Waking the Demon [Chapter I]

[Silver Eyes]

A luau? Really? Amoura looked down at the grass skirt and coconut bra she was wearing in this bizarre dream, I think I preferred the mobster theme. At least I was wearing something decent and I don't like how this is giving me bigger hips.

"Hey," Other Amoura stirred her iced tea with a straw and placed a small umbrella into it. Her blue skin really stood out in the sun and Amoura wondered if she'd burn, "you crushed my Cuban Cigar--it's only fair that I change things around! That Lilo and Stitch film was really interesting but I prefer being the only blue thing around."

Whatever. Give me some of that iced tea if you're gonna be such a pain in the ass.

"Comin' riiiiiight up! Want rum in that?"

I hate rum and you damned well know that. Why the fuck are you in my head anyways?

"Keep your friends close," she raised her glass, "but keep your enemies closer. I'll get to you eventually and you may enjoy what's unleashed."

Yea-no. I don't know how many times I have to tell you this but I don't want to become what you are. You know that so just...I don't know, go be the only blue thing around with your never-ending glass of iced tea and multi-colored umbrellas.

Soon as Amoura said that, the blistering sun became hidden behind thick, black clouds that came out of no where. Other Amoura squinted her eyes and her iced tea suddenly dried up in her hand.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Wait, you're not controlling this...?


"No--the hell?!"

The clouds began to swirl around and collided with the ocean that had turned a deep shade of red. This was a little too familiar to Amoura and she stepped from the shore--the smell of coagulating blood confirmed her fears: the nightmares were beginning to return.

"Okay, what's going on?"

Let's...just say you're not the only who's been fucking around with my mind.

Skeletal hands shot up from the sand and tried to grab for both Amouras. Due to being used to this, Amoura got to higher ground while Other Amoura panicked and tried to fight against them. Idiot.

Welcome to my nightmares, Other. You enjoying being in my head still?

Other Amoura sank into the sand abruptly with a blood curdling scream.

I'll take that as a no.

At least she won't have to put up with her anymore since the nightmare was taking another strange turn. The black clouds were forming into ghastly looking faces and began rushing right for her in swarms. They were screaming, cursing and blowing icy wind onto her. It felt every bit as real as it always has but she always remembered one thing: it's not real. Fire rained from the sky and splashed into the ocean only to set it aflame. The screams grew louder, lidless eyes stared at her from the flames and countless arrows flew at her, plunging into her body. The pain itself was almost unbearable yet she couldn't wake up.

The blood covered skeletons rising from the ocean weren't real. The sharp claws ripping at her flesh weren't real. Above all that white mask looming near her was not real either...

***

Amoura bolted upright from her sleeping bag and squinted her eyes at the campfire that was still burning bright. Well, that probably attributed to her nightmare tonight so it was promptly stomped out once she got up. Something was triggering those dreams out here--she could feel it and it was time to get rid of that source so she could enjoy the desert in peace.

The remains of the campfire were buried and she got on her bike after packing her supplies.

"It's probably coming from that direction. I was having hints of nightmares the closer I got to that area."

No response came from Other Amoura and she was grateful for that. The engine roared to life and she sped off into the moonlit night.

***

Amoura came to a slow stop in front of a strange looking cave. Since when did a desert have crystals littering a place like this? The heat couldn't have possibly created such a spectacle. What's worse is the source was definitely coming from here. The hybrid shut off her bike, parked it in a safe location near the entrance, removed her helm, hung it on one of the handlebars and entered. Time to figure this out.

***

This place...was a maze. Everywhere there were brilliant crystal formations that often dazed or distracted her from her path, which resulted in her getting lost often. Why did she leave her specs with the bike?

"I'm a genius; what can I say?"

Oooh, sarcasm towards herself. Amoura had gotten used to talking like that since Other Amoura always responded but she was keeping unusually quiet. If it weren't for all the trouble it caused, Amoura would be thanking the nightmares for giving her a moment's peace!

Those thoughts distracted her from a stray crystal in her path and she tripped, tumbling down a long corridor towards another room she hadn't come across. Images flashed through her head of the undead, of Veran's face, the townsfolk of Domino City aging rapidly before her eyes and the city itself in flames.

"Ugh," Amoura rubbed her now throbbing head. More images ripped through her thoughts, disorienting her and making her stumble around. Even her vision was beginning to blur.

Wait, were her eyes deceiving her or was there a shadowy figure in the center of the room? Scientifically, that's impossible, unless...

"So, there you are. Now the question is if I should find some way to get rid of you or figure out what you are firs--AGH!"

