Real Life

I suppose this will make everyone see me as a lesser being but here's the truth of who I am. I'm a resident of Fargo for the past few months... Out here I already have a reputation, as people drive by me in a blizzard when I have nothing but a shirt they say. "Look, its that emo Canadian guy."

Super Life

He was born to Maria, a mother who was eleven years of age, his father was unknown as is the date of his birth, but it has been approximated by his mother who cannot remember a few months of her life. She figures he was conceived and born in this forgotten period of time, 6 B.C.

Aliases

Death Angel
Shadow Slayer
Almighty Warrior
The Accursed One
The Troubled Father
Romulus II
Son of Chaos
Sorcerer Supreme
Dark Warlock
Swift Swordsman
Marcus
Ángel
King of AKA
Master of Shadows
Shadowed Immortal
Star of Darkness

Birth

Though this event is officially undocumented it is believed that during childbirth was when Aztek first began to manifest superhuman qualities.

As it was at the end of that unremembered time that Aztek already had four powers at his disposal.

He could now instantly kill others with a touch and is able to absorb souls or death energy.

His mother was saved from undergoing this fate during childbirth thanks to his second ability, to give others any power they desire (or need) to whatever degree he chooses and so she was given immortality.

His third gift was an eidetic memory but it can still not discern all of that lost year but it does give him a vague recollection that he tries to piece together.

His final gift, received during this mysterious first year of life was the ability to fire concussive energy beams, see through objects, microscopic and telescopic vision as well as the power to see one's soul, all these amazing feats are performed through the use of his eyes.

4 Years Old

It was 2 BC, Aztek's mother was mystified at how her four year old boy as well as herself seemed to possess extraordinary powers that manifested during her lost section of memory.

She was long in thought and so was oblivious to her little son running by her, straight out the door, he loved the outdoors.

But before he got more than a few steps, a shadowy figure materialized before him speaking in a harsh dialect that Aztek found he could understand, "Hello, Aztek."

The figure then proceeded to pull Aztek into itself, muting the boy's screams of terror...

Maria remained seated in the house, as relaxed as she ever was, it was so hard to relax knowing she and her son were different.

Utterly unaware of the commotion outside her front door she was startled when a voice interrupted her thoughts, another voice inside her head.

"Mother! Help Me!" it screamed, sending vivid images of the horror that was taking her son from her.

She jumped to her feet, crashing through the doorway, and to her surprise the figure looked up at her, set her son down lightly to his feet and vanished.

She fell to her knees as Aztek ran to embrace his mother. But her mind wandered yet again, what had he done?

He could not replicate the ability but he knew that he could listen unto or speak into minds, even manipulate thought itself.

10 Years Old

4 AD, Aztek was a saddened child, he believed he should use his gifts to make others special like his mother said he and her were. But she said that it was cruel to show off their gifts but he said that's why he'd give them powers.

She forbid him to do so because she said that many people would use their powers for their own gain, resulting in bad things happening. So their special abilities were kept secret from those around them.

Maria didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing that she could not breakthrough his innocent mind to explain the evil in the world.

But today, he was happy again, the two had come to the Mediterranean Sea today so that her son could swim in the waters, his passion.

Maria sat down on the shore, wondering how long she would still have her son before he was lost for eternity while she would dwell on this damned Earth.

She did not how she could handle this burden her son had unintentionally bestowed upon her but she knew that she could not give into the grief, and commit suicide...she'd tried many times before.

At least she had someone to love for however long her son lived, but as she began to look around she noticed he was gone. The thoughts that raced through her mind caused her to scream in unholy anguish.

She could not lose everything dear to her, not so soon! Rushing into the waters she sought out her son's body, she could not give up on all hope yet.

She felt true agonizing pain, she had failed her son, he had allowed her to never fear death and had put his life in her hands, now he was dead.

She gave into this suffering, so she swam out as far as she could and let her body relax and sink into the depths...

Aztek swam freely and joyously in the sea he was finally happy. Even though he had drowned, he now could live underwater without any hindrances that other humans would have. He imagined himself to be one of the mermen of legend.

His smile faded when he saw his mother's body lying on the sea floor. He knew that she was alive but these attempts at killing herself had matured his mind far beyond his years.

Swimming to her body at superhuman speeds, he gently lifted it into his arms and began to swim for the surface, with a new intensity brought on by her death energy.

15 Years Old

9 AD: Aztek had left his mother at their residence, so that she would remain unaware of the trouble he had gotten himself into.

He had angered several members of the upper class when he had performed 'healings' by granting civilians one wish with his powers.

Since he could not explain them himself he told them that he was blessed with divine powers.

The upper class were angered as this man was considered a god, and seen as greater than they, for it he must die.

So they decided to put his sorcery to the test, gathering the most feared creatures from across the known world, loosing them upon the boy, forcing him to run.

Aztek ran into a forest hoping to buy himself some time, he ran for all he was worth, but after running blindly for nearly an hour he was becoming too exhausted to function.

He collapsed, and within an instant ravenous wolves leaped over undergrowth towards this seemingly defeated prey.

But Aztek summoned a final bit of willpower to rise to his feet, looking at the oncoming predators, the only thought in his head being pity for his mother who would feel guilty for his death.

He needed to embrace her, one last time, but now it was too late and with anger at himself he used his energy for a futile effort of walking to his mother's abode.

Shocked, in a split second he noticed all was silent and the world was frozen around him, and so he ran home, unwilling to let this gift pass him by.

...the wolves jumped at their victim but before their eyes he had vanished, as he moved at speeds allowing him to run throughout time and space and now he was home, holding his weeping mother.

