18

There's a surreal feeling when you enter such a holy place.

It was something I felt instantly as we stepped into St. Peter's. Walking into that huge church felt like stepping into another world, at least in a sense. The soft lights above us illuminated floors that reflected your image almost like a mirror, and the archways reached to the intricately carved ceilings. Towering statues lined the walls, their eyes giving the creepy feeling that they were following you, and balconies high above us looked down on all below.

One particular statue grabbed my attention as we came in. It looked to be the body of Christ being held by a woman that I took to be the Virgin Mary. There was this haunting quality to it that drew me like a moth to a flame. Yes, this was a part of existence that I'd never truly gotten to know before, and a world I'd felt locked out of until this moment.

But by far the most incredible sight here was the altar.

We stopped about ten feet from it, and I took in how large and beautiful it was. Even in the dim light, we could see intricate patterns of gold and red there, and the candles that remained unlit for now in front of the four pillared bronze altar. Red flowers were placed all around it, their blooms full even in the night. High above it, the amazing dome ceiling was illuminated with the soft moonlight from outside, casting surreal beams over all under it.

The entire sight of this only reinforced the feeling that this was it. This would be the place where our lives would truly begin, or where they'd forever end.

All of us were staring at everything in wonder. Well, almost all of us. Kinsley, Malakai and Micah appeared to be appreciating their return there, while Saffron and Jade were just taking it all in.

"Incredible. I've seen pictures and heard stories about this place, but I never imagined how big or beautiful it really is." Carlton was saying as he looked up at the dome ceiling.

"Not bad for human engineering, though I'd imagine that they had at least a little divine help here and there, whether they knew it or not." Jade commented as he looked at the Seraphs.

"That is so, but this is also one of the holiest places in the mortal realm. It is only fitting that it should be as it is for those who truly follow the righteous path." Kinsley responded.

"The righteous path you say? That seems to be quite lacking with the mortals, wouldn't you agree?" Saffron challenged.

"There is always hope, and many who come here truly want what is good. If the heart believes and asks sincerely for forgiveness, then they may receive it." Kinsley countered without hesitation.

"If the heart believes huh?" Will muttered, taking another step towards the altar.

It was easy to see that he was looking around carefully. I betted he was trying to sense if Elena was there, but I doubted it. I would've thought we'd all sense her just like with Elijah.

Chris stepped over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "She'll be here. Judiel has to bring her, and when he does you can finally take her back." he reminded him.

"I want to believe that." Will sighed, shaking his head, "I want to believe that she'll choose to come home with me when this is all over, but I can't stand here and say I know for sure. I didn't even get to see her for these first four years."

"No, there is no telling exactly what will occur, but I also cannot see her being against you for what was out of your control." Micah told him.

I agreed, "He's right, and she told Elijah that she wanted to be with you, so there's still a chance."

Elijah slowly pulled his hand away from mine, taking a few steps forward.

"Hey, where are you going?" I asked him.

"I just want to see. It's really pretty." Elijah answered.

"Be careful. We don't know what else could be coming here at any time." Chris warned him.

Elijah shook his head, looking at the altar, "I know, but this place feels safe. It's a bright place, even when it's dark."

Kinsley stepped over and knelt in front of him, "Yes, we all sense that too. But now is also the right time. You should bring out your wings as well, Little One." he softly instructed him.

Elijah agreed, looking relieved as he brought out the two sets of wings hidden within him. They emerged slowly from his back, ripped open the back of his shirt and shining many different colors in the moonlight. The ones for his ears just appeared, as they always did. None of us had ever understood exactly how he formed them. They weren't simply hidden within his head. Maybe they were a reflection of his soul coming out in an incredible sign.

A tremendous power filled the church as we did, lighting it in a golden hue which covered every inch of it. It immediately reminded me of when he'd been born.

"He's already extending power." Chris noted quietly.

"Do you think he's calling for Elena?" I whispered back.

"It's possible. They are supposed to have some kind of connection between their souls, and she is supposed to come here too." Chris nodded.

As the gold began to fade, we all became aware of a tremendous electricity starting to fill the church in its place. Kinsley quickly stood up straight, keeping Elijah behind him and facing the hall that we'd just used to get to the altar room. His expression had gone from serene to set, like he was ready for anything.

Not that we blamed him. This sense of what was coming towards us was incredibly powerful and dark.

The hallway steadily came darker and darker, then three figures finally emerged from it. All three were tall and intimidating, their forms standing out even with the darkness surrounding them. They stepped forward slowly, their footsteps not making a sound on the now immensely cold floor, which could be felt even through our shoes. My breath hitched as I could finally make out who the leader of this small group was.

Lucifer.

