Father thought that he’d unlocked the mystery of creation. Instead he had shown the Fallen how to destroy it.

* * *

Kurst stood in the shower and let the water remove the dried blood and iodine from his scars. The doctors had stitched the wounds closed on Kurst’s physical body after he’d returned from fighting Franks. It was remarkable how fast the wounds had healed. The other bodies he had tried to inhabit had been far inferior to this one, but that did not mean he forgave Franks for depriving him of those. Quite the contrary, the mortal sensations of pain and pleasure he’d experienced in his brief mortal existence drove home just how much he had missed over the last three hundred years. It made him glad that he’d not killed Franks yet, because when they met again, he’d take the opportunity to prolong Franks’ suffering.

He left the shower still admiring his new scars. Every piece of glass had cut an exciting new path through his insides. Each hardened strip of tissue told a bit of story. Being hurt was fascinating. He stopped in front of the mirror and wiped the steam away with his hand.

There was a face in the mirror. It did not belong to him.

They were always watched. The cameras were well hidden, but the prototypes had learned where all of the cameras were located. They were far smarter than the doctors realized. Kurst moved his body so that he was blocking the camera’s view.

The face in the mirror belonged to a red, twisted, sharp-toothed beast. “Greetings to you, Great Prince and General of the Host Kurst. We are pleased that you have found a way here to Earth.”

This demon was known to Kurst. They had been of nearly equal status, though Kurst was unaware that he’d found another way out of Hell. What do you want? Kurst thought.

“I have come to parley on behalf of my new master.”

Whom do you serve?

The water droplets on the mirror began to move. They disregarded gravity, moving in different directions, cutting a path through the remaining steam until they had created an intricate symbol. It represented something older even than they were. It was a force that had already been ancient in the time before the Plan. When the World Maker had organized matter from chaos, it had already been there, dwelling in the darkest places. Kurst knew the name, but it would not be spoken out of respect.

I was not aware he had awoken from his slumber.

“Recently a human rose amongst the humans. His battle against the Old Ones reverberated across time and awoke my master. Since then he was been steering events in preparation of his return. It was his machinations that allowed for the creation of the body that you now wear.”

Do not claim credit for that which is not yours. This body was created by humans.