Ten Years Ago
A sharp knock resounded in the silence of an old office. Every surface seemed to be made of the same splintering wood coated in a thin layer of dust, hinting at both the building’s age as well as a lack of upkeep. Even the desk the tired nun rested her head on was barely being held together with the help of a few crooked nails. It wobbled uneasily as she lifted her head at the sound.
“Come in,” she mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she sat up straight. Though she was no doubt donning the attire of a nun from the Church of Solomon, she didn’t look to be older than her early twenties. Her countenance also lacked the distinct poise that the nuns of the Church typically carried.
The rusty hinges let out an unpleasant squeak as the door to the office swung open, revealing a much older woman in a matching uniform. This nun had graying hair and wrinkles common in one who regularly furrows their brow. The younger only took in the presence of the older for a moment before her attention was drawn to the woman’s left, where a young girl was holding her hand and looking at the floor.
The girl had long dark hair, unruly and unkempt and concealing much of her face. The remainder of the girl’s visage was mostly covered by stark white bandages that contrasted with her overall dirty appearance. Further inspection revealed that the bandages actually covered up most of the visible skin, and in some places a deep red could be seen seeping through. The girl’s one visible eye looked hollow and dim as she gazed unseeingly before her.
“Mother Gertrude, what brings you here?” the young nun questioned, still drowsy from sleep.
“You ditz! Did you forget your etiquette so soon!? Is that how you greet a senior!?” the old nun, Mother Gertrude, scolded.
Indeed, due to her nap, the younger one had forgotten herself. Scrambling to her feet, she fell into a quick bow of courtesy. She was a rather recent recruit, still getting used to the pleasantries that came with Church life. Having been reprimanded so often, she barely flinched at the scathing remarks from the elder. Instead a light flush of shame colored her cheeks as she righted herself once more with a shy smile.
“My apologies, Mother.”
The old nun just clicked her tongue once in annoyance and disapproval. She finally let the slight drop and turned to the topic at hand. She yanked the arm holding the young girl forward, pulling the girl into the room harshly and presenting her before the other.
“This girl was just dropped off by some government officials. Apparently her parents died in a house fire, so from today on she will be joining us,” Mother Gertrude explained.
The sister nodded to show she was listening before the other continued. The girl, no older than a young teen it seemed, stared pointedly at the floor like she wished to sink into it.
“I have too many kids to look after already, and the other sisters have their hands full currently, so I’m leaving her under your direct care. Understood?”
“Yes, Mother Gertrude. You can count on me!” the young sister replied enthusiastically, already circling around her desk.
“I know that you’re new around here, but you’ve been asking for more responsibility so here it is. Teens can be difficult to deal with, but the wellbeing of the children is important to the Church, so don’t screw it up,” the old nun ordered before nudging the girl further into the room.
With that, she spun around and left without waiting for a reply. The young nun sighed at the blunt nature of her elder before plastering on a smile and bending down to the girl’s height, attempting to look her in the eye as she spoke. However, the girl still refused to make eye contact, glancing back and forth between the floor and the wall as her hands twisted in the edge of her shirt uncomfortably.
“Hello, nice to meet you. What’s your name?” the sister asked, pumping as much positivity into her voice as she could manage. The girl finally looked at the nun, her one visible eye so dark it was almost black.
“Margaret,” the girl replied so softly that if the nun weren’t standing so close, she might have missed it.
“Margaret, huh? What a pretty name! My name is Sister Katherine,” the nun beamed. The girl looked slightly off-put by the energy radiating off of the woman, but she nodded a moment later.
“Where is this place?” the girl asked shakily. Her voice was full of gravel as she spoke, most likely the product of inhaling too much smoke.
“You’re at a place with lots of other children like you. This is going to be your new home. You’ll be safe here, I promise,” Sister Katehrine said. She held out her pinky but the girl just stared at it, confused.
“Safe?” the girl asked, shaking her head. “I don’t care about that. I miss my family. Where’s my family?”
As she whined, tears sprang to her eyes. Sister Katherine sadly lowered her pinky, instead gently placing both of her hands on Margaret’s shoulders in what she hoped was reassurance.
“It’ll be alright. We’re your new family. From now on, I’ll be your big sis. Big Sister Katherine, got it?” the young nun smiled brightly.
To her surprise, instead of responding, Margaret flung her arms around the nun and started to cry with her head buried in her shoulder. Even as she felt the wetness seep through her shirt, Sister Katherine could only bring herself to wrap her arms around the girl’s back and squeeze. When she felt an additional wetness on one of her hands, she pulled it away to examine. Some of the redness that had made its way through the bandages had also, apparently, bled through the girl’s shirt and now found itself lightly coating her palm. Silently, she made another promise to herself to not let any more harm come to this child.
