Chapter Twenty-Three:
"Judged From Up High"
Revolver had given him a vague answer, so Light demanded an answer again, "What kind of fun?"
Revolver smiled. "I bet Misa Amane loves you more than ever now after the kind of fun we had together," he said with a chuckle. "I get it now why you keep her around. It certainly isn't for her brains. As for the Astral God, he experienced an essential part of 'the human experience'. And even if he tries to deny it, he enjoyed it very much. And just so things went my way, I used a heavily laced pheromone by-product to stimulate repressed desires most people are assuredly afraid to exhibit."
Light's eyes widened. "You sick bastard! How dare you! That's—"
"Oh, please! You use people all the time and manipulate them to get what you want, whatever the cost. I just emulated your character traits to suit my needs. I've done my research on you. You're very smart, and you're also quite an accomplished physical combatant. You did well at the police academy and fell into favour with your self-defence trainer. He even gave you personal tips on hand-to-hand combat, helped you with your foot work, and suggested you get a secondary weapon. You even packed on about fifteen pounds of muscle going to the gym on a regular bases. A tried to copy you as best I could. But since I haven't see all of you, I took some artist license and enjoyed myself with Misa and the Astral God, as you."
"How the hell—"
"I was there. I was one of the students in your self-defence class. I watched you grow from a skinny wimp to a rather handsome hunk. It studied you and stalked you. I was even in your room when you were still in high school."
Light blinked. "You what?"
"I found that little homemade explosive device you built in your desk drawer to keep the Death Note safe. But we Shinigami can pass through solid objects, so I saw it without needing to open it. If I did BOOM, then your entire room, even a good portion of your house would have gone up in flames. But that was your intention if anyone found it. Right?"
Light was shocked. There was no possible way anyone but himself and Ryuk could have known that unless Revolver had indeed been watching him back them and had been in his house. If he could emulate anyone he pleased, naturally it would be a student at his school that blended in to the background and summarily at the academy. And as a Shinigami, sneaked into his house.
Damn! How long have I been watched? Longer than with Raye Penber, even L?
"You see, the Evangelist has been observing you for a very long time—ever since you picked up the Death Note. The moment a Shinigami enters the Human World, he knows about it. You wrote quite a lot of names in the Death Note when I peaked in and saw it. I've been keeping the Evangelist apprized of your daily routines, too. And just to get it out in the open, I was the one who was attached to the man you found in Hansel Dragoon's condo apartment who murdered Gretel Grimm."
"Honestly, I'm not surprised. There was evidence that a Shinigami was involved in the crime and Dragoon's Death Note was missing. But why kill him? I don't need to tell you the whole story, but after his girlfriend was revived by the Astral God, no doubt he would have lived a happy life with her. He was out of the picture. You were ordered to kill her and Dragoon not to send me a message, but you get the attention of that Astral God, isn't that true?"
"Sharp as a whip," Revolver said. "And you should know by now that the Evangelist is using you to bait a hook, Light Yagami. And he waited for the opportune time to reel your in after he tested the Astral God's powers. The Astral God is your only saving grace now. The Kira Task Force has one Death Note under lock and key and this was your spare, secretly collected when Rem sacrificed herself for you and Misa, murdering L and his older subordinate. Without the Death Note, you're impotent."
Revolver reached behind his back and removed the Death Note that had been tucked in his pants. He showed it openly.
"The power of a god has been taken from you, Light Yagami," Revolver declared. "You found a similar book at your high school. You used it and filled countless pages, this one being your second one. And once you learned of its potential...Well, what human can't resist playing god in a world of mortals, eh? The Death Note gives the user ultimate power over life without the risk of exposure. All you had to do is sit back and kill bad guys, but you got too brazen and tried to test its limits. That's where your folly came in and how you were exposed. When a Shinigami kills, their lifespan increases. Yours does not. But you worked very hard to kill so many of people. However, to say it bluntly, you are the worst serial killer the world has ever known."
Light clenched his teeth. "I disagree with that. No telling how many innocent lives I have saved with it."
"Have you? You kill criminals after the fact. If you were a true god, you would stop a crime before it has been committed. And you've killed innocent people who have tried to catch you."
Semantics, he thought. "I prevent further crimes from being committed,"Light replied.
"It's edging a fine line to call you a saviour of the masses even after everything you've done. You're a wanted man. But soon you'll become old news. And the people will go to something else like that always do. This is why Kira needs to stay fresh. Hence, the reason why the monster truck incident was devised by the Evangelist."
"Thank you, you've provided me with some invaluable information," Light said, smiling slyly.
Revolver's eyes narrowed. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"Psychopaths often go off on a tangent and say too much."
"You've seen too many movies. And you are not a saviour to the masses. You know what they say, a hero often fails."
"Some would say Kira is the antithesis of a hero and they want Kira to win. The people love me! I'm willing to do what it takes to change this world for the better. And you know what? They're right!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his baton, then ejected it to its full extension. He press another button and an electronic charge was generated at its tip. "Sappho, get back!"
"Weapons cannot harm a Shinigami, you fool!"
"Even without a Death Note, I am still a formable force to reckon with!"
Light lunged at Revolver, baton in hand. He knew the Shinigami could faze transparent to avoid his attack. Instead, Revolver put up his hands to defend himself against the weapon, holding up the Death Note like a shield.
Light faked and grabbed the notebook, then delivered a heavy strike to Revolver. Revolver cried out as he was shocked with 2,500 volts. Light knew he couldn't kill the Shinigami, but he could hurt the god of death. Ryuk told him that.
