Unless Its Roots Reach Down to Hell (Gen | R | fic & art)
Title: Unless Its Roots Reach Down to Hell
Author: monicawoe
Artist: quickreaver
Characters/Pairing: (gen) Sam, Dean, Crowley, Cain, Lucifer
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: ~2,100
Warnings: disturbing imagery, body horror, violence, minor character death
Summary: Sam spent months piecing the spell together-he'd crafted it himself out of slivers of handwritten, ancient journals-the ones even the Men of Letters kept hidden away in a man-sized curse-box on lockdown in room 26.
No tree, it is said, can grow to Heaven unless its roots reach down to Hell.
- Carl Jung
_________________________________
Anoint the touched.
At Sam's approach, Dean's muffled shouting grew louder. He started bucking again, trying to break free from the engraved cuffs that pinned him to the floor-inside the Devil's Trap made of salted iron. He was powerless, and he was furious.
Sam ignored his brother's rage, and his own pounding heart. This spell required absolute focus. Curing Dean of his demon-state hadn't been enough. It was the Mark that had to go. And finally, Sam knew just how to go about it.
There was no spell to remove the Mark of Cain, though there were plenty of entries on how to win Cain's favor. So Sam had summoned Cain, pleaded with him, threatened him, but the Father of Knights had refused, saying the only one who could give him orders was Lucifer.
It had taken another week of summonings and a whole slew of other rituals twisted enough to leave permanent scars on Sam's own soul for him to realize that Cain had given him the answer. He'd just refused to hear it.
Sam spent months piecing the spell together-he'd crafted it himself out of slivers of handwritten, ancient journals-the ones even the Men of Letters kept hidden away in a man-sized curse-box on lockdown in room 26.
His hands were steady as he dipped his fingertips in the bowl of oil and herbs on the stone floor. Dean's skin sizzled when Sam touched his forehead. The shiny patch of skin turned red for a moment before fading away again. Dean bit down harder on the gag and growled as his eyes bled black. Sam wasn't cowed by his brother's anger. He'd passed that weeks ago point.
Invoke the watchtowers. Inscribe their Sigils.
Stepping over Dean, Sam pulled the chalk from his pocket and began to draw on the wall-a sigil more familiar to him than he'd ever admit. Six sharp lines, sweeping curves below, like curling wing-tips.
"Lucifer."
He moved to the next wall.
"Michael."
It should be Raphael on the next wall, but Raphael was dead. As was Gabriel. But there were other beings, stronger than Archangels, that would hear him. Even if they didn't want to, they'd hear him.
Sam closed his eyes again, paging through the tomes of knowledge permanently burned into his brain and drew the Sigil of Death. The End of All Things would bear witness to this. He'd be too curious not to. He'd pulled Sam back from the brink, yet another being bent to his brother's will-made to stuff Sam's jagged pieces back together.
"The-loh-keh. Death."
Sam's hands were steady as he moved to the last wall and drew, watching with wonder as he saw the sigil take shape for the first time-his hand directing his movements independently of his intellect. It was like a mirror image of Lucifer's. Points up instead of down, curves up top like horns on a crown.
For weeks, he'd been running on little more than fumes and an indepletable will, but now-now he knew he was on the right path. Bone-deep certainty ran through him. "Ah zod ee deh. Sam Winchester." The sigil flickered like polished glass, showing him the reflection of his eyes.
Walls complete he turned back to the iron circle. Back to his brother.
Draw the seals of the sacrifices.
He drew two circles holding two demonic names. Crowley. Cain.
Dean's muffled noises could have been screams or laughter. It didn't matter either way.
Anoint the branch. Draw the name of the touched.
He picked up the oak twig, dipped it into the oil and drew on the stone floor, in between the two seals, just below the iron circle.
"Dean Winchester. Sah ee scheh."
The oil shone like a mirror and the twig grew warm in Sam's hand. Sam brought the sharpened end of the twig to his palm and pushed down until blood welled up. "Ceh nee lah peh ah ceh nee lah." Blood of my blood."
Invoke the power. Give onto it a blood offering.
