Hello, Everyone!
Thank you so much for your reviews and encouragement. It means a lot to me. I want you all to know that I do read each and every review and I take your suggestions and comments seriously when I write my new material
I wanted to clarify something. I hope no one got the impression that I was thinking of discontinuing this story. That's not the case. My problem is that I don't always know what to do with THYS (I have my basic overall plot, but sometimes the execution of said plot is daunting at times).
Please enjoy chapter 21 of THYS!
* * * * * * * * * * * * THYS * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter Twenty-One – The Twenty-Sixth Day part 4 – Reclamation
* * * * * * * * * * * *THYS * * * * * * * * * * * *
The creature sat alone on the banks of the Styx river. He had watched the Ferryman sail up and down the foggy stream carrying various souls to and fro to their final judgment before the twin Death Gods. The Ferryman would occasionally cast a curious glance at the creature before shrugging and returning to his thankless duty.
Sariel's words echoed in the creature's mind. If he could remember his life before he came to Purgatory, then it would prove he was truly alive and Sariel could helphim become a real living being and help Elberich save the Demon Kingdom – whatever that was.
So the creature excused himself to sit on the riverbank and Sariel melted into the darkness to await the creature's success or failure. Elberich wandered off into the distance. The creature had been left alone for hours (or minutes or days, time had no relevance here) to try and recall the last eighteen years of his life.
So far, he was having no luck. All he could recall was meeting the ferryman and the events that occurred after. He watched the wandering spirits meander around him, listening to their tragic stories and pleas for redemption, knowing that they would find none. Sariel was a strict god and only gave leniency to those who truly deserved it. The creature hadn't met Samael yet, but there was something in him that said he probably didn't want to.
So he sat in silence, shivering at the nonexistent cold and waiting for some grand revelation to come to him only to be continually disappointed by the blankness that came to him instead.
The creature looked up at the dark sky. There was no light, only a grey pallor to everything. But the sky was a constantly swirling mass of dark clouds with the occasional shock of bluish light. The creature watched it awe as the clouds picked up speed and a gentle wind picked up that swept over the barren land.
"Any luck so far?"
The friendly tone was extremely out of place in the dismal purgatory. The creature didn't move as Elberich seated himself next to the albino creature to watch the River Styx carry more souls to their final resting place.
The creature said nothing, Elberich's previous warning echoing in his mind. He didn't want to be burdened with the memories and sins of another, he needed his own.
Elberich only smiled. "It's good that you remember my words. Since you are a blank slate, should you begin to converse with the dead, you will inexplicably absorb their memories and emotions."
The creature shuddered.
"Sariel is not an unjust god," Elberich continued. "He is simply adhering to the laws of this world. He sees that you have your own conscious and you were able to survive the transition into this realm. He wants to give you a chance."
"I can't remember anything….." The creature muttered, his frustration winning out against his caution.
Elberich sighed. "I know….It is near impossible to remember one's life and then use those memories to form an identity. I spent most of my life not knowing what I was and because of that, I gave in to my madness."
The creature looked at Elberich curiously. The man was staring into the silver waters of the river as his mind conjured up old images and feelings from when he was alive.
"And when I gave into my madness and embraced the dark nature of my powers, it cost me my life and my love," Elberich whispered sadly.
The creature felt sorry for the man. His words struck a familiar chord within the creature. He knew what it was like to be driven into madness, though he didn't know how he knew.
Elberich was silent for a long time. The creature simply watched him and the river. It wanted so desperately to ask Elberich more questions about his past. The creature felt a strange pull towards this man and needed to know more about him.
"You should have perished, you know," Elberich's deep voice cut through the silence so sharply that the creature startled.
"Homunculi are not meant to be permanent creatures. They have a very limited life-span. You should've become dust when you were transported between worlds."
Elberich leaned forward to pin the creature with his gaze. "The fact that you survived and retained your consciousness is impossible. Even if you were made with a piece of my soul and my power and that of another, you still should've disintegrated."
The creature looked down at his feet. He was an anomaly. Something that should not be and yet, here he was. Everything about his existence spoke against the natural laws of the universe. It was a perversion of the pure nature of life and should have been erased immediately when he died….had he even died? If he had no soul to begin with then could he call what happened to him dying? It didn't feel right at all.
The creature despaired. For the thousandth time, he combed his brain for any clue, any snippet of color, shape, or feeling that could reveal his past life. Yet once again, he came up blank. Anything beyond the initial meeting with the ferryman was just white and black. He had nothing.
"I know what it's like to be an abomination…."
The creature froze. Elberich was talking again. The creature wasn't sure if he should leave or sit still until Elberich was finished. He didn't want Elberich's memories to latch onto him, but the man was in a trance. His eyes were black and blank – the same expression on the other lost souls that bemoaned their fates as the creature walked through the underworld.
"I have been a dirty secret, a filthy half-breed, a weapon….a traitor," Elberich continued, bitter and heartbroken. "I was never my own person. I was always someone else's nightmare. I should have never existed."
Elberich lowered his gaze to the grey sandy ground. The creature remained stone still and tried to tune him out, but found that he couldn't. The pull to Elberich was growing stronger.
"The only time I ever felt like a real person was with her," Elberich said. "My lovely little Rue. She was my one and only joy. She made the madness bearable."
Elberich smiled softly, recalling some pleasant memory from eons ago. However, the smile quickly died as the memory was replaced with something much darker.
"Not even she could see past my monstrosity," Elberich choked out. The creature took a risk and glanced at Elberich's clenched hands at his sides. They were shaking.
"I should have known it was only a matter of time. When I revealed my true nature to her, she became like all the others! I suppose it was my fault. She was there when I slaughtered an entire city of people under that cursed spell my brother had placed on me!"
