As Above So Below

Chapter 8

A millennia of fighting. Yes, an entire millennia of nonstop, constant warfare. The demons had no lord; neither Lost nor Yosaflame or Cranber were willing to take up the task while he was away, but they fought to their extent to make him proud. Sometimes they wondered how he was holding up. Was he asleep? Did he miss them? Sometimes, Ater and Arbus would go up upon the mountain and sit with ‘Kcalb’ to tell him how the war was coming along.

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“We’re winning! I’m pretty sure… we’re winning, right, Arbus?”

“Right. We’re winning, Ater.”

As always, there was never a response, but sometimes they watched the flower go by day and night, and time to time, Yosaflame would take care of them if they really needed it. Lost, Cranber, and Yosaflame were very obedient towards Kcalb. Ater and Arbus were probably the only thing of him that was still present. Maybe sometimes they were spoiled with riches from the common folk, but they didn’t deny it, oh no.

Etihw stood her ground, showing no mercy to the demons. Wodahs and Grora were now in plain sight of combat, and were not affected by the gasses. The flames, however, were a different subject. They had minor burns, but they did not heal quickly, and were a nuisance to take care of. One day, as Grora was close to the first line of combat, she was encountered by Ater, who gave her a sullen glare.

“Can I help ya?”

Grora said sarcastically, before Ater lunged a clawed finger through the angel’s eye socket and back out with the eye attached. From that, blood was pooling down from the empty hole, and Ater cut off the end of the cord with another claw.

“That was for hurting Lord Kcalb.”

She said with a growl, before walking away and almost giving it to Cranber who asked for it, but deciding that she should keep the eye just for pete’s sake.

More days and years went by without any sight of their king, and it felt as if the angels had an advantage. It wasn’t fair if they had a leader and they didn’t! There were only so many demons left, and it’s not like they regenerated like the angels seemed to do. Yosaflame, Lost, Cranber, Ater, and Arbus were almost out of ideas as for tactics, and almost retreated, but decided not to hold anything back and attack with everything they had. Yosaflame’s fire blowing was an excellent touch to Lost’s new found flaming arrows (with poison). Wherever it landed, be it person or ground, it would send a poison almost like nuclear that would deteriorate anything in plain sight. This idea was trashed quickly, however, because they thought that the nuclear energy may reach the core of the Earth and kill Kcalb. They weren’t very skilled in Earth Science at the time…

Time was closing in to Kcalb’s awakening, and the anticipation grew upon every day. Ater and Arbus were literally hopping around with excitement knowing that Kcalb would be returning, but the angels didn’t seem too enthusiastic. Etihw remained quiet about the ordeal, and seemed not to care what happened to each other either way. The day seemed to arrive quicker than expected, and the ground rumbled off and on; each rumble getting the demons hype for the return of the leader. They knew he had a great plan for destruction, and he might even go with it in plain sight after he was awoken. What they didn’t know, however, was his anticipation to destroy everything. He had no care anymore; if Yosaflame, Lost, Cranber, and the rest of his friends were gone, why would it matter? He was a disaster anyway; he didn’t deserve such lovely comrades.

 A silence washed over the battleground, as the sky turned into an eerie black from its usual eerie hue of purple from the surplus of poison that had lost its effect but never left the atmosphere. The ground shook dangerously, taking a lot of them off their feet (some simply chose to hover). A mass of dark energy emerged, and Etihw watched as it rose into the air slowly and spread its wrath upon every living thing. Ater and Arbus went into the castle, as did Yosaflame, Lost, and Cranber, and watched from afar what was about to unfold. An insane laughter roared from the clouds like thunder, and Kcalb appeared from the energy that was now absorbed in his hands. There were screams, and then there was darkness. Ater looked around to see that the castle was merely floating, and that there was nothing else left. No angels, no demons… no Etihw, but especially, no Kcalb.

“Guys? Is, uh… everyone alright?”

Ater spoke up, hearing quiet hums from the rest of them.

“We all seem to be here, Ater.”

Yosaflame stated, adjusting his glasses. Cranber looked around for anything to eat, before dozing off, and Lost simply appeared confused.

“Did everything…? Did he destroy everything?”

He said, getting a nod from Ater.

“It appears that way… where is he, though? I’m scared…”

“Scared am I too, Ater.”

Said Arbus, glancing out the window for a brief moment to see Kcalb in the middle of the nowhere he had created, and the life which was destroyed. Etihw stood before him, silent, and they simply watched each other’s moves, before the land was slowly restored. The demon looked bewildered for a moment, but since it was coming along slowly, he had no care. Etihw watched him until he disappeared in a flock of crows, and reappeared within the castle. Ater and Arbus squealed for joy and hugged him, while Lost, Yosaflame, and Cranber couldn’t help smiling.

“You’re alright, Lord Kcalb.”

Lost grinned, giving a bow to his lord.

“Yes, I am, Lost. I thank you for your concern.”

… Kcalb didn’t sound as stern, but no one seemed to partake in any notice of it. Everything went on as normal for the rest of the evening before nighttime came around. The king lied in his bed, awkwardly not shifting around as he did before. Was he that accustomed to being underground…? He started thinking again… and he felt like a huge jerk. It was as if he were going through a phase, and the phase just punched him right in the face. He realized what he had done and how it was wrong, and planned an apology for Etihw in the morning.