Dancing In The Void

Uriel was sleeping soundly, safely returned to her bed inside the mansion.

Katherine was resting in an armchair beside her, reading a book with a blue leather cover. Light shone through the window, but the sun was hidden behind murky white clouds. The angel’s eyes slowly opened after a while, and she smiled upon seeing her friend peacefully enjoying the book. She frowned when she looked closer and noticed the sad glint hidden in her eyes.

“What are you reading?” Uriel softly asked.

“You’re awake!” Katherine responded, a hint of glee in her tone.

“I guess…” The angel replied, pulling herself up against the wooden frame of the bed, her giant snowy wings resting on either side.

“This is... uh. Nothing of importance.” Katherine continued putting the book off to the side on the nightstand. “Just taking a small break and calming myself down. How are you feeling?”

“Good enough, my leg still seems to hurt when I move it.”

“Yeah you cut yourself pretty badly. Constantine fixed you up though, he seems to be good at that kind of stuff.”

Uriel’s pearly eyes lit up for a moment and her cheeks turned a pale shade of red. She then pulled the covers to the side and saw her left thigh wrapped up in bandages. She also noticed that she wore the same shirt she borrowed from Kat, but only a pair of blue panties and nothing else. Uriel’s cheeks became even redder. Katherine smiled coyly.

“Oh yeah, he and I borrowed some of your stuff a while back.” Uriel remembered. “This hair clip too! I’ve never had anything like this. Its so nice to be able to see all the time.” She said, moving to take the simple yellow clip out of her blue hair.

Katherine waved her to stop with a giggle. “Its alright, Uriel. Consider it my gift to you. The clothes too.”

“A-alright…thank you!” Uriel beamed, before she remembered what happened to Nikolai the previous night and her smile faded. “H-how is Constantine?” She asked sadly.

“He…” Katherine frowned sharply. “Didn’t take it too well. After they found you that night he searched the forest until dawn when Evan finally convinced him that she was taken.”

Uriel looked down at the orange bed sheets and bit her quivering lip. Tears began flowing down her cheeks as she clenched her fists.

“She saved me… from that thing. She was my friend, a-and now she’s gone, because I was too weak to do anything against that… thing.”

Katherine watched stoically as Uriel wept beside her. She then reached up to try and comfort her, but stopped when she remembered what her holy skin did to hers.

“Uriel, don-don’t cry.” She tried to smile and the angel looked at her with her weary white eyes. “We’ll get her back, I promise.” Katherine genuinely smiled this time, and her face was beaming with hope. She then got up and left, saying how she would go check on the boys, but as soon as she turned away from Uriel, her joyful appearance and bright smile became sullen and full of dread and despair. A dark thought pierced her like an icy chill, and all hope was stripped from Katherine’s soul.

Constantine stared blankly at the gently swaying trees of the forest while sitting on the lawn chair behind the house. It had gotten colder recently, the days started growing shorter and shorter, and the nights longer. The cerulean sky was now becoming as gray as Constantine’s hair. Katherine pulled him out of his trance when she came and sat next to him, but he still remained quiet.

“Constantine.” She finally said after sitting in awkward silence for some time. He turned his head to her but merely gazed in her direction with his brown eyes. “I know, you probably want to just take your weapon and storm Azazel’s hideout. But listen to me, we can’t be rash about this.”

Constantine chuckled fakely. “You would just have me sit here doing nothing, let him kill Nikolai like how he killed your mother?” He spat coldly.

Katherine bit her cheek and placed a comforting hand on his elbow. “Listen…” She began.

“I’m... sorry. That was uncalled for.” He immediately said. “I’m just… I never imagined something like this would happen. I thought you said this place was safe…”

“It’s fine. And, I thought so too, but now I’ve been proven wrong for a second time. Listen, Azazel won’t harm Nikolai. There is a reason he took her, and that is because he wants to use her to get to Uriel. I don’t know why he needs her, I don’t know what he will do to her if he ever gets his filthy hands on her, but I know this, he won’t kill Nikolai as long as Uriel is out of his grasp.”

Constantine looked at her eyes, a blue and black pearl in pools of darkness staring back at him, and the anguish hidden behind both of their faces was revealed to each other. “How are you so sure of this?”

“Every year, on Christmas day, there is a giant auction hosted by the demons. While most normal people enjoy the holidays with friends and family, these fuckers organize a meatshop, full of dangerous arcana, artifacts, monsters and the likes.” Katherine said with an angry shake of her head. “There are humans there too, most believe they’re only buying people, weapons and other objects. Few, however, know what the top dogs actually are. There are those that come, willing to purchase… unholy things. And Demons like Azazel profit off of this.” She said, pulling back suddenly averting Constantine’s eyes.

“Why are you telling me this?” Constantine asked with disgust in his eyes.

“Alila and I were planning to assassinate Azazel and a few others this year. Poison. Obviously she won’t be able to do such a thing, given her condition. But we might be able to use that same plan to save Nikolai.”

“You want to go straight into the hornet’s nest? And you just said we shouldn’t be rash… I’m all for it. Even though it sounds like suicide.” Constantine said with fierce determination in his eyes.

“This is the only chance we may have to kill Azazel, and get Nikolai back, as dangerous as it may be.” Katherine said.

“Sorry for eavesdropping, but that is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.” Evan interrupted, standing in the doorway behind them. “But based on what you described… the thought of leaving Nikolai to be sold off to some scum isn’t just dumb, it makes my stomach churn. I’m in.”

“Huh, very well. You two aren’t as big morons as I thought you were.” Katherine chuckled at them both. “I’ve done similar things before, it’s dangerous, yes, but I have a plan. To save Nikolai, and kill Azazel.”

