Fan Fiction ❯ Pure Essence ❯ Day three, Part 2-Day four, Part 1: Change ( Chapter 8 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Nancy yawned and stretched her arms out in front of her. She grasped at the comforter a few times, flexing her fingers, before she curled her legs in towards her torso and rolled over onto them so she was sitting. She crossed her arms behind her head and arched her back, stretching her torso before she shook herself once and opened her eyes to look around.

It was dusk, she could see the final orange blaze of the sun being encompassed by the night sky through the glass sliding doors. She was still in Zhou’s room, the towel she had borrowed after showering had dislodged when she fell asleep on his bed and was hidden amongst the comforter. Strangely enough, though hours had passed, Zhou didn’t seem to have ascended the stairs after her yet.

She brushed her fingers through her still wet hair, trying to untangle it a little as she pondered where Zhou was. She remembered the man who had come into the office when after they had finished and wondered if the man had some sort of important message for him. Zhou could have been swept up in work and forgotten that she was in his room, naked and waiting for him.

Nancy frowned at the idea. She doubted that Zhou would forget about her, it seemed so uncharacteristic of him. After all, he always seemed to be the model of chivalry. Her face burned red as images of the two of them desecrating his office flashed in her mind.

She leaned over and placed her hands on the bed, shifting her weight so she could crawl towards the edge. Nancy paused, contemplating wether or not she really wanted to get off his bed yet, then pushed her hands out further and pressed her arms down, stretching again.

She wriggled and sighed. Zhou had said she would feel sore, but instead she felt stiff. She had a terrible urge to flex her muscles. She laid her forehead against the bed, her neck felt a little tight, and her shoulders. Her back did ache slightly, and she thought of how she had arched it for so long.

She leaned back, rolling her shoulders while raising her head and turning it from side to side. That felt much better, she moaned softly and wriggled once more before rolling over onto her back. She stretched and rolled, mewling as she worked the stiffness out of her muscles.

She arched her back and stretched out her arms, letting out a moan as her body finally relaxed and she fell back to the bed with a satisfied smile. She was quite content to lay there and relax until Zhou returned from whatever work was keeping him.

However, her relaxation was short lived as she felt the mattress sink on one side and her eyes snapped open to see what was happening. She turned her head to look and blinked when she saw Zhou crawling towards her. His hair was still wet, and there were still beads of water clinging and dripping over his body.

“Zhou,” she breathed, surprised that he was there. Apparently he had been in the shower, though she hadn’t heard the water running. He smiled, eyes traveling from her face to her exposed body still stretched out on his bed.

Nancy shivered slightly and opened her eyes into narrow slits to look for the comforter she was sure had been securely wrapped around her when she and Zhou had finally fallen asleep. The light of the morning sun was pouring into the room, and she blinked a few times to let her eyes adjust.

She was laying on her right side, with her right arm stretched out in front of her, her left was tucked in close to her chest and her legs were tangled in the comforter. She could feel Zhou’s arm around her torso just under her breasts, hand under her and holding her firmly against his chest. Her head was laying on his right arm, though she could feel his slow, even breathing against the top of her head.

He was still asleep. She licked her lips, deciding that the best idea would be to let him sleep. She flattened her left hand against the bed and pushed, pulling back her right arm to raise herself up slightly so that his hand was freed from under her. Then, slowly, she rolled away from him, feeling his arm slide over her skin until it fell back to the bed.

She watched him for a few seconds just to be sure that he hadn’t been disturbed. Zhou shifted slightly, but made no sign of waking and Nancy sat at the edge of the bed. She noticed her towel laying near the foot of the bed and leaned over to get it, wrapping it around her torso to cover some skin.

Her first thought was to go to the shower and wash off again. She dismissed the idea when she realized that the sound of the water might rouse him and he could be tempted to join her, thus defeating the purpose of the shower entirely. Her eyes lingered on the door, and she told herself that she still didn’t know how to open the door to his office. And that she wouldn’t be able to come up with an excuse as to why she had been in there all night, and why her clothes were ruined if she ran into Hayao on the way to the bath.

