Solomon never felt like she was special in all her life. Just a simple cat who wants nothing more than an ordinary life, which is in stark contrast to her current life. On a plane to Spain to take out a cult with a lioness and some agents, all on the wishes of an organisation she is essentially forced to be a part of.
She and Sheila are sitting at the right side of the plane, the lioness sitting by the window. She doesn’t speak to Sheila, who says nothing as well, giving her some time to think. She tries to think of a way to fake her death, figuring that her body would dissolve if she did die, if what she’s seen so far is anything to go off of. Maybe find enough liquid and tell Genesis to help her with it? Then she could move to a different country and just be forgotten. That would keep everyone safe, hopefully. A believable way for her death, however… An unfortunate circumstance is all she needs. Accidents happen after all, don’t they?
Following that note, she wonders what might happen to other Mystic Ones upon their death, like Dark Ones and Bright Ones. A rather morbid thought that she doesn’t entertain for long.
What’s important is for her to get out of there, preferably with no witnesses. Then she really would have no choice but to let the ancient skeleton inside her handle things. She has only had to use her power on someone directly once, and she would rather keep it that way. “Although… If he does it for me…”
“So why did you pick me?” Sheila asks after about half an hour on the plane, startling Solomon slightly.
“It was on Ludwig’s orders.” The cat keeps up her lie.
“You can drop the act.” Says the lioness in an uncharacteristically calm manner. “He told me that you picked me. But why? You just met me back there. Why not Benedict or one of the other guys who would go with your power more?”
Solomon pauses, trying to come up with a lie that she hopes Sheila would believe better. It all came to her on a whim and the suggestion of an ageless being whose panic she currently feels.
“Your fire. It looks so intense… I felt like it would help me out more than wind, steam, or water.” She manages to say. Having said it, she does wonder why her fire covers so much more of her arm than what she’s seen before.
“Oh, wait ‘til you see it in action.” The lioness responds with a slight smile and a proud look. “I don’t like the old man, but he did promote me. I’m twice the Blazing One that most are.” She holds out her arm, allowing it to be seen by Solomon.
“I was told that it’s bad for the psyche if the same type is…” She takes a moment to think. “What was the phrase? Spliced?”
Sheila nods.
“That’s true. But having two has no side effects that we could find. No significant ones, anyway.” She looks out the window, admiring the view as she talks. “And you… Acid One.” Solomon shudders at the sound of that. “How does it feel?”
“What do you mean?” She looks back at her, perplexed.
“You’re the Acid One. Rumoured to be just a legend… How does it feel to have all that power?” Sheila finally turns to face her.
Solomon looks down at her hands and senses Genesis feeling a mix of pride and regret. She doesn’t answer for a few, long moments. She has yet to feel its power, but she has certainly felt the consequences of having it. Experiencing the power through someone else performing it can’t be the same.
“It’s not as exhilarating as you think.” She states after a short while. “It caused me more trouble than good so far.”
“Really?” Sheila says with a frown. ”Do you have any idea what certain people would do for that power? It is… Monstrous.”
“Maybe under someone else’s control, it is.”
Solomon sighs, the lioness doesn’t push the subject.
“Why do you call Ludwig “old man” anyway?” She asks after a few minutes.
Sheila chuckles softly.
“He’s certainly older than he looks. He’s 87.” She informs Solomon, who in turn looks at her incredulously.
“87? How?”
“He’s True Metal.” The lioness explains. “Slower ageing just comes with it, apparently. And he wonders why we think his methods are outdated…”
“Why are you sharing that with me so casually?!” She questions.
“I don’t think there’s a reason to hide it from you. I think a new leader for us has been due for a while now anyway.” She says with a sly smile.
Solomon takes a few minutes to take in that information. 87? That’s just absurd. But it does explain his occasional… No, terribly common grumpy old man behaviour. She wonders who could even be a new leader for them.
She takes one long glance at the lioness. Despite everything she said, she still agreed to go on a mission with someone she apparently dislikes.
