The Confrontation

"But you would've included me in what is our life and our future," she replied, but she was done fighting. She hated what he had to do, but as he made his case she found herself understanding his reasoning more and more. The mention of Simeon as well as more cruel things made her swallow, nodding as she understood. Her only problem was if other people would too? What would her family not say? And what would Saoirse not think of her parents? Feeling him cup her face, she could finally feel him, feel that it was the real him she was talking to and not some deranged man. "At least make the next souls you consume be volunteers," she whispered, closing her eyes as she knew this was the nature of a daemon, but it just seemed so barbaric.
"Are you even sure there'll be a life for us after this? And if so, how do you know?" she asked. She hadn't had any visions, everything was just black. She felt like she was broken, that her being away for so long had made her out of sync with the world around her.

Touching her face was definitely something he actually thought he wouldnt have gotten the chance to do again. Was it so weird that he only felt more compelled to continue this gruesome path by that? "I promise," he said, holding his hand over hers that he had placed over his heart. Listening to her questions, he frowned and gave her hand a soft squeeze. "You're here with me now. I dont need any other reassurance than that," he said. But then he seemed to think about it, looking away for a bit while he tried to piece some clues together. Only there was a lot of blank spaces that he wasnt completely sure what to do with. "When did you stop having dreams?" he asked, if she could even remember that with everything that had happened inbetween. He then seemed to remember something, looking at her chest before he carefully reached out and placed it over her heart. Mumbling a few daemonic words, he felt his own artifact light up, but he wanted to see if hers reacted too.

She could feel his heart beat, and it was as if it was calming her much better than any soothing words. His words didn't show her that he was certain about it all, but the fact that he had hope had to count for something, right? However his next words made her confused, because it felt like he had read her thoughts. Even though she knew he hadn't. He reached forward, her jaw dropping as if to say something, but then he spoke such an ancient language, but for once it was as if she understood. Closing her eyes, her chest moved almost by itself, something glowing behind her ribcage. Finally she opened her eyes, the flames looking more like white lightning that kept spreading within her eyes.
"Belial?" she mumbled, unsure what was going on, but she felt so warm. Like her body was burning up from a fever, and yet she wasn't scared. Her hand over his heart turned into a fist, trying to contain the energy within her. "I'm scared," she pleaded, not understanding what was going on.

Seeing the glow in her chest was all that he needed to know. He looked at her, still holding his hand over her ribcage. Looking into her eyes, he was also trying to understand what it was that was happening to her. Only that this was a first. A fenix with an unholy artifact lodged in her chest, keeping her alive and breathing when she should have died. "Dont be scared, I'm right here with you, my light" he said, taking her fist into his hand that wasnt on her chest, lifting it up to his mouth to kiss it. "Listen to it. What is it telling you? It wants something, what is it?" he asked, wanting her to feel like she wasnt alone, that he would be by her side. As curious as he was about what it was that was happening to her, it wasnt something he wanted if it meant she would be hurting.

This had never happened before. Artifacts of this nature were not meant for mortal consumption, and yet here she was, still alive, but a change was happening within her. He tried to reassure her, but the burning sensation felt almost overwhelming, making her groan in pain, shaking a little though she was warmer than ever. "Darkness," she whispered, her breath haltering as she felt herself get lightheaded from it all. It was clear things were changing rapidly, even her hair started to look like it had shining strands in it. The artifact had been latched on to her soul for a long time now, but only now with Baal's chant it seemed to react.
"It hurts," she pleaded, feeling like her insides were being twisted. Her eyes looked around, her eyes filled with light at this point, almost as if flames were coming out and licking the sides of her skull. "Make it stop ... Please," she begged before finally her body gave in and passed out.

