Heart of an Demon, Soul of a Angel
by D. Darknight
Wraith remains where he collapsed, listening to the receding footsteps of his master�his father. His body is healed of all wounds, the floor cleansed of his infected blood, but his mind still aches, pain of this kind not so easily erased with the casual wave of a hand. The dull ache of betrayal, of imprisonment gives birth to a tiny seed. The miniscule kernel nestles deep in his black heart, nurtured by his one hope, his single desire�to one day know freedom. And with that birth begins a death, the respect he once felt for the being that granted him life beginning to crumble at his feet. The cruelty and abuse he has suffered unendingly finally takes its toll on him, altering Wraith for all eternity.
He feels more than hears Azeel�s quiet approach, her presence so often the only solace he is granted in times such as these. She kneels gracefully beside him, her cloak fanning out to settle around her, Azeel gently brushing away the silent tears he sheds. �Do not let them see you like this, Wraith,� she whispers, her voice a loving caress across his soul. She reaches out to touch him, her hand slowly trailing the length of his arm, her lithe fingers curling around his, silently granting him strength. �Rise to your feet. Stand proud, for none here could hope to stand your equal.�
Wraith slowly opens his eyes, the violet depths burning with helpless rage as he shifts his gaze to study her. He cannot pierce the shadows enshrouding her features, but nor does he need to. He can feel her compassion, her empathy towards him, leaving him to wonder just how much Azeel suffers in stoic silence.
He gains his feet, Azeel rising with elegant grace to stand before him, her fingers brushing across his lips to hold him silent. �Do as he bids, and no harm shall come to you, Wraith. Challenge him, and he will destroy you.�
Wraith takes her hand in his, pressing her palm over his heart. �He is destroying me. Can you not see this? Do you not feel this? He is destroying me, Azeel.�
Dark shadows rise up, enfolding Wraith in their cold embrace, removing him from Azeel�s gentle touch, leaving her to stand alone with the d*mning secret he imparted to her. He begins the journey back to Earth, understanding for the first time the extent to which his soul�their soul has been condemned. He cannot count how many demons he knows of who recall their mortal life. Their souls had been so twisted that there had been no more fitting position for them then to serve the Dark Master for all eternity. Yet, if this is the case for Sidhe and himself, why can they not remember any life before this? Why are they being denied the reasons for their tormented existence?
The sight of Sidhe brings Wraith to a stop, his sister visible through the thin veil separating the shadow realm from Earth, as are her frantic tears. He watches her desperate search, his heart near to bursting with love for her, the only constant in his life, his other half, his cherished twin. Everything in life they have shared equally, except for the deep wounds their souls bear. He has always believed she was simply the gentler half; all that was once good and pure now perverted and twisted. However, Wraith begins to doubt that possibility as much as he questions their very existence. He grows more certain that there is something very foul and sinister behind their creation, Sidhe�s very being proof of that, but what? There is only one he knows who may hold those answers, and to speak to him Wraith must race against time itself.
Wraith slips through the barrier, aware time may not be on his side, but nor can he leave her to her despair. He pulls her into his arms, cradling her gently as he carries them both to the ground. Sidhe buries her face in his chest; gut wrenching sobs wracking her tiny frame, every tear shed slicing through his already wounded heart. He leans against the wall at his back, gently stroking her silken hair in an effort to sooth her tears, Wraith struggling vainly to control his own raging emotions. �Shhhhh, it�s alright,� he whispers softly. �I�m here now.�
�I thought he�d killed you,� Sidhe cries brokenly. �I thought I�d lost you forever.�
�I�m right here, Sidhe. Perhaps a little battered, but no worse for wear,� Wraith assures her.
Sidhe sits up, pulling back to study Wraith, noting the bloody tattered remains of his shirt, but that is not what concerns her. The dark shadows lurking in the depths of his vibrant eyes, the tears he fights to hold back, the raging torment she can feel tearing through his soul�this is what concerns her. �What happened?� she manages, gently cupping the side of his face in the palm of her hand.
Wraith smiles faintly, capturing her hand in his own, brushing a brief kiss across her knuckles before admitting the truth. �I dared to defy him.�
Sidhe lunges to her feet, stalking away from Wraith before turning on him again, swinging her arms out in an aggravated gesture of frustration. �Why? Why must you defy him at every turn?� she demands, her voice trembling with concern for her brother.
�I will not spend an eternity as his slave!� Wraith growls venomously, rising to his full height, his anger no longer willing to remain imprisoned within. �I will not live my life seeing to his every whim while my own hopes crumble to ash at my feet! I live, I breathe, and by all that is unholy�I dream!�
Fresh tears spring to her eyes, Sidhe realizing her brother has started down a path from which there may be no return. �Do not do this, Wraith. I beg you. For us�for me! Whatever this bone is you�ve sunk your teeth into, let it go�walk away,� she pleads.
