Author's notes section:
2022-12-06: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.
2022-12-11: Hey, I have a small update for you. Let me know what do you think?
2022-12-30: Hey, I have managed to write some update. What do you think about it? Do you like it, or is it rather bad?
2023-01-07: Hey, the first chapter is finally concluded. Tell me what do you think?
Info: Ok, let me start with what I promised in the last chapter of `My home is where my heart lies`. So, I often find myself not motivated enough to progress through the story, to write something refreshing and good. And thus, I feel like I will be splitting the story into 3 parts, aka the initial story will be split into 3 separate works. It will allow me to finish one part, re-read it, and think about changes that are necessary to take place. Furthermore, I feel like I have made a lot of mistakes throughout these nearly 3 years of writing this story. And... a lot of these come from a simple concept; I have started too many stories, and I have not been able to conclude virtually any of these. Moreover, my writing style and English proficiency drastically changed/evolved throughout this time. As you might know, I'm a perfectionist; I would love each and every one of my chapters to hold the same standard, to be simply the best. And... yet, with my knowledge of language broadening, it would require me to completely rewrite the story to maintain more or less the same level. And, as you might expect, it would take me ages to do so. So, as I have said, I will try to conclude the first part of this series as soon as possible. Nevertheless, I expect that I will need at least 3 - 5 chapters to do so.
Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.
Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2022-12-06]: A preview has been released.
[2022-12-11]: The chapter was updated; I have managed to add around 600 words.
[2022-12-30]: The chapter was updated; I have managed to add around 800 words.
[2023-01-07]: The chapter was updated; I have managed to add around 700 words. The final version was released.
Info: As promised, here is the preview for the next chapter. I will try to finish it asap, but as nearly always, I can promise you when the piece will be finished. Anyway, Enjoy :)
Info: Overall, the current plan is for me to write 'My home is where my heart lies' and 'Family tree' alternatively. Between the updates of these stories, I will try to upload other texts. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to finish some of the short stories. However, I truly doubt that. It seems that most if not all of the stories will be extended both in terms of the time and the number of chapters.
Info: I will try to rewrite some of the older chapters between releasing new ones. I expect to start working on that goal in the middle of January. So, please be informed that the new chapters might take a bit longer to be finished and published.
Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even 2 stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
Bleach story. (Byakuya x Yoruichi / ?)
Naruto story. (Neji x Hinata / Neji x TenTen / Nagato x Konan)
Fairy Tail story. (most likely Erza x Mira)
Maybe some Star Wars?
References:
Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell - Heaven and Hell
*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D
End of the author notes section.
Introduction:
The term: judgment day can be found in many religions or cults. Though the definition and course of the said event would most likely differ in details, the reasoning behind the Apocalypse usually stayed the same, for humanity to pay for their sinful life. For example, Christians believe that the final seal will be shattered at the end of time, releasing Evil to wreak havoc upon the world. Then, the land would be scoured by the 4 riders of Apocolypse.
Well, the problem with this vision is that it was mistranslated. In fact, as soon as the final seal is lifted, a war begins. The war between angelic Heaven and demonic Hell. Make no mistake, my dear listener, this moment is nearly upon us. Hence, sit comfortably and spectate with me as the events unfold. How about we start our story in Hell?
Hell:
The cacophonous mess of sounds surrounded the palace. The voices of untold billions of souls screaming in pain as their eternal suffering continued filled the air. Even for high-ranking demons, this chaos was barely acceptable, as it was challenging to focus on anything. Nonetheless, Akali was summoned as part of that mentioned high council. And… it would have been disastrous to openly oppose the will of the Hell's King, Lucifer. So, without alternatives, the white-haired demoness arrived as she had been instructed.
