Prologue
It seems like it's been forever since the shadows started to cover my mind. I feel like I spent a year in a haze, though it must have only been a month. I'm still not sure why it happened. All I know is that it was somehow tied to my lost memories.
That's the subject of this journal. With the help of Valerie Atwood, I've finally remembered what happened to me as I traveled from my home in northern California to this school in Paragon City. It was the single most unpleasant experience of my life… but I have to write it. I have to make it something real I can read, and I need something to show people, because talking about it, even thinking about it, makes me feel as if something dark and cold has passed through my body.
I was on a bus, which reached the end of its line sometime during the night. I don't know the name of the town; it was somewhere in the Midwest.
I could have taken a different bus. I could have gotten off at an earlier stop. I don't think it would have mattered.
Shadowed Fate
Moderator: Student Council
Re: Shadowed Fate
Chapter 1
The guy brandished a knife in my direction. "I don't want any trouble, just give me your money!"
"I don't have any," I said. "Leave me alone."
He growled. "Yeah, right. I'm not an idiot. You just got off that bus, and they don't give free trips."
I took a step back, getting nervous. "It was all I had… I swear. I don't have any left." In all honesty, I had a couple dollars, but I really needed to get some food. I hadn't eaten in a while. I was hoping my scuffed clothing and unwashed face would at least throw any muggers off.
This one was pretty persistent. "I don't think you're telling the truth. Don't look like anyone's gonna miss you if you disappear, so you'd better cough up."
I felt a twinge of anger. "Get lost, if you know what's good for you."
He grabbed my arm and pressed the point of the knife against my neck. "I'm not playing games! Give me your money or I'll take it off your dead body!"
For a second I froze in total panic. I was terrified of the knife at my throat, but in that instant, I was more scared of what I knew was coming because of it.
As fear surged through me, I lost all control over my powers. The small wind that I always felt escalated almost instantly into a raging howl of merciless force. The robber was lifted off the ground and thrown screaming out into the night. I held my head, stumbling, screaming, as the hurricane ripped through the air around me, picking up trash and tearing the drainpipe from the wall beside me. The puddles from the recent rain were splashed against the walls.
It was as if the storm was trying to pull out my soul. My tears of pain were carried away by the wind as soon as they left my face.
"Stop, stop, stop…" I couldn't hear my own voice. I was barely even aware I was saying anything. I just wanted the chaos to end.
Finally I was able to take control of the power and bend it back into submission. The wind died down, settling back into a small draft. I stood there, shaking, trying to keep it in check.
A thudding noise made me whirl around, almost loosing my balance. The man who had tried to mug me was lying facedown on the ground. Standing behind his still body was a dark, humanoid shape. It looked like a black hole in the night. It spoke, in a voice laced with malice.
"That was most impressive, young lady."
I took a step back. My legs gave out and I fell. "W…who are you?"
The figure stepped closer, and the shadow over it lessened to reveal a man dressed in black armor. On his chest was a red emblem in the shape of a spider.
The man grinned. His face was marred by an ugly scar from his chin to his right ear. "I am Operative Gerard Tregar. I have been looking for you for a very long time."
I tried to stand up. I needed to get away. There was something about this man that was frightening me beyond reason, and if the wind got out of control again I thought I would die.
I had barely gotten to my feet when he took three long steps toward me and grabbed my face with an armored hand. Through my muffled scream I could hear the wind starting to rise. Then I felt something burning on my face, and suddenly became extremely dizzy. Darkness covered my vision.
"Can't have you acting up again."
I tried to push him away, but my arms only twitched weakly. The pressure of his hand vanished and I collapsed to the ground. Everything was fading, a painfully slow release from consciousness. The last thing I heard was his voice.
"You will regret ever meeting me, girl."
I already regretted it. And I always will.
The guy brandished a knife in my direction. "I don't want any trouble, just give me your money!"
"I don't have any," I said. "Leave me alone."
He growled. "Yeah, right. I'm not an idiot. You just got off that bus, and they don't give free trips."
I took a step back, getting nervous. "It was all I had… I swear. I don't have any left." In all honesty, I had a couple dollars, but I really needed to get some food. I hadn't eaten in a while. I was hoping my scuffed clothing and unwashed face would at least throw any muggers off.
This one was pretty persistent. "I don't think you're telling the truth. Don't look like anyone's gonna miss you if you disappear, so you'd better cough up."
I felt a twinge of anger. "Get lost, if you know what's good for you."
He grabbed my arm and pressed the point of the knife against my neck. "I'm not playing games! Give me your money or I'll take it off your dead body!"
For a second I froze in total panic. I was terrified of the knife at my throat, but in that instant, I was more scared of what I knew was coming because of it.
As fear surged through me, I lost all control over my powers. The small wind that I always felt escalated almost instantly into a raging howl of merciless force. The robber was lifted off the ground and thrown screaming out into the night. I held my head, stumbling, screaming, as the hurricane ripped through the air around me, picking up trash and tearing the drainpipe from the wall beside me. The puddles from the recent rain were splashed against the walls.
It was as if the storm was trying to pull out my soul. My tears of pain were carried away by the wind as soon as they left my face.
"Stop, stop, stop…" I couldn't hear my own voice. I was barely even aware I was saying anything. I just wanted the chaos to end.
Finally I was able to take control of the power and bend it back into submission. The wind died down, settling back into a small draft. I stood there, shaking, trying to keep it in check.
A thudding noise made me whirl around, almost loosing my balance. The man who had tried to mug me was lying facedown on the ground. Standing behind his still body was a dark, humanoid shape. It looked like a black hole in the night. It spoke, in a voice laced with malice.
"That was most impressive, young lady."
I took a step back. My legs gave out and I fell. "W…who are you?"
The figure stepped closer, and the shadow over it lessened to reveal a man dressed in black armor. On his chest was a red emblem in the shape of a spider.
The man grinned. His face was marred by an ugly scar from his chin to his right ear. "I am Operative Gerard Tregar. I have been looking for you for a very long time."
I tried to stand up. I needed to get away. There was something about this man that was frightening me beyond reason, and if the wind got out of control again I thought I would die.
I had barely gotten to my feet when he took three long steps toward me and grabbed my face with an armored hand. Through my muffled scream I could hear the wind starting to rise. Then I felt something burning on my face, and suddenly became extremely dizzy. Darkness covered my vision.
"Can't have you acting up again."
I tried to push him away, but my arms only twitched weakly. The pressure of his hand vanished and I collapsed to the ground. Everything was fading, a painfully slow release from consciousness. The last thing I heard was his voice.
"You will regret ever meeting me, girl."
I already regretted it. And I always will.
Re: Shadowed Fate
Chapter 2
Slowly I opened my eyes, seeing at first only blurry shadows, as if I was living in a black painting left out in the rain. My mind was so clouded that for several minutes I just stared straight ahead and tried to remember how gravity worked, if I was lying on the ceiling or the floor or a wall. The world was spinning.
Eventually I blinked a few times, and realized I was sprawled on the ground, staring at a black metal wall. An extremely dim light flickered in the room. The floor was a remarkably uncomfortable metal grate, and as I raised my head a little, I could feel the lines still indented on my cheek.
I slowly raised my hand to my aching head, wincing at the soreness in my muscles. My mind was working sluggishly, trying to comprehend what had happened. I blinked more, trying to focus, groaning as I slowly regained control of my limbs. I looked to my right and saw the metal wall, blank except for a heavy door set on one side. I turned to my left, and felt my heart sink. There was another wall, covered entirely with a giant, bright red Arachnos emblem.
"Damn, girl, can you wake up any slower?"
With a gasp I faced forward and looked up at the figure who had spoken. All I could see with my adjusting eyes was a suit of black armor with red trim, arms folded, holding a helmet in one hand. I felt a rush of fear and tried to get up, but my body just sort of jerked into what might pass for a sitting position. Tremendous pain surged through me at the sudden effort, and I held my head, waiting for it to subside. Through the ringing in my ears I heard a deep laugh.
"This is pathetic… how do you expect to make it in Paragon if you can't even take a little shock like that?"
I forced myself to open my eyes and look up at him. "H... How did you know... that I was going... to Paragon...?"
"Hmph. I'm not stupid. You just found out you can control storms, you seem to be homeless, and you're heading east. Doesn't take a genius to figure it out."
I rubbed my eyes, trying to comprehend his words. "Who the hell are you? What am I doing here?"
The man sighed. "Once again, girl, my name is Gerard Tregar, and I am an Arachnos officer. You can call me Operative Tregar, although I suppose you'll be finding more creative names for me eventually. As for what you're here for... I'm afraid that's confidential."
Tregar. I stared up at him in fury. My vision was clearing, giving me a better look at him. He seemed to be about 30 years old, with several scars on his face of varying sizes. His short black hair was unkempt and he looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days. He seemed to have a permanent expression of distaste pasted on his face.
I got to my feet and glared at him. "Let me go, or you'll regret it."
He rolled his eyes. "You think you're going to scare me with a little wind and rain, do you? You don't have any control over your powers, and I'm not very worried. You should just calm down."
"You don't know anything about my power!"
His eyes flashed with sudden anger, and he took a step forward. "You arrogant little brat! How dare you assume that you are the only one who has any knowledge of the power of the Sky, when you yourself know next to nothing!"
