Of angels, demons and people
Alice has been released home just two days after her fainting. In that time, nothing has been found that could lead to it. Even the wounds that mimicked the cracked armor had vanished, as if they were never there to begin with. Lilim kept her company for the entire time, also curious as to what was happening to the half-angel. Sadly, they got no answers and instead were left with even more questions. During those two days, Alice didn’t even try to summon her armor to check if it was fine. The Rosary was fixed, but for the time being, it remained in the headquarters. Apparently both Beatrice and Chairman Tvardovsky had their suspicions, but for now they decided not to share them with anyone. Or so she heard from the succubus, who overheard that from one of Tvardovsky’s subordinates. Alice didn’t seem to mind it. What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her, as she said.
Currently, both girls were in the half-angel's room. Curiously, ever since her sudden increase in aura, no demon had appeared in Znena. It might have been just a mere coincidence, though Alice joked that maybe she scared them away. Lilim hoped that it would be true; at least they would have some break from all of it. Ever since then, the demon has become slightly more protective over the younger girl, not letting her out of sight and making sure that she is fine all the time. Lilim also seemed much more tense, as she hadn’t slept since. How could she? What if something happened to Alice? She wouldn’t forgive herself. The scare that Alice gave her still kept her on edge.
Even now, she sat on the corner of the bed while Alice was texting her friends. Apparently, Veronica invited them to come on the weekend. The half-angel seemed delighted about that, and Lilim couldn’t say that she was surprised in the slightest. She barely saw any of them, and calling them over also wouldn’t work as there was no say as to when or where a demon could appear.
"I hope the research team was fine." Alice mumbled out, finally putting the phone down. Lilim used the occasion to sit closer to the half-angel.
"Save for that one car; everyone got unscratched. Scared, but fine otherwise."
"You think that it will happen again?" It took succubus a while to understand what Alice was talking about. She sighed. Yet another thing for her to worry about. Because she didn’t have enough of those.
"I really hope not. One such scare was more than enough for me." Lilim replied.
"Sorry for that."
"Al, when will you stop apologizing for something that isn’t your fault?"
"I’m sure that it became a habit of mine, so I don’t think I ever will."
"Is that a thing for all angels?"
"I dunno. Save for Beatrice, I never met another." Right, those bastards didn’t see the need to help a teenage girl keep a town safe from demons. Demons were awful, but sometimes angels could be just as bad. "I wonder if I got that from my mom."
"Speaking of, how was she anyway? If you don’t mind that, that is." Perhaps Lilim shouldn’t have asked that. The matter of her mother was a delicate subject after all, but it was clear that it was troubling her. Sometimes she wished that the half-angel could just vent out everything that bothered her.
"I... can’t really say for sure. I was five when she left, and my memories from before that are a little hazy. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the photos, I don’t think I would have even remembered how she looked. Everything I know is from pestering Beatrice, and even then it all comes around to that she was loving and such."
"I can’t imagine living without my mother; it must be tough." Lilim laid right next to Alice, her gaze going from the framed photo of the white-haired woman to the ceiling.
"I wouldn’t say tough, rather... lonely, if anything. I mean, Beatrice was there for most of the time, but even then, there were periods where she had to be out for a whole day. Of course, for most of them, I either stayed at Force or had someone come here, but it wasn’t always a possibility."
"And what about your father? Does he even care or-"
"No one really knows who he is. My mom apparently kept it a secret. I’ll be damned if I know why. Probably a one-night stand, maybe even an unplanned one."
"Hey, don’t say that."
"It’s fine. I know how it is sometimes. It doesn't change the fact that she was a loving mom. Or so I’ve been told." Unpleasant silence filled the room as Alice’s eyes desperately avoided Lilim’s gaze. Once again, she brought the mood down. She should know when to keep her mouth shut. Alice, on the other hand, berated herself mentally for spilling out her problems onto the succubus. Her burdens were her own, and she shouldn’t drag other people into them.
"All that talking about parents made me think that I should apologize to my mom." Lilim decided to break the silence. At this point, she didn’t know if she wanted the half-angel to keep venting, even if slightly, or to give it a rest.
"I don’t know what happened between you two, but I think you should. If you want to, I could go with you if possible. It could be a good opportunity to meet my future mother-in-law." The blue-eyed demon smirked. If Alice could joke, then she probably didn’t bring the mood that low.
