Two

Zane stirred in bed, slowly opening his eyes. It took way too long to realize he wasn't in his own bed. It was much too big. It trumped even a king sized and was way too nice and comfy. He sat up quickly when Mikalia came into the room and saw he was up.

"Oh, you're up?" She says nervously. "Okay, I was hoping I had time to psych myself up a little more."

"What's...going on here? Better yet... where is here?"

"Oh, this is my room... which is in hell." Her smile held an unsure overtone instead of its cheerful innocence.

"Uh huh. Hell. Right." The were several uninterrupted seconds of silence before it hit him. "WHAT!?"

"Shhhhh." Mikalia tackles him, covering his mouth with her hands. "You have to keep it down."

He nodded and she removed her hands. "H-how did I end up in hell. No before that how am I dead. Did I die in my sleep?" Zane started rapid firing multiple questions.

Mikalia took hold of him placing her hands comfortingly on his shoulders. "Relax you're not dead. And you're here cause my father brought you here."

"Father?" Zane swallowed not liking the ideas popping into his skull.

"I hope you don't intend to do anything obscene to my daughter until you've earned the right to wed her."

As if on cue, he walks in with pale sapphire skin. His iris glowed a violent orange. The horns protruding from his hairless scalp and the demonic tattoos etched down his face where all Zane could focus on.

His eyes lingered on the two of them. Mikalia was mounted on Zane's lap with her hands familiarly on his shoulders all the while he laid flat on his back. Her skirt had ridden up above her waist showing her strawberry printed panties and he was only wearing boxer shorts and socks.

Mikalia jumped up quickly and fixed herself. "Father this is Zane. And this is the man I wish to marry."

He glared down at Zane. "You wish to be betrothed to my daughter?"

Zane still stuck on the inhuman figure before him, looked to Mikalia who was coaching him to say yes.

"Honestly everything kinda moving too fast. I've no idea what's happening."

He smiled showing a set of razor-sharp teeth. "You stand before the king of hell and dare hesitate to take my daughter's hand in marriage?"

"Maybe I should devour him, my lord." A red, winged demon made his presence known inching closer to Zane. The entirety of his eyes a midnight black.

Mikalia cut off his advance her eyes burning orange like her father's. "Don't you dare."

"Beelzebub. Stand down." Mikalia's father ordered.

"With all due respect sir, I am the only one fit to be a suitor for the next ruler of Hell. Not some weak human. You must see reason even if she does not."

"I'll marry no one but him!" Mikalia's eyes burned even brighter.

"Enough!" Her father's voice bombed through the walls of the large room. He then spoke directly to Zane. "Boy. For whatever reason, my daughter has latched on to you. However, only one with true power can be permitted to stand above the rest. Prove yourself worthy and my daughter is yours. Fail and you shall die by my hands."

"Father!" Mikalia interjected but was quelled by the simple act her father raising his palm.

"Those are the conditions that hold your fate boy."

What ridiculousness had he been dragged into? This was really happening.

"Beelzebub."

"Yes my lord?"

"See to the boy's safe return to Eden."

"By your command Lord Lucifer."

Lucifer exited the room closing the door behind him smirking as he walked away. His wife, Lilith, materialized beside him. "You felt it deep inside the boy too?"

Lilith nodded. "Indeed. buried so deep we'd never have sensed if not for the off chance of being so close to him."

"He may just be the trump card that tips the scale of the war that is to come. Is it luck that our daughter has found such a suitor?"

***

Zane opened the door to the church and walked in. He sighed reliving his trip to hell just yesterday morning. "Man what an ordeal."

He sat down and thought to the immediate aftermath of his return.

One second he was in hell, the next I'm standing in front of my house with Mikalia and the scarlet fiend named Beelzebub. Before he returned to hell he addressed Mikalia.

"You are foolish to believe you could ever marry this human."

The sternness in her eyes returns this time lacking the blazing orange glow from earlier. "I can. And I will. I will never marry you Beelzebub. Zane will always be my only choice."

"I've waited thousands of years to succeed your father, not even you shall get in the way of that." He looks at Zane with darkness in his eyes. "If I were you I'd return to ignorance until the day I lay siege to this world as the ruler of Hell."

Zane had stood there bewildered. He trained to the bone his while life and studied as an exorcist but never thought it would amount to much of one. And he was just in Hell, and two demons stood before him. His first real encounter with denons and it was with....wait...Lucifer. THE KING OF HELL!? His heart beat as if it would short circuit at any moment. Beelzebub saw his fear and smirked before fading into the background.

Mikalia faced Zane and the fear in his eyes. She reached out for a hand and he snatched away.