My eyes widened in surprise. Someone else knew about the power I had... and he might even know more than me. For a moment I forgot he had captured me, filled with a sudden desperation to learn what he could tell me. "What... what do you know about it?"
"You're in no position to be asking questions."
"You have to tell me how to get rid of it!"
Tregar paused at that, as if he couldn't quite comprehend what he had heard. He clenched his fists and started to shake, then turned around with a roar and punched the wall behind him. His fist was covered with black energy and left a slight dent as it smashed against the black metal. Dark tendrils flickered around him for a moment. I took several steps back, suddenly frightened again.
He turned back to me, and slowly started stepping towards me. He laughed joylessly. "So... it continues to mock me. Just as I thought it could not cause me more shame, I find this.... You cannot use it, you have no dark energy to speak of, you don't even WANT the power." He threw his head back and screamed, "Is THIS who you want, huh!? Is this your Chosen One, this worthless coward!?"
He grabbed the front of my shirt, staring straight into my face. His eyes were black. "That power, the power of the storm... it's MINE. How is it that the Sky, even in its insanity, could choose you over me? I begin to wonder if its purpose is solely to cause me pain."
I couldn't tear my eyes away from his. "Y...yours... You mean...?"
"That's right," he sneered. "You were so full of yourself, weren't you? You thought that you were the first to be 'Chosen' to have this power? No. I was before you. Me. But the Sky took it back." Tregar's eyes narrowed. "What use is a power if it is only accepted by those who don't wish to have it?"
He let go of me, and I sank weakly to the ground. He started to pace across the room, muttering. "I accepted it with all my soul. It was glorious. I was able to bend the very heavens to my will, call down lightning on my enemies. If anyone stood in my way, the entire fury of the storm would bear down on them and sweep them aside like flies." He paused, and lifted his hand, staring at his palm. "And the darkness... if anyone were to get through the storm, I could rip them apart with the Dark powers." His hand started swirling with black energy, and he looked back down at me. "When the Sky gave me its power, the darkness was something that awoke inside me. Even it couldn't take that away from me." His mouth twitched into a smirk. "And you don't have any of that, do you, girl? There's no Darkness in you."
I was speechless, trying to make sense of what he was saying. I just shook my head, staring.
He clenched his hand into a fist, and the shadowy vapor disappeared. "The Sky is nothing but a mad spirit with a warped sense of justice."
Nothing happened for several minutes. Tregar stood staring at his fist, deep in thought. I sat facing the dented wall behind him, my eyes refusing to focus. I had finally met someone who could shed light on my power, and I was in his prison.
The Arachnos operative finally lowered his arm and faced me again, grinning. "Well… certainly an interesting meeting, eh, girl? I'll have to let you sit here a while and think things through. I'll be back in a while..." He walked out through the door, laughing, and slammed it behind him.
I started to shiver, trying not to cry. I was nothing but a helpless prisoner of a man who was as powerful as he was insane.
Slowly I opened my eyes, seeing at first only blurry shadows, as if I was living in a black painting left out in the rain. My mind was so clouded that for several minutes I just stared straight ahead and tried to remember how gravity worked, if I was lying on the ceiling or the floor or a wall. The world was spinning.
Eventually I blinked a few times, and realized I was sprawled on the ground, staring at a black metal wall. An extremely dim light flickered in the room. The floor was a remarkably uncomfortable metal grate, and as I raised my head a little, I could feel the lines still indented on my cheek.
I slowly raised my hand to my aching head, wincing at the soreness in my muscles. My mind was working sluggishly, trying to comprehend what had happened. I blinked more, trying to focus, groaning as I slowly regained control of my limbs. I looked to my right and saw the metal wall, blank except for a heavy door set on one side. I turned to my left, and felt my heart sink. There was another wall, covered entirely with a giant, bright red Arachnos emblem.
"Damn, girl, can you wake up any slower?"
With a gasp I faced forward and looked up at the figure who had spoken. All I could see with my adjusting eyes was a suit of black armor with red trim, arms folded, holding a helmet in one hand. I felt a rush of fear and tried to get up, but my body just sort of jerked into what might pass for a sitting position. Tremendous pain surged through me at the sudden effort, and I held my head, waiting for it to subside. Through the ringing in my ears I heard a deep laugh.
"This is pathetic… how do you expect to make it in Paragon if you can't even take a little shock like that?"
I forced myself to open my eyes and look up at him. "H... How did you know... that I was going... to Paragon...?"
"Hmph. I'm not stupid. You just found out you can control storms, you seem to be homeless, and you're heading east. Doesn't take a genius to figure it out."
I rubbed my eyes, trying to comprehend his words. "Who the hell are you? What am I doing here?"
The man sighed. "Once again, girl, my name is Gerard Tregar, and I am an Arachnos officer. You can call me Operative Tregar, although I suppose you'll be finding more creative names for me eventually. As for what you're here for... I'm afraid that's confidential."
Tregar. I stared up at him in fury. My vision was clearing, giving me a better look at him. He seemed to be about 30 years old, with several scars on his face of varying sizes. His short black hair was unkempt and he looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days. He seemed to have a permanent expression of distaste pasted on his face.
I got to my feet and glared at him. "Let me go, or you'll regret it."
He rolled his eyes. "You think you're going to scare me with a little wind and rain, do you? You don't have any control over your powers, and I'm not very worried. You should just calm down."
"You don't know anything about my power!"
His eyes flashed with sudden anger, and he took a step forward. "You arrogant little brat! How dare you assume that you are the only one who has any knowledge of the power of the Sky, when you yourself know next to nothing!"
My eyes widened in surprise. Someone else knew about the power I had... and he might even know more than me. For a moment I forgot he had captured me, filled with a sudden desperation to learn what he could tell me. "What... what do you know about it?"
"You're in no position to be asking questions."
"You have to tell me how to get rid of it!"
Tregar paused at that, as if he couldn't quite comprehend what he had heard. He clenched his fists and started to shake, then turned around with a roar and punched the wall behind him. His fist was covered with black energy and left a slight dent as it smashed against the black metal. Dark tendrils flickered around him for a moment. I took several steps back, suddenly frightened again.
He turned back to me, and slowly started stepping towards me. He laughed joylessly. "So... it continues to mock me. Just as I thought it could not cause me more shame, I find this.... You cannot use it, you have no dark energy to speak of, you don't even WANT the power." He threw his head back and screamed, "Is THIS who you want, huh!? Is this your Chosen One, this worthless coward!?"
He grabbed the front of my shirt, staring straight into my face. His eyes were black. "That power, the power of the storm... it's MINE. How is it that the Sky, even in its insanity, could choose you over me? I begin to wonder if its purpose is solely to cause me pain."
I couldn't tear my eyes away from his. "Y...yours... You mean...?"
"That's right," he sneered. "You were so full of yourself, weren't you? You thought that you were the first to be 'Chosen' to have this power? No. I was before you. Me. But the Sky took it back." Tregar's eyes narrowed. "What use is a power if it is only accepted by those who don't wish to have it?"
He let go of me, and I sank weakly to the ground. He started to pace across the room, muttering. "I accepted it with all my soul. It was glorious. I was able to bend the very heavens to my will, call down lightning on my enemies. If anyone stood in my way, the entire fury of the storm would bear down on them and sweep them aside like flies." He paused, and lifted his hand, staring at his palm. "And the darkness... if anyone were to get through the storm, I could rip them apart with the Dark powers." His hand started swirling with black energy, and he looked back down at me. "When the Sky gave me its power, the darkness was something that awoke inside me. Even it couldn't take that away from me." His mouth twitched into a smirk. "And you don't have any of that, do you, girl? There's no Darkness in you."
I was speechless, trying to make sense of what he was saying. I just shook my head, staring.
He clenched his hand into a fist, and the shadowy vapor disappeared. "The Sky is nothing but a mad spirit with a warped sense of justice."
Nothing happened for several minutes. Tregar stood staring at his fist, deep in thought. I sat facing the dented wall behind him, my eyes refusing to focus. I had finally met someone who could shed light on my power, and I was in his prison.
The Arachnos operative finally lowered his arm and faced me again, grinning. "Well… certainly an interesting meeting, eh, girl? I'll have to let you sit here a while and think things through. I'll be back in a while..." He walked out through the door, laughing, and slammed it behind him.
I started to shiver, trying not to cry. I was nothing but a helpless prisoner of a man who was as powerful as he was insane.
Re: Shadowed Fate
Chapter 3
Prison was not comfortable.
I was still exhausted after Tregar left. The effects of the darkness he had knocked me out with weren't fading as quickly as I had hoped, and I still had trouble standing. Not that there was much to stand for. An unbelievable cramped bathroom, and the dark rectangular prison room. The door to the hall had a little rectangular space with iron bars across it, so I could see out, but barely fit my fingers through. Beyond was a barren hallway of the same black metal as everything else, lit by dim halogen lights.
There was no form of bedding at all, which was a definite problem. The floor was a grate, extremely uncomfortable to lie on. I was very thankful for my thick leather clothes; without them it would have been much worse. I was able to bundle my trench coat and use it as a pillow, but I still couldn't get to sleep. Eventually I set it up so I sat on the coat in the corner, with my back resting against one wall and leaning on the other. I made sure to face away from the Arachnos emblem; sometimes it felt like it was glowing down on me, and I could see it even when I closed my eyes.
I was half-sleeping in this position when the door suddenly flew open, crashing against the wall and waking me up with a start.
