Sophia's Chronicles
A/N:
This is the second part of a two-part 'episode' in the story's timeline, which represents a major event in the story. I am so grateful for all the support you guys have given me for the previous chapter and I hope you enjoy this one too. If you're new here, please read chapter 39 before this one because there is direct continuity. Thank you all once again and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this one!
Chapter 40: The Levee Breaks Part II
(Sophia POV)
Somewhere Deep in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming – 13 July 2011, 2.25pm
It had become worse. Life was slowly draining from nature in waves, and I felt every pulse of energy being pulled from the earth. The sensations only grew stronger and every time a pulse hit I felt my heart palpitate. It was deeply unnerving and astounding. I was trying my best to stop this from happening and so I found myself in this beauty of a park with Luc. Well, maybe I was also here on the account of demons hunting me everywhere I went. That still seemed really strange to me. I had their allegiance and support just days before and now they had all turned against me. Every single one of them. I would've thought they wouldn't hesitate to bow before an archangel. Or maybe it was only Lucifer they cared for. Nevertheless, it was extremely frustrating to be the target of a worldwide witch hunt by millions of demons who seemed to want to stop at nothing short of my head. So far, I'd survived by blasting my way through smaller groups of them but it was only a matter of time before they came after me as a whole army and I could only run at that point. How had it come to this?
As though to make things worse, I could hear the atmosphere and earth rioting. Hurricanes, tsunamis, fires on a massive scale – this was a great escalation from the way things were just two days ago. Again, if this was Khaos' doing, I didn't see how this was supposed to threaten me. Unfortunately, I fell victim to fits of shaking every time a new catastrophe hit, like it was somehow pulling energy from me. But to me, it was the battle of willpower that I had to win, not of physical strength. Still, it was vexing that I should be so helpless. I shuddered whenever I felt an erratic weather event forming. It's just weather. You've done worse during the Earth's creation, I tried to talk myself out of it. God had allowed me to help Him shape the evolution of species on the Earth in the beginning and during those times I had been ruthless in… Shit. That's when it struck me. All of these weather events were exactly those that I had made back then. In the same order. Except these felt more powerful. The sheer amount of power and accuracy involved in this was enough cause to chill me to the bone. Then, suddenly, a bird dropped dead onto the ground in front of me with such a great velocity that I jumped. What was this? Khaos confirming my suspicions?
"This doesn't make a difference, you hear me?" I shouted into the sky. But I wasn't sure I believed it anymore. As I stared at the gloomy sky – which still maintained the same appearance it did since two days ago – several black dots appeared and began to get bigger. Realising what it was, I grabbed Luc and took cover under a dying tree while forming a shield of sorts around us. I watched in horror as a whole avalanche of dead birds rained down on us. Luc dug his head into my neck, not wanting to witness the atrocity before us. I would have done the same if I were him. Not gonna lie, it began to freak me out. I hadn't even begun trying to fix the weather and the solar eclipse and already, another abnormal event took place. I couldn't catch a break.
My breathing grew heavier, even after the rain stopped. Don't let this get to you! I told myself. The thought occurred to me that it could be pointless to fix everything Khaos broke – it would be like preventing the leakage of water through cracks in a large dam with nothing but my bare hands. I would just have to go about my normal business, like whatever Khaos was doing did not bother me; the only way to resist was to restore a sense of normalcy. Meaning, I had to get back to looking for a consenting vessel for Lucifer, which was no easy task – I first had to assess whether a vessel could hold him without combusting immediately and then I would have to look for weak spots to exploit to get them to say 'yes'. I was in the middle of doing just that when I was interrupted by demons, who had wasted no time in scurrying towards me in a large horde as soon as they spotted me. I sighed.
My phone rang. I was surprised I even got reception in here. "Raziel," I greeted as I picked up the call.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Again," he said solemnly.
"What is it this time?" I was just as tired of it as he.
"I just got back from Heaven and things did not go well."
