19 Chapter 19 - And So It Begins

At the venue, I was separated from the rest since I had one of the special tickets and I was placed at the front row, nearest to the stage with the other nine lucky contest winners. I looked around and most of them looked like they were dreaming, staring off, one even looked like she was about to faint.

Then I noticed one who was looking at me.

His eyes were the same color as mine, gray yet on him they projected the look of absolute authority. His face looked immaculate,the face of a cherub and his blonde hair was tied in a ponytail. He was wearing a white hoodie and blue pants.

I felt a strange sensation of being naked in front of him, it's as if he could see through me. It was uncomfortable. I tried to look away but I couldn't, he held my eyes. And before I knew it, everything went silent.

Time and all movements ceased. And the man in front of me, if he was a man, started to walk towards me. I tried to run but I felt frozen.

He was standing right in front of me and his eyes were glowing now, an ethereal white light that screamed of power.

"You are marked." His voice reverberated all around me, and once more I could hear the unquestionable authority in it.

I was trembling, terror seemed to override all of my senses.

"Why are you here?" He asked, his eyes still glowing with that strange light.

Finally I found my voice. "I'm just here t-t-to watch Caroline."

"Whose ward are you?" He asked again and this time I could see the look of contempt on his face.

Ward? Then I remembered Lucifer and Mephisto and this guy didn't give off the same aura which means he wasn't a demon. *If demons exist, don't tell me this guy is---?"

"I am Michael, the Archangel. And again I ask you, whose ward are you?" His voice was loud enough that I flinched, the echoes making my head ache.

Archangel Michael? This couldn't be happening, but who am I kidding. Ever since I signed that contract, strange things kept happening and now this.

I could see that I was in danger, though I couldn't explain why. Of course I knew why. I made a pact with a demon. No wonder I felt guilty under his gaze, I just swore fealty to his sworn enemy.

I was about to answer when I could hear something rip through the fabric of silence. Mephisto, appearing in the aftermath of shadows and darkness.

"He's my ward." He answered Michael with an icy stare and a mocking grin on his face. "What you gonna do about it?"

The archangel didn't look too bothered with Mephisto's appearance. On the contrary, he only looked as if this wasn't worth his time. "I do not know why you've sent someone like him here but I will end whatever it is that you are plotting to do."

Then a blinding light consumed every corner of the dome and I had to close my eyes. Mephisto on the other hand didn't flinch. However, I could see the look of apprehension on his face.

When the light was gone, the Archangel had changed form. He still had the same cherub's face though his blonde hair was no longer tied in a ponytail. It fell down to his waist and he was wearing an armor of white and gold, his wings were unlike those of birds for they were made of light and his eyes also projected the same light. In his hand,he held a sword of light and he was now staring at me and Mephisto and I felt so small, as if I was a bug, a thing that he could squash underneath his heel.

Mephisto looked unfazed though and he was still grinning, taunting the Archangel. "You sure you wanna do this?"

Then Mephisto transformed. His eyes glowed red, the suit he was wearing was replaced by armor, the color of black and crimson. And he held two daggers in his hand. I recognized one of them as it was the one he used to draw blood when we both signed the contract.

"You better pray we get through this." Mephisto muttered to me, his voice distorted, perhaps an aftereffect of his transformation, and he started laughing. "I haven't done this for a long time, let's find out if I still have it in me."

And Mephisto disappeared, I couldn't see it with my eyes. I couldn't perceive where he went. He was beside me then he was on Michael, wielding his daggers with deadly precision and movement. Yet as fast as he was, Michael was faster. I could hear the clashing of blades and the onslaught of Mephisto's attacks but Michael never moved where he stood, it seemed he was rooted to the ground. All of it was a blur, and then Mephisto crashed through a couple of people in the audience and to my surprise he went through them like a ghost. He flipped back on his feet and grimaced.

"You really are strong." He was still grinning at Michael who said nothing. It seemed he wasn't even threatened by Mephisto who disappeared once more. I couldn't see him until he was on Michael again and this time his attacks were even faster and more relentless. Then the archangel was blown away though he looked unharmed.

"There's really no hitting you." Mephisto looked annoyed. Then Michael made his move, the sword he wielded screamed of power and I felt it where I stood. He flew towards Mephisto who was caught unaware, and their blades danced. When the archangel was done, Mephisto was spouting black blood. The sword cut through his armor and I could see that he was losing. Michael never bothered to let him recover and he was on him again. I could hear Mephisto screaming with pain, something I never thought of, and through it all the onslaught of Michael's attacks. Finally Mephisto laid on the floor amongst the shades of the people within the arena, the black blood now forming a pool beneath his body. I realized that Michael meant to kill Mephisto and I could do nothing. I felt helpless, my despair for what's happening kept me motionless.

Michael stood on top of Mephisto's unmoving body and was about to finish him off. And I realized that I didn't want Mephisto gone, no, I didn't want him dead because as pathetic as it is he's the only friend I have, the only companion I have now and he will not be taken. Despair turned into something else, a dark looming shadow that overcame me and I could no longer see anything and then darkness.