Arkhelios Adventures
Alon Walton was a demon with conflicting emotions. He, along with many other demons, was summoned to the expansive temple of the Ocean to meet with a representative of Life. Alon had been dead for centuries and didn't see the point in rejoining the living realm by escaping through the Void. His partner and children were here in the afterlife, and they were all Alon needed.
He was still curious about what the servants of Life wanted, which was his main reason for accepting the invitation. The afterlife was often dull for long periods of time, and this was interesting.
Purple eyed demons were somewhat rare compared to the usual red or yellow eyed demons, as they descended from some kind of angelic ancestry. There used to be many ranks of angels, all with different abilities, so each demon spawned from an angel, might have not have the same ability as another demon. Some purple eyed demons were exceptionally talented, and some of them were nearly as powerless as a human.
Alon had experienced death for the first time at the hands of red eyed demons helping reaper trained mortals. His powers weren't aggressively strong for situations like battles. No, his strength was better suited for stealth and deception. Alon could possess mortals or weak demons, controlling every part of them. He could also hypnotize or overwhelm any creature he wanted, but again, that was better done from the safety of the shadows and not in direct combat.
"Hi, my name is Zephyr," a friendly voice announced. Her dark purple eyes sparkled with excitement. "I'd like to welcome everyone to this meeting and thank you all for coming. I'm hosting this gathering on behalf of Lukas, deity of the realm of Life. They have some concerns that they hope you can help with."
"I'm Reyes, I'm co-hosting the meeting on behalf of those who practice dream magic, something Lukas feels is relevant with the dream plague that is ravaging the living world."
"Yes, former King Reyes is here to talk about dreams, but our meeting is primarily about angels and demons," Fiona pointed out, looking irritated that she had to share the spotlight with a mortal. Lukas' orders were clear on the matter, even if she didn't agree with them. "Let's go inside and get started. The living realm needs our help."
Gee sat in his office, listening to the concerns of the afterlife. Just like a monarch, Gee held office hours for the dead to notify him of their problems and ideas. It was something his father had scoffed at, but it was producing results. Most of the meetings he took were easy and uncomplicated. And then there was the matter of Celeste Goldman.
The former queen consort/death cult co-leader was part of the restricted program in the afterlife where dangerous souls were entrusted to family members or volunteers to rehabilitate until they could rejoin the afterlife society in peace. Celeste's father and stepmother had volunteered to care for Celeste, but it had been years and she only seemed to be getting worse.
"Celeste seems to be getting worse. I...I don't think we can be her guardians anymore," Ewan reported. "I love her more than anything, but she's so toxic now. More than toxic, hateful. She is actively cruel to her stepmother, she hates her own mother to the point that I wouldn't trust her alone with Cherry even if both of them were dead. She kept Cherry as a zombie for over fifty years and taunted her daily! This isn't how any decent human being acts, and I don't know how to get through to her. She's highly inappropriate with me just to get a reaction and with Ewan?"
"She gloats about killing him when they were children," Gee said with a heavy sigh. "I've had many conversations with her about her afterlife journey, and they've all concluded the same way. She's malicious and cruel just to hurt other people. I ended her life for attempting to kill me and she spent our last meeting swearing to try it again. She's a challenging case. I completely understand if you're unable to be her guardian any longer. I can reassign her care to someone else."
"I feel like I've failed her, but also, I died when she was eight. If I could have been there for her, I absolutely would have. I love all of my children. I don't understand how she could have been the queen consort of Crystal Cove, and helped lead two covens and still be this hateful and angry. I've never seen anything like it, and I fought in all of my father's wars."
"Has she ever asked about Travis Goldman? I'm told that a sign of rehabilitation is when a soul will ask about their loved ones or their victims. I'm not sure which option Celeste sees her son as."
Ewan shook his head sadly.
"She refuses to talk about him. The only thing she'll say is that he deserves to raised by the brother she killed. That weakness deserves weakness."
"I'll see where I can transfer her," Gee promised. "There has to be somewhere she can be contained until she's rehabilitated. I heard that Lukas has been using Limbo for unruly spirits, maybe that is the best path forward."
"Can I, uh, ask about Travis' other parent?" Ewan asked nervously. "Does she ever ask about her son or Celeste?"
"Charlotte Maricourt? At her last appointment, she was making excellent progress. She's staying with her parents, though who knows if the Maricourts are actually helping her or just helping her pass my tests. They're an interesting, and frustrating family. As far as I know, she doesn't talk about Celeste or Travis, but she doesn't really talk about any of her children, really."
"That's encouraging," Ewan replied. "I get the sense that Celeste blames her for their cult failing, so keep that in her file for if she ever does graduate. I have a feeling that their reunion might not be civil. I feel so badly for their son. When he does die, I hope that those two have themselves sorted out."
