Book 7, Chapter 59 - Dialogue From a Thousand Years Ago (2/2)

Cloudhawk suddenly called out to him. “Elder Belial, haven’t you realized that you can’t escape the gods on your own? You know there’s only one person on this planet that can help you get what you want.”

His words gave Belial pause. He understood the human’s point. You want to escape the encroaching battle? You want to leave this planet? With no way to get his hands on a spacecraft, the only one who could do what he wanted was Cloudhawk.

He had a talent no one else possessed. With the power and knowledge of the former Demon King, Cloudhawk could fold space and step onto other worlds on a whim. The phase stone allowed him to travel as he pleased to any place his predecessor had visited.

These other planets were far, far away from this doomed world. But to Cloudhawk, it was like stepping into the next room. In other words, he was the key to escaping this tomb. Perhaps the only one with the power. Even if the gods scoured the galaxy looking for defectors, finding any would be difficult.

Yes. Although Belial was loathe to admit it, Cloudhawk was the final straw he could cling to. He didn’t want to die, and if he wanted to survive he had to accept Cloudhawk’s help.

But that help didn’t come for free. In accepting, he would inevitably be drawn into this new war where the only outcome he could imagine was death. There was no solution, the end seemed written no matter which way he turned.

In Belial’s moment of reflection, Cloudhawk drove Godslayer through his wreath of flames. With an opening revealed he kicked the demon Elder square in the chest. He was about to follow up by trapping him in the subspace cube when he noticed a change. Cracks appeared all over Belial’s form, scrawling across him until his exploded!

Wholly exploded!

But in the midst of his shock, Cloudhawk’s keen eyes saw the pieces begin to reassemble. A hulking figure encased in dark armor was revealed. The Elder’s true demon form. Wings black as pitch extended from behind his shoulder blades, beating the air threateningly.

Cloudhawk scowled, cursing the monster’s stubborn nature.

Only before they could proceed, circumstances changed again. From overhead the rain of silvery metal continued to rain down, filling the chamber. The lake it created rippled slightly as the fluid all gathered toward a central point. It formed into a sort of screen.

Both Cloudhawk and Belial fixed their attention on it. What strange thing was this? A trap left behind by the gods?

Sounds emerged from the screen. It was both tinny and obscured. “Hello Cloudhawk. We finally meet.”

Cloudhawk was dumbstruck. The stranger was certainly polite, but how did he know his name?

Balial blanched. “The God King!”

Their ultimate enemy. It knew! It was poised to act! Their time had run out! Belial could feel the God King’s power accumulating around them. Soon their lives would be forfeit.

A metallic light extended from the screen. Like a spear it pierced through Belial’s defenses and into his body. It ran him through and into the sturdy crystals beyond.

What? Just one blow? He’s an Elder demon! Cloudhawk was still frozen in place when the voice came again, this time clearer.

“I think you and I should have a conversation.”

The Demon King’s successor scowled. “You’re the God King?”

From the screen came his response. “I am responsible for maintaining order in this galaxy, so I wear many names. God King is one of them. Don’t worry, we are a millennia apart. This is a message I am leaving you from a thousand years in your past.”

“You saw me a thousand years ago?” He asked.

“Indeed. I foresaw your arrival here and heard everything you said.” The screen began to shift, revealing a figure within the liquid metal. The being looked at Cloudhawk through the mirror. “I am able to extend myself from my time to yours so we can speak.”

Cloudhawk’s face had grown pale. He was face to face with the God King from a thousand years ago. A thousand years! Back when the God King came here to defeat his demonic counterpart.

Everyone knew the result of the Great War all those years ago. When the Demon King was defeated, the God King left this planet under the watchful eyes of the Supremes. Meanwhile the demons skittered into hiding, awaiting the day they might rise again. What they could not know was that the God King had seen it all – a thousand years in the future, this young human would rise.

So here they were, engrossed in a conversation a thousand years in the making. From generations ago the God King had struck out against the demon Elder Belial. Once again, Cloudhawk was shown that the God King’s power was far greater than he ever imagined.

1. What the fuuuuuuuck!