Neo Chronicles
Episode 20: I Messed Up
Table of Contents
I can not tell you how messed up we are, and it's all my fault. D***. D***, d***, d***. I had it all planned out. We were doing well—better than I could have hoped to imagine. The enchantment I put over the boys to actually damage the demons worked out great. The fact that the two demons were already fighting each other was a Godsend. How in the world did I end up messing this up?
Think, Lynn. Think back to how it started. Two days ago, right after I got home. I worked on getting into the Axis Mundi. That was good. I stayed there for a while. I soaked it all in. All the spirits there were around me, and I was working with them. I did that. Then with time, I managed to summon the spirit of Jabari.
He came. He actually came. He even showed up in the image of the man he possessed when we met him. I told him the situation. Our friend was lost. We thought the demons had something to do with it. We're ready to do what he tried to have us do in the first place.
Of course he was against it. He was upset. He said he made a mistake picking us up like he did. We weren't made for fighting demons, but I wasn't having it. I told him if he wasn't going to help, then I'd find another way. He could tell I wasn't bluffing. My mind was made up. Even after him telling me that he died in action didn't shake me. Even him telling me that Darius wasn't wrapped up in the demon madness didn't shake me. I was determined to go through with it.
I told him he had two days to teach me everything I needed to know about everything. I told him to teach me everything he knew.
“It takes months to even understand the concept, years to actually get the process, and decades to come close to mastering it,” he said.
I said, “Well, it's a good thing time moves differently in Axis, then.”
He wasn't amused, but he went through with it. He taught me. It was all basic stuff at the beginning. He lectured me on how when using magic, you're really invoking the power of various spirits.
The spirits are really just people who used to live around long ago that somehow cheated death or some nonsense. It was a lot to take in, but the way I think it works is when most people die, they go to sleep until the end of the world actually happens. That may be the apocalypse, that may be the rapture, it may just mean the time when our sun burns out—he just said end of the world—but every so often, some people wake up. I don't know why they do, but they do, and while they're awake they can interact with things. If they're strong enough they can actually interact with the real world—our world, that is. Earth.
Way back when, people used to worship these spirits. Every culture had their own set of gods, and they had their own set of stories about those gods. Then came the magic users, the people who could call on those gods to do what they wanted. I don't know if that's just what their ST was or even if they had ST's back then, but that's what they did.
The history lesson was interesting, but I told Jabari I didn't have time for that. He could have just told me that magic came from spirits and I woulda been just fine. I told him to actually teach me practical stuff. Spells that would help. So he agreed, albeit reluctantly, but he did.
So every night I'd spend hours upon hours—really, it felt like days and weeks in the Axis, and this happened every night for the those two nights. I got the basics for what I needed to do. Learned his protection spells. Learned how to enchant things and people with holy elements so they could affect demons. I got that.
Then came that last night when I was trying to learn the last thing—the most important thing. I tried to learn that stupid demon banishment spell. I got part of it. I can lock gateways that are trying to be opened. That's easy. Well, not easy in the least, but I can still do it, but actually creating a gateway? Ripping open a tear in space and time to cross over between the two worlds while making sure it only goes one way—making sure the demons in their world stay back while forcing the demons in our world to go through?
No, I never got that. Jabari told me that it would've taken much longer for me to get it, but there wasn't enough time. I should've made time. Of course I say that now, looking back, but I really should've. Why was I so stupid? I just had to go on out there. I was—I don't know—I was just so tired of staying at home, that I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. Stupid, Lynn. That was stupid, now I've gotten all of us killed.
The gate that I tried to open up was destroyed. That stupid brown haired demon made sure of that. I guess it's best that it was destroyed, because if I did open it, and happened to lose control of it for just a second, there's no telling how many demons would've crossed over. He might have done me a favor.
“Nice try though,” the demon says. “You were really close.” He sounds so pompous. I hate that. So condescending. The sound of his voice, the look on his face, I just want to ring his neck out. “That's the good news,” he says. “The bad news is, now that I know you can send us back, I have to kill you.” Oh, sh**.
Demons are probably the most unreal creatures I've ever seen in my life. They operate on a completely different level than most things. They don't follow the same rules as anything on earth. That was the first thing I learned from Jabari. That was the first thing I experienced with them personally. And that's the exact thing I'm experiencing right now.
I see him flinch, and that was it. I don't know how or why, but as soon as he does, everything around me slows down. I see the boys slowly call out my name. It's just a syllable, but they aren't fast enough to get past the first letter. I think the reason I'm seeing this in slow motion is because I'm about to die. My mind is racing, my senses are pumped full of adrenaline. I try to move, but quickly realize that I can't. Something's stopping me. Something's holding me back.
