Chronicles of Lux and Tenebrae : Pandemonium

A/ N: Fate knows what's up. Death is on his way to help the kids. Tenebrae and Lux are not on good terms after he crossed her with the Keeper of Secrets.  And things are about to become even more confusing. 

Xxxxx

One thing the harpies learned when they raised the son of Death: Never anger Tenebrae. Once, when he was just a babe, the young prince was very upset about his father not coming to visit and unconsciously unleashed true horror to the Harpies, to the point that one of them almost died. They managed to calm the boy but decided to do everything in their power to avoid a situation like this one all the while training the kid to use his powers. They discovered he was, indeed, very powerful, so much so that he could stand his own against his own father in a fight that could last millennia. As Lux was walking to Tenebrae's car she felt danger. People around them were fleeing en masse, screaming that there were demons coming their way. There was a simple rule, Deities, demons, and angels wouldn't walk the Earth assuming their true form. Anomalies existed in the form of half-breeds.which existed on both the human plane and the astral plane. There also were those who refused to follow the rule and therefore exposed themselves to mortals.

Lux turned on her heels to warn Tenebrae about the upcoming threat but it was too late. The very reason humans were trying to escape turned out to be a massive demon. Tenebrae was standing tall in front of this monstrosity. It was a giant decaying corpse with a pair of bat wings to match with his disharmonious face. Its flesh was pitch black and seemed to be rotting which could explain the smell. It had long sharp nails and fangs. Lux silver eyes grew wide as she felt some familiarity with the monster. Her fingers started to shake out of frustration because she couldn't recover her memory. Her muscles do remember the gestures she used to have when she fought anomalies with Tenebrae, she still had the urge to draw her sword but couldn't remember how to summon it or if she truly had one. She still had the urge to do something and protect those humans but couldn't move from her spot. Her body was petrified where it stood and Tenebrae quickly understood that. The demon wasn't alone and soon enough they ended up surrounded by a dozen of them.  Under any other circumstance, Tenebrae would have found this quite adorable because demons like these were not a threat to him, but he had to deal with a defenseless Lux and her safety trumped everything else.

« What...What are those? » Lux finally managed to say.

« Demons. » Tenebrae quickly jumped closed to her and answered as he took a defensive position.

« I know they are demons... I meant, why are they here? » She said, holding onto his arm.

« They must have been following me since I left the Fortress.stay right behind me, Lux. »

« Tenebrae... I don't understand... »

And neither did he. Why would demons attack « him » specifically? Her divine aura was way too faint to be noticed by demons like these. Tenebrae had walked the Eart long enough to notice the smallest of differences but for the untrained eye, nobody could distinguish Lux from a normal human. Her powers were still locked due to her memory not returning and therefore she was the most vulnerable she'd ever been and the least to be detected by evil creatures. They followed him and while usually, demons would avoid attacking The son of Death, these were out there to get him. He could feel the electricity in the air and goosebumps cover his alabaster skin. He could handle them, as long as Lux stayed behind him, where he could protect her efficiently, he could handle them. He summoned his long sword, a beautiful silver blade, encased in a sculpted black handle that ended in the shape of a skull. The weapon, like any other divine weaponry, was made out of his energy, which meant he could summon as many as he'd like as long as he had the energy to do it. It could cut through anything and usually, the weakest foes would fall if he hit them with it.

The prince started his attack, swinging his sword and cutting the demons in half. 1 down, 2 down, 3 down. The 6th blocked his attack with its claw, proving to be more resistant and stronger than the 5 previous ones. Tenebrae dodged a bite from the demon but got cut by another one who clawed his back. He turned his head and sent him a blast of dark energy, making it disintegrate on impact. It was too easy and he got cocky really fast. While he was slicing and dicing the demons, he didn't notice that a super-demon made its appearance and grabbed Lux in its giant palms.It was huge, as big as a public floor lamp and already it was lifting Lux to its mouth with the intent of eating her. It was her screams that alerted the Prince of the End Realm and had him turn around, only to witness with horror in his eyes that his beloved could have died right there.

