Brimstone: Of Promises and Lies
Title: Of Promises and Lies
Fandom: Brimstone
Word Count: 1,350
Summary: Zeke only has one more soul to send back to Hell -Ash's.
Of Promises and Lies
"You were so close Zeke,” she murmurs, cutting away his sweater with one of her sacrificial knives. He opens his eyes for a moment; unable to think through her spell. The titanium bonds held his wrists and his ankles still, and kept him upright against the slab of earth. “Why didn’t you take your chance?”
“Ash…” He forces himself to look her into those beautiful black eyes, at the face of a damned soul who had been destroying holy places for revenge against a being he had been taught was omnipotent. A hundred and twelve tattoos had been removed from his body, all except for her name - the one that Lucifer wanted returned at all costs. “Why… why do all this? Why not just live?”
“One who is dead cannot live, Zeke,” she says, eyes becoming snake-like as a great shadow made the air around them waver. It slithered down her arm, curling around her wrist for a moment like a misty bracelet before disappearing into her knife. The unblemished steel did not appear any different, but Zeke could actually feel it as Ash pressed it against his skin. It felt like he might actually bleed if she slashed him. “I know your boss promised you life, but you know how It is; lies are Its currency. That hasn’t changed since the day Yahweh’s made It Fall.
“For instance, I’m sure It neglected to tell you that a god’s strength depends on the conviction of its worshippers. This modern age has done wonders to diminish the idea of the One God; and that’s one of the reasons I managed to escape That one’s prison. After all, Its power is the reflection of the one It suffers for. Now, I’ll become the captor -isn’t that an interesting change?” She smiled.
“What?” He managed, struggling to force the foggy complacency from his mind.
“It created a bond between the two of you, the day It sent you back to this world,” she explained, tracing the Devil’s tattoo of her name on his chest. The knife seemed to breach more than just his skin and tissue, sending waves of cold pain down his body, numbing him like the breath of winter’s heart. “I wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t been so attractive. Now, be quiet for a moment while I summon your boss.”
He struggled against his mental and physical bonds as she started chanting a series of words he could not understand, the sounds seeming to collapse onto themselves as they left her lips. Instinct told him he didn’t have much time before something bad happened - something he refused to even acknowledge as a possibility. ‘Help right about now would be good, big guy.’
The smell of sulphur filled the air around them as Lucifer appeared, looking completely unconcerned about the fact that the shadow extended itself from the knife towards him. “Your goddess cannot do anything to me, child.” He sneered, grabbing the shadow in mid-air faster than Ezekiel’s eyes could follow.
“Oh?” The woman’s eyes glowed brighter, and the shadow seemed to become more potent, making the Devil’s eyes narrow. “You have weakened much, Forsaken One. The power you used to create his material body, the reinforcements you made to your domain’s security, the lack of faith from the living; your undoing will precede your master’s.”
“You’re full of it.” The creature’s sneer widened as he tightened his grip on the shadow. “Even at your peak, you were never a match for me, Ashura.”
The shadow seemed to shift; becoming a blinding light that made Zeke shut his eyes. When he dared open them again, the shadow was a circle around the Devil’s midsection, and Zeke’s boss actually had a look of surprise on his face.
“We’re not in hell anymore.” Ash hissed in Zeke’s ear, fingers tracing the outline of his jaw. “Ashura told me the memory of Its true self has been shrouded in fire for so long, that your beloved boss has lost Its edge in the real world. Do you want to see what your boss really looks? In all Its Fallen glory?”
“You cannot force me into anything, Ashur Baddactu of Tier. Neither can your puny Ashura.” The Devil’s smirk was back, and Zeke suddenly had the impression that even the presence of the old god wrapped around his waist was part of the fallen angel’s plan.
But would the proud creature ever truly pretend to be at another’s mercy? The detective’s mind struggled with that concept, remembering all the proclamations that “Nobody beats the Devil”. However, his gut told him that Lucifer was capable of anything.
Ash started to chant again, turning her back on Zeke as she approached her former captor. The Devil’s mortal guise seemed to waver for a moment, but didn’t change. That is, until the presence of Ash’s Goddess circled Lucifer’s eyes. In that moment, the scent of the Earth obscured the scent of brimstone, and Zeke had to close his eyes again until the light faded. Hellish heat surrounded them, and Zeke’s mind couldn’t quite process what he was seeing until the fallen angel’s shape solidified from what looked like pure energy.
