“Uh, twenty two?”
…
“No wait…”
Alissa frowned, her eyes tracing the last ant that walked past, raising her eyes to the sky with the frown on her face growing, unable to recall the number of the last ant she’d counted. She shrugged a second later, turning her gaze from the hard working ants to the lazed church guards.
“I can’t believe I am doing the duty for the enemy.” She sighed, staring at the guards in contempt, her legs swinging in the air as she observed them from the rooftop of a nearby building. Both guards stationed outside such a massive church slept off, leaving the work of observing to who knows who.
Who knows who just happened to be Alissa.
“My job is to wait here and note any strange happenings. My job is to wait here… and… note…” A frown formed on her face as she noticed this shady character climbing the fence of the church walls, taking a long sniff to discover no demon scent was in the air, yet.
She watched as other humans came, brandishing blades and cleaving the heads from the guards in quick strokes, gaining easy access into the church. As they opened the keys to the gates with the keys they’d snatched from the guards, Alissa quickly ducked into the shadows, peeking carefully.
“Wait… are those people trying to take advantage of the commotion.” Alissa snaked in the dark, falling from the great heights into a cushion of pillows she had gathered earlier. As she rose, Alissa’s gaze turned sharp, and she began to sneak around, “Armed robbers? Terrorists?”
Gunshots initiated frightened screams as the service of the church was brought to a halt. Alissa remained calmly, sneaking up to the sides of the gates. Everywhere from the far end of the front to the other was illuminated under strong lighting, Alissa noted, “I’d be spotted for sure!”
“Maybe I could try climbing over the walls?” Alissa was not the brightest of lights, and it did — a brief thought — occur to her that the other side of the walls would be even more illuminated than it was outside, but sadly, she had a better option! She climbed over to the top of the walls and stared.
As she crouched at the top of the church walls, thanking her hea—demons it wasn’t barbed, her gaze landed on the humans, their numbers over a dozen, as they rounded up the church members at gunpoint. As the church gathered, a part of the invading team went in, and dragged the priest out.
He was begging and crying as the coldness of a metal gun pressed against the head, the hands of his attacker on the trigger. Alissa wondered what she should do in this situation. She could let this go unnoticed, as Mark ordered her to observe not interfere, but then again… she did not want to.
The area behind the walls were also strongly illuminated at the front, but the sides weren’t. After a few condense of pause, she began to crawl along the top of the walls, until she reached the sides. A calm gleam flashed in her eyes as she slipped down.
Finally!
She ducked in the shadows, watching as one of the invaders, a man with short blue hair, forced a frightened priest to his knees, the other church members crying, screaming and pleading. Before she could step in, the man began to monologue, “After years, I finally get to exact my vengeance!”
“You useless lot had offered my only daughter for a sacrifice after a priest proclaimed her evil. I had planted my hatred, gathering others who you had stolen from so baldy, and with their help, the hatred within me began to grow.” He sighed, “It grew into a dead fig tree.”
Bang!
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Blood splattered across the ground, and the screams grew to a sudden halt. The shock of a dead man silenced their frightened screams and as the gun lifted to face them, everyone — whether they were male or female and no matter the age — scrambled back, frightful.
“She had died such a painful death, burnt to a crisp whilst the church prayed and danced. They rejoiced in the suffering of a child, and this man…” The blue haired man waved his gun, laughing as they all scrambled for safety, “…was the cause of it all. It is simple retribution for your crimes.”
Bang!
Another body dropped in a splatter of blood, and the silence exploded into a frenzied madness! Some charged blindly at the mad group, leading the others, believing they could bring the enemy to their knees with just numbers alone. But, more gunshots killed those dreams.
Bodies dropped like flies as the man joined ht mothers in opening fire on the church members, a cold and long silence following their steel silence. Shaken and terrified, the remnants, barely in their dozens, of what was once a massive church in its hundred, withdrew into fear.
Aysla wanted to step out and help, but her feet was rooted in place and she could not take a step forward, her pupils dilating. She watched the group carelessly take the lives of others, and something in her snapped — it was a vicious annoyance.
Watching the innocent die was not part of her zombie girl description! She struggled fiercely, her eyes nearly popping out of her skull and veins out of her forehead. The sounds of gunfire continued, until all that was left was a single man, trembling in the midst of death and silence.
“Watching everyone die around you. How hard did you pray?” the blue haired man aimed at the man, wearing a cruel smirk on his face as he attempted to pull the trigger. Before he could fire, there was a loud bang, and lightning from heaven collapsed on the man, burning him to a crisp.
More lightning streaked across the sky, descending upon the group before they could escape. As the smell of burnt flesh filled the air, the man who stood at the end of it all broke down. As he rested their, his hands quivering, unable to say a word, he watched the bloody and smoky scene.
“I guess their god just couldn’t handle the shame.”
Hearing the familiar voice, Alissa quickly shifted her gaze to the front gates. Mark sat on top of it, his upper body healing from an apparent scorch mark left all over it, his blade held in his hands. The gates were blown apart, and Lisa stepped in, a horde of civilians following her, their eyes cold.
——
He had not expected things to go like this. He’d give this scenario that… at least.
Mylos stood with one hand in his pockets and the other holding his sword. After his body healed completely, he withdrew his hand from his pockets and swept it through his hair. He stepped forward and landed on the ground, a smirk on his face.
“They are all dead.” Lisa sighed, her gaze sweeping through the area then focusing on Alissa who stood behind the sole survivor. After a few seconds, she shifted her gaze from Alissa, “Hey, you. Who was wrong. Who was right?”
The young man — the only one still alive — jumped hearing her speak to him directly. He stood in silence for a long while, his lips trembling. As his eyes welled up with warm tears, Lisa sighed. She turned around to Mylos, and shrugged.
“Chaos shall consume order…” Mylos raised his hand, a bright glow appearing in his eyes as the aura of death burst forth from within him. Purple threads shot out from his fingers, stabbing into all the bodies, then beginning to pulse with energy, “To go against the natural order, is my duty.”
Not knowing who to revive and who to leave as bait, Mylos decided to revive them all. The more he endeared the chaos, the more dangerous and powerful it became. The bodies rose to their feet in a monotonous harmony, their eyes, opening, gleamed in bright purple lights.
“Master Mylos!” Alissa was shocked watching Mylos revive such a large group of people without breaking a sweat! There was also an even larger group behind him, and the other demons who he’d dispersed to aid Aysla and Madeleine — how was he able to manage them all?
“You did quite terribly, Alissa.” Mylos turned to her, furrowing his brows, “You were supposed to keep watch for strange entities, not engage them. What if you got caught in the lightning retribution and your core was destroyed?”
Alissa lowered her head, clenching her fists, “I just couldn’t stand them.” Her aura leaked slightly, and it was the epitome of a freezing cruelty. She reeked of bloodlust as she spoke calmly, “They were so engrossed in bullying the weak, that it made me feel rotten to my stomach.”
“I understand.” Mylos lowered his hand. The smirk on his face growing. He turned to Lisa, then to Alissa, “In these dark times, principles and values are what shapes a demon. To make a difference for a demon means to have a limit you dare not cross. Whether good or bad.”
Alissa kept her head bowed.
“Now, Alissa. Let us find the principles of this god.” Mylos raised his head, dropping his smirk as he stared into the heavens. The sword in his hands gleamed in a fierce light, and the wind scattered his hair, “Where does he draw the limit?”