The Devil's Love

||. Chapter 48: Out of His Mouth .||

The air around him felt faint. His chest heaved, feeling his brother's cold fingers against his back. Angelo took a peak from the mirror that reflected Lithius's concentrating self. His eyes shut, lips curved upwards once in a while as the elder mumbled spells they once practised. Angelo admitted that it was centuries ago when he executed magic together with his eldest brother. 

Back then, it was just a tiny process to prove himself capable to perform duties as the guardian of the Sun. Straightening his back, Angelo wasted no time in picking up the blade in front to form a tiny incision on his right palm. Blood flowed from the cut and from there Angelo drew a mark. It took the shape of a chrysanthemum. Once it was in its full form, Angelo felt Lithius's magic dancing on the flower that sent tingles to the core of his spine. 

"A chrysanthemum, Angelo," Lithius mused with his eyes close. "Out of all the flowers in the world. It's so you." 

"Well, it's easy to remember because it is often used in funerals. It makes things simpler when it is something you see every day," Angelo replied, chanting the old spell with his brother and placed full trust in Lithius's capability. 

Not long after, Angelo felt soft tingles around his skin. Purple sparkles danced gracefully along the outline of Angelo's body waking his barren angelic soul. Angelo cleared his mind, putting the main focus onto his one and only goal which is to guide Ansel's soul back to her body so she could wake up. He watched the mirror in front of him spiral clockwise. 

Feeling his soul being lifted into a vast emptiness, Angelo's orbs glowed fully dark, activating the core of his essence. His surroundings turned pitch black. A thick white line formed underneath his feet, serving as a guide for his path. The further he walked, he felt himself travelling among twinkling stars, rotating planets and dancing constellations. As he passed a few golden horses, Angelo found himself crashing onto a harsh surface.

He groaned, rolling to the sides only to winced the minute he felt soft gooey material coating his arms. Angelo flinched. He jolted backwards upon meeting the sight of a mutilated body in front of him. Angelo stood up, but floundered forward, landing himself on the chest of another corpse. He wheezed, searching for flat ground and stood up. Dipping his palms into the pocket that contained his weapon, Angelo shivered at the sight of the ground covered with bodies. Instead of dried soil or grass, there were filled with corpses. Sucking in the air around him, Angelo took a step forward to search for Ansel. It felt impossible, but he had to search for her before Carson's magic pulled her too deep within. 

== xxx == 

Ansel roamed across the wasteland. The place was either too hot or too cold to her liking. She sat by the mouth of an oversized cave, clinging tightly to the sides of it. Her palms clutched tightly onto the sharp rock she had been holding. Even after multiple washes under the rain, dried blood clung tight to it. She pulled her legs close to her chest, wrapping her arms around her body to shield herself from the cold. The constant reminders she gave to herself were the only things that kept her sane for days. Everything around her seemed surreal, but when she met eye to eye with those brown eyes, her anger surged, causing her to lose control of herself. If those weren't the worst, Ansel had to face the treacherous torment from her victims.

"You are an ungrateful child," the familiar voice rang through the air, cutting the sounds of pouring rain against the cave. "What have I ever done to get a child like you? You bring misfortunes to this family." 

Ansel lifted her head, coming face to face with her father. She gritted her teeth at those words, tightening her grip on the stone. 

"Look at you, defying all your father, just to be who you want," Vincent hissed dangerously with mud covering half his face. "Back then, I should have struck a deal to kill you, instead of letting you live. It was my mistake."