First Demonic Dragon

This time, Bekka and Kanami were unable to pull Abaddon off of Percival.

His rage was like a great storm. It threatened to tear apart the fabric of the very world they stood on.

And Percival had some very mixed feelings about it.

He wanted to destroy the world with his own two hands and feet. It wasn't really a whole lot of fun if the world got destroyed when he wasn't the cause.

"...Careful there, old boy. You might just burst a blood vessel before you even manage to find out what I'm here for. I'd like to find the relics as quickly as possible without much fuss if I can-"

"RELICS!?"

Abaddon's roar was so loud that it crushed every headstone in the cemetery. It suddenly looked like a day at the beach with all the sand flying around.

His anger scared away all of the spirits still hanging around.

Now, it wasn't just the coffin that was catching on fire, or his clothes. The soil around them was starting to melt and turn into a molten hovel.

"You murdered my followers for trinkets and relics!?"

"Well, you just make it sound so frivolous... These little artifacts are highly valuable to me, I'll have you know? You can think of me as something of a fan collecting paraphernalia." Percival nodded.

Abaddon's teeth were growing too big for his mouth. His claws grew to a length that was greater than his fingers. His height began to return to it's usual imposing size.

"Percival… I swear that I will-"

"Ugh…!"

In the span of time that it took Abaddon to blink, Isaac's head was tumbling to the ground.

Kanami reached inside of his neck and yanked out a squirming, writhing organism.

Dark violet flame burst from her fingertips and caused the strange creature to let out a shriek.

It didn't even last a full minute underneath the heat of her flames.

"What are you doing?!" Abaddon snapped at her.

This wasn't the first time that Abaddon had yelled at his sister, but it was one of the few times she actually seemed bothered by it. She was only trying to help.

"I'm cutting this game of his short. We know what he's on earth for, so we don't need to keep torturing ourselves by listening to his drivel." she insisted.

Abaddon's searing eyes confirmed that he was still quite angry with his sister. Though it wasn't as if she didn't know that.

"You killed him." Abaddon accused.

"As painlessly as I knew how." Kanami insisted. "I freed him."

"We could have-"

"What? Gotten him back?? Stop just being mad at me and think for one damned second. You think that Percival was going to just give you back his soul? Have you sacrificed all of your rationality for power in such a short time!?"

"All that I have ever done is-"

"Stop it." Bekka pulled her husband's arm. "Your sister is right, just look at what you're doing for a second..."

Bekka gently tilted her husband's head upwards.

The sky above was dark red and ominous. The heat from this place could've burned a hole in the ozone layer.

But what was more surprising than what he had done was who he had attracted.

Three beings floated above the pit of molten sand.

Gaia, Shiva, and Asherah loomed over the three dragons with faces ranging from surprise to object confusion.

Gaia was even sporting a new mark on her forehead that looked dangerously close to a pimple. But if one looked close enough, it just seemed like she had a literal teeny tiny molten crater on her face.

At first, she seemed agitated or even upset by the fact that one of the people she lived with was giving her a case of chronic acne.

But her agitation quickly turned into a blush when she realized that Abaddon had burned his clothes off and was completely naked within the pit.

It wasn't long before her nose was bleeding, and a creepy smile had formed along her face.

"Know what? Totally worth it."

Bekka appeared out of the pit and punched her hard enough in the nose to send her head flying.

Abaddon crawled out of the pit with his eyes lacking their usual warmth. This was the first time that Shiva had seen him greet them in such a way, but for Asherah, things were different.

Seeing him like this brought back some very upsetting memories for her.

"What happened here..?" Asherah asked innocently.

"Are you aware of just how often I'm showing up to find you out of control lately?" The genuine concern in Shiva's voice was not something that escaped Abaddon's notice.

Abaddon grumbled to himself as he materialized a black skirt to cover his modesty. His horns sprouted from his head as his teeth and claws returned to normal.

"Percival's forces are on Earth." Abaddon revealed. "He's been using demons to murder my disciples."

"He's what...?" Shiva's face showed clear surprise and shock.

He had been on earth this entire time, but not once had he noticed the presence of any demonic forces.

Asherah was just as concerned. "Why would he be after your disciples?"

"For my relics." Abaddon said venomously.

"Relics?" Shiva raised a brow. "You left relics behind when you left Earth the first time? You never mentioned it before."

Abbaddon fell silent, and Bekka swooped in to provide clarification. "They were gifts left behind for a select few members of the tribe. Abaddon, Malenia, and Kanami couldn't bless the people directly, so they did the next best thing."

"They're hardly anything earth-shattering though..." Kanami added as she picked up poor sleeping Isaac from the ground. "Especially when you compare them to things from home. Hephaestus could make something better in his sleep."

Shiva nodded slowly. No wonder nobody else in the heavens knew about the relics. They weren't of any real significance aside from their maker.

"Do either of you know where they are?" He asked the siblings.

"Not exactly, but we can track them." Abaddon held out his hand and opened a portal.

"It'll be faster if we split up." Kanami opened her own not long after.

Both siblings left without saying another word to each other. Leaving Bekka standing there, feeling more than a bit exhausted.

A look was exchanged between Shiva and Asherah.

"...Abaddon does not seem... balanced." Shiva said carefully.

Bekka could only sigh as she held her head in her hand. "He's just... blaming himself for things beyond his control again. You know his attachment to these people can't be overstated."

Shiva waved his hand over the sky and returned it to normal. He also passively altered the memories of anyone in their nearby vicinity.

"Yes, but as of late, he has been quicker to wrath. It's concerning, frankly."

Bekka bit her lip. She already knew Shiva was right.

Things had definitely been escalating recently, and her husband's mental status had taken a turn for the worse. There were numerous factors behind it.

But the longer that things went on, the more that Bekka silently craved an end to the entire circus.

Maybe after Percival was dealt with, it would finally be time for them to walk away for good.

"Just make sure that you and the girls stay at his side, alright?" Asherah asked sincerely.

She shuddered to think of just how far Percival could push Abaddon before something drastic occurred.

-

Abaddon no longer had the presence of mind for blending in.

Rather than reverting to his human appearance, he instead decided to block mortal perception of himself entirely.

On the other side of the world, night had already fallen.

A rip in space appeared in the middle of an empty museum.

Abaddon stepped through the opening with a glaring look of hatred on his face.

In the darkness, the glow of his eyes was the only source of illumination.

The only sound was of Abaddon's bare feet tapping against the polished museum floors.

He found the exhibit that he was looking for fairly quickly.

There was a display case with many items inside- all of South African origin.

Among them were a pair of clay disks, a little bit smaller than the size of an adult's palm.

Both disks bore an insignia of an empire long dead. Unrecognizable to over 98% of the world's population.

The longer he looked at the plates, the more complicated Abaddon's expression became.

His rage melted into sadness. He placed his hand over the glass and closed his eyes.

With the world so quiet, he could easily hear the echoes that sounded like the voice of a young man thrilled to receive them.

"…You left me behind."

Abaddon felt a hand get placed over his own.

When he opened his eyes again, he found Bekka standing next to him while wearing a worried look.

It was sad, but up until now, Abaddon hadn't thought that much about the toll his actions were taking on Bekka and how she might've seen him.

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely.

Bekka seemed not to need the apology as she smirked at him.

"Apology accepted, but… let's talk for a minute, okay?"