Disclaimer: The characters are not mine.
Thank you for reviewing. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed writing it.
In the Dark
The first thing he knew was the terrible throbbing pain in his head. If the truth was told he wouldn't have wanted to wake up. Not at least for a couple of hours. He blinked a few times and then came to the realization that he was in a dark room and apparently lying on a stone floor. He let his fingers travel on the rough and cold floor. What was this place? A cellar? It was cold enough to be one. He reached out and tried to find something solid but there were no walls within his reach. Damn. Cautiously he stood up and took a step forward his hands searching the air but finding nothing.
"So you decided to return to the realm of consciousness, Mr.Trent?"
The voice made made him stop on his tracks as if it would prevent the one who had spoken from seeing him. Had he made a sound or something that had told the other one knew he was there? There was a pregnant pause during which neither of them spoke. Thoughts were running through Kurtis' head and to be frank he felt a bit nauseous. Concussion was the last thing he needed now and he hoped he didn't have one. The next thing he noticed was a small source of light lit in the room where he was and someone put in on a table.
"I am sorry for that. Sometimes I forget that not everyone are used to dark"
It was a female voice. Definitely a female voice. He turned so that he saw the light emanating from the candle and a slim figure standing in that light. Her appearance shocked him: she had all white face with dark spots under her eyes that looked like they had sunken to her skull. She had no hair anymore. Perhaps they had been removed for a good reason or then they had died of old age. She looked fragile. She looked like she would break as soon as someone touched her and he could see she had spent way too many years hidden in this place. She was dressed in a long gown but had no shoes. A small smile took over her face letting some light into her eyes and for a moment Kurtis could recognize her as a living being.
"What is this place?", he asked quietly. The room gave him the creeps and he had never liked the feeling. Nothing good could come out of it.
"This my dear is my tomb", she answered her voice filled with sadness that spoke volumes to Kurtis. How long had she been here and how was she still alive? She looked like she would've died years ago. Perhaps in her soul she had.
"Your...tomb?", he asked not believing the woman. "You could leave this place"
"I'm afraid that isn't possible. It hasn't been in many years"
"But someone brought me here! There is a way out! There still is the outside world!"
"Not for me. To me it ceased to exist ages ago. It's a little glimpse of light in the end of the tunnel I know I can not take"
Kurtis couldn't believe it. What stopped the woman leaving this tomb? He cast another look at her form that must be only a shadow of her former self. Could she survive there? He looked at the floor not wanting to face the desperation in her eyes.
"Kurtis...", she began and he lifted his eyes to look in hers as soon as she called him by his given name. "As much as it saddens me I can't enter the world outside these walls and the truth is my eyes couldn't take the light anymore. Too long have I lived in darkness. Too many lifetimes I've spent here waiting for nothing without hope...until you came"
"Too many lifetimes?", was all he could say and even that was said in a silent voice. "You're not a human?"
She actually laughed a little and looked directly at him. "I am something your father taught you to hate. Something that he told was wicked and vile to the core"
"A.a..a..nephilim?", he asked stuttering. No. It couldn't be. If she were a nephilim his life would be already over...and they were immortal. Why would she suffer from something that was so human? Why did she suffer from aging flesh and weariness in her eyes? "But...you...."
"An immortal you mean?", she shook her head a little. "Immortality ain't the golden branch everyone thinks it is. It cost us more than could be imagined. It took our feelings but some of us managed to hold a spark. Perhaps in outside world I'd look like a normal human but here...no. Our skin is almost human. Like their skin ours too needs light" She looked the expression on his face. "Why is it so hard to believe? In a real world there ain't a thing called immortality. It's something cooked in the deepness of those human's minds who were afraid of death"
He could only stare at her. There in front of him stood a being his father had taught him to hate. What she had said made him think that she regretted to be born as a nephilim and didn't think much of her kind. She sounded like she missed something she never had but it wasn't possible.
"I've heard you are looking for an artifact called Shadow Katana."
This brought him back to this world from the realm of thoughts and for a start he was at loss with words. Then he stuttered something like 'yes' to her not being able to meet her gaze.
"I am able to enlighten you in this matter", she said slowly. "But you'll have to promise you'll do me a favor first"
"A favor?", he asked rather bluntly before he realized what exactly had escaped his lips.
"I've been locked in this tomb for too many years, too many lifetimes. I'm asking you to set me free"
"Set you free? But a moment ago you said you weren't able to leave or didn't want to"
"No. You'll have to slay me. Perhaps I've payed for all of my crimes"
Kurtis coughed. This wasn't something he had expected the favor to be. He had thought she'd ask him to retrieve something to her or revenge something she no more was able to. Now that he began to think about it he weren't so sure whether he had it in him. Whether or not he could kill a being with soul that so much yearned to live. Yearned something that was out of its reach. He felt the piercing gaze of her eyes almost boring through him and silently nodded. He knew exactly what he was getting himself in to.
"What do you know this far?"
"Only something about a tomb under Calvary. There was a poem in Hebrew in a recently discovered grave"
The woman nodded and let a sad smile raise to her face. She knew exactly who was buried under Calvary and she had waited almost two thousand years hidden in this dark place that stole away everything but the little spark she'd gotten from her mother. The little spark of hope that hadn't died while all the other feelings and thoughts had been buried somewhere deep in her mind.
"An old tale tells that The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is build on Calvary but many have tried to find the spot and failed in doing so." She sighed. "As you might know there are a few places that are thought to be the the place of the crucifixion", she looked at Kurtis so long she got a small nod from him and then she smiled sadly. "None of them is the right spot. For so long have the Christians made pilgrimages to places that have no value to them." she kept a long pause before continuing. "There is an order which has kept the right place secret and this is my reward for belonging to it"
What a reward, he thought. Locked in darkness for so many years for something she had thought was right was something a human mind couldn't comprehend but deep in his heart Kurtis understood her reasons. There had been martyrs before, humans that were willing to risk their lives for their cause. Someone said you can get everything with money. No. One couldn't buy a soul so devoted for something it thought was right. She was the first nephilim martyr he had ever known. On the other hand she was the first nephilim he really knew. Karel might be a martyr too but not in the real meaning of the word. If you considered him a martyr who else would be given that title?
"Where is the tomb then?", he asked the question he really didn't want to at the moment.
"At first it was only the mound that existed to mark the spot but then there was the crucifixion and the three crosses to mark to cruelty of a living soul. Many people met their end there in the hands of their kind" she said in a sad voice like she would really feel bad for the lost souls.
"And...?"
"You're asking about the Savior of the Christians? I do not know whether or not he lived and it ain't like me to waste a thought on something I am quite sure never existed"
Kurtis only nodded. Almost for his whole life he had felt the like he had known not to believe in such things.
"The order was founded to prevent them from finding and entering her grave. For centuries it worked to misguide the everyone who thought they were on the right tracks until it was no longer needed and I'm the last living member"
"What about your employees? The very ones who brought me here?"
The woman laughed rather coldly. "You hardly can say they're employees when they do it willingly and without pay. The members of the Lux Veritatis weren't the only ones who knew we existed. There were others who as willingly wanted to give their lives for their cause"
When Kurtis didn't say anything she went on with her story. "A monument was build on the place for everyone who wanted to remember her, her deeds and her love" After saying this she turned away not being able to face the man standing almost right in front of her.
Kurtis was astonished. Something he had thought had no feelings was very alike with the human race. Something he had thought was far from human was able to feel too. What had happened to the rest of them? What could've have caused their hearts to turn as black as coal?
"Does this monument have a name?", he asked trying to hide the surprised tone of his voice.
"The Church of St. Anne", she answered. "Named by her. By the name she wanted to be called and not the one she had been given." A little laugh escaped her lips. "Of course the Saint-part is to make the church more believable"
He was almost shocked. While he had sat in a taxi he had driven past the building and had not given it any attention believing it only was an ordinary church.
"Why? Why did you had me brought here while anyone who works for you might have told me the same things?"
She grabbed the the candle she had laid on the table and slowly walked to him. She stopped so close to him that he had no trouble seeing her eyes. The deep blue of them surprised him. The color was so close to his own.
