I know I haven't updated for months, but I have a good reason! Okay I don't, but I'm updating today so calm down everybody! I have made you wait long enough so here it goes!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor the song Darkness by Disturbed.
Previously:
On the Vampire Lord's mansion, Kestrel was dancing out of joy. Harry was awake which meant that they could get their plan into motion. Azarius smiled for the first time in a long time and Reaper felt the feelings of hopelessness lift a little. Kestrel jumped on the Reaper and looked him in the eyes.
"Now that Harry is awake, what's the next step in your glorious plan to get my baby back?", he asked.
"we have to go to Heaven," he answered, touching the mirror and creating a vortex in it. From it he made a scythe appear. He took it in both hands and stared at the vampires.
"And how are you planning in doing that?", asked Azarius, eying the Reaper carefully. Death smiled at him. "Like this" He said and swung his scythe at Kestrel and Azarius, reaping their immortal souls from their bodies. Their lifeless bodies dropped to the floor with a loud thud. Soon after, Amaya and Lilith appeared in the room and screamed, watching their parents dead bodies sprawled on the floor.
Hell Raiser: The Stand
By: K.L. Bloodfang
Chapter 7: Caelestis Flere
Amaya soon followed them, as the shock caused her to faint on the spot. Lilith grabbed her sister's body and began to shake her, trying desperately to awake her. After her failed attempts, she turned her attention to the specter before her, who looked backed at her in surprise. Anger boiled inside her, quickly spilling over into a raged-powered attack towards Death himself. Her eyes, filled with madness, glared at him, making him shake.
"HOW DARE YOU KILL MY PARENTS! THEY WERE YOUR FRIENDS; THEY TRUSTED YOU!", yelled the rabid girl, thrusting blow after blow towards the Grim, who frantically evaded her attacks.
"Wait! Lilith! Let me explain!", pleaded the Reaper.
"EXPLAIN! WHAT IS THERE TO EXPLAIN! YOU MURDERED MY PARENTS! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO SAVE BRAEDEN NOW? HUH! ANSWERE ME, YOU DICK, yelled Lilith between attacks and sobs. After memorizing the frantic girls moves, the Reaper managed to pin her down long enough to explain the situation.
"He's the reason I killed them! I had to! A living person can't move freely through the after life! And I can't do this on my own! Besides, they'll be back to life once we're done!", answered the Reaper, calming down Lilith and letting go of her.
She then looked at him, tears still falling from her eyes. "But why didn't you warn us? You could have said something, right?", asked the weeping girl.
"True, I could have told you", began the Grim, while creating a portal in his mirror with his scythe, "but where's the fun in that?", he finished while jumping inside the mirror, just in time to dodge the vase that the pissed off vampiress had thrown at him.
Meanwhile, in Hell
Kestrel groggily opened his eyes, instantly closing them, trying desperately to shield them from the world that surrounded him. The place was dark and sombre, the only light coming fro the fire that sprouted from the cracks in the ground. The steam was so piping hot, that it could have easily melted the flesh right off your bones (which may be why no living being survived that place). Burning and broken tombs littered the empty and desolate field on which he lied.
A river of boiling blood passed some feet away from him. The damned drowned and try to swam away, trying to escape their punishment. Centaurs, with flaming manes and tales, shot arrows at those who tried to leave the river; their screams echoed throughout the place.
The screams of the damned could be heard all over the place. The sounds of scratching and tearing flesh of the wrathful, the endless moans ecstasy of the lustful, the loud and fearful growls of the three-headed dog (Cerberus) as he tore apart the gluttons, the screams of the burning heretics inside burning graves. Even the laughter of the demons could he heard, finding dark amusement in the punishment of those souls. It all combined into what could only be called as the Symphony of Hell.
Kestrel's body shook uncontrollably with fear and torment; his kind soul unable to take the sounds. The sounds reminded him too much at the torture his own son had been enduring himself. Tears began to slide down his pale cheeks as chocking sobs rocked his slender frame.
