Chapter 7

Slowly opening the large, iron door, Persephone stood face-to-face with two stunningly beautiful women, one of which she immediately recognized.

“Melody ... it seems you’re alive,” she mused quietly.

“I’m not so easy to get rid of.”

“Apparently.” Turning to the other woman, she condescendingly asked, “And you are?”

“Selena. Grand Vizier to King Farzan of the Water Jinn.”

“Ah, I see ... the Council is not too happy with me, it seems. Well, I told Melody, and I’m telling you: leave my Master alone, or else,” Persephone threatened.

Giggling momentarily, Selena replied, “You must realize that, while Melody here is too gracious to blatantly start a fight with you, I will grant no such consolation.”

Before Persephone could reply, an enormous blast of water instantly threw her backwards into Edward’s home, landing her flat on her back. She immediately flipped herself up onto her feet, ready to face her advancing attacker.

“Persephone, you have declared yourself an enemy of the Council of Four, and have attempted to kill a direct representative of theirs,” Selena calmly stated. “You are no longer worthy of the magic you wield, and as such, I am here to remove your power from you.”

“You may try,” Persephone scoffed.

Igniting a fireball in each of her hands, Persephone immediately retaliated, peppering the ground around Selena with several rapid blasts of flame. Selena deftly avoided harm, flipping into the air and summoning up her blue armor to increase her defenses. Landing gracefully near Persephone, Selena immediately drew her sword and prepared to counter.

“Selena, hang on!” Melody shouted, rushing into the room. Seeing that her sword was still sitting on the floor from earlier, Melody sprinted directly towards it, diving once she was close. Persephone noticed this and ran to try and get to it first, but was tripped up by Selena, allowing Melody to snatch the weapon up before Persephone could get close.

“Now we’re talkin!” Melody said gleefully.

Selena said, “Persephone, please stop resisting and come with us. You could not beat Melody alone earlier, and will have no chance of success against the both of us.”

“I went easy on her,” Persephone shot back. “Believe me, I am capable of far greater feats than either of you could possibly imagine.”

“I don’t know, I can imagine quite a bit,” Melody muttered to herself with a smirk.

Charging their weapons with immense magical power, the two Water Genies fired off simultaneous blasts of energy, which collided together on Persephone. The force of the blast was so great that both Melody and Selena were flung back against the walls of the chamber, gazing upon the thick cloud of smoke resulting from their attack. They waited patiently for it to clear, unsure of how successful their efforts had been.

“Jesus, what exactly is this weapon you were talking about?” Mike asked as they walked through the halls of the armory.

“You’ll see,” He replied. “Our destination is just up ahead.”

As the two men turned a corner, a man in a black suit greeted them. Tall and slender with a soft, boy-like face, the man did not at first appear to be that imposing. However, underneath his strawberry blonde hair and delicate-looking skin was the soul of a fierce warrior and protector.

“Michael, good to see you again,” Jesus said with a smile.

“You as well, though verily I wish it were under better circumstances,” Michael replied in a very proper, almost Shakespearian style. Glancing at Mike, he continued, “Very few individuals I have ever known show the combined amount of confidence and humility that I now see in your eyes. If I am not mistaken, you must be the famous Mike Braxton, are you not?”

“Yes, sir,” Mike replied, a bit stunned by Michael’s gracious complement.

Shaking his hand, Michael said, “I am very pleased to know you, my friend. Are you ready to learn how you can contribute to the battle we must now wage against the one known as Edward Baldwin?”

“I am.”

“Then step this way, please.”

Jesus and Michael led the way down the hall, eventually reaching a large security door. Michael approached a panel on one side of the door, touching it with his hand. This caused an image of a harp to appear on the panel. Michael touched the strings in the picture in a very specific order, causing a green light to appear above the door once he had finished. Jesus then approached the panel on the other side of the door. Placing His hand on it, a pole began to extend out from the panel, piercing straight through His palm in the very hole that a nail had been in over two thousand years previous. A moment later, a second green light appeared above the security door, causing it to unlatch and slowly open.