Now they were all coming onto her in rapid succession. Amoura crumbled to the ground and dug her fingers into her head. The pressure was almost too much for her. The hybrid curled into a ball and gritted her teeth--she won't let herself scream again.

There was no one here to help her from the nightmares; she was on her own this time.

[Aper]

Her body became heavier with every step she took towards the shadowy figure, her rasping breath becoming little more than a voiceless croak – and the closer she got to the statue, the worst the visions became. An audible tremor reverberated in the air, deafening her to the once-peaceful silence of the gemstone corridors. She could hear a whisper, like a predatory sigh breathing down her neck – the simple weight of it dropping her to her knees in an instant. Her heart pounded in her hears, and yet there was a distant scream. A familiar scream. It was her scream.

She gripped at the earth beneath her hands as she heard her own pained chorus. Glass cut into her flesh, skin and bone were melted away by the unspeakable horrors of that night. She had to remember none of it was real, but yet the visions had never been this violent – not ever since then. She willed her head to look at the dark silhouette. The crystal monuments of the temple around her twisted in impossible angles, blackening before giving shape to her most feared tormenter; clad in stark-black robes with his faceless bone-clad mask observing her, at each of her sides, all along the hallway leading to her destination. Slowly, they raised a hand as she crawled, each reaching to remove the ornate veil – but she did not care to see what lingered beneath: No matter what she could not allow them to haunt her as they had before. Not ever again. So she crawled, her lungs in fire from the effort of escaping the shadows of her mind towards the one that laid before her.

Everything stopped.

Her body was her own once more, the tremor had ceased and the light within the temple vanished, plunging her into darkness. Then she saw it – two singular azure stars piercing the veil where the statue once stood. No warning came before a blue torrent of flames engulfed the man and a storm swept across the cave. The pyre licked every surface of the ceiling like an inferno. Stalactites shattered from the roof of the cave, threatening to impale her dared she move a muscle but were consumed by the fire even beginning their fall. The temperature inside the temple became as such that it threatened to melt the rock – and in one cataclysmic moment, it did. In one monumental conflagration, tons upon tons of ancient stone had been glassed.

The flames around the man receded, and the walls shattered.

[Silver Eyes]

It was all returning but the attention of the nightmares were directed to Other! Amoura bit her lip, unable to peel her eyes away from the grotesque scene. That scream would forever haunt her--no one should ever have to hear their own scream like this; no, not like this. Past exposure had desensitized her enough to at least not start sinking into a state of madness. Amoura finally closed her eyes, expelled a sigh and opened her eyes again.

Welcome to my nightmare, Other. Maybe now you will begin to realize that there's a reason I am the way I am.

Silence greeted her thoughts and rightfully so--she could feel Other's terrified state and her trying to hide into the deepest corners of her mind to avoid another encounter. Amoura never had that luxury.

You were mocking how weak I am and look at you now.

Amoura looked up to see two stars piercing through the darkness that had descended into the cave--wait, those were eyes! Soon as that realization took hold, the flames shot forth, breaking through the night and bathing her in the blinding, blue light. What resulted was a beautiful chaos that left her in a state of awe.

The rocks were shattering and melting in the scorching flame. Bright lights surrounded her as did an intense heat that caused her to break out in a sweat. A telekinetic shield surrounded her to keep it from becoming unbearable as the walls crumbled down, losing their former, crystallized glory.

Standing in the middle of this was the very being who awoke those nightmares she sought to avoid. What in the nine hells had she unleashed? Was this a part of Veran or perhaps something more? It left a state of unease in the Silver Eyed Hunter but she knew that succumbing to her fears will only make this worse.

The shield she put up dissipated and Amoura stood tall, staring at the entity that she had let loose. Rocks crumbled from the wall still and shattered the silence that had replaced the earlier event.

"Who are you?"

[Aper]

Even as the temple came to a crashing end around them, the being remained as a statue – his stillness made all the more disconcerting in contrast to the chaos surrounding them. Slowly, he rose to his full height the shadows dancing around his figure like ragged drapes of silk until finally a gapping maw tore itself from the cavern’s roof: The moonlight shot through the wound with blinding rays of opalescent light, revealing the man… and man he was not. Scars and various markings adorned the stone-like skin of the figure. Seemingly dressed by the shadows, the unnatural appearance of the beast only paled in comparison to its faceless visage of metal and rock; staring down at the demoness in the exact same demeanour as it had.

‘‘Balance…’’ The telepathic whisper pulsed in her mind like a second heart-beat. ‘‘You shift it with your presence here, your existence.’’ It continued, shifting its gaze to the moon as if trying to see a reflection of the world within it. There was a long pause before its head finally weighted back down to look at Amoura. ‘‘Qu’est-ce que vous cherchez?’’ It demanded, the words pounding like a hammer. ‘‘Wussten Sie suchen Zuflucht aus Ihren Erinnerungen - Ist das warum Sie den Toren überschritten?'' It asked, again more somberly before retreating back within its thoughts.

