A blanket of darkness fell over the borough of Charlottenburg, West Berlin, Germany; it was the tail end of the cold war and the first new winter moon in 1986. The star-filled moonless sky was a welcomed change from the usual gray clouded nights that hung over the British Sector during its winters; the air was still in the crisp grip of the familiar chill which crusted ice upon the Baroque architecture so rich in detail with old world gaslight lanterns offering paths in no exacting direction along each corner. The streets, though cold, were alive with laughter, love, celebrations of the New Year, and the endless possibilities of chance encounters with long-lost friends.
Azure Creed was not out of place, though he stood out as a young twentysomething American among the locals; he didn't look any different from any other backpacking collegiate taking a gap year. He walked steadfastly towards Breitscheidplatz, a central public square in West Berlin, and since he was not a tourist, why would his visit to one of the city's main tourist spots make him look conspicuous? The look on his face and his hurried stride didn't hide the fact that he was probably the only person out tonight who knew why everyone should be feeling uneasy with the start of the new year upon them, as after tonight, all in the world would have changed.
"I can't believe you tricked me, Azure!" a young man, Azure's classmate and best friend, hollered towards him as he caught up. "You told me to meet you in the hotel lobby in an hour."
"Trust me, Xavier; I wouldn't be much fun in Friedenau tonight."
"But it's New Year's Eve and still early. We can even make it to the city before the American soldiers crowd the La Belle nightclub and take the last booth." Xavier George put his arm around Azure's neck, tugging on the strap to a canvas pouch that hung heavily on his left as he pulled a lit cigarette from between his lips with his right hand. He exhaled in exhaustion, "Don't tell me you're going to spend the night reading books," he surmised due to the bag's weight. "Come on! Let's get our hands on some junge, blonde Huren!"
"You're welcome to all the blonde whores you can get your hands on tonight," Azure shrugged Xavier off his shoulders, "…got plans tonight. I'm meeting someone at the Memorial Church up the street."
Azure knows that Xavier was hoping to spend another club-filled night with him, having known each other since high school, and he was the only one who was there for him when his grandmother, Juna, was murdered. Part of his inheritance was paying for this European adventure through Spain and West Berlin.
"Come on! We're Top Guns, not Top Gun…" pleaded Xavier; the reference was to the upcoming summer movie starring Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer. They were gaining a reputation with some local girls, who were calling them American Top Guns whenever they entered the clubs, coffee shops, and bars. Azure was Maverick and Xavier – Iceman; they both went with the nicknames as some say they had the good looks to match.
"It's to be debauchery all around," Xavier looked at Azure's determination and knew that he had some pent-up stuff that he had to go through, and today was the anniversary of Juna's death. He would have to cool his jets and let him go about his business.
"Hold up! Don't worry about me, Maverick. You stay safe. Oh, and watch out for any of those Neo-Nazi kids. I heard they like to mess with the tourists in the square." he pointed ahead at the city lights, cigarette in hand. "I'll meet you at the hotel after the club closes. Can we catch an early breakfast?" He patted Azure on his back and walked back toward the hotel, flicking his spent cigarette to the ground.
"Thanks, Xav…I mean Iceman. Sounds like a plan." Azure brushed the canvas bag and secured the strap on his shoulder as he waved. "Bamberg, here we come," he huffed and clasped his gloved hands together as the night air claimed the warmth from anybody that had it to take.
Vengeance does not value friendship over family. Azure has an agenda that his poor friend Xavier will never know anything about if he is lucky.
A distant family member had made all the arrangements for Azure's visit to Germany; their relationship was this way because he first met his Uncle Rolland Hart on the day of his parents' funeral when he became an orphan at age five. His uncle didn't mean to lose touch, which he told him when he saw him again at his grandmother's funeral; the sad events of their reunions were becoming morbid. His uncle joked, "We must stop meeting like vultures and ravens." Azure didn't get the remark at first, but after speaking with him for hours afterward, he found they were more than family. They both had the same dream: bringing back the old world as it once was. Rolland and Azure communicated in the following months, which led us to this night, their planning, a finite schedule with an exact location for pickup and transportation to Bamberg, research of the location's history, and calendar timed so that he would get there by 1 a.m.
