"You do enjoy making deals with devils, don't you, Oracan?" Xephos sneered. "Though perhaps you have never made a deal of this scale before. Neither with a devil of this power."
"Spare me this, Father. Just take a good offer when you get one. At least I'm offering you everything, rather than you just taking it all."
"I take whatever I please, Oracan. And when I rule the world no one will stand in my way."
"I'm sure." Ridge said, drooping. "Well, what's your decision?"
"Well, Oracan, obviously you're right." Xephos said, folding his arms and approaching Ridge, taking large comedic strides, in a zigzagging path. "I mean, this was all very fun, but Xephos…well…he isn't exactly a real demon, is he? More like a watered down version. And how on earth am I supposed to ascend to power if the host I walk in isn't even the real thing?" He sighed disapprovingly, shaking his head as he walked around the back of Ridge. "The humanity in him…makes me sick. All these feelings of…rage…and…bitterness…but then there are feelings of…love…and…friendship. But I don't suppose you would have any of that going on inside you, would you, Oracan?" He said, breathing down the younger demon's neck.
"Not as much as Xephos." Ridge admitted.
He shivered as Xephos delicately ran a clawed finger up his spine. "You were the first; the original sin, the strongest of them all. I suppose if anyone is worthy of hosting me, it's you."
Ridge reached behind his back, stretching out his fingers. "It's a deal then, right?"
Xephos studied his hand for a moment, before grasping at it firmly. "It certainly is."
Ridge staggered for a moment, weakening as the presence changed hosts. Lomadia stepped towards him, but he reached out his other hand to stop her advancing any further. He gave her a small smile before the two demons collapsed to the floor.
Lomadia rushed towards the both of them, but remained wary, standing a few feet away from the collapsed figures. Ridge lay still, while Xephos twitched uncomfortably in his unconsciousness.
Dark.
Dark.
Dark.
Don't like the dark.
Wish someone was here with me.
Chains binding my wrists are hurting.
Dark.
Still don't like it.
Head hurts. Wrists hurt. Everything hurts.
Dark.
Want torches.
Want friends.
Can't move. Numb.
Pained. Sleepy.
Still dark. Fuck.
Feels like lots of little needles are digging into my skin.
Ripping into me. Pinning me down.
Head hurts a lot. Feels heavy. Can't remember things.
Don't like the dark. Feeling scared.
Don't think about dark. Ignore it.
Think about good things.
Lomadia.
Light.
Friends.
Warmth.
What's that?
I see light.
Bright light.
Chains feel looser. Muscles feel stronger.
Start moving towards the light. Inching closer.
Feels warmer.
Feels safer.
Feels friendlier.
Not dark anymore.
Bright...
Xephos' eyes flickered open, dimming back down to blue. Slowly he opened them fully, his vision still blurry, his eyes still unfocused. Lomadia clasped onto his hand. "Come on, Xeph. Come on." She whispered encouragingly, as his eyes darted fearfully around. "Hey there." She said, smiling, tilting his head up; holding the back of his head in her hand. "It's Lomadia. Are you alright?"
"I…" Xephos said once again, blinking very fast and very often.
Lomadia heard Ridge stand behind her. "Uhhh…" he groaned, massaging his head. His mouth broke into a wide, toothy grin as he opened his scarlet eyes. Once again, he looked down at himself, giving an elegant twirl before breathing, deeply satisfied with this turn of events. "Oh, yes…" he smiled. "…so much more peaceful than before…and a lot more handsome, too." He added, swishing the long tails of his coat from side to side. "And…the power…pulsating through my veins…oh, and…" he pushed off excitedly from the ground, shooting into the air and performing an impressive selection of ambitious stunts before returning to hover just a foot or so above the ground, stretching his arms. "…I really did miss that. Oh, Oracan, you have so much to be proud of…yes…I think you're the perfect fit for me." He cackled at the terrified faces peering up at him, through the darkening night. He let out a twisted, wheezing laugh. "Now, mere mortals, the fun really begins." He said, zooming higher and higher off the ground, letting out another fit of giggles. "It's time to celebrate Israphel's ascent in the world of Minecraftia!" he burst out into maniacal laughter, slapping his knee perfectly in time with a thunderclap in the distance. He rubbed his hands together gleefully, a devious grin having formed on his face. "Now, let's see about that Gate…" he made a hard and fast jabbing motion at the Ukushona Gate sitting, overgrown on top of the distant mountain, and as he did so, a strike of lightning, blindingly impressive, snapped down from the black-purple sky and made the Gate burst into fiery life. Ridge let out another cackle as he soared higher and higher into the air, as rain began pelting down once he disappeared, still hooting with laughter, into the thick layer of dark grey clouds.
For a few moments all that could be heard was the rain slapping forcefully against leaves and blades of grass, and tricking down intricate paths the tangled branches of trees had formed.
"Lomadia, are you sure that's a good idea? He might still be all…weird and scary." Nilesy said, gesturing to Xephos, who still lay limp and weak in the owl keeper's arms.
