Fan Fiction ❯ Crimson Regret ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

 

 

 

Crimson Regret

 

 

 

Chapter 1

 

Her dreams echoed with the scream of agony's voice.

“Please!” It shrieked. “Please, Arachne! Don't leave me here!”

“I…I have…to…”

“ARACHNE!”

“I'm sorry.”

“No, please, don't!” But the pleading voice was interrupted by the sickening squish and tearing of raw skin. Crimson splattered onto the snow. Arachne looked away, eyes squeezed shut in terror.

“I'm sorry, Akilina…”

She awoke, dripping in sweat. Outside her window, lights clicked on and annoyed neighbors raised their fists in rebellion. Perhaps she had screamed louder than she had last night. There was no way to actually tell. Footsteps up the hall signaled that she had awoken the dormant evil (the landlord). Sighing, she reached for the glass of water on her bedside table and guzzled it. Now fearing the terrors that sleep brought, she craned her neck to catch view of the time. 2:16AM.

“Arachne! Arachne, you Goddamn child! Open this door!” Finally, her landlord had chosen to scold her.

“Hold on, one moment.” She said towards the door, utterly loathing the fact of having to answer to that evil man…Getting up, and hastily tying her robe around her, she hugged herself against the cold. Trying to keep warm. But despite her feeble attempts, cold spots danced around her. Grabbing the doorknob she felt an almost scalding heat. Strange…Opening the door, the landlord jumped at the opening to begin his verbal abuse.

“I've told you that if you're going to live here and continue screaming like that so often that we can set our alarms to it, then you're going to get mental help! You're ill! Arachne! Crazy girl! Mentally insane!”

“Yes, sir.” Arachne said with no absolute meaning. But if he got what he wanted then maybe he'd leave her alone until the first of next month.

“If it happens again, you're outta here! You get it!? Is that clear?!”

“Transparent.”

“Good.” The landlord stomped off, apparently in such a sour mood that everything in his path shuddered. Sighing once again, Arachne closed the door, went over to her closet and began looking or something to wear. No use in sleeping anymore. Sick of the terror. Putting on a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt with a blue spider imprinted on it, she started out the door. Maybe her landlord wouldn't give her any shit for the rest of the night. Especially if she left.

Stepping off the campus of apartment complexes, Arachne walked along the street. Not really caring where she was going, but maybe he walk would clear her mind and she could get some sleep later. Out of the corner of her eye, Arachne saw what looked like a huge sign, which spelled out in dripping letters;

“Rayne”. It was small, secluded, and most of all dark. Why hadn't she noticed it before? Everyone was always looking for a new Goth Club. She wondered if other people knew about it. Maybe it was a rave…There was only one way to find out. Stepping towards the door, she slowly stepped over the threshold and found it to be a bar. Looks promising. Maybe a glass of wine would help. The bar was bathed in dark red light. People looked up from their drinks to stare at her as she came in. They all appeared to have wine glasses filled with water. She blinked, and then they were filled with a rich red drink. Wow...Crazy shit. Soon they ignored her. Apparently she wasn't interesting. Were their eyes gold? Arachne thought, and the people she was referring to shot her a skeptical look.

Sitting down at the bar, the Bartender asked her what she wanted. Actually, it was more of a grunt than a request.

“Uh, Red Rose please.” The Bartender snorted and went over to the table of people with gold eyes.

Some guy with ice blue eyes walked over to Arachne with a drunken expression. She thought he had been bar-hopping because he smelled like so much cigarette smoke and no one in the bar had been smoking. Laughing, he draped his arm around her and taunted her.

“Hey, wanna go out?” Disgusting. “Hey baby!” Sickening. “Come on! Let's go and have some fun out back.” SLAP!!

“I have no interest. Back off.” Now all the people with golden eyes looked at her and began laughing hysterically. Damn, these people are ODD!

“You bitch!” The guy who had supposedly tried to ask her out got up off the floor, from where he had landed and lunged at Arachne. Grabbing her neck he prepared to hold her against the walls. All over the bar wings started unfolding and growing out of different people's backs. Glares evident upon their faces. And in the blink of an eye, a girl with black and blue wings who looked no older than 18 was standing in front of Arachne. She looked familiar…But Arachne couldn't place a face.