"What happened?" The creature spoke before he could stop himself. Elberich's story was stirring within him, reaching deep into its limited mind.
"She tried to leave me….And I begged her to stay by my side," Elberich said brokenly. "She feared me. To make her stay, I told her how to kill me. I told her my one weakness."
The creature felt very sorry for Elberich. The man seemed so sad and lost. Elberich had been kind to it the entire time, so he just couldn't see him as something to be feared or hated.
"Have you had any success yet?"
Both the creature and Elberich jumped at the loud voice that cut through the sullen quiet of the afterlife. Both turned around to see Sariel standing behind them with an uncharacteristically wide grin that bespoke mischief.
"Lord Samael," Elberich breathed. The creature looked between the two in confusion.
This wasn't Sariel. The creature picked up on that as soon as he took in the imposing visage of this identical god. This god's mannerisms were much more easy-going, deceptively inviting. Where Sariel was stern, this one was jovial. However, his jovial attitude was tainted by an underlying sense of malice.
"Has the little abomination found his way?" Samael asked cheerily, fixing yellow eyes on the creature, who fought the urge to hide behind Elberich.
The creature silently shook his head "no" to which Samael chuckled. "No need to fear me, little one. I only wished to see this homunculus that has defied our laws."
"Samael!"
"Brother…" Samael said with an eye roll as Sariel appeared at his side, looking quite indignant.
"Leave it alone!" Sariel scolded. "You're meddling has caused enough trouble!"
Samael gave a long-suffering sigh. "You have no sense of adventure, brother. I have done nothing wrong. Unlike you, I like to reward my followers when they please me."
"Rewarding your followers with unchecked power is irresponsible!" Sariel hissed. "Because of your neglect, an entire continent is on the verge of destruction!"
"It is nothing he can't handle," Samael said, gesturing towards the creature. "He was made to be their messiah. However, his creators didn't put the right fail-safes in place."
"I can't even remember my past!" The creature blurted. "How can I fix anything?"
"Ah yes….it is impossible to accomplish anything when you have nothing," Samael said airily. "But I don't think you realize just what your existence means, little one. You have defied every law and nature that we put in place eons ago."
Samael moved to stand before the homunculus, his smoky black robes billowing out with every movement. Both Samael and Sariel seemed to be made of smoke and fog and glided around as if completely detached from their surroundings.
"Sariel and I have been the overseers of the afterlife and purgatory since the creation of this world. We have seen many souls come and go and we have judged mercifully and cruelly to many who come to our realm. You are the first of the golems to have survived this far. Which proves that you are far more than what you appear and are stronger than the strongest of natural souls."
"Which is why we don't know what to do with you," Sariel added.
"And it is why we are unsure of how to react to this…predicament both here and in the living world," Samael finished.
"What is happening?" The creature asked.
"A terrible power has taken control of an even more terrible power and wishes to use it to destroy those who did him harm. A power that is made of every negative emotion known to humans and demons," Samael answered, though he was looking at Elberich, who lowered his head in shame.
"And that very power is starting to cause a rift in our realm…" Sariel said sternly.
As if to emphasize Sariel's words, the dark sky above them rumbled with thunder and a long streak of lightening scattered across the sky. For the first time in the briefest of seconds, Purgatory was illuminated and the creature could see the wandering spirits in their grotesque finery in all their glory along with the skeletal trees, grey sandy earth and endless wastelands that comprised the world between worlds. The clouds swirled at an alarming rate and the creature could swear he could see beyond them and into another world with brief, dark silhouettes that struck a chord in his mind.
"Whatever is going on in the Living World," Sariel said after a brief glance at the rolling sky. "It starting to affect this world. The rift will grow and the wandering souls will try to escape."
"But, do not fret," Samael said, much more relaxed than his twin. "Sariel and I can hold them, but we cannot stop the rift from widening as long as the source of the rift is still active."
"How can it be stopped?" The creature asked in curiosity.
"If you can take back that power," Samael continued. "You can stop it from destroying everything."
"But I don't even know what I am or what I was!" The homunculus despaired. "I don't even know my own name!"
"There!" Samael exclaimed, pointed a finger at the creature. "Focus on that! You are running yourself ragged by trying to remember everything at once. Remember your name and then piece your memories together from that. There is power in names. When you were named, it granted you everything that you were ever going to be. Names have meaning. Remember your name and you will remember everything."
"But how?" asked the creature sadly.
"You said so yourself, little one," Samael said with a smile. "Though you may not remember, there are those who do. They will reach out to you from beyond. Just wait – and listen…."
Samael turned and began to walk away from the group without another word.
"Where are you going, brother?" Sariel asked in annoyance.
Samael turned around with a mischievous grin on his face. "To watch the show! I haven't been this entertained in millennia!"
Sariel huffed irritably and then followed his brother into the mist. "He is incorrigible!" He turned back to where the creature and Elberich sat. "Though he is right. Try to remember your name and the rest will come."
The twin gods disappeared into the abyss as suddenly as they had come. They left the creature and Elberich alone by the river with the shadows of wandering souls swirling around them.
"They are strange," the creature commented. To which Elberich snorted.
"They are just two of the many deities that oversee our universe," Elberich said. "They symbolize vice and virtue. Samael is vice and Sariel is virtue. They are the duality of nature. Perfect opposites."
"Oh…" the creature thought for a moment. "Can they really stop the rift thing?"
Elberich shrugged. "They should…..though they are right in that you need to remember your name and your past so that my dark self can be defeated."
The two gods watched Elberich and the creature from their thrones well out of sight in a dimension no person, dead or alive, could reach without their invitation. Seated before them was a large basin on a pedestal that showed the unfolding chaos as the demons struggled to subdue the dark power that was Elberich's hatred while it had its merry way with them.
