Guardians of Innistrad
Violeta - Chapter II
As the night grew darker upon the town, Violeta finally ended her crying and began to climb the spiral staircase up to her bedroom. She slept restlessly, with dreams of demons and angels fighting one another in a great war. She tossed and turned as she heard Proc-arc-na’s voice yell out her name and she froze in fear when she heard it. She could not shake that voice. It haunted her, reminding her of how little power she truly had. For years she ruled over this town with an iron fist and none of that was compared to the power he had obtained over her. It truly frightened her.
She awoke.
Her nightmares were not uncommon. In fact it was rare for her to sleep peacefully but the majority of her nightmares were of things she truly feared. A loss of power, a loss of beauty, a loss of her mystery, these were things of her nightmares not that of her demon. Proc-arc-na is to her as is sunlight to a vampire or silver to a werewolf. It seemed he had returned to summon her for payment. She wondered to herself; hasn’t he taken enough from me?
This nightmare was particularly evil. This one was not a nightmare but rather a memory. A memory of her young womanhood, and it all started back in her homeland. Violeta was a very beautiful girl. Long black hair that when down went to mid back, a rosy velvet face with the brown eyes of a doe and she was always smiling. Violeta’s parents were not wealthy. They could not afford to bring Violeta all the things she had wished for but she would keep asking. Her father, a farmer, and her mother who stayed at home and cooked what little food they had and cleaned what little home they lived in. Violeta’s beauty began to become more and more apparent as she grew older but as she grew older she became angrier and increasingly aware of her beauty. She believed that one day she would be queen and nothing would stand the her way of her desires. She knew this would be true. She wanted the world but the world would not give itself to her so she would clutch its very heart.
By fourteen she was ready to take what she believed was hers. She rallied and rallied for the king and queen to be overthrown but they laughed and told her, “Long live the Royalty!”
She became furious. She became so furious she left the city. She left it vowing never to return until she could be queen.
For days she went from town to town begging for money, begging to stay in people’s home but not even her great beauty could gain her money or even a place to stay. She became fearful of death. She realized she could not stay on the streets for long. She had heard of people being assaulted, especially women, after dark. Evil men who had hearts of black or worse possessed by a demon would take women to their homes, and those women were never heard of again. She wrapped her shoal around her tightly.
“But those are only rumors,” she whispered, “this cannot be true.”
She left and began to wander the forest. She stumbled and she heard cracks of thunder. She had to find shelter. Tonight was a full moon rising and she could not stay out in the open. She foraged the forest for some form of sanctuary. Finally, near dusk and after hours of searching in the cold and rain, she found one, an abandoned church of Avacyn, slowly rotting away to the forest. She ran into the entrance and saw him.
She could not believe her eyes. No myths could describe exactly what Violeta had seen but it was there. A demon, in full form, its massive size filling the entire chamber, its legs stretched out over three rows of pews. This being was immense and Violeta knew without prior knowledge of what, and who, this was.
“Hello, little girl,” said the demon, “a bit far from home are we?” It chuckled. It chuckled in a strange way. It was menacing even for its kind.
Violeta did not respond, fear had stricken her tongue from the use of language of any kind. If she had wished to scream it would be expunged by the blackness of the beings void like body. She tried to shut her eyes but she could still see the demon’s form embedded into her eyelids.
“Oh you poor thing, let me warm you.” He opened his mouth and Violeta saw nothing but a vile spew extend from the demon’s mouth. It bounced all around her and something in her now panicked mind told her not to touch it.
“You are afraid? Why have you not spoken? Surely you would have wanted to come to me if you came to this place, right?”
She swallowed but her throat was still dry and she opened her mouth to say a word but all that came out was air. No words, just air.
The demon laughed. It was more startling than when it spoke.
“You cannot speak, can you little girl? You thought this home of that foul creature Avacyn would save you from the beings of night. Well you were wrong! This place is no longer sacred since that fool of a priest had lain with that whore of a woman! This place is now my domain and all those who enter must not leave! Including some innocent little girl whose family she has left behind! Now tell me why I should spare your life little one? Tell me why I, the great Proc-arc-Na should spare your soul?
Violeta stood frozen. The spittle still gurgling at her feet. She did not know what to say. If she did have anything to say it was gone. Her mind was too far insane by what she was witnessing that she could not understand her own thoughts. Then suddenly she stopped thinking. The being was drawing her in and her body was becoming lifeless. She felt him pulling her inwards and she was completely numb to it all. Her mind had stopped. Her heart was slowing. Any sense of pain or fear was gone. What she saw were those souls of the damned whom this demon had already killed. It was then she understood what she needed to do.
