Like an ancient story

Full of Death and Glory

Remember who we are

..............Let my heart be your shelter

39 - Sisters

More chains had been broken. And by the looks of it, the remaining ones wouldn't hold for long.

As Vincent roared to the sky, the lodestone behind him began to glow. A vortex appeared at the highest point where the three lodestones that formed the Triangle met. It was forming quicker than when we last tried to open a portal using Sathariel's, Luci's and Belial's powers combined.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Alex asked me.

I nodded. "I can't just leave Vincent like that. You heard what he said. He'd rather die than be a monster forever."

Vladimir clenched his fists on his sides, his head down.

"I'm sorry you have to do this, Aramis," he choked out through his teeth. "This was supposed to be my job. But... I can't even do anything for my brother."

I forced a little smile. "Can I ask you a favor, Vlad?"

He lifted his gaze to me. "Anything."

"For what I'm about to do... please try to not hate me."

Vladimir didn't answer. But for the first time, I saw him cry. And at that moment, I saw the kid in him. Placing an arm over his eyes, he hid his tears from the rest of us, nodding as he did.

Max was blubbering, too, before I knew it. Kyoshiro, Hector and Joaquim stayed quiet, their eyes downcast. I thought I saw a tear roll down Alex's face, but he was quick to brush it away. I gave him a pat on the back. He was always the one who was there to comfort me and I hadn't been able to return the favor.

I heard Mei scream as another chain broke. Amyr had somehow been flung several yards backwards before hitting the bleachers. Byron Flynn swiftly ran to his aid. The circle of fire in which Vincent stood kept growing bigger and even Byron Flynn who was supposedly fireproof wasn't able to do anything about it.

"He's opening a portal," Sathariel said, looking up at the whirling black hole over our heads.

"To where?" Hector asked.

It was Belial who answered, "To the Living."

Closing his eyes tightly, Sathariel turned away from Vincent. "The Beast's sole purpose is to destroy. It's first instinct would be to devour as many souls as it can. If we don't do something now, we won't be able to stop him. People will die."

I fastened my draughting boots, stripping my face of any emotion. "Can you divert the portal?"

"To where?"

"To Halo."

Sathariel swallowed hard. "It can be done."

The distress on Vlad's face was unmistakable. "But that's where Adrianna is trapped!"

"Exactly," I said.

"What if Vincent manages to free the Woman?" Alexis reasoned out. "We won't be able to stand a chance against them once they team up."

I tugged on my Nysmic dress. I chose a black one this time, similar to the ones the old Alessandra used to wear. "You know the plan, Alex. If we get this right, everything would go back to the way it used to be."

He met my eyes with a meaningful stare. "Not everything."

"So everyone keeps telling me," I sighed. "But now, it's our best shot."

"It's our only shot," Hector corrected.

"We can't screw up, then," Kyoshiro said. "For Vincent."

"For Vincent," the others chorused.

Sathariel, Belial, Luci and Leviathan gathered as near as they could around the lodestone. The four of them kneeled down. The moment Belial began the chanting, the symbols she had drawn on the ground glowed brightly. At exactly the same time, they slammed their palms against the floor and the symbols popped out of the floor. They floated in the air before spiraling around the lodestone, upward to the vortex at the top.

"It's ready," Belial muttered, getting up.

Coincidentally, the last of the chains restraining Vincent fell apart one by one until the only thing preventing him from rampaging was Vladimir's Binds. The strain was evident on the boy's face when Vincent tried to free himself.

"Let go," I told Vlad.

Hesitation flashed on his eyes before he let the Binds falter.

Once Vincent---no. Once the Beast was free, it tilted its head back and let out a deafening roar.

Everyone backed away, gauging the Beast's next move. I didn't move, though. I wanted to get a long good look at the monster Vincent had become.

Besides the armor of crimson scales all over his body, a red metallic mask had now covered his face. His eyes were burning red. His hair had somehow turned into black spikes that ran down to his back then extending even longer and arching up, like a tail.

"The Dragon," Alexis blurted out, eyes wide.

Vincent's now-clawed feet thudded as he carefully trudged towards me. But as he stepped on the triangular symbols Belial had written on the floor with blood, what remained of the brand on his arm started to glow. He stepped back, a low rumble coming out of his throat.

Without further ado, he scaled the lodestone. He reached the top after a few swift leaps and disappeared into the vortex.

I kept staring blankly where he had disappeared, unaware that Hector was already standing beside me until he spoke.

"I've contacted Father," he said. "They have a welcoming committee ready for Vincent when he gets to Halo."

Wordlessly, I nodded.

Sathariel and the others were already heading for the lodestone.

Belial placed a hand over my shoulder. "Go ahead, all of you. Aramis and I have preparations to do."

After they had all left, I still didn't move a muscle. It was too quiet. Even in my head, I couldn't hear anything. My mind was just blank.

