Why the fuck am I still here? Ian had lain awake for hours, sleeplessly pondering the problem and its various solutions. On the one hand, he could jump the next plane home to England, tell his course supervisor that he couldn't handle the culture or something similar and forget anything had ever happened. On the other hand… well, he felt something here, something deeper than he could understand at that given moment. The unanswered questions were eating him alive, and he ultimately decided that he had to know what was going on and just who he was. The images on the bridge had blown his mind, and walking back to his flat soaked to the bone didn't help. Ian figured he was going to develop a weeklong cold now, but that was the least of his concerns. For now, he had to find that girl again.
Five hours of insomnia had finally let him remember where he'd seen her before. The first day on campus, she'd been talking with Mina and Serena, Dawn's friends. He figured all he had to do now was find Dawn and follow her until he and that girl inevitably met up again. That plan had let him get a few hours of sleep before having to drag himself to lecture that morning. Still… I shoulda asked her name. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the lecture theatre and took the same place as before. Ian shrugged out of his jacket, laying it across the seat next to him in the vain hope that Dawn would show up and take her same seat as before, and not run a mile in the opposite direction.
"Damnit, Serena!" Dawn sprinted across campus, sloshing her coffee everywhere and aggravating the burns on her hands. Gauze and tape covered the index and middle fingers of each hand, which made holding anything difficult. The fact that her companion had decided to linger over breakfast didn't improve her disposition, and Serena's insistence on a third strawberry pastry had resulted in the mad dash across campus. "Just one more, we've got loads of time left," she mimicked, the sarcasm oozing so thick that the blonde could have slipped in it. Slip she did, falling facefirst onto the pavement and yet inflicting only minor damage to one of her knees. Dawn sighed and stopped, extending a hand to help her friend up. In all fairness, she could have left with the rest of the girls, and Mina had warned her about Serena's inability to be on time anywhere. Serena took the hand, careful to avoid the bandages.
"Thanks," she muttered, dusting herself off before they started a fast walk towards the center of campus. "Hey, Dawn," she began in a more serious tone. "Did you notice anything strange about Lita this morning?"
"To me, you're all strange," Dawn joked. "Not really, but I don't know her that well to tell. Why're you asking?"
"She was so withdrawn," Serena replied in a concerned tone. "I think she's really worried about all that's gone on in the past few days." She turned towards another classroom building as Dawn skidded to a stop next to her.
"Personally, I'm a little more than freaked out," she said with a grin. "If anyone else is, then they probably have a right to be. Anyways, noon at my place, right?"
"Yeah, I'll get everyone there," Serena promised.
"And I'll do my best to get Ian to stop in," she smiled. That is, if he comes in today.
Under the seemingly emotionless expression, Ian was getting nervous. He wondered if she was deliberately staying away from the lecture because of him. Damn it to hell. He'd noticed the guy who'd had the girly schoolbag the other day come in. The guy had come in sporting a fairly normal backpack this morning, sneering at him before sitting on the other side of the room. The lecture was about to start and Dawn was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the professor, for that matter. Suddenly, the east door burst open, slamming against the wall and causing half of the people in the theatre to jump in their seats. Ian didn't jump but turned around to face whatever had come through the door this time.
Dawn smiled sheepishly at the sea of faces staring at her, silently cursing whoever had polished the floor the evening before. Running at top speed so as not to be late, she'd needed the door to stop her and hadn't counted on the marble being so slick. Her face red with embarrassment, she scanned the crowd looking for the one person who wouldn't be smiling this early in the morning. Now where in the… aha. Ian was right where he'd been during the first class. Creature of habit, huh? The double meaning of the term struck her as immensely funny, and she giggled to herself as she approached the row where he sat. As she made her way past the already filled seats, her grin faltered slightly. Here she was trying to get him to come to her place that afternoon where a talking cat was going to inform him of the events of his past life. Dawn wondered if she couldn't just wait until after class, or if maybe she could get Amy to tell him tomorrow and just take a day to recover. Besides, the thought of deliberately annoying someone who could transform into an eight foot tall demon at will wasn't exactly comforting. Dawn's mind began playing what-if as she got closer and closer… what could she even begin to say at this point? Oh God… I should just turn around and…
"I need to talk to you," Ian blurted out, a little louder than he should have. He pulled his jacket off of the chair next to him and waited for Dawn to sit down.
"Funny, I coulda said the same thing," she replied, a little surprised that he'd bothered to save a seat for her, and somewhat nervous at his insistence.
