Chapter 1
Chapter 1 Everything “I stole the soul of an Angel and that of…A first born Vampire.” The second the words were spoken I felt my entire world crumbling around me. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! I couldn’t believe that all this time he knew what I was, or more like… what I could have been before he stole it from me! “Hh…h…how…?” I said as I barely heard the whisper that was stuttered through my utter agony, unable to raise my head from looking at the floor. But this wasn’t enough for Lucius. “Amelia, look at me…Amelia, please… please, fuck… just look at me,” Lucius pleaded as I remained there on the cold broken stone floor feeling as if my entire world had been split open and torn apart. Everything I had given this man! Every single fucking piece of me and yet more he took, even the parts of me I didn’t know fucking existed! He took them all. “Please,” he pleaded and finally I raised my head in time for him to see the heavy tears start to fall. Then he told me, “I…didn’t know…I swear to you, I didn’t do this…not intentionally…please, you have to believe…” His broken declaration did little to comfort me, hence why I shouted, “Believe you…believe you! How could I ever believe a single thing you have to say to me? How…how…tell me, Lucius…how could I?” I ended this on a sob of words making him wince at the sound. I then watched as my tears fell to the ground and I frowned the second I saw it hit one of the roots under the broken stone floor, momentarily turning it back to grey from the charred black it had been. What did that mean? “Hey! Get the fuck away from her!” Lucius shouted, making me look up in time to see him at the shimmering wall between us, now looking beyond furious at the three headed creature at my back. “But Master, we wouldn’t hurt her.” “No not I, not he, not we… for we are the Keepers of Three.” “Mnkn knuhheee.” They all said in turn, but Lucius looked less than convinced. “Amelia, get up and walk towards me, do so quickly,” Lucius ordered, clearly not trusting them. But this also had me questioning why. What else was for me to discover? Which was why my gaze turned suspicious before I asked, “Why?” Lucius flinched back a fraction at the question and I knew in that tiny reaction there was something more. “Why? Why do you think?!” he snapped making me grit my teeth and stop myself from asking if he was seriously acting this way now because of everything I had just learned. Because the only one in this room who had hurt me had been him, not the Keepers of Three. He had stolen part of my fucking soul, for fuck sake! “They haven’t hurt me,” I told him, barely able to keep from screaming this at him. “Not yet!” he snapped, making me unable to hold back from throwing some truth his way. “No, the only one who has hurt me is you and right now, I trust them more than I do you!” I said, lashing out at him, this time making him jerk back as if I had struck him physically. “Amelia, I can explain, and I will…” “Well, that will make a nice change!” I bit out sarcastically, only he ignored me as he continued quickly, “But first you need to fucking listen to me. Now, get up and…” “No!” I told him cutting him off again and this time he gritted his teeth and snarled, “Now is not the time to be foolish, girl!” Naturally at this I’d had enough and he knew it when I picked myself up off the ground, getting back to my feet, then raised my head to look at him dead on. Doing all of this while I asked the Keepers behind me, “You said that you see, hear and speak of all that the Blood of Kings commands…right?” Lucius scowled at me and said, “Amelia, what are you up to?” I ignored him and turned to face them, this time repeating my question, “That’s what you said, right?” Each of them nodded before repeating, “As the Seekers we seek…” “For all the King’s memories as the Keepers we keep.” “Mmmen emek.” I ignored Lucius’ warning growl and instead took a deep breath, knowing what I now had to do. So, I took a few steps closer towards the Keepers of Three, again having to ignore the growls of disapproval behind me as Lucius’ anger grew. Then, after another shuddered breath, I demanded in a stern, determined tone, “Then show me.” “What?!” Lucius’ cry of outrage was again disregarded as all three heads turned and looked at each other in a questioning way. “Can you do it…can you… any of you…can you show me?” I asked making Lucius roar in anger, “NO! DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE!” I looked behind me and nodded to the barrier between us and asked, “Can he get through it?” He looked beyond murderous and I knew that if he did manage it, the first thing he would do was get rid of his own threat and rip the Keepers apart, meaning they would be joined no more. Which was why I was glad when they told me, “No, only one may enter.” “For Keepers we seek.” “Monen mnol mmmut mals eeke.” “What did he say?” I asked nodding to the one with a hand permanently in his mouth. “One soul at a time or the walls won’t break.” I looked back at Lucius to see him telling me, “Amelia, don’t fucking do this!” I shook my head at him before asking the Keepers of Three, “So, you can show me?” “You wish to see?” “The life of three?” “Mloood eeemee?” I nodded for them to translate the mumbled answer again. “The blood of He,” they told me and I swallowed hard before telling them, “Yes, I wish to see.” “AMELIA, NO!” Lucius roared and I sighed before walking over to the barrier to speak with him, knowing that at the very least with what I was about to do, he deserved to know my reasons for it. I saw him release a sigh of relief, one he obviously didn’t know yet was premature. “Good girl, now try walking through the barrier, as I think it will allow you to come back through if I force