Chapter Text
Elizabeth Rose Bloodflame was ecstatic. Her first Hunt! Her first mission! Her first assignment, her first chance to prove herself! Finally, she would get what she asked CAIN for so long. And as she quickly walked through the corridors of section thirteen, she wondered what kind of exorcists she was paired with for this hunt. She hoped they would be amicable and kind, but also powerful enough to not hinder her during the Hunt. Almost hitting a scientist, recognisable by his blue badge and long labcoat, she apologised and kept walking, now grazing the walls in order to not let her delusions cause any more trouble as she was nearing what she always wished for.
Checking her summon letter one last time, she stopped in front of the door seven-hundred fifty-two, knocked twice, then opened the door.
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Elizabeth Rose Bloodflame was bored out of her mind. The bus she was on right now, was so slow, that she could feel the Sin disappearing out of her reach before her team and she could even reach the location of the Hunt, even less investigate its traces. And to top it all off, she was stuck with a team of untrained exorcists. At least the Handler appointed her as head of the team, which means she’d get most of the honors if the Hunt went well. But it also meant she had to manage these three girls and she wasn't sure she could do it.
Looking at the back of the empty bus, only three other people filled it. Her team. From the quick briefing the Handler gave her, they could prove useful, if she managed to make them useful.
One row of seats behind her, sitting by the window, a girl with long pink hair, her eyes focused on something she was holding on her lap since they got onto the bus. Elizabeth couldn't figure out what was so captivating, but she couldn't just walk up to her and peek. That would have been a terrible start to their relationship and she had to make sure the girl trusted her. Raora, was her name? Didn't sound too local here. Sometimes she smiled a bit, and whispered a few words with an accent Elizabeth had some trouble figuring out. Her voice was warm, but a bit raspy, in a good way. Elizabeth hoped Raora would prove useful in due time.
Further away from the front of the bus where she was seated, laughter could be heard, only sounds to occasionally break the silence that lingered the air since they left CAIN's facility, two hours ago. It always originated from the same person, a short woman with blonde hair stricken with brown, arranged in two pigtails. Every time she laughed, Elizabeth couldn't help but notice the row of jagged teeth visible to anyone that would look. Thankfully, there was no one to notice it but her.
Gigi. That was her name, the one laughing so much. She was holding to the last member of the team, apparently very close to each other. The other girl, though, didn't seem to share her enthusiasm. Blankly staring at the landscape outside, she would sometimes nod or say a few words back at the unending flow of words Gigi was throwing her way. She was the only one of the group actually wearing her CAIN uniform the “proper” way, with the coat all closed and the collar tugged to hide her neck. Despite everything however, she couldn't really hide the small cracks on the skin around her lips, which moved in a hypnotic fashion every time she spoke. Elizabeth wondered what caused these to appear, and she wagered, if she was to strip Cecilia of her coat, that other identical cracks could be seen across the rest of her body. Gigi stopped talking for a moment and pulled a napkin from her pocket, gently sponging Cecilia's mouth as a few drops of blood dripped from the cracks.
Elizabeth was glad these two knew each other, and hoped their relationship wouldn't be a hindrance for the Hunt to come. But at least, pairs like that could rely on each other if things went south.
Finally, the voice of the bus driver echoed through the vehicle, talking in English with a harsh nordic accent.
“We shall arrive in ██████ soon. Please do not forget any of your personal belongings.”
Liz didn't have any personal belongings to forget on the bus. CAIN deployed them with the minimal amount of equipment, as was custom. They considered an exorcist needed to prove themselves before being allowed any extra expenses be done for them. Exorcists were their greatest strength, but that didn't stop CAIN for treating them as expendable and less than human. Which they were, in a sense. Elizabeth could feel it even now, her blood boiling, her chest warming up, results of the curse that gave her these powers, while stripping her of her humanity. But she accepted it. What other choice did she have?
The bus left them at a small plaza. Snow was gently falling on the entire village around them, only made of a few houses scattered here and there, a small bastion of humanity in the middle of a pine forest. The place where the bus dropped them off had a small sign, written in a language Elizabeth didn't understand. Gigi assured her it was only the name of the town and the bus timetable, but she doubted the blonde girl could actually read that language. Raora shivered, and untied her coat from her waist to put it on her shoulders. Gigi and Cecilia seemed to be affected by the cold too, but Elizabeth didn't seem to care. A few snowflakes landed on her face, pushed by the wind, where they quickly melted up with a quiet sizzle.
“Hey, Liz… Can we find a place to warm up? A bit?” Gigi hesitated, looking around to figure out where they could find shelter from the cold. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at this.
