As we headed towards the Gathering portal at the center of town, I glanced over at the devil walking beside me before letting out a long, exasperated sigh.

"Please tell me you're going to at least attempt to disguise yourself before we reach the portal?"

Lucifer looked at me with confusion. "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with my appearance?"

"Wrong?" I took in his overly handsome features, bright red pupils and his robes made of dark flames. "Yes. You're absolutely hideous and they might not let us into the Gathering."

"Hideous? I feel like someone would have told me before this..." He shook his head. "Are you sure you're not just jealous?"

- Wow, someone is full of himself. Cal muttered in my head. Besides, he can't even begin to compare to my awe-inspiring appearance.

... aren't you a sword?

-A very handsomely crafted sword.

Distracted, I tried to focus on my conversation with the Devil, rather than the silent argument with the magical weapon. "You're too recognizable. Disguise yourself to be a little less... noticeable, please."

Lucifer chuckled. "Fine, little witch. Have it your way." Muttering briefly under his breath, his features roughened up to a more average appearance, his red eyes turning a light brown. Even his clothes changed from the robes of flame to a more sedate grey pants and shirt. "How's this?"

"Passable." I pointed ahead of us. "The portal entrance will be in that abandoned house up ahead."

As we walked down the street, however, I felt a brief familiar sense of danger, and stopped in my tracks.

"What is it...?" Lucifer started to ask, but then paused himself, staring around as if to pinpoint the direction of the threat.

"Something's coming."

"Then stand back, little witch. I'll handle this." Holding out a hand, the space around his fingers tore into nothingness, and a sword of flames appeared in his hand."

"Is that..."

He grinned. "Stole it off an old friend. He won't miss it."

As he spoke, a thunderous roar filled the streets, causing the windows of all the nearby buildings to shatter. The road under our feet buckled, the asphalt crumbling into dust. The air itself seemed thick, making it difficult to breathe.

"Up there, on the rooftops." At my direction, Lucifer stepped up into the air, standing on nothing as firmly as he had on the ground before. In front of him, on top of multiple buildings, stood creatures formed from purple smoke. They were twisted, unnatural, having only the vaguest hint of a bestial shape that constant changed, the suggestion of teeth, claws and horns that disappeared and reappeared seemingly at random. The space around them was warped, the stone buildings disappearing into nothingness where the claws of the creatures gripped it.

My heart began to beat rapidly in my chest. "Chaos magic."

-It really is him. Cal's silent whisper carried the shock I felt. He's back.

But I don't feel him nearby. It's just his minions.

As we spoke the devil had reached the level of the creatures, his flaming sword stretched out in front of him.

"Are you what's been attacking my minions?" He chuckled. "Big mistake. Didn't your little monster parents warn you about getting on my bad side?"

He leapt forward, and my heart stopped as I realized what was about to happen.

"DON'T TOUCH THEM OR YOU'LL BE DESTROYED!"

At my panicked shout he slowed his strike, but before he could pull away one of the smoke creatures reached out and grabbed the sword's blade in its claws. The sword's flames became an enormous pillar, the bright light almost blinding me. As quickly as it flared up, however, it vanished, the sword disappearing into nothingness.

-The chaos magic is strong, Morgan. Cal groaned. It may not be enough to completely destroy the devil's existence, but it could hurt him badly.

"You're right, but if I step in..."

-Don't worry so much about the consequences. Besides... it's been too long since we've had a good fight.

I laughed. "Sure, why not?" Feeling reckless, I called out to Lucifer, who had backed away a few steps, staring at his empty hand in shock. "Stand back, it's my turn, now."

"What? What are you..." He started to shout back at me, but I had already turned away, every ioata of my focus on the monsters made of purple smoke above me. Monsters of chaos magic.

His magic.

SLAP! My palm struck my chest, where underneath my clothes a golden tattoo of an intricate magical circle was drawn. A marking that had been there since I was an infant.

Cal's mark.

A golden blade handle appeared in my hand, pulling seamlessly from my chest, from its resting place deep in my soul.

