(A/N: *TRIGGER WARNING* I think for gore??? Or to be more specific, gore surrounding an infant)
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When Jordan opened her eyes, and she realized that the room around her was oddly dark. It was just barely bright enough for her to see the outline of everything in the room. For some reason, she was already sitting up. Her wings were laid out behind her and she felt like they weren't even there right now. What was happening to her? The world around her was almost frozen in place. There was no indication that it was, but it just felt like everything wasn't moving. That is, until the dark and imposing figure appeared directly in front of her.
Even with the suddenness of it, she didn't flinch back. She just slowly lifted her head and gazed upon the veiled face of Donna Beneviento. She had no idea if any of this was actually happening or if this was some odd dream. It had to be a dream because it didn't make sense how she was just sitting up alone in this room with this woman. The sisters weren't there. They wouldn't leave her....right?
"...Donna...?" She called out to the figure.
"Why do you stay?" A deep yet feminine voice rang out.
Jordan was momentarily stunned by this. She had never heard the woman speak before. But then again, perhaps there was a reason for that. The doll seemed to speak on behalf of its creator, and if she took into account what Bela told her before, then it was no wonder that this woman never spoke. Her life was nothing but tragedy after tragedy. Even without all her memories, Jordan still was reluctant to speak at certain times. Maybe she was just jumping to conclusions here. After all, this seemed to be a dream so who knows what was real or fake.
"Stay....where?" She finally asked.
"Here. This village. Your soul is....far too pure for a land of horror such as this. Even if fallen, your wings are pristine. Pure white. Which means you remain untouched by Satan and his demonic horde. You could fly away from this place, and never look back." Donna spoke slowly.
The angel paused upon hearing this. Her wings....weren't supposed to be white? Well, white and gold. Were fallen angels wings all dark? She glanced behind her and gazed upon her wings. The wings that Mother Miranda returned to her. The wings that she lost once upon a time. Were they really so important in distinguishing her place? They were just wings...right?
"I'm...pure? But I'm....a fallen angel.....cast out of Heaven.....I must have done....something bad to become...like this...." She murmured.
Although her muddled memories told her that she was rebelling against Heaven for a just reason, she couldn't help but wonder if there was a bigger picture here. Did she harm someone? Did she try to pull what Lucifer did before he fell? So many variables she couldn't remember and yet this woman just called her pure. A word used to describe someone void of sin.
"I....saw them. Some of your memories. Not clearly, but vaguely. I heard shouts of fury and outrage. I saw wings moving to and fro in panic. I saw the holy faces of angered angels in the highest positions of power. I saw a light that I would never be able to gaze upon otherwise. Within this, I can see a truth" The woman said.
Although Jordan couldn't see her face through that veil, she could almost feel the woman staring at her. Intensely.
"You fought Heaven to reunite with the one you love. Whomever that may be. And Heaven punished you twice over by sending you here instead of Hell. That is all I could distinguish. The rest is not mine to see." The dollmaker said, giving a curt dip of her head.
Jordan was almost overjoyed that she now had even the faintest idea of why she ended up down here. But that only left her craving more answers. What did Heaven do that made her rebel? Her mind lingered back to who she could've been looking for. Did the person have something to do with it? Before she could spiral into another round of questions, she lifted her head to look at the woman with almost skeptical eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me you knew something about me earlier? Before, that doll said you couldn't help me and that you couldn't see my memories. So why did you lie to me, and why are you suddenly helping me now?" Jordan asked, slightly raising her wings.
But the woman suddenly raised her hand in a motion that said 'wait', and it confused the brunette so badly that she actually followed the command.
"There are certain things I cannot say. I'm sorry. But....take this. It may not seem like anything, but it will hold a key part of what you're looking for. Only if you're willing to face it" The woman said, a bright light appearing in her hand.
Jordan stared at the light. It wasn't blinding in the slightest. In fact, it was oddly familiar. Gold mixed with white and outlined with an odd gray color. It beckoned her closer, like a false hope that wanted to show her what she could never have. Is this what she thought it was? Was this answer she had been waiting for the entire time? She heeded the woman's warning. Was she ready to face whatever this would be?
