Daystar (78 page)

Dahlia searched for Lucifer’s consciousness through her link with him.
 
“Nothing can die, nothing can stop existing in some form, even if consumed…an individual, what they have done, it remains.
 
He lives on.”

FACE THE INEVITABLE.
 
THE LUCIFER YOU KNEW IS NO MORE.
 
HE MAY REMAIN, BUT HE REMAINS IN ESSENCE AND MEMORY ONLY, HIS FIRE FEEDING MY OWN.

Dahlia fought against despair.
 
“Then I will join him.”

YOU CANNOT.
 
YOU CANNOT BE DIFFERENT THAN YOU ARE NOW.

“I will come for you if I falter in Hell.
 
With nothing left I
will
seek you out.”

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

“I will force you and you will rejoin us, one being, one entity; you will lose yourself as he lost himself.”

The golden flame flinched.
 
YOU CANNOT DO THAT.

“
I
am the voracious one.
 
I consume and destroy.
 
I know my purpose now as well, my design, my reason.
 
I take apart what was made; I am the one that binds all, that can erase, that can undo.
 
You are the beginning, but
I
am the end.
 
I AM HELL.”

***

Whitney shivered.
 
She and Michael heard snatches of the conversation that Dahlia and the golden fire engaged in, but mostly there was a roar as black and gold smashed into one another, not able to hurt, only angry, tempestuous.
 

The golden fire retreated from the black flame.
 
REGARDLESS I STILL HAVE YOUR FRIEND HERE AND MICHAEL.
 
I SHALL RETAIN THIS PIECE OF YOU, THIS WHITNEY OF STONE, AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BE WHOLE.
 
UNWHOLE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GAIN YOUR FULL STRENGTH TO COME FOR ME.
 
YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO COME ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN FULLY RESTORED YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY FULLY DEAD.
 
WITH HER HERE, THAT WILL NEVER BE POSSIBLE FOR YOU.
 
YOU MADE MISTAKES IN SPLITTING PIECES OFF.

The fire leered over Michael and Whitney.
 
Michael pushed her backwards.
 
The fire slipped closer to him.
 
MICHAEL, JOIN ME.
 
MAKE ME STRONGER THAN LADRIAM.
 
INCREASE OUR SIDE WHILE WE HOLD BACK THIS PIECE OF HER.

Michael stepped back.
 
“That is not my purpose.”

I NAME YOUR PURPOSE.

Michael nodded.
 
“You did, but that is not it.”

MICHAEL, OBEY.

Michael stood in jerks, his muscles tensing and locking.
 
Whitney stood in front of him.
 
“Go away!
 
Dahlia, make him go away!”

WHITNEY OF STONE, I AM OFFERING YOU AN ETERNITY OF BEING SEPARATE.
 
ALL THAT YOU KNOW ARE DYING, THEY WILL BE SUBSUMED, REJOINED TO HEAVEN AND TO HELL, BUT TO YOU I OFFER INDIVIDUALITY.
 
IF LADRIAM HAS HER WAY, SHE WILL CONSUME YOU AS WELL, EVERYTHING GONE, ALL PARTS OF THE WHOLE.

Whitney looked to the black flame.
 
“True?”

Dahlia spoke from the fire, “Damn fucking straight.”

Whitney flipped off the golden flame.
 
“Good, I would rather die than spend an eternity listening to
you
.”

I WILL TAKE YOUR MIND AWAY AND LEAVE YOUR BODY OF STONE.
 
I DO NOT NEED YOUR ANNOYING WORDS IN ORDER TO KEEP YOU FROM HER.

Michael stepped in front of her.
 
“Get
back
, Whitney.”

The fire shot at her.
 
Michael threw her back as flame scoured him.
 
Whitney pulled him to the ground and opened her wings over him.
 
“Fuck off!”

The fire swept around for another attack.
 
MICHAEL, IF YOU DO NOT JOIN ME WILLINGLY I WILL CONSUME YOU REGARDLESS.

The flame surged at the pair.

Helion popped into existence between them.
 
He spotted Whitney crouched over Michael.
 
He turned and held out his hand.
 
“You will miss.”
 
The golden flame sheared off and could go no further.

YOU CANNOT ORDER ME AROUND—

“True, but we cannot hear you.”
 
The sound cut off around them.

UNGRATEFUL HELION, FROM ME YOU WERE GIVEN LIFE AND NOW YOU SIDE WITH HELL!
 