"I’ll reconsider that." Another long silence took place. Though this time, it wasn’t nearly as suffocating as before. Alice gently squeezed Lilim’s hand as the succubus focused on the framed photo. The woman’s eyes seemed to be the only trait that Alice got from her. While much darker than the half-angel, they still carried warmth within them. Though Alice’s were still prettier. Funny enough, the white, shoulder-length hair that the woman had resembled the same that the small half-angel had in the photo, who was just barely reaching to fit into the frame. They're quite similar; the longer she gazed at the photo, the more resemblance she seemed to notice.
"The funny thing is, my mom used to have longer hair but cut it short after I was born. Apparently that is why I kept mine short for so long, but I think Beatrice is pulling my leg at that one." Alice added as she noticed Lilim staring at the photo, even if she pretended to look all around the room once her own gaze caught the demon’s.
"No matter the reason, I’m glad you grew them out. I don’t know how I would live without their fluffiness." Succubus answered, turning around and caressing those ginger hairs that, with each passing day, were getting curlier and curlier. And Lilim didn’t mind that for a bit.
"You are weirdly focused on my hair."
"I can get lost in your eyes if you want." Alice blushed slightly but said nothing. Even if she should be used to Lilim’s compliments, she still couldn’t help but feel warm inside whenever the succubus complimented her look. It wasn’t a thing she often experienced, and deep inside, she would have preferred if Lilim kept on showering her with them. It was fine to be a little selfish, right? Succubus winked, earning herself a bashful look from the green-eyed girl along with a gentle smile, though there was something off about it. It didn’t seem to be completely genuine. Alice then slithered closer to the succubus, who offered an embrace. The half-angel accepted it rather eagerly. While the demon couldn’t say for sure, it felt as if the younger girl trembled slightly for a second before calming herself down.
"Lilim, what if I won’t ever find her? What if Tetra did something to her? I don’t even know what I would ask her after all those years. Where had she been? Why did she leave me? What if she didn’t want me? What if-"
"Al." Succubus gently caressed her hair in an attempt to calm her. "I promised to help you find your mom, and we will find your mom. Even if we will have to go through the entire Tetra to get to her. And don’t worry about questions. I’m sure she will explain everything."
"R-right, right. Sorry, I don’t know what got into me. I guess I am still slightly shaken by the recent events."
"Alice, if there is anything that you want to get off your chest, I’m all ears." Using her name meant that the succubus was serious. Though it was nice. Having someone willing to listen to you. She didn’t want to bother Beatrice and others; it would be better if they didn’t know. Even then, she wasn’t sure if Lilim should be a part of her burden. It would be better if she wasn’t. Though before she could answer, a call coming to her phone startled both of the girls.
"Alice, we have an emergency!" Beatrice’s voice seemed weirdly panicked, even for the blonde angel. The ginger-haired girl immediately tensed up, dreading the awful news Beatrice was about to tell her. "We caught ADM moving towards the town outskirts, close to the old railroad. But the thing is, our radars had not sensed any aura. Either they are planning something, or a demon is interfering with our radar. Whatever the case, could I ask you and Lilim to go check to see what exactly is happening? And Alice, I beg you, be a good girl and don’t engage in any combat. We still don’t know what caused your fainting." She hung up right after, not giving Alice a chance to ask any questions. Well, it seemed like they had to go. There was no telling what ADM could do.
"Al, do we have to check on those buffoons? They probably caught a rat and mistook it for a demon."
"It doesn't matter if I want to or not. They are citizens of Znena in the end, and I have to protect them, even if they rush headfirst into trouble." As if the half-angel also wasn't rushing into troubles on any given occasion. But Lilim decided to keep that to herself.
"They better give up on demon hunting, or I might end up breaking a bunch of their toys." Lilim groaned as she got up from the bed. Scooping up the younger girl, she left the building and made her way towards the railroad. Succubus got there nearly without Alice’s help. The demon liked how more and more she grew accustomed to Znena and its layout. It just made their work that much easier. Arriving at the railroad, they noticed a bunch of ADM vehicles forming a sort of protective wall that apparently could stop whatever demon wanted to get into town. Lilim doubted a bunch of metal could do it, but oh well. At least they tried something.
Roland and his crew were scurrying around the old tracks, seemingly looking for something. Could it be that their radars failed? Or did they really catch a rat? Nevertheless, succubus landed near the already agitated older man. He looked shocked at their arrival, just as if he wasn't expecting them. Force could never let them prove themselves, let alone work in peace, could they?
"Errand girl, what are you doing here?" Roland questioned, his eyes now focused on the tablet that was constantly beeping without really showing him anything worth noting. Just where did that demon hide? It was there just a moment ago. A bunch of his men also stopped to keep an eye on the two guests, though they kept their rifles lowered. There was no need to be hostile, especially since the black-haired demon was here. Seeing her in action was more than a deterrent to getting on her bad side.
