The Demon’s Bride

In Saltige, Angelica left her house in midst darkness. After receiving the reply letter from the black dove she sent, she waited for the sky to turn pitch black before leaving to the place mentioned in the letter.

Angelica had left the village, proceeding to stride in the middle of the forest before entering a different village. Once arriving, she went to the largest house in the village. But instead of entering the gate of the house, she made her way around the house to the backyard. She then saw the back door of the house was opened and pushing it open, Angelica entered.

She continued to walk sneakily and stop only when she finally found the person who had been waiting for her. "You are late," remarked the man who waited on her, "Without baggage you should come earlier."

"The villager's eyes would be on me if I leave all of a sudden. There was someone snooping around the village for days," replied Angelica, she turned her head back and forward, watching for people to not hear their conversation. "I thought you would be in Lipton's Manor."

"Someone killed Blythe, it's easy to tell that they are searching for me which why I needed a distraction and burn the house down. Only a few people in the manor saw my face, it was easy to escape from there," replied the man who then narrowed his eyes, "Who were snooping around Saltige?"

"It was the authorities from the town's magistrate, they are searching for the people who went missing in the village. Do you know anything about that case?" she asked and the man shook his head.

"I got not enough time to kidnap people especially from Saltige, and even if I need to kidnap people it wouldn't be from that village, we can't have anyone finding out our experiments," the man then looked away in thought. He wondered who and why would the town's magistrate snoop around Saltige. The missing people come from Saltige, it should be the village's magistrate but instead the town decided to work on it which should rarely happen unless someone from a high position had requested the investigation. "What happen to the rest of the experiments?"

Angelica inhaled a mouthful of breath before she sigh with a deep frown, "Unfortunately they all fail."

"All? I thought I told you we are running for times, how long do you thing we have been working on this? Yet nothing work," the man blamed her which Angelica didn't take his words calmly.

"Things like this take times. How long do you think I have been working on this? I have been on this experiments for more than seventy years! I am the most frustrated, but what we can't force we can't do," says Angelica and her face twisted in annoyance. "We need something important for the vessel or they would be nothing less than a walking doll."

"Something to exchange for the soul," answered the man, "What else did you heard around Saltige?" His mind still focused on the fact that the town's magistrate investigate around Saltige.

"Nothing," Angelica answered before she pulled something from her mind, "But I did heard of something very odd."

"What kind?" asked the man.

"It was about Blythe's death. There was a woman in the village who said she heard there was a witness at the moment when Blythe's was killed. An angel with white wings and a woman with red hair, just like my niece which is impossible because she had died," Angelica brought her thumb to bite between her teeth. 

The moment Angelica heard of a red haired girl, she can't put it pass her that Elise came back to live that could never happen. Was it possible that Elise didn't die? Angelica didn't sell Elise for the sake of money, but to dispose her niece as soon as possible. It was because she knew Elise was cursed to kill people around her and she didn't want to die next.

"You told me my niece died, you are sure of that, don't you?" Angelica looked at the man's blue eyes with suspicion.

"I wouldn't lie to save a girl who could only bring death." The man lied through his teeth. Just the day before, he had killed one maid who was told to be a friend of Angelica's niece, but the man didn't think it was needed to tell Angelica as it wouldn't benefit him. "It is rare for a person to have red hair but that doesn't mean it's  impossible. Your paranoia is what making you to believe that the red haired woman is your niece," which could be true, thought Angelica to herself. 

Angelica didn't feel guilty of selling Elise, she only felt relieved, but she can't put aside the ominous feeling she received when she stayed with her niece. There was something in Elise that made her uncomfortable which was odd as at that time the girl was still nine years old.

"Putting that aside, Blythe's horns should have been clipped. Without it, the angels shouldn't be able to find or smell her scent. The man must be drunk or high from opium."

"I want to believe so, but it's better to be careful with our surrounding especially when we found rumors of angels. You know how lethal angels are for us, do you?" Angelica only questioned without expecting for answer, "By the way, what about the vampire you sent to the Warine's Lord castle? Have she killed the Demons?"

"She failed and died, but I've put a distraction for the Warine's Lord to take, he should be occupied by the death of the other maid for now. I want you to finalize the experiment, the higher ups are needing it as soon as possible, and you wouldn't want them to run out of patience."

Angelica frowned at the subtle threaten, "They wouldn't kill me, Thom, unlike you I have enough skill on me that would keep me to be the ever last person the higher ups would want to kill." Angelica pulled a smug smile as she was confident. But then her smile fell when she saw Thomas pulling a wider smile.

The man licked his lower lips and sneered, "Let's see how long your barking would keep you alive. Because I have seen someone on your position eighty years ago, who had a very promising talent but failed to do what they had been tasked for and died miserably. Between an Angel's words and a simple dark sorceress like you, who do you think would win?"

The smile on Angelica's face had fallen when she knew Thomas wasn't playing a trick on her. She bravely took a step forward, not giving in to the daunting gaze Thomas had. "Angel?" she scoffed. "I will reiterate your words since your memory seemed to have been spoilt. You are a corrupted angel, are you still thinking you are an immaculate angel? I should say that confident of yours is what makes you a corrupted angel. The dirty blood of an angel."

Thomas glared at the human, he was about to raise his hand when Angelica pulled up her hand at the same second, "Don't you think I would be defeated easily."

The two continued to glare at each other, before Thomas being the first one to let down his hand, "Fine," he said, "I will be here not for long. You should keep my previous warnings to your mind. The higher ups have been furious with how the experiments have not been looking well. No matter what it takes he wants you to finish the experiments."

Angelica appeared to have words to say which she didn't utter. She gave Thomas one last sharp gaze before turning away from the door she entered. Leaving the place, she went back to her house. Being careful, she look around her neighbors' house, to make sure no one had seen her walking in the dead night. Once she entered, Angelica opened a door which was crafted bellow the floor. She made way to climb to the basement.

With a small candle on her hand, she walked toward one coffin. She set aside the candle, proceeding to open the coffin's lid to meet the young boy who was sleeping inside the coffin. The young boy's eyes were closed, his blonde curly hair floated over the water that filled half of the coffin. His skin was pale as he wasn't breathing while a large wound across his stomach was similar of a wound which came from a feral animal's claw. Tubes were needled on his arm and half of the coffin was filled with water.

Seeing the boy, Angelica pulled a dark smile. "Let's get you done with, boy." As she moved on to her work, a pendant that was placed on the desk slide and when it hit the ground, the locket opened for a name to appear, 'William'.