Mystics
Chapter 3

Zven walks the deck of the ship. He thought about returning to the ruined facility with Sinead, but opted to remain here on the ship where he and the others could be of more use if they are attacked. Though Sinead said it was unlikely, since the groups who know about the Shadows Bane know better than to pick a fight with a member of the church. While walking Zven takes notice of Leo Darkstar, an SHD member who disappeared a few months before the encounter with the Havoc crew.

“Zven?! I thought you were killed during the battle!” Leo says, giving him a smile.

The man nods, replying. “No-clip point saved me from becoming monster jerky. Wait... You were there?!”

“Yeah. I was in the top levels which weren’t hit as badly as the lower levels. But I was buried in rubble after the explosion. Spent a couple weeks out of my mind from being starved of blood. Once I got out I went for the nearest port and met a priest. He helped me back to sanity and wasn’t until I regained sanity that I learned he was part of the Shadows Bane Church.” Leo explains.

In agreement Zven says. “My first interaction with the SBC was with Sinead when I encountered a scouting group from the Havoc. Bastards ran my car off the road then tried to kill me. Sinead was the reason I walked away. Then I ended up at the Forest Outpost. Then the chaos followed suit.”

While he wants to admit that he was part of the reason so much unfolded, he couldn’t be sure how Leo might receive that information. It does still surprise him that he was there. He’d assumed that some zealous hunter had killed him. While it’s a morbid thing to believe, Zven knows better than anybody that the religiously overzealous don’t see any gray areas when it comes to monsters.

“My first time meeting her wasn’t exactly pleasant. But once Father Yinto filled me in on what happened at the time I came to understand. In fact I earned a place among the priests.” The vampire replies.

Looking out at the ocean, the man responds. “Hope we can come up with a plan to overthrow the military and the leadership.”

“In the three years I’ve spent with the church, I came to know that Yinto is a clever man. He spent three years putting this gathering together, as a means to completely remove the church from the militaries control. With that half demon chick backing us, Hannible wouldn’t dare try to force the church to do anything.” Leo says.

Zven places his hands on the railing of the ships deck, replying. “I think it makes more sense to play the part of following the orders until such time that a plan can be put in place to over throw the military leadership. Rallying the whole church as is doesn’t mean anything without the means to put up a fight.”

Not to mention the fact that the whole military is still just outside the territory, so it would be suicide to start a fight right now. The best bet would be to replace some way to start a fight with the Seekers and hope the military takes the bait. The problem with that is that picking a fight with the Seekers might not end well. Plenty of Seekers have enough cause to want to see the whole of the Shadows Bane territory burn. Given what Zven experienced in the Forest Outpost, he doesn’t blame them.

“I suppose. I’m just not a fan of this whole sitting around and doing nothing.” The vampire says.

Zven nods in understanding, saying. “I know the feeling. I was ready to cave in heads when we no-clipped back.”

He’s glad Raven stopped him. The waiting wont be for nothing. Once the fighting starts there will be plenty of enemies to fight. Finding a supplier of weapons is the important first step. From there it’s a matter of gaining a following, and building an armory of weapons. While he dabbles in battlefield strategy from time to time, he’s no tactical genius. Zven’s better at following orders than giving them. But he’s also good in a fight with the odds stacked against himself. That could be something this rebellion will need if they are to have a chance at victory.

“I felt the same way when I saw Sinead after surviving the aftermath of the explosion. But for better or worse. We’re here now. We should make the best of it.” Leo says. “We’re gonna breach the upper levels and begin cleansing the presence of spirits and dark forces.”

While the honoring the dead thing was very true. The church would give both would have been allies in the prisoners, and the enemies of the soldiers, a proper burial. But the other reason for being here is because the Shadows Bane military labeled the facility a total loss. Because of this the church can take their time in earning the support of the local towns, to get support to begin clearing away the rubble. Once that’s done, they can begin repairing the facility.