« Tenebrae !!!!! »

She screamed! Outstretching her hand towards him in a desperate attempt at holding his hand. She was breathing hyperventilating, her eyes wide open and tears running down her cheeks. Fear was overwhelming the daughter of Life who didn't know better but to cry for help as her memories were still blocked.

« I'm coming! »

Tenebrae replied, sending a blast to the super-demon that didn't even flinch. He looked at his hands, confused as to why it wasn't working but decided to act rather than think. He sent another blast at the creature that started to chuckle as it pulled Lux up, ready to drop her into its mouth. The prince jet black eyes grew wide and he tried to cut through the super-demon which barely felt the blow.

« TENEBRAE !!!! AAHHH !!! AHHH PLEASE! » She kept crying his name, making his heart beat faster than it ever should. He was starting to panic.

As the creature finally positioned Lux the way it wanted, it dropped her abruptly into its giant mouth. The moment slowed down or appeared to be in slow motion as Tenebrae started to have flashbacks of the past. He saw Lux standing next to him, her glaive and shield in her hands. She had tied her hair in a high ponytail that only complimented the high cheekbones of hers. She was wearing a golden attire made of pants and a tank top with light shoes for the training. He remembered her smile as she contemplated the progress she'd made and the glow in her silver eyes as she looked at him excitedly. Then the flashback gave space to reality where she was still falling into the mouth of the monster and it cut back to yet another flashback where they were fighting anomalies together. He could see how gracefully she slew their enemies, how brutal she was too, punching, biting, kicking flesh when she wasn't slicing it with her blade. It seemed like a lifetime away. The flashback gave space to the present where she was still falling, even slower than before and he locked his pitch black eyes upon the silver ones of the goddess. The sight cut back to the last flashback, one where they were kissing and laughing and hiding from the rest of the world. He still remembered the warmth of her hand against his cold one. He still remembered her scent, and the sound of her voice when she couldn't contain her chuckles. It was enough to push him over the edge.

The harpies still remember the day the young prince was angry. He opened a giant portal from where many giant hands and dark matter shaped like tentacles escaped from and grabbed them all. The hands would have pulled all of them if he wasn't calmed down by his guardians and when asked what it was that he did,  he simply said that the portal was a dimension inside of him. He didn't use this ability often and nobody truly knew what that meant to him. What that made him be. Was he a portal to another dimension? Was it just an ability to make himself stronger? Were those he absorbed still alive or did he drain their essence? Lux, who was still falling, noticed the giant portal that appeared in front of her and the giant hands forcing their way outside. The humans who couldn't escape started to cry and pray and chant in hopes not to be obliterated by the amount of energy and the monstrosities they were witnessing. Her eyes flashed a light for a brief moment as she kept staring at him.

Tenebrae was angry and desperate. His anger stemmed from his fear of losing Lux for all eternity. He couldn't think straight, had little to no control over this form of his. His shadow had expended, to the portal. His hair grew in length, reaching his waist while his nails became longer and sharper. He was still dressed in a human way but there was a blue crown -made of energy- above his head. He outstretched his hand towards the creature, having the huge pale hands from the portal grab the monster and catch Lux safely. The super-demon started to squirm and claw the hands but there were just so many that it couldn't push them away. Tenebrae was snarling the entire time, relishing in the creatures helplessness. The noise became unbearable for the humans who started to bleed from the eyes and ears. There was a reason supernatural creatures stayed in their astral plane. When exposed to too much divine energy like Tenebrae's, humans couldn't survive, they just died. And they did. As the monster was taken away and thrown into the portal, Lux witnessed the poor humans souls that also were taken away to the portal. As the giant hand that held her put her back on the floor, she held the hems of her dress and watched as everything returned to the portal, giant hands, super-demon and human souls. Tenebrae yanked his head back and kept his arms open wide as if he was savoring -and he was!- the moment.

