This is it… final chapter. And to think, I just made this fic for fun. Now it's consumed my life. o_o
Whispering Hope: Demon Rue is NOT a Yami. This does NOT star any Anime characters. NONE! Got it? Good. ^_^ Anyway, I'm glad you like him… I do too.
John: Yay.
*Chapter 42: The Devil*
Until this point, Hope had not been sure if the ritual was really possible. She had not been sure if Satan existed. But the one in front of her left no doubt. Nothing could be this evil, and not be the Devil.
Most kids envisioned him as a huge, red monster, with humongous bat wings, horns, and a tail. As scary as those thoughts were, the truth was far worse.
He wore a long sleeved black shirt, and black pants. Black shoes were also worn. He had silver hair that fell a little bit below his shoulders. His skin was extremely pale, so much that he could have been dead. Even his lips had no color to them… just whiteness. His fingernails were more like claws, very sharp and sturdy looking. His teeth were pointed, almost like a vampire's.
Over his shoulder, a pitchfork was strapped. The handle was black, and the prongs were red. Hope wasn't sure if it had come that way, or if it was from the blood of his victims. Either way, it was a wicked weapon that would not be taken lightly. On the back of his right hand was a pentagram that seemed to burn, even though it was black. The darkness in the area seemed to be attracted to him; it would cloak around his body, and refuse to leave. Hope could see why; he was surrounded by an even darker aura than his possessed victims had been covered with. It was much more under control though; it just outlined his body, and did not spread everywhere. For some reason, this seemed much worse.
He then slowly opened his eyes. That was what scared Hope out of her mind. She had thought Max and Will's possessed eyes had been the worst that they could get, but she had been wrong. His entire eyes were red, and he had the same reptilian pupils his puppets had acquired. Yet these… you couldn't hold your gaze very long before thinking of horrifying visions. They spoke of evil, torture, pain… a lame description, Hope admitted to herself, but there was no other way to tell of what they were like. Evil just didn't cover it enough.
Satan looked at his right hand mildly, then held it out. The orb that had been laying on the ground suddenly flew over to him. He caught it easily, and examined it.
"So it was successful…"
His voice was quiet, yet in the area they were in it seemed as if he had shouted through a megaphone. It chilled Hope to the bone. It sounded like a hiss, yet the evil essence it carried seemed to amplify it, making it sound even more frightening.
In her heart, she knew that if she was ever asked to describe him, she would probably not be able to do it accurately. The only way to fully understand was to see him, and even then, you would wonder if he had been real… and not just the worst nightmare possibly thought up.
He smiled coldly, displaying his sharp teeth. "How interesting. He actually managed to do it. 1000 souls… all in this small orb. Not much surprises me these days, but I am impressed nevertheless. This physical form will serve me well…"
Gaston drew his sword. Although he knew that if it came to a fight, he would stand no chance, he was still prepared to go down with honor. "What happened to Demon Rue?"
"The Demon? I see… so he switched places with me. He will now be where I was while the General prepared the ritual-in Limbo, a place of infinite nothingness." Satan smirked. "I feel no envy… it was a most boring area."
He then looked at Hope and Gaston. "So you are the girl and Soul Monster that kept trying to interfere… I see that you are still alive. It makes no difference to me. Now that I am in this realm, no mortal can defy my power." He held out his hand. "The first deaths will occur now… goodbye."
A beam of dark energy shot out, fire circling it, aimed at Hope. Before she could react, Gaston slammed into her, pushing her away.
The explosion echoed throughout the area.
Hope looked up slowly, and was shocked at what she saw.
The beam had torn completely through Gaston. Blood poured from the hole in his chest. His sword was in the ground, and he was leaning on it, trying to rise, knowing it was useless.
"No…" Hope whispered.
"I'm sorry…" he gasped. "But I… I can't stay…"
"No!" Hope cried. "Don't leave me! Not you too!"
"I must… please… forgive me…" He looked into her eyes. "Did… I… do well… in serving you?"
She nodded, tears falling from her eyes. "Yes! I couldn't have asked for anything better!"
"Thank… you…" Then he vanished, unable to take the pain any longer.
Hope made no effort to stand. She just cried, knowing that Gaston's sacrifice had been in vain, and that Satan could kill her just as easily.
"Such a fool…" Satan sneered. "But it matters not. Both of you were to die in the end." Again, he held out his palm. Another beam came sailing at Hope.
She looked up in time to see it coming, but did not try to move. It was all pointless… he would kill her soon enough, right?
Suddenly, a dome of light appeared around Hope. The beam crashed into it, but did not penetrate it.
"What on earth…?" Hope wondered.
"Impossible!" Satan hissed. "How can a mere girl block one of my attacks?"
A glow caught Hope's attention. She looked at the area where her heart was, and saw that light was shining in that area.
"What's going on?!" she asked.
