AN: I'm finally back, I think. Can't really tell where I am right now, to fucking dark. Chapter was a pain in the ass, but I guess that's what happens after three rewrites. Now I suppose some explanation is in order for my absence. Here is the best excuse I could come up with in five seconds. Life. Alright with that out of the way all that's left is my begging for reviews. So by all means the review section is open to any and all.

Alienvspredator5- Unless you've been reading the reviews as of late I don't think you'll recognize the newbie. Here's hoping you enjoy this chapter and new OC.

DonCossak- Well hope this lasts longer than the last chapter else I might need to step it up took keep up with my readers. Thanks for teh review and do enjoy the show.

Whisper dark rose- Second try is good enough right? So Rorix finally showed up, I hope I kept him in character enough for you. To address your concern we aren't in Azarath anymore, all will be explained later, hopefully. On a closing note allow me to say that Whispers in the dark is second only to Falling Inside the Black on my list of favs from Skillet. Thanks for reviewing and enjoy teh chapter.

Wingzero6464- I think its you, you kinda left without a signature. Anyway I have to say that half the fun of writing this has been developing Jake's personality and though I've never seen a character design class I at least have to try and keep up. But back to the chapter at hand, closure will have to wait for our hero. Though I considered putting it in something along those lines it seemed to early. Thank you for reviewing and enjoy the show.

ONWARD AND THAT-WAYWARD

Jake slowly turned around to find the man whom he had saved perched on the opposite side of the trench. The expression on his face was one of slight amusement, and when he next spoke his voice mirrored just that. "What about you Arella, think it just got bored?"

Arella climbed out of the trench to stand beside the unnamed man. "Oh I don't know Rorix, he was quite intimidating wasn't he? I do think he may have scared it." It was obvious to Jake these two knew each other from the joking at his expense, and the way they acted suggested they shared more than just a little history. But something was amiss, the circumstances they met one another lead him to believe they needed him for something. But for now all he had were names, so Jake would play the part of the fool, if only until he had more information.

"Ha. Ha. Your both SO funny." He said in the most sarcastic voice he could manage. "Now if the sir Rorix would kindly kiss my ass."

Rorix chuckled lightly at his antics, "And who are you to demand such a high honor?"

Jake put on his best shit eating grin and gave a slight bow as he spoke. "Why I am Jake Cameron Arius, Savior of your ass."

This sent Rorix into a full on laughing fit, as he did so Arella simply shook her head at the two men. After wiping a tear from his eye he spoke again to Arella, "I like this one, where did you find him?"

Arella looked over at Jake, "Found him in the wastes, well on his wayto to damnation."

Rorix's gaze hardened as he directed it at Jake. "Oh, so he is the one." He stated.

Jake for his part was severely confused. Almost as if he slept through another briefing and no one bothered to fill him in. "I'm what?" He tried to ask but was throughly ignored.

Arella nodded to Rorix, "Indeed so, I fear Raven knows not what she is getting into here."

Rorix shook his head, "No, Raven would not just do something so drastic unless she knew full well what she was up to and the repercussions that will follow."

Jake was surprised that they knew Raven but his confusion took priority over that and once again he tried for information. "Seriously, whats going on? What aren't I being told here?" Just as last time his voice fell on deaf ears and his questions went unanswered.

Arella glanced at Jake for a spit second, but paid no attention to his pleas for answers. "I can fell it on him, tainted by death. If it doesn't happen and happen soon he may well find himself trapped here."

Rorix looked at him and frowned, "I don't like it, but if Raven thinks it should be then I'll abide by her judgment."

Jake took the newly born silence as a chance to pry for answers and so did just that. "Now you going to let me in on whats going down?"

Arella stepped forward to answer, in the light that Jake might be inclined to believe her more than Rorix whom he had barely just met. "Jake, if I'm not mistaken you were sent here, but not the way that you should have been."

Jake's only response was a raised eyebrow. Confused though he may have been he wanted to hear what they knew before he revealed what he knew. Arella took his silence as a sign to continue and did so. "I can feel it on you, you were marked by death, for all intents and purposes you should be dead. But yet you still live, you don't belong on this plane, your an anomaly if you will. That is why the keepers of this realm sought you out, why they hunt us as well." She said motioning toward the creature's corpse lying a few feet away. "But unlike us, you cannot return without aid."

She looked away, thinking for a second, if it really was wise to let this continue. After a few moments her trust in her daughter won out and she continued. "Raven sent you here so you might live, and to do so you'd need the help of a demon. But you have no idea what you've awakened, it is a vengeful spirit, ancient as time itself and has had much to much time alone for its anger to grow."

Jake's trust in Raven never faltered for a second. This demon was what he was sent here for so he could return. He would find it and he would return. But he still didn't know what the hell he was supposed to do with it or what it fully was, and seeing as his new buddy had all the answers he decided to ask. "Ok, what exactly is this demon and why has it taken an interest in me?"

"In your language it's translated roughly as The Darkness. Though that doesn't quite cover just what it is. The truth behind it is it's an evil, born of fear. It feeds on the death of souls and would have gladly plunged all of existence into darkness if it could've." The memories flooded her mind as she spoke, and with them and came the emotions she thought long since dormant. "When it was awoken the first time it nearly destroyed our home. The fools that once call themselves our leaders saw it as an enemy that they would engage in battle. But for those who saw the truth it was already too late. For it was not an enemy we faced but a plague, sweeping across the land, engulfing all in its quest to devour. It does not feel pity or remorse, anger nor peace. Only hunger is known to it, and it will not stop till its hunger it sated. The only way to defeat such an opponent was to starve it, quarantine it to an unescapeable realm and never again open the pandora's box that you sealed it in." Arella paused, recalling the battle that had torn at this world for centuries, the fight her people had perished in."

