Heaven and Hell

TWENTY

T R A I N I N G

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JUST AS LUCIFER promised, Dimitri was up at dawn to train the following day. They were out in an open field with miles to spare around them. For as far as Dimitri could see, no soul was in sight. Best of all, they were away from his brothers. He had yet to inform them of his latest decision.

"How do you suggest I control these powers?" Dimitri voiced his doubts out loud as soon as Lucifer turned around to face him.

The sky was drenched in the red of mortal blood and that color was reflected against Lucifer's bright blond hair. In the red light, Lucifer's eyes gleamed purple and his hair the orange of fire. It was as frightening as it was beautiful.

"You can not control something that you do not understand, Dimitri." Out of nowhere, Lucifer pulled out two large wooden staffs from seemingly thin air. Flinging one at Dimitri, the latter barely even had a second to catch it with his fumbling fingers. "While you take time to learn and process what it is you are, we will train in much more physical and non-magical fights."

Without another word of warning, Lucifer jumped into the air, flinging one side of his staff heavily down on Dimitri that the latter barely even had the time to dodge. Dimitri escaped by the hair's breadth, watching in horror as the grass where he once stood was flattened, bits of green flying through the breeze as soil jumped into the air. Lucifer did not hesitate to strike again, expertly moving the staff that it took all of Dimitri to properly evade.

With perspiration trickling down the sides of his forehead, Dimitri could not keep up. He hadn't even brought in a strike of his own, relying only on dodging away from Lucifer's relentless and expert attacks.

"What's the matter, Dimitri? You put up a good fight in Heaven. Why are you weakening down now?" Lucifer taunted with a sneer, always on the watch for an opening.

"That was a different time." Frowning, Dimitri finally fought back, sending jabs toward Lucifer as the latter barely dodged. "I was fighting for my life and for the life of all my friends."

"So you work better when the weight of other lives rest on your shoulders?" Lucifer countered. Spinning away, he used a nearby rock as a launching platform, sending him high into the air above Dimitri. His staff slammed against the field, splitting the grass into two halves as Dimitri dropped to the ground.

The staff had fallen from the latter's hands, rolling a distance away. Desperate, Dimitri got to his feet, attempting to jump for the staff but Lucifer kicked it out of the way with ease. The demon king's lips curled into a sinister smile, his steps filled with ease. With a great blow, the staff was slammed against Dimitri's left shoulder, a sharp pain jolting through from his skin before crackling deep into his bones.

Grunting, Dimitri fell against the floor once more, the pain overwhelming. He could already feel the bruise beginning to form, his blood most likely prepared to spill if Lucifer were to hit the same spot again.

"You are a prince, Dimitri. Fight like one! Fight like you deserve the throne. Fight like your life depended on it. Fight like your kingdom depended on it!"

At first it was barely noticeable but with each word Lucifer spoke, the more angry Dimitri felt. That sort of emotion burned beneath his skin, searing lines into him as he began to glow. The tattoos that were imprinted on him lightened into a luminescent light green, pale like a wisp and sickly like the dead. He felt his eyes roll back, his vision blurring before he lost complete control of himself.

In movements so quick, Dimitri got to his feet at the same time Lucifer was preparing another strike. As the staff came down with the fury of a thousand demons, Dimitri raised his left hand, grabbing the end of the staff with ease before he clenched his fists. His knuckles made contact with Lucifer's chest, right in the center.

The blow that came after devastated the grounds they stood upon. That strike caused an impact that sent both Lucifer and Dimitri flying backwards, the soil around them flying through the air along with their bodies. While Lucifer's back hit the trunk of a tree, Dimitri fell flat onto the ground, his head buzzing and knuckles painful.

He groaned, coughing painfully with his eyes clenched shut. Even though he could not see what was directly in front of him, he could hear Lucifer's surprised laughter from a few feet away.

"Wow!" The blond cried in glee, getting to his feet rather awkwardly. "Now that is the proper way to fight."

Slowly, Dimitri blinked his eyes open. The sky above him was a crimson red, bleeding into pinks where white clouds mixed. For as far as he could see, it stretched. There was nothing but a plain heaven that seemed to last far too long. Dimitri, in all his delirious state, wondered if the angels that were still up above were watching them. He wondered if they witnessed his demise and were now witnessing his growth.

Dimitri then frowned even deeper. He wondered if they even cared.

"Get up."

A hand stretched into his vision, pale and practically glowing with a layer of perspiration spread across the skin. Dimitri took it without hesitation, allowing himself to be hurled back onto his feet before attempting to find his balance. The world still felt a little shaky but it did not take long for Dimitri to straighten his back. He pretended that the blow did nothing to hurt him but in truth, his entire body ached and burned.

"We shall continue this tomorrow. Today's progress is enough."

With a firm pat on the back, Lucifer began to walk away back in the direction of the magnificent — and intimidating — castle he had constructed. That left Dimitri alone again in a world so different from the one he was used to.

When Lucifer was out of sight, however, Dimitri was not keen on going back. Instead, his eyes strayed on the opposite path, one that led further into Hell and into a sea of blood, cries, and nightmares.

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