Back to the present

Silence shrouded the den. At one point, Bastien had put an arm on the back of the sofa-like chair, leaning closer to Jules as he spoke of the past. His voice had been steady since the beginning, not betraying any emotion whatsoever. It was as if he was talking about someone else's story. Even when Jules recounted how he found his dying sister, his face stayed blank, and his voice, even. Still, he paused when it was time to talk about what Greg had sacrificed to revive Annabelle—honestly, he’d rather not tell her. There were things better left unknown.

“Jules,” Annabelle pressed, “tell me what Greg offered. Please.”

Jules lowered his eyes and clasped his hands tighter at his sister’s plea. A while passed before he finally said, “Your wings, which otherwise would have healed and grown back, and his life.”

Although Annabelle somewhat expected this answer, hearing it felt like being punched in the gut. She was alive because someone had given up their own life for hers. She couldn’t care less about the wings, but Greg’s life, his brother’s mentor, was another story. She didn’t want to imagine the anguish Jules went through afterward, especially knowing all could have been avoided if he hadn’t incited the lamia to bite him instead of Cains. For starters, they shouldn’t have let their guard down around the police officers. But they were only teenagers, and that had been their first hunt. Errors and mistakes were bound to happen.

“Was that woman,” Annabelle pinched her lips, forcing the following words out, “the one who killed our father?”

“No, she wasn’t. If she had been, I wouldn’t have walked the path of a hunter. From what mom and Veronica could deduce afterward, Sara wasn’t aware of our father’s identity until the lamia reported my lineage to her. That’s why she went to see our mother when she had the chance and “confronted” her about it when she had her back turned.” Jules paused to let out a scoff. “Her kid was terribly sick, and she was using lamia blood to alleviate the symptoms. However, it wasn’t enough, and he didn’t have long left to live. In her mind, angel wings had the power to heal her son, and she was angered half to death after learning her friend hadn’t thought of asking her husband for help.”

The woman’s story was sad, but what she had done could never be forgiven. She had covered the lamias’ deeds, allowing them to roam the town freely for years. These twins, Jules learned later, were caught when they were young and held in a cage in the Association’s headquarters for their blood. They were treated like rat labs for centuries, and it was no wonder they hated humans to the core and had no qualms about devouring them. But not anyone could extract their blood, for it was a privilege accorded only to the higher-ups. Although aware of their existence, Sara didn’t hold a position high enough to get access to their cage and subsequently to their blood whenever she wanted. Thus, she decided to stage their deaths and free them. She needed their blood to extend her son’s life, and she didn’t mind how many innocents had to be sacrificed in exchange.

“You see,” Jules continued, “there’s this absurd rumor about angel wings. It is said that their feathers can create miracles, such as curing blindness or reviving the dead. Because angels are rarely seen and often appear during troubled times, people conferred them god-like powers. But even if angels are mighty beings, they are no gods and cannot create cure-all miracles. Humans can be easily impressed, and it tends to give birth to hearsay.”

A short silence befell the room. The girls didn’t know what to say, afraid to bring up a sensitive subject and rub salt into the wound. Bastien, unlike them, wasn’t shy and pondered aloud, “I wonder how the lamias knew about you and Cains, though. I don’t think your mother told her old colleagues you were going out on your first hunt. So how…?”

“Well, Sara kept a close eye on the case, and she knew that Reyes had been tasked with the hunt and that he’d bring two teenagers as bait. So, she warned the lamias. I suppose they took a picture of us and sent it by message text to her, asking if we could be the bait. Unfortunately, Sara was a “friend” of both my mother and Veronica’s, and of course, these two had shown her pictures of their children, meaning she knew what we looked like. With this in mind, she probably told the twins about who we were, and the lamias certainly wouldn’t let this golden chance to catch a young witch pass by. At this point, I don’t think Sara cared about anything else but her son.”

“Speaking of,” Bastien interrupted, “I’m surprised Sara didn’t directly go after Cains. Witches’ organs are mostly sought after to cure diseases or do a transplant. That’s what makes them so popular on the black market.”

“The kid’s ailment was due to corrupted spiritual energy,” Jules revealed. “It slowly poisoned him, rendering his blood toxic. Witches’ organs wouldn’t do the trick in this case, and only lamia blood could alleviate the symptoms. At least, until the next flare-up.”

“I see.”

Before silence could settle again, Annabelle let out a frustrated sigh. She ruffled her already messy hair and tsked, “This is so fucked up! No wonder mom is so protective of me and always lets me do whatever I want. I guess she still feels guilty about what happened.”

“She isn’t that permissive….”

“Like you can talk! You have always put up with my bullshit. You do complain, but you have never said no to any of my demands. Look, I’m sure you didn’t want to come to the amusement park and babysit your sister and her friends on one of your rare days off. If anything, no one would happily accept that task! Especially when their younger sibling is an annoying, self-centered brat!”

Jules opened his mouth, but no words came out. Annabelle was right. He could never say no to her, whatever she asked of him. The day he almost lost her was still crystal clear in his mind. He couldn’t forget the sight of his bloody sister lying on the altar, nor the feeling of holding her lifeless body against his. The only saving grace was that she was too young to remember it well, but it nevertheless took a year or so before she mentally recovered as a child. At first, she couldn’t even be left alone for a minute, or she’d break down crying.

