Soul's Requiem
Chapter 3
The months passed and the nights grew longer for Dusk. He divided his time learning more about Raizen's plans, his race's customs and participating in nightly raids. There were times he was forced to kill people and did so silently despite the disgust he had hidden beneath the mask he wore. Every time he killed, he could had sworn the Mysterious Nightingale's saddened expression would appear somewhere from deep within the shadows. He hated seeing it and did everything he could afterwards to avoid the mirrors as well as the images of her for days in order to regain some sense of normalcy.
When he wasn't on raids or training, he found himself wandering the abandoned city to get a better feel of the area. There were times he wanted to lose himself within the maze-like surroundings. Reaching the outskirts of the city, he noticed the undeveloped lands and wondered what life actually lived there and why his master was claiming it. There were times he wanted nothing more than to explore the world, but he knew better not to go to unfamiliar lands when his master needed him pursuing the Mysterious Nightingale.
Eventually, the air began to grow colder and Raizen had handed Dusk a crimson red cape to add to the mysteriousness of his character and to provide additional warmth. The very fabric hardly shielded him from the bitter coldness that had adjusted to not only physically. If anything, the cape had only added the very coldness that resided within his darkening heart. He was also given an energy blade since the Anti-Chi fields were constructed and robbed him use of his power.
Yielding the blade within the courtyard of the ship, Dusk slashed it at the invisible foes he fought in practice. He had grown more proficient with the weapon and had a chance to try it a few times against the captured humans. Despite the fact that he preferred energy blasts, Raizen had reminded him that there would be times where using such a device would be preferred when he was unable to access his true power.
With the energy blade in hand, he had no choice but to learn yet another cruel method of killing and was forced to on more than one occasion to take more lives using such a horrid object.
One afternoon, Dusk looked outside and noticed a strange white dust falling from the sky that he was unfamiliar with. Stepping outside of the ship, he felt the cold prickling sensation and wondered where such a thing came from. He noted that it left footprints in its surface; confusing him further.
'What is this falling from the sky so white? I had only seen rain, but not this…' Dusk quizzically and experimentally touched this wet stuff that accumulated on the ground all around him. It bunched up in his hand and he questioned what he could do with it.
"Dusk, stop playing in the snow and come up on the bridge," Raizen's voice yelled from the intercom; jarring the masked man out of his examination of the strange substance.
"On my way," Dusk answered before walking back inside; unsure of what his master wanted.
The bridge was completely dark with the exception of a single light shining down from the ceiling. He walked into this light and knelt down in both respect and loyalty. Moments later, total darkness coveted the area, but Dusk remained where he was; squishing back the fear that attempted to overwhelm his body. There were nights that he still felt suffocated in the pitch darkness and he wanted nothing more than the lights to come back on and reassure him that everything was alright.
"Good evening Dusk," Raizen's voice spoke from the speaker above his head. "Are you ready for tonight's mission?" The masked figure merely nodded, still fighting the trepidation that was running through his veins. "Good. Tonight, you are to ambush the Mysterious Nightingale inside of an old cathedral. She'll believe there are humans hiding in that area thanks to Milton doing the dirty work for us."
"If that is what Lord Raizen asks, I shall obey," Dusk answered before standing up.
"Excellent. I expect that you carry out your mission and see to it that she fails to escape."
'I hope tonight, I will be able to fulfill my mission,' Dusk thought. He pushed the saddened looks of the woman he had grown to know to the back of his mind. He had work to do and knew not to disobey or he would suffer the consequences.
The air was cold and Dusk flew to prevent his feet from leaving any traces of his presence upon the ground. He had learned through trial and error that the slightest disturbance would cause it to collapse; therefore, he hovered slightly over it and regulated the control of his chi to ensure that it would not leave a single trace of his path. The old cathedral that was the Mysterious Nightingale's target for the evening stood before him.
The sounds of footsteps were heard crunching through the snow and he dove into a side entrance to ensure that he was not spotted. He walked up the darkened staircase cast within the waning moonlight to the main area of the cathedral. He noted that within the candlelit area that the traps were resting upon the pews and hid behind one of the pillars when the heavy door creaked open.
Within the dim burning candlelight, he saw the Mysterious Nightingale walk cautiously through the debris of broken glass and rubble towards one of the disguised bundles to lead the female into the trap of Raizen's choosing. She lifted one of the blankets and realized the error too late and prepared to let her companions know when Dusk shot at the device upon her ear. She threw it off as the device crackled and sizzled upon the ground.
"I don't think so," Dusk spoke to the Mysterious Nightingale while stepping out from behind the pillar with a cold gaze in his eyes.
