Dancing In The Void

Uriel did not need eyes to realize that Constantine died, as a part of herself died along with him.

She was screaming at first, a dreadful horrific screeching of anguish and terror, but her voice quickly gave out. Not a single sound, not even a whisper escaped her lips anymore. Her body trembled and twitched unnaturally before she charged forward without thought or reason.

"URIEL!" Wrath and Evan both cried out to her, but their devastated voices washed away like sand before they could reach her.

She crashed against the cursed wall, her wounded, calloused nails digging into it, intent on ripping it apart. All sense and restraint had left her, and thus she barely even budged or groaned when the wall exploded against her with a towering vortex of purple lightning. The unimaginable pain that surged through her only fueled her maddened advance. The bridge itself shook as her fingers dug deeper and deeper, and soon a seam was beginning to tear in the wall. The depths echoed with the sickening, thought-rending screech, like the strings of a violin being tensed and pulled past their limit. Once a weakness was created, the entire structure soon followed and collapsed. The wall erupted with thunderous rancor, shattering into specs and shards of dust and embers. Steam and smoke seeped from her body, especially from the scars of the stigmata on her hands. Uriel took another step forward with great weight, uncertain in her movements and on the verge of collapse, before she paused, as if entranced.

I am tired. A soft voice called through Uriel's thoughts. It took her a moment to realize that it was herself. The twinkling melody of the music box echoed in her mind. I… feel like I can't open my eyes anymore… Like I can barely stay awake… Her hand reached out, as if to touch the infinite white void that stretched before her. This pain… I can not… take it anymore. Let me sleep… please… I am… tired… of everything.

Ah… hello… It is you again.

Your presence... its so warm. Everything feels like a dream. Am I already asleep?

Let go?

Ah… So that's all I must do then?

Alright… If… it means I can finally… rest… just a bit…

I'll take your hand…

"Good night, everyone." Uriel said plainly, moments before she was enveloped by a gorgeous, blinding light of pure white fire. A maelstrom enveloped her, flaring with searing cosmic fury that seemed to shake the very roots of the mountain itself. Wrath, Evan, Katherine and Insect all shielded their gazes from the piercing lights. Then, they all looked on in shock, their eyes filled with utter dread at the horrors that occurred. The haunting howl of their friend that pierced not their ears, but their very souls.

Uriel's skin was the first thing to change, as her pale complexion began to fade, it became a transparent shade of black glass. Instead of flesh and bones underneath, her body was now a series of cosmic constellations, veins and arteries like maps of the stars, traveling to the billowing supernova that was her broken heart. Her arms and legs twitched, snapped violently, as she endured the hellish strain on her frail body, her divine fury bursting through the joints and seams of her form. Upon her back from her spine sprouted four pairs of gigantic new wings, unfolding like the petals of a deadly flower. Covered in blood and muscle as they pulled from within her skin, they fluttered clean and one could see they were of a dark silver metal.

Her hair, once blue like the summer sky, turned into a blinding crown of pure light, the end of it no longer discernible from the white glow that enveloped her head. Between the strands of glowing hair still visible on her scalp grew what at first appeared to be a pair of horns. But as their size increased exponentially, it soon became apparent that the horns were actually a pair of antlers. Antlers made of an unnatural, ethereal color, like an entire rainbow morphed together upon the wings of butterflies. Their forks and spikes constantly grew and shifted, moving upon themselves like endless fractals. Strange indecipherable golden runes encircled her antlers and spun like a halo. It was an otherworldly writing that shifted and changed if one stared for more than a fraction of a second.

The violent energies began to subside as Uriel's metamorphosis neared its completion, but there was yet one more step she needed to cross. Uriel's hand rose to her glass statue face where she stabbed the dead center of her forehead with her claw and then dragged it down, carving a deep, bloody wound across her face. Blood began to pour from that abnormally straight line.

"U…Uhr-Uriel… n-no…!" Constantine tried to cry out, but only managed to spit with a mouthful of blood. Clinging to the last vestiges of life, he watched her, crawled towards her in vain hope of stopping her. He witnessed her harrowing transformation in the final moments before his heart beat its last, and the unholy mark placed upon it erupted. His eyes went wide and numb as he collapsed limply against the cold rocks.

