Escape

Bartimaeus stood weakly on the cloud. His hobbled knees quaking slightly. I was unable to tell whether it was due to anticipation or fear. Perhaps both? Soon after he had begun his lecture on magic, explaining the profundities which lay therein, he came to realise I held an affinity for magic with rivalled the Gods themselves. More specifically, mana containing dark essence was drawn to me like flies on shit.

As Bartimaeus lectured I understood many things which I had previously questioned, such as, how a skeletal body animates itself, especially in a way that surpasses the flexibility of the human body. The answer was simple as always, magic. The explanation, however, was far more complex. To show me how my body operated, Bartimaeus moved within a foot of me and in doing so, my bones clattered to the floor in a heap. This was especially disconcerting considering there was no floor in a room filled with clouds.

What this proved was that magical strands hugged my body, as when Bartimaeus approached they fled. He explained why the mana flees from him half-heartedly laughing and saying, "probably because I smell bad." There was something mysterious about the old man, he always had a tugging at the corner of his lips, that small smirk leading me to believe he always knew something I didn't.

Upon comprehending how my body moved, I started to notice the strands inside my bones, their construct being far more complex than ligaments and tendons. To compare my body to a human's is like comparing children's finger-paintings to the Mona Lisa. By combining my prior knowledge of controlling mana and the subconscious manipulation of my body, I could utilise strength which would cause the human body to disintegrate. I jumped from cloud to cloud with solely physical strength, the finesse to do so coming naturally to me.

Once I had mastered the physical aspect of my magical body, I asked the sage-like Bartimaeus about 'casting'. The old man paused momentarily, exhaling deeply, a flicker of light shining from under his eyelids as he explained.

"The human body is a vessel in an ocean. The ocean is the mana in the air. The vessel must keep the water out to prevent it from sinking. But the ship must still move, whether it's through the sails, or the oars the vessel moves through the water to serve its purpose. A mage, however, is different. The mage's purpose is to be submerged in this water, regardless of reasoning, they do so. By allowing the water into their bodies they can grasp the feel of it, understand how to move it and gain an affinity to it, their bodies are refined by it and become 'magical'."

The old man paused and looked at me deeply, opening his eyes filled with golden light.

"You, however, are another matter entirely. In the same analogy, you would be a shark. Born in the water, you control it subconsciously and with ease, as you grow feeding on other beings in the waters you will gain the strength to shift the tides themselves."

'Feed on other beings in the waters.'

I repeated this internally before a sudden realisation.

"Could you be referring to the ability to evolve?"

Bartimaeus closed his eyes, grasping his walking stick as he nodded solemnly.

"Indeed, as a magical being you seek perfection, your body will improve its functionality in any way possible. There are not many like you, Subere."

It seemed like the best way to grow stronger was by killing the strong.

"Any more questions?"

"No, thank you for your time Bartimaeus."

"My pleasure, but there is a matter which you may be interested in."

My interest piqued, I listened intently.

"In the coming days The Order will be sending emissaries out to the mortal world. This is to supress the seven deadly plagues. Perhaps your holiness would like to explore the world above?"

Bartimaeus revealed a cunning smile. One which made me wary of the offer, but it was a proposition

I couldn't reject.

"How long until we leave?"

"How long would you like?"

"I would like to leave as soon as possible."

"As I thought, you must leave tonight. Lionel will be waiting for you, do not allow him to go to the surface. The emissary will be waiting for you. From there you will depart to the Eventide Kingdom."

I nodded in thanks, a bit confused by the old beggars seriousness towards preventing Lionel from going to the surface, but there were many things I was confused by.

Saying my goodbyes, Bartimaeus' decrepit hand grasped my shoulder. He leaned in closer and closer until I could feel his ragged breath on my skull.

"Subere, you must trust no one from The Order, things are not as they seem."

The hushed whisper shook me internally. Was Bartimaeus not part of the Order? With my mind racing I exited the room without turning back, as if nothing was said.

The two old Wizards apologized profusely to me as I passed, stating that they were unaware of my identity as the 'Black Saint'. I cared little for such matters of course, my task at hand was to prepare for the coming journey and find out more about this organization in the meantime.

Outside of the large room I used to spar, Lionel waited patiently in complete silence. Helen was nowhere to be found.

Approaching him I asked, "Where is Helen?"

I found the girl's presence enjoyable, it seemed everyone else in The Order was either crazed or fanatical, maybe they were one in the same.

"Your holiness, the girl is currently repenting."

Despite my suspicions, I decided against delving deeper into the matter, I may want to change my morals, but I was no saint.

"May I ask, are you the girl's father?"

"Indeed, your holiness has insight only inferior to the Gods."

"I have no time for flattery. And my name is Subere."