Suddenly, a pair of strong yet familiar arms held him, giving him strength and comfort. He hugged his husband as tightly as he could, afraid that if he let go his sanity would leave him.
"It's alright, Kestrel. I'm here now. Every thing will be okay," said Azarius, try to calm down his mate's tremors. The black-haired vampire looked at him, his usually vibrant and cheerful blue eyes, now opaque and saddened. It broke his heart seeing his love suffer.
"Aza, where are we? What happened?", asked Kestrel in a low voice, barely above a whisper. "I don't know, Re. I don't know,", answered the green eyed vampire.
"Welcome to Hell!", yelled a voice from behind them, causing them to jump in the air. There was the Reaper laughing at them. "You're in my domain now. Are you ready to get our journey started?", asked the mischievous Death.
"WHY THE FUCK ARE WE IN HELL FOR, REAPER, yelled Azarius, grabbing the specter tightly by his robes and lifting him of the floor.
"Well, now I know where Lilith got her temper Will you let go of me? I told you we had to go to Heaven to get the Caelestis Flere, yes? Well, YOU COULDN'T GO THERE WHILE YOU TWO STILL HAD PHYSICAL BODIES. They would have melted with the heat here," said Grim. Azarius placed him back on the floor and looked at Kestrel, who still shook uncontrollably.
"Let's get going then. The faster we get out of here, the better for everyone. I don't think Kestrel can take much more of this place," he said to the Reaper, who nodded and began to lead the way.
They walked for miles. On their way they passed a man who kept riping and eating his own flesh over and over again; in life probably enjoyed to overeat. They saw a woman being raped by hordes of demons, her screams a mix of agony and twisted pleasure; in life surely a sex addict, now had to suffer this punishment for eternity.
They even saw some familiar faces. The Dursleys were bound by their wrists and feet as they were being flogged by three gigantic two-headed demons, who laughed at their screams of pain. Another raped Vernon over and over again, while he kept repeating the same sentence ("I'm sorry Harry! I'm sorry Harry!" ), regretting the things he had done to his nephew. "You can be sorry all you want. It won't change your punishment", commented the Reaper as they passed them.
All of the sudden, a young demon blocked their path. He had shin-length green hair and golden eyes. He wore black robes and carried a battle ax twice his size on his shoulders. He swung his weapon at the Reaper, who jumped out the way, unharmed.
" What the hell are you doing, Dimitri!", asked Grim furiously at the demon. Dimitri smiled and prepared himself to strike once again. "You weren't expecting this journey of yours to be a walk in the park, now did ya? I'm here to stop ya. No hard feelings, Big Boss orders."
Dimitri charged at Grim with impressive speed, considering the size of the ax he wielded. Both ax and scythe clashed heavily, the sound resonating loudly. The both struggled to push the other back, then Grim did low kick, breaking Dimitri's ankle and making fall to the ground in pain. The Scythe wielder smirked at him. "I won," he said and he and the vampires left. The yellow-eyed demon threw his ax in a fit of anger straight at Kestrel. Azarius caught it mere inches from his mate's head. Enraged he swung it right back at Dimitri, decapitating him.
"And he was such a good assistant too. Oh well, he'll be back in a few months. Let's go," said Reaper, beginning the long walk again.
The walked for what it seemed like hours before they reached a pair of massive iron doors, adorned with skulls and human bones. It was stained red, 'Probably blood', thought Azarius. The Grim kept looking from side to side, as if expecting something to attack them at any moment.
"What's the matter with you?", asked the Vampire Lord.
"Something is not right. I don't see the guard dog anywhere," said the Reaper confused.
"You're worried about some stupid mutt! Who cares! Let's get going!", yelled Azarius as he began to push the doors open.
Suddenly, he heard a loud growling noise behind him and something wet hitting his head. The vampire gulped and looked at the Grim.
"This 'guard dog' wouldn't be the Cerberus, would it?"
"Yep."
