Chapter 2: Anathema

Chapter 2: Anathema

SYSTEM WARNING

Anathema Emergence detected. Reality Usurpation imminent.

I blinked as a square message appeared with vivid clarity in the center of my vision. The message read itself in a screaming chorus of a dozen discordant voices that made my skin crawl. A second later, the alarms in the mall went off in the loud droning of what sounded like air-raid sirens. The sound made a primal dread rise in me, a hollow chill spreading through my body that sent goosebumps rising on my skin. Briefly, the memory of every Anathema Emergence drill wed done in school flashed through my head.

SYSTEM MESSAGE

Emergency shelters have been opened. Please make your way to the nearest shelter by following the arrows on the ground. Remain calm and proceed in an orderly fashion.

REMINDER: Once a shelters emergency shielding is enabled, it cannot be disabled without proper authorization. Do NOT manually activate unless under immediate threat of breach and the auto-engage systems fail!

Estimated time until Usurpation: 9:59

Everyone in the food court winced as the next message bloomed, the malls magitech warning system sending the message to every persons head simultaneously. As the message read itself, I recoiled in horror as voices read the final number. Ten minutes!? Arcadia was one of the seven most advanced island cities in the world created by the Zenith themselves. The early warning system was supposed to give a minimum of thirty minutes before an attack! I looked at Lily in shock as the warning alarms continued crying out only to find her earlier expression replaced with fear.

Below us, motes of ethereal green light formed into arrows along the floor beneath various groups of people, pointing towards promised safety.

There was a paralyzed few seconds of stillness in the food court where everyone seemed too shocked to move. Then, almost at the same time, people began to panic. Chairs were knocked over as people threw themselves to their feet, shouting as they pushed their way forward. People began to push, yelling as bottlenecks in the miniature hedge maze formed. Somebody screamed, and I stared at the chaos, unable to shake the utter, debilitating terror I felt.

Id never been caught in an Anathema Usurpation before. Even in Arcadia, with all the fancy magitech shielding crystals, they still happened, but there was always plenty of prior warning. Normally the area was easily evacuated, quarantined, and then cleaned up by MGs and the magical soldiers who dedicated themselves to killing Anathema. Some MGs even livestreamed their fights. Sure, Usurpations werent a daily occurrence, but a half-dozen every month were to be expected.

But now I was in the middle of one, and for all the drills wed done at school, none of it helped with the fear. It was so thick inside me I could feel it coiling through my rib cage and wrapping teeth around my heart. Every racing pulse pushed into those knife points, teasing my chest with sharp pin-pricks of terror. My lungs felt suddenly tight, and I struggled to make myself breathe.

Mai!

I snapped back to reality as Lily shook me, leaning in close with a worried look on her face. I sucked in a deep, quivering breath, giving her a shaky nod. She responded with a reassuring smile, but her eyes were alert, snapping back and forth as she watched the chaos around us. She gave me a gentle pull, and I pushed myself up from my seat, grabbing my backpack and shouldering it as an afterthought.

Dont worry, were actually not in as much danger as it seems, Lily said after a moment, flashing me a quick grin. Just follow my lead, okay? This isnt my first Usurpation.

I snapped a look at her in shock, but she just chuckled.

Another time. For now, we wait for our arrows to appear and- ah, there we go!

As if on cue, glowing arrows of light bloomed beneath our feet along the ground. Grabbing my arm, Lily began pulling me along as we began running along the path the arrows created. It surprised me how quickly the food court had begun to empty out, but there were still people like us just getting to their feet and following their own arrows as they appeared.

The arrows were a form of magitech, made to help with evacuations. They were like an active GPS, creating a constantly updating path to the nearest available shelter. Each group of people got their own customized pathways in an attempt to avoid bottlenecks between fleeing people. So long as the arrows were green, we were on track to make it before the Usurpation took full effect. While it made it look like everyone was running around in a panic, it would hopefully stop people from getting trampled and shelters from overflowing.

We sprinted past stores, turning in seemingly random directions as we trusted the arrows with our lives. Lily could easily have outpaced me, but she stuck by my side even if she did let go of my arm after a minute. As far as I could tell, we were making good time. My mental map wasnt perfect, but I did remember the general location of the shelters in the building from when I looked up the floorplans the previous night.

