Chapter 19

I extend my arm and with a puff of smoke and quite a bit of magic, I am now holding a journal in my hands. It is my first ever journal, black bound and very old. I open the notebook, clear my throat and begin reading.

"Day 1:

Tables have been numbered. Ten exist in total and all are in disarray. I began work on tables one through three. Paper work on various half completed projects have been filed away. Tables have a surface again. Dinner was fish and broth.

Day 2:

I began work on tables four through six. Paperwork on completed projects have been filed away and tables have a visible surface again. Found half mixed remedies. Disposed of remedies with a putrid odor. Must have been left too long. Dinner was fruit and wine. I was not particularly hungry.

Day 3:"

"Stop." Isaac says, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Are you going to read through every day you worked with him?" 

"It seemed easier." I shrug. "There was quite a bit I accomplished in those years." 

"Baby." Damien chuckles. "You don't have to be this thorough."

"What should I do?" I ask, looking up at him. "Where should I begin?"

"How about this" Damien begins with a smile. "Find out if there's any questions and we go from there."

"Any questions?" I droll, turning to face Isaac.

"Actually, yes." He nods. "Quite a bit."

"Such as?" I ask, rolling my eyes. What was he waiting for? A written invitation to speak his mind?

"You kept saying something about your eyes. What's wrong with them?" 

"As I mentioned before, they are ever changing." I huff. "They are the sign that I am Lucifer's child." 

"Are they genetic?" I nod. "Bummer. I mean, they're cool but it had to suck to grow up with them."

"Ada made sure to keep me sheltered from much of the hate. I was none the wiser until I was old enough to hunt so it did not bother me too badly." I say.

"Is Damien actually insane?" 

"Yes." I nod. "I witnessed it on multiple occasions. He would become violent and ill tempered. On occasion I would find him whispering a phrase to himself over and over whilst shaking his hands and stamping his foot. He was having such a hard time focusing, he very nearly caused an explosion. It was heartbreaking to witness."

"Well then." Isaac looks uncomfortable. "That sounds shitty."

"It is shitty." Damien confirms. I pat his leg affectionately, trying to keep his mind on the here and now.

Isaac takes a deep breath before asking his next question. It seems as though he is bracing himself for a horrid outcome. 

"What's an alter?" He finally asks, dropping his head and squeezing his eyes shut. I am not sure what he thinks will happen but I find it funny to see him so worried.

"It was a theory I crafted." Damien answers. "Long ago hell was inhabited by very few creatures. Maybe 150 or 200 of us. Not many." 

"Did they all fall with you?" Isaac asks, looking at Damien now, worry easing. 

"Yes." Damien says, eyes downcast. "They all had a stake in the battle against God and were equally punished.

"Anyway, it was just us. They weren't all fallen angels either. Some of them were humans that had been thrown down with us and as they aged, a thought dawned on me. How long would we, realistically, live? Everyone and everything has a lifespan that eventually ends and once our lifespan was exhausted, what would become of the world we would leave behind?

"My theory was to help populate the world. There were a handful of female creatures, not enough for diversity and to prevent inbreeding. I wanted a plan to ensure survival for a species new to the world, so I created Alters."

Isaac gasps and looks horrified as he stares at Damien with open contempt. 

"On paper only." Damien clarifies. "The idea got scrapped when hell became overrun with the souls of the dead. Turns out human souls are no different from living humans once they enter hell and so population was no longer an issue. Not just that but souls too damned to be redeemed would morph into something you humans call demons.

"I gathered all the research and information I had on the project and hid it in my library. Alters were supposed to be a theory only."

"So you came up with the theory of Alters?" Isaac asks, looking between the two of us. "How did it go from theory to reality?"

"Leviathan." Damien sneers. "He was there when I was in the throes of my research so he knew where I had kept everything. He stole all of my research. Around the same time hundreds of creatures went missing on earth. Elves, Sylphs, humans, Sirens…. it didn't matter. Leviathan literally stole creatures for the sake of his plan and within the span of a century, alters existed." 

"The fuck? Why would he need that?" 

"To create YOU." I sit up and point at Isaac. "To be more precise, to create your soul."

"WHAT?" Isaac shouts, standing and beginning to pace. "What do you…what…BULLSHIT." 

"What does cow shit have to do with anything?" I ask Damien. 

"He thinks you're lying." Damien answers, looking at Isaac who had yet to sit. "I think you should sit." 

"No, see…like NO." Isaac sounds hysterical. "Are you telling me, he fucked over hundreds of people…living, breathing people, just to make my goddamned soul?"

"Yes." I nod. "They were confined to hell until they died. My mother's family was lucky enough to have found a way to escape, hence why I was born on earth…but the rest, well…they were not quite so lucky."

"What?" Isaac's eyes were wide with shock.

"He made a breeding pit where he kept all the Alters he had successfully created." I explain. "He bred each one multiple times and kept only the strongest children. He raised those children and bred them too. It was barbaric and inhumane.

"He did this for centuries until you were created." 

Isaac falls onto the couch and sighs heavily. I am sure this was not what he had wanted to hear when he had asked his questions, but the truth was not always pleasant. 

"How…um" Isaac swallows thickly. "Did…"

"There are parts of this story that are not going to be pleasant." I say, rubbing my hands on my thighs in anxiety. "It will be as hard for you to hear as it will be for me to tell. It has to be done, though…you need to remember."

"Why?" He asks. "Why do I have to remember any of this?"

"You've lived in all three worlds." Damien answers. "You're important enough that even I'm not allowed to kill you."

"Why do you want to kill me?" 

"You'll find out soon enough." Damien answers, gripping my hand tightly. "When the story's told and you've remembered."

"It was a month into my stay at Damien's when Saninna came to visit." I say, turning Isaac's attention back to me. "And on that day, my powers awakened."