She immediately reeled back like she had been stabbed in the gut. Her smiled held back a deep pain. "Right. As I expected. It was much too soon for all this to be thrust on to you. How about I give you some space, yeah?"

"Hey, what are you spacing out for?" Lena's dad called out from the other end of the church. "Head to the courtyard. Lena is already there. Today we have something special for the two of you."

"Why does that sound so ominous coming from you old man." Zane got up from his seat and headed to the back.

Lena had already changed into something loose and comfortable.  Her hair was tied into a simple but elegant ponytail. Zane sat on his knees beside Lena. Her father soon joined them.

"What do you have planned today Papa? More physical training? A history lesson." Lena tends to turn into the innocent daughter her father always saw her as whenever he was around. He'd never guess she had a nasty temper and a violent streak.

"No, as of today you have sufficiently completed the conditioning portion of your training. Even you managed it, Zane."

"Oh goodie." Zane responded lazily, his mind still not quite there.

"From here on you will be given live missions."

Lena and Zane looked from one another and then back to their father. "Live missions"

"Recently the number of demons that have crossed over from Hell has increased. No one knows why. While this influx is being investigated, this will be the perfect opportunity to test your years of dedication to God's greatest calling. The vanquishing of the Devil's army and the protection of the Garden."

Zane chuckled nervously.

"You are apart of a clan of exorcist that span generations. Did you think your training was preparing you for something else? "

Zane swallowed recounting the demons he saw in hell. Lena stepped in. "Father. What is our task?"

"You are to help in the slaying of these demons and to report any Intel that can be gathered while accomplishing that task. Remember everything you've learned and watch out for each other."

"Yes, father."

"Go see Griffin. He will give you all you will need to complete your mission."

Lena and Zane find themselves at Griffin's shop a few blocks from the church. From his huge muscular frame and thick beard, it was hard to believe but, he was only 5 years older than them. He waved them in. "Welcome you two. So this day has finally come eh?"

"Hey Griff, Dad sent us." Lena came in looking over some of the things Griffin already had spread out. 

"I know. It's time you actually get your feet wet and understand what it means to be apart of the Rosario Clan. My job is to make sure you are properly armed with the instruments needed to vanquish evil. One that suits you perfectly."

Zane did a once over. "Are these things capable of slaying demons?" 

"Faith my man. These armaments have been blessed by the archangels themselves and inscribed with all kinds of enchantments." He picks up a scythe. "This here was once used by your dad some 20 years ago when he wasn't much older than yourselves. Its nothing compared to what he uses now but it still gets the job done. How about it Lena, wanna use your old man's weapon?"

She frowned. "No thanks. Not really my style I'm more of a hands-on type of girl."

"What about you Zane?"

"I'd rather fight my enemies without being in their striking distance thank you." Zane threw his head back flinging the strands of his dreads that got in his face.

"You wouldn't happen to have any gear that...isn't older than my dad would you?" Lena asked Picking up a tomahawk and dropping it back down shooting up a puff of dust.

"Well, the older crowd are heavy on tradition and don't wanna make too many modifications to what the angels gave us. Most, if not all of these things have been used for generations. But...I've been secretly tinkering with a few of the more forgotten items. Come this way.

They moved deeper to the back. Griffin brought out two boxes and handed one to Lena and the other to Zane. Lena opened hers. Inside was what looked like thin lightweight gauntlets.

"Now this is more my speed." She smiled.

"They were Enochian brass knuckles. I've repurposed them into battle gauntlets made with kevlar and a magnesium-based alloy of my own design. I've replicated the Enochian runes on the brass knuckles and etched them throughout the metal. BUT..."

"I don't like that "but", should I be concerned?"

"I haven't actually tested the effectiveness of the replicated runes. Kinda of hard to test without anyone knowing."

"Are these guns?" Zane cut in, having opened his chest. "Since when were holy Glocks a thing?"

"Originally that was a legendary bow that could enchant an arrow with the grace of God himself."

"Really?"

"So they say anyhow. Its been beyond repair for as long as I can remember. I did melt down what I could and used it to make those twin pistols."

"But let me guess you haven't tested these either?" Lena eyed Griffin suspiciously.

"Well, I just finished these last night, so yeah?"  He laughed it off.

"So we are your lab rats is that it?"

"Think of it this way Lena, if it works I could probably get the elders to let me make even cooler things."

"You better not get us killed." She said firmly.

"If only your father could see this side of you." He laughed again.

"I second that." Zane chimed in.

"Let's just go already, Zane." Lena put the gauntlets on and walked out.

Zane grabbed the guns and followed waving at Griffin. "See ya. Griffin."