-15-
-Blood And Scars-
Madeline fell asleep almost instantly when she fell onto the spare bed. The heavy bruising of the roots was already clearing up, courtesy of the Nymph's healing abilities and Abigail's continued care. Akane quietly stepped outside of the room, closing the door behind him after he was sure Madeline was fast asleep. Abigail was waiting by the couch, staring at Sabbath as she stroked his ears.
"What are we going to do about her?" He asked quietly, taking a seat in front of the fireplace. "I won't risk her dying on more hunts. Lorelei came close to tearing her throat out, and Aloysius buried her alive."
"I know," the witch sighed, "She's just too easy of a target. We can't take her out again, it'd be signing a death warrant. We could always leave her here, stocked up with wards, right?"
"With Jun's hunters around? I wouldn't be comfortable leaving her alone."
"But they can't find her. The seal of the tattoo will keep her nice and hidden from all but higher level gods. Even Tiamat and Koyane wouldn't be able to find her."
"I've tried hiding people from these kind of monsters before Abigail, it never ends well. One way or another, they get found."
"Well we don't have any other options. She literally has no fighting experience, and we only have a certain amount of time before this whole shindig kicks off and Japan is reduced to rubble. You know it won't stop there, soon after that the entire world would be torn apart."
"I know."
"Then trust me."
"I do, but I've seen this sort of thing happen before. My mother was supposed to be safe in Koyane's fortress, but she was literally torn to shreds. I won't let that happen again."
"Koyane's mistake was hiding her somewhere so obvious." Abigail looked at Akane sympathetically, "Madeline will be in a small, uninteresting apartment with no ties to anything. She'll be perfectly safe so long as she does nothing to draw attention to herself; and then we can wrap this up and send you back to your own time."
"You have a point. How close are we to finding the next target?"
"Already?" Abigail raised an eyebrow, "C'mon man, we just iced the second one in two days! We need to rest."
"We need to work," he growled, "The sooner we get this done, the safer we'll all be. We've killed two of Tiamat's people, but nobody from Koyane's side. We should balance the sides before Koyane tries something when he's ahead."
"Agreed. We can get more information in the morning, and find a suitable target."
Akane nodded. "Good. Out of all of the targets I think Jun would be the most satisfying to kill, well, apart from Koyane himself."
"You'll get your shot," the witch reassured him, "And I'll be there to hammer the last nail in his coffin."
Akane nodded distantly, holding the raven amulet loosely in front of him. The black bird shimmered in the light of the fire, and the aura of power it gave off was enough to make his skin crawl. It was an unholy power, a perversion of the natural order that now served his purposes.
"Have you thought about what you're going to do when you get back?" Abigail asked, attempting to snap him out of his deep thought.
"I have absolutely no idea," he replied, "I'm going to take my family to the other side of the world, but other than that I don't know; just live I suppose."
"Just live?" Abigail scoffed. "Don't take this the wrong way Akane, but I can't picture you settling down. You're like me, you need a cause to keep you going. You need a mission to work towards, a quest to finish."
"My family is my cause," he dismissed, "Or at least it was. Once I'm done with this century, it will be again."
She held up both hands. "Whatever works for you pal. Still, it'll be a shame to see you go."
The assassin smiled bitterly. "I'm sorry I can't say the same. This world is so confusing, and loud. Thank you for giving me a chance to undo the past Abigail, I don't think anybody else would have if they knew everything I've done."
"You talk like you're the bad guy," the witch frowned as Sabbath rubbed against her hand. "You're just a guy that bad things happen to. Trust me, you're more of a hero than a villain."
"Heroes and villains are overrated," he laughed, "I'm just a murderer that made one too many mistakes. All of my life I've been a pawn, moved around at the will of others and forced to carry out their orders. That doesn't excuse the blood on my own hands; but finally, I'm not on anybody's side. I can make my own choices, and follow my own path. Thank you."
"Don't mention it man. I'm going to hit the hay, but there's plenty of food in the kitchen if you get hungry."
