Nocturne of Eternal Darkness

[Demon Lord Gira]

Chapter 1. Dead Men Never Tell Tales

Year: October 31, 2007
Location: New York

The light flickered on. The hooded girl looked up, and ran across the wet streets, eyes flashing back and forth as the sounds of cars driving by blasted her eardrums. The sky overhead was a dark ominous grey, and the heavens themselves were pouring their sorrows upon the world below in an endless torrent that covered the city. Lightning strikes flashed overhead as the girl made it to the other side. She looked up at the tall black skyscraper infront of her. Yes... this was the right place. She walked up to the doors, and went past them as they slid open for her.

The inside of the main lobby was dark and empty, save for a lone man at the counter by one of the two elevator doors. Then again, she wasn't surprised, considering this building was currently listed as unoccupied. As she walked past the lone man, she could see him shaking his head every so slightly. It was a warning, one she knew dealt with what was going to come next, but she ignored it. Pressing the up arrow, she sighed and waited for the elevator to come down. As she did, she looked around. Cobwebs covered all the furniture, and the dust floating in the air itched her nose. She sneezed, a cute little sound that caused the man at the counter to chuckle. She glared over at him. Now that she was looking at him properly, she could see that he was actually more like a boy than a man, being shorter than she was, and with a red and black uniform on. Were it not for the circumstances, perhaps they could have been friends.

The "Ding" of the elevator reached her ears, and the hooded figure turned just as the door opened for her. She stepped forward, and after pressing the button for the penthouse, waited as the elevator began its long ascent. She turned and looked out the glass window behind her. She was rising up toward the dark clouds, higher than most people could only dream of being outside of an airplane. Finally, at the 97th floor, the pinnacle of the tower, it stopped. The doors opened, and the girl was meet with a blinding curtain of nicotine and smoke. The room was dark, with only one light on in the middle. Seated there was a lone man, an actual adult. He wore a simple suit of black and grey, and in his mouth was a lit cigarette, the end glowing as ashes blew from his lips. Infront of him, was a small round table. "So great to see you could join us tonight." The man hissed, his rancid breath bombarding the girl's nostrils as she stopped right on the other side of the table. "Now, do you have what I asked for?"

The girl nodded, and reaching into her hooded robes, pulled out several large bands of cash. She placed them down onto the table, all seven piles spread evenly. "Just as you requested. These are all for you. Now what of my end of the bargain?" the girl said, bringing her arm up to her throat as she began coughing.

The man smirked, and yet, shook his head at the same time. "You know? I was thinking about that proposal, and I feel like it's stupid as shit. Why should I hand over my entire gang to you?" He chuckled as he slowly pulled out a simple handgun and aimed it right at the girls head. At the same time, the girl could hear the sounds of weapons loading and primed all around her, and she knew they were all aimed for her as well. "Why don't I just kill you here, then throw your corpse out for all the other idiots down there to see... Any last words, buttercup?"

The girl stood still, motionless as the gang members around her aimed their weapons at her skull and neck. Only two words came from her mouth, two words that were whispered, yet they could all hear.

"Bad End."

In that instant, the room filled with gunfire and even more smoke, the loud bangs of the firearms drowning out any other sounds. Suddenly, as soon as it had began, it ended. The spot where the girl had been standing seconds earlier was now covered in smoke. Bood could be heard dripping onto the ground. The head of the gang laughed, a crisp, raspy laugh like dried leaves on an autumn wind as he stood up. "Well, there goes one more bit-"

His words twisted into a gargled cry of pain as a gloved hand erupted from within his chest. All he could do was scream as his body shook and shuddered out of control as the hand held his own bloody heart, still beating and oozing out the thick red liquid. And then, the hand slid back, and the man collapsed onto the ground, body still spasming. His now leaderless henchmen stood back, eyes and jaws wide with fear and terror as the girl stepped forward, the still beating heart within her grasp. her cloak and robes were shredded to bits, revealing the grey t-shirt she wore and the short shorts on her legs. Blackish gloves tainted with blood covered her hands, and her short rose-colored hair blew, even though there was no breeze in the room. "Now then, would anyone care to repeat that? I think I felt something tickling me." She said, her voice low and cold, yet with a childish aspect to it as she used her free hand to pluck bullets that had embedded themselves into her skin. The sound of guns dropping to the ground gave her the answer she required, and she looked upon the several dozen henchmen hidden in the shadows, her wide childish eyes observing each and every one. She took the heart in her hand, then placed it within her throat, before swallowing it whole. The blood that splashed out was licked up, and she wiped her lips clean. "Very good. Now you all are under my control. Allow me to introduce myself... I am Minerva, and as your first order under my rule, I ask this corpse here be removed. Then I want a pinball machine placed up here, the air vacuumed out, a swimming pool installed, the boy down there at the counter given a raise and new clothes, and a large bucket of ice cream." Silence met her demands, and she looked around at each person. "I am not going to wait till next year, people, I asked for it NOW!" She hissed, holding up one hand. Purple electricity began crackling around it, and instantly, the thugs flocked toward the elevator doors as fast as they could. Minerva stood and stared as they went down, then when the last of them had gone, she sighed and sat down on the chair in the room. "Very good... now just one step closer to my goals... Soon , this city will be under my entire control, and I can turn this world into a true Hell... in my own glorious image!"

[Demon Lord Gira]

Chapter 2: Childish Command

All they could do, was run. Once members of a proud gang, they were now exiles, having ran off with their leader’s death. Their group, the Blackeyes, had been taken over by some little girl who had powers beyond what any of them had ever seen… and it was pure madness. They refused to let this happen, they knew that something like this was bound to upset the precarious balance of power, so they had ran, leaving behind those comrades that had chosen to stay with this shift in power. The darkness of the rainy night poured around them as they slipped into a back alley. Lights flickered on and off around the 50 men as they all gathered around a door. “Wait a second, are you mad? I understand that Julies dying is a big upset, but to have to go to the Bitch Queen for it? Isn’t that a little much?” One of the members asked.

The guy who had led the disbanders glared at him, yet everyone could see he was shaking visibly. Everyone knew this was a massive gambit. They were dealing with a monster here, yet for that little girl to just take all those guns and laugh it off… no, they refused to be led by some child! Besides… better the enemy they knew, even if she was a ruthless tyrant. After several seconds of no response, the leader knocked on the plain door door. At first, there was no response, then a voice came from within, one strangled and laden with nicotine and drugs. “And what might you members of the Blackeye Gang want with me at this hour? I am busy enjoying myself, unless you really want to pick a fight.”

“Ummm… we didn’t come for a fight, miss Flor-“

“Just call me Fainis.” The voice cut off the leader, as the door swung open. Standing in the doorway was a juggernaut of a man, standing well over 6ft in height, and built like a tree. The gang members fell back, guns pointed out. The tall mountain of a man narrowed his eyes at the gang members, then stepped to the side, allowing a blanket of smoke to blow out, smoke so thick, even the members used to their old boss’s smoking found themselves chocking on the lack of breathable oxygen. And there, standing in the dense smoke, was a figure, slightly shorter than the tall man, and the true reason they had come to this place. The figure stayed where it was, yet all the men felt it at the same time, a wave of wear washing over them. They had all heard the horror stories, of how Fainis had once had dozens of lovers, only a mere handful of which were alive to tell the tale, of how she, with her relatively miniscule gang, held a title of her own, as the self-proclaimed Bitch Queen of the universe, and Queen of the Mafia. In one hand, was a cigar well over a foot long, and in the other, a knife twice as long, jagged and caked in dried blood. The rest of her was obscured in the smoke, bar those cold, blue eyes that starred into each of their souls at the same time. “Now, what purpose would you worthless lot have with me? If what I hear is stupid, or I don’t like it… you all get to spend a night in bed with me, as your last night alive.”

The leader of the group spoke up again, knees shaking together. “Our group had been taken over by some brat girl. Our weapons bounced off of her, and she murdered Julies. We came to you because-“

“Because you pack of dogs know no better leader than whose on top?” Fainis finished for him, as she held her knife at the throat of the leader. She pressed it slightly against his throat, just hard enough to draw blood, yet he didn’t flinch. Though she knew they had the more numbers, they feared her, thinking she had some trick to blow them all up incase they tried to attack her… which was all she wanted. “Well, that sounds pretty fucking stupid, so stupid I can only like what your saying. Either your thinking I was born yesterday… or this little story’s just too good to be true .” Here, she brought her knife hand back into the smoke, and let out a light chuckle, a sound that sent shivers down the spines of everyone there. “So, you sons of bitches, I welcome you all onto my list of new playtoys. Don’t worry, I’ll make it so that this new lady on the block learns her place. After all, there can only be one Bitch Queen on the block. HOWEVER… If you all don’t do exactly as I say, whenever I say… well, consider yourselves warned. I’ll let your imaginations play that little threat.”

_______________________________________


The next day...

Minerva yawned as her eyes slowly opened. She sat up in her new bed, the girl's purple and red night gown loose on her. To someone unfamiliar with what had happened yesterday, it would seem very odd that this girl, looking no older than thirteen or fourteen, and slightly over five feet in height, would be sleeping at the top of a building owned and run by one of the most influential and powerful gangs in New York City, but then, they wouldn't know that the girl wasn't even really a girl at that. She looked down at her pale skin on her hands, and flexed them. It was still odd, being in this form. She hadn't yet grown fully adjusted to this human disguise, looking so much younger and weaker than she actually was. She laughed weakly, then slipped out of the bed. "Anyone here?" She groaned rubbing her half-closed eyelids. She already knew that those thugs that hadn't fled for their lives and dropped out of the gang were indeed still here, within earshot of her and ready to serve their new head. But what had once been a gang of over a hundred members, was now down to a mere 64. As those members came into the large room, she eyed each of them. No doubt some of them were still wondering why this little girl was leading them now, but at the very least, she sensed no hostility toward her. They had seen what she had done to their leader, and they both feared and respected her.

Then again, all they knew was that she was borderline unkillable and very powerful, not that she was a fallen angel using a human corpse as a disguise. But then again, she was going to tell them right here.

"Alright, so listen up." She said, cracking her neck as she tried waking herself up further. "I appreciate that you guys didn't scream and run like the rest of the losers did, and I'm sure they're spreading word to whatever gangs they're desperately trying to get into. Now, this large city has a lot of gangs running around. You know, healthy competition that prevents any one group from dominating. However..." Here, she rubbed her eyes again, and got out a bit of eye crust, which she ate. None of the gang members seemed to react to this odd behavior. "I am going to change that. You see, I think this city should have a unified control over it, and we are going to be that force that holds it under our thumb."

"But, boss... " One gang member, a large burly man that towered over her interrupted. "How are we going to do that? We may be one of the top gangs, but not only are the other gangs teaming up to stop us, but the police as well-"

"Excellent observation there. I fully understand this predicament we are in, but rest assured, I have a plan to get us to where we shall be." She said, eyes locked right back onto the burly man's own. Dark energy swirled around her arm twisting and crackling until it took on the form of a javelin. All eyes were now on the dark weapon, and everyone stepped back. She could heard their internal thoughts, their questions, their fears... but she ignored them. "As you can tell, I myself am not really human, nor am I a mutant. I am Minerva, an Angel of Death banished from Heaven long ago. Now you see, what I have planned is more than just this city... I plan to have the entire world under our control, to recreate it into a new and glorious Hell. No need to worry, you fine gentlemen will be made lords and kings that have power across the land, as well as whatever else you desire, so long as it doesn't conflict with my own goal. Now how does that sound to all of you?"

Sure enough, they were talking with one another, interested in her goal layout. But of course, there were those few doubters, and eventually, one of them, a shorter man with a uncannily long neck and nose, asked her, "But wait. If all this supernatural stuff you say is true... then why do you need us? Can't you do it yourself?"

The response to that was pure, childish laughter as Minerva floated into the air and lay on her side. "Now that, people, is a good question. I like it when not so intelligent people ask questions to learn what they're supposed to do, or why they're doing it, instead of just blindly following orders, because then it's so much less boring. Now, I don't actually need you fine Blackeye members for anything. The only reason I ask for your cooperation is to make this all the more entertaining. I mean, what fun is it if you just do everything the easy way? Consider it a sort of bonding experience between the new head and you guys. After all, a gang is no better than the skill and loyalty of its members to their boss. As for how we're getting such a goal done, first we need all the gangs in this city under our control, either by persuasion, or by lethal force..." She stopped. Something was coming, she could sense it. She floated over to the window overlooking the entrance to the tall tower. Though it was almost a thousand feet down, her eyes were sharp enough to pick out the 6 purple vehicles all parked in the parking lot... and the purple-suited men with guns leaving those vehicles. "Umm... does anyone know the name of the gang with all purple to it? And those with gold and silver stripes?" she amended as cars of that pattern also pulled up.

