Lost Bloodlines Ch. 07

Disclaimer and Acknowledgment: All persons engaged in sexual activity or otherwise sexualized are over 18.

Thank you to my editor, LiterKnight for their continued assistance in helping me put out better-polished installments of this series!

-00000-

The moment I stepped through the gate, I knew that something had gone horribly wrong.

Inky darkness consumed me, pulling at my limbs in every direction. There was no light, no sound; my senses were entirely blind, except for a horrible, tearing agony that ripped at my joints and threatened to pull me apart entirely. I screamed, but no sound emerged. There was no one to help, just the mocking darkness that rendered me powerless. It felt as though I had been drawn and quartered, each limb held taught in the embrace of the darkness and straining at my tendons. I pulled back, desperately, trying to keep myself whole, but every second I felt my body come apart another inch, the entire essence of my being ripped asunder. Just as I felt myself almost come fully undone, some force grabbed ahold of my tearing limbs, wrenching them out of the horrible dark grasp and putting me back together again.

And then light returned, the feeling of weightlessness and agony replaced by the heavy certainty of reality, and I collapsed onto my hands and knees, my skin meeting a warm, smoothly-polished surface. I retched, feeling the inky darkness that still infected my skin slowly leak out of my body.

"Lilith! Are you okay?" I heard Victoria's voice, distantly, through ringing ears.

I looked up blearily at her, and the Valkyrie came into sight, standing whole and unharmed, but very much worried. Cyri, with Aqua in her arms, and Sam were standing on either side of her, all three looking down at me in concern. I blinked again, the pain dissipating fully, and shook my head.

"No...I...what the hell was that?" I croaked. As the feeling returned to my limbs, I heard more footsteps echo throughout the room we were standing in, and excited murmurs break out. A warm hand touched my back, and I flinched for a moment before it helped pull me to my feet. I turned towards my helper, but the demon staring back at me wasn't at all familiar.

The demon was female, wearing a daringly cut silk dress. She was powerfully built and well-muscled, with broad shoulders that still matched her feminine frame, standing only a few inches above my modest height. Her short horns were unusual; rather than the normal two, she had more than a dozen pointing up from her dark hair in a ring around her skull, almost forming some form of natural crown. It was her face that provided the clue to her identity. The sensual curve of her lips and the arching frame of her cheeks immediately calling to mind a certain demonic diplomat.

"Berith?" I queried, and the demoness nodded, smiling. "Why didn't you tell me that getting teleported was a form of torture?"

Berith furrowed her brows, looking questioningly at my companions as they stood nearby. "The process is normally painless," she said worriedly, checking over my body for damage in an instant. "I'm terribly sorry, Lilith, I have no idea what could..."

A spike of agony pierced through my skull and I cried out, sagging against the demoness's supporting body. My brain felt as if it were on fire, the worst headache or migraine holding nothing in comparison. Through the pounding waves of pain that began to overwhelm me, I heard a shout.

"What are you doing? Help her!"

"I don't know what's going on!? There's no reason for...oh. Oh, I see. Interesting."

What do you see? I wanted to scream, but words were far passed me. I had fallen to the floor, curled into myself in the fetal position as I was wracked in agony. The sounds of yelling and arguing above me slowly faded out, the pounding in my head slowly becoming more rhythmic, and the crashing of waves soon became the only sound in my head. Of course.

Unlike the last few times I had visited the crimson sea, this time was most certainly not voluntary. I was dragged, kicking and screaming into the unconscious world, the horrible mental pain following me all the while. The intangibility of my agony became all too real as I materialized within this soul-space. The pounding in my head became an awful tearing at my scalp and repeated impacts against my forehead.

My assailant's talons were grabbing me by the hair and scalp, slamming my head face down into the uncompromising surface of the rocky pillar. All around us the crimson waters churned and frothed, storm clouds rumbling dangerously from above. With every slam of my face against the stone, my attacker grunted out another word.

"Why. Won't. You. Just. Let. Go?!"

