Absolution: Chapter 9 v2 (Patreon)

Demiurge

Absolution breathed in deep, letting the air feel his lungs to calm him wildly as he stood before a god. He could feel the blood rushing in his ear, his hands trembling and fist tightly clenched on Samael’s haft as they circled around each other. He wanted to run, his feet trembling with every step he took yet he could not take one step back for what was at stake, the lives of his children.

He crouched low, knees bent as a sense of finality descended upon the hallowed battlefield.  There will be no more turning back, It was now or never.

Perhaps, it was reflex or ingrained instincts spurring him on but he struck first, the blade of Samael dancing in the air like a silver bolt as it dove at their bare chest. And yet, said blade could not cleave flesh. The preternatural grace of the other deity as they were, just so. The slightest of motions, the gentlest of swirls and it was as if he was made of shadows, a being that could be seen but never touched.

It was frustrating. He knew that he would have, should have cut the god’s body a dozen times over in the span of a moment as time splintered and reformed with his motions. And yet... as he paused, he could see that the thrusts essayed by him had been futile. Useless.

To continue on his current path was a practice of folly.

He dug into his core, drawing out the light that filled his very being and let loose. Streaks of lights arced across the heavens and rained down upon them. The earth trembled against his might and the deity turned tail and ran but they did not come without answer.

His light met the darkness as they raced up to meet the heavens. For a moment, his shots buckled, the shadows stopping them dead on their tracks until the darkness faltered. His light broke through but their aim were no longer true.

He reached out, shouting in warning as they spiraled out of control, spearing through the earth as if nothing was there. His angels were left unharmed. If not for the nature of his angels, things could have gone much worse. Things were getting too close for comfort.

“Come on! Don’t hold back. Throw everything you have at me!” The man taunted as he threw his hands out wide, daring him to strike him.

Absolution felt fury course through his veins as he leveled his spear, aiming at him but hesitated. He could not throw his spear lest he risk having it fly off somewhere. His blast on the other hand were proving ineffective as his enemies infuriatingly tough shield reflected his light. Getting close on the hand as the man dodge and parried Samael. His attacks were doing nothing and he was making a fool of himself. What was the use of a weapon and what good was all his strength if he could not find his mark?

Absolution roared out in frustration as he brought down Samael down on the dark god once more only to stumble as his enemy parried his strike. He struggled to right himself but his head was rocked to the side as his opponent punched him in the face. Combat, he’d find, was not his greatest forte as blows rained down on him while the cruel laughter of his enemy rang out. “Is this all you’ve got auyani?”, the ash covered bastard mocked him as he smashed the mirror of his shield against the side of his head.

Absolution staggered as the ground beneath them gave way, caving in from the force of the strike. For a second, his head went blank as all he heard was the rushing of blood in his ears before he was forced back into reality by a powerful punch to the jaw. The world around them spun as he slowly tipped backwards, his doubled vision clearing as he wondered where it all went wrong.

He was getting beat up, each strike he gave was answered four fold. As much as he wanted too, he was simply far too unskilled. He had all the power in the world yet he could not hit them if he wanted too. Pure brute strength and instinct could only take him so far. He needed to use his head, he needed to think and so he did.

His head snapped back, his head ringing from the blow before he caught himself just as he was about to tip over. Clenching his jaw, he bent forward, lunging at the god with all his might. He could see the god’s eyes widen before their heads crashed against each other with a mighty crash. Blood poured out of the man's mouth as he staggered, his eyes unfocused as for the first time in battle, Absolution landed an attack.

Strength filled his limbs as the fears in his chest started to melt away. The man before him could be hit, he could bleed and he clung to it. Grabbing on to the man, he reared his head back before smashing his forehead against his nose. Hearing the satisfying crunch of the man’s nose felt like a balm to his bruised soul as he attempted to bash his head against his face one more. Unfortunately, the man recovered as those blood red eyes came back to focus

He slammed his head forward before his vision doubled as he was sent rocketing away, skipping across the ground before landing with a pained groan. As he picked himself up, he saw the man staggering as he held his shield up to cover his face. Its mirrored surface cracked but intact as Absolution felt a bump growing on his forehead.