"Damn, those are the Saints and Brotherhood." The long-nosed guy rasped, pulling out his own gun. "What they lack in number, they make up for in strong leadership and ruthlessness. The fuck are they doing he-Wait, where the hell are you going?" He snapped as Minerva placed a hand on the window.

She turned back to the Blackeye members, and smiled. "I'm going to either recruit them, or blast them all to bits. Simple as that. if you want to see a mere fraction of my potential, then come down the elevator, though by then, it'll probably all be over." She chuckled. Her body seemed to shimmer as it stepped through the window, out into the high space. As the Blackeye gang watched, she began to descend toward the ground in a slow hover, till she was out of sight. As she did so, she smirked. This place was certainly no Heaven, no Hell, and certainly no Makai or Gensokyo. If only those idiots that were the Angelic High could see her now, or even better, that dumb Yukari Yakumo. She was about to make those hypocritical fools look as stupid as they were... by starting her own empire here and now.

[Demon Lord Gira]

Chapter 3: Gangs are for the Family

They swarmed together, as if one unit. The Saints and the Brotherhood, two gangs once viewed as underdogs from the Big 3, had now teamed up to deal a lethal blow to what they considered to be a prime opportunity to strike. With Julies, the former leader of the Blackeye Gang dead, no doubt those remaining were in turmoil, and this was the best opportunity they had. The gang members readied their pistols and their shotguns, as several of them stormed into the building.

“Everyone, put your hands in the air! We’re taking over this joint now!” One gang member shouted as he aimed his pistol at the boy at the counter, causing him to raise his hands up over his head. The gang member, a tall lean man with a thin mustache and no hair on the top of his head, grabbed the boy by the throat and dragged him away from the counter and out into the middle of the floor as his men and the accompanying Brotherhood members surrounded the elevator, waiting for some poor Blackeye member to come down. Shame there had only been this kid here on the bottom floor… oh well, atleast he had a hostage now. Placing the gun against the 13 year old’s head, he snarled into his ear, “So tell me, you little puke, I hear ya got some chick leading you now. Got any information no her I’d like to hear?”

The boy, a short kid with light brown hair and black overalls to match the coloration of the gang he was a part of, turned to look him dead in the eye. To the surprise of the Saints member, he seemed unafraid, or even concerned, but looked back at him with a glare, a glare of someone confident and proud. “Go ahead, try andshoot me. You will only be cementing your death as painful as po-“

A quick kick to the groin silenced him to whimpering. “SHUT THE FUCK UP, SLUT! You gonna curse out us, then I’ll let the boys join in the gangbang, right gentlemen?” He shouted, but got no reply. He turned back outside, and saw that his men were starring up, gawking. Kicking the away, he ran out to where they were, and turned to look up… and his jaw as well dropped.

“I think I heard you fine men harassing one of my clients?” Minerva said as she hovered down to the floor, her eyes locked only on the Saints leader. “I must say, that was a poor choice on you part to do such a thing. I’m gonna have to pu-“ The rest of what she had to saw was drowned out as the boss held up his middle finger, signaling for everyone there to fire on her. Bullets, grenades, throwing knifes, everything they had was unleashed on the girl in the nightgown. The smoke from the gun barrels obscured her from vision, and the unrelenting firepower continued until they needed to reload.

“Hahahahahahahaha, that shut the bitch up. So what if she’s got a few floating tricks? Not even an elephant can withstand all tha-ahahaAYAYAYAYAT!” He choked on himself as the dust blew away, revealing Minerva standing there, perfectly unharmed bar the bullets embedded less than an inch into her skin, the nightgown she lore likewise untouched. All the gang members there that had been smirking and laughing as well now were stepping back, then turning to run as her eyes began to glow a dull blue. The gang leader could only stand there, gasping as the land around him began to shake and tear apart. This… this couldn’t be happening. Just what the fuck was this bitch?!

“Now that… was very rude. It is inconsiderate to interrupt someone when they are talking… and as such, I will need to punish you all for that as well. I would have asked you to join us, but the line you've crossed means there is only one end for you.” She said, raising up both her right hand’s index and middle finger at the same time….

__________________________________________

“I told you, Felicity, it’s not a good idea to head that way!” Maximmilian shouted as he tried to grab the arm of his younger sister, only for her to pull away. The girl he was chasing stopped, and turned back to him. She was a full foot shorter than he was, and while both were dark colored and tan with slim builds, she had longer black hair that was in a braid, and wore a blouse and jeans while he wore plain jeans and a t-shirt. They had been on their way from their house over to where Felicity’s school was, when the sounds of gunfire had drawn Felicity’s attention away from her destination. “There could be a gang battle breaking out, or a shootout-“

“Oh will you just calm down? I have the time to spare, and I’ll watch from a safe distance. Besides, I don’t think you and your loser job are much of a guide for how I should live my life. “ Felicity said, before turning back to run toward the sound of the gunfire. Maximmilian merely shook his head. And to think he had to raise her, since their parents were dead. She was always this reckless, and one day, it was gonna get her killed… but not on his watch. Not so long as he, as the older sibling, was there to prevent that.

At that moment, a massive explosion rocked the city block. Flames and cars blasted out at supersonic speeds, shattering glass and sending fleeing pedestrians flying off their feet. Felicity ducked to the ground, as did Maximmilian, as the wall of oncoming fire billowed over their heads. The sheering heat washed over them, and they gripped down for dear life. What… what on earth is going on? Maximmilian thought to himself as he kept his eyes closed for what felt to be an eternity… then, it ended. The roar of the flames and screams of people came to an end. He stood up, as did Felicity, and saw them, corpses by the hundreds, all burnt and scarred from the explosion, their bodies twisted and locked in death. Some had been turned into pools of molten flesh and bones, melting into the street. the building that had been nailed by the fire wall had been reduced to ashes, and smoke billowed up from the ground. “My god… what happened? What could have done this?” Was all Felicity could say, as she walked toward the street intersection the explosion had come from. Max chased after her…

Then stopped as he saw the girl in the night gown standing there, with a young boy behind her. Max rubbed his eyes, but sure enough, they were still there. One second, Felicity had been walking around a corner, the next, this girl and boy had materialized infront of her. Behind the girl, was several dozen more corpses, all burnt to a crisp and very much dead, nevermind the massive molten crater that now existed between her and the skyscraper that was the Blackeye gang stronghold. “Did you… come to see what I did? I was only protecting this child and my clients” The girl said, as she kept her eyes only on Felicity. The boy, on the other hand, was looking at both Max and Felicity equally.

“You… you did all this? Who… what are you?” Felicity gasped, covering her nose from the overwhelming stench of death and decay. This… this was too much for her. How could something like this… no, how could this girl has done this? What sort of madness had gripped this broken, wastful city that was New York? Already, the sounds of sirens could be heard off in the distance.

“My name… is Minerva, and I have come… to make this world a better place.” The girl said, as she raised up one finger, and fired a tiny blue beam from it right at Felicity.

[Demon Lord Gira]

Chapter 4: Egoist

“FELICITY!” Max shouted as the beam hit the girl. As it entered into her, Felicity merely stared, confused and not sure of what had just happened. She didn’t feel any different. She hadn’t blown up, grown an extra arm, dissolve into goop or any of that… it had simply gone into her and that was it. Max grabbed her, and put himself between her and Minerva, his eyes only on the humanoid abomination before him. “What did you do to her? TELL ME!”

Minerva sighed, and stepped back abit, her own eyes half closed as the sounds of sirens got closer. “I have done no harm to her… only prepared her for when she will be needed, as a piece for my plans. The day will come when this world is remade in my image… and all must prepare for it.” As soon as these words came out, part of her right arm swelled, and she grabbed it. Pain rippled across the body as she slumped onto her knees. What.. What was this? Why was she hurting like this? As she collapsed onto her side, saliva dripping from her clenched mouth, the last thing she saw as her eyes closed were Max and Felicity running, and the shouts of her Blackeye gang members reaching her ears…

________________________________________________________

“Please, my lord! Why are you doing this? Why is it you must leave?” Minerva pleaded, the Fallen Angel on her knees as she looked up at the eyes of the only person she ever loved. It was the dark depths of hell, the very Underworld that was the end of life itself. Molten spires of Hellfire jetted up around her and the 4 others that were with her on the basalt pillar, and the dark smoke that rose failed to cloud anyone’s vision. Around her, were the greatest Archangels she had ever known, the elite among all elites To her right, was Bolretis, a tall and muscular being with a blood-tainted scythe and a sinister grin under his black hair. He was the bloodthirsty mass murderer of the group, a true blood knight that yearned only to do what his job commanded, and that was to kill and reap souls. To her left, was Sariel, the voice of reason and the only one of them that still resembled his original angelic form from the Angelic High. With a blue dress, blue hair, and a scepter with the moon on it, he was one who could analyze any situation and find the best outcome, as well as keep the group out of arguments. And to her right, was Shinki, with her red robes and full set of demonic wings that failed to match her silver hair. A loyal follower, she was the righthand man, who only did as she was told, and tried to keep a good medium between her companions…

But before the four of them, was their leader, and the true reason they were here in the Underworld. A tall, shadowy being cloaked in darkness, with twisting horns jetting above his frame, a long forked tail striding the ground, and a single pair of ripped, batlike wings , accompanied with twin burning eyes that contained the very hellfire that was around them. The Dark Lord himself, the greatest of all evil… the Devil. They were his Elite Guard, the ones who had been through thick and thin with him, even after the failed Rebellion, for one reason or another. For untold generations, they had stuck with him as he lorded over Hell… but not anymore. “Because, I cannot spread evil from just one place. I can only do so much down here, and by myself. “ The great demon king said a single armored finger caressing Minerva’s cheek. “The Angelic High sentenced me to this fate, and as such, I will show them how wrong they were to call me the true evil. If they want me evil, then they shall get it.” Here, he turned, and pointed the finger over to the bowed Shinki. “ I leave the Underworld in your care from this day forth, until I return, and I promise I will do so. Minerva, I know you wanted to rule, but Shinki has proven herself in being one who not only follows what I ask, but does them perfectly. You… are too rash, too passionate in your love to do them as I hoped… Please understand this, and learn from her how best to follow with what you are told.”

Minerva said nothing, her face twisting in shock, anger, and betrayal, but she stayed silent, and only bowed her head down. She had expected this sort of thing… but still… It wasn’t fair! She had been with him the longest, she had nursed him back to full health after the Rebellion and was his most loyal supporter…But if her lord said it, then she would follow his orders. “It shall be done, my lord.” Was all she could say after over a minute of silence.

“Very good. The rest of you, do as your new head says. I do not know how long I will be gone, but one day I will return, as the true vanguard of evil. Wrath, Sloth, Lust, Greed, Pride, Gluttony, and Envy will all be under my control, and the entirely of life will know my name and fear it. Until that day comes… keep my throne in check.” With this, the shrounded being shot upward, wings spread like a giant bat as it flew away, forever leaving the demonic plane behind…

“So he has left… Well, I’ll be going now. No need to stick in this damn dump. I got a war to benefit from” Bolretis hissed as he flew off as well, leaving only Sariel, Shinki, and the crying Minerva behind.

“Sister,why do you cry? Our master has told us what we are to do, and we should find joy in his request. He will return, and see how much you will have improved by then. Believe me when I say this, things will improve for you.” Sariel said, as he knelled down and lifted up the head of Minerva to face him, only for her to turn it away. He sighed. This was to be expected, afterall. She was still the baby of the group, and the weakest of them. She would need to mature and gain in strength if she were to prove herself worthy in the eyes of their master.

“Please Minerva… just calm down.” Shinki said as she stepped up beside her brother. The three archangels were all the same height, but among them, Shinki seemed to be the most mature, her face more like that of a worn and tired mother than a youthful angel banished from heaven. “I know we all carry a heavy burden to look after, and Bolretis has gone off to neglect his duties here. We must work together if we are to ensure the stability and safety of Hell from the likes of the Maluvor he sealed away… or Zuldes.”