« Tenebrae... » Lux called but he didn't respond, too engrossed by his dinner. « Tenebrae...The humans... » She looked at the lifeless bodies that were laying on the floor and started to shake. «Tenebrae! Wake up! » She called but he didn't respond to her. « Tenebrae.. please! »

She yelled at him, hoping that it would make Tenebrae snap back into reality but it didn't work. She felt a hand grab her shoulder and looked up. It was Death himself.

-TBC-

Chronicles of Lux and Tenebrae : The Keeper of Secrets

A/ N: Part 1: Hesitation. Yep, the first argument those lovebirds are going to have. She has a point but so does he. What is going to happen next? Would Tenebrae keep up with his plan or would he change his mind?

xxx xxx xxx

The Keeper of Secrets once existed in the Astral Plane, but they decided against settling there once they realized that entities could reach to them way too. It didn't take too long for them to decide that the best place to hide would be on Earth. The rules were strict there, and more often than not, deities had to follow them. Besides, it was easier for the Keeper to hide. They would change location every year, making it an actual challenge for whoever would try and find them. Days after the Realm of all Beginnings was attacked, Tenebrae started to search the Keeper of Secrets new location. He was able to find them, hiding in a flat in Douala, Cameroon and turned his stallion into a car, once they teleported to the city. Lux still couldn't remember him or even herself, but they spent enough time together for her to trust him enough to follow him in his quest for answers.

In order to pass as humans, they changed their clothes. Tenebrae wore a pair of denim jeans with a red t-shirt and white tennis shoes. He gave his leather jacket to Lux, who was wearing a knee-length fluid black sleeveless dress with black doc martens and white socks. Her black hair was tied in a high ponytail and she was wearing sunglasses to hide her silver eyes. The weather was deliciously warm, with the occasional fresh wind that blew into their faces and the place looked familiar. Lux remembered she had been there in the past, a long time ago when the country was different, still one of the many stops of the slave trade. How pleasant that was to see them free and thriving. Under any other circumstance, she would have wandered on her own and bask in the glory of this beautiful country. They didn't have the luxury of time, so she silently observed. Citizens weren't alarmed more than usual because they were used to seeing people like Tenebrae -Black Albinos were fairly common in Cameroon, so Tenebrae's pale skin and white hair weren't out of place;- or Lux -with her glasses she could pass as an African woman.-.

« Are you sure it's here? » Lux finally said. It was the first time since they left the Fortress that she uttered some words, which caught Tenebrae's attention. He glanced at her, his jet black eyes staring at her and answered.

« I trust my minions. » A smile crept on his lips as she lifted an eyebrow. « Come on now, why are you looking at me like that? »

« You can't really trust your minions. How many of them are working with your father? How many of them are susceptible to betray you? You don't know that. »

« I thought you were the first to trust people, what happened to that side of you, » He teased her, gently tucking some rebellious locks behind her ear. Lux tilted her head to the side and grinned.

« I trust people, just not blindly like you seem to do. » She chuckled to herself and crossed her arms over her chest. « Are we sure the Keeper of Secrets lives here? »

« Seems like it, Lux. We'll know very soon if the intel I got was trustworthy. »

He outstretched his hand towards the front door in order to sense an otherworldly energy. All entities had that energy that stood out in a crowd of humans. It wasn't difficult for a supernatural being to notice when another one was nearby when they were on Earth, and while the Keeper was extremely good at hiding themselves, for the one who knew where to look, their signature energy would make them stand out pretty easily. Tenebrae felt it at the tip of his fingers and turned to Lux, excited by the good news. They found the keeper. He nodded at her and allowed the tip of his fingers to let some of his dark energy go, informing the keeper of his presence. Lux watched him do and nervously fidgeted with her fingers. There, behind what seemed an abandoned hospital, was hidden the Keeper's true castle. It was invisible to the eye of the mortal due to powerful magic, but to supernatural beings like Lux and Tenebrae, it wasn't. It's true nature slowly appeared to them, unveiling the rich infrastructure. Walls were made of carved wood, telling the stories of gods and mankind exception made for the most recent events. Her attack was too recent for the Keeper to add it to the walls and they didn't even have enough time to explore the castle.