“Back off scum, she's mine.” This strange girl growled.

“No!”

“As your higher-arch, I demand that you back off.”
“Why should I?”

“ Because when you do not listen to me, I can do this.” The girl raised her hand rather lazily and it began to glow with an otherworldly power. Vapors rose from her hand and the tendrils curled themselves around the man. Soon he was in visible chains and being bound against the wall, screaming curses of damnation to this strange girl.
“You forget, if I can command you around, I already am damned.” The girl mumbled. The man struggled even more and the chains tightened. The supposed higher-arch turned to Arachne. “Are you alright? He didn't hurt you did he?”

“Higher-arch?”

“Yeah, I'm a Fallen.”

“A fallen?”

“Wow…Uh…” The girl looked confused by Arachne's blank expression. She gave a look to the other people in the bar that still had their wings raised up, prepared to start a fight if they had to. “Don't you know what angels are?”

“Yeah…But…”

“There are levels of angels…God, Seraphita, Organic, Inorganic, Seraphium, Cherub, Grigore, Fallen, Grands, Demons, so on and so forth.”

“You're a Fallen, you said?”
“Yeah.”

“Then. You were banished?”
“You're catching on. Yeah, I started a rebellion. Because I had no clue what my mortal life was about and I couldn't remember anything. The fact that I wanted to know and God wouldn't tell me, pissed me off, so…I led a rebellion. And I went from a Cherub to a Fallen, and was banished to Hell.”

“You actually should know all of this already. It was basic. Where did you show up?”

“Basic for what?”

“Death…”

“…What?”
“Death.”

“I'm not dead.” That sentence started uproar.

“Aurora! Just take her to Hell with you, she's obviously dead already!' A Cherub yelled from across the room.
“Fine, fine. Christ.”

“DO NOT START THAT!”

“What? Jesus? Chriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssst..” Aurora walked out and had things thrown at her, Arachne followed hurriedly.

“Wow.” Arachne said dodging a glass of wine that was thrown at her as she exited the bar.

“Yeah, they react too literally to everything. Stupid angels. Too consumed by their own rules that they can't even take a simple joke.” Arachne couldn't help but laugh at that.

“Did they say that your name was Aurora?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh..Pretty.” Arachne's eyes watering with tears. Akilina loved that name...She had planned to name her first child that.

“And your name?”

“Arachne.”

“You mean, like the myth?”

“Yeah…”

“Wow…Hey, if you're not dead then how can you see me? Or the bar? Or anyone else…You did a pretty good job on the demon back there. Knocked him to the floor. We've all been itching to do that. “ Aurora smiled and giggled a little at her own humor. Arachne laughed once again. Something about this Fallen seemed warm.

“That place was odd, what was it?”
“Rayne? Oh, it's a bar for the angels and demons on Earth. Demons didn't really want to come to Heaven for a drink and Angels didn't want to go to Hell. So a compromise was made and Rayne was put up on Earth. Kind of a place for all of the creatures of the Divine to escape Him every once and a while. They mingle. But most of the time the mingling doesn't go well. They all get easily offended.” Aurora rolled her eyes. Arachne laughed, definitely something friendly about this Fallen.

“You remind me of my friend. She could always make me laugh no matter what was happening.”

“Who?”

“Oh…Her name was Akilina.”

“Was? What happened to her?”

“She died..”

“How?”

“She was murdered.”

“Oh…I'm sorry to hear that.”

“I miss her.”

“I know, your mind is screaming. It's kind of deafening, actually.”

“My mind is screaming?”

“Most all higher-archs can read minds. Not really a gift, but not really a curse either. It helps if someone's trying to sneak up on you.” Aurora touched Arachne's arm. Suddenly, she froze. Unblinking, not breathing.

“Aurora…? What's going on?”

“For a second…I saw everything that happened…The blood, your terror…And her crying eyes…Her head. Lying on the ground in the snow…And you…”

“What?”