But Minerva wasn’t listening. In her mind, all she could hear were her own words. “Lucifer… I promise you, you better come back to me, you promised… I’ll show you… I’ll show everyone else I’m worthy… They will all see that I truly am worthy…” she hissed to herself mentally, as her hands gripped the earth tighter... They would all learn not to underestimate this little angel...
_____________________________

Slowly, Minerva’s eyes opened up. She was… back in her room in the building’s penthouse. She raised her head, and saw that beside her in the bed, sleeping like a rock, was the boy she had rescued. The last thing she remembered… was losing control of herself and falling onto the ground in pain. Had the boy… taken her back inside? A sudden spike of pain caused her to slump back into a lying position, and she looked to the side, the peachy scent of the boy being almost like a room refresher for her. Why was her body hurting so much? Was it something she ate?

And then, it hit her. This world was not a magical one. Magic in this world was practically nonexistent since no one believed it exists. With no magic for her to go off of, she had been using her interior resevoirs of energy the whole time, and her annihilation of the Saints and Brotherhood had eaten up her limited reserves. So now… she was running way too low on a source of energy she didn’t know how to replenish here, and if she tried using any more of it… it would begin to eat away at her life force, like it did when she-

“Excuse me, miss Minerva.” The door opened, and interrupting her thoughts came the large nosed man. Behind him were several other gang members, and in his hands was a bowl with a spoon sticking out. Minerva knew just from the scent what was in it. “We came to your side as fast as we could once we saw you collapse. The man and his sister fled, but we got you in before the cops came. We have to lay low for a while, not do anything hasty or risk gaining uneeded attention. Just… what happened to you out there?”

Minerva nodded, knowing what he was saying was the truth. “It was a minor cramp I had… I got sick from all that smoke in here from last night, and I passed out from that.” She lied. No reason telling them the truth when one of them would perceive it as a moment of weakness and try to take her out. Even with her magic gone, she still has enough physical skill to kill any of them. “Say… what’s the history behind this kid?” She asked.

The long nosed man shrugged. “Our old boss had his parents hired as clients. They were being pressured by Fainis, and he offered to protect them, but when they failed to keep up their end of the bargain… he killed them and took their son as payment. His name’s Kleiro Guves, if you wanted to know.”

“I see.” Was all Minerva said as she looked more closely at the kid. There was something about him… something that seemed… similar. Was it the scent? The face? Or… the life force? It all seemed familiar, but distinctly different than those of anyone else she knew. So where had she seen this kid from? Deciding to dwell on the question another time, Minerva asked, “And who might be this Fainis person?”

The effect the name had was instant. The gang members all backed away, as if stung a mortal blow. Even the large nosed man seemed afraid, to Minerva’s surprise, his knees began clanging at just the mention of the name. Just looking into his eyes, Minerva could see that, past the tall, lanky sinister man was a child, reduced to fear, relieving a horrible tramatic experience, the fires of destruction and hell occupying his mind until a quick snap of the fingers brought him back to reality “Fainis… is none of your concern. It would be best if you didn’t get involved… she’s nothing to you but a mere pest… and let’s leave it at that.” Was all he said as he and the rest backed out of the door and closed it, leaving Minerva alone with the sleeping child… and the large bowl of vanilla ice cream on her lap.

“Fainis… That is a name I should remember for later. Whoever she is… she seems to be a person of interest… and a very dangerous one at that. But in the meantime…” Here, she poked Kleiro once, then a second time, waking him up. “You brought me in when I was unconscious, didn’t you? Have some Ice Cream, boy. You deserve it.”

Kleiro only starred at her, then slowly took the spoon, scooped out some ice cream, and ate it. The look on his face when he swallowed it down was almost too cute for Minerva to look at, but it was all the more sweet because of it. “Thank you, Minerva. I… should thank you for saving me. I let myself be captured…”

“Now hush, boy… The safest place is with me… I will make sure you are given the proper treatment you deserve.” The Archangel hissed as she hugged the child. To anyone not familiar with the scene, it would have looked only like two preteens enjoying the same bed with ice cream, not a boy sharing it with an Avatar of Death… and unaware of the bloodshed that was to come…

[Demon Lord Gira]

Chapter 5: The Collector (Part 1)

Town Hall was a flurry of activity as the night began to set in. Pushing his way through a crowd of reporters, was mayor Crumpert Sullivan, a short, stout man with his graying hairs receeding away from him faster than his reputation. The mayor of the city for the past 10 years, he had started off as a very popular figure, but as of lately, his attention, and his popularity had gone south, and this latest incident wasn’t helping him any. “I told you pack of rats already! IT was just a sewer explosion. Some gangs blew something up down there and it got out of control. That’s what happened, and we’re getting it cleaned up as fast as we can, so leave me alone and go hound someone else!” He snapped, the rolls of fat beneath his shirt swaying to and fro as he glared at all the reporters. Even though he was shorter than all of them, they backed off. No one wanted to pick a fight with the Bulldog Mayor.

Except for one person. “Are you SURE it was just a sewer explosion?” One man said as he stepped forward. He was just a hair taller than the mayor, and wore a classic police uniform. The dark tan skin he had, the slightly indian look he had, and the thinning hairline, as well as the think eyebrows and the dead serious eyes that were locked onto the mayor’s own meant he could only be one person. “There’s no way something like that could cause so much damage. Your hiding something Crumpert, and the people should know… I can see it all in my eyes.” With this, the reporters stepped in again, and the barrage of questions resumed… until the short man finally blew it.

“SHUT UP YOU BUNCH OF DOGS! SHUT UP AND LEAVE BEFORE I FORCE YOU OUT! NOW!” He screamed. His breath was raggid, and his eyes were burning embers at the police officer. With that, the papparazi left, heading back the way they came… all except for the police officer, to which, the mayor grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up to his face. “You think your something hot, Keith? You don’t care for those scavenging hounds... I own you, you son of a bitch. I put you in the position you are in now, and I can just as easily take you do-“

The words of the mayor were halted as he felt something jab into his stomach. His eyes drifted down, and plugged into his beer gut was a magnum, primed and loaded, ready to fire at just the twitch of a finger. “What were you saying, Crumpert? We now are all alone, and I don’t have to play nice. Why don’t you show me what you have going on here, and let me in on it. That way, we won’t end up with a dead mayor in the morning, okay?” Keith chuckled, a slight glint in his eyes. Crumpert gulped, and sweat now ran down his face… He should have expected this, from a dirty, damn cop he had picked up off the streets, but hindsight was 20-20, after all…

“Fine…. Just come with me.” Crumpert hissed as he turned. With the gun still planted in the mayor’s body, Keith followed the pudgy man into his office, and let out a low whistle as he saw his living quarters. It was a small office, nothing much out of the ordinary except for the massive book of contacts the mayor had on his desk, which all Keith needed to glance at to see it was a list of gang leaders and mafia heads across the city. No surprise to him. The underworld basically ran the city. The cops, the mayor, the restaurants… all controlled by the gang heads. And the outside world had no idea of it, and it was a ruse that worked flawlessly. With Crumpert as the head of the city, as well as an important puppet for the gang heads, they could do basically whatever they wanted, and get away with it…. Atleast, until the last few days, with things spiraling beyond any coverups with the appearance of this “Minerva” person that the underworld was speaking about. Already Julies, Horevo, and Freduke of the Blackeyes, Saints, and Brotherhood were dead, and the Brotherhood had been taken over. The very balance of power was spiraling out of control faster than Keith or Crumpert could control it… though for Keith, it did make a good show to laugh at. “I’ve been having my hands full with that explosion. You know how hard it is for me to cover that up?! A WALL OF FIRE, BURNING DOWN AN ENTIRE CITY BLOCK AND TURNING THOUSANDS INTO SKELETONS! MY JOB IS ON THE LINE HERE, AND ANY DAY SOMEONE’S GONNA COME DOWN AND SEE WHAT’S GOING ON!”

“Yeah yeah, I get it. Don’t get your panties tied up in a knot.” Keith shrugged, pulling out a donut from his pocket and chewing on it. “So, you have any plans to take care of this “angel” people are getting so hyped up about? Any way of silencing the witnesses?”

“If you don’t shut up in the next 5 seconds…” Crumpert began, before sighing. The man slouched down into his chair, and shook his head. “I have ONE idea to get rid of her and keep me here. But it’s gonna be stepping on a wolve’s toes-“

“If that’s what you’re gonna do, better make it quick, so your inevitable death comes faster as well. I have no say in what the wolf is gonna do to you for taking out someone she has claimed to be her next target.” Keith said, taking a single step back.

“That is why I’m doing it. I don’t see any way of me getting out of this… so I might as well drag the nuisance with me as well. Bette r to die by her hands than rot in a prison cell… and if I’m lucky, I can drag the wolf with me as well.” Here, he pulled out his phone, and began dialing it up. It was only then that Keith noticed the large, imposing body guards that had come into the room. There were 9 of them in total, each with an AK-47 primed and ready. “Um, hello there Angus. I got a little something I need help with. Head on down to the Blue Flag… and you’ll see what I mean. According to my sources, she’s down there right now. Call me when you have her taken care of” Here, the phone was put down, and Crumpert groaned as he lifted himself back up. “This is the last thing I’ll get to do. Either hear he succeeded, or hear he failed. I know for a fact I’ll die later on, but really, I don’t care anymore. Either way… You’ll be getting a fair share of the profit… but ONLY if you don’t tell anyone. Angus has his own bounty, so with him dead, or the girl dead, or the wolf dead, you get paid.”

“What a brave mayor we have.” Keith said as he turned and walked away. “I have my own business to do, so I can’t sit and hover over your shoulder while you wait for the news. Later, turkey.”

“DON’T CALL ME TURKEY, KEITH!” Crumpert snapped as the door closed. He snorted, then whirled back around and looked at his bodyguards. Oh well. Shame he would have to miss the good stuff… because he was certain if anyone had the tools for killing the witch, it was Angus…

_______________________________________________

The Blue Flag was a large barjoint on the opposite side of town from the Blackeye headquarters. It was right across from Central Part, and had a glorious view of the Chrysler Building and the skyline that came with it, but the place itself was anything but glorious. Here was the most common hangout for the various gangs, the only place where the criminal underworld truly was at peace… or so it was intended. Truth was, fights would break out and minor squabbles, but nothing that really involved bloodshed or death. Under normal circumstances, the place would have been lively with drunk singing and merriness, but here, it was a solemn and silent time. Or it would have been… had two first timers not been arguing with each other.

“Felicity, what on earth is with you? I looked all over for you when you were supposed to go to bed, and here you are, at this den of thiefs, DRINKING BEER when your far too young to? What has gotten into you?” Max was pulling his hair out as he looked at his younger sister, who had a large forthy mug in her hands and an uncaring look on her face.

“Oh shut up. You worry too much. I feel great… this tastes good, and I had the money to afford it. Besides, I’ll be back in school tomorrow for classes while you finish that lameo job at Home Depot. Besides, the guys here are great. I just realized they’re quite friendly.” Here, the girl stood on her chair at the booth, and pointed down at the dismayed Max. “HEY FELLAS! M BROTHER HERE WORKS AT FAIL DEPOT! HE FAIELD UNIVERSITY SO HARD, HE COULDN’T GET A REAL JOB! HOW SAD IS THAT?!”

At that, the rest of the guys there turned and laughed. Men of all sizes and ages, many battle-scarred vetrans, and some downright scary, all laughing with the 14 year old. “Indeed young lass, that is a sad kind of job to be at.” One such man, a tall wall of muscle and dirt, grinned as he walked over to the girl and her brother. “I always thought Home Depot was lacking in what it could offer. Come join us down at the Subway. We got better work for smart minds.”

“Or better yet” came an all too familiar voice. The thugs parted ways as the short, yet imposing figure of Minerva walked into the bar, with the boy Kleiro behind her. Max had to admit, she did look better after fainting on the ground so randomly earlier that day. “Why don’t you work at Lowes? We have such a higher standard of payment there… and we even offer 40 gallon trashbags for only 12 dollars.” She said, as she slid herself up onto a seat near Felicity, with Kleiro sitting between them.

“That does sound like a good deal. We need the trashbags, mainly because Max here got robbed up his third paycheck in a row. They just forgot to pay him… either for lazy work, or they forgot he exists.” Facicity said, in words that Max found hard to believe that came from his sister’s own mouth. That caused an uproar from everyone there, with Minerva clutching her sides, and even Kleiro nervously chucking… until he saw the look on Max’s face, which shut him up.

“Okay, that’s it. You are coming back with me to the house now. Your partying with these thugs are over.” Max ordered, his voice stern and lacking any humor in it. This was a disgrace to him… to her… and to their parents, to see Felicity like this, drinking and partying with not just gang members and crooks and murderers… but with this DEMON beside her. It ate away at him, and angered him. He grabbed Felicity’s arm, and dragged her off the chair. “You are under a time out, young lady, as well as a grounding.”