"And it's right behind me, isn't he?"
"Yep."
"I should run, shouldn't I?"
"Yep."
Azarius began to run as fast as his legs would carry him, straight at the Reaper. "IDIOT! NOT TOWARDS ME!", he yelled as he started running alongside the vampire. If Kestrel hadn't been so out of it, he would probably had been laughing.
"Grim, how the hell do we stop this dog!", asked the green-eyed man.
"The only thing that can calm Cerberus is music", answered Reaper.
"Start singing then!"
"Are you nuts! I don't know how to sing! You sing!"
"No way! I can't sing even to save my own life!"
"Yeah, I know. Well, I guess this is the end of our journey. As dog food."
"Yeah."
Suddenly, the Cerberus stopped chasing them and began to walk towards Kestrel. Panicking, Azarius was about to attack the giant dog, until he was stopped by Reaper.
"What the Hell are you doing! He's going to kill my husband!"
"No, your husband is saving our asses."
The vampire then began to hear his mates soft, soothing voice singing to the three-headed dog, putting him to sleep .
"Don't
turn away
I pray you've heard
The words I've spoken
Dare
to believe
For one last time
And then I'll get the
Darkness cover me
Deny everything
Slowly walk away
To breathe again
On my own
Carry me away
I
need your strength
To get me through this
Dare to believe
For one last time
And then I'll let the
Darkness
cover me
Deny everything
Slowly walk away
To breathe
again
On my own"
By the time he was over, the Cerberus was in a deep sleep, allowing them to escape through the door. Azarius hugged his mate and looked in his eyes. The life was finally back in his eyes and he could see laughter in them. Kestrel hugged him and began laughing at his two companions.
"That was hilarious", he said between the side-splitting laughter.
"Yeah, Yeah! Laugh it off! Where are we now Reaper?", asked the miffed Azarius.
The place they were in now was brighter, but completely white, as far as the naked eye could see. It reminded Kestrel of an insane asylum, which is where they were heading if they didn't get out of there quick.
"Well, we're in Limbo. There is nothing in Limbo," answered Reaper.
"If that is so, how are we supposed to find our way out of here?", asked Kestrel curiously. Grim scratched his head and raised his shoulders. "I don't know. We just walk, I guess. Never made out the other end, just back to hell."
"We're doomed," said Azarius, holding himself from beating the Death to... well, Death.
They walked for what seemed like an eternity, the only thing they ever saw was white and the Reaper's big screen television. After passing by a TV for the 10 time, Kestrel grew curious as how many of them there were, so he decided to ask.
"Reaper, how many televisions are here?"
"One, why?"
"Because we just passed it for the tenth time."
"THAT MEANS WE HAVE BEEN WALKING IN CIRCLES!", yelled Azarius in frustration. Then a question popped in his head. "Reaper, how did you got a TV in Limbo?"
"OH! I wished it here! The Big Boss let me have that ability for a while and since there were so many souls here and I have to keep watch for Permafrost. It lets me see everything that goes on in any of the dimensions. It also lets me find anything I need, like a missing soul or..."
"Or a missing gate?", asked Kestrel.
"Yes! I had completely forgotten about this!" The Reaper turned on the TV and wrote the remote 'Gate to Heaven', much like you would with a cellphone. Immediately an image popped in the TV set of a pain of gargantuan Golden Door, similar to the Gates of Hell, but this one had angels instead of human bones and it wasn't stained with blood. In the bottom where instructions to where the Gate lied. 25 feet forward , turn left.
"Let's get going then! I can almost feel that sword in my hands", yelled Azarius, running in the direction of the door. "Braeden, were coming!", added Kestrel.
Soon they were in front of the doors. They were completely unprotected. " Shouldn't there be a guardian to the Gates of Heaven?", asked Kestrel. "No, the guardians are at the Golden Arches, just beyond the Gate", answered the Reaper, stunned by the sheer beauty of what he was seeing. 'And what lies inside is thousand times more beautiful', he thought.