17 Years Old

It was 11 AD, and on this day, Aztek was sentenced to die...by the Emperor of the Roman Empire, Augustus.

The charges, he was an enemy of the gods, and no man with his power should be allowed to live, for the sake of the Emperor's life. They did not seem to be able to comprehend that some people did not have murder on their mind.

His home had been demolished and he was violently arrested before the eyes of his young mother and four year old daughter.

Only a day ago he had granted her wish to stay with him forever, he feared that this meant she would have to die as well.

The word of the Emperor stated that he must be crucified, as Sami watched. Maria was being beaten and eventually succumbed to pounding the nails into her son's flesh, damning him to the cross.

His cross was then erected on the roadside, in public view, Sami could not understand what was happening but Maria was weeping at the foot of the cross and the soldiers were laughing.

Her mind was full of confusion but she looked into her father's eyes and felt a peace come over her, finding comfort being put upon her restless soul.

Aztek hung their for days, his mother had been unable to bear the pain and so had left days ago but Sami still stood, unmoved looking into her father's eyes, as if they were the only sustenance she needed.

However, the Roman commander overseeing this crucifixion grew tired of the amount of time that this crucifixion was taking and decided it was time to speed things up, three days of suffering was long enough, his powers would probably keep him alive for weeks.

After ordering his men to pour flammable fluids over the criminal's bared body, they lit a torch, he was going to be set alight.

Aztek's telepathy then took effect and he spoke into his daughter's mind, "Sami, turn around...do not look until I call your name." so she turned around without question, not a shred of doubt within her.

Aztek prayed for a miracle, how could his daughter be left alone? If he was killed, no one would be left to care for her, he knew she would stay rooted in that spot until she died, how could he do this to her?

The torch ignited the cross and within seconds, the flames had leaped onto his body and now seared flesh from bone, he was enduring excruciating pain beyond imagination. His body was engulfed in searing heat, this was the end.

He was nearing the brink of wishing for death when a voice spoke into his mind, the voice of his daughter whispered "I love you father."

Tears streamed down his face, incinerated before they could hit the ground. Why now? Why could he not watch his daughter grow up first? Why was he ever born? What was his purpose in life? The questions filled his mind.

He was steadily flaring up in anger and as if they were one with his emotions the flames swelled in size, so that all the witnesses of his execution were being burned alive.

His cross had been burned to a pile of ash and his naked body fell to the earth. He saw that his skin was utterly absent of burns, healed from the damage of the flames.

He knew that it was he who had controlled the fires but he cared not and pushed this exciting discovery to the back of his mind.

Rushing to his daughter, he lifted her off the ground, embracing her with all the love in his heart, "I love you too."

19 Years Old

13 AD: Aztek had been exiled from Rome, his daughter had just discovered she shared his powers as well as possessed many more and the ability to control them, but now he was unable to enter Rome to see her.

So he accepted the offer of Emperor Augustus so that he may gain his Roman citizenship yet again. If he would complete the given task he would also receive honors beyond his imagining. All he had to do was defeat a German barbarian, a man who was said to hold more power than he.

Aztek stood alone at the designated meeting place, he was backed by none, the Romans hated him. Yet now they were completely dependent on his power if they wished to live.

Before him stood a small armed force, sent to herald their champion. A well-muscled, bearded man stepped forward and began shouting in a barbaric manner.

Aztek found himself unable to comprehend the man's speech but understood a single word, Crule, the name of their champion. An unarmored, hardly clothed man with a long braided lock of hair rushed towards Aztek.

The bestial man wasted no time, charging forward he brought his forearm down hard across Aztek's face. Aztek felt his jaw shatter on contact, his face hitting the ground hard seconds later.

Aztek then spoke in his native tongue of Latin, even though it pained him so and the man was no Roman, "I will kill you this day!"

Crule paused and laughed harshly, retorting in a language not his own, "You cannot kill me boy, I have fought a thousand wars, lived a thousand years and killed a thousand 'divine' beings such as yourself! You are simply number one thousand and one."

Crule drew back his fist, ready to strike...

Aztek was shocked by this statement he knew to be true but kept his composure. He watched slowly as the fist came towards his face, knowing that the strength in the oncoming strike would kill him.

Aztek calmly raised his hand, palm open, the fist collided with it and came to an abrupt halt. Aztek closed his fingers around the fist, he knew that even though his body mass remained unchanged his muscle was rapidly increasing.

Effortlessly he crushed Crule's hand and slowly rose to his feet, Crule began to curse in his pain.

Aztek then swung his fist for Crule's gut, his newfound strength allowed his arm to travel through Crule's body, protruding out of his back.

The small army dispersed within seconds and Aztek pulled his blood-bathed hand out of his foe's body. He walked away, never turning as he knew that Crule had lived and they would fight another day.

23 Years Old

17 AD: Aztek fumbled his way through the catacombs beneath Rome, he was on the run…

He had once again been caught violating the laws that he was to abide by, and so two renown servants of Emperor Augustus, who had never failed a mission were on his trail.

The fear that raced through his heart was unimaginable, the soldiers close behind him were thought of as gods to the Romans and they wanted to kill him, there was no way he could escape them.

He tried to summon fire, at least enough that would let him find his way but he found himself unable too, his pursuers had torches.

He continued to flee from these beasts that were hot on his trail, he could sense they were coming…he tripped and fell hard to the hard ground beneath him, he had landed on protruding sharp rocks that caused blood to stream from his bared skin.

