“I am not an angel,” Naomi repeated.

Ugo let go of Zeke and he dropped to his feet, but neither took their eyes off Naomi.

Naomi allowed her discomfort and fear to show as she held the frozen, bewildered gawks. The agonizing silence prompted Naomi to continue speaking. “I am an offspring… of an angel… and a demon.”

The group’s eyes popped out as their faces turned ghostly white.

“At the end of the Great War of the Thirteenth. Three hundred years ago. A demon, who was known as the most feared, and considered to be the King of the Netherworld, and an angel, a Seraphim who was known as the most virtuous of them all and now the greatest traitor, and was considered to be the next Overseer of the Universe. They committed the most heinous act in the history of the universe and joined… to make me.”

The silence returned and lingered in the air. It felt as if the Sub-Realm itself froze in time along with them. Zeke’s mind was blank. No disarray of jumbled thoughts to choose from. All he could do was continue to gape at a dejected Naomi.

Ugo broke the silence by brushing his hair back and stammering. “So… you’re a crossbred of an angel and a demon?” He scanned the others, looking for an answer. “What is that even called?”

“I do not know if there is an official name for what I am. All I have ever been called is an ‘Abomination’ by other angels—”

“That’s awful,” AJ croaked. She put her hand over her chest and a woeful expression settled on her face.

“The union and my.... um… birth, I think I can say, resulted in the deaths of both of my progenitors. The angels stole me—no, sorry—saved me from the demons and locked me in a cage at the highest layer of Heaven, Primum Paraiso, on the mountain top of Maliel,” Naomi explained despondently. “I am the only one of my kind.”

“Marvelous!” Isaac exulted, bubbling with enthusiasm and joy. He rushed up to Naomi and cupped her face in his hands. Lasering his wide gaze right into her. “You are a medical marvel…” he said, choking on his words because of the excitement.

AJ gripped on to his arm and fished him away from Naomi. “You’re scaring her.”

Isaac whipped to AJ and blared, “Do you understand how big of a discovery this is?” He waved a fist at her. “You couldn’t! You’re not one of the Tainted Generation. This doesn’t mean much to you, but let me explain!” Isaac pointed at Naomi. “Her existence shouldn’t be possible! Healers, for centuries, have tried to make one. Countless experiments and thesis written on the possibilities of a demon and angel union!” He crept up to Naomi, saying slowly, “Now I understand the urgency. You may be the most valuable creature in all the Realms.”

Naomi fled and retreated behind AJ.

AJ fired a glare at Isaac. “That’s enough.”

Isaac stared at them blankly and then bursted into laughter until he started coughing. He rubbed his throat. “I’m sorry, I got carried away, but it truly is an amazing thing to hear,” Isaac said. He turned to Zeke. “Hezekiah! You’ve been awfully quiet! Despite your inexperience in this field, you understand the significance of this revelation, right?”

Zeke stared back in silence and then looked over at Naomi. “So, that was the cage you were referring to…”

Naomi nodded slowly. She rested her hands on AJ’s back. “My existence is dangerous. The revelation of my identity is extremely precarious to the safety of the Realms.”

“Why?” Ugo asked. “I mean, you don’t seem to be interested in hurting people and taking over the world and whatnot.”

“I’m not!” Naomi exclaimed. “But just existing could cause problems. Angels, purebred demons, and humans who have become demons, which are called ‘Beta Demons’ have a strong spiritual connection to humans, Mana affinity or not, humans can directly influence their power. The more humans that believe in an angel or demon; the more powerful they become. Just the mere thought grants them power, and uttering their names out loud, gives them a surge of energy. Shrines and worship are very integral. Since most humans resort to darker resources to help with their endeavors. It’s why there are so many powerful demons out there.” Naomi took a short beat. “That’s why the angels did their best to conceal my identity and eliminate every demon that knew my name. My real name.” Naomi paused and then gulped. “The way for humans to pronounce it would be ‘Catielleneth’.”

“Why are you telling us this?” Zeke asked.

“I just wanted for you guys to stop fighting and focus on something else.” Naomi grabbed her arm and her eyes darted to the floor. “And maybe it was also because of the panging guilt. I am the cause for much trouble, so I didn’t want to be the reason for your friendship ending as well. I thought it would be fair for you guys to understand what is really going on.”

