~ Chapter 2: Hope ~

[Syliar’s point of view]

The archangel showed me a gentle smile and then using his angelion magic, he transported us to planet Earth, the closest sapient inhabited planet from our current location. There, rather than showing my real self to these fragile mortals, I decided to take possession over the body of one of them. My target had a fragile mind that had been ravaged by narcotic substances over the course of almost a decade now. These drugs, which slowly killed her, made it impossible for her to resist my possession, although, to be honest, it did not matter whether she was healthy or not, I could even possess a saint if I wanted to.

Metatron, on the other hand, took the body of a local businessman. He probably thought that having some spare cash on his person would have made things easier for us to find a place where we could have a moment to talk without raising any eyebrows from the locals. Rather than a necessity, this was a preference.

What? Chatting on a space station was too fancy for the big ol’ angel?

I always said that if you want to see a funny battle, put an angel and a demon in the same room and have them play chess. By the end of the third round, they would surely be at each other’s throats, trying to rip their wings out. Now, if you dared to put an Angel Commander or an Archangel and a Demon Lord or Demon Queen there, chances were they would have a friendly chat by the end of the game. These two extreme situations had always baffled me in more ways than one, but it could all be resumed to how the lower angelions viewed the duality of Good and Evil when compared to those of a higher status and evolution.

“Syliar.” said Metatron through the voice of the human.

“Metatron.” I said with spite in my voice.

Technically speaking, the woman I picked as host should not have been able to stand up, and she was awfully close to suffering an overdose. To avoid that, I used a little bit of angelion magic to clean her system, so I did not stumble on my feet as I made my way out of the alley where I found her. Of course, as a demoness, I could not submit to the idea of doing it for free. She would suffer terrible pains and most likely incredible bad luck afterwards. It would not have surprised me if this actually brought her close to the point of suicide. She did not have any programs within her that aimed towards such an end, and her own soul had already learned this lesson in a past life, so at worst she would just waver between life and death, struggling with every breath she took, suffering in pain and alone.

A lovely fate if I would say so myself.

“Shall we have a coffee, my dear?” asked the archangel.

I clicked my tongue and looked away. I also crossed my arms at my chest just to show him how unwilling I was to share any cozy time with him.

He laughed.

I raised an eyebrow surprised.

“You will find what I am about to offer you to be quite intriguing.” he told me.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“A coffee first? Please?” he asked politely.

I glared at him, but I knew he wouldn’t budge, so I nodded. I complied to his silly mortal request.

The two of us walked casually inside a nearby coffee shop. Some of the people there clearly knew the businessman and most likely my host as well because they showed us their surprised faces. They were speechless, mouths open and eyes big and wide, but our energies and combined presence kept them from interacting more than we would have found to be desirable.

We took a seat at a table by the window way in the back. We looked into each other’s eyes until the waitress finally dared to approach us and ask for our order. I glared at Metatron and clicked my tongue.

“Black with three cubes of sugar.” I ordered.

“A cafe latte with one cube of sugar, please.” he ordered.

“Right away, mister Merdinton.” she said and then quickly left.

“Merdinton?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“The name of this host.” explained Metatron.

“I know, I was just wondering how he got it.”

“It happened in 1865, after the civil war. A simple error on the birth notes changed the family name from Meredith Danton to Merdinton. The child never changed his name afterwards, and thus, it reached the present day.” explained Metatron as he leaned back in his seat.

“An error, huh? The weird name did cause their family a couple of problems. In the end, Meredith was disowned. Funny though, her husband was the son of the man who made the error in her birth documents. But enough of that, tell me feather brain, why the politeness?” I asked quickly.

Reading the pages of history of a mortal was an easy thing to do for anyone who had access to the Akashic Records. Angelions like the two of us were especially proficient at this.

“Of course! I was the one who requested to have this pleasant conversation in the first place.” he replied.

I raised an eyebrow.

“You know, while the demons aren’t yet aware of your meddling in their Universes, the angels are. When such a number of innocent souls suddenly pops on archangel Azrael’s list, he starts to ask questions. Even though you erased all of your angelion energy traces, the memories of the mortals still remained quite...vivid.” he began to explain.

“So, I killed a few insects, what’s the big deal?” I asked.

“Trillions of innocents, Syliar. Trillions throughout 648 different Universes.” he told me with a calm tone of voice.

“What? You don’t have a more exact number?” I asked with a cocky smirk.

“4.596.293.987.233 sapient beings. It would be a bigger number if we were to count other biological organisms as well. By the way, by angel standards, most planets are considered to be part of the sapient beings category.” he noted.

“Oopsie!” I said as I showed him the tip of my tongue, trying to mimic a cute human expression.

He raised an eyebrow. Guess it did not work.

