Beneath my eyelids while simultaneously out within the cold back vastness of space, this being taunts me. Caught in its shadows by the same power I use to transform objects into other ones; warping the very darkness they are made of. The space around us begins to shift. I see all the multiverses glowing and darkening, captive in my imposter’s talons just as I. Night heavens as its crown, and all hell worlds beneath our feet.
“Stay here, become me. You do not need to worry about your screaming childling. She is already lost tonight. Her mother is an evil creature, I am the destroyer of all evil.-”
“Kurai will not be made to pay for the crimes of her mother. I will not lose another childling!” My fist fails to rise.
“Let me go, my baby needs me.” Tears fall with a plea in defeat.
“You need yourself more. I am Lord of all Shadows, Darkness Incarnate. I bring stars together through gravity and darkness, shelter planetary life from the heat of their suns. I grant water, aeol, fire, and materi the space to exist. I am you. Become me.” It says with darkest serenity.
Darkness within my heart battles for freedom against the darkness of manipulation. His hell shadow collides fervently against my energy.
“This is a trick demon. Even if I do possess that level of power, it comes from every darkened heart, from the smallest formless spirit to the Holiest of Nights. I am no puppet master pulling their strings. I am their shepherd. A true lord protects, he fights for the freedom of his land and people. A good father loves his children unconditionally.”
I look up slowly from my captivity, the dried tears on my cheeks are my war paint. “If you do not release me so that I can fly to my childling’s side, I will take up my role as protector and liberator. I will destroy you as an object in my way of rescuing her.”
With this, my wings lift with high defiance, my power floods into the shadows binding me, breaking free of the demonic hold.
The Demonic Me attacks as it shrinks to my height and form with an aerial spinning kick after losing magic advantage.
A pirouette spins a black feathery energy around my assailant. As the demon’s kick lands across the energy, my forearm blocks its leg. My second arm sweeps its head. Using the same leg I spun on to balance, my knee in the air drives into the side of the demon.
The demon flies back, then with one toe lands softly and smirks. “The only thing you will be destroying with that, is my desire to be kind to you.”
“Silence!” I command as the holy emperor that I am.
The two of us step into war rhythms and begin a violent symphony of cosmic dancing. Space itself trembles beneath us. Doing my best to move with love and order, the demon moves with darkness itself corrupted beyond description.
“You speak well about being a good father, little shepherd. But you are the bastard child of a whore queen. What could you possibly know about proper family dynamics?” The demon taunts.
I continue to focus on the balance of defending, evading, and striking as it tries to psychologically dig into me. “A demon like you could never understand my mother’s works of spirit and devotion.”
“Works of spirit and devotion? Tell me, is that devotion why she left her six age old son to the church? Is that the same state of devotion that abandoned you to the throne?”
We continue exchanging blows and strikes with spins and flighted leaps.
“You try single parenting with a job you cannot sign out from.” I land a furious kick to the cosmic charlatan’s shin. “My mother loved her people freely, and I am the son of our people. I am the one she chose and anointed. Karasu Iku’s love is to be honored. None can match it.”
The demon heals its broken leg. “Some love.” It sends out a wave of crushing magical darkness. “Iku let decrepit politicians auction off her precious son’s talon in marriage to whatever malevolent force could dazzle them with promises of power and profit.”
My talon slaps the magical mass away. “Mali and I courted and chose each other freely.”
“For all that partying and prayer in pleasure, the hedonistic empress did not show up to her son’s wedding.”
The fight continues with magical combative beats.
“Iku never came back for her grandchildren. She did not show up to save you in your darkest hour of need, nor was her soul orb resting when you laid Desiderius’s to sleep.” It taunts.
Leaping toward the demon with furious grief, my fist flies to its mouth. “My beloved dead mother and childlings are to sleep in peace. You will not speak their names.”
The demonic mirror catches my punch right before it breaks upon its jaw.
