To The Moon And Back

A deal with the devil

“Who was that?” I asked Lily, my gaze still where my hologram self was.

‘Well, that was you, of course,’ Lily said from her cage. Something about her felt odd.

“That wasn't me,” I said with a scowl.

‘Who’s to say that it wasn't you? You're just a vessel, remember, you can do anything without even noticing it, which makes you the perfect killer.’Lily said with a very unsettling, gentle tone.

“That was you, wasn't it?” I noted more than asked.

‘A vessel can be easily controlled but I'm locked up. Remember I can't get out,’ she defended herself.

I didn't believe a word coming from her mouth, she knew something and was trying to hide it.

“You knew this happened didn't you?” I asked through gritted teeth.

‘Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Who's to say?’ She shrugged her shoulders casually.

“What do you want?” I asked with annoyance.

The only way to get the truth out of her was negotiation.

‘A day out of this awful cage and I'll tell you everything, even the reason why you were punished,’ she said with a smirk on her face.

The one thing I learned about Lily was never trust her, she was a wolf in sheep's clothing and manipulation was her playground.

“Keep dreaming,” I rolled my eyes as I began ascending.

Seeing what happened was all the closure I needed.

‘I’ll tell you how to get your powers back.’ she said desperately.

That got my attention.

“And how on earth do you know that?” I asked her as I slowly flew through the air towards town.

‘You should've guessed by now who I am,’ she said with a raised brow, as if I was an i***t if I didn't.

I honestly had no clue who she was, let alone why she looked like me.

“I know who you are,” I said confidently.

‘You're such a terrible liar,’ she rolled her eyes as she stood up and walked towards the bar.

‘Try harder, why do you think I look like you?’ She asked me with a stone-cold face.

“How am I supposed to know that? I just assumed you were planted in my head to torment me.” I said casually.

‘Oh please, if anyone is torturing anyone, it's you. Think harder, what's at my core?’ She said almost desperately, as if she really wanted me to know who she was.

With a heavy sigh, I stopped in my tracks and closed my eyes, focusing on her very being. She felt familiar as if I'd felt her before. At her core was a small lit blue flame that seemed to be dying out. I tried to reach out towards it but a shock stopped me as a shield surrounded it. I was oddly drawn towards the flame. Suddenly I felt empty and the flame felt drawn towards me and I towards it. My body craved it more than anything, as if it needed it to live and that's when it hit me.

“Oh bloody hell, you're the other half of my soul.” I said in annoyance.

‘Ding ding, she got it right’ Lily smirked.

“Why are you stuck in this cage then?” I asked her.

‘If you had your memories you would know,’ she taunted me.

“There must've been a good reason why they locked you in there. If the other half was left to roam free, then clearly it was no harm to anyone but you, on the other hand,”I said sceptically.

‘Yes, me on the other hand, is the devil incarnate.’ She smirked.

So the good part of my soul was trapped in a useless human and the other darker part stuck in my head. What a thrill. Note sarcasm.

“So you were too dangerous to be released into the world, so they stuck you in my own head. Not a very smart move when you could just bring my memories back.” I said with a scrunched up face.

‘Here's the fine print. I am unable to tell you anything from your past. I can only guide you to your memories for a price, of course.’ she smirked.

“How can you possibly be part of my soul?” I asked with a heavy sigh.

‘Everyone has a wicked side to their soul, you just happen to have one of the most wicked souls to ever exist.’ she said proudly.

“Lucky me,” I said sarcastically.

‘If it helps, this wicked soul of yours is crazy powerful. More so than the almighty Zeus himself,’ she said, with a glint in her eyes.

“Who’s that?” I asked blankly as I began flying through the clouds.

The wind felt so refreshing against my skin. I breathed in heavily, hoping to feel some kind of peace, but once again, I felt nothing.

‘You're a vessel you aren't supposed to feel anything,’ she said blankly, as if repeating herself.

“Then why do I feel like ripping you to shreds?” I growled.

‘Ever heard the saying 'with knowledge comes power’, you found both parts of your soul, not like I was hiding, but anyway, that freed some of your powers.’ she said blankly.

I considered what she said before I began descending as I reached my destination, the alleyway where I had that encounter with a few annoying humans.

“So what happened here?” I asked as I smelt the fading scent of blood all over the walls.

‘You sure you wanna know?’ Lila asked with a devious smirk that chilled my body to the core.

“Sure,” I said as my feet delicately touched the pavement.

‘You killed those two men. Well, killed is putting it lightly. You tore them to shreds, literally,’ she chuckled maniacally, as if proud of that statement.

How could this murderous half-soul belong to me?

I tried to bring the memory to mind but nothing came forth at that moment.

‘I’ll release those memories if we shake on our deal.’ she smirked.

If I ever let her out, I was sure it would be the end for any human in sight, which I didn't really care much for, but something told me not to do it.

“Keep dreaming,” I said as I began walking to the nearby park.

The sun had set and the stars were beginning to show themselves in the sky, street lights lit my way. Not many people could be seen in the park but those who still wondered were wasting time for whatever reason. I sat on a bench under a light pole as I thought about Lily and how she could bring back my memories and powers. Everything had a price, I came to realise, but her price was too high to be considered. If she got her way and my powers were returned, who's to say she won't trap the other part of my soul in her cage and wander the earth killing everyone off one by one.

As much as I hated humans, I did not desire their extinction.

While deep in thought, a stranger walked to my bench with a slight sway to his movements. I ignored them as they scanned me up and down with a lustful stare.

“Well, hello there little soldier,” the man said, his voice rough and smelling of liquor.

I didn't reply as I kept looking ahead deep in thought, I merely just acknowledged his presence. He walked towards me and sat down beside me, his hand itching towards my thigh. I wasn't quite sure what he desired and when I read his mind I wish I never had, his thoughts were lustful and crude in every sense of the word.

