S I S T E R

———

BLOOD OOZED OUT of the severed head and onto the ground while the stump of the neck pooled with crimson liquid. Unable to look on, Qiu Xia discarded the head a small distance away from its body in disgust, dropping it right by Fabian's foot.

"I'm surprised that you guys don't control these demons," she commented, wiping the dirt on the palm of her hand on her dress. "I had the impression you were considered as beings to be worshipped."

Fabian wrinkled his nose at the demon's severed head, resisting a gag. The image of Qiu Xia detaching flesh from flesh without as much as a scowl or a smile was a haunting image. Her movements seemed so practiced, so precise, and so very deadly. There wasn't even a hint of emotion that he could catch and that fact made Fabian's skin crawl.

"We are from different sides of the war," he explained. "The ruler of Hell, Lucifer, plans to dominate multiple realms with his legion of demons. My brothers and I are merely trying to stop him."

Qiu Xia scoffed. "And how do you plan on doing that? By starting another war?"

"Sometimes, violence is the only way to counter violence. You're a general's daughter. You should know that."

"Even though I am the general's daughter, I understand that violence is the last resort. You and your brothers must be very desperate to have thought of recruiting soldiers of the dead to help fight your battles." The girl stuck up her nose high in the air, her two fists on her hips.

"That's rich coming from the girl that just sliced off the head from a body." Fabian nodded towards the dead demon, a single eyebrow raised.

"Fabian!"

A loud rustle came from behind Qiu Xia. From beneath the shadows and shielded by the abundance of greenery, a head of red hair emerged, matching eyes that pooled with scarlet and gold darting about before landing on Fabian's figure. It then trailed down, pupils focusing on the detached demon head right by Fabian's feet.

Wilhelm's lips quirked into a lopsided grin.

"Hunting?" he asked, gesturing at the head all while stepping out into the open.

He used their native tongue, a language that Qiu Xia did not understand. However, once she remembered that this man was of no threat to them, she calmed down, returning to picking random leaves and plants from nearby shrubs.

"I wasn't the one that took it out." Fabian wrinkled his nose in disgust, internally gagging at the thought of the demon's blood spurting out. "She did."

"Well, from the beginning she had always been a rather sprightly one," Wilhelm joked.

"Not only that but she glowed."

That made Wilhelm shut up. His expression darkened, shifting to an image of granite as he turned to stare at the young girl. Unaware of the looks both brothers were casting her, Qiu Xia continued with her work, unbothered by a conversation she did not understand.

"We cannot let Lucifer get to her." Wilhelm pursed his lips, the humor in his eyes reduced to calculating thoughts.

"Dimitri will know what to do. We should hide her in the North Wing and out of Lucifer's sight."

"Wouldn't it be safer for her here?"

Fabian shook his head. His dark hair fell right over his eyes, covering them just a little. "No. We don't know what she is capable of. If that power runs amok, these villagers will be in trouble. Furthermore, demons are starting to lurk. The enemy is nearing."

For a usually joyous person, Wilhelm's aura was worryingly dark. His muscles were tensed, jaw clenched and eyebrows furrowed as he nodded once. With lips pursed, he turned from Qiu Xia's figure to Fabian's, exhaling deeply from his nose.

"We don't have a choice, do we?" he asked.

"No," Fabian answered with a matching frown. "No, we don't."

♔ ♔ ♔

The North Wing was silent when Fabian and Wilhelm returned with an unexpected guest. As usual, there was barely anyone in the halls. The only presence was that of the flame of the candlelight, flickering and swaying when even the slightest gust of wind touched it.

A quiet castle was easier to sneak intruders in as compared to a lively one. Nevertheless, Fabian made sure to be careful, stopping to check all corners before turning and casting cautious looks over his shoulder.

Two turns ago, Wilhelm had split from them with the mission of finding both Dimitri and Calvin. He was to bring them to their usual meeting room. They needed more than two heads to figure out what could be done about a mysterious new addition to Hell's collection of misfits.

"You seem to be in a rush for once," Calvin commented, squinting dubiously at Wilhelm. "Is something of the matter?"

"Calvin's right. You aren't acting like how you usually do," agreed Dimitri.

Even though questions were flung towards Wilhelm like an endless onslaught, the other two still obediently followed Wilhelm down the halls, each working hard to match his anxious pace.

Wilhelm let out a deep sigh. "There's been new ...developments regarding Dimitri's status as the spirit of death."

Following that sentence was a long pause. A silence stretched out between the three brothers, all sending looks of surprise and curiosity towards Wilhelm. For a while, only their footsteps could be heard along with the occasional hoot of an owl from outside the window. Dimitri was the first to break that silence.

