The Dark Lion Rises

When she left her domain, she flew straight to Silverton, the one place she felt welcome. As usual, the mayor's mansion was alive, with servants rushing about and the well-to-do schmoozing as they were wont. She found Morgan easily enough and the redhead met her with a wide smile. Callisto rushed up to her and drew her into a deep kiss. 'I missed you,' she said, almost teary-eyed. In reality, she had not thought of her much but she couldn't think of any other way to express her **** desire.

'I've missed you too, my love,' the mayor's daughter said, calm and easy. 'I was a little worried. The emperor's people have been spreading rumours about you.'

Before she could think of a response, the mayor himself piped up. 'Not that we've taken any heed of that here, of course. Silverton would never turn its back on its saviour.'

Her God's Eye told her that was the truth. Indeed, Sir Merton had staked his entire livelihood on her. Confident of their support, she announced, 'Ariel has betrayed me. He withdrew my Angelic Protection and allowed the Archbishop Elmeria to poison me.'

Both father and daughter were shocked to hear that. 'That's outrageous,' the mayor said, 'I knew his temple had given you trouble but this is abominable.'

'The temple should be razed,' she said, dispassionately. Callisto did not know how far they would go for her but she was more than willing to push her luck.

'Of course,' he said, somewhat to her surprise, 'there'll be no worship of that traitor in our town.' Within hours, she was overseeing the entrance of a mob into the temple. The priestesses were dragged out, screaming and crying, many were beaten and others had their gowns torn from them. If it went further than that, she'd have intervened - at least, she told herself that she would've. Otherwise, she hadn't the heart to care. She was looking for one thing and found it, as the last of Ariel's faithful were removed and the rest of the mob rushed in to loot the place.

Tandy wore a look of cold defiance when Callisto flew down to her, just outside the threshold of the temple. The angel said nothing to her until she'd grabbed hold of her and drawn her into her domain.

'What are you doing?' Tandy cried, sad, tired, angry and more than a little afraid.

'I'm keeping you safe,' Callisto replied, assuring herself that it was at least half true. 'I never wanted to hurt you.'

Tears were falling freely now, as Tandy's voice became shakier. 'Oh, you didn't want to hurt me? You just wanted to dishonour me, humiliate me and destroy my home?'

Callisto wished she could answer that, and, on some level, knew that it was wrong of her not to want to. Instead, she went straight for the girl's heart. 'Do you still love me?'

Tandy wailed at that and clutched her stomach. 'Yes,' she choked out, 'I hate myself for it, and I know it's a sickness you infected me with, somehow, but I can't stop myself from loving you.' When the girl hiccoughed, Callisto reached out to comfort her but she recoiled. 'You have no idea how much this hurts,' she said.

'Tandy, please.'

'I prayed,' she seethed, 'I prayed and prayed and prayed for Ariel to take these feelings away from me!'

'You don't think he could?!' Callisto blared, 'he stole one of my powers on a whim, he could've easily answered your prayers!'

Tandy shook her head and her lip flared in disgust, 'you haven't got a clue how these things work. If he could take away your powers, he would have. He can't touch you,' she spat, 'because you're a monster.'

'I'm not,' Callisto pleaded, 'you have to believe me,' she was crying now, almost as much as Tandy, 'I gave away my monstrous half.'

Upon hearing that, just a slither of doubt shot through Tandy's mind, and she pressed a hand over Callisto's chest. 'I don't understand,' she said, seeming to calm down, 'I felt it. When we were abed, I could feel it beating in your heart.' Her brow furrowed in confusion, 'the Dark Lion. We saw it in visions. Ariel warned us.'

'It's gone,' Callisto said, wiping her tears away, 'I got rid of it.'

'How?'

Callisto could think of no reply. Instead, she stepped forward and kissed Tandy deeply.

'No,' the girl moaned, trying to pull away, but Callisto held her tight and continued to kiss her. 'Please,' Tandy begged but her words were now mixed with heat, as Callisto left a trail of kisses down her neck and across her bosom, 'please.'

Eventually, they fell gently onto the strange cloud-like surface of the grounds, kissing and groping. Tandy struggled, from time to time, struck by fleeting bouts of shame but her protests were weak and yielded to the angel's lovemaking. Once they were through and each had been brought to orgasm half a dozen times, Tandy's sense of shame was able to overtake her more thoroughly. Callisto lied on her side, softly stroking the girl's back as she sobbed.

'I hate how good you make me feel,' she said, her tone wrought and bitter. 'I'm no better than those poor mind-broken girls dragged around town.'

Callisto propped herself up and held her, pressing her breasts into the girl's back and wrapping her arms around her waist. 'You shouldn't think like that. I want you to be one of my lovers. You can still be dignified and proud, you'll just be with me. That's all.'

