Monsters Page 26

  `Yes, yes! That's it! Understand how necessary it is to kill, how much you need this! How much it must be!'

  `Enough!

  `Why do you resist? Don't you understand? You have killed your father, one of the most powerful rulers of Hell, and you killed him in his own playground. You are stronger than him. To be stronger than one such as he, is to be tremendously strong! You are the opposite of weak, Jason! You are strength incarnate. Strength such as this need not be bound by petty morality. So why do you resist?'

  `I want nothing from you. Nothing!'

  `You've rejected it all your life. You killed because you had to do it to get this far, but you never accepted it. It's time you learned the truth, it's time you accepted the truth!'

  `I refuse...'

  `Refuse? How can you refuse this? You've done it all your life, it's all that got you here. Here! Do you even realize where you are? Take a look around!'

  He opens his arms, and the landscape around us changes. It becomes a magnificent throne room, with gold and silver decorations all over, and a red carpet before the throne. Just a few steps from me stands a pedestal with a crown laying on it.

  `You can make this world into whatever you wish it to be. This is your kingdom now! As king, you deserve a crown. Here, try it on.'

  He changes into Zack Sands again.

  `Oh, will you look at that! You've only got one arm. Why, that's no way for a king to look, not to mention that you can't properly put your crown on. Let me help with that. Let me show you what kind of power you have now!'

  He points at me and I feel something strange in my right shoulder. I look at it, and I see that my arm is growing back! A few seconds, and it is regrown completely.

  `Go ahead, put it on.'

  I move my arm, bend it, stretch it, grasp the air with my hand. It's like it has always been. As if it had never been severed.

  I reach for the crown with it. I pick it up easily. Then I look at him, and I drop the crown on the floor.

  `I don't want this. It's time to put an end to this clown parade. You will die!'

  He changes into Sewareld Worriil.

  `Do you think you can kill me? Me?'

  `You are the essence of Th'Mesh. His demonic power. You can't exist without a host. I need not kill you. Just reject you. And you will die.'

  `Ha! Is that what you think? Is that what the old man told you? You're a fool. I am no being. I am just a power. An essence, as you said. How could I die?'

  `You're lying.'

  He changes shape again. Now he looks like my mirror image.

  `Think what you want, old fool!' he says, sounding just like me.

  Then he changes shape again, becoming Doorn once more.

  `What reason would you have to reject me in the first place? Do you not like this power? Do you not appreciate the sudden and immediate return of your arm?'

  `I've had enough of you! I did not come here to become a ruler of Hell.'

  `Ah, but killing your father and becoming a ruler of Hell is one and the same! One and the same! You kill him, you take his power. That's how it works.'

  `I don't want it. If I took this power, I'd be just like Th'Mesh was.'

  `It doesn't have to be that way. If you don't like the nature of the power you inherit, you can remake it in your own image. It need not be as it was when your father reigned here. You will have the power to shape it as you please!'

  `I don't believe you.'

  `You believed the old man, yet he knew nowhere near as much of this power as I do. I am this power, I should know best what it can do! I know what it can do for you, and those that care for you.'

  He waves his hand again, and the landscape changes once again. The battlescene appears before me, and I see Flora looking at me. She is in amazement, and there is a strangely wicked smile on her face. She looks pleased...

  `Look at her! She sees you. She beheld as your arm grew back. She sees how your strength returns. Look at her! Look how happy she is! Would you take that from her? Would you?'

  I look at her, and realize that she is pleased to see me possess this power. Seeing her, I also realize that everything I behold here is somehow taking place inside me! In my mind, in my soul... The essence of Th'Mesh is already inside me. If I cannot force it out of myself, I will become the new Th'Mesh...

  `Look at her. Look how much she cares for you. She loves you. And you love her.'

  `I care for her, yes... but I have no emotions in me. I am empty. '

  `Empty?'

  `Yes. I am empty.'

  He changes into Sewareld Worriil again.

