Rebirth

Chapter Eight

The book was just too heavy for Charlie's arms. She heaved a heavy sigh and tried her best not to drop the ancient text. The hotel halls were fairly empty as of right now, but by sundown, she knew this place would be exploding with all kinds of life. The dark halls carried a soft echo within them. It sounded like... Music. It wasn't any kind of music she was used to hearing this high up in the hotel. In fact, she normally didn't hear anything from the 23rd floor because Alastor was the only one who lived up here and he was a rather quiet person.
Charlie could just barely make out the sad sing-song monologue that was coming from Alastor's room. She got closer to his door and did her best to get her ear as close to the wood without touching it. The music sounded nothing like the songs Alastor normally sang or hummed. It didn't even sound like a song from his time... which was very odd seeing as Alastor was so keen on staying in the past. Did he hear this song or was he singing his own thoughts out loud?
It was sad though. Because on the other side of the door, Alastor was peering into his Water Well, "Headspace...." He muttered quietly to the soft music escaping his frame. "I need a route of my headspace...'Cause it's a war in here and I need you to take..." He paused and leaned closer to the Water Well's surface, "Take her out of my headspace," His voice was soft as he watched your sleeping form rise and fall with every breath. Threw Buck's eyes, Alastor watched you sleep peacefully in your bed. Buck sat on a dresser, staring at you intently as his tail flicked back and forth.
Alastor leaned a little closer to the Water Well as he felt an emotion in his chest that only upset him more, "Gonna drive, drive, drive this Cadillac, up the ocean road until it runs out of gas. 'Cause I'm hurt... I laugh and I joke but I'm hurt!" His emotions swelled in his chest and kept boiling bubbles into his throat, making his voice strained with stress, "I'm gonna sing, sing, sing my new swan song, so all the bright young sparks have got a tune they can hum. But it'll hurt... I'll dance if they ask but it'll hurt!"
He moved away quickly from the Water Well and started to pace around his room. He frowned quietly while he came to terms with these feelings he felt. There was pain, sorrow, grief, and mourning all at once. His mouth was closed as his voice continued to sing. There was a grimace on his face as he walked towards the large french doors that led to a balcony off of his room. He opened the curtains slowly, looking towards the massive pentagram in the sky. He could see that little glimmer of clouds and stars in the distance in Heaven above.
Alastor dropped the curtains and moved away from the french doors. He mustered the strength to sing allowed to the song. He hated this song, but not because he didn't like the way it sounded... He hated the way it made him feel. He hated it even more that he heard you singing it one day to yourself. He was spying on you in the shadows while you cleaned dishes. The song had been stuck in his head for hours. Now it just wouldn't go away.
"Cause now I feel, feel, feel like a disco ball, from the 1970's all dusty and worn! And it huuurts... I reflect the light, but it hurts!" He spun around on his heel dramatically and looked to the ceiling of his room, "I use to run, run, run until my knees gave way! I use to wrestle with bears and kiss poisonous snakes. I didn't caaaaare....! They scratch and they bite I didn't care, I didn't care!!"
Slowly Alastor lowered his gaze and had a blank stair focused on the large portrait hanging above the fireplace in his room. It was of your past self and him. A painting of you sitting perfectly in a seat with Alastor behind you. Your hands were folded in your lap and his hand was on your shoulder, "Heeadspaaace," He sang quietly while staring right into your perfectly painted eyes, "I need a route of my headspace, cause it's a war in here and I need somebody to say, take her out of my headspaaace," It pained him to look, but he couldn't take his gaze away, "These 5.5 liters of blood have some sour taste for your sweet taste buds... You put a war zone inside me. Above and below the neck, above and below the neck..."
He hated this whole god damn situation. He hated that you were gone but still here. He hated that this stupid hotel actually worked. He wished he could go back home to the castle, but you wouldn't be there and someone else was the new GateKeeper. From the corners of his room, a pair of empty eyes glimmered from the shadows. Eon watched, entertain to see Alastor in distress. Normally he wouldn't allow for such signs of weakness.
