Chapter Fifteen: A Sweet Blackberry Pie

Catherine,

Whether Mortise was a lunatic or massively confident in his ability, nothing was more surreal, than watching him approach one of the princes of hell while fixing his metal knuckle tightly on his fist.

Asmodeus looked at his own body, with rage twisting his already demonic features then immediately looked back up at Mortise. "What have you done to me!?". Pausing, while staring at Mortise coming towards him. "What? you are not going to run away? You fucking piece of filth! you dare to approach me!?".

"How else am I going to beat the "hell" out of you?", Mortise replied. Asmodeus pulled his head back, as fire filled inside the Asmodeus's mouth and he released it on top of Mortise. The fire engulfed him instantly, and he disappeared into it without hesitation.

I brought my arm, seeing the fire come at me, but it didn't reach me. As Mortise came out from the other side, just to ram his metal knuckle-bearing fist into Asmodeus's abdomen. The fire choked up into his throat, as the force caused him to hunch down. "You can't burn me, idiot!", Mortise commented.

Mortise followed by stepping to the side, letting Asmodeus's heads come down to his level. Before launching himself right at the bull's head, burying his metal knuckle straight into its jaw, causing it to break and cave in.

The force again blasted Asmodeus onto the ground on his side, catching himself with his arms, with his bull head leaking black viscous blood. "Hope this doesn't count as animal abuse", Mortise said cleaning his knuckles off his coat.

Asmodeus caught the black viscous blood in his hand, unable to comprehend the damage. For a slight second, Asmodeus showed an expression that I didn't know a demon could make. In confusion, Mortise cause a prince of hell to feel confusion mixed with fear.

"Confused?", Mortise asked and Asmodeus looked at him with his remaining two faces. "This is what I heard you looked like, a goat, a bull, and an ugly schmuck in the middle with wings and tail... I don't know, I wasn't paying much attention in that class. But the instructor was hot, so I stuck around". While Mortise said all that, Asmodeus stared at him with a strong look of disbelief.

"Essentially, what I am trying to say is that. I gave you a more material form and you are going to get hurt and you are going to die. And when you die, you are not going back to hell, buddy", Mortise explained with a look of sadistic pleasure letting his face up, his smile widening with him looking down at Asmodeus.

Asmodeus's eyes widen in realization and he snarled, swinging his claws at Mortise. Without any effort, Mortise dodged both of Asmodeus's arms, creating distance between them. "It's all useless!", he roared. "All you can do is keep invadable at bay!".

"Others are in this very world and will pave the way for his arrival!?", barking this, Asmodeus's wings opened up behind him. He let out a powerful roar, the sound reverberated through the air. Blowing away the charred human remains and rubble off the ground. With a powerful flap, Asmodeus kicked his body off the ground creating a dust storm, while Mortise sighed and pulled out his heavy-duty revolver.

As Asmodeus turned around to fly as far away from Mortise, blackened ash started to pour into the revolver's clip and he aimed it at his wings. Pulling the trigger, a black bullet shot out of the novel, followed by a trail of blackened ash, entering the right side of his back.

Then a second later exploded into a bomb made up of blackened ash and ate away a large chuck out of the side of his body including the wing. Causing him to come down and plummet straight into the earth.

I looked at Asmodeus than at Mortise and he looked back at me and smiled. "Look at that, the goatsucker thinks he can get away", he said that a large amount of blackened ash burst out from underneath Mortise. Quickly engulfing him and lifting him along with it.

Not wanting to miss this conclusion, I lifted myself enduring my pain, stumbling back onto my feet. I slowly made my way, as hastily as I possibly could. Following the blackened ash cluster moving through the air in front of me, towards Asmodeus now rolling on his back in ash and its black blood.

Asmodeus turned around to see the cluster fall on him with a thud, revealing Mortise taking a knee and coming closer to his face. Asmodeus shaken tries too quickly to grab him and throw him off himself. But the blackened ash spread upward and came down in form of nails, clamping Asmodeus's limb into the ground, restraining his arms and legs.

Mortise's smile grew into a devilish grin. "I think you should know, that I know where the rest of you all are". He raised his fist in the air, "And you all are nothing more than, pieces of a sweet blackberry pie", Mortise said, bringing it down.

The next few minutes were followed by Mortise plumbing down onto Asmodeus's face. Nothing made Mortise resemble a human any longer, as he kept on bashing his fist deeper, with a smile growing wider. The black fluid rained everywhere, mixing into the air with blackened ash, covering him and the ground around him.

One insistence ripped off the upper half of the goat's face. Which went unnoticed with the mess of what seemed similar to a human's face, now looking like a pile of manure. Mortise continued the flow by grabbing both sides of his jaw and ripping them part, ear to ear.

He jerked his head back and took a deep breath. "Adiuro malum, Nam vas sum; Ego enim sum vas omne malum eorum". Asmodeus's chest swelled in size and Mortise jolted his head forward. Bringing his mouth close to Asmodeus's torn open maw. Burning black soul flowed out of Asmodeus's mouth and started to retrieve inside Mortise's.

My eyes grew wider and my mouth was left hanging. He was eating Asmodeus's soul, soon leaving behind a deflating and decaying corpse of a monstrous giant. His hands released Asmodeus's head and it slummed on the ground. This followed an immediate burst of blackened ash, out of Mortise's back. Spreading wide and loosely taking the form of a pair of wings, each covering a distance of a mile.