In terror he scrambled forward hoping that he could find a corner where he could hide in the darkness, he knew that if they would find him, no mercy would be given, the way they killed their victims was such an inhumanity that even the Emperor found it hard to allow them to live.

Aztek huddled in a corner of two adjacent earth walls, his keen eyes spied the light from their torches coming nearer.

Standing up, he pressed himself up against the wall, but somehow they had heard his rising and now with barbaric shouts they rushed towards where they knew he was.

Aztek stared in fear, he was paralyzed in his terror until a feeling overcame his body…he felt like he knew they must when they tormented and murdered the innocent, a feeling of joy. What could be bringing this upon him?

Then he felt a terrible pain as tentacles, made of darkness, poured out from his body, seeking their prey.

He found that he was now able to channel the energy of a mighty being, a being that was known to humanity as the ever-present shadows.

It entangled itself around the two Roman soldiers and pulling their screaming, writhing bodies into itself, it absorbed their essence, the two were never seen or spoken of again, it was as if they had never existed.

The spirit departed from Aztek’s body, until its host would need its assistance again…though Aztek had hated the feelings the demonic spirit had given to him, he found himself a changed man, never knowing when his inner darkness would gain control.

29 Years Old

Aztek was a changed man since that encounter with the shadow spirit. Now he was no longer the coward he had been then, though his sadistic mind remained, forcing his mother and daughter to abandon him for their own safety.

Aztek now had full belief in his abilities and found he had better control of some of them, at times. So he decided to put these abilities to their full potential and had willingly chosen to become a gladiator.

Though no new power had since manifested he had become the greatest gladiator of all time, at least in his own mind. But today he was to face a gladiator whose legacy was of epic proportions, a man who went by the name Garbha-hsien.

Aztek awaited in the center of the Coliseum for his opponent's entrance, foolishly he did not fear this legendary sorcerer swordsman who he would now meet in combat.

The Romans enjoyed pitting superhumans against each other, because no matter who died, they were happy. Aztek still stood, impatient for his victim to show himself.

He turned to a thunderous cheer as he witnessed something he had never imagined. This long-haired man seemed to be levitating as he came towards Aztek, sword in hand.

He did not question how this was possible, because he knew that like himself it was obviously an unexplained ability. So he decided it did not matter, he had beaten his first superhuman combatant, he could take out this one too.

Aztek raised his small sword, he did not need weapons when he fought, it was simply for show. As Garbha-hsien's feet touched solid earth Aztek did not wait a single second and he rushed his foe with all the speed he could muster.

The sorcerer merely smiled and as Aztek's sword came down on the man's neck, he disappeared. Aztek stopped in complete surprise, what was this sorcerer capable of?

In a split second he knew the answer to this question as the man reappeared on his right side and cut off his sword-bearing hand. Aztek yelled in pain and rage, this man would pay for this.

But Aztek found himself incapable of controlling his body and he fell to his knees, trying to hold back the blood from draining out of his body.

The man said, "Before you die, you should know who I am... a man who has lived for centuries, watched empires rise and fall, I am Saul." the man spoke these things, so that only Aztek could hear them.

This shocking discovery really impacted Aztek, were all superhumans immortal? Were there many more of them populating the world, and of those he had met, he feared what his mother would become.

Saul then brought down his mystical blade on Aztek's neck, Aztek had given up all hope, he had no strength left in himself.

But to the surprise and disappointment of the crowd, the blade stopped just shy of Aztek's neck. Saul could no longer move it and he struggled with it. Letting go he was surprised to see it continued to stay where it had been.

Cries of outrage came from the crowd, they wanted to see someone die. Saul, for the first time in his life became fearful, what was this boy doing, was he the prophesied one?

Aztek turned his head so that he was staring deep into Saul's eyes, becoming the manifestation of all the man's fears. Aztek did not know how, but he found that with his mind he was controlling objects around himself.

So with that, he thrust the sword into Saul's heart without laying a finger on it. He did not even try to make sure his opponent would remain dead, as he might need questions answered in the future.

He then rose to his feet, telekinetically stopping the blood flow of where his right hand had been. He walked up to Saul's dead body, ignoring the cheers all around him and he looked into the eyes of the sorcerer.

This man and he would fight again another day but now he wrapped his left hand around the hilt of the magical sword that kept Saul pinned to the ground.

With that he found its energy now allowed him to control his abilities and with his superhuman speed he and Saul's body (which he carried) had disappeared from the Coliseum in the blink of an eye.

He deposited the body on the roadside and left to his own affairs, seeking out others like himself, so that he might learn the secret of becoming immortal...

30 Years Old

Aztek's cold, lifeless body rested in the arms of his weeping seventeen year old daughter. She could not believe this, she had not seen her father for over five years and now he was dead.

He had once been the greatest man in the world, to her but something had changed him into a beast, so she and Maria had been driven away.

She then claimed his dead body and buried it herself, on the banks of the Nile near her home at the time.

She mourned for several days but finally she decided it was her destiny to continue her father's quest, to discover the secret of immortality.

So she bid her father's grave farewell and departed to find the answers to his questions.

Aztek's eyes slowly opened, where was he?

The last thing he remembered he was having his bones broken at his own public execution, he must have blacked out from the pain.

Then it dawned on him, he was dead...was this the afterlife? This world, or whatever it was, was shrouded in a heavy mist that hindered his sight.

He began to panic, when he thought he might have to spend eternity here but he then saw another figure materializing before him.

This being took on the form of a seemingly ancient man, was this another immortal?

"Yes, I am." This response to Aztek's thoughts caught him completely off guard and apprehensively he asked, "Who are you?"

