A barren wasteland [Chapter III]

[Lord Beelzebub]

Lord Beelzebub was growing accustomed to standing in ruins. He walked across the barren wasteland that was once the beautiful holy city of Aircano. Nothing remained of it’s foundation as it was all destroyed, forever lost, so he thought. A pitiful end to a pitiful existence.

“How fitting.”

The Devil could feel the power that was used to destroy this site. A power that was inconceivable to man. Touching the ground he relived the moment and saw all the powers that rose against infinity but little did they realize in that moment, you cannot defeat infinity. The Devil came to and one word exit his lips in the form of a low angry growl.

“Arashi.”

Right on cue did the dual suns begin to rise up and shine their lights on Genesis. Lord Beelzebub remained out of their rays of lights as his eyes followed where the second sun shined, seeing the tall holy temple of crystal far away into the Crystal Expanse. The holy city lived beneath the power of the Arashi.

“You destroy their home yet they still praise your name.”

He looked to the second sun, looking right through it and the Arashi into the very face of the Lord. His former friend.

“They are fools, as are you. You destroy entire civilizations, countless of innocent lives and we are the ones labeled as “evil” no longer, Yahweh. Mark my words, you WILL pay for your crimes against Genesis! No longer will inexcusable actions be dismissed with the phrase, “The Lord works in mysterious ways!”

His hatred and darkness covered the ruins of Aircano, spreading out in the area and reaching the border between the site and the Crystal Expanse. Already he was plotting, planning. He would take his time and then, he would strike. His attention however was then taken away as he felt something coming up from that horizon.

[Ayen]

“Good morning!”

Luca Valentine came from the horizon, walking with purpose as she now stood before the living embodiment of darkness on Genesis. Lord Beelzebub. Wering a polite smile on her face as always and remembering her manners in the most unsuitable situations. Oh well. Staring into the face of evil was no excuse to be rude.

“I see you were finally able to escape your underground prison. I’m sure you are not what my subordinate had in mind when entering the cave but life is just full of all kinds of surprises. How are you managing to the new Genesis? You’ll find a lot have changed since you went to sleep. The second sun is just the beginning.”

[Shai]

Shai floated alongside his Master, listening to him as he spoke, taking in his words. Though Shai was not nearly as old as he, he had all of his fathers and mothers memories inside him.

"My Lord." Shai spoke, his tone curious "What was it like within your time? I can imagine much has changed since you last walked the earth."

The spirit would have curled his lips back at the cheery, sing-song voice the new woman presented - or torn her lips off, if he had a body. In fact, he suddenly realized who this was.

"Was it also her intention to kill my father? Because she did." He spat, appearing behind her. He couldn't touch her - he couldn't touch anything - but he reached through her chest, hissing in her ear before he appeared by his Lords side once more - he couldn't do anything until he gave the say so.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't take your body as my own, Woman." He sneered, his voice like gravel on the wind - light and dusty but clearly not a tone that signals everything would be fine and dandy.

He reached out with one hand and arcs of red lightning peirced the ground, although there was no visible disturbance on the ground. But when a rotten hand forced its way through the dirt - One of those ice creatures that made this area its home, long dead - crawled from its grave, eyes glowing red, it was very real.

"One reason."

[Lord Beelzebub]

“Because it is impossible,” intercepted Beelzebub.

Flaming eyes stared straight into the very essence of the paradox that stood before him. Aware of this woman’s history he expected to feel evil radiating off of her but instead, nothing. Nothing at all. She was void of all light and all darkness. Unlike anything Genesis had ever witness. This woman could be a potential threat to his cause but the one thing even worse in Beelzebub’s mind was the fact she had not the respect to show her true form to him. An insult was worse than a threat in his eyes.

“You insult me with this avatar? This illusion?”

He growled, taking another step forward slowly but surely closing the gap between himself and the woman.

“You are neither good nor evil, light nor dark. What are you?”

[Ayen]

“Insult?”

The adorable and innocent smile that would melt even the blackest of hearts remained on her features as she spoke.

“It is not my intention to insult you but it would be a grave error in judgment, Lord Beelzebub, to mistake me for an illusion.”

Luca didn’t react to the moves made by Shai and thankfully his master would explain the reason why. Her eyes fell upon the reanimated corpse that rose from the ground and soon its body shattered like glass and the shards of what remained touched the ground making up the gap between herself and Beelzebub. The smile never faded away despite it all.

“I am sorry to hear about your father…. Shai, was it? His lost was most unfortunate but at least it was not in vain. It gave you your current master after all though I must admit, I am perplexed at why you even have a master.”

Luca turned her gaze back to Beelzebub when he asked his question. That smile on her face growing even wider, staying between genuine and sly as she gave her reply.

“Evolution.”

[Lord Beelzebub]

The Lord of Darkness let out what could only be described as a dark cackle to Luca's last reply.

"Evolution?"

The devil stepped over the shards of what once was, crushing it beneath his foot as he drew closer to the small figurine that was her body when compared to his. He could snap her in two right where she stood but instead the god opt to stare down the woman for her outrageous claims.

