Blood Bond

[Moviestar]

Holy wow man :YMAPPLAUSE:

 

[ReservoirDog]

Excellent reading material.

 

[TURK]

Thanks for the entertainment.

 

[DannyDeVito]

:YMAPPLAUSE:

 

[ERecTile]

Thanks guys! here's the next one!

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chapter 7 – New Friends


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu and Lexi and their two new friends materialized in the middle of a large house. Shoryu looked around quickly to get his bearings and realized that they were in fact in the basement of a house since the only windows were tiny rectangular pieces of glass that were placed near the ceiling. Through some of these windows, Shoryu could see some green grass and sod. The rest of the basement was furnished like a work out room with various exercise machines and martial arts equipment laid out.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Where are we?” he asked to no one in particular.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye, the young-seeming teenaged girl who had grabbed his arm moments before answered, “We’re in Rachel and Azazel’s house.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Az is my guardian since I’m still technically underage,” said Rachel. She let go of Lexi’s hand and pulled her large sword out of thin air. “Ugh, lugging this thing around tends to wear on a person after a while.” She carefully laid the sword on a table.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi followed Rachel to the table and looked at the sword with interest. “That looks like a very heavy weapon yet you carry it as if it has no apparent weight.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Before Rachel could reply, Faye scoffed, “That’s because that sword is a part of Rachel. For her, it has no weight, but for anyone else, it weighs like a ton! I should know since I lugged it around for a couple of years!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi addressed Rachel directly, “May I?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel nodded and then said, “May I see your sword?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi nodded and handed her sheathed sword to Rachel. Lexi was impressed when Rachel treated the sword with respect. As for herself, she was doubly impressed with Rachel’s sword. It was a large sword that technically fell in the bastard sword category. The long double edged straight blade was about three feet long and the handle was just long enough for a large man to place two hands tightly on. The hilt of the sword was a simple cross piece that was functional yet ornate. The weight of the sword did not bother Lexi at all, but she could see how a normal human as small as Rachel or Faye could have problems. That they did not meant that they were not normal humans.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Your sword is beautiful,” said Rachel with a shine in her eyes. “I’ve heard and read so much about the Japanese katanas but have never seen one for real.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What about the ones in Az’s weapon closet?” asked Faye.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel rolled her eyes. “Those don’t count. For all I know, Az probably had them made through either scientific or magical means and then placed a whole whack of dark spells on them. This is a masterpiece, a true work of art.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I thought you didn’t care much about swords?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I have ever since you passed Excalibur to me!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi did a double take. “Excalibur? This is the sword of legend?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel looked at her keenly and said, “You have that legend where you came from too?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi nodded but Shoryu said, “I do not know of that legend.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi laid down Excalibur as Rachel sheathed Lexi’s sword and handed it back to Lexi.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye looked back and forth between Lexi and Shoryu and said, “Wait a minute. You two don’t come from the same place?” When Lexi and Shoryu both shook their heads in unison, Faye said, “Forget our homework Rachel. This is more important. Come on upstairs. We can talk in the living room.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What about school?” asked Rachel with an arched eyebrow.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What about it?” asked Faye in an exasperated tone. “Just call the school. Fake Az’s voice and say that you can’t go to school today due to a family emergency. And while you’re at it, call the school a second time and pretend to be my dad, ok?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel huffed and went upstairs. When she was at the top of the stairs she called down, “I’ll tell the school that you’re not feeling well due to PMS cramps!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye rolled her eyes and said, “Whatever!” She turned back to Lexi and Shoryu and said, “Follow me, and don’t mind Rachel!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Bemused, Shoryu and Lexi follow Faye up the stairs. Faye led them to a spacious living room with luxurious looking couches and they all sat down. Shoryu sat beside Lexi while Faye sat on a loveseat directly opposite of them. No one said anything for a few minutes and Shoryu spent that time admiring the house.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When Rachel joined Faye on the loveseat, Faye immediately got down to business. “Ok, Rachel, you might not like this, but I’m afraid that you’ll just have to be a little more patient. Whatever our guests have to say, I think is best that they say it when Az gets back.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What?” exclaimed Rachel. “Who knows when that will be. We don’t even know where he went! He could be on a job, or he could be –“ Rachel broke off suddenly and turned her face away. Shoryu could see a hint of red framing her face though.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel,” said Faye patiently, “this thing that we got ourselves into, it involves Lilith, it involves the ancient Nephilim and that means it probably involves the war.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Great, another war!” said Shoryu before he could stop himself.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi touched his arm in a soothing gesture. “Faye, I get the feeling that there is a lot going on here but we need to wait for someone else to arrive before we tell our sides, right?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye gave her a grateful smile and said, “Thank you. Yes, Azazel is Rachel’s guardian and is directly involved in the war.” She glanced at Rachel but Rachel was still looking away with her arms crossed on her chest.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Most of the time!” said Rachel angrily. “Who knows what he’s doing the rest of the time!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye rubbed Rachel’s shoulders and said soothing, “Rachel, Rachel, we’ve been over this.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel brushed away Faye’s hands and retorted, “Yeah, we’ve been over this, but I just want to know what he’s been doing. I want to know if he is back to his old habits.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Why Rachel? You’re not married to him. What does it matter? Besides, we know his history. He gets urges from time to time, you know?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]No I don’t! He’s an angel for god’s sakes!” exclaimed Rachel. She jumped up and stormed out of the living room. Her angry footsteps could be heard storming up the stairs. There were more thumps, and then finally one loud bang that sounded like a door being slammed.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I’m sorry,” said Faye to Shoryu and Lexi. “Rachel’s going through some tough times right now.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What did she mean about Azazel being an angel?” asked Shoryu curiously.

 

