criticism, are you?” She heard him say.
“Leave. Me. Alone.” She said slowly, as if talking to a challenged kid. Which she was starting to suspect he might be.
“Such a temper. You’re really an unpleasant person to talk to.” He said.
“Then stop following me!” Selissa nearly screamed. There really was no getting through to this walking stick. His skull had to be the thickest part of him.
“Hasn’t anyone ever told you that a woman should act more like a lady?” He asked smirking. What she wouldn’t do to wipe that smirk off his face… She felt the last of her patience snap.
“Now you listen to me, you arrogant, sexist, narrow-minded—“ Selissa’s tirade was interrupted by a high-pitched scream. She abruptly stopped speaking and turned to where the sound was coming from. It didn’t take long before she realized it was coming from the ceremony hall.
She cast a shocked look at Alassane, before setting into a sprint.
She reached the hall in record time, Alassane hot on her heels. The screaming had faded into a loud sobbing by the time they entered.
In the middle of the large room, a girl lay on her knees in front of the statue of the archangel Issara. Selissa recognized her as one of the few female apprentices in the temple.
She continued sobbing, completely oblivious to their presence. Selissa tried to see what had caused the girl’s despair, but her view was blocked by her hunched form. She stepped closer to get a better look, careful not to startle her. She stepped around her and had to fight off nausea at the sight that met her.
It was gruesome. A body was lying at the statue’s feet. It took her a second to recognize it as the boy who had helped her yesterday. The boy Nadia had said was going to die…
It was an eerie sight. Empty, lifeless eyes were staring blindly into the air, no longer seeing anything. His body was mutilated so terribly that she almost couldn’t recognize him. It looked like every bone in his body had been broken, his limbs spread out in unnatural angles. Half of his face had been ripped to shreds, like some animal had tried to tear it apart.
But the most terrifying thing was the gaping hole in his chest. She could see the broken ribs sticking out, covered by bloody flesh. Selissa felt a violent urge to throw up when she realized that his heart had been ripped out.
She had to avert her eyes and bowed her head to look at the floor. That’s when she noticed it. She hadn’t seen it before, because her eyes had been drawn to the bloodied body.
A symbol was drawn on the floor. In blood.
It was crudely drawn, blood splattered everywhere, but Selissa recognized it immediately. How she recognized it she didn’t know, but she knew she had seen it before. It was a demonic mark. The mark of the demon lord Azarial.
A sudden pain shot through her back. She bent over and gasped in shock from the pain.
It felt like the mark on her back was burning. Like it was reacting to the bloody mark on the floor.
‘It has begun.’ A low whisper sounded. Selissa stiffened in shock.
A lot of people had been attracted by the screaming, but the voice didn’t belong to any of the newcomers. It was more like she felt it rather than actually heard it. Like a presence in the back of her head.
The burn in her back had faded into weak heat, but she was still acutely aware of it.
‘It’s a warning.’ The voice sounded again before going quiet.
“—issa. Selissa!” Selissa looked up, startled, as she realized someone was shouting her name. This voice was far more familiar and far more real to her. Calen was looking at her, concern clear in his eyes.
“Are you okay?” He asked worried. She nodded, absentmindedly noticing that the hysterical girl was being led away, while some of the priests examined the body.
She felt the presence in her head fading away together with the warmth in her back. “What is this?” She whispered, when she finally found her voice. Calen simply looked at her, a lost expression on his face, but Alassane caught her eyes and held them.
“They have started to move. This is only the first step…”
7
They both froze at his words.
Selissa stared at Alassane. “What? What are you talking about?!” She asked, her voice rising in frustration. Alassane pretended not to hear her.
“They have waited a long time. Something must have changed… Or maybe they simply ran out of patience…” He said these words as if talking to himself.
“Who are ‘they’? How do you know about this? Who are you?” Selissa wasn’t sure which question to ask first. There seemed to be a million. She could feel herself getting more and more frustrated. She didn’t understand a thing of what was going on and the smell of blood was making her lightheaded. Focus, She told herself firmly. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Calen looking intently at Alassane.