“Obviously, this is a highly restricted area,” Jesus said to Mike. “Only an archangel can use the panel that Michael used, and this panel will only work when used by Myself or Dad.”

Stepping inside the security door, the trio found themselves in what appeared to Mike to be a research laboratory. Various screens and tables lined the perimeter of the small room, while in the center stood a small platform surrounded by a glowing force field. Michael approached the platform and began working on the screen next to it.

“How we lookin?” Jesus asked.

“All diagnostics are green, and the weapon appears to be operating at prime capacity. All it needs is the proper operator,” Michael replied.

“Excellent.” Turning to Mike, He said, “Mike, you are about to witness something that no human has ever laid eyes on. The object on the other side of this field is one of immense power, designed specifically to allow humanity to combat Lucifer’s influence over the Antichrist. I present to you, the Armor of God.”

As he finished speaking, the force field lowered, gradually revealing a set of sleek, silver, full-body armor. Contoured to perfectly mold to the body of the wearer, it appeared to be extremely lightweight, yet also incredibly strong and durable. The boots were made of the same metal as the rest of the armor, aside from the soles, which were rubber and textured like hiking boots. Mike’s eyes moved upward, tracing the lines of the suit before arriving at the breastplate, appropriately bearing the symbol of the cross. A metal belt, inscribed with an inlay resembling the Crown of Thorns, adjoined the two halves. The gauntlets were separate pieces, allowing for maximum flexibility, and appeared to have small, circular panels of some kind on the wrists and knuckles, though Mike was unsure what purpose they served. The helmet was quite fearsome looking, having the appearance of a lion, the wearer’s face resting in the mouth of the beast. Finally, the armor was completed with a simple yet elegant knight’s sword, sheathed on the wearer’s back. Though it appeared to be very lightweight, Mike could easily tell that the weapon was one of incredible strength, putting even Melody’s scimitar to shame. On the blade was inscribed these words: “For thou art with me.”

“Woah...” Mike marveled, taking it all in. “I thought the Armor of God was just a metaphor?”

“Well ... yes and no,” Jesus replied. “The qualities and attributes described in the ‘Armor of God’ passages in the Bible are required to fully use the physical armor, so the meaning behind the metaphor is still relevant.”

“Indeed,” Michael said. “This weapon is the only means for a human to combat Lucifer’s power directly, and the only method of stopping Edward. However, it cannot be wielded by just anyone. Before one is allowed to use the full strength of the armor, it will test the individual, ensuring that they are one with the iron will and unbreakable spirit needed to stand against Lucifer himself. Mike Braxton, will you submit yourself to the trials the armor may present to you?”

Nodding, Mike said, “I will. Melody can’t do all of this herself; she needs help. If this gives us a fighting chance, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Then step forward, brave human,” Michael replied.

Approaching the armor, Mike ran his fingers along the smooth surface of the arms and legs. As he did so, the cross in the center began to glow slightly, beckoning him to touch it. Upon doing so, the armor seemingly came to life, disassembling itself and beginning to latch its various parts onto Mike. First was the boots, followed by the leg parts and belt. Piece by piece, the gauntlets and arm parts attached themselves to him before the breastplate finally flew forward, fitting perfectly around Mike’s torso.

“What’s happening?” Mike said, struggling. “I ... I can’t move!”

“Until one has passed the trials, the armor’s power cannot be wielded,” Michael explained, approaching with the helmet in hand. “Believe in yourself, valiant Mike, and you will find success. Are you ready?”

Tentatively, Mike nodded in the affirmative.

“Then let us begin,” Michael replied.

As soon as the helmet was placed on his head, Mike suddenly felt a surge of power coursing through his mind. His vision blurred, and he felt as if his brain was on fire. He tried to fight it off for several seconds, before finally blacking out.

Persephone knelt on the ground of the abandoned junction station, her presence completely obscured by the thick cloud of smoke. Though she was strong, the Major Genies she now faced in combat were easily as powerful, if not more so. Reaching out to her master, she asked him for his help.