"It's like watching a child throw his toys about in a tantrum," Samael commented as he watched.
"How can you watch when there's a hole in our world!?" Sariel said in frustration, looking out at the rapidly moving clouds that revealed the break in the barrier between their world and that of the living.
"Relax, brother!" Samael said with a lazy wave of his hand. "Our subjects fear us too much to try and escape!"
"Perhaps the weakest ones," Sariel retorted. "But the corrupted ones will try! We've ruled this world long enough to know that souls will do anything when desperate."
"Have faith in the boy king," Samael said, not at all fazed by his brother's glare. "He will remember his name and he will retake his body and save us all."
"You are far too relaxed for someone whose world is about to be torn at the seams!" Sariel hissed.
"I'm not, Sariel….far from it. But I do know that nothing can be really done until Yuuri remembers his past. Until then, I will enjoy this lovely drama before me and revel in the spectacle until I can do something about it."
"This has not happened since the forging of the universe…." Sariel said. "When the realms split into four dimensions…"
"And like before, it will return to order," Samael replied. "Little Yuuri is right in that his past does not matter when there are those who remember him. Even better, they love him – one in particular. They will reach him and now that there's a giant tear between our world and theirs, it should be even easier…"
"You had better be right, brother!" Sariel said sternly. "Or we will have to answer to Father."
Finally, Samael actually looked worried.
* * * * * * * * * * * * THYS * * * * * * * * * * * *
They were all going to die.
That thought kept running through Conrad's head as he watched cowering in a corner while his brother, Gunter, the sage, Lord Bielefeld, and young Alphonse struggled to contain the unhinged destruction that was the demon king.
Conrad had seen the demon king's displays of power many times. When Yuuri's hair grew long and his eyes became feline, Conrad knew that he was about to witness a grand display of powerful magic that he was silently grateful was not directed at him. Unlike now.
Conrad had seen Yuuri singlehandedly defeat pirates, create hurricanes, defeat other just as powerful kings, subdue rogue giant dolls, liberate enslaved women and children and challenge more experienced powers, and always come out victorious in the end.
But what made those events different was that Yuuri was always in control. Some part of Conrad knew that Yuuri wasn't using his powers to their full potential. Yuuri's kind and just nature would not allow him to carelessly endanger others, he only wished to defeat those that meant him and his people harm. But he never wished to destroy and kill needlessly. So Yuuri had always held back.
However, this was not Yuuri they were dealing with. This thing had taken over their precious king's body and his omnipotent power and was using it to throw and batter them around the large room like toys. Actually, that was all the spectre could manage as the combined powers of Gwendal, Gunter, Murata, Waltorana, and Alphonse, along with Gilbert's mystical chants, were the only things blocking Elberich from unleashing utter anarchy. Conrad hated to see what would happen without their efforts to contain the possession.
In center of it all, Gilbert screamed above the cacophony, desperately trying to reel in the spirit's power and subdue it, but it was proving useless. While they were all powerful magic users in their own right, no one could stand against the god-like power that young Yuuri Shibuya had been gifted with by the Great One.
In a strange moment of absent thought, Conrad wondered what possible logic Shinou had seen in granting immense power to such a young and emotionally immature person such as Yuuri. For all his worth, Yuuri was a kind and pure soul – but he was still little more than a child when he ascended the throne and became the most powerful ruler in Shin Makoku's history. It almost seemed as if their ancestor was asking for something like this to happen. Yuuri had been left vulnerable to possession by a malevolent force that hijacked his powers and was using them to destroy everything. Really, was their predecessor that irresponsible?
In between watching the battle unfold before him, Conrad kept having flashbacks to when they first defeated Soushou. Yuuri had been easily possessed then too. There had been the same moment of utter loss when he addressed them in a voice that was too deep and eyes that were too dark and menacing. It had only been by the grace of Yuuri's willpower and goodness that had saved them.
Conrad dared to open his eyes against the sting of the rapidly moving energy and wind. Gunter and Gwendal were standing to the side, pushing their magic against Elberich's force, Gilbert held his arms aloft in some chant that couldn't be heard, Marko, the old man, the old doctor that he was so quick to blame for Yuuri's condition, was nothing more than a large hump in the other corner, white hair whipping about as he tried to protect himself. Alphonse and Waltorana were working together to aid Gunter and Gwendal to create a barrier to contain Elberich's magic. In the midst of it all, the sage stood behind Gilbert, a de facto bodyguard, as he lent his spiritual power to Gilbert's ritual.
They were holding their own just barely, but Elberich had other ideas.
Very abruptly, Elberich withdrew his power. The others stumbled as the tension gave away and they reeled in their magic, though they stood poised should something happen. And it did.
With a mischievous grin, Elberich sent a shock wave of pure energy outward that sent all six men hurling against the walls. Conrad had to duck to avoid being hit by Gwendal's massive form flying through the air like a ragdoll. He quickly helped his brother up, who winced in pain at his now dislocated shoulder.
"We are at a loss," Gwendal growled in pain, watching as Elberich finally broke his bonds and stood from the disintegrated chair. "We have no choice."
"Brother…" Conrad said brokenly, immediately knowing what Gwendal meant.
"We have to destroy Elberich's link to Yuuri's power," Gwendal said with grim finality. "We have to destroy the body."
The body. Such a cold clinical term for someone that had come to mean so much to them. However, it was the only accurate description as Yuuri was no longer in control of his powers or his body – they weren't even sure if he was even alive. Right now, the priority had shifted to survival and saving their home at any cost.
