Blood Stained Snow

Ch 4 Fallen

There is a legend of those who have fallen. A legend of sorrow, of such sadness that no human can bare it as they are consumed by darkness and turned into a titan like being of immeasurable power.
To fall from grace, from His grace; I already considered myself among the fallen with my being a monstrous demon with disastrous power. I had fallen. That was phrase took a new meaning with my life as a demon, the old meaning shattered with darkness.
I had fallen once; falling in love with Aria was the focal point of my human life, the one light that kept my humanity alive within this dark shell of being; within this dark existence of being. Now I fell for darkness. Not in the sense I fell for her, but still I fell so deep I have found myself lost; memories of humanity was all I had, yet my grip on those slowly weakened. One thing I was sure of: I would never forget Aria. Were I to become the worst of demons or fall straight into the pit of hell I would hold onto her.
To think such a thing possible, beings lower than what I had become. "The Fallen Ones" is a myth I have heard briefly over the years. Beings overcome with darkness; demons and human alike fall to the immense power darkness held over them. Akio had recently confirmed this myth and wanted to obtain the power held with these fallen beings.
Sometimes I doubt Akio's plan to strike down God. Akio was collecting power, year after year; he gained more and more power. By any means possible; he'd slaughter villages, massacre demons, and torture fallen angels. Sometimes I thought Akio was just thirsty for more power.
Perhaps I was too.
Once again I found myself in the room where her body remained shrouded in crystal. Her body lifeless, frozen in time she still looked heavenly, even in death. This was all I could do aside from the tasks Akio provided me. I could spend decades fixated on her, memorizing her face again and again. Like some sort of curse, a punishment of sorts; to see the one I love, but never have her, or even touch her. This was all I could do, watch over her.
Until he came for me once again.
Akio never entered this room smiling. I know the fixation I hold for Aria annoyed him. So it was with displeasure that he entered this room, though he always knew to find me here, gazing up at her.
"There's a task at hand, Kira," he always started with this. "The myth of the fallen ones has finally come into fruition. I've discovered one active. You and Vincent shall be the ones to bring it down."
I stand with my back towards Akio, "I'm ready."
"Dorian will be accompanying us as well," I give one last glance at Aria before leaving the room with Akio.
"That's fine," I say.
The four of us travel through the wasteland this world has become. Snow falls down on us the cold not registering on my immortal body. We pass over the remains of city, the skeletal frame of buildings constructed during man's reign. Now darkness reigned.
The fallen one appeared on the horizon, its giant body towering over the tundra. We stopped a couple yards from it, its immense form towering over us. A heavy veil of darkness hung in the air around it. It looked almost human: a huge torso sprouting from the earth like so sick crop we had come to harvest. The beings skin was a dark shade of gray, a yellow light poured from gaping holes in its chest and shoulders; almost as if it carried lamps upon its torso.
The massive head glared aimlessly at the ground, a near silver mane of hair erupted from its horned skull which encased several rows of black teeth. Dark scars poured down from its eyes like everlasting tears.
Lightening erupted from the hollow cave in its chest proof that it was aware of our presence. As soon as we try to attack it we will surely be hit with an onslaught of lightening.
Akio stood beside me, smiling at the waves of darkness that flowed off of the monster before us. "Be done with it," with that, Vincent and I step forward. I summon a black katana.
"Vincent," I whispered. Darkness consumes Vincent's body as his chains take form; he launches them at the fallen creature. I counted a dozen as they impale the monster's chest. My muscles twist and tighten as Wings sprout from my back as I take flight towards the nearest chain and landed on it, taking off at a dead sprint with god-like speed.
The fallen one roared to life and swatted its massive limbs at the chains, shattering several of them. I leap from chain to chain as they were destroyed and replaced by Vincent, more and more he sent flying, as if he and I were some sort of hydra attacking this lowly being; head after head it cut off, yet several would replace each one.
As I reached the fallen one and prepare to strike, the being brought its hand to its grotesque mouth and vomited a ball of lightening which he precedes thrust at me. Gracefully moving from the ball of lightning's path, I find myself in front of another. This time I raise my sword and swing in an arc, sending a wave of darkness at the lightening, slicing into it and triggering an explosion of electricity that turn my body numb.
I fall to the earth and land on my back with a heavy impact. I rolled to my knees and quickly mend my broken wing, stretching it out and reconstructing it with darkness. Blood trickles down my forehead and pools over my chest. I allow darkness to flow out of my wounds, my heart pumping more darkness through my veins. I use this darkness, not to heal, but to fight. My wings beat the air with tremendous force as I take to the sky once more.
My body pulsates with the sensation of darkness.
I land on another of Vincent's chains, but not long after it's shattered from the lightening erupting from the fallen one's body. I flap my wings, throwing myself upward to another chain. The fallen one glared at me, eyes forged out of lightening. It opens its mouth and breathes a wave of lightening towards me.
My muscles tighten darkness flowing freely around my body as I raised my sword. The lightning strikes me, but this time I manage to overpower it with darkness and strike away the sphere with my blade.
Looking at the fallen one, my eyes turn into a black abyss, void of emotion, charged with power.
"Rise," I whisper, pulling my sword up slowly. Darkness flowing upward with the sword guiding it. "Push through," my sword erupts with darkness as I swing and cut through the remaining lightning, sending a wave of darkness that cuts the fallen one's shoulder. It howls viciously, grabbing its shoulder as black blood spills free.
Then the fallen one grabs me, before I can react and brings me to eye level with the monster, its hand still soaked in its own blood.
I stare into its eyes as I struggle to get free. Awareness shifts in the beast's eyes, "Help me..." A whisper in the back of my mind. Before I can say anything, a chained blade pierces the being's arm. I fall to one of the chains; I react instantly and launch myself toward its chest. I summon another sword, pulling it back with my right arm.
"Impact," I whisper this time, and run the beast through the hole in its chest, striking the orb of lightening within and sending darkness erupting from its back. The fallen one raises its head and screams. I gap in horror as the scream shakes me to my core.
The orb of lightening bleeds out, a dark liquid, nearly black, flowing from the wound I had inflicted upon it. Darkness shrouds me, so dark that even my demon eyes cannot penetrate the bitter night that has fallen upon me. I heard another whisper and step toward the voice. And then I am falling once again; falling deep into nothingness as the fallen one's power consumes me.
"Help me... Save me..." A far off cry in the nothingness; I see a light, a tiny orb falls beside me. "Don't let me die, please, I don't want to die. " I reach for the ball of lightning and clasp it into my hand before losing consciousness.
In my unconscious, I dreamed; I dreamt of a child tortured by darkness. I dreamt of Akio cutting the child open, reaching in and pulling out the sphere of lightning. Akio smiled like a little boy with candy. I felt tears on my face before I awake to Akio and Vincent standing over me. "How embarrassing," Vincent laughs, "knocked out by a lowly creature of darkness? Geez."
Akio now clasps the orb in his hand as, he smiles at me. "Nicely done," I ignore them and walked away, slowly dressed myself with clothes fashioned from darkness. Akio came up behind me and whispers, "Too bad you look as if you have been crying, brother. Bad dreams?" Akio grins at me.
"Piss off."
I glance at the body that had once been the fallen one. A man laid there, his face twisted in agony, black tears poured down his face. Two words come to my mind: True despair.
Akio wipes the blood from his hands, "Seems I do have to get my hands dirty every now and then." Akio glances at the body," a pity; horrible pain at the cost of terrible power. Don't let that be you, Kira."
I turn away from him and whisper, "I won't."