Rad-cliffe: Evantra, USE YOUR WORDS, what happened in there? Are you hurt—
Evantra looked down at the phone gripped in her shaking hands.
Upon hearing soft footsteps, she hid them under her blankets, turning to receive Carmen with a smile as she made her way into Evantra’s bedroom from the bathroom, having finished her shower. Lucas was sleeping soundly on the queen-sized mattress that lay beside Evantra’s own bed. Her room was certainly more lively with the recent additions of Lucas and Carmen. Their house was still under watch by the PIU, and Evantra had insisted that they stay with her for at least a couple of days. Taco had taken up shop in another corner of the room, and was stretched out next to a window sound asleep.
Carmen’s eyes fell on her trembling hands, poorly hidden by the blankets.
“You know, Carmen, I’m never calling you abuela ever again,” Evantra continued casually, stretching her arms upwards in a yawn that was only half exaggerated. Carmen’s gaze lingered on her before the woman let out a small sigh. Evantra wordlessly smiled in gratitude.
“Well finally, it was about time you showed me the respect I deserve. I’m a young woman, Eva, you can’t go around calling me a grandmother.”
After a shower and a meal, Carmen looked like a whole new person. The lethargy and distress that had coloured her expression had disappeared, the only hints of the events of the day being the dark circles under her eyes which continued to linger.
“Oh, it’s not for the reason you think.”
Carmen rolled her eyes as Evantra loomed from high above her, on her rickety bed.
“You call what you did flirting?” Evantra snorted as Carmen gaped at her. “Officer Trevor Foster huh? I will admit, you could have picked worse. Has a nice moustache. Dove into a Veilsurge trying to save Lucas and all that. Still, you looked exactly like you do now, a gaping goldfish struggling to find an excuse to see him again. If I didn’t get his number for you, I wouldn’t have heard the end of it for days.”
Carmen glowered at her as the older woman's cheeks warmed. Evantra’s lips curved into a deadly smile.
“Oh Officer Foster, thank you sooo much for your help!”
Evantra shot her a smirk from where she was seated.
“If I called you abuela it would be an insult to all those grandmothers out there who would put you to shame with their game.”
“Mierda. I have to put up with this for how long?”
They chuckled softly together, all whilst Lucas slept like a log.
“Evantra?”
“Hmm?”
“You ok?”
Evantra flinched.
She turned, watching Carmen idly run her hands through her sleeping son’s hair, her gaze carefully averted from Evantra’s own.
“You don’t have to talk about what happened in there but… if you do ever need someone to speak to…”
“I’m fine.”
Evantra watched as the woman’s brow creased into a momentary frown – quick enough that if she blinked, she would have missed it.
“Carmen, really.”
The woman continued softly, still avoiding her milky, white eyes.
“You know, you used to be a poor liar.”
Evantra froze.
“You used to be a poor liar… and then they passed. I know you’ve had to grow up quickly these past two years. They were the best, and worst kind of parents,” Carmen laughed softly, as she continued to stroke her son’s hair.
Carmen finally met her eyes, and she felt her heart throb at the woman’s expression.
“I won’t force you to tell me anything, but a mother can tell when her children lie. An abuela? Doubly so.”
Evantra’s fists tightened beneath her flea-bitten blankets.
“You can talk to me any time, Eva. Alright?”
“Thanks, Carmen.”
Carmen rose from where she was seated and kissed her on the forehead before returning to her mattress. She twisted away from Carmen, and let out the breath she had been holding in.
Telling Carmen would just endanger her and Lucas.
Millie? No. Not a chance in hell. She’ll just…
No. No good will come of dragging them into this.
I’m going at this alone.
Her mind turned to Uriel, the [seraphim] ranked Ghostslayer.
As much as she prided her poker face, Evantra was certain that the [seraphim] rank Ghostslayer could tell that she was withholding things from her. Not to mention, the artefact she had stowed in her pocket. The woman’s abrupt shift in tone towards the end of the conversation had signalled that she had gleaned Evantra’s intentions of following the footsteps of the Ghostslayers before her. She seemed content to avoid pressing her on it further, but it still meant she would have to keep a low profile and an eye out for Uriel.
Project Darwin… I wonder what it was.
The lab’s internal grid was still operational after who knows how long, the project must have had some importance. Seeing as it was, I have no doubt Uriel could have hacked into its systems if she saw any point in it.
I didn’t notice any security cameras while I was in the basement, but who knows what they found?