Uriel felt the cold embrace of death swallow the part of her soul within him, the part of herself that she gifted him out of love, vanishing like a melancholic dream. Her lips parted, revealing her massive needle-like fangs as she unleashed a banshee scream, full of agony and misery. In that same instant, the wound she engraved on her forehead opened, and a demonic red eye blinked back. Swirling chaos of crimson emanated from it, turning her blood into mist as she continued screaming in unimaginable pain. It was immediately echoed by thousands upon thousands of similar eyes opening on every feather of her every wing, each glowing with the same infernal eminence.

"Heh… that son of a bitch." Azazel chuckled as he watched Constantine die, not entirely concerned by the vortex that had just occurred a stone's throw away from him. A grave error on his part, as Uriel gently pointed her finger towards him as it swirled and crackled with celestial power. A thunderous blast of starfire erupted from her index carving a path through the darkness to the demon. The sheer force of the blast echoed all around her like a wave, sending the companions behind her flying back.

"YUAAH!" Evan shouted as he tumbled through the air, but luckily for him, his hand was snared by Wrath's dark tendrils. Insect was equally lucky as Wrath grabbed and protected her as well.

"I… got you!" She said, her twin blades stabbed deep into the bridge's surface to keep her in place.

Light itself seemed distorted, pulled by the unbelievable gravitational force of the blast, rubble and other battle debris being sucked into the vortex. Certain death seemed imminent to Azazel as the flash enveloped him. Nothing remained in its path. A massive void of space now remained across the trajectory of the attack, even the bridge itself had a perfect cylindrical tunnel carved through all of its layers, leading down into the darkness. Uriel seemed content, if slightly celebratory for a moment, but soon her satisfaction gave way to furious agitation, as she heard the footsteps of the demon. Her eye scanned the bridge, and she found him a few paces away, curiously inspecting the hole she just made.

"Wow." He said, some noticeable beads of sweat dripping down his temples. At that moment, Uriel could see the faint embers of a crown upon his head, wisps of flame blacker than the night of a moonless and starless sky. "You should be more careful about firing off void lasers like that, I don't like being forced to actually use my powers you know?"

The hateful glare of Uriel's demonic eye was terrifying enough to bring any sane person to their knees, but Azazel stared back with only a slight smirk. She was not as jovial, as she angrily rushed down the demon, flaming starlight blades materializing around her palms. She unleashed her fury with blinding speed, slicing towards the demon with precision and grace. Her swords spun like the blades of a harvester; it almost seemed as if she didn't hold them, but merely guided them as they flew, like the wind catching sycamore seeds. Each swing of her blade unleashing lethal shockwaves of light and dust. Despite her finesse, Azazel somehow was too quick, too agile, and his body was always just barely out of reach of her steel edge. But he did not fight back. He just continuously dodged, slid back, and avoided all her attacks. Suddenly, he kicked a mound of dirt and dust, sending it in Uriel's face. This stopped her for a moment, but a moment was all Azazel needed to bolt away from her.

"Ghhk!" Katherine grunted from the other side, observing Uriel's power with fear and awe as she held onto the bridge-embedded halberd for dear life. "W-what… the hell is this?! This… sheer god-like power… is… this the same Uriel?" She turned to the others, seeing them trying to cover in the face of the storm, wounded and exhausted. Constantine's words passed through her mind, and she reflected on them for a moment before another of Uriel's shockwaves broke her trance. She looked back at the ensuing battle, and the sight of Azazel's bronze locks in the distance, filled her with the rageful decisiveness she needed. "Fuck it!" She said, sprinting towards those on the other side.

"Watch out, crazy bitch still wants to fight us!" Evan shouted, getting Insect's attention. She immediately sprung into a defensive position.

But Katherine sheathed her halberd and placed it on her back. She knelt down to Evan's level once she approached, and addressed them as they all stared at her with concerned, distrustful gazes. "I don't want to fight. This battle… ghh… we can't stay here! We'll get obliterated!"

"You got any better ideas?" Evan shouted trying to make himself heard over the deafening chaos.

"Yes! Follow me, I'll lead you all back out the tunnel we came through. Out of Dudael!" Katherine shouted back.

"YOU WANTED TO KILL US AN HOUR AGO!" Evan's voice lashed out. "How MAD are you to think we'd trust and follow you?!"