“Alright love…” Evan said, pulling a chair and resting his chest on its back. “Let’s hear your plan.”

Constantine was alone in the living room, intensely inspecting the weapon on his lap. The radiant bronze was finely detailed with the blue writing that he could not decipher. The spear felt good when he held it, spun it and thrust it. Still, he was careful not to slice a finger off, or worse, to destroy Katherine’s furniture. The light training he received the past few weeks was helpful enough, and the prospect of another month of even more intense training made him anxious. He swallowed his fears however, and focused on a singular thought: this weapon needed to become a part of him if he wished to save his dearest love. The thought of using it against someone else still troubled him however, and he wondered how long before he’d be free of such a thought.

Taking a life… to save Nikolai’s… am I really capable of that? He wondered. He was still looking at the marks when Uriel entered the room and floated next to him.

“Hey.” Constantine said without looking at her. His voice was filled with grief.

“Hey.” She replied, the echo in her voice nearly silent.

“How’s your leg?”

“Better, thanks to you.”

“Yeah you hurt yourself pretty badly, glad it’s ok now.”

“Katherine said almost the exact same phrase, hehe” She giggled and changed her position on the couch. “Where’d you learn how to do this?” She asked, pointing at her bandaged thigh.

“Well let’s see... “ Constantine began, gently placing the spear on the table and turning towards Uriel. “I think it was when I was really young actually, I remember Niko and I would climb the trees around our house and just screw around pretending to have our own treehouse and that we’d do secret missions and… stuff like that” He smiled at her, and she smiled back, her cheeks turning so very slightly red.

“That sounds fun!” Uriel beamed, trying to cheer him up.

“It was! And uh...” He cleared his throat before continuing. ”One day she just slipped and fell, but it wasn’t anything too rough, the tree wasn’t even more than three meters tall I think, so yeah she fell and cut her shoulder a bit.”

Uriel leaned in, resting her head on her hands, enthralled by the tale.

“This was before the whole... “ Constantine motioned at the left side of his body. “...Scars happened, so her sister was still alive. I say this cause me, being the smartass that I was at the time, decided that the best way to treat bleeding was to clean it with leaves. I ran and gathered up a handful, and a few just happened to be poison ivy leaves. Needless to say, when her sister heard her scream she ran out, smacked me senseless and sent me home. I remember crying so much that day. Both from the poison on my hand, but also because I thought her sister won't ever let the two of us play together ever again.”

“Oh no that’s horrible.” Uriel gasped, and laughed along with him. “If you don't mind me asking, what’s poison ivy? It sounds awful!”

“It’s this type of plant that makes rashes and bruises if you touch it, which is why it’s a bad idea to do so, especially on an open wound!”

“Hah, poor Nikolai.” Uriel smiled and chuckled, Constantine replying in kind.

“Anyway my dad gave me the idea to become a doctor and win her back so to speak. Nikolai was ok after a few days, and her sister… I can’t really recall her name its been so long. I believe it was Caitlyn. Yeah, she didn’t hold a grudge so the thing was forgotten after a while but the idea just stuck. Growing up that’s all I thought my future was going to be, me becoming a doctor… then the fire happened, my dad lost it, things changed...” Constantine stared at the weapon on the table in front of him, his face full of sadness.

“I am truly sorry to hear that Constantine.” Uriel smiled shyly and grabbed Constantine’s left hand, wrapping hers around it.

“Now, I have no idea what I want to do, what I must do, nor where the future is heading, the uncertainty of it all. It’s... it’s a terrifying thing.” He said.

“I know, things are looking grim, but if you are there, I wouldn’t be afraid to face the future. We’ll get her back, I’m too weak to promise you that for certainty, but I know Nikolai will be with us again. I cherish your friendship the most, and the peaceful moments when we are all together, you Evan, Katherine and Nikolai, I don’t want those moments gone forever.” Uriel watched him, full of hope and innocence.

Constantine looked into Uriel’s beautiful white eyes and smiled confidently. “T-thanks, Uriel. I really needed that. I too don’t want those gone either.” He pulled back and looked at his weapon again, and a small glint at the bottom of the shaft caught his eye.

“What is it?” Uriel asked, following his gaze with curiosity.

“This looks just like... “ He reached out and grabbed the spear, careful not to slice anything, and flipped it head down. He took a close look at the pommel spike. It was a simple piece of work, just a gold plated tip with a dull bottom and a short but sharp spike in the center. Constantine wrapped his hand just under the piece, at another sheet of metal below it, and twisted it, resulting in a sharp gear-like sound. The holy spear trembled briefly, before the staff collapsed instantly onto itself, making Constantine drop it on the table, nearly embedding it into the wood. The spear was now no longer than a large kitchen knife, although the blade was much thinner and sharper.

“W-woah!” They both cried out.

Constantine flicked his wrist, making sure he didn’t cut himself when the weapon shrunk. He and Uriel stared at it wide-eyed, amazed by what just occurred. Constantine then reached forward and picked it up, twirling it on his fingers. The markings had changed and shrunk as well, but he still couldn’t tell what they meant.

“This is just like Katherine’s halberd.” He told Uriel with a surprised tone. He then furrowed his brow. “Does that mean these two weapons were modified by the same person? But Kath said no one’s touched them for centuries.”

“Maybe both were made by the same person originally?” Uriel proposed.

“I don’t… know. I do know though, I gotta show this to Evan. He’s gonna go wild over it. Be right back.” Constantine said before he got up and left. Uriel remained on the couch, watching him go, all while smiling wistfully.