The Underground

Chapter 15.3

Vivian woke with a gasp for air, eyes wide open then snapping shut as soon as she realized where she was. Back in her own body, in the real world instead of corrupted memories. The disorienting sensation of living someone else's life, even temporarily, lingered in her mind, mudding her thoughts. Fear and adrenaline cleared it up, however.

She heaved herself to her hands and knees, shuffling forward to try and find the dagger again. Parts of her body crawled with the sensation of dripping blood and burned skin, but she pushed aside what she hoped was merely aside effect of whatever the twins had done to her.

With each hurried lurch towards the general direction of the dagger, she could feel the twins getting closer to her. They moved slowly as if to taunt her, but it would take mere seconds for them to close the gap. Desperation fueled her, and she dived forward in a last-ditch effort to make it to the weapon, hands outstretched to find the clean silver artifact.

Hope soared as her fingers collided with the handle. She snatched up the weapon and turned quickly, swiping outwards in a wide arc. To her satisfaction, the blade caught some part of the twins, tearing through some piece of cloth and into meat. The twins hissed in sharp pain and retreated, but their expression of pain was emphasized but a surprised gasp from the other side of the room. From the demon in Miles' body.

The synchronized hiss of pain was distinct, and she cursed herself for not realizing sooner what was going on. A demon in a host had only one notable weakness: the mortality of whoever summoned it. The summoner is the demon's anchor, their pain is its pain, their death is its banishment from this realm. Normally, that would be the host, but Miles' soul was trapped elsewhere. He couldn't be the anchor, which meant something else had to be.

It could be any one of the souls mashed into the twins' body or all of them, but it didn't matter. If they were hurt, the demon would be hurt. If they died, the demon would be banished.

Vivian rose to her feet with newfound purpose, dagger brandished, and eyes shut tight.

"Do you think you can change fate, girl?" the twins sneered, their previous poise of untouchable knowledge caving into venomous anger.

She swung out in retaliation, slicing through the air but earning a dance backward from the collab of fucked up souls. "I don't need to change fate – I just need to stab you."

With each word she lunged forward, dagger swinging wildly in a vain attempt to catch the twins, but her blind attacks were easily dodged.

"And you can't even do that!" the demon laughed from the other side of the room. She could hear the sound of one-sided fighting ensue, but Dominic's gasps of pain and sadness only fueled her.

Fuck you!

Vivian stopped, ragged breaths shaking her shoulder as sweat formed on her brow. She would die of exhaustion before she blindly stabbed the twins. She steadied her breath, trying to calm her mind as she focused on her own personal sixth sense.

She could feel the twins' souls. Their presence was astronomical, but she needed more than a vague terrifying presence. She needed precision. Each deep inhale and slow exhale sharpened the feeling in her mind.

Fear may have activated her seer powers, but confidence would refine them. She raised the dagger with more purpose this time around. Then swung wildly again, missing everything but the air around her.

The twins laughed, the volume of the voice echoing around the grand room. She swung again. They laughed more.

Another swing. Another miss. Her arm ached from the day, the effort, and the pain of her injuries. She thrust the dagger out again. The demon joined in on the laughter.