"What happened? Are you hurt?" A thousand horrible possibilities raced through my mind. What could have happened to worry some of the most trusted angels in Heaven?
"No, they didn't hurt us. But when we told them what was happening… let's just say the discourse took an unexpected turn." He paused, searching for the words. "They think that it's your fault, Sophia."
"What? Are they just gonna blame me for everything now?"
"I don't know what came into them. One moment, everything was fine, and then suddenly they're all getting upset because they think you're replicating what you did during the Earth's formation. I mean, how could they have known? Even I only found out when I consulted the history books. It's almost like they're…"
"Possessed?" This gave off awfully similar vibes to what happened in Hell.
Raziel inhaled sharply. "Yes. And that isn't even the worst part. Because of the freaky weather that came about when Luc was born, they think that your son is an accomplice to your 'crimes'. It's got the angels all riled up. All because of the mere suggestion that you may be involved! We tried to stop them but they're set on hunting you down and killing both you and your son. They think that this is the only way to stop whatever's happening on Earth."
"God…" Now I had angels on my back too. My heart palpitated wildly. The whole earth began to feel claustrophobic. "Alright, I need you and the team to get somewhere safe. I don't want any of you getting hurt if they start turning on you too."
"But Sophia, this is madness! Something is going on with all of Heaven and Earth and we need to stop it."
"Raz…" I pinched the bridge of my nose with my eyes closed. "I don't think we can stop it." I cut off his protests with a suggestion, though I doubted it would do any good. "The only person who can do anything about this whole situation is God. You have to find him."
"Find God? I think everyone on Heaven and Earth has tried that already."
"We don't have any other choice. This is way above both our paygrades." I cut the call and sank down to the ground, back against the rotting bark of a tree. As I gazed upwards in partial resignation, I noticed the leaf-less, thinning branches of what had once been a magnificent fir tree. Like a punctured fruit, blood dripped from an impaled bird, flowing down the branches and spilling onto the expiring ground. I wept internally for the dying kingdom of creatures on earth, their loss tantamount to that of my own strength and love.
"Did you hear that, God?" My voice trembled as I spoke. "Are you just gonna let your older sibling destroy your favourite planet?" No response. "If not for me, do something at least for these humans you covet so much!"
I heaved deep breaths. I hadn't wanted to acknowledge it before, but things seemed more and more bleak by the moment. A growing sense of panic took over me. I couldn't think straight. I had armies of both Heaven and Hell bearing down on me, my home was compromised and it became increasingly difficult to get Lucifer – my pillar of support – out of his prison. I wasn't even sure I would be able to find him a vessel now. I was worried what would happen if I stepped foot outside this national park. Then again, this rain of dead birds probably put a bull's eye on my location so I would have to move fast.
(Winchester POV)
Unmarked Road, Arkansas – 13 July 2011, 4.14pm
"Te nunc invoco, mortem. Te in mea potestate defixi. Nunc et in aeternum!" Bobby recited.
The boys waited anxiously in the middle of an empty road. It had taken them some time to gather all the materials they needed for the binding spell, especially the Fulgarite. The spell had also stated that it had to be performed in an open area, hence the makeshift table and the lonely, unmarked road.
"Um… hello? Death?" Dean called out.
"You're joking," a bored voice said in front of them. Usually expressionless, he simply seemed annoyed to be standing before them.
"I'm sorry, Death. This isn't what it seems."
"Seems like you bound me." Death extended both his arms forward to show them the glowing cuffs that bound his wrists.
"For good reason, okay? Just, uh, hear us out. Um... Fried pickle chip? They're the best in the state." Dean gestured towards a second table set up with the finest quality of junk food they could find.
"That easy to soothe me, you think? This is about Sam's hallucinations, I assume?"
"What?" Dean gave him a quizzical expression.
"Sorry, Sam. One wall per customer. Now unbind me," Death demanded.
"We can't. Y-Yet," Sam stammered.
"This isn't going to end well," Death warned.
"We need you to kill Sophia," Dean stated.