—
Margaret sat on a rusted swing, gently swaying back and forth as she stared unfocused at the ground. The autumn breeze turned frigid as winter approached, stinging her ears. Still, she refused to go inside right now, preferring to be alone and cold than surrounded by the idle chatter of the other kids.
She had found out pretty soon after arriving that this place was an orphanage. A place for kids with no parents, and no family. Margaret had heard of orphanages, of course. She just never thought she would be one of those kids. It had been a few weeks since she arrived, but she couldn’t bring herself to make friends with the other children.
Sister Katherine had been treating her well and was extremely warm towards her, much to the ire of some of the kids in Mother Gertrude’s care. Margaret’s wounds had mostly healed and she had just recently started to attend the schooling taught by the sisters. Sister Katherine wouldn’t let her attend until she recovered from her injuries. Although the physical wounds were healed, the nun feared the mental scars would be far more permanent.
Even though it was near silent in the atmosphere of the empty old playground, Margaret swore she could hear the crackle of fire. She swore she could detect another scent mixing in with that of the fallen leaves, the smell of her own flesh burning. And she swore she could make out figures of ash, melting before her eyes amongst a chorus of screams….
“What are you doing out here all by yourself?” a gentle voice interrupted her train of thought.
Margaret’s head whipped around to see a small girl, around the same age as herself, with light brown hair tucked behind her ears and shining gold irises. She was standing a few feet away, watching Margaret with a close-lipped smile. It seemed like she wanted to approach but wasn’t sure if it was a good idea.
“I want to be alone. Go away,” Margaret told her grumpily.
She looked away from the other girl and back down at her feet, kicking at a pebble. However, instead of leaving her alone, the girl skipped over and took a seat in the swing next to her.
“What a coincidence! I want to be alone, too,” the girl chirped as she began to rock back and forth.
Margaret looked back at her with a bewildered expression.
“Then go find somewhere else!”
“Hmmm but I don’t want to! You’re new around here, right? Well, let me tell you, this is my spot. This is where I come to when I don’t wanna listen to the whining of the little brats anymore,” the girl told her.
“What? So no one else can use it?” Margaret asked with a glare.
“Normally, if it were the other kids, I would chase them away. But you look like you could use a spot, too. So, I’ll make an exception and share it with you,” the girl beamed.
“... Thanks, I guess…?” Margaret grumbled.
She wasn’t sure what to make of this girl. None of the other kids had really made an effort to talk to her at all, and it’s not like she made any attempts herself. This was the longest she talked to anyone other than Sister Katherine since arriving at this place. She felt awkward, not knowing what to say. The two sat in silence for a few moments, only the light squeak of the swing breaking up the quiet.
“My name is Sophia, by the way,” the girl suddenly said.
Margaret turned to her and saw that she had stuck her hand out for a shake. Margaret grabbed it hesitantly, but the girl’s grip was strong and enthusiastic as she shook her hand eagerly. Finally reciprocating the sentiment, she looked right into the deep pools of gold as she introduced herself.
“Margaret.”
—
Seven years ago
A slightly older Margaret stood in a dingy hallway, ear pressed close to a familiar door as two muffled voices carried on inside. The girl had grown a little taller and no longer donned the sterile white bandages, her skin sporting a few faint scars but nothing more. Her face was free from the long tresses of hair, having been chopped short at some point, just barely reaching her shoulders, both eyes now visible and significantly more full of life. Her brows furrowed as she strained to listen in on the words being exchanged.
“. . . can’t do this!” came the pleading voice of Sister Katherine.
“Are. . . going against the Church?. . . the archbishop. . .” the other voice responded, sounding an awfully lot like Mother Gertrude.
“. . . not, but… isn’t right. . . I won’t…” Sister Katherine said.
“. . . no choice!” Mother Gertrude sounded aggravated. “. . . old enough. . . It’s time to. . . Other children… already started…”
“No. . . ” Sister Katherine sounded desperate. “What if. . . then maybe. . . ”
Silence.
“Fine, but. . . come crying. . . hates you.”
Suddenly, the girl heard the sound of approaching footsteps, which meant that the conversation was likely over and Mother Gertrude was leaving. Which also meant that she was heading directly towards the door Margaret was standing on the other side of. The girl panicked for a moment before schooling her expression and raising her fist as though she were about to knock, trying to act like she had just arrived. The door swung open, Mother Gertrude raising a questioning brow upon the sight of the girl standing in the hallway.