Lilith Firstborn screamed in frustration, and in her momentary lapse, I struck. I swept my legs around, hooking her feet and sending her off balance with a screech. I seized her hands in my own, claws digging in deep into the flesh of her wrists until they caught some vital muscle, her talons unlatching from my hair. As soon as I was free, I rolled out from her grasp, making as much room between us as possible on the small pillar. I rose to a crouch, ready to dive one direction or another if she came anywhere near me.

And yet the ancient demon remained sprawled on the ground where she had fallen, holding gingerly at the torn flesh of her wrists and glaring at me with hate-filled eyes. Tears of blood dripped down her face and her dark hair was a mess. I could see that the rest of her body wasn't in much better condition. She looked...faded, almost, the red of her skin seeming dull and lifeless, her extended wings drooping with lethargy.

"What the fuck, Lilith?" I spat, touching the bruise on my forehead lightly and wincing as a finger came away red with blood. "We had a deal!"

She scowled resentfully at me. "No, Charles, we didn't. This was never a partnership. How can a captive truly negotiate with her captor?"

I sputtered, dumbstruck at the nerve of the succubus. "Captor? Captor!? Perhaps you didn't notice, but you fucking possessed me! You ripped my life apart and turned me into a freak! At every turn you try to force me into terrible acts, and yet you're the captive?"

"I am not here of my own free will any more than you are!" Lilith growled. She sat up, still holding tight to her bleeding wrist. Her eyes promised death should I approach. "Demons do not possess, we cannot worm our way into the pathetic little souls of humans. Why would we? We are already perfect; your bodies have nothing we would wish to steal. Whatever...this, is," she jerked her head towards our surroundings. "It is an abomination. It is through no act of mine."

"Then why would you attack me!? I want to understand this as much as you do, we can find a solution together," I pleaded with her, but her face remained a stony mask of anger.

"Because," she spat. "You stole from me. My life. My body. My power." She wearily rose to her feet, and I tensed. She made no move forward, however, only wavering unsteadily as her eyes lowered to the ground. "Now you stand to steal everything else. My home. My authority." Her voice dropped to a whisper, and I saw clear tears mingle with the blood marring her beautiful face. She choked. "My children. They must have been so lost without me. They need guidance. They need their mother."

Her crimson irises flashed back up towards me. "And they will look to you," she sneered. "A human imposter claiming a glory you never earned. All the while, I remain; trapped and impotent, watching as you destroy everything I ever loved." She took an unsteady step towards me, and I backed up, my bare foot quickly finding the precarious edge of the pillar. Lilith was crying openly now, her words choked with grief and anger. "I built Hell!" she cried. "I raised it from nothing, all by myself! I laid the first bricks, fashioned its first houses, brought up its first walls, all while the first of my children grew within me. I created the greatest civilization this planet has ever known! You, a worthless human, will not stand in my home wearing a stolen body!"

I could see that she was rapidly deteriorating, whatever mad energy that had spurred her assault lost and drained from her. All that remained before me was a broken woman. "And what? You just decided to kill us both? Unless you've forgotten, you need me to live," I pressed. She shook her head, wild hair bouncing. She was silent for a long moment, eyes straying back to the ground and shoulders sagging.

When she spoke, her voice was quiet. "During the passage between planes," she began, and I heard the bitter frustration behind her words, "when your soul becomes unlatched from your body...there was no better time. No greater opportunity. For weeks I had planned, I had figured...if I could seize control, then...perhaps I could take it permanently." Her face twisted, looking back up at me. "But it's impossible. This...remnant, of myself, is too weak, I'm stretched too thin. The attempt almost unmade me entirely." There was something in her eyes, behind the pain and the anger. It took me a moment before I recognized it with surprise. It was fear. Lilith was afraid. She gulped painfully. "I know many things. Perhaps more than any who has ever lived, save the gods themselves. But even I don't know what comes after death. And...you're right. I almost killed us both."

She collapsed. Throughout her whole rant, I had remained fixed in position, unable to move in fear as the ancient being spoke. Seeing her now though, sprawled boneless on the ground, her bitter tears joining the sea-slick surface of the pillar...I felt pity for her. I did not know her, not truly, and she had caused me nothing but pain and misery since I woke up, and yet...she was just a woman. Afraid for her children and her home, and most of all, terrified of death coming for her once more.

