Sands of the Hourglass
Author's Note: This story is two years old now! Which means I've been averaging one chapter per month. Apologies on my part for being slow, but I hope it's been worth it for you all so far. There are still a lot of unanswered questions that were formerly asked in the story I have yet to answer, so now let's continue that.
Angel's room: 8:00 A.M.
Douglas awakens the next morning feeling a little better but a little sore. He looks around and doesn't see any sign of Angel Dust, implying the man is already awake and doing his own thing. He stands up and puts on a new shirt and pants, sliding his glocks into his other pockets as he does. He gets up and releases Eden from her cage, taking a moment to pet her while thinking hard.
"Today is the day, isn't it Eden?" He asks, getting a nod from the snake. "Alastor is all that remains in the group of overlords, and now I need to kill him."
"SSSS." Eden hisses softly and cuddles up to his chest, leading him to sigh.
"I don't really want to kill him after all we've been through. But it is a direct order from God… right?" He asks, Eden sighs lightly and faces the other way. "I suppose there's not really another way of looking at it though. He's the only overlord left and once he's gone, I'm in the Judgement Hall."
"That's how it works Mr. Knox." Douglas recognizes that voice, but it was high-pitched and healthier than he remembers. Suddenly a cute cherub flies out of a portal from Heaven. He now has his wings and halo, which Douglas hadn't seen before.
"Cletus?!" Douglas exclaims in shock. "You look so much better!" Eden hops off of Douglas as the holy child flies forward.
"It's all thanks to you Douglas! You're my hero!" He suddenly flies directly at him and hugs him, tackling him on the bed.
"Mmmm!" Douglas winces at the sudden embrace, causing the cherub to loosen his grip.
"What's wrong, are you hurt?" He asks with concern. Douglas nods softly.
"A little bit sore from last night, I was shocked several times." He says, groaning a bit in pain. Cletus leans down and rests his ear on his chest.
"Hm… your heart doesn't sound unsteady." He says, listening for a moment. "In fact, it sounds almost completely unaffected! I know that TV demon did a lot to my heart in the moment!" Douglas gives a victorious smirk.
"Well you won't ever be seeing Vox again, he's in the void." Cletus giggles a couple of times.
"Ha, I knew you could do it, Douglas." He says, lifting him back to sit up and then taking his hands in his own. "But don't worry about soreness. I'll heal you." He says sweetly, a mystical white aura emitting from his palms and entering Douglas's arms. His whole body glows bright white for a moment before the aura fades and all his injuries are completely gone.
"Thank you, Cletus. I feel strong and ready to go!" He then steps off the bed. "Alastor is going down!" The cherub glooms a little.
"You're going to kill that kind man who called you and helped you collect that data?" Douglas sighs and shakes his head softly.
"If you want the truth, I don't really want to kill him. But I don't know of another option." The holy soldier states, getting a sigh from Cletus.
"Life is a fragile thing, Douglas. I know all too well how easy it is to kill someone with irreversible consequences." He then puts his arms on Douglas's shoulders. "But whatever happens, please don't die. Your soul is much younger and more innocent than his. If anyone dies, don't let it be you." He says worriedly.
"I'll do my very best. Your prayers are well-appreciated and I'm not going to concede easily." The young warrior promises before glancing at Eden. "But… if I don't come back, will you take care of Eden for me?" The small serpent slithers closer to Cletus, who softly pets her head.
"I promise I'll do everything I can for her. I know what it's like to be banned from Heaven and it's not fun." He then smiles happily. "But I'm sure Augustus will let me keep her as a pet. He's a wonderful man who overruled my banishment."
"I'm proud to hear that. That means my effort to save you paid off." He states, getting a soft smile from Cletus.
"I'll never be able to thank you enough for that. Just know I promise one day I'll do what I can to return the favor if possible." He pledges. Douglas holds a hand up.
"You don't need to worry about that. Just knowing you're okay is all I can ask for." He and Cletus both nod at each other and the cherub takes Eden in his arms.
"I'm forever grateful for your heroism. But… could you go easy on Alastor?" He asks, getting a long sigh from the young warrior.
"I'll try to kill him quickly and painlessly if that's easy. But this isn't over until he's in the void along with the other overlords." Cletus glooms again.
"Mercy isn't a conceivable option this time?" Douglas shakes his head.
"Unfortunately, not, and assuming I did beat Alastor but didn't kill him…" He turns away to hide a shameful look. "He'd probably still end up dead anyway."
"What? But how is that possible?" The cherub asks worriedly. The holy soldier shrugs.