“Mother Gertrude, my apologies. I was just about to knock,” Margaret lied with a slight bow in greeting.
However, Mother Gertrude didn’t respond, simply brushing past her with a huff before disappearing down the hall. Margaret turned back to the office, seeing Sister Katherine leaning against the front of her desk with a complicated expression. She had the bridge of her nose pinched between her fingers as though she were fighting off a headache.
“Maggie, what do you need?” Sister Katherine looked up and asked with a smile, but it didn’t reach her red-rimmed eyes.
“What was that about?” Margaret questioned. Sister Katherine just shook her head.
“It’s nothing. The other kids are starting a new… study program. Instead of the regular lessons. But, I’ve talked to Mother Gertrude and came up with a special program just for you! I’m going to train you to become a nun! How does that sound?” she said with an empty laugh full of forced enthusiasm.
“A nun? You want me to become a nun, Sister?” Margaret asked, puzzled.
“Yup! Doesn’t that sound exciting? You can train under me and then when you get older, we can be nuns together!” Sister Katherine explained happily.
But Margaret couldn’t help but feel like every further word from her sounded like a plea. The happiness in her tone didn’t match the tension clearly visible in the nun’s shoulders. Sister Katherine had posed the idea casually, but Margaret felt the weight of it nonetheless. She desperately wanted her to agree.
“That doesn’t sound… bad. But, does that mean I won’t get to study with everyone else anymore?”
The girl was hesitant. She truly didn’t dislike the idea of becoming a nun. Sister Katherine really was like an older sister to her, and the thought of growing older and working together with someone she considered family was very appealing. But at the same time, she would miss her friends if it meant they couldn’t spend as much time together.
Over the last few years, Margaret had grown very close to Sophia. Since that day on the playground, they met there nearly every day, sneaking away during self-study time to relax and goof off. Sophia had even introduced Margaret to some of the other kids they took lessons with, and Margaret actually came to get along well with everyone. Her dreary disposition had melted away, her personality infected by the sunny and carefree attitude of Sophia.
“That’s right. Their curriculum is going to be… a little bit different. No one else wants to become a nun, unfortunately,” Sister Katherine told her.
“Why not? Is being a nun that boring?” Margaret worriedly mumbled.
“Not at all!” Sister Katherine reassured her.
“Will you teach me how to fight? And how to hunt demons?”
“Of course! If that’s what you want. But we don’t hunt demons… we exorcise them,” Sister Katherine clarified.
“Will I still be able to see my friends?”
“Absolutely,” the nun answered with another uneasy smile.
Margaret could feel the nun’s desperation. And if it’s what her big sister wanted, then…
“Okay, then. I’ll become a nun,” Margaret beamed.
Sister Katherine breathed out a sigh of relief and pulled the teen into a hug.
—
At first, receiving private training from Sister Katherine all alone was strange. Margaret had grown used to the bustling and cramped classrooms shared with the rest of the kids in the orphanage that were around her age. She was used to Mother Gertrude’s long and boring lectures, and learning about topics she couldn’t care less about. But, Margaret couldn’t complain about Sister Katherine’s gentleness and patience as she taught.
“Remember, Maggie, the names of the gods are not for human lips to utter. That is why we refer to them with titles instead.”
“But the titles are so long. How am I supposed to memorize them all?”
“Don’t worry. I know it’s difficult. Just do your best, and if you ever forget, I’ll be there to remind you.”
—
“Today we’re going to test your aptitude for magic!”
“Magic? Can I really use magic?”
“Most people can use a little bit, but everyone is born with a different aptitude. Some people can wield powerful magic, while others can hardly wield any at all.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Wow! How come you don’t use magic?”
“I don’t have a very high aptitude for it, unfortunately. My magical aptitude is average. Very few people have a high aptitude, but maybe you’re one of the rare lucky ones!”
“Cool! I want to have powerful magic!”
“We have to be very careful. Magic is extremely volatile. Even if you have a decent aptitude, it can be very difficult to control. There are only a handful of spells, and it is up to the caster to determine their strength and intention. You must have a very focused mind, or else the magic can easily rebound and hurt you.”
“Oh, that sounds dangerous…”
“It is incredibly dangerous. That’s why you don’t see a lot of people using it. Still, if you have a good aptitude for it, you can learn to control it. We’re gonna start with something simple. See this rune here? Try tracing it into this piece of wood…”
“A rune?”