"Explain everything you know."

With a shake of his head, Wilhelm stopped right outside a set of large doors. He placed a hand on the knob, shooting Dimitri a look which the latter could not discern the true meaning of.

"I think it's better for you to see it for yourself. Besides, I'm not the one with answers."

"Then who is?" Calvin asked.

"Fabian," came the immediate answer.

The doors opened before Dimitri or Calvin could react. Seated in the center of the room was Fabian and a girl that Calvin did not recognize. However, Dimitri, on the other hand, could remember her face from the sketch he drew up upon her death. There was a name to her face, an identity in which the girl need not explain for him to know.

So instead of acting surprised, Dimitri casually crossed the room, his hands deep in his pockets with a small notebook that his fingers clutched onto. Matching Qiu Xia's relaxed posture, Dimitri slumped down into the couch, throwing an arm over the backrest while his legs were kicked up and perched on the coffee table between them.

"The general's daughter," he started his words with a patronizing smile. Mandarin words left his lips without any effort. An outsider might've even thought it was the language he had grown up with. "To what do we owe the pleasure, Lady Qiu Xia?"

"You know her?" Calvin asked, eyebrows raised and arms folded across his chest.

Without turning his eyes away from Qiu Xia, Dimitri bore a striking grin that was neither passive nor aggressive. "I know everyone that's passed into this netherworld."

The young lady kept her dignified appearance, arms placed delicately on her lap as she stared straight ahead. Neither one of the brothers knew what she was thinking about yet neither of them dared to ask. They all waited in the silence, holding back to see what she would reply to that. Even though her back was straight and her chin was tilted up haughtily, she did not look tense in the least bit.

Finally, she spoke. "Actually, I was hoping that you could tell me. I was dragged here instead of being left behind in the village with the rest of the deceased. I haven't a clue why I was brought here and was instead told that you would be the one to provide answers."

With that said, Dimitri turned to Fabian immediately, an eyebrow arched high in questioning. The latter coughed once, stepping up with a sigh.

"She displayed signs of turning into a spirit of a higher power, just like you."

"Explain, at once." Interest peaked, Calvin and Wilhelm both sat down. They leaned forward a little, mind split between examining Qiu Xia and focusing on Fabian's words.

"We were in the forest surrounding the village when a demon attacked us. Judging by its actions, it had the intention to kill on sight. It was aiming for me."

Calvin frowned. "They've been given orders by Lucifer not to cause harm to us. Why would it attack you?"

"Easy," Dimitri said, leaning back in his seat. "Lucifer is starting to suspect our loyalty and is growing restless. He's pulling at the weeds from the roots. With us gone, there'll be no one brave enough to create an uprising and start a rebellion that can threaten his regime."

Fabian nodded. He was clearly annoyed at it all. There were lines appearing on his forehead and a dark shadow clouded his eyes. The air in the room grew heavy with Dimitri's explanation. Lucifer was prepared for the war they were trying to brew.

"Qiu Xia spotted the demon before I did and she acted. A poisoned arrow and a severed demon head later, white lines started to appear on her skin." Fabian paused, turning to look at Qiu Xia who had a bewildered expression on her face, eyes wide in surprise. "I doubt you noticed, did you?"

The girl in question stayed silent but she shook her head, confirming Fabian's words.

"Thought so."

"And by lines, I'm assuming you meant the glow we saw on Dimitri's skin? His mark of death?" Calvin's question was no louder than a murmur but everyone in the room heard it. It was far too loud a cry compared to the otherwise silence.

"Yes and no," Fabian answered. "When I was escorting the group of souls to the village with Wilhelm earlier today, I came across an interesting piece of information. One of the spirits mentioned that the mortals believe in something known as the four horsemen of the apocalypse, bringers of damnation and divine retribution. They're known as Death, War, Conquest, and Famine. In addition to that, some tell tales of a fifth rider known as Pestilence, the bringer of sickness and fatal epidemics. I believe that Qiu Xia falls into the category of one of the four other riders, ruling out Death whose position is occupied by Dimitri."

"But which one?" Wilhelm probed. "There are four others. That's a lot to choose from."

"I'm not finished." Fabian rolled his eyes at Wilhelm's impatience. "Each rider is represented by a different color. War rides a red horse, Famine a black one, and finally, Conquest and Pestilence both share a white horse. If Death is depicted with an ashen pale green horse, matching the color of the lines on his skin, then the white lines would make her either Conquest or Pestilence."

"Okay, but which one?"

