Dancing In The Void

“I’m quite surprised myself. Listen, I need to take care of something Wrath. Wait here if you’d do me a favor. Or go to the restaurant, I’ll meet you up ahead.” Azazel said suddenly, breaking her concentration.

“Alright. Don’t take too long.” She told him. Probably out of courtesy, considering she was already following the boy who ran down the hallway. Azazel knew he was short on time. He ran out away from the main hall into a separate corridor, where Mephistopheles and Octavian waited for him.

“They’re here.” He sighed.

“You sure?” Octavian asked, mildly concerned.

“Yeah, Katherine and her friend are up ahead, the Shadow spooked him a bit but I’m sure he’ll be fine.“

“You sure?” Mephisto asked, but was ignored. “Alright, you and Octavian gonna go with Wrath?”

“Yes, we can’t have her suspect anything so we’re gonna play the auctioneers for the rest of night. Your daughter isn’t here, they must have left her back at the mansion. Listen, Mephisto, go keep them busy, try to buy us a bit of time. They’ll most likely try and get the girl, the Shadow will take care of her if anything happens. If things go too sour, we’ll improvise something.” Azazel said, with a simple yet terrifying smile on his lips.

Octavian looked away from the map on the wall. It was littered with string lines held by pins and small notes written all over. He himself was wearing a simple button up shirt and normal jeans instead of his previous suit of armor. However he still was still wearing his metal gauntlets. His subordinate brought in Katherine, who now stood in front him, her white dirtied hair covering most of her face.

“Take off her shackles.” He ordered the man, who obeyed. Katherine leaned forward when her cuffs were released. She swayed back, gaining her balance and massaging her wrists. “I’m not gonna force you to swear loyalty through blood sacrifice or a twelve hour long speech on your part. However, since you’re here, I’m thinking you accepted my offer, and are willing to do as you’re told. Am I right?”

Sometimes it's better to bend with the harsh winds than to break. Bend, don’t break. The words of her mentor passed through her mind reminding her of times long passed. Like you were taught to.

“Yes.” She said meekly. Octavian looked at her with his warm and deceiving smile and she felt a chill run down her back.

“Very well. Go with Kaidan, the one right outside. He will take you to the baths, you can clean yourself, and once you’re done your clothes and your weapon will be waiting for you, though I recommend you leave it there for now. When you’re finished, come back here, we need to talk.”

Katherine nodded her head and turned to leave.

“Oh, before you go. Two things. Firstly, you will address me with respect. Meaning, when I dismiss you or order you, you will bow, understood?”

She turned to him and stared at him, her eyes burning with fury and hate.

“Don’t be so glum, you had your chance, and you unleashed hell with it. Now I am your superior, and you will obey me, understood?”

“Yes… Sir.” She spat.

“Good. Second, and this may cheer you up to hear. Azazel is dead.” He grinned.

Katherine looked at him, confused.

“How? Who?”

“An explosion at the hospital where he was held courtesy of one of his subordinates, Baal. I think he most likely did it with Baphomet’s approval.” He answered.

Fear and rage gripped Katherine’s body. Her knees buckled and her arms began to shiver. The kill she had hunted for so long, now stripped away from her. “Baphomet is here? Since when?”

“Since your stunt at the auction. Baphomet is, well was, Azazel’s superior just as I am yours. So if you would run into trouble and call me for help I would, obviously, come and help. Difference is, Baphomet, being the Lord of Hell and all, probably was very pissed at Azazel, and decided to send him back down. But enough talk, go and do what you were told to.” Octavian said. His manner of speech was quite strange, as if the wounds she’d inflicted on his neck weren’t fully healed.

“Very well.” She said, paying it no mind. The Huntress just turned and walked towards the door but stopped when she heard him cough.

“Katherine.” He said, mildly irritated.

