Dancing In The Void

Katherine’s fist whizzed past the left side of his head.

Constantine pushed it aside with his right arm and tried to counteract with a punch from his left, but Katherine dodged it with ease and turned his own move back on him. She grabbed his punching hand, pulling it, and slamming her knee into his gut. Constantine fell on his knees gasping for breath, then tumbled over on his back. Katherine paced around him, with a disappointed look on her face. She looked away at Evan, who was sitting on a foldable chair in front of the house. He was wearing a thin white undershirt, and seemed exhausted and annoyed. It was midway through November and yet the weather was unnaturally warm still.

“Perhaps the two of you should fight together again...” She said, her voice hoarse and slightly tired.

“You’ll just demolish us again.” Constantine said from below. “I feel like this isn’t getting us anywhere. You’ve been pummeling us for days, and every part of me feels sore.” He continued, sitting up and resting his hands on his right knee.

“No, that's not true. You both have gotten somewhat better, especially over the past few days.” Katherine offered a gentle smile. “Besides, I have demon blood, and have been trained since I was a child. For many years I was a student, alongside my cousin, to a great demon hunter. One called the Bane of Cri’vathuul.”

“He sounds like a great guy.” Constantine answered, still trying to catch his breath.

“Yeah, two weeks of albeit, hard training, don’t really compare. And I will fully admit, I may not be the greatest teacher…” She said, stretching her back as she spoke. “But hey, you may even be able to kill your first wendigo. If he's missing an arm… is a babe... has no eye...”

“Ha.” Constantine rolled his eyes and got up. “I’ve been meaning to ask, with what exactly are we going to fight said wendigos? I don't think my arm reach is enough to hit one before it turns me to ribbons.”

Katherine paused, bit her lip and reluctantly agreed. “You know what, I think its been enough physical training for today, its almost two p.m. by now… Its time we start on your bladework, tomorrow. But first, I’ll show you, follow me.”

She then walked to the house and Constantine followed. He nodded towards Evan who got up and followed them. Inside Nikolai sat on the couch in the living room alone. She was wearing a yellow shirt and simple training shorts. She looked bored but at the same time distressed. When Constantine passed by the door and saw her, he smiled but she avoided his line of sight and ignored him.

“Where’s Uriel?” Evan asked as they walked through the hallway and besides the main staircase.

“She said she wanted to watch from the roof. She seems to enjoy looking at the sky and the view the forest gives.” Katherine replied. “I don’t know, I see her at night sometimes too, she is on the roof just staring at the moon. She’s strange but I’m not in a position to judge.”

“Do you not sleep at night Kat?” Evan teased.

“No.” She responded bluntly. “Not really, I’m nocturnal.” The corners of her mouth curved into a weak smile. “Here.” She opened a wooden door behind her staircase that blended perfectly with the wall, revealing the set of dusty winding stairs inside.

“After you, teach’.” Evan slyly said when Katherine expected him to go forward. She raised her eyebrow, stared at him confused for a moment and then went on first. It was a bit dark, the light at the top being enough to provide vision, and a whole lot of dust was in the air. The stone stairs however were spacious enough and somewhat clean enough that one wouldn’t suffocate when descending.

“That door is barely noticeable...” Constantin stated as they descended.

“Hmmhm.” Katherine agreed.

“Yeah… but what this means is…. you don’t want people to go down here...” He continued.

“Hmmhm, that's right.”

“...Is what’s waiting at the bottom of the stairs the reason why that demon was here a few weeks back?”

“Demon?” Katherine stopped, reaching a large metallic door. It had gotten nearly pitch black by now. She leaned on it and it budged slowly to the side, creaking loudly. “It couldn’t have been a demon.” She continued, flipping a switch on the wall which lit up the entire tunnel before them. Katherine then went on, her shoes making no sound as she stepped on the marble floor.

“How so?” Constantine asked, following her.

Evan closely behind him, carefully and silently observing the walls. On either side of the tunnel were glass windows, and inside were strange things. Ancient bones, coins, tools, crosses, daggers, candles, papers, books, and countless objects littered the absurdly long walls of the basement. Evan leaned in to look at a skull with a giant crack in its right side, it was mesmerizing, the black empty sockets almost staring back at him…

“The entire area this house is built upon is sacred.” Katherine spoke, waking Evan from his trance. “There used to be a chapel here, ages ago, but this forest was blessed long before that. Once a place or object is blessed, it remains that way until destroyed or corrupted. Demons can not touch holy objects nor step on holy land. Lest they have a death wish that is.”

“Does that mean that the ‘demon’ that was here, wasn’t a demon?” Evan asked.

“Not exactly, he either was just a normal human, a half-demon like me or…” Her voice trailed off.

“Or...?” Evan continued for her.

“An inanimaliat.”

