(A picture of Illaria Florentino. Here comes chapter 21!)
The silence lay thick between us only the distant calls of gunshots and cry for help broke the standoff. Fransesco and Luca stared at each other with so much hostility that you could cut through it. Then Fransesco finally broke the silence with a smile that made my skin crawl.
"She is one of us, I would appreciate if you gave her back."
If it wasn't such a large distance between us, I would have spat in his face for the insult. I had to be content with merely spitting on the ground as a sign of my disgust.
"The lady seems to disagree," Luca said but seem wary of me.
I frowned at Fransesco wondering what his game is. If Luca would have believed his words, he would have struck me down on the spot, not hand me over to him. Does Fransesco want me dead?
"Herald, I know this young girl. She is a newborn and under Herald Borgia's guidance. I highly doubt that she would be associated with such scoundrels," Lorenzo intervened and I thanked God for him.
"I was kidnapped! They wanted something from my Herald and wanted to use me to blackmail him," I exclaimed, rather insulted by the accusation of me being an Anarchist.
"I'm not handing her over, but I will need to interrogate her in order to make sure that her words are true," Luca muttered avoiding looking at me which only angered me more. He can at least give me the decency to look me in the eyes when he announces his judgment over me.
I huffed and was just about to say something when something landed with a loud thud on the ground in front of them. The street cracked under the pressure and those in close vicinity needed to cover their faces as dust covered the air.
I coughed and covered my face in order to hinder myself from inhaling the dust. Lorenzo had put himself between me and the chaotic scene now filled with frightened shouts. The only calm ones were Lorenzo, who stared at the scene trying to identify what happened, and Luca who merely took another wheeze on his cigarette.
The smoke settled and we soon saw a body, bloody and broken, on the ground. Besides it, stood a man I'm very familiar with.
Carlo's eyes gleamed like a bright sun and his face was hardened with cold callousness. His gaze was sharp like a blade as it turned towards Fransesco, who back away, while Illaria, too young to see her demise, glared back at him.
"Carlo!" I exclaimed blithely and his gaze immediately turned to meet mine. They softened when they saw that I was well and Lorenzo had to hold me back so that I didn't rush out into a battlefield.
"Are you well, bambina?" Carlo asked and brushed off his clothes.
"Well enough, they burned, drugged and roughed me up a bit but I'm well now that you are here!" I replied but felt tears furiously burn underneath my eyelids. I refuse to shed tears but my relief was plenty.
Carlo's eyes started to burn again as he heard about my trials. He turned his gaze toward Fransesco who grimaced and held Illaria back as she wanted to attack the intruder.
"I heard rumors that you were quite strong, but to actually be able to physically overpower a Renegade..."
"Perhaps, you shouldn't be so pretentious that you would dare assault an I Soli during the day. You overestimate your abilities. We are I Soli, and we rule the day!" Carlo growled and with the speed of sound, he threw himself at Fransesco who pushed Illaria out of the way.
With a blast, the strike from Carlo sends Fransesco through the wall of the building. Carlo didn't let up at before I blicked, he had run after Fransesco to finish him up.
The attack had been executed in such a high velocity that most hadn't reacted but now they started to riot as their leader had been assaulted.
Luca sends out a strident whistle and his men rushed the scene to engage the Anarchists in battle. My eyes though followed someone I had a score to settle with.
Illaria let out an enraged roar and tries to follow Fransesco into the building but I was determined to rip her face off in retaliation for the scratch she gave me earlier.
My mastery of Solaris might not be in par with what Carlo had just displayed but now basking in the sun, I was strong and fast enough to be her rival.
With the speed and strength far beyond that of a normal human, I pushed Lorenzo out of the way and ran towards Illaria. Before she could react I hit her with all the strength I could muster and a loud blast echoed in the yard as I send her flying.
Though she was clearly surprised, she still managed to land on her feet though she held onto her ribs. First, I had thought I broke them, but then she stood up like I never struck her with inhuman abilities.
"You don't know much about our abilities, do you?"
"I think we might have an equal understanding of each others abilities, harlot!" I hissed but from her facial expression, I could decipher that I had guessed correctly. She is a newborn like me.
"Hey, bambina. I don't mind you engaging in a catfight but you should know that we of the Magistrate Clan has an ability called Cementation. It allows us to harden our bones and skin to the point that nothing can break or cut it," Luca hollered at me and I rolled my eyes at him.
What an annoying ability! No wonder the Magistrate was such terrifying opponents. They clearly had enhanced speed and strength equal to that of my own clan using Solaris. But unlike Solaris that draw the power from light, their abilities seem to have no limit.
I grimaced and realized that I might just have started a fight I can't finish.
"How do I fight an opponent who is stronger than me?" I muttered and Alessandro laughed to my dismay.
"All techniques have a limit. If you face an unknown opponent you merely have to be clever. Find their weakness."
"Dammit! I have to tell Alessandro to be more specific next time," I thought but remember Carlo's mentioning that Magistrates was physically superior to other clans but was weak against magical and mental attacks. Unfortunately, I had no mental techniques that would suit this battle so I have to improvise.
Blood Arc was a mental ability though it was only controlled mentally, it could be used for physical attacks. It might not solve this situation but it might help me figure out a way to handle Illaria.
I moved my wrist to my mouth and used my fangs to bleed myself. I heard Lorenzo call my name but I didn't care for the moment.
With my mind, I gathered up all the blood leaving my body and each drop formed a sharp needle.
Illaria frowned at the scene before her. The air was now covered in scarlett needles, all controlled by me and all pointed at my adversary.
I raised my hands and all the needles were send flying towards Illaria, but they merely bounced off. I made another gesture and the needles turned around and attacked her continuingly.
