Chapter 40

A dark crackling of energy ripped through the air, alerting them both to a sudden and new danger. Glancing out Mokuba and Serenity watched in awe as dark clouds, unlike any they'd ever seen, rolled in across hell's skyline. Exchanging a quick look, they waited patiently to see what the horizon would bring. After a few moments there was a dark, electric blue crack of lightning which struck the ground less than a mile away. The strike was followed instantly by a crumbling explosion and a cloud of dust wafted into the air.

Slowly they started backing away from the window, but as they did a cascade of dark electric blue thunderbolts raced towards them. Paralysed with fear, all either one of them could do was shift their gaze upwards and wait for the evitable. They heard the hot crackling as it left the clouds; the loud boorish crumbling as it broke through their roof. They felt the immense heat from above milliseconds before the whole room filled with a dark bluish light.

Mokuba heard Serenity's screams of torture. Serenity heard Mokuba's howls of pain. Each felt as though there skin was being torn from their bodies. Each felt as though their bones were being fused together, only to crumble away. Each felt the sheer intensity of an inescapably fate. In their last moments they held each others gaze, their hearts all but breaking through their chests to hold the other.

'I love you,' Serenity faintly murmured, as everything fell away to darkness.

The feeling hit her like the snapping of a tendon and almost the second it did, Damon began to cry.

'Shh,' she hushed him uncertainly, 'it's okay little one, what's the matter?'

'Hurts.'

'What hurts,' she frowned, wondering if he'd had the same sensation she did.

In reply Damon simply turned his eyes up towards her and blinked tearfully. Clearly he had no way of comprehending what it was that had hurt and CiCi could only guess at how similar it was to what she'd felt.

'It's okay,' she assured him, 'it doesn't hurt for long, see?'

Even as she spoke the dull ache the sensation had caused lifted. Slowly Damon began to nod, then he pulled himself near to his sister and buried his head in her chest.

'It's okay little one,' she smiled down at him, 'we're safe here. We're always going to be safe here, because we're finally free.'

Barely a minute had passed since he'd discovered Helen was missing, when the sky had darkened and the electric blue lightning had started raining down upon his kingdom. In a mixture of anger and alarm, he'd headed to the rooftop of his castle in order to get a better view of the situation. From every corner of his kingdom screams of terror and pain drifted towards him. The lightning rained down in indiscriminate paths, destroying everything it touched in an all consuming manner.

Through the air he could feel a bitter, angry pain making its way towards him. Cold hatred shot at him from every angle… and blame. Someone was blaming him for something and they were…

'Well this isn't exactly what I thought would happen,' a female voice sounded from just behind him, 'but I must say it was what I was hoping for.'

Glancing round Ni spotted the girl. She was dressed in a tight blue corset, with equally tight black hot pants and translucent black tights that bizarrely led down to a pair of white trainers. Her hair was just as tightly ringletted as her outfit and her eyes were a bright, self assured brown designed to penetrate anyone or anything they stared at.

'You fit the appearance of the most recent Goldilocks perfectly, but you are nothing more than an imitation. A mimic.'

'How can you be so sure?'

'Even with a perfect mimic there are certain things you just can't copy and you don't feel like one of them.'

'How can you be so sure?'

'Because I can, just like I can be so sure there's more than one of you annoying little girls, although I get the feeling only one of you is playing this game.'

'And I told you before there is only one of me.'

'So I was right then, you are my little mimic. That's why you're here now, isn't it,' he indicated towards the destructive force wreaking its way through hell. 'But I know the ways this can go just as well as you do, don't you forget that?'

'How could I?'

'The destruction of hell would make everything unstable, you know that, don't you?'

'I do,' an array of tortured souls began to appear behind her, 'that's why I've brought them here to help.'

'The Army of Sen Pay,' he nodded slowly, 'and in Onchasen form too, you really know what you're doing here. But if you can control them you really can't be one of the Self Damned, no one being is capable of hosting two soul demons.'

'With them at your side you'll quell any thoughts of rebellion without having to marry that little Vii Sen of yours,' she ignored his words. 'After all, if the beast has enough respect for you to lend you its army, then what mere demon could oppose your legitimate rule?'

'I was hoping for both,' Ni allowed his eyes to study the army in front of him, 'I do love her you know.'

'I'm more than aware of that Ni,' she folded her arms, 'but you must play the hand that you've been dealt. Even if it means losing what you really want, in order to win what you really need.'

'And what do I really need?'

'Hell back under your rule and the Army of Sen Pay under your control.'

'What,' he blinked at her.

'Consider it a gift from the beast. A down payment on you not pursuing Helen any further.'

'And what do I do when the beast demands its army back.'

'Oh she will demand them back, but not right away.'

'You mean…?'

'You're being given a shot to raise hell. Just one shot mind. Whether it succeeds or not is up to you,' her expression tightened. 'Once your shot is over you'll have no further use for them and the beast will claim them back.'

'The beast is awfully trusting,' Ni smirked.

'The beast knows how to destroy you,' she narrowed her gaze, 'forget that at your peril.'

'It knows how to destroy him to,' he indicated out towards the anger.

'Aye, it does, but it won't. And neither will you. You've been given this army now simply to hold him off until the New Light arrives.'

'I know that.'

'Good. See to it you don't forget or the beast could become very fickle on its promise.'

'And you would know, wouldn't you little host.'

'Believe what you like.'

'Oh I will,' he laughed. 'Although I am curious about one thing.'

'And what's that?'

'Why would you want to give me a shot at raising hell?'

For a few moments Goldilocks simply giggled to herself, as a strange kind of smile pulled its way across her lips.

'Oh Ni, of all people you should know the answer to that; you've seen the same things I have.'

'Just because I've seen what would happen, doesn't mean I understand.'

'It's a test Ni, one they will either fail or pass.'

'That simple huh?'

'That simple,' she nodded. 'I have given you your army and you will test them. But this is a test for you to and for that I need to prepare them.'

'One year,' he nodded slowly.

'One year,' she smirked, 'exactly as was written.'