Chapter 5: The Burning Ground
"Are you the one to have awakened me from my heavenly slumber, my world of light, and summoned me into this world of chaos? The taint of the dark world is upon you. Yet you have made but a pact with the darkness in exchange for the powers of a witch. It was said that one such pitiful creature survived the annihilation. Tell me, my child. What is your name?" A voice boomed in its ancient language.
Crumbling rocks were falling all around Bayonetta. High in the sky floated the Angel that had haunted her dreams. The Angel had twin dragon-heads for arms and an obnoxious face in the middle.
The thing was not a looker.
"If I was your child, I'd be an awfully ugly witch, wouldn't I? Yours is a face only a mother could love, and one I could never forget. If only I could remember where from…" Bayonetta's voice sounded amused, but inside she felt a rising anger.
She walked along the ground and avoided the rocks as they were falling in slow motion. Stopping below the creature, the witch stood with a hand on her hip, waiting to see if the Angel would rise to the bait.
"Well then. My apologies. If you are not my awakener, then you and I have no quarrel." The voice of the Angel was calm as it prepared itself to fly off.
If Bayonetta wasn't feeling so confrontational she would have gone along with its plan and let go on its my merry way. It wasn't often that a witch ran into an Angel that wasn't hell bent on destroying her.
But Bayonetta was in a bad mood.
Wanting to get its attention back on her, she kicked one of the falling rocks like a soccer ball at the Angel's face.
"No quarrel? You're in no position to decide that. See, my infernal partners love my ability to eliminate your kind. I figure your sacrifice would shut them up for a while."
Pulling the guns out for a fight, the witch aimed at the flying dragon, only for the coward to turn tail and run back to Paradiso. Livid at the attitude of the Angel, Bayonetta stomped off. Or at least that's what she wanted to do.
Everywhere there were cracks and bolts of magma were shooting out.
The ground beneath Bayonetta opened up and pooled with magma. Worse, Affinities started coming out of the cracks and they were covered in flaming magma. Knowing that touching these creatures while they were like this would be detrimental for her skin, the witch ran through the collapsing clearing while shooting any Affinity that got in the way.
The heat was a wretched annoyance. Bayonetta's suit was not suited for this weather.
The witch continued to outrun the river of lava coming for her while avoiding the Beloveds that tried to cut her in half with axes. Outrunning the lava by jumping across the collapsed train path from earlier led Bayonetta back to the square with the bakery from earlier.
Unfortunately, the area was under fire as well. The square was further demolished by the battle with the Second Sphere Angel of Fairness.
Not in the mood for playing around, the witch dispatched the Angel in a matter of seconds by using her Wheel Torture Attack. The Angel was shredded to bloody pieces from the spinning wheel.
Things really got fun after Bayonetta ran around the corner and used the statues to help activate Witch Time so she could pass the geyser of lava. An explosion sent another river of lava after her, but this time she used one of the poor Affinities that had shown up as a surf board.
Oh yeah!
She struck a pose in the air on the makeshift surf board. Bayonetta knew how to have a good time.
When the Angel began to disappear from the damage done to its body, the witch jumped off and attached herself to the side of a building. This was only possible now because the moon had come out again.
It was like Bayonetta was on her own little planet, defying the laws of gravity.
She ran up and down, left and right, and sideways using Witch Walk. The sight would've made a mortal nauseous. Reaching the end of the road, the witch looked around for another exit.
Another explosion of lava opened a path for her.
A train came flying out of nowhere. Seeing a chance, she jumped on the train. The witch pushed through to the end of the train and made a makeshift door by shooting hundreds of bullets through the door.
Sticking the landing with a loud thump of heels, Bayonetta found herself in a cave. The cave exited to what she believed was a catacomb. Looking off to the left she noticed a red portal.
Rodin must've be waiting for her.
Stepping onto the portal, the witch was transported into The Gates of Hell. At the bar was Rodin pulling out a long case.
"Hey, Bayonetta try this baby out for size up there on them Angels. I finally finished making it from that disk you gave me." The bronze man greeted.
The only other person Bayonetta knew who got excited at the prospect of maiming angels, was Rodin.
At least they both had that in common.
Inside the case was a long katana blade. It was beautifully done and had an enticing aura about it.
Looked like Bayonetta had a new toy to play with.
Eager to put it to use, the witch traveled back through the portal and promised to bring Rodin another disk. Coming up from the ground, Bayonetta ended up where she came in from in the catacombs.
She saw another bridge on the other side of the cave.
The sight made her very anxious. It seemed every time Bayonetta crossed a bridge, she got attacked by something.
On the way to the bridge was an ancient portal-like object. Attempting to cross the bridge proved futile. As soon as the witch stepped on the bridge large rocks came out of nowhere and destroyed the bridge.
There was no way she'd be able to make it across now, the distance was too great.
Freaking bridges!
Bayonetta sighed at the world's machinations and turned back. She inspected the portal-object, seeing if it could be activated. The inspection was halted by the arrival of more tedious Affinities.
No matter her blade needed some practice.
Slicing them in half was like slicing butter. The defeat of the angels must have triggered something, because the portal-object suddenly activated. Bayonetta looked at the circular moon inside the object. She could see a completely different environment on the other side of the portal. With no other option the witch stepped into the portal.
Traveling inside the portal led her to an extraordinarily beautiful place.
