Anastasia
Anastasia knew that what she was doing was for the better cause. After all, that’s why she decided to work for the Extermination Force. However, lying exhausted in the town’s outskirts, face covered in blood and mud, near a burning corpse of a demon she had just slain, made her have second guesses about her decision. The worst of it however, didn’t have to do with the dead demon, but rather with her own nature. Or the other half of it.
Trying to catch her breath and get up from the cold ground, Anastasia held her pained arm, biting her tongue to not scream bloody murder. The open wound that was still leaking wasn’t the main culprit of the pain, surprisingly; rather it was due to white scales and feathers that were more than eager to rip her skin apart to see the light of day. How she hadn’t lost consciousness from the burning sensation that shot through her whole arm, the half-angel had no idea.
Gathering enough strength to get on her knees, Anastasia took a glance at the reflection in the nearby puddle. The scales and feathers were slowly and painfully spreading from her arm towards her neck and face. The said arm was almost completely covered in them, though due to the wound that simply refused to close, she wouldn’t fault someone for thinking that it was supposed to be partially crimson in color. She couldn’t tell if that was due to exhaustion, but a thought that the scales wouldn’t look half bad in that color shot through her head. Anastasia’s eyes shifted towards her hand, especially towards the elongated and black nails that she tried to get under control and failed. The nails nearly looked like claws at this point. And as the scales and feathers advanced, the nails grew longer and thicker.
The half-angel felt the presence of another angel approaching her, and as soon as she heard someone land beside her gently, she took a breath of relief. Beatrice was with her; she was going to be fine. The older angel kneeled by her; tongues of green flame danced around Beatrice’s fingers as she proceeded to touch the wound. The flame entered it, and after a longer while, the only remnant of it was a scar.
“Now that’s been taken care of, focus on calming yourself down. Otherwise you won’t be able to control it.” If it wasn’t for the mind-numbing pain from the uncontrolled transformation, Anastasia would have rolled her eyes at Beatrice’s ‘advice’. Trying to keep oneself calm was much easier said and done when one’s skin didn’t feel like it was being set on fire. In search of any form of reassurement, she grabbed the blonde angel’s hand with her normal one just as the older woman was gently rubbing her back. “It’s okay; take a deep breath. Good. Now, breathe in, breathe out.” After quite some time, the feathers and scales stopped advancing, and a few more cycles of repeated breathing made them slowly vanish. It probably only was a few minutes since Beatrice arrived, but Anastasia felt as if it were hours.
“Are you feeling well enough to stand up?” The younger angel nodded, and with the help of the blonde, she got back on her feet. “Now about our suspect…” Beatrice’s eyes wandered towards the ashes that now took place of the burned corpse.
“He had a Berith seal on his body; I’m sure of that. Even if that bastard didn’t want to talk.” Beatrice didn’t take that information with a smile. If Anastasia had indeed seen the seal, combined with the demon’s abnormally high aura readings, then it meant that the rumors about Tetra making their return were in fact true. And if that was true, then this demon and the four others that appeared in the past few months must have been scouts.
“As much as you might hate to hear it, based on this I think we will have to increase the intensity as well as frequency of your training.” Beatrice was right; she hated to hear it. It more than surely meant going from five days to full week and probably at least three hours more per day. Though she guessed it was a necessity. Especially since she still couldn’t get her angelic form under control. And without, she would be useless against Tetra.
Beatrice scooped up the younger angel, spread out her wings, and took off into the clouded sky. Anastasia held on tight as the older woman flew with an amazing speed, rapidly closing into the great gray dome. As much as Anastasia would love to get back home and rest, it didn’t seem like she would be given such a luxury. At least she could pray that this examination will go on quickly. Though seeing that she couldn’t stop her transformation, it probably wouldn’t be the case.
The blonde angel landed before the doors of the dome, the stationing guardsmen already calling in the administrator Tvardovsky to let them in. The massive doors opened, and both women swiftly made their way into the spacious elevator. Picking the third floor, Anastasia leaned against the glass doors. The trip down today seemed almost agonizingly slow, and the younger woman had to give her best effort in order to not doze off. When the slight rocking finally stopped and the doors opened, Anastasia immediately went into the shower room. She really could do without the already dried-up blood and mud. This and finally change from her armor. Even if it would be generous to call what she had on herself an armor. A silverish chest piece with two metal plates on hips that, from the bottom half, turned into a white ankle-length skirt just barely fit into the description.
