When the guards came for Phillip that day, they found Michael standing in the only door way. His anger at what they had done dulled the repulsing powers of their charms and left Michael immovable. None of them really wanted to test his power, despite the chains, so they fetched the same older man. He looked at Michael, seeing the anger and hate seething from his cells. Even he was not that confident. He merely pointed to the youngest, prettiest native guard sent to fetch Phillip. It wasn't hard to guess his fate. He would entertain the Children of Shiraka Mopezzk and most likely suffer their wrath at his failure. When they did not return, Michael sat down and leaned back against the wall. "Wha' are ye doin' now?" Phillip asked, full of curiosity and hope. "I think I have the spell correct. I need to go to sleep, as I cast it. Watch over me. If they come back, wake me immediately." Phillip nodded, and Michael closed his eyes while chanting. In moments, Michael's muscles relaxed, as a deep sleep claimed him. Phillip sat down next to him, watching the door and windows. The old man approached Phillip. "What is your friend their? He kinda looks like a vampire, but no vampire I've seen fights for good and can walk in the sun." "Huh?" Phillip asked surprised. He normally would have wondered why the old man and the two young girls had stayed so calm during the spectacles of Michael's powers, but things had been so crazy, he hadn't noticed. "Who are ye?" "The name's Jeremy Balsbane. I've had my run into demons in my time. I hunted them when I was a bit younger. When my two granddaughters were just five and six, one killed my wife and their father. Thankfully, I was able to kill it with a silver knife before it killed me, them, and my daughter, who is the mother of these two angels. Not a pleasant way to find out demons are real, but after that, I hunted them. Killed quite a few. Your friend doesn't act like any demon I've seen though." "He's....wha' is his kind called.....Visagorum, I think. They are supernatural, but they side with good. A blessin' if ye ask me." "I agree with you. Now that you know who I am, who are you?" "Phillip Callaghan. I'm just a priest. A dear friend of mine is in love with Michael. He was in hell when Michael had to leave to work out some of his problems. I had to get him to come back." The man nodded, and offered Phillip his shirt, which were better than the rags his priestly clothes had become. His torn suit had been just enough to cover his private areas. Phillip accepted the shirt with gratitude. "So what's he doing now?" "He's trying to contact others to get us out of this mess, so we can stop those devils from bringing their demon mother back to life." "By sleeping?" "Those chains suppress 'is magic, but dream spells seem t' be able to slip through. He's tryin' to contact them in their dreams." "I hope he does, father. I hope he does. Why not get some more sleep? You still look pretty rough worn. I'll keep watch." "Thank ye, for the shirt and the opportunity to rest some more." Phillip leaned back, using Michael's shoulder as a pillow. While Jeremy kept close watch on the door and window, Phillip found sleep. Michael entered the realm of dreams, but he retained full control of his thoughts and remembered what he was their to do. What seemed like years of searching the world for dreamers he knew was in reality only minutes. Soon, he found what he was looking for. Elizabeth and Maxwell had fallen asleep a few hours ago, and Michael entered their dreams. It was common enough for the pair to share the same dream. They were living in the past again here, when the world was much younger. It was a time when the three had lived as a family, in a small cottage on the shores of Ireland. Michael walked into the house to see the two and a younger image of himself lounging by the fire. In the presence of Michael, the memory version disappeared. The two looked. "Michael? Is it you, the real you?" Maxwell asked. "Yes. I am in danger, and so is the world. Three demon children have captured me and others. They plan to bring their mother, a demon goddess, back to life. They know how to bind us, but I suspect they are dying out without her. This weakening allowed me to find a crack in the Chains of Astar. I am talking to you in your dreams." "What do you need us to do?" Elizabeth questioned. "I need you to come to me, gather some others of us. I will also be trying to contact the Legacy." "How can we find you?" Michael handed each of them a silver thread which one end was tied around his waist. In the waking world, the threads would be a telepathic beacon for them to follow. He left in search of Legacy members he knew, while Elizabeth and Maxwell faded away, waking up. Searching some more, Michael located Derek's dreams. The precept had obviously dozed off, while trying to focus his sight, because he was still trying to call up his gift in his sleep. Michael stepped onto the plane, causing Derek to jump up. "Michael, how did you get free? I saw the crash in my vision and the evil. Where is Phillip?" "You're dreaming Derek. I'm not really here. This is the only way I could contact you. Demons have bound me from using my magic, but they are dying, so I was able to cast dream spells. They are trying to raise the demon goddess, Shiraka Mopezzk, to renew them and bring their dead brethren back. You must hurry. I have called on my own people, but it will take all the help we can muster to stop them. Phillip is safe for now, but I am weak, bound. Hurry." "I will, but I don't know where you are." "This will guide you. When you awake, it will be a type of psychic homing signal." He handed Derek one of the threads. Derek