He faced his mom and held her hand.
"Will I see you again?"
"Yes," she replied.
He reached behind his neck and removed his dog tag.
"Take this..." he insisted. "I want you to have it."
Kali opened her palm.
"What are you giving me?"
"We're going to meet again..." he continued. "In the meantime, put this to good use."
She collcted the chain then held it to her chest.
"I will light an incense and pray for your safety. When you return, Ethan, you can have it back."
Ethan roamed down the trail toward the Mansion. He turned around and waved at Kali.
"Mom it’s fine... I won't be needing it anymore."
BIRTHRIGHT
Contingency
The sound of her black boots clicked on the floor of the casino, as Osira walked the ruins of Black Angel. Unflinched by the terrors that surrounded, she searched in the building for remaining survivors. As shadows formed into ravaging beast, they consumed the fears of their cowering host. She paused as she approached a young girl recoiling against a crumbling wall. She looked down at the trembling teenager. Osira drew her crossbow.
"Move it," she ordered.
The young girl held up her hands as she slowly rose to her feet. In her bloody palm, strains of Yessenia's hair still clung to it.
"Step away from the child!" Osira directed.
Alex took a step forward. She looked back at her sister. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. Osira looked at the dead girl laying on the ground.
"Stop crying" she uttered.
"Don't..." Alex insisted. "You have no right."
Osira grabbed a fistful of Alex's hair and pulled her from out the corner.
"Let's go," she demanded.
***
Alex put her hands on her head and dropped to her knees. Her eyes widen with fear as the light of the moon illuminated the demolished capitol. The cold air dampened her breath while her muffled cry provoked the surrounding demons even more. She shrieked as another man was forced to his knees beside her. As Osira commanded the terrors to gather the remaining survivors, she directed the demons to line them up in rows of threes.
"Don't be foolish," Osira addressed the captives. "Your leaders have forsaken you. You have survived only from the mercy of the one you see before you."
"Never!" yelled a voice, coming from within the crowd.
The man stood up as Osira approached him. He lifted up the white mask that covered his face.
"You think I'm a let some psycho bitch scare me... WHERE'S LEO?"
Murmurs circulated amongst the contained captives as the outburst of the man disrupted the crowd. Pointing her crossbow at the man's chest, Osira released the arrow.
"There’s no Leo," she replied.
A demonic terror lunged at the wounded man. It wrapped its mouth around his face then devoured him.
"There is no Hunter..." she continued. "There’s no rich... no poor. All that is left... is darkness."
The terror demon released the man and dropped him on the ground. As more shadows gathered around the crowd, the captives began to settle.
In the distance, an opaque fog whirled through the dusty night. Gray eyes emerged from the crowd pierced beneath a hooded cowl. Chronos followed the creature and approached the captives.
"Servorum," Chronos roared.
The captives replied bowing their heads in unison.
"Pledge your allegiance to your rightful king," Osira growled. "All who oppose..."
She held her crossbow high in the air.
"...let there be no objections," she continued.
Chronos approached Osira and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Have you found Hecatan and the child yet?"
Osira lowered her weapon.
"Things got... complicated."
A fiery glow burned in Chronos's eyes.
"With my own hands, I’ve created your being... I can destroy what I’ve made just as quick."
"She helped Ethan escape... the girl was never here."
"And where is the arrogant one?"
She pointed towards the remains of Black Angel.
"Inside with his head blown off."
Chronos stared at the crowd of humans. As they lower themselves in his presence, he walked amongst them, parading the line of captives. He ordered the shadows to converge as ‘The Gatherer’ followed him close behind.
"You think these people will suffice?" Osira spoke.
"The whole world will be at my command," Chronos replied. "This race of humans is beyond redemption. Their sacrifice will be the birth of a new civilization... The fall of the Protogenoi will not be painless."
Chronos walked towards Osira. "I'm assigning you a new task," he continued, putting his hand on her chin. "I want you to go to the house of the Belmonts. Check in with the father... His son was a failure. I will not tolerate incompetence."
Osira placed her hand on the Titan’s hand, giving him a slight smirk.
"I will get you the orb from the Belmont... then... I will kill him personally."
"I believe you," Chronos replied. “You have no choice.”
He pushed her face away.
‘The Gather’ lifted the head of one of the male captives. "Look into my eyes..." he ordered, staring into the man’s face. "Show me your fears."
The man trembled as he blinked repeatedly.
A dark mist escaped out of ‘The Gather’s’ mouth as it transferred into the man's body.
The man screamed, then spazed backward.
He gripped his eyes as he clawed at his face feverishly. Flesh from his skin boiled over. He released his hands from his face and looked up towards the sky. Gray eyes pierced from his sockets. Dropping his head, he turned to a guy that was next to him. Reaching over, he attacked him.
"Release yourself," commanded ‘The Gather’.
The possessed human unbounded himself from the man. ‘The Gather’ looked onward.
“Now...” he commanded to the rests of the terrors, “...feast.”
The crowd dispersed as he rose in the air. Terrors and demons alike shrieked in the uproar.
"No one escapes," Chronos bellowed.
The terrors and demons swarmed the streets. They searched for the humans as they ran into alleyways. Consuming their souls, the demons transferred their darkness into them, possessing their bodies.
Osira glanced up at Chronos.
"Soon you will have your army..." she uttered. "But can I ask, why are you turning them possessed?"
"I despise the humans..." Chronos replied. "They have interfered with the balance of nature for the last time. They behave like beasts... and as their master, I will control their will. In the end, I will be the creator of their new world. One devoided of the Protogenoi."
"And what is your plan for Tartarus... that wall will not last long."
"I will penetrate the Egress with the Occulus. By reversing the transgression of those before me, I will become the direct successor to Aion... My birthright is to control the multiverse."
As a demon reached out and grab Alex, she cried out in shock. She wrestled with the creature as she struggled to set herself free. Osira pointed her crossbow at her and steadied her weapon.
"Lower the Soulstring," Chronos commanded.
Osira pulled the trigger.
The titan caught the arrow with his bare hand. He signal the ‘The Gatherer’ to give chase instead.
Alex sprinted awkwardly towards a nearby alley.
After shifting into a cloud of dark matter, ‘The Gatherer’ soon followed. Trashcan tumbled as the sounds of a horrid scream soon followed.
Chronos reached out his hand as he turned to Osira. As he opened it up, he dropped the arrowhead. Blood trickled from his palm and down his hand.
"Your journey is long, you should leave now," he commanded her.
Osira glanced at the alleyway's entrance. She noticed a transport p
od. She looked up at Chronos.
“Don't bleed out on me now... mortality is not a good look for our future king."
Her eyes flared red as she walked towards the vehicle. She started the ignition and noticed a pair of glasses left laying in the pod. She put on the shades. She rode into the night, maneuvering through the streets of New Gate. The demons and terror continued their assault.
SOLDIER
All Roads Lead Home
"Can we stop now...” Damien uttered. He held his stomach. “I'm tired of walking down this road."
He trailed behind Sera.
"I'm hungry," he continued.
Sera continued forward, limping on her left foot, uninterested.
"We passed the town of Jorah. Maybe we could have found some food... maybe a place to stay.”
Sera sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Stop..." Damien insisted. "I know you’re all powerful and stuff... but I'm not like you. If I don't eat, I'll die."
Slowly he caught up to Sera.
"Do you want that hanging on your conscious," he continued.
Sera bent forward. She grabbed a fistful of dirt.
"Here!" she uttered impatiently. "Eat this!"
She threw the dust at Damien. The boy spitted repeatedly as she threw more dirt at him.
"Stop it, Sera! Stop... I said STOP!"
She took a deep breath... then dropped to the ground.
She sat on the side of the highway and glanced up at Damien. He patted the dust from his clothes.
He stared down at her.
"Are you psycho?"
Sera looked over at the road ahead.
"I'm sorry," she uttered, unable to match his gaze. "I'm just angry."
Damien watched as Sera rubbed her foot. He brushed the dust from off his pants.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
"I don't know. My foot is throbbing... It's very hard to walk on."
Damien reached down and grabbed her foot. Sera winced as he pulled up her leg.
"What are you doing?" she yelled.
"Taking off your shoe."
"Why?"
"You do it then... Take off your shoe!"
She slowly leaned forward and pulled off her white shoe. Damien looked at her foot. He saw it was bruised and purple. He kneeled down before her then noticed a scar was formed on the bottom of her sole. He poked at it.
“Ugh,” she winced.
"What happened there?"
Sera flinched as he held her foot.
"I stepped on a piece of sharp floor."
“You mean glass...” Damien snickered. “I noticed you were walking a bit funny. When did this happen?"
"It doesn't matter, all I want now is for the pain to go away... and for you to stop gawking at my foot."
Damien looked up and down the highway.
"There's no hospital or doctors out here... We really should've stopped at Jorah."
Sera looked up and down the road. She made circles in the dirt then snatched her foot back.
"I don't know..." she uttered. "It's a town full of people. I'm not sure I'm ready for that."
Damien looked down at Sera and flicked her forehead. She blew the hair that fell upon her face. She looked back up at him.
"I'm a people..." he uttered, clearing his throat. "I meant person. I'm a person too, you know." He cleared his crackling throat again. "What's so different?"
Sera smiled.
"I can beat you up...” she laughed. “You just lie there and take it."
She looked away suddenly.
"But other people... I don't know what other people do."
Damien picked up her shoe and placed it back on her.
"Other people are different...” he uttered. “They fight back when put into a corner."
"Don't take it the wrong way..." she insisted. "Right now I don't know if I can-"
"Trust," Damien spoke, completing her sentence.
He stood up and reached out his hand to her. Sera looked up at him and grabbed it.
"You know, Sera..." he continued. "You have amazing powers! If anyone needs to be scared, I think it would be us regular people."
She shook her head and punched his shoulder.
"Be grateful to be normal... Having to live in isolation isn’t easy.”
As Sera continued to walk up the highway, Damien followed behind her.
"So does this mean we can stop in the next town?"
"It means-"
Sera stopped mid-sentence as she watched a mid-size truck approached them from around a bend on the highway.
"Hey..." Damien yelled, waving his hands as the speeding truck approached them. "Wait up!"
Cautiously approaching the two kids, the truck slowed down to a halt.
“Apex Innovative Manufacturing,” Damien read. "Look, Sera... it's a supply truck."
The driver rolled down his window and started banging on the side of the door panel.
"Well, well, well..." he smiled. "What do we have here? A little lady and her trusty boyfriend?"
From the passenger side of the supply truck, another man was seated as he waved at the kids.
"Hey darling...” the passenger chuckled with a smile. “If you need a ride, you can come over here! I got plenty of room on my lap."
"Nevermind..." Sera replied, clenching her fist. "We’ll be going now."
The driver hopped out of the truck and approached Sera. "Wait a second, darling? Where do you think you're going?"
"Please..." Sera begged. "Just let us leave."
"Lettuce leaves..." Damien groaned.
Sera turned her attention to the rear of the truck. She tighten her jaw as the whimper of an animal was heard.
"Shut up!" the passenger hollered, hitting the back of the truck’s cabin. "Stupid dog!"
"Come on, sweetheart..." the driver continued. "Don’t you like dogs?"
The driver approached Sera and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
"No!" she yelled.
"Let her go!" Damien growled as he ran up to the guy. He jumped on his back and pounded his fist on the man’s neck.
"Keep it up, prettyboy!"
As the two spun in circles, the driver howled.
"Let me know when you're done... cuz soon it'll be my turn."
Damien jumped off his back and kicked him in the shin. The man released Sera. He reached out to grab her, but she ran over to the boy. The cries of the whimpering dog provoked her. She bolted towards the back of the truck and left Damien alone.
The man banged on the truck as he held his leg.
"Go get her!" he yelled at his fellow passenger.
Damien got up to run but the driver grabbed his foot. He then climbed on top of him as he tripped him over.
"You've got a lot of balls there, boy...” the man uttered while unfastening his belt buckle. “But if you can imagine, I bet you mines are way bigger than yours."
“Get off me...” Damien cried. “Stop!”
The passenger grabbed a hold of Sera. He covered her mouth as she ran towards the back of the truck.
"Let me go!" she cried out through a muffled scream. She bit his hand then quickly pulled herself away.
"Somnum," she hollered, dropping the man to the ground.
"Sera!" Damien cried out. "SERA PLEASE!"
She peeked from around the corner of the truck. Sera returned to cover as the driver pulled out a gun and shot at her.
"Shut up!" the man yelled at Damien.
He hit the boy in the mouth with his gun. The driver hopped off of Damien and picked him up. He held his gun against his head and walked towards the back of the truck still clutching the boy.
The man looked down at his friend then noticed the back door hatch was wide opened.
"Hey!” he yelled, kicking his passenger. “HEY!” he continued.
The driver peeked into the back of the truck
“Where are you, you stupid bitch!"
He searched his back pocket and took out a cigare
tte pack. Finding the last one, he put it in his mouth.
"Ok..." he continued. "I see what's the deal is... You're the little brat Hunter kept a secret... I see why he locked your ass up!”
He bent his arm and struck a match. He lit the cigarette in front of Damien.
"I heard you can put people to sleep... disappear even." He gripped Damien tight. They both walked cautiously as he approached the front of the truck on the passenger side.
"Well, I'm Apex finest... which means I'm smarter than you, kid."
The man peered through the window. He took a step back and puffed on his cigarette. The unflicked ash fell against Damien's neck. He pulled from the smoke and held it against Damien’s face.
“Go ahead...” he screamed out. “Try something! I'll burn a hole so deep in your friend here-"
Sera appeared inside the truck. She raised up one hand.
The man walked forward to open the door and was immediately pushed back as a dog jumped out and lunged at his throat.
He struggled with the dog. He picked up his cigarette, and buried it into the dog's left eye.
The dog rolled over and yelped.
The man scrambled as he reached for his gun. He took aim at the animal.
Sera appeared behind the man. She kicked him in the back of the leg as he fired his shot.
"Sera!" Damien yelled.
The man turned around to grab her.
She disappeared again.
The guy pointed his gun at Damien. He fired his pistol.
Footstep trampled in the dust as Sera made her way towards Damien. She shifted into appearance and grabbed him.
The dog leaped at the man, ripping the gun away from him.
"Oh boy...” Damien flustered.
“It burns, Sera...” he repeated.
Damien held on to his left arm.
“I'm sorry, Damien...” she uttered. “I shouldn’t have left you alone with him."
"Does it look bad?"
"I don't know! I don't see anything!"
"My arm..." Damien groaned. "Why do I even bother.”
"Stop your nonsense," Sera replied.
"I don’t blame you, Sera...”
Damien looked at the dog as it held the man by his throat.
“You did a good thing... who knows what these guys would have done?"
"Like I said before, people shouldn't be trusted."
"You still feel that way about Ethan?"
Raising Sera- Lineage Page 18