Chapter 23: The Lavafall

“What do you mean ‘about that’?” Chi snapped, already defensive.
“I don’t think now is the right time to go back.” I said carefully.
“Are you serious? Do you think timing makes a difference?”
“It’s not about timing…” how could I explain this so Chi would understand? At this point, even Draak was confused.
“Look, I know they need us Above, and that every day, every minute counts, but…” for a moment I nearly talked myself out of this selfish quest. Only for a moment. “But understand that now, as things are, I cannot lead my demons. I would be useless to them, and would do nothing more than watch them die.” I spoke slowly, forcing a straight,  firm tone to beat out the more suitable, shaking voice.
“That’s ridiculous, Axis. You’re fine! Don’t go lame on me…”
“It won’t take long.” I continued, unsure of my own words. “All I need is a little reassurance--”
“Hell, I could give you that!”
“A little reassurance from someone who knows. Another royal demon… but I don’t know where to look.” I admitted. The Underworlds was a vast place. But we royal demons made ourselves known: we stuck out like a broken claw. They would not be hiding in caves, nor would they live amongst normal demons privately.
We wanted, needed, to be in control. Others had to know they were below us. To live in shadows, away from the attention and glamour… it would be blasphemous. Almost like we were insulting the gift we’d been given.
“There are tales of the royal family of Amailimos…” Draak began, once again exhibiting his vast knowledge. “You know of Amailimos, yes?”
“Of course. The region to the east of Demos, where Amailia reaches the surface.” I answered. My dreams had been thorough when teaching me the geography of The Underworlds.
There was a handful of lesser known regions, though they were meager in both status and size. Amailimos was the largest and most renowned of all the regions. They said it had no end, that its harsh desert sands stretched to infinity. I didn’t believe these rumors. They were bred from explorers never returning. The tall tales were spun and stretched, when in in reality the explorers merely died. The stories only glorified their deaths.
But I  had heard little of this “Royal Family”. I commanded Draak to elaborate.
“Well rumor has it that they were the very first demons, the closest to a god that you can get. The two demons have been ruling Amailimos since time itself began. Axis, if anyone could help you with your self-discovery quest, it is them.” Draak concluded.
This seemed very promising. If what Draak said was true, then my best bet will be with these demons.
“Very well. Do you know the way?” I asked.
“More or less. We can improvise at points, but when we near, their power will draw us in.” Draak explained.
“Okay pause for a second.” said Chi. “You’re telling me we’re going to abandon our current task to go home and save our demon’s asses to go into the merciless Amailimos, to shake hands with the most powerful demons ever known?”
“Basically.” I nodded.
“Are you both insane?” Chi yelled. “We’ve been through so much to get home, and now that we’ve finally made it to the home stretch, you both want to go to your certain deaths!?”
“What makes you so sure we will die?” I  hissed. Why must Chi be so pessimistic? Could he not see the importance of this mission? To me?
“They’re the royal family! Okay, what would you do if a powerful royal demon came up to you, while you’re on your throne, just to talk? Don’t you think that’s a little suspicious?”
“Not particularly…”
“You would think that demon would be a threat to you power and KILL them! That’s what the Amailimosians will do to you!” Chi warned.
“I will not be so easily killed.” I assured, a smug grin on my face.
“Yes you… come on Axis. Let’s just go home. We can fight the loci, restore order… everything will be fine.” Chi was pleading now, begging like a dog for a bone. It was pitiful.
“No, Chi. I have to do this. I have to.” I said with my own urgency. “though I understand this mission is mine alone. I’m sure Draak wouldn’t mind taking you Above if you really are so desperate to walk on Demos soil. Right, Draak?” I asked.
“I see no problem with that.” he mused. “Though, if you don’t mind, Axis, I would like to accompany you to Amailimos once my delivery chores are done. Chi may be too afraid of a few demons, but I am not. I will stay at your side.” Draak smiled.
Of course I could count on Draak. Unlike the small-witted Chi, Draak understood my plights and just how important this mission was to me. Chi saw only darkness; we saw the light just beyond the dismal black.
But somehow, Draak’s words affected Chi. There may have been some light banter and teasing, but I think something else had caused his change in heart.
“Wait.” He snapped. “I don’t want to go back up. I want to stay here with Axis too.” The pitiful pleading had left Chi’s voice and had turned into defiance. I didn’t understand what had come over him, but didn’t mind either. If it meant both of my most trusted allies aiding me instead of just one, what’s to complain about?
“Are you sure…?” Draak asked, slowly, taking on his own change. The same tense, hidden defiance slithered into his voice like an unwanted monster.
“Quite.” Chi hissed. “Forget what I said. I want to go with Axis. Do you have a problem with that?” The flat, seriousness in Chi’s voice was different. His eyes were glaring, his teeth gritted.
