Amilia went up to take a shower after an hour of dusting and cleaning the room. The Fallen, however, during the battle with the clouds of dust, had escaped to who knows where. Amilia didn’t care. She’s filthy and tired so a long shower will help ease her sore muscles. The room fogged from the hot steam coming from the shower stall. Amilia engulfed herself and let her body relax. She sighed. She had contemplated the events that had led to this. She didn’t know that she will be back to her hometown where she had collected a good number of bad memories. She thought of how her grandparents used to fight all the time. How her father would shout at her mother for no reason or when he was drunk. How the children around her age used to bully and treat her like an outcast. She tried to remember some good days but nothing would surface. It’s either she had nothing or she had forgotten about it at all. She decided to finish her shower when her hands started to wrinkle. She looked at her reflect
“Hey, what’s wrong?” He shook Amilia’s shoulder as tears streamed down her face. She hiccups once before falling into a sobbing pit. Slowly, like a movie, images flashed before her eyes. She remembered the faces of her friends. Their smiles. Their tired eyes. And how scared they were before she did what she was asked. There’s no mistaking it. It was her fault. She did it to her friend. Just like what she said in the journal, she offered her to him. She remembered now. The voice. More clearly. More precise. The voice had tricked her. He said that he would do nothing to her friends. But they disappeared right before her eyes. Amilia cry. Sobbing, she tried to contain the pain. She tried to trample down the guilt she felt. Her chest tightened. Her knees buckled as she fought the memories back. She shouldn’t have looked for answers. She should not come back. She should bury those memories forever. Amilia was in pain. She didn’t know what to think anymore. She was just there, kneeling a
“Harold, no!” Editha rushed to where her granddaughter is. She tried to remove the grasp her husband had on Amilia. “No! No, please. She’s your granddaughter. No.” She pleaded. Harold swings his arms that were holding Amilia’s neck so both women get thrown to the side. Editha’s back bumped at the wall. She winced in pain and when she had recovered, she went to where Amilia was. She gathered the poor child in her arms and hugged her. “Amilia, wake up. Wake up, dear?” Harold grabbed a fistful of Editha’s hair forcefully and made her look at him. He was amused. It was the first time that he saw the woman with such hatred and, did he just see disgust? Harold smiled. But that didn’t affect Editha’s determination. This was making Harold thrilled so much that he wanted to laugh out loud. She released Editha and stood. Dusting his pants, he looks at the woman. “You are very lucky tonight. I’m amused, Editha. Why don’t you entertain me more?” With that, he left. Editha watched the man dis
“First we need to get back to your friends.” The Fallen said making Amilia furrow her eyebrows. “How is that going to help us?” She asked. “Because that guy had a book. It was a good book and most of the answers were written in there.” Amilia remembers the grimoire that Zephyr owned. Yeah! That book can help. “I’ll just gather my things and maybe talk to my grandmother.” Amilia then went to where she put her bag. Her stuff was placed on top of it and some of her dirty clothes are in there too. She had rummaged her bag earlier to look for something suitable to wear after the shower but she had a hard time picking what she wanted so her neat and dirty clothes ended up compiling on top of the bag, mixed. “What for?” Amilia didn’t look at the Fallen. She was busy trying to organize the clothes. But she did answer his question. “Because she’s coming with us. She’s not safe here. That Bellua thing might kill her if he learned that we run away or something.” “He wouldn’t do that.” He
“Amilia! Are you back? Are you there?” Amilia heard some hush whispers on her door followed by knocks. She yawned and stretch. She had slept on the sofa last night and let Editha sleep on her bed. Her body ached a little but it was not a worry at the moment. It was the man who was watching her at the side. The Fallen. Before Amilia could say a word, she heard the knocks again. She got up. Glancing at the bedroom door, she opened her front door. “Amilia!” Lizzie beamed that earned a shush from Zephyr. Lizzie ignored the man. She was busy hugging her friend, whom she had not seen for a while. Amilia slowly and carefully removed Lizzie’s vice grip on her body. She can now feel that she was sucking Lizzie’s energy. She can feel her body absorbing something from Lizzie. “I’m happy to see you too, Lizz. But maybe we can take this inside.” Amilia offered. The three of them went inside. Lizzie settled down on the couch while Zephyr was scanning the surrounding before carefully placing him
“Where could he be?” Lizzie was looking around in frantic. She had followed Zephyr when he run out of Amilia’s apartment. She didn’t have any idea where he could be but still, she might as well do something than wait at the apartment. She was worried. He looked so bad when she got a glimpse. She runs a few more blocks. Then went the other way too. She traces their way from the bus station to the apartment. Then she went to look for some quiet places he might go. Lizzie didn’t know Zephyr that much so she was just running around trying her luck. Meanwhile, Amilia was now sitting in her living room, the Fallen in front of her and Editha was in the bathroom. The both of them were just staring at each other, not saying anything. She was sizing him up. But he was just sitting there emotionless. As if he was just relaxing in his house. “What was that?” Amilia asked. “What? I just answered his question.” He said coolly. “What did you say exactly?” Amilia pushed him. Crossing her arms at
