User blog:DranosJ/Purification - Chapter 2: Eternal Nightmare

Erubetie's mind was pulled apart by relentless currents, tossing her from one horrific image to the next, allowing her only seconds to comprehend what she saw before dragging her awareness to an even worse scene. Cities and villages, both monster and human, laid in ruins, the dead in just left in the street, their expressions frozen in fear at the sight of their homes, friends and families annhilated. Her visions then shifted to slimes attempting to flee the poisoned remnants of their dwellings, only to be hunted down by chimera. The beasts' faces remaining emotionless as claws and teeth rendered the slimes asunder. Unable to maintain their forms the slimes sink into the charred ground while the cruel laughing masks of the angels look down upon them. The Slime Queen tries to scream in defiance but not even the faintest whisper is emitted. A cold dread draws over her as she comes to the realization that she was dead long before these events took place.

Hoping to spare herself from watching anymore suffering she attempts to close off her senses, a practice she spent a lifetime perfecting. However the rushing tide refused to give her respite and she is once again plunged into another nightmare, this one more clear than any she has previously experienced. Erubetie now found herself drifting through what appeared to be some kind of dig site. Monsters and humans chained together, forced to constantly labor under a red filled sky with a blazing sun beating down on them from above. Angelic and chimerian taskmasters brutally taunt the workers, giving them no reprieve as the hopeless continue to clear a seemingly endless supply of stone and dirt. Those that finally collapse under the burden the angels and chimera would simply pick up and toss their body into the center of an overflowing well of tortured souls. Those who have yet to die in the pit reach out to offer each other one last bit of comfort, one last bleak gesture of compassion before their bodies give in to their inevitable end.

Feeling herself drawn upwards Erubetie tries shed tears for the fallen but the feeling she no longer exists continued to persist, preventing the much desired emotional release. Now looking overhead she could make out six other such pits surrounding the one she was just in, though smaller in size. Her gaze was then drawn to a platform extending over the center pit. She then focused on the figures on it. At its core stood Ilias, her face adorned with a cruel smile as she looked at two figures chained to crosses, Alice and Luka. Angels attending to them torture them, alternating between pleasure and pain, driving their sanities to the breaking point. Behind them stood three pikes adorning the heads of Tamamo, Alma Elma and Grandberia, their final expressions set in twisted agony. Erubetie could not seem to make out anything representing her and the coldness inside her deepened.

Continuing to watch the sickening events unfold an entourage approached the platform, led by the angel in a lab coat who introduced herself as Promestein during the attack on Alice's castle. Behind her the creations known as the Next Dolls including Amphisbaena, who now bore an even more impressive array of sword arms and legs and a scar along her left eye, encircled a lone figure. A sixth figure, one resembling a little girl holding a stuffed bear, followed behind them, her mouth emitting a frightening laugh every so often. Erubetie decided to ignore them and focus on the center figure. His body, which at one time must have been full of life, showed the clear signed of being withered by torture as what little muscle remained struggled to keep him standing. Recent scars, as evidenced by the still slightly flowing blood trails, covered most of his skin, which was laid bare for all to see. His face, which at one time would have been considered handsome, beared similar scars to that of his body, though it still managed to retain an honest quality to it. Still his eyes, literally blazing with a fire she had never witnessed, kept his dignity as he managed to look at Ilias in full defiance and spit in her face. For a moment Erubetie could have sworn she saw a small amused smile form on Promestein's near dead expression at that act. Ilias own face flashed in anger as she backhanded the man, causing him to cough up blood to which he spat onto her feet, continuing to stare at her with open contempt. Ilias then composed herself as his entourage filed in behind her.

Ilias: Your rebellion has at long last ended Betrand! See before you what your genius has created!

The Goddess of Light then gestured to the chimera and little girl behind her. The man could only form a look of pity as he looked at them, shedding a single tear. Ilias then continued.

Ilias: You've failed me, you've failed to stop me, you failed to save Sharanya as well as everyone else you've ever loved and they loved.

