Chapter 40
FORTY
The loud sound of a plane flying close overhead resounds in the air.
“Hop back on. We have to leave,” I tell him.
I’ve experienced enough bombing in London to know how dire the situation will get. This area will be teeming with lost souls, demons who seek to prey on them, and messengers trying to get them to cross over.
And where there are demons, there will also be Aperite warriors hunting them down. The last thing I need is for someone to recognize me and later comment on my whereabouts.
“Mine?” I repeat, but he’s not listening to me. He’s not even looking at me. His gaze is focused on the skies as more planes abound. The air becomes a cacophony of engine noise and loud booms rippling all around.
The city is not about to be bombed; it is currently being bombed. And we need to leave as soon as possible.
“Mine!” I call out to him again. “We must leave before—” A bomb dropping over the church, mere feet away from us, cuts me off.
I grab him by his sleeve and pull him behind me while I summon a shield around us.
A loud explosion lights up the sky as the walls of that beautiful construction crumble to the ground. Dust and debris flies toward us. The ground, too, is shaking underneath our feet.
This is not the only building being leveled to the ground. Right and left, more bombs drop from the sky, some hitting the targets while others simply fall on the street, making huge holes in the asphalt.
I hold on tightly to Mine as tremors similar to an earthquake make the entire foundation of the city shake.
Screams erupt in the air. So many pained, wailing voices, I wish I could close off my ears to them.
Just as the physical world reels from shock as building after building collapses or catches on fire, so does the spiritual world.
Messengers line the street all around, herding confused souls toward the afterlife.
“This isn’t right,” Mine whispers.
“It’s war.”
“Perhaps, but this…this is never warranted.”
Right as the words are out of his mouth, the scream of a child pierces the air. We both turn toward the source and witness a little boy on fire run out of a building. His clothes are burning badly, the flames seeking to engulf his skin.
Mine gives me a look.
“No,” I say immediately.
He purses his lips and sighs.
“I cannot…” I add in a low voice.
Yet what I see in his eyes shocks me, the disappointment, the dead expectations.
Shaking his head at me, he runs out of the cover of our shield, going straight for the child. He takes off his coat and swats it at the areas where the child’s skin is on fire.
Seconds stretch into an eternity as I stare at them, alone in my little bubble. Regret slowly eats at me even as I tell myself all the reasons why I should not get involved.
It’s not right.
People will die. Humans are fated to die. If not today, then tomorrow. And if I save someone, then someone else will die in their stead.
Death comes to all.
Yet even knowing that, an uncomfortable feeling settles in my breast.
I watch as Mine continues to care for the child. More bombs go off around him. More fires spark to life. He doesn’t budge. He is steady in his conviction as he continues to help.
The child looks up at him and after thanking him in German, he tells him his sister is still inside the building.
My eyes widen.
“Mine, no!” I call out.
He half turns, his profile shrouded in darkness and the shadows of the dancing flames. His resolve is resolute.
Telling the child to come to me, he dashes toward the burning building.
“Fr?ulein,” the child mutters uncertainly as he steps closer.
My instinct is to ignore him and shield myself from human eyes. But the look in his eyes, so hopeless, so pained, makes me extend my hand toward him.
And when he grabs it, I take away some of his pain.
This should be fine—at least this. If he is meant to die, he can do it painlessly.
Moments later, Mine exits the building holding a little girl in his arms. Surprisingly, she doesn’t seem to be harmed.
The boy calls out her name and rushes out to her.
“Go to the river,” Mine tells them. “You should be safer there.”
The children run in the direction of the lake, as many others do, too. The streets are crowded with people running right and left, some seeking cover, others seeking their missing loved ones. Then there are those who are so injured they’ve lost all sense of space or time, wandering aimlessly around until they fall to the ground, never to rise again.
So many of those are children.
“You’re right. This is not right.” I take a deep breath. “But what can I do?” I ask as I glance up at him, tears building in my eyes.
“You’re already doing it, Minnie. You care, and that’s the first step.”
“But—”
“I know you can’t interfere. But I can. And maybe…if I am the one you’re helping, it wouldn’t be a direct interference?”
“But you’d be putting yourself in danger. And I would be interfering with your fate then…”
“I told you. It is not my time to die. But this… I can’t turn a blind eye to it, Minnie.”
“I know.” I sigh. “What do you want me to do?”
“Shield me. I’ll do the best I can, focus on the women and children.”
“Even if they’re the enemy?”
