1 Revenge of Darkness

It was a stormy night. The storm had lasted all evening and continued way into the night. The rain was still pouring down in heavy sheets and many shots of lightning flashed through the sky simultaneously, in continuous successions.

It was a few minutes past midnight, and something about the night was sinister, dangerous and eerie. It wasn't just the threatening thunders that roared through the empty streets echoing like the voice of a deity speaking from the heavens, sounding a warning to the earth. Nor was it the stillness of not a single soul stirring in the night, or the darkness that enveloped every single house. There wasn't a single light turned on in the area as a surge of thunder had taken out the power source earlier when the storm had began.

The feeling of danger came from the vengeful darkness that was lurking in the night. The darkness drawn by legion of demons on their way to exert punishment on a defaulting demon.

A single set of headlight appeared in the streets, dispelling the darkness significantly. It was followed by another flash of headlights and another, until four sets of headlights were driving silently through the stillness of the night. The headlights belonged to four limousines, driving in a straight line. They drove farther down the street until they pulled up at the garage of a small flat. The garage was so small that it could only take the first limousine, while the rest lined up behind it, by the road.

"We have arrived, my lord." The driver of the first limousine said to the man in the passenger seat. A young man in his late thirties, built like a tall mountain. He put a cigarette to his lips and drew up some smoke, which he puffed into the air before he sluggishly leaned into the window beside him and rolled down the glass. His big hat shielded his face from the gust of wind and rain as he peered up at the small building through dark shades. His firm lips broke into an ugly smirk.

"Is this what Lloyd has settled for? This is what he gave up his divine place for?" He said to himself and scoffed. Just then, a group of men who had alighted from the other limousines came up to the door of his limousine. There were over ten of them and they were all dressed in black suits. One of them held up an umbrella as he prepared to open the door for the man in the first limousine, who appeared to be their leader. The man opened the door by himself and stepped out. The men lined up outside, bowed their head as he stood under the umbrella. He too was dressed in black, from his big hat, down to his leather jackets and shoes. He dropped his cigarette to the ground and stepped over it, even though he didn't need to do that as the rain had already put it out the moment it touched the ground.

"My lord, you do not have to do this. I can handle this for you. That traitor, Lloyd is not worthy of your presence." The man who was holding the umbrella said to the man who had just alighted the first limousine. The man smiled, then he patted the man with the umbrella on his shoulder.

"Do not worry about me, Stan. This is nothing to me. Lloyd wasn't just my right hand man, he was also my very good friend. I mean, I came all the way down here just for him, didn't I?" He said, then the smile evaporated from his face, and an ugly sneer replaced it as he looked up at the small house again. "I want to look into his eyes when he explains to me the reason why he choose to turn his back on me. And then, when he is done, I want to snuff the breath out of him with my own hands. Now that I am already here, what use will it be if I do not get to meet my good friend for one last time?" He scoffed, then he began to move and the men followed him swiftly, two went ahead of him to secure the door.

They entered the house noiselessly and when they reached the small living room, the leader settled into one of the old sofas. Two of the men were in the hallway, on their way to the bedroom to fetch Lloyd when he suddenly appeared in the doorway. The look on his face showed that he had either been expecting them, or he had seen them arrive.

"I am here." Lloyd said, putting his hands up in surrender. "I am here! I will come with you, let's just go." He could not see the men in the thick darkness, but he could feel their presence.

The men sized him up contemptuously.

"Not so fast, traitor. Someone would like to see you before we leave." One of the men said to him as they both took him by his arms and dragged him to the living room. When they got there, they made him kneel in front of the leader, but because the room was still very dark, Lloyd could not see anything.

"What are we doing? Why aren't we leaving?" He asked nervously.

"My old friend. Long time no see." The leader of the men said, his eyes fixed on Lloyd through the darkness. He could see clearly in the darkness. He was a part of the darkness, so it was not blinding to him. It was as clear as any sunny day, with the sun burning bright in the sky.