"Excuse me?" Death narrowed his beady eyes.
"Kill Sophia. You heard right. Your... Honor," Bobby repeated.
"What makes you think I could do that?" Death challenged.
"B-But… you can kill God," Dean argued. "You told me."
"Yes, but that's God. Sophia is… different," Death said to everyone's shock. "Even if I could, why should I?"
"Because... We said so, and we're the boss of you. I mean... Respectfully," Dean replied, treading carefully with his words.
"Wait, why do you say she's different?" Sam inquired.
"It's a long story. Short version is, she's someone else's target and I'm not allowed to hurt her," he explained.
"Someone else wants to kill her? Who?" Dean probed.
"I'm afraid I don't have time for a history lesson. You've read the news – all these souls that need reaping."
"We were just about to ask you about that. Um… what's going on?" Sam asked.
"Again, long story. But it's the same story, if that's any consolation."
"Are you saying… all of this is Sophia?" Dean looked to the sky.
"She's not doing this herself, no. Someone is doing this to her."
"Then you have to kill her. End all of this," Dean spoke with a slightly firmer tone that he was not proud of. Bobby gulped, a primal fear spreading through his chest. While Dean was busy focussed on killing Sophia, he wondered what kind of being could be so upset with an archangel that they would put the earth through a larger-scale apocalypse. Something was terribly wrong and the older man only had a sinking feeling at the sight before him.
Death suddenly looked around himself, like he noticed something new. "I suppose this is where it goes down, then."
The men exchanged confused expressions, unsure of what to make of what Death just said. Just like that, Death snapped his fingers and made appear the unruly archangel herself before them.
(Sophia POV)
Clarksburg, West Virginia – 13 July 2011, 3.40pm
It had taken me a while, with all the demons and angels around every street corner, but I think I did it – I found the vessel. Just my luck, it was the same one Lucifer had used before. I had chanced upon him earlier as he was walking down the streets and I couldn't believe my eyes at first. When I realised that it really was him, an immense wave of relief washed over me. Now it was only a matter of getting him to say 'yes'. I snuck into the guy's apartment, trying to get a feel for who he was and what would reassure him.
"Should've known you would be predictable," someone said as I reached to pick up a photograph.
I spun around immediately, gasping. "Naomi," I recognised. She came with two angels by her side. "This is a trap."
"Who knew you would have been so desperate to bite the first piece of bait dangled in front of you?" she said condescendingly.
"Doesn't matter," I gritted my teeth and brandished my blade. "I can take you on."
A loud cry caught my attention and I jerked my head to see another angel with his blade to my son's throat. "Luc!" I exclaimed as I reached out my hand to go near him but I was stopped when the angel pressed the blade closer to his throat.
"Not so fast," Naomi taunted. "Take another step and the kid dies."
I clenched my fist, rage building up within me. I did not evade all of Khaos' trials just to have these pesky angels kill my son. Already, I was planning how I would torture these angels if I could, though I realised I would need to get out of there quickly before they could call for reinforcements.
"Come with us peacefully and we'll make it quick," Naomi posited.
"Funny, that's exactly what a demon said to me earlier," I remarked. With a quick fling of my arm, I hurled my blade into the angel holding my son. He dropped his blade and sank to the ground, dead. "Luc, hide!"
The others closed in on me while Luc ran off further into the apartment. I summoned my blade back and engaged in combat with them. The moments were short and I barely had time to think in this enclosed space. I kicked and punched and stabbed until no one remained standing. I heard another scream and instinctively, I bolted into the room where it came from. An angel stood menacingly in front of Luc, who was now cowered into a corner and crying. The sight of his tears threw all the rage of a thousand earthquakes into me and I exploded the angel without a thought. Through all the bloody mess, I gathered him into my arms and hugged him tightly as he sobbed into my shoulder. "It's okay, Luc, I got you," I consoled him. "I'll always keep you safe. No matter what." Tears began to sting my eyes but I blinked them away furiously. This was too close for comfort but I needed to be strong for my son.