It was interesting to watch Alastor's thought process. His sadness warped into bitterness and he tore his eyes from your portrait and started to turn away, "Someone flick a light on, the dark just makes it worse. I'm running out of options and I'm lost for words!" He snapped his gaze towards the Water Well, "Little life wrecker, are you gonna let me know?" He smiled bitterly with furrowed brows, "Or keep showing me the compassion of a talk show host?" He watched you sleep away, "I'm not acting my age here and I'm growing up too fast! If these streets are paved with gold- I want my money back!" He was angry now and quickly dipped a finger into the glowing water within.
Buck quickly jumped from the dresser he was perched on and wandered away. The Water Well died down and the soft blue glow turned into a wicked green. As the ripples shifted in size, Alastor could slowly begin to pick out an image. He kept humming the tune to that song. He even muttered, "Heeeadspaace, mhmm hmmm," Goddammit. He hated it.
His feelings were utterly complicated and unnecessary. He didn't want to admit that you were dead and gone and replaced with this new version of yourself. He wanted to old you back, the classy sophisticated and mysterious lady that you were. Not this... innocent and clueless child. Well, young adult but compared to him you were still incredibly young. He knew however that he had to accept this change or lose you forever. He could not deny that there was indeed something there between the two of you. Your soul was like a warm and familiar hug that he wanted to hide in forever.
Alastor fought with his very being to not do what he wanted, and that was to simply taint your soul and drag you down to hell. However, he knew how selfish and idiotic that was. He needed to win you over, he needed to get to know the new you and make you fall in love with him. Alastor was incredibly bitter about it, but he was slowly letting go of those emotions as he talked himself down. At the end of the day, that was still your soul, and he still loved that part of you. And maybe, just maybe, your memories were locked in there too. If he could find a way to bring your memories back, then maybe... There was a chance he'd get the love of his life back. If not, Alastor had to get comfortable with the idea that she was gone and you replaced her. Regardless, Alastor wasn't going to let your soul go. You were and always will be his soulmate no matter how many times you were reincarnated you'd always be his and he'd always be yours. He was willing to do whatever it took to bring your soul back home to him. He just wanted to get back to his eternal damnation with you. He wanted to go back to the castle, forget the hotel, and live his solitary life with you as the decades pass by.
Alastor peered into the swirling water of the well. The green glow started to fade away and into the soft sky blue it was only a few moments ago. The well showed him a window to a clean little white house. A crow sat on a branch staring into the window of someone's home. It was Sage's home, and Alastor was watching that stupid witch fold her clothes and put them away. He had summoned a familiar, similar to Buck, and used this creature as his ears and eyes on earth when he couldn't be there himself.
Within seconds Sage started to look around, dammit, she could sense him. Alastor continued to watch Sage through the crow's eyes. She wandered over to the window and looked around before locking her gaze with the crows. Sage quickly opened the window waved her pointer finger in the air with a quick flick of her hand. Pure magic zapped from her fingertip like lightening in a wave of blues and whites. As soon as it came in contact with the crow, the magical bird poofed into a cloud of smoke and Alastor couldn't see anything in the Water Well anymore.
Music still softly played within his room, waving off his radio heart. As much as he didn't want this, he couldn't help it. Sometimes his radio heart would sing and play music against his will, exposing the emotions he'd been bottling up. He remembered a cloudy and lost memory as he walked away from the Water Well, it was from decades ago when he and you had only just started dating. He was walking around the courtyard of the castle, you had just plucked a dying flower from wilting bushes and as you stood up the wind blew your hair just right. He could smell the cherry blossoms and peaches wafting from your fluttering hair, the sun casting perfectly on your face and making your eyes sparkle. That sight alone caused Alastor to quickly fall in love with you, you were so beautiful and graceful and you flustered him so much that his radio heart started singing songs against his own will. He'd beat his fist against his chest and every time he whacked his ribs a new love song would start playing. He couldn't get it to stop and you stared at him with a blush growing on your cheeks. The two of you were terribly awkward when you first met... Nothing like now. Nothing was the same.
