NIKITA: The Red General

Part 3

I don't know what happened. Over time I figured it was the transition from mortal to demon, but I never could confirm that theory. Not many humans had become demons around that time. The peak of convergence was between the 1600s and 1800s. In the current day, it's very rare. Demons had no use for human souls anymore. What was once a prized possession, is now just useless dust. Humans had desires of their own, but demons had no use for anything they could offer. Now if a human became a demon, it was through death and the afterlife, only if their desire for it was strong enough.

Consciousness slowly came into me, first it felt like I was dreaming, and then transitioned to waking. I opened my eyes to the falling snow once again, but it was different. I felt different. I had energy, I felt something inside me that I had never felt before. I couldn't explain it, but I was different. I sat up, I looked around, but I could not see the owl. No traces of it either, no footprints, no sound. Everything was quiet besides the snow falling to the ground. Remembering the deal, I jumped to my feet and made my bearings before dashing to my home.

I was fast. I was running faster than I had before and I was not growing tired. Was that the power of a demon? Only time would yield those answers. It wasn't too long before I reached the town, taking less than half the time it took for me to get to where I was. Expecting to return to the mess that I had left it, my eyes were astounded at what was laid before me.

The town was returned to what it was. Nothing was burning, the buildings were untouched, the town sounded so full of life. I slid down the banks of snow to reach the entrance of the town, when I entered, no one seemed to know what had happened. I was greeted by the usual folk, some concerned I was coming back later than the others. I tried so hard to keep my composure, but all I could think about was my family. Darting through the lively crowd, I ignored those calling my name as I made it to my house.

I flung myself inside to see my wife and 2 children alive, but they looked as confused as I did. The kids were just coming over their crying while Ladushka was petrified. When she saw my face, her emotions spilled out.

"What happened?!" she cried, collapsing to the ground.

I rushed over to her, pulling her into my arms with a tight squeeze. Overcome with emotion, all I could do was cling to her as I cried. "You're alive..." I whispered.

Ladushka was holding onto me as if her life depended on it, which was exactly what happened. "We were...there was..." She tried to speak but she was so scattered with her words and crying that she couldn't complete any sentences. Our two boys came over to us and joined the hug. We were all upset.

I broke away from the hug and stared into her eyes. "Do you remember?" I asked.

She looked back at me confused at first, but her eyes widened when the thought crossed her mind. "That really happened?!" She cried.

This was the second time in my life I wasn't there for her when she needed it most. It was that moment that I vowed to be there for her until the end. No more doubting, no more loneliness, no more pain. I tightened my squeeze on her, trying to calm myself down. I felt Alexsandr and Viktor trying to sandwich themselves between us, looking for all the comfort they can get. They were so young, it worried me to know if these events would have a lasting impression on them.

Ladushka pushed away from me slightly, her eyes fixated on our two boys. She looked back up at me with determination in her eyes. "We have to be strong." She said, putting her hand on my cheek. Her hand was warm, it burned against my cold face. "Our boys need us the most right now." She was right.

I gave her a soft smile; I was still overcome with the reality that she was alive. I released her from my arms and picked up Alexsandr. He was still shaking but his crying seemed to have stopped. Ladushka picked up Viktor and he was already buried into her chest. Those two were always close, to know that when he grows, he'll be the spitting image of her will be a lasting trait. The rest of that night was a long one, the kids were able to fall asleep, but my wife and I were too tense from the emotional stress to relax. We just kept each other's company into the wee hours of the morning until exhaustion fell upon us.