it,” he said looking around the sides of the tunnel’s opening as if he was looking for its weakness or something. His false hope made what I needed to do next even harder, despite the mountain of reasons stacked up against him of why I had no choice. “I am afraid I can’t do that, Lucius,” I told him, making him tense and I watched as his whole body turned rigid, as if my admission had suddenly made him turn to stone. Then I watched as he clearly struggled to simmer down his anger enough to speak to me, no doubt being cautious with my fragile state of mind. “Yes, you can, Amelia, and you will…now just step through and we will figure this out…together.” His emphasis on that last word couldn’t be missed and I closed my eyes against the pain of it, telling him, “It’s too late for that.” “No! No it isn’t! It’s never too late for you to listen to reason and act on it!” he snapped making me open my eyes and look at him, I mean really look at him. And what I found were so many emotions on his face, it was clear to see. Even if they were all merging together as one. His anger, his frustration, the hurt, worry, pain and panic were all there. And whenever he looked past me, a deep hatred for the Keepers, who he no doubt deemed responsible for all that was happening now, was seen in crimson eyes. But what he didn’t yet understand was that he was the cause of all of this. His lies. His secrets. His thievery. “I am acting for my own reasons, Lucius, because you had your chance. You could have told me everything, but you chose not to and now, well that time has passed you by and I’m sorry to say but the result of what happens next is your own doing,” I said making him tear his face away from me in a furious and frustrated way. “How could have I told you, Amelia? When was there a fucking time to tell you something like that!?” he snapped making me force myself to hold on so as the tears wouldn’t rise again. Then, as calmly as I could, I told him, “There was a time, Lucius.” “You would have hated me,” was his pained reply and I shook my head, saddened that he thought so. “Then that is your mistake made, for you should have trusted me,” I told him, making him hang his head as if it weighed too much to hold up any longer. But then, they often say the weight of guilt could be too much for some people. “Then you’re right, that was my mistake, but I promise it is not as it seems and if you would just trust me now and walk through here, then I will tell you everything, but please… please, by the Gods, Amelia, just don’t fucking do this, don’t ask them to show you,” he pleaded with me, making me frown before asking him, “Why? Why is this so important to you if you have nothing left to hide?” The second I asked this I knew, for I saw it in his eyes and I fucking knew! He was still lying to me! I tore myself away from the sight of him, turning my back on him and making him say my name again, “Amelia, please… fucking Hell, just look at me! You’re right, I am keeping something else from you, but you have to trust me, it was only ever done to protect you!” “Protect me!” I shouted whipping back around to face him, the look of disbelief clear on my face. “Yes,” he answered quickly. “Protect me from what, the fucking truth!?” I saw Lucius take a deep breath before he admitted on a whisper, “From yourself.” I frowned at him at the same time his answer made me take a jerked step back. “From myself?” I questioned as if needing it confirmed that this was what he really meant. “You have to trust me here for I promise you it is not as you believe it to be and if you would just take that one step I will show you that you can trust me… just reach out and give me your hand Sweetheart and let me reward your trust with the truth,” he said reaching out his hand for me to take, his fingertips only an inch away from the barrier, one he knew he couldn’t touch. As it was clear that what it did to him was far more powerful than what it could do to me, as it hadn’t knocked me unconscious. And in that moment I wished I could have had enough faith in him left to do what he asked. But I didn’t. So, I couldn’t. Which was why, the moment I realised that my hand was rising, I fisted it and let it drop, telling him, “I can’t, I’m sorry.” I saw him close his eyes, as if the pain of what I’d just said became too much to bear. “You will be sorry if you choose to let them show you, for it won’t just be the answers you seek, it will be my entire lifetime since I turned…do you understand what that is, Amelia? Do you understand what it is you are asking for! Are you really prepared for that?” I swallowed hard, knowing what he was really saying…was I prepared to see all those lifetimes of him living without his Chosen One in the world. After I took a deep breath I answered with certainty, “I am.” “NO! NO, YOU’RE FUCKING NOT!” he suddenly roared making me wince and step back at the sight of his demon shouting at me. So, I turned quickly, now ignoring his anger and walked back towards the Keepers of Three to the sound of Lucius’ temper as he started punching his fists into the tunnel walls. The sound of stone crumbling from his rage was one that echoed throughout the huge open space, becoming a haunting melody to the next step in my destiny. One I felt deep down and in the very core of my soul that I had to take. But then he started to take on a different approach, “Amelia, wait, please just wait…just give yourself some more time to think this through, please… I am sorry I shouted at you, I am fucking sorry okay, but just come back to me and we will talk! I will tell you without you walking through, just come back here…come back to me,” he pleaded, making it one of the most painful things I had ever had to listen to. “If you show me, will it damage me