Page 56 of Chaos Demons

“Grey?” she called back to me.

It was impossible to miss her. Ana was fighting her way through the horde, shining like a beacon of hope.

She radiated a soft pulsing light, pure and warm. Strange semi-see-through spectral armor covered her and she held a sword of similar make in one hand and a shield in the other. Her silver hair streamed like a banner behind her. She was the picture of a conquering hero, of power and beauty.

Nearby, Harmonia pushed back the horde, while Eva blasted them with her rifle, shooting celestial bolts.

Harmonia! She was the third — all too familiar — daemon presence I’d felt. I was glad she was here to help.

“Ana?” I gasped.

“Grey!” she cheered. “I’d hug you, but I’m not done cleaning up here. Wanna join me for some undead slaying?”

Where was mild-mannered, terrified-of-danger Ana?

Somehow, she’d been replaced with kick-ass, warrior Ana… something I didn’t mind at all.

“Sure.” I leaped over to join her inside the church. Landing beside her, I stole a quick kiss on her cheek. “You look good like this.”

She looked good period. She was alive and that waseverything.

Ana blushed at my praise, then we fought, side by side. And as we fought, I tried as best I could to tell her what had happened.

“Melinoe has joined with Nari,” I said. My void crushed a score of the foul creatures as we moved toward the door. “She’s feeding off his power and he off hers.”

Ana hacked through a half-dozen zompires with one swing and their bodies fell, unmoving.

“Together they’re nearly unstoppable,” I told her.

“Fuck,” Ana said, punctuating my update with another giant swing.

“Fen must have lost his earbuds. His beast was unleashed and is tearing up Queens,” I continued.

Eva blasted the last of the zompires inside the church while Harmonia kept those swarming over the outside at bay. Fewer and fewer of the things came at us.

“Ramsey lost control of his strife as well. I don’t know what happened to him.”

We’d cleared out the church and began to move outside.

“I… I needed help and returned here.” And as much as I hated to admit it… “I don’t know what to do.”

Ana was too busy fighting to lay a comforting hand on my shoulder, but I could still feel her essence touch me.

I’m sure, together, with Harmonia and Eva we can rescue our friends and defeat these daemons.She spoke into my mind, sounding sure and confident.

And I had to admit, this new Ana was an incredible warrior. Not only was she cutting down zompires as if she’d been wielding a sword her entire life, but she kept splintering her essence to create glowing warriors to help us.

Soon enough, the tide of zompires slowed, then stopped. We stood in the street, which was suddenly quiet, and a cool breeze chilled the sweat on my brow.

I was winded. I’d fought three ice giants, then jumped right into this fight. Ana didn’t seem tired at all. In fact, she was radiant and calm and powerful.

And even before I’d caught my breath, she was turning to me. “Take Harmonia and Eva, and scout out Nari and Melinoe. If you feel comfortable with their assistance, engage the enemy. If not, then wait for me.”

“And what will you be doing?” I asked.

“I’m gonna go fetch a lost puppy,” she said confidently.

I knew she meant Fen, but he was completely out of control, destroying everything around him.

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