stared at it curiously, praying it was not just a simple dream inspired by his hopes. Michael pressed his hand to Derek's forehead. Just before he caused Derek to wake, Michael spoke. "Tell Nick, I love him." Derek vanished. His task complete, Michael began his way back to the waking world. He needed to be alert for the threads to work best. He smiled, knowing help would soon be on the way. Derek woke up with a start. He looked down at his hand, expecting to see a thread there. Seeing nothing, he began to think it was nothing more than a dream, until he felt a buzz at the back his mind, pulling him in specific direction. "Derek, what is it? Did you see something?" Nick asked, rushing over. "No. I had a dream. Michael came to me in it. He and Phillip are trapped. Michael's magic has been bound by demons, but he was able to cast dream spells and come to me." "Did he tell you what was going on, or how to find him?" Alex asked. "Both. He mentioned some demon, Shiraka Mopezzk. He said her dying children were trying to resurrect her. Phillip and he are safe for now, but they need help." "Let's go then. What are we waiting for?" Nick said, standing. "No," Derek ordered. "What?" "We can not rush into this. Michael also contacted some of his own people. He would not have done so, unless the danger was extremely great. We need to wait for them and call in back up from other Legacy houses. Alex, I need you to find out all you can about this demon. Nick, I need you to remain calm. Your death will not help Michael or Phillip." "But--*" "No! Just to make sure you wait and don't try to sneak off like your on some mission, I'm not going to tell either of you their location. We wait. I'm going to contact the London House." "Damn you, Derek," Nick cursed. Alex began searching. A couple of hours later, she found what she looking for. Derek called Nick over to hear what she had found. Derek had several Legacy Houses on their way, and they needed all the information they could find. "Ok. I found this is a Legacy journal. It's not vague at points, but I put together the overview of what happened. She was a mortal woman, who killed an angel and absorbed its essence. She became a demon, winged and beautiful, like an angel, but her wings and features were dark, corrupt as she was. She mated with mortal men, producing a thousand demon sons to serve her. She was trying to mate with her sons to become pregnant with the Corrupt Savior." "The Corrupt Savior? The Anti-Christ?" Derek asked. "Bingo. A young, virtuous knight was sent to stop her. Though he was dying from the wounds she inflicted upon him, he struck at her, with a sword coated in his own blood. The blade pierced her heart, slaying her. Her flesh crumbled, leaving only her bones, with the sword forever stuck in her rib cage. Her children began dying without her, one or two a year, but they all can live once more, if she is revived." "That explains why the last of them are so desperate to bring her back," Nick mumbled. "Wouldn't you be? As to how she is brought back, the entry mentions some vague stuff. A holy man, violated like he never had been. A resurrected dark priest, the face of evil who had journeyed from light into darkness, will lead the ceremony. A time that occurs once every thousand years or so, when certain stars align with the full moon, is when its supposed to go down. The details are unknown though." "We know its close, so we must assume that is bound to occur during this full moon, which is tomorrow night," Derek offered. "My thoughts exactly," Alex confirmed. "Whose journal entry is this?" Derek asked, curiously. "The journal belonged to Winston Rayne." "My father?" Derek asked stiffening. Thinking about the events that had recently taken William from them and revealed his father's corruption. "What are you thinking, boss?" Nick asked. "My father knew of this. It's a possibility, that the 'resurrected dark priest' may in fact be--*" "But he was sent to hell, Derek. We all saw William sacrifice himself to do it," Alex interjected. "Yes, he was, but that doesn't mean these demons didn't bring him back. We all need to get on our phones and let the houses that are joining us know what we've learned....and suspect." The sun shown hot and dry the day before the full moon. The prisoners were finally given food and water, though some probably would have preferred not to receive it. It was of very poor quality, mostly some insects, rotten fruit, and a stale bread like substance. After the meal, a large robed figure approached the cell where Phillip was being held. As the man-beast reached the cell, it let the robe drop, revealing its powerfully muscled, horrific body. It was the leader of them. Michael stood his ground, blocking the doorway. "Out of my way, little one. I want the long-hair's mouth once more, before tonight," its mental voice hissed. "No." The demon raked a clawed arm down across Michael's chest, tearing him open, but Michael remained standing. As the pain fueled Michael's anger, his features began to melt away into a bestial visage. It was horror surpassing the demon's own, a fanged beast with long, cruel claws, and a face resembling man, wolf, bat, and cat all in one. As more of Michael's handsome face disappeared, the wounds began knitting at a furious rate. One more moment, and the chest and bone so recently exposed were fully healed. "You will not move me," Michael spoke, his voice transformed into a guttural crack of thunder. "You make more trouble than this is worth, little cousin. Very well, I will not take him in his mouth before the ritual, but you can not hold all three of us off, when the time comes." Grunting the demon, slashed once more, this