It was well past midnight, around half past twelve, when I finally arrived at the quaint village of Brokeshire. Parking my car in front of a small inn, I grabbed my bag and entered. An elderly woman greeted me with a smile that faltered for a moment before brightening again.
"Oh, dear. You took long enough to get here. I'm sure you're tired," she said as I approached the front desk.
Fatigue immediately coursed through my body as I nodded my head.
The woman handed me a keycard, and a man, presumably a staff member, guided me to my room. It was situated on the top floor. Despite the building's age, the interior was surprisingly spacious, clean, and evoked a sense of familiarity.
"If you ever need anything, you can call us, and we'll be at your service," the man assured me.
"What's your name?" I inquired before he closed the door.
A smile graced his lips. "Atticus, ma'am," he replied.
Nodding, I said, "Nice to meet you, Atticus. Thank you." He bowed his head and bid me goodbye.
I quickly undressed and stepped into the shower. The warm water proved to be a balm for my aching muscles. After the refreshing shower, I wrapped myself in a robe and dried my hair. My eyebrows furrowed when I noticed a nightgown laid out on the bed. Cursing under my breath, I realised I hadn't packed any clothes.
Reluctantly, I put on the nightgown. It turned out to be one of the finest silk garments I had ever worn. Sinking into the soft bed, the quiet and serene atmosphere lulled me into a quick, peaceful sleep.
☘
Connecticut...
"Hasten the retrieval of the relics," Frederick ordered, his tone commanding, as Lynn bowed his head and swiftly left his office.
Returning to his human form, Frederick's mind calmed, allowing him to focus on perfecting every detail of his plan. He placed a hand under his chin, his eyes gazing into the distance. "My army is already prepared, soon they'll meet their queen once I prove to them that I'm the rightful one to inherit the throne," he mumbled with a sinister determination.
Lynn re-entered the room, bearing news that immediately stoked Frederick's anger, eliciting a growl from his lips.
"Sean! Kill them! Kill all of them, including that fucking brat! Bring someone with you and eliminate them! Ensure they do not interfere with Rivia. Make sure to present their heads to me! DO NOT LET THEM TAKE RIVIA AWAY FROM ME! GO!" he screamed, his command echoing through the room as Sean promptly vanished to fulfil his master's orders.
☘
Avengers Compound...
The Avengers were taken aback when Claude, accompanied by Peter, entered the meeting room. Natasha, being the closest, approached him with a casual question.
"Hey, champ. Who woke you up?" she asked.
Claude's eyes widened, his gaze wandering around the room. "They're here," he mumbled.
Tony furrowed his eyebrows. "Who?" he inquired just as the lights flickered ominously.
A red mist began to form in Wanda's hand as she sensed something foreboding. Pietro quickly joined her side, and the alarm blared, setting the team on edge.
Everyone was on high alert after the abrupt silence following the blaring alarm. Wanda, reacting swiftly, erected a protective shield just as the wall burst open.
In a matter of seconds, a horde of demonic entities led by Sean flooded the room, catching the Avengers off guard.
"Where is she?" Sean demanded, his eyes darting around.
Claude met his gaze with a smirk. "You will never find her," he mumbled defiantly.
Thor, with his commanding presence, demanded answers. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?"
Sean, an imposing figure with a malevolent grin, stepped forward. "We're here for the girl," he snarled.
Loki, ever the sceptic, asked, "And who might you be?"
Sean chuckled, a guttural sound that sent shivers down the spines of the Avengers. "I don't answer questions of my victims, I kill them."
Wanda, her scarlet energy glowing, warned, "You won't get far with that attitude."
Sean, unfazed, gave the order to his underlings to attack. The room erupted into chaos as the Avengers sprang into action.
Steve, with his shield in hand, blocked incoming attacks with precision. Natasha gracefully manoeuvred through the demonic onslaught, efficiently dispatching enemies.
Loki conjured illusions to confuse the demons, creating duplicates of himself that danced around the room. Thor summoned lightning, electrifying the air and striking down foes with Mjolnir.
Bucky and Clint formed a formidable duo, covering each other's backs as they fought. Bruce transformed into the Hulk, smashing through the demonic horde with raw power.
Tony suited up in his Iron Man armour, blasting enemies with repulsor beams. Stephen weaved intricate spells, creating mystical barriers and teleporting demons into bewildering positions.
Peter swung from the ceiling, using his agility and spider-like reflexes to incapacitate adversaries. Wanda manipulated reality, causing momentary disorientation among the demons. Pietro, moving at incredible speed, assisted his sister by running through the crowd, decapitating demons with swift precision.