“H-hah! And here I thought you had no fire in you  but here I am, bleeding,” The laughed before his cruel smile dropped as he bared his teeth at him, blood dripping down his chin. “You will regret that cabron,” the man growled out as he grabbed onto his nose and righted in with a pained grunt.

Absolution breathed heavily, feeling his racing heart as he righted himself. He could feel the adrenaline pumping in his veins, the excitement and fear buzzing in himself. Before his life as God, he was not a man of violence. He trained his body but only to keep it in shape. He was way out of his depth and he knew it.

Even as he felt the long ingrained instincts of his limbs allowing him to move as he fought, it was clear that he was not using the full potential of his body. His movement lacked the fluidity of his opponent and all the bruises he had on his body was proof enough. He was fighting from pure instincts alone but his opponent was pulling in from centuries of experience. His opponent could simply fight better and he was not letting up.

He sucked in lungs full of air before coughing, doubling over in pain. He felt phlegm in his lungs and tasted the blood. He spat it out, grimacing as he watched the blackened glob on the ground hit the ground. He needed to end this but how? He was at a loss and he had a feeling that the man before him knew it.

“Hah, feeling a bit tired? Limbs getting heavy? Don’t worry, just let the smoke fill your lungs and let me handle the rest. Hey, maybe I can send you back to that beauty rest of yours. Doesn’t that sound nice?” He taunted him as he raised his shield. Like a jaguar on the hunt, he stalked forward, his intent clear as his long cruel claws stretched out from the tips of his fingers.  

Absolution took a step back, trying to clear his head but it was getting harder to do as the fight dragged on. He could feel it in his bones, this deep seated weariness seeping into his limbs, sapping him of his strength each time he breathed it in. Things were not looking up and he was nowhere near to actually ending this fight.

“Don’t worry, it will all be over soon,” The man whispered as his voice became distorted, his form fading away as he started melting into the shadows and sinking into it like a man taking a dip into water.

“Going to run away? Coward!” Absolution called out as he let his light burn brightly, pushing away at the darkness which he hid in. Even with his light overwhelming all other light sources however, there were still plenty of shadows around. He had disappeared from his senses but he could feel he’s still around. “Reveal yourself!” He shouted in anger as his words washed over the battlefield yet his enemy stayed hidden.

“Your words mean nothing to me, for I am your equal,” his words mocked him once more as Absolution felt the hair in the back of his neck stand up. Blades suddenly extended from the shadows, their forms solidifying into obsidian pillars

He lashed out with his spear, breaking the obsidian blade into shards as he was forced on the defensive. Once more he moved, letting Samael dance its deadly dirge as it sliced through the blades, turning them to ash. For as many he shattered, however, more kept popping up. He gritted his teeth, looking around and trying to find him, but he was far too hidden. Each strike was getting harder, each movement heavier until his next strike missed and a blade got through.

He winced as the razor sharp dagger nicked his cheeks, causing blood to drip down his face but he ignored it as he fired back, blasting away with his light. The shadows shrieked as he struck them, retreating and revealing figures in the shadows but like the waters of an ocean, they came back. He was knocked around, forced to dance as his opponent struck out.

“To your left!” The man shouted from behind him and he quickly turned to his side only to be knocked to the ground as the man pulled himself from behind him. Again, he stood up and once more he taunted him. “Behind you!” a voice rang out to the side making him flinch as he turned to his left, lashing out with Samael but he guessed wrong and was knocked around.

His light faltered and the darkness started spreading. Cries of panic soon rang out as Absolution saw his angels being pulled into the sea of darkness, their light slowly snuffed out and drained from them as the darkness latched on to him. He could hear their prayers, begging for him to save them but he too would find himself bogged down as the shadows latched on to him. He struggled, dropping everything, reaching out to them but the light was fading and they started to fade away from his vision.