"That’s what I would like to ask. How many times do we have to tell you that third parties shouldn’t mess with demons?"
"Somebody has to keep the town safe, and as it looks, we can’t count on you. Now go back to your mommy."
"What do you mean? There is nothing that could threaten Znena’s safety. In fact, we got there because we caught a glimpse of you."
"The hell do you mean nothing?" Roland showed the reading that was recorded just a few minutes prior. Indeed, it showed a slight spike in aura in this area. "A demon. Clear as day."
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"Are you sure this isn’t busted? Our radars had nothing."
"No surprise. All they are good for is scrap metal."
"Come on, Al, let’s go. They are only looking for some purpose in life and failing. We have nothing to do here."
"Can I have one more look at that aura?" Alice wasn’t giving up. If there was even a slight possibility of a demon coming now and causing havoc, she had to do everything that she could to prevent it. Maybe the aura could tell us anything more? It wasn’t really enormous, however it also didn’t belong to the smallest. Though it was curious that it could simply vanish into thin air like that, but if their radars also couldn’t find it, then what if it didn’t vanish but rather concealed itself? Then it hit her. That one demon from a few days ago. It jammed their equipment. What if this demon had similar powers?
"Roland, did all of those tablets lose their aura at the same moment?"
"Of course. We parked our cars, and all of our radars just shat themselves for a good minute before coming back with nothing."
"What if our demon is a jammer? Then it could-"
"Attack from anywhere before we can notice. That’s why we have been searching the area. We absolutely cannot let it reach town."
"Roland, sir! There’s a sudden spike." One of his men spoke as his tablet was beeping, picking up the mysterious activity. Before he could finish his sentence, a green spectral javelin struck him in the chest.
"Holy-! Everyone, take cover!" Roland screamed at the top of his lungs as he saw that his crew had started to panic. They immediately followed the older man, running behind the cars while checking their radars for any clue as to where the attacker was coming from. Roland was shooting in the air in hopes of trying to hit the demon while running up to the fallen man and picking him up. "What are you doing?! Take cover!" The leader of the ADM shouted once more as he noticed the ginger-haired girl stand still, staring at his wounded crewmate. The demon by her side grabbed her arm and forcefully dragged her behind the vehicles. And in time, as another javelin struck just right by them.
"Show yourself, you coward!" Two more javelins struck the ground, just barely missing the older man as he swiftly made his way behind the cars. He and his men continued to fire. Shooting blindly would get them nowhere, but they had to try to smoke it out. In answer, javelins were striking the KRAZs. While five of them could make a good wall, it wasn’t made to endure magical attacks from demons. One javelin even managed to sneak past the wall, grazing Roland.
"Al, is everything fine?" Lilim asked as the half-angel sat there motionless, her eyes focused on the bleeding man who laid behind Roland. Yet another person was wounded because of her. Yet one more will die because of her. Succubus pried her hand away from her knee, the nails slowly starting to draw blood.
"Take her back home; this ain't a place for kids." The brown-haired man added, right after ducking, as more javelins struck the KRAZ behind which he continued to shoot in the air. "Shit. Fucker thinks he is all-mighty because he can mess with our signal and stay somewhere in the air.” Just as he lamented, one bullet hit something. It might have been simply that his eyes were playing tricks on him, or rather, the sorcery of that demon, but it hit something green. A spherical green... barrier?
"Listen here, ya demon." Roland turned to face Lilim. "I hate your guts just as you hate mine. But there’s a bigger problem at hand. I’ll cut it short. Me and my crew will cover you, and you will go take down that fucker. It’s fifty or so meters north from here; just simply follow that green thing." While Lilim wasn’t too keen on leaving Alice alone with them, the faster they would deal with that demon, the better.
"Don’t you even try to graze me." The blue-eyed demon threatened as she spread out her black wings. Taking off into the air, she already had to dodge a bunch of javelins flying her way. This and the bullets would not make for easy flight. She observed the sky, trying to notice the green that Roland spoke of. A few bullets bounced off something. There it was. The green barrier. Though it was further than he said. As she made her way here, even more bullets started to soar through the air. Another hit. This time, the barrier was more to the east. Yet another one. Now in the west. She had to admit that it was a fast one. Not only was it moving all around the place, it was getting further and further.