A dark shadow stood in the doorway. Tendrils of blackness shifted around it as it hovered into the room. I shivered, trying to hold back the wind as I felt it pressing to be unleashed.
The shadow faded suddenly and Tregar stood there, smirking. He tossed something which landed at my feet. As my eyes adjusted I slowly realized it was a loaf of bread. Suddenly realizing how hungy I was, I snatched it up. I didn't want to eat it here in front of Tregar, but it was hard. I hadn't eaten in a long while.
The Operative laughed. "Hope you enjoy it, girl. It's the only one we're giving you."
I glared up at him suddenly. "Y…you're starving me?"
Tregar laughed again as if I'd told a good joke. He seemed to be acting good-natured, but in the seriousness of the situation it only confirmed that he was crazy. "If you starve," he said, "it's your fault. We're not giving you any food…" He grinned, openly malicious this time. "You're going to have to take it."
I just sat and stared.
"Come! I'll set the rules for you." He turned and toward the door. When I didn't get up to follow, he turned back to face me. "That wasn't a suggestion. Get up now."
I glared at him. "Just leave me alone."
He reached out his arm and his hand turned black with shadows. He jerked the arm back and I felt something invisible take my collar and pull it up. I gasped in pain as my body was jerked upright. My sore muscles ached in protest.
Tregar's smile was gone. "Let that be a lesson. Now follow me before I drag you across the floor."
I glanced down at the jagged ground and started walking after him.
To the left of the door was a dead end; my cell was at the end of a hallway. As we turned right and started walking down, I could see a few other cell doors, but I couldn't hear or see any sign of anyone else occupying them. It wasn't too long until we had passed all the cells, then there weren't any other doors walls for a while. There was plenty else in the hallway though. Crates were stacked precariously in several places, and odd pieces of machinery were left lying to the side, some obviously broken.
Eventually we came upon a large set of double doors in the left wall. For the first time, I saw signs of other Arachnos soldiers: two guards, one on either side of the doors. They saluted as we walked past, otherwise unmoving.
Tregar spoke up for the first time since leaving the cell. "Don't even think about getting through there. It looks tame on this side, but I've got plenty of soldiers guarding that gate. No need to get any ideas." I didn't reply.
We continued further. The piles of various junk increased as we went, and in some places the lights started to fail. Sometimes it was almost completely dark. Tregar walked around crates and stepped over objects on the ground as if he could see them perfectly. I tried not to curse as I tripped over discarded junk that I could barely see.
The darkness didn't last very long. Soon after we came back into a lit area, he stopped. A wide door was set in the wall. He motioned me to go inside.
"You're kidding, right?"
He cracked his knuckles. I walked over to the door and slowly pushed it open.
Inside was a medium-sized rectangular room, with a long table in the center. Various cupboards lined the walls, all open, all empty. I took a few more steps in, trying to see if there was anything else of interest, but it looked incredibly bare.
Tregar entered in after me. "Okay, girl. This is how it's going to go. I am going to take you back to your cell. After that, we will put some food in here. Not much, mind you, just enough for a meal."
I started to feel a chill. As if in response, the wind around me blew a little harder.
Tregar smiled. "That's right. This is the only place you will get food. And the hallway will not be empty when you come this way next. Arachnos soldiers will be waiting, and if you aren't careful… they will kill you."
I stared at him in disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
He just laughed. "If you use your powers well, they won't stand a chance! And you'd better learn fast, because every time you make your way to the food, there will be more soldiers waiting the next time!"
I was shaking with anger. He seemed to be having the time of his life, as if he was explaining the finer points of his favorite game.
He waved to a keypad by the door. "Just hit this red button right here when you get in, and the door is shut and locked for half an hour. None of the soldiers will bother you during that time, and you'd better use it to eat. After that, I come in and personally escort you back to your cell. I will be far more attentive than my soldiers, so don't get any ambushing ideas."
"This is completely pointless. I refuse to play games with you."
He grinned. "Is that so? In that case, you will starve. Perhaps your bones would add nicely to the décor of your cell. I've always wanted a skeleton lying around in the prison somewhere."
He ran his hand through his greasy hair, chuckling softly. "Let's head back now, little one."
Clenching my fists, I started walking after him. As we moved through the darkened section of the corridor, his footsteps suddenly stopped. I froze, looking ahead, suddenly wondering why I couldn't see the ever-so-faint gleam of his armor.
The darkness coalesced in front of me and grabbed my shirt collar. Suddenly I was jerked forward, staring into two red eyes. My heart pounded in my chest. "This is a very important game, girl. It is quite painless compared to what I could do to accomplish my goal. Luckily for you I have both patience and a superb sense of entertainment. Be thankful. And have… fun." I shut my eyes tightly, forcing myself not to scream. The thing dropped me, and I fell to the ground hard, panting.
I looked up a moment later and saw a shadowed outline. The sound of Tregar's gruff voice was almost a relief. "Hurry it up, girl."
Legs shaking, I followed him back. As I walked back into the cell, the door slammed shut violently behind me, then creaked back a few inches on its hinges, unlocked. I could hear Tregar's fading voice. "You! Get the first group in here!"
I slowly released some of my grip on the wind I was holding back. The door creaked again as the gust blew through the room. I wasn't ready to die here at the hands of a madman like Tregar, and the only way to live was to play his game, for now. If that was the case, I couldn't hold back anymore. Feeling a chill spreading through my body, I sighed. Much as I didn't want this power, it was the only thing that was going to keep me alive in here.
Prison was not comfortable.
I was still exhausted after Tregar left. The effects of the darkness he had knocked me out with weren't fading as quickly as I had hoped, and I still had trouble standing. Not that there was much to stand for. An unbelievable cramped bathroom, and the dark rectangular prison room. The door to the hall had a little rectangular space with iron bars across it, so I could see out, but barely fit my fingers through. Beyond was a barren hallway of the same black metal as everything else, lit by dim halogen lights.
There was no form of bedding at all, which was a definite problem. The floor was a grate, extremely uncomfortable to lie on. I was very thankful for my thick leather clothes; without them it would have been much worse. I was able to bundle my trench coat and use it as a pillow, but I still couldn't get to sleep. Eventually I set it up so I sat on the coat in the corner, with my back resting against one wall and leaning on the other. I made sure to face away from the Arachnos emblem; sometimes it felt like it was glowing down on me, and I could see it even when I closed my eyes.
I was half-sleeping in this position when the door suddenly flew open, crashing against the wall and waking me up with a start.
A dark shadow stood in the doorway. Tendrils of blackness shifted around it as it hovered into the room. I shivered, trying to hold back the wind as I felt it pressing to be unleashed.
The shadow faded suddenly and Tregar stood there, smirking. He tossed something which landed at my feet. As my eyes adjusted I slowly realized it was a loaf of bread. Suddenly realizing how hungy I was, I snatched it up. I didn't want to eat it here in front of Tregar, but it was hard. I hadn't eaten in a long while.
The Operative laughed. "Hope you enjoy it, girl. It's the only one we're giving you."
I glared up at him suddenly. "Y…you're starving me?"
Tregar laughed again as if I'd told a good joke. He seemed to be acting good-natured, but in the seriousness of the situation it only confirmed that he was crazy. "If you starve," he said, "it's your fault. We're not giving you any food…" He grinned, openly malicious this time. "You're going to have to take it."
I just sat and stared.
"Come! I'll set the rules for you." He turned and toward the door. When I didn't get up to follow, he turned back to face me. "That wasn't a suggestion. Get up now."
I glared at him. "Just leave me alone."
He reached out his arm and his hand turned black with shadows. He jerked the arm back and I felt something invisible take my collar and pull it up. I gasped in pain as my body was jerked upright. My sore muscles ached in protest.
Tregar's smile was gone. "Let that be a lesson. Now follow me before I drag you across the floor."
I glanced down at the jagged ground and started walking after him.
To the left of the door was a dead end; my cell was at the end of a hallway. As we turned right and started walking down, I could see a few other cell doors, but I couldn't hear or see any sign of anyone else occupying them. It wasn't too long until we had passed all the cells, then there weren't any other doors walls for a while. There was plenty else in the hallway though. Crates were stacked precariously in several places, and odd pieces of machinery were left lying to the side, some obviously broken.
Eventually we came upon a large set of double doors in the left wall. For the first time, I saw signs of other Arachnos soldiers: two guards, one on either side of the doors. They saluted as we walked past, otherwise unmoving.
Tregar spoke up for the first time since leaving the cell. "Don't even think about getting through there. It looks tame on this side, but I've got plenty of soldiers guarding that gate. No need to get any ideas." I didn't reply.
We continued further. The piles of various junk increased as we went, and in some places the lights started to fail. Sometimes it was almost completely dark. Tregar walked around crates and stepped over objects on the ground as if he could see them perfectly. I tried not to curse as I tripped over discarded junk that I could barely see.
The darkness didn't last very long. Soon after we came back into a lit area, he stopped. A wide door was set in the wall. He motioned me to go inside.
"You're kidding, right?"
He cracked his knuckles. I walked over to the door and slowly pushed it open.
Inside was a medium-sized rectangular room, with a long table in the center. Various cupboards lined the walls, all open, all empty. I took a few more steps in, trying to see if there was anything else of interest, but it looked incredibly bare.