"Keh oh-leh bah… Lucifer's sigil began to glow bright white as Sam chanted his name. "… bah-loh-en." He could feel his own sigil burn white hot behind him.
Death's sigil and Michael's were awake too. Dimmer, but alive. He'd gotten their attention.
But Lucifer answered his call. Grace streamed out of the sigil before him, piercing Sam's skin. It dug right into his heart.
The vessel must be home for Hell. The vessel must be home for Heaven.
He'd been both. His body had held everything. It was marred inside, torn apart by Lucifer's fury, frozen by Gadreel's sorrow, scraped raw by Meg's wicked glee and Crowley's arrogance. All of them had carved their names on his insides, and now those ruts and channels glowed, grace flowing like rivers through him. The branch fell from his grip as Lucifer wormed himself back into Sam's mind.
"I missed you."
"Quiet," Sam said, pushing back against Lucifer's will. He inhaled deeply, letting the grace settle, remembering how it felt when Lucifer wielded it. He imagined himself holding lightning in his veins, felt his innards start to char and smolder. Power without fuel.
"Your brother's blood would do nicely," Lucifer whispered, pushing back against Sam's thoughts. It was a fraction of Lucifer's power, the greatest part of him still trapped in his cage, but it was enough for what Sam needed.
"Yes," Sam said. "But I need his for something else. "
Call the sacrifices.
"Crowley," Sam said, as he dipped his hand in the bowl of oil and laid it on top of the seal. The seal started to glow. Sam brought his hand back into the bowl and laid it on the other seal. "Cain," Sam said, putting Lucifer's authority behind the word. The second seal grew bright-red.
He picked up the bowl and poured the remnants on top of the small sapling that had grown from the oak branch.
Build the bridge between the worlds.
"Toh-ahn-toheh oh-beh-zod-ah," Sam said, Lucifer's power filling every word. The sapling grew, roots spilling out of it as branches shot up higher and higher. The roots dug deep into the bare floor around Sam's feet and ran along the ground, streaming towards the iron circle, towards the seals and the two demons that had manifested on top of them.
"What's the meaning of this," Crowley snapped, pushing himself to his feet.
Cain said nothing, but looked even more offended. And wrathful. He took a step forward, deadly intent in his eyes
"Ah-leh-lah-ar," Sam said. The roots of the tree wrapped themselves around the demons, binding their feet, their wrists, their mouths. Only their throats were left bared.
The pain in Sam's chest swelled as Lucifer's grace poured out through him, filling the room. He wouldn't survive the spell without the fuel he needed. He'd left self-loathing behind weeks ago, didn't care about the consequences to himself. Not anymore. Empty bowl in hand, he walked to Crowley, and knelt in front of him. A whisper of Lucifer's power sliced opened the demon's throat. Blood spilled into the bowl. Sam waited until it was full to the brim and then brought it to his lips. He could still taste the hint of sandalwood and dragon's breath from the oil, hidden beneath the sulfur.
Cain's blood was sweeter and richer, and by the time the last bowl was emptied, Lucifer's presence was nothing more than a pleasant hum in Sam's veins. The wood of the growing tree creaked behind Sam as it grew, until it was so wide, it was pushing against his feet. Sam stood and stepped back, resting his body against the ever-growing trunk. The bark splintered open and the inside of the tree was soft as flesh underneath. It pulled Sam in, reformed around him- covering his feet, spilling up his ankles until his legs were completely buried inside the wood.
As he raised his arms up, the branches of the tree pushed higher an higher. "Oh-doh zod-ar…" They crowded against the ceiling, filling every bit of open space. "…deh mah-deh-ree-ah-ex." The solid rock of the ceiling dissolved, as the blinding light of Heaven replaced it.
Deliver the sacrifices.
Sam brought his arms slowly back down and reached forward, palms pointed down. "Oh-doh zod-ar deh vee-meh loh-en-doh." The floor of the room flickered and started to glow with a wicked red. "Gaha nee-ee-ess. Take your vengeance."
