The Gift of Judgement Read online

  "I promised you not to lie to you anymore, so this is the truth: I have given up on this world. Yet, I still fight. Not for this world, but for a better one. We are lost and there is no way to change this. However, if we defeat the demons once and for all, our world will be a better place. And in this place, new people will be born, better than any of us can ever be. It will take many generations but I do believe there is still hope. Not for us, but for those who come after us."

  "I?" Jezebel pauses for a moment. "I'm sorry. I can't believe anything you say. You lied to me. To all of us. About Saint Michael, about the prophet, about the gifts. I? I won't be part of this crusade any longer. I? I have to leave."

  Words fail Gavin; he just nods, staring into space.

  Jezebel opens the door. A broken sword lies to her feet. Also Gavin notices it. "Is it...his?" he asks.

  "It is. I recognize it. I stared at it for weeks until I came to terms with his death."

  "I don't understand. Who would do this to you? What does it mean?"

  "It is an invitation. The demon I slayed was powerful, but even he has a master. And for some reason this archdemon wants to meet me."

  "If he knows you are here, you need to leave. Now!"

  "No! I will do no such thing. Evacuate the cathedral. Bring everyone to safety. Tonight I will fight him and I will defeat him. Neither for the people, nor because it is the right thing to do. I will defeat him, because I am strong enough. With my strength I earn my place in this world. This is the reason I fight. This is why I will not give up."

  Act 6

  The weak rays of the moon pass through the broken windows of the cathedral and fill it with a grim glow. The moonlight bounces off of Jezebel's armor, only to get swallowed by the dark stone all around her. It is midnight, but nobody is left to ring the bells. You feel someone's presence and Jezebel draws her sword.

  With a deafening sound the archdemon manifests directly above the altar. As he drops down his mighty hooves crush the last remains of it, smashing it into thousands of pieces, casting out all memory of what it once was. His eight horns are blacker than anything you ever saw, not only do they reflect no light at all, they even seem to devour all brilliance around them. He overlooks the scene, quickly glances at Jezebel, but then focuses on you.

  Jezebel prepares to attack. "I do not know what it is you want from me, but I will end this once and for all."

  The archdemon smiles, his voice is calm. "I am afraid you gravely overestimate your own importance in the grand scheme of things. You think you have any influence on the outcome of this meeting, when it was not even you, who I summoned here."

  The confused look on Jezebel's face quickly changes into pure wrath. "I will not listen to your lies. You will have to fight me, if you want to or not."

  Jezebel takes a deep breath and her subsequent shout makes the walls of the cathedral shiver in awe. "Demon! Face me!"

  "The gift of tongues?" The archdemon shakes his head in disappointment. "You really think you can use the gift of tongues against me? A gift, your prophet gave to you. A gift, I once gave to your prophet."

  More anger boils up inside Jezebel. "You are lying!"

  "I do not care if you believe me or not. In fact, I do not care about you at all. Fight me, if you must."

  Jezebel grips her sword even tighter than before and charges towards the demon; with every step she takes she becomes more certain that what she is doing is right. Before she could reach him and pierce her sword through his heart, the archdemon strikes her with the back of his hand. The force of the attack tosses her against the wall of the cathedral. Jezebel tries to get up, but her strength fails her.

  The archdemon now turns towards you.

  "You risk a lot by coming here. Everything even. I shall reward this boldness with the one thing you desire most. The truth. Or rather, I will dispel the lies you currently believe in."

  The demon's face changes and now resembles a grotesque grin.

  "First of all you think you are in control. You think you can leave this place whenever you want, go back to your world, where you are safe. Try it now! I dare you!"

  He pauses briefly and then nods, victorious. "You see? It truly is impossible for you. Something keeps you here. Curiosity. You want to hear what I have to say."

  The archdemon comes even closer to you. You feel the heat that radiates from his body and have trouble breathing.

  "The next lie you believe, is that you are unique. You can wander this world, unseen, unheard by most. But so can I. I visit other worlds as well, equally shrouded. Yet I can take action there, if I choose to. Some worlds are however out of my reach. Your world for example. But now that our paths finally crossed, this will change. Right now I can see you. Not here, not inside this cathedral. I can see you were you really are, at this very moment in your world. From now on I am with you. And I will keep watching you. You are my gateway to a new world. For your services, although you provide them unwillingly, I will reward you with a prophecy. I will tell you what will happen next. You will try to continue with you life normally. Many times I will be close to you and you might feel my presence, especially if you are alone, looking into a mirror, seeing only your reflection but knowing deep down that someone else is with you. Thereafter, dreadful things will start to happen to you and the people around you; to those you care for the most. With their misery my influence will grow and soon your whole world will sink into chaos. Everyone you know, everyone you love will suffer. And all you will have in the end is the grim certainty that you are the one who brought this fate upon them."

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