Bianca signed and shifted through documents, with Payton by her side, stringing up the month's report to send to upper management.
"Y'know, working for a magical secret society is really disillusioning." She said scratching through her hair.
"In the materialistic sort of way or the ahem..." He paused for a second "P word kind of way?"
"... You can say it, it's alright, I'm not a baby Y'know? 'Sides I made progress in deciphering the Liber Chnoubis, I'm no pushover." She said apathetically
"Anyways…" She continued "There is something of concern here, it seems that promising possible mages, Adeptus Minors, have been disappearing in droves lately from these prospect reports... Usually we get to snag a couple of them The New Iteration leaves behind, but..." She contemplated, staring at documents of their so-called possible mages.
She continued "They've been making their whole family disappear... Usually they just offer them a job at one of the billion front corporations they own so this is strange for them... We should request a proper investigation."
Payton replied "Well that would still require us to first finish our paperwo-"
"NO using the P word around me, the House of Phos is a safe place." She pointed at a caught off guard Payton.
"Of course ma'am."
…
The city's evening went on as usual, cars honking, people waiting in line to enter clubs, workers working overtime, none knew nor did they care about the happenings of the abandoned building, its entrance guarded by the police who themselves only dimly knew of what was occurring inside.
Everyone's breath was held at the demon bird, brandishing large blades, strong enough to cut a man in two.
The silence was unceremoniously broken by the (self awarded) Satanist leader laughing, nervously.
"Haha! The ritual was a success see!? Our lord Satan has sent over an emissary of his! Uh... S-Sex-! uh... ..."
"Shax." Andrew corrected him.
"Yes! Slacks! He will give us further instructions on what to do!"
"Is that right?" Shax chuckled deeply. "Then I suppose you are to obey me, I must ask you to stay here until we sort this out, leaving ensures death, including for your law enforcing friends there as well."
Shax Immediately threw Multiple blades at the exit leading to the floor below, the blades embedding in the side wall and blocking the door with their length.
Shax bolted at them, blades drawn.
Jackson's metal strings clanged against his blades, sparks flying like embers lighting up the room.
The end of the strings rose into the dark ceiling, changing its trajectory, swinging down like a hammer on the bird.
Blades thrown from its other arm clashed and threw off its aim as the demon stork leapt back with a gust from its wings.
Shax chuckled lightly "Still as sharp as ever eh? It's a shame it won't last..."
"Yeah, well!" Jackson retorted "Your demonic sigil looks like a dick! I wonder how many vandalizers accidentally summoned you while drawing artistic penises on walls."
"Wait what?" Andrew chimed in.
"Yeah, it's there in the ars goetica, has a growth from its side too, might be cancerous."
A blade flew at them, quickly stopped by Jackson's strings, clattering to the ground.
Shax looked slightly annoyed "I'm afraid I was never a fan of your phallic humour... Fox."
All humour seems to drain from Jackson's face when hearing that word.
"Care to repeat?" He said, not a shred of the usual humour in his voice.
"I know your kind knows the past and future but, is it really that nice to snoop through a guy's life like that?" Clearly he was trying to contain his simmering rage with a veil of his usual humour, which wasn't working as intended.
Shax's eyes merely glinted in the dark. "You heard me, silver fox."
A flurry of strings rained from the dark ceiling on Shax, even more than before, which he again blocked using his blades.
However
In just a second, Jackson pulled out his handgun and shot at the demon, hitting its chest.
It was not caught off guard however, as it used the bullet hitting as a cover to throw a blade directly at the gun, dismantling it in two and cutting the side of Jackson's arm.
"You are just as impulsive as back then..." Shax wheezed, coughing up a bit of blood.
"What did she say back then, again?"
Jackson scowled "Don't you dare go there."
Andrew, scared stiff attempted to intervene. "H-Hey I-"
" 'How could you…?' " Shax chuckled hoarsely, spitting out blood, mockingly.
Without a second of hesitation, Jackson increased the pressure of his strings on Shax, pinning him to the wall as he slowly closed the distance between them, increasing the pressure every second, pinning down the struggling Shax.
"You must be quite the masochist, bird. But if you wish it so much, I'll send you back to the Astral Plane."
"Jackpot." Shax whispered.
In a flutter of wings and smokescreen of feathers, Shax leapt to the side and flew to the other side of the room. At the side of the people Andrew protected.
Blades fell out of the ceiling, ones he had thrown upwards while escaping the strings, falling in a pattern on top of the summoning circle, completing the sigil.
