Lies in Deceptive Shadows

[skyacezero]

"Oh I'm glad you asked!" Lucifer said, throwing off the ringmaster attire, revealing his usual angsty teen look which honestly, made it hard for anyone to take him seriously. "You see, I had a little bit of a game in mind-" Lucifer was cut off by Necrolon leaping at him, claw outstretched and ready for the kill. That is until he was stopped in mid-air, and Lucifer just flicked his finger at Necrolon, sending him back with enough force to trench the park grounds. "Seriously?! I was just getting ready to explain the rules of the game and you try to kill me!" Lucifier complained.

"Get to point already, Lucifer," Hikari said, lifting her scythe off her shoulder. "I'm getting a bit antsy myself," she added.

Lucifer groaned in annoyance and rolled his eyes. "Fine then," he said and snapped his fingers, causing crystal walls to appear and isolate the group from each other. "The rules are simple," Lucifer's amplified voice rang through the crystal halls as they started to close into a ceiling. "If you can navigate to the center of the maze, you'll find Darryl's little friend and you'll... probably be able to free her," he explained. "Oh and I'd hurry if I were you, two reasons; A, there's no air in the girl's prison so she's probably close to suffocating and B, there's a few nasty surprises waiting in there..." he finished tauntingly.

[Amara<3]

Keera groaned, rolling her eyes. She had no allegiance to this girl, and this was not her problem. She began walked, and split herself into three of her. As each hit a dead end, it would disappear and she'd create a new one to go down another direction. In this way, she would likely get there first. How to get her out of the bubble was going to be something else entirely. She doubted popping it would be so easy.

Sora's eyes widened at the walls, and realized, even for a demon, she was a little claustrophobic. She began walking quickly through the maze, taking all the wrong turns as she made her moves too quickly. "Will the walls disappear once she's been found, or do we all have to get through it first?" she asked, worried she'd never find her way through.

The other girls were getting close, but they were still about two minutes out. Keera knew once they started, if they could even get in, they'd never get to the middle in time to help.

[skyacezero]

Necrolon started waling down the maze after several futile attempts to destroy the maze's walls, finding that the crystal they were made of regenerated faster than he could destroy it. He scanned each path before deciding on a direction as the reflections made it more difficult to navigate that it should have been. What kind of surprises do you think Lucifer has in here? Darryl's voice asked in Necrolon's mind.

"Nothing pleasant, you can be sure of that," Necrolon said, turning a corner and continuing his advance. As he passed, something moved on the wall as if it was following him.

---

"First come, first serve," Lucifer's voice echoed through the halls again, directed at Sora's question. "Though as for what happens, you'll just have to find out," Lucifer finished. He was using orbs to view the progress of everyone in the maze. He felt another Demon Lord's presence next to him and knew right off the bat who it was. "So you come to enjoy the show, too?" he looked over to find Lilith standing next to him.

"I was but..." she held her hand out and the orb viewing Sora floated into her grasp. "I think I might be in the market for a new plaything," she said with a mix of malice and delight in her voice.

"What? The one you have now starting to bore you?" Lucifer asked.

Lilith scoffed amusingly. "There's nothing more I can do to her that I haven't done several times now," she said, releasing the viewing orb. "Do you mind if I help myself?" she asked in an almost uncharacteristically sweet tone.

"Eh, sure, go right ahead," Lucifer waved his hand nonchalantly.

Lilith smiled and walked through a vortex to Sora's location. No sooner had she arrived, but Sora turned a corner, running into her and falling back. Lilith approached and looked down at her. "Well hi there,".

[Amara<3]

"Oh!" Sora almost yelled, and all of the Keera's paused, waiting for Sora to do or say something else. Her eyes widened as she looked at Lilith. "Oh come on," she whined. "I just HAD to run into you, didn't I?"

"Sora?" Keera called. "Who's there with you?"

As the girls showed up, they all paused at the maze entrance. "Keera?! Darryl?!" Kaminari called. "You guys in there?" She, and the others, hadn't noticed Lucifer right off hand. "What's going on?"

"Stay out there, you'll be of no help in here!" she growled. "You'll never make it to the middle in time."

"Well thanks," Kaminari groaned, rolling her eyes. "Should we even have come?"

"Lilith," Sora said, trying not to show how intimidated she felt. "What do you want?"

Keera felt her chest tighten. Sora was with Lilith. That would not be a good thing. Sora was not a fighter.