“I think you have some explaining to do.” He said. Selissa had never seen Calen look so serious before. There was no trace of the smile that usually graced his face, and the look in his eyes was hard.
Alassane returned Calen’s stare calmly for a moment. Finally he nodded his head slightly. “This is not the best place.” He said simply. Calen nodded and started walking towards the door, his hand still on Selissa’s shoulder, leading her along. Alassane followed without another word.
ℓ
Ten minutes later Selissa found herself in the room that served as Calen’s study. She and Calen sat facing Alassane, who had chosen to stand leaning against the wall.
Selissa felt a mist clouding her head. The entire situation was so surreal, and she had trouble making sense of the chaotic thoughts in her head. She could still smell the stench of blood, despite leaving the body behind. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see the gaping hole where a human heart had been ripped out. She clenched her fists against her knees, trying to force the image from her mind.
Calen placed a hand over her closed fist gently. She sent him a weak smile, trying to reassure him when he looked at her worriedly. He squeezed her hand, before turning his attention back to Alassane. She could feel how tense he was as he sat waiting for him to speak. She had never seen him like that. He nodded at Alassane as a signal for him to start his story.
Alassane didn’t seem to be in any hurry though. He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He inhaled deeply, before blowing out the smoke.
“That boy was killed by a group of people who call themselves the Demios.” He said slowly, contemplating what to tell them.
“The Demios?” Selissa asked. Somehow that sounded familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had heard it.
“Yes. They’re a decades old clan, consisting of very dangerous people.” He said.
“Dangerous? You don’t say… Is what was done to that boy the work of ‘dangerous’ people?” She asked sarcastically. Fear and shock was still lingering in her mind and she channeled it into anger. It was easier to deal with anger.
Alassane was not fazed and merely held her eyes. “These people are far more dangerous than you can imagine. They are not only extremely powerful, but also worshippers of demons.”
“Demon worshippers? If that is so, I see why they would leave the body like that. But why would it make them more dangerous than what we already have seen?” Calen said, always the voice of reason.
“If they were merely demon worshippers, I guess they wouldn’t be more of a threat. Humans are after all weak beings. But the members of the Demios are not simply humans.” Alassane answered, his voice becoming more serious.
“What do you mean?” Selissa asked, her curiosity winning out on her anger.
“The Demios consists only of people who have been under the influence of demon magic. Like that red-haired friend of yours.” He said, looking at Selissa seriously.
“Nadia? But… Why?” She asked confused.
“The people who received the Mark of the Cursed are all born with a sp
ecial ability. All of these abilities are unique from each other. Some have abilities that make them extremely dangerous in combat, others have abilities that give them knowledge no others have access to. The thing they have in common is that they are far superior to other humans.”
Calen closed his eyes, deep in thought. “So you’re saying that this was done by a group of fanatics with demonic abilities?” He opened his eyes and looked at Alassane seriously. “But why? Why that boy?”
“The boy probably had nothing to do with this. He was merely the sacrifice they used to give their warning.” Alassane answered.
Warning… That was the word the mystical voice had used too. Selissa bit her lip, wondering if she should mention what she had heard earlier. She decided not to. She reasoned that she had just imagined it because of the shock. Besides, she didn’t need them to think she was going crazy. Enough people thought that already.
“Warning? What kind of warning?” She asked out loud.
“A warning that they have started to move again. And that they will try to complete the ritual that failed years ago.” Alassane answered, taking a drag of his cigarette, casual despite the words leaving his mouth. His eyes never left Selissa.
“Ritual? What ritual? And how do you know all this?” She asked, making eye-contact with Alassane. She tried to find out what he hid behind those dark eyes of his, but there was nothing there. They were as calm and emotionless as the sky before a storm.
“A ritual they tried to complete several years ago,
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