“Yes, the spells all originate from these runes here. The effect they have can change depending on the intention of the spellcaster, like I said before. We’re just doing a simple spell to test your abilities, so don’t worry about intention for now. That’s a bit more complicated.”
“So if I want to use magic, I have to memorize all these runes?”
“That’s right. An experienced spellcaster will be able to recall and replicate any rune at a moment's notice.”
“Ugh… that sounds like a lot of work…”
—
Despite Sister Katherine promising that Margaret would still be able to see her friends, she hardly saw them at all during the first few weeks of training and began to drift apart from almost everyone, much to her dismay. Still, she found time to meet with Sophia on the swingset every day. For a while, everything between them was normal. They would chat happily as though nothing had changed, Margaret excitedly telling her about whatever interesting thing she had learned from Sister Katherine that day.
After some time, Sophia started looking more and more haggard when they met. However, her attitude remained cheerful when she spoke with Margaret. The other just assumed that whatever lessons Mother Gertrude had them working on became more difficult and intense. Sophia always refused to talk about it, though. Instead, she insisted Margaret tell her all about her training on becoming a nun.
Each day, Sophia became more run down. Her bright eyes now had dark bags underneath them. She looked scrawnier than usual and her shoulders drooped where they used to stand tall. Eventually, she started running late to their rendezvous, sometimes by a couple of hours. Still, Margaret would stay planted firmly on the swing, despite everything, rain or shine, biting cold or sweltering heat, and Sophia would inevitably emerge with the same weary smile plastered on her face.
Until one day, Sophia stopped showing up altogether. And still, Margaret waited…
—
Five years ago
Margaret stood in a grassy field, sun beating down on her as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Rolling hills could be seen in every direction, the old orphanage nothing more than a dot on one of said hills some way behind her. Even further behind than that stood the skyline of Acheron, nothing more than a dark mass of buildings and refractions of light from this distance. Not a sound could be heard apart from a gentle breeze and the soft buzz of nearby insects.
The girl’s hair had grown out again, falling midway down her back. She also sported various bandages and bruises around her arms and legs, but none of them serious. At this moment, her eyes held a spark in them as they locked on one specific target, a training dummy about ten meters away. She raised a pistol that she had gripped in her right hand, aimed, and fired. The dummy jolted as the bullet lodged smack in the middle of its head, creating a hole between its black button eyes.
A sudden clapping noise erupted through the meadow as Sister Katherine came into view, cheering on her protege from the sideline. Margaret’s face broke into a brilliant smile as she looked to her mentor for approval.
“Great job! Your aim never ceases to amaze me, Maggie,” Sister Katherine praised. “As expected, no matter how many weapons I teach you, your abilities always shine especially bright when it comes to firearms. My pupil is so talented!”
“Sister, please…” Margaret grumbled, embarrassed as she put the pistol back on a folding table the two had carried out there. Not before switching the safety on, of course.
“It’s true! Which is why…” Sister Katherine paused as she picked up a dark wooden box from the table before holding it out to her protege, “I got you something.”
“A present?” Margaret asked excitedly.
Sister Katherine nodded and the girl eagerly flipped open the lid of the box. Inside was a brand-new, shiny, silver six-shooter pistol nestled in the plush velvet. Margaret gasped before picking up the gun and inspecting it enthusiastically.
“Is this really for me?”
“It is… Happy 18th Birthday,” Sister Katherine said with a gentle smile.
Margaret gingerly put the gun back into the box, closing it, and placing it to the side before leaping into her mentor’s arms to trap her in a bone-crushing hug. The pistol was her favorite weapon, and the one that she happened to be the most proficient in. It was the perfect gift.
“It’s blessed silver, perfect for hunting demons,” Sister Katherine explained, voice muffled by the girl’s shoulder. Margaret pulled back from the hug to look the nun in the eyes.
“Exorcising demons,” the girl corrected with a laugh. And then, “I love it! Thank you so much!”
The excited teen looked like she was on top of the world. That is, until she seemed to recall something. Her expression grew somber and the look in her eyes reminded Sister Katherine of when they first met, suddenly startling the nun.
“What’s the matter?” the sister asked, concerned after the sudden change in mood.
The girl’s oddly serious eyes snapped back into focus as they found the nun’s once more. The strong young woman Sister Katherine had raised looked vulnerable at that moment.
“You’re the only person to wish me ‘Happy Birthday’. My friends… I think they’re avoiding me. They hardly even talk to me anymore, and some of them I haven’t even seen for months. If I say hello to the ones I bump into, they either glare at me or just turn and go the opposite way. And Sophia…” the girl trailed off, unable to finish her sentence as she choked off a sob.