[skyacezero]

"Oh that hurts, I thought you'd be happy to see me," Lilith said, feigning sadness. "I just happened to see you were lost so..." she said and began circling Sora, as if to size her up. "I thought you and I might have just a bit of fun...." she said, subtly opening a dark gateway behind them, while curving her arm around Sora's midsection.

Necrolon happened to round the corner to see Lilith with Sora. "LILITH!" he shouted and charged at her, only to be tackled and slammed against the wall and promptly stabbed by several blades.

"I don't think so, Dandridge," an all-too-familiar voice said as Crissy's avatar mask entered his field of vision. "You and I still have business to settle!" she said.

"Get off me!" Necrolon yelled and kicked Chrissy off, pulling the blades out of his body. "Sora!" he shouted just as he saw Lilith drag Sora into the gateway, which closed behind them.

((So, Lilith dragged Sora into hell, where Sora will be trying to avoid Lilith. While doing so, she stumbles in Lilith's personal dungeon where she meets an imprisoned fallen demon lord, who helps Sora escape.))

[Amara<3]

((Sounds like fun! Also, who should reach the middle first?))

"Whoa," Sora's eyes went wide as the portal opened. She didn't like where this was going, but before she could protest much more, she was startled and almost relieved that Necrolon was coming to her rescue... only to be stopped by Crissy. Her hopes sank and then she was pulled into the gateway.

Keera stayed silent as she listened to the disturbance with Lilith and Sora, and Necrolon and Crissy. She feared the worst for Sora, not knowing her to have ever been truly faced with someone at all like Lilith.

"What... the... hell..." Sora almost squeaked as she opened her eyes, almost unwillingly, to the other side of the gateway.

[skyacezero]

((I think Keera should reach reach the middle first, but then she gets ambushed by a Nephilim.))

"Sora!" Necrolon called again, then promptly avoided another of Chrissy's attacks.

"Pay attention to me! I'm the one you should be worried about!" Chrissy screeched as she air dashed in for another attack. Necrolon grabbed her out of the air and slammed her against the wall. Chrissy let out a sonic scream right in Necrolon's face, causing him to recoil from the shock and release her, giving her the opprotunity to jam more blades into his body. "Let Dandridge out now..." Chrissy growled through gritted teeth. "I want to see the look on his face when I kill him!" she shouted.

---

"Welcome to your new home," Lilith said warmly. "Although I guess I should say prison," she corrected herself and descended upon Sora, wrapping her arm around her and bringing her in close. "You know, it's been a while since I've had fresh meat to play with...." her violet eyes began boring into Sora's eyes. "So don't disappoint me...." Lilith's hand started to travel to Sora's nethers when she received a blast of air to the face, causing her to release Sora. She took a second to regain her composure, only to find Sora had fled. Lilith gave an amused smile. "She has nowhere to go, I guess I can give her a head start,".

[Amara<3]

