NOVEL NEXT 3.55: Damnation – Part 1
After we all met back up at our clan castle, we were greeted by the others, most of whom were currently level 1. We all wearily piled into the clan hall and discussed everything that had happened before and after the primary ambush, the massive amount of enemies we had encountered, and then the timely arrival of the rest of the clan. The only detail I chose to withhold was anything pertaining to Gehenna’s daughter. I had messaged Nialla, Em, and Gehenna with instructions to keep their mouths shut about it. I wanted to talk to the blonde demon empress and give her a chance to explain before I made any mention of it to anyone else.
We discussed how the angel’s sole intent was to lure me out and kill me before attacking our castle en masse and basically spawn camping the entire clan. With the display of force they had shown today, we knew that it was only a matter of time before they tried something again. After going over a wide list of options on how we should move forward, I let out the long sigh and leaned back in my chair.
“Guys… this game is getting seriously fucked up. I’m half tempted to make a new character just so the game will leave me and my clan the fuck alone.”
Emelia turned towards me and placed her hand on top of mine.
“I think the damage is already done, babe. Allexus is priority target number one, which means that the rest of us are as well. Knowing you like I do, I know you blame yourself for that… but I’m going to tell you right now… Don’t. You are one of the most loving and caring people I know, Allison. We all know you would never intentionally do anything to put us in harm’s way. What’s happened is something that is beyond your control. Nialla and Hana could have chosen to remain an Angelspawn, but it was their choice to become demons. You aren’t responsible for making them choose that, just as you aren’t responsible for how the game chose to react. However we arrived at this point is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is that we’re here now, and we need to figure out how to deal with it. But… You don’t have to do it alone, babe. We’re not just your clan… we’re your family. Everyone of us will have your back every step of the way.”
As I looked at the rest of my clan, I heard murmurs of acknowledgement and determined expressions as they agreed with what Em had said. As Gehenna began to speak softly, the room went silent as we all turned towards her.
“I’m sorry, Allie. For… not telling you about… her. About Adelaine.”
“Who’s Adelaine?”
Before she could respond to Jade’s question, I placed a hand on Gehenna’s arm and gave her a concerned look.
“Hey, you don’t have to do this here. We can talk about this later.”
Gehenna shook her head and then looked up at me.
“I want to. They deserve to hear it. You all saved my life… It's the very least I can do.”
I let out a long sigh, before nodding at her and motioning for her to continue.
“I suppose I should start at the beginning then…”
I held up my hand in a gesture for Gehenna to wait as an idea occurred to me.
“Hold up.”
After looking down, I reached up with my hands to unfasten a badge that was attached to the outside of the clothing I was currently wearing. I quickly tossed it to Gehenna, who stared at the object with confusion.
“This says {Main Character}... What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Don’t overthink it. Just attach that to your armor.”
“Uhhhhh… OK.”
My name is Helaina… and I chose damnation.
For over 1,000 years, I was the commander of a squadron of archangels known as Heaven’s Justice. While all angels and archangels have the sworn duty to combat the demon forces, my squad-
“Gehenna, what’s the difference between an angel and an archangel?”
I glared at the gorgeous demon woman I had come to love before my expression softened. I laughed softly as she suddenly looked embarrassed by speaking out of turn and clapped her hand over her mouth as if to stop her from interrupting me again. As Nialla spoke up from the right of Emelia, Allie turned towards her, her hand still held tightly against her lips.
“Archangels generally have four wings instead of two, and they have that strange halo effect over their heads that gives them that radiant aura over their whole body.”
I nodded and smiled at Nialla, who gave me a toothy grin and blushed slightly. As I started to speak again, everyone turned back towards me.
“That aura is called [Light’s Radiance]. It increases all of their stats, resistances, and makes them deal additional holy damage with weapon and spell attacks. So… as I was saying…”
My squadron was specifically created with the intent to go into the cities of humans littered across our world, locate any traces of demonic corruption, and completely eradicate them. Oftentimes this was something as simple as finding and destroying some cursed object, or eliminating a person who had been warped and shifted by corruption, but there were also the times where we would have to go into a place so overrun with demonic corruption that it twisted the very landscape. The beasts found within were some of the deadliest any force of angels could encounter, which is why our squadron consisted of only the most powerful archangels in existence.
