Ethereal - Part Two

Chapter 45 - Of Nephilim Blood

The room we were in was littered with dead bodies of the demons and a few greater demons that we had slaughtered. The horrible rotten odour filling our noses and producing an immediate sneer on your lips.

I looked over at my woman as she held her own against a group of demons who had come her way. Mira was gracious, yet violent in the way she moved and ended the creatures who dared to attack her.

I was never someone who admitted that they were wrong. But I was foolish enough to think that Mira would never manage to kill and fight against something as vicious as a demon of Hell.  

She was strong and beautiful as she swooped into the air and crushed the demons, her lustrous golden wings lighting up the dark and gloomy room. Right now, she and Ryelen were both squaring off against Lucifer and Mammon.

I did not fear for her as her weapon met with Lucifer’s, not after the way she had murdered through most of the creatures whose insides decorated the walls surrounding us. Suddenly, my view of Mira was blurred by the quick movement of a winged presence.

“You have some nerve showing your face to me” I spat out once Thoren landed before me. “I am not here to justify any of my…”. “You do not think that you owe me an explanation? Never mind me, what about your brother?” I yelled at him, gaining Kazier’s attention.

“Kazier is aware that whatever I did, I did for him, for us. I will always look out for my younger brother”. “What the fuck are you even trying to say?” Kazier asked him, incredulously, making his way to stand beside me. “I made a deal with Lucifer to save the two of us. So, when the world went up in flames, you and I would be safe here in Hell, serving Lucifer”.

Kazier scoffed out loud, his eyes widening to an alarming size. “And you think that is a better way to live? Serving a demon like Lucifer for all of eternity? You have completely lost it, brother”. Thoren frowned deeply at Kazier and then shook his head dismissively.

“You have always been ungrateful, Kazier”. “And for what should I be grateful for? For kidnapping Mira and bringing her here? Should I be grateful to you for the deal you made”. “I saved your life!!”. “By sacrificing another’s! By sacrificing Mira’s! How do you not see the error you have made?”. 

Thoren grunted deeply and then narrowed his eyes, moving closer into Kazier’s personal space. “You cannot see what I have done for you, as you have become too accustomed to the mortal’s presence”. “Her name is Mira” I told him boldly but Thoren barely paid any attention to me.

Instead, his upper lip curled into a snarl as he glared at his younger brother. “I did what I had to do, and you are given no choice but to join us. The deal has been struck”. My eyes narrowed to slits as I watched him. Something was off. Something was very much off.

The veins in Thoren’s hands enlarged and became more prominent. The movement spread upwards towards the shoulder, and then to his neck. I looked to my side to meet Kazier’s eyes. He too was possibly thinking of the same thing.

Then Thoren let out another grunt, this one sounding more animalistic than it did human, and I felt my stomach drop in distress. I slowly stepped back and pulled Kazier with me.

“How is this happening?” He asked me, his voice a hushed whisper. “I have not an idea” I answered him truthfully and then we both gazed up at Thoren before us, who was no longer of flesh and skin, but of fur and elongated floppy ears. The fur on the creature before us was a shade of murky brown. I glanced around the creature who had once been Thoren and noted the missing growth of a tail.

Leviathan’s demons were the only ones that did grow a tail. “Surprised to see my new form?” Thoren – the demon asked. I looked towards Kazier, whose mouth was agape and decided to answer for the both of us. “What the fuck did you do, Thoren?”.

“Well, someone had to take Leviathan’s place after Adaeon killed him. And Lucifer deemed me worthy. All it took was a few drops of Nephilim blood and a promise of blood and a new demon was birthed; me”.

Kazier shook his head in disbelief, while disgust and shock consumed me. I noticed Mira and Ryelen coming our way. Did that mean that they had killed Mammon and Lucifer? I successfully gained Mira’s attention and she sent me a feeble smile.

I gestured to her about Lucifer’s whereabouts and she simply shrugged and mouthed that he was badly injured. He had seemingly disappeared from the room like the coward he was. 

“Of course, we had to have a backup plan” Thoren muttered, his attention aimed at me. “You see, we knew you would try your best to save your Mira and if, if you managed to destroy the blood that we were collecting, her blood that was in me, would still be safe”.

“So you can still create demons” Kazier uttered, his mouth pulled into a thin line. “Precisely so, younger brother!”. “Then you must realise what this means?” Kazier asked Thoren, his hand fondly settling on his dagger. Thoren’s round black demon eyes skittered from me to his brother and then to the weapons our hands held.

“You will not make it out of here alive, of that I can assure you”. Kazier smirked fleetingly and then his face hardened in concentration as he then flapped his wings and took to the air. I made my way to Mira and wrapped my arms around her firmly. She let out a hiss and I instantly let go, looking her over for injuries.

“Are you hurt?” I asked her and she nodded tersely, turning around and showing me the major gash on her back, as well as the pricks in her skin from when they took her blood. I checked the wound and gently brushed off some dirt that was near the open wound. “We need to step in” I heard her say and then she turned around to face me. I looked over at Kazier and Thoren and shook my head twice. “No Mira, this is something that Kazier needs to do by himself”.