All I needed was for the vessel to come back. If I wasn't so hunted, I would have just grabbed him the moment I saw him. But now I was stuck here waiting in an apartment full of dead angels for him to get back, so that I could perform the spell from the Book of the Damned and release Lucifer. With him by my side, I knew I could face anything thrown my way. Though I wanted to stay calm, it was impossible considering that this little skirmish could have attracted unwanted attention and both angels and demons could be tracing it right now. I tapped my foot impatiently on the ground and paced about. Every second I had to stand here only made me more anxious and I hoped that the vessel would come back soon.
"There she is!" I heard someone yell and turned around. Angels. They were coming at me fast. I had to leave now. I could come back for the vessel later. I grabbed Luc and I flew away as fast as I could through the buildings. And then suddenly, just as I turned a corner, I came face-to-face with a whole troop of demons. They snarled at me, like wolves hungry for dinner. Without wasting a second, I quickly spun and took off in another direction. Heart racing wildly, I dodged and jumped obstacles comprised of the two armies. In this grand chase, the number of my pursuers kept increasing by the minute and they came at me from all directions. Slowly, I was losing any hope I had of escape. God, I could really use a miracle right now.
That's when I felt myself being pulled away.
Unmarked Road, Arkansas – 13 July 2011, 4.30pm
I stumbled as I landed, child in my arms. What the hell just happened? For a moment I was disoriented. And then I looked up to see none other than Death standing in front of me. Overwhelmed by the circumstances, I rushed forward and threw my arms around his shoulders, ignoring his protests. "I've never been happier to see you, you old fart!"
"Ah well," he began. "This is awkward." I pulled away, now noticing his eyes beckoning me to something else behind me. I also noticed he held his arms away from me when I hugged him, but I chalked it up to him hating hugs – or being in denial about liking them. I spun around to see yet another unexpected sight.
"You," I growled. Sam and Bobby seemed shocked, presumably because my son and I were now decorated with angel bits. Dean, however, maintained a resolute vengeance in his eyes. "What's going on here?"
"Death here is going to kill you," he stated.
"Is that so? On your orders?" I huffed.
"Unfortunately so," Death showed me his cuffs. "But these morons don't understand the bigger picture so I wouldn't hold it against them." Then, without any hesitation, Death put two fingers to my head and I instinctively shut my eyes tightly. I waited. Nothing happened. I opened one eye and saw Death looking back at me emotionlessly.
"What the hell?" Bobby said.
"Told you it wouldn't work," Death spoke nonchalantly. "Now, unbind me."
"Woah, woah, hold on a sec," Dean put up a finger. "H-how? And why?"
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. I had bigger things to deal with than these bumbling idiots. "Death, I need your help."
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm of no use in your current predicament," he exhaled, like even he didn't want this to happen.
"Come on, you have to do something," I pleaded. "I'm so tired." I clasped my hands as though to pray to him.
"I…" he began, but he was cut off by a loud noise. It sounded like something massive getting crushed. The earth rumbled beneath us, but it didn't quake violently. I felt it in my core. Like my breath had been knocked out of me, hard. I clutched my abdomen with one hand and held onto Death's left shoulder with another. Then it came again – another pulse. This time it felt like I was getting kicked in the stomach and another loud boom sounded. The earth was getting crushed – caving in, probably – somewhere in the world and we could feel it here; I could feel it in me. I would have fallen down if Death hadn't held me up with both his arms. What I felt wasn't pain. It felt like… a part of me was getting ripped out. It was the same feeling I had when I was trapped in the vault with those creatures that had dug into my skin. It felt massively uncomfortable and unsettling and brought me close to tears.
"Mommy, are you okay?" Luc looked up at me with glistening eyes, his hand resting on my thigh.
"Yes, honey," I lied. I rubbed the tears from my eyes and caressed his head. "Don't worry about me."
I regained my composure and turned to face Death again. "I can only offer you advice, as I always have. Let Him win."
"How can you say that? Do you know what He wants of me?" I shot back.