And if they have information on it…
Well, there’s little chance I’ll be breaking into Seraphim’s headquarters any time soon.
The library it is.
Then she smiled, as exhaustion took her.
Maybe one day though.
“Goodnight abuela.”
“Goodnight, pain in my culo.” Carmen replied.
Evantra snuggled into her blankets.
“Goodnight Timothy and Arvald.”
Carmen opened a singular eye to stare at her.
“Who are Timothy and Arvald?”
“Oh… they’re my bedbugs.”
“Loco. She’s crazy.”
---
“Evantra? Are you listening to me?”
Evantra was seated in the back seat of her family car. The woman in the driver's seat twisted around to stare at her, a scowl on her face. She was dressed in pink scrubs, and her long black hair was tied up in a tight bun.
Evangeline Blair stared briefly at her daughter, before returning her attention to the road.
“We will talk about your texts later.”
She blinked, and the scene before her disappeared.
When she opened her eyes, the scene of the interior of a home appeared before her.
It was a familiar scene that played over and over again in her dreams.
Blood filled the living room all around her, rising to about three inches off the ground, creating a shallow pool of viscous red liquid, with the gentlest of ripples emanating through it.
She blinked again, and she found herself splayed out on her back, staring upwards at thundering, dark skies – black lightning carving a path in her vision as the ectorain began to fall. Her ears were numb, but when Evantra closed her eyes, she could still detect the sounds of sirens. She knew what she would glimpse if she opened them - a vast column of smoke rising into the dark skies. Thunder rumbled from the ectostorm far above her.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
When Evantra opened her eyes, she watched as the dark thunderclouds twisted in vast spirals, coalescing into a pale, white creature.
A featureless face, resting a hair’s breadth away from her own.
Evantra’s eyes shot open.
Her body was caked in sweat. She stared into the darkness before her, her back against the fragile frame of her bed. As hard as her eyes tried to pierce the darkness around her, there was no sign of anything other than Lucas and Carmen, sleeping soundly on the mattress beside her. Taco, perched up against a window.
The golden lights of the PIU stationed in the street below barely penetrated her decrepit curtains.
She stared at the pale hand sticking out of her abdomen.
----
Evantra awoke gasping for air, her chest heaving.
“Evantra! Are you alright? It was a dream. Hey, you’re ok.”
Carmen who was already awake and getting ready for work had rushed over from the bathroom, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“Was it a nightmare? You’re ok, you’re ok.”
Evantra steadied her breathing after a moment, and contorted her lips into a smile to assuage Carmen’s worry. She was familiar with her episodes, and she was grateful that Lucas wasn’t around to see it, as the boy appeared to be in the shower from the sounds of the shower coming from the ensuite bathroom.
“I’m fine Carmen, this is normal.”
She watched Carmen frown.
Ok… maybe I shouldn’t have said that.
“What I meant to say, was that I get dreams sometimes. It really isn’t a big deal.”
Carmen watched her closely, before shaking her head.
“Nightmares about my flirting ability?”
“I’m haunted by it.”
Evantra grinned. Eventually, it faded into a smile of gratitude, paired with a reassuring squeeze of Carmen’s hand. Wordlessly thanking her for her willingness to leave it be. She could still see the shadow of concern lingering on her face as she made her way back to the bathroom to get ready.
Lucas wandered out of the shower, and Carmen ruffled his hair as he yawned.
“Off you go, Lucas, go brush your teeth. We have a lot to do today.”
“You do?” Evantra raised an eyebrow at her.
“We’ve got to get some toiletries. Even creatures of a Veil can’t stop a woman’s flow.”
“Muuuuum,” Lucas groaned.
Carmen winked at Evantra.
“Best to get him started on it early. So, his future girlfriends don’t murder him.”
“Hey… Carmen?”
“Yes, my favourite nanny?”
“Would you consider… staying with me for a little longer?”
The woman frowned as she halted in her preparations. She turned instantly towards her.
“Of course, Evantra. As long as you want—”
“No, no. That’s not what I mean… although I would love that. The Ghostslayer yesterday told me it would be a good idea to get out of the slums. I think it would be unwise to ignore her advice. You saw what happened yesterday, in front of City Hall.”
Evantra turned her head to the gap in her curtains. Caliburn’s mining barge hung over the junkyard like a spectre, casting a vast shadow on the houses and streets below it.
“If only it were so easy, eh Eva?” Carmen’s tone was teasing, but Evantra could sense an undertone of incredulity in it. It was only to be expected; she was fully aware of what she was asking her.
