The Succubae Seduction Bk. 02: The Twins Ch. 29

"They are," Sonia kept pace with them, though she gave Shelly a quizzical look. "I was simply commenting that it's peaceful, and it would be nice to rest. Not that I needed it."

"I believe her soul is yearning for that peace, not her physical body," Nanny interjected. "We are in Heaven, after all."

Sonia blinked a few times at that revelation, then nodded. When she spoke, her voice lost some of the dreamy quality and returned to her normal crisp words. "You're right. I've added a subroutine to my programming to identify that sensation, and for now, it won't interfere. Sorry about that." Her head tilted to the side as she regarded Shelly. "I'm curious why it isn't affecting you, though."

Shelly examined her inner feelings, wondering the same.

"It's because she has a drive that motivates her to continue," a new voice broke in. Shelly didn't recognize the sound, but something inside her thrilled at the female tones. "I've rarely seen such focus in anyone living, much less here." A mermaid swam through the air, approaching them. As she came alongside their small party, her tail split into two slender legs, and she alighted on the ground. I diaphanous green gown shimmered into existence as she regarded them with light brown eyes. Her mature yet handsome face framed by long, flowing black hair.

"My love!" The words that escaped Shelly's mouth weren't hers, and neither was the masculine voice. "I've missed you so much! You should know our son has become a great man."

"Shemhazau?" the woman asked, her eyes confused. "I know you've always been a bit kinky, but you've really changed!"

Shelly clapped her hands over her mouth to stop any more words from escaping. This was the first time her grandfather ever spoke through her mouth, much less manifested while she was conscious.

After a moment of inspection, the mermaid nodded. "Oh, I see. You are a copy of my husband's soul, trapped within... Oh my! You're my granddaughter! And so are... Wait, no, you're sharing one soul. And the Myrmidon is my great-granddaughter? What has happened to my family?"

Shelly's mouth tried to answer, but she kept it muffled with her hands. Could this be her grandma? Her father held no memories of this woman and only knew that she was a mermaid. All Shelly knew was that she'd died at the hands of an assassin. She didn't even know her real name.

"I think I can help you some," the mermaid said. Without waiting for an invitation, she reached for Shelly's heart. Shelly wanted to back away from this woman, but her body locked up, keeping her still. The hand at her chest clenched into a fist, then pulled back. It didn't come away empty. The hazy form of an old man stepped out of Shelly, the mermaid's fist where his heart should be.

The other woman released him, and then tears flooded her eyes as she embraced her husband. "I've missed you, Shem. I—I thought I'd never see you again after... After..."

"Shh, my heart," Shemhazau held her close. "I'm going to hate myself for this, but I'm not your husband. I'm—"

She cut him off with a passionate kiss before burying her head into his chest. "I know. You're a copy, but I don't care. I've missed you so much." She pulled away with a twinkle in her eyes as she added, "And if the other you ever arrives, I'm sure I can keep you both satisfied."

"I think that's our cue to leave," Shelly said, getting uncomfortable with where their conversation was going.

"Wait," the mermaid said, turning to them, but not releasing her husband. "I know why you are here, and now that I look closer, I see what is going on with your souls. I'm sorry for the pain you've suffered, granddaughter. You have endured more than most mortals. I can't change what's happened to you, but when you're done with your business, know that you are welcome to stay here with us."

Shelly spared a glance between the two and offered a smile. Shemhazau's hungry grin made her uncomfortable. Made even worse when the mermaid elbowed him and said, "You're incorrigible. How did you manage to live as long as you did without me to temper that?"

"Thanks, but... um... Can you tell us the quickest way to get to Jessica?" Shelly asked, not liking how comfortable her grandma was with her grandpa's lack of morals.

"Jessica is not part of my family, so I can't see her," the woman said. "However, if you continue, you should be able to find her, where you're all still living."

"There isn't some deadline to get out of here, right?" Sonia broke into the conversation. "Something to the tune of, 'leave before midnight, or we'll never be able to leave?'"

The woman laughed, the sound musical and filled with humor. "No, young lady. While here, you will not hunger, grow tired, or even be attacked, unless it's by another living person. But if you die here, you still die. The Myrmidon with my great-granddaughter inside will be able to guide you out of here. I wish I could help more, but the dead cannot do much for the living here."