The Forest Outpost which had once been the source of so much evil and death, would become a force for good. While Leo personally doesn’t have any interest in honoring those that tried to kill him when he and others were trying to escape. In a way the fact that Zven was there, and pulled that ballsy stunt with trying to use the warden as a hostage, which a few hours later was followed up by such chaos, it wouldn’t surprise him if Zven was the reason it happened. In a way he’d be glad if he was. From the way Max talked about him, back in the day, Zven’s best tactic was to create as much chaos as possible, while Max, the tactician made the kills.

Zven turns and begins walking along the outside deck. His thoughts go back to the rebellion idea. If the church isn’t connected to the military the best bet would be to set up cells to story weapons, and have supporters operate in places the military don’t consider to be a threat, or of any use. While he would normally believe in letting a place where so many people died fall into remains in the sands of time, The design of the Forest Outpost is already good for a military installation. All it needs is repair, and a few changes to seem less intimidating.

The man exits into the open area at the stern end of the deck. Marcie and Raven can be seen sparing, both of them using limited versions of their respective powers, with Raven using a blade made up of dark energy, and Marcie using one made of pure energy. This would be something they would do when Zven was resting during their time in the liminal space. While he needed rest they did not, since they are only half human. So the time that wasn’t spent searching for an exit was spent training. Sure Marcie thought Raven didn’t like her at the time, but she knew Raven trusted her enough to train with her.

Though this is the first time they’re training after really starting to speak to one another. Different from the liminal space training, where they had to to hold back much of their strength, he could almost feel the collision of their opposing energies.

Although for Raven and Marcie they know that the deaths here turned the Forest Outpost and surrounding area is a magic wound which will mask their release of energy. So while they are fighting with much of their strength, their holding back enough to ensure they don’t accidentally tear the ship apart.

In training with Raven, Marcie learned that there has to be patience in this kind of a fight. Sure in her own reality she could slaughter demons like no tomorrow. But Raven was nothing like them. She may be half demon, but she doesn’t act like it.

Raven goes in for a swing but Marcie parries the attack and goes in for a swing on her side. The cambion knees her in the gut and gives a powerful back swing, back handing her with such force it launches her across the deck. Marcie vanishes, with the sound of flapping wings. Moments later Raven turns in time to have her blade to the nephilim’s neck. Marcie back flips kicking Raven in the gut, and landing on her feet before charging Raven a second time.

This time the cambion is a step ahead, and uses her dark powers to enhance her speed, easily avoiding every single one of the nephilim’s attacks. She spins around delivering three quick strikes to Marcie’s back, causing her to drop to her hands and knees. This brings about the end of the fight. Raven offers a hand, which Marcie accepts, and helps her to her feet.

“Good skills. If you want to match me try using your grace to enhance your speed.” Raven says with a smile.

Zven walks over saying. “Glad we’re in a null zone where that power can’t be tracked, or demons would be all over us right now.”

“I thought you said demons weren’t present in your dimension.” Marcie says, a concerned look claiming her face.

Raven looks to her saying. “Demons are present in this dimension. But the legions you fought in your dimension are still in Hell, and are fighting a war against Lucifer, and the forces of Purgatory.”

“Come to think of it, I don’t even know the whole story behind the existence of Hell, or why the fight is even happening. I know bits and pieces from what my dad could understand based on what my brother Max told him. But it’s in bits in pieces.” Zven replies.

Marcie raises an eyebrow, asking Raven. “You’ve probably lived through it haven’t you?”

With a nod Raven answers. “My siblings and I did. It was because of what happened that we formed the Shadows Bane.”

As they walk down a staircase into the halls lower decks of the ship, Raven explains that long before the great flood, the cultures of Earth were divided into their respective species, all of which were allied to one another. Humanity, known for their resilience and creativity. The Atlantians, known for their prowess in combat, but also their structures which could survive the crushing depths of water which at that time only consisted of then Marianas river, now known as the Marianas Trench. Lastly, the Sirens, well known for their almost hypnotic singing ability, and their ability to work within any political system.