Melody and Selena stood on opposite sides of the room, eying the cloud of smoke warily. Until they knew whether or not their combined attack had taken Persephone out, they weren’t letting their guards down for even a moment. As they watched, the cloud slowly began to spin, being sucked into some sort of vortex in the center of it. Soon, the cloud began to disappear, revealing Persephone to be alive and well within it.

“Knew it wouldn’t be that easy,” Melody muttered to herself.

The pair again felt Persephone charging up an enormous amount of magical energy within her. However, rather than being engulfed in her normal fire, she now began to radiate flames that were black as tar. A thin, sinister smoke trailed off from her in several directions; she seemed to become the very essence of darkness itself.

“What is this?!” Selena exclaimed, gripping her sword tightly.

“Foolish traitors. You have only bested an enhanced form of my innate genie magic,” Persephone crowed, her voice booming throughout the chamber. “This power, however, is the true power of my Master’s god. It is the power of the almighty Lucifer. You. Will. RESPECT IT!”

In Persephone’s hand appeared a katana, identical to the one Edward had wielded previously. As she flew directly at Melody, sword at her side, Melody readied herself in a defensive stance. She managed to deflect her first strike, causing Persephone to stumble a bit as she landed on her feet, but she quickly recovered and attacked Melody again in full force. As the two women dueled, their blades clashing furiously, Selena leapt into the fray, attempting to trip Persephone up with a leg sweep. She easily dodged, however, and flung Selena onto her back with a blast of black flame.

“Selena! You alright?” Melody called out.

“Yes ... I think so,” she said, slowly sitting up.

“Be careful,” Melody replied, blocking another of Persephone’s strikes. “Edward used a similar weapon to wound me earlier.”

Disengaging momentarily with a backflip, Melody gave herself some breathing room by freezing the floor around her, forcing Persephone to concentrate on keeping her balance. In the meantime, Melody turned her sword into the jagged, icy weapon she had previously learned to use with Selena. Charging straight for Persephone, Melody attacked her as quickly as she was able, not giving her the chance to use her fire to melt Melody’s sword. She deftly attacked from all directions, but Persephone was too agile, evading each strike while always remaining in prime position to counterattack.

Selena, I’ve got an idea. Get ready to attack, Melody thought.

Persephone suddenly charged, attempting to run Melody through as Edward had previously done. Melody was ready this time, however, and fashioned the tip of her icy sword into a claw, using it to grab onto Persephone’s blade and hold it in place. Upon seeing her stopped dead in her tracks, Selena leapt high overhead, charging a huge amount of energy into her blade. She then fell straight down between the two women, swinging her sword with all her might onto Persephone’s weapon. The resulting attack broke Persephone’s katana clean in two, rendering it useless.

Melody and Persephone then disengaged from one another, the two halves of Persephone’s sword clanging to the ground in the process. Persephone now began to teleport around the room, constantly changing her location to prevent her attackers from getting a lock on her. Finally appearing in the center of the room, Persephone had managed to charge up a significant amount of energy, igniting her black flames around her. The fire grew so large that it began to engulf the entire room, forcing Melody and Selena to retreat to the perimeter.

“Holy shit!” Melody exclaimed. “Any thoughts?”

“Ah!” Selena cried, feeling the heat singe her skin. “Well if we don’t think of something, the whole damn room will go up in smoke!”

“Shit, shit, shit...” Melody mumbled. “Wait, remember how I got out of your death-grip in our training?”

“Well, yes but ... oh! Perfect!”

The pair instantly focused their energies, altering their bodies’ molecular composition to match that of pure water. Now in their liquid forms, they resumed their offensive, charging straight for the center of the room. As they approached the source of the scorching heat, their bodies began to steam and boil, forcing them to have an enormous amount of concentration to maintain their liquid forms.

“Not so fast!” Persephone bellowed. She now started rotating her flame, essentially forming a black fiery tornado.

“Hang on!” Melody warned.

“Doing the best I can!” Selena replied.

The pair soon were swept up by the fiery vortex, but managed to plant their feet firmly on the ground after a few moments, landing on either side of Persephone.

“Ok, let’s douse this bitch!” said Melody.