"Who is that? Who's there?" Lloyd said, squinting into the darkness. The voice was very familiar, but he did not want to believe that it was who he thought it was. Fear clouded his mind and terror filled his heart as the possibility of it became more and more apparent. A thick laugh sounded from the direction he was squinting into and Lloyd's blood ran cold. That was the sound of his laughter for sure, but Lloyd still wanted to make sure. He hoped he was wrong. A flash of lightning struck through the sky and Lloyd saw the frame of the man seated on the sofa. The unique features of the man, his height, his thick frame, broad chest and shoulders, the gait, his carriage even as he was seated. Everything pointed towards Lloyd's biggest fear. His lips trembled as they formed the name in his mind.

"Devon?" He whispered, his voice trembling. A heavy blow landed across his face and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"How dare you speak his name?" Stan, the one who had inflicted the blow, howled at Lloyd. The thick, dark laughter resumed again and this time, Lloyd went paralyzed with fear. Now that he knew who it was for sure, he knew he was in more danger than he had anticipated. The people he was trying to protect were in even graver danger and this made Lloyd even more desperate to lure the legion away. The longer they remained in that house, the more dangerous it became for his fiance Maya, who was hiding in his bedroom, and her little daughter who was sleeping soundly in the nursery. His initial plan was to keep the legion distracted while Maya and her child sneak away without getting noticed. But then, they had been unable to reach the child in the nursery before the demons made it into the house. So, Lloyd had instructed Maya to remain hidden and wait until the legion dragged him away. Maya's daughter always slept soundly at night, so they were hoping that the little girl would remain asleep tonight, like every other night, for the entirety of the confrontation.

But now that Devon was here, Lloyd's fears heightened. He had assured Maya that the men would only drag him away and he would be back soon, even though that had not been entirely true. For one, he had not mentioned to Maya that the men were not ordinary men but demons. For how could he begin to explain that to her as he had never even mentioned to her that he too was a demon. And then, there was the lie that he would return. Lloyd knew that if the demons got their hands on him, there was no way he would ever return to Maya alive. But he had been ready to sacrifice himself, as long as Maya and her child made it out alive. But now that Devon was here, Lloyd knew that things would not go as he had expected. If he was to be killed, he would get killed right there and then in the living room. And knowing Maya the way he knew her, he was sure she would not sit still and let him get killed. She would jump right into the danger.

The demons did not know about his relationship with Maya yet. Lloyd had made sure to keep her hidden, and away from their knowledge. So, if she could only listen to him and remain hidden, the demons would never have to find out about her. Lloyd prayed in his heart that Devon would just take him away and do whatever he wanted to do with him. As long as it was away from the house.

"Devon, please. Just take me away from here. Let's not do this in my living room. Please, let's leave." Lloyd tried to plead, even though he knew that it was useless. Stan landed another blow across his face. The blow was strong and loud, but Lloyd stifled his cry, hoping that Maya had not heard the sound of the blow. He had instructed her to remain in the bedroom, he hoped that she had listened to him. If she was in the hallway, then she was definitely hearing all that was going on.

"Did I not tell you not to say his name again?" Stan growled, as he landed Lloyd another heavy blow, and another and another.

"Enough." Devon announced, putting an end to Stan's attack. Lloyd stayed on the floor, writhing in pain like an earthworm sprinkled with salt, but still, he did not let out a single cry in pain. Devon got up from his seat and lackadaisically walked up to Lloyd. He bent over him and stared into his face, until Lloyd could feel his breath against his.

"Why do you not cry out?" Devon asked curiously. Lloyd's heart suddenly seized to beat a he laid on the floor, staring up into the darkness above him.

A bolt of lightning flashed through the dark sky, lighting up the room temporarily, and Lloyd found himself gazing into the face of terror.

It was Devon alright. The prince of darkness, head of legions and the man who Lloyd had been running from for several years now. Lloyd used to be Devon's right hand man, until he met and fell for a woman while on a mission.

"Why do you keep insisting that we leave this place?" Devon asked again. "Are you trying to hide something from me?" He said, there was a smirk in his voice. Lloyd's heartbeat resumed, and it began to race painfully.