The angry light concentrated itself around Crowley, glowing darker and darker. Roaring fire spilled forth and slender, charred hands reached out of the floor--clawing at the demon's ankles--all those souls, living and dead, that had a grievance with Crowley. There were dozens of them, hundreds more beneath the surface, just as hungry, just as eager for a taste. They grabbed hold of him, the roots of the tree pulling back where the hands touched and pulled him straight down. The floor closed again with a soft pop, Crowley's seal now dark black. Extinguished.
Manifest the origin of the curse
Sam met Cain's eyes for just a moment, until he was sure the demon understood, before they both looked up towards the light of Heaven above them. "Sah ee scheh. Abel." A wailing sound, of pain and crying, bleating beasts, spilled through the branches and an arm reached down, then another. A naked man, covered in old blood and filth, crawled down the side of the tree, head-first. He moved like an animal, like someone who'd never been human. He crawled to Cain, leaned close as though to smell him. The roots holding Cain pulled back, but the Knight made no move. He stared at the man across from him with glassy, horrified eyes.
"Ah-leh-kah," Sam said, the words bitter on his tongue. He reached his hand out, letting Lucifer's power take hold. The air around Abel's grimy hand shuddered and when it steadied again, he was holding the First Blade.
Dean howled behind the gag, breaking the silence. The cuffs rattled as he pulled on them with every ounce of his strength.
Abel didn't notice, and neither did Cain.
"I'm sorry," Cain whispered, as he wrapped his fingers around Abel's hand and brought the blade to his own heart.
But Abel kept their hands steady.
Bind the curse. Deliver the second sacrifice.
"Pah-deh-geh-zod-eh," Sam said, and the branches of the tree moved with his will, shooting rapidly down towards the First Brothers. The branch grew new shoots that sprouted violently-pierced through Abel's back, out his chest and right through Cain. The branch split again and again stabbing in and out of the brothers bodies, pulling them closer in a jagged stitch. There was an audible snap, the sound of bone cracking--the blade breaking from the pressure of the two bodies being forced together.
Dean screamed again and his body started to glow. His bare arms were the color of embers and when they faded again, the skin on both arms was unmarred. The mark was gone.
"Pah-deh-geh-zod-eh," Sam repeated, as the branches lifted the encased Brothers up and into the portal above them. "Zodoh-ar-geh." Exhausted by the power the spell had required, Sam felt himself drooping forwards. The trunk of the tree began to splinter. The bit of Lucifer he'd called into himself was depleted. Weak.
"Go," Sam whispered. "Sah ee scheh," Lucifer said, with the last of his strength. Sam's body shuddered, and to his left, Michael's sigil glowed bright white, light streaming towards him.
"Keh-deh-reh pah-ee-deh," Sam said as Lucifer was pulled from him. The tree was dying around him, his foot broke free, followed by his left leg, then his right. He stumbled to the ground, just barely catching himself with his shaking hands.
The tree crumbled to dust, filling the air with oak ash.
Sam crawled towards Dean, who'd gone still except for a soft hitch in his chest. Gently, Sam removed the gag, his hands shaking with the effort. Dean took in a gasping, shuddering breath. He was crying. Sam cradled his brother's head, and waited until his eyes open's-until he was sure they were green.
_________________________________
[Enochian translations]
TELOCH
the loh keh
Death
A ZID
A Zod ee Deh
my inner god
ALLAR
ah leh lah ar
bind up
SAISCH
Sah ee scheh
brother
CNILA P A CNILA
ceh nee lah Peh Ah ceh nee lah
Blood of my blood.
C OL BABALON
Keh oh leh bah bah loh en
unto me wicked one
TOANTOH OBZA
toh an toh heh oh beh zodah
unite (the) halves
ODO ZAR DE MADRIAAX
oh doh zod ar deh mah deh ree ah ex
Open (the) way to the Heavens
ODO ZAR DE VIM LONDOH
oh dohzod ar deh vee meh loh en doh
Open (the) way to the fallen kingdom
GAHA NIIS
gah ha nee ee ess
(beings) of the abyss come forth
ALCA
Ah leh kah
judgement
PADGZE
Pah Deh Geh Zod Eh
justice from divine powers without blemish
ZORGE
Zodoh-ar-geh
rest
CHDR PAID
keh deh reh pah ee deh
enclose- forever
Author: monicawoe
Artist: quickreaver
Characters/Pairing: (gen) Sam, Dean, Crowley, Cain, Lucifer
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: ~2,100
Warnings: disturbing imagery, body horror, violence, minor character death
Summary: Sam spent months piecing the spell together-he'd crafted it himself out of slivers of handwritten, ancient journals-the ones even the Men of Letters kept hidden away in a man-sized curse-box on lockdown in room 26.