She placed a hand over her eyes as she tried to figure out what to do. For a few moments she didn’t move, then her shoulders slumped and she sighed heavily.

“You’re awake?” Zhou asked, and Nancy lowered her hand and looked over her shoulder at him.

Zhou was sitting up, the comforter pulled onto his lap in an attempt at modesty. He looked a little tired still, but was smiling as he combed his fingers through his hair.

“Good morning,” Nancy said, smiling back at him.

“I though you would have slept longer. We were up for most of the night.” Zhou rubbed the back of his neck and yawned softly. Nancy turned towards him and pulled her legs back onto the bed. It seemed as though he had worked through most of his desires already; she was glad. There were other things on her mind that she wanted to get done, as she thought about it she remembered why it was she had wanted to speak with Zhou the day before.

“Zhou, I’m sorry for bringing this up rather unexpectedly... I wanted to ask you about my father. Would you tell me about him? Tell me the reasons that Yasuyoshi killed him?” She frowned slightly when he looked a little taken aback but waited patiently for an answer.

“Kami... he was. I’m sure you know a good deal about him already. They do still teach the origin of angels in school after all. And almost everything in the books is the truth,” he said. Nancy nodded slightly. So Kami was the man who had created the angels. A demon whose blood ran through her veins. The truth, while she had suspected it, saddened her a little.

Yasuyoshi despised demons, his ongoing war with them was proof enough. While she wasn’t sure of why Yasuyoshi had taken her in and raised her, she now understood why it was he had told her never to call him father.

“What was a lie?” she asked, pushing away the dull ache in her heart.

“While Kami was still on the throne, we were battling the demons for our freedom. His compatriot and friend, Ialu, was very close to Kami for the longest of times. Then, when Yasuyoshi learned that he had been acting a spy for the demons Kami banished him. Since then, for four centuries Ialu has reigned over Hell.

“But after Kami sent him away, he continued to speak to him. The two of them couldn’t seem to put aside their friendship, and Yasuyoshi was furious. He, being the current Seraphim of the army, ordered his favorite Principality, Hayao, and his men to attack and drive out the King.

“They waited until Kami let his guard down, on the night of his wedding to Serenity, and attacked him. The guards who were still faithful to him were cut down, and Kami, fearing for his new wife and fearful of a civil war fled. I believe he took Serenity and hid away with her in the Hellion Planes under the protection of Ialu.

“Yasuyoshi, still wanting Kami dead, sent out legion after legion after the dethroned king in hope that someday one would bring back his head. I was the Principality of the second division then, and out fighting a battle on the first plane when everything happened, but I was loyal to Kami. I always had been.

“Yasuyoshi claimed the throne and continued right where Kami left off in the war, except, now there was more fighting, and soldiers that came fresh from the academy were thirsty for demon blood. Men who were loyal to Kami were banished, punished, or slaughtered by fellow soldiers. Even their families had to pay the price Yasuyoshi commanded. For nearly twenty years the Angelic planes were bathed in the blood of innocent angels, slain by their brethren.”

“The Inquisition.” Nancy looked away. She had been terrified after learning that lesson in school. She had only been four then, and cried every time Yasuyoshi had come into the room for fear of him. Of course, the books taught that the Inquisition had been a time period where rebel factions had moved through the planes and traitors were dealt with little to no mercy.

“Yes,” Zhou said bitterly. “No one managed to escape, not even me.”

“But, rebel soldiers were killed. How did you escape death?” she asked, shocked that Zhou had ben persecuted, yet was still alive... and a Seraphim.

“Yasuyoshi was lenient with me. It seemed that because he knew that I had known Kami as long as he had, and that because I had always been a soldier under him, he forgave my loyalty. He gave me the option of pledging myself to him, or throwing myself on my sword.”

“So you pledged yourself to him? Even though he was killing your comrades?” she asked. Zhou paused, something about the flash of emotions that crossed his face made her breath catch and she wished she hadn’t questioned him.

“Not quite. When I pledged my loyalty to him, I was also pledging the loyalty of the men under me. I saved the entire division, and their families. Afterwards, the other Principalities who had been loyal to Kami did the same and lives were saved for it. That part was left out of the history books. Yasuyoshi didn’t want the public to be afraid that their army might turn on them. Even though, in reality, we did.” Zhou had long ago looked away from her. His eyes low and somewhat unfocused. Nancy sat in silence as she let his words sink in and felt the ache in her heart once more.