Tregar entered in after me. "Okay, girl. This is how it's going to go. I am going to take you back to your cell. After that, we will put some food in here. Not much, mind you, just enough for a meal."
I started to feel a chill. As if in response, the wind around me blew a little harder.
Tregar smiled. "That's right. This is the only place you will get food. And the hallway will not be empty when you come this way next. Arachnos soldiers will be waiting, and if you aren't careful… they will kill you."
I stared at him in disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
He just laughed. "If you use your powers well, they won't stand a chance! And you'd better learn fast, because every time you make your way to the food, there will be more soldiers waiting the next time!"
I was shaking with anger. He seemed to be having the time of his life, as if he was explaining the finer points of his favorite game.
He waved to a keypad by the door. "Just hit this red button right here when you get in, and the door is shut and locked for half an hour. None of the soldiers will bother you during that time, and you'd better use it to eat. After that, I come in and personally escort you back to your cell. I will be far more attentive than my soldiers, so don't get any ambushing ideas."
"This is completely pointless. I refuse to play games with you."
He grinned. "Is that so? In that case, you will starve. Perhaps your bones would add nicely to the décor of your cell. I've always wanted a skeleton lying around in the prison somewhere."
He ran his hand through his greasy hair, chuckling softly. "Let's head back now, little one."
Clenching my fists, I started walking after him. As we moved through the darkened section of the corridor, his footsteps suddenly stopped. I froze, looking ahead, suddenly wondering why I couldn't see the ever-so-faint gleam of his armor.
The darkness coalesced in front of me and grabbed my shirt collar. Suddenly I was jerked forward, staring into two red eyes. My heart pounded in my chest. "This is a very important game, girl. It is quite painless compared to what I could do to accomplish my goal. Luckily for you I have both patience and a superb sense of entertainment. Be thankful. And have… fun." I shut my eyes tightly, forcing myself not to scream. The thing dropped me, and I fell to the ground hard, panting.
I looked up a moment later and saw a shadowed outline. The sound of Tregar's gruff voice was almost a relief. "Hurry it up, girl."
Legs shaking, I followed him back. As I walked back into the cell, the door slammed shut violently behind me, then creaked back a few inches on its hinges, unlocked. I could hear Tregar's fading voice. "You! Get the first group in here!"
I slowly released some of my grip on the wind I was holding back. The door creaked again as the gust blew through the room. I wasn't ready to die here at the hands of a madman like Tregar, and the only way to live was to play his game, for now. If that was the case, I couldn't hold back anymore. Feeling a chill spreading through my body, I sighed. Much as I didn't want this power, it was the only thing that was going to keep me alive in here.
Re: Shadowed Fate
Chapter 4
Very carefully, I glanced around the corner of the stack of crates. Two Enforcers were looking around warily, trying to see through the mist, while a Fortunata leaned silently on a wall behind them.
I tried to slow my breathing. This was even harder than I had thought, and there weren't even very many soldiers. I had gotten through most of the tunnel, even the dark part, which had been somewhat of a nightmare. I thought that these should be the last ones.
I thickened the mist as much as I could and picked up a small piece of what looked like weaponry from the floor. I wondered if Tregar had put all this junk here intentionally to make it more "interesting," because it had been helping me out a lot.
I turned and threw the broken weapon back the way I had come. It vanished into the mist and clattered on the ground. The Arachnos soldiers shouted as I ducked behind the containers and charged past towards the sound. As soon as I heard their footsteps pass, I jumped out and started to sprint further down the hallway.
I had only taken a few steps when a horrible screeching pain ignited in my head. I turned violently and saw a red blur advancing slowly towards me. The Fortunata must have heard me running and caught me with a psychic blast. It took only a second for the wind to explode out toward her, and the psychic was knocked off her feet back down the hall.
The worst of the pain lifted, but my head was still pounding as I stumbled onward. I pressed on recklessly, remembering that the door was very close. An energy bolt fired off in front of me, missing my head by a few inches. I blinked, suddenly noticing yet another armored soldier standing before me.
He raised his weapon, advancing. I held my hands out and braced myself. Rain and hail burst from the air in a rush of pain, knocking the soldier off his feet and almost causing me to pass out from effort. I saw the door to the food room and lunged into it, slamming my hand on the control pad as I passed through. The door slid shut, and I collapsed to the floor.
I knew I couldn't take too long of a break. I hadn't eaten in what felt like days, and I only had half an hour to see what was available here. After panting on the floor for a few minutes, I got shakily to my feet and looked around, feeling my heart sink. A few unlabeled cans and some processed meat were set out on the table. I knew I shouldn't have expected much, but it didn't look rewarding in the least.
And it wasn't. Twenty minutes later I was mildly disgusted, but much less hungry, as the door opened to reveal a grinning Tregar. "Enjoy your meal, girl?"
"It was gross."
Tregar nodded. "Yeah, that stuff sucks. But it's nice and strengthening, so you can fight better the next time! Well done, by the way."
I grunted, following him silently as he left the room. I kept a fair distance from him, especially during the dark stretch of hallway, but he didn't freak out again. It was a relatively peaceful walk back to the cell.
"Oh, you killed one of them, you know," he stated offhandedly as he held open the cell door.
I froze, not comprehending what he had said. "What?"
"That last Fortunata. Landed right on an old rusty metal shard, died within a few minutes from loss of blood."
I frowned and shook my head, not knowing what to think. As Tregar walked off down the hallway, laughing, I remembered the incredible pain I had felt. I had wanted to stop it at any cost, but now the one who had caused it was gone forever.
I closed off the thought. I couldn't start thinking about something like that right now. Sinking to the unforgiving floor, I groaned, already feeling sore. How much more of this could I take? And how long before Tregar got bored? I didn't want to think about what he'd do after this. In fact, I didn't want to think about anything, which was fortunate, because I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.
Very carefully, I glanced around the corner of the stack of crates. Two Enforcers were looking around warily, trying to see through the mist, while a Fortunata leaned silently on a wall behind them.
I tried to slow my breathing. This was even harder than I had thought, and there weren't even very many soldiers. I had gotten through most of the tunnel, even the dark part, which had been somewhat of a nightmare. I thought that these should be the last ones.
I thickened the mist as much as I could and picked up a small piece of what looked like weaponry from the floor. I wondered if Tregar had put all this junk here intentionally to make it more "interesting," because it had been helping me out a lot.
I turned and threw the broken weapon back the way I had come. It vanished into the mist and clattered on the ground. The Arachnos soldiers shouted as I ducked behind the containers and charged past towards the sound. As soon as I heard their footsteps pass, I jumped out and started to sprint further down the hallway.
I had only taken a few steps when a horrible screeching pain ignited in my head. I turned violently and saw a red blur advancing slowly towards me. The Fortunata must have heard me running and caught me with a psychic blast. It took only a second for the wind to explode out toward her, and the psychic was knocked off her feet back down the hall.
The worst of the pain lifted, but my head was still pounding as I stumbled onward. I pressed on recklessly, remembering that the door was very close. An energy bolt fired off in front of me, missing my head by a few inches. I blinked, suddenly noticing yet another armored soldier standing before me.
He raised his weapon, advancing. I held my hands out and braced myself. Rain and hail burst from the air in a rush of pain, knocking the soldier off his feet and almost causing me to pass out from effort. I saw the door to the food room and lunged into it, slamming my hand on the control pad as I passed through. The door slid shut, and I collapsed to the floor.
I knew I couldn't take too long of a break. I hadn't eaten in what felt like days, and I only had half an hour to see what was available here. After panting on the floor for a few minutes, I got shakily to my feet and looked around, feeling my heart sink. A few unlabeled cans and some processed meat were set out on the table. I knew I shouldn't have expected much, but it didn't look rewarding in the least.
And it wasn't. Twenty minutes later I was mildly disgusted, but much less hungry, as the door opened to reveal a grinning Tregar. "Enjoy your meal, girl?"
"It was gross."
Tregar nodded. "Yeah, that stuff sucks. But it's nice and strengthening, so you can fight better the next time! Well done, by the way."
I grunted, following him silently as he left the room. I kept a fair distance from him, especially during the dark stretch of hallway, but he didn't freak out again. It was a relatively peaceful walk back to the cell.
"Oh, you killed one of them, you know," he stated offhandedly as he held open the cell door.
I froze, not comprehending what he had said. "What?"
"That last Fortunata. Landed right on an old rusty metal shard, died within a few minutes from loss of blood."
I frowned and shook my head, not knowing what to think. As Tregar walked off down the hallway, laughing, I remembered the incredible pain I had felt. I had wanted to stop it at any cost, but now the one who had caused it was gone forever.
I closed off the thought. I couldn't start thinking about something like that right now. Sinking to the unforgiving floor, I groaned, already feeling sore. How much more of this could I take? And how long before Tregar got bored? I didn't want to think about what he'd do after this. In fact, I didn't want to think about anything, which was fortunate, because I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.
Re: Shadowed Fate
Chapter 5
Slowly, things began to drift out of focus. I don't know how many hours passed, how many days, how many weeks. Sitting in the cell was just a haze of hunger, despair, and howling wind. I found myself growing more and more exhausted as the time wore on. Eventually I had reached the point where I would spend all my time sitting and leaning against the wall, eyes half-closed, in a state of permanent half-sleep.