Well be fine. Ten minutes isnt much time, but the shelter isnt far. At most itll take a few minutes to get there at full speed, even following this indirect path. Even if the shelter is at capacity, the stairs are nearby, and we could get to the ground floors mega shelter entrance. Were fine. Everythings going to be-

Brian! the voice of a young girl shrieked, the cry broken by sobs.

Lily and I stumbled and came skidding to a stop. Then another wail cried out, and Lily burst into motion down a path towards the sound. I followed after her blindly as we took a turn the arrows werent pointing to. Lily moved quickly, faster than Id ever seen her move before. I did my best to follow her but lost ground in a matter of moments.

We took another turn in the sleek mall and found ourselves in front of a store selling stuffed animals. A young, elementary-aged girl stood there whimpering, looking around. When she spotted us, she practically collapsed, clutching a stuffed bear to her chest. Lily slowed down as she got there, crouching down to the girls level. I caught up to her seconds later, breathing heavily.

Hey there sweetie, Lily gave a reassuring smile. Whats wrong? What are you doing here all alone?

The girl sniffled and wiped snot from her nose, her lower lip quivering.

Mommy and Daddy told us to wait on the bench with the nice store lady while they got food, but then the alien alarm went off! Everyone started running around and the lady ran too! Nobody would stop to help me!

She looked to be on the verge of tears again, and Lily reached out her hand, offering it.

Thats alright, how about we help you? Well take you to the shelter. Your mommy and daddy are probably waiting for you there. Come on, we can go together, and you can tell me all about the cute teddy bear you have.

The girl hesitated, looking between the two of us.

What about Brian? Who's going to help Brian?

Brian? Lily tilted her head. Who's Brian?

Hes my brother! she whimpered. He was supposed to wait on the bench with me and the lady, but he wanted to go to the store with the footballs and baseballs! I told him not to go, but he snuck off and-

Shh, its alright honey, Lily reassured the girl, rubbing her shoulder gently. Do you know where the store is? We can go get him together.

We had to cross the place with all the food and the pretty fountain, she said, looking up at Lily as she shook slightly. It was crowded, and Mommy wanted to eat somewhere quieter.

Quickly, I reached into my pocket, pulling at my phone. The internet was out, as it always was during an Usurpation, but I still had the third floors map pulled up. I scanned over it, looking for our location based on our path so far. I found us quickly, and then started looking through the different stores on the other side of the food court.

Found it! I said after a moment, and Lily looked up at me in surprise. Theres a sporting goods store across the food court. That must be the one.

Lily gave me a wide grin, and I saw something warm but unfamiliar flash across her face.

Nice job, Mai! Alright, sweetie, how about you come with us? Well pick up your brother, and-

Wait! I interrupted without thinking, my heart leaping into my throat. Lily turned and gave me a questioning look. I bit my lip as I studied the map again, thinking about what the system message had said. To my surprise, it popped back into my mind, showing the remaining time. Eight minutes, thirty-two seconds. Below our feet, I could see new arrows had formed, but the previous green had gained a yellowish hue.

As the alarm continued to wail, cold logic began to form in my head at a furious rate. Doubling back, finding the girls brother, then running to the shelter there wouldnt be enough time, not if we dragged the girl with us. She wouldnt be able to keep up the pace. Maybe one of us could make it to the store, find Brian, and then run to the shelter, but it would be cutting it close. The only way it was possible would be taking a straight-line route from location to location, relying on everyone else to already have cleared out. The problem was that the person who went would have to know the malls map well enough to get straight to the store.The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

Which meant

The realization hit me as I considered our options. I ran it through my head once more, but came back to the same conclusion. Swallowing, my legs felt shaky as I forced myself to meet Lilys searching look. There was only one option if we wanted to save both of the kids.

And I was not about to abandon a little boy to the Anathema.

We wont make it if we take her with us, I finally breathed out. She wouldnt be able to keep up with the pace wed have to go.

Lilys eyes widened at my words as she glanced back at the girl. She seemed to think about it for a moment, then gave a simple nod to herself. Looking back to me, I could see the determination on her face.