"You don't mess around," a young, fair, dark brown-haired woman, her skin kissed by moonlight, nodded to him as he approached. She was dressed in a black leather jacket and tight-fitted jeans as she stood at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church entrance. Her Austrian accent was apparent but not strong enough to butcher her English, "I'm glad you're wearing a nice warm coat and gloves. It's a lot colder in the hills of Bamberg." She looked up at the spire of the chapel ruin as she saw Azure marveling at it, "Should've seen it before 1943. It was wonderful."
The spire stood sturdy, holding the weight of a modern belfry built atop it in 1963. "I can't believe how much of it remains after the WWII bombing raids." "Wait…you can't be that old?" Azure smiled as he tried not to stare at her beautiful violet eyes, quickly shaking her hand.
"Now you're trying to flatter me," she smiled in return as she handed him an unmarked black bottle of dark rum. "Rolland asked to give this to you before we leave..." she noticed the time on Azure's watch read 8:55 when he grabbed the bottle and placed it into his pouch, "Looks like we better get moving…we have a good three-hour drive to Bamberg. Hope you've emptied what needs to be, as there will be no stopping if we are to meet with your tight schedule." She approached a vintage Black 1935 W R17 motorcycle and motioned to the backseat for Azure to hop on. She handed him a helmet, securing one over her head, its visor left open.
"This is a nice bike. By the way, what's your name?" Azure asked as he nervously secured the helmet over his head and backside into the motorcycle seat, his hands clasping onto the backseat handles.
"I'm Vela, "she patted her midsection with her gloved hand and turned toward him, "Wouldn't you feel more comfortable with your hands around my waist?" She smirked and gave the motorcycle a quick rev as they rolled on and merged with the traffic, "…I won't bite!"
Now would be the perfect time to listen to 'The Man Who Sold the World,' the ideal David Bowie track for the long ride through the German countryside.
Three hours' drive through West Berlin and the Bavarian countryside ebbed in shades of blurred greens and grays as the bike speed slowed to a stop on the corner of a normal-looking road in Bamberg; the surrounding buildings all looked the same with their white walls and red-orange rooftops.
"We made it right on time…" smiled Vela as she slid her helmet off, shaking her head and running her fingers through her hair. "I hope it wasn't too bad back there."
"Not at all…. It was a pretty smooth ride," Azure said. He stepped off the motorcycle, removed his helmet, and stretched his back and legs. "Got the blood flowing..." he whispered.
"You can see the path from here, yes?" Vela interjected as she looked down Franz-Ludwig-Straße/Road. "I'll leave you to it."
Azure looked down the dimly lit road ahead of him, "What did you say?" he quickly asked as Vela sat back down on her motorcycle.
"The place of blood…" She revved the engine and slowly rolled by Azure as she placed her helmet back on. "Rolland said it would be the one storefront to the right for lease…you can't miss it." She paused and handed him a round ruby stone with strange etchings on its face, "I almost forgot to give you this talisman seal." She winked before leaving, "Welcome to the location where once stood the Malifz-House, Mr. Creed…and Godspeed."
Azure took a minute to watch Vela ride off before he placed the strange stone in his pant pocket. The storefront Vela pointed out was a block from where he stood. He let out a long, heavy sigh; his cold breath dragged and smoked like a dragon's breath.