“This is a serious matter, Syliar. What is happening to you? You are skipping your job and going on a killing spree in other Universes. Tell me, is there any way we can help you?” Metatron asked with a calm and gentle tone of voice.

He held such a sympathetic look in his eyes that I didn’t know if it was going to make me hurl or punch him in the face.

I decided for neither and simply slumped back in my chair, closing my eyes. I let out a deep sigh. The angels were meddlesome when it came to such matters, but we all worked for the Big Boss, so it was natural for them to worry when they saw me messing up. Then again, if those pathetic mortals around us knew the true relationship between angels and demons, they would surely scream blasphemy or try to put an end to us. It could have stirred up a funny situation, but I doubted it was needed at the moment.

“Syliar?” he asked me.

I opened my eyes and looked at him with an expression denoting my irritation and at the same time how serious I was about the matter.

“Your order, mister Merdinton.” said the waitress.

The scent of fresh brewed coffee felt pleasant for my host body. It made me wonder if she was a fan or if it has really just been a very long time since she last had any. Well, it was her soul who wanted to learn what it meant to be addicted to hallucinogenic substances, the pain one had to go through when they consumed these things, and the nightmares they suffered through as a result. Well, I was quite certain her soul was currently experiencing all of those things up to the breaking point of her very existence thanks to my presence in her body.

“From time to time, a moment of peace isn’t so bad...” I said as I let a small smile escape my lips.

“Indeed.” confirmed Metatron as he took a sip from his cup.

He had a pleased look on his face, the kind I loved to rip off with my bare claws, but for now, I had to behave.

I looked down at my coffee and used the small silver spoon to stir it around like a whirlpool in the middle of a polluted ocean filled with nothing but death as far as eyes could see. I let out a sigh.

The big archangel in front of me remained quiet. He did not disturb me. He knew he asked me a question to which I was going to reply, eventually. Thus, he calmly took another sip from his coffee, savoring the bitter taste. His eyes, however, never dared to stray away from me. They stayed focused like an eagle on his prey but withheld the gentleness of a loving parent when watching their own child. I wondered if I should feel disgusted by him or honored?

“I...” the word slipped from the tip of my tongue, catching the archangel’s attention.

“Hm?’

He waited patiently. I looked up at him.

“I’m looking for my Soul Mate.” I told him bluntly.

A sad gaze formed in his eyes as it laid itself down upon the coffee cup placed elegantly between his palms. He knew something about it, there was no way he didn’t, he was the Scribe of God, after all. If there was something someone wanted to know, Metatron was the one they sought out. Still, because of this, there were many rules and conditions one had to follow when they wished to know any kind of information from him. Most of the time, it depended on whether the Soul or the Ego wanted it. The Ego, often enough, showed a relative infinite greed when it came to knowledge and power.

Mortals of any shape and size were made from four different aspects: Body, Ego, Higher Self, and Soul. The Soul and Higher Self were made of divine energy and divine matter. The Higher Self being something like the ethereal form each Soul desired to take. The Body was the manifestation of the Soul and Higher Self in the physical plane of existence, while the Ego was a manifestation of the Body and its interactions with its environment, basically speaking, the mind.

Now the difference between angelions, be they angels or demons, and mortal beings was the simple fact that they did not have a Body. However, their Higher Self took its role, thus granting them the ability of a better interaction with the divine realm: Hell, Heaven, and the rest. As a result, a new Ego was formed, which was merged with the Higher Self, but different from the one created by the physical Body, since it was controlled directly by the Soul.

Thus, in my case, it was the Soul who sought his attention, not a physical Ego. Well, knowing this, I could only wonder if there was some sort of condition I had yet to fulfill in order to be offered the information I sought. I pondered about what it might be, but nothing came to mind. These conditions were very tricky, especially in our case.

“Tell me.” I requested.

Metatron closed his eyes and took a deep breath. I narrowed my eyes and didn’t let him out of my sight.

“You shouldn’t... You won’t like it.” he warned me, and I blinked surprised.

“What do you mean?” I demanded to know, clenching my hand into a fist.

My energy slipped out for a moment, and not too far from me, the waitress slipped on the floor, the tray flying out of her hands and nearly pouring all of that hot coffee on her face, but the archangel interfered and protected her from this misfortune. The cups spilled right next to her, sparing her of a nasty burn.

Metatron looked at me straight in the eyes, we were not bothered by the commotion which ensued as a result.

“I can’t say anymore... just that you won’t like it once you find him.” he told me.

“I already know he suffers from the Fallen Seal.” I told him.

He shook his head.

“Syliar, you know what the seal means... leave him be.” he said, and it took all the strength I had not to grab him by the collar of his shirt and punch him straight in the face.