"Stop and think for a second, Wilhelm," Calvin chided. "Taking Dimitri's case as an example, the conversion requires a trigger. Dimitri's change was triggered by..." he paused, turning to take a glance at Dimitri's expression before continuing. Surprisingly, Dimitri didn't even flinch at the memory. "...Adelia's death. Hence, this Qiu Xia's conversion from mortal to horsemen will require a trigger as well. If we take into account for the fact that she equipped a poisonous arrow, it would make her the spirit of pestilence."

"But why not Conquest? She won in a scuffle with the demon. Winning would put her in the position of the spirit of conquest," argued Wilhelm.

Dimitri sighed, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. His elbow was propped against the armrest of the couch, a lazy look on his face. Yet, no one could miss the calculating look in his eyes. "No, I agree with Calvin. Conquest, by definition, is the act of assuming control through military might. A single small scuffle, as you put it, will not be enough to trigger it."

"We could also verify this deduction through magical means. Especially since Dimitri received the ability to know of every mortal death since his change, it can be assumed that Qiu Xia will also have a similar power increase related to her field of expertise," Calvin pointed out.

While the four brothers discussed this new development, only Fabian realized that Qiu Xia had remained quiet for the better half of the conversation. It was then had Fabian noticed that they had returned to speaking in their native tongue, leaving Qiu Xia completely in the dark about the ongoings.

Feeling a little guilty and abashed, Fabian cleared his throat, nodding in the direction of the young girl that still remained proper and quiet as if all was right with the world.

"Dimitri, do you think you'll be able to use a spell that helps with this language barrier?" Fabian gestured to the small notebook that was still tucked in Dimitri's pockets, knowing fully well that it was a spellbook stolen from Lucifer's archives.

The spirit of death jerked his head up in surprise, pulling the book out into the open before flipping through the pages. He quickly scanned through the journal entries, briefly reading the titles before finally settling on a single page. Just as luck would have it, Lucifer had written down a spell for languages.

It was originally intended to be used on the demons since they had progressed backward and lost whatever was humanoid about themselves after the fall. Lucifer's notes stated that it was to ease communication. However, Dimitri saw no difference in the demons that roamed Hell from before and now.

"There's something here but it might not be effective."

"There's no harm in trying," Calvin shrugged, "if she's willing?" He turned to look at Qiu Xia, careful to speak in a language that she could understand.

The young girl nodded, lips pursed and fingers clamped tightly together. The fabric of her dress wrinkled even further, adding onto the distress it originally received from her death and the demonic encounter in the forest.

Without another word, Dimitri stepped forward. He raised his hand and stretched it towards her, reciting the lines on the book as a faint green glow started to spread from his palm to the tips of his fingers. The spell used words of different languages, spinning them into a sentence which only a master of all could understand without a hitch. At the end of it, a bright light burst forth, showering the room with a luminance that blinded all in it.

When the light finally subsided and the spell was completed, Dimitri did not dare move a muscle. Instead, he held his breath as did all the others, waiting for Qiu Xia to open her eyes which she reflexively closed from the light.

"Qiu Xia?" Fabian muttered her name hesitantly, unsure of what to expect. Then, in his native tongue, a language that she wouldn't be able to understand without the aid of the spell to help her learn, he asked, "how are you feeling?"

Her eyes started to blink open slowly, long lashes grazing the apples of her cheeks each time she blinked. When her obsidian eyes were finally wide open, her rouge-tainted pink lips parted in delight. She turned to examine each of the four brothers as if it were the first time she'd seen them, all the while maintaining the brilliant grin on her face.

Finally, she spoke in a voice as soft as a whisper in the wind, using the angels' native language. "I'm feeling wonderful."

"The spell worked." Wilhelm's jaw hung right open, muttering words of awe as Dimitri, too, let out a sigh of relief.

Each of them crowded around the girl, eager to celebrate. In the eyes of others, it was a small accomplishment to be able to cast a ready-made spell from a stolen spellbook. In their eyes, however, this was a great achievement that signified smooth tidings for the war to come— it was a good omen.

"You're officially one of us now." Calvin beamed brightly, his large hand ruffling the girl's hair good-naturedly. "We'll protect you well."

"Calvin's right," Wilhelm agreed with a sharp nod. "From this point on, heck, even from when you first arrived in Hell, you've joined us. Not just as a resident of Hell, not just because you speak our language, not because you're a horseman or that you live in the castle. But because we're on the same boat."

"In that case, thank you for having me, my brothers." The smile on Qiu Xia's face rivaled the angels'. It made Fabian grin as well, matching the pleasantly handsome look on the rest of his brothers' faces.

Together, they glowed brighter than a thousand suns.

"Of course," Dimitri chuckled, "sister."

————

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