Demoness 2 - Chapter 90 - Hopes and Fears (Patreon)

“What are we going to do?” Yolani asked.

Elania turned, her brow furrowed with concern as she processed the question. The enemy was defeated, the maddened seraph put down, but there was no denying the city was dying.

It was shaking apart underneath their feet, and the calamities falling on it had only sped up with the divine clash.

“I… I don’t know,” Elania admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. She ran a hand through her hair, the golden strands tangling between her fingers. “The lava has sealed the elevator, and the city is falling apart.”

Elania glanced at the not inconsiderable amount of guards visible on the walls and around the tower. “We need to find a way out, but…”

As if to punctuate her words, a minor tremor shook the ground, causing Yolani to stumble. Elania caught her, but it was impossible to ignore the situation they—everyone was in.

[The pocket is unstable. Neftasu and the depths surrounding it are doomed. We must escape while we still can.]

A stream of people began to flow in through the open district gate. Elania did a double take as she recognized the faces of Ironfist Mercenaries, and even a gaggle of cultists led by Darius. Confusion raced in the back of her head.

Where the hell had they came from?

Elania swallowed hard, her throat tight. “There’s no way I can fly everyone out. I’m not sure how easy it will be to breach the lava, either.”

In the back of her mind, she’d already come up with a plan. To grab Yolani and Eziel and carve through the earth until they reached the safety of the surface. It left a bitter taste in her mouth, and guilt gnawed at her, but it was there.

As much as she hated the thought, it was probably the only thing keeping her from devolving into a mad panic.

Yolani and her would be safe no matter what.

But everyone else…

Shock rippled through her when Henri voiced her own thoughts.

“Elania, you need to take Yolani and get out of here,” he said, his eyes boring into hers. “The city’s falling apart, and there’s no way to save everyone. But you two… you have a chance.”

Elania didn’t know what to say, but Yolani tensed up immediately.

“We can’t just abandon everyone, Henri!” she protested, her voice trembling. “Everyone fought together. The dead bled and died so we could survive only a bit longer? We can’t leave them behind!”

Elania hesitated. There was the ‘right’ thing to do, and then there was the ‘right’ thing to do…

“We’ll try everything we can,” Elania said finally, her voice firm. But if nothing worked… if it came down to it… she would drag Yolani to safety herself, even if she didn’t want to go.

Yolani smiled at her.

Gaston arrived, his face grim. “What’s the plan?”

Another minor tremor shook the ground.

[Act quickly.]

Elania took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest as she surveyed the growing crowd.

“Bring everyone you can into the Magistry District,” she ordered, her voice ringing out with authority. “The barrier will keep people safe for a while, at least. We need to get as many as we can out of the city and here.”

To her surprise, no one questioned her command. Gaston saluted and went to his sergeants. Word quickly passed down the line.

The Guard sprang into action, hurrying out of the safety of the barrier to try to bring people back. Elania frowned, a sense of unease settling in her gut as she watched them go.

Ironfist Mercenaries followed quickly.

Darius approached with nearly a hundred men and women in black robes, all of them going onto their knees and bowing to her before jumping up and jogging after the soldiers and mercenaries.

Elania blinked. Even Yolani was speechless.

Worse, the little golden glow around both of them seemed to strengthen slightly, as if the cultist’s worship had actually… done something.

“I should watch from a vantage point,” Elania said, turning to Yolani. There was a hesitation, but then the other girl nodded.

Elania took to the air, her wings carrying her up to the top of the tower. She landed on the roof and held onto the metal spire for balance.

From her perch, she could see the full extend of the devastation that had been wrought upon the city.

Almost everything was crushed into rubble. Once-proud buildings had been reduced to nothing more than piles of stone and debris. There wasn’t a single area that hadn’t been touched by the destruction, and Elania felt her heart sink.

How were they supposed to find any survivors in that?

She closed her eyes, reaching out with her mind to try to sense if there were any survivors at all.

To her surprise, she could feel a faint flicker. A sense of life scattered throughout the city, small pockets of grief scattered amidst the destruction.

Elania bit her lip and then alighted into the air, soaring out of the barrier. She cupped her hands and shouted into the city.

“Anyone that seeks safety, come to the Magistry District!” she called, her voice echoing with a divine tenor. “Come quickly, before it’s too late!”

Her eyes scanned the ruins for any sign of movement. In the distance, she could see small groups of people emerging from half collapsed buildings.

She lost track of time as she repeated herself throughout the city.

It wasn’t until Eziel interrupted her that she paused.

[You have the ability to save those connected to you. A portal out of the pocket. It will drain the last remnants of the Celestial Engine, however.]

Elania froze, her brow furrowing. What the heck were the remnants of the Celestial Engine, anyway?

“What do you mean?” she asked. “How?”

Her perception of the thing golden threads suddenly filled her vision. Gossamer threads of gold, stretching out in thousands of thin wires that dug into the rubble. The barest of connections, created because of her shouting out to the people of the city.

They were fragile, nothing like the massive burning conduit that was her connection to Yolani. But they were still there, all the same.

“I can save them? Even if they can’t get to the district?” Elania asked.

Other threads were thicker, too. They ran to the members of the Guard in varying degrees. To the Ironfist Mercenaries. Even the Black Candle cultists led by Darius. They were all there, all connected to her.

