A young woman walked down the bustling streets of New York and descended the stairs to the subway station. She was dressed in a black cape and hood that concealed her face. Beneath her cape, she wore a black shirt and skirt, and leather boots that created rhythmic sounds on the concrete floor. Her glassy blue-green eyes were accentuated with black mascara, and her lips were painted black. She had a pointed nose and a pale complexion on her smooth face, and her hair was jet black. Her eyes were watchful and alert, and she moved quickly past the crowd who were waiting for the train to arrive.
In her early twenties, her determination to reach the darker part of the subway was unmistakable. People turned to look at her as she passed by; there was something about her that caught their attention. She quickened her pace and glided along the concrete facade of the brick-walled underground tunnel. She turned right and took a narrow route to another section of the subway station. The area was infested with rats as big as cats, lurking on the concrete floor, their eyes gleaming in the light from passing trains. The place resembled more of a dungeon inside a medieval fortress than a modern subway station.
The place was dark and cold as she ventured into an even darker part of the subway where homeless people lay down to rest their tired bodies and hungry stomachs on the cold concrete floor. She hastened her pace as she gracefully moved through the area, illuminated only by used candles gathered by the homeless, who made it their home, especially during winter and rainy weather.
The nauseating smell of human waste made her stomach churn. Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest when someone grabbed her hand and pulled her to the side, almost causing her to fall onto the ground infested with cockroaches and rats. She turned her head and was about to shout when she saw a pregnant woman with a face covered in infected wounds with pus, her fingers deformed by years of leprosy.
"Mercy," the pregnant woman said, her voice weak from the effects of the disease.
The young woman looked at her in fear, which nearly masked her pale face. She was about to turn away when a small girl tugged at her cloak.
"Miss, I'm hungry... please, can you spare some food and water?" the girl said, reaching out with her bony, dirty hands.
"No, don't touch me! Just get out of my way, please!" she said, nearly jumping away when the child attempted to touch her.
"But I'm hungry... my stomach hurts when I'm hungry," the girl whimpered, her dirty face now wet with tears. She attempted to embrace the girl, but as soon as she touched her, the young woman pushed the child away, causing the girl to hit the ground and convulse violently. Her eyes widened in terror as she witnessed what happened to the little girl, drawing the attention of subway passengers.
"What did you do to my daughter?!" the pregnant woman shouted, cradling the convulsing girl in her arms.
Groups of men gathered, their angry eyes fixed on the young woman. Fear began to consume her, and without a second thought, she decided to flee. She felt remorse for the little girl and hadn't intended to push her so forcefully. She felt terrible about it but she knew she had done the right thing.
She stopped running when she realized that no one was chasing her. She caught her breath and walked slowly toward the darker part of the subway tunnel. Vandalism covered every wall, illuminated by red neon lights. The place grew colder, creating wisps with every breath. She detected a sulfuric scent in the air and her face lit up as she knew she was on the right path to meet Levi.
She turned to her right and shuffled toward a rusted door, bathed in red neon light. She glanced around to see if anyone was nearby. Slowly, she approached the door, gently raised her hand, and used her knuckles to knock on the rusted metal door. But her hand trembled in mid-air. Her mind questioned whether she was sure about what she was doing. She bowed her head, deep in thought, ensuring that her actions were driven by revenge. Then she lifted her head, focused on the metal door, and knocked firmly three times.
"Who's in there?" A low-pitched male voice came from a small opening in the upper center of the door. Her heart leaped in her chest upon hearing the man's low-toned voice.
"I'm Avah... Avah Sabellano," she replied, her voice trembling and nearly choked.
"What do you want, and who sent you here at this hour?" The voice was firm and with authority.
"I need to talk to Levi," she said, both her palms and forehead flattened against the metal door.
"Master Levi is busy at the moment, and we don't know anyone among our colleagues by the name you mentioned," the man replied.
"Please, I need to speak with him; my mom sent me here to see him," she pleaded, lifting her head to look at the small opening in the metal door.
"Why do you want to talk to him at this hour, and who is your mother?" The man's voice grew louder.
"I am the eldest daughter of Margarette Sabellano, the founder of the Order of the Sanguine Negra. My mother established this group that summoned Levi from the great abyss. Please, open this gate and take me to Levi!" Her voice became resolute and high-pitched.
"Oh..." The man burst into laughter, which left her feeling insulted. "Really? Sorry to tell you, Avah, that I don't work here," he added with a mockery tone.
Avah felt confused. "Hey, what?!"
"Your mother, Margarette... such a beautiful woman. She was supposed to be mine, but your father! Your father deceived her and took her away from me!" The man's voice seethed with anger.
"W... who are you?" Avah asked, her heart suddenly pounding violently in her chest. The man didn't answer. The ensuing silence sent shivers down her spine. "Who are you?" She asked again. "Please tell me." She added. "Hey!"
"Isn't it you who's been looking for me?" Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.
Avah turned her head in the direction of the voice. Standing behind her was a handsome young man dressed in a black coat and tie. His curly blonde hair almost touched his shoulders, and he had a cleft chin, a perfectly square jaw, and high cheekbones. He stood at six feet with broad shoulders and a perfectly sculpted muscular body. His eyes were expressive, a deep Cerulean blue. He stood behind her, watching her, and flashed a smile.