“You…That day…All your energy…You became…A supernatural hyper-sensitive…A medium…”

“A what?”

“A medium…You are able to travel back and forth, able to support possession, and see such that normal people would not even dream of.”

“But…What?”

“You have so much to learn…” Still shaken up from discovering probably the first medium that has shown up in about 4 centuries, Aurora breathed steadily.

“What do you mean?”

“Stand back.” Aurora pushed Arachne back and her black and blue wings stretched over her then beat the air with such a great force that the air became thinner and it became very hard to breathe. Her eyes glowed with the light of infernal fire and she hissed; “Expositus.” At that very moment a rip appeared and Aurora looked back.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?”
”Exactly.”

 

 

 

Chapter 2

“What?!”

“Just calm down. Come on.” Aurora pulled on Arachne's arm and stepped into the rip. As soon as she set her foot inside the rip they were sucked in, whirled around and slammed down on the banks of the River Styx.

“OW!! WHAT THE BLOODY ASS MOTHER—“Aurora covered Arachne's mouth.

“Shh.”

“Mppmhph!”

“You're going to bring the Police here.”

“Mmmnumph!”

“No that's not a good thing. And you don't want to run into a higher-arch that has power over me.”

“Mmgmphn.”

“Fine.” Aurora released her hold on Arachne's mouth.

“Hell has Police?”

“Yeah, Hell's like a city, just…More disgusting.”

“So what all is here?”

“Everything you though mythical. Dragons, Golems, Griffins, Sphinxes, Imps, Demons…Of course. Fallen, and a lot of other things. People think they saw Medusa once, but the Gorgon race died out quite awhile ago.”

“Odd.” Arachne said, putting on her quizzical look.
“Rumplestilskin…”

“What?!”

“I guess they got bored.” Aurora shrugged.

“So why are we here anyways?” Arachne asked, puzzled.

“To find Akilina.”

“Do you know for a fact that she's here?”

“No but I guess we could check the gate record…”

“The gate record?”

“They keep a record of all spirits and souls in Hell at the gates. As far back as when they first entered the gates of the City.”

“Oh…”

“How long ago did she die?”

“Two years ago. She would have been 20 yesterday.”

“Oh, how sad…So she was 18?”
“Yeah.”

“Just remember, don't get disappointed if she's not here. She has as much chance of being here as she does in Azuilith.”

“Azuilith?”

“The 6th Layer of Heaven.”

“Oh…Okay.”

“Now,” Aurora walked up to a huge black gate, decorated in what seemed like skulls, with eyes still glistening in the skeletal sockets. Waving down a huge person who seemingly looked to be made of clay. “Hey!” The person looked at her with a set expression of disgust, and grunted. Sounds like the Bartender. Just then Arachne realized that she had never gotten her drink!! Damn it.

“I need the records.” The clay person led Aurora over to a huge set of 10,000 to 20,000 volumes of thick bound books. Aurora waved Arachne over. “Two years ago. Do you have a specific date?”

“Yeah…February 25th, 2004.” Using her finger as a pointer, Aurora picked the book and heaved one of the heavy volumes onto the table and flipped a few pages.

“Akilina, Akilina, Akilina, Akilina…” Aurora stood there flipping through pages, scanning the names for the lost girl. Arachne stood behind Aurora, trying not to show how anxious she was to talk to her long lost friend once again. “Ah-ha!”

“Did you find her?”

“Yep! Layer two, for the lustful,” Aurora looked up. “Lustful?” Arachne shrugged.

“I don't know either. Unfortunately, to figure out why she's there we have to ask her ourselves.” Aurora continued reading. “A place mute of all light. Wind bellows and the infernal hurricane never ceases. This is where the lustful suffer eternally.”

“Well, how do we get there?”

“We have to…Get past the River Styx, get through the rest of the 5th level which is on the other side of the River. Get through Level 4. Then Level 3, and then we should be at Level 2. If no one interferes.”

