Chapter 1

Part 5: The Darkest Day

Chapter 1

 Several days after the events on what people call ‘Hell on Earth’ earth. The day known when many lives perished from the demons of hells, sent by Dervish himself to destroy what Matius calls home. On that day people became witness to an inevitable end. Matius however has other plans, with Lemionas they both travelled to the wildlands themselves, where Dervish was waiting.  With their combined efforts Dervish and his army were finally defeated, at a cost.
  To save earth Matius sacrificed his life so Dervish, could be stopped, as for earth? They see Matius as their saviour on that day. When he arrived on earth he was rejected, hated by society and was left to die on a dark rainy night.  Now he is praised, because when everything was in the balance. He gave a miracle. Even to this day people still visit his memorial and those that fell on that day.
   Since those events the people of the world  are still recovering from those events, losing loved ones, watching their homes destroyed, wishing for something incredible once more to happen in their lives. Eva herself still carries those memories, for she was the first who looked to Matius. Now she is at University, living on the outskirts with grandmother near London.

On one summer day, the sunlight shines through an open window, the sound of birds greeting the sun with kind. Inside the bedroom is Eva lying on her pink bed. Several Perfumes and nail varnish are littered on the floor with the several magazines that Eva collects every week. Stuck on her walls are posters of Johnny Depp and a poster of Blink 182. On her desk is her silver mirror, one which her mother bought her along with ornamental objects, given to her by her Grandmother. Since Matius’s sacrifice Eva has felt a little lost in her life, nothing seems interesting anymore.
  Eva opens her eyes in a daze and leans back along her bed lazily looking up at her ceiling, worried. Something doesn’t seem right in her mind. She turns over looking at her wall seeing newspaper cuttings that she’s collected placed across like notes, each one with photographs of Matius. Her eyes focus onto one in particular, when she had her second encounter with him. When she first saw him she was scared and afraid. The next time she saw him for what he truly was. Now everyone sees him for what he really is, a stranger with good intentions. She takes the newspaper cutting from the wall and looks at it. Her eyes turn watery, bringing back the memories. She remembers that night when he saved her life, they became good friends and since then have always stood side by side. Her parents knew about him and were against the idea. Worried about gaining unwanted attention She lies back down on the bed unsettled and thinks, “Where are you?"

 On hell Ivan remains on the throne, sitting in silence. After Dervish’s defeat he took up the throne to put order back into place.  Several of Dervish’s men have been imprisoned under Ivan’s orders; they find it hard to believe that Dervish could be defeated. Mind you Ivan himself doesn’t believe it. How could  that Matius defeat Dervish like that? It just didn’t seem possible, it was uncanny. “Is something on your mind sire?” One of his servants asks.  “Yes, I wonder how this man, Matius was able to beat my brother”, Ivan questions in though, “It doesn’t make sense”.
  His servant notices Ivan’s uncertainty reflecting on it. “Maybe Dervish wasn’t defeated, maybe he’s still alive just waiting for the right time to strike?”, his soldier contemplates. “No that’s out of the question”, Ivan dismisses,  “Witnesses saw both Dervish and Matius die in the explosion”. His servant looks at him once more before heading away from Ivan.  Ivan watches his servant leave the throne room before thinking to himself.

Matius or whoever you are thank you.

 Somewhere Matius finds he has regained consciousness. Slowly, he opens his eyelids and finds himself blinded by sudden bright light. In reaction he squints, covering his eyes, the light burns. After several seconds he soon adjusts to his surroundings, opening his eyes fully. Relieved he lowers his hands down, noticing everything around him is white, the walls ceiling, everything. He looks down noticing there are no shadows cast beside him. Cautiously he puts his hand down besides his leg, only finding he is sitting on nothing.

 "So you've come around". Matius instinctively looks to his right and sees a familiar figure. Dervish is sitting opposite of him, the body made of all the people he’s killed. Dervish’s eye sockets instantly fix on Matius, surely raging inside. This triggers Matius’s memory of their fight in Hell, his power and ruthlessness, how he ripped of his wings. Scared, Matius tries hard not to look at him. Accidentally he notices that Dervish’s body is far weaker than it once was; bits of ash seem weak as if he could fall apart any second. Thinking this, small pieces start to break away and crumble, dispersing as they land on the floor. Matius remains silent as Dervish glances towards him.