"Ewan and Anna take excellent care of him," Gee assured Ewan. "He's extremely loved."
"I'm glad to hear that. I hope more than anything that Ewan will visit us again once Celeste finds a new guardian. I miss him."
"What is this place?" Alon asked, looking around him in awe. "I don't think that I've ever seen this place before and I've been in the afterlife for centuries."
"It's the temple of the Ocean. Very few people will see this place and for good reason." Destiny Reeves answered, appearing out of nowhere, and immediately taking charge of the room. "It's one of the places the Ocean dwells. He's away on business at the moment, and this was the only place the angels would agree to convene."
"What kind of business?" Alon asked timidly. It was horrifying to think that the greatest deity, the one that even Death feared, could appear at any moment and wonder what everyone was doing in his temple.
"He didn't say," Fiona replied. "Just that he would be gone for awhile to oversee the culmination of a project of his. I didn't dare ask what that meant."
"He's tormenting Life and Death," another voice replied. Alon turned to see a being with purple eyes, and black feathered wings. He was like nothing Alon had ever seen. The markings on his face looked ancient, and the demon could feel the power behind those purple eyes deep in his nonexistent bones. It was unnerving to watch him look over the crowd with clear disdain. This had to be one of the angels they were meeting.
"He's watching over Life and Death, you mean," Zephyr Toyonaga corrected him. The angel bristled at being corrected. "Lukas is my grandparent and they're working very hard far away from home. We can help them, just as I'm sure that the Ocean is too."
"The Ocean doesn't help people," the angel hissed, temporarily distracted from the drink in his hand. "He never has. He has a plan for Life and Death, just as he has a plan for Xexys. He's the one who sealed Xexys away in the first place, and he has a plan for him now too. He wouldn't leave that choice up to Lukas or Izanami. Personally, I think he's gone to watch all the chaos of the demon and his plague for his own enjoyment. He does love a show."
"Life and Death are doing what they can," Zephyr insisted. "Their work will make a difference. All the mortals are working to defeat Xexys without the help of the Ocean, and they'll succeed."
The angel gave the demon a weary look.
"I know only one thing about his plans, and that is that it cannot be changed. Something is in motion that will unbalance the order of the universe. Just as the moon has power over the ocean, the ocean seeks power over the moon."
"That...that is not helpful," Zephyr replied. "No wonder no one talks to you angels anymore."
Alon had to agree with Zephyr. Creatures who spoke in riddles weren't exactly helpful in a time when the world needed answers.
"If everyone could assemble in the main stage, I'd like to begin."
Alon and Zephyr followed the sound of Fiona's voice, noting the large crowd of purple eyed creatures gathering. They appeared to be mostly demons, though neither of them really knew what they would be if they weren't demons. Really old demon-angel hybrids? Who knew?
"Thank you all for coming," Fiona said. "Lukas needs our help to make the living world safe for your descendants, or if you're a powerful enough demon, safe enough for you to return to some day. There is a very dangerous plague that is locking the living into an endless dream. Their bodies die without intervention and the soul is trapped in Xexys' web of dreams. We need to find a way to wake up those who have been caught by the plague and a way to do something about Xexys himself. Does anyone have any ideas about how to do that? Does anyone know something about Xexys that maybe Lukas might not know?"
"I was once a doctor," a purple eyed woman in a green sweater volunteered. "I served in the Demon Wars and saw just about every kind of demon there is, aside from the Great Demons or blood demons. Xexys doesn't look like a proper demon. He has no horns or a dark form, so we can't treat him like a proper demon. What kind of demon uses a warped version of dream magic, anyway? Every other demon uses demonic magic."
"Because he's not a regular demon." A woman just as unnerving as the angel in the hall appeared, along with another purple eyed man. There was no denying that these two newcomers were also angels. "Demons are angels who have fallen from the path and embraced a destiny they have made for themselves. They mutated into a lesser form with lesser magic. Xexys was never an angel or a Great Demon or even an angel-demon hybrid. He is and has always been, Xexys, Demon of Nightmares."
"What does that mean?" Zephyr asked. "Is he his own class of demon?"
"Why do you think he was sealed away from the rest of us?" the woman replied. "He's his own species. A mistake made by the Ocean that he was too curious about to kill. It's not surprising that this plague is happening. Xexys was always scheming something and he could never get along with the other demons. He thought he was superior to them, despite him lacking their strength."
"And they thought a team of reapers and a Timelady could contain him," the other angel laughed. "What's a reaper going to do to an immortal?"
"You know why they sent reapers," the woman replied. "He needs living victims to start with and the realm of Death silences the dream he weaves. Life and Death seal the door to that realm and Life and Death are his undoing."
"We can't send Death to Jubilant Accosts," Zephyr said quickly, before anyone else suggested the idea. "Lukas forbids it for reasons they don't need to explain. We could send the Grim Reaper instead. What does he need to do?"