in anyway?” I asked the Keepers of Three, now having no choice but to ignore Lucius and all the reasons he was telling me not to do this. The Keepers looked hesitantly over my head at who I supposed they considered was their Master. But then, they also seemed to consider me as such too, which was why eventually they answered me, “Hurt you it will not.” “For your mind will only witness.” “Motmin mmor.” “He said, and nothing more,” they both added making me nod. “Then I want you to…” I was cut off when Lucius suddenly said, “Then you don’t love me.” Just hearing it was like receiving that fucking arrow to my body all over again, only this time it didn’t hit my shoulder but instead my fucking heart! “What did you say?!” I asked in a warning tone as I turned side on to look back at him. “If you do this, it will mean you don’t love me, for in this moment it is all I ask of you…all I will ever ask of you,” he replied and I felt the angry hot tears start to surface. Which was why I stormed back over to him and was about to hit out at the barrier, seeing now his arm was at the ready, and I knew what he was doing. He was trying to goad me. To get me so angry that I would lash out enough at him so he could grab me and pull me through. It was then that my anger left me, seeing the lengths he would go to, to stop me. Which was why I told him, “You know I love you, just as I know you love me… it’s why you’re so afraid. I see that now. You’re just afraid that when I come back through the other side from all I have seen that I won’t love you anymore and that, Lucius…well, that is where you have to trust me…trust that I will still love you, no matter what.” Again he looked so pained by my words that he couldn’t even look at me. Even when I raised my hand up as if I had the power to raise his face to mine without even touching him. “I love you, Lucius, I always will, no matter what I see…I will love you until the day I die and far beyond it. But now it’s time that you trust me.” He closed his eyes and once more tried to stop me, “Please, my Khuba, please… you don’t need this.” “I do. I have to see with my own eyes, only then can I fully trust you again.” He snarled, “You think my love for you needs fucking testing! I searched the ends of the fucking Earth to find you!” I looked back behind me at the tree and said, “Then I trust you to search beyond it.” At this he frowned and snapped, “What the fuck does that mean?!” I didn’t answer him, but instead walked back to the Keepers of Three for the last time and said, “I am ready.” “What does that mean!?” he shouted again and when I didn’t answer him, he must have started to panic as his mind started to piece together my plan, “NO! You cannot be fucking serious! I swear to you, Amelia, if you do what I think you are planning to do, I will not be held accountable for what I do! For I will unleash my fucking Demon and destroy this fucking place…I will tear it to the fucking ground!” I looked back at him and then looked to the single blood red rose at the very top of the tree, my soul…the piece of me he owned. Then I told him, “I know you won’t, because that would mean you would destroy the piece of me you own, for you were right, you truly do own a piece of my soul, now it’s time to keep the part of my heart that I gave to you.” Lucius snarled in return, too far gone in his rage for he had tried everything to stop this and he had failed. He knew this when he heard me say, “Now, show me…” He bellowed in anger after I told the Keepers of Three this single order, making me close my eyes as they nodded and three hands, ones that belonged to each of them, came to my head about to take hold of me. “NO!” Lucius roared but I was no longer listening. No, instead I was whispering to the Keepers of the Past. Lucius’ past. I asked them… “Show me everything.”
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 Death of Judas I briefly heard the echoing of destruction behind me as Lucius’ demonic fury hit new heights. But then, as soon as the three hands touched my head, everything else in the reality of my world was lost. And what it started with was the most horrific start to a life I could ever imagine, for it started with, The death of Judas. The body that hung from the tree was barely recognisable as even being a human body, as it had clearly been tortured. This started with being left to hang still alive in the burning sun for days. His bloodied face hung down, and he was clearly now dead for the others stood around him checking that the deed was done. The glint of silver sticking out of his torn and bloody mouth, told me exactly what other tortures had taken place. How many pieces of silver had they forced him to swallow, was it thirty as the story was told? It made me want to cry and for all I knew I could have been, because when I looked down at myself all I found was the ghost of a body. I looked more like a distant memory stepping through time and my faint figure of a body had only been granted to me just so my mind felt safer in this place. Because, in reality, I knew I wasn’t really here. No, I was still back in the Temple of the Tree of Souls and Lucius was being forced to witness my crime against him. However, just because I forced myself to watch this, it didn’t mean that it was exactly easier on me than him. But then, doing things for love, never was. I was just relieved to see that the dead man hanging didn’t look like the Lucius I knew. Although, the most shocking thing was that one of the men who stood nearby, did look like Lucius! There were two men in robes that stood in front of the dead body along with two more who looked as if they could have been servants of some kind, one of whom held such a startling resemblance to Lucius, it took my breath away. I