"I have many titles but I am the creator of this universe, the father of humanity and the first immortal. I gave up my omni-being when I chose to father humanity and so now my energy form is permanently contained in this vessel, on Earth I go by the name Zebulon."

Zebulon continued, "But more importantly to you, I am the one keeping you alive. We are at the bridge between life and death."

"Why would you bring me here, what does it matter if I die?" Aztek's fear of this "man" began to subside.

"Because, you are the one who is meant to save this world, and your gifts are meant to allow you to accomplish this."

"But how am I to do this, and what about the others like me, why do they have powers?" Aztek's mind became overwhelmed with questions.

"Those with powers are Homo Superior, they are the the one's who are on the way to living up to humanity's full potential." the creator answered.

Aztek became impatient with Zebulon, he was convinced he was hiding something, "So, how do I live again?"

"Of course, you must understand all the parts of this ability, every time you are killed by the hand of any living being you will awake here. The only way to return to your body is if another gives up their own life for yours".

It was then that Aztek gave up hope, "But no one would do that, I have no one left, I drove them away."

Zebulon said, "Not all of them. There is someone whose only wish is to give their life up for yours." while he spoke he was staring behind Aztek into the mists.

This made Aztek wonder so he turned to see what it was. Someone was partially visible but he could not discern who it was but the realization dawned on him suddenly, Maria.

She had begun dashing in his direction, her arms outstretched ready to embrace with tears streaming down her face.

Aztek was confused, his mother had never shown any true love for him. He had always known that she hated his abilities and had blamed him for her accursed immortality.

But to his even greater surprise, his youthful mother ran right past him without a glance into the arms of Zebulon. And one word that she said to him caught Aztek's attention, "father".

Yet before he could ask further questions his spirit was whisked away from that place so that it might once again inhabit his renewed body.

Aztek lay on the cold rock ledge inside the cave where he had been born, his body no longer the one that was still buried in Egypt.

All was calm and still...his eyes snapped open and he drew in a sharp intake of crisp air into his lungs. Where was he?

843 AD

Aztek's life as an immortal turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing.

As fate would have it, only a few years after his encounter with the creator he was reunited with Sami in Pompeii, only for Mount Vesuvius to erupt.

Finding no escape possible, Aztek knew that the hot ash would be unable to kill him. Rather it would trap him, leaving him their for centuries in a state of suspended animation.

However Sami had escaped, but she refused to let her father suffer and killed him, a fate better than his other option, at least in her mind.

She hated herself for being unable to teleport other objects besides herself and constantly blamed herself for her father's fate.

But a voice called out to her, interrupting these thoughts. So she finally let the voice take control and found herself in a heavily-misted location.

When she arrived, an ancient man who claimed to be her great-grandfather told her that her father could live again if someone would give up their life for his.

Sami was overjoyed at this news only to find that her stubborn father would not allow her to switch places with him.

So for eight hundred years she sought out a sacrifice but her father's legend preceded her, and so he had become even more hated in death than he was in life.

But a mysterious man came to her, saying his name was Burke and that he could see the future. So his prophecy remained etched in her mind, "Your mission will succeed, but not without cost."

And to her astonishment less than an hour later, a young man came to her asking to be the sacrifice saying that he would gladly give up his own life for that of her father's.

So Sami called out to Zebulon, finding herself and the man who would save her father at the bridge between life and death. Zebulon was standing before them and after looking over the man he asked, "Is he the one?"

He nodded and spoke to the man without fear, "I, Julius, am the one who will take the place of Aztek in the afterlife." His mind was set, he remained stone-faced as a saddened Zebulon placed his hand on the man's shoulder and the two vanished.

Then Sami watched as her father materialized before her, barely recognizable, and the two embraced. Seconds later a force pulled them from the bridge, transporting them to a barren icy wasteland.

This journey had exhausted them and they both collapsed to the hard ice, drifting off into a deep sleep...

Aztek awoke, how long after he did not know...ice cold winds tore at his flesh, the crystal flakes cutting his body until it bled, he had lost all feeling.

Instantly he remembered his daughter and he turned to see her lying on his left, on the brink of death.

He gently lifted her limp body off the frozen ground, cradling her in his arms, drawing her into his body warmth.

He looked into her face, her eyes were shut, dried blood streaked her face and her breathing was light and far between.

He stroked her frozen cheek, wishing she could wake and escape from here, he could take care of himself.

As he continued to stroke her face, he noticed that her heartbeat was nearly gone now, the cold was going to kill her if she didn't find warmth soon, his cloak was not enough.

The words of Burke then flashed through his mind after their encounter earlier, "Her mission will succeed, but not without cost."

The distressed father cried out in anguish, why could he never find happiness in life?

This energy he unintentionally harnessed turned out to save his daughter's life as it caused him to manifest a new ability.

He had now became a cryokinetic and found that he was pulling all the cold into himself, warming up everything around himself.

Eventually his entire body was made of pure ice, his daughter awakening to see the ice figure that was her father, she smiled weakly, "I wish I could do that".

847 AD

Aztek did not know how he would be able to cope with the newest development in his damned life. His life had been saved thanks to the efforts of his daughter just as the prophecy foretold.

Yet this miraculous feat was performed at the lost of the life of one young man, Julius, Aztek's son.

Aztek had fathered Julius at the age of twenty-four, during the period in which he was possessed by the shadow spirit, but his love of battle caused him to forget his wife and child and become a gladiator.

However Julius had obviously been raised fully aware of who his father was, and whether out of respect of pity, Julius had felt compelled to pay for his father's sins, in the fires of Hell.