“Tell me, what is happening? You said that I can go wherever I want when we reached here. But now, what? You want me to live with people I barely know?” To say that Editha was angry was an understatement. She was fuming with rage. Amilia and her friends had picked her up from the grocery store and then drive her, not to Amila’s apartment, but to a diner where Amilia said she was working. That’s not all, Amilia also told her that the woman would be living there with the owner of the diner. “Editha, I can’t explain everything to you right now without sounding crazy. But I need you to believe me, just as how you believed me when we left your house.” Amilia rumbled. “Did Harold catch up with us?” The old woman asked which Amilia answered with a shake of her head. “Then at least tell me why do I have to live here? Amilia, I may be old but I’m not stupid!” Editha exclaimed. Amilia sighed. She really can’t explain everything to her grandmother. It was hard telling her that her granddaug
“Liz, are you sure about this? You know I am not forcing this on you or anything. If you don’t feel so good about this you can tell me. The plan can also commence either way.” Amilia explained to her friend. “It’s okay, Amilia. I’m okay. I want to help you guys. I also wanted to save those children. I grew up in a strict family but I love them so much and wouldn’t trade them for anything in this world. Thinking about those poor children out there, with no parents, no warm hugs, and scared… I want to help.” Lizzie said with finality. Amilia nods her encouragement. She knew she wouldn’t let Lizzie get harmed. She promised herself that they’ll get through with this. “Okay. Let’s go tell them.” ✒✒✒ “Now, put your hands to her chest and head.” Amilia did as she was told. They were now starting to gift Lizzie her ability on the Fallen’s command. He had already told them about the changes after the passing and they had tried to question Lizzie’s decision a few more times. The girl was
“Where should we start?” Lizzie, John, and Linda were on the way to the place where the storm hits. The rain just stopped and reports are coming about the casualties and deaths. News outlets were also covering the reason behind such natural disasters. The government is extending help here and there to the victims and their families. Reports of missing persons were flooding the stations. It’s been days since the rain stopped but the sun couldn’t be since that day when it sets. The sky would lighten when it was morning but it was just full of skies. Lizzie asked the two to come out with her to find Amilia. They waited for how many days. At first, they thought that she just needed time for herself since it looked like she had finished her mission with success. They waited for her return. Zephyr was getting better but Amilia hasn’t come back. Neither the angel nor the Fallen came back. Lizzie and Zephyr got worried when after a few days nobody came back. They decided to wait for anothe
Harold didn’t get that far. He was already weak when they caught up with him. He was starting to decompose. The skin on his body was falling apart. He was no longer the Harold Amilia remembered him to be. “He must’ve used a lot of his powers with you,” the angel said beside her. “He was already dead and losing his powers means that his body would eventually catch up. There is no way for him to get energy anymore,” he continued to explain. “It will be easy to defeat him no. Let’s go.” The three of them get close to Harold. He now looked like a corpse. Well, that is because he is a corpse, Amilia. Amilia disregard he thoughts and readied the dagger. She clasped the handle tightly and close to her. She can feel Elena’s power dancing on her arms and running towards her palm. She was holding the dagger that was supposed to kill Elena and she was helping her with her powers. What an irony. “Are you ready?” Amilia took a deep breath before answering the Fallen with a nod. The angel was
You need to wake up, Amilia. Please! Scared. Elena was getting scared. It was something she hasn’t felt for so long. She didn’t get scared when she fell into a deep slumber in the unknown. She wasn’t this scared when she met the Steward for the first time. Nor when the Fallen brought the dagger to her. It wasn’t like this, never like this. It was a type where you can feel that you are weak. That you are facing someone or something that was in a whole other world stronger than you. Elena would admit defeat. But she wasn’t alone right now. Amilia needed her. That damn girl! She needs to wake up! I don’t like the look of this one. Elena did her best. She was continuously reaching out to Amilia’s consciousness and calling her. There wasn’t much response at first. Elena assumed that Amilia was now gone but eventually, Elena felt that tap. Amilia was still there. She’s still inside stuck in her mind. Amilia, listen to me. Amilia did. The familiar voice she was hearing vaguely earlier g