Meanwhile, as a new song softly played, Charlie was still on the other side of his door. She felt... Awkward. She had heard everything and felt guilty for listening. She wasn't sure what was going on in there but it sounded... Not natural of Alastor. She knew him as a chaotic entertainer, a happy sinner, and a killer. When in the world would he have ever heard that song and why..... Why the fuck was he singing it? Was he actually in as much pain as it sounded? She honestly couldn't know.
Maybe she could just drop the book off and walk away- Oh... OH! Shit! The book was starting to slip between her tired fingers then it quickly fell from her grasp. It thudded right onto the ground. Not even a millisecond later the music scratched like a record and stopped. Alastor's door was opened and there he was. Glowing smile and flashing red eyes peering down at her with his sharp grin growing in size.
"Heellooo~?" Alastor drawled, "What brings you here, Charlie?"
"Uh!" She froze and felt a bead of sweat grow on her temple, "I brought the book!" Charlie chuckled quickly and lifted the damn thing from the ground, "My dad said to keep it actually!" Then she shook her head, "What the hell is this?"
Alastor quickly took the book from her and held it as if it weighed nothing, "Just an old book," He quickly turned and wandered back into his room. He left the door open willingly and let Charlie wander inside. He needed a little cheering up, and messing with the princess's head was always a good pick-me-up. He walked over to a small table in the middle of his room, right between his bed and fireplace. He set the book down and quickly opened it up.
Hesitant, Charlie made her way over, then looked up at the tall and overly sized portrait painting, "You hung it back up..." She started to smile weakly, "I never thought I'd see her up there again," Charlie felt a ping of pain within her heart. Bittersweetly she missed you but was happy you had moved on. You were the first successful soul to be rehabilitated at the hotel. Honestly, Charlie didn't know a damn thing about how or why it happened, whether it had something to do with her or the hotel, she didn't know. But she still missed you, you were still a close friend and she smiled sadly at your portrait.
Alastor ignored the princess, his back was to her and he was focused on the task at hand. He didn't say anything and let a small smile rest on his lips as he worked away. Charlie walked over with a wary step and peered over his shoulder.
She had never seen that book before, she didn't even know her father had it... Well her mother actually had it but that didn't mean anything. It was called the Libro Vitae. It was apparently a.... weapon. Angel weaponry to be exact. But how? It was just a book, wasn't it? When she watched Alastor's long claws trace the pages, she realized she couldn't read any of the text, "What is this, Al?" The words were in a language she couldn't read and had never seen before. They were cut up symbols and dots and dashes.
"The Book of Life. It's a spellbook, my lady, nothing you'd be interested in. Old Angel Tech," He paused and slowly flipped a few pages before pausing on a page with summoning circles on both open pages, "Can you be a doll and grab that bottle over there?" He didn't look up once from the book, he just pointed in the general direction he wanted her to go in.
She looked over and saw a fancy bottle made of dark blue glass. It was on a shelf near the Water Well. Charlie had seen one before but had never used it. It honestly just looked like a glowing green birdbath. She took a quick peek into it's rippling waters and saw nothing. Something told her to touch the water, Charlie looked over at Alastor to make sure he was still nose deep in the book, then she quickly dipped a finger into the well. It started to glow and suddenly she saw someone. It was Vaggie! She could see her girlfriend scolding Angel Dust down in the lobby of the Hotel.
"Are you serious!? You can't be! It's not even that much!" Angel had a frown embedded into his face and his teeth bared, "Do you know what I had to do to get my hands on that!?"
Vaggie was in the middle of tearing up some kind of printed paper, "No. Drugs. Allowed. LSD is on that list of drugs!"