Sister Katherine’s stomach dropped. She felt her heart pounding in her ears as the teen continued to talk. But her expression remained calm, too shocked to form a response right away. Margaret wasn’t done, however.
“Did I do something wrong to make them hate me? Is it because I’m learning to become a nun and they’re not?” the girl finished, voice cracking towards the end.
Her expression was overcome with a dark cloud of confusion and hurt. She couldn’t understand why this was happening. Becoming a nun was what Sister Katherine wanted desperately, so it had to have been the right choice. But why was everyone else acting like she was committing some heinous crime? Sister Katherine couldn’t handle it anymore.
“Of course you didn’t do anything wrong! I don’t know why your friends are acting like that, but I’m positive it’s not because of anything you’ve done,” she tried to reassure.
“Then why?” Margaret couldn’t understand. Her mentor pulled her back into a warm embrace, rubbing her hand up and down her back soothingly.
“I wish I knew. But, listen to me,” the woman said softly, “I will never leave you, don’t worry.”
The nun stepped back and held out her pinky. The teen sniffled, blinking the mist from her eyes before looping her own pinky around the other’s and sealing the promise. As she continued to comfort the girl, Sister Katherine thought about the promise she made to herself five years ago and wondered if she had already broken it.
—
Four years ago
“We have an emergency.” Sister Katherine sounded hurried as she roused her pupil from slumber. Margaret sat up and rubbed her eyes, still groggy. She glanced out the window and saw that the sun had not yet risen.
“Maggie!”
“What’s wrong?” the girl asked, sitting up straight, becoming alert at the urgency in her mentor’s voice.
“A demon’s been sighted on the property. We have to help exorcise it before anyone gets hurt,” Sister Katherine explained, already pulling out clothes from the dresser and throwing them on the bed for Margaret to change into.
“Meet me in the hallway ready to go in three minutes,” she added before exiting, closing the door behind her.
Margaret hurriedly changed into the clothes Sister Katherine had thrown at her. It was a kind of nun-in-training uniform, a more simplified version of the standard nun outfit of the Church. Margaret was set to take the exam to become a full-time nun in a few weeks, but until then, she had to stick with these.
She took the six-shooter out of the box she kept on her nightstand at all times before making sure it was loaded and holstering it. Remembering her hair, which had grown as long as her lower back, she hastily pulled it into a ponytail. Lastly, she ran to the bathroom, splashed some cold water on her face, and quickly gurgled some mouthwash before dashing out into the hall where Sister Katherine was waiting.
“15 seconds too long,” she commented before beginning to walk briskly, Margaret following close behind.
“Where is the demon now?” Margaret asked, ignoring the gentle chide.
“It was last spotted on the front lawn, but they lost sight of it. We don’t have a ton of personnel equipped to fight here, but a few priests who were in the area came to assist as fast as they could. We have to locate it and get rid of it as soon as possible. If we can’t get rid of it, we have to at least stall it long enough for the archbishop to arrive,” Sister Katherine explained as they navigated the halls.
“The archbishop?” Margaret questioned.
She had heard of him in passing, but had never seen him for herself. She only knew that he had some kind of connection to the orphanage. Sister Katherine just nodded in confirmation as they rounded the corner to the front entrance hall. Mother Gertrude was there talking animatedly with an unfamiliar priest.
“Mother Gertrude, what is the situation? Margaret and I can assist,” Sister Katherine said as the two approached.
“Still forgetting your manners, even now!? Can’t you see you’re interrupting!? Useless child!” Mother Gertrude snapped.
“Sorry, Mother,” Sister Katherine responded with a slight bow.
“Good,” the old nun tsked. “We still haven’t located the Condemned. The two of you can join the patrol outside, Father Abrams and I will continue to search inside and make sure the children are safe.” But her wording made Margaret pause.
“Condemned? But I thought it was a full demon?” the girl questioned, though she knew it was not her place to speak in this situation. Mother Gertrude grumbled at her impoliteness while Father Abrams ignored it in favor of providing an answer.
“Unfortunately, a Condemned lost control and succumbed to their infection. I’m afraid even if they come to their senses now, it’s only a matter of time until they’re a full demon, so it’s best to still treat it as one. They escaped custody, and are highly dangerous,” he stated, but his tone was lazy and he looked as though he’d rather be asleep. Something about the situation made Margaret feel uneasy, but she nodded along anyway. Sister Katherine turned to her.