"I will miss our time together," Shemhazau said as he pulled his wife tighter to his side. "Tell your father to get the sword back from Marchosias. If it's brought here, the rest of my soul should be able to be freed. Now, if you'll excuse us, I have a few decades to make up for."

Shelly was grateful not to have to lie and say she would miss the old codger residing in her head, as they faded from view with a lusty chuckle from the mermaid. She knew her family was a little more liberal than most, but until now, not realizing how liberal some of her ancestors were.

"We should hurry on," Nanny said, pulling Shelly back to the present.

She nodded and took off in a sprint. The mermaid claimed she wouldn't grow tired here, and she intended to test that theory out.

She didn't know for how long they ran, and the light never changed to show any passage of time. Nanny led the way. Occasionally, Shelly thought she saw places she recognized, but she ignored it all. Jessica was her destination. She still didn't know how she was going to stop her, but she couldn't be allowed to kill the Pillar of Light.

When Nanny stopped, Shelly almost ran into her back. Only by throwing her momentum to the side did she manage to prevent the collision, but it threw her off balance. She rolled as she hit the ground and came back up in a crouch, ready for a battle. It took her less than a moment to see why Nanny stopped.

Amenadiel stood before them, at the base of a long stairway, suspended into the air and leading high into the sky.

"I will hold off the angel," Nanny told her. "You go after Jessica."

"What about Rain?" Shelly worried as she looked at the impossibly beautiful angel. She had her own grudge against him but knew she was no match for him.

"He will not hurt us as long as we do not attack him," Nanny replied. "However, we can impede him and stay safe. Jessica is ahead. You need to hurry."

Shelly looked up the staircase and saw a small figure, already high up, and knew Nanny spoke the truth.

"Sonia, come with..." she trailed off as she turned and saw that Sonia wasn't with her. "Where?" Shelly asked as panic gripped her heart, making it hard to breathe.

"The android stopped following us some time ago," Nanny said as her body shifted and grew to cut off the angel who watched them with a curious look in his bright eyes. "Reaching here was more important than keeping her on track, and she is still close enough that your souls are not at risk."

But... But I need her! Sheely screamed in her head. Sonia was her support. She needed help to deal with Jessica. How was she going to do this alone?

"Go!" Nanny commanded and leaped for Amenadiel. Despite her speed, she showed no aggression but remained between Shelly and the stairway rising deeper into Heaven.

Spurred on by the command, Shelly started running again. Her legs pumped hard, bringing her to the bottom step, and then up. She took them three at a time, able to leap and leap again without getting tired.

She didn't look back as she focused once more on her target. Jessica moved slower than her, and hope blossomed in Shelly's chest that she would succeed.

* * * *

Jessica saw the top of the stairs. She marveled that after climbing so many that she wasn't tired. However, the fact that no rails went alongside the stairs terrified her. What would happen if she slipped and fell from this height? She didn't know and didn't want to find out.

She heard something behind her but didn't dare turn to look. She'd made the mistake once of looking back, and it'd taken her a couple of minutes to start moving again. And then it was crawling on all fours; eyes locked securely upwards.

The end was so close! Her legs shook with excitement as she pressed on. She didn't know what she'd find once at the top, vanishing into the fluffy clouds, but sensed immense power not too much further ahead.

She heard the sound behind her again, and this time it sounded like her name. "Amenadiel really doesn't know when to back off and give a woman some space," she muttered to herself. Sure, the sex was good, but she had more important things to do, like killing his boss and ending much of the injustice in the world. Not to mention getting that voice out of her head.

She paused for a moment, that last thought echoing in her mind. She hadn't heard its influence since Amenadiel translated her. No, that wasn't right. She couldn't remember hearing it since coming to this side of the veil between the Pillar of Light's domain and Heaven.

She knew that didn't mean that she was free of it, though. She couldn't stay here forever, and even if she could, the rest of the world would continue to hate and fight. Only once they became one could they learn to grow together.

She climbed onto the next step.

"Jessica!"

This time the sound of her name was clear and most certainly not masculine. She knew that voice!

Before she could think better of it, she turned to see Shelly running up the stairs behind her, fearless of the drop below. Her heart plummeted as she saw the determined look in her half-sister's eyes. She wasn't there for a friendly chat. There was only one reason Shelly would be chasing her like that.

