Part Four
Each step made on the flagstone, it was as if he was stepping on hot coal. But this was not stopping him, it was not inconveniencing him, having the same hastened step towards the burning church. He was tired, his clothes were ravaged, but he did not had in mind to stop now when it had him so close. Everywhere around him there were bodies lying on the pavement. soldiers, village people, man, women, young people, but no kid under fourteen years old. He had a feeling why, a feeling that was giving him the chills.
The part that was touching the pavement, of the ones dead, was sizzling like the meat in a pan. The whole pavement was scorching in a wide area. The smell of burn meat was strong, but not disgusting.
Reaching the gates of the church, that was smoke and pulsating a red light, like the one met in the night when Tina and him died. He broke open the door with his right foot, and moved out of the way fast because a trident past at a small distance from him. If he stood still it would have pierced him.
- Unraed, only with this you were expecting me? It's way too easy for me.
The demon did not responded. Trebor tried to watch closely from behind the corner, to see what was going on inside and who threw the trident. He saw two small feet, wearing simple sandals, the rest of the body being hidden by the chairs. She was dead. More he could see from the nave more the hair on his back raised. Small bodies, white, thrown everyone like rugs, in the most grotesque positions. All the kids were there. His eyes stooped on the altar where Unraed just stabbed another sleeping kid in the chest, lifted his hands, mumbled something than grabbed the kid by the hair and threw him down from the altar, continuing the incantation. Behind the altar a hole was opening that was getting wider with each sacrifice made. A red light was emanating from it and sharp screams could be heard, of the demons that were preparing to reach the surface. He needed to be stopped and fast.
Wanted to get out from behind the door he was hiding, when a red hand, thick and a little hairy crashes trough the wall he was lining on, nailing him to the wall trying to squash him. It would have succeeded if Trebor would have not grabbed the demon's hand, with both of his, citing a incantation in his mind fast. His hand burst in a white flame, burning the demon that let out a thick yell and withdrawing his hand. The priest took off from the wall, at the right time to avoid the colossus that smashed through it.
He was not expecting at something so big. He was probably sitting down when he tried to kill him.
The demon must have had somewhere at three meters. Extremely built. Red eyes, two short horns on the forehead, pointing up. The armor that was covering his shoulders, lower arm, a part of his chest and leg was formed from skulls and bones. He had two knees, one in the front and one in the back, near his ankle.
"So this is the angel attacking demon that the archangel told me about? I think he forgot to tell me about his size."
- What happened old friend, you don't recognize me with my new appearance?
Trebor was thinking from where to take this one. Was it a demon from the past that he sent back to hell and managed to escape again?
- A, yes, of course. You don't remember. Zadkiel was careful enough to block your memories of what happened there. No problem, it will be my pleasure to tell you who I am.
Zadkiel did not block anything but he had a different appearance in Inferno, but now he remembered everything. The priest jumped away from the giant's path that rushed towards him and trying to hit him with the fist but it only left a hole in the ground.
- It's me, Belenos, said the demon trying to turn towards the priest.
Trebor did not sketched any move that he remembered this demon.
- I am the one that tortured Tina in the room next to you. That when I was getting bored of torturing you. How romantic to be tortured romantic. Somebody down there really loves you, said the demon in mockery. I got promoted.
He jumped at the priest again, thinking that this news will attract his attention for a while, but it wasn't so. Trebor dodged this time also. The demon was watching him surprised. No sign that he would be affected by the things heard. No muscle on his face throbbed. Remained as inexpressive and quiet.
- Didn't you hear what I said? Or you became deaf from all the time spent in Inferno!
- I will kill you in one move, instead of just sending you back to hell.
The demon did not knew if Trebor was joking, because what he was saying it was absurd and impossible. The priest had his head slightly turned on one side, it was as serious as before. An imperceptible smile appeared on the side of his mouth, a smile that the demon caught. Belenos started a roar of laughing. Closed his eyes while he was laughing. That was all Trebor waited for, that rushed like an arrow toward the demon. Jumped on his back cutting his hand in the tip of the horn and grabbed his forehead. The demon tried to get rid of it, but could not grab it.
- You wretched human! Get of me!
But the priest was holding tight. He started mumbling a incantation. The demon began yelling because of pain. Trebor was burning the skin on his forehead, so his blood will enter in the demon and kill it.
A few moments later Trebor jumped of the demon leaving him indolent. Belenos fell on his knee, lifting his look one last time towards the priest that was moving towards the church entrance.
