GUYS I HIT MY WORD GOAL 20K WORDS LET'S GOOOO anyway i do kind of like this chapter :D not many hints or anything in this one, though. next should give more substantial information :DD --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- trigger warnings: sharp object, slight innuendo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A PAYMENT IN SOULS “Aries to the north with Virgo and Sagittarius.” When the stars were shattered, life was lost. “Aquarius to the west with Taurus and Libra.” Everything began on paper, everything shall return. “The Geminis with Cancer to the east.” And it all falls down. “And Scorpio with Pisces in the south.” Leo grinned, a shiny flower holding their curly hair back from their face. They led María by the hand down the silent grey streets, skipping ever so slightly with joy. At this time of day the murderers should be prowling, but something was keeping them from it. Giggling, María pushed some hair back out of her face with a shining knife precariously balanced between her fingers. “Now, the question is,” Leo continued, already knowing the answer, “Kill ‘em first and burn down later or burn ‘em all down together?” The girl grinned. The knife glinted in her hand and she turned to them, something wicked in her eyes. “You know what I want.” “I know you do, love,” they said slyly. “Now, who first?” María fixed a slip of silk over her shoulder and turned pointedly towards a bricked-in house down to the left of the pair. “Those two have been bothering me quite a bit lately,” she remarked. “Sleeping around all hours of the night, and you know everybody hates their neighbors. I suppose it’s only due that they go first.” Leo smirked. “Very well, then. Let’s go!~” And, skipping fully now, the couple walked away into the house. Emilia clutched her shoulder bag, packed to the brim with her belongings. The end had begun. Gabriel had woken her hurriedly that morning, warning that she had to pack her things and get up, as they were leaving immediately. Anyone left behind was to be exterminated. She rubbed a small dried flower with her thumb and finger, something she often found herself doing when she was stressed. It reminded her of something familiar and never failed to calm her down. Except now. Everything, she felt, had built up to this moment. She had nowhere to go, no way to escape or find the easy way as she usually did. Emilia was stuck. So the only thing she could do was fumble her way through. Gabriel dragged her quickly by the arm through the narrow hallway, not saying a word until they reached the front door. “You need to go with Raphael right now to a safe place until your souls are unbound.” Emilia paused, confused. “Uh-” “Go!” they said urgently. This change in tone startled her into action and she moved forward almost against her own will. Raphael quickly appeared out of nowhere to direct her towards the forest, grabbing her wrist. “You’re gonna need to run towards the barrier with the others,” the Archangel said in a soft tone that didn’t match the situation at all. “His Heaven’s been burnt down, but that wasn’t an option to go anyway. Until he’s been destroyed, the world will be unstable still and your souls will still be tied to this place. I just need you to wait.” She paused, noticing Emilia shaking under her grip. “Hey. It’s gonna be okay. I’ll ask Michael to find you once you’re there, okay?” Emilia nodded shakily and before Raphael could say anything else, she took off, her dead heart drumming in her ribcage. Barreling wildly through the pillars, she stumbled through the masses of people and almost ran straight into the barrier. Smokey violet mist swirled under the surface. “Oh, Jesus,” she heard a voice from behind her whine, followed by, “No, not - it’s an expression, for goodness’ sake! Go back where you came from!” Michael practically fell over by Emilia’s side, hitching up their skirts. “I,” they inhaled, “cannot bear all these people!” They looked at her expectantly for a reply and huffed. “I’m sorry,” Emilia responded, quite unsure of what to say. “I - how long are we going to be here?” “What, are you getting impatient?” Michael said snidely. They sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m on edge. We don’t know how long it’ll take for the Children to do everything. All we can do is wait for now.” (cont)
(cont) Somewhere to the left of them, there was a loud bitten-off profanity, followed by a scuffle. The Archangel looked up indignantly. “Not on my watch,” they hissed, storming over and leaving Emilia quite alone in the crowd. Still unsettled, she turned back to the barrier wall only to bump quite suddenly into someone beside her, who was looking out the window longingly. “Hello,” the girl said casually without turning to look at Emilia. “I thought I’d check out the chaos. And maybe see what it’s like.” She turned now and smiled sweetly, leaning in conspiratorially. “Of course, I’m not really supposed to be here. But you won’t tell anyone, will you? I’m sure my sister’s already meddled her fair bit. And I’ve forgotten how to get to His chambers, so I suppose this is the best view I shall get.” She laughed at some inside joke with no one. Emilia didn’t answer, being transfixed by the girl herself. She had stark white, curly hair that was pinned back at the nape of her neck and led to trail down her back, with pale-white skin and huge black eyes that seemed to stare an unsettling distance inside of you. But this strange person was distracted now, looking somewhere over Emilia’s shoulder. Emilia was vaguely aware of a glowing black presence and a ruffled flower-shaped object just above the girl’s head. “Gabriel!” the girl called, waving as she brushed past Emilia, leaving a cold aftereffect on where they had touched. Emilia shivered, rubbing her arms free of goosebumps. As she did this, the ground rumbled, and she immediately after felt something very sharp slice into just under her skin. Frowning, she turned her arm over to see where whatever it was had hit, but her skin was smooth and just a shade too pale, as usual. Someone with a sweet voice swore very loudly behind her. The contract flickered at the edges. A million cuts; the damage too great to be told. Leo’s grin widened. “We’re going to eat well tonight~ !”