A hand tightly gripped Charlie's shoulder and when she snapped her gaze up, Alastor was grinning in her face, "Not what I asked you to do. Geeze, my lady, for a princess you sure don't know how to take an order. I just can't wait for the day you ascend to the throne!"
Charlie frowned at Alastor's sarcasm, "I wasn't doing anything- I just wanted to see what would happen! It just... did that," Charlie waved a hand at the Water Well and ducked as Alastor reached over her and grabbed the blue bottle he had asked for, "My mother has a Water Well and this thing has to be broken. It's nothing like hers. She uses it to talk to people, like a phone?"
Alastor chuckled and mocked Charlie's lack of intelligence, "Silly little girl," He cooed, "This isn't just any Water Well, it's mine. And this particular well shows what the heart desires the most at the time of your call,"
Stars began to form in Charlie's eyes as she realized what he was saying. She looked back and almost died of happiness, she touched the water again and it stayed on Vaggie, "Aw," It felt oddly nice to know that her heart was set on Vaggie. But what about Alastor? Charlie didn't even know that Alastor had a heart to begin with... Well, he did at one time, sort of. She looked at him with large eyes, "What about you, Al?"
He didn't say anything, he just let his grin die a little on his face as he dipped the very tip of his finger into the water. It splashed and rippled for a few moments then focused on someone just getting out of bed. It took Charlie a few seconds to realize what she was seeing, "Is-... Is that a human!?" Then she realized that this human was what Alastor's heart desired most. She leaned closer to him while whisper yelling, "What do you want with a human?" Then her gaze grew concerned, "You're not going to hurt her are you?"
Alastor chuckled, "Haha, no, my lady, I have no intentions of such things," then proceeded to walk away from the Water Well. Charlie stayed there, however, staring down into the well, "I just want to bring her back home," Alastor said as he went back to the large book. He twisted open the blue bottle and a small pink perfume of smoke sparkled out. It smelled like cherry blossoms and peaches, it was your favorite perfume before you had been reincarnated.
Charlie could smell it too, then it clicked in her head. She instantly thought of you when that sweet scent reached her nose, then she peered into the Water Well, "Oh my God," Shock crawled onto Charlie's face as she lifted a hand to her mouth, "It's (Y/n)... isn't it? I thought you said she went to Heaven?"
Thankfully Alastor's back was towards Charlie, so she couldn't see the slight flicker of disdain on his face. He was standing over the book as he dripped the smallest drop of perfume onto the pages with a second drop of blood from the tip of his finger, "I lied," He said smoothly, "She was reincarnated and sent back to Earth. Don't have a God damn clue as to why, or what was so special about her though, unfortunately," The book sparkled and started to glow pink light from runes and summoning circles
Walking over with caution, Charlie stood beside Alastor. She had a sad and sorry look on her face as she placed a hand on his arm, "That sounds like it's taking a toll on you. You must be dealing with a lot right now," Her words were kind and comforting, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Not at all. He just gave her a kind smile and shook his head, "What's there to talk about, my lady? I'm perfectly fine!" Alastor lied through his grin. Meanwhile, the book had calmed down and Alastor was just about to get to the spell he wanted to cast when something else sounded from behind him.
It was you, calling to him through the Water Well. You had woken up and already started your day. It was a Saturday and you didn't have a single plan. You hadn't seen Alastor since a few nights ago when he took you on the magical trip to New Orleans. You wanted to see him again, however, and you weren't sure if you just had to wait around for him or maybe he was waiting for you to summon him.
You weren't going to wait and find out, "Alastor...?" You called while sitting on the edge of your bed. Sleep was still caked into the corners of your eyes. You rubbed the knuckle of your finger into your eye and called again while yawning, "Aalaa- asstoorr? You 'round?"
