Chương 14: Lost Sight - Part 1

[Gasp!]

Malique finally wakes up from his deep trance after having a nightmarish dream where he stabs and slices a Demon to death. Summoning his sword, he checks to see if there are any bloodstains on it but finds nothing.

He remembers that any waste on the weapon is removed when it is sheathed into the void, making it useless to use as an alibi. This process is designed to protect the weapon from rusting for future use.

Looking down at his clothes, he hopes to find any ensanguined markings. To his satisfaction, there are quite a few crimson spots on his drape. However, since the vital fluid looks similar in colour, he has a hard time determining if it came from more than one source.

"But this smudge might as well come from my... *Vomit and cough* Great." Malique feels a darting pain in his left rib and touches it, feeling that the bone is not in its current position. Pressing the sensitive area causes him to flinch due to the sting. "I better not twist my body too much for now."

Remembering the cut on his face, Malique uses his left hand to remove the handmade eyepatch and rub the scar. He then picks up his sword, which he has not yet sheathed, to use its reflection to see the wound.

"No deterrent smear, but that rough seems I felt earlier, this isn't just a childish hallucination, huh?"

For an Angel to dream while they sleep is impossible, so when Malique experiences it, he is confused beyond belief. He sees night-time in the afterworld, which is not supposed to happen.

"What's in God's power that happens here?" Malique mutters to himself and gazes up at the sky.

Malique had never seen nighttime before, nor had he ever seen the sun. For the record, he had never been to the human world but had heard stories from other Angels about the scenery and view.

Is this... The one they all talk about? The gorgeous airglow.

The tiny but many dots of light in the dark around the stratosphere must be what humans call stars. And the sun is also one of the stars where the human world named Earth is granted by God for them to live and survive.

Perhaps this is God's mercy for the Demons by showing one of His wondrous creations before silencing them once and for all. Still, Malique wonders why God decided to not just have this kind of routine going on in the afterlife.

'I can't stay like this any longer. Come on Malique, back to your mission,' Malique says to himself. He stands up and starts to walk again. The pain in his chest has not faded away, so he avoids using his wings to fly. Looking around and checking the new terrain he arrived at, he cannot help but be captured by the big giant boulder in his line of sight.

Why is this unsatisfying boulder manages to lock Malique's attention? Well, there is a huge explosion-like hole created next to it.

He knows that he is not supposed to rush or force his body, but the intriguing feeling bested him. Upon closer inspection, the hole is bigger than the Gate of Hell itself. He is left with no choice but to wonder what may have caused this crater to form.

Circling the entire landmark, Malique suddenly lands on a huge discovery. A pair of footprints and a dragging line if he is not sure what it was. Moreover, it is fresh. The whole event is still recent.

Does this footprint belong to an Angel or a Demon?

Following the track might not be a good idea. A danger may lie there or it could also be a helping ally in need. Losing to his desire, Malique concludes to follow it. Since he knows the direction of his target, he can prepare or even choose the option to flee as his condition forbids him to.

'Better late than sorry,' he mutters to himself as he sets off to follow the tracks.

Malique musters the quickest pace he can despite his battered body and preys into the unknown forest. He does not know what to expect when he meets the person who was behind the scene of the wreckage.

The night-time in the afterworld surely dims the lighting of the area, but the Angels are gifted with good eyesight, so Malique has no hard time trying to work out the boundary. Even if there is no moon to illuminate the gloomy forest, every single detail such as the tree veins is visible to him.

The trace has not faded in the slightest, so Malique starts to think about the distance left between him and the person he is after. He even wonders whether this person is real or just a hallucination made by his exhausted body.

Suddenly, he hears the sound of a movement that spooks him half-dead because it seems like the noise was quite close to him. Reaching for the nearest bark, he hides while focusing to rule the exact direction of the din.

A dilemma pops out in his mind about whether he should use his vision to peek and see or stay completely hidden still to avoid being found out by his prey. The longer he dwells on this question, the more nervous he gets.

A scrape interrupts his thoughts, and he twists his head in fear, noticing a chain of iron balls dragged right next to him. Inch by inch, the steel formed a line of what he had seen while back next to the footprint. Malique can see the chain going up and down whenever the ball moves forward. Along the line of the chain, a figure stands prodding the wealthy land. Seeing that the chain floated in the air suggests that it was a clamp on the victim's hand instead of his feet. The mist blurring him is troubling Malique from finding out the identity of the person.

In the middle of nowhere is a mysterious prisoner, a story Malique has not been told yet. Perhaps the Archangels and God know about this person, but why does this individual have a different treatment than the rest of the wrongdoers who are sent to Hell for punishment?

Malique sneaks closer to the person he is after and can now read his appearance. The man has slick black hair and wears a torn cloak that reveals his right arm. There also appears to be a cut on his cape by his left shoulder, exposing it as well.

Like the prediction before, both of his hands are tied together by the chain that Malique has been following. As the man stands directly in front of him, Malique still has not figured out his real identity. Suddenly, Malique accidentally steps on a branch, causing it to snap in two.

"Oh," Malique exclaims quietly, left in an unmovable state, hoping not to be heard. Judging by the target's behaviour to stop from moving, Malique knows he has messed up. When the person turns his head back, Malique trembles in despair.

The iconic peacock-skull mask that no one but the only evil entity could wear is eyeing him right now. This means that Lucifer, the Leader of the Demons of Sins, is still alive and fixed ahead of him.

The trauma and wails of his dying friends possess his unconditional mind from the horrible past. Thousands of types of emotions run through Malique's veins right now. Sadness and depression, shock and disbelief, panic and confusion, anger and hostility. It is breaking his character.

Believe it or not, he loses his consciousness again, just like the time he killed Alphaeus. He abruptly manifests his beloved double-edged sword on his right hand and unclamps his resting wings to dash towards Lucifer.

He can only think of killing Lucifer as an act of vengeance. Having Lucifer alive is already an absolute miracle for him, plus being bound in that worthless state, how can he not taunt him for a quick kill?

"DIIIEEEE!!!!" Malique screams to the top of his lungs while plunging in for a strike, ignoring any pain inflicted by his forceful movement.

[Boom!]

The grain of dust and sand flies in every direction they could travel, obscuring the result of Malique's impact on Lucifer. As for whether he hit him or not, even he cannot tell until the grime dissipates for a clearer view. Furthermore, Malique is a hundred per cent sure that he hit something as there is an opposing force reacting to his sword before it touches the ground.