“If you don’t mind me asking…” Says Solomon. “What happened at Lion’s Den?” Sheila looks at her with her one good eye. In it, Solomon sees anger.
“Your former colleagues killed eleven people.” She says softly and coldly. “There’s nothing more to it. Why are you so interested in that?”
“It’s been so long since I’ve heard from them. Did they make it?” She asks in a concerned tone.
Sheila chuckles. Not the response Solomon expected at all.
“Listen, if you have to know, I’ll tell you.” She begins to say and takes a deep breath. “We were keeping up our front until the old priest guy mentioned a small investigation company. We looked into it, Bird’s Eye came up. We saw that Johannes Adelar works there and that’s why Ludwig sent the others over there.”
“He knows Adelar?” Solomon cuts in.
“You asked about Lion’s Den, that’s all I’m willing to tell.”
The cat nods in acceptance. Sheila grins before continuing.
“Later, he left the room to answer his phone. He called that…” Sheila pauses for a brief moment to think. “Honestly just strange wolf out as well. That’s when all hell broke loose. Someone informed them that you were missing.”
“Always so quick to act…” Solomon sighs softly.
Sheila rolls her eye.
“Anyway… They accused the whole org of kidnapping you. They were just there to look around, so that took us by surprise as well.” She’s beginning to look more annoyed than upset. “Then that idiot… Harper tried to use his magic on them. A nasty combination, dark with fire. Basically, fire that doesn’t damage anything but still hurts. Unfortunately for him, one of yours is a Bright One and since he was part Dark One... He didn’t last long against that light.” The lioness’ expression turns sombre.
“The guards were called, the staff tried to fight them, but they had no chance against an Electric and a Frost One. A water dispenser got knocked over during the scuffle, dousing the floor at the entrance.” She holds out her orange-covered arm, looking at it intently. She then holds a hand over her eyepatch.
“I was about to get her… I really was. Then she pulled out a god-damn sword and slashed me across the eye.”
Solomon winces at the thought of that.
“When the guards arrived, they stood at the doorway. In the same puddle the wolf did.” She pauses and scoffs. “She didn’t even hesitate… I got out while I still could. My flames are powerful, but a Frost One can still put them out quite easily.”
Solomon feels rather shocked to hear the story in its entirety. She can’t imagine what she would have done if she was there. “Dark Ones can’t be healed by Bright Ones then…”
“Why were only three invited?” She asks after taking a moment to let it all sink in.
“There are four people stationed in the main room. The front is an investment company, so it’s some psychological thing about being outnumbered or whatever.”
“Right.” Solomon nods. “That checks out.”
“I’d hate being unable to feel the soothing warmth of Bright Ones.” Sheila remarks. “Light magic is extremely important, which is why we can’t let some cult take more of it.”
The two do not converse for the rest of the flight. Solomon expected the plane to land in a larger city, instead they land close to a small settlement by an expansive forest. “Must be another private landing zone. Just how much money does Ludwig have?”
“The clergyman told us that this is as close as he’ll bring us. We’ll see about that.” Says one of the agents as they escort Sheila and Solomon, four of them are equipped with radios. They are brought to a shack in the woods where two owl agents are keeping Antonio safe. The old reverend is sitting in a wooden chair, looking rather nervous, wearing a cassock.
“Alright, your “holiness”. Show us where they are.” Sheila demands.
Antonio shakes his head and hands vigorously, clearly not liking the idea.
“No! I can’t! He… HE will kill me if I do that!” He exclaims, panicked.
Solomon would feel bad for him if it wasn’t for the things Durazo told her.
“Tsk tsk.” Says the lioness. “Your chances are better with us. We have two Mystic Ones and eight agents with weapons.”
Antonio whimpers.
“You don’t understand… He is far, far, FAR, beyond what you can imagine!” He says, grasping at his face.
Sheila powers up her magic, her arm bursting into bright orange flames, causing Antonio to yelp.
“I’m here right now. I could kill you here for sure or give you a chance to escape when we’re there.”
