Children of the Four: Book 1: Grim, a Child of Death

Chapter XIV

Azrael laughed at Grim as he circled around him. He picked up his wing turbine scythe off the ground.
"You know, it's such a pity," he said slowly walking towards him. "Seeing you go so soon before you even saved the female Nephilim's soul. Before I do what must be done, any last words?"
Grim remained silent, holding his head in pain.
"No? Say hi to your father then for me," Azrael said raising his scythe back.
He slashed at Grim and the sound of flesh being cut was heard. Blood dripped onto the floor. Azrael dropped his scythe next to the pool of blood as he gasped.
Grim remained crouched but with his arm outstretched, holding onto the Sacred Cross sword with the blade deep into Azrael's throat. Grim chuckled sinisterly as Azrael tempted to speak.
"H-how?" He finally said.
"I have something that puts my cousin Craven's vision to shame. Soul sensing, and not once have I used my eyes." He said looking up at him with a purely blank glare, " you just blinded a blind man."
Azrael looked confused as he said, "but... I h-have no soul."
"True," said Grim as the blue crystal from Azrael's neck fell into his free hand, "but she does."
He ripped the sword out of his neck and Azrael fell backwards, disintegrating into black crow feathers. He crushed the crystal in his hand and a ghostly figure emerged from it with white wings floating behind it's back.
"Thank you Grim," Elizabeth's spirit said, smiling at him.
He looked at her and smiled behind his mask as he said, "it was nothing. Now, let's head back to your body."
Before they left the room, Grim spotted Azrael's touch of death hand still on the floor. He went over to pick it up with his left hand and his glove began to deteriorate as he did so. The hand began to lose it's colour as the shadowy mist dissipated into the air. His hand bursted into a black flame before he found a new pair of gloves and wore them over his hands.
"Life and Death, the perfect balance," he said staring at his hands.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Elizabeth's spirit pointing to the exit. He nodded and they both left the Angel of Death's throne room.

They arrived into the main throne room of Castle Olympia.
Elizabeth's face was in shock when he saw the Angel King, in full body armour and one wing ripped off, on the floor weakly trying to get up. Grim stared angrily at the Dark Angel who has been grinning at the king's defeat.
"What is the meaning of this?!" He shouted questionably.
Dmitri looked at Grim and said, "it is time for the angel race to fall, and watch as demons rise up and take over all three dimensions."
Elizabeth rushed to the king's side as Grim drew the Sacred Cross sword.
"And why is an angel, who has brought religious beliefs to the world, siding with the enemy?" He asked.
Dmitri laughed and said, "I was never one of these pathetic beings in the first place. The Demon Lord ordered me to play the role of one of the three great angels until it was a good enough time to strike down the Angel King."
Grim prepared himself in a battle stance and said, "then give my regards to the Demon Lord once I drag you back into Hell."
He ran towards Dmitri with the sword held behind him. Dmitri spun his staff of light around and flashed him with holy light. He froze in place as his flesh painfully stung from the light's blast. Grim forced himself to keep moving through the pain. Dmitri blasted him with more holy light but he still endured the pain and continued onward.
When he was dangerously close, he swung the sword upwards and a large slash wave escaped the blade. Dmitri luckily evaded in time for the slash to completely miss him. A dark smokey, red aura surrounded Grim and he warped behind, kicking him hard into a white column. Dmitri struggled to get up from the impact but stumbles halfway.
An angel that has entered the room had a look of fear and horror at what is happening.
"W-whats going on? What have you done?" Said the angel.

After Nathanial brought the severely wounded Grey Angel, Lucina, to the elevator he continued onward towards the king's throne room. It has been taking him for a long time walking along the narrow hallway.
'Seems like every step I take adds another mile' he thought sighing in hopelessness.
His head suddenly shot up when he heard a loud noise of destruction echoing throughout the hallway. His wings stood straight out from behind his back and he flew forwards with incredible speed, finally reaching the throne room.
To his eyes, he saw the Dark Angel struggling from the ground with the Dephamon glaring at the angel, holding a sword of a black cross. He looked over to the right and saw Elizabeth kneeling beside the badly injured king.
'Could the Dephamon have done this?' He thought to himself.
Fear and horror showed on his face.
"W-what's going on? What have you done?" He asked, stuttering.
The Dark Angel looked at Nathanial with a smile and said, "thank heavens you're here. Quickly, this creature is out of control and attacked both the Angel King and I."
He nodded and saw Elizabeth walk towards him.
"I told you that this man is no good. Come, we must leave and send help," he said grabbing hold of her arm.
She swatted his hand away from her and said, "no. Father Nathanial, you got it all wrong. The Dark Angel attacked the king himself and Grim here is defending against him."
He looked at her like she has gone mad, "how do I know you're not lying?" He questioned.
"Would I lie to you, father Nathanial?" She replied.
The Dark Angel stood up, chuckling maniacally which creeped Nathanial out.
He looked at them with a row of sharp teeth forming a huge grin on his face and said, "she is right you know. I guess I couldn't hide the act for long. Now that you know, I should probably kill you as well."
Grim struck the Dark Angel but was immediately blocked. "Take the Angel King and go, I'm not done with him yet," he said.
He parried the attack and tackled Dmitri through the stain glass window behind the throne, plummeting downwards from the highest floor of Castle Olympia.
Nathanial rushed to the king's side and put him over his shoulder. He looked at Elizabeth who was staring at the shattered window.
"Come on, we must go!" He shouted to her.
She looked at him, shaking her head with a smile and said, "there is something I must do first."
She jumped out of the window after them.
Nathanial sighed, 'geez that girl. Always trying to chase after something,' he thought as he walked out of the throne room with the king.

