War of Existence : - The Beginning of Saga

Blessings of a Demon

She had no idea when she had blacked out because when Luna opened her eyes, she was no longer on the roof of the building she had fought Azazel on, but somewhere down in an alley. Groggily she sat up; her previous attack had affected her body too much. Luna might again have to hear scolding from Lucifer regarding her reckless behaviour so she groaned in annoyance. The Phoenix looked around and saw her friends were surrounding her.

“She’s up!” cried Zoya upon noticing that Luna had gained consciousness.

Rose, despite her condition, came over her and spoke with genuine concern, “I was really worried about you. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Luna smiled brightly at this and gave her a big hug. The masked girl was surprised at first but returned the hug as well. Gabriel was there as well leaning on the wall with his arms crossed gave her a friendly nod as well, which Luna returned with a bright smile.

“So what did I miss?” asked a familiar and welcome voice. Everyone turned towards the owner of the voice who was none other than Lucifer himself.

“Luci!” cried Luna, immediately trying to run towards him, but her body protested because of her Maya fatigue taking toll, she fell face first on the ground. Causing the blond to frown in concern and immediately rushed towards her. Still it didn’t stop the bubbly girl from crawling her way towards Lucifer.

The Fallen put his Sorrow Breaker down and hurriedly came over her and helped her up, only for Luna to cling to him like her life depended on it. She hugged Lucifer tightly and sobbed, “You’re okay.” Over and over again.

The old man (Even if he didn’t look old), couldn’t help but smile softly at this. He wrapped his arms around her as well. Seeing him beaten in front of Victor must’ve made a very hard impact on Luna and he knew she needed this. She needed the reassurance that he was here and he would never leave her. Luna smiled at this, feeling right at home within her Luci’s arms.

It truly amazed everyone. The bond the Angel and the Brutum shared was unlike anything they had ever seen or heard of. No words were exchanged between the two, for they didn’t need to. The two knew what exactly they wanted to convey. It was just beyond the understanding of others yet beautiful and heart warming as well.

After several minutes, Lucifer finally noticed the presence of others as well. He greeted Rose and Zoya with a nod, to which the Demon nodded back while Zoya awkwardly waved her hand. But things got a little tense when Lucifer saw Gabriel. The Fallen was about to reach for his sword but Luna intervened immediately, “No its okay! Gabe is with us now. He even saved my life!”

Lucifer was genuinely surprised by this and looked at Gabriel with a raised brow, “Boy, You really need to straight out your priorities.” Gabriel’s response was a scoff.

“So………What now?” asked Rose, making everyone to pause. Finally Lucifer spoke, “I’ve taken out their leader so the Angels will not be a problem………….for now. So we should keep moving.” Suggested Lucifer.

“But where do we go?” questioned back the demoness.

Luna was quick to answer, “Why not go where Zoya was taking us in the first place?”

Every immortal turned towards their sole mortal companion, who fidgeted timidly at being the centre of attraction.

“Seems like that’s our only viable option.” Agreed Lucifer tying his sword on his back. Coming over to Rose, he helped her up. Still not quite recovered, the demoness had to lean on the blond but could at least walk with his support. But since Luna was in a more serious condition, Lucifer had to carry her. Fortunately the red head could still turn into her much smaller Phoenix form. So here she was wrapped around his neck like a warm feathery muffler, making his job much easier.

“Lead the way, Child.”  Lucifer told Zoya, who complied. But he did turn back and faced Gabriel, who was still brooding, “You coming, Boy?” questioned Lucifer.

The young angel was surprised at first; he had expected that they would leave him. But then again he was practically a renegade now. His acts were basically treason and he would likely be executed if he was ever to return, even if he is son of an Archangel. So Gabriel had no choice but to follow the group of Misfits*.

They followed the Mortal child out of the city and now they were walking through a forest yet again.

Lucifer gave a last glance at the city of Vorkania, which now laid smoking with one third of the city in ruins……. All because of them. The fallen gave a sympatric look. How much effort the mortals had put to build their home, only to be destroyed in cross fire of a battle they had no idea of. He didn’t even want to think about how many lives were lost during the onslaught.

He shook his head and turned back towards the path Zoya was taking them. The night was falling gradually. Soon the forest started to thin out, till the point tree just stopped coming. Only frozen grounds were what surrounding them.