"Look! I'm leaving with or without all of you! I… I'm not asking you to trust me! I don't deserve it. But…" Katherine hung her head low, not letting anyone see her eyes. "...That fucking demon over there, he wants you two for some reason. He's been using me to do it, he's controlled my life against my will ever since the eclipse!"

"WE DON'T CARE!" Evan continued.

"I KNOW YOU DON'T!" Katherine screamed back in his face. "BUT LISTEN FOR ONE GODDAMN SECOND! He's distracted, now is our chance to get out of here, all of us! He can get fucked for all I care! You don't have to trust me, just understand that… I can lead you out!"

Everyone shot a concerned yet deliberating glance at the others. Wrath spoke first: "Y-you w-want us t-t-to abandon, Uriel?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Katherine said, bewilderment written all over her face. "Look at her! She just tore a hole in the bridge! If anything, your presence here risks her indirectly hurting you! You can't help her! You're all wounded and weak!" As if in response to her insult, she suddenly unleashed a loud, heaving, choking cough. Blood dripped down her lips. The wound on her neck was still very present, but the adrenaline and fear that pumped through her veins masked it briefly until now.

"Fuck you!" Evan said. "You're right, but fuck you! You chopped my fucking face in half!"

Insect signed something to Wrath and Evan. He translated with a sigh: "Insect's saying she's right, they all came down here to save us, finishing the mission takes priority. Fuck, but what if she loses, what if she needs us?" He said, worried and anxious.

"I-if… U-Uriel loses looking l-like that, after w-what she just d-did… we've got w-worse issues to d-deal with." Wrath said reluctantly.

"F-fine… fine." Evan agreed at last, his sigh heavy and weary. "Lead us out-WAIT!" He said suddenly, rushing past everyone towards Constantine's body. Uriel's battle had moved further away by now, so Evan could approach without much concern. But when he reached the bloodstained spot, he found his friend's body absent. Only his white overcoat remained, stained a deep red. Evan clutched it deep in his fist, pressing it into his face as he could not hold back his tears any longer. The bridge quaked once more, and he looked up at Uriel, turning and running back to the others.

Uriel unleashed another dreadful screech like a lunar banshee, further angered by the demon. She clasped her hands together, revealing a blinding white flame within once she took them apart. It floated forward, guided by her power and split into a spinning circle of countless equally large spirit flames. This time however, Azazel did not wait for her attack to finish completely. He continued running deeper and deeper onto the bridge, putting as much distance between him and the angel as he could. All the while he channeled crimson runes on the air in front of him using the blood that still dripped from his hand. Uriel's wings beat once, and she vanished from sight. She propelled herself forward at blistering speed, flying over the demon and landing in front of him, her flaming circle ready to be unleashed. She slammed her fist into it, the air within the circle somehow solid, pulsing at her touch.

"MELT!" Uriel screamed, her voice echoing like a bolt of lightning. With her voice, the circle became a portal, and the sun itself appeared in the depths of Dudael, its divine and glorious light blinding the darkness that surrounded it. The absurd nuclear heat that erupted forward immediately began vaporizing the very stone surface of the bridge turning them into wisps of plasma. Uriel was protected, standing on the other side of the portal, but Azazel was also ready, as her attack did not come fast enough.

His unholy writing channeled a portal of his own, and from it erupted a gigantic tidal wave of flesh, surging forward into the inferno. The flesh boiled and turned to ashes almost instantaneously, but the ungodly quantity of it was endless. Wave after wave of monstrous flesh poured through the portal, fighting back against the sun itself. But something had to give, and the bridge turned out to be the faulty link. The combination of heat, flesh, and stone that melted into nothingness caused a build-up of dangerous pressure and bubbling gasses. The clashing of their powers soon reached the apex, and a tremendous explosion rocked the underworld, carving a crater in that side of the bridge.

"Ghhuu, GHUUU!" Azazel cried out as the blowback sent him tumbling and rolling back, slamming him into the bridge repeatedly. He dizzily pushed himself back up, spitting some blood and wiping his mouth. "You're really out to kill me arent'cha, you crazy bitch?" He called out.

Uriel was only mildly inconvenienced by the explosion. She slowly drifted over the still steaming rock and flesh, approaching the demon as her eye continued pulsing with endless hate. "You deserve… only death." She said, lifting her arm to ready another attack.