A grimaced grew on my face as I saw no wounds and only the annoyed wailing of the woman I wanted to hurt. I was just about to give up when a screech was heard from Illaria. I seized my attack and let the needles hover in the air, incaging Illaria.
I held my breath while trying to see what had caused her pain. Illaria screamed as she hid her face. Then I smelled it. Blood and a lot of it.
"You fucking bitch!"
Illaria removed her hands and turned her face toward me. Blood dripped from her face as one of her eyes had been pieced and completely destroyed by one of my attacks. I found it. They cannot use cementation on their eyes.
"Well, that didn't take long," Luca muttered and I sneered. I moved my hands into a circulating movement and all the needles gathered and created a few daggers instead. I didn't need a lot of weapons. One dagger to the eye will kill her.
"You fucking coward!" Illaria hissed.
"Says the woman that drugged me and scratched my face while she had me tied up in the basement."
"All this for a scratch to the face... Fucking women," muttered Luca and I glared at him.
"This is not because of a scratched face. This is for the humiliation she dared put me through!"
Illaria sneered at me,"It's too bad the wound have already healed. It improved your ugly face."
"It's rather fortuitous that your won't mend. It improves your horrid appereance,"I replied callously and prepared to end her miserable existance. She glared in defiance at me, trying to face death with pride. I cared not, I merely wanted her gone.
Suddenly, something crashed into me. I could feel my rips breaking as I was send flying by the strike. I tried to land on my feet while groaning as I held onto my ribcase, but barely succeeded as I fell onto my knees upon feeling the seering agony left after the attack.
I heard Lorenzo calling my name as my world spun and I gasped for air. With rage burning in my eyes, I glared at my assailant. Fransesco had returned.
He barely had a scratch on him, and only the ripped clothes bore witness to his previous engagement. Where was Carlo?
Fransesco looked grimly upon me, seeing clearly his disadvantage as both Lorenzo and Luca was ready to aid me.
I flashed my fangs at him. I could feel my eyes glow as I used Solaris to siphon the sunlight to heal my ripcase. It was a slow process though as I haven't fed in a while.
Fransesco cracked his fist and had a look of determination on his face. Apparently, he had no intention of leaving without making sure that he had caused some damage. He rushed at me and I could hear both Lorenzo and Luca exclaiming while coming to my aid, but they would not arrive in time.
I readied myself for the strike and glared at him, refusing to show him my fear. Only my anger.
Fransesco sneered at my defiance but didn't slow down. His fist was merely a few inches away from me when something blinded me.
A flash of light hit Fransesco who was thrown away but landed on his feets. His chest was bare, with burns all over it. With a painful groan he looked at the newly arrived assailant.
I stared at the person who I was so familiar with, but still didn't knew anything about. I didn't know the depths of his power, now fully at display for all to see.
Alessandro entered the scene like a ray of sunlight. His entire body was engulfed in sunlike aura, bursting around him like solar flares. His eyes, was unrecnizeble as they radiated with a light matching the sun. Enough to hide all signs of the pupils.
The ground quivered and burned under each of his steps as he moved towards Fransesco without even bothering to greet Luca or Lorenzo, who backed away from his burning light. Both covered their eyes to avoid being blinded. Neither was able to distinguish, who was inside the light.
But I could see fully well. Maybe it was because of my yellow eyes. The eyes of an I Soli, but I could see through the shining light shaped like man. His eyes fell upon me for a moment before turning towards Fransesco.
"Your arrogance know no bounds, let me show you why we are called the I Soli!"
Alessandro's voice was deep and echoing through the yard. The solar flares erupted from his body, burning all in it's paths. I feared it would burn me as well, but as they hit me I could feel my wounds heal.
It wasn't fire. It was pure sunlight. Was this Coronalux? No, it didn't look anything like what I have been taught.
"Illaria, run!" Fransesco roared while pulling Illaria to her feets.
"But..."
"I will hold them back, just run!"
Fransesco threw Illaria at the nearest Anarchist who started to pull her away under her protest. He then turned to Alessandro with a mocking sneer. His eyes had started to glow in a white light, as he activated his ability.
"Cementation gives me immunity to harm, your fool."
Alessandro send out a ray of burning light through the palm of his hand, but Fransesco used a speed similar to that Carlo had used and moved easily out of the way.
"I need to help!" But no matter my will, my body refused to move. It knew that this battle was beyond me.
The same cannot be said about another one who threw himself into the battle. Carlo had entered the fray and grabbed onto Fransesco who struggled under his hold.
"Now, Alessandro!"
Alessandro walked over to Fransesco who furiously tried to escape. He stopped to glare at Alessandro who had arrived at them.
"Do you think it's the first time I have killed a Ascendant. I have fought Monarchs, Therians, Magistrates and even Amaranthines. Over centuries I have learned a rather large amount about abilities. You cannot break the bones or skin of an Magistate using Cementation, but did you know that you can burn and melt them?"
Alessandro's voice was eerily gleeful as Fransesco's eyes turned from bold to frightful.
"Fransesco!" Illaria's daunting scream reached us and I could hear Fransesco's last words.
"Don't look, Illaria. Run!"
Alessandro reached into Fransesco's chest, burning and searing the skin and bones as it went along. The yard echoed with Fransesco's ghastly screeches as he tried to escape the horrid pain.
With a hideous sound, Alessandro ripped out Fransesco's heart. His eyes turned cold as the last life left his body and Carlo threw it to the ground.
Illaria's mournful scream rang in my ears and was the last thing you could hear before silence reclaimed the yard.
Alessandro let his aura fade and everyone could now see clearly who he was, the Herald of the I Soli.