Suddenly A Succubus
Chapter 35.2

Multiple reapers were still hovering nearby, but they didn’t seem to be doing anything. Some idly circled in the sky, others were simply laying down in the grass. While their behavior might be normal for a living animal, Amara had always assumed these weren’t normal creatures, and the thought of them resting seemed odd. Unfortunately, it was hard to pick out any further details through the heavy fog that had recently appeared.

Wait, fog? That doesn’t make any sense, there’s no weather in Purgatory.

“Vee, did you notice—”

“The fog? Yeah, and I don’t like it,” Vee said quietly. “C’mon, let’s try to get closer, maybe we can get a better look at the weird glow.”

Amara nodded, and the two started creeping closer. She folded her wings tightly behind her, then remembered just how big they actually were. Instead, with a flurry of hellfire, she hid them away entirely so they could keep a low profile.

Crossing the outer sidewalk, they stepped onto the grass and quickly hid behind a tree. It didn’t seem like the reapers had noticed them yet, which emboldened Amara to move closer, her footsteps quiet on the otherworldly grass. They eventually stopped behind a large oak roughly thirty feet away from the nearest reaper, who was laying on the ground. The thick foliage of the tree hid them from the sky, and Amara felt safe enough to peek around the corner and look at the strange, glowing circle.

The first thing she noticed was how familiar the circle looked. It wasn’t just a strange phenomenon that happened to be circular, it appeared to be purposeful. Thick lines had been drawn in the ground, and a series of runes added, all to create something that looked eerily similar to the magic circles back on campus.

Unfortunately, Amara knew nothing about magic runes, and didn’t even bother to try memorizing the ones she saw. The most notable thing, in her opinion, was how sloppy they looked. The glow of the circle made the lines easily visible, even amongst the thick fog, and the erratic nature of the lines was obvious against the vibrant green grass of the quad.

Something was wrong here. Amara focused on the grass, then turned to look behind her, and confirmed her theory. The grass, much like everything else in Purgatory, was usually a pallid imitation of what they had on Earth. The grass in the circle, however, was vibrant and healthy.

She was about to turn to Vee, to silently ask her opinion, when something froze her in her tracks: a noise from behind her.

“I see you managed to survive, Pet.”

No.

The voice was harsh and chilling, but it also wasn’t alone. It was a discordant chorus, a collection of ghastly moans and whispers that approximated human speech without fully understanding it. In the center of this chaos, however, one voice stood out more than the rest.

And Amara recognized it.

She spun around, her heart racing as she looked for the source. She desperately wanted to be wrong, to find that she’d misheard something. What she saw, however, only confirmed her fears.

He wasn’t standing on the grass; he was instead floating several feet above it. His skin was just as pale as the bones of the reapers, his clothes in tatters as they hovered around his body. His hair, slightly longer now, was disheveled and hanging in front of his face. Underneath were two, pulsing lights where his eyes should have been. He had no pupils, no irises, only a horrid dull glow that nonetheless seemed to be staring directly at Amara.

He raised his arms, gesturing at the space around him, and an insufferable smirk appeared on his face. Amara, however, was much more focused on his hands. Specifically, the fact that one was missing.

In its place was a ghastly, almost skeletal recreation. A series of bones that cast off a sickly green glow, intertwined with a collection of similarly colored translucent chains. Several different lengths seemed to be wrapped around what had previously been his wrist, and they floated off before fading into nothingness after a foot or so. Despite his extraordinarily horrid countenance, it was obvious who this was.

Brandon.

“Purgatory should have killed you. Both of you,” he snarled.

An overwhelming rage flooded Amara, and she immediately leapt off the ground to try and attack him. Her chitinous gauntlets appeared, their claws eager for blood, as she closed the distance. Before she could land a hit, Brandon raised his ethereal hand and pointed it at Amara.

The chains rooted around his wrist now appeared around Amara, completely stopping her momentum and suspending her in midair.

Brandon shook his head, clicking his tongue in disapproval. “Typical Amara. You never were much of a talker, were you? Not unless you’re filling your lips with poison, lying through your teeth to get what you want.”

