have to expend effort to attract her to me. She isn’t worth my time or energy.

Blinking his emerald eyes once, he looked around to find several of the female humans crawling pitifully toward him. They all had hopeful looks in their eyes, and several even cried out verbatim to him.

“Hold me!”

“Love me!”

“Take me!”

Lucilius sneered at the desperate females. They were dragging themselves along the ground, ignoring the pain of the scorching heat of the ground against their bodies. To them, he was the most attractive thing in the entirety of their current existence, and they frantically sought the comfort they believed he could give them. Without purposefully doing so, Lucilius exuded his potent pheromones, drawing any females in the immediate area to him like bees to pollen. Everywhere he glanced, though, all he could see was Mariana, and this drove him further into temporary insanity. Howling in rage, he darted to the nearest female and dug his claws deeply into her back, flinging her limply into another female. His eyes burning with hatred, he dove toward another body, raking her deeply across the backs of her thighs before grabbing her entire left leg and tearing it completely off. As the blood flew, he threw the severed limb onto yet another of the infuriating, yelping females. When he had wreaked enough carnage to satisfy him for the moment, Lucilius regained his composure and cleaned his claws on the long, blonde hair of one of the bodies before sheathing them once more and prowling away.

I really should control myself. Spells of anger like that aren’t going to get me any closer to having Mariana again.

Another scream reached his ears, a male one this time, and the incubus raised his eyes to find the source. Just ahead of him, he could see a male human on his back with something on top of his chest. The human mattered not to Lucilius, but the figure on top of it certainly caught his interest. It was holding a glowing blue scythe and had just finished slicing the weapon into the human’s cheek. Curious, Lucilius approached the figure quietly, his green eyes glimmering.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. Just who are you?”

Two scathing blue lanterns met the green eyes of the incubus as the figure's head turned away from the carcass squirming beneath him. Carelessly, and weightlessly the black shape flipped forward, towards this new, more interesting individual. With a whisper of enchantment, Orion's ragged cloak flapped into existence around him, masking his naked frame. Coolly, he examined this newcomer, cackling softly under his breath.

"Who am I? Merely a passerby who happens to take part in the festivities. Some call me Orion. And you?"

"I am Lucilius, fallen from the northern reach of Paradise," The one with jade irises said complacently, if not just a little lazily. He wasn't the kind who liked to say much about himself, at least not at another's asking.

"Kehehee, such a noble-sounding title for one so depraved. I heard the screams of the wenches from even here, I promise you."

"Well, you weren't exactly giving that man there a massage, were you?"

"I suppose you're right. Oh, well!" Releasing another laugh, the cloaked scoundrel walked closer to the fallen one. He parted his fingers from the elongated handle of the blue scythe, and it drifted back to spin behind him as he came to a stop within a foot of the curious traitor of the Kingdom of God.

"Why is it you would bother yourself asking me questions, devil? Isn't your job to torture?"

"Actually, my job is a bit more complicated than that, if you MUST know." The demon looked furious, close to strangling this incongruously jolly fellow who sported the attire that most mortals believed to be of Azrael, Angel of Death. That, like many things, was not true to the gospel, but it had grown into such a legend that many thought of the entity as a skeletal figure with a scythe. It did not intimidate Lucilius, but discomfort seemed to emanate from this Orion fellow like a foul odor.

"I actually seek a seal called the Argentsigna."

"A seal? Which does what, exactly?"

"It must be eradicated, to aid the beginning of the end..." A bubble formed in the molten flow behind the incubus, exploding into a hazy blaze that blurred his appearance and fluttered his garments. A hideous grin was carved into his handsome face as the rising flames descended back down.

"...of everything."