frowned, wondering what was happening, was this how his rebirth started, was this to become his new vessel and if so, how? Obviously, my mind bombarded itself with these questions, despite being here now to witness the answers for myself. “We will cut him open, retrieve the silver we forced him to swallow and buy a field somewhere, maybe south of Mount Sion, before dumping the body there,” one of the robed men said. He had a trimmed beard and beady, cruel eyes. Just the sight of him made me question if he was one of the disciples responsible for this as he seemed to be the one making plans on how to get rid of the body. “Let the people believe he took his own life by placing this in his hand.” The same man pulled a sharp weapon from beneath his robe and another flash of an image hit me, as if coming from somewhere else. It was of Judas, the man who looked nothing like the Vampire King I knew and loved. As it was only his mind, his memories and that of his soul that had passed on, as he was the same man, just not the same outer shell. An angry Judas grabbed the spear from a soldier after he had pushed his way through the crowd that had been there to witness the death of Jesus Christ. The sight had me gasping back a startled breath that hitched at the blinding historical moment I was being gifted to witness. A single moment in time that changed the world forevermore. It was a sight no one ever got to see and the significance of this moment most certainly wasn’t lost on me, nor would it ever be. But I knew the story without this scene being added to it. A Roman soldier named Longinus had been ordered to make sure that Jesus was dead. He had taken his weapon and stabbed Jesus in the side too hard which meant that when he removed the spear from Jesus’ side, the tip had snapped off, still embedded in his side. However, the part I hadn’t known, was of Judas’ angry reaction to this when pushing those aside so he could wrench the spear from its owner before he snapped the pole in rage. This all happened before he was captured by the disciples whom he had classed as his brothers in faith, dragging him away with the crowd cheering them on…the word for traitor of God chanted from their unholy lips. For God had well and truly, Forsaken him. “The broken spear that pierced Jesus, how did you get that, my brother?” the disciple next to him asked, who looked younger with longer, darker hair. He had asked this to the one who seemed to be in charge, and the one who now held the weapon in his hands. His answer came as he nodded towards the now dead Judas and said, “From our Lord’s betrayer.” Then he quickly used it to slice open Judas’ guts, making me want to gag even though it was just a vision and I knew that I wasn’t really there. But it just felt all too real. The crimson coins spilled from within the contents of his stomach and his organs followed them. Then the furious actions of the disciple ended this by stabbing the remaining spear up into his insides. This was just as the world started to go dark as the hushed words of the younger disciple uttered in fear, “Look brother, God is angry with what we have done, for the sky darkens just as it did at the crucifixion on the ninth hour that the Son of God died.” I looked to see that he was right, a great eclipse started to happen as the sun was overtaken by the moon, only this time it created a blinding crimson ring, bathing the sky in a dark hellish glow and covering the world in a bloody haze. The other man looked to the sky and hissed as the sight burned his eyes, covering his face with his arm. “Let us leave this place immediately,” the young one hissed in fear before he looked back to Judas and nodded in question, “What about the body?” “Gather the silver but leave enough for the men we hired to dispose of the body. Like I said, there is a field I know of, once purchased under Judas’ name, we will have them dump him there,” the bearded one said before I watched as some of the blood money was gathered and half left for what I assumed was the hired clean-up crew, being the two men who had remained close to the horses. Then, once the disciples walked away after first conversing with the other two, no doubt issuing their orders, that was when the image of Lucius appeared once more. Naturally, the sight of him again struck something deep within me, making me take in a quick breath. It was strange, as it was him, but yet it wasn’t. As if something was missing, but of course I was right, something was missing, The right soul. But he also looked different as his hair wasn’t blonde and his eyes weren’t their stunning bluish steel grey but instead very dark like his hair. Of course, this made sense seeing as he was first born from an ancient Jewish ancestry. “I don’t like this, look at the sky, what if they were right? What if God is angry at them and therefore punishes us?” The man with the body of Lucius asked, making the other man scoff, “It is merely an early darkness.” “Early darkness! Are you a fool, brother? Look at the sky, for that is no early darkness, for the sky turned to blood just as those men spilled it upon the ground,” the vessel of Lucius said and the moment he said the word ‘brother’, I could see the slight resemblance, although he was not as handsome and was obviously older than Lucius’ early thirties. “Well, as long as it offers enough light for us to find the payment, that is all that matters to me, now you retrieve the silver first and then get the body down whilst I get our horses,” the brother said making Lucius sneer at him, muttering, “Glad I get the easy job.” Then the man I knew would soon become one with Judas’ soul reached down and picked out the silver, cursing under his breath as he did so. But it was after he rose to his feet