�I can�t,� Wraith whispers helplessly, unwilling to reveal his suspicions to Sidhe just yet. He draws close to her, brushing her tears away. �There is someone I must go see. I want you to return to the hotel room and remain there. Mitsukai has proven he is not beyond ambushing us when we are alone. If you mingle among the humans no harm will come to you for Mitsukai will not risk harming them.�
�And where are you going? Back to your woman? I can smell her on you!� Sidhe spits in a brackish tone, her anger born out of a desperate need to keep her brother at her side.
Wraith had not intended on admitting to her just who he seeks, but the truth is better then parting on bad terms. Their future has suddenly become far too questionable for Wraith to chance ill feelings between them. He�ll broach the subject of Medea and their master�s orders once Sidhe has calmed down. �Valentino��
Sidhe stares up at her brother in utter disbelief, icy dread clamping around her heart. �No, Wraith. You cannot do this! You dare not!�
�He is our brother, Sidhe. I�ll not turn my back on him,� Wraith vows solemnly, continuing quickly before his sister can interrupt him. �And, he is the only one who may have the answers I seek.�
�Answers to what? Do you hear yourself, Wraith? You aren�t making any sense,� Sidhe argues.
�Just this once, sister mine, do as I ask. I will explain everything when I return. I promise,� Wraith whispers.
Sidhe opens her mouth to argue, Wraith�s tormented expression ripping straight through her, silencing any argument she still held. She nods silently, taking Wraith�s hand, offering no resistance as he guides her through his realm. Once back in the relative safety of their hotel room, Wraith pulls his distraught twin into his arms, sliding his hands down her back comfortingly. �Trust in me, sister mine. If nothing else, have faith in me.�
He steps away from her reluctantly, some small part of him pleading to remain at Sidhe�s side, to forget uncovering their past and look only to their future. He reaches across the distance separating them, capturing the glistening tear sliding down her pale cheek, knowing if he could believe they truly had a future he would do just that. The shadows at his back inch forward, curling around his lean form until they fully engulfed him, retreating grudgingly from the sting of the golden sun�Wraith gone.
Humans scamper towards their cars and homes, desperate to escape the gentle drizzle falling to cleanse their city. None note the man standing at the mouth of the alley, heaven�s silvery tears falling to mingle with his own, the dark demon a mere shadow. Nor does he heed them, his interest laying only in one, a soul as dark and twisted as his own, but with a heart of gold. He does not have to wait long for a few short minutes later the man he seeks races around the corner, another on his heels. Wraith shifts into view, moving into his brother�s path, determined his questions will be heard, resolute on gaining the answers.
Valentino slides to a halt, searching the shadows, aware of his younger brother�s undeniable presence. Their gazes meet, one desperate, the other filled with wary dread. Yet, unwilling to turn away from his brother without just cause, Valentino exchanges a few words with his companion before cautiously heading across the street. Wraith waits patiently, watching Valentino walk towards him, realizing just how much he�s missed his brother now that he sees him.
�Stryker found you,� Wraith states quietly once Valentino reaches him, catching the hated assassin�s scent on his brother�s clothes.
�He has,� Valentino admits softly. He pauses to study his younger brother, the fear of his father�s long arm burning deep within him. �And, have you now come to succeed where he has failed?�
Wraith smiles faintly, hardly able to fault Valentino for his suspicions, knowing well he would be�is no different. �Sidhe and I have been charged with ridding our master of a particularly troublesome dragon. As for Stryker and his failures, he has been banished until such time as he takes our father your head.�
�Then a long time he will wait to return home,� Valentino smiles.
�Remind me to thank you for that small blessing,� Wraith teases quietly.
�I will when next we meet,� Valentino chuckles darkly. He notes his brother�s bedraggled appearance for the first time, Wraith�s tattered bloody clothes almost as unnerving as his bloodshot eyes. Valentino�s relief falls to growing concern, knowing Wraith to be fastidious about his appearance and relentlessly controlling over his emotions. �What ails you, little brother? Why do you dare our father�s wrath by coming to me?�
Wraith shifts his gaze to stare at the ground at his feet, suddenly hesitant now that he stands on the threshold of discovery. Granted, this knowledge may very well lead to his destruction, and the destruction of his sister, but he must have the answers. He must know the truth if he ever hopes to gain his dream. �Who am I, Val?�
Valentino clamps his jaw shut tightly, his eyes guarded, hiding the knowledge within. He�d known this day would come, had feared it ever since the day their father shared with him the dark secret of the twin�s existence. �You are my brother,� he states, praying the younger demon will accept his response. A vain hope for he knows well Wraith�s curiosity will never by mollified by so simple an answer. The time has come for the twins to learn their past, a closely guarded secret that Satan would go so far as to order his own son�s death to protect.
