The Changeling: A Hellboy story
Summary: When a curse gives birth to a demon baby, Olivia's parents strike a deal with the BPRD to keep her away from human life. Bitter and angry, she escapes with the BPRD in hot pursuit. How can one prevail in light when no one lets them try? AbexOC
Prolouge:
Birth is a beautiful thing. The beginning of a new life, recreating man without the expense or technology of advanced biological machines and ten times simpler. The miracle of life is so astounding, it is celebrated every year, known as a birthday where family and friends cheer for the life of one so luckily brought into this world.
But that is not always the case.
One such case was with Mr. and Mrs. Lowan, noted archaeologists. They had traveled the world in search of the truth, what history left behind. It gave them great joy to hold a piece of history in their hands whenever they visited places like Brazil, Egypt, or China. Their curiousity knew no boundaries. And when Mrs. Lowan soon became expectant of a baby, they could only be content with cooing over the swelling belly as they kept working, thinking about a new home, a new school, and which college she should graduate from with a major in History. It was not meant to be.
They were estatic. Mrs. Lowan was already six months along and they were both comissioned by their college to investigate a pagan temple found in the wild mountains of England. It was completely unknown before then, and it piqued their interest immensely. They packed their bags quickly and set off for London. Upon approaching the temple, they noticed it to be entrancing to the mind. Horned beings sprung grotesquely from the stone walls, vines slithered like snakes up stone pillars, and it oozed a sense of mystique and history. They were unhesitant to enter. The murals chipped ancient paint, depicting vastly descriptive paitings of many strange satyr-like beings. They had curled horns, like a ram, and the bottom half of a goat. Some showed them fighting with strange, staff-like clubs, with heavy brass knobs to knock in the skulls of their foes. Others showed them making off with handsome humans, or dancing while greedily gulping down vast quantities of wine. They were wild, mad, beings to be certain. Could they have stumbled onto a completely different race?
Their next step, however, signalled the end of their adventurous careers.
They finally reached the main chamber, with an altar and statue depicting a giant god, half man, half ram. He held the largest of all their staffs, with a gigantic gold knob, shaped like a ram's head. The knob on the statue even looked like it was stained with blood. No sooner had the Lowans crossed the threshold of the passageway did it slam shut. They quaked in fear as the entire temple trembled and shook. Clinging to each other like spider monkeys, they watched the fearful statue begin to stretch and move until all the stone, vine, and age trembled away from rough goat fur and skin. With a grotesque hand, he pointed to the terrified couple, and boomed out in a terrible and angry voice.
"You have descecrated the temple with your foul human prescence. You shall recieve no punishment, but that life within you shall be lost!"
And within seconds, they were outside again, the temple completely disappeared. After they returned home, Mr. Lowan and his wailing wife resigned and moved into the quiet country. For three more months, the pregnancy seemed to go undisturbed. But everytime Mrs. Lowan felt the little infant inside kick, her face paled and she felt like vomiting. Whatever was in there did not feel human. And she could not have been more right.
When the day finally came, she couldn't go to the hospital. She begged her husband not to, fearing the worst. And after twelve painful, excruciating hours, something came out. And the Lowans both burst into tears at the sight of it, howling along with the hungry, frightened creature there. And it was nothing human.