Around me, the weather would constantly change without warning as I let the storm run unchained. But it was always dark with the room's horrible lighting. With the little of my energy that wasn't drained fighting, I would keep myself connected to the storm so I still maintained some level of control. I could feel my power increasing even as I sat there like a lifeless doll.
Then when I felt the pains of hunger beginning, I would take a deep breath, walk to the door, and step out into chaos. I learned very early to take hold of the storm and force it into a mist, hiding myself with increasing effectiveness. I was able to sneak past many of the soldiers, making the runs a great deal less painful than they'd be otherwise.
But Tregar knew all my powers; he'd used them himself in the past, after all. There were some places where I simply could not get around without being seen, and it was in those places that I was forced to fight. I did all I could to make sure the fights didn't last long, but sometimes it was very difficult. I had to keep a constant knot of hurricane-force wind raging as close to myself as possible; one strike from one of those maces and I'd hit the floor instantly. I had to keep up my defenses while still attacking the soldiers with everything I could. It was mostly wind and hail at first, but soon I could stun them with blasts of thunder and even call down lightning strikes at will.
Poison rays, Mu lighting, various energy attacks fired by Arachnobots… I got a little taste of all of it while I was there. The mist had a deterrent effect against most of their energy attacks, diminishing them slightly so that even if they did hit me, I could force myself to go on with only minor burns.
That didn't make me any less tired.
Having the storms up constantly was exhausting, in every way I could imagine. However, while I got tired, I also quickly became more powerful. The more the storm raged, the stronger it got and the more control I had over it.
Eventually I noticed something else as well. Tregar had indeed kept to his word; every time I emerged from my room to run the nightmarish gauntlet, there was slightly more firepower than there had been previously. When I finally focused enough to send out lightning, there was a large jump in the number of Arachnos soldiers I had to press my way through.
I knew if it kept up this way, I wouldn't last much longer. I started using my newfound control to hold back on my powers. It was incredibly difficult after going all-out up until then, but over the course of a couple weeks I managed to learn to limit the amount of power I would release while out among the soldiers. Sure enough, the increase of enemies slowed with it. At that point I felt a small spark of satisfaction; even imprisoned as I was, at the mercy of madman, I had exercised at least some control over my situation.
But it wouldn't change anything in the end, I knew. Soon, either Tregar would get bored and finish me, or I would just drop dead from exhaustion.
I'm still not sure what kept me going at that point. Sheer will to live, I guess. That and a fierce unwillingness to allow my life to be decided by another. I wanted above all to become strong enough to resist this nightmare and take hold of my own fate again. But I could feel that soon none of it would matter. If I didn't do something, I was going to die.
I was determined not to let that happen… but I couldn't commit my mind to a solution. I was stuck in a limbo of emotional and physical exhaustion. If nothing had changed... I'm sure I wouldn't be here to remember it.
Slowly, things began to drift out of focus. I don't know how many hours passed, how many days, how many weeks. Sitting in the cell was just a haze of hunger, despair, and howling wind. I found myself growing more and more exhausted as the time wore on. Eventually I had reached the point where I would spend all my time sitting and leaning against the wall, eyes half-closed, in a state of permanent half-sleep.
Around me, the weather would constantly change without warning as I let the storm run unchained. But it was always dark with the room's horrible lighting. With the little of my energy that wasn't drained fighting, I would keep myself connected to the storm so I still maintained some level of control. I could feel my power increasing even as I sat there like a lifeless doll.
Then when I felt the pains of hunger beginning, I would take a deep breath, walk to the door, and step out into chaos. I learned very early to take hold of the storm and force it into a mist, hiding myself with increasing effectiveness. I was able to sneak past many of the soldiers, making the runs a great deal less painful than they'd be otherwise.
But Tregar knew all my powers; he'd used them himself in the past, after all. There were some places where I simply could not get around without being seen, and it was in those places that I was forced to fight. I did all I could to make sure the fights didn't last long, but sometimes it was very difficult. I had to keep a constant knot of hurricane-force wind raging as close to myself as possible; one strike from one of those maces and I'd hit the floor instantly. I had to keep up my defenses while still attacking the soldiers with everything I could. It was mostly wind and hail at first, but soon I could stun them with blasts of thunder and even call down lightning strikes at will.
Poison rays, Mu lighting, various energy attacks fired by Arachnobots… I got a little taste of all of it while I was there. The mist had a deterrent effect against most of their energy attacks, diminishing them slightly so that even if they did hit me, I could force myself to go on with only minor burns.
That didn't make me any less tired.
Having the storms up constantly was exhausting, in every way I could imagine. However, while I got tired, I also quickly became more powerful. The more the storm raged, the stronger it got and the more control I had over it.
Eventually I noticed something else as well. Tregar had indeed kept to his word; every time I emerged from my room to run the nightmarish gauntlet, there was slightly more firepower than there had been previously. When I finally focused enough to send out lightning, there was a large jump in the number of Arachnos soldiers I had to press my way through.
I knew if it kept up this way, I wouldn't last much longer. I started using my newfound control to hold back on my powers. It was incredibly difficult after going all-out up until then, but over the course of a couple weeks I managed to learn to limit the amount of power I would release while out among the soldiers. Sure enough, the increase of enemies slowed with it. At that point I felt a small spark of satisfaction; even imprisoned as I was, at the mercy of madman, I had exercised at least some control over my situation.
But it wouldn't change anything in the end, I knew. Soon, either Tregar would get bored and finish me, or I would just drop dead from exhaustion.
I'm still not sure what kept me going at that point. Sheer will to live, I guess. That and a fierce unwillingness to allow my life to be decided by another. I wanted above all to become strong enough to resist this nightmare and take hold of my own fate again. But I could feel that soon none of it would matter. If I didn't do something, I was going to die.
I was determined not to let that happen… but I couldn't commit my mind to a solution. I was stuck in a limbo of emotional and physical exhaustion. If nothing had changed... I'm sure I wouldn't be here to remember it.
Re: Shadowed Fate
Chapter 6
Sitting in the cell, I moved my fingers, twisting the wind in strange patterns, feeling my growing control on the storm.
I had begun to be sickened by the loneliness of captivity. I'd never been close to the other kids at my school, never really been social at all, but this was more than I could take. The only sign of life was the soldiers I fought every day, and sometimes I wondered if even they were anything more than mindless machines. I couldn't remember the sound of voices.
I tried not to think about it. But there wasn’t much to think about.
Something odd caught my peripheral vision. I looked down at my hand. Something seemed… different, though I couldn’t see anything unusual. It was just my hand, same shape and size as always, clad in the black leather glove it always wore. I stretched my arm out, squinting at it, and eventually realized that it was covered in a very faint blue glow. It was so dim I couldn’t see it without staring hard.
This hadn’t ever happened before. I looked up my arm, unsure how far the glow went, and soon saw that my entire body was shining with a faint sky-colored light. Frowning, I held out my hands and focused, bringing the light breeze to a howling windstorm. As the power of the wind increased, I felt the normal stinging sensation all over my skin… and the blue light flared out almost imperceptibly, brightening for a split second.
“What is this,” I muttered. My voice came out as a hoarse whisper from lack of use. I held out both hands looking carefully at them. They were shaking slightly, and I sighed. It would be time to go out for food again, soon.
Suddenly I felt an odd draining sensation around my body, as the light started pouring off my hands and reforming in the air before me. Slowly the brightness intensified and solidified into a vaguely human form. Blue wings spread wide, hardly contained by the cell, before folding back down gracefully. The white light of its eyes flared brightly for a brief moment.
I stared, eyes wide, unsure of what to think of this unfamiliar being. I felt as if I was in the presence of something unnatural, that I was breaking some unspoken rule of the universe just by looking at it. I felt as if a blanket of fear and some strange joy had covered the room.
The thing inclined its head toward me, a gesture of acknowledgement I felt unworthy to receive. “Hello, Kierin.” Its voice was the whistle of wind and the hiss of rain. “I have waited long to speak to you. You know me as the Sky, and there is something I must tell you.”
In an instant, all of my awe and fear was obliterated, replaced with burning rage. “You!” I screamed, throwing myself forward with a punch to its face. My fist connected with the light, sinking in slightly with a ‘thud’ of impact. I pulled my arm back in surprise; the creature didn’t show any reaction to having been hit, its face reforming almost instantly.
“Kierin, I do not have much time, and that kind of action will only lessen it. I know you are angry at me, but if you wish to escape from here, you must listen to what I tell you.”
I couldn’t keep the scowl from my face. I wanted nothing more than to kill this creature, this thing that had taken over my life and sent me to this hell. Nothing more, except to be out of here. It was the only thing I could be tempted with, and it worked. “What is it?”
The creature stepped forward and took my hand. It was exactly my height, though it felt as if it looked down on me from an immeasurable distance. I found myself lost in the white, shining eyes. “Kierin. You are the one. You are stronger than Tregar can ever be. You do not understand it yet, but you will.”
“…How the hell is that supposed to help me!? I can barely even keep myself alive in here. There’s no way I can escape on my own.”
The eyes flared with light. The hands that held mine flickered, and I felt my arm fall through the light as it began to fade. “He will not wait much longer, and you are almost out of time. You have to take action soon. If you do not, you will die.”
I felt something cold in my stomach. Tears were forming in my eyes. “What am I supposed to do?”
The blue light had faded completely, leaving only the white eyes glowing softly before mine. “Go where your wind takes you.”