....yes.
Living with the pain was better than living in the dark.
Without wasting another second, Jordan reached forward and her hand connected with the light. Once it did, everything went dark.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pain is what woke her up, but the warm feeling spreading throughout her body is what brought her back to her senses. Her head no longer hurt, and as she slowly opened her eyes, she was blinded by a bright light. The light died down not even a moment later and she found herself looking at....something. She didn't exactly know what it was. It looked kind of like a giant eye, with two wings folded above it, and two wings folded below it. And two more wings keeping it suspended.
What the hell was she looking at? Some kind of eldritch horror? The surrounding area was bright, and this thing was...hellish.
"You must be confused. But fear not. Your tragic life is over. Jordan Battiloro, I welcome you to Heaven."
~
"The wings take a long time to get used to. The Heaven-made have the advantage cause they were literally born with them. But don't worry. You'll be flying around in no time and living the life of your dreams. Maybe you'll even get the chance to rank up if His messengers see greater promise in you." He said, spreading out his white wings.
Her own were still plastered to her back, because she didn't know how to move them yet. Hopefully she would learn that one day. Until then....perhaps it was time to start asking question. She didn't know how much time had passed but since her memories were less blurry, she was starting to remember what happened to her.
"Have you seen anyone up here that looks like me? I'm trying to find my father." She asked.
The man only blinked.
"Well it's hard to tell if anyone was family before they died because appearances differ depending on what a soul chooses to look like. But all human souls are now intricately linked. So since you should definitely have been able to sense his soul by now." He explained.
Now it was her turn to blink at him.
~
"Archangels are the step above a regular Angel. They're warriors and messengers. They fight demon kind and they deliver His Benevolence's words to the messiah's on earth. I'm sure you know the name of Michael or Gabriel?" The Seraphim said, wings trembling. "They were some of the first and even train some of the Archangels."
She only stared ahead with mild curiosity.
"And this is what you will become, you've been among our ranks long enough that it's time to test your resolve. Of course, we would never force an angel to take on a task they cannot handle or don't want. So I will-"
"I'll do it." She replied without hesitation.
"You...will?" The voice asked in confusion.
She nodded.
~
"What are you doing?! You are far out of the range! You were supposed to deliver one message and one message only. Have you gone mad?? If the others find out how far across earth you went then-"
"Let them find out. They know who I'm trying to find. I don't know if he survived what happened to our family or not but-"
This time, she was the one getting cut off but a rough hand seizing her by the shoulder. Her instincts kicked in and she ended up throwing a punch in her fellow Archangels direction. Holy steel was wrapped around her fingers in the form of rings, and she widened her eyes as her hand came back crimson. She looked up to see that she had broken the skin on his cheek with her punch. He looked at her with fearful eyes, backing away.
She definitely screwed up.
~
"You know....if you keep speaking about the Triads like that, then they will eventually catch on. Once they find out about your search, they will probably demote you. Or worse. It's best if you give up and fall in line with the rest of us." He said, raising and lowering his fully golden wings.
"You know I can't do that. He was my father. He meant more to me than anyone ever could. He raised me, cared for me, and loved me with all his heart. If he's out there somewhere, he's probably looking for me too. I won't rest until I find him. I know he should be up here but...." She trailed off.
Where the hell was he? She should've been able to sense his soul by now. And with her status as an Archangel, she had free passage to earth. And yet she found nothing at all. Not a single trace of the man she admired and loved as a father. There had to be something she was doing wrong.
"Jordan....what if he's in Hell?" He suddenly spoke.
"....what?"
~
Lies. This entire time she had been lied to. They said good souls would ascend to Heaven. And her father was one of the most faithful and greatest men she ever knew. He was thoughtful and gentle and generous and kind and so much more. He sacrificed so much for her after her mother left, and she knew he would do it again.
How was he in hell???
This judgement made no sense.
This justice made no sense.
No sense. No sense. No sense. No sense. No sense. No sense. No sense. No sense. No sense. No sense. No sense. No sense.
