Adam Edwards

“For my mum; for nurturing my obscure view of this

world”

“For Amy, the woman in my life who pushed me to

the limit of my imagination”
 Adam Edwards

-In the Beginning-

A cold morning in the London office; century square,

Alfine building 7th floor, the location of the KNS
(Kingdom National Stories) manager’s office. A
memo has been circling the building; no one really
knows what to do with the information it holds. A
story of a groundbreaking press-conference; of
which I may get the chance to report upon, has been
circling the office. But there was no information as to
what the conference would tell, just ‘The truth’. But
however ominous it sounds, I never pass up a story. I
found myself on the 7th floor today to receive my

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briefing on my task. People rarely took me seriously

for something as suspect as this I was the perfect
candidate, the boss man asked me when I’m available
to leave…
I looked at my watch and told him “in about fif-
teen minutes”. Thus I was on the first plane to Rome,
Rome of all places, must be the architecture. Here I
met a really odd man with quite a bizarre story
and…well you find out if you read on. After the con-
ference I did produce a report, which was laughed
out the office, maybe it was my approach maybe it
was the content; but it didn’t matter I felt a deep
need within myself to get this story out. People have
to know what I know. A bizarre, barely believable
vision of the world based around one man’s trans-
ition through life to the point or pinnacle of his very
existence.
So I decided to change the format to make the
story more publicly available, thus the creation of
this book; plus if I make the story seem like it’s
rooted in fiction, the boss man or “the big cheese” as I
prefer to call him, can’t drag me over the coals.. His
story deserves to be told and who better than
someone who was there to witness his finest hour.
People deserve to know what goes on around them.
This doesn’t provide tips in finding out if people

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 Adam Edwards

around you have suffered this affliction, you’ll just

have to keep your eyes and mind open. Deme Valen,
on scene reporter for KNS news, this is the story, an
unknown war that could bring this world down in
flames.

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 Pursuing Death

-A Crowd Masses-

The moon hung heavy in the sky as the large stone

Coliseum begins to fill with men and women, myself
included. All of the people seemed to be at least
eighteen and from all walks off life, a serious spread-
ing of “the Word”, seemingly all people in influential
occupations: Reports, Politicians. All eyes begin to fo-
cus on the man at the centre. Standing proud, among
the crowd, atop a pedestal. The centre man, who can
only be described as wondrous fell back into a
marble chair and began beckoning the crowd closer.

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 Adam Edwards

“Come hither” he’d say, we all massed in and sat on

the floor, rocks, and anything else that could be used
as a seat, around him. Cold, old stone of the coliseum
but everyone still managed to get comfortable I my-
self sat on a small-ish boulder to his far left.
The wind was strong blowing his long dark
hair out of his face; he had a dark expression on his
face and a scar across his left eye, which he seemed
unable to open. His dress was a little out of place as
well, wearing a dark long coat embossed with red
tribal etchings and a pair of black fingerless gloves. A
scabbard hung from his waist, visible only from the
front as it pushed his jacket open. He unhooked the
sword from his waist and leant it against the stone
chair. The chair itself seemed part of the coliseum
like it had grown from the pedestal where it stood.
He held his hands to the crowd, a gesture for
silence, it came instantly. This man had come to tell a
story, I don’t think anyone around me knew the con-
text just that it would “explain some things” and “re-
veal the truth” of this world, a conference to the na-
tion, maybe even the world, just looking into the
crowd it was hard to tell what nationalities were
here, there was just too many people. He opened his
mouth to speak.

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 Pursuing Death

-1-

Prologue:

April 17th, late night.

The night air freezing to the
touch, all the nearby residents hauled up inside their
humble homes, a perfect little town all the houses
look like they were owned by dolls. The wind
whistles down the silent cobbled paths of the empty
streets. The moon shines a deep blue atop its throne
in the night sky, shrouded in a blood red mist, this
night truly had meaning. Even the deepest, un-

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 Adam Edwards

charted parts of the countryside have never been so

quiet. A thick haze drifts across in the wind obscur-
ing the streets below from the moons enchanting
glow. Several small orange sparks can be seen in the
depths of the nearby wood; the sound of beer fuelled
in-breeds shortly follows from the location of the
small sparks, which inadvertently happen to be ci-
garettes. Elbows rested on the window-ledge, I watch
on from my girlfriend’s bedroom window, the bright
full moon the thick crimson haze and Airborne
blasting from the stereo, it was such a romantic night
for ones such as our selves, dark, gothic and forever
restless of lust. However the progressively annoying
street loitering and slurred chants of the reprobates
outside sadly lowered the levels of passion in the
room.

I turn from the window, facing into the room

now. Stroking my left hand through my recently
washed (aren’t I hygienic?) shoulder length brown
hair as Lily is brushing her gorgeous ash-blonde
curls. I could do nothing else except just sit there
staring at her. Red silk and black lace skirt, which I
might add barely, reached her knees, red and black
shoulder-less Celtic symbol top, which I bought her
as a birthday present. She winks at me, raising a little

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 Pursuing Death

smile, I smile back sweetly. She walks toward me

slowly and sexily, perfectly aware that I’m staring at
her legs. She sits down on the bed beside me. She
strokes the growths of hair protruding from my chin
known in some areas of the world as a goatee. We
embrace each other as we begin to kiss away the
cold, and those deep red lips captivated me. Those
lips warmed me to the very core. I close the window
and let the heat rise within the room; she begins to
melt in my arms. She rests her head against my
shoulder as I trace my fingers down her spine; she
jolts slightly at the odd sensation. I tilt my head
down, slide her hair aside, stroke a soft finger across
her neck and bite hard against it. I know she loves it
when I do that, she always has. She moans a little and
begins kissing me all over.

We shared a loving night that night, wrapped

around each other, skin to skin, it would be the first
of many. A tender kiss, the heat of her lips over-
powering my senses. I gave myself to her that night,
heart-body & soul. I tasted her deep within my ‘soul’;
I pray that she did too. She begged me to take her, I
couldn’t believe the words were coming out of her
mouth, as she slowly strips for me revealing the soft
skin of her tender breasts; she was obviously com-

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 Adam Edwards

fortable around me. She was the first and only wo-
man I have ever experienced so intensely; I don’t
know how I’d resisted this long without taking her,
the moment has to be perfect and that night was the
most perfect it could have ever possibly been. It ap-
peared she had been resisting her tenderest feelings
towards me too. I remove the shirt from my back, I
reach for the button of my trousers but before I can
even get my hands on it she’s at my waist heaving
my jeans to the floor. I support her back and lay her
gently onto the bed. I ask her to consider her cer-
tainty; she complies and repeats the statement.
“Take me Darrius, I have wanted this since I met you”
she smiled as she said this; I could see the meaning in
her eyes. I cannot deny that I have wanted this as
well. She turns up the music to drown out the sound
of our actions.

‘She had all the boys talking', with her fancy cat
walking'
But it was me who took her home, and gave her bed
a good rocking'

She slides her slim but heavenly beautiful form

beneath me, smiles cheekily; I could feel her hands

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 Pursuing Death

moving around caressing my chest. I stare lovingly

into her evergreen eyes and return the expression.

I can’t get enough of that diamond in the rough

She slowly slides her silken hand down my

chest and grabs my embarrassingly solid male ap-
pendage tightly. She licks her lips playfully as if to
say “yum” and begins to slide her grip along me. Lily
you are a real tease, nothing has ever felt this good, I
could resist her no longer. I grab her waist viciously;
she releases her hands from me, expressing her want
for me to give myself to her, gestured with a simple
nod and a glint in her eye. We commit ourselves ce-
menting our everlasting union; we both experienced
our first Taste of raw passion that night, but it
wouldn’t be our last.

Early next morning, I woke naked and beat

And as the sun was rising, she was still looking' like a
treat

The most vivid and powerful minutes of my life,

and hopefully hers, nothing could break us now. We
have committed the sins of the flesh ritually together
since that day.

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 Adam Edwards

October 22nd, first light of dawn.

Five months later and
we still belong to one another although there have
been some lumps in the road along the way. The sun
rose from its far eastern bed to give us the first rays
of dawn light. I shook off ‘sleep’ to realise; there she
is sleeping next to me, the first time I have ever
woken with her, an excessive feeling of joy filled me
at that moment. I slowly stroke her cheek with the
back of my hand, lean in and sink my teeth into her
succulent and voluptuous neck. She stirs smiling
lustfully into my eyes as if looking into my very
heart. I return the gesture and bring my head down
for a tender kiss. The air is cold in the room; the only
heat comes from her body. I bring myself close up to
her.
“I Love you Lily, you’re gorgeous”
“I Love you too Darrius” She giggles; her face bright
red, she was always rather kinky in the mornings.

We lay in bed for hours watching the sun come

up, first time I had ever seen a sun rise, it was a
beautiful moment, shared with a stunningly beauti-
ful woman. We spent the rest of that day together;
her parents were a little puzzled as to why I was still

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there, I don’t think they liked me in the first place,

they like me even less after I walked out of their
daughters room in the morning. I just waved and
said my hellos, I would have said more but nothing
came to mind, no witty anecdotes, nothing.

We left the house shortly after that to take a

morning walk through the little wood where we had
shared many a deep conversation and some really
passionate kisses. The cold morning air sears my
nostrils as the foliage crunches beneath our feet. She
turns to me, forces me up against an old oak tree and
violently pressures her soft silken lips against my
rugged chapped objects. Must be her morning mood!
I smile at her, she blushes slightly. I tell her its okay,
kiss her back with the same force and lust she sowed
me and tell her once again that I love her. After the
actions of the previous night she has a reason to be
so kinky, she’d finally got something she’d wanted to
experience for a while waking up in a morning and
seeing my face. Yet I still have no clue about how to
reveal myself to her. It is awkward to explain to any-
one but there is still one side of me she does not yet
know. The side I don’t let anyone see, the side that
tells the story of who I really am, what I’ve been
through in my short life. But Lily is different she likes

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 Adam Edwards

the kind of thing that I am, but still I think the reality
would scare her. We have been together for over a
year and I have yet to tell her the truth, I am darker
than even she realises. Nobody knows my darkest
secret.

Nobody knows that I am in-fact dead…well

un-dead if you want to be accurate about it. The un-
dead do exist in this world of ours…well yours, but
not through the cliché circumstances, as I remember
it, after a human suffers a fatal affliction (death to
the lay person) it is pursued by an ethereal power
whom I’ve come to know as the Master, a titanic
construct at least fifty feet Tall, pitch black skin
etched head to toe with deep red tribal designs, eyes
of soul burning hellfire, a crown of horns and a dev-
ilish goatee, overly muscular, carrying a broad sword
over his shoulder, wearing nothing but leather wrist
bands and a pair of leather pants…he grants the hu-
man a second chance at life but for a cost, you have
to work for him… coming back not quite human, in
the same body that you lost your life in. You are
granted a choice as to what you wish to come back
as, but some are more costly than others. Vampires,
Vampire’s (powered vamps), Lycanthropes (were-

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 Pursuing Death

wolves), Angel’s, Archangel’s1, and Legion’s2 (spirit

harbours). My personality was drawn to legion, as it
meant I would be helping people to survive death by
delivering them to the master, but having little ex-
perience of life after death I wasn’t sure whether that
was a good thing or not. Becoming a legion means I
have to collect the dead and TAke them to the master
for them to be given the offer, in return my master
has saved my soul from passing on, allowing me to
keep some of my humanity. This allows me to keep
part of my connection to life allowing me to feel
emotions, but brings me deeper into the master’s
pocket, as if I cross him he could destroy my soul
stopping it from passing on and keeping me trapped
here as a ghost.

I have been in this state for over two years, I re-

member the day like it was yesterday; it was early
morning not many people were around, so I didn’t
see a problem with walking across the round, that
was until some maniac races round the nearest
corner, ploughing straight into me with his probably
stolen car…needless to say he didn’t stop. All the

1
Arch/angels are only available to Heavener’s – Those
collected by god.
2
One of the very few arch-types to be available to both
races.

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 Adam Edwards

souls I have collected over my time are hard to keep

under wraps, even after taking them to the Master; I
have to keep the souls as to stop them from passing
on. It requires constant focus and often the expulsion
of the soul’s once-body. If the un-dead body of a soul
I harbour is destroyed the soul would be freed from
me into constant rest, it also works the other way, I
can feed upon the souls I have absorbed to end the
life of the once host, if a soul leaves my body it will
either pass over or be destroyed. If I absorb too many
souls my body simply becomes a way station and I
lose all human traits. My eyes fade to black, my skin
turns a whiter shade of pale, my teeth form fangs
and my body becomes all and all more demonic,
apart from the eyes skin and teeth, I’ve never experi-
enced my demonic form I have been able to keep
enough focus to not completely fall to the dark. This
does provide me with extreme strength and power
but de-humanises me, meaning I would reveal the
existence of the undead to the world.

To think, I’d still have a regular human life

with no knowledge of all this darkness, if it weren’t
for that damned Ferrari. I’m just glad I still don’t
have the tyre impressions across my chest that would

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be a definite hint to my situation; it made a good-

looking Tattoo though. But now…
My name is Legion, for I am many!
Would she understand this, would she even believe
this? What do I say to her “hey baby, I work for a gi-
ant demon collecting souls”?
But I suppose a perk of this would be my ability to
communicate with the dead who can prove enlight-
ening, when I say dead I mean the constant dead,
those who either missed there second chance, died
while undead or chose not to live again. I used this
ability to ask my grandmother what I should do,
considering she never met my girlfriend she didn’t
have much to say except for me to follow my heart
and do what was right by me.

Will she still love me knowing that to stay in

this world I must harvest souls of the dead for a giant
demon to fuel his apocalyptic army? I have to tell her
soon, no one else even deserves to know my deepest
truth but she is my world and we promised never to
hide anything from each other, it’s just a difficult
subject to drop.
Oh by the way I’m undead I have been since before
we even met, the hardest thing to tell her is the fact
that she made love to a dead person, which would

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 Adam Edwards

probably creep anyone out, necrophiles excluded of

course. Sure I could be optimistic and believe that it
wouldn’t matter to her and she’d still love me like
she used to. But I’ve always been a down and out
pessimist, which based on my current situation isn’t
likely to change any time soon. So that’s what makes
this so difficult. But she always makes me feel con-
fident in what I do and myself. I need some sort of
sign, what would be the best thing to do, lie to her in
order to save myself, or tell her so she can trust me
and hope she can still find it in herself to love me.
The master thinks I should keep it a secret, which
would be easiest on her, but he is the lord of dark-
ness. That’s why I’m thinking that telling her is actu-
ally the better option, he no doubt just likes to watch
people suffer, the bustard. At least if I tell her, I can
feel free in the fact that I don’t have to hide anything
anymore, I hate all this hiding. But on the other hand
not telling her gives are relationship more chance of
longevity, with considering how out of my league
she is, is a blessing. Something has to turn the tide,
break me out of this rut…me and my big mouth; I
didn’t think it would be so soon.

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-Collected Thoughts-

The crowd seemed shaky and a little on edge, want-

ing to hear more from the man, yet seemingly wor-
ried about what he was going to tell them. I person-
ally, was rather impartial I was just there to docu-
ment the story. Everyone wanting to know more of
this ‘true world’ he spoke of.
He took a deep breath, seemingly collecting his
thoughts, it seemed a lot has happened to this person
as time had gone on, and there was a lot to remem-

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 Adam Edwards

ber. Yet, it was impossible to tell how old this story

was, after all he could be ageless since his death/re-
birth; whatever you wish to call it. He shuffled in his
chair, lifts the glass of water on the floor by his chair
and Takes a sip from it, placing it back down. People
were still pushing their way into the coliseum to
hear this mans story, reporters (Action! LMB & even
the Royal Standard), whistle-blowers, even some
members of the civil services (Army, Police, Navy)
could be seen in the crowd. These latecomers push-
ing past my little rock, just so they could get a better
look at this guy. He opened his arms, a welcoming
expression.
He lifts his scabbard to eye level and partially
draws the sword from it, probably seeing his own
ghostly reflection in the blades shimmer, this man
actually looked like death, I felt sorry for him just
seeing the state his body was in, lifting the left side of
his mouth into a smile, which looked rather evil,
might I add. He slides the blade back into its holster
and places it back against his chair.
“Come my brothers; find you place among the
crowd” leaning back and clasping his hands togeth-
er, resting his chin upon them. He continues his
story.

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-2-

Pursuit of the dead:

October 24th, Midday.

It appeared that I would have
some competition on my hands, and it might also
have made my decision easier; I was with my girl the
day before until about half past nine at night. But at
about seven she got a call from ex-boyfriends par-

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 Adam Edwards

ents, basically they thought that with the history the

two shared she deserved to know, know that he is
dead, John’s dead? I took the information with a
pinch of salt, as they did not divulge any information
as to how John had died. Lily and I met a month or
two after she broke up with John, I know it seems
like a short break but she was relieved to be out of
that relationship. They went out for a few weeks but
he was very forceful and he deceived her so she split
from him. It is just typical that I’m the only legion
within range, which means I’ll have to collect him,
I’m Taking my time as too limit his chance at a
second life. Plus I sense from his essence that he
committed suicide, you sort of get an odd Taste in
your mouth when focusing on a victim of suicide.
The longer I leave it the more chance he’ll end up as
a zombie, the lowest of the low.

“His soul is waiting for you, do your duty!” the mas-

ter’s voice bellows within my mind. I guess I got to
do what I got to do. I focus on his soul’s essence,
within a flash I’m standing beside his limp corpse. I
beckon his soul into me. The master summons me
thusly into his dimension.
“I can sense your feelings for this one and for that
reason I shall keep his spirit here with me, I cannot

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allow rivalry to get in the way of your deeds, I also

know because of your history you tried to hinder his
second life that is why I shall re-forge his body giv-
ing him the same choices you had”
He is reborn beside me, more dangerous than I could
have possibly imagined… he is a Reaver, which
means like me he stores souls but he stores living
souls, and can turn his soulless victims into his own
minions, like a sort of soul vampire. He glares at me,
as if to say YOU!!! . He stands there, his red iris’
glowing, his face unshaven, his suicide scar is still
visible, wearing a “death becomes her” slogan t-shirt,
his hair still matted and stained with his own blood.

He teleports3, I assume, back to where he died. I

know exactly where he will be heading as soon as a
chance arises. He’ll go to Lily; he threatened her be-
fore she left him that she would be with him sooner
or later, she’s moved around a lot since they parted
ways. Luckily he never went to her new house, so
she’s safe for now. They were together for about four
weeks and he was very obsessive. I have to protect
her but that would lead him to her. He knows my es-
sence now he could track me. He’ll steal her soul,
keeping her with him then turn her into his minion
3
I believe Hellites can teleport. Heavener’s can fly, but one
race can learn the others transport ability.

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 Adam Edwards

and send her against me. I couldn’t harm the woman

I love even if she is programmed to destroy me. I
must resist my urge to see her, I can’t let her become
his puppet, but he could find her anyway and I won’t
be there to protect her. She has to know the truth
now; it’s the only way to truly save her.

Focus… “Lily”…
I think I scared her when I suddenly flashed into her
room, a real subtle hint. I calm her down. Hold her
head against my chest and whisper to her sweetly. I
can still calm her I guess that’s a plus.
“I’m sorry for scaring you Lilith, but I guess it’s time
you knew my secret…”
I sit her down beside me and tell her the whole story,
it’s an awkward few moments but it had to be done
in order to save her. She seems to TAke it all in ex-
cept for the fact that I am undead and now, so is John
and he is probably planning to hunt her down and
take her soul turning her against me. I could feel the
fury emanating from her eyes, for not telling her
what I was sooner, and also for the fact that I have
allowed John to find her, but she understood my
reasons.

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 Pursuing Death

I tell her to leave, TAke anything she needs and

run, stay in crowded, public places, if he gets but one
hint of her essence he’ll be able to track her. I’ll hold
him off as long as I can, but if he’s already taken
souls it’s going to be difficult.
“Don’t worry about me; just get yourself to safety…
RUN!!!”
She picks up her little bag she’s packed and ram-
pages out the house as fast as her legs can carry her.
The front door slams. A few silent moments follow.
The stench of sulphur climbs up my nostrils. Dark
smog slowly fills the room. There he stands, already
armed with two soulless human minions. A boy & a
girl, neither older than fourteen. It would seem that
any shred of compassion he had has left him, taking
the lives of those with everything left to live for. If he
thinks I won’t hit children because of my morals he’s
dead wrong. They are simply creatures threatening
my love and THAT I won’t allow.
“Step aside, where is she, where is my queen?”
“She ain’t your queen no more John, Come on …Let’s
Dance”, from this sTAtement, I thrust my fist into the
jaw of the little girl, she drops like a stone, I nearly
knocked her damned head off.
One down two to go!

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 Adam Edwards

He grins smugly at me, trying to make me feel

inferior? It didn’t work. I roundhouse kicked the
little boy knocking him into a wall. I put my hands
on his shoulders hoisting him into the air…he bites
me…
“Nobody bites Darrius Alliese” I threw the little bas-
tard out of Lily’s bedroom window.
“Just you an’ I T like it should have been when I
found out what you had done to Lily”
“Dar’s, you’re going down, you can’t stop me finding
her”
He swings his fist skyward, knocking me off my feet.
I balanced on my hands; double kicked him into the
nearest wall. He peals himself off the wall and dusts
himself off. He Takes a soul from his body, through
the chakras in his hands, a light scream can be heard
outside as the little bastard is disintegrated, John
compresses it into pure energy then releases it upon
me, a blast to rival buckshot to the chest, knocking
me to my knees.
“That’s right Dar’s kneel before me, you really are
pathetic, and she was better off with me”
“FUCK…YOU!” I coil up my entire store of energy
launch myself at him, just as Lily’s dad is heading
upstairs. John grapples Andrew; I cannot risk a hu-
man life so I have no choice but to stop.

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You have to get T away from Andrew; you can’t al-

low his soul to be taken!
Lily hated her father, often wishing him dead but it’s
not something I can allow, defiantly not now. A slow
trickle of purple-ish mist is being drawn from An-
drew’s chest.

“Dar’s what are you doing here, and who is this

guy?” Andrew enquires his strength waining. I tell
him as bluntly as possible, I came here to pick up
your daughter, this is John, and he’s after your
daughter. I told him not to struggle, everything
would be all right. Andrew’s life was ever slowly be-
ing taken from him. He told me he felt cold; con-
sidered what I told him as the truth; wriggling
against John’ grip. He also said to tell Lily he loved
her, and asked me to take good care of her.
“Isn’t that touching… say goodnight Andy!!!” tearing
the last spark of soul from Andrew’s body, he col-
lapses limp onto the floor without a sound from his
mouth; at least he felt no pain. “You need to do more
acting and less talking if you expect to best me”
‘John’s nothing but a heartless monster, any shred of
human compassion has long since left him. Just
killing people to get to her’, my eye casts a flashing
glance to the floor as Andrew begins to rise…’and to

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 Adam Edwards

strengthen his army’. I have to get my baby’s mum

and brother to safety. I don’t particularly like them,
nor they me, but I suppose a life is a life. The more I
save the less there are for him. I take the stair banis-
ter in one hand and volt over it to land elegantly at
the base of the stairs.

Kick the door open with my right foot and race

into the room to collect Dave and Mary.
“Look you two have to listen to me, both your lives
are in grave danger unless you leave now and get as
far away from here as possible”
Both look on blankly at me until John bounds in &
Tackles me. Both are hot on their heels to escape. Bolt
out the back door and into their 4 door silver BMW.

Meanwhile…
I plunge my elbow into John’s face; he releases his
grip, holding his hands to his broken nose, clicking
the disjointed bone back into place.
“Is that the best you got? Huh bitch!”
The only way to stop him was to use my vast stock of
souls as weapons, something I had never done be-
fore. I forced myself back onto my feet, focused all
my power, summoned three souls from within me,
compressed and forged them together to form one

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concentrated bolt of spirit electricity. With all my

might I launched it into his chest as it explodes
spewing sparks of power. The dense smog and the
retched stench of sulphur returned. He was gone
along with his now minion Andrew. He’s not des-
troyed, but he’ll be out of my hair for a while. Taking
a moment to pray for the souls whose lives I had
ended on this day.

October 25th, Midday.

I was alone in her home. Or
what’s left of it. We caused vast collateral damage. I
decided it would be a good idea to steal myself from
the house; I don’t want to get arrested for this. I have
to somehow change my spirit essence so he cannot
track me. Either that or I lead him on a wild goose
chase. I suppose I cannot go near anybody who I care
for, it’s not just her he wants, and he also wants to
get back at me for taking her after she left him. Fam-
ily, Friends all are unapproachable now. If I can get a
big enough lead ahead of him however, I could save
them all. It’s not really something I want to hold to
chance though. Sitting on the floor in cross-legged
position I focus, all the souls leave my body, swirl
around me, like a purple snowstorm, before re-en-

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 Adam Edwards

tering them into my body in a different order. For all

intents and purposes my essence was now something
new and unrecognisable.

I can feel his essence; it’s on the move. I can

only hope that he will never find her. I may have
more souls than him but I’m just supposed to be a
transport he on the other hand he is a one-man
army. The only thing I could do to defeat him would
be to completely overload myself with souls, which is
dangerous for me and those around. Express ultimate
power through the loss of control. The sound of the
imperial march fills my ears, my mobile is ringing. I
answer, it’s Jack.
“No I’m not busy…when? I’m a little busy right now,
but I’ll see what I can do…I’ll explain later… see
you”
I couldn’t meet the guys; not just yet anyway. Well
it’s not like any of them would understand my situ-
ation either. The only way my friends could actually
help me is if they got themselves killed, mortally of
course. But I wouldn’t want anyone to give up his or
her life for me. I need a weapon!

Focus…teleport myself to the master’s dimension.

Make my way across the barren plains of scorched

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earth, through fire and brimstone to Hephaestus’

forge; a titanic metal construct, fuelled by the very
fire of the earth’s core. Hephaestus himself was an
elderly demon; he took the role of blacksmith & ar-
moury for those of the underworld. He had to be
verging on 8 feet Tall; his right hand altered to better
suit his profession, it had been morphed into an im-
mense hammer reminiscent of the Norse god Thor.
In the centre of the main room was a huge anvil
charred and scorched with the heat of the weapons
and equipment he had forged upon it. He uses the
fire of the underworld to fuel his orickulum furnace;
he can create blades and shields more powerful than
any human weapon. I ask him to forge me a katana, I
tell him my predicament.
“Those that live there life in love have the power to
change the world…I’ll make you a weapon, I see
something great in you!”
Money has no meaning down here so I pay him in
souls. But souls used as payment to another ethereal
creature remain “alive”; the master just places them
into his vault of humanity. Hephaestus charged me
ten souls; I pay him with ten of my longest ‘dead’.
They have had a long second life and unless the mas-
ter decides to make them free spirits, like he did with
John, their once bodies will have to remain down

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 Adam Edwards

here with their souls. When stored within a legion

the once bodies of souls can move freely between the
underworld and Midgard (mortal earth).

The weapon was wondrous, a shimmering co-

balt-blue orickulum blade, sharpened to a razors
edge, with a heavily buffed pine hilt wrapped with
green, red and black silk, these three silks also decor-
ate the scabbard. I thank Hephaestus for his handy-
work.
“Go save the girl Kid” he nods, placing the holstered
sword in my waiting hands. I transcended myself
back to Midgard. I think I could risk meeting Jack
and the guys in town now, I haven’t seen them for
weeks.
Focus…sees the image of where you want to be in
the minds eye; somewhere I won’t be seen arriving.
Found it…I arrive in the bus station toilets moments
later. But even if I could get into crowds I would still
stick out like a sore thumb. It’s not every day you
bump into a guy wearing a trench coat and sporting
a kaTAna at his waist is it? I place my left hand on
the sword hilt, closing my eye…chameleonic field,
blending it perfectly with the wearer’s attire, it could
be heard tapping against my coat but at least it
couldn’t be seen.

