Dancing In The Void

Uriel’s face was illuminated with uncertain yet fiery determination.

Her wings flapped twice before she stretched her hand in front of her. The halo of light she summoned around it began to spin rapidly. The shadow eyed her intent, and lunged towards her before she got the chance to strike. It swiped the air with three of its numerous front limbs, each at different speeds and elevations, trying to cover as much of the sky as it could. Uriel’s eyes went wide. She folded her wings back into her, letting herself freefall out of the way of the hands before she spread them open and flew in towards the beast. She spread her arms open and spun through the air, her blades obeying her every thought and forming a spiral of light that sliced through the pale shadow’s limbs. Uriel was now behind the creature and her blades trailed behind her like the wisps of light of a glorious aurora. They slowly flew back around her halos, ready for the next strike. The shadow looked down at the hands that had touched the flaming swords, but it was unharmed. Where they touched its vile skin only lines of light remained. With what can barely be construed as a sickening smile, it lashed back towards Uriel, arching back for another lunge.

“Ha!” Uriel smiled and clenched her left fist.

The pale shadow howled in dreaded pain as it collapsed. The ground and the dead trees quaked as its shrill voice, like a thousand squealing pigs, rang from its faded-white mouth. The scars of light upon its skin suddenly burst with the echoes of the swords slashing into its skin. Four of its arms and countless parts of it fell on the cold night earth of the forest.

Uriel was welling with a strange sentiment. Seeing the beast writhing in pain filled her with glee. Eagerly, she motioned towards herself with her right hand causing her blades to coil through the air. They surrounded her. She arched back and dove forward towards the shadow, running her hand over its spine as the blades plunged one by one into the shadow’s body. As she flew however, she did not realize the creature was conscious, and it was only when she saw herself yanked back by a stray hand that she found out. The shadow arched its arm back before Uriel could pull away from its grip and savagely hurled away the irritating angel. She zoomed like a bullet through the night sky, smashing through the window of the mansion's attic, out the opposite wall and into the trees of the pale forest, decimating all that had the misfortune of being in her trajectory.

“G-gh…” Uriel winced in pain. Her eyes were wide open as she lay within the branches of one of the trees. Her skin was bruised and sliced all over. Her hands were especially lacerated and blood pooled from her head down over her eyes and cheeks. Her head was throbbing, and her chest convulsed. She gasped for air, her lungs taking in a huge breath and holding it. She slowly exhaled repeatedly, trying to fight the pain that seared in her bones and muscles. Uriel slammed her fists into the ground, attempting to stand, but then she collapsed again, as agony washed over her.

W-what is this pain? I-I can’t… She thought to herself, barely holding in a scream.

She slowly looked down, her head shivering at the pain that ached in her left leg. Her eyes became wide white pits of dread and fear when, through her blurry vision, she saw that her foot and lower part of her tibia were gone and only a pool of crimson blood remained underneath. With trembling hands she clawed down her thigh, over the bleeding cuts down to the torn skin beneath her knee. Uriel touched the bare bone and muscles, trembling when she saw the red liquid on her fingers. Jagged pieces of her bone remained, stained with sinew and red muscle.

“Ah… ah…” She exhaled, her mouth in a crooked, terrified, smile. Moments later, she let out a bloodcurdling scream. As she did, rays of light erupted from her wrists, spiraling into the center of her forehead. The lights violently encased her body and formed a prismatic cocoon around her. A singular gem of light remained in the center of her forehead, with strands of hair gently falling over it. Uriel felt her losing her grip on the world. Her power was her consciousness now.

The shadow, hearing her scream, vaulted over the house. It covered up the dead of night with its massive skeletal body. When it fell back onto the ground it sent a shockwave through the earth, trees and bushes flying outwards from it. In front of it laid the angel, her mouth still open, screaming. The pale shadow opened its mouth in response, its jawbone cracked and it howled like a heaving aching hound. Then it lurched towards the angel. In an instant however, Uriel surged through the air, her hand gripped one of her flaming blades as she plunged it into the shadow’s eye. The creature shrieked in pain, swatting Uriel away and clawing at its face. It desperately tried to pull out the stinging, scalding needle. It did not get the chance to. Uriel flipped back through the air, avoiding the hand and spreading her wings, flying into the creature’s underbelly. Her left hand gripped into its foul skin and in her right another ethereal blade appeared. She stabbed into the shadow, its unholy blood spilling over her face and body, melding with her own. Uriel pulled her hand back as another blade appeared, and again she stabbed into the shadow, in the exact same spot. Again, she pulled her hand back, and stabbed the pale shadow.

Again.

Again.

Again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Each time faster than the last, each blade carving deeper into the beast’s body. It was powerless, seemingly frozen as Uriel stabbed repeatedly into its chest. All it could do was thrash and howl as its insides were torn asunder. Uriel pulled her arm back one last time. Her muscles were twitching with bloodlust.

