The Life As The Devil's Son

Chapter Twenty: Dark Discovery

As we emerged on the other side, the environment had changed dramatically. The ground was like a dried-up riverbed, all cracked and busted. It looked like hell had reached up and clawed the life out of it. Jagged rocks jutted out, like bony fingers pointing at the dark, twisted cloud hanging low in the red sky. It was as if they were absorbing the very light, casting an oppressive darkness that intensified the desolation below. The air was scorching hot, like we were standing in front of a furnace. It clawed at our skin, leaving this burning feeling from within.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead, my eyes wide with disbelief. "This looks like hell," I exclaimed.

Valia nodded solemnly. "Exactly. This is what will happen if you don't stop Lilith and break the blood curse."

I shook my head, confusion etched across my face. "I don't understand. How could something like this happen?"

"After the blood curse took hold of me, Lilith and Travis decided to use it to enslave billions of people until eventually, Earth became their own personal hell," Valia explained.

"How can I stop this?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Valia's gaze locked with mine. "You need to find the dagger, the one Lilith used on me, and hide it. Once you have hidden the dagger, you need to kill her."

I let out a small laugh. "Kill Lilith? The mother of demons? Is that even possible?"

Valia nodded. "Now that she has bonded herself to me, yes."

"But I thought you were immortal," I replied, my head tilting in confusion.

A heavy sigh escaped Valia's lips, and her voice dropped to a hushed tone. "Not to you, and no one is truly immortal, not even Lilith."

My brows furrowed as I struggled to comprehend what she was trying to tell me. "I don't... I don't understand," I stammered.

"When you were possessed, my powers had no effect on you. I believe you have the power to kill me," Valia explained as her brows drew together. She then added, almost casually, "Though just to be safe, if I am wrong, I need you to rip my heart out." With that, she guided my hand toward her chest.

My eyes widened in shock as I instinctively yanked my arm away. "What? No!"

"Please, Austin. This is the only way," Valia pleaded, her eyes locking onto mine. There was a desperate urgency in her expression. "A healer's heart cannot regenerate, so if I die, Lilith will too."

The gravity of her request sank in, and a sense of unease settled in the pit of my stomach.

I couldn't accept it. Tears streamed down my face as I shook my head. "No, Valia would never ask me to do such a thing."

Valia met my gaze, and her lip downturned in despair. "I would if it meant saving the world from total doom."

My mind was a whirlwind of denial and frustration. It couldn't be true. Valia, the Valia I knew, would never place such a burden on my shoulders. She was the one who had taught me to hold on to the fragile light that still lingered within me.

"Prove it. Prove you're Valia," I demanded, my voice choked with emotion.

Valia stepped closer, her eyebrows tightening as she spoke. "Remember the time we were at school and I took you to Angelology? It was then you learned how to activate your angel side by saving my life."

"But you wouldn't have died," I muttered.

"Doesn't matter. You've proven yourself worthy of those powers by committing a heroic act," she said, reaching out to grasp my hand.