The moon's bright glow pierced through the night sky, reflecting its light upon the city streets. It was a foggy night, but clear skies made it possible for the stars to shine and the moon to guide travelers through the night.

The city was alive, even at the late hour. Men and women crowded the streets. Model T's and other ancient cars whizzed passed each other while a lone policeman directed traffic. From the east, one could see the untouched plains, wild and free. To the west, one could see smoke billowing out of the factory chimneys, still alive and active during the darkness of night.

The city itself, Drum Blossom City, was hexagonal shaped when viewed from above. The city, as a whole, was pretty peaceful and clean. It wasn't a perfect utopia; no major city is perfect after all. It had its crime; it's gangs, drugs, prostitutes, etc., but all of this did not define the city.

In the center of this sprawling urban center was an enormous 30-meter tall fountain that reflected the lights of the surrounding city to cast a brilliantly beautiful array of lights. The beauty and magnificence of the fountain helped to imbed the surrounding park with a sense of calm and kindness. Not many truly witnessed its beauty with only small numbers of visitors, yet there was one person not far off from it that night.

Walking by herself in a relatively quiet area near that fountain was a woman with long blonde hair and green eyes. She was in her early 30's and wore a long, blood red trench coat with a little black dress underneath. Her name was Lisa. Lisa was relatively ordinary. She had a small group of close friends and was considered rather quiet. She had just left the club after a celebration with her friends in honor of Lisa's new promotion to the executive manager position at E-Ronx, a billion dollar advertising company. It was 12:30 am, and she was heading home to get ready for her parents, who were dropping in for a visit the next day. She turned left down Dalto Street, a right on 3rd, a left on 2nd, and then had to stop at the intersection of 1st and Zorren Road to wait for traffic.

Despite the clear, normal night, a shadowed figure lurked in the alleyways adjacent to the intersection. Unnoticed by Lisa, who was standing patiently by the crosswalk, the figure walked stealthily out of the shadowed alleyway towards her. The shadowy figure came up behind her, leaned in close to her ear, and questioned in a whispery laugh, "Can I help you with anything ma'am?"

Lisa jumped at the sudden voice, eyes widening in shock, as she started to whirl around. But before she was completely facing the shadow, she was clubbed over the head and darkness took her.

Lisa groggily shifted her arm under head before opening her eyes slightly. As she viewed the unfamiliar darkness before her, her eyes opened wide in panic as she began to remember what had happened. 'Where am I? What the hell is going on?! Who the hell just kidnapped me? What the fuck is going on?' she thought in a flurry of questions. She kept herself still and proceeded to look around the room. Lisa waited for her eyes to adjust, blinking hard, and became even more terrified, as she took in the sight before her. She was in a cell, not a modern day jail cell, but one that was more akin to a medieval dungeon.

The room was fairly large with no windows and two large iron doors separating her from the light of the sun. Near the middle of the room was a puddle, which must've been created due to a leak in the roof. She looked up and witnessed the water dripping at a slow, yet constant rate.

Lisa tried to sit up, bracing her hands against the floor. She pushed herself into a sitting position and started to stand before the room around her started to spin. Her hand settled on her head as she slipped back onto the ground, still too groggy to stand. She groaned thinking, 'These high heels definitely don't help the situation,' before she shucked them off and pulled her coat tighter around her to keep out the chill. She sat in the back corner of the room and scanned the cell. The room was empty, not a soul in sight. Lisa's eyes were soon drawn to her right in a darker corner of the cell. Something was visible just barely peeking from the shadows. She maneuvered herself to get a better view, slowly sliding on the cold stone. Her hand suddenly flew to her mouth as a rotting corpse came into view. The gruesome sight and smell immediately woke up her groggy mind. Lisa barely choked back a scream. Losing all semblance of composure, she turned away and pushed herself to her feet, dashing unsteadily for the doors. When she had nearly made it to the doors, they suddenly swung open with tremendous force, barely missing her.

A shadowy figure walked into the room, still indefinable and hard to make out in the darkness. He moved with such stillness that he seemed to float towards Lisa. It had broad shoulders and was substantially taller than her. As the creature, moved closer to her she was able to identify basic facial features. She fearfully stared at him, backing away slowly, as he slipped into a toothy, wide grin at the sight of her trembling. His eyes gleamed with madness, as he stood directly in front of her.

"The master is ready for you" he chuckled gleefully.