Aztek claimed it was his fault, but no amount of lies could make Sami's guilt lessen, it was her newfound quest to rescue Julius.

And she thought, who better to go to then Zebulon, the creator of the universe, surely he would have the power to save Julius from the pits of Hell.

Sami knew that she would be unable to do this if her father knew of it so she used her powers to walk right by her father without him noticing her.

She then teleported to the bridge between life and death, hoping Zebulon would be there, she had no idea but assumed the bridge was where he resided.

With a start she arrived before Zebulon, who was staring directly into her eyes unsurprised at all at her sudden appearance, "You needed me child?"

She regained her composure and responded, "Yes grandfather, but I'm sure you already know why, and probably have him with you right now." she said these words with complete confidence.

Zebulon's smile faded, "Alas, my young maiden, I am merely the master of the bridge of the afterlife. I gave up my power over the other realms of death to my children, the Neyaphem and the Cheyarafim."

"So to whom must I go to regain Julius and restore him to life, which group are the rulers of Hell?" she asked the All-Knowing One.

Zebulon answered gravely, "The Neyaphem watch over Hell. The Cheyarafim have tried to control the bestial race but are unable to as the Neyaphem are constantly growing in power and malevolence."

Zebulon continued, his tone becoming more stern and demanding, "I cannot allow you to enter their realm as they are no longer under my control. The Neyaphem take orders from no one and none who enter their realm have ever escaped."

Sami smiled mischievously, "The I guess I'll be the first." and before he could stop her she vanished, reappearing in the blazing inferno that is Hell.

It was then that Sami began to fully understand what she had so foolishly done. In every direction all she saw was hopeless souls being tortured by demonic beings, the Neyaphem.

Her automatic reaction was fear, and though she tried to teleport to safety she found that in this realm she was utterly powerless.

And then she saw him, she could recognize him by his attire, the Lord of Hell, the one they called Azazel, the Angel of Death.

Azazel was brutally abusing an unidentifiable figure who was somehow remaining silent, perhaps the being was already dead.

Yet the man looked her in the eyes, his face covered in blood and when she recognized him her heart stopped, it was her half-brother, Julius.

Azazel noticed his victim's gaze and seeing Sami for the first time, he smiled, another innocent soul at his disposal.

Azazel teleported faster than the blink of an eye and now he stood before Sami. Just as fast as he had appeared he brought the back of his hand down on her face. The force of the blow threw her to the ground as her cheek began to bleed.

Then Azazel began brutalizing her, always retaining his composure, this was how he found pleasure, through inflicting the pain of others.

Julius watched, fearing for his sister's well-being, plotting Azazel's demise...for four years he had been trapped here, never regretting his decision...until now.

He had known she was his sister when he came to her, he knew he would have to make some sacrifices in his lifetime, but he had no idea that she would follow him to his doom.

Julius refused to allow this to happen and summoning all his energy and willpower, he rose to his feet, his body streaming with his own blood.

Then a paranormal sensation came over him and suddenly, vast amounts of energy were being expelled from his body as his open wounds began to heal.

Azazel turned at this disturbance, staring in shock...it was not possible, the Cheyarafim could not enter here. But the boy didn't have ant wings so how was this display of power coming to pass?

Yet Azazel knew there was no time to think of these things, the boy must be stopped, he shouted to his servants, "Kill the boy!", his fear causing him to forget that everyone within this realm was already dead.

Scores of the demons rushed Julius but the energy expulsion prevented them from reaching him and knocked most of them unconscious.

Azazel, being the mightiest of his race, was the only one left still able to stop Julius from finishing his transformation.

Azazel teleported behind Julius, immediately releasing a stream of energy that struck Julius in the back.

Azazel smiled, this was too easy, he was already victorious as his destructive energy had halted the growth of Julius' angelic wings.

Yet Julius remained firm on his bare feet, the energy having disintegrated the majority of his already tattered clothing.

But the energy that had been within himself had now changed his body giving him all the power he could ever desire. Julius rushed Azazel, still covered in blood, the blood of the Cheyarafim.

He leaped onto the demonic being...Azazel screamed in pain as his body began disintegrating, his power lessening.

The Cheyarafim were ready and taking advantage of their enemy's temporary power loss penetrated his defenses with the help of Zebulon. He had teleported them into Hell so that they were now surrounding the once mighty Azazel.

Julius wished to kill Azazel but was held back by Sami who told him this fight was not theirs, it was much bigger than them.

All the Cheyarafim possessed angelic wings, none of their feet touching the ground.

They began rounding up the fallen Neyaphem and casting them into a dimensional portal that was black as pitch, muting the screams of those that were still conscious.

Then one of them came forward, her unmatched beauty radiating throughout the damned world. Then, to the surprise of Julius and horror of Sami, she withdrew her mystical sword and plunged it into the heart of the writhing Azazel.

With that, his molecules dispersed and Sami exclaimed in shock, "What did you do?"

She answered nonchalantly, "I sent him to the Brimstone Dimension, where he shall be trapped, tied to for all eternity."

She then flew to the siblings and stared at Julius, a look of surprise in her eyes. She continued without mentioning why she had seemed surprised, "I am Gabrielle, the second child of the Celestial One, it is I who leads the Legion."

She continued, "I was sent by Lord Zebulon, he would not let his children fall into the hands of the Neyaphem. Now I shall escort you to your abode and then depart for my own realm."

So, Sami and Julius were returned to their father's abode where the three united as a family for the first time.