The clergyman pants as he looks at the flames. Solomon senses overwhelming fear coming from Genesis. “I’m not so sure splicing even once is good for the mind.”
“Fine, fine… But don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.” Antonio says as he falls to his knees. The two agents who were stationed with him help him stand up.
“It doesn’t matter what “he” is, we have “the” Acid One!” Sheila glances at Solomon, rather agreeable.
Antonio leads them deeper and deeper into the woods. Some agents and Sheila alike try to question Antonio further on the Lightborn, but he refuses to answer. Sheila even threatens to have Solomon burn a hole in his body if he refuses, much to the cat’s displeasure, Antonio, however, still won’t say a word. “What could they possibly do to him that’s worse than death by acid?” Sheila doesn’t follow through with the plan. She may be annoyed by the lack of information he provides, but he is too important for the mission. Every time, he pleads with them to turn back.
Solomon feels like they are just walking in circles, wondering how far into the woods could whatever they are looking for be. Antonio’s age doesn’t help either, the journey certainly feels significantly slower because of him.
“How much longer, Antonio?” Sheila asks after what feels like hours of walking. Although likely less than half the distance travelled as a result of having to bring Antonio.
“Halfway… There…” Says the bloodhound, out of breath.
Solomon attempts to question him without threats and the like, but it doesn’t work either. The clergyman refuses to say anything of value. However, she does get one of her questions answered in a way. That question being about how many cultists are there. “More than you.” is all she gets as an answer.
Eventually, Solomon spots something in the distance. Antonio also notices it and shudders, pointing in the direction.
“There…”
Two agents rush ahead to check out what it could be.
“It’s a castle.” One of them says through the radio. “No one’s outside.”
The rest of them approach, Antonio stops in his tracks, shivering.
“This is as close as I can come…” He says in a weak voice.
“That’s too bad, you’re coming with us in there, in case we need some leverage.” Sheila responds and drags him closer. He resists at first, but stops at the sight of her other, flaming arm.
They walk close enough to see the entire stone structure in the middle of a clearing, close to a river. It is massive, and could easily house hundreds of people. Solomon feels a pit in her stomach. In spite of the castle’s sheer size, she hopes that the cult is small, so that the mission will go easily, and she doesn’t have to use her power on too many people.
“So what now?” Solomon asks, which earns her a questioning look from Sheila.
“Ludwig wants it destroyed, but it may just be a bit too big for you. So we’re going in.” She states as if it’s the easiest thing in the world.
“Please… You can still turn back.” Says Antonio. Sheila slaps him in response.
Solomon looks at the castle. “From one big building to another…” There is a bastion at each of its four corners with many more small towers at different elevations. “I’m a cat, I can climb pretty well. Not to mention…”
“I may just have figured out how we’ll get in.”
With the sun at its highest point, the eleven of them approach the castle. No guards, no alarms, no lookouts. Solomon finds that highly suspicious.
They stop by the eastern wall, Solomon sees Sheila typing something on her phone. She then looks up at one of the bastions. “This is such a bad idea…” She places her hands on the wall and powers up her magic, burning holes into the stone one higher than the previous, forming a rudimentary ladder.
“My oh my. Good thinking, Solomon.” Sheila remarks as the cat climbs up the wall using the holes she burns, powering down to get a grip every time.
One small step at a time, she climbs up far enough to look into one of the bastions through the window. No one seems to be in the room it leads to, so she signals for the others to follow. Sheila comes up first after saying something Solomon can’t quite hear to the others.
“This could be an opportunity…” If she were to “fall down” at some point, she could burn a vaguely Solomon-sized hole into the grass. Maybe that could trick them into thinking she died.
She looks around the room. It is remarkably empty and clean, all things considered, nothing but a desk and an odd lantern in there. There isn’t even a pen or a piece of paper. The lantern… Its light looks off. Too bright, too white. There are two doors that lead to the room, one being a trapdoor. She stands on the latter to make sure no one catches her by surprise from that direction. She may be light and slim, but she figures she could weigh it down enough.
