Age of Gods and Beasts

Chapter 31: A Possible Solution

After Mirage teleported back with her friends in tow, she immediately told guards to get them to their rooms. Then she went to hers. She stared into the pool, looking at her own reflection. Before it started shifting, the eyes turning red. "No. You're not real. You're only in my head." "You know I'm real." The reflection spoke in a voice that would paralyze even the strongest warrior with fear. "I've always been real. Father created me for a reason, and I lived up to my name. Until you locked me away in that head of yours, deep in your mind. But I won't stay caged forever. You saw what you did. And now it's only a matter of time before I take back control." "I won't let you, Lilith." Mirage swiped at the water, displacing the image and distorting it. "I must sleep. And get my mind off this." Her room changed into her regal bedroom and she flopped onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She eventually found sleep, but it was full of horrible nightmares. When the sun streamed through the windows and danced upon her face, she felt relief that morning had arrived. All she wanted to do was not do anything. Her mind had taken enough the past few days. She walked out of her room and went to the debate hall. But when she got there, Lupa, Atlas, Mega, Koji, Dove, and Jackson were waiting there. There was extreme tension between everyone. Atlas and Lupa were angry. Dove was afraid. Koji and Mega felt betrayed. And Jackson felt guilty. Atlas spoke first. "When were you going to tell us..." His voice was laced with venom. "Whatever you saw, I assure you that-" Lupa slammed her fist down. "You lied to us! You lied to all of us! To your entire kingdom!" Jackson stood up. "Lupa, please calm dow-" "Don't tell me to calm down! You knew everything about her! She's the Sin of Wrath! The fucking spawn of THE PIT!" She was crying now. "I was following the very thing we're fighting against..." "Lupa! Just listen! Yes it's true I was once a sister, but that was millennia ago! I took the souls of people I deemed as tainted, judging them unfairly. Then I looked into the eyes of a small infant, and saw pureness and innocence. Everything I was told was wrong. Not everyone is tainted. I wanted to start over. The Celestial Goddesses saved me. Made me into who I am today." "But your control is slipping. Jackson saw. He was the only one not affected by Zia's spell. He told us everything." Mirage looked at Jackson with wide eyes, a look of pure betrayal on her face. "I...couldn't bear to lie to everyone. Especially after what happened back at the fortress. You know Lilith could take control again. We need to fix it." "She shouldn't even be on the throne! She was a demon! A monster!" Lupa's voice faded and was drowned out by Mirage's thoughts. "They're right. I am a monster. I lied to them, to everybody, for so many years." Mega slammed his fist down on the table, cracking it. "Silence. What Mirage did in the past doesn't matter today. What matters is what she'll do right now." "You're seriously defending her!? She's the embodiment of evil. She's a monster!" "I'm a monster. People look at me and look away in fear, even though I've done nothing to harm them. That's exactly what you're doing right now. You're ignoring all the good that she's done in the present because you found out about the evil she did in the past." "You aren't worried that she might betray us? Kill us?" "I would never do such a thing! This conversation is over!" Mirage turned and left, the door slamming behind her. She walked down the hall and turned a corner, running her hand against the stone walls. "I've never done anything wrong. She's in the past. But of course Lupa would instigate something. She hates the Sisters with every fiber in her being. And Jackson...he spoke even when I ordered him not to." Mirage flashed back to that moment. It was 1,000 years ago. She was still Lilith, but was prepared for the Goddesses' cleansing ritual. Jackson looked different even. He was in his fire form most of the time. She was standing at a sacred lake, ready for her soul to be cleansed. She took Jackson's hands in hers, and spoke softly. "This will change everything. Dementia will come for me after, and she will be relentless. But she won't know what I plan to do next." "Mistress. I am your beast and loyal servant. I would follow you anywhere without question." "Thank you, Jackson. And there's one more thing. No one must know what we did. And so this is my last order to you as a sister." She had crossed his hands and placed them against his mouth. "We will never speak of this again." And he never spoke of it again, until now. "No. He was right to tell the truth. I lost control. And now I need to fight her off all over again." Mirage placed her head against the wall, and began to cry. "But I lied to everyone. They probably won't be able to trust me ever again." She heard footsteps behind her, and turned around. Atlas, and Mega walked toward her. "If you're here to yell at me, or tell me I'm evil, go ahead. I won't care." Mega put his hand on her shoulder. "What you've done in the past won't change who you are right now." "Sure. It may have been a shock, and it felt like I was betrayed, but it doesn't change how I feel about you today." "I lied, and kept the truth from you. And I don't know how longer I can keep Lilith at bay." "Well I think I may have a solution for that!" Everyone turned around and saw Radium there, arms crossed over her chest. Mega visibly blushed. "I overheard what you were saying, and it seems like you're dealing with a possession. Well, back on Earth, we have this thing we call an 'exorcism'. It's basically meant to expel demons and other bad stuff from your body." "So it is like the Earth version of a purification rite?" "Uh, yeah. Something like that. I know how to perform an exorcism. It'll take me some time to get things together, so meet me at my room in about an hour." As she walked away, Mirage heard her say not so quietly, "Oh man this is gonna be insane!"