“Don’t leave.” It was a desperate, instinctive request, one that was not granted. The cell was empty once more.
Sitting in the cell, I moved my fingers, twisting the wind in strange patterns, feeling my growing control on the storm.
I had begun to be sickened by the loneliness of captivity. I'd never been close to the other kids at my school, never really been social at all, but this was more than I could take. The only sign of life was the soldiers I fought every day, and sometimes I wondered if even they were anything more than mindless machines. I couldn't remember the sound of voices.
I tried not to think about it. But there wasn’t much to think about.
Something odd caught my peripheral vision. I looked down at my hand. Something seemed… different, though I couldn’t see anything unusual. It was just my hand, same shape and size as always, clad in the black leather glove it always wore. I stretched my arm out, squinting at it, and eventually realized that it was covered in a very faint blue glow. It was so dim I couldn’t see it without staring hard.
This hadn’t ever happened before. I looked up my arm, unsure how far the glow went, and soon saw that my entire body was shining with a faint sky-colored light. Frowning, I held out my hands and focused, bringing the light breeze to a howling windstorm. As the power of the wind increased, I felt the normal stinging sensation all over my skin… and the blue light flared out almost imperceptibly, brightening for a split second.
“What is this,” I muttered. My voice came out as a hoarse whisper from lack of use. I held out both hands looking carefully at them. They were shaking slightly, and I sighed. It would be time to go out for food again, soon.
Suddenly I felt an odd draining sensation around my body, as the light started pouring off my hands and reforming in the air before me. Slowly the brightness intensified and solidified into a vaguely human form. Blue wings spread wide, hardly contained by the cell, before folding back down gracefully. The white light of its eyes flared brightly for a brief moment.
I stared, eyes wide, unsure of what to think of this unfamiliar being. I felt as if I was in the presence of something unnatural, that I was breaking some unspoken rule of the universe just by looking at it. I felt as if a blanket of fear and some strange joy had covered the room.
The thing inclined its head toward me, a gesture of acknowledgement I felt unworthy to receive. “Hello, Kierin.” Its voice was the whistle of wind and the hiss of rain. “I have waited long to speak to you. You know me as the Sky, and there is something I must tell you.”
In an instant, all of my awe and fear was obliterated, replaced with burning rage. “You!” I screamed, throwing myself forward with a punch to its face. My fist connected with the light, sinking in slightly with a ‘thud’ of impact. I pulled my arm back in surprise; the creature didn’t show any reaction to having been hit, its face reforming almost instantly.
“Kierin, I do not have much time, and that kind of action will only lessen it. I know you are angry at me, but if you wish to escape from here, you must listen to what I tell you.”
I couldn’t keep the scowl from my face. I wanted nothing more than to kill this creature, this thing that had taken over my life and sent me to this hell. Nothing more, except to be out of here. It was the only thing I could be tempted with, and it worked. “What is it?”
The creature stepped forward and took my hand. It was exactly my height, though it felt as if it looked down on me from an immeasurable distance. I found myself lost in the white, shining eyes. “Kierin. You are the one. You are stronger than Tregar can ever be. You do not understand it yet, but you will.”
“…How the hell is that supposed to help me!? I can barely even keep myself alive in here. There’s no way I can escape on my own.”
The eyes flared with light. The hands that held mine flickered, and I felt my arm fall through the light as it began to fade. “He will not wait much longer, and you are almost out of time. You have to take action soon. If you do not, you will die.”
I felt something cold in my stomach. Tears were forming in my eyes. “What am I supposed to do?”
The blue light had faded completely, leaving only the white eyes glowing softly before mine. “Go where your wind takes you.”
“Don’t leave.” It was a desperate, instinctive request, one that was not granted. The cell was empty once more.
Re: Shadowed Fate
Chapter 7
Lightning crashed, and a soldier fell to the ground. A hand grabbed my arm roughly, then pulled back as static burst from my body. I turned and waved my hand, sending the Wolf Spider crashing against the wall with a gust of wind. He slumped unconscious to the ground. I turned and caught a glimpse of red clothing, with only a split second to feel dread before pain screamed through my head. I held my hands forward, blindly calling the storm powers to destroy the source of the agony.
The pain stopped, but I was still dazed. I turned in the direction I thought was forward and stumbled on. If I ran into any more soldiers at that point, I would probably have been finished, but in my daze I had misjudged the direction, and just as my vision cleared I walked straight into a cold metal door.
Door? I wasn’t at the end yet.
That’s right. This was the door in the side of the hall halfway between my cell and the other end. I paused to catch my breath and get my bearings. This door. Tregar had forbidden me from going through. He said he had soldiers guarding it.
Of course…. This was the only way out. Standing there now, I was angry that I hadn’t thought of it before. I wouldn’t last much longer here. There was nothing to loose; I had to break out.
The thoughts came to me in a rush, and before I had any time to revise them, the door in front of me opened a crack.
I grabbed it and pulled it open, sending a rush of wind through at the same time, pushing back the Arachnos soldier that had tried to exit. Shouts rang out from the hallway on the other side, but at that point my adrenaline was pumping all over again and I didn’t pay attention. I jumped through, accompanied by a blast of thunder and flashes of lightning. Soldiers tried to simultaneously cover their ears and eyes, stumbling. Something exploded with a white burst next to me, catching my foot in sticky webbing. I knew I had to keep moving or I‘d never make it. I called rain and wind, keeping the soldiers back and clouding their vision while deteriorating the web around my foot.
Red lightning struck me, numbing my arm. I responded with lightning of my own, and the red-cloaked mystic went down. There was more shouting from deeper down the hallway, as well as the one behind me. I pulled my trapped leg forward and the web broke. I leapt forward instinctively, sending out as much wind as I could, straight through the knot of soldiers that were converging in on me. I was so focused on escape that it took me a moment to realize that my feet hadn’t hit the ground after the jump. I was flying. Lights in the hallway rushed passed overhead, shots were fired and missed. I flew through several turns and a few flights of stairs.
Another door ahead of me, smaller than the last one, was blown off its hinges by a fierce burst of wind. I broke out into a huge room flooded with light. A glimpse of crates and shelves told me that the Arachnos base had been built into an old warehouse. The light was streaming in through windows lining the walls near the ceiling.
Windows. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. I was flying straight towards them when pain lanced through my head. I lost focus on my flight and lost altitude. I looked down for the red clothing of a fortunate, but before I could find the source of the psychic attack, red lightning struck me from the side and I dropped to the concrete. I stood up, barely able to think for the pain in my skull, and blasted lightning in the direction that I thought the pain was coming from.
Something grabbed my wrist, and I called a bolt of electricity down through my arm. The soldier stumbled backwards, but was replaced by two more, grappling at my shoulders with shouts of words I couldn’t hear. I tried to summon more lightning, but the pain in my head surged with increased strength and the lightning struck a metal shelf before I couldn’t struggle any longer.
The soldiers took a firm grip on my arms, then pushed me down to my knees. Two fortunatas stepped slowly towards me, holding their hands to their heads and focused on me. Between them walked Tregar, dressed in his spotless Arachnos uniform, dark energy swirling between his fingers. He stopped about 10 feet from where I was being held.
“You… bastard…” I panted, too tired to say anything else. So close. I was so close! I could see windows behind his grinning face, the blue sky beyond them mocking me with its beauty.
“Oh, you poor girl. You thought you really had a chance, didn’t you? Thought you’d really made it. You certainly never thought I’d be waiting for this, did you?”
I could feel tears starting to form on my face. It was over, he was going to kill me… I’d failed.
“It worked perfectly. Perfectly! He grinned wide and clapped his hands. “Look at you. You’re glowing like a neon sign.”
After taking a second to comprehend his words, I looked down at myself. A bright blue aura was shining from my body. “…what…”
“I’ll tell you what it is, girl. It’s the crystal. The more you fight, the stronger it gets. I put you through non-stop fighting and the thing’s practically ready to burst from your body in all the little pieces it was when it went in. I could have managed without it, but this makes it so much easier. And it was pretty fun to watch.”
I slowly raised my head, staring at his hated face. Wind howled, but it wasn’t strong enough to do anything more than mess up his hair. “You’re… sick…”
“And you have my cure, girl.” He raised a hand, pointing a finger at me. His grin had disappeared. “I am going to inject you with dark energy until every last piece of that crystal is driven from your body. Then I will take back what I never should have lost.”
Blackness gathered at the tip of his finger, pointed at my chest. His eyes, wide with anticipation, were soon obscured by darkness. “The power… is mine…”
I put everything into a pull against their armored grasp. Wind burst out, disrupting the Fotunatas for a second, allowing me to pull even farther to the side in that one instant. He fired, a thin line of pure black shooting from the tip of his index finger. It struck my upper right arm.
The storms vanished. The howl of wind and rumble of thunder were gone. A puff of blue dust burst from my arm as the black beam cut across it. I fell to the ground, seeing only blue and feeling only pain.
“You can’t even hold a damn teenaged girl! Why do I keep you idiots around!?”
When my vision cleared from a blue haze, I was laying on my back, staring up at Tregar. He held his hand out as the shimmering blue dust gathered together into a tiny sliver of blue crystal and dropped into his palm. He grinned down at me. “That must hurt like hell.”
I blinked. For all I could understand him at that point, he may have been speaking a different language. The pain was unlike anything I’d ever imagined. It was as if my whole body was trying to destroy itself, like a million tiny claws were tearing me apart. Tears streamed down my face.