His emerald orbs flashed like jewels in the revisiting darkness. He could practically see the buildings burning to ash in wake of Hellfire, charred children falling apart like leaves in the wind. And, amidst it all, he, Lucilius, gripping Mariana in his arms as she wails please, please, stop it, I hate you, I hate you, but no, he keeps doing it, his claws sinking through her supple backside, her breasts kneading steadily against his chest as her tears stain his cheeks-

"WAKEY WAKEY, EGGS AND BAKEY!" Orion squawked, rapping twice upon the forehead of his only intelligible company. Lucilius snapped into focus with a growl, and slashed his claws just a moment too late. Orion waggled a finger mockingly from a few feet away.

"Little slow, aren't you?"

Retracting his claws just as quickly as they had grown, Lucilius snarled in more than mild irritation at this Orion who stood waving a mocking finger at him. The incubus’s curiosity about this mysterious creature seemed to increase with every passing second. That scythe hovering behind his back looked rather formidable, and Lucilius decided it would be in his best interest to avoid any sort of confrontation. Frustrated at being recalled so abruptly from his satisfying visions of the future he fervently hoped for, though, Lucilius was suddenly in a fouler mood than he previously had been.

I can’t seem to be able to even imagine Mariana, much less have her, without something getting in the way.

His eyes narrowed, and he looked Orion up and down again. For a brief moment, Lucilius entertained an unusual thought for him. Perhaps Orion could aid him in the locating and the submission of Mariana. As soon as the thought had surfaced, however, Lucilius squelched it. He preferred to work alone, after all. Relying on others for help was for the weak. Besides, in his line of work, it was better for him to be alone. Just him and his prey. Nothing else. Shaking his head lightly, Lucilius fixed the glowing emeralds of his eyes on Orion.

“I don’t suppose you’d care to tell me more about yourself, would you?”

He beckoned the scythe-wielder toward him again with one semi-elongated claw. As Orion did an awkward hop-step toward him, Lucilius couldn’t help but notice the lazily spinning scythe trailing him like a dog after its master. By the time Orion had stopped near him, Lucilius had concocted an idea. Since he’d rather not have to ask for someone’s help in attaining that which he wanted most, he would take this strange creature’s weapon. Surely he could put it to good use. Grinning disarmingly, Lucilius attempted to distract Orion.

“Nothing about yourself? At all? I was never too fond of vagueness myself.”

The creature chuckled amusedly, his icy blue eyes shining with a strange light as he responded enigmatically, “I am not…anyone you know…ghost from his past, here to seize his soul.” This elicited several minutes of cackling from Orion, but Lucilius rolled his eyes, his aggravation with this audacious creature threatening to explode.

“There you go speaking in riddles again. Why won’t you give me a straight answer? Who are you even talking about?”

Orion, still in fits of chuckling, replied, “That’s for me to know and you to FIND OUT!”

This was the straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak, for Lucilius. A growl rumbled in his throat as he vanished right before Orion’s eyes. The creature seemed utterly unfazed by this display and didn’t even turn around when Lucilius reappeared behind him, though he was fully aware of the incubus’s presence there. Just as Lucilius raised a hand to snatch the scythe, a few words, spoken in the most serious tone the demon had yet heard out of Orion, stopped him in mid-motion.

“I don’t think you want to do that.”

Orion scythe gleamed, and as the incubus stared at the marvelous weapon, the reflective blade rippled, as though it were water, and Orion’s cloaked face was staring at him through it, although he wasn’t even looking in the same direction of the floating weapon.

“Unless you judge you would serve a better purpose as a puppet, Dredgius is not something you should ever want to grasp in those perverse claws of yours. I’m not this serious very often, so you better take what I said with all faith. But wait, faith isn’t something you’re known for, IS IT?!” The image crowed, in identical speed of the real Orion, who had swiftly turned around just then to join in the insane merriment.

Lucilius scowled, a little perturbed by Orion’s odd powers. It was going to be near impossible to get that harvester blade from it’s wielder.

“Hmph. As you wish.”

“Shhh! I’m trying to find my BUDDY.”

“What in the NINE CIRCLES OF—“

SSWIP!