“Liz?” Then a break, and she decided it wasn't worth fighting over such minor detail. “Sure. Let's find somewhere we can stay while we figure out the next step.”
Looking around at the houses, none of these particularly stood out, and they seemingly were all habitations. Only one harbored a small wooden sign nailed to the side, which Gigi read as “Inn ███ ████”. For what that was worth, they decided it was as good as anything else and Elizabeth knocked on the door. Gigi went around to see if there was a window she could peek in, quickly followed by Cecilia, and Raora stayed behind the redhead, waiting for the door to open. Which it did, after a few moments.
A large and prominent woman opened, and smiled at them before speaking a language Elizabeth didn't understand. She paused for a second, cursing herself for not training in foreign languages before Gigi emerged from the other side of the house and started conversing with the lady with an ease that impressed Elizabeth. A minute into the conversation all four girls were sitting at a table, served warm drinks and Gigi was currently laughing with the woman who apparently answered to the name █████. Elizabeth had a hard time trying to get Gigi to translate for her, Cecilia was holding onto her drink, making weird pinging noises as her hands periodically hit the ceramic of the mug. Raora already drank most of it, and was again toying with something under the table, that Elizabeth still couldn't figure out.
After several minutes trying to understand the conversation, Elizabeth gave up and tasted the drink she was served. It was warm and sweet, with a bit of a fizzy side. Slightly smiling, she turned to the other two not talking.
“So. Let's recall what we know and what we have to do there. We're looking for reports of a disappearance that was confirmed to be in ties with a Sin. It's supposedly a Hound, so we need to figure out who the victim was, and if anyone around had a feud with them. Find the Host, find the Palace, find the Sin.”
It was at that moment that Gigi turned back to the group as the lady walked away for a minute.
“Well! I figured most of that out already. Our missing person is ███ ███████. Turns out they disappeared a week ago, and the last person who saw them was their daughter, ██████ ███████. As it turns out, ███ ███████ mentionned going into the woods behind their home, then left and never came back. The locals organized a search but couldn’t find them, and no traces were left either. That poor girl’s now an orphan and she’s been taken in by an older couple next door. █████ said we could visit her to ask about the situation, but in no way we should bother the daughter who’s been distressed ever since.”
Gigi laid down everything so fast that Elizabeth had frozen, shocked by the amount of information acquired so swiftly by the girl.
“Da frigg?? How did you manage to get that much information so fast?”
The chestnut-haired girl smirked and shrugged.
“People like to talk, especially about things they know that the others don't. And well, now that we know where to go, let’s do it then.
- Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Gigi?” Cecilia spoke clearly for the first time since they met, shocking Elizabeth even more. Her voice was soft and soothing to hear, but the constant crackling of her skin as her mouth moved made Raora hiss a little and cover her ears.
‘Well, it’s definitely gonna help us move forward with the investigation.” Elizabeth concluded, slapping both hands on the table to help herself stand up. “Gigi, if you could please thank our hostess for her precious information and help, we’re going to see ██████ ███████, now.”
Raora stood up too, and Elizabeth noticed a small, blue thing being pushed under her coat as she did. Was that what she was handling all along? She didn’t have the time to ponder the question. Gigi put a hand on Cecilia’s shoulder, whispered something to her ear while Cecilia nodded, then turned to Elizabeth.
“Take Raora and go, I’ll catch up with Cici.” She then turned and went to find their hostess to thank her, as Elizabeth and Raora readied themselves to face the cold again.
Outside, the snow stopped falling as a gentle night started obscuring the countryside. Most of the windows were lit up, with signs of life in every house but one, completely turned off. Elizabeth guessed it had to be the one belonging to ███ ███████, and she hesitated a bit. Perhaps… Just a peek wouldn’t hurt, would it. With Raora behind, she got closer to the house, and peeked through a window, to see an empty living room, with not much but a couch and a few pieces of furniture. A handful of books were scattered across a table, and nothing seemed to move inside. Elizabeth reached for the door, but as her hand touched the handle, she noticed something weird and stopped, unable to tell what it was. It was at that exact moment that Raora hissed again, and whispered “No, don’t.”
Elizabeth stopped dead in her tracks.
“Danger. Do not open that door.” Raora kept whispering, talking as if anyone could hear them if she was just a bit louder. Not saying anything, Elizabeth slowly unwrapped her fingers from the handle, and attempted peeking the window again, only to be pulled down by Raora, who was crouched and close to the ground.