Panic started to well in as his opponent played with him, toying with him as he pulled him back, beating him and pushing him down beneath the waves. He could barely make out his surroundings as the bruising and swelling shut his eyes. Blinded on one side, what limited defense he could make was starting to flag. How could he have allowed this. He was no mere divine but a being that was supposed to rule heaven. He should be giving out the beating but he could not.

He was failing and he didn’t know how he could fix this. Frozen with indecision, he froze up. He could not do it. Why could he not do it? Dazed and confused, the punches were slipping through his slackened grip. He knew he was done even as his feet refused to buckle. He was hurting, he was bleeding, he was afraid.

Why was he doing this? Why was he fighting? Why did he pick up the mantle of God and assume that he could take it and make everything all right. He could have stayed back, just allowed things to happen but no, he chose to act. Was this all just a misplaced sense of self-righteousness? Was he acting out of the goodness of his heart or was this just all him seeking adulation and a quest for vainglory? He… was lost.

Finally, his legs gave out beneath him and he was made to kneel. He didn’t even know if he wanted to keep going anymore as he watched numbly as the flat of the man’s shield came up to him, the reflection of his broken face staring back at him. Where was his pride? Where was his power? All of it felt like sand as the light in his grasp slipped through his fingers. He had failed and now his angels were going to pay the price for it.

He closed his eyes, expecting the pain that soon followed but none came as a voice called out from the dark, “You really are not worthy. You could not even defeat someone lesser than us.”

Despite how soft and faded their voices were and how ethereal they sound, those words rang out like gunshots to his ears as time came to a standstill. The raging of the battle around, the cries of his angels, and even the omnipresent feeling of the prayers of his people now muted as he sat there while the accusatory voice haunted him. Looking up, he watched as his enemy's cruel smile stretched across his face as he stood there, unmoving. It was as if the very world itself paused.

He attempted to reach out only to find himself separating from his body, his incorporeal form unable to interact with the world around him and not that it would matter given his state. He stood up, watching his form. He was… so small, so vulnerable, so weak. How could he have allowed this to himself, too the image of God?

“You who claim the throne,” the voice called out one more, its tone devoid of emotion or warmth. It took him a moment that it was his own voice that called out to him for how utterly alien their tone was to his ears. “Why have you allowed yourself to fall so low? Why do you not stand above your enemies as a conqueror but instead allow yourself to fall into despair,” they chastised them, scolding them for his failures.

He could only bow his head as he whispered back, “I-I tried to do my best, I did what I could.” Even then, his excuse tasted like ash in his mouth. He could have done more yet… here he was, on his knees. What kind of god was he to be beaten like this? He cowered like a whipped dog and wasn’t that a sad sight.

“That’s the problem. You merely tried.” The voice once again whispered to his ears, their words much louder and clearer as he heard footsteps behind him.

He wanted to answer, he wanted to make an excuse but deep in his heart, he knew there was no excuse. Given phenomenal cosmic powers, why couldn’t he have achieved more? What has he done with all of it aside from talking? He had been here for months yet he barely made a dent to the problems that had stacked up and landed upon his shoulders.

“But it’s to be expected. After all, you are but human,” They whispered to his ears as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He could feel their cold breath against his neck as he felt their presence behind him. He wasn’t alone here with his thoughts.

He jumped back, flailing about as he found himself floating, unbound by gravity. His momentary distraction however would soon give way to terror as he came face to face to being without a heart.

“W-what are you?” He whispered as he stared back at his reflection or rather a twisted version of himself. While he remained whole and hale, the specter in front of him was the shattered remains of what once was. Jagged lines spread across his hollow form as the large pieces floated over a burning core giving him the appearance of broken porcelain pieced back together. There were pieces of him gone, missing yet… he felt more complete than even he did.