He raises a brow at me. “Women and children are never the enemy. But they’re always the victims.”
“You can’t save them all.”
“I can try.” He shrugs.
I glance at him. What an odd male. He’s on the other side of the war and yet his first instinct is to help the enemy. I’ve seen the way his side regards the Germans. They want to see them all destroyed.
Anyone else in his position would have turned a blind eye and derived joy from the fact that the Allies are bombing such a big city.
Not him, though.
Warmth spreads through me as I add one more item to the endless list of things that make him the perfect male.
Perfect for me, of course, and no one else.
“I’ll help you try then.”
His brows shoot up in surprise.
“You’re a gem,” he murmurs as he gives me a quick kiss.
Heading to the crowd of people, he instructs them to head to the river in perfect German. I did not realize he would be fluent in the language, but it makes sense since they’re the enemy. One should know his enemy.
I keep a shield over him so nothing can touch him. By extension, that applies to anyone who comes in contact with him.
Despite justifying it to myself that I’m not doing anything technically against the rules, I know that even this small intervention is having an impact on people’s lives. The mere fact that a fearless male rides into the raging fires to save and help people, the fact that he’s interacting with them and telling them where to go, all of those are interferences.
I cannot say how many people will be saved, or if others will die as a result of our actions. But I also cannot stand by and do nothing. Half of the reason is because I do hate seeing helpless people suffer thusly. The other half, however, is much more selfish, much more self-serving.
I want to do it because he wants to do it, because if I didn’t, he might never look at me the same. The mere glimpse of disappointment in his gaze when I suggested we should leave was enough for me to realize how much this means to him.
Good, good male, as much as I am a bad female.
Perhaps it’s my age and the countless deaths I’ve seen; countless bloodsheds; countless wars. Perhaps it’s the fact that I know that death is not the end. Perhaps all of these have jaded me.
But he makes me care again. He makes me want to do better, want to be better.
If I break more rules in the process…
I take a deep breath.
So be it.
The area teems with lost souls and messengers. My senses become high on alert to the presence of demons, too. Closer and closer, a handful of warrior deities make their appearance.
Without giving my presence away, I scan the energy signatures around, noting they are all mostly novice deities, with the highest level I sense being a four. That means I should be able to shield myself from them.
As messengers disappear with their charges, demons start appearing in greater numbers to prey on the remaining souls.
I take a deep breath and spread my energy around. Rough estimates would put the casualties at around eight thousand. Maybe a little more. Considering that nearly ten percent of souls refuse to move on, though in the case of violent demises that number rises considerably, I am looking at almost a thousand lost souls.
I sense three deities. Two level threes and a level four. More worryingly, I sense at least five mid-level demons, with one that is certainly a high level; perhaps even a level eleven or twelve.
“Damn it,” I mutter under my breath. Those novice deities won’t be able to handle high-level demons. Even I have a hard time with them.
“You save the living. I’ll save the dead,” I shout over to Mine.
He stops and turns to me.
“Demons?”
I nod.
“Be careful,” he adds before getting back to his task.
From the corner of my eye, I keep an eye on him as he continues his rescue mission, but my attention is otherwise engaged to the demons approaching.
Extending my arms to my sides, I manifest my ice swords. A swirling fog envelops me as eternal ice builds all over my body in the shape of an armor.
A demon flashes herself in the middle of the square. There are some twenty souls roaming around. The period immediately after death is the worst because all souls are disoriented, with some being incredibly angry and confused.
The demon, whose current physical body is that of a woman in her mid-twenties, notices me right away. The souls move around her mechanically, not registering the danger they’re in.
She barely minds the souls, her attention solely on me.
Her eyes glow a deep red as shadows arise from her body like tendrils. In the blink of an eye, they reach for me.
Level eleven.
Damn it! Of course I’d have the luck of encountering a blasted level eleven exactly when I’m trying to keep a low profile. Why couldn’t I have met her before, when I was trying to rack up accomplishments and impress Commander Azerius?
The most I’ve fought has been a level eight, which is considered upper mid level. Eleven, though? These bastards are strong and vicious.
I may have not fought one myself, but I’ve seen my brother do it. Though their energy is not organic like that of a deity or a Son of Tenebreis, once they get past level ten, their abilities are on par with both.
Their power comes from the amount of souls they’ve consumed, but compared to born deities or Sons of Tenebreis, that energy is not naturally replenishing. Even if they reach a high level, they must constantly consume souls to maintain their power.