Soon, Sheila and three agents make it up to the top of the bastion, a hyena, a lizard, and a rabbit. The two owls stay down, presumably to keep Antonio from leaving, three more await Sheila’s orders with them.
“Excellent.” The lioness says, immediately approaching the door. She looks through the keyhole and opens it. She peeks through and gestures to them to follow. Solomon exits the bastion last, finding herself in a long hallway, doors all over on the right side, all open. Sheila and the agents peer into the rooms, all containing bunk beds, but otherwise empty. “Maybe it’s as empty as I hoped.”
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“The coast is clear so far. Three more should come in, keep your radios on at all times.” Sheila says into her radio.
One door leads to a catwalk that looks over what Solomon guesses is a place where people would eat, empty as well. Every room, every corridor, they all look spotless, much cleaner than an old castle should ever be. She can’t help but notice the lanterns as well. They all look so weird… Too bright.
After walking down a set of stairs, the path branches out in three directions. Sheila orders the agents to look around. Two canines and a rabbit go through a wooden door, a feline and the lizard go down a corridor. Solomon, Sheila, and the hyena go in yet another direction. Solomon cannot fathom just how clean the entire castle has been so far. Not a speck of dust, not even on windowsills.
“We seem to be in some sort of dungeon, sir.” Says a voice through the radio.
“Elaborate?” Sheila responds after checking a room.
“Prison cells…” Says the agent and pauses. “Most are empty.” He says in a shaky voice.
“Pull yourself together, Will. Give me a full report.” Sheila responds in an irritated tone.
“As I said, mostly em-.” He holds back a shriek. “Sir… That’s Carter. I’m sure of it.”
“You can’t be serious!” Says the lioness, Solomon can see that she is rather upset. “Carter? This is what happened to him?” She looks at the cat, who is clearly a bit confused. “Carter was a Bright One, he went missing two months ago.” She explains.
“He isn’t responding, sir.” Says Will. “He’s… Not in the best of conditions.”
“Get him to talk, one way or another!” Sheila orders.
They continue exploring, going through the labyrinthian castle, hearing the attempts to get Carter to talk. Every single room, desk, decoration, frame, everything is clean. Solomon now finds that unnerving. Castles aren’t so clean by themselves, even if this one looks to have some more modern elements. One room leads into a bathroom, the only place that doesn’t have those lanterns so far. It’s as if it was taken from a regular building and put there. Spotless, of course.
“Found them, sir.” Says another, extremely concerned voice through the radio.
“How many, Calhoun?” Sheila asks, calmly.
“So many… Must be at least a hundred!” He replies, voice becoming softer. “And none of them are moving. They’re all looking at…” He stops talking completely.
“Calhoun?” Sheila asks, but there is no response. “Calhoun? Angelica?” No voice is heard from the radio for a few, long moments. Solomon can tell that Sheila and the other agent with them are starting to get rather anxious, much like her. “A hundred? A hundred?!”
“It’s so beautiful…” Calhoun finally says. Sheila attempts to get him to answer along with Will, but he doesn’t respond to either.
“Who are you?” A new voice is heard from the radio.
“Carter! It’s me, Simon!” Says one of the agents. “We could take…” He stops abruptly.
“Simon?” Sheila speaks into the radio. “What is it?”
“What have they done to you?!” Simon’s voice is heard.
“I have seen… Perfection.” Says Carter, wheezing. “I’ve seen the light. I’ve no more need for them. Come, revel in perfection.” He says in a serene voice.
Just then, the lanterns suddenly become much dimmer. Solomon isn’t the only one to notice that. Sheila and the agent all look around, they can all tell that the lanterns changed.
“Sir!” Calhoun screams out, which is followed by a cacophony of voices erupting from the radio. Screams and shouts are heard, followed by a crack in the end. The radio is broken, but the voices don’t stop, they are only quieter, echoing through the walls of the castle.
Solomon looks at Sheila, wide-eyed.
“That’s it.” Sheila exclaims. “We’re getting out of here. The old man can handle this himself if he wants them gone so bad.”
“Soon you will join us.” Carter states, Sheila is getting visibly upset with his blathering.
“Sir…” Says Will, frightened. “Jackie came with us, right?” He asks.
“Yes, she did.” Sheila answers, trying to keep her composure.
“She’s not here.” Will’s voice trembles as the other agent tries to reassure Carter that they will rescue him.
“What do you mean?” Sheila demands.
Before the agent could answer, a groan is heard through the radio coming from the agent who was talking to Carter.
“No!” Will shouts, followed by two gunshots. “Where did you come fro-'' His voice is cut off by a grunt of pain, then a thump.
“Do not resist the light.” Carter says before the radio is turned off.
“This is bad…” Sheila says to a deeply afraid Solomon. She could burn a hole through the wall… It looks too thick to melt before they are found.
They run through the halls, turning corner after corner, trying to follow the way they came from until they see the door leading to the bastion, the sound of the cult looking for them growing ever louder. “This can’t be happening! How was I ever supposed to take care of all of them?”
The door then swings open, all kinds of species in white robes wielding daggers and blunt objects run out. Sheila holds out her arm, a long tongue of flame erupts from it, holding back the cultists from advancing. The agent fires off a couple shots, hitting a canine in the shoulder and a feline in the stomach. As a result of that, he has daggers thrown at him. One hits him in the leg, another in the chest. He kneels down on the floor and coughs up blood.
Solomon’s heart races, Genesis tries to distract her with a sense of calm, but it doesn’t work. “I can’t replicate what he did!”
“We must retreat!” Says Sheila, backing away, the cultists advancing just out of the reach of her flame. There isn’t a trace of fear in their eyes.
Solomon goes to help the agent, but a candelabra hits him in the head. He collapses onto the floor.
Sheila backs away, her flames keeping the cultists at bay for now. She ducks just in time to avoid a dagger that’s thrown at her.
“We have to do it then…” Says Solomon, staying behind Sheila as they back away from the crowd of cultists. She holds out her hands, acid drips from it. At the very least, she can try, more for her own safety than on Ludwig’s request. She is about to let Genesis do whatever destruction he can manage when she notices someone and her heart all but stops.
“What are you waiting for?” Sheila asks, but the cat does not respond.
A figure emerges from the mass of people. A figure Solomon hasn’t seen for quite a while, but could never forget despite her efforts. She puts a hand on her chest over her racing heart, gasping for air as she looks at him. It’s the white bat with crimson markings. Unlike the cultists, he is wearing a white shirt and trousers. He displays his vein-like markings proudly, along with the small, pristine, membranous wings attached to the forearms, typical of bats. Useless for actual flight, however. He touches the wounds on the canine and the feline, his markings light up, and he pulls out a bit of blood from them. The wounds close, leaving slight scars as the bat shapes the blood into a solid blade.
“Solomon?” Sheila asks, briefly turning to look at her. “Do something!”
The bat breaks into a sprint, his red eyes staring into Solomon’s very soul. She’s overcome with terror, sheer, primal fear as images of her memories with the bat flood her mind. “I need to be reasonable, just let Genesis do it, he can fix it, he will…”
Unable to bring herself to do anything, she abandons Sheila and runs down the stairs, turning in different directions than before, her heart thumping harder and harder in her chest. She hears the sound of flames which is soon extinguished by the rabble of people. “I’m… So sorry, Sheila.”
She sees cultists run around a corner from the right, she turns left, barely escaping a swipe of claws. The sound of the rabble grows softer as she eventually finds herself in a massive hall, figuring that this is where they all must have come from.
Solomon feels like she travelled back in time a few centuries. Lanterns of bright, white light illuminate the hall. The interior sure is impressive, paintings, suits of armour, fancy chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, a similar white light coming from them. A sizable, wooden double door stands closed, she figures it must be the entrance. She is standing on some sort of a wide, stone podium, elevated by only a few steps.