Watch out! Amilia was drowned in her little world of self that she failed to notice Harold advancing toward her. Elena tried to warn him but it was too late. Amilia was already deep down and Harold had managed to grasp her arms. He didn’t waste any time and took over Amilia’s body. No! Elena did her best to hold off the Bellua but he was stronger than her. her powers were also diminishing so could only do as much. Luckily, it was enough to keep her and Amilia’s sanity. It will be up to her to fight. “Amilia!” Both the Fallen and the angel rushed off to where Harold run off to, to Amilia. She was standing a few meters away from them. Her eyes were hollow and she was stiff. There was dark smoke coming out of her body. She looked as if she was decaying. “He was sucking the energy she had left in her. At this rate, she will die,” the angel pointed out. The Fallen attacked without much say. He tried to land a punch on Amilia’s side but she was quick to catch his fist. She deflected a
“It will be hard to approach Harold, what is the plan?” Amilia asked the two entities she was with. “It will be hard since Strays and Shade will be around him. You said that the Weaver looked tattered, right?” Amilia nodded at the Fallen. “Maybe we can get through him first. Harold and the Steward don’t have a direct connection. Harold was connected to the Weaver and the Weaver to Steward. We can sever that connection first.” Amilia and the angel nodded at him in agreement. They proceed to go to where Harold was. They did travel not so smoothly since the traffic was jammed. The people were in chaos running here and there and bumping with people. Some are making a scene and fighting with each other. It was an alarming scene but Amilia couldn’t stop to break some of the fights. She needed to get to the source. “We need to move fast!” The angel looked up to see that the tornado was growing more. It was now consuming some trees and cars. The rain also picked up the pace and was now po
“You what?” Amilia heard a resounding laugh in her head as Elena enjoyed herself with what the Fallen had confessed. It was a nice confession, very nice. Amilia looked at the Fallen and wished that he was just joking. That it wasn’t true and the dagger was just actually hidden somewhere. But the look on his face was clear as day, he wasn’t joking. “Why would you do that?” It was Lizzie who presented to ask the Fallen that. The Fallen was silent. He was looking everywhere trying to avoid the questions. Amilia sighed at his reaction. He may be some powerful being but he was a stupid one. Doing stupid things and getting blinded by love. She heard another laugh. Will you please stop? Sorry, I can’t. Yeah, as if you were not the one who made him like that. Silence. That’s what Amilia thought. Their discussion was cut off by another rumble of the ground. It shook slightly. They all looked outside and saw that rain was starting to fall. The sky darkened even more as if it was already
Their love grew and flourish but not for long. Word eventually got out and their little secret love affair became known except for the humans. Elena would stumble upon some entities and would give her a look here and there. It wasn’t much at first but eventually, it started to get into her. It was slowly making her doubt everything she was feeling. The reality was slowly sinking into her mind. she wasn’t doubting the love they were sharing, but the situation they were in. Their love was at the wrong time. That is what was running on Elena’s mind as she stared outside her window. It was almost night time and the full moon was coming. That means, that the night he would come was nearing. She was usually very excited but not this time, not right now. She was dreading the upcoming day. There was a knock on her window that made her startled. Another knock confirmed that it was a rock. Elena stood up from her seat and went to open her window. There was no one outside. She looked left and
“You left this behind.” “How? What?” Amilia stammered. “You were busy with other things so I figured that I’ll just pick this up for you,” the Fallen shamelessly said. “I mean, you were supposed to be somewhere, right? What are you doing here?” Amilia looked around her but there was no other being in sight aside from the both of them. She looked at the Fallen again and to the grimoire in his hands. She walked up to him and tried to get the book but the Fallen was quick to dodge her hand and raised the book. Because he was taller than her, reaching it would be a problem. “Who told you that? And where am I supposed to be?” the Fallen looked down on her. “The angel told me. I don’t know, you were supposed to be fighting the Bellua or something?” Amilia was still trying to reach the book to no avail. She was just small enough for him. “Don’t believe everything he says. Some of them are…” the Fallen didn’t finish what he was supposed to say. “Are what?” Instead of answering her, th
The Weaver didn’t expect anything from Amilia. He was dismissing what happened earlier as a coincidence so, when she attacked him again, he was caught off guard. For some reason, she had gained strength out of the blue. Her grip on his neck was stronger than any normal person’s. Even stronger than the angels. It can level with the Steward. “What…?” He was stunned. Amilia only smirked at him and squeezed his neck. But the Weaver wasn’t letting her do what she wanted so easily. He held her on the waist and lift her. He managed to separate her from him when he threw Amilia on the wall as if she was just a measly rug. Amilia fell into a coughing fit when her back hit the wall. She was on her knees and he back was in sharp pain. The Weaver was also coughing but not as bad as Amilia. But that wouldn’t stop her. Not now, when she was just starting. So, she lunged again. This time she came prepared. She had picked up the bat she owned lying on the ground below the window. She swung it with