"Did you set up this trap?" the Mysterious Nightingale questioned angrily while sliding into a fighting stance. Dusk saw the futility of her plans to defend herself and noted the horrid stance would do poorly against a fighter of his caliber. "And are you Dusk, the Nightingale Hunter I heard about?"
"No and yes to your questions," Dusk vaguely answered before he lunged at the earthen woman. She defended herself and traded punches and kicks against the masked fighter. Despite her size and physique, she was stronger than she made herself out to be. In a way, Dusk was pleased in this concept, but he knew that she did not stand a chance in the long run.
Both fighters, one serving an overlord who wanted her and the other who was fighting against the ruler's cruelty in order to preserve humanity, fought wildly against one another within the flickering candlelight. The Mysterious Nightingale threw a punch at Dusk's masked face; however, he evaded and caught her ankle. She was pulled to the ground, but used the momentum to kick him in the gut; forcing him over her head.
'She's good…' Dusk thought to himself. 'Shame I have to capture her and bring her to my master's feet…'
Dusk lunged towards the Mysterious Nightingale again as she jumped over him and slid across the ground. Dusk fired a blast; however, she evaded while it crashed into a pew. He continued firing blasts while she continued to weave through his assault and delivered a kick to his side. He caught her leg and pulled her closer; however, she was quick to push him away and did a few back springs before another blast came at her.
The blast caused the earth to quake and the Mysterious Nightingale lost her footing from the ground caving slightly. Dusk took advantage of this minor distraction and delivered a punch to her gut. She was forced against the wall to recompose herself. She spat something to the ground that Dusk quickly assumed was blood mixed with what food she had eaten before coming here. The Mysterious Nightingale's breaths were ragged from the last attack he had delivered and a part of him was surprised that she was still willing to put up a fight after the blow he delivered.
"Are you truly the famous Mysterious Nightingale I heard so much about?" Dusk scoffed at her pitiful attempts to fight. "Your fighting style is pitiful."
No sooner did Dusk say these words, she fired her own blast at him, surprising the skilled warrior.
"Still think my fighting style's pitiful?" the Mysterious Nightingale mocked Dusk in a teasing way. For the oddest reason, he found that the way she defied him to be comical.
"Not bad, but not good either," Dusk countered and prepared to punch her. She closed her eyes and for a fleeting moment, he noted the panicked fear on her face and a part of him hesitated when he felt like something wasn't right. For an odd reason, he couldn't bring himself to hit her in the face. He ended up pulling the punch; unsure what this feeling was welling up in his gut. 'I need to capture her, but then why… why does this feel so wrong? Why do I feel like I should let her go so my master doesn't get her?'
'Capture her!'
'No… not tonight… not yet…'
Angrily, he turned away from her and flew upwards. When the blow did not follow through, the Mysterious Nightingale looked around before she spotted him before the broken window of the cathedral.
"Why did you stop?" the Mysterious Nightingale questioned.
"Unlike you simpleton, my honor does not believe in defeating you when you are not at your best," Dusk cryptically answered. "Until you grow stronger, our duel has been postponed." Without another word, he melted into the darkness; leaving his foe to contend to another day.
That night, Dusk dragged himself into his quarters bloody from the punishment he had received from defying Raizen's orders. He limped to the bathroom and set the blood covered mask on the sink before stripping out of his red armor and black spandex. Stepping into the shower, he leaned his forehead against the cool shower wall while he thought back to the anger and fear that the Mysterious Nightingale had in her eyes during that fight that they had.
'What made me hesitate back there?' Dusk thought. 'Why does she affect me like this when normally, I would follow Raizen's orders without question?'
A heavy sigh escaped his lungs before he realized the water was growing colder. His eyes snapped open in frustration and he began to wash away the blood that stained his skin from the open wounds he sustained from his latest punishment. He had to tend to himself since the women that would normally do so were refrained from assisting him. According to Raizen, he had disobeyed and was being reprimanded for his actions of letting the Mysterious Nightingale go when he wanted her desperately. So why then did he feel better knowing she was safe?
'Who are you Mysterious Nightingale? Why is it I feel this way when I see you?' Dusk thought while stepping out of the shower and going into the cabinet to find the bandages.
Finding the bandages, he wrapped his torso to ensure that the bleeding stopped. When he looked in the mirror, once again, he saw the man he could not face. The man had a broken expression and a haunted look in his eyes. Taking the mask, he rinsed it off from his blood and sweat that drenched the object. Carefully, he put it on his face before he would dare open his eyes again. The very object shielded him from seeing the full picture of his torment; his eyes the only sign of the pain reflected that he could easily ignore without much effort.
