A large television, fastened into the wall, was airing a News Broadcast. The young woman holding the microphone was all smiles as she bounced into the shot.
"We welcome you to another Awakening Ceremony, honoring the beloved Lady LAW!"
The camera zoomed in on a large number of young adults, some terrified while others filled to bursting with excitement.
Opposite the television, a stunning woman was laid out on a massive couch longer than her body. Her dark hair was going across her face as she slowly sat up. Her golden eyes were surrounded with a dark glare as she let out a soft sigh.
"Mommy, mommy! Kitty and Bunnie wanna play!"
The woman looked over her shoulder, her eyes locking on the small boy in the hallway. His stunning white, nearly starlight, hair glistened as he jumped forward. His smile was radiant as he approached his mother. Her hair slid off of her face as she let out another small sigh.
"Kitty and Bunnie wanna play?"
Her voice sounded cold and distant, shifting as she tilted her head back. Her hair slid off of her face as a smile cracked onto her face.
"Should mommy pack some snacks, my Little Star?"
The bubbly boy bounced as his mother got to her feet. Slender, elegant and stunning. Words that perfectly fit her as she leaned over and stroked her sons hair.
"Alright, Altair. Go get ready. Mommy will make some sandwiches!"
Altair's eyes went wide.
"Sammiches..."
He pretended to wipe his drool and darted off. His mother had a warm smile as he vanished down the hall.
"That boy and food, my word, those girls need to learn to cook."
Not too long later, Altair and his mother were making their way down the street. Several passersby greeted them with a smile. They took their time as they noticed a pair of small bodies hurtling towards them.
"M-mommy..."
Altair stuttered, mock terror in his voice. His bright eyes gleamed as he looked up at his mother.
In an instant, Altair was lifted into the air. He giggled brightly, but a pair of sad wails came from ahead of them. With a small smirk, Altair's mother looked down at the pair of sad girls.
"Katie, Beatrice."
The two girls glared defiantly upwards. One, the older of the two, had shorter hair barely at her shoulders. A tiny furrow in her brows made her striking crimson eyes glow. The shorter, younger, girl was attempting to hide her smile. Soft green eyes and a simple ponytail that reached her waist. They were small and adorable in their pouty endeavors.
"Sorry girls! This one is mine!"
Altair looked up, while upside down. His eyes shined as he smiled down at the two girls.
"Mommy, mommy! Lemme go already. I gotta play!"
In an instant, he was back on his feet and running off with his two friends.
"Those girls are nasty competition for each other."
With her smirk still plastered to her face, she stepped towards a nearby bench. Stretching her shoulders out, a soft voice called her from behind.
"Lilja? Good, you made it."
Turning back, Lilja saw a pretty woman. Her hair was long and braided down her back. Bifocals sat on the bridge of her nose, slightly hiding her misty blue eyes.
"Kim! Katie just ran off with Altair and Beatrice."
With a smile, Kim and Lilja began to walk together. With a small pout, Lilja glanced at the bench, but continued to walk.
"So Kim, Katie totally loves my Little Star, right? And Beatrice will fight her for him."
Kim narrowed her eyes, peering over her glasses.
"Oh don't you worry about that at all. My Katie will definitely take after her mother."
Lilja looked Kim up and down.
"Oh honey. That is so cute. You're practically begging her to be a skinny little pencil."
Kim had mock offense on her face as she shoved Lilja playfully.
"Bitch. Fine, I get it. My body lacks the plumpness of some women, BUT I'm still pretty cute."
Lilja snorted lightly as Kim puffed out her chest.
"You're right about that."
The two continued walking and talking, enjoying each others company.
"You know-"
An earsplitting shriek cut off their conversation, pulling them back to reality. Their eyes locked on one anothers and with a small nod the two burst in opposite directions.
'The kids are back in that direction, Kim should be able to take care of them.'
The moment she was alone, Lilja stopped in her tracks and took a small breath. Her shadowy hair began to billow in the wind, slowly shimmering into a blinding white as her body began to lift from the ground. A soft glow was being emitted from her eyes as she took off in the direction of the scream.
"Help, somebody help!"
Lilja looked down into the carnage below her. A few people had already been dismembered, or nearly there. A strange quadripedal beast was pinning a man's shield against him as onlookers sprinted in seperate directions. A few looked up, calling out in excited voices.
"Lady LAW! She's here!"
Lilja smiled down at them, quickly releasing her weight onto the neck of the beast. She impacted it sideways, sending it sprawling into a nearby tree. Neck broken.
"Th-thank you, Lady LAW!"
The man had gotten to his feet, but Lilja began to look around. Lifting back into the air, she noticed several other creatures in the distance. She looked down, calling to the survivors.
"Head that way! You'll be safe!"
Without waiting for an answer, Lilja was gone. Before long, more corpses were strewn about the destroyed park. They mostly belonged to the beasts, but the occasional human was amongst the rubble.
"I'm sorry."
Lilja bowed her head in prayer for the departed. She sighed softly, preparing to take off again, but was stopped by a voice she wasn't expecting.
"S-stay back! You can't h-hurt them!"
Her feet hit the ground, her power fading quickly. In an instant, she was already running towards Altair, fear in her eyes.
"Altair!"
The boys eyes lit up hearing his name, but his voice shook his very body.
"Mommy! Behind!"
Lilja didn't even attempt to turn around. She could feel the heat of her skin breaking as claws or teeth pierced her shoulder, but her body was already in the way of the second attack. The beast that trapped the three terrified children bit down on her other shoulder.
"Fuck."
Lilja breathed deeply, her hair erupting into a blaze of white. With a simple movement, she eviscerated the two beasts that were directly on top of them, as well as a few more stragglers hoping for a free meal. When the smoke of their downfall cleared, Lilja was on the ground. Her clothes were soaked through with her's, as well as the blood of the beasts.
"Mommy!"
Altair was beside her, his little hands attempting to stop the bleeding from wounds Lilja never even noticed. Katie and Beatrice had darted off to find help, pulling any adults they could find towards Lilja.
"My Little Star."
Altair looked into his mother's eyes, her hair gradually fading back to black.
"All I ever wanted, *cough,cough* was for you to be loved."
"Mommy, your love was enough! It was all I wanted!"
She smiled up at him, her lips turning a slight blue as blood trickled from her lips.
"Don't worry. Mommy will never abandon you."
Lilja's hand cupped Altair's cheek for a moment before slowly falling into the dirt.
"M-mommy?"
Altair's head whipped up, looking around.
"Someone! Anyone! Please!"
No one budged, their eyes all falling on Lilja.
"She is LAW?"
"LAW is dead?"
"Who would have expected her to die like this?"
"Her son's fault-"
"-deserved better."
"It should have been him-"
His eyes widened as he clutched his mother's shirt in his hands.
"Mommy, the world is scary without you."