"I've always known. And believe me when I say that I sincerely don't want to see you get hurt. If you do what He says now it'll all stop." I couldn't believe my ears. I turned my back to him, my eyes refusing to look away from the ground. It came as a shock to me that he should even suggest such a thing. "I hate to say it, but that's the only way out. I only wish to spare you pain."
"What about-" I looked to my son, who only stared back at me. I didn't want to mention the deal in front of him. The only thoughts that came to me then was how perverted this whole situation was. Everything my son must have seen the past few days felt so unnecessary. And it was all because of Khaos. "Why don't you just talk to Him?"
"Me? You think He'll listen to me?"
"He's your father!" I didn't mean to yell.
"My father listens to me just as well as your mother listens to you, or as well as God listens to Lucifer!" he spat out with a tone so cold it was unlike of him. I had never seen him get so riled up before. Parents are a touchy subject for all of us, I supposed. A silence followed. Death twirled a finger and suddenly the sky brightened again, returning to an overcast but bright state. "That's better," he exhaled. "All the gloominess was beginning to get to me."
"You need to help me stop Him," I begged.
"Listen to yourself. You've met the guy. The both of us combined stand no chance!"
"Then get God!" I demanded. "You can find Him. Tell Him to get His ass over here and save the planet. Why is He sitting this out?"
"Because He knows it's inevitable. It's all up to you, Sophia."
Death's words reverberated in my head. I groaned. I couldn't accept what he was saying. I couldn't even consider it as an option. I turned to the open field, opened up my arms wide and shouted. "God! I'm begging you. Do something!" Again, I heard a frustrating silence after my words. I stared into the sky, as though He should emerge from the clouds at any moment. "You brought me here. If you ever loved me – if you ever truly cared for me at all – then show yourself!"
"You'll be waiting a long time," a calm, British voice quipped. It was Crowley, with all of Hell standing with him behind the humans, who were by now shocked into speechlessness. It was probably best that way. Great, now the demons had caught up. "You won't escape this time." His eyes wandered beyond me. If I didn't have a worst nightmare before, I did now – an army of demons on one side, and an army of angels on the other, both ready to attack me and my son.
"Turns out angels and demons can work together," an angel who I presumed to be leading the army stepped forward and said.
I was surrounded by all sides and stuck with three humans who were hated by both groups but incidentally wanted me dead too, and Death, who literally had his hands tied. I'd never felt as helpless as I had in that moment. I froze on the spot, unable to think of any solution to this situation. There was no way out. Whatever was going to happen, I knew I wanted Luc to be safe at all costs. That was how one of the worst ideas I'd ever had occurred to me. A growing sense of dread filled me but it truly seemed like there was no other option. I would not let Khaos win. "Luc, go to Sam," I ordered.
"What?" Sam was surprised.
"I saw Zara's memories. You are willing to keep him safe and raise him. That's all I ask for," I declared as cordially as I could. This bravery was a façade, barely being held together by the stubborn lengths I was willing to go to in order to deny Khaos this merciless victory. "Go on, son. It'll be fine." Hesitantly, Luc did as I said and approached Sam, who ushered the child to a protective position behind him. I raised my voice to address all the angels and demons. "I get it. You all want me dead. Fine. But you will leave my baby out of this!" I gazed at my son one last time. "I'll always love you." I took out my blade and plunged it into my abdomen.
Unmarked Road, Arkansas – 13 July 2011, 5.30pm
The blade pierced through me swiftly. Again, no sparks, no pain, nothing happened. I pulled out my blade, and only normal human wounds were there, which I could easily heal. "What even-"
"Did you think I'd let you go that easy?" a new voice said. I recognised His deep, monstrous voice.
"Khaos Alpha," I identified. He appeared in human form this time, taking the shape of a rather large man with dead eyes and a psychotic smile.
"For you, I had to come down here myself," His smug grin made me shudder. "Son," He greeted Death.
"Ugh," Death groaned and averted his gaze.
