Vierne opened her eyes and found herself in her room. It was dark. The moon resembled a crescent chakra. She walked towards the window and looked at her mother's rose garden. Akagi was standing there, digging into the soil as if in search of something.

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" He turned back. Vierne stood before the fountain.
"You're feeling fine now—"
"Why don't you want me to go there?" Vierne interrupted him.
"Because I don't feel right. We shouldn't go there."

"Are you scared of my past?"
"I'm scared we'll lose you."
"Death has never overwhelmed me. And it never will."

Akagi smirked, "Just wait and I'll prove you how wrong you are."
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
"No, Vierne."
"You can't stop me—"

He pointed his gun at her, "I can."
Her eyes widened and she grinned. She pressed her fingers on her forehead and pointed at it, "This is your aim." Akagi looked into her eyes.
"Why are you being like this, Vierne?" He asked.
"Because you're stopping me! Why Lord Akagi?! Why this sudden worry for me? Are you afraid that I don't need you anymore or you want me to depend on you like I always have—"

"Because you called me a friend!" Akagi shouted.
She looked into his eyes, "Maybe you point a gun at all your friends?"
"No, I point a gun at a knuckle-dragging worm-witted inbred swamp twatt.."

Vierne smirked, "I respect you, Lord Akagi. But that doesn't give you the right to call me whatever you want."
"What if I do?" Vierne's eyes glowed sapphire blue while Akagi's eyes glowed ruby red. She removed her ring and kept it inside her skirt, "I don't want to hurt you," She said.

He chuckled, "You think you can?"
She was about to grab his gun when he moved away from her and disappeared. She pressed her hands on the tiled floor and the floor broke apart, "Say now!"
He appeared right behind her. He was in the air, about to kick her in the neck but she turned back and moved her right hand towards his leg.

'Oh no' He thought but he couldn't do anything since it was almost impossible to change direction mid-air. She grabbed his leg but nothing happened. She was about to slam him on the broken floor but he pressed his hands on the floor and pulled her towards him. She landed right above him and looked into his eyes.

"You're getting better at this." He smirked.
"Lict has been teaching me how to fight. I'm not that weak anymore." She felt a gun on her stomach, "You never know when you might be killed."
He punched it into her stomach and she fell on the ground, coughing out her spit, "Can't believe you just controlled your powers. Oh, look what you've done." He looked around at the dismantled garden. The floor was broken and the flowers were uprooted. Only the fountain was intact.

"I don't understand," Vierne got up, "I'm just trying to know about me. My whole family was assassinated then why did they spare me? And how could mortals kill gods I don't understand. And what I'm trying to do is just understand and find the truth. I'm brave and strong to handle it. I have to go, Lord Akagi." She looked into his eyes.

"You can't keep me in these four walls anymore!" She shouted and stumbled upon a broken floor tile.
"Vierne!" Akagi ran towards her as she slowly fell towards the fountain. He grabbed her waist and pulled her back, grabbing the fountain statue for support. To his surprise, it turned. They heard a loud, low voice from the ground and it vibrated. The floor fixed itself and the roses were planted back again. The statue lady was back at her initial position. Vierne and Akagi were astonished.

None of them knew what just happened.

That evening, Akagi went to Aleksei's place. Maks poured him some hot water.
"The garden healed itself?" Aleksei paraphrased, "I knew it was high in spirit energy."
"How does that matter?"
"Because spirit energy is healing in nature. Remember the roses withered when I planted them elsewhere. Those roses absorb and thrive on that spirit energy."

Akagi sipped his hot water, "Vierne is becoming rebellious. She wants to go to a burial ground."
"Let her go. She knows what she is doing. She's growing quickly now that she's given enough space."
"What about Lict? The eclipse is coming."
"I've thought about it."
"What will you do?"

"A Nuo exorcism"

"What?! You're not a fangxiangshi."
"But I have studied it."
"Have you ever done it before?"
"There is always a first time."
"This better not make things worse."

Vierne asked Lict to pack her clothes, they were to leave for Tsarskoye Selo the following morning. Akagi finally agreed and booked their tickets. He decided to accompany her with Aleksei. It was a long journey from Moscow.

When they reached there, they saw that it had already snowed. Vierne walked on the snow and stood before the Catherine Palace. Lict and everyone else stood behind her, "It's the summer palace of the royal family." Aleksei heard voices of children as he walked through the halls of the Catherine Palace. The entire palace was covered with gold plates and items. It might be one of the most lavish palaces they had ever seen. Vierne stood before an old painting of the Romanov family. She looked into the eyes of the Tsarina, Alexandra, the Tsar, Nicolas II, the young crown prince, Alexei and his four sisters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia.

"Several people all across the world had claimed to be one of them. People could lie but not their DNA" Melissa stood beside Vierne. She looked at her shining eyes, "Did I interrupt something?"
"When do you not?" Akagi walked towards them.
"Why do you have a problem with everything I do?" Melissa stomped her feet.

"Because everything you do is a problem." Akagi roasted.
"Because you are the problem." Vierne burnt.
"Oh, did I smell roasted pork?" Lict came to them.
"I don't like pork." Vierne and Akagi said together. Melissa turned towards Lict, "Lict, please say you like pork!"

"Erm, I don't have any solid opinion about it."
"Like your pants?"
"Nevermind, I hate pork too."

Melissa wined.

"Why are you here?" Vierne asked.
"I was wondering if we could go out for a walk into the city rather than walking into a museum."
"No thanks, I'd like to warm my body rather than freeze my ass by going outside," Akagi said.
"Please?" Melissa climbed till his shoulders and brushed his hair to convince him.
"Fuck it, let's go."

She wrapped her legs around his neck, "Choke me." He said.
"BDSM?" She asked.
"Death."
"Akagi died from thick thighs." Melissa smiled.

"Sounds nice to me." Lict agreed, "Especially the Akagi died part."
"Well, am I not loved?" Akagi said, sarcastically. They walked towards the mall and looked at the huge billboard screen, "Vote for me and I will recreate Russia!"
"Communism." Vierne said, "I hate the sole idea of it. Peasants shall remain peasants."

"Recreate Russia? He should first go back to his mother's womb and recreate himself. Damn that face can make a hard dick go soft."
"I'd rather not get into politics." Lict smiled.
Akagi coughed, "I just remembered a meme."

"Rasputin?" Vierne asked.
"Putin?" Lict asked.
"Putout!" Melissa laughed.
"She got me," Akagi said in English. He had a strong Russian accent. Suddenly, he turned back.
"Milady," Lict grabbed Vierne's hand. Melissa did the same to Akagi.

"What's the matter?" Vierne asked since everyone was on their toes. Akagi looked up at Melissa while Lict picked Vierne up into his arms. Both of them ran inside a building and reached the terrace.
"Are we far enough?" Akagi asked Lict.
"I think so," Lict replied.

"Far enough from what?" Nobody was answering Vierne's questions. Akagi looked down from the terrace. He was looking at a couple—A guy with platinum blonde hair who stood beside a platinum blonde girl reading a magazine. Vierne traced his eyes, "Who are they?"

"Evgeni Medvediva," The platinum blonde guy turned towards Akagi and looked at him, straight into his eyes. Akagi took a step back, "He noticed us. We have to run away, now!"
Lict made a golden bridge with his magic. They climbed on it and began running.

"Why are we running away from them?" Vierne asked as they ran.
"That pair, Vierne," Akagi said, "Is the strongest pair in the entire world. If we run into them, it's over."

-To be continued 

Evgeni | Lobelia
Dear Ms Lady Demigod