"I need to know the name of the tall brunette you were talking with on the first day of class before we met." Fuck beating around the bush, I need answers.
"How come?" The corners of her mouth twisted up in playful expression. "Little Brit got himself a crush?" As Ian's eyes narrowed at the response, Dawn's complexion went completely pale, and she wondered if he'd transform then and there for that remark.
"I need to speak to her. There's something I have to know as soon as possible."
"How do you even know Lita?" Dawn asked, her suspicions getting the better of her. She still didn't trust the guy after what happened in her apartment the day before yesterday.
"I met her last night." The words came out before he could stop himself, but he didn't really care at this point. He didn't have to give an explanation, and from her somewhat leery demeanor he assumed that Dawn wasn't going to ask for one. "I just need to see her as soon as possible, that's all."
"Well, actually…" She tried to look nonchalant as she pulled her notebook and pen from her bookbag. "She and some of the other girls are coming over to my place for lunch later."
"What time?"
Dawn couldn't believe her luck; instead of having to figuratively put him in a headlock and drag him to her apartment, he was practically begging to come along. "About noon. You remember how to get there?"
"You don't know where she'd be before twelve?" he snapped impatiently. "This is important."
What does he want with… oh, shit. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as Dawn realized what was going on. If Ian ran into Lita last night, then that meant that he'd spoken to her after she'd left the temple and after the whole Ian/Luciender talk. From the way Ian was asking after her, Dawn assumed that Lita had told him a few things about his past and perhaps their unusual relationship. She decided that for her new friend's safety, as well as her own, that she'd best remain a bit cryptic concerning Lita's whereabouts. "She's got class all morning," she answered firmly. "You're gonna have to wait until lunch to…"
"What happened to your fingers?" Ian cut her off, noticing for the first time the white gauze and tape on her fingertips. For that matter, both hands looked as if she'd stuck them under a hot faucet seconds ago. Dawn instantly looked guilty and dropped both hands in her lap.
She stopped, somewhat stunned that he'd said anything. "Cooking accident," she replied in a less than convincing tone. "Nothing that won't fix itself in a few days." She looked up as he narrowed his eyes, examining the bandages and burns. Right now, she didn't want to play Twenty Questions. She was still pretty shaken up after the events in front of the apartment building last night, and Ian's comment had only served to upset her further. Hastily, she gathered her things and stood up as the professor walked in. Without another word to Ian, she stepped over the other people in the row and quickly walked out the door at the other side of the lecture hall. Biting her lip to keep from losing it completely in public, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.
"Are you certain you don't know where she is now?" It was more of a growl than anything, and Ian towered over her menacingly.
"You can wait until noon, and you can leave me alone as well," she replied through clenched teeth. She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
Ian growled again in reply, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "Fine. See you then." With that, he walked off noiselessly. He had some time to kill… perhaps he could go home and catch up on his sleep until he met Lita again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Luna and Artemis sat in the furthest corner of the room, hoping to catch a breeze somewhere. The fire made the room unbearably hot, but Raye sat unfazed by the heat. She'd gotten up earlier than usual to finish her chores around the temple, making sure that she'd have a few hours to devote to the fire before she met up with the others at Dawn's apartment. She hadn't expected the cats to show up at the Hikawa Shrine, though. Over breakfast, Luna told her about what had happened the night before when they walked home, and the shadows that the girl had conjured from the fire. Now, Raye sat with her legs folded beneath her, eyes closed to see the images that the fire might bring.
The same image of fire within fire came back more vividly than the first time, with the silhouette of a woman in deep red robes standing amidst the fire. The flames grew brighter, and the woman lifted the cowl from her head. Dangerously beautiful, she gestured to the tongues of fire at her feet as if pulling a puppet up by its strings. A dark shadow with a grotesque wingspan grew from the inferno, towering over its mistress as she lowered her hand. The creature took off as the flames subsided, the image changing to an all too familiar scene in Raye's subconscious. The once serene palace of the Moon Kingdom in the Silver Millennium lay in shambles, glass and debris scattered throughout the throneroom. Queen Serenity sat weeping, her gown torn and bloodied. The body of King Endymion slumped over in one of the thrones on the dais, and screams could be heard throughout the palace. The glass ceiling shattered, Serenity cowering as thousands of glittering shards rained down. A dark shadow came to rest in front of her, the massive wings spread outwards to almost double the creature's size. With a roar, it grabbed at Serenity with a scaly claw and held her off the floor at arms length. Its grip tightened around her throat as she tried to speak. Helpless to do anything but watch, Raye couldn't hear any of the exchange between the two, or warn the Queen when she saw the demon's body take on a dark aura. She watched in horror as Serenity was caught in the creature's assault of jagged black light and energy, her head thrown back in a silent scream. The young Queen crumpled to the floor as the winged demon took flight once again, the entire room plunging into darkness. The first silhouette reappeared, standing watch over a young woman who mimicked her motions above a smaller flame. Filmy wisps in the shape of the first demon rose from the fire, fading into nothing as the flames danced higher and higher…
"Raye?" Luna had nudged her knee, pulling her out of the trance. The little black cat looked up at the Shinto priestess who sat with tears running down her face. "Raye, what is it?"