“Naomi…” Ugo started. He glanced at Zeke. “Look, we’re brothers, okay? Brothers fight and say dumb stuff to each other, but it isn’t long-lasting or anything.” He took another glance at Zeke. “Sure, it may take a while to get over it entirely, but when you live with that person, it’s kinda hard to hold a grudge. Frowning from breakfast till dinner is exhausting.”

AJ turned back to Naomi. “Yeah, the three of us have fought a couple of times in the past, too. I broke Ugo’s nose once, or twice… okay, it was definitely over three times, and I am probably going to do it again many more times in the future.”

Ugo forced a chuckle and smiled at Naomi.

Zeke could tell he was faking it for her sake. He could feel the infuriated nimbus pouring out of him. Maybe he should thank Naomi for stopping the fight before things got really physical and watching two out of shape nerds fight is just as unsettling to watch as it sounds. Zeke lowered to grab his medical bag.

Faint whispers produced from a distance. He halted midway. “Do you guys hear that?”

The whispers grew louder and more articulate. Hums, howls, and mumbles were added to the susurrus. The group stayed alert and scanned their surroundings.

A swarm of white shrouds ascended from the stone flooring, filling the room with incomprehensible rambling in their shallow, fluctuating voices. They were human-shaped and had giant eyeballs where their head should be, fluttering in the air weightlessly like butterflies.

“What the…” Ugo glanced at each person in the group. “Heaven?”

“Boo!” AJ rejected.

“Oh, come on, that was pretty good!”

The Shrouds, over twenty of them, danced around the group.

“What are they?” Zeke asked.

“Holy spirits,” Isaac said calmly. “Must’ve originated from destroyed objects or something, I dunno.”

“Can they hurt us?” Ugo asked.

A Shroud fired a white beam of light from its eyeball at Ugo and he flew across the hall.

“Ugo!” Zeke shouted.

Ugo landed on his shoulder and rolled onto his back. “Yeah, they can hurt us! I lost a lot of HP!”

Naomi pointed up and hissed, “You’ll pay for that!”

The glint in her eye was menacing. Excitement overclouded fear, as Zeke anticipated what crazy demonic-angelic abilities Naomi was going to show.

She dashed with grace and power and raised a fist. A Shroud floating near the floor was her target. “You’re mine,” she said with a smirk playing on her lips.

She threw a punch way too early, hitting nothing, and then tripped and fell on her face, skidding across the stone floor. Zeke, Isaac, AJ, and even the Shrouds stopped and stared in silence.

Well, that was disappointing.

A cloud of Shrouds huddled around Naomi and lifted her off the floor. She cried in panic.

“Zeke! I need a boost!” AJ shouted.

“What?” Zeke shouted back, fearing the worst.

The Shrouds climbed higher with Naomi.

“You know what I mean! Do it now! Please!” AJ sprinted toward him.

Zeke groaned and squatted. He held his hands together with the palm facing up.

AJ stepped onto his palms with one foot, then his shoulder with her other foot, and then launched off the top of his head. She pierced through the Shrouds, fetching Naomi from their clutches and coddling her in her arms. They hit the floor and tumbled across.

Zeke and Isaac ran to them.

“What an excellent showcase of acrobatics, Avery!” Isaac complimented. “Why haven’t you joined any of the sports teams, yet?”

AJ got up and raised her fists, watching the Shrouds flying around, carefully. “I get nervous! This seems less scary!”

“This is less scary than an audience to you?” Zeke yelled.

“Yes!”

Naomi stood up and hid behind AJ.

Isaac looked at Naomi. “So, little one, you’ve got no experience in fighting, do you?”

Naomi smiled nervously and shook her head.

“Potentially the universe’s most powerful being and she can’t fight,” Isaac said.

AJ threw punches and kicks to Shrouds gliding by. Her attacks phased through them.

“Physical attacks are ineffective. Only magic can hurt them.” Isaac plucked a round glass bottle filled with blue liquid from his backpack and rolled it over to Ugo. “Drink it! It’s for Mana!” He shouted to him. Isaac took out another bottle of the same kind and handed it to Zeke.

Another group of bumbling Shrouds grabbed a hold of Isaac and flew away with him.

Isaac laughed hysterically as he was dragged away. “Somebody better save me!”

AJ broke into a sprint, raced after the Shrouds, beating their speed, and lunged forward. She wrapped her arms around Isaac and fell out of the Shrouds’ clutches with him.

Zeke stared in awe. AJ was amazing.

“Mano! Now is not the time to space out!” Ugo yelled.

