Beyond The Impossible

It’s been several hours since the “Strongest Under The Heavens” tournament was interrupted to repair the planet where the arena is currently located. Enough to let the mortal contestant catch some sleep, although most of them didn’t take the opportunity.

Quantum notices that Noriko in particular has a strangely gloomy look on her face; if it was anyone else, he’d say she spent the night crying.

<Everything okay?> he asks her.

<Let’s watch the next fight> she answers in a way that confirms she’s definitely not okay.

<The tournament shall now continue. Lady Inanna has selected both opponents> Thoth announces.

Tyche is surprised by this, wondering if Inanna has discovered she’s been manipulating the probabilities to fix the matches, but she manages to hide it well. Only Adrestia, the daughter of Ares, seems to notice her reaction.

<Don’t worry. This match was inevitable> she cryptically says.

<You can see the future now?> Tyche asks.

<Only when revenge is involved.>

<Pain, the Killer Demon, and Torn, the Lone Demon, may approach the arena.>

<Ooh, I haven’t seen a Demon match in ages!> Rhea says, enthusiastically clapping.

<They’re my star pupils. I want to see who can get more violent> Inanna comments.

Pain leaps into the arena, ready to start the action. Torn takes his time: he stands up, takes off his leather duster, carefully folds it, and gives it to his daughter Lesion.

<Take care of it> he says, lovingly passing his hand through her hair.

Lesion watches her father walk towards the arena with a stern look on his face, and asks:

<Kari? Is my dad going to be alright?>

<I’m sure he is, sweetie> Kari answers her, with a not particularly convincing tone.

The two siblings approach each other, separated only by Thoth who asks:

<Now declare the prize you wish to claim in this tournament. Pain?>

<I’ve changed my mind about wishing for your daughter’s death, Torn. That’s throwing away an opportunity to create suffering. I wish for the death of Torn’s wife, whatshername.>

<Please clarify. The name of Torn’s wife is Agony, do you wish for her death?>

<Yep. I can kill my nieces by myself later.>

<Torn, what is your wish?>

<Why do this, Pain? You won’t gain anything by causing more suffering.>

<I’m teaching you a lesson, brother. You really should’ve let me go to that expedition.>

<Father’s expedition? That’s what this is about?>

<Torn, what is your wish?>

<Killing a Demon is against the laws of Hell, but to restore balance I wish for the death of my sister.>

<I knew you wouldn’t understand. You’re just like our father.>

<The stakes are decided, until defeat or death. Pain versus Torn. FIGHT!!!>

Brother and sister stare at each other for a couple of seconds, studying each other’s battle stance.

<Edge double!> Torn says, creating an energy sword for each hand.

<Massacre chainsaws!> Pain replies, creating a pair of mechanical saws.

The weapons clash repeatedly, throwing red sparks at each strike; then Pain shouts:

<Murder Overdrive!>

<Assault Surge!>– he shouts back, and both disappear completely from sight.

There’s almost no reaction from the stands where most of the gods are watching, but it’s a shocker for the mortal audience.

<What the… where did they go!?> Kari wonders.

<What do you mean? They’re still fighting> Vesta answers. There’s nobody in the arena, but parts of it are being shattered into pieces.

<They’re moving too fast for mortal eyes> Ulysses calmly explains.

<Oh. That’s going to be a problem when they start to get serious> Vesta realizes.

<Typical gods> Quantum jokes, receiving a poke from Kari’s elbow: she points at Vesta, who has a disappointed look on her face.

<Crap, was that racist?> he wonders.

There’s a bright flash of red light: something just cut through the entire floor of the arena, running all the way to the nearest temple. The building collapses on itself, and Torn becomes visible again: his breath is short and he has several cuts on his arms. By contrast, when Pain stops running she looks like she didn’t break a sweat.

<I’m impressed, Torn. This is by far the most you’ve ever lasted against me. How many people have you killed since the last time we fought?>

<Causing death and suffering is not the only way to get stronger> he tells her, while red energy stitches appear on his wounds.