“I’M the liar? Excuse me for trying to avoid being enslaved to an insufferable prick like you!”

“SHUT UP!” Brandon screamed. His body seized, and his eyes closed as his head shook momentarily. The myriad other voices that spoke with him screeched and wailed, and ghostly afterimages echoed his erratic movements. “I’m done listening to you!”

Although Amara couldn’t move her head, she heard Vee summon a weapon and step closer. “Let her go, Brandon. You don’t know what you’re doing!”

Vee’s advance was immediately stopped when a reaper leapt in front of her, standing just beside Brandon. Amara looked over at the creature and saw that the same ghostly chains holding her captive also surrounded the beast’s neck. They didn’t seem to be restricting its movement, though. Was Brandon able to control them?

She didn’t have time to dwell on those thoughts, as when she noticed the chain on the reaper’s neck, she felt Brandon’s hold on her give slightly.

“I know exactly what I’m doing, angel,” Brandon hissed. “I’m done with your bullshit, both of you! No more chasing you down, no more games. I’m done pretending you matter, like you’ve ever mattered! You have all this power, and for what? You waste it by holding back those of us with real potential!”

The other reapers moved closer, their chilling footsteps all too obvious behind Amara. She fell to the ground as they approached, and Amara looked back to see that the other creatures were being controlled the same way the first was.

“You’re a hack, Brandon. Even now, you need something else to do your work for you!” Amara cloaked her fists in hellfire and stepped closer.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Pet. You see, if I restrain you again, I can’t promise that my minions won’t go berserk and attack your little angel friend.” Brandon floated closer, landing in front of Amara. He traced a finger across her neck, necrotic energy sparking across her skin. “I could make you watch. Hold you still while they rip her to pieces. Is that what you want? Then go ahead, attack me.”

Amara seethed with resentment, but she refused to risk Vee’s life. “Whatever you’re doing here? It won’t work.”

“I don’t care what you think, Pet. Unlike you, I’ve learned from my mistakes. I see that all my failures stemmed from my obsession over you and that witch. I’ve found my true calling; I’ve claimed Purgatory as my own. I’m in control here, and soon I’ll have my revenge on everyone back home that tossed me aside.”

Vee stepped closer to Amara, putting a hand on her shoulder to pull her back. “You pulled us here, didn’t you?”

A horrid cacophony of twisted laughter left Brandon’s mouth. “I see you’re not both idiots. Yes, I pulled you two here so that Purgatory would drain you dry. I don’t know how you’ve managed to survive this long, but it doesn’t matter. You’re stuck here, and there’s nothing left to do but watch.”

Brandon pointed his skeletal hand at one of the reapers, which then turned to walk towards the glowing circle. “You see, I’m finally ready to start.” The other reapers began shifting as well, and Vee pulled Amara out of their way.

Amara let Vee guide her, but her eyes were still locked on Brandon. She was desperately trying to think of a way out, a way to get close and end this once and for all. No matter how she looked at it, though, she couldn’t find the answer. She’d barely held her own against one reaper, but now four stood at Brandon’s side.

“Vee, what do we do?” Amara whispered.

“I-I don’t know, Amara. We can’t fight him like this.”

Brandon’s focus was currently on the reaper in the circle. He raised his arms, and the magic in the runes seemed to react. It sprang to life, glowing brighter as its energy swirled around the creature. The color in the grass that Amara had noticed earlier began to spread, intensifying further with each passing second. With one final burst of magic, a terrifying cascade of energy erupted from the circle, and Amara swore she saw glimpses of sunlight from within.

The blast ultimately forced her to look away, shielding her eyes with her arms. As the sound faded, and the magic receded, she dared to look back at the circle. The intense colors had faded, but worst of all, the reaper was gone.

“No!” Amara gasped.

Vee grabbed Amara’s shoulders, turning to face her directly. “He sent it to Earth, Amara.”

Both girls stared at each other, their faces communicating what they dared not say in front of Brandon. Vee sprinted past Amara, grabbing her hand, and the two began racing to Lysander Hall.