While there were still many things that Anastasia did not understand about humans and their world, she had to agree with them on one thing. Long, hot showers were a blessing. If she could, she would never leave one. Unfortunately, the world wasn’t such a kind place, and nothing good could last forever. Exiting the shower and changing into much more comfortable clothes, that being a white woolen sweater and light blue jeans. It complimented both her long white hair and her blue eyes. Or so she’s been told multiple times. Outside, Beatrice already awaited for her, still dressed in her battle armor, similar to Anastasia’s own but with much more golden ornaments.
“I swear that each time you take longer and longer showers. The Force might go bankrupt on the water bills.” Beatrice chuckled gently as the younger woman rolled her eyes. “Anyway, Tvardovsky and Mendel are already waiting for you.” Well, there was no point in postponing that. The sooner she will have her examination, hopefully, the sooner she will get to rest. Beatrice accompanied Anastasia on her way to the medical ward.
“Want me to go in with you?” Beatrice teased as the white-haired angel stood uncertain before the doors.
“I’m not a kid anymore, Beatrice.” Anastasia shot back as she forcefully grabbed onto the doorknob and opened the doors.
“I know, I know. But you were so little just no so long ago.” Beatrice said with melancholy in her voice. The younger angel had not heard what she was nostalgic about as she swiftly closed the doors behind her.
“Tough day?” A male voice asked her. Tvardovsky was sitting behind the desk across the white room, his posture barely visible in all of the medical apparatus. The whole room was filled to the brim with various standard medical devices that wouldn’t look out of place in a hospital to more ‘specialized’ ones like the machine used to measure aura for example. Add to that all of the cabinets and storage racks on wheels, and the room quickly became cluttered. In fact, the only space by the walls that wasn’t occupied by anything were the sliding doors that led to a much smaller room where all of the computers were stored.
“You could say so…Can we get over this?”
“Ah, yes, yes. Beatrice already told me about tightening your training schedule, so I reckon we shouldn’t waste time.” Because of course she did. With a sigh, Anastasia took a seat by the desk. Hearing the sliding doors open, the half-angel was quite shocked by who entered the room. Expecting to see the slightly hunched over silhouette of the elderly doctor Mendel, Anastasia was greeted by a sight of a brown-haired young man in his early twenties dressed in a lab coat. He seemed abashed by her presence and stopped in his tracks.
“Where’s doctor Mendel?” Anastasia asked, still keeping an eye on the young man. So far he said nothing and quietly made his way towards Tvardovsky.
“There was an emergency with one of our suspects, and doctor Mendel won’t be back for quite some time. But worry not; this fine gentleman will be able to carry out the examination, under my eye of course.”
“I am Eric, ma’am, an apprentice of doctor Mendel. It’s my pleasure to be working with you.” Eric replied with a salute, which earned a slight chuckle from Anastasia and a sigh from Tvardovsky. It looked like the newbie still hasn’t learned that it isn’t military and he doesn’t need to salute his superiors.
The examination went on unusually swiftly. Eric, despite being just a novice, had not lacked any of the professionalism that doctor Mendel was often so praised for. Once they were done with the typical checkup, it was time for a more specialized one. The one that was supposed to find any abnormalities left in her due to the still uncontrollable transformation. Luckily, today’s event didn’t seem to leave any long-lasting effects, and the other results also didn’t indicate anything other than a simple fatigue.
“Eighty lambdas…” Eric muttered to himself in disbelief as he took one last look at the result before putting them back with the rest of the documents. “I have heard that you were amazing, miss Anastasia, but seeing it with my own eyes…I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less from the Force’s top weapon.”
“Oh come on now, it’s really nothing.” Anastasia replied, slightly abashed by the sudden compliment. “And please, don’t call me miss. It makes me feel old.”
“Ah, but you are my superior.”
“And as your superior, I want you to not call me miss.” The younger man’s eyes drifted towards Tvardovsky, who was currently organizing the remaining results, as if asking how he should respond to that. The older man’s glance told him that this was something he would simply get used to. Like they all did. “That being said, if you are free, would you fancy going to the cafeteria with me?”
“What’s the sudden occasion, mi-Anastasia?” While Eric wasn’t sure what to make of it, the chairman knew what the white-haired woman was planning. She really would do anything for a break. Though he couldn’t blame her. Training under Beatrice probably was an experience, for the lack of better words.
"Well, if we are to become colleagues, I think we should get to know each other better. Besides, there aren’t many people my age to talk with.” The younger man looked at the chairman for approval, which to his surprise, he got by a simple nod of a head. Tvardovsky figured that there wouldn’t be any harm in letting the youth get to bond a little. If anything, that might be for the better. Perhaps that would allow Anastasia to reduce her stress and, in turn, gain better control of her angelic form. A wishful thinking, but one that could aid them greatly.
