13

When it comes to the unseen world, I can honestly say that the worst creatures within it are what can be called true demons. They are the ones who fell from grace and will never wish to be purified. Sin is their nature and evil defines their existence.

But sometimes, certain ones can also arise from many. Legion is such a case.

While Legion has always been well known among mankind, I never imagined what the real monster was like. Many as one certainly made sense. Its claim to Jesus was very true. This demon was many encased into one massive, mist-like being, and unlucky for us, it now had its sights on taking our souls too.

I moved back with Elijah as the massive creature lurched forward; its form clinging to the walls like shadows. But as soon as it started to move, the others were fighting to keep it back. It wasn't doing them much good though. As Chris and Will sliced through some of it, the pieces dissolved and easily regenerated.

Jumping away with their wings out, they narrowly avoided the long side limbs of the mass as it crashed them through the walls in mighty swings, leaving gaping holes. I quickly looked around and noticed that I was now close to the front door. It was my only means of escape from this cramped house, so I yanked it open with my free hand.

The others followed me out, and Legion drifted to the front steps directly behind us, disintegrating them as it moved over them. Chris flew in front of it as it did, using a strong gust from his wings to knock it back into the side of the house.

Jade and Saffron flew over Legion as it tried to lift itself, working together with their shadows to bind it. We could hear screams and cackles from it as it struggled to free itself.

"How the hell do we kill this thing?" Chris yelled as he joined us and Will.

"There is no killing it! Like Jade said, it can only be sent back to Hell!" Saffron reminded him.

"We can't do that now! It's already worn us down so that we can't call up that much power!" Will shot back.

I held Elijah tightly as Legion continued to struggle against the dark net of shadows that held it. It was obvious that Jade and Saffron couldn't hold him much longer. They were already struggling. But what could we do? Will was right. This thing was too strong for us to send away as we were. All we could do was trying to get away from it until we had extra help.

A loud ripping sound filled the air. Legion was now ripping through the shadows. It let out a screeching roar, sending out a powerful surge of wind that hit Jade and Saffron hard. Both of them were thrown to the ground, landing hard and leaving indents in the dirt where they hit.

Chris and Will jumped into action, trying to stop it from advancing again. Will changed his sword into a whip, lassoing Legion around the top half that kept changing forms. It screeched again as he pulled it taunt.

Chris took the opportunity to thrust his sword into the monster right under where the whip was wrapped around it. Many shrieks of pain came from it as he cut down the form, and black blood poured out of it. Bloodied limbs reached through the gaping hole, vainly grasping at the air.

Chris flew back as Will continued holding the whip tight, "We can't keep this up. That's a huge wound, but it's nowhere near enough." Will breathed.

"Come on dammit! There has to be a way to send this thing back!" Chris responded angrily.

Legion began expanding at a fast speed now. Tentacle layers flew up all around it, grabbing onto anything that was close. Two of them grabbed Chris and Will by the legs, throwing them down.

"Chris!" I yelled.

I wanted to do something, anything, to help them, but I wasn't going to let Elijah go. If I did, then Legion may take him.

Saffron and Jade were pulling themselves up now, and Saffron appeared in front of me, bringing up a wall of flames so that Legion couldn't grab us.

"Saffron..." I managed, watching him breathing hard. It was obvious that he was hurt badly from Legion's attack.

"I won't let this happen! We've worked too hard for this to end it!" Saffron breathed.

Jade was blocking in front of Chris and Will, who were working hard to pull themselves off the ground. I looked around us, praying for something to stop all of this. We were all going to die if we couldn't get rid of this thing. I was sure of it. Legion would kill us and take our souls.

I stiffened as my arm was suddenly grabbed. Elijah stared at me as I looked at him.

"Make it leave." he whispered.

I felt a strong white hot power envelope me, and looking at the others, I realized that it was doing the same to them. All of us had the same glow around us that Elijah had right before Legion attacked us.

The wall of flames in front of us slowly died down into the earth, revealing the creature that was now slithering towards us and towering higher. Legion had grown huge, extending itself out ten feet across and high; but it began reeling and screeching loudly as it saw us.

My eyes narrowed as I felt the surge go through me, "Go back to Hell!" I yelled as I slammed my free hand on the ground.