Out of the darkness however, a tentacle made of bones and vertebrae swirled forward, latching onto Uriel's wrist. Before she could even react, she was brutally smashed head-first into the floor and sides of the bridge. Despite the fact that it seemed the bridge itself was damaged more than her, she was nonetheless dazed and disoriented from the sudden savagery. Her stupor was quickly taken advantage of, as the foul tendril tossed her into the crater and she fell through the bridge, into the darkness.

"How… dare you…" The voice of the one responsible called out as he floated into the light. "...Summon me directly into the path of the fucking sun, Azazel!" Asmodeus lashed out. The demon's flesh was recovering from the earlier endeavor, slowly rebuilding him back to his usual form. Despite that, Azazel quickly noticed that Asmodeus had signs of battle-weariness that was not just from him being rudely and suddenly summoned to the bridge.

Azazel dusted himself off, walking around the hole in the bridge closer to him. "Hello, old friend, sorry about the suddenness it was either that or get fucking disintegrated by the damn angel. Not much of a choice there. Besides… you weren't doing anything that important right?"

Asmodeus paused, waiting for the last wounds on his face and neck to close. He moved a hand through his hair, arranging his bangs through his crown. "I was." He said coldly.

"More important than this?" Azazel said, pointing towards the hole. "I doubt it."

Asmodeus looked over, finally realizing what exactly he was looking at and being filled with curiosity. "Uriel… did this? How wonderful…" He cooed. "What did you do to her?" He suddenly said sharply, staring Azazel dead in the eyes.

"Well nothing to her…" He said as he stepped aside, revealing bits of Constantine's spine and guts in the distance.

"Have I ever mentioned how big of an idiot you really are, Clockmaker?" Asmodeus said with a sigh upon seeing the remnants and realizing who they belonged to.

"Don't tell me you gave a shit about the kid, Deus. Either way, we've got more important things to talk about before the bitch comes flying back. I summoned you specifically for a reason."

"Go on…?"

"I… cannot harm her, I made a fucking pact."

"Mephisto…" Asmodeus said, quickly glancing in the mind of his accomplice. "It's not like you to make bad deals Azazel, bad pacts even less so."

"Yeah well, I had a gun to my head and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Everything was going fucking flawlessly too…" He turned and pointed at Constantine's remains. "...Until this little shit cut my head clean off."

Asmodeus sighed with disappointment, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Azazel, you remember… that I can't actually experience stress, correct? And yet… After all that has happened these past few days, my dear home being invaded, my collection ruined and now large amounts of it possibly lost because you pulled me away in the heat of battle, hearing you made a binding pact and making me clean up the mess it caused… I can't help but feel incredibly irritated."

"Yeah… that might be stress." Azazel said.

Asmodeus exhaled. "Well, I would object some more, but our dear Uriel is rapidly approaching, and the thought of her finally unleashing her true self… has me exceedingly interested. I'll fight for you."

"Oh thank fuck." He said, stepping back.

"Will you be participating in any way?"

"Only in case you lose and die."

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"No, then." Asmodeus said as both demons immediately jumped back a large distance away from the hole and the torrent of holy flame that erupted from it. Once it subsided, Uriel shot through. She looked annoyed, slightly scuffed yet her eye was filled with newfound dreadful resolve.

"I knew it was your flesh." Her voice boomed. Asmodeus! Her thoughts continued in the demon's mind. Come here to protect this coward?

"Hello, Little Angel. I see you finally spread your true wings!" He said, his voice almost brimming with glee. Learned a few new tricks as well? The Demon responded in her mind.

Uriel did not answer, instead she soared like a comet into Asmodeus, swiping at him with her bare claws, cutting through him with the burning fury of the heavens. The Demon was ripped in half, his flesh singed and melting away but he quickly rebuilt himself with an explosive amount of eldritch meat. He counter-attacked with a massive surge of flesh tentacles and chomping, biting, hound-like maws. Uriel flew away, dodging the attack but immediately she twirled through the air and swooped right back into the demon, not giving him the chance to recover anymore. The two clashed, ripping and tearing into each other, with Asmodeus quickly replenishing the endless bits of himself that he lost, and Uriel, unscathed, untouched by his futile attacks. The sheer heat of her golden crown was enough to melt the tentacles that even got close to touching her, and with each moment that passed, she became more and more like an actual breathing star. An unstoppable force waltzing with an immovable object.