“It looks like I could. And I know it might be rude to ask, however, how old are you m-Anastasia?”
“It indeed is rude, and I won’t answer that. For now.” Anastasia replied with a playful wink, to which Eric’s cheeks gained a slight pinkish tint.
“Do not be deceived by her youthful appearance, young man. Angels, even half-lings, are older than they look like.” Tvardovsky said with a small chuckle.
“And that’s why you still can’t find a wife.” The half-angel shot back as she left the room, Eric following her soon after. Beatrice already waited for her outside, and after a short while of asking for a little break, the blonde angel agreed. She had to see Tvardovksy about something today; what it was, Anastasia wasn’t told, and her training would be postponed to tomorrow anyway. The two then went to the cafeteria.
On the way there, they exchanged a small chat. Anastasia learned that Eric joined the Force mostly due to the influence of his older cousin, who worked as one of their truckers, while he got to know that she worked for them ever since the foundation in the early twentieth century. Not something he would have guessed, as Anastasia looked like she was in her early twenties. Perhaps Tvardovsky’s words were indeed true. Their chatting continued all the way to the cafeteria, and it surely had not stopped there. An hour already went by, and Eric had to bid his goodbye; however, that would just be the beginning of their countless meetings.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
A few months have passed since the incident with Anastasia’s angelic form, and now she was in the Extermination Force medical ward, along with Beatrice, who was sitting on the bed by her and gently rubbing her hand. For the past two weeks, the half-angel felt absolutely horrid. The constant nausea and fatigue pretty much halted her training and made her unable to go on any mission. At the very least, the demons weren’t all that active, though this could have been due to Tetra not wanting to weaken their manpower. There were two more scouts bearing their sigils that appeared in the meantime. And that only confirmed their assumptions.
“We can rule out the feeling of nausea and fatigue due to problems with your angelic form. Last examination showed no abnormalities.” Doctor Jeanette said as she handed the documents to her assistant. The nurse took them and went to put them back in the file cabinet.
“Then why? I made sure to not overextend myself during training.”
“There is one ‘culprit’ for your current state; however, allow me to start by congratulating you Anastasia.” The brunette sent her a small smile. At first the half-angel didn’t get the implications. Then it hit her. And it hit her hard.
“You can’t mean…!”
“Yes Anastasia, you are pregnant.” At that point, the half-angel didn’t know how she should react. Should be jumping with joy, be terrified, or even just try and calmly take in the news. The questioning look that Beatrice sent her didn’t help either. The main problem was that she didn’t know how this could even happen. She didn’t do any—well, there was just one time with Eric—but they made sure to be careful—did they forget something? Becoming pale, she gripped Beatrice’s hand.
“I know that the prospect of the first pregnancy might be terrifying; however, I will do anything in my power to make it as stressless as possible. That also means having to reduce the amount of training to a minimum for the first trimester, after which only light exercise is recommended.” Jeanette sent Beatrice a look. The blonde angel seemed to accept that; however, she remained silent. “Well then Anastasia, I know this must be a shock for you; hence, I’ll give you sick leave till next week.” With that, the still shaken Anastasia and still silent Beatrice left the room. Not even a second later, the half-angel burst into tears.
“Beatrice, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I know you must be mad at me, but I didn’t want to…I didn’t…What do I do now?” In response, the blonde angel embraced the younger girl, rubbing circles on her back, trying to calm her down. “I don’t know if I will be able to be a good mother.”
“Hey now, I can’t be mad at you. Disappointed? Maybe slightly. But not mad.” Anastasia seemed to slowly calm down under the embrace and the gentle tone of her voice. “I’m sure you will make a great mom. Besides, you won’t be left alone with this.”
“I know, but still…what should I do? Beatrice, I’m scared. What will I do once the baby is born? Should I keep them? Or give them to a family that will give them a normal life?”
“I’m sure we will think of something together. And remember, no matter what you choose, I’ll support you.” The half-angel said nothing but appreciated the kind words.
A few years have passed since the revelation, and the small house hidden in the shade of the mighty oak tree was filled with the sound of small footsteps running from one room to another. Anastasia felt the weight on her cover increase. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, she slowly opened her eyes. The white-haired angel was greeted by a sight of a little ginger-haired girl who was staring at her with adorable green eyes.
“Al, can you give mama five more minutes?” Anastasia mumbled out.
“Nuh-uh, Bea already made breakfast.” The little girl answered, still sitting atop her. Due to the open door, the sweet smell of pancakes finally reached and was tempting the half-angel to get out of the bed. Though her eyes wandered towards the digital clock that showed a half-past eight. A half-past eight on Saturday, to be precise. Maybe she could just doze off for a little bit longer. The food shouldn’t get cold so quickly anyway. “Come on mama!” Alice shook her slightly as she saw her mama’s eyes close.
