6 EMERGENCE IV

THE FIRST TEST

Logan wakes up back in his empty house, he cannot move his body except for his eyes. His vision darted around the room and without any doubt he knows this is his house, the fear of the unknown quickly made its presence known through his own eyes playing tricks on him. Logan feels light-headed because of the trip earlier and he seems to not remember anything, even his name. His body starts to move on its own and walks around his room, this whole moment feels familiar as he is doing the exact same thing he did on his first day of school. Somehow the things he did just came back washing through him. He walked around his room organizing his things, his conscious mind cannot control his body. It added more to the fear that he has since the beginning of this experience. He tries to force to scream, move around just to wake up or take control of his own body; but it was futile. In a blink of an eye he appears to be behind him.

*Why can't I move?* He asked himself as he stares directly into his own eyes, he expected a reply from himself but all he did was walk through him.

"LOGAN, sweetie its time for breakfast"

*Mother?* His attention darted downwards from the voice of his mother.

"Yes, I'm coming mother.... see you later" He made eye contact with himself, and he is aware that he sees himself. His body moves and his consciousness is left behind, floating. His body moves towards the door and it seems stopped there. It does not seem to move at all, even its' breathing cannot be seen; he is just still. His head turns around suddenly and reveals a face with no emotion, just blank. His eyes are as if they are in deep thought, he moves up to it and he possesses his own body. He can feel his body slowly falling down, but he managed to catch himself by holding on the door's jamb. His vision blurred once more and so did the ringing of his ears return. He bit on to his lip and grabbed the door frame as hard as he can trying to stand still.

Everything turned dark, he looks through the window across the hallway and it is dark out there, not even the streetlights, the stars nor the moon dared to shine. The light itself was hiding, when earlier they were shining. He stayed down there somewhat in pain and waited as a figure starts to come up on the flights of stairs. The fear of the unknown grew larger and he can only hold on for what is about to happen. He tried to scream once more but he cannot, like before his body starts to move normally, doing the same exact things he did a 10 months before. He then followed his body behind, but this time there seems to be something following him that he cannot get rid off.

*What is happening?* He worriedly asked himself, and again expecting a reply.

He starts to tear up as he sees his parents and his little sister once again, and the figure that is up the stairs stood there, a dark shroud just stood there, unnoticed. The day went exactly as he expected it, his family are lunch and headed to school, all of it happened as this dark and tall shroud stayed behind his house. He sees their cars go on their separate ways, and then he looked at the shroud as it permeates deep into the ground. 9 months passed by he continuously saw him and his family doing the same thing they did when they were alive, and the shroud just kept getting bigger and bigger. The shroud has reached its peaked height and it stayed like that for the next 1 month or minutes for him.

He looked outside his home and sees the shroud materializing into a person, he can see the voluptuous curves of woman take on shape. Her hair roped down to the ground and wrapped around her body forming into its skin. Suddenly he hears a loud shriek in the distance and a loud slashing, the sounds were 'familiar' for Logan but he cannot quite remember it from anywhere. The giantess looked over to it and wakes Logan's body up, by thirsting him, she breathed into the room making it warm. He looks down on his person as he can feel sweat on his back, and before he knew it his consciousness has came back into his body, but instead of doing what he did before he jumped out of his room, he stayed.

Not believing what he is experiencing he did not feel any pain as his legs landed on their lawn. The giantess approaches and the same fear that he felt trembled his legs. He cannot move and he starts loathing himself. He starts to question where all this thoughts came from and why does he have this.

"Weakling"

"How dare you seek revenge but you cannot even wound that creature"

"Coward"

"You cannot do anything but whimper"

"Give up"

"Your death will be the result of your own foolishness"

His emotions run up to his head and it starts to chip away on his mind, he can feel the hands of the voices grab ahold of his head and pulling it as the giantess approach. He feels himself pinned down on the ground and he can feel everything, but the grasps of his own emotions.

"Come on, just die"

*If you cannot fight the evil within you, you will die*

"Things are easier said than done"

*Who was that?*

"Just stay and be destroyed"

*Shrieking?*

"Look, she is reaching for you"

*What do you wish in this life, what answers do you seek?*

*Was my family, killed or at least died in a peaceful manner?*

*They did not, 2 men came in, the other devoured their HEARTS AND THE OTHER DRANK THEIR BLOOD DRY. OF COURSE THEY DID NOT DIE IN A PEACEFUL WAY, BUT IN A WAY WHERE THEIR SOULS AER FOREVER TRAPPED IN HELL*

*SHUT UP*

*YOU SAW THEIR BODIES, THEY WERE TREATED LIKE AN ANIMAL*

*SHUT IT*

*THEY WERE SUCKED DRY OF THEIR LIVES AS THEY SUFFERED*

*PLEASE, SHUT UP*

*AND WHERE WERE YOU?*

*Me?*

*Yes*

*I was--*

*The reason why they are dead*

The voices around him starts to mock and laugh at him, everything starts mocking him. Even the neighbors that were asleep woke up just to mock him, and mock him they did. They repeated every word he said, they kept pushing him around, even the giantess were laughing at him.