[ERecTile]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye hesitated and then said, “That would be starting in the middle. But then again, if I start at the beginning, we would be here for a week. Tell me Alexandra, how does the legend of Excalibur fit in your world?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi cocked her head to one side for a moment and then said, “It is really a legend about how swords were made in the old days. Once, after my claymore broke, I complained about the poor quality of blades that were available to us. My companions and I then started in on a discussion about the origins of the sword Excalibur. See, the style of swords that were in use back in the 1200’s were pretty primitive compared to my sword and Rachel’s sword. One of the major problems was how to properly attach a blade to the handle. I remember my first claymore broke right at the hilt. Excalibur was supposed to have been a prototype weapon. The smith who created it laid the tang in a stone mold and then poured molten iron into the mold. The iron cooled but was not tempered, so that it was softer than the blade, allowing it to absorb impacts without flying away from the user’s hand. After it cooled, the smith took the sword out of the stone mold, hence the name ‘Liberated from Stone’ or Excalibur.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye listened in enraptured silence and then said, “That’s really interesting. I’ve never heard of that, and I’ve been around for a very long time.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu was also intrigued and said, “That sounds pretty cool. I must confess, I don’t really know much about swords one way or another.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi touched his face affectionately and said, “That’s because you have other advantages and have never had to have your life depend on the blade in your hand.” Lexi looked back at Faye and asked, “How is my world different from this one so far?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye took a deep breath and then said, “Before I answer that, how are you both regarding religion?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi said, “I’ve been alive for more than eight hundred years. I’ve fought in countless battles and seen disgusting atrocities. I have never seen evidence of an all powerful god. If there is a God, I cannot believe that He would have allowed the lycans and the vampires to have come into existence.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu wrapped an arm around Lexi’s shoulder and said, “The closest thing to a god I have ever witnessed was the remnants of the Builder’s technology in my world. That technology is what infested my world with Zoanoids and created the Guyver armor that is a part of me.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye nodded as if she believed every word that had been said. “I know that this is going to be hard for you to believe, but there really is a God. Perhaps not quite the God of the Catholic religion or other various religions around the world, but there really is a God. Rachel and I are direct evidence of that. A long long time ago, God dispatched two hundred angels to Earth to observe the early humans and to track their progress. These angels were called the Grigori. Soon after that, the Grigori learned of the defection of one of Heaven’s most powerful archangels, Lucifer the Lightbringer. Knowing that it was Lucifer’s intention to corrupt the early humans, Samyaza the leader of the Grigori, convinced his brother angels to take human form so that they could prepare the humans for Lucifer’s plans. They did this, and for their crime of teaching forbidden knowledge to the early humans, they were cast out of Heaven and became fallen angels.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It didn’t end there though. After many decades of living among the humans while staying in human form, the angels began to think and feel as humans do. It became harder and harder for them to deny the feelings and emotions that were coursing through their bodies. That was when they convinced themselves that it would be acceptable to take wives from among the human population.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Let me guess,” said Shoryu with rising interest. “They began to have children, right?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You catch on quick,” said Faye. “These hybrid children were called the Nephilim and they all had incredible powers. Soon after the Nephilim were born, the fallen angels were all cast into the Abyss. For a long time, the Nephilim rampaged unchecked across the Earth. Finally, the archangel Michael was dispatched to end the chaos.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu interrupted again. He could barely contain his enthusiasm. “That giant that we fought. He was a Nephilim right?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yes. I too am a Nephilim and so is Rachel. The difference though is that Afrael is still in his first form.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]This statement seemed to confuse Shoryu. “First form?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The Nephilim had immortal souls but were banned from entering Heaven when they died. So, we were forced to continuously reincarnate over and over throughout the millennia. Usually, as in the case of Rachel, the Nephilim do not have any previous knowledge or memories of their previous lives. Afrael is one of the few Nephilim who has survived since the Great War. As such, his power is unbelievable. I, on the other hand am somewhat special. For reasons that I won’t go into right now, every time I die and reincarnate, I remember everything.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That seemed to stun Shoryu. It was bad enough that the woman he loved was over eight hundred years old, but now there was this young looking girl who claimed that her mental age was in the thousands. He shook his head to clear out the cobwebs.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That explains a lot of things,” said Lexi slowly. “It explains your obvious maturity as compared to Rachel. But how does this Azazel, whom Rachel is clearly in love with, fit into all of this?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye grinned impishly. “Noticed that too, didn’t you?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That comment hit Shoryu like a nail on his head. How did he miss that? “What? Wait, back up…Lexi, how did you know that Rachel was in love with this Azazel guy?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi and Faye shared a mysterious grin and the Lexi said, “Woman’s intuition my love!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye chuckled goodheartedly and said, “Azazel was one of the Grigori. At the height of the Great War, the archangel Michael realized that Lucifer and Satan were pulling some of the fallen angels out of the Abyss in order to recruit them to Hell’s side. These fallen angels owed no allegiance to either Heaven or Hell but they were still powerful beings in their own right. The archangel Michael began to rescue some of the angels as well, but the vast majority of the Grigori went over to Lucifer. Azazel is a one of a kind. He was not rescued by either side. He did something that no being has ever done. He became one with the darkness that is the Abyss. In doing so, he became the first and only true dark angel with all the dark powers of the Abyss at his command. During the Great War, after he climbed out of the Abyss, the archangel managed to recruit him and eventually, he fell in love and married Rachel’s first form. These days, he acts as Rachel’s guardian while fighting many of the small battles that keep cropping up.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu digested this new information. He had a dozen questions that he wanted to ask, but somehow the one that he vocalized was: “So, why aren’t they together now?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi slapped his arm and said, “That is none of our business!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye laughed and said, “It’s complicated.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]If this Azazel is a noble creature, he probably has realized that Rachel is a different person than the one that he married and is simply waiting to see if something can happen between himself and Rachel.” Lexi turned back to Faye for confirmation.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Wow, you’re pretty good!” Faye beamed at Lexi and then said, “It’s a little more complicated than that though. Anyway, in this world, Rachel’s first form created the sword Excalibur as a soul killing weapon, capable of killing Nephilim for all time.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Both Shoryu and Lexi were silent for a while as they mulled over the information that they had just been given. In the end, Shoryu spoke up first. “So, Faye, where do you fit into all of this?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye looked uncomfortable. “In my first life, I was a double agent. I tricked Rachielle – that was her original name – into creating Excalibur. These days, I’m just trying to atone for all of that and I try to guide and teach Rachel to use her powers.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]So, how did you come to find us?” asked Shoryu.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A couple of days ago, I felt the very fabric of this world being torn. Azazel was away at the time, so I investigated. It took me a while and a lot more energy than I had anticipated, but I managed to finally locate you just as the Lilin were walking into the cave. I managed to catch some of what they said before Rachel came home and we zipped out to help you.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What are those creatures that attacked us?” asked Lexi. “What exactly are the Lilin? I got the feeling that they were like vampires because they kept calling me a mongrel and Shoryu my bondie. That seemed to imply that they were full blooded vampires.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]To call the Lilin vampires would be a little inaccurate. Let’s just say that they are demons that relish in blood. Sometimes, the victims of their attacks survive and turn into ghouls who also feed on blood.” Faye’s face took on a fearful expression. “They are dangerous creatures with very few weaknesses. If Rachel and I hadn’t surprised them like that, that battle would have had a much different outcome.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What about this Mother they kept talking about?” asked Lexi inquisitively.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The Lilin respect and take commands from only one being. Lilith is the mother of all Lilin.” Faye shivered. “Now that she’s involved, I’m really scared. Like the fallen angels, Lilith doesn’t really have an allegiance to either Heaven or Hell. For her own purposes, she sides with Hell most of the time, but that’s only because no one from Heaven will have anything to do with her. If she is helping Afrael and the rest of the evil Nephilim, then this war has progressed into an all new stage.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]And who or what is Lilith?” asked Lexi with a frown.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lilith was the first woman of Eden. Adam’s first wife.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]All eyes turned to the source of the new voice. In the foyer of the house, a black shadowy circle had formed. Out of this circle strode a tall dark haired man with a darkly tanned complexion. His face was handsome and he wore a long black cloak that swirled like a long shadow behind him. The man strode confidently into the living room and bowed slightly to Shoryu and Lexi. “My name is Azazel. Welcome to my home.”

 

[Guido]

Welcome home Azazel.

 

[BlueBalls]

Erec, you should be asking the owner of HUBGFE for your own forum. Same with IfyouseekAmy. Maybe you should both meet for Funky & Music

 

[Zigor]

Well done dude.

 

[ERecTile]

Thanks guys! The story isn't done yet. It's longer than I remembered and I haven't had much time at home to post.

 

[ERecTile]

Chapter 8 – The Dark Angel


For Shoryu, meeting the dark angel for the first time was a jumble of mixed emotions. He did his best to hide them all, but he wasn’t sure if he succeeded. Judging from the knowing glances that Faye kept shooting his way, he was pretty sure that he wasn’t entirely successful.


The first emotion that swirled in his body was awe. Yes, he had grown up on stories of Christian mythology and his childhood was flooded with tales of angels and demons. However, nothing he had ever heard had prepared him for the real thing. For one thing, Azazel had a certain presence as he walked into the living room. Azazel had a confident ‘master of all he sees’ manner about him, not unlike some of the zoalords in Shoryu’s world. Unlike the zoalords though, Azazel had none of the haughty arrogance and desire to dominate. Instead, Azazel’s confidence was tempered by compassion. One look into Azazel’s eyes though, was enough for Shoryu to decide that Azazel only extended his compassion to those that he cared for and Heaven help anyone who got on Azazel’s wrong side!


The next emotion flared though his chest and it raised his hackles. This emotion was exacerbated by the bright expression on Lexi’s face. Shoryu’s love for Lexi was still new and wonderful, and he was totally unprepared for the jealousy that was coursing through his veins. It was a burning sensation that awakened a primordial desire to smash Azazel aside and claim Lexi for his own.


These two emotions fought for control within Shoryu. On one side was the desire to worship Azazel and the desire to follow Azazel into Hell itself. On the other side, was the desire to assert himself and draw attention away from Azazel. Shoryu would still be feeling conflicted if Rachel hadn’t chosen that moment to make her return.


“Where the hell have you been?” demanded Rachel as she ran down the stairs and into the living room. Fury was written all over her face.


Azazel didn’t seem fazed though. “Hell is a pretty good description.”


“Were you on a mission or were you just indulging yourself?” asked Rachel angrily. Her face was red with her emotions.


“I do not believe that that is any of your business,” said Azazel mildly. “Besides, I can ask you the same question. Where were you last night?”


That simple question seemed to stop Rachel in her tracks. “I –“


“You were not trying to follow me, were you?”


Rachel seemed unable to answer. Her face was still reddish, but now Shoryu was sure it was from embarrassment.


Azazel turned to Faye and said, “Well, is anyone going to introduce me to my guests?”


Faye sat up straight and said, “This Shoryu Fukomachi and Alexandra Seijuro Hiko. They are from a different dimension.”


Shoryu saw something flicker across Azazel’s face, but it was gone before he could determine what it was.


Azazel turned his gaze to Shoryu and their eyes met. “The Gatekeeper.” Azazel cast a stern look at Rachel and then said, “I am not surprised to see you here.”


“Why do you call me that?” asked Shoryu.


Azazel put a firm hand on Rachel’s shoulder and gently propelled her to sit beside Faye. Then, he took a seat on the single seat couch. “The celestial plane has been buzzing with the news that a dimensional rift had occurred. The news was so vital, that Archangel Michael contacted me directly instead of using his normal methods. I had to interrupt my mission to investigate. However, by the time I reached the area, all I found were Nephilim footprints and Lilin ashes.” Azazel looked directly at the two teenaged girls and said, “You two wouldn’t happen to have had anything to do with that, would you?”


Faye and Rachel looked uncomfortable and didn’t respond right away. Shoryu saw this and spoke up, “They saved me and Lexi. You can’t blame them for that.”


Azazel sighed deeply. “I appreciate you speaking up Shoryu, but this is more complicated than you think. Lilith is not going to be happy that three of her children have died, and she will be even less happy when she finds out who is responsible.” Azazel seemed to be staring at Rachel as he spoke.


Faye leaned forward in an unconscious attempt to block Rachel from Azazel’s gaze. “It’s not her fault Az. The battle happened so fast, if we didn’t take out those Lilin first, they could have killed Rachel and I.”


Azazel looked interested in this and said, “Can you show me how it happened?”


Faye nodded and closed her eyes. She held up her hands and a transparent bubble appeared. Images appeared inside the bubble and as Shoryu strained his eyes to see, he recognized a miniature version of himself and Lexi. The images showed Lexi drinking his blood followed by the arrival of the Lilin. He could hear tiny voices, but could not make out any words. The scene shifted to where he and Lexi had been forced outside. A flash of light blanked out the images momentarily. When the light faded, Shoryu could see two new figures – Rachel and Faye – appear and attack the Lilin. The rest of the battle progressed as Shoryu remembered it and the images ended with another flash of light.