"Devon, there's no..." He began to say.

"Is she here?" Devon interrupted him. "The woman you fell in love with. The woman you abandoned me for, the reason why you deserted your duty, your own kind. Is she here with you?"

Lloyd remained dead silent. Devon stood to his feet and broke into laughter. He laughed so loud and long that Lloyd was sure Maya's daughter would wake up any moment. This only intensified his fear even more.

"I never thought I would be this lucky!" Devon said. "All my kills in one hunt."

"Devon, please..." Lloyd begged, dragging himself up from the ground to kneel before Devon. "Please, just take me. Do whatever you want with me, just leave Maya out of this."

Devon threw his head back and laughed again, very long and very loud.

"What? You are begging now? You want my mercy now?" He asked, squatting again in front of Lloyd, his breath burnt with rage against the latter's face. "You want to beg for my mercy now? What do you want forgiveness for? Your ingratitude? I gave you a life in the human world, I gave you wealth and all everything any average human would trade their soul for. I made you live like a god among humans, and what did you do? Do you know how betrayed I felt when I heard about all you did? Do you know how long I waited for you to return to your senses and beg for mercy? I put you in charge of your unit, and what did you do? You deserted your unit and the mission, but I forgave you even when you did not beg for my forgiveness, and I waited for you to return. You never did. I heard you turned your back on the members of your unit, and that you had begun to fight against them. But I waited. I heard that you were fooling around with a human, but I believed it was just another fling, and you would return. But then you made me a fool when approached the "good guys". I heard you were going gray. You plan to redeem your soul and live like a human, all because of that woman. You want to become a human for her. You are turning against your kind for her!" Devon lamented. "Do you know how betrayed I felt? You recruited the 'good guys' to destroy your own kind, just to protect that human. I have been dying to meet her." He said, and Lloyd fell to his face, grabbing onto Devon's leg as he begged.

"Please Devon! Please, I beg you."

"Stan, go and fetch that cursed mortal!" Devon commanded, and Stan moved quickly, accompanied by two other men.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Devon! My lord! Please, I beg you!" Lloyd cried desperately, holding on to Devon's leg, but the latter kicked his hands away.

"It's too late Lloyd. Save your cries, I am over it now. I have thought of the perfect way to exert my vengeance, and look how chance played it out for me. I was going to go find her after I was done with you, but... What a lucky demon I am." Devon shrugged. "Where is your big angel guy now? Is he avoiding me too? I was hoping to meet him today! I want to thank him for all of my agents he has destroyed." Devon said sarcastically.

Just then, Stan and the men who had gone with him appeared, dragging Maya along. The young woman was wearing a thin layer of silk nightgown, and her long black hair tumbled down her back, covering her shoulders and most of her face.

"Maya! Maya!! Maya!!!" Lloyd cried, groping about in the darkness.

"Lloyd!" The woman's small voice replied, and Lloyd quickly dived in the direction from which her voice came.

"Maya!" He called again, as his hands felt about.

"Lloyd!" Maya cried again, just as her hand met with Lloyd's and they both hugged themselves close.

"Are you alone? Did they get you alone?" Lloyd whispered in Maya's ear. She nodded, and Lloyd sighed. At least, the little girl was still safe. He turned to Devon and tried to beg again.

"Devon! Devon please, I am begging you!"

Devon's thick, dark laughter filled the room.

"For a long time, I thought long and hard of a way to punish you in a way that will satisfy me. Isn't this just perfect?" Devon said. He walked up to where Lloyd and Maya knelt, holding on to each other. Dragging Maya by her head, he pulled her away from Lloyd. The latter tried to fight but Stan kicked him in the side, making him let go.

"Devon!" Lloyd cried I'm pain.

"Let me remind you that as a demon, you have no business loving a human. You do not have a soul, you do not need a soul! Your soul belongs to the darkness, and you dare not seek to redeem it! You have been an ungrateful servant Lloyd. And for your sins, I will condemn this soul." Devon declared.