903 AD

Sami and Julius believed that their father had much more potential and so together they had convinced him, to allow them to force him to manifest a new ability.

They decided the best way to do this would be by placing him in a life or death situation.

So the three agreed on tying Aztek to a tree, and Julius would fire a poisoned arrow at him, as he was the better shot.

So as Aztek remained bound, only a few hundred yards away, Julius readied his bow. Steadying it and finding his target, he let the arrow fly. It was on a direct path to his father's heart.

Aztek began to struggle, wondering why nothing was happening, what had they done? All he thought of was utter blackness, this was the end.

Julius and Sami both stared in shock, the arrow had hit exactly where it had been aimed except before it had struck, Aztek had vanished.

Aztek eventually came to and found himself at the Bridge of Immortality, as he called it. It seemed that their foolhardy experiment would now cost the life of an innocent.

But to Aztek's astonishment, the being that came to him was not The Creator, rather it was the one who haunted his dreams, Lord Chaos.

Lord Chaos was made of sentient darkness, simply wearing a mask in an effort to make itself seem more human. It laughed when it saw Aztek's reaction to its appearance.

"So, you do remember me. We have met three times before today but I thought your eidetic memory tried to repress those horrific moments in your past. You see, I was the shadow spirit that forced you to manifest your ability to control shadow. It was I who tried to kidnap you when you were four years old, in my efforts to train you as a warrior." its laughing continued.

"But the first time we met was when you were born. I was watching over your mother as she gave birth yo you. For you are perhaps the most important pawn in my brother's game." it then paused, allowing Aztek some time to respond.

"Why were you watching my birth? Why am I special to you? Who is your brother?" the questions bubbled forth, why did Aztek seem to be the most important being in the universe, something everyone besides himself knew.

"I shall clear your mind of these questions simply because I cannot allow my son to be held back by such nonsense. First of all, it was my duty to be with my bride as she gave birth to you. Second, my brother is the creator himself, Zebulon."

Aztek stared in shock at these revelations as Lord Chaos continued, "We are at the bridge because you thought of darkness, teleported to my shadow dimension and died. Now I have given my life for yours my son. Use it wisely."

With that the shadows dispersed and Aztek reappeared alongside his children.

1019 AD

Aztek's life had changed drastically since he met his father more than a century ago, he had since decided to accept his inner darkness.

Nineteen years ago, Sami and Julius had decided they would travel throughout the Earth for one hundred years, so that they might be able to adapt to the idea of immortality.

After they had left, Aztek had become his father...deciding that he would become an enemy of the world, he turned his back on all he knew was good, instead he delved into the world of sorcery.

He found that he was naturally gifted in the realm of magic and before long he had disciples and became known as Sorcerer Supreme by those who believed his ways to be right, the Dark Warlock by those who knew his true intentions.

His most loyal and trusted disciple was Taliesin, a man unaware of his ancestry but in reality he was the great-great-grandson of Julius, a fact that Aztek was fully aware of.

And so Aztek had given Taliesin a task, to lead the clan in a mystical ceremony that would attempt to grant Aztek even more power than he already possessed.

So Aztek's twelve followers got into their mystical formation, a formation that would allow them to channel all their power through Taliesin.

As Taliesin felt the incredible power coursing through his body, his humanity took control, bringing forth his lusts, his greed.

Taliesin realized that this was his time to take control...so he slaughtered all the other followers of Aztek who had given him their power, using it to banish Aztek's soul.

Aztek felt his soul, his very essence, being ripped from his body. Angered yet unsurprised at this betrayal performed by who was once his most loyal follower.

Could his immortality save him from losing his soul? He waited for several seconds to learn the answer only to find that his soul had simply been separated from his body and it was still free to live on the astral plane.

He then used these new powers to bring Taliesin's astral form onto the astral plane as well. Aztek then proceeded to torment his student with the new abilities he had just been given.

Aztek's cruel mind then came up with a perfect punishment for the traitor. He returned to his own body, yet instead of killing Taliesin he forced him to suffer eternal punishment.

Aztek then summoned scorching flames that he directed at Taliesin's uninhabited body, disintegrating it, trapping Taliesin on the astral plane for eternity.

1088 AD

It had been several years since Aztek had banished Taliesin to the astral plane. Aztek had often thought about releasing Taliesin from this fate but Aztek was not powerful enough to locate him.

Feeling guilty for these actions he had committed during his time as the Dark Warlock, he tried to return to the light, or at least only practice "white magic".

Yet once again he decided he would augment his own power through a mystical ritual, and yet again he succeeded...a new power manifested and he found himself transported to a dimension outside of both time and space.

The place was covered in sands, but no other life forms seemed to exist here, Aztek wandered around aimlessly, for how much time he did not know, time was irrelevant to an immortal.

Yet, the sight he stumbled upon took his breath away...before him stood twelve of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes, and even more surprising they all had looks of anger on their face as they listened to, none other than the Creator himself, Zebulon.

He found he was able to hear what Zebulon was saying to them, "...you are now the Exiles. I ask of you one simple task, and then you shall be able to return to your home realities. All you have to do is kill him, I will send you to a time in which it will be far easier for you to terminate him. Before he has enough power to destroy the universe."

Several of the stone-faced, scantily-clad warriors nodded their heads, one even saying, "We feel honored to be chosen by the mighty Creator to complete this quest."

He smiled, "I know you are." and with that he emitted a white light that swept over the twelve, eventually overtaking Aztek as he turned to run...then all went black.

He awoke, his wrists tied together behind the back of the chair he now sat on, his legs tied to the legs of the chair. Groggily he mumbled, "Where am I?"