 

[ERecTile]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]There was silence in the living room as everyone waited for Azazel to say something. Azazel looked directly at Rachel and said, “Your sword form is terrible. If that Lilu had not been distracted by your sword, you would be dead now and I would have to look for you all over again.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel’s face had almost regained their paleness, but at these words, she flushed red once more. “That’s all you have to say?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel ignored her and turned to Lexi. “My compliments on your sword technique Madam Vampire. It is not easy to kill Lilin with conventional weapons.” To Shoryu, Azazel said, “I believe I recognize you now. Advent technology runs through your veins doesn’t it?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu was startled at this question. All his life, he had simply thought of the alien race that had created the zoanoids and the Guyver bio boosted armor as the Builders. The Advents was a name that the zoalords had used to describe the Builders. “How do you know?” he asked somewhat shakily.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel leaned back and said, “You come from a dimension that the Celestials do not control. If we did control that dimension, we may have prevented the madness that infected your world. We would never have allowed the Advents to land and carry on their vile experiements.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rather than clarifying Shoryu’s mind though, Azazel’s statements served only to confuse Shoryu more. “The Celestials? Who are they?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel sighed and looked around the room. “Faye, can you field this one? I need to change out of my clothes and grab a quick shower.” Azazel got up and left the living room and made his way upstairs.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu turned his attention to Faye and waited expectantly. He didn’t have to wait long.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The Celestials are a race of immortal beings,” said Faye with an intent expression on her face. “I mentioned religion earlier and to some extent, most of the religions of the world are based off the Celestials. In simplest terms, although the truth is a little more complex, they exist on the Celestial plane which consists of Heaven, Hell, the Abyss and the Nexus. The Nexus acts as a balancing point between Heaven and Hell while the Abyss is something else entirely. God rules in Heaven and Satan rules in Hell.” Faye paused and looked around to see if she had lost anyone.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Who rules the Nexus and the Abyss?” asked Lexi.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]No one rules the Nexus…or maybe it’s more accurate to say that the Nexus rules itself. It is simply there. As for the Abyss, well, only those who have been there can tell you anything about it.” Faye shuddered momentarily and then went on. “Az is the only known being to be cast into the deepest parts of the Abyss and make it out again. Other beings have been in the Abyss but none as deep as Az. The Abyss changes you…it makes you…” Faye looked as if she were looking for a word and eventually said, “It makes you darker.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When Faye didn’t say anything for several moments, Shoryu asked, “So are there Celestials in every dimension?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye gave a visible shake as if she were waking up from a daydream. “What? Oh no. Not really. The Celestials have access to many of the dimensions, that’s why you will find references to them practically everywhere. Their influence in the dimensions varies though. For example, in this particular dimension, their influence is very strong. Heck, this dimension is practically their battleground. That’s probably because of the Nephilim though.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu tried to digest this information but found that there were still too many pieces missing. It felt as if his mind were going round and round, trying to conceive of multiple dimensions and immortal beings that could travel through them. A thought suddenly occurred to him and he voiced it right away. “How many dimensions are there anyway?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye shrugged her shoulders and said, “Beats the heck out of me. I can’t travel beyond this one so I don’t really care. I have enough trouble just trying to live my life in this one dimension; I don’t need to go borrowing trouble.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]But you said that the Celestials have access to the dimensions. How do they travel? Why would they be interested in me?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]At that moment, Azazel returned into the room. He had changed into regular clothes that consisted of faded jeans and a grey shirt. He sat down once more on the single seat couch and addressed Shoryu’s question. “The only sure way to travel the dimensions is either through Heaven or Hell. To do that, you have to appeal to either God or Satan. Another way is to go to the deepest part of the Abyss. There, you will find dark pathways that link the dimensions together. Of course, you will also have to go through thousands of powerful hungry creatures that want nothing more than to consume you. And lastly, you can travel the dimensions accidentally via the Nexus. Sometimes, when large amounts of energy are released in the Nexus, a rift can open and you can go through. Not for long though, because when the Nexus recovers from the rift, it will pull you back. The Nexus’s sole goal is to maintain the balance.” Azazel shifted in his seat and then turned his attention to Lexi. “That is how you came to be in fact.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi looked startled at this revelation. “What do you mean?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel gave her an apologetic grin. “Legends of vampires, werewolves and grisly ghouls are common in many of the dimensions. Some of these legends came about because low level creatures that live near the top of the Abyss have managed to escape ever so briefly. Some of the legends are based upon Lilith and her many excursions out into the dimensions.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I do not understand,” said Lexi with a confused expression on her face.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I am sorry,” said Azazel. “I will start further back. Adam was the first leader of the early humans in this dimension. Eden was the city from which he ruled. His first wife, Lilith, was not content to be nothing more than a baby making machine so she left. You may have heard stories about how she was cursed by God, but they are false. Something happened to Lilith but no one knows for sure. Much of the world at the time was still raw and filled with magical energy so it is possible she was exposed to magical energy in its rawest form. She became a powerful being. With the help of Satan and his demons, she learned to create a race of creatures that thrived on blood. This new race was almost as powerful as the Nephilim, but they had one major flaw. They could not abide sunlight and would die instantly if exposed to it. In addition to creating this race, Lilith also gained several powers. One of the powers that Lilith gained was the power to enter dreams. Using this power, she tricked Eve – Adams second wife – into opening Eden’s gates. When the gates were open, Lilin attacked Eden with her army of Lilin and destroyed it.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You will sometimes hear of Lilith being described as the Queen of the Night or the Queen of the Damned. Both of these are quite accurate. You see, I think Lilith has been in the Abyss, and it is there that I believe she gained her powers.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]So she is like you then?” asked Lexi.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel shook his head. “Not quite like me. I am an angel after all. No, I believe that Lilith stayed on the outer edges of the Abyss, but she was there long enough for it to have changed her. Remember, this is my speculation though. No one but her really knows the truth, and she has never told anyone, not even me.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]So you know her personally then?” asked Lexi.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You bet he does!” exclaimed Rachel. She was glaring at Azazel who seemed to be trying his best to ignore her.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I have dallied with Lilith once or twice,” said Azazel mildly. “Anyway, another of Lilith’s abilities is to cross the dimensions in spectral form by entering people’s dreams. From these dreams, she has created many of the dark horrors that scare people in the night. Once, with my inadvertent help, she managed to cross physically into your dimension Alexandra.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi looked startled. “My dimension? Why?”

 

[ERecTile]

“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I do not know why. At the time, I was busy fighting off a horde of demons in the Nexus. My battle and the subsequent release of energy opened a temporary rift. It was not until I saw Lilith slip through that I realized that the ambush and battle were all carefully choreographed by Lilith herself. Shortly after her visit, your world gave birth to both vampires and werewolves.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]But why? Why would she want to visit my world? Why infect my world with monsters?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I do not know,” said Azazel wearily. She would not tell me. In fact, after the Nexus pulled her back, she disappeared and I did not hear from her for a very long time.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel lapsed into silence. After several seconds went by and it was clear that he was done, Rachel suddenly yelled, “Tell them the rest Az! Tell them about your deal with her!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel frowned at Rachel and said, “That deal was for your protection. I am getting a little tired of your attitude Rachel. If you have something you want to ask me then ask it. If you have something you want to accuse me of then make the accusation. Otherwise, I will not tolerate your rude behavior in front of my guests!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel jumped to her feet and glared at Azazel. She raised her hands ever so slightly and then dropped them to her sides. Without another word, she stormed upstairs.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye rolled her eyes theatrically and said, “There she goes again. You should just tell her Az and be done with it.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel glanced and Faye and said, “It is not the right time. She would not believe me. She has certain preconceived notions about me, and nothing I say or do will change them yet. As she grows older, the bond we have will grow stronger too and in time, she will realize the truth on her own.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu cleared his throat and said, “I’m sorry, it’s none of my business, but that didn’t make any sense at all. Weren’t you married to her at one point?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel nodded and said, “A marriage between Celestials is different from a marriage between mortals. A marriage between Celestials means that we bind our souls to each other and this bond is everlasting. In her current incarnation, Rachel has no memory of this bond but it is growing stronger as she gets older. This bond is making her be attracted to me on a spiritual level, while on a physical level, she is repelled by me and my nature. Added to this is the knowledge that I earned my fall from grace due to my carnal interactions, and even if I tell her the truth that I have not interacted with anyone since I found her will not convince her of otherwise.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye let out a contemptuous snort and said, “If that’s what you really think Az, then you really don’t know Rachel as well as you think.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What is that supposed to mean?” demand Azazel.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye shrugged enigmatically and said, “It is not the right time. You will realize the truth on your own.” Faye laughed at the expression on Azazel’s face and then said, “Ok, one of the reasons that Rachel is so mad at you is because of that business last year.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]But I explained all of that to her!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She’s a woman Az!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel sighed and turned back to Shoryu and Lexi. “Three years ago, I found Rachel in her current incarnation. Just before I found her though, I had one last affair with a human woman. A year after I found Rachel, Faye gave the soul killing Chalybian back to Rachel. Soon after that, Lucifer – Satan’s second in command - hired Lilith to neutralize this threat. Lilith’s choice of weapon was a human woman who dreamt constantly of the mysterious man she once had an affair with in a long forgotten hotel. Her dreams gave Lilith the chance to control the woman’s actions, and last year, this woman managed to track me down to our last home. I think it was Lilith’s intent to form a rift between Rachel and myself, so that Rachel would leave my protection on her own. Once away from me, and without full access to all of her powers, she would be easy prey for Lucifer and his demons. Lilith didn’t want to confront me directly, so she tried to act behind the scenes. I hunted Lilith down and after I killed a number of her children, she decided to talk. I persuaded her that she really didn’t want to fight me, and so she abandoned her mission. Although in this particular battle we are on opposites sides, most of the time, she and I are neutral in the Great War. So, we agreed not to attack each other again during this battle.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel, of course, didn’t take kindly to this at all. I think she thinks that I should have killed Lilith right then and there. She is also angry that because of that woman, we had to move from our last home, and Faye had to persuade her adopted parents to move with us.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Not only that, Rachel thinks that you’ve restarted your dalliances with Lilith,” said Faye.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How can she think that? Is it just because I wouldn’t destroy Lilith? Lilith is the closest thing I have to a contemporary. We have been lovers, and we have been friends over the millennia more often than we have been enemies. Why can’t Rachel understand that?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Because she is a woman,” said Faye as if that simple statement explained it all.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu cleared his throat and said, “I’m sorry, that is one hell of a fascinating story, but I think we’re a little bit off topic. Why is Lilith so interested in me?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel looked at him and Shoryu felt as if he were under the gaze of a demanding teacher who was waiting for him to come up with the answer. Suddenly, Shoryu smacked his forehead. “I’m the Gatekeeper aren’t I?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel said nothing but Faye was grinning from ear to ear.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You said that Lilith explores the dreams of people in other dimensions and than once, she even managed to break into Lexi’s dimension. She wants me because I can open a rift between the dimensions on the mortal plane, right? That means that the Nexus cannot pull her back.” Faye was nodding encouragingly as to prompt Shoryu to put the final piece in place. “But why? Why does she want to open a rift?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye’s expression fell and she huffed out a breath of compressed air. Lexi suddenly smacked Shoryu on his shoulder and exclaimed, “Do you not see it my love?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]See what?”