She looked back at him and saw his mocking gaze. She swallowed her pride, bowed before him, and left. The building they were in was old and decrepit, probably a couple good decades, if judged by the cracks in the walls and the faded color of the ceiling. Katherine didn’t see many people as she walked down the dusty hallways, and those she did see were most certainly demons. Two that walked past them a few moments prior were dressed in military gear, and carried rifles. Katherine couldn’t tell what guns they were exactly, but she noticed something else. Both of them had a pentagram tattooed on their left cheek. She perked up. Subtly, she looked back at Kaidan behind her. He was slightly taller than her, but his spiky strip of hair that ran back across the middle of his head gave him a few extra centimeters. He was a spindly one, but his arms were surprisingly bulky compared to the rest of him. Under his old brown tank top she could see numerous scars and bruises.

Left over from hell, he’s likely a demon too. That same tattoo on his cheek confirms it. She thought.

His eyes were small and squinty, as if he was constantly on alert and his goatee was thin but well kept. Katherine counted five piercings on his face, two on his right ear, one in his left eyebrow and two ball piercings in each of his nostrils.

“Y’gonna keep staring all the way?” He asked. His voice was strangely normal.

“What, am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Yes.”

“You look like something straight out of an anime.” She blurted. Kaidan furrowed his brow at her and shook his head. Katherine turned around and kept walking. “You guys could have hired an interior designer, would liven up the place.” She perked up again after a while.

He ignored her.

“Just saying. At least get some rugs or wall paintings, you’d be amazed how much they help.” Katherine persisted.

Still no reply.

“The tattoo, binding seal from Azazel right? Assurance that you’ll obey Octavian?”

“Well, y’know your stuff. But it wasn’t for Octavian, it was when I became a Son of Darkness under Belial.”

A Son of Darkness, huh? Katherine thought to herself, surprised. I didn’t expect such a gangly looking guy to be one of Belial’s elites… does that mean the Sons are all under Octavian’s control too?

“We’re here.” Kaidan spoke out, pointing at a red door ahead of them. He went ahead and opened it. Inside was a small living room decorated with a simple couch, a one-man bed and a tv with a small table in the center. Kaidan sat down on the couch and pulled out his phone. “Bathroom’s on the left. Your clothes and your halberd are on the bed, also we have your cello case.” He said without looking at her.

“Huh, well I’m glad you guys picked it up for me at the auction.” Katherine shrugged and went inside. The bathroom was spacious, but just as empty as the rest of the building. A shower, a sink, a toilet, two shampoo bottles on the edge of a bathtub and two towels hanging off a metal bar on the wall. Katherine turned on the water and undressed.

No mirror… She noticed. No windows either. We must be underground somewhere. Katherine stepped into the water. At least it's hot. Fuck I really needed this. The steam entered her nostrils as the water seeped into her pores. She let out a breath of air slowly.

How did he know I carry my halberd in that cello case? How did he know Azazel died too? Better yet, how the hell does he expect me to listen to him when he’s handing me my weapon without any sort of restrictions? He can’t possibly be that stupid, not if he… somehow… planned around me killing his ass. Katherine thought about it, staring at the dry ceiling above her.

She then looked down at her chest mainly at the snake tattoo that coiled around her body and up between her modest breasts. She knew it wasn’t truly a tattoo, only a gift she was given when she was brought back. Her mind went back to Constantine, how she lied to him that day so long ago. The same day that her caretaker, Laverna, died. Her mind continued to wander until it came to that dreaded night. She thought about how she made her own sister harm Uriel, how she then fought those she cared about. She thought about Evan, how easily she could have done more than just cut his arm, if only she tilted her blade at a higher angle.

It doesn’t matter now. I did what I had to do. She firmly told herself, not allowing despair to take hold of her, not now.

When she finished, Katherine stepped out of the bathroom, drying her hair with one of the towels and covering her front with the other. She paraded across the room, uncaring of Kaidan staring at her ass. When she reached the bed she saw everything neatly arranged: her halberd, a set of new clothes, and the armor she wore on the night of the eclipse. Everything was freshly cleaned.

Why all this kindness? I just don’t get it…

Once she was dressed she ran her finger across the handle of the Jawbone. She picked it up. It felt good holding it again, though a bit heavier. She must have been out for a while, her muscles tainted by lack of use. Katherine’s miscolored eyes scanned slowly around the room. Kaidan was still on the couch, swiping around on his phone. He wasn’t far from her, one step, one swing, and his head would come clean off. Her eyes lit up with determination as she acted, swinging her massive blade. But halfway through the swing, her arms and legs locked up and her weapon’s momentum slowed and it fell out of her hands and onto the floor with a loud clang.