“Sounds like a trip…”

“Not nearly as bad as Dante and Virgil. But then again. Hell really has changed since then. They never really explained how they got back. And Lucifer doesn't have his own little circle anymore. He's here in the City.”

“Oh. Where?”

“No one really knows.”

“Why not?”

“Everyone kind of lost track. And since there hasn't really been anything going on everything kind of simmered down and no one's been patrolling. It's nice to have some quiet. There are six that no one really knows where they are. Just wait until everything starts getting hectic. They'll start showing up. Who knows? Maybe you'll meet them.”

“Have you seen them?”

“Nope.”

“How long have you been here?”

“In Hell? About a year. Last time anyone ever heard from any of them, was about a century ago.”

“Oh. Well,” Arachne turned around and looked towards the River Styx. Talk about foreboding. Bodies moaned for help and sloshed pitifully trying to get out as the River carried them downstream.

“Yeah, we should get started. Sitting here at the gate isn't really doing us much good.” Aurora led the way to the very small boat that was on the riverbank. Aurora climbed into the boat, but Arachne seemed a little less keen. As soon as Arachne set foot inside the boat it started to move, causing her to almost fall in. When she did not, a soul being carried downstream grabbed her leg and tried to pull her in.

“AHHA,” Arachne picked up a paddle that was in the boat for reasons unknown and started hitting the spirit over the head with it. “LET GO LET GO LET GO LET GO!!” Aurora almost fell out of the boat laughing. The soul let go, hanging limply over the boat.

“If you take that approach with everything you meet here, you'll make a lot of enemies very fast.”

“Sorry…I…Just…EW.” Arachne started wiping spiritual brain matter off of her leg. This caused Aurora to laugh harder, rocking the boat. “Shit! Shit! Stop! Stop!!” Aurora sat up, her hysterical laughter now reduced to a mild giggle as the boat moved on across the River. Finally, the boat came to a stop and an Imp jumped into the boat. Its squeaky voice was the funniest thing imaginable but the poor thing probably wanted to be taken seriously,

“Toll!” It jumped up and down saying a dozen times.

“Hold your ass!” Aurora shouted and grabbed the little Imp. It was so small that its body could fit into her fist just so that its head was visible over her thumb. With her other hand Aurora reached into her pocket and pulled out 2 coins. “If I let you go will you take your toll and leave us alone?” The Imp gave Aurora a look. It opened its mouth and bit down on Aurora's thumb. “OW!! UNHOLY MOTHER OF—“Aurora stifled her curses. She ripped the head off of the Imp and threw it into the river. “I was going to give you my toll too, but no. Stupid poisonous bastard just had to bite me.”

“Poisonous!?”

“Yeah, it's fine though. Don't worry.” Aurora climbed out of the boat. “Follow me.”

“But, it was poisonous!”

“I'm fine, I can get over it. Just be happy that you weren't bit.” Aurora looked around. “Level 5. Let's see….” She seemed to be surveying the area. “Here are the wrathful and the gloomy. Each furious and they gnash at each other and tear each other as meals with their teeth. Repeating a doleful lamentation for if they stop they will lose their ability to speak.”

“Really? That's horrible!!”

“According to Dante,” Aurora closed a book that Arachne had not noticed. The cover read The Inferno. Arachne gave her a look.

“I thought you said things have changed a lot since Dante and Virgil were here.”

“Things have changed a lot. But it helps to have something to go by. Even if it's not completely true at the moment.”

“Well I guess that's true.” Screams echoed not too far away from them. Aurora seemed defensive suddenly.

“Get behind me, pretend you're not there and don't say a word.” Aurora's wings fanned out as a hiding place. Arachne did as she was told without a word. Who knows what could happen here.

What's going on…What's happening?A thought entered her mind that was in Aurora's voice. Stop thinking. You're going to give yourself away.

“Aurora…” A voice hissed from within an alleyway a few feet from where they were standing. “The feared Fallen. What brings you to the Wrathful?”

“Searching for a mortal soul.”

“Oh really. What purpose would you have for a mortal soul?”

“Power for the Dark.” A tense air fell over the conversation as the latter fell serious with his words.

“Really? Have they come out?”