Siraya was a harsh and cold world, with mostly frozen tundra and colossal glaciers comprising most of its landscape. Forest though not so rare was not a common sight as well. So that was the reason why they now traversed the frozen plains.

The four moons shined brightly in the night sky, along with the solar winds creating mesmerizing auroras in the sky making it even more beautiful. Finally they reached their supposed destination. At the base of a steep hill was a metal door which was shut tight. Zoya jogged towards it and starting picking the lock door with her hair pin.

“What’s this place, Child?” asked Lucifer.

“A Wilderness Relief Bunker*, Military.” She replied. Earning confused looked from her Immortal comrades. So she explained, “Sirayan wilderness isn’t exactly an ideal place for us Vorkens to venture. And when Military personals gets stranded out here when their Air ships gets downed because of blizzards or other inconveniences, these bunkers acts as a temporary safe houses. We should be able to get most of the things we need here. The Army restocks this place every month. It’s locked tight so that the goods are not scavenged by bandits and all but luckily, I know how to open this thing.” She explained proudly.

“So we are basically stealing.” Deadpanned Gabriel.

“No, we are just borrowing.” Replied the girl, still picking the lock.

Rose frowned at this and asked, “If the airships are so risky, Why not make those rail line across cities; they are fast enough aren’t they?”

Zoya giggled at this, “Trust me Ma’am, they tried. You see, the tracks gets covered in ice overnight, even the one’s in the cities and they have to remove it every day or accidents happen. Too Many people have lost their lives. Inside a city it’s manageable, but in the outside? The Higher ups don’t have enough money or man power to clean miles long rail tracks every day……. And it’s much safer to rely on the Galleons. Besides it’s mostly the soldiers moving around the cities with all the fighting that’s been going on……….. Now let’s get in before the upcoming blizzard hits us.”

Lucifer was a bit confused at what blizzard the child was talking about as the sky was still clear. But that changed in almost a blink of an eye as snow started falling from the sky. Zoya was right it seemed.

Blizzards and snow storms were a daily occurrence in the cold planet, till the point that the Vorkens had a sort like a sixth sense to predict an upcoming blizzard like most of the world’s inhabitants.

The gentle snow fall was starting to visibly pick up pace as the wind started to grow violent by each passing seconds. Soon they heard a loud ‘click’ and Zoya cried, “Got it!”

She opened the foot thick metal door with great effort and called, “Come on now, let’s get in!”

The rest followed without a question. Zoya closed the blast door and they all were enveloped by darkness.

“This way.” ushered the mortal child, walking along the narrow path way, leading deeper into the bunker. They reached a bigger room but were unable to see what the room exactly looked like as it was very dark.

“Now, let’s just hope that the heater still works…” mumbled Zoya before disappearing ahead. Several sounds were heard for a while with Zoya constantly rambling things like, “Stupid piece of junk.” Or, “Just work darn it!” Clearly she was having trouble at whatever she was doing. But her hard work finally paid off. A low rumble was heard before a gas heater suddenly lit ablaze, illuminating the bunker with its dim light. Zoya was behind the heater, coughing like crazy with her face black with smoke, “At least the heater is working.” She reassured herself.

Lucifer could now get a clearer picture of the room they were in. Since the heater was at the middle of the room, it dimly lighted the entire area. The room was long, with several bunk beds on either side and he could even see some doors on the other side of the room which probably lead somewhere.

Zoya wiped her face and spoke, “Okay, you guys make yourself comfortable. I’ll see if there is something left to eat.” And with that she went off.

Wordlessly, Gabriel stood in the corner, minding his own business. Lucifer on the other had worked around a bit. Settling Rose and Luna down for a while, he took out the mattress from the bunk beds and laid it on the ground besides the heater.

Carefully lifting the now asleep Luna, who could no longer hold her Phoenix form, Lucifer laid her on the mattress besides the heater and covered her with a blanket. Rose sat down on the mattress as well. The Fallen was kind enough to pass her another blanket, which she was glad for.

 Feeling very cold, the warmth of the heater soothed Rose’s body. But one thing was clear, they need some clothes. Her tight body suit was not exactly doing anything to protect her from the cold. So was Lucifer’s case. With his jacket destroyed, he was left with only his damaged shirt and waist coat, so he looked around. If what Zoya’s information was true then this relief bunker should have some spare clothes somewhere. Soon his eyes fell on some lockers not far away.