She got up from the fire and walked outside, the cool air making her aware of the dampness on her cheeks. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she stared out at the calmness of the grounds at the shrine. Peaceful and quiet, a stark contrast to the scene she had just witnessed. "Oh Luna," she whispered. "I saw it. I saw what happened to Serenity after Luciender got there. It's horrible, Luna…"
Luna and Artemis exchanged confused looks. Artemis spoke first. "What are you talking about, Raye?" he asked. "Serenity sent Luciender to the present, just as she did with you and the other Senshi."
"But I saw it…" she stammered. "It rose up from the fire and I saw it attack Serenity…"
"That was last night," Luna interrupted gently. "The girls dealt with those fire shadows last night. Did you see who summoned those shadows?"
Raye bit her lip, shaking her head. "A young woman, but there was something behind her, helping her. It was a woman's silhouette, I'm sure of that, though." Sighing, Raye reached for her broom and began sweeping, not because the leaves had collected on the porch again but because it was calming and familiar. "Are you sure that nothing happened between Luciender and Serenity before she sent him ahead?"
"Very sure."
With a sigh, the raven-haired girl continued sweeping the nonexistent leaves and dirt from the wood planks for a few more minutes, then set the broom aside as she went in to change. She didn't want to be late for the meeting that afternoon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Where the hell have you been?" Val accused from her place on the couch, not looking up from the book. Silence answered her, and she lifted her head to see Sarah casually leaning against the wall as the door slammed shut. "What's with running off in the middle of the night?"
"You were worried?" The confidence in Sarah's response was uncharacteristic, but Val didn't pay any attention to it.
"Worried?" She snorted in reply. "Fuck, no. You'd have come back in time for dinner. The voices in your head would've led you back sooner or later." She chuckled to herself as she resumed her reading. Sarah straightened slowly, her fingers reaching for the box of matches on the counter. Deftly, she lit one of the spare candles on the counter, the faint smell of the burnt match reaching Val's nose in a matter of seconds. Her expression held a trace of annoyance as her face wrinkled at the acrid scent. "What are you doing now?"
"Practicing."
Val looked up from her place on the couch and let out a bloodcurdling shriek. Sarah stood in the shadow of an enormous demon, its twisted horns inches from the ceiling of the apartment. Her hand hovered over the candle as the creature raised its head and roared, the air immediately chilling around them. In an instant, Sarah's hand dropped to her side and the creature vanished, Val lying in a fetal position in the cushions of the couch. The corner of the younger girl's mouth turned up in a smirk as she approached Val, noticing the damp stain on her companion's dark skirt.
"Are you worried now?" Val nodded fearfully, and Sarah rattled the matchbox as she smiled ominously down at her. "Good. I don't think we're going to have any more problems, are we?" The whimper from the cushions served as an appropriate means of agreement, and Sarah bent down to retrieve the fallen tome from the floor.
"Well done, child." The raspy voice of the water goddess seemed almost pleased with Sarah's actions. "Thou hast proven thyself worthy of the task at hand."
"I'm glad you're pleased," she answered respectfully, turning to the familiar image of Ciarazel. Death curtsied with grace as the dark goddess greeted them. "Was that what you wished me to do?" she asked the book.
"Yes, and thou hast accomplished much," the voice purred. "Thou hast forced the Guardian to reveal herself and her abilities. From this, we shall be able to overpower her to reach the protectors of the Crystal and fully awaken thy mistress."
"And what of thy creation?" Miakoda pressed. "Thou dost not find it strange that it did not appear as in times past?"
"Nay, dark Sister," it replied. "It is not a slave of the protectors, and seeks not to ally itself with them." The image gestured to the flames, Sarah's silhouette evident on the aged parchment as it was soon joined by that of the immense demon she'd seen in her first encounter in the parking lot "Thou must seek out the creature and use it to destroy the Guardian. Once thou hast destroyed the Guardian and allied thyself with my dark creation, thou shalt surely resurrect thy goddess to her former glory."
