I couldn’t believe my eyes.

City hall was encased in ice, which crept up the sheer walls in vast, glassy sheets. Around it was built a castle, towering above the city, sparkling with the light of ten million stars. I had to look away or risk being blinded by the glare. At the top, a tiny figure stood, his voice amplified so that it echoed clearly through the howling winds. “Fear not,” he said. “For I bring tidings of great joy. This city has been chosen to be liberated from this wretched world. As I speak, the agents of your salvation walk the streets, freeing you whether you accept it or not. The time of humanity has come to an end. Now embrace it.”

Ecto’s voice faded, and we were left standing in the snow. “So this is it,” I mused.

Thea nodded. “That’s his plan. The ice, the snow, the echoes here to... ‘liberate’ the people. It’s quite something, isn’t it.”

“And you couldn’t fight him, back then, because—”

“Because he’s another Demon. Because he made you a threat to our existence. And I... my purpose... I cannot make direct action to destroy my people. I’m sorry I couldn’t have freed you while he was there. But I knew you’d find a way out.”

By now, the cars had stopped in the streets. The blizzard had been steadily growing worse, snowdrifts piled high above my head, now. Makeshift roads and trails and even tunnels were carved haphazardly through the snow, some by human hands, but others clearly by something else entirely. I stumbled forward along the winding paths. Though I heard the sounds of breaking glass, distant cries for help, and the rumbling of the Echoes, I encountered none of them myself.

And then there was shuffling ahead.

An enormous Echo barred the way. A mountain of black, crumbling flesh with burning coals for eyes, bearing two horns on its head. The smaller of the two sat between its eyes, the greater towered above us, a huge plow to till the snow and ice that had the misfortune to enter its path. It rumbled, but Thea held out her hand, and it bowed, docile. She climbed onto its back, helping me up behind her.

The creature was warm. Gossamer black hairs covered its rocky flesh, which oozed hot ichor with every movement. It had been injured. Perhaps by someone struggling against it, perhaps simply by crashing into something sharp that lay hidden beneath the snow.

I held Thea’s hips as we moved forward. The Echo marched onward, clearing a path through the snow, towards city hall, towards the castle that towered above it. On its shoulders, only the soles of my feet touched the top of the snowdrifts, a comfortable vantage to watch the chaos around.

“Is this really what you want?” I asked.

“What?”

“You really want the world to end for these people? For them to freeze to death, cold, and isolated, or be torn apart by Echoes in the streets?”

“No,” said Thea. “I... we... want peace. But because of the Angels, because you would stop any action otherwise, the Demons have grown cold and ruthless as well. Even Ecto is already so determined to use the bitter cold against you. To make the Angels helpless as he liberates the people. They do not care anymore about the suffering they inflict upon the humans, though. It’s only collateral in their schemes.”

“So that’s why you want me to...”

“You’re prophesied among the angels. To be the one that fights against the Demons, until her final breath, giving all her strength to banish us forever. But you know, the prophecy has been fulfilled before. This is not the first Calamity.”

“Calamity?”

“We struggle forever. Against the Angels. Six times before, we’ve come this close, and closer. A new sphere of Demons. A new attempt to bring the liberation to the earth. And six times, the Angels brought forth their ‘saviour’. Their host of Vespa. Who averted our Calamity, but never fully ended us. And we have our own prophecy. That someday, the saviour of the Angels will turn against them and finally liberate the people of this earth.”

“What, you think that’s me?”

“Well, it’s a prophecy. It’s your purpose. And it’s enough for me to... convince Ecto that I could turn you.”

“That’s what we’re going with?”

She only laughed. “Do you have a better idea?” It was too late, regardless. Arriving at the entrance to the castle, it became clear just how magnificent it was. The light from here was nearly blinding, casting bold shadows onto the snow. The gates rose in front, towering over the icy ground, the castle proper expanding above like an upside-down mountain just kissing the earth. There were Demons at the gate, flanked by swirling, shadowy Echoes. “Halt.”

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“She is my prisoner,” said Thea. The Demons standing at the gate seemed to buy it, nodding as we passed inside. So far, so good.

She helped me off the Echo we were riding, caressing the creature as it knelt in the antechamber. The room was surprisingly warm, sheltered from the blowing snow outside. Icy walls stretched up for hundreds of metres, a set of stairs carved into the material. Instead of doing that, though, Thea, ran her hands through the creature’s fur, dipping her hands in the hot ichor and pressing it against my back to warm my wings. In no time at all, they were in working order. I wrapped my arms around Thea and flew up to the top.