Back then the Limbo and Purgatory gates were always open, so magic was very common, with a practice of purging magic from the dead to prevent the creation of zombies or shadow monsters from magic decay. The angels at the time were well known to coexist among the species of Earth, which led to a dramatic increase in nephilim. Since the Purgatory gates were open it was also saw the increase in cambion. Raven and her siblings grew up in the near end of the golden days of the pre flood era.

Lilith possessed Inaniel, and corrupted the fifteen Seraphim into the Knights of Hell, and set a trap for Lucifer, and summoned another Void entity, which was named, Satan, who possessed Lucifer. Lilith was smart enough to rip out Inaniel’s grace, which would leave her powerless and completely under Lilith’s control. Satan arrogantly assumed he could just control Lucifer without issue. Lilith would sow chaos by sending Satan to wipe out all life on Earth. Satan would engage Earths defender, the cherubim Michael in a battle that lasted forty days and forty nights, a battle so fierce it melted the largest glaciers and flooded the Earth.

At the same time this was happening Lilith and her Knights of Hell, led by Itria the Fire Bringer, besieged Limbo and corrupted many of its souls into demons, and then laid siege to Purgatory. Lilith and her newly created demonic legions corrupted much of Purgatory and turned it into Hell.

During the battle between Michael and Satan, Michael somehow reached Lucifer, who managed to cast Satan back into the Void. Lucifer blamed himself for everything that happened, on Earth, in Limbo, and in Purgatory. He vowed he would never return to Heaven until he purged the darkness that was allowed to fester while he was under Satan’s control.

Raven and her siblings used their powers to create the marks of the Seven Deadly Sins, markings which imbue those who bare them with the strength of an army of Purgatory souls, as well as the ability to commune with every past barer of each individual mark. After humans began to return quite some time after the flood, Raven and her siblings created the Shadows Bane, and immediately sealed themselves away, that their souls may power a permanent curse, forever binding Lilith and her countless legions to Hell. While demons found a way to enter the mortal realm, they can’t march their legions through, they require the Purgatory gates to be opened for that, and the legions of Heaven sealed the Purgatory and Limbo gates to prevent the dead from being corrupted again. After that the angels would cut themselves off from the mortal realm, with the acception being for the lower orders of angels such as the harpy, or the cupid, as well as the guardian angels, and the rare avenging angel which punish those who abuse the souls of the innocent.

Marcie raises an eyebrow, asking. “If Lilith and the legions of demons are trapped in Hell in this dimension, then why don’t the angels just go all out and wipe out the legions? I mean, they are vastly superior in terms of power, and with Michael and Lucifer at the helm, Lilith wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“To kill those that can be saved would make the angels no better than the demons they would be killing. Lucifer made that point abundantly clear when he vowed to never return to Heaven until he purges the demonic darkness from Purgatory and Earth.” Raven answers. “It is true that the full might of Heaven is vastly superior to Lilith’s legions of demons. But Lucifer and Michael want to make sure that no angel ever has to kill a demon unless all other options have been eliminated.”

Zven raises an eyebrow questioning. “If Lucifer doesn’t want angels killing demons, then why are Purgatory souls allowed to kill demons? On that subject, why aren’t the angels doing anything about the presence of demons on Earth? People like my dad have been or actively are caught in the middle of something they have no clue about the scale of.”

“Purgatory souls have no issues fighting demons, or killing them in battle. That is true. Lucifer knew that the only way to fully purify Hell and restore Purgatory was to start a war to do so. Purgatory has fifty Nexus Points where souls arrive. At present Lucifer’s forces control fifteen of these Nexus Points.” Raven answers.

For each Knight of Hell who is killed or purified a number of Nexus Points are lost, as the Knights of Hell are Lilith’s generals. Lucifer targeted Itria for purification, because he knew that Itria commanded both respect and fear from those she led. It made her the perfect choice from which to both begin the war and fully hammer out the purification process. While Purgatory souls have no problems killing demons, the mandate is to purify them whenever possible.