Karma has no menu, you get served what you deserve.
~Anonymous
The joke backfired.
Awen, Anastasia, and Cassey ran together aimlessly.
The low and deep voices kept looping inside their head. Tormenting them. Their hearts seemed to beat erratically loud in their ears and throbbed inside their throats as if it was going to explode.
But the three priestesses kept running, despite the spikey bushes, branches that slightly cutting their robe and flawless skins, every time they will pass by onto any. They'd also stumbling numerous times because of the uneven ground, covering them in specks of dirt and leaves.
But no one seemed to care.
They had thought. If Natalie was doing this for revenge. Undoubtedly. Natalie had succeeded enormously. She could also get an award if there's any, because for the fact that they haven't seen anything like that before.
Awen and Anastasia can't think of anyone in the land of Uria could do the same exact things Natalie had done earlier, even Trevor the most talented actor in the Mcdougall Opera house could never mimic the sound of bone-crushing while twisting to death then back to life again. Everything about Natalie was unexplainable.
Especially Natalie's now black eyes as if you were staring into nothingness, it was like light doesn't exist with those eyes. But most importantly the voices.
They knew no one could ever do such things unless it was something new, something close to paranormal which they kept denying because for them those things didn't exist.
Awen and Anastasia believe God's and deities were superstitions, myths and illusions.
Characters created in old wives tales to lull children with starving tummies. Creative imaginations or better say hallucinations for the homeless, broken and dying to sugar coat the reality they currently had. Or in other words, a false hope.
Even the shrine of Aumanda the Sun Goddess and the temple of Mithryl the Moon Goddess, built to honor both Goddess and the symbols of the continuous peace in the land of Uria.
But for both girls knew these were all lies.
They believe it was because of the pride of the four mighty kingdoms to show-off they were able to create religions, to show the mask of bitter peace between all kingdoms and to continue the made-up traditions of their wealthy ancestors.
They believe if god's, deities and heavenly beings were to exits. They will only smile for those people with big pockets.
While Demon was created by people. The thick defensive wall to cover up their awful doings or abusive motives. A thing created to divert the blame.
Demons aren't unseen spirits, often described with horns and tails that people had used to believe, but for two beautiful girls, demons are those who use their power to take advantage of the weak. Often you could see with shiny clothes in high horses. Specifically, people with expensive diamonds and beautiful titles.
And both ladies had met and encountered plenty of demons in their lives than tales could have offered. They actually lived and served with them in the past.
But tonight. That belief seemed to be shaken when they saw the shrine.
"Please... Tell me this isn't real." Awen wished what she seeing right now was just a horrible dream.
All three of them was stunned. Unable to process the things they were seeing right this moment, especially the moon that currently dripping blood above the shrine.
The white flags with the gold embroidered sun, the symbol of Aumanda has been trashed, tampered with unknown symbols that seemed demonic. And the shrine itself was covered with the thick and huge purple-black orb or bubble that was slowly expanding with several thunder appearing inside simultanously.
"What the hell is happening inside?" Anatasia asked to no one in particular.
"I don't know. How about the guardians? Where are they?" Awen Added trying to catch some breaths.
Anatasia inhale deeply before she answered. "The Granny isn't here, she is with two grannies. I know, I saw them leave discreetly three days ago."
"What about the others, they might be trapped inside."
Cassey briefly looked at the troubled ladies then slowly distance herself from them "W-who cares, I wouldn't like to know. I am not stupid to enter that cursed shrine."
Awen and Anastasia looked at Cassey with surprised. "Thats understandable. We are all scared right now. But there are people inside---"
"Don't you dare Rohan! I am not going there no matter what!" Cassey cut Anastasia. "The hell am going there, I wouldn't sacrifice myself for the likes of them! My life is more precious than this." Cassey looked condensing at the two ladies.
"Have you not realized yet? The old hags run away because they knew this thing would happened. That sickening old bitches left us all to die here!"
Awen stormed forward and grabbed Cassey on her collar. "I know you are scared. I am scared too. But you don't have the rights to say that to the Guardian or anyone inside that shrine." Cassey tried to retort but Awen had a deadly-grip on her.
"Stop it. This won't help us anything." Anastasia interrupted and pulled Awen away from Cassey. "Both of you won't enter this orb... But I would."
"What? No!" Awen disagreed and looked at Anatasia.
"But I must. Someone must do it, besides I am much older than both of you here." Anastasia tried to laugh to lessen the tension, but her laugh sounded like whimper.