Belial led me to the bleachers and sat me. Then, she went back to where she dropped the bowl of blood to see if there was anything left for us to use. Luckily, it doesn't take too much to draw a small triangle on someone's hand. Carrying the nearly empty bowl, she sat with me. Her eyes lingered on my face for a while before she took my right hand and drew the symbol for my next Offering.

"If..." I started, clearing my throat. "If I don't make it, use my soul for another Offering. And please ask Eldest to do what he first offered me."

There was no surprise in the woman's face. Only pity. "You're askin' the wrong person, Hun."

"Why? We're close enough that you can use my soul. It's a little tainted, but I'm sure Eldest would understand."

She sighed. "D'you know how many times I made an Offering? My whole body's fulla these darned triangles that if I try one more I'd have ta write it on my face! That's how many!"

I tried to give her a smile. "Come on, Bel. You'll still be beautiful even with a marking on your face."

She shook her head, her eyes bleary. "D'you know how many times Eldest had granted me an audience? Not even once."

"There's always a first time."

She placed my hand back on my lap. "I... can't help you."

***

By the time Belial and I arrived in Halo, I could already see the abyss barrier glowing from the archway portal.

"Looks like it's startin' without us," Belial said.

We hurried to the labyrinth without difficulties. Every now and then, I would hear loud crashing noises coming from the abyss. After that, the barrier would flicker on and off.

Behind the trees bordering the abyss, different cabals hid themselves, waiting for the perfect timing. Kyoshiro, Vladimir and their familiars joined us shortly upon noticing our arrival.

The crashing noise started again. When I searched for its source, I saw Vincent charging towards the barrier, ramming himself against it over and over. Pilgrim and his familiars were surrounding him, striking at him whenever he wasn't looking. But it was more of a delaying tactic than an aggressive one.

There was already a large crack on the barrier that kept growing bigger whenever Vincent hit it. From the inside, Adrianna hovered in front of the crack, waiting.

"Are you sure about this?" Vlad asked.

"Of course, I'm not sure," I told him. "But do I have a choice?"

Massaging his temples, Vlad drew the Grimoire of Chasms from the inner pocket of his coat--I insisted on using the old Nysmic gear this time. I really liked the new more modern jackets, but for now, we had to look the part. Adrianna had to recognize me; her long lost sister.

"Should I start undoing the barrier?" Vlad asked.

"No," I answered, eyes still on Vincent. "Let Vincent waste some energy trying to break it. Hopefully, he'll be too tired when Adrianna breaks free."

Kyoshiro rubbed his eyes, yawning. "Won't make him less of a pain in the ass, though. Do dragon hybrids get tired easily?"

Sathariel appeared from behind a large boulder, followed by Luci and Levi.

"I doubt it," Sathariel answered Kyoshiro.

"It won't hurt to try," I said.

Luci looked pointedly at me. "It isn't like we have much time to waste."

Before I could say more, Vincent hit the barrier again. And this time, the crack became a hole. In a matter of seconds, Adrianna had flown through the hole and was already hovering over Vincent.

I rolled my eyes at Luci. "You were saying?"

Shaking her head, she walked past me, her shoulder bumping against mine as she did. "Let's go do what we came here for."

"Good luck to you too," I shouted as she and the other Haljans started for the battle field.

Except for Vladimir's the rest of the cabals followed Sathariel's group. Warily, they surrounded Vincent. Despite the number of weapons drawn, their faces said it all--they were scared. Who could blame them? Anyone who could destroy a barrier in few hits is surely a force to be reckoned with.

Pilgrim's group started attacking again, this time for real. In a heartbeat, the heavy silence was replaced by the battle cries and the sound of metal clashing against metal. From what I could see through the tangle of blades and bodies, Vincent was pretty much unharmed. Every now and then, a hit or two would land on him, but he was healing so quickly, there wasn't any real damage dealt.

Vincent roared wildly towards the skies.

It didn't take long enough for familiars to start dropping and flying to different directions. Clearly, sixteen to one still wasn't an equal match. And while this happened, all Adrianna did was watch.

My eyes could follow Vincent's movements, but they were too fast to comprehend. Two minutes hadn't passed and most of the familiars were down. I spotted Conrad--the guy who killed Rosario--among them. Secretly, I was hoping he would get cocky and be one of Vincent's first victims, but ill-wishing wasn't of any help at the moment.

A couple of firefly swarms told us that we had lost yet a few of our comrades forever.

Vladimir tensed, about to step forward. I stopped him, shaking my head. This was war. It couldn't be helped that people will die. And that did not exclude us. At this point, no one was safe, but the remaining of us still had roles to play.

Those who had fallen had been smart. They didn't get back up. And the rest who were still standing slowly retreated, except for Pilgrim who had removed his cloak. He threw it away, and the second it touched the ground, that was when the four Haljan leaders advanced.