"Bloody hell," said Azure with a look of uneasiness, his face flushed, his insides turned with nausea at what he was about to do here. He was so nervous that he queasily sat down on the damp ground and placed his arms on his knees, asking himself if he was ready. "I am mad," he sighed, "this is ludicrous. Am I truly able to do this?" He reached into his pocket and examined the ruby stone, which had etchings in gold, a two-pointed cross with wings. Inside each wing was an upside-down cross along a circular border with letters that spell out the name HAURES. "Rolland, am I ready to do this?" he placed the stone back into his pocket as his mind drifted onto one of his last conversations with Rolland – "I would do this myself if I were as young and as strong with spirit as you…my nephew. Evil would take hold of my life as quickly as the striking of a match. You're strong, and you can do this." Azure quickly gave a loud clap of his hands, breaking the moment's silence like thunder from an approaching storm. This act was a show of strength and defiance only for him to hear, a singular gesture that marked his satisfaction at reaching the place he was looking for. He quickly noticed pools of blood in the shape of footsteps begin to bubble and thicken on the concrete surface before him. "Don't be alarmed at the macabre things you will encounter," his uncle spoke again in his memory as Azure watched the steps appear and disappear as though someone was walking in front of him, guiding him. Azure abruptly stood up and followed as they led him to the empty storefront; 'For Lease' in red letters hung on the large window covered in newspaper so that no one could see inside.
This building has nothing to do with the history beneath its concrete foundations and the same soil as this is where the Malifz-House once stood: a witch house that was the sight of thousands upon thousands of witch trials that led to the deaths of the persecuted. The incidences are documented in its many rooms by its principal architect - Friedrich Förner, the spiritus rector, ferocious witch damner, and the mortal enemy of all heretics and sorcerers.
Azure unfastened his knapsack that had begun to hang loosely on his right shoulder, pulling out an old, filthy book bound in black leather; its face read— "Panoplia armaturce Dei." The words spilled forth from his lips, causing a bitter, rancid taste to linger in his mouth. Images of the many atrocities inside flashed within his subconscious—children and their mothers killed for nothing more than ideological lies. "If only the pig had the spine to save one of the wrongfully accused," he said with a spat onto the ground, trying to lose the taste of bitterness that even liver and onions would not overpower.
"This is for you, Grandmother," said Azure with a warm smile as he placed the book on the ground at the entrance to the storefront. "These are his teachings, the instrument of the hammer of witches…I offer it to you as a beacon to the damned souls that its creators' written words bound to this earth. Take this leather-bound portal and let it be your release."
The book opened; its pages turned from right to left as though they were being read; its pages filled with sermons used by those performing the trials.
"You are not alone," whispered Azure nervously. His hands trembled as he slowly pulled a small silver amulet from out of the collar of his shirt and jacket, "Rolland, they are still here…all of them are here. They are waiting for their retribution as you said they would be," his tears welled, showing his compassion for the cause and the determination that drove him this far into the coming darkness.
With a swift yank of his wrist, he pulled the small silver amulet off his neck– its engravings began to glow. "I ask to be allowed to enter freely and without the judgment wrongfully placed upon all of you, my brothers and sisters. This once false hallowed ground is tainted and filled with so much damnation, and it is through this torment that I come to ask only for information," said Azure in an assertive tone. He quickly placed the amulet into his pant pocket and waited at the entrance for an answer to his request.
"Son of Magick," a booming voice answered from within his soul as the book ignited.
Azure quickly stepped back as he watched the door swing open in front of him, its knob stopping short of an inch from hitting the wall; the door thrust caused the smoke from the burning book to come alive around him.
"You are telling us that it is information you seek. But your intentions seem to some of us false and otherwise questionable." The voice's tone deepened, causing his teeth to shudder. "Your folly will lie within this chance you take. We do not judge you…and as you have helped us, we shall help you…with a warning that we will now give. Once inside these walls…we cannot and will not interfere."
The smoke thickened in front of him in the form of a woman motioning to him with her arms to proceed forward—
"You may now enter, son of Magick."
The female's form swirled around as Azure stepped through it.
"Lies shall be spoken along with the truths that you seek. Beware of your advisor. It will listen…eager that it will be to answer all your questions...but remember that it will take from you first…as much as it can take before it gives you that for which you have come."
The lights in the back room flickered on in their neon brilliance.