“Hah… hah… haa… ha…..” She panted.

Time slowed as she leaned back on her wings. They pulled her up into the air and for a moment, she looked up and saw the pale shadow staring back at her. She then unleashed her fury and soul into an ear-shattering shout. Uriel pirouetted through the air and plummeted with her right foot into her blades. The force of the impact shot the pale shadow high into the air, all its limbs flailing wildly, unable to stop its momentum. Uriel fell on her left knee, her other leg stretched behind her and both hands supporting her body. She then looked up at the shadow and reached out her hand towards it.

“PERISH!” Uriel screamed. She clenched her fist, and the darkness screamed back.

Her blades eviscerated the shadow. They slipped into its sinew and flesh like fingers pressing into a warm knot of gum before ripping it to bits. Its head fell like a meteor onto the ground a bit farther away from her. Its blood, limbs and bones soon followed and rained down onto the ground, and on Uriel. She did not seem to mind. She stood up and turned up to the sky, keeping her balance on her right leg. Then she closed her eyes and let the shadow’s blood wash over her. Uriel felt her blades return to her one by one, and converge on her wrist halos. With a thought, she dismissed them away, and they disappeared like mist. Along with them went the light that coiled around her wrists and the flames around her eyes. The night once more swallowed the light.

“Ha…” She exhaled, nearing collapse.

“Hah. Haaaah. He... he…” She heard a voice heaving and laughing. It was a hoarse, gurgled laugh that sent shivers through her body.

Her eyes were wide. The shadow’s head was still alive, slowly opening and closing its mouth. The black flames on its head were still alight, but dwindling ever so. Uriel stared at it incessantly.

“What more do you want, you filth?.” The angel spat.

The shadow moved its head slightly upwards on its ripped neck muscles. It then motioned to its left. Uriel turned cautiously towards that location. There on the ground was one of its countless hands, and its clawed thin finger pointed straight at her. Uriel blinked and only white was around her. She turned and looked around curiously, but there was absolutely nothing. She looked down. There was nothing underneath her feet, and yet she wasn’t falling or floating. She winced when she saw the stump under her knee, but she felt no pain and there was no blood.

“Uriel.” Another voice called out to her.

The angel turned, but there was nothing, everywhere she looked, she saw white.

“Do not be so concerned dear. This is all in your mind, not even a moment has actually passed yet.”

“What do you want then? And who the hell are you?” She asked. The voice was familiar, womanly, and strangely calm. It was as if she had heard it in a forgotten dream long ago.

“My, so feisty, so eager, so beautiful.” It cooed. “You’ve become an amazing woman, Uriel.”

“Show yourself, fiend!” Uriel lifted her arm and pointed it around her randomly.

“Hah! It was not even that long ago that you were terrified of using your powers. Now you’re willing to unleash all of it without relent if you so much as get a glimpse of me. But fret not, I am not here like I said, this is all in your mind.”

“There is only one other person I’ve seen capable of dream-wandering on such a level, and he terrified me every time we meet, even after so long. So I’ll ask again, Who the fuck, are you?” She raucously said.

There was only silence. “Power.” Its voice boomed again after a moment. “You want it don’t you?”

Uriel was dismayed.

“Truth is all too apparent, yet you are too afraid to embrace it. Without truth, your power will forever escape you. You want more of it don’t you? My darling Shadow proved it to you didn’t it? You still are too weak. You are too weak to change anything, too weak to protect them all, too weak to protect him especially.”

Her heart sank.

“You let your dear friend Nikolai die, because you were too scared to release what you were born with.”

“Shut up.” Uriel cried out.

“You let her become the monster that you saw. You abandoned her when she needed you the most.”

“Shut up!” She screamed, clasping her hands around her ears.

“You will abandon all of them. You know it is true. You know what hell awaits you. You are going to let them all die and you will be alone forever, Uriel.”

“SHUT UP! Shut up! Just shut up!” She screamed and thrashed her head, but to no avail. Uriel collapsed on her knees, sobbing. The voice paused and she heard her own pathetic crying.

“But I...” The voice trailed off. “...I can help you. I can give you the power you desire. I can give you what you need to save them. All you need is to accept the truth. Do you not want that Uriel?”

The angel opened her eyes. “Why should I trust you, why should I believe anything you say? I don’t even know who you are, what the hell do you want from me, what do you all want from me?” She screamed back.

“I shall not waste my breath any longer, Uriel. I will let you be. If you want what I am to offer, find me. And you will. You will change your mind… in time.”

Uriel was suddenly afraid when the voice began to waver and the whiteness faded back into consciousness. “W-WAIT!” She screamed again “How will I find you again?”

“Find rose’s white thorns.” Was all she heard as the void swallowed her.