Of course those bastards Sons of Tenebreis would also rather consume souls to speed up the replenishment process. Rumor has it that they don’t even require food if they feed on souls.
Sniveling bastards, all of them.
The attack pushes me backward.
I put my blades together in the shape of an X to stop the tendrils, and just as they retreat, I flash myself at the half point and slice through them.
Sure enough, in the next instant, they regenerate.
I nod to myself, filing every bit of information away. Regular weapons are unlikely to help.
“Bitch,” she spits at me before she launches another attack. This time, instead of two tendrils, four more that extend from her back join in.
“Says the bottom feeder,” I retort, quickly flashing myself between her tendrils and snapping them, this time closer to the base. “You might be used to eluding deities to get to this level, but you can blame today’s misfortune on the fates.” I smirk at her.
“Who said I’ve been eluding them?” She laughs. With a snap of her fingers, she opens her blouse to reveal her neck. Hanging low down her chest is a necklace comprised of small crystals that seem to shimmer in the darkness of the night.
For a moment, I cannot comprehend what she’s showing me. But as the energy inside the crystals swirls in a familiar pattern, I realize how she managed to get to a level eleven.
She killed deities. Many of them, by the looks of it. Perhaps some were novices, and thus easy prey, but to have defeated that many deities is nothing short of impressive. What is infuriating, however, is the way she’d trapped their energy in those orbs to keep them as spoils of war—after consuming their souls.
Her lips tug up. “One more and I will fully ascend,” she drawls.
And that’s when I realize she’s not here for those poor human souls.
She’s here for me.
An ascended demon’s power is similar to that of a Son of Tenebreis. Though I’ve never personally faced one since most if not all of them are trapped in Tartareia, the rumors say that only a Supreme could previously defeat a Son of Tenebreis.
My lips flatten and my nostrils flare as I regard her. She has a smug expression on her face, likely thinking she’s already won this battle. Well, she’ll have a mighty surprise on her hands. It’s not just my reputation on the line here—and I’m quite partial to it—but Mine’s safety also depends on me.
“I’ll have a little fun with you before I eat you,” she murmurs, smacking her lips together.
“You’re welcome to try.” I roll my eyes.
Her tentacles spring from her back, coming toward me with a speed ten times the one from before.
My eyes widen, and I react right on time to manifest a shield and place it in front of me. As the tentacles hit the surface of the shield, I use my sword to cut through them, infusing particles of enteral ice at the tip of the blade.
As they touch the black tentacles, the particles quickly move forward, freezing the length of the spare appendages and making their way toward her body.
She startles when she realizes what my eternal ice is capable for, but she’s smart enough to know it will kill her should the particles reach her main body. Her claws extend and she slices all the tentacles at the root before the eternal ice can reach her. They fall to the ground and a dark mist envelops them as the matter starts to slowly dissipate.
Her mouth twitches in annoyance.
Her tentacles regenerate, but she doesn’t direct them toward me again. They float above her head, twirling in the air as if they had a mind of their own.
Hovering one palm over the other, she moves them in a circular motion to create a blast of energy.
Before she can send that flying my way, I flash myself behind her and strike. She, too, swivels, and her right hand turns into a lance, blocking my attack. The energy blast she’d been trying to create dissipates.
She swings her lance at me, aiming for one of the few spots that are not covered by my armor: my upper neck and my face.
I move from side to side, narrowly evading nicks of her blade: who knows what poison might reside inside it. She advances on me, and suddenly we’re back in the same familiar dance: she attacks and I defend. Yet to win this fight, I’ll have to switch the dynamics.
The demon steps closer to me, her lance making contact with my sword. She uses her entire strength to push me, but I stand my ground. When she moves close enough, I lean in and blow cold air toward her, which immediately turns into frost when it meets her skin.
She lets out a loud shriek that the ice enveloping her face soon mutes.
I flash myself away from her and take a deep breath. My body is starting to feel the effects of exhaustion after everything I’ve done. I must end this soon, otherwise my abilities will start to weaken.
All around us, the mayhem continues as merciless fires consume the buildings. Screams permeate the air, and people with all types of degrees of burns run around in search for shelter.
My gaze immediately seeks out Mine, needing to ensure he’s fine. He’s a distance away, trying to help two kids get out from under a mass of rubble.
My attention must have lingered too much on him because as I glance back at the demon, the ice has already melted and her line of sight is set on…him. A smile curls up her lips and with blinding speed, she sets out for him.