"I don't know, but it happened once so it'll probably happen again. I still don't know how it happened the first time." He then turns back to Cletus. "And the result of that ruined any shred of reputation I had at this hotel long before they knew what I was truly capable of."
"If that's the way it has to be, I'm not in the position to stop you." Eden softly hisses in the cherub's arms. "I wish I could help you in combat, but I don't want to soil my soul any further with anyone else's blood, even if they're from Hell." Douglas pulls one of the Glocks out of his pocket and stares at it for a second.
"It's okay Cletus. I don't want you there anyway purely because of how dangerous Alastor is. If I don't beat him today, I'll die." He then pockets the holy pistol and turns towards the door. "I know you're praying for the best outcome, and I can only pray myself that the better man wins." Cletus nods as Douglas opens the door.
"Me too Douglas." He turns and glances at the floor before facing him once more. "Hey, Douglas." The young warrior faces him.
"Yeah, Cletus?" The cherub steps closer to him.
"I just wanted to say thank you one more time while you're alive for saving my soul. I'd be in the void right now if it weren't for you and I have nobody but you and Alastor to thank for saving me." Douglas smiles and nods, petting Eden one last time.
"I'll be sure to tell Alastor you said that as well. That way even if I don't survive today, he can at least live his afterlife knowing he helped save someone." He then turns to the window. "Goodbye, Cletus!" The cherub waves for a moment and steps towards the window after the holy soldier teleports, seeing Douglas standing down there where he reappeared. He then turns and flies down the stairs, waving at a few egg bois that are walking up before reaching the lobby. He sees Loona talking to Tex and Angel talking with both Seviathan and Helsa, but manages to avoid eye contact with them all.
"Hey!" Cletus pauses as he turns to see the demoness princess step up to him. "What are you doing here?"
"I was just here to relay a message from God to someone. That's all." Cletus says. "Whoa!" Charlie lifts him up and faces him and Eden towards the window. They both see Douglas walking away in the distance.
"You wouldn't happen to be referring to that boy, would you?" She asks in a rather abrupt tone. Eden hisses and gives Cletus a worried look.
"Um… yes actually," Cletus admits truthfully. "I came here to thank that boy for his help saving me yesterday and heal him before his fight with Alastor." Suddenly, Charlie sets him down on the chair near the front and gives him a rather hostile look.
"How do you know Alastor? What did that boy tell you?" She asks in a calm demanding tone.
"He told me Alastor is the last person he needs to kill before returning to Heaven for a seat in the Judgement Hall." Charlie facepalms and holds her head down.
"The Judgement Hall? He came here and killed so many souls in Hell because he wanted to be a judge?!" She starts to lose her cool. Cletus gives her a defensive glare.
"Actually, he came here to fight the overlords as he was assigned to do, and the Judgement Hall was just a promised destination for him if he succeeded." Eden looks up at him as he makes his way back to his wings and floats above the chair a little. "Douglas is a good boy who has done many good deeds so far!" He points at her. The demoness looks away from her moment as tears come to her eyes.
"Is there no way to sway your thoughts? Just because he was permitted to do this doesn't make it right you know?" Cletus sighs a bit.
"I apologize on his account if he harmed anyone you were close to, but please don't blame him for those deeds." The cherub states, causing Charlie to face him with tears starting to stream down her cheeks.
"How can I not blame him?!" Cletus and Eden flinch at this sudden look before she continues. "If a soul dies down here in Hell, they go into an eternal void that they have no hope of ever escaping! Why did he even come here at all knowing this?!" She exclaims. Cletus facepalms with the hand that isn't holding Eden.
"He didn't know about the void at the time. And now that he does, he's only trying to complete his mission before it's all over and someone else comes for Alastor. Is that what you want?" He asks. Charlie makes a fist.
"Alastor is no saint, but if sending someone to kill him just because he's an overlord isn't a sin, then sins don't exist at all." She wipes her tears and gives him a firm glare. "Down here in Hell, nobody has anywhere to go! So having people from above come down here to slaughter us once a year isn't acceptable! It just means you people in Heaven are no better than those of us in Hell!" Cletus shuts his eyes firmly and then raises his voice.
"Then he's not one of us!" The princess flinches as the small boy returns an equally strong glare. "He's not dead nor has he ever been dead. But right now he's doing what he believes is his moral duty to do. So please don't blame this living boy for the blood on his hands down here. If you want to blame Heaven for everything else, you have the right to do that. And trust me, I had issues with Heaven myself for a while, but if it weren't for that boy, I'd be in the void! He saved my soul and he'd save anyone else's given the same circumstances!" He then leers at her while floating closer. "So don't blame him, he's a living person who's representing Heaven in the way he was taught and is trying to do his portion for a good afterlife." Charlie takes a deep breath and looks down.
