I'm on a Mission

Confusion

Sophia? Raphael had sensed Sophia's presence?

"Is she okay?" I questioned as I took a step towards him.

I was a bit frantic, but why wouldn't I be? After aimlessly walking through Hell, I wasn't exactly going to be as sane as I once was.

"I don't know if she is okay. I can just tell you that she isn't far," Raphael said while closing his eyes tightly in concentration. When he did, a scowl took place, and he grumbled, "Her presence is gone."

"Gone? What do you mean by gone?"

If her presence was gone, then could that mean... that possibly... she was dead?
Just the thought alone made my face pale and my knees shake. She couldn't be dead. She just couldn't be. No. Impossible.

"I know what you're thinking," Raphael said, "just don't jump to conclusions." He extended his hand out towards me and placed it on my shoulder. That mere gesture was meant to reassure me, but I couldn't help but flinch away. "Listen, Gabriel. I have a theory. Perhaps, just maybe, Sophia is being kept in a place that hides aura's. If that is the case, then that would explain why her presence suddenly disappeared."

"Being kept somewhere?" I repeated with a frown. Please let that be the case. "Which direction did you sense her?"

"Left. She isn't far."

That answer was all I needed. I peered into the darkness, and took off.

"Whoa, hold up," Raphael called out before gripping my wrist to stop me. "You can't just rush out without a plan. Think logically. Do you really think you'll make it out alive without a plan?"

"I don't have time to think logically!" I hollered, a little louder than what I meant.

I was getting angry. Why was Raphael trying to stop me? Sophia was here! She was so close! What if he truly didn't care about her safety? What if all along, he'd been working for the demons! What if this was just a plan to get rid of me and Kaileb?

Of course, deep down, I knew that wasn't the case. I knew that Raphel wouldn't betray me, but still... I couldn't help but get mad. Furious. I was getting furious at Raphael.

"Gabriel," Raphael started before taking a step towards me, his hand reaching out towards me. When he did, I unconsciously slapped his hand away without thinking.

"Don't touch me.... You've been planning this the whole time, haven't you?" I yelled, my eyes narrowed as I clenched the hilt of the sword Raphael had given me. "You don't actually care about Sophia, do you? Admit it!"

Raphael stared at me in confusion, "Gabriel, listen to yourself. This isn't like you."

I knew he was right, but I ignored him. Without another second to ponder my bizarre actions, I plunged forward and swung the sword.

I would have hit him, if it wasn't for the blinding bright light that slashed my sword out of my hand and onto the ground.

"Gabriel, get a hold of yourself," Raphael said, composed as ever.

"Shut up! I know your plan now! You can't trick me!" I lunged forward, and this time, instead of swinging a sword, I threw a punch to his jaw. Raphael didn't even have a second to process what was happening, before I connected with a crack.

"Gabriel," Raphael mumbled, his hand pressed to his now bruised cheek.

Instead of responding, I tried for another attack. I ran forward, but this time, he easily avoided me with sidesteps.

"Stop running! Coward," I hollered, my voice growing hoarse by the second.

I was about to send another flying fist to his face, but I was distracted by a sudden hand that grabbed my wrist.

"Just what the hell is going on? I could hear you yelling a mile away," spoke a familiar irritating voice.

"Kaileb...?" I lowered my fist to my side, frowning in confusion, "Wait a second... what was I just doing?" Did I just attack Raphael?

My knees wobbled, and I fell to the ground.

"Whoa, dude, you okay? What's wrong?" Kaileb questioned.

"This is my fault. I should have warned him earlier." Raphael sighed before bending down beside me. "Gabriel, listen to me. Calm down."

"W-W-What's happening to me?" I mumbled as a thought of me killing Raphael flashed through my mind, and sickly, I found pleasure in the thought. How great would it be to take down the Great Raphael? The sword was right near me. Just a quick jab through the heart.

He wouldn't even be expecting it! I could kill him! I could kill-no. What am I thinking?!

"Something is wrong!" I yelled while I gripped my head with my shaky hands. It was getting hot in here. Boiling hot. Just like when I first entered Hell, I couldn't breathe.

"Gabe," I heard Kaileb mumble.

"Listen to me, Gabriel. This isn't you. This is the demonic energy talking."

"Yeah, what he said," Kaileb said as he placed a hand on me. Just his touch alone, sent a chill down my spine. I didn't want that filthy demon to touch me!

"Don't touch me, demon!!!" I yelled as I wrapped my arms around my body. "Get away! Both of you! Get away! Get away! Get away!" At this point, I was screaming. I couldn't even make sense of my own words.

Raphael sighed, before shaking his head, "I understand. I hope you come to your senses soon. Kaileb, he needs time to recover."

Kaileb stared at me for a few seconds before nodding, "Right... Okay."

They both left me alone in the darkness. The only light was the faint shine illuminating off of the sword. Why did they leave again? Why did I yell at them? Why? My body shook back and forth, and I tried my best to get control of my uneven breathing.

I'm not sure how long I was rocking back and forth, but finally, after a while, I was feeling better. My mind was no longer racing with dark images. I was getting calmer, and my hands were no longer clenched in tight fists.
"What happened to me," I questioned as I looked over to Raphael's sword. Had I really just tried to kill Raphael?

"Back to normal yet," questioned Kaileb as he neared me.

"Yes," I mumbled with a slight nod.

"You really scared the shit out of me. I thought you were hallucinating like last time," Kaileb said with an awkward chuckle. "I come back here, and I see you trying to beat the crap out of Raphael. Funny, actually."

"I don't know why I did that."

"Raphael explained it all to me. Apparently the Demon World jumbles up your thought process. If you aren't careful, that happens. I noticed it myself when I first came here, but I dismissed it easily. Maybe it's because I'm... demon... that I could do that? I don't know. You, on the other hand, took the thoughts in, and acted upon them. That's what lead to you going crazy."

"I acted that way because of the demonic energy in this world?"

"To put it simply, yes."

I couldn't help but feel relieved at that. It was terrifying to suddenly want to kill somebody, especially a friend who was helping me find somebody precious to me. Those thoughts weren't mine. Thank goodness. "Say, where is Raphael?"

"Waiting over there," Raphael said before pointing to the darkness. I just stared at him with a frown, before he realized, "Oh, right! You can't see in the dark!"

I raised an eyebrow while I retrieved my sword, "You can? Since when?"

"The moment I got here my senses had improved drastically. It's pretty cool, you know? I can see really far, and I can smell really good too!" He beamed proudly, "I think I am even stronger than before."

"I guess that makes sense, but... there is one question I have. How did you get here? Why aren't you back in the prison?"

"Well... that's the thing. The prison is gone...."

[THE LONG AWAITED CHAPTER IS DONE!!!! YASS! What do you think? Do you hate me for the cliffhanger? Huehue.]