The following room happened to be a SoL veteran's favourite for having a little fun with the new recruits. A rectangular room containing 3 thermal-imaging cameras fixed to the ceiling in a straight line; slowly rotating on a 120-degree axis, taking exactly 5 seconds per rotation from right to left and vice versa. The first and third cameras are facing towards the entrance I was currently stood behind, whilst camera two was facing in the opposite direction, (towards the exit).
Wrapping my fingers carefully around the handle of the door; I allowed my "Veil of Darkness" to inactivate, reason being it's pointless attempting to conceal your presence from an infrared camera, (though a handful of inevitable failures generally overlook this vital piece of information). Furthermore utilising "Phantom Shroud," whilst inactivating "Veil of Darkness," should theoretically allow me some stamina retention, as utilising special magic abilities remains physically taxing upon the human body. Exhaling a few hundred millilitres of air whilst the seconds ticked down towards the nearest minute on my metaphysical mind-clock, (making up names clearly isn't a strong point); I lowered my body slightly, shifting the centre of gravity to an optimum whilst readying myself for movement.
There's a tired old saying you've most likely happened upon at some point during your dreary day-to-day lives: Amongst the elite within a particular profession, time appears to slow or even come to a complete stop during their "performance piece." Subsequently when it comes to the Soldiers of Light, you should consider this saying in literal terms as opposed to being some obscure visual observation. My "Phantom Shroud," has a secondary effect which, (in similar fashion to other members of the SoL), drastically improves certain characteristics including: Strength, speed, movements and spatial awareