A Small Village in Gavony, Innistrad

[deathsmajesty]

"Maeli! Maeli!" Kalsa's voice echoed through the growing dusk. Where is that child? Kalsa peered under porches and looked through bushes. He hasn't run away again, she told herself, hoping if she said it confidently enough it would be true. Kalsa tried hard not to think of a few months ago, when he had run off. When Avacyn had appeared to save her child.

It had been a miracle, a true miracle, though there was one thing that marred that precious memory: how mad she had been at Maeli. Of course she had been worried about him, frantic about him. Her panic at losing him had fueled her prayer to Avacyn, a prayer so powerful Avacyn had responded. When Avacyn had brought him back to her arms, all she had felt was relief, an overpowering joy that left her in happy tears.

Until the change came over her.

She could not describe it, could not explain it. In a moment all her love and care had left, vanished into the growing dark, and anger had filled her fully, a lightning bolt striking her heart. And not just anger, but a seething resentment and scorn, emotions she had never felt about Maeli before. And worse, she had displayed those feelings in front of Avacyn. Avacyn, who had saved Maeli. Who had saved her.

But after Avacyn left them on that dark meadow, so had the anger. And it had never come back, and ultimately all Kalsa cared about was that she had her child back, her wonderful joy. Now I just need to find him again.

On poles at the outskirts of the village, torch flames flickered and sputtered in the cold winter wind, shadows lengthening as the dusk deepened. She bit her lip, wondering where she should look next, when she heard a loud cry behind her. She turned in a panic, but it was only Maeli, running toward her with a large grin on his face, shrieking happily, "Mommy, Mommy!"

He ran into her arms and hugged her fiercely, and she hugged him back just as tight. You are everything I need in this world. I thought I was lost when Hanse died, but I wasn't. I have you.

The torch lights suddenly all died, their flames extinguished. It was not the wind. The cold air had become utterly still. Maeli clutched Kalsa close, and Kalsa put her arms around her son. There was a scream from inside the village, then a flicker of light caught Kalsa's eye from above and she looked skyward.

Angels flew above them.


Against the orange and purple of the darkening sky, the winged angels hovered high over the village. All of them wielded weapons, swords and spears and staves, and many of those weapons glowed with golden or silver light. The stars are descending from the heavens, Kalsa thought. She looked down at Maeli, and he stared upward in open-mouthed wonder.

Then one of the angels pointed her glowing spear downward at the village. A shaft of light fell from the spear onto one of the houses. The house was bathed in a bright light for seconds, and then the thatched roof burst into flame. The angel pointed her spear at another house, and there was another flash of light and another explosion. Other angels swooped down low, swinging their fiery swords, and shrieks and cries echoed into the night. Maeli screamed in her arms, his wonder transformed into terror.

Kalsa couldn't move, her muscles frozen, her legs rooted into the earth. There was a moment where she thought perhaps the angels were there to root out vampires or werewolves or some other evil. But from the outskirts of the village she saw neighbors die, either cut down by swords or consumed in golden light and flame. They are killing us. Maeli screamed again, breaking through her paralysis.

"Maeli, my love, listen to me. You must run, run far and fast, deep into the woods, and do not come back. No matter what, do not look back, do not come back." Kalsa heard her own words as if someone else was speaking them, and was amazed at how calm they sounded. More explosions and screams came from the village.

Maeli sobbed, "Mama! I can't..."

"Maeli!" Kalsa's voice was sharp and thunderous. "You will listen! Run! Run now, the fastest you have ever run! To the forest!" She broke free of Maeli's embrace and pushed him away. The boy looked at her for a second, tears in his eyes, before turning and dashing away, through the brambles and hedges that lined the village's edge. Kalsa felt a sharp pain in her heart. Run, my child!

Kalsa looked up, and noticed the angel who had begun the destruction staring back at her from the sky. Looking at her and past her, toward the forest. No, you cannot have him! She began screaming at the angel, running in the direction below where the angel hovered. Avacyn, Kalsa prayed. Perhaps the angels had been possessed by evil spirits, or they were some malevolent force in disguise. Surely that must be it! Why else would some of the angels have writhing tentacles in place of arms? But whatever was happening, Avacyn would save them. Standing just below the angel, Kalsa bowed her head. Avacyn, hear my prayer. Help me now, help us now. Please, my Avacyn, you saved my boy once, please save him again. Save us all.

"You do not need to pray your lies to me, creature. I'm right here in front of you." Kalsa heard the voice just above her. She looked up, and saw an angel dressed in black, her wings steeped in blood red, her eyes dark and pitiless, nothing like the loving eyes she had seen just a few months back. The voice was familiar and strange together, with some type of accent marring her words.

It was Avacyn. Avacyn was here. Avacyn was destroying her village.


"Why have you forsaken us?" Kalsa cried out. She didn't know whether she spoke to Avacyn or to the uncaring night sky, but neither responded. Throughout the village, screams rose and ceased abruptly as the angels continued their attacks with blade and fire. The flames rose higher behind Kalsa, consuming her village, consuming all the trappings of her life.

Avacyn descended softly, her red-soaked wings still, her eyes black and lidded. "The great work begins! Fitting you should be here to witness its glory." Avacyn paused, looking past Kalsa. "Where is the small creature? It should be here, too."

"He's gone! Beyond your reach, foul thing." Kalsa was sobbing, struggling to breathe amongst the smoke and grief. Run, Maeli, run. There must be somewhere safe. Find it, my love, find it!

"Beyond my reach?" Avacyn landed a foot away from Kalsa. Kalsa heard a loud buzzing noise coming from somewhere, and she covered her ears in pain. Avacyn reached out and touched Kalsa on the cheek, stroking her trembling flesh. "Everything that is, is within my reach. My domain has no limits. And my domain has rotted. Putrefied. Everything must be cleansed. Everything must be pure."

Avacyn stopped, withdrew her hand. "It is no matter. I will find the small creature eventually. I will find all of you, eventually." She took a step backward and pointed her spear at Kalsa. "All will burn. All will bleed." The tip of the spear sparked with red and gold light.

Kalsa closed her eyes. My beautiful child. The light was bright, so bright...My beautiful, beautiful...

***
Avacyn watched as the remains of the mortal creature blew away, the ashes scattering and swirling for a moment of flight before falling to the ground. Chaos into order. Corruption into purity. Peace increases.

The sky whispered to her. The rivers, the trees, the grass, the moon. All whispered glorious truth.

For so long I have listened to the whispers of liars, and the world has suffered. Now she was listening to truth. She knew it was truth because every whisper said the same thing, so unlike the chaotic, conflicting prayers she had heard for hundreds of years. Why did I not realize how inconsistent these mortal creatures are? Their words always change. No matter, now. Now she understood.

She looked at the moon, and the moon whispered such beautiful words. All will burn. All will bleed. Avacyn repeated the words to herself, a soothing song filling her head with joy. All will burn. All will bleed. She laughed and smiled as her angels continued the great work in the burning village.

[Taken from "A Gaze Blank And Pitiless" by Ken Troop. Warning for onscreen NPC death NFI, NFB. Folks in Innistrad are definitely having a normal one. Kalsa and Maeli's first interaction with Avacyn is here.]