"I'll see you in the morning," he nodded, taking a seat in the armchair in front of the fire as the witch left. Sabbath followed closely, his glossy black fur shining in the fire's light.
It usually took him hours to get to sleep, and this night was no exception. He fixed the amulet around his neck, listening to the night-time sounds of the distant city. He had always been a light sleeper, awoken by the slightest sounds. Out of everyone in the house, he was the most effective watchman.
He unbuckled the sword harness from his back, laying both scabbards against the chair with his hand on one of the hilts.
>---<
The stench of sulphur filled the dark space, along with a thick fog that filtered in from the outside. Much of the mist condensed on the stone walls, forming a dripping layer of moisture that collected on the ground. Still, there was enough fog to obscure everything more than five feet away.
"Why have you come to me?" Tiamat growled from somewhere in the fog, watching two forms moving towards her.
One of the forms was massive, clad in thick armour that shook the ground where he walked. The other was almost his polar opposite, a woman in a white dress with raven-black hair. Thin, but tall. Of the two, she definitely held the more intimidating presence. Of course, that was meaningless when standing in the same room as Tiamat.
The armoured figure took a knee, bowing his head as he spoke in a tone fitting of his armour. Deep, haunting, grating. "My lady, Aloysius is dead."
"He was a fool," Tiamat said simply. "An ambitious fool, but a fool nonetheless. Did you think I had not already heard this? What is the real reason for your visit?"
"It's Akane. This threat is elevating, and soon Koyane will capitalise on it and strike. We seek your blessing in hunting this killer down."
The chaos goddess considered this, flicking her tail through the fog. "Hmm, agreed. At first it was amusing, but he has grown to be a nuisance. You have my permission to carry out this task. Be wise in how you go about this, and find out as much as you can before you break him."
"As you wish."
"Good boy Mordred, have some fun with him. Now you, sorceress."
The woman gave a small curtsey, smiling wickedly as she addressed the goddess. "I wish to accompany Mordred, and take down the witch that accompanies Akane. Before now they've been picking us off one by one; I would change that."
The goddess nodded. "Your request is granted, Morgana. But, I would advise against trying to keep secrets from me. Did you think I did not know of the artefact they carry? You will not touch it. I will be watching."
The sorceress averted her gaze, even though Tiamat was hidden in the shroud of fog. "Of course not, my lady."
"Good. Find them before Koyane strikes against us, and leave no survivors."
The pair bowed one last time, backpedalling into the fog before the goddess's mood changed. Tiamat gave a small smile, satisfied with the fear she inspired in her subjects. Akane was moving along just as she had anticipated, tearing through the obstacles in his path without slowing. It was worth sacrificing some of her weaker servants to get a measure of what he was capable of. So far, she had been impressed. Perhaps she could strike him a deal, if she first found the right leverage. Everyone had a weak point.
>---<
The dreamscape stretched out before him, mirroring the world he had been torn from. Buildings of wood and stone lay scattered in a grand city, his hunting ground before all of this. Pitch-black shadows marked his world, robbing all colour but leaving a simplistic beauty that found resonance in his mind.
The streets of the city were completely abandoned, silent as he made his way through them. He had to find something, but he wasn't sure what it was. There was just a feeling, and an intense drive to find its source. A flicker of movement caught his eye, rounding the corner before he could focus on it. Without a word he reached for his swords, but found the scabbards inexplicably empty. He ran after the phantom as the shadows flickered around him, warily scanning the alleys.
He took to the rooftops, becoming spectral to gain ground on his target. He spotted it moving through the streets, noticing a trail of red fabric around its waist before it once again disappeared from sight. Akane continued his pursuit, leaping across the shadow-buildings in order to keep up. Over his shoulder he noticed a slight discolouration in the city, a tinge of dark green was spreading through the shadows, creeping in from the distance. It was far away now, but he kept an eye on it as he ran. The glimmer of red twisted around the corner as he leapt between buildings, staying just far enough away to avoid being caught.