"For once, Nilesy might be right." Lalna said, scratching the back of his head. "We won't know if he's safe until we do some more tests…"
"Because they worked so well last time, didn't they, Lalna?" Rythian spat, fuming. "I suggest we just kill him now, then we've only got…"
"Yes, Rythian, we've all heard your opinion." Lalna retorted, his rubber gloved hands balling into fists. "I seem to recall it was your reappearance that got us into this mess in the first place."
"Are you suggesting that this is my fault?!"
"Well, partly. Because, let's face it, if we think about this logically, we would have stood a much better chance of understanding what Xephos was if you'd told us as soon as you'd found out, but oh no; you had to keep it a secret and go on your own personal quest for retribution…"
"My family was killed by demons; I think I have a right to avenge them without you poking your nose into my business!"
"All I'm saying is, things were going a lot better once you'd left…"
"Better?! In what way are things going better?!"
"Look, none of this would have even happened if you hadn't shown up again…or if you'd bloody told someone about this! I mean, isn't this quite an important thing to say to someone?"
"Says the guy who was going to hit him with lightning!" Rythian snarled. He turned, looking more serious, to Zoey. "Anyway, I did tell someone."
"And why did you tell this preposterous theory to the crazy cyborg mushroom lady who no one would ever believe?"
"Hey, what the heck, Lalna?" Zoey protested.
"Preposterous theory?!" Rythian retorted, shaking with anger. "You mean the theory that turned out to be correct?!"
Xephos burrowed into Lomadia's warmth, shaking and sniffing with fear as he shrunk away from the shouting and the wet drops of rain pelting down around them. Despite her worries, she gently stroked his wispy brown hair, trying to ignore the hard bumps of his horns beneath her fingers. "Shh, shh, now, Xeph." She said softly, glancing up at the arguing mage and scientist. "Hey, cut it out, you guys!" she called. "This isn't helping anyone!"
"I…" Xephos murmured, clearly disturbed by everything happening around and to him.
"Oh, would someone please just shut him up?" Rythian snapped, reaching for his katana. Zoeya defiantly kicked it out of his reach.
"Just stop this, Rythian. I know you're upset, but…please." She said, her voice more sincere than the mage had ever heard it.
Xephos tensed all of a sudden, and as Lomadia turned to look at him, he shoved her forcefully out of the way, as he scrambled, crouched on all fours, away from her, and away from the group. He shrunk up against a tree trunk, his eyes wild and animalistic, his muscles coiled and tense. "Deharz…deharz…deharz…" he repeated, his eyes darting from person to person, scanning every face, his muscles twitching in anticipation.
Lomadia reached out towards him, crawling on all fours also. "It's okay, Xephos. We're not going to hurt you." She said, her voice soothing. "We're friends, remember?"
"Fr-fr…fr-e-nds. Friends?" he gabbled unsurely, cocking his head, though he seemed to recognize the word.
Lomadia nodded and beckoned him closer encouragingly. "That's right – friends."
He narrowed his bright eyes slightly, before violently shaking his head, breathing hard and heavy. "Friends…deharz…deharz…deharz…"
"Dee-har-s? Deharz?" Lomadia asked. She gestured back to the group, not wanting to take her eyes off Xephos, who had gingerly reached for the electrified sword, though he kept his back pinned up against the trunk of the tree. "Does anyone understand what he's saying? Rythian?"
"How should I know?" Rythian grumbled, dismissing the fact that everyone's eyes were now on him. He did not give in so easily to peer pressure.
"Deharz…deharz…imbuka…imbuka…" he seemed to say the last word with a slightly more bitter edge to his voice.
"Oh, I know that one!" Zoeya cried, making everyone's attention switch to her. She blushed. "I mean, I've read it somewhere before, in an old storybook Rythian lent me once." She shrugged. "Don't know what it means, though."
"What was the story about?" Lalna probed. "That might give us a clue as to what it means."
"It was the one about Herobrine, Notch's brother, and how he was cast out of the Aether after trying to make the night more powerful. After Notch made him leave, there was this picture that took up a whole page, and there was some really weird imagery…but anyway, Herobrine called Notch an 'imbuka' too. But what was the translation...?" Zoeya thought back to the story, thinking of words and images that made sense as definitions and translations.
"Imbuka…imbuka…imbuka!" Xephos cried over the sound of the heavy rain, his grip tightening on his sword hilt, his face wrinkling into a growl, his fangs glinting in the dim light.
"Oh, I know!" Zoeya suddenly said, leaping to her feet enthusiastically, and raising her hand impressively, before her mood suddenly and inexplicably darkened, her hand sliding back down beside her. "It…it means 'traitor'."
Xephos snapped and snarled at the group as several pairs of eyes turned to look at their former friend, their eyes brimming with sadness and pity. "Imbuka…" he insisted, retreating further into the darkness of the forest as Lomadia tried to reach out to him again. "Imbuka!" he finally cried, turning away from the group and darting away into the forest, disappearing quickly in the wall of leaves and branches.
"Xephos? Xephos!" Lomadia called out, having to raise her voice against the onslaught of rain. Mr. Owl gave a loud and concerned hoot. The thunder was their only response, rumbling louder than the pitter-patter of rain; even louder than the fizzling of the Ukushona Gate.
Rythian bowed his head, deep in thought. In some ways, he had gotten what he wanted. The demons had gone – one to hide from the world, the other to conquer it.
