CHAPTER 36:
"A Startling Truth"
Menace paused for a moment, then gestured out to the barren landscape. "Behold, history in its infancy, before the dawn of your civilization," he said. "Shinigami fighting The Brigade of Life, they are all around us."
Demetre couldn't see anything, looking around. But then he understood. A god of death can only be seen and heard once their Death Note is touched. Perhaps the same went for the members of The Brigade of Life, masking their presence. The ghosts of yesteryear, only presenting themselves to those that could see them?
"But, if you saw them, you'd be intimidated, trust me, so I am hiding their presence from your eyes," Menace confirmed. As Demetre thought. "And they cannot see us, as this is the far distant past. We cannot interact with them, and nothing they do here will harm us. You wouldn't want to see what I see right now."
Then, in the distance, came what appeared to be a whirlwind of dust blowing violently, kicked up by something. Demetre focused on that area, and yet he could only seen the whisk of dust. It did not seen normal, however. Not unlike a sand devil that sometimes happened in deserts.
Menace waved his hand, and a magnetic viewfinder appeared, enhancing the action in the distance.
Demetre saw two people fighting. One had a sword, and the other was defending with his bare hands, but also sending out, what looked like white/blue energy pulses from open palm hands at the other at intermittent intervals, to retaliate. It was the stuff of science-fiction, but it was happening, and Demetre was witnessing it with his own eyes. He didn't know who the swordsman was, but he knew the other, or he thought he recognized the other…
"What am I seeing here?" Demetre asked.
"I have allowed you can see them," Menace revealed. "This is the final battle between Morph and Clavis, many, many years ago. Clavis aligned himself with the Shinigami because he was friends with many of them, and his reason for attacking Morph soon became apparent after one of their previous encounters. Morph murdered Clavis's family on a whim, Clavis siding with the enemy. It was cold and ruthless. Clavis was not even supposed to be in the war, but he choose to enter of his own free will. After his family was killed, he then saw Morph as his mortal enemy."
Demetre watched through the viewfinder, Morph, who was dressed in black instead of his white attire, and fought the advances of Clavis, who wore a complete black bodysuit. He had a large diagonal scar across his face from his forehead to chin descending from right to left. Morph blocked Clavis's sword strikes with his hands, using some sort of power. Morph never exhibited such power to either he or Light openly.
"Who is Clavis?"
"A powerful being from a distance realm," Morph said. "And if he wanted to, he could destroy the entire Human Race. But he choses not to fight, because he considers himself a peaceful being."
"Quite contrary to why he aligned with the Shinigami then."
"Yes, I agree. But he fought to help his friends, some of whom he had known for centuries. When Clavis's family died, when Morph murdered them, Clavis unleashed a wave of power from his inner being that killed thousands of our people, in addition to the hordes he had already slaughtered. Morph killed Clavis's family in revenge. Suffice it to say, when Clavis decided to reside in Quindecim, to help out there, he attempted to capture him. However, Morph the trickster that he is, switched clothes with me on a whim, and Clavis thought I was him, and locked me away."
"Kind of like the story of the Prince and Pauper, an old human story," Demetre referenced.
Menace waved a hand, and the viewfinder disappeared, and Demetre wondered why.
"Who won?" Demetre asked.
"The battle is still going on, in secret. In fact, the two of them just recently met in the Mojave Desert to discuss 'old times', per se, and Morph offered Clavis an olive branch, but for a price."
"What price?"
"Along with my Life Note, Morph is also in possession of something else that comes with the Life Note. It is known as the Spectrum Bookmark, that bookmarks a point of time for a person to alter future events, changing the past. I assume this how he managed to change the timeline to make Light Yagami wealthy, to heal and resurrect him. He also used a device, for which Clavis is in possession of, that can do something similar—to take a person back in time, so they'll live again. But it comes with its own price: You must sacrifice a random person for you to live again. But it can only work for the person who it is designed for, programmed for, and DNA marked. Morph must have done all this to break Light Yagami out of prison. The moment a person is resurrection, their life-slate is wiped clean. Morph had to have known this, so in bringing your friend back, he could have gone on to live normally, and then die, to be resurrected, or enter Heaven, as your Christian lore would claim. But he didn't tell him, and then enhanced entice him and you with new weaponized Death Notes to entertain himself. We get bored, too."
"Tell me how Clavis's wife and son died?"