“Okay, okay, I’ll get up. But Al, can you get off me? You are getting heavier with each day, you little rugrat.”
“Mama, you can’t just tell a girl she’s fat.” Alice responded with a pout as she jumped off the bed. Anastasia reacted with a laugh.
“Yeah yeah, little fox, you are right.” Anastasia ruffled her curly orange hair. “Did you remember to brush your teeth?” Alice nodded, and after the half-angel got up from the bed, ran off into the kitchen. Why did little kids have to have so much energy in the morning would remain a mystery to her. Changing from her pajamas to her casual outfit, Anastasia made her way towards the kitchen. Taking a seat at the table, she noticed that Beatrice sent her a glance.
“What?” She asked as she reached for one of the pancakes.
“You too could brush your teeth, you know?”
“Cut me some slack Beatrice, it’s my day off. I’ll do it later, mom.” Beatrice only sighed in response. “Al, slow down or you will choke.” Anastasia added as Alice put a quarter of the whole pancake in her mouth at once.
“It might be a day off, but you still need to set a good example for Alice.”
“I know I know…Al, what I told you?” The small girl put another quarter at once. Despite her absolutely petite posture, she could eat a lot. Beatrice told her that she was the same when she was Alice’s age, but frankly, Anastasia wasn’t buying it. “Will you be going on an errand with us? Could use an additional pair of hands for carrying some bags.”
“No can do. There’s still some laundry that needs to be done.” Beatrice replied as she wiped off the maple syrup out of Alice’s cheeks. The little girl did not mind it and drank a whole glass of orange juice. “If you want to, I can make you a list. There’s quite a few things we need.”
“No need to; I have a great memory.” Anastasia boasted only to be met with a deadpan expression from the blonde angel.
“Really? So it wasn’t you who forgot about the handbrake one week prior?”
“It was one time. And the car was fine anyway. It only slightly hit the oak.”
“If you say so. Al, would you be a dear and take the shopping list for mama? Just in case.”
“Yes ma’am!” The little girl replied with a salute and a toothy grin. After a while, the breakfast was finished, and Beatrice was already doing the dishes. Anastasia and Alice left not too long ago, leaving the angel all to herself. With the house left in nearly perfect silence, she reflected on her life up to a current point. If back then someone would have told her that she would be taking care of barely-an-adult and a little girl, she would have laughed in their faces. But now? She was acting like a stay at home mom. And frankly speaking, she wouldn’t exchange it for anything else in the world.
The evening came rather suddenly today. Alice was playing in her room, while both women were sitting on the couch in the living/bedroom, watching TV. As it turned out, there was indeed no need for the shopping list that Beatrice prepared. Something that Anastasia was rather proud of and more than eager to rub it into her face. Though despite the rather calm atmosphere that engulfed the whole household, the half-angel seemed to be bothered by something. Her eyes were constantly darting towards Alice's room, and she answered any question that Beatrice asked with a nod or shake.
“Something on your mind?” The blonde angel asked, only to receive yet another shake of head. “Really? I think it’s quite the opposite.”
“It is nothing serious. It’s just that lately I’ve been thinking about Alice.”
“Oh yeah, soon she will turn six. It is about time to look for some good kindergarten. If you want me to, I can help you with searching for one.”
“Thank you, but that wasn’t what’s worrying me. Well, not the only one anyway.”
“So something is worrying you then. What is it then?”
“I’m worried about what will happen if her powers awaken. When they will awaken. I do not want her to follow my footsteps. But I’m worried that she will do so and, in the end, will just get herself in the way of harm.” Beatrice should have expected that it would have been it. Frankly speaking, this thought was also sometimes keeping her awake at night. It was a possibility.
“I understand your worries, and I wouldn’t say that they are unjustified; however, as far as we know, being a quarter, Alice won’t have any significant powers. If any at all.” Beatrice put her hand on Anastasia’s shoulder. ”She is a smart girl; I’m sure she will understand that fighting demons is a dangerous task. And if the worst came to be? I think I would be able to put that idea out of her head.”
“You know, maybe you are right. Maybe I am worrying about nothing. But I am afraid that she will have my temperament. And then I guess I will have to accept her wish about fighting demons. After all, you haven’t talked me out of it.” Anastasia replied with a slight smile. “Well, I guess it’s time for dinner.” The half-angel got up from the couch. Just as she did so, the whole house seemed to get hit by a quake. It was short-lived but quite strong. The windows nearly shattered, the majority of the photos and books had fallen from the shelves, and Anastasia had to grab the couch’s armrest to keep her balance. After it was over, a teary-eyed Alice rushed out of her room, right to Anastasia. The terrified little girl buried her head in the half-angel’s skirt as the latter tried to calm her down.