“LIKE HELL I AM!” Felicity shouted, yanking her arm free… but that wasn’t all she did. The sudden movement had caught Max off guard, and to his surprise and horror, he had been flung off his feet and into the wall, all from a simple yanking. He groaned as he slid to the ground, his back groaning and aching from the landing. “You never laid down any of these rules, so how was I supposed to know I wasn’t allowed to go here? If you really wanted to be a good brother, you would have told me beforehand as an already existing rule, and not making them up on the spot… right, Jacob? Back me up here, please.” Felicity said, as if unaware of the act she had just done.

The tall thug, Jacob, was just staring at the scene with his eyes widened, as well as everyone else there, including the bartender… He had seen a lot of crazy things in his life… but a little girl hurling a grown man a good 50 feet into the wall? That was NOT normal. “Uuuuh… sure. I guess that’s so.” He said, nervously chucking so as to not get on her bad side.

A loud growl silenced all other activity there. There, in the doorway, was a mammoth of a bear, standing over 11 ft high and made of pure muscle and flesh. All those in the bar were silent as the carnivore dropped onto all fours and walked in. But the one who was the most silent was Minerva, who noticed something… odd about it. This was not an ordinary bear, for normal bears didn’t have pupiless eyeballs… nor did they have a dark saura around them, which only she could sense… it was as if it were possessed… and it was coming right for her. The bear walked past Max, not even bothering to deal with him as he shoved him aside. Then, when it was right at Minerva, the bear reared back up so its head was brushing the ceiling, glared down at the girl, and swung a giant paw right at her…

[Demon Lord Gira]

Chapter 6: The Collector: Part 2

Time seemed to slow down for Minerva at that moment. Standing before her, was the mother of all grizzly bears, eyes hollow and red, and face more shortened and scrunched up than she expected, which led her to conclude it wasn’t actually a Grizzly Bear, but rather a Short Face bear, or an extinct organism of this world. Why there was an extinct animal here she didn’t know, but she didn’t have time to think as a single, lightning fast swipe of the paw sent her skidding across the floor and into the same wall max had been thrown into. As the bear growled and stepped forward, those in the bar began to leave, the customers there knowing better than to stay and potentially be caught up in this fight. Minerva groaned as she rose back up, rubbing her bleeding cheek.

She froze, eyes wide with shock at the blood dripping from her. It had drawn BLOOD from her… when bullets and knives failed to do just that… Was this another side effect of her magic loss? A fierce roar shook her out of her thoughts, and another swipe swatted her further into the wall, dust and debris spreading from the impact zone. The bear arched its paw back and swung in again and again, each hit sending up more and more blood and dust. At this point, the only people left in the bar were Kleiro, Max, and Felicity, who merely stood back and watched the savage beatdown.

“That bear… is kicking her ass hard.” Fecility said, eyes unable to be pried from the slaughter. It was… almost fascinating in a way, and yet horrifying to see such animosity and ferocity. “But where did it come from?”

“Now that, missy, is a good question to ask, and I am all too happy to oblige.” A voice caused the three to turn to the entrance of the bar. Standing in the doorway was a tall figure, though nowhere near as tall as the bear, with spiky read hair jutting past the green raincoat he had on. Blue eyes that seemed to dance with electricity stared out at them from under the hood, and with it, came the sight of pale white skin, the kind seen on a bleached corpse, and a crooked smile that could send a child to their grave. “The bear you see there, Timbear, is my own, and I was hired to take care of a certain angelic plague that has polluted this wretched hive of a city. Stay out of my way, and I assure you no harm will come to you.” He hissed, though for the three of them, it seemed as if the hiss itself came from within the rain coat, and indeed, it seemed to writhe and heave around his neck area. With that said, he held up his right hand, a 3-fingured hand with the head of a serpent on it, and on the ring finger, was a ring, which he pressed. At that moment, the giant bear laid one last smack into the now massive hole in the wall, and dropped back down onto all fours, before heading toward its master. No movement came from the crater, only dust obscured it, as well as a large pool of blood around it. Both Max and Kleiro were mortified by the scene… all this done by a mere bear.

Felicity, however, gave a low whistle of approval. “Wow, sir, that really was quite a beatdown the bear gave to her. How did you make that bear do it?” She asked, looking from the ring in the man’s hand, to the bear, who glared back at her.

“it’s nothing much… just this ring here having a transmitter to send certain signals straight to the brain. It’s something I have on all my animals in my collection. As for how Timbear killed her… well, that’s a trade secret.” The man said, before slapping himself in the forehead. “Oh how rude of myself to not introduce me to my latest crowd. Name’s Angus Aurora, and they call me the Collector of animals. Now what may be your names?” he said, taking a slight bow, as did the bear.

“I am afraid we don’t have time to tell you. It’s getting late so we really must leave now.” Max finally managed to say, this time not grabbing Felicity’s arm in fear of being flung again by her newfound strength, only urging her to follow him out. This was too strange of a day, and regarding what the angel might have done to his sister… he needed it checked out and undone as soon as possible. Of course, this came with an unamused look on Felicity’s face.

“Now now, I understand, school and jobs and all that.” Angus said, himself rather unhappy with this… until he noticed the young boy. He flashed the nasty grin he had and stepped toward Kleiro, who stepped away. “Oh come on now, don’t be shy. I just want to introduce ya to my pets back home, seeing as you are the angel’s boyfriends and all.” This only caused Kleiro to run over to the crater in the wall… only to be intercepted by the giant bear, the monolith of muscle and flesh glaring down at him.

“HEY! Can’t you see he wants nothing of you? Just leave the kid alone, you freak!” Felicity snapped, now heading right for Angus.

With that, the charade dropped. “SHUT YE WHORE MOUTH, BITCH! YOU INSULT ME, AND I’LL MAKE SURE NONE OF YA GET OUT ALIVE! YE SEALED YAR OWN FATE!” Angus snarled, turning to face the oncoming girl, pulling out a grenade launcher kept under his coat and aiming it right at her. From where he was, Max’s eyes widened. At that range, there was no way it would miss… she’d get blown up completely! “I’LL BE TAKING YER CORPSES AND FEEDING DEM TO DA PIRAHNAS!”

“… Not while I am here.”

The voice had come not from Felicity, not from Kleiro, and not from Max… but from the hole in the wall. All eyes turned as the form of Minerva rose up from the dust and debris. She was a sorry thing to look at, most of her face sliced apart and oozing of blood. Large pieces of flesh hung jagged from her face, and the raw flesh and muscle could be seen in all its gory glory. Both eyes narrowed as she locked onto Angus and Angus only. “Ya know, I was actually wondering myself where you got that bear… that thing shouldn’t even be alive, let alone able to harm me. And if you lay a finger on any of those 3… you won’t like the end result.” Minerva spat, muscles heaving and lowering beneath her clothes, which had someone escaped the claw onslaught of the bear.
Angus merely chuckled. “So the angel still lives.. I guess that confirms you’re not human by any stretch of the imagination. Where I got my bear, and how he is what he is, I ain’t saying… but if you want to save yer friends here… then why don’t you reveal the true you so that I can relish beating down an angel at true strength. It’s obvious that isn’t what you really are. Timbear and I know ye reek of decay and death.”

Silence filled the room. No one dared move. Everything was still as could be. Felicity, Max, and Kleiro couldn’t believe what they had heard or seen. Not only had Minerva survived that, but this wasn’t even what her true form was? It was impossible, absolute madness. Angus smirked as did Timbear. And Minerva… just stood there, starring back at Angus….

And then, came the laughter. It was quiet at first, a few mere chuckles, then it became snorting, and then it evolved into full blown, belly-aching laughter. The girl before them was cackling like a madman, each bit of laughter echoing across the bar and amplified by the walls. “You actually realized that? That this body I wear is nothing more than a corpse I came across? How brilliant of you both. I was going to fight you fair and easy, but if you really wish to see me transform… so be it. Just let me inform you any chance of you, or anyone else on this planet had at beating me is about to go flying out the window.” The angel snickered, eyes narrowing even more, though now they weren’t a cold, hatred-filled stare, but a lustful, intelligent glare of a predator having confronted its prey. The blood pool around her feet began to vibrate, and before the shock and horror of those watching, it flowed upward back into Minerva’s face. As it did, her flesh rose back up and stitched itself back together. It was just as she had hoped… all it had taken was a tiny bit of magic, the last of her natural reserves to fix her up… and cause fear among them. This fear, as she was realizing, was what was replenishing her magical reserves, when magic itself was absent from this world. The fear of the bear showing up, the fear Max had for his sister’s safety, the fear Kleiro had toward both his and Minerva’s wellbeing, and the fear they all had right now… all of that had given her more than enough power needed to do as she wanted. As the same time, her clothes began to warp around her, changing from the night gown she had been wearing into her usual green shirt and short shorts. Muscles bulged across her arms and legs, and her eyes grew more slanted. She stood there, smirking at Angus..

“So? Who are ye fooling here? So you grew two inches and replaced yer clothes? You calling that a transformation, ya jokester?” Angus snarled, spitting a lob of mucous at Minerva’s feet. Behind him, Felicity and Max merely stood back and watched, while edging slowly toward the exit.

A dark crackle of energy spiked around Minerva, and the angel gritted her teeth. The muscles that ran through her body were swelling and contracting, every fiber of her being preparing itself. “Boy, get behind me if you want to be safe.” Minerva growled to Kleiro. The boy merely nodded, and ran behind the Avatar of Death. With that, the very ground began to shake. The power radiating from the Archangel was immense, almost suffocating to Angus. He could only stare in horror as the girl before him, the little girl he had though as nothing more than a joke began to swell up in size before his very eyes. First went the chest, bulging out to twice the volume it once was. Then went the arms and hands, extending out and rippling with muscle. The legs followed suit, as did the waist, and the height of the growing angel surpassed that of Angus, who could only crane his head up as he pissed himself in fear. Then, her head cracked and swelled in size as well, with her neck swelling as well. Her voice deepened as she grunted through the pain, being forced down onto one knee to accommodate her new frame. Then lastly, her breast size increased, her shirt stretching out to accommodate her new figure. The ground stopped shaking, and Minerva stood up, her head brushing against the ceiling. Where there had once been a child, now was a true angelic figure in human garb. She was as tall, if not taller than Timbear, she had retreated behind his master, both quaking in their boots. “I hope you don’t find my new form a distraction. It’s been ages since I was last like this, and I do wish you aren’t disappointed as well.” She said, her new voice deep and almost alluring, as she readied herself, crouching low with her fists raised, a dark aura flowing out of her. Kleiro, who was still behind Minerva, was simply slack jawed at the sight of the stunning angel in front of him, as were Max and Felicity.

Angus was now backpedaling, wanting nothing more than to leave. He had thought it was nothing more than a bluff, a mere bluff… but this wasn’t what he had expected at all. “No… no… Timbear, take her down! TAKE HER DOWN!” He screamed. The bear, unable to ignore the suicide order, charged at the crouched figure, fangs bared and claws extended….

[Demon Lord Gira]

Chapter 7: The Collector, Part 3

Life is a strange thing. Normally, you would expect a sort of consistency with it that would extend from day to day. The sun and moon would float through the sky behind one another, the oceans would always be wet and full of water, and the earth would always be harboring life on it. Any major disruption from this sort of status quo would be immediate to all, and confuse and bewilder them as to just what on earth went wrong in order for these sorts of things to occur. Such was in the minds of Felicity and Max as they were given a front row seat to witness a giant short faced bear, a creature that had been extinct for over 10,000 years, fight an archangel who had just ballooned from a 5ft tall girl into a giant the same size as the bear.

As the bear tried to swipe at her, Minerva ducked under it with ease, and twisted around the large mammal. Timbear, aware of his opponent slipping behind him, tried to turn around to attack, but to the bear’s horror, was stopped as Minerva’s elbow dug into his chest. All their air that was in the towering monolith of muscle was knocked out, and he staggered back, drool dripping from his gaping mouth. The bear crumpled to its knees, and then collapsed onto its side. “That was anticlimactic.” Minerva raised an eyebrow as she grabbed the downed bear by the scruff of its neck. The short, jagged breaths coming from it told her that it was still alive, only knocked out by the mere tap she had given it. “To having gone from drawing blood from me… to being taken down in a single hit. You are one weird bear. Then again, it’s been so long since I’ve been in this form, I’m a little rusty with the power, and using all of it just to transform doesn’t help either.”