As the demon raised the barrier once more, Lilim drew Prince. The black blade got covered in a blue flame. With one swift strike, she released a horizontal wave of cerulean fire. She saw the demon maintain the shield. She had to hope that the strike would count. The bullets ceased, and that was when she felt a javelin pierce her right wing. Looking up, she saw another one, aiming at the left one. Dodging it, something crashed into her. Its body was much taller than hers but just as skinny, even if covered by dark green and black robes. Four spider legs dug deep into her arms, keeping her from moving.
"Ah, the troublesome succubus." His voice was like a swarm of wasps buzzing around her head. "Sadly, you're not the one I’m looking for." As bullets started to once again fly his way, he turned around so Lilim would be in front of him.
"Cease fire!" Roland ordered. This was the peak of cowardice. Using a woman, demon or not, as a shield. Demons truly were ready to scoop the lowest level.
"Where is Victim?"
"The hell should I know? Wasn’t he your buddy?" In response, Null summoned a spectral javelin and thrust it through her stomach. Succubus bit her tongue to not scream. But by gods, did it hurt.
"Those who do not provide answers are of little meaning to me." The demon retrieved his spider legs and let Lilim plummet to the ground. Just as he did, two ghostly spears struck him. That damned half-angel finally decided to make a move. Null made himself invisible once more. He couldn’t keep this up forever, but he should have more than enough time to get rid of them. Not only did his masters want them gone, but having to search around for Victim with them active would be asking for disaster.
You are doing that again! Haven’t your mother taught you not to play with your food?
That bloody voice again. She could really do without being scolded right now.
Let me out, just this once, just for a while. I’ll make quick work of that pest.
I don’t need your help. I’m doing just fine.
Fine? With the wound in your stomach? Stop being such a stubborn child.
Lilim decided that arguing with her would lead nowhere. Instead, she had to focus on closing that wound and patching up her wings. For now, they were nothing more than glorified shields. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Alice jump from behind the cover, shooting elemental arrows into the sky. With no luck, the half-angel stopped. Something crashed into her, and the green-eyed girl just barely blocked an incoming attack with the Rosary. The invisible spider leg scratched her cheek, and the attacker backed off only to attack again, this time from behind the younger girl. With bleeding scratch marks on her back, she was sent face-first into the ground.
Lilim stood up and sent a wave of blue that just barely missed Alice and struck the insect demon, if the pained cry was anything to go by. But why didn’t she summon her armor? What was she thinking? The half-angel, in the meantime, was dodging the upcoming javelins that rained upon her. Countering with her arrows and ghostly spears, she tried to buy time for Lilim to regenerate her wings. She was their only option. Unless Beatrice would notice what was going on. Why did she have to be a quarter? Why did she have to be so useless?
Noticing the green barrier that Null had to raise to protect himself from both Alice and Roland’s crew that occasionally aimed at him, succubus shot another wave at him. Another hit, even if not mortal. Was he growing weary? Keeping that invisibility up probably took a toll on him. Perhaps they could try to tire him out. Without it, he wouldn’t be much of a threat.
The rain ceased. His invisibility vanished. That was their chance. A weird humming sound filled the air. Null raised his hands as the KRAZs gained a ghostly greenish hue. Something seemed to pull them upwards, and not even a second later they were raised into the air.
"Move! Move!" Roland shouted, taking the wounded crewmate on his shoulders. What kind of monster was it? They have never faced a demon that could pull off telekinesis, let alone one on such a scale. The insect demon spread out the cars in the air rather evenly, making sure that they would kill most, if not all of them. His men were running around the railroad while the errand girl went to give the succubus a shoulder. Null didn’t simply drop the KRAZs. Instead, he controlled them, whirling them all around the place as if they were taken by an invisible tornado. Shots, screams, and the sounds of metal crashing against anything it could filled the air. It was pure chaos. Though the movement of the cars was chaotic in itself, it was clear that Null himself was having trouble controlling it all. But that did not stop him from wounding the ADM members. Most of them laid on the ground with broken arms or legs as they tried their best to avoid being crushed by their own vehicles. One KRAZ moved in to crush the unconscious man that Roland was about to take with himself. It was an unspoken rule in ADM that no man was left behind. But there was no way he could make it. There was nowhere for him to escape.
A wave of furiously red energy sliced the falling Kraz in half. Shocked, Roland looked to his left. The ginger-haired girl was aiming another wave at the upcoming vehicle. The cut wasn’t as clean as before, but it still got the job done and reduced the strength of the invisible tornado. The succubus was now standing on her own, the holes in her wings nearly gone. He could only hope that soon it would end.