[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi tried not to sigh and said very slowly, “That is because you are not a woman. Women are very protective of their children. What does any mother want for her children? A safe secure home.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu felt a series of chills run down his back. “She wants me to open a rift so that she can find a new home for her children!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel nodded sternly and said, “If you do that, you will condemn that particular dimension to an eternity of night.”

 

[ERecTile]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chapter 9 – New Discoveries


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]At some point, during the course of the day, everyone in the house grew hungry - everyone, except for Lexi. She watched with mild amusement as her new companions ordered some pizza and devoured it as soon as it arrived. Even Rachel’s foul mood lessened somewhat with a stomach full of pizza. After the pizza, she and Shoryu took turns in telling their respective stories. Rachel and Faye listened in rapt silence while Azazel interjected a few times to ask pointed questions. The story exchange probably would have gone on for much longer if both Lexi and Shoryu had not started to show their fatigue.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When Azazel noticed this, he immediately apologized and directed Rachel and Faye to set up the spare bedroom. Lexi and Shoryu took turns in the shower, a fact which caused Lexi some amusement. However, when she brought it up, it seemed that Shoryu had some odd sensibilities about engaging in activities that might insult their host. Secretly, Lexi was sure that Shoryu’s sudden sensitivities had more to do with the presence of strangers than manners but she kept her observations to herself.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She had sensed Shoryu’s initial discomfort when Azazel had first arrived. She wasn’t sure how, but she knew that Shoryu was feeling both awe and jealousy. The awe she could understand, but she had not understood the jealousy until much later. Was Shoryu really jealous? The thought almost made her want to smile. The whole courtship was coming along quite well!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi and Shoryu undressed and snuggled into the surprisingly comfortable bed and slept in each other’s arms with the afternoon sunlight trying to reach past the closed blinds.

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]---​

​

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi awoke first. The house was quiet and the sunlight beyond the blinds had a distinctive reddish hue. She sat up carefully so as to not wake up Shoryu. On the dresser in the guest bedroom, she found two sets of clothes. The two sets were identical, but one set was obviously for her since it was slightly smaller. The material of the clothes was dark, stretchy and supple. She pulled on the top first and then the pants. She didn’t need a mirror to know that the clothes fit her almost perfectly.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She opened the door of the room quietly and stepped outside. She could hear faint sounds and as she concentrated on them, she realized that the sounds were rhythmic double beats. At first, she was perplexed as to what the sounds were, but then she heard soft breathing sounds, and realized that her new friends were asleep and the rhythmic double beats were the sounds of their hearts beating. She concentrated some more and found that she could distinguish three different heart beats and surmised that it was likely that Azazel had left the house. One of the heart beats seemed especially strong and Lexi felt her own heart skip a beat when she realized whose it belonged to. It had been a very long time since Lexi had been in love, and she was finding that she enjoyed the experience immensely.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She walked softly down the hall and then down the stairs. She kept on going and ended up in the basement. Her sword was exactly where she had left it, on the table beside Rachel’s Excalibur. She took a moment to admire Excalibur before picking up her own sword. She lovingly pulled the sword out of the saya and then rested the saya on the table. She adopted a guard stance and let her body flow into well practiced movements.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Some very strange things had happened in the battle. First of all, she had flown – not just glided, but actually flown. The next thing was her body dematerializing to avoid damage. This particular ability was double strange because not only did her body dematerialize, but her combat outfit had dematerialized too. Good thing too because if it hadn’t, Lexi would have ended up butt naked in the middle of the fight! Whatever that particular ability actually was, it was obvious that she could extend it out past her own body. The third strange thing that had happened during the battle was her sword – or more accurately, the attack she had made with her sword. She had missed the giant by several feet, but her attack had gone on to wound the giant. How had she done that?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She swung her sword in a flat horizontal arc. As she swung, she concentrated on the edge of the blade as it sliced through the air. She could not discern anything out of the ordinary.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Are you trying to duplicate the attack you made on the giant?” Shoryu’s voice broke through Lexi’s concentration and she looked at him in surprise. She had been concentrating so hard that she had not even noticed his approach. He was wearing the other set of clothes that had been on the dresser.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yes,” said Lexi. “How did you know?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu shrugged and replied, “I don’t know. It just seemed that way to me.” Shoryu walked over to one of the side walls and stopped in front of a weapons rack. On the rack were several swords of different styles. He picked out a slender sword and pulled it out of its sheath. It had a double edge and a sharp point. He touched the edge gingerly and said, “Hey, this sword is sharp!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Of course it is,” said Lexi patiently. “One cannot learn to truly appreciate the way of the sword if one does not learn to respect the blade.” Lexi adopted a low guard stance with the point of her sword pointing down. “Come my love, will you dance with me?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu looked at her with an incredulous expression. “Are you crazy? I might hurt you with this!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi snorted in derision and said, “If you can touch me with that sword, then I deserve to get hurt.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu looked at her carefully and said, “Good point.” He picked up another straight sword off the rack and pulled it out of its sheath. Then, he took a position several feet away from Lexi with both swords held in front of him. “Ready when you are.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Suddenly, Shoryu lunged forward with his left sword aimed low and his right sword aimed high. Lexi stepped into his attack, parried his left sword with an upward backhanded diagonal slash of her sword, pivoted on the ball of her foot and thrust her left shoulder into Shoryu’s chest.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu bounced backward and lost his grip on both of his swords. He touched his chest where Lexi had hit him and grinned sheepishly. “Ok, I deserved that one.” He picked up his swords and attacked once more. This time, he came in carefully. He feinted with his right sword while moving in a rough circle. He was completely unprepared when Lexi batted his right sword aside and couldn’t bring his left sword up in time to block. Lexi’s sword rested carefully on his neck.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That is one for me my love!” Lexi backed away and this time, adopted a high guard stance.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu charged in with a high attack followed by a low attack with his left sword. Lexi dodged the first and parried the second and then drove in again for another point.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Two!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Do body blows count?” asked Shoryu mildly.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Sure,” said Lexi nonchalantly.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]In that case, make it three in your favor for that first attack.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi frowned and was about to ask why when Shoryu threw his swords down behind him.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Come on Sexy!” said Shoryu with a silly grin on his face.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi gave herself a mental shrug and silently promised not to hurt Shoryu too much. She lunged in with a straight thrust, intending to stop at the last possible second. She didn’t get the chance.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu’s left hand swept down and pushed on the back of Lexi’s sword. While Lexi’s eyes were following this amazing block, Shoryu’s right palm smacked her in the middle of her chest. The blow was not quite hard enough to hurt, but it stopped her in her tracks.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That is three to one Sweetie!” Shoryu grinned happily.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi grinned back. She feinted a high blow, but was again surprised when Shoryu stepped in, hit the side of her sword with the back of his right hand while his left crossed in front of his body and hit her right elbow. The blow to her elbow made her do something she had not done in over two hundred years: she dropped her sword.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It didn’t hit the ground though. Shoryu continued his movement and caught the sword with his left hand just before it hit the ground. He backed away and brandished the sword like a trophy. “Does that count as a point?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi narrowed her eyes. “How did you do that?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu reversed the sword and offered it back to Lexi. “Weapons in my hands distract me. I was trained in unarmed combat by Tibetan monks who taught me to alter my time sense.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi took her sword back and raised an eyebrow. “Time sense?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It’s like being in a meditative trance but not quite. I guess the best description is to call it a combat trance. I’ve practiced it so long that I can slip into it at will, but if I have something in my hands that isn’t a part of me, I get distracted.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How does it work?” asked Lexi. She was truly intrigued!


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It’s two parts actually,” said Shoryu. “First, I see your attack as if in slow motion. I see your sword and I also see the set of your body so that I can tell if the attack is real or a feint. Then I predict where your sword will be and move my body accordingly. Here, let me demonstrate. Attack me with a vertical slash.” Shoryu backed off a step and raised his hands to chest level.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi lunged forward and her sword came arcing down. Shoryu slapped his hands together and caught her sword between his palms. Shoryu gave her a boyish grin and then backed off.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi stared at him in amazement. “I have never seen anything like that before!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It’s even better when I’ve bio boosted. Not only does the Guyver armor protect me, it speeds up my natural reactions too. I might even be able to block you when you’re attacking me at full speed.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That simple statement shocked Lexi. It was true that she had not been using her full speed, but she had not realized that Shoryu knew that. It was almost as if Shoryu could tell what she was thinking!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]They heard footsteps and looked towards the stairs as two separate feet appeared. “What’s all this racket?” asked Rachel and she reached the ground. “Oh, working out, eh?”