"Surely," Sarah echoed fervently. "But when?'
"Soon, child," the raspy voice intoned. "Soon."
Five hours of insomnia had finally let him remember where he'd seen her before. The first day on campus, she'd been talking with Mina and Serena, Dawn's friends. He figured all he had to do now was find Dawn and follow her until he and that girl inevitably met up again. That plan had let him get a few hours of sleep before having to drag himself to lecture that morning. Still… I shoulda asked her name. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the lecture theatre and took the same place as before. Ian shrugged out of his jacket, laying it across the seat next to him in the vain hope that Dawn would show up and take her same seat as before, and not run a mile in the opposite direction.
"Damnit, Serena!" Dawn sprinted across campus, sloshing her coffee everywhere and aggravating the burns on her hands. Gauze and tape covered the index and middle fingers of each hand, which made holding anything difficult. The fact that her companion had decided to linger over breakfast didn't improve her disposition, and Serena's insistence on a third strawberry pastry had resulted in the mad dash across campus. "Just one more, we've got loads of time left," she mimicked, the sarcasm oozing so thick that the blonde could have slipped in it. Slip she did, falling facefirst onto the pavement and yet inflicting only minor damage to one of her knees. Dawn sighed and stopped, extending a hand to help her friend up. In all fairness, she could have left with the rest of the girls, and Mina had warned her about Serena's inability to be on time anywhere. Serena took the hand, careful to avoid the bandages.
"Thanks," she muttered, dusting herself off before they started a fast walk towards the center of campus. "Hey, Dawn," she began in a more serious tone. "Did you notice anything strange about Lita this morning?"
"To me, you're all strange," Dawn joked. "Not really, but I don't know her that well to tell. Why're you asking?"
"She was so withdrawn," Serena replied in a concerned tone. "I think she's really worried about all that's gone on in the past few days." She turned towards another classroom building as Dawn skidded to a stop next to her.
"Personally, I'm a little more than freaked out," she said with a grin. "If anyone else is, then they probably have a right to be. Anyways, noon at my place, right?"
"Yeah, I'll get everyone there," Serena promised.
"And I'll do my best to get Ian to stop in," she smiled. That is, if he comes in today.
Under the seemingly emotionless expression, Ian was getting nervous. He wondered if she was deliberately staying away from the lecture because of him. Damn it to hell. He'd noticed the guy who'd had the girly schoolbag the other day come in. The guy had come in sporting a fairly normal backpack this morning, sneering at him before sitting on the other side of the room. The lecture was about to start and Dawn was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the professor, for that matter. Suddenly, the east door burst open, slamming against the wall and causing half of the people in the theatre to jump in their seats. Ian didn't jump but turned around to face whatever had come through the door this time.
Dawn smiled sheepishly at the sea of faces staring at her, silently cursing whoever had polished the floor the evening before. Running at top speed so as not to be late, she'd needed the door to stop her and hadn't counted on the marble being so slick. Her face red with embarrassment, she scanned the crowd looking for the one person who wouldn't be smiling this early in the morning. Now where in the… aha. Ian was right where he'd been during the first class. Creature of habit, huh? The double meaning of the term struck her as immensely funny, and she giggled to herself as she approached the row where he sat. As she made her way past the already filled seats, her grin faltered slightly. Here she was trying to get him to come to her place that afternoon where a talking cat was going to inform him of the events of his past life. Dawn wondered if she couldn't just wait until after class, or if maybe she could get Amy to tell him tomorrow and just take a day to recover. Besides, the thought of deliberately annoying someone who could transform into an eight foot tall demon at will wasn't exactly comforting. Dawn's mind began playing what-if as she got closer and closer… what could she even begin to say at this point? Oh God… I should just turn around and…
"I need to talk to you," Ian blurted out, a little louder than he should have. He pulled his jacket off of the chair next to him and waited for Dawn to sit down.
"Funny, I coulda said the same thing," she replied, a little surprised that he'd bothered to save a seat for her, and somewhat nervous at his insistence.
"I need to know the name of the tall brunette you were talking with on the first day of class before we met." Fuck beating around the bush, I need answers.
"How come?" The corners of her mouth twisted up in playful expression. "Little Brit got himself a crush?" As Ian's eyes narrowed at the response, Dawn's complexion went completely pale, and she wondered if he'd transform then and there for that remark.
