Chapter 1: Eons Ago

In the beginning, there was perfect darkness. It was a void of deepest nothing, which screamed its terrible rage against reality. It was an abomination, created in a moment of blind rage with a pure undertone of cold fury.

Such was the beginning of Hell.

I awoke in such darkness. Blackness surrounded me ... like it was a part of me.

We lost, I thought quietly to myself.

I remembered the last moments, when light clashed upon light, and Angel felled Angel. It had been glorious ... it had been terrifying. But it wasn't enough.

Existence had stopped upon a word.

Lucifer had underestimated his brother's power, and the power of that terrible artifact, that fragment of chaos that HE controlled.

When HE spoke, and the white light of chaos flared, I knew we had lost. Lucifer and his legions were cast from existence as we had known it.

I pulled myself up from the cold rocky floor. My eyes adjusted to the unnatural gloom. Bodies lay strewn about the dark stones. Some were twisted and mangled, obviously dead. Others looked whole, but I couldn't make out details.

"You're awake," murmured a voice that sounded like a choir in harmony.

I turned, for a moment I was looking into the same all encompassing blackness ... but I knew that voice. A brilliant golden glow whooshed into existence, and I was suddenly looking at the perfect face of our leader.

Lucifer smiled.

"Sleep well?" he said mockingly.

"Where are we?" I asked. My voice sounded tired. This place was unsettling.

His smile turned down, but he was no less beautiful. His alabaster face was still framed by his curling blond hair; his cheek bones were still sharp and high. He looked exactly the same, except for his eyes.

Eyes that had once been a royal purple now glowed a crimson red.

"A new place," Lucifer said slowly, "a place forced into being for the express purpose of torturing us."

I glanced once more at the fallen bodies. "It doesn't feel like torture," I said.

Lucifer's new eyes flashed brightly, "You have me to thank for that," he said coldly as he glared at our barren surroundings. "I underestimated my elder brother. I did not think he would use the chaos fragment, I thought he feared its power."

"I had no idea of its power," I said, "I did not know it could break all of us so easily."

Lucifer shook his golden head. "Its power is not meant to be a weapon. Its magic is the magic of creation and movement. It is the magic of life. He used it to trap us here, where we could be contained, until such a time that we could be disposed of."

The grim weight of a fate decided settled upon me.

"So we are to wait for the end then?"

Lucifer's smile returned, "No, he no longer holds the power to create, or the power to turn this new land against us."

That didn't make sense. "What? How could he lose such power? If you're telling me pretty lies to calm me, I'd rather you didn't. I'm not afraid to meet the end with eyes open."

His blond head shook slowly as he gazed up at a ceiling of darkness and black stone.

"I knocked it from his hand at the last moment," Lucifer said slowly, his eyes far away. "It spun out into the void that was created between heaven and this place."

"And?" I asked slowly.

"One could spend an eternity looking for it ... no, the power to shape worlds has been lost," Lucifer said simply.

My gaze once again skimmed over the ground. As my eyes adjusted I made out the shapes of five deformed bodies littered about.

"Am I the only one awake?" I asked.

Lucifer gestured with his hands to the endless space around us.

"Three others have awoken before you," he said.

"Who?" I asked.

"The three who are stronger than you, my servants have awoken in order of magnitude."

I was silent, it irked me that he thought I was fourth in power.

His eyes glittered with amusement, nothing slips his notice. "Beelzebub was first. He woke angry, ready to continue the fight as soon as he was upright."

I nodded, and kept my silence.

"Lilith came next. She checked all of your motionless bodies before saying a word. I told her what I have told you. She has gone exploring ... hoping to find something in this place."

Lucifer then met my eyes and held them, "Baal was third. He left almost immediately to look for the fragment of chaos. I told him he would never find it, but I didn't stop him for going. He has traveled the farthest, though he left only moments ago."

I nodded slowly.

Lucifer shrugged, "Then came you Devnikolus. What is it that you will do?"

1623, Outside Dublin Ireland

The red sparks cleared abruptly, and I landed with a graceless thud. Hard wooden planks did little to break my fall, and my head bounced off the timber twice before I came to rest.

A moment later another thud echoed mine right next to me, and a strand of red hair landed neatly on my nose.

I tried to lift my hand to remove the offending hair. My hand jerked once then started to vibrate violently.

Oh shit, I thought immediately. I tucked myself into a ball, and rolled into a corner. My entire body began vibrating like my hand and I had to exercise all my will to clench down and control my body.

A small piece of my hand shattered like glass, and inky black shadow slowly started to leak from the opening. I brought the full weight of my willpower down, and tried to keep myself from falling apart.

Sudden movement caught what was left of my attention. Cariel the Seraphim groaned as she clutched her head. Her silver eyes flickered open and after a brief moment, focused squarely upon me.

In a blur of movement she was on her feet, and eyeing me cautiously.

"Where are we?" she demanded, her lyrical Angelic voice tight with strain, "How did you manage a transportation spell while you were encircled with holy water?"

I didn't say anything, I couldn't spare any concentration to move my mouth, let alone make words with it.

"Answer me Demon!" she screamed. She raised her hand, and a jet of blue sparks erupted from her palm.

Luckily it was at that moment that I mastered myself.

With speed the little Angel wouldn't be able to follow; I raised my hand and caught her spell. I curled my rapidly healing fingers around her magic, and crushed it effortlessly.

That was the moment she remembered her fear. Her gaze flew widely around the room. There were no windows down here in the cellar. There was no sun to save her.

The cut she had carved into my chest knitted itself back together and my powers swelled. Red sparks fluttered about, and the room became cold and dark.

I prodded my chest through the tear in my clothes, "That was a close one," I said softly, a smile creeping along the edges of my face.

I looked up at the terrified flame haired Angel, "You almost had me there."

Her silver eyes flicked over to the wooden staircase leading up and out of the cellar. Using what must have been all of her remaining power, she augmented her speed, and ran supernaturally fast towards her freedom.

To say I moved faster would be an understatement. For all intents and purposes, I simply willed myself in front of her.

She ran headlong into my chest. A small sonic boom shook the rafters as her body rapidly changed directions. Her wings erupted instinctively from her back. White feathers littered the floor as they attempted to slow her down.

The stone wall still gave slightly when she collided with it.

Cariel the Seraphim tumbled to the ground in an undignified heap.

-Cariel-

The pain of the impact rattled me to the core.

I had used the last of my power reserves on that last mad dash at the stairs. I opened my eyes slightly. Devnikolus leaned casually against the wooden railing on the bottom stair.

His red eyes blazed with amusement.

A small amount of blue blood dripped from his shirt. I gingerly touched my face. My hand came away speckled with blood.

My nose was bleeding.

He took a step towards me. There was nothing I could do. My magic was depleted. I couldn't even heal a bloody nose. All I could do was watch him wearily, corned, trapped.