“I know...” I replied through my clenched teeth.

“Then return to your post.” he told me.

“I’ll keep on killing and killing until I find him, you know I won’t stop, Metatron.” I warned him and to prove my point, I raised my hand and pointed it at the kindergarten across the road.

He quickly grabbed my hand before I had a chance to release the energy, stopping it and thus saving the children. I bared my teeth at him and growled like a savage animal.

“Let go, you feathered buffoon!” I warned him.

“You must put a stop to this at once, Syliar! You know they don’t wish to die like this! You will go against God’s orders!” he warned me, begging me with his eyes.

“Let go, and maybe I won’t rip your freaking wings off.” I warned him again, but at the very least, I calmed the raging energy inside of me.

He sensed this and released me.

I slumped back into my chair and crossed my arms at my chest. I looked away. He stared right at me, worry filled his gaze. Why were the angels such idiots to worry and care for everyone, even a demon?

I knew the answer, but I decided to ignore it.

“Sigh. Why do you cause me so much trouble, Syliar?” asked Metatron as he slumped back into his chair.

“Must be in the genes.” I replied in a sarcastic tone of voice.

“Syliar, you know just as well as I do why you are doing this.” he told me.

I closed my eyes. He was right, but my stubbornness as a demoness refused to accept it.

“You don’t.” I retorted.

Oh, how I wished to yell at him and wring him up by his neck, but I dared not, not yet, at least.

He let out another sigh and then said “Because he is your Soul Mate you want to help him, to be there for him, to love him, to care for him, and to be by his side. Of all the beings in this world, he is the only one with whom you can share a true love. You are his, and he is yours, but Syliar, the rules are different when it comes to a Fallen.”

I did not dare to look him in the eyes, I did not dare to accept it, but he was right. He was absolutely right about it. The relationship between a Fallen and his angelion Soul Mate worked on other laws. The seal placed on him made it so that they were unable to fully reply or understand our love. They could try, but they were always bound to meet with failure, or so it was said.

“Will the duality laws work as they should?” I asked him.

“Yes, that is the sole thing that hasn’t changed.” he replied and lowered his gaze upon his half-empty cup.

I smirked. “Then there IS a chance, and that’s why I’m pushing myself to find him! Even God desires this!” I told him and then let out a loud laugh.

Everyone in the coffee shop looked my way. I surprised them with my weird behavior, although, those who knew our hosts found it even stranger. The small degree of confusion was pleasant, but I could not feed properly from it.

“What do you mean?” Metatron asked me as he raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, come on, the big Archangel who can roam freely around the high heavens doesn’t know? Just say it bluntly! You do know, but I’m not fulfilling the required conditions for me to know!” I said and then I leaned towards him. “Should I tell you, my reasoning?” I asked him with a flirty smile.

He remained quiet, but I could see it in his eyes that I was on the right path. He tried to hide the secret from me, but at the same time pushed me forward to find it by myself. That was just how the angelions worked. Instead of blurting out the solutions, we pushed, we probed, we formed a trail of breadcrumbs to the treasure, and those who followed it, just like a bunch of hungry birds, they gulped down every little piece they came across.

“Syliar...” he said with barely any energy left in his voice.

“By nature, Soul Mates attract each other. It’s natural I would feel the same way, right? However, that is not the case for a Fallen. They are made to suffer and suffer until they finally manage to set themselves free from their cage. The key lies in their Soul Mates. Only they can free the Fallen but doing so is tricky because they do not react as normal Soul Mates do. They are quite different in that remark, but... the laws of duality apply the same between them. Good feels good and evil feels bad, unlike me, a demoness, for whom, in any other situation, good feels bad and evil feels good.” I told him.

I brimmed with confidence and knew from the bottom of my heart that I spoke the truth.

Metatron remained quiet for a moment and then let out a sigh.

“Indeed, such is the case and that is also why I believe you should thread carefully around this matter. One wrong slip, and you could cause the destruction of another world or even send your Soul Mate somewhere beyond your reach.” he warned me.

I looked at him in the eyes and wondered if his words were some sort of threat or if I was overreacting? Then again, up until now, all I did was search aimlessly throughout the entire existence, endlessly jumping from Universe to Universe. There was also the fact that angels did not lie. Thus, I could only suspect that his warning held some sort of seed of truth.

“Will you stop? Please?” he asked me one more time.

I shook my head in reply.

“No matter what? Even if you will find yourself suffering because of it?” he asked me.

I glared at him.

“Do not speak of suffering to a demon, you rotten angel! I know better than anyone how it works! If by chance I shall suffer, then no matter how and what it may be, I shall not give up and march forward until I hold my Soul Mate in my arms once more! As you said before, so far, I killed 4.5 trillion sapient beings. I am not afraid to slaughter all the inhabitants of a couple more planets just to find my beloved.” I warned him.

