Whitney Writes…

He watched her with trepidation. His instructions had been made very clear. She was to remain on the path, but she was never to reach the end of it. It was intended that she toil away here, wasting her days at redemption – not knowing she was meant to be seeking redemption – searching for the end of a path that she was never meant to find. It was the fate of all mortals who died in a dubious manner.

There was a growing feeling inside him that he could not shake. A feeling that this was wrong. She had not died in the manner of the others who had been to this place before her. What was that word the mortals were always using when they begged to him, pleaded with him for their freedom once he made himself and their situation known? Fair. This was not fair.

“Careful, Malakles,” purred Zenith from beside him. “Thoughts like that will get you into trouble.” He had not heard his fellow Demon approach and he chastised himself for having let his thoughts wander out of his control in her presence. She purred, shaking out her feline shoulders, causing the small black ruff to smooth back down around her neck and along her spine. Her ebony wings settled back along her sides. “Relax, brother,” she said again. Her dark red eyes slid down to watch the mortal woman Malakles had been watching. “Still fascinated by that one?” she asked curiously, inclining her head.

“She keeps getting closer to the end of the path than any of those before her,” said Malakles softly.

“You’re letting her get that close?” Zenith sneered.

“Leave it, Zenith,” he snarled.

It was Zenith’s turn to bristle. “And how are you righting her?” she snapped, “When this mortal gets so close to the end of the path, the end she is meant never to find, how do you prevent that from happening?” Her ruff was beginning to stand back up, along with the fur along her spine, all they way down to her tail.

“I manipulate the path,” Malakles said. He could feel his own ruff and fur along his spine beginning to stand on end.

“You do not reveal yourself to her?” The disdain in Zenith’s tone was sharper than her fangs. And he knew her fangs were sharper than any mortal blade.

“I do not wish to frighten her.”

“Careful, little brother,” Zenith snarled with a hiss, “I can only protect you so far, and I will only tolerate so much disobedience. You are approaching a line you cannot come back from.”

He recognized her warning for what it was, a threat. They may be siblings and share a bloodline, but Malakles knew Zenith would never hesitate to remove him if he got in her way or threatened her own position. He would have to be more cautious; while he knew what to expect if he crossed his sister, Malakles was not certain what she would do if he directly disobeyed their orders. He had never loved a mortal before.

Love? This was not love. He did not even know what love was, he was a Demon. Malakles recoiled from his own thoughts. He could sense Zenith seething with fury beside him. Of course she had heard.

“You disgust me, Malakles,” she growled furiously. “Mother should have eaten you the moment you were born.” Zenith spread her wings and took flight without another glance at her brother. She circled overhead. “Fix it,” she spat.

Malakles watched his sister fly away, off to check on other Wardens, no doubt. His gaze then fell down to the mortal below. Her face was creased with anguish. He felt something within him melting, then breaking away.

This wasn’t right.

Same as Zenith, he took flight. But instead of soaring upward, he glided down. He thought of changing his physical form to something more appealing to the human, but then he heard himself.

Malakles landed soundlessly on the path behind the human. He cleared his throat in what he hoped was not a menacing manner. The human before him froze, then slowly turned to face him. Her eyes were wide with fear. He regretted everything.

“You do not belong here,” he said finally. The human flinched away from his voice. “You were betrayed,” he tried again, lowering his voice, “you do not deserve to toil here.”

“Betrayed? Toil here??” Her voice was high with panic, “Where is here?”

“You are in the Wandering Beyond,” Malakles said simply.

Somehow, her eyes widened further. “I’m dead?!?” she cried.

“Not by choice,” Malakles interjected. “As I said, you were betrayed. You do not belong here.”

“Wait…” a new fear was dawning in the human’s eyes. She pointed at him. “You’re Malakles the Destroyer.” She was backing away from him now. “I heard stories of you as a girl… you’re not to be trusted. I know this.”

He shook his head, his ruff fluttering. “I do not want to be like that anymore,” he said. He was surprised how much it stung to hear her say that of him. To call him by his true nature. His former true nature. “This is not what you mortals call fair.”

“You don’t say,” the human said haughtily. Malakles was losing track of the range of emotions she was portraying.

“I can take you back,” he said quietly. “Return you to your life, set you free.”

“How… how long have I been here?”

