Author’s Note: Part Five...were at the end!! Hmm...it seems rushed, and it probably is, but... I ended it! I made a *gasp* SHORT STORY!! OMFG!!! AHHH!!! Hmm...the end might be a little confusing, especially what Veritas says so...here’s the meaning: in the context of life or a big, extravagant event (like a play of sorts) it comes to an unhappy ending. (iI.e. Romeo and Juliet, which might be more of a tragedy...but I don’t really want to get technical)

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Veritas’ eyes opened and she hoped Fenrir hadn’t heard a thing. She slid out of bed, careful not to disturb the half-demon’s sleep. She padded softly to the door, sliding through the crack of the doorway and stepping into the hallway. The bedroom door closed with a soft click and she stared at the demon in front of her.

“What is it?”

“Vermillion requests your presence.”

“I can’t go.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“Are you threatening me?” Veritas demanded. She knew for a fact that Arcane had no idea what she was. But considering the past few days, her father could have said some things he shouldn’t have.

“No.” Arcane shook his head, glancing at the bedroom door. “But if you want that half-demon to leave you alone-”

“I don’t.” She whispered. “He’s mine.”

“Will you go against his wishes?”

Veritas shook her head and turned to go back into the room. “Leave. I’ll take care of it.”

“Veritas!” Arcane jumped forward and grabbed her arm. “You will come with me.”

“Let her go.”

Arcane froze in his tracks, turning his head and staring at the doorway. He pulled Veritas to him as a shield. “Will you go through her to get to me?”

“I don’t have to.” Fenrir snarled. One minute he was at the doorway, the next, he was standing behind Arcane, his arm thrust through his chest. “See? It’s easier to go around.”

Veritas shook her head. As much as she loved him he was by far the most dangerous demon she had ever seen. She walked to him and hoped he would forgive her. She placed a hand over his head and slowly began to constrict her hand. It wasn’t her intention to crush his skull, only to place him into a state of unconsciousness. Her own power flowed through him and he fell over, sprawled over Arcane’s bleeding body.

“Still alive, Arcane?” Veritas asked, looking over Fenrir’s fallen form.

“Barely.” He hissed.

Veritas kneeled next to Fenrir and affectionately touched his face. “Let’s go see my father.”

* * *

He woke up with the world pounding in the inside of his head. He lifted his face and shut his eyes to brace himself for the bright light in his face. Even now he could still feel the sun on his face, trying to burn through the cover of his eyelids. He was hanging, that much he knew. But where, or how...no. He knew how he got there. Arcane must have done something to him that enabled him to-

“I bet you’re wondering how you got here?”

Daring to take a look, Fenrir’s eyes opened and he stared at the man who looked up to him from a few feet. Risking more looks, he found that he was on a cross, crucified like the Lord Himself. He didn’t struggle, just took his time observing the things around him.

“Not really.” He mumbled. He righted his head and looked at the man. Was he really that powerful? But in all his power, he could look as human as he once did and yet, the one thing that put him apart from the rest was his deep, dark bottomless black eyes. “Vermillion?”

“Yes.” Vermillion paced in front of Fenrir, fighting the urge not to crush the other’s skull. “You’ve been playing with my toy.”

“Toy?” He repeated.

He turned his head at an extreme angel from left to right and saw her, just over his right shoulder. She was sitting in a cage, face painted, arms pulled above her head and wearing nothing but a look of humiliation and anger. Tears were sliding down her face, making wet, uneven lines over her cheeks, she was trying her best to be modest, but every time she moved, Arcane, and he knew it was him by the way he limped and had a missing piece of flesh from his back, would pull the chain that bound her and she’d cry out in pain. That sight alone made his blood go cold.

“You bastard.” Fenrir growled. “Your business is with me. Let her go.”

“She’s mine.” Vermillion answered. “She’s my toy and I don’t let just anyone play with my toys.”

“She’s a human being!” He screamed. “She’s not a goddamn toy!”

“She is whatever I want her to be.” Answered the demon lord. He glanced at Veritas. “Arcane.”

Arcane smiled and opened the cage, sliding his hands over Veritas’ nude body, touching her in places only Fenrir had experienced first hand. As with the bruises that had adorned her body hours ago, Arcane had feigned shoving a hand between her legs. She made a good performance, screaming continuously while blood ran between her legs and Arcane getting off of her pain and humility. All the while Fenrir had let out a roar that had shook the earth itself. He broke free from one restraint and hung by his arm alone. He had no feeling in his limbs. What had Vermillion done to his body?

“Leave her alone!” Fenrir screamed. As if that had given him strength, his other restrain had broken and he fell forward, realizing too late that his feet were still bound to the crucifix.

“You look like a fish out of water.” Vermillion teased. “Doesn’t he, Arcane?”

Arcane limped next to Vermillion. His hand was still tainted with Veritas’ blood. He licked his fingers and moved so that Fenrir could see him. “I’m sure you’ve had a taste of Veritas...but have you had a lick of her blood? It’s much sweeter and warmer from the source...if you catch my meaning.”