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I meet the guys outside walkabout the apparent

“Australian bar”. We shake hands, having not seen
each other since our school days.
They would know nothing of the Ferrari that mowed
me down 2 years ago and actually killed me, they
heard about it ‘local man involved in dawn car acci-
dent. But this group of people didn’t need to know of
my now life as a spirit transport for the lord of Dark-
ness. I couldn’t tell them that and expect them to be-
lieve it. I know John will be healing still so I have
some time before he’s ready to go on the offensive
again, when he does I’ll be ready, but now it’s time to
let my hair down.

The guys and I wander around town for a

while, although they seem to keep their distance
from me, some of us didn’t part on such good terms.
We move on to the fish market, for a Monty Python-
esque fish slapping now in our early twenties yet still
as immature as ever. George decided in his infinite
wisdom to perform genital surgery with a fiddler
crab. Just glad it wasn’t me on the receiving end. It
was welcome relief from the stress of battle; I was fi-
nally able to laugh again. But it’s not long before my
mind swirls back to Lily, and the unknown fate that

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 Adam Edwards

may befall her. The fact that scares me most about

this situation is that I have to lose her in order to save
her. I should have shunned attachment after my ‘ac-
cident’, I have just brought myself more pain, but I
couldn’t turn down her attraction to me, the first girl
to ever feel that way for me & it just so happens that
she is the most beautiful girl in existence, my heart
soon followed after hers and we fell in love. I have
always felt pessimistically about the longevity of our
relationship but I try not to let it get me down, after
all I have an eternity to make any mistake right.

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-Brothers in Arms-

Several members rise above the rest of us; being held

up by beams of light (or energy I’m not too sure), I
presume this energy comes from the eccentric fellow
at the centre. Each floating member must be a friend
of Darrius’. They seem comfortable knowing the
truth now. Each man Takes a bow then is lowered
back down. The crowd are even more engrossed in
the story now; believe at least some of it to be truth,
with the floating populous adding believability. Dar-
rius gestures behind him, to several high-poled

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 Adam Edwards

lights, which light up in full glory as soon as he

raises his hand.
The shadow of the coliseum is destroyed by
light from above. Darrius picks up a bucket filled
with bottles of water and launches several of the
bottles into the crowd. Placing the bucket back down
beside him, he stands stretching his legs, one of
which didn’t look too stable, and decides against sit-
ting back down. He splays his hand at the chair, the
other using the sword as a cane propping him up.
His hand gestured at the chair seemed to be glowing
a little, sending waves of an unknown energy into
the chair, causing it to rumble and melt back into the
ground from where it came. Darrius turns to face his
audience, removing his fingerless gloves, he warily
crouches down. Handing his gloves to a female dir-
ectly in front of him, winking at her, whether this
was as a sign of friendship or maybe he was just hit-
ting on her? Could she be Lily?
He smiles at the woman, returns to his full
stood position, using the holstered sword to support
himself; his left leg seemed weaker than the right. He
clears his throat and continues his Tale.

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-3-

November 2ndth Dawn.

The fun and humour of the
previous weekend’s antics still hung in my mind, but
lingering there like a cancerous growth was my fear
of Lily’s life, and the knowledge that John is healed
and began moving again. Well, I guess I better get
out of bed… prepare for war. G’s and Lil’s essences
are still distanced, there is still time before I need
worry. I need to blend in today. I pull out a pair of

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 Adam Edwards

blue jeans from my draw and a classic Led Zeppelin

tour t-shirt.
Moments later…
Right, let’s get to work, focus…Erebus…
“Master” I kneel before him and lower my head, “may
I use your dojo to practice?”
“Be my guest, ha-ha” he smirks at me, reaches for a
leaver to his right, upon pulling it, a huge cog shaped
door rolls aside to reveal the path towards the dojo.
He pauses,
“It does seem that your region is a little slow on the
death front, I mean you have all this free time, just be
thankful you didn’t work for me during the black
death period…that was a heavy work load!” his voice
growing quieter has I head down the path.

I take in the sights into the ancient sparring

zone, Built of ancient sandstone, floor padded with
shock absorbent mats, as bones can still be broken,
yes they heal thanks to soul fluid but it still hurts like
it would in life. Two large terracotta warriors stand
beside the main entrance as if to guard those inside.
As I enter through the main door, under their
swords. I am confronted by three Promethean De-
mon’s (basically artificial monsters forged for battle
practice by Hephaestus), five feet Tall and made of

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 Pursuing Death

clay; they copy the opponent’s choice of weapon so

mine carry swords. I draw my kaTAna as the three
spirits close in. Blade gripped in my right hand, I
TAke a step back swinging the blade back with me,
slicing one demon across the chest. I sidekick him
into the wall…Defeated. One swings for me with his
blade, catches my shoulder, my left arm goes limp. I
elbow him in the face, following through with my
blade into his throat. A jump kick would knock his
head off but I’m not that dextrous so I just drop and
swing slicing his legs at the knee; destroyed. The
third runs at me violently, I knock him to the floor
with a forward thrust kick, walk over to his cracked
body, he roars at me as I drive my blade through his
face…Victory. Although I do wish they didn’t act so
life-like, why’d Heph make them feel pain?

I turn to the door to leave the dojo…I raise the

blade up to my face to deflect the blow from an un-
known adversary. The force of clashing steel
knocked us both back revealing the enemy as the
fully rested and healed John.
“Surprise asshole!”
He swings his blade horizontally across my chest, I
tilt my blade down; deflect the force of his blow. I
move to a strike stance.

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 Adam Edwards

“Show me your honour, if you have any?” a concept

that has always been dear to me. I lunge forth, his
side steps, parrying my attack, pinning my sword. I
had no choice but to release my grip. Root my right
foot down. Propelling my left leg spinning behind
me, reverse spin kick. John staggers forwards,
stunned. I holster my blade, raise my fists up. John
does the same revealing the fact that he’s wearing
knuckle-dusters…”Fuck”.
“Can you ever fight fair?” I quiz him.
“It’s not my fault if you ain’t prepared, Bitch”, he says
as cocky and smug as he could manage. I have to
think about this, I have to be quick, in-out-in-out.
We square off. He fires a lightning fast punch at me;
I duck just fast enough to avoid it. Grip my blade hilt
as tightly as possible, racing it from its scabbard, sli-
cing it across his abdomen. I flex my legs, face-to-
face with him now.
“You cheeky S.O.B!!!” he rockets several metallic
punches into my face, a steely hook straight into my
stomach. The pain winded me knocking me to my
knees. Tears of pain well up in my eyes, blurring my
vision. All I could see was his fist raised for the fin-
ishing blow. A bright orange ball collides with John’s
chest knocking him across the room, at which point
he disappears, with the now familiar purple smog

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 Pursuing Death

and stench of sulphur. I turn around and clear my

eyes to discover Lily Standing there, her hands glow-
ing.

“Erm, ok three questions, what was that? How did

you do it? How did you get down here?” filled with
wonder at the power my girlfriend wields.
“Well, that was my firestorm, to answer both the
second two – magic” The explanation surprised me; I
mean I knew the undead were real but magic? I
thought that was just a step too far, guess I was
proven wrong.
“You told me that you’re a Hellite so I made a spell to
bring me here, confronted by your boss, who smells
really bad by the way, he told me you’d come this
way”.
She seems more powerful than me, but she is still liv-
ing which puts her in danger, also considering he
may have had time to take in her essence. At least we
can stay together now, but judging on the power of
her magic he won’t be back for a long time. This
world is getting more and more obscure, demons,
zombie’s, witches. I walk forward a few steps and
pick up and holster my sword.

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 Adam Edwards

She looks at it inquisitively as it seems to be

transparent; I explain that it was for the protection of
the people close to me, and chameleonic. I also ex-
plain to her the fact that because she came down
here, John may have her essence, she’s not safe.
“Well now you know the truth, you should also have
figured I can TAke care of myself” I don’t doubt she
can but, if he gets his hand even close to her body for
a few seconds he could TAke her soul. I can’t leave
her alone for a second anything could happen.
“Lets get out of here baby” I TAke her hand to get us
both out of here saving her energy.
Focus…my lady’s house!

November 2nd, mid afternoon.

Within a second we
were back in the comfort of her bedroom (or what’s
left of it). We stare at each other for a long moment,
rushing into an embrace. She leans back & kisses me.
She lifts up my shirt to check my stomach wound, a
bruise the size of a tea-plate is revealed, which heals
back to perfection right before her eyes. Lets hope
John suffered more damage than this; I couldn’t
handle facing him again already. The bruises on my
face fade to nothing as she wipes the blood off of my
cheeks. Her dad is a minion of the reaver her mum

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 Pursuing Death

and brother had fled; it was just me & her alone in

what was left of her house. He had been here so
maybe not the best resting place considering the re-
cent past. But then again we shared some of our most
passionate times here. The setting doesn’t divert me; I
had been away from her for so long by this point I
couldn’t keep my hands off of her. I held her close
wrapping my arms around her slender, hourglass
body. I pinch her bra with one hand; it releases its
grip on her chest.

I smile at her cheekily; she teases me licking her

lips. She tilts her head aside a little & slightly opens
her mouth…I know what she wants. I give her what
she desires, a slow tender kiss, and our tongues con-
nect. I love the Taste of her, it’s an amazing sensation
to bare witness to, and I bet it tastes even better to the
living. I just wish I had been the only one to Taste
those lips, but I can’t have everything, it’s just the roll
of life. But she’s mine now, I can’t afford to mess this
up she’s too damn important to me, I would protect
her with my life…well, you know what I mean.
She undoes my belt allowing it along with my blade
to fall to the floor with a mighty clash.
“Be forceful baby please, I like it” she exclaims to me
while smiling sweetly.

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 Adam Edwards

I push her backwards onto the bed, pin her down

with my arms. I kiss her softly, I could see the excite-
ment in her eyes and no doubt she saw the same in
mine. She grows more and more wild, it was obvious
she had missed me; she tears my shirt off of me.
“I missed you ma’Lady, so much, I couldn’t risk your
life, but now I know my previous actions were in
vain!”
“Shhhhhhh… don’t worry huni, just be happy that
we can stay together now, don’t think about it, and
just lose yourself in the moment!” she reassures me. I
take that to heart.

We peel ourselves apart in order to return to

the raw from which we were born, and once again
join each other in horizontal embrace. She begins to
giggle, with the force ‘I’ am pressuring against her
leg. She grabs my manhood tightly with one hand
and guides me in. I roll onto my back. I sit up, push
her hair aside. Draw on my demon persona to create
small fangs. I thunder my teeth down upon her neck.
She moans with pleasure, she loves it when I bite. I
can feel her tightening around me. We honestly and
purely commit the sin of the flesh; I can’t deny that it
was assured perfection, neither can she. We compli-
ment each other during and after the event, on the

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skill, power & prowess of the others actions. She

loved the feeling of me inside her; there is nothing
we wouldn’t do for each other. With the force we are
thrusting upon each other, I don’t think it was a long
event, but the concept of time is lost whenever I’m
with her. It may not have lasted but it was indeed
highly pleasurable for both of us. The bed sheets at-
tested to that.

It’s a good job now I’m dead I don’t need sleep

(although I can if I want to), because if I was alive
John could have easily snuck in & Taken us both out.
With how tired our actions made her we would have
defiantly been easy pickings, if I regenerated through
R.E.M sleep. We are back to normalcy, making love
to each other whenever and wherever the mood
takes us. We are closer than ever now, she knows my
darkest secret and I know hers. A demon and a
witch: together in passionate, loving union. We made
love frequently, I dare not even think of being fur-
ther away from her than I am now. The nexus and
the netherworld became one, a force to be reckoned
with. Imagine the power our children would wield,
yes they would be undead (well I imagine they
would), but they would have both demon power and
nexus magic flowing through them.

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 Adam Edwards

But it’s not all a bed of roses, the union me and

her share isn’t just one of love it is one of war, hon-
our and truth…we must unite to put a stop to a more
powerful demon, with his own minions. The only
reason it’s so hard is because some of his minions are
our friends and family members. I have no idea how
to stop him; he is far more powerful than me. This is
our calling to put an end to the unnecessary evil that
plagues this world. Take it one step at a time; the first
on the list has to be John. If I could get into the mas-
ter’s vault of humanity I could theoretically take his
soul into my body, then he couldn’t hurt me without
hurting himself. But the vault is heavily guarded.
Only the master can open the door, but he wouldn’t
let me anywhere near John’s soul, he knows the his-
tory we share.

Unless I can tempt him, with the promise of a

show, he loves violent theatre. A classic gladiatorial
battle… two men step in the arena, only one steps
out. Now that would be a fight of honour, give me
something to fight for as well…Lily. The master
would have to have both our souls and after the
battle is done the victor would be decided by being
the first to completely destroy the other or to just

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prove himself the better fighter, in the case of the lat-

ter the master will destroy the soul of the one he
doesn’t deem worthy of existence. But even still John
is built for battle; I need something to tip the balance
in my favour. I’m not sure about the whereabouts of
my soul, which could pose a problem, which is
something I will have to enquire about. My cause is a
just one, so if my soul is held by another legion or a
similar creature there is a chance I could rally him
or her to my cause, to destroy the master and all the
evil he has unleashed upon Midgard, starting with
John.

November 4th, Morning.

I wake beside my beloved who
has already risen, dressed herself and is practicing
her energy forming, creating balls of fire, ice, water
and nexus essence with the simplest of ease, she’s
definitely had these powers for a long time, either
that or she just knows how to control them instinct-
ively. Seeing her express her hidden skill right before
my eyes was a wondrous thing, and to be perfectly
honest made me a little horny. She is more amazing
now than ever, considering that she hasn’t actually
said how she feels for me exactly now she knows my
secret.

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 Adam Edwards

“I can hear your thoughts you know, and I have al-

ways said you were a real demon” she giggles a little
and smiles at me, she only really ever called me a de-
mon when we were entwined in, how shall I put it,
"sinful congress". But we’ll not discuss that now.
“Wow baby, you’re really skilled, it’s strange how I
never noticed you had this gift!” she looks at me
blankly!
“Ditto!”
I pick up my clothes from the floor, leaving my
sword where it lay as I slowly get myself clothed and
smartened up. I wouldn’t really call what I have a
‘gift’ but I’m not going to argue with her, although I
do love making her angry, she’s so cute when she’s
angry. I smile back at her; she stares into me with
those deep meaningful, spring eyes, I feel as though
she is staring right into my still beating heart, yes my
heart still beats, well I can feel something moving
anyway, in order to imitate life. As stated earlier I do
have blood, well a sort of blood like substance that is
actually liquid soul essence, all legions and reavers
are the same. This essence doesn’t come from collec-
ted souls, it comes from the soul aura of the Master’s
vault of humanity, and it will never run out no mat-
ter what happens.

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She holds out her hand to me as I move myself

into a sitting position, I tenderly grab it from under-
neath, feeling the sweet tenderness of her fingers
against my palm, I raise it to my lips and kiss it…she
blushes a little.
“Awwww, that’s sweet. Goodbye, lovebirds!” John, he
always shows up during the tenderest moments. As
soon as we both noticed he was there, he launched
two searing hot energy balls in our direction. Con-
sidering the size of the room, and his proximity to us
his accuracy was pretty shit. After dodging his attack,
Lily rose to challenge him. A smug grin began to
grow on his face and with lightning quickness he
sped forward, his fist violently connecting with her
jaw, the unsettling crack of bone was deafening
within that small room, my baby tumbled back-
wards. I just managed to catch her and settle her on
the bed, from that moment I saw red, as I pierced
him with my eyes I could feel the rage building in
me.
“You Fucking Asshole, you broke her jaw? I’ll break
your neck!”
“That’s right Dar’s let the darkness consume, let it in,
allow it to rule you, I am its emissary and you shall
join me or be destroyed!”

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 Adam Edwards

“Where did you get that line? Emperor Palpatine? All

that matters now, is you hurt my baby and for that
you shall meet your end!” Upon finishing my retort I
thrash a right hook towards him that connects beau-
tifully with his bottom lip.
“How does that Taste? You woman beating son of a
bitch!”

With the same quickness he had displayed pre-

viously he speeds behind me, and rests his hands
upon Lily’s chest.
“It tastes like gorgeous female soul, nice breasts too,
ha-ha”
Losing all control of the souls within me, my demon-
ic persona begins to show through. I turn to face
him, I swing for him, as I do I can feel the energy
surging down my arm. I watched myself as the
punch connected with his cheek. The appendage I
had come to know and love was now alien to me,
what had replaced it was a much longer, spiked and
scaly armoured limb with five six inch synovial
claws instead of the usual jointed human fingers, all
coloured Dark green and an eerie shade of blue. He
hit the wall with such force, that when he peeled
himself from it he left an imprint behind.

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“Ha, Come on Dar’s release yourself, Come to the

darkness!”
“This isn’t me, I would give anything to be human
again, and I know what you’re trying to do but I can-
’t afford to lose control”
“Ever seen Freddy Krueger?” as he said this, both his
hands became shear like claws. He leapt through the
air to me. With in-human speed and dexterity, I
crouch to the ground, impale my claw through the
soft undefended flesh of his chest and threw him
across the room,
“Bitch!!!” the room goes silent for the moment.

John rolls his eyes, looks down at the wound I

had delivered to him; he waves one hand over it,
healing it to its original near perfect quality. How
has he obtained all these new abilities? We both raise
our hands, (my right is now back to normal), at the
same instance, into a boxing stance, once again util-
izing his enhanced speed, rockets behind me, thrust-
ing his foot into my back. Launching me forwards
face first into the flooring.

“I don’t think I’ll empty her just yet, she’s more use to
me as leverage!” I could hear her screaming for me,
but I could barely stand, her voice shrinks to a whis-

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 Adam Edwards

per, the intoxicating stench of sulphur emanates

from his position, as the deep violet mist blocks my
vision. Covering his back for a safe retreat? How
long will he keep her alive? What does he want from
me? I could follow him, I have tasted his essence, but
he knows that, so I shouldn’t be so quick to act. He’ll
let me know when he’s discovered what he wants. As
I struggle to my feet, the mist lifts I could see a sil-
houette where he once stood maybe he decided to
finish me off?

The dark mist wisps away, revealing the

demonic minion Andrew. He charges at me arms
flailing; a side step and an outstretched leg took
down the mindless zombie. His mind couldn’t work
out how to get up, well what was left of his mind, al-
though he was being controlled by John I could not
destroy my girlfriends parents. But he can’t be saved
from death so I would be releasing him from this
brutal fate? I TAke my sword from the bedroom;
walk back over to his ravenous hungry form. Hoist
the kaTAna high above my head, driving it down
through his flesh, into the floor beneath pinning him
down. I leave Andrew pinned to the floor as I head
for the door leaving the house behind, I could still

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hear his mindless wailings, I made a short prayer for

the safety of his soul.
Release me…An unfamiliar voice utters. What the
hell was that? Where did it come from?
Release me!!!! Again in it’s raspy tones only louder,
from no origin, with seemingly no destination.
Shut up, just shut up I don’t know who you are, but I
want you to leave.
RELEASE ME!!!
There it comes again much louder than before as if
to utter these unsaintly words, forevermore. Where is
that voice coming from, deep and menacing yet calm
and provocative?
Release me! Purge me from this shell!
More words yet nothing clearer, still a puzzle to
those who could hear it, me, and me alone. Shell
what shell?
Release me!!! Become what you were meant to be!!!
The voice, is it within me? My temptation: the lure
of the evil within my heart, my destiny?
Release me; I am your power, your glory, your
strength. Without me you would have died hundreds
of times over!
It is true my stronger qualities do come from a dark
place, before my ‘accident’ I was always placid, calm,
composed, rarely ever violent, but now I have some

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 Adam Edwards

of the masters power within me I have grown more

evil, more devious and defiantly more destructive.
But I must admit that I do enjoy this power, the dev-
ilish viper snare that my rebirth brought about has
made me complete. What is life without the promise
of confrontation?
Life is nothing without confrontation!

I head off into the woods, among the peaceful-

ness of nature, the leaves beneath my feet a symbol of
the cycle of life. I sit cross-legged among the crisp
autumn foliage, that lye like bronze shavings upon
the moist earth. I rest my arms upon my knees, and
try to make direct contact with ‘The Voice’, a meeting
within my mind both of us in our astral forms. A
man’s mind, the only place on earth where there is
no fear of intrusion, well so I thought.

I arrive in my mind, as I was on earth, entirely

human of shape and form. The area is dark and
cloudy, graves surround the main building, this must
be the voices creation, at the centre lies an old rustic
building, made of cold aching stone, weak and
crumbling at points, menacingly brutal gargoyles
stand at the spire corners and a huge stone Wyvern
dragon envelopes the roof, it’s wings dotted with

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 Pursuing Death

purple and red gem stones, it’s eyes a deep red they
seem to watch my every move as I enter the old
cathedral. Above its arched doorway were etched
with possibly Celtic symbols, illegible to but anyone
who knows the language.

The voice’s knowledge became my knowledge

as I could for some unknown reason read the mark-
ings: Blessed be Gaia, Blessed being Oranos, Earth of
Sky, Life of Death. The meaning behind this phrase
however eluded me; I simply registered it and con-
tinued into the mouth of this unstable creation. Rot-
ting wooden pews lined both sides of the main hall,
the musk there in made the ceiling impossible to see,
I could barely view anything above eye height. I
couldn’t tell you if the roof was whole, put it that
way. Through what I could see there was no sign of
anything other than me in this dank excuse for a
home.

“I knew you’d come here… welcome to my humble

abode” humble? Well, I do find this place strangely
peaceful. I can feel great strength emanating from
these walls. I could see a silhouette growing upon
me, its shape slightly obscured, and as it grew closer
features became more prominent. Within a few feet

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 Adam Edwards

of me, it was like looking into a mirror, although…

not. He was I but different, his form, his colours, his
demeanour all mimicked mine.
“Like what you see?” neither of us had to say any-
thing we could hear each other’s thoughts. This place
is yours; your power over me must be growing.
This is mine, yes, it grows with every doubt, conflict,
and negative emotion you experience it’s been grow-
ing since you were given the gift of life, by the mas-
ter, I am more of a part of you than you are.
You won’t be for much longer; I will find a way to
purge you from my body.
If you do that, you would be removing your demon
essence, the very thing that has kept you living
through death, are you sure you want to meet your
end at such a young age?
I challenge you to a duel, winner gets the body, if I
win you allow me complete control and you destroy
this sanctuary of power, if you win, you get total
dominance over my body and I’ll live here.

Upon hearing me make this challenge, several

of the souls I had been harbouring came down
through the mist to watch the action, spectre’s, dark
entities with blank expressions there eyes black and
emotionless, they were human in form only, their ac-

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tual material was something more like purple haze.

The voice stares me down, and smiles evilly.
“Well then, let’s get started!”

-Missing Link-

His story was becoming more and more obscure, but

people were still listening attentively to him, scrib-
bling down important notes on their pads, some ac-
tually filming him, I suppose those with film would
probably be able to keep believability in their work.
A few non-believers had walked out; no doubt seeing

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 Adam Edwards

this meeting as something of a bad joke; I had to stay

I needed the money this story would bring me; no
story, no pay that’s the boss’ philosophy.
Our central figure returns back to the required
basic audience, the reporters, politicians and his
friends. The faces of some of the members seemed to
be trying to work out which Darrius this was, seeing
if they could figure out who won the fight. Darrius
paused at the line “Well then, lets get started”, leav-
ing the crowd guessing what actually happened. He
places a hand on his scar pulls a piece of cloth from
his pocket and dabs his face, returning the cloth to its
dwelling.
“Listen carefully my friends” he says, “The
greatest battles faced on this world are the ones
within the minds of men – an old friend once told me
that”, manifesting a small smile, “I shall leave you
guessing no longer”. The coliseum was no longer
filling, all invited audience members had arrived,
with the late comes just getting up to speed. He swal-
lowed hard and stood motionless for a moment as if
focusing on something, he spoke. His voice was
booming now. “I shall continue, are you comfort-
able…” cheers and joyous shouts can be heard from
the masses all around me, I guess some people were
exited to hear this story, don’t think it matted to them

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 Pursuing Death

whether it was true or not, unless those cheers came

from his friends, just glad that he’s finally been able
to tell his story. “Then I shall begin…”

-4-

I rose from my earthen bed, nothing much had

changed except for maybe the light; it was now
night-time, my watch suggested it was almost nine
in the evening. It was quite a hazy night; the whis-
pering wind was desperately cold. I was already dead
it’s not like a little autumn chill would harm me.

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 Adam Edwards

“Eh up mate, got twenny pea?” the voice of a vocally

impaired reprobate echoes from behind me. Well it
was only twenty pence but still I’m not going to fund
someone who, through choice, wanders around in
Burberry clothing with his trousers round his knees.
“Erm…. No go bother someone else, to bring mean-
ing to your sad existence”. It was hard to tell whether
he was enraged after I refused his request, but his
expression didn’t alter however from one of com-
plete bewilderment. He took a wandering stumble
towards me, I think he was trying to attack, but he
tripped over his own trousers…vaguely humorous,
but I wasn’t paying to much attention as I was walk-
ing away by this point.

Upon leaving the coverage of the trees, making

my first step back onto solid concrete, the moons
glare struck itself upon me, filling me with the vast
power of the night, the demon time of strength,
power and awakening. Entranced in its heavenly
blue glow, I felt strength rising in me as if I could do
anything. A glancing thought went through my
mind, about seeing how this place looked at night
from up high, the world how the moon saw it. It was
only in my head for a second, although just thinking
that caused me chronic back pain.

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After several moments of severe bone shattering

pain my skin on my back started to distort and bulge,
the pressure increased as the lumps kept on growing.
It came to a point where my skin couldn’t stretch
anymore and the spiked edges began to rip through
my skin. A growl of horror as my flesh is torn apart,
more of these obscure limbs become visible, pitch
black down feathers, ribbed and very thin. I wanted
this pain to end, again possibly powered by thought,
the final flex of the appendages caused them to be-
come full, spewing blood and flayed bone unto the
pavement, anyone seeing this mess would have
thought someone had been murdered, but what
really pissed me off was the fact that my t-shirt was
ruined.

My skin sewed itself back together, healing

around the new limbs & bringing the agony to an
end. I was amazed at what I saw when I looked over
my shoulder…Wings, Midnight back, Angel-esque
ones, As if aging from youngster to adult the down
falls off and feathers as black as night TAke there
place at an excelled rate. They had ripped through
my skin clothes and trench coat and were just
hanging there as if ready to fly. I push my shoulder

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 Adam Edwards

blades together and lean backwards, cracking my

back; I was ready to go for my first lesson. I wonder
though, whether these have come from the sanctuary
in my mind?

I raced down the street as fast as I could in my

heavy but surprisingly comfortable new rock boots.
Outstretching my new limbs to catch the night air,
they where surprisingly easy to control although I’ve
never felt the confusion of having six limbs before, it
was like thinking about moving my arms, but then
forcing my arms not to move so the synaptic jolt
moves to the next moveable appendage, the now ex-
tremely noticeable wings, with there creation my
mind must have created new synaptic wires to ma-
nipulate these new creations. I was abruptly wisped
into the air by a sudden updraft, gliding on the wind
like a grotesque bird.

“I never knew I could do that” the voice in my mind

was amazed by the power I could bring out in this
body, I must admit though I don’t think it was just
my power alone that brought this glory onto us. I am
now WE, me is now US, both entities sharing the
same single form, light and shadow of the same be-
ing. Together we strike a perfect balance, complete

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unity of the forces of evil and those of good; forging

a perfect virtue between strength and control, lust
and sensuality, Hatred and forgiveness. We are one;
soaring higher through the mist that blinds the in-
significant surface dwellers. The sheer power I felt,
flying high among the birds, one with the sky, I felt
immortal, query…am I immortal? The topic has nev-
er come up. Well with this newfound freedom and
the unknown history of my people there is a lot
about me I have yet to discover, but I suppose the
mystery adds to the myth.

It’s a good job I have an excellent sense of dir-

ection, or I might never get home. It’s time to test the
strength of these babies. I turn myself around and
begin heading in the roundabout direction of home.
The cold winter air against my face calmed me; I
knew he would probably be waiting for me when I
finally get home. I lower from my high-rise gliding,
free-falling through the sky, an exhilarating sense of
freedom. Pulling up just before colliding face first
with the main road Tarmac, my feet skid violently
against the floor as I make my first attempt at a land-
ing.

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 Adam Edwards

“Well, that was a rush!” I take the trench coat off, at-
tempt to coil the wings in as close I could to my body,
again returning the trench coat. I think I made a
good attempt to hide my “alteration”. I wasn’t that far
from home either, outside the fire station, only about
half a mile from here; acting casual, taking the slow
walk home; preparing ourself for what would be in-
evitably waiting for us, when we got home. All the
mental strengthening “We can do this, we can do
THIS!” our mother and Sister would probably be
against us when we do get back.

We’re at the post office now, cross the street

and walk up a few houses and we’ll be there…home.
I follow the route in my mind, stand outside my front
gate for a few short moments, reach for the latch and
swing the gate open. This gate was very average, as
was the house an average terrace, in the middle of an
average street in the centre of an under average vil-
lage, nothing made this house stand out from the
others except for maybe the window decoration of
the top floor, the room that was my old bedroom
from when I lived here full time. A mans room must
represent himself, therefore mine is dark and chaot-
ic. I go to put my hand on my blade hilt, remember-
ing I left it in Andrew.

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“Oh, Crap!”
Stepping up to the UPVC Tainted glass door, noticing
it’s slightly ajar.
“We were right” pushing the door the rest of the way
revealing an as yet empty house.
“Hello, Mum? Crystal? John?” I inquire hoping for a
friendly response.
“Did you miss us?” a voice uttered coming from the
darkened staircase, descending into the light we held
our gaze upon the figure…as expected, John.
“Us?” I ask of him, he simply gestures behind him; I
look on to see Lily edging her way down the stairs.
Lil…hash NO” a sigh as I realise he’s turned her,
breaking down onto my knees ferociously pounding
the ground.

“Well, I’ve got stuff to do, bye!!!” Acrid sulphur and

blinding smog once again engulf the room.
“You said you’d savour her, LEVERAGE!”
Leaving just me and Lilith here together, she holds a
long emotionless stare with me, I turn from her
knowing it’s my fault she’s like this, I wasn’t strong
enough to protect her. As I turn a shadow is cast
upon me, lifting my gaze to inspect the source, my
mother and older sister standing in the doorway to
the kitchen, looking into me with dead barren faces.

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 Adam Edwards

Backing up against the fireplace, a large pol-

ished marble construct, looking as though it had
never been used, to my knowledge it never had.
‘Hmmm, nowhere to run’. Crystal, my sister of two
years senior staggered closer, in a very dull vintage
looking strappy top and a ripped pair of Levi’s, I
sceptically raise an eyebrow to her seemingly drunk-
en movements. She lunges forth, arms flailing and
scratching me.

“Hash, look I, errrrm, I don’t want to hurt you Sis”

she’s a zombie, I don’t know why I even tried to reas-
on with her, she just kept on clawing at me, severely
pissing me off.
“Alright that’s IT!” I combine my two persona’s caus-
ing my scaly demon claw to take over my right arm
once again, slamming the tough, spiked appendage
into her face knocking her to the floor. A tear in my
eye; as I whispered: “sorry sis”.
She simply looked at me dumb founded. Looking at
both my mum and Lily, the latter had yet to even face
me. I begin to make slow careful steps towards the
front door, unintentionally stepping on the creaky
floorboard, causing Lily to turn, releasing one of her
firestorm towards me. She cannot be completely

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 Pursuing Death

turned or the nexus in her body would be, to com-

plex for her mind to fathom.

The fireball connects with my left arm severing

the trench coat sleeve from the rest. The arm goes
numb as the coat falls off my shoulder revealing my
wings. The sleeve then simply falls from my right
arm into a heap on the floor; in rage I tear the other
sleeve from my skin. All my focus directed to Lily, I
didn’t notice until it was too late, that my mum was
but inches from me, leaping for my throat, tearing
flesh away. Lil took this opportunity to strike light-
ning into my abdomen. Wrestling my mum off of me
she tumbles to the floor, with very little strength left I
TAke a run for the door…caught in the back by one
of lily’s shadow balls, blasting me forth, cracking my
head on the wall at the bottom of the stairs…that’s
the last thing I remember from that night.

We didn’t know how much time had passed by

the time we came too. We weren’t anywhere we re-
cognised, it wasn’t a hospital either. The air felt cold
around us, all we could see was a bright light above
us.
“What? Where?” struggling to get any words out,
even with the strength of both personas we couldn’t

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 Adam Edwards

lift our arms. Looking to where our arms lay…

Adamantine shackles! This was just getting from bad
to worse, the first time, we’ve ever had to back down
and we couldn’t even run away without having
problems.

“Good morning D, nice to see you’re finally awake!”

The voice was easily recognisable.
“John? Where, the fuck am I? Where’s Lily?” We
could hear light footsteps in the background, too
light to be masculine. They grew closer; with the
device I was strapped too, I couldn’t tilt my head, so I
had to wait until she was standing over me, her face
blank, emotionless and pale.
“As you can plainly see, she’s mine now; the valiant
hero has failed…but let’s be fair, you could have
never beaten me, no matter what happened”.
“John my power is growing, and soon I shall TAke
this curse and turn it into my power against you!
That is a promise, and I always keep my promises”.

“That a fact? Well let’s measure the odds here shall

we, your beaten, strapped to a torture device of my
own design, and having delusions of grandeur about
destroying your superior…me. Get real Dar’s, you’re
going to die once again, but this time it’s going to be

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slow and devilishly painful. I knew I shouldn’t have

left your fate to the Gods those few years ago”
“What?”
“Oops, said too much, bye now!” He ploughed his fist
into my chest, I swear to you now it felt like Super-
man had just slugged me. The clamps this device had
round my arms began to pull out, stretching my
limbs from my body, the excruciating pain consum-
ing me. This must have gone on for what seemed like
hours, until even John with his masochistic nature
got bored and left, just me with Lady Lily at the con-
trols of my torture. I tried to talk to her, knowing that
to use her abilities she had to have some humanity
left, her eyes were often icy yet reminiscent whenev-
er she looked at me, after so long I must have passed
out due to the pain.

November 5th, Midday.

Next thing I know I’m waking
up on a park bench with loads of school kids leaning
over me poking me with sticks, I bet with the ripped
state of my clothes I looked like a hobo?
“Get away you little brats,” I can remember saying. I
sat up Taking in my surrounding, why did they let
me go? I padded myself to make sure I was still in

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 Adam Edwards

one piece, damn my arms ached! I found a folded up

note in my pocket…

Hello Dar’s,
I bet you’re wondering why you’re still
alive, well it’s pretty simple, you are my rival and it
would be a shame to see the end of you before my
plan is full, so I have spared you so as to have a true
challenger on the battlefield.
But when the time does come and the tide of
my reign does peak, you cannot expect to beat me
alone you will have to risk the lives of others just to
pose a challenge to me, and my army of darkness.
Are you prepared for such a sacrifice old friend? I
guess only time will tell.
T. Hampst
Friend and Rival!

“Friend?” So I was just a pawn in his game? Well

what else was there to do but play? I stood up real-
ising I was in the museum grounds. A thought
crossed my mind –
“Maybe I’ll check out the new armoury exhibit,
should find something useful”.

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 Pursuing Death

I left the museum, hating myself for wasting so

much time checking out weapons that would prob-
ably turn to dust after one single use. But I still had
my old faithful; I put my hand on my Scabbard, re-
membering once again that my sword was Pinning
Lily’s father down.
“Damn Shit!” Looking around making sure there
were no eyes, cameras or other aiming in my direc-
tion.
Focus…Lily’s house…
I arrive, once again in what’s left of her bedroom;
Andrew was still on the landing writhing around.
“Hi Andy, glad you’ve been keeping it warm for me,
but I’m sorry to say it’s time I reclaimed it!” I ab-
ruptly pull the sword from his chest, with a flick
severing his head from his body.
Thinking “that was a little cruel”
“Relax he was a bastard anyway, you should trust me,
were going to be spending a lot of time together” I
holstered my blade; I left the house as I entered it,
shrouded in destruction, uttering another short
prayer for his soul.

I walked to my place of sanctuary, a home from

home. I have resented public transport since I
stepped foot on a vomit caked bus, which fumigated

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 Adam Edwards

the place out, the putrid fragrance of stale beer and

cowhide kebab. It took me a few hours, and the turn
from day to night through sunset, but it gave me time
to contemplate what I may face when John has com-
pleted his plan, and how much pain I will have to go
through to put a stop to him. Anticipation is his main
weapon at the moment, we are so evenly matched
that a battle would currently be futile, ending in
death for us both, but he has Lily on his side…I am
not immune to her magic.
“How do you think we’re going to win this? We can’t
really rally our friends?”
“I don’t fucking know do I, so stop worrying so we
can work it out as one!” I believed all John wanted
was Lily, but now. After our many battles he had be-
come focused on besting me. Like a story of old, vali-
ant knights battling over the love of a fair and radi-
ant maiden, which Lily surely was?

Silence was the music for the rest of the jour-

ney, until a reached my sanctuary, a little flat which I
had been paying rent on since I was seventeen; it al-
lowed me to escape whenever things got too heavy
on my mind. I unlocked the door straight away going
to the stereo putting on Disturbed’s - 10,000 fists al-
bum, fighting music, perfect when you want to get

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focused for something big. I threw off what re-

mained of my top and coat, looting my draws for
something new to wear, Taking the opportunity to
flex my wings at this time. Being cramped under all
that cloth, they needed to stretch, feathers slightly
matted in sweat. Turning on the air-con feeling that
soothing cool breeze sift through the night black
feathers of my wings feeling them flutter, losing a
few in the process, I have to admit feeling wind
through your feathers is a strange sensation.

Track 8 – Overburdened, exactly how I felt, one man

fighting unknown odds against an enemy who could
surmount an unimaginable number of allies.

Fate... Fate is so unkind... Now I should have known...

Blind leading the blind... Reaping what I’ve sown...
If it all amounts to nothing... Why, why am I stand-
ing in this line...?

“Hmmm, I heard that Dave!”

November 6th, Dawn.

I throw what’s left of my clothes
onto the bed, going to the draws for something new,

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 Adam Edwards

slipping into a pair of black jeans and a purple silk

shirt over my wings. Walking into the main room,
which is empty apart from the aforementioned ste-
reo. Gripping my sword hilt in my left hand; with
one loud war cry I spring the blade from its hilt
striking thin air repeatedly from different positions
and angles attempting to increase my speed and skill.
Lunging at an imaginary enemy; striking it and slay-
ing it upon the floor of my apartment.
“Well done, we have successfully massacred dust…
congratulations”
“God damn it I hate our cynicism some times!”

It’s the closing of the curtain, in the play that was my

life
Countless chapters left unopened, tragedies inside
I was fighting for a reason, holy blessed homicide
Seems I have committed treason, all I’ve sacrificed
Led to nothing, repeated in my mind
Led to nothing, if only I was born another time

“You and me both, maybe being one year out of time

would have altered my fate entirely”
“Look your getting us depressed now, stop thinking
about what could have been and keep practicing…
don’t make me take over!”

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 Pursuing Death

A shudder ran through me as my personas

switched, putting the pessimist back into the mind.
“I’m Back baby!” I say this swinging my sword into
the floor, sending wood chips flying off in all direc-
tions. I continued my sword practice until the sun-
light breaks into my apartment through my French
window on the east wall. I took a break heading to
the fridge in the otherwise empty kitchen; well I sup-
pose it can only be called a kitchen because it con-
tained a fridge other than that it was just a room.

Opening the fridge –old, probably out-dated

cheese, a bottle of Tango, one egg and the only thing
in there that was probably still in date, a pint bottle
of milk. I TAke it out pouring myself a glass, I took
Mister T’s advice, I always drank milk…he would
have been proud. I walked back into the main room,
milk in hand, staring out at the sun rise wondering
how many more of this I would see before my time is
well and truly up?

-My mobile rings-

Great the master wants to see me, at least he’s

coming into the modern age with his methods of

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 Adam Edwards

contact now, and I still remember when he thought

that messenger on hell horse was ‘up to date’. But
there is nothing like stepping out onto the street to be
met by a cloaked mysterious character a-stride a
blazing horse, which goes without mentioning the
attending fire crews for the blazing trail the steed left
on the Tarmac, not too subtle for passers by.

Focus…Erebus
Arriving with the usual sudden flash and burst of
dark smoke, pretty well aimed as well, landing my-
self right into the master chambers.
“You requested my presence my lord?”
“Yes it has come to my attention that you have been
neglecting your duties?”
“No one’s died in my district recently, chief. I think
you need to check your sources!”
“Regardless, you have been pursuing John when I
ordered you against it, so I am placing you on bounty
duty! I like you so I am not going to TAke away this
second life I gave you, just yet anyway” I left the
masters presence knowing it was futile to argue with
him, I was now charged with returning escapees
back to hell until he says otherwise…what fun that
is. But at least now I have been granted vision, vision
to see those who are from hell and also to see who

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deserves to be on Midgard and who’s an immigrant,

unworthy of the light of day that Midgard brings &
other luxuries there of.

When using this vision auras are visible around

every living thing as if they are glowing, different
colours represent different things. Hellites are
viewed with a red aura around their body, but I have
been told by others who have been given this duty,
that escapees show up with a black aura. I return to
the surface, able to condemn Hellites back to the pits,
feeling an overwhelming sense of power, but sadly
this tested power doesn’t affect those who are on
Midgard officially, which is a shame. Apparently
when this gift was given to me my sword was tipped
with a summoning poison, which when coming into
contact with a condemned one returns them to
where they belong.

My first assignment is to track down a pyroma-

niac who has escaped the depths of hell to cause un-
told destruction on Midgard. He’s in my district. So
obviously my first step was to check out the local
newsreels, looking for recent fires, there have been
several big ones in my district all on consecutive
days.

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 Adam Edwards

I lay a map of the town out in my little get

away, each fire marked in order of occurrence, each
fire seems to be part of a circle, but between the last
fire and the first fire there is a big gap, and so as to
assume he will strike again it would be good to check
out this area. I abruptly picked up my jacket and left
the apartment and headed for the presumed Target
area.

It just so happens that two of the buildings in

the gap are a primary school and a library, the rest
are just empty residential’s thank god, but I know
nothing of this guys personality; he could be a so-
ciopath, putting the two aforementioned buildings
on his hit list. I take a perch across the street where
both buildings can be seen as I wait for him.
“Come on you bastard I want to get back to my regu-
lar duties soon, so in your own time please” sarcasm
and impatience Taking over me.

After about an hour, maybe even two, who

really knows when your body is motionless for so
long? I see a man, wearing a trilby and an overcoat,
looking like some sort of 50’s reject.

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 Pursuing Death

“We were sent here for Humphrey Bogart?” I slowly

approached him as he entered the library, the numb-
ness in my backside fading as my legs get to work
again. I walk in afterwards, eyeing him in the ‘Movie
Novelisation’ section, as I pass by. I sit in the corner
where I can see him, pull a book from the shelf as
cover.
-History of the Paranormal-
“How little you know mister PHD”
The man (Bogart) heads upstairs with a stack of
books, I come from the corner following him up,
holding my finger to pursed lips as a gesture to the
library staff, I pat my hand down against the air as a
signal for then to hide and get down. They look on at
me bemused.

“Bogart!” I shout up the stairs, not understanding the

reference or simply taking no notice he continued up
the stairs. I reach the peak shortly after finding Bog-
art’s coat and hat spread on the floor, revealing the
true demon beneath, his skin cracked and hard like
solidified magma.
“Bogart?” he turns to me his eyes burning with rage
and hatred, speaking in a slow deep voice –
“So you’re the new bounty hunter, the chief sure does
pick ‘em” he creates a smile with his rocky face, be-

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 Adam Edwards

fore he opens his chakra’s releasing a direct burst of

flame towards me, tossing my body like a rag doll
into the wall far behind. My head cracks hard
against the wall, my coat scorched and smouldering.
“This seems to be going well!”
“Please we're just getting warmed up…” I eye the fire
demon, drawing my sword, the chameleonic field
fades when not in the scabbard “…that all you got
tough guy?

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-Point Break-

“I know you’ve all been sat here for a long time

listening to my story, and if I still had blood flow, I’d
like it to return to my extremities too, so feel free to
have a walk around before I continue”. He actually
began stretching and cracking his bones, members of
the crowd followed suit. His eyes scanned the crowd;
freezing once or twice as if he’d seen something he
didn’t expect to see.

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Distracting himself, possibly through fear of

what he thought he saw, he cast his eyes upon some
of the crowd members who were stretching out the
stiffness and wriggling away the numbness, looking
like some sort of abstract gymnastic, acrobatic dis-
play. Darrius’ mouth changes into a beaming grin;
bearing his pearly white teeth, sharp like razors. For
the first time that night the people heard him laugh,
quite a shocking sound from the person who burst it
out.
Not a little mousy titter either, it was a booming
‘Brian Blessed’-esque belly laugh, which you could
feel through the ground, shaking the very coliseum
with his mystically amplified voice. After a few
minutes of this bodily distortion, the crowd returned
their backsides to the concrete base, crossing legs, re-
turning pads and pens to there knees, listening like
primary school children at story time.
I think the thought of this image as something
you’d see 8 year olds doing crossed his mind, but he
seemed to just push it aside and apologise to us for
the way his life runs – “I’m afraid were coming up to
another fight, sorry about all this fisty-cuffs, but its
how my life is, on battle after another…so back to
Bogart….”

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-5-

I got to my feet; he looked at me angrily as if he did-

n’t expect me to still be standing after such a brute
force attack.
“Your little pyrotechnic display is nothing we can’t
handle”
“Damn straight!” the other personality of mine con-
curs from within my mind. Bogart just growled
angry with me launching over two more fireballs. He

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doubted my swords power; I simply cut through his

balls with my blade disintegrating them into ash
remnants.
I look mockingly towards his charred face – “got
anything better?” I could see the anger in his eyes
and I could feel it around me, the heat emanating
from him. Channelling the heat through to his feet;
igniting the once emerald green carpet.

“Well this calls for a change of plan…”

Eyeing the area behind Bogart, I do my best to focus,
flashing behind him, slashing his knees as I arrive.
“TAG BITCH!” he lays there staring up at me growl-
ing and roaring at me. I hold my sword blade down,
inches from his chest, I smile, and my voice deepens
growing more demonic, the voice of the bounty
hunter – deep and baritone.
“Go to Hell!” I plunge my Tainted sword through is
volcanic torso, turning his physical form to ash, so
the Southern realm could once again contain him, re
creating him behind his prison cell in the pit. With
his plague upon this earth gone, his fires disperse as
if they were never there, leaving no marks, no trace
damage...the only tell Tale, his trilby and overcoat
hanging over the banister.

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I could sense that the master wanted to see me,

I had Taken my first act in his name, it was obvious
he would require more of me so I beamed myself
back before anyone could come upstairs to find me
alone.

The familiar scent of brimstone filling my nos-

trils, I have grown to detest that stink. I take the few
short steps over hot coals, I kneel before him staring
up, and he stares down, neither of us blinking.
“The first of four!” He tells me.
“Excuse me?”
“First of four…the four elements, each other escapee
controls one of the others, and being a legion his soul
is now yours, as is his power”. With that said I felt a
sudden surge of energy flowing through me, my
hands glowed orange before igniting into roaring
flame, and I had to be able to contain this with room
to spare if I was to take the other three.

Closing my eyes tight, lapsing into a sort of

meditative state after several minutes the fires die
down, and eventually returning my hands to how I
knew them.
“Well done… the three others await you. Up in
Midgard you will be able to sense them through

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there element: hear them in the air, feel them in the

earth and vision them in the water…go now TAke
there power for your own, once this is done you will
be free from the bounty hunters burden”
“Why help me in this way m’lord?”
“I realise my mistake, giving the Hampst boy such
power, he wishes to dominate the earthen realm, I
admire his aspiration but this is our world, the an-
gels have the upper, the mortals have Midgard,
which is how it has been, that is how it must remain”
Understanding what he had said as a means of
powering me up before the big brawl that would un-
doubtedly be the result of Hampst’s meddling. With
the power of the four elements behind me, my
chances had greatly improved. This called for
something, something that I never, ever repeated.
“Thank you Dark Lord!”
I knew I had to find a place where the three remain-
ing elements came together, in order to lead me to
the next one of my four victims. I had to head to the
coast; water meets earth, bringing the wind with it.
“HOLIDAY!”
“Could you be any more childish?”

Going by train was the best option, as it is the

most direct and the quickest route, but I had to con-

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ceal my wings, there was very little left of my jacket,

which meant wearing it, was even more suspicious.
Although I could possibly fly the long distance, but
the coast was always busy we would no doubt of
been seen landing or in mid flight. I remember palm
slapping my own forehead thinking that I could just
wait and go at night. The pain with that was the fact
that sunset was about six hours away. Six hours, be-
fore the trail could get hot once more, these new ele-
mental powers taunting me for collection. For all I
know J.H could be watching my every move, if he
knows of the existence of the escaped elemental souls
and that we are capturing them, he could prepare
and the enhanced power I will receive or he could
simply set up his own quest for their power. Tele-
porting was an option but I had to be able to vision
my destination in my mind.

I make the journey between the library and my

hide-away, the scorched, torn cloth that adorned my
body waving in the wind, barely covering my person.
Relaxing my emotions preparing my mind for what I
was about to do, giving me chance to recuperate, no
doubt my new pyro-kinetic powers would prove
useful in capturing the other elements. Going to the
coast seemed like a good idea except in the case of an

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ambush, being cornered and bombarded by Air, Wa-

ter and earth.

I unlocked the door to my apartment, walked

in, my boots tapping loudly against the worn wood
flooring, kicking mud off across the floor. I removed
my boots and placed them at the kitchen door, im-
mediately sitting in the centre of the main room af-
terwards, moving into a meditation position, cross-
legged, rested arms and peaceful, allowing for focus
and control of my new power. Again my hand star-
ted to glow that orangey colour, as was when the gift
was first bestowed to me. The first small sparks of
flame began to spew from my resting hands, force-
fully making myself angry I found I could increase
the size and strength of the flames…maybe each ele-
ment is linked to an emotion? Or maybe physical
stress in some form or another?

After I had obtained basic control, of the fire

within-me; able to form balls and short streams, I
rose to my feet. Removing the shirt from my back, I
had to allow my wings to stretch out once again.
With the punishment I had taken & the cramp con-
ditions they had been in, I had to make sure they still
worked. Slowly flapping; It was a little painful at

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first, probably just because they were stiff; spasms of

agony chased each other along my wing spines. A
few minutes of flapping and the sensation slowly re-
turned to my wings.
“Oh yeah, were big, were bad & were back”
“Great, we’ve just turned into the cheesiest hero
ever!”
“We’re a hero? Never thought of us as that before”

Proud with myself for getting everything back

to full working order. I have grown greatly over the
past few months, no longer just a legion. I am now a
winged, leashed, partly demonic, pyro-kinetic, dual-
personality legion, ravished by battle and rivalry.
Which is a quite fun personality to have? Sitting at
the small desk in the corner of the room; my laptop
flickering to life.
Right, train times
Searching through the national-rail website for a
while I discovered, the cheapest train to the nearest
coast wasn’t for a few hours now. Better get some
shut eye, not slept for a few days now, but then again
sleep isn’t a requisite anymore. I had to get some re-
generation in anyway. Pouring another glass of deli-
cious, nutritious milk & laid down on my bed, stom-
ach down letting the breeze drift through my wings;

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my head spinning with thoughts of what could be

my impending doom.

November 6th, 8pm.

Splinters of artificial light beam-
ing into my eyes; waking me; a cool breeze chilling
my skin into goose bumps.
“Hash perpetual twilight, how I detest thee”
I brushed my teeth and all the other usual getting
out of bed stuff: breakfast, a shower, a shave (the first
I’d had in a long time finally getting rid of the beard
that adorned me), Dressed up in the same jeans I
wore the day before, finishing off the now warm
glass of milk I poured several hours ago. This is the
day I stopped caring, cutting slits in the shirt I’d just
pulled from the draw so my wings were free hanging
and leaving the coat at home.
“If people see?”
“I couldn’t care less, I’m proud of what I am, this has
all been a second chance at life, something to be
cherished. I’m tired of hiding from the world, so stop
bloody moaning!”
Leaving the flat; free for the first time, I walked to-
wards town and towards the train station. Every one
looked on at me either with fear, hatred or disgust
but I don’t think any of them said anything.

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They had all this to come next time they got hit by a
bus or killed at gunpoint, or even committed suicide,
the dark lord would have them, just wait.

“HEY Jerk-off! Where’s the fancy dress party?” one

brave bystander said to me as I crossed the street.
“Ya’ Mum’s house” I could feel his anger at this com-
ment from a mile away. I knew I was making an im-
pact when cars on the main road actually stopped to
get a good look; I just made goofy smiles and thumbs
up movements, just to show I didn’t care. I do
however remember plucking a deep black feather
and offering it to a dark haired, crimson lipped, bux-
om girl who seemed about my age. She simply
blushed, smiled and placed the feather between her
breasts, which were almost spilling from her ex-
tremely low cut top.
Our girlfriends a zombie and I’m flirting with bur-
lesque house women.

As I reached the train station, walking towards

its open doors, there was a man. He stared straight at
me. His eyes seemed familiar yet his face did not.
When I was but 3 feet from him, he stepped up to me
and spoke.

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-Pride in Yourself-

The man copied as he had just done in his story, he

removed his tattered knee length long coat, threw it
into the crowd and allowed his ethereal wings to flex
out. They were magnificent, as black as the night yet
they shone like gemstones, but did not look as fresh
as I guess they once had, bare patches in places as if
the nerves had been severed so healing couldn’t take
place.
At that moment he looked like a man who was
born to fly; a dark angel, dangerous, proud and yet
merciful. Many people in the audience, who were so
far sceptical on the story, now began to believe its

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complete authenticity, hearing appreciation and

complements through the whispers, those amazed at
the evidence, others, mainly women, commenting on
his handsomeness. The previous tricks may have
seemed to be nothing but wiring and time devices, to
the sceptical ones in the crowd.
He simply looked over his shoulder; admiring
his wing, stretching them, and again bent down,
carefully, to the woman in the front row who could
now be seen better. She appeared to have brunette
hair twisted into tight sexy curls, dark soft skin, ad-
orning a night black strapped top and her long thin
legs were wrapped in a dark red skirt. The man ap-
peared to whisper something in her ear and plucked
a pitch feather from himself, touched his lips with it,
stroking it down her neck, I think I saw him slip it
along her cleavage and hand it to her.
This woman received all his attention, he must
know her. Some people could be heard whispering,
some of those believed this girl to be the recently
mentioned buxom girl others believed her to be Lily;
I simply believed we hadn’t been introduced to this
young lady yet.

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-6-

Yes, he spoke, not with a deep monotone that defined

his years, but with more of a squeaky pre-pubescent
squeal.
Blinking at me with a shy little smile on his face “so,
ermm, like where ya’ goin’?” he asked me coyly.
“What the hell is it to do with you” I raise an eyebrow
at the man. His smile broadens “there’s no secrets
between friends Dar!”
“Who the fuck are you?” a little anger and curiosity
in my voice. I look the man up and down, short
blonde hair cut to within an inch of his scalp, a
freshly shaven face and a summery apparel: yellow

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plain t-shirt & ¾ jeans, finished off with a pair of

green Chuck Taylors.
This guy knows us, his eyes seem familiar.
I could feel the eyes of the train station crowd
shrouding this stranger and us both in feared mys-
tery. The stranger shuffles his feet, looking down at
the ground, he coughs.
“Not remembering your friends, distracted much?
Hehe”
Hampst! I move my hand to my sword hilt.
“Like what I’ve done with myself?” rubbing his top
lip where his moustache had once been, watching
my hand move. The people around us began hiding
behind anything they could find, but still looking on.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, do you want these
people you’re apparently ‘protecting’ to fear you
more so?”
Moving my hand from the hilt, “so you just want to
talk huh?” He nodded but stayed where he was.
“I’d first like to Talk about the girl in our lives” I
looked on at him. “Lily? What about her?” I asked
with a growl to my voice.
“I took her back hoping her to be the girl who left
me, as sweet and sensual, with that spark of inno-
cence, as she has always been. She’s nothing!”

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“Well let’s think about that shall we, you stole her
soul to be with her, you remove the soul, and you re-
move the essence of personhood. You took a girl and
turned her into a weapon, nothing but a puppet for
you to play with!” the anger in my voice fills the sta-
tion people looking on at the two strange men before
them with deep curiosity listen tentatively to the
conversation.
“Your right!" But with her at my right hand I’ll have
more power than even the four elementals can give
you, yes I know that’s what you’re after. But you
know I love her!”
“Killing the life in her, that’s not what I would con-
sider loving someone, you’re a twisted fuck Hampst!”
He shuffles his feet beneath him eying my wings.
“Legion turned archangel; you’re letting the side
down Dar! I could use you on my team, raise the
world in flame together, TAke this mortal realm out
from there feet” He looks on a few members of the
crowd with a malicious sneer on his face.
“You know the rules Hampst. This world was seg-
mented eons ago” pausing “the lower world for the
‘dark ones’” flicking my fingers; signalling a quote
“the middle earth for these mortals, with the angels
residing up high” He smiles evilly in my direction.

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“You know I’ve never been one for rules. But hell I’d
get the elemental power if I could, but being already
dead, the only one who can TAke their souls is the
bounty hunter” he looks me up and down “Just my
luck it happens to be you!” he Takes a long moment
to TAke in the fear in the air.
“Can you smell that? Fear, that smell really turns me
on!”
“I didn’t need to know that but still” Raising a con-
descending eyebrow at him “fear…I prefer the scent
of a lustful woman but whatever floats your boat!”
eying a guy peering at us from behind a bin, as I ges-
ture to John “jerk-off!” A few people begin to
chuckle, Hampst’ eyes growing wild, flicking a hid-
den knife from his belt into the crowd.

With a swiftness, which would make the chee-

tah proud, I chase down the knife with a fireball, dis-
integrating it inches from a bystanders face. He
thanked me with a true look of gratitude in his eyes
and ran further into the building for better cover.
“You’re getting slow Hampst” grinning at him.
“Look Dar, join me! We could be God’s of this world”
he holds out a hand for me to shake, looking at it for
a moment I knock it back.

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“Drop this Hampst, this world is theirs, it will always

be. I am the Lord’s champion and believe me, I would
take the greatest pleasure in stopping you” his smile
beaming.
“Be great if you even proposed a threat, I am your
superior, what you have in experience is nothing
compared to sheer power. Concede Dar, accept de-
feat and back off me or be destroyed…there’s still
time to move to the winning team!”
“Winning team? Ha…you’re just a man suffering
from ‘Angry little man syndrome’” a few more
chuckles from the crowd. “You hate the world be-
cause you never really fit in, but you solve that prob-
lem by destroying it? You are seriously fucking twis-
ted!”
Bellowing now “Join me!” his hands Taking on their
full spiked and scaly, demonic form, he holds one out
for me to shake. Without a pause this time I knock it
away. His eyes burning with rage he balls the ser-
rated hand into a fist launching it at me. I catch his
aimless fist, twisting it behind his back, gripping his
shoulder in my other hand, bringing my head to his
ear. He squeezed his eyes shut as if anticipating my
next move. Bringing forth the bounty hunters de-
monic tone; “Go to Hell!” I thrust kicked his spine

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sending him rocketing forward, enveloped in hellfire

mid-distance. Returned from where he came.
The master has him in chains now, probably wont
last long; he’s a slippery bastard.

As I returned my posture to normal an unfa-

miliar sound filled my ears. The crowd were now out
from behind their shields, cheering me, me, the guy
that five minutes ago they hated with a passion. I
walked amongst them, their claps and cheers gave
me a sense of purpose in this world. Within moments
I stood at the cashier’s desk. She was a short woman,
mid-twenties, a sweet smile, deep red hair and eyes
that had yet to experience total love.
“Hello sir” she said with a weary tone in her voice
“how can I help you?” smiling at her, hoping to make
her more comfortable.
“I’d like a return ticket to the nearest sea-side town,
if you’d be so kind” smiling again.
“Well you did just, I don’t know what it was but it
seemed heroic, you some sort of Ghostbusters or
something?” she smiled back at us.
That word again, hero.
I smiled at her; I guess you could say that, yes!”

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I handed over the money; I knew the price from the

rail website. With the money I also handed over an-
other pitch feather.
“What if something like him, erm, happens again?”
she asks me, with worry in her eyes. I eye her name-
Tag ‘Raven’, I pick up a post-it writing down my
name and the phone number of my flat, simply say-
ing, handing the post-it to her “who you going to
call?”
She looked at it “Darrius Alliese” we both chuckled. I
walked from the cashier towards my platform, a few
people shaking my hand and stroking my wings as I
made my way there.

Standing on the concrete waiting the few short

minutes for my train, I could feel eyes on me, but at
this point it was something I was used to. Feeling a
tug on my slacks was a little odd though. Looking
down, happening to be staring into the eyes of a
small boy. Saying timidly “Are you an Angel” smiling
at the boy.
“I wish kid, I wish” my train pulled into the station,
the kids parents pulled him from me, apologising as
if he was being a bother. I step onto the train, wrap-
ping my wings round myself making me able to sit
down comfortably. Glancing across the aisle to a

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Table of four young student types, two whorish girls

and two guys who were so stoned they wouldn’t be
able to tell there arses from their elbows. Acting like
I’m both blind and deaf, pointing and whispering
loud enough to be considered normal speech. Just as
the train pulls in at my stop I hear one of them ask
for a light to one of the other as he puts a cigarette in
his mouth. I stepped closer, snapped my fingers, a
spark of flame erupts between my middle finger and
thumb. He flinches back in disbelief as I leave the
train, snapping the flame out.

Nobody else got off at my stop did my appear-

ance scare them into staying on the train or were
they just going further down the line? Either way
there wasn’t much of a station at this end, other than
the tracks themselves, the area was pretty empty. Just
then I got that familiar, salty smell, the odour that re-
minds you, you’re by the sea, it’s a nice smell though.
I began a slow stroll down the promenade, the cold
sea air whistling past my ears, blowing through my
feathers making me shiver.
Damn it’s cold
“Oh Shut up, TAke it like a man” we may be the same
person, but sort of Jekyll/Hyde, the pessimist and the
optimist, the reserved one and the opportunist. Being

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the seaside and the middle of the day, I expected the

place to be heaving, but there wasn’t a soul about,
odd, very odd.
I took my first step onto the ‘beach’; it can only be
considered a beach because of its location. It was
more of a pavement, which overhangs about a foot
above the water.

There was one single person on the ‘beach’ be-

sides me. A girl, sitting on the edge, her feet dipped in
the water. I slowly walked along the path towards
her until I noticed that she had removed her long
black skirt as to not get it wet. Sitting there; in her
purple and white panties and a white vest top. Then,
she looked at me. She just blinked, and beckoned me
over. I edged slowly closer to her. She was thin, gor-
geously dark; her dark hair twisted tightly, the wind
battering it into her face. Even still her hazel eyes
perched behind glasses seemed to magnify her gaze
upon me.
“Hello stranger” she smiles at me “looking for
something”
Not notice the wings? I’m not exactly normal.
“Erm, yes actually, but I don’t think you can help” she
looked hurt and pretty upset.

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“Well that is a shame…come, sit with me” she patted

the ground next to her.
OH, baby, OH BABY! She’s a minx!
Thinking to myself - “we have a girlfriend, she’s off
limits, but she is ever so tempting!” I sat down be-
sides her, removing my boots, rolling up my trousers
& dipping my feet.
“Hmmmm, nice legs” I could feel her smile although I
wasn’t looking at her face, glancing at her soft un-
covered thighs “Ditto”
Ditto? Is that all you can say “Ditto”?
Time passed slowly by the sea, until I felt the softest
of touches against my wings. Felt warm yet damp. It
was the ladies fingers.
“The names Annette” smiling sweetly white teeth
were gleaming “call me Netty!” A wave crashes onto
the rocks spraying us both with icy water. The white
vest of her top half was now see-through. Averting
my eyes; trying not to draw attention to it. She
fiercely grabs my head pulling it to hers kissing me.
It felt cold. My mouth filled with salt water. I felt I
was going to drown. Her skin became moist and mis-
shapen. The wetness of her skin cocooned me; Push-
ing myself from her. I was faced with a pure liquid
entity.

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“You are the bounty-hunter are you not?” she asked

me in a bubbly voice, unable to see a mouth of any
kind. I nod at the human shaped aqua creature in
front of me. She begins to return to her human form.
“I’m sorry, I just don’t want to go back there, the
master released the four of us as not just a quest for
you, but a test. Would you have the compassion to
allow us to stay up here or would you be barbaric
and send us to our deaths once more. Pyro has
already fallen to you, but what of the others?”
“Let me guess you chose this human form, to tempt
me, to save yourself? Giving little sympathy; for the
powerful creature.
“This is how I was before death!” I pause, looking at
her, thinking things over.
Save her! We’ll have our fun with her later!
“Shut up Hyde!” did I think that or did I say it?
“Excuse me? Who’s Hyde?” Yep; definitely said it.
“I have issues, babe” smiling at her, spreading my
wings the breeze drying me off.

She pulls her legs from the water, absorbs the

surface water from her skin into her body and slips
her skirt back on, standing up to look me in the eyes.
Changing her stance, into the crucifixion position;
legs straight arms outstretched, tilting her head back.

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“Well rider…Send me to my doom!” I reach for my

blade slowly pulling it from the scabbard, bringing
for the bounty hunter in me.
“Go To. . .” I drop the blade, it hits the ground with a
loud clash “I can’t do it, you are innocent in my eyes”
falling to my knees. Angry with myself for my hun-
ger, I had killed demons just for power. “You’re a
beautiful young woman eternally, I free you from
probation, your life is your own” her glorious voice
sighs at this, she lowers her arms; Kneels down be-
fore me, lifting my sword from the ground. Lifting
my head up with her silken hand, I meet her gaze.
“All those souls within you, and you still have one of
your own, I am in your debt Rider”
Oh yea boy! Somebody’s going to get laid tonight!
“Hyde she’s more than just a piece of ass to me” again
unsure whether I’d just thought this.
“Piece of ass? I’m not sure I like your other side” she
giggles, a playful tone in her voice.
Oh, baby; OH Baby!

We stood in unison, I rolled down my trouser

legs and she slipped her shoes back on, as did I mo-
ments later.
“So…” she said “where to Rider?”
She’s coming with us?

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“Do you have somewhere to stay?” I asked her. She

shook her head.
Do it! Do it, ask her to stay, please?
“We, me and Hyde, would like to ask you to stay with
us, just out of common courtesy” she smiled at me
her eyes tired and brimming with gratitude. I took
her hand, held her close to me & took to the sky. I
could smell the ocean on her skin. She was one with
the earth, she could no doubt lead me to Terra, earth
personified.

Feeling the moons luminous glow on my back;

heading in the general direction of home, following
the train tracks. The number of people we saw grew
in number the closer we got to my hometown. I do
believe she kissed my skin several times as we flew,
her soft fingers clinging to me tightly. I landed out
side my apartment building several hours since I set
off, both of us tired. I landed slowly allowing her to
get her footing. Releasing my hold of her, she fol-
lowed me inside and up the stairs to my door, un-
locking it allowing her to enter first.
“Well this is my home from home, you TAke the bed
I’ll have the floor here” I stepped into the kitchen to
pour yet another glass of milk, when I re-entered the

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main room, she was naked. Looking away, shocked.

Thinking “Lily, Lily, Lily!”
Look at the beauty you fucking pussy, she’s here now
in our apartment, NAKED, what more could we ask
for.
With an air of sadness - We’ve not had sex for a long
time, and look at that body of hers, she’s perfect.
“SHUT UP” again very much vocally. She turns to me,
perky breasts in full view.
“I didn’t say anything? Hyde again?” standing there
buck naked in front of me without a care in the
world, was this girl brain damaged.
“I’m sorry” still looking away
“get some sleep, I’ll just be in the other room!” reas-
suring her she is free of hell.
The ever-valiant hero, everyone has to give into
temptation once in a while.

Curtains have drawn blocking the light of day,

checking the watch: 5am. She was still sleeping,
sighing and moaning as she did so.
Come on man, she’s sleeping. No harm done, who
knows she might want it?
“We have a girlfriend remember”

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Well you remember this, I’m you, I know how you

felt when she kissed us, as sweet as summer honey…
am I wrong?
“Your right yet again, but our girlfriend is in peril,
she needs her man…”
‘Her man’, think about this ‘Jekyll’, who’s to say her
soul can be saved? Who’s to say when/if she gets it
back she wont remember everything and go back
with John, because he let her use her full potential?
Who’s to say, she only came back to you the first
time, because you were there, it was convenient? I
know you have these thoughts, but people lie, people
cheat. So I ask you this ‘Jekyll’, what are YOU going
to do about it?

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-Lock, Stock, Clubs and Arrows-

The man had become at war with himself, a point in

time where a man’s heart says one thing, but his
head says another. As usual, it’s over love, but I’d like
to reiterate a phrase I heard once – A man who lives
his life with love in his heart has the power to
change the world. He placed a hand to his face as if
to hide his sadness, had he faltered from the right-
eous path? A small quiver echoed from him as he
swallowed, pulling the cloth from his pocket once
more, and dabbing his face before setting his hand
back to where it was. His left leg still seemed unable
to stabilize under his weight.

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Looking around into the crowd I saw some

things I didn’t quite understand, almost everyone
there was clutching something dangerous, either
hidden partially under clothes or in open sight. I saw
several baseball bats, a few golf clubs, even the odd
2x4. Had this crowd turned into a lynch mob? We
ain’t in Alabama anymore. Or did they just know
something I didn’t? Maybe it was on the memo, “P.S.
Please provide bludgeoning implement”.
Midnight was setting in with a deep full moon
high in the sky above the pantheon. The man’s wings
disappearing into the blackness of the night, as the
floodlights faded out possibly due to power prob-
lems. The only thing visible of him, being the pale
white skin of his upper body; not just white, dead
white. Suddenly the floodlights blasted once again
through the darkness, enough electricity to power a
small town. He stepped precariously to the edge of
his platform, teetering on his good leg. He tosses sev-
eral more bottles of water from the cooler into the
mass of people. “Shall we continue” I believe he said.
He obeyed his own words and started again at that
very moment.

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-7-

November 7th, 6:33pm.

The radiant female has awoken,
naked body wrapped in soft silk bed covers. Her eyes
flicker open, scanning the room, noticing a piece of
paper propped up on the nearby Table. Climbing off
the bed; holding the covers to her, disguising her el-
egant form. She retrieves the note, reading it.

Netty,
Thanks for the night you gave me, it was heav-
enly. It’ll be our little secret. We have finally had our

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needs serviced, ‘Jekyll’ desires you but he never

would of allowed what came about, he loves our girl
to much. I respect that but you can never pass up a
good virgin, and your one of the best, well, not after
that little routine.
Hyde
xXx

She replaces the note where she found it; unable to

believe what it was suggesting and the fact she didn’t
remember a thing about any of it. I entered the bed-
room when I heard her wandering about, walking
through the open doorway stretching and rubbing
my shoulders and wing-spines. I needed to invest in
some chairs wood flooring is not the best thing to
support you on all night.
“Good Morning Annette” I say with a smile, not look-
ing directly at her, as she is yet to dress.
“You’ll get good morning Rider, now can I get
dressed in piece without Hyde’s prying eyes” The
seething anger in her voice from an unknown origin.
I think your going to like my surprise’ Jekyll’
Pure thought “Hyde? What have you done?
Just playing my games!

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She’d been freed from her bind to the nether-

world, by this winged stranger, she could remember
standing naked in front of him and kissing him a few
times but he never gave anything back. She was just
grateful to him. She was tired and had been a little
stupid, but would have never allowed, what the note
suggested, to happen. She was a pure as the day she
was first born, never giving in to man, had it finally
happened? And what’s more, without her know-
ledge? Hyde was the representation of the darkness
within a person’s soul; maybe he and he alone had
corrupted her to the sins of passion and torment un-
til he got from her what he desired. She now felt
weak, as if losing herself in what she may or may not
have lost.; the anger within her stinging beneath her
skin. Coming to the realisation, checking the bed
covers and her person. No sign of first contact. Was
this a trick, Some sort of sadistic game, by the host’s
dark side?

“How can you do something without me realising it?”

I enquire to myself.
Pretty simple really, you fight to stay in control,
when your strength dips feigning tiredness, I take my
cue; Your body becoming mine for a time. Until you
regain your lost strength and retake me.

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“All without my knowledge?”

Well yes! Being the primary persona, you’re always
in use. With a normal person the dark side is usually
freed during sleep. But because you’re a stubborn
ass, I have to just wait till. Your persona becomes so
weak; becoming the primary personality is like
bending a blade of grass. Then, like last night, I can
spend hours alone.
“So occasional switching is healthy, or I’m going to
end up becoming your sleeping secondary while you
go around raping and pillaging in my body?”
That’s about the top and bottom of it yea…
Worryingly I knew now that occasionally I would
have to let Hyde out to play, during those times I
would be nothing but a voice in this body’s head, not
really capable of stopping him. But I fear that
without his added strength inside me I would be no
challenge at all to Hampst when he finally came to
take this world.
“We’re a team Hyde, you know our goal: Save Lily,
Stop Hampst, possibly save the world”
Whatever you say chief. As long as I get my occa-
sional beer and maybe a woman here and there, I’ll
be content.

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Peaking round the corner into the bedroom no-

ticing that she is back dressed again. Entering slowly,
not wanting to be the recipient of her anger once
more. She looks up at me sad eyed. She apologised
for shouting at me earlier but told me about the note,
gesturing towards it.
Hehe!
I Talked with Annette for a long time, discussing
what I had discovered about my personas. Also about
how much truth could be put into this note, she told
me she checked everything and it was doubtful any
of it was true. I slowly placed my hand tenderly on
her shoulder, apologising for the distress my Hyde
had caused her. She just smiled right at me, telling
me she understood and that now I know what hap-
pens to me, I can keep an eye on Hyde. Silence filled
the room for several long moments, but I could feel
her eyes on me waiting for me to speak. I fell struck,
no words came. She began to quiver, as if terrified by
what I could say. She sure seemed emotional, dan-
gerously so. I slid my hand from her shoulder, round
her back, to hook her waist at the other side. At
which point she broke-down in my arms, weeping
against my shirt. A reason? I never knew.

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Long teary moments passed, which seemed like

hours. She stood and composed herself, looking on at
the mess she’d made of my shirt. I told her not to
worry and it was in need of a wash anyway. She
smiled. We both giggled. I threw the shirt off, into
the wash-bin. moving to my draw just pulling any-
thing out; a black sleeveless old-military style top.
Taking the kitchen scissors, apply the requisite slits
to the back; I slip it on, buttoning up.
“Looking sharp Rider,” she grins sincerely, with an
odd curtsy to top it off. Flapping my wings a little
shaking off any loose feathers, she closes her eyes
tilting her head back at the cool breeze I made. I’m
suddenly hit with the spark of conversation.
“So, Netty, What do you know of Terra. The earth…”
“Elemental? He’s my bother. It fits doesn’t it? The two
components of the earth being brother and sister”
Even after telling me this she said she would still be
willing to help me find him. As she represents the
calm, scared side of the earth, her brother was the
earth’s anger and volatility personified. Not good.
Not good at all. Apparently the two of them must al-
ways be close by; you will never find land without
ocean. Maybe that’s why she cried, she feared the
distance from her brother, and it possibly weakened
her.

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November 7th, mid-day.

We left the flat making our way
back down to street level, the suns full force burning
down upon us. I missed my strength at night, it al-
ways felt glorious. Without saying anything Annette
began walking away.
“Anne…?” she glances back at me.
“Don’t you need your sword?”
SHIT!
Within a second, teleporting back to the flat, picking
the sword, porting back to street level, further off in
the direction she was headed. No sign.
“ANNETTE!” - no reply. She had possibly gone to
warn her brother of his possible death no doubt.
Then; a scream followed by a slow silence. An angry
male voice bellows from within the nearby trees.
“HUNTER! YOU CAME FOR ME? Come On Then!” I
Eased my way through the trees, towards the growl-
ing tone of his voice. I came to a clearing, a creature,
which from the knee up was growing from the
ground. His body similar to Bogart’s just made of
lighter toned rocks minus the red glow within the
cracks.

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“My sister told me you were close by, tried to con-

vince me to give myself up to you… apparently your
merciful?”
“I would have been. Your sister wished it! Where is
she?” I watch as his eyes guide mine to a mass of
thick vines to my right. Through which I could see
strands of her hair and other tell Tale signs of her
residence within, her voice muffled beneath the fo-
liage. A dark malicious grin grows on his face.
“One wrong move & her body will be as dry as the
desert sand!”

I was frozen for fear of losing a powerful friend

and ally, pleading him to re-consider. Telling of his
freedom, like which his sister knows. The ground
starts to tremble.
“LIAR!” sending a ripple through the earth he throws
me hard against the trunk of a nearby tree, my back
cracking hard against it. My legs went numb.
Fuck! Okay my turn!

A shudder flows through me as Hyde Takes over.

Cracking my knuckles; duplicating Terra’s grin.
Pushing myself skyward, drawing my sword. Terra
lifts his fists in defence, shifting his glance between
Annette and me, fooled him. Launching myself at

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lightning speed towards the mass of vines. One strike

upon my feet contacting with the ground, skidding
across the hard earth as Annette falls from the cage.
She’s weak and in a partial elemental state, her water
pooling out of form.
“RIDER!” screaming at me; launching another mass
of vines, this time towards me. Snaring my arms,
numbing the muscles, hoisted high, wrapped to a
tree. My sword slipping from my grasp, as the vines
tighten; the sword impaling into the ground far be-
neath me.
“Powerless now rider?” His legs growing to my
height like a tree trunk, plunging a stony fist into my
stomach; a violent growl of pain. I Attempted to kick
back, My legs too ensnared.
“Not so easy outta this one is it rider?”
“Terra, leave him!” An unknown voice seemed to be
coming from all around me. Was I weak from pain?
Was the ghostly apparition before me real? The Air
elemental? The ghost seemed fixated on me; it
seemed vaguely female in form. Floating past Terra,
ever slowly towards me.
“So you’re the bounty-hunter?” ‘She’ strokes my
face, her translucent ‘skin’ felt warm to the touch,
like summer breeze “cute” she says as if in approval.
Too bad I’d sent Bogart back or this could have been

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one hell of a family reunion…of course, Bogart.

Clenching my eyes tight. Focusing the rage within
me. My body erupts into flame. Burning and killing
the vines that enchained me. Tumbling down ward.
Too many trees to flap the blazing wings without
taking this forest down. Hit the ground hard. The
sword, lanced into the ground just ahead of me, as if
begging to be thrust out. Placing both hands atop
each other on the base of the hilt.

“I wouldn’t do that rider!” The air elemental lowers

to me “Call me Aeolo” Although I couldn’t see it, I
could feel her smiling at me, her ghostly hair waving
around her, the wind in a Tangent form. My flames
die out, my body, clothes and wings returning to
there original state.
Listen to what she has to say Hyde!
“But I really want to slice n’ dice, fuck ‘em both up” I
say purely in thought, with a ‘my puppy just died’
tone.
“We, the four of us, Pyro included, are the last of our
kind. We may die, but when sent to hell, we don’t
age and we have to remain there until the master’s
next rider requires us. You are the first in almost one
hundred years. Last time our powers were harvested
was to win the First World War; water and earth

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making the enemy conditions unliveable, wind cre-

ating an unbreakable shield for the allies & fire
strengthening the allies’ weapons” Annette now sat
up listening to this, all three of them sighing, in re-
membrance, there gift to us back then.
“So the master must fear what is coming. We cannot
participate directly in human affairs, so it must be
done by you rider!” The fate of the world rests on my
shoulders, just what the pessimistic ‘Jekyll’ side of me
wants to hear.
This is bigger than I thought
“But what’s with all this ‘Rider’ bullshit?” not partic-
ularly asking anyone in particular, Terra pipes up.
“The bounty hunter is usually gifted a transport in
order to keep up with his game…so ‘Rider’, it’s that
simple” Terra simply informs me with a shrug “but it
seems you’ve created your own form” glancing at my
wings.

After a long conversation, we all convened back

at my flat. Annette sat on the bed; her feet dipped in
a bowl of water, to replenish the liquid she’d lost. We
talked about how to approach what may occur to re-
quire the elements. We knew the reavers were in-
volved. It was also brought up that I challenge
Hampst on my terms. So far, the when and the where

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has been his decision. About time we give him a sur-

prise.
I’m not sure about this!
“Come on you pussy TAke a leap of faith”
All right, well we’re stuck with each other, only fair I
trust you.

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-Breakdown-

I was struggling to wrap my head around all the dif-

ferent characters speaking together, the overall com-
plexity of this story to be fair. But it would seem that
Darrius has a versatile voice box (or however he
speaks after death), mystically charged, able to alter
his tone and pitch within mere seconds. As so far
each character has been represented by a different
tone and accent of speech.

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Dabbing the scar on his face again, curious, I

don’t understand how come he doesn’t just heal like
he has done in the past; on that note his skin no
longer looks alive, as it should with the soul essence
flowing through him. It wasn’t just his face though;
his leg seemed weak under his weight.
He looked so incredibly tired as if he’d been
carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders for
years. The pain and suffering his appearance attested
to filled me with fear; this ‘man’ has been through so
much and is still fighting the tide, but how much
more can he take before his spark of ‘life’ is finally
extinguished.
Looking around no one was moving; the sad-
ness and distress is clear in every single persons face.
We all clearly felt sorry for this man, all he’s had to
go through since his second coming into this world.
He walked to the edge of the pedestal dragging
his left leg along behind him; his leg twitched send-
ing him plummeting to the ground, just in time stop-
ping himself from the fall with his hands. He
struggles back to his uneasy feet, dusting himself off.
Continuing his story of death, war and deep peril,
just him and the aqua elemental; Annette, trying to
save the world.

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-8-

November 8th, first light.

I rose from my ‘sleep’ my head
was throbbing like it was several sizes too big. Times
must have just been a little tough on me. Annette was
standing over me smiling holding several bags.
“I got breakfast” I believe she said. Slotting several
packets bottles and boxes into the fridge. Placing a
pan on the hob she took 4 eggs from the recently

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bought box and cracked them into the pan. While

the smell of fresh eggs filled the kitchen I stepped
into the bedroom, noting that there was no one there.
“Where’s your family?” I remember asking her.
“They thought it best that they leave, but they both
left you a little gift…it’s on the Table” Her voice
sounded happy, it was a sound that filled me with
warmth.

