The Wielder of Death Magic

1130 Enfia L. Leviathan [2]

‘Welcome to the family,’ she wrapped herself in the darkness of her intrinsic thoughts,’-I’ve yearned for those words. Ever since he came to the palace and preached about the coming of the Devil, my unfortunate master succumbed to his death. I wish he were here to flourish the world with his wisdom. I was born to the King of Hell, Leviathan, a product of his many affairs. I was shunned for my appearance, I don’t resemble him or his concubine. As a shapeshifting demon, I’m viewed as an insult to his blood, my powers, to the wrath of my father, are unworthy to be used. I suffered years of insults, was forsaken to the stables, and was forced to bear the seed of many potential suitors. Unlike me, my other siblings were great, they were talented and had more than I ever could. I spent my days enviously eavesdropping on the palace’s happening. Rejected as I was, my confine was but the stables, maid quarters, and the sewers running down the city. I couldn’t leave – my neck bound by the chains of slavery. I did make father proud. He’d occasionally stumble in the maid’s quarters half-drunk, pluck one of the attendants and force her on her knees in front of my room. He’d then torture the lass and finally ordered me to slit her throat. Once I consumed the lass’ blood, he’d ask me to shapeshift – I would obey, and after that, he’d force me onto my bed… the rest was painful. I didn’t know it was wrong. Honestly, I didn’t care. My powers worked for something, I made father happy for a brief amount of time. Years elapsed, and I was the plaything of my guardian – the more I satisfied his needs, the better was my treatment. I developed other skills, persuasion, manipulation, and scheming. I was forced to learn the art of deceit. I suffered in the darkness and in a way, my inner demon unleashed her real intent. I rejoiced in trickery, I loved making people bow to my knees. Was it my father’s idea to train me like that? To forge a cursed blade by exposure to a monster’s venom? The answer’s yet unknown. Nevertheless, the pleasure I delivered was nothing compared to what his children accomplished. The tasks they perform, menial as it were, brought pride and joy unlike I’d ever seen. After a certain age, I was allowed inside the palace as a servant. I was to serve one of my younger brothers. The lad wasn’t spoiled, unlike his big brother. He was a kind child, an offspring of a maiden from the south – a human. Her tortured soul was brought to our realm by the Harbingers. And there, just shy of his coming of age – the big brother assassinated the lad on his birthday. The banquet rejoiced. They applauded the cruelty and bestowed much of their blessings. I watched. Looking through what limited window I was allowed. It infuriated me, I wanted to make them pay, make them suffer. Father was nothing more than a lascivious bastard. I grew to despise his advances – I refused but was tortured and jailed. I spent the latter half in a closed cell, contemplating my life. The winds of change blew, and the years I spent in jail had taught me a lesson, to trust no one and to use whoever was fit for my growth. To fight a monster one must become a monster, to defeat a monster, however, one must become a demon. I took the words to heart and poured myself into sharpening my craft. I schemed daily, got my hands on forbidden books – created an information network across the realms, recruited dissenters, and eventually crawled my way to my father’s feet. I used a new appearance, something he’d never seen, and became one to his court. There, I started what I thought was right, to further my position and avenge the death of the brother who saw me as his own. On an evening like any other, a strange figure ambled into the court. He was met with side glances and angry guards. Unimpressed, the man carried his step with dignity and asked for an audience with the king. As one would expect, he was turned away. Instead, the man returned the day after, this continued for a month. He came at the door, asked for an audience got insulted, and turned away, then repeat. The persistence got through. Father complimented his action despite never knowing who they were. I was in awe at the man’s unassuming stance.’

‘The audience was granted. A short but influential one. I attended the parle between the king and the curious man. He showed every courtesy afforded to him. Father echoed the gesture.’

“To the Demon King Leviathan, I humbly ask for a moment of your time.”

“Go ahead, you have my blessing.”

“Hell was founded on the blood and sacrifice of a single man, the one we know as the Cursed King. The true founder of the Aapith nation. His revival is at hand. He has returned to fulfill the prophecy of the end. I’m a simple man of the unassuming stature, birthplace, and ideals. I’m the messenger and I bear no further influence on what reality holds. You, my liege, are one to set the course of the future. I came for a simple purpose, to warn thee and the kings of the return of he who rules from the Shadows. Once the three in one are joined, the Adjudicator shall be born anew. He has shown signs of activity, and I fear, with all my might, if not put to a stop else, guided in the right direction, he may just well forsake reality and force the realm into a new start. I’d hate for reality to end – our timeline has been most fortunate, god and devil spawns, humans and non-humans, the picture-perfect landscape of life has been painted. We mustn’t allow it all to crumble.”

“Why have you come to us?”

“Lord Lucifer has refused my worries. Lord Satan and Lord Belial are unavailable.”

“How can I be of help?”

“There is a cathedral built north of Lucifer’s academy. The buildings house a great key to locking the Adjudicator’s power if he one day awakens. My liege, I would ask you to conquer Lucifer’s land and stop the menace.”