"Alright friend, its time to have some fun. Keep me from going too far over the edge, okay?"

-Of course.

I stepped closer, looking at the buildings above me. Unlike the devil, I didn't have the ability to stand on air, or to fly in the sky. My magic was only Grade E, limited to random transportation portals and innacurate fortune telling.

Not that I was going to let that stop me.

"Break." I raised my free hand, and at my whisper the power of chaos flowed from my fingers towards the buildings around me. Silent, unseen, nothing changed for a moment before the four buildings surrounding me faded into nothingness. The chaos creatures fell to earth, taking no damage from the fall.

Ten or so of the smoke creatures stared at me, their eyes glowing a bright purple.

-Looks like they recognize chaos magic.

"They don't seem that worried." I muttered, as I stepped closer to the snarling monsters.

-That's because chaos can only hurt structure, order, fate... not its own.

"Then I guess it's good that we're not fighting them with my chaos magic." With a smile, I rushed forward, swinging my sword in a wide arc. Again the creature reached out with a misshaped claw, trying to catch the blade in its grasp as it had done with the flaming sword before.

-Fools The sword swept through it, and it disappeared with a shriek of pain and light.

- Such pitiful low effort magic... did you really think you can stand against the ultimate weapon of fate and order?

"It's too late for regrets." I swung the sword around in a full arc, taking out four creatures at once. Rushing through their disappearing bodies, I struck from behind, taking out two more before they could react.

One of the remaining three creatures roared with rage, purple smoke pouring from its gaping mouth. It leapt towards me, the purple smoke trying to envelop me, destroy me.

"Useless." I held out my left hand, the unseen power of chaos surrounding me. The purple smoke struck against it, before fading into darkness. I swung the sword once more, taking out my attacker as well as the beast beside it.

There was only one left. It eyes blazed with a different color, a pale white, as it crouched low on the ground, a whimper escaping it. It began backing away, whining as I stepped closer, keeping the distant between us constant.

"It's natural to fear the a more powerful force than you." I whispered, as I watched the creature panic and turn around to flee. "Unfortunately, I don't want you going back to Him. Everything from him, of him and around him but be destroyed."

I casually tossed Cal into the air, and the golden blade glowed with a brilliant light as it flew purposefully towards the fleeing chaos creature.

THUD.

The creature was gone, with nothing to mark its previous existence other than a sword now impaled on bare ground where it had once stood. As the world went silent around me, I tried to relax, clenching my fist and forcing my powers back beneath my skin. If I let the chaos magic out too much, it would escape my control, and consume everything around me. It resisted my will, trying to push outwards rather than inwards, but I poured all my energy into suppressing it, until slowly it began to retract.

The sword lifted up into the air, hovering in front of me.

-Are you okay?

I chuckled. "Not sure, I'm a little out of practice at this..." As I spoke, my vision faded into darkness, and I collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

________________________

"Little witch!" Lucifer watched in horror as the young woman who had just taken down ten beasts without blinking an eye turned pale and crumpled to the ground. He flew to her side, reaching out to grab her, when the golden sword she had fought with moved in front of him, blocking his path.

"Go away sword, I'm not trying to hurt your master." He swiped a hand, trying to push the weapon out of the way. A bright light flashed, momentarily blinding him.

"Hmph! You think you can hurt my master? You're lucky she didn't decapitate you when I asked her to!" A man with bright golden eyes and long golden hair stood in front of the unconscious woman, glaring at the devil as if he were a mortal enemy.

Lucifer paused. "Wait... you.. you're a magical weapon?" To have a soul and to be able to take a human form, it would have to at least be a deity level weapon. Even he didn't have something so outrageous. So how did the little witch get her hands on one?

"My name is Excalibur... my friends and master call me Cal..." He looked the devil up and down. "You can call me Excalibur."

"Excalibur... Arthur's sword?! From the Legends? I thought you were lost?"

Cal snorted derisively. "I was a god level weapon long before that boy came along, and I will be one long after. But that's all people seem to remember."

"How did the little witch..."

