“What? How?” She asked.
“It’s quite simple, really. But I understand if it’s too much too fast.” Jalen said.
“I mean, fucking yeah. You show up out of nowhere after 6 years, feed me this story about gods and demons and then yo…sorry Jalen, it’s just overwhelming.”
“Yeah, I understand. Think about it, okay?”
She called it a night, telling him to take the couch. Jalen lay on the thin foam, uneasily, his thoughts wandering about the next steps to take. There was always the path of becoming a registered superhero. Or… He quickly discarded those thoughts. Ella’s safety was the vital step. Without that, nothing more would be done.
❊ ❊ ❊
“Hey, Jalen” A voice stirred him from his sleep.
Jalen sat up from the cramped bed and spotted his sister in a blue shirt and matching cap. “What’s the occasion?”
“Huh? Oh, I work at Sunrise Cafe in Southside Haven,” Ella answered, doing an awkward twirl. “I made you some breakfast. It’s in the microwave. Oh, and if Victor returns, just lock the door and don’t answer—”
“Ella, about yesterday. Have you thought it through?”
“Can’t that wait till I get back from work?”
Jalen stood up, his fist clenching. “Ella, think this through carefully. All it takes is one second and you’re gone. I won’t be able to protect you all the time.”
“Okay, Jalen.” Her voice was cold and stern. “I have lived in the most dangerous neighborhood in this city for 4 years. I think I can handle myself. Wait until I get back from work, okay?”
She closed the door behind her.
Jalen almost trashed the place. He had tried to show her how dangerous their situation was, yet she didn’t seem to grasp his point. He paced around the…
That feeling again.
It felt like he was being watched. Jalen almost ignored that feeling when a hunch to tail Ella hit him. He locked the door and ran to the abandoned factory. There, he found a secluded spot, away from the junkies doing heroin, and transformed into Erebus. Soaring through the early misty sky, he scanned the empty roads below and spotted Ella on a scooter.
For minutes, he tailed her, viewing what appeared to be a routine morning commute. It wasn’t until he almost turned back that he noticed something unusual. A few paces behind Ella was spot, faintly shimmering above the ground. It looked like the effect heat caused on distance objects, only this one was in the air above his sister.
Jalen dove like a peregrine falcon, his arms tucked and eyes locked on the faint shimmer. Drawing near, the thing noticed him and tried to evade, but it was too late. He snatched it out of the air and gained some altitude away from Ella, who must’ve heard the incident, because she frantically sped away. The invisible effect on his catch faded away, revealing a small, blue-skinned demon with batlike wings and cone shaped eyes like that of a Chameleon’s.
“Please, release me,” the demon pleaded, with a coarse, textured French accent. “I ‘ave done nothing wrong.”
“Then why were you following my sister?” Jalen asked.
The demon didn’t answer, choosing to turn its head away from Jalen.
“Speak or I will part your head from your body this instant.” Jalen grabbed his clawed feet, and with his other hand on the demon’s head, began to stretch him, painfully.
“Sweet motherfuckin’ Jesus,” the demon screamed. “Okay, okay. I’ll talk. All I was doing was observing, you know? If I wanted her dead, she’d be halfway on her journey to hell rig… Ah! Fuckin’ bullocks.”
Jalen squeezed on the demon’s head, easily flexing his skull. The imminent danger aside, this demon presented an excellent opportunity to sway his sister’s decision. After a quick glance, Ella was still pushing her scooter as fast as it could go, while taking occasional glances behind.
“Behave yourself,” he warned, then dove once more, this time slamming into the ground ahead of Ella. The bystanders, seeing this, fled. Some pulled out their phones to film only for those phones to become the recipients of his cosmic beams. This prompted them all to flee. Ella backtracked her scooter, her face twisted in horror.
“Ella, it’s me, Jalen,” he said.
This did little to assuage her fears, so Jalen had to grab onto the back of her shirt, carefully, with two fingers. She screamed and wailed for minutes until she calmed down long enough to listen to his words.
“Jalen?” She whispered, cleaning her tears and snort. “But how?”
“I’ll explain later,” he said, followed by showing Ella, the pouting demon, in his hand. “Look what I found here, tailing you.”
It took his sister a long time to fully calm down and process his words.
“My God,” she said. “I just left the house. Then, I hear God knows what, happening behind me.”
Her breathing increased and became ragged. She tightened her trembling fingers on the handle of her scooter, her eyes hazy and unfocused. Jalen observed her, content to let her feel the danger she was in. Despite the demon in his clutches being as small as a cat, he still possessed razor-sharp claws and teeth. Plus, a deceptively robust frame and whatever unknown abilities he possessed. Ella, glistening with sweat, gazed at Jalen.
“Go home now,” Jalen said.
“But—”
“No buts. Go home and I’ll join you shortly. On your way, think of the abilities you want to have.”
Once Jalen was satisfied that his sister heeded his instructions, he floated into the sky, regarding the demon in his hand.
“Now, what should I do with you?” He asked.
“I ‘ave a great idea,” the demon said, wearing a sharp grin. “Unhand me, for I am Prillon, chief scout of the illustrious Azazel, Lord of Gula, and Guardian of the Fallen.”
“That seems fine. Perhaps I should clip your wings off and release you in space to see if you can survive reentry.”