"Ghhh!" Asmodeus grunted as he put some distance between them and thrust his hand forward. A swarm of insects flew from the hole that opened in the dead center of his palm, insects that quickly grew into an entire cavalcade of Locusts of Abaddon. Uriel was unphased, conjuring her halcyon starblade and cutting down entire swaths of them in singular swings. Unharmed, yet Asmodeus achieved his goal of distracting her, buying himself just enough time. He floated into the air and both of his entire arms split down the middle, blood and sinew dripping into the floor. Once both were halved down to his shoulders, each part separated and began to grow into another full limb. With inhuman rapidity, each hand began etching a yellowed demonic rune into the air, creating four separate eldritch circles. The scent of sulfur and ashes began to permeate through the air, and Uriel quickly tried cutting her way to the demon, intent on stopping him.

"Kkhhhrr!" She grunted, being repelled, pushed back. Too many of these damn locusts! She thought as she tried flying through, away or around them. But it was like an impenetrable wall that replenished itself no matter how much she cut through it. If… I can't cut through it, maybe I can cut something… else? Her eye went wide with a sudden idea.

Uriel took flight, but not towards the demon, instead like a comet back through the darkness. She clutched her sword in both hands and stabbed into thin air, but her blade still cut through. She then dragged it across the dim backdrop of Dudael above the bridge creating a scar on reality, a wound that opened into the very cosmos itself. She twisted her sword within, as if beckoning some otherworldly force into this reality. The mountain shook. Some of the flying insects got impatient, and a few of them rushed forward, unaware and uncaring of Uriel's trap. They were the first to get disintegrated by a sphere of rock and ice the size of a car, hurtling through the wound and into Dudael. Almost immediately thousands of similar comets and meteors began showering down, crashing through the locusts, and further, towards the bridge and Asmodeus.

"Such… wonderful ability!" The demon cried out to her, looking up at the carnage that rained down upon him. "How beautiful you really are when you embrace your true self! Your mother's divine stellar wrath, combined with the unyielding infernal will of your father. You truly are one of a kind, Uriel! A jewel unlike any other!" He yelled out to her. All the while, he floated back and forth, trying to avoid the explosive impacts of the meteors and focusing on completing his ritual in time. A sudden burst of intense heat from above him made snap upwards up with wide, bloodshot eyes. There was no opportunity to avoid the comet in time as it crashed down upon him. A combustion of rocks, dust, and debris erupted in a fiery confluence, destroying the bridge underneath and obscuring all sight.

Is it done? Uriel's eye went wide as she eagerly tried seeking the demon's wretched soul through the destruction and chaos. She did not want to celebrate early again, but the wound she had created began to fade, the link between Dudael and the heavens dissipating. She ripped the sword out with her mind, flourishing it in front of her and slowly floating down towards the bridge. The ethereal muscles in her body twitched at first, then began trembling and spasming, aching with unbearable pain from the intense strain she had placed herself under. But Uriel just endured silently, not yielding the intimidating aura of fear and dread she was projecting.

Then came the dreadful roaring.

Uriel tried dodging the monstrosity in time, but she found herself immediately beset upon by the massive fanged maw of the snake, smashing into her like a speeding locomotive. A dragon-like serpent of endless length without any flesh, skin, or scales upon it. The beast was just an amalgam of charred purple horns, spikes, vertebrae and its gigantic head. A dark skull within whose core burned the flaming embers of hell itself. Fire and death seeped from its open mouth and from the holes in its eyes.

Uriel lashed out, trying to break free, but her blades only seemed to irritate the beast, tossing her away. She flew through the air, trying to regain control and momentum with her wings, but then there was another deafening roar from behind her. Uriel cursed her fate as a second skeletal dragon rushed towards her lashing out with its deadly searing fangs. She cut it down, slicing through its neck with a storm of blades, before flying away. As the dust cleared behind her, she could see that another and yet another head peered through the air.

Four in total… She thought but as she would soon realize to her dismay, the one she had just cut down had split and regenerated into two more heads. Five…

"Behold… The Belladonna Hydra!" Asmodeus' voice bellowed. "How will you handle this, dear Angel?"