YOU USE
HER
GIFTS!

At the throne Dahlia laughed.
 
“I see you have some familiarity with this aspect of his.”

HE WILL COME UNDER MY COMMAND, DAHLIA.
 
I WILL GET THIS POWER FROM HIM.
 
YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE SPLIT WITH THAT POWER.
 
IT WILL BE MINE AND THEN I WILL TRULY BE AS A GOD.

“I think not.
 
You create and divide.
 
I
obliterate and combine.
 
You cannot dissolve
me
, no matter what power you steal.
 
It was a good idea, that splitting off of that aspect of mine, an accident, but a good one.
 
He is inviolate.”

Their conversation unheard, Helion padded over to Whitney.
 
He helped her up.
 
She kissed him.
 
Helion checked that she was okay.
 
“Where is Bean?”

Whitney shook her head.
 
“She was never brought here.”

Helion made a face and looked to Michael.
 
“Where is your brother?”

Michael stood and held his burnt arm.
 
“He was swept into the flame and his consciousness is in doubt.
 
He
believes him dead.”

Helion scratched his head.
 
“So we wait for him to awaken?”

Michael frowned.
 
“I do not know if he can.
 
If He speaks the truth, Lucifer may have been taken inside Him, his power reabsorbed.
 
He may no longer exist.”

Helion shrugged.
 
“You are Lucifer’s creation, as am I.
 
We remain, therefore he exists.”

***

Bean smashed into the earth.
 
Ariel shoved her face into rock and dirt as they skidded along the ground.
 
The pair tumbled end over end and came to a rest some meters apart.
 
Beyond them, Eden lay hidden underwater.

Ariel spit out broken teeth as chunks of her flesh healed unevenly.
 
Even with Bean unconscious, the physical contact had been enough to detach her needle bombs and imbed them in Ariel’s skin.
 
Ariel staggered to her feet, holding her arm as it grew back.
 
She saw Bean and stomped towards her.

Bean coughed and stared at the light bulb in the sky.
 
She blinked and tried to move, her world was blurry.
 
She healed slowly.
 
She closed her eyes and rolled to her side, ignoring the sensation that she was falling.

Ariel landed a foot in her ribcage and sent her tumbling.

Bean grabbed on to a rock as she rolled.
 
She blindly sent it flying back the way she had come.
 
It clipped Ariel in the shoulder, knocking her to the ground.
 

Ariel snapped back to her feet as Bean came to a stop.
 

Bean’s vision doubled, but she managed to get to her feet.
 
Her quills grew back along her arms and legs.

Ariel saw the spines and faltered.
 
She grimaced and belched flame.

Bean turned as her quills melted in the heat.
 
Ariel took a breath, pausing to recharge her flame.
 
Bean spun around and snapped her wings.
 
Quills the size of knitting needles shot out of her wings.
 

Ariel took a quill to the leg.
 
She ripped it out and tossed it to the ground, hopping as it healed.
 
She grinned.
 
“Your bombs won’t work if I can pull them out!”

The quills on the ground vibrated.
 
Bean turned to Ariel and walked over, burnt and limping.
 
“What kind of daughter to Paimon would I be if I only had one type?”
 
Bean snapped.
 
Pink gas filled the air as the quills dissolved.
 

Ariel choked, her eyes watered.
 
She fanned her wings to get the gas away.
 
Colorful spots floated in her vision.
 
She snatched at the lights and threw flame randomly.

Bean took a fireball to her chest.
 
She was knocked off her feet.

Ariel leapt through the air and landed near Bean’s head.
 
Ariel could not see clearly.
 
She swiped at everything around her.
 
Her claws were long, thin, and highly sensitive.
 
She scraped at the air until she nicked Bean’s leg.
 
She closed her eyes and followed the sensation, ignoring the false images.

Ariel scrabbled over until she felt flesh.
 
She smiled and looked down at Bean.
 
She flashed her rows of shark teeth.
 
“Hello.”

Bean struggled to roll away.
 

Ariel slumped on her to keep her down.
 
She bit Bean’s arm, taking out a chunk of flesh.

Bean held her burnt chest and bared bloody teeth.
 
She snapped them at Ariel’s face and kneed her in the chin.
 
Ariel’s head snapped back, but her other arm was already coming down with claws out.
 
Ariel scored Bean’s face, tearing her skin open down to her bone.