'I'll know that it's wrong,' she whined, 'I won't be able to escape the fact that you stole me from the life I wanted. As much as I love you, I'll never be able to forget that.'

'I'm sorry,' Callisto said, eventually, trying to sound sombre, 'I truly am. I didn't understand my powers. I still don't. I just know that I need you.' She didn't know whether or not she was telling the truth.

'Yeah,' Tandy said. Her tone was unreadable. 'So, are you going to let me out of here?'

'I guess,' she replied and they got dressed before she pulled Tandy and herself out of her domain and back into Silverton. As soon as they emerged, she spotted commotion at the northern gate and went to investigate. Tandy lingered behind for a while, likely not knowing what to do with herself, before deciding to follow. As she pushed her way through the crowd, Callisto learned from passing conversation and nervous gossip that the Demon King had supposedly sent a monster to rally the remnant orc forces, according to a contingent of imperial soldiers who had arrived at the gate.

She eventually found the mayor, flanked by his daughter, engaged in some kind of dispute with the leader of a squadron of elite troops. When the imperials spotted her, they startled her by reaching for their swords. The captain broke off his conversation with the mayor to address her, 'Callisto! We have orders from the Emperor to place you under arrest. You are charged with espionage. Come quietly and you will receive a fair trial.'

Callisto looked to the mayor for reassurance and he shook his head. 'Like hell,' she said, earning a smile from him and a roar of approval from the town guards behind her, many of whom reached for their own swords.

'You are an outlaw, then,' the captain turned to the mayor, 'and this town is in rebellion.'

Sir Merton scoffed, 'so what if it is? The Sunlight Angel will protect us.' She was buoyed by his confidence in her and crossed her arms, hoping to look intimidating. That didn't work but spreading her wings high and wide actually did unsettle them a little.

'We shall return in ****,' the captain said, before leading his men away.

'Don't worry,' the mayor said, once they were out of sight, 'the Emperor is old and fat. He will die soon enough and his successor, whoever he may be,' the way he phrased suggested there was some doubt, 'will likely find himself in need of you. They'll drop the charge, or pardon you, or whatever else is required to get you on side.'

'In the meantime?'

'They are unlikely to do anything. The Emperor would have to be a darn fool to divert his armies from the north. Some lord might hope to earn his favour by putting us down but none could muster a **** to rival you.' She nodded at that. 'I dare say the biggest threat to us will be from within rather than without.' Her God's Eye told her that he was thinking of a political rival of his, who'd been trying to rally the town's faithful and exploit their anger over the destruction of Ariel's temple. The mayor was actually hoping there'd a revolt, since it would give him an excuse to execute the man.

The notion offended her sensibilities but she felt indebted to him. 'I will protect Silverton from all of its enemies,' she said.

'I never doubted it,' he said, turning to his daughter, 'now, Morgan, I'll leave it to you to direct our guardian to where she is needed.' With that said, he marched off home with his coterie of servants and bodyguards.

'Of course, father,' Morgan said, coolly, 'shall we?' Callisto then allowed her to lead them to the town square. There, many of the priestesses had gathered, joined by a small but eager mob of angry devotees. Leading them was a short man with balding black hair and a large beard. He had the large belly and fine clothes of a merchant. 'Young Peter, they call him,' Morgan whispered to her, 'a firebrand and an ex-sailor, well liked but known to cause trouble. He's a threat to my father and, therefore, to me.' Callisto kissed her and squeezed her hand, signalling that she understood.

Tandy stopped her short. 'Don't hurt them,' she pleaded.

'Don't worry,' Callisto said, breaking free of her grasp before heading up to confront the rabble rouser. As she drew closer, she could feel the anger towards her, and the venom, melt away. Her Warmth ensured that they were awed by her and it caused some of them to falter. 'What's the meaning of this?' she asked, as if she didn't know.

'The mayor has permitted the looting and desecration of Ariel's temple, as you well know. It is a violation of their rights. If a city's ruler cannot enforce its laws, if he cannot enforce freedom of conscience, then he should not be permitted to rule.'

Denying herself any recourse to ****, Callisto had to rely on her God's Eye. 'You care nothing for these people,' she said, 'you only want to use their cause to advance yourself.' That was true but unlikely to really convince anyone of the wrongness of the movement, so she delved deeper. 'How can you claim to speak for the faithful when you cannot even be faithful to your wife?'

'What?!' he roared, sputtering slightly.

'You visit prostitutes, sometimes daily. You claim to be a man of charity but your donations to the beggar women at the docks are conditioned upon sex.' Before he could answer her accusation, she searched the crowd for his wife, a poor young thing, heavy with child, 'you've suspected for a while. He stinks of sex too often, and takes on too angry of a tone when you ask him where he's been.'

'It's true,' she wept.

'Dear,' he said, searching for a good line, 'this is all lies. It's just clever bluster and bluffing. I am truly devoted to you, my sweet.'