"Do you see evil in all?" His uncle's words echoed again within his memory as he entered. "There is no greater evil than that of man," Azure said softly, sliding his palm across the door as it closed behind him—each indented imperfection of the wood's grain felt along his fingertips. "An evil no greater."
Half an hour of preparations ticked by as Azure completed the detailed staging of the madness before him; red and black candles, chalk outlines of pentagrams, and a singular large triangle with Latin marked the unfinished concrete flooring of the would-be stock room of the unleased retail space. Flickering flames from the sixteen candles danced against the velvet darkness, its rhythm constant and in time with a whispered chant—the only sound within the empty room. Azure cleared his throat harshly. The flickering rhythm stopped and dimmed with a sudden glow of violet. Azure stretched his arms backward, laying his palms flat onto a crooked patch of warm white carpeting he found in the stock room and placed inside a large circle surrounding him. His jacket slid open as he stretched and arched his back; each bone in his vertebrae cracked in a release of tension in anticipation of what was coming. He quickly stood up, remembering that the violet-colored flames represented the completion of phase one of the summoning. He quietly reached into his knapsack and placed an antique gold bowl in front of the triangle outline two feet away from his protective circle. He gently placed the small etched ruby stone that Rolland sent with Vela into the gold bowl and set the opened bottle of rum next to it.
'The Lesser Key of Solomon.' Azure opened his knapsack again and pulled out a large book, a 14th-century grimoire said to hold the pentacles of black magic.
He ran his fingers across its raised lettering.
"I can feel the power within its parchments," he said, setting the book down before him. He opened the book and began turning each page slowly to avoid damaging its delicate antique leaves that held the teachings that would aid him.
"Grandmother, it has been three years since your murder," said Azure, focusing on the book as he had found the prayers for which he was looking—a detailed evocation to summon a demon from hell.
In the distance, a clock bell tower tolled twice as the witching hour approached.
The candle's flame waved from side to side, an unfamiliar dance, yet another sign to continue. Azure began to recite the first conjuration. He was a bit excited, as he had never tried anything like this before, but his uncle warned him not to be alarmed at the spectacle to come.
"Bagabi laca bachabe… Lamac cahi achababe…” The verse whispered nine times in Latin, flowing from his lips like a hymn sung in melody as he brought a silver three-foot athame from the pouch. He ran it along his arm to coat the sharp blade in blood and unhurriedly traced the large circle around his body; the circle had to be flawless, this singular symbol standing for the six sources of power: unity, infinity, eternity, the sun, heaven, and perfection. This circle would guarantee his safety by focusing all the necessary energies to bind the Demon to his bidding.
This magic spell is a significant risk for Azure; placing so much faith in black magic is without consequence. If the Demon he was summoning were stronger, protection would only remain while the circle remained unbroken.
Azure knelt and examined the circle's integrity, turning his body counterclockwise to ensure no breaks. The staining of his blood showed that the ring was complete. He neared his hands by the rim, feeling a slight tingle of energy: four red circles burned, branding into the concrete floor directly outside the protective barrier. A pentagram materialized above each of the first two circles. The stars danced and throbbed brightly to an unheard beat—synchronizing momentarily with the rhythm of Azure's heartbeat.
"I do invocate and conjure thee, O Demon, Flauros; and being with power armed from the supreme majesty, I do strongly command thee, by Beralanensis, Baldachiensis, Paumachia, and Apologiae Sedes; by the most Powerful Princes, Genii, Liachidæ, and Ministers of the Tartarean Abode; and by the Chief Prince of the Seat of Apologia in the Ninth Legion, I do invoke thee, and by invocating conjure thee," said Azure his tone still hoarse as his throat was feeling as though it wanted to close.
Another pentagram quickly appeared above the third circle—the intensity of the light was incredible as it covered the room in a hue of bright red.