Our actions were good, and just, done in order to protect the humans who were unable to protect themselves. And we did our duty without a second’s hesitation. Demons were devious, preying on any weakness they could find, using it to infect those around them and spread more and more corruption. They would often appear in whatever form they thought would draw us in with a false sense of security, before they revealed their true forms and struck viciously. For as powerful as the members of my squadron were, I still lost countless numbers to the cunning attacks that many never saw coming. A second of hesitation was all it took for the creatures to rip through the one who failed to cut them down, or worse… another member of the squadron. It was one thing for a member of Heaven’s Justice to stay their blade and then pay the price with their life, but when it was done at the cost of others?
In my squad, any hesitation, any failure to do one’s duty without question or delay, was met with the most severe of punishments.
Execution.
When a single lapse of judgment could result in the death of dozens, there was no room for mercy.
My squadron and I slaughtered thousands of demons. Tens of thousands. But there always seemed to be more. As the centuries went on, I spent more and more time amongst the humans, and less and less time amongst my own kind. One exception to that was a member of my squadron known as Kellian. He and I often paired up because of how well we complimented each other; him being a martial class, and me being a mage. Kellian was a warrior who was second to none; being able to fell the strongest of demons with a single stroke of his sword. He was charming, and brutishly handsome, and he told the absolute worst jokes. What developed between us happened despite our intention to keep things from progressing any further.
What I had with Kellian could never be classified as a true relationship. I loved him, and I know he loved me, but we never expressed that to one another. We took comfort in the other’s body, and fought to protect one another with savage ferocity knowing that every battle could be our last. To absolutely no one’s surprise, it didn’t take long for me to become pregnant. Fortunately, the creators of our world made childbirth amongst angels something of an easy affair, in that we don’t actually have to carry a baby to term and give birth. Bits of my code along with bits of Kellian’s code combine with code generated by the world itself to cause the form of the child to take shape and appear in our world. Unlike human children, our children are “born” fully developed and have the appearance of what human children would look like when they are two or three years of age. Our children grow to maturity quickly, reaching adulthood after two years, after which they start their training to become soldiers.
Our daughter, Adelaine, was a force to be reckoned with. She inherited my own magic prowess, along with her father’s martial abilities. She combined the two into a truly lethal combination, and when it came time for her to choose the squad she wished to join, it was absolutely no surprise when she chose Heaven’s Justice. Fighting alongside my daughter was… indescribable. I was equal parts proud and overjoyed that she was everything I had wanted her to be. She was… the perfect soldier.
I think that’s part of the reason I don’t fully blame her for what she did. She was, afterall, only doing what she had been trained to do.
It was a mission like any other: travel to the human city, find the purported demon threat, eliminate it and any corruption it left behind, and return home. After quickly locating a sizable corruption area, I called for reinforcements to deal with the increased threat. Adelaine was the first of my squadron to arrive, followed by five other squad members, most of whom had trained alongside my daughter. We moved through the city cautiously, taking our time to watch for any signs of the enemy, and wiping out all traces of corruption we encountered. We encountered a group of over twenty demons, all armed and armored as if to halt our advance. Newly spawned demons generally lacked the intelligence of the creatures they came from, instead being more bestial in nature. These demons were obviously far more advanced than that, and they fought accordingly. After a particularly savage battle, I found myself chasing a fleeing demon who had been severely wounded by one of my fire spells. I chased her through nearly a dozen streets and alleys before cornering her in a small windowless stone structure.
After I blasted the door open, I readied my weapons and entered the small building. I cut down a demon who rushed me with a drawn sword, seeing that he appeared to be the equivalent age of a human teenager. Small horns protruded from his brow and I could see the fangs slightly poking out from beneath his lips. I quickly moved from room to room, until I finally found the demon I had injured. She was crouched in the corner of the room, holding something I couldn’t see. As I moved further into the room, I saw that she was using her body to shield a small child, probably no more than five years old. When I drew closer to the pair, she turned towards me and spread her arms wide, as if to block me from getting to the child.