Releasing the magical energy stored in their bodies, Melody and Selena launched a pair of waves, which hit Persephone from both sides simultaneously. This disrupted her concentration and halted her attack, knocking her to the floor as she panted and heaved to catch her breath.

“Have you had enough?” Selena asked, approaching the seemingly stunned Persephone.

“Not ... even ... close!” Persephone shouted in rage. Summoning up a small, black dagger in her hand, she immediately impaled it into Selena’s foot.

“Aaaah!” Selena gasped, staggering to the ground in pain.

“Selena!” Melody cried, rushing to her friend.

Pulling the dagger out of her foot, Selena immediately saw the wound was black, almost like it had cauterized, yet still burned her skin intensely. “What is this?” she asked, her fear growing in her voice.

With a sinister laugh, Persephone taunted her, saying, “You weak, pathetic fools. This is the power of the almighty Lucifer. No matter how strong your magic may be, you cannot stand against it. You have defied his will in attacking me, and for this you will pay ... with your lives.”

As Persephone summoned another katana and raised it overhead to strike, Selena attempted to grab her own weapon to defend, but was too weak; the wound was rapidly sapping every ounce of strength she had. She closed her eyes tightly, bracing for the impact of Persephone’s killing blow, but only heard a loud clang inches from her face. Opening her eyes, she saw Melody, her blade locked tightly with Persephone’s weapon. The two rivals eyed each other intently for several long moments before one finally spoke.

“You will not hurt my friend,” Melody seethed.

“And what do you plan to do to stop me?” Persephone challenged her.

“Anything I can.”

Blasting Persephone back with a wave of water, Melody immediately placed herself between her opponent and Selena, assuming a defensive stance. Persephone, now enraged, began to once again summon up her black fire, launching blast after blast at the two women. Melody defended as best she could, slicing several of the fireballs with her sword before generating a domed shield of energy to protect them.

“King Farzan!” Melody cried out. “Anyone! If someone can hear me, please help us! She’s too powerful!”

“Sorry, girls.” Persephone said with an evil smirk. “Nobody’s going to save you now!” Launching an intense beam of black fire, Persephone began to slowly degrade the integrity of Melody’s energy shield.

“No ... no, I won’t let you do this!” Melody said as she struggled.

“You’re out of your depth! You cannot possibly hope to stand against the fires of Hell itself!” Persephone jeered.

As she was finally about to break through the shield and obliterate her adversaries, an unfamiliar voice echoed throughout the chamber.

“ENOUGH!”

A gaping hole was suddenly ripped in the stone ceiling, from which fell four men. One of them bore a large, round shield, seemingly made of stone, which he used to block Persephone’s stream of fire, protecting Melody and Selena. Before Persephone could retaliate, she was forced to disengage by another of the men hurling a flaming spear directly at her, which she evaded with a backflip. As she spun through the air, a third man suddenly caught her momentum and tripped her up with a staff, throwing her around in a vortex of wind momentarily before landing her square on her back. Finally, she looked up to find the fourth man, pinning her underneath his foot with a scimitar at her throat.

“King Farzan ... what an honor for me,” Persephone retorted.

“You will do no more harm to my people,” he said simply.

Persephone only laughed. “You ... are a fool. You all are. Nothing ... can possibly prepare you for what my master has in store.”

“We are well aware of what Edward Baldwin is up to,” Salim said fiercely, collecting his spear. “Rest assured, we will stop at nothing to oppose him, and yourself.”

Twirling his staff, King Nadir continued, “What your master plans to bring on this world is nothing short of suffering and ruin. We have sought to prevent such pain throughout our entire existence, and none of your threats will deter us.”

Melody and Selena looked around the room in amazement. The Four Kings of the Jinn had assembled, each armed with their tribe’s signature weapons, ready to face-off with Persephone. The man with the shield turned his head and smiled at the two of them warmly.

“Do not be afraid, my friends,” King Ardashir said. “We will handle this.”

“Melody, get Selena out of here. Take her to the Water Palace’s healing pools, at once,” Farzan commanded.