Gwendal slowly stood, summoning his earth magic once more, but this time with the intent to kill. The other demons slowly got up as well, all wearing the same look of grief and determination as the worst possible solution made itself clear to all who stood against the monster their monarch had become.
Conrad hoped that Yuuri was somewhere still inside his body and would be able to fight his way back to their world and stop Elberich. Before they lost everything.
* * * * * * * * * * * * THYS * * * * * * * * * * * *
Wolfram and Greta worked to stop the bleeding from the wounds on his side. Likely due to the adrenaline and Wolfram's panicked heartbeat, the blood continued to pour out between the makeshift bandages despite their best efforts.
Wolfram began to teeter from his spot on the bed. The room was swimming and tilting in front of his blurry vision. It was becoming a chore to breathe and he felt cold. The blood loss was getting to him. He would need medical attention soon, but they were trapped in the weakening safety of the room.
Beyond the closed door, they could hear the unearthly screams of the dead tearing through the palace as they attacked the unlucky inhabitants of the castle. Wolfram wondered what precautions had been taken to protect the palace staff during the exorcism and concluded that not much had been done – if at all.
Wolfram could feel the threads of magic twisting through the atmosphere. All his years as a fire wielder had sensitized him to the ebb and flow of the natural magic that resided in everything. He could feel the unique signatures of his brother's, and Gunter's magic surging through the air from the room where Yuuri was kept. He could also feel the presence of Alphonse's magic, a little weaker and less controlled, but still very present. All of their magic gave off the sense of aggression and his trepidation grew as he wondered why they would be using their magic for attacking anyways when it should have been defensive.
Wolfram was brought back to the present when Greta tried, again, to tie a fresh bandage around his torso. Tiny trails of tears stained her face as she worked frantically to save her adoptive father, certainly not keen on losing yet another parent.
If Greta could get out of this safe, Wolfram didn't care what happened to him. He would stay behind and fight to rescue his fiancé, even if it meant his own death. However, he wanted to ensure that Greta had a chance at survival. She didn't deserve this. She deserved to be safe and cared for, not caught in the sturm und drung of an evil entity's revenge.
"Wolfram!"
Wolfram wearily lifted his head from being perched on his chest to be met with the stark white face of his terrified daughter.
Greta was holding a half-unraveled spool of bandages. Her fingers were visibly trembling as was the rest of her as she stared at the talisman-covered door that was their only protection from the evil ghouls outside.
"There's something outside the room…" She whimpered. "It's trying to get in!"
Wolfram stood stark still as he listened intently to the door. Sure enough, there was something creeping just beyond the threshold, slowly dragging large claws down the thin wood.
Every muscle in Wolfram's body seized up. His knuckles went white as they tightened painfully around the sheets of his cot. The clawing grew louder and Wolfram could hear the sounds of shredded wood being torn away from the only thing keeping them and whatever was on the other side apart.
This is what it felt to be truly trapped. They had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no means of defense. Wolframs mind went blank from lack of any logical reaction to the enemy on the other end. Greta cuddled closer to him for protection, but he doubted as to how effective a guard he would be for her. They were helpless. He severely wounded and she, a young child. When that door gave way, there would be no hiding.
Time seemed suspended. Nothing else moved, nothing else made a sound save for the incessant clawing at the door. Wolfram and Greta clung to each other in silence and stillness. Both had stopped breathing for fear that even the smallest of movements would betray their presence to the entity on the other side.
And the time seemed to speed up.
The door finally broke. Long spidery fingers curved around the gaping slash marks in the wood. The talismans so carefully put in place were rendered useless pieces of paper as the long fingers were joined by small child-like claws that poked from between the larger hand and under the door.
Greta squealed into Wolfram's chest, her tiny nails dug through the fabric of his shirt. Wolfram tightened his arms protectively around the little girl and watched as the number of hands grew in number and size.
Wolfram was compelled to look up at the ceiling and he immediately wished he hadn't. A low whine escaped his throat as he watched the ghost arms drop down from the ceiling and wave about blindly, no doubt trying to reach the two occupants within.
Wolfram and Greta stumbled back into the room until they were pinned against the opposite wall. The sounds of the storm outside the window served as a backdrop as the hundreds upon hundreds of arms grew in length and directed their mindless groping towards the two victims.
The thing that clawed through the door was attempting to squeeze itself through the hole it had made and the multitudes of smaller arms that curled around it. The arms revealed shoulders, a head with glowing eyes, a demon from darkness that surrounded its victims.
Whatever light was in the room dimmed and died when the creature entered the room. Pieces of paper talismans floated around it in a parody of confetti, their symbols and incantations utterly pointless now.
The creature got closer. It grinned when it saw Wolfram and Greta cowering on the other side of the room. It crawled towards them, clawed hands reaching for them and ready to tear them apart.
In an act of pure instinct, Wolfram held out his hand, summoning his fire magic through the haze of fear and hurled a large fireball at the creature.
Wolfram's face blistered from the enclosed heat as the fireball made impact with the creatures face dead on. The entity howled in surprise and anger, though it backed away slightly from where they sat.
Not thinking, not looking, and not with the usual precision that Wolfram prided himself in as a highly trained military commander, he frantically threw volley after volley of fire at anything that came near them. The only thing he could focus on was getting Greta out of there alive.
The disembodied hands squealed and recoiled, the room was filled with the smell of burning furniture, paper, and curtains putting the room in a red-orange glow. Greta screamed in fear as Wolfram dragged them to their feet with the intention of escaping the mousetrap of a room.
As long as they stayed where they were, they wouldn't be safe. Wolfram didn't have the strength to keep setting ghouls ablaze. They needed to escape. They needed to leave the palace as soon as possible.