“Come on, let’s get going.”
—
The pair circled the orphanage twice, occasionally crossing paths with other patrolling priests and nuns in various states of distress. Not many words were exchanged. Having little luck, Sister Katherine suggested the two make their way to the fields behind the building to continue their search. A short while after they began wandering the meadow to no avail, Margaret looked up to see Sister Katherine signaling her to come closer. She held up her finger to indicate quiet as Margaret approached.
Confused, she slowly walked closer to her mentor until she understood why she had been called over. Barely audible over the hush of the wind across the fields and the distant wildlife rustling among the nearby treeline, a quiet cry made its way to her ears. The two silently moved towards the noise while drawing their weapons. She drew her pistol, meanwhile Sister Katherine pulled out a short pole that, with the press of a button, popped out and expanded into a silver scythe without so much as a sound. Margaret would never get used to her teacher’s preferred weapon of choice.
Crouched among the crumpled grass sat a young girl with her knees pulled to her chest, shoulders shaking from the force of her sobs. Sister Katherine signaled to flank the girl, Margaret breaking off in a wide arc to the girl’s left while the other went to the girl’s right. However, a twig must have been hidden among the tall grass, because Margaret’s next step resulted in a loud SNAP, echoing through the open space like a gunshot. The three figures froze simultaneously, before the girl on the ground’s head whipped up frantically.
“Who’s there!?” the girl called, clearly scared, until she finally made eye contact with Margaret, who was still frozen in place.
Only, she was no longer frozen in place due to the loud sound she had mistakenly made. Now, she was frozen because she had seen the girl’s face. And she recognized her.
“S-Sophia?” Margaret called hesitantly.
But it seemed as if the girl was looking through her rather than at her. She was wild in appearance, her hair tousled and figure emaciated. Her golden eyes which once resembled sunlight had become muddled with something unrecognizable in the glowing light of the moon. She was nearly unidentifiable as the girl Margaret once knew.
“Where am I?” Sophia cried softly.
“You’re outside the orphanage,” Margaret explained.
If Sophia had regained control, maybe they could still help her. Maybe there was hope that she could be saved. A quick glance up revealed that Sister Katherine was still slowly circling the girl, directly behind her now that the attention was on Margaret. Yet, Sister Katherine did not strike.
“The orphanage?” the girl on the ground spat with a sudden venom in her voice.
It didn’t really sound like her voice anymore. It sounded like two voices mixed together, one much more gravelly and hateful than the other. The sobbing, scared girl from seconds before seemed to have disappeared. Veins of purple along her arms and up her neck, which were barely noticeable before in the dimness of the night, began to glow.
“Are you here to take me back? I’m not going,” the angry girl stated.
“We’re not here to take you back,” Sister Katherine suddenly spoke, causing the girl to whirl around to look at her. “We’re here to kill you.”
“Sister!” Margaret cried in disbelief.
But the nun was done talking. She swung her scythe at the possessed girl, who narrowly leaped out of the way with graceful speed. Sophia was now standing a few meters away, a fierce glare in her eyes as she examined the pair before her. Surprisingly, she broke into a wicked grin that seemed to split her face in two. The sickly purple glow reached her eyes now, slowly transforming her into something less and less human.
“I get it now,” she cackled. “It all makes sense! I should have known it would be you.” She looked at Margaret with intense fury. “It’s always you.”
“What are you talking about? Sophia, I didn’t even know you were Condemned!” Margaret argued.
That seemed to hit a nerve with the other girl, who growled before leaping forward. She swiped at Margaret’s throat, who just barely dodged. That swipe, if it had made contact, surely would have killed her!
“Condemned!? That’s right, you all think we became this way because we’re sinners. I guess your brainwashing lessons went pretty well, then!” Sophia yelled as she once again grabbed at the other.
Behind her, Sister Katherine continued to swing her scythe at the possessed girl, but the demon dodged as if the other weren’t even there. Even though she was just barely moving out of the way each time, Margaret couldn’t bring herself to use her gun, still clasped uselessly in her hand.
“Tell me, Sister!” the demon spat, spinning around and grabbing the scythe as it swung towards her.
Her hand began to sizzle where it touched the silver pole, steam rising from the skin like it was on fire. But the girl paid no mind to it, continuing to speak.
“Is it a sin to get poked by a needle? To feel each day like you’re being sliced apart and put back together? To be forced to share your body as your mind slowly rots? To be used as a lab rat by people who see you as subhuman?”