He could feel her panic but he was unable to do anything than just stand there and feel how she was warming up and in pain. Hadnt he been so oddly detached from his feelings now, he would have probably panicked with her but he remained calm and collected, watching her as she changed before his eyes. Unsure what it really was that was happening to her, he kissed her fist again. "I know," he said, knowing how painful it had been for him the first time his artifact made his marks flare up. The way her eyes seemed to be nothing but light he had to look away, gritting his teeth a little as he wanted to help her. He felt her fall away from his hand and he tightened his grip on her hand as he pulled her in rather than letting her fall to the floor. Lifting her up he had so many questions about what just happened, but there was no one to answer them. Placing her on what seemed to be a replica of the altar in the temple, he went and gathered some scraps of clothes to place under her head like a pillow.
"If I'm not here when you wake, know that I am close by," he whispered to her as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. It felt like it was burning. He couldnt go just yet. Walking over to the door he asked the cultists outside to fetch him a bowl of water and a rug. Seeing one of the cultists with a hairband, he asked for that as well. Coming back to her, he took the curls that would be getting in his face and tied a loose bun around the back of his head. He grabbed the wet rug and started cleaning her face carefully, looking at her ragged clothes for a second.

It was as if for the first time in a long time she could dream. But her dreams felt more fluid than usually. She was walking down a glowing pathway, darkness all around her, and yet she wasn't scared. It felt like she was searching for something, but what it was had yet to disclose itself. It felt like she wandered forever, the glowing pathway never thinning out, until she met a crossroads. Two directions, two choices, two lives. Looking down each, she knew they were vastly different.
One she saw herself return back to her consciousness as the fenix she was born to be. A short life still hanging over her head. She saw her daughter cry at her early grave, she saw her future husband swearing at the gods and losing faith in everything they had built.
However as she looked down the other path she could take it was just empty. She would die now if she chose this path. Frowning she shook her head. This couldn't be her only option, she had just gotten back, and she was determined to solve whatever hardships Baal needed help with. That was when the pathway broke away beneath her, splintering like glass as she fell in to the surrounding darkness. This was it, wasn't it? The darkness would swallow her and she wouldn't even had made that choice herself. No! This was not how it ended! And with that thought her body was surrounded by light, scaring away the darkness around her. It cowered at the light, slicking up and away from her. She could feel her soul changing as well as her body.
For each time the water touched her skin, it was quickly evaporating. If Baal looked on her back to her fenix mark, he would see how it was slowly burning away, almost dissolving in to her skin.

He was hoping he could help her cool down, not that he worried about the heat as she after all was a fenix for all he knew. But something just seemed out of order and that was the artifact inside of her. He decided to strip her off the rag, and it was then he noticed the mark was dissolving, which made him frown as he carefully touched it. She was so warm, he could feel his fingertips hurt from the contact on her skin. He blinked a few times before he started shaking his head. "Dont tell me you're about to move on" he said, placing a hand over the artifact in her chest even if his hand felt like it was being boiled. He had to feel if it was killing her and releasing it's dark energy inside of her.

A young daemon entered the room where Baal and Buffy were located, there to come with a new bowl and fresh towels as well as clean clothes for the fenix. He stopped, frowning as he looked at the whole ordeal. "Is this really happening?" he asked carefully, trying not to be too forthcoming, but he had heard about the powers of daemonic artifacts. However the way the fenix seemed to change was so far from anything he had ever read. "Master, should I bring in our infected kin?" he asked hesitantly.

Buffy was burning up, but her stubbornness was as always a key factor in keeping her alive. She looked around the void, the light engulfing her, whispering stories of long ago, telling her of the artifact she had, what it could do for her if she gave in. And she gave in, finishing the merge with the artifact completely and sealing her fate.
She awoke on the table, her flames no more, but in it's place it looked almost like a thunderstorm, gasping for air as she sat up. She was shaken still, running her fingers through her hair to calm her down as if it was her awakening from a nightmare. But that was when she noticed just how warm she felt. She had never felt heat like this, never as a constantly cold fenix. Turning her head slowly, she looked at Baal, her chest still glowing, the light travelling under her skin like lightning strikes. "Belial," she murmured softly, reaching out to touch him. She was still warm, but she wouldn't scold him or hurt him. "Do you think I could get a glass of water? I feel so thirsty."