Everyone else did the same with me and the ground began to split open beneath Legion. Flames rose out of the large cracks, wrapping around the monstrous demon. Legion screeched a final time as it was pulled down into the earth. The cracks closed once it was gone, sealing the ground as though they'd never been there. Only the lingering stench of fire and brimstone remained hanging in the air.

Saffron huffed as he sat near me and Elijah, "Unbelievable. We were able to send him back." he breathed.

The others were coming over to us as he spoke. Chris immediately hugged me and Elijah.

"Are you two okay?" he asked, sounding desperate.

"We're fine, but what about you?" I responded, looking at his burned pants' leg.

"It's fine. It was healed with that light." Chris assured me.

Elijah lifted his head a little, looking around us, "Is it gone?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's gone now." Chris assured him. Like me, he was relieved to see Elijah acting like himself again.

Jade stepped over to us, kneeling down to remove the chain around Elijah's neck. The stone crumbled into dust as he did.

"That was far too close, but it looks like we're out of options now. This stone is destroyed." he stated.

"And after all that work we put into it. What was he thinking? He broke the main thing that kept him safe." Saffron complained as he stood up.

Elijah looked at the dust as he spoke, "How did I break it? I didn't mean to." he said on the verge of tears.

"It's okay." I comforted him as I hugged him, "You weren't trying to. You just didn't have control."

"But I..." Elijah started.

"Hey, it's fine." Chris interrupted, taking him from me to hold him, "You're still a little guy, and it takes a long time to learn how to control everything you have. We're just glad that you were able to help us make that thing go away."

Will stood near us, catching his breath as he looked at where Legion had been sucked into the earth. Saffron noticed him too.

"Do you believe now that this can be done?" he asked him.

"I never said I didn't." Will responded quietly. He stepped over to me and Chris, patting Elijah's head, "It's not gonna be any easier until then, but we'll make it. We'll settle things once and for all, and prove that we belong here."

We could now see headlights coming up the long, secluded driveway. Yes, that was definitely Zane's Hyundai. He was finally here.

He'd bought the SUV as more of a strategic move. It was big enough to fit seven people, and had the four-wheel drive to go just about anywhere. It made for the perfect transportation for whatever we may have ended up needing to do.

Zane looked shocked as he got out and saw all of the destruction around us, "What in the world happened here?"

Kira and Mark got out with him, looking equally as horrified. I was even more relieved that we'd been able to stop Legion before they arrived. Just coming up on that without knowing could've gotten all three of them killed.

"It's obvious what happened. We had one hell of a visitor who trashed the place." Chris responded as he stood up.

Yes, it was probably him trying to pluck Zane's nerves about all of this, but he wasn't as confident as he usually sounded. His own nerves were way too frazzled.

"That's not anywhere close to amusing Christoff." Zane retorted as they came over to us.

Kira was the first to notice that Elijah's wings were out, "I think we get it, but why are his wings out? Weren't they supposed to stay hidden?" she asked us.

"We're not sure about what happened with all of that. He just suddenly brought them out and his stone shattered, then that demon came." I explained to her.

"That's what I keep smelling. No wonder it's so rotten." Mark complained.

"Mark!" I heard Kira whisper harshly. She probably didn't want any trouble started with Jade or Saffron.

But it seemed like neither of them took any notice of Mark's comment. That or they simply didn't care about it.

"Time's running out, so it's in our best interest to get moving now." Jade informed us.

"Sounds good to me." Chris agreed. He helped me and Elijah stand with him and Will.

Zane glanced at the nearby destroyed house, "I would agree, but we should also see what we can salvage to take with us. Elijah's going to freeze with that rip in the back of his shirt and no coat. The nights are very cold now." he reminded us.

"Yeah. I just hope he still has some intact." I agreed.

There was a lot of damage done to the house now that we could really take it in. Several of the walls had been knocked out, and the front looked like it had been scorched by fire. I could only imagine what the inside looked like.

"Why don't we go in there and see what we can find? It might be safer for Elijah to go to the car and wait there with you all." Kira suggested.

"Sounds good to me. We'll wait out here and see about getting him to pull his wings in." Chris agreed.

For as much as I wanted to go into the house and gather that stuff myself, I knew I couldn't do it. I was far too afraid of something else coming for Elijah now. So, I walked with Chris and Will over to the SUV as they went inside.

Chris opened the back passenger's side door, where I sat on the leather seat with Elijah in my lap.

