The Riddle Of Magic

Chapter 40: Ambrosial Reverie

There was a terrible flash of light and a crack so loud Alastor was certain he would have been permanently blinded and deafened if he still had his mortal form. He'd just kept his feet, and as his vision came back he saw he was the only one of the sinner demons who had.

Cherri and Vagatha were huddled together on their knees, trying to cover each other. The demonesses were trembling, still struggling to regain their sight. Vox had been knocked clean over his desk, and the couch Valentino had been sitting upon was split in half, with the moth and spider demon strewn on either side of it. The Overlord was still holding the leash, though it was in a desperate, grasping way, and it was clear that he couldn't see anything.

The slate gray of the floor where the princess stood now held a glowing sigil in the shape of a pale red sunburst, with six rays jutting out, like claws.

The blonde vision before them, neither angel nor demon, was glowing as well, radiating her own light. The gold in her eyes faded back to red as she drew in a shuddering breath, realizing what she'd done.

This was the true power of Authority.

"Ch-charlie," Vagatha was still shaking; her slender hands clenched, almost as if in prayer.

Angel Dust wiped at his eyes, letting out a noise that must have been an utterance of the Creator's name, as the sound folded in on itself, leaving a gap in the ambient tone of the room.

Cherri Bomb's lone eye looked at the princess in a mixture of fear and wonderment, but she remembered herself and went to Angel's side while Valentino was still recovering himself. "Let's get outta here," she said quietly.

"B-but Val, he's gonna-"

"I don't think you're gonna to have to worry about him anymore," the cyclops replied quietly, taking the taller demon's arm and pulling him to his feet. "Come on."

"Wha-" Valentino pushed himself upright, his hat falling to the ground. He shook his head, looking around as his vision slowly returned. "What the fuck? What happened to Angel?"

"No... fuckin' way," the prostitute muttered as the pimp examined the leash in his hand, as if he knew something was there, but he couldn't discern what it was.

Angel Dust's hand drifted up to his neck, and he pulled on the connector ring on his collar.

The leather strap disconnected, falling to the floor. The Overlord grasped the leash, thin eyes glowing as he stormed to his feet. "I know he's here. I know he's still here, you bitch!" Valentino snarled at the princess, his antennae flicking wildly. "He's still mine!"

Angel Dust rushed behind Cherri as they returned to stand beside Vagatha, even though there was no point. True to the princess' word, the moth demon could not perceive the spider demon's presence.

But Charlie was in no state to revel in her victory. "I... I..." her voice wavered, but no gentleness could erase the power the sinners had witnessed.

But why retreat from this, Alastor wondered? She was resplendent - shimmering with a radiance that was haunting, as though she was the soul of luminescence itself.

The Radio Demon dealt in shadows but was pulled towards light, despite. He had always been, he realized, remembering the angelic dream he had been trapped in, and the old wistful thoughts of flame and shadows and music which had long plagued him.

He'd never known their meaning as a mortal man, but he understood now.

Hair like sunlight... Skin like moonlight...

Alastor went slowly towards the half-demoness, but the Princess of Hell didn't notice him in her grief, turning as tears pooled in her sky-red eyes. Fire roared in a shrieking blaze around her, consuming her wings as if they were the pure light of dawn itself. She flew from the room like a shooting star, scorching her way out of the window at the back of the room.