Elania took a deep breath. Maybe they could save everyone. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted out to the city once more.

“Believe that you can survive!” she called. “Try to find safety! I will save you! Just keep your hope alive in your hearts!”

As if in response to her words, Elania saw new threads jump into existence, connecting her to even more people throughout the ruins.

Spreading her wings, she flew through the city faster, doing her best to spread the message.

***

Yolani stood amongst the commanders - Lieutenant Gaston, Cultist Darius, and Captain Montlas of the Ironfist Company. She listened intently as they discussed their efforts to rescue civilians trapped in the devastated city.

Gaston wiped the sweat from his brow, his voice strained with exhaustion. “Our space and supplies are limited. We’re doing our best to accommodate the influx of survivors, but we’re reaching capacity.”

Darius nodded grimly, his dark robes swaying as he gestured towards the rubble-strewn streets. “Locating people under all this debris is proving to be a monumental task. Progress is slow.”

Captain Montlas, his armor dented and scratched from battle, chimed in. “There are roving groups of Lightbringers still out there. They’re killing anything that moves. Sometimes even each other.”

Yolani’s gaze flitted between the three commanders as they turned to her expectantly. Gaston’s voice cut through the tense silence. “It might be time to call off the search and bring everyone inside the shield.”

His words hung heavy. She swallowed hard, acutely aware of the responsibility placed upon her.

Priestess. She was Elania’s priestess, a title that immediately promoted her to being the One In Charge in the small circle.

“Can Elania do anything more to help?” Gaston asked, his eyes searching Yolani’s face for an answer.

Yolani’s heart raced as she contemplated the question. Elania had been distant for the last few hours. It had even been possible to feel the emotional turmoil boiling off of her, leaving Yolani feeling uncertain.

She took a deep breath. “We should bring in everyone. The tremors are getting worse, and we’re losing more people than we are bringing back.”

The commanders nodded solemnly, their faces etched with the weight of their responsibilities. Yolani continued, her voice growing stronger with each word. “I’ll talk to Elania and see if there’s anything more she can do. But in the meantime, do what you can.”

Darius put his hands together. “We’ll do our best, Priestess. The Black Candle will not rest until the Dark Queen’s command is carried out.”

Captain Montlas and Gaston murmured something inaudible.

As the group dispersed to their various tasks, Yolani’s thoughts turned to Elania.

She needed to reach her heart. Turning toward the wall, she hurried.

Yolani climbed the steps, her heart pounding with each step.

As she reached the top, she scanned the devastated cityscape, searching for any sign of Elania.

A flicker of gold caught Yolani’s eye.

She squinted, her gaze locking onto a familiar figure soaring through the sky. It was Elania, her wings spread wide as she carried two small children in her arms.

Elania gracefully descended, gently setting the children down before launching herself back into the air.

Yolani cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, her voice straining against the distance. “Elania!”

To her surprise, Elania stopped abruptly, as if an invisible force had yanked her back. She hovered in midair, her head turning towards the sound of Yolani’s voice.

With a powerful beat of her wings, Elania flew towards her, closing the distance between them.

Elania landed softly beside Yolani, her eyes filled with concern. “Yolani, what’s wrong?”

Yolani took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. “I just spoke with the commanders. Things are getting worse out there. The rescue teams are coming back injured, and fewer survivors are being found.”

Elania’s brow furrowed as she listened intently.

Yolani continued, her voice trembling slightly. “They’re considering calling off the search, Elania. It’s becoming too dangerous.”

Elania’s gaze drifted towards the city, her eyes scanning the ruins. “There are still people out there, Yolani. I can see them, trapped and waiting for help.”

The other girl started to turn away, ready to launch herself back into the sky, but Yolani reached out and grasped her arm, holding on tightly. Elania paused, her eyes meeting Yolani’s, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

“Elania, please,” Yolani pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s time.”

Elania’s expression softened, her shoulders sagging slightly as the weight of Yolani’s words sank in. She glanced out at the city once more, a pained look in her eyes.

“I had given up on them. I was going to abandon them. This feels like doing that again,” Elania whispered.

Yolani hugged her. “You’ve done everything. You’ve done more than anyone could hope. We need to go now.”

Yolani’s heart ached as she watched Elania’s eyes fill with tears.

She reached out, gently cupping Elania’s face in her hands, her thumbs brushing away the gold-tinged droplets that spilled down her cheeks.

“Elania,” Yolani whispered, “you’re so very kind. Your heart is so big, and I love you for it.”

Elania’s lips trembled. Then she pulled back, her gaze drifting towards the devastated cityscape.

Light stones, once the center of their troubles, shattered and fell to the ground, their light extinguished forever. In the distance, an entire fifth of the city lay beneath a massive shelf of rock.

Elania nodded. “Let’s get the district to safety.”

Yolani took a hand and squeezed it in support.

A weak smile turned up on Elania’s face. “You packed our things, right?”

“Uhm. I’m not sure how much we need the basic tools anymore,” Yolani replied. reaching into her pouch, she pulled out a bronze gear. It suddenly glowed gold and morphed into a round flower.

She slid it into Elania’s hair at the temple.

Elania could only stare, and Yolani smiled. It was nice to be able to surprise her friend still.

Even under the circumstances.