No-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jordan was roughly yanked back to reality. Fury was still burning in her heart as she finally recalled. She remembered everything about her time in Heaven. Every face. Every angel. Every voice. Every light. All the pain. All the deceit. All of the injustice. She remembered it all. It was like a huge chunk of her existence was finally returned to her, and she lifted her wings with confidence.
"It appears that your companions are trying to wake you. It's best if you leave." The veiled woman said, gesturing to the space around them.
The dark and shadowy walls of the room were starting to crack around them, and Jordan could faintly hear the sound of voices coming from all around her. She couldn't disconcert who was who, but she did recognize the voices of the three sisters. Ah right. She was still asleep in the real world, so they must think she's in some kind of trance. Or maybe they just think she's a deep sleeper or something. As much as she wanted to continue this conversation and ask more questions, she understood that it was impossible.
Still, Jordan sighed shakily and attempted to lock eyes with the woman, but she really didn't know if she was successful.
"Why did you actually do this? How did you even have these memories?" She asked, her voice no longer uncertain and stuttering.
"....Mother Miranda once took everything from me too. Even if she wasn't aware. I do not have the strength to fight her, nor would I succeed even if I did. This is the least I can do to halt her plans. But I'm afraid I cannot tell you how I acquired these." The woman lifted a pale hand and placed it over her heart. "I apologize."
"No. I get that it's not your fault. None of this is the fault of anyone until I know the truth. Once this journey is over, I will find Mother Miranda. And I will demand my memories back. But I still have more that I need to learn. You've done more than enough." Jordan responded, standing herself up.
The woman bowed her head just as the flow beneath them started to fall away. Jordan managed to get out one more sentence before it happened.
"May your soul soon find rest, Lady Beneviento."
-
"Oh her wings twitched! Do that again. I think she was receptive to it!" Daniela said.
The girls voices cut through Jordans line of thought as she slowly woke up. She took a moment to comprehend the scene in front of her. Daniela was draped over her body, and Cassandra was sitting on the side of the bed with her thighs pressed against Jordan's limp arm. Bela was watching the two with skeptical eyes from the foot of the bed. But once they realized that she was looked at them, Daniela placed her full weight on her body. The girl didn't actually weight too much for obvious reasons, but it still caught the angel so off-guard that she defensively raised her wings, only for Cassandra to pin one of them down to keep it from hitting her.
With her wings restricted and her body pinned, Jordan obviously started to panic. Her free wing flapped fearfully and she attempted to free herself to no avail. Thankfully, Bela yanked Daniela backwards by the hood of her outfit, causing the redhead to start grumbling and whining as she attempted to fix the messed clothing. This gave Jordan time to fully sit herself up and raise her wings in an almost defensive manner. With part of her memories returned, she discovered that moving her wings was now an unconscious effort.
Perhaps she didn't hide her hyperactive thought process enough because all three girls were now staring at her in a mix of confusion and concern because she had yet to say anything to them. She stared back at them with a steeled expression and her eyes unfocused.
"Good morning." She said, her voice lacking its normal unconfident tone.
-
With her memories of Heaven restored, Jordan found quickly that her confidence had been boosted significantly. Was this just how she was in Heaven? Or was she like this before she died as well? It felt...different. But nice. She could now walk with the confidence that she could defend herself. She could use maybe a fallen branch or a discarded pocket knife since she recalled various fighting techniques. But she would have to remember that she still didn't have her powers. She would have to reply on the warrior teachings.
"You've been awfully quiet since we left the Beneviento estate, Jordan. Is there a reason? You seem....different somehow. I'm sure my sisters have noticed too. So tell me...what's on your mind?" Cassandra asked, flitting in front of Jordan's path before settling beside her.
"I....I just have alot on my mind. Lady Beneviento gave me a pretty good idea about what I need to do in order to find more answers to what I'm missing. Um....where did you say we were heading next?" Jordan asked, looking towards the brunette vampire.