«Hold my hand, Lux. » Tenebrae suggested. « I heard we could get lost if we didn't pay attention and I wouldn't want to lose you again. »

« Are you sure those aren't just legends? » She whispered, holding his hand. « Do you have an idea of the question you want to ask? »

He paused for a minute. Truth to be told, the prince didn't think this through. He knew that they only had one question to ask but didn't know the specific rule around it. Since there were two of them, did that mean that each of them had a question or did that mean that the two of them only had one? Of course, he needed to know how to defeat his father but he still wanted to know who attacked Lux and Life. She looked at him, flustered because frustration was slowly getting to her head. She remembered nothing, couldn't even go back to her realm because her life might be in danger and she relied on her supposed « lover », she couldn't even remember. It didn't sit well with the goddess who knew that it only was a matter of time before anger took over and she did something she would regret later. She was hopeful that maybe, the keeper of secrets, could have had an answer to give or at least help her remember but they were unpredictable and as legends say, irritable.

« I think...I know. I do have a question I have been trying to ask for millennia. I have been looking for the Keeper of Secrets for that long and now that I have finally found them...I have to ask. »

« What if we can only ask one question. Are you willing to risk my memory of you? If you ask what you want to ask, then maybe I could never remember you; Are you willing to sacrifice it? For revenge on your father? »

« I am...It's more complicated than revenge. I do not want to avenge myself because my father isn't the one who attacked you. I am... » He stopped walking and cupped both of her cheeks, feeling that she was less and less enthused at the idea of meeting the deity.

« You said I will remember with time, I still don't. I kept sleeping over and over without any hint at a progress. I can't remember you. I can't remember who attacked me and how my mother even looked like. Everything is a blur. Everything is a blur. » She hit on his shoulder but he stroked her cheeks in order to calm her down. « Tenebrae, I'm serious. » She said, trying to escape from his embrace but he held onto her cheeks harder.

« So am I ! Lux, trust me on that one. I will have the answer we need. Whoever hurt you can't be as powerful as my own father and if I know how to defeat him, then I'll know how to defeat your enemy. » -She looked up to his face, her lips trembling with anger before she took a deep breath and replied.

« Whatever... »

She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes for a second. He knew by her body language that she didn't mean her words. Her body was still stiff and she was still holding back her anger given how fast and harder her lips were trembling. He was right when she opened her eyes again and saw them flash brightly. «No! » She groaned and pushed him away with both her hands. Her body had recovered enough for her to be able to use her strength against him. It projected Tenebrae's body against the wall as she walked closer to him. « No ! We won't do as you please. We are this close to having the answer we need, who attacked me could also very well attack you. I don't want you to waste the only opportunity we have a question you could figure out yourself! » She outstretched her hand towards him, her eyes flashing so brightly that he wondered if she would try and blast him, but she didn't. Instead, she took a few steps back and shook her head.

«Lux? »

« I didn't want to attack you. I'm sorry. »

« Are you... okay? » He asked, standing back up. She looked at him and shook her head. « How can I help y-- » He tried to move closer but she stepped further away from him.

« Don't... not now. Just.. let's keep moving. » She said, walking forward to what seemed to be the main room.. as soon as they entered, the room turned black, forcing Tenebrae and Lux to stand still. A single voice echoed through the room.

« Who are you? »

« I am Lux, daughter of Life. » Lux started.

« I am Tenebrae, son of Death. Who are you? » Tenebrae replied, his tone shifting from unsure to commanding.

« I am the Keeper of Secrets. »

-TBC-