Eleven Years Later Pt. 2

“Momma. It’s me again,” I said, with a voice soft like cotton, “Happy birthday.”

I sat in prayer for what seemed like hours, reflecting over all that got me here; momma’s sword being the first weapon I used to kill, but also to protect. She and I have similar senses of humor, and the nights I lay awake in tears, crying for her to come back and hug me one more time…I reflected on it all, I prayed over it all. And I hope that, if there is a God, that he did what my parents say he’ll always do - he saved her soul from hell…

—CRACK!—

“Listen, I know you’re here!” I didn’t. “Whoever you are, show yourself! I’m armed and I will flame you!” I wouldn’t, not in front of Momma. “You've got no places to hide, and I’ll find you eventually, so just show yourself!” They had plenty of places to hide. But I wasn’t just gonna admit that out loud. Quietly, I picked up a long wooden stick and clutched it in both of my hands, and placed one foot in front of the other, guiding my steps with surgeon-like precision as I looked high and low for this assailant. I just needed a sign; something, anything that seemed out of place enough to be just perfect. And then I realized that between the rustling leaves in the wind, and the chirping of haunting crows, I realized that on the ground, scattered in bits and pieces, were jet-black feathers. But I don’t remember ever flying here.

“Did you get him yet?”

“Nuh uh, but I’ll find him. I know he’s here somewhere…!!”

Before I realized it, there was a swift swoosh in the air, immediately clashing my “sword” against the foot of the man I’ve been looking for - the mysterious assailant finally revealed himself. And as quickly as he appeared, he lurched the wooden rod from between my fingers and tossed it aside. I managed to flap my wings in the space between us, giving me enough distance to shoot small uncharged Hadofacto bursts, but the attacker absorbed my fire and nearly fired them back at me. Could I dodge it in time? I wouldn’t know.

“Heh…Good thing I didn’t dodge. You almost burnt them…”

“Burnt what?!” I said, demanding answers immediately. But then I recognized what he was talking about, where he was standing. It was in front of my Momma’s carnation garden. My heart nearly sank; had it not been for his quick thinking and decisive action, I would have ruined her shrine.

“Y-You…saved them?”

“You’re saying you didn’t want me to?” he said with a smirk.

“No, no, no! It’s not that, it’s just…Well, I‘ll be blunt: you and I have never met. You certainly don’t have a personal reason to protect her, do you?” I said with a hand on my hip. I didn’t care much for this guy’s saccharine smirk, but I at least wanted to hear him out, and maybe get a name too. So I asked, “Who are you?” Little did I know at the time that what he would tell me next would change the course of my life for years to come:

“Hmph, so that’s how it is, huh? Some ‘family’ you turned out to be….”

“You…wha??” I replied, tilting my head at his questionable statement. Brother? I don’t remember having any brothers. “Did you hit your head or something, guy? I’m nobody’s family. My family is…t-theyre umm–”

He cut me off, “Dead. They’re dead, Lilim. At least, that’s what I would say if I weren’t here…But you need me to prove myself, don’t you??... Alright then…Forget ‘bout that for now. That can wait, I’ll admit that much. Besides, I didn’t just decide to pop in randomly - I’ve got a message for you on behalf of my benefactors: ‘get a grip’ Not sure if you noticed or not, but the dark side is going to crap because it’s missing its reigning monarch in the war; the Valkyrie Hero is decimating your frontlines, and the Chained Alliance are taking over stronghold after stronghold. Creatures of the night are being forced to migrate to the mountains, the farming and finances are being trashed by casualties of war, it’s all a mess…They’re looking for Archfiend, you know, and remind me again who had that inside them again?... Oh right…YOU.”

“! Are you implying that I’m not doing my job?!”

“I’m implying you’re doing a poor man’s job,” Gray snapped, circling Lilim like a shark in water. His eyes looked back at me like bright-black daggers, cutting to my soul. I felt a chill down my spine as my body tensed, almost entirely stiff. I could swear I felt like this day years ago; I could swear he reminded me of Enoch, “Archfiend is a sacred gem to Archangels like us; a symbol of limitless authority, and no doubt you already know, limitless power. Limitless potential, even. But you’ve been sitting back, letting the generals handle things fully. And look where we are…You’re supposed to be a queen.”

“I-It’s not that simple,” I murmured under my breath, suddenly feeling meek and weak-kneed at his condemning tone.

“Then straighten up. Or do you have a reason to hold yourself back? What are you hiding?”

Before I could even think to respond, Gray was already in front of me, cupping my chin in a firm, vice-like grip. I could feel the heat of his breath as he watched the rich black hair on his head fall to his shoulders after dashing in front of me, and the sensitivity of his skin to my face. It wasn’t just my body then—the entire area around us felt cold and lifeless, as dead as the glint in his eyes. This ‘Gray Alexander’…I’ve never seen anyone like him before. He wasn’t like that boy on the fence. He struck me with surgically-crafted words; he knew where, when, and how to strike me with his words and tone, and yet…I only found myself stunned. There was something dangerous, but also enticing, and dare I say trustworthy about him. Like, he would never hurt me…not in a way I wouldn’t allow. I avoided making direct eye contact, but knew this too; he knew something was holding me back, something I never cared even for myself to admit to. But just as I finally mustered the courage to meet his chilling stare head-on, he wasn’t there anymore. I ran across the entire graveyard looking high and low for him, heels clicking against the stone floor beneath me, for some last-minute sign of his presence. Nothing. Not a sound. Not even a feeling of birdsong or wind. For a split-second, I wondered if that was nothing but a long dream…

“T-That just happened,” I muttered. Realistically, that was all I could think to say because…well, how should I have responded to that? Here I am talking to some edgy wannabe rock god, and yet he accused me of doing a terrible job with the war, “I’m so confused, but…whew, okay, oka,y Lili, get a hold of yourself. Focus. H-He mentioned the war…Okay, I’m not unaware of things there. At least, not entirely unaware. It’s just…Is there something that I’m missing? Sure, he shouldn’t know this kinda thing, but…what if he’s right?... This is all too confusing. Maybe I need a nap.”

—KER-SPLOOSH!—

Oh, now what?! I turned, this time more annoyed than wary, to find a small, crashing wave of…mud? Okay, sure, mud—gravelous, sloshing, dirty mud.

“Not funny, Gray!”

But it wasn’t Gray’s doing. In fact, after looking it over again, the splash zone wasn’t randomly scattered at all—it felt very calculated; it seemed sentient. Not that I stuck around long enough to figure out; it missed the first time, and I flew off as the mudwave gave chase.

“Oh come on!! Why am I so popular today?!”

Normally, I’d have outsped the sludge by now, but there were too many trees in my path; I spent more time spinning left and right to avoid low-hanging branches than I did flying straight. But eventually, I managed to break through the woods and away from the castle, the mudslide still hot on my heels; “Yo, what’s your problem?!” I yelled from above. No response, save for the unnerving gurgle of the mud-beast.

“Okaaay then, not talking. Got it.” I said with crossed arms and an irksome nod, “No, no, no, I understand entirely, you can’t speak so we’ll just cut to the ch—Hadofacto.”

The monster shrieked as I launched a condensed ball of dark fire at its person, blasting it to smithereens and scattering piles of mud across the rich, open courtyard.