I just stood there, taking in a view of something I had the context to make sense of. All I knew was that he was there by the authority of Saint Edward, the one who was most trusted in the Grand Chruch. Which gave me some sort of insurance for my safety in his presence.

Mortise straighten his back, looking up at the sky. His newfound blackened ash wings calmed down and started to shrink back into his person. As he stood back up, he slowly turned his head towards me, my eyes meeting his completely obsidian black eyes.

Quickly, the obsidian black parted setting his eyes back to normal self. While Black stains covered his face and clothes, turning his white shirt into a mess of gray. A smile crept on his face, but before I could address anything, a cold hand gently traced my face from behind and a voice whispered close to my ear.

"Is alright now, you can rest my darling", a soft voice spoke, surely of women. I watched the smile vanishing from Mortise's face, as a feeling of calm washed over me, and fell into sleep.

Mortise,

I was left stunned at her beauty, with a sense of dread washing over me. Screams took over and drowned the sound of wind kicking up a charred cloud between us. A pale exotic figure hiding neatly underneath a moss-colored coat. Her black dress pants tightly wrapped around her waist and a fitted dark green button-up shirt clenched over her bust. A face that could ruin a man's perception with long black curls flowing to one side.

She was a delight to my eyes, my perfect dream plaything. Meanwhile, my mind was in mental anguish, yelling at me to stay away. The moment she laid Catherine down on the ground and looked up at me. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, while my heart raced. Becoming more confused, about whether I was rock hard or afraid for my life.

She smiled at me, "Oh darling if keep staring at me like that, my clothes might just peel off", catching me staring deeply at her. Her voice had a seductive tone, which stimulated my senses. Folding her arms over her stomach, she pushed out her chest towards me.

Sweat dripped from my forehead and I felt my mouth closed for the longest time. "Who are you?", I finally choked out and she gave me another smile. "My name is Raymon, I am an associate of the Saint", she replied. "Okay, what do you want?", I said quickly and she tilted her hand a bit and gnawed on her lips while locking eyes with me.

She raised her hand towards me and motioned me to come closer to her. I felt fading tingle going down my back while I felt my mind going numb and my body starting to move on its own accord, stepping off the quickly rotting demon's corpse.

As I walked through the smell of nightshade and sulfur. Her other hand traced over her beast, towards the top two buttons, undoing them. While she maintained eye contact with me, confidently exposing her black laced braw and cleavage for only my eyes to see. I was willfully unprepared for this scenario while enjoying it to its fullest.

Stepping to the side of Catherine on the ground, Raymon grabbed my shirt and pulled me in. Catching my arm, which moved to grab her by the waist, causing me to freeze up. I stared down at her, with her looking back at me sternly. "Don't...Touch me", she said in a hushed tone.

My arms moved away from her and loosely came to my side. "You are never going to get to taste me", She said with a smile overcoming her face. "Are you daring me?", I asked.

Smiling, she brought her hand up to her breast while holding me still with the other. With a playful look, pushed her hand inside her cleavage, while keeping her eyes locked in with mine. Pulling out a rolled-up piece of paper.

Holding it in her hand, she moved closer to me, carefully, so as not to touch. She moved her mouth up to my ear, "I have a message for you from the Saint, that I was asked to deliver to you", She said pushing the rolled-up piece of paper into my coat pocket. Pulling away slightly, she again looked me in the eyes, "You did great work today, I think you deserve a reward".

Her hand traced up to my collar and tugged onto one end. Lifting her head to my neck, I turned my head the other way, giving her room to lay her lips on my skin. Instantly burning sensation priced through my mind and my hand jolted towards her hair to push her away. Only stopped inches away, due to her command fresh in my head.

Instead, I tightly grip my knuckles and savored the pain mixed with pleasure. After a few seconds later she pulled herself back, leaving behind a rotten hole in my neck. She quickly stumbled back, as I realized the rot that was not healing.

"What did you?", I asked and she smiled. "Just a little reminder, you still haven't fully forgotten your humanity and that might become the reason for your death", she explains and I turn my eyes down to my pocket. Pulling out the message, quickly straightened it out. The message reads, "Take a break".

Suddenly a car screeched past me, coming to stop. The rider started swearing at me, while I pulled my mind together and found myself standing on the streets of some state. People walking around casually and staring at me weirdly and a local bar in front of me.

I sighed and toss the note over my shoulder, "Yeah, whatever". I said ignoring the traffic that I had caused and entering the bar for leisure time.

???,

"What followed was a war, fought by a man, a lover, a father, and a knight. Bearly clinging onto his humanity. What proceeded from this war was countless mythology coming into existence, but the conclusion was nothing more than great. Not for the human risking his soul, but for the creation moving forward. Even using his most trusted companion against him", I said watching the vessel of Corruption disappear and the Vessel of decay picking up the vessel of purity and disappearing in the ash cloud as well.

"Is still wasn't that simple, You see. All creation is equal, but humans are exempt from this law. A blank canvas or a vassal you may. Their "Humanity" and their "Will" are terrifyingly powerful, so in fact, that the rest of the entities ignored the consequence of manipulating one while bestowing him their power. Just for it all to come back to haunt them", I said standing up and walking around towards Edward.

"But then, again...", I said grabbing him by his arm and pulling him off his chair. "Just where do you come in all of this. A desperate soul who they filled with self-hate, making him shun his memories and becoming a perfect vessel for their will. That's all you were and that's all you are, a puppet", I said making stand him stand up.

Another scene stretched over this one, and we both came to see his former self. Standing in over a star, beside Reality and Genesis, with a blank look on his.