† Phase VI †

 

 

In the vicinities above the ruins of Seoul, South Korea, a plane strides against the threatening wind of noiseless anxiety, hovering just beneath the mysteries of the vast thick clouds that never waver. The ashes continued to fall being accompanied by the cold pouring rain as thunder claps its roaring cries upon the whipping of lightning against the surface of Earth. Each strong wind disrupts the balance of the plane causing such bumps and sudden tremors giving nervousness to one of its passengers.

 

She was never the type to fancy such a traveling way for heights were never considered her ally. She sat in silent worry inside the well lit room of the plane... odd as it may seem that her organization possesses such luxury of acquiring a personal vehicle with its worth not even on par with her whole lifetime's salary. It is a question that has been a complete mystery to her. She mingled her hands tapping her fingertips in a rhythmic pattern as to ease the beating of her fright filled chest. Each tremble of the plane sends extreme stimulus causing her to react in an almost exaggerated way.

 

"I can never enjoy such a flight for a travel. I never wanted such bumpy rides especially in the middle of the sky." She uttered waving her head in complete disagreement following a groan as a significance of her whine. "Taeyeon-ah, you should get used to riding planes, especially now that we cannot go to the sea as our primary mode of transport." A petite figure approached her with an amused expression. Taeyeon, the short haired and relatively short heighted girl turned to her companion. "I know, Jessica... But aren't you feeling a bit threatened by such bumpy rides as well?" Her voice came as a whimper eyeing the blonde haired girl as she took her seat. "No...? I'd rather feel afraid of venturing by sea knowing that a large demon sea monster swims underneath it." She said pulling out a small book from her black leather coat. Taeyeon eyed her companion's book with curiosity and questions. "Isn't that the book of demonology?" She asked pointing accusingly at the black pocket book.

 

Jessica nodded.  "We don't know much of our enemies Tae, so might as well garner some knowledge on what we are dealing with." Her statements were true. Taeyeon couldn't help but agree for everything that happened in the past two months had been a complete mystery to her. Then she recalled of some past event that she and Jessica had encountered before the descending of the horde.

 

It was a cold, humid night of May, day of the first full moon in Hamburg, Germany. She and Jessica were tasked to investigate on a mysterious case that involved missing women. They, being the best in the organization, agreed of the task and made a head start. Carefully taking up clues and evidences they were led by such leads to an underground sewer. They barged in carefully following a group of eccentric people clad in black monk robes and covered by long pointy hoods. As they descend the sewers further, they heard weird voices muttering some sort of mantras and prayers. They concluded a black magic ritual as each word of old Latin spoken was clearly understood for they had studied such language.

 

They entered a hall secured tightly by mold filled brick walls. They peaked from a narrow entrance and saw the cult form in circle standing atop a glyph drawn from red malodorous paint that was assumed as blood. On the wall opposite the group was a cross made of wood and metal hanged upside down and lit by candles of black and red hanging atop the candle holders. Then the unexpected happened, everything turned dull black as the hollow inhuman voice spread all over the walls of the room muttering in strange undecipherable words that gave Taeyeon and Jessica a chilling sensation.

 

It was the moment and the night they saw their first demon... a demon in a form of a shadow-skinned man with black massive wings and large pointed horns. Their first reaction was a mixture of fear and awe but turned to extreme panic as when their presence was noticed by the creature that their instincts led them to ran and exit the sewers.

 

They were never enough to battle such creature and unless they have the knowledge of exorcism that only the Catholic Church possessed, they can if ever stood a chance. But they were witches not priests. It was well the only night that they felt the only horror they had felt amongst their entire tasks.

 

From then until now...

 

"Taeyeon-ah... Are you listening?" Jessica clapped her hand surprising Taeyeon who had left their world and ventured on her own reminiscence. "W-what is it?" She made a smile. Jessica shook her head in disbelief, "I SAID our new task seems odd." She repeated with intonations exclaiming her previous ignored statement. "Have you acquired my spacing out virus, Taeyeonie?" She asked eyebrow raised. Taeyeon disagreed, "I was just thinking a bit..." She assured chuckling.

