Chapter 38: Meaning?
Liliana turned to face Baal as he came closer. She kept one eye on the sleeping golden immortal inside the dark bubble. Baal stopped a few steps away. He looked at the immortal and then at her. "The witch who collapsed the world," he said.
Liliana frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
"That is the title you will receive," Baal answered. "Not now. In the future."
She crossed her arms. "When did demons start to become prophets?"
Baal pulled a knife from his coat. The blade was black and long. "Since now. But that does not matter. I will get to kill him. Finally. After so long, I won."
He stepped forward and drove the knife at the bubble. The tip hit the surface and stopped. It did not go through. The bubble did not even ripple. Baal pushed harder but the knife stayed where it was. He pulled it back and stared at the barrier.
He turned to Liliana. "What is this?"
Liliana smiled. "Thanks for being a double agent."
She moved fast. Her foot hit Baal square in the back. The force sent him forward into the dark opening that waited behind the bubble. Baal did not fall asleep the way Amon had. The darkness closed around him at once. It pulled at his arms and legs and dragged him under.
"Wiiitchhh!!!" Baal screamed. The sound came out raw and full of anger. "I will be back! I will surely be back!"
The darkness swallowed the last of his voice. Liliana stood still for a moment and watched the spot where he had vanished. Then she smiled again, looking at Amon.
She felt the weight of what she had just done. She had stopped him. She had done the thing no one thought she could do.
She spoke into the empty air. "This is what you get for denying me. And for living your life with some mountain bitch."
She wanted to say more, curse more but the words sat ready on her tongue. She held them back. She knew both of them were watching. The golden immortal inside the bubble and whoever else might be listening from farther away.
She shut her mouth. She did not let even her private thoughts drift free. She kept her mind quiet and focused on the work in front of her.
Liliana reached out and took hold of the dark bubble. It was still large enough to hold a full-grown man. She pressed her hands against it and began to shrink it. The surface gave under her fingers.
The golden light inside stayed steady while the bubble grew smaller. She kept pressing. The bubble shrank to the size of a large fruit, then smaller still, until it sat easily in the palm of her hand. The immortal remained inside, asleep and glowing, sealed tight.
She waited for the system notification. The mission was SSSSS-rank. Ofcourse the reward would be hefty.
The mission should have finished the moment he disappeared into the darkness. She waited for the screen to appear with the completion message and the list of rewards.
Nothing came.
The mission marker still stayed active. It did not change color. It did not close.
"Its done! He’s gone. Where is my reward?!"
Meanwhile, inside the darkness, Baal was being pulled apart. The black mass pressed against every part of his body. His red demonic form began to change.
The red color drained away. His skin and armor turned the same black as the void around him. He fought against it, but the darkness kept eating.
He forced words out while he still could. "I hope you know what you are doing, immortal." He said, turning to the sleeping Amon.
His body jerked. A golden light started under his skin. It spread across his chest and arms. The light pushed back against the darkness.
It did not remove the black color from his form, but it stopped the devouring, he could feel it, Baal felt the protection settle over him like a second skin and he heard a voice, his voice. It was his own voice, speaking from somewhere close.
"...I knew it!"
****
Far from the bubble and the darkness, Claude walked out of the rain. The storm had stopped, but his clothes stayed soaked. Water ran down his face and dripped from his sleeves.
He moved like a man who had already died and simply had not noticed yet. His steps were slow and steady. He headed toward the lights of the nearest town.
He reached the edge of the road that led into the streets. Cars and trucks moved in both directions. Claude did not wait for a gap. He stepped off the curb and walked straight across. A truck came from his left. The driver slammed the horn and swerved.
The truck’s side mirror passed close enough that Claude felt the wind of it.
"Mooorronnn!!"
The driver yelled angry as the vehicle straightened out and kept going. Claude did not look up. He finished crossing and kept walking.
People on the sidewalks turned to watch him. His clothes were torn in places. His hair stuck to his forehead. He looked down at the wet pavement and ignored every stare. He passed shops and houses until he saw a small cafe with its lights on. He pushed the door open and went inside.
A young waitress stood behind the counter. She looked up when the door closed. "What can I...get you?"
"...Coffee," Claude said.
She nodded and turned to the machine. Claude reached out and caught her wrist before she could step away. The girl froze. Her eyes went wide as fear showed clear on her face.
Claude’s voice was flat. "What is the meaning... of life?"
The barista came out from the back room, ready to throw the beggar away as he saw the way Claude held the girl’s arm and the look on her face. His face hardened. He started forward.
"We don’t like strange shit in here. Let her go... Now!"
The waitress looked at Claude’s eyes. She saw the emptiness there and the weight behind it. She raised her free hand toward the barista. "It’s fine. It’s fine, Leave it."
The barista stopped but did not leave. He stayed a few steps away and watched.
The girl pulled her wrist free gently. She sat down on the stool next to Claude. "What happened dear?"
Claude did not answer with words. His shoulders shook once. Then the tears came. He sat there and cried without sound at first, then with quiet sobs that he could not hold back. He did not wipe his face. He did not try to stop.
The waitress stayed where she was. After a moment she put her arms around him. She held him while he cried. Her eyes caught the light from the cafe windows.
For a short second they shone with a faint yellow color that had not been there before.