“I’m serious. Would you consider… trying to move to the outskirts with me?”
The woman paused, casting her a glance. She seemed to realise that this was more than just the fanciful hypotheticals they enjoyed exchanging. Carmen’s dream of opening a bar in Elsecaller city. Evantra’s penthouse apartment and an underground garage full of hypercars.
Carmen walked over to where she was seated on her bed.
“Evantra… If I could, we would be long gone.”
“Promise me you’ll consider it if I find you another job. And a buyer for the house. We’ll stay together.”
Carmen flinched when she saw the determination in Evantra’s milky, white eyes.
“A buyer for the house? Evantra that’s a big decision,” Carmen’s eyes hardened as she looked at Evantra. “My priority is providing for Lucas—”
Of course.
Her son would be her priority, why would she throw it all away just because I asked her to—
“—and you. We need stability, a reliable source of income. You get my meaning, Eva?”
Evantra just stared at her wordlessly for a moment before blinking and answering with a slight nod in the affirmative. She felt warmth suffuse her, the same warmth that Carmen and Lucas’ presence had graced the church with since they arrived.
“Y-yeah. Of course.
Carmen hesitated as she caught a glimpse of the Evantra’s expression. The woman laid a reassuring hand on Evantra’s shoulder.
“It’ll be hard, not many people are interested in buying property marked by the Veil… let alone one in the slums of all places. But… if you manage to, I’ll… consider it.”
“Thanks. That’s all I’m asking for.”
Evantra rose from the bed and began to change. It didn’t matter who you were - even Ghostslayers were shackled by ectocreds. As capable as you became at battling the monstrosities of the world, its more mundane horrors eventually caught up to you.
Lucas tugged at her side.
“Can we play more of that racing game? I’m gonna beat you this time.”
They had managed to fit in a session of Project Elsecaller Racing 2 the night before, as exhausted as they had been. Seeing the haunted look in the boy’s eyes, Evantra figured that there was nothing like the burn of golden nitrous while racing through neon streets to take his mind off the events of the day. All the while, teaching him a few lessons in humility.
Evantra remained silent, giving the younger boy a guilty smile before she averted her gaze.
“Come along now. You can bug Evantra later, ok?”
Lucas nodded sullenly as he walked towards his mother and took her hand.
“Bye Evantra.”
She waved to Carmen and Lucas with a tight smile as they left for their shopping run. With mild curiosity, she saw the woman slip a letter into her handbag, casting a quick glance towards Evantra, before leaving the room.
Evantra rose with a sigh, grabbing the Project Elsecaller Racing 2 copy, and casting a cursory glance towards her wardrobe, which contained one of her two souvenirs from her foray into the Veilsurge.
---
What exactly did one do, once they became a magical girl?
Albeit one that was missing their companion and their soulgem. Evantra wondered if she could really be called a magical girl at all. Then again, the words before her vision didn’t lie.
Introspection, shopping and research, were the answers that Evantra settled on. Seated on her bed, with her bag packed, Evantra focused, willing her interface into existence.
Ghostslayer Rank: Fairy (Level 2)
Catalyst: Darkstalker (level 1)
- [Razor claws]
- [Skill locked]
- [Skill locked]
Rituals:
- [Ritual of consumption]
Veilsouls: 7
“Hmm… back in the Veilsurge, the quest notification popped up when I came into proximity with a creature that I could sacrifice to unlock one of the “darkstalker” skills. It looks like there’s another near Finnerman Canal,” Evantra recalled to herself out loud, thinking back to the notification that had appeared in her ride back to the church from city hall.
“It seems like my abilities are closely tied to rituals… which isn’t concerning at all.”
She extracted the wooden cube from her pocket, examining it closely. She watched as it shifted momentarily into an ice cube, before shunting back into its original form.
Her system had termed them “catalysts”, perhaps an apt description, for she seemed to derive her skills from them. At least, after performing the [ritual of consumption] to unlock said skills.
Her search online had turned up nothing. At the very least, she would have expected a slew of contradictory articles spewed out by AI content generators, as was often the case. It was the go-to strategy of megacorporations when they wished to show disinformation and doubt.
Webpages or information on the catalysts, however?
There was nothing.
Evantra frowned.
“Strange… I’ll need to look into it further. If I find more of these, I get to acquire more pseudo-classes and skills, I imagine. Well, I’m ‘level 2’ now… here goes. I really should find something that helps me prick my finger. Sorry, Carmen.”