Bayonetta stood on floating rocks with ruins around. What mystified her was the glowing grass and flowers that seemed to radiate pure energy. Everything around her just screamed heavenly. Even the air itself rang with soft melodies of music from a harp. All kinds of feathers and light traveled through the air.
"This must be the realm of Paradiso. I never thought I'd find myself here. I hope I don't get struck with lightning or something." Bayonetta muttered. For once her voice had none of its usual bravado.
Despite knowing she was a witch that belonged in Inferno, being here felt oddly comforting and accepting.
Bayonetta wondered why she didn't feel uncomfortable.
At the end of the floating stone were two familiar statues. This time it seemed Bayonetta wouldn't be walking on water, but rather jumping onto springs of water.
The process made the witch giddy. Bayonetta felt like she was a little girl playing in the water. She felt so light and happy.
On the next floating stone was a giant monument of a Lumen Sage and Umbra Witch. A strange object was floating in the middle, held by some force. Grabbing the lever she pulled it back, wondering what was going to happen.
Pulling the lever caused the monument to shatter and the object inside to fall into her arms. The object was an hourglass. A very large hourglass that required the witch to use two hands to hold it. The hourglass was pulsating with energy and rattling in her arms.
Bayonetta let it go.
The hourglass floated in the air and the energy cracked the glass. The air became still and the sky turned violet.
It looked like a mini galaxy. The light show ended and the monument repaired itself.
"It seems like that strange hourglass is able to turn back the sands of time. What once was broken is now whole again..I wonder if that power stays true in other dimensions as well?"
Bayonetta had an idea.
She pulled the lever again, grabbing the hourglass and made her way back to the portal. As if sensing her plan, the portal hummed and reflected the image of the catacombs.
Bayonetta stopped to look back at the heavenly atmosphere. A part of her didn't want leave. That part wanted to stay in this dimension that seemed so peaceful and full of beauty, but the witch knew she had to press on. Stepping through the portal brought her back to the hot cave.
The idea worked. The bridge repaired itself and Bayonetta crossed.
Of course, the bridge still collapsed after she made it to the other side. Crossing over another collapsing bridge, the witch had to repeatedly jump onto the next section before each section fell apart in order to avoiding dying by incineration.
Bayonetta heard something growling and the ground started shaking.
After she made it to the end of tunnel, she climbed her way out by walking alongside the walls.
Finally, Fresh air! Being outside never felt so good.
From where Bayonetta was standing, she could also see the city. It was completely engulfed in flames.
How awful.
The witch liked a little bit of destruction, but ruining entire cities was a little too much even for here.
Maybe she should try being a bit more careful during combat.
"My god! She decimated the entire city. I hope Cerezo was able to evacuate everyone…. Is all this really necessary brother?" Sigyn choked back her hysteria.
She had connected her mind to one of the Affinities. The spell allowed her to see what had become of the beloved city.
Vigrid was in flames.
The place they had called home for years was now gone.
Sigyn cancelled the spell and exited the mind of the Affinity. She turned around, facing her dear brother with a grim frown. She had no stomach for this kind of wanton destruction.
Her brother was over by his desk, tending to the cherry tree he treasured. Even in old age, he was still quite the imposing figure. Balder was their leader, their guide, so he had delveloped a certain air about himself. Gone was the gentle soul that loathed violence and mainpulation...some days Sigyn wondered if in his newfound cynicsm, if he reveled in these ugly machinations now.
His hair had changed over the long passage of time. No longer was it a bright brown, but a dull grey smoothed back from his pale face. His robes were silver and gold, befitting his status as a divine Sage. Attached to his back though, was the carcass of a pet peacock that used to be a favorite pet.
Sigyn fondly remembered a time when her brother would chase that peacock around in an effort to study it, so he could practice transforming into it.
"Fear not my, dear Sigyn. My son was able to direct the citizens to the trains before the battles began. What kind of father would I be, if I allowed any harm to come to my children." Balder spoke serenely.
Sometimes, Sigyn envied his tranquility. She could never stay calm in situations like these. Inside, her heart was racing. The woman couldn't stop pulling at the petals of the rose she had been given earlier. Every time she pulled all the petals out, the woman used a bit of magic to reapply them and start the game all over again.
Seeing her distress, Balder signaled her to approach him.
Standing next to him, the woman could see the shimmering gold mask he wore on the right side of his face. Every time she saw it, it made her think of the play they had gone to see about a phantom and an opera singer.
When Cerezo had seen the actor's mask, he laughed and told his father that he had a fan. Balder found the quip amusing and wondered if the playwright had met him before and drew inspiration from his mask.
That had been on of their rare days of joy.
"Here sweet sister, why don't you tend to the flowers? It might ease your mind." Balder passed her the pail of water he had been using to water the plants before walking away.
"Where are you going Balder?" Sigyn questioned.
Usually whenever she was unnerved, he would make her honeyed tea, but instead he was leaving her alone in his cold office.
"I shall be back momentarily, Sigyn. I must go now and retrieve my precious daughter, so that she may awaken to her true potential."
Before Sigyn could ask him what he meant by that, Balder had already walked into a portal.
He was always so cryptic with her now. Did he not trust her?
These last twenty years had changed him more than the last five-hundred.
Sigyn sighed pitifully. "I wish we could just go back to the years where we were a family. Rosa. Balder. Cerezo. Cereza. And me. We were so happy then, even though it was short-lived."
She started clipping some of the flowers off to take them down to the basement where the indoor garden was. It was time Sigyn visited Rosa's grave.
This could be the last chance she got before everything fell apart.