Something else catches her attention, however. Sat upon a white, marble throne, a fox, completely white, save for his pale pink nose and soles, wearing a white robe similar to the cultists. It hangs open on him loosely, his shoulders not covered, a long loincloth over his front. His body is slim, tall, lanky, looking almost fragile. His right elbow is on an armrest, supporting his head with a bored expression. His eyes, they seem to be glowing white, looking in her direction, unmoving, not saying anything.
“You are not WORTHY to be in HIS presence!” The voice of the bat says from behind Solomon. She quickly turns and steps backwards. The bat is making a mad dash towards her with a red blade in his hand, markings glowing. There’s no way she can open that door by herself in time, running won’t do her any good with this many cultists in the castle either. She has to fight him to have a chance at escaping.
Solomon powers up her magic, acid drips from her hands. She takes a defensive stance, hoping for this to be over soon. Upon seeing that, the bat stops in his tracks and smirks.
“So we meet for the third time.” He says and pulls on the blade, which gets longer as a result. “We always seem to meet in such unfortunate situations… Don’t we?” He lunges forward and thrusts with the blade, now much longer than it was. It pierces Solomon’s left arm. With a yelp, she grasps the blade with her other arms, causing it to dissolve partially. He pulls it back, the tip falling out from her arm, hitting the floor with a splatter. Her wound bleeds profusely, practically pouring out. “It was just a little stab, why is it bleeding so much?”
“Yes! Bleed! Bleed for our Lord!” He touches the burned tip of the blade and fashions it into a sharp edge.
Solomon feels dismay from Genesis as her hands tingle, she looks down at her markings, panicked.
“I need your help…” She says directly to her hands.
The bat pauses with a confused look, then glances over at the fox, who shrugs as a response. The bat then shakes his head and lunges forward on again, slashing Solomon in the stomach. With a short cry from the sharp pain, she recoils and grasps at her wound. Genesis is practically begging her to let him do something. “I have to… He has to.”
Finally, she gives in and lets Genesis take over her hands. He reaches out with her right hand, palm facing the ceiling. Acid collects in her hand quickly, and to her surprise, starts rising up. The bat takes a few steps back from her, the fox looking curiously at what’s about to unfold.
The acid rises higher and higher, a tendril forming into the shape of a spiral coming from her hand. She watches in awe at what he makes her do.
“What in the…” Says the bat, gasping in realisation. The spiral then shoots towards him, keeping its properties as it’s still connected to Solomon’s hand. It hits him in the torso, which results in him falling to the ground, screaming, drowning out the sound of sizzling flesh.
Solomon takes control of her hand and powers down her magic, terrified at what Genesis can make her do. The bat lies on the floor face down, reaching towards Solomon one last time before his body goes limp.
Solomon falls to her knees, having lost a lot of blood. “Even if I had no choice, this power… It’s so terrifyingly cruel.” She will have so many questions to Genesis once all of this is over… And if she survives. She takes a little solace in the fact that it technically wasn’t her that did this. But at the same time… This was it? This is all the person she was so afraid of is? “I guess he really is just a person after all…”
Clap. Clap. Clap. Solomon looks at the fox, now standing. He’s even taller than she thought, she guesses he must be over two metres in height. He is clapping slowly, looking rather impressed.
“Bravo!” He says in a voice that can only be described as sublime and majestic. He walks over to the bat as he claps. “You put on quite the spectacular performance.” He reaches down and touches the bat. White light envelops him and after a few seconds, he quickly stands up and goes to a wall, looking at Solomon in terror. Where his body should be no more than a melted mess, it is pristine, as if her acid never came into contact with him in the first place.
The fox stands up and walks over to Solomon, who now notices that she is no longer bleeding. At least not to that extent. He towers over her as she looks up at him.
“Wh-who are you?” Solomon asks, heaving, not daring to use her magic on him. If he could undo the damage she and Genesis did to the bat, he could surely do the same with himself.
