Fincher sat quietly awaiting confirmation to initiate the plan. Within the void he had absolute safety; however, he knew that would soon change.
He looked down at his hands and belly, or lack thereof, thinking, “Wasting away in the void.” He smiled to himself as he continued to inspect his body noting bone and prominent surface veins previously covered and hidden away by fat.
“Certainly, I could stay in here and die a coward’s death.” He gazed off into the translucent world outside the void knowing that his mastery of the void was far too meager to sustain his own life indefinitely. “Had I only worked at it harder, I wouldn’t be in this situation.”
Fincher also knew leaving the void only to recover and return was not a viable option given the power of the one who hunted him.
His smile turned to a chuckle as he softly said to himself, “Let’s hope I’ve at the very least worked hard enough for this plan to work.” He sighed and looked up, “For if it does work, I’ll be a hero. A rich, fat cat of the empire.”
Deep within the back of his mind, he also knew the price of failure. He found it acceptable to be killed swiftly, but he also knew there was a possibility of being taken prisoner, an outcome so horrific he simply refused to give it thought.
A voice pulled him from his thoughts, “Detective. When you are ready… you may commence. Please take your time. We need you to be ready. We will largely be unable to affect the outcome of what is soon to take place.”
Fincher’s voice was then heard by General Curtis, “I’m ready.”
Fincher’s body then materialized in front of General Curtis. Curtis and Fincher stood in the middle of a vast, dark cemetery on the outskirts of the capital city. The moon overhead provided the only light, yet Curtis could see the strained and struggling body of Fincher standing before him, hardly recognizable.
Curtis softly said, “Are you sure?”
Fincher grit his teeth as his body trembled but managed to say, “Get. Out. Now. My body is a rubber band of all the ki I have available. If you break my concentration, we fail. If she fails to show soon, we fail.”
Curtis nodded softly and began to back away. Fincher managed a smile, “The good news General, barring those two things… we win.”
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Meanwhile, at Bella Domina, Constance laid on a lush bed as Xenia modeled various dresses for the upcoming wedding.
Xenia walked out in a white cocktail dress which was fashionably sexy, “Before you say it. Yes, I must wear white to her wedding. I want to be the biggest fucking bitch on this planet.”
Constance laughed, “You hate her so.”
Xenia smiled back at Constance through a mirror which she admired her dress in, “Oh, I really do. Her family and my family always have. And here we are. Me. The last BloodStar. Her. The last Sage.”
Constance raised her eyebrows, “The final showdown?”
Xenia turned around to face Constance, “It’s a wedding Constance! How could you suggest such a thing?”
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The two girls laughed at one another until Xenia said, “Enough trying on dresses for the night.” Xenia stripped from her dress and promptly changed into her black leather military outfit, “I have a young, obedient toy to pay a visit too.”
“The young Vand? Oh Xenia, that lucky boy.” Constance rolled over in bed and frowned at the thought of Xenia spending her time toying with and torturing anyone but her.
Xenia walked over to the bed and began to crawl onto it; however, her body suddenly came to a complete stop as she donned a serious demeanor.
Constance looked at her, “It’s happening, isn’t it?”
Xenia simply nodded, “I must go. Immediately.”
Constance began to say a swift goodbye; however, even to Constance’s surprise, Xenia had disappeared through a void portal in mere microseconds, “Oh my, she really isn’t messing around. I’ve never seen her like this with her new power. And what power it is.”
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The crunching of fallen leaves could be heard underneath the steps of two black leather boots. Fincher looked up to see Xenia approaching him in her black leather outfit, and he smiled to himself knowing he had finally won.
“An apt choice. Cemetery. Where should I bury you once we’ve had our fun?” Xenia kept walking towards him, “No need to answer just yet. I promise to give you ample time to think it over. You aren’t dying tonight.”
He stood strained and crippled from holding his ki at full power for so long, ready to snap him like a twig at any moment, “You came.”
“I’ve been here. You came.” Xenia continued to walk towards him with a smile on her face, “Did you finally realize the void will eat you alive slower than even I will?”
She walked directly up to him and caressed his cheek, “I know of the void. It’s a harsh place. Void masters can survive but all others simply waste away.” She leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry, I’m going to take great care of you. Promise.”
Fincher began to laugh under the strain of his ki which he held back.
Xenia smiled at him, “You may attack me if you please, but it might put me in a bad mood.” She smirked at him, and he responded with a smile of his own, “It’s not an attack per say. Nonetheless, I think it will put you in a bad mood.”
Xenia raised her hand with an aura of red ki and bloodbent his entire body to her whim; however, as she did, she broke the connection Fincher had with his ki resulting in an unexpected collapse of reality around her.
In less than a second, like rushing water into a submarine, the dimension in which Xenia stood was suddenly flooded with another dimension, the void.
Fincher had not been gathering ki to attack, he had been gathering ki to hold back the void like a damn from rushing in from the portal he had created.
Fincher fell back to the ground huffing and puffing like a slim, skeletal stick with thin arms and legs. He scurried back only stopping to take a look once he had cleared the new dimension he had allowed in.
General Curtis and General Preston rushed from the nearby woods to Fincher’s side, “Did it work?! Did it work?! I don’t see her!”
Fincher was still catching his breath, “It worked! It worked god damnit! She’s trapped in the void!”
Curtis helped him off the ground and Fincher stood with an expression of awe, “She’s stuck! She will waste away! As powerful as she is, it could take months… but there is no hope for her within the void.”
Curtis looked to the spot where Xenia had disappeared from, “Can you see her? What is she doing?”
Fincher shook his head, “No. All of my ki is bound to keeping that portal closed. Unless and until I open that portal… I’m just a human. No special powers.”
Curtis smiled down at him, “Imagine that. The great Xenia BloodStar defeated by just a human.”
The two men smiled at one another until Mallory said, “Sounds too good to be true.”
The men looked to her, and she continued, “We best stay put and keep an eye on things just to be sure.”
Curtis nodded, “A wise precaution. Fincher take a rest. We will handle this.” He pat Fincher on the shoulder, “You’ve just saved Scorched Shadow. And likely the world as well.”
Fincher smiled and nodded with his breath finally returning to him. He fell to the ground sitting with his back against a nearby tree. He leaned his head back with a ‘thunk’ against the bark of the tree trunk and closed his eyes whispering to himself, “It’s over. It’s finally over.”
Meanwhile, from within the void, Xenia was eyeing Fincher, Curtis, and Mallory through the translucent void serving as her indefinite prison. She had an eerie calmness to her as she folded her arms and began tapping her finger as she gazed upon them with an evil smile.