He was still dressed in black leather, and his six massive black wings were out. His violet eyes were cold as they scanned our group, now only fifteen feet from him. I realized that the figure standing to his left was also familiar. It was Lennox's father, Belial. He must not have been ready to give up this fight either, especially with the humiliating defeat he'd been dealt before.

The other demon that stood on Lucifer's right wasn't one that I'd seen before. He stood nearly as tall as his leader, with a frighteningly cold presence that almost rivaled the other two. His skin was pale and pasty looking, and wispy white hair fell around his narrow face. His red eyes reminded me of Astaroth's, though they had more of a glow to them. He was also dressed in long, dark robes that were similar to Belial's, and I noted that he had strangely elongated arms. They extended down to his incredibly slim and bony looking hands. Even his fingers were extremely long, his fingertips black claws.

Chris cautiously brought out his sword. As he did, Lucifer's gaze quickly settled on him.

"It seems that our presence is as unwelcome as we expected." he stated evenly. His cold voice echoed in the silence, sending chills through us.

"You are well aware of such a thing. Why would you and those with you dare to step on holy ground?!" Malakai demanded.

All of us had moved so that we were keeping between them and Elijah. There was no telling what these demons would do now, especially if they became provoked.

"Are you that concerned for the protection of this child? You have become weaker in your confinement to the mortal world." the white haired demon hissed.

"Do not mock us Baal. There is nothing within us that is weak, as you can well see and sense." Kinsley retorted.

Belial was watching me as they spoke. Saffron noticed this and stepped beside me.

"Well, it seems that you still have a score to settle with all of this. I'd imagine that you weren't too keen on me ruining your plans with my girl." he pointed out. That same cocky attitude that he'd always had was showing again.

Belial's eyes glowed red as he heard this, but Lucifer held up a fist to silence him before he could say or do anything, "We did not come for petty issues involving you or your other. We are here to finish what has been started."

Will flew up and landed between us and them, keeping a few feet away from Lucifer as he stood up straight and glared at him.

"You know I won't let you do this. I'll never let you harm them or this kid, and I sure as hell would never hand over mine." he warned him.

"You have become an incorrigible child in these last hundred years. Do not forget who allowed you life for centuries." Lucifer growled back.

"I told you a long time ago that those things mean nothing to me. You may have allowed me to live, but you've never allowed me freedom. But all of that is leading to your downfall now. I gathered the most powerful original Nephilim around me just like you ordered, but they'll never follow the path you wanted set. They're following mine. My daughter will be the same way. She'll never bow to the Fallen." Will responded.

Lucifer scowled angrily at him, "You would defy me even before this so-called atonement you've gained?"

"I'll repeat myself one more time; I choose salvation, not damnation. I will make sure that this happens and you are driven away, even if it kills me. I'd rather die than bow to the darkness ever again."

Will raised his hand, bringing out a golden whip that twirled around him as it appeared. Although he kept it down, it was easy to tell that he was ready for any attack now.

Baal looked unimpressed at this display, "It seems that the only one left has become an insubordinate. Perhaps restructuring is called for with these children and some of our own, yes?" he suggested.

"Is that your answer to all of this?" Jade scoffed, appearing beside Will. He had moved so fast that none of us had seen him. There was a set look in his eyes now, though his expression remained neutral, "You will destroy what is left here and of the others who remain hidden? It seems like a rather drastic measure, considering how much has been done to keep them among the living."

"Plans will change depending on the situation at hand, and this one is considered the most extreme. If these Nephilim will not remain under our control, then there is no need for any of them, especially not what has helped give new life to the holy. For that, the ones who attempt to change fate will be eliminated." Lucifer stated.

"Eliminated you say? Well, that is rather extreme, and what of the ones who would aid in this endeavor? Would you consider elimination as well for those that you consider traitors?" Jade continued.

All three demons became angry hearing his words, their expressions turning cold and hard. But only Lucifer spoke.

"You continue to mock me? Both of you are well aware of where you've stood in the last five hundred years."

"We are. However, we do not intend to be controlled either. The abyss may be your domain now, but it does not mean that all of the Fallen will bow to you, and personally, we're rather sick of it. We're going to do things our way." Saffron responded.

This fight had probably been coming for centuries, though Saffron and Jade made sure that they'd make the first move. In a flash, Saffron had struck Belial, sending him flying back; but Belial quickly caught himself, hitting one of the nearby arches with his feet and digging his claws into it to hold onto the side.

He wiped away the black blood dripping from his mouth, sneering at him, "You have finally recovered, have you?" he hissed.

"And that hit would be for our last encounter. I don't take well to perceived defeat either." Saffron replied curtly.

"Indeed not. Let the gauntlet be thrown then. If you want life, then drive us back and prevent us from taking the life of this child." Lucifer declared.