<And you call yourself a Demon> she says, swinging her chainsaw to hit him; he blocks with his sword, slowly enough to be seen by mortals.

<The Blood wants violence! If you don’t understand that, you’ll never really use it!>

<You’re the one being used, Pain. That’s why Mother didn’t want you to go.>

<What are you…>

<Soul Link!> Torn shouts, creating an energy dagger that appears behind Pain’s neck and stabs her.

65 years ago, Hell

A much younger Torn approaches the throne shaped like a giant throne that looks like the skull of a monstrous beast, and he kneels before it. He doesn’t dare look at the hulking Demon sitting on it; most people would be afraid of the ridiculously buff Oblivion, but Torn is more concerned about the woman standing next to him.

<Lord Of All Demons. You have summoned me?> Torn humbly asks.

<Yes, Torn. You have shown great potential in service of the Seventh Circle of Hell, and I have considered your request to take a wife. Your request is not accepted.>

<If that is your will, Lord Oblivion, why is my mother present?>

<Torn, don’t interrupt your superiors> the woman reprimands him, before Oblivion can continue.

<Your request is not denied, Torn. It is simply not accepted at this moment.>

<If you mean that Hell doesn’t need newborns, Lord Oblivion, we can surely wait to breed until another Demon dies> Torn reassures him.

<Unacceptable. You will take a wife only if you return from the expedition.>

<You mean Father’s expedition?> Torn asks, raising his head to look at his mother <But I was under the impression that my sister would join him, not me.>

<Your mother has voiced her concerns about Pain to me. The expedition to Heaven is too important to allow her presence; you will take her place.>

<What is “Heaven”?> Torn asks, never having heard the word before.

<Your father will brief you. The expedition leaves in seven days.>

<Thank you, Lord Of All Demons. Let’s go, Torn> the woman tells Oblivion, walking away from the throne followed by Torn.

<Mother, why? Pain is much stronger than me, she will be more useful to the mission!>

<And the mission is everything, yes, your father made sure to teach you that. As the leader of Hell’s armed forces, it’s his duty to carry out Hell’s wishes. And as your mother, it is mine to care for you and your sister.>

<I don’t understand, Pain wants to go: she’s trained with Father and Inanna far more than me.>

<Inanna is the goddess of pleasure and violence, she can only see the Blood in these terms; she’s warped Pain’s perception of it. All she wants from the Blood is to kill with it, but it can be so much more> she explains, creating a pentagram of fire as a portal for her and her son.

They emerge on the top of one of Hell’s many volcanoes, under a sky that is on fire.

<It’s called the Blood because it flows through every living thing, Torn. It can’t exist without life and life can’t exist without it. It can destroy life and it can sustain it: the Blood is neutral by its very nature, like the universe itself. Suffering is not the key to its true power. It’s balance.>

<I think I understand, Mother, but Pain will never accept it. She won’t listen to a word of this.>

<My son… words have power, so use them sparingly. On deaf ears, violence is much louder.>

 

Today

The vision has lasted only a couple of seconds, but it was completely unexpected: it took Pain by surprise, leaving her vulnerable.

<I’m sorry, sister. Cut of a thousand deaths!!!> Torn shouts, releasing a stream of tiny daggers with his signature move. They fly towards the audience, becoming stuck in the barrier that Thoth has created to shield them. They didn’t slow down before then, because their target disappeared.

<Was that supposed to hurt me!? Cut of a million deaths!!!> he hears her shouting behind him, launching a much more powerful version of the same attack: he’s completely obscured by the sheer quantity of daggers, and the thickness of the stream doesn’t let him space to maneuver.

<Soul Reaper!> Torn calls, conjuring up a scythe and spinning it fast enough to deflect the attack; there are daggers flying all over the place, making it hard to see what’s going on.

Pain increases the pace, creating an almost constant stream of blades that hit faster than the scythe can spin: eventually pass through… but Torn isn’t there anymore: the scythe is spinning on its own.

<Demon Sword!> he calls: Pain looks up, finding that he jumped several feet in the air and is now falling towards her with a broadsword in his hands.

