Episode 196 - The Bloodfire Battlefield

Nero had leaned against the carriage window, hoping to rest his eyes. The interior was humid, yet the upholstery and curtains decorating the living space were in impeccable condition, showing no trace of being the innards of a demon.
That’s why, when the smell shifted, to dry paper and stale air, he found it strange. He stretched carefully, avoiding touching anything or anyone, and opened his eyes.
He was in the library.

The shock made him fall to the floor. There had been no seat to hold his body, so gravity, even within his dream, did its job.
—I must’ve fallen asleep —he said aloud to himself.

And though he waited for Scheherazade’s voice to answer, none came. The library was completely empty: no presence, no movement. For the first time, the dream seemed to belong entirely to him.
—It’s possible this is because I’m aware I’m dreaming —he said, beginning a slow walk through the aisles of the library. The rows were tidy now, a change from the last time he’d dreamt of the place.

Though the shelves’ arrangement appeared random, and the spines of the books displayed their titles, he couldn’t read them. Whenever he tried to focus, the letters blurred violently, forcing him to look away.
But one, one among all the volumes, caught his attention. He pulled it free and opened it to a random page. It was heavy. The pages trembled before his eyes, and the letters began to take shape, allowing him to read their contents.

The book told of the battle fought at the Bloodfire Battlefield of Yomidgard. The content was identical to the story Professor P’Zain had told him: the tale of the fight between the Archdemon Varkuzhal and the Goddess Velmar, with one crucial difference: the book was written in first person, and the narrator was, unmistakably, himself.
Nero.

The book described the battle of the Bloodfire Battlefield of Yomidgard, yes, but Varkuzhal’s name was nowhere to be found. In the narrative, it was Nero who had risen from the depths of Yomidgard to destroy the realm’s inhabitants, Nero who had dueled the Goddess Velmar endlessly, and Nero who had ultimately been dismembered and decapitated.

Nero dropped the book in panic. The shelves began to stretch upward, twisting as the entire library distorted into a spiraling abyss, dragging Nero into an endless fall.

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A loud thud jolted Nero awake. He leapt up, slamming his head against the carriage ceiling. Groaning, he fell back into his seat, rubbing the sore spot.
—What was that? —said Nero, still disoriented.
—Probably ran over some demon —said Siphone, indifferent. She was peering out the window, as if the view weren’t absolute darkness.

Larinca was still asleep, as he had been moments ago, resting against the other window under a blanket. Axbryn, with its volcanic activity, even underground, had brutally cold nights.
Nero looked around for another blanket, until Siphone shot him a meaningful glare that clearly said stop bothering me. Defeated, he wrapped himself in his academy jacket, curling up with his knees against his chest.

—Why us, Siph? —he said, shivering, his nose nearly frozen.
—Excuse me, what did you just call me? —said Siphone, her cheeks turning red.
—I thought… since we’re not classmates anymore, we could speak a bit more casually —said Nero—. Sorry if that bothered you.
—Don’t ever call me that again —said Siphone, irritated.
—Understood —said Nero, ending the conversation.

Several minutes of awkward silence followed. Nero missed Flute’s chatter: she had vanished since they’d been told they wouldn’t be taking part in her interdimensional conflict. Her silence was odd, considering they had discovered, quite suddenly, that the poor girl had a lot to say and had never had anyone to say it to before. She’d told them about her childhood, her captivity under a powerful sorcerer, the time she’d spent as part of the High Goddess Kaguya’s consciousness, and many other things, each more unbelievable than the last.

That’s why the total silence now felt so strange. He tried calling her in thought, but nothing happened. Flute manifested when and where she pleased, and it was entirely possible she had stayed behind in the academy’s laboratory instead of joining them on this strange journey.