Prillon’s smile faded.
“Why were you following me and my sister?” Jalen asked.
“Isn’t that fuckin’ obvious?” Prillon replied. “There is a new bloody god in town, oblivious to the way things work. News flash, big guy. Hell eats gods for breakfast, and spits out their fuckin’ bones before lunchtime. You were just another meal in the makin’ until you defied death, that is.”
Jalen, currently hidden in a blanket of clouds, widened his eyes. “You were there? When Jigoku—”
“Don’t speak her bloody name! With the level of power she’s packing now, she’ll hear her name. That’s for sure.”
“I see.” Jalen paused, deep in thought. A potential showdown with hell wasn’t something he fancied. Not when one Tsuchigumo named Jigoku Kumo, albeit with preparation, stole a portion of his power and almost killed him. Who knew how large and powerful an army Azazel possessed? Not to talk of his nonexistent knowledge on the denizens of hell.
“Prillon,” Jalen said. “I will release you on the condition that you convince your master I am not to be messed with. I am sure you value Azazel’s life, don’t you?”
“Hmph! That would be Lord Azazel for you. I will heed to your conditions, god. But I do not speak for my master, whose words are final. As far as I’m concerned, you seem like an unlimited, superpowered battery capable of bestowing average demons with powers comparable to greater demons, while retaining your life.”
Jalen released the demon. “It was merely a suggestion and a warning. If your master so much as touches one strand of hair on my sister, let’s just say even the depths of hell won’t be big enough to bury your corpses in. Goodbye, Prillon.”
He flew away.
❊ ❊ ❊
The sight of drugged and dirty people, passed out on the grass, early in the morning, shocked Jalen as he passed through, headed to his sister’s trailer. Despite this gloomy atmosphere, other residents were up and about, washing clothes, cutting the grass, and flowering their pots.
Up ahead, before Ella’s front door, was a ragtag group of men with beer bottles and lazy postures. A redheaded woman was furiously pounding on the front door.
“Come out, you fucking weasel bitch!” The woman shouted. “Let’s see who the tramp is.”
“Go away!” Ella said.
“Na uh, bitch. Don’t be a coward. Say it to my face.”
Victor emerged from behind the trailer. “What the fuck are you doing, Jean?”
“Don’t get between this, Victor,” one of the men, who was just as large as Victor, said. “The darkie insulted my sister. It is only right we set her straight.”
“Don’t get between this? She’s my fucking girlfriend, Trevor. Back off!”
Victor grabbed Jean, who screamed and flailed, pulled her off the front porch and shoved her into the men. The situation quickly devolved into chaos. Trevor and the other men rushed Victor, who gave as much as he could muster, viciously punching one man in the nose and head-butting another. But his efforts proved futile as Trevor rained blows on his restrained body.
Jalen could not believe the stupidity of what was happening before him. Ella was safe in her trailer now that he arrived, so joining this scuffle didn’t interest him. It didn’t until Jean stood up, grabbed a broken bottle, then ran towards the fight. No matter how much Victor infuriated Jalen, he was still Ella’s boyfriend at the end of the day. As shitty as it was, it wouldn’t do her good if her boyfriend was bleeding out on her lawn.
Jalen snatched Jean and flung her behind him. Next, he tapped the shoulder of the excited and bloody-knuckled Trevor.
“Hey, dude,” he said, then placed an accurate strike to the large man’s temple, felling him like a tree. One scrawny man restraining Victor lunged at Jalen, who easily sidestepped the attack. He docked a few poorly thrown punches before catching the man’s fist and yanking him to the ground. A quick twist followed by a snap of the man’s wrist ensured he won’t be partaking in the fight any longer. By now, the two remaining men saw the writing on the wall, so they backed slowly away from Jalen.
“Take them and leave,” he said, pointing at the groaning man and the knocked out Trevor. “If I ever see you fuckers anywhere near my sister again, I’ll break all your limbs.”
The men circled around Jalen, strained to carry Trevor while shouting at the man with the broken wrist to get up and follow them. Jean wielded her broken bottle a few paces away, as if gearing to lunge at him. Jalen simply smiled, prodding her. If she was too stupid to see she was thoroughly outmatched, well, there wasn’t much else he could do but defend himself. Finally, caution and fear won the battle in the redhead’s head, so she backed away.
“This isn’t over kung fu, bastard,” Jean taunted. “We’ll see how you dodge bullets.”
Jalen heard some light steps behind, at which point he turned to see Ella helping Victor up. He shook his head and walked over to them.
“I’m sorry, Ella,” Victor apologized, his speech hampered by his bleeding mouth.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Get up,” Ella said.
“I’d love to watch this Romeo and Juliet act play out, but time is of the essence. Ella, send the man away,” Jalen said.
“Jalen, can’t you wait a bit? Victor is hurt.”
“I’m afraid not. He can find somewhere else to recuperate. His face offends me.”
The man in question glared down at Jalen, his expression showing a bubbling pot of mixed emotions.
“Thanks for the help.” Victor reluctantly spat out. “Ella, should I know this man?”
“He’s my brother.”
“The dead one?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll catch you later.” After giving Jalen one last hateful look, Victor walked away with slow and labored steps.
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