They pushed open the Doors and were momentarily blinded by the light. After they let their eyes adjust they were unable to speak, the sight before them leaving them awestruck. The distinction between Heaven and Hell was immensely vast.
Instead of screams of agony and despair, laughter and happiness filled the air. No demons torturing the dead, but angels preparing the new souls for their new lives. Children running in meadows full of blossoming flowers and trees filled with ripe fruit ready for the picking, no fire graves or desolation like Hell. Instead of a river of bubbling blood running trough the middle of the land, Heaven's was one of crystalline water, full of life. It was paradise.
Still marveled by the place, the three travelers made their way toward the Golden Arches, were a smiling angel welcomed those that earned the entrance to such rapture.
"Hello. May I ask what you three are doing here?", asked the young angel boy.
"We have traveled very far in search of the Heaven's Cry. Could you tell where we could find it?", asked Azarius kindly to the angel.
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you, for I do not know. Maybe an archangel will know", answered the Angel.
"Where can we find one?", asked Kestrel.
"I will send to find one, please wait here", answered the young angel and sent another one to find an archangel. A few minutes later, an archangel with long blonde hair and gray eyes arrived.
"So, you are the ones searching for the Heaven's Cry?", he asked the three travelers, looking at each of them from head to toe.
"Yes. We are, where can we find it?", asked Reaper. The angel crossed his arms and looked at them. "Come with me."
The three of them followed the Archangel to a building with large pillars in the front. It looked similar to the temples built by the ancient Greeks. The walked down several corridors until they arrived at what seemed to be an office. On the door where the words 'Seraph Malak' engraved.
"Malak will see you now. You may go in", said the Archangel before turning around and leaving. The Reaper opened the door and found three chairs before a large maple desk. "Please, sit down. You must have had a very tiring journey if you came all the way from Hell", said a voice from inside. They sat down, actually grateful to get a small brake. Soon a six-winged angel carrying a long box sat before them. He had long, bright red hair and piercing, yet kind, aqua blue eyes and wore a white tunic.
"I am Malak, the Seraph in charge of protecting this, the Caelestis Flere a.k.a. Heaven's Cry. You have come for it, yes?"
"Yes, it has been a very tiring journey and we really need that sword", said the Reaper.
Malak looked at them, a bit of sadness in his eyes. "I'm afraid I cannot give this to you. It's not my orders, it's the Big Boss. I was ordered not to hand it to anyone."
"WHAT! We need that!", yelled Azarius. Kestrel held him down, looked at him and shook his head, telling him not to scream at the Seraph like that.
"Please, we really need that blade. Is the only way to stop the Hell Raiser. It was unleashed, with no ill thoughts in mind, by the Grim Reaper here. He tried to use it against an evil that plagued the world, without realizing that the sword was an even bigger evil. Now, it was possessed a boy and its destroying the world and unless we stop him, it will become nothing more that an iceberg in the sea of space. People are dying and suffering everyday. We have to put a stop to it and that can only be done with the Caelestis Flere," explained Kestrel, tears of desperation beginning to form in his eyes.
"He has someone you love, this demon that's possessing the boy?", asked Malak. Kestrel and Azarius nodded. "Your son. He is the main reason you have come here. You went trough all the tortures of Hell and the emptiness of Limbo in the hopes that in Heaven you could get the Holy Blade. Such love and determination is rare in this day and age on Earth. Depending on how you two answer this question, the world is either saved or doomed. What are you willing to give for this sword, that will be destroyed after it is used?" asked the Seraph. Kestrel and Azarius looked at each other and held their hands together. And with tears in his eyes, the Lord of Vampires answered the words that would seal their fate.
"We would go through all the tortures of Hell for the rest of eternity, if it meant we could get a chance to save our children."
"Then the world is save."
And that's it! For now. I'll update in a few months. Naw, kidding! I'll update next week. Please Read and Review. Bye the way, it took me 6 hours to write this chapter so you better review!
