From Heaven To Earth (The Faith of the Fallen) (23 page)

Shrazz fused his own remaining Inner and life energy with Gerald’s.
Shrazz became a bright ball of fire. He bellowed and released the stored up
energy.

Maelstroms of florescent green flame spilled from him. The body born
conflagration did not harm him but ignited Gerald like dry tender.

Gerald released Shrazz.

From where he landed, Shrazz watched and chuckled weakly to himself as
the fire spread to Gerald’s wings. Green mingled with the blue flame and
seconds later consumed it.

Gerald roared, flapped his burning wings in a feeble attempt to keep
himself aloft then plummeted.

Shrazz felt the angel’s shield shudder underneath him before it
disappeared. Both the exous and angel were in free fall.

Shrazz used the minute amount of Inner he had left to shield himself, so
he wouldn’t be killed from the fall.

Gerald crashed into the ground and scarred the earth. Splintered trees
lay strewn about.

Shrazz drug himself to where Gerald had fallen. Every movement was
excruciating, a warning that he could injure himself further if he continued to
push. Shrazz would not adhere to it. Nothing would keep him from his prey now.

He reached Gerald’s crater and saw he looked human once again. Shrazz
tumbled down. Smoke billowed around the angel. His wings were blackened from
Shrazz’s last-ditch effort.

“This is really it...” Shrazz muttered. He faced Gerald and opened his
mouth wide. He breathed in and shuddered with ecstasy as Gerald’s powerful
angelic energies filled his battle worn body.

“Angel! Give Angel!” Verill roared repeatedly.

Dejanto took a step back even though the exous was still several yards
from him.

Riell smiled when Verill swatted Dejanto away with the back of his
massive hand. She swooped down to try to grab Drean.

“Riell!” Verill growled.

“Shit!”

Riell accelerated herself to get to Drean, but a black tentacle appeared
from a pool of shadow near him and pulled him in.

“Angel! Angel!” Verill yelled.

He coiled his tentacle around the angel, held Drean close to his face and
looked him over with his large reptilian eyes.

The tentacle morphed into a hand, and he gripped Drean firmly but not too
tightly.

Riell had known that Verill had delved into genetic manipulation to bond
other half-breed’s innate abilities to his own. She wondered what consequences
such experiments would yield. He was much more of a beast than she had
remembered.

Dejanto sliced at Verill’s thick, black scales and did not even get his
attention. He licked his blubbery lips, admired his prize and barely noticed
Dejanto. He let his free hand droop and his fingers divided into writhing
tentacles.

No matter how Dejanto tried to defend himself he could not keep the
tentacles from stretching his arms out as far as they would stretch, and then
further. One lifted his helmet off. Three tentacles touched his head, one on
his forehead, the other two on either side of his neck, and hardened into
serrated spikes.

“Move, die.”

Dejanto nodded.

“Riell, move? Die now.”

“I don’t understand,” Riell said.

“You move? They Die. Now.”

Riell dropped her sword.

“Make Curtain go.”

His stomach rumbled.

“Wait. Don’t.”

He sprung into the air. Arrows pelted him from every direction and
exploded against him. Spines sprang from his body, like a gargantuan sea anemone.
He impaled as many skia as he could reach before he fell to the ground.

Some of the half-angels were killed, most were not.

Those spines that had not impaled skia softened into tentacles, snaked to
his prisoners and ripped their wings off.

The separated wings let off a bright prismatic glow before they lost
their light forever.

Verill made a meal of the wings. Saliva spilled from his mouth as he
overstuffed himself, his cheeks bloated like a hungry child feasting on their
favorite food.

“No! Stop!” Riell screamed.

A tentacle poked her on the top of the head.

“Move, die,” he gurgled, his head was at the center of the mass. “Move
they die.”

She was forced to stand and watch to keep Drean and Dejanto alive. Tears
filled her eyes. Screams of the dying barely masked his smacking lips. He
burped loudly several times before he was satisfied.

He reverted to his gorilla-like state again and clutched Drean in his
hands. He looked at his other hand and grunted in surprise.

Dejanto was gone.