No tree, it is said, can grow to Heaven unless its roots reach down to Hell.
- Carl Jung
_________________________________
Anoint the touched.
At Sam's approach, Dean's muffled shouting grew louder. He started bucking again, trying to break free from the engraved cuffs that pinned him to the floor-inside the Devil's Trap made of salted iron. He was powerless, and he was furious.
Sam ignored his brother's rage, and his own pounding heart. This spell required absolute focus. Curing Dean of his demon-state hadn't been enough. It was the Mark that had to go. And finally, Sam knew just how to go about it.
There was no spell to remove the Mark of Cain, though there were plenty of entries on how to win Cain's favor. So Sam had summoned Cain, pleaded with him, threatened him, but the Father of Knights had refused, saying the only one who could give him orders was Lucifer.
It had taken another week of summonings and a whole slew of other rituals twisted enough to leave permanent scars on Sam's own soul for him to realize that Cain had given him the answer. He'd just refused to hear it.
Sam spent months piecing the spell together-he'd crafted it himself out of slivers of handwritten, ancient journals-the ones even the Men of Letters kept hidden away in a man-sized curse-box on lockdown in room 26.
His hands were steady as he dipped his fingertips in the bowl of oil and herbs on the stone floor. Dean's skin sizzled when Sam touched his forehead. The shiny patch of skin turned red for a moment before fading away again. Dean bit down harder on the gag and growled as his eyes bled black. Sam wasn't cowed by his brother's anger. He'd passed that weeks ago point.
Invoke the watchtowers. Inscribe their Sigils.
Stepping over Dean, Sam pulled the chalk from his pocket and began to draw on the wall-a sigil more familiar to him than he'd ever admit. Six sharp lines, sweeping curves below, like curling wing-tips.
"Lucifer."
He moved to the next wall.
"Michael."
It should be Raphael on the next wall, but Raphael was dead. As was Gabriel. But there were other beings, stronger than Archangels, that would hear him. Even if they didn't want to, they'd hear him.
Sam closed his eyes again, paging through the tomes of knowledge permanently burned into his brain and drew the Sigil of Death. The End of All Things would bear witness to this. He'd be too curious not to. He'd pulled Sam back from the brink, yet another being bent to his brother's will-made to stuff Sam's jagged pieces back together.
"The-loh-keh. Death."
Sam's hands were steady as he moved to the last wall and drew, watching with wonder as he saw the sigil take shape for the first time-his hand directing his movements independently of his intellect. It was like a mirror image of Lucifer's. Points up instead of down, curves up top like horns on a crown.
For weeks, he'd been running on little more than fumes and an indepletable will, but now-now he knew he was on the right path. Bone-deep certainty ran through him. "Ah zod ee deh. Sam Winchester." The sigil flickered like polished glass, showing him the reflection of his eyes.
Walls complete he turned back to the iron circle. Back to his brother.
Draw the seals of the sacrifices.
He drew two circles holding two demonic names. Crowley. Cain.
Dean's muffled noises could have been screams or laughter. It didn't matter either way.
Anoint the branch. Draw the name of the touched.
He picked up the oak twig, dipped it into the oil and drew on the stone floor, in between the two seals, just below the iron circle.
"Dean Winchester. Sah ee scheh."
The oil shone like a mirror and the twig grew warm in Sam's hand. Sam brought the sharpened end of the twig to his palm and pushed down until blood welled up. "Ceh nee lah peh ah ceh nee lah." Blood of my blood."
Invoke the power. Give onto it a blood offering.
"Keh oh-leh bah… Lucifer's sigil began to glow bright white as Sam chanted his name. "… bah-loh-en." He could feel his own sigil burn white hot behind him.