“No. But soon.”

“Then how have they given you an order for a mortal soul?”

“Telepathy. You're just not special enough to have it.”

“If you're on an order from them then why are you delaying your quest, just standing there, you're supposed to be in a hurry. Are you not? Or are you hiding a juicy mortal. Still alive. Maybe one with powers. Oh, it sounds so good.”

“No.” Aurora said rather fretfully. Arachne, he is blind but he can still find you. In every alley there is another Wrathful. Just run and I'll meet you at the dimension rip. It should be very easy to spot. With our luck we might run into someone who will help us. Now go!

Arachne hesitated. One look at Aurora's eyes gave her the “Get the Hell out of here” look, so she decided that she needed no more encouragement. She ran forward, away from the River Styx. People who had their eyes closed started poking their heads out of alleyways, and smelling they air as she ran past. Dear Lord, they're acting like rats.

Sizzles and pops were heard from behind Arachne, but she decided that she dare not look back. Maybe if she looked back she would be attacked because her looking back slowed down her running? But maybe the sizzles and pops were to get her attention. Deciding that she must figure out what was going on; she looked back while running forward.

Half of the mass of rat-like people that were chasing her were what looked like, melting into the ground. Slowly but certainly melting. The smell of burning flesh floated through what little fresh air there was in the level.
Taken by surprise, Arachne's footing messed up while she was running and she tripped over herself. Ripping up the knees of her pants and a rip across the stomach of her shirt appeared. Her elbows were now scratched up and blood slowly seeped from the shallow wounds. It never helped that she was easy to bleed. Now was the time to curse it.

What honestly doesn't help is no one really knows what all is on the streets and ground of the levels in Hell, and it's imaginable that no one really wants to describe what they think is in it either. From the mass still looming towards her, Aurora appeared in front of them and ran towards Arachne, only pausing to quickly help her up and to run faster. Running throughout the level, they both looked frantically for the rip. Where was it? It had to be somewhere close by. Why did Hell have to be so big and a dimension rip so small, without any indication of where it was!?
They passed shops and meats hanging from rusty hooks. None of the meats looked normal…Arachne did not want to guess what they were, but the signs pasted onto it with Imp blood were enough to inform her.

“She-Imp, Human, Griffin, Gorgon…”

“…Maybe all the Gorgons haven't died out. I certainly thought they did. Hm.”

“Could be a marketing scheme.”

“Most likely.”

“What's that?” Arachne pointed to what seemed like a glowing blue line no more that 3 foot wide, but to as how tall it was, she did not know. Nor could she begin to imagine.

“The rip! That's the rip!” Aurora half dragged Arachne to the rip, stepped in, and once again they were whirled around and slammed into the ground of another dimension. Level 4.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3

“Level 4. Here, the prodigal and the avaricious suffer their punishment, as they roll weights back and forth against one another. You will share eternal damnation with others who have either wasted or lived greedily and insatiably, or who stockpiled their fortunes, hoarding everything and sharing nothing. Plutus, the wolf-like demon of wealth, dwells here.”

“English?”

“Level of Greed. Wolf demon. Probably who we're going to run into. I wouldn't doubt it. I mean that could probably be the best thing that could happen to us.”

“The best thing?”

“Yeah, about.”

“Hey are all the levels based off of the Seven Deadly Sins?”
“Most of them. Didn't you read Dante's Inferno?”

“No…I just know a little…”

“Here then, take this.” Aurora handed her the copy of the book. “It may not be accurate, but at least you can get a general idea of what to expect. I recommend you start from Level 4 and go back to Level 2. I doubt any of the levels beyond the `City of Dis' exist anymore.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well the fact that for a year I've been looking for a dimension rip from the City to the other levels. And I haven't found one. Who knows maybe there are other levels I just haven't found them yet. Seemingly other demons don't even know about the other levels. Or maybe that's where the six have been hiding. Like I said earlier, no one really knows. It's a complete mystery until there's trouble.” A howl in the distance interrupted the informational talk.

“Shit.”