 

"Anyways, the elders said that we have to meet a representative from the Order. Isn't it odd? I mean from what I've learned, the Order vanished sometime after the demons appeared and wrecked havoc in our world. Are they regrouping? What do you think?" Jessica asked. Taeyeon shrugged, she knew a thing or two about the Order but not most of its nature. She was usually a loner and prefers to hang out in her laboratory alone mixing and matching potions and chemicals doing her trial and error method as an alchemist. She was different from Jessica who mastered the arts of spell lore. The prodigy as she is labeled, Jessica's fast learning aptitude and talent compliments her title very well. She learned the proficiency of summoning elemental magic preferably with the manipulation of water and ice in just a small matter of time.

 

"Maybe they've found the fabled, Sun King." Taeyeon said unsure. "Well, maybe yes... they won't be as persistent and hopeful if not." Jessica agreed well to Taeyeon's surprise for she only meant it as a joke. But then she thought of the odds of such a myth coming to reality... with plenty of unrealistic events happening, having a Sun King to emerge from nowhere was something unsurprising.

 

"Well, I am eager to know why." Jessica exclaimed excitedly. Taeyeon eyed her and smiled. "Uhh... Hwaiting?" She answered awkwardly. Then a powerful tremor disturbed their relaxed conversation reminding Taeyeon of the fear that she felt since she rode the plane. Another powerful tremor emerged now accompanied by a loud thud that appears to be emanating from outside the plane. "What is that!?" Jessica stood up, carefully holding on the safety hand rails and took a peak at the window nearest to them. "OH MY GOD!!!" Jessica cried as before her was a presence she swore to forget since that day.

 

"What!? What is it!?" Taeyeon, although unsure, managed to process strength in her mindset and followed Jessica to peak at the window. Taeyeon didn't fail to acquire the same reaction that Jessica, herself, felt. What hit them was so familiar that the past event where they encountered it returns with a smack on their heads. It was the large winged demon that they encountered two months ago.

 

"Oh no!! What can we do!? We can't fight while we're here!?" Taeyeon was in panic crouching to hide beneath the chairs. Jessica was glaring at the Demon. She had a score to settle with it, a vendetta to regain her ruined pride as a prodigy of magic lore. "I'll kill it!!" She exclaimed as she went to the emergency hatch of the plane. "WHAT!?" Taeyeon cried to disagree. "You cannot fight him!!! And we cannot risk fighting in such a situation!!!" She reasoned.

 

Just then they felt the plane tilting forward and at once gravity got a hold of them. They were pulled towards the metal door leading to the cockpit. Taeyeon grabbed hold on one of the railings same as Jessica who was startled like her.

 

The speaker from the side of the door leading to the cockpit boomed with sounds disrupted frequently by static buzzes as emergency lights began to blink in a rhythm of repetition. "Our engines had been hit!! We cannot lift the plane up, we're gonna crash!!!" The pilot cried in panic before the speaker box was overwhelmed by dead static. "We have to do something!!!" Taeyeon cried to Jessica who was over her. "I know!!! Climb up!! There are parachute bags before the hatches!!!" She cried as then the door from the cockpit opened wherein the pilot captain and his assistant climbed up. Taeyeon smiled at the pilots and urged the two to follow them to safely abandon the plane. The pilots nodded and climbed up through the chairs with tremors and banging sounds disrupting their focus.

 

Taeyeon and Jessica had finally reached the hatch and quickly took their own parachute bags and wore them. Jessica opened the hatch letting the violent winds and pouring rains enter crashing in with such force that pushed Jessica a few inches back. Taeyeon crouched against the wall dividing the emergency hatch and the main passenger's area and crawled towards its edge to help the pilots. Taeyeon was about to reach the nearing pilot's hand when another loud thump banged the wall of the plane causing it to shatter and crush letting violent winds burst inside as the demon entered with little effort and grabbed hold of the second pilot nearest to it.

 

Taeyeon's eyes widened in horror as before her was a gruesome scene when the demon decapitated the pilots head and clawed his chest's flesh splashing out fresh hot crimson blood and exposing his innards. The demon grinned amused as he let go of the dead victim and aims for the others. "Come on!!!" Taeyeon cried while she desperately grabs hold of the pilot's hand as adrenaline rush came to him due to panic and dreadfully grabbed Taeyeon's hand.

