The Gathering

Prologue: The First Gathering

"The hour is a sixth gone already, let's go." Said Sera, no eagerness in her voice, instead a sense of purpose. As ran, still a little uncoordinated, towards the door where Seraphiel was waiting, Jonah took another breath, not coughing this time, and jogged to catch up. As he approached the door, Jonah saw the look on the dead man's face. His eyes open but blank, small blood vessels outlining an iris now painted a dull white. His mouth hung open, a gaping maw with nothing but darkness inside, a small trickle of blood ran down the man's cheek onto the pavement from where a tooth had been knocked nearly out by the impact of his fall. He didn't look dead... he looked... empty, hollow. The only thing remotely alive about him was the smoldering cigarette still in between his fingers. Jonah felt his chest flutter with unease, he mentally shook his head, trying to steel himself for what was to come.

'It's just a human.' Jonah said to himself, 'a single ember on the surface of the sun... or whatever' Sera opened the door and lead the cadets into the building, its walls painted in a dull peach color. They turned a corner and it became obvious that this was a hospital; a large semi-circular desk with a nurse in a white coat sitting behind it served as the waiting room's centerpiece. She adjusted her glasses while scrolling through patients' charts on a computer screen. The seating area was almost empty, a lone older woman, asleep and oblivious, sat in the only occupied seat in the corner. The fluorescent bulbs hummed and flickered above their heads. Jonah took another breath, this time he smelled harsh chemicals, cleaning products. Sera glanced at the two teenagers.

"Alright, Asmodel, gather it." Sera instructed, pointing at the nurse, still focused on the screen. As' smug expression melted off his face, apprehension taking its place.

"Yes, sir." As said, trying to appear stone-faced, though his shaky voice betrayed him. Sera and Jonah watched as he crept up carefully to the crescent desk. Despite knowing that she could not see him until he touched her, As walked as if hiding from her gaze. Her eyes, with the help of her thin reading glasses, carefully read an incoming message on the screen as he slunk up behind her, his apprehensive crawl had now given way to the gait of a cautious predator, a hyena creeping behind an unsuspecting antelope. Once he felt that he was close enough, As reached his hand above her and firmly placed his palm against her forehead from behind, his fingers grasped just above her eyebrows. Her look of bored monotony shattered, she gasped lightly as her eyes shot around her skull, her breath shuddering. As strained, feeling inside her mind, her body, until a warm glow emerged under his palm. He slowly began to lift his hand up, dragging the orb of light with him. He closed his hand around it as it started to pitch and squirm, resisting his grasp. As continued to struggle until finally he tamed the orb, squeezing it in his palm until it vanished into nothingness. The woman slumped down in her chair, her head falling forward onto her desk, glasses cracking as they collided with the keyboard. As strolled proudly back to the group, a satisfied smirk curled onto his lips. Seraphiel gave a single nod of approval.

"She was a good one too," said As, "three kids, two jobs, and an ex-husband, real miserable". Jonah steeled himself, the memories... he was next, 'I'm ready.' he thought, trying to reassure himself.

"Jonah." Sera said forcefully, as if detecting his hesitation. She pointed her finger to the corner of the waiting room, to the a sleeping woman, she was older than the nurse by a few decades. Upon a closer look, she was gaunt, her thin gray hair lay above her red, puffy eyes. "Hurry, the hour is a third gone." Jonah puffed out what air remained in his lungs, inhaled once more and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he brushed the loose curls of red hair from his pale brow and began his approach. He planned the actions in his mind, he had been told a dozen times how to do it by Seraphiel, he had even just been given a demonstration, but as he approached, his mind felt blank, he could feel the blood rush towards his face. He didn't want to fail, he needed to gather the woman's soul this hour... he couldn't fail and risk going back to the forge. He wouldn't.