  `Do you realize what you're saying? You came all this way filled with rage and hatred, to kill Jenathar and your father. What is rage, if not an emotion? What is hatred, if not an emotion? You are not empty, Jason! You've simply felt such hate that there was no place for any other emotion. Now that the deed is done, you can refill yourself with any emotion you choose! You can love her. You can give her all she desires!

  Take the power!'

  I stare at him, and say just one word.

  `No.'

  He waves his hand and the landscape changes. Flora vanishes, and a strange gray mist surrounds us.

  `No? No?! You don't know what you speak!' he says, and he steps closer and swiftly changes shape. He becomes Flora again. Not the Flora I knew, but the one I know today. The vampire. The ruthless killer.

  She looks at me and sees something in my eyes. That despite all that's happened to Flora, all that she's done, I cannot hate her. Rather, I care for her, somehow. In Flora's shape she approaches. She touches me. I slightly tremble as she caresses my skin. Her touch is just like the real Flora's...

  `You want this... I know.'

  `No...'

  `Yes...' she says slowly, and she kisses my neck.

  `No...'

  `No means yes...' she whispers into my ear. Then, she slightly bites my neck and licks off a drop of blood, like Flora did that night in the lich's lair. Somehow, this makes me feel stronger. As if she was giving me some of that cursed demonic power this way.

  `No means yes, Jase. I know you want this.' she says, and she bites me again. Once more, I feel a bit stronger.

  `No...'

  I try to scream this out loud, but I can't. It is but a mere whisper. Is this how it must end? I know that Flora, the real Flora, would like this. But is this why I came? Is this why I've sunk so low, to become a ruler of Hell? No, I came to take revenge and to rid the world of a ruler of Hell at the same time. Will my revenge be complete without it? Will I not sink even lower if I accept this power?

  I try to scream, but I can't. No air in my lungs to scream. I try and try, but to no avail.

  Is this how it must end?

  Or worse, will this be but a beginning?

  ...and destruction shall follow in his wake

  Realm of Th'Mesh, present day (1 year, 1 month, and 6 days before Twilightfall)

  Th'Mesh falls!

  He did it. He destroyed the mighty Demon Lord!

  I knew you could do it, Jase! Now rest, I know you must feel exhausted. I will stand guard over you...

  Th'Mesh has fallen, and Jase is victorious. Now comes the part that Kurt Aurach told me of. The best part! Where Jason becomes the Lord of this place.

  It seems to begin. A strange grayish mist arises from the body of Th'Mesh, and it approaches Jason. It vanishes into his body. For a while, he just lays there, but then he stands up. He holds his aching right shoulder with his left hand, and stares forward blankly.

  I step in front of him.

  `Jase? Are you alright?'

  He doesn't reply. He just stares forward blankly. I wave my hand in front of his eyes. Nothing. No reaction. What could be wrong with him?

  A few minutes pass, and suddenly he lowers his hand and turns his head towards his shoulder, still staring blankly. His arm...

  His arm is growing back!

  It takes but half a minute, if not less. His arm is back, good as new!
<
br />   He... has taken the power!

  It is done!

  He has become the new Lord of this part of Hell!

  It has gone down as Kurt Aurach said it would. He will rule in Hell, and destruction shall follow in his wake, he said.

  Indeed. He now rules in Hell.

  So let's get to the destruction part!

  Yes, Jase! If this is how it must be, I shall stand by you! And how I will enjoy it! You will rule this Hell, and I shall be your queen and your greatest hunter! I shall be your personal deathbringer, destroying your enemies like no other could! No-one will dare challenge you here, Jase! I will see to that. I will make you proud, Jase! I will always be by your side, my beloved!

  Yes, he now has this power, and I shall aid him in anything he needs. But he is still standing there, staring blankly. Strange.

  A few minutes pass like this, and suddenly a thin layer of that strange gray mist comes out of his nostrils and covers his entire body. I hope this is not some kind of cocoon. It would be a shame if he turned into that ugly thing for good. No, he certainly won't. With all this power, I'm sure he can wear what shape he pleases.