Kaidan didn’t even flinch.

“It’s really amazing y’know.” He told her, as she fell on her knees. Katherine began to choke and cough, grasping her throat with her right hand.

“Almost everything boss said would happen, happened. I have no idea how he does it.” He closed his phone, put it inside his pocket, and leaned forward towards Katherine. She stared furiously back at him, her eyes red and teary. “When you accepted to do what you’re told, you did a whole lot more than just that. Y’think he didn’t need blood sacrifices because he felt generous? Boss simply had no need to.” He then picked up a hand mirror lying face down on the table.

Katherine’s eyes went wide with hate and spite. “No…” Was all she could say.

“What do you think of your new look?” He showed her the mirror. A crack ran down its middle, down her face upon which she saw the pentagram seal, etched in her cheek. “Welcome to the club Huntress.”

Evan snored. His head was resting against the Cadillac’s window, and his chest slowly went up and down with his breathing. Constantine was resting his head against his window, staring outside into the darkness of the night. Darkness, that was only accentuated by Wrath’s pressing aura. He stood right behind her seat, and he could almost taste the essence of fear that she emanated. They had decided to drive straight home by taking another road, but it turned out to be a much longer and treacherous road, rather than a convenient shortcut.

“Wrath, how far are we?” He asked, yawning mid-sentence. “It’s getting real late, we really should be there by now.”

“We’re not going back the same way we came. So it’ll take a little longer.”

“Yeah…” He yawned again. “Jeez. But it’s been hours already. And the scenery still hasn't changed from forest trees to open plains and back.”

“Well, what do you want me to do, it’s night and I’m driving slower cause the roads are shitty and full of debris. It’s like a god-damned hurricane rolled through here.”

“Sorry. I was… just saying.”

“It’s fine. I think we're gonna be there in an hour or so.” She nodded to herself.

“Great. Let’s talk about something then. Pass the time, I’m falling asleep and I don’t want to.”

“Well, think up something to talk about.” Wrath responded.

“Hmm.” Constantine thought for a minute. “Why do you help us?” The idea came to him when his mind drifted back to earlier when Wrath killed the woman without blinking.

“Straight into the heavy stuff, hmm? What kind of question is that?” Wrath said with a chuckle.

“It’s a legit one. You were with Azazel weren’t you? You took Nikolai and tried to take Uriel.” He paused for a moment as he clenched his right fist. “You could easily kill both of us right now and we’d never even fight back. Then you could just go to Azazel and hand over Uriel, not like she’ll fly away now. She’s in a coma.” A feeling of fury welled up inside him, and he didn’t know why. He was calm mere moments ago.

“Yeah I could do that. But here’s something you should know about me. I wasn’t ‘with’ Azazel. He merely hired me to find your bloody friend, the angel. He also told me at the time to kidnap one of you in case I couldn’t get Uriel. He was hoping he’d draw her out you see. Which is why I captured your friend. I’m sorry for how things turned out back then.”

“It’s… it’s fine.” Constantine looked down into his lap as Wrath looked back at him in the rearview mirror.

“It was never anything personal with you guys. But then on the night of the auction, Katherine made it personal when she bit a chunk out of my neck. Of course the following days when this guy…” She motioned towards Evan, who stopped snoring a few moments prior. “...and Mephisto showed up in my library and said I should help them against Katherine. I agreed. After what happened that night I was weak and wounded and I had nowhere to leave to so I stuck around. It would be a lot easier to survive this hell on my own, but it would also be a lot more… boring. I like you guys, I fought and bled with you in that forest. Yes I can totally leave now, and do what? Go back to Azazel? Go back to my library, lock myself up and wait for pale shadows to come and kill me? Of course not.”

“Yes, I-I understand now. I was just… wondering.” He felt slightly ashamed, but he quickly cast away that thought.

Wrath looked back again at Constantine and saw him curling his arms up into himself. “Hey, cheer up. It’s fine really. I’m fine if you're angry with me, and you should.” Her voice went quieter. “I did get your friend killed after all...”

Constantine perked up. “She’s not dead. Nikolai isn’t dead.”