"My mistress's name is Morgan, and she could destroy you on a whim. So be respectful."

"..." Lucifer's head hurt. He couldn't remember the last time so many people had disregarded him in so little time. But he supposed if he played along he could get more answers... "How did Morgan end up as your mistress?"

"None of your business, little devil." Cal glared at him again. "All that matters is that she is the Calamity, the power to end all powers, and you are nothing before her."

A grade E witch is the power to end all powers? But still, he had personally seen her take out ten monsters that had nearly destroyed him in seconds... "What's wrong with her?" He finally asked, adding on as soon as Cal's mouth opened "and DON'T tell me that it's none of my business. She and I have a deal to let me into the Gathering."

The magical weapon sighed. "She's repressing the chaos magic she brought out to fight those creatures."

"Is that what those... those things... were made of? Chaos magic?"

"Yes."

"So how do I know that your mistress isn't the one who summoned them here? It's seems sort of big coincidence that she just happens to use the same kind of magic that those creatures are made of!"

Cal rolled his eyes. "They have the same magic as her in the same way that a creek is made out of water compared to an ocean. They are a poor imitation of her true power."

The devil stared down at the unconscious young woman. "If she's so powerful compared to them, why'd she pass out?"

"She's not suffering from destroying their magic, but from controlling her own." As he looked at his mistress, Cal's eyes glowed with a fond expression as his hand reached down to brush her dark hair from her face. "She's so insistent on not destroying this world... well, I guess that's why I follow her, instead of her fath... instead of my last master."

"Well, that's all well and good, but are we going to leave her to sleep on the street?"

"Good point, her fortune telling shop is nearby, we can take her there to rest." Cal reached down and picked her up, tucking her small frame against his chest.

"I can carry her..." Lucifer started to speak up, but halted at Cal's dirty look.

"No. I don't trust you." He looked him up and down. "You're too weak, you'll drop her."

"..." Lucifer didn't think anyone had ever accused him of being too weak before. It had certainly been a strange day. "Then lead the way I guess."

They made their way to the small shop, leaving the destroyed buildings and road as the only sign of the battle that had been fought.

________________________

I woke up in the back room of my tarot shop, confused. "How did I get here?"

Lucifer sat across from the couch I was laying on, idly flipping through a catalogue with a bored expression. "The sword carried you."

"Cal? How did a sword...?" I shook my head. "Nevermind. Let's go to the Gathering." I started to stand up, but was blocked from passing Lucifer who stuck out his legs to block me. "What do you want?"

"To talk." He looked up from the catalogue, his face grim. "What do you know about those chaos monsters?"

I sat back down with a sigh. "Not a lot. Don't know how they're made or anything. Just that they are constructed with chaos magic."

"Chaos magic?"

"The antithesis to life, order and fate." I grinned. "The destruction of all. A witch or magical being can only access it after devouring their soul to forbidden magic and committing themselves to eternal agony. "

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Is that what you did?"

"Nope. I was born with it."

"I wasn't aware that Morgan la Fay's line had such rare magic."

I frowned. "It doesn't."

"So your father..."

"Is none of your business."

"He is if he's the one behind my missing demons." Seeing my stubborn expression, he sighed. "So you have the ability to destroy worlds?"

"Not really."

-Yes she does, so watch your back, little devil. Cal's voice spoke up, and by Lucifer's reaction he could hear him too.

"..."

Lucifer rubbed his forehead. "So how are you a Grade E witch exactly?"

"The crystals only measure standard magical power and ability." I grinned. "Nothing to do with rogue, world-ending magics."

"If that's the case... I may need your help more than I anticipated in this problem."

"No worries... if it is who I think it is, I'll take care of it all for you." Forcing my way up, I pushed past his legs and walked though the closed shop. "Now let's go to the Gathering."

As he followed me, Lucifer looked around, frowning. "If you're so powerful, why do your run such a pitiful store selling fortunes?"

I laughed at the question. "Being a world destroying calamity doesn't help pay rent."

We headed once again for the portal.

It was time to see my family again.