Wolfram let loose a giant wave of fire that successfully cleared the room of the arms. Seeing the opportunity, Wolfram picked Greta up and rushed from the small room and down the hallway towards the main entrance of the castle with the clawed entities hot in pursuit.
Wolfram stepped and stumbled over the carnage of the attack. Broken vases, torn drapes, cold gusts of wind from nowhere slowed him down as he tried to save them from Elberich's wrath. Pushing past the pain, he shoved and ran as fast as he could, coldly ignoring the please and yells of the other inhabitants as they struggled to escape from this unseen enemy.
He dared not look left or right, he couldn't risk a distraction. He couldn't risk attracting the attention of some random entity or that of a desperate victim. He had only enough strength to save Greta and possibly himself. He couldn't waste it on anyone else.
The sound of a huge explosion tore through the hall and caused Wolfram to fall to his feet. The weaker spirits that surrounded them suddenly fled as an even darker power made itself known to all. A low rumbling noise shook the very foundation of the castle. Everything went deadly quiet.
Wolfram clung to the trembling child in his arms. All desire to flee drained away. There was nowhere to go. Whatever was coming down that hall would catch them and kill them. It was utterly hopeless.
A figure stumbled into the hall at the other end. Wolfram immediately recognized the tan uniform of his human brother. Conrad staggered to his feet and came running toward Wolfram when he saw them, a look of fear and relief on his face. Behind him, Wolfram could see the green, red, and white tendrils of magic that no doubt belonged to his brother, uncle, and Gunter.
Wolfram had never seen Conrad so disheveled, or bloody. For all the times Wolfram had fought alongside his brothers he had never seen Conrad, or Gwendal, look so beaten.
"Wolfram!" Conrad shouted above the growing noise. "You have to get out of here!"
"What's going on?" Wolfram cried, watching as the fight drew closer.
"Yuuri – Elberich – escaped!" Conrad panted, trying to shoo Wolfram in the direction of the only available escape. "We can't contain him. We have no choice but to take him down."
"No…No, you can't mean -" Wolfram shouted. "We need to save Yuuri!"
"There is no Yuuri!" Conrad shouted, grief and desperation evident in his voice. "It's just his body now! Yuuri is gone!"
Wolfram didn't want to believe it. He didn't believe it. Yuuri had to be alive, he just had to! All their effort couldn't have been for nothing.
"Wolfram, you have to escape!" Conrad shook Wolfram back to reality. The fighting drew nearer. Wolfram could vaguely hear the shouts of the others now.
Wolfram meant to retort, but was cut off by another explosion, or rather it was a shockwave of blue magic sent spiraling down the hall, creating a vacuum that dragged everything not bolted to the ground, including Wolfram, Greta and Conrad, along with it.
Wolfram's ears popped. He rolled over onto his stomach and weakly pushed himself up. Conrad was sprawled out just beyond him and Greta was on her side just a few feet away, sobbing uncontrollably.
Wolfram struggled to get up and go to her. He choked out her name, but she continued to sob and wail. He crawled over to where she laid, tiny bits of debris all around her, and tried to gather her back into his protective embrace.
A spark, a sound, Wolfram looked up to where the blast had come from. The fight had reached them. He saw Gwendal and the others scattered about, some were still standing, throwing blasts of wind or fire at Elberich's slowly advancing form.
Elberich finally came around the corner and stepped into the center of the hall. It was exactly like Yuuri when he became the Demon King. A blue halo pulsed around him as sparks of lightening flittered around him, poised and ready to strike with a single thought.
Wolfram stood frozen in terror. If he felt they were trapped before, it didn't compare to the complete despair that overcame him when Elberich turned blackened eyes to him and grinned like a predator that had its prey cornered.
"Yuuri…" he whimpered, some part of him wishing against all odds that somewhere inside that geist was his fiancé.
Walking in a fashion much too casual, Elberich sauntered down the hall towards Wolfram. He moved with all the malice and arrogance of a cold-blooded victor, taking his sweet time as he gracefully stepped over debris and bodies.
Elberich said nothing. Wolfram was pinned on the spot by his piercing stare. Out of the corner of his vision, Wolfram saw Conrad pick Greta up and run to some unknown location far away from him. Wolfram didn't blame his brother, as long as someone got Greta out safe, he didn't care what happened to him.
It seemed to take hours for Elberich to reach Wolfram. Wolfram slowly backed away from Elberich, which only seemed to amuse the entity.
"Wolfram, run!" he heard Gwendal shout from behind the advancing entity.
"Do something!" He heard his uncle hiss to no one in particular.
Elberich ignored them all, only focused on Wolfram, who was visibly shaking under his glare.
"Yuuri…" Wolfram whispered shakily. "Please…..please wake up….you have to fight this!"
Elberich only smiled coldly and continued to take amusement from Wolfram's retreat. He continued to stalk Wolfram until the demon prince found himself back up against the wall with nowhere to run.
An invisible force shoved Wolfram against the wall. The force grew until Wolfram was slowly being crushed under the weight. Wolfram was slowly lifted from the ground until his toes scraped at the floor beneath him. A pair of unseen hands twined around his neck and began to slowly strangle him. Wolfram choked and gasped, he tried to move his arms but they were useless. All the while, Elberich just stared at him, satisfied and gleeful at watching Wolfram gradually asphyxiate.
Meanwhile, Wolfram's family watched in horror. Conrad and Gwendal watched helplessly as their younger brother was killed before their eyes. There was nothing they could do to stand against Elberich. They were at a loss.
In a moment of clarity, Gwendal remembered the pocketknife he always kept in the inner pocket of his coat. He carefully reached in and sure enough, there it was, folding neatly where it had always been. An idea came to Gwendal but it was faulty. Would a knife succeed where their best magic had not?