"Ah, of course your holi- Subere."

Wincing slightly the man tried to smile. He made me very uncomfortable.

"That will be all then, Lionel. I wish to explore the complex by myself."

"No!"

Lionel barked at me. My impression of the man was declining swiftly. Bartimaeus' gravelly voice reverberated around in my hollow skull. I knew something wasn't right, even before he had told me.

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"I mean..." Lionel's vicious expression receded under that wry smile once again, "there is nothing that could interest your holiness in our mundane facility."

"That is for me to decide. And my name is Subere."

I was growing more agitated by the second, and Lionel could tell. His curvaceous wrinkles deepened on his frowning face.

"Actually, I would like you to guide me."

Discovering this man was the girl's father an overwhelming wave of pity struck me. I decided I would leave with the girl.

His face brightened with relief hearing this.

"It would be my plea-"

"Show me where Helen is repenting."

Cutting him off, his pupils shrank, panic clearly setting in.

"I.. I think its best to leave her be."

"Did I ask for your opinion?"

Lionel was pale faced as he said slowly, "Then this way please."

I was constantly aware of my surroundings. As a hitman I had been exposed to many situations similar to this. I took all that I had been told as lies, even Bartimaeus couldn't be trusted. My mana was endlessly swirling around my body, like a crouching tiger, ready to strike at any given moment.

Instead of going further down into the complex, if there was a further down, we went upwards in a cylindrical staircase arriving shortly after on the floor above. Lionel's eyes darted around nervously.

"Here it is Subere. The repentance chambers."

He gestured sheepishly towards a large iron door. It was what you'd imagine a medieval dungeon to look like. I reached out, my gloved and bony hand creaking open the titanic door with relative ease.

'It has to be one to two tonnes heavy at the very least.'

My skeletal body was nothing to be laughed at.

Lionel swallowed hard as the shrill shriek of a man sounded out from within. I knew very well what was going on the moment I saw the door. Ignoring Lionel, I stepped into the dungeon, many familiar contraptions fell into view. Judas cradle, chair of torture, the rack, brazen bull. Even a Chinese Iron Maiden. Clearly whoever ran this place was a man of culture, although I try not to remember my days as an interrogator.

As I headed deeper, many heinous scenes greeted me. This was The Order I knew. Now that the beast was staring me in the face, I felt far more at ease. There was nothing else more horrifying than people who hid maleficent intents.

Lionel had long fled the place, but I cared little, I felt Helens weak presence further in.

'What a sadistic fuck.'

Finding Helen, my anger reached its limit. Torturing a stranger for information was by no means justified, but pointlessly harming your own daughter was evil.

She lay at the bottom of a grimy cell. Her white dress that was stained with the blue liquid she brought to me was now ridden with filth and fresh blood. It was torn in places, revealing ghastly lacerations and bruises on her arms and legs. Her long blonde hair covered her face as she slumped over, chained by her wrists.

As I willed it, my mana ripped apart the bars of the cell, I stepped in flicking her shackles which instantly snapped. I created a long robe and ensured no part of my body would touch the girl, cradling her in my arms as I slogged out of the dungeon.

Swiftly reaching the exit, I found the iron door locked shut. Voices and footsteps were muffled by the thickness of it, but I could tell they were all panicked.

*Bang*

Kicking the door, it flew off its hinges, crushing an unlucky passer-by. The large hallways were swarming with cloaked figures, who were formerly nowhere to be found. Lionel was unsurprisingly at the forefront, clearly shaken seeing me emerge so quickly with Helen in tow.

The figures gathered themselves without need of command, a flurry of attacks forming in the air.

With the mana being siphoned from the air I responded unhesitatingly. The attacks reached a crescendo in power, a power which caused the complex to tremble, no doubt alerting even more of The Order's members. Hundreds of Magi cast their most powerful spells, the storm of lights causing the girl to awaken.

She looked up at me from my arms, her swollen and bruised face displaying only sorrow. Those eyes, were like hers, my big sisters. In that moment deep in my empty sockets, a golden light flared. The horns protruding from my skull grew active, sparks flew from within them. These sparks igniting my anger and deep within my heart, the bloodlust I had locked away broke free.

Swirling out from my soul, golden flames burnt like magma in my hollow sockets and my horns flared. Python in my holster was affected by my bloodlust craving the bittersweet taste of slaughter. I raised my head from looking at Helens disfigured face to glare at the crowd of Order members, in particular Lionel.

As our eyes met, the mana in the air reacted, becoming erratic. My gaze itself turned into an attack and before Lionel could react his eyes imploded into a stream of blood down his cheeks. His cry of anguish rang out amongst the crowd of Order. The magical attacks were set into motion flying towards me.