“What's your name?” I asked Lily.

“Duncan, what's yours darling?” The man beside me asked.

“I wasn't talking to you.” I said blankly as my gaze was fixed in front of me.

“Huh?” He asked with a hiccup.

I ignored him and asked Lily again.

‘Lily,’ she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“That's the name I gave you. What's your real name?” I asked with narrowed eyes.

“Who are you talking to?” Duncan asked. He seemed to be in his late thirties.

“None of your concern.” I told him harshly.

“What if I want it to be of my concern?” He asked with a smirk as he touched my thigh with his large hand and squeezed it gently.

My fixed eyes turned to his hand before they met his lustful stare. My small hand gently laid on his large one and I squeezed gently with what must've appeared like a gentle smile on my face. This made his guard dissolve as he smiled widely.

‘Score’ I heard in his mind.

It only took a few seconds for that smile to drop as he began to feel heat throughout his body.

“Wow, it's getting hot here,” he said as he fanned himself.

“I find this weather quite breezy,” I said in a gentle voice.

I squeezed his hand harder, snapping his bones as his blood began to boil instantly. He couldn't scream nor move as his mouth opened and closed,eyes bulging out of their sockets.

His body began to shrivel up as he burned from the inside out before he began to fade before me into ashes that were swept by the wind.

“Back to what I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, what's your name?” I asked her again.

She smirked as if she had won something.

‘Guess you are wicked even without your soul,’ she smirked proudly.

It took me a moment to realise what I had just done, yet I felt no remorse or any emotion. All I felt was that I wanted to do it again.

“If I let you out, you have to let out the other part of me,” I said, not sure why I was making a deal with the devil.

‘If you let me out you can have whatever you want, just remember a full day.’ She said as she extended her hand out through the bars awaiting my hand.

I knew I was going to regret this decision, but yet I wanted to have actual emotions even if they were murderous intent. I’m sure Lily must've had some other emotions than just cunning emotions and anger.

With a heavy sigh, I looked up at the sky and saw the full moon glistering, tempting me and just like that an idea popped into my mind. I began to ascend into the sky, my speed increasing before I was flying at the speed of a bullet into the sky. An intense chill wrapped around me the further up I went, but luckily, I created a shield around myself.

‘What are you doing?’ Lily asked through gritted teeth.

“If we’re going to shake up on this deal, we are doing it on my terms,” I said, as I finally left earth's atmosphere and entered the dark void that is space itself.

It was a sight for sore eyes as my eyes greedily took everything in sight, the most beautiful part being the earth itself. White clouds dotted the earth with the ocean being the most prominent feature as blue covered most of the earth, the second being greenish land that shaped the continents.

“Wow,” I gasped as I took the sight to memory, hoping I would never forget it.

‘Big whoop, you've seen billions of planets before,’ Lily said with a roll of her eyes.

At that moment, I would have traded the voices that drove me crazy for her existence.

‘Ouch that hurt,’ she clenched her chest before she smirked and stuck her tongue out at me.

I rolled my eyes before I turned to face the moon, which suddenly seemed so much further. With a heavy sigh I shot towards faster than the speed of light, a light feeling washed over me as I desired to go faster then.

‘Slow down, champ, we’re not trying to jump dimensions here,’ Lily said in irritation.

Jump dimension?

I didn't even know other dimensions existed, let alone that I had the ability to enter them. I landed on the moon with a heavy thud as my impact created a giant crate below me. Dust clouded my vision as I tried to scan my surroundings. It was deserted as far as the eye could see.

Perfect.

I looked up at the sky and seeing the earth look so massive was a sight for sore eyes. I stretched out my hands to the sky and created a shield around the moon, using every power I had within me.

‘Do you really think that can stop me?’ Lily asked comically.

“No, this is just a last resort,” I said as my hands fell to my side gently.

Her smile faded.

‘What's the first resort?’ She asked with creased brows.

“Like I would tell you that,” I said before breathing out heavily.

“Now do we have a deal or what?” I asked her.

‘That we do,’ she smirked sinisterly.

“Good, now wh-'' I didn't even finish my sentence as my right wrist began to burn.

A clock embedded in my flesh, the counter set on twenty-four hours and counting down.

23:59:59

It didn't hurt much per say, but it was rather a nuisance as its presence was illuminating. Before me a figure began appearing, an exact replica of myself except for the eyes that were pitch black from the sclera to the pupil. Her hand grasped mine in a strong handshake , her mere presence felt off. Goosebumps littered my body for some odd reason and I suddenly felt so cold.

“Deal,” her voice sounded exactly like mine, yet it drove fear into my empty vessel which I had no clue was possible.

“Deal,” my voice came out broken, which made her smirk.

She suddenly began to dissolve before me, her essence evaporated into my body. It felt like something hot was entering my body, burning anything in sight before it arrived at the centre of my chest. I touched my chest and felt the warmth radiating from the flame.

“Home sweet home,” I heard a sinister voice echo in my head before my vision blurred.

It went black for a moment before I found myself in a cage overlooking two giant mirrors portraying the moon. I was in Lily’s cage, no doubt about that.

“Enjoy being caged while I go have some fun.” Lily said as she clenched and unclenched her hands as if testing their strength.

‘Enjoy,’ I said with a gentle smile that taunted her.

“Wipe that stupid smile off your face,” she growled before she turned her attention to her mission.

Oh, this was going to be fun to watch.

All I had to do was sit back and watch her waste her time and energy. The best she was getting out of the situation was a well-needed stretch.Too bad she couldnt see through my trap, but if she were truly stronger than Zeus himself, then I was toast. I just hoped I could keep her trapped until the timer went off.