The Hag

Madon reserved his comments. It was only a few minutes, yet his pupil seemed done for. At least Levickamon was smart enough to block with his arms when the foul creature aimed for his face. That would have been hard to heal overnight.

"This is your second lesson." Madon crossed his legs and enjoyed the show.

"Second? What was the first?" Levi was trapped.

"Were you not paying attention when I talked about Patience?" Madon said.

"This situation does not call for patience, Madon. Help, please." Levi did not have much to sustain the blows. The hag was on top of him, chanting in other tongues.

"Oh-oh, better hurry, kid. Our fallen friend here is not just a lower-class demon, after all. She wants your heavenly fire."

"What!" Levi was aghast. An angel's core is forged out of heavenly flames. In human terms, his heart was a fireball that could empower a fallen. Things were not looking up for Levi at all. On the other hand, Janet had not snapped out of the trance. "Cora will perish if you do nothing," Levi pushed.

"Fine!" Madon cracked his knuckles and snapped a finger. The air in the room suddenly grew dense. The lights glitched above their heads inconsistently. Levi squints when he sees the ceiling fan swinging backwards to a steady halt. Madon had slowed down the clock to buy his student some time.

The demon glanced at Janet- realizing the spell at hand when Janet's hands barely moved towards the baby. It wasn't unreasonable for it to suspect Levi.

"Come on, kid. You have feet, don't you?" Madon said.

Levi utilized the distraction and kicked the demon in the gut. He crawled on the floor, swinging his entire body to escape. "The power of God compels you!" He yelled out of the blue.

That nearly sent Madon into a fit. "What the...you're not a priest, Levickamon! That won't work for you."

"Haha! Hahaha," the demon cackled.

"See, now she's mocking you!" Madon stressed. "Stop cowering and fight!"

"But I have no divine weapon!" said Levi.

"You're a Guardian wearing a divine cloak! Your entire being is a divine weapon. Now take her down!" Madon bumped his fists together, wearing down the spell he cast.

Levi unconventionally faced reality. He put up a fist, shifting timidly. The hag studies his moments, chuckling with malice. What breed of angel this was, she had no idea. The battle was about to end; it was too easy.

The demon stormed at Levi with razor-sharp claws, not taking chances or going easy. Her blades sliced through Levi's side. He lets out a painful growl, but that's not all. Levi seals the wound instantly, locking the hag in place.

Madon was caught off guard when Levi speared his fingers into the demon's eyes. Her dreadful shrieks blared like a siren as she struggled to break free. Levi held on tight, throwing in any energy left in his limbs. Madon pressed a fist to his mouth when squishy ripping sounds echoed in the room.

"Gah!" Levi gouged out the demon's eyes- along with a thick blackened blob. With a soundless gush, the hag collapsed like a building. Levi crushed the mass in his hand, panting like a madman.

"Uggh! What did you do that for?" Madon averted his eyes with disgust. "Oh, I'm gonna throw up." He ran into the bathroom, squeamish with complaints. Unfortunately, Levi still bore those things in his hands when Madon returned.

"Do I need to tell you to throw that away?! Kid, you're one sadistic angel."

"What?" Levi's mind was blank. "This is... this is that demon's eyes, right?"

"Does that look like a set of eyes? You practically ripped her brain out of her head and mashed it like a potato."

"I didn't want her to heal quickly." Levi threw the body parts to the floor, a little shaken by that detail. He reopened his wound and pulled out the limb stuck in his rib.

"Well, you did worse. The demon is dead! Probably back in hell by now." Madon dabbed a tissue on his mouth. "Don't just wipe the remains of a fallen on your clothes! Gosh!" It was more than the Tartys had bargained for. "Let me take care of it." At the twirl of his finger, Madon shared his divine light with the underling. Levi was brushed clean by a rushing wind.

Time returned to its natural pace.

"Oh, God."

They turned at the sound of Janet's voice. She flung the pillow above her head and gently picked up her baby. "What was I thinking? It's okay, sweetie. I'm sorry...mummy's sorry." She cradled Cora close to her chest.

Levi sighed in relief when the mother popped her nipple into Cora's mouth. The baby sucked violently, nuzzling her head against that warm body.

"Look away!" Madon slapped his pupil on the back.

Again, Levi knelt on the floor, recalling the harsh pain he felt that morning. His teacher pulled him up with a jolly laugh, telling him to liven up. With that commotion out of the way, Madon explained a few things to Levi.

It had to do with the disappearance of Janet's Guardian, and why she allowed a demon to control her thoughts enough to want to smother her own child. "That low-class demon could not see us because we're on a different dimension. You mentioned Janet's name, meddling in her affairs directly. That gave away your position."

"Are you saying Janet's Guardian is also on a different plane from ours?"

"Possibly. When humans lose faith for a long period, it can affect their angels- make them dormant or stuck in some kind of limbo."

"Then who protects Janet?" Levi could not fathom how much trouble that must have caused an unborn Cora.

"Divine grace. The Creator makes provisions for these things. That's why you're here. Your influence on Cora can rekindle her mother's faith and free her angel."

"Does Janet not love Cora?" There was a lot Levi was yet to understand.

"She does. Janet has been depressed for so long she's forgotten that. She did not want to raise a child alone. It made her bitter. Humans call it prenatal and postpartum depression."

"Is it treatable?"

"Yes. With medicine, counselling and a miracle." Madon took out what looked like a folded banana leaf from his pocket.

"Then, what about Cora's father? Where is he?"

"That's a story for another day," Madon said. "You probably haven't had any manna since you go there. Let's share this."

Levi did not debate. He sat by his superior and accepted the food with gratitude. Together they watched Janet and the baby fall asleep.

"What do I do with her?" Levi had a strange awakening. "What if I mess up and can't save Cora the next time? I'm not good enough for her." The negative things said about Levi in Arioch resounded in his head. And he believed it. He believed he was a freak- a mistake of the Arch.

It must have been easy for Madon to read the underling's woes. He chuckled and slapped Levi hard on the shoulder. Levi took it without a beep.

"What you did today was incredible. I've known higher-ranked Guardians who could not rescue day-olds. Be proud, Levickamon. Do not underestimate the will of heaven. I have a good feeling about you," said Madon. His kind words lived with the underling for the rest of the night. It was encouraging enough to stop Levi from giving up.