Lillith is Also a God

"Mara?" Hina's tone came across as worrisome as if she wanted to ask if everything was okay, only to get no answer. She didn't like Mara had suddenly gone quiet.

 Kaddyr could feel the pressure in the room thicken. It was almost like the sheer will to break all those before her into servitude. Usually, only Minor Ones could generate such force. His eyes scanned the room as those around Rammel's daughter began to submit before her strength. Their knees were weakening, heads pushed down. It was as though she was commanding them to prostrate themselves before her. Yet, she had not uttered a word. No, he was sure, only Minor Ones had this power.

 The air shifted.

 Kaddyr could smell death, decay, and rot. Yog could not have chosen a worse time to appear. He thought to himself.

 The pressure increased further, driving everyone except Kaddyr into the ground. The wood began to crack under the weight. He could see the suffering in their eyes. Finally, a surge of black dust began to encircle Mara, moving faster by the second.

 "Yog! You are unwanted here." Kaddyr commanded. But, the dust did not dissipate. "Wait a second, don't tell me…"

 A great pulse burst forth from Mara, spreading the dust everywhere and revealing her transformation. Kaddyr could sense unadulterated rage and disdain coming from her. The one that stood before him, he had not seen for many millennia. Long Markhor horns rested upon the top of her head like a laurel. A golden crown upon her brow crafted from thorns. A mouth full of fangs and eyes of red with hatred. Raven's black wings extended from her back. Golden spikes and black scales made their way down her body, across her arms, and below her waist where she had stopped being anything close to human. It crept across her face, too, like ivy. Her wardrobe was that of midnight scales covering her most intimate areas and leaving all else without imagination. A lamia's tail was all that remained of her lower body, covered in scales and spikes.

 "Don't look so surprised to see me, Kaddyr." Came the voice. Even that was not the same. It was deeper, sinister, alluring. Almost as if it dared to seduce him. "I know it's been ten thousand years; but, I am sure you've missed me." A sneer edged its way across her face.

 "Lillith." Kaddyr wanted to spit.

 "You sound so dejected." Her contemptuous smirk grew wider. "Come, let me retrain you, you poor pup." She waved her right hand into the air, flicking her fingers downward as she did. "Fetch, boy." She began to laugh, slowly, deliberately, and sinisterly full of a devil's mirth. The kind found in schadenfreude and death.

 Kaddyr flexed his will. It was the only way he knew to break the hold she had over the room. He commanded those before him, "Gaian, take a contingency and either find a way to stop whatever is incoming or evacuate the city." Then, to the others, "Abryi, Thoren, Harvey, Hina, you four with me."

 Lillith flexed her hands as if grasping something in the air.

 Kaddyr could see stray bits of red light merge into the palms of her fists. She had done something he wished she hadn't. His powers would not be able to return those, however.

 As the Gaian and the others rushed from the room, Abryi and his small group surrounded Lillith. She was not bothered by what they were doing in the slightest. Not one of them could harm her. And, she knew it.

 "Harvey, you know what to do." Kaddyr instructed.

 Harvey nodded. He put two fingers to the air as he brought his left hand to his face. He nodded a second time.

 Without warning, the scenery shifted.

 No longer were they in Eh'zanko. Before them stood the Red City, Ashe'gard. The seat of the Amalyan Empire. The city got its name from the red wash paint that covered all the walls of the enormous singular building that made up the entirety of the city, much like the Walled City of Kowloon. Its architectural style was that of the Maru-Gurjara and bore an entrance designed more in the Gupta Nagara style, only to be encased in a ten-story outer wall in the Kalinga style.

 Right now, they were standing in the bailey that made up the space between the wall and the entrance to the city. Kaddyr knew their arrival would not go unnoticed. Abryi's uncle Ghaz had instilled a sense of vigilance in his men.

 "So nice of you to give me a new stage, Kaddyr." Lillith remarked, with a sassy smirk. "You even brought me more toys to play with."

 Kaddyr and the others glanced around. The Imperial Guard surrounded them, weapons at the ready. Abryi already had Malda drawn and blazing. Thoren's fists were also engulfed in black flames. Hina made sure to train all six of her laser cannons at Lillith. Harvey had a collapsible bo staff poised and aimed at her. 

 "I am going to have to subjugate you now." Kaddyr said very matter-of-factly.

 Abryi, Thoren, and the guards rushed Lillith, blades ready to strike. Hina opened fire. Harvey teleported above Lillith, hands over his head, with his staff aimed to strike a blow. Lillith flicked her right hand, just as all the attacks connected. In a flash, before Kaddyr could even blink, all of Lillith's oppressors were thrown back, skidding across the ground.

 "Subjugate me?" Lillith let out a hearty laugh. "You don't even know what you're talking about." Lillith clenched a fist. Thoren came flying into her clutches easily. She caught him by the throat. "With these weaklings, you can do nothing." She tossed Thoren like a piece of rotting garbage, sending him through the outer wall of Ashe'gard and into Lake Pane'pet, lighting the surface of the lake on fire.