“We learn in school, that when Kami was banished the demons refused to accept him because of the war he had fought against him and they killed him. I suppose that, if he had remained on good terms with Ialu he could have hidden there. Why then, after years and years, did he try to return to the Angelic Planes?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Kami never contacted any of his old friends. Perhaps he thought we really had turned on him. But somehow Yasuyoshi found out that Kami was alive and in the Angelic Planes. He went to the first plane were Kami and Serenity were trying to hide.

“Yasuyoshi cast a spell, making it impossible for Kami or Serenity to leave the house before he set fire to it. From what I know of that night, only a mother fox and her little of kits managed to escape the blaze. Kami and Serenity, knowing that it was the only way to save their child, gave her to the mother fox in order to save her.

“Hayao was on duty that night on the first plane and went to inspect the burning house. He arrived just after the roof collapsed, and found Yasuyoshi there, watching the blaze. He had acted coy when Hayao questioned him about the house. He simply told him that he thought it was strange that the house had caught fire when the elements were resting peacefully that night.

“They two of them were leaving, already in the air when Yasuyoshi heard a child crying and spotted the foxes. He told Hayao to take the baby, saying that he would raise her but never giving a reason why.

“Hayao and I had long since been on friendly terms, and when he told me of what happened I went to expect the ruins of the house. In the ashes I found a gem that Kami had always kept with him and realized what Yasuyoshi had done. I took the gem and hid it away, then went to Hayao and told him the truth of what happened there that night.

“Hayao had lost his own parents to Yasuyoshi during the early years of the war when his mother tried to betray the Angels. I do not know much of Hayao’s past, but that day, when I told him that Yasuyoshi had killed your parents, his loyalty for Yasuyoshi crumbled. Together we searched for others who wanted Yasuyoshi removed from the throne.

“I found three soldiers with demon blood and sent them out past enemy lines with a message to Ialu that Kami had been killed. But that his daughter was alive and well, living in the home of her parent’s murderer. I received the heads of two of them in return, neither having reached Ialu, the third soldier came back unscathed. It was Hayao, and he brought with him a female demon and another half blood.

“Since then, I’ve kept in touch with Ialu, trading information with him to keep our sides on level fields of battle. Yesterday, the man who walked in on us, he was the half blood that Ialu sent me to use in order to get in touch with a demon who reports directly to him. The half blood’s name is Shin, and the demon, Heresy.”

“The woman you were... your lover?” Nancy asked, feeling her heart sink and her skin turn cold at the mention of the woman. Zhou nodded.

“Things between Heresy and I are over. They have been for months now. Her authorization to come into the Angelic Planes has been revoked, our only link now is Shin. We had different ideals when it came to what should happen to the angels. She thought that we should surrender to the demons, but doing so would enslave us, which is why Kami had been fighting with the demons in the first place.

“Our two races have fought since our creation, our war will never be over because the demons would never consider a peace treaty. To them, it’s all or nothing. We attacked them first, with no warning, it’s fair for them to think that way. Angels have changed since then, Kami made sure that the later generations of Angels would. Our civilization couldn’t handle demon rule, Heresy knew that. Surrender would mean our genocide.”

“She wants us all dead then?” Her eyes narrowed. She was really starting to dislike Heresy more and more.

“No, not all of use. The early angels, while there aren’t many of us left, we’d be able to sustain demon rule. But when Kami saw how the demons treated angels he refused to let them have us, he gave us our own realm of existence and gradually bred the servitude out of us. Later angels would die rather than be enslaved, but the early angels, while they would suffer, they would eventually embrace the demons as their masters.

“I suppose Ialu would take a few servants of his own, and other demons that Kami had promised slaves to would have first pick and divide us up amongst themselves. I’d fear for any angels sent to the Nether Realm, for the past century they have been our most formidable opponent.