Evantra reopened the wound that Carmen had so carefully tended to, sending a drop of blood down onto the wooden cube.
INSUFFICIENT LEVEL
“Hmm.”
Evantra cast a careful glance towards her curtains, ensuring they were shut. She tried to activate the skill she had obtained in the Veilsurge.
[Razor claws]
She watched with a mixture of awe and horror as her nails shot outwards rapidly from her nailbeds, darkening in colour and narrowing into a dense, hardened keratin, vaguely resembling the teethling’s own claws, though much shorter in length than the creature’s own.
Evantra realised that she could invoke the skill on either or both of her hands. She thrust her palms forward, giving the air a few experimental jabs, and frowned.
“That’s a bit awkward, maybe it would be better if I…”
She deactivated the skill and reactivated it, watching the nails shoot out at a high velocity.
“So, I’ve gotten a glorified switchblade for my troubles. Beggars can’t be choosers, I suppose.”
Evantra thought back to the classes of magical girls she had read of in Wisptown’s library in her downtime. She didn’t really hold a candle as she was to the leviathan slayers, bladesmasters and elementalists.
When she focused, she felt the strange sensation once more, like her heartbeat was slightly laboured when she kept the skill activated.
“This is why magical girls and guardians received companions.”
On a whim, she paused, casting a furtive glance around her periphery.
“Hello? Anyone there? Do I get a fluffy companion like the other magical girls?”
She was greeted only by silence.
“Huh. No cute associate to conveniently drop titbits of information and emotional support? Well, I guess I’m thoroughly fuc— ahem.”
With a sigh, she deactivated [razor claws] and felt the pressure ease from her chest. Finally, her eyes fell on the last statistic in her interface.
“Now, what are these Veilsouls? Magical girls had points… some of them came close to breaking the economy with the stuff they summoned out of nowhere.”
She tried mentally fixating on the Veilsouls, but received no response from her interface in return.
“More and more mysteries.”
She opened her haversack beside her and retrieved the game within.
Evantra sighed with a hint of sadness as she placed Project Elsecaller Racing 2 in her backpack.
---
Her next destination was the vintage video game store, situated a few streets down the road from where she lived, just down the road from the city hall.
Archaic Adventures.
The door opened with a jingle as Evantra entered, a backpack slung over her shoulder.
The same clerk who had attended to her when she had first purchased the game was on shift. Her lush red hair was tied into a simple ponytail, bright green eyes and sharp features greeted her.
Evantra wouldn’t have been surprised to see her features in a clothing catalogue.
But in a vintage store in the middle of the slums?
“Excuse me.”
The girl looked up from the Mangekyou Interactive game catalogue that she was perusing. It seemed to be featuring a new VRMMO that had released recently.
“I’d like to return this. You have a three-day return policy, right?”
She placed her copy of the game on the counter. The clerk raised an eyebrow at her, before her eyes widened.
“Hold up a minute… it’s you! You’re that Christian girl. The preacher who went into a Veilsurge and came out alive.”
Apparently… word spreads fast in this decrepit town.
“I mean I’m barely a preacher—”
The girl’s prominent green eyes fell on the game case in her grip.
“I’ll tell you what… if you tell me what you saw in there, I’ll give you the money and let you keep the game.”
Evantra stared at the girl as the clerk's expression lit up. She may as well have been a different person from the bored, rude and irreverent store clerk she had glimpsed the day prior.
“Sorry, I’d rather n—”
Evantra thought over her plans for the day and sighed.
“Will you let me cash in twice on the return, if you’re giving it to me as a freebie?”
The girl’s lips twitched as she stared at her with a look of incredulity.
“Damn you must really be strapped for cash.”
Evantra just stared flatly at the blunt clerk as the girl grabbed her ectocard. With a couple of rapid taps on her phone, she wired twice the amount Evantra had paid for the game back to her. Evantra wasted no time in transferring Carmen back the ectocreds she had gifted her for the game, ignoring the messages that followed.
Sorry Carmen… If you knew what I was going to be spending the money on, I think you’d sooner set your ectocreds alight than hand them to me.
Actually… you might sooner set me alight.
Evantra turned back to the chattering store clerk, who had sprinted to the entrance of the store and flipped the sign to “closed”.
“I have a couple of things to do—”
“I’ll join you! I’m Noelle Laurent. Nice to meet you!”
Patreon is 15 chapters ahead if you'd like to binge.