“I thought it wasn’t supposed to rain today?”
“It wasn’t.”
Conrad frowned as he watched the sky above with concern. It was quickly becoming dark, but the rumbling black clouds were what worried him most.
“Feels like even the weather is against us.”
“Regardless, our objective is the same.”
Yuuji nodded in response. He wasn’t planning on stopping since he was well aware of the potential dangers before he even began the mission, but from the changes in their entourage, it was clear that they were ready for a fight if it found them.
“Bring on the rain. It’ll take more than that to put my fire out.”
“Hmph. Just make sure you don’t start rampaging anywhere near me.”
Leona and Valeriya walked side by side behind them, and though the two girls were very much at odds, they were far more chatty after spending time together. Conrad’s plan to randomly assign lodging was showing signs of bearing fruit, though it wasn’t without its downsides, as they were still somewhat short-handed with the hungover trio.
“The church is just around this corner.”
“Thank you, Gale.”
With their guide at the helm, the five of them marched through the quiet streets. The remaining students had been left at the pub for now as they awaited further instructions, with Aoi in charge. She was far better suited to being on the back lines than in the battlefield itself, as her healing ability would be useless if she were to be incapacitated.
Rounding the narrow street, the chapel came into view. It was the largest building in the village, with an impressive spire and daunting grey stone walls that towered above the surroundings, but concerningly the antique arched windows had been roughly boarded up with wooden planks. As the harsh wind blew through the dusk, the site seemed less of a holy place and more like the domain of a vampire in a fairy tale, though none of them dared to speak those words out loud unless they came true.
Even from a distance, they could see a figure standing before the doors. The vicar, Reverend Thomas, was waiting for them, and he stared coldly at them as they approached.
“...”
“Reverend Thomas. What is this all about? Why do this?”
From behind the old man’s shoulder, they could see scores of villagers peering through the cracks in the boarded windows and the gap between the thick wooden doorway. Their eyes were wide and full of fright, but they glared on nonetheless.
“The decision wasn’t mine to make. I didn’t want you to come out here.”
“We’re here to eliminate a demon. If we don’t act quickly, lives could be at risk.”
“Your lives, not ours.”
The old man stood his ground. Conrad bit his tongue as he breathed deeply - he’d had more than enough of the self-righteous attitude already, but escalating things without any attempt at being diplomatic would only make matters worse.
“A demon is a demon, every person in the village is in danger until it is dealt with. Please.”
Through gritted teeth, he implored once more. Swallowing his pride was a small price to pay for a human life.
“It is only a danger to those who deserve it. She will not pass these hallowed walls, and the sinners will receive their judgment.”
“We need to find and stop it before it’s too late. You have to tell us where this ‘Henridge’ person is.”
“...”
Seeing the standstill, Gale stepped forward as well and bowed her head. She had once again donned her armour, but if they could make it out without a fight that would be ideal for everyone involved.
“Mr Thomas. If not for them, do it for me. We need to know what’s going on. I can’t bear to see the village in this state.”
“Little Gale…”
The man’s eyes misted up, but he gripped his bible closer to his chest and shook his head.
“...No. Not even for you. This is all God’s will, and we will stay strong together.”
“God’s will? What are you talking about? Please, tell me something, anything.”
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She stepped forward as her pleas grew more intense. It was agonising for both of them to see each other this way, but neither would budge an inch.
“The church, the government - they’ve guided you astray. You can’t fight the inevitable. Even in death, God’s plans are set, and I will not see them tainted.”
“...”
“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth, as it is in heaven.”
Reverend Thomas looked into the sky, then back at them once more, before trudging back into the church and closing the door tightly. Shortly after, loud thumps came from within, as the sounds of the villagers barricading the door to the outside could be heard.
Gale bit her lip and turned away. A difficult silence fell on the group, but it couldn’t last for long - time was running out.
“...Gale, do you have any idea where this person might live? Any at all?”
“I’m sorry. The village has changed so much since I was young, I don’t even know where to begin looking.”