“Though, in the Nether Realm, things are changing. The queen has been fighting an illness for quite some time, and soon the eldest princess will be turning eighteen. I’ve heard rumors that the King has changed since the Queen became sick, some of my contacts say that the demons may be facing a coup d’etat of their own.”

“What will happen to the royal family?” Nancy asked, her stomach twisted at the thought of what could happen to them.

“I suppose they’ll be killed and someone else will take their throne. It’s sad though, I hear the King has a young child and Katy, the eldest, has great demonic energies.” Zhou said softly. “If she were to become Queen then...” he wiped a hand over his face and sighed.

“If Katy is so powerful then she’d be able to fend off attackers, and the King. He can’t be weak. Maybe they’ll be alright. I’m sure that, if you’ve heard rumors, then they have as well.” Nancy wished she could have sounded a little more hopeful, but she knew what could happen when there was an over throw...

“I’m not so sure. There are many demons, with many different powers, it’s possible that the royal family could defend themselves, but in all likeliness... if they’re killed it could be very dangerous for the Angelic Planes, especially for anyone fighting with them. The demons will be in an uproar for quite some time, when it happens I plan to draw back our forces and triple the defense of the first plane, especially around the prison.”

“You think that they would attack us? Why?” She shivered at the thought of demons invading. Demons were ruthless when it came to attacking Angels. They destroyed homes, killed women and children, and desecrated bodies without any sense of shame.

“The demons will be looking for a fight. Unfortunately, we’re their favorite target right now. Though I suppose the demons will have their own fair share of killing in their owns cities. I suppose the city Tel’fyr, where the palace is, will be the most violent.”

“Tel’fyr!?” Nancy’s eyes widened in fear and surprise. The images of four people flashed before her eyes and she felt a sharp pain in her heart.

“Yes, what’s wrong?” Zhou looked concerned.

“That’s where... Oh Zhou...” She bit her lip to silence herself. She had made a promise not to tell anyone. But she could trust Zhou right? After what they had shared, knowing that he really cared about her. And she cared about him too. After the night she had shared will him... she thought that maybe, just maybe, she was starting to lo-

She raised a hand to her head, feeling it spin. Suddenly she felt dizzy, ill even.

“Nancy? Nancy are you alright?” he asked. She shook her head and immediately regretted it. A searing pain hit between her eyes and traveled back into her head and down her spine. Her body jerked and she felt herself hit the floor, felt her skin ripping apart to give way to her wings. When an angel released their wings it wasn’t supposed to hurt, it wasn’t supposed to tear flesh or bleed.

But, bleed she did.

Blood gushed from the roots of her wings, down her back and sides, staining the carpet crimson. She screamed as a spasm racked her body and she felt something similar to her fingers breaking all at once. She felt Zhou take hold of her arms and try to pull her up off the floor, the feel of his skin against hers was unbearable, as though he were living flame and burning her alive. She wriggled to get free of his grasp, flinging one arm. Her hand connected with one side of his face and he released her, drawing back in surprise as she began to convulse on the floor.

Her thoughts, their conversation everything seemed to be wiped from her mind. She only knew pain when Zhou touched her. Her chocking gasps for air deafened her hearing to Zhou’s frantic voice. There was something in the back of her mind, something pulling at her she thought that, through it all, she heard a voice. A cold, deep voice of a man, a voice she knew well...

Slowly, agonizingly, the convulsions ended and she was able to lay still on her side. She felt Zhou’s cautious touch and breathed in cool refreshing air.

“Zhou...” her voice was weak, but still audible. She whimpered when he maneuvered her around so he could pick her up. Her body still ached, she felt stiff and sore all over. Her eyes, while blurry as she tried to see where Zhou was carrying her to, could just make out the outline of his room as he carried her towards the shower.

He sat her down gently on the floor, leaning her upper body against the shower wall so that she was sitting upright. She shivered against the cold tile, then winced when Zhou turned the hot water on and the spray hit her.

Zhou knelt down next to her and pulled her forwards so that she was under the spray. Her blurred vision slowly cleared and she could see the blood mixing with the water as it drained.