As the young daemon entered, Baal frowned at his words while he looked at Buffy. Sighing in contemplation he simply nodded and allowed it, unsure what it was meant to do. But then again, cultists like these always seemed have some hidden information that the temples had kept locked away for eternity. He just stood there and watched the love of his life lay there, changing into something that he didnt know. But he just had a feeling that she wasnt going to burn up and disappear. He didnt know why, it was just a feeling in his chest, like something was assuring him that it was temporary.
As she woke, he noticed the change in her eyes, frowning a little as nothing really made sense. The light moving around her chest also just seemed like something he had never seen before. She spoke his name and he took the hand she reached out with, nodding at her request. "I'll make sure someone brings something," he said before he called out for a daemon, asking them to bring her the water she needed. He noticed how the daemon was staring at her before finally walking off, looking back at her with searching eyes. "Do you know what has happened to you?" he asked, she had to know or at least have a hunch.

The young daemon hurried off as the woman woke up. Buffy felt his hand in hers, feeling contempt, smiling slightly as she just looked at him. It was a strange feeling she had inside, and she couldn't really put words to it. As the daemons left once more she swung her legs carefully over the edge of the altar, but still remaining seated, mostly because she didn't trust her legs yet. There was definitely something different about her. His question was valid, but she sat for a while in silence as she thought about it all. "I am not really sure, but I feel warm like I've never felt before," she said, looking at their hands. Hers had always been cold and somehow she always managed to shiver even on warm days. Now she was warm, with a certain electricity to her skin.
The daemons returned with the water shortly, handing it to Baal who passed it on to her, taking it with her free hand. She gulped down the water quickly. It was a lot of fluid, even for her. Placing the glass down beside her she gasped for air, but she didn't feel quenched. Her eyes looked to the daemon who had brought in the water. She was rather young, and Buffy thought she was way too young to be in a cult, even less so be infected as she was.
Buffy got up to her feet, her stance a little questionable, but she at least held her balance. Reaching the girl, she placed a finger on the girls ribs over her heart, leaning down to her. Without saying anything, Buffy's eyes started to glow once more, however this time a more pleasant one. Her chants were like a soft song or a whisper and the girl looked on rather surprised as light started glowing under her skin. Buffy took a step back, still dizzy from everything that had happened, leaning against Baal as she heaved for air. The girl on the other hand had had a dark infection that had hurt most of her body, however slowly but surely, the infection seemed to burn away beneath the girls skin. It was clear it wasn't pleasant, but neither was the infection.

He hadnt expected her to drink all of the water but down it went. She didnt really sound satisfied, at least not like someone who had just downed a whole glass of water in a go. He hummed quietly to himself as he also noticed the infection in the girl. It was too severe for him to do anything. Raziela had still had parts of herself that hadnt been completely absorbed yet and that had been partly why Baal had been able to just suck the infection out of her with a grip. If he did it to these daemons who were beyond recovery, they would die. But he watched Buffy approach the girl and then touch her. Seeing her light up as she chanted made him frown a little confused but then it seemed that the infection was slowly leaving the girl, burned away by whatever Buffy had done to her.
"My love..." he said, unable to hide the surprise from his tone but his face was relatively calm, if not looking disconcert about the situation. Was it the artifact's doing? Sighing he reached over and pulled her in for a hug. "It's time for me to go now," he said, looking down at her. "You can come along, but you will not like what you're about to see," he assured her, letting her decide rather than telling her what to do.

The girl looked at the former fenix with amazement in her eyes, thanking her over and over as she left the room with her head bowed. Buffy looked at Baal, her eyes filled with clouds of wild thunder. "I'll follow you everywhere," she said rather seriously, placing a hand against his cheek. They still hadn't kissed since their reunion, but she felt like she couldn't go another second without feeling his lips. She leaned in carefully, hoping he wasn't going to deny her this simple pleasure. Her lips moved carefully, as if she was kissing him for the first time. And it sort of did feel like the first time. It felt like her skin was on fire once more, but it wasn't hurting him, rather it was engulfing him in her heat.
Her small peck turned in to a more tender kiss, her eyes closed and her face relaxed. She just had to have that small sweet moment before she had to face the horrors of the world. And yet with her change it seemed like she understood more. She could see for her very eyes what Baal was talking about when he spoke about change. He had said that she might never understand, but for the first time she felt like she saw it all so clearly. "Ani ohev otakh nasikh ha'ofel," (I love you my prince of darkness) she whispered, her eyes glowing slightly as she spoke the ancient language of daemons.