"There's no substitute for Death," the male angel explained. "The magic is old and specific. It must be Life and Death."
"What about a magic user that was trained in dream magic?" Reyes asked. "There's a teenage girl in Jubilant Accosts that my daughter speaks very highly of. Maybe Luna and I could go in Izanami's place."
Both angels stared coldly at Reyes, while the angel drinking in the hall laughed.
"There is no substitution," he said sternly. "Life and Death, not dream magic sorcerers. Izanami was never a coward; why can't he go to fight the dream demon?"
"Because he's sick," Fiona snapped angrily. "As if you guys didn't know about the crisis Death is in! You must know how to fix him. He needs help. No one knows why he's been so sickly."
"Because the Ocean is tormenting him. I've already made that clear. If you won't use Death, I've heard that a blood demon hybrid exists in Jubilant Accosts. A demon able to use Life's most basic magic, and the undead able to reach the magic of the dead in return. It's not a replacement. It won't stop Xexys, but it might slow his plague. Life and Death."
"Stop saying that!" Fiona commanded. "I'm not returning to Lukas with some whispered ideas and the words 'Life and Death' repeated until they've lost all meaning."
"You wanted our help. We convened here for you. You cannot destroy Xexys without the Ocean's consent, and even then, you need Death to stand beside Life. That blood demon and the undead could slow things down, but they can't defeat Xexys on their own. No one can."
"The Dream Guardian needs to be replaced and no matter how clever Life thinks they are, there are conditions to be met, rules to be followed. Dream demon hybrids cannot escape the realm unchecked either. The ability to wield Dream magic is a rare gift that must remain rare. One who wields that magic might be able to lower Xexys' defenses. They can turn his magic against him, even though they can't defeat him."
"Everything was placed in that realm for a reason. The Jacobeans have inadvertently warped their society to favour the Demon of Nightmares. They spurn what was given to protect them. The Ocean does not distribute power to just one person, one group of people. Power is shared."
After their ominous statements, all three angels disappeared from sight, drawing disappointed groans from the audience of demon hybrids.
"That was them helping us?" Alon complained. "Why even bother?"
"It was a little helpful," Zephyr replied. "We know now that Death has to be involved."
"If the Ocean lets Life and Death intervene, that is," Alon pointed out. "And who wants to tell Lukas that their sick husband, who all of us are forbidden to speak to, needs to enter a battlefield in another realm?"
No one in the room looked excited by the idea, especially Fiona, who the task would likely fall to.
"But the people in the realm can stall for time for Izanami to heal," she said. "Those Pleasantview teens might be able to disrupt the plague and weaken Xexys. Maybe they'll lead us to the new Dream Guardian. This is still positive news, even if the work seems daunting. I'll be sure to let Life know about this information."
"So what do we do? Why are we even here?" the woman who had formerly been a doctor asked.
Zephyr immediately regretted not handing out name tags at the door.
"Keep your eyes and ears open for gossip about the situation," she replied. "Reach out to any contacts you may have who might know something about Jubilant Accosts that the angels haven't shared with us. If you can travel to the living realm through the Void, investigate for yourself, ask questions. If you can use dream magic or possession, find answers and report them back to either myself or Fiona."
Destiny made sure to separate herself from the group as soon as the three angels vanished. There was always a fourth angel lurking along with his people, even if he didn't make himself known.
"Keith Tangiela, I'd like to speak with you," she declared loudly. His true name wasn't known to many people, but his daughter knew it. They had had centuries of family issues, disagreements, and drama, but despite it all, there was still a father-daughter bond between them. Keith had always been forthcoming with any information he could provide about her research topics, but this involved the happiness of her favourite deity. This was personal.
A blonde man with black wings and strange face markings appeared before her, looking sheepish.
"Destiny! Daughter! I was hoping that you'd attend this meeting. You're no doubt assisting your stepchild in their quest to correct Yacothia, so it makes sense that you'd be here."
"I'm also the descendant of an angel," Destiny replied. "That should entitle me to some answers to my questions. Your colleagues weren't exactly clear on certain subjects."
"We angels aren't known for our clarity. We have lived long enough to see our species fall, along with every empire on the planet. What we know, isn't always easily understood by mortals."
"I don't need a history lesson, just answers that will help my family. Will Izanami be able to make the journey to Jubilant Accosts? He gets weaker with every passing day. He can't fight Xexys in this condition. Do you know how to help him?"
Keith shook his head.
"That's above even my level. I wish that I knew, but the Ocean doesn't like to share his schemes. I don't think that it's a plan to destroy him, like how the last demonic sovereigns drowned. This is a project that amuses him as much as Xexys does."
"Tell me about the Dream Guardian then. How can Lukas replace him? What was he? Where did he come from?"