"Hey, let's pull your wings back in now, okay?" he instructed Elijah.

Elijah nodded, the wings on his head turning back into normal ears and his other wings retracting into his back.

Chris gave him an approving smile, "Good job."

Will glanced at Saffron and Jade, "What's your plan here? You're going with them, aren't you?" he asked.

"We are, but I must agree that it would be better to follow what those Seraphs have requested in keeping ourselves hidden during the trip. That way it won't attract so much attention from the Dark Ones who may be seeking us. The solution for this matter is quite simple as well." Jade responded.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out two golden chains. Both had large black pendants hanging from them that reminded me of the Heretic Stone I'd grown up with.

"These will be containers for us while traveling to Fallsburg. Nothing will be able to sense us while we are inside of them, and they will also allow us to emerge if anything should happen." Jade continued.

Chris caught them as Jade tossed them to him. I took a closer look at the one he handed me, feeling quite a bit of déjà vu. Yes, this was just like the stone I'd once had.

"Sounds like you've been planning ahead on all of this." Will noted as he crossed his arms and leaned on the side of the SUV.

"It's always better to be prepared for anything, especially in all of this. However, they have not mentioned you either. I'm taking it that they didn't expect you to come back here." Jade pointed out.

"No, they weren't aware of it, but it's not a big deal. I'm going to make my way to Fallsburg on my own, just to play it safe. I don't doubt that my father will try to track me now that things are coming to a head, especially since Legion saw me in the company of this kid." Will told us.

"Yes, that would be the safest way." Saffron agreed. He patted Elijah's head, "Remember to keep your wings in Little One. They'll have a harder time finding you if you do that."

"Okay." Elijah agreed, smiling back at him.

Chris let out a long breath, putting the pendant that he was holding around his neck. I did the same, all of it still feeling eerily familiar as the stone rested against my chest, "Fine. As soon as they come out, we'll get moving. I want to get as far away from here as we can."

"Agreed. This area is no longer safe." Jade responded. He looked over at Saffron, "Let's get moving."

Saffron agreed, and both of them morphed into black shadows that flew into each pendant. The stones glowed for maybe ten seconds, then turned back to their normal black. We couldn't even feel their presences now. This method had worked.

Will pushed himself away from the SUV, "Good enough. I'm gonna get moving too. I'll see you all in Fallsburg." he promised.

"Be careful Will." I responded.

"Always am." Will nodded. He looked back at Chris, "I'd say take good care of them, but you always do. I know you'll protect them no matter what."

Chris returned his smile, "Yeah. See you soon."

Will then flapped his wings, flying off. Mark was watching as he did.

"So, he's the one that was born from Lucifer. Pretty interesting that he has golden wings." he commented.

"We're guessing it's connected to him, but we can't be completely sure. Will's bloodline is a little more powerful than any of ours." Chris told him.

"Yeah, that makes sense to me, although I admit that we still don't know a whole lot about the Shadow Wings yet. Well, that's what we're calling you guys right now. Guess it will soon be other Nephilim, huh?" Mark realized.

"That's the hope." Chris nodded, a slight smile on his face.

We had become more comfortable around Mark in these last few years. He'd made it his business to visit with Kira a lot, and in turn, ended up seeing us during that time. But even though he'd been stand offish at first, Mark was really likable once he got to know you and felt comfortable. He was a good guy at heart, just very guarded with who he trusted.

Mark frowned as he looked at the house again, "Damn, looks like you had one nasty monster here, and all because it sensed Elijah."

Elijah looked at him as he spoke, but didn't seem to comprehend his words. I gently stroked his hair back, still relieved that Legion was defeated. But I still worried in the back of my mind about what was going to be coming. They were right. That demon probably would relay all of this to their ruler. Hopefully we could make it to where we needed to be before he showed up again.

Chris was still talking to Mark as I thought about these things, "No kidding." he was saying, "But we knew to expect something like this eventually, especially when we're this close to ending things. I just hope we make it to Fallsburg without anymore problems."

"I wouldn't count on it. Unfortunately, now that Elijah's power has been noticed, a lot of things might start looking for him, including that self-righteous angel that stole the other kid and wants us all dead." Mark scoffed.

"I guess you all know everything about Judiel now too, huh?" I noted.