  Instinctively I step back and stand in a defensive stance, ready to fight.

  What am I doing?

  Kurt Aurach claimed that Jase would lose control. He even feared that Jase might try to kill me...

  Bah, ridiculous. He would never do that...

  Yet I instinctively stay in a defensive stance, with my arms bent and ready to do battle.

  The mist begins to whirl around him, first slowly, then quickly. He begins to whisper words. His mouth shaping a word that I can't make out. Something short. Then suddenly, he screams out loud.

  `No! Nooooooooooooo!'

  He slowly raises his arms and turns his head upwards. And he screams...

  It is a scream of rage like I've never heard in my life. He just screams, and screams, and screams...

  What is happening to him? Is he losing control like Aurach said? Is he about to attack me?

  No. It can't be. That's ridiculous. He would never do that. He would never...

  Yet instinctively I step back even further.

  As he screams on, a violent wind arises around him, and the gray mist slowly dissolves. As the last of it finally disappears, he falls to the ground, silently.

  `Jase!'

  I jump to him, and put my hand under his head.

  `Jase, what's wrong? Are you alright?'

  `It's... over...' he says, weakly. `It's done... Run...'

  `What?'

  `Run... Flora... I've rejected the power. It's done. Go...'

  `Rejected...? But...'

  `Go... Hurry... This world can't exist without it. It's dying now... now that it has no host. It will take this world along with it... Run... To the Portal... Quickly...'

  `But... what of you...?'

  `Leave me... I'm dying...'

  `No... No! I won't leave you!'

  He whispers something, but I don't even bother trying to make out what he says. I quickly stand up and pick him up over my shoulder, and run. I run towards the Portal. We're not even half way, and I feel the ground - or water - begin to shake beneath my feet. From the distance, I hear a loud sound which partly resembles thunder, and partly a waterfall. Whatever is happening, can't be good.

  I run as fast as I can. As I reach the Portal, I see something in the distance. It's like a gigantic tear on the surface of this water we've been walking on. It's steadily coming closer. I do not hesitate. I jump through the Portal.

  *

  We arrive in some kind of forest. The Portal closes behind us. I gently put Jase on the ground, and kneel beside him. I look at him. He seems barely conscious, but he's still breathing. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind knocks me to the ground and I hear a scream inside my head. It is like the wail of an angry, wounded animal. Slowly, it fades away...

  I slowly sit up.

  `What the Hell was that?'

  `It's done...' says Jason, very slowly and silently. `The Destroyer's world... is gone... It's over...'

  `Jase? Are you alright?'

  He looks at me. His face reflects exhaustion. But he smiles.

  He finally smiles...

  `Yes... I'm alright now...'

  He smiles, finally. He says he's alright. But... But he said, that he rejected the power. Aurach told me, this would mean his death.

  Suddenly, I realize what he meant when he said, that he was alright now...

  `Jase... You can't just die like this...' I tell him, with a weak voice.

  `I'm sorry... Flora...'

  `There must be something to do, some way you can survive. You've survived so many things before...'

  `No... I'm dying... The demon from me is gone... Dead... Without it... I cannot stay alive...'

  `No... Jase... Please... Just hold on, I will get you help, I will take you to Zack Sands, he can take you to Aurach, he could save you like he saved me. Just hold on, don't let go...'

  `It's beyond me now... Aurach couldn't help me... Would that... it could have been different... Forgive me...'

  `Forgive you? For what? Jase, I...'

  `I'm sorry... that I... left you alone again... Forgive me...'

  `Just hang on, please... I'll take you to Aurach, just hold on... Please...'

  `Don't mourn me, dearest Flora... I am free now... I am... free...'

  And he...

  He closes his eyes...

  And he leaves me...

  And I...

  I...

  I do the one thing... I never did... Not even when my brother died...

  Epilogues

  Masters of the Dark Arts

  In the castle of Kurt Aurach, Kh'Tal, present day (1 year, 1 month, and 5 days before Twilightfall)

  `Marvelous, isn't it, old friend?' asks Zack, as he hands me a brightly glowing gem.