Satan snarled in fury. "I see… so I must defeat you in a duel… it is the only fair method of ending your life. Very well then… prepare yourself."
Hope stared at her Duel Disk.
"If you decline, I have every right to kill you where you stand."
"Would that be a bad thing…?" Home murmured. "I will lose anyway… but… my friends…" She stood. "Alright. I'll duel. And win. For the ones you have wronged!"
"I am not known as the Lord of Darkness for nothing. You will soon see why."
Hope: 8000
Satan: 8000
Hope looked at what she had drawn. "This will do… I lay one monster in defense mode, and two cards down."
"I will lay two cards facedown, and play Sealing Swords of Light."
Hope held back a shudder as she saw the swords plunge down. Instead of the normal yellow swords, these were pitch-black, with an evil energy emitting.
"You reveal my Falcon Knight. (1000/700)"
"One monster in defense mode will bring the end ever closer."
"Where there's darkness, there is always at least a little light. I sacrifice my Falcon Knight to summon Warrior of the Sun! (2100/1400)" Hope felt a little calmer to see the soldier of light.
"On doing so, I activate my trap, Ouija Board. You have four turns before dying."
"Oh God…" Hope breathed. "Not Ouija Board…" The board was filled with an evil black aura, which seemed to drain her life just by looking. "I can only end…"
"Death Message E is retrieved from the deck. I pass."
When the message E was played, something felt… wrong. Hope felt weary and exhausted. She shook off the feeling and drew.
"Yes! I play Cyclone on Ouija Board, destroying it!"
"My trap is triggered; Curse of Magic-Sealing. By discarding Death Message T, I negate and destroy your magic, and prevent you from using any more that have the same name for the rest of the duel."
"No… I have three Cyclones…" Hope shook her head. "I lay one monster and end…"
"Death Message A will be played from my deck. Again, I pass."
Now it was definite. Hope felt like her life was being drained.
"What's… going on?"
"You are feeling the side effects of Ouija Board. As the message is spelled out, you will lose more of your life force… your very soul."
"Argh…" Hope struggled to stay up. "I… lay another monster, and end…"
"I will get Death Message T. My Sealing Swords of Light have now expired. I end my turn without doing anything."
Hope fell to one knee, struggling to stay up as she drew.
"A miracle… I play… Harpy's Feather Sweep!"
The board was swept away. As soon as it was gone, she felt much better.
"Now I summon Troop Commander! (1200/400) And with his ability, I call Goblin Strike Team! (2300/0) I flip summon my Iron Knight: Gear Freed (1800/1600) and Executioner Makyura! (1600/1200) Now, my Troop Commander attacks your set!"
"You have attacked Cyber Pod. (900/900)"
"No…" Hope groaned. "I was so close…"
"We now pick up five cards. I have picked up Tidal Wave, The Black Cat That Brings Unhappiness, Death Message E, Jar of Greed, and Death Message H. My monster will go to defense mode. (500/300)"
Hope looked at hers and groaned. "I got Cyclone, Blade Knight, Getsufuuma, Holy Barrier-Mirror Force, and Cry of the Living Dead. Both of my monsters go to attack. (1600/1000) (1700/1200) Blade Knight attacks your Cat, and Getsufuuma attacks you directly. Then I lay one card down, and end."
Hope: 8000
Satan: 6300
"I have used my Black Cat's effect to place a trap at the top of my deck. Now I draw, and play Jar of Greed. Then I play three cards face down."
"I will attack you directly with my two monsters!"
"Attack Nullification."
"I see. I also summon Goblin Strike Team! (2300/0)"
"Tidal Wave is activated, as is Ouija Board."
Hope shrugged. "I expected that… I end my turn."
"I retrieve Death Message E from my deck."
Hope gasped as she felt herself weaken again.
"I lay another card down."
"I play Cry of the Living Dead on Goblin Strike Team! (2300/0) Attack!"
"Attack Nullification again."
"That's alright, because now I sacrifice my Goblins to summon Magical Giga Cyber! (2200/1200) Then I end."
"Death Message A is retrieved. I lay one monster."
Hope looked at her next card, and smiled. "I lay one card down, and summon Severing Samurai! (800/500) Severing Samurai attacks!"
"You have attacked Mask of Darkness. (900/400) He allows me to take one trap from my Cemetery."
"Not with Severing Samurai! He negates all reverse effects! Now, Magical Giga Cyber, attack directly!"
Hope: 8000
Satan: 4100
"Get Death Message T, then lay one monster. I also play Thunderbolt, destroying all of your creatures. End turn."
Hope struggled, but could not stand. She fell to her knees, gasping for breath.