Walking back to his room, he walked towards his bed that lay near the corner of the room. Carelessly, his back hit the mattress despite the stinging pain. He laid there while he stared at the ceiling for a few moments before closing his eyes.
Right now, Dusk didn't bother to dress at all since he preferred the sheets touching his bare skin over the uniform that made him feel dirty every single time he wore it. The thought of killing the humans, fighting against the Mysterious Nightingale and ruining what means they have to survive seemed wrong and for once, he began to question his master's motives.
'Why must I do this to ensure that they submit themselves to Lord Raizen? I still don't understand…' Dusk thought before he fell into another round of nightmares of the woman whose name he only knew as the Mysterious Nightingale.
"Mom, it's not your fault…" Gohan pleaded while the female sat in her hammock crying sorrowfully.
"Yes it is… I should have been more prepared before I lead you all there… because of me, Krillin died…" Chi-chi muttered from the pillow that rested in her hammock. "I could have prevented it if we never left…"
"Mom… Krillin's found peace… he's back with his family now…" Gohan reassured.
A sob escaped Chi-chi's throat. Gohan realized he said the wrong thing and walked away from his mother; to let her grieve for what happened that night.
'I wish I was stronger… I wish Goku was here…' Chi-chi thought morbidly before she fell asleep; the tears running down her cheeks even while entrapped in the nightmares that plagued her each night.
In the middle of the night, Dusk had awoken from one of his most vivid nightmares to date: he saw the Mysterious Nightingale dead at his own hands all bloody and broken just like the many victims he had murdered before. He felt sick and looked up at the ceiling; wishing that the darkness around him would just disappear. The only hint of light that gave him comfort was the bathroom light he left on. It seemed childish, but that light was his only source of maintaining his otherwise dwindling sanity.
He stared at his open hands that shook with such terror of the thought of murdering the woman that haunted his nightmares and thoughts with every breath he took. He felt a hint of shame for even touching her earlier let alone goad into an unfair fight.
'Why?' Dusk thought; his fingers threading through his unruly hair. 'Why do I hesitate when I see her? What is this feeling and why do I feel like defying my master to ensure her safety?'
The door hissed open and Dusk saw one of the enslaved women enter his room. She silently closed the gap between him and the door and knelt down at his bedside.
"My master would be displeased to see you disobeying his orders," Dusk spoke curtly.
"I don't care. I am loyal to you Lord Dusk," The female spoke softly before she moved closer to tend to his wounds. Dusk had many servants in the past few months, but this one who he fondly called Cassie had not strayed from his side in the worst nights. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and looked like she was in her early thirties. Like the other slaves, she was fed very little and it was a miracle she was able to survive in the harsh conditions she faced.
"Such stubborn loyalty will only get you killed one day Cas," Dusk affectionately warned the woman that re-wrapped the bandages he attempted to put on himself earlier.
"When that does happen, I will be reunited with my darling angel," Cassie confirmed sadly. "I still miss her."
Dusk said nothing and only recalled that before Cassie's imprisonment, she worked at a café to support her infant daughter due to her boyfriend breaking her heart and cheating on her with another woman. The man ended up dying along with the woman that ruined Cassie's life, but she knew he did not deserve what had happened nor did she deserve to lose her daughter in the aftermath.
"Do you have anyone you miss Lord Dusk?" Cassie questioned.
"No," Dusk answered briskly. "I doubt there is anyone out there that would miss me either."
Cassie finished treating Dusk's wounds. "I suppose we are in the same boat then. We both have no one to call family or anyone that remembers we are still here."
"It is better they didn't know," Dusk sighed in irritation. "I wouldn't want anyone to know that I dislike murdering the humans just to appease my master."
"You have to though," Cassie reminded. "Just as I have to take care of you and ensure that you are healthy for him."
Dusk said nothing. Cassie drew closer to him and gently leaned against his back in a soothing way.
"Do you want me to stay this evening my lord?" Cassie questioned. "I can offer you comfort to soothe away any nightmares that you may have."
"No, off with you," Dusk growled. Cassie moved away from the man before realizing she had overstepped her boundaries.
"I did not mean in…"
"I said go," Dusk spoke louder; not wanting to hear her excuses. The female retreated and once more, the soldier found himself alone in his own thoughts. He laid himself back down and closed his eyes.
'I deserve no comfort… let alone no one to share my true feelings with…' Dusk thought morbidly before he drifted off to sleep once more.
To Be Continued…