Getting to the Table I took the object, which

was wrapped in a white cloth. Opening it I found
two gemstones, both as big as a fist, shinning like the
sun; one green, possibly an emerald and the other
was obviously a diamond. As if knowing I’d opened
them…
“They’re essence crystals, each elemental is attributed
a gem symbol. We are able to transfer a fraction of
our power into our particular gemstone. Ruby’s, Em-
erald’s, Diamond’s & Sapphire’s all hold elemental
power. With crystals that big you could stay fuelled
for, well ‘life’”
“How do I?”
“You can absorb the crystals elemental power
through your chakra’s, by meditating in close prox-
imity too them, but be careful, no one man has Taken
on more than a single element before! Also now all

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four elements are available to you, I doubt your

Bounty hunter abilities will remain!” I knew what
this meant; I may have to give up something, which I
already have to make room inside me for these. I
hoped to hold onto my sense of being for as long as
possible and not knowing what Taking these crystals
would do to me, I was scared.
“Come on its eggy time…” she was looking past the
doorway straight at me now, a beaming smile on her
face.

After the good morning breakfast we shared, I

moved into my regular schedule of kaTAna practice
until about midday. Netty was very patient, just sit-
ting on the bed watching me, her eyes made me a
little uncomfortable but I had to practice, I had a
feeling something big was going to happen. As I
practiced more and more, I tried more acrobatic and
dangerous manoeuvres; an aerial forward flip bring-
ing the sword down over my head, wall-bounding
slashes. Over time my wielding of this fine blade has
changed to more of a back hand style, I find it works
better for defensive purposes. I began to examine the
blade, it was still as sharp and shiny as the day I pur-
chased it from Hephaestus, he truly is a master
craftsman, and no wonder the boss has kept him

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around since before the polytheist Greeks. Looking

into the blade seeing my slightly distorted reflection
staring back at me; it hits me like a kick in the nuts.
Dropping to my knees. What if all this is a rouse, a
ploy by the boss just to see how far he could manip-
ulate me to his will, or just to see how important hu-
manity was to me.

Footsteps. A piercing glance. A warming smile.

“You alright Darrius?” I looked up at her, my eyes
held against hers. I make a shallow nod and slowly
climb back to my feet. She took my hand, prying the
blade from my vice-grip; she slips it slowly into the
hilt at my hip.
“TAke a break Rider, it looks like you need it” She un-
hooks the stocked hilt from my belt placing it on the
Table beside the bed. I made my way to the two crys-
tals, taking the emerald. Sitting meditatively on the
bed.
“Rider, be careful, if it doesn’t feel right, don’t force
it, you could do more damage to your physiology that
way.

Closing my eyes focusing on the jewel in my

hands, I could feel its aura spreading through my
body; I was glowing a sort of gamma green colour.

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Entering into a deep trance I could see a mental im-

age of Terra.
“How’s it going Rider” he asks in his usual gruff
monotone.
“Not bad, do I have you in my head permanently?”
fearing having a third personality banging around
my head.
“Nah, I’m just here for a little Earth Element tutorial
if you like…” Terra began talking me through a few
basic Earth manipulations; rudimentary earth shud-
ders, fissures, and the per-elemental form morph. So
far things weren’t going to bad just a mild headache
at the moment.
“Well, Rider, that’s at least two elementals you got in-
side you now, I think you might just be able to TAke
this” The image of Terra slowly became more and
more fuzzy as the headache increased in intensity.
Clenching my eyes tightly. My next figurative open-
ing was also physical, with Annette leaning over me.
I was on my back with something warm running
down my lips.

My nose was bleeding, things weren’t going as

well as I imagined. My strength had been tested and
by the looks of it I had only just passed. I didn’t yet
know what I had lost to command the earth but I

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knew it wouldn’t be long before I would find out. A

feminine hand brought a cloth to my nose, several
seconds later, all was well again. She warned me not
to TAke on the air element yet, allow myself to heal
from this trauma first. Yet I still had the worst feel-
ing. Annette’s warming touch brought freedom from
this fear, but it was yet unshakable, something dark
was going to happen.

November 8th, Early Dusk.

A knock at the door. A
shifting glance at Annette, she returns a shrug. On
slow approach to the door, sound vanishes from the
room. Opening the door wearily.
“Hey, Dar’s” John, standing there smiling and proud.
With his in human strength, ploughing his fist into
me, launching me far across the room. A thunderous
collision with the bay window. My wings littered
with shards of glass, just managing to slow my de-
cent enough for a safe landing on the street below.
Glancing at my shattered window three stories up.
First out is an unconscious, partly liquid, Netty. I just
caught her in time and laid her at the side of the
street. Now my flat was empty Hampst turned his at-
tention to the street. Leaping through my shattered

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window; hitting the street surface on one knee,

punching the ground sending a shuddering ripple
through it.

Wriggling my wings, furthermore glass splayed

across the pavement.
“Duel!” John throws me my sheathed sword, must
have picked it up before he took the plunge. Draw-
ing it; throwing my scabbard to the floor, taking a
backhand defensive stance. Grinning maliciously
John draws his sword, using his other hand to guide
my eyes to his waist; a second scabbard
“Fuck!”
This ain’t good!
“Think you can TAke me now bitch?” a sly smile and
a twitch of his eager hands. An unsteady urge for a
ruthless engagement.
“After all your promises of domination you came
alone?”
“Did I?” John looks over his shoulder, I follow his
gaze, noticing several passers by, seemingly normal
people, turn to face me; blank unholy expressions on
there faces and the blackest eyes. Seeing the first I
began to notice the rest, seeing how far his influence
had spread. Everyone around me had those same
devilish eyes, I’m not sure how long it had been this

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way; but it was now and I knew I had to stop this one
way or another.
“This is just a fraction of the forces I wield; think you
can TAke me? Like to see you try” he strikes his
blades together. Charging at me like a rampaging
bull.

I can say this though; my dark side knows how

to keep his cool. Flinching the blade ever so slightly
to parry both of Johns’ blows. Blade in my right
hand, held in a reverse hold I spun left. Blocked. John
strikes with his right, my sword distracted by that
one as he brings his left blade onto me. The tip slash-
ing over my left eye; that’s when I first noticed it. I
couldn’t heal. Blood dripping fluidly down my face.
“Hmmm, interesting, looks like you got a few power
problems” he chuckles at me. Wiping the blood from
my cheek; tensing the muscles in my arms, bellowing
an angry growl. The ground thrusts up beneath him;
launching him skyward. Landing on his back he
quickly flips to his feet. Sulphur smoke. But now I
was surrounded by a small militia of his. The dark-
ness had set deeper in bringing a heavy fog with it &
only having one working eye made it almost im-
possible to see my enemies. I had to rely on my ears
and hope there not too quiet. Then I heard it, the fa-

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miliar moan as what Andrew made. Sheathing my

sword. Closing my eye; focusing. Erupting my body
in flame.

I could hear a voice creeping up on me;

turning swiftly, slamming a blazing fist into the in-
visible predators face. But I could still hear at least 6
voices from different directions. Surrounded by
moaning minions of an asshole, the sound of there
constant wail was like a knife turning in my skull; it
was driving me crazy. Spinning furiously to face
which ever of them was nearest to my position; I
grew dizzy and tumbled. Losing my focus the flames
died away, leaving me and my clothes undamaged.
The moaning was getting closer. I knew I was
stronger, but fear still consumed me; I can now be
hurt and that terrified me. I was struggling to con-
centrate with the pain from my eye. My fear began to
shake the ground; a fierce rumble that spurts a fis-
sure. A monstrous slash through the concrete swal-
lowing up the moaning masses. I still felt that
something bad was coming; John is far too tenacious
to give in after such a short tussle.

At that moment a stream of white light pierces

the fog, from an unknown origin. The hideous squeal

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of rubber against stone follows. Taking a lowered ti-

ger stance. As the sound grew closer a second squeal
came. The old Bentley was sliding sideways towards
me. It looked as though it was going to stop before it
hit me. I spoke too soon. An explosion knocks the car
spinning through the air towards me. I couldn’t get
airborne fast enough. The Bentley struck me, pinning
me under it. Pain welling over my consciousness.
John’ form overshadowed me.
“You do get yourself in some positions Dar’s” Smiling
at me; sitting on the wreck of car, crushing it further
onto my legs.
“Would you like a little help?” He draws one of his
swords; gently pressing the tip to my chest. I’m not a
proud man I know when I’m beaten.
“I yield to you John” relaxing my muscles, lying weak
and helpless against the pavement.
“RIDER!” A bursting jet of water knocks him off the
car.

Stiletto’s racing towards me. Annette, obviously.

Standing over me, I could see up her skirt.
“Lady! You just made the biggest mistake of your life”
a grimace of frustration upon his face.
“No mousier, it is you who made the mistake!” she
quickly morphs into her liquid form. Throwing to

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energy balls at her; simply melting through her. She

gave me a quick breather. Allowing me to focus on
the earth; a mountain lifting the car from me. I took
her gel-like hand in mine, hoisting myself up. My
legs were in such a bad state, I could barely stand
under my own weight. Unsteady as I was, a quick
energy ball from Hampst knocked me back on my
arse.

Annette’s form began to harden, not to human,

but as if it was freezing. She blasted Hampst with a
stream of, what can only be described as, liquid ni-
trogen. Entombing him in ice after only a short burst.
I got myself back on my feet, slowly approaching his
crystallized form. Heaving him, with what remained
of my strength, into the fissure I had previously cre-
ated. I knew he’d be back but something inside
stopped me from killing him; maybe it’s just
rivalry… something to live for. The Aqua maiden
took my arm; I was about to keel over.
“Let me tend to your wounds” she smiled and near
enough dragged me inside.

“I thank you for today Annette, you saved my life”

laid on the bed by this point barely awake.

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“Nothing Rider, we are even” a bigger smile than be-

fore, feeling my spirits lifted in the warmth of her
smile. I had lost my regeneration abilities; the spirit
fluid had left my body. My skin was slowly growing
pale; as my blood coagulated. I was mortal again, and
it was now that I knew I would get out of this alive.
But I can give humanity a fighting chance. Could I
rely on friends and colleagues to back me in my
struggle, I’m little more than them now. I saw
something glint in the corner of my eye. The dia-
mond was calling to me, Taking on Earth did this too
me, another would probably kill me. I handed the
jewel to Annette.
“A last resort, but keep it, I need not have its tempta-
tion” we shared a long stare until she finally nodded
and took the gem.
I picked up my mobile and made a fate changing
call. Within minutes I was called back; my message
had spread and the whole gang were willing to get
together so we could talk. We were a really close
bunch when we were in school & I needed them
now, more than ever. Meeting back at our old haunt;
the pub off from the train station ‘Black Jacks’.

November 9th mid-morning,

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Letting the good side out

for this day considering, I was meeting the guys in a
few hours. My leg was at least movable by this point,
my face was quite a mess & my wings were matted
with blood. Showing up like this will show them
what’s in store. Annette said she would accompany
me, I don’t think I could get myself there on my own,
in this state, anyway. I chose to leave the sword be-
hind; its chameleonic field wasn’t required. I just got
myself dressed; semi-casual/ semi-formal. And set off
on the long walk.

It was about an hour later when I arrived. I

wasn’t whether the guys were inside or not so I
walked in wings covered up, but all eyes faced my
direction. Was it the girl at my side or the state of my
face which distracted them? Either way I made my
way further in through the lifted smoke cloud, one of
the pubs nowadays that allows patrons to smoke. I
sat at the bar with Netty when I felt a hand on my
shoulder.
“Dar’s is that you?” said the man with the hand.
“Aye, what’s left of me anyway George!” we locked
eyes, and then came George’s usual level of Tact –

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“Damn man! You look like shit!” he was just an hon-

est person, and I knew it was true. We shook hands;
Taking a Table and waiting for the others.

I laid the whole story on him, starting

from my death two years ago, explaining the car ac-
cident, everything I saw; the choices I made and my
current predicament; Lily, the Elementals and espe-
cially Hampst. He sat there silent for a moment, until
I inched my coat from my shoulder a little, showing
the join where wing meets skin.
“You’re not shitting me are you?” he looked abso-
lutely terrified.
“I wish I were George, I wish I were!” Black Jacks
door went again the remainder of the gang all stood
in the doorway. George waves them over; staring at
both me and Annette before they sit down.

My skins dead white, I’ve got a scar across my

left eye & I’m sat next to the most beautiful girl the
guys had ever seen.
“Damn Dar’s you look like death” Jack forever point-
ing out the obvious.
“Gee thanks” My usual method of reply; sarcasm. I
tell my story again to the whole bunch. The same si-

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lence ensued as with George. At least my truth was

out now. Rich leans towards me –
“So, let me get this straight. YOU want US to become
your troops in a war between earth and hell?” rolling
his eyes as I nod; he stands to leave. Grabbing his
arm.
“Please Rich, I need all the help I can get!” he pushes
my arm away.
“Sorry Dar’s but I’m not falling for your madness!”
leaning my head against the wall, listening to his
footsteps. He reaches the door when I stand.
“RICH! Hell exists, you may not believe it now but in
time the truth will be plain to you, reaver minions
walk the earth; and yet you would rather sit back
and watch the world burn” Throwing my coat off re-
vealing my wings to everyone in the place – “I will
stand against the rising tide of evil, I may lose my
‘life’ but I will know that I have left this world in
glory. You can’t turn away now, when together we
could save the world, the greatest humanity has to
offer!” Rich stops at the door, turns to me.
“Damn it Dar’s you’ve really got a way with words”
he shuts the door and makes his way back to our
Table – “I’m in” we all share a pact handshake to
help fight off what I knew was coming.

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We left the pub shortly after our exchange.

Walking in a straight line away from the place; only
thing that would make it more dramatic is if it were
in slow motion with an explosion just behind us. I
had begun my collection of warriors; but all would
need to be domestic, the police wouldn’t believe me
& the armed forces are occupied by foreign war.
Even if the police did believe me, I doubt they’d actu-
ally do anything about it. I had the bare-bones of my
militia, but I need more; an army of six isn’t going to
go far. Not much of a threat in that, four mortals, an
elemental and a beat and broken legion.

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-First Formation-

He had finally got the guts to finally tell his friends

the truth, and the fact that it was but his only option
seemed to weigh heavy on his mind. He was looking
weaker and weaker as the night grew on; did he

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know his ‘life’ was coming to a close? Is that why he

held this conference.
Thinking back to all the members of the crowd
I’d seen with weapons, were they all his militia? Was
he expecting Hampst to return? But how do you kill
something that’s already dead and seemingly infinite
in power? Too many questions to be answered at this
point in time. But paranormal investigation was be-
coming intriguing to me, further view into this sub-
ject and I was growing more and more enticed.
I just thought back to the office work at KNS
and how monotonous and mundane the work was,
I’m in need of a change of horizons! Documenting
this kind of thing on a regular basis could really
spice things up a bit. But a thought crossed my
mind…am I going to be in the middle of a war zone?
The demon who orchestrated this meet seemed
distracted. His one working eye seemed to be con-
stantly occupied scanning the crowd, occasionally
pausing; maybe he was just looking out for us?
“I think it’s better if I stop there”, the crowd defied
him, cheering and whooping for him to continue.
I too joined in, he’d taken us this far he couldn’t
cut his tale short now. He smiled the same sharp
fanged smile he’d shown so much since we first
began on this journey of discovery.

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“Very well, where were we?”

-9-

November 14th, Mid-day.

It was several days later and
the clear lines of my goal were becoming blurred. I
knew my goal and my original reason for the pursuit

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I’m now locked in, but internal conflict was growing

within me. I still loved Lily, but Annette’s constant
presence was growing on me.
I knew you’d succumb to her beauty; I might just get
my way.
“Shut up, I’m in charge for the time being” Just me
and Annette in my flat, I’d just woken up and I actu-
ally had a window again.
“Don’t touch it yet rider, it’s still cold!” just standing
next to it, I could feel the chill from it. My new win-
dow was made of ice, odd that it wasn’t melting; but
if it’s supernatural ice I suppose you can control its
melting temperature. It was as clear as glass.
“You have some Talents Annette!” she blushes as I say
this.
“I do try rider” she looks down shuffling her feet, as if
embarrassed. I can’t deny that I was growing fonder
of her by the day. I needed to get my head straight,
time to have a chat with my other personality.

Sitting on the bed in the regular meditation

position; entering the minds sanctum. A little more
cheerful than the last time I was here, the graveyard
changed for a beach, the old church for a Hawaiian
wood hut. My other side playing volleyball with a
few of the spirits within me.

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Meanwhile…

Back in the flat Annette felt a surge of power,

knew it wasn’t her or me so checked on the diamond,
which she found left glowing and pulsing in the
draw, shaking violently clacking against the antique
pine wood. After opening the draw it began to hover
towards my meditating form.

…Back inside my mind…

I greeted my dark half and we sat at the pool

bar; attended by a buxom spirit waitress.
“I see you’ve made a few changes”
“Yea, I thought, better make it a little more middle of
the road if were both going to be living here from
time to time”. It was odd in my mind me and him no
longer looked the same, he didn’t have wings, no
scars, not even a limp.
“I don’t get it how come you’re no longer me?”
“I’m still you brother, I just don’t have my own body
to take the changes that you have. I only had your
original appearance because I was born within you;
but my form is completely astral, so will never
change” we Talked for a while about how things had

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changed and what we had to do. We discussed how

many more ‘troops’ my friends would recruit, when
there was a Tap on my shoulder…

“Excuse me rider!” I turned to face the voice; it was

Aeolo.
“What the?” I stared in disbelief.
“You activated the crystal!”
“Don’t think so windy” but I knew something was
happening I could feel the wind gushing into my
chakras, I couldn’t stop it. My headache was return-
ing. It felt as if my mind was splitting right down the
middle; once again my vision became blurry, my
body ached and burned with pain as if I’d been cut
open. I drifted back into this world from my Hawaii-
an paradise.
I’m sure my eye had finally fucked up.
“Annette, when did we get a mirror” she slowly
enters from the bathroom. Standing staring at me
wide mouthed and slightly bug-eyed.
“What? What is it?” she just point and stutters but
one word
“L…loo…look” That beside me wasn’t a reflection,
far from it, it was my other side.
“This is…” I start.

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“FREEDOM” he finishes. We were now free of each

other, the headaches, they had to be the answer;
Earth started the fracture, Air finished the job. My
head still throbbed, but the pain was vanishing
quickly.
“Gee now I’m free I haven’t got a clue what to do” he
looks to me for answers.
“Well for starters you need an name you can’t just go
around calling yourself after me, and for the differ-
ences to be physical as they are would make it obvi-
ous we are not the same person. He grins a dark and
malicious smile – “Call me Edward”
“Edward Hyde by any chance?” I ask him with an air
of cynicism.
“No but I’m glad you get the reference” looking at me
as if I was an idiot.
“You did pull the name from my memory after all”.

Thinking it over, it would appear that our

chances of victory were now greater, with the addi-
tion of Edward. Six had become seven. Edward
scanned his eyes over his new body; he was me,
minus the wings and physical injuries. We straight
away began testing who got what power-wise. I had
retained the elemental powers I had absorbed, but
had lost my healing ability along with teleportation &

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I could no longer use the souls within me to create

energy weapons. Edward on the other hand couldn’t
fly but had inherited my teleportation ability, he
could still heal but at the sacrifice of the souls that
now resided within him; which he could still turn
into energy attacks.

One thing I did notice however is that, as he

uses up souls he gets weaker. I wonder what would
happen if he ever ran out. With me unable to use the
souls now in me I can induce a transfer from my
body to his. The souls within me just seem to affect
my physical strength and stamina. But me being the
true person even if I had no souls in me, I would be
fine, but just with the strength of a regular human. I
do hope that I can still collect souls? We both turned
to face Annette reflection the same smile towards
her.

After a long awkward silence between the three

of us there’s a rushed knock at my door, which Ed
responds to. Swinging the door wide. Jack enters the
room with George, Rich and Carl in tow. Jack chimes
in “Dar we…” raising a hand to him.

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“Jack! Over here” he eyes me then Ed and slowly ap-

proaches. “That’s Edward my other half, finally got
him outta me!” From that George pipes up –
“I thought he was too clean to be you”
Edward butts in “not to mention Sauvé” I simply eyed
him as Jack continues “We’ve been chatting to people
trying to tell them your story, they usually think
were crazy. I don’t think we’re going to get much
further on this footing. We need a new plan”.
“I’ll track Hampst down and kick his ass!”
“Shut the hell up Ed” a deadpan slap in the face from
me to Edward. We sat around bouncing ideas off of
each other, not really getting anywhere. Knowing
our force was no way sizable enough to take him
down. I know we keep coming back to this point, and
I know we have to save Lily, but then it comes into
the conversation like a meteor crashing to earth…
What if her soul can not be returned to her. But we
have to try right? Again if I lose my life to John, her
soul could be returned to her, yet I wont be around
to reap the benefits. It was narrowed down to two
choices: Go now before he cause much damage to
this world and die in defence of Earth, or build up
the resistance and challenge him later with only a
probability of death.

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Edward tells me he can sense TA, for some reas-

on I couldn’t, that could be another ability that was
separated as I could no longer teleport. In his rash
attitude he could port after him and no one could
stop him.
“Look Ed, if your going to go after him, at least take
us with you, it’s the best thing to do!” he looks at me
with a nod. Apparently Hampst was in the south; Ed-
ward could detect human warrior souls around
Hampst’ location. An army camp or something? Ed-
ward froze he felt something strong, something that
didn’t seem to belong there, a rich soul, a powerful
soul. Hampst’ Target?

Carl thinking this over made a statement –

“Sandhurst!” the army college for the royals, Hampst
was planning on Taking out the royal family. We all
stopped, staring at each other, not knowing where to
go from here.
“Take me and Annette there Ed, guys you’ll have to
stay here he’ll be able to smell your souls, Tainted by
me” me and Annette both put a hand on him. The
transition gas is released, the smell of sulphur. Ed-
ward ports the three of us to the gates of Sandhurst.
We spotted Hampst straight away, wearing a suit and

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a visitor’s pass, having the guided tour. We kept out

of sight spying on him from every angle.

Curious, he’d escaped from his icy tomb

and got his hands on some new duds in just a matter
of hours. Edward was twitching with a need to en-
gage him, I held him back, for fear of what would
happen to me if he died.
“Excuse me sir’s…and miss, do you have a visitor’s
pass?” a patrol officer asks us. We point Hampst out
to him and state that he’s a terrorist. The officer looks
at us with sceptically, when as if saved by the bell;
Hampst raises his arms and instantly hundreds of his
minions swarm the base. Some were coming through
the ground, others massing upon the gates.
“What the hell is this?” the soldier absolutely terrified
and taken by surprise.
“These are that man’s men, there here for the
Princes!” the patrol officer runs into the small comm.
Booth beside us and orders all remaining soldiers off
base and those in H block to remain to defend. H
block must be the prince’s residence.
“Come on Dar it’s time to take this guy down”
“Ed back off…”
“WE CAN TAKE HIM!” Edward ports out to the top of
one of the blocks.

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“Shit! He’s going to get us in some serious trouble” I

could no longer see him. Annette wrapper herself
around my arm and began to melt, she was sure
scared; I held her close and told her it was now or
never.

“HAMPST!” Edward yells from the top of his chosen

block, catching John’s attention – “It’s time to end
this you son of a bitch” John just smiles, crouches and
spring leaps the 35 feet to the top of the building.
“Looking good Dar” he draws his swords.

Upon hearing Ed yell I flew toward the sound, land-

ing on the roof just out of John peripheral vision.
“Looking good Dar” he draws his swords. I thank
him, he turns to realise his misconception.
“I’d like you to meet Edward!”
“Two of you? That might just get fun” pointing a
sword at each of us.
“I can take you both” at the statement he is blasted by
a torrent of water, Netty smiles at him – “what about
be?” she asks in her sweetest tone.
“You FUCKING people, can’t accept the inevitable, I
am a God on this realm. The three of you together
cannot stop me. He holsters his swords as his hands
began to glow with a fierce dark aura.

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“Better hold onto something, things are gonna get

wild” Hampst laughs out loud holding his hands to
his chest he starts slowly turning. His turns getting
faster and faster until the wind that he twirls within
becomes his essence, his voice echoing from the cyc-
lone – “I’ll tear you all down!” with the force of his
twister Edward and Annette are thrown from the
roof,, only placing a lot of stress on my wings let me
stay atop the building. Using all out control of the air
elemental within me, allowed me protection from his
swirling vortex. Flying hard into the eye of the storm,
I located John suspended in centre of the chaos. Hav-
ing only one eye I really had to contrite hard to fig-
ure out distance.

I swooped down, my wings battered by the

swirling wind; I managed to overcome, pulling him
from the twister stopping it dead in its tracks.
“I control the wind now ass-hole, I’m not gonna be
such an easy take-down no more” He wrestles me for
a short moment.
“Humph, yeah right!” he slams his fist into my bad
leg. I howl with pain. Releasing my grip. He rolls
from me, getting back to his feet. I rise to mine.
Knocked back on my arse again with an energy ball

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to each wing. My feathers started falling out. My eyes

held tight with pain, I heard footsteps approaching.
“This could be it Dar’s you finally ready to face de-
feat?”
Struggling to speak – “Not…a…Chaaan” he grabs me
by the throat, struggling beneath his grip. Throwing
me, with little effort, across the roof, barely hanging
onto the edge.

Down on the ground…

I and Annette stayed where we fell for a short mo-
ment, mainly because I had landed atop of her.
“Dar’s taking care of John, the henchmen are ours!” I
smiled cheekily at Annette.
“You coward, we can’t let him die!” standing,
smoothing out my clothes. Grabbing Annette’s hand,
quickly pulling from the ground, an armoured car
missing us both by only a few inches. Eying the car
as it passes, the occupants within, screaming and
burning down to the bone. Looking in the direction
of where the car came, the garage was nothing but a
huge fireball. A thick acrid smoke filled the air, me
and Annette could barely see, a mass of moaning
voices filled our ears.
“If this wasn’t so perilous, I’d be soooo turned on
right now” smiling at Annette who just tuts and

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turns away. Experiencing a duality like a living

dream, me and Darrius were once one person so, I
could see hear and feel what he was as if I was ex-
periencing it. It got confusing sometimes not know-
ing what was me and what was him.

Back to back me and Annette, covering all the

ground around us, our hands slip side by side, slowly
moving into a hold. I could feel the touch under my
skin, I liked it as just a mental touch, and no doubt
she loved it too. The smoke began to clear, bringing
into view a rabble of soul-less minions.
“Party-time Annette” I released my grip from her
hand, running full pelt for the wall of undead. My
hands glowing with searing energy tearing holes
through the first two they come in contact with.

Back on the roof…

“It’s time for you to die Dar’s, I can’t have you med-
dling anymore” pulling his hand back, charging the
white-hot energy into it. Clawing, trying to get a bet-
ter grip on the ledge. I let a hand slip from the edge,
focusing on channelling my strength. The arm starts
twitching, bulging and changing shape. The spines
breaking through the skin, my hand becoming more

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bestial, serrated and dragon-like. Plunging the claw

deep into the wall.
“Join me Dar’s!”
“Join This!” using the claw as leverage, swinging onto
the roof feet first knocking him back far enough for
me to draw my blade.

-A New Man-

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There were now two of him, which begs the ques-

tion…Where is this Edward? Or was the person we
were talking to now Edward?
Also an attack on Sandhurst? I don’t remember
anything about that, but I do recall a hush-hush bul-
letin about an attempt on prince William and Harry’s
lives but it wasn’t really made a big deal of for some
reason; maybe this was it, there was a supernatural
origin to the attack so MI5 or something could of
covered it up to prevent mass hysteria. Current
events were beginning to make sense, all the silenced
attacks on royal and influential targets.
But were we all here for a reason? Were we
supposed to be his militia? I had been making notes
on the story since he started telling it, but reading the
notes back I noticed just how bizarre this whole situ-
ation was. Demons, zombies, souls…a war to end all
wars, I really hope that has been and gone, I can’t
imagine the energy flowing on the battlefield of
something that intense; all the destruction that
would come from a clash of these titans could des-
troy entire cities.
Darrius’ eyes settled on something in the
crowd, he seemed to mouth something along the
lines of “can’t be!” or possibly “help me” I wasn’t sure.
Under the flood-lights his skin looked whiter than it

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did initially his tattoo’s a deep black contrast to his

whiter shade of pale skin.
A sector of the open area where we listeners sat
fell into darkness, as if something was blocking the
light, as the shadow passed by. Darrius tilted his
head skyward, “Well I suppose it’s time I finished of
this battle?