"Complete, and finally..." Shax grabbed the older policeman before anyone could comprehend.
A blade dug into the policeman's neck, deeper in a millisecond, cutting the head off with incomprehensible efficiency.
The head was thrown from the edge of the blade, leaping off like a frog and dropping with a squelching sound on the circle.
Everyone was too stunned to realise when Shax snatched the Ring of Solomon from the cult leader's fingers, putting it on himself.
"A cheap copy, but it'll do."
The headless corpse of the policeman spurted blood from the fleshy stump of his neck like a grotesque fountain before dropping silently to its knees.
His head laid on the floor, blood flowing freely from it, his eyes in a permanent daze. The blood that flowed into the circle was absorbed by the blades like lapping leeches, previously imperceptible symbols carved on them lighting up in a sanguine crimson glow from the liquid.
Andrew was too shocked at the pulsating red flesh on the policeman's remaining neck, his gut retching at the sight, so were most of the others. Jackson's expression spoke more of guilt rather than horror at the predicament.
Shax ignored and spoke;
"I invoke and conjure thee, by thy barbarous name and by the revolted spirits of Astral Hades, Baldachiensis, Paumachia, and Apologiae Sede; come forth, arsonist of the celestial:
XAPHAN!"
The blades lit aglow, lighting up the entire circle, assuming the formation of a bellow, a scarlet light emitted from the bloody runes and the symbols carved on the blade, casting a blinding light in the otherwise dark room.
Bright rays fell and slid across corners as if surveying every inch of the room and a humanoid figure began to emerge from the middle, in a few seconds the lights died down, revealing the thing in the middle.
It jutted out from the middle of the sigil, attached to it from the waist down, glowing crimson at the junction. Its stomach was thin, a slightly wider chest leading to a thin neck made of twisting and stringing flesh ending in a crescent shaped featureless head filled with giant holes like an ant hill; three thin, stringy arms ending in barbed claws extended from his sides, writhing like worms.
"Ah, figures this cheap copy wouldn't be enough to fully give you a material form, I apologise, you'll have to work it out I'm afraid." Shax stated bluntly, clearly disappointed himself.
"Ah Lord Shax! It's been a while since we've met in the physical realm, to what do I-"
Xaphan's talking was immediately cut off as metal strings lashed at him, only defended against by his own barbed claws, holding them back.
"As I was saying, what job do you have for me?" He finished indifferent to the attack he was still holding back.
"Ah, good good. I have a job for you, see... Your job is to..." Shax drifted off, pointing to Andrew.
"Awaken the Phoenix."
"And the rest?" Xaphan replied excitedly like a child.
"Do with them as you wish, singe, burn, roast or ignore them to your hearts content, with the exception of the Phoenix and of course... The fox, he's mine."
Jackson smirked, covering his anger. "Oh what? I'm yours? Nobody touches me? Not even your demon friend over there-"
Before he could finish, in a flash he felt the keratinous legs of Shax push into his chest in a kick, he has been holding back his true speed to trick him and in a millisecond he felt his back prick into shards of glass as they shattered the window behind them, Shax and Jackson both falling out of the building as he kicked him, the air rush pushing behind him.
"Well looks like we're both falling then!" Jackson taunted the demon falling with him.
"Not quite." Shax said, spreading his wings before kicking Jackson, flapping into the night sky.
"Well shit."
Jackson quickly threw his metal strings, carving into the side of a building, barely holding on.
Shax landed on the roof of the same building.
"Get up here fox, we have unfinished business."
"Do we now?" Jackson said, using the lodged strings as leverage to scale to the roof, coming face to face once again with the great marquis.
"Alright, you've really pissed me off, bird." He said, clearly angry. "But I know what you did, isolating him from me… But he's a chosen one, he can handle himself, even better than me..."
Shax merely chuckled before charging, both clashing again, string on blade, sparks flashing across the roof in the night like distant shooting stars.
…
Back in the building Andrew seemed to have gotten way in over his head, pulling out his gun towards the beast that protruded from the ground.
"Ooooo a gun! It is a good weapon, don't get me wrong, but it's not for one of your leagues, Phoenix!" Xaphan gleefully called out without even a mouth as the words seem to echo from the Sigil itself.
"Stay back!" Andrew shouted, levelling his gun at the Demon, although the shake of his hands and the uneasiness of his tone was not lost on the Demon.
"Now Now." Xaphan spoke.
