With the help of the surviving villagers, our heroes tried to salvage the
village (They saw Anna alive and so forgave Gabriel for her death). Anna
slipped on an old pair of clothes aback at her manor-which was still intact
after so long. It was reminiscent of the clothes she wore when Gabriel
first met her. She still looked as lovely as ever. Sitting on a sofa, both
were silent.
"Gabriel, tell me,"
asked Anna after a long period of silence.
"Was that Iilana I saw-or was it all a dream?"
Gabriel then proceeded to tell Anna Iilana's story. When he was done, he asked her how it felt when she was in Heaven.
"I was so happy, Gabriel-yet, it was not my time to go yet. Not yet. And besides,"
she said, taking his hand.
"I missed you so."
Just then, the door of one of the many rooms in the manor swung open-It was Carl, who was assigned to look after Iilana.
"Iliana is alright now. She just needs a few days of rest. "
He turned to Anna and said brightly,
"And welcome back Anna."
Anna shuddered as she thought of Gabriel's words. Was it true the, that Iilana was a demon? Surely not! She looked so innocent as she slept-and yet...She left the room and went to sleep on the sofa, wondering where Gabriel could possibly be. Exhausted, she collapsed onto the large sofa and fell asleep at once. Meanwhile, Iilana began to dream...
FLASHBACK
"Run, Iilana! Run!"
5 year old Iilana ran like the wind into the cemetery as the winged creatures swooped down on her family. Killing their coachman and horses, Dracula's brides-in demon form- chased after the family, who fled towards a shortcut to the manor-the cemetery-. Iilana fell into an open grave and lay there, her left foot sprained. She lay there, listening to the cries of the demons-and her parents?- slowly subside. As the pain in her leg subsided too, she slowly climbed out of the grave.
"Mama? Papa?"
She kept running...running, calling their names so loudly she could have waked the dead. She wished. Then, after tripping over something, and in those microseconds that seem eternal, she saw her mother and father, dead, their necks torn out, bloodless. Their once loving eyes open in horror. Iilana screamed.
When the other members of the Valerious family went to find Iilana and her deceased parents, they found her in the middle of the cemetery, standing near a pile of wood, where she placed her parents upon before setting them on fire with the pieces of flint on her pocket. The wood was from the other grave-markers. Her hands were bleeding and callused but she didn't care. Watching the ashes fly into the sky, she whispered,
"They always wanted to fly."
END OF FLASHBACK
Iilana sat up, breathing hard. Damn those dreams!
"Are you alright?"
Asked Carl. She nodded stiffly. Carl poured her some water and urged her to drink. And drink she did. She tried to get up, but Carl was adamant.
"You need to recuperate."
She felt frustrated. She wanted to get out...to lash out her frustrations...Then, she had an idea.
"Forgive me Carl,"
She said, before pulling him into a kiss. Her lips were cool yet lush. Shocked yet happy, he kissed her back. Then, he slowly blacked out. She had punched his stomach to knock him out. He was unconscious before he hit the floor. Tucking him into bed, she left, with her twin katanas.
Iilana's lips burned from Carl's kiss. She felt guilty, to distract him like that.
"It was just a kiss...he'll get over it. And so will YOU."
She sternly told herself. She stopped at the mountainside.
"Perfect."
She thought. Pulling out her katanas, she began to vent her anger and grief out-on training.
Erik's eyes snapped open before Lucifer's. He had been sleeping for a while- to forget Circe's biting disapproval at his failure to retreive Iilana. Now this infernal noise and-the smell of lilacs?! Ordering Lucifer to stay put, he silently checked out the noise: Iilana was doing some fancy moves with her swords.
Interesting...
He thought. He waited patiently for her to cool down. When she finally did, he sauntered out. Her katanas were in the ground, and she was using them for support. She was breathing heavily.
"Hello, Iilana."
"Leave me Erik. I do not want to remember you."
"I never have."
"I love another."
It wasn't exactly a lie really. She DID have feelings for Carl...didn't she?
She sighed.
"I do care for you-as a friend. But I have let you go. I suggest you do likewise. Now go."
She turned to leave-only for all to turn black again.
The Sun's rays pierced Anna's face like blades
"Remind me to draw the curtains next time."
She muttered. She turned around-and came face-to-face, kissing close to none other than Gabriel Van Helsing.
"Which probably explains why the couch was a lot more comfortable than usual,"
She thought irrationally. (Gabriel must have also been thinking along the same lines, I presume.)
Then, she screamed and rolled off the sofa in shock.
"What..are you doing on the sofa?"
gasped Anna.
"What time is it?"
muttered Gabriel groggily. He was defintely not with her yet. She shook him awake before repeating the question.
"I was tired. I fell asleep. End of story."
Anna sighed.
"Forget it. Let's go see if Iilana's awake. "
Just then, Carl stumbled out of her room, groaning in pain.
"What's wrong?"
asked Anna.
He told them at once.
Erik smiled enigmatically as he stroked Iilana's cheek.
"Poor, deluded fallen angel...You do not know you are mine...I'm afraid I'll have to mark you."
With that, he pressed his palm against her slender swan-like neck. Moments later, he removed it, revealing a tattoo of three roses: Red, White and Black, entwined with a serpent. Should any man save him touch her, he would be in great pain. Only she could break it. Kissing her on the lips, he threw his coat over her before sending her back to the Valerious manor. Placing her gently on the steps, he left after ringing the doorbell, smiling maliciously. The fun had just began.