"Morph is in possession of the Death Eraser, the only tool that can erase anything in a Death Note, and he erased the Infinity Rule icon next to his family's names in revenge for Clavis killing hordes of our people. The Brigade of Life also need life energy to survive, but not like Shinigami. We pluck little bits here and there to substance ourselves, for lack of a better example, like mice nibbling on cheese. This is why The Brigade of Life was so concerned with the Shinigami taking so much human life, because we also need you. Your soul energy is so rich in life that it helps us to live as well. So, to describe us as a leech is a good analogy. But like I said before, there was always tension between The Brigade of Life and the Shinigami, and Morph started the war."
Demetre understood, but then asked, "Tell me, what was the deal Morph offered Clavis? If you truly know?"
When Morph told Demetre the details, Demetre felt sick. "One million human vessels of energy, or souls, to restore the lives of Clavis's family? How the hell would Clavis collect that if he took the deal?"
"Quite easily, if Clavis wanted to. He's very powerful. And he doesn't need a Death Note to kill people, he doesn't need to know their name, or see their face. All he would need was the will to take them at random. And while that is a lot of human souls to take, compared to what he lost, it's nothing. You humans desensitize yourself to others' needs if you don't know them. If someone is a friend or a family member, you'd so anything to help them. If you were in a similar situation, wouldn't you do the same thing to help a friend or a loved one?
"In Quindecim, Clavis chose to remain in the shadows and be an elevator operator after the war, a quiet job, helping its progenitor Oculus. Together, they actually run that realm. Oculus is the Gate Keeper and Clavis is the Key Master. Clavis actually means 'key', so if something ever happened to Clavis, the locks of Quindecim would be unsealed, and all those who have been judged, and locked away in The Void, would be unleashed to terrorize the realm. In Quindecim, unless a soul understands their misdeeds in their life, they can't be judged. If a person uses a Death Note, they cannot be judged. This is why Quindecim sent Clavis, and others here to bring Light Yagami back. Light Yagami's case was unique until others began to escape Quindecim. Morph has caused a lot of problems."
Demetre nodded understanding. "Just note, I will do everything in my power to protect Light," he said firmly. "I love him like a brother, and despite our differences in the past, I would lay down my life for him."
"But wait, you haven't heard the rest. Morph offered Clavis an alternative deal…"
x x x
When Demetre awoke, he did so with a snort and a start—with Menace's words resounding in his mind.
Suddenly, he heard Geist say: "You little twerp!" and Demetre had only mere seconds to leap out of the way of the Shinigami's bone club, as it came crashing down on the very spot he once lay, breaking the bed, collapsing it.
"Geist! What the hell? You nearly killed me."
The Shinigami looked around quickly as if searching for something. But when he saw what he had done, he gasped. Demetre was on the floor, sitting on his butt.
"By Shinigami bones, what the hell happened? One moment I was reaching for my bone club to crush that diminutive fake, and the next…"
"And the next, you would've turned me into a bloody paste," Demetre said. "It wasn't Morph, Geist. But you won't believe it. Morph has a twin brother named Menace. He told me a lot."
Just then, Light, Tadaka, and Asumi, all rushed into the room. Dr. Lovecraft was not with them, but Ryuk had joined them instead, flying into the room.
They all appeared stunned.
"The bed?" Light voiced.
"What in the world happened in here?" Asumi asked.
"Geist had a nightmare and nearly crushed me," Demetre replied with a smirk. He purposely had his left eye shut, but the bandages were off. They'd notice, but they weren't ready for what had happened yet.
"Who?" Takada asked.
Asumi said, "Demetre, why is your bandage off?"
"I'll tell you in a moment." Then: "Geist, please touch Takada with your Death Note."
As Demetre quickly got dressed, Geist did so. Takada looked surprised to see him, but then settled down fast.
"Boy, you guys know how to pick them," Takada said, "first, a flying husky, and now, a rockstar wannabe. Do all you Shinigami look so ostentatious and ridiculous?"
"Hey, whose a flying husky?" Ryuk rebuked, looking into a mirror. "I look nothing like a dog!"
Light suddenly burst out laughing and everyone looked at him. It was rare that he laughed so heartedly and honestly. He even clasped his arms over his stomach, it was a fully blown belly laugh. "I've never heard Ryuk referred to as a husky dog before, that is so comical. But now that I look at his face, I can see the resemblance."
Ryuk grumbled under his breath. "Oh yeah? Well, when you were first starting out as Kira, Light, we had to spend a lot of time together, and one time, after a shower, I saw you naked. You looked like a human toothpick with no butt!"
Both Takada and Asumi then laughed.
Light snapped a hardened stare at the Shinigami like it was taboo to make fun of its handler.