Before Lisa could protest, the man threw a canvas bag over her head and lifted her up on his shoulder. Lisa flailed wildly upon his shoulder, demanding to be released in the haze of her panic. Yet, her struggles seemed to be for nothing, as he merely shifted her slightly and continued on to wherever they were going. Eventually, Lisa stopped her rebellion to better conserve her strength, as she fearfully pondered her uncertain future. Suddenly she felt the shadow man shift her weight as he closed the cell door with a dull thud. Then she was taken down what seemed like a long, never-ending, hallway. The only thing on in mind was fear, fear of what was waiting for her, fear of what would happen to her, and slight embarrassment in the back of her mind due to the revealing position the shadow man was carrying her in. The trip to their destination dragged on for what seemed to be eternity, before she heard the sound of doors being swung open. Then she was practically thrown into a chair. She yelped in surprise and pain as the bag was ripped off of her head, revealing a blinding light. Lisa narrowed her eyes, blinking rapidly to help adjust to the light. When her eyes finally adjusted completely to her new, bright, and exceedingly better, setting, she gasped, not believing her eyes. The room was beautiful in every way. It had elegant white walls and marble floors. It looked like it was a compilation of the most elegant mansions in the entire world. On the wall to her left was a giant mural. It depicted a rustic medieval village. On the right wall were many golden awards on top of a large fireplace that was roaring happily. As flames danced on the wood and embers glowed beneath it, a brilliant red, the light reflected on the gleaming surfaces of the trophies, happily shining. Lisa was sitting at one end of a long, mahogany table, loaded with mouthwatering food, fine wine, beautiful dishes and silverware. On the opposite side of the table was a giant red curtain, like that of an old theater, and there, sitting at the table, was whom she assumed was the so-called "Master".

The "Master" had a long shaped head and was every form of elegant. He wore a crisp black suit and a red tie. His facial features were just as polished and perfect as the rest of him. He seemed to be quite strong with significant muscle built up in his arms. The only thing out of place was his messy, unbrushed hair and the steam-punk style goggles on his forehead. A red silk napkin was tucked into the neck of his suit, and he was eating a portion of the massive turkey in the center of the table. When he finally noticed her, a sniveling, untrustworthy smile lit up his face.

He put down his utensils and wiped his mouth before he spoke excitedly to her, "Ah! So we finally meet, Mein kleines Spielzeug."

'Mein kleines Spielzeug?,' Lisa thought, 'What in the world did that mean?'

"I'm sorry for your stay in the dungeon and the rude behavior of my subordinate," he continued at the same time coldly eyeing his shadow servant, who was standing in the corner of the room. The servant in turn stared at Lisa. "He is not the smartest. Dropped on his head when he was but a baby, but his strength and loyalty are nevertheless great assets to me," he said distractedly.

She tried to speak, tried to interrogate this "Master" on the fact that she was just kidnapped, but every time he completely cut her off. He talked with her about multiple things, politics, religion, even the weather was brought up for a short time. 'This is completely ridiculous,' she thought exasperated as she stared at the rambling man before her. She looked around discreetly looking for somewhere she could run to get away, but the shadow man was standing guard at the door. She knew she wouldn't be able to get past him. Lisa turned her attention back to the table and the man that apparently wanted her for something enough that he had kidnapped her. She was still completely pissed and terrified about her current situation but there was something inside of her that warned her that this seemingly harmless man was more dangerous than she seemed, so she decided that she would play along until a better chance to escape would come about.

She looked down at the spread before her and realized just how hungry she was. She glanced at the weird man before her who was still eating even as he talked. The food looked amazing, as her stomach grumbled disgruntledly. 'Well,' she thought hesitantly, 'if he's eating it, then it must not be poisoned at least...And I'd rather not die on an empty stomach... Oh, what the hell! Why not?' Lisa then proceeded to load up her plate with the wide variety of food. Everything was perfect. The turkey was plump and juicy, and the wine was some of the best wine she had ever tasted. Lisa gobbled down the food with little consideration for manners, as she calmed down. She continued to eye the man across from her nervously.

"Mein kleines Spielzeug, what are your dreams? What do you strive for in life? Your goal, your passion?" man enquired abruptly, forcing Lisa to tune back into his ramblings.

She opened her mouth hesitantly, ready to reply, when he cut her off again, "For me, I was inspired by my past. My childhood was not a very pleasant one to say the least. My parents were abusive and the other children shunned me. It was not an easy life."

There was a flicker of sadness in his eyes for a split second, making Lisa almost feel sorry for the man.

"After school," he continued, his eyes staring off into the distance, as though he was transported back to whatever he was thinking about, "I traveled the world, dabbled in stocks, and made a life for myself. But even with the wealth I gained, I felt lonely. The insults of the past still haunted me. That is when I realized that the insults never left!" he suddenly yelled, anger and grief in his voice.. He started to become hysterical, getting up from the table and agitatedly pacing and forth while tugging at this hair.

"They never stopped laughing, never stopped teasing me, looking down upon me! They all thought I was weak!" he shouted bringing his fists down hard upon the table, making Lisa gasp in fear at his anger.

He gasped for air, trying to control himself. His breathing was hard, his face red, and his fingers twitched at an uneven pace upon the table. The crazed man continued to stare down at the dark surface of the table until he finally snapped his head up and stared at Lisa coldly.

