The Falling
Adsecula
William
Luke noticed the sudden change in power in her before I did. He cried, "Will, let her go!"
As I stared at the demon, I noticed her eyes had changed color. The colors were inverted; originally being black with red narrow pupils and now they were ruby with black pupils. Her smirk was wicked, despite the painful grip around her throat. My whole body suddenly tingled violently with pain as I yelled and threw her from me. I jumped back from her, my nerve endings feeling raw and sensitive.
She landed on her feet and brought a slim hand up to her injured throat, which was already nothing more than a scar. Removing her hand she stared at her extremity as though seeing it for the first time, twisting it this way and that. Her hair was as white as Luke's, much to my bafflement; a stark contrast to the inky strands I had seen just moments before.
"It has been a while since I have been able to come out and play." She hummed, her voice noticeably different. Each time I had heard the demon speak, her voice was low and hoarse. This time, though, it was soft and higher pitched. Even the pungent smell of her fear was dissipating.
"What's up with her?" I asked Luke, figuring he had some idea of what was going on.
Luke was a little more than two thousand years older than me, old enough to be considered an expert on demons.
My brother's one good eye didn't leave the demon. "She's let her Adsecula take over."
"'Adsecula?'"
"Demons have two sides: their 'original' personality and a split, if you will. Eventually, the split merges with the original, forming a complete demon. She must be young, given that she has yet to merge with her Adsecula." He replied.
She was staring at us, her head tilted slightly to the side. With her large eyes, she looked like a child staring curiously at a stranger. "I am not in league with you two even now. Had she and I been fully merged, perhaps I could kill you."
She turned her back on us, her head lifted up. "Ah, I found the portal."
Without turning to look at us, she disappeared. Luke and I sprung back into action, our wings ripping out of our backs. We took to the sky, just high enough to be above the trees, while we quickly found her scent. Given the few second head start we unintentionally granted her, she hadn't gotten all that far.
"I'll go ahead and intercept her; we'll get her this time." Luke promised, speeding up and diving when he had an opening.
I landed and broke into a run. This forest was familiar to me and knew the portal was only a few kilometers away. The portal was a pair of ancient oak trees. They looked ill, their gnarled and knotted branches stretching toward the sky and instead tangled together, forming a large arch. No plants grew around them, the earth deadened and scorched. The air was stale with the slightest hint of sulfur, though there was no cause for it.
The strong smell of blood filled my nose as I drew near and I faintly worried if it was Luke's blood. When I got to the site of the portal I saw my apprehension was unfounded.
Luke had gotten to her on time, his scythe even bloodier than before. The demon was on one knee, clutching her previously injured shoulder. I noticed the fresher cut, the limb barely attached to the socket. She was breathing heavily, glaring at Luke with intense rage.
"You Angels are certainly faster than I had initially believed." Her voice was raspy with pain.
"Damned One, it is our duty to execute any of the Fallen who dare step into the realm of the humans." Luke stated, approaching her.
She was back on her feet, skirting away from the swipe. "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. You will not get me thrice."
Clutching her injured arm, she bolted for the portal. I stopped in front of her, blocking her way. Thinking she would stop, I was shocked when she placed her good hand on my shoulder and vaulted herself over me, leaving a bloodied handprint on my clean tunic. I gaped at her as she cleared my head and Luke shot past me, his scythe poised to strike.
"I won't let you escape!" He bellowed and swung his scythe.
The demon cried out and collapsed face first, her Achilles Tendons sliced. She turned to look at us. Her eyes were no longer red and her hair was darkened until it was jet black. Her eyes were misted over with tears and the lack of fear from before came back tenfold. She attempted to crawl toward the portal but Luke stepped on her back, grinding her into the ground. She coughed and moved weakly beneath his foot. He aimed his scythe for the back of her neck. The demon's body stiffened and her eyes widened with fright. My stomach convulsed when I heard her whimper and turned away, oddly sickened by the sight.
"Any last words, Demon?" Luke spat.
"I'm not going to beg for my life, if that's what you're hoping for." She sneered rebelliously.
There was a black blur that shot at Luke. He cried out and landed heavily on his back. I spun around and stared in horror at his wound before turning to snarl at the newcomer.