Zeke turned back to Ugo, and he was pulling the cork out of the bottle, and then guzzling it down to its last drop. Ugo cringed.

“Ugh, it tastes like old effervescent vitamin medicine,” he whined.

Zeke looked down at the bottle in his hand. It’s now or never. He pulled out the cork and drank it all in one go. He winced and squirmed. Ugo was right. It tasted like a carbon tablet dissolved in unfiltered water and left out in the sun for days. He waited for the surge of clarity, or energy, or something, but all he could focus on was the acrid taste lingering on his tongue.

Multiple Shrouds appeared in front of Zeke. His eyes darted instinctively to a cowering Naomi, and he grabbed onto her arm. The Shrouds shot their beams, and Zeke leaped out of the way with her just in time. The beams obliterated the column behind them. Detritus sprayed into the air.

Zeke ran to Ugo with Naomi.

“Feel anything?” Ugo asked Zeke.

Zeke shook his head.

AJ and Isaac approached them.

“Did you guys drink all of it?” Isaac asked.

Zeke and Ugo raised their empty bottles, and both confirmed, “Yeah!”

“Good, now, use magic.”

They all turned to face the swarming ghostly entities, standing back to back.

“Give us a hint on how to use it, Zach!” Ugo said urgently.

“For people like us, it’s easy. You don’t even need to say the spell out loud. Just focus and think. Your third eye will reveal everything to you!”

“Don’t you have magic, Isaac?” AJ asked.

Isaac laughed. “Yes, I do, but my White Magic Spells are useless against these monsters. I can’t use Black Magic.”

“Oh, no…” Naomi cried.

“It’s up to me and you, Mano.” Ugo said. “It’s just a couple of ghosts—!”

“That shoot lasers!” Zeke cried.

“We can do this!”

The floor at the end of the hall exploded, sending a violent dust cloud peppered with debris and rubble their way. They ducked and shielded their eyes. Nobody got hit.

A giant, gray stone baby face rose from the hole in the floor and ascended toward the ribbed ceiling, showing off an abnormally long, thick, white, cracker stone neck—no — it wasn’t its neck, it was its body. The creature wriggled and twisted to its side in a chaotic motion, damaging nearby columns screaming in a deep, thunderous voice.

“Okay, guys, we can’t do this!” Ugo reiterated.

Zeke couldn’t tell if it was more like a snake or a worm. Around its giant head were protruding teeth jutting out of white stone that matched the rest of its wormy body. It looked as if another creature was swallowing the face whole, or perhaps, the face was ejecting itself from another creatures’ mouth.

The group retreated behind a column.

“What is that thing?” AJ yelled.

Isaac eyed the abhorrent creature with intrigue. “Anathemia is its name.”

The monstrosity jiggled and slammed its head all over the floor, leaving large cracks.

“Okay, tell us everything you know about it,” Zeke said. “Patterns, weaknesses, strengths, abilities, and resistances—”

“Oh, no!” Isaac interrupted and ran off. “My legs seem to be moving on their own!”

Zeke and Ugo peeked over the columns and witnessed the Anathemia spit out the White Shrouds from its mouth.

“It vomits ghosts? Who designed this thing!” Ugo yelled in frustration.

AJ ran after Isaac. “Isaac, what are you doing!”

Isaac turned back to her while avoiding capture. “You truly have some virtuous qualities about you, Avery!”

A massive swarm of Shrouds collected AJ and lifted her up.

“No!” Zeke cried.

The Anathemia became still and its baby face turned its chin up and opened its mouth. AJ screamed in terror. Isaac froze and stared.

The Shroud freed AJ from their grasp, and she was free falling. She fell into the monster’s mouth and it closed. The Anathemia cooed with satisfaction.

Zeke dropped to his knees and stared in horror. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He lost his voice and couldn’t feel anything. It was like he was dead.

Naomi stepped away from the column and scuttled toward the Anathemia. “AJ!” she cried before another gathering of Shrouds grabbed a hold of her and took her to the monsters’ mouth.

She was swallowed whole immediately. The Anathemia let out a louder coo this time. It was really enjoying its back-to-back meals.

Ugo slammed his back onto the column and slid down, utterly defeated.

“They aren’t dead!” Isaac shouted.

Zeke and Ugo looked over to him. “It takes at least one day for it to digest its food. They’re just rolling around in its belly for now!”

The Anathemia swung its head at Isaac, shooting him across the hall. He bounced off a wall, and crash landed on his stomach. He was knocked out cold.