Zoya had salvaged the storage room for some food and got her hands on some military rations like dried biscuits, canned meat and beans. (Apparently Siraya had its own version of beans) Grabbing a couple of them, she made her way back to the main room. When she reached there, the first thing she noticed was the setting her unlikely companions had made, which was actually a pretty good idea. She also noticed that Lucifer was trying to pry open the lockers.

“Boss, those things are locked...” Zoya told, until Lucifer used a bit too much force and now the Locker’s door was off its hinges and in his hand. The blond disregarded the door and searched the locker thoroughly.

Zoya shuddered at this, still not used to their super natural powers. So instead, she placed the canned food on top of the heater to allow its heat to warm up the food inside it.

In his search, Lucifer did find some clothes. The locker had various sizes of Black hooded jackets made of quite durable and insulating material, yet still felt fairly soft in its interior. He put one on and was quite impressed how the cold was gone in an instant. Vorkens did know very well how to stay warm in such a cold world. Picking the smallest sized jacket he could find and Lucifer come over to the heater.

Rose was just starring at the fire burning inside the heater, pondering on what happened in the past few days. It had been a very wild and bumpy ride and something told her it would only get worst. She stared at her hands. Back at the city, during the fight with Azazel, the power she had unleashed was something she had never felt before. It surprised her for she herself didn’t know what it was. Not that she wasn’t grateful; in fact if it wasn’t for that power, they would have suffered great loss. But she was still curious about it.

“You might wanna put this on Ms. Rose.” Spoke Lucifer who handed her a hooded jacket. The masked girl gladly took it. She wore the jacket but it clearly wasn’t meant for her. Even though of the smallest size, the jacket was still big on her small framed body. It was loose fitting and reached till her upper thigh. Still it was better than being almost naked.

Lucifer sat down besides sleeping Luna, who unconsciously used his lap as a pillow, which he didn’t mind and breathed out a long sigh of relief. Finally some well deserved rest he needed. His fight with Victor nearly cost him his life. Had it not been for Luna, who somehow threw the Sorrow Breaker his way, he would’ve been skewered, literally. The wounds inflicted on him by Victor, even if mostly healed were still stinging a bit but he knew he would survive it easily.

He then checked on all of his companions. Luna was asleep, no serious injuries, just a case of Maya-fatigue. Rest would make her good as new but he was still worried. Zoya was luckily unharmed during the event so he it was less worries on his part. Mortals are fragile and most needed a long time to recover so if Zoya was to be with them for a while, they had to be extra careful. Gabriel was brooding in the corner and that was fine. The boy just left everything he ever knew and it was only natural that he distained himself in solitude so Lucifer gave the lad some time to straighten out his thoughts, he seemed uninjured so Lucifer didn’t have to worry too much.

Finally he looked upon Rose, the main victim they were trying to rescue. She was the second most concern (as his first concern was still Luna) as she was probably the one who got the worst from the Angels. And seeing the distressed look on her face, Lucifer asked with a good level of concern, “Something bothering you Ms. Rose.”

His question brought the masked woman out of her trench. She rubbed her face and told him about their fight with Azazel, making sure not to leave any detail. Rose flinched when she distinctly saw the huge amount of anger in Lucifer’s eyes when he found out what Azazel did to them, especially Luna, even if his face was stoic. After hearing her story, the fallen answered truthfully, “The power you described sounds much like ‘The Great Blessing*’.”

Rose had never heard of such a thing before and asked what it was.

It was understandable that a demon wouldn’t have much knowledge about various arts used by the Angels, so he explained. “It’s one of the secrete arts which may seem and feel like Healing Maya but It is far denser and concentrate and aside from simple healing, it can amplify the powers of the subject who is affected by the Maya.. Even the Angel clerics* who specializes in this arts require a great deal of training to master it. Your very talented to have been able to cast the Blessing Ms. Rose…….Tell me Boy, does the Celestial army still use the Great blessing?” asked Lucifer to Gabriel.

“I had heard of this art and how it was used in the first war...But a lot of the archives were destroyed in the war, and those who remembered it are no longer alive. So it’s a lost art now.” The young angel spoke truthfully.       

Although Lucifer didn’t show it, but he was actually glad that the Great Blessing was forgotten. The council had forced the Clerics to use the art in the war even if they wished not to. Having to fight Immortals was hard but fighting against Blessing enhanced Immortals was even worst.