But it was all they had. Elberich had to be stopped. All the magic and soothsaying couldn't defeat him, perhaps if they played to his mortal body, they could break his link to their world.
Gwendal unfolded the knife and brandished it. He could feel the cold smooth wood of the handle in his palm as he tightened his grip and stood with renewed determination. He would die, he knew that much. It was slim chances that any of them would survive. But if he could take down the enemy, then there would be hope for their kingdom.
Gwendal's forte was not knife fighting. His knowledge was simply a mastery of the basics as was his knowledge of anatomy. His actions relied on speed and surprise. While Elberich was distracted, he would have to go in for the quick kill. A stab to the side to immobilize him and then a slash to the throat. If he executed it right, Gwendal could finally end everything.
He staggered to his feet, ignoring the sharp pain in his shoulder and legs where a piece of shrapnel had embedded itself into his thigh. Elberich's back was to him, an open target that he just needed to get close enough too and the rest would fall into place.
Gwendal forced himself to look away from his baby brother's pale face. He hoped that he would be able to save him at the very least as long as he kept Elberich's attention directed at him.
Wolfram's struggling was slowing down as he grew faint from lack of air. Gwendal could hear Wolfram choking out various curses and pleas to Yuuri.
"Yuuri…wimp! Wake up!" Gwendal heard his brother cry out weakly. "Please…wake up… Yuuri!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * THYS * * * * * * * * * * * *
"What is it?"
The homunculus suddenly jumped to his feet. He stared intensely into the distance at the growing tear in the atmosphere.
"I think…someone called me…" The creature whispered, fixated on some distant point.
"Called you?" Elberich also rose from his perch on the ground. They had sat in silence for what felt like hours as the creature forced himself to relax and remember his true name.
"Someone called me!" the homunculus exclaimed. "Someone called my name!"
"What did they call you?" Elberich asked urgently.
"I…don't know!" The creature whined in frustration. "I want them to call me again!"
The creature stared out intently into the distance. The rift swirled and tumbled just ahead of him. During the brief flashes of lightening, he could see the figures of the dead souls scrambling towards their escape and two larger figures– maybe the twin death gods – subduing them and pushing them back into the abyss.
"Listen closely," Elberich whispered behind the creature.
Subduing a soft whine, the creature went silent. He willed the voice – or sound – to call out to him again.
A feeling of urgency pulled at the creature's gut. A growing sense of dread welled up inside him. He felt like he should be rushing somewhere, like he was needed elsewhere and was wasting time in purgatory. However, he didn't know why or where he so strongly needed to go. So he planted his feet in the ground, fighting the urge to just start running in a straight line towards the rift and waited.
There!
It made no sound, he didn't hear his name, but he felt the call. The creature could sense that something or someone was drawing him closer and they were desperately in need of him.
'Call me again!' the creature thought desperately. 'Call my name again!'
Time stood still. Everything was silent. The creature narrowed his gaze and continued to will the voice to call him again.
'Yuuri!'
The voice cut through the abyss and into creature's mind. It tore at his insides and invisibly yanked him forward. Not needing another coax, the creature took off running, ignoring the surprised shout from Elberich behind him.
'I know that voice!' the creature thought, but he couldn't place where the voice came from.
'Yuuri…wake up! Please!'
'Where are you?' The creature shouted in his mind. He growled in annoyance at his stubborn amnesia. He knew that voice. He knew it! But for the life of him, he couldn't place it. The name it uttered over and over again held no meaning for him. No images came, no memories, but he knew that voice.
The rift loomed over the creature just ahead of them, the souls crowded around the space waiting for their chance to escape. They saw the soulless creature running and saw their opportunity to take physical form. They reached out to him with cold hands and dragged him to the ground.
The creature screamed as they yanked him to the ground and fought for the right to steal his body. He bit and punched at anything that came within reach. He tried to push past the heaving crowd. When their icy hands touched him, it was complete torture. Every sin and tragedy that had ever befallen them came rushing into the creature's mind, tearing it to shreds as they fought to claim him for themselves.
Murderers, rapists, thieves, false accusations, wars, slaughters, famine, natural disasters, wrong executions – every tragic event that could ever be imagined came pouring into the creature's mind. The homunculus felt himself being torn, being absorbed into their suffering and losing his sense of connection to his own conscience. He fought as hard as he could, but for every memory and emotion he pushed away more would take their place.
Between the groping hands and twisted faces, the creature looked up into the rift. The dark grey clouds swirled around the rift and revealed the dark void between dimensions. It was utterly black and seemed to absorb what little light was around it from the lightening.
Suddenly the creature wasn't being pinned to the ground. He was standing upright in a dark place, facing a wall where a strangely familiar person was suspended against the wall, looking at him with fear and desperation. The person was mouthing something to him, like a plea. But he couldn't hear what he was saying.
'I know that face…..'
The image was gone and he was back on the ground fighting for his life. But he couldn't shake the sight of that person. The image flashed by so quickly, the creature had to wonder if he actually saw anything or if it was just an illusion.
"Get off me!" The creature shrieked, kicking at a random ghoul's face .he hapless soul screeched in rage but scampered away to make room for more souls that wanted to take his body.
The creature heard Elberich shout above the mayhem. He saw out of the corner of his vision, the cursed man pushing past the mob and trying to come to his aid. The man violently yanked back other souls to give the creature the chance, but even he was quickly overwhelmed by the chaos.
Just as suddenly, the creature was pulled back into the vision of before. He was standing in the hall, the same person was still being crushed by an invisible force against the wall in front of him, but this time, he heard the person call out to him with his last breath.
"Yuuri…stop! Please!...I-I love you!" The plea was so broken, a last ditch effort to finally reach out to him past the overwhelming negative emotion that surrounded him.
