Leliel

The apocalypse was coming.

I was standing in a deserted graveyard. Across from me stood what could possibly become the apocalypse, the dark side of the world I lived in.

Beside me, I had the Fae people, a werewolf pack, vampire friends, sorcerers, two ogres, my loyal phoenix, and my magic.

The other side had demons, a dragon, vampires, werewolves, and as their leader Medusa.

"You don't have to do this Medusa. You still have a choice," I said, as my final attempt to keep the peace.

She cackled, "Leliel my dear, you of people should know what it is to embrace the darkness. So why not share it with the mundane world?"

I did in fact know what it felt like to embrace and be embraced by darkness. In my time of betraying God I felt all that is evil. To have the sinister, heinous tendrils of evil wrapped around me was something I've longed for.

But I was no longer on the side of evil. I have come back to good, and as a punishment I was forced to fight. And I would not lose.

"Then I will be forced to take lethal actions," my voice boomed across the field.

She gave me a haughty smirk and said, "You could certainly try but we all know you will succumb to the darkness, lover boy."

I flinched. She knew I still longed for the darkness, to feel the power it brought with it. And she knew I longed for her .

In my time of darkness she had become my guide, my friend, and ultimately...my lover.
Deep in the graveyard came a banshees' boding scream, filled with rage and frustration.

The mark of death.

"And so it begins," muttered one of the Fae.
Both sides charged towards each other and only Medusa and I stayed where we were.

"I don't want to do this, but I will if I have to. I will destroy you when it comes down to it," I said softly, knowing she heard every word I uttered.

"Do you honestly think you have the power," she laughed, "or the will to do it? You'll hesitate, just like you always do. You will fall to my feet."

I sized her up knowing she was stronger then she looked. I was taller and built better but I knew she would be a great threat.

We circled each other and she leaped to kick me but I dodged it. She reached for me, and I again managed to dodge as I scanned for an opening to strike her. My narrow escape caused the Fae beside me to lose her concentration. It cost her. A wolf latched its sharp pointed teeth on the side of her arm.

As I watched the Fae be torn limb, by limb Medusa knocked me off the ground, pinning my arms. I tried to push her off but she had the dragon take her place as she stood over me.

"Call them off and I'll spare you," she said with a majestic smile.

I wanted to give in. To give in to her, and rule at her side. She knew I wanted this. She was toying with my emotions to try to get the apocalypse started. But I took a vow to my God, and I would not betray him. Not again.

I summoned everything I had in me and forced the energy towards the dragon and it lit up like a torch. He jerked back, and I rolled from under him. Thick flames covered its scaly body, obscuring its features. I heard a few strangled screams from it then it became silent.

I laughed, "Is that all you have? Come on! I thought you were better than that!"

I sauntered towards her, conjuring my sword. As I got closer I could see the fear and realization in her eyes. Realization of death.

"Leliel, my love, we could rule the mundane world. Together. You and me as King and Queen to the sickening humans," she pleaded, putting her hands over my body.

I dropped the sword to the ground and held her in my arms. Holding her was so bittersweet. When I looked in her eyes I could see the love we once had. We were equals at last, and every touch held power in it.

I rested my head on top of hers. I knew in the small intake of breath she could easily turn me to stone just as the last of her lovers, but I took the chance. We stood there for a while, wrapped in each other's arms, not saying anything as the chaos around us continued.

She slowly let the tension out of her body, and spoke. "All this could be ours," she whispered soothingly. "We could be the greatest."

"Yes," I whispered, captured by her voice.

She lifted her head and met my eyes. This time when I looked in them I found something other than love. Greed.

She was playing me. I wanted to rage and destroy everything in my path but I kept a straight face.

"Together forever," she smiled at me.

"Forever," I said to her. She pulled my face to hers. The kiss was filled with both sweetness and despair. Nothing and everything could have torn us apart. I wanted to stay there, but I knew were my loyalty stood.

I commanded the sword from the ground and lifted my right hand to catch it, never leaving the kiss.

As I lifted the sword in the air a demon yelled. Medusa's eyes snapped open with realization, but it was too late. I plunged the sword in her back feeling the point on my chest. She gasped for air, then crumpled on the floor.

Everything became quiet. Then cheers and cries of rage where heard everywhere.
I stared at her mangled body. Moments ago, I thought I would die in this battle. Now my attacker was dead. I nearly reeled from how close I was from dying. The world was so unpredictable like that. Life and death were so unpredictable. So close to each other. We lived every day, never knowing who would be next to leave this world.

A sorcerer came next to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "You did well, Leliel. You've stopped darkness from taking over."

"Thank you," I muttered and started walking away. I felt nothing at the moment. No happiness, no sorrow. Just the emptiness in the pit of my stomach.

"Watch out!" Someone yelled.
I quickly turned, readying my sword in case of an attacker.

What I saw both astonished me and didn't.
Medusa was getting up. Her wound healing before my eyes.

"Don't look so surprised, Leliel. You of all people should have known I could only be killed by cutting off my head. But of course you didn't," she charged towards me, claws growing out of her hands.

She knocked the sword out of my hand and backhanded me. I hit a head stone and groaned as the pain came.

"I gave you a chance, and you ruined it." she said leaning down to me.

My hand shot out, quick as a snake, and grabbed her by the neck.

"No you ruined it. And you will die." I grabbed my sword from the ground still holding her and brought it up to her.

"And this time you will stay that way," there was a tremulous note in my voice.

As I brought the sword to her neck she took a sharp breath and blew it out towards me. I could feel the breath becoming heavier and heavier by the moment. I was turning into stone. My actions slowed down but I continued to carve the sword to her neck.

As the last inkling of breath left us both the world erupted. Everyone fell to the ground as we erupted in golden translucent flames. The fire went up in the air and expanded in a ring. For a moment the dark night was illuminated by the destruction, then it was dark once more. Silent.

There was Leliel, his angelic presence captured in stone. And Medusa's body lay crumpled on the floor, the decapitated head next to her.

The impact of both their hate and love killed them.

Leliel forever to be in this world. But he would be remembered as a hero, if only by the people who witnessed it.

He would forever remain the angel of darkness in the shadows of the graveyard.