-10-

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Stumbling on my weak leg I drop to my knees, my

arms stopping the full fall. He peels himself from the
floor, dusting himself off.
“Nice move Dar’s got any more left?” bearing my
teeth at him, drawing my orickulum blade, making a
beckoning gesture with my free hand.
“Come find out!” I draws both his blades, holding
them hilt to hilt, must be an added mechanism as the
two blades connect. Two single swords become one
double bladed sabre. Spinning the double blade
between his hands slowly stepping towards me; no
doubt knowing that I still couldn’t fly.
“Look at Dar’s all weak and helpless!” laughing a
little as he mocks me.
“I’m far from” igniting my body in flame, the wind
swirling fiercely around me, the ground rumbling
with hatred – “Helpless!” The building began to viol-
ently shake; John loses his footing, taking the oppor-
tunity to strike his down with a windswept fireball.
Holding forth my blazing sword in defiance against
him.
“Look boy don’t waste my time, you can take your
elementals and shove them up your arse” Pulling a
pistol on me, a colt .44 magnum. Thumbing back the
hammer is finger easing to the trigger. He fires one,

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knocked way out of play by a deftly swing of my

katana.

He fires of two more from the hefty, cobalt

cannon in his grip. One drilling deep into my
shoulder, my arm goes limp, the sword clattering
pathetically to the ground. The other flashes past my
neck tearing the skin away. No blood, I have nothing
left to bleed. I feel his hard boot against my chest for-
cing me beneath it, into the concrete below.
“I could drive you down through each floor of this
construct but that just wouldn’t be sporting!” bearing
the cold steel of the magnum again – “If you sur-
render, like a good boy I promise to make this quick!”
looking to my side, noting the absence of my blade, I
dropped it right there.

Ground zero…
Plunging my hand into a zombie, ripping it apart.
Annette standing beside me, drowning and freezing
to her hearts content, her skin frosted over, impenet-
rable and solid. I grabbed a zombie tearing its head
off, using it as a weapon against the next.
“You’re enjoying yourself aren’t you?” Annette
smiles, freezing a ghoul moments before he gets his
jaws on me.

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“Thanks for the save and yes I am, aren’t you?” I just
winked at her, that cheeky cock-sure smile. I was
suddenly struck by an intolerable pain; wrapping
my arms tightly around my stomach, falling to the
scorched earth – “Dar’s?” holding my eyes tight from
the blinding pain, teleporting. Annette left alone on
the battlefield, surrounded by the emotionless, army
of John, teetering on the edge of death. Freezing the
earth around her, shear cold emanating from her
feet. Those brain dead sons of bitches couldn’t get
past the ice sheet.

Rooftop warfare…
Edward arrives behind John. John cocked the mag-
num pressing it to my temple, suppressed beneath
his feet. Edward focuses his mind on the sword laid
beside me, teleporting it into his hand.
“I could drive you down through each floor of this
construct but that just wouldn’t be sporting!” bearing
the cold steel of the magnum again – “If you sur-
render, like a good boy I promise to make this quick!”
Ed launching the orickulum life saver through John’s
spine, out through the ribcage – “But I wont! It’s
gonna be slow and painful” Edward twists the blade.

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I roll out from under his foot, watching him squirm

on the edge of the skewer; he starts to spasm in pain.
Slapping my hand against Ed’s – “thanks for the save”

Soul fluid running manically from his entry

and exit wounds. Ed releases his grip on the hilt. John
falls to his knees gripping the blade; trying to push it
back the way it came.
“I’ll get you…..”
“I think not” Ed remarks picking up John gun –
“hmmm, fits like a glove” holding the gun to his
chest, extending his arm out, striking John across the
face. Shelling the ground with teeth and crimson
soul fluid. Thumbing back the hammer, Ed holds the
.44 at arms length, pressing it hard into the flesh of
John’s cranium – “Any last words before I end you?”
eyeing John’s pale dying eyes.
“Yea…fuck, you!” the thick smog begins to ooze from
his body, the stench of sulphur following the mist, Ed
gets off two shots before John’s form completely dis-
sipates, not knowing their destination, we were taken
back by his resilience. Stepping to the edge of the
roof turning our gaze upon Annette whom had held
off a full on assault with the aid of a few strangler
soldiers.

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“Thanks for the help boys” we both just shrugged at

her and made our way down. Ed took my arm and
ported us both down to the ground. A floor littered
with corpses both human and minions of the reaver,
we weren’t sure whether or not he’d taken the re-
maining minions with him when he ported.
“You did good babe!” I couldn’t understand it when I
said it, I couldn’t believe I’d actually called her babe;
she didn’t seem to mind, she just smiled and blushed.
I could feel Ed’s eyes on me, turning to face him I
was met with a sceptical expression and a raised
eyebrow. Knowing we’d done a good thing for the
soldiers of Sandhurst we pulled any trapped soldiers
from the rubble and proceeded to walk away; proud
of ourselves. A faint sound followed us for a short
while, cheers and thanks of the survivors, but we
preferred to remain anonymous. We walked a short
while, me to Annette’s left, Edward to her right; she
linked arms with us both, I guess we became a team
at that moment, the three of us connected through
battle; A Legion turned Arch-angel, a personality
turned Legion & a Goddess turned Elemental.

I turned back to the remaining men of the army

base, and told them that there loss will not be forgot-
ten, claiming all the fallen soldiers souls into my

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body – “Though I walk through the valley of the

shadow of death, I shall fear no evil fore thou arte
with me!” Turning back to the friends we start walk-
ing again.
“I’ll pass these souls onto the lord when I next get the
chance” eyeing Ed, as without teleportation I can’t
get to hell on my own anymore.

November 14th, Evening.

After a short walk Edward
ported all three of us back to the apartment, missing
the location slightly; landing on the street outside the
building. Walking up to the main door the floor was
littered with shards of glass, all from the door before
us. I drew my sword, Ed his gun and Annette
streamed an icy mist from her chakras. We stepped
closer, our feet crunching against the floor. A click in
my ear as Edward pulls back the hammer of the
heavy cannon in his grasp. Pushing the light-weight
door open, walking past the empty landlords win-
dow. The window cracked and stained with blood,
Annette edges closer to the window, rubbing her
hand against it, the blood was on the other-side. At
that moment a damp hand slaps against the glass,
smearing the blood. I raced through the manager’s
door to get the other side.

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Finding both halves of the landlord, his body

severed at the waist, his bloated intestines lying all
over the office. Clawing his way across the floor to-
wards me, his death would be nothing but slow and
painful; so I put him out of his pain. A hero’s death;
one sweeping blow to the back of the neck. I took his
soul into me, prayed and claimed yet another pact of
vengeance for the loss of an innocent. Edward was
the first to head upstairs…no sound, no screams,
were we too late to save anyone? What ever the case
I followed Edward and Annette upstairs after I’d
freed my landlord Mr. Hedley. On the second floor
we stopped for a moment as we could hear tapping;
like fingernails against wood. Deep breathing fol-
lowed, bestial and angry. Fear gripped me in a suf-
focating choke hold, bringing forth my pyrokinetic
strength; my hands engulf in flame.

It was getting late by this point, the sun had

gone down and the lights no longer worked, casting
menacing shadows wherever we looked, were we
surrounded? Edward from the forefront could see
two piercing circles of deep red light, eyes glowing
through the blackness. A snarl chased us from the
eyes; a beast of pure hate has been released. The eyes

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narrow as the focus on Edward, raising his gun to

the slobbering beast. The hall was narrow, the beast
towering above us from atop the next flight of stairs.
There was nowhere to go except either forward or
back the way we came. The tapping came again as
the beast made its way down the stairs towards us.

Edward, his hands shaking eases his finger over

the trigger, I was struggling to work out the distance
between us and the beast; that’s a serious problem
with only having one working eye. Eager to end this
tension and fear, Ed lets off two shots; in the small
space the sound is deafening. Hitting the beast
square in the face, doing nothing but aggravate it. It
leaps from it’s mid-point on the stairs, pouncing onto
Ed mauling him. Annette lets off two long streams of
freezing mist, barely turning solid before it shatters
upon the beasts steel barb like skin. But worked per-
fectly as a distraction. Fear takes over Netty as the
beast edges closer, forcing her into liquid form. As a
street light came to life through a nearby window, a
slash of light strikes the beast revealing it as
something between a wolf and a bear. A brutish
musculature, a vicious set of serrated teeth, claws
that could of easily sliced Mr. Hedley in two. A coat
of sliver-black fur, shiny and soft-looking yet imper-

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vious to both bullets and environmental changes4.

How could we kill this thing?

Looking over to Edward; using up some of his

souls to heal his torn body. He grows weaker
through his consumption; a transfer will be required
very soon. Me and the liquefied Annette backed into
a corner by the beast. Edward slowly rising to his
feet, removing his belt; Jumping onto the beasts back
its razor fur cutting him up a little, hooking his belt
under its chin attempting to rein the beast. Edward
pounding his fist into the back of its head, turning
the snarling beast towards the window with his
make-shift reins, sending it galloping through the
window with him; Spraying glass & blood
throughout the hallway. Sprinting to the window,
looking down, finding Edward pinned beneath the
Were-beast. Howling angrily the creature; stuck on
its side unable to get up. Edwards eyes connect with
mine, crossing thoughts.

Uncontrollably drawing my blade from its

sheath, clenching it in both hands. My mind became
my own again as my reflection in the orickulum
stares back at me. From street level Edward nods at
4
A Hell hound: red eyes, black/silver razor fur & nigh in-
destructible

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me. I look at Annette tell her I’ll be back soon. Slowly

smoothing a hand over my wing spines…my wings
the only part of my body to heal. Leaping through
the destroyed window out-stretching my wings soar-
ing high. The fierce fire of battle coursing through
my veins, becoming more than ethereal, igniting my
arms in pure hell-fire, extending to the blade. Scan-
ning the blade and the beast far below me, Oricku-
lum plus hellfire; is that enough to break this beast?

“DO IT DAR’S!!!” screaming his plea, the beast’s fur;

a thousand needles piercing his skin. I say a prayer
for the success of this assault; breathing in the late
night air before dive bombing for my target. Pulling
the hilt of my blade down to my waist, bursting a
war cry from the depths of my lungs. Lunging hard
into the Were-bear. A ferocious howl of pain; I’d
broke through its skin. Splitting through its ribcage,
igniting its skin with my blazing sword. Its brawny
legs flailing, one catches against my chest, ripping
straight through my shirt, deep slashes on my skin.
Driving deeper with the sword until all life is gone
from the creature. Heaving the heavy carcase off of
Edward, finding him beneath, and bleeding from the
fur, his skin scorched and crisp from the flaming
corpse that lay upon him.

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Breathing hard, barely able to move, screaming

with what was left of his energy. Resting my leg; sit-
ting before him, lifting his head from the neck with
my hand pressing my forehead to his. Channelling
souls from my Ajna5 chakra to his, connecting with
his mind activating his healing ability; until his
strength returns enough for him to control it himself.
His skin loosens up back to how it usually is its tone
returning. I split from his temporal lobe; he takes
over the healing process. Healing all but a small por-
tion of his face – “Everyone needs a few battle scars”
is what he said; when he finally got his breath back.

“You’re a brave man Ed, you could have died!” Ed

shrugs at this; scratching his head.
“I’ll be fine as long as I’ve got you behind me!” He
pats my shoulder as I help him up.
“Erm, Boys…” we both look up at Annette hanging
her head out of the third story window – “Sorry to
disrupt the love-inn but I think you better get up
here!” We both did as we were told; I took hold of
Edward and flew him up with me through the afore-
mentioned window. My floor, all doors here smashed
off their hinges, blood staining the walls. Straight
5
Ajna – original Hindu name for the third-eye or brow
chakra

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ahead, my door, or at least the hole where my door

once was. Stepping slowly closer to the doorway as
the splashes of blood become more vivid in both col-
our and size – “though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death…”
“Save it Dar’s!” Ed forcing his way past me into the
apartment; freezing dead after only a few steps into
the room.

Waving us both into the room, met with a floor

littered with flecks of bone and sinew. The place
looked like a bomb had gone off, everything within it
wrecked, shattered, almost unrecognisable. I chose to
keep the guys here, four humans with no defence
against the darkness…and I left them here. I could
look at the sight no longer, turning my head, gag re-
flex kicking in. Only my own refusal of letting this
hideous sight destroy me, stopped what I knew was
coming. The cramps faded as I turned to Edward and
Annette both expressing the same disgust I felt.
“Now we have our Army! He chose to send his pet,
which means these men’s souls still inhabit there
body’s; it’s time I gave them new life” I swear they
both saw the malice in my eyes, the flaring, burning
need for revenge. Stepping amongst the torn limbs
and shredded torso’s I pray for the safe passage of

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there souls to the other side as I herd them beneath

my own flesh. Edward locks eyes with me, slowly
lowers his head – “Psalm 23? Your prayer?” I lower
my head to the level of his, nodding slightly – “psalm
23!”

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes

me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside
still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths
of righteousness
for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in
the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head
with oil;
my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in
the house of the LORD forever… Amen”
“Amen” Edward and Annette respond together. Limp-
ing towards Edward, the fire of a battle hungry war-
rior burning in my eyes – “hell bound Edward…
NOW!”

November 15th, morning.

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 Adam Edwards

I could Feel Edward’s eyes on

me, but once being part of my mind he no doubt
knew what these guys meant to me and being the
dark half he also understood the power potential in
turning our friends into demons to join our ranks.
No one spoke; no one needed to, the expressions said
it all. With silent acceptance Edward took my arm
and I took Annette’s, the creeping mist enveloping us
both from Edward’s body. I can feel the floor beneath
me alter from smooth varnished wood – to rough
craggy stone. The mist dissipates, as our new sur-
roundings slowly come into view.

Ghosts of past lives wandering around with

woeful pace, cruel punishment for those chosen for
this domain. I couldn’t allow my friends to join the
rank and file trapped beneath the earth – the under-
world prison. A fortress which unless allowed fair
passage; it is impossible to leave. The whole place
was made to look like some medieval city, the whole
thing encased inside ‘castle’ walls. The lords castle
represented him entirely – Dark, looming, ancient a
building that had stood up to the test of time. Limp-
ing forward over the drawbridge, under the archway
into the hell-furnace at the castles centre. Making a
right, here. Heading off towards the masters cham-

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bers. Entering into his lodging, where at the head of

the table he dines glutinously, gorging himself upon
all manner of edible sustenance. Seeing me first, with
an edging politeness – “Darrius come, eat!” – Edward
and Annette step into view – “brought friends I see” –
he no doubt knew who these two were but he
shrugged it off either way. All three of us marvelled
at the grand hall in which we stand the fifty foot
long oak table, which looked as if it was held up by
tree trunks and the vast array of food which could
easily satisfy anyone’s pallet.

Battling his polite edge with furious distain for

the life I now lead.
“I’m not here for chit-chat master I bring souls, in-
nocent souls which deserve the best you can give
them!”
“Better watch that venom tongue of your Darrius
could get you into trouble. Besides I must inspect the
souls first before I offer their spirit a choice to return
to this world!”
“Free them from your command master, place them
under mine, I cannot have my friends following the
same self destroying path that I have”
“Friends Darrius? Now this IS interesting” lifting his
top lip at the left side; his fangs glistening. “You bet-

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ter be nice to me if you expect me to do such a

thing!” I had no choice but to bow to him.
“Better Darrius!” he slides his chair back, rising and
making his way to me. He minimizes to a size just a
little larger than me. Placing his hand to my chest –
“Push them forth Darrius!”

-Open Wide-

The devil had reared his ugly head once more, and
probably not for as good a cause as he suggests. But

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the people who’s souls are being transferred have all

lost their bodies to dismemberment, so as of yet I am
unsure how they could be brought back, unless given
a new shell to inhabit.
Through the most recent splash of story, our
hero has flipped, his whole demeanour going further
down the dark path of his Hellite origins. Yet it
seemed so close for him to unlock the gates of heaven
and finally get to where he deserves to be. His corpse
was caught by the devil; negating him from the walls
of heaven. But curiously every ethereal creature we
have come across so far has been hell-based…does
heaven even exist or is it still just a symbol of hope
even for those who have experienced more than any
human possibly could.
We had been sat before this man now for sev-
eral hours; some of the people of the ‘audience’ were
beginning to drift off. The cold and the blinding
lights around the stadium kept me awake. Neither
could I shake the feeling that we were not here for
purely innocent reasons. If the people lifted earlier
were his friends then they were brought forth again
but I can’t comment on their forms as I don’t know
of their state prior to the decimation.
I don’t understand how this guy expected this
story to get out, it’s a little heavy-loaded on the biz-

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zaro-meter; but still we stayed to pay attention so if it

can grip the people we give the story, the same way
it gripped us we might have a chance. Just have to
hope, or this could end up being a gigantic waste of
my time.

-11-

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An intense moment of pure pain; as if my internal

organs had just been torn through my ribcage. Left
me exausted – breathing hard, barely able to stand.
Taking his hand from my chest sucking a purple
stream of mist from my body. Swirling around his
body the mist obscuring his form. Slowly opening his
mouth, breathing deeply inward. Ingesting the very
souls I had given to him.
“Your symbol?” he asks me, I pluck a feather from
my right wing and hold it forth.
“Very well…Feather storm” opening his mouth
slowly again, this time breathing out; a swirling tor-
nado of pitch black feathers. The tornado striking my
wings, the soul-feathers filling bare patches upon
them.
“They are part of you now, go home your friends are
waiting for you, you may be surprised at what you
find. I trust you know what you’re getting yourself in
for, very soon you will be just like me” he smiles the
old malicious smile baring his fangs.

Turning from the master limping back to Ed-

ward and Annette; the latter of which tosses a grape
from the huge dining table into her mouth.

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 Adam Edwards

“DON’T!” I was too far away to stop her from swal-

lowing it; I reach her just as she collapses. The Devil
turns to me –
“Oh dear, her non-hellite origins may prove fatal.
Can you save her Darrius?” Anger took over me,
holding this sleeping beauty in my arms. Holding her
head up with my left hand raising my right to the
master –
“You’ll put this right!” he smiles and shakes his head.
“BULLSHIT!” releasing a furious barrage of blazing
hellfire from my hand, backed by a fierce torrent of
wind. Knocking the devil on him arse. Throwing my
sword to Ed; who teleports, standing over the master,
the orickulum katana to his throat.
“Ooh, So unwise!” an army of terracotta warriors
storm the hall, encircling us, stepping ever closer; in
time as if they were one being.
“ED!” he turns to me “SWORD” he tosses it back to
me.
“Get Annette out of here, you have my mind you can
fix this!” he’s reluctant as ever. He grabs my arm
after picking Annette up.

I push him away – “I’m staying, you rally the

guys…I’ll find a way back too you” a sly wink at him
“I got unfinished business” he nods gratuitously and

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ports him and Annette out of there. Standing in hell

surrounded by stone warriors no one to cover my
back. With the devil back on his feet and at full size
just ready to watch the show that was about to un-
fold.
“Lets just see how much a dying man runs from
death” Sitting back in his chair crossing his arms.
“I guess it’s time for my dance with the devil, I pray
for your warrior’s souls!” Standing proud, the blade
in a reverse grip, my hand tilted downwards, the
sword tip in line with my shoulder.

The Terracotta army circling me ever-tighter. I

couldn’t help myself; muttering under my breath –
“come on you sons of bitches just a little closer…
that’s it right there” tilting my head upwards stretch-
ing arms out; letting out a vicious war cry, as the
slow breeze swirling me swiftly morphs into a full
blown twister, ever widening ripping the room and
those in it to shreds.

I let the anger fall, the winds die down. Stone

limbs littered the hall, the master still sat snugly in
his chair – vacant expression turned masochistic
grin. The stones start to rumble, rolling to each other;
reforming the warriors. The death circle choking

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around me, the assortment of stone weapons inches

from me. Coiling my wings in, I knew one of them
would have to strike first and I needed as much room
as possible. They all stop. My ears my greatest asset.
Clay scraping stone. Locate the sound. Slowly pivot-
ing on my good leg, noticing one soldier ahead of the
rest. He stares me down for a short moment. I know
once this one makes a move it will become a free for
all.

The leading warrior leaps for me, deflecting his

stone mace with ease. Grabbing a jutting stone on his
body, flying him up with me, pulling him close –
“This little baby I call...” throwing him above me, he
falls past me by about a foot I catch him on a wind
shelf, forming a boulder in my free hand; igniting it
with blazing fury – “CHAOS FLARE”. The blazing
boulder pile-driving him deep into the concrete be-
low before self-destructing amidst the army of stone.
Slowing my wing speed, gradually descending be-
fore…Nothingness. Held up by something other than
my own power. Blinding light filled my eyes; nothing
was viable except that garish glow.

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Still nothing visual, just a voice – “Welcome

Darrius, you were a swine to track down” a booming
and deep voice with a slither of Barry White.
“Are you gonna kill me” a quivering nervousness to
my voice.
“Oh lord no, we just wish to reward you for what
you’ve been through” The light in my eyes slowly
fades, revealing the walls of a large marble construct
which I appeared to be within the confines of. A wisp
of blonde hair strikes my faces; turning to see the
origin. A tall thin woman with her arms hooked un-
der mine. I shake from her.
“Where have you brought me?” my head twitching
around examining the room I am now in trying to
track down the voice.
“The other side my friend, you’ve earned it!” A tall &
tanned muscular man steps into view; his hair long
and bright white, with a beard to match. Wearing a
black double shouldered toga, sandals of the same
colour and oddly a pair of sunglasses.
“God?” the obvious question upon seeing what I had.
“Please call me Gabriel; we like to keep things in-
formal here” I nod at him taking a slow walk around
the temple.

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It took quite a while before I realised my leg

was working. Taking a step and not hearing the
dragging of my other foot against the floor. Standing
up legs together, looking down at my feet.
“Yes, we fixed you; if you’re going to defend the
world you need to be on top form” placing my hand
to my eye, no scar, no damage at all. So used to my
eye being closed I never realised I could open it.
Splitting the eyelids apart for the first time in a long
while; perfect vision once again. The boss-man nods,
lifting head meeting my gaze.
“Hold out an arm Darrius, if you’d be so kind?” I do
as he asks, it’s the least I could do after he had re-
paired my flesh. Raising my right hand forward to a
horizontal angle. A ring of light encircles my wrist –
“A symbol of your allegiance; which can be disguised
if you so wish due to your prior lineage?” – The
circle of golden light thereby morphs to a black
beaded rosary with several silver crosses hanging
from it. Admiring the rosary – “Thank you Gabriel”.
He just gives a small smile and nods. A slight swirl of
wind hits me, blowing my hair into my face; holding
some of it in my hand and looking at it.
“It’s blonde!” a slight hint of ‘what the hell’ in my
voice.

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“Yea, sorry about that, it’s a constant side effect but

your wings are neither your original body or from us
so they will remain the same; otherwise they’d be
white” he shrugs walking over to me.
“Well that I’m thankful of” stroking my right hand
across the spine of my left wing.

He rests his arm over my shoulder – “Listen son,

being a demon turned angel you’re now truly the
perfect man to stop Hampst. A spirit able to walk the
earth and strong enough to give a challenge to the
fallen reaver. I know what you’re thinking; why not
just send another reaver after him? Well the answer
is that there are none, the reavers were believed to be
too powerful a race so I and Damien6 joined forces to
bring them to the point of extinction. But we cannot
completely destroy a race so one has to live!”
“So if I destroy him another will take his place?” a
short pause follows.
“No, decimation of the reavers was over 900 years
ago, almost a 1000 if I remember correctly, so the
reaver bloodline is thinning out, yes all reaver from
the decimation to Hampst are all of the same blood-
line. For the line to continue a human child must be
bore from his seed and then suffer a mortal death in

6
Damien – Apparently The Devils informal name

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order to be revived in his fathers footsteps, we have

yet to back a warrior who has the strength to severe
the bloodline completely” I froze at this realising, the
reason for taking lily.
“If he’s planted his seed I’ll have to kill my girlfriend
before the child within her reaches the state of per-
sonhood”
“Her soul is lost to the reaver? She can never be re-
turned to you, trust me we’ve been through this
enough times to know” silence falls on us both for a
long fractious moment.

“Well it’s time you went back home my friend, we’ll

be watching you, but we cannot intervene, our affili-
ation with you must be hidden” he motions his hand
over my eye; the scar returns “with control you can
remove that, it’s just an illusion!” We are now stand-
ing next to a space in the wall. He removes his arm
from my shoulder and steps behind me.
“Good look son” pushing me through the hole. Strik-
ing me with a torrent of water. I’m in the middle of
the ocean? Turning to where I was forced from…
nothing there. A temporal palace – no place of ori-
gin; it is where it wishes to be. The water fills my
mouth swirling downward into my lungs, at least I

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don’t breathe anymore. Swimming swiftly to the sur-

face. Finding myself just off shore; but which shore?

November 15th, Mid Afternoon.

Crawling onto the
shore, a sharp shingle beach, the air was cold around
me, the icy water freezing my clothes to my skin. No
one around, spreading wings allowing them to dry, I
couldn’t go anywhere until they were dry. Throwing
my sleeveless military jacket off, more freedom of
movement, even if it is bitterly cold. I walked to the
edge of the sand where it meets concrete. I had to
play a role now; my leg was healed and my eye hid-
den behind an illusion, I had to pretend nothing had
changed.
“Not Just Yet!” quickly moving from a slow walk into
a full on sprint, my winds catching the chilling wind,
slowly drying them. The rosary swinging on my
wrist in time with my momentum. What am I now?
Demon or Angel?

I could feel the tingle of pure air against my

wings; how they were catching the breeze I knew I
was ready. Leaping from the top of a flight of stone
steps. Gliding freely for a long peaceful moment; the

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wind doing all the work. I had to find out where I

was. Flying as high as I could with water still drip-
ping from my feathers. I reached far for the clouds.
Looking down it was obvious I was still in Britain;
near London in fact.

Earlier the same day upon Splitting with Darrius…

It’s like a waking dream, experiencing your life as

well as someone else’s at the same time, like a third
eye inside my head I can always see what Darrius
sees and vice-versa.

“Hold on Annette, I’ll sort you out, I’ll get you right; I
have to” Holding Annette tightly in my embrace be-
fore porting out of there, I can’t believe he wanted to
be left behind…he saved my life more than once I
owe him. Again a little misjudgement with the port
coordinates; arriving on the street again. Carrying
Annette passed the landlords office met with a
“Hi There” I paused, stepped back a few paces; look-
ing into the office window, finding the landlord back
to a full body. I twitched my head upwards as a sig-
nal to follow me, he must have understood because
he did just that. Carrying Annette up the stairs to our

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door, remembering what the master said – “Go home

your friends will be waiting for you, you may be
surprised at what you find”

I was a little reluctant to open the door but I

needed somewhere to care for Netty. Swinging it
open slowly; with my foot. Silence. Nothing there,
not what I can see.
“Hello?” a few head peak round the corner from the
kitchen doorway. They approach me as I enter the
room with the landlord. From appearance they had
all taken different paths –
Carl – Creeper – A creature that can turn sunlight &
water into energy; with an ambient control of plant-
life
Rich – Arachno – a creature that lives in the dark,
has a huge spider-like natural form
Jack – Zelcore –Forged of Static Electricity, moves
through the world along power-lines
George –Velron – the most dangerous of the four; a
puppet master, has manipulation of any other
creature through physical contact.
Mr. Hedley – Boomer – Able to manipulate sound,
could shatter bone with little more than a whisper.

