Spectrum

They spent the rest of the day talking about the situation. Of course, Angie was out of the room for most of the time; Culotte telling the child that her parents probably wanted some time alone. They started off simply speaking about their little girl; the assumption that Croix would have liked to name his daughter "Angelique" turned out to be quite true. But then they got into the urgent issues. Prier told Croix in detail what had happened when the Demon had attacked the group. The beast's leaders assumed that because her father was the Dark Prince, she was half Demon and they weren't going to make the same mistake as before when they alienated Noir who in turn became mightier than many other Demon Lords.

"She was born special," Prier stated, "It wasn't noticeable at first, but after about a year or so, her powers began showing. Culotte had been injured on a mission and was out of power to heal himself. So he'd been forced to hold it all in until returning to the Infirmary. Angie saw her uncle was wounded and cast Iyashi. Then, when a stray Demon found its way into town when she was about two, cornering her in the bedroom while I took a bath, she used her first attack spells; Shadow Strike for Darkness and Guiding Light for Light. Of course, they were no where near as powerful as they are now. She developed two new skills the day we were attacked while on the picnic; Horus's Wings for Darkness and Divine Retribution for Light. What Sister Romaine thinks the Demons believe is that she gets the Dark powers from you, as a Demon, and her Light powers from me, as a Sister of Poitreene. They wish to override her balance and bring out even darker attack spells."

"That's nonsense! Special Children don't get their powers from their parents. Certainly, my mother and father did not have Dark powers. And Angelique's only relative with power was her twin sister; usually when it comes to power what one twin has the other has as well if they're identical. Her name was Soeur, and she actually left Fatima on a ship about two and a half monthsbefore Angelique was murdered; warning us that we should flee as well. The only reason we didn't was because the villagers all needed her…" Croix trailed off. Prier didn't like getting on the subject of Croix's past a lot; she knew he still hurt deep inside.

She told him, "Don't worry about it too much. What's done is done. You can feel a whole lot better about yourself if you simply look too the future. Now, you have someone to protect from harm; to devote your life to at all costs. That's what has kept me going through all of the uncertainty. I knew that if something happened to me, Angelique would be all alone. And I never wanted my daughter to be hurt."

Croix smiled. "Thank you Prier. Sometimes I wish I could be as upbeat about things as you…"

"It's called looking on the bright side of things," Prier replied, "We feel a whole lot better about ourselves when we stick to that. Think of it this way…you have a job that entails you being close to home and spending practically every second of the day with your family. And I know you really want to know your daughter. I can see it in your eyes how happy you were to find out that we had a child that night."

"My past is so stained with blood that I have trouble doing what you do. Perhaps that's one of the things I most admire about you Prier," Croix whispered. He suddenly remembered what he wanted to give her; even in all of this commotion, how could he forget such an important item? Reaching into his pocket, the young Demon Hunter pulled out a small box. But suddenly, a child's scream interrupted him.

A panicky Prier yelled, "That's Angelique's voice! Some Demons might have gotten inside the church! We've got to find her quickly!" At that instant, both Prier and Croix raced off at top speed. The Demons would regret ever picking a fight with either of them. Croix was so bent on finding atonement for his sins that he went all out in any battle that involved protecting the innocent; or if someone had the nerve to mess with his loved ones. And we all know how much Prier can fly off the handle when slighted; and unfortunately, so do the many Demons she faced.

S...S

In the auditorium, Francoise, Jacques, Culotte, and Angelique were standing their ground against Loup; Lady Sang's most reliable warrior. Angie was hit by a stray blast and knocked against the wall. He showed them his wolfish grin as he stared down the group of humans and the wounded daughter of their master. 'Oh great Dark Prince…I do not know whether you are in hiding as a human, have been cursed by the humans, or have fallen for the woman whose child you sired. But no matter what, it is my solemn duty as the last of the Lycanthropes to see you restored. I remember how you slaughtered the humans that had been our sworn enemies; that had murdered my family when I was but a pup. From that day forward, I had put my faith and loyalty in your cause; when the day came for the final showdown between you and humanity, I would proudly fight and die to make sure you won.'

"I don't know what your issue is Wolfie," Jacques stated, "But whatever the case, I'm more afraid of what Prier would do if we lost Angelique than your claws. Hope you like pain!" He aimed his bazooka right at the chest of his enemy. Suddenly, the barrel got a lot larger and an economy sized bullet sped out of it. It collided with Loup's chest and knocked him backwards. However, even that didn't make a dent in the creature. If anything, the werewolf was even more mad at the mercenary's heavy hitting.

"Oh Jacques…" called Francoise. She had seen how Prier and Culotte, Prier and Angelique, or Angelique and Culotte combined their powers together to form a stronger attack. So for the last three months, she had worked with Jacques on one of their own. First, Francoise called Fire into her fists and hit; followed by Jacques shooting a fiery projectile. Then, Francoise called Ice into her fists and hit; followed by Jacques shooting an icicle. Finally, Francoise called Wind into her fists and hit; followed by Jacques shooting a gust of wind. However, Loup simply laughed and knocked both humans back with only his fist.

Culotte walked forward; he was now the last line of defense protecting his niece. Tossing his backpack to the ground, he laughed. Suddenly, a white kitty with a jet pack flew out of the pack, enlarged, and fell right on top of Loup. But unlike most of the Demons Culotte had tossed this at, the werewolf lifted the heavy weapon as if it were made of aluminum, and tossed it into the side of the church; damaging it.

He then finished Culotte off with a kick; knocking the boy back into the piano. "Don't you see it yet? We Demons are much stronger than you humans. If you wish to live, though I don't see why I should let any of your kind survive, you will hand over the master's daughter quietly. He needs to be reawakened after what that bitch Prier did to him. Then we can all fight against humanity as one."

"You talk too much," Croix stated as he entered the room with Prier, "For one, I'm not your master. For two, I don't like the idea of Demons touching my daughter. And for three, never call Prier a "bitch;" you don't want to see me when I get angry. See you in Hell!" With that, Croix pulled out his bazooka, fired it, and was thrown back.

'Master…but why? I must tell Lady Sang about this development,' Loup thought. He opened a portal and stepped inside; returning to the Dark World. But Prier and Croix were smart enough to know that he'd be back. These Demons wouldn't rest until they had Angie and had revived Croix's Dark side.

Teefa's Last Words...

I thought it would be interesting to see Croix protect her. I wouldn't want either him or Prier for my enemies; I value my life way too much for that. Well, the next few chapters are devoted to Angie's power and what happens when the enemies actually find a plan to defeat our heroes; how will they overcome the new obstacles? And will Croix ever be able to give his gift to Prier?

Soeur means Sister in French; referring to both that she was Angelique's older twin and also a Sister of Poitreene. And that wasn't just a random tidbit, but an idea to be further developed. She's a vital character to the future of the plot at some point.

I know they were a little too cheerful last chapter. I think Prier threw all of her frustrations onto Francoise when she knocked her out. And we'll have to wait a long time to see Croix's gift; one thing will lead to another in this fic real fast.