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, was all Sora could think as she took off down the hall. Was Lilith seriously about to -seriously- do that? "Oh my god," she said out loud as she stopped, not sure what way to go, and turning left because there were more halls connected to it than if she were to go right. "How am I supposed to get back?" she breathed. "I can't make portals."

~~~~~

Keera, having gone around with several of herself through the maze, managed to find the middle first. She sighed, though not sure what she needed to do to break this girl free for Darryl. She was a life, and so Keera did feel like she needed to do something. If this life was lost, she'd feel for everyone involved, but it wouldn't impact her necessarily. Though saving her would make Darryl happier, she assumed.

She turned her hands outward, about to summon lightning to bust open the orb, when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye that made her stop and raise her eyebrows, for once surprised. "Is that..."

[skyacezero]

Necrolon managed to get Chrissy off and pulled all the blades out of his body. "Whatever happened to you was your own fault!" Necrolon, rebuking Chrissy. "Darryl had nothing to do with it!"

"Wrong, Dandridge stuck his nose where it didn't belong, Dandridge got my dad arrested, and after he was arrested, all of his holdings, assets, and properties were seized as evidence I LOST EVERYTHING!" Chrissy screamed and continued her assault. Her wings produced more blades and she began attacking a fury. Now that he hadn't been caught off guard, Necrolon was easily sidestepping every swipe she took at him, Chrissy roaring in anger with each swing.

---

Before Keera could react, a large creature took a swipe at her. It was tall, skinny, and had clawed arms almost as long as it's body. It had a deer skull for a head with several trinkets strung on it's antlers. The body itself resembled and emaciated man with patches of fur on it, and some parts rotted away, revealing the bones underneath.

---

"Now now, Sora..." Lilith's voice came from every hallway. "The longer you drag this out, the worse I'll make it for you when I catch you..." she said tauntingly. There was a door nearby that caught Sora's attention, hopefully a place to hide.

[Amara<3]

The girls listened from the outside of the maze, and heard Chrissy screaming at Necrolon. Kaminari looked at the others with eyebrows raised. "Wrong person to give power to," she whispered. She turned to Lucifer and called up to him. "Okay, I'm sure Keera's made it by now, what's with the maze?"

------

Keera jumped back and barely escaped the extended clawed arms of the creature before her. She shivered for a moment at the look of it, and shook her head. "Of course they'd have you with them. They just love disgusting creatures," she hissed. She hadn't been thinking, but while she was in uniform, she'd handed her gun over to the station - not that it was going to be that useful here. She needed to think of something else.

-------

Sora paused before opening the door to listen to Lilith. She shivered and turned the handle, slipping inside and closing the door very quietly. "What a mess..." she whispered.

[skyacezero]

"Oh, the maze?" Lucifer asked nonchalantly and approached. "Oh it's just a game I thought up," he shrugged. "Why? If you wanted to take part you should have gotten here sooner," he said, then his eyes narrowed. "Unless it was me you wanted to kill time with...

---

The creature lumbered to look at Keera. "Kawiya ka wanâhtahk kîkway mitsowin...." it said in a deep and eerie voice and turned to the unconscious Marcelina. It scooped her up and held her up head first over it's mouth. As it's maw stretched to grotesque proportions, a flash went by and it's arm dropped to the ground and Hikari appeared next to Keera, holding Marcelina under her arm.

"I'm going to assume this is one of those 'surprises' Lucifer mentioned," Hikari said, unshouldering her scythe. "Careful, Keera, that's a Wendigo," she cautioned.

---

"Well, that time again is it?" a voice from within the room said behind Sora, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. The source was what appeared to be an emaciated woman with scraggly, unkempt black hair, tattered rags that would barely pass as clothing, behind her was a pair of tattered, membrane wings, her lower body was serpentine that ended in a three-pronged fork that was securely fastened to the wall. "The time's starting to blur together at this-" she raised her head and ceased speaking when she laid eyes on Sora. The woman had lambent blue eyes, and was wearing a spiked collar, only the spikes were on the inside, digging into her neck, creating wounds that were slowly trickling a glowing, lime-green substance from them. "Who are you?" the woman asked with a raised brow.

[Amara<3]

"A Wendigo? In Japan?" Keera asked, and then shook her head. "Of course they'd have brought something like that here. Alright, let's get down to business, then? Kill this thing and get a move on, we need to make some headway here, and Sora is gone. Lilith had better stop taking my friends or she's going to wish she was a friend of mine, rather than not," she growled.

-----

"You?" Kaminari asked and the other girls standing with her cringed. "Oh, why not?" she shrugged, threw her hands in the air and brought lightning down in her direction. She deflected it as it hit her and it branched into several strikes all aimed generally at and around Lucifer.

-----

Sora turned slowly as the woman spoke. Color drained from her face as she looked at her, and down toward her tail. Then they went to her face as she was asked who she was. Her eyes darted to the deadly choker a moment before looking back at the woman. "Me?" she whispered. "My name is Sora," she said just a little louder. "What are you in for?" Sora asked, stepping away from the door and glancing back at it every couple seconds.

[skyacezero]

