Faces of Hate

Anak snapped into a combat-ready pose at the sudden movement, but when the face of Azazel was revealed he froze. When it morphed into King Gel-ad's face he shuddered in repulsion. He didn't notice the brief flash of Edo's face. He lowered his center of gravity once more and noticed a gleam of steel by the bonfire. It was the saber he'd acquired from an attacking spirit. Beside the saber also lay a wooden staff, the one he'd tried and thrown aside before.

"Why don't you try fighting, then?!"The grinning, kaleidoscopic-faced man-thing, noticing his posture, threw itself at Anak in a tackle. Anak dove towards the weapons by the bonfire, avoiding the charge. He initially grabbed for the saber, but then he reconsidered, recalling what he'd just experienced. Anak picked up the staff, and used it to haul himself to his feet, as the metamorph recovered from overshooting its target and landing on its elastic face.

The thing, now standing upright and looking like Azazel, stroked its beard still smiling confidently. Anak returned the smile and pointed his staff at the human shaped fiend. "Your confidence is misplaced," he boldly declared.

A wave of flame and bolt of lightning roared out from the tip of the staff, striking the creature in the chest, a volatile explosion laced with sparks occurring at the point of impact. The thing's various pieces scattered in all directions, as bloodless pieces of flesh splattered the walls. Anak triumphantly pumped his fist. He had been able to recreate the mage spirit's spell, not with magic, but purely with his natural authority. He willed the staff to spit lightning and fire, and it obeyed. It helped that the staff was designed for fire and lightning magic; a regular stick wouldn't have so quickly obeyed the command contrary to its nature.

"Your confidence is but a joke." The voice of King Gel-ad suddenly reverberated through the air. The fleshy goo flew off the walls and rapidly gathered back in place, once again forming the body of the king, now stark naked. "Do you think you can strike me down? Your aggression only feeds me." King Gel-ad's face twisted into a malicious grin and he swung his arm, stretching it out like a whip to lash at Anak.

Anak once more dodged the blow, but it came much closer, and when the fist impacted the ground, cracks spread across the black, stone flooring. Anak whistled at the marked improvement of the thing's power as he threw himself to the side. 'It seems killing it really does make it stronger. He wasn't lying.' Anak slid to a halt in a fighting pose, cautiously eyeing his opponent.

"Looking for weaknesses?" The thing cackled cockily, "You won't find any on me." Its arms suddenly became blades as its legs split into four, rumbling chaotically towards Anak with its arms spinning, slicing trails on the stone floor. Anak pointed the staff at the creature, and attempted to transform it into a harmless shape like he'd done in the last trial. The wildly attacking fiend was successfully transformed into a mere ball of flesh, falling to the ground. However, it soon oozed and bubbled, forming itself back to Azazel's shape.

"Ooh, this one's tough." The thing moaned after forming a mouth, "I can't tell who you hate more, this guy or this one." After speaking his face became King Gel-ad's again.

'Hate?' Anak mused, his mind rapidly working to discover the answer to this trial. Each of them was in relation to some part of his character, and this being had just dropped a big hint. This thing was feeding off his hate, and using the faces of his most hated enemies to drive that hate out further. The question was, how did he stop it? He couldn't possibly just stop hating the two beings most responsible for the many atrocities of Ischuros.

The thing opened the jaws of King Gel-ad wide, teeth sharpening into razors as its mouth stretched impossibly wide attempting to bite down on Anak. Anak ducked quickly, narrowly avoiding getting his head snapped up by the fleshy mandibles. He was glad to have his combat-trained body for this trial.

"Look, I get it. But the thing is, you're just some thing, not the ones I hate, clearly. Trying to make me kill you anymore is pointless." Anak tried to persuade as he leapt backwards out of the reach of the things newly grown jaws.

"It doesn't matter. As long as you hate, I will never die. As long as I'm alive, I'll grow stronger." The thing taunted, snapping back to human shape. Its face transformed into Edo's momentarily before shifting quickly into Azazel's, obviously not wanting to reveal this face clearly.

Anak's brows wrinkled in confusion, "Wait... why Edo?"

The grin on the face of Azazel suddenly stiffened, "What? Who's Edo?" It asked dumbly.

"This whole time you've just been agitating me, pricking and prodding at me like an annoying insect, you haven't once gone for sympathy. So why Edo? The other two make sense, but...?" Anak asked and a horrible idea sprang to mind. He shook his head violently.

"I don't hate my father!" He yelled out, before his heart twinged and he recalled the times growing up, doing everything for Edo's attention and not gaining it. Though it was only a year, Anak had an entire lifetime imposed on him in that time. The scars of that one year stuck deeply, and as he thought of this, Anak realized he still held some resentment for Edo.

The thing in front of him suddenly cackled again, "Oh yes, you do. You hate him most of all. For never loving you, for wishing you were dead!" These venomous words dripped like sweet honey from Azazel's lips, like it savored every syllable.