"Gabriel, tell me,"
asked Anna after a long period of silence.
"Was that Iilana I saw-or was it all a dream?"
Gabriel then proceeded to tell Anna Iilana's story. When he was done, he asked her how it felt when she was in Heaven.
"I was so happy, Gabriel-yet, it was not my time to go yet. Not yet. And besides,"
she said, taking his hand.
"I missed you so."
Just then, the door of one of the many rooms in the manor swung open-It was Carl, who was assigned to look after Iilana.
"Iliana is alright now. She just needs a few days of rest. "
He turned to Anna and said brightly,
"And welcome back Anna."
Anna shuddered as she thought of Gabriel's words. Was it true the, that Iilana was a demon? Surely not! She looked so innocent as she slept-and yet...She left the room and went to sleep on the sofa, wondering where Gabriel could possibly be. Exhausted, she collapsed onto the large sofa and fell asleep at once. Meanwhile, Iilana began to dream...
FLASHBACK
"Run, Iilana! Run!"
5 year old Iilana ran like the wind into the cemetery as the winged creatures swooped down on her family. Killing their coachman and horses, Dracula's brides-in demon form- chased after the family, who fled towards a shortcut to the manor-the cemetery-. Iilana fell into an open grave and lay there, her left foot sprained. She lay there, listening to the cries of the demons-and her parents?- slowly subside. As the pain in her leg subsided too, she slowly climbed out of the grave.
"Mama? Papa?"
She kept running...running, calling their names so loudly she could have waked the dead. She wished. Then, after tripping over something, and in those microseconds that seem eternal, she saw her mother and father, dead, their necks torn out, bloodless. Their once loving eyes open in horror. Iilana screamed.
When the other members of the Valerious family went to find Iilana and her deceased parents, they found her in the middle of the cemetery, standing near a pile of wood, where she placed her parents upon before setting them on fire with the pieces of flint on her pocket. The wood was from the other grave-markers. Her hands were bleeding and callused but she didn't care. Watching the ashes fly into the sky, she whispered,
"They always wanted to fly."
END OF FLASHBACK
Iilana sat up, breathing hard. Damn those dreams!
"Are you alright?"
Asked Carl. She nodded stiffly. Carl poured her some water and urged her to drink. And drink she did. She tried to get up, but Carl was adamant.
"You need to recuperate."
She felt frustrated. She wanted to get out...to lash out her frustrations...Then, she had an idea.
"Forgive me Carl,"
She said, before pulling him into a kiss. Her lips were cool yet lush. Shocked yet happy, he kissed her back. Then, he slowly blacked out. She had punched his stomach to knock him out. He was unconscious before he hit the floor. Tucking him into bed, she left, with her twin katanas.
Iilana's lips burned from Carl's kiss. She felt guilty, to distract him like that.
"It was just a kiss...he'll get over it. And so will YOU."
She sternly told herself. She stopped at the mountainside.
"Perfect."
She thought. Pulling out her katanas, she began to vent her anger and grief out-on training.
Erik's eyes snapped open before Lucifer's. He had been sleeping for a while- to forget Circe's biting disapproval at his failure to retreive Iilana. Now this infernal noise and-the smell of lilacs?! Ordering Lucifer to stay put, he silently checked out the noise: Iilana was doing some fancy moves with her swords.
Interesting...
He thought. He waited patiently for her to cool down. When she finally did, he sauntered out. Her katanas were in the ground, and she was using them for support. She was breathing heavily.
"Hello, Iilana."
"Leave me Erik. I do not want to remember you."
"I never have."
"I love another."
It wasn't exactly a lie really. She DID have feelings for Carl...didn't she?
She sighed.
"I do care for you-as a friend. But I have let you go. I suggest you do likewise. Now go."
She turned to leave-only for all to turn black again.
The Sun's rays pierced Anna's face like blades
"Remind me to draw the curtains next time."
She muttered. She turned around-and came face-to-face, kissing close to none other than Gabriel Van Helsing.
"Which probably explains why the couch was a lot more comfortable than usual,"
She thought irrationally. (Gabriel must have also been thinking along the same lines, I presume.)
Then, she screamed and rolled off the sofa in shock.
"What..are you doing on the sofa?"
gasped Anna.
"What time is it?"
muttered Gabriel groggily. He was defintely not with her yet. She shook him awake before repeating the question.
"I was tired. I fell asleep. End of story."
Anna sighed.
"Forget it. Let's go see if Iilana's awake. "
Just then, Carl stumbled out of her room, groaning in pain.
"What's wrong?"
asked Anna.
He told them at once.
Erik smiled enigmatically as he stroked Iilana's cheek.
"Poor, deluded fallen angel...You do not know you are mine...I'm afraid I'll have to mark you."
With that, he pressed his palm against her slender swan-like neck. Moments later, he removed it, revealing a tattoo of three roses: Red, White and Black, entwined with a serpent. Should any man save him touch her, he would be in great pain. Only she could break it. Kissing her on the lips, he threw his coat over her before sending her back to the Valerious manor. Placing her gently on the steps, he left after ringing the doorbell, smiling maliciously. The fun had just began.