☘
DAVIA
Waking up as the sun peaks at the window, surprisingly, my mood lightened up it was like the burden from my shoulders was lifted and the heaviness in my heart was instantly gone. Hearing the chirping of a bird, my eyes went to the window. A dove was looking right at me and flew afterwards, like greeting me good morning.
A chuckle escaped my lips, and I shook my head from my bizarre imagination.
"Really, Davia? A bird greeting you a good morning?" a scoff from my lips as I sat on my bed, and a knock from my door caught my attention.
"My Lady?" a voice called from the other side.
Slightly tilting my head to the side, I heard a faint sound of someone grunting and someone clearing their throat afterwards.
"Good morning, ma'am. This is Atticus, are you perhaps awake by now?" Atticus asked.
"Yes," I replied.
"Pardon us, we'll come in," he said as he slowly opened the door, and a smile instantly itched on his lips. A girl, I'm guessing in her early twenties, trailed behind him.
As Atticus noticed my eyes on her, he immediately introduced her, "Greetings, ma'am, her name is Clara, she will serve you during your stay."
"Oh, nice meeting you, Clara, but I don't remember requesting someone to serve me during my stay here." I explained as my eyes went black to Clara, her boba eyes were looking at me rather pleading with her eyes, "O-okay then, I'm in your care, Clara."
A chuckle erupted from me as she looked like a puppy wagging her tail, excited that I had granted her permission to serve me.
Atticus nodded his head, satisfied at my answer and asked, "Very well, Clara will assist you in everything, and I will prepare your breakfast. Will you have it here in your room or at the restaurant?"
"I'll eat at the restaurant," I answered.
"Do you have any particulate meals you want, ma'am?" Atticus added.
"Well, you can serve me your best one, actually, I'm quite famished, so any food will do," I replied.
"Okay then. I hope you enjoy your stay here, ma'am." Atticus stated and left as Clara approached me with a big smile on her face.
"Hello, My La..." Clara stopped and cleared her throat. "I mean... Good morning, ma'am. My name is Clara, or you can call me Lara. I'm so excited to assist you during your stay, if you need someone to tour you around this place, I can tour you around. Name it and I'll be it."
A laugh escaped my lips as I went on and patted her head. "Thank you, Clara. Can you fetch me some clothes, sweetie? I'm afraid I did not bring any with me," I stated as she quickly nodded her head.
"Do you have any clothes you want?" she asked.
"Just a pair of jeans and some sweatshirts will do. Oh, and some underwear, here I'll give you some money." I said and was about to grab my bag when she stopped me, furrowing my eyebrows as she shook her head.
"No need for the money, it is already included in what you paid. I'll be right back," Clara said, quickly leaving the room.
Still confused, I went to take a shower, and true to Clara's word, she was waiting outside, sitting on the bed. As soon as she heard the door open, she stood up and quickly approached me, helping me dry myself and giving me my clothes.
Letting me sit on a chair as she quickly took the hair dryer and dried my hair, her hands were so light that I almost went back to sleep. She simply styled my hair into a half-up, half-down style. She then applied some light make-up to my face.
"Wow," I mumbled as I opened my eyes upon seeing myself in the mirror, a smile instantly on my lips as I saw Clara's proud expression on her face. "Thank you," as I was about to invite her to have breakfast with me, her stomach grumble causing a shade of light pink on her face.
A laugh escaped my lips as we went down to the restaurant together. She was hesitant at first, but I coerced her to eat with me.
The ambiance at the restaurant was serene, quiet, and familiar. I was at peace ever since I got here at midnight. As we were waiting for our meal, I noticed a giant mosaic on a wall. As curiosity got better, I unconsciously stood up as my feet led me there, closer and closer to the mosaic.
My eyes were glued to a woman who almost seemed like a half-angel, and the other half of her was like a demon, lifting my hands as my fingers hovered over her.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" a voice asked as I continued to stare at the mosaic, particularly at the woman.
She is indeed beautiful.
"Yeah," I replied.
"Do you want to know her story?" cutting me from my thoughts, the elderly woman at the front desk was beside me. "Oh, excuse me for the late introductions, my name is Lilian."
"Nice to meet you, Lilian, my name is..."
"I know who you are, dear," she stated as I furrowed my eyebrows. "You wrote your name before you checked in," she added as we chuckled. Her eyes went back to the mosaic and she smiled. "There's a story that is passed down through generations. About a woman who is half angel and half demon. Nephalem, the name of her race."
"Nephalem," I whispered as I averted my eyes to the mosaic.
"Nephalems are the offspring of an angel and a demon. Like humans, they possess souls, which are different from angels and demons. They are also naturally immortal, but they can still be killed," she started.
As I continued to listen to her, uncertain feelings started to erupt inside of me—a bittersweet feeling. "What happened to her?" I asked.
"She was cursed," she answered.