The time for jokes had long since passed. I got sick of running around on a wild goose chase, and he knew exactly how to find my Soul Mate. I was sure of it.

The archangel took my words into account and looked down at his coffee. All desire to have a nice, pleasant chat flew out the window the very moment we met. There was no stopping a demon’s desires, let alone a Demon Queen’s.

“You will suffer, Syliar...” he warned me one last time.

“If I can save my beloved, then it doesn’t really matter what happens to me.” I told him.

He let out a long sigh and then looked up into my eyes.

“I know where you will find him.” he told me.

“I figured as much. You told me, and I quote ‘You shouldn’t... You won’t like it.’ Considering the fact that angels don’t lie, it was safe for me to assume that I would eventually meet with my Soul Mate, but I wouldn’t like it for some reason. You are an a-temporal being, and how I don’t have access to that exact timeline, I am safe to assume, once more, that this will be the moment when you actually offer me the details, I need to reach the Universe where my Soul Mate is stashed away. After all, for what other reasons would you descend from the High Heavens to offer me a cup of coffee among mortal men? You could have sent Archangel Michael to defeat me and banish me by force back to the Hell I rule!” I explained to him in a few words how I managed to reach that conclusion.

Needless to say, the very fact that no other angel besides him appeared before me was also a superb hint.

In front of such words, Metatron found himself at a loss of words. He knew I figured out his secret and that now he had no choice but to give me what I desired.

With a victory smile on my lips, I leaned back in my chair and quietly took a sip from my coffee.

 “Sigh... There’s nothing left to say, I guess, but I did warn you.” he told me.

“Spit it out, you ancient chicken.” I scorned.

He shook his head at my insulting words, clearly, they had not even the slighted effect on him.

“He is hidden in your Kingdom. Universe 36 under the observation of Demon Lord Severus Traghart the Second.” said Metatron.

Right under my nose… But it was strange though, my Kingdom was the first one I searched through, but I found no trace of my Soul Mate in any of its Universes.

“When did you place him there?” I asked.

“Exactly after you finished your search and left that Universe.”

Hearing those words made me burst out into a mad laughter.

It was no wonder I could not find him anywhere else, especially if those cunning angels hid him right under my nose using an a-temporal trick. I have no access to his timeline, so without a doubt I wouldn’t be able to sense, see, or even hear anything of him. For me, it would be as though he never existed there in the first place.

“I will go back to that Universe, I will search for him, I will find him, and I will claim him as mine!” I stated.

“The only thing you have to gain is suffering, Syliar.” he warned me again.

“Then so be it!” I declared and then grabbed the archangel by the throat. “Thank you, Metatron, now goodbye!” I said to him and with a strong squeeze, I broke his host’s neck.

The human died, and the archangel left his body immediately. I began to laugh like a maniac, while everyone around me screamed and ran away from me. I guess, they did not witness a murder every day of the week.

“She killed him! She killed mister Merdinton!” shouted the waitress who looked at me with a horrified look in her eyes.

I liked what I was feeling from her, the fear spread around reasonably fast, replenishing my demonic energy. However, I wanted more, so I picked up the cup of coffee, and I jumped on the waitress. I bit her. I scratched her. I ripped her clothes off like a savage demented patient set loose from the nut house.

Enough, stop doing this, Syliar! You got what you wanted, now leave this world alone! shouted the nosy archangel.

Indeed, there was nothing left for me here, but that did not mean I had to excuse myself from committing a few crimes. I ignored his words and mentally ordered the bartender to grab the shotgun he had in the back in case of emergencies.

In but a few moments, he returned with it, he aimed it at my grinning face and unloaded a shell right in my forehead. My head exploded in a thousand pieces, spraying the nearby frightened customers and mentally breaking the waitress. The trauma she must have suffered as a result would haunt her for the rest of her pathetic life, but I wasn’t done yet. In my ethereal form, I approached the bartender and subsequently swayed him with my mental touch to do the unthinkable. He raised the barrel of the shotgun to his head and pulled the trigger. His brains splattered across the room. His lifeless body fell to the ground to the horror of all those who witnessed his deed.

That was very fun! I said as I floated around the room, gathering the fear in all those mortal hearts.

Was it really necessary? asked Metatron.

No, but I am a demoness, I do not really give a rat’s ass about it. I shrugged and then flew out of there.

It was finally time to head back and find my Soul Mate, especially after I knew where to find him. At least, I did not need to slaughter an entire city to open the portal. Going back to my part of Hell was easier and required less energy from me since I did not need to hide myself there from the other demons and demonesses.