“That wasn’t a normal quake; that much, I’m sure of it. But what caused it?” Beatrice wondered as she went to pick up all of the things from the floor. It was worrying, to say the least. They barely got any quakes in this region, let alone one of this magnitude.
“I don’t know, but I think we should notify the Force about it.” While Anastasia doubted that the quake would be a side effect of some powerful demon’s aura, it was better to be safe than sorry. Her phone started ringing just as she was about to pick it up from the floor. At least it wasn’t damaged.
“Anastasia, you will have to evacuate! Now!” Came a panicked voice of Tvardovsky. To say that the half-angel was confused would be an understatement. She quickly asked for some sort of explanation. “Our radars have recorded four auras suddenly appearing a good five kilometers from your location. It’s Tetra; there’s no doubt about it. They made the first move and are advancing towards you. Ezekiel already sent all available units. They should arrive in fifteen minutes at the latest.” Anastasia’s face went pale, and she dropped her phone. It had to be a bad joke. A nightmare that she would wake up from soon. Without thinking much, she grabbed Alice and handed her over to an equally confused and distressed Beatrice.
“Take Alice and run!”
“Why? What’s going on?” Beatrice asked as she tried to calm down the little girl that was already on the verge of tears. The blonde angel couldn’t recall the last time when she saw the half-angel in such a shaken state. Whatever was going on right now had to be a serious reason to worry.
“Tetra! That quake was their herald.” Anastasia summoned her spear as well as her armor. The Extermination Units wouldn’t be able to handle them themselves. Someone had to help them. And she was the only one capable.
“Where do you think you are going?”
“Someone has to stop them before they get to Znena.”
“Mama!” Alice cried out, trying to free herself from Beatrice’s embrace and go to her mom instead. The blonde angel let her go just so she wouldn’t hurt herself from flailing and thrashing so much.
“Al, be a good little girl and stay with Beatrice.” The stern tone of voice made the little girl stop in her tracks. Anastasia kneeled and patted her on the head. “Mama has to go fight with bad guys now. But I promise that I will be back soon. So stay with Beatrice and do what she tells you to, okay little fox?”
“Pinky promise?”
“Yes, yes, pinky promise. And come on now, you should know that your mama is one tough cookie.” She tried to give Alice some confidence, though she was still on the verge of tears. And honestly, she couldn’t blame her. “Beatrice, take her back to the HQ. You should be safe there.”
“You should worry about yourself too. But so be it. And I will try to contact Iscariot. Or sir Alcadeias. Either of them would be of great aid now.”
“Please do so. Right, I’ll go now.”
“Mama, remember that you promised.” Alice sniffed as she let herself be scooped up by Beatrice.
“I do.” Anastasia turned to face her daughter one last time before she rushed out of the house and spread out her wings. From the corner of her eye, she saw Beatrice also leave the house and head in the direction of the HQ. It didn’t take Anastasia long to reach her destination. Especially when the four fiends didn’t even try to conceal their aura. Here they were. Their grotesque forms already visible even this high from the sky. The half-angel landed a good few meters before them.
“Ah, there you are. And here I was thinking that I might have to scorch those plains to finally get your attention.” Berith said as he pointed his weapon at her. “Are you the only one to oppose us? Where is the archeress?”
“Why won't you try to get this out of me? It wouldn’t be much of a fun if I just told you.” Anastasia replied with a smirk. A fake confidence was as good as a real one in such situations. Though in the end, she just tried to buy some more time. She was a capable angel, but taking Tetra head on would be a challenging task. If not deadly.
“I wonder how long that smirk of yours will last once the whole town will be set ablaze.”
“And I wonder if you will be able to make it that far. There are only four of you. Should have upped the numbers to make it even.” Just as if he were waiting for it, Berith snapped his fingers. A massive rift opened behind the four, with nearly a hundred demons waiting inside.
“Will this even out the odds in your opinion?” She and her big mouth. There was no way out of this now. Anastasia could only hope that any of the angels would answer Beatrice’s plea. Preparing her spells, she made the first strike.
When the first bunch of Extermination Units arrived at the scene, they could hardly believe their eyes. What once was a beautiful grassland was now nothing more than a ruptured ground covered by ash and flames. As far as the eye could see, the still-burning demon corpses were littering the place. A massacre for the lack of better words. And in the middle of it all, lay a wounded and bloodied white dragon that barely showed any signs of life.