A “CHUNK!” sound reached her ears. She threw the unconscious bear to the side, and extended her hand out, catching something in it. She knew better than to look at what she had caught, and instead threw it right back at the source, causing the grenade to explode where Angus had been a few moments earlier. The collector had ran upon firing it from his grenade launcher, and now had another shot lined up. “DIE, YA MONSTER ! WHAT DID YA DO TO MAH TIMBEAR?!” He screamed, as another grenade fired out.

Minerva didn’t even bother catching this one, but instead crouched low, and kicked it straight up , through the ceiling and into the upper floor, where it detonated. “ He’s just sleeping. He’ll be awake and good… once I’m done with you.” She said, as she casually walked forward. When she had reached the man, something she hadn’t expected happened. A figure launched out of Angus’s raincoat right at her, a large black cobra. Had she been but a mere human, she would have been struck then and there, but as an Archangel, and especially in her natural form, she had a special gift… time itself seemed to be going in slow motion for her. The cobra strike might as well have been a punch from a kindergartener. She caught the snake’s head between two of her fingers, and at the same time, grabbed Angus’s neck with her other hand. While Angus tried in vain to get away, she gently tugged on the snake, who was also trying to resist, but it was futile. The entire 18ft length of the serpent was gently pulled off of Angus and onto Minerva, the snake’s head still between her fingers to prevent it from biting her. As an extra precaution, she looked down at the ring on Angus’s finger, and focused on it. At once, it burst apart, shattering the control it had over the snake and bear. Only once this happened, did she let go of the snake, who had relaxed on her shoulder, yet never let go of Angus. “Now, that wasn’t so bad. The poor thing is no longer under your control… Now, mind telling me just where you got that dead bear from?”

Angus’s mouth was closed in a snarl. His eyes wide with fear and indignation, he tried digging his nails into Minerva’s hand, only for them to bounce off like a knife hitting a steel wall. “Why the hell would I? They’re MY property, I got them off the market! This ain’t over yet, bitch! The mafia wants you dead! Crumperts wants ya dead, the entire city wants ya dead! I have contacts and friends all over the system! They’ll be avenging me! You can’t do anything to me!” He howled. Then, he suddenly became calm. He began to chuckle as his eyes rolled over to Felicity and Max. “Oh yes… I have contacts everywhere… this whole thing? Got on camera. The boys know who ya are and what you can do. Sal’s gonna tear ya a new one! He and his crew! Not even the dogs want anything to do with him! All the gangs know he’s part of the old triumvirate of power that ya shattered with Julies. We got more than enough firepower to kill ya and ya little brat!” He sneered, twisting his head to look back at Kleiro, who was trying not to look at Angus.
At first, there was only silence from Minerva. Her look turned cold and her grip on Angus’s throat only tightened. “You two, back there. Take the boy and get out of here. Head as far away from here as possible, to avoid what is to come. “ Was all she said. Max, realizing that now was their last chance to get out of this crazy place, grabbed Felicity and ran for it, his younger sister finally letting him take her away, and with Kleiro following behind. The boy stopped, and turned back to face Minerva, before running back off.

“Heh. What’s the matter angel? Fraid of letting them see a little blood she- Wait, what are ya doing?” Angus raised an eyebrow as Minerva bit down onto her free hand, causing her own blood to spill, before hoisting it above Angus’s head. She let go, only to grab him again, this time by the cheeks, forcing his mouth open as she let the blood drip down into his throat. His eyes widen as he felt the blood begin to eat away at his insides. It was a pain unlike anything he had ever felt, and it only grew worse. Minerva let him go, allowing him to curl up on the floor as he groaned and spat out blood, both his and the angel’s.

“You had nothing nice to say of me, and you threatened one of my clients. For that, I will make sure your clients have nothing but death when you visit them” Minerva said, her voice low and cold, as she stepped back. Angus screamed as he felt his body begin to crack and shift, muscles all over expanding wildly against his control. His hand exploded into a writhing mass of flesh and tentacles, and his skin ripped apart as his neck and chest twisted and contorted, bone shattering and organs being ripped apart and reformed. His clothes were shredded, and his chest began to divide down the middle, jagged teeth erupting from both sides of the divide, and his legs ballooned into pillars of pulsing flesh. Larger and larger he grew, growing through the ceiling.

“What is going on… with me?” Angus bellowed, his voice deepening and sounding less and less human. His groans and moans ended as his head exploded apart, leaving only the two eyeballs there, perched upon stalks above a giant, toothed demon. The inhumane abomination took a step forward, blood and guts dripping off of it, then turned and walked out into the night, a trail of gore following behind it as it searched out for food, the mind and conscious that was once there now taken over by the new hideous entity.

“Well… seems like I win again. Two new pets for the boys and I, a thorn in my side gone, and a way for me to keep up the fear in this city to keep my influx of power in check. Sometimes, I really must wonder where I get all these good ideas from?” Minerva said to herself, as she grabbed the leg of the unconscious Timbear and dragged him off back to the tower, with the cobra still around her neck…

___________

“Please tell me this is good news you have me. PLEASE tell me this si good news you have for me.” Crumpert pleaded as Keith sat down on the other side of the table. It was a little past midnight, and Crumpert had been waiting every so patiently for Keith to come back with the news. After all, he had told him to watch the whole thing from outside, and report back to him when it was all over. Judging from how late it was… it had taken a while, and the look on Keith’s face was just what he had been hoping, a sincere smile and several photographs in his hands.

“Well… I’ll just let the photographic evidence speak for itself.” Keith said as he slid them over to Crumpert, face down. The fat mayor grabbed them and pulled them up to his face to see…

And then nearly vomited at what he saw on the photos. “Good god! What is that thing?” He screamed, throwing the photos back in the amused Keith’s face.

“What? Don’t tell me you can’t recognize old Angus there? He tried to kill Minerva, failed, and ended up getting himself a new look. Sure, he ain’t gonna be winning beauty contests, but atleast he’s now the strongest man in the world… and the largest… and the ugliest” Keith said, before bursting out laughing. Sure, he had gone slightly slack jawed when he had seen it happen, but considering this was an angel they were dealing with, and the things he had seen in his life, he had gotten over the surprise very fast.

Crumpert, on the other hand, was already pulling out the noose. “I’ve created a damn monster! That’s it, everyone’s gonna know about this! I can’t hide it anymore! I’m leaving this world the painless way! Take all the money that’s at my house! There’s your payment, now let me die in peace!”

Keith merely shook his head as Crumpert prepared to hang himself. “I would say thank you for the money, and I would uphold my end of the bargain… if I hadn’t broken it before I even heard it. Sorry, buddy, but my business contacts go beyond you.” Keith said, as he swung open the door. At that moment, something whizzed past his head and sliced through the rope that Crumpert has placing around his neck, causing him to fall flat to the floor. The man screamed something, an incoherent mess of words, and tried to crawl away from the knife in the wall…

Only for a sharp-bladed heel to come down onto his hand, bringing out a cry in pain. Blood gushed out of the crushed hand, and Crumpert was stuck where he was. He looked around, and saw that all his body guards lying on the ground, dead and with knifes sticking from their foreheads. Slowly, he looked up, past the long toned leg, past the pair of shorts that were on, past the large red coat , and past the large cloud of smoke hovering around the head, and right into the cold, blue eyes staring out of that cloud back down at him. And it was in that moment, and that moment exactly, that Crumpert felt very, very small and weak. “I must thank you, Kedos, for telling me of this. There’s always room in the bed for one more.” The lady that was standing on Crumpert’s hand, the one woman in all of New York he feared, told the police officer beside her.

Keith shrugged, and walked out the door. “No thank you. I already had a love life. I kept my end of the bargain Fainis, and you keep yours.”

Fainis chuckled, a dry raspy sound that sent shivers down Crumpert’s spine. “How unfair… I only want to have some fun with him. He’s like a proud dragon turning down a lovely, lonely wolf. No matter, there’s always next time.” She pouted. Then she knelt down ,her face mere inches from Crumpert’s own cowering form. Though he couldn’t see her face past the smoke, he knew she was grinning like a damn cat. “My my, now what do we have here? Are you throwing a go away party? I heard about it, so I decided to try and help you out. You know very well I don’t like people messing with those I pick as toys… yet you just HAD to do that… don’t worry, I’ll make sure the entire going away party will be a blast for all involved… especially for you, dear Crumpert.” She hissed as she ran her cold, think fingers across his face, and her blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly… The terror in Crumpert's eyes widened as the last thing he saw was Fainis standing up, then bringing down her other boot onto his face...

[Demon Lord Gira]

Chapter 8: Infinite Being

Minerva flopped down onto her nice, soft bed. It was well past midnight, and she was exhausted, which was odd considering her body shouldn’t be exhaustable. Her loyal Blackeye members had been looking her up and down the moment she came back, no doubt stunned by her new form… of course, she didn’t care what they thought of her new body. She and Kleiro were still going to share the same bed, even if they thought it was odd, and If they had any issues with it, they could take it with her. She slipped under the covers, the small boy already asleep. She looked at him closely. Just WHAT was it about him that fascinated her so much? She shouldn’t feel so connected to a mere human… but yet, she was… she felt like he was a missing piece of her… but again, why?

The sharp alarm of a phone snapped her thoughts away. She leaned over to the night stand the phone was on, and picked it up, flipping it open. “Hello?” She asked, her voice a little drowsy and still a tad bit deeper than normal.

“Why hello there. You must be the new head of the Blackeye gang. It’s such a pleasure to hear your voice for the first time, though you sound older than I imagined you would. This here is Fainis, a good friend of some of your gang members.” A voice cackled through the phone. Even taking the distortion of the voice into account, the voice sounded… sick, to a degree, and quite raspy, though female as well. “Say, would you mind looking out the window out at Town Hall? I’d like to share a little welcoming gift for you.”

Minerva frowned, but nonetheless got up and walked out over to the east window. She could see, past several blocks, Town Hall, yet, there was something odd as well… she could barely make out a form seated on the front of it, all tied up, and blooded. Her vision wasn’t the best at night, but an Archangel’s line of sight allowed her to see that far so well… “Yes, I see the mayor tied up there, flailing about… what is this about?”

“Oh, just me dealing with a few gnats buzzing behind your ears… now… enjoy the fireworks!” Fainis’s voice shouted, and at that moment, Town Hall exploded into a rising fireball before Minerva’s eyes. The Archangel merely stood there and saw it, the figure of Mayor Crumpert lost within the flames and explosions. There was no emotion on her face whatsoever, yet she kept her eyes on the scene. “I hope you enjoyed it. It’s my way of welcoming you into the neighborhood. No one gets between me and a pleasant new play toy. Well. That’s all I had to say. See you tomorrow Minerva. Tooteloo!” And there, the phone hung up.

Minerva let a slight smile spread on her face as she placed the phone away and slipped back under the covers. This was the person that had put hear into her otherwise loyal Blackeye gang members? She had to say, to pull this sort of stunt in the middle of the night… well, this was definitely going to be fun. Yet, little did she realize a tall, muscular figure was watching her, all the way from the street below, as if unconcerned with the destruction of Town Hall and the sirens already wailing as they went over to investigate…

_____________________________________________

The Head of the Ministry of Right and Wrong shook himself as he disembarked the flying ship. They had finally docked in at the Palace, and now he walked up the crystal stairs, escorted by two cloaked beings taller than he was. Though they both looked human, they were anything but. He was an Enma, a judge of the dead whose job it was to decide where the souls of the deceased went to in the afterlife. He was a short fellow, wearing a short blue robe that covered him entirely save the head, which was adorned with an ornate gold crown that had a white cloth draped down over the front, obscuring his face from view. On the cloth was a black emblem of a downturned sword ordained with ornate figures on the hilt. The two figures that were beside him were also cloaked, though these were black cloaks, and their faces were fully visible. In their hands were large, blood stained scythes which gave away what they were to anyone watching…. They were Death Gods, those who harvested the souls of dying people and brought them to the Enma to judge. The one on the right had short red hair, and the one on the left had long grey hair... If any human had been watching, they would have called the cops and ran away from these odd beings…

But then, this wasn’t a human place they were at. The skies above were shrouded in smoke, and as far as any of them could see, the land was fragmented into floating islands above a sea of purple miasma Floating ships and large creatures beyond the comprehension of the human mind flied around between the islands. The very palace they were about to enter was one constructed entirely of crystal, and spiraled high into the smoky sky. Crystalline gargoyles stared down upon the trio as they made their way up to the doorway, and eldritch lightning clashed above in the alien skies… This was Makai, one of the great ancestral birthplaces of demon kind , located high up in a separate pocket dimension from Hell itself. This towering monolith was the Palace of Pandemonium, built by the great Dark Lord countless ages ago. The Head Minister talked up to the doorway, and to his surprise, noted there was no one guarding the doorway. How odd… normally, there was a maid here that wielded swords, but she was not here. His face unreadable to those around him, he walked through the doors and entered into the main building.