"I need to speak to her. There's something I have to know as soon as possible."
"How do you even know Lita?" Dawn asked, her suspicions getting the better of her. She still didn't trust the guy after what happened in her apartment the day before yesterday.
"I met her last night." The words came out before he could stop himself, but he didn't really care at this point. He didn't have to give an explanation, and from her somewhat leery demeanor he assumed that Dawn wasn't going to ask for one. "I just need to see her as soon as possible, that's all."
"Well, actually…" She tried to look nonchalant as she pulled her notebook and pen from her bookbag. "She and some of the other girls are coming over to my place for lunch later."
"What time?"
Dawn couldn't believe her luck; instead of having to figuratively put him in a headlock and drag him to her apartment, he was practically begging to come along. "About noon. You remember how to get there?"
"You don't know where she'd be before twelve?" he snapped impatiently. "This is important."
What does he want with… oh, shit. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as Dawn realized what was going on. If Ian ran into Lita last night, then that meant that he'd spoken to her after she'd left the temple and after the whole Ian/Luciender talk. From the way Ian was asking after her, Dawn assumed that Lita had told him a few things about his past and perhaps their unusual relationship. She decided that for her new friend's safety, as well as her own, that she'd best remain a bit cryptic concerning Lita's whereabouts. "She's got class all morning," she answered firmly. "You're gonna have to wait until lunch to…"
"What happened to your fingers?" Ian cut her off, noticing for the first time the white gauze and tape on her fingertips. For that matter, both hands looked as if she'd stuck them under a hot faucet seconds ago. Dawn instantly looked guilty and dropped both hands in her lap.
She stopped, somewhat stunned that he'd said anything. "Cooking accident," she replied in a less than convincing tone. "Nothing that won't fix itself in a few days." She looked up as he narrowed his eyes, examining the bandages and burns. Right now, she didn't want to play Twenty Questions. She was still pretty shaken up after the events in front of the apartment building last night, and Ian's comment had only served to upset her further. Hastily, she gathered her things and stood up as the professor walked in. Without another word to Ian, she stepped over the other people in the row and quickly walked out the door at the other side of the lecture hall. Biting her lip to keep from losing it completely in public, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.
"Are you certain you don't know where she is now?" It was more of a growl than anything, and Ian towered over her menacingly.
"You can wait until noon, and you can leave me alone as well," she replied through clenched teeth. She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
Ian growled again in reply, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "Fine. See you then." With that, he walked off noiselessly. He had some time to kill… perhaps he could go home and catch up on his sleep until he met Lita again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Luna and Artemis sat in the furthest corner of the room, hoping to catch a breeze somewhere. The fire made the room unbearably hot, but Raye sat unfazed by the heat. She'd gotten up earlier than usual to finish her chores around the temple, making sure that she'd have a few hours to devote to the fire before she met up with the others at Dawn's apartment. She hadn't expected the cats to show up at the Hikawa Shrine, though. Over breakfast, Luna told her about what had happened the night before when they walked home, and the shadows that the girl had conjured from the fire. Now, Raye sat with her legs folded beneath her, eyes closed to see the images that the fire might bring.
The same image of fire within fire came back more vividly than the first time, with the silhouette of a woman in deep red robes standing amidst the fire. The flames grew brighter, and the woman lifted the cowl from her head. Dangerously beautiful, she gestured to the tongues of fire at her feet as if pulling a puppet up by its strings. A dark shadow with a grotesque wingspan grew from the inferno, towering over its mistress as she lowered her hand. The creature took off as the flames subsided, the image changing to an all too familiar scene in Raye's subconscious. The once serene palace of the Moon Kingdom in the Silver Millennium lay in shambles, glass and debris scattered throughout the throneroom. Queen Serenity sat weeping, her gown torn and bloodied. The body of King Endymion slumped over in one of the thrones on the dais, and screams could be heard throughout the palace. The glass ceiling shattered, Serenity cowering as thousands of glittering shards rained down. A dark shadow came to rest in front of her, the massive wings spread outwards to almost double the creature's size. With a roar, it grabbed at Serenity with a scaly claw and held her off the floor at arms length. Its grip tightened around her throat as she tried to speak. Helpless to do anything but watch, Raye couldn't hear any of the exchange between the two, or warn the Queen when she saw the demon's body take on a dark aura. She watched in horror as Serenity was caught in the creature's assault of jagged black light and energy, her head thrown back in a silent scream. The young Queen crumpled to the floor as the winged demon took flight once again, the entire room plunging into darkness. The first silhouette reappeared, standing watch over a young woman who mimicked her motions above a smaller flame. Filmy wisps in the shape of the first demon rose from the fire, fading into nothing as the flames danced higher and higher…
"Raye?" Luna had nudged her knee, pulling her out of the trance. The little black cat looked up at the Shinto priestess who sat with tears running down her face. "Raye, what is it?"