The attacks took on a vast array of forms. Hammers, swords, halberds, flames, tornados, arcs of lightning, even vicious and snarling beasts were sent forth. Once again, sensing the danger my mind took a backseat and my body acted by itself responding to the force, my arms launched Helen into the air above. In the same second, my bony hand unholstered Python and a limitless flow of death, darkness and shadow flowed from my soul into the six cylinders of the magnum.

Pulling back the hammer and taking aim my body waited until the attacks were centimetres away.

*Pah*

Five bullets.

The bullet flew through the wall of attacks disintegrating them on an atomic scale. Like masticated food the remnant energy flew to my left hand without resistance. A spark flew from my horns igniting this energy and similar to a gas explosion it rippled back to the casters leaving only Helen and I unscathed.

I jumped up to catch Helen breaking her fall and creating a barrier to protect her from the flames. The familiar sensation from the flames led me to believe that I had undoubtedly inherited them from the Minotaur. The inferno dissipated as my feet hit the ground. Slinging the unconscious girl over my shoulder I surveyed the smouldering remains of the crowd.

None had survived. The black bullet had destroyed both the magi's attacks and defences before coming to a stop, the blaze finishing the job not giving them even a breath to retaliate. No matter how rigorous the training, nothing could drown out overwhelming power.

Not stopping even for a moment, my foot blurred into motion, grey bricks shattering as I shot upwards, pulling back the hammer on Python once more.

*Pah*

Four bullets.

The ceiling above melted and I burst through the shower of rubble and debris onto the next floor. From even a quick glance this floor was universally different from the floors below. Flora and fauna ran free in open aired walls. There was a sun, a blue sky and clouds, but I could tell it was just an illusion.

The flow of mana on this floor was strange, rather than it being in the form of strands, it was gaseous. The strands had been dispersed evenly into the air making it much more difficult to manipulate and cast spells.

Ignoring this I tried to break through the sky once again. Cocking Python I lunged into the air. I sensed movement below me as I was mid-air, not looking down I sent mana through my feet into the creature below.

*Crunch*

"Ack-"

The sound of crumpling metal and the whimper of a man rang out from below.

*Pah*

Three bullets.

The illusion dissipated revealing a cracked ceiling and a shower of dust. As the illusion was broken I spared a glance down to the situation below. A legion of men in silver armour with ivy sprawling over its surface appeared out thin air. There lay, directly below me, a knight with his helmet crumpled like a tin can which was embedded into his torso, blood and brain matter flowing like a runny egg.

Unable to stop moving I flew up onto the next floor.

*Pah*

Two bullets.

*Pah*

One bullet.

When I had climbed a total of five floors I came to a strange desolate metropolis. Giant stone buildings lay in ruins. The remnants of a great civilization scattered. I peered out of my robe up towards the sky. It wasn't a ceiling, it was the night sky. A purple moon rested in the sky, peering back at me. This odd world was uncannily similar but also very much different.

"Could you be, the Black Saint."

The stern voice of a woman sounded from one of the ruined buildings. Sliding Python into its holster I covered my face with my robe. Only people who had met me knew of my body. I held the limp Helen in my arms. She was breathing, but barely. I crouched down, laying Helen in the overgrown grass.

As I willed it, a long silver mask formed in my hands with two loops at the top for my horns. It was the only thing I could think of at the time, which was my hannya mask I used on Earth. Adapting it to my skull, it fit perfectly, hanging from my horns which seemed to be part of my mask. The flames on my horns and in my sockets extinguished.

Finally, I looked up at the woman. She similarly had a mask covering her face. But it was a plain black plate, obviously it was standard issue for Order members. On the mask an eye above the clouds was engraved on the forehead, the tear of blood on the chin. The woman had violet hair poking out from behind the mask, or maybe it was just the moonlight? A long black cloak made her extremely difficult to spot in the darkness of the night, her long slender figure blending from shadow to shadow as she approached.

Standing up, I noticed her eyes glint as she looked at me and the girl.

"I am Subere, the Black Saint. This is Helen, where I go, she goes. You must be the emissary for the Eventide Kingdom?"

"We cannot speak here Subere. The Order will arrive soon. Follow me."

There was a feeling she gave me, this feeling that she was the first person who was genuine to me since arriving in this world.

From inside the ruins, two large creatures which resembled panthers stalked out. They were over three metres long and one metre tall, entirely black in colour and would be invisible in the pitch-black night if it weren't for their bulbous green eyes and saddles on their backs.

The woman swung herself onto the back of the smaller panther-like creature, waving her hand for me to hurry.

I hefted Helen onto the back of the remaining panther before mounting it myself.

The two beasts spurred into motion, we faded into the darkness on our journey escaping from the ruins into a gloomy forest nearby.

And so began my journey in this world.