My first thought is that I'm scared. I'm scared too stiff to move, but that's not true. Moving out of the demon's way is the only thing on my mind. No, this is physical. The shadows around me have taken form. They wrap around my arms and legs like vines—completely restricting my movement. I know in my heart that this is that demon's doing. He wants me to witness this. He wants me to know in every possible sense that there's nothing I can do.
He moves so fast, but I see it so slow. I promise you, not even a second passes by, but it feels like an eternity watching him close in all the way from the sky, watching him make his way to the ground, watching him close in on foot.
I also see Chris. It had to have been just a reflex, but he's moving, too. For him to even register right now is a feat, because this is just too much. He's actually trailing the demon. He's only two or three steps behind. I see him raise his sword and try to swing at him. But sadly, I see another shadow in the area come to life and hold him back.
The brown haired demon's smile sickens me to my stomach. I feel it twisting in on itself. I want to throw up, but there's literally not enough time for me to do it. I see this all happening right before my eyes, and there's literally nothing I can do.
All of this is my fault. I was stupid. Jamal was right. Jabari was right.
The demon is now right in my face. I see his gun morph. Shadows and fire engulf it, and it morphs. Its shape elongates. A blade comes out on the end, a crooked, jagged blade. He turned his gun into a scythe. He wants to kill me Grim Reaper style. Oh, this is great. This is great. I bet he thinks this is poetic or something.
He raises the weapon above his head, gripping it with both hands. His demonic smile then slowly turns into a dark and menacing scowl. I think I really did scare him. At least I can find some pleasure in that. He swings, and...
And, I'm still alive. Holy sh**, I'm still alive, but how—it's him.
“Ian, what are you doing?” The brown haired demon asks the other one. I look up and see the black haired demon cross blades with the scythe. He saved me again. “Don't you see? If she actually did what she was trying to do, you'd be gone, too! You were one of the firsts to cross over. Think of all the freedom you've had. I know you're not ready to give it all up, are you?”
“I'm not having you kill these kids, Will.” the black haired one says.
And there you have it. Will and Ian. These demons have names, and they're oddly human like. I was expecting something old, ancient, in some forbidden language of some sort. Who knows? If they're as old as they say they are, they've probably got a tons of different names. It doesn't really matter.
“We're demons, Ian! Killing is what we do! Every single vice, every single temptation, every single sin that these humans commit is because of us! Killing included! We're evil! We're heartless! We're vile! I swear to God, when did you—was it when I killed your girlfriend? Is that what this is about? How many times do I have to apologize for that? I get it. It's my bad. You hate me for it, but come on. It's been three hundred something years! You were going to outlive her anyway, and with the life she lived, we all know she ended up in Hell. It's not like you couldn't have visited from time to time.”
“Will you shut up?”
“No! I won't shut up! I want to know why you've been acting like this great saint, lately. I get you hating me, but to completely pull a one-eighty and try to be good? You think you can be saved? Is that it? Is this you looking for redemption? Do you know how many other demons tried that over the eons? Do you know how many actually did it? None! You can't get in God's good graces, Ian. It's not in your nature.”
“God? You think this is about—God doesn't exist, Will.”
“If you believe that, then what's your problem? No. Y'know what? I don't f****** care anymore. I just got outta Hell. I'm free. I'm going to enjoy myself. Have fun playing hero or whatever.”
Then he leaves. It happens just like that. Will, the brown haired demon leaves. Everything of his, the shadows, the gun-scythe thing, him—it all bursts aflame and then dissipates into an eerie fog. I can move again. Chris can move. Jamal and Noah have caught up. We regroup, and all things considered, we're just fine.
Except for this guy, right here. He gets some pretty cross looks from everyone, too—especially from Chris.
Ian looks right at him too. “I remember you,” he says.
“Yeah, poser. I remember you, too.” Chris is on edge. I don't know why, though. This was the guy that really ended up saving the day, but for whatever reason, it looks like he's two seconds away from rushing him, and not because he wants to have fun. I've seen Chris mad before, but this is just—it's weird.
“You and your friends should head back to Next City, now. I don't know how you all got all the way out here on the other side of the world, but in case you didn't notice, it's real dangerous out here. The dark times aren't coming. They're already here, and it'd be a lot easier for me to save the world without you kids getting in the way.”
Then he leaves. He literally turns into lightning and heads back up into the sky. I think I'm starting to see why Chris hates him.