“Are you beginning to read minds too? That's exactly what I was thinking.” Aurora laughed despite the upcoming situation. Arachne could not help but laugh also. Pocketing the book, Arachne walked forward.

“Aurora? How come no one comes after us here? I thought Hell was supposed to be full of blood-thirsty demons that would jump at the chance to come and eat you or something.”

“Stereotypes. But if you don't watch out there are demons you'll run into that would do—“Aurora seemed cut off. Arachne looked back, but Arachne was not there. Where'd she go?

“Aurora?” She looked around. Where could she have gone?

“You need to listen to your friend's words.” Arachne jumped and turned around, someone was standing there, and they didn't seem friendly.

“Who are you?” The classic death wish escaped from Arachne's lips before she could stop herself.

“Do you remember her telling you not to make too much noise because if someone of a higher stature than her came by they could command her?”

This frightened Arachne. What would they have her do? Seemingly still air suddenly turned to a rush of wind that almost toppled her over.

“Of course you do. Just mortals are so ignorant that they don't see a point to follow rules. They think that each and every one of them are Gods. Don't they? I bet you thought yourself of higher stature than God once. Haven't you? Every mortal thinks that they are above God. And get themselves landed here. All naïve. Especially the living ones.” The person gave Arachne a look of knowing. “Living scum.”

“If you're so God-praising then why are you here?”

“Shut up wench. If the six can travel to Azuilith as much as they want to kill as many Seraphium as they want then I can come here to Greed to have a chat with a living mortal medium.”

“Then you're an angel?”

“An arch-angel.”

“…Of wind?”

“Very good, you do catch on fast. She's right. Such power should have been kept over more careful watch. I'm sure if they could come out of hiding then they would have been thrilled to meet you.”

“What do you mean if they could?”

“Who would have thought that the reason you came here caused them to be captured and chained down in front of the Divine Creator?”

“What?”

“You and your `Akilina'. She's in Heaven. She's a Cherub, and she's helping destroy your Aurora and the six.”

“She wouldn't!”

“Oh she would. Do you want to see for yourself?” An image flooded into Arachne's mind. Blood, Aurora screaming for help. Torn and bloodied wings lying on the ground.

“How come the only one I can see is Aurora?”

“Because it would not matter if I showed you the six, for you do not know them and would not care. You better get up to Azuilith. She's screaming for you. Can't you hear her?”

 

ARACHNE!!!

 

There was no terror that filled her heart other than that. Arachne had made a friend and she was letting her suffer.

“What kind of friend are you. You hesitate to help her, even after she's screamed for you so many times that your name is bitter to say.”

 

A blinding light surrounded her. It seemed brighter than the sun when she had been living. Her heart was darkened with betrayal. Why had Arachne betrayed her? Why had Arachne killed her? Had she not wept for me after I had left? Or was that self pity. Disgusting behavior. This self-pity business is completely disgusting. Why would she cry if she killed me. Afraid that she would get caught? That's probably it. Stupid girl. But now we meet again, my darling friend, Arachne.

Walking along what seemed of nothingness, she had a strong sense of where she was going. Her mind bubbling of betrayal, she continued thinking. Soon to see again of the girl that killed her, and thought she shared a friendship with. But her tears and begging weren't enough. Arachne killed her anyway. Stepping over the threshold of one of the three doors, she snapped back into reality as she was thrown on the ground of Azuilith. Standing there, was the Divine Creator. Akilina bowed,

“O, Lord, you are the most Divine. And my will is to do whatever bidding you ask.”

“You are of tainted blood. To prove your worth, you are to do something for me. Prove your faith, and bring me a sacrifice. Not of goat, or bull, or lamb, or sheep. Bring me the heads of all of those condemned to Hell.”

“I do as you ask, my Lord.”

“Now go.”

“Thy bidding is mine to complete.” Akilina stood and ripped the energy with her own hands. Without even having to go to Hell, she was destroying populations, and yet still. The six were not to be found. I must do something to bring them out of hiding. If I can bring the Lord their heads then I can be guaranteed eternal life in the Paradise. Where would they be.