“I SAID, shut it." The scythe had narrowly missed Lucilius’s head, but not because he dodged. Orion had intentionally done this to silence him. Now, the blade drew back to Orion, and his glowing eyes rested on the curved, matching metal, and Lucilius perceived from his side of the weapon a swirling blue image, but this time it wasn’t Orion. There were two small, bipedal shapes in the color. One was masculine, and the other feminine, the couple locked in embrace. This brought up the thought of a certain obsession of the incubus, and his eyes narrowed in fury. He even began to imagine that the girl figure had wings.

Wait a minute…

She did have wings. The fallen one’s emerald irises grew large in the darkness of this burning, abyssal place, and his nails dug into his palms, letting fresh streams of his accursed blood dribble onto the heated, cracked rocks below their feet. His handsome mouth was bent into a crooked, seething grimace that was beyond loathing. The scythe had closened on the young woman, who did look quite different, but her face was exactly as he remembered, although it was not marked by any sign of sadness or pain. The holy emblem known as the Argentsigna swayed mockingly from her neck.

Mariana was happy, and she was with another.

“So…he’s found another wench,” Orion said in his strange voice, which was a duality of a screeching voice and an almost ordinary tone layered beneath it. The scythe’s vision then shifted to the male, a strangely dressed fool in a pair of human’s sunglasses. It took all of Lucilius’s will to say his next statement in an intelligible manner.

“You know HIM?”

Orion’s gaze shifted to his fellow audience member, and his cackle resounded ominously in the shadows that coalesced about his face.

“Friends come and go, but a double is forever.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That figure you see, is in a way, a part of myself. I am a ghost of what he once was.”

Lucilius eyed the cloaked creature for a while, contemplating this information. A ghost of a living person? Could it be possible? He had never heard of such a thing. Lucilius noticed then that Orion had almost stopped all of his foolish talk.

“The accurate term is Doppelgänger, but you can call me what you wish. I crave only the death of the man you see within this gazing steel.”

“Well, then…what if I were to say I also want him dead?”

“Makes no difference to me…”

“What would you say…if I told you I could get you out of here?”

Lucilius’s eyes burned with intense fury. The brief glimpse of Mariana had been enough to tear down whatever barriers he had left against his raging insanity. She was with somebody else! And she was happy?! That wasn’t possible! He had left her in a broken mess! He had made certain of that, especially after the outright disgrace she had inflicted upon him! And now…she was there, smiling. SMILING! He scrutinized her wings more closely. Not even a smudge was left, no visible trace of his influence remained upon her. He clenched his fists again and ground his teeth together. How in Lucifer’s name had she managed to rid herself of the taint?!

The incubus seethed as he shifted his eyes to the man who had Mariana in his arms. Lucilius swore silently, right then and there, that he would tear him apart and force Mariana to watch every second of it. Had Lucilius been looking at the real, physical countenance of the idiot rather than its mere reflection, he would have torn those ridiculous sunglasses off his face, smashed them upon the ground, and then proceeded to violently separate his limbs from his body. How dare he touch Mariana?! Lucilius had marked her for his own, and he suddenly had the feeling that this man was somehow responsible for removing the taint. He looked back at Mariana, and something very quickly caught his eye when she opened her mouth to say something to her apparent newfound lover.

Fangs.

Shock lanced through Lucilius. No. It couldn’t be possible. She would never consent to something like that. Unless… He quivered with rage and fixed his eyes back on the man, and the signs were suddenly screaming at him. A vampire. Mariana had become a vampire to escape the taint. It took every ounce of sane willpower left to him to quell the enraged roar that threatened to rip from his throat. Orion’s voice snapped him back into at least a semi-intelligent state.

“You said you could get me out of here? Hmm…well, of course, I’d love that immensely, but I’d be of no use outside of Hell without some sort of vessel. So, I’d need to find one.”

“What sort of vessel do you need? Anything in particular?”