"Gotta… draw… something good…" She looked at her card. "Faith… I play Angel's Gift." She looked at her cards. "Thank God… I discard Cyclone and Holy Barrier-Mirror Force. Now I… summon Retrained Elven Swordsman… (1400/1200) I'm glad Max… gave that to me… I equip him with… The Fused Weapon, Murasame Blade! And Lightning Blade! (3000/1200) Then… Raise Dead! Come forth, Warrior of the Sun! (2100/1400) Then I flip over Ceasefire Treaty… revealing your monster…"
"My Black Cat… (500/300)"
Hope: 8000
Satan: 2600
"Then… it is over. Warrior… of the… Sun, attack! Retrained Elven Swordsman… finish him off!"
Hope: 8000
Satan: 0
Hope rose slowly as her strength return. She looked up into Satan's eyes, and was shocked. She had thought he would be furious, but instead… he laughed.
"A game does not prove anything. You may have more skill than me, but in a battle, you cannot hope to live. Now die." He held out his palm to her.
Hope flinched, waiting for him to strike. When nothing happened, she opened her eyes.
The orb that Satan had been holding was now glowing with a brilliant white light. He had dropped it, unable to hold on.
"What is going on?!"
"You have broken the rules, Lucifer. And now you will reap the penalty."
Hope turned to see a man approaching. He used a staff as a walking stick, and was covered with a brown robe, hiding his features.
Apparently, Satan recognized him.
"You!" he snarled.
"Yes, it is I. Lucifer, by challenging her to a game, you were putting up very high stakes. Her penalty would be death, but yours would be the loss of your body, since death is impossible for you."
"How is that possible? These souls were collected from other penalties! By right, they should be still supplied to me!"
"Some of them are… all of those with wicked hearts will remain with you. However, those that are good do not deserve to remain in Hell. They are not yours. So you cannot maintain hold on them. See?"
The man beckoned to the orb. The light grew even more intense, then shot out. Balls of light went everywhere, all tearing away through the darkness.
But to Hope's amazement, twelve, individual lights shot out at once, appearing by Hope. Then, an intense flash.
When she could see again, she was amazed at what she saw.
Gaston. Rue. Ruecian. Max. Olympion. Will. Neo. Claire. Perseus. Brandi. Mana. Demon Rue.
All of them were there.
Rue opened his eyes slowly. "Ugh… I feel like I went through hell."
"We probably did," Max commented dryly as he rose.
Gaston ran over to Hope immediately. "Hope! Are you alright?"
She nodded slowly. "You… you guys… are alive?"
"I think I'm alive…" Neo said. Then he shuddered. "But wasn't my Soul Card torn in half?"
Will took out the card. "Doesn't look like it to me…"
"Thank the Lord…" Hope whispered.
"This is impossible!" Satan hissed. "How can I lose all of my power… to a child? Impossible!"
"You did not lose to any child. This girl is very special… as are her friends." Again, the man held out his hand. "Lucifer, you cannot remain here. I will talk with you later."
A bright flash of light later, and Satan was gone, leaving nothing behind.
"Child," he continued to the shocked audience. "Do not think that your task is done. There is still more to accomplish. And to help you, I will grant you a priceless gift." He took out a clear orb. Hope was not sure if she was relieved or not to see it empty.
"It is not from me though. It comes from your own soul. This will hurt, but it will be brief." He walked up to Hope, and to the shock of all present, plunged his arm into her body.
Hope couldn't even cry out, the pain was so intense. She felt like something was being ripped from her heart, a part that she needed.
Then it was over. She fell back, and was surprised that her skin was still intact.
The man was holding a ball of light. He calmly put the orb into the same hand. The light was sucked into the orb. It began to glow fiercely, and everyone shielded their eyes.
"Light cannot be without darkness. It must always be on balance." He turned to Demon Rue, who looked more like a ghost than anything. Hope knew that once this was over, he and Rue would be sharing the same body again.
"I will need to take some of it."
"Then take it," Demon Rue sneered. "I know when someone overpowers me. And what use do I have of it? I can always make more darkness."
"Very well." The man reached into Demon Rue, and a few seconds later, pulled out a ball of darkness. It too went into the orb. Another flash, and the orb was complete. It alternated from light to dark, and light to dark again, and again, on and on.
"I cannot explain how to use this; that you must discover on your own." He handed the orb to Hope. "Use it wisely. Now, I must leave."
"Wait!" Hope protested. "You haven't even said who you are!"
The man turned to her, and she silently thought that if he had his hood removed, he would have been smiling.
"I think it goes unsaid. Farewell, and good luck."
Then all went black.
Hope opened her eyes slowly, and sat up.
They were on the edge of the lake again. Everyone else was unconscious.
Was it all a dream? Hope looked at her hand, and discovered that she still clutched the orb. So it really happened…
She stared in silence at the sun as it rose, a new day beginning to tear through the night.
Suddenly, she heard a hoot. She looked up to see a white owl. A golden crown was on its head, and it was flying towards the forest. It hooted again.
"What is it?" Hope wondered out loud.
Gaston had awoken by then as well. He smiled gently.
"The Owl That Brings Happiness."
THE END