With every step he took the world vibrated, inked shadows rippling from the point of contact. The surreal experience distracted him during the hunt, watching as the colour of the shadows slowly changed. The murky green began to tinge them, spreading like a sickness behind him and gaining ground fast.
He ignored it, charging on through the abandoned city. If he was going to escape the green smoke, he needed to catch up to the figure running away. He hadn't the slightest clue why this would help, but something deep in his mind pushed him towards it.
"Wait!" he called, shifting into his shadow form and continuing the chase at street level.
The figure span around a corner, letting a trail of long black hair whip out as it went. A woman. Before he could get a good look at her, she vanished again. With a quiet curse, he ran around the corner after her. Suddenly, the streets weren't empty anymore. Hundreds of people roamed some distance in front of him, and he only caught a glance of the woman's red sash before she slipped into the crowd. He ran forward, but it was already too late.
The crowd swallowed her before he could catch up, and all he could do was watch for the splash of colour amidst the black and grey. Every now and then he would catch a glimpse of crimson, but it would be long gone before he could make a move to catch it. The infection spreading through the city was going to be here soon, so he needed to make a decision. His swords may be gone, but his control over the shadows was not.
Amongst the faces of the crowd he spotted some that were familiar. Lorelei, Jun, Aloysius, Koyane. Them, and dozens of other targets he had hunted in his time on this Earth. He drew back one hand, forming the shadows into long, crude claws to cleave through the crowd. As the magical constructs fell the shadow forms of the crowd faded, spraying blood across his body and the ground. The red of the blood was far too vibrant to be real, so he closed off his mind and pushed on.
He caught the odd glimpse of a face every now and then, watching as all manner of monsters fell beneath his hands. The streets ran red as he cut down the thinning crowd, desperately searching for the woman. His arms were coated with gore by the time he finally caught sight of the red sash. The woman stood with her back to the wall, not running anymore.
Akane's chest heaved from the effort of his slaughter, walking towards her. Only two shadowy figures remained, standing between him and the woman silently. In his killing rage, he didn't even slow down. A brutal slash tore one's throat out, while a stab with his other hand impaled the other through the stomach. His claws extended out of her back, dripping blood as the rage wore off. He looked at the woman, recognising her at long last. Hana stared back at him, a look of complete terror in her eyes.
"Akane," the girl gasped in horror, "What have you done?"
He looked down at the figure still impaled on his claws, seeing the face he had been blind to in his rage. Madeline stared back at him, dead. As the corpse fell and faded from existence, he looked down at the second body. Abigail's mangled body disintegrated into a pool of shadows, leaving Akane in shock. The claws faded, but the blood that now soaked his body remained. His hands shook as he tried to wipe away the blood, but there was too much.
His sister stepped forward, grabbing him by the shoulders and staring into his eyes. "It's okay. You didn't mean to, it's okay Akane."
He said nothing, but grabbed her tightly and tried desperately to forget what he had just done. The blood had already stained his hands, and it would never come out. As he held his sister the shadow-world took a sinister turn. The green shadows had caught up to them. He heard a chain dragging across the ground some distance behind them, and froze in fear. He moved as quickly as he could, trying to pull his sister along with him, but Hana stood silently. Tears were in her eyes when he saw the green shadows already clawing up her legs, spreading the infection throughout her entire body.
"I'm sorry," he said sadly, reaching out to embrace her one last time before the end.
Before he could so much as touch her she dissolved, fading into a shower of dark particles as the world unmade itself around him. The infection closed in on him, but he was done running. He simply waited, letting the green shadows latch onto his body. At first there was an intense pain, but it soon faded as he began to lose consciousness. He fell to the floor, staring out across the street as his vision faded. A figure walked towards him, dragging a long chain along the ground with a wicked hook on the end. It laughed hauntingly as Akane's eyes closed, dark green smoke curling off its form as a flock of crows took to the air behind it.
"Mine, forever."