Revolver pushed him back, holding his left shoulder. "You son-of-a-bitch! I'm going to make you pay for that!"
The Shinigami had sincerely underestimated Light.
Suddenly, Revolver's face distorted demonically, and he snarled with spittle ejecting from his mouth, exhibiting razor, sharp teeth, like that of a cornered animal and produced a pair of serrated, mandible clawed fingers.
He went to attack Light—
Light suddenly found himself somewhere else and in an abyss of darkness.
He twisted around.
The only thing that produced any light was his electrified baton tip. He held the Death Note with his other hand.
"Where Am I?"
Suddenly, a large, tall staircase appeared before him. It lit up on all sides and in the middle of each stair like something one would see inside a movie theatre to help guide a person to their seat.
Light blinked, squinting to see upwards.
He saw an unidentified person sitting up high, and in some sort of chair, but he could only see the silhouette of the other. If he didn't know any better, he could swear the individual was sitting cross-legged.
"Felicitations, Light Yagami, and welcome, once again, to the Astral Plane," the entity revealed.
Light recalled the first time he was brought to the Astral Plane. Epiphany had ripped him from his world just before Hansel Dragoon tried to kill him thinking Kira had murdered his girlfriend Gretel Grimm.
But something about this time was different.
Light felt uneasy.
Epiphany had mentioned two other gods who were in charge of cosmic books. Unnamed, those gods were in possession the Book of the First Dawn and the Book are the Book of the Second Sight. Epiphany owned the Book of the Third Eye.
Was this one of the other two gods?
Just then, the ground beneath Light's feet brightened and swirled with a soft red glow much like watery blood. He looked down. It was enough for him to see. At least this time, he got to keep his clothes.
He switched off the electricity to his baton and lowered both arms. He looked back up the staircase.
Epiphany did say that if he used his powers he could be detected by the other two cosmic Astral gods. Maybe this was the case?
He played it cool. This god had just rescued him, so at the very least he was in deserving of gratitude. Who knows what Revolver could have done to him? By the look of the claws on Revolver's hands just before Light vanished, they had the ability to shed him to pieces like minced meat.
"Thank you for rescuing me," Light said humbly. "What should I call you, Astral God?"
"Names are inconsequential," the god spoke. His voice echoed. "Light Yagami, you showed foolish arrogance in attempting to battle that change-shaping Shinigami. It was irresponsible. No conventional weapon can harm of god of death, you know this being an owner of a Death Note, correct?"
Light nodded.
"Shocking him would do no good," the god continued. "You would have only thrown your life away aimlessly if you continued. That is why I rescued you. It was nothing but idiotic heroics in front of that woman. I thought you better than that."
Light frowned. Who ever this, it had been watching the entire exchange.
"You have caused serious damage to the cosmic forces with your ill-use of the Death Note and so many lives have been snuffed out on a whim for a personal agenda," the god continued. "You must be punished for your transgressions."
Light's eyes widened. "Wait! Others are in possession of Death Notes. Why only punish me? No, I will not be lectured by you on how to use a Death Note. There is no rule how one should be used. I have a contract with a Shinigami. I was told it was accepted by the Universal Construct and cannot be broken unless one of two stipulations are present."
"I am aware of the stipulations," the god said back. "As for my interest, the moment you picked up the Death Note I knew things would go awry. It always does when one is dropped in the Human World. The cosmic timeline becomes unstable when one is used. And you used it frequently. You felt emboldened with every name you wrote. You wiped out hundreds of lives under the guise of helping Human Kind while changing the fates of others. And you also spilled the blood of the innocent."
Light swiped his hand through the air angrily. "No one is innocent! Edmund Burke, an Irish Statesman and Philosopher, once said: 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing'. It is an absolute truth. When I picked up the Death Note, I knew evil needed to be banished from my world! Sacrifices were needed. I am making my world a better place."
"And what if you do kill all the 'bad people' in your world? Will you then enact laws for those who are left to follow? And if they break those laws, will they be punished? One-size-fits-all? Will you enact a dictatorship to fit your new society? Crown yourself king, even emperor? Judging from your world's history, you'll probably be stabbed in the back."
Light's lip twitched. He knew that was a quip on how Julius Caesar was murdered in his gardens by his most trusted people.
"One step at her time," he said. "Cleansing the world of evil is not like snapping your fingers. Soon the people will understand that Kira is right! And those that have not found their way, will eventually see the light."
"You talk like a religious minister. Will Kira's legacy one day be that of evangelical?" The god laughed. "Evil runs rampant in the Human World, but what gives you the right to play god and judge others?"
"Something needs to be done. I decided to something with the Death Note."
"What if I decide you are too dangerous to return to your world?"
Light eyed him insipidly. He extended his arms openly as if inviting judgement. "If you decide to end my life here, then you condemn my world to endless evil. People have been waiting for someone like Kira, much like the Second Coming of Christ."
The god laughed. "You are not by any means the Second Coming of the Messiah. You may harbour a deep resentment towards evil, but one cannot exist without the other. If you wish to fall in my favour, then you must do something for me first. Only then, will I decide whether or not you are worthy you to return back to your world."
"And what would I have do or say? How can I persuade a god to give me a second chance? To prove that Kira is righteous?"
"For starters, stop being so moody, Light Yagami. Then say a prayer, submit an offering, maybe a five Yen coin, and turn that frown upside down." It was followed by laughter. "You pseudo-human gods are always so serious."
Suddenly, a bright light illuminated the individual sitting up on high. He was sitting cross-legged on a golden throne, on a soft, red cushion. Light's eyes widened with shock when he looked upon the face of the astral god—Epiphany.
To be continued...