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All five still looked how they did before death; the
devil had actually given them their original bodies
back.

It was obvious the guys had actually been here

a while, maybe some sort of time displacement in
hell? Either way it was obvious because the room
was even more of a wreck than when we left it.
Vines creeping up from outside through the window
and across the roof, webs of all shapes and sizes
wherever there was a place of shade. Exposed power
cables all over the place from light fitting and plug
sockets where Jack had been building his strength
up. Pushing past the array of demons into the bomb-
site of a room; placing Netty gently on the bed.

“What’s her deal?” asked the Zelcore, looking at him

with an expressionless face.
“She sampled the forbidden fruit!” looking with fear,
at what could become of her, at Creeper. He steps
forward.
“Let me examine her” he takes her hand, presumably
examining the bio-toxin flowing through her. He
turns to us – “I need some space!” we all stepped
back as Carl holds her left hand in his, placing his

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right hand on top. Vines grow through his skin from

his veins and inject themselves into her skin.
“Will take a few minutes for the antidote to take af-
fect” his face expressionless.
“How do you know so much already?”
“It’s intuitive, the plants themselves provide me with
all the knowledge I need!” pulling the vines from
Annette back into his body. He falls back from her
side, caught swiftly by an Arachno web.

Annette woke moments later, a little shook by

her surroundings. Taking heed in the friendly faces
that surrounded her. The recent memories came
back to her, to the point of consuming the devils
food. Jumping straight from the bed into my arms
holding me tightly, giving off an endless stream of
thanks. Our eyes locked her deep green pools cap-
tivated me; I brought my face closer to hers. She
blinked. Roughly grabbing my hair, forcing my lips
against hers. I just thought – YES! I’d finally made it
– before this I’d had to experience every tender mo-
ment like this through Darrius’ body. We pulled
apart, her eyes sad & distressed. I held her, resting
her head against my chest; telling her its okay. She
falls back onto the bed.

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“Let her rest!” me and the guys move into one of the
other rooms, all of which are empty, as if no one else
actually lived there. We gathered all the buckets
mops and washcloths we could find and began
clearing the place up. Washing the blood from the
walls, sweeping up misplaced pieces of bone and
flesh that were missed when the guys were put back
together. Clearing the glass and stomach fluids from
the office floor.

November 15/16th, approaching midnight.

The Whole
building cleared of any mess that had been upon it,
all blood, plants and webs cleared away from the ac-
tions of the last few days. The place looked more
liveable than abandoned now. An all but empty
building now full on demon hall of residence. Every
good home needs the occasional sprucing.

A car skids outside as if avoiding something,

feet pounding the stairs outside the room. A click. A
slow creak as the door opens.

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-Separation Anxiety-

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Darrius lost in Britain’s Deep South; where

everything is inferred through rhyme – “dog and
Bone” what the hell is that supposed to mean? But
Darrius has quite an amazing flying speed so would
take him no time at all to get home. This man in-
front of us was defiantly Darrius so he must have
found his way sooner or later. I find it fascinating
that the minds of our two main heroes are still en-
twined together, they can experience things the oth-
er is; as vividly as the other experiences them.
How do they differentiate reality from the
‘waking dream’ state through their mental connec-
tion? Must be the experience of self, you know how
you feel in your own body and no doubt when ex-
periencing ‘double-vision’ you feel different in the
other body. Also it’s only seems to be sensory; the ac-
tions are dictated by the person themselves not the
one viewing.
Darrius wasn’t really doing much at the mo-
ment just playing with his abilities – flaring up fire-
balls and morphing wind spheres in his hands while

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a short bathroom brake occurred among the crowd.

I’ve never really been a person for public restrooms
so I held it in. Not a nice thought for the reader but
this is an honest account. The dark haired girl at the
front visible from my now curiously comfy boulder
was now sat on one of the steps up to the pedestal;
looking tentatively at Mr. Alliese.
The crowd returned from there breaks one by
one before every free space was once again filled.
Darrius extinguishes a fireball and continues where
he left off.

-12-

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The door creaking open, posh firm shoes tapping

against the wood floor, coming further down the
hall.
“Hi guys!” met with agog faces as I came into the
light.
“Dar’s? How’d you?” looking blankly at Edward as he
asks the question.
“Devine intervention!” looking down at the rosary
round my wrist; rubbing one of the crosses between
my fingers. Noticing Annette up and about –
“You did good Ed, you did good!” as I walk closer into
the room; one by one my now demon friends kneel at
my presence – with a unified call –
“My Lord!” all five bowing down before me, I eyed
my wings; some of the feathers glowing a deep
purple colour. The carrier feathers? Holding a hu-
man soul within them?

Worming my way past the lot of them to get to

my wardrobe; pulling it open quickly, taking a deep
red shirt from its hanger. Taking the scissors from a

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nearby draw and cutting the requisite slits up the

back for my wings, tucking the shirt in afterwards to
avoid a draft. Annette walking up to me smartening
up my collar and doing the shirt up a button further;
making me pretty presentable. I looked at my friends
turned servants, which made me wonder; where are
all the deceased soldiers? I had to get back to
Sandhurst.

Maybe, being my servants they could track me

and maybe they will come to me. I decided to stay in
the building and explore the skills of my friends. Carl
seems to be adept at botanics; a master of vaccines
and virus’ of plant origin. Rich can create beauteous
webs, intricate in design and also seems to be able to
secrete a paralytic poison; poor bird. Jack, Jack is just
shocking, able to discharge 10,000 volts from his
own body, keeping himself charged by absorbing
static electricity from the air. Then there’s George, I
worry about his humanity sometimes, he moves from
his body into another and makes them do obscene
things just for fun. Mr. Hedley I’m not sure about, he
hasn’t said anything since I came back, I am curious
as to what he has become.

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I frequently caught Edward in the corner of my

eye holding Annette’s hand. That kiss I felt must have
been real then. Looking at them both, no doubt Ed
could hear my thoughts –
“Congratulations man; you’re getting closer to real
life!” we nodded in time and I think Annette guess
what our silent conversation was about because she
began blushing; turning a lovely rouge colour. I took
Ed aside and told him about returning to Sandhurst,
just me and him this time. He agreed –
“We’ll be back in a minute!” he took my hand and
ported us both out.

Arriving at the gates of Sandhurst, men walking

around seemingly without purpose. As if they could
smell me in the air or something they begin to rush
over; a few at a time at first until the whole ground
was heaving with soldiers wanting to be near me.
Bowing and praising me. I had just saved them from
death so maybe I deserved it? Looking across the
field of Green and khaki, every face looked exactly
the same. All generic, the choice made by one is the
choice made by all. A scent catches my nostrils; the
smell of rosemary. The overpowering smell could
only mean one thing…Dolshdoy demons. A race de-
signed for battle their skin can be morphed into an

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array of sharp implements; and with there skin being

so mouldable it is almost impossible to puncture
their skin, the rosemary is an odd thing for a person
to smell of, I think it comes from there sweat glands,
the more powerful the smell the more lubricated and
flexible there skin is, so as long as I could smell it I
knew all was good. Dolshdoy’s, a perfect race to form
the backbone of a world defending army. I eyed the
rosary at my wrist –
“The Lord would be proud!”

November 16th, coming up on midday.

In the crowd of
soldiers I pick out the one with the highest rank
among them; a lieutenant colonel. Taking the colonel
back with us, letting the rest stay behind and get to
know their new forms better. We all met back at the
apartment, the leader of the soldiers in tow. We had
to formulate a plan now, the colonel began drawing
out battle manoeuvres, and the others began pitching
in with ideas. But something was distracting me, a
smell? A sound? Something I didn’t expect. Whatever
it was, it was getting closer; more powerful,
something I couldn’t hide from, and something I was
drawn to.

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A familiar voice inside my head, as if chanting

my name, getting louder and louder, until I can’t
hear anything else. The sound driving me crazy, I
had to get away from it. Opening the biggest window
in the room, leaping through it with slender dexter-
ity. Flying as high as I could, but the voice getting
ever louder and stronger. My wings sending me past
the clouds, before, I don’t really know... nothingness.
Feeling as if my body had been drained of all energy,
I could feel the wind gushing past me as I fell
through the air, unable to stop myself. The voice dy-
ing away as if it had got what it wanted, for me to
fall to my grizzly death.

I fell for what felt like forever, the wind swept

by and I could do nothing to stop what I believed was
coming. Until the movement abruptly halted, as if
some invisible force had caught me. Finally having
the energy to at least open my eyes; I saw blue, a
deep sky blue…was I just looking up? I was. Then
the voice returned, but outside my mind; it had
called me, what I chose to do was actually the voices
choice, the voice sent me out the window, the voice
sent me past the clouds & the voice made me fall. I
could hear directionality in the voice, I knew it was

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close; it was soft and feminine, a girl who had su-

preme power over me. Her stiletto heels tapping
against what sounded like stone as she approached
me, looking down upon me I was speechless.

Lilith Taylor, Jesus it’s been weeks since I’d seen

her, I had lost my way, and her existence almost
slipped my mind. But seeing her again brought it all
back; those romantic tender nights, the sweet
temptation of the early mornings. She had changed
drastically, her hair no longer full and wavy, now
thin and stringy; as if she hadn’t come in contact
with a shower for months. Her skin paler than mine,
she honestly looked like death, yet she still lived, still
drew breath; he had not taken full control over her
in order to spread the bloodline. A human child bore
from a reaver and a witch would grow tremendously
in power after death, for too powerful for anyone to
comprehend. Most reavers are a combination of a
human and a reaver, adding nexus magic to powers
equal to John7 and, well…Were Fucked!

She spoke with the entire adequacy she had

when she was soul-full and with the same sweet
peaceful tone that soothed me.

7
John must have a reaver parent, presumably the father.

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“Hello Darrius, I’ve missed you!” she tried to make a

smile but her skin was far too degraded. I was weary;
I couldn’t easily believe that she was free of John.
“Lily, how?” she almost forced the answer out.
“He let me go” I couldn’t quite believe this statement,
but her face grew woeful as she paused –
“The effects” gesturing to her face; pale white, full of
lesions and formed of wrinkled skin - “are perman-
ent” I scanned my eyes down her entire body pausing
at her stomach; a slight bulge already visible.
“Lily…NO!” at this she rubs her tummy, only several
weeks in and already it had grown significantly.
“But I’ve always wanted to be a mother” rubbing her
stomach, a slight smile on her face.
“But not to a child that would be a threat to all exist-
ence on earth!” I couldn’t help but shout at her.
“How could you know the baby’s fate?” she quizzes
me.
“Simple Its John’s child, you have to have it aborted,
we have to fix this!” her eyes drop level with mine as
all expression drops from her face; her eyes become
black and deep set. Her voice deepens to a tone simil-
ar to Johns –
“I DON’T WANT TO FIX IT!” She lifts me into the air
telekinetically, throwing me into a nearby wall & off
soaring down the road, my body crashing down hard

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scraping the skin from my chest. I just got to my feet

and cleared my vision, before John smokescreens in
and take her back with him to wherever they reside.
She’s grown in power, able to pull me out of the sky
like that, even control my very freewill, she doesn’t
even seem to have to make incantations anymore,
able to use spells through force of will. She is preg-
nant and it seems to be growing fast; now we are
well and truly screwed!

John had done this just to see how much I knew

of the bloodline. He now knows that I know how to
sever the bloodline. But I doubt he thinks I’m brave
enough to do so, I haven’t killed a human yet. He has
no doubt left some soul in her to protect her from
me. I will have to go to the bad in order to do what is
required. Would the lord forgive me for what I must
do? Wait…it was his plan.

I love her, and then this is a true trial-by-fire;

in order to live a life of peace I have to do something
horrific that will work for the greater good. It’s about
time things moved forward before it gets too late. If
the baby reaches personhood, there’s no turning
back. I am the champion, I am the one who must
destroy her; with how fast the baby seems to be

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growing I don’t have much time. I must do what is

required of me, I have come this far I can’t fall now.

The smell of acrid sulphur climbs up my nos-

trils from an origin behind me, turning to find Ed-
ward staring me down.
“Do smell a hint a lily on you” his eyes looking me up
and down; his voice with a monotone roll.
“Yes, if you must know, she pulled me from the
apartment and held me down here; just to figure out
what I knew of the reaver bloodline” lowering my
head.
“…and you fell for it?” thinking about what I had
just said “…Bloodline?”
“Yes, centuries ago the Reavers were a widely spread
and prolific race, until the rulers (Gabriel & Damien)
decided that they had gotten too powerful. Thus had
no choice but to eliminate the reavers; unable to do
so completely they had to leave one alive. That one
had to mate with a human to carry on the bloodline.
So before he was even born John was destined to fol-
low in his father’s footsteps and become the next
reaver. But with John’s choice of a mate he has
strengthened the reaver bloodline with nexus magic
making the next one even more powerful than him”

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“Right, so, we have not only got to stop him from tak-
ing over the world, but also kill his unborn child;
severing the bloodline and stopping anyone from
trying this again?”
“That’s about the top and bottom of it yea!” A long si-
lence follows while Edward thinks this over.
“Well, SHIT!” taking my arm in his vice grip and
porting us both back.

November 16/17th, crux of the night.

Finishing telling
the rest of the guys what we are actually dealing
with.
“So in short, if we screw this up death will come on
swift wings for us. And this time it’s permanent!” At
this Carl, Rich, Jack, George, Hedley and the colonel
bow before me. Jack lifting head up to meet my gaze
and asks – “So what’s the plan then boss?”
“We need all the help we can get; a conference
would be the perfect union. George, get your PC
skills to work; make letters for all the big news cor-
porations and any other services you deem useful.
Edward, go see Hephaestus. See if you can get me a
new sword something a little sharper, lighter. Carl,
could you use your abilities heal us all up?” Carl

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looks at my leg and my eye; stepping a little closer,

whispering –
“, I can see they are fake, there’s only your chest I can
fix” he holds out his hand, I take it in a firm grip, his
vine-veins fire into my skin, causing a faint green
glow to emanate from the healing area.

Faking amazement to the others –

“My leg…my eye…they work, thanks a million
Creepers” he just nods and steps back from me re-
turning to his bowing position. Rich moves over to
me taking the shirt from my back –
“Allow me” he said, laying the shirt on my desk rub-
bing his wrist over the fabric; entwining the cotton
of the shirt with the iron-silk from his own body.
The inside of the shirt now gleaming a bright white.
Arachno hands it back to me with a slight smile,
“A little extra protection for you my lord!” he had
virtually turned an everyday long-sleeved cotton
shirt into something light yet as strong as chain mail.

The colonel stands up removes his of-

ficers jacket, rolls up the sleeves of his olive shirt,
slowly pushing his energy into his arms; his skin
folding and stretching to the shape he requires. He
morphs his body into a melee weapon, creating two

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razor sharp talons reaching from his wrists to over

two foot past his hands.
“I’ll track you when I’m done” Edward smirks before
he ports out. Annette leaves the room catching my
eye as she enters the bathroom,
“I need to rest!” I could see the strain in her eyes, mo-
ments later hearing the water running; no doubt
she’s just laid in the bath absorbing all the moisture. I
know she’ll need her energy; we all will!

Then things sort of slowed down, not much to

do and Edward was still out. Things remained this
way for a few days; I don’t know what took Ed so
long to get back.

November 21st, 10 am.

I laid on my bed, Annette still
in the bath Carl and Rich lying in hammocks of vines
and iron-silk respectively. The others separated
throughout the bedrooms of the rest of the building. I
can never sleep when there’s something on my mind,
and knowing what I have to do terrified me, I have
never had to kill someone I’ve know before. My mind
wandered over all the pessimistic things that could
possibly happen during the confrontation; then it

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came, the creeping stench of rotting eggs – brim-

stone and sulphur. Edward’s form slowly slips into
view where in he instantly drops to his knees.

“Dar’s how’d you get out of hell?” his voice breath-

less and sporadic.
“I was saved!” a basic truth, still having to hide the
true nature.
“Great I’ve just had to pay for you taking your leave!”
from his knelt position he collapses face first into the
wood, dropping the new sword aside. I placed my
fingertips to his temples, melding with his mind,
transferring one of the Dolshdoy demon souls into
him to activate his healing ability, enough to fix his
external damage. Carl jumps from his hammock at
the sound of orickulum clashing with wood.

Creeper runs over thrusting his veins into Ed-

ward, healing him to peak condition. He opened his
eyes slowly his hand edging to the blade at his side,
tapping it twice.
“I got your sword! Now, let me die!” Carl gives Ed-
ward an evil look and grits his teeth as he pushes his
veins deeper into Edward.
“You're gonna heal you stubborn bastard!” Edward
and Carl smiling at each other. Edward stands, dust-

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ing himself off and wanders towards the bathroom.

Forgetting about Annette, who’d been in there for 4
days straight? He opens the door, and all I can ima-
gine is he saw what I saw the very first day we met
her; whether she did anything about it is something
entirely different. Edward stepped back from the
bathroom blushing, but I could tell he was smiling to
himself about the ‘accidental’ encounter.

Annette re-enters the main room wrapped in a

towel with the clothes she was wearing folded up in
a pile carried on left arm.
“If you’ll excuse yourselves boys this lady would like
a little privacy” We all bowed to her and turned to
leave, before she places her free hand on Edwards
shoulder.
“Oh, not you mister” smiling a cheeky smile. I gave
Ed a good-luck wink and left the room with the oth-
ers. We could hear the two of them giggling from
across the hall. I purposely pulled my mind from Ed-
ward’s giving him as much privacy as possible;
however it caused immense strain on me.

About 3 hours later they both came into our

shifted room fully dressed, and extremely happy.

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“Had fun?” they both just blushed and tried to re-en-

gage in casual conversation. My mind easing back
into line with Edwards, catching his thankful
thoughts and his seeming devotion to the Aqua
maiden. The Aqua maiden Annette herself seemed
content; I didn’t bother presuming what had
happened; as I was no longer part of that life. Lily’s
strike upon me several days earlier was at the fore-
front of my mind; not able to think about anything
else. Extinguishing her diminishing life may push me
to sipuku8 but I can’t allow the reavers to take this
world. My love and my duty are on separate paths.
Love states I let her live in the knowledge that the
world will burn to ash once I’m gone. But duty, duty
tells me to do the honourable thing and be the hero
future generations need me to be.

Edwards’s eyes staring me down.

“You have to do it brother, he’s taken your mother,
your sister & your girlfriend and you know deep
down that the changes can’t be reversed, and John
played on your hope when he sent lily!” he lowers
his head presumably still reading my thoughts –
“Your right…brother…” he nodded at that I knew
he’d heard me.
8
The Samurai ideal of an honourable death by your own
blade; ritual suicide via disembowelment with a blade.

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“Well I am the closest thing you’ve got to family right

now, the demonic brother of dark. You, the angelic
brother of light!” he moves his hand from my
shoulder to my wing – “you didn’t turn out too bad
for a goody two-shoes” we both laughed.

I turned to him, eyeing the cold cannon hooked

into his belt.
“A little uncivilized I think!” taking my new blade in
one hand my old in the other. I took the old blade
from my hip, handing it to Edward.
“A warriors weapon my brother!” he bowed to me
and took the hilt in his grasp. Swinging it aggress-
ively, quickly adopting a slow but powerful two-
handed style, slotting it into the adaptive camouflage
scabbard at his waist. There was a shallow giggle be-
hind us; seeing Annette and jack staring and laugh-
ing a little.
“Photo op.” thinking about jacks words me and Ed
shared glances, and then shrugged; standing back to
back our blades drawn. We all held our pose firm
until the flash of jacks Polaroid camera. The camera
instantly ejecting its photograph, the heat of the
room quickly drying the print. Running my eyes
proudly over the array of warriors that stood before
me.

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“Come on, you all deserve to be remembered!” me

and Ed stayed where we were, the colonel and Hed-
ley stood proudly at the back being the tallest, An-
nette knelt on the floor next to Ed; her left arm
wrapped round his right leg. Rich hanging upside-
down from the roof; from his silk. Jack stood next to
me causing sparks my gripping my blade. Carl on
one knee at the front resting his left arm on his
raised leg; using the veins from his right arm to act-
ive the camera’s flash.

A photo of remembrance to keep our memory

alive, in those that know what happened when the
two sides collided. Annette walks off to my her draw
space pulling something out I’d not seen before, I
long black overcoat stitched with deep crimson tribal
patterns, carrying it over to me.
“I’ve been working on this for ages, if you wear it you
will command their attention, plus I think it would
really define your eyes!” she smiles at me as I take the
jacket from her slipping it on over my shirt.
“How do I look” to which all my ‘underlings’ respon-
ded
“Kickass!” There’s a short pause before someone asks
the required question…

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“All we need is a stage” George pipes up, running

through destination in my mind I come back to the
same one several times; Edward nods agreeing with
my decision.
“Rome!” we both said in unison.

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-Intermission-

-End of the Line?-

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We’d reached the point in the story that brought him

here, and what he and his friends went through to
get this far but does that mean this is his battle-
ground?
I’m not ready for this; I can’t fight an army of
demons. Again one of the floodlights goes dark as if
blocked by some huge object. But the shadow moves
by onto the next light as if, whatever it was, was
circling us. The shadow Stops at the light at the op-
posite end of the coliseum to Darrius. I’m not sure
whether I imagined it but it felt as if the ground was
rumbling. The boulder I was sat upon became un-
steady forcing me to my feet.
A slow deep vocal rumble echoed throughout
the wall of the coliseum, causing the floodlights to
blow out; although by this time they were barely
needed. I held myself still with anxiety and anticipa-
tion fearing what was no doubt coming.
Darrius, his movements erratic burst into
speech as if he was stood right next to me. – “You,
take this, let the world know what happened here” I
turned to the voice…he was stood right next to me.
He placed his hand to my head,

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“God speed human!” placing the group photograph

in my cold, sweating hands, quivering with nervous-
ness.
Darrius steps forward, his friends joining with
him in a battle line. The shadow up on the wall
growing more menacing as the calls change to a
blood curdling war-cry.
Looking around at the battlefield –
“It has begun!” the rumble I had previously felt was
growing closer, and heavier; the sandstone steps
crumbling, cascading upon themselves. The shadow
still stood motionless other than expressing his vocal
talents. I saw Darrius hurriedly pull his shirt and
robe back on; the iron-silk protection no doubt. Also
slipping the dynamic over coat once again over the
top; Darrius was getting ready for war and not a
thing on earth would be allowed to get in his way.
The shadow atop the south-facing wall finally
began to move; raising its hands to the sky, bellowing
in anger –
“DARRIUS!” my eyes set on the eponymous hero who
I noted; his eyes flashed with joy at the sound of this
voice, maybe for the fact that he knew the end was
near. My part was set in this final confrontation;
battle scribe; spread this information warning people
of the after-life…if I survive of course.

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I moved myself out of the vicinity of our war-

ring sides. The rumbling ground slow and heavy,
thousands of small objects colliding with the earth at
the exact same time. A cascade of heavy falling ob-
jects, growing ever closer; the storm was coming.
My faith has been tested this night, and I glee-
fully passed, but this, this was something else en-
tirely. I had to fight for something I barely under-
stood. I knew the horror of the enemy and what
would befall us, yet I chose to stand, stay firm. I had
passed Darrius’ primary test.
Turning to the horizon beyond the archway,
which John stood atop; a row of small disfigured rot-
ting faces on the edge of view. John’s army creeping
up on us, in unified disarray. My hands wouldn’t
steady themselves; my thoughts of death were being
pushed further into reality. Yet our champions stood
firm against the approaching army of chaos.
I couldn’t steady my nerves, my heart pounding
itself against my ribs; building up to a breakout.
Steadying my hands on my chest, settling my beating
heart. Our heroes standing in-line formation, stand-
ing close; looking after each others backs.
The sullen faces on the horizon slowly drawing
closer. It’s here, it’s now. The battle to end this tur-
moil; a line has been drawn in the sand and every-

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man must choose a side. Too much has been lost in

this struggle; no more, here, now we must stand take
control of our destinies. If we do go down, we will go
down in a sweet blaze of glory. More bodies piling
over the horizon, a true army of darkness, to sack
this world, burn it to the ground.
“Now you believe in my influence Dar’s? Real-
ise how much I have gathered to bring this world to
its knees. None but the worthy shall be left standing;
and you, you expect to stop me with your small band
of ruffians?” John jumps from atop the archway,
landing hard on his right knee and his left leg. John
slowly stands raising his arms out to the sides in line
with his shoulders; grinning his oft-described mali-
cious smile –
“Its play time!” his ‘marching’ army behind him shift
into a drunken run.
Taking shelter, partially hiding my form behind
the boulder I once sat upon. Darrius looks to the
sides of him eying his comrades: the botanist, the
electrician, the arachnist, the clone, the Elemental,
the puppet-master, the soldier & the quiet one.
“You misjudge me greatly John, ruffians maybe, but
small…” members of the crowd turn to face john
throwing off there long cloaks revealing the rest of
the ex-soldiers – “…I think not!” John taken aback by

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the number of opponents he faced returns his glance

over his shoulder; knowing his numbers to be great-
er.
Not much changed in the following minutes the
two sides were simply sizing each other up, but none
dare strike first. A sound came, like sweeping wind,
growing louder and fiercer blowing Darrius’ coat
open. Something similar to a black lightning bolt
launches it’s self with the wind; striking Darrius’
chest knocking on his back.
An updraft of smoke blurs the situation, dust
blinding all to a conclusion. The sandstorm swirling
around our hero, sounds and moans could be heard
from within. A high pitched shriek.
The ruffling of clothes. A deafening strike of skin on
skin contact. The black bolt which had recently
entered into the combat was thrust out the same
way; fast and without pause. The bolt flying from the
swirling sand that contained it with our hero, skid-
ding hard across the earth. Slowed down it’s features
became more prominent. Her appearance far from
how she had been originally described; matted
strands of black hair, pale white/green rotting skin; a
dark cold appearance.

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“Like my ace in the hole? Dar’s” John lifting her

roughly from the floor, clicking her jaw back into
place – “I am surprised you could lay a hand on her”
The sandstorm around Darrius dies down, step-
ping through the settling sand – “John I’m full of
surprises!” slowly wrapping his right hand round the
blade at his left. Raising his left hand to his eye; dab-
bing it. John smiles at this action, he believes he
knows Darrius’ weak points. Looking at John with
his ‘good eye’ while dabbing the other; it was obvi-
ous he was smiling to him self.
John Mimics Dar’s; crossing his arms, each
hand grabbing a blade, shuffling his coat back re-
vealing two scabbards hanging from each side. Dar-
rius’ hand twisting on the blades padded hilt; his
skin scraping against the leather. The tension peak-
ing, this couldn’t continue for much longer. John
takes a step backwards; scuffing his foot across the
stone pavement. John bends his knees as if ready to
pounce, in retaliation to this movement Darrius
stiffens up his stance, lifting his sword half out of its
holster. Erecting onto his tiptoes, John lowers his
head.

