We made it to the Crossroads. Chief Wilson and Mayor Brown followed us. I grabbed the vile of blood and walked to the center.
"I wish to make a deal!" I shouted. The air got cold before I heard a voice I wasn't ready for.
"Runic you think you could use one of my Demons to get an edge." The smooth voice said as I looked around.
"Lucifer Morningstar." I said as I saw a man appear before me. Wearing a black suit, white dress shirt, black dress pants, and brown dress shoes. He held himself with confidence.
"I told my demons to not work with you." Lucifer said as he walked up to
Me holding his hand near my face. He had a smile that told me looked that this was not extra. This was personal.
"So, I can't try to get information then? I asked as I looked at him in his black eyes. He had a smile before him.
"I will make you a deal, beat me in a fight and I will give you access to my
Crossroads Demons." Lucifer said as I stood there. I saw them look scared about the fact that even though I am powerful. I might lose to a deity.
"Challenge Accepted." I said then I walked up to Officer Mia handing her my black trench coat. I rolled up my sleeves. The runes on my arms glowing bright.
"Drakklin you shouldn't do this we can get the information a different way." Officer Mia said scared as she watches me stand where I was standing.
Lucifer stood there watching me ready for me to move. I made a rune ball and rushed too Lucifer. As I got close, I threw the rune ball at him and watch him dodge.
"Doing the same thing you did in Haiti, don't you learn." Lucifer said as he jumped up dodging the rune ball. I jumped up with him getting close to Lucifer. He grabbed me and threw me down. I felt the breath getting knocked out of me. I rolled over and dodge him fist. I quickly get up and grab Lucifer. I felt his heat coming off him. I slammed Lucifer into the ground and send a runic energy into his back.
"Drakklin you got lucky." Lucifer said as he teleported away. I rushed at him seeing his blue blood coming leaking from his mouth. I jumped and threw different rune balls at Lucifer. He dodges left, right, left. But he lost his footing and teleported back before I could hit him with a large ball of runic magic.
"How about I go after your officer friend." Lucifer said as it stood behind Officer Mia. He reached to grab her, but couldn't his hand hit a barrier. Lucifer stood there confuse before he could act, I jumped over Officer Mia and tackle him with a rune balled hand. He fallen backwards and I use a rune of God to hold him in place.
"You lost Lucifer." I said trying to catch my breath. He was there on the ground. His hand up.
"Fine fine I got cocky, I lost." Lucifer said clearly beat. I got off him and he got up.
"Honor your deal." I said as I saw him use magic to heal himself and clean up with clothing. "Give me the info or bring me a demon that can?" Lucifer sighed.
"Come back tomorrow I will get the demon that works this crossroads to help you." Lucifer told me as he began to vanish. I dropped to my knees clearly drained from the battle.
At the Exorcist Den I walked in seeing Den and Grathu standing there.
"Boss is that you?" Grathu asked as I saw her in her human form. I nodded as I walked to my resting place in the back of the shop. I land into the cot and close my eyes ready to sleep.
"Boss there is someone here looking for you." Grathu shouted as I growl. I get up and walk out see Ra again.
"What is it birdie?" I asked clearly annoyed.
"You fought Lucifer and won!" Ra shouted at me clearly surprised. I nodded feeling like I broke some rule.
"Good if your able to take out the lowest level deity you might have a chance." Ra explained with a smile. The next one you might face is of my Patheon.
"Who?" I asked really hoping I am not right.
"Anubis the God of the underworld." Ra said as I sighed. I rub my temples.
"Timeline please." I said as I snapped my finger to get Den to take a magical note.
"The test is already going to start. Have a good rest." Ra said as he vanished out of the door.
"The test could wait, I need sleep." I said as I went back to the cot in the back of the shop. I lay in the cot and went to sleep to get some much-needed rest.
I lay there as I drift deeper into sleep the dream world coming into view. I walked down my hometown street. I walked down the street many times growing up. Everyone was quiet and looking at me. I stopped walking and then I noticed. This isn't right.
"Shit got to wake up." I said as I tried to force myself awake.
"Calm down I want to help you Runic," A calming male voice said as I saw my surroundings change to a white room with monitors on the walls and a table with two chairs in the center.
"Who's there, how are you in my dream?" I asked panicked. I looked around still trying to wake up but unable to get myself awoken.
"I am Father Time." Father Time said as he appeared before me. He was a large older man wearing an old light blue robe. There is a long white hair and white beard. He stood before me.
"Drakklin Evenglade, unlike my other Deities I believe you did what you had to do in Port-au-Prince." Father Time explained as he made chairs appear. "Sit with me Runic, let's explore your memories."
We sat there and saw my memories fly in the sky. My parents, first job, first car, then the old tome. That old fucking tome.
"This was where your timeline took a shift." Father Time said as he made my tome appear. I looked at him as he opened the books. He read the pages as I he saw him flip through the pages.
"I must say you have a good memory of this tome, almost like you magically made it part of you." Father Time said as he made the tome disappeared.
"Yes, Father it is part of me." I explained as I felt nervous.
"The last Runed Exorcist did the old-fashioned way of having a physical book." Father Time explained as he looked at me. He smiled at me as I looked around the memory of how I got the tome. I got up and walked to the view of me getting a package without a returned address.
"This is where you got the package." Father time said as I stood there watching me stand with my brother. I saw the memory of me walking to my brother. I walked into the room with my past self and brother. I heard him asked what it was. I opened it and saw the letter.
"It is an old book, but I can't see who it is from?" I said to my brother as I grabbed the letter.
"Read this and know if you touch the tome you have to accept the role of Runic and protect the living from the supernatural." I read allow as to my brother. He grabbed the paper.
"There isn't anything on this paper Drakklin." My brother said as I saw he was right.
"Wait the page was empty?" I asked Father Time. He smiled as he looked at the paper.
"So it was, hm." Father Time said as I saw him grabbed a copy of the paper. "Look at it again." I looked at the paper seeing that in fact it was empty. I was shocked because I remember reading the message.
"How, how was it empty?" I asked as I looked at him clearly shocked.
"Because the magic of the tome let you read the true message that you needed to read, it was already connecting to you." Father Time answers my question seeing the shocked look on my face. He handed me the page and I saw the massage come back again as I felt the magic in me move to the paper.
Father Time and I watch the memory again. I remember the pain that was about to happen again. I ignored the phantom feeling washing over me. At that moment, we saw as I floated and started shouting in pain as I as I saw the glowing runes begin to burn into my skin. I heard my brother shouting for someone running out of the room.
"My parents where not home." I said as I saw the past me fall to the floor unconscious.
"But your brother called for the police which wasn't necessary, but I knew he wanted to be busy." Father Time said as I move closer to my unconscious form as I saw him run into my room looking for the tome.
"Where is my tome?" I asked looking for it?
"In your hand just invisible." Father Time said as he made it visible for the me. I looked at it glowing. But the sound of my brother crying took me out of my focus. I looked at him wishing I could touch him, hug him.
"What is happening to me right now?" I asked Father Time as I got up and look at him.
"Your body is adjusting to the magic of runes." He explained as I saw EMS rush into the room, my parents rushing in behind them.
"Wait he called them?" I asked as I looked at them worry. I notice my father looking around.
"What is he looking for?" I asked as I saw him walk up to the box.
"The Tome, it was for him." Father Time said as I felt shocked with the news. It was for my father, and I took it from him. Did I save him or damned him? "I need the whole story, Father Time?" I said with a tone to my voice that wasn't leaving room to argue.