Chapter 3: The Nether

Part 2: Shadow of Shadows

Krome: "That question doesn't have an answer"

Enoch shook his head. "Think, Krome. What is greater than God, more evil than Lucifer. The rich want it and the poor have it."

Krome thought then shook his head: "Nothing."
Enoch nodded. "Exactly."
Krome: "And what's this got to do with Locan... Wait a minute."
Enoch: "He wants to obliterate existence. Methodically, a big-bang reversal."
Krome: "He wants to change anything and everything into nothing. The ultimate Doom's Day Device."
Enoch: "That's right. And Earth - The Realm of Reality is the only place where that can be achieved."
Krome snickered: "Ironic. There was a Canadian scientist who researched Anti-Matter Technology. The United Nations, secretly of course, shut him down by lobbying the government, saying that the Technology may be stolen by terrorists to build Anti-Matter Bombs that could threaten the planet. Yet, here's a scientist-slash-terrorist from Hell, who's pulling it off."
Enoch nodded: "Not only did he successfully build an Anti-Matter Bomb that can threaten the planet, but he's also built a Chain-Reaction module into it that can threaten, in essence the entire Universe. Self-replicating Anti-Matter of sorts. Like an explosive virus."
Krome sighed "So the whole demonic rebellion was a cover for Locan to sneak out of Hades."
Enoch looked at Krome "I never thought of that. But yes, that makes sense... So much for my good news." Enoch snickered.

The two were interrupted by fluttering in the air. An angel appeared, she wore an illuminating silver skirt and held a bow in her hand.

Krome looked up at her. "Artemis" he thought to himself. "Leader of Heaven's Archery Host. Men used to worship her as the Goddess of the Moon, way before the Age of Prophets. On Earth, she's known as Diana."
Diana strung a bow and shot it at Locan.
Locan grinned, his right eye shone with an evil glow.

He leapt in the air, and jumped from rock to rock, his amazing quickness left each rock he jumped off of intact and unturned.

With each jump, Diana shot an arrow, marking off about a hundred arrows every thirty seconds. Yet, each one missed its mark by at least three feet.
Diana gasped for breath. Her earthly form was, after all, subjectible to fatigue.

Suddenly, she screamed as a gigantic hand grabbed her neck in the middle of the air and knocked her to the ground with a tremendous crash.

Krome winced.

Locan held Diana tight and screamed into her face: "LISTEN TO ME!"

Krome paused. "He wanted to say something?"

Diana spat into Locan's face. "I don't listen to demons. They are all liars and curators of confusion..."
Locan covered her mouth with his hand. "I - WANT - ARYEL. In this realm, he's known as Krome."

Krome raised his eyebrows. He turned around to Enoch and waited for him to answer his lingering question.

Enoch shrugged. "We think he threatened a Shaman or Witch's life in this realm, and compelled them to track you down. Witches backed by demons, you know it's a boiling combination. He probably killed them after they provided the information that he needed."

"So you didn't come to me because you picked me, you came to me because this demon did."

"I detect a tone of anger in your voice, Krome. But I warn you, there are two sides in this conflict. I'm on yours, but he's not." Enoch pointed at Locan, who was now standing about 20 feet away from Diana.

It all took one instant. He turned around and out of his coat came a long Sai (a pointed one-handed dagger) that he flung across the air and passed clean through Diana.

"DIANA!" Krome screamed. He ran towards her to hold her, but his hands passed right through her. After all, this happened hours ago. Now, it was just reminiscence.

She moaned. Smiling defiantly as the pain kicked in. Krome looked at her, as if straining to see what she was thinking. He turned around to look at the Sai. It was enchanted by an unholy Spell of Blasphemy. The hypothetical silver bullet for angels. Diana was dying. Krome painfully looked at her. Suddenly, her eyes' focus shifted, and for a moment, it looked like she was looking directly AT Krome...

Her lips parted.

"Aryel... My love."

Diana shut her eyes. And went to sleep, permanently.

"I didn't know angels bled." Locan said. His voice wasn't sarcastic. Instead, there was a faint hint of sadness.

He walked away, dragging the shadows of the night with his cloak as he merged with obscurity.

Krome stood up and shook his fist in the air.
"By the wrath of God. I will bring you to justice!" He screamed.

"And NOW..."

He continued, his anger sending ripples across the vision...

"It's PERSONAL."

(Concluding...)