Legacy II: Blazing Sun
Act I: Their Days and Nights
Chapter 1: Reborn
Cries of agony...
Screams of torture and anguish...
These sounds were an everyday normality for we prisoners in that dark place. The screams themselves eventually originated from our own vocal chords, when that dreaded time came about. The time when we were plucked from our cages, and like lab rats, forced to suffer the professor's experiments. Today was no different...
I had been pulled from my prison, and forced down the dark corridor that was befitting a nightmare; to the inevitable fate of all in that place…
Before long, I laid strapped to the table, unable to move.
Then it started...
The pain was excruciating. It made me scream for what felt like hours...
The madman performing this torture was smiling. He seemed to revel in the agony his experiments caused. The entire time, I could hear him laughing to himself.
Death was being cruel...
I pleaded for it, begged for it to take me as it had others, but it never came.
My body had been penetrated. Ripped open and punctured in so many unfavorable places. And in those intrusions, I could feel my insides being toyed with like an anatomy model. All while conscious and without any form of anesthesia...
Before long, everything went black.
I could hear nothing...
I could feel nothing...
Three years later... 6/13 Paris, France Europe 8:46 PM
I awaken, gazing at the ceiling of the hotel room I had rented. I turn my head, seeing the feathers strewn around the bed, and the slashes on the mattress and sheets; and I sigh.
"That same haunting memory..."
My name is Alexei Volkov. Three years ago, on this exact date, my humanity was forever lost. I do not remember how I came to be free of the hell I endured. But, I am well aware of how my freedom was made possible.
Though I still have the face of a man, within this body is a vicious animal with uncontrollable instincts; a result of those traumatizing experiments. I am the thing of monster movies, as one might say…
I get up from the bed, and go to the bathroom to bathe myself. Afterwards, I dress myself, and leave the hotel room with my belongings. It is best I do not linger here for much longer.
"Heading out, sir?" One of the staff members makes a point to see me off.
I approach her, and give her the amount of francs it may cost to repair any damages I may have caused. "Would you kindly deliver this to your manager? Reimbursement for my stay…"
I am hopeful it is enough to pay for the damages I caused to the room. This...tends to happen quite a lot, wherever I go. Thanking her for their hospitality, I leave immediately to meet with my dear acquaintance at the Pause' Cafe'.
As I walk the streets of Paris, beneath the light of the full-moon, I can't help but occasionally gaze up at it. I pray that tonight, I can keep my other-half suppressed, and at best lessen any collateral damage.
The streets and cafes are as active as they would be at this hour; with customers ranging from couples to locals to tourists that wished to view the city of lights in the night.
As I approach the Pause Cafe', I make note of the lone young woman at one of the tables, drinking what smells like a cappuccino as she writes in a small notebook. Her unblemished face wears an expression of thoughtfulness, as she moves her pen over the pages of the notebook with gentle ease.
I approach her table, mindful not to distract her.
"Lovely night this evening, wouldn't you agree," she asks me, without looking up from her notebook.
"Certainly," I reply with a smile.
She is Alexis Lebeau. She is a writer; quite a passionate one at that, who is as well known as she is modest. She is also my good friend; having helped me quite a lot back when we first met.
I focus my attention on her notebook. "Your latest idea I would assume."
"It came to me not too long ago," Alexis replies. "There has been quite the talk spreading around Paris."
"Concerning the plane crash the other day?"
"Yes. According to the news, the survivors saw a young woman and an adolescent girl on the wing of the plane. It's quite farfetched."
From the beginning, the headline concerning that crash has piqued my own curiosity.
As Alexis just said, there was an inbound flight, two days ago, that went down in the ocean at around 3:35 P.M in the evening. To hear such a testimony, I find it hard to believe that anyone would be able to do such a dangerous thing. Anyone human, at the very least...
Of course no one would believe their testimony. Whatever they claim to have seen, the two in question may well be like me.
Alexis closes her notebook, setting her pen aside. "How are you feeling, Alexei?"
I look to Alexis, confused as I note the concern in her expression.
"Tonight is a full moon," she says. "You aren't having trouble?"
I see...
I sigh, admitting, "I witnessed another nightmare before the hour came, so I'm only barely holding myself together."
"The same one," she asks.
I reluctantly answer, "The very same..."
"I can only imagine the state your hotel room must be in..." Alexis sighs in exasperation. "I don't understand why you won't accept my offer to reside with me for a while."
"That is alright. I have been considering leaving France some time soon." I nod toward my belongings. "And besides, I would only leave you a mess to clean when I wake."
"Perhaps. But, I have a few techniques I'd like to help you try, to keep you calm as you sleep. They may prove effective, if we're lucky."
I can't help but be curious what she has in mind, as she has studied many forms of therapy that she applies to better help counter any stress development; or even her own occasional writers block. I haven't yet seen these techniques, but as I said; I am quite curious if it will help.
"Excuse me." The waitress approaches our table, with two cups on a platter. Judging from the scent, one is exactly the same brew that Alexis had partaken moments before my arrival. While the other was a less caffeinated drink; a tea judging from the scent. Perhaps this too would be apart of her idea to help me keep myself relaxed during this night.
As I identify the two drinks, I pick up on a scent amidst the air overshadowing that of the brew.
This smell...
I recognize this smell. A hybrid, much like myself. And not just any hybrid. If she's here, that can only mean-...
I stand from my seat, looking in the direction of the scent I picked up. It's not that far off from the way I had just come from.
"Alexei?!" Alexis calls out, concerned.
I look to my friend. "I am sorry, Alexis. Please, do not follow me."
Without thinking, I run off toward the source of the scent; leaving the cafe area.
My primary concern at the moment is the young woman this scent belongs to, and the threat she poses to those of this city. If left alone, she could very much cause a mass genocide if she was so commanded.
Channeling the speed and agility characterized by my other half, I try my best to catch up to the source. Yet, while my reason is just, my fear grows with every passing meter.
Even if I come face to face with her, I have no chance of survival on my own. Aside from myself, not one of her victims has ever survived an encounter.
Before long, I come to an old cathedral. This is where the scent is the strongest.
The sounds of shattering glass and broken wood originate from inside.
A struggle? Quite possibly some unfortunate soul wandered into her crosshairs, and is now trying to escape.
I open the doors to the cathedral, only to find the damage worse than I first assumed.
The seats are smashed beyond repair. The candles that hang from the ceiling have been knocked loose. I hear something break from above, and move quickly to avoid one of the falling beams.
I can hear the sound of movement. Sounds belonging to two individuals, up amidst the beams along the ceiling.
Not a struggle, but rather a fight...
I focus my gaze at the source of the sounds using my heightened eye-sight, and can make out two forms.
One is a young woman with long crimson hair and deep violet eyes, clad in an orange tank-top and dark red pants. Her hands are like black claws; completely contradicting her human appearance. She is the source of the scent I had been tracking.
The other I do not recognize. A much younger brunette girl; possibly in adolescence, with shoulder length hair, and dressed in a black sleeveless top and equally black jeans, with a yellow scarf around her neck, sports tape wrapped around her forearms and hands, and a peculiar katana in said hands.
Much like the eldest of the two, she possesses violet eyes. However, her eyes possess a unique crystal like quality, glowing amidst the darkness of the ceiling.
I notice a yellow glow irradiating through the brunette's left pants leg, and see a flash of lightning erupt forth as she swings the katana in her hand. That woman evades the flash with the utmost ease, and inflicts a cut across the brunette's right arm, knocking her off balance.
She reverses her direction for another strike, and the girl takes advantage of her own lack of balance; falling from the beam she stood upon to avoid the oncoming strike. I see her grab onto the beam as she falls, swinging herself back up and kicking the woman across her face.
Once she lands on the beam in front of the woman, she uses the blade she carries to strike once again. But the woman deflects her attack, and knocks her back against another beam.
The girl avoids her next strike, and defends against the follow-up; the brunette girl and crimson woman exchanging strike after blow in a clash of steel on black claws amidst the beams supporting and crossing the ceiling.
I am amazed. This young girl is able to hold her own against this monstrous woman. But at the same time, I am not blind to the reality. That woman is pushing her back and will overtake her before long. In the end, the girl will not win this fight.
At the very least, I can do more than just stand here and spectate. But tonight is the full moon. I don't know how much self-control I will be able to maintain if I change, I might just end up attacking indiscriminately. I can help, but not without that risk. Not on this night...
"Ahhh!"
I hear the girl cry out, and see her fall from above, having been disarmed as her blade falls with her. In one last attempt, she holds out her right hand, and I see a violet mark crossing her back glow bright, as if in resonance. Power seems to course through her hand, ready to be unleashed.