"Weak"

"I know"

"Cowardly"

"....."

"Pathetic, will you allow all of this weaklings pick on you"

"I am weak"

"Those who mock the weak are weaker"

"Or they are too strong that they have to mock me"

"It depends on how you see it, will you allow this weaklings to shut you up"

"I am weak"

"You are strong"

"How am I strong"

"Anger is the emotion of the weak, because they will use the strength that they have made in order to step on those weaker than them, and sadness is strong, because it shows who you truly are, a brother, a son, a friend. If you are to be swallowed by your anger then everything will not matter to you, you cannot listen, you won't listen you will be in denial of everything... but sadness it allows you to emphasize with everyone even those who are enraged, and you can change so much"

"I don't get it"

"....."

"It is easier to be angry than to be sad, its easier to fight than to apologize. You decide"

"I feel pity for all of you"

"What is he saying?"

"What did you say?"

"Pity for us?'

"Its for you"

"You cannot stop loathing yourselves, I am you idiots. I'm sorry that I made you feel this way. I'll try to find peace for out mother, father, and sister even if it means my death, not revenge"

His faces on the different heads starts to dissipate into fog. He looks up to the giantess. He then realized he was holding himself down, his own hands on the back of his head.

"And for creatures like you"

He clenched his fists and green flame starts to emerge.

"I will stop you from hurting good people, even if it means I have to kill you"

"Really, can you kill me?"

"This raw power, such a beautiful sight, where are you boy?"

"Albert, one of them tapped in"

"Ava, Harry enter his consciousness now!"

Ava and Harry who passed their tests easily has already woken up and hour earlier. It was 'easier' for them to pass the test.

They each grab a hold of Logan's hand and attempted to enter Logan's psyche. Logan wakes up before they can enter his mind.

"Hey, you guys, the sun is up?"

"Right, well how did it go for you?"

"I don't know, but"

He clenched his fist and slowly opened it, and green flame lit up, the other 2 also did the same and different colored flames came up. Azure blue for Harry like Lachlan and Carmine red for Ava, they showed it off to the Reaper and the 2 of them were, for the most part 'excited', sort of.

"Is this it?"

"Indeed"

As the 3 kids showed of their Imperium flames, something caught Albert's eye but he did not bring it up. It made him warry of all 3 of them, anything could have happened there.

"The Calling is now over"

"Now, it is time for you to enter the new world"

Albert swept his hand and grabbed each of their Imperium flames and creates a portal. He slammed his hand down on the ground and the floor starts to burn apart, they looked down and all they can see is just clouds. Harry stuck his head in the hole and a strong gust of wind came blowing through. The gust was strong enough to push Harry into the air.

"Ow"

"That works, right?"

"Just jump right through, it will be fine"

"Come on Harry"

"In you kids go"

"What about you guys?"

"Wherever you are going, we aren't allowed in"

"Why?"

"Death does not allow us to do so, we will be punished, even though we are beings that really is 'unaffected' by all things. I guess creatures like us still are afraid of something"

"You don't look afraid?"

"Mr. Albert... What if there are Altereds here?"

"There are, but the school shall ensure your safety, and prepare for your the 4 remaining tests... All of the Altereds there will not last long, you don't have to worry too much"

"No I meant, like out here on earth, there are 2 demons right, and other creatures?"

"Out here, yes, and there are 10 Archangels roaming about the earth ensuring that those demons are to be dealt with, and Reapers such us Lachlan here will fight, and Grim Reapers such as myself ensure that the souls are properly judged, and are safe on walking to the Purgatory. Good luck"

"Now go, all 3 of you... take care" Harry walked up to Lachlan and extended his hand, offering it for a handshake. "You look familiar" Harry said with a stern face, Lachlan nodded and accepted the handshake. Albert pulled the portal towards them and the kids are transported to a new place.

"Logan" Albert said but with a more serious face than ever. Something made him feel 'afraid'.