“You cannot defeat me, I am you with a back bone.” The demon increases its tempo, berating me with every strike.
“You are a servant of Evil. You could never be me.” My heart drums with the rhythm of Night.
Universes begin to shake and bleed as the demon continues to strike me down with a symphony of blows.
The magic oozing from my talons dresses the wounds of bleeding universes with a sorrowful love and devotion. The grace of stormy night shields my body. Every one of my jumps, slides, and kicks in our combat is guided by this graceful darkened heart.
“Is this the best you can do? You are too worried about hurting everything around you.” The demon tackles me as its talons continue to tear at my mind and multiverse clusters alike.
“If I am not careful with the space I am entrusted to, it would only open up more passage ways to your kind. My body will not be the key to release the gates of evil.” Pushing the demon off of me.
“You are far too late for that, Failed Shepherd.” It rises, mirroring as I do save for its smirk. “You savor every painful turn and step when dancing at a certain abyssal gate. You have been irrigating evil seeds in the night.” It reaches out its talon toward me with a softer face. “That wicked thing you call a wife should not roam free, join me, let us destroy it.”
Searching the mirror embodiment’s talon, then its eyes. Garnet red but beyond reason, there is no soothing playful night in that blood brown gaze. It bears the crushing abyss, the paralyzing void that Malencia’s do.
Wait, it knows, it knows me, it knows the girls, it knows my whole family. Mali. Mali has been silent. Mali is more than capable of handling herself. She is probably having her fun, her captors have no idea of the circus of horror they are in for. Devadas seems to know as much as I do and is moving Phantisma to safety. Whatever happened was an attempt at the palace.
I have to rescue Kurai first.
“Dark Shepherd, your foolishness will be your demise.” It retracts its talon into a fist.
“When my wicked goddess finds out about this assasination or trafficking attempt, no hell world will take you or your associates back.” I chuckle as I wipe a renegade tear of amusement from the grace of my eye. “Now excuse me, I have a daughter to rescue.”
“You hopeless languish oaf!” It lunges toward me. “Why do you think the gods keep killing the spawns of you and Malencia?”
My back-talon strikes the demon so hard that it spins several times as it falls through this cosmic space.
The demon rolls to catch its fall, then slides with a sweep kick. “They are trying to protect us from your stupidity.”
I jump over its kick. The demon pushes itself up with only its palms, driving an upward kick after my dodge. As I grab its ankle, the impersonator brings up its upper body using its core, reflecting the same backhanded strike.
I dive into the fall, flying fast to run, to fly back to awakeness. Adumbra, thank you my friend, I know you gave all you could to protect her. I feel the heartless cement engulfed around my body. Then my mind begins to warp again.
A great light iridescent with a third eye and Elysian energy as its cosmic crown. Yet this light does not burn, it radiates celestial star might. The cry of an eternal spring field, drowning in a storm; a force pulsating as a blackhole star within my chest.
“Koriath, if you can hear me; Kurai is rescued, but I cannot fight back alone. We need you.” She howls into my heart with her stellar warmth.
“Hokulani? Lani! If you can hear me, if you can feel me, I am on my way!” My heart answers with the same wave of warmth and love for both Hokulani and Kurai.
Whatever has happened, it is so great that the Guardian of Light is involved… The book- the war- Haelius! It has to be him. He must have someone on the inside.
With garnet ferocity my eyes open and I teleport myself back into my body. However, as I do, this demon is still wearing my image and is on top of me in this cement box. Before it even has the chance to speak, I raise my strength and power into my voice. “Get off of me. If I ever see you on these mortal planes again, I will make you beg to be destroyed.”
“You love destroying yourself.” It laughs as it tries to kiss me.
With teeth bore, I strategically strike it away with the strength of my neck and forehead. The headbutt fades the demon from me, yet its laughter continues as it dissipates.
With this my form becomes a black mist, and I fly with haste toward the life signatures of Hokulani and Kurai. I will not abandon my family nor my friends.