 

[ERecTile]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye appeared from behind Rachel and took in the scene. “Can’t work out if you don’t have any music!” She walked over to the far wall and flicked some switches on the stereo system there. Right away, a slow haunting beat reverberated through the basement.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel frowned and said, “Not so loud!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Why not? You said yourself that Az had left the house.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi tuned out the teenagers because she was surprised to find that she recognized the tune. Some things did indeed seem to cross the dimensional boundaries. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the haunting piano intro. When the first verse came up she sang with it.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I hear the ticking of the clock
I'm lying here the room's pitch dark
I wonder where you are tonight
No answer on the telephone
And the night goes by so very slow
Oh I hope that it won't end though
Alone”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]All conversation stopped in the basement as all eyes turned to her. She knew this subconsciously but didn’t care. Like falling in love, singing was something that she had not done in such a long time, and for some reason, it felt right to do it now. The music suddenly blared for the chorus as she sang:


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She felt Shoryu approach her and opened her eyes. She could see open admiration on Shoryu’s face and could feel his approval emanating from him.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You sing like an angel, “said Shoryu quietly.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Before Lexi could reply, Rachel suddenly turned off the stereo. Her face was flushed and her eyes were wet. She looked around the room with an apologetic expression and said, “I’m sorry. I only listen to that song when I’m by myself.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi could sense the young girl’s embarrassment and approached her. She gave Rachel a hug and then looked into her eyes. “That song touches you does it not?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel could only nod her head sadly. Lexi followed her intuition and her growing sense of the other girl’s feelings. “It reflects how you feel about your guardian, right? You love him, but he does not return your affections.” Lexi did not fully understand it, but she found that she liked the young girl very much and felt compassionate about her plight. It had been a very long time since Lexi felt young, but Rachel reminded her of what it was like to be young.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel suddenly started to cry and leaned on Lexi’s shoulder. “I do love him! I love him so much that it hurts. But he refuses to see me as more than a child! He’s always going on these missions, and I know that they’re dangerous because I see the condition of his clothes sometimes. Anything that can get through his defenses to actually damage his clothes is pretty damned powerful.” Rachel pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes. “But he won’t let me help! He won’t bring me on any of his missions! He’s risking his very soul every time he goes out. He’s not affiliated with Heaven anymore so he’s vulnerable here. I can help him! I really can! But he won’t let me!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You’re wrong Rachel,” said Faye compassionately. “He does love you.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Like a child!” cried Rachel.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye shook her head and said, “Some loves have to be tempered by time and maturity, but when they bloom, they form an unbreakable bond.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel sniffed but didn’t respond. Instead, she said to Lexi, “You do sing amazingly well. Do you think you could teach me?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi was a little bit startled by the request. “I have been singing since I was a little girl, but I have never taught anyone.” When she saw the downcast look on Rachel’s face though, she quickly said, “But I would like to try, if that is what you want. I owe you for saving Shoryu and I and I always repay my debts.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel’s face brightened. “I would like that very much. Az sings really good too. He used to sing to me…” Rachel’s expression darkened as she said, “He doesn’t sing to me anymore…not since…” She trailed off with a faraway look on her face and shuddered involuntarily.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye tried to brighten the mood a bit by saying, “At least you have a voice that’s good for singing Rachel. The most I can do in this body is croak!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel smiled and chuckled a bit. “But you can dance!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye gave a nonchalant shrug and said, “Hey, I’ve been many things over my many lives. I’ve picked a few things up.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu cleared his throat and asked, “Rachel, does your stereo have a karaoke function?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yes, why?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Can you play that song again but without the vocal part?” Shoryu touched Lexi’s shoulder and whispered in her ear, “I have an idea. Can you sing again, but this time, sing from your heart?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi gave him a quick peck on the cheek. She had a good idea what Shoryu was planning. “Faye, can you darken the lights except for one spotlight?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye nodded and then frowned, “What’s on your mind?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu left Lexi’s side and talked quietly into Faye’s ear. Faye’s expression softened as she listened and then she nodded. “Ok, I’ll do it. You’ll take your cues from me?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu nodded and then walked upstairs. Faye darkened the lights as Rachel looked around her with a perplexed expression. “What’s going on? What’re you guys doing?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shush Rachel and just sit back and enjoy the show,” said Faye with a wink. She stood under a spotlight and then waved her hand at the stereo. Once again, the haunting piano tune started up. This time, the only vocal was Lexi’s voice.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I hear the ticking of the clock
I'm lying here the room's pitch dark”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye mimicked the movements of a clock while showing a sad lonely expression on her face.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I wonder where you are tonight
No answer on the telephone”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye moved her body as if she were dialing an imaginary phone as she scanned an invisible horizon as if to search for someone.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]And the night goes by so very slow
Oh I hope that it won't end though
Alone”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye swayed gently to the music, as if moved by an unseen wind. As the music picked up with the sudden beat of drums and additional instruments, a dark form suddenly appeared near the light.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye stayed in the spotlight, her head and eyes vainly tried to keep track of the shadowy figure that was dancing around her, inches away from the light. Every now and then, the figure touched the light with a hand, or a foot but the moments were fleeting.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You don't know how long I have wanted
to touch your lips and hold you tight”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye stepped out of the small circle of light and briefly chased after the dark figure before returning back to the light.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You don't know how long I have waited
and I was going to tell you tonight
But the secret is still my own
and my love for you is still unknown
Alone”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye danced and twirled her body in the circle of light. Every now and then, she would dip out into the dark. Whenever she did, the dark form would slide into the light. Lexi almost lost her place in the song when she saw the sad longing expression on Shoryu’s face. The music moved into the chorus and Lexi felt some wetness in her eyes and she sang from her heart.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you
And now it chills me to the bone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone
How do I get you alone
Alone, alone”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Throughout the chorus, Faye chased Shoryu in and out of the light in a seemingly endless chase. Whenever they left the light and slipped into the darkness, it almost appeared as if it were Shoryu who was chasing Faye as their bodies twirled and twined around each other. Faye ended up alone once more in the centre of the light. As the last note faded, Shoryu’s darkly clad arm lingered for a moment on Faye’s shoulders before disappearing into the darkness, leaving Faye looking dejected in the middle of the spotlight.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The silence that followed was broken by the sobbing of a lonely child. Faye waved her hands and the lights came back on. She rushed over to Rachel and enfolded into a hug. “Shhh…hush little one. I know. I know.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi approached Shoryu. Her eyes were moist with the emotions she was feeling and she could feel Shoryu’s emotions reflecting back at her. She pulled Shoryu into a crushing embrace. “You dance magnificently my love. You have been alone for a long time, but you are not alone anymore.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu wrapped his arms around Lexi and said, “You too have been alone for far too long. I am here my love. You will never feel alone again.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi leaned in and kissed Shoryu passionately and lovingly. They pulled apart when they heard Rachel say, “What they have…that’s what I want.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]And you will have it Rachel. I promise,” said Faye with a strange timbre in her voice.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel looked at her in shock, “You…You just made a binding promise!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye gave her a reassuring smile and said, “Hey, you promised to keep Armaros away from me. The least I can do is to reunite you with Az. Believe me, I have the much easier task!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We will help too, for as long as we are here,” said Lexi. “Sometimes love can happen in the heat of battle when a bond between warriors is formed. Other times, it needs to be nurtured and tempered until it is unbreakable.” She looked back at Shoryu and words were not necessary to describe the bond she had with him.

 

[ERecTile]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chapter 10 – Dreams are Doorways