She left the pair to it as the crowd began to dissipate. Not all of them were willing to leave or give up but most of them felt cheated, somehow, or manipulated. Morgan met her with a wry smile and a deep kiss and Tandy softly muttered, 'thank you.'

Sir Merton found great humour in the blackening of his rival's reputation, when they returned to the manse, but Callisto was given no time to enjoy his hospitality. News swiftly arrived that Marmorstadt was sending an army south, to crush them, and the Sunlight Angel soon found herself high above the northern battlements. She flew to meet the army and conjured a storm to weary it. Slickening the mud with rain and striking the odd man with a lightning bolt caused no end of trouble and they tried to retaliate with a barrage of arrows. She remembered Elmeria's words and kept the possibility of a lucky shot firmly in her mind as she blinked, dodged, weaved and deflected arrow after arrow.

The army contained a handful of battle mages who tried, in vain, to dispel the weather but they were no match for her and the only thing preventing the action from turning into a massacre was her restraint. Once they were sufficiently disorganised, Callisto exploited gaps in their marching formation to emanate a few soldiers in key places, causing utter chaos within seconds. Then, at just the right moment, she vanished them and poured her mana reserves into a cavalry charge. Her small army of mounted emanations struck their western flank hard and triggered a full rout. Only once they were out of sight did she fly back to Silverton. On the way, however, she was beset by visions.

She was given brief glimpses through another creature's eyes. At first, it was unclear but, as she focused, she realised that she was whipping orcs and barking orders at them. She intuited that it was Reala's monster but she denied, for as long as she could, the growing realisation that she knew the creature's precise identity. Then, when the monster entered his tent, she could no longer resist the understanding. All it took was a single glance from the creature, over to a small, cracked, mirror, to tell it true. It was the Dark Lion, free from its prison within her soul.

In an instant, she transported herself to her domain. She expected to hear an explanation from one or both of the dark goddesses but they were nowhere to be seen. Of course, she knew why but it did nothing to salve her sense of betrayal. She headed to her bedroom and, still, neither one appeared. Regarding her bed with no small amount of disgust, she cursed herself for what she'd done. 'Fool,' she spat. 'Weak, degenerate, fool.' Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the key wriggle and writhe on her writing desk. Her lip curled in disgust as she stared down at it. A small, rational, part of her **** her to ponder it. If her power was no longer tethered to the beast then, given how much she'd already empowered him, was it not imperative of her to focus all of her efforts on self-improvement?

A thought occurred to her then and she responded by picking up the key and locking it inside her breastplate. She then found herself in an all too familiar, dank, dark and disgusting, demonic prison. As she began her campaign, she let her mind and body blend together. With every gush of blood and every demon vanquished, she felt a trickle of energy run along her spine. Hundreds and hundreds fell against her blade and her hard light constructs and, when her mana reserves were thoroughly depleted, she continued on, fighting with sword and wing. Hours passed by in a bloody haze and she pulled herself out only when her knees began to buckle and her vision began to fail.

Her emanations took care of her once she'd collapsed onto her bedroom floor, undressing her, washing her cuts and bitemarks and bathing her. She barely even noticed that her constructed servants had become virtually indistinguishable from human beings visually. When she was ready, Callisto blinked back to reality. She checked the northern battlements and quickly survived the town's perimeter. Her God's Eye showed her nascent dungeons growing all around but nothing that would pose a real threat. With no monstrous or imperial forces to trouble them, at least for a while, the Sunlight Angel decided to risk everything for a chance to outmatch her evil twin. She journeyed to the ruins of Ariel's temple, where a few priestesses had gathered to weep over the loss of their home.

There, she called upon her Enochian power and grew before their startled eyes. A second, and then a third, set of wings sprouted from her back. Her skin turned from pale pink to shimmering gold and her hair went from blonde to pure white. The pupils of her eyes vanished as they transformed into orbs of burning light. Her armour warped and stretched as easily as her body, matching her new height of ninety feet and becoming replete with shining ambers and rubies. With flaming sword in hand, she ascended through the clouds, tearing through the atmosphere at a blistering speed. In time, she pushed herself towards the speed of light, blinking across vast distances in an instant, encasing herself in hardened light and plunging into the surface of the sun.

Die now, she thought to herself, or gain the strength to make things right. For how long she remained trapped inside the overwhelming heat and light of the sun, she did not know. When a crack eventually formed in her armour, right at the centre of her chest, she centred herself, trying to prepare for either outcome. In the end, rather than burn through her heart, the energy of the sun poured into her soul. It was exhilarating and excruciating in equal measure and, within seconds, she pulled her new form free from the star and flew back to the planet. She descended through the sky as a ray of light, over her pure land, before cycling through a mere handful of the infinite shapes of light she was now free to choose. At one moment, she was an invisible spectre, at another she was a crystalline tower and, at yet another, she was an angel flying nude and care-free through the sky above her Pure Land.