The cathedral-like construction known as the Devil's palace was nothing but a symbol of the corruption that had been consuming humanity for ages. These punny humans could believe as much as they wanted that religion would save them. But, in reality, the faith only amplified the inherited hatred that lurks inside every man. Oh, how cynical was it to witness the so-called holy wars. The demoness remembered spectating these events first-handily. It must have been admitted that some of these kings, soldiers, or even priests, could muster more hatred and malevolence than demons. Hence, offering some shady advice or propositions was trivial, making their downfall far more severe. Akali had some thrilling memories connected with these events. For example, she could remember the moment she had ripped the emperor's soul out of his drowned body. The moment the man realised what was happening was carved into the demoness's consciousness. Till the end, the emperor believed that the decision to cross the rushing river was his own. The white-haired woman flashed a malevolent smirk, then took him straight to the inner circle of Hell. Yes, these were fond memories.
It was reckless to wander around without paying an ounce of attention to the surroundings. Yet, Akali did so precisely. With her mind fully preoccupied with the retrospection of past events, she did not care what was happening around her. One could say that the demoness was walking with her head in clouds. But, of course, if there were clouds in Hell.
"Commander Ilgrith," a familiar hoarse voice sounded nearby. "We haven't expected you to arrive so soon."
"It is not wise to keep the king waiting," Akali responded, searching for her speaker. "Nonetheless, it is good to see you again, Azudath, my friend," the demoness added a moment later. "What is the reasoning behind such a sudden call? Do you have any intel about that?" she inquired.
"Unfortunately, nothing that would unveil this mystery, Commander," Azudath said.
"How long have we known each other, Azudath?" the white-haired demoness changed the topic not so subtly.
"I believe…" the demon started, humming as he thought. "I believe it was 3 thousand years ago, around Christians' holy wars," he finished after a brief pause.
"Exactly," the Commander commented, taking a step forward. "So, please do not try to title me. And… more so, do not use my official name. Here, in Hell, I am simply Akali," the white-haired woman stated rather coldly.
"As you wish, Commander… Akali," the demon slowly responded.
"That is better, but I take it will take you some time to adjust," Akali said, turning toward the bloody-red painted gates of the castle. "Let's go, Azudath. Let us not keep Lucifer waiting," she added, gesturing for the other demon to follow her.
For a fleeting moment, the demoness expected Azudath to speak back, but instead, he shook his head and followed her. This small victory was noted by a barely visible smirk playing on the white-haired woman's lips. But unfortunately, the stroll lasted only briefly. It might have taken them around a minute or so to climb the 100-steps stairway leading to the gates. But, as soon as they faced the entrance, its guardians came back to life. Across the whole stairway, the gargoyles statues were located on the sides. One could have mistakenly taken them for a creepy piece of decoration. But, the reality was far more sinister. These statues were eternal guardians of the palace. Or, at the very least, its first line of defence.
"State your purpose!" the closest of the gargoyles spat at Akali. "Lucifer, the king of Hell, is not to be disturbed!"
"Eh," the demoness sighed, annoyed with the situation. "Back off!" she ordered the stone construct. "I am Commander Ilgrith, the leader of the ninth Legion," she added whilst taking a step forward.
"Prove it!" the other statue thundered. "Show us the insignia!" it demanded.
"Let it be your way," Akali growled. Then, she reached out under her breastplate to retrieve a golden neckless formed to resemble a bull. "Satisfied?!" the woman inquired a moment later.
"Who is accompanying you?" another question was asked by the gate's guardians.
"The name is Azudath, the leader of the twentieth Legion. The Legion's insignia is a wild boar," the white-haired Commander stated. "Can we proceed? We are expected by the King and the High Council."
"You may go," the first of the gargoyles replied, forsaking a hostile tone. "Bring a victory for the king!" the statues roared, visibly returning to their lifeless form a moment later.
The demoness fought off the want to loudly express her discontent. Even though the effort was fruitful, it took a moment or two. Then, without uttering a single word, she entered the cathedral-like building.