Malakles hung his head, feeling shame for the first time in his long, eternal life. “For some time,” he said even quieter than before.

“So everyone I know is long dead.” It was not a question. Her words stung. An accusation.

“I can make it right.” He was pleading. “I can set everything back to just after the event that killed you. You will have made a miraculous escape.”

The human before him squinted at him. “You can do that?”

“Yes.”

“You would do that?”

“Yes,” he said again. “Gladly.”

“What will it cost?” she asked skeptically.

“You, nothing.” Me, everything. But she did not need to know that part. “Get on.” He knelt down, lowering one wing in an invitation for her to climb up onto his back.

The human woman clambered up, nestled safely between his wings. “Whatever happens,” he said to her, “hold tight to me and do not let go.”

“Will…will this be dangerous?”

“No,” Malakles lied. He spread his wings, pumping once, twice, three times before they were clear of the forest that surrounded them. As he soared up into the plane in which he usually resided, Malakles could hear the bellowing of other Demons.

“What is that….”

“Don’t look,” Malakles replied. The Vanguard was made up of Demons that made even Malakles uncomfortable. They were all scales, with too many eyes and too many mouths. “Hold on tight.” He dove and spiraled to evade the Vanguard. When one flew right at his face, he caught it in his claws, tearing it apart. The human shrieked as bit of Demon-matter splattered over his shoulder and bounced off of her. He felt her nestle closer into him.

Another swarm of Vanguard Demons were heading their way, and Malakles found he was losing patience. It was forbidden to use their acid breath on fellow demons, but at this point Malakles knew there would be no redemption from his actions. So he blew it out towards the approaching swarm with zero hesitation. The creatures screamed as the acid came into contact with their scaly skin and they melted until they were nothing more than bones falling from the sky.

He pumped his wings again. “We are leaving the borders of the Beyond,” he called back to the human, “we will be entering the skies of the mortals shortly.” They crossed through the sky barrier sooner than he expected, mere moments after Malakles stopped speaking; a shudder ran through him, but he heard the human on his back make a sigh of… what?

“I am so releived to be out of there,” she said. “The air feels cleaner, purer.”

“You sound… happy,” Malakles said, hoping he had the correct mortal emotion.

“Yes,” she said, “very much so.” She was quiet for some time before adding, “Thank you. I know this will cost you.” He remained silent, unsure of what to say in response. “My name is Elisse, by the way,” she added again.

The remainder of their flight was quiet. Malakles needed to concentrate as he manipulated time around them. He did not want to create a second Elisse, after all. Then it would have all been for nothing.

Finally, he saw the place and landed. The human named Elisse slid from his back, her worn boots hitting the ground with a light thud.

“If you head just up that ridge, you will have appeared to have miraculously risen from where you just fell,” said Malakles, indicating with his snout where Elisse should go.

“I will tell everyone what you have done for me,” she said softly, understanding this was more than just goodbye.

“You will find you will not be able to,” Malakles said softly. “But knowing you will remember is enough.” He gave her a small bow.

“May I?” Elisse asked, holding out her hand to him. He pushed his muzzle into her outstretched palm and she ran her fingers through his dark, iridescent black fur.

“Go now,” he said after a while, pushing her away with his nose. “Live well, Human Elisse.”

He watched her climb up the ridge until she was fully out of sight before he took off. Part of him wondered at just not returning. He was facing the end, either way. Why not die out here, seeing the land of the mortals? He knew the idea was not feasible. A Demon dying out of the Beyond meant not being able to return to the ashes from whence they were born. He did not know what death in the realm of the mortals meant. It could be just as the purgatory was that Demons guarded for mortals.

No, best to return to the Beyond. Face the death he knew was coming. Almost certainly at the hands of his sister. He would not hold it against her, she was merely doing her duty. She had always been a good Demon. A far better one than he had ever been.

He had not always been as soft of heart as he had proven today, but he had been declining in his effectiveness. Had never been quite certain he understood the reasons behind their ways. And questions were not tolerated in the Beyond.

As he returned to the realm of Demons, Malakles saw Zenith awaiting him on the cliffs. Her face dark with fury. He knew the fate that awaited him. Had known it from the moment he had told Elisse he would take her back. But it was worth it; it was right, and she was free.

Inktober 2023, Prompt #3: PATH