“It. is. here.” Panic was set in her eyes, and Elizabeth immediately knew what she was talking about. The Hound was out, and looking for its next prey. She risked a look at the house they just left, making sure Gigi and Cecilia weren’t coming out, risking blowing up their cover. It would be a catastrophe if a fight blew in the middle of the village, risking involving the civilians and especially breaking the Veil. What Elizabeth needed right now was a distraction.
She would have to be the distraction.
She turned to Raora, and found her shivering, and Elizabeth was unsure if it was from the cold or the fear. Raora wasn’t trained, it was written in the files she was handed before the mission. She needed to make sure she would be ok, too.
“Listen, Raora.” She put both her hands on the pink-haired girl’s cheeks, and the warmth created by her affliction helped the girl focus a bit.
“Listen carefully. I’m going to get its attention, and get it away from the village. As soon as I’m gone through the forest, you’re gonna run as fast as you can to Gigi and Cecilia, get them to come help me, because I’m not gonna last by myself against that beast. You’re not gonna have to risk your life if you don’t want to, but I’ll need all the help I can get. Can you do that for me?”
Raora froze, but then nodded and seemed more resolute than before. Elizabeth smiled in what she intended to be something comforting, and then turned to the house again. “Ready?”
Elizabeth pushed the handle, and the door opened with a creak. It was as if the entire world fell silent at that moment. She risked a peek inside, and, from the slight gap she opened, a red eye stared right back at her.
Elizabeth jumped through the door, pushing it to the side. The creature inside was smaller than she thought, and slicing it open wouldn’t be a difficult task. She could slay it herself! Ending it, here and now! Reaching out to grab the creature, her palm ignited with blue flames, and illuminated the room she just barged in. That’s when she realized her mistake.
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As soon as she saw Elizabeth jump inside, Raora stood up and ran as fast as she could towards the house, across the place. She allowed herself a peek behind, and a flash of blue flame lighted up the dark room Elizabeth went into. She crossed the place in no time, and quickly opened the door to find Gigi and Cecilia almost on the go, but this time both were wearing nice scarves and gloves, ready to fight the cold. Not stopping to catch her breath, she pointed to the empty house with the door wide opened. “Liz’s there! She needs help!” She yelled, and Gigi instantly jumped out, and started running towards the house. “Take care of Cecilia!” was the only thing Raora heard back, but she trusted Gigi to help Liz the right way. Turning back to said girl she had to care for, she saw her rummage through her coat for something hidden under. Raora did the same, and her hand grasped a soft plushie. The whisper started again, comforting and calm, balancing the current situation she wasn’t truly understanding.
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Gigi was more jumping than running. Each of her steps covered several meters at once, and it only took her a few seconds to reach the house Raora pointed at. She could see flashes of blue light occasionally emit from inside of it, and as she barged through the door, she found Elizabeth on the ground, pinned by a small creature she was holding back with one hand, while the other was pulsing with blue flames, used to fend off a group of a few other monstrous creatures gathered around her. Not waiting a second more, Gigi extended her arm, and with a thought, propelled a forcefield to wrap around her teammate, cutting off the creature assaulting her. With the other, she pulled out a brass knuckle from her pocket and, wrapping her fist with psychic energy, struck a devastating blow to one of the monsters, making its weird beak-like face pop like a watermelon under the pressure of the forcefield. The body was thrown across the room, and Gigi stopped between Elizabeth and the monsters, helping her back on her feet. Quickly examining her, she noticed a couple of cuts on her face and arms, but nothing major or too deep. She let out a sigh of relief and focused back on the creatures. Myrmidons, she guessed. Traces formed by a Hound, echoes of the original violence that caused the Sin to be born in the first place. Good, that meant they could cut the chase and find the Hound quickly. The weather wasn’t good for Cecilia, and she was bleeding more frequently while they were here...
The remaining Myrmidons gathered on the other side of the room, enraged by the arrival of a new foe. They were having much more fun with a single target to harass. Gigi counted four, but there might be more hiding, or converging to the current target of the hunt. Grinning, she pulled her other brass knuckle from her pocket, and smashed her fists together.
“Alright then, bring it on!”