The darkness around them began coming to life with his words. The shadows twisted and turned, morphing into dark figures who shrieked in agony. The figures were of all sizes, and all seemed to be burning from the inside, the flames seeping through their charred flesh. They shuffled around the three demons and shrieked at us.

Jade gave them an indignant look, "Only these lowly creatures? Surely you can create better than this against the likes of Saffron and myself, not to mention any of those here."

"Would that be a challenge? Let us see first just how much can be handled." Lucifer responded, holding out a hand towards us.

These creatures were a lot faster than we'd originally thought. Well, I see we as in us Nephilim. Although we were able to defend ourselves against the ones who came after us, it was hard to land direct blows on them.

But we didn't have to worry about that too long either, because the Seraphs were making quick work of them along with Saffron and Jade. In seconds, those two had cut through a majority of the creatures, sending them writhing back into the ground. Once they were done, both landed between us and Lucifer.

"You're screwing around with us! Fight like you mean it!" Jade accused.

"Very well." Lucifer complied coldly.

He held out his hand and a large, dark sword appeared within it in a flash of black flames. Belial and Baal were forming their own weapons at the same time. Belial had a large scythe, and Baal had a long staff with a glowing black stone on top of it.

I was starting to get scared now. Fighting against their creatures was one thing. Fighting against high level Fallen like them was a complete other. This may end up being just as bad as fighting against the angels like Judiel, and he hadn't even shown up yet.

Kinsley grabbed Elijah, moving him behind all of us, "Keep a tight circle around the child. Make sure that they cannot get anywhere near him." he ordered.

We immediately heeded his order, moving to cover all sides to make sure that they stayed back.

Baal also had another trick up his sleeve. He held up his staff as a glow enveloped the stone on top of it. The floor in front of him churned black in a large circle, and a dark figure rose up from it. This one was much more terrifying then the previous ones. It was very tall and wrapped in barbed wire, with long straggly black hair. Yellow eyes stared at us over its wired open mouth. Its skin was pasty with dry open sores, and its fingertips ended in long, overgrown nails that came to sharp points. Though it looked like it had once been a man, it was now transformed into a monster.

The thing lurched forward, with more shapes forming around it as it moved, becoming more just like it. They let out hissing breaths as they moved menacingly from side to side, regarding us as prey. I counted at least thirty of them in the course of a minute. That wasn't good odds, especially when we were all trying to protect one child.

"So that's how you're gonna play this out. You're calling up your Barbs. You guys are as tasteless as ever." Will scoffed. He remained where he stood, swirling the whip over the floor around him and not the least bit intimidated.

Yuki stepped forward beside him, "You do realize that you all aren't the only ones who can call up monsters here." he announced.

Peyton joined him, "Or the ones who carry monster blood in their veins." he added.

Will huffed, now amused, "You two want to step in huh? Be my guest. Show them what you can do."

Belial had a wicked smile on his face as he took in this scene, "The two with sin will now try their hand in this battle. How very interesting." he remarked.

"Say what you will, but I believe that you'll find they can easily handle these monstrosities of your domains." Malakai informed him.

Yuki glanced back at him, "Sounds like I've got the go ahead."

"Yes," Malakai confirmed, "just be sure that you both maintain control."

Chris and I remained back with Kinsley, making sure that we were close to Elijah. We didn't want to take any chances here, especially with how Yuki had described his power before. It was obvious that he was about to unleash it. I just hoped he had as much control as he claimed.

Will didn't seem concerned at all about it, only taking a few steps back as Yuki closed his eyes and held out a hand in front of him, ignoring the monsters lurching towards him. A tremendous feeling of dread filled the room as he concentrated, and the floor in front of him began to crumble and float upwards in small pieces, revealing a swirling mass of darkness underneath.

Peyton laid a hand over Yuki's, both of them hovering over this void. He closed his eyes as he spoke.

"Combine the darkness that compliments the light within us, and release the monster it holds. Darkness is what may be used to defeat darkness. Arise, Larut!"

The darkness within this void swirled faster and faster as he spoke, and something massive began to rise out of it. Black spikes of electricity crackled around the tall figure, which seemed to keep rising higher and higher until it was nearly to where the balconies hung.

The darkness that was wrapped around it finally fell away, revealing what at first appeared to be a gigantic man. He was very tall and lean, dressed in a dark robe with the hood down to reveal a beautiful face and green eyes that were framed by white lashes that matched his long, flowing hair. His skin reminded me of a doll's.

But the most distinquishing feature of this creature that proved very clearly aside from his size that he was not a man was that his body ended in a long, serpent-like tail that coiled out from under that dark robe, resting on the floor beneath him.

Chris was shocked as he took in this sight, "You're kidding me. They've made their own Lamia, and a male one at that?" he managed.