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu dreamt. He was a little boy who seemed to always constantly chase after his father.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Daddy!” His father, tall and imposing ignored him.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Guyver!” The light blue armor of Guver I encased his father, masking his face from the ten year old Shoryu. The cold hard bug like eyes was actually more familiar and comforting than his father’s usual expressionless face.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Daddy!” cried Shoryu.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Guyver I again ignored him and leapt up into the air and quickly disappeared from sight. Shoryu fell to his knees and cried. Strong arms wrapped themselves around his thin chest and a warm voice spoke in his ear. “Shhh, little one. Your father is off to battle once more.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He hates me!” declared Shoryu. “He wishes that I was never born!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The man who held him turned him around and Shoryu was looking into the kind round face of his uncle. “That is not true Shoryu. He loves you very much. That is why he goes to fight. You are the only part of your mother that is left to him.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu rubbed his eyes and said sadly, “Uncle Tetsuro, why did mommy have to die?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]For a moment, a painfully sad expression crossed Uncle Tetsuro’s face. “Your mother loved you too much to let you die. She knew that if she carried you to term, there was a chance that she may not survive the delivery. No mere mortal can survive giving birth to a Guyver.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I killed mommy?” wailed Shoryu. Fresh tears sprang from his eyes.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Uncle Tetsuro hugged him tightly. “No, don’t ever think that! My sister knew the risks and she accepted them.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Then why does my father hate me? He never talks to me and he hardly ever looks at me!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Uncle Tetsuro wiped Shoryu’s face clean and then sat down on the ground and pulled the boy down beside him. “You’re father has had a very tough life. He has been fighting this war for almost all of his life. He’s lost his own father, his wife, and countless other friends.” Uncle Tetsuro’s looked at the horizon and his expression was unreadable. “For a while, everything seemed as if it was going fine. He had won a great victory after coming back from the dead. He had merged with the control medal of an alien starship and it made him powerful enough to challenge the Zoalords.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Uncle Tetsuro paused and seemed to be lost in thought. Shoryu nudged him to get his attention. “Then what happened? If he was more powerful than the Zoalords, why didn’t he kill them all?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]His uncle took off his large round glasses and wiped his eyes before replacing them. “He lost the power.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lost it? How can he have lost it?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We don’t know Shoryu. We only know that he lost it around the time your mother died.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu processed this information and his young mind leapt to the most obvious conclusion. “It was my fault wasn’t it? I killed Mommy and Daddy lost his will to fight!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Uncle Tetsuro looked crossly at him and said, “Don’t say that! No one blames you for your mother’s death. It wasn’t your fault. You were just a baby! My sister knew that there was a 50/50 chance that you would be born human.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu didn’t say anything for several moments. All of his young life seemed to be filled with people telling him that it wasn’t his fault that he was born as a Guyver. That it wasn’t his fault that his mother had died as a result of trying to give birth to something that was so much more than human. None of it mattered though, because he knew the truth: He killed his own mother. He saw the sad expression on his beloved uncle’s face and tried to change the subject. “What’s going to happen now?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Uncle Tetsuro sniffed and blew his nose into a handkerchief. “We’re going to go into hiding for a while. I know of an old monastery in Tibet. We should be safe there.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu wrinkled his nose. “A monastery? There won’t be any kids there my age!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Uncle Tetsuro smiled. “There’s a school not far from the monastery. There’ll be plenty of kids there too.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu perked up. “Really?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yes. My friend who lives there even has a daughter around your age.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ewww, a girl? I’m not going to play with girls!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Uncle Tetsuro tilted his head back and laughed out loud. “Someday, you’ll be glad just to be able to speak to girls. Don’t worry, you’ll like my friend’s daughter. She’s rather sweet and cute.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu shook his head in disbelief. “What’s her name?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Uncle Tetsuro gave him a sideways glance, as if to gauge his interest. “Her name is Miyu.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Uncle Tetsuro’s face blurred and faded away and Shoryu groaned in his sleep. His subconscious mind reacted to the name and images flitted back in forth in his restless mind. Something like a soft hand touched his mind, and caressed his thoughts.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shhh, easy…rest…show me more…”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu’s agitation eased and a new dream began. A young girl’s voice was calling his name.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu! Shoryu!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Eleven year old Shoryu glanced back at the young girl who was running towards him. He quickly turned and ran as fast as his feet could carry him in the other direction. What was wrong with that girl? Why wouldn’t she leave him alone?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He jumped from the forest path and ran down a grassy hill. At first, he managed to navigate through the thick brush, but then suddenly, his foot tripped on an exposed branch and he was sent sprawling. What had been a classy escape from a pesky girl became a headlong fall down a hill that was growing more and more slippery.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The next thing he knew, he was staring up into the worried face of the very girl he had been trying to escape.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Are you ok Shoryu?” asked the girl. Her hand was caressing his forehead.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu frowned and brushed her hand away. “I’m fine. I’m just taking a nap Miyu.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Miyu smirked and said, “Oh really? You just decided to take a nap in the mud?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu sat up painfully and realized that he was in the middle of a large pile of much, several feet away from a trilling creek. His clothes were ripped and dirty and he knew that he was going to get a scolding from Aunt Natsuki again. “Yeah, so what?” He tried to get up but slipped in the mud.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Miyu giggled and offered her hand. “Come on and get up! Here, let me help you. You know, if you only paid more attention in class you wouldn’t have fallen like that.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]If you weren’t chasing after me, I wouldn’t have fallen!” snapped Shoryu. “What do you want anyway?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Miyu shrugged and said, “The monks say that you haven’t shown up for your lessons lately and your aunt asked me to find you.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Those classes are boring. All we do is sit there with our eyes closed!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Miyu giggled. “You’re not supposed to close your eyes silly. You’re supposed to look at the hourglass as the sand falls.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It’s sand and it falls! What’s the big deal?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Miyu giggled again and said, “You’re supposed to imagine the sand slowing down and stopping.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That’s impossible!” exclaimed Shoryu. “No one can stop gravity!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You’re not supposed to silly!” Miyu picked up a glob of mud and hefted it. “Here, dodge this!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu looked dumbly at Miyu as she threw the mud at him. Before he could even think to dodge, the mud splattered against his chest. “What’d’you do that for?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Miyu giggled and danced away. “Try and hit me back. If you can hit me, you get to kiss me!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I don’t want to kiss you!” Shoryu could feel the blood rushing to his face as he said this though and wondered secretly what it would feel like to kiss the cute girl. To hide his embarrassment, he bent down and cupped his hands together. He scooped up some mud and shaped it into a mudball. Miyu was standing a few feet away from him and her eyes appeared to be half closed. He grinned and threw the mudball with all of his strength.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Miyu swayed to the side and the mudball flew by her. Shoryu frowned and scooped up more mud. The second mudball had the same zero effect as Miyu swayed away from it.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Stand still!” said Shoryu angrily. She was only a few feet away, why couldn’t he hit her?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Miyu batted her eyes at him and said, “Why Shoryu, you really want to kiss me that much?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That’s not true! I just want to get you back for hitting me with mud!” Shoryu tried throwing to mudballs at once but Miyu deftly sidestepped. “How’re you doing that?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Miyu giggled at him. “If you would only pay attention in class, you would know silly! It’s called a time-sense trance. I can see you move in slow motion but you’re such a klutz that I don’t think I even need to use it!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A klutz?!” Shoryu suddenly charged forward. Miyu’s eyes widened in astonishment as he tackled her. Shoryu lay with his body half on top of the girl and he triumphantly said, “Who’s the klutz now?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Miyu reached up and cupped his face. She expertly placed a wet kiss on his lips. Shoryu sputtered and pushed himself away. “Ewww!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Miyu giggled again and said, “There’s another class in ten minutes. Hurry up or you’re going to be late!” She turned and started to climb back up the hill.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu stared at her as she climbed and touched his lips gingerly. The kiss hadn’t felt all that bad at all.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That is right, little one…show me more…let me in…”

 

[ERecTile]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu groaned in his sleep once more. More images flew through his mind. For the most part, they were memories of a happy time in his life. His subconscious knew the ultimate ending though and a part of him resisted the natural progression of the images. The gentle hand that was caressing his mind shied away from the unpleasant memories because the emotional trauma from them could cause Shoryu to awaken prematurely.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Inside of his mind, Shoryu started a new dream. This was a new dream, and not one of his memories. He was walking down a long dark corridor and he was calling out someone’s name.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi! Lexi, where are you?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]His voice echoed down the corridor but there was no response. “Lexi!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu tried to make out details of the corridor, but his eyes wouldn’t adjust to the darkness. Up ahead, he could barely make out a dim light. He hurried up his pace and ran towards the light. As he got closer, he could see that the light was coming from underneath a large wooden door. “Hello?” he called out. There was no response. He knocked on the door but his knocks sounded flat. “Hello?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]From behind the door, a voice that was unmistakable female answered, “Come in.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi, is that you?” cried Shoryu. Anxious about Lexi’s wellbeing, Shoryu grasped the door handle and pulled. The heavy door opened easily and Shoryu stepped inside.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He found himself inside a large room. There were thousands of lit candles all over the room. In the centre of the room was a large round pool of black water. Arising from the water like a water nymph was a woman of indescribable beauty. She was completely naked with high proud breasts, a narrow waist and wide hips. Lush lips arched into a smile as she walked towards him.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Greetings Gatekeeper. I have been waiting for you.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Where’s Lexi?” demanded Shoryu. He fought to keep his gaze above the mysterious woman’s neck and tried to ignore her voluptuous body.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She is not here,” said the woman. “But I am here, and you are here.” She stopped in front of Shoryu and caressed his sweaty brow with a soft cool hand.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu felt his blood burn from the touch. For some reason, the unknown woman aroused within him, a lust that was almost overpowering. His body reacted in the most obvious of manners.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The woman glanced down and smiled a feral kind of smile. Her other hand reached down and caressed Shoryu. To his dismay, he realized that he was completely naked too. The woman’s hand encircled his erection and began to tug at it. Shoryu could feel his willpower slipping away as he allowed his body to follow the mysterious woman.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Who…who are you?” asked Shoryu in a shaky voice.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The woman leaned in and planted a deep kiss on his lips and said, “I am Lilith.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Behind Shoryu, the heavy wooden door slammed shut.

 

[ERecTile]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi jumped out of the bed that she shared with Shoryu. She looked around but found that she was alone in the room. Where was Shoryu? Had it been all a dream? She shook her head. No, it couldn’t have been. Somehow, and she didn’t know how, Shoryu was in danger.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi pulled on the dark outfit that her host had provided and rushed out of the guest bedroom.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi hurried down the hallway and knocked on Rachel’s door. “Rachel!