Riell wondered where he went but thought it more of a blessing than
anything and did not question it. She tried to figure out a way to get herself
and Drean away from Verill.

A sound like thunder, but much louder reverberated in the sky. Riell knew
her shield had fallen and could feel Shrazz and Gerald. Both of their Inner
pulses were weak. She could not tell who had won.

Verill felt him too.

“Shrazz.”

“What about him.”

“Take me.”

“No!”

“No? Angel die now. You die now. Take me.”

“Fine, I’m getting my sword.”

“Get. Walk ahead. Move? Die.”

“I get it.”

She picked up her sword and led the way.

Leoran shook his head at Dejanto, who knelt before him.

The god-angel considered a multitude of heinous punishments that would
indelibly scar Dejanto for the rest of his wretched life, but he did not have
the time for such things. It seemed ludicrous for a god to concern himself with
time, but Leoran could feel his slipping away by the second and with it his
newfound power. It was an itch inside of him that he could never scratch. Soon
it would fester, ache and devour him whole. It worried him.

He needed time. He needed power.

Needs and apprehension made him mortal: as low as a human, as filthy as a
half-breed.

He did not want to ever need anything again.

Leoran descended from the Throne of God with a leap and landed in front
of Dejanto with a resounding clang.

“You’ve failed me.”

Leoran waited for Dejanto to respond, but he did not. He touched the
knight’s mind to peek at his thoughts, but found silence there as well.

“You have failed your God, knight! Will you say nothing to defend
yourself!”

Leoran backhanded Dejanto’s right cheek, and the shadow knight’s jaw
cracked from the force of the blow.

“I humbly beg your forgiveness, Lord.” Dejanto kept his eyes on the
floor.

I am so ashamed. If only I could have completed my mission,
Dejanto thought.

“Spare me your whimpering,” Leoran said as he heard the thoughts. “I gave
you specific instructions to get the angel and come back. But you had to let
your primal instincts get the best of you and tire yourself.” Leoran walked
half-way up the stairs to the throne.

“Lord, you told me to...” Dejanto said.

“Yes, whelp, what did I tell you to do?!” Leoran spun about to hear his
rebuttal.

“You told me to kill Riell...” Dejanto said.

“I most certainly did not...” Leoran said.

He descended to the knight and stopped when he remembered something that
contradicted what he just said.

“To disrupt the angel’s emotions...” the knight continued.

“Or, did I?” Leoran tried to think back to when he gave Dejanto his
orders.

“Inevitably causing his downfall,” Dejanto finished.

“Dejanto, I believe your memory serves you well. I apparently forgot our
original plan.”

Leoran sat on the steps of the throne.

I forgot? How is this even possible? I am God! The Supreme Being! How
could I possibly forget? I gave him those orders not long ago. My power must be
waning. How can I accomplish this? Dejanto utterly failed in killing the skia,
and that exous, Verill almost killed him. If Drean is more powerful than both
of them, he will surely fail.

Leoran walked to the edge of The Sanctuary. He surveyed Heaven, and
looked from the Tower of Knowledge to the Gates of Soulhome.

There is one way.
He turned his gaze.
This core’s power must be
being drained by other sources. In Heaven and elsewhere. I can withdraw all the
power I need from those sources. I need the rest of the angels to continue
their duties. But I could take from the Tower of Knowledge. What purpose are
they serving me anyway?

Leoran closed his eyes and concentrated.

Give all your power unto me. I am your Lord, I demand it of you.

The Dome of Command and the Gates of Soulhome crumbled away
simultaneously to dust and then nothing.

“Lord, what of the souls? Where will they go now?” Dejanto asked.

“Who are you to question me?!”

Wait, they should come to me. Yes, I’ll use them as well,
Leoran
decided.
Come unto me immortal souls.

The Sanctuary was a wind tunnel as Leoran pulled the souls into him.

Heaven’s skies changed from blue to black, all warmth seeped away.
Dejanto shivered from the cold as spirits streamed past him, whispering praises
for Leoran.

The once perpetual light of Heaven dimmed to an orange haze. Leoran
glowed with the kingdom’s previous luminescence. Dejanto shielded his eyes from
the light. Leoran’s brilliance dimmed. His eyes shone like two suns. Dejanto
could not look directly into them.