Fenrir stared at Arcane for far too long. His eyes didn’t flare with anger, nor did he make a hiss or a snarl at the demon. Quite frankly, he had no idea what was Arcane’s specialty, nor did he care. Arcane was standing too close for comfort. He turned his back, talking to Vermillion, saying something along the lines that maybe Fenrir had finally snapped. Well, that was true. But not for him. Fenrir reached out with his hand, grabbed the top of Arcane’s head and digging his fingers into his tailbone and pulling in opposite directions. When he found that he didn’t have much leverage, he snapped Arcane in half.

He moved so that he could reach his legs and snapped them off, landing on his feet like a cat. He stood slowly, his wings bursting through his back and flaring out, making him seem twice as large as he really was. He took his time moving towards Vermillion, each step with a purpose, each step a warning. He was finally face to face to Vermillion, but all he could do was stare.

“Aren’t you going to kill me?” Vermillion asked.

“Too easy. I want you to suffer.”

Laughing, Vermillion lifted a hand to ward off Fenrir from approaching. “Me? Suffer? I believe the only one that will suffer is you.”

“What are you talking about? You’re the one that changed me into this demon! You’re the one that-”

“How can you be so sure?” Vermillion growled. “Did you see my face? Did you feel my power?”

“Yes. I can tell it was you by doing this!” Fenrir raised his hand into the air and brought it down onto Vermillion’s face, covering his eyes. He should have felt that immense demonic power, should have felt that spark of recognition in the other demon’s aura. But he only felt the power of a demon twice as old as he. He felt the power of age, not the power that had consumed him and ultimately changed him. What was going on?

“What do you remember of me?” Vermillion asked. “Tell me your memories.”

Fenrir jerked his hand away as if burned. He shook his head. “It was you. It should have been you and no one else. You were the demon lord everyone spoke of. You were the one that they said to go to if you wanted to become a demon.”

“Am I?” Vermillion asked softly. He glanced behind Fenrir. “Search your memories.”

Fenrir leaned against the crucifix. He ran a hand through his hair, nearly pulling out the follicles. “It was late at night. I still hadn’t gotten a job. I remember coming home to a dark house. Phelan...she was...doing tricks in the bedroom. The children were in the basement. This I remember. This I know is true.”

“And afterwards?” Vermillion asked, watching the wings unfold from the daughter of his loins.

“I wanted power. I wanted the strength to support my family. I wanted anyone, anything to help. Out of depression, I cut myself. I made a wish to the darkness. I forsake my blood, my soul, anything for my family.” Fenrir looked at Vermillion. “Someone answered me.”

“It was a powerful demon. But I assure you...it wasn’t me.”

“Why are you being so amiable? I’m here to kill you!”

“No.” Vermillion shook his head. He knew the look on his daughter’s face. It was a look of anguish. She had tried so hard to be human and yet couldn’t hinder the demonic side of her heritage. “You’re not here to kill me.”

Fenrir shook his head. “You were the one that came to me. You said-”

“Would you really do anything to have the power so many men have died to have?”

Fenrir’s eyes opened. He stared at Vermillion who hadn’t spoken. It was that voice, that mix of angelic splendor and demonic thunder that had answered him thousands of years ago. But it didn’t come from the mouth of his hated enemy. He shut his eyes, hoping against hope that it wasn’t, that it couldn’t be...Veritas. He moved his head to look at her and his heart broke in two. The blood that had gone cold and drained from his face. Even looking at her in all her demonic beauty, knowing that he had made love to her, had loved her, he couldn’t help himself when he steeled his resolve and set out to destroy her.

“It was you.” Fenrir breathed. Every thought of her, every memory they shared was overrun by the hatred he had for the demon that had cost him everything. Even knowing that he had once told her he loved her, he couldn’t work past the anger, couldn’t work past the fact that she was the reason why he was on the path to hell. “After all this time it was you!”

“Fenrir,” Veritas tried to implore him, but he jerked away from her, snarling under his breath. She looked at her long, clawed fingers, the way her legs, beyond the knees, turn into talons, the two pairs of wings that were curled, membranous, yet feathered at the tips. She shook her head, tendrils of her hair falling over her shoulders, hiding the tears filling in her eyes. “Please, hear me out.”

“How could you?” Fenrir demanded. He turned on her then. “How the hell could you do this to me, Veritas? I trusted you! I touched you! I even fucked you! And then you do a one-eighty and fuck me right back! When were you going to tell me, Veritas? When?”

“I saw you once, when you were still human. I admit that I fell in love with you then, but over the years, I forgot about you. Then one night you sent a wish into the Darkness. No one else could have heard it but me. And...it wasn’t my intention to turn you into a demon or to make you kill your family.”

“No!” Fenrir shook his head adamantly. “No. I didn’t kill my family. You did. You feign innocence and spread you legs, telling me you love me, but you’re the actual devil in disguise. You turned me into a demon so I could belong to you? You took me away from my family so you could hop on my dick whenever you see fit? Of all the demons I have devoured, you are by far the most twisted bitch I have ever known.”

“Be careful to whom you speak to, Fenrir.” Vermillion snarled.

