Episode 12:“The Other Shadows”
1134 Words
[Opening – Pentagram City, 666 News Studio]
A familiar screen buzzes alive.
“BREAKING NEWS!” Katie Killjoy’s voice shrieks across the broadcast while Tom Trench winces in his chair.
Katie Killjoy (acidly):
“Pentagram City wakes up to more rumors of our very own caped freak prowling the streets. But sources are saying… he’s not alone anymore. Multiple sightings. Different figures. And let me be clear—this isn’t cosplay, folks. We’re talking monsters. Giants. Beasts. Knights out of Heaven’s bedtime stories.”
Clips roll:
A blurry cellphone video of a massive armored mammoth crushing a getaway car beneath his tusks, towering nearly 35 feet.
A flash of lightning revealing a wolf knight cloaked in thunder, blade glowing as he cuts through a gang of raiders.
A pair of avian shapes swooping down from rooftops — Hawk and Dove, their movements synchronized like battle hymns.
And then, the clearest footage of all: a mouse-shaped warrior, glowing eyes piercing the dark, raising a thunder-forged sword as runes flare across his golden armor. The screen captions him only as: “SWORDROW.”
Tom Trench (awkwardly):
“Uh… Katie, do we… do we even know what they want?”
Killjoy (snarling):
“They want attention, Tom! Or maybe it’s just another freak parade from Heaven. Either way, this is a problem.”
The clip cuts.
---
[Cutaway – I.M.P Headquarters, Morning]
Daniel sits on the couch, hood drawn low, sipping black coffee. His eyes sting — he hasn’t rested properly since his last crusade. Blitz paces the office, tossing a dart halfheartedly at a corkboard with some client’s name scribbled on it.
Blitz (grumbling):
“Okay so now apparently there’s a mammoth stomping around? And a glow-stick mouse with a sword? What’s next, huh? A crime-fighting platypus? This place doesn’t need more weirdos — we already got Loona.”
Loona (growling):
“f**k you, Blitz.”
Stolas, seated at the receptionist desk (his “cover” at I.M.P since his reinstatement), lowers the newspaper, his feathers tense.
Stolas (serious):
“They’re not ordinary anomalies. The sigils on that mouse warrior… they’re celestial. Ancient. He isn’t here by accident.”
Daniel’s grip tightens around the coffee mug. He doesn’t look up.
---
[Flashback – Daniel’s Mind]
The words echo. Celestial sigils. A chosen successor.
Images flash — his days as Heaven’s instrument, the chains of duty, the harsh judgment that left no room for rest. He sees Swordrow’s glowing eyes in his memory as if staring back at him, silently measuring.
If Daniel fell… another would rise.
---
[Scene – Pentagram City Rooftop, Night]
ARCH DARK CRUSADE kneels at the edge of a gargoyle, cape fluttering like torn banners. From below, sirens wail as imps scatter from a robbery gone wrong.
But he isn’t alone.
Across the rooftop, a shadow moves — a small figure clad in gold and white armor, torn cloak whipping in the hellwind. Swordrow.
Their eyes lock. No words. Just recognition.
Swordrow (finally, voice firm but low):
“You cast a long shadow, Daniel. Heaven feared you’d break beneath it. That’s why I exist.”
Daniel doesn’t flinch, though his jaw clenches.
Daniel (coldly):
“They sent a mouse to take my place?”
Swordrow:
“They sent a servant. One who won’t forget the law.”
Swordrow’s glowing blade hums with thunder. For a heartbeat, the rooftop feels like judgment day.
Daniel (after silence):
“I’m not your enemy.”
Swordrow (stoic):
“Not yet.”
A flash of lightning. When Daniel blinks, Swordrow is gone.
---
[Montage – Sightings of the Anomalies]
The Armored Mammoth Olympian stops a runaway infernal train by bracing it with sheer bulk, tusks sparking against the tracks. Citizens scream in awe as he vanishes into the smoke.
The Thunder Wolf Knight is spotted on the edge of the Wrath Ring, howls echoing as his sword glows like stormlight.
Hawk and Dove swoop into Lust Ring dens, pulling sinners out from trafficking cages, wings cutting through crimson neon.
Each sighting fuels rumors. Are these Heaven’s weapons? Are they a rebellion? Or are they… protectors?
---
[Scene – Hazbin Hotel Lounge]
Charlie paces with a notebook in hand, while Husk and Niffty argue about whether the anomalies are “heroes” or “control freaks.” Angel Dust sprawls across the couch, scrolling through footage of Swordrow on his phone.
Angel Dust (snorting):
“Pfft, look at this little guy. A mouse with a big ol’ sword. He’s like if Stuart Little went to boot camp.”
Charlie (serious, clutching her notes):
“No, don’t you see? This changes everything. If Heaven’s sending people like this… if they’re choosing to intervene… maybe—maybe they’re paving the way for Hell to be redeemed.”
Vaggie stiffens, crossing her arms.
Vaggie:
“Or they’re paving the way to remind us we’ll never be free. Don’t trust Heaven’s games, Charlie.”
The tension lingers.
---
[Scene – Overlords’ Council]
Back in Lilith’s chamber, the Overlords are livid.
Vox (slamming his screen-hand on the table):
“One freak was bad enough. Now there’s a team? What is this, Hell’s version of the Justice League?!”
Velvet (mocking):
“Ooooh, spooky. The Kitty Knight’s got friends. Someone call the pet store.”
Carmilla Carmine speaks low, eyes narrowed.
Carmilla:
“No. This is orchestration. Heaven wouldn’t risk so many pieces unless they had a design. And if these anomalies spread…”
Her claws tap the table like a ticking clock.
Carmilla:
“They could become a revolution.”
Alastor only laughs, delighted, his radio static dancing like jazz.
Alastor:
“Marvelous! The plot thickens, my dear friends. Hell hasn’t seen warriors like this in centuries. Oh, how delightful the bloodbath will be!”
---
[Climactic Rooftop Convergence]
Later that night, Daniel patrols when the air grows heavy. One by one, they emerge from the shadows:
The Mammoth Olympian, looming like a living wall.
The Thunder Wolf Knight, blade sparking.
Hawk and Dove, wings glinting in neon.
And at last, Swordrow, stepping forward, lightning rumbling in his wake.
They form a circle, surrounding him.
Swordrow (raising Judicator):
“You are not alone, Daniel. But know this — if you falter, if you betray what you swore to uphold… I will be the one to strike you down.”
The Mammoth stomps, shaking the roof. Hawk and Dove cross their arms in mirrored defiance. Thunder Wolf lowers his visor, growling.
Daniel’s hood shadows his face, eyes glowing faintly. He doesn’t attack. He doesn’t retreat.
Daniel (quiet, steel in his voice):
“Then let’s see if Hell has room for more shadows.”
The storm rages overhead, lightning splitting the skyline. For the first time, the ARCH DARK CRUSADE realizes — the war in the shadows is no longer his alone.
---
TO BE CONTINUED…
- Writer