‘‘Il mondo è rotto…’’

There was not even so much as a transition between that moment, and the man standing only a foot away from Amoura with the point of a sword nicking at her throat. ‘‘What matter of thing are you, mulier?’’ It shouted, eyes blazing. ‘‘Vastaa Arashi!’’

[Silver Eyes]

The way he remained still and stared at her was far too similar to that of Veran. It was difficult to say if there was a relation between these two entities--there was little point in trying to figure that one out-- but this one left that same eerie chill down her spine. Amoura, despite the sense of fear that left her cold, stood her ground and didn't divert her gaze. The only movement she made was to remove her sunglasses now that the room had darkened and there was no sense in hiding her eyes now. The moon luminated the silver.

‘‘Balance… Amoura didn't expect to hear another voice whisper in her thoughts. This one was stating how her pretense was shifting the balance and that was a little far fetched in her opinion. How can one being alone be the cause for that strong of a disturbance? Maybe venturing into this cave was the start of it. Different tongues battered her thoughts, none of which she could comprehend.

A cold, sharp point pressed into the flesh of her throat and the hybrid froze in place to digest what had suddenly happened. He moved so fast and with so little effort.

‘‘What matter of thing are you, mulier?’’

Amoura raised her right hand --first making sure he noticed that she was not taking up arms against him--and pressed her fingers against the flat of the blade to move it aside. Stepping back would only show that he had the upper hand and she refused to give into her fears this time.

Tell me and we both will know. I know of the obvious: that I am a demon and a vampire in one body. Her fingers withdrew from the blade and she resumed, I've encountered entities throughout my life that have left some mark. Do you sense that or are you baffled that something like me could even exist?

[Aper]

Amoura’s careful gesture was answered with a violent swipe of the man’s blade: An ear-splitting metallic shriek busted from the weapon before a blue-white scar flashed, carving the ancient marble floor next to her with a thunderous quake.
‘‘Tá!’’ Shouted the sentinel, his words erupting even more violently within the woman’s psyche. ‘‘Por qué estás aquí?’’ It insisted, the words black with vindictive wrath. ‘‘Waarom zijn er anderen?’’ It persisted further, drawing a second sword with its free hand whilst returning the other to the woman’s throat. ‘‘Wrapped in the guise of man shall they walk amongst the innocent…’’ It came closer with every step she took back. ‘‘…and terror shall consume they that dwell upon the world.’’ The blade caressed her skin. ‘‘The skies shall rain fire, and the seas will become as blood. The righteous shall fall before the wicked, and all of creation shall tremble before the burning standards of hell…’’ Its icy gaze flared.

‘‘You do not belong.’’

[Silver Eyes]

Amoura squinted her eyes and gritted her teeth as that god awful sound reverberated through the cave. Must beings respond to peaceful reactions with violence? The yelling wasn't helping either and the fact it was in languages she wasn't familiar with only further spurred a state of confusion in her. What the hell did she do now? Or better yet; what did he want?

I. Can't. Understand. You. Stop showing off your language skills and speak in something that I can actually respond to!

Then the sword came to her throat and it didn't take any genius to figure that out. What was he trying to do now? If he wanted to gut her he could have done so in the first place.

‘‘Wrapped in the guise of man shall they walk amongst the innocent…’’

Amoura recognized those words and began to step away from Aper. How did he know of the mad ramblings Veran had uttered before those nightmares began to take their toll? She felt behind her to make sure nothing will trip her but she knew she'd come against a wall eventually.

‘‘…and terror shall consume they that dwell upon the world.’’


And, there's the wall. Nothing like being backed up by a psychotic entity that was duel wielding blades. Amoura was now pressing against it, still staring down at the weapon that threatened to take out her throat. The fear was there but it hadn't consumed her yet.

‘‘The skies shall rain fire, and the seas will become as blood. The righteous shall fall before the wicked, and all of creation shall tremble before the burning standards of hell…’’

‘‘You do not belong.’’

Why was this being repeated? Of course, Amoura thought, it's probably a prophecy that won't come true. Still, this is the second time it was repeated to her; was this about her? No--she'd never sink to such a level. Would she?

Amoura shook her head and chuckled, Oh? Who gave you the power to decide who belongs and who doesn't? The hybrid pressed her throat against the blade enough to draw a thin stream of blood, which trailed along the lance before dripping to the floor. So answer this: does that prophecy have something to do with me? I can't think of another reason as to why you'd be so violent.