The main hall was just as imposing as the outside. The two Death Gods accompanying the Enma were taken back by what they were witnessing. Rivers of glass flowed down from the higher reaches of the palace down into crystal ponds that lined up the sides of the great chamber. Spiraling staircases reached upward toward floors they would not be visiting, but they knew very well existed. Paintings adorned the sides of the walls, many of them of angels and demons. But it was none of these the Death Gods were awe stuck at. No, it was the massive glass sculpture that stood in the middle of the giant room that had caught their attention. It was pitch black in color, and of a tall, 6-winged figure with a scepter in their hands. The sculpture was definitely female in appearance, with long hair slowing down past the shoulders, and robes around the figure. Yet despite the majestic nature of the statue, the Enma was not here to see that… no, his business lurked inside the door at the end of the hallway. Once he was there, he grabbed the doorknob, and thrust it forward…

On the far end of the small room they had entered in m was the very figure they had seen in statue form, only here, she was very much real. She was atleast a head taller than either of the Death Gods, and had silvery hair that stuck out against her red robes. The scepter in her hand was that of the crescent moon with a small orb nestled within. Besides the woman was a younger aged girl, who looked at most to be in her late teens. She had darker skin than the other, and had on a pair of small library style glasses, along with a purple cloak. Her hair was more whitish in color than silver, and was much shorter, as was her height. As the Enma and his guards came in, both women turned to face the new arrivals. “Ah, if it isn’t the Head Minister… there must be some reason for you to barge in like this, when I am busy teaching my daughter the proper etiquette to be a good ruler. So… may I ask what your purpose here is?” The taller of the two asked. The Head Minister look a closer look at the room. It was a bedroom ,and from all the pink that was around, it was obvious which one it was…

Neither of the Death Gods dared say anything, nor did the Head Minister at first. This woman was none other than Shinki, the High Goddess of the Underworld , the very ruler of this dimension. On paper, the High Council held its power over her, and she was meant to only be a figurehead ruler as they maintained the laws that governed the demonic races that lived here. But in practice, it was anything but due to the circumstances that had led to her rule in Lucifer’s place. And both sides knew who wielded the true power here… it was actually ironic… both parties had once been mortal enemies long ago during race to see which side could gain control over the avenues of the Afterlife, but now, the more numerous were ruled over by one of the sole survivors of the Angelic High… and it’s most powerful remnant at that. “I apologize that we entered in announced.” The Head Minister said, his voice firm and stiff, as if issuing a command. “but the business we have to tell you of is most dire. I am certain you want to hear of it. And don’t worry… your daughter won’t have to be excluded from this. We sensed your life energies in this room, so we followed them here.” He added. The two Death God guards looked over at the young lady. She didn’t really seem all that interested in them, and her freckled face and small glasses made her look… weak and unangelic, especially with her dark skin. What potential this girl had to take the mantle of Ruler of Hell, especially with such fierce names vying for control of that very position as Torvus and Euryale, meant she wasn’t likely to even get far. But if the High Goddess of the Underworld saw it fit to train her up for that mess… then they had no room to say anything.

“Really? Alright then…” Shinki said, her voice unusually high pitched for a woman of her frame. It was uncharacteristically childish, more fitting for a 5 year old than one of the oldest beings in existence. She tilted her head. , a sole strand of hair standing up against the rest of her hair. “So,it really must be dire if there was no foreplanning…”

The Head Minister shifted to look at the Archangel and her daughter. “We have picked up the life essence of another Archangel in a distant section of the Celestial Multiverse. At the moment, it is too weak for us to decide who it is that it belongs to, but perhaps you could help us with that?”

“Is that all you have to say? Just another lost and found?” Shinki pouted, her face bunching up into a scowl. “That’s no fun.” She laid back on her daughter’s bed and flailed her hands up. “And here I thought you were here with something actually serious. I would have shown Persephone how her good old mother deals with these problems.”

“Um, mother?” Her daughter, Persephone, said as she forced her mother off her bed. “I think I get how you solve these problems… No need to show me. After all, you think having a pizza business that extends several realities is your way of keeping an eye on trouble spots, especially with your name on the franchise…”

“Erm… Actually…” The Head Minister stuttered. This caused Shinki to lock back onto him. The Head Minister NEVER stuttered, as far as she knew. He was usually calm and composed… yet despite the fact she couldn’t see his face, she felt a wave of dread coming off of him, which set her on edge. “It’s not just that one Archangel signature… the Maluvor have also been sensed on that very same planet.”

Those last 11 words sunk into Shinki’s heart like a flaming blade through butter. Her eyes snapped open, and she staggered back, as if having been punched in the gut. “You.. cannot be serious? Please tell me this is a joke.. You must be lying… You must be.”

“I am afraid not… The very mask that was meant to ensure their sealment in Azorg-Thu… it has fallen into the hands of someone that has freed them!”

Shinki tried to stay standing, but everything seemed dizzy to her. She felt like she was going to barf. This was not meant to happen… That mask was supposed to be warping through time and space every second, preventing anyone from getting their hands on it. Sealing away those ancient monsters had been one of the few good things Lucifer had done before his banishment, but now… it was being undermined. She clenched her fists. She had always told him it was better to just tie up a cosmic string to the damn thing and keep it in his grasp at all time, yet he had refused, and now they were stuck with this mess… worse, just tracking down and blowing up the mask wouldn’t do, since that would set them free permanently. The mask was the only thing keeping them sealed in that inescapable prison… but it was also their only way out. Granted, this had happened plenty of times when Lucifer was running the show… but this was her first time dealing with this.“Why? Why now of all times… Why must the Maluvor be free? Is there anyway to stop them before they regain their former power?” She asked the Head Minister, who gave a slow nod.

“There is one way. Kill the person who summoned them, and they will be sent back. This is how it has been, and this is how it will always be. Are you going to do as I assumed you would?”

“Yes. I am. Persephone, you are coming with me for a little vacation. Sariel will oversee the Palace in my place… I have some murderers to put an end to.” Shinki stated as she grabbed her daughter by the hand.

“Mother, is this really necessary? I doubt they are that much of a thre-“

“Oh yes, they are… They are very dangerous… and there is good reason why they should stay sealed away…” Shinki retorted, as she raised her scepter into the air and stamped it down. A bright light shone in the room, and with that, they were gone, leaving only the Enma and the two Death Gods there.

“So… how bad ARE these Maluvor? Are they as nasty as the stories say?” One of the Death Gods finally said. What he got was an unseeable glare from the Head Minister.

“Fools, you know nothing of the horrors they caused. They once filled the very offices we now hold, yet they abused their power, and nearly threatened the reincarnation cycle of life, Just by consuming souls, they can reach heights in power that few life forms should ever be able to obtain… and they are unkillable. You cannot slay a Maluvor… you can only seal them away… they hold sway over the very life essence that keep the Underworld intact… THAT is how dangerous they are.” Was all the Head Master said, as he turned to leave. Both Death Gods looked at each other, and chased after him…

[Demon Lord Gira]

Chapter 9: The Childish Angel
The dawn of the next day was not exactly an eventful one for Minerva. The rest of the gang had left on “official business”, leaving her with just the boy. Of course, Minerva wasn’t upset at having the tower to herself, Kleiro, and their new pet bear Timbear, who at the moment was seated beside the Archangel, digging into a pot of honey she had gotten from the store that night. To her other side, Kleiro sat, his legs hovering over the edge of the building’s roof. He had a pair of binoculars in his hand, and was looking down at the street below. There, almost a thousand feet below them, the mutated form of Angus roared as it was confronting several police officers, who were firing at the creature with their pistols. The bullets merely sunk into the abomination’s flesh, and the creature let out a wet, blood curling screech as he swung an arm forward, sending one officer flying into a parked car, his broken body crumpling to the street asphalt. Minerva sighed as she watched the fight occur. She knew this was going to happen. Sooner or later, her new demon spawn would have gotten figured out, and combined with the death of the mayor… well, things were getting very interesting. She had spent most of the early morning looking closely at Timbear, and seeing why on earth he had been able to harm her. Archangels were supposed to be above this sort of thing, being harmed by mortal creatures like this bear… yet it had nonetheless been more powerful than her pre-transformation, and had managed to actually hurt her. Close analysis of the bear had revealed that yes, it was a Short Faced Bear… but that was jut. Just a normal Short Faced Bear, and further research had surprised her when she saw that, atleast in this reality, these creatures were still very much alive. She had been to several alternative universes in her travels, but this was a first for this exact time period. Add onto that this version of New York was a crime filled hive of evil, where even the police was run by the mob, and she felt this wasn’t supposed to be. Something odd was occurring here… but what?

“So, you created that thing down there? You must be more powerful than I thought, able to create life.” Kleiro’s words snapped Minerva out of her thoughts, and she looked back over at the boy. She had to admit, he didn’t seem traumatized by what he was witnessing. Most people, if they saw this sort of horror, would have been puking on the spot, or gone mad from the sight of it, yet he seemed more or less okay. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. This boy was also an oddity of this world. Why was it she found herself attracted to him? He was just a child, and a human one at that.

“Yes… I am more powerful that you even realize.” Minerva said, looking down at her own hands, hands that coursed with an energy unknown to these beings of flesh and blood. “What I wield right now is only 1% of my true potential. I was once the second in command of the entire angelic army, and their fiercest fighter… Does this knowledge shock you in any way? Open your eyes to what sort of power I have? Do you perhaps fear me for what I am, and what I can do?”
Kleiro’s eyes widened as he found himself being starred at by Minerva. She had leaned in close… a little too close for his comfort, for the boy scooted away a few inches. That caused Minerva to chuckle as she leaned back and cracked her spine. A reaction she would have expected… The poor boy had no idea how lovely she looked… then again, he was too young to get into women. That much was evident from just a simple mind read… “In a way… yes, I do fear you. You are a scary person.” Kleiro finally said, which caused Minerva to tilt her head and smile. “But… y-y-our also the one person I’ve meet whose been kind to me … And, you are kinda cute-“

That did it. That Minerva had not been expecting. She refocused her eyes on Kleiro and blinked rapidly… had he said… what she thought he had said? That she was… cute? That was impossible… “No no, you must be mistaken. I’m not cute… I might be beautiful, but not cute… a woman this tall and mature is not in any way, shape or form, cute… “

“But… You do look cute.” Kleiro stated, now being the one to inch toward Minerva… who was inching away. Apparently, TImbear found the situation quite ironic, for he snorted and rolled onto his back. “Your hair especially… that pink color and length, with those star-like eyes you have… you are truly an angel, and not a demon, Minnie.”

“What… What did you just say?” Minerva backed up, now eyeing the boy beside her very suspiciously. This was several magnitudes of awkward that she wasn’t used to. This was beyond what she had envisioned, what she had thought could happen. Now not only was she “cute”… but she was also, “Minnie”… those two words, she had not heard said in a long, long time, especially toward her. Only one other person had ever called her such… No, just no. “I… erm, I thank you for the kind words.” Minerva blushed, bringing her knees in and holding them close to her. “I must say… truth be told, it has been a rather long time since I’ve been with someone who actually likes me… I’ve been drifting around, going from world to world in search of a place to call home… I messed up in the past, and made many enemies… “ She looked back over at Kleiro, who was looking back at her with a smile on his face. That pure and innocent smile… one of someone who had just made a friend… She had seen that kind of smile before, from someone who had considered her a friend as well… and she had betrayed that friend’s trust. Broken her dreams and turned her world into a hellhole… She ran a hand across her chest, where a large jagged scar ran from neck to waist. How fitting, that she had given her this unhealing wound in vengeance, for breaking her trust and killing her friends. That incident had woken her up, that she was not immortal, than she couldn’t just do as she wish… and here, and she looked at Kleiro’s pure smile, she couldn’t bear it… Was it really worth, seeing this smile ruined when she turned this world into a new Hell? This odd, fascinating boy… She shook her head. “And I wish to not repeat those mistakes of the past. So… thank you for coming up here with me… “

“You are welcome. Mother told me to always be nice to women, but you are a special case.” Kleiro said. “So , what was that you were saying about being the second in command? What was it like, being ni that high of a position?”
Minerva was about to respond, but she stopped. Just now. Something changed. She stood up, which caused TImbear to also rise and sniff the air. Minerva’s eyes squinted as she looked closely at the sky… was it her imagination… No, it wasn’t. The air seemed slightly distorted in the distance. No wind was blowing She pointed a finger up into the sky, and launched a small orb of energy. It flew off, heading above the city, till around 2 miles up, it exploded… and once it did, a large dome seemed to form, shining as the shockwaves sent by the explosion raced down the revealed structure. Judging from the side, it seemed to be encompassing the entire city… “Well I’ll be… I’m impressed. Caught like a rat in a cage.”