Back in his room, Alastor flicked his gaze between the Water Well and Charlie. He stared at her for a second longer, she had the biggest grin on her face, from ear to ear, and stars twisting in her eyes. She looked like she was about to explode with excitement and giddiness. He already knew what she wanted, and he couldn't say no because this was truly an entertaining event to see. The Princess of Hell? Going to Earth for a day? Oh, Lucifer would just love that, wouldn't he? And how well would Charlie react to humans? She was a pureblood demon after all... Alastor just had to see this.
With a quick wave of his hand, a portal opened and Alastor extended his arm for Charlie to take. She quickly locked her elbow with his and started to giggle and laugh with excitement. The two jumped gracefully through the portal and startled the ever-living shit out of you.
You watched as a portal opened and spit out two demons. Startled, you jumped backward onto your bed and lifted your arms to cover your face, "Jesus fuck!" You yelled, "Can't you give me a little warning?!" You saw Alastor in his fully demonic form grinning wickedly as he tried to hold a very small and less intimidating girl. She looked like she was ready to scream. She bit her lip as he rosy-red cheeks puffed out and her eyes sparkled.
"U-uh..." You started, confused as to why Alastor had brought whoever that was... here, "Who's that?"
"HELLO!" The girl quickly tore herself from Alastor's grip and approached you with a huge smile. It wasn't wicked or intimidating like Alastor's, it was large and happy and filled with joy, "My name's Charlie! I use to know you in Hell!" She held her hand out to you.
You hesitated then shook her hand, "Hi...?" Charlie didn't really look like a demon that much. She definitely didn't look human, but she could pass for a cosplayer or something like that.
"I didn't know humans could be so colorful!" What was she talking about? "Hey Al? What is this?" She started to point her finger around you. You felt awkward and you just sat there, frozen and unsure how to react.
At first, Alastor ignored Charlie, and even pushed her aside as he approached you. He held his hand out for you, offering to help you up. You took your hand in his and couldn't suppress the shiver and delight that raced down your spine. Instantly you felt that warm fuzzy static that sparked in your heart every time you touched him.
"I'm sorry to burden you like this, my darling," Alastor pulled you to your feet smoothly and with grace, "I know you called, but I seemed to have brought along a friend, and I'm sure you didn't expect that!" He smiled at you then gestured to Charlie, "This is Princess Charlotte Magne," You saw Charlie give a small glare at Alastor, "She's the heiress to the throne!" He then turned to Charlie and started to clap as little streamers and confetti ignited around her, manifested by Alastor.
It sunk in that Charlie just wasn't any other demon. She was the demon. The Princess of Hell, "Shit... okay," You said slowly.
"And that-" Alastor started to speak again, he waved his hand around your head and said, "Is and aura, and that-" He pointed to your chest, "Is a living human soul," You had no idea what they were talking about and you couldn't see a damn thing either. It must have been some kind of special demon vision.
"Ooh, okay!" Charlie made a little face of understanding, "Do all humans have these colors?"
"Indeed," Alastor said quickly. He then grabbed Charlie by her arm and started to walk towards your bedroom door, "Come now, Charlie! Let's give our friend some time to get dressed, yes?"
"Okay but! What about animals? Do they have- AH!" Charlie was pushed out of your room and Alastor quickly left while closing the door behind him. So this is how your day was going to start, huh? You thought you'd get a little personal time with Alastor to ask some questions about your past life. Nah, you were going to do whatever the hell was waiting for you outside your bedroom door.
_______________
You had just gotten dressed, finally slipping on your last sock when you heard a loud bang from your living room. Suddenly there was a crash followed by yelling and shouting. What the hell...? Buck stayed hidden under your bed as you pulled open your door.
Things had gone from pretty okay to fucking shitty real fucking fast. You were met with not two, not three, but four fucking demons making a mess of your home. You had seen the very last seconds of a portal closing as two demons were picking themselves up off the floor.
"Charlie!" A girl yelled. She had one good eye and a large 'X' for the other one. Her hair was long and white and cast down the entire length of her back, "What has gotten into you? Do you even know where we are?" She got up and walked towards Charlie, concern, and fear on her face, "This is the surface. We can't be here! Your father will lose his god damn mind!"