There was one wish lurking in Akali's mind. The Commander hoped that the encounter with the gargoyles would not cause her to be late for the meeting. But, considering the King insisted on inviting her, the whole council would be gathered. And… it meant that she would face both Leviathan and Beelzebub soon enough. It was not a forbidden knowledge between the demons that Akali did not have a good relationship with these two exactly. Some demons would describe this power struggle as a competition or rivalry. But, in reality, it was an open conflict between two opposite factions.
Even though Akali rarely visited the King's palace, she knew the layout by heart. This knowledge proved helpful as the demoness allowed her consciousness to roam freely, trying to devise a strategy of sorts for the upcoming meeting. But… that task was seemingly more challenging than she would have wanted it to be.
It took the Commanders a good while to get to the building's summit. However, whilst climbing through seemingly endless stairways, one could think that there were no guards inside the palace. But, as you might already anticipate, that would have been false speculation. Every corner, every wall could hide an entity that pledged a vow to Lucifer. So, for those foolish enough to trespass the Devil's lair, there were plenty of surprises awaiting.
Still, it was difficult to describe the feeling. Hence, the earlier Akali entered the throne room, the better. She did not particularly like to be surrounded by millions of tonnes of stone. The knowledge of being constantly watched only furtherly fueled the demoness' paranoia.
"You may enter," a familiar voice of the Devil himself sounded before the party could reach the massive steel door.
"Lucifer is getting impatient," Akali whispered so quietly that only Azudath could hear her.
"It sounds like that," the twentieth Legion leader agreed. "So, we should hurry up, shouldn't we?"
As the question did not require a response of any sort, they quickened up their pace and reached the entrance in no time. Like many other things within the cathedral-like construction, the throne room's door was bound by a spell. The magic recognised them, opening the entrance to allow them the pass.
The temperature inside the room was definitely way higher than in the seemingly endless stairway they crossed. Technically, this effect could have been achieved by the furnace-like pedestals located in the room's corner. However, until proven, there was no certainty in that statement at all.
To many, the size of the Devil's seat of power would have been confusing. Well, one would have expected the throne room to be enormously large to plant a seed of doubt in the visitors' hearts. But, it would be sufficient to say that it was all but nonsense. In reality, the council's meeting room was rather small. In the very centre of it, a round table was placed with multiple maps lying over it. And as of that moment, 3 demons were standing beside the table. Slightly behind it was an infamous throne built entirely from sinners' bones. As far as Akali was concerned, the idea behind the furnishing was dull and plain stupid. The armchair must have been ridiculously uncomfortable to sit upon.
Only the King of Hell, Lucifer, noticed their entrance. Even though he could manipulate his form to fit all his desires, the Devil usually chose to be seen as a mere human. His human frame was tall yet slender, unhealthy pale with long black raven-down hair. Only his true identity remained in his eyes, lurking behind an appealing cover. These orbs of seemingly molten fire were as wild as Hell's fire. He gestured toward the commanders to come closer, to join them in the council's meeting.
Directly in front of the Devil, Leviathan stood, leaning against the table's edge. As much as Akali did not like the arch-demon, his accomplishments spoke highly of his skills. And, the Commander was a woman of action, not words, so she respected that detail. His frame was a mix of human and serpent. His skin was virtually a scale layer much more defensively potent than any armour. Leviathan loved to surround himself with an aura of horror. Hence, his head remained an identical copy of his monster suit. Still, in terms of size and appearance from a distance, he chose to resemble a human being.
To Leviathan's right, Beelzebub stood with his arms folded against his weak, ageing chest. The arch-demon usually preferred to appear as a sick, old, and fragile man. Maybe it was to contradict his domain, but who could know? As a prince of gluttony, he was responsible for most of the nobles' falls. At some point in time, he tried to plant a seed of his corruption within the lower-ranking humans, but it did not bore any satisfying results. So, Beelzebub leashed out in rage, corrupting some people to commit something unforgivable. Finally, he forced these poor human beings to eat each other. So, cannibalism, like a plague, washed over lands, leaving them inhospitable. As much as the arch-demon's methods were dirty, they seemingly worked in most cases. Still, Beelzebub was not a fighter nor a general. He was a schemer, a master of puppets that controlled the events as they unfolded from the shadows. Akali did not like him because she could never predict what the old arch-demon had in mind. His plans usually had a hefty price to pay attached to them. And, it would not have been the first time when Akali would be the one to pay that price instead of Beelzebub.