“A who-da-where-da-what now?” He asked, staring at her back with a dumb look on his face.

“An inanimaliat, that’s what they are called. They’re a lower type of being, not entirely a demon. Their name means soulless. Certain beings, like powerful demons, have the ability to destroy or devour the souls of humans, or do whatever they feel like doing with it. If a person without a soul is resurrected, it will be an inanimaliat, not a demon. And therefore they can walk wherever and touch whatever, their souls can not be cleansed by holiness if there is no soul to cleanse.” Katherine explained.

The rest of the way was walked in silence. Evan was still hypnotized by the marvels to his side, pausing every ten steps to look at another curious oddity. Constantine just walked behind Kath, deep in thought. Katherine, surprisingly cheerful, hummed a small tune.

It sounds a bit grim, and somewhat familiar. Constantine thought to himself. “That’s a lovely melody.” He said.

“Oh. Uhm. Thanks.” Katherine said flusteredly. “My mother used to sing it to me.”

Constantine smiled, then his smile vanished as he remembered.

“I’m sorry about Alila.” Constantine hung his head and coughed. “I’m sorry about your mother, Kath.”

“It’s alright, Constantine. Maybe when things calm down I can give her a proper funeral. She was my caretaker after all, she deserves as much.” Katherine said, her voice cold and void of any emotion. “We’re here.” She said just as Evan ran up to them. Before them was a simple dirty glass wall, nothing could be seen inside and there wasn’t any door knob or handle to open it with. Nothing but the outline of a pentagram in the center.

“Evan?” Katherine asked.

“Yeah?”

“Please trace the pentagram with your finger.”

“Why?”

“To open the door.”

Evan shot Katherine a frightened look but complied. “I sure hope my hand doesn’t fall off or something.” He murmured.

“That’s what would happen if I did it.” Katherine joked, smiling smugly.

Evan winced and closed his eyes as his trembling finger traced the cold glass. And when he finished, silence. He opened one eye, then the other, then he backed off, looked at Katherine then back at the wall.

“So uh-” The glass split down the middle after a sharp crack, and the wall opened, moving to the side, not making more than a weak rumble. Evan looked inside and made a few small steps into the chamber. It was entirely made of the same dirty glass as the wall he just opened, and the cold bit into him as he entered. Constantine followed him, but Katherine remained outside, visibly uncomfortable. In the very center of the room on two round glass pedestals were two spears. The blades were broken, each the half of the other. The tips crimson red and the shafts coated in shining bronze with finely engraved blue markings. Constantine picked up the one on the right, Evan the one on the left. Both completely entranced by the weapons in their hands. Constantine tried reading the markings, but they shifted and changed, as the letters seemed to flow before his eyes.

“The Sacred Shard.” Katherine smiled, peering inside the room, still careful as to not touch the glass. Both of them turned to look at her. “Or maybe I should say shards? Bring them outside, we’re going to need them from now on. This weapon has slept long enough.”

“There’s no way this is real… I’ve heard of this!“ Evan said in amazement, clutching the weapon tightly in his hands. “They say a great saint was once stabbed by this lance, and his holy blood spilled over it, sanctifying it… how come there are two?”

“This used to be a mighty holy spear… now broken in twain. By who or when I do not know. But it has been here since I can remember living in this house. And I know, you may be skeptical, Evan, but believe me it is the actual spear of legend.” Katherine said with a nod. “There are many tales about these weapons, one that’s passed in our family that I always believed held a particular grain of truth was that the Spectre of Death herself blessed these weapons. One of my ancestors begged the Gray Lady for a weapon in time of need, and at their behest, she broke off a shard, a spear-tip, from her scythe. The shard was stained red at such an act, holy blood spilling from the scythe onto it and imbuing it with divine power.”

“That sounds… wicked.” Constantine blurted. “And dangerous. Are you sure we can be entrusted with these weapons?”

“It is only stories. I’m unsure if there ever was any power in those blades. They are however especially deadly to demons, even I cannot use them. I’d rather you two dumbasses than someone like Azazel. If there is anything that Azazel would want from this place for any reason, other than Uriel, it's that… The Holy Lance. Come on then, let's get out of here guys, I dislike this cold.” Katherine said with a shiver.

Constantine ran his finger over the edge of the blade and drew a single drop of blood. “So sharp, even after so many ages.” He said to himself. His eyes looked back at the markings again. Still unreadable. “Do you have any idea what these words say, Kath?” He asked, but Katherine already left and Evan was already out of the glass tomb.

“Are you coming or are you going to stay here and freeze while deciphering that?” He asked.

“Aren’t you the least bit curious to know what this means?”

“Of course I’m curious. If this thing is real, it could be one of the greatest artifacts of religion, of mankind, and we’re holding it in our hands. You have no idea how stoked I am to even look at this.”