“I am the God which people need.” The fox says matter-of-factly with a warm smile, which is contrasted by his glowing eyes. No iris, no pupil can be seen, they are all white. He crouches down to her level and takes her hand in his. Genesis practically screams at her to try to let him end this, but she figures it to be too risky. She notices that the rumbling of voices throughout the castle stopped.
The fox traces a finger along Solomon’s spiral marking.
“Fascinating.” He says and gently grips her hand, the same white light washes over her body. The feeling is unlike anything she’s ever experienced, if Durazo’s light is soothing, this light is downright divine, the very definition of euphoria. After a few seconds, she sees that her wounds are healed. “This would have taken Father at least two hours! How is this possible?”
“Why?” The bat yells out. “Why did you do that, Your Radiance?”
The fox’s smile turns to a slight frown as he turns his head to look at the bat.
“Do not. Question me.” He then turns back to Solomon, who is now in tears. “What are they going to do to me?”
“Why did you come here?” The fox questions. Solomon is still trying to take in what she’s seen today. Why did she come here? “Because a madman thought that I could slaughter all these people because of a book and a legend. I have to survive, whatever it takes.”
She prostrates herself before the fox, weeping.
“I’m sorry!” She pleads. “I never wanted this… I apologise for trespassing on your sacred territory! Please… Please spare me, Radiant One!” She manages to say through tears.
She feels the fox touch her chin. She looks up to see an, all things considered, friendly smile on his face.
“I could forgive such transgressions.” He says, gesturing to her to stand up, which she does.
“Luxor!” Says the bat. “Did you not see what she-”
“Haemon.” The fox cuts off the bat without turning to face him. “Tell me, did I request your advice?”
“No, Your Radiance…” He responds, fearfully. Solomon is rather taken aback by the whole conversation. She hoped never to see that bat again, but she may have just found someone much worse. “Haemon and Luxor… Putting a name to the person makes it a little better. But not too much.”
“Then why did you give your advice anyway?” Says the fox. Even though he’s kneeling, he is as tall as Solomon standing.
“I apologise!” Says Haemon. “I didn’t mean to insult you, Your Luminosity!”
Luxor shakes his head.
“Next time, do not question my judgement.” The fox’s smile returns as he looks the cat in the eye. “As I was about to say before I was RUDELY interrupted…” Solomon is startled by the sudden raising of his voice. “I could forgive you. It takes power to beat my right-hand man so easily. We could find a use for you.” He states, holding her hands.
“Out of the pan, into the fire…” But what choice does she have? She can’t just go back to Ludwig. Not after such a tremendous failure, which is really more his fault for being so overconfident, but she can’t do that. “Maybe I could hide here for the time being…”
“Oh, merciful Luxor! I am most grateful for your forgiveness!” She says, wiping a tear from her cheek. She’s never been a good liar, but it seems enough for the fox to believe her.
Luxor stands up.
“Follow me.” He commands and shoots a glare at the bat, which turns to a smile. “I will not hold this against you, my faithful believer.”
Haemon’s look of terror fades slightly as he nods.
The double door at the other side of the hall swings open, the remaining two owl agents drag in Antonio, holding a gun to his head.
“Hand over the cat!” Says one of them. “Or we’ll kill him right here and now!”
Luxor eyes the agents with a bored expression. “Go ahead.” He states calmly, causing Antonio to yelp.
The two agents throw the clergyman to the side and aim at Luxor. Five shots are fired, two hit him in the chest as Solomon backs away from their target. The white fox falls to the floor, motionless.
“Luxor!” Cries the bat, drawing blood from his palm. He seemingly pulls out a long, crimson spear from the wound.
The agents aim at Haemon, Solomon stands aside to avoid getting shot by accident.
To her and the agents’ surprise, the fox then puts up a palm in the bat’s direction, signalling for him to stop.
His wounds glow with a white light, the bullets are pushed out of his body and the holes close. He sits up, a patronising frown in his expression.
“I have to commend the effort. But you are-” He begins to say, Antonio covers his ears as the agents shoot at the fox until their guns emit but a click. Luxor recoils from the shots, but stays sitting upright. The holes glow as they close, the bullets falling to the ground with soft clangs that sound louder than the gunshots in the silence that follows. He stands up, what was a slight frown is now a look of severe disappointment.