“Put…me…down…” she said with what little will she had left.
Shocked that she still had any vitality at all the demon quickly dropped her from his grasp and spoke,
“You continue to speak even in death. You are strong little one. Maybe your life can be spared, perhaps for the sake of a deal?”
She awoke.
Her nightmares were not uncommon. In fact it was rare for her to sleep peacefully but the majority of her nightmares were of things she truly feared. A loss of power, a loss of beauty, a loss of her mystery, these were things of her nightmares not that of her demon. Proc-arc-na is to her as is sunlight to a vampire or silver to a werewolf. It seemed he had returned to summon her for payment. She wondered to herself; hasn’t he taken enough from me?
This nightmare was particularly evil. This one was not a nightmare but rather a memory. A memory of her young womanhood, and it all started back in her homeland. Violeta was a very beautiful girl. Long black hair that when down went to mid back, a rosy velvet face with the brown eyes of a doe and she was always smiling. Violeta’s parents were not wealthy. They could not afford to bring Violeta all the things she had wished for but she would keep asking. Her father, a farmer, and her mother who stayed at home and cooked what little food they had and cleaned what little home they lived in. Violeta’s beauty began to become more and more apparent as she grew older but as she grew older she became angrier and increasingly aware of her beauty. She believed that one day she would be queen and nothing would stand the her way of her desires. She knew this would be true. She wanted the world but the world would not give itself to her so she would clutch its very heart.
By fourteen she was ready to take what she believed was hers. She rallied and rallied for the king and queen to be overthrown but they laughed and told her, “Long live the Royalty!”
She became furious. She became so furious she left the city. She left it vowing never to return until she could be queen.
For days she went from town to town begging for money, begging to stay in people’s home but not even her great beauty could gain her money or even a place to stay. She became fearful of death. She realized she could not stay on the streets for long. She had heard of people being assaulted, especially women, after dark. Evil men who had hearts of black or worse possessed by a demon would take women to their homes, and those women were never heard of again. She wrapped her shoal around her tightly.
“But those are only rumors,” she whispered, “this cannot be true.”
She left and began to wander the forest. She stumbled and she heard cracks of thunder. She had to find shelter. Tonight was a full moon rising and she could not stay out in the open. She foraged the forest for some form of sanctuary. Finally, near dusk and after hours of searching in the cold and rain, she found one, an abandoned church of Avacyn, slowly rotting away to the forest. She ran into the entrance and saw him.
She could not believe her eyes. No myths could describe exactly what Violeta had seen but it was there. A demon, in full form, its massive size filling the entire chamber, its legs stretched out over three rows of pews. This being was immense and Violeta knew without prior knowledge of what, and who, this was.
“Hello, little girl,” said the demon, “a bit far from home are we?” It chuckled. It chuckled in a strange way. It was menacing even for its kind.
Violeta did not respond, fear had stricken her tongue from the use of language of any kind. If she had wished to scream it would be expunged by the blackness of the beings void like body. She tried to shut her eyes but she could still see the demon’s form embedded into her eyelids.
“Oh you poor thing, let me warm you.” He opened his mouth and Violeta saw nothing but a vile spew extend from the demon’s mouth. It bounced all around her and something in her now panicked mind told her not to touch it.
“You are afraid? Why have you not spoken? Surely you would have wanted to come to me if you came to this place, right?”
She swallowed but her throat was still dry and she opened her mouth to say a word but all that came out was air. No words, just air.
The demon laughed. It was more startling than when it spoke.
“You cannot speak, can you little girl? You thought this home of that foul creature Avacyn would save you from the beings of night. Well you were wrong! This place is no longer sacred since that fool of a priest had lain with that whore of a woman! This place is now my domain and all those who enter must not leave! Including some innocent little girl whose family she has left behind! Now tell me why I should spare your life little one? Tell me why I, the great Proc-arc-Na should spare your soul?
Violeta stood frozen. The spittle still gurgling at her feet. She did not know what to say. If she did have anything to say it was gone. Her mind was too far insane by what she was witnessing that she could not understand her own thoughts. Then suddenly she stopped thinking. The being was drawing her in and her body was becoming lifeless. She felt him pulling her inwards and she was completely numb to it all. Her mind had stopped. Her heart was slowing. Any sense of pain or fear was gone. What she saw were those souls of the damned whom this demon had already killed. It was then she understood what she needed to do.
“Put…me…down…” she said with what little will she had left.
Shocked that she still had any vitality at all the demon quickly dropped her from his grasp and spoke,
“You continue to speak even in death. You are strong little one. Maybe your life can be spared, perhaps for the sake of a deal?”