“We are what you are not,” They whispered as they took a step forward, walking up to him as he took a step back. A cold feeling descended upon him, wrapping around him like a winter chill as he stared back at those blank lifeless eyes.

“The power you wish you wielded effortlessly? The wisdom you wished would not get clouded when pitted against a challenge? The strength that you wished to not fail you in times of hardship? The will you so sorely lack? We are all that is. We are absolute, we are who you are meant to be. We are you,” they answered him as he stood in front of him. There were emotions in those words, no comforting warmth to soften the blow. He did not scold him nor he lectured him, he merely stated what was the truth and it hurts.

“N-no, you’re merely just an illusion. This is a trick! I have to break out of this, I need to fight-” he told himself, trying to shut out their voice as he tried to shake off their words.

“Do you believe that we are so weak as to fall for such tricks?” His doppelganger then asked him.  He didn’t want to believe, he wanted it all to be just lies but their rings word true to his ears. His strength should know no limits. “We both know the extent of our powers, we are infinity incarnate. Such petty tricks could not touch our minds.”

“No! Stay back!” Absolution cried out, reaching out for Samael but they would no were to be seen. His light no longer called out to him. His strength? Feeble in comparison to the specter as it grabbed on to him, holding him still as he struggled under their grip.

“If you still doubt then let us show you,” The apparition then said as their eyes met. Flashes of memories rushed into his mind as he experienced a hundred lifetimes. All the pain, the anger, the sadness all rushed into his heart, seeking to crush him under the weight of it all. It was then did he realize who he faced. His grip slackened as he stared back at them.

“No, you can’t be,” he whispered, struggling to still his beating heart as his vision wavered. He knew exactly who stood before him and they told him no lies. “Y-your their emotions, your the ones that came before me…”

“They might be gone but their will remains, their emotions now burning in our heart,” He continued before he released him and he flopped down bonelessly as the hold of gravity returned. Looking down at him, he continued, “We are their will and we find you lacking. We’re surprised you even lasted this long. To think that the thousands before you, many far wiser and smarter than you, could not last as long.”

The specter shook their head before they turned away, discarding him without hesitation. “No matter, you are but a statistical aberration, nothing more and nothing less.”

“I-I did my best,” He called out weakly, trying to reach out for their form as they walked away from him.

They paused for a moment before looking back at him. Their gaze met but he flinched away, unable to look them in the eyes. No, you did not.”

He tried to shut those words out, to push them away and tell himself otherwise. Deep down however, he knew they were true. He was just a fraud, a pretender. He was merely playing a charade and his actions were but a futile attempt to emulate greatness. Maybe he shouldn’t have opened his eyes all those months ago.

As he sat there, all alone and defeated, a soft voice reached out to him. Its soft warm touch reached out to his heart, melting away at the doubt clouding his thoughts as they gave their earnest plea, “Don’t give up!”

He reached out, clinging on to it as he gazed up. Light poured out from Samael, giving pause to the phantasm as his angel came for him. Small, weak, and barely bright enough to fight away at the darkness surrounding them, it struck out regardless. Its feeble form battering away the phantoms form headless, fighting valiantly despite the odds.

“Curious, the snakes choses you. Fitting given how both of you are failures,” They whispered before they struck without mercy, swatting them aside like they were a mere bug.

“No!”, He cried out, pushing himself to his feet as he rushed for Samael. He could only watch in horror as their light dimmed, their form crumbling even as he tried to pull them back together. Tears streamed down his cheeks as they shattered, leaving only a single glowing piece left in his palm. “No, no! I can fix you, I can-”

“Why do you treat them as if they matter?” they asked him, their faces blank as they gaze at him curiously. “Our angels, why do you not use them? They are nothing but tools, meant to be used and discarded once they are broken,”

“They are people!” he screamed back at them, forcing himself back to his feet even as his heart ached. “They have dreams, they have aspirations, they have emotions. Can’t you feel them in your heart?” He shouted but it was as if he was shouting at a brick wall, his pleas unheard as they remained unmoved.

