LILITH (DEMONOLOGY I)

XX

A group of guards swarmed Eva and I and escorted us out. The Council and jury followed. They were just dying to see us suffer.

We were escorted to a giant stone structure - a mountain of sorts - on the outskirts of Elysium. Funny, how our hell was paradise for all of the souls roaming around. A giant seal was at the base of the mountain. I wasn't familiar with it. I tried to translate it, using what I had learned from Thalia's book, but to no avail.

"Aperta," Wynne said as she placed a hand over the seal. It was Latin for "open." As I had learned over the past month, angels, demons, and even witches used Latin when trying to interact with the supernatural. You just needed some sigils and a basic knowledge of Latin and you could summon a demon.

The stone shook, creating a small opening. It was big enough to fit both of us, but what I was worried about was whatever monsters would crawl through.

"Go on, now," Cerviel said. The guards shoved us through. As soon as we were in, Wynne said "Clausum," sealing the stone again.

The record books said that there had only been no more than five to ever be placed in the tomb. I called bullshit. There were at least a dozen others - and all of them were our ghouls. But what stood out to me more than the others was a short, auburn-haired woman. The freckles, rosy cheeks, and green eyes were all too familiar. My mother.

I made my way through the crowd of ghouls towards her. She spotted me, and confusion spread across her face.

"H-hey," I said with a smile. I was feeling a strange mix of anxiety and elation. My heart was beating a mile a minute. I could barely contain myself. "I've been looking for you."

"And you would be?" She asked. Her voice was quiet and gentle. This was definitely the same woman that my father had described to me.

"I forgot, you haven't seen me in seventeen years." I said. "And this is the first time I'm seeing you in person. My name is Finn - I'm your son." She was shocked for a moment. She took a step back and covered her hands in her face. Tears filled her eyes and she shook a little. Then, almost out of nowhere, her eyes went white and she lashed out at me, striking me with a harsh beam of light.

"Finn!" Eva said as she rushed to my side. "Shit, she nailed you right in the neck. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that a mother would be happy to see her long-lost son." I said, wincing with every word.

"Do you not remember where we are?" She said harshly. "This place is supposed to bring out the worst in its inhabitants. What you see isn't what she sees. To her, you're probably not the son that you think you are. For all we know, she sees some kind of demon." Eva put her arms up, ready to defend herself. Black flames spread across her body, acting as a shield of sorts.

"Why aren't you affected?" I asked. She hadn't changed at all. In fact, she seemed perfectly normal when compared to me. The ghouls were a bit shaken, but remained focused.

"I already told you, Finn, I've got nothing left to lose. Now are you going to help me deal with her or not?" She looked at me expectantly. As much as I knew she was right, I couldn't bring myself to do it. "Finn, are you going to help or not?"

"She's my mother, Eva, I can't hurt her. I've spent so much time trying to find her. She's got to know who I am, somewhere deep down."

"Then let me handle this. If you're not willing to fight her, I'll do it for you. Just run and hide, mask yourself or something."

"I-"

"Finn, stay out of my way or, so help me, I'll fight you, too!" She snapped. I was reluctant, but I did as she said. I bit down on my tongue and stepped away from her. I wasn't positive that my abilities were working, because of their on and off history, but no one else seemed to notice as I made my way towards the seal at the back of the tomb. I was safe.

I watched as Eva raised a hand and the ghouls took defensive stances. My mother blasted the ghouls with her harsh light. They went down, but got back up. They were all bloody and tattered. Whatever that light was, it was chipping away at them.

I turned to the seal, trying to figure out how it worked. I wasn't willing to fight my mother, but I was willing to help us get out.

"Aperta," I said, pressing my hand to the seal. It didn't open, but the tomb shook. Boulders twice as big as me fell around me. If they had landed a few inches closer I would have been crushed. I ducked behind the rocks and tried to stay calm. The tomb was getting to me. Images of my father flashed through my mind. I saw him teaching me how to drive, teaching me krav maga, teaching me how to pick locks. The nostalgia was overwhelming. I bit down harder in an attempt to block out the images, but more thoughts kept coming.

My tongue bled from the force of my teeth. The metallic taste filled my mouth. I couldn't think straight. Staying like this would save my life, but I couldn't say the same for the others. There was a loud crash, the building around me was collapsing. There were sounds of sorrow everywhere. The cries of the fallen. The weeping of those who were spared, those who were forced to watch.

I should be helping. I told myself. But I wasn't ready for something like this, I knew I wasn't. All of this time I had been carried by those around me. I couldn't prevail on my own. I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to help, but a mix of uncertainty and fear held me back. I was weak. I was a coward. The tomb was well aware, and was doing everything in its power to remind me.

Just weeks prior, I wouldn't have imagined being in a place like this. The most dangerous thing I had done was sneak into school after dark to steal a teacher's car. Listening to people who had risked their lives for me die was not on my agenda.

Suck it up Finn. That little voice in my head said. You're not helping anyone by just sitting here. Unfortunately he was right. I had to get up and move, no matter what anyone else told me.

I slowly relaxed my jaw. My tongue began to bleed more freely, to a point where I was spitting it out. As soon as I opened my mouth, the giant pillar I was hiding behind crumbled. I turned around, facing my fate with my eyes wide open.

It was time to meet my maker.

My mother stood before me, with a trail of blood and bodies in her wake. Eva was trying to stand up, but crumbled under her own weight. I was on my own.

"Mom," I said, pleadingly. I knew that deep down she was still the woman that my father had told me about. "Please, listen to me. I'm your son, I came all this way to find you." She didn't hear me. Instead, she wrapped her hands around my throat. For a small woman, she was unbelievably strong.

"Stop, please." I choked out. "I know you. You're the woman that my father met nineteen years ago. You're the woman who helped him stand out. You dragged him to a concert in 1997. You both taught at a university together. You knew that it was wrong for you and him to be together, but you married him anyways. He never stopped thinking about you. He kept a picture of you with him 24/7. I had it but . . ." She loosened her grip on me. I was getting through to her. Using all of my strength, I removed her hands from my throat.

"You remember, don't you?" I asked. Her eyes grew misty and she dropped her hands. "He told me so many things about you. He said that you went into hiding just to protect us. Well, I guess your hiding didn't last too long, but -"

"What did you say your name was?" She said suddenly. She had snapped out of whatever trance the tomb had put her in.

"Finn," I said, smiling. "My name is Finn D'elia."

"Oh my god," she wept and buried her face in my chest. "You're alive. Finn. My son." I held her and cried with her. This was the first time I had embraced my mother in my whole life. It was the best feeling in the world. I could live and die in that moment.

"Yeah," I said. "I am."