Swallowing the lump that tried to choke her, Jessica turned around and leaped for the last step.

She needed to kill the Pillar of Light before Shelly made it up here. Amenadiel claimed that she had to be translated before meeting the Holy Pillar. She didn't know if Shelly had suffered or enjoyed that experience, but she couldn't let the woman interfere either.

Jessica's head broke through the clouds. Golden light shone down from all around, and a path of shimmering sparkles led the way to a squared-off dais. Upon that dais sat a gold and silver throne, ornate in its brilliance, but simple with its sharp angles and lines.

The Pillar of Light didn't sit on the throne but hovered above it. Her outline was that of a woman, though it was hard to make out details. She had no defined contours, but shifting pastel colors swirled within her form as though being seen through a hole in reality. She glowed around indistinct edges, almost bright enough to hurt Jessica's eyes. If she had a face, Jessica couldn't make it out. Her eyes tried to focus on any part of her but became lost in the shifting morass. Some portion of her mind knew that if she looked too long or too hard, she'd become lost, never returning to herself again.

She took a step forward, and the Pillar didn't move. Another step as she watched as closely as she dared, and still, God didn't acknowledge her presence.

Either the deity didn't know she was there or didn't care. If the former, then her job would be that much easier. If the latter... She felt anger worm into her thoughts that she would be ignored. She'd caused the death of the Pillar of Water. She could trap beings of immense power and bend them to her will. She was the daughter of the Pillar of Fire and Lyden Snow.

She would not be ignored!

Her thoughts reached into that other place where she stored beings and objects, pulling forth something she'd stolen from her mother long ago. A blade both blessed and cursed. It was once gifted to an ancient king to rule and fight evil. As she held it, she knew the past this blade experienced. Held by kings and warriors of renown. It'd tasted blood and brought heartache to all who wielded it for long. Even shoved into a stone, it never lost its edge. The sword had never failed to cut its target. Only when the bearer grew greedy did they find their end.

Excaliber shimmered with a liquid silver brilliance all its own as she closed the distance to her target. Raising the blade over her head, she prepared to strike.

"Jessica, stop!" the scream locked her arms up. She was too late. With a heavy sigh, Jessica brought the blade down. Hopefully, Shelly hadn't broken the cloud surface yet. If Jessica acted swiftly, the Pillar would die before—

Jessica's arms shook as the blade stopped with a loud clang. Looking at the sword, she saw a hand gripping it. The arm and body attached to that hand didn't glow as bright as a moment ago, allowing her to see eyes within that shifting morass of lights. No matter how she pulled, pushed, or moved, the blade remained locked.

Then the being's head turned towards her at an unnerving rate. At least, she felt an awareness of her that wasn't there before.

Knowledge gushed into her from her contact with the magical blade. A thimble could hold the full force of the Niagara better than she could withstand what was coming to her. She realized her mistake too late. The sword held every memory and bit of knowledge of its past wielders, and also that of its victims. Jessica hadn't taken that into account when deciding to use a blade that never failed. At least, never failed until now.

Time slowed to a crawl. Despite her mind feeling like air compressed and spit out the back end of a jet engine, she tried to grasp what she could.

She didn't like what she managed to understand. Jessica's mouth moved without her volition. Somehow her throat and tongue produced words in countless languages at the same time, though she only understood one.

I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA, Jessica cried out against her will. Tears leaked from her eyes as her mind knew what would come next. I HAVE BEEN CONTENT TO ALLOW YOUR LITTLE EXISTENCE. YOU WOULD DARE ATTACK ME? I CREATED YOU AND ALL WITHIN THIS UNIVERSE. I AM ALL. I AM EVERYTHING. I WILL END ALL. I WILL END EVERYTHING AND START OVER.

Jessica braced herself in time for the blow she saw coming. The goddess didn't throw her physically, but a wall of force threw her back. The muscles in her hands clenched tight as her entire body locked up. She crumpled as she slammed back on the pathway, unable even to let go of Excaliber. Jessica's mind swam with images of the Pillar of Light ending all creation and starting over with something else.

Many theologists wondered why God no longer answered prayers and theorized that God was disappointed in humanity. Even Amenadiel suspected as much. The truth was worse and so very different than what humans feared.