- No! yelled the demon. I will not accept to die. Not now when I was promo...
Belenos did not managed to finish his sentence. A yellow flame completely covered him transforming him into dust.
- Unraed! You're mine now!
Trebor yelled while running with the hatched in one hand the bottle of salt in the other, towards the demon. He dipped in passing the machete blade in the bowl with holy water placed at the entrance in the church. Meanwhile Unraed sacrificed three more kids. Trebor jumped at the demon when he reached a few steps away, decided to stab him in the back. Unraed turned pointing his left hand at the priest. Shot a fire ball right in the priest's chest, throwing him through a pillar.
- Wretched priest, you have the courage to defy me? To interrupt me from the incantation? Who do you think you are?
- I am the one that will end your supremacy over that part of the hell.
Unraed smiled amused at the priest's joke. Trebor smiled also after he got up from under the dirt pile.
- Yeah, that's what your friend said earlier and now he's dead.
The demon's smile disappeared as if washed away with a sponge.
- You have no idea what you got yourself into boy. I am your biggest nightmare and I will show it to you. You will regret stepping in my way. What you felt in hell is nothing compared to what I will to you now and after I will kill you. Again.
- You don't have the slightest idea how my biggest nightmare is!
Opened with one hand the cap of the salt bottle and poured it on both sides of the machete, melting on the blade still wet.
- Nice move, I was not expecting you to be aware of what is going on around you.
- That is your problem, you underestimate me boy.
- It seems so. I'll make sure to not repeat the mistake.
Unraed started laughing.
- You really are convinced that you can defeat me! Woaw, I really admire your positive thinking. It almost makes me not wanting to kill you. almost.
- I am flattered by your kindness. Today you will die. Hope you lived your life at the fullest, because it will suddenly end.
- I am sure that Zadkiel warned you that if you kill me you will start a war after which the humans of this lands will end up extremely siphoned.
- Not just once. Honestly, I don't give two zilings on the rest of the world. I just to see you dead. What will be after, I will deal with it at that moment.
The priest stepped slowly towards the alter, but keeping his distance from the demon. He stopped when he had a direct and empty road to the demon. He was looking around at the small bodies. He wanted to feel pity, to feel something, pain, one tear to shed. Anything for these poor souls that were born in the wrong place, but nothing. All he could feel was the adrenaline flowing through his veins and making his heart beat harder. The mountain of hate gathered alone the years during the search for this demon, was not reviling itself. He felt how he loses control of his body and starts to shake because of the anger. All his desire for revenge was for Tina, not at all for killing him.
For a fraction of a moment, around Trebor pulsated a thin light. If he would have blinked, Unraed wouldn't have seen it. Waves of white energy were approaching the priest from nowhere. Something was happening with him. This something was frightening the demon that decided to not let him gather all that energy. He threw a fire ball that exploded at impact. A cloud of smoke covered everything around Trebor.
Unraed started laughing believing that he killed him. When the smoke dispersed, Trebor was still on his feet and a transparent shield pulsating around him. He was not even touched by Unraed's magic.
The left fist was white. Same the right one along with the machete he was holding.
- No, it can't be!
Unraed could barely speak. He was paralyzed with fear. He could not understand how, him, one of the strongest demons shake in front of a priest. But he wasn't only a priest. This priest managed to enter in divine trance.
Without saying anything and without looking at the demon, because he was holding his head down, Trebor threw the machete. Unraed managed at the last moment to dodge it, leaning on one side. The machete struck deep into the wall. The priest sprang towards the demon hitting him with the fist in the stomach, and with the other hand grabbing the cross sitting around his neck. Unraed was thrown outside trough the wall.
Trebor pointed the cross at the hole opened by the demon and started whispering a incantation in an unknown language. Being again the priest's hands the cross was pulsating again white light. Slowly the hole to Inferno closed. The screams coming from the demon's stopped. Looked around, just one little girl and boy were still alive. They were holding each other and were scared to death. A nightmare that will probably haunt them forever. Trebor gently touched they're heads, covering them in a white aura.
- This shield will protect you from the inferno outside these walls, said the priest.
The girl looked at him with some big round eyes filled with tears that remembered him of Tina's look.
- Run, you are not safe here. Get out of town.
Watched after the kids until they got out the church. From there on it was up to them to take care of themselves. Tied the cross around his neck.