Alright, heres what well do, she said quickly, her voice a little breathless. Mai, youll take our little pumpkin to the shelter, and Ill-

I shook my head quickly, and she stopped.

Lily, you cant even navigate in video games with a mini-map that shows your location, I pointed out, trying to keep my voice from quavering. Youd only get lost. I Ill do it. Im the one who always ends up navigating for us in games. I can get there and back to the shelter in time.

She opened her mouth to argue, and I held up a hand.

Seven minutes, fifty-five seconds, I pushed. We dont have time to discuss this. It has to be me. Just wish me luck.

Mai! Lily hissed out. She searched my face for something, but after a faltering moment, she simply got up and wrapped me in a tight hug. I squeezed her back, hoping she couldnt feel my body shaking.

He might not even be there, she whispered in my ear.

But we have to try, I murmured back. When you get to the shelter, can you make sure they dont panic and activate the emergency shield? Ive heard horror stories.

Over my dead body, she promised, hugging me so tight it was painful.

Lily pulled away from me after another quick second, giving my shoulders a tight squeeze before she reached into the pocket of the blazer still tied about her waist. She pulled something small out and pushed it into my hands.

Here. Take this. And no matter what, promise me that if you see the arrows turn orange, you turn back. No. Matter. What.

I looked back into her eyes as she stared into my own. My stomach turned as I realized she meant I should leave the kid if I couldnt find him in time. I kept her gaze, ignoring the clenching in my chest.

I promise, I lied.

For another breath, neither of us moved, and I swallowed the bitterness in my throat. Then, I turned on my heel and sprinted away from my friend, praying I wouldnt have to betray her.

I followed my mental map, twisting through the maze until I reached a main pathway, and then I beelined it to the food court. As I did, I looked at the object Lily had pushed into my hand. I almost tripped when I realized it was a switchblade in matte black. I quickly regained my balance and pocketed the knife into my blazer.

Why did she have a knife with her? For that matter, were switchblades even legal in Arcadia? I considered it for another moment, decided it definitely didnt matter at the moment, and kept moving. Id just have to ask Lily later.

Power supply compromised. Primary shielding station offline. SOS has been sent. Shelter in place until rescue arrives.

Or someone else comes looking. If its somebody calling out saying they're here to help, go to them. Otherwise, stay hidden no matter what you hear. You understand?

He gave me a jerky nod, and after fumbling my items around, I managed to free a hand to rub the top of his head gently.

Dont worry. Ill protect you. Now, lets go.

I started moving, still crouched and making sure Brian followed. He stuck to me like glue, and I made sure to pay extra attention to my scythes length to not bump it into him or any of the shelves. We made our way to the entrance, and I paused, looking around at the food court. The weird rift thing had disappeared from the sky, and the mall was silent as a graveyard which was not a comforting analogy to make. Stupid brain

The way looked clear, and so I carefully set down my weapon and transferred the baseball to my right hand. As I did, I caught my reflection in the glass of a nearby display. I looked scared, of course, but my eye there was a determination that gleamed behind it that Id never seen before. As I looked on in surprise, I found my hand reaching towards my eyepatch.

Screw it. Its not like anyone is around to stare anyway. Might as well go all out.

So I pulled off the eyepatch, tucking it into my blazer pocket as my right eye quickly adjusted to the dim red of the emergency light.

My reflection peered back at me, my left eye a bright azure, and my uncovered right a sanguine red, both gleaming with the mark of someone affected by mana while they were still developing in the womb. The two different colors were just due to mundane heterochromia, but being manaborn meant they both had a vivid sheen to them. The combination ended up causing people to stare or sometimes outright stop me to take pictures. Id taken to wearing the eyepatch to avoid the looks since elementary school. Id still gotten looks, of course, but the medical-style eyepatch had stopped all but the most intrusive from asking questions, afraid it was an injury and, therefore, a taboo topic.

Of course, that hadnt stopped Katie when we had first met in middle school. Shed poked and prodded around the topic, finally taking to calling me cyclops girl. Then, at the start of the current school year, shed grown the courage to outright pull off my eyepatch in the middle of our lunch period. After that, word had spread through the grade quickly.

