Theft of Thine Heart
Chapter Thirty Five
Esther couldn't stop the young Methuselah girl from running to the bodies of her parents, tears running down the girl's cheeks as she ignored the blood, shaking her parents' shoulders.
"Wake up mommy, daddy!"
The butler seemed to have melted away to be replaced by the familiar, long haired Isaac who motioned with his hand lazily, "be rid of that annoying noise."
Both Autojagers leapt to attention, diving at the sobbing child as they raised their axes. The others were too far away to do anything. However both axes clattered to the ground, blood splattering the ceiling from the stumps that had once been their arms. Rain stood over the girl but she seemed different, her eyes hard and cold, burning a crimson colour like the blood on her blade. Still, the two leapt at her undeterred, unfeeling only doing as they were commanded until she sliced one in half with her sword, grabbing the other by its masked face as electricity crackled at her fingertips. An explosion of electricity almost sent the concrete on the walls crumbling away. The smoking remnants of the Autojager fell back.
"Oh dear," Cain commented with a pout, "look what you did to that poor puppet, Dietrich won't be very happy."
Slowly raising her blade that still lit up with racing electricity across its silver edge, her hard eyes finally looked at Cain.
"What have you done with my parents?" she asked quietly, "answer me!"
Abel had finally come to his senses and ran forwards, skidding to a halt between the pair, his eyes burning with a barely contained anger. It took all his self-control to not let the Crusnik out while facing the man who had betrayed him, who had murdered Lilith.
"Stay back Rain!" he warned before his eyes widened as Cain suddenly appeared stood behind him, barely a meter away from Rain.
"Really brother," he sighed and tutted with a wave of his finger, "you can't get between two people's conversation, it's just rude! We'll chat later, I promise~!"
Abel spun round however Cain was already gone, now stood by Rain's shoulder much to her shock, wide crimson eyes moving sideways to see him stood there as she stood frozen.
"Ah my little Six," Cain all but crooned as he trailed a hand up her back, "now where were we? Oh yes! You should know by now that of course your parents are dead," he chuckled as if it was the silliest question he had ever heard.
Her heart stopped in her chest for a moment before rage built up inside of her turning her vision crimson. Rain barely turned, swinging her sword with her to try and cleave his head from his shoulders, when something hit her chest making her stop.
Numbly, she was aware of Abel shouting her name, panic and horror in his voice. She thought she possibly heard a scream along with rushing feet as people hurried to leave the classroom. Why? Her hand felt like deadweight causing her to drop her father's sword, the blade clanging against the floor. She felt cold…why? As Rain began to fall, a hole in her chest, her pale grey eyes never left the grinning man who stood before her as he caught her, one hand around her waist and the other holding her wrist up as if to dance with her.
"It's time to wake up~!"
"CAIN!" Abel roared as he finally lost control.
Everyone bar Vincent and Vanessa had left the classroom, Esther taking the children as far away as possible. He no longer felt held back, but he feared that even if they had still remained he would have given into the nanomachines inside of them. They were racing beneath his skin, almost vibrating with his fury as his features darkened, huge black wings unfurling as lightning struck all around him as crimson trails slipped from his eyes. He had lost another. And yet despite his changing form Cain still stood there, holding Rain in his arms like a doll as he spun around with her, her empty grey eyes unseeing. Immediately shadow creatures leapt from the corners, summoned by the magician from behind his master with a smirk on his pale face.
"I'm sorry younger brother," Isaak inclined his head slightly, "but I can't let you interrupt Mein Herr's important time with little Rain."
His words only seemed to make him angrier as his own vision began to turn red with fury. He would bring the very ghetto down around him and Abel didn't care. Not anymore. Cain hummed merrily as he spun Rain's limp body around.
"Ah how your father begged for me to release your mother," Cain sighed wistfully, "how he told me to leave you be, but he didn't know that you're mine. You've always been mine! Even my dear brother tried to take you from me," he chuckled, sending Abel a sly grin, "he was always much better with the girls."
"Get your hands off her!" Abel roared almost shaking the room with his shout.
Once again another shadow creature leapt into his way as he tried to fly forwards, anything to get to Rain and rip her away from Cain's hold.
"RAIN!" he yelled once more, almost screaming it to the heavens despite knowing it fell on deaf ears.
It was the shout of her name that made her snap her eyes open. She was back in that circular room with its many doors of various designs. Only a couple of them seemed to have vanished. The doorframe remained but the door itself was no longer there; those passages were cut off from her. Feeling sluggish, Rain raised a hand to her head only to pause as she recalled what had happened. Letting her hand fall to her chest she could feel wet, hot blood covering her chest. She didn't have the stomach to look down at herself. Which door did she need to go through? Looking around, she peered at each one until she recognised the pristine door from before…only it was no longer quite as pristine as before. Rain reached out to the door but froze.
No, that wasn't her door. Cain's words echoed through her mind and the circular room she was stuck in. Her parents were dead; no, she wouldn't believe it! Not her father who she had believed to be stronger than anyone. Not her mother who was loved by everyone for her kind heart. No, she couldn't believe that her father had begged that monster to spare her and release her mother. The hand that had reached out to that door curled into a fist. How dare he, this supposed angel from the stars, try to rob her of everything? Not only her family, but he was a danger to Abel also. Just the thought made her bristle as if electricity was coursing through her body. But that man, no that monster, was too powerful.