Episode 20: I Messed Up
Table of Contents
I can not tell you how messed up we are, and it's all my fault. D***. D***, d***, d***. I had it all planned out. We were doing well—better than I could have hoped to imagine. The enchantment I put over the boys to actually damage the demons worked out great. The fact that the two demons were already fighting each other was a Godsend. How in the world did I end up messing this up?
Think, Lynn. Think back to how it started. Two days ago, right after I got home. I worked on getting into the Axis Mundi. That was good. I stayed there for a while. I soaked it all in. All the spirits there were around me, and I was working with them. I did that. Then with time, I managed to summon the spirit of Jabari.
He came. He actually came. He even showed up in the image of the man he possessed when we met him. I told him the situation. Our friend was lost. We thought the demons had something to do with it. We're ready to do what he tried to have us do in the first place.
Of course he was against it. He was upset. He said he made a mistake picking us up like he did. We weren't made for fighting demons, but I wasn't having it. I told him if he wasn't going to help, then I'd find another way. He could tell I wasn't bluffing. My mind was made up. Even after him telling me that he died in action didn't shake me. Even him telling me that Darius wasn't wrapped up in the demon madness didn't shake me. I was determined to go through with it.
I told him he had two days to teach me everything I needed to know about everything. I told him to teach me everything he knew.
“It takes months to even understand the concept, years to actually get the process, and decades to come close to mastering it,” he said.
I said, “Well, it's a good thing time moves differently in Axis, then.”
He wasn't amused, but he went through with it. He taught me. It was all basic stuff at the beginning. He lectured me on how when using magic, you're really invoking the power of various spirits.
The spirits are really just people who used to live around long ago that somehow cheated death or some nonsense. It was a lot to take in, but the way I think it works is when most people die, they go to sleep until the end of the world actually happens. That may be the apocalypse, that may be the rapture, it may just mean the time when our sun burns out—he just said end of the world—but every so often, some people wake up. I don't know why they do, but they do, and while they're awake they can interact with things. If they're strong enough they can actually interact with the real world—our world, that is. Earth.
Way back when, people used to worship these spirits. Every culture had their own set of gods, and they had their own set of stories about those gods. Then came the magic users, the people who could call on those gods to do what they wanted. I don't know if that's just what their ST was or even if they had ST's back then, but that's what they did.
The history lesson was interesting, but I told Jabari I didn't have time for that. He could have just told me that magic came from spirits and I woulda been just fine. I told him to actually teach me practical stuff. Spells that would help. So he agreed, albeit reluctantly, but he did.
So every night I'd spend hours upon hours—really, it felt like days and weeks in the Axis, and this happened every night for the those two nights. I got the basics for what I needed to do. Learned his protection spells. Learned how to enchant things and people with holy elements so they could affect demons. I got that.
Then came that last night when I was trying to learn the last thing—the most important thing. I tried to learn that stupid demon banishment spell. I got part of it. I can lock gateways that are trying to be opened. That's easy. Well, not easy in the least, but I can still do it, but actually creating a gateway? Ripping open a tear in space and time to cross over between the two worlds while making sure it only goes one way—making sure the demons in their world stay back while forcing the demons in our world to go through?
No, I never got that. Jabari told me that it would've taken much longer for me to get it, but there wasn't enough time. I should've made time. Of course I say that now, looking back, but I really should've. Why was I so stupid? I just had to go on out there. I was—I don't know—I was just so tired of staying at home, that I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. Stupid, Lynn. That was stupid, now I've gotten all of us killed.
The gate that I tried to open up was destroyed. That stupid brown haired demon made sure of that. I guess it's best that it was destroyed, because if I did open it, and happened to lose control of it for just a second, there's no telling how many demons would've crossed over. He might have done me a favor.
“Nice try though,” the demon says. “You were really close.” He sounds so pompous. I hate that. So condescending. The sound of his voice, the look on his face, I just want to ring his neck out. “That's the good news,” he says. “The bad news is, now that I know you can send us back, I have to kill you.” Oh, sh**.
Demons are probably the most unreal creatures I've ever seen in my life. They operate on a completely different level than most things. They don't follow the same rules as anything on earth. That was the first thing I learned from Jabari. That was the first thing I experienced with them personally. And that's the exact thing I'm experiencing right now.
I see him flinch, and that was it. I don't know how or why, but as soon as he does, everything around me slows down. I see the boys slowly call out my name. It's just a syllable, but they aren't fast enough to get past the first letter. I think the reason I'm seeing this in slow motion is because I'm about to die. My mind is racing, my senses are pumped full of adrenaline. I try to move, but quickly realize that I can't. Something's stopping me. Something's holding me back.