'I know you…'
The creature saw the twin gods appear above the riot. With scythes in hand, they cut away at the rebelling souls, who screamed in pain and scattered off. Utter pandemonium erupted around the creature as he continued to stare into the vision and watch the person who meant the most to him slowly die by his own hands.
"Wolf…ram?" The creature choked.
"Yuuri!" Wolfram choked. His movements slowed and stopped as the lack of oxygen was completely cut off by the force holding him against the wall.
'No…..no….leave him alone!'
It was him. Rather, it was his body and his powers being used to slowly kill those who meant everything to him. Someone else had taken over his mind and his body and was using him as a weapon. He watched helplessly as his powers were turned against the ones he loved.
"Yuuri!"
"Your Majesty!"
"Yuu-chan?"
"Shibuya."
"Wimp!"
Like a floodgate bursting open, the rush of feelings and images attached to them overtook the creature's mind. Faces, places, names, and people flashed before the creature's mind and quickly formed a coherent order that revealed his true origin. The epiphany of memories pushed past the images forced on him by the other souls and the creature finally began to remember.
He was a boy from a place called Japan who got flushed down a toilet to another world where he was declared the demon king. He was reluctant, but treated it as a new adventure. He met many people from many different walks of life. He wanted to be a good king, so he did what he could to help them. He didn't want war so he made allies out of enemies, much to the shock of his subjects, but he did it anyway. He was gifted with a great and mysterious power that would take over him when he became upset or angry, but he never ever allowed that power to kill anyone. He was happy, but stressed, he felt a new sense of purpose that he hadn't before now that he could change people's lives for the better.
But as time went on, he became tired and jaded. His naiveté and innocence no longer had a place in the world of monarchies and politics. Everything he did felt like a shallow mockery of what he used to be. He treated everything with the same level of apathy and none of the passion. However, he never knew why. He could only feel that he was not as complete as he thought he was. Something had been missing…. something was not meshing inside him. He felt like two people and no one at the same time. He only felt like half of a person and it slowly destroyed the happiness he once had.
He had stopped caring…and that was why the darkness was able to get in. It took him at his weakest and most dispirited and made him into a tool to exact its revenge.
He wouldn't let it succeed. He wouldn't let it win. He would take back control of his body and his life.
With a determined shout, the creature – his name was Yuuri! – shoved past the grasping hands with renewed strength. Sariel and Samael fought the souls back and began to close the rift. The energy had changed. It was reacting a new presence in it midst. It shifted and groaned and twisted away from the rift – and from the Demon King.
Sparks of energy ghosted around Yuuri's trembling hands as he defied the laws of the Afterlife and summoned his magic from another dimension through sheer force of will. A wave of magic energy burst out from him and threw back any remaining souls that tried to take his body.
Acting on instinct and the will to take back what was rightfully his, Yuuri reached past the rift and into the world of the living. He saw through his eyes – his actual eyes – at the carnage before him. He saw his limbs acting of their own accord to hurt his family. He would have none of that.
He forced his way past the barrier the thing that was Elberich's malice had created to block him. Elberich's dark power sensed his presence and sneered in hate at him. It fought him as he tried to literally push it out of his body and cut off its access to his power.
"You have robbed me of my magic for too long!" Yuuri hissed at the thing, too angry to be frightened of the dark miasma.
The dark entity hissed back. "You let me in!"
Yuuri couldn't argue. "Yes. I did. I was weak and let you take away everything that mattered to me and destroy it. But I'm taking control back."
"You are just a puppet!" It sneered. "You were always just a tool."
"No, I'm not," Yuuri retorted. His magic pulsed which made the entity recoil slightly. "I started out that way. But the memories I've made, the things I have done and the people I have come to love – you can't take that away from me. No one can. I am and always will be the Demon King. You are an imposter!"
Dark Elberich screeched. Yuuri dove in headfirst, his power blazing around him as he and the entity fought for dominance. There was no place for strategy or thought, only brute force and will. Yuuri forced his way back into his body, feeling the familiar energy of his water magic welcome him home from its imprisonment. He twisted himself around the dark miasma, encasing it in his own magic to subdue it. The spectre struggled and Yuuri fought to maintain control. They both tumbled and wrestled in the void, each trying to take the other by force, though Yuuri was gradually gaining the upper hand. He couldn't let Elberich win. He couldn't let his family and friends down anymore than he already had.
* * * * * * * * * * * * THYS * * * * * * * * * * * *
Wolfram felt the last of his life drain away from him.
'This is it…I'm going to die…'
He gave one last look to the man he loved more than anything. Yuuri's face, which had once been so open and friendly, was now twisted in a malicious grin as he watched Wolfram die.
They had tried so hard to save Yuuri, to protect him from this very thing. But they had no idea the awful secret hidden away inside their king. They were naïve, unprepared, and utterly useless in the face of Elberich's vengeance.
Over Elberich's shoulder, Wolfram noticed movement. Gwendal was making his way towards them, a small blade in his hand poised for attack. Wolfram cried in his mind. They really had no choice. Yuuri was lost to them and now it was a matter of saving what was left of their home.
The chance was slim. If Elberich saw Gwendal then all would be lost, even then it was no guarantee that they would succeed. Elberich seemed untouchable. It was laughable that a pocketknife would succeed where the strongest of magic had not.
But if he could manage to distract him.
What little air he could inhale, Wolfram tried to call out to the entity.
"Please…stop!" He choked.
Elberich only smiled. It was obvious he could have killed Wolfram much quicker had he wanted to. But he was apparently entertained by Wolfram's emotional begging and perked up when the prince tried to reach to a person who longer existed.
