"Time to kill some bugs"
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Once the red sun descended into the night sky as the infinite darkness devoured the outer layer of Hell, the squad which had been led by Kahal and his unit of supreme generals.
Through hell's treacherous grounds, mindless demons stalked the night. But were swiftly slaughtered by the likes of the black lotus division's assassin Hinari who stained her blade and pale cheeks with the warm blood of the soulless husks, and Selene.
At one point, the squad had to stop and collect themselves at the campsite of a poor bastard who by now was most likely a mindless monster roaming the treacherous grounds.
It was then that General Asami asked Kahal:
"I've been meaning to ask you, how are we going to cull those hell lords?… based on what I've seen so far, you're the only one here who can beat them, yet when you fought against them back then, you didn't kill them. Why?"
Kahal slightly poked his lips out and glanced from the corner of his eye back at Asami when he replied.
"It's not that I couldn't kill them, but rather I hadn't realized it until just a few months into my time in hell… as long as Hell's heart is beating and that red sun rises, those bastards can't die…"
No one had been really surprised to hear these facts, But it was still frustrating in spite of everything. Even back during their earlier battle against the seven when they invaded, they could feel that the devilish beasts could be killed…
But they were as persistent as cockroaches that refuse to die despite sustaining fatal wounds. But now with kahal's new information, it was reasonable why he seemed to have been in a rush to cull them all during the sunless night.
Hinari who was standing with the support of her long staff had now spoke in her deeper voice.
"If that's how things are, wouldn't it be more efficient to split apart and cull them all like that?… by the sound of what your saying, it's easier to strike while the sun's down, we could cull two birds with one stone."
Kahal shook his head to both sides. No doubt he agreed with Hinari's line of reasoning, but there was another factor he himself had taken into consideration.
The true, primal nature of the seven hell lords. Kahal spoke about it in his raspy voice which was complimented by the bonfire at the center of the small camp.
"You're right kid. It would be more efficient to cull them all at once, but the problem lies in the fact that once we split apart, you'd all be vulnerable to their treacherous plans…"
Kahal took a breath before he continued.
"One of the reasons why those pests are difficult to kill is because they feed off those who they personally select for their trial, and you unfortunate kids just so happen to be the most appetizing feast laid bare before them…"
"Even now, they aren't even at the peak of their power… their current state is one of semi self awareness, recently they began to develop consciousness which made their hunger for knowledge grow more. Since they only awakened just recently, their state is similar to that of newborn bear cubs."
Kahal would know after all, he'd witnessed it first had one thousand years ago. During that time period, the seven hell lords didn't have their own consciousness.
In fact, they were almost like dolls for Hell's Queen which didn't even speak or have a single thought that belonged to them. And now, they had gained a half consciousness which resembled that of a wild beast.
No doubt they were powerful indeed, but power means nothing without knowing yourself or the world around you, they might as well had been stalking unknown grounds without the guiding hand of their parents.
With a snort, Kahal continued.
"Right now, they are at their weakest as things stand. But if we let even one of you enter their circle and gain even the slightest bit of knowledge, that's not a risk I'm willing to take… it'd be better if we force our way inside and kill them together."
Suddenly, Aria had a rather logical remark.
"But you said that we had to complete the trial's or we'd be assimilated into mindless demons… wouldn't interfering just speed up the process?"
The young woman was correct in believing so. After all, part of the rules of Hell that kahal mentioned earlier was that the sorcerer had to complete their trial in a certain period of time or else they'd be completely morphed into the same demons that stalked the earth.
But what they hadn't realized, was the exception to this rule had been standing among them.
Kahal glanced toward the white haired Sachiko, and said:
"White hair… you're living proof that the assimilation that follows the completion of the trial's are a two sided gamble."
Sachiko squinted her eye and furrowed her brow.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"On one hand if the trial isn't complete, especially while the red sun exists then damnation Will surely follow… on the other hand, it can also give great power."
The supreme generals seemed to have been the only ones who gave a knowing glance of recognition to what Kahal had been implying.
"The true Essence of the soul, which awakens when a sorcerer treads the line between life and death. Their predetermined sorcery which they had since birth emerges and transforms their soul. Which is what's going on with Aaliyah now…"
Selene knew exactly what Kahal had been talking about. In fact, she and Jason remembered vividly the threat of death Aaliyah had faced a few months back when she had entered a berserk state of rage.
She had almost awakened her soul's true essence. But then, the only thing that had stopped the process was the clan's curse of their patriarch's tainted blood which dirtied her soul.
Kahal continued.
"That's right, right now… her soul is undergoing a state of metamorphosis, I'm hoping that during her trial, she'll awaken her true power and it'll be enough to kill Aphira."
"And that's why I choose to go with the plan of sticking close… if I can help Aaliyah, and you Selene… awaken your souls true Essence, we can all find a way to destroy the red sun and kill the heart of Hell."
To everyone, Kahal's plan was pretty solid. And there were more upsides than downsides, so surely things were not going to be as difficult as they may have seemed.