“Lean forwards a little more, your wings...” She looked back, expecting to see her white feathered wings stained with blood, instead she cried out in terror as she saw black leathery demon wings where her angel wings should have been. Her eyes tore from them and she looked down to the hands she raised towards her face. She saw pale, white palms with underlying neon blue veins, nails that weren’t rounded and polished clear, but pointed claws colored red.

Her eyes caught sight of her reflection in the mirrored tile of the shower wall and she stared at a body that wasn’t hers. Her skin was never that pale, and her eyes had never been red. Her hair had turned a brilliant shade of midnight black and she swore that through her open mouth she could see upper and lower canines as pointed as her pet fox’s.

The face reflected in the mirror was still that of her own. Frightened, perplexed, but her own. And there was Zhou, still kneeling beside her, concerned with the blood he was washing from her back. She wasn’t bleeding anymore though, her torn flesh was beginning to tingle as it healed, burning lightly as it fused with the foreign demon wings.

When the last traces of blood was washed from the shower floor Zhou turned off the water. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her forehead on her knees as Zhou went to get a set of towels for them.

Nancy shivered as the warm water cooled on her skin. She was frightened, not knowing what had happened, or why. She looked like a demon. What would Yasuyoshi say when he saw her? What would he do? She couldn’t attend the academy like that, and the Angels would be outraged if she became a cherubim now.

“Nancy?” Zhou’s voice was so soft that it surprised her. She felt him wrap a towel around her shoulders and she raised her head to look at him.

“Zhou...I... I don’t...” her voice cracked and she choked on her words as they caught in her throat and lumped together.

“Don’t be frightened. What happened, it was your first time I’m sure. You’re a half blood Nancy, now that you’re aware of it you’ll be able to trigger your transformation. In a little while, once you’ve calmed down, you’ll change back.” Zhou assured her.

Nancy nodded slightly, blinking back tears. It was reassuring to know that she wouldn’t be stuck like that. Half bloods, for some reason, were able to change their appearance as it suited them. She had known this, but thought that the transformation from Angel to Demon was always a conscious choice. Why then, had she changed?

“I.. I don’t understand what happened. How I...” she swallowed hard, trying to find the right words for her questions.

“You must have thought about it, maybe on a subconscious level. We were talking about the Nether Realm.” Zhou smoothed her wet hair back away from her face, his eyes inspecting her to make sure she was unharmed.

Nancy nodded. She remembered, that for a moment, she had thought to disguise herself and go to Tel’fyr. She may have even decided, in the back of her mind, that she would. Nancy released a slow, shuddering breath and looked at Zhou wearily.

“It was when you mentioned Tel’fyr. I didn’t know it was a major city. Zhou, I lied to you last night when you asked me about the Thrones. Gabriel did come to me, and he gave me some of their power. Before he and the others left, he told me that they were going to live in Tel’fyr. He didn’t tell me where exactly, but he did say to look for the crimson moon. I... I’ve never told anyone, and I hoped that I wouldn’t have to. But if something happens, they could be in danger Zhou...” She felt desperate, panicked.

He was silent for a little while, looking at her with the same concerned expression. He didn’t seem to be angry or surprised that she had lied to him and she was thankful of that. If he rejected her now, after seeing what she had turned into, and learning her secret then she...she...

“I’ll send Sarah to excuse you from your lessons today at the academy. Fluffy and Hayao won’t return until tomorrow, I sent them on an errand for me. I’m going to leave for a few hours, I need to speak with Vincent.” Zhou cupped her face in his hands as he looked down into her frightened eyes.

She placed her hands over his wrists, holding onto him like a life line. She didn’t want to be alone. She needed him to stay with her.

“I don’t want to be alone,” she said, squeezing his wrists without really meaning to. Zhou nodded and kissed her forehead. “Please...”

“You won’t be alone. A friend of mine is coming here today. He’s a half blood so he’ll understand what you’re going through right now better than I can. When he gets here I’ll leave, but I’ll return as soon as I can. Trust me.”
Nancy looked at him desperately but he didn’t seem to look as though he could be swayed by her pleading. She swallowed hard and tried to force back her frightened tears. She needed to trust him, she had to trust him now that he knew so much about her. Shakily, her hands released his wrists and she slowly nodded.

“Alright Zhou. I trust you...”