The wall behind Keera and Hikari broke away and Crissy and Necrolon fell through it, with Necrolon throwing Crissy towards the Wendigo and sliding to a stop at it's feet. Crissy growled and looked at the Wendigo. "Well what are you waiting for?! KILL THEM!" she screeched. The wendigo let out a shuddered, guttural growl and the wind started to pick up. It let out a chilling roar and howl and a blizzard kicked up.

"STAY CLOSE! ITS TRYING TO SEPARATE US!" Necrolon shouted over the howling winds and trying to keep his sight on Keera and Hikari as the blizzard worsened into a complete whiteout.

---

The lighting found it's way into the palm of Lucifer's hand. It had condensed into and orb that he held up. "Tell me you didn't think that would actually work," he said and the orb levitated in front of him. "I mean come on, my role is literally in my name!" he said and several beams of light shot towards Kaminari and the others with her.

---

"I'm here because I was careless, because I wasn't strong enough," the woman said. "But what about you?" she asked. "You're not a condemned human soul, you haven't the taint of Hell upon you and you most certainly aren't a Nephilim, so why are you here?" she asked.

[Amara<3]

"Oh please," Keera growled, motioning for Hikari to move backward with her toward Necrolon. "I'm an ice demon, amoung other things. I live for this weather." She used her power to create a sort of ice barrier around them, which kept the wind off, and a decent way of knowing where the wendigo was going to come at them from, since it would need to break through it or come into the less snowy areas before it got to them.

-----

"Come on," Kaminari snapped, jumping in front of the others and knocking away the light. She was hit by one, but seemed to absorb it. "I can play the light game all night, how's one on one?" she asked, trying to make sure the other girls would just move away from the soon to be battle area. "You know, Lucifer, for being so evil, you're more of a clown than a ring leader."

-----

"Um, I'm here because Lilith made me come. My friend's sister is also here somewhere, trying to figure out something. I don't..." she paused for a moment. "I don't want to be trapped here, especially with her. It's stuffy, and hard to breathe in this, this dry heat. I need to get out somehow." She looked over the woman again, and shook her head lightly. "Can I help you get out of that contraption?"

[skyacezero]

"Oh a clown am I?" Lucifer said as he circled Kaminari. "So I guess that means I amuse you, good, I'd prefer to not bore any of my guests," he continued, his gaze never leaving Kaminari's yet still keeping tabs on the others in her group. Eventually, he stopped and faced her directly.

---

"Lilith brought you here?" the imprisoned woman asked, then she gave a small smile. "If she brought you here, then that means she wants to replace me," the woman's head lowered. "Just let her have you so I can die at last," she said, earning her several protests from Sora. The woman felt Sora grab her shoulders and further plea for her help. The woman's eyes met Sora's and she grabbed Sora, forcing her to the ground and pinning her.

"I have NO REASON to help you!" she hissed. "I have NOTHING LEFT!" her eyes lit up and bored into Sora's as a vison, no, a memory played before Sora's sight....

---

Colored light from a stained-glass window filled the halls as three people stood at the altar of an empty church; man in a tuxedo, a woman in a white bridal gown, and a priest. The woman at the altar was brought out of her thoughs by the man across from her.

"Abby? Is everything okay?" he asked, and the woman, Abby, looked away hesitantly.

"I just, don't know about this, I mean, is it even right?" she asked and the priest met her with a warm smile.

"While the irony isn't lost on me, it doesn't change a thing," the priest said and Abby tilted her head in confusion. "God extends his love and forgiveness to all who seek it as you did," he said and put his hand on her shoulder. "What your doing not only solidifies your resolve to leave your past self behind, but also that that you genuinely love Warren,"

Abby looked at the man, Warren, and tears began forming in her eyes. "You're right..." she smiled.

The priest closed the bible he was holding. "Then by the power vested in me by God and man, I pronounce you husband and wife. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder," the priest declared. "You may now kiss the bride," he finished, smiling.

Abby leaned in to kiss, but Warren stopped her. "Please, as you really are, Abyzou," he said.

Abyzou looked, hesitant, but her human visage changed into her real, slightly more demonic form, with her wings folded behind her and her elongated, serpentine body was coiled under the dress. After a moment's pause, Warren and Abyzou's lips met in a kiss. After they parted, the priest spoke.

"I wish the you the best of luck, wherever life takes you, as well as luck in your endeavors in what's coming," he said, looking down. Abyzou looked down herself, smiling while placing her hand on a very noticeable bulge in her belly. "I'm curious though, did you decide on a name?" he asked.

"Well, Warren and I were talking and we both decided on a name depending on whether it's a boy or a girl," Abyzou said. "If it's a girl, I decided to name her Tinaya,"

"And if it turns out to be a boy, I decided to name him after my grandfather," Warren said, earning a raised brow from the priest.

"You're really going to give him THAT name?" the priest said teasingly.

"I actually like that name," Abyzou said, looking down at her belly and stroking it with a loving smile. "Darryl..."

---

The memory faded from Sora's sight and the woman, Abyzou, fell beside her sobbing face-down. "Please, my husband and child are dead, just let me join them..." she said, but her pleas fell on deaf ears as Sora was in shock.

This woman, this demon, Lilith's prisoner...... was Darryl's mother!

(And the audience gasps! lol.)