SCENE IX

Beware, my child, of your eternal enemies.

On the fourth day, at dusk, Akasha donned Magnus's flowing black trench coat, his black trousers, and shirt. She wore heavy black combat boots, and a dagger in a leather sheath attached to her wide belt. She tied her hair tightly in a ponytail.

"Tell me one more thing: will you be safe here?"

"For now, the power of this place allows us to hide from the Lilim." He won't sense our presence as long as we're here. However, he'll begin a detailed search soon, and then we'll worry about that.

"Very well," Akasha grabbed her sword with a trembling hand. "But before I deal with him, I'll go and get some food myself. "

Magnus nodded slowly, and the girl headed for the door. Before her hand touched the iron doorknob, however, Akasha stopped.

"...I'm afraid..." she whispered, biting her lower lip. "...I'm really afraid...

" "Akasha..."

Magnus hugged her tightly, enclosing her in his enormous, secure arms.

"I'd better go..." she moaned, wiping a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. "Before I change my mind.

" "I'll pray for you. As soon as you leave the Sanctuary, we'll begin a mass, and we'll channel the gathered power to aid you.

" "Thank you," she smiled gratefully.

"That's all we can do for you."

Akasha left. If she'd stayed with him a moment longer, she would have thrown her arms around his neck and apologized for being so foolish. But she couldn't let him down, not him, nor anyone else in the Community...

She slowly walked down the corridor, lined on both sides with sleeping bags, water bottles, food, and clothes. She ignored them; she wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, so she wouldn't change her mind. Walking past the main part of the Temple, she saw black, burning candles arranged around a golden pentagram.

"Mass will begin soon..." she thought. "So I must hurry..."

"Akasha!" she suddenly heard the Priestess's voice.

She stopped in surprise, staring into the darkness, from which the majestic figure of the Priestess emerged.

"I appreciate what you're doing for the Community. We couldn't have come up with a better solution ourselves. I doubt any man would willingly choose certain death... Therefore, accept this amulet from me." The Priestess gently extended both hands, holding the amulet suspended from a thong. "May it protect you, Akasha. Return to Haven in good health, and we will surely reward you for your sacrifice...

" "Thank you..." the girl stammered awkwardly.

"My name is Attis. It means blood... Each of the Elders has a name representing this life-giving nectar of the gods. Akasha, I know you're in a quandary and that it will be difficult for you to turn against our Mother's child, but there's nothing wrong with killing Lillith's demonic child if you save the Community in the process." Sometimes the Black Priestess herself is unable to control her children... Be careful, our vampire daughter...

The Priestess drew a pentagram on her forehead with her thumb, then wordlessly departed, leaving her alone just outside the gate leading to the dead garden. Only after a while did the girl resume her journey...

As soon as the stone pentagram fell back to its former place behind her, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now watch over me, Lillith, my mother..." she thought, clutching the amulet Attis had given her.

Akasha rose from the ground and stood amidst a rippling sea of ​​grass. A full silver moon hovered over the valley, illuminating the path she was to follow. A milky mist hung among the trees; night was just beginning... When she reached the forest, she breathed a sigh of relief, glad to finally be able to hide among the trees. Suddenly, she sensed a presence nearby. She jerked her head up and saw... Nilajhasz on one of the branches! He stood calmly, leaning against the trunk of a beech tree, looking at her from under his dark hair.

"Are you really going to go alone?"

"Of course!" she hissed furiously, sheathing her sword.

"I thought you'd chicken out." Nilajhasz flew silently toward her and stood opposite the girl. "I wouldn't have thought you'd even consider that.

" "Surprise!" she muttered. "But you don't know everything.

" "Only God is omniscient. I only know part of what—"

"Listen! I didn't come here to chat," she interrupted impatiently. "Maybe you could leave me alone?! Run away or something, and I'll deal with that monster.

" "I don't think you could handle him alone." Nilajhasz followed the girl, who, without looking back at the fallen angel, began climbing up the steep, rocky hill. "You only sensed me at the last minute." If I were Lilim, you would be dead by now.

"Why are you so worried about me?!" Akasha stood by a large tree whose roots created enormous burrows and tunnels around the rocks scattered nearby. "Why do you keep following me?"

"Let's put it this way," Nilajhasz flew over to her and perched on the branch of the tree she leaned against. "Everyone has their own guardian angel. When you were human, you had one too. However, by turning to the dark side of your personality, you lost it... Simple, don't you think?

" "You're not telling me you're my new guardian angel

, are you?!" "Every vampire has a fallen angel as their guardian angel. Magnus, for example, has Dogan. You have me," he smiled.

"This must be a bad joke!" Akasha turned and started climbing the wooded hill again.

"Listen..." Nilajhasz walked right beside her. "We're stuck with each other. Why are you making my job harder?"

"I didn't really like our first meeting," she muttered, not looking at him. "Or the fact that you're so damn confident."

"And I have no reason to?! After all, I'm centuries old!

" "You're being too open about it, if you ask me.

" "Fine. Next time, I'll let the wolf tear you apart." Satisfied?

Akasha stopped abruptly and glared at him defiantly.

"What do you mean? What do I have to do to make you leave me alone?

" "Let me go with you on the Lilim Hunt."

"Wait, wait... Aren't you supposed to be invisible, mute, or something? After all, all guardian angels are supposed to be like that!" she exclaimed at him.

"I'm a fallen angel, not just any guardian angel, don't forget. Besides, you should be happy you have such a handsome angel and you can talk to him. Do you know how many people are envious of you right now?"

"Why is this so hard for me to believe!?" Akasha stood at the top of the hill, but without stopping, she immediately began descending down the other side.