"Uncle Sal. Or Salvatore. He lives in the reservoir. Bela still has to deliver some mysterious message to him from Mother. But I'm sure you can ask him what you want once we're there. Although, I doubt he'll give you a solid answer. Like Daniela, he's sort of lost in his own world. I guess that's just the fate of disgusting twisted creatures like him. A shame. I'm sure he could've been quite powerful if he wasn't an idiot." Cassandra said with a shrug.
Jordan nodded as she thought over who this person could've been. But it was pretty obvious when only one of those lords was described a mutated and twisted creature. Salvatore Moreau. What was once a merman was now a horrible being of piled flesh. She couldn't help but feel a bit of pity as she recalled the way he stumbled around at the meeting like he couldn't control is own body. Perhaps that was the case, or perhaps it was a genuine balance issue because of his uneven body. Either way, he was clearly suffering.
"There's that look again. The more you get lost in your mind, the harder it will be to find your way out of your thoughts. Focus on what's in front of you, darling. Like me, for instance." Cassandra said, moving in front of Jordan.
This time, the angel was prepared for when Cassandra wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her close. Blue eyes locked with yellow, and the two just remained staring. As much as she was surprised about it, this distraction was actually working. Cassandra wasn't doing anything but staring at her and it left her with a lingering feeling of anticipation. She didn't know what this girl was trying to do until she saw her lean forward and gently sniff her neck. She heard the telltale sound of fangs scraping against the leather choker.
"Cassandra."
The brunette rolled her eyes and pulled herself back as she turned to the eldest sister. Bela had her arms crossed and had a glare on her face as she stared at the woman. Although Cassandra seemed more annoyed than anything. Jordan watched as the two stared at each other in silence before Cassandra finally fully pulled herself away from Jordan. She held her hands up in surrender.
"Honestly, sister. It's like you don't trust me with anything at all. You know I don't intend to hurt her anymore. I've grown much too attached." She said, turning to Jordan and giving a wink.
"Regardless, we need to get moving. Daniela ran ahead and we need to catch up so we don't get stuck with one less person to defend Jordan. There's still many things in this village that can harm her, and I'd prefer if she was alive." Bela said, turning and continuing forward.
-
They were making their way to the part of the village that would lead off to the reservoir when Jordan sensed something. She recognized this feeling instantly as the same feeling she felt when she found that little boy. She immediately stopped in her tracks and raised her head. Unbeknownst to her, she had raised her wing up in a defensive manner, which had instantly caught the eye of Daniela. The redhead paused her walking as well, causing her two sisters to take notice to the sudden halt.
"Jordan? What's wrong? Why'd you stop walking?" Daniela asked, slowly approaching the angel.
But Jordan was only half focused on her surroundings. She could feel an incredible pull towards a certain part of the village. Her gaze landed on something akin to a rotten shed further ahead that sat beside a house with its entire front caved in. She could vaguely see something like a light shining from within the crumbling shed door. But something passing by her field of vision immediately made her snap back to reality.
"Jordan. Is this the same feeling as before?" Cassandra asked, her voice surprisingly serious.
Jordan gave a small nod.
"I feel a pull in that direction. I don't know why. It's like something is calling out for me and I need to follow it. Do you all mind if I...see what it is?" She asked, glancing between them.
The girls exchanged a few glances among each other, then it was Bela that stepped forward.
"We'll be right behind you if you need us. Okay?" She said, giving a tilt of her head.
Jordan nodded thankfully. She turned her body towards the light, and began to make her way over. Snow and splintered wood crunched under her boots, and the creaking noises of the destroyed houses seemed to ring in her ears. But she still continued forward, subtly raising her wings up almost like an animal raising its hackles. She didn't know why she felt so intimidated, even with the looming feeling of the three sisters following her and waiting for something to go wrong. As she approached the entrance to the shed, she soon discovered something.
Or rather, she heard something. The sound of a baby crying. She took one step in the broken doorway and the crying went completely silent as she spotted the figure of a woman. This woman was huddled into the corner, blood and claw marks staining her dress. Around her, Jordan could faintly see what appeared to be an aura of muddled gold. But it was diluted with an awful shade of red. She didn't understand it. But the red color was becoming more and more apparent and taking over more and of the woman's aura.
