by Brian Carmen
Before Gabriel could act something else, forced his attention. A loud ringing could be heard throughout Haleo as the inner dome’s night sky was erased. Instead, static could be seen on the screens that made up the inner wall. A loud voice was heard throughout the city, calling upon the inhabitants to listen.
“Gabriel, what’s going on?” a light woman’s voice said from behind. Gabriel turned to see that the Glassmaker was gone and was instead replaced by the two women he’d had sex with earlier.
Both seemed afraid and had good reason to be. Most of the world had heard what had befallen Loc Moines, the death and destruction that had occurred. Those that were responsible for crippling Loc Moines, seemed intent on doing the same to Haleo. Looking out the window, he tried to see if any Soulem had started attacking; instead, all he could see was fire.
Another explosion went off, causing another building to catch fire. As if on cue, everything suddenly went dark. The only light that could be seen were the fires from the buildings. Both women were now holding on to him like children. He wasn’t surprised since they were both Sanguines. They had the most to fear from whatever was attacking since they didn’t have a way to defend themselves.
Within a few seconds the inner dome’s screen came back but instead of the night sky, there was a shadowed man surrounded by white light. Gabriel felt the girls clutch tighter around him as he looked up at the screen. The streets were being filled with Volstir who had originally left their homes in fear of the explosions.
“Greetings Volstir of Haleo” the voice said casually. It was obvious that the person was using a voice modifier since the tone was unrecognizably deep. “We are the ones that are responsible for tonight. We are the ones that brought Loc Moines to its knees in less than a week” the unknown man said in triumphed.
“In the beginning there was no council, only the first family of the Volstir and the tribes that grew from its roots. The Volstir had freedom to do the things they wanted without fear of execution. That however changed when the council killed Sabriel’s children and gave themselves ultimate power. They’ve placed chains around our necks with the threat of death if we do not comply.
We humbly asked for your help, destroy the council before their plague consumes you. In one month if the council still stands, we will unleash Salvation upon the world. Those that side with the council will perish at the hands of the Failing Light” The shadowed man said as darkness filled Haleo once more.
The inner dome was suddenly back to normal; showing the night sky. The Volstir turned their attention back to putting out the fires as Gabriel watched from the window. The enemy was calling itself the Failing Light after the secret fear that all Volstir had. A light that one could never have. They had boldly declared war against the Volstir of the world and were confident that Salvation would be enough to destroy everything.
It was not surprising considering they were able to cripple Loc Moines with relative ease. Gabriel noticed that the two women were no longer next to him as he turned and saw that they were both on the ground. He could see that they were white and shaking as the tears in their eyes began streaming down their faces. It was obvious that they were both terrified by what the man said.
Loc Moines had taken large casualties and the majority of them had been Sanguine. The Volstir had tried to protect them however against the strength of the Soulem, they were helpless. Gabriel should have said something that would reassure them however, he told them that they should leave instead. They were both obviously hurt however they quickly got dressed and left his house without too much arguing.
They were fools if they thought that Gabriel could protect them. He wasn’t able to protect anyone, including himself. He thought about the night’s events and how quickly things had happened. His wall had broken and been repaired however shortly after, they were all threatened by a mysterious organization. This was right after the Glassmaker had asked if Gabriel had hidden the weapons around the city. He couldn’t help but wonder if it were all a coincidence.
Instead he decided not to think about it since it didn’t concern him. He was the Captain of Haleo’s Stratosphere team and they were doing well this year. In a week’s time, they would be playing against the team from Nuv Embers and they needed to be ready. He doubted the council would cancel the match since it would provide an easy distraction to help alleviate the fear.
Gabriel wasn’t the type to worry for other people. Everyone needed to fight for their own survival, it was a part of nature. Losing his light had taught him that caring too much for others was foolish. Walking upstairs, he removed his robe and started trying to lay down again.
The phone next to his bed started to ring causing Gabriel to debate about answering it. He didn’t want to be dragged into this anymore than he already was. The phone stopped ringing as Gabriel sighed in relief. He had a suspicion about who was trying to call him and he didn’t want to deal with her.
The phone however began to ring again as Gabriel turned to pull out the cord. Instead he grabbed the phone itself as he held it up to his ear. The phone was extremely rare since it was able to call between Lost Cities. The signal was routed towards the surface and then bounced between satellites in space. One was controlled by the Volstir which allowed the signal to be encrypted as it was sent back down towards its intended destination.
“Gabriel, I know your there and if you don’t answer me right now; I swear that I’m gonna bend you over and spank you in front of all your fans” The voice yelled at him as Gabriel rolled his eyes.
“Aunt Olivia, it’s the middle of the night and I’m trying to sleep” Gabriel lied as he secretly wished that it would be enough to end the conversation quickly.
“Bull, I know for a fact that you were screwing a couple Sanguine bimbo’s and had just finished kicking them out of your house, along with the threat that was made to the Volstir of Haleo” Olivia said in a scolding tone.
“Guess you should never try and lie to a prophet” Gabriel retorted while wondering how she was able to get a vision that was so clear. Olivia was rare, not only because she was able to have so many visions, but because they almost always came true.
“They didn’t just contact Haleo, several cities around the world were attacked tonight. It’s odd that a group that’s operated in stealth would all of a sudden reveal itself to everyone. It’s even odder that they would blatantly announce in upcoming attack” Olivia replied in a tone that meant she was deep in thought.
“Well, you never know what psycho’s are thinking; I’m sure it will be taken care of by the council, nothing to worry about” Gabriel said as though it would be enough to end the conversation.
His plan seemed to work since Olivia changed the subject. It seemed that Gabriel’s cousin Nia and her new protégé would be coming to Haleo in a few days. The knowledge did not matter to Gabriel until Olivia announced that they would need to stay at his place while they searched for Nia’s light. It was located somewhere in Las Angeles; the human city above Haleo.
“Sorry Aunt Olivia, this is a bachelor pad that’s not big enough for others, tell em to find a hotel” Gabriel answered casually.
His house was easily one of the largest residence in Haleo. With space in the lost cities so limited, Gabriel was one of the few that had been given permission to build a mansion. It had six bedrooms, three bathrooms, an indoor gym with a pool, and a large living room and kitchen. Gabriel lived in the large manor by himself.
The Governor of Haleo had granted him permission due to the revenue his Stratosphere team brought in to Haleo. The Haleo Angels were one of the top ten teams in the league which spanned across the entire globe. Gabriel had gained quite a number of fans including the two Sanguines that had recently left his house.
Olivia ignored Gabriel’s comments as she added that she would be joining them shortly after they arrived. Gabriel was caught off guard as he quickly tried to convince Olivia to stay away from Haleo. “The air here is just horrible and the people have horrib
le attitudes, you really wouldn’t like it” Gabriel began, however he was quickly cut off.
“I’m going to be coming and if I hear that you haven’t been a gracious host, I swear that I’m going to kick your ass. Then I’m going to let Ebony and Venus kick your ass, since the two of them will be joining me” Olivia answered with a tone a finality.
“Great, all of you are coming; sheesh between you and Leon, your maker must have been a real piece of work” Gabriel said defeated.
Olivia ignored his comment before telling him that he would need to be careful in the days ahead. Something terrible was coming and she believed that Haleo and Nia would be at the center of it. With that, their conversation ended as Gabriel opened the mini fridge that was in his room and pulled out another bottle of Bloodwine. He needed another drink after the events of the night.