  I take it from him, and examine it. It is a power stone, but it holds so much magical energy that I can't begin to guess how it can even exist.

  `This is unbelievable! Where did you get it?'

  `I made it!' he says, proudly. `Just yesterday.'

  `Yesterday?' I ask with suspicion. `How?'

  Instead of a reply, he smiles widely.

  `You didn't...' I tell him.

  `I did!'

  `I can't believe it...'

  `I did! It was the perfect opportunity!'

  `Do you realize what risk you took? All that power could have destroyed you!'

  `Not really. The level of risk was actually pretty low. Fighting Flora was more risky, in fact.'

  `Fighting... Flora?'

  `Yes.'

  Now I understand.

  `You still amaze me with your reckless actions, my young friend...' I tell him. `And this is not a compliment, in case you think it is.'

  `I know you disagree with such extreme methods, but you cannot deny their effectiveness. You hold the fruit of my hard labor in your hand as we speak!' he says, smiling.

  `It was unnecessary risk! Besides, what do you need such an extremely charged power stone for?'

  `Nothing. I made it for you.'

  `For me?'

  `Yeah! I don't need it, I just wanted to show you that it can be done. However, you can certainly put it to good use in one of your experiments.'

  `Well... yes, I can...'

  `So, keep it! It's yours!'

  `Well... thank you!'

  `No problem! Hey, I just remembered something...'

  I fear I know what that is...

  `Yes?' I ask, trying my best to sound casual and unaware.

  `Remember that once we argued whether a power stone with so much magical energy could be created?'

  `Vaguely...'

  `You said that it was impossible.'

  `I did?'

  `Yes. You also said, that if I ever create such a power stone, you're gonna eat your hat.'

  `I said that?'

  `Yes, you did.'

  `Well, then it's a good thing I d
on't have a hat.'

  `Yeah, indeed... Hey, I just remembered something else. I totally forgot... I have another gift for you!'

  Oh no...

  `You do?'

  `Yes. Right here!'

  He stretches out his arm with his palm facing up, and a large gift-wrapped box appears in his hand.

  `Here you go!'

  Hesitantly I take the box from him.

  `Thank you... but what is it?' I ask, as if I didn't know.

  `Open it!' he says, widely smiling.

  I open the box, and it reveals exactly what I feared. A large hat...

  `Well... thank you.'

  `What were we talking about earlier?' he asks, sounding innocent and casual. I should have known better...

  I sigh.

  `You actually want me to eat it?'

  `Nah, I'm not such an asshole... But if you don't, everyone who hears about it will think that you don't keep your word. No-one will bet with you, ever again...'

  As if I was in contact with many people besides you, my young friend. But very well. I can play along.

  `So be it.' I tell him, and I put the hat down on the table. With my magic, I transform it into a hat made of chocolate. I break off a piece of the brim, and eat it.

  `Not bad... Care to try it, my young friend?'

  He laughs out loud, and then he steps closer to the table and breaks off a piece of the brim as well.

  `Yeah, tasty!' he says. `But it could use some flavoring.'

  He waves his hand and shreds of coconut appear on the surface of the chocolate hat.

  `There, much better!' he says.

  Slowly we eat the whole chocolate hat, talking about many things. At the end, he tells me of how Jason and Flora defeated Th'Mesh.

  `You saw it all?' I ask, as he finishes the tale.

  `Yes. I was not there, but I watched them from afar. I was curious.'

  `I understand.'

  `You know something... It left me wondering.'

  `About what?'

  `About why he did it.'

  `Killing Th'Mesh?'

  `No. Rejecting the power. Why would he do that? He went to all that trouble to get his revenge, and when it was done, he threw away his life, just like that. Why did he? I just don't get it.'

  `For Jason, it was about being free of the demonic essence of his father. Free of the demon's influence, the demon's grasp. A desire to be free is something you can certainly understand.'