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Elizabeth was a bit shaken, but Gigi’s intervention certainly saved her life right here. She was prepared to take on a single small Sin, not a full pack. Still, she managed to incinerate a few of them before tripping on the carpet and being nailed to the ground. Thankfully, Gigi was there fast enough. It was now both of them against the four remaining creatures. Traces, perhaps? She wasn’t sure how CAIN called them anymore. The adrenaline rushed through her veins, burning her skin from within, and all of CAIN’s training vanished from her mind at that instant. No, all she was waiting for right now was a reason to start fighting again. She wanted, she craved the thrill of the fight, she desired to inflict violence again, and without a word, without a warning, her palms flared up again with the same burst of blue fire. She jumped past Gigi, and grabbed the closest Trace, her palms incinerating the outer layers of the creature with a metallic smell of blood burning and flesh searing. The creature immediately replicated by trying to dig its teeth into her arm, but barely grazed her, the fire melting its face before it could bite. Now laughing, the heat intensified, and with a superhuman effort, Elizabeth pulled the creature apart, burning flesh thrown around, causing the other Myrmidons around to catch fire, before getting incinerated by a blast of fire from the redhead. Elizabeth took a step back, and turned to Gigi with the brightest smile on her face.
“We’re done here, right? Let’s find that— ”
Her teammate didn’t have time to react fast enough before the last Myrmidon jumped on the redhead, fangs going deep down her throat.
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Raora and Cecilia were sitting on the side of the house, looking across the place, to where Gigi ran. The bright blue flashes stopped after the girl got inside, and Raora was hoping it meant Elizabeth was safe. Then blue flames illuminated the night again, for a long period this time. Then a pause, and then, a scream of pain echoed through the village, and Raora stood up instantly. That wasn’t Elizabeth, wasn’t it? She hoped it wasn’t. But Cecilia knew better than to hope, and standing up with a rasping sound that made Raora’s skin crawl, she started walking towards the location of the fight. Raora raised her hand, almost holding her back.
“Wait!” She quickly stood up too. She didn’t want to involve herself with the fight, but she did promise... Gigi trusted her to take care of Cecilia, so she had to stay with her. She caught up to her with a few steps, and only then noticed it. Cecilia was gritting her teeth, with each step through the snow accompanied by dampened screeching, that made Raora uncomfortable again. She reached inside her coat, touching the soft plushie again, and the whisper silenced the uneasy sound. How was she so much in pain, that even walking was hurting her?
“Cecilia?
-They need... Help.” Cecilia muttered, making the effort of speaking, and Raora could see red pearling at the corner of her mouth, where her skin was cracked. The cracks were so deep that Raora could even catch a sight of the red flesh underneath, pulsing, bleeding.
Raora could do nothing to help her, but walked by her side, worrying about her, and more importantly, about what was happening to Elizabeth in the meantime.
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Elizabeth was bleeding out on the floor. Her psychic energy was working overtime to stop her from dying, but the wound was too large, the bleeding too strong. Gigi had quickly dealt with the last Myrmidon, but couldn't help her with the bite that tore a large chunk of flesh and muscle out of Elizabeth's neck. Her chest desperately pulsed, sending waves of fiery energy across her body, the exposed flesh sizzling as her inner furnace was trying to cauterize herself. Elizabeth barely heard Gigi speaking in panic, and soon, her vision obscured, and the world went dark.
Elizabeth was standing in the void. No more pain, no more bleeding. Just her, in the emptiness. She looked down at her body and found herself naked. A blue fire was coming out of her chest, and the flames were licking her collarbone, but didn't burn her. Instead, it was a warmth caress on her skin, something reassuring.
Then, a voice. Cold and warm at the same time, sweet and raspy, soft and strong. A voice that belonged to no one and everything.
“Oh, dear. What has happened to you?”
Elizabeth opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out. The emptiness absorbed it all, drinking dry anything given to it.
“Do not worry, my fierce lady. Your time hasn't come yet. But I must warn you. Your foe has its clutches onto you now, and it is not gonna give back easily.”
Once again, the warmth of her flame wrapped Elizabeth, reacting to her emotion. She desperately tried to scream into the void, but still, nothing to be heard.
And suddenly, the void wasn't empty anymore. A presence, lurking at the corner of her vision, menacing, threatening.
“Well, it seems like it found us. I will send you back before it can–”
The void shattered. Falling around Elizabeth like a thousand glass shards, and revealing the world behind it. Elizabeth was floating, and the vision shown to her was sure to haunt her for the rest of her life. As far as her eyes could see, rolling waters of psychic energy, storms uncontrolled, infinite rampage of elements. And above her, a creature. Human in form, it was still harboring a pair of wings in a fiery orange, and wrestling with another creature, this one less defined, it's shape shifting constantly, from a ferocious wolf, to a violent vulture, a ravenous lizard, and a hundred other forms Elizabeth couldn't identify.
“Go now! I invested too much in you and your team for it to go to waste so soon.”
The last sight Elizabeth had of her protector was a bright flash of fire, infinitely more potent than anything she could have ever pulled, and then she opened her eyes again.