Demetre chuckled. "I don't believe you just said that, Ryuk," he said. "Although, when we were in high school, Light confessed to me that he was subconscious of his body because he had a tough time gaining weight and muscle."
The women continued to chuckle and snicker.
Light's eyes narrowed, hurt. "Demmy! Why would you say that? I told that to you in strict confidence. But I'm not self-conscious anymore, I'm both a god in mind and body now."
He put his hands on his body like a dramatic premadonna. Maybe he did so, because he felt more at ease with the company, Demetre thought. Light didn't have to stand on ceremony with them. He could be himself, and the person Demetre remembered Light had been way back when, long before the Death Note.
The women continued to chuckle to themselves.
Demetre produced a thin smile, shirt half buttoned, his crucifix on the chain showing, then said, "Levity aside, I'm afraid we may have a serious situation brewing. When you all left, I was visited by Morph's twin brother, Menace." Shock resounded on their faces.
"Yes, Morph has a twin brother! I was skeptical at first myself. But after he showed me things, I have no doubt we are in trouble. Morph is deceiving us, trusting him is no longer an option."
He told them the tale Menace has relayed to him and the offer Morph issued to a Quindecim'ium named Clavis.
Demetre continued, "Morph wants one million souls in exchange for restoring Clavis's family that he killed, or…" He took a moment, paused, and a deep breath. "Or, you Light—just you!"
Light blinked bewildered. "Me?…Why me?"
"Apparently, your soul is very special, and its rich in cosmic energy, more so than any other human; something about your connection to the Death Note. You'd feed his people that reside in him for centuries. Eaten alive, per se."
Light looked stunned. "Will this Clavis take Morph's offer?"
"Menace said no. Clavis is a peaceful being that hates to kill, but he has done so on numerous occasions to safeguard those he cares about. He wants to kill Morph, that's certain. How that is even possible, I don't know."
"So, we're nothing but livestock to Morph," Light said. "I suspected such."
"And there's something else," Demetre went on, "and you'd want to sit down for this one, Light. I left this bit of information to the end for a reason, as if things couldn't get anything worse. Menace was direct about this, too. It was if he wanted us to know who we were fighting." Demetre took a deep breath. "L is alive. He was in Quindecim. He did write in the Death Note after all, but no one knew about it. And the rule: No one who writes in a Death Note can go to Heaven or Hell holds true for everyone, so he ended up in Quindecim like you. He made the smallest of marks in the Death Note to see what would happen, that's all it took. Menace said L told him this in confidence."
Takada immediately grabbed Light the moment he looked like he was about to collapse, weak-kneed. She helped to steady him. And his face was suddenly as white as a sheet.
Demetre then explained how it was Clavis and his female companion, Castra, had brought L back to life to help them battle Light. This Menace also explained to him at the end of their conversion—when Menace told him about the alternative deal Morph offered Clavis in lieu of one million human souls.
"And with that little stunt by Raye Penber and Jasper Yuta earlier, L probably knows the jig is up with my assumed new persona as Shinto Izanagi," Light said. He stood on his own. "And he's coming for us."
Light's eyes suddenly looked devilish, Demetre observed. His eyes subjected to a reflection of something red near by. But Demetre couldn't see what could be projecting such an effect, unless it was pure, unadulterated angry radiating from directly inside Light? Could pupil colour change with emotion? He didn't think is was possible. He then saw Light clench his fists so tight at his sides blood was dripping, his nails digging into the skin.
He hadn't forgotten what Light tried to do—to take the Death Ring from him. Mostly likely, thinking that he was out of commission, he would give to Takada. But that was pushed aside for the moment.
He had to calm Light down again.
"I still don't believe it," Light said angrily. He brought his hands up, they were covered in blood. Symbolic of the blood he had on his hands in being Kira. "How dare they bring him back! I won our little game! I held L in my arms and watched him die after Misa had Rem write his name in the Death Note. After that, none of the Kira Task Force conceived of me in being Kira until Near came into the picture. For the next four and half years, Kira reigned supreme, and Morph secretly helped me build my fortune to become who I am today."
"Light," Demetre interjected, "if you are having any doubts about what I just told you, here's concrete proof." He opened his left eye fully, without injury. "When everyone thought I was asleep, I overheard Dr. Lovecraft said I would never be able to see out my eye again, but Menace healed me."
Light was shocked, then he nodded acceptance. "I see," as if Demetre's remarkable sudden healing was mere secondary to his own thoughts and feelings, which to Demetre, knowing Light, it may have been just that. "I'm glad, Demetre. Truly, I am. Let the Grand Agenda begin now. It's time our dream becomes L's worst nightmare!"
To be continued...