New Dream Adventures of Raven Knight

2018, 03-15

The Vengeful One

I am in a strange neighborhood. At first glance everything looks normal, but when I look closer I see that everything is actually a twisted version of normal. It’s hard to describe what causes it, but the atmosphere is creepy as if this place is haunted by a malevolent force. The place looks a little familiar but I can’t place when or where I have seen it before. I walk down the street until I see a woman come out of one of the houses. It is a woman with long dark hair and wearing a kimono. She runs right over to me and says she’s glad I finally made it. She says the demon is hiding in that house at the end of the street. I look and I see there is a large house at the end of the street that looks out of place in a neighborhood of average homes. It also looks even more rundown than the other homes, it definitely looks haunted. The woman says there’s a barrier around the house so she’s not sure how I will get inside to get rid of the demon. I tell her I’ll handle it. I even have a song already in my mind to use, The Vengeful One by Disturbed. I absently tell the woman she can sleep soundly in her bed tonight, for judgement falls upon the demon at first light.

I go down the street towards the haunted house at the end. Everything seems surreal, the road leading to the house seems to somehow get longer as I try to approach the house. The house seems to be retreating. I wonder if the demon inside is already trying to avoid facing me. I walk faster, then I run, then I jump into the air and fly like they do in Dragonball. With me flying I am finally able to overtake the house and I land on the sidewalk in front of it. There does seem to be a barrier around the house. I call to the house for the demon to come out and face me. A strange growling voice from inside asks who dares to disturb him. I am still thinking of The Vengeful One by Disturbed so my answer is, “I'm the hand of God, I'm the dark messiah, I'm the vengeful one!” I tell the demon to come out and face me. When I get no answer I focus on sensing where the demon is. Somehow I suddenly know the demon’s name, though I do not remember it to record it here. I call the demon out by his name knowing he will have no choice but to emerge now.

I see something happening around the house, and in the yard surrounding it. There is smoke coming from some of the black windows. That smoke solidifies into humanoid forms of pure darkness. Those things start coming towards me. Apparently the demon is sending his minions out before him. I find I have two guns holstered by my side, hidden under my Assassin robes. I pull the big revolvers out and I start firing at the dark figures as they come at me. This fits into the song, too. “When you die, you'll know why. For you cannot be saved, you remain enslaved. When you die you'll know why!” My guns make deafening cracks of thunder as I fire, each shot is a headshot somehow, it’s like the bullets are attracted to their targets. “When you die you'll know why. For you cannot be saved, you are too depraved! When you die you'll know why.” And as I blow away the last of the dark specters there is movement around the house, like a cloud of smoke rising off of it. The smoke all gathers at the front of the house and solidifies into another of the specters, but this one is much bigger and has huge black horns on his head and he is wreathed in fire.

My first thought is, “Boss fight!” as if I was playing a video game. The demon snarls at me and breathes fire, growling that he is going to annihilate me. I fire my guns at the demon but the bullets disappear into his dark body with no effect. He laughs and says he doesn’t know who I am but my weapons are useless against him. I focus on the song Battery by Metallica and bolts of light energy lightning strike both of my guns. “I'm the hand of God! I'm the dark messiah! I'm the vengeful one!” I advance on the demon, choosing specific spots to fire now… certain parts of the demon that somehow appear more solid. I’m not sure how I am seeing those spots, but I am certain they are weak points. The bullets are charged with light energy and fly at the demon in streaks of light, exploding on impact. The demon just seems more pissed off. He bares down on me as if he thinks he can scare me, looming over me and bathing me in his dark shadow. I point both guns right at his head, right at his dark and empty eyes… and I fire. His head explodes, then his entire body becomes smoke and flows into a black orb that was behind the demon. “No, you don’t!” I yell as I fire bullets into the orb. At first it doesn’t seem to be doing anything but then I see swirls of light in the orb. Cracks of light form in the surface of the orb and then it shatters, the shards dissolve into light.

I focus on the song Full Moonlight from the Devil Hunter soundtrack. An orb of energy forms in front of me and then ascends over the neighborhood, shedding a bright light on everything. The light energy seems to permeate the entire neighborhood and beyond, the light seems to wash the shadows and darkness away as it spreads. I am figuring this should make sure no new demon comes to take the old one’s place… As the song is coming to an end the orb of light disperses and bathes the neighborhood and the surrounding areas in sparkly golden sparks of light that settle on everything, finding their way into even the smallest crack and deepest shadow. I turn around and I see the woman from the house coming my way. I ask her if she is ok or if the demon harmed her. She says she is fine, the part of the demon in her was banished the last time I was here and healed her. I look around to see if there is anything else that needs to be done, but everything looks normal now. The neighborhood no longer looks twisted and creepy. The woman says she’s going to make cookies if I want to stick around. But I don’t get the chance to stick around, everything fades to black and I wake up.