 Hina had not stopped firing her weapon. Since she wasn't particularly close to Lillith, she hadn't been thrown back. But, Lillith was unfazed by the lasers. The beams didn't even seem to do any damage at all.

 Kaddyr took a deep breath. His fur rippled as his muscles flexed beneath. He let out a furious roar and charged her. He struck out against her and even when she put up her hands to block his attack, she still was pushed across the ground a few feet. Kaddyr kept on attacking, with the same results. He knew having her on the defensive meant that she couldn't attack, but he wouldn't be able to subjugate her on his own.

 Eventually, Lillith had enough. She flexed her arms, unfolding them, and pushing Kaddyr back using her power. She put more force into it than when she dealt with the mortals. She directed it at him, causing him to be lifted off his feet and thrown onto the steps of the entranceway. "Pathetic."

 "Soul Asgard!" Harvey began to shift, growing taller and more muscular. Even his staff grew to compensate for his size.

 "Fire Giant!" Abryi returned to his feet. His body encased itself in black flames until he looked like a burning effigy. Immediately, his body began to grow in size and as he did, the flames shifted to a white color, until all that remained was a giant whose eyes and fists burned white. Malda lay somewhere behind him, discarded.

 Kaddyr arose from the steps and raced towards Lillith. He threw a punch in her direction as he came close to her. It connected as both Abryi and Harvey's attacks did.

 Lillith flicked her hand again, tossing her opponents back. Harvey landed on his back. Abryi only skidded backward and instantly began his onslaught of punches, only for Lillith to erect a barrier. This did not stop the fervor of his punches. He continued to hound the barrier relentlessly.

 Kaddyr took the chance to use the barrier to his advantage. With each swing he put as much power as he could muster, attempting to break her defense and using her as pinball in the bailey. Each hit into the wall made a dent, leaving cracks behind. He wanted to make it so that as soon as it broke, he could wrestle her to the ground and find a way to subdue that persona. The entire universe counted on it.

 Hina's attacks still did no damage to Lillith.

 Lillith flicked her hand once more. Abryi went flying into the wall, lying slumped, breathing heavily. Kaddyr's attention went to him and then to Harvey, who lay there motionless, but for some labored breaths. The rest of the guards were groaning. Only Hina and he were standing. It only took a fraction of a second for him to realize that diverting his attention from Lillith was the worst thing he could have done.

 Lillith's barrier dropped. As Kaddyr reached out to grapple her, he could feel something sharp pierce his chest. Lillith's fingers were buried up to her palm. Once more he found himself against the steps of the entrance to the city.

 Hina finally stopped attacking.

 Lillith slowly slithered towards the injured wolf god. As she slithered forward, her movements was deliberate and with each one, her smile grew, until she reached halfway. It edged further and further across her face until it suddenly didn't and then it was gone, replaced by disdain.

 The air grew thick. Kaddyr could feel a presence behind him. He glanced up from where he lay, as best as he could. A tall man with long brown hair the color of bark, chiseled features, and a strong jaw stood at the entrance. A scar ran across the length of his face, beginning at the center of his forehead, running the length of his nose, and down across his left cheek. He was flanked by a squad of Imperial Guards.

 Like Lillith, the man made his way to Kaddyr, slowly and deliberately. He flicked his left hand. The flames on Lake Pane'pet extinguished themselves. As he turned the same hand, Thoren's body came floating through the hole in the wall. He continued to take each stair one at a time, slowly as Kaddyr, Hina, and Lillith looked on. Lillith seemed to be shaking. Kaddyr wasn't sure if it was fear or rage.

 "You should have known that angering her would have caused this, Kaddyr. Unmitigated destruction." The man said calmly, as he finally made it next to Kaddyr. "But, for to have me choose when you know my appearance alone could have prevented all this. You are a fool."

 "And, you should have never sealed her in your daughter, Rammel." Kaddyr spat. He could taste blood.

 "I did it to make her useful. To have her repent her actions. For her to be controlled."

 "She cannot be controlled." Kaddyr said.

 Lillith glared at Rammel.

 "You should know, your power is nowhere close to mine, Lillith." Rammel responded. He took a look around at all the destruction. "You roped the descendants of Hered into this?" Then, his gaze befell Harvey, "And, Ban'iel's only son? Have you no mercy for the Fractions, Kaddyr?"

 "My mercy was to try to seal her once more. To which, I cannot do alone." Kaddyr could feel his breathing become more labored. "You might as well absorb me, Rammel. My time is almost up."

 Rammel flexed his right hand at Lillith. A pressure wave made its way to her so fast that she didn't have time to counter it. Rammel did what Kaddyr could not. He forced Lillith into unconsciousness. Instantly, her body returned to Mara's original form. "As you wish, Kaddyr. But, you shall become the catalyst for her control."

 Kaddyr's body turned into a bright light. When the light dimmed, a red orb was all that spun, floating in Rammel's hand. He walked over to his daughter's unconscious body and the orb began to glow once more, blindingly bright. Once the light was gone, so was the orb. And, then so was Rammel and Mara.

 Hina called out to the guards. "Hurry, they need medical attention."

 "Yes, your majesty, Queen Consort."