Destiny on a Coin Toss

Lilith gazed at the last sunrise she would ever see as a princess. She stretched across Matier's roof and closed her eyes. She drifted into the first sleep she had experienced since she revived in the hospital the week before. The streets of Dumaray Island, and much of the rest of the world, were covered with obsidian and ash. The acidic flood waters were now simply water, but they still sloshed on what used to be the doorsteps of thousands of people. She rested in a dreamless sleep until the sun was high overhead. She awoke when someone violently shook her. She covered her eyes and sat up.

"You couldn't wait until sunset?" Lilith demanded with an implied threat.

Lucia ignored it. "Your father is waiting. If you want to talk with him, now's your only chance. You can't get another."

"I know already." Lilith stretched her arms to her sides and above her head as she stood. Then she cracked her neck with a quick and careful turn of her head. "I'm ready."

(X)

On the stairway in the main hall of the castle on Mallet Island, Koromos awoke in a bloody coughing fit. For the past week he had been in a catatonic state as his recovery from the effects of the Idda Corrof left his body racked with pain. The coughing spasm continued until he felt something drop into the back of his throat. With a final powerful hack, Koromos forced the object into his mouth. It was round and metallic. Koromos spat it onto the floor. The bullet that had been lodged in his brain rolled away from him.

"I survived," he mumbled, "yet again."

He painstakingly forced himself to his feet. He ignored the God of Time as he approached what used to be Ariel on the walkway. A human shaped stain on the floor was the only thing left of her body. Koromos stared at it stoically before spitting on it and returning to the staircase. "I never really liked you anyway," he grumbled. He glanced at the God of Time, then performed a double take. The statue's eyes were glowing.

"You are cunning for a mere statue. What is your purpose in the great scheme of things?"

"Listen," he heard a low voice rumble from deep within the statue.

Koromos wouldn't have believed the statue had spoken if he hadn't seen what the statue had done to Dante. "Listen to what? What do you have that would interest me?"

The statue remained silent. Koromos turned to escape the increasing unease but stopped halfway down the stairs. A young boy was sitting in the middle of the floor. Koromos placed a hand onto his gun as he slowly approached the child. The boy twirled and twisted a Rubik's cube in his hands. Slick white hair covered the boy's head. When he looked up, he stared at Koromos with bright silver eyes. To Koromos's amusement, the boy had a labret piercing under his bottom lip. He smiled slightly before returning his attention to the Rubik's cube.

"Who are you?" Koromos asked softly. "What are you doing here?" The boy giggled while still focused on the Rubik's cube. "What's so funny?"

The boy tilted his head. "Why would you ask such a silly question?"

Koromos tightened his grip on his gun. "What's your name? Are you Dante's child?"

"Dante is my Grampa. My name is Dorian." The boy looked at Koromos as if he honestly believed Koromos was insane.

"Lilith has no children." Koromos turned back to the statue. It's eyes were still glowing. "Very clever. What are you trying to prove?"

The child spoke one last time. "See you later, Daddy?"

Koromos stiffened as if he'd been slapped. He knew if he turned around, the child would be gone. He approached the statue with his hand still on his gun, though he knew it was useless. "Do you fancy yourself a prophet," Koromos asked the statue, "or a sadist?"

The statue's only response was total silence.

(X)

Dante stood in a forest with his back against a tree. He flipped a coin incessantly as he waited patiently. Distorted visions of the past, present, and future ran through his mind. The shard of the Idda Corrof that was embedded in his head had begun a series of clairvoyant episodes, but he had yet to figure out what the one in his hand would do. He fought to hold the visions back by force of will. He remained this way for several minutes until he heard the footsteps. He stuffed the coin into a pocket before Lucia appeared with Lilith in tow. Lucia stopped short while Lilith continued her trek towards her father.

"Are you ready?" Dante asked. "It's time to fulfill your destiny."

Lilith shoved her thumbs into her back pockets. "That is a loaded statement."

"But accurate nonetheless." Dante handed her his cell phone. "This is yours now. All those languages you learned will finally come in handy."

"I know. Ruling the world isn't so bad anymore. I'm okay with the life you've given me."

"Good, because it's the only one you can have."

"How long?" Lilith asked in a pleading tone. "How long will you be gone?"

Dante shook his head. "I don't know, assuming I return at all. Isaiah and I have to hide our respective halves of the Idda Corrof where they'll never be found again, and I've never had part of it in my body before. Learning to totally control it could easily become a lifelong task. If I must disappear with it, then so be it."

"That is dedication," Lilith teased. "I simultaneously hate and admire your enthusiasm."

"It's not enthusiasm. It is a willingness. . ."

". . . to do what must be done," Lilith finished. "I know, but I could use a little hope, if you have any to give."

With a wry smile, Dante reached for the coin in his pocket. "I'll flip this coin. If it's heads, I return. Tails, I don't. Agreed?"

Lilith nodded. She turned her head away as Dante flipped the coin. He called for her attention when he slapped it against his hand. "Call it. Make a guess first."

Lilith fought back a scowl. "Just show the coin." Still smiling, Dante lifted his hand to reveal the coin. It had landed heads up.

"What do you know?" Dante said. "It's your lucky day." With a flick of his hand, the coin flew through the air. Lilith caught it in midflight. "Keep it."

Lilith inhaled deeply. "Is this it, then?"

"Yes." Dante pushed himself from the tree. "Go home, and when you wake up, you'll be the alpha of the pack."

"Will you honor the coin toss?"

"To the best of my ability."

Lilith leaned in close for a quick embrace. "I'll hold you to it." She turned to leave after releasing him. "I'll be waiting, and not alone."

When she was still barely within earshot, Dante muttered, "Love you." Lilith responded by simply raising her hand. The coin was pressed between two fingers. She felt a gust of wind followed by the familiar whistle of her father's wings.

"You work for me now," Lilith said to Lucia. "I'll need your support and service more than ever."

"Then you have it."

Lilith raised Dante's coin. She turned it over repeatedly, gasped, then laughed. "My father is more confident than I realized."

"Why is that?" Lucia asked.

Lilith raised her hand. "It's a double headed coin."