What seemed like an eternity later, Uriel opened her eyes. She saw the place where the pale shadow’s head was previously, all the black flames that emanated from its head were doused, and only a solitary skull remained. It was similar to that of a normal human, but darkened, charred and cracked. The rest of its body had dissipated into nothingness. Uriel stepped towards it, but found herself losing her balance and tumbling down. A gray-skinned hand caught her chest as she fell. She looked down at it confused, then turned her head up at Wrath, who tried to smile at her.

“Easy girl, you’re messed up pretty badly.” She said

“You… You’re that monster... right?” Uriel said, her breath short.

“Oh right, we’ve never formally introduced ourselves. Yes, my name is Wrath.”

“The skull.” Uriel coughed. “Take its skull.” She continued, before promptly passing out.

Wrath obeyed. Carefully, she tossed her over her shoulder and with one motion, pulled the skull from the ground with her power. She caught it in her free hand as it flew towards her. Wrath inspected it intensively, her golden eyes squinting at the object in her grasp.

“Ugly thing.” She said.

Inside the mansion, Mephistopheles stood in the armchair, fingers together and head hung low, his face darkened and glum. Evan was squatting on the floor besides Constantine, whose eyes were wide open, empty, and staring. Wrath slammed one of the front doors open and rushed inside.

“Mephisto, help me, she’s lost a ton of blood.” She tossed the skull towards Evan. “Catch!” She told him. He did just so and looked at it, confused.

“Jesu- Wrath, is she alright? What’s this for?”

“Constantine, just keep it there.” She replied as she leaped up the stairs with Uriel in her arms. Mephisto followed her soon after, carrying a small medical kit and Constantine’s dagger. Evan saw him and his eyes widened. He placed the skull on the table.

“Mephisto, what are you gonna do?” He went after the three of them. They all made their way inside the room where Uriel previously slept. Wrath laid her down on the bed, removing the sheets and pillows beforehand.

“Ah… Ah… ahh…” Uriel moaned in pain. “What the hell are you guys doing?” She asked, her eyes filled with dread seeing Mephistopheles restraining her leg and Wrath returning from the nearby wardrobe with a couple of belts.

“Uriel, listen to me. Listen to me very carefully.” Her father said, his voice solemn and stern. “We’re gonna have to cut out the rest of the wound.”

“What?” She asked, her voice trembling. Uriel turned to Evan who stood at the edge of the bed, staring at Mephisto in stunned silence. Then she turned to Wrath, who shot her a sympathetic glance back.

“You sure about this, Mephy?” Wrath asked.

“Certain. I used to be a soldier in a forgotten time, I’ve seen my fair share of wounds. We barely have what it takes here to seal this up safely, if we don't cut it clean now it would only get worse.”

A moment frozen in time lingered, where only Evan’s gulp was heard.

“I trust you’ve also had your fair share of amputations in the past, yes?” Wrath chimed in. She turned to the angel, whose tears were falling down her cheek. “Girl, open your mouth, bite down on this.” Her iris-less white eyes stared into her iris-less golden ones, pleading, as if to ask her ‘why?’ “If you bite your tongue off, you’re going to die, that’s exactly what we’re trying to avoid right now.” Wrath answered.

The angel laid her head back into the mattress. Mephistopheles, with shivering palms, tied her thigh to the wooden frame of the sides of the bed. He used the two belts Wrath brought him.

“You sure you can do this, Mephy?” Evan asked, his eyes wide and worried.

The inanimaliat clenched both of his fists and closed his eyes.

“Its been a long time. But I have to.” He pulled out a syringe with a small plastic tube from the kit and stared at it. “Fuck.”

“What?”

“She needs blood. She’s lost so much. I’m her father, we should have compatible blood types, but I can’t give her blood and amputate her leg at the same time.”

“You’re my what?” Uriel shouted, her voice muffled by the leather belt in her mouth.

“I’ll do it.” A soft low voice called from behind them. Constantine was leaning against the doorframe, his head slightly tilted and his back hunched over. “I’ve studied how to amputate, peel away the skin, cut the muscle and bone…”

“Can you even stand?” Wrath asked, her voice echoing with exasperation.

“Like Mephito said. I have to.” He replied with a slight lisp.

“We don’t have time to argue, here.” Mephistopheles said, handing him his dagger.

Moments later, he was sitting beside the bed, a small tube going from his right arm to Uriel’s left. Constantine was in front of him, his blade tight in his grasp. Evan was sitting on the other side of the bed, his hand firmly grasped by the angel’s.

“Hnnggh.” She winced in anticipation. Her white eyes were drowning in small watery crystals.

Constantine grabbed the loose skin under her knee, and gently cut away underneath with his dagger. Uriel thrashed and screamed, her voice suppressed by the belt, and her wings barely trembling under her.

“Fff, oh god.” Constantine breathed in deeply, and wiped some sweat off of his brow.