Pieces of the ceiling were falling all around him. Got out through the hole in wall Unraed made earlier, before he got buried alive by the flaming church. He recovered the hatched from the wall before exiting.
Unraed was sitting on his knees in the grass. Spike were growing on his spine, and his face was wider and sharper. Same as Tina's was, in the night they died.
- So. The monster is finally showing his true self.
- It is the second possessed body, perfect for me, that you ruin it. You start to make a bad habit from it, said Unraed with a deeper voice than before.
- I will be more gentle from now on, said the priest with sarcasm.
- Don't bother. It's too late.
The demon jumped at the priest hitting with his claws. Trebor was blocking everything with the machete. Sparks were emerging with each blow.
- For a demon, a malefic creature, you are not able to recognize arrogance at a person, managed the priest to speak between the hits.
Trebor observed the moment and took advantage of it, applying a fist in the jaw, throwing him pretty far. The demon twisted in the air and landed on four legs. Holding the place where he was hit, and his eyes looked even more red now, probably because of the anger. The skin was burned in the place he was hit, having the priest's handprint.
The demon rushed at the priest. The hits were dropping constantly from both sides. The demon tripped Trebor than grabbed his leg while still in air, twisting him a few times and throwing him into the wall. A normal human would have been squashed by the power he was thrown with, but not the priest. Unraed became more irritated that he could not kill this human.
- Why won't you die already?!
- I am too stupid to just fall flat and simply give up at everything or to kill myself.
Spited blood while getting up.
- That's all you can grandpa? You stood a little too much down there, torturing helpless souls. You've lost your touch.
The demon enraged and ran towards Trebor like an arrow, passing with him through the corner of the wall. Unraed stayed on top of the priest a few moments, than rolled off him. He was amazed. Glimpsed at his chest. Trebor's machete was stuck between his ribs, close to the heart. The wound was smoking, was burning because of the holy water and salt on the blade.
Trebor rolled away from the demon, leaning on the wall of the church. He was trying to heal the worst wounds.
Unraed slowly pulled put the machete. Growled of pain and was talking in demon's tongue. More likely curses pointed towards the priest.
- That wound will not stop bleeding anytime soon.
The demon started laughing.
- I know that very well boy. But until I will die from this wound, will have plenty of time to kill you.
Unraed grabbed the priest by his neck, starting to squeeze. Trebor touched with his palm the demon's forehead and started the exorcism.
The demon gave up first. Started screaming. His head was moving fast left and right, with interruptions. In the short moments his face was stopping, the true face of the demon, was trying to detach from the one of the human he was controlling.
Unraed was backing out. His screams were changing, from thick to thin and other way around. The sounds were scaring. Trebor managed to turn him with the back at the wall. The demon fell on his knees, than the priest stopped his exorcism.
- It's time I get my revenge.
Slowly he turned towards the machete, lifting it from the ground. He was convinced that Unraed was not able to do anything to protect himself. He stopped in front of a defeated demon that was shaking all the time.
He was stalling, delaying the moment of revenge because he was enjoying the sensation. Wanted to abuse it as much as possible. It was warming him, he was enjoying seeing him on his knees, in terrible pain of the one who destroyed his life. He could finally feel happiness, after so many years of pain and loneliness, something was truly provoking him moments of joy. He adored the sensation.
- If you kill me, than your life would not mean anything anymore, Unraed managed to say.
He used the demon's tongue, but Trebor understood him. He had plenty of time down there to learn some.
- Not being me anymore, after who to run. Who to make you feel alive. To keep the flame of hatred and revenge lid up inside you. Than you won't feel anything anymore, everything will die inside and you will have absolutely no reason to live. Killing me, you will die also.
Trebor had his machete above his head ready to strike, but listened to the demon.
"He is right", Trebor talked in his mind, lowering his arm. "Getting my revenge now, ..., my purpose to live ends. I won't have for what to live anymore. The last slice of humanity will die in me at the same time with him. Do I really want this? But I can't let him go. He is the one that killed my Tina. The woman with who I supposed to spend the rest of my life with."
The face of the nordic princess with a perfect smile appeared in front of his eyes. His eyes filled with tears knowing that he will never see that warm smile again, that was turning him insane every time.
- Not even until today you did not understood that I have no life without her?! I died the same day you killed her! Trebor yelled at the demon. I was raised from the dead, but I have no soul, continued the priest a little softer. With or without this pursue, there is nothing left for me on these cursed lands. It's over.