“Do you think now we’ll be able to stand up to Katherine?” Constantine laughed.

“Let’s not get too excited, I’m pretty sure no weapon can make that miracle a reality.” Evan smiled, putting his arm around Constantine’s neck. The two then went into the tunnel, the icy doors shutting behind them with a weak thud.

Nikolai was having dinner with Uriel on the grass behind the house where Evan, Katherine and Constantine sparred in the morning. Suddenly, Evan ran up to them, greeted them and jumped on his belly on the grass to eat some of their food. He went straight for a simple salad with a few sandwiches. Nikolai shot him an evil look and Evan stuck out his tongue at her while Uriel giggled. Constantine and Katherine joined them shortly after, each with a few handmade sandwiches of their own, rye bread with a slice of bacon and cheese with a tomato and some cucumbers. Constantine’s sandwiches had no tomatoes of course. When he sat down on the grass Nikolai shifted a little farther away from him, and avoided his gaze the entire time they ate. Uriel’s silver wings were big enough to surround all five of them and still overlap, yet when they were in resting position, they were small enough to barely be seen behind her back. Evan eagerly began rambling about his fancy new toy, and the group continued on from there, talking and chatting and having a fun time in each other’s company. After several hours or so of eating and hanging out, the chill of evening began to fall, and they started going one by one back inside. First, Katherine, who ate and sat in near total silence, but looked happy enough to just listen to her friends. Then Uriel, who felt bad letting Katherine clean all the dishes, followed moments later by Evan, until only Nikolai and Constantine remained.

Nikolai barely ate a crumb the entire time, and forced herself to finish her sandwich as Evan left. Quickly she tried to follow him but Constantine grabbed her by the hand as she got up.

“Please.” He said softly. Nikolai stared away from him and bit her lower lip. Then she turned around and sat back down. Her eyes were fixed on the ground the entire time, her long black hair dangling in front of her face. Constantine brushed it aside and looked at her weeping face. He gently touched her unburnt cheek, knowing that the scars on the other one still hurt. Then he placed a loving kiss on her forehead, pulling her in for a tight embrace. The two stood like that for a while, Constantine on his back, gently massaging her hair, and Nikolai curled up on top of him.

“I’m so sorry.” She suddenly said, her voice frail and quiet.

“It’s... it’s fine, Cherry.”

“I just… I’ve just been so scared ever since that thing went after us. When you first told me about the angel. I’ve never quite believed it until I saw her there and then we were pulled into something that overwhelms me.” Her voice trembled. “You and Evan quickly went and started training with Kath, but I stood back, in fear.”

“Frankly it overwhelms me just as much, I too am terrified of what happened, and what I fear to happen.”

“But you.. you’re stronger than me Constantine, you always were. Even after…” she touched her burnt cheek with a shivering finger. “...That, you were the one who kept me from going mad.”

“To me, you were always the one who gave me strength.” Constantine smiled.

“Also there was another reason…” Nikolai sat up, as did Constantine.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, looking directly into her eye.

“I’ve been having a dream, ever since the day I almost died.” She gulped. “I float from the sky every night, my eyes are closed yet I still see it, the ocean beneath me, still as a mirror. My reflection is… it is me but… not. I don’t- I don’t know. The dream always ends the same way, I touch the water with my left hand, it is freezing but searing pain engulfs my hand and I scream and open my eyes, and the pain still lingers even when I’m awake.” She started trembling again and wrapped her arms around Constantine’s waist. “Can we go inside now? It’s gotten cold.” She asked.

“Yes, of course.” Constantine said. As they slowly walked back, he added one final word. “I will always love you Nikolai. No matter what.” He said, hugging her even tighter.

“I love you too Constantine, I… hope we will make it through whatever it is that we’ve gotten ourselves into…” Nikolai added, her voice falling like a dark omen.

Constantine was blankly staring at the ceiling as he laid in bed. Nikolai was sleeping on his left. Her soft breathing and the low ticking noise made by the clock on the wall were all the noises he could hear. The trees outside the window in front of him barely moved, the wind was absent and no sound was made by crickets, owls, or other nocturnal beasts that he’d grown accustomed to over these weeks. There was only suffocating silence. Constantine got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. Once there he washed his face with cold water and looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was a little bit frizzy and the dull blue pajamas he wore, paired with the tired face he had made him remember an elderly homeless man he used to talk to occasionally while walking to school. The thought made him frown.

It all seems so long ago now… He thought. Being just a normal guy with dreams of adulthood… now I’m training for… for what…? He asked himself, before remembering the first time he saw Uriel’s pearly eye.

Constantine then went out and slowly closed the door behind him. He lingered for a moment in the hallway, yawning and scratching his head. As he walked past the kitchen, the light of the moon illuminated him, and a shadow blurred past him. Constantine blinked, then looked around the room, confused. A chill ran up his back, and it wasn’t from the cold of night. He paced around the kitchen for a moment, checking the window to see if maybe it was some tree or branch.