Evan winced, his hand being nearly crushed by Uriel’s grip. “It’ll be ok. Come on Uriel, look at me, not at him.”

The angel complied and slowly turned her head to him. Her eyelids were red and irritated. Constantine pulled back her skin slowly, exposing the torn muscle and bone underneath. He then swiftly plunged the dagger into the flesh. Uriel’s body arched violently, and her muffled scream resonated throughout the house. Then there was only the sound of blood gushing as a wetted blade cut into an angel’s leg.

A soft twilight mist shone through the cracked window of the bedroom. It illuminated the quiet serene image of the room and all those in it. A raven perched itself on the windowsill, tapping gently into the glass with its long beak. Uriel’s tired eyes opened and blinked, once, twice, thrice. She closed them again. Her entire being was sore, her muscles felt limp, and her bones glass. She took a deep breath, trying not to choke on the pain of the act. Memories of the previous night swirled and churned within her mind. A mess, which she was unable to decipher at this moment. Uriel slowly turned her head. Evan was sleeping soundly headfirst into the mattress beside her, his legs and hips over the side of the bed, and his arm still firmly gripped by hers.

She let go, and tried pulling her head up to look around the room before she collapsed back onto her wings. Uriel glanced at them and winced at their dark, ugly color. The small glimpse she got showed her where her friends were. Wrath was passed out on the armchair next to the bed. She reminded her of Katherine, who sat in the same chair, reading a small book. Mephistopheles was asleep between the nightstand and the bed, his head resting against a pillow that was way too small for him. A sudden memory reached her consciousness. He was her dad. Uriel did not know how to think or react. All her early life she was alone, save for one person, her caretaker, the person she knew as her mother all this time, the manticore Cassandra.

Constantine. The name popped into her mind. She looked around again, this time she pulled herself up. The pain was still lingering, but it slowly faded. Uriel touched her forehead and felt a wet bandage. Pulling away the covers, she saw the bandages around her leg, and the blood that was spattered all over the mattress and the carpet beside the bed.

S-so much blood. God in heaven there’s so much blood. A chill shot through her body. She gulped. It’s… It’s my blood. Uriel closed her eyes and laid it slowly against the wooden frame of the bed. Where is… Constantine? That was her final thought before her tired body gave way under the weight of the pain and the spell of sleep.

Constantine was outside in the garden, sitting between a couple broken planks and shards of glass. He sat there staring out into the forest at the path of decimated trees that Uriel created. An entire chunk of the forest was just razed from the ground. Constantine looked on, occasionally taking a sip from a bottle of hard liquor that he held in his hand. He put down the bottle and brought his legs closer to him. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. His eyes were tired and weak, and depressed. He leaned down at the two objects in front of his legs, the holy half-spear, and the pale shadow’s skull. First he picked up the dagger, and stared at its hilt. He had cleaned the blood off of it after he finished the operation the previous night. He had foolishly hoped somehow the blue writing on it would have changed into something legible. It did not. With his other hand, he then picked up the skull. Constantine stared deep into its empty orbits.

“I can hear you, don't worry.” He said. “I can hear you, you bastard. You wouldn’t stop screaming last night. Uriel really did a number on you didn’t she? You don’t wanna answer? You don’t need to you ugly fucker. This mind connection… thing… you have with me works both ways. Now tell me, if I was to take this here dagger...” He twirled it around between his fingers. “...And crack your pretty little skull open with it, what would happen to you? Would you finally let me be at peace?”

The skull stared back at him, silent. In a moment of anger, he stabbed the top of the skull with his weapon. Still silent. A moment of clarity washed over him. Had he been talking to himself for hours? He pulled out the knife and threw the skull away. Now it adorned a very flattering crack that ran across the middle of its cranium. Constantine stared at the sky that was beginning to turn alight with the coming of the day. He took a swig from the bottle.

“I’m gonna fix it, fix it all. Do you hear me?” He shouted. “I’m gonna bring it all back, I’ll kill every last one of those fucking demons. I’ll end them all. You just watch me.” Tears began flowing through his eyes. He was a failure. He failed Nikolai, he failed Katherine, he failed Evan, and now he failed Uriel. But his eyes glowed with determination. He would not surrender. He would not allow despair to claim his soul. His resolve would be absolute, his hope would spark with undying fury. Constantine rose from the ground and stood tall. He smashed the bottle on the ground against a plank of wood. “I’ll kill my way through hell. I’ll kill my way through heaven if I have to. I’ll bring them back. I swear... I swear… I swear on Uriel’s blood. I swear I’ll bring Nikolai back. I’ll bring Katherine back too. I’ll save them both. And I swear I’ll kill you Azazel. You and all your fucking demons. I’ll kill them all, I will slaughter every last one of you.”

In that moment, the eternal fires of hope and vengeance had awakened.