In Vain
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Author: I like how “a few hours. Maybe tomorrow” became several days. I’ll try to do better, guys, seriously. I also like how i said chapters may become shorter and the past few were actually longer than usual.

********** 

We definitely ain’t in Kansas anymore, Damien thought as they arrived outside. 

This thought were spurned by the fact that as soon as they exited the front door what greeted them was not the long cobbled road towards the main gates. Instead, there was a strange hellscape where dark, foggy winds pelting their faces over the barren earth. Flashes of light passed over the night sky, strange glowing glyphs that seemed vaguely familiar.

Second were the skeletal figures that floated above their heads. Ever wonder how a Dementor looked without it’s cloak? Well it’d be these guys, who were merely an upper torso and head. They had no legs, only a long spinal cord. Their arms were long and their fingers twice the length of any man’s, tapering into fine points.

Did he mention their skeletal bodies were entirely blood-red? Well, they were. The entities were strange and disturbing to look at. Appearing almost humanoid in shape, but just different enough to make you feel that hair-raising unease at the back of your neck. The eerie sense that something just wasn’t quite right with what you were seeing.

Anyone ever watch one of those singing robot videos? This was like that. It was just creepy to look at these fuckers. 

“If these assholes start singing, I’m going back. I’m already used goods, I don’t need an acapella group of singing Dementors as more nightmare fuel.” Damien took a bite of his sandwich.

“Will you shut up? These guys aren’t a laughing matter.” Will hit his shoulder. “I almost died to them!”

Phil swallowed. “Me too...it was horrible.”

“Well yeah, maybe, but you’re weak sauce anyway though.” 

“Jake nearly did too.” Phil said, almost defensively.

“And us.” Bridget’s hands shook as she held onto her equally fearful daughter. Her entire body trembled. “I just...I hope they don’t notice us this time.” She whispered. “Rhea said that if we’re quiet--”

“What?!” Damien exclaimed. “Motherfuckers, they tried to kill my fatty!? And my mistress? Alright now I have to kill them.”

Damien had no intention of going through with Vera’s contract with Bridget, but legally speaking she is his mistress. At least on a trial period. So he had to take responsibility for her safety. 

It’s the principle of the thing, you know? And Avery is his fatty! You don’t mess with a man’s fatty. 

“You idiot!” WIll hissed as a piercing scream assaulted their ears. Up high the one peaceful blood wraiths, as Rhea had called them, broke into a frenzy and directed empty eye sockets in their direction. Their mouths opened wide as they wailed. The fact they had no lungs or other internal organs with which to make the sound only enhanced the creep factor at play.

“What? No. They tried to hurt my people. I can’t just let that s--”

“We’re on borrowed time, remember? Shut the hell up and start running!” Jacob kicked him from behind. 

“Fuck. Alright.” Damien then scooped up his Fatty and Garter-belt Milf. They screamed a bit in surprise before quickie covering their mouths out of fear. “Where to?” He asked,

“Before that...boy.” Rhea prompted coldly. “The bell.

“I know!” Jacob said and hurriedly took out a silver bell from his breast pocket. With a single shake he let forth a high-pitched ring that made Damien’s ears pop. All of a sudden the frenzy stopped. “That won’t last long, remember.”

Rhea didn’t care to acknowledge him again. She simply turned towards Damien and said, “Stay close.” The Fae Queen was then a mere blur as she ran in front. He thought that must not be her greatest speed at all but that she was slowing herself down for their sake. He took off after her

“By the way, what’s Alex doing here? And these two? Oh, and Will and Phil too, I guess. I mean Cory and Becks I sort of understand, but everyone else? Yeah, no. It’s weird.” Damien asked Jacob. He didn’t question much regarding the direction they were running in, he just followed Rhea. 

He asked Jacob because he was the one with the seer abilities and he thought he’d have the answers. Though he’d always said that ability of his family’s had dwindled to simple intuition in recent years, Damien had never quite believed it. 

“Will was already in the city visiting a woman when the Angel’s attacked. Luckily he survived as he was within the campus grounds of the Academy, which had a substantial amount of wards in place that helped the Angels overlook them.” Jacob started  to explain. “Phil was sent by his father to manage a new location for a restaurant that he and your father planned to open in the city. He’d gone to your family’s home to report his arrival. The place was similarly warded, so he was safe. As for those two, “ He motioned towards Avery and her mother. “I’m not certain how they survived. They may have just stayed home. The Angels only killed the people who were already outside and didn’t bother with anyone indoors.”