He felt a dagger at his throat, "That is none of your concern. We will ask some questions of you, and then decided whether you are worthy of living." she continued as she walked around the chair to see him face to face, her distinguishing features being her long black hair and wings. "Who are you? Why did you appear here with us? And how much do you know?"

Aztek had always been told as a child that he was gifted with fabricating tales in an instant, and so now he decided to put those skills into action.

"My name is Marcus, I was sent to aid you by the Creator himself. But he gave me no information on who our target was, merely that I would be needed." He had no idea how true these words would be.

Several were reluctant to believe him, but his bonds were cut by a woman clad in a black cloak much like his own. The twelve decided that they would introduce themselves to him and so as they told him their names he read their minds to learn everything about them.

Their names were Aphrodite IX, Red Sonja, Jade, Vampirella, Aspen, Purgatori, Witchblade, Pandora, Chastity, Magdalena, War Angel and Lady Death. All this information stored in his mind, Aztek joined the warrior women.

The formalities concluded, they decided it was time to track down and slaughter their target, the one man who had the potential to destroy the entire universe.

Their journey to find where he took residence lasted for several weeks, they burnt down countless villages, slaying everyone that crossed their path...they would not fail this mission.

In this time the team began to grow closer to each other while all still retained their inner ruthlessness. And then the day came, the day they found the secluded hut where their target was believed to reside.

And when Aztek saw this place, it dawned on him, why had he been so foolish? The team broke into the house and scouring everywhere found it completely deserted.

It was then that Aztek spoke up, "You have not failed your mission because your target is one step ahead of you. In fact, it is because he's one step behind you. I am Aztek." he said as he lowered his head down to his chest and raised his arms, preparing for their response.

And unfortunately for them, it was the wrong one...Red Sonja and Jade both charged him, ready to kill him but Aztek drew his battlesword, beheading Red Sonja and impaling Jade in one single, swift motion.

Their bodies fell to the floor and Aztek asked his remaining teammates, "Do you really find it necessary to kill me?"

Magdalena stared at him, "Yes. You are destined to slay the Creator." and as she spoke Vampirella leaped for Aztek's neck but he dispatched her with his blade, cutting through her torso so that both halves of her body fell lifelessly to the floor where it remained alongside that of her fallen companions.

"Well then, I shall fight you all to the death unless you change your mind about this matter." and with that Aztek readied his sword for battle, against his newfound family...he refused to let emotions cloud his judgment, if Zebulon wanted him dead, it meant he must live.

In quick succession he slaughtered Aphrodite IX, Purgatori, Chastity and War Angel, who all fought together against him while the remaining five stood still to watch the action. They were proved to be the smart ones, they escaped with their lives.

So it was that he asked again, "Now do you see that I am in the right? Why else would I have slain my friends? Please join me..." and to his surprise both Witchblade and Magdalena silently walked over to stand alongside him.

"SO BE IT! YOUR FATE IS SEALED!" a voice shouted as Zebulon appeared between the two groups. He directed all their gaze at Magdalena and Witchblade, "Now, if any of your bloodline ever leaves this dimension they shall die instantly!" he then turned to Lady Death, Pandora and Aspen Matthews. "The same goes for you unless you kill Aztek, NOW!"

So Lady Death rushed forward bringing down Deathbringer on her once mighty adversary's neck. All the witnesses to this murder stared in shock as Aztek's head rolled onto the floor, he had allowed her to kill him.

Zebulon scoffed at the woman's horrified reactions and vanished, not even rewarding them for their betrayal of friendship. Pandora walked over to Aztek's fallen body, "We must resurrect him...however, it is only possible if one of us gives up our own life for his."

Aspen nodded, "I will do it." she shouted, "O mighty spirits, take my soul in the place of this innocent man's life." and in a split second her lifeless body crumpled.

Aztek's body burst in flame and was instantly incinerated, in its place stood a new form, "Thank you my friends." he said as he walked over to Lady Death and Pandora placing his hands on their shoulders.

The three disappeared, but Aztek returned in a few minutes, "They have returned to their former realities." he said to Magdalena and Witchblade, "But do not think you shall not be rewarded for your kindness."

They both looked up at Aztek, he brought them to their feet and then knelt before them, "I swear my loyalty forever to the Witchblade and the Magdalena."

1097 AD

A year...it has been a year since the Church had begun the First Crusade, a meaningless war to steal the Holy Land from the Muslims. As the Christians believed they were its rightful owners.

Aztek often enjoyed war yet he was outraged, as he remembered that this land rightfully belonged to the Jews, who were overlooked by those who fought for the land.

Aztek found it extremely difficult for himself to choose a side in this war as he was alive before either religion had existed and he had seen both Jesus and Mohammad.

So he was a neutral in the war and his goal had become the wish to purge humanity of these infidels...

After meeting the Exiles he believed that he would one day destroy the human race and defeat the Creator, why not make that day today.

Standing motionless on the path to the Holy City, often tread by Crusaders, he waited. He wathced their for five days, and then it happened. Along the horizon he could see Crusaders, heading off to fight their "Holy War".

As they came nearer to Aztek, they saw the cloaked figure standing in the center of the path holding a broadsword as a threat and so they halted, "Who are you?" the Crusader's self-appointed leader asked.

Aztek remained silent, and their gaze then turned to the two other swords strapped to his back, this man was obviously wishing to fight them.

One Crusader unhorsed himself to approach Aztek and began to ask him of his business, "What do you w....." the words were drowned out by gargles and the coughing up of blood as the Crusader fell to the ground.