I approached her slowly, but she gave no reaction. Only as I knelt down by her side did she look up from her misery.

"I will not forgive you for what you tried to do," I said softly. "But I do understand why you did it. If I were in your position...perhaps I might have done the same. But you must also understand that this is my life, not yours. Your time ended long ago. Perhaps you should consider your luck that you are back from the dead at all." I looked down at the exaggerated beauty of my body, shining with vitality and youth compared to the withered form that was its twisted mirror. "Maybe I did steal your body, but it is mine now. Until we find a way to undo it, that's the way it must stay. I am in control."

She didn't respond, merely looking at me tiredly, tears still running down her face. I stood, looming over her fallen form.

"I am not against giving you control every once in a while. I imagine there will be times when our survival demands it. If you wish to speak to your children in person, perhaps that can be arranged as well. But it will be on my terms, understand?" I breathed deeply, calming my racing heart. "I will hold to our old deal. I will listen to your advice and follow your recommendations if they do not harm those I care about. I owe that much to your experience. But that is all." I stared down at her intensely, waiting for her response. Would she spit at me and attack once more? Or was she truly listening to my words? In the darkness of her eyes, I could not tell.

She stared up at me for a few moments more, and then vanished. I was left alone, only the crashing waves and the thundering clouds keeping me company. I sighed, closing my eyes, and returned to consciousness.

-00000-

The deep blue of Victoria's eyes was the first thing to greet my return, the Valkyrie hunched over my collapsed body protectively. Someone else's knees were digging into my side, however, and I turned my head, Berith's pale red face peeking down at me from around Victoria's shoulder.

The demoness's voice was tentative. "Mother? Is it you?" I hated the furtive hope and desperation behind the words. I grimaced, gesturing for Victoria to let me sit up. The confused Valkyrie did so, opening her mouth to say something, but I interjected.

"No, Berith," I said tersely, "Your psychotic mother failed at the hostile takeover. She was too weak. Sorry to disappoint." Her mouth settled into a thin line of frustration, and for a moment I saw anger flash across her features. In that moment, I realized the precariousness of my situation. Perhaps I had somehow bested the demon within, but now I was in the clutches of her family, friendly though they seemed. If they wanted her to take my place in control...I had no idea how to stop them. These weren't jumped up religious fanatics or unprepared wizards. This was Hell. They surely had some way to force me into the background of my own mind once more.

"But she is still within you?" Berith questioned, the tension in her voice apparent. I could feel how much rode upon my answer. "You can still speak with her?"

"Yes, she's still in there," I responded carefully. "Just spent from the effort." Berith looked relieved, and I let out the energy that had begun to build in my limbs, my body already readying itself for attack. The demoness stood, taking several steps back and fixing her slightly askew dress. She cleared her throat.

"I am glad you are alright, Lilith. Both of you." She said with emphasis. "If we might continue, your people await."

I wasn't sure if she was referring to the Turned standing in small groups throughout the room, or the demons in our new location, and at that point, I didn't want to ask. As I rose to my feet, accepting Victoria's offered hand for assistance gladly, I examined the room around us for the first time. We were still seemingly underground, the bare rock walls of the large room testament to that, but the spartan architecture of the entryway had been replaced by a rather disorientating fusion of classical and futuristic. The polished white marble of the floor was matched by soaring Doric columns that filled the hall and connected to the bare rock ceiling, but embedded vertically around each column were strips of glowing red light, outlined in bronze metal. The entire hall was accordingly well-lit, if only in reddish tones. The far wall was made entirely of sleek, curved glass, the panes darkened to black. Perhaps it was nighttime, wherever we were.

Berith strode down the hall, and like a tourist group, we followed her in a great mass. Monsters and soldiers who had been examining the mysterious columns or simply speaking anxiously with one another all joined the crowd as we walked through the cavernous hall. As we followed, I noticed dozens of doorways embedded in the stone walls running alongside us, their passages dark. Above each doorway was a metal plate, softy glowing with inscriptions in some blocky script that was reminiscent of Hebrew, and yet very distinct from that earthly language. Despite the length of the empty hall, we made swift progress, and Berith reached the wall of windows ahead of us, turning around dramatically as we caught up.