When her head was raised once more, she wore the same stoic expression as always. Yuuji felt as though her words before hadn’t been fake, but she knew better than most that it wasn’t the time to dwell on what had been lost.
“I can’t risk us splitting up now. If the rain starts… we don’t know what will happen. We have to return for now.”
Conrad struggled against his frustration at the man who stubbornly refused to help. He had seen the depths of hate that the kind Mrs Bailey carried, and the fear in the eyes of the quiet village folk as they came to protect them. Phoenix simply weren’t welcome here, and the locals of Marlbourne had spoken - they would rather sit in fear than try to save the life of another human being.
It was a long and uncomfortable walk back.
******
Everyone sat with stony faces within the confines of the pub. It was an area created for jolly nights filled with the sound of laughter, but as the students of Phoenix sat in their impromptu base waiting for a dangerous demon to arrive with the rain, the mood was grim.
“...We have to be ready to fight it once it arrives. The battle may start at any moment, in any place. Sleep rotations are to go into effect immediately, with a minimum of two combat-ready personnel awake at all times.”
Having them all stay awake waiting for the rain would be a recipe for disaster, but if too many rested at once they would risk being caught unaware. Even now there wasn’t any guarantee that the wraith would show the moment the rain started, but the actions of the villagers had put them all on edge.
“The vicarage is too far away, so it’s off-limits. The guest house is still visible from this location, so we will split up between these two locations for the night - it’ll be a little cramped and uncomfortable, but sleep is sleep.”
He quickly sketched out a rough plan of sleeping locations for the pub and pointed to various students.
“Yuuji, you’re in the guest house. Gale, if you could please join them, I would appreciate it.”
“Understood.”
“Claire, Ji-Hye, you’re here with us. Everyone else, back to where you were before. Aoi, I’m leaving the sleep rotation for the guest house to you.”
“Yes.”
“Those on watch, if there’s any sign of danger, wake the others immediately. A good shout is crude, but it’s damn effective.”
The darkness had now fully set in over the village, and the empty houses around them made it a ghost town. The only lights they had were the ones inside the places they were set to stay the night, but every blacked-out window felt like it housed a sinister shadow behind it.
Even on their way to the guest house, Yuuji couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched, and from the nervy glances the others were giving he was sure they felt the same.
The long night had begun.
******
*drip* *drip* *drip*
Hibiki groaned as she rubbed her eyes and stirred from sleep. Across the way, Elis was still breathing softly in the twilight, but the gentle pattering sound she heard kept Hibiki from returning to her slumber.
*drip* *drip* *drip*
She quickly recalled her current surroundings. Straining her ears, she couldn’t hear the sound of voices, but the dripping noise from beyond the comfort of the walls continued. She rose from her bed quietly, and stepped towards the window.
Closer. Closer. Closer.
The pane was frosty from the condensation, and water gently ran down the inside as she approached, but the outside was hard to see through the misty dew. She reached out, ever so delicately, and her hand touched the icy glass, with the frost sticking to her fingertips. She wiped away a small circle as a viewing point to the world beyond, and crouched down to place her eye before the gap.
*drip* *drip* *drip*
The rain pitter-pattered from the rooftop, but there was something more.
At first, it was a haze in the distance, but as she strained her vision it became clearer. A silhouette, standing on the river bank; staring directly at her window. Dark pits hung where their eyes should have been, and its limbs were wispy and faint.
The face was pale and difficult to see in the storm, but even as she watched on, something within her knew instinctively that the figure was crying, and every teardrop that fell rang in her ears.
*drip* *drip* *drip*
She blinked, and it was gone. Hibiki stared hard into the dark rainy night once more, doing anything to catch another glimpse of whatever she thought she saw, but there wasn’t a trace. Finally, she took a step back, her heart beating furiously within her chest as her mind raced with thoughts of what she should do next.
*squelch*
She gasped as the frigid touch ran across her foot. Looking down, a small puddle of ice-cold water had formed behind where she stood, enough to ooze out of the soft carpet floor.
There was no longer any doubt - the wraith had arrived.