Spurned by his voice, the hydra attacked, each head thrashing with wild fervor towards Uriel. She flew into a spiral, ducking and weaving between the perilous maws. All the while, her blades danced the movements and rhythm of her hands, slicing and dicing the beast's necks. Her blades cut deeply, rending the heads down one at a time, but for each one, more began to sprout. Five became ten, became thirty. Even for her in her current state, her divine might on full display, every nerve and fiber of her body firing at her maximum potential, it was inevitable she'd falter before the overwhelming mass. One of the heads twisted unexpectedly, chomping down on her body, pinning her between its fangs, but unable to pierce her glass-like skin. Enraged, the others began thrashing against each other, trying to rip Uriel apart.

"KRYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Uriel cried out as her limbs were being horrendously grasped and pulled back as the draconic hydra tried tearing her to pieces. One of the heads succeeded, tearing off one of her wings and snacking delectably upon it. Another soon followed, and then a third. Uriel screamed violently, and in a fit of maddened rage, overpowered the hydra that pinned her down. Her fury and fear exploded in a fiery conflagration that obliterated the serpent's head. This gave her time to float away to safety before the hundreds of heads chased after her.

Flight was difficult, as parts of her back were ripped open, bleeding with blue stardust blood. The wounds closed quickly, cauterized by her holy fire, and smaller feathery stubs grew in place of the wings she had lost. Despite this, the pain had infected her mind. She heaved and gasped for air as she crawled further away on the bridge, so far that she could see the other side now. A quick glance behind her and she could see the hydra approaching slowly and further back, her friends absent, no longer spectating her chaotic battle. Her eyes drifted to the spot where Constantine died, and she was concerned to no longer see his corpse.

Did they hide, find shelter? Good… They must have taken him too… Constantine… W-why…? Why… did it have to be… you…? She thought, unable to hold back tears from all three eyes. Even with… all this power… is it still not enough for me to protect those I love? Why are you such a failure Uriel? Failure of an angel… Failure of a demon… Failure of a lover… Oh… Uriel…

All alone… Uriel…

Nothing to hold on to… Uriel…

"No, Uriel." An all too familiar voice called out from beside her. A soothing tone like the chill breeze of summer. "Hold on to me." It continued, causing her to shoot up, eye wide open.

"W-what… is this? Is this a trick?" She cried out, her voice echoing with anguish.

"It is not a matter of power. You are more powerful than him, by an unimaginable margin. But demons are tricky bastards…" The voice continued and the more it spoke, the more Uriel's demonic eye was able to discern a shape on the bridge, someone standing beside her, but not truly there. "...No longer. I know his secret. I know his weakness." The shape said defiantly.

"C-Constantine?" Uriel said unable to believe her own power. His soul was there, somehow standing beside her like a ghost. "H-how is this possible?" She said, her voice choking in her throat.

"Azazel wounded me gravely… but I guess it was not him that truly killed me." He said, his ethereal hand moving over his bleeding heart. "Whoever did, allowed my soul to endure, just a little longer in this world."

"W-who… w-why would they…?" Uriel stammered, unable to contain her awe.

"To kill Asmodeus… or wound him in such a way that he will never recover, as I'm not entirely sure he can be killed." Constantine's phantom chuckled. "I can see him, Uriel. The real him. In this place… this realm of death like my dagger… And I can see the link that connects this part of him to the one you know."

"What is it? Tell me please!"

"His eyes. His eyes are the same in both realms. We can defeat him, Uriel, you and me. We have to strike at the exact same time!"

"B-but… how… I've been fighting him… he's… untouchable…!"

"I've watched you fight…" The phantom began. "I'm so sorry for leaving you to face all of that alone. You are not a failure Uriel, if anything, I am the greater failure between us. When I was on the verge of falling into despair, you pulled me back. When I almost lost my soul to the Owl, it was only you who managed to pull me back. Even now, after death, it was the love that you still feel for me that brought me back. I told you this is not about power, you are a Goddess of the very moon and stars. He wounded you, yes, but you have wounded him more! He fears you! Stand tall, stand and fight him!"

"I… I…" Uriel tried saying something but her tears overpowered her. "I couldn't save you…!"

"A pain we both have felt many times. Do not make the same mistake I did Uriel. Do not torment yourself over my death, over what could have been. I defied fate… but this was always to be my end."

Uriel swallowed her sorrows and nodded. She wiped her eyes, and stood defiantly one last time. "Will you stand besides me?"

"Of course, I'll hold onto your hand until the very end. Let's do this together, one last time!" He said, his form fading from sight as Uriel's demonic eye closed.