"Yeah, I felt that too"

"That malevolent feeling, but at the same time peaceful... What happened in there, that was a familiar aura as well"

"Yes, familiar"

"Who was that"

Logan closes his eyes as he falls through the clouds and remember small bits of what happened in his mind that he cannot recollect completely.

"Can you actually kill me?"

"A demon?"

A demon stands before Logan, its horns coming off his temple and extending to the back and pointing up. Logan was completely dwarfed by the being and it slowly shrinks down to his height. Logan is not afraid as he stands before a being that can kill him if it wans to. The demon noticed and smelled nothing from Logan even the smallest hint of fear. The demon became curious and jumped on him, he grabbed his throat. His nails sunk into his neck and he can feel it grab his trachea completely, he cannot speak.

"Accept my gift" He said with that sinister voice, fear came crashing back into Logan. His bravado was quickly swept away and cowered deep into the back of his head. The demon raise Logan to the air and he floats there, using his blood he created a sword that came out from his wrist. Logan's blood was absorbed by the demon. He grabbed hit and stabbed his heart directly, he pulled it out as he screamed in agony; a fate worst than death. Blood flew everywhere as the demon does what he wants to do, he grabbed into his chest and pulled out his purple heart, beating quickly as Logan's blood is sucked by it.

"Consume it"

His face looked 'hopeful' for a split second, but Logan cannot focus on him. He forced the heart down into Logan's throat and he struggles, the green flames emerged and 'accepted' the heart. Searing pain started from his chest then around his body, his blood starts to evaporate into the air. The 2 fell and Logan started to cough out what was forced down to him, but nothing came out. The blood starts to hiss and boil out but it did not hurt this time. He forces himself to vomit out anything at all but it was all useless, his efforts and struggle. The demon starts to disintegrate down to the ground. The gray sky starts to see rays of sun break through it, the sun shined through the demon and to Logan.

"Thank you" He said softly, with a pitiful voice. Then Logan wakes up, the demon was outside basking in the sun, outside of the pub. He stares through the window as parts of him fall down to the ground.

"Why did you do that Mephistopheles?" A being with multiple voices asks him.

"I.... do not want.... to be under Lu-" He pitifully replied. The being raised his feet and stomped on Mephistopheles' face crushing it. As the sun basks his body everything starts to disappear. A disgusting scent filled the air but the being was unbothered. Albert starts to pick up the smell as the kid went trough the portal and came out of the pub.

"Blood"

"The demon's?" Lachlan said. He raised his gun, raising his guard up.

"Not just a demon, it was Mephistopheles', tch... this year will be hell"

"That old man, why was he here?"

"Logan... His Imperium must have been strong, he's the 132nd to be approached by him, maybe kids like him has already awakened something so horrible... it made him curious"

"Or desperate, he's dead"

"No, there's no eclipse, he cowered once more. The 2 worlds shall collide and fight with one another, this the beginning, the convergence shall happen where both worlds eat the other" Death spoke softly as he appears from behind them, seemingly out of the shadows.

"Death"

"I sensed the impending doom approaches, alert the 14 Archangels"

He whispered those 10 words to a crow that landed on his forearm, the crow's eyes starts to turn white and it flies up into the air. It spins around and sheds its feathers and turns into a peregrine falcon, it flew right through the air as fast as it can and it will arrive at the hands of one of the Archangels. The fear was also passed down to the crow that even struggled to eject up into the air.

"I see his blood has been shed"

"Yes"

"Once more I tell you, If you can contact Logan ask him what he saw of Mephistopheles, during and before their encounter"

"Why?"

"Even demons can turn on each other, and devour the other's hearts.. and this demon, has managed to come in contact with one of our own, no one knows what will happen"

"Do you think he'll posses Logan?"

"I do not know, only the lower demons can do so, but for a full Archdemon to posses a body or a soul, they could be dead... He is hiding within Logan"

"Logan seemed normal to us, nothing was up?"

"Yes, he was more or less Okay..."

"You have no sword?" Death noticed Lachlan holding his gun.

"It was destroyed to ashes"

"I suppose I must create a blade for you"

"Can you?"

"I can create a scythe out of thin air young one, so a sword is not a problem"

He grabs one of the crow's feather and imbued it with his blood. The feather starts to increase in length and width into a claymore that best fits Lachlan. The etches of the blade has resembles that of a crow's feather, the handle is crimson red with a much more slender design. Death throws the claymore to Lachlan and he imbued it with his own Imperium whilst he has it, the blue flame lined the etches and to the edges.

"Thank you"

"I shall go, good luck in defending the overworld"

The Reapers nodded and Death created a door in front of him. He walked through it with a face reflection his emotion of anger and fear.