[Elektra]

"Father, what am I to do?" the young boy asked, kneeling down in front of the large obsidian thrown in front of him.  The shadowy figure in front of him seemed to smile, and nodded at one of the smaller shadows beside him.  It immediately rushed off, the boy unsure of where it might be going.  "Am I to do everything, even entertainment, for you my son?  You are the eldest of my off spring, Kalona, and should be nearing the time at which you can do things on your own.  Such as leading my main column on the final seige against those blasted angels."  Kalona's eyes widened, showing his excitement, but he kept quiet.  "Yes, I do believe that shall work."  And with that, the shadows figure got up, and headed in the direction of the servant that had left quite a while ago.  And just as he reached the door, the same servant came back into the throne room, and, after bowing to the figure, headed to Kalona.  "Thank you fath- I mean my Lord for such an honor.  I shall report tonight."  Turning to the servant, he said, "I assume you've come to take me to the armory for a fitting of armor, and a sword?"  The shadow nodded, and started off, and he followed.  


After what seemed like hours, Kalona emerged from a slightly smaller room, an odd, disturbing fire burning in his eyes.  A traditional war garb was put under, and to the armorers surprise, he chose a lotus suit to wear into the battle.  On the shoulder was the King's royal insignia: a winged being with the king's own sword through it.  Looking at himself, Kalona chuckled, a small, cruel smile appearing behind his armored face.  Once the servant had helped him into the final pieces, he picked up an obsidian sword, and, lifting it without any struggle, marched off to the main courtyard, ready to do what he was asked to.  


The screams of tortured souls greeted him as he walked out into the open air, a burning, rotten smell accompanying them.  "Ah, the sights and smells of hell..." he muttered through his helmet grating.  A few yards away were the three columns of troops that were set to lay the final siege upon heaven, and one was to be commanded by he himself.  He couldn't help but be a bit proud that after his loyal years of service to his father, he was finally being recognized.  Going up to them, he surveyed the lot he had been thrown.  The men were all extremely filled out, but not to the point that it would restrict movements, or make for a slower soldier, but enough to give them a fearsome look.  The all wore straight faces, talking only when addressed by the commander.  A well trained, well disciplined column was what he had received, and he was going to make use of it.


Soon after he had finished with his own inspections, a bell sounded throughout the castle, and suddenly they were off.  Through the gates and out of the palace, they began the march upward.  It took many hours, but it was at the darkest of the night when the main part reached the golden gates.  There were small lanterns hanging in the air, melodic voices coming from what seemed to be a grand chapel of some kind.  One could hear the organ playing with the singers, a piano as well.  Kalona's face turned to a sneer, his disgust made obvious, and mimicked on the other soldiers faces.  But they were in control.  They were most powerful at night, and the angels at their weakest.  There was nothing they could do to stop them this time.  Four other sieges had all been sucessful, and this was simply to finish off the last of the survivors.  Their orders were just as simple:

Kill any males, as well as any extremely resistent females.  Any others such as children and females that go without trouble may be taken as prisoners, and their houses are yours to do with as you please.  A fourth of what you find must go to the King, and one woman must as well, excluding the commanders.

Kalona turned to his column, as did the other two commanders.  With a nod, the row of archers dipped the arrows of poison into a flaming jar, and began.  Almost immediately, a church bell began to ring, and with that, Kalona flicked his wrist out toward the gates, and the soldiers charged.

[Elektra]

Seraphim awoke within her chambers to the sound of an alarm being sounded, chaos breaking out on the streets.  She jumped out of the warm bed she was in, throwing back the covers in a hurry to get dressed and find the rest of her family within the palace when her door was violently kicked down.  In the doorway were three bloody men, horns sticking out from their shaved heads, arrow tipped tails hanging down, and their bodies made of shadows.  Their dark red eyes gleamed with the candle light by her bedside, their snarling growing louder.  Then one stepped forward, and grabbed the jewlery box that was on the dresser near the door, and motioned at her to the others.  They nodded in confirmation, and advanced on her.  She turned, looking toward the window.  It seemed everyone was now up and outside, women, children, and the elderly running for safety, while the males ran for the castle, swords on their backs and clothed in white armor, ready to defend their lord with their very lives.  Which meant that there was no one to help her.  


To deep in thought to react swiftly enough, Seraphim noticed only after it had been done, that a colar had been snapped onto her neck, the lock a heavy steal weight against her neck.  Pulled to the ground, one of the men snapped heavy shackles onto her ankles, but to her surprise, they weren't connected.  Of course, she soon found that they weren't needed to be, for their very weight severely restricted any movements she made.  Before leaving though, she reached for the pendant that her father had given her for her tenth birthday: a crystal imbued with an eternal light, but it was snatched away and thrown into a corner.  


~~~


"Ow!  Please, stop!" she cried out desperately.  It had been hours since she herself had been captured, and only a few since she had begun the march downward to wherever they planned on taking her.  The men had given her leash to a much taller man who seemed to be their commander, and gone back into the city.  As soon as he had seen them return to the fight, he yanked her to the ground with the leash, and pulled out the rope that one of the men had handed him.  He began working at her wings, tying each one separately at first, then one last time together.  They were strung so tightly together that it was only a few minutes before she lost total feeling in them.  "Oh, my dear!  You'll have to be able to take pain if you're going to be mine." he said in a cruel tone.  She shivered at what his words implied, and at the sudden burst of cold that hit her.  Suddenly, the world seemed to go black, and she stumbled to the ground.  A kick from whoever was leading her had her back up, and it seemed the lights had turned on again, but in a completely different place.  


If her hands hadn't been so heavly shackled, Seraphim might have reached up to cover her sensitive ears at the sound of wails and screams that seemed to come from all directions, and a putrid stench of death and decay that followed as well.  She gagged, but her leader simply yanked on the leash even harder, and forced her to follow.  


It seemed as if days had passed, but a dark castle loomed in her view.  It sent even more shivers down her back, making her feel as if she was trapped, doomed.  Wrought iron gates with a gruesome symbol of one of her own slain by a sword was carved in with the bars, and made her want to throw up once more.  The closer they got to the grand doors, the more she pulled, but it seemed as if her captor grew nothing but stronger as they neared, dragging her with him all the way up to the doors.  They swung open as if at his own command, and in front of her was her worst nightmare.  The devil himself.  The lord of evil, the fallen angel, the ender of lives, the tempter, and now the thing that had ruined her life.