Uriel was left alone once more. But she didn't feel that way, instead a great warmth burned within and throughout her. A celestial furnace beating in her chest. She pressed her hand firmly against her heart, letting the love and sorrow she felt flow through her. The hydra approached, its thunderous roaring getting closer. She opened her eyes, two pure white like the scorching light of the sun and one red like the cold blood-moon.

Her hands reached outwards as she floated above the bridge. The very walls of the surrounding cavernous mountain began to tremble and shake, bits and pieces of it soon breaking and floating towards her. Even the bridge itself began to creak and hiss under the strain of her powers. But Uriel did not relent. She intensified the force, and more and more chunks of the mountain began to fly towards her, and soon even the bridge itself began to be ripped apart. In front of her she formed a massive sphere of rock and stone, speckled by glowing gemstones and minerals. The hydra, or Asmodeus, noticed the growing orb in the distance and rushed towards her, unknowingly rushing into their doom. When the sphere reached a size Uriel deemed appropriate, she clasped her hands together, as if in prayer. It resisted for a few moments, but soon her power overwhelmed it, and the size of the ball began to grow smaller as it collapsed within itself. The process accelerated the smaller and smaller it got, until there was nothing but a small spec of black dust. Uriel reached out, holding the singularity in her palm.

Such… deadly beautiful nothingness… She thought, impressed as she inspected it further.

"Perish!" She screamed, flicking her wrist forward. The singularity flew out towards the hydra, almost invisible. The beast continued charging forward, its hundreds of heads relentless in their assault. But once they got in range, they were almost immediately sucked into the unshakeable gravitational force. The hydra fought back, trying desperately to free itself but soon realized just how futile the attempt was. It began ripping its own heads off in a vain hope of escape, but the singularity was merciless. More and more of the hydra's heads and necks began to collapse against the black hole, each birthing new serpents only to die again in an endless cycle. Uriel watched with unwavering eyes as the terrifying screeching and howling abomination soon melted into nothingness, and only the spec of dust remained. With the monster consumed, she dispelled the singularity and nearly collapsed.

I… c-can… finally breathe again… She thought between heavy breaths. Such strenuous… force… I can barely stand… this… this next attack… It must be my last! Uriel calmed herself, trying to embrace the feeling Constantine imbued her with. Knowing he was there somewhere next to her filled with the final burst of strength she desperately required. Now… where are you foul demon…

"Don't worry Uriel, I'm right here, I don't run away from a fight." The mocking voice called from the darkness, as if to answer the question billowing in her mind. "Aww, who took your wings, little angel? Did a big bad serpent come and tear them off?"

Despite his taunting however, Uriel noticed something was off about Asmodeus. His usual ice-cool demeanor was all but gone. Wounds and scuff-marks were noticeable on his body, and there was a strange uneasiness in his bloodshot eyes. Most telling however, was the sweat that dripped from his forehead, and the noticeable distance he kept between them.

"Your big bad serpent is no more, Asmodeus." Uriel said, preparing herself for the perfect moment to strike. "And you are next!"

"Look at yourself, how far you've come in a few days. How you've cast off the chains that bound you and embraced that part of yourself which you feared. How the great black phoenix spreads its wings. But you seem to be losing control, Uriel, the taste of that unholy power… too sweet for one like you perhaps?

"You're one to talk. You terrified me when I first arrived here. You merely looking into my mind was enough to turn me into a shambling mess. You were powerful, imposing, but now…" She smirked defiantly. "...Now my eyes are open. I can read your mind like an open book, I can see the true you. And I've realized…" Uriel said. You are no God, you're just pretending. You're nothing more than a worm! Uriel's thoughts shrieked in his mind like cold poison.

Asmodeus' body trembled. His lip and eyelid began to twitch unnaturally. His breathing quickened and then everything toppled over. The sheer rage that the Lord of Dudael kept within him finally broke through. His patience was vast, and he found it difficult to care about the petty insults of others, but after everything that had occurred, after all that he had been put through, Uriel's words were one insult too far.

"ENOUGH!" His voice swelled like a storm. He abandoned all sense of restraint or mercy or even the facade of keeping a somewhat human appearance. He just recklessly charged forward in a torrent of flesh and bone, just as Uriel intended.