“What?” Wrath turned back to him, her golden eyes shone onto him. “Didn’t she die during the auction?”

“I thought so too. She died in my arms that night, but then she showed up with Katherine in the forest. I-I don’t think it was her though, she was... different, stranger, colder.” He chuckled, although he felt an ache in his heart as he stared into his reflection projected into the night. “It's ironic really, considering her whole body was on fire.”

“On fire? So the forest in flames, that was her doing? Huh, I thought that was the work of Azazel’s goons.”

“Seems so. It…” He paused and bit his lower lip. ”...It hurt, Wrath. The thought of it still does. Seeing her like that, seeing her in pain, seeing her so afraid. I’ve known her for as far back as I can remember. She was there for me, always. Whenever I was feeling sad, feeling depressed, lonely, scared… and I was there for her after the accident.” He tried to stop the tears from flowing, but he was unable to. “When you took her that night, it was like you ripped half of my soul out of me. And then turned it into something wretched and vile. So yeah, I’m sorry, but somewhere deep down, I don’t think I can ever not hate you.”

“I underst-” The car screeched to a halt as she pulled a hard left, and a projectile whizzed past them and exploded on the empty road.

“What the shit?” Evan screamed as he jolted awake.

“Blockade.”

“Jesus they have a fucking tank.” Constantine observed after wiping his eyes.

“That was a warning shot. The next one will be a direct hit, remove yourselves from the vehicle. You have one minute.” A voice blared through a megaphone and the headlights of three massive military cars lit up, shining onto them. Between the cars towered a single massive army tank.

“If they see me with you, you’re as good as dead. Constantine, you were driving.” Wrath whispered, and vanished when he turned to look at her.

“Fuck. Fucking fuck. God damn it Wrath.” He said.

“Ok, calm down dude. Let’s get out of the car before we’re shrapnel.” Said Evan, with a lump in his throat. Constantine nodded in agreement and complied. Both came out and walked slowly towards the lights, hands raised. Two soldiers in riot gear walked forward, loaded rifles in hand each pointed at one of them.

“You there, blondie, other arm!” One of them shouted.

Evan gulped. Slowly, he moved his right arm downwards and with a trembling hand removed his winter jacket off of his shoulder, revealing his stump. He then lifted his right arm back up.

“Alright.” The soldier nodded, easing his stance.

“You there, grayhair, what is the square root of thirty-six?” The other one questioned, pointing his rifle at Constantine’s head.

“Wha-”

“Answer!” He shouted.

“Uh, uuh, six?” Constantine’s voice trembled, and water poured down the sides of his face.

“And you, square root of sixteen?”

“F-four.” Evan answered.

A moment of pause that lasted an eternity, and then both soldiers pulled back, lowering their weapons. One of them turned around, pressed a button on his wrist and began talking

“Sentience confirmed, both appear to be unaffected… Alright. Lower the lights boys.” Car lights dimmed down on his command.

“Your arm. How did you lose it?” The soldier that remained began to question. “You can lower them, by the way.”

“Uh.” He shot Constantine a quick glance. “He cut it off.”

Constantine shot him back a worried and confused glance.

“Why?” The soldier asked.

“I… It was wounded. Glass ceiling fell on it during the attack or whatever that was, mutilated, bad shit. We didn’t have time to go to a hospital or anything.”

“How old are you two?”

“I’m twenty, he’s nineteen.” Evan said.

“It’s been nearly two weeks since the sky opened. You’re telling me two eighteen-year-olds not only lived through the initial night, but also lived in the city for as much… and on top of that both are almost completely fine? Hard to believe.”

“We didn’t live in this city.” Constantine explained. “We got caught during the first night, but we live farther away. We came back because one of our friends is unwell, and we were running out of supplies. The-the car is filled with food and water and other things. We were taking them back home.”

Upon hearing that the other soldier stepped forward and opened the van. After checking inside he closed it back up and nodded to the other.

“Alright. One more question for you two and we’ll let you pass.”

Evan and Constantine both sighed in relief.

“Where’s the third one?”

Constantine’s eyes went wide open. “There isn’t... a third one.”

The soldier’s eyebrow raised underneath his headgear.