“Okay. Now I’m mad.” He stretches out his right arm, pointing at them with his index and middle finger spread apart. A thin beam of radiant, white light shoots out from each of the two fingers, surrounding the agents. Unlike the light he used to heal, these beams almost hurt to look at. Scorch marks are visible on the stone wall where the light touches it.
Without another word, the fox then closes his fingers.
The agents try to duck in an attempt to avoid the beams, but their efforts prove futile. The light slices through their flesh, beheading them on the spot.
Solomon is increasingly grateful for trusting her instinct not to attack him. She feels a mix of panic and regret from Genesis, who is likely realising that if she listened to him, their situation would be much worse. Her mind races as she notices something on the floor: those symbols… They are the same as the ones back in The System facility where they tried to take her power.
Antonio rushes to Luxor.
“O, Radiant One!” He shouts as he bows down before him. “You saved me from those savages! I am so-”
“You betrayed me, Antonio.” Says the fox, Haemon now standing beside him.
“No!” He argues, now afraid. “I would never do that!”
“You are telling me that a group of intruders showed up at my home and you just happened to be with them?” Says Luxor, crossing his arms. “I can forgive many sins, but leading HERETICS here and lying to my face?” He shakes his head slowly, looking more disappointed than angry. Then again, Solomon finds it hard to tell what he’s thinking exactly behind those shining white eyes.
“What must I do to forgive me, O, Lord!” The bloodhound pleads. “Ironic.”
The fox pauses for a moment before making a slight smile.
“You lead them here.” He then looks at Solomon. “And you intruded here.” He gestures to them to come closer. “Earn your forgiveness, entertain me. Duel, whoever wins will have all their crimes against me forgiven.”
Solomon shakes her head.
“Duel? That doesn’t-” Antonio wastes no time and lands a left hook on her face, not a hint of regret or remorse in his eyes. She feels rage rise within her, whether it’s hers of Genesis’, she isn’t entirely sure.
“Quel salaud!” She shouts as she bares her claws and slashes at him.
“You’re not worthy… The people, they need me!” Says Antonio. Solomon feels personally insulted on Durazo’s behalf. “No… This is where it ends for you.”
“Need you?” She says, retracting her claws. “Need you? You are supposed to be a person the people can trust, yet you exploit them!” She cries out, Antonio steps back, surprised.
“My business is mine alone! Who even are you?!” He yells with bloodshot eyes, growling.
”Who am I?” Says the cat as her markings light up. “My name is Roxanne Solomon. I may just be the only living Acid One currently. History and legends alike spoke of us as selfish, greedy, and deceitful, only ever caring about ourselves.” She starts walking over to a now panicked-looking Antonio, feeling a sense of pride coming from Genesis.
“But what I’m about to do, I’m not doing for myself.” She looks at her dripping hands and clenches her fists. “No, I’m doing it for the greatest Bright One I have ever known. I may not have known him for too long, but I can tell that he is a living example of what people like you should be.”
Luxor looks exceedingly flattered by her words.
“He inspires me, he is just, and he could once call you a friend, but you didn’t care about that.”
The white fox looks at the two of them in anticipation. Solomon feels her hand tingle.
“I am your comeuppance for wronging this great man. Go to hell.” She lets Genesis take over, spiral-shaped acid tendril forms in her hand.
“Wh-what is that?” The clergyman asks in a panic. Solomon closes her eyes as the tendril shoots forward and wraps itself around his abdomen. His yells do not last long as he is bisected by the corrosive tendril.
Solomon powers down her magic as she takes back control, turning away from what must be a rather grizzly sight, and opens her eyes to see a terribly satisfied-looking Luxor and a terrified bat. The same bat that would have been in her nightmares if her dreams had the chance to be any different.
The white fox briefly applauds her, which the bat joins in on, likely to appease him further. “Your sins are hereby forgiven.”