It can’t be though. He thought. There wasn’t any wind earlier. He backed off slowly from the counter and gulped, something felt wrong. He just stood there for a few seconds, his mind clearing and relaxing. I still must be somewhat dreaming. He finally decided to go back to bed when heard the scream. Uriel. Without thinking he dashed up the stairs and ran up to her room. Constantine jumped shoulder first into it but the door wouldn’t budge. He tried one more time before Katherine grabbed him by the hand and pushed him to the side. She then leaned back, raising her left leg and slamming it into the door, sending it flying open and nearly ripping it out of its hinges. Katherine fearlessly walked inside, followed by Constantine. Soon after Evan and Nikolai joined them, both of whom were still half asleep. All of them woke up when they entered Uriel’s room. Uriel flew behind Katherine as soon as the door was opened, crying loudly. In front of them, bathed in the white light of the moon stood a demon. Her intimidating, shadowy figure stared back at them as she revealed her full form. She had two sets of horns, three pairs of black, bat-like, razor wings, a sharp grin and two yellow eyes that instilled fear in all before her. Even Katherine’s hands began trembling. The woman in front of them had a few deep scratch-marks over her gray cheek and with a quick glance, Katherine spied the blood on Uriel’s hand.

“Everyone, run.” Katherine whispered.

The demon lunged straight for them.

“NOW!” She shouted, bracing herself. The demon’s long claws sank into her forearms as she was thrown across the house, breaking over the guardrails and falling on the first floor. The attacker followed her down, pinning her by pushing her knee on Katherine’s stomach. The being made a low growling noise and began violently slashing Katherine, who was protecting herself with her arms. Constantine ran down to them and landed a desperate but powerful punch on the demon’s head, and another one square under her jaw when she turned to him. It flew and clung to the ceiling, massaging her chin and giving Constantine time to pull Katherine on her feet.

“Where’s Uriel?” She whispered after catching her breath, not even bothered by her bleeding hands.

“Outside with Nikolai and Evan.” He responded distressed, and terrified by the pair of yellow eyes that were staring at him.

“Constantine, I need my weapon.” Katherine paced back. “I can hold her off for a bit, but it’s suicide without it.”

“Where is it?”

“In my room. Go, NOW!”

The demon hissed and shrieked, lunging toward Katherine again. This time she dodged it by rolling to the side and the demon woman punched a hole into the floor instead of her. She then started swiping the air towards Katherine intent on ripping her to shreds. She luckily managed to block or dodge most of them, but the demon was just as if not faster than her. Katherine saw her opening and tried to punch the demon, but her entire body froze and something coiled around her head. The shadowy tendril took her head and slammed it into the demon’s knee. Katherine’s face was bloody, her mind dizzy and disoriented. She was completely open, and death seemed imminent, but the being just left her on the floor and flew outside through the front door. After her real prize.

“Keep running, Uriel!” Nikolai shouted.

The two of them made their way into the forest for safety. Evan went out with them but turned back to help Katherine and Constantine. After a few minutes they stopped sprinting, the house could no longer be seen through the sickly rotten trees. Uriel fell on the ground, coughing and wheezing, as did Nikolai. She was the first who got up and forced Uriel to get up and keep going after their quick rest. However, they were no match for the monster that hunted them. The two ran deeper and deeper into the forest but the blackness was faster, and it soon caught up with them. Wrath found them in the end, somehow tracking them in the darkness of the night. Out of the corner of her eye, Nikolai saw the shadows creeping rapidly towards them and she pushed Uriel out of the way, taking the full brunt of the tendril’s blow. She was slammed into a tree trunk and fell face-first on the wet forest ground. She pulled herself up despite the pain coursing through her bones and muscles and ran towards the surprised demon.

“URIEL FLY!” Nikolai shouted desperately as she jumped on the woman and flung both of them on the ground. And fly she did, Uriel spread her giant wings and disappeared like a white blur up through the dead branches of the forest and into the black starless sky.

“NO!” Wrath shouted, pushing Nikolai off of her, but it was too late. She looked up to the sky and bit her lower lip with her fangs. She started pacing around and mumbling nonsense. Nikolai was powerless and bleeding heavily, so she just laid on her back and hoped that the demon would kill her quickly.

“Can’t… can’t go back without the angel. Why, oh, why did you have to interfere…” Wrath turned to look at Nikolai with her horrifying eyes, filled with rage. She then lifted her off the ground by the neck with her black tentacle. “For your sake…” Wrath began saying, the echo in her voice loud and sharp with fury. ”...You better start praying your angel friend tries to save you.” The last thing Nikolai saw before everything went dark was the white moon painted on the black sky.