time through Michael's face, but Michael was so consumed with his hatred for the abomination, the wound closed as fast as it opened. It backed away, angry at its own failure. Though it would never admit it, it also feared Michael, even bound as he was. Few creatures would dare stand against it, and fewer still could do so successfully, while chained and without his or her own magic. As the monster left, Michael's features shifted back to normal. He turned to Phillip and collapsed from exhaustion. The priest caught him, gently laying him down. "Michael?" "Tired....Phillip.....just....tired..." "Then sleep, my friend." Michael closed his eyes, wanting only to be in Nick's arms more than sleep. Soon, a deep dreamless sleep claimed him for a few hours of regeneration. He would need his strength for the battle tonight. Derek, Nick, and Alex met up with five other Legacy Houses and a dozen of Michael's people, including Maxwell and Elizabeth, about noon. Among the reinforcements were the newly restored Cairo House, the Austin House, the Paris House, the New York House, and the Rome House. Many of the members, and all the precepts, had earned formidable reputations within the Legacy, and several of them were good friends Derek had known for years. He greeted each of them, but kept the pleasantries short, as the battle to come was not far off. "My warmest welcome to all of you and my thanks for coming to aid us in such a dire emergency," Derek began, "As many of you have already been informed, we face a threat that is of an incredible magnitude. The remaining demon spawn of an ancient demon goddess called Shiraka Mopezzk are dying. They hope to resurrect her to bring their brethren back and restore themselves to health. The ritual will take place when the full moon reaches its zenith. Our best chance is to attack before they begin. We attack at sundown. "Remember, we must destroy her remains and followers to ensure success. We also don't know how many innocents are trapped there to be used. Their safety and stopping the demon from rising again are out main priorities.....for all of us," Derek added, knowing full well how Maxwell felt towards mortals, "Alex has done a site scan of the island Michael is on. She has mapped out the most likely places where those to be sacrificed are being held, as well as the temple, where we are sure the demon's remains are kept. The houses will break up into teams. Our job will be to rescue those being held and to take out any worshippers we can without causing alarm. Elizabeth, we need you and your people to wait for the signal for a full frontal attack. "When the signal is given, we will leave it up to you to engage the demon spawn and destroy the temple and worshippers. According to Michael, they can not kill you, thus lowering the chance of casualties. Now, if everyone is clear on the basic run through, I'll begin assigning teams and specifics on the plan. Thank you Nick for your expertise on battle strategies." Nick smiled, not feeling so useless anymore. Now, he could help, and soon, he would be doing what he trained to do, engage the enemy in combat. Derek began explaining and detailing the battle plan. This lasted a good portion of the day. Finally, they were left with a couple of hours before the attack. With nervous hearts, they all awaited sundown. Shortly after sundown, a small group of four guards was sent to begin fetching the outlanders to be sacrificed. Being on their secluded island, they feared no attacks, but that didn't stop one from coming. Nick was in charge of this group, leading two from the Cairo House and three from the Rome House. With swift precision, each guard was killed, no sound of warning made. After freeing all of the prisoners, minus Phillip, Michael, and the three with them in the cell near the temple, they were split up into safety groups, each with a Legacy member leading them back to the running boats. Nick hated having to go back. He wanted to save Michael and Phillip, but these people had as much right to life as any of them. Besides, the boats weren't too far. He would be back as soon as he dropped them off. The other Legacy groups, worked their way through the island, checking for prisoners, taking out small groups of guards when they could. Eventually, Derek's group neared the center of the island and got a good look at the temple looming over it, like the unholy pyramid it was. The evil that seethed from it was unmistakable to all, and atop the bastion, surrounded by flames, an enormous skeleton stood, arms open. Her bone wings still stretched open, a position of power, even in death. The sword was still stuck in the ribs. Derek gasped as the full feeling of dark powers hit him, for it was not just the bones and temple which radiated death and destruction, it was four figures which stood upon a stone platform, halfway up the temple steps. Three of them were huge, obviously the demon spawn, but the third was human sized. Peering through his binoculars, Derek watched as the winds through the hood of his robe off, revealing the face of his father, Winton Rayne. "So, father, we play this game out one more time," Derek said, before leading his group closer. Derek conferred over the radios with the rescue teams. Most of the innocents had been taken off the island. Derek looked up at his father one more time, before giving the order for everyone to attack. Winston Rayne stood by the sides of his three demon allies. Soon, when the moon reached the center of the sky, it would begin. The guards should be bringing the sacrifices soon. When they returned, the three would fetch that pretty Legacy priest. What a prize he was! Not only would Winston restore the