Demon's Oath (chapter 3)

Chapter 3: Lies, Love, and Light

I awoke without opening my eyes. My body felt okay, but my head was throbbing with pain. Those wolves…had they killed me? I could only imagine so, because I felt comforted by my surroundings. It was quiet, warm, and I was resting on a very soft material, I realized it was a bed.

I forced myself to open my eyes and look around. I wasn’t dead, but I was in a very nice room. It was larger than my own, filled with bright colored things, and it even had a door. A nice one, at that.

It took my eyes a while to adjust to the light of the room, but once they did, I turned my head and saw her. That very same Grim Angel was sitting on a cushioned chair next to my armor and staring at me from across the room.

Just staring.

I tried to get up, but she objected, “Please…um, don’t get up.”

At first I thought she was worried about me, but then I noticed she was gripping her Diviner. She didn’t trust me, which was a shame because there was so much I wanted to ask her. However, I assumed she was the one who saved me from the wolves, and she must have had a good reason for doing that.

Despite her protest, I sat up anyway, “What happened?”

She paused, “…I was on my way back to Asgard, and found you lying on the grass. You were unconscious, so I brought you back here.”

“Why?” I asked, rubbing my head.

“They must have been attracted by the food you were carrying,” she answered.

“No, why did you save me?”

“Oh…I don’t know. I have some questions and I thought you could answer them.”

“That’s great!” I said. “I’ve had questions, too.”

She didn’t say anything, she was obviously still very cautious of me. I wanted her trust, but I couldn’t be too forward.

“Let’s start with introductions. I’m Isher,” I said, holding out my hand.

I was surprised when she shook it, “I’m Bree.”

“Okay,” I managed a smile. “Now let’s start with your questions. You look more confused than me.”

Bree nodded, “Well, it’s just that demons are evil. They’re savage animals that kill without regard, but when I look in your eyes…I see none of those qualities. You even talked of honor on the battlefield.”

“Who told you that the demons were evil?” I asked.

“The Gods, of course,” she replied.

The Gods. Then I remembered running into Isaac in the halls. I remembered exactly what he said: ‘I’m practicing my Necro Gate. It’s to summon more soldiers for us. They’re big, strong, and mindless warriors who fight without question. It’s the perfect soldier!’

The perfect soldier…

In that very moment it all clicked. It all made sense now, yet it was so simple! How could I, and the rest of my entire kind, fall for such a simple lie? I couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Don’t you see what’s happened? It’s the oldest war move in the book!” I told her. “Loki told us you were evil, and the Gods said the same about us.”

Bree looked even more confused, “For what purpose?”

“So we could kill each other and think it was a good thing,” I said. “To have perfect soldiers who fight without question!”

“No,” she said. “No. I can’t believe that the Gods would lie to us. Especially Odin, he was like a father to us all.”

“Well, then maybe he didn’t now about it. Maybe it wasn’t the Gods, but someone of a higher power than Angels. Like, maybe The Ma-”

“Okay,” she cut me off. “I believe you. It’s hard to understand for me, but I just look in your eyes again, and I see trust.”

“So you trust me?” I asked.

She nodded her head, “I can’t believe that demons are mindless savages now. If only the rest of the Angels knew. Do you think we should we tell them?”

“No,” I said. “It may seem like a good idea at first, but it would just confuse them. Then Loki would send an army over to take Asgard. He’s just a power hungry monster.”

“What should we do?” she asked.

I thought for a moment, but I knew there was only one solution.

“We have to kill Loki,” I explained. “If he’s gone, there will be nobody to command the demons, and they will have no reason to attack for a while. Then we can tell everyone the truth. We may even be able to live in peace someday.”

“That would be wonderful,” she said, getting into the idea. “No more bloodshed…”

It seemed like a very good plan, the Angles and demons living together in peace. There was just one problem: killing Loki. I was silent for a while, so she tapped my shoulder.

“Are you alright?”

“No,” I admitted. “How do I kill the ruler of Utgard with a steel sword?”

She got up, “Follow me.”

So I followed.

---

We had to sneak past a few Angels, but we eventually came to a room full of heavenly weapons. They were set up on the walls and set neatly on carved stone tables.

She picked up a Diviner and held it out to me, “This will help.”

“Demons can’t wield Diviners,” I reminded her.

“Oh, I forgot,” she said, picking up a different sword. “Try this one. It’s a heavenly weapon, but you may be able to use it.”

I grasped it. It wasn’t killing me, but instead I could feel it’s power start to become a part of my body.

“It’s name is Excalibur,” she told me. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

I heard myself blurt out, “Not as much as you.”

Wait. Did I really say that out loud? Did I really say that out loud? She had a peculiar look on her face. Oh, Gods, I had to say something fast.

“Uh…I, umm…I meant for an Angel…”

“…Well,” she said. “If we’re going to Utgard, I’d better prepare the magic circle. It’s on the other side of Asgard, so feel free to look around if you want.”

I sighed as she started to walk away. Then she turned back around.

“…And you’re attractive yourself…for a demon, I mean,” then she continued to walk away.

I smiled, then decided to look around as she suggested. After sheathing Excalibur, I walked out of the room and found myself outside. The warm sun felt good on my face.

As I kept walking, keeping an eye out for Angels, I found myself at a large garden. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, filled with small plants with bright pedals attached to the stems. We didn’t have these in Utgard.

I took a deep breath and smelled a magnificent aroma. It surrounded me, a wonderful sensation I had never felt before. One day, I hoped, Utgard could also be like this.

Before I knew it, Bree was done with the magic circle and had found me.

“Isher!” she called. “The magic circle is done!”

She came into the garden and sat down, “You found my garden, huh?”

I sat down next to her, “Yes, it’s wonderful. Could you tell me what those are?”

I pointed at one of the little plants.

“Oh, those are flowers,” she answered.

“I like them,” I said.

“I like them, too,” she replied. “We should probably get going.”

I nodded and followed her out of the garden.

Then we heard someone calling out, “Vampires! We’re under attack! Grim Angels, prepare yourselves!”

Bree and I looked at each other, and then ran back to her room. She arrived first, and picked up my armor for me.

“Ugh…how can you wear all this?”

“I’m stronger than I look,” I said as I put it on.

Having Excalibur at my disposal now, I left my other sword in her room. We quickly ran back out and peered at the commotion from behind a house.

The vampires who were just walking into Asgard were ones I new. They were friends of mine, no doubt looking for me.

It wasn’t long before Grim Angels surrounded them. Why were they doing this? They had sentenced themselves to death.

“We come in search of Isher!” one of them shouted.

The Angels wanted to hear nothing of it, for they saw demons as brutal monsters. One of the Angels advanced on the vampires with his Diviner drawn. I didn’t want to expose myself, but I didn’t want my friends to be killed either.

“Stop!” I yelled.

The Angel stopped, stunned by the sight of a demon already in Asgard. We both approached the group, and Bree walked up to one of the vampires, who backed away.

“It’s okay,” she said, throwing down her Diviner. “I won’t hurt you.”

The vampire crept up to her, then pointed her scythe at Bree’s neck.

“No!” I shouted. “Don’t hurt her! I don’t want to do this, but if I have to, I will cut you down!”

She looked at Bree, the Angels, and then back at me.

The vampire spoke, “So, she’s important to you, hm? Well, then we may have use for her. I sorry, Isher, but my orders come from Loki himself.”

With that, she threw a smoke bomb down, and everyone’s view was blanketed in a thick cloud. When the smoke cleared away, I found myself standing before the entire population of Grim Angels.

“Kill the demon!”

They charged at me. I was just another demon to them, and I was about to become a dead one.

To Be Continued...