that my utter shock hit me once more when he lifted the battered face of Judas and after brushing back his bloodied matted hair whispered, “I am sorry, my friend, for I didn’t know they planned death for you…life is sacrifice and in death peace is never found for the guilty, for this I am sure to learn one day.” I sucked in a startled breath once more, feeling my heart hammering in my chest as the man’s confession was heard. It was obvious that he had been a friend of Judas and had betrayed him, unknowingly causing his death. Gods, but how the circle of betrayal and sacrifice was about to come full circle. I knew this when suddenly the body of Judas started to lift, moving ever so slowly at first making the traitorous friend jerk back a little before shaking his head as if he was seeing things. However, there was no mistaking the sight of the spear being sucked deeper and deeper inside Judas’ body until it vanished completely from sight. “By the Son of God, what is…?!” Lucius said before he looked over to his brother by the horses, who had his back to him. He was about to speak when suddenly a demonic hand burst out of Judas’ sliced gaping flesh and in its clawed grasp was the spear. It lunged forward so quickly that Lucius didn’t have a chance before it was suddenly being embedded into his gut. This stabbed in so deep that he doubled over the hand that still had hold of the weapon. Then the sky above started to clear making his brother shout from by the horses, “See, for there was nothing to fear, it is clearing now.” Meanwhile Lucius was reaching out a shaky hand towards him in a desperate attempt to get to him, when he was clearly too far away. A croaked sound trembled from his lips, “Br…brother.” Then the demonic hand withdrew and suddenly the earth opened up beneath him, just as it had done with me when my blood had spilled and seeped into the ground like an offering. Lucius’ body disappeared, falling to what I knew was the cavern below, although this time he didn’t have anyone to save him from the deadly fall as I had done. And with it, my vision quickly changed and soon I was to understand the strange dreams Lucius told me about when first finding ourselves in the Temple. The dreams he had experienced but didn’t know whether or not they had been real. That was because they hadn’t belonged to him but to that of his stolen vessel. The one the Devil himself had chosen. I knew this for certain because my next image was the sight of the Keepers of Three dragging the half dead man along the floor of the cave and each time they went out of view, my vision of the past changed. This continued until eventually they came to a portal and it was one that looked to have been summoned on a gigantic stone tablet that stood upright, reminding me of an unbroken version of the Rosetta Stone. It was one that was surrounded by colossal pillars, all carved and decorated with the history of man. This quickly told me that this was what the Temple had looked like before the tree had grown around it, consuming the tablet so only the gateway into Hell remained to this day. As this was the same opening that was glowing crimson inside the Tree of Souls. And as I continued to watch the Keepers of Three drag Judas’ new vessel along the floor, one not broken yet by the roots of time, it didn’t take a genius to know where they were heading. This also meant that, with a sickening fascination, I couldn’t take my eyes from the sight as they reached the ominous opening. Then, without so much as a single word spoken, they tossed his body inside until it disappeared from view, doing so as though it had been nothing more than disposable garbage. I was truly sickened by the sight because this may not have yet been the Lucius, I knew being treated this way, but it was still a piece of him. However, I wasn’t granted too long to dwell on it as another vision quickly took its place. First a looming darkness filled my senses and a feeling of overwhelming dread filled my non-existent body. As, instead of a continuous flow from one vision to the next, this time it felt more as though something was fighting with me, tugging at my soul, as if I was being pulled in too many directions. Then suddenly, the only way to describe the feeling was that I had been plunged into time instead of being guided through it, simply stepping into it like the few times before. Which made me feel as if I was not only unwelcome here but more like… forbidden. Now it was time for my first taste of Hell, as Lucius’ soul and new vessel were now in the hands of… The Devil.
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 By the Devil’s Hand The sight in front of me quickly left me breathless as my view came into focus because the whole merging into this vision had left me feeling dizzy, even without the entirety of my body being with me. From what I could make out the closest I had been allowed to get to the Hellish scene below was also about as close as I ever wanted to, as right there below me now was none other than the Devil himself! Looking down it seemed as though I was perched on some kind of small rock ledge high above what must have been Lucifer’s throne in Hell. It looked as if it was made from the bones of some enormous winged beast, as its spine curled up at least fifteen feet in the air creating the back of the throne. Its ribs had been pulled back and suspended in the centre of the fan of bones was what looked like a black onyx heart with a huge sword embedded at its frozen core. Either side of this were the bones of what were once its wings, now swathed in black leathery fabric, like scaled skin. As if the creature had first been skinned upon its death and this had been used to decorate the throne. Its massive boned legs made up the