demon queen and gain immortality, but he would get to take a small amount of revenge out on his son's house for stopping him before. He would infinitely enjoy raping the priest. Then, as the perverse energy it would generate would climax, the throats of the sacrifices would be cut. The blood would run uphill, to make her whole once more, and her three children's combined strength would remover the sword, awakening her. Winston was just musing over all the things he would do to this world, as he heard an all too familiar voice in his head shout, 'Attack!' Looking down he spotted Derek, as well as at least a dozen Legacy members, pour out of hiding. Equipped with firearms, they began cutting down most of the remaining followers of Shiraka Mopezzk in moments. "So my revenge will be complete all in one day!" Winston Rayne intoned, raising his hands high. His invocation was cut short however, as thunderbolts began falling from the sky, striking the temple. Huge chunks of rock fell from the top, rolling down towards the earth below. Winston looked up in the clouds, seeing the Visagorum riding the storms, causing the heavenly attack. He threw a ruby streak of energy into their midst, striking three. Unconscious, they fell to the earth. It would be hours before they were up. Winston was so lost in preparing his next strike, he didn't see a bowling ball sized rock coming for him. His demon comrades shouted a warning, as they were occupied with deflecting rocks coming towards them, but it came too late. Winston was thrown over the side of the altar platform and sent tumbling down. "NO!!!!!!" the lead demon screamed, rushing to the edge just in time to see Winston disappear into the shadowed side of the pyramid. "We may have lost the chance to bring our mother back and live forever, but we will have much company in the grave!!!!!!!" it shouted, before leading its two brothers into battle below. Michael began pacing like a trapped animal, as the battle began raging. His features were shifting into his more dangerous form. Soon, he could stand it no more, his instincts kicking in. His clawed hands began tearing at the walls and door, making deeps cuts. After few minutes, the door had been splintered. Freed, he began to rush outside to join the battle, but not before turning to Phillip. "Take them out of here. Find some Legacy member to get you all to safety." Phillip nodded. He knew it wouldn't be hard to find a member to get them off the island. He just prayed Michael would not let the battle and hatred consume him, as it does to so many. Michael ran towards the temple at an alarming speed. Some Legacy members even mistook him for a demon and prepared to fire, until they saw him slaying the worshippers, not Legacy members. Michael cut through a dozen of them a minute, until the last few began running away. Looking for more enemies, Michael saw one. It was the lead demon, who had just snapped the back of the Paris House precept. Michael ran to him, howling like a demon himself. The beast turned just in time to see Michael leap at its throat. Michael wrapped his elongated hands around the thick neck of the larger creature and began squeezing, crushing flesh and bone. The demon began wildly bucking and flailing about, trying to dislodge his deadly adversary, but the harder it tried, the deeper Michael began digging his claws into its flesh. Feeling its life force slipping away, the monster gave one final try to dislodge Michael, and it succeeded, but Michael had gained such a hold, that he took the head of the demon with him. Dead, the demonic spawn's flesh began turning to ash, before it even fell. When it was nothing but bone, the headless skeleton fell to the earth with a great sigh, the demon's spirit being sent to hell. The bones joined the flesh in ash, for all who watched. Seeing the demon leader die, the remaining two began fleeing, only to have three Visagorum flying after each. They wouldn't last long against such power, but they ran regardless. Nick returned to the scene, just in time to see what his heart knew was Michael thrown over a hundred feet from the demon he had killed. In a matter of seconds, what had been a battle had become an extermination job, the enemy trying to run rather than fight. Nick knew he was not needed anymore for a fight, which he was thankful of, as he ran towards where he had seen Michael fall. He found Michael, impaled upon a dead tree, several branches had gone clean through his chest, abdomen, and limbs. Michael's beautiful features, which had returned, were caked in his own blood. Nick screamed as he ran to him. "Michael!" He quickly began breaking the branches, and gently lowered Michael to the ground. removing the foreign objects that protruded from his flesh. Michael coughed up blood as a branch was removed from his right lung. Nick sighed in relief, seeing Michael's eyes flutter open. "Michael, can you hear me?" "Please......forgive.......me.......so.......sorry......" "It's ok, baby. I don't care about that. I just want you home. Just rest. You're hurt." "Phillip......he......." "He's fine. I saw him and the last prisoners getting onto one of our rescue boats. What about you? I don't know how to help." "I'll.......live.......my.......love......." "Ssshhhhh, just rest." Nick picked Michael up, as gently as he could. Carrying Michael's injured form, Nick made his way back to the nearest rescue boat. On their way back to the main boat, Nick radioed Derek, letting him know all of what had happened. Once Derek was informed, Nick went back over to Michael and cradled his sleeping head in his lap. Despite all the blood and injuries, Michael was still the most beautiful face he had ever seen.