Death's sigil and Michael's were awake too. Dimmer, but alive. He'd gotten their attention.
But Lucifer answered his call. Grace streamed out of the sigil before him, piercing Sam's skin. It dug right into his heart.
The vessel must be home for Hell. The vessel must be home for Heaven.
He'd been both. His body had held everything. It was marred inside, torn apart by Lucifer's fury, frozen by Gadreel's sorrow, scraped raw by Meg's wicked glee and Crowley's arrogance. All of them had carved their names on his insides, and now those ruts and channels glowed, grace flowing like rivers through him. The branch fell from his grip as Lucifer wormed himself back into Sam's mind.
"I missed you."
"Quiet," Sam said, pushing back against Lucifer's will. He inhaled deeply, letting the grace settle, remembering how it felt when Lucifer wielded it. He imagined himself holding lightning in his veins, felt his innards start to char and smolder. Power without fuel.
"Your brother's blood would do nicely," Lucifer whispered, pushing back against Sam's thoughts. It was a fraction of Lucifer's power, the greatest part of him still trapped in his cage, but it was enough for what Sam needed.
"Yes," Sam said. "But I need his for something else. "
Call the sacrifices.
"Crowley," Sam said, as he dipped his hand in the bowl of oil and laid it on top of the seal. The seal started to glow. Sam brought his hand back into the bowl and laid it on the other seal. "Cain," Sam said, putting Lucifer's authority behind the word. The second seal grew bright-red.
He picked up the bowl and poured the remnants on top of the small sapling that had grown from the oak branch.
Build the bridge between the worlds.
"Toh-ahn-toheh oh-beh-zod-ah," Sam said, Lucifer's power filling every word. The sapling grew, roots spilling out of it as branches shot up higher and higher. The roots dug deep into the bare floor around Sam's feet and ran along the ground, streaming towards the iron circle, towards the seals and the two demons that had manifested on top of them.
"What's the meaning of this," Crowley snapped, pushing himself to his feet.
Cain said nothing, but looked even more offended. And wrathful. He took a step forward, deadly intent in his eyes
"Ah-leh-lah-ar," Sam said. The roots of the tree wrapped themselves around the demons, binding their feet, their wrists, their mouths. Only their throats were left bared.
The pain in Sam's chest swelled as Lucifer's grace poured out through him, filling the room. He wouldn't survive the spell without the fuel he needed. He'd left self-loathing behind weeks ago, didn't care about the consequences to himself. Not anymore. Empty bowl in hand, he walked to Crowley, and knelt in front of him. A whisper of Lucifer's power sliced opened the demon's throat. Blood spilled into the bowl. Sam waited until it was full to the brim and then brought it to his lips. He could still taste the hint of sandalwood and dragon's breath from the oil, hidden beneath the sulfur.
Cain's blood was sweeter and richer, and by the time the last bowl was emptied, Lucifer's presence was nothing more than a pleasant hum in Sam's veins. The wood of the growing tree creaked behind Sam as it grew, until it was so wide, it was pushing against his feet. Sam stood and stepped back, resting his body against the ever-growing trunk. The bark splintered open and the inside of the tree was soft as flesh underneath. It pulled Sam in, reformed around him- covering his feet, spilling up his ankles until his legs were completely buried inside the wood.
As he raised his arms up, the branches of the tree pushed higher an higher. "Oh-doh zod-ar…" They crowded against the ceiling, filling every bit of open space. "…deh mah-deh-ree-ah-ex." The solid rock of the ceiling dissolved, as the blinding light of Heaven replaced it.
Deliver the sacrifices.
Sam brought his arms slowly back down and reached forward, palms pointed down. "Oh-doh zod-ar deh vee-meh loh-en-doh." The floor of the room flickered and started to glow with a wicked red. "Gaha nee-ee-ess. Take your vengeance."