His voice came to me faintly. “The crystal longs to be whole. That shot should have taken you out altogether, but you just had to be difficult, didn’t you? Now there’s a piece of it missing, and it really, really doesn’t that.”
Kierin…
The Sky.
“Bah, she can’t even hear me. Hold her again, you oafs, quick.”
Kierin. You are my chosen.
My head turned limply to the right. Dark wisps of energy were falling from the cut in my arm.
You are ready. I feel the acceptance in you.
I felt only pain. Tregar lifted his finger again. Chosen or not, I was about to die.
Fight.
As instantly as it had disappeared, the storm raged forth again. The soldiers on either side of me were knocked off their feet, and the fortunatas fell under a forked lightning strike.
The pain was still there, but underneath it I could feel my body changing. My clothes tightened, cloth wrapped my nose and mouth, yet somehow I could breath easier. I felt an odd cutting sensation in my shoulders and back. But most of all, I felt a rush of energy, and at that moment there was only one thing I wanted to do with it.
I leapt forward and tackled Tregar. Ignoring his shouts of rage and confusion, I pried open his fingers with my own clawed-and-gloved hands.
“Get… off!” He punched my torso with a fist covered in shadow energy, and I took flight. The crystal shard which I took from his hands dissolved into my palm with a sting, and the pain in my body began to subside. I slowly became aware of what had happened.
Looking down at myself, I saw that I was dressed in black and white leather. Some sort of black spines seemed to have grown from my shoulders… and white wings were flapping behind me, sending small bursts of wind out with each thrust. The only thing still in pain was my arm; the wound, though small, was still covered in shadows. I saw it all through a haze of blue.
Tregar was getting to his feet, looking up at me with death in his eyes. “You… how could you… how could this happen?”
I glared down at him, seeing my hate reflected in his eyes. “Nothing less than you deserve.”
His shoulders heaved as he began to hyperventilate. After a few seconds he threw back his head and screamed. “Why are you doing this to meeee!?”
For an instant the heart-wrenching cry brought a pang of pity, but it was quickly erased by a surge of rage. “To you? To you!?” Thunder rumbled above as he returned his glare to me. “Why did you do this to me, you son of a bitch? Do you have any idea how much that hurt!?”
Tregar held both arms out to his sides, darkening the air around him with negative energy. “It was mine! It was my power, my gift, my right! How could you get more than me!? How could it choose you over me, girl!? You’re worthless… I could do so much better!”
I tore apart the air around him with a whirlwind and he was launched off his feet, sparking with the static thick in the air. He landed on his hands and flipped back onto his feet.
He screamed in rage. “Come on! I’ll take it all back! I’ll take it all back!”
I darted towards him, zigzagging though the air as if I had been flying all my life. He sent several blasts of shadow out through his hands, but they were slow and easy to dodge. Before closing in I inundated him with thunder, wind and rain; he lost balance and fell to the ground.
Ignoring his curses, I walked towards him, unaffected by the raging elements around me. He managed to get to his feet and throw a punch at me, and I reacted without thinking, holding my hand out and blocking it with a burst of dark energy.
But… I didn’t have dark energy…
Tregar fell again, spitting obscenities. I looked at my right arm, shadows hovering around the mark his attack had left behind. What was it he had said? I am going to inject you with dark energy until every last piece of that crystal is driven from your body. So he had somehow gotten negative energy inside me… and it had turn me into this.
For some reason, I didn’t feel frightened by what I was now; I actually felt calm, more at peace than I had in what felt like an eternity. It was like there was something maternal within me, telling me that everything was going to be alright. And as I looked down at the Arachnos operative, struggling against the raging winds and iced-over floor, it told me wordlessly what I had to do.
“Tregar… the Storm doesn’t belong to you anymore.”
He looked up at me and tried to spit in my face, which didn’t exactly work with the wind blowing straight at him. “It’s in your mind, now, girl. You don’t even know what you’re saying.”
He was right; I didn’t know what exactly I was talking about, but I knew it was right.
“The Storm has been passed on, and it’s time for the darkness to pass, too.”
The expression of rage on his face was immediately erased by a look of pure horror. “No! You can’t do that! It’s MINE! The darkness is mine!”
I held out my hand. The blue aura around my body extended to encompass him. “It has to be passed on…”
The world turned blue and black, as all the negative energy was drained from Tregar into my own body. The amount of power that I felt moving through that link was amazing; there were depths of strength that I could spend my entire life exploring. A universe of possibilities was opening up, an amazing power which I now possessed.
As it flowed into my mind, I felt it merge with the power which I had already been well on my way to learning. The shadow mingled with the Storm, simultaneously tainting and enhancing it, changing it into something else entirely. I felt my small mastery of it slip away as it became suddenly unfamiliar again; the wings and spines vanished and my trench coat and leather rematerialized from shadow. All the wind faded, as my control over it no longer meant anything. I was no longer using the Storm alone… with this new addition, I had to relearn the magic before I could ever become that strong.
I stumbled back after it was over, gasping in pain and exhaustion. Tregar lay on the ground, panting. For a moment all was silence, then an inhuman moan escaped his throat. It was shortly followed by what could only be crying. Tears streamed down his face as he looked skyward. “How could you… how could you… all I wanted was your power. But you never intended me to have it, did you? How can you be so cruel?”
I turned and walked haltingly towards the small, green glow of an EXIT sign. Somehow I had expected the light of freedom to blind me, but at that moment the blue sky was nothing but gentle and beautiful.
Lightning crashed, and a soldier fell to the ground. A hand grabbed my arm roughly, then pulled back as static burst from my body. I turned and waved my hand, sending the Wolf Spider crashing against the wall with a gust of wind. He slumped unconscious to the ground. I turned and caught a glimpse of red clothing, with only a split second to feel dread before pain screamed through my head. I held my hands forward, blindly calling the storm powers to destroy the source of the agony.
The pain stopped, but I was still dazed. I turned in the direction I thought was forward and stumbled on. If I ran into any more soldiers at that point, I would probably have been finished, but in my daze I had misjudged the direction, and just as my vision cleared I walked straight into a cold metal door.
Door? I wasn’t at the end yet.
That’s right. This was the door in the side of the hall halfway between my cell and the other end. I paused to catch my breath and get my bearings. This door. Tregar had forbidden me from going through. He said he had soldiers guarding it.
Of course…. This was the only way out. Standing there now, I was angry that I hadn’t thought of it before. I wouldn’t last much longer here. There was nothing to loose; I had to break out.
The thoughts came to me in a rush, and before I had any time to revise them, the door in front of me opened a crack.
I grabbed it and pulled it open, sending a rush of wind through at the same time, pushing back the Arachnos soldier that had tried to exit. Shouts rang out from the hallway on the other side, but at that point my adrenaline was pumping all over again and I didn’t pay attention. I jumped through, accompanied by a blast of thunder and flashes of lightning. Soldiers tried to simultaneously cover their ears and eyes, stumbling. Something exploded with a white burst next to me, catching my foot in sticky webbing. I knew I had to keep moving or I‘d never make it. I called rain and wind, keeping the soldiers back and clouding their vision while deteriorating the web around my foot.
Red lightning struck me, numbing my arm. I responded with lightning of my own, and the red-cloaked mystic went down. There was more shouting from deeper down the hallway, as well as the one behind me. I pulled my trapped leg forward and the web broke. I leapt forward instinctively, sending out as much wind as I could, straight through the knot of soldiers that were converging in on me. I was so focused on escape that it took me a moment to realize that my feet hadn’t hit the ground after the jump. I was flying. Lights in the hallway rushed passed overhead, shots were fired and missed. I flew through several turns and a few flights of stairs.
Another door ahead of me, smaller than the last one, was blown off its hinges by a fierce burst of wind. I broke out into a huge room flooded with light. A glimpse of crates and shelves told me that the Arachnos base had been built into an old warehouse. The light was streaming in through windows lining the walls near the ceiling.
Windows. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. I was flying straight towards them when pain lanced through my head. I lost focus on my flight and lost altitude. I looked down for the red clothing of a fortunate, but before I could find the source of the psychic attack, red lightning struck me from the side and I dropped to the concrete. I stood up, barely able to think for the pain in my skull, and blasted lightning in the direction that I thought the pain was coming from.
Something grabbed my wrist, and I called a bolt of electricity down through my arm. The soldier stumbled backwards, but was replaced by two more, grappling at my shoulders with shouts of words I couldn’t hear. I tried to summon more lightning, but the pain in my head surged with increased strength and the lightning struck a metal shelf before I couldn’t struggle any longer.
The soldiers took a firm grip on my arms, then pushed me down to my knees. Two fortunatas stepped slowly towards me, holding their hands to their heads and focused on me. Between them walked Tregar, dressed in his spotless Arachnos uniform, dark energy swirling between his fingers. He stopped about 10 feet from where I was being held.
“You… bastard…” I panted, too tired to say anything else. So close. I was so close! I could see windows behind his grinning face, the blue sky beyond them mocking me with its beauty.
“Oh, you poor girl. You thought you really had a chance, didn’t you? Thought you’d really made it. You certainly never thought I’d be waiting for this, did you?”
I could feel tears starting to form on my face. It was over, he was going to kill me… I’d failed.