God was bored and lazy, wanting to be left alone. The penultimate introvert.

"Jessica..."

The soft gasp pulled Jessica's awareness back into the present. She looked up and saw her half-sister, hand outstretched. Blood seeped from her eyes, ears, and nose. Horror filled her as she watched Shelly's eyes roll back into her head, her mouth opening in a wordless scream.

She was too late. Shelly would die because of Jessica's hubris. Jessica thought she could make the worlds a better place. Instead, God was going to destroy it all. She'd heard the phrase, 'Let sleeping giants lie.' She'd thought she was big enough to take them down. Now she'd awoken one that was beyond anything she could hope to defeat.

Shelly convulsed, spitting and coughing blood as she shook. Jessica saw her skin start to turn red before flaking away. God's presence was too much for anyone not translated.

Body screaming, Jessica crawled to her half-sister, wanting to offer whatever comfort she could in her last moments. Her hand still refused to let go of Excaliber, so she used her free hand to pull herself along the path.

Exhausted, bloodied, and weak, she reached for Shelly's outstretched hand.

Power flooded back into Jessica as Shelly vanished. "No!" Jessica screamed, then cut short as she looked at her hand. A different sword rested in her palm. The blade was dull gray, though a pearly white sphere rested within the base of the pommel. She knew this sword. She'd used Shelly in it once before.

Murasame vibrated with power in her left hand, while Excalibur shone brightly in her right. Holding both, she knew all that Shelly knew.

Jessica's heart broke as in the space of two heartbeats, she relived all of Shelly's pain. Jessica's betrayal and abandonment after what the Other inside her had forced her to do with Sheldon and the rape she'd suffered because of Aecus. Having her soul ravaged by Amenadiel, and then giving birth to an unwanted child. There was joy as well, but there was so much more pain. Tears filled her eyes as Shelly's knowledge and experience washed through her. Even with Shelly unconscious in this form, all of her knowledge was laid bare to Jessica.

She knew how the android tried to fill the hole Jessica once held, and while Jessica felt relief to understand how much Shelly still cared for her, she also knew the ragged wound her leaving caused.

Two things hurt worse than any other knowledge, though. Shelly, Sheldon, and Lyden were not her family. She could see that her true father was King Aecus, the creature that raped Shelly. That meant the child waiting below with Nanny was her half-sister. What a weird moniker for such a powerful myrmidon.

And finally, seeing her actions through Shelly's eyes and without the influence of the Other's voice showed its manipulation. Killing the Pillars risked ending the universe and not tying it closer together as she was led to believe. It wasn't a broken soul inside her, guiding her actions, but an Outsider, manipulating her.

Where was that voice now? Searching within as she backpedaled away from the deity hovering towards her, she couldn't find it.

"Wait!" she called to God. "I was wrong. Please forgive me. I was lead astray!" The words came to her through Shelly's knowledge, as she dropped to her knees in supplication. She crossed the two swords before her on the ground but kept hold of their hilts.

THERE CAN BE NO FORGIVENESS FOR THOSE DESIRING TO MURDER. YOUR HUBRIS WILL BRING ABOUT THE DOWNFALL OF EVERYTHING. This time, the multilingual words weren't spoken out loud but vibrated reality around Jessica. The Pillar of Light raised her hands over her head, a flaming sword appearing, poised to cut Jessica down.

Despite the new energy coursing through her, Jessica struggled to roll out of the way. The burning blade cut lazily through the air, biting deep into the foggy ground. That ground bubbled and hissed from the heat of the blade. Jessica felt the blaze of it sear her left arm, though she managed to avoid the cut of the blade.

Her right hand still refused to release Excalibur, making it harder to push herself back to her feet. She waited for the killing blow to land but managed to get her feet under her without incident. Glancing to the Pillar, she felt rage falling from the deity, though she still couldn't make out the rest of her face. It looked as though she wore a mask of shifting light with just her eyes peeking through the miasma of colors.

Seeing that she wasn't charging for Jessica, she took a moment to look at her right hand. What she saw made her gasp. Her fingers and palm were melded with the hilt of Excalibur. She knew she should feel pain, or something, but her right hand felt normal. Even seeing her hand and the grip melted together, she didn't feel numb. Other than the weariness sapping her strength, and her burnt left arm, she felt fine.