"I know I can't kill you, Lord Shax told me I was to awaken you... But man, a physical form and I don't get to burn the phoenix himself? That's absurd! I'm Xaphan! The great Arsonist of Heaven, who set aflame its clouds during the great rebellion!"
He continued dramatically "Tis I who fans the Astral fires of Hell! It is in my will to burn! To set aflame!" His stringy arms gestured theatrically.
"H-hey." The Satanist leader interrupted "That's cool and all but like... When do we get to summon Satan himself and get rich while he destroys the world and stuff?"
Xaphan's excited disposition died down for a second, his tendrily arms going limp. "Oh... It was a mistake, you meant to summon 'Satan', not me… but I suppose you were not well read in studies of the Astral Planes..."
Suddenly his presence turned more sardonic, a step further than the mere glee he showed earlier.
"Ahuhuhu~ It seems there is something for me to enjoy after all~"
The holes on its head shot open with dark eyes, all rolling wildly in their sockets before focusing on the crew. Its tendrils shot out like hissing cobras, wrapping itself around the Satanists and the rookie cop like a serpent capturing its prey, bringing them close to its body.
"Satan... You lot speak that name so much... Do you even know what it signifies?". The barbed claws at the end of his tendrils stroked the chin of one of the Satanists, dripping with sadistic tenderness.
"Put them down!" Andrew pointed the gun more firmly at at the demon's head.
"Ah, I'll deal with you later phoenix, I want to have some... Fun first~"
The barbs on his tendrils opened below the Satanist, as if opening his palm.
In a flash, a huge burst of concentrated flame shot out from its claws burning through the head of the Satanist, and in a second it died down, leaving a grey and ashen skull, still burning at the seams and dripping flesh like melting wax, an eye falling out of its socket to the floor with a grotesque squelch.
"Satan." Xaphan tapped the second Satanist's head like he was a child, who shuddered under the immense horror. Xaphan merely continued unbothered.
"He is one of the twin serpents of contention, the repelling Animus, the great dragon who rebels against unity and leaves polarity in its fire of absolute individuality."
"STOP!" A bullet rang out hitting the head of Xaphan who looked surprised for a second before his eyes looked unamused.
Fire began crackling in his claw.
"No... Please..." The Satanist who it was pointed at choked out. "I'll do anything... I'LL GIVE YOU ANYTH-"
He was immediately cut off as a torrent of concentrated fire burnt through his head. This time however Xaphan continued longer, embers flying and searing his other hostages.
Andrew watched helplessly and horrified as the flames died down, not even leaving a skull behind as ash flew across the room.
"As I was saying…" Xaphan continued as if nothing happened, stroking the chin of the last cultist with his claw, next to their 'leader' who was too stunned to speak and the young cop who was similarly mortified, but struggled against his bindings.
"Satan is what you know… the red dragon who rebelled against the unity of God and thus set a path of disharmony and distrust, where neighbour hated neighbour because they were not one, and they were two… Ahuhuhuhu~"
Shots rang out as Andrew wailed on the Demon with his bullets, targeting different parts, hoping to find a weak spot, anything.
The Demon continued utterly unaffected by the bullets raining on him.
"But… you know what makes him dangerous? He is not some mere Demon like me or Lord Shax, he is abstract, a force. Yes he is described as some… Tempter in your books, but his temptations are far more predisposed and pervading than what you think… he is the yearning for independence in a world that is codependent like a net, the desire for change in this static and complacent existence, the need for a differentiated and individual identity from the faceless an homogeneous masses. Is that why not you chose this path? The masses worship God so you must be different and worship Satan! The masses want peace so you must want conflict! War against those who are not you! Oh how your pride fears that which is without distinction, How vain…"
As Andrew's bullets ran out and his gun clicked, Xaphan looked unimpressed, burning off the head of the Satanist as if doing a chore.
"Ahuhuhu~ And that is quite literally only half of it! There is of course the contractive Anima, the other side of individual existence. But maybe another time perhaps, going on long rants isn't my thing anyway."
Xaphan sardonically toyed with the young officer's cap, taking it off and putting it on himself, chuckling sadistically. "Ah, roasted pig should be rather interesting." He forcefully yanked the teary eyed officer's head using his barbed claws to face his many eyes.
Suddenly a squelching sound rang out, Xaphan curiously lowering his eyes to the source.
Andrew had closed the distance between them, his pocket knife working tirelessly to cut through the demon's thick tendrils to free the Satanist leader, drawing blood from its skin.