Uriel tightened her grip around the handle of her blade taking a flowing, elegant stance as she awaited the demon's strike. His body lashed out and she sprung. A twirl, a fluttering of her wings, and then a blinding flash. She cut his eyes out in this world and Constantine ripped them out in his. The flaming gold of Uriel's blade, and the silver hands of Constantine, the last things that Asmodeus saw with his own eyes in either reality. Uriel paused, the tapping of her foot against the ground being the only noise in the silence. First, she turned to her side. There, she saw Constantine's phantom form once more, but this time blurrier, less clear. He seemed to smile at her as he held the demon's eyeballs. A tear of pure happiness fell down Uriel's cheek.

"You did… We did it, Uriel…" He said softly. "I'm glad I got to see you one last time before I go. With my own eyes too."

"W-what are you saying…?" Uriel asked, confused.

"This world… these… things… don't work like they normally should. Already, these eyes wish to return back to their master, but I cannot allow that. No. I have to keep them safe, forever. I will keep him locked out of this realm with my dying breath." The phantom said. At his will, the eyeballs began to shift and morph into something similar, yet different, the nerve they were connected with becoming iron nails.

"C-Constantine!" Uriel called out, reaching her hand trying to touch his face.

"I won't say do not cry for me Uriel. But please, know that I go peacefully, do not be sad for me. I died for you and my friends, I… was able to keep at least one of my promises. So please, smile, smile knowing that my love for you won't ever fade. You're most beautiful when you smile."

And Uriel smiled. Her smile was soft, gentle like a wistful cloud on a clear sky, the tears of joy and relief that dripped down her lips like the cooling rain that comes at night. "C-Constantine… thank you! For everything… T-this isn't goodbye! I will find you! I'll find you! Even if it takes a thousand years! I will find you… I will… I will… I… I… I love you!" Uriel said, choking on her trembling sorrow.

"I love you too…" Constantine whispered to her, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. His touch felt like warm mist.

The seconds felt like an eternity, one that still ended too soon. Constantine stepped back then turned away so she was spared the grisly sight of him stabbing Asmodeus' eyes into his own. Uriel looked down, burying her face in her arms allowing herself a moment of peace where she could just weep softly. But the moment passed almost immediately, as a great pain began to surge through her body. Her glass skin began to crack at her joints, cosmic fire beginning to seep out. She spun around, thinking this was some trick from Asmodeus. Instead, she only found the demon further away, on his knees and hands in a catatonic state. He didn't breathe, didn't even make a sound except an incoherent mumbling.

"H-he… he… that… damn… fool… stole…. He… he s-stole… HE STOLE MY EYES!" The demon howled an ungodly screech, shaking the bridge both of them stood upon.

Uriel stumbled back, yelling out in pain. The vibrations of the ground beneath her felt like a thousand skewers piercing through her body. She was beginning to unfurl at the seams because of the vastness of her divine power. She had greatly overexerted herself many many times ever since she entered the prison, and now at the end of it all the debt needed to be paid. She cried out as she nearly tripped, and as she turned she saw someone she did not expect. A demon, Azazel and someone else further.

"M-Mephisto?" She managed to blurt out despite the painful electric shocks that pulsed through her spine and through all her nerves. "W-what… a-are you doing? W-why is HE with you?"

"I'm sorry Uriel. This is for your own sake. Your power… is too great. It'll rip you apart. I've never been a great father to you, but I must do this." Mephisto said with tears in his eyes. He reached up, placing a piece of yellowed paper on her forehead, above her demonic eye. "I'm sorry… that once again I have to control your life for you, without giving you a choice. I'm sorry that I failed you, and I will continue to fail you. I will do anything to protect you, even if it means you will hate me forever."

The paper was inscribed with scarlet runes that immediately activated upon touching her body. Chains of blood shot from the floor, binding Uriel in place. She tried to resist, but the pain was too great. She did not even have the strength to cry out anymore. She just stared up at Mephisto with fear and betrayal in her eyes. Only two words came out: "Father… why?"

Mephisto did not answer, he did not even look at her. He just turned to his companion, placing an arm on his shoulder. "Do it." He ordered.

Azazel nodded. He stepped forward and placed his finger on the paper over Uriel's head. "Don't move kid, I'm not gonna hurt you. I can't. Just… sleep." He said as he drew a strange rune on the paper, and a sudden peaceful darkness swallowed Uriel's consciousness.