Alarmed, I chase after her, pushing myself way past my limits to ensure I make it to his side before she does. Mine seems to notice it too because he shields the children with his body and looks back toward us.
She’s almost there when I flash myself in front of him.
Her tentacles swing out, and before I can protect myself, one of them penetrates the exposed skin at the top of my neck.
A croaked sound escapes me as I choke on my own blood. Pain erupts everywhere as the tentacle continues to dig inside of me, pushing forward and moving from side to side to create as much damage and decapitate me.
“Minnie!” Mine’s voice rings out.
He pushes the children behind him as he reaches out for me, his fingers brushing lightly against my own.
My eyes turn a vivid blue as a burst of energy explodes through me. Focusing on my neck, I build up particles of eternal ice that explode from within me, from every cell in my body. The ice claims the tip of the tentacle, but this time, I change my strategy.
Having learned from the last time this happened, I quickly swing my sword at her in an attempt to distract her so she doesn’t realize what the eternal ice is doing.
Cutting just over the part where the eternal ice is slowly eating into her tissue, I wrench myself free of her tentacle. With my free hand, I grab the broken piece and pull it out of my throat, then fling it to the side.
More blood spills down my armor and onto the ground, but without the tentacle, my wound is swiftly healing.
The demon’s nostrils flare.
“Master did not mention you would be so hard to kill,” she mutters under her breath as she takes a step back.
“Master? What are you talking about?”
She lets out a dry laugh. “Wouldn’t you want to know?” She snickers. “The end is near. The gods will die. And in the end, we will reign over everyone.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Who is we ?”
She doesn’t answer. Her lips spread into a sinister smile as she presses her hands together again to build an energy blast. Luckily for me, while she’s gathering her energy to put into that blow, she doesn’t realize the eternal ice particles slowly make their way toward her body.
Just a little more.
Rather than using the ice to obliterate all of her tissue, I imbued it with more energy than usual in an attempt to control the trajectory of the damage and focus only on the core of the tissue. By making it die from within while still maintaining an outer healthy appearance, the demon might not notice it immediately like before and sever the tentacle again.
This is not something I’ve tried before, and it might not fully work.
But as she continues to work on her energy blast, not minding the poison heading her way, I’d say the odds are in my favor.
I smack my own palms together, rubbing them to create a wave of energy—I should at least create the illusion that I’m still fighting and not that I am waiting for something to happen.
Just as she thrusts forward a small ball of gray energy, I also send a wave of my own ice energy.
They meet in the middle, and as they clash, they start fighting for dominance. It all happens in the span of a few seconds. The demon’s energy releases a dark mist that at first covers my energy, seeking to put it out.
I don’t think she’s fought other ice deities in the past, or at least none with my lineage because she would have known that technique is futile.
Just as the two energies seemingly become one—the gray one—an explosion erupts in the air. It’s so powerful, it sends all of us flying.
Eyes wide with worry, I create a shield to protect Mine and those children, using a big part of my energy to move them to safety—telekinesis always takes a toll on me. Mine urges the children to run toward the river before turning his attention to me, giving me a sharp nod of acknowledgment.
The demon uses her powers to stabilize herself some yards away, turning her arms into lances once more and pressing them into the ground to stop being shoved backward by the blast.
She’s breathing harshly. Half her face is bloody from being in the direct path of the blast.
“You will pay for this,” she cries out. She propels herself in the air, her entire body contorting and becoming a gray mass of demonic matter.
My smile slowly grows wider.
“Not today, demon. Not today,” I say gleefully. The eternal ice has not only reached her main body, but by shifting into her true demonic form, she’s allowing the ice to penetrate to the depths of her physical embodiment.
Mid-air, her shriek resounds for all to hear. It starts from within. Slivers of ice breach the surface of her body, freezing everything in their path.
It lasts a few seconds. Her body freezes before it explodes into tiny particles that lose themselves in the wind.
I exhale deeply as I plant my feet onto the ground. I sway from side to side from exhaustion. My armor vanishes, leaving me naked. Strong arms wrap around my midriff, pulling me to his side as he covers my nakedness with his coat.
“You did good, tiny darling. So, so good,” he whispers in my ear.
He smells of smoke and leather. He smells of home.
I only need to inhale his scent to know I am safe.
“Sleep now,” he murmurs.
Despite my exhaustion, I wouldn’t have said I was close to passing out. But his words trigger something within me. My body goes slack against his, and my eyes flutter closed.
Without meaning to, I’m lost to the world.