“P-Please! Y-y-you can k-kill me… but sp-spare the child! Please… I’m b-begging you.”
I was no stranger to demons using children as either hostages or as bait. But this… this was the first time I had ever seen one act in such a manner as if it was protecting the child. As I looked from the demon woman’s face to the child’s I saw that it was a young girl with dark brown hair and a smattering of freckles splashed across her cheeks and nose. I could see an expression of absolute terror in her glowing red eyes, and somehow, I knew that this creature truly meant me no harm. I had killed more demons than I could remember, and I knew every single one of their tricks… and I knew with complete certainty that this was no trick. Which… made absolutely no sense. Why would one demon protect another? They were ruthless, selfish beasts who only cared about themselves and the power they could obtain. Why would a demon look at me with eyes only filled with fear, and not a trace of hostility or danger?
I stood motionless in that room, with my sword raised over my head. Tears were streaming down both the woman and the child’s face. They were demons. I knew what I was supposed to do. So… why couldn’t I bring myself to do it? My heart was pounding in my head, so loud I was sure that the demon woman could hear it. Instead of doing what my instincts were screaming at me to do, I took a steadying breath and spoke to the woman.
“Why are you protecting the child?”
At first, the woman looked confused upon hearing me speak, but after she searched my face intently, she replied in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
“She’s… She’s m-my daughter.”
I narrowed my eyes at the woman, but still didn’t bring my swordhand down.
“You were both tainted by the demonic corruption?”
“Wh-what? N-n-no! I was born a d-demon. As was my s-son and m-my daughter.”
“Your son?”
She looked at me with deep sorrow and pain in her eyes as she nodded slowly and pointed to the room behind me.
“Yes. He w-was the one you… you killed when you c-came in.”
I let out a long slow sigh, and brought my sword arm down to my side. The woman watched it closely, but I saw her visibly relax just a small amount. I studied both her and her daughter’s face for any signs of treachery, but I saw nothing that would indicate they meant to do me any harm. As I considered what the woman had said, I felt a hollow pang of regret in my chest at the thought of taking away this woman’s child.
“I’m sorry… about your son.”
The woman narrowed her eyes and seemed to be struggling with wanting to say or do something, instead she merely nodded her head slowly.
“Even though I t-told him not to, he attacked you. I’m sure he h- hoped to buy me enough time to escape with Avaya.”
I found myself nodding in understanding despite not being entirely sure what I was doing. This was a demon, one I had seen attacking a fellow archangel. And yet, here I was… talking with her. The woman interrupted my thoughts as she gave me a questioning look.
“Why have you not killed me?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
“Are you going to?”
“My instincts and training tell me I should.”
“That’s not what I asked. I asked whether or not you are going to.”
I stared into the woman’s crimson eyes and she stared back at me. When I looked at her, I didn’t see a creature bent on destruction and obtaining power. I saw a mother, desperate to protect her child. I knew that this woman would only be a threat if I were to show any hostile intent towards her daughter, so… despite everything in me telling me I shouldn’t, I let out another long sigh and sheathed my sword.
“No. Unless you give me reason to do so, I’m not going to kill you. Or your daughter. Are you going to attack me?”
The woman looked at the sword sheathed on my hip, and then touched the spot where my fire had burned her. As her eyes flicked back up to stare at me, she exhaled loudly and shrugged.
“For attacking me and for what you did to my son… I want to. I want to more than anything.”
I cocked an eyebrow and fought against the urge to smirk at her.
“That wasn't what I asked you. I asked you if you are going to.”
The woman did smile at that, showing me the sharp fangs in her mouth.
“No. Lady archangel. As long as you remain true to your word, I am not going to attack you.”
“Helaina.”
The woman's eyes went wide and she let out an audible gasp.
“You're the Helaina? The archangel responsible for the deaths of thousands of my kind?”
Coming from anyone else, that statement would have made me swell with pride. I had spent the majority of my life eradicating every demon that crossed my path. I was very good at it. Likely one of the best. But… What the woman had said only filled me with regret and remorse. It was my turn to shrug.
“Yes. What you say is true.”
