Chapter 6

Ari had bolted into a library. Hearing the screams of the damned and something else coming from outside made her panic. At first, the next noise came as a whisper. It grew louder as she tried to ignore it. It was saying her real name, over and over again like a broken record. Covering her ears, it screamed,

ARIANROD!

"SHUT UP!" Ari raged back and shattered a wall with a punch.

She covered her ears and closed her eyes. Black tears escaped her eyes, and hearing more people dying outside made her wish she could join them. If it would only make this voice stop. The voice suddenly hissed,

You're not going to die that easily….Soon you will be MINE.

"Fuck you…" Ari muttered angrily.

It kept whispering and Ari kept yelling for it to stop. However, its game was far from through. Her eyes opened, and she was back in Boston University, and she was staring at Sid. It was the first day they met! And Ari almost smiled, until she felt the scar on her face to remind her that Sid wasn't the best for her. As if on the drop of a hat, she was standing above her body, the bullet hole apparent, but the corpse suddenly developed void black eyes, and contorted where bones snapped, and shattered as it hissed at her in her own voice,

"Such a pathetic little girl…" seeing Ari's eyes widen in terror, "Shall I show you what I can do?"

Suddenly screams filled Ari's ears….Sid's screams. She closed her eyes as more tears leaked from them, and in a desperate act to come back, she clawed her arm, and screamed,

"STOP IT!"

She was back in the library again. Only to hear the door open and Alastor walked through. Panicking, Ari yelled at the Radio Demon,

"Stay away from me! PLEASE! I don't wanna hurt you!"

Alastor laughed, but it was remarkably gentle. He drew closer and reached a hand out to her as Ari backed away. He asked with a soft tone,

"What are you doing here, my dear? And why are you on the floor?"

"NO! Stay away from me! I'm going to kill you if you come any closer!" Ari pleaded.

"Come on, darling. Everyone's worried about you back at the Hotel…Come on, let's go home." Alastor purred.

Ari's eyes went solid black as she almost reached for his hand, until she heard a sudden, and sharp noise. All it sounded was like a roar, that yelled out,

"ARI!"

Canis broke the door and Alastor and Lucifer ran in, only to see a shadowy essence standing over Ari. With a flick of its wrist, Ari was suddenly dangled in the air, as if suspended from a crucifix. Lucifer and Alastor stared awestruck and horrified. Lucifer snarled as he realized this was the real deal,

"I see you're awake! Time to put you back to sleep!"

Arrogant, have you grown Lucifer….These pitiful peons in your company have no way of stopping me either….the darkness hissed.

Lucifer snickered, and Alastor looked as though the fallen angel had been struck insane. He looked to Canis and Alastor and said quietly,

"Keep it distracted…."

"How?! With my charm and good looks!?" Alastor snapped in a mutter as the darkness chuckled.

I think we should even the odds….

The shadow disappeared, and Ari fell to the ground only to stand with a sickening laugh and a twisted, and gnarled smile. Alastor inwardly felt his heart sink, and as Ari lunged at him and Canis, he snarled at Lucifer as they dodged and barely deflected Ari's assaults,

"WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING," Taking a sharp blow to the head, Alastor raged, "DO IT NOW!"

Suddenly, a bright light surrounded Lucifer. A blue mark appeared upon his hands, and he uttered only one name that nearly caused Canis, and Alastor stop and the darkness contorted Ari in an unnatural way. It growled as an angelic essence began to fill the library,

That's cheating…I suppose one turn deserves another!

An eldritch scream filled the room as a shadow began to twist and gnarl into a shape. But it could take form, a spear of pure white energy shredded through it. An old, but irritated tone asked out,

"Lucifer, what in Father's Name did you do-Oh, my God! What happened here!?"

"Nice to see you too, Michael!" Lucifer snarked.

Michael went to say something back when the Darkness through Ari chuckled. Michael looked at Ari and his eyes narrowed. He muttered something along of the lines of "Typical…." And Alastor and Lucifer backed away as the archangel drew near Ari. The Darkness laughed and said with a demented smirk,

Such a touching family reunion is it not? I'm going to enjoy-SHUT UP! YOU'RE MINE!

Confused, Michael watched as Ari slammed herself into a pedestal meant to hold a tome. She panted, and despite the blood loss from her head injury, she looked to Michael who almost felt pity for the pain her silver eyes reflected as she reached for him and said with a grim, yet accepting tone,

"Do it…."

Lucifer went to interject. Her body was trying to flail and grab at her throat to silence her. Michael realizing what she was in reference let his eyes narrow again. He said in shock,

"You're insane! Me possessing you along with that decrepit piece of history will kill you!"

"PLEASE! Do it, before it destroys-" She was cut off by the Darkness seizing control again and snarling, Rather beneath you to resort to name calling Michael…. It hissed Michael's name as if it were the ultimate insult.