—I chose you… you two are… necessity. Pure necessity —said Siphone suddenly.
—Necessity? —said Nero, eyes lighting up. Having someone rely on him filled him with satisfaction.
—Yes. King Valgott didn’t exactly request your help. He requested mine —said Siphone—. As you know, I’m a prodigy in runic magic, and my talents haven’t gone unnoticed. His Majesty entrusted me with the mission to retrieve the flower called Ambrosia and demanded that two other warlocks accompany me, the most capable and willing of my class, to protect me if necessary while I fulfill my task.
—And you thought of me? —said Nero.
—It shouldn’t surprise you. I’ve seen you use magic. You’re quick, instinctive, you hold your own, and you hide far more power than you show —said Siphone. Nero raised an eyebrow, puzzled—. Don’t bother denying it. I placed a measuring glyph on you. I know you’re three times more powerful than any other student in our class.

Nero swallowed hard. He didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t hiding his magic power, in truth, he had no secret to keep, except for Flute’s existence.
Flute, he thought. Could Siphone have been referring to her magic power, and not his own? It was an interesting theory, but he couldn’t test it, not without revealing that Flute existed, and especially not without knowing if she was even there to ask for her guidance.

—And her —Siphone continued, pointing at Larinca—, I chose because it was the easiest way to get to you. I know you are close friends, so if I convinced her, you’d surely come along. Was I wrong?

—Well… no, you’re right. But not about me hiding my power. I’m as transparent as the dew on this window —said Nero, running a finger down the glass, leaving a wet streak.
—You mean you, a half-demon, child of two worlds, the only one whose pact with a demon doesn’t turn him into a monster, hide nothing? —said Siphone, laughing—. That would be amusing, really. But if you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. I don’t need your secrets, just your usefulness for this mission.
—And what does His Majesty want with a flower? —said Nero, pulling his jacket tighter around himself.
—You don’t need to know —said Siphone, shrugging—. You have your secrets, and I have mine.
—I don’t have… you know what, never mind. Think what you want —said Nero, closing his eyes and curling up further under his clothes. If he wasn’t going to have a rational conversation, he might as well try to sleep.

Something soft but heavy hit his face and chest. Nero caught it on reflex: it was a folded blanket. Siphone had pulled a second one from a compartment under the seats and tossed it at him. Nero spread it over his legs and wrapped the other end around his shoulders. Warmth began to seep back into his body.

A long while passed. The only sounds were the wheels grinding on the axles, Larinca’s heavy breathing, and Siphone’s occasional sighs. Nero hadn’t managed to fall asleep yet, but he kept his eyes closed, still trying.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of him, as it always did.
—So… am I the most powerful warlock in our class? —said Nero, breaking the silence.
—No. That would be me. You’re the second most powerful —said Siphone, with a proud look.
—Huh —said Nero, genuinely surprised.
—I don’t understand it either. You barely practice magic, you’ve never taken a mission before this, you have no special traits, and you haven’t even made any additional demon pacts, which honestly shocks me. You should be ordinary, and yet, the readings of your aura shatter every metric —said Siphone, visibly irritated.

Nero stayed silent. Professor P’Zain had already exposed him by revealing that it was possible to make pacts with more than one demon, but hadn’t explained the conditions. He wasn’t about to let Siphone know he didn’t understand that part either. But she was much sharper, and after a few seconds of not getting an answer, she connected the dots. Her eyes widened, she kicked under her blanket, and she almost stood up, only for the carriage’s sway to stop her.

—Come on, don’t fuck with me. Seriously? What kind of idiot are you, that you know nothing? —said Siphone.
—But I did know —said Nero, defensively.
—Since when? Two days ago? —said Siphone. Seeing Nero’s face turn red, she got even angrier— You found out TODAY? Holy shit.

Nero didn’t know what to say. Apparently, he was transparent, but in the worst possible way.
—Professor P’Zain told me, yes —said Nero, trying to sound innocent.
—Right. Anyway, yes, you can make pacts with more than one demon. In fact, you should, if possible. As long as the first pact allows it. And archdemons only permit pacts with their subordinates or with other archdemons of similar rank. Either our class is one of the best there’s ever been, or the archdemons are desperate, since they’re the ones insisting on more pacts, even using dream-magic to reach out to warlocks, letting them sign pacts inside their nightmares —said Siphone—. I’ve signed three myself: one with Moloch, one with Python, and the last with your patron, Barust.