Luke noticed the sudden change in power in her before I did. He cried, "Will, let her go!"
As I stared at the demon, I noticed her eyes had changed color. The colors were inverted; originally being black with red narrow pupils and now they were ruby with black pupils. Her smirk was wicked, despite the painful grip around her throat. My whole body suddenly tingled violently with pain as I yelled and threw her from me. I jumped back from her, my nerve endings feeling raw and sensitive.
She landed on her feet and brought a slim hand up to her injured throat, which was already nothing more than a scar. Removing her hand she stared at her extremity as though seeing it for the first time, twisting it this way and that. Her hair was as white as Luke's, much to my bafflement; a stark contrast to the inky strands I had seen just moments before.
"It has been a while since I have been able to come out and play." She hummed, her voice noticeably different. Each time I had heard the demon speak, her voice was low and hoarse. This time, though, it was soft and higher pitched. Even the pungent smell of her fear was dissipating.
"What's up with her?" I asked Luke, figuring he had some idea of what was going on.
Luke was a little more than two thousand years older than me, old enough to be considered an expert on demons.
My brother's one good eye didn't leave the demon. "She's let her Adsecula take over."
"'Adsecula?'"
"Demons have two sides: their 'original' personality and a split, if you will. Eventually, the split merges with the original, forming a complete demon. She must be young, given that she has yet to merge with her Adsecula." He replied.
She was staring at us, her head tilted slightly to the side. With her large eyes, she looked like a child staring curiously at a stranger. "I am not in league with you two even now. Had she and I been fully merged, perhaps I could kill you."
She turned her back on us, her head lifted up. "Ah, I found the portal."
Without turning to look at us, she disappeared. Luke and I sprung back into action, our wings ripping out of our backs. We took to the sky, just high enough to be above the trees, while we quickly found her scent. Given the few second head start we unintentionally granted her, she hadn't gotten all that far.
"I'll go ahead and intercept her; we'll get her this time." Luke promised, speeding up and diving when he had an opening.
I landed and broke into a run. This forest was familiar to me and knew the portal was only a few kilometers away. The portal was a pair of ancient oak trees. They looked ill, their gnarled and knotted branches stretching toward the sky and instead tangled together, forming a large arch. No plants grew around them, the earth deadened and scorched. The air was stale with the slightest hint of sulfur, though there was no cause for it.
The strong smell of blood filled my nose as I drew near and I faintly worried if it was Luke's blood. When I got to the site of the portal I saw my apprehension was unfounded.
Luke had gotten to her on time, his scythe even bloodier than before. The demon was on one knee, clutching her previously injured shoulder. I noticed the fresher cut, the limb barely attached to the socket. She was breathing heavily, glaring at Luke with intense rage.
"You Angels are certainly faster than I had initially believed." Her voice was raspy with pain.
"Damned One, it is our duty to execute any of the Fallen who dare step into the realm of the humans." Luke stated, approaching her.
She was back on her feet, skirting away from the swipe. "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. You will not get me thrice."
Clutching her injured arm, she bolted for the portal. I stopped in front of her, blocking her way. Thinking she would stop, I was shocked when she placed her good hand on my shoulder and vaulted herself over me, leaving a bloodied handprint on my clean tunic. I gaped at her as she cleared my head and Luke shot past me, his scythe poised to strike.
"I won't let you escape!" He bellowed and swung his scythe.
The demon cried out and collapsed face first, her Achilles Tendons sliced. She turned to look at us. Her eyes were no longer red and her hair was darkened until it was jet black. Her eyes were misted over with tears and the lack of fear from before came back tenfold. She attempted to crawl toward the portal but Luke stepped on her back, grinding her into the ground. She coughed and moved weakly beneath his foot. He aimed his scythe for the back of her neck. The demon's body stiffened and her eyes widened with fright. My stomach convulsed when I heard her whimper and turned away, oddly sickened by the sight.
"Any last words, Demon?" Luke spat.
"I'm not going to beg for my life, if that's what you're hoping for." She sneered rebelliously.
There was a black blur that shot at Luke. He cried out and landed heavily on his back. I spun around and stared in horror at his wound before turning to snarl at the newcomer.