She had never been a clubbing person, not even when she was young. She didn't like the way people behaved when the lights went out —the unspoken rule that you could be as wild as you want. For her, that thrilling enthusiasm never awakened, which made her feel insecure and out of place. It was different now, though. She didn't stand out in the crowd of dancers, blending seamlessly with the rest. The disguise made her feel as if she was impersonating someone else—an actor playing a major role.
But beneath the disguise, she was still herself, and when Locious gave her a slow once-over, she felt a bomb of mixed feelings. There was a certain warmth in his eyes, similar to that morning after she opened the door. The thought that this time was because of a disguise made her wonder: was the warmth because of her, or because he preferred voluptuous blondes?
Dang it! You need to stop thinking about him. You are on a mission, Rose. FOCUS! She reprimanded herself and headed towards the bar. She asked for a drink and waited.
Steven taught them about espionage; putting all those observation skills into practice wasn't difficult. She looked around at the crowd. All kinds of people were there. Some were having fun, dancing and singing, while others were beyond their alcohol tolerance. But none of them were approached by any strange figures. Only the typical flirting and expecting to go home with someone that night.
Around ten minutes later, a handsome man approached and invited her to the back side of the club. She would have never agreed to follow him, if it wasn't for the intense demonic energy he carried. Locious said not to engage and save the victims. But this was a golden opportunity, and the setup was extremely convenient.
She would be the victim, so no other humans would be in danger. More importantly, she would be able to find out what they were doing to mark human beings.
In the worst-case scenario, if someone tried to take her, Locious was outside, so he would see them. There were no flaws in her plan. Or so she thought.
He walked her through some dark hallways, stopped in front of a door, and pushed her inside. Three men and two women were there. Although both women were dressed in very few clothes, one of them called her attention. They were all demons, she could tell by the musk, but she couldn't sense any energy coming from her.
"Welcome to our room of sin, dear, oh so almighty and perfect Angel!" the one sitting in front of the desk exclaimed, looking at her full of hatred.
Did he see through my disguise? Wait... angel? What is he talking about? she thought. But they gave her no time to ponder: They grabbed her and blew some white powder on her face. She tried not to breathe it in, but they covered her nose. They let her go forcefully, and she fell to her knees. She tried to cough it out, but the dust had already reached her system.
"This fascinating powder is called the Nadirum. It will make anyone surrender completely to us. However, you received a very special dose as our honor guest. We added just for you, Luypris Philna" he said and laughed creepily.
There was an unfamiliar whirlpool gaining speed inside of her, engulfing all her emotions and sense of self leaving her empty, without a soul. And she wanted to rejoice in that emptiness. There were no worries, no fears, no unrequited love.
"Locious Locious. For being an angel you fell too easily into our trap. You should know that we don't really want your will, what we want is your utter and irreversible fall" he declared and took out more powder.
She should be feeling scared. Pleased they mistaken her for Locious and she was able to save him, for once. But she felt absolutely nothing. Not even a hint of survival instinct. She didn't want to receive more of that weird dust but she didn't really care.
However, the powder wasn't meant for her but for the girl without the demonic energy.
The girl's eyes had been devoid of any light the whole time. But after inhaling the drug, they became frantic, and her body shook, as if she had been electrocuted.
"Let's see how you do your job after going against the heavens and entering the Absum Inanis. Go for him, don't stop until you die," he said, grinning, and pushed the girl to Rose's side.
The girl turned into a wild beast. She pushed Rose to the floor and sat on top of her, touched her waist, and leaned on. Then, she played with her hair and kissed her forehead.
"This is wrong! I need to put up a fight, but I can't even feel a hint of resentment! I feel nothing!" Rose cried inside her head. The absolute emotional darkness was too heavy.
The girl tried to kiss her on the lips, but Rose moved her head to the side as a reflex. There was only one person's kisses she wanted, and they weren't this girl's.
"Don't try to resist it, Locious. The aphrodisiac will make effect any time now—and you will have no say in your body reaction. She is already under its effects, and you won't be able to fight her! Get this over with and let us enjoy the show." The men around her laughed perversely with their lustful gazes glued to their entangled bodies.
The girl went for the side zip of her dress and tried to unzip it. When things escalated to that point, something inside of her was triggered. Maybe it was because of the emptiness she was feeling, the fear of being forced to do nothing while being touched against her will, or the knowledge it wasn't only her who was being forced into the situation.