"Very well then." Alpha turned His attention back to me.
"I'm sorry but who the hell are you?" the angel asked.
Alpha kept his eerie gaze fixed on me for a moment before looking at the angel. "You're a rude bunch, I must say, scaring my darling Sophia here like that." He flicked his hand at them and a whole bunch of them were dispersed into thin air like smoke, eliciting gasps from everyone. "Anyone else want to interrupt me?"
The demons and angels simply stared at each other, probably wanting to embrace each other out of pure fear from what they had just witnessed. Crowley was the first to throw one hand into the air and yell, "Retreat!"
The demons turned on their heels and fled, which would have been a wise choice if Khaos hadn't snapped His fingers and summoned these black worm-like things to shoot up from the ground and strangle the demons where they stood. My breath stopped in my throat as I recognised those things to be the same ones from my vault which had sucked the life out of me for all those years. It was Khaos all along who had tormented me. A cacophony of screams and pleas to be saved echoed all around me as the angels were subjected to the same fate. I looked around nervously. Never having been witness to so much suffering at once, it was overwhelming to my senses. I even began to feel sympathy for them. After a long pause, during which Khaos never looked away from me for one second, the bodies fell one by one. Soon, the whole place was filled with dead angels and demons on all sides for miles. A deafening silence ensued. It was obvious that Khaos got some kick out of seeing my emotions flare from shock to fury to confusion during this debacle.
Then, as the smell of death reached us, Khaos approached me and used the back of His index finger to caress my cheek. I shrank back in disgust but He was unwavering.
"Give me what I want, Sophia," He asked me almost innocently, like I could ever refuse.
I stared at the ground, breathing deeply. The world was literally crumbling around me and its inhabitants were dying. All because of this madman and His obsession with me and my son. I pushed His hand away and said firmly, "No!"
I sensed no change from Khaos. He didn't express any anger or disdain at my refusal. He simply took a few steps back, held out his arms and turned in a circle. "Tell me, is all of this worth it? This beautiful world? Is your hard-headedness worth everything you love?"
"My son is everything I love!" I burst out.
"Ah," His lips turned up on one side as His eyes met mine. "I think everything I've put you through the past few days proves otherwise. Here, I'll make it more convincing." He snapped His fingers once again and in front of all the dead angels appeared the kneeling figures of all six of my friends – Hassiel, Raziel, Dinah, Shemsiel, Rahab and Pahaliah. I put a hand to my mouth, not knowing what to say or do. They looked beaten and battered into submission, their hands tied behind their backs. How many times had I found them in that situation, all because of their affiliation with me? "You don't care about anything other than your son, you say? Then you shouldn't mind this."
I watched as Khaos materialised a sharp black dagger and stabbed Hassiel in the chest. "No!" I screamed until my voice became raw. No thoughts came to me. I was frozen to the spot, filled with pure fear and shock to the bones.
"Or this," He stabbed Raziel next. "Or this." Dinah died with a muffled groan. "This, this and this." Dead. They were all dead. Sprawled on the ground before me. My face was damp and my lips quivered, but no sound escaped my mouth. "Even these damn humans you think you hate so much, you can't bear to see them go!"
With a twirl of His finger, Sam, Bobby and Dean all had their necks twisted and broken and at once, they fell to the floor, limp. A new sense of dejection filled me, like everything that made me feel strong had been stripped from me. All that was left here was Luc, Death, me and Alpha. Luc simply sat on the floor, wailing loudly for me to come to him. I was scared that if I went near him, I would have just handed him over to Khaos myself. That was how it felt at that moment to be standing there.
"Sophia, please," Death pleaded and for real – I could see it in his eyes how much he hated this. It was no wonder he never spoke of his father. He'd probably seen this kind of thing happen a million times before.
"I-I s-still won't… g-give in," I stuttered. I hadn't realised that I was shaking so much. Death gave me a look of pity and shook his head solemnly as he stepped back.
"Don't worry, I saved the best for last," Khaos announced as He clapped His hands twice.