Their explanation confused her even more, “But …How can this be possible? I’m a Demon. How can I cast a Blessing?”

The Older immortal answered her question with a question, “Tell Ms. Rose. What happened back at the fight?”

Rose was a bit taken back, “What do you mean? I already told you what happened.”

 “I know….I just want to know what happened with ‘You’.” Lucifer said more specifically.

The Demon was a bit confused but she slowly understood what he meant. Taking a deep breath, Rose spoke softly, “He was hurting them.”

She looked at Luna sadly (the action didn’t go unnoticed by Lucifer), “He was hurting my friend….. And I could do nothing.” Rose looked down, tears almost threatening to fall, “I just wanted them safe.”

A small smile graced Lucifer’s face at this, ‘You have a way with people, don’t you Kid.’ He thought, patting Luna’s head softly.

“I understand.” He spoke.

“You do?” asked Rose with a surprise yet hopeful voice.

“It was because of your will.”

This pulled attention of everyone, even Gabriel was listening intently at Lucifer.

He cleared his throat and explained, “We all think that we are so different from each other, which is true in many aspects….But no matter how much we deny it, there is one thing that binds us all….” He pointed his chest, or more specifically his heart, “Will.”

He paused for a while to let the information sink in before continuing. “You see will is a peculiar thing. It is drive that can makes us do many things. Good things- bad things. Wonderful things………. Terrible things.” He muttered while starring at his bare hands. Shaking his head he spoke further.

“It can drive you to strive higher than ever or……can crush your very being into oblivion. Will is a very powerful thing. It was because of your will to protect, you did a miracle, a Demon casted a blessing.” Lucifer chuckled inwardly at the irony of the entire sentence. Rose had always been one of the most unique and extraordinary thing he had seen till date. Her class was a Shadow Blade. An assassin. Yet her hands were more keen on saving lives then taking them. It made her so different and unique.

‘She has potential.’

Now with the new information they just got, the immortals sat in silence, pondering on what Lucifer just said.

Soon the canned food on top of the heater seemed to be ready. Zoya gave each a little tap. They were pretty hot so she quickly withdrew her hand while comically crying, “Hot-hot-hot!” She had to use the closest thing she found, a blanket to cover her hand and pick the cans off the heater.

Allowing the can to cool a bit till it was holdable; she opened the lid of the can and dug in the now warm beans. Lucifer got a can of meat himself and slowly stirred Luna up. He would rather have her rest but Luna needed to eat in order to keep her strength up.

The red head cooed in protest but the smell of warm food brightened her mood. Lucifer helped her sit up and handed her the can, which she took happily.

“I know it’s really un-orthodox but you guys should eat as well.” spoke Lucifer. Giving a can of beans to both Rose and Gabriel. The demon seemed unsure but the young angel was downright disgusted.

Lucifer bit into his own dry biscuits and spoke, “It’s weird and all but apparently mortal food can help you recover some amount of energy.”

Rose was out of Maya and if eating mortal food could help her, she decided to give it a try. Pulling down her mask, showing her pretty face, she took a spoon full of the first food she would eat in her life…..and surprisingly, it wasn’t so bad. In fact she even liked it. The immortal could feel how her body was breaking down every atoms of the organic matter to make pure energy which rejuvenated her without leaving a single residue.

Too bad Gabriel refused to eat claiming how it was lowly for an Immortal to rely on outer sources for Maya.

Zoya, who was on the other side of the heater, had finished her meal and finally spoke, “So Boss, I believe you owe me an explanation.” The young mortal said to the Ancient Immortal.

Lucifer, now with his full attention on the child asked, “Indeed. Tell me what you want to know.’

Rose, who had finished her own meal and had pulled her mask back on, frowned at Lucifer’s offer and voiced her concern, “Lord Lucifer, you sure it’s a good idea?”

The Blond shrugged, “What harm would it be? It’s not like anyone will believe her anyways.”

Making Zoya glare the Fallen, “Right……So, Who or What exactly are you guys? Where do you come from? And what the heck was all that about?”

Expecting such a huge volley of questions, he rubbed his temple and replied, “It’s……..a long story.”

“Plenty of time Boss.” Smirked Zoya sitting cross legged on the mattress.

The Late General nodded and started his story…………………………………