Xaphan casually flicked him away like an insignificant insect.
"Well tough crowd, I go on and give you important life advice and you stab me in return!"
His tendrils lashed out, causing Andrew to roll and duck, still getting hit, falling like whips, leaving red gashes on his pale skin.
He held his knife out as a tendril came down, lodging it inside using its own force. Xaphan winced, annoyed, pulling back the tendril that was stabbed.
"You know phoenix, I get the sense you don't care much for your life anyways…" He pulled the knife out using one of his barbed claws.
"How am I supposed to awaken you if you have no purpose? No will? That's an impossible task…" He toyed with the knife.
"But, you do have something to desire." Xaphan caressed the officer's cheek with the knife. "The life of another human, you care deeply so… I wonder why."
Xaphan stabbed the knife into the officer's hand violently, forcing it though as the hilt touched the wrist. The officer yelped in excruciating pain, blood spurting.
"QUIET!" Xaphan shouted, claws breaking the handle of the knife, its blade falling to the floor.
Andrew fell back, watching the scene in despair.
He's right… Why do I care? People are born and they die, some earlier than others, it's not my responsibility… I'm no God…
But… then why do I even continue myself…?
He remembered it then, those words;
"If it needed to happen for you to be born, I could never regret it. If this was part of the plan, then I wouldn't have it any other way."
Mom…
Tendrils continued to lash at him, torching his clothes, forcing him to cover his face and push through the pain, without weapons it seems like this was the end.
Xaphan suddenly chuckled sardonically.
"Well, this is the end for your cop friend here." Xaphan said, pointing his claws at the sobbing cop.
There's nothing I can do… Who even is he? I don't know him, why should I care? He's just some random cop…
…
No I do know him, parts of him..
A rookie officer, who looked up to his experienced partner as a role model, who in turn looked out for his safety, even if he was harsh…
The dynamic was broken in an instant by that demon, only he knows that side of his partner… If he dies, so do both of them, truly.
He is a person but what can I do? I'm but a human…
…
Point your palm at the demon
Huh?
Point your palm at the demon
I'm exhausted… talking to myself, thinking things over, debating with myself the correct choice and that's the best I could come up with.
Yes, now do it
Why?
Why did your mother not regret what happened? Because it happened. There is nothing to regret, no matter what happens, because it is already done.
…
He needed no further encouragement, not that there was anything better to do. He stood, blood dripping from flesh wounds that broke skin and pointed his palm at Xaphan, its chest.
Xaphan turned its attention to Andrew.
"Ooooo has the phoenix finally learned how to fly? Well I'll get one last kill in."
Sparks began flying in the claws of the demon pointed at the officer who had resigned to his fate.
The fire burst from Xaphan's claws.
[Vulcan]
Shorter than a second a concentrated torrent of fire flew out of Andrew's palm burning through the very fire that was targeted towards the officer, burning a giant hole through Xaphan's chest and scorching his stringy neck.
For a second Xaphan looked confused as did Andrew. His tendrils, weakened, letting go of the two surviving hostages, who quickly put some distance between them and the demon.
"So you have finally awakened Phoenix…" Xaphan said, his body crumbling into glowing dust, falling apart like a sand sculpture, the light of the sigil and its blades dimming before giving out to the darkness.
"No wonder the flames of my claws did nothing to your body, you are the great fire that burns through fire itself, the desire of existence…"
Xaphan chuckled weakly. "Until we meet again Phoenix, you should get acquainted with your little friend meanwhile…" Xaphan said before blowing away into glittery dust and ash.
…
On the rooftops of the next building Shax stopped in the middle of a battle, locked in a tangle of metal strings against his blades. He flew back, flapping his wings as the blades demanifested.
"My job here is done, until next time fox." He began to fly off in a large burst of speed.
"You little-!" Jackson threw a string but it only caught a feather as the Demon vanished into the night sky.
…
Back in the building Andrew fell back, in awe of his own feat, panting in a mix of excitement and fear before thinking.
Wait, friend? Who the hell-
Me
What!?
He was referring to me
Y-You're just my brain! The 'wall' I talk to when thinking about things! Th-the counter to whenever I debate things over.
That I am, and I have always been. But I am also so much more.
I… … … What are you?
I am known by many names, the Empyreal Spark, Flame of the First Thought, The Fire of Wisdom.
W-what? What's that mean…?
Perhaps most relevant to your known knowledge, I am known as;
A Relic, A True Relic. The Mahat