My first thought is that I'm scared. I'm scared too stiff to move, but that's not true. Moving out of the demon's way is the only thing on my mind. No, this is physical. The shadows around me have taken form. They wrap around my arms and legs like vines—completely restricting my movement. I know in my heart that this is that demon's doing. He wants me to witness this. He wants me to know in every possible sense that there's nothing I can do.
He moves so fast, but I see it so slow. I promise you, not even a second passes by, but it feels like an eternity watching him close in all the way from the sky, watching him make his way to the ground, watching him close in on foot.
I also see Chris. It had to have been just a reflex, but he's moving, too. For him to even register right now is a feat, because this is just too much. He's actually trailing the demon. He's only two or three steps behind. I see him raise his sword and try to swing at him. But sadly, I see another shadow in the area come to life and hold him back.
The brown haired demon's smile sickens me to my stomach. I feel it twisting in on itself. I want to throw up, but there's literally not enough time for me to do it. I see this all happening right before my eyes, and there's literally nothing I can do.
All of this is my fault. I was stupid. Jamal was right. Jabari was right.
The demon is now right in my face. I see his gun morph. Shadows and fire engulf it, and it morphs. Its shape elongates. A blade comes out on the end, a crooked, jagged blade. He turned his gun into a scythe. He wants to kill me Grim Reaper style. Oh, this is great. This is great. I bet he thinks this is poetic or something.
He raises the weapon above his head, gripping it with both hands. His demonic smile then slowly turns into a dark and menacing scowl. I think I really did scare him. At least I can find some pleasure in that. He swings, and...
And, I'm still alive. Holy sh**, I'm still alive, but how—it's him.
“Ian, what are you doing?” The brown haired demon asks the other one. I look up and see the black haired demon cross blades with the scythe. He saved me again. “Don't you see? If she actually did what she was trying to do, you'd be gone, too! You were one of the firsts to cross over. Think of all the freedom you've had. I know you're not ready to give it all up, are you?”
“I'm not having you kill these kids, Will.” the black haired one says.
And there you have it. Will and Ian. These demons have names, and they're oddly human like. I was expecting something old, ancient, in some forbidden language of some sort. Who knows? If they're as old as they say they are, they've probably got a tons of different names. It doesn't really matter.
“We're demons, Ian! Killing is what we do! Every single vice, every single temptation, every single sin that these humans commit is because of us! Killing included! We're evil! We're heartless! We're vile! I swear to God, when did you—was it when I killed your girlfriend? Is that what this is about? How many times do I have to apologize for that? I get it. It's my bad. You hate me for it, but come on. It's been three hundred something years! You were going to outlive her anyway, and with the life she lived, we all know she ended up in Hell. It's not like you couldn't have visited from time to time.”
“Will you shut up?”
“No! I won't shut up! I want to know why you've been acting like this great saint, lately. I get you hating me, but to completely pull a one-eighty and try to be good? You think you can be saved? Is that it? Is this you looking for redemption? Do you know how many other demons tried that over the eons? Do you know how many actually did it? None! You can't get in God's good graces, Ian. It's not in your nature.”
“God? You think this is about—God doesn't exist, Will.”
“If you believe that, then what's your problem? No. Y'know what? I don't f****** care anymore. I just got outta Hell. I'm free. I'm going to enjoy myself. Have fun playing hero or whatever.”
Then he leaves. It happens just like that. Will, the brown haired demon leaves. Everything of his, the shadows, the gun-scythe thing, him—it all bursts aflame and then dissipates into an eerie fog. I can move again. Chris can move. Jamal and Noah have caught up. We regroup, and all things considered, we're just fine.
Except for this guy, right here. He gets some pretty cross looks from everyone, too—especially from Chris.
Ian looks right at him too. “I remember you,” he says.
“Yeah, poser. I remember you, too.” Chris is on edge. I don't know why, though. This was the guy that really ended up saving the day, but for whatever reason, it looks like he's two seconds away from rushing him, and not because he wants to have fun. I've seen Chris mad before, but this is just—it's weird.
“You and your friends should head back to Next City, now. I don't know how you all got all the way out here on the other side of the world, but in case you didn't notice, it's real dangerous out here. The dark times aren't coming. They're already here, and it'd be a lot easier for me to save the world without you kids getting in the way.”
Then he leaves. He literally turns into lightning and heads back up into the sky. I think I'm starting to see why Chris hates him.
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