Helping Selena up, Melody replied, “You got it. Please, be careful.” Wrapping Selena’s arm around her shoulders, Melody held her tightly and leaped up through the new hole in the ceiling, heading for home.

“Such worthless sentiment,” Persephone remarked. “You have only delayed the inevitable.”

“Persephone! By the authority of the Council of Four, you are under arrest!” Farzan said to her.

“We’ll see about that,” replied Persephone. Powering up once more, the four men were flung back by an intense surge of dark energy. As they assumed fighting stances, they noticed that Persephone’s appearance was beginning to change. The more dark magic she summoned up, the more it seemed to envelope her, already taking form around her lower legs.

“Ardashir, how do we combat this power?” Farzan asked.

“Do not forget, gentlemen. She is drawing on magic foreign to her, but she is still a genie. That is the weak point we shall strike at!” Ardashir replied.

Taking his shield in one hand, Ardashir immediately charged her position, blocking several smaller fireballs as he approached. He then leapt high into the air, landing his shield on the ground beneath him as he descended, which shook the ground around Persephone dramatically, creating fractures and faults all around her. As the ground collapsed, her feet began to become stuck in the rubble now forming around her.

“Gah!” she screamed in frustration. “A pathetic attempt, old man!” Extending a black, flaming whip from her hand, Persephone lashed out at Ardashir. He managed to block the direct hit with his shield, but still took the full force of the blow, flying back against the wall of the chamber.

“We are just getting started!” King Salim shouted. As Persephone tried to dig her feet out of the ground, he leapt into the fray and immediately fired an intense blast of flame at her feet, beginning to melt the ground around her. Kings Farzan and Nadir then joined in, firing cooling blasts of water and wind that immediately began to harden the molten rock, trying to hold her in place. Seeing what they were doing, Persephone immediately spun her body around like a tornado, managing to free herself before the four men could attack her.

Even after freeing herself, Persephone knew the four kings now surrounded her. Attempting to drive them back, she summoned four tentacle-like shadows around her, each of which began to attack one of her assailants. Farzan hacked away with his scimitar, attempting to freeze his tentacle. Nadir used the wind to his advantage, deftly jumping all around to avoid the shadowy object while countering with his staff at every opportunity. Salim showed off his amazing fighting prowess with a furious assault from his flaming spear, forcing Persephone to concentrate her efforts on defending against him. Ardashir, despite his old age, easily managed to keep his tentacle at bay with his shield, forming a perfect defense against any attempted assault.

Soon, however, Persephone found holes in their defenses. Farzan found his wrist caught by the tentacle, causing his sword to clatter to the ground. Nadir was eventually snagged in midair by his ankles, and no amount of bashing on the shadowy arm with his staff loosened its grip. Though Salim’s offensive was nearly impossible to defend against, Persephone snuck the tentacle attacking Ardashir over to Salim, grabbing him by the waist from behind. Seeing his comrades captured, Ardashir immediately charged for Persephone. The final tentacle attempted to grab him, but the wily old man evaded it’s grasp and managed to slam his shield onto the root of the appendage, causing it to disappear in a puff of black smoke. Before Persephone could summon up another tentacle, Ardashir pulled out his trump card: a glowing chain and shackle. Throwing it at her arm, the clasp wrapped itself around Persephone’s wrist.

“Ah!” she cried out in surprise and pain. “What ... sorcery ... is this?”

In her lapse of concentration, King Nadir managed to break free. He quickly produced another chain and shackle, attaching it to Persephone’s other wrist. After another yelp of pain, Farzan was free to shackle her by the feet. Finally, Salim broke loose and bound Persephone to the final chain, the shackle latched tightly around her neck.

“These chains are specifically crafted to quell rebellious genies,” Ardashir explained as Persephone struggled. “Though you are drawing on magic foreign to yourself, you are still a genie at heart. Nothing you are capable of will be able to remove these chains from you. They now bind your power, rendering you incapable of channeling magic of any kind.”

“Sadistic ... bastards!” she seethed, trying in vain to break free.