Sister Katherine ignored her, yanking the scythe back and slashing again. The demon dodged easily once more, as though her hand was not blistering and red from where it had touched the silver. She grabbed at Sister Katherine’s robes but failed to catch them.
“What are you talking about?” Margaret cried, overwhelmed and confused. She stood still in the battle field, too numb to move.
“DON’T PLAY DUMB WHEN IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!” Sophia shouted, once again turning her attacks in Margaret’s direction.
A few of them landed, leaving nasty scratches across her arms and legs and drawing blood. She couldn’t bring herself to care at the moment, only dodging haphazardly through habits learned from years of training. The movements ingrained in her were the only thing keeping the wounds she received from being less than fatal, the shallow gashes accumulating as she refused to fight back.
“I don’t know what you’re saying!” Margaret yelled in frustration. “Weren’t we friends!? You all cut me off for no reason!”
“No reason?” the demon mocked. “Selling your soul to the Church and getting special treatment while your so-called friends suffered. That sounds like a pretty good reason to me.”
Margaret couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but one look at Sister Katherine all but confirmed it. The nun had her eyes downcast even as she continued attacking, her chest heaving painfully like she was trying not to break down at the same time. She looked guilty. The demon must have thought the same thing, because Sophia started laughing wildly. Margaret hadn’t even noticed it stopped attacking. Sister Katherine also paused as the demon cackled from its spot between them.
“Maggie-” she began.
“Stop! Don’t call me that! Is she telling the truth? Have you been lying to me all this time?” Margaret asked. She pushed aside the sinking feeling in her gut and tried to grasp onto the last ray of hope in her mind. Maybe it was all a misunderstanding. It had to be.
“I wasn’t lying…” Sister Katherine tried to say, but the demon cut her off, holding up a hand.
“Ah, ah, ah, Sister Katherine. Lying is a sin,” the mixed voices taunted. Sister Katherine clenched her teeth and swung at the demon again.
“I had no choice!” she snapped as she spun her scythe around once more.
Margaret’s world was crumbling to pieces around her. She fell to her knees and looked at her hands, gun slipping from her grasp. Although there was no visible blood on them, the phantom weight of it was very much real. Her big sister and best friend were fighting right in front of her, and it was all her fault?
“Maggie!” Sister Katherine cried, concerned.
But the moment she was distracted, the demon pushed her backwards with force, sending her flying towards the trees. A distant thud and the crashing of branches was all that could be heard as she disappeared from sight into the tree line.
“HAHAHAHAHA SERVES HER RIGHT!” the demon laughed. Every time it spoke, Sophia’s voice faded more and more until it was mostly gravel.
“Sophia… what.. What really happened?” Margaret asked weakly as the demon that used to be her friend came closer, laughter finally dying down.
“You know, this innocent act is really pissing me off,” it growled. Sophia’s hatred must have been strong enough to pervade even the demon’s mind if it was this angry while she wasn’t in control.
“I didn’t know!” Margaret reasoned.
She knew there was no point. The demon was in control, so reason was out the window. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to attack when the monster wore her friend’s face.
“It doesn’t matter,” the demon explained while kicking in her direction. Margaret dodged, getting back to her feet.
“AHAHAHA THAT’S MORE LIKE IT!” it exclaimed, chasing after her. “Show me the reason why you’re so special. Show me why you get to live comfortably while my friends and I die under a scalpel!”
Margaret nearly choked at that. “D-Die?”
“Oh? Even after all this time, you really have no idea, do you? Allow me to explain. Our lives are an experiment. You should have ended up like me, or died alongside the others! They’re the negative outcome, and I’m the positive,” the demon proudly stated.
“Positive… outcome?”
She looked at her friend, deranged and possessed, and wondered in what world this was a positive outcome. All those years that Margaret believed Mother Gertrude’s lessons were just getting more intense, that her friends hated her for no reason, how could it be that this was the reality? How was she so blind? So naive? She clutched her head in agony as the truth sunk in.
“Well, I lived, didn’t I? Many of the others weren’t so lucky,” the demon explained like it was no big deal. It even smiled.
“No wonder your mentor kept it a secret from you. And this brat also refused to tell you anything. I see why they were trying to protect you all this time now! You just learned the truth, and you're already falling apart! HAHAHA!” the demon began to cackle.
However, the strangest thing happened. At the same time it broke into an abnormally large grin, tears started falling from its eyes. The laughter died down and was replaced by confusion.
“Huh?” The demon brought up a hand to wipe away a tear, looking at it strangely. “Damn it, just give up already, brat!”