"I can help you…" the whisper made her spin around with wide eyes.
They fell on the weathered door behind her. It was slightly cracked around the edges as if it had been hammered against and there was even a wooden board across it to stop anyone from getting in…or getting out. It was the door she had felt a bad feeling from, felt like there was something dangerous lurking behind that door, but in that moment Rain knew this was her door. Taking a step towards it the pristine door behind her began to slowly disappear, fading away from existence with each step that brought her closer to the other door. The door with a six on it. Without hesitation she ripped off the wooden board that felt almost like paper in her grasp before pausing on the handle. It felt hot, like a raging fire was inside. A voice in the back of her mind was telling her to choose any other door than this one; that if she walked through that door everything would change. But something deep inside of her was pushing her forwards, chanting 'open the door, open the door, open the door.' Rain caught a flash of something in her mind, Cain grinning down at her as he spun her around the darkened room while electricity sparked all around. Abel roared her name once more as shadow creatures were cut down and replaced with more. She hesitated no longer as she all but threw the door open and stepped forwards allowing herself to be swallowed by the darkness.
As Abel cut down the last shadow creature, a trail of blood running down his face and several wounds to his arms, he was also fairly certain his chest wound had re-opened. But he didn't care. All that mattered was reaching that blue haired woman his sole enemy held. Cain appeared to have had enough of dancing as he finally drew to a stop, holding Rain in his arms with a sigh of content.
"Ah this has been fun, but I suppose we should hurry back Isaak, little Rain's body won't hold out for much longer."
Abel's crimson eyes widened, "you are not leaving with her!" just what had he got planned?
Isaak bowed ever so slightly with a hand across his chest, "of course Mein Herr, I'll get the transfer preparations underway as soon as we return-" he was cut off as an explosion of electricity suddenly swallowed Cain whole, "Mein Herr!"
Cain stumbled away, his white suit charred and it appeared that one of his arms had been completely blown off from the sheer force but he didn't seem to notice. In fact his eyes were alight with excitement, a wide grin on his face as he laughed joyfully.
"There! You see Isaak, she just needed a little time! Isn't she beautiful brother?" Cain almost crooned just as the tower of lightning vanished.
A huge hole had been blown up through the roof of the ghetto, charring the steel and stone but static still lingered in the air making every movement feel electrified. Even breathing felt difficult. Abel's wide eyes weren't sure if they could compute what was before him. Rain was…standing! But it wasn't Rain. The hole in her chest had vanished, instantly healed over to reveal untouched skin, but her skin was black as if charred. Deep cracks of blue ran across her body, visible across any inch of skin that was on show. He blue hair spiked backwards as if stood on end and long fangs overlapped her dark lips. She stood there limply as if barely held up on her feet, clawed hands twitching ever so slightly just as a pair of wings unfurled from her back. One black and one white, the wings unfurled as if stretching from their first time of freedom.
"A perfect Crusnik," Isaak muttered, "indeed Six is much better than I had initially thought, and compared to the failures from before. With this we do not need the blueprints of the younger brother, I shall incapacitate her Mein Herr."
"Don't rough her up too much," Cain grinned practically bouncing on his feet despite his missing arm, "she is mine after all."
Rain's head twitched in the direction of the voices as if triggered by Cain's voice, glowing crimson eyes snapped open and fixated on him. There was none of the Rain Abel knew in those eyes, only wild raging emotions that focused on the hatred for the blonde haired Crusnik. As if sensing the danger shadow creatures leapt from the ground to create a wall between her and the two Orden members. Swaying on the spot, Rain flickered before appearing above the shadow creatures. Electricity ran around her claws as she swept forward, her wings propelling her along. The wave of electricity instantly destroyed the shadow creatures before a wave of air flew past the two Orden members, cutting through the steel and leaving a long cut through the wall behind them. With narrowed eyes Isaak flung out his hand, summoning a hail of flaming arrows that flew towards Rain who simply stood there. She cocked her head slightly with a sudden dark smirk before raising her clawed hand. The flaming arrows hit an invisible wall just before her, exploding and creating a small inferno that hid her from view for a moment. Isaak turned to Cain with a bowed head.
"We must retreat Mein Herr, not only is your body falling apart but I believe Six is too much for me to handle at the moment. I deeply apologise."
"Nonsense," Cain beamed, "it just means she's as perfect as we made her, but I am indeed falling apart," he held up his other arm that had degraded away leaving him with two stumps, "ah well, I must wait a little longer it seems!" before he cast a warm smile in Abel's direction, said Crusnik still frozen unsure of what was happening, "I'll let you keep her for a little longer brother."
Before he could stop them the pair had been swallowed by shadows and were gone from the Ghetto. Instead of silence the sound of harsh breathing and crackling electricity echoed through the destroyed room. Behind him the two Methuselah Vincent and Vanessa had long since departed, realising they could do nothing in the battle between creatures much stronger than them. There was only Abel and Rain left. Unsure, Abel took a step forwards. The sound made her jolt, crimson eyes turning to him and fixing him in place. Despite all his questions he knew this was much more pressing. It didn't matter for the moment how she was a Crusnik, only that he had to somehow reach her and bring her back to her own mind.