sides of the throne, with its giant clawed feet displayed at the bottom. Its head, however, wasn’t attached to the rest of the skeleton but instead, it was mounted high above on the wall behind. It was obviously a trophy of some kind, maybe some honoured kill of Lucifer’s that he felt proud enough to have a throne made from it. Well, from the size of the thing, then it wouldn’t have been surprising. As I think anyone would have counted it as a skilful victory, seeing as it looked as if it could have been a demonic dragon of some sort. And speaking of the Demon that could take claim to that impressive kill, I was now looking down on the large masterful body that filled the throne. The Devil. I swear, being faced with the two in such a short space of time, I didn’t know which vision had me more breathless, the sight of Jesus dying on the cross or the one that faced me now as Lucifer, King of Kings in Hell, was about to give life to his first son. My Vampire King. Lucifer sat with his back to me, lounged out and side on, facing a dark, open archway where the walls seemed to be moving as if they were swarming with some kind of demonic parasites. I couldn’t see his face but just his large muscled back clad in black armour that seemed to move with the rest of his body. One moment it was as hard as rock and forming deadly spiked horns and jagged teeth, positioned at his huge shoulders and arms, whilst interlocking plates like scales coated the strong contours of his indestructible looking body. But then, in the next instance, it would all evaporate before clinging to his bare skin like vapour or some spell attached to his very soul. As if a demonic cloud was attracted to his flesh, only managing to stick once he was still enough to do so. That, or it was commanded with a mere thought. This was more likely, as who just stood still in battle? I watched as he raised his hand, one gloved in demonic plating that didn’t move like the rest of his armour but stayed in place as he motioned for something to be brought forward. A shadowed figure below approached his throne from behind, one I couldn’t see from where I was situated. But Lucifer didn’t even turn his head to look, which told me that the being must have been considered unimportant, as his massive curled horns didn’t move an inch. Unsurprisingly, they were impressive in their size and most definitely added to the intimidating figure of a God. One set of dark red horns looked more ribbed and from what I could see, started from the top of his forehead, with his thick black, reddish hair braided in lines around them in a Viking style. The twists of hair also framed the bases of the smaller horns before they curled back over the top of his head away from a face I couldn’t yet see. The other much larger set were matt black and came out from the shaved sides of his head and stretched outwards past his shoulders before they started to curl back in on themselves, with the glowing tips high above the back of his head. But as I said, they didn’t move an inch as the other being approached. No, they simply continued casting dark shadows on the walls and backdrop of crimson material flowing either side of his throne. It was so silky, it looked more like liquid running down the wall…in fact, on greater inspection that was exactly what it was! A bloody waterfall. I followed the liquid to the source above and saw two giant gargoyle heads. Both had their snarling mouths held open by thick chains the width of my thighs, attached to stone nostrils and fixed to the jagged rock ceiling above. It also looked as if Lucifer’s palace had been carved out of part of the mountain, which instantly made me think of Lucius’ German home, Blood Rock. Gods, but if I hadn’t been able to feel the ghost of my body, I would have raised a fist to my mouth. “My all Masterful Lord, are you sure this is wise?” The voice of a servant said, one that was still hidden in the shadows. “Are you questioning me, Ba‘al Zəbû, because I think you know what becomes of those that do?” Lucifer said in a dangerously serious tone that spoke of nothing but deadly calm. Even I swallowed hard, which was strange, as it was as if my reactions were being mirrored in real time back at the Temple. But then I also had to wonder where I had heard that name before? “I would never be so bold, Sire,” was his reply to this obvious threat. “Nor so reckless and daring,” Lucifer added, and I watched as he tapped a few wicked taloned claws against the boned throne, making a particular sound that had me wondering if the bones had turned to stone upon the death of the creature. “I merely meant to ask if the obsession with the girl is worth it?” At this, two things happened simultaneously. The first was lightning fast as the shadowed armour suddenly formed a cloak full of demonic clawed hands. These were all reaching out from his back like angry souls trying to grab the one who dared speak of a girl Lucifer obviously felt a strong connection to. At the same time, a low and very threatening sound came from deep within Lucifer’s chest and it was by far one of the scariest sounds I had ever heard in my entire life! Even the shadowed figure I could barely see seemed to close in on himself, trying in vain to retreat from his master’s wrath. “You are lucky your senses are intact enough, for if you had spoken her name, one I have forbidden to pass through the lips of all in my Kingdom, then you would have lost your tongue before finding your head nailed to my fucking wall! Now, do not question me again!” he growled, crushing the bone armrest in his fist, until it crumbled into dust. “Now, bring him to me!” Lucifer shouted out his order, whilst gaining his feet, and I watched utterly horrified as the near naked body of Lucius was