<Heartbreak Whiplash!!!> she answers: two sickles appear in front of his chest, stabbing both his right and his left hearts; he loses the sword, while chains appear at the end of the sickles to tie his arms behind his back. By the time he hits the ground, he’s bleeding profusely.

<DAD!!!> Lesion screams from the audience, holding tight to his leather duster.

<Like mother, like son> Pain tells him, swinging Torn’s own broadsword against him.

When she swings it, even some of the gods look away: Pain just cut open her brother’s torso, causing a wound that would instantly kill nearly any other mortal.

Torn doesn’t scream. He’s way past suffering: his body doesn’t have enough energy left to care.

<Too stubborn to die, aren’t you?> Pain asks, trying to wipe the blood off her face: she’s practically drenched in it, considering how much Torn has splashed on her. When she’s done she extends her hand and the Soul Reaper scythe flies towards her.

<Father’s scythe… quite a weapon. Still intact when you’re about to die; I suppose there’s some poetic justice in being killed with your own blade> she says, weighing the scythe and preparing a blow.

<Any last words, brother?> she asks, ready to decapitate him.

<Balance> he says, closing his eyes.

 

65 years ago, Hell
Most of Hell’s population lives underground, in an extensive system of caves. Their location is carefully selected to avoid seismic zones, so a landslide is exceedingly rare. But they do happen, and this is one of the most extensive in recorded history: it will be remembered for causing nearly a million deaths, and for being caused by a single Demon. The excavation has been going on for several hours: Hell has declared this a lost cause, but two Demons have ignored the order to stop digging… one of them is Torn, and the other one will one day become his wife.

<I think we’re near, I sense a presence> Agony tells him, lifting one of the boulders and throwing it away. Underneath it, there’s an older Demon woman with a deep wound on her torso: someone cut it so deep that her organs are spilling out.

<Mother! What happened!?> Torn asks her.

<Pain… I told her she was… out of the mission… wouldn’t listen… we argued…>

<We’ll take you to the healers. Agony, help me stabilize her!>

<It’s too late for me, son… I was born from the Blood, and to the Blood I shall return…>

<I will find my sister, mother. She will pay for this, I swear on the Blood.>

<Listen… to the Blood, Torn… and you will always find… balance…>

Her hand slips away from her son’s. Torn lovingly closes her eyes, feeling the light in her soul disappearing from Hell.

 

Today

Pain has been looking forward for this moment for decades: she swings the scythe without sparing her strength, already visualizing Torn’s head rolling down on the floor of the arena.

But the blade stops a few inches away from him. She holds it tighter, but no matter how much she tries the scythe won’t move an inch.

<How are you still alive!? Executioner!!!> she shouts, creating an axe large enough to cleave him in half and swinging it with as much rage as she can muster.

It completely freezes in position before it can hit. Much to her annoyance, Torn slowly stands up.

His eyes are still closed, his breathing is so shallow it’s hardly noticeable, and he’s lost so much blood that his red skin is now closer to being pink. He moves his arms putting almost no energy into it, but the chains that have been holding him shatter.

<Stop it!!! Stop being alive!!! CUT OF A MILLION DEATHS!!!> Pain screams louder than usual, unleashing her attack practically at point blank.

<Instinct. Killer.> Torn whispers.

Pain’s attack not only completely misses him, but the daggers she created fly around him in a complicated pattern until they’re floating around him in a circle… and facing Pain.

<Yes!!! He’s finally done it!!!> Inanna cheers from the audience.

<What? I don’t understand, what did he do?> Rhea asks her.

<I haven’t seen it in eons, but that is what a Demon at full power looks like!>

Still keeping his eyes closed, Torn opens his arms: the wound on his chest glows bright red, and Pain takes a step back. She can feel the Blood flowing through it… but she can’t see any limit to it.

<What… what are you!?>

<I am no longer your brother.>

Torn opens his eyes, and his body begins to emit a red aura. It looks like an extension of his body, with one major difference. It has horns.

<I am Torn of the Seventh Circle of Hell. You killed my mother. Prepare to die.>