"Yuuri…I know you're there….you have to fight him! ….we need you…I need you!"
Wolfram saw Gwendal move closer. Just a few more feet and he would have a clear shot.
This was Wolfram's last chance to say what he had always wanted to say to his fiancé.
"Yuuri…I love you so much…I never…felt that way…about anyone…I only wanted…you to feel the same…"
Elberich only sneered in disgust at the overdramatic display. Seeming to grow bored with it all, Elberich tightened his grip, effectively crushing Wolfram's windpipe.
All air cut off and with tears stinging his eyes, Wolfram fell into oblivion with the grinning face of his former fiancé as the last thing he would ever see.
'Yuuri…I forgive you…'
And then, Wolfram could suddenly breathe.
The demon prince was unceremoniously dropped to the ground. He fell into a heap, choking and gagging as his body gulped large amounts of air. He felt dizzy and disoriented, his mind was blank and unaware of what was unfolding before him.
Elberich had faltered. The possessed demon king's body curled over onto itself in intense pain. It begin to jerk and writhe on the ground as if the were two opposing forces pulling in opposite directions. Its limbs bent in unnatural angles, cracking and straining under the pressure. It was grotesque to watch.
With Wolfram out of the way and Elberich suddenly indisposed, Gwendal saw his opportunity. There was no time to wonder as to why their enemy had abruptly collapsed, Gwendal had his opening.
Gwendal rushed forward, brandishing his knife while Elberich's back was turned. Gwendal had been in many battles where he relied on weapons and fighting tactics it win and not his earth magic. He was very well acquainted with knife fighting and had killed his share of enemies on the battlefield. His mind fell into the cold, single-mindedness of a practiced soldier and he plunged the knife as hard as he could between Elberich's ribs.
Elberich – Yuuri, his king and once future brother-in-law – convulsed. Blood came gushing through the fabric of his tattered shirt but Gwendal wasn't done. Just was quickly, he grabbed a handful of matted hair and yanked the wretched spectre's head back as far as it would go and he sliced cleanly into the exposed throat.
Gwendal swore. At the very last second the body writhed in his grip and the cut was off. The cut was deep but survivable and now Elberich's angered stare was turned to him. He had failed.
Gwendal was thrown across the hall from a blast of Elberich's energy. He landed onto the hard ground and heard the crack of his skull hitting the stone floor. He fell into unconsciousness with the knowledge that he had wasted his only chance of saving them all.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *THYS * * * * * * * * * * * *
Yuuri gained the advantage.
Elberich's dark power was faltering and Yuuri dived in with his own magic and took the offensive. Elberich screamed in frustration and retaliated with panicked blows and surges of pure energy. Yuuri fought to remain calm and fortified his magic against this last desperate attack.
Elberich's strength came from the years of suffering and hatred of his kin. That negativity had formed into its own being over time with no sense of reasoning or thought, it only had the ability to over take Yuuri's own power through his possession of part of Elberich's soul. But without its own mind, that malice was at a disadvantage with Yuuri, who had regained his memories and thus, his will and conscience. Yuuri was the stronger spirit and he would inevitably win.
"You have no power here!" Yuuri shouted as he gave one last heave that dispelled Elberich form his body and from their world for good. "You have no power over me!"
Elberich continued to scream and fight, coming to the realization that he was losing.
"Go back to the abyss! Go back and face your final judgment at the hands of the death gods! Never come back. I am your king and you will obey me!"
The entity gave one final wail before it imploded on itself. The void where they fought began to absorb the entity that clawed and fought as the inky blackness dragged him to the unknown.
Yuuri stood triumphant and powerful, watching his enemy be dragged to the halls of the Damned under Samael's rule. The spectre of Elberich would no longer be able to sneak his way into the world of the living and threaten his kingdom ever again.
When the spectre was carried away into the abyss, Yuuri gained his consciousness and found himself back in his own body.
Disoriented and surprised, Yuuri fell to his knees and felt the cold hard ground beneath him.
He was in one of the main halls just beyond the main entrance. Dizzy and confused, He looked around the area at the complete mess that surrounded him. Broken glass, torn tapestries and drapes, random broken object thrown from other areas of the castle lay around him. This was not the pristine palace he knew so well. This was a disaster zone.
Yuuri felt himself grow weak. Something warm and wet oozed down his neck and chest. A shaky hand reached up to touch the strange liquid and lift it to his face. Yuuri barely registered his own blood dripping down his hand and the dull pain from the slash across his throat and the stab on his side before he fell sideways as he grew weak from blood loss.
Yuuri absently noticed his godfather running towards him from his right. He barely heard the distant voices of his advisor, Dr. Marko, and several other voices that he recognized but couldn't name, hysterically calling out his name.
'I did all that….just to die…'He thought mournfully.
A cloth was pressed against the gash on his neck. More shouting, someone rolled him onto his back. Yuuri saw shadows of people rapidly moving around him and yelling some more. His head fell to the side and the last thing he saw before he was pulled back into the darkness was his fiancé – his Wolfram - laying passed out on the floor next to him.
'At least….Wolfram is safe….Everyone is safe now…"
* * * * * * * * * * * * THYS * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 21!
Oh Em Gee! This was probably the hardest chapter to write. It had to have to right sense of drama and action with the right amount of pacing. I don't know how well I pulled it off, but I did my best and hope it was enjoyable.
And now, my readers, we've come to the end! We only have one chapter left where everything will be wrapped up and the aftermath of Elberich's reign of terror will be discussed.
Thank you all so much for your continued support and feedback. I can't believe it's been almost two years since I started this fic. You have all been with me from the start and I can't thank all of you enough.
Please review! I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say about this chapter. I worked really hard on it.
Thanks! EB