being brought forward, after he had first been nailed to a cross so as to experience his own Crucifixion. Well, at the very least it looked like the body of who would soon become Lucius had been dead first, unlike Jesus Christ who hadn’t received the same privilege. “Gods, no.” I hissed and the sound entered the past like a shadowed whisper, one Lucifer tensed at, doing so now as if he had heard it for himself. But that was impossible…wasn’t it? His shadowed armour vibrated around his flesh slightly as if this was a reaction to hearing me before they then calmed. I held what felt like my breath back in the Temple until I thought it was safe to let it out again, thankful the tense moment had passed. Then I continued to watch in utter horror as demonic minions scurried around the floor as they dragged the upturned cross closer. They looked like large plucked, featherless chickens with the heads of snarling skinless dogs all snapping tiny rows of sharp teeth at each other. The chains some had in their mouths dripped with thick saliva, slapping on the floor in pools of drool before they were quickly sucked up by even smaller creatures. These were centipede like insects with bodies the size of rats and hundreds of tall legs that stood at least a foot off the ground. They were also about the length of my arm and made a chilling sound as they scuttled across the stone floor. The movement of the cross stopped and when it did, all the creatures stopped with it, as if frozen by their master’s will. The body of Lucius had been flipped upside down on the cross, creating the sign for the antichrist, with his head closer to the ground along with his outstretched arms nailed to the crude wooden structure. Lucifer clapped his hands, obviously delighted with the view or maybe just a way to get the creatures to leave as they all scattered at once, making him feel the need to kick one as it hurried past. “Piss off cretins, be gone with you now!” he said as they all ran out of sight, especially after seeing their comrade being kicked so hard, he hit the side of the arched wall that Lucius on the cross had just emerged from. The moving darkness covered the dog sized creature in seconds as an unseen swarm devoured him, leaving only his bones as evidence. His bones fell from the wall with a snap, shattering on impact when they hit the ground, telling me that even the walls of this place were deadly! Like a swarm of fucking, demonic piranhas! He then walked towards his prize, still keeping his back to me and as the shadowed armour lagged behind, he ended up showing me more muscles than I ever thought possible on a living being! But then again, this was Lucifer we were talking about and he was the God of Hell… and well, right now he looked every inch of it. “Oh, but how I have waited for one such as he!” Lucifer said as his armour turned now to that of a living cloak, one that shuddered and vibrated in response to its master’s pleasure. “For a man to renounce his faith just on the cusp of being granted eternal life. A life bestowed onto him as an Angel for what was asked of him from the Son of God…ironic then, don’t you think, as now he will now become my son…The son of a very different God,” Lucifer said making the one named Ba‘al Zəbû nod, before agreeing, “Yes, my masterful Lordship, he is perfect.” Lucifer scoffed before saying, “Not yet he isn’t, but he soon will be. For it is time I created my first son, one born directly from the blood of my heart, for it is time to breed new life upon the world” He paused and stepped closer tapping a claw over Lucius’ heart before declaring, “…and you, my boy, will one day be King of all those beneath you!” After this he took hold of the wood at the top where Lucius’ feet were nailed to the cross, one over the other. He then yanked hard and the whole crucifix spun, until Lucius was now back to being upright. “Now it is time to unite your soul with your new vessel and for this birth of new royal blood to be consumed, I will first need your heart to beat once more.” After this a bright blinding light erupted from within Lucifer’s chest and it flowed out of him and directly into the vessel. I gasped in awe at what I was yet again being made to witness, as Lucifer obviously had the ability to contain Judas’ soul within him. This being at the ready until he had a vessel to release it into and the body of the man who had betrayed him Lucifer obviously saw as a fitting choice. The second it flowed into him, Lucius gulped back a deep and large breath, one as if he had just emerged from drowning in an ocean of blood… But where had that thought come from? “Ah, I am so proud, look at the strength of him, for he does not emerge screaming as the others did.” I frowned wondering what others Lucifer spoke of…had he tried this before and failed? “Yes, he is strong my, Lord King,” the shadowed figure of Ba‘al Zəbû said, agreeing with whatever Lucifer would say. “And he will be handsome too, for once he has my blood inside him how could he not be?” Lucifer said like…well, almost like a proud father. And the Devil was right, as it was the image of Lucius but not quite as I knew him. Almost like a dulled down version, for he wasn’t as strikingly handsome as I knew him to be. He didn’t yet have the light of sand in his hair or the grey blue in his striking eyes. His skin did not look as if it had been bathed in moonlight and his body was not yet that of a strong and powerful being, with the muscles that spoke of both in abundance. Not yet anyway. “Awake now, for you are Judas no more!” Lucifer said with pride again coating his masterful words. Lucius opened his eyes at the command, taking one look at all that was happening. But it was strange, as despite all that faced him now, Lucifer was