 

Everything happened swiftly that before she can even lift up the man, the demon already spread its wide, metallic-hard wings and boosted the demon to the pilot's level grabbing his body and impaling its clawed nails against his flesh causing him to cry in utter pain. Jessica went beside Taeyeon and muttered a mantra, her amulet ring sparkled and she, using her index finger, hailed forth a chilling aura from using the pouring rain in an attempt to freeze the demon.

 

But she can't attack yet, not when the man is still intact with the demon. Taeyeon cannot grab one of her potions as both her hands occupied the pilot's hand. "Escape now!!!" The pilot had his resolve and with such predicament, he accepted that dying is his only option. "Let go, Taeyeon-sshi... and escape... do your mission and save this world from damnation." The pilot knew Taeyeon and Jessica very well. He is, for one, a member of the witches' organization. "NO!!!" Taeyeon persisted; she doesn't want to see more blood being spilt. "Taeyeon!!!" Jessica cried. "Let go!!!" The pilot yelled.

 

The demon was grinning as if amused by such event, its claws venturing further towards the man's flesh causing him to cry more in pain and agony as it rips and tore his skin apart. The plane isn't stopping its fall for their sake as well... choices appeared before Taeyeon. "LET GO NOW!! I WILL DIE ANYWAY!! AT LEAST LET ME DIE WITH HONOR!!!" The pilot cried trying to waggle his hand off Taeyeon's. Taeyeon's tears were falling along the rain and ashes that fell, she doesn't want to see more torment upon those who had been close to her or even just acquainted with her. "I...I can't..." Her voice is breaking. She can't let go...

 

The pilot turned to Jessica who was contemplating. "Do it now Jessica... Kill us." He said. Jessica was also tearing up... She, like Taeyeon, refuses sacrificial killing but she has no choice... despite her weakening emotion, she tried to keep her will strong. "Bless you, Captain... I will pray for your soul." She uttered as then she hailed forth the cold winds and rains to accumulate upon the pilot's body and the demon's body. Taeyeon refuses to let go. "NNOOOO!!!!" She cried as with a smile from the pilot, his face was then covered with chill as ice began to form from his head downwards. The demon never lost its grin despite the ice that entrapped the both of them. "No..." Her voice broke as she felt the coldness creeping to his hand before she reluctantly let go. "Why...?" She asked with tears falling like rivers down the mountain side.

 

"Taeyeon!!" Jessica grabbed Taeyeon's hand and pulled her to the hatch. "We have to keep living!!! We need to fight for those who died for us. Let us be strong!!!" Jessica grabbed her shoulders and assured her. Taeyeon, although crying in disbelief, nodded. "Let's go!!" Jessica and Taeyeon then jumped from the plane as the grounds came visible to them.

 

They pulled the strings of their bags and ejected the parachute that flourished its breadth like a flower blossoming from under the morning sun. Their fast paced fall decreased as the winds helped them fall slower and safer. They landed at an empty establishment as from a few miles from them; the plane crashed causing an explosion to boom through their ears as they ducked for safety.

 

They were now stranded... within the wastelands that bear many terrifying surprises under its silence... the savages that lurk within its corners and upon its streets... the dangers that lie awaiting for its victims' presences. They are within zero safety and preparedness. With their things destroyed within the plane, their worn clothes, some small books, small vials, a papyrus and magic knowledge are those left within their immediate property. Taeyeon approached Jessica, "What now?" She asked.

 

Jessica stood up looking at their surroundings. Even though she and Taeyeon are Koreans, being away from their homeland for a long time indeed dampened their confidence in indentifying their whereabouts; the ruined state of the country didn't help at all. "I guess we have to walk and find a safe place to study our conditions first." She suggested unsurely. "This isn't very well part of the plan is it?" Taeyeon asked with a frown. "No... But you and I together is enough for us to survive this desecrated world."  Jessica said.

 

"We have to endure for now..." Jessica followed. "This is troublesome but yes we really have to endure." Taeyeon answered as they decided to head down to the lower grounds and walk the streets in hopes to find the answers for the questions and troubles that are forming in their minds.

 

[~†-----TBC----+~] † Ω † [~+-----TBC----†~]