Dmitri and Grim battled it out as they fell at high speed towards the cloudy surface of the Holy Realm. Dmitri managed to be on top in the air and kicked Grim hard in the chest, into the ground. The landing may have been soft, but the impact was not as Grim spat black blood from his mask's mouth.
Dmitri gently glided down, smiling at the reaper's pain.
"I've expected more from someone who wants to kill me," he said.
Grim stood up from the impact and held onto the Sacred Cross in both hands. He charged at the Dark Angel and gave everything he got into each slash. However, it was not enough for Dmitri blocked and parried each attack that was given.
He batted Grim back onto the floor with his light staff and said, "pathetic. Not even a single scratch on me in this fight. I should just end you and get the destruction of this realm over with."
He pointed the three spikes on his staff at Grim's chest. Before he could pierce through Grim, an arrow made of pure light stabbed him in the hand, making him release the staff. He looked up and saw Elizabeth falling down, holding a bow of pure light like the arrows.
She shot two more, impaling the Dark Angel in the chest and landed onto the cloudy surface. She looked at Grim as he stood up, this time with his scythe in his hand. He took one swing and both of the Dark Angel's wings were cut off with ease. He kicked him in the back of his leg and he stumbled on his knees as he bled constantly from his back. Instead of screaming like everyone else had when they were in pain, Dmitri laughed psychotically. Large demonic wings sprouted from his back as he stood up.
"You forgot that I am also a demon, didn't you?" He said.
Light shined from his entire body and a dangerous wind vortex surrounded him. The light was so bright that anything it didn't touch was engulfed in darkness. Grim tried to attack with the Sacred Cross but it was thrown out of his hands. The wind got stronger and pulled Grim towards the vortex. He stood back and held strong where he stood but his feet slowly dragged him closer. Other things were pulled by the wind's force and when they got near to the vortex were immediately shredded to pieces.
Elizabeth held tightly onto Grim, preventing her from being sucked into the vortex.
"We have to do something!" She shouted as the wind began to roar.
Grim shouted back, "how?! I can't go near him!"
Elizabeth took a long pause, looking into the bright light of the vortex. Suddenly, it seemed everything went silent around them.
"You have to use my soul's power in order to stop him," she said.
Grim looked at Elizabeth with a confusingly surprised look, "what?" He said.
She looked back at him and said, "it's the only way, and besides, I lived a great life."
"I will not do it. I was meant to bring your soul back to live on with the rest of the remaining mortals. I saved you from the Angel of Death, I do not want that to be for nothing," he argued.
She kissed him on the mouth of his mask and smiled afterwards, "thank you for caring about me as well as rescuing me," she said, "my time has already passed, now I want to give you my last wishes as I fade away from this world. You're task wasn't pointless, I am grateful for what you did."
She placed a hand on his mask's cheek and continued, "I give you my power to bring peace back to this land, take care of my soul."
Grim slightly nodded and transformed his scythe into the skull and held it towards her. Before her spiritual body turned into a soul, Grim saw tears rolling down her smiling face. He opened the skull's mouth and her soul flew into it, closing it right after.
The strange silence died down and the roaring of the wind was heard once again. He stared into the vortex where the demonic Dark Angel stood. His scythe reformed back in his hands and he bolted straight at it. The blade of his scythe emitted a bright blue aura with white feathers floating around it.
He jumped into the air and said, "hteb az ile Rofsisiht. Angel, STRIKE!"
Grim took one swing from his scythe and he cut directly through the light, opened up the vortex, and split Dmitri perfectly in half. The light faded and the Dark Angel ignited into a black flame with only a dark, demonic soul with angelic markings remaining. He collected the soul and fell backwards onto the soft ground, feeling exhausted.
He took out the ragged notebook and it opened up to a page that read:

Name- Elizabeth Jones
Age- 22

Birth- August 1, 2984
Death- April 15, 3008
Cause of Death- Impaled into the neck, right shoulder, and throat.
Sin(s)- N/A

He placed the book beside him after reading it and started laughing hysterically with one arm over his eyes.
"She was right," said Grim, "her time has already passed."