Freak. Crazy eyes. Demon girl. Katie had gotten creative with the names. From a distance, it was all just stupid, low-tier bullying.

But that didnt make it cut any less, and even small cuts could bleed someone out eventually.

My vision finally finished adjusting to both the dark and using both eyes again, so I shook the thoughts from my head. Now wasnt the time to be introspective. It was time to move.

Carefully, I stood up, still searching for movement. Seeing none, I took a breath, pulled my arm back, and threw the baseball as far as I could, aiming at a store window on the other side of the food court. I wasnt particularly strong and never really practiced throwing, so I just arched it the best I could, hoping it would slam into something and make noise.

It did not disappoint. Maybe I had underestimated the effect of fear-induced adrenaline and the strength that came with it, because I watched with shock as it flew all the way across the food court. It fell short of the store I aimed for, but then it bounced off the floor with a noisy thud and ricocheted into the window. The baseball slammed into the glass, and the entire window shook noisily in its frame, echoing through the empty mall floor. Triumph flooded into my veins, a wild grin stretching over my lips as-

Four shapes suddenly blurred from the shadows, rushing to the sound. I got the vague impression of something doglike with an unnaturally long tail as they moved, the sound of claws scrabbling on the tiled floor. My heart leapt into my throat as one of the shapes appeared from behind a half wall of hedges along the food courts outer perimeter, directly where our path to the shelter was. The shapes moved about as quick as a normal canine running at full speed, but made no sound other than the clicking of their clawed feet.

I waited, making sure there were no others, and then moved, jerking my head at Brian to follow. I kept my scythe close and the bundled net in my left hand ready as I led Brian to the hedge walls, skirting along the perimeter of the food court away from the direction Id thrown the ball. My heart felt like it was trying to tear through my chest, but I ignored it as I crouch-shuffled along. When we got about a quarter of the way around, I took another careful look above the hedges, but saw nothing.

I moved, breaking from the cover of the wall and headed to a pathway that led between stores. From there, I knew if we took a right and followed the maze of storefronts for a while, it would eventually lead us directly onto a path to the shelter. Brian stuck close, all but clutching onto me as we moved. I led him along, trying to ignore the storefronts we were passing and the thought there could be any number of Anathema hiding in them. If they were hiding inside, there wasnt much I could do about it but be alert and ready.

We made slow but substantial progress. My path was designed to take as many turns as possible, utilizing the small alleyways created between the stores. That way, we wouldnt find ourselves on a long straightaway where anything could see us from far away. Before every turn, I stopped and looked down the hall, forcing myself to observe for at least a minute before continuing. With the size of the mall, it felt like I was going through a city more than anything else.

Brian kept up well, and I made sure to give him a reassuring smile every time we waited at a corner. I had no idea how the kid was holding it all together so well when I barely was. Maybe he was just in shock. Maybe I was in shock. Whatever. It didnt matter too much as long as we were making progress.

At the halfway mark, I paused to catch my breath, taking a little more time as I watched our next pathway for movement. Seeing nothing, I stepped out, turning to give Brian another reassuring smile.

For the first time, he gave me a shaky smile back, and an Anathema stepped out of a storefront ten feet behind him.

It was about the size of a small wolf and borrowed the same shape, but instead of fur, it had a slick black carapace covering it in armor, sinewy red muscle poking out between the plates. The things tail was serrated and hung limply behind it at nearly twice the length of its body. As the thing stepped forth, it turned to me. I blinked as my gaze met what looked almost like a giant eels head. Its unassuming, derpy eyes stared back, lidless and unmoving.

Then it opened its mouth, and I realized its head wasnt that of an eel but a lamprey.

Teeth lined the interior of its suction cup mouth, and it let out a shrieking hiss that bounced around weirdly in the shorter passage. Brian started to flip around, but I was already moving. The lamprey wolf hurried to move as well, scrabbling and slipping over the tiles as it tried to find traction to leap at us. I threw the net over Brians head at the thing, grabbing his shoulder and pushing him behind me once the net left my hand.

Run! I yelped at Brian, my voice cracking even as I readied my makeshift scythe for a swing.