Fenrir turned and with a quick twitch of his wing, decapitated Vermillion. He turned back to Veritas who s shook her head softly, tears of anguish turning into tears of anger, hatred.

“It wasn’t like that. Your conviction was so strong, that I have you the power you needed. I tell you know that it wasn’t my intention for you to become a demon. It was your desire for power, that need to be strong, the way your life turned out that made you into a demon. You hungered for power, a power over everything you needed and wanted. I understand now. From that lifestyle, when you became a demon, your own needs as a human turned into your power as a demon. You devoured others and gained their power, their strength. In the end, you did get what you wanted.”

“Lying bitch!” Fenrir snarled. “What was the point of killing my wife? My children?”

“You have her devotion.” Veritas answered. “From your children, you have love, knowledge, friendship. You gained the instinct to protect those around you. You had the power to make yourself stronger. You-”

“Enough!”

“Fenrir.” Veritas pleaded. “Can’t you see past that anger? I didn’t make you what you are...I simply opened up that choice at it was you who had walked the path.”

“No.” Fenrir shook his head. He flexed his fingers and dropped to one knee. “I walk the path of vengeance. I set out to kill the demon who turned me into this and I intend to carry that out.”

“Please, Fenrir. Reconsider.”

“No.”

He moved faster than she could follow with her eyes. She felt the first ripple of pain slide up the right side of her body. Then she felt it down her back. She stood still while enduring the pain, trying to gather her wits and hopefully calm him down. She moved then, after he had gone up onto the crucifix, resting, thinking he had won. He had no idea what he was getting himself into. She appeared behind him, her claws extending forward and simply sliding over his back. She didn’t have to apply pressure, the passing wind of her claws was damaging enough to have him fall flat on his face. He roared in defiance and got up, starting another round of hit and run.

She glanced over to her father who had a sympathetic look on his face. He couldn’t help her deal with the pain-physical, emotional, and mental. She braced herself and flexed a wing. It caught Fenrir in mid-flight and was strong enough to have him bounce off the wing and crash into the stone wall. There was an imprint of his body as he fell down the few feet, landing in chunks of rubble that had fallen with him. He moved to his knees, bleeding from head wounds and the injuries on his back.

“Stop this, Fenrir.” Veritas said sadly. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Hurt me?” Fenrir coughed. “You’ve hurt me enough, demon bitch.”

“I love you, Fenrir.” She whispered. “Please, please...”

“Go to hell.”

The proverbial straw had broken the donkey’s back. In a scream of rage, Veritas leapt forward taking Fenrir’s neck into her grasp. She pulled him close then took flight, flying heavenwards as fast as she could then plummeting down, using Fenrir as a shield. The ground shook with shockwaves as Fenrir’s body absorbed most of the impact of the lightning fast descent. She flung him towards the crucifix and picked up metal poles as she walked towards him. His body was broken and bleeding, but she had protected the vital parts of his body from being broken too soon. She broke one of the metal poles in half and shoved the jagged edges into Fenrir’s palms, pinning his arms to the vertical section of the crucifix. Taking another pole she wound them around his feet tightly enough that not even he could break them apart. She stared up at him and felt her heart be surrounded by the numbing cold.

“Finish me off.”

“Could you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?”

Fenrir’s eyes cleared and he looked down at her. Even now she was beautiful, with her hair in her eyes, smudges of his blood over her face, her gold eyes brilliant and vibrant. She wore a gown of white, looking as if it was spider silk. Her wings were twice as large as his, like a literal cross from an angel and a demon. In all her demonic aura, she had the face of an angel.

“Your mother was an angel. And your father...?”

“Vermillion.” She answered, staring at the remnants of her father.

“Yes. I can see how you would be so powerful.” He answered, nodding his head. He laughed, more to himself than at her, and shook his head. “To answer you question...no.”

“Why?” Veritas cried.

“How can I love the person who took everything away from me?”

Veritas floated up to him and touched his face. “But I gave you something in return, didn’t I?”

“Apparently not enough. If you loved me, you would have killed yourself over this plight.”

Veritas shook her head and leaned her head against his. He didn’t fight, primarily because some parts of his spine had been severed. He just smelled in her scent as she cried against his chest. He was grateful he couldn’t feel his body, his arms, or legs. How could he touch her after what she had done? He was repulsed by her.

“Get away from me.”

“You are so full of hate.” She said softly. She took his head in her hands and brushed a kiss over his mouth. “And what of our child?”

Fenrir’s eyes glanced over to her belly. Ah, so he wasn’t sterile after all? He laughed and mustered what strength he had left and spit in her face. “Damn you both to hell.”

Veritas nodded her head slowly. “As you wish.”

She dove into the source of her power like dropping a coin into a fountain. She rose out of the abyss quickly enough and let out a quick, short burst of her strength. The face between her hands exploded, the handsome face she had grown to love and hate was forever gone. She clasped her fingers together, ignoring the fragments of bone, blood, and brain matter sticking to her fingers. She pulled her clasped hands to her chest and began to shake. She dropped down to the floor, looking at what was left of her beloved Fenrir.

“The drama has been acted out.”

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