“And look where your emotions got you,” they answered back. “ Your weakness has brought us low but now, it’s time you go away. You had your use and now it’s time for you to go,”

“Y-you’re a monster,” he whispered in horror as he faltered, unable to take one more step towards the being in front of them.

“And are you going to stop us? Are you going to show us how you can do better? How can you fight back?” They questioned him, daring him to answer back but he would give them no reply. How could he give them an answer when all he could give were lies?  “No, no you can not. You had your chance, now it’s time for us to fix what has been done. Cling to your emotions and flaws while we act,”

With those words, they parted ways leaving behind. His vision waved as tears clouded his eyes, his only comfort that of his angel's broken soul as the world moved again, uncaring of the pain he felt. He was no longer the master of his body, now he was just a mere bystander as the will of those before him fought on. Now he was the phantom and they became who he was supposed to be.

“It’ll be alright, everythings going to be alright,” He lied, comforting Samael for that was all he was ever good at, lying. He could not even defend them inside his own souls, what use did he have? He curled there in his corner, feeling empty as the world moved on and he had a front row seat on just how far behind he truly was.’

The blow that they had been dreading finally went through but they would only find unyielding flesh. They took it without care, staring back unflinchingly as they uttered a command. With one word, the world trembled, “CEASE.”

Their eyes widened, flinching away but it was far too late as their light roared into life. Their screams were drowned as the bells of heaven tolled and all underneath it were crushed beneath its unrelenting weight. Waves of pure light washed over the field, breaking all that stood before them.

Where he couldn’t hit the deity before him, they humbled them. With one word, the tide of the battle shifted and the deity before them knelt down. Silence reigned with only the dripping of blood and heavy breathing breaking through the hush. “H-hah. No longer back I see-!” The god laughed, shakily pulling himself up to his feet before they faced their radiance.

“SILENCE,” and the world listened.

Their fading roars after being flung away were silenced as the earth below them shook. Giant pieces of rock splintered as the very earth itself roiled from their voice. Where they step, the ground splinters. When they spoke, the world trembled.

“USELESS,” the world rang as the very shadows themselves screamed out. Skeletal forms of giants, their chest like cages holding his children, were revealed. They reached out, braving the storm but what were giants to a god? They who stood before them were made to kneel, their bones shattering and freeing their prisoners. The very sky itself shattered as light once more shone upon them.

While he would have rejoiced, the agonized cries of his children could not be ignored. Just as there was no warmth in their voice, so too did their light have no mercy. Monsters, Devils, Angels, it matters not as they were all equal before them and he was all but helpless to do anything.

“No! Stop! You’re hurting them!” He begged them, pleading to their will. “It’s over, you won! No more!” he reasoned but the being before them ignored him as they walked up to the broken form of their enemy. No longer did they stand tall, now they laid on the ground, bleeding and groaning. Their limbs twisted and their shield shattered.

“Unfortunate but necessary. They can always be replaced.” They whispered before they struck him, pushing him aside as they continued forward. “The 8th Plague: The Locusts who devours” they spoke, and the heavens opened up. Uncountable tiny motes of lights descend upon the battlefield. Their form delicate, like snowflakes drifting in the air, but they gathered in their multitude. The air buzzed as they gathered and forming writhing tendrils that drove themselves into their very ground leaving great trenches in their wake

The man looked up, crying in terror as they crawled away. They now flee, throwings their shadows to stem the tide and snuff out the light yet it would only feed the horde. The inky darkness that once protected them was stripped away, devoured as nothing was left behind. They were locusts, hungry and all consuming and they feasted.

All who were unfortunate enough to stand in their way between them and the fleeing god were devoured, flesh, sinew and all. Their forms ripped apart at the very seams as his angels were once again in the crossfire. “Everything needs to go. Everything”

Once more, he stood helpless and unable to act out as Uriel called out, “Father!” They pressed onwards, shielding their eyes as they pushed up against the storm that was their form. Their perfect form tarnished as the light ate away at them, blood pouring down their eyes as they too were caught within the maelstrom. “It’s over, we won! Please, stop!”