After shifting her foot too much, the wood strained and groaned under Jordan's weight and alerted the woman to her presence. She watched with a slightly disturbed expression as the woman slowly lifted her head, then was even slower in craning her neck back towards her. She could now see the almost crazed and desperate look in her eyes. And the blood that stained her face.
"A-an angel? You must be one of Mother Miranda's angels! You must tell her that I did everything she asked of me! I made the sacrifice she wanted!" The woman exclaimed in a gravelly voice.
It was then that she finally turned her body fully towards Jordan. The angel immediately covered her mouth with her hand and had to physically stop herself from retching at what she saw. She had seen many things over the course of her time here, and with her memories of Heaven restored, she had seen even more. But nothing would've ever prepared her for the horrifically fucked up sight of the baby wrapped in cloth with its small throat cut open and its guts almost pulled out of the wound. Blood poured down the sides and soaked the cloth, but the woman still held it to her chest.
"Speak to me, angel! I did what she asked. I sacrificed what was precious to me. And now she can fix everything that happened. Why...why aren't you saying anything? Why are you looking at me like I'm a monster? I only did as I was told!" The woman said, slowly standing up.
Jordan began to back away. Her throat was horribly dry and she was unable to take her eyes off the dead child in this woman's hands. Whatever gold remained in her aura had finally converted to red. She could only sense danger from this woman that didn't seem to have a single sane bone left in her body.
"Stay away from me. You're...insane. How could you do this? That was an infant you gutted..." Jordan said, her voice trembling.
"The monsters didn't care about killing children when they razed our village. They slaughtered everything in their path, and left no one alive. And I'm the insane one? I only survived by hiding. The I heard her voice ask me to give up what was precious to me in order to regain her protection. Of course I had to do it. I had to do it. I had....to do it...." The woman took a step towards Jordan with every sentence uttered.
She only stopped advancing once Jordan fully spread her wings out to the sides in a threatening manner. The golden feathers on them glimmered under the faint light of the sun hidden behind thin clouds. The white and pristine feathers were almost blinding to the naked eye. She straightened herself up, not willing to back away any further. This woman couldn't hurt her, and she wouldn't allow herself to act like a coward anymore.
"You're wrong. You heard no voice other than your own delusions. You are no better than a monster. You've lost your reason, and your sanity. That child that was the only thing keeping you together, and yet you killed them in order to appease some goddess that never even looked your way." She said, her faint golden halo flickering in and out of existence above her head.
Jordan could hear the buzzing of flies around her, and she saw them beginning to form behind the woman who had a mix of rage and sorrow in her eyes. But she held her ground firm with her golden feathers glowing. Her eyes were no longer blue. They were a powerful golden color. She glared at the woman and took a step forward, causing the other to take a step back.
"Bela. Cassandra. Daniela." She said their names slowly.
The three girls appeared and surrounded the woman, who now had a look of horror in her eyes as she realized who exactly she had been talking to. Her eyes briefly flit to the choker around Jordan's neck that had the Dimitrescu crest on it, and the angel witnessed the exact moment that acceptance entered this woman's crazed gaze. Her fear was instantly gone, and she even closed her eyes as she recognized that she was done for.
"May your child find respite in Heaven. And may the darkest pits of Hell open to swallow you whole, sinner." She said, her voice taking on a commanding and formal tone as she recited the words that would decide the fate of this woman.
Cassandra was the one that moved forward, sickle in hand, and sliced the woman's throat open in one swift motion. There was a blinding red light that escaped her body, making Jordan flinch. Then everything was back to normal. The woman lay twitching on the ground as her throat spurted out blood. The sisters were gathered around her, watching the act and making sure she was down for good. Jordan slowly pulled her wings back in as she looked down at the corpse with no pity in her eyes.
"Whoa...Jordan your eyes..." Daniela suddenly spoke up.
Jordan lifted her head, displaying a look of confusion at what the redhead said. Then Daniela approached her and stared intensely at her face.
"One of them is gold." She whispered.