The angry light concentrated itself around Crowley, glowing darker and darker. Roaring fire spilled forth and slender, charred hands reached out of the floor--clawing at the demon's ankles--all those souls, living and dead, that had a grievance with Crowley. There were dozens of them, hundreds more beneath the surface, just as hungry, just as eager for a taste. They grabbed hold of him, the roots of the tree pulling back where the hands touched and pulled him straight down. The floor closed again with a soft pop, Crowley's seal now dark black. Extinguished.
Manifest the origin of the curse
Sam met Cain's eyes for just a moment, until he was sure the demon understood, before they both looked up towards the light of Heaven above them. "Sah ee scheh. Abel." A wailing sound, of pain and crying, bleating beasts, spilled through the branches and an arm reached down, then another. A naked man, covered in old blood and filth, crawled down the side of the tree, head-first. He moved like an animal, like someone who'd never been human. He crawled to Cain, leaned close as though to smell him. The roots holding Cain pulled back, but the Knight made no move. He stared at the man across from him with glassy, horrified eyes.
"Ah-leh-kah," Sam said, the words bitter on his tongue. He reached his hand out, letting Lucifer's power take hold. The air around Abel's grimy hand shuddered and when it steadied again, he was holding the First Blade.
Dean howled behind the gag, breaking the silence. The cuffs rattled as he pulled on them with every ounce of his strength.
Abel didn't notice, and neither did Cain.
"I'm sorry," Cain whispered, as he wrapped his fingers around Abel's hand and brought the blade to his own heart.
But Abel kept their hands steady.
Bind the curse. Deliver the second sacrifice.
"Pah-deh-geh-zod-eh," Sam said, and the branches of the tree moved with his will, shooting rapidly down towards the First Brothers. The branch grew new shoots that sprouted violently-pierced through Abel's back, out his chest and right through Cain. The branch split again and again stabbing in and out of the brothers bodies, pulling them closer in a jagged stitch. There was an audible snap, the sound of bone cracking--the blade breaking from the pressure of the two bodies being forced together.
Dean screamed again and his body started to glow. His bare arms were the color of embers and when they faded again, the skin on both arms was unmarred. The mark was gone.
"Pah-deh-geh-zod-eh," Sam repeated, as the branches lifted the encased Brothers up and into the portal above them. "Zodoh-ar-geh." Exhausted by the power the spell had required, Sam felt himself drooping forwards. The trunk of the tree began to splinter. The bit of Lucifer he'd called into himself was depleted. Weak.
"Go," Sam whispered. "Sah ee scheh," Lucifer said, with the last of his strength. Sam's body shuddered, and to his left, Michael's sigil glowed bright white, light streaming towards him.
"Keh-deh-reh pah-ee-deh," Sam said as Lucifer was pulled from him. The tree was dying around him, his foot broke free, followed by his left leg, then his right. He stumbled to the ground, just barely catching himself with his shaking hands.
The tree crumbled to dust, filling the air with oak ash.
Sam crawled towards Dean, who'd gone still except for a soft hitch in his chest. Gently, Sam removed the gag, his hands shaking with the effort. Dean took in a gasping, shuddering breath. He was crying. Sam cradled his brother's head, and waited until his eyes open's-until he was sure they were green.
_________________________________
[Enochian translations]
TELOCH
the loh keh
Death
A ZID
A Zod ee Deh
my inner god
ALLAR
ah leh lah ar
bind up
SAISCH
Sah ee scheh
brother
CNILA P A CNILA
ceh nee lah Peh Ah ceh nee lah
Blood of my blood.
C OL BABALON
Keh oh leh bah bah loh en
unto me wicked one
TOANTOH OBZA
toh an toh heh oh beh zodah
unite (the) halves
ODO ZAR DE MADRIAAX
oh doh zod ar deh mah deh ree ah ex
Open (the) way to the Heavens
ODO ZAR DE VIM LONDOH
oh dohzod ar deh vee meh loh en doh
Open (the) way to the fallen kingdom
GAHA NIIS
gah ha nee ee ess
(beings) of the abyss come forth
ALCA
Ah leh kah
judgement
PADGZE
Pah Deh Geh Zod Eh
justice from divine powers without blemish
ZORGE
Zodoh-ar-geh
rest
CHDR PAID
keh deh reh pah ee deh
enclose- forever