Some life experiences leave marks that stay with a person forever. They could be good or bad moments, yet, they have something in common: their intensity.

Memories like that one can be recalled at any time of their existence and they'll still be as vibrant as the first time. Sometimes one can even smell them or feel their touch on the skin. People carry them until the day of their death, just like a scar.

In the last months, Flora added several marks to her soul, some of them were bigger than the others. The strongest like to come back on the less convenient days, and it didn't matter how tall the barrier she built was, they always found a way to climb up. The young woman was filled with internal scars and after her last fight, she won an external one to match.

"The wound is healing well, but it'll leave a scar," explained Genevieve.

"Don't worry about it," said Flora as she put her shirt back down. "They said girls love scars, now I'm sexier. "

"And you have a great story to tell."

"What can I say? I'm a badass." The blonde commented while eyeing the temporary infirmary.

Without the headquarters, they had to improvise a place to treat the injured members. The people with serious injuries were sent to the hospital, but those with simple wounds were treated by Genevieve.

The new space lacks the facilities they had at the headquarters. It counted only four beds, a defibrillator, and five first aid kits. The equipment they gathered months ago was destroyed in the attack.

"Be careful today," asked the doctor. "The demons are looking for the same object and I wouldn't be surprised if they try to follow you. If something happens don't hesitate to ask for help. The three of you are too stubborn."

"We're gonna be okay. If a demon tries to kill me I'll throw Noah to him before running, he's the perfect distraction."

"I bet he'll say the same thing, but none of you are selfish enough to do something like that." 

An expedition in search of hope was her assigned task that afternoon. Between the last pages of the diary, Flora found a message "my confession is lying on a bed of bluebells". In the beginning, she ignored the words, but after further inspection, the journalist noticed that they were written in neater calligraphy and with a different ink.

Thanks to her love for flowers and her power, Flora was aware of the existence of the place where the bluebells grew. Not so many people knew about the particular spot inside the woods, so she hoped that the elder confession remained in the same corner, intact.

The trio crossed the first line of trees at midday, the powerful rays of sunlight disappeared once the roof made of leaves covered their heads. They followed the path during the initial part of their journey, then they were forced to go into the deepest part of the woods.

Clio and Noah were on the same page when it came to complaining, they kept cursing at the branches that got in their way and at the insects that popped out of nowhere. Flora, on the other side, looked at every detail with sparkling eyes and a gigantic smile on her face.

"How much time will we have to walk?" Asked Noah. "I'm fucking tired of this place."

"A little more," answered the blonde.

"You said that twenty minutes ago,"  said Clio.

"This time it's the truth. See, here we are." The young woman moved a long branch to give way to a field of bluebells.

Flora extended her arms, and with her eyes closed, she gave some small steps. The flowers welcomed the young woman, leaning in to let her pass. They communicated with each other, she didn't need to hear words to understand the message of the bluebells.

Guided by the connection that came from her power, Flora found the exact spot. She asked one of the flowers to hand her the object they were looking for. Using its root the bluebell pulled a metal box out of the ground.

"It's not locked," noticed the blonde once she returned to her companions. She opened the lid of the box and took out a small notebook.

"What does it say?" Asked Clio while she moved her head to get a better view of the object.

"We lied to our people, we tied them to a web of deceit," Flora started reading. "To save us from destruction we ruin our future, but I can't do this anymore, I can't look into the eyes of my granddaughter without thinking of the pain she'll suffer because of my fault. The Devil is a trickster, all his words are fakes. I hope someone finds this letter so you can be aware of his lies, and know about his first and second attack."

"First and second attack?" Noah interrupted the reading.

"Eight months after his first appearance the Devil will attack with the intention of reducing a third of the population." The young woman continued, ignoring the redhead's words. "That day there'll be a solar eclipse and the demons will use it in his favor. The second attack will happen three months after the first one, and they'll try to kill all the villagers. Only those who survive both battles will be free. Where there's fear there's also hope, and our hope comes from the angels. They gave us a light, one that can help you defeat the demons. We had to hide it from the evil forces but you'll find a clue inside this box. I pray for the future of Umbra every night, may God be with you."

"We only have two weeks before the first attack. We need to get—"

An earthquake shook them before Clio could finish her phrase. The notebook almost fell from Flora's hand, but she managed to return it to the inside of the box before it happened.

A demon came from nowhere, he smashed Noah against the ground. The young man blocked the knife that was aimed at his neck just on time. 

The human was losing the fight when a branch hit the demon, sending him flying to the other side. Flora got closer to Noah and helped him stand to his feet. Then she gave him the box.

"Take it to safety." She ordered him.

The demon disappeared from its place and appeared next to the speedster. The blonde got in the way once again, with her power she created a wall of vines to give Noah the chance to escape. Once he was out of sight she retracted the plants.

Not so far, to the right, Clio battled against the one who controlled the earthquakes. Flora's instinct made her walk toward her friend, her mind told her that they were stronger together. However, she was unable to move forward before the demon teleported in front of her.

"Not so far, sweet cheeks." He warned her.

"You're even worse than I thought," said the girl before she sent a branch on his way.

The monster dodged the projectile, he kept jumping from one place to another and Flora failed at guessing his movements. Every time he teleported he landed a hit on the blonde's body. She chose the best option and covered herself with her plants.

Inside the shield, she felt the strikes given by the demon. His punches weakened the protection, it wouldn't take long before he'd break it. Then everything came to a stop.

"Yah! Crazy latina, lower this thing!" Noah's voice caught Flora's attention.

"What are you doing here?" She asked after retreating the shield.

"I'm helping you, that's what I'm doing. Fuck it, hold still."

The words that were about to leave the girl's mouth were intercepted when Noah threw her over his shoulders.

A second later her surroundings turned blurry. Her stomach cried for help, the substances inside it spined nonstop. In a sudden motion everything stopped. As soon as her feet were touching the floor, Flora bent to the side to vomit.

"That's common for the first time," said the speedster after seeing the girl. "You'll get used to it."

"I don't want to do it ever again," Flora complained. "Where are we?"

"We're back to the temporary headquarters." Clio joined the conversation. "Noah brought Bertram with him, I got back through the portal by myself and Noah crossed with you."

"Thanks." The blonde whispered.

"Now we're even." The young man dismissed her words. "I left the box with Stefan. What do you think we're going to do?"

Flora let out a sigh. "Prepare to battle, I guess."

The big battle is close! Thanks for your support 💜 I hope you liked this chapter.