Salim stepped forward, staring Persephone straight in the eyes. “Persephone, as King Jinn of the Fire Tribe, I hereby find you guilty of treason against your tribe, the Council of Four, and all Jinn and Genies the world over. You are unworthy of the magic you have been blessed with. I now take from you your power, your title, your rights, and your freedom!”

Placing his hand in front of her forehead, a trail red of energy seeped from Persephone and into Salim’s hand. Persephone watched in horror, feeling her powers being sapped from her, becoming weaker by the second. In desperation, she cried out for Edward.

As the last of her power was drained from her, Persephone slumped down to her knees on the floor, exhausted of all energy. The four King Jinn surrounded her, securing her tightly in the chains before warping her back to the Palace of the Water Jinn.

“Easy, easy there, Selena,” Melody said, helping her friend sit at the edge of the pool. Lowering her foot into the cool water, she asked, “How’s that feel?”

“Not ... awful,” Selena managed to say. She had been in nearly constant pain since Persephone’s attack on her. “I’m such a fool ... should never have let my guard down.”

“The important thing is that you’re alive,” Melody said reassuringly.

As Melody cleaned Selena’s foot, she could see that it was not healing quickly, as would normally happen in these waters. The black hole still appeared to sear with heat, even while underwater. Still, Selena’s pain seemed to be receding; Melody took comfort in that, at least.

“So ... when is Mike coming back?” Selena asked.

“Don’t know. All I know is he’s part of the ultimate contingency plan to stop Edward before he reaches full power. Beyond that, I have no clue what he and Jesus are up to,” Melody replied.

As the two women conversed, they suddenly felt a surge of enormous power in the center of the courtyard. The wind began to swirl, kicking up a small cloud of dust with it. Soon, a brilliant light flashed within the cloud, bringing with it five figures, obscured by the dust. As all grew calm once more, Melody and Selena were amazed to see the four King Jinn alive and well, bringing Persephone along by several chains.

“Holy shit ... they did it,” Melody marveled.

“You sound surprised,” Selena said with a giggle. “They are not called King Jinn for nothing, after all.”

“Lock her in the east tower. We will deal with her in the morning,” Farzan said to a guard, handing Persephone over to him. As she was taken away, he made his way over to the pool where the two women sat. “Selena, are you alright?”

“I will be,” she replied softly. “The pain is mostly gone.”

“She’s trying to be tough,” Melody said. “I think the wound is worse than she wants to admit.”

Inspecting her foot, Farzan said, “I agree. Come with me, Selena. The water in my personal chambers is far more concentrated. It is the source of all the water in this palace, after all.”

“Your Highness, that is extremely kind of you, but quite unnecessa-”

“I insist,” Farzan said, interrupting Selena. “You were exceedingly brave today. This is the least I can do for you.”

Helping Selena up, Melody said, “Rest up, girlfriend. You’ve earned it.”

“Thank you, Melody.”

Melody watched as Selena took Farzan’s arm and made their way to the central tower. After they had left, she walked over to the remaining three King Jinn, conversing near a fountain.

“My dear, you never cease to amaze me,” Salim said with a grin to Melody.

“Thank you,” she replied with a giggle. “I’ve got to know how you managed to subdue Persephone.”

Ardashir began to explain, “Millennia ago, during our war with the sorcerers, we were forced to develop a means to combat those genies who had gone along with the sorcerers, assisting them in their efforts against us. Thus, we crafted the chains that Persephone now wears. They are specifically tuned to the magical resonance that all Jinn and Genies give off, suppressing their magic and strength when worn. It was ... not an easy decision to craft such a tool, but it was necessary for the protection of our people. We try to avoid using them except in the direst of circumstances. Persephone is clearly one such circumstance.”

“I don’t understand,” Melody said. “How could those chains have any impact on the magic she was drawing from Edward?”

Nadir replied, “The reason she is able to draw such power from Edward is due to the nature of their relationship, one of master and servant. However, no matter what foreign magic she draws upon, her soul is still that of a genie, just as yours, Melody, is that of a human. Nothing can change that. When we bound her with the chains, her genie powers were suppressed, taking away her ability to draw power from her master.”

“Impressive,” Melody mused, watching the guards escort Persephone to her prison cell.