"You were once a scared little girl who trembled at her father's thumb, then you became one of my children. I had many children of the darkness all across Genesis but none has ever embraced the darkness as you have. None has ever cried out for my attention as you have. Now you dare say you have evolved beyond what you once cherished? What you once would have thrown yourself towards if ever faced with it's presence!? Your sire was right, you are an idiot."

[Ayen]

“We do,” replied Luca.

Once upon a time the words Lord Beelzebub uttered would have cut into her flesh like a knife but now, now they only phased through her like they were nothing. Luca even looked through the Lord of Darkness like he was nothing, nothing but a spec of dust on dry land compared to her.

“We have achieved enlightenment. Good, evil, they are beneath us.”

Luca Valentine didn’t move from her spot, if Lord Beelzebub wanted to get in her face then he would have to close the gap between them. She never kept a watchful eye off of Shai either, fully aware what he was capable of. Two of the strongest beings to ever step foot on Genesis was before her now, even at her level of prowess they were nothing to laugh at.

“An endless cycle of pain and suffering. It will come to an end soon.”

[Lord Beelzebub]

And indeed he did. Lord Beelzebub stepped up and got directly into the face of Luca Valentine.

“Good and evil are creations of man. As long as man exists so will they. Light and dark are two sides of the same coin, neither can exist without the other, good and evil does not apply to them. They are elements of balance!”

The devil breathed from it’s nostrils in Luca’s direction. This was one of the first things Beelzebub learned upon ascending into godhood. The Creator original intent of the “Trial of Fates” were to sick two opposing ideologies against each other to choose the future gods. It would also be the basis of all war. Man was the ones to label these opposing viewpoints as good and evil.

“You cannot change “what is” even with all your power. You will not change it. Your plan will only serve as a means to provoke the wrath of the Arashi!”

[Luca Valentine]

Normal people would be trembling with fear if the Lord of Demons was right in their face like this but Luca brought up a hand against his cheek, what she presumed to be his cheek, and stroked it gently. Showing him a small display of affection as she smiled at him.

“You’re just a pawn of The First Aspect. It’s a pity. You had so much potential.”

Luca removed her hand and turned around, taking a couple of steps away from Beelzebub as she looked out to Crystal City in the distance. Feeling Miracle’s presence from there, sensing her happiness. It made her smile herself, she wish she could be the one to spread happiness into Miracle’s heart. The Living Deity envied the love and affection Yahweh had received from her for years and what he continues to receive despite everything that has happened. What did she have to do to earn Miracle’s love? What wonders did she have to perform to hear her praise, to receive her undying devotion for all time? What? Luca almost forgot Beelzebub was still there and spoke irritably towards him.

“Didn’t you have an army of demons to unleash?”

[Lord Beelzebub]

Anger. From the moment she laid her hand on his cheek to the blasphemy spewed from her mouth in his presence. Anger. The devil only needed to take one step forward to close the gap that the liaison to Maricul had created between them, breathing hard enough for her to feel the air passing through her hair and face, his hollow eyes glaring down upon her as they burned fire. His anger however was put on hold at her next question.

"They have already awakened."

Soon Luca Valentine could feel them all, in the tens of thousands. The essences of true devils that roamed across the land on Genesis million of years ago has now returned. Though they cannot be seen their presence spread all over the expanse sending shivers down the spines of all present there now, even threatening to freeze over the half of the expanse the Arashi melted away in the process. There would be no mistaking that a great evil has been unleashed.

"The new Trial of Fates has begun."

[Ayen]

Luca stood unmoved by his attempts at intimidation, her hair not even blowing as a result of his breath. No, she was beyond his reach now. Beyond even the reach of The Creator inside and outside Utopia. Unbeatable within the confines of Utopia and when the worlds finally merged with it, well, nothing would be able to stop her. Not even The Arashi. Deep down, the Lord of Darkness knew this and it frightened him, though his pride and very prowess which he held so dear, would never allow him to admit it, or acknowledge it in any way. The Paradox finally turned around and looked over to Lord Beelzebub after talking about a new “Trial of Fates” which has been set into motion.

“What are you babbling about now?”

[Lord Beelzebub]

"Still thinking like a vampire I see."

The dark presence in the expanse began to breke apart, five pieces of them spreading out to the five nations of Jherra while the rest spread out across the globe. For every nation, a devil. True devils that did not need a humanoid form to fight head on. But devils that attacked the very heart of man and brought him to the brink of extinction. Devils that preyed on their very fears, wants and needs, hoisting them up with string like puppets for their own little puppet show and before anyone realizes what's going on, the nation falls to oblivion. These were the true devils of Genesis. Plunging the world into darkness through the disease called mankind.

"A true devil is never seen."

With those words Beelzebub and Shai would be gone, not a trace remained of their presence there. It was as if they were never there to begin with. Lord Beelzebub's words however continued to ring in the paradox's ears.

But they are always among you.

The End!