There were no bat wings, no feathers; nothing that remotely resembled his idea of an angel, fallen or otherwise. The only thing he could discern was the white-hot outline of an androgynous creature with cat-like eyes, and even that seemed to slip out of focus. An inhuman shriek came from the misty form of the snake-goddess Ashura, and the knife in Ash’s hands dropped to the floor.
Suddenly, Zeke’s mind was clear and he broke free, grabbing the knife before Ash even realized he had regained his senses. He immediately destroyed her eyes.
The fiery form of Lucifer wavered and returned to the one Zeke was used to, much to his relief. “Took you long enough to get the hint, Mr. Stone.” The Devil examined his fingernails, his black suit as immaculate as always. “I was about to leave you to your fate when I sensed that you had finally gotten an inkling of my plan. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go teach one wayward soul a lesson she will never forget.”
“What about our deal?”
“What about it?”
“I kept up my end.” The detective scowled, grabbing the Devil’s shoulders so they were standing face to face. “It’s time for you to keep yours.”
“Make me.”
It was the infernal smirk that made the detective’s heart sink. He should’ve known better than to believe a word that came from his employer’s mouth. Ash was right, truth never left those lips; a damned angel would not give him life.
The pain he felt at that moment was worse than his fifteen years in Hell.
“Brother,” a lilting voice came from behind Zeke, the feel of a hand on his shoulder soothing the urge to punch the Fallen angel in the face. Lucifer looked over the man’s shoulder, eyes widening as he heard his true name in a pitch beyond human perception. “You’ll only lose more of your self if you run away now.”
“I don’t run away!” Lucifer snarled, “and Stone is mine.”
“That is not your decision, brother. We know you cannot give life on your own -that is why I am here. Release your hold on Ezekiel Stone, and take my hand once more.”
The man tried to look over his shoulder to see the angel, but his body was frozen in place. The only thing he could see was the fury in his boss’ eyes.
“No.”
“Is Redemption such a painful idea for you, brother?”
Lucifer opened his mouth for a moment, eyes fierce in defiance; and then he closed it, mouth twisting in disgust. “Fine. Take him. See if I care.”
“I know you do.” The angel’s voice was warm. “Add your strength to mine, brother.”
“Using my power here will upset the balance.” Lucifer pointed out.
“For this reason, that restriction is removed.”
“The bastard fucking planned this, didn’t It?” The fallen angel spat.
“It Tests us all.”
Fandom: Brimstone
Word Count: 1,350
Summary: Zeke only has one more soul to send back to Hell -Ash's.
Of Promises and Lies
"You were so close Zeke,” she murmurs, cutting away his sweater with one of her sacrificial knives. He opens his eyes for a moment; unable to think through her spell. The titanium bonds held his wrists and his ankles still, and kept him upright against the slab of earth. “Why didn’t you take your chance?”
“Ash…” He forces himself to look her into those beautiful black eyes, at the face of a damned soul who had been destroying holy places for revenge against a being he had been taught was omnipotent. A hundred and twelve tattoos had been removed from his body, all except for her name - the one that Lucifer wanted returned at all costs. “Why… why do all this? Why not just live?”
“One who is dead cannot live, Zeke,” she says, eyes becoming snake-like as a great shadow made the air around them waver. It slithered down her arm, curling around her wrist for a moment like a misty bracelet before disappearing into her knife. The unblemished steel did not appear any different, but Zeke could actually feel it as Ash pressed it against his skin. It felt like he might actually bleed if she slashed him. “I know your boss promised you life, but you know how It is; lies are Its currency. That hasn’t changed since the day Yahweh’s made It Fall.
“For instance, I’m sure It neglected to tell you that a god’s strength depends on the conviction of its worshippers. This modern age has done wonders to diminish the idea of the One God; and that’s one of the reasons I managed to escape That one’s prison. After all, Its power is the reflection of the one It suffers for. Now, I’ll become the captor -isn’t that an interesting change?” She smiled.
“What?” He managed, struggling to force the foggy complacency from his mind.
“It created a bond between the two of you, the day It sent you back to this world,” she explained, tracing the Devil’s tattoo of her name on his chest. The knife seemed to breach more than just his skin and tissue, sending waves of cold pain down his body, numbing him like the breath of winter’s heart. “I wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t been so attractive. Now, be quiet for a moment while I summon your boss.”
He struggled against his mental and physical bonds as she started chanting a series of words he could not understand, the sounds seeming to collapse onto themselves as they left her lips. Instinct told him he didn’t have much time before something bad happened - something he refused to even acknowledge as a possibility. ‘Help right about now would be good, big guy.’