He leaned into her touch, his eyes softening a bit. It was limited how much of fond emotions he could show in his current state, but she would know anyway with the bond they shared. He could feel the warmth in her hands and as she leaned in, he wasnt going to deny her. Placing his hands on her lower back, he welcomed her lips, though it felt so different and yet so familiar. It wasnt a bad thing, because he knew it was her and that was all that mattered to him. Wrapping his arms around her, he returned her tender kiss, closing his eyes and giving into the sweetness of the moment for just a bit. He had said it himself, he was free, he could do whatever he wanted from this point out.
Her whisper made him raise his eyebrows in a small twitch of surprise. Humming he smiled softly at her hugging her close. "You speak such sweet words, my light," he remarked, holding her close for a little longer and then letting go, but he grabbed her hand, entangling their fingers. Leading her with him out, he went to where the cultists had had their gathering, stopping at the leader. "Have you sent out for her?" he asked. The leader nodded. "We have reached the Aelius girl," he assured him. "And she said?" - "She will help you in the capture of Raziela Aelius, blood of Bael," - "Thank you," - "Anything for the daemon that can give us freedom," the leader said with a bow. Baal didnt seem to react to the gesture but just took Buffy with him as he went outside. "This place will keep you safe, if anything happens," he assured her as they walked towards the exit.

She knew they couldn't linger much longer, but she wanted to at least say what she wanted before heading out. The daemons of the cult seemed to stare at her as she realized her clothes seemed burnt around the edges that had touched her skin. However she barely batted an eye about it as she heard the leader speak. The Aelius girl? Had Raziela's sister turned on her in these last minutes? She decided not to say anything, remaining silent as something was stirring inside of her. It was almost an entitlement, moving ahead and trying to ignore it he spoke of keeping her safe. "I am capable of protecting myself now," she said, her eyes glowing slightly at the sentiment. However she felt like she kept hearing whispers in the back of her mind.
She followed Baal as they headed out to meet this so called Aelius girl, or that was what she presumed they were to do. The streets were filled with black spots where people had used to be. "We need to hurry with this plan; So many souls are losing themselves and their sense of where to go ... The Abyssus is overflowing with lost souls at this point," she said, holding his hand in her own.

As she said she could protect herself now, he eyed her for a moment and then smiled and nodded, "Yes, you're right, you are," he said. Truth be told, he wouldnt be surprised if she was stronger than him in this moment. He could sense the power within her and her part of the artifact. As they walked outside, he noticed the black spots too, but it didnt really seem to bother him. "They will come out from the pillar when they find the way," he just said, keeping his eyes ahead. "Sure it's not favourable, but they will be far less of an issue than the souls that have waited centuries for a chance at freedom," he remarked. "Do you pity them?" he asked, eyeing her as they walked.

"If they find a way," she muttered. For some reason she had a hard time imagining those poor souls finding their way to the pillar, and even less of a chance of them actually moving through the barrier. His question made her shrug. [color=#9370DB]"I feel saddened that they had to suffer while dying ... I've always hoped for a peaceful death when it was my time,"[color] she confessed. She wanted to save those poor souls who were affected by all of this. Could she have saved some with her newfound change? She wasn't sure, but then again part of her knew she could, if only she could learn to manage it.
"I guess right now my thoughts are with our daughter ... I miss her so much and once this is all over I want us to start living for real," she said in a more serious manner. Her stubbornness had matured, becoming more akin to that of strong determination. "Without the threat of Simeon or any other Aelius we can start anew."

"They will," he assured her, giving her hand a squeeze. Even if he had to make them do it himself, he would make sure that most of them would find the way. And it may be possible if the artifact could attract the dark souls, he only had to figure out how. As she explained her feelings about it he hummed and sighed. He wished he had some sort of words of comfort or something that would put her mind at ease, but he didnt want to lie. And all in all, they could only really hope that in the end he hadnt sacrificed so many innocent souls for nothing.
"Once Simeon's soul has been destroyed, we'll be sure that our daughter is safe. And when the daemons are freed, no one will care about her daemonic and seraphim genes," he said, quite certain of his words. "But that does require sacrifice and losses for people that will remain strangers to us," he explained. As they reached the meeting spot, he looked at Buffy. "It has been said that she has lost an eye. I dont think it makes her less dangerous," he said, looking around for a bit to see if they had been followed.