The monster managed to take a step forward only for the messily unwinding net to entangle it. Its legs caught in the various layers of webbing, and it tripped forward, crashing to the ground. As it did, I grabbed my weapon with both hands and swung down. The head of the ice axe smashed straight into a piece of carapace and then through it into flesh. I felt the squish of meat being punctured through the broom pole, and I suppressed a shudder.

The thing let out an undulating hiss of pain, spitting gray slime over the ground as it tried to stand, only for its legs to get further enwrapped in the net. It still managed to slide itself forward, only for the excess netting to catch its back legs as well. Between the smooth tile of the ground and its tangled limbs, it couldnt seem to get to its feet. I pulled up on my scythe, drawing it out from the monster and sending an arc of black ichor onto the wall and ceiling.

Then I swung down again.

And again.

And again.

The ice axe punctured through the thing's body a half dozen times before the creature finally started tearing through the net with its claws. I pulled my scythe back, fear sending a shock of lightning through me. Suddenly, I realized the ice axe wasnt piercing deep enough to reach anything vital in its body. I had to aim for the head if I wanted to kill the thing before it got free.

I adjusted, aiming for half a second before swinging down the scythe again, aiming directly at its head and neck area. There was a sudden blur, and the monsters serrated tail whipped up and wrapped around my weapon. Then it pulled with unnatural strength, and my scythe went flying. I stumbled backwards, reaching behind my head and grasping the ice axe that was sticking out of my backpack. My fingers were slick with sweat and slipped around the thing, unable to find a good grip. Cursing, I pulled off my backpack and ripped the axe clear, tossing my pack to the side.

Before I could flip the axe around to grab the handle, there was a ripping sound as the monster tore itself free from the netting. It leapt at me, bowling straight into me and slamming me into the ground. A gasp of air escaped my lungs even as my head was thrown back by the whiplash into the tile. Pain exploded through my head and back, dyeing my sight red. I blinked the color away, but when my vision cleared, the thing was standing over me, its head hovering above my chest.

Somehow, I was still holding onto the ice axe, and I fumbled with it, trying to work my hand down from the head to grasp the handle. I pushed against the ground with my feet, trying to slide myself away from the monster. It stared at me for a second before it pulled its head back, opening its maw in a victorious shriek, and then it plunged its face onto my stomach. Dozens of serrated teeth undulated in rapid succession to claw into my skin while something sharp and abrasive ripped through my blazer and shirt and into the flesh of my navel.

The beginnings of a scream escaped through my clenched teeth as it tore into me. Finally my right hand found a grip on the axe and-

What felt like a serrated knife plunged into my stomach, and I screamed. Tears came to my eyes as whatever impaled me began to tear around inside of my guts. Dark edges closed in around my vision as a burning pain clawed into me. After another few churning twists, the knife-like object withdrew from my belly in one quick, smooth motion, and I gasped at the sudden sensation. I tried to look through the blurriness covering my sight, my abdomen spasming in a sharp, burning pain. I found the creature still latched onto me, its lidless eyes meeting my own. Suddenly, its neck undulated, and I felt a sudden suction as it began slurping up my blood and guts.

The thing was eating me.

Something inside my head snapped at that realization, and I let out a scream that cracked my throat as a whole new agony flooded my body. Panic and desperation flooded through me at the sheer intrusiveness of the sensation as my guts were sucked out. I tried to grab the thing's head with my left hand and push it off, but I couldnt find any purchase on its slick skin. I switched tactics, instead using the feeling of the monsters head to aim, and I swung the ice axe at it.

The axe pierced the things neck, and its entire body spasmed, the suction faltering. The brief reprieve gave me time to pull the axe back out and adjust my aim. Its tail swung up from behind it, and I knew it was going to try to whip my ice axe away. Before it could, I swung down again, and the axe plunged through its head, this time directly above its eyes.

The monster's entire body stiffened, going completely still. Then its teeth suddenly unlatched from my belly even as the thing fell on top of me. I could hear myself whimpering as I pulled the axe out, and swung down again at its neck. There was no reaction as it bit deep, but I didnt stop. I kept swinging, stabbing holes into the thing until my arm grew weak. I could hear myself gasping for breath as I laid there, the creatures corpse resting on my lower body.