 "I cannot believe you did that", Dervish announces in a weak, cold voice, “You killed us…you idiot and for what? For these humans, that you call friends? Don’t make me laugh!!” Slowly lifting his head, looking directly up at Matius. “I should have killed you when I had the chance!”. Suddenly, in a split-second, Dervish leaps towards Matius. His hands of black ash are within centimetres of Matius’s face when they violently impact against an invisible wall. Making Matius back away in reaction. Dervish’s hands remain outstretched before he weakly puts them down, scraping against the wall in annoyance. Matius looks at him, "Well you’re the one that got me in this mess in the first place! I’m the one that should be mad!” Dervish’s face shakes in anger, before calming himself.
  “Just where the hell are we anyway?”, Matius questions somewhat puzzled looking at his surroundings. Dervish glances over at Matius in anger. Rubbing his arm in ignorance, frustrating Matius. “Hey I’m talking to you!”, Matius asks demandingly, “Why are you here? And what is this place?". Dervish looks up slowly, scowling at Matius, "Don’t you know? This place is where one’s soul gets judged by the creator himself”.  “I’ve heard stories about this place”, Matius utters, “A place where your soul goes to be given judgment”. “This is that place”, Dervish states, “although I didn’t expect myself to be here so soon”.  He pauses in thought; small pieces of ash disintegrate from his face. "If you are judged good, you will go to heaven. If you are evil, you will perish in hell”. Dervish closes his white-pupiled eyes; leaning back, smoke billows from him, "However for people like us and heaven, there is an exception. Those who die return to the creator becoming one with him”. Matius listens in interest, “so what happens to someone like you?” Dervish pauses closing his eyes, “me? I’d join the many of those damned in the underworld. Where no light or sound can reach, a place for the most dangerous of souls”.

 Dervish arrogant of his defeat ignores Matius and focuses his attention elsewhere. Noticing something about his arm, he looks back down at it, watching it eyes fixed like an eagle's stare.  “Don’t think I’ll give in so willingly. I swear if I get out of here, I will make you pay! You and Earth! For embarrassing and humiliating me!", Dervish exclaims, in a morbid tone. With such delicacy he reaches, breaking off a part of his arm and watches it disintegrates into flakes of ash. He looks up into the air in desperation, "My body is dying, I need more…", he mutters to himself slightly angered, still looking at his arm. His voice rises. “This place will not hold me, I WILL be free!." Matius turns to looks at Dervish . "Look you monster! I don't care what’s happening to you. You deserve everything you get! You ruined my life and now we’re both trapped here. Forever!" As Dervish hears these words his face turns nasty, revealing the face of the monster within. Slowly he turns towards Matius smiling sinisterly, black smoke pours forth from his body. The smoke flickering, "Watch me."
   Then Dervish’s body starts to break apart turning into thick dense smoke. It comes alive circling in his invisible cell, trying to find a weak spot. Matius can only watch in horror, banging his hands against the invisible walls that hold him. Matius starts to panic; “If he escapes he'll start killing everyone!” In Dervish’s cell the ash smoke starts to fill the cell, pressing against the invisible walls, which start to weaken. Hairline fractures spread across the cell. Dark, thick smoke pours through the cracks. Out of the cell the smoke glides slowly taking the shape of Dervish.

Unleashed from his cell, Dervish’s feet casually tread the floor, blackening it as he makes his way down the corridor. Matius can only watch in horror, still trapped banging against the invisible walls.  As Dervish walks casually down the hall, Parts of him reform, the smoke filling in the gaps left, rebuilding him. Matius can only watch, Dervish turning a corner. Completely ignoring Matius, Dervish enters a new room.
  The room itself is a large low area, with orbs in rows upon rows. Each orb is in different colours, shimmering randomly; on closer expectation it shows people’s lives of old and new. Dervish takes in all the beauty and heads across the large room hearing the different voices; talking, shouting, crying and laughing. He continues walking, in no rush. Smoke billows behind him. He glares at the globes, looking at all these lives of these humans. Thinking how he could easily tear their spirits apart, it would be fitting as revenge. He stops in his tracks hearing someone mention Matius’s alias. Dervish turns his head with interest and sees inside the orb of light seeing a boy in his bedroom talking about Matius. Dervish approaches the soul, eyeing it with deadly intentions; a smile spreads across his face. Lowering his head he reaches for it, his arm breaks away piece by piece, entering the boy’s very soul, blackening it by his touch.

 Matius meanwhile tries to use brute strength, slamming his hands against the walls with no success. In frustration he kicks out at the wall. Before getting to his sense. He calms himself down in his cell and closes his eyes, concentrating on his energy. Reaching from within to call upon the power of his being, he begins to emit a blue glow, steadily getting lager. The power of the glow expands inside the cell, increasing the intensity, Matius’s head starts to sweat. After a while cracks start to form, getting larger as the intensity increases. With the strain of energy inside, the cell gives way. Matius rushes from the cell and down the corridor. "Please, don't let me be too late." he thinks to himself, bolting down the corner to the room filled with souls. Ahead he sees Dervish who’s eyes turn towards Matius. In desperation Matius makes a desperate grasp for him. At that moment, he dissipates into smoke, seeping into the orb. The boy’s soul becomes blacker and darker from Dervish’s spirit. In frustration Matius collapses onto this knees and screams. Trapped with no means of escape.