“Okay...why are you all here, though?” That’s what he wanted to know. It really was a strange coincidence they were all in the city at the same time, but whatever. It’s great that they all survived. But how’d they all get involved in this little jailbreak?

“I gathered them myself.”

“What? Why? And where’d you even been all this time.”

“I had to make some preparations.”

“Fucking preparations?! For what?

“This.” He answered darkly. “I didn’t know how bad it’d be, or what was coming, but I knew a disaster event was on it’s way since long ago and I knew it would involve you. But it was always unclear until a couple of months ago. That’s when my abilities...grew. I can’t explain it any better than to say I just followed my intuition and wandered around the world until it led me to where it needed me to be.”

“What, did you see a trail of gold leading you on or something?” Damien snorted. A brow was raised, but not from him.

“How did you know?” Jacob questioned. 

“...” Damien sighed. “So, you traveled. Did your ‘preparations’, whatever those were. Why’d you gather people like Phil and Will, though? Especially these two here? Avery and Bridget are just regular people, and so is Phillip and WIll. Even Alex is at least like half Angel or whatever.”

“They were all necessary.”

“But fucking why?” Damien pressed. 

 “The Prince, for example, helped us get through the first barrier.”

“Barrier?”

“We needed an Angel. He was the closest thing.”

The boy in question spoke up. “Not to suggest I actually wanted to help you. But I needed to find Charlotte and this bastard said she was with you. He only revealed the truth after I couldn’t turn back anymore. Prick.”

Damien regarded strangely. "You know, you sure have gotten edgier since last I saw you, kid. What’s with that eyepatch?”

“It’s dangerous to leave it uncovered.” Came the reply.

Damien was quiet a moment, feeling this was a pattern he’d seen before.

 “...And why’s that arm of yours all covered in--”

“The seals help keep it’s power under control.”

There it is. That right there. So this is why he felt this was familiar. 

“Fucking chunnis, both of you.” First Char, now Alex.

“Anyway, keep explaining.”

Jacob shook his head. “Not much left to say. The others are just here as a guide, little more.”

“Hm? What?”

“A guide.” The youth repeated. “Avery and her mother, Will and Phil. They each have known you for quite some time. They carry your...energy, let’s just say. That’s important. It helped us navigate this place so that we could find you. Cory and Rebecca’s own connection to you wasn’t enough. The Angels had your presence hidden thoroughly. We needed both your spiritual and physical energy signatures to find you. While Rebecca has the connection to your soul, she didn’t have traces of your unique physical energy pattern on her. But William, Philip and those other two did. You rubbed off on them, in other words. Though it’s more potent with us three as we’ve already known you for several years, it was only enough after we added in Avery and her mother. If we didn’t bring them we’d never have found you. The wards put in place were just that strong. “

Damien just stared at him. “That sounds like some shitty, made up asspull to shoehorn in the minor characters for more screen time.” It was the same with Cory, wasn’t it?

Someone’s playin’ with his life and he didn’t like it. Which author is fuckin’ with him, huh? Punk ass bitch. Using his friends like this. The nerve of some people…

Avery aside, Bridge is a top-grade milf. You don’t risk a milf like that for things like this. Hell no. Damien didn’t support the endangerment of hot milfs, okay? If she’d died here it’d be a damn shame. Enough milfs had died to those shitty Angel-bitches already.

“I don’t know what that means.” Jake told him, “But you’re damn lucky the gods favor you or else you’d still be imprisoned.”

Damien stared at him again and his next words just dripped with indignation. “Bitch, that’s the whole reason I’m even in this mess to begin with.”

Nothing good has ever come from having the favor of the gods. Whoever said that was damn right. Especially when their “favor” means “obsessed with your dick.”

To hell with the gods. Just the daughters he had with one of those gods already caused so much destruction. Who knows what would happen if the goddesses themselves found him.

Shit. Why did he have to blow that damn horn, huh? Fuck this. That’s it, guys.

He’s giving up drugs.

And as soon as he had that thought a cacophony of screams shattered the area’s deathly quiet. It wasn’t the blood wraiths. 