The broken man's gaze fixed on the figures behind Ilias and his expression began to shift to grief.

Ilias: But most of all you've failed your old mentor.

With that his head turned towards Promestein, who only closed her eyes and looked away. This seemed to reignite the flames within the man Ilias called Betrand as he turned back to address her.

Betrand: You've gone beyond any atrocity Aliphese ever caused! You had better hope there's no true God out there, else it wil cast your sick, twisted, hate-filled ass into oblivion with your sister laughing at you the whole time!

The mention of the Monster Lord seemed to enrage her even more as her furious expression matched the fire in Betrand's eyes. Grabbing the man by the throat she tossed his body into the writhing pit of bodies below. Taking that as a signal the angels and chimera began to execute what few monsters and humans remained, adding the corpses to their respective pits. A pulsating beam of light erupted from the chest of Ilias, striking a large crystal situated over the center of the pit. Six smaller beams shot out from it and headed towards similar crystals over the other pits. With a grand gesture from Ilias each of the crystals directed their beams down towards the center of each pit. The whaling screams of the dead and dying rung throughout the area as their bodies and souls are obliterated by the beams. Suddenly dark flames shoot up from the pits along with a massive amount of debris, covering the area in a cloud of dust.

After the dust cleared seven large forms could be seen hovering over their pits, with the center form dwarfing those around her. Ilias waited until the one in the center became conscious, a smile containing no mirth once again graced her lips while her eyes looked on in full fury. The center figure maintained a composed expression, despite the evident slaughter of her people everywhere.

Ilias: It seems almost all of your kind are gone now.

Taking deep breath the first Monster Lord responded.

Aliphese: The same fate seems to have befallen yours as well.

Ilias: They are no longer mine, You're welcome to the two of these people from this pitiful world who are left.

With that the Next Dolls along with the little girl leapt from the platform, each heading towards one of the other six figures who still appeared to be hibernating. Ilias gave a slight nod, causing them to slaughter the helpless figures. As their lifeless bodies fell dark energy erupted from them. The energy headed towards Aliphese absorbing into her while she just fixed Ilias with a stare over the killing of her six most prized creations. She then looked at the one with the little girl form who returned to the platform along with the other chimera, her expression of madness matching Ilias' own.

Aliphese: You said two, I count three of these people left, though that poor one's mind has been shattered so much she may count as two by herself. Though I'm not sure I could accept one who's committed so much harm to my family.

Deepening her smile the Light Goddess replied.

Ilias: You are quite right.

Without warning the Next Dolls stab into the being Aliphese referred to. The look of shock transfixed to her as the stuffed bear she had been holding fell into the pit, with her body soon following. The dark energy that escaped however did not head towards the Monster Lord. Instead the Monster Lord's own faced matched the Next Dolls recent victim as the energy instead headed towards Ilias, to be absorbed into her.

Aliphese: That should not be possible!

Ilias then sauntered up towards the hovering form of Aliphese.

Ilias: Oh what's possible has changed since you've been on your long vacation. No longer will I command just the light, but existence itself! All that's left are you and these two.

Ilias then flexed her wings, causing them to pierce the forms of Alice and Luka behind her, drawing in their strength. The Angel Halo, still carried by Luka began to dissolve, releasing the holy energy it absorbed over the many centuries of its existence.

The feeling of watching what was transpiring from afar left Erubetie as she suddenly felt herself drawn towards the now reforming figure of Ilias. Freezing panic gripped her as Ilias fixed her gaze upon the Slime Queen. Looking into her eyes she could see the world itself breaking apart, being pulled into vortex of energy with Ilias at its heart. Erubetie summoned whatever will she had left to let out one more scream as she was pulled in.

Suddenly she found herself in a warm pool, surrounded by comforting light. But her mind refused to fully acknowledge she was there, still stuck in the terrifying void of emptiness she felt as Ilias consumed her. Unable to take anymore conscious once again gave out, but not before recognizing an alarmingly familiar face and body. But that monster had flippers for feet did it not?