"Azarath, our home, was destroyed in the fight to lock away the demon. Of our once great empire only one city remains. A grim reminder of what happens to many over the foolishness of a few." For the first time her neutral expression faultered, in her eyes it was written plain as day. The sorrow also carried by her voice struck Jake as all to familiar. One he had experienced not so long ago, one to this day he still carried.

And try as he might he found he couldn't absorb all the information that had just been dumped on him, pieces made it through but the whole still remained out of reach. In the end though her point was made clear. A demon with the power to destroy worlds, a demon that destroyed her world had taken an interest in him. "And this 'Darkness', why is it interested in me. For fucks sake I'm not that remarkable."

Rorix stepped forward with this answer, "It needs you, as a host, so it can escape. But the wards Raven has set on you ensures it won't be able to possess you as it would prefer. To escape it has to either completely consume your body and soul or enter a covenant with you, binding you to it and it to you." He finished the last sentence with more than a small amount of malice in his voice.

"This is what Raven sent me here for, to have a nice chat with an ancient demon capable of destroying worlds?" Jake asked in slight disbelief.

Both nodded grimly in response.

Jake clapped his hands together in front if him and spoke with the eagerness of a child on christmas morning. "Ok, point me in the right direction so I can meet this Darkness fellow." Arella and Rorix both looked at him like he had just grew another head on his shoulders. "What? Either I wait here to die or I go see this Demon. Besides, whats the worst that could happen?"

With his part said he picked a likely direction as any and started walking. Arella turned her head to the side and found Rorix looking at her as well, from his expression he was wondering the exactly what she was. 'Who the hell was this guy?'

After several seconds of blankly staring at each other they decided it was best they didn't leave him alone too long, and took off in a light jog to catch Jake who was already a fair distance away. As they caught up with him they fell into step on either side of him. Though they didn't quite know what was going to happen next they figured it best to stick around and see what becomes of their new companion.

A short while down the "road" Rorix's initial concerns started to catch up with him and as they worked their way to the forefront of his mind the so called "plan" was looking more insane by the minute. Finally he could remain silent no more and spoke up. "You're sure this is wise, trying to seek out a demon exiled for centuries?"

Arella sent a look his way to remain silent, a warning that went unheeded. That was made painfully obvious when he next spoke. "Do you really trust her enough to walk straight into hell for her?"

Jake didn't even have to think about his answer, "You'd better believe I would."

"You'd die for her?" The taller man questioned.

Jake didn't respond at first making him think he'd actually gotten him. But when a low chuckle sounded from Jake's direction he gave that hope up for dead. "You know, its strange. All my life I would have gladly given my life for a lot of things. My family, friends, in my line of work I'd have given my life for any of my teammates. Fuck, sometimes I'd have given it for a cookie. But Raven… Raven is different, she is the first and only thing I can honestly say that I'd live for."

That threw Rorix for a loop, this Jake. He was a strange one that was for certain. Maybe he won't be so bad after all. Maybe Raven was right to trust in him. In his thoughts about his new companion his walk slowed to little more than a crawl. Unnoticed by the others he soon found himself standing quite a ways away from them. "Then again maybe he's a dick." Rorix said to himself as he now had to jog to catch up with the pair already in a completely different conversion.

"You never did tell me how you know of Raven. You seem to know her surprisingly well, too well for someone from another freaking reality." Jake inquired.

Arella smirked anticipating his reaction. "I'd like to think I know my own daughter better than most."

Jake stopped dead like he had just ran headlong into a brick wall. His brain stopped to process the bomb that had just bitch smacked him with the force of an angry god. In a vain attempt to make sense of the new information he gave voice to his thoughts. "Wait. Wait? Wait! Raven, is your daughter?" He half yelled

Arella chuckled slightly as this was the exact reaction she knew he would have. "Don't act so surprised. No doubt you noticed the similarities when we first met."

"Yeah, but… you… Raven… does not compute." Jake managed through the confusion and shock.

"We do not age as average humans do Jake. Its not uncommon for us to see seven generations born before we pass, and with her demonic blood she will most likely live much longer."

"Alright, that I can get, but what about him. How's he fit in to the picture?" He asked motioning to Rorix who had finally caught up with them.

He is her guardian, like a bodyguard but more devoted than just looking for money. Though he may seem like a hardass at times," she said glaring at him out pf the corner of her eye. ", he has her best interests at heart."

Rorix heard them talking about him and decided to speak up on his own behalf. "I have known Raven for many years, and took it upon myself to safeguard my dearest childhood friend. Aside from her mother and I, most didn't look to kindly on Trigon's blood walking among them."

"You'd think they'd be happy she was trying to control her powers instead of ripping them limb from limb." Jake joked.

"If there's one thing I've learned over the years its that people are never happy with what they have." Rorix tossed back.

"Too true Rorix, all too true."

AN: How bout it. Worth the wait or no? How bout you tell me in the review.

AN2.0: A special thanks to my reviewer Whisper dark rose for submitting her OC Rorix for our enjoyment. Please be sure to pass on your gratitude to your fellow reader.