The monsters and humans formed a cluttered line before her, each trying to see out of the darkened windows for a hint of our destination. My phrasing was appropriate, as it seemed the demoness had a show to perform. When Berith spoke again, her voice boomed supernaturally throughout the hall.

"It is my pleasure to officially welcome you all to Hell, the ancient home of the Seat of the Legions and all demon and goblin-kind. As all of you before me were born human, I realize that many of you likely have certain expectations on what Hell will be like. The human concept of this place, and indeed its peoples as a whole, is very mistaken."

"For some of you," she gestured towards Captain Brook's military detachment, "this will only be a short stay. For the rest, it might be much longer. As was promised, if any of you wish to move to another Seat's plane or even back to Earth, the Legions are willing to accommodate you after all of our lost citizens are accounted for. However," her eyes flicked to me and my companions before returning to the crowd, a winning smile spreading across her face, "I believe that most of you will choose to stay here permanently. There are luxuries and delights here that are unheard of anywhere else, and many of you can find purpose and satisfaction within our employ. For now, merely think of Hell as a place of refuge from the persecution you will undoubtedly face back on Earth."

Yeah, she's a diplomat alright. I had to admit though, there did seem to be genuine belief behind her sales pitch. I didn't know if that spoke to the truth of her words or her rhetorical skill. With her introduction concluded, she turned sharply on her heel and traced a quick symbol in the air with a glowing finger. In an instant, the artificial darkness of the windows lightened, and the sight below was revealed. I, along with almost every other monster in the room, gasped.

"Welcome," the demoness said, her body outlined by a riot of neon lights, "to Gomorrah, the capital city of Hell."

I don't truly know what I expected Hell to look like, but the unearthly sight before me was the last possible thing I could have imagined. Spread out far below us was a sprawling cityscape, lit entirely by bright neon lights running along almost every building. Directly in front of us was what I assumed was the city center, composed almost entirely of dozens of skyscrapers that rose to meet, and in some cases, even tower over our line of sight. They were designed in an impossible plethora of styles, from Gothic cathedrals with attached buttresses hundreds of yards tall, to spiraling structures reminiscent of Islamic minarets. Sleek platinum towers jostled for space alongside impossibly twisted glass buildings that twinkled a myriad of colors. One skyscraper appeared to merely be a massive column of stone, covered in outcrops of trees clinging stubbornly to its sides, the waterfall at its peak falling almost a mile to a massive pool below. Another appeared as a jagged bronze spike, walkways and ledges on its sides covered in sharp edges.

And below the soaring towers, the city sprawled for miles in every direction, the buildings far less outlandish, but no less varied. Darkened parks, winding waterways of glowing blue water, buildings surrounded by flashing strobes and floodlights. Amid the lights, distant figures and objects flitted about the city, both packed into crowds on the ground or soaring between the towers. Everywhere was a chaotic mix of aesthetics, with bright lines illuminating every facet of the city.

It was... beyond beautiful, the most enthralling sight I'd ever witnessed in my life. I was sure that my mouth would start catching flies if my jaw dropped any lower. I was spellbound, unable to tear my eyes away. It was all so overwhelming; I didn't know where to hold my eyes. Every little detail was overloading my senses, and my exhausted brain was struggling to keep up.

"And I thought Baltimore was impressive," Victoria whispered to me. My stupor came to an end as her comment caused me to let out an undignified snort, choking back the laughter that threatened to break free with an awkward cough. I glared at the smirking Valkyrie as the moment was ruined.

"No one in their right mind has ever thought Baltimore is impressive," I countered.

"I think we both passed the point of sanity a while ago, Lilith."

I had to concede that point to her. The city was no less impossible than anything else that had happened to us so far. Maybe one day I'd get jaded to the magic of this new world, but it was most certainly not today. The rest of the new monsters were still staring in awe at the sight before them, Berith watching us all with a satisfied smile.