"And being armed with power from the supreme majesty, I strongly command thee, by Him who spoke, and it was done, and unto whom all creatures be obedient. Also, I, being made after the image of God, endued with power from God and created according to unto His will, do exorcise thee by that most mighty and powerful name of God, El, strong and wonderful; O thou Demon, and I command thee, and Him who spake the Word and His fiat were accomplished and by all the names of God. Also, by the names Adonai, El, Elohim, Elohi, Ehyeh, Asher Ehyeh, Zabaoth, Elion, Iah, Tetragrammaton, Shaddai, Lord God Most High, I do exorcise thee. I do powerfully command thee, O thou Demon Flauros, that thou dost forthwith appear unto me here before this circle in a fair human shape, without any deformity or tortuosity." He pushed forward with a rasping whisper without a single break in concentration as the last of the four circles began to burn brighter.
The air hummed with power. Fantastic threads of electricity spread out from within the smaller circles, sending bolts of white light charging across the floor, hitting the walls, and ricocheting off the protective barrier. The bombardment of static was beginning to test the formability of the circle's structure as a thickness of energy rolled over Azure's body with a sharp tingle—his hair waved about like tentacles from a jellyfish.
"And by this…" he could not take the uncomfortable dryness that scratched inside his throat and quickly pulled the bottle of rum to his lips, letting its liquid lubricate his vocal cords as he continued, "…this ineffable name, Tetragrammaton Iehovah, do I command thee, at the which being heard the elements are overthrown, the air is shaken, the sea runneth back, the fire is quenched, the earth trembleth, and all the hosts of the celestials, terrestrials, and infernals, do tremble together, and are troubled and confounded. Wherefore comes thou, O Demon, immediately, and without delay, from any or all parts of the world wherever thou mayest be and make rational answers unto all things that I shall demand of thee. Come thou peaceably, visibly, and affably, now, and without delay, manifesting that which I shall want. For thou art conjured by the name of the Living and True God, Helioren, wherefore fulfill thou my commands and persist thou therein unto the end, and according to unto mine interest, visibly and affably speaking unto me with a voice clear and intelligible without any ambiguity." Azure finished as a loud thunderclap broke the energy hum within the room; his last words of invocation had locked the spell.
"Rolland, you were right…this is intense," whispered Azure in exhaustion as every breath thrust outward, escaping from his lungs in heaving reflex, "By the name of God…and all his might, I, Azure…command thee. Flauros…Duke of Hell…I command you to come visibly and without delay, in a proper human form, not terrifying!"
The flame of the candle quickly extinguished as the air became still. The four red circles slowly cooled, leaving burn marks on the concrete flooring. Azure choked back on his saliva; his lungs tightened. He remained still in the darkness; his lungs finally released, his chest unlocked, and his breathing steadily calmed.
Azure rubbed his eyes as a musty breeze warmed the room with a salty sting, "Are you here with me, Great Duke of Hell?"
From corners of the darkened room, a harsh, growling voice abruptly answered Azure's question and endeavor— "Ich bin hier. Ich habe Durst."
"I...I am s.sorry…Herzog, s.ss.sprechen s.ss.sie Englisch?" stuttering, Azure asked the Demon if it spoke English as his conversational German could only get him as far as a cab and directions to his hotel or nearest bathroom. He looked to his left side, trying to see through the darkness that enveloped him, "…I mean no disrespect." He fretfully looked to his right and clenched his chest tightly as he attempted to muffle the sound of his pounding heart, for that was all he could hear in the room.
The salty air triggered spasms in his eyelids, causing them to blink uncontrollably. He could not move. His eyes burned as he felt the Demon's presence before him.
"Keine maßnahmen…none was taken," the Demon replied. "The darkness…she can be such a calming mistress…she is almost as sweet as black rum."
Azure heard the Demon pick up the bottle of alcohol and drink.
"Why summon me in the Fatherland…if you are not German? Why choose here of all…." The Demon paused in midsentence and took a long breath. "Silly question…silly-silly question. I…smell…it…the damnation is putridly, horrifically, and historically…and do I dare add…sweetly accurate. I should thank you for giving me a room with such ambiance. Do you hear their screams for mercy?" the Demon took another long breath. "Again, I do appreciate the effort."