It was there that she fashioned her army. A legion of men, made of hard light, with armour of gleaning gold, helmets that wore the visages of noble lions, ruby red swords and shields that would emit a blinding flash when struck. She did not need to command them or encourage them, for they did exactly as they were bid as soon as the very thought formed in her mind. Their first target was a dungeon half a mile south, one that spawned insectoids. They did battle with demonic ant-men, rescued slaves and purged the core, all with perfect efficiency. Upon their return, she at once set them to the task of establishing the rebellion's authority over the freshly conquered west. Afterwards, she returned to Silverton in an approximation of her previous form. She went immediately to the ruined temple and rebuilt it, brick by brick, at near the speed of light.

It took a few elemental spells to make it stable and steady, and to reshape its idols into forms that suited her more. 'Behold,' she said, to a gathering crowd, 'the temple of Callisto.' They cheered and she left them with instructions to fill its ranks once more. The priestesses were free to return on the condition that they become devoted to her alone. Though most scoffed at the notion, a few were sufficiently awed by her Warmth and her displays of power. On top of that, there were a flurry of new recruits.

Whilst waiting for her army to return from their missions, Callisto strengthened the city's battlements with hardened light and headed off to crush a nearby dungeon. It was a nascent devilish structure, black stone awkwardly jutting from the forest floor, patrolled by imps. She sent hard light darts through their hearts and they fell all around her. Its entrance, a small portcullis, yielded to a concussive blast and she began to delve. None of the low-level creatures, hell-spawn of various horrid types, could stand up to her. She let the light, from the flickering torches that lined the walls, bend around her and struck hard and fast from right behind them.

The throne room was fancy, by the standards of the rest of the dungeon, but still quite small and featureless. 'I surrender,' the woman called, from upon her throne. She was blue-skinned and red-eyed, and wore a skimpy leather outfit. Her guards were dead soon after Callisto entered the room and, unlike so many of this world's monstrous beings, she had at least the barest amount of common sense. The Sunlight Angel blinked across to her, to startle her, causing her barely covered breasts to jiggle delightfully.

'You're my prisoner, then?'

The devil rose from her throne, so that she could answer Callisto face-to-face. 'I am whatever you want me to be.'

At that, the angel snatched a kiss from her and bound her hands with a hard light chain. She then dragged the woman to the breeding chamber, from which she rescued a small group of farmgirls, who were too meek to spit at or even insult their captor, and then to the dungeon core. Callisto almost felt bad when she saw the look of abject horror on the devil's face when she destroyed her summoner. After that, they trudged through the forest, to the girls' village, before heading back to Silverton. 'What's your name?' She asked her prisoner, absently.

'I hadn't been given one yet,' she said, sounding somewhat forlorn. 'You can call me what you like, I suppose.'

As tempted as she was by the prospect, Callisto didn't want a persistent reminder of the uneven nature of their relationship. 'No, choose your own name.'

The devil woman thought for a while, and they had reached the outskirts of the town by the time she'd decided. 'Voreah.'

Callisto simply hummed in response, as they entered Silverton. She was happy to see that her army had returned. 'Alright, Voreah, you will have the honour of accompanying me on my next campaign.' At once, she commanded her men to march north, the merest whim of a thought being enough to get them in formation and walking towards Marmorstadt. She walked alongside them, with Voreah on her chain leash trailing behind, and bent the light to hide their numbers. They surprised the city's defenders and overwhelmed it within an hour. Turning to her prisoner, she remarked, 'they are the perfect army, killing in combat without mercy or remorse, but feeling no compunction towards looting or ****.'

Voreah didn't know what kind of answer was expected of her, so she said nothing.

The archduke was soon captured and sent to Silverton, to be taken by the mayor as a hostage, and Callisto was given the freedom of his palace. In his study, she tried to read through his letters, to determine exactly what kind of orders the Emperor had given, but, before she could do so, she was struck by another series of visions. This time, seeing through the Dark Lion's eyes, she observed the beast being confronted by Elmeria in the aftermath of an inconclusive battle. It pained her and angered her to see the archbishop but she still rooted for her. The fight between them was fast-paced and brutal but it seemed as though the hero would win.

At a crucial point, however, she heard the Dark Lion speak. 'You fight well, Ria, but I know what you're really good for.'

A flash of terror spread across the archbishop's face and just a moment of hesitation was all it took for the Dark Lion to close the gap and wrap one clawed hand around her throat. He drove her hard against the floor and tore away her underwear. Callisto freaked out and drove the images from her mind. 'Oh God,' she choked and keeled over. Voreah's arms soon enveloped her, in a vain attempt to comfort her. Tears began to fall freely and she sobbed, soon needing to cling to the devil's arm for support.