"How couldn't we? He's started threatening our families too, even though our Seraphs have made sure that he can't touch us yet. Don't know how long that will last either, and I'm not gonna stand by and watch anybody get killed over a stupid grudge. I've seen enough death in my lifetime already." Mark responded.

Zane and Kira were finally coming out as he said this. Both had small backpacks with them that they'd managed to find.

"It looks like there was enough left undamaged for us to pick up some clothing, but that thing certainly did a number in there." Zane admitted as they came to us.

"Yeah. I'm just glad that we're leaving now." I sighed.

Kira handed me the bag she'd brought, "I put as many of Elijah's clothes in here as I could."

"Thanks."

I got up and left Elijah sitting on the seat, opening the bag to pull out another shirt for him. I found a blue one that looked like it would keep him warm, so I chose that, helping him out of his torn one and putting the new one on him.

"It seems that Jade and Saffron have made their moves as well. We can get moving without any more hitches." Zane was saying as I did this.

"Yeah. Let's go. This stuff should be all we'll need. We can figure out the rest once everything is settled." Chris responded.

Zane agreed, going over to the driver's seat. Chris and I sat in the middle row of the SUV, keeping Elijah between us while Kira took the front passenger's seat. Mark climbed into the back.

I admit that I was relieved driving away from that house. At least we wouldn't be around if anything else decided to show up.

But glancing at Elijah, I knew that this may only be the beginning of such attacks. There was nothing to hold back his power now. If he revealed those wings again, then more was likely to come.

Our ride ended up being quiet for the most part. Elijah fell asleep within the first hour. I sat back in my seat, taking in the darkness outside of the window. The sky was now littered with stars, and a bright full moon was out. It was serene enough for my mind to start drifting.

Chris was dozing off with Elijah too, and I had the sense that Mark was as well. Zane and Kira occasionally would talk from the front, though they kept their voices down to allow us some rest. Their conversations didn't seem to be about anything in particular, only small talk about various little things that the two had experienced in their lives so far.

I smiled as I sat there, occasionally looking at them together. At least something had worked out so far. Zane was able to truly fall in love, and Kira had returned that love without hesitation.

Things between them had begun slowly right after Elijah was born. That was when Kira had approached Zane and offered to let him stay with her while the Seraphs figured out their next moves. The two had become good friends in the time they'd spent together before, and since the place they'd be staying was close to where we would be, Kinsley had easily agreed to it.

What started off as a close friendship quickly bloomed into more. Within the next year, Zane admitted to me and Chris that he'd fallen deeply in love with Kira. He'd liked her from the moment they'd met, and living with her only cemented those feelings for him. It wasn't long before he confessed his love to her, and she in turn confessed hers to him. The funniest thing about it to me was that they'd seemed made for each other from the start, and the most wonderful part of it was that Zane had found the one for him, and she'd turned out to be another Nephilim after all.

I smiled as I closed my eyes, allowing myself to drift off. If I wanted to keep protecting my son, then I couldn't let myself be dragged down either. I trusted that Zane and Kira wouldn't let anything happen. Everything was safe for now, so we could relax at least a little.

It didn't take long for me to be pulled into a dream state. This did still happen from time to time, although it had lessened since Elijah came into my life.

But this time, the dream I fell into a dream that felt so real that I questioned whether I was still awake.

In this dream, I was standing in what seemed like an endless meadow. The grass was bright green, and a soft, warm breeze blew around me. I'd never seen a place like this before. It felt like it may have been in another world.

As my gaze drifted forward, the beauty of this scene quickly faded. There were countless bodies littering the meadow, and standing in the middle of this carnage was a lone figure. The bodies around him were mutilated, looking like they'd once been prepared for battle, though they'd obviously horribly lost. Blood was everywhere, and I could see bloodstained feathers swaying in the breeze. The feathers were different colors. I was certain that these victims were angels.

The figure in the middle remained still with a large, medieval looking axe in his left hand. The blade of that axe was darkly stained with blood, as were his hands. Blood splatters were on his face as well as his once white robes. Cold red eyes looked down at the bodies around him.

I took a step back as I realized who this frightening yet still coldly beautiful figure was. It was Zane's father, the Grand Duke of Hell, Astaroth.

A sense of panic went through me. Had he pulled me into this? I could recall very well that Jade had done such a thing before.

But I quickly realized that this didn't seem to be the case here. He didn't notice me at all. Instead, he was still looking at the bodies and the blood on his hands.