Azure flinched backward as he felt an uncomfortable sensation of heat hovering around him. A gasp—the fear of uncertainty gripped him from within his stomach as though twisted coils of barbed wire were tearing at his innards.
"Excuse me, Flauros…I am," Azure began to whisper.
"Feeling sick?" interrupted Flauros as Azure heard the Demon take another drink from the bottle. "You must not fight it…take in the damnation…take it all in…release your lungs and let the sorrow inside. We won't get anywhere if you don't."
Azure applied pressure to his cramping legs, stiffening them so he could stand upright.
"That's it…now inhale…as I do."
Azure knew that the Demon was in front of him…but the persistent pounding in his chest would not let his lungs loosen, his breath heavy and empty, "Do you feed on this…this fear inside me?"
"Fear? No. Knowledge." Azure heard the rustling of batwings while the Demon continued, "This is your first time… isn't it? You're a virgin in these occult matters…though…your teacher…He, on the other hand, is not."
"I may not have called upon the darkness…my bloodline earns me a favor as I am heir to the Family Creed," exclaimed Azure in false confidence.
"You are Creed bloodline, one of the seven families. You don't say?" a catlike growl echoed around the room, "I am Haures, the commander of thirty-six legions..." The growl deepened, "No need to boast about your magick lineage. I detest boastfulness."
"I mean no insolence," exclaimed Azure again, this time in a whisper as he ineffectively tried to change the direction of the Demon's changing mood.
"I understand this. You are a good man. If only you were of a greater stock…more like the Veritàs family, who are more than merely magick but...Holy Men!" it finished with a boisterous laugh.
“Again…I mean no… dis…”
"I know why you are here, and it interests me to listen to your machinations for the future of humanity. If you meant no disrespect, why brag about being the lesser of the seven bloodlines?" The Demon's eyes appeared in front of him, burning bright red. A sudden pungent odor of sulfur rushed through his nostrils as he felt the Demon's breath again on his face.
"Machinations?" Azure wiped the foulness off his face with his shaking palm. Rapidly, each heartbeat pounded ten times harder than the last as he waited for the Demon's next move. The flapping of the Demon's wings, the grunting of its throat, and a growl sounded. A familiar yet strange cacophonous sound accompanied the Demon's presence, distorted, yet it sounded like the noise of cicadas and crickets.
His wait had ended.
"You…scheme!" Its fierce nails scraping across the granite floor sparked like lightning, and the Demon's wings flapped vigorously, almost knocking Azure.
"I have so much to tell you…though your talent for foolish prattle and hesitations annoy me. I thirst for more than this rum." the Demon wisecracked, "an offering of your special bloodline would do quite nicely to free up my mood and tongue. "
Azure took off his jacket without hesitation and placed it around his neck. A luminescent glow of red appeared around his short sword; it lay inches from his feet. He quickly picked up the athame and placed the blade on his wrist where he had cut himself earlier. With a tapping and a quick twist in position, he slowly ran its razor side up in his forearm. Warm plasma dripped from his open wound like hot candle wax flowed from within his veins.
"Is that sufficient?" "Will you answer my questions now?" he asked while his fingers slipped up to his wrist that laid limply across his chest as he tried to grip his arm to secure the sleeve of his jacket around the gapping gash.
The candle's flame flickered on, followed by the disturbing realization that monsters from nightmares exist. The Demon's form was a grotesque, charred, and blackened creature with deformed catlike features and tattered bat wings. It stood arrogantly, its skin glistening like black oil in the candlelight.
"Oh my God," gasped Azure as he noticed why the Demon's skin was shimmering—small crickets and cicadas inhabited its flesh. He placed his hand over his mouth as he tried to hold back the vomit creeping up his throat. He choked back bitterly, gulping vomit and saliva as he saw the insects crawling off the Demon's talons and jumping in his direction.
