Cassandra's icy gaze lingered in the room long after she had departed, leaving a palpable tension in its wake.
The remaining midwives breathed a collective sigh of relief, their shoulders sagging in unison.
One of them, hands slightly trembling as she cleaned up, whispered,
"I thought for sure she would order the child's death right then and there."
The others nodded in agreement, their eyes darting to the door as if expecting Cassandra to reappear.
"What should I do with the boy?" asked the midwife holding the infant, her voice barely above a whisper.
The taller midwife raised an eyebrow, a mix of curiosity and annoyance in her tone. "Why ask us?"
"The mistress told me to consult another," the midwife explained, "but she didn't specify whom, so I thought I'd ask you."
The midwives exchanged glances, pondering whether Cassandra's vagueness had been deliberate.
Just then, a knock echoed from the door. A maid stood there, her pale skin bordering on unhealthy, dark circles under her eyes accentuating her maid's attire.
"Good evening. I was ordered to take the child once the mistress gave birth," she said.
The midwives, relieved by what seemed like salvation served on a silver platter, quickly handed over the infant without hesitation.
"Thank you," the maid replied listlessly, her expression hollow.
After the exchange, the midwives returned to their duties, allowing her to depart with the child.
The maid quickly vanished, discarding a knife she had stolen from the kitchen.
Glad she didn't have to go through the process of using it, her owner alerted her of the departure of Cassandra, only when it was sure she was gone.
Outside, rain pounded against the windows, casting eerie shadows along the walls. Black clouds darkened the sky, while weary exorcists hurried past in the corridors, resembling pale specters.
As the maid turned a corner, a dark, amorphous mass followed her, its presence nearly imperceptible.
With an otherworldly grace, it slithered up her leg, taking the form of a dark rose-hairpin atop her head.
It couldn't risk possessing her just yet.
Suddenly, one of the exorcists halted, confusion flickering over his cohort's faces.
"What's wrong, Captain?"
They asked, but he ignored them and fixed his gaze on the maid.
"Hey, you there! Turn around," he commanded.
She complied, tilting her head, her voice devoid of emotion.
"How may I be of assistance sir?"
He studied her from top to bottom and his eyes lingered on the rose shaped hairpin but just for a moment.
"What's in your hands."
She revealed the infant in her hands and looked at him emotionless.
He wanted to investigate further about the faint whiff of Jad he sensed but he brushed it off as him being stressed.
He noticed the scars on her wrist that were healed but he didn't have the energy her heart to enquire about her mental health.
Due to the absurd amounts of chaotic beings his being dealing today, the most in his career.
So he motioned for his cohort and her to continue on with where the were going.
"Damn exorcists, always so vigilant," it thought, as it remained still, watching the group move on.
It tried its best to conceal itself and even then some few individuals were too receptive, like Cassandra Lu Way, which it avoided like a plague—more like a catastrophe.
Once they were out of sight, the maid continued onwards to her destination, the nursery.
She pushed open the door entering ,revealed a room lined with cribs, each adorned with soft white linens.
The warmth enveloped her as she placed the child in one of the cribs, adjusting the blankets.
Yet, she felt no sadness for what was to come; her spirit had long been tormented, rendering her nearly unfeeling.
The demon inside her had promised liberation from its torment once she helped it achieve its goal.
As the entity reacquainted itself with her, black veins snaked across her skin, her sclera darkening while her pupils glowed a vivid green.
A wide, malicious smile spread across her face reaching to her eyes to form a V-shape.
Simply unnatural in appearance which showed as it strained her face.
The demon reveled in the idea of possessing a child from a clan known for their lethal capabilities against exorcists.
After years of scheming, it was finally prepared to fulfill its dark ambitions.
With chilling familiarity, it directed her voice, a haunting echo of two tones overlapping.
"Dear child, what a wonderful position you have given us. I promise I'll make good use of you."
But just as it reached out, the infant opened its blue eyes
A shiver ran down the demon's spine, a feeling previously unknown to it.
As their gaze locked, an abyss of dread unfurled before the demon, threatening its very existence.
For a fleeting moment, hesitance overcame it, drawing its hand back in surprise. Fear—an alien sensation for one of its kind—crept into its essence as it recalled the perilous dangers of their world.
The demon felt like it was staring into an endless abyss of dread, one that it might never escape.
For a moment, the demon hesitated, its hand retracted in surprise. Fear – an uncommon feeling for one such as it – began to creep into its being.
Even among its kind it was unique as its chaotic essence was hard to detect, the thing was considered a coachroach among its own kind.
Which it prided itself on.
And only due to that had it survived in this accursed place.
The same fear gripped its being when he was about to touch the boy.
It looked at its current vessels hands the were trembling.
The demon gnashed the maids teeth in frustration, angered by its own reaction.
How could a human who hadn't even lived for more than a few hours evoke such a response?
Yet, driven by pride and a determination not to be cowed, the demon forced its host to try and make contact.
The infant's blue eyes flickered.
With a bloodcurdling scream, she fell to the ground, cradling her headb in agony.
"Make it stop! Make it Stop! Make It Stop"
She cried like a lunatic, her voice overlapping in a cacophony that shook the nursery.
But no-one could hear it.
The room erupted into chaos as she thrashed, desperation driving her to break the cribs near her.
Blood dripped from her face as she pulled her hair and gnawed at her nails, unable to escape the torment.
"What is this?" It thought, the feeling was indescribable a pain of swallowing a thousand needles could not compare.
The pain was simply inhumane it was unraveling it's sanity.
It kept on thinking why is this happening, how what, who….with that line of thought it
Looked up, at who may be—no the source of her suffering lay before it, no doubt crossed the demon's mind.
The child—no monster was the cause.
And laid on its belly facing it, as it watched through the crib.
"WHY YOU MONSTER!" she screamed, lunging forward, intending to tear it apart.
The distance before them was covered in a moment, pure hatred filled the eyes of the demon possessed woman.
The world seemed to slow as she made her approach and then she saw it the flicker, that brought her back to clarity.
One of the demon possessed woman's eyes reverted to normal.
And the last thing the both saw before everything changed was those blue eyes.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Her life flashed before her eyes, she didn't know what exactly happened but she knew beyond shadow of a doubt it was over.
The woman known as Cecilia couldn't help but shed a tear and say but her captor grimaced in fear.
"Thank You, For This Blessing."
And it all went white.
[A/N]
Seriously, please listen to my author's thoughts and review story.