"As long as she is safe," she said. She was not one to hurt innocent people, but perhaps she could rectify their actions later on, or at least she hoped so. Standing at the meeting place she looked around, feeling the place rather dark with shadows. Giving his hand a squeeze, she sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder as they were simply standing here and waiting anyways. "Belial, your name ... How was it you got it?" she asked, maube just to pass her time but also to hear more of his past. She wanted to be a part of his life as much as she could, and it seemed that in this state he was more willing to talk about the past.

He nodded in agreement. There was nothing he wanted more than to let Saoirse be able to live life the way she wanted to. Never having to worry whether there was someone who wished to hurt her. Maybe the Aelius girl could help them find both Simeon and Raziela. Put an end to the madness. He let her lean her head onto his shoulder, leaning down to place his nose into her hair. She still smelt just like lavender. The question made him sigh as he rubbed his nose a little against her scalp. Leaning away, he looked down at her. "Well I had no name when I grew up. So for the priests in the temple, when I was chosen by Bael to become a summoner, they are the ones that choose the name. Seeing that I had had no real significance in life up until that moment, they chose Belial," he explained, whereas he normally would have seemed uncomfortable or even angry at the memory, he barely reacted to it now. As if he had just accepted it. Turning his head, he saw a shadow approach them.

Elora was sure this was the right thing to do. Raziela wasnt going to do it herself, she just needed a push in the right direction before things were going to get too dangerous with Simeon. Meeting with Baal was a risky move, from what they knew about the summoner, he should have been hating them all for what they did to his lover, for all the hurting they had caused her. But it was also time to owe up to all the shit she had done just because someone told her to. She had started with James and now the list had to go on. She noticed he wasnt alone, seeing the fenix next to him. No, she had a different energy flowing around her now. Taking her hood down so they could recognize her, she looked towards them with her remaining eye. "Belial, son of Bael?" she called, as she had never really met him before.

Nodding slowly as to not disturb her head and the way it leaned against his shoulder she simply listened. It was interesting. Not because she thought his name was fitting, as he meant everything to her, but just hearing about it was enough to understand somewhat his past. "When I was in the dark I heard a name," she said softly, but it was clear she wasn't sure what to make of it yet. And she didn't have much time to ponder over it as a person stepped forward from the shadows. The hood was dropped and instinctively Buffy stood up straight, standing a little in front of Baal. "That's close enough," she warned the daemon.
She could still remember the excruciating vision she had had when looking in to the woman's eyes, and she was not going to let her hurt Baal. Not on her watch. "State what you know," keeping it to the point might be the safest option right now. She didn't trust the daemon.

A name? He didnt have the time to ask as Elora was approaching them. As she asked about him, he sighed and his eyes hardened. "It's Baal," he corrected her. He noticed the bandage on the girl's eye, but he wasnt feeling remorseful towards her. Whatever had happened was none of their business. He noticed Buffy's protective stance as she went a little in front, ordering the daemoness to not get any closer. Looking back at Elora, he awaited just like Buffy, to hear what it was that was on her mind.

"Baal it is then," she said in a quiet tone. As the fenix stood forward as assertive as she did, Elora simply stopped and kept her eyes down at the ground. She knew she was dangerous and the last thing she actually wanted as of late was to hurt someone. She wanted it all to stop, the endless circles that she saw happening in front of her. "Simeon has taken my eye and put it in his new body. I have a description of him here so you're warned," she explained as she pulled out a rolled up paper with a band on it. Leaning down she picked up a rock and placed inside of it before putting it on the ground, hoping the rock would stop the wind from moving it.
"I also know where Raziela is currently residing. She will be the only person who can trick Simeon into whatever plan you figure out," she said, frowning a little as she lifted a hand to the bandage on her eye. "The only thin I ask, is that you make sure he never returns," she said. It probably sounded odd, wanting her own family, her blood to just disappear.