At the mention of the archdemons’ names, the carriage trembled. Larinca stirred and turned over in her sleep.

—She too? —said Nero.
—Yes. Additional pacts don’t require new sacrifices if the first one demanded a sufficiently intense payment —Siphone saw Nero looking at Larinca with pity, and added—: She has three as well. Some archdemons gladly accept the souls of relatives. Now that you know, have you thought about expanding? You’re already strong, but if you don’t know how to truly harness your magic, the support of other patrons wouldn’t hurt.
—I’ll pass —said Nero.
—You’ll fall too —said Siphone.

Nero shook his head. He was steadfast. His first pact had been an accident, and he didn’t need to repeat it or perpetuate it by making new ones. Besides, Siphone’s suggestions worried him. The archdemons might be nervous about something, and if beings of such power were afraid, then that something, or someone, had to be even stronger than all of them combined.

And only one name came to Nero’s mind: Varkuzhal.

The carriage, once again, seemed to react, and braked hard, skidding several meters. Everything inside shook violently; the three of them had to grab onto whatever they could to avoid being thrown around. Their meager luggage, unsecured, scattered everywhere, hitting them at random. When it was over, the three were on the carriage floor, tangled up in painfully awkward positions.
—What was that? —said Larinca, trying to get up. Her feet were sticking out of the shattered window, and her face was pressed into the carpet.
—I don’t know! —said Siphone, pushing Nero off her. She had ended up sitting on the floor, with Nero collapsed on top.
—Should we get out? —said Nero, still dazed.

Siphone nodded. She grabbed her staff and jumped out through the other door. Nero rolled out after her, jumping to his feet. He still had the blanket wrapped around his shoulders like a cape. Strangely, the outside temperature was much higher than during the journey, so he tossed the blanket back inside and drew his wand.

They were in a vast field. The ground was black and cracked, as if salt had been poured over it after harvest. No wind blew, and no footsteps could be heard. A yellowish fog prevented them from seeing more than five meters ahead. There were fallen, charred trees, fractured stones, and all around them, an armor that had once been silver, now dressing the skeletons of what were once humans.

Nero recognized the place; he had read about it in his last dream, or nightmare.
—This is the Bloodfire Battlefield —said Nero.
—We shouldn’t have stopped. There were no breaks scheduled on this route —said Siphone.
—What is this place? It reeks —said Larinca.

Larinca’s keen cook’s nose was right again. The place stank of death and decay, but beneath it all lurked an even worse smell: sulfur.
—Demons —said Nero, his expression changing.
—And lots of them —said Larinca, pointing past the carriage—. Look!

The ground began to shake, as if an army were approaching. Soon, the first creatures emerged from the fog. They were bipedal, but ran on all fours, using both their arms and legs. They had long manes and massive horns jutting from their foreheads. Their bodies were red, earthy in some places, crimson in others. There were too many to count, and they were charging straight at them.
—It’s a stampede! —shouted Nero.
—Get back in the carriage! I’ll hold them off! —said Siphone, rolling up her sleeves.
—Alone? How? —said Larinca.
—The same way you control any pack of animals: by subjugating the biggest one —said Siphone.

Nero and Larinca obeyed. After all, Siphone was the leader of their mission. She focused on the largest demon at the front of the charge and conjured a flaming glyph between her hands. Spirals of fire fell upon the chosen demon, surrounding it and anchoring its hind legs to the ground. Beneath it, glowing waves began to spread, a sign the glyph had worked. The demon rose and howled. The rest slowed at the sight of one of their leaders trapped, but soon continued their rush, dodging both it and the waves beneath its feet.
—Didn’t work —said Siphone under her breath.
—Get in, Siph! —shouted Nero, who had jumped out again. He pulled her toward the carriage, but the demons were already upon them.