"It is good to see both of you," the Hell's King said casually. "Leviathan, Beelzebub, it seems the meeting can finally begin," he added.
His voice was smooth and warm, a perfect mixture for a seducer, Akali judged. One could have described it as silken, but the demoness did not like the term. For her, it felt flat, not descriptive enough.
"Oh, finally," a disappointing note rang in Beelzebub's voice. "One could have thought the King's request would be enough to hasten such a minor endeavour. But… as far as Commander Ilgrith is concerned, it seemingly doesn't work," the arch-demon continued, not bothering to turn around.
"Lucifer, what's the reason behind this rather laughable meeting?" Leviathan asked the Devil directly. "I expected this… farce to be an Inner Circle's council, but… what I see is far from what I anticipated. Care to explain?"
"Do not worry, Leviathan," Lucifer chuckled, not bothered by the other arch-demon's stiff tone. "I might have purposefully misnamed this meeting, but it matters not. What matter is that all of you are gathered in this very chamber. For… I have something crucial to discuss with you."
"Eh," Leviathan commented on the King's response with a heavy, disapproving sigh. "Is it one of these games of yours, Lucifer? If it's so, I'd prefer to leave right now."
"Leviathan!" the prince of gluttony called his peer. "Let the King speak up his mind. Then, maybe for once, he'll say something worth a while."
"How dare you call the King…." Azudath started growling.
"Azudath, stop!" Akali's voice was as cold as ice. "Let them speak as they see fit. The arch-demons are cut above us. Hence, leave them be," she commented on her friend's impulsive action.
"As much as it pains me, she has a point here," Beelzebub said. "So, Lucifer, what's the reason behind this farce?" he inquired.
"Our time is at hand," the Hell's King stated simply, then turned his back on the gathered.
"Hm," Leviathan hummed, intrigued momentarily. "Did the last seal break?"
"No," the Devil responded. "For years, I've believed in that nonsense, but this age ends right now," he continued, chuckling uncontrolled. "I'll have my own 4 horsemen of Apocalypse. But it's not time for me to choose them. For now, I want the living world to burn, to suffer."
"So, basically, you want us to start a war with Heavens?" Leviathan asked, somewhat shocked.
"Yes, it can be simplified to that," the Hell's King agreed. "But, there's more to it than that. Commander Ilgrith, I'd like you to lead the Damned for that campaign," he added, referring to Akali.
"May I ask why them of all the Legions, my Lord?" the demoness inquired. "These poor souls are disorganised, and their quality as military force is nowhere that of my own Legion," she continued, providing her point of view.
"Their value lies in numbers," Leviathan scoffed. "I take that you want to wage a war of attrition; is that correct speculation?"
"But, of course," Lucifer said, then turned around and smirked at the gathered. "I'd want to see my father's face when his beloved human started to be wiped out. I wonder whether he'll allow the Heavens' Legions to counteract. Needless to say that I doubt that will happen."
"My Lord, I feel that I can be a greater asset if you allow me to lead my ninth Legion," Akali confidently stated.
"Oh, I'm certain of that," the Devil simply responded. "Nonetheless, what I want to see is chaos. And… your soldiers are far too drilled for that task. Hence, I chose Demned. These savage beasts will do any imaginable atrocity without blinking. I don't care if thousands of them die. They're only cannon fodder that's expected to be decimated. Then, if the Heavens react, we'll send the Legions to deal with them. But, against mere humanity, these beasts will be more than a satisfactory solution. Am I clear?" Lucifer asked, smoothly changing his warm tone to a much colder one.
"Yes, my Lord; I do understand," the demoness uttered obediently but without an ounce of confidence behind the apparent lie.