But what confused me the most was how Draak mimicked these mannerisms. He too had clenched teeth and beaming eyes.
Had I missed something here?
“I’ve no problem with it. Do you, Axis?” Draak asked.
“Of… Of course not. Why would I?” I asked, my befuddlement leaking into my words.
“No reason!” He said, now reverting back to normal. “None at all…” a momentary relapse, then, “Now that our party is settled, shall we map out our course?”
“Aye… I know that our path leads us out of Amailia, which we’ve had no luck in leaving so far.” I sighed.
“Don’t be so sure.” Draak spoke with a sly edge. “While sitting in that godforsaken cell I came upon a… rather embarrassing… revelation. Before, I spoke of the impossibility of flying over the city, or, in our new case, over Lucifer’s castle. But that’s nonsense! I had forgotten about the devil’s being bound to the city, and forgotten even more still that they cannot harm me. In fact, flight would be ideal. They can throw as much S.D. at me as they like, and I won’t mind a bit. At the same time, you two will be safe and sound upon my back.” A touch of guilt speckled Draak’s face. “I wish I had thought of it… before…”
“Don’t worry about that.” I said quickly. Did Draak blame himself for what had happened to me? “What matters is that we can learn from our mistakes, and obviously have an easy way out of this damned place.” But my words didn’t seem to have an affect on Draak. The sour, guilty look on his face remained.
“You should have thought of it earlier.” Chi growled. “If you had, Axis would be fine and then we could have gone home. All of this is YOUR fault!”
“Don’t you think I know that!? I don’t need you to tell me these things you fluorescent son of a bitch!” Draak yelled. Like shattered glass his calm exterior was broken, revealing molten anger. “I already have to live with the guilt of knowing my stupidity caused Axis to be tainted! Fuckholes like you don’t need to remind me!”
By the shocked look on Chi’s face, he hadn’t expected this onslaught either. It was as if Draak had put on a mask, one with glowering eyes and sharpened teeth, clenched with rage.
“Jeez man, don’t crap yourself.” Chi offered, lighter this time though steadily becoming angry himself. His comment did little to quench Draak’s fire. Instead of firelight, however, Draak was illuminated by the dark glow of S.D.. Two orbs crackled in his claws. The stone that encased part of his arm began to crawl up his elbows.
Chi glanced at the powerful magic, then up at the stone-ridden monster.
“Fuck, man, relax.”
“Relax!? How can I relax!?” he bellowed as his magic was reaching its crescendo.
“Draak!” I hissed, obtaining his attention. “Don’t you dare attack one of my own! Chi is an ally, my First Servant, and while I’m here he will not be harmed.” I commanded.
“Ha! That’s right, you emo bastard, I’m untouchable!” Chi boasted.
“And you! Stop antagonizing Draak! You may be my First Servant but Draak is my friend!” I hissed back. “Can’t you two just get along?? Why must you two be so cruel to each other?” There was a long, awkward silence. Slowly the S.D. bubbling Draak’s hands melted away, the rocky advancements on his arms halted.
“Axis, you don’t get it.” Chi grunted.
“No, I don’t.” I admitted.
“Never mind that. We don’t have to like each other, just work together.” Draak said flatly, though finally without hostility.
“Fine. For now. But I want an explanation for this animosity eventually.” I hissed.
“Whatever. What were we talkin’ about before?” Chi asked. “Amailimos or somethin’?”
“Aye… Draak, how do we find the royal demons there?” I asked. For now, I wanted to get back on task.  
“They’ll be in the demon city, plainly referred to as Amailimos City. Once we arrive in Amailimos, we travel north from there, following the various landmarks. I don’t know of all of them, but I do know the way to the city is marked well. It would be difficult to get lost… well, you’ll see. Amailimos itself is just a short flight away from Lucifer’s castle… I figure we should take the rest of the day to finish resting and start our journey first thing in the morning.” Draak had a good point. Though we had recently been freed from our captivity, I was still exhausted and weak. One more good night would do us all well.
“A fine plan. Is there any food left?” I asked, failing to hide my eagerness. My mouth was still dry and I craved fresh blood.
“Yeah, there’s a leg and a half left.” Chi said, pointing to the bloody limbs.
“It’s hardly enough for all three of us…” I mumbled.
“Oh, don’t worry about me, Axis. Prematures have no need for food. When you don’t have a stomach, there’s no reason to fill it.” Draak said with half a grin.
“Oh, well, okay.” I shrugged, and started on the smaller leg. Chi and I ate in silence while Draak took a short walk to stretch his rusty limbs. While we ate I couldn’t help but notice Chi… watching me. I didn’t understand why, and didn’t want to ask. Was there some dirt that I’d failed to clean off? Was I eating too messily?