“Then who was driving?”

“I-I was.”

“Don’t lie ki-”

Thuump

Both of the soldiers immediately raised their weapons and turned towards the forest, from where the sound emerged. It was a loud, deafening boom like a building or tree had just collapsed. They stepped forward. The sound of cracking trees being uprooted and smashing against the ground grew louder with each passing moment.

“What the hell, you got eyes on it?” One of them asked, turning back to the tank.

“Ah! AAH! AAAH!” Constantine suddenly yelped out in pain, clutching his head with his hands.

“Constantine? Whoa take it easy dude.” Evan quickly stepped forward and grabbed him when he started stumbling and tripping backwards. “The fuck’s wrong with you?” He then asked worriedly.

“Aaah! I’ve… I’ve felt this once before. Gagh, my head, it feels like someone is poking needles in my brain.”

“What is it?” Evan began to panic.

“Pale s-shadow. WRAA-AATH, GET US OUT OF HERE!” He screamed, his voice cracking mid-sentence. In response, two black tentacles coiled around their chest and pulled them towards the Cadillac, slightly slamming them against the car doors .

“Get inside, FAST!” Wrath shouted. Evan opened the door and flung the still squealing Constantine inside.

“DON’T YOU FUCKING MOVE AN INCH. STAY WHERE YOU ARE.” One of the soldiers screamed. Evan turned around and his shoulders slumped as he saw it. A massive open hand high into the air, attached to a long bony forearm coming out from between the treetops. The starless sky that surrounded it seemed brighter than its blackened skin. It was as if light itself was smothered by the darkness of its form.

“JAMIK RU-” The other tried to warn his partner, but it was too late. The arm slammed down upon them to the sound of a sickening squelch. Asphalt, rock, and limbs flew every which way. Another arm crawled from the black hole in the forest latching onto a tree. Then came another, and another and countless more. The elongated fingers of the arm that killed the two soldiers began clawing at the street, as did the rest of the phantom limbs. The creature lurched forward, its wide shining eyes like two damned white lights from its thin flaming head emerged first. Its long, centipede-like body followed soon after. It was a titanic beast, easily standing taller than a four-story building.

Evan felt his legs melt, then Wrath pulled him inside the car, slamming the door after him. He fell on the back seats, almost crushing Constantine in the process. The engine roared, and the car drove off, barely avoiding the shadow’s pale arm. A blast was heard, and a tank missile exploded in what would be the shadow’s chin. The beast turned and stared at the vehicle. Wrath took her chance and drove straight into one of the cars, pushing it out of the way and clearing the path. The shadow watched them drive away, and unhinged its massive jaw like a serpent shrieking in an ungodly manner. Constantine screamed in reply, as the pain that pulsated in his head made him slam his head against the window in an attempt to quell it.

“Evan, stop him before he god damn kills himself!” Wrath said.

“Wrath, what the absolute FUCKATRY is that? Jesus fuck.” He shouted back at her. He then pulled Constantine away from the window and held him still. “Come on buddy, hang in there, it’ll pass.” He then looked back at the rear shadow.

“Heh. I don’t think that’s a word Evan!” She responded, trying to make herself chuckle through the panic.

“You pick the worst of fucking times to try to be fu-WRATH, THE TANK!”

She pulled a sharp right with barely a moment to spare. The tank crashed down onto the street, rolling and tumbling forward. Chunks of metal and stone flew everywhere.

“Holy fuck! The other cars are buying us some time. Wrath, hope your pedal is hitting the floor.”

“Believe me it is.”

Evan watched as the shadow grabbed the vehicles and repeatedly slammed them against the street and trees, like an angry, petulant child with his plastic cars. He then turned back to the road ahead. He knew at that moment he recognized the street.

“Wrath, make a right here! Trust me, I remember driving to Katherine’s house this way before. It’ll lead us back the way we came.” She nodded and stepped on the break and pulled the wheel. The back of the car slid forward while the front stood still, before the engine roared and sped onward.

“Gah!” Constantine exhaled. “Ah, Christ, my head.”

“You alright buddy, you alright. Calm down, breathe in, breathe out. It’s done.”