"Is this all there is to them?" he muttered.

Another dark figure appeared behind him, though he still didn't react.

"You are disappointed Astaroth?" Lucifer spoke as he unfurled his black wings from around him.

"Of course. I expected much more resistance than this pathetic lot. They do not have the time to even attempt better strikes at us?" Astaroth complained, not bothering to raise his voice or look at him.

"That is because the war has raged on far too long for their tastes, not to mention that they have their sights set on what we have begun to create. It seems that mixed bloods are not well looked upon by those who still consider themselves holy." Lucifer informed him.

He moved forward, not bothering to step over the dead bodies of the angels at their feet. I swore I heard bones crunching under his boots.

Astaroth still didn't bother to move. He continued gazing at the bodies with a blank expression.

"We will do as we desire. However, I will not tolerate having something weak come from me." he stated.

A sadistic smile crossed Lucifer's face, "You believe that you cannot be weak as well?"

Astaroth's whole demeanor suddenly changed. He turned in a flash and swung the axe at Lucifer's head.

But Lucifer was quicker, grabbing it with one hand and holding it in place with no real effort.

"You react on impulse, and that is your greatest flaw. If you wish to sire one that is strong, then learn to control your own violent impulses. If not, then they will never learn how to survive and become strong." he informed him.

Astaroth remained as he was for a long moment, then slowly let the axe go. Lucifer sent it hurdling to the ground near them, the blade burying deep into the soil. The anger continued to flash in Astaroth's red eyes, yet he didn't attempt to attack him again. He simply stepped back.

"Very well, but when I sire the one that continues to survive, I will be sure that he is a ruler that may one day take on yours." he vowed.

The dream faded out, but just as quickly, another came in. Now I stood in the library of a very nicely decorated home. Everything in it looked like it was from the nineteenth century, with many shelves lined with books and a comfortable fireplace nearby.

I turned as I heard voices near me, and realized that two others were in there. One I immediately recognized as Zane. He stood near that fireplace, putting some books away on one of the shelves. But it was the one he was talking to that really shocked me.

"It still surprises me that even you can manage a somewhat civilized conversation." Zane was saying. He didn't look at all concerned that he was addressing his father.

"I can as it suits me, though I most prefer being back in my domain and overseeing the suffering there. It lasts much longer than in this joke of a mortal world. They've made them far too frail." Astaroth responded, sitting back in the nearby armchair. He looked the same as always, an intimidating figure in black.

Yet he wasn't raging like the times I'd seen him before. There was no sign at all of any harm in his eyes. He was very calm and collected as he regarded his son.

Zane continued what he was doing, acting more like he was talking to an old friend, "That's how the mortals are made, though I admit that I can be frail too. It will take me some time to heal from this one." he continued.

That was when I noticed that Zane's left arm was in a makeshift sling, wrapped tightly underneath his stark white shirt. He must have just won another round with Astaroth. Could this have been what he'd told us about before where he'd gotten to have civilized talks after some of their fights?

This all seemed hard for me to believe, even though I was now seeing it. Of everything I'd come to know about Astaroth, he'd never struck me as the type to attempt any kind of peaceful interactions. Could this have been some sort of perverted reward to Zane for winning his right to live longer?

Astaroth glanced at Zane's arm before standing up. He made for an intimidating figure in the dim light of the fireplace, but his movements conveyed nothing of the sort. He stepped over to Zane without any signs of harm, placing a hand on the arm he had in the sling.

"Perhaps this was too much this time." he lamented, "At least considering that you've always managed to win our bouts. I know that you will stay strong for that, and I refuse to allow you to be weak enough to fall to his or any of those other's children."

A red glow appeared under his hand, moving up Zane's arm and enveloping it. Zane was able to move his arm easily once it faded.

"Once again you've decided to spare me extra pain, though I cannot help wondering if this really is all for power plays." he commented.

"You may think what you wish. It does not matter to me." Astaroth informed him. He took a step back, "I expect much out of you, considering that you are now my oldest. Keep your power up, or I will cut you down myself."

He disappeared in a flash of darkness into the floor. Zane remained where he stood, sighing as he looked at where his demonic father had vanished. He held his healed arm and let out a long breath.

"You will never say it." I heard him whisper, "Even if you must kill me one day, you will never be able to admit that you may care even a little."