�Who are we?� Wraith growls, his frustration growing dangerously out of control. He can see it in Valentino�s eyes, his brother knows who they were, and what they were. �Why can we not remember? Who�s soul do we share? Tell me, Valentino, or mark my words I will travel to the very ends of Heaven, Hell, and Earth to find the answers!�
�All you will find is your own demise!� Valentino snaps darkly. Wraith�s wounded look silencing any further admonishing he�d intended, Valentino�s hopes of frightening his younger brother from his current course shattering. He looks away, not quite able to meet Wraith�s burning gaze, moving instead to sit on a low brick wall. �Sit with me,� he states, Wraith casting him a look of confusion, but complying with his wishes in the end. Valentino turns to him, struggling for the words, knowing that within the answer lie the balance�and the power to rip the twins apart. �I need not tell you that the souls of many condemned are of people who in life were so cruel�so vile it is fitting that in death they are demons. But, as with everything else, there are always exceptions. In the case of Sidhe and you, our father wanted to create the perfect killing machine, one that none, be they from Heaven or H*ll, could destroy. He found fault in me for I can be destroyed by all that is righteous and holy, a grievous weakness he was determined to see did not happen again. He succeeded�in you and your twin, for you are no more weak against that which is holy than that which is evil,� Valentino explained, unwilling to continue the tale that is sure to have a tragic end, but what choice does he have? It is no longer in his hands. �His name was Derori�the soul that is now in you and Sidhe.�
Wraith�s heart slams into his ribs painfully, his mounting tension growing so great he begins to tremble at the very sound of the name, yet he denies his body�s reaction, prompting Valentino to continue, �This name means nothing to me.�
Valentino surges to his feet, pacing several feet away, his hands clasped behind his back, unaware of the pose so much like their father�s. Wraith notes it, though; musing briefly at just how much father and son are alike�and how very different the paths are they�ve chosen. Valentino spins, pinning Wraith with a dark foreboding expression, icy tendrils snaking up Wraith�s spine, slipping into his heart to chill his very blood. �What better way to insure one cannot be harmed by all that is holy than to use all that is holy, Wraith?�
He slowly rises to his feet, the shocking blow to Wraith so hard he visibly winces, gasping in pain. His mind bulks at the possibilities suddenly spreading out before him, desperately attempting to deny them one and all. �By holy you mean a priest�a prophet?� he manages, his voice little more than a strangled whisper. �This is what you mean, Valentino?� he demands, edging closer to his brother, his tone gaining in both strength and volume, finally shouting, �Tell me this is what you mean!�
Valentino faces Wraith, helplessly, wishing with everything that he is that he could tell his brother exactly that, but he cannot. Old hatred erupt from his heart, filling his body, consuming his mind, the dark emotion glittering in his eyes. Hatred not for Wraith, but for the man who created them both, hatred for what he now must admit to his brother. �He fought the very legions you now lead, Wraith�I�m sorry,� he admits softly. �Derori was an Angel of Freedom.�
Wraith stumbles, his legs threatening to give under the sudden weight of their fate, a destiny that settles over his shoulders like a great black cloak suffocating the very life from him. He stares down at his hand, his fingers curling to grasp the hope crumbling to ash. The black powdery remains visible only to the demon who�d dared to dream slipping through his fingers. He closes his eyes slowly; his hand clenched so tightly blood seeps from in between his fingers, Wraith welcoming the physical pain, hiding behind it from the gaping wounds in his heart. �He�ll never let us go, will he? He�ll never set us free?� he breathes brokenly. �And�even if he did, to what end?�
Valentino looks away, unable to watch as the truth rips his brother apart. He can feel his heart shattering into thousands of pieces, each jagged sliver slicing through his soul, leaving him bleeding and broken, none able to heal these wounds. Wounds that only grow worse with the knowledge that as much as he suffers, Wraith suffers all the more. Valentino�s hatred finally spreads to himself for unwittingly become the sword that cleaves the younger demon in two, destroying all his hopes and dreams. Nevertheless he somehow finds the strength to reach out to Wraith, gently clasping his brother�s trembling shoulders, uttering the final words of his brother�s damnation. �No. I am of his loins, his own flesh and blood, flawed by his own accounting, and he�d rather see me dead then free. You�you and Sidhe he will never set free. He created you with one single purpose in mind, to serve him, and he�d destroy you before ever allowing you to serve another. Even if that other is yourself, Wraith. You are his perfect creation�an assassin with the heart of a demon�and the soul of an angel.�
