Flames of the Redeemer
"What… have you done, Cain?" The beautiful woman with the red hair stepped toward me, menacingly. Did she think she could take me? She held herself awfully well though, for someone who had just witnessed a murder. I simply pushed passed her. "Mind your business."
I walked about three feet away from the doorway before I felt a strange sensation in my back. It was like a small itch that slowly grew into cold, sharp pain. I put my hand on my back to see if I could stop it. What I found was a knife. It was a few centimeters in; a warning shot. This woman wouldn't kill someone dishonorably. It would appear that I'd found Rita.
I glanced quickly at my surroundings, my battlefield. There were many resources and things that I could use to my advantage. I didn't have to wait long to find out what her power was. She sent at me a barrage of utensils, flung off the nearby tables.
"You're trying to kill me with forks? You're going to have to try harder than that to eliminate your mother's redeemer."
Yet, I underestimated her. I could sense the level of her power shift to amazing levels after hearing of the death of Dorothy; she hadn't known. I remember thinking, "I guess I'll have to go all out after all."
I had the same powers as her. However, she had honed her skills in the field much more. Trapped in the confines of my tower, I hadn't put my techniques to any practical use or practice. In fact, before yesterday, I had never used my power on another life. But what it came down to was birth talent. I was simply built better; born for much larger things than to die by this wench. And though she hovered tauntingly on a piano overhead, it wasn't long before I thought of a new tactic. Time to put those resources to use; the alcohol.
I lured her closer to the west wall of the basement, throwing blasts of power just a few feet behind her, forcing her closer and closer to me. I backed myself up until I could no further, let her think she cornered me, and made my strike. Finally, Ihad reason to use alittle thing I had practiced-Teleportation. She was left far behind. As she turned her musical vehicle around to see where I had gone, she met her end in a burst of flames. Alcohol, ignition, and the sight of me wavinggoodbye to a simple inferiorwere the last sights she'd ever see.
As I watched her burn, she started to cry, yelling to herself something about hating herself. A cry of pity? I can only be devoid of mercy. She was as inhuman as I was, yet she chose to oppose me and live for her great god that would show her the way to salvation; a paradise of damnation for all life except something as lifeless as a machine. Given the choice, would she have sided with me? The past is the past. I will think of it no more.
I sensed her breathing slowly waning, until finally it halted. I searched her for clues. After all, I had no idea where to start looking for the next Galerian in line, no less which one I would run into. In one of her pockets, I found a small note, like an answer to the prayers I never made.
Rita
"Rion should be close to his 'awakening' soon. We need you to keep searching for Lilia; he can not be allowed to find her before us. Brother and I will be waiting here, at the home in Rion's memories. Address is on the back, in case anything new developes."
Birdman
The home in Rion's… memories? Could this mean that he doesn't even know he's one of us? Ha, more ammo for my arsenal-all I need to send him over the edge, to make him suffer the most I possibly can. There isn't anything much worse than discovering that all the things you've ever known are fake. Hahaha…
And as the note said, the address of Rion's fake mansion was on the back, conveniently located in a nearby district in our very same city, amidst all the other darkness.
I didn't expect to find Rion. I mean, I had no idea when this note was written. For all I knew, Rion could be awake from wherever he was being held.Something inside me, however, told me that my journey towards godliness would be as long and drawn out as possible, and that I should expect to face every single person possible, before facing Rion... in theend.But I didn't expect to face an "army" either, which was quite an annoying little surprise waiting at the mansion.Perhaps the first sign that my luck was failing…