“They’re awake.”Alex spoke grimly.

“It’s been longer than 30 seconds, shouldn’t they have been awake for a while already? W-why’re they screaming now?” Philip gulped.

Cory took the time to answer him, saying,“This place’s time doesn’t work the same as it does outside the barrier. I doubt we’ve been gone longer than a minute from their perspective.”

“Um, guys?” Bridget cut in. “Look up.” She pointed. The wraiths were back in their panicked state and were flying through the dark clouds in a fury. 

“They’re coming!” Will turned white. He grit his teeth. “Jake, the mirror! Hurry!” 

“I can’t, I told you it’s a one-use item! We’ll just have to keep running!”

“Dammit, we nearly got caught last time and that was when we had a headstart! We’ll never outrun them!”

Damien turned to Cory. “Can you burn them?” As everyone knows, undead creatures and fire do not mix well. And as these things are just flying skellies made from the corpses of sacrificed innocents, it’s safe to say they’re of the undead category.

The girl had a haunted look in her eyes as she saw the approaching wraiths. Her voice was wholly subdued. “M-my flames aren’t strong enough to destroy blood wraiths yet.” 

“But mine are.” 

Instantly Damien’s vision was filled with crimson red. A woman with fiery hair and an equally fiery body floated next to him.  

He blinked as the area was set aflame. From the woman’s body came raging fires that surrounded the group.

“It’s not hot…” Phil commented. “What is this? W-Who is that woman?”

But no one bothered with him. Instead they all focused their attention on the scene taking place in front of them. 

The flames that had been conjured from thin air expanded upwards. The screeching wraiths saw the approaching fire and almost appeared...horrified. As if met with their natural enemy.

And they ran. Scattered in the wind in an attempt to escape. “No you don’t.” The lady, Sera, smirked. As if following some silent command, the fires expanded further. They streaked across the sky and caught the fleeing blood wraiths. They sizzled and burned, the surface of their bony frame boiling in one instant and evaporating entirely in the next.

Cries echoed in their ears. He heard men and women...children…

He tried to make light of it before. Tried to joke and treat them as simple monsters. But as expected, it left a sour taste in his mouth no matter how hard he attempted to forget what these creatures were.

“Oh thank the gods.” Will breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought we were done for.”

“We’re saved!” Avery sobbed.

“It’s a miracle...thank you.” Her mother expressed her gratitude to the newcomer.

Meanwhile their resident Queen merely shrugged.“So the matchstick makes itself useful after all.” Rhea observed. “It’s about time.” 

She was ignored. 

“Sera…” Damien called. 

“Hey there, lover. Miss me?” The woman smiled. 

His tone was cold. “I’ve been getting molested for months already. Where the hell were you?”

“I…” The woman turned her face away. She wasn’t able to meet his gaze. It hurt too much. “I...well…”

“Well, what? Come on. Let’s hear it. I was being tortured and raped for days. And you were completely silent. Yet now you just suddenly show up...so, what, you were here the whole time? Just...just watching? Is that really what you’re trying to tell me?

Her face twisted in pain. “No! That’s not...I just…” She stopped. “What could I even do?” She finished weakly. “You saw them. How was I supposed to go against that?” 

Damien nodded. “Alright, yeah. That’s pretty fair.”

The woman froze. “Wait. What?” 

“I mean, you’re right. That’s a damn reasonable excuse, ain’t it? You’d have been dead a thousand different ways if you went against those crazy birds.”

“Well yes, that’s true, but...you...aren’t you mad?”

He shook his head dismissively. “Why would I be? It’s best that you were able to stay hidden rather than try to help me and die needlessly. I can endure a bit of pain and humiliation.”

“A bit?” She gazed at him in total disbelief. “How can you…” She seemed utterly disturbed. Sickened. And then turned angry. No, furious. “They hurt you. They tortured you. You screamed for days! Until you couldn’t anymore, until your throat tore. And still they wouldn’t stop. So what do you mean, a bit?” She clenched her jaw hard. “Do you...do you even understand what they did to you? How utterly...horrible it is? How wrong? They were burning at your soul, Damien. Flaying it! Don’t you get it? What they were doing, no one could come out of that unscathed. You hear me? No one! So don’t you stand there and tell me it was just “a bit” of pain or that you don’t resent me for not helping!”