The inside was very busy. So many Demons walking and talking through the halls, all in their pristine suits and ties. Some of them eyed me flying, but it seemed there was an understanding between them and Thea.

“They aren’t attacking,” I noted. “I can’t believe it worked.”

“They think that I have sway over you. That’s all. Just play along. You’ll get your opportunity.” She put her hand on my shoulder, reassuring. Perhaps Thea did have some sway over me after all.

Above the stairwell, the castle spread out, branching like a tree into myriad crystalline spires. But we were heading towards the central branch. Back outside, the wind and snow felt even colder. My wings quickly shuddered to a halt and we walked the remaining way, up the stairs leading up to the central spire where Ecto was.

Eyeing the rest of the castle, I felt a pang of uncertainty. So many Demons. Who knew that so many had been right here among us this whole time. Between them, moved the shadowy, glitchy shapes of Echoes in all myriad of forms and functions, from tiny insects to enormous beasts that I couldn’t recognize. To try to kill them all would be... impossible. What was I even doing? Following some prophecy? Some notion of biological destiny?

“You still want to do this?” Thea asked. “You can always surrender.”

“I will not.”

She sighed. “Okay.” Her fingers slipped out of mine. Was she concerned about... me? That I would lose control? That I would become a killing machine, or whatever? Or did she simply fear that her plan had failed? As a Demon. I couldn’t tell.

It was too late to turn back now, so I just kept following in Thea’s footsteps up the icy stairs. After an eternity, we reached the top, an icy, windswept platform overlooking the whole city. And standing at the very apex was Ecto.

He looked gorgeous. The white suit glittered, not in a tacky way, but with a gleam of sophistication and brilliance. The Echo mammoth he was sitting on knelt, reaching up with its trunk to carry him down onto the ground. He smiled at me, chuckling to himself as he approached the two of us. “You brought her. Lovely.”

“Yes.” Thea roughly grabbed me and shoved me towards him. “She is my prisoner. I have taken her in fully with our message. She wishes to join forces with us now. Now... stop this storm. We will liberate the earthlings peacefully.”

“Don’t make demands of me, Thea. Is this true, Quinn?” Close. Too close. His icy breath was on my face. I was glad for my Imago’s helmet-like shell. I wouldn’t want to breathe it in.

“I... surrender to you,” I lied.

His eyes narrowed. “Okay, then. I have a test for you.”

“First, stop the storm,” said Thea. “Then you can test her all you want. That was her condition for this.”

“The test first,” he said, bringing forth two cages. I didn’t have to guess was what inside.

“Sarah. Heidi.” Both were in their Imagos. Sarah seemed calm, legs and arms folded in her lap. Heidi was the opposite, bashing furiously against the icy bars. Clearly there was more than just ice involved.

“They went looking for you, but they found us instead,” said Ecto. “Now, prove that you have truly surrendered of your own free will. Strike them down, Quinn. They refuse to accept it. They refuse to accept your choices. They refuse to let you be free. So liberate them yourself.”

The glaive materialized in my hands blade-first, icy-cold. I stepped towards Heidi’s cage. Sarah looked away. Heidi stared down the blade with apprehension. As expected, Ecto came close behind me, his icy breaths chilling my neck. Calm, Quinn. Just a little bit closer and...

I thrust back, hard., hitting him straight in the stomach. As he staggered, I swivelled, the blade coming down in a high arc toward.. the cloud of birds when his body had been seconds ago.

“Okay, game’s up, Quinn.” He chuckled nervously. “I win.”

“You’re afraid of me.”

“Yes. I am. But I’m not the only one here, am I?” The pigeons carried him far up into the sky away from me. My own wings were nearly frozen, practically useless. Countless footsteps thundered up the stairs. Demons and Echoes and... so much. My glaive was ready. My body was ready. But I... probably wasn’t ready. As the amorphous wave of black and sickly scarlet raced towards me, I set my feet against the ice, steadied my arms, and braced myself for an impact that never came.

Because the clouds were split, and the winds were silenced, and the sun cut through the darkness. The sun! The light shone so brightly that the glimmering castle may as well have been asphalt. And from the light, I heard a voice.

Nep’s voice.

“Sorry for the delay. It’s a long flight from Mali.”