Flauros didn't acknowledge the existence of the insects as it smiled, satisfied with the offering. It gestured an immediate expression of hunger as it gazed at the red pool of blood. Its mouth slowly opened, dropping crickets from within its gapping jaw as it dangled its tongue between its jagged teeth. It reached its neck over the pool and was about to drink when it noticed a stream of blood running across Azure's circle of protection. A grin etched into the Demon's face—freedom. Its puss-lined lips seeped saliva as its tongue stretched along the floor, absorbing blood into its pores like a sponge, discreetly keeping away from the stream.
"Excuse my thirst…it has been so long for fresh human blood…oh, and yours has such an exquisite body to it with hints of damnation and even a touch of grace." The Demon lapped at the blood with giddiness; having its taste, it stopped and lifted its head, picking cricket limbs from its gums with its tongue, "Now I know so much more about you. I know your past, your future, and your present." It grinned again, "But wait…you can't be serious?" Its eyes emitted a spark of red as it watched Azure's blood seep through the cotton fibers of his jacket. "You seek the help of deities who do not exist. Don't you know the difference between fact and fiction?" It grinned again.
Azure tried to tighten the sleeve around his arm to stop the bleeding.
"Why bother? It won't stop until I see fit to make it stop. You did offer it up to me willingly." said the Demon, pausing mid-sentence as it arched its neck forward and sniffed the air around Azure's body. It stepped out of the triangle and stood at the border of Azure's circle of protection. It looked down upon him, its eyes blazing as the Demon took a long, deep breath, "I smelled it the moment I entered this room," it exhaled; the stench of its breath was worse than that of a rotting corpse—its putrid backlash moistening Azure's eyebrows.
"I haven't a clue what odor you are referring to." The horrid stench of the Demon's breath lingered around him. He quickly cuffed his nose with his palm.
"The smell of your convictions…of your weakness. Your faith…you must understand that these women are not real…your searching will bring you nothing…there is only one real God, and to believe otherwise would condemn you from his love and grace. I'm preaching, mind you. How could I stand before you now if this weren't true?" Flauros gawked; its wings fluttered, "Let me see if I can remember the Commandment as it was written- thou shall not honor any false Gods before me."
"What business is it of yours of what I believe in?" asked Azure in a commanding tone as he had finally filled the Demon's games, "Another thing…since when does your kind read the Holy Bible?"
The Demon bit down hard, grinding its jagged teeth as it had trouble speaking its following sentence, "The Holy Bible?" It quickly spat onto the floor; "Didn't you know that everyone has read the Holy Bible and its many iterations? Just because I don't follow its teaching doesn't mean it isn't entertaining. Some parts of it are amusing." It finished in disdain as it fiddled about with its clawed hands. "And do not try and change the subject. So, in other words, you believe in unicorns, faeries, and even brightly colored butterflies."
Azure reached into his pants pocket and quickly pulled his hand out, opening it before the Demon's face.
Flauro's eyes quickly narrowed, fixating on Azure's empty palm. The Demon observed his blank expression and laughed. "Are we looking for this?" it asked as it dangled the small silver amulet between its clawed fingertips.
Beads of sweat welled upon Azure's brow as his nerves froze.
"How could I take this away from you? Hah! Well, you know your protective circle, your sanctuary, it's broken. You desecrated it with your blood. But wait…it gets even better." It looked down at the patch of blood-soaked carpeting. "You may not have noticed an important fact about this room. The foundation has a slight slant to it." The Demon dipped its finger into the stream of blood and drew a picture of a little stick figure of a man skewered by a stick-figured nightmare on the granite floor. It swiftly stared back at Azure, sending images of the damned being tortured in hell to flash into his mind.
Azure saw his skin torn from his pulsating body and maggots crawling into his eye sockets. The image sent him into a state of shock, causing his body to convulse and his eyes to roll back.