For a while, I didnt move. Every heaving breath of air caused my stomach to rise and fall, sending shocks of pain through me. I tried to slow down my breathing the best I could, and the pain gradually began to lose some of its bite. When it went from excruciating and paralyzing to only reducing me to tears, I began trying to slide myself from under it. The movement caused my abdominal muscles to contract, and I choked on more sobs as I forced myself to continue until I was finally free.

I wiped at my blurry vision, trying to regain my composure. From where I was laying, I tried my best to look around for Brian, but I didnt see him anywhere. He must have ducked into a store and hid like I told him. That was good, because I was sure my screams had echoed through the hallways. Hopefully the maze of the mall had bounced the sound around enough that it would take time before more creatures found me, but I couldnt waste even a second.

I needed to move, and to do that, I had to assess the damage to my abdomen. I felt panicky fear rise in my throat as I pushed my head and shoulders up off the ground to see my wound. There was a hole through my blazer and blouse on the area around my navel, showing skin and flesh scraped raw. In the center was a noticeable hole, and even as I watched, blood bubbled up from it with each of my breaths. Soft, mewling sounds of pain started escaping me as horror washed through me. Bile rose in my throat, and I forced myself to hold it down, not wanting to know what kind of pain vomiting would induce.

I let myself lie back on the floor, closing my eyes. I couldnt stop myself from whimpering weakly as I gently moved my hands over my wound and felt a hot, sticky warmth. I tried to put a little pressure on my wound, but the slightest push sent stars across my vision. My weak, pained noises gained a raw, shrill sharpness to them.

As I tried to regain control of myself, I realized that even though the monster hadnt hit anywhere vital, it had still ripped through my guts. If I tried to move, the pain it would cause would almost certainly make me pass out. I was stuck, bleeding out, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Im going to die, I realized, and tears spilled down my cheeks.

I felt myself choking on weak sobs as I tried not to agitate my belly. I had killed an Anathema, an alien abomination, but so what? What did it matter if I was going to die anyway? I had saved Brian, but now what was going to happen to him? Would he really be safe with more of those things prowling around? Id failed in every single way that truly mattered.

And Lily. God, Lily. I was never going to see her again, her blond ponytail bouncing whenever she ran, her mischievous grin when she surprised me. I was never going to get to play more games with her, to watch her run at her track practices, to see her smile at me again.

I really wanted to see her smile again

Something inside my heart fell apart.

I let myself cry in uncontrolled, choking gasps, ignoring the throbbing pain that came with it. My sobs were utterly undignified sounding, all snot and choked whines, but I didnt care. It didnt matter any more.

Nothing mattered any more.

Dimly, I heard the pitter-patter of something against the tile floor, and I almost let out a mirthless laugh as it grew nearer. So much for bleeding out. At least I wouldnt have to suffer much longer. The pattering steps grew nearer with an odd, hopping cadence, and it was only when I heard it stop near my head that I decided to open my eyes and face whatever had come to finish me off.

At first, I thought I was looking at a stuffed animal.

A pure white, floppy-eared rabbit sat near my head, staring at me with red eyes. The rabbit was huge, the size of a fully grown cat, and even as I looked at it, nine fox tails unfurled behind it, gently waving back and forth. As I looked at the thing in confusion, I noticed that instead of solid pupils, both were black circles that held a seven-pointed star made of seven straight, overlapping lines. Everything about it was overemphasized and artificially perfect, exactly like a stuffed animal was. The rabbits head suddenly moved, tilting slightly as it continued to stare.

[Congratulations!] A womans voice resounded through my mind. [Your actions have not gone unnoticed! The Zenith have recognized you as being a capable fit to become a Magical Guardian and continue defending humanity!]

I blinked, completely failing to understand what was happening. I went over the words in my head again but couldnt seem to process them. The rabbits head tilted to the other side, and the womans voice came back to me.

[It appears your conflict with the Anathema has left you in a critical condition. I should inform you that if you choose to become a Magical Guardian, you will gain access to resources capable of preventing your eventual demise. As you seem to be losing blood and consciousness, I will skip the rest of the introduction and get straight to my one and only question.]

The rabbits heptagram eyes began to glow with crimson light, and I felt a cold chill down my spine.

[Would you like to make a contract?]