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi? Are you awake?” Rachel’s voice was coming from downstairs.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi rushed down the stairs. In the living room, she found both Rachel and Faye sitting on the couch. The TV was on and they were watching something on it.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu’s gone!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Both girls suddenly snapped to attention. “Gone? What do you mean gone?” demanded Rachel.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He’s gone!” said Lexi. “I woke up and he wasn’t there!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye frowned and said, “We’ve been down here for a couple of hours. We didn’t see anyone come down the stairs.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel closed her eyes for a moment and then said, “The wards on the house are still intact. Nothing got in or out.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye looked carefully at Lexi and noted the wild look in her eyes. “Tell us what happened.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi shook her head in an attempt to shake the cobwebs out of her mind. “I am not sure. I just woke up with the feeling that Shoryu was in danger.” Lexi closed her eyes and said, “I think I was dreaming…Shoryu was walking down this long dark corridor, calling my name. Then he went into this room and started talking to this woman.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye and Rachel exchanged a glance and then Faye said, “Describe this woman.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She was naked and beautiful. She made me feel desire for her, even though I do not have those sorts of tendencies.” Lexi opened her eyes and stared at the two girls. “Who was she?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel looked disgusted and said, “Lilith!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye looked disgusted too. “Damn it! I underestimated her!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi frowned and said, “Wait, are you telling me that Lilith has kidnapped Shoryu? How?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel smacked her head with her hand. “Damn it! Dreams! Dreams are doorways for Lilith.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye said, “That’s why she didn’t trip on any of the wards. That does it. Rachel, you have to call Az!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Why? He won’t help us against Lilith!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Maybe not directly, but Lilith has taken away a guest of his house. He has to do something!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel touched the gold angel pendant that was hanging from her neck and cried, “Az, come home!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Nothing happened right away and Lexi asked impatiently, “How do I find Lilith?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Both Rachel and Faye shook their heads. Just then, a dark portal appeared in the middle of the hallway and Azazel the Dark Angel stepped through.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What has happened?” he demanded. “I was just about to zero in on Afrael.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lilith has kidnapped Shoryu!” exclaimed Rachel. “Do something!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel arched an eyebrow. “I cannot confront her directly. I will not destroy her.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Then what are you good for?” demanded Rachel angrily.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi put a hand on Rachel’s shoulder and addressed Azazel directly. “She has taken Shoryu away while he was under your protection. Surely this means something, even in this dimension.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel gave her a small rueful grin. “Yes, it does and it puts me in quite the quandary.” He addressed all three women and said, “My pact with Lilith means that I cannot act directly against her and she cannot act directly against me. But that does not mean that I cannot do anything.” He turned from them and commanded, “Follow me!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi followed the Dark Angel as he made his way to the basement. Rachel and Faye brought up the rear. In the basement, Azazel went directly to the table where Lexi’s katana and Excalibur were resting. Without a word, Azazel drew Lexi’s katana from the saya and held it up for Lexi to see.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How attached are you to the appearance of this katana?” he asked mildly.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi stared at the katana that had been by her side for so long. She briefly thought about her old sensei, and the circumstances that had led up to her owning the ancient sword. “I love that katana, but I love Shoryu more.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel nodded and said, “Good answer. Beautiful though this katana is, it is not enough for the battle that you will soon wage. Though it is a true masterpiece, it is far too fragile.” Azazel spoke several words in a strange language and his face furrowed in concentration. Dark sparks flashed around him and sweat beaded his face. A dark circle appeared in front of him and he raised his hand and plunged it and the sword into the dark circle. He held the katana for several minutes before withdrawing his hand from the dark hole.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel gasped in alarm as soon as she saw his hand: it had shriveled into a mockery of a hand. “Az! Your hand!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel took the sword with his left hand and smiled reassuringly at Rachel. “I will be fine in a moment. This human body was not made to withstand the rigors of being submerged in The Pit.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]True to his statement, Azazel’s hand slowly regained its original form. Azazel presented the sword to Lexi. The blade of the sword had turned completely matte black. “Deep in the Abyss, there is an even deeper well. They say that this well sinks all the way down to the bottom of the Abyss, which is why we call it The Pit. The fluid in The Pit is lethal to anything that touches it. I have bathed your katana in this fluid.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi took her sword back from the Dark Angel. She studied the black blade and shivered as she felt the dark powers that were swirling around in it. “Thank you Dark Angel,” she said formally. “If you could please tell me where I can find Lilith, I will be much indebted to you.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel gave her a thoughtful look and said, “I just may call in that debt!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi shrugged nonchalantly as if it did not matter to her. Rachel clapped her hands together and said, “Great, now that you’ve got yourself a weapon, let’s get going!” Rachel was about to reach for Excalibur but Azazel blocked her. “Get out of my way Az!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]No,” said Azazel firmly. “If you waltz into Lilith’s domain, she will kill you. The same goes for you Faye. She does not forgive anyone easily for killing her children.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She can try to kill me, but she’s gonna find that hard to do if I kill her first!” said Rachel angrily.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You are not strong enough to challenge her,” said Azazel.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel looked into Azazel’s face and saw no way to budge him. She looked imploringly at Faye.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Faye caught the look and said, “Uh uh. No way Rachel. Lilith could eat me for breakfast without breaking a sweat! Not even at the height of my power could I hope to beat her and her Lilin army!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]So you’re just going to send Lexi in alone against her?” said Rachel to Azazel.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I have given her a weapon almost as powerful as Excalibur. What more would you have me do?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel glared at Azazel for a moment and then ran up the stairs. She returned shortly after a couple of minutes and handed a dark bundle to Lexi. “Here,” she said. “Az made this for me a long time ago.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi took the dark bundle from Rachel and let it unfold. It was a long black hooded cloak. Rachel said, “It will protect you from the dark and it has some other powers that I was never able to unlock.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Are you sure?” asked Lexi.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rachel shrugged. “Heck, I couldn’t travel the dark pathways without freaking out, even while wearing it. The only way for me to conquer my fears is for me to confront them.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi thought she saw a sad look cross Azazel’s face as Rachel spoke but it was gone before she could be sure. “That cloak will grant the wearer the ability to open portals into the dark,” said Azazel gravely.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi grinned sardonically. “I am an eight hundred year old vampire. The dark holds no mysteries for me.” She slipped the cloak over her shoulders and pulled the hood over her head.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Just before I came, I was tracking Afrael,” said Azazel. “When Rachel and Faye told me that my son was in league with Lilith, I was concerned. With an ancient Nephilim on her side, Lilith can become a force to be reckoned with.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Afrael is the giant that attacked Shoryu and I?” asked Lexi.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel nodded.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I may have to kill him,” said Lexi.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I would consider it a favor if you do,” responded Azazel. When Lexi looked at him in surprise, he said, “If you kill him, you will give him the chance to reincarnate and start fresh.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi nodded and took her saya from the table and stared once more at what her katana had become.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]All powerful swords have names,” said Azazel. “What will you name yours?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi thought about it and then said, “You once called Lilith the Queen of the Night.” Lexi addressed her sword as if it were alive and said, “I will call you Yabun Kiru.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Azazel nodded approvingly. “Nightslayer. A fitting name. I would ask that you not take that too literally. While I do not agree with her methods, I do understand Lilith’s motives.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I will try to not hurt her too much,” said Lexi with conviction as she slammed Nightslayer home into its saya.

 

[ERecTile]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chapter 11 – Love Will Find a Way