"What are you waiting for? Gather up all of the wounded; me and Lilim will take care of him." To think that she would bother with saving him and his men. She could have used the chance to get rid of that demon. Wasting no more time, he went to help his companions as Null now focused fire on the girls. Null dropped the remaining KRAZs, breathing heavily and summoning a bunch of spectral javelins. He shouldn’t be pushing his body like that. He wasn’t even a combatant in the first place. His mission was only to find new recruits. Dammit all, at least he will go out with taking one of them with him. He formed his hands into a triangle and pointed them at the half-angel.
Alice felt her body becoming heavy. She dropped the Rosary as she lost control over her arms. She couldn’t move either of them or her legs. A greenish glow covered her body. Null raised her high into the air in such a way that her eyes locked with his. Lilim screamed her name in panic. This time, she felt powerless. She couldn’t hit the demon without also hitting Alice in the process. Her wings needed a little bit more before she could take off into the sky. A few seconds more.
It was more than clear that he couldn’t keep this up for any longer. Before she could register it, she was sent flying at the nearest old wooden electric pole that once used to power up Znena. Lilim tried to catch her, but it was too late. She broke through it and, with a loud thud, crashed against the ground, dust rising in the air. The succubus could only stare in horror as she saw no movement. Her eyes shone the brightest they ever had, and the demon experienced the worst headache that she could remember.
I’ll take over from now on.
The next thing Null knew, a hand crushed his throat, leaving him convulsing from pain. Black feathers reaching up to the white sleeve, equally dark and razor-sharp claws digging deep into his skin, leaking greenish blood everywhere, and burning blue eyes that no longer seemed to belong to the succubus were all he could see before being thrown to the ground with such a force that a small shockwave came from where he hit it. Afterwards, a cold black blade that pierced through his body and kept him pinned. Seeing navy blue flames cover its hilt, he knew it would be the end for him.
Prince, like never before, turned into an absolutely staggering pillar of flame that reached into the high heavens, seemingly pushing the clouds away from itself. When it faded, it even left a rather sizable crater in the ground, and Null’s body was nowhere to be found. Lilim’s hand slowly returned to normal, and her eyes lost their glow as she fell to her knees.
"Alice! How is Alice!?" Lilim tried to move forward but nearly fell, and she had to use the still-hot blade as her support. She would have never thought that it would exhaust her to such an extent.
"Don’t worry about the angel." Roland’s voice got her attention. The older man was slowly approaching her with Alice over his shoulder. Even from there, she could see the blood staining her beautiful orange hair. "Uncouncios, quite battered; maybe a broken rib or two and a gushing wound on the forehead, but nothing too life-threatening." He handed over the smaller girl into Succubus’s embrace. She held her tight, as if she were about to vanish if Lilim even loosened her grip on the half-angel.
Before she could even think about thanking Roland, a bunch of white vehicles made their way towards them. Great, always appearing after everything is done. At least they had the decency to call the medical units. They better be glad that she was too worried about Alice and too tired to chew them out. Hell, without her aura, they probably would think that nothing serious happened. Though a movement in her arms brought her back to her senses,
"Li-Lilim?"
"One and only. Don’t worry, it’s over. At least for them."
"Is everyone alright?"
"More or less. But don’t change the subject. Once we get home and I get my shattered nerves under control, you will be in for quite a scolding. What did you even think? Not summoning your armor?" Alice averted her eyes in shame. There was no way that she could explain the reasons to Lilim. The truth was that she was scared. Afraid that the same thing that happened last time would happen again. That she will faint again. That it would hurt the same.
"I-"
"You can come up with an excuse after we make sure that you are all patched up. Hey, could someone finally take a look at our little ginger over here? And maybe give us a ride back to the headquarters? That’s the least you could do, you know?" She didn’t have to wait long for an answer, as a bunch of paramedics, all in white hazard suits, swiftly took Alice inside one of the specialized ambulances, even if succubus was rather apprehensive about giving her away, and Lilim climbed in just right after them. Beatrice is going to be furious with them.
"Nurse Dominica is going to be mad. Before they released me home, she said that she didn’t want to see me in the ward for the rest of the week at the very least." Alice joked. Dominica was an old nurse who had taken care of her ever since she was a kid. Or so the succubus heard when she stayed with the half-angel.
"Perhaps after three whole scoldings, you will stop putting yourself in danger." Alice wanted to say something, but Lilim cut her off. "Don’t say you are sorry. Just stop doing this." The green-eyed girl nodded, though succubus knew that it ultimately would fall on deaf ears. Alice really could be a handful sometimes.