“It worked perfectly. Perfectly! He grinned wide and clapped his hands. “Look at you. You’re glowing like a neon sign.”
After taking a second to comprehend his words, I looked down at myself. A bright blue aura was shining from my body. “…what…”
“I’ll tell you what it is, girl. It’s the crystal. The more you fight, the stronger it gets. I put you through non-stop fighting and the thing’s practically ready to burst from your body in all the little pieces it was when it went in. I could have managed without it, but this makes it so much easier. And it was pretty fun to watch.”
I slowly raised my head, staring at his hated face. Wind howled, but it wasn’t strong enough to do anything more than mess up his hair. “You’re… sick…”
“And you have my cure, girl.” He raised a hand, pointing a finger at me. His grin had disappeared. “I am going to inject you with dark energy until every last piece of that crystal is driven from your body. Then I will take back what I never should have lost.”
Blackness gathered at the tip of his finger, pointed at my chest. His eyes, wide with anticipation, were soon obscured by darkness. “The power… is mine…”
I put everything into a pull against their armored grasp. Wind burst out, disrupting the Fotunatas for a second, allowing me to pull even farther to the side in that one instant. He fired, a thin line of pure black shooting from the tip of his index finger. It struck my upper right arm.
The storms vanished. The howl of wind and rumble of thunder were gone. A puff of blue dust burst from my arm as the black beam cut across it. I fell to the ground, seeing only blue and feeling only pain.
“You can’t even hold a damn teenaged girl! Why do I keep you idiots around!?”
When my vision cleared from a blue haze, I was laying on my back, staring up at Tregar. He held his hand out as the shimmering blue dust gathered together into a tiny sliver of blue crystal and dropped into his palm. He grinned down at me. “That must hurt like hell.”
I blinked. For all I could understand him at that point, he may have been speaking a different language. The pain was unlike anything I’d ever imagined. It was as if my whole body was trying to destroy itself, like a million tiny claws were tearing me apart. Tears streamed down my face.
His voice came to me faintly. “The crystal longs to be whole. That shot should have taken you out altogether, but you just had to be difficult, didn’t you? Now there’s a piece of it missing, and it really, really doesn’t that.”
Kierin…
The Sky.
“Bah, she can’t even hear me. Hold her again, you oafs, quick.”
Kierin. You are my chosen.
My head turned limply to the right. Dark wisps of energy were falling from the cut in my arm.
You are ready. I feel the acceptance in you.
I felt only pain. Tregar lifted his finger again. Chosen or not, I was about to die.
Fight.
As instantly as it had disappeared, the storm raged forth again. The soldiers on either side of me were knocked off their feet, and the fortunatas fell under a forked lightning strike.
The pain was still there, but underneath it I could feel my body changing. My clothes tightened, cloth wrapped my nose and mouth, yet somehow I could breath easier. I felt an odd cutting sensation in my shoulders and back. But most of all, I felt a rush of energy, and at that moment there was only one thing I wanted to do with it.
I leapt forward and tackled Tregar. Ignoring his shouts of rage and confusion, I pried open his fingers with my own clawed-and-gloved hands.
“Get… off!” He punched my torso with a fist covered in shadow energy, and I took flight. The crystal shard which I took from his hands dissolved into my palm with a sting, and the pain in my body began to subside. I slowly became aware of what had happened.
Looking down at myself, I saw that I was dressed in black and white leather. Some sort of black spines seemed to have grown from my shoulders… and white wings were flapping behind me, sending small bursts of wind out with each thrust. The only thing still in pain was my arm; the wound, though small, was still covered in shadows. I saw it all through a haze of blue.
Tregar was getting to his feet, looking up at me with death in his eyes. “You… how could you… how could this happen?”
I glared down at him, seeing my hate reflected in his eyes. “Nothing less than you deserve.”
His shoulders heaved as he began to hyperventilate. After a few seconds he threw back his head and screamed. “Why are you doing this to meeee!?”
For an instant the heart-wrenching cry brought a pang of pity, but it was quickly erased by a surge of rage. “To you? To you!?” Thunder rumbled above as he returned his glare to me. “Why did you do this to me, you son of a bitch? Do you have any idea how much that hurt!?”
Tregar held both arms out to his sides, darkening the air around him with negative energy. “It was mine! It was my power, my gift, my right! How could you get more than me!? How could it choose you over me, girl!? You’re worthless… I could do so much better!”
I tore apart the air around him with a whirlwind and he was launched off his feet, sparking with the static thick in the air. He landed on his hands and flipped back onto his feet.
He screamed in rage. “Come on! I’ll take it all back! I’ll take it all back!”
I darted towards him, zigzagging though the air as if I had been flying all my life. He sent several blasts of shadow out through his hands, but they were slow and easy to dodge. Before closing in I inundated him with thunder, wind and rain; he lost balance and fell to the ground.
Ignoring his curses, I walked towards him, unaffected by the raging elements around me. He managed to get to his feet and throw a punch at me, and I reacted without thinking, holding my hand out and blocking it with a burst of dark energy.
But… I didn’t have dark energy…
Tregar fell again, spitting obscenities. I looked at my right arm, shadows hovering around the mark his attack had left behind. What was it he had said? I am going to inject you with dark energy until every last piece of that crystal is driven from your body. So he had somehow gotten negative energy inside me… and it had turn me into this.
For some reason, I didn’t feel frightened by what I was now; I actually felt calm, more at peace than I had in what felt like an eternity. It was like there was something maternal within me, telling me that everything was going to be alright. And as I looked down at the Arachnos operative, struggling against the raging winds and iced-over floor, it told me wordlessly what I had to do.
“Tregar… the Storm doesn’t belong to you anymore.”
He looked up at me and tried to spit in my face, which didn’t exactly work with the wind blowing straight at him. “It’s in your mind, now, girl. You don’t even know what you’re saying.”
He was right; I didn’t know what exactly I was talking about, but I knew it was right.
“The Storm has been passed on, and it’s time for the darkness to pass, too.”
The expression of rage on his face was immediately erased by a look of pure horror. “No! You can’t do that! It’s MINE! The darkness is mine!”
I held out my hand. The blue aura around my body extended to encompass him. “It has to be passed on…”
The world turned blue and black, as all the negative energy was drained from Tregar into my own body. The amount of power that I felt moving through that link was amazing; there were depths of strength that I could spend my entire life exploring. A universe of possibilities was opening up, an amazing power which I now possessed.
As it flowed into my mind, I felt it merge with the power which I had already been well on my way to learning. The shadow mingled with the Storm, simultaneously tainting and enhancing it, changing it into something else entirely. I felt my small mastery of it slip away as it became suddenly unfamiliar again; the wings and spines vanished and my trench coat and leather rematerialized from shadow. All the wind faded, as my control over it no longer meant anything. I was no longer using the Storm alone… with this new addition, I had to relearn the magic before I could ever become that strong.
I stumbled back after it was over, gasping in pain and exhaustion. Tregar lay on the ground, panting. For a moment all was silence, then an inhuman moan escaped his throat. It was shortly followed by what could only be crying. Tears streamed down his face as he looked skyward. “How could you… how could you… all I wanted was your power. But you never intended me to have it, did you? How can you be so cruel?”
I turned and walked haltingly towards the small, green glow of an EXIT sign. Somehow I had expected the light of freedom to blind me, but at that moment the blue sky was nothing but gentle and beautiful.
Re: Shadowed Fate
Epilogue
I found the closest town’s police station and told them of the Spiders‘ occupation of the warehouse. I contacted my parents and, after some argument, got them to get me a ride to Paragon. They had me dropped off at MAGI, and after that I ended up at St. Joseph School.
The incident changed me. I had lost hope in that cell, and I had been completely alone. Even as I began to subconsciously push the entire affair deeper into my memory, I was making friends because I wanted never to feel that loneliness again.
I still try not to think about the time I spent as a captive of Operative Tregar, but I know that it’s important to be able to remember the shit I wish never happened. So now I have it written down, in case I need to remember.
The Arachnos have earned my eternal hatred despite the fact that what happened to me was no one's fault but Tregar's. Though I still have an uncontrollable fear him, the memory makes me worry more about the power I hold within me. It’s caused me so much pain already, in so many different ways.
Remembering all that has happened to me makes me wonder if I really want to carry this title or not. Sometimes I wonder what I would do if I was given the choice. It doesn't matter right now. All I can do is keep going with what I have.
I found the closest town’s police station and told them of the Spiders‘ occupation of the warehouse. I contacted my parents and, after some argument, got them to get me a ride to Paragon. They had me dropped off at MAGI, and after that I ended up at St. Joseph School.
The incident changed me. I had lost hope in that cell, and I had been completely alone. Even as I began to subconsciously push the entire affair deeper into my memory, I was making friends because I wanted never to feel that loneliness again.
I still try not to think about the time I spent as a captive of Operative Tregar, but I know that it’s important to be able to remember the shit I wish never happened. So now I have it written down, in case I need to remember.
The Arachnos have earned my eternal hatred despite the fact that what happened to me was no one's fault but Tregar's. Though I still have an uncontrollable fear him, the memory makes me worry more about the power I hold within me. It’s caused me so much pain already, in so many different ways.
Remembering all that has happened to me makes me wonder if I really want to carry this title or not. Sometimes I wonder what I would do if I was given the choice. It doesn't matter right now. All I can do is keep going with what I have.