And they passed them by, leaping over and around the carriage itself. Nero managed to drag Siphone inside just before the impacts tipped it over. Since the demons weren’t ramming it but avoiding it, they seemed safe for now.
—I don’t get it —said Siphone—. I trapped the biggest one, they saw it. They should’ve stopped.
—I think the mistake is assuming they were running toward something, Siph —said Larinca. Siphone glared at her for using the nickname, but Larinca stuck her tongue out, softening the tension—. They’re running away. And when you’re running away, it doesn’t matter what’s ahead: what matters is what’s behind you.

They climbed toward the upper door, now on top, since the carriage had overturned, and exited through what used to be the side door, now the roof.
—Shit, you were right. They were running from that —said Siphone.

A gigantic demon, several meters tall, strode across the wasteland, lighting up everything through the fog. It was a flaming skeleton, with seven pairs of twisted horns sprouting from its skull, and one more, centered between its hollow eye sockets. Every bone ended in a sharpened point, honed like blades. The demon dragged a cart made of metal and bone, also ablaze. From within it burst streams of fire, filled with once-living souls now suffering eternal torment, trapped by that creature. But worst of all, the demon hurled flaming skulls across the wasteland, and those skulls flew, chasing other demons.

When they reached the demon Siphone had trapped, the skulls devoured it mercilessly, tearing its flesh and splintering its bones.
—COME OUT! —roared the demon. Its voice was like lightning striking a dry forest and splitting a tree in half.

Nero felt the urge to answer the call, but it wasn’t meant for them. It was summoning the souls it dragged behind. Flames of spirits burst from the rear of the demon, raining down upon the wasteland like fire. Soon, they reformed, becoming the same kind of demons they had seen before.
—It wasn’t a stampede of demons fleeing. It’s a hunt —said Larinca.
—We have to do something —said Nero, unable to look away from the cart. Something within the flames was whispering his name —so faintly that only he could hear it.
—Do what? It’s demons killing each other. What we have to do is stay put until they’re gone —said Siphone—. This has nothing to do with us.
—No, that’s not true —said Nero—. Can’t you hear them? The damned. The ones who died here. They’re screaming, terrified. This place is sacred, and it’s cursed. We shouldn’t have come. But we can’t change that now. We must preserve their memory.

Before his friends could react, Nero jumped from the carriage, wand in hand. First, he scattered the flaming skulls attacking the remains of the trapped demon by conjuring chains of fire, through a glyph he had never seen before, yet came to his mind as if he had known it forever. Then, he traced another fiery glyph in the air, marking every nearby demon’s forehead with a red symbol that forced them to turn on each other.
—How is he doing that? —said Larinca, mouth agape.
—I don’t know. And even seeing it with my own eyes, I still can’t believe it —whispered Siphone.

Nero wielded the wand like a conductor’s baton. The demons, even those that were flame spirits, burned, exploded, and twisted in agony. Around Nero, spirals of fire and crackling blue lightning swirled. The demons stood no chance, no matter how many there were.

But such a display of power caught the attention of the massive demon. It hunched forward, grinning wickedly, and charged, carrying the cart, straight toward Nero.
—We have to help him! —said Larinca. But Siphone grabbed her arm, shaking her head.
—How? Can’t you see? We’d only get in his way! —said Siphone. Her knuckles were white from how tightly she was gripping her staff. She hated admitting it.
—What do you mean? —said Larinca.
—If he’s pushed to the edge, we intervene. If not, let him act —said Siphone.
—Nero’s in danger! —said Larinca.
—I think if we step into his line of sight, he might destroy us too —said Siphone. Larinca went pale.

As much as she hated it, Siphone was right. Nero was screaming, overwhelmed by emotions he couldn’t control. He was euphoric. His magic poured out like a torrent, powerful, chaotic, and deadly.

At the same time, from his distant lair, the archdemon Barust summoned a glyph between his skeletal fingers. Without them realizing, the archdemon’s mark appeared in both girls’ eyes. Barust watched closely all that befell the warlocks who had signed his book, granting them power when needed. But his expression was darker than usual, for it wasn’t him fueling Nero’s power. He tried to control the boy, but couldn’t. Something ancient, something darker even than himself, was flowing through Nero’s veins.

Furious, Barust made his entire chamber explode.