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi stepped out of the dark portal and emerged in the middle of a jungle. There were gigantic trees all around her and the resulting canopy created by the leafy branches blocked off most of the dimming sunlight. Azazel had opened the portal for her so she had absolutely no idea where she was.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It didn’t matter though. There was a flutter in her heart and she had the unshakable feeling that Shoryu was close by. She examined her surroundings and noticed several large human shaped footprints indented into the ground. She had a pretty good idea who had made those footprints!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She checked her katana. It was hanging from a European style sword harness on her left side. She had opted for the side harness rather than her usual back harness because her cloak would have restricted a fast draw from a back harness.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]While keeping her senses alert for any traps, Lexi began to follow the footprints. Even without the footprints, it would have been easy to follow Afrael’s path. He had stalked through the jungle without a care for anything in his way. His path was littered with broken trees and dead animals.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The sun was almost completely set when Lexi came across a large cave entrance on the side of a small mountain. It was almost completely pitch black inside of the cave, but Lexi’s vampiric vision could make out some details.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The sides of the cave was rocky and uneven, but about one hundred feet in, the walls and the floor suddenly became even and smooth, as if someone had carved the inside of the cave. As Lexi progressed deeper, she kept listening for heartbeats. She was unsure about her new ability, and she was unsure if her enemies even had heartbeats, but it was all that she had to rely on.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]After what seemed like hours, Lexi arrived at her destination. There was no way it could have been anything else. Twin massive metal doors blocked the path. She could not think of anyone else who could have put those doors there. Her enhanced vision picked up strange symbols that had been drawn into the metal. She had a funny feeling that something bad would happen if she tried to open the doors.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]So, she didn’t. She dematerialized and walked through the doors. On the other side, she was presented with a vast circular chasm. The only way down was a path of stairs that followed the circumference of the chasm. Again, she had a feeling that taking the stairs would be a bad idea, so she jumped off the edge instead.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Before her most recent evolution, she and other vampires like her had the innate ability to float gently down from high places. She had only known of one vampire who could actually fly. Since her evolution though, she became much more than a vampire. She still was not sure exactly what she was, and what she was capable of, but at least flying was no longer an obstacle.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As she flew down, she sensed strange heartbeats. She pulled her cloak tight around her and hoped that it was enough to camouflage her from the Lilin guards.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It was. She spotted several guard outposts dotting the path of the stairs. In the guard posts, she could see at least three Lilin. She remembered the three Lilin that had attacked her and Shoryu and figured that the number three must have some significance for the Lilin.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi decided to learn a little more about her enemy. She hovered outside a guard post and studied the Lilin inside. As she had noticed earlier, this particular guard post had three Lilin. She listened for the heartbeats and after several minutes, could distinguish between the three individuals. Then she matched the heartbeats up to the voices that she could hear. As with the group that she had fought with before, the group inside of the guard post consisted of one Lilu and two Lili – one male and two females. The Lilin spoke in a language that Lexi didn’t understand but she understood the bawdy nature of the laughter that reverberated from the guard post. Like humans, it appeared that the Lilin also appreciated a dirty joke!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi continued her descent. So far, there had been no sudden increase of heartbeat pulses around her so that she was relatively certain that her invasion was still undetected.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Eventually, she touched ground and she took several moments to scan her situation. She was at the bottom of the chasm and there were several Lilin heartbeats all around her. None of the heartbeats were close to her, but several of the heartbeats were just beyond the set of metal doors that she could see in front of her. The faint thread of Shoryu’s essence was also coming from beyond that door.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How should she handle this? Burst through the door with katana drawn? She had no doubt of her ability to kill many of the Lilin, but could she kill enough to allow her to reach Shoryu? If she could, would she be in any condition to fight Lilith?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The cloak that Rachel had given her had served her well during her descent. Perhaps it would do so once more. Lexi pulled the cloak around her and willed herself to dematerialize. She floated several feet off the ground and approached the double doors. She took a deep breath and then floated through the doors.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]On the other side, she was surrounded by hundreds of Lilin – none of whom were in the least bit interested in her. In fact, none of the Lilin even seemed to know that she was there. They all went about their business, totally unaware of the strange being that had invaded their home.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As for their business, Lexi was shocked at what she was seeing. Some part of her had assumed that being monsters, the Lilin would be engaged in monstrous activities. That was not the case.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She found herself in the middle of what looked like a medieval market square. The Lilin traveled in groups of three and they wandered from one vendor stand to another. Even the vendor stands had at least three Lilin selling wares. If it weren’t for the fact that all the denizens of this realm all looked like savage winged monsters, and the fact that there was no sunlight, Lexi would have thought that she was in a village of the middle ages.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi floated through the market square. In the distance, she could make out a large structure that resembled an ancient castle. She started heading in that direction. As she moved deeper and deeper into the village, she noticed that the wares that some of the vendors were selling became more and more out of place. One vendor was selling human watches, while another vendor was selling live rabbits. One vendor was selling puppies and another was selling kittens. Nothing that Lexi had seen thus far seemed monstrous in the least.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Before she knew it, Lexi was past the village setting. She floated up the long winding path and passed through the castle gates. Once more, she was greeted by a market square environment, but this time, the wares that the vendors were selling were more in line with Lexi’s preconceived notions. The main items on sale here were humans.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Humans of every size and shape were kept in pens all over the market. Lilin trios wandered around the market, examining the humans as if they were fresh produce. One vendor even offered prospective buyers a free taste test where a human male had been stripped naked and was bound to a large X shaped frame. The proprietor of the shop would make a cut along the man’s arms and prospective buyers lined up to taste his blood. Lexi looked at the man’s face closely and could see no sense of awareness in the man’s face. He was staring stupidly in front of him, completely ignoring the activities around him. He would wince in pain every time the proprietor cut his arm, but would make no other sound.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi started to pay more attention to the other humans in the market. All of them had the same blank expression. She felt a cold chill run through her body as she realized that these humans were probably born and raised like cattle for the purpose of consumption by the Lilin.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rage flared through her. How dared they? In her dimension, there had been strict rules and codes of conduct for the vampires that prevented this type of thing from happening. The Coven had been more interested in learning to coexist with the humans and fighting the war with the lycans. Occasionally, a vampire would break the rules and prey on the humans. These vampires were always quickly captured and brought to justice. Most of the vampires had subsisted on cloned human blood, and some like Lexi, had preferred it due to the lack of blood memories in cloned blood.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]But this! This was beyond barbaric! If there was a God like the one Faye had described, how could He allow such an abomination to exist?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi shelved her anger and continued into the castle. She passed several pathways and rooms, but kept her course locked in on Shoryu’s presence. She came to a set of magnificent doors and paused. Shoryu’s presence was just beyond the doors. She could also sense several Lilin heartbeats, a single giant heartbeat that thundered in her mind, as well as one other unidentifiable heartbeat. That last one, she decided, had to be Lilith.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi steeled her nerve and floated past the doors. Inside, was a great hall with a huge, long dining table. Seated along this table were dozens of Lilin. On the far end, was Afrael, the giant. He was standing behind a large throne-like chair, and seated on this chair was a beautiful woman. Standing on the right of the woman was Shoryu.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi felt her heart skip a beat. She had found him! With luck, maybe she would snatch him and be out of this nightmarish realm without anyone knowing that she was even there.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As she drew closer though, the woman on the throne looked directly at her and said, “Welcome child. I have been expecting you.”

 

[ERecTile]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]eyes stared at her. Lexi saw anger, contempt and outright hatred in many of the Lilin faces.

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]One of the Lilin stood up and barked out commands. In seconds, the doors behind Lexi burst open and hundreds of Lilin rushed into the great hall and surrounded her.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Now, now children,” said Lilith in a placating tone. That is not the way to treat our guest.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You knew I would come?” asked Lexi.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lilith tilted her head towards Shoryu and said, “His dreams are filled with images of you. Other than his past, he doesn’t dream of much else.” Lilith suddenly laughed and said, “Of course, now that he has met me, he doesn’t dream much of you anymore!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Release him!” shouted Lexi.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Release him? Whatever for?” Lexi touched Shoryu’s shoulder and slid her hand down his body. “Do you want to be released boy?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Shoryu stared straight ahead and said in a monotone voice, “No, mistress.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]And who do you love?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You, mistress.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi spat onto the ground and said, “What have you done to him, you bitch?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The crowd of Lilin around Lexi muttered angrily and surged towards her. Lilith’s authoritative voice rang out: “Stop!” The crowd of Lilin backed away.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi used her left hand and lifted her saya into a horizontal position. Her right hand hovered over the tsuka. “How many of your children are you willing to lose?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Bold words from a mongrel!” said a Lilu that pushed his way out of the crowd. He was flanked by two Lili.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The Lilu made a gripping motion with his hands and Lexi suddenly felt invisible chains bind her body. The two Lili sauntered over with evil smiles on their faces.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Children, stop!” shouted Lilith from her throne.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]This mongrel had the gall to invade our home, Mother. I am going to taste her blood!” said the Lilu.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The Lilu who had cast the binding spell was about twenty feet away from Lexi. Lexi struggled against her bonds but unlike before, she actually managed to move ever so slightly. She could move! She was stronger now. Maybe even stronger than the Lilu!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She imagined herself breaking free and applied the full force of her will. She felt the bonds break and had time to see the shock register on the Lilu’s face just before she drew her katana. The Lili on her right died in the same stroke that she used to draw her katana. Lexi let her body follow the swing of the blade, spun around in a full circle and cut the second Lili in half. As she spun back to face the Lilu who had tried to bind her, Lexi swung a vertical slash and focused her will on the edge of her blade. Twenty feet away, the Lilu suddenly split into two pieces as if he were cut right down the middle. The pieces fell away from each other and turned into ashes.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi returned to a guard position as she surveyed the Lilin crowd around her. There were shocked and angry mutterings, but no one else attacked her.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]ENOUGH!” cried Lilith.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The Lilin around Lexi parted like a wave and a path opened up. Lilith was standing up and anger was written all over her face. “I really do not like it when my children are killed, even if it is one of my descendents who is doing the killing.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi smirked and said, “So what? Are you going to kill me now?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lilith waved dismissively and said, “No, but Shoryu here will.” She patted Shoryu’s back and Shoryu stepped forward several steps.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Guyver!” The Omega Guyver armor encased Shoryu and the black suited figure extended two sword-like blade from above his wrists.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi looked desperately at Omega Guyver and shouted, “Shoryu wait!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Omega Guyver ignored her. Suddenly, something Lilith had said registered on Lexi. She looked at Lilith and shouted, “What do you mean descendent?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lilith smiled enigmatically and Lexi was suddenly forced to defend herself as Omega Guyver charged. She blocked one of the hypersonic blades with her katana and had to dance out of range as Omega Guyver swung the other blade at her. She had seen what those blades were capable of, and knew that she couldn’t let herself be cut by them. A single glancing blow would be enough to dismember her.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A faint glow on Omega Guyver’s head was all the warning she got. She dematerialized just as a brilliant laser beam flared out towards her. She heard a painful scream and knew that whoever was behind her was not so lucky.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]They were stalemated. Omega Guyver could not hit her while she was dematerialized and she could not hurt him in return.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Unfortunately, Lexi was not the only one who realized this. Lilith raised her arms and chanted in an unfamiliar language. Purplish light flared from her palms and suddenly, Lexi was no longer insubstantial.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi ducked and rolled as Omega Guyver’s hypersonic blades hit the ground where she had been. She blocked another blow and silently thanked Azazel for transforming her katana. She knew that if Azazel hadn’t, her beloved katana would now be in pieces thanks to repeated blows from those hypersonic blades.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi also knew that she could not stay defensive forever. Eventually, Omega Guyver would get a lucky break and she would wind up dead. The problem was, she was not sure of how much damage Omega Guyver could take. She loved Shoryu and didn’t want to hurt him if she could prevent it.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She feinted with a low blow and then dashed in with high lunge. Maybe she could incapacitate him! Just before her blade point reached Omega Guyver though, she felt more than saw vibrating waves emanating from Omega Guyver’s mouthpiece. Her thrust was stopped by these waves and the vibrations transferred through her sword, into her body and repelled her back. Damn it! She had not known that he could do that!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Omega Guyver pushed his advantage and charged forward. Lexi was off balance and couldn’t bring her katana up to block in time. She did the best she could. She rotated slightly and hoped that she survived the next microsecond.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Her cloak followed her body’s movement and interposed itself between her and Omega Guyver’s attack. Omega Guyver’s hypersonic blade hit the edge of the cloak and bounced away. That had been unexpected by both combatants!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lexi immediately saw that she had a slim chance. She danced out of reach once more, pulled the cloak around herself and willed it to open a dark portal. The cloak closed in around her and she vanished from sight.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]An instant later, Lexi opened the cloak and reappeared behind Omega Guyver. He was still staring blankly at the place where she had disappeared moments before. Lexi flung her cloak around Omega Guyver. At first she thought that it wouldn’t be big enough to cover both of them, but the cloak magically extended to accommodate the extra person. Lexi willed the cloak to become a dark portal once more and the two lovers vanished.