Blade(Part 4): Midnight

Chapter 14: Dameon

Dameon wrapped his arms around Shala and squeezed her as tightly as he could. He felt her light slowly fading, and his heart shattered. Her eyes were closed, and she was silent. She wasn't dead, but Dameon knew that she was still gone. Azazel's venom had already gone to her mind, and would soon go to her heart, and there was nothing Dameon could do about it. All he could do was keep his promise to her, that he would never leave her, just as she would never have left him. He never would leave her, and would always love her. There would never be another that Dameon would love like he loved Shala. They both knew what living the way they did was like, and they both knew the pain of losing people they cared about in the way they did. There would be no one else like Shala.

"I'm sorry," Dameon sobbed, pressing his forehead against Shala's chest. "I'm sorry, Shala. I love you. I'll always love you." There was only the smallest bit of light left in her. Dameon prayed to the gods that she heard his last words to her, then kissed her on her lips one last time. Suddenly, though, he felt someone's hand on his shoulder, and he felt Shala's light growing back. Dameon looked up to see a young woman sitting in front of him inside of his aura dome, with a powerful, radiant aura over her. She had one hand on Dameon's shoulder, and her other hand over Shala's heart. This woman had long, brown hair, and wore a white, sleeveless dress that had golden buttons connecting the straps to the dress itself. Etched into both of the buttons was the Ancient One symbol for love, and then Dameon knew exactly who she was. She was the Goddess of Love, Vanessa.

"I'm healing her," Vanessa promised. "Azazel's venom is darkness, but can be burned away by light."

"Why couldn't I heal her?" Dameon wondered. "

"Your soul is mortal," Vanessa answered. "Even though your blood is Ilentia. There are still limits to your power."

"So, she'll be alright?" asked Dameon. "Even with the venom?"

"It's the venom I am cleansing," said Vanessa. "I promise you she will live."

"Thank you," Dameon wept. "Thank you, Vanessa. You have no idea what I owe you."

"Nothing, son of Xyhra," the goddess excused. "I would ask that you assist my husband, however. He continues your fight with Azazel." Dameon quickly looked through his aura dome to where Azazel was. The demon was swinging his arms at someone wearing golden armor, and attacking with a long spear with a shining blade that was enchanted with a crystal of radiant malakyte. He was deflecting the attacks from his claws with a shield with a brass color. He couldn't have been anyone else. Diomeus, the God of War.

"You have Shala?" asked Dameon.

"Yes," Vanessa promised. "Go."

"Thank you," said Dameon. He gently set Shala down to allow Vanessa to heal her, then raised his ancient sword and rushed to help Diomeus. As Azazel raised an arm above the war god, Dameon quickly took a swing at the clawed hand with his ancient sword before Azazel could swing his arm, and completely severed it. The demon raised its head and roared with pain as its arm crashed to the ground, spraying black blood everywhere. Azazel then turned to face Dameon, and his jaws opened, with a bright, red light glowing from his maw. He spewed forth a blast of black fire. Before the flames could touch him, though, Diomeus quickly rushed in front of Dameon and raised his shield. Azazel's dark fire couldn't scorch his shield, and the flames were deflected by it.

"How do we kill it?" asked Dameon.

"Every kind of demon may be slain by decapitation," Diomeus answered. "But I don't know about a wendigo. It's our only chance."

"Then let's do it," said Dameon. While the God of War was still blocking Azazel's black flames, Dameon warped behind the demon, then launched himself right at its head with an aura blast from both of his feet. Right as he made a swing with his ancient sword, though, Azazel suddenly cocked his head towards him, and smacked him with his antlers. Dameon was thrown to the ground, then Azazel kicked Diomeus right in the chest, throwing him across the sanctum. The demon then swung its remaining arm at Dameon, but it pulled its arm back and roared when Diomeus' spear was suddenly hurled through its fist. Dameon then jumped to his feet and threw himself against the demon's arm, severing it completely. Azazel's hand fell to the ground, then Dameon staggered him backward with an aura blast. As the demon stumbled backward, Diomeus impaled it on his spear. Without limbs to defend itself, nothing would stop Dameon from taking its head off, but he didn't get the chance. Instead, Azazel's head suddenly came off.

"What?" Dameon gasped. Azazel's dismembered body collapsed, then Dameon heard the sound of soft footsteps in front of him. Whoever it was had cloaked themselves when they killed Azazel, and there was only one person in the sanctum with Dameon who could do that. Shala revealed herself before him, alive, and her eyes wide open. She was fine, as if she wasn't even cut by Azazel's claws. Before Dameon could even speak to Shala, she threw her arms around him, squeezing him as hard as she could. Dameon did the same for her, and both of them had tears falling from their eyes. They were both lucky to be alive after fighting such a powerful monster. Nothing could have relieved Dameon more than the fact that he hadn't lost Shala.

"I thought I lost you," Dameon sobbed.

"Well, I'm here," Shala promised. "I'm here, Dameon. You won't lose me, so I better not lose you." Dameon chuckled at her jest, then let go of her. Shala then leaned forward and kissed him.

"Who healed me?" she wondered. "Well, who cured Azazel's venom?"

"That would be Vanessa," Dameon answered, pointing to Vanessa. Shala's eyebrows raised.

"The Vanessa?" she gasped. She then turned to the Goddess of Love and bent down on her knees.

"Thank you," she said.

"It was the least I could do, Guardian," Vanessa excused, as Shala rose to her feet.

"We know why you're here," said Diomeus. "You're here to save your world from the person who wants to destroy it. Well, here." The war god bent down beside the altar with the couple, then easily lifted it off the ground.

"That's Diomeus," Dameon whispered, to Shala.

"The God of War?" asked Shala.

"That's the one," Dameon answered, as Vanessa bent down where the altar was moved from.

"He looks so young," Shala observed. "So does she." Dameon had noticed that, too. Both Vanessa and Diomeus were New Ones, and weren't around as long as Ancient Ones such as Xyhra, Aziz, and Azia, but were still ancient before Zenartha's mortal races appeared. Even so, they looked no more than eighteen or nineteen. Then Dameon remembered that they were children of other New Ones before them, born from gods and goddesses such as light, life, death, the ocean, and darkness.

"You should be the one to do this, Dameon," Vanessa suggested. She stood, then gestured to a large button that was below the altar of the couple.

"Is that...?" asked Dameon.

"You will be one step closer to ending this war if you press that," Diomeus promised. "It's the switch that you and your friends have been looking for." There was no deceit in the god's words, and the aura that was leading Dameon across the ring was coming from that very button. It was the switch.

"Well," Shala urged. "It's wrong to defy the gods' words." Dameon bent down on one of his knees in front of the button. He lifted his hand above it, then slammed it down to press it. The ground then suddenly began to shake. The upper ring of the Furnace was lowering.