The demon woman merely nodded and glanced over at a nearby chair with a padded seat cover.
“Do you mind if we sit? I'm afraid that standing here like this is only making Avaya more and more frightened.”
I gave the woman a single nod and took a step back so that she could walk across the room without getting too close to me. After she sat in the wooden chair, she pulled the girl into her lap, who stared at me with a curious expression. I glanced over my shoulder briefly and located a small wooden bench. I backed up slowly, without ever fully taking my eyes off the pair of demons across the room. Once the backs of my legs came into contact with the bench, I eased myself downwards slowly and took a seat. The woman visibly relaxed upon seeing me seated across the room, and I even saw her daughter give me a small smile.
“Do you have children, Helaina?”
“Yes. A daughter. She was the one you threw that dagger at when we first fought in the street.”
She looked suddenly worried and tensed up, but I held up my hand and let out a small laugh.
“Fear not, you did not harm her. Adelaine is far stronger than I am.”
The woman relaxed and returned my smile. I gave her a curious look as I stared back into her eyes.
“How did you know that I have children?”
“Because… I can think of no other reason you would have spared me.”
I considered her words and let out another long sigh.
“I suppose you are right, demon.”
“Elira.”
I nodded once and then pursed my lips as I thought about our situation.
“I don't know how to proceed from here, Elira.”
Elira scoffed, causing her daughter to jump at the sudden sound.
“What, in all the years you've been doing this you're telling me not once have you had a conversation with one of us? How is that possible? You seem like a great conversationalist.”
She narrowed her eyes at me as she said this and then let out a long deep sigh.
“Why do you kill demons, Helaina?”
I thought for several minutes about the correct answer, realizing that I hadn't considered this in a very long time.
“Demonic corruption spreads through human populations like a plague. It twists and perverts everything it touches, often leading to the slaughter of hundreds or even thousands of innocent people. I have witnessed beings of immense strength murder entire cities for the sole purpose of obtaining even more power. I have seen rulers sacrifice their own people to satiate the twisted desires that their corruption has wrought from them. You are the first demon I have ever encountered that hasn’t tried to take my head the moment they see me.”
“This corruption, as you call it, cuts out the weakness and frailty of humanity. Thousands of humans die everyday from starvation, or disease, or hundreds of other things that seek to claim their lives. What are you high and mighty archangels doing to stop that? It's only when humans start to adapt and change to become something that can better survive this world that you all take notice. Yes, the process of becoming a demon can draw out the worst in humans. Some can't handle the changes to their bodies, and they lose whatever sanity they had prior. But those are the outliers, Helaina. Before you and your kill squad showed up here, the former humans of this city lived in peace alongside those of us who are natural-born. My own children are the product of my relationship with a man who was once human. We all wanted nothing more than to live our lives in the safety of our homes amongst people who love and care for us.”
“Then why did you attack us? Why not prove that your people are different?”
Elira scoffed and rolled her eyes before glaring at me. Her irises glowed a bright crimson now, and I could feel the anger rising within her.
“Would it have made a difference, Helaina? You and your soldiers are trained to kill us on sight. You said so yourself, this is the first time you've talked to one of us. In the thousands of years you've been doing this, how can that be unless you've always mindlessly slaughtered every demon without learning whether or not they deserved it.”
Everything in my body wanted to argue with her, wanted to scream out that being a demon was cause enough to determine whether or not someone deserved death… But the second that thought crossed my mind I realized just how true Elira's words were. I suddenly felt dizzy as I considered the impact of what she had said. How many innocent demons had I killed? How many lives had I ended simply because my training and millennia of ingrained hatred made me believe there was no other way?
I slumped to my knees and began to fight back the wave of bile that churned within my stomach. Tears flowed freely from my eyes as I thought of every single life that died by my hands, and wondered how many of them had been like the woman sitting in front of me. When I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder, I started to recoil as I looked up and saw it was Elira. I forced down every instinct I had, and instead I leaned into the woman as I continued to openly weep. When she knelt down beside me and wrapped her much smaller body around mine in a tight embrace, I held her against me and just allowed myself to feel every emotion that welled up inside of me.