A/N- yes, the long awaited third part of The Trial. It's about time I got back to it- I've been waiting a while for the muse of creativity to strike. She's offered me some pieces of inspiration, and hopefully I have used them wisely. I've continued it in a story format rather than a script version due to lack of dialogue.
Without further rambling, I'll continue to the third chapter.
Cole remained huddled in the corner of his cell- or the closest he could get to the wall without being zapped by the magic that was preventing him from trying to escape.
Hiding his head in his hands, he felt like such a pathetic demon. He may be 17 years old and in his prime, but all other demons his age, and even warlocks, were out there destroying paragons of good and spreading evil. None of them were weeping in a jail cell in the Underworld.
He was surrounded by cages filled with the most dangerous demons known to the Underworld. As he looked up, he noticed the infamous Tall Man staring at him from his cage, so defeated and contained by the most powerful magic that he had no idea what was going on in the outside world… locked away for so long that people questioned his existence. He stared at Cole, trying to decipher whether or not this new prisoner was demonic or mortal.
Cole looked away, hoping not to meet the Tall Man's gaze again. He was used to those looks growing up. He was the son of the demon who fell in love with the human she had been trying to kill. The only thing that prevented the Turner family from being the object of shame in the Underworld was the fact that Dakan had eventually killed Benjamin. On top of that, the fact that she had been powerful enough to vanquish her own mother meant that no one wanted to mess with her.
Of course, Cole hadn't known this until his mother actually told him the truth- it was then that everything clicked into place. His human emotions had clouded his better judgement and he had followed in his mother's footsteps and vanquished one of his parents.
He felt a lump form in his throat when he thought about Ben Turner, as his human half missed him greatly. He had never had the chance to get to know his father, but he had memories from his first three years raised as a human, before Belthazor had arisen, and he could feel the love that his father had felt for him. Cole felt it back, and wished that he had been old enough and powerful enough to stop his father from being murdered.
But now was no time for self pity. Not when he had so many fierce demons staring at him with utter disgust. 'He calls himself a demon?' they were saying with their cold, hard eyes.
Cole turned his head and he saw the room at the end, which contained something he never thought he'd see. A hollow stone altar with swirling black particles above it- the high security prison built by the original Source with the assistance of the Seer, and it housed one of the most powerful demons. Zankou was a myth amongst him and other demons his age, as he had been locked away centuries ago. A small voice inside his head murmured that he hoped to get out of here alive, just so he could tell his friends that he saw Zankou's prison.
He looked up when a shadow towered over him. The guard that stood in front of him ordered him to get up. He unlocked the cell and dragged Cole to the verdict of his trial.
Cole stood in front of the Triad, who looked to each other as if confirming that the sentence they were choosing was the right one. Cole closed his eyes and hoped that he was going to be alive at the end of the trial.
"Belthazor!" the middle one bellowed. Cole quickly opened his eyes and stood up straight. He tried to keep a mask of calm over his terrified swirl of emotions, but he knew in his heart that he wasn't being convincing.
"After much discussion, we have decided your fate." The one on the left stated, "You were consumed enough by your weaker human side. So consumed that you killed one of our own. One of your own."
"And out of love for a human." The one on the right spat. The middle one gave the one on the right a look and turned back to Cole.
"We cannot afford to have traitor among us, nor a half breed. Your mother pushed for us to allow you to live after she came back. She said that your demonic half would triumph over your human half, that your inner evil would present itself in time."
"But now that you have proven the opposite," the one on the left continued, "I am sure that Dakan wouldn't be pushing the argument again. Especially since you're the reason that she cannot be here to argue for your life."
Realising what this was leading to, Cole shook his head in protest,
"No, no, please, I beg you-"
"Belthazor, you are sentenced to death and forever banishment to purgatory."
The one on the right conjured a fireball in his right hand,
"You may have one final statement before you die."
Cole remained speechless. He wasn't able to process what was happening. Just yesterday morning, he was humouring a fair worker- how could he be moments before execution in a matter of hours?
"Do not execute this boy!" A voice announced. Cole took a few moments to realise that the voice was not coming from him, nor was it a figment of his imagination.
A demon shimmered in between the Triad and Cole.
"Vanquishing this demon would be a very big mistake."
"Vornac." The demon in the centre acknowledged, "What evidence do you have to present that will relieve Belthazor from his punishment?"
"Common sense. Belthazor may have committed a shameless act, but a demon with enough power to kill someone like Dakan- a feat that even a Warren witch failed to do- is a demon that is worth keeping alive."
"He is a threat to other demons. We cannot risk keeping alive such a powerful demon when he can easily cross over."
"We shall nurture his demonic half." Vornac reasoned, "We can initiate him into the Brotherhood and raise him to control his lesser half." He paused, as if about to bring to the table the argument that would cause the swing vote in Cole's favour, "Raynor has already agreed to this course of action."
The central member of the Triad looked at Vornac with a fierce look on his face. Instead of backing down, Vornac simply stared back with a strong and forceful gaze.
Cole studied the two demons as they looked at each other. It was almost like they were having a discussion through telepathy.
It was the Triad demon that blinked first. He looked at the other two Triad demons, and they all nodded at each other. Cole's heart jumped a beat- did this mean that he was going to be exonerated?
"We have reached a new decision." The centre demon announced.
"Belthazor shall be initiated into the Brotherhood of the Thorn," the one on the left explained, "and it will be their responsibility to make sure that a situation like this does not happen again."
"But, he will not go unpunished." The one on the right said, with a hint of glee to his voice. He held out his hand and an orb appeared in his palm. Inside the orb was an apparition. Cole was familiar enough with the world of dark magic to know what was in that orb. He swallowed and spoke in a strong voice,
"What are you going to do to my father?"
"Benjamin Turner's soul will be under the… 'protection' of the Source himself." The one on the right continued, "He will be imprisoned in a state of purgatory until you have earned the right to get his soul back."
"And, when that time does come, you will be free to do to him what you wish. However, we can do what we wish to him while he is still with us."
Cole's head shook slightly, and he desperately wanted to leap at the demon holding his father's soul and set his father free, to let him go where he is destined to go. He couldn't bear to think of his father suffering because of him.
Vornac, sensing the rage bubbling up inside Cole edged towards him and whispered in his ear,
"You are lucky to be alive, Belthazor. Do not give them reason to doubt their new decision. Walk away."
Obeying Vornac, Cole knelt before the Triad in a silent thank you and left the room with the demon that had saved his life.
Belthazor surveyed his new room, which he was sharing with a demon called Tarkin, and sat down by his altar. He looked at the gash on his left palm and traced the dried blood with his other hand.
Their blood, he thought, my blood. A blood oath.
He was now a fledgling in the Brotherhood of the Thorn.
My human half will not come in the way again- never again can I let that happen. No longer am I Cole Turner. No emotion. No conscience. From this day forward, I am Belthazor.
A/N- Hope you liked the ending to this fanfiction. Hopefully I shall be working on more sections to the Cole Chronicles once my other fanfictions are out of the way. Please R&R and let me know what you thought of this- criticism is very welcome, as long as it is constructive and not rude…