It was Pilgrim who attacked first, lunging at Vincent while swinging the Master Scythe. Vincent deflected it with his trident before clawing at Pilgrim with his free hand. All of a sudden, Sathariel was in front of Vincent. He caught Vincent's claws with a massive red Cataclyst.

I didn't know when it happened, but Sathariel, too, was now covered in red like Vincent. Unlike Vincent's, Sathariel's looked more like a body armor than scales or skin. Kind of what Levi always wore. Sathariel's face was visible so I could tell his eyes were still perfectly normal.

"He's a dragon, too," I heard Alex mutter under his breath. "Vincent takes after him. But if he's the dragon, then those three are..."

Alex fell quiet as Sathariel flung Vincent's claws. He kicked his son in the stomach before leaping back with Pilgrim.

Vincent lurched back.

Levi charged, lashing his whips at Vincent. The whips were thicker now and looked like bluish-gray tentacles, convoluted and moving on their own.

"Kraken," I heard Alex mumble excitedly.

With an angry howl, Vincent caught the end of the whip and pulled, taking Levi with it. Levi looped his other whip around Vincent's neck, tugging hard. Vincent went berserk. He flailed his arms and legs to break free, throwing Levi towards the abyss in the process.

Suddenly, Luci was 20 feet off the ground to catch Levi. She had this green visor on that looked like a bird's beak. And what was more unthinkable was the pair of giant wings that had impossibly sprouted from her tiny back. Clearly, no one had seen that coming.

"Gryffon!" Alex blurted out again. "Definitely the Gryffon."

Adrianna swooped towards them. Luci banked hard and dropped Levi safely on the ground before the aerial battle began.

Vincent bent his knees, about to pounce on Luci.

"Oh, no you don't," Belial said, dropping on all-fours and slamming her palms on the ground.

Tremors shook the earth. It caught Vincent by surprise. He staggered backward, losing his balance. Belial didn't waste the opportunity and threw her head forward, her scorpion tail braid whizzing a hair's breadth shy of Vincent's ear. As she retracted the braid, a sort of helmet that looked like a lion's mane with large goat horns began materializing out of thin air around her head.

"Oh, my word!" Alex shout-whispered. "She's the Manticore!"

"And you are such a nerd," I grumbled quietly. "You're not going to put out one of those flashy monster-cards now, are you?"

A shaky laugh came out of him as he patted the breast pocket of his coat. "O-of course not."

As the brawl continued on the ground, Luci saw an opening and dove at Adrianna. She caught both Adrianna's arms before taking a plunge. The second Adrianna had crashed against the ground, Luci jumped onto the back of her waist, locking both legs over it.

Adrianna bucked, but Levi's whips was already wrapped around both her wrists.

"Now!" he shouted, eyes trained on our direction.

Not a second passed and Vladimir's Binds shot from behind me, towards Adrianna. Luci jumped away before she, too, could get entangled with the web-like strings. Before there was any retaliation, Vladimir produced more binds, looping them around her until she almost looked like a cocoon.

"Good work," I told Luci and Levi, stepping out of the bushes.

"Try not to screw up this time," Luci scoffed.

"Very encouraging," I answered, eyeing Adrianna. I glanced at the others: Vincent, Pilgrim, Sathariel and Belial jabbing at each other with speeds I couldn't even begin to explain. Even alone, Vincent seemed to be handling himself perfectly fine. "Take care out there."

Rolling her eyes, Luci began to head for Vincent. But she stopped beside me, placing a hand over my shoulder. "You take care, sister," was what I think I heard before she charged back into the fight with Levi tailing her. Kyoshiro and Alexis' group followed them wordlessly.

Belial broke away from the brawl right as the reinforcements came. And as she headed back to us, it was obvious how loathe she was to do so. That's how much she loves fighting.

Before Amyr slung the squirming Adrianna over his shoulder, Vladimir poured a whole vial of SirenSoul into her mouth. I was glad he took the initiative to wrap her mouth with Binds after that. I was pretty sure she would be screaming foul curses at us on the way, at least before the sedative effects had started kicking in. Every available blade was aimed at her, but that didn't seem to turn the hatred in her eyes into fear.

Upon noticing the Scarlet Woman's capture, Vincent roared at us. His eyes blazed with fury. His neck muscles and veins strained as he bared his now-canine teeth at us. There was no humanity--no Vincent--left in that shell of a monster.

He easily lept over Pilgrim and Sathariel to get to us. But before he could close in, Levi had managed to flail his whip at him and catch his leg. Vincent hit the ground with a crash. Still, he kept clawing on the ground after us.

It was heartbreaking to see him like that, but I couldn't turn away.

"Let's go, Hun," Belial urged. "We don't know how long Vladimir can restrain the Woman."

One look at Vlad and I knew the answer. His face was pale. His breathing was erratic.

Not long.

With a nod, I followed them back into the woods, occasionally glancing back whenever the sound of clashing scythes and claws tore through the silence of the night. I could only hope the others would be able to keep Vincent away from Adrianna until I had accomplished my part.