"I am Levi... Avah Sabellano, daughter of Margarette. You've been looking for me. What do you want?" He said, his gaze fixed on her.
Upon hearing the name of the man in front of her, Avah immediately knelt as a sign of respect. She couldn't explain the nervousness and fear she felt due to the indescribable presence of the man. She lowers her head down on the ground until it touches her forehead on the dirty floor.
"I sense the fear in your heart, woman. I can feel every heartbeat, especially the relentless attempt of your soul to escape your body. You are Margarette's daughter, the wife of my former comrade in my past struggles, so you possess the power of a formidable being like me. Aren't you afraid that with a single wave of my hand, I can claim your soul, and your body will be inhabited by hundreds of my minions?" he said to Avah while staring intensely at her.
"I beg your pardon for disturbing you, Levi. I am willing to risk my life to save my mother from death," she replied, maintaining her position.
"I owe your mother a great debt because she freed me from the endless abyss way back before she knew your father. Just yesterday she sought my help to avenge your father's infidelity. So, I vowed to avenge your father. However, she was not satisfied because she and her group of blood witches, the Order of the Sanguine Negra, released Asmodeus. What she did was a great insult, showing no trust in me to exact vengeance on Michael, the Archangel. Now you come to me to help your mother?" Levi said in mockery.
"I beg you please, I am willing to be your servant, just help my mother be saved from death," Avah pleaded.
"I can no longer do anything for your mother, young lady. She chose to release Asmodeus, so she experienced the demon's curse. I can no longer do anything for her because she now belongs to the former angel. All members of her group have been possessed by Asmodeus's demons. So, if I were you, I would go back to your mother, because she won't last long, and she will become a slave to the demon she released," Levi explained to her.
"No, this cannot be. Please, help my mother," she pleaded.
"Rise now, woman, daughter of Margarette. Return to her before Asmodeus's followers find you. If I were you, seek for your father's help," he advised.
Avah rose from the ground, her eyes immediately looking for Levi's whereabouts, but the man was no longer there. Again she looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the former angel, but even the metal gate which stood in front of her had vanished. Levi was gone and didn't want to help her mom. Then she sighed and started to stride her foot to leave the dark place.
The eerie silence sent shivers down Avah's spine. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, took a deep breath, and relived the events before leaving her mother.
When she arrived home that afternoon, she found her mother sitting in her room, lost in thought. Her mom had always been full of life and had a bubbly personality, so seeing her in this state was quite perplexing. Avah approached her mother and sat beside her.
"Hello Mom, I'm back," she said, planting a kiss on her mother's cheek.
Margarette remained silent, her gaze fixed in the distance. Avah placed a hand on her mother's shoulder and looked into her face.
"Mom, are you okay?" she inquired, but her mother still didn't respond. Concern began to well up inside Avah, and she gently shook Margarette's shoulder.
"Mom, what's happening? Is there a problem?" she asked, growing increasingly worried. Avah stopped shaking her mother when Margarette suddenly turned to look at her, tears streaming down her face and hugged her tightly.
"What's wrong, Mom? You can tell me," Avah said, her voice filled with concern for her mother. Margarette continued to cry, her sobs growing louder. Avah felt deep sympathy for her mom, even though she had no idea why she was crying. She wanted to call her brother, Joshua, but she couldn't because she had left her bag on the living room couch when she entered their house. Her cell phone was inside her bag.
"Do you want me to call the doctor?" she asked.
"No," this time Margarette responded, still crying.
"Okay, if you don't want me to call a doctor, then tell me what's wrong. I am now worried Mom," she said to her mother. Margarette cried even harder at her words. "Okay, if you don't want me to call a doctor, maybe you miss Dad so much, so I'll call him instead of Dr. Fuller," Avah suggested, trying to comfort her mother. 
Upon hearing about her husband, Margarette let go of her embrace with her child. Avah noticed this, so she thought that her parents must have a problem.
"Do you and Papa have a problem?" she asked sadly. Margarette sobbed even more in front of her child. "Is there something wrong between you and Papa?" Avah reassured her mother.
This time, Margarette nodded, her cheeks soaked with tears. Avah sighed at Margarette's emotions. It wasn't the first time her parents had problems in their relationship, but it was the first time her mother reacted like this. Usually, they could easily talk things out, and they would be fine afterward. However, this time, Avah felt that her parents' problem was too heavy, causing her mother to be overly emotional. Avah considered calling her father to find out what the problem was, but she decided to stay with her Mom until she fell asleep.
Outside their house, Avah repeatedly tried to video call her father using Messenger. Unfortunately, her Dad, who was working in the Philippines with his best friend John Whitaker, was not online. She also attempted to call John, but he claimed to be unaware of her parents' problem. Her father had not spent the day with him, but he left a reminder for Avah when he unintentionally mentioned the name Edna Sabellano.
Out of curiosity, Avah searched for Edna Sabellano on Facebook and found three accounts with the same name. Among them, only one had a Philippine address. She checked the profile of the woman from the Philippines and saw a picture of her father, along with the woman, a teenage girl, and a young boy being carried by her father.
"Dad?" Avah uttered in shock, clutching her mouth, her trembling hands causing her cell phone to slip from her grasp.