"It's just for a couple hours Vaggie," Charlie smiled softly. She quickly took Vaggie's hands in hers, "You know I've always wanted to! Please! No one has to know," There was a soft pleading in Charlie's voice.
Whatever it was, it worked on Vaggie and she sighed, "Just for an hour," She said sternly, "There are demon hunters here, Charlie, they can kill us."
Suddenly the last demon was getting to his feet, "Kill us how?" His accent sounded local. He was much taller than the rest of them, he looked like a white spider and much more demonic than any of them. His eyes didn't match and his hair swept in and out of his face, "I ain't looking to die again, I'm not even sure why the hell I jump through that fucking portal anyways,"
"They'd kill us for good, Angel," Vaggie explained, "We wouldn't go back to hell, our souls would be destroyed and we'd cease to exist. I'd rather we'd just get out of here. The longer we stay the more we risk getting killed,"
"Demon hunters?" Charlie seemed confused. She looked over at Alastor for a second then back to Vaggie, searching for an answer in her face.
"They're humans who kill any demon that dares to manifest on the surface,"
"Do they work for the church?" Angel butted in with his own question.
"No," Vaggie said, "They have their own cult or something and a lot of them are witches and warlocks. They think if they kill enough demons they'll go to heaven because their pagan blood damns them to hell from the day of their birth."
How did Vaggie have all this knowledge on Demon Hunters? And not to forget Sage, your best fucking friend was a god damn demon hunter. It was also at this moment when everyone seemed to notice you standing awkwardly in your doorway. Everyone was staring at you, even Alastor. In fact, he started walking away from the rest of them as he quickly manifested some kind of microphone.
"Hello! Testing? Ah!" Alastor's radio voice shifted in and out tune within the static filter, "Why you're such a dashing darling doll, ain't ya sweetheart?" Alastor stood beside you and spoke into the microphone as he smiled wide, "Please, my dear, introduce yourself to our lovely listeners! All of Hell awaits your words!"
Was this some kind of skit or was he actually broadcasting? You nervously laughed, "Ah-haha... I'm, (Y/n) (L/n)... Hello," You smiled then gave a small wave of your hand at the others. Charlie smiled and waved back while Angel and Vaggie stared at you with eyes the size of dinner plates.
"Now! (Y/n)," Alastor brought the microphone back to his lips, he gave you this smug little smile while eyeing you up and down. You felt incredibly nervous and flustered under his gaze, "Are the rumors true? Are you, in fact, the reincarnated soul of our beloved Mistress (Y/n), The Crybaby Demon?"
He quickly twisted the microphone back to you, a large toothy smile on his face as his eyes grew large and a faint red glow manifested within them. You peered back towards the other three for a second then pulled a weak smile onto your face, "Yeeess...?" It was hard to answer that question with any confidence because you still weren't sure if you were crazy or not.
"Well!" Alastor spoke into the microphone, "You heard it here, folks! Straight from this darling's pretty little mouth! I simply just can not believe it! Damned souls really do have a chance at redemption, don't they? Why! The Princess of Hell is even here as well! What say you, dear?"
In a quick puff of smoke, Alastor disappeared then manifested beside Charlie. He shoved the microphone into her face and edged her on to say something, "Um- Yes, yes they do Al! We've had many souls make it to heaven, b-but this is the first reincarnation! It just goes to show that there are second chances!"
"Excellent! Simply marvelous!" Alastor said happily, "Isn't that sweet? How utterly disgustingly heartwarming that is, that despite being a murderer, a sinner, a thief, a liar, a backstabber, a trickster and my favorite of all, a victim of suicide... A soul as rotten as our beloved (Y/n) can be cleaned entirely of every ounce of sin and freed to the surface," He had a smile on his face but his voice was strained and threatening, "We must tune in to see what happens next!" Alastor snapped his fingers and the microphone was gone. It didn't end there, however, as he closed his eyes and smiled wide his form quickly changed in a misty wave of smoke. As he opened his eyes, he was in his human form with a pleasant grin on his face.