"Fine, but tell Douglas one thing for me." The cherub continues hovering there without moving closer or further away.
"What will that be?" He asks. Charlie faces him with a dark look in her eyes.
"Whether he dies today or succeeds, tell him when he gets to Heaven that he should be ashamed of himself." She states, getting a nod from Cletus.
"Very well, I will relay the message." He says as he starts flying towards the door. Eden gives a sad hiss as he opens one. "But I don't think the opinion of someone who clearly really wants him dead right now is going to change his thoughts that much." The princess makes a subtle fist.
"Well just know if Alastor doesn't kill him, I will." She says darkly. Cletus pauses, but then shrugs softly and flies out the door.
Magne Palace 8:45 A.M. Backyard
After making his way back to the royal palace, Douglas looks around the place. It looks deserted, which isn't the case as there are a few cars in the parking lot and some lights are on inside the building, but that isn't where he goes. Due to an odd signal, he assumes is the result of heavy radio waves, he goes around the side of the building and sees a fence to a large royal courtyard. There is a lot of land behind the castle, showing how much territory Lucifer and Lilith once owned. He teleports to the other side of the fence and with just a bit of walking, he sees the Radio Demon standing and staring at the rising sun in the distance quietly. It isn't until his footsteps enter Alastor's auditory reach before the silence is broken.
"Good morning my friend from the other side, did you sleep well?" The final overlord asks without turning around.
"I got enough rest for today." He then puts a hand in his pocket as the look on his face changes. "I assume you know what's left." He states. Alastor nods once and then turns towards the holy soldier.
"I know the inevitable truth and so do you." He says as Douglas pulls out the Glock from his right pocket. "Though, I do hope you're willing to listen to reason before pulling the deadly trigger." Douglas holds the Glock at his side.
"Alright, what do you want to say?" He asks. The radio demon sighs lightly and gives him an innocent look.
"I knew the Armageddon was coming, but I didn't receive a vision of it ending with me." He begins. "I'm just another all-powerful overlord in Hell, but I don't hold the influence of the several others you've already faced." He states, a bit of sadness appearing in his eyes that are covered by his unending smile. "I was never an innocent person while living my friend, but I never imagined how much opportunity I'd have in the afterlife. When I first got here I conquered the very people who led me to thy tomb at all, for the darker one's soul grew while alive, the stronger they are after death." Douglas closes his eyes a bit in annoyance.
"Where are you headed with this? Are you trying to say you're innocent and people who wronged you while alive are guilty?" He asks. Alastor shakes his head.
"Not at all. I'm merely saying things are different now than they were when I came here." He clarifies. "The desire to destroy those beings felt amazing!" He says, his voice starting to distort. "The very sinners who had wronged me once underestimated my intellect, my determination, and my plan to counter them after the grave fear of dying in a poor time." Then his voice gets more distorted. "Those foes deserved the void…" Douglas shivers for a moment and then stomps.
"Enough of that!" He says, the distortion fading back to normal. "How does taking revenge on those after death prove anything?!" He asks in an audibly impatient tone. Alastor shrugs.
"It doesn't. I just wanted to say after that my desire for power fell." He points a finger at Douglas. "And I'm asking if so yours will as well!" The young warrior pauses at the sudden intimidating look.
"My desire for power?" He asks, getting a soft nod from the radio demon.
"You see Douglas, you're a boy who's been able to do things no normal boy has ever done. Your powers rival the very man who died for your sins." Douglas shivers a bit at that sentence.
"Whoa, I'm not Jesus Christ you know?" He says, getting a wider smile from Alastor.
"But now is your chance to be him." He says, standing tall and holding his staff to the ground beside him. "Since I have no desire for power anymore, I have no desire to kill you. My only question is are you willing to concede with mercy?" Douglas raises an eyebrow.
"Concede? I'm not going to just give up and let you kill me here without trying." He says. Alastor metronomes his finger.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. When I say concede, I don't mean put down your weapon so I can fight you. I'm asking if you're willing to lay your weapons down and walk away." Douglas continues to stare as he goes on. "I'm not willing to start a fight with you, nor have I ever tried to. You've proven your capabilities through all the other overlords and your winning streak has remained unstopped. I know very well that I have no chance at beating you if we fight and I'd like to request mercy on both accounts."