“What is it? What is that… dome that’s vanishing again? Did you make that?” Kleiro asked the Archangel, who shook her head.

“No. This is not of my making. I lack the current power to create something like this. What you were just looking at… was an energy shield, a one-way containment field. Things come in, but don’t come out. I also lack the power to destroy it… so we are trapped here, we and everyone else in the city. “

“But… why is the dome a one-way pass? How do you know that… unless you have experience with them.”

“Yes. My kind has made these domes before, to trap an unknowing populace. Communication waves, electricity, water, all that sort of stuff can flow in and out, to give the illusion that there is no such trap… but organic things cannot exit. So the public within is stuck, as long as whoever designed it wishes… the very fact this is even here, means we’re dealing with something far worse than I expected…”

“and… no one else knows of it? People can’t leave the city, which means any future fights are gonna get messy.”

“Exactly, boy… and I think we have our first fighter of the day waiting.” Minerva calmly said, already feeling the tip of the blade pressing against the back of her neck. “So, you are here to kill me, right? I noticed you left that demon down there alone as you made your way up here.”

The man who was standing behind Minerva, a guy in a black trench coat and fedora, scoffed as he took the long, large sword off the angel’s neck and gripped it tight. “That is right, source of evil. This holy blade I wield was prophesized to slay the evil that sought world domination, and you are that evil. I, Matt Bennett, will purge this city of your filth and see to it you and your demonic forces never again harm any hair in this realm.”

____________________________________________________

Crumpert groaned as his eyes struggled to open. He hurt all over. Every bit of his body ached. The last thing he remembered, that bitch Fainis had tied him up to his own chair in Town Hall, and blown the entire building up, with him inside of it. But… he was alive? But how? He lifted his hand up to his face, and felt warm, oozing blood rushing out of a gash. Puking, he staggered to his feet. This was bad… so very bad. Where… where on earth was he? It was dark all over, and all he could see… was the very stone platform he was on, that lead upward behind him. This must have been somewhere deep beneath Town Hall… far beneath the foundations. "Stupid Fainis... Stupid Keith... Trying to kill their mayor, the very person who lets them do as they do! And that damn Minerva, causing while whole damn mess! SCREW THEM GANGS! SCREW THEM ALL!" He screamed, kicking a rock into the void infront of him.

“YOU… ARE IN MY LAIR NOW.” A deep, soothing voice wrapped all around Crumpert. The fat man jumped, and turned around. No one was there. He then turned around again…

And nearly wet himself at what he saw. Where there had once been pitch blackness, was now only red. 8 pairs of giant red eyes were glaring down at him from above, illuminating the subterranean cavern . Just WHAT those eyes belonged to , he couldn’t tell. It was far too dark to see anything other than the giant red beaming out from the eyes and onto him, but he could tell they were gigantic, each eye pupil being well over 6 times his size. “THERE IS NO NEED TO RUN, NO NEED TO HIDE. YOU ARE NOT IN ANY DANGER HERE.” The voice hissed, sounding as if multiple voices were hissing as one. “CRUMPERT, YOU HAVE BECOME THE PLAYTOY OF MANY A PEOPLE, A MERE DOORMAT FOR THOSE TO USE… BUT I CAN CHANGE THAT. I CAN SEE YOUR DESIRE WITHIN YOUR HEART, YOUR AMBITION FOR POWER AND MONEY, AND I CAN GRANT IT ALL, IF YOU SIGN A BLOOD CONTRACT WITH ME.”

“Wait a second!” Crumpert shouted into the darkness. He took a step back, his internal systems ready to blow themselves apart at any moment. This was too much… this was way too much. Just… what WAS this horrible thing? “Who are you? And why should I trust you after that damn Archangel-“

And then, there was nothing but laughter. Loud, booming laughter that shook the very cavern, cracking the ceiling and causing rocks to fall down. Crumpert had to take cover, for fear of getting crushed or falling into the abyss. “THE ARCHANGEL? YOU COULD SAY SHE IS HERE BECAUSE OF ME… BUT I WILL DEAL WITH HER FOR YOU. WHO I AM, YOU WILL SEE SOON ENOUGH, BUT I GO BY MANY NAMES, AND HAVE KILLED OFF THOSE LIKE HER. THEY ARE A PEST, A MERE CHEW TOY FOR ME TO EAT, WHEVER IT BE CELESTIAL, OR ARCHANGEL… NOW, PLACE YOUR BLOODIED HAND AGAINST MINE… AND OUR SOULS WILL BE AS ONE. YOU WILL NOT DIE UNTIL I DO. YOU WILL GAIN ONE OF MY GLORIOUS POWERS.. NOW, SIGN THE BLOOD OATH, TO CEMENT YOUR IMMORTALITY!”


Crumpert came out of hiding. Immortality? Powers? This had to be too good to be true. But then, what else did he have to lose? Might as well go with what the scary voice said than try to run and probably get eaten. He placed his hand out into the void, and felt something… large, something scaly press against it, and in that moment, pain unlike anything else Crumpert had ever felt rushed into his body, and the mayor screamed as he felt his body tear down on him.

[Demon Lord Gira]

Chapter 10: A "Hero"

Matt and Minerva stared at one another, neither daring to move a muscle. The Archangel was sizing up this bold challenger, and had come to the mental conclusion that this man was completely out of his league. He looked like a simple man, wielded a simple sword, and if her senses were right, had simple human strength. For him to come picking a fight with her, ontop of this building.. well, that was just a death sentence, but in this case, she could afford to play things a little loose. “So, who was it that sent you here after me? You must have had quite the time, just waltzing up the stairs with no one to deal with you…” She said, using her finger to push the blade away from her neck.

Matt narrowed his eyes, but pulled the blade back to his side. Now that it wasn’t by her neck, Minerva could get a better view of it. It was a simple looking blade, yes, yet there was something about tit that seemed off to her, not like a normal blade should. “I was sent up here by Sal Gutierrez, my employer. He said that you were causing all the trouble this city is going through, and the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were the one. Why have you caused this world so much pain, corrupted it to the core, and turned this city into a hive of scum? This was once a normal city, but now, it has become a den of thieves and monsters… a den I wish to vanquish with this blade.” Matt growled, gripping the handle on the sword even tighter.

“I am so sorry to burst your bubble, but I have done nothing of the sort here.” Minerva explained, stepping toward and pushing the sword away. Now that she was feeling it along the flat, she recognized at once what ti was made of. Pure Aether… so THAT was what was so wrong with it. Aether was the very substance that symbolized life and creation, and was what the heavens themselves were formed from. If tampered down to a sharp enough point, such a blade could cut through anything… even the hide of an Archangel. Had Minerva not had untold eons to practice her poker face, she would have paled at the realization, yet she kept her face barren and blank. “I only arrived here a mere few days ago, and this city was already dying when I came. I only am here to put it out of its misery. But if it is a fight you want, then I shall grant it. To be fair, it will only be a sword fight, no powers whatsoever.” She turned her head, and gave a wink over to Kleiro. The boy immediately went off with Timbear to the other side of the roof, as dark energy formed around Minerva’s hand. It solidified, and what she now held was a massive, twisted blade, oozing with blood and with a single eye at the base. It was as large as she was, and was a sickly orange in coloration, and adorned with runes in a tongue unspoken by any mortal.

“I care not for the pack of lies you spew, demon.” Matt hissed, adopting a stance as he brought his blade above his head, and crouched low. “But since you are so eager to seal your fate against me… then die.” Here, the two began to circle one another, Minerva dragging her blade along the ground, almost as if not caring about her defense, while Matt kept his as it was…

Then, Minerva was the first to strike, bringing her demonic sword striking down upon Matt. Blade collided with blade, and sparks flew as the negative energies wielded within pushed and shoved against one another. Matt groaned as he was pushed down onto his knees, his eyes widening as he realized he had underestimated the strength of his foe. But the blade was repelled with a push back upward, giving the swordsman enough time to jab his own sword forward. Minerva swirled to the left, barely dodging the strike, before swinging back. Again and again, the two blades clashed, Aether and Nether warping and pushing against one another. Matt tried to strike high, but was caught with a punch to the stomach, forcing him to withdraw back and adopt a defensive stat. Minerva seized the chance, and slashed away at his defensive, hammering again and again at the pinned warrior

“I must admit… you definitely are strong, yet I sense you’re not even going full out on me.” Matt rasped, as he pushed the blade back up into Minerva’s face. Once more, she was seemingly caught off guard by the maneuver, and stepped back. Matt quickly swung the blade low, slicing it into Minerva’s leg. The Archangel was swept off her feet, and Matt quickly kicked her in the gut, sending her sprawling off toward the edge of the roof. The man leapt into the air, and tried to sink the blade down into Minerva’s chest, only for the Archangel to roll to the side at the last second, and sweep him off his feet with her own blade. As he tried to get back up, Minerva grabbed him by the neck, and then vaulted him over her back before smashing him face first into the roof, knocking all the air out of his lungs and sending blood across the roof.

“Well, I’m holding back against you. You can’t possibly hurt me, so I want this to be as fun as possible.” She lied, before kicking him onto his back. She shoved the blade under him, and prepared to flip him head over heels, when she felt the Aether Blade sink into her chest. She looked down, and saw that Matt had moved faster than she had anticipated… how careless of her. Her eyes going wide, she was flung off the roof top and fell down toward the street below…

“Holding back got you killed, demon. “ Matt sheathed his blade, and turned around, before walking toward the stairs. He stopped and looked over at Timbear and Kleiro, the former growling at him to stay back, and the latter seemingly unafraid. “Do not fear me. I am not after either of you… My business was only with the de-“

He stopped. He turned back around. Was that the… sound of wings beating? No… that couldn’t be? But as if nature itself wanted to despair on the hero, Minerva flew back up, and landed right in front of him, 6 massive wings beating from her back. Four of them were white and feathered, like a normal angels, but a pair of them, the middle one to be exact, were black and leathery, and twice as large as the others. The large gaping hole in her chest still bled, yet she barely even felt it as she now gripped her blade in two hands. “Wings come naturally… they are not a power.” She explained, as she thrusted her blade upward. Matt was forced to block the hit, but the force of the uppercut sent him off his feet and spiraling through the air….

______________________

Kleiro watched on as Matt and Minerva duked it out. He had to say, he was quite impressed. Not only was Minerva so powerful with just her powers, but she was also a good swordsman. Seeing her now, it reminded him of something like a final boss from one of those Fighting games, the kind that threw the rules of the game out the window and did whatever they wanted. “COME ON, MINERVA! YOU CAN DO IT!” he cheered as Minerva flew up with her wings and divebombed Matt, forcing him to take cover. This was just fun to watch. Not a horror show like last night, not a massacre like what she did with the other gangs… but a genuine showcasing of strength between two skilled swordsmen. The fact Minerva’s own was larger and more unwieldy than Matt’s gave him the advantage, yet she was still winning! It was amazing!

As he watched, though, he noticed two figures coming up the stairs, one guy, and one girl. The girl was the taller of the two, and on closer inspection, was actually a middle aged woman, while the guy was just a hair shorter, and seemed just as old, around thirtyish. The woman was in a kimono, black in color, and adorned with the image of bears upon it, while the guy had a simple T-shirt on and short blue jeans. In the guy’s hands, was a jar of some kind that he placed down by the entrance up. This caused Kleiro to raise an eyebrow. Were these two hired hands as well? Was this whole fight just a ruse?

“Are you sure about this, Master Mathilda? We can still not partake in this.” The man said, looking more concerned as he addressed the older woman, who looked back down at him with a slightly worried look.