“Not really. As long as it has arms to hold my scythe, it’ll work. Also, I’d really like it to be somebody young. It’ll make me feel like a kid again!”

Orion cackled at this, way too amused by the exclamation in Lucilius’s opinion. He pondered for a while, attempting to cool the anger boiling just beneath his skin. When Orion finally calmed down, he brought up another point that bore mentioning.

“Oh, yeah. Another thing. If you want to reach the place where those two are, you’re probably going to need to know the proper doorway.”

Lucilius blinked. He hadn’t even given that any thought. “Do you know the name of this place?”

“No. I have no clue what it’s called. I just know I followed Maximilian there.”

“Maximilian?”

“Yeah, the guy I was using my scythe to watch.”

Lucilius’s face tightened. So that’s what the vampire was called. He would remember that. “Well, if you don’t know the name, it’s going to be a bit difficult figuring out how to get there… You’re sure you have no idea of its name?”

Orion lowered his head for a moment, trying to recall that particular detail.

"Well...When I first arrived in the place, I was confronted by some sort of deity, someone claiming my soul fated for damnation...I recollect him saying something pointlessly righteous. I think he said his name was Arimas. Ring a bell?"

Lucilius pondered for a short-lived moment, his mind shifting expertly through the maze of mass data concerning both aspects of the levels of afterlife he knew of. Nothing came up.

"...No. And that's all the information you were able to gather?"

"Yes. But all hope isn't lost...Hehehehee. You see, my buddy Maximilian might no longer be a part of me, but I still have a little inkling he can help us, whether he likes it or not."

"Help us? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I mean, I'll try to pick his mind. Just give me some quiet time. While I'm trying this, you should find a vessel for me to inhabit." The doppelgänger faced away from the incubus as he made this statement, and genuflected to take the sitting meditative pose. When he did this, however, his figure lifted off of the jagged stone beneath him and hovered a few feet, still frozen in the same position.

**

Lucilius seemed once again disturbed by how this being's powers worked, and was a little jealous that his prey was not as easily found by the lack of said abilities. Even so, he felt he never wanted to be Mariana's doppelgänger himself, for obvious reasons.

Still enamored in this web of thought, the striking former angel trekked away from the creepy phantom, onto a desolate black path traced by tiny molten stripes. They fazed Lucilius not in the least, and like a circus performer with no audience he easily walked across the burning hot rocks.

"A vessel...A body....Hmm.....how would one go about finding a young body in Hell? Jehovah loves the little children, or so I heard in Lochlynn's FANTASTIC morning service a few hundred years ago...heheh..."

It was at this point that Lucilius realized Orion might be rubbing off on him, and shut his face.

He eventually arrived at one of the many connected burning pits of perdition, where literally thousands of humans were screeching as they descended and ascended from the intense heat which baked their flesh, the very same flesh that regenerated in quickness that varied inversely with the damage given. That was what made the suffering eternal, and Lucilius found it extremely amusing. Many of these mortals had no doubt craved immortality like this when they were alive, but he had suspicions that they no longer felt that way now that they had it.

"Now, for the youth that Orion craves...."

**

Max was done being discouraged about the information Arimas had so halfheartedly shared about defeating Nediryo. He was resting peacefully against a large tree's base, while Mariana watched the waves from several feet away. She was giving him distance because she felt he needed some time to think about his troubled past, but it wasn't really necessary. He had recovered from the severity of the news, but it still bothered him how close Orion was to them, and the fact that he might need to confront the bastard soon didn't help any.

His shades adequately tinting his vision, he glanced directly at one of the three suns that gave this world such odd, surreal light. Gradually, though, he had a strange feeling. Like he was being force open, mentally. His fingertips went numb, and his vision got hazy. Suddenly, a familiar shape was visible in the corner of his right eye, and he jumped to his feet.

