Saving Soul

Anja was just starting to wake. "Oooooooowwwwwwwwwww" She groaned. She sat up clutching her head. "The hell"

"Hello," Daniel greeted. "How was your sleep, demon?"

"If that's your opinion of me, just wait till you find a noble lady to settle down with. They're a bunch of cut-throats" Anja replied with a glare. "And My sleep wasn't very satisfying." She grumbled, the truth serum still affecting her.

"Sadly it is not an opinion, it is fact," answered Daniel. "The tests result prove it."

(what kind of demon is she partly? I'm thinking the doctor will trigger results as proof)

Anja frowned. "What are you talking about now?" She snarled.

(cloud spirit demon. Her powers show up in her summoning usually.)

(so like when her eyes turn blue and stuff? Is there anything else I can use, like creating clouds/mist or something?)

"There's no use denying it. The doctor can prove it," answered Daniel, as the medical man stepped forward with a syringe.

(She can exhale mist AKA clouds)

Anja scowled. "So do it. I'm not a demon, I'm human!"

The doctor obliged, walking over and giving her a shot in the arm.

Anja winced. The only thing that happened was she started quivering. "See? N-Nothing happened! I'm human!" Anja snapped.

(Give it a few seconds)

Daniel and the others remained unmoved, waiting.

Suddenly Anja doubled over, coughing. With a horrible retching sound, a thick white vapor flowed from her mouth to the ceiling. She looked at it, her eyes wide in horror. "No" She whispered. "I-I'm human. My parents were human, I have to be"

"Your execution will be two days from now," said Daniel. "If there's anything else you want to tell us, we suggest you do it before then."

Anja'a eyes filled with tears. "Why?" She whispered

"Because you're a demon," replied Daniel. "There are enough of those in the world already."

He turned to walk away, before pausing.

"And perhaps Adair will come to join you."

"Adair was right. Gales have no hearts." Anja whispered. Her shoulders shook as she struggled to swallow her tears, or at least hold them back until Daniel was gone.

"...He told you that, did he?" Daniel replied. He left the room, providing no real reply.

As soon as she was alone, the tears fell from her eyes and she wished for the millionth time that she had someone to hold her and tell her everything would be alright. She felt hopeless. Like a small helpless child, taken from its mother, and in two days, she would die.

(Anja will be in a dungeon cell next time. Will be getting back to Adair next post)

It wasn't until much later until Daniel felt the sickness come on. He had been discussing things with two of his brothers and a uncle when he felt the tightness in his chest, the rushing feeling that everything was wrong. He started to choke, his forehead soaked in sweat.

His brethen paused. "Again, Daniel?" asked his uncle coolly.

Daniel coughed and spat up soul, his a mixture of more black than white. He wanted to scream. He wanted to scream and attack and destroy everything that was wrong, which was everything, but he couldn't even breathe for the spirit clogging his throat. He eventually retched up the rest, creating a huge cloud that rose up into the trees. He staggered forth, barely conscious from the effort. His uncle caught him as he sagged forward.

"Such trouble, even now," he remarked, as Daniel gasped for breath.

It would be alright now. It was over. The calmness was returning to him. Everything was not wrong. Everything was right.

It took all four of the Gales that had been there to put her in the dungeon. Anja had fought, tooth and nail, she had even tried to summon, but they held her down while the doctor administered the sedative. It was likely that they would continue to sedate her up to her execution.

Adair and Voltaire had almost won the whole tournament. They fought with the Bees, managed a win in an intense fight with the Vampires, breezed by the Wolves only to be conquered once again by the Dragons. While Voltaire was the one who was really mad about it ("That goddamn cheap bitch!") Adair wasn't in the best of moods either.

Not that he had started off the day that great anyway. He woke up calling Anja's name and soon received teasing from Voltaire. But it hadn't been a good dream (though he had gotten some of those too, sometimes with awkward waking results). He couldn't remember what it was, but it hadn't been that.

So when Mikaela approached them when they were getting ready to go, neither were thrilled to see her.

"Coming to gloat?" growled Voltaire. "'Cause if you are I'm gonna roast you right now."

"You couldn't do it if you tried," Mikaela replied flatly. "And I'm not here to gloat."

"Sorry, don't feel horny after losing," Voltaire answered with a casual wave.

"That's not it either!" Mikaela yelled, face red. "Look, in case you care your friend from the other day is about to be executed in a couple days! Annie or Angie or whatever her name is."

Both Phoenixes froze.

"What?" Adair croaked.

In her cell, Anja stared serenely at the wall. It was the fault of whatever drug the doctor injected her with to keep her from summoning. It made her very melancholy as well. She was cut off from the rest of the living world and was about to become that way for forever.

Adair didn't stick around for the details. In a moment he was rushing outside, seized by a Chiaroscuro fit. Changelings and demons well familiar with his bright-dark state quickly cleared the way.

"Wait, dammit!" Voltaire shouted, chasing after him. Ava soon appeared from another cavern, also following.

"What's upset Fiery now?" she asked.

"Summoner girl got caught, and is about to get killed," Voltaire explained. "Don't really blame him for going Chiaroscuro over this one. We need to get back to that village."

Anja could feel herself growing drowsy as she stared at the plain brick wall. It wasn't long before she laid down, to stare at the ceiling. Soon after, she fell asleep, still as the corpse she was destined to be.

"I knew it was a bad idea. I knew it was a bad idea," Adair rambled in his usual post-Chiaroscuro monotone. "I shouldn't have let her go. I should've kept her with us. I should've..."

"Adair," answered Voltaire flatly. "Shut up."

They were both rising on Ava's back as she flew over the mountains. It would be about a day or so until they reached the village. Voltaire hoped that Adair could last until then before going Chiaroscuro again. That vicious emotionless condition would be useful for the rescue, for one.

"Forget the woulda-coulda-shoulda," Voltaire went on. "We'll go in, get here out of there, and beat the crap out of anyone who gets in our way. Plain and simple."

They knew the charge was that she was a demon, which Voltaire guessed was assumed because of her summoning. They didn't know who was doing the executing.

The execution day arrived with Anja in the same position of laying and staring at the ceiling. The doctor had returned to give her a shot every day, to keep her quiet and behaved. Now, she was just waiting for the Gales to take her to her death. She wondered how they would do it.