"Ugh, fine! I am doing this out of necessity! Do not blame me if you die!" Michael snarled.

He grabbed Ari's hand, and his grace burned through her body as he temporarily seized control. Alastor went to try to reach for Ari, only to have the darkness fling him away. Canis caught him, and Lucifer watched the inward struggle between the three for control. Ari weakly snapped out,

"A vessel…I NEED A VESSEL!"

Lucifer raised a brow, but realizing she was in truly in control, he knew. Running to the bookshelves, he frantically searched. The books suddenly became lit with flame, but Lucifer found one not touched by the primordial flames. A bible…Holding it like a dead rat, he ordered Canis,

"RESTRAIN HER!"

Canis threw chains around Ari's legs just as Michael was flung from Ari's body. The darkness screamed out, THIS BODY IS MIIIIINE! In a weak grimace, Michael growled in anger,

"What do you have planned!? Because if you don't have one, I have to destroy her!"

The darkness flung its arms open, and the room became void black. Smirking in victory, it growled in triumph,

YOU are in my realm now! As Michael's light became dim, it snarled, Where there is light, there is always be Dark!

Suddenly, a weak chuckle sounded from Ari like a creaking wooden door. The darkness flickered and Ari responded as Lucifer threw the bible into her hands,

"You're right! Where there is dark, there will always be hope for light!"

The darkness snarled in rage, SHUT UP! DO AS YOU ARE TOLD! Despite the heavy burns the book was leaving on her hands she put the book on the pedestal. Canis, grunting in fear and weakening resolve, snarled out,

"HURRY UP KID! I CAN'T HOLD IT DOWN FOREVER!"

Alastor put his hand Ari's shoulder in a reassuring manner, and said firmly, "Do it!" Ari nodded, and began to speak the Lord's prayer. Michael realizing what was happening, grabbed her and joined in. The Darkness screamed and raged, but it had one last card to play to keep Ari under its control.

The apocalyptic mess vanished, and she wakes up in the rocking sensation of a boat. She felt tears escape her eyes. She heard an old voice she longed to hear for almost a year call out,

"Ari! See any fish yet!? Or did I catch ya nodding off again!?"

"Nah, gramps! I'm awake…." Ari said with a slight yawn.

The kindly old fisherman moved next to her, and they both looked down into the depths of the murky black ocean. She felt a flicker of fear, only to hear her grandfather mutter about a storm coming, and Ari felt her shoulders be squeezed. Her eyes widened, and her grandfather asked,

"What do you think, should we turn back now?"

Ari smiled with real tears coming forth, and said with a genuine yet saddened smile,

"Nah, grandpa….The best part of the day comes after the rain!"

Her grandfather's eyes flickered in shock and then they narrowed slightly in thought. He offered with a voice not like his own,

"Wouldn't you like to stay here? No more Angel Dust, no more Alastor, no more Exterminations…..I could do this, you know. Live here, on this boat, reliving a happy memory….All you have you have to do is just jump in…"

Ari smiled. The Darkness persisted,

"You could be given all you ever wanted…" Pulling an image of a mangled Sid, it added, "Wouldn't you want to see him suffer for all he did?"

A white spear, despite the utter agony it caused upon her touching it, appeared in Ari's hand and she rammed it through the Darkness' throat. It growled and writhed in frustration. Her eyes now the Grimm's she snarled in unfathomable rage,

"If you're going to assume my grandfather's form, know what he's like!"

The illusion shattered, and Ari realized she had stopped half-way through the prayer. Gathering what little strength she had left, and ignoring the darkness' screams, she resumed,

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver from evil!" Michael and her voice rang out as Ari's right hand pushed itself onto the pages, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever, and ever! AMEN!"

The void faded away, the library visible once again. The shadows began to be absorbed into the book, and Ari forced herself to stand and watch as the being that nearly destroyed everything was entombed in the book. A strong wind syphoned the energy into the book, the burnt remains of the previous library billowing about in the maelstrom of violent and unbridled power. The shadow form walked out of Ari's body and sighed.

So close this time….I'll have to be more patient next time….looking to a stunned Michael and Lucifer it hissed, this will never be over….the struggle between light and will never cease! For what is light without dark?

With a smirk, it simply vanished into the tome.

Alastor completely disheveled and in shock looked around as the screams and shrill sounds of terror ceased. For once in his demonic life, Alastor was thankful for the silence. Canis fell to his knees in exhaustion and Ari collapsed into Alastor's arms, who hesitantly caught her and held her to him. Lucifer sealed the book, and Michael took it off the pedestal. With a weary smile and sigh, Michael asked his brother,

"You can't do anything simple, can you?" Holding the book in his hands, he growled, "Father may not be pleased, but I will not allow this to happen again."

With a flutter of white feathered wings, Michael was gone.