Lances and Daggers

28. Faustian Dreams

Another explosion of black fumes missed me by a few hairs as I raced along Belphegor's back. The ghosts continued to rise from the dying body, but they didn't attack me. They hovered in the sky and swayed in the wind. At the end of my run, I reached Belphegor's horns and found Faust on the ground in front of me.

"No one got what they wanted," Faust said. "The cultists did not fulfill their dream. The townspeople did not burn the witch. Belphegor did not conquer a single city. It is rather comical."

I remained wary of his presence but didn't attack.

He continued, "But you should know. When I first summoned Belphegor, I didn't ask for the guild's destruction. I asked for Serena."

Belphegor's body disintegrated with a sudden blast. The black fumes escaped in one burst, and the demonic ghosts appeared in thousands. I fell to the ground and stood face to face with Faust. The demons spun around us. Their movements formed a tornado that isolated us from the world, and we stood in the middle of this vortex as the wind buffeted us from all directions.

"After I spent so much effort to revive the cult and keep them in check, this Great Creator told me he could not bring my daughter back," Faust said as the demons wheeled in the sky. "But he said he could help me with my revenge."

"It's too late to defend your actions."

"You misunderstood," Faust said. "I am not trying to excuse my deeds. I am recounting the details of my bargains because I want you to know the truth. I toyed with some people, and I was manipulated by others. That was the life that I chose."

"You should surrender," I said. "Appear in court, and receive your due punishment."

"I cannot go anywhere now," Faust laughed. "My fate is sealed."

"What do you mean?"

"You will die, Lance. The two of us will die here," Faust smiled sadly. "I was a different man once, but the guild did this to me."

The demons descended from the sky and began to enter his body.

"No, you did this to yourself," I said. "You sealed your fate with your own hands."

"Did I kill Serena? Did I deny the accusations? Did I pretend to be remorseful when I did not even care?" he shouted as the demons addled his brain. "I wanted to see her smile again. Everything became meaningless after she left me. None of my sons could replace her. I sent them all away. I could not bear their sight when Serena was not among them."

"You're not the first or last person to lose someone close." I raised my sword in preparation for the fight. "When we lose someone, we honor their memory. But you... you forgot how much Serena loved Ashenbrook. You destroyed the very thing that your daughter cherished, and you tried to take revenge on the people who cared for her, like Reinfried."

"Shut up! You would never understand," Faust shouted. His eyes turned crimson, and black vein-like marks spread on his body. "The pain is unbearable."

"Then why did you cause it to others? Why did you kill the travelers? Why did you destroy Ashenbrook? Why were you trying to destroy Azuria? You didn't lose your daughter, Faust. You lost your mind."

He smiled as tears fell from his crimson eyes. His hands transformed into claws, and horns grew out of his head. A pair of torn wings shot out of his back. His feet rose from the ground, and he floated in the air like a hanged man. I was now trapped in the tornado with another monster.

He looks a bit like Belphegor. I should be careful.

As I planned my next move, Faust disappeared. A moment ago, he was in front of me, but now, he was gone. Before I could locate him, a claw landed against my back and ripped through my clothes and skin.