A continuation of my tale.
It had been a month; my people and I have started moving towards her again. For several weeks we had been trudging on, slowly but surely making our way there. The Abyss knew about her, and I had to save her at all costs. I wasn’t sure why, but a strong connection had been formed, I would sacrifice myself in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately, things were changing, everything was falling apart. Mountains were crumbling, dilapidated remains of humanity were disintegrating like an Alkaseltzer tablet in water, but the worst part is I could feel the entire universe dying. I knew The Abyss’s influence beyond this universe were weak at the moment, but I was sure they could feel something happening too. However, not all was lost, my own powers had grown. Even though I couldn’t protect anyone who wasn’t in my physical presence from the demons, I could however send out healing energy and a sense of hope that things were happening. People could feel that The Abyss is wounded, what they couldn’t feel was his hidden rage.
Like I had thought, he was powering up. He was hiding himself well from me now, but his powers had grown to the point where he couldn’t completely hide himself, he was just too strong.
…
Then it happened, one second, we were making our way along the dying landscape and the next I was gone, I was nowhere, in nonexistence. And then I existed again.
I stood in front of an apartment building that was falling apart. Out front stood two bigger guys with makeshift spears. They were guarding the place from the demons. And then I felt her, she was inside. The guys looked confused; I had appeared in front of them out of nowhere. And then my heart dropped, it was only a moment before I felt him that I realized why I was brought here. And then the sky died, all light stopped coming from above, but there wasn’t no light. I was glowing a heavenly white illuminating the entire area. I could feel a white-hot heat coming off my body.
And then The Abyss stood before me, tall and as dark as a black hole. Evil incarnate.
“My poor, poor, human. My poor living soul who loves, and bleeds, and can die. Your soul will be the tastiest of all. And after I consume her, I’ll consume you, and then everything in all of existence.”
And he turned towards the building, even though I was more afraid than I had ever been in my life. Even though I knew this was going to be my death and with my failure will be the death of everything, but even worse, the death of her. No, not even death. Much worse than death was the fate that waited for all of us. Even despite all of that, I reached my hand out and set it firmly on his much taller shoulder.
“No, no I don’t think you will,” and with that The Abyss moved so quickly I couldn’t even register what was going on till after it happened. He slammed into me with the rage and hate of a quadrillion burning suns. I lie in a crater on the ground before standing up and shakily dusting myself off.
Again, before I could register anything, I was slammed into again, and then I was flying through space. And then straight through the sun. The Abyss was the one doing it though, despite the heat of the sun I feel the woman’s soul wrapped in my heart protecting me. And then I push back, and I slam into it, and we’re back on Earth in a building sized crater. And then I don’t exist, and then I do. And I see her for the first, and maybe only, time. My heart melted at her beauty, and I felt our souls connect and her mind flooded into mine. A very hard life, it broke me. And then The Abyss consumed her. She was gone, mind body and all. For a second I broke, and I felt the entire universe break. Every living soul cried out in anguish over feeling my loss of her.
I looked up into The Abyss’s eyes and I saw glee and triumph there. I smiled at him, he looked confused, but even better, he looked afraid. I walked right up to him and set my hand on his chest, where his heart would be if there wasn’t a black hole there instead.
I smile and say, “Holdon Abyss, this is gonna be a bumpy ride.” I plunge into him. There’s nothing but blackness around me, but it isn’t like the other times he consumed me. I was very much aware and alive; I reached out with my soul and I felt her. She was dead, in some type of slumber The Abyss puts his victims into. I couldn’t feel anyone else, and to be honest I don’t have the power to save everyone. I wasn’t even sure I had the power to save her. Hell, I didn’t know if I had the power to get myself out of here.
But I reach, and I pull myself, and then I find her. I feel the white-hot light leave my skin again and a very small bubble in the blackness lights up. Her hair was short, she looked tough, and I knew she was. Her beauty amazed me even still. I wasn’t sure how I knew what to do but I set my hand on her head, and I let a single tear fall onto one of her closed eyes.
And we were gone, I stood before The Abyss holding her in my arms, like a princess in a Disney movie. And even better, I felt her heartbeat. She was alive. I lied her on the ground before saying in a booming commanding voice, “Jeff, Rick, come guard her.” The two guards from outside run up behind me. They had seen enough to know I was here to help.
I turned towards The Abyss and smiled, “Leave now, and come back to fight when you’re ready.” I was too weak after all this to continue, and even though he knew it he fled. He was more afraid than ever, but so was I.