In the end, I became frustratingly unnerved and got up to go meet Draak. When I glanced back I noticed Chi was still watching me, even more conspicuously. I walked faster.
Draak was laying on the warm sand only a few yards away from the lava’s end. Unlike in Demos where the lava was several yards below the surface, creating small cliffs, here it was like a lake, methodically washing up a foot or two, then sliding back into the lake. It was more like a beach.
I walked into Draak’s line of sight, glancing down at his stony body. A frown had creased his face, though it changed once he saw me.
“Come here, Serenity. The sand’s so nice and warm. Like you’re laying on soft embers, just the right amount of heat.” he assured. Finding no reason to relent, I laid down next to Draak. Sure enough, the sand beneath me was warm like fire, yet soft like fur.
“I could stay here forever…” I mused.
“If only, right?” he purred. We laid there for a moment, enjoying this natural pleasure.
“Hey, I’m sorry about before…” Draak sighed. “Sometimes… I get angry… kind of easily. It’s part of the premature curse… the longer I’m mad, the more the curse progresses.” Draak lamented. He held up one of his arms. “It’s up to my elbows now… I can’t let it get any higher…”
“Don’t let Chi get to you. He can be… insensitive… at times.” I assured.
“I know. It’s okay though. I still have you.” He purred, and his arm wrapped around me, pulling me over. I flinched. So close… so much so that I could feel his body heat radiating from his stone chest. It was too familiar…
“Oh, Serenity… don’t worry.” Draak said softly. His other arm was around me, the stone texture uncomfortable against my skin. But even if the gritty stone scratched me, Draak’s arms were protective, not restraining.
“Stop shaking… I’m not him… I would never hurt you.” He purred. “I only want to protect you.” Even if I was still trembling under his touch, I believed Draak. He was not like the monster of yesterday, but a guardian, defending it’s fragile prize.
“That’s right… we’re not all bad. I promise.” Draak smiled. Rigidly at first, I rested against Draak’s hard chest. Gradually my limbs went limp, relaxed. Without the need to breath, Draak was still beneath me. Though I could hear movement within him, like the swirling of thick waters, gently cooing as if a breeze shook the stream.
“What’s that noise?” I asked quietly, voice muffled by his chest.
“What noise?” He asked.
“It’s like… kind of calm, swirling… it’s hard to explain.”
“Well I imagine it’s my soul, seeing as that’s all there is to hear.” Draak shrugged awkwardly. “This body is just an outer shell for my Mind, after all. I suppose that’s what a raw mind sounds like.”
We were quiet for a while after that, just enjoying the warmth from both the sand and each other.
“Serenity…” Draak murmured after a while. He placed a single stony claw under my chin, gently tilting it upward. I looked up in Draak’s soft eyes, seeing not lust in his eyes, but a caring kindness that I didn’t understand. It wasn’t found in demons; only someone like Draak would have eyes like those.
Then he kissed me.
But it wasn’t like the penetrating destruction brought upon by Lucifer’s embrace, but something of that strange, warm emotion. After the initial surprise wore off, I actually… liked it.
Draak broke off a moment later, his eyes unchanged. He was confident his effect would be different.
It was, and this time I was the one who crept closer, pressing my mouth onto his. This passion that flowed between us was so different, even warmer than the sands or the fire or even the hot lava so near to us. It was a burning inferno from within us, transferred like water between two different glasses, constantly shifting.
I could feel my pulse accelerating, and curiously enough, Draak’s shifting soul was swirling faster too. One of his claws was intertwined with one of my own, the other wrapped tightly around my waist. But this time I wanted the closeness. I wanted our heat to be even hotter, to burn.
Our passion continued late into the night (or was it day?), until we both needed to take a deep breath. Even though Draak really didn’t need air, perhaps the force of habit kept the motion alive. Exhausted, but not in that tired, weak way, I began to succumb almost as soon as my head rested on the stone chest. The last thing I heard was Draak whispering something inaudible in my ear.

Though at first a pact between the Necritus and Decritus stood strong, Necritus soon became envious of his ally’s abilities. He broke free from Decritus and created his own beings, Children of the Dark. When a Child of the dark and a demon mated, they created Lucifer, a unique hybrid, who in turn made his own race, called devils. Because of his destructive ways, he was cast out of the Divine Realm immediately.
Problems continued to arise when more humans were killed by demons. Eventually it was all they ate. Angered by this, Zantos cast both Decritus and Necritus from the Divine Realm. This further separated them for just reasons. This conflict still continues.

I awoke groggily, angered. Even my dreams HAD to remind me of that… that monster. Could I not get a moment of peace?