Aztek raised his head, and swept off his hood so that his face would be the last thing these Crusaders saw. "I have a surprise for you." his voice filled all those who heard it with fear.

Aztek had simply been waiting to use it but he already had manifested a new ability, and he knew what it was, or at least he thought so.

Now Aztek shouted, "You think you can defeat me, but how about facing eight of me." and with that he screamed in pain as seven bodies emerged from himself, causing him no bodily harm.

Yet to his surprise these seven duplicates were nothing like him. Aztek stared in shock, these things were monsters, what had he created?

He decided he would make it appear that this was what he expected, and instead would wait to see what his "duplicates" would do, as he sensed he had no control over them.

Yet he then realized that he had a psychic link with all seven of them and they were all speaking to each other telepathically...

The first one wore a cloak similar to Aztek's except that it was pure white instead of black.

He withdrew two daggers from underneath his cloak and in a few swift thrusts killed several Crusaders.

He then vanished in an instant, seemingly dead, but Aztek could sense that he had simply teleported far away from the battle scene.

From that day forward, the Crusaders spoke of the legend known as the White Knight, a demon-possessed man who fought for the enemy.

As for the second individual, the man appeared to be a monster...a conglomeration of various materials.

"I am the Atomic Shifter", he shouted as his body transformed into various materials as he slaughtered several Crusaders and he too disappeared from view.

Aztek began to wonder if all his duplicates worked as one and all would do the same thing, kill a few Crusaders and disappear. It seemed that this theory proved to be correct.

The third duplicate to follow the pattern was The Manipulator who killed scores of Crusaders in ways that left Aztek utterly bewildered.

Then a masked man known as The Colossus grew his body to massive sizes and crushed Crusaders underneath his feet while he walked away from the battle.

The fifth duplicate did not disappoint Aztek either, from his knuckles emerged what seemed to be bones which he used to slaughter several Crusaders, healing from every wound he received.

Aztek was amazed at this skill but seeing the bloodlust in this man forced him to teleport the crazed being far away from any innocent life and decided that duplicate would be known as the Psychotic Slayer.

The sixth duplicate seemed to have taken on the form of a red creature that began to form a twister with his body and used it to sweep up Crusaders, letting them fall to their deaths.

He then left, taking to the skies, shouting, "None shall escape the wrath of the Crimson Tornado!"

Finally only a single Crusader was left, and Aztek had not yet moved since the separation. He now directed his gaze at the final duplicate who had taken the form of an ordinary man.

This man smiled and withdrew a small blade, stabbing it into the Crusader's gut and leaving him to die he spoke menacingly, "No one shall ever forget my name...Jack the Ripper."

Aztek remained in shock, his duplicates had massacred an entire army of Crusaders in a few seconds and now he was powerless to stop them, they had already increased in power far beyond anything he imagined.

Would he ever meet them again? He could only guess...

1252

Aztek's mastery of sorcery had eventually caused him to be known as Earth's greatest practicer of magic.

For this reason in 1252, when the fate of the universe was at hand, he was made the Sorcerer Supreme by Zebulon and told it was his duty to protect humanity.

The reason for all this was fear for the fate of the Universe, it seemed that the nigh-omnipotent being known as the Fallen One was on the loose...

And with his cosmic power he planned to slaughter the Devourer of Worlds, an event which would cause one of the fundamental forces in reality to no longer exist.

So Aztek's power was greatly needed and so they were augmented with the powers of the Infinity Gems and some companions from the race that called themselves Eternals.

Aztek was now in the vacuum of space and he called to his aides, "Thena! Makkari! Gilgamesh! Sersi!" and the four came unto him.

It seemed odd to Aztek that even though their years far surpassed his own, they were considered juveniles to their race.

This brought Aztek into a contemplative mood and he reflected on why he had decided to do complete this task in the first place.

He had always hated humanity since Dark Aztek had taken over but now this dark personality had, at least for the time being, receded into the recesses of Aztek's mind and so Aztek was in control now.

He now spoke to the Eternals at his command, yet his mind was elsewhere. He wondered if Sami was thinking of him now, he had not seen her in centuries...

"We must protect Galan at all costs, the lives of everyone in the universe are at stake." All four nodded in unison and with that they raced to guard the mighty Galactus.

A hungry Galactus was alone, yet he anticipated the attack of his former Herald at any moment, he also knew he did not stand a chance in this fight.

Yet through the use of the Infinity Gems he watched as the five mortals assigned to guard him materialized directly in front of the Mighty Devourer.

It was merely seconds later that the Fallen One appeared and the Defenders of Galactus prepared to live up to their title, yet their true power could not be proved as something a lot more powerful than themselves intervened.

In a split second the Fallen One was once again imprisoned, the Eternals returned to their dwelling places, the Gems restored to their original bearers and Aztek now stood before the colossal Living Tribunal.

"What is the meaning of this?" the enraged Aztek questioned the all-powerful being.

The response was stated with a monotone speech, "Aztek. You are far more powerful than you could ever imagine. The day you unleash your full power something terrible will happen...something even I cannot stop."

After a short pause it continued, "However, I will not allow this to take place now, not until you have learned all you need to know."

Aztek then found himself returned to Earth where he began to contemplate his fabled future. Would he truly destroy the Creator...and would the most powerful being in the universe be unable to stop him?

http://www.comicvine.com/myvine/aztek%20the%20lost/

• Teleportation
• Shapeshifting
• Pyrokinesis
• Electrokinesis
• Shadow Manipulation
• Phasing

• Movement
• Concentration
• Environment
• Overload
• Light
• Fluids