"Why should I take you at your word?" The holy soldier asks, raising his gun back at Alastor. "I know you built up your reputation on deception." He says, only making Alastor's smirk increase as he stares down the barrel of the gun.
"What you choose to believe is your right and nobody else's. I'd just like to advise you that in your journey in Hell, I haven't told a single lie to you." He states, taking a step closer with his chest out. "Do you really have the heart to pull that trigger after all the things I've done for you?" Douglas lowers his eyebrows.
"You led me into danger several times." He retorts calmly. "You directed me to Lucifer and Lilith's palace and I had to face them both!" He says with more aggression.
"And of the three people there that night, which person is still standing?" He then gives a taunting look. "Hint, it's someone standing right before me and threatening my soul!" He says before chuckling a bit.
"You then led me to a lair with flashbangs and an injured boy in the room." He adds. Alastor's smile shrinks.
"Do you really think I hurt that boy, Douglas? Or could it have been the very man you shattered last night?" He asks as his smirk turns sinister. "I definitely enjoyed witnessing that." Douglas's finger tightens on the pistol, but before he can fire, a dark vision appears in his head.
Vision
"Did you truly think you could beat me, my friend from the other side?!" Alastor laughs maniacally as his shadow holds Douglas to the floor and starts to dig into his aura.
"MM!" Douglas clenches his teeth as the shadow of the demon claws into his spirit repeatedly.
"I hope you find the void greatly entertaining! So long Douglas!" He shouts as his shadow throws Douglas into a hole and both it and Alastor himself start to bury his corpse with shovels. The sound of their maniacal laughter collectively flooding his brain and being the last thing he hears as despair overtakes him and he enters the void.
Reality
"OKAY!" Douglas shouts and puts the gun down, the shear stress of what he just witnessed lingering for several seconds. "Did you just make me hallucinate?!" He asks with anger. Alastor just gives a blank smile.
"Pardon me for showing you your fate." He states lightly, tugging his staff a bit more. "I felt if you and I truly were going to fight, you should be warned of what would happen if you lost." Douglas shakes his head a few times and points the pistol back at him.
"I'm not going to fall for that! You haven't made any moves yet and you're giving me a very clear shot right now!" The young warrior exclaims as the radio demon smirks harder.
"I promised I wouldn't start a fight with you and alas, haven't made a single move. The first move will be yours whenever you choose to make it. But until then, the offer to forfeit this duel remains on the table." Douglas stares at the Heaven's Glock in his hand for a moment before his hand stops shivering and he closes his eyes.
"Are you trying to make this hard? You know I have to kill you and you're not doing anything about it!" He exclaims. Alastor turns up his staff a bit to stagger Douglas a bit with the feedback sound.
"I have no desire to kill you Douglas, and if you make the first move, then you're proving all those watching wrong." He then points at him lightly. "If I don't strike you first, then I'm not sinning, I'm letting you live on! Allowing you to make the first move isn't something anyone else in Hell has even allowed you, so you'd better use it wisely!"
*There's no other way out of this, just shoot him and it's over!* Douglas's conscience tells himself. He slams his eyes shut and pulls the trigger of the gun this time successfully, only to miss seeing the bright reflection of a large barrier around Alastor blocking the bullet. Before he can even open his eyes, he feels the ground disappear below him. "WAAAHHH! AH!" He's pulled up out of the large abyss upside down, dangling by his foot in the grip of a giant tentacle. Turning to see Alastor's face, he has the most sinister grimace imaginable.
"So that's how it is?" Alastor says in a surprisingly quiet tone. Douglas tries to teleport, but the tentacle binds his very aura from being able to relocate. "After all the things I've done to deter you from ending your mission, you want me dead?"
"No!" Douglas points the Glock at Alastor again but the radio demon counters him by making his barrier visible and then launching it up at him. The heavy magical glass slams the gun out of his hand and hits him in the face before shattering. "OH!" He leans his upper body down to relax in the grip of the tentacle as the willpower to raise up again fades more by the moment.
"We are on two sides of the hourglass Douglas! You and I!"
"WHOA!" The tentacle tosses Douglas high in the air and then catches him so his body is right-side up.
"You just had to try to empty my hourglass now by being on the other side!" He states with noticeable anger in his voice despite his sinister smirk still showing.
"Am I the top or bottom of the hourglass?" Douglas asks, noticeably more exhausted as the tentacle continues to dispel his aura further.
