Reminiscent of graceful body movements expressed in a single step, shadows danced against the walls. The wood appeared scorched as if the passion that burned in those eyes had set fire to the room. And, in fact, it had. Footsteps echoed through the hall as I came to the door. No lights to guide. No sleep for the wicked after all. Glory, glory. What had once been so magnificent and grand was now just a shell of its former self. A metaphor to suit us all. The stained glass above the windows filtered little moonlight, and what light managed to break through the dust appeared blood red. How fitting. Arms outstretched, palms facing the sky, he appeared to be the archangel, switched sides. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. A thin line was walked, in the shape of a circle, each of us remaining on opposite sides. Choose life, choose death. Think carefully, listen well- the decision is critical. The fire calls all those who are weak and vulnerable. Those who have lost hope. The light does the same. He came to claim. I came to conquer. Mercy me. Fight of fights, king of kings. No end is in sight.
The call to action came earlier than I expected.
You must find her. Claim her. Before it is too late.
My head snapped up. My senses heightened as adrenaline rushed through my earth-bound body. Every muscle within me tensed, ready to take flight. The call could have only meant one thing. He was back. Damien was back here on Earth ready to, as Julius Cesar once said, “Seize the day.”
He had to be stopped.
I had to find her before he was able to.
I had to save the world.
How could one girl’s fate rule the fate of the world? A prophecy long ago read that one day, unbeknownst to mere mortals, a clash would ensue. A struggle between light and dark. For good. For evil. For the one person who held the unrealized potential to be a saint, or Lucifer himself. A wildly protective sense, deeply embedded, would awaken when the time came.
The time had come. She was near.
I could almost taste it.
I leaped and bounded through the city. I got closer, I got farther. The sense came, the sense went. Then suddenly, oh so suddenly, I was over-powered by the strength of it. Here. She was here in the town square. Stopping abruptly in my tracks, I turned my head slowly to the left and then slowly to the right. Where was she? How would I know? As panic rose high in me, tightening my gut, the voice spoke.
Tristan. Breathe. Close your eyes. When you open them again, who she is will become apparent.
Doing as I was directed, a wave of serenity washed over me. Slowly opening my eyes, I sought her out. Like a beacon, her very presence drew me in. A slight, petite girl with olive skin stood where my eyes had come to rest. As she shook her jet black hair it seemed as if a supernatural aura undulated forth. Lost in awe, I did not realize that he was there. Damien, that is. He was watching too. Lying in wait, ready to pounce.
The girl shifted uneasily from foot to foot. As if she knew she was being watched- an impossible feat as we did not make ourselves known to the naked eye. Suddenly, as if driven by an inner force deep within, she became animated. Shoving through clusters of unsuspecting people, she rushed toward her destination. My eyes locked briefly with Damien’s. The race was on.
As if in a frenzy, she tore through the winding alleyways and streets. Every foot fall was like the ticking of a clock. Rhythmic and bringing her ever closer to the fate that awaited her. Tick. Tick. Tick. Then without warning, boom. She stopped. Neither Damien nor I had gained an advantage on the other in reaching her, so we were both there to witness her throw open the doors to an forlorn, abandoned cathedral and step inside.
Pews no longer formed neat rows, as they had long since been removed, and left the wooden floor bare. The girl walked to the center of the room slowly. Lifting her face toward the ceiling, the blood red light that filtered through the stained glass threw shadows across her features. Letting out a guttural scream, she collapsed in a heap. Looking at Damien, seeing the hunger that manifested in his eyes for this one soul, I knew it was time to begin.
“The world! The WORLD, Tristan! Don’t you see? This could all be mine… It could be ours if you were willing to help!”
“Never,” I spat out with disgust.
“Have it your way. I’m still going to get the girl,” he said with a sneer.
Rage became my only expressible emotion. In an instant, I closed the space that separated us and came face to face with this monster. His hair, a bright platinum blonde, seemed to glow as if he had once had in his possession a halo. For him, breathing came in quick, shallow bursts. His lithe body, which held more strength than was apparent, trembled. I was so caught up in examining the depths of his eyes, two smoldering black coals, that when he swung, I was not quite sure. I only knew that I was caught off guard. Stumbling backwards, I struggled to keep my balance. Blow two. Three. Four. More. I had waited so long for this. I had prepared. Why could I not fight?
Damien’s laughter rang out and reverberated from the wood paneling of the walls. “Don’t you see? You never had a chance.” My eyes were slipping shut. I could not hold on much longer. As he raised his hands to the sky, the blood-red light seemed to engulf him. “I have won,” he said. “Can’t you see it? I have won.” With that, he tenderly picked up the young girl and stood her upright then allowed his astral self to merge with her. She stood unsteady for a moment, composed herself, and opened her eyes. The two dark chocolate orbs that had once been behind her eyelids were no long there, traded instead for a dark maroon color. With each step she gained closer to the door, my consciousness slipped that much further.
“You have not won. This is not the end,“ I said in a weak voice.
With a smirk adorning her features, she simply asked in Damien's smooth. low voice, “Why? Are you not laying there, immobile in your defeat? Are you not the one who took hit after hit- unable to save her? Unable to save yourself? Look at what has become of you, oh savior.” A bitterness, a mocking tone, colored the rise and fall of his voice.
As the light faded and the shapes around me blurred, I stated with conviction, “You know it is not over. This is not the end."
My head swimming, I could barely make out the peals of laughter coming from the girl. From Damien. Growing increasingly hysterical until a sudden cessation. Time seemed interminable. I could see nothing. Could feel nothing. Could hear nothing other than white noise. Was this it? Were the words I had spoken so certainly... false? Through the static that permeated the air around me, words came forth, words were formed. Tristan, get up. Do not accept defeat so easily. Damien is weaker than he thinks in this moment. He believes you to be conquered. This is not so. You still possess a yearning to save her. You can save her. This is not defeat. I slowly opened my eyes. Slowly now, for he believes he is the victor. You can catch him unaware- for as long as he believes you are to exist no longer, his walls have fallen. He is defenseless. He feels safe. He is no longer having to fight for what he wants.
The girl (who was really Damien) moved slowly towards the door- head held high in triumph. Summoning all of my strength, I quietly rose to stand. It was only a matter of seconds before I had him in my grasp. Taken completely bye surprise, Damien’s knee-jerk reaction was to vacate his current hose. That was all I needed. As he left her body, the girl slumped down, unconscious. Quickly, I made the sign of the cross over her and opened a vial of holy water. Sprinkling it lightly on her, I began to recite the Lord’s prayer. It was then Damien had realized his mistake. As his astral self materialized, a shrill, hellish scream was emitted from his vocal chords. He knew he had lost, for he could not enter a blessed body. Now it was I who sneered.
“Damien, haven’t you learned already you cannot win? Evil will never prevail over what is good, right, and just! You will never win. As long as I am here, you shall never win.” A shrieking, creaking, groaning sound filled the air as did the smell of brimstone. In a burst of fire, Damien was engulfed. He had retreated. I had won. For now. I knew more wars lay ahead of me, but it mattered not. For as had been the case many times before, good triumphed- hope in humanity was not lost.
