Astral Plane

The Duke and his winged companions made it to a stadium similar to the Coliseum, except for the shiny black marble floor it had instead of sand. The sky above them was peppered with stars and in the middle of the stadium's floor stood a throne. Two men around 6 feet high, wearing armors and with black wings, landed on each side of the Duke's men.

Each one was holding a sharp spear and had two swords, one big and another one short, hanging from their belts. They told them to go down the stairs until they reached the throne, where they forced them to kneel. The Duke was in front and the other three men positioned themselves behind the Duke unfazed.

Suddenly, a bright door appeared a few feet behind the throne, letting some kind of winged and uniform-less beings out. They crowded into the grades, talking to each other and watching the kneeling men. The stadium was big enough to hold at least five-hundred creatures. Once the creatures were seated, a pair of Exuxes flew in, each one gripping a trident and blowing a big golden horn; its sound booming out through the entire stadium.

The sound of a closing army at double march surprised the creatures seating in the grades and stopped the racket. Two lines of winged beings came out of the illuminated door, splitting and surrounding the walls of the stadium on both sides.

The Duke saw the Exuxes unfold their enormous red wings and take fly until they got lost in the sky. A man, barely taller than the Duke himself, approached the kneeling Duke and smiled widely.

"I see you finally managed to reach the one and great master."

"It took me nearly fifteen years to find out the true meaning of the Essene symbols, but they led me to you, my lord Satan."

Satan's upper lip lifted in a sneer. "This is the army you're planning to free our master with?"

The Duke straightened a little and peered nervously at him. "My lord, this is but a small part of my army. I trained these men myself, following your directives," he bowed.

"You're missing a hunter," Satan said. There was disapproval in his tone, and he started to circle them like a sergeant in front of his troops.

"He died on the way here, my lord," explained the Duke, his voice shaky.

"Your little army won't be enough to find one of the astral keys," declared Satan, taking a sip from his cup.

Abruptly, a voice like thunder resonated across the stadium, making their souls stand on end. "It will have to be!"

Someone started to appear sitting comfortably on the throne. One of his legs was hanging from the right armrest, his foot clad in a silver sandal with metallic ties that almost reached his knee. He was identical to Jesus of Nazareth, except for his straight black hair and shiny black skin with pores that resembled a rocky surface. He was dressed in a bright white armor with a white cape that fell to the floor, and his upper body leaned against the left armrest. On his right hand, he held a ball of energy, eating it like it was an apple. Every single creature in the stadium kneeled when this peculiar figure materialized.

The Duke saw the feet of the being stop in front of him. He was facing his master, a carbon-copy of the Son of God. This celestial and sinister being invited the Duke to walk with him.

The stadium disappeared and the Duke found himself on a golden path, suspended in outer space, walking next to his master, with Satan trailing behind them. The Duke looked down and could make out several spheres, of different colors, similar to planets. Luzbel stopped and turned to look at the Duke. His gold eyes send a shiver through the Duke's body.

"And the fourth hunter?" His voice was sweet and high. "He was annihilated, per your instructions, master."

"Who are you planning to replace him with?"

"With a pure-souled young man who I've already located, master." "And the rest of the Lemurian hunters?"

"Drafting souls around the world to form the first army that'll invade Triezguer, as you ordered," answered the Duke, his voice broken by emotion and overwhelmed before the strange beauty of his master.

"I have information that confirms that an Atlantean hunter met with the Lord of the Triezguer Paths."

"Master, where can I find him to eliminate him?"

Luzbel pulled out another energy sphere and ate it with obvious pleasure. "Somewhere in what you call South America."

"Very well, then, sir. I'll draft immediately our Lemurian hunter and I'll personally deal with the Atlantean hunter," declared the Duke bowing exaggeratedly before the bizarre figure.

Luzbel extended both his hands, turned his back to the Duke and the outer space disappeared. Under them was once again the cold, shiny black floor of the stadium. Quiet descended upon the creatures congregated there, as they all kneeled before Luzbel. The dark Jesus faced the Duke again.

"My dear subject, the first planet I wish to own is Triezguer. Once I've hold of this planet I'll be able to aim my troops to seize the rest of the planets in quarantine. And you, my dear human, you'll be the point of my spear. End the Atlantean hunter, capture the Carrier and get me the astral keys," the Duke, on his knees, nodded. "You'll be rewarded with eternal life and the title of Lord of Triezguer. Make sure you wield my medallion wisely," proclaimed Luzbel. He stared coldly at the Duke's medallion, hanging by a chain on the Duke's right shoulder.

"Yes, my lord!" the Duke's voice was choked with tears. He kissed Luzbel's feet, missing the disgusted grimace of his lord at his actions.

"Anything you need you can ask my second, Satan."

Luzbel walked to a sphere of light behind his throne. Fanfare reverberated around the Coliseum, and the two Exuxes reappeared, flanking the prince of darkness and flying at top speed towards the sphere. The grades emptied slowly, at the same rate that the sphere of light vanished. The three Duke's companions stood up, crying, and faced the Duke.

"The Prince of Darkness has returned to stay! The prophecies are coming to life!" exclaimed the Duke joyfully. "It's time to go back."

The winged men sat in the lotus position, one next to the other, and faded. The Duke thumped the floor twice with his black sickle and dematerialized, leaving a devious smile behind.