"Now that I've got your attention…I shall…and will continue," said Flauros fervently, "You called upon me for information that would aid you in your war and vengeance. But as you and I both know…I gave you NOTHING. What were you expecting to learn tonight? I mean, what could you possibly expect from a natural-born liar? Hmm? How about..." pausing, "maybe," The Demon lifted the amulet near the candle's flame as it examined it closely. "I know of these women that you seek. Did I sound convincing now?" It grinned again happily as it watched Azure drop to his knees, weakened due to the blood loss. "Ah, yes. Let me see if I can still recall what these things are supposed to do. Hmm…the amulet's etchings do look vaguely familiar." It twirled the amulet with a flick of its finger. "The embossing is detailed. Three sets of hands, a singular thread, shears…could this little trinket have been the source of your conviction or even…your faith?" It stopped the amulet's movement; "Your Grandmother was such a frail old woman. Her neck danced so easily with the blade of her killer, didn't it?" The Demon snorted. "If only you had your birthright in hand rather than this. That talisman stolen from your sweet, dead Juna was much more powerful against my kind. You would think Uncle Rolland would arm you with something more than this…I mean, this trinket here…is useless!"
The tick-tock of the amulet taunted Azure as he gazed at the Demon's clenched hand when, with little to no effort, the charm melted into fine tracks of liquid silver dripping onto the floor. Flauros danced around the melted silver and licked up the hot, coursing metal from his fingertips. "You would have been better off wearing a crucifix. At least with the crucifix, you could have gained the respect of the three women you are searching for. Oh, how they love Christ, at least I presume they do." Said the Demon as it walked towards the pool of blood again.
The pages of the Lesser Key of Solomon began to turn. Flauros turned around abruptly as it heard the pages flip through at a rapid pace,
"What? You have no magic! How are you able to move the pages?" It grinned angrily at Azure. "Mere parlor tricks! I shall finish you once and for all…and afterward, a feast I will make of this entire village!" It charged forward, thrusting its arms about, enraged at the sudden display of magic.
A page from the book ripped itself from its binding and hovered over the Demon. The page had a detailed heptagram of a devil's trap: the Grand Pentacle and the Fifth Pentacle of Mars. The text that followed directly below the heptagram was that of a spell used to bind benevolent entities.
The candle's flame flickered off; its last dance extinguished as the silence that followed within the darkened room moved through time at a backward pace. A harsh, cold blackness surrounded Azure with the intensity and bite of dry ice upon naked flesh. Swiftly, a burst of white light, brighter than that of a supernova, encompassed the room's darkness in a blinding blur of purity. Its burning, cold touch cut to his soul as he attempted to speak through the uncomfortable grinding chattering of his teeth.
"We have watched in anticipation, child," a female whispered from within the light.
"The pain! I will gut your female companion and feed on her intestines!" Flauros covered its eyes in pain as the intensity of the light began to burn into its flesh.
"We have come for you, Azure. We have allowed you to search for us..." a second female voice spoke aloud. "We know of your dreams…We have guided them."
"As for you, DAIMÔN, you boast and lack the power to do more harm in this place. No one can hide from The Parcae," answered a third voice, distinctively different from the first two, as it sounded hoarse and frail, "We who guide the thread of life."
The darkness slowly crept back into the room, filling the room with a dark shade of gray. Azure no longer saw or heard the Demon as he slowly got up from the floor. His wound now miraculously healed.
"We three have taken care of the malevolent one," whispered the voices in unison.
"You have come for me?" asked Azure as he sat alone in the darkness. "What happens next?"
The lone flame reappeared from the center of the darkened room—its rhythm was empty, glowing without a single flicker.
"No, sweet child. You have come for us." A sweet smell of roses and honeysuckle filled the room, "The end of mankind begins with rebirth." The Fates whispered in a fading echo.
Azure walked over to the candle and delicately extinguished the flame with his fingers. He slowly stood up in the darkness, tears falling from his eyes in joy. He sang to himself in melody and smiled, "Oh no, not me. I never lost control. You're face to face with the man who sold the world."