.....

“And if I refuse?”

“I will accept and move. I must spread the words of wisdom passed from my family, such the way of the voyager.”

“Voyager?” father’s intrigue roused, I never knew him to be so interested in a simple title, “-as in the Voyagers who travel the dimension in search of the forbidden fruit?”

“Yes,” he bowed, “-I am an offspring of the messenger god, Hermes.”

‘The mention of Hermes sealed his fate. The messenger’s neck was put to the sword and thrown in jail. Father halted the execution – instead my sister, Teresa, was to get information from the man. Her priorities shifted, she cared more for pleasure than information. I don’t know why… something drew me to him. I snuck into the dungeon and had a word with the man. He returned my gaze with an affectionate smile. He was chained and heavily injured. He’d lost some of his fingers and even his teeth, yet, the man afforded me what little courtesy he could.

“My lady, you must not be discovered exchanging a word with a traitor.”

“You purposefully spoke Hermes’ name, why?”

“To die,” he said, “-to be freed from my curse of telling the world of its eventual end. I lied… the heavens are far more sinister than what hell would one believe. I’m a servant to my gods, I have seen their truth and have said no to their evil… the sense of right and wrong don’t apply to an entity of such stature. I am one to obey and do so I shall. They hold my freedom, they hold my life and my purpose. The only freedom afforded to me is how I choose to die. I fulfilled my purpose knowing it was wrong, I spread information about the coming of the Adjudicator and sullied the man’s good name. You, my lady, have the eyes of one who seeks after the truth. I will not be long for this world. My truth and the truth of who the three in one resides in my journal. I was careful to hide it in an inn by the river of Sarl. Ask for the innkeeper and tell her I sent for you.”

“Why?”

“Because I worship the bringer of finality. I’m a devoted follower of the Adjudicator. We’re few and hidden far and wide, we exist to serve our master regardless of his awakening.”

“And you ruin his reputation, what kind of servant does so?”

“The kind who is unafraid to go against his creed. My actions have led me to you, and you to me. You will inherit what I sought to complete, you will, and I see so in thy future, meet the Adjudicator. The choice is yours, Enfia L. Leviathan.”

“Sister?” Teresa arrived as the man drew his last breath, “-did you kill him?”

“No, he succumbed to his wounds.”

“Oh well, whatever. Please take care of his corpse, the dead are always too grimy to play with.”

‘He died with all the truths. Leaving only a simple order to follow. The more I thought, the greater the picture grew. At that moment, my quest to find the truth began. I fought his journal and read about what was real and what was a fa?ade. The world was built on narrow foundations –heaven and its misguided hypocrisy, hell’s unwillingness to fight, and the eternal struggle of the Demon Kings and the Council. No one was ready for the Adjudicator’s awakening. No one will ever be ready. The winds blew yet again, Lucifer disappeared – Draebala, Artanos, the coming of a new troublesome era, and at the center, an unassuming man hailing from Orin, the Wielder of Death Magic.’

She rose her head, ‘-and he stands before me today. The one who my master entrusted to us. He’s the one to lead the realities. Depending on his choices, we may yet survive. A survival that comes at the price of the underworld and Draebala, a survival where gods become the sole ruler of life itself.’

“Enfia.”

“Yes?”

“Why are you drifting into space?” he narrowed, “-was there not a room I’m supposed to visit?”

“Lord Staxius, are you not going to judge my actions for your daughter’s condition?”

“Enfia, I say this again, you’re talented. The way you schemed is unlike anything I have seen. You must have an interesting past. Nothing more is needed to make pique my curiosity. As for the matter of Sathanas,” he stared the lass squarely, her empty eyes was a tell-tell sign of mind-down, ‘-she’s taking a rest. Fought until the bitter end,’ he laid her on the table and caressed her forehead, ‘-shut yourself to perverse thy sanity. Sathanas, my daughter, you are quite a fighter.’

“She’s beyond treatment…”

“Just watch,” he smiled, *-knowledge known to only the watcher, I, master and inheritor of Origin, beckon thee; Mantia, Library of the all-knowing: Partial Realm Expansion,* a cocoon wrapped the feeble body, ‘-she’s afflicted with a curse,’ he lit a cigarette,

*-I am he who slays without fear, I am he who shall be the last of what thy see. Heed mine call, thou whomst dared to fight the natural order, tis the day thou ought to be destroyed, Ancient Magic – Astral Binding,* sword-shaped lightning bolt hammered in a pentagram around her body, *-thee who desires power, thee who sealed a contract with the devil, arise anew and face the truth. Thy soul is mine to wield, mine to control and mind to destroy – awaken, Contract Holder, for I, thy master, beckon thee. Contract – Resusio,*

*GASP,* “-WHERE AM I?” she shot upright and coughed, flashing her troubled focus right and left, “-where am I?”

“In hell.”