Margaret thought she heard Sophia’s voice at that moment, even though it was definitely the demon talking. Except, the purple glow began to dim slightly. Sophia must have still been fighting for control. Her energy and consciousness had to have been almost spent by that point, but she wasn’t giving up.
“Sophia!?” Margaret cried out to her. Maybe she could still get through. “Sophia, listen! I’m sorry! All those years, I still waited for you every day!”
“Shut up!” the mixed voices snapped. “Ugh, it doesn’t matter. I’m still gonna kill every last one of them!”
The demon raised its arm up, aiming down at Margaret. However, there was a split second of hesitation where Margaret swore she saw her friend standing before her, golden eyes reflecting the moon. In that moment, Margaret thought she looked more sad than angry. Then, time sputtered into motion again as a blade ripped through the possessed girl’s torso. Blood sprayed out and painted Margaret’s vision red.
As Sophia’s body fell to the ground in pieces, behind it revealed Sister Katherine, bruised and bloody and holding her scythe with shaky hands. The nun looked down at what she had done, putting most of her weight onto one leg as if the other was broken, using the pole of the weapon for support. The body parts on the ground sizzled and blistered where they were cut in half by the silver, but otherwise did not move.
In the resounding quiet, two faint words were nearly stolen away by the breeze, ghosting over Margaret’s ears like a light kiss: “Thank.. You…”
“Why did you do that!?” Margaret screamed after wiping the blood from her eyes.
She had just witnessed one of the people she grew up alongside, her best friend, be slashed to pieces by her mentor. Not only that, but from the sound of it, the nun was guilty of a lot more as well. And yet, Sister Katherine hardly even spared the dismembered body of the girl on the ground a second glance.
“She was going to kill you!” Sister Katherine argued. She collapsed her scythe and tucked it away in favor of reaching her hands out towards Margaret to check on her. “Are you okay?”
“DON’T TOUCH ME!” the girl shouted, moving back and away from her ‘big sister’.
The ground was wet with a mixture of morning dew and fresh blood, causing Margaret to slip and fall backwards. As she tried to continue to crawl away, her hand bumped into something and she looked down to see her six-shooter, still lying in the grass where she had dropped it. Margaret quickly picked it up before pointing it at Sister Katherine with unsteady hands and unfocused eyes.
“Maggie, please!” the woman tried to reason.
“I told you not to call me that!” Margaret snapped, pointing the gun with more emphasis.
“Okay, okay! I’m sorry! Just please calm down so we can talk!” Sister Katherine begged.
However, Margaret just shook her head. After what she had just seen, after what she had just heard, she didn’t want to talk. How could she even believe anything the woman had to say anymore? The woman who was supposed to protect her. Who had promised to protect her. She wished she never had. Margaret let out a small laugh, but what she really wanted to do was cry. The faraway, cold look from her childhood returned to her eyes as she gazed upon her mentor with disdain.
“I’m done talking to you. For good,” Margaret spat. And then she stood up, turned, and walked away.
She ignored the calls of Sister Katherine behind her, who was too wounded to keep up. She did not slow down when she passed the other priests and nuns on patrol who tried to question her about the blood that covered her body. She did not slow down when she pushed open the doors of the orphanage, and Mother Gertrude looked at her with shock. She did not slow down as she grabbed a bag from her room, hastily stuffing in some belongings and anything else she might need before flinging it over her shoulder. She did not slow down as Mother Gertrude tried to stop her for the second time and ask what happened.
She did not slow down until she was on the front lawn of the orphanage and saw Father Abrams trying to sneakily smoke a cigarette in the shadow of an old willow tree. Smoking was looked down upon by representatives of the Church, but the man didn’t seem to care about Church etiquette any more than Margaret herself. The girl stormed up to him, clearly surprising him as he rushed to stamp the cigarette out under his boot.
“Which archbishop is it that’s coming?” she asked coldly. The man looked at her bewildered for a moment before answering.
“Well, it’s… the archbishop of defense?” he replied, although it came out as more of a question. The actual unspoken questions being why are you asking? And what happened to you?
“What is his connection to this orphanage?” Margaret continued.
“This particular orphanage is his biggest philanthropy project.”
That was all she needed to hear. Without another word, Margaret walked off into the night.
One week later, she would find herself at the city’s mercenary guild registering for work.
Three months later, she would pair up with a fellow mercenary by the name of Bellicosa for a shared bounty.
Four years later, she and Bellicosa would come across a girl named Bambi in a lab, and she would only be able to see Sophia’s face looking back at her.