THE COUNCIL

The Council was sly and cunning, Helios knew. Among the members, there wasn’t a single being he trusted. Not that he trusted anyone. That would be ridiculous and very naïve.

In the Abyss, every single diabolical animal is for itself. There is no empathy, no understanding. You are only left with your will to survive and make a place for yourself among the army of the cursed.

Time has no value here as it never passed by. There is no past or future. Every day is almost the same. There is no feeling of hunger, no prey, and nothing to make you feel wanting to carry on.

But Earth was different. It was a place where you felt hunger and were able to satiate that hunger, a place where Helios felt alive even if he was dead and his heart wasn’t beating.

He was fond of Earth, being half-human. And he also enjoyed the indefinite surprises it was able to provide for him. Not a single day was the same even if it was often filled with tragedy and darkness. The Soul carriers, how the cursed lot of the Abyss called Earth residents, were full of emotion, and that was something that this realm lacked. You could feed on that emotion countless times, and each day would bring something new to the table.

Before his wings were free again and he could leave for Earth, Helios only had to survive the misfortunate meeting. The Council, which he reasonably hated because they plotted and schemed in order to keep their position. Not that he minded the plotting and scheming, but he just hated the fact that they sometimes surpassed him in thinking of ways to make the Abyss more terrible than it already is. Inflicting pain was all he ever knew, and he was trained to do it perfectly. He became a mindless killer, a perfect weapon in the hands of their Ruler.

When he arrived and entered another grand door, there were already twelve undead beings seated around a hexagonal table in the middle of a very dark room that was engulfed entirely into blackness. They were all hooded and their faces invisible to the summoned party. Helios knew the identity of each member around that table was concealed because that way, whoever appeared to be disobedient could be easily replaced without raising any unwanted questions. The will of the Ruler was absolute, but he needed helping hands in every direction in order to be efficient.

Helios stood before the table keeping a safe distance from the Council. The stench coming from their side was too strong even for his good stomach. They smelled of rotten flesh and freshly dug-out dirt full of worms. He could almost feel the stench piercing his nostrils and causing him almost physical pain. Feeling smell was his blessing and at the same time a curse.

He inherited that from his human side, his mother’s side. He hated the bitch because she was weak and died the moment she gave birth to him, unable to withstand the demonic power inside her which was ready to get out and thrive. Her body gave out when she squeezed him outside of her womb and he was left stranded in the middle of the Abyss where the whore lay powerless before going into labor. He could feel her heart stop when he finally took his first breath and cried out loudly. Soon after that, the cold grasped his throat making him choke on his own screams and he soon floated into the darkness of death.

The demonic inside of him awoke at that moment and he no longer breathed, but he was very much alive.

His father, the former general of Abyss, found him between the dark layers of this realm and took him to the Capital. By the look of it, the Abyss was not much different from the Earth. They both had mountains and woods, sky and land, water and stone. But the mountains in the Abyss had no life inside them, the woods were creeping with cursed ones, and the sky was corrupted and dark gray with glimpses of crimson light, the same as the land. The waters were pitch black ooze and they served no purpose as nobody felt hunger or thirst here. It was the biggest curse of all, having no needs and being caged in a place like this.

“We believe you know why you are here.” One of the apparitions spoke with a voice so low it could freeze the blood in Helios’s veins if it wasn’t already as still as it could be.

“Yes, my Great ones. The Ruler was very clear.” Helios spoke with a tone of sweet mockery inside his words. The Ruler rarely took anyone in his chambers and his orders were mostly given out by using a raven.

“We understand you are to leave for Earth, but why are your wings still chained?” The hooded creature spoke again. “Could it be the Ruler does not trust you enough?” The words stabbed into Helios’s gut like a sharp knife.

“The fact you don’t know surprises me. It would appear you know so little about the Ruler’s intentions.”

Silence lingered inside the room and Helios could focus on the stench of the room even more now. It was terrible and now he wanted to take another step back in the hope it would become less vile. The words he used seemed to upset the seated party. They started to whisper between themselves, and it sounded like the wind was silently whooshing through the willow trees of the Earth.

Helios knew he managed to piss them off. He looked at the floor and his eyes stopped at the sword that was hanging loosely around his hips. The steel reflected weak light when he would move it. The steel gloated instead of him. He himself was very calm at that moment, enjoying the delicious taste of revenge on the inside.

The whispering stopped and the Council spoke again. The message was very clear this time and focused on the matter at hand. It would appear they accepted the defeat at this moment.

“The Maiden must be retrieved. You shall leave for Earth immediately.”

“Is there anything else you wish to tell me? Anything I do not know already?” Helios asked, letting his voice become a flat line of straight tones.

“Arrogant, insolent creature.” The voice spoke now rising in volume. “We do not know why the Ruler shows so much grace regarding you, but we believe it will soon come to an end.”

“Until that time comes, I suggest you give me the details of the mission. As much as I am interested in your opinion about me, I’m more interested in delivering results to the Ruler.”

He couldn’t help but enjoy the silence his every sentence created. They would kill him at the spot if they could. But they couldn’t and he knew that. Abusing on that privilege was the most beautiful thing imaginable.

“The Maiden is residing inside the city known as New York. She does not know who she is and what her purpose is. She feels no power within herself as the seal is still intact. You must not feed on her, kill her, or harm her in any way. You must protect her, seduce her, and she must agree to come with you willingly. Is that clear?”

“Very,” Helios spoke plainly waiting for more detailed instructions. “How will I know who she is?”

“You will be given a new identity and reside near the place she lives. You will, what Soul carriers call, be employed in the company where she works. The Earth has changed since the last time you were there and it will take some time before you get accustomed to it. Therefore, we will give you two human years to complete the mission.”

“Two whole human years?” Helios asked in disbelief. Last time he only got one human month before he had to go back.

“Yes. The Ruler believes the Maiden power has evolved in those twelve generations, now protecting the Seal carrier with more force. The Maiden is not aware of that, but the power of the Seal is not to be taken lightly.”

“I understand.” Helios was now deeply concentrating on the mission. He was very suspicious of the fact he got two whole human years in order to complete it. He felt as if they all were hiding something from him.

“The amount of flesh that will be used in order to create the portal is beyond any number we faced before.” Another hooded figure was speaking now. “The sacrifice will be great and you must not fail.”

“I understand,” Helios says mechanically. He knew that. In order to open a portal for a month only, it took two hundred thousand burned cursed creatures. The Summoner laid a pile of burned bodies before him after he was done.

The creatures of the Abyss could not walk the Earth freely, not yet. Not before the Maiden is retrieved and her power is taken in order to open a portal that would let them walk freely on the other side. The sacrifices they had to make in order to go there uninvited were devastating.

As a conclusion, a raven flew into the chamber, resting in the middle of the table. It was black with the darkest eyes, and it stood there gawking into the air.

“The Ruler wishes to meet with you one last time after you reach the Summoner.” The dark figure which sat the furthest from the table now spoke. “Your wings will be unchained.”

“Interesting,” says Helios giving a quick glance at the chains tightly embedded in his torso.

He could taste the freedom already; it was so close to him that it almost grew into a physical form. He didn’t care about the sacrifices nor the smell of the burned flesh he remembered so vividly from the first time he left for Earth. He would kill every single one of those useless shits if that meant he could fly again.

With a short bow to the Council still residing at the table, he turned away and walked to the door to finally meet the Summoner who would open the portal for him.