“Evan… Ev…” He reached forward with a limp hand, trying to find Evan’s. His friend took his hand and pulled him up. “T-thanks. Hurr, Wrath, Wrath please, roll down the window.” Wrath obliged, and Constantine puked his guts out. He then leaned back against the car seat. His eyes were closed and he breathed slowly.

“At the auction right? That’s where you saw one of those ugly bastards before didn’t you? You were the one running down the hallway, I recall.”

“Mhhm.” He finally calmed down enough to open his eyes and then let out an exhausted sigh. “Yeah. That was me. Azazel’s pale shadow. I remember it. Still lingers in my mind. Especially now.“

“We should be coming up to Katherine's house soon.” Evan mentioned.

“Yeah. We’re almost there. Hang on tight guys.”

“I don’t think we’re gonna get a good night’s sleep today you two.” Evan said. Constantine shot him a defeated-puppy-like look. “With that thing prowling nearby, we’re gonna have to accept Mephisto’s plan and leave. We gotta get Uriel somewhere safe.”

“But that thing can’t come near the house right? Sacred ground and all that?”

Wrath shook her head. “Pale shadows don’t care about that. They aren’t humans. They’re not even demons, or angels or whatever the hell I am. They’re just concentrated death and horror.”

“You got that last part right.” Constantine moaned.

“We’re here.” Their demonic friend nonchalantly said as she parked the car in front of Katherine’s manor. Constantine and Evan both jumped up, still stressed out. All three then got out of the minivan, and rushed inside where they were greeted by Mephistopheles.

“Really took your time you guys, I was worried you wouldn’t show up.”

“We were worried we wouldn’t show up too.” Said Constantine running into the living room and collapsing down on the couch.

“Trouble along the way?” Mephisto inquired.

“Big one, very, very big one.” Wrath responded. “Go get Uriel, we have to leave.”

“Oh no… don’t tell me?”

“Yeah, it was a pale shadow, a big one.”

“Alright then, we should get going as soon as we can. I’m gonna go pack up some clothes.”

“RAAAAAAAH!” Constantine screamed from the other room. The three of them rushed in and found him writhing in pain on the couch.“I-IT’S HERE!” He stuttered.

Thuump

Wrath ran outside, swinging the front doors open with impressive force. She gulped as a terrifying chill ran down her spine. The shadow was about half a kilometer away from the house, standing like a creeping, lumbering giant on its hind legs. Its numerous decrepit arms just hung around its thin skeletal body before it then collapsed down onto its knees. Its countless arms then started pawing forward towards the mansion. Suddenly, it stopped. When its whole body broke through the treeline and was in clear view from the mansion, it merely froze in place. It lifted its long thin head and stood motionless, staring at Wrath. Everything was silent, no wind, no rustling of trees or leaves, not even Constantine was screaming anymore. Everything, except for the steps of someone walking down the grand staircase. Evan, Constantine, Mephistopheles, and Wrath, all watched in silent awe as Uriel descended. Her eyes were glowing with a bright white flame and her massive wings were coated in a dark shade of black.

“Wrath.” She whispered, her voice echoing like thunder throughout the hallway. The woman understood what she meant, and promptly moved from the doorway. Uriel walked forward, and Mephistopheles followed quickly behind her.

“Uriel...” He said, before Wrath placed her hand on his chest, stopping him from exiting the house. They exchanged worried glances before he complied and stepped back.

Uriel stood in the grass, looking up at the titan before her. She closed and opened her right fist. Many feelings washed over her, anxiety and fear most prominently, yet at the forefront was an unusual confidence. Her wings then ascended her into the air. She felt the cold breeze of the atmosphere passing through her fingers once again, and relief welled over her. Uriel allowed herself to smile, and then stretched her arms outwards in the shape of a cross. Two majestic halos of light materialized around her wrists like golden god-gifted bracelets and from each halo radiated six white blades that illuminated the night like the first lights of dawn. Each blade was alight with the same white-hot holy flames that adorned her eyes.

“Now then…” Uriel said, lowering her arms to the side as her blades spun slowly around her. Her gaze locked with the Pale Shadow’s dead and void eyes, engaging in their fateful duel. “Show me if you can withstand the reckoning of a Goddess!”