"I wanted to see what my flesh and blood looks like"
Thank you for reviewing. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed writing it.
In the Dark
The first thing he knew was the terrible throbbing pain in his head. If the truth was told he wouldn't have wanted to wake up. Not at least for a couple of hours. He blinked a few times and then came to the realization that he was in a dark room and apparently lying on a stone floor. He let his fingers travel on the rough and cold floor. What was this place? A cellar? It was cold enough to be one. He reached out and tried to find something solid but there were no walls within his reach. Damn. Cautiously he stood up and took a step forward his hands searching the air but finding nothing.
"So you decided to return to the realm of consciousness, Mr.Trent?"
The voice made made him stop on his tracks as if it would prevent the one who had spoken from seeing him. Had he made a sound or something that had told the other one knew he was there? There was a pregnant pause during which neither of them spoke. Thoughts were running through Kurtis' head and to be frank he felt a bit nauseous. Concussion was the last thing he needed now and he hoped he didn't have one. The next thing he noticed was a small source of light lit in the room where he was and someone put in on a table.
"I am sorry for that. Sometimes I forget that not everyone are used to dark"
It was a female voice. Definitely a female voice. He turned so that he saw the light emanating from the candle and a slim figure standing in that light. Her appearance shocked him: she had all white face with dark spots under her eyes that looked like they had sunken to her skull. She had no hair anymore. Perhaps they had been removed for a good reason or then they had died of old age. She looked fragile. She looked like she would break as soon as someone touched her and he could see she had spent way too many years hidden in this place. She was dressed in a long gown but had no shoes. A small smile took over her face letting some light into her eyes and for a moment Kurtis could recognize her as a living being.
"What is this place?", he asked quietly. The room gave him the creeps and he had never liked the feeling. Nothing good could come out of it.
"This my dear is my tomb", she answered her voice filled with sadness that spoke volumes to Kurtis. How long had she been here and how was she still alive? She looked like she would've died years ago. Perhaps in her soul she had.
"Your...tomb?", he asked not believing the woman. "You could leave this place"
"I'm afraid that isn't possible. It hasn't been in many years"
"But someone brought me here! There is a way out! There still is the outside world!"
"Not for me. To me it ceased to exist ages ago. It's a little glimpse of light in the end of the tunnel I know I can not take"
Kurtis couldn't believe it. What stopped the woman leaving this tomb? He cast another look at her form that must be only a shadow of her former self. Could she survive there? He looked at the floor not wanting to face the desperation in her eyes.
"Kurtis...", she began and he lifted his eyes to look in hers as soon as she called him by his given name. "As much as it saddens me I can't enter the world outside these walls and the truth is my eyes couldn't take the light anymore. Too long have I lived in darkness. Too many lifetimes I've spent here waiting for nothing without hope...until you came"
"Too many lifetimes?", was all he could say and even that was said in a silent voice. "You're not a human?"
She actually laughed a little and looked directly at him. "I am something your father taught you to hate. Something that he told was wicked and vile to the core"
"A.a..a..nephilim?", he asked stuttering. No. It couldn't be. If she were a nephilim his life would be already over...and they were immortal. Why would she suffer from something that was so human? Why did she suffer from aging flesh and weariness in her eyes? "But...you...."
"An immortal you mean?", she shook her head a little. "Immortality ain't the golden branch everyone thinks it is. It cost us more than could be imagined. It took our feelings but some of us managed to hold a spark. Perhaps in outside world I'd look like a normal human but here...no. Our skin is almost human. Like their skin ours too needs light" She looked the expression on his face. "Why is it so hard to believe? In a real world there ain't a thing called immortality. It's something cooked in the deepness of those human's minds who were afraid of death"
He could only stare at her. There in front of him stood a being his father had taught him to hate. What she had said made him think that she regretted to be born as a nephilim and didn't think much of her kind. She sounded like she missed something she never had but it wasn't possible.
"I've heard you are looking for an artifact called Shadow Katana."
This brought him back to this world from the realm of thoughts and for a start he was at loss with words. Then he stuttered something like 'yes' to her not being able to meet her gaze.
"I am able to enlighten you in this matter", she said slowly. "But you'll have to promise you'll do me a favor first"
"A favor?", he asked rather bluntly before he realized what exactly had escaped his lips.
"I've been locked in this tomb for too many years, too many lifetimes. I'm asking you to set me free"
"Set you free? But a moment ago you said you weren't able to leave or didn't want to"
"No. You'll have to slay me. Perhaps I've payed for all of my crimes"
Kurtis coughed. This wasn't something he had expected the favor to be. He had thought she'd ask him to retrieve something to her or revenge something she no more was able to. Now that he began to think about it he weren't so sure whether he had it in him. Whether or not he could kill a being with soul that so much yearned to live. Yearned something that was out of its reach. He felt the piercing gaze of her eyes almost boring through him and silently nodded. He knew exactly what he was getting himself in to.
"What do you know this far?"
"Only something about a tomb under Calvary. There was a poem in Hebrew in a recently discovered grave"
The woman nodded and let a sad smile raise to her face. She knew exactly who was buried under Calvary and she had waited almost two thousand years hidden in this dark place that stole away everything but the little spark she'd gotten from her mother. The little spark of hope that hadn't died while all the other feelings and thoughts had been buried somewhere deep in her mind.
"An old tale tells that The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is build on Calvary but many have tried to find the spot and failed in doing so." She sighed. "As you might know there are a few places that are thought to be the the place of the crucifixion", she looked at Kurtis so long she got a small nod from him and then she smiled sadly. "None of them is the right spot. For so long have the Christians made pilgrimages to places that have no value to them." she kept a long pause before continuing. "There is an order which has kept the right place secret and this is my reward for belonging to it"
What a reward, he thought. Locked in darkness for so many years for something she had thought was right was something a human mind couldn't comprehend but deep in his heart Kurtis understood her reasons. There had been martyrs before, humans that were willing to risk their lives for their cause. Someone said you can get everything with money. No. One couldn't buy a soul so devoted for something it thought was right. She was the first nephilim martyr he had ever known. On the other hand she was the first nephilim he really knew. Karel might be a martyr too but not in the real meaning of the word. If you considered him a martyr who else would be given that title?
"Where is the tomb then?", he asked the question he really didn't want to at the moment.
"At first it was only the mound that existed to mark the spot but then there was the crucifixion and the three crosses to mark to cruelty of a living soul. Many people met their end there in the hands of their kind" she said in a sad voice like she would really feel bad for the lost souls.
"And...?"
"You're asking about the Savior of the Christians? I do not know whether or not he lived and it ain't like me to waste a thought on something I am quite sure never existed"
Kurtis only nodded. Almost for his whole life he had felt the like he had known not to believe in such things.
"The order was founded to prevent them from finding and entering her grave. For centuries it worked to misguide the everyone who thought they were on the right tracks until it was no longer needed and I'm the last living member"
"What about your employees? The very ones who brought me here?"
The woman laughed rather coldly. "You hardly can say they're employees when they do it willingly and without pay. The members of the Lux Veritatis weren't the only ones who knew we existed. There were others who as willingly wanted to give their lives for their cause"
When Kurtis didn't say anything she went on with her story. "A monument was build on the place for everyone who wanted to remember her, her deeds and her love" After saying this she turned away not being able to face the man standing almost right in front of her.
Kurtis was astonished. Something he had thought had no feelings was very alike with the human race. Something he had thought was far from human was able to feel too. What had happened to the rest of them? What could've have caused their hearts to turn as black as coal?
"Does this monument have a name?", he asked trying to hide the surprised tone of his voice.
"The Church of St. Anne", she answered. "Named by her. By the name she wanted to be called and not the one she had been given." A little laugh escaped her lips. "Of course the Saint-part is to make the church more believable"
He was almost shocked. While he had sat in a taxi he had driven past the building and had not given it any attention believing it only was an ordinary church.
"Why? Why did you had me brought here while anyone who works for you might have told me the same things?"
She grabbed the the candle she had laid on the table and slowly walked to him. She stopped so close to him that he had no trouble seeing her eyes. The deep blue of them surprised him. The color was so close to his own.
"I wanted to see what my flesh and blood looks like"