The plan was almost flawless.
Almost…
***
Scrunching her nose, Aaliyah in her half conscious state suddenly smelled the fragrance of blooming flowers as she felt a warm ray of sunlight embrace her skin.
Her eyes fluttered open, allowing the sunlight to highlight their beautiful grey color. As she abruptly sat up, she was met with the sight of an endless expanse of blooming bioluminescence flowers.
The sudden sight was nothing short of beautiful, and strangely calming in the midst of the deafening silence.
In a daze, Aaliyah stood up. Blocking the sunlight with the palm of her hand.
'What the hell?'
In her mind, she couldn't remember much of the events that led up to her waking up in this strange place. Each time she inhaled through her nose, the fragrance of the flowers gave her a peace of mind, also making her slightly lightheaded.
Suddenly, her legs became unbalanced and she fell on her ass.
Her legs were seemingly sapped of energy so she just waited on the ground and gave a scornful look around the endless expanse of bioluminescent flowers.
Somewhere in the far distance, she could make out a silhouette of a giant thick tree which pierced through the sky with its ever growing branches and white leaves.
After a few seconds, her shoulders tensed at the sound of a soft voice which came from behind her.
"My sweet child…"
Aaliyah knew that voice all too well…
Turning around, she saw a woman who was clearly a few decades older than her but still appeared to be around the same age as her.
She had smooth black hair which was tied in a bun and a single braid wrapped around it, and wore two layers of black robes and tan sandals.
There were a few slight wrinkles on her cheeks and the base of her forehead, which looked surprisingly beautiful with her light grey eyes.
In a shaky voice, Aaliyah said with a sense of familiarity:
"M-mama?"
If Aaliyah hadn't already been in a state of utter confusion, this sight had furthered that feeling. On one hand, she couldn't believe what she had been seeing in that moment, after all she hadn't seen her mother since Selene had only been fourteen years of age.
But now, suddenly she was looking at her mother in the world of Hell. But unlike her entire childhood, the expression on Aiko's face was one of, contentment…
Aaliyah's lips parted, but no words left. In that moment, she felt as though her mind was going to explode with the overwhelming events which had been transpiring in the past couple of days.
The sight of her daughter's lost eyes made the corners of Aiko's lips curl down for a moment as she extended a hand.
After a moment of hesitation, Aaliyah stood up on her own, completely ignoring the woman's hand.
"I don't need your help…"
There was a somber smile on Aiko's face as she took a few steps forward, in the direction of the tree.
Looking over her shoulder, she said to Aaliyah:
"Let's go, my child… your loved ones await you."
Clutching the side of her head, Aaliyah reluctantly walked alongside Aiko.
***
In the midst of their strangely comfortable silent walk, Aaliyah found her thoughts drifting back to the times of her younger years.
All the times where she desperately craved her mother's attention but was only granted a cold shoulder and the constant disapproval of every action she took.
The everyday tension she faced every waking moment, though most of her memories of such times were locked behind a thick fog in her mind.
And now suddenly, she had Been walking alongside the woman who she hadn't seen in at least seven years. And even then, her appearance seemed as though she hadn't aged a day.
But what made this moment slightly more uncomfortable wasn't only the serene silence, but the content expression on her mother's usually disgruntled face.
Suddenly, Aaliyah's face began turning red. Her eyes grew hotter as she felt unexpected tears well up.
"Why're you here?… after everything…"
Aiko sighed, for a second she looked deep in thought and almost touched Aaliyah's shoulder but ultimately decided against it. With a soft voice, she responded.
"I know I haven't been the mother you deserve… but I need to make amends for what I've done."
Hearing those words, Aaliyah was at a loss for words. But had no energy to argue, and wiped her tear stained cheeks with the sleeve of her robe.
For the rest of their walk, the two women remained silent. Though gradually, Aaliyah found herself growing calmer with the scent of the flowers while she brushed her fingers across the warm beauties.
And soon, they reached the stump of the tree.
Immediately, a wave of relief washed over Aaliyah's face when she saw the familiar faces of her two children.
She rushed toward them and pulled them both in for a tight hug which made Jason and Selene smile and wrap their arms around her back.
"Oh my god… are you two okay?"
Selene let out a soft chuckle.
"We should be asking you that, Ma… but, we were waiting for you."
Once Aaliyah pulled away from the two, she looked at them with a face full of confusion.
For some reason, there were content smiles frozen on both of their faces. As if earlier's events hadn't happened.
Sitting next to Jason and Selene were Sachiko and Kahal.
Sachiko looked up at Aaliyah, and gestured to Aaliyah's hair. Suddenly, there were three flowers which seemed to have began blooming from the white strip of Aaliyah's hair.
In her mind, Aaliyah could only ask herself:
'What the hell is going on?'
***
"Did you all see that?"
Kahal nodded. Standing himself up from the small camp, he grunted and looked back at the group and said in a grim, raspy voice:
"Yeah… which is why we need to hurry the hell up, so move your asses."
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Continued in chapter 109: Flowers Of Sin
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