right, he should have woken up screaming. But instead, it was as if he knew. As if by the last words spoken and forced from his dying lips, he knew this was where his fate would lead him. Meaning that this right now was Judas merely accepting that fate. His bravery was utterly astounding. To the point it took my breath away, telling me that even before Lucifer made him into a God in his own right, Judas was both fearless and strong. I knew this when he looked around him, towards his nailed arms before commenting dryly, “A fitting punishment it would seem.” Lucius then looked down at the rest of himself and winced only slightly at the pain of moving when he tugged on the crude hellish nails embedded in his flesh, ones that held him prisoner to the cross. The weight should have torn straight through his flesh but there were multiple nails along his arms also. But the second he breathed new life once more, it was obvious that his heart too was back to pounding in his chest, for his nailed flesh had started to bleed. “Well, so far I am fucking impressed!” Lucifer said clapping his large hands in enjoyment. “No, my boy, this isn’t punishment, this is your reward, your gift of a new life I bestow on you unlike any other,” Lucifer told him making Lucius look wide-eyed and shocked. “A gift?” he questioned. “Yes, for I am the God of Hell and the one you chose over another with the last of your dying breath.” Lucius looked thoughtful for a moment, lowering his head as if everything started to make sense within him. Then, before Lucifer could question his actions, Lucius raised his head back up and displayed that deadly and knowing grin he was well known for. As his face said it all, for it was all Lucius and soon to be the demon I knew well. “Then it looks as though I made the right choice, my Lord God,” Lucius said making the Devil laugh, and as he did, he threw his horned head back and awarded me a slight sight of the smaller row of horns down either side of his forehead. “That you did, my Son. Now it is time to make you a God in your own right, for your own Kingdom awaits,” Lucifer told him, making his eyes widen in surprise again, as if he could barely believe this was happening to him. Lucifer motioned a hand forward and the cloaked figure, the one named Ba‘al Zəbû, stepped forward, telling me he was also a sizable being and one with hoofed feet and wings that were mainly covered by the cloak he wore. He carried with him a bowl of golden fire and at its core, the spear with the missing tip sat untouched by a single flame. Then Lucifer’s large, clawed hand reached in and grabbed it, making him hiss as it started to burn his skin, sizzling his flesh. Once in his hand, he laughed at the possible pain before he turned the blade on himself. I could barely see with only his back facing me, but it looked as though he was using it to cut into himself! After he was done, he roared in what could have been as much triumph as it could have been pleasure, which made everything seem to shudder and shake around him from the force of it. All but Lucius that was. No, because he didn’t even flinch! Lucifer dropped the bloody blade back into the bowl of golden flames, one still held by his servant, then he turned back to Lucius who merely asked, “Will this hurt?” Lucifer’s tone seemed intrigued and he answered, “Yes, it will hurt, enough that you will wish you would die to end the suffering.” I had thought this answer might have finally affected him enough to respond in some fearful way, but I was wrong. As Lucius merely nodded and then replied, “Good, that way I will know that I am actually alive.” Lucifer seemed impressed by his response and commented to himself, “Then I picked well.” After this he turned his own clawed hand in on himself and when it started to disappear, I combined the sight with the sounds of squelching. This told me the Devil had now dug his hand inside his own chest, the one he had used the spear to cut open, in order to try and reach his own beating heart. The thought alone made me want to vomit. Something I might have done had I been in my body and for all I knew, I was in the Temple currently retching. After this I gagged again as his heart came into view and I was barely able to make sense of it as he held it in front of him. It was still clearly beating, as black veins and arteries were still attached to the inside of his chest. The heart itself was huge and matched the size of the God of Hell it belonged to. It was dripping with a mixture of black and crimson lifeblood, one that seemed thicker than normal human blood. Then I watched as he proceeded to dig a clawed, curled talon deep within one of the heart’s chambers, gathering up his own blood straight from the beating source. This told me that what I was witnessing now wasn’t exactly something Lucifer would have done more than once. Which meant that Lucius had obviously passed the selection process. “Now it is time to be reborn, my Son, for with my blood you will be more powerful than all my creatures who walk the Earth…you will be a God and King upon where I must not go. Then one day, you will bring her to me…you will bring me my Queen!” Lucifer shouted before he roared a demonic growl as he dug deeper still, until he had enough blood gathered in his claws. Then he hammered his fist inside Lucius’ chest, cracking straight through his ribcage, meaning this was when he finally got, His screams. I closed my eyes unable to take in the sight of Lucius’ utter agony and torture in what was him being remade from once a man, now into everything Lucifer had claimed him to be. A God amongst men and a King amongst all Vampires. Because this was Lucius’ beginning. This was his… Resurrection.
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