“Anyway,” Bastien clapped his hands to close the subject, “we’ve been talking for quite a while already. Once we’re outside, you can talk about it as much as you want, and Annabelle, you can ask your mother about certain details.”

“Well, I don’t think I’ll be able to tackle that right away; she’s gonna faint after seeing me all grown-up.”

“Don’t remind me,” Jules let out a wry laugh. “You have no idea how much I fear the upcoming scolding. I’ve got a hunch she’ll wipe the floor with me.”

“Is Elisa really that fearsome?” Iris asked. “She looked like such a sweet woman when I met her.”

“Trust me, people didn’t surname her “The Battlefield Goddess” for no reason. She’s a foe that makes even veteran hunters shudder.”

Though, if he was honest, Jules hadn’t thought much of his mother’s silly surname until he heard of her exploits from other hunters. He met all kinds of people as he worked his way up in the Association, and even though his mother had retired for years, many still sang her praises.

“I’d like to learn more about our mother’s feats, but let’s keep that for later,” Annabelle cleared her throat. “Unfortunately, humans need to sleep. I don’t think Melody and Iris can hang on much longer, and since we cleared the area, we may as well use it as a rest spot. Any objection?”

Melody, still a pale shadow of her past self, shook her head slightly while Iris grunted something akin to an agreement. They were physically and mentally exhausted and needed a nap before challenging the next rooms. Annabelle probably wouldn’t say it aloud, but the loss of Lady and fighting monsters alongside her brother had also tired her out.  

“Alright,” Jules said, “you three can go to sleep, and Bastien and I will keep watch. In our current state, we don’t need rest.”

“Is that really true?” Iris cocked an eyebrow, glancing askance at her ancestor. As far as she knew, Bastien had always loved to nap and laze on the couch. But since he had “eaten” not too long ago, maybe it’d be alright for him to skip on some sleep. He looked healthier than ever, after all. She was more concerned about Jules, who had looked drained after coming out of the bathroom. He had been fighting without rest since then, and maybe putting him on watch duty wasn’t such a good idea. However, her ancestor waved away her unease.

“I swear it is!” Bastien chuckled as he stood up, and as if on cue, Jules also leaped to his feet. “Now, now, be a good girl and listen to your old grandpa for once. We’ll keep the den safe while you rest.”

The teenager was half-convinced, but she decided to wear blinders and nod. She knew Bastien was right: they had to sleep. It’d be laughable if any of them fainted out of sheer fatigue while fleeing for their life. Annabelle probably shared the thought, too. As for Melody, she just followed whatever they decided.

While the girls exchanged glances, Jules and Bastien pushed the sofa-like chairs face to face to make a makeshift bed. The girls’ legs would dangle from one side, but it was better than nothing. The cushions were dusty and unknown substances had imbibed the fabric; still, the girls didn’t complain and quickly put them under their heads. They then snuggled against each other to fit in and, under some spell from Bastien, fell asleep in the blink of an eye. Faint snores soon reverberated within the room.

Once Bastien put the girls to sleep, he joined Jules and quietly stood beside the door, guarding it. There were many unsaid things left to say, yet he chose to remain silent. Jules had purposely lied by omission to Annabelle, but what was the point of exposing the hunter and twisting the knife? It was better to keep to himself what he knew.

What Greg had sacrificed wasn’t only his life but also his soul. When humans died, their souls would usually enter a cycle of reincarnation and be reborn. But if given up to a reaper, it was turned to nothingness. In other words, Greg’s soul would never walk this realm again, forever gone.

Moreover, the shock of losing his sister had fissured the array engraved onto Jules’s soul, thanks to his spiritual energy going on a rampage. Greg had mended it to the best of his capability, but the harm had been done. It had grown brittle, and Jules could thus tab in the upper layers of the celestial essence at the core of his soul, which strengthened his body and helped him get better control of his spiritual energy. His strength grew exponentially as a result, and he became a renowned hunter over time. However, digging deeper into the celestial essence was akin to playing with fire. It was a double-edged sword, as Bastien had witnessed earlier.

‘I swear, this man,’ the incubus chuckled to himself. ‘If I hadn’t been around, he’d have turned into a mindless beast. But I guess it’s because I was nearby that he dared to take the risk… Good Lord, he’s too much of a gambler!’

But the demon didn’t hate that side of Jules, for he was just as much as a gambler. And, since a few hours back, he had been thinking of making one of the riskiest bets he had ever made: he wanted to make this man his, whatever would come his way. Hearing about his past only reinforced this burning desire of his.

Well, first thing first, they had to get out of this haunted house. Even Bastien, who lacked common sense, knew it wasn’t the right time or place to woo someone. 

Author has something to say: Hi guys, long time no see! If you're on my discord server or CG's server, you might have seen this announcement already, but I'm gonna repeat myself anyway: I've started a new treatment, and honestly, I've been doing nothing but sleeping and working. I'm in a zombie-like state, and it's hard to get my mind around. But well, I should be getting better soon enough and be able to write as much as I did before!

Also, I'm not satisfied with this chapter. I'm not too fond of the transition between the past and the present, so I'll probably work on it when I get to editing the story. Heck, there are many things I'd like to edit! But let's keep that for later.

Thanks for reading! It means a lot to me if you continue to follow this story despite the slow updates! I'm an unreliable author, I know! ;A;

Edited by Clozed! ♥

R.S. Discord