Damien had long since droned her out. He could just feel his eyes glazing over. But everyone else?

...They felt a chill in their bones. Even Rhea. The hair at the back of their heads stood on end and they hardly dared to believe what they were hearing. They could only silently look at Damien with a feeling of cold dread in their hearts. No one said a word. 

Although they hadn’t stopped moving they all felt as if their limbs had turned numb. 

Damien didn’t like the weird atmosphere so he did what he always did and cracked a joke. “Hey, it wasn’t all bad. They gave me lunch breaks.”`

Sera’s eyes were sad. 

What? It ain’t his fault she can’t take a joke. Fine, it wasn’t his best. But still.

“I hate that part of you.” Sera said, and turned quiet.

“Eh. I’m okay with that.” Can’t please everyone all the time, right? 

“...Fuck this is depressing,” Will muttered. “You’ve got some serious problems, Day, you know that?”

“Oh, totally. That’s why everyone loves me. My charming personality.”

“See, that. It’s that, you know? Not everything is a goddamn joke. You’ve always acted like this. Like you’re okay when you’re not. It’s fucked up, just saying.”

Damien sniffed. “Fuck you. Who’re you to decide whether I’m okay or not? Don’t just assume shit. I ain’t like you pansies, aight? I can handle. That’s what men do, m’kay? They deal. Tough it out.”

Rhiannon, in all her years, had never heard someone speak so cruelly towards themselves. If what he’d went through were just any regular torture, she wouldn’t think so. But she knew exactly how terrible the Heavenly Lightning could be. 

“It’s not something one can simply tough out.” Rhea’s somber tone held them all in yet another moment of silence. 

Of course, except Damien. “Yeah, ya’ll really need to stop pushing your values and concerns on me. I am fine.” In so far as a man like him could be. Again, he understood he didn’t have all his marbles. Yeah. He gets it. He’s a self-destructive, debaucherous, lazy, whimsical, borderline nihilistic ball of crazy. 

Can we please move on, though? He didn’t need everyone and their mother tellin’ him how “broken” he is. In fact, his crazy self-destructive borderline nihilism is what makes him, him. And ya know...he thinks he’s a pretty decent chap, eh? 

A dude you could totally sit at a bar and swap stories with. Just don’t piss him off by acting like an arrogant asshat or try to steal his plants, and he’s fine.  

It’s not like he’s always going out on crusades or terrorizing mercenary villages with a grope-happy tentacle monster. 

This is the best he’ll ever be. It’s all he’d ever be, probably. Doubt he’d change. Didn’t think he had to, either. 

“How far out are we from the exit?” He spoke up after a while. His eyes flickered to the notification he just received which prompted the question.

“We’re nearly there now.” Jacob assured.

“I don’t think we’ll make it.”

“Why?”

“Oh...it’s just a feeling I got.”

[Archangel Grey has locked onto your location]

“We will. Trust me.”

Jacob then reached into a leather bag and brought forth two objects. One was an ancient-looking talisman that gave him a feeling of rejection. The second was a large, fist-sized… He frowned.

“Is that a--?”

“A heart. Yeah.”

“A phoenix heart.” Cory nodded. “Helena’s sacrifice won’t be in vain.”

“Well...holy fuck. Alright then. Damn. Uh, whatever you’re gonna do you better you better hurry up, though. They’re comin’.”

“Yes, I’m working on it.” Jacob took his sword and  stuck the talisman on it. Next, he placed the heart on the ground behind them and stabbed the blade into it. The sword pierced through Helena’s heart--did they seriously kill her?--and went into the ground nearly ten inches.

All of a sudden a small boom echoed out. From either side of the sword came a curtain of red energy that rose into the sky and split the earth in half. A great barrier was erected. 

“There.” Jacob walked back to them. “That’ll hold for a while. Let’s move, we’re nearly there.”

Three minutes later. They heard hundreds of flapping wings. They collectively looked back and found that a whore of Angels speeding towards them. 

Jacob noticed the anxiety of the group.“ Don’t worry, the barrier--”

Grey, who led the charge, stretched out a hand and casually destroyed it. 

“...Motherfucker.” The boy finished in a curse.

Damien raised a brow towards Cory. “You were saying?”

 

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