"Not make. Capture." Zane corrected him, "This Lamia is the one who fathered Peyton."

I wasn't expecting that one, nor could I believe it now that I was seeing him for myself. This was the thing that had raped Kira and fathered Peyton? It was a massively powerful creature. I could definitely sense that much. We must've been underestimating Yuki and Peyton for them to have enslaved it like they had.

The Lamia remained where he'd been called up, regarding the creatures near them with what looked like quiet contemplation. The Barbs loomed there, though they now seemed wary of him.

Elijah moved behind me, hugging my waist tightly, "Mama..." he whispered.

"It's on our side. It won't hurt you." I promised.

Yes, I did feel kind of unsure about that, but I wasn't letting him know that. I just hoped Yuki and Peyton really could control this thing, and that Malakai could stop it if he needed to.

"I see that they did manage to wrangle in Larut's soul to Yuki's power. That's impressive." Micah commented to Malakai.

"Yes, very much so, but let us see now how well a male Lamia will fair against true demonic energies when he has been combined with Nightmare." Malakai responded.

Lucifer and the others remained where they were, their expressions unchanged. The Lamia shifted a little, his gaze shifting to Yuki as if awaiting orders.

Yuki nodded at him, "Get rid of those creatures." he ordered.

The Lamia moved so fast that we barely had time to see it. He swept around the Barbs, wrapping ten of them in fine looking black threads. The creatures screeched as they were pulled together, and the threads continued weaving around them. Within seconds, they were wrapped in a tight black cocoon that was the size of the Lamia.

This sight sent the other twenty or so Barbs on the attack. Chris immediately stood in front of me and Elijah as one tried to jump at us, and he rammed the sword through its neck, taking off its head.

Kinsley was also making sure with him that nothing got close to us, and I could see the others nearby stopping and killing the creatures that were after them. It surprised me a little to see how quickly and effectively Kira was in fighting back. As with the Shadow Wings, I'd heard the others say that females in the clans were supposed to be weaker fighters than the males. It looked like me and her were proving that theory wrong.

But now the demons were moving too. I quickly brought up my spear as a black sword came down towards me and Elijah, clanging hard against it. Before Lucifer could make another strike at us, Will flew over and pushed him back, aiming for his throat with his own sword.

But Lucifer proved too quick, knocking him away. Will still held strong against him.

"I told you before that your fight is with me! You won't aim for Elijah until you defeat me for good!" he reminded him.

Chris jumped back from where he'd been pulled aside against one of the Barbs, "You okay?!" he asked me.

"We're fine, but we're getting outnumbered here!" I answered as I looked around us.

It seemed like things were starting to emerge from everywhere now. Baal was calling them with that staff of his. I could see the stone glowing brightly as he changed in a deep, dark sounding language.

The walls had turned dark, and we could see all kinds of horrible figures crawling out of that darkness as he chanted. Like those Barbs, they were misshapen people with frightening, torturous looking devices wrapped around them.

"Damn it, is he opening portals to Hell now?!" Carlton complained as he stood back to back with Carroll.

"Only certain areas. This is calling up some of the worst souls that were sent to his and Belial's realms. They're no longer even human, so don't hesitate on destroying them." Micah told us.

Peyton had backed up against Yuki as the things began surrounding us, "Yuki, we might want to rethink some of this." he said, a slight tremble in his voice.

"It's all good. I told you that I won't let anything happen to you or anyone else. Isn't that right, Larut?" Yuki responded, looking up at the Lamia beside them.

"Of course, Master." Larut responded, a smile now on his doll-like face as he held up his hand that had black threads wrapped around his fingers. He pulled them tightly and the cocoon in front of him unwound, leaving a massive pool of dark blood on the floor where it had been.

Saffron chuckled, the black tattoo crawling up his cheek and his blue eyes glowing, "Now this is more like it. What do you say to letting off some steam the old-fashioned way Jade?" he suggested.

Jade returned his smile as a similar tattoo appeared on him and his eyes turned cat-like, "It sounds like what we've been waiting for."

Maybe carnage should've been a given when it comes to these fights, though I did my best to shield Elijah from seeing too much when I could. I still had to fight to ensure that things stayed away from us, even with the others around us trying to hold them back. There were still a few times when one of the creatures managed to get close to us, and each time, I was pushing them back with my spear and destroying them.

Elijah remained close behind me, his hands up by his winged ears. I wished he didn't have to see any of this or be this afraid. He was only a child, even if his soul really wasn't.

But just as I pulled my spear out of the last one near us, I became aware of a powerful presence descending on the room. I moved quickly to hold onto Elijah as a bright golden light enveloped the dome over us.

Then the only sound I could hear was the deafening roar of a fiery blast coming down towards us.