"What side we're both on is different by point of view!" Alastor begins to monologue. "For you, you're on top and I'm on the bottom, as I represent the cold unknown eternity of whatever time you stopped again at forever! But you're alive and your time is only running out more and more each day and second, until God eventually takes your soul!" He then starts to squeeze harder, Douglas grunting loudly at the raging force of the tentacle's grip tightening. "As for me, I see it differently! You're on the bottom because you represent life! Something of mine that has passed and have no hope of ever reversing!" He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath for a moment. "And I'm on top as I fight for what remains of my soul every day and night in Hell, waiting for my time to come and inevitably enter the void." He says calmly before exhaling and giving a harsh look into his eyes. "And every year people from Heaven make that even harder to delay as they continue to send more and more exterminators down here like yourself!" Douglas shuts his eyes once more as the tentacle raises itself back, only failing to brace himself before he's thrown forward onto the ground.
"UGH!" He can only reflexively cry out after his lights have already blacked out. As the portal in the ground closes, Alastor steps forward and rolls the freshly injured boy onto his back. He sets the microphone of his staff to his chest for a moment and flinches instantly after hearing a light thumping sound.
"You're still alive, aren't you, my friend from the other side?" Alastor says with a calm evil smirk on his face as he raises his arm. "But that's not going to last forever." A dark shadow aura emits from his palm and his evil grin lingers for several seconds as the area distorts around him for several seconds, before eventually coming to an end. "No, I have no need." He says, his aura fading from his hand. Only a moment later, the gate to the courtyard opens.
"Alastor?" Charlie asks as she steps closer to him. "What happened?" The radio demon takes a moment to study the look on her face. The daggers practically shooting out of her eyes in bitter coldness acting as something he'd never seen or ever pictured her being capable of revealing. He can tell she's severely distressed and won't be able to solve this alone. Alastor then turns to the brutally injured boy and speaks.
"It appears I have won this battle." He says with less enthusiasm than usual. "Though I have triumphed an unstoppable boy such as himself… my desire to fully end him is nonexistent." He admits with subtle shame. Charlie raises an eyebrow.
"You can't bring yourself to kill him?" She asks before her dark glare returns. "Then I will do it tonight myself." She lifts Douglas up by his arms and starts to drag him a little. "Now come with me and help me return him to the hotel." She requests. The radio demon raises an eyebrow.
"Why not just kill him here so you don't need to make the trip?" He asks, getting a look from the demoness.
"Before I execute him, he's going to spill his guts. Everything he's been hiding from us will be revealed to my ears before I end his life." She hoists him off the ground. "But before we leave him to God to plea innocent for all his executions down here, we must make sure he's restrained and cannot escape." She says. "So we're going to chain him to the walls in the hotel basement until he wakes up." The radio demon's smile fades to the point he nearly holds a neutral expression.
"You're going to wait for him to wake up, make him talk, and then kill him?" He asks. Charlie sighs deeply and holds her hand to her eyes.
"Look, I don't want to kill him any more than you don't seem to. But I cannot allow him to live in Hell anymore. Given he lost to you, he's only going to come back and do it again if he's not permanently silenced. So please help me get him to the hotel." She asks. Alastor sighs and shakes his head.
"I'm sorry my dear. I cannot arrange that." He says, turning back around. "I've done my part in successfully defeating young Douglas, and now you must do the rest on your own if you desire to take his life." Charlie sighs again.
"Really Alastor? I'd like a little help bringing him back and you're not willing to help me?" She asks. Alastor turns to her with a serious look.
"Don't question me!" He states with his dark smirk. "I've taken the lives of many people during my life, but I'll NEVER dare trap a child in a dungeon where he has to wait to wake up and then find out he'll be killed before the action happens!" He then slams the staff on the ground and creates a shockwave, knocking Charlie on the ground and leaving Douglas to fall on top of her.
"WHOA! OAF!" She grunts as she pushes the boy upward and gets back on her feet, slightly intimidated by this sudden anger from Alastor.
"If you want to do that to him, then I strongly recommend you leave me out of it. Okay?" He asks, turning back to face the sun as Charlie exhales deeply and lifts him up.
"Fine. Have a nice day Alastor. Goodbye." She says and turns back to the gate, carrying Douglas out over her shoulder. Alastor closes his eyes as the feeling of bittersweetness goes through his body. He would then spend the rest of the day only contemplating if he made the right move doing this.
Author's note: So, the story is taking a lot longer than I initially thought it would. I'm expecting it now to be around 31 chapters, but I'm going to make it my goal to finish it within the next few months. Though Douglas lost this fight, there's a bit more left than most would anticipate. Now that this story is over two years old, I can definitely say I've done a lot and more ideas have come to me throughout that time.
Thank you all for reading and for your patience! The next chapter will be out sooner than later!
Deceased:
None