She got up from the fire and walked outside, the cool air making her aware of the dampness on her cheeks. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she stared out at the calmness of the grounds at the shrine. Peaceful and quiet, a stark contrast to the scene she had just witnessed. "Oh Luna," she whispered. "I saw it. I saw what happened to Serenity after Luciender got there. It's horrible, Luna…"
Luna and Artemis exchanged confused looks. Artemis spoke first. "What are you talking about, Raye?" he asked. "Serenity sent Luciender to the present, just as she did with you and the other Senshi."
"But I saw it…" she stammered. "It rose up from the fire and I saw it attack Serenity…"
"That was last night," Luna interrupted gently. "The girls dealt with those fire shadows last night. Did you see who summoned those shadows?"
Raye bit her lip, shaking her head. "A young woman, but there was something behind her, helping her. It was a woman's silhouette, I'm sure of that, though." Sighing, Raye reached for her broom and began sweeping, not because the leaves had collected on the porch again but because it was calming and familiar. "Are you sure that nothing happened between Luciender and Serenity before she sent him ahead?"
"Very sure."
With a sigh, the raven-haired girl continued sweeping the nonexistent leaves and dirt from the wood planks for a few more minutes, then set the broom aside as she went in to change. She didn't want to be late for the meeting that afternoon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Where the hell have you been?" Val accused from her place on the couch, not looking up from the book. Silence answered her, and she lifted her head to see Sarah casually leaning against the wall as the door slammed shut. "What's with running off in the middle of the night?"
"You were worried?" The confidence in Sarah's response was uncharacteristic, but Val didn't pay any attention to it.
"Worried?" She snorted in reply. "Fuck, no. You'd have come back in time for dinner. The voices in your head would've led you back sooner or later." She chuckled to herself as she resumed her reading. Sarah straightened slowly, her fingers reaching for the box of matches on the counter. Deftly, she lit one of the spare candles on the counter, the faint smell of the burnt match reaching Val's nose in a matter of seconds. Her expression held a trace of annoyance as her face wrinkled at the acrid scent. "What are you doing now?"
"Practicing."
Val looked up from her place on the couch and let out a bloodcurdling shriek. Sarah stood in the shadow of an enormous demon, its twisted horns inches from the ceiling of the apartment. Her hand hovered over the candle as the creature raised its head and roared, the air immediately chilling around them. In an instant, Sarah's hand dropped to her side and the creature vanished, Val lying in a fetal position in the cushions of the couch. The corner of the younger girl's mouth turned up in a smirk as she approached Val, noticing the damp stain on her companion's dark skirt.
"Are you worried now?" Val nodded fearfully, and Sarah rattled the matchbox as she smiled ominously down at her. "Good. I don't think we're going to have any more problems, are we?" The whimper from the cushions served as an appropriate means of agreement, and Sarah bent down to retrieve the fallen tome from the floor.
"Well done, child." The raspy voice of the water goddess seemed almost pleased with Sarah's actions. "Thou hast proven thyself worthy of the task at hand."
"I'm glad you're pleased," she answered respectfully, turning to the familiar image of Ciarazel. Death curtsied with grace as the dark goddess greeted them. "Was that what you wished me to do?" she asked the book.
"Yes, and thou hast accomplished much," the voice purred. "Thou hast forced the Guardian to reveal herself and her abilities. From this, we shall be able to overpower her to reach the protectors of the Crystal and fully awaken thy mistress."
"And what of thy creation?" Miakoda pressed. "Thou dost not find it strange that it did not appear as in times past?"
"Nay, dark Sister," it replied. "It is not a slave of the protectors, and seeks not to ally itself with them." The image gestured to the flames, Sarah's silhouette evident on the aged parchment as it was soon joined by that of the immense demon she'd seen in her first encounter in the parking lot "Thou must seek out the creature and use it to destroy the Guardian. Once thou hast destroyed the Guardian and allied thyself with my dark creation, thou shalt surely resurrect thy goddess to her former glory."
"Surely," Sarah echoed fervently. "But when?'
"Soon, child," the raspy voice intoned. "Soon."