"Devon!" Lloyd cried, and tried to get up, but two men held him down. A flash of lightning appeared in the sky and lasted longer than natural, giving Lloyd vision as he watched Devon pull Maya's neck back by her hair as he slit her throat open with his finger.

"No!" Lloyd cried as he watched the life leave Maya's eyes. Her lifeless body fell to the ground with a thud and Lloyd hurried to her side, gathering her into his arms.

"Stay! Maya, please, stay with me! Don't close your eyes! Maya..." He cried as he began to sob. Devon bent down beside him and smiled devilishly as he whispered in his face.

"It was a pleasure watching you in such torment before I finally killed you. This was satisfying. Now that I feel justified, I will let you die in peace."

Lloyd just sat there, holding onto Maya's body and sobbing. He didn't care about anything anymore. He didn't even care about his life. Maya was dead, he was ready to die too. There was no use I'm him remaining alive. He held onto the lifeless body of his beloved as he waited for death to take him too. Just as Devon began to reach for Lloyd's neck, a small voice rang through the room.

"Mum?" The small voice called gently. A heavy fell over the room and Lloyd immediately snapped out of his trance. Maya's daughter! She was awake! For a moment, he had forgotten all about her! She was awake and she was in the living room, walking into the midst of these wolves!

"No! Rose! Get back! Don't come here!" Lloyd cried as he quickly dropped Maya's body and began to hurry towards the little girl.

"Uncle Lloyd?" The girl said. "What's going on, I can not see anything."

"Get back Rose!" Lloyd cried. He reached the little girl and quickly wrapped his arms around her.

"Who do we have here?" Devon drawled. "You already have a child with the mortal?" He asked.

"Devon no! She is not my child, please! Please let her be! Take me! Take me, It is me that you want." Lloyd begged.

"She is not your child, but you are willing to die for her. Now, that is an offense on it's own." Devon grinned wickedly. "I thought it was only one mortal, but there were two! Stan, bring me the child." He instructed.

"No!" Lloyd cried as he shielded the child away from Stan who tried to grab her.

Stan was about to strike Lloyd with a blow when a light suddenly appeared, filling up the entire room. The force of the light pushed Stan away and it stood between Lloyd and the demons. They all shielded their eyes from it's brightness, all of them except Devon.

Devon smirked as looked into the light.

"Look who it is! It's the good guy, Angel Marcus! Isn't this some grand reunion? Two old friends of mine in one place. How grand!" He laughed out loud. "Tell me Marcus, is it that you are obsessed with me? Why do you keep showing up wherever I go?"

"Devon, that's enough now. You must stop now, do not take this any further!" Marcus said. His voice was gentle, but he spoke authoritatively. Devon laughed aloud again.

"Oh my! I am shaking!" He said, pretending to be shaking all over. "Why? If I do not stop, what will you do? Will you condemn my soul to the pits of hell?" He asked.

"Devon, I do not have time for your games. Leave this place at once." Marcus ordered.

"Well, sadly Marcus, I am not here to play games. I am here to take what belongs to me." Devon said.

"This soul no longer answers to you." Marcus said.

"This soul?" Devon scoffed. "He doesn't have a soul. He is a member of my legion."

"Lloyd has been assigned a soul, and I am in charge of protecting it. If you wish to get to him, you will have to go through me. So, I'm telling you again. Stop now!"

Devon went livid as he glared at Marcus, and then down at Lloyd. He shook allover with rage. Then his face broke again into a wicked grin.

"Congratulations Lloyd. Congratulations on getting your brand new soul. I was going to do you the favor of sending you off to help peacefully, but your angel buddy just made sure that you will live a long life in the hell I have made for you here. I hope you enjoy the rest of your life thinking of all the memories you made with the love of your life." He said, and laughed wickedly. Then he turned around and left the room. His agents picked themselves off the ground and stumbled as they followed after him.

Marcus turned to Lloyd, but the latter was sobbing while holding onto Maya's daughter, Rose, who kept looking around in confusion.

"You came late! I do not need your soul anymore! You came too late!" Lloyd cried.