He looked to his right, and nothing was there. Preceding this, he underwent a sudden, nauseating sensation of déjà vu. Whatever it was that he had seen was most definitely an omen, and it made him want to throw up.

Glancing at the torture occurring around him, Lucilius pondered upon the task of supplying Orion with a suitable host. He had said he would prefer someone young. Someone young… Most of the damned nearby, all of them in fact, were older-looking, adult humans. Children were a rarity in Hell, especially young children. That would prove to make things difficult, indeed. As the incubus considered various possibilities, he was suddenly struck with an idea. There might be a shortage of young bodies around, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t construct one that would just as easily suffice. He had begun considering just what sort of body to make when another idea pounced on him, one that was all too fitting in his mind. He grinned maliciously and immediately began scanning the nearby rivers of blood.

All blood spilt on Earth eventually made its way to the coursing flows of Hell, mingling together to form the infamous rivers of crimson. Lucilius knew this very well, and with a particular scent of blood in mind, he cast up and down a stretch of one of the rivers in search of the specific blood he knew he needed. Nothing. He could find it nowhere in his current location. Growling in mild frustration, he stalked further upstream, senses alert. The incubus was about to give up entirely and just make a generic body, when a medium-sized pool of the thick liquid caught his attention. Triumph gleamed in his eyes. He had found what he had been looking for.

Drawing nearer to the edge of the pool, Lucilius went to work swiftly. The sooner he accomplished this, the sooner he could destroy that vampire and have Mariana for himself again. His eyes flitted across the way to a group of damned humans in one of the main tributaries, and with a flick of a black claw, a pair of the smaller humans flew to him, fear plainly etched into their faces. Another flick of his claw lowered them into the natural vat of blood. To prevent them from entertaining thoughts of bolting away, Lucilius quickly surrounded the edge of the pool with a barrier of green flames, their twisting, otherworldly light casting him in an eerie glow. His malefic grin widened at the sight of the two horrified humans that cowered before him.

Stepping to the very edge of the pool, his emerald Hellfire not affecting him in the least, Lucilius raised a sharpened, elongated nail to his opposite palm and sliced directly into his own flesh. Dark, black blood dribbled out of the wound and down into the pool below him, mixing with the original contents to create an insidious substance that steadily covered the bodies of the humans. Extending a claw in his currently bleeding hand, he sliced into his other palm and then used the black flow from both his hands to conjure two thin, slightly crooked daggers that gleamed wickedly in the dancing green firelight. In a barely visible flash, the two ritualistic weapons were impaled through the necks of the humans, and as their now-lifeless bodies sunk into the pool, Lucilius manipulated his flames to send them swirling hungrily from the edge to the center. The Hellfire was enough to completely evaporate the mixed blood, converting it into a noxious vapor which Lucilius then directed straight into the bodies of the humans. His eyes glowed, forcing the two bodies to fuse together into a convulsing mass of grotesque flesh, and after another burst of his own signature Hellfire, the writhing shape took the form Lucilius had originally intended to make. Levitating it toward him, the incubus took his creation in his arms and smiled cruelly as he headed back to Orion.

* * * * * *

Upon his arrival, Lucilius instantly took notice of a new presence near Orion that had previously not been there. He had the look of a middle-aged man and was dressed rather oddly in modern-day human attire—a red sweater, neat khaki pants, sandals, and a black, wide-brimmed sunhat. The incubus immediately formed a very negative opinion of this newcomer and warily approached the two. When he got closer, he attempted to ignore the newest addition and focused his attention on Orion.

“I hope this will do for a vessel.”

Lucilius unceremoniously dropped the small body to the ground for Orion to inspect. After looking it over carefully for a few moments, Orion cackled his approval.

“Yes, yes. This will do nicely. It took you long enough, though. Shopping around were you?”

Lucilius grinned, eyes glinting dangerously. “This is a special body, one that I’m almost certain will make our job easier. And his name…” Lucilius paused dramatically. “…is Cedric.”