“Yes, Bjorn, we must do this. This is the evil that has tainted our lands, and turned our city upside down. I would rather now deal with this problem if it was avoidable, but if we want to save our lives, then we have no choice. Besides, she won’t be alone. She’ll have that giant tentacle thing to hang out with in the jar.” Mathilda told her student, before they both took their stances. Kleiro could only watch as he saw energy rising up from the jar, energy that was slowly circling over toward Minerva…

______________________

The Archangel in question was currently enjoying herself. This was just too much fun. Matt was now on the defensive, and Minerva had to resist the urge of just going the cheap route and eye beaming him out. It was only so fitting, yet she still wanted this to have some semblance of a fair sword fight to it. She dives down once more, her blade colliding with Matt’s own once more. Yet, despite the pressure she was putting on him, he seemed… fairly calm, almost as if he were planning something… but wha-

“EVIL CONTAINMENT WAVE!” A pair of voices shouted, catching Minerva by surprise. At that moment, a powerful wind began to blow, and Minerva, finding herself powerless to fight it, was thrown around like a ragdoll by the raging winds. She tried to fight it, to stabilize herself in the air, but it was as if she were being drawn away. She twisted around, and her eyes widened as she saw the jar that was laid out. She knew what this was! “No. No no no no no… Please don’t let this be! Sweet Jinengus, save me!” Minerva cried out, fear coming to the voice of the Archangel for the first time in her stay in this city. She clawed at the floor, trying whatever she could to avoid her fate, but she couldn’t do anything as she was sent spiraling toward her doom, Matt grinning like a madman as he watched his plan come to fruitation…

“Stop it! Leave her alone, you bullies! She was still fighting fair!” Kleiro ran toward Matt and began punching him on the leg. The man looked down at the boy and pushed him away with the blunt edge of his sword, not wanting to hurt him.

“You wouldn’t understand, kid. This creature is far too dangerous to live. Me and these two were hired by Sal to help preserve the peace… we are sorry, kid, but this is nee-“ Matt stopped as he felt the building shake. Everyone was thrown off their feet, even Timbear, who landed on his stomach with a flop. The shaking continued and intensified. The skies above the city darkened , and lightning clashed and struck. The soul jar fell onto its side, and the wave died down, freeing Minerva from its spiral, and sending her crashing down onto the floor. A thin line appeared up in the sky, and the dome held above the city shattered, the eldritch energy far too much for it to contain. Matt, Mathilda, and Bjorn sat there, mouth agape as the dark energy gathered up in the sky. As Minerva tried to rise back on her feet, she was hit with a pulse of familiarity. She KNEW this energy spectrum. She KNEW what was coming… and what it meant.
The thin eye expanded, and the tremors intensified at that moment. A fiery inferno cascaded out of the eye-shaped opening, roaring out into the air…

And standing within that eye, was a person Minerva recognized all too well… and her daughter.

[Demon Lord Gira]

Chapter 11: Devilish Angel

Long ago, in the Palace of Pandemonium

“Wait, what do you mean Lucifer is dead?” Minerva shouted, fists curled into balls as she slammed them down in the table infront of Shinki. Blood was running down her hands, and her eyes were wide with confusion and denial. “That can’t be… You’re lying! He can’t possibly be dead!”

Shinki kept her face as straight and emotionless as she could. She had only just received word of this as well, but she had to set an example for her younger sister. As the God of Makai and the Underworld, she needed to be strong. After all, Hyperion of the Abyss was all too eager to try and take over her position, especially after what Lucifer had done to his father. “Deny it if you want, but the truth remains. One of Satan’s own aspects devoured him and the others, and has gone on a rampage. The entire Angelic High as well has been destroyed. We are all that is left, Minerva. We four… or three, if Bolretis himself hasn’t kicked the bucket, wherever he is.”

“It’s still a lie! He cannot possibly have died! He’s better than that!” Minerva shook her head, trying her hardest to deny it. “How would you even know such a thing, unless you were there to see it. That’s why I know you are lying!”

Shinki looked over at Sariel, and then back at her sister. “Because I was there when it happened, sister. You yourself sensed something was wrong, but when you got there, it was all over. I saw it happened. Asmodeus, the Sin of Lust, had rebelled and devoured our master. I arrived in time to witness that final gruesome murder. I couldn’t do anything at that point. I tried, but she ignored me and devoured our master. Then, she fled, and you showed up.” Here, she reached into her robe, and pulled out a sickly, torn off hand, before placing it before Minerva. “This was all that remained… the only thing she did not devour. I am sorry Minerva, but that is the truth.”

Minerva looked down at the hand, and picked it up. She ran her hands across it, and as Shinki noticed, tears ran down the Archangel’s face. She was shuddering, as she held the hand close to her face. And rubbed it against her cheek, slowly, and lovingly…

And then, Shinki was hit in the face with the hand, which bounced off her. “You wanted him to die! You arranged this! You never loved Master! YOU NEVER DID!” Minerva screeched, smashing her hands through the glass table. Though shards of it stuck in her hand, she didn’t care. “You allowed this to happen, so you could have it all for yourself! You allowed the Underworld to descend into madness! You never cared for him! YOU NEVER DID! YOU ONLY WANTED HIS POSESSIONS!”

At this, Sariel held up a hand. “Now Minerva, please calm yourself down. You are making unfounded and rude accusations against your fellow Archangel he-“

“NO I AM NOT! I know the truth!” She defended, standing up. Though the tears were still in her eyes, there was now a new expression on her face, one that was alien to Shinki and Sariel, one they had never seen on Minerva’s face… Anger. “You pretended to kill him , and hid him away from me so you could rule over everything yourself. I won’t let you… I’ll find him and bring him back. I’ll make a new Hell for him to rule over, and if he is truly dead, I’ll find a way to bring him back! You let him die… you let him disappear from me… and the next time we meet… you will learn! I will be the head of a new Hell, one for true devils, and you will grovel at my feet! I will make you pay for what you have done!” With that, she shot out of the Palace, and flew off, wings beating as she flew off away from Makai, from Shinki, and all that she had known…

Sariel shook his head. “She does know that Lucifer only wanted there to be one Hell in this realm… so her trying to make another one will be futile. I just hope she doesn’t hurt herself.”

“This is why Lord Satan wanted me in charge.” Shinki said as she looked down at the broken table. With a wave of her hand, the shards fused back together, and the table was good as new. “She lets her emotions get the better of her, and she is too young and brash. She will either come back and learn… or be humbled and subdued.”

“Such harsh words for you to say to your own kin.” Sariel said, as he himself stood to leave. But as he was at the door, he turned and looked back at Shinki. “But you yourself also have emotional problems. Your temper is far worse than hers, and has gotten the better of you a few times. Please do not poke the stick in her eye when your own log is showing.”

“Just leave, Sariel… Just leave. I will handle this situation.” With that, Sariel left, and Shinki was left in her throne room, her face expressionless and tired….

Ever since that day, Shinki hadn’t seen her lost sister in person. The last she had heard of her, was her defeat and fleeing at the hands of one Yukari Yakumo, which had been a very, very long time ago. First Bolretis… and then Minerva. For tens of thousands of years, she had ruled over Makai with her brother, never once hearing of either of her lost siblings since then. Hardships had come and gone, pests had risen and irritated her, and new threats had sprung from the Nether around her. Hyperion was long sealed away, and his successor Shi Kahn had also come and gone, with Craefr ruling the Abyss. But despite all this, she had managed to keep a hold over the Underworld, even with its constant turmoil and bloodshed. And of course, there was now her sole daughter, Persephone, who she had been trying to raise up as a proper ruler. Such a lovely, beautiful girl she had, but one who had been influenced by all the wrong people. But the absence of Minerva had been constant, to the point where she had considered her sister dead.

So when she stepped out of the portal, and floated down to the top of the roof, with her daughter beside her, the first thing her eyes drifted to, was the surprised form of Minerva. There were others there, though, but her eyes were only on Minerva. She seemed more or less the same, still unusually tall by Archangel standards, and aside from a few scars on her face and an odd new set of clothing she seemed to be much the same. Then, her eyes drifted over, finally acknowledging the others there. There was the swordsman there, the two people by- She narrowed her eyes. Was that a soul jar? How did they get one of those? That was Abyssian merchandise there, near impossible for a mere bunch of humans to obtain. And then there was the child… She raised an eyebrow. Something was odd about this boy… something familiar, but what it was, she couldn’t place her finger on it…

“Mother, would that so happen to be my aunt over there?” Persephone asked, a finger pointed at Minerva. “She bears wings similar to yours, so she must be a fellow Archangel… and based on those wing shapes, she is Minerva right?”

“Very good, Persephone. You have remembered what I told you about your dear aunt.” Shinki let the faintest of smiles spread on the corners of her mouth, as she stepped toward the dumbstruck and still form of Minerva. “Well, it looks like we meet again, and I don’t see any Hell around here, or a reason for me to grovel at your feet, dear sister.”

__________________

“MY BARRIER… IT HAS BEEN DESTROYED SO EASILLY!” The voice in the darkness howled, all eight pairs of eyes thrashing about wildly. “HOW COULD SUCH A POWER DO THIS SO EASILLY?!”

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Crumpert asked cautiously. Who knew how much time it had been since he had made the pact with… whatever this thing was, and now he wanted to get back up to the surface, to put distance between himself and this monster. Even if it had said it wouldn’t harm him, he knew better than to trust this thing at all.

One of the pairs of eyes stopped thrashing, and lowered themselves down to Crumpert’s level. It was hard for him to see in such darkness, but the glow from the eyes revealed what looked like scales to him, scales of a darkish charcoal color. “THE BARRIER I PLACED AROUND THIS CITY WAS TO PREVENT OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE. JUST ONE MEASLY ARCHANGEL WHO HAS FALLEN FROM GRACE IS NO MATCH FOR MY MIGHT. HOWEVER, A STRONGER FORCE THAN I EXPECTED HAS BROKEN THE BARRIER FROM THE INSIDE. WHOMEVER IT IS, THEY MUST BE ELIMINATED BEFORE THEY CAN INTERFERE WITH MY PLANS.”

“And I suppose… I’m not the kind of guy to do that, right?”

Now all the eye pairs stopped flailing, and Crumpert was met with deafening laughter that blasted across the cavern. “EVEN WITH THE POWERS I HAVE GIFTED YOU, YOU ARE FAR FROM A MATCH. YOU LACK ANYWHERE NEAR THE FULL POTENTIAL NEEDED TO DOWN AN ARCHANGEL. HOWEVER, I HAVE ALREADY PLANNED OUT A NEW VESSEL FOR MY TERRIBLE POWER TO CONSUME, A VESSEL WITH FAR MORE POTENTIAL THAN A THOUSAND OF YOU WOULD EVER CONTAIN. THE BEAR THAT WAS GIVEN MY BLOOD FAILED TO STAND UP TO HER, AND SHE WILL ONLY GROW IN POWER. WHAT IS NEEDED… IS A DESCENDANT OF DARKNESS”

Crumpert gulped. A vessel? A Descendant of Darkness? What was this monster talking about? No human would be a match for Minerva… wait. “You mean, that monster bear Angus had… you resurrected it with just your blood?”


“AFFIRMATIVE. THE BLOOD THAT COURSES THROUGH MY VEINS IS UNLIKE ANYTHING MERE HUMANS COULD COMPREHEND. WHAT I HAVE GIVEN YOU WAS AS DILLUTED A MIX AS POSSIBLE. ANY MORE WOULD HAVE BEEN FATAL. ONLY A DESCENDANT OF DARKNESS CAN TAKE MY AWFUL BLOOD AT ITS PUREST, AND SURVIVE ITS EFFECTS.”

“Well, I gathered that much… but who is this “Descendant of Darkness” you speak of?”

Once more, booming laughter rang through the cavern, shaking the rocks and throwing Crumpert onto his back. “YOU SHALL SEE SOON ENOUGH. ALREADY, THE VESSEL HAS BEEN FOUND, ONE MADE PERFECT FOR ME BY MY OWN ENEMY. I MUST THANK HER LATER, WHEN SHE IS TORN APART BY THE VERY PERSON SHE MADE A SUITABLE HOST FOR MY BLOOD. AND WHO IS TO SAY I AM THE ONLY DANGER ON THIS PLANET? EVEN NOW, THERE ARE THE THREE, THOSE WHOM DEMONS FEAR THAT HAVE MADE THIS PLANET THEIR OWN REFUGE FOR THE TIME BEING. WHY THEY ARE HERE, I DO NOT KNOW, BUT THEY WILL BE A USEFUL TOOL FOR MY ENDS...

Crumpert was shaking as he tried to get up. The Three? Just what was this monster speaking of? What could possibly exist out there, that even angels and demons feared?