Below, she could see a large city stretching to the very horizon. The lights in the apartments were burning, creating an incredible spectacle. Yellow sparks mixed with red, orange, blue, and white, creating a sea of ​​light flooding the horizon...

"I have no idea. After all, I'm always nice to you. And all you do is yell and scream at me! What have I ever done to you?"

Akasha had to admit he was right. After all, nothing had happened that would offend her enough to argue with her own guardian angel, even if he were a fallen angel...

"You're right," she replied after a moment. "I'm sorry...

" "You'll make it up to me if you let me come with you!

" "Is that necessary?" she looked at him from under her thick fringe.

"After all, I would have had to protect you anyway."

- And he won't do anything to you?

"It can hurt me, but only two things can kill me, and Lilim isn't.

" "Fine. I'll gladly accept your help," Akasha smiled shyly at him. "Only your wings could be troublesome in a fight."

"That's right. Wait a moment, and I'll prepare myself."

The girl stopped and looked at him expectantly. He stopped too, clasping both hands to his chest, where his amulet hung. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, enveloping himself in his enormous wings. Suddenly, a dark mist seeped from between his hands. As soon as the mist thickened to the point of black tar, Akasha felt an immense power surge through him, which instantly boiled and stunned her.

When she dared to open her eyes, a man stood before her in a shower of black feathers, dressed like her in a black leather trench coat, ankle-length, with a mysterious necklace around his neck and a silver sword in his hand.

"Now I'm ready to fight too," he smiled. "We can go..."

He and Akasha slowly began descending into the city. Soon they would reach the first buildings of the city, sleeping late in the evening...

When they found themselves on a wide, deserted street, lit only in some places by the dim light of streetlamps, Akasha felt uneasy. It was as if she hadn't grown up in this city, as if all this had never been a part of her life...

Without a word, they began walking down the middle of the street towards the city center. It seemed as if the city had completely deserted...

"I sense his presence," Nilajhash muttered quietly.

"Where is he now?

" "He's close to the victim. He can't control his Shield, that's why I can sense him..."

The two of them ran towards the nearest, narrow, littered alley, full of garbage cans, from which waste simply spilled out. A foul stench hung in the air, incomparable to the smell of the Sanctuary, where only incense and candle smoke could be smelled...

It took them several minutes to find the right spot. Then they heard a man's terrified, strangled scream. Akasha gripped the hilt of her sword and approached one of the containers to take a closer look.

The hideous, dwarfish, yet large child of Lillith smiled maliciously as she gazed at the terrified homeless man, huddled in his rags. He was mortally terrified. She didn't blame him, though; the mere sight of that hideous monster that was Lilim was enough to give you a heart attack.

"I'll go alone. Wait here..." she whispered without turning to Nilajhash.

As quietly as she could, she approached the crates stacked near the drunkard's lair and waited for the Lilim to approach her prey. Then Akasha leaped from her hiding place, sword raised high above her head. She swung it powerfully, concentrating all her strength on delivering a fatal blow to the Lilim. However, with a deafening screech, the Lilim began to recoil, and Akasha's sword struck the ground, creating a huge indentation.

After a moment, the Lilim watched her from a safe distance, surprised and startled by her appearance, turning his round head left and right. His skull was covered with sparse, dirt-caked hair, and his eyes were perfectly round and red. Akasha recoiled at the sight of him.

Then, suddenly, Lilim moved toward her. It happened so quickly that Akasha was unable to defend herself. With a groan, she hit her back against the wooden crates that began to fall on her. However, not a single one touched her. Just in time, Nilajhash appeared beside her and covered her with his body.

"Are you alright?" he asked, slowly rising.

"Thanks... nothing..."

There was no time for conversation, however. Lilim glared at them, seemingly not understanding what they were doing.

"Why have you come, Lilim, son of the great Lillith and the mighty Samael?" Nilajhash said, standing right behind Akasha.

Lilim flinched, as if surprised, then briefly muttered something under his breath, which he almost didn't have, and then answered the angel in a throaty, hoarse voice.

"Who are you to dare to oppose the child of the great Lillith and the mighty Samael?

" "I am Dhampyri, and this is a fallen angel, Lilim. We have come to stop you.

" "You have no right to oppose me and my siblings!!!"

"The sword is our law!" Akasha held out her sword, its blade briefly glinting in the dim moonlight. "Beyond it, nothing limits us. We have come to beg you to leave these people alone, or we will be forced to kill you.

" "Then the Great Hunt has begun," Lilim growled, drooling. "Fine. I can't be defeated by a Vampire, and a woman at that..."

Lilim clung to the wall in a split second and began climbing rapidly.

"Stop!" Akasha shouted, running up to him.

While he was still low, she swung her sword and severed his leg in the middle of the lower leg. Lilim let out a shrill screech, but he didn't stop climbing for a moment. Then he quickly scrambled onto the roof of the house and disappeared from sight.

"Damned spawn!" Akasha hissed.

"Now we'll know where he's hiding. He's leaving traces behind him..."

"Go away, Demons!" the drunkard hissed hysterically. "Leave me alone!"

Akasha had completely forgotten about him. Now she turned to him and smiled grimly.

"Let's get to the payment, for saving his life..."

The girl crouched down beside the man, then slowly brushed her hand against his cheek, slid it down his neck, and with the handkerchief she had in her pocket, cleaned his skin. The drunkard groaned and tried to pull away, but when Nilajhash stood over him, frightened by his appearance, he froze and allowed Akasha to sink his fangs into his skin.

The girl sucked for a long time. Then she stood up without a word, wiping her mouth with her hand, and looked at Nilajhash.

"We can go...