Cassey scoffed after fixing herself. "Crazy orphans." She again distance herself.
"Okay, Awen you must listen if anything happens to me..." There was a glint of hesitation in Anastacia's eyes that she quickly brushed away before Awen could noticed. "You run and find help as soon as possible. Understand?"
"But--"
"No buts! Please trust me on this." Anastasia charcoal eyes looked at Awen with intensity. Awen gulp, she knew very well that kind of look from Anastacia, no one can change her mind not even the head priestess not even her.
So Awen just slowly nodded as a respond.
~*~
Anastasia deeply sighed and moved closely at the orb. She open-and-close her hand to test it, and bravely stretched it to feel the orb. But as soon as her trembling hand touched the orb, her body froze.
In a flashed. Anastasia's heart thundered at the burning eyes, full of hatred, fury, and anguish glaring back at her with a horrifying sinister smile that was taunting her.
A demon was taunting her to come closer inside the shrine.
Anastasia Rohan was suffocated, an electrifying pain spread through her body pulling her closer inside the shrine, until Awen pulled her back in the present.
It was just a brief moment but when Anastasia touched the orb, she had seen all the awful things she had done in her life. All the suffering, all the evil work she did. She has seen them all.
The demon showed it to her.
The trembling chestnut beauty took a breath, couldn't find the right word on how grateful she was when Awen pulled her back from those scenes, pulled her away from the demon. But when Awen grimly smiled back at her, Anastasia knew already, Awen had seen it too.
"Awen!" Cassey yelled again.
Awen turned at Cassey not far from them, they didn't hear her plea because they were occuppied.
The mists were subsiding, revealing Natalie together with several priestesses standing in front of Cassey and they all had that smokey-shadow figure circulating their entire body. The sinister smile exactly the same as Natalie and the black eyes of nothingness.
Awen, Anastasia and Cassey's heart thundered, their entire body trembled in horror when the priestesses spoke in unison.
"Priestess..."
~*~
The voices were laughing, calling their names, mocking them, but not inside their head.
Hence, it was literally chasing them at this very moment.
The swift movements in shadows, the freezing cold like the longest winter and the purple-black orb that was expanding, dissolves everything into the darkness, all of these horrors were chasing after Awen and Anastasia.
The shadow of terror in Cassey's eyes was the last thing Awen saw after Anastasia pulled her away into a full run. And she has been torn apart after that.
Awen knew it wasn't her fault to just stare in horror, she didn't want to left Cassey, and if wasn't for Anastasia who pulled her most probably, she was still there staring in horror.
But Awen Lockhart knew this wasn't time for any grief when the demons were chasing after them.
It could wait later if ever they could survive this horror.
They didn't know which way to go anymore, they had lost any sense of directions, they just kept running, forcing their legs to move. Even though their legs were already aching and the air inside their lungs was draining rapidly.
Awen and Anastasia just wanted to pass this utter horror they were into.
So they kept pushing themselves, kept telling themselves to never stop until Awen and Anastasia tripped on something on the ground.
They harshly flew meters away from each other and rolled on the dirty ground. In that brief moment, the voices disappeared.
~*~
Anastasia groaned in the sudden pain that quickly spread through her body, the slight dizziness, and the blood on her lips made her numb for a moment but when her consciousness went back to normal. Her charcoal eyes widened when she searched for her freind.
Awen was in the same shape as Anastasia, blood also dripping on her lips, she was groaning in terrible pain on her leg but Awen face turned deadly pale when her eyes met Anastasia's terrified eyes.
Without looking behind her, Awen already knew from the face of Anastasia what was going on, this was enough for her body to become numb, tears fell on her now pale cheeks and for her heart to stop beating.
From the eyes of Anastasia, Awen knew there was no way the chestnut beauty could help her, no one could help her unless a miracle could happen right this moment.
If deities and God really exist at this moment.
But all of her hope had gone when she heard several footsteps approaching, and when Awen looked behind her. It was Cassey she saw.
Looking above her with the sinister smile like the rest of the priestesses behind her. "Priestes--"
"Foul spirits of darkness, scavengers from hell hear the voice of the descendant of the most powerful sun from the east, Aumanda. I, Minerva Clothos Erato servant of light, guardian of this shrine. I command you demons peasants of Hella, Begone!"
Several loud voices screaming in pain and the blinding light from the woman in red robe was the last thing Awen could remember before darkness took her consciousness into blaring and impeccable silence.