“What the hell old man! What has gotten into you-!” Azazel cried out following close by and it was then that their form sneered. The Fallen Angel choked out in surprise as a tight grip latched on to their neck, slowly crushing the life out of them. They kicked against their form, gasping out as Uriel jumped to help.

“I will not have you interfere again. I will have my victory” they whispered as the two former Fallen joined in, clawing at their limbs and pushing at him to no avail. Absolution’s attempt would prove futile as well as he was pinned to the ground by a mere gaze.

Absolution raged, impotent as the world around him collapsed. He was useless… but only if he chose to. They said he lacked the will, they said that he could not fight on when faced with such odds. He chose to defy those odds as he grabbed Samael’s shard and fought on.

He pushed himself up even as he felt the world push down on him, rejecting him. He could feel his back breaking, his bones bending and his very soul straining as he stood up. One step forward, he moved. Two steps, he gazed up and met the beings eyes. He might have been him but they were just that, the past haunting the present. He gazed deep into those wretched eyes before he shouted their name. “Demiurge! Enough!”

Their eyes widened as he called out to them, standing up to them as he started to feel the wind against his skin. The whipping gale slashing his skin, cutting him up, he stood his ground. “Yes, I was flawed, I failed but I am glad I did. I’m glad that I’m not a monster like you! You claim perfection but what use is perfection when it is heartless!”

His breath felt ragged, his beating heart laboring to beat on but he powered on. He let go of his fears, accepting the pain before him as he took his third step and his heart blazed into life. “What use is your strength and power if all it ever does is destroy?”

“Father?” Uriel whispered as he passed by her and all he could give her now was his pained smile. His form might have become corporeal but he is still a spirit.

Demiurge’s grip slackened freeing Azazel, their form peeling away from their, no, his body. The being pulled itself back in, reeling itself inside but they have become undone, no longer bound to them. Absolution did not see him as his own, no, they were never his to begin with. Now that doubt no longer clouds his eyes, he sees them as what they are. “What use is your will if all you fight for is yourself!”

They staggered away, their forms fading as he saw them for all that they were. They were a parasite, an unwanted part that clung to his form even after their time had long passed. They were but the shadow and he was the light. He had allowed them to control but no more. Leaning close, feeling his very form fading, the light that burned in his chest fleeting, he whispered, “I failed once and I will fail again but this would not be one of my failures. Begone!”

Demiurge stiffened, his eyes unfocused as he stared down and found the hand which Absolution held on Samael was buried deep inside the gap over their heart. “You… reject me?” They asked him as he grabbed on to him. “You reject everything that we give? We gave you victory, we gave you perfection and yet you deny our help?”

“I’d rather fail a thousand times more than accept you.” Absolution whispered as he twisted Samael, making sure that their fire was extinguished.

With Demiurge's control no longer taking hold, he was now back in control. He could feel the wild energies in his core straining and pushing at his form as his hold on his commands loosened. He had succeeded at a cost… yet he still smiled as he felt Demiurge fade back into the recesses of his mind. “We will always be here for we are you,”

“I know and I will reject you until my dying breath,” he whispered and he embraced it, letting it all go.

“Father!” Azazel shouted before all that Absolution was the light.

A/N:

Things took a weird turn but I kinda like it. I'm not sure if this flopped or it stuck its landing but at least now it's over. I can finally get to write the aftermath. Not to fear however, we're merely at the start of things. Absolution's honey moon with the easy life is over. Given an easy path, Absolution rejects it for all that was left afterward was a monster. There's a lot more going on in the background and Demiurge had always been lurking around so expect more of him. Like this chapter or hate it? Comment away please cause I have two plots points, the old and this new one that I can go down on so feed back is really reallly appreciated. See you next time!