“Why do the angels of the Tower resist my commands?” Leoran looked at
Dejanto. “Remain here.”

“Yes, Lord.”

When Leoran left he took all warmth with him. Dejanto huddled on the tile
shivering and hoped he would return soon.

Leoran flew to the top of the Dome of Command and landed at the base of
the Tower of Knowledge. For a moment its beauty and defiance awed him.

“Principalities,” he said.

“My Lord,” they all said in unison. “What do you desire?”

“I command you to bestow me with your power, even if it means your
erasure from this existence. I require it to survive,” Leoran demanded.

Why do I feel the need to even begin to justify my need for power?
Leoran mused.

“Lord you know well we cannot comply with such a request.”

“We shall see,” Leoran said, not believing that they would be able to
resist him if he forced them.

Leoran concentrated to draw them into him.

After a few minutes he tired from the strain. He stopped and stared at
the tower.

I had best not waste my energy on this trifle,
he thought.

“Answer me this. How can you resist me? Why do you do it?”

“A statute instituted by our creators, the Forefathers. We protect the
knowledge of the universe. Its beginning and its inevitable end.”

“I see. Interesting enough. I would like to be aware of this knowledge.
Share it with me. I command you.”

“You cannot safely integrate all of this knowledge without first
regaining your seat, my Lord. However, if you would like, we can share your
inferiorities with you,” they said.

“My... my... what?!”

“We apologize, Lord. We mean no disrespect,” they said, though Leoran
swore he could hear them smiling as they spoke.

“On with it then. How am I... inferior?”

“You cannot access information in this tower that is beyond you. While
the core is within you, you may not be able to slay Drean. In short you are
only 1/10
^th
of what the previous God was when He was fully connected
to this world’s Faithstream.”

“I can’t kill the angel!?”

“You may not be able to. The core might prevent it. But once you are able
to control it you would be able to slay him if you wish.”

“When I become God can I remove you from existence?”

“Was there something else, Lord?” they asked.

“...No.” Leoran cast the Tower a heated glare. “Not at this time. Carry
on.”

“Yes, Lord, we shall. We wish you luck on your mission.”

“What do you know of my mission?” he asked them.

“We cannot share that knowledge with you,” the tower said. “But we are
aware of it just the same.”

He glared at the tower over his shoulder as he flew back to The Sanctuary.

He landed in front of a crying Dejanto.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“Lord, I attacked Riell. I almost killed her! Oh, Lord, forgive me. This
transgression weighs heavily on me. I do not know if I can trust myself to
carry out your will.”

Leoran stared at Dejanto, stood him up and struck him. Dejanto landed
face down and cried for his friend. He had betrayed her. He had betrayed them
all.

“Since you have successfully shown me you will not be a match for that
angel, drastic measures must be taken to even the odds.” He walked to the base
of his throne. “You will be my avatar on earth until our mission is complete,”
Leoran said and propelled himself to his throne and sat. “Maybe this will
enable me to slay Drean as well. He will be a nuisance if he is not dealt
with.”

“No, Lord. I cannot do this.”

“As I said before, you have no choice.”

Dejanto ran up the steps of God’s Throne, determined to break Leoran’s
hold on him no matter the consequence.

Leoran’s corona intensified as yellow flame engulfed him. It forked into
Dejanto and knocked him from the steps, the thunderclap could be heard
throughout Heaven.

Leoran’s body dimmed, and his eyes looked like they had been replaced
with two glass balls.

Dejanto’s eyes shone brightly from underneath his helmet and then became
blue.

“Yes this should work out nicely.” Leoran spoke through Dejanto’s lips
and stood.

My life is yours, Lord. I thank you for this opportunity,
Dejanto
thought.

Quiet your thoughts.
Leoran thought back at him.

Much better,
Leoran thought when he was silent.

Shrazz defeated Gerald? I did not expect this... the future is so
unpredictable. This will work to our advantage nonetheless.
Leoran
chuckled.

Dejanto, embodied by the will of Leoran disappeared with a flash of
light.