The Way, the Truth, and...(Deception)

The star above them opened up, revealing the red gate-shaped portal that led to Gomorrah.

Dunkleflemme beat his wings and slowly lifted into the portal. He sighed as he was forced to come to a stop in the darkness between the black star and the red gate. Otiena rolled her eyes and floated into the portal, making sure to not touch Dunkleflemme as they waited in the dark, honey-like substance for the star to turn red and push them through the other portal.

Good luck… Lucifer thought to them both as the star-portal closed.

The star began to rise and slowly pushed them through to Gomorrah. The star was perpendicular to the ground, so they had to roll to their feet. They landed outside of the same brothel that they had been at previously. The air was strangely hot around them, although the sun was just beginning to rise. People had begun to stir from their makeshift homes.

A woman with an empty pitcher walked outside, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She looked at the two demons, rubbed her eyes harder, looked again, and screamed.

Otiena floated to her and placed a long, black nail over the woman’s lips.

“Shh….” She said as she placed the invisibility Illusion over herself.

The woman was quiet for about five seconds before she realized that the other demon, Dunkleflemme, was not disappearing. She screamed again.

“Otiena!”

“Alright, alright…”

Dunkleflemme disappeared.

A man walked out of the same house that the woman did.

“What is it?” he asked groggily

“A-a-a monster!!”

“Where?”

She looked around, confused, and pointed in the direction that she last saw it.

“…There…”

The man rolled his eyes and staggered back into the house.

“I’m tired of your excuses…go get some water before there is none left.”

The woman cursed the man and ambled off into the distance.

“That was too close,” Dunkleflemme said.

“Please…the people are too cynical and desensitized to believe even their own eyes. That woman has already forgotten what she has seen.”

The sound of a large shofar seemed to cause the warm colors of a rather beautiful sunrise to shudder. The sound was soon accompanied by shrill flutes and raspy tambourines.

They looked at one another for a moment.

"The Marked One," Dunkleflemme said.

"Really?" Otiena said sarcastically.

"I am pretty sure," Dunkleflemme said, not quite catching the tone.

Otiena rolled her eyes, and started walking towards the commotion. Still invisible, she had to be careful not to run into the curious Gomorrians that stumbled sleepily from their homes out onto the street. Dunkleflemme, realized that moving amongst these people in a small alley way would be nearly impossible, considering his size.

He beat his wings, nearly hitting one hapless prostitute in the head, and took to the skies. Otiena watched, the only one who could see him, and huffed. She then floated into the sky gracefully and followed Dunkleflemme- annoyed that she hadn't thought of flying first.

Looking down at the city, the procession could be seen moving just through the lower gates. The poor of Gomorrah gathered and watched, dazed by the wealth before them. A few even tried to infiltrate the procession and steal some gold jewelry off of the women who danced and beat on the tambourines, but were beaten back into the crowd by men that seemed too big to be able to exist. There were wagons filled with gold coins that seemed to come from one place.

There were whispers in the crowd about this group pillaging a great city to amass this wealth.

Dunkleflemme looked at the front of the procession, now approaching the second gate. At the front was the same man that they had seen only days ago. He still emitted the same aura that made him who he was- the Marked One. He sat on top of a large, cypress chair that had been decorated with elaborate engravings and was carried by the impossibly large six-feet tall bodyguards- all heavily armed. He was dressed in robes dyed the deepest red and had a giggling whore on both arms.

What is it with these males and their women? he thought, looking at Otiena, One is enough trouble as it is...

I heard that...

The light from Dunkleflemme's eyes intensified and he ground his teeth. He quickly turned directions and moved uncomfortably close to Otiena.

"Stop reading my thoughts," he said, his voice dangerously low.

Otiena tossed her hair over her shoulders and moved back slightly.

"Fine. They aren't that interesting anyway."

Dunkleflemme turned back towards the procession, this time purposely hitting Otiena in the head with his wing.

Otiena flipped once in the sky before she could gain her composure.

"Watch it!" was all she could say in response.

Dunkleflemme simply darted toward the third gate, landing on the ledge near the entrance that the procession was heading toward. Otiena went over the third gate and stayed in the air, watching with some satisfaction as the leaders of this corrupt society waited with grim anticipation for this new disturbance to their small world to arrive.

Finally, the sound of the shofar rang right outside of their gate.

"Let them in," said the interim leader.

The large, heavy doors were opened, revealing a rather jovial contrast to those within the Inner City.

With a waved of the Marked One's hands, the sound stopped in a wave from the front all the way to the back of the procession, which was just at the second gate.

"Rejoice!" said the Marked One, "Your king has arrived!"

The leaders looked to the man that they had temporarily put in charge. He was shaking with both anger and fear.

"Y-you have no b-business here, stranger-"

A dagger flew through the air and into his throat.

"I think I do...but I could be wrong," The Marked One
said, "What do the rest of you think?"

They were silent.

"Good! Then I suggest a feast...to celebrate my ascension."

The governors of this city, though old, were not senile. They motioned for their underlings to carry out this decree and take what few animals the artisans had left to satisfy their new king.

"Who will coronate me?" the Marked One asked impatiently as their subordinates left to plunder the Middle and Outer Cities.

There was silence.

"Well?"

"I will," said the voice of the second highest governor.

The Marked One strode to him and gave him a rather rough hug.

"Good...then I will name you my highest advisor."

"Thank-you-"

He dropped him and turned to the other officials.

"We dine at dusk. Until then, I demand a place to rest."

He walked over to the building that was to the left of the building that was now burned to the ground, followed by many of the women near the front of the procession. He looked back at the governors.

"Do with the rest of them what you like," he said, and closed the door.

The governors looked at one another, and then at the beautiful women that now poured into the Inner City. They motioned to the girls that they wanted and entered their own separate abodes.

The smell of roasting animals could be smelled across Gomorrah as the poor people that now had nothing lamented and cursed their new king.

The sky turned red.

The feast was lavishly prepared in decorative clay and metal bowls. Several young cows had been prepared for this event, as well as chicken and fish. Bread had been prepared with exotic herbs or sweetened with honey and fruit. Wine was everywhere and the wooden tables were soon dyed red.

The Marked One stood up as the meal drew to a close and looked to his new advisor.

The advisor stood up, now in good spirits, and gave a rather long speech full of digressions until another governor kicked him in the shins.

Otiena, having grown bored, had landed near Dunkleflemme a long time ago. They both perked as the Marked One was given the highest title in Gomorrah- a title that ended their contract and gave the two demons license to finish what they came to do.

"Finally..." Otiena said, getting up.

A pentagram-shaped portal opened up before them.

"Go."

"What? No! We have to fin-"

Dunkleflemme picked her up and tossed her roughly into the portal.

"I know."

The portal closed and Dunkleflemme rose to the sky.