“Time to Tango, old friend!” John springs from his

toes towards Darrius. Clawing his orickulum guard

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from its camouflaged home; clashing sparks with

john’s blades. The titans had finally clashed, the
crowds of both sides engage into the brawl. Zombies
clashing with Dolshdoy’s, Hell hounds assaulting the
Velron, Creeper taking to the side-lines healing
whenever the opportunity arises, his virus’ would do
nothing to the dead.
Zelcore tearing the power cables from one of
the flood lights, discharging its energy across a mass
of on coming ghouls. Arachno, choosing to use his
skill for more capture than kill. No ghouls were en-
gaging Hedley; who seemed to just be waiting for
something. All but a few ghouls were engaged with
the Dolshdoy army, those without purpose began
moving to Hedley; it’s time we see what he can do.
The Zed-heads edged closer to him in there shaky,
seemingly drunken way; now but 4 feet from him.
He raises his head from its lowered prayer position,
arching his back, spreading his arms, stretching. Two
feet from him now; he breathes in heavily –
“GET BACK!” the sheer power and velocity of his
voice threw the six of them clear across the arena,
splatting like rotten fruit against the end wall.
Ha, so that’s the power of a boomer demon; su-
per vocals. That’s a lot of power, no wonder why he
hasn’t spoken. I had a brilliant view of the battlefield

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 Adam Edwards

from my hiding place. From my spot I could see lily

very clearly; pumping with ‘nexus’ energy, but still
as if she had chosen her target but was waiting to
strike. The energy flowing from her in a rainbow of
interchanging colours; she looked as if she was over-
loaded with power and about to explode.
The ghouls were walking far around her, not
wanting to get in the way. Channelling the energy
flow from pulsating aura around her, into her hands;
it was obvious something bad was going to happen. I
hid behind the boulder; nothing below eye-level was
visible of me. I for one didn’t want to get caught in
her blast radius. She didn’t move just pushed her
hands together as the glow from her body intensified
and brightened.
All of what I could see was vast; I couldn’t pos-
sibly put all action to page. Lily; charging up for
something big. John engaged in vicious samurai
combat with Edward and Darrius. Jack hooked into
the power cables frying ghouls. Carl still on the side-
lines; healing any who required it, if he could get to
them whenever possible. George cocooned signifying
his out of body habitation of another. I couldn’t see
the Colonel amongst the other soldiers. Annette was
in her solid ice form gripping many zed-heads in
arctic embraces. Hedley was just sat down; calm and

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collected, waiting for another reason to bellow. Rich

swinging from pillar to post, striking any enemies
before him with paralytic poison secreted from his
body.
Conflicts surrounded me; and yet I managed
thus far to remain safe. Dolshdoy’s and ghouls col-
liding heavily; tearing each other apart, the ranks of
both armies rapidly plummeting to zero. Sooner or
later all that would be left are our main heroes. The
witch once again could my eye, her hands still glow-
ing like the sun, her knees bent ready to jump, a
small moment passed while she presumably charged
energy into her feet.
She jumped high into the sky opening her
hands a little, throwing the large sphere of energy
hard into the ground below. It fell slowly; pulsing
with white, blue and red light. She blows a kiss –
“ENERGY BOMB” Darrius screams, everyone leaping
from the blast area. The ball erupted with vicious
atomic energy upon impacting with the ground. The
earth quaked with the force, Dolshdoy’s and ghouls
thrown through the air. Not much of either army re-
mained. Back to the bare bones of each force; dust
clouds surrounded everyone I could see barely ten
feet around me. The ranks of both side ground down
to almost nil. John, nothing more than a silhouette,

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pushing forward through the dust; clean and fresh

as if nothing had happened.
“Round two!” snapping his fingers, slipping two
fingers into his mouth making a high pitched
whistle. The end was further from us than we
thought it was. The second flank coming up on us
faster than the first, our eight hero’s reform in a line
against them with what few Dolshdoy’s remained;
the smell of rosemary was only faint now.
Those coming upon us must be the cavalry,
there feet against the ground bounding like a hun-
dred galloping horses. In actuality it was more like a
pack of snarling beasts, dark razor-sharp fur, deep-
set ruby eyes, shining in the dawn sunlight, I’m sure
these were once dogs or wolves; now looking more
like bears.
“Fucking A, not these guys again” Edward lifting
his arms into a boxing stance, his blade firmly held
within its scabbard. Darrius too had put his steel
away. I stood partially hidden waiting for the two of
them to engage the canine assault. They looked at
each other for a short moment as the beast skidded to
a stop at the coliseum entrance, salivating at all the
meat on offer. Darrius a blur of motion launches into
the sky, Edward flashes from view; to an unknown

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destination. The remaining six close ranks waiting

for john to order his pooch’s forth.
Annette held the group together, the centre-
point of the new wall. Jack crouching onto one knee,
pulling all the energy from the ground, Carl pulling
back; his vines hanging from his arms ready to latch
on to something. George shudders as his inner self
re-enters his body, holding his hands to his chest.
Rich grows unsteady on his feet and falls back, thick
spiny hairs sprouting from his body, his muscle-tone
building to inhuman proportions. His body contort-
ing tearing through his clothes his legs and arms
splitting in two; the hair slowing encasing his entire
body, his pelvis elongating between his legs. The
sound of cracking and braking bones filled the quiet
air.
Steam flowing up from Richard's body, in his
fully formed in his true apparition for the first time:
a 10 foot long, 5 foot tall tarantula; pitch black, huge
fangs dripping with purple ooze. Carl lifts his arms
looking curiously at the vines hanging from his
wrists. He crouches; charging up for a jump. Leaping
onto Rich’s back, whipping the vines around the
form that could be called Rich’s neck. Spider and
rider both seemed happy with the situation; and now
it’s time to play.

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 Adam Edwards

Annette and the others split to let the Arachno

mounted Creeper through to engage the enemy.
Voltaire had sucked the ground of all static; joining
Creeper atop Arachno, slowly swaggering forward.
Those at the edge of the pack of beasts slowly poun-
ded forward eventually encircling the spider. I kept
my eyes on the sky hoping to see the dark wings of
our saviour; I refuse to believe he has left us to our
fate.
“You need not worry comrade!” turning to the
voice, Darrius stood beside me – “This war will end
in our favour, that I promise you!” I simply nodded to
him; “Go get ‘em boss” he took to the sky once more
as the clouds parted with a sonic boom. Up high I
could still see him and I swear he was looking at me.
The glimmer of the cobalt blue of orickulum, another
dive-bomb assault was no doubt about to ensue. But
where was Edward?
“Right here bucko!” the sound making me
jump; they could both hear my thoughts. The tele-
porting dark brother now stood beside me.
“Good to see you’re still kicking kid, when you tell
this story emphasise my handsomeness” he smiles
and flashes out. I hope the end was close, our heroes
were greatly outnumbered.

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-Too much, too young, too fast-

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 Adam Edwards

Arachno engaged the army of hounds willing to give

his life to win this war. Jack; riding the tarantula;
arching lightning to all enemies around him. Creep-
er extending his poison vines to the slavering beasts.
A wall of electrified steel-silk; protecting our heroes.
A flash of smog high up, clamping onto Darri-
us, the brothers together again, readying a dual as-
sault. Both blue-shimmering blades of our heroes
were drawn and both men were ready to dive. Darri-
us uses his superior strength to support his flightless
brother. Arms linked, each man charging with his
mightiest energy: Darrius the pure fires of hell, Ed-
ward pumping with sheer soul-force.
John had seemed yet to notice what was occur-
ring above him, taking in the pain and suffering, fear
fuelling his hatred for humanity, seeing himself as
‘the next step’ something far greater; the lowly mor-
tals shouldn’t be allowed to live – The Reaver Com-
plex.
Arachno; charging headlong into the centre of
the war-hound line; Jack sparking their metallic fur
with intense electricity. The electricity cooking the
beast from the inside, setting off a chain reaction.
The entire beast army being static charged. The

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charge between each beast causing a repel effect.

Jack jumps from Rich’s back, opening his hands.
Pulling the electrically charged beasts towards
him drawing on there energy stores. John placing a
firm grip around jack's neck, throwing him across
the arena.
“I could use someone of your talents Zelcore” Jack
hits the wall hard, spewing sparks upon the severe
impact. Slowly extending his arms, raising his body
from the floor; his eyes glowing white, his hands en-
twined in bluish-white auras discharging angry stat-
ic charges. A tooth baring grin grows on his face;
even his electrifying anger discharging from his
teeth.
“John, you couldn’t handle me!” Jack lifting his hand
from the floor, pointing it in John’s direction; his
aura brightening; an almost blinding light. Launch-
ing a pure stream of energy from his raised hand;
speeding across the landscape, striking johns
shoulder.

“I did warn ya’ John!” John slowly rises to his feet, his
clothes scorched and torn, looking at himself; grim-
acing and tearing the burned and torn sleeve from
his jacket.

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“Now that was a bad move Zelcore!” Drawing his

sword; bounding past the recovering war-beasts to-
wards our static hero.
“NO!” Darrius swoops down: his brother on his arm;
both blades striking the eponymous villain across the
chest.
“There you are old friend!” shuffling his feet a little to
ensure his footing, dropping his arm; cold creeping
up his body. Annette standing close behind John en-
casing his legs in ice.
“George! It’s game time!” a rallying shout from our
hero, my eyes move to the one I understand to be
George. A Velron demon: capable of in habiting oth-
er beings. He closes his eyes, bringing his hands into
a prayer position. I could see a white glow emanating
from his chest. I expected the purple soul essence as
with life; but in death I guess things change. The
slow moving orb of white energy leaves Georges
body, at which point he goes limp and collapses.
The orb itself makes its way slowly to john’s
partially frozen form. Annette keeping the chill on
him, holding him in his frozen state. John twists his
head an inhuman degree, seeing the ensnaring con-
sciousness coming ever closer. George's conscious-
ness; only a few feet from him now.

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The static fur-balls repelling each other rolling

and skidding across the sand; the lucky ones feel the
quick numbing sting of Arachnos venom. While the
unlucky ones face the fate of being boiled from the
inside by an incendiary toxin9 of Carl’s own design.
The number of war-beasts quickly fell to manage-
able levels, with a background sound of clashing
steel.
The levitating orb mere inches from his skin,
but with a sudden crack the ice cage shatters; with
inhuman speed John spins unsheathing his blade,
swiping it against the energy ball. The orb falls to the
ground cracked and bleeding light.
I turned to where George lay; his body now
oozing black liquid, rapidly degrading to dust. With-
in seconds all had melted down but his bones; but
they were soon nothing but dust in the wind. That is
how final death comes to a person? Becoming part of
the first world which bore you?
No one spoke or moved for a long time, just
looked on with agog faces at what John had just
done.
“You heartless bastard, that’s one more to add to the
list!” Darrius stares john down.

9
The toxin, morphs blood cells causing them to change
oxygen into carbon-monoxide; this causes the victim to
suffocate, while their blood boils.

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 Adam Edwards

“You’re making a list now?” John says with a seem-

ingly mocking tone.
“Of all the people, whose deaths add to the retribu-
tion you must feel!” Darrius makes a beckoning ges-
ture – “Ready to face judgement?” Both men gripping
their blades tightly; John raises a hand to his mouth;
releasing a high pitched whistle.
A black object high in the sky comes quickly
upon us, coming low to the ground right behind the
Lady Annette. Edwards gaze is caught; breaking into
a sprint, reaching for her.
Lily swoop tackles Annette taking her out of
Darrius’ immediate battle. Dar’s seems to hold Ed-
ward back, he needs him more than Annette does.
The two women from where they crashed could see
me clear as day. I could no longer hide; I’d better get
stuck in. Jack hadn’t moved since releasing that in-
tense blast upon John, he must have been completely
dry of energy. I ran from my rock behind Dar’s to
grab Jack; take him out of this. Moving towards the
coliseum entrance, where Rich was now back to hu-
man form, his body naked and steaming10. All the
beasts around the two; either paralyzed or dead.

10
The morphing of a fixed shape like the human body re-
quires heat to make the flesh and bone suppler so just be-
fore a transformation, the body’s temperature will rise to
extreme heights.

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I dragged jack past the two of them, up the side

of the coliseum laying him down about 5 rows of
ledges from the bottom. Creeper began following me,
stopping after only a few steps; noticing two of the
paralyzed war-beasts coming-to. He extends an arm
to each launching out his toxin vein-vines into the
two of them like ‘Nemesis’11.
Looking at us both, simply stating – “The boy
just needs some ‘juice’” coincidentally I had brought
Jack close to one of the floodlights. Rich breaks
through the lights casing exposing the wires sending
electricity into the air. We pulled jack closer to the
light, so the sparking electricity would be automatic-
ally drawn to his static charge. Arachno and Creeper
left me at that point, but it didn’t matter, from this
position I could see the entire battlefield; although I
did occasionally have to climb to the top of the seat-
ing ledges to see if another flank was on its way. We
were clear for what remained.
The Heroes were now seven – George had met
his end & the colonel had gone down with his Dolsh-
doy comrades. But seven-to-two were good odds but
I’m not sure whether my optimism was surely foun-
ded. But a pregnant witch and the last of the Reaver’s

11
The main Villain of the 3rd resident evil game capable of
poisoning people through tentacles in its arms.

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 Adam Edwards

- gives both of them a lot to fight for. Not much was

happening between Dar’s and John.
But the witch had pinned Annette. Lily knew
exactly how to beat Annette; (the only problem when
you have a designated power pool) Electricity against
Annette’s water and fire against her ice. With Lily's
skill she could easily do both at the same time. She
stood there a few feet from the glorious Annette her
arms low, hands turned up: one grasping a yellow
and blue swirling orb, sparking like an overloaded
tesla-coil. Her other hand grasping a deep red
steaming and flaming orb, both of which quickly
growing in size from tennis ball to basketball size.
Lily fury could be seen plainly in her cold disfigured
face, there was no remnant of her once prominently
existent beauty.
Annette laid her hands on herself, injecting her
body with her arctic energy, slowly hardening her
skin and turning her into her ice-form. The ice
climbed up her body from her feet, creeping over her
hips past her sweet bust. The arctic chill flowing up
her neck, glazing over her eyes; even her hair be-
came part of her frozen form, turned into chilled
dreadlocks.
A fire ball from the wire-haired witch, deflec-
ted with simple ease by an impenetrable ice wall. I jet

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of searing flame from the devils witch, striking the

wall with full force, quickly liquefying it. Annette
quickly thrown onto the defensive by the ever ad-
vancing Lilith; holding the witch back the best she
can with a mixed stream-jet of ice and water.
Away from one session of carnage onto anoth-
er, which seemed to have not yet started? Darrius
and Edward; playing piggy in the middle, with John
as the piggy. Both men; casting their energies upon
him from both flanks. Wind forced fire from the left,
the soul’s richest and strongest forces from the right.
Yet Hampst didn’t even flinch. Using his soul reserve
as a sort of elemental barrier, deflecting all the
powers the brothers could bring upon him with no
problem whatsoever, but it’s all hope that the shield
cannot remain, he would most likely need soul sacri-
fices to keep it up and the less souls within him the
weaker he gets.
I’m sure it was just my pessimism shining
through but I had a feeling that this battle wasn’t as
‘in our favour’ as I first hoped. His dogs had been
‘tamed’ his men had been ‘freed of corruption’ for
the better I hope, it is a shame that they wouldn’t get
a true taste of the after-life as they tasted it in life,
this is the end of the road for them.

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 Adam Edwards

John slowly turns round his soul shield still act-

ive, shouting to his ‘chosen’12
“Mi Amor, trea brovtoi!” or at least what it sounded
like. Lily quits her assault of the gorgeous elemental
and casts herself to the sky above all the bodies of the
lost army. At that moment a thought went through
my mind (She couldn’t possibly raise the dead…). Yet
with very little effort that’s what she began to do,
landing smoothly amongst all the bodies, slowly
turning continuously her hands outstretched.
“Tereamure!” With that one word at least
twenty percent of John’s army shook of death and
with the speed you expect from zombies rise to their
feet. She casually walks past the fresh soldiers to-
wards the war-beasts, ready to raise the cavalry. Do-
ing the same actions, amongst the mass of fifteen or
so hell hounds.
“Callpi…” her voice silenced suddenly.
“How’s that taste she-bitch?” the familiar voice
of Rich the Arachno. Moulding another web ball; in
his hand; from the strand shooters in his wrists. Lily
rips the iron-silk from her mouth, her concentration
broken she decided to focus on Richard.
She just points at him and says one word –
“Milruckey!” causing Richard to tumble to his knees

12
The woman he picked to mother his child.

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“What’s wrong? I thought you liked spider?” she says

as a tarantula bigger than a human hand bursts
through his stomach, climbing up his body and sits
on his shoulder before sinking it’s teeth in.

-Bring the Rain-

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 Adam Edwards

Richard reaches for the spider, with barely enough

energy to knock it off, his stomach acids spilling over
the crag-stone, and his intestines scraping against
the floor. Not wanting to be disturbed from its feed,
the dark brown furry beast bites the assaulting hand;
draining Arachno further. All his fluid; going to the
eight-legged death-bringer. All Richards’ weight is
drained, leaving him as nothing more than pale rot-
ting skin atop severely brittle and damaged bone. Just
for visual imagery image a decomposing concentra-
tion camp detainee.
Darrius felt his death, the corresponding feath-
er dropping from his already patchwork wings; due
to all the souls lost in this here battle. Now John’s
army had been partially resurrected. Lily turns her
attention back to the spiny dogs; looking around be-
fore she starts the incantation, which with the size of
these creatures would take more effort. She turns
back to the limp dogs, faced rather by Edward; his
sword drawn.
“You’ve already caused enough trouble miss” said
oddly in a forced Texan accent.

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“You think you can stop me? Your not even real!” she
rapidly slides across the stone floor, thrusting her
arm out straight into Ed’s chest knocking him on his
arse. Both remaining ‘bad-dudes’ were too powerful
to be taken on 1-on-1, yet the team were odd in
number – The colonel, Richard and George are dead,
Jack is out for the count; leaving the group as five…
and me of course; yet I had to hope that more hu-
mans had survived & not just me. That’s when I
heard it, a soft moan, seemingly female. I couldn’t
trace it but I knew she (wherever she was) was in
pain and most likely trapped.
But there would be time for her later after the
battles lost and won. I sat still beside Jacks uncon-
scious body, hoping he would soon regain con-
sciousness. Edward defending Annette from the
might of the nexus in his short life he had found
someone he would give his life for. She was a true
goddess in his eyes; it was obvious how much she
meant to him. Once again the girl’s cries came to me
this time a little louder like she knew I was close and
was trying to reach me. I didn’t have much time to
think before I was jumping from my ledge step to
avoid a deflected boulder. It splintered into thou-
sands of pieces, colliding with the wall where I pre-
viously was. My eyes were first drawn to Jack who

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 Adam Edwards

seemed unharmed by the debris. I shifted my gaze to

the boulders origin; Darrius stood there, raising a
hand –
“My Bad!” Darrius distracted for that short moment
John moves in on him.
“DARRIUS!” I remember screaming in warning, the
target of my scream spinning a 180° deflecting a two
handed blade strike with ease.
“You gave up speed for power John, I hear you before
you even get close!” Holding his sword blade for-
ward, he tosses it up about a foot before reversing his
grip on the falling sword for the more comfortable
and faster backwards style.
“You Know I have both speed and power in far
greater amounts than you could possibly imagine”
John in retaliation to Darrius’ toss and grab starts a
fast paced twirl of his sabre; the blade itself becom-
ing a blur of motion.
“It’s not just you who’s got skills Dar!” tightening his
grip on the blade stopping its spin. Watching the two
of them showing off all I could think was ‘get on
with it’ so far it seemed like tense hours had past and
I was growing tired, I couldn’t wait for all this to be
over one way or another. Even if it was death that
was waiting for me, at least I’d be able to leave this
place a free man in my own way.

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I was held here by Darrius’ will, he wished for

me to document all that has happened and is going
to happen and I am unable to leave this place while
both he and I have jobs to do. While he is in a sort of
‘pissing’ contest with the enemy my thoughts moved
to the girls, made more complex now with the in-
volvement of Edward. There he stood, the saviours
clone, blocking Lilith from Annette. Annette dry from
energy use her body in a similar state to Jack’s, Ed-
ward the knight in shining armour to her damsel in
distress taking all the pain the witch could dish out,
his love holding him strong.
“You cannot last, you are nothing more than Darrius’
impurities, you made him clean. Now he no longer
needs you. Be-gone!” The witch clasps her hands to-
gether at her hip slowing pulling them apart, the en-
ergies from both hands morphing an orb as they
slowly part; her hands about two feet apart when
they stop moving. She twists her body a little pushing
her right shoulder forward, pulling the orb back on
her left side –
“Raging Tempest!” Blasting the orb forward with
such force it knocks Ed’s sabre from his grasp, seal-
ing his body within a localised storm, barraging him
with storm winds and rain, frying his skin with con-

239
 Adam Edwards

centrated lightning; Whipping to shreds with the

perfect storm.
Moments later the storm dissipates, yet as the
small fogbank clears Edward is still standing. I
couldn’t believe someone, even someone dead, could
take that much raw elemental power. He seemed
steady for a moment, before he began to wobble,
dropping to his knees like a submissive slave, trying
to speak with breathless pain flowing through him –
“That your…best…sh…” With a small burst of wind
upon Edward, Lilith knocks him on his back squirm-
ing breathing heavy & with sadness in his eyes for
his failure.
I hadn’t seen Carl since he parted from me and
Jack; his skills would be a great aid now. As if called
in Creeper comes into view, Striking his vines into
Lily numbing her body to thought, losing control of
even her own brain, falling to the floor numb and
misshapen like a aged contortionist. Carl pulls his
vines from her moving over to Edward; checking
him over. Nothing could really be done, even with
Carl’s skills, just wait by him for his energy to come
back to him.
Darrius leans a little, peering over John’s
shoulder at his once love Lily and all those that
worked together to slow her down. Darrius knew he

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would have to deal with her soon enough, readying

his blade against John lift his right hand to his left
shoulder, the blade tracing the angle of his arm,
coming across past his elbow.
“Just try and hit me John” Darrius sliding his legs
slightly apart, bending his knees a little allowing
himself to be more limber.
John strikes hard with his usual slow fury a
move which is easily deflected by Dar’s more agile
style. John swinging again, putting his whole body
into the move; Dar’s clashing the blow with his
shield of steel, the sheer force of it knocking him
back.
“You can’t take my power, you never could…Slack-
er!” John chasing Darrius across the field with blow
after blow of knockback strength; over head strike
knocking Dar’s to his knees a low swing bringing
him back to his feet, repeating the process until Dar-
rius is pinned against the far wall of the coliseum.
Edward is back on his feet limping towards
John, the now awake Annette in tow, coming up si-
lently behind john bringing his sword swiftly to his
throat.
“Haven’t we been here before? This time I promise
it’ll be more fatal” the usual Edward malicious smile
followed the statement, pulling the sabre closer to

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Johns flesh; as John himself turns up his chin and

tenses his neck.

-Showdown-

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The revived proportion of John’s army facing the

sonic force of Hedley; Standing against them as a
wall of pure concussive sound. The Strength of Hed-
ley’s voice could give a living person a brain haem-
orrhage at close range, to the dead, it simply turns
their bones to dust & combusts their blood vessels.
Six good guys remained;
Darrius: pinned by john.
Edward: pinning John.
Annette: Staying as close to Edward as possible.
Jack: still out for the count absorbing electricity from
the air.
Carl: Standing by lily making sure she stays uncon-
scious.
Hedley: As previously mentioned is holding of the
army.
They make a good team all looking out for each oth-
er. John was in a sticky spot, with one move he could
finish Darrius but he must know that Edward would
kill him before he got the chance. But what if Edward
dies with the destruction of Darrius? With the sword
edging it’s way to his jugular he couldn’t risk it.

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“Edward is it?” Ed just grunts, not deeming John

worthy of conversation.
“Edward you had the chance to finish me before, but
you made the wrong move, how do you know it will
work this time?”
“Why don’t I chop you into little pieces and find out”
breaking his silence against John with his very dark
malicious humour.
“You have me at a disadvantage…” steadying his
blade pulling it back from Darrius’ block – “…both
of you”
Edward takes John’s sword from him, it was a
fine creation; the usual blue tint of the orickulum,
tainted a deep black with John’s own dark-will, Ed-
ward keeps his own sword gripped tight in readiness,
holstering the black blade in his side scabbard. Slid-
ing his sword across, Ed frees John from the grip he
had on him, instead grabbing the back of his neck
and dragging him across the arena with Darrius.
Darrius turning to the villain –
“Do you acknowledge your crimes? Do wish to take
penance for them; under the eyes of the lord do you
seek redemption?” The rosary on Darrius’ wrist starts
glowing and morphs to its natural state of the golden
ring. John sees this change, as Darrius’ hand on his

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left shoulder and Edwards on his right, forces him

onto his knees.
“Serving under a new boss Dar? Still not got enough
balls to be your own master? I can’t believe it, after
all this and you still choose to strike me down in the
name of someone else?” John lowers his head, pur-
posely exposing the back of his neck awaiting the
warrior’s death.
“DO IT! You’ve finally got the chance”
Darrius places the tip of his blade to johns neck
taking a deep intake of breath before plunging it
deep within. I could see john smiling, even at the
bleakness of his situation. Darrius lifts his sword a
little to get some momentum into the lancing, driving
it downwards.
John leans to his right the blade just grazing the
left side of his neck, sucker punching Darrius in the
stomach, turning to Edward before he can react and
kicking him to the floor. Running off across the sand
and stone firing energy balls off behind him at his
once captures. Not looking where he was going he
ran straight into a sonic burst from Hedley; sending
him skidding back. Hedley takes a deep breath ready
to hit him again.

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With the speed shown back at Lily’s house he

gets to his feet teleports to Hedley’s side, launching a
cold fisted vice-grip on his throat.
“Let’s hear you scream now you fat bastard” tighten-
ing his grip crushing Hedley’s windpipe slowly suf-
focating him.
“Awwww not even a little one? Come on indulge me”
a swift sarcastic statement before breaking Hedley’s
neck. Noticing Carl out the corner of his eye, with a
broad smile on his face he throws Hedley‘s limp
corpse halfway across the coliseum like an old rag-
doll. Hedley bowls into Creeper, pushing his left knee
the opposite way, shattering the knee-cap.
John quickly ‘ports to his tackled foe, pressing a
heavy foot on his chest keeping him pinned down.
Carl reaches up to his assailant slowly extending his
purple13 venom vines, pushing them towards John’s
bare flesh, grabbing a vine in each hand pushing his
foot harder against Carl’s chest.
“Where do you think your going?” eyeing the vines
with curiosity before ripping them from Carl’s arms.
“Leave him alone!” Darrius charging at his rival,
John jumps, spin kicking Darrius, landing on Carl
with the opposite foot than he previously had,

13
Toxins make his vines glow purple, vaccines make a
green glow.

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stomping Carls left ‘knee’ with his free leg; a scream

of pain from the healer.
John lifts his foot off of Carl, bends down beside
him, this time using his arm to hold the injured de-
mon down, placing his left hand on Creeper’s fore-
head.
“What’s my body count? 2? Why not make it lucky
3?” John takes his hand from Carl’s forehead balling
it into a fist.
“Anything to say, before I grind your brain into the
dust?” John awaiting a reply charging heated soul
essence into his balled fist. Leaning as far forward as
john would allow, spitting furiously in John’s eye -
“Fuck…You!” falling back against the stone his body
exausted. Angered by his prey’s statement of defi-
ance, his expression grows darker, driving his hand
through Carl’s head cracking his skull like an egg,
obliterating his brain.
Jack rising to his feet, wiping his eyes, the first
thing he sees; his friends face pummelled into the
ground spraying bone and sinew over his attacker
and the surrounding area, Jack screaming in fury at
the loss of his friend. Leaping from his ledge down to
the basin; regrouping with his remaining team, look-
ing around for the other missing members. Darrius

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solemnly shakes his head at Jack, silently giving him

the answer to his visual question.
The 4-to-2 formation holding strong, all six of
them charging their greatest powers, Darrius burst
into intense white flame, his clothes disintegrating
under the severe heat, Annette freezing solid, Jack
sparking into a cocooned electric form. The remain-
ing three channelling searing energy into there
hands trying to out-do each other.
Things were heating up in more ways than one;
you could cut the tension with a knife.

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