He spoke with a hard, determined voice, "I vowed that I would show them, humanity, that I was not to be trifled with. I was not to be teased." He stood up, suddenly regaining composure, as a wicked grin suddenly streaked across his face.

His eyes twinkled with a mad light, as he looked upon the woman who had obviously shrunk in her chair, terrified, and spoke, "And now, Mein Spielzeug, I have the means to fulfill this wish."

He gestured towards the doors where the shadow man had another man within his grasp. The poor individual was obviously starving to death and had been tortured awfully. Tears were silently rolling down his gaunt face, as he was brought forward. Lisa looked at him in horror, as he was dragged two feet away from the "Master's" feet.

The "Master" looked down smiling creepily at the weeping man before he looked up at her and began to explain, "You see, Mein kleines Spielzeug, I've discovered the existence of souls, but more importantly, I've discovered their true power and the means to harness said power."

Then, as if on command, eight metallic appendages emerged from a now visible metal object strapped to the "Master's" back. There were four on each side on him. The appendages were long, thin and had weirdly shaped daggers on the ends of them. The blades looked sharp enough to cut through steel, as the blades gleamed with the light of the fireplace. The arms suddenly started to spark and crackle with green electricity dancing about them. The arms looked almost as if it they were alive, waiting to kill, as they flexed and snapped at random. The green light glowed eerily upon the "Master's" face. His eyes darkened, and his face filled with a sadistic menace.

"These blades have been soaked in that very power. Now they are the strongest steel but still as light as a feather. However, their true power is found in the fact that they now have mind, a soul. With a soul comes a purpose for life, which I have also learned to program, and now that purpose is to obey me."

He flicked his head towards the stumbling man, and the talon like arms instantly responded. All 8 blades suddenly plunged into the man's chest. The arms lifted the man up into the air, as he coughed up blood and was barely clinging on to life.

"These soul infused weapons can also harvest other souls after the victim's death," spoke the "Master" cruelly.

The arms then performed the single most gruesome, bloodiest thing Lisa had ever seen. The arms ripped the poor man in half. His organs and blood spilled upon the floor with a terrifying splashing sound. His bones, most broken, clattered to the floor. The skull cracked open upon impact, letting chunks of brain spill out among the rest of the gore. Lisa screamed, gripping the edges of her chair with white knuckles, barely holding back the urge to vomit. The room was silent for a moment. The only sound came from the blood steadily dripping off the "Master's" enchanted blades. Then green smoke started to form around the remains. It started spinning slowly, coalescing in sickening swirls. Then it suddenly began to spin faster and faster. The force of the wind grew. Furniture and smaller items began to fly around the room as the wind gained strength. Lisa's hair blew wildly around her face as the poor girl watched the wind grow, hunkered down, terrified in her chair. The green smoke soon formed a miniature tornado right there in the dining room. The power of the force was incredible, but just as soon as it had started, the tornado suddenly stopped. The smoke disappeared, revealing a bright green orb, hovering motionless above the ground.

The "Master" strode over to the orb from his place next to Lisa and plucked the object from its resting place. He handed it over to his assistant, who left the room with it.

"With these souls, I can create powerful weapons beyond human belief. I can craft objects that defy physics itself. I can give stone, metal, wood, and even the dead life. For example, that chair you're sitting in," he stated pointing to her seat, smirking slightly.

Suddenly, metal braces appeared on the arms and legs of the chair, which clamped down upon her person, restraining her indefinitely. Then out from the sides of the chair, two arms much like the ones the "Master" had, appeared whirling around and creaking beside her. The "Master" began casually walking towards her.

"One of the downsides of this amazing technology is that in order to harvest a soul in a successful capacity, you have to kill said victim in such a manner that it would be impossible to ever resurrect, or save them. Otherwise, they actual wake up the next day, perfectly fine."

One of the blades gently raked her neck with the blunt side of the blade, as if to tease her.

"There's no hard feelings, really, but to complete my goal, sacrifice must be made. You understand, don't you?" he stated darkly as leaned over her, looking into her eyes. He carefully tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before turning from her.

Her eyes went wide with panic. She didn't understand. She tried to struggle, tried to escape, her muscles straining against the bands. She started screaming hysterically as she realized her inability to break her bonds,

"Please stop! Let go of me! I don't even know you! You can't do this to me!"

Her screams went unanswered, as the "Master" now made his way to the door.

"Mr. Flech, please make sure everything goes accordingly," the "Master" said looking to his servant as he passed by.

The shadowy man grunted, smiling his cracked smile.

The "Master" grinned manically before turning back to the set of doors.

"Ta Ta, Mein kleines Spielzeug," he called teasingly back to the panicking girl, as the doors opened for him.

"Ta Ta, my little plaything."

The doors closed behind him. His laughter and the woman's screams the only sounds left, as he walked away, his eyes and smile gleaming in the darkness