Both of them were victims. What they were doing wasn't only forcing their bodies but also their minds.
"To end up putting up a porn show for these degenerate demons or be part of a stupid vendetta against Locious?" she thought, enraged. Something inside of her burst into life, shattering the void in which she was being held prisoner.
The first feeling she got back: Rage—Immeasurable, puncturing, energizing.
She lifted her fist and hit the girl in the head—carefully, not to cause brain damage, but hard enough to make her fall unconscious next to her with a thud.
"What?? How can this be? GRAB HIM!" The demon jumped from his seat, and his underlings came after her at once. She stood up and reached for the small stick tidied to her leg. Pushed the button, and her bo staff enlarged up to a comfortable size for her.
"Sandy, I love you! You saved my life!" She owed her a big one because before going out, Sandy had told her she should always carry a weapon, even if she was going with an unbeatable Angel.
She wasn't sure she could win a fist fight with three dangerous demons, but with her staff, she felt more confident. She was prepared for them and whatever they brought into the fight.
The first one came after her, and Rose didn't wait. Her anger was fuel for the surge of energy creeping in her body. She felt as if she could explode any time. She brought the black staff down in a sharp, diagonal cleave, catching the first demon high on the collarbone. The bone gave way with a snap.
The second demon lunged, its heavy fist aimed for her face. She spun, the staff turning into a dizzying black and white blur, deflecting the blow. The pain of the contact only fueled her. She saw the third demon advancing slowly—too slow. She lunged low, sweeping his legs out from under him. He crashed onto the ruined table, splinters flying.
She advanced towards the one standing behind the desk, the boss. The other three were trying to stand up to help him, but they were finding it hard. The boss noticed he was at a disadvantage. He had to surrender or end up beaten up. He chose the third option.
"Retreat!" he shouted, and before she could stop them, they ran away. She looked around. She still had energy left, and there seemed to be no danger, but just in case, she kept her bo staff at full length.
She walked to the knocked out girl and checked her for any injuries. There was still no energy trail inside of her.
"What did they do to you?" she asked, not expecting an answer at all. Everything was too uncanny: the strange powder, the shell of a demon lying in front of her, and the explosive surge of power she had inside her body.
"I can't leave you alone. Those pieces of trash can come back for you. I have to bring Locious, but I broke my phone in the fight…" She considered her options. The situation was in dire need of investigation, and she had to take action quickly, before all the clues were erased. "OK! Off we go," she said, making up her mind. She picked the demon up and piggybacked her.
She was about to reach the door when Locious's voice, shouting for her name, came from the other side.
"Locious!!! I'm here," she shouted back, and the heavy footsteps could be heard through the hallway. The door was locked, but it didn't stop him. He took the door out of service, completely out of its doorposts. Luckily, she had stopped in her tracks when she heard his voice, or she would have ended up plastered on the wall like a cockroach.
She was proud of not failing her first solo mission and having saved a girl in the process. But when she saw Locious, looking like an ancient warrior in the hole where the door used to be, a wave of relief washed all over her. She did her part. Now it was Locious in charge of the aftermath.
"What the hell happened here?" he said when he saw all the broken furniture and the girl she was carrying on her back.
"I'll explain later. Now you need to take her to the Association. She is a demon, but she has been drugged severely. I knocked her out, but she needs to be treated," she replied. Locious looked doubtful.
She knew he was worried about her; she could see it written on his face. But she wouldn't feel right if he decided to care for her first when the one that was in immediate danger was the girl on her back.
"I'm okay. Whatever they tried to do with me didn't work out. She needs assistance urgently," she stated. After a moment of hesitation on Locious's part, he took the girl in his arms and opened his wings.
"OK, wait for me right here. If something happens, run. I will come back in less than 5 minutes," he commanded and took off with the unconscious demon in his arms.
When she was alone again, her energy drained, a surge of dizziness hit her like a tide. She grabbed onto the wall closest to her and breathed a few times.
"What is happening?" she muttered. She had been feeling fine until this moment. What was that fire roaring inside her body? It made her limbs go weak. The lingering smell of Locious's body entered her nostrils and spread the fire wider, stronger, and running lower.
"Locious, hurry up, please," she whispered and sat on the floor, unable to fight the heat anymore.