Bean punched her in the stomach and crawled away.

Ariel snarled.
 
“Where are you going, purple thing!”
 
She leapt and landed on Bean’s back.
 
The talons on her feet sliced open Bean’s calves.

Bean threw her head back, butting Ariel in the nose.
 
She grabbed Ariel by the hair and flipped her over her shoulder; some of Ariel’s hair and scalp were wrapped in her fingers.

Ariel held her head and yelped.
 
She gained her feet and charged at Bean.
 
She dodged to the left and grabbed one of Bean’s wings.
 
She wrenched and tore.
 
The wing came half off.

Bean wailed.
 
Her scream tore through the air.

Jegudiel faltered in his flight.
 
He scanned the skies, but they were only full of swarming angels, blue and white, nothing purple.
 
He lashed out with arcs of light, throwing angels back, but the vision did not change.
 
Another wail reached his ears.
 
“Bean, where are you?!”

Gabriel called back, “They are on the ground!”

Jegudiel bolted to Gabriel’s side.
 
“Where?”

Gabriel pointed.
 
“There.”

Bean and Ariel wrestled on the plain.
 
Jegudiel looked at Gabriel and Gaea.
 
Gabriel nodded to him.
 
“We are close to the city, we will be fine.
 
Go!”

Jegudiel wound up his arm and threw.
 
An ethereal sword impaled Ariel through the heart and knocked her off Bean.
 
She landed in the tall grass and did not rise.
 

Jegudiel dropped to the ground and crouched.
 
He scuttled until he reached Bean.
 
She did not stir.
 
“Bean?
 
Bean!”
 

Jegudiel scanned the plains, but saw no movement.
 
Ariel stayed hidden in the grass.
 
Jegudiel spared Bean a glance; three of her four wings were no longer fully connected to the muscle on her back.
 
Her blood no longer pumped, but was sticky and thick on the grass.
 
Her skin was cold.
 
He had to get her to a healer, she—

Ariel landed on his head.
 
“Mine!”

Jegudiel punched straight up, breaking her jaw.
 
He grabbed her by the throat and flew upwards into the mass of angels above.
 
His fury grew until he became too bright too look upon.
 
Ariel tried to teleport away, but by his will, she was locked in place.
 
Jegudiel smashed his forehead into hers, cracking her skull like an egg.

Ariel shrieked and fought, but he was unbreakably strong.
 
He wrapped his hands around her neck and squeezed, cutting off her scream as he crushed her windpipe.
 
Jegudiel ripped her head off in a twist and dropped her body.
 
A ring of light tore through the sky, incinerating Heaven’s angels.
 

Jegudiel gasped as his light flickered.
 
He plunged and hit the ground next to Bean.
 

Angel ash fell to the ground like snow.
 
Jegudiel set Ariel’s head down and touched Bean’s brow.
 
“Bean?
 
Bean…”
 
He pressed his forehead to her chest and sobbed.

Bean opened her eyes.
 
“Yoshi?”

Jegudiel choked.
 
“You live!”
 
He carefully lifted her off the ground.
 
“I thought you were d—”

“Yoshi…”
 
Bean slumped her head against his chest.
 
“You are not sick anymore.”

“No, I’m well.
 
I’m—”

“You’re older.”
 
Bean looked him over.
 
“You aged.”

“Yes, Helion’s doing.”
 
He kissed her forehead; tears ran down his cheeks into her hair.
 
“I came to find you.
 
I am so sorry, Bean!”

Bean smiled.
 
“You look good in your twenties.”
 
She snapped her teeth at him feebly.
 
“Edible.”
 
She coughed up blood.
 
“Though I find myself not entirely hungry at the moment.”

Jegudiel hugged her gently.
 
“Bean, I am so sorry for what I did to you.”
 
He rocked her on the ground.
 
“I am so sorry.
 
I know that words don’t make it better, but you need to know that you are not those terrible things I said.
 
You are not vile; you are not revolting.
 
You are wonderful and special and worthy of anyone’s love.
 
I was the terrible one.”
 
He kissed her cheeks.
 
“I love you so very much.”

Bean’s eyelids fluttered.
 
“I love you too.”
 
Her voice slurred.
 
“You’re back to being my Yoshi.”

“Yes!”
 
He handed her Ariel’s head.
 
“I brought you a present.”

“Oh, thank you.
 
Just what I wanted.”
 
Bean smiled and held on to it as if it were a teddy bear.