Anak trembled as his eyes misted over, "He- he never wanted that." Anak determinedly forced out those words, feeling as if his voice was being stifled by a suffocating force in his chest.

"Oh, yes he did." The being's voice suddenly softened, and its fleshy torso lengthened to approach Anak. "You know he did. Don't you remember?" The thing placed a finger on Anak's forehead and a scene flashed through his mind.

...

"Can't you treat our son like a person at least?" Eva's bitter voice chided from the bed, as she and Edo prepared to sleep.

"I told you to stop calling him that. He's not-!" Edo sighed placing his head in his hands. "He's not 'our' son." He finished weakly, as Eva glared at him.

"I'm sorry Eva. I know you love him, but the way I see it, Azazel raped you. He took away the chance for us to have our first child together, and..." Edo's voice choked up. "It would've been easier if he just died in the womb." he moaned through his stifled palms.

"Edo!" Eva's reprimanding call echoed out.

...

The scene concluded and Anak fell to his knees in tears, his heart an aching mess. He remembered that night. It was after he had tried to show Edo that he could finally lift a heavy broadsword, and received the usual cold nod and in-familial distance. Anak had followed the couple after they retreated to their room hoping Edo might say some words of praise in secret, but stumbled across this instead.

"But... things have changed." He protested weakly.

"Have they?" The being asked, its tone gentle. However, when Anak raised his head, he saw the smile still plastered across the face of Azazel. The thing was still enjoying this, even as he suffered.

Anak's eyes hardened and he shot to his feet. He directly punched the creature in its false jaw, splattering it apart with his bare hands.

Laughter echoed through the cavern. "Yes, yes... give me more! Hate even more!" It cried out in ecstasy.

"Shut up." Anak coldly barked. "You are a vile trickster, flesh-thing." He clenched his fist and his knuckles cracked.

What of it?" A crackling, bemused voice that shattered the ear-drums bounced of the bronze walls. The flesh pieces once again reformed, this time forsaking human form, looking like a mass of writhing flesh tentacles, eyeballs, and teeth. Its monstrous, imposing size overshadowed Anak, making him look like a small rodent in comparison.

Anak stared up at one of the thing's massive unblinking eyes, "I did resent my father, and I won't pretend that didn't happen. My father wished me dead." Anak admitted, but the thing could sense a subtle shift in Anak's attitude towards those events. It recoiled as it felt the part of it that was Edo fading. "But you're wrong about one thing. Everything has changed." Anak emphasized the word has. "Edo has recognized me as his son, and he already asked for my forgiveness. He knows his mistakes. I can't hold onto resentment anymore. I forgive Edo. Edo is my father, and I love him."

The face of the being finally twisted into an expression of rage and terror, the last vestiges of Edo dissipating from its core. "You can't!" He bellowed. "I know you still hate! Your true father and your king! They are dark spots on your heart you cannot erase! You cannot kill me!" It insisted unconvincingly.

"Sure I can." Anak smiled contentedly, and he pointed the staff one more time at the metamorph. Flame slowly gathered around the creatures body, in a shell of flame, not directly touching the body, but encompassing it.

"You... What are you doing?" The creature cried out miserably.

"I'm cooking you." Anak responded simply. This thing's body could reform its flesh again and again; it couldn't be killed by a great many methods. 'However,' Anak thought, 'what if the flesh is completely burned away?' He only came to this conclusion after the burden of his resentment towards Edo was lifted, and the pleasant feeling that came with that helped him calm down and think of a better plan.

The thing roasted slowly, screaming all the while, until it finally was reduced to ash. The fireball then disappeared. Ash swirled about in a passing breeze, twirling upwards.

Anak heaved a sigh of relief, and sat down heavily. Using his authority like that was exhausting, mentally and spiritually. His body was tired from avoiding the unorthodox attacks. Finally, it was over.

"Hehehehe..." A giggle suddenly rang out from the ash pile. "Hehehaahahaha!" It incrementally grew into manic howling, as the ash slowly rose up, once again taking shape. "I told you, I can't be killed by you!" It proudly declared in its ear-rending vocal expression.

Anak trembled at the occurrence. It wasn't done yet? He raised his trembling, tired body from the floor once more, readying himself to fight. Was he really unable to kill this thing.

Suddenly, a deep, earth-shaking voice called out. "And I?" the voice demanded in the form of a question. "Can I kill you, Leviathan?"

The shifting ashes froze in their tracks, and shakily aimed an eye shaped form at the bonfire in the middle of the room.

"Most High? But it's not done! He cannot stand against me!" the Leviathan tremulously protested, incomparably afraid, but stubborn and greedy.

"I am able to make him stand. Be gone!" As the voice commanded, the ashes scattered in the wind, the thing that was called Leviathan vanishing forthwith.

Anak stared at the bonfire in awe. "Triac?"