The Devil Within

How Do You Expect Me to Live, Laugh, Love in these Conditions?

February 24th, 2022.

Some called it the start of the third world war. You were one of those people. After Covid-19, the Australian Fires, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and over one-thousand unregistered graves under Residential Schools, the war on Ukraine was almost too much on the world. So many lives were lost due to the Coronavirus alone, Putin's audacity only added to the 20's body count. His actions started World War 3 but, luckily, it didn't end well for that monster of a man. Vladimir Putin was assassinated on January 23rd, 2024. Unfortunately, Putin did a load of damage before he finally kicked the bucket.

In the world you lived in, nuclear warfare was a common tactic. Environments were ruined. Billions were lost to Covid-19 and billions more were killed by nuclear radiation. Attacks were staged all around the world in different cities. You were lucky that your hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan wasn't targeted. Benefits of living in the most boring province of Canada, you supposed. When the war finally ended in 2024, the population must've been in the small thousands. You never really found out the population number since everything was down and almost everyone was dead. Everyone left Regina when you and your family stayed. A small community was formed in Regina where everyone split resources and everyone lived in the University. The government was gone. Resources were used as currency and all that was left of the world you and your family lived in was the community you lived in. The world was fucked up all because of one man's greed.

But Putin never had a son in your world.

"I guarantee you, I am nothing like my father," Aleksei said quickly, sounding dejected.

"Yeah," you said, shaking your head. "Yeah, you wouldn't have been blessed otherwise..."

"Yet I get the feeling that you're not entirely on board with me being here," Aleksei said, raising his hands as a way to show that he wasn't a threat. 

"I'm just trying to wrap my head around all of... this," you said, gesturing to the giant room. "Forgive me but, last I remember, Putin didn't have a son."

"He's been keeping me a secret to everyone outside of Russia," Aleksei said with a scowl. "He said that he wants me to continue his legacy."

"Of Bloodshed and hatred?" You blurted out, clamping your mouth shut. "Sorry, wasn't thinking."

"No," Aleksei said quickly, "I get it and you're right." Aleksei dropped his hands and you couldn't help but notice how he clenched them into fists. He gnashed his teeth together and you swear you could see a vein pop in his forehead. "The Putin Legacy is full of bloodshed, secrecy, and death." Aleksei took a breath to calm his nerves and smiled at you. "I'm glad that you didn't react the same way as the Sergeant over there." Aleksei jutted a thumb towards Sergeant Jones who gave him a glare in return. "He said that I shouldn't be Blessed because of my father's actions and that I could be brainwashed."

"Well, that first part doesn't make any sense," you snorted, rolling your eyes. "Just because your father's a raging asshole doesn't make you one. I can understand the initial shock and thoughts of possible brainwashing though."

Aleksei nodded and laughed at your comment. "That's fair, I didn't blame him for that second assumption. No, I was blessed because the Rit Zien Zadkeil thinks that I can make a significant change in Russia."

You quickly raked your brain for information on the Rit Zien Angels in Supernatural. There was an episode dedicated to them- then you'd never hear about them again but it's what happened in that damn show. That's when you remembered. The Rit Zien angels were the Hands of Mercy, Heaven's healers if you will. They were all but attracted to pain and would put you out of your misery if there wasn't anything for them to do about it. Like emotional pain when that one Rit Zien killed humans after the Fall Mettatron caused. But they were also the best healers Heaven had.