"Many beings were sealed away," Keith answered. "Mortals, vampires, werewolves, reapers, and a breed of demon unique to that realm. The Dream Guardian was something else unique to Yacothia. Much like King Reyes' daughter, Luna, he acted as a steward of the dream realm. A demigod for those who practiced dream magic. His death at the hands of one of his own subjects was obscene. Heresy."
"But how do we replace him?" Destiny insisted. "Luna is fairly young compared to an angel. How long did the dream realm sit undefended until she was born? How much longer will we have to wait before someone is born with enough dream magic to ascend to the Dream Guardian's role?"
"That debt will be paid in blood," Keith replied cryptically. "What blood, I cannot say. There are several bloodlines that would satisfy the debt. Perhaps the Ocean will choose one or perhaps it will reveal itself." He paused for a moment to reflect on how much he was allowed to explain. "There is a secret my colleagues wish to keep from you, but if anyone can understand the need for discretion, it's you. It's a shame that you favour your mother's genetics. You would have been an excellent angel hybrid."
Destiny rolled her eyes at the reminder of her genetic inheritance. Her mother had also hoped that Destiny would be an angel hybrid with angelic power, but that wasn't her fate.
"That's never held me back before," she declared. "Tell me what I need to know. I can handle anything even the deities throw at me."
Keith looked torn, but nodded his agreement.
"There was one of my people sealed away in Yacothia," he said quietly. "An angel of enormous power. We don't know what became of her, but she hasn't responded to any of our messages in centuries."
"An angel in Yacothia? Why was she there? Why haven't we heard about her? She was sealed with the reapers and Dream Guardian but there's nothing written about her?"
"She was meant to oversee the experiment of Jubilant Accosts," Keith explained. "Back when there were thousands of angels, it was common for some of them to be assigned to oversee the mortals. Secretly, of course. The reaper and Dream Guardian had to assume that they were in command in order to judge whether interference was needed."
"So there was a spy in Jubilant Accosts. Life and Death didn't know about this?"
Keith shook his head slowly, trying to find the right words.
"Death didn't, but the first Life deity was connected to us in the beginning. He knew. He'd always known."
"So when did this angel lose contact? I need specifics if I'm going to research this," Destiny asked.
"I don't know. No one knows. The destruction of my people had many consequences. My three coworkers were sealed away, unconscious until the second Life deity's second incarnation failed. I lost my memories during a fight with a fallen demon, and had no clue that I was an angel until the others awakened. None of us were able to keep in contact with the angel in Yacothia over the centuries, so we don't know when she disappeared. The only clue we have is a painting of the so-called "Maiden of Jacob". This maiden looks just like the angel we lost, and is described in texts as being otherworldly and powerful. This has to be her."
Destiny filed all of this information away for research later. She and Alex Alocasia-Lane were going to have another award winning paper after researching something this old.
"Is there any lore regarding what became of this maiden? Any friends or associates she might have had?"
"She died. Tragically, if later writings are to be believed. There is no record of her death, just mentions over the centuries of the tragic fate of Jacob's Maiden."
"Any hint of it being related to Xexys?" Destiny asked. Her mind was already fast at work formulating theories. "Is this related to the murder of the Dream Guardian and the other safeguards?"
"I don't know. That will be for you to determine. Please don't mention this to anyone other than your research partner and Life. It's somewhat of a sensitive subject."
Destiny fought against the urge to roll her eyes at this. A lost secret operative that no one knew what happened to? This information could be dangerous in the wrong hands.
"I'll keep it a secret," she promised. "I need more information on the Dream Guardian though. What did the angel mean that his replacement needs to come from a bloodline? Why is a blood demon hybrid able to help curb the plague? I don't understand what any of that has to do with the Demon of Nightmares."
"Yacothia was created under a blood moon. Whatever lurks in the shadows of that land was put there for a reason. It is self sustaining-or it was until it was breached by intruders from this realm. If you find this missing maiden, I believe that will be the key to understanding what's happened to Jubilant Accosts."
"That didn't answer any of my questions." Destiny had played this game before with her father and usually ended up more frustrated than when she'd started. "If you want me to research this for you, then I'm going to need more to go on than your vague descriptions."
Keith looked over his shoulder nervously, just in case his coworkers had discretely returned. If he wasn't allowed to speak of the Maiden of Jacob, then he was absolutely barred from continuing this conversation.
"The Dream Guardian will make themselves known once they awaken, whether they do that themselves or the Ocean does it for them when the time comes. Obviously, it will be someone with the ability to use dream magic, like the demonic spawn of Xexys, or...something else. Some say that the Dream Guardian was made by the Ocean in the image of an angel and there is conveniently an angel missing in that realm. Daughter, I cannot say any more. You will have to do your best with what I have given you."
Without another word, Keith vanished from sight, leaving his daughter with questions she didn't know how to answer.