But the warm stone beneath me reminded me of the night before. Had it really happened? Or had I just conjured up the strange night out of a whim?
“Morning, Beautiful.” Draak cooed, and with those two words I knew it was not just my imagination. All of what happened last night… had really happened. Using an old affectionate word taught to me in my very early dreams, I greeted Draak as well.
“Morning Vida.” I purred back.
“What’s that mean?” He asked. “You aren’t calling me ugly, are you?”
“No, no… it means…” I struggled to translate this old language. “It means friend of higher meaning… you don’t like it?”
“It’s beautiful… just like you, Serenity.” he smiled, and kissed me once more. Then he snapped up, turning back to look behind him. Reflexively I did the same.
But there was nothing, save for the sleeping form of my First Servant. His tattoo glowed dimly against the soft firelight.
“Did you see something?” I asked, confused.
“No, nothing… but I think it’s best that we go soon, before we get too carried away.” he smiled. Taking this hint, I pulled myself off of Draak. Surprisingly, my upper half was terribly stiff. Then again I hadn’t slept on the soft sands at all, but instead the warm stony body. Wincing, I cracked my back.
“Are you alright?” Draak asked, noting the sounds of my popping spine.
“Yeah, just needed to get the joints flexed.” I said with a smile. I didn’t want to tell Draak about the discomfort he had provided while sleeping. After all, it wasn’t his fault.
The sound of my snapping spine woke up Chi almost instantly. He stood up, brushing the sand off his skin and pants, and shook out the rest from his air.
“Alright, can we like, go now?” He asked. Chi was irritable this morning. His eyes were red and dry, with dark circles pooling under the lids.
“I don’t see why not.” Draak shrugged as he flexed his wings. While Draak prepared for the flight I continued to overlook Chi’s meager form. It was clear he had not slept well the night before.
“Are you well, Chi?” I asked, concerned. He merely grunted a response and looked away.
Shortly after, Draak was ready for flight, donning a full body of stone and the larger, stronger wings of the gargoyle. I hopped on his back, sitting comfortably on his shoulders. Chi clambered on behind me, as per usual wrapping his own claws around my waist. I nearly giggled at the gesture, reminded of my fun eve.
Something must have angered Chi, or perhaps he heard a faraway threat, because his grip tightened, almost to the point of pain. I didn’t complain, though I did ask if Chi heard oncoming threats.
“Oh, no, he’s already here.” Chi hissed. Before I could ask what Chi meant, Draak took to the skies. The winds ripped through our ears, too loud to talk. Flustered and confused, I opted to forget Chi’s cryptic message and decided to instead daze off, reminiscing of the night before.
Draak swept closer to Lucifer’s castle. Even from this distance I could see that the roof of the castle was flat and covered with the surface that devils could roam. And roam they did, patrolling the wall for any intruders, precisely what we were.  
As we approached the castle, the devils were immediately alert to our movements. Their S.D. launchers were pointed firmly at us in unison, ready to launch when we were in range.
Just as Draak’s shadow was touching the lava mote that hugged the castle, the devil’s fired their magic. Instead of trying to avoid the S.D., Draak swooped towards the orbs to hit them. They melded with his gritty skin painlessly. If we kept this up, there would be nothing to stop us from flying right out of this hell.
But there was one form that did not fit in with the rest. Unlike the uniform dark purple devils, this one was tanned, normal.
Just as I reached a revelation as to who it was that stood below us, a powerful mental strike sent me reeling, nearly falling off of Draak. If not for Chi’s strong hold on me, I would have tumbled right off of the gargoyle.
“What the hell, Axis?” Chi hissed.
“It’s… it was…” my next utterance was a shriek as the mental barrage continued, this time breaking through.
Trying to leave me so soon? his voice hissed. I’m not done with you yet, my Queen. Don’t leave me… his gentle pleading continued to make me squirm in my own skin.
Get out! Get out!! I yelled, trying to force the devil king out of my mind. But his mind was on par with my own, and my weakness towards his presence did not help the situation.
Come down to me, my queen. I want to play with you some more. he purred, amused by my fear.
I am no slave to you! I snarled, ripping at his mind. The defiance came from somewhere inside of me, somewhere deep down where I couldn’t easily reach. Find another demon to torment! I snapped at his intruding mind once more.
I was liberated as he retreated into himself. He’d left… I’d won! I’d beaten that flea-bitten goat! He had no power over me now! The triumph melted my prior pain. I was in ecstasy.
By the time the short mental fight had subsided, Draak was well over the castle, flying up a gentle slope. A wide, gaping hole, just about as long as the castle, was extended before us. The exit, and the way to Amailimos.
Finally, we were free.