Lifted his hand again prepared to decapitate the demon. This one was not saying anything anymore. He knew it was useless. The decision has been taken. At least this move from the priest will bring a long time darkness and war . Possibly forever. And he was kind of enjoying that idea, but it was making him sad on the other hand, because he will not be a part of that war.
The priest's hand started dropping towards the demons neck, when a thunder struck the earth, between the two. Trebor has been thrown in a tree. He dropped the machete. Did not managed to see where. He was giddy so he shook his head a few times. When he lifted his look, at two steps in front of him, there was a black man standing, dressed in white. Middle age, strong constitution, more likely a farmer.
- Unfortunately I can't let you do that, Trebor.
"Zadkiel."
- Exactly Trebor, it's me, Zadkiel.
The priest forgot that angels can read his mind. The cross was protecting him only against the undead, demons and other creatures of the night, but not against angels.
Trebor tried to get up but he couldn't. His legs were not listening to him, he could not move them.
- Au, I am so sorry Trebor. I intervened a little to brutal for you it seems. I fractured your spine. You are paralyzed from the waist down. But you have to understand me, I was in a time crisis. One second later and you would have brought apocalypse on these lands.
Desperation started to hold the priest. Started believing that the demon might escape. Could not accept that the archangel, same one that got him out of hell, could do something like this to him. He felt himself overgrown with hatred again. Was trying with all his powers to get up. Started crawling towards the archangel trying to grab him by his feet, but he made two steps behind.
- How could you do something like this to me?
- I am sorry my friend, but I warned you repeatedly that you cannot kill him. Just exorcise him. The entire breathing creatures of this place are more important than the revenge of one human.
- No! No! I was so close. You can't do something like this me! I don't give a crap about the rest of beings from this planet!
A tear rolled on Trebor's cheek while he was crawling toward the archangel.
- Of. So much hate. So much desperation in one soul. It's not healthy. You should really change your life style.
Between the archangel's legs, Trebor saw the demon how he gets up from his knees and moving away slowly, leaning on the only wall of the church that remained standing.
- No! No! No, no, no, no! Leaves. Unraed. Leaves. Stop him. Don't let him get away.
What Trebor what saying did not had a lot of meaning for the archangel until he looked back.
- You mean Unraed. Yes, I healed him a little so he can leave. You are too stubborn sometimes to see the bigger picture of things.
- But, why do you let him leave? Why don't you send him back to hell?
- For the same reason I can't let you kill him. If I intervene, even if it is for sending him back from where he came, I will start the apocalypse. You see, angels and demons have a pact. We don't directly intervene in each other's business. Everyone with his own ship, in this way there is peace.
- Peace? With all the crap I saw? That I lived. Creatures killed, demons exorcised. The pain provoked by the demons. Brain washing by the angels with that religious fanaticism extremely contagious.
- Faith is not a disease.
- No, it's not. But it spreads easily between humans and makes them ready to kill for it.
The archangel moved his head in disappointment.
- There is no escape for you. That hate that burns in your soul it will consume you one day.
- It does not have what to burn anymore. Everything inside me it's ash.
A few moments of silence followed.
- Now heal me so I can deal with Unraed before he escapes.
- I can't do that.
- I will send him back to hell. I will not kill him.
The archangel was watching him carefully.
- I can't do that. I can't trust you right now. You desire the death of that demon way too much.
- I have a reason why to desire it!
- Here is what we are going to do. I will teleport you far away from here, fully healed. You will have to start all over searching for him. This time I hope that the search will make you understand why you can't kill him. I hope you will get over the wish of revenge.
- Never, whispered Trebor between tight teethes. Either I will die, or he dies.
- We will see about that, answered the angel after a long groan.
Zadkiel touched the priest's forehead with the middle and pointing finger.
- See you later.
The archangel suddenly disappeared from Trebor's view. The entire image in front of him disappeared. The church ruined by fire, garden he was standing in, everything has been changed with a hill with the grass cut, and down in the valley a village could be seen. Managed to get up on his feet without any problem.
"Where the hell did he sent me?"
Started moving towards the village. He stopped before the entrance to the village and read the welcoming board.
"Norringhton, Arhus land. Welcome. ... Arhus, nice. At the other end of the human land. Perfect. You are going to pay for this Zadkiel."
- Do you hear me Zadkiel? You are going to pay for this.
Although he whispered the last words, he was sure that the archangel heard them.
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