I gasped. I could already feel my knees going weak as he appeared before me. Khaos placed a hand on his shoulder as he looked at me almost as shocked as I was. Lucifer – in his old vessel. Eyebrows creased into a frown, he patted himself on the torso and looked around himself. "How-How did I get here?" His initial confusion faded away as he returned his attention to me. His gaze softened. "Sophia-"
He was silenced by Khaos, who drove a hand through his back. A gasp stealing his words, he fell backwards right before me. By this time, I was fresh out of shock and anger. My breaths became shallow and laboured. I merely took small steps towards the dead body of my lover and sank to the ground. My tears fell in droplets on his face as I took it in both my hands, gazing into his open, shocked eyes as the light faded in them. This was an image I had never wanted to think about and yet, it was right here before me. Everything I had known and loved and lived, it was with Lucifer. And now that he was dead right in front of me, all that I had known about myself fell away from me. It was like my body was fragmenting into a million pieces at once and I didn't know what to hold onto. I had absolutely nothing now. Nothing of value. Nothing to show my child.
"Now, you could keep saying 'no', but all that's left is for me to keep you in the Void with your son until you eventually agree. What could you possibly have to keep you going at that point? Nothing that you know will exist," Khaos said, as He slowly took a few steps. "Aw, look at you. You're miserable. And that makes me sad." His voice mocked sadness. "But you know what? There's still hope. I can bring him back. I can bring them all back. You know what you have to do." I was still focussed on Lucifer's dead face. I couldn't think of anything else. "Sophia," I hated the way He uttered my name endearingly. "Time is tic-"
"Okay," my voice was a forced whisper.
"What was that?"
My chest shuddering, I spoke louder, "I said okay!"
"Okay what?" His tone was sharp.
I looked at Lucifer's pale face, his soft amber curls, his soft lips. "Take my son," I uttered, numbness filling me. "Take him away, please."
Immediately, Khaos held Luciel's hand in his and they stood in front of me. "Well, I'm not a monster. Say your goodbyes," He ordered.
Filled with shame yet unable to turn away, I met my son's gaze reluctantly. "I don't wanna go, Mommy," he said, tears running down his face.
"I-I can't save you and I'm s-sorry," I told him. "Go now, and never look back."
"I meant what I said before," Alpha's eyes were earnest again. "About us being friends. You're broken and I can fix you. You need only ask. You know where to find me." Summoning all the strength I had left, I stood up to face Him one more time. "Brighten up, Sophia. The world will be restored to how it was. No one's going to remember a thing, except you, of course. And I'll even leave you a little something as a bonus." With that, He was gone, with my son.
I felt cold, distant, unemotional, unattached – a number of words could describe my state of mind. None of them included any idea of who I was supposed to be. Was I a good person, a bad person, knowledge-finder, grave punisher, loving mother or a traitorous, unlucky partner? All of these thoughts swirled in my head and soon I felt dizzy from the weight of it all. Light dimmed in my vision and I fell myself falling backwards as my eyes slammed shut.
Sophia's House, Illinois – 11 July 2011, 11.06am
I awoke on the couch, right in front of the wide-open doors. Sunlight streamed in. Birds chirped. Wind whistled. Dog barked. The smell of fragrant flowers wafted in. I felt the time stream and I sensed that Khaos had lived up to His word and brought everything back to normal. I just stared at the ceiling, unwilling to get up. I didn't see the point anyway. There was no delightful giggle or tiny running angel in this house. My spirit had left this house and was probably never coming back. My thoughts drifted to the last thing I remembered – Lucifer being dead. He was alive again, but how could I tell him what had happened to his son? He wouldn't remember, and even if he did, he would still be confused as hell. How could I tell him that I was essentially a curse on his life? That everything bad that had happened to him was essentially my fault?
I didn't think I could ever face him again. That was when I realised what Khaos meant when He said He was leaving a bonus for me. "Honey, I'm home!" his cheery voice made my heart stop.