An Aide rushed up to Akilina, “Lady Akilina! Lady Akilina!”

“What.”

“There is received word of a medium in Hell, a hyper-sensitive! All of them are looking for her. If we find her first then we can be sure to lure them out of hiding!”

“Like a ransom?”

“Yes!”
“Boring.”

“But…My Lady. What do you propose we do then?”

“Who is this medium?”

“A mortal named Arachne.” Akilina froze.

“Say that again.”

“The medium is a mortal from the living world, named Arachne. She can support possession.”

“For how long has she had this power?”

“Since a friend of hers died.”

“She used my death to an advantage!”

“What?”

“We're not going to hold her for ransom. We're going to kill her.”

“But if we kill the medium, everything can be thrown off balance! It maybe the final war!”

“I don't care.”

“But that's heresy! You're going to make Him angry!”

“Revenge must be carried out before Divine Law.”
“My Lord!!” The Aide started running towards the Divine.

“SILENCE!” Akilina screamed, and directing her energy towards the Aide, she ripped his head off of his body and threw it across the level. “No one must know.”

“HERETIC!” Cries sounded from all over the level as everyone received word of what Akilina had done. Mobs started forming and coming towards her. The Divine was not happy.

“You are banished from the Heavens. You are to have your memory erased, these memories never to return to you. And you are to be destroyed.”

 

“Are you going to help her?”

“No.”

“Selfish mortal…”

“It's not that.”

“Then what?”

“You're lying.”

“I am not.”

“That in itself is a lie. Angels aren't supposed to lie.” The Angel looked surprised and then flaming with anger.

“It is not a lie!”

“Then if you know so much, then how did Akilina die?” Arachne thought as strongly in her head as she could; Car accident, car accident, car accident, car accident, car accident, car accident.

“A car accident.”

“No.”

“But…”

“I catch on fast, remember? But I do listen, unlike you said. I remember that Aurora said that almost all higher-archs can read minds. If you are of higher stature, as you said, than Aurora, then you are a higher-arch. And you're reading my mind. Akilina didn't die of a car accident.”

“You bitch!”

“Yes I guess I'm used to that name now. However, if you say this. Then how do I know that Akilina is really in Heaven, and is really torturing Aurora, and that the images that you have shown me were or were not true? How do I know that you haven't made these images up as an attempt to get me to feel guilty?” Silence fell over the conversation. “That's what I thought.” Arachne walked on, choosing then to start to ignore the Angel of Wind, and continue her search for her friend.

“Arachne…” It was Aurora's voice. Arachne whirled around once more to see Aurora standing there.

“Aurora! Are you okay? What happened, where did you go?”

“He made me leave. He said I wasn't to come back until he left. And I had to follow the orders. It's Divine Law.”

“Screw Divine Law!”

“It doesn't work that way.”

“Something's wrong. What happened?”

“You killed Akilina.”

“I what?”

“The day that she was murdered, you thought someone else was doing it. That's why you've had dreams of her dieing at your mercy. You actually did it…But you were unaware. Do you remember the Bartender and the guard at the Gate of the City?”

“Yeah…What about them?”

“They were Golems. People made of clay to do the bidding of whoever shares their blood and soul and spiritual energy with them. If they are destroyed then that part of the soul that was shared with the golem is destroyed and can never come back. Golems are controlled from a far off source. Sort of like a puppet, but without the strings. And sometimes, but very rarely…Golems are given the gift of possession. That day, you knew what was going to happen…But not so much so that you could stop it from happening. Your focused energy made it easy for you to find, and as soon as your soul allowed it, one of the Golems possessed you and your body killed Akilina.”

“How do you know this?”

“I only had one place to go.”

“Where?”

Azuilith.”

But how do you know about my dreams? I never told you about my dreams and I haven't been thinking about them…”

“I've been having the dreams too,” Aurora said slowly. “And while I was in Azuilith…I got my memories back.”

“Your memories of your life?”
“Yeah…”

“Well that's good isn't it?”

“No…”

“Why?”

“Arachne…”

“What?”

“I'm Akilina.”

Crimson Regret

 

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