[Aper]

For the first time since its awakening, the figure halted itself upon hearing the woman’s words. Her dismay was genuine – that it could still tell after millennia of solitude. Slowly the blade retracted, falling to the side of its master along its twin.

‘‘Prophecy?’’ He repeated, as though the meaning of the word was lost to him. ‘‘It is already happening.’’ The Arashi answered the unspoken question before it could arise within Amoura’s mind. It continued on a softer note, albeit the telepathic voice threatened to unleash another tremor as it spoke. ‘‘You and you peers are the instruments of the unbinding. Warn your people; return to your world because the Arashi will cleanse all who dared cross the gates, and thus restore balance.’’

In a near ceremonious fashion, the warrior stepped aside – leaving the open sky in full view of Amoura, and within her reach.

‘‘So run – run woman – for the storm is at your heel.’’

[Silver Eyes]

Is that what this is all about? Then stop yelling at me and pointing your weapons at my throat! Your actions against me earlier were unnecessary. So this supposed prophecy was already happening and it was amongst her "peers"? It's clearing up now that she wasn't being threatened by Shadow Man with his God-complex and swords that probably haven't seen use in a long time. Still, she couldn't just run off and let him cause more chaos than what is already happening across the worlds from these tears.

First of all, it was not my doing or any of my friend's doing that the barriers in the universe are falling apart! People got sucked into those gateways or wandered in to satisfy curiosity. Are you really going to kill all of them for that? Won't that cause a disturbance in this balance that you prize?

Why was she trying to talk sense into a being that probably had this lifestyle for a long time? But what else can she do? Run like a coward to warn everyone about this being or stand her ground to try to stop him? Amoura was rooted on the spot and refused to move until she made up her mind. Sparda's words back at Devil May Cry must have struck more than just a few chords.

[Aper]

The Arashi remained uncharacteristically still despite Amoura’s rebuttal, its gaze lost into the shadows. An effort to save the populace – a selfless act – as ill-informed as it was, the impulse was still something Aper could respect. A long pause came between the two where the warrior contemplated the worth of the woman’s words. Valid arguments, but mortal concerns never had a say in the affairs of the divine. Perhaps there would be a certain benefit to his cause in enlightening her…

‘‘Within the mass there is one who is the vessel, the harbinger, and if the Arashi does not intervene he shall send forth his terror into all of the realms.’’ He spoke evenly, the psychic lash having subsided in accordance with his demeanour. Slowly, it turned its head to face the woman once more, the deathly visage staring into her with two brilliant blue flames. “If those who perturb the balance do not leave this soil at once, then a sacrifice of blood is what it demands for the cleanse of this world.”

Aper’s eyes flared and his grip on his swords audibly tightened before one of the weapons slowly ascended in Amoura’s direction. This was the Arashi’s final attempt for reason, for it knew the bastions of evil would not spare another moment before making their move. Time was of the essence, and if she would further stall his mission then she would be sent to the void, and leave the world unaware of his coming.

‘‘There is no avoiding it, no escape – no alternative – so make your choice woman; if you will not run then you will be the first tribute, and so will my blades cut down all of those who would dare stand in their path.’’

[Silver Eyes]

‘‘Within the mass there is one who is the vessel, the harbinger, and if the Arashi does not intervene he shall send forth his terror into all of the realms.’’

All realms?! So if she doesn't stand aside and let him do his work, everyone in different worlds will be attacked. Whatever ego Amoura had left was screaming at her, saying she could defeat him and all will be saved. Fortunately her common sense was taking the wheel in this situation. What could she do against a divine being? Nothing--there you have it.

The vampire heaved a defeated sigh and slid her sunglasses back on. Amoura wasn't too happy with her choice but she couldn't face something she wasn't familiar with alone. Very well. I've made my choice: I will stand down and let you do what you must.

Amoura stepped away from the wall she had backed against, stared at him for a final time, nodded, turned around and began making the trek out of the cave. If he dares to go after what's left of her family, that choice will change but for now it was probably wise to back down.

[Aper]

And so the woman left.

The Arashi stood still for a moment, deep in thought, its radiant blue eyes gazing into the darkness. He contemplated his mission, and what would become of man once he would set foot out in the world: It had been an eternity since he had taken hold of his blades, but every time he had, he had left his scar in the book of history, as he had in the hearts of all who had witnessed his power… until they died, and his story passed into legend, and then into myth – only to become an object of bed tales whispered to children as they went to sleep. Again, today, this would change. The warrior set his mind out to the horizon, pausing in reflection…

And then took his first steps towards his destiny.