And then there were two…

The Anathemia started slamming its head all over the floor again as it let out a terrifying war cry. Zeke and Ugo scooted and crammed their shoulders against each other as they remained in cover behind the column.

Ugo pulled out his cell phone and started browsing through it. “So, what song should I play at this moment? What’s more fitting, an epic 90s’ anime opening or an 8-Bit classic?”

“What’re you talking about?” Zeke asked.

“Dude, the song I am going to play while the monster murders us. It’ll be, like, the soundtracks of our deaths, y’know. Our literal swan song.”

“We’re not going to die!”

“We have an angel-demon crossbred, who doesn’t know how to fight, a party member whose only skill is trying to kill himself, and he keeps spamming it! AJ’s upper body strength alone is more than both of our full-body strength combined but, she can’t use magic! And to top it all off, you’re a coward, and I’m an idiot!” Ugo ranted. “Face it! It’s over; in fact, it never began. Our party was a bad one to begin with!” He looked back at his phone. “Maybe I should make a short playlist?” How many songs do you think I should add?”

“When did you become a pessimist?”

“When Lovecraft’s and Stephen King’s brainchild over there showed up.”

“Mora, we can’t die here.” Zeke announced. “We won’t! I still need to become a world-renowned doctor…” Zeke trailed off and felt the need to correct himself. “A powerful doctor of the occult!” He said triumphantly. “And you… you need to be with Naomi.”

Ugo stole a glance at him. “I appreciate you trying to convince me to fight, but until we confirm Naomi’s age. I can’t let myself get excited over thoughts like that.”

The floor trembled angrily under them. They became stiff all over and gripped onto the edges of the columns. The Shrouds rotated and twisted in the air in front of them. Zeke studied their aimless movements.

“How come they’re not firing their beams?” he said.

Ugo gave him a look. “Do you want them to? Go on, ask them!”

“It’s just a bit weird, that’s all!”

The floor rumbled more violently this time. Cracks sprawled across the floor they were sitting on and up the columns.

“Maybe the monster is commanding them to not fire their beams so that we’ll be in perfect shape when we’re eaten,” Ugo said.

“We have to survive this. We have to save my mom,” Zeke said.

“I don’t want her to die, either. I don’t want anyone else close to me to die again. If I wasn’t just some useless kid back, maybe…” he trailed off. He raised his hand and looked down at its palm. “But we have magic now! That should be enough to prevent that from happening!”

“How the hell do we use it!” Zeke screamed. He bashed the back of his head onto the column, and then repeated over and over as he rambled, “How, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how?”

Zeke looked over at Ugo and was hit with shock. Ugo sat still with his eyes closed. He looked… relaxed. At that moment, Zeke realized maybe Ugo had a knack for meditation and he must’ve honed it from learning not to dwell on problems and his anger since he was a kid. He had to with a memory like his. All the stress would have driven him mad if he didn’t.

It’s not that Ugo didn’t care. It’s not slack. It’s not laziness. Being punctilious would be disastrous.

The floor rumbled, and the cracks multiplied. Zeke flinched and shivered. Ugo remained still. Zeke studied him, astonished. How was he doing that?

“I can see it,” Ugo said weakly.

“What?”

“All I have to do is think about her. How much I wanted to save her…” Ugo opened his eyes. His eyes were that of a patient, seasoned warrior. No trace of depravity on his stolid expression. “I think I got it… I think I hear it…”

Zeke’s mouth fell open, then he asked, “You can hear its name?”

“I’m the Sixth Born of the Tainted Generation… the Surgeon.” He sprouted to his feet and held out his hand like a beggar. “Rutapexy Samhita!” he cited with might.

A blue electric cyclone enveloped Ugo and blew Zeke away.

He slid across the stone floor and crashed into the wall, now out in the open. But his eyes didn’t immediately move to the Anathemia, he stared at the ionizing, static whirlwind in front of him making buzzing and hissing noises like an old-school telecommunication system.

A swathed hand stuck out of the electrified winds, holding a metallic blue knife. The swathes shared the same color. The cyclone dispelled, unveiling Ugo, swathed in metallic blue bandages from his bare feet to the bridge of his nose, like an Egyptian mummy.

A jet black one-sleeve monk robe was draped over his lanky, bandaged body. Mystic symbols dotted the robe all over.

Ugo slowly turned to Zeke. His eyes flashed blue.