The smell of sulphur filled the air around them as Lucifer appeared, looking completely unconcerned about the fact that the shadow extended itself from the knife towards him. “Your goddess cannot do anything to me, child.” He sneered, grabbing the shadow in mid-air faster than Ezekiel’s eyes could follow.
“Oh?” The woman’s eyes glowed brighter, and the shadow seemed to become more potent, making the Devil’s eyes narrow. “You have weakened much, Forsaken One. The power you used to create his material body, the reinforcements you made to your domain’s security, the lack of faith from the living; your undoing will precede your master’s.”
“You’re full of it.” The creature’s sneer widened as he tightened his grip on the shadow. “Even at your peak, you were never a match for me, Ashura.”
The shadow seemed to shift; becoming a blinding light that made Zeke shut his eyes. When he dared open them again, the shadow was a circle around the Devil’s midsection, and Zeke’s boss actually had a look of surprise on his face.
“We’re not in hell anymore.” Ash hissed in Zeke’s ear, fingers tracing the outline of his jaw. “Ashura told me the memory of Its true self has been shrouded in fire for so long, that your beloved boss has lost Its edge in the real world. Do you want to see what your boss really looks? In all Its Fallen glory?”
“You cannot force me into anything, Ashur Baddactu of Tier. Neither can your puny Ashura.” The Devil’s smirk was back, and Zeke suddenly had the impression that even the presence of the old god wrapped around his waist was part of the fallen angel’s plan.
But would the proud creature ever truly pretend to be at another’s mercy? The detective’s mind struggled with that concept, remembering all the proclamations that “Nobody beats the Devil”. However, his gut told him that Lucifer was capable of anything.
Ash started to chant again, turning her back on Zeke as she approached her former captor. The Devil’s mortal guise seemed to waver for a moment, but didn’t change. That is, until the presence of Ash’s Goddess circled Lucifer’s eyes. In that moment, the scent of the Earth obscured the scent of brimstone, and Zeke had to close his eyes again until the light faded. Hellish heat surrounded them, and Zeke’s mind couldn’t quite process what he was seeing until the fallen angel’s shape solidified from what looked like pure energy.
There were no bat wings, no feathers; nothing that remotely resembled his idea of an angel, fallen or otherwise. The only thing he could discern was the white-hot outline of an androgynous creature with cat-like eyes, and even that seemed to slip out of focus. An inhuman shriek came from the misty form of the snake-goddess Ashura, and the knife in Ash’s hands dropped to the floor.
Suddenly, Zeke’s mind was clear and he broke free, grabbing the knife before Ash even realized he had regained his senses. He immediately destroyed her eyes.
The fiery form of Lucifer wavered and returned to the one Zeke was used to, much to his relief. “Took you long enough to get the hint, Mr. Stone.” The Devil examined his fingernails, his black suit as immaculate as always. “I was about to leave you to your fate when I sensed that you had finally gotten an inkling of my plan. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go teach one wayward soul a lesson she will never forget.”
“What about our deal?”
“What about it?”
“I kept up my end.” The detective scowled, grabbing the Devil’s shoulders so they were standing face to face. “It’s time for you to keep yours.”
“Make me.”
It was the infernal smirk that made the detective’s heart sink. He should’ve known better than to believe a word that came from his employer’s mouth. Ash was right, truth never left those lips; a damned angel would not give him life.
The pain he felt at that moment was worse than his fifteen years in Hell.
“Brother,” a lilting voice came from behind Zeke, the feel of a hand on his shoulder soothing the urge to punch the Fallen angel in the face. Lucifer looked over the man’s shoulder, eyes widening as he heard his true name in a pitch beyond human perception. “You’ll only lose more of your self if you run away now.”
“I don’t run away!” Lucifer snarled, “and Stone is mine.”
“That is not your decision, brother. We know you cannot give life on your own -that is why I am here. Release your hold on Ezekiel Stone, and take my hand once more.”
The man tried to look over his shoulder to see the angel, but his body was frozen in place. The only thing he could see was the fury in his boss’ eyes.
“No.”
“Is Redemption such a painful idea for you, brother?”
Lucifer opened his mouth for a moment, eyes fierce in defiance; and then he closed it, mouth twisting in disgust. “Fine. Take him. See if I care.”
“I know you do.” The angel’s voice was warm. “Add your strength to mine, brother.”
“Using my power here will upset the balance.” Lucifer pointed out.
“For this reason, that restriction is removed.”
“The bastard fucking planned this, didn’t It?” The fallen angel spat.
“It Tests us all.”