But the woman is already dashing at her faster than she can react, and slams into the girl; the two plummeting like meteors toward the cathedral floor.
The impact shakes the entire building, causing the chandeliers that are still hanging to sway with the vibrations.
In the aisle of the cathedral, upon the cracked floor, lay the delicate looking girl; bruised and battered beneath the woman. Now that I see the injuries, they were all seconds, perhaps even minutes old. And each was severe on its own. I hear a pained groan originate from the girl.
Even after such an attack, she still breathes... No human would be able to survive that impact, much less such extensive injuries. She must be a hybrid as well...
The woman wraps her hands around the girl's throat, attempting to asphyxiate her. The girl starts gasping for breath, unable to fight off the woman.
She means to kill this girl. Her face is expressionless, with no signs of remorse or restraint.
I've reached the breaking point, and feel my impulses start taking over. I unleash a howl that reverberates through the air, echoing loud against the walls of the cathedral; an act that gains the attention of the woman immediately.
Just then, I see the girl place her right hand to the woman's abdomen; the red mark along that same arm glowing as she ignites a single burst of fire from her palm, blasting the woman back while she's distracted and freeing herself in one fell swoop.
Catching her breath, she seems to keep her attention trained on the wall, where the woman sat slumped.
I run over to her, keeping my sights trained on the woman's location as well.
"Do you think you will be alright," I ask the girl.
She replies, "Yes... This isn't anything new... I'll live..." I hear her gasp shortly after finishing her sentence. "You're a..."
She can tell what I am, even though I haven't yet changed entirely. My form shouldn't have even partially changed. Just who and what is this young girl? The scent of her blood is a mystery to me, so to say she is like me is incorrect. Yet her endurance is clearly inhuman...
I see the woman get to her feet, having shaken off any damage the girl managed to inflict like they were mosquito bites.
"Please, allow me to handle this! You are in no-!"
Before I can finish, the girl interrupts. "I'm sorry sir, but I can't let you do that; whether you're a hybrid or not!"
I can hardly believe my eyes, as I see the injured girl stand after the injuries she has sustained; as if they were non-existent. With the way she is breathing however, it's clear they are affecting her more than they appear to be.
"You are hurt! In your condition, you cannot win against her! And regardless, It would be unwise to allow a child like yourself to fight!"
She retaliates, "This 'child' isn't just going to let a total stranger get hurt for her sake!"
As I'm about to rebuttal, the woman rushes at the both of us. I cut my words short, and we both evade what could have been a fatal blow for us both before she turns around to strike again.
The girl back steps, avoiding the woman's swipes one after another until she trips over a portion of debris; falling backwards.
Taking advantage of her clumsiness, I use the gap to knock the woman back; with enough force to give us some distance against her.
I want to tell the girl to stay back, but it's clear that she will not heed my instructions.
"Together then," I declare. "Either one of us alone would fail in single combat. But with two of us, we can at least push her back. I do not know who you are, but I ask that you place your trust in me."
I don't know how much more I can keep myself under control, but at the very least, I must help this girl. Even if I have to loose this impulse growing within me.
"Hikaru Tsuchimiya."
I glance at her, perplexed at what she is saying. Japanese?
"My name," she clarifies with a smile. "I'm a half-youkai, kind of like you."
Now I understand.
In response to her introduction, I return the kindness. "I am Alexei Volkov. Be on your guard, Hikaru!"
The girl named Hikaru takes up a readied stance next to me; her smile giving way to a decisive gaze.
Such a disciplined and experienced stance for one so young. Her eyes alone convey her conviction. And to admit that she is a hybrid with no reluctance leaves me without words.
Yet her scent. She smells somehow...different from we manmade hybrids.
The woman prepares to strike again. But before she makes a move-...
"That's impossible..."
The both of us look back to see a red haired man standing at the church entrance; seemingly dumbfounded. Almost as if he is looking at a ghost. His gaze isn't set upon myself, nor the girl. But the woman bearing the exact same crimson hair as he.
As I look back between the two, I can make out something of a resemblance. The same hair color, and the same deep shade of violet in their eyes. What's more, they both hold very like qualities.
The man looks as if he's trembling at the sight of her, disbelief having overwhelmed him. "There's no way... There's no way that this is real... You can't be..."
At last he addresses her; this woman that looks at him with emptiness in her eyes.
"Chinatsu Onée-chan..."