Alastor quickly summoned a fancy little cane then gave a firm whack on to each of the other's heads. As he smacked Charlie's head with the other end of the cane she was overtaken in a wave of sparkles and stars that transformed her into a human disguise. The same happened as he hit Vaggie and Angel. Without a second of hesitation, Alastor walked back to you and took your arm in his.
He smiled down at you, "Isn't this fun?" He asked a little too firmly, "Our friends are here to spend an hour with us! What do humans do for fun these days, my darling?"
That was more of a question for someone with a social life. Sure, you had friends, but you weren't the kind to go out and party until you couldn't see straight. Fuck... you were a goodie goodie weren't you? You had a better idea, "Well, what do you guys do for fun?"
"Drugs," Angel answered quickly, "Oh, and fucking. Lots of drugs and fucking and both, and maybe a little tiny bit little baby ounce of killing if a bitch needs to die,"
"Don't listen to him," Charlie smiled after giving Angel a pointed look, while she spoke, Angel wandered off to your window, "We do a lot, singing. Dancing, helping others and helping ourselves! I like musicals and movies!"
"I like rock shows," Vaggie said quietly, she seemed nervous to talk about herself, "Raves are cool too. I use to like the groupie life, going to underground clubs and concerts,"
"Wait a sec- W-where are we?" Angel quickly cut in, "Is... is this New York?" He was still looking out the windows, he pulled the curtains back and saw the city life around you, "I can't believe! Fuck! I- I gotta see what's happened to this place! I want to go to Manhatten!" No one argued with him.
So that's how you ended up going to Manhatten, specifically Central Park. Apparently, this was one of Angel's favorite places to escape to when he was alive. Alastor worked his magic and within seconds you jumped through a portal and you landed among some trees. The fresh air was nice, it was cool and warm and perfect out.
"I use to come here all the time," Angel sighed, "It still smells the same," There was a smile on his face, his cheeks were covered with freckles and a faint pink tint. He seemed like he was in heaven, or he was thinking of a simpler time when he was alive.
"I've never seen him like that," You could hear Charlie whisper to Vaggie, "Maybe this could help his redemption?" Vaggie only shrugged as you all started to walk along the paved paths.
Angel walked ahead, he seemed like he wanted to enjoy this alone. Like a teacher ringing in their toddler students, Alastor kept an eye on everyone. Vaggie and Charlie walked a few paces ahead of you and Alastor. He had apologized again for bringing them along, giving you the impression that he didn't want them here.
"It's okay," You told Alastor, "They use to know me, right?" He nodded his head with a smile, "Then I want to get to know them again. Just like I am with you," For some reason, you saw Alastor's eyebrow twitch despite the smile growing on his face, it didn't reach his eyes.
Jealousy boiled behind Alastor's mask, he didn't want to share you with them. He didn't want to share you with anybody, for that matter. Simply because he knew your heart could be easily swayed because you were a human. He didn't want anyone to steal you away, and everyone was competition at this point. Whether it be for your love, your attention, your desires, and your dreams, it didn't matter. He wanted it all. He spoke in a calm tone, "That's very nice of you, my dear," He said as he fixed his gaze on Charlie.
She was acting like a child in a toy store. Vaggie had to hold her hand and walk her along because she kept introducing herself to people, saying she was just a normal human that wanted to make some new friends. It was kind of funny honestly, watching her scare people with her overly aggressive friendliness. You also noticed that Angel had slipped away, you couldn't see him and you were about to say something when Alastor stopped walking entirely.
You looked up at him and watched as he started looking around. His eyes flashed back and forth behind his circular glasses, "Hm," He hummed quietly. You began to notice that Vaggie and Charlie were wandering off, everyone was splitting up, "My dear," Alastor said slowly. You gaze up at him and saw him close his eyes and smile, "I really do hate your cunt of a friend," Then suddenly like a flash of lightening you felt time and space warp around you just as your heared the sound of the wind rushing up behind you.
Everything moved too fast and you couldn't focus on anything until time stopped. You realized Alastor had grabbed you and turned the both of you into a cloud smoke  while escaping the park. You reformed into solid mass in an alleyway a few blocks over. It was dark and empty as pigeons were startled away.
You felt like vomiting, your body couldn't handle that kind of magic and your mind was spinning. It was so hard to process what had just happened. You almost fell to your knees but Alastor caught you under your arm and held you up, "What just happened?" You asked weakly, "What was that?"
You asked way too many questions, too many to for your own good, "I saved us, if only for a few seconds," Alastor said, "I warped us away from your friend before she could attack," He then sighed with a shrug of his shoulders, "I hope she doesn't go after the others, I didn't think she'd be here that quick to be quite honest with you,"
"My friend?" You were confused, who was he talking about? Suddenly you heard a deep whomping sound that mimicked thunder in the sky, except it was quiet and close.
You saw before your very eyes as someone fazed in from several feet up in the air as the warped from the park. As soon as her feet slammed onto the ground, you felt your heart race then stop cold, Sage slowly lifted herself up from the ground as a gust of wind burst through the alleyway.
It was enough the tangle your hair behind you and send cold chills along your skin, "I knew it," Sage said, you could barely see the disappointment on her face as it mixed with a darker emotion you couldn't figure out, "I didn't want to believe it, and you even brought more here?"
You already knew where this was going, "Sage, wait!" You step forward, leaving Alastor's side so you could approach your friend, but the wind picked up so fast that it prevented you from getting any closer, "Please! You don't have to do this!"If only you could get her to listen. She had such a dark and evil look on her face like she was possessed by something greater than what you could understand. She quickly gave a wave of her hand and the wind pushed you away from Alastor and to the side of the alleyway. You were pinned to the brick wall and you couldn't move, "He's not even hurting anyone!" You yelled. All the while Alastor stood there, still, silent, a smile on his face and eyes growing larger as his grin turned more and more demonic.
"Listen to your friend, witch!" Alastor said, "I really don't want to waste my time fighting you! Let's both move on, shall we-"
"No!" Sage cut him off as the wind died down, you were still held back against the brick wall as if you were held back behind invisible bars, "I won't let you get away this time!" This Time?
You looked back to Alastor and saw Eon grow to life from his shadow. He walked out of the dark, smoke flowing from every one of his steps. His body was still made of smoke and you could see the transparency of his misty figure. He walked beyond Alastor, standing evenly between him and Sage.
His voice was low and demented, wicked and evil, "You have no idea how long I've waited to see you again, little one," Empty holes for eyes grew in size and hunger as he stared Sage down.
"I'm not so little anymore," She didn't miss a single beat, "You will die here, today," She suddenly swung her hand out and in a fit of crystals and sparks her rapier was summoned from thin air, "You should have killed me when you had the chance,"
Eon held his arms open as he smiled, "But I still managed to kill your father," His words struck a nerve within Sage. She quickly caught the sword in her hands, holding it out as an extension of her arm, "Your father wasn't strong enough to harness the power of that sword, child! What makes you think you can? Just hand it over, Lucifer wants it more than you need it!"
She took a deep breath in, proving Eon that he had spoken too soon. Suddenly a loud and terrifying crack of lightning exploded from the sword. The sheer power of it was enough the blow away Eon's misty form and cause Alastor's knees to wobble underneath him. As the smoke cleared away from Sage, you could see her in a fighting stance, the rapier glowing wildly with lighting and magic flowing through every inch of its blade. Electricity coursed through the rapier and continued to venture down Sage's arm and into her body. A summoning circle formed under her feet, growing and glowing in size as she took one step forward to leap and thrust her blade towards Alastor.