Chapter XII

August 22nd, 2025

The time in the arsenic sky was almost out. The heat blew strong, sweeping everything in its path. My body ignored the battering it took as my mind was pressed on more important things.

We had been walking for a while, and with each step I took, my eyes darted left and right. A deep tension stood within the air, infesting my lungs. It was almost like a game of chicken the further we walked, but nothing dared approach us. Burrowing themselves and waiting, I sensed their presence, I knew that we were surrounded. They hid in the cracks and crevices of the buildings, even the very ground. What made such vicious creatures this humbled?

Everything was quiet except for the taps of her naked feet upon the ground.

At times I saw their eyes meeting mine, sending shivers down my spine, but something kept them away. Was it her? Why did they seem to fear her so much? They outnumbered us by a huge margin. It made no sense to me when they fought amongst each other for the scraps of human remains.

Rainbow kept walking as she tugged me towards a direction, I said nothing in turn as she hummed to herself seemingly oblivious to all the monstrosities that had gathered around us. She walked without a care and attitude as that of a king among peasants. She had not uttered a word to me since we started this journey of a walk. Where were we going and who exactly was calling her?

Martini was her soul lost somewhere here too trapped and was the old man dead?

We finally came to a halted stop. What stood before us seemed like the ruined remains of a church. I had passed here many times before, but never once had I been to the very steps.

I heard noises coming from inside, it sounded like a sermon had begun. It was loud, hysterical shouts that seemed to exalt something or someone.

"Praise be her name, praise be the mother!"

"Praise be the mother."

"Praise be the mother."

"The true first, choosing exile rather than being forced against her will."

I watched Rainbow's flesh melt, almost like shedding skin, and it burned away as it fell to the ground. A wing protruded from her back as it gave a single flap it was black. Her hair was long and gold as it resided down her shoulders. Two horns rested upon her head that curved back. It did not defile her beauty, she looked contrary to everything around. There was a glow about her, almost angelic like rooted with deep pervasion. A snake coiled around her body like an ornament, taking its place and covering her most precious places. It hissed at me in a rebuke as its body rubbed my hand.

She stepped forward to the old worn doors, she glanced at me finally releasing my hand. Her eyes met mine and for a moment, I forgot all the horrible things this creature had done. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen; men would surely die to hold her.

"Touch the door," she whispered to me in such a voice it made my knees weak. I touched it with both hands and gently pushed it. The doors slowly opened as they creaked. Looking back, I saw a congregation had gathered. Everything thing behind us were monsters. They were vile, filthy, huge, and small and kept glaring on at us.

There was no escape for me except forward or death. It seemed almost as if another world laid through this door. The other side seemed empty. It looked like an abandoned church, but I heard voices on the other end. They were human voices, one was far more powerful than the rest as chanting continued again and again.

I swallowed my saliva, as my sweaty hands instinctively gripped her hand, it was tender and she only smiled as she took the step forward. My head was swarmed with thoughts. I heard them, it was so many. What was it, thoughts, shouts? It all flooded my brain at once. It was all too loud.

"We summon you, unholy mother."

"We summon you."

"If this works, I will have money beyond my desire!"

"Eternal beauty."

"I can defy death."

"Marissa, you will be back with me soon again."

"We summon you, we summon you, unholy mother."

"All men shall worship me."

"I shall be a king of my own realm as a reward."

"We summon you, return to us and bless us, your true children of the darkness."

"I hope the offerings are sufficient."

I placed a hand on my head as the other side came into view. I found myself within a church, its walls were bleak and dark. Its pictures told a story I had never once seen before. They were demons leading armies to triumph.

A voice interrupted my thoughts, "she has come at last, unholy mother you have returned to us."

I was greeted by a chandelier of light and standing in a bowed reverence, were men and women, clothed in tattered robes, their heads flat down but their bodies revealed their sexes. They kept chanting as she walked, but she did not look at any of them.

One man stood before them all, and beside him was a throne. He was a strange-looking man, his head was shaved a Mephistophelian beard and narrow eyes. He gave off an intimidating aura for a man. I felt many eyes looking at me, probably just as confused as they were to me as I was to them.

Their thoughts pierced my mind, and I was unable to let them back out. A constant loop of circling around.

"Who is this man?"

"I didn't think this would work."

"Is he some sort of pet?"

"He looks human."

Her wings fluttered as she walked in front of me, still, yet she had not once released my hand. The throne that lay before us stood adorned with jewellery. In this hell, there were such things as this? She released me as she took her seat as the snake slithered around the chair. My eyes darted around from left to right, not sure of what to expect or what was going on. I was still in control, right was I?

"All hail her glory!"

"All praise her beauty."

"Glory to Lilith."

"Lilith," I said out loud, a flashback came to my head, I had seen a tattoo with her "Samael," I blurted out.

"Do not mention that imposter's name."

Her face changed to disgust as I mentioned the name. The chanting had stopped. I felt a million eyes upon me. I turned to see all the members of this so-called congregation looking at me with abated breaths. There was one face I recognized. His eyes meet mine before looking away. He was the priest I had met at my mother's funeral. Why was father Matinal here?

The bearded man looked at her. "Shall we dispose of him, my lady if he displeases you?"

"He is not yours to do as you feel, but mine and mine alone."

"As you wish, my lady."

"You summoned me here and here I came, hearing your plead, what do you offer in return?"

"Domenic."

"Domenic."

I heard her voice in my ear, drowning out all the noise. I heard them lessen to an almost a mute.

"Can you hear them, Domenic, can you feel their perverse thoughts, their lust, their greed? Does it sicken you?"

Their words were like a hidden blade, all silently waiting to let loose on their target, and I was that target. My eyes jolted to where I heard these thoughts as I saw nothing but hoods. Nor could I control my body as it leaned in on itself.

"If I kill him, she would look at me."

"This bastard, how did he have her favour."

"He will slip up, eventually..."

"He's in my way of Immortality."

"Domenic, am I truly the one for you to fear, or do you now understand your own kind?"

"Here are some offerings."

They came into my periphery view. A robed man brought forth naked men and women, who looked beaten but well fed. They whimpered as the snake that had been around her slithered towards them.

"What should I do, Domenic," she spoke within my head as a wicked smile came across her face.

The bald man turned to her, I felt such levels of perversions and lust from him in his thoughts it made the old man look like a child. What he wanted most was what was seated upon the throne. The fool but I did not pity him. They all wanted me to die, so why should I care what happened to them? Why should I care? No, I shouldn't stoop to their levels. I should not pay it any mind and let them make their own decisions. It was hard to make my mind stay neutral when so many daggers lay on my back. If she wanted to she could probably have me killed now? Could she do that and nullify the contract?

"Is it to your likings then, dear mother?"

There was a lengthy pause of silence, Lilith said nothing as she sat in her chair. The only noise that filled the room was the whimpering of those that they had brought forth.

"I am already satisfied, maybe later, but these ones are not to my taste, regardless. No, what I truly prefer is taken up in this very room in robes. You humans really are something special."

There was a change in the wind of the room.

"You sought your wealth, your lust, you're crazy fetishes of immortality and rulership, and I shall grant you it all."

They were smiles on their faces, as I saw them one by one seemingly fall into a trance. The last to fall and slouched over to this fate was the bearded man. I looked around and saw the priest had also tumbled. Why was he here of all people? A flashback came to me of my mother's burial. Memories I wished I could erase.

She laughed, "However, nothing you have shall be real. Then as you slowly wither away your souls shall be mine forever, enjoy your gifts while it lasts."

The whimpering people that had been laid before Lilith did not dare to move. As her body twisted and turned, I closed my eyes. All I heard was screams of the helpless cultist.

The room was quiet. No thoughts, no screams as the chair thudded loudly.

"You can open your eyes now."

I opened my eyes, taking in the first-hand carnage that was around. Blood was dripping from the roof, the chairs and the walls were smeared with it. The Head priest laid behind her, twisted and almost unrecognizable except for his beard. His arms and legs were gone, seemingly yanked out of their sockets.

"Happy now, Domenic?" she pointed. "Look, I didn't do anything to these ones?"

"Who are you really?"

"I already told you my name, Lilith was the name given to me and Rainbow is the one I choose to be called. If that makes it simple."

I swallowed my saliva as I was about to ask my next question.

"How are you related to Samael?" we both asked at the same time.

It shocked me how did she know, was she able to read my thoughts?

"How did you-."

"Know?" she asked as she laughed to herself, "Because I can read your mind."

A hiss broke the brief silence as the snake made its way back to the throne.

"Well then, you want to know about that imposter, hm, he is more of a jailer than anything or as I have read in your room, it's like a pyramid scheme and you're at the bottom the grunt to do the work one of a few that can travel between realms, based on your unique ability to go between here and there?"

"How can I do that?"

"Your vice upon your back and those of the marked ones that are here in this world. He uses you to get more people and traps them in that world. We, the... prisoners feast upon them." A smile graced her face.

My hand ran upon the mark on my back.

"Only marked ones like you can return, all others cannot. They are trapped there forever unless you take them back, but it's almost impossible. If you aren't killed by the creatures that inhabit the land you will eventually perish, one way or another."

"Why are you helping me?"

"Three things will either happen to you Domenic, either you become a stronger person or you become broken beyond repair if none of the other two you are dead. You came to my area of isolation and released me from it. Shouldn't that be enough for me to make it up to you? You even brought me here to this world filled with delightful treats."

"Can I get rid of this mark?"

"If you could, would you? The course of your life is in the motion of changing would you rather go back to that which you had?"

I thought of everything before, my life, and it wasn't something I wanted to go back to. However, knowing these things were real, it had already left a permanent scar mentally and physically upon me that I didn't think it would easily be able to remove.

"Exactly," she responded.

"What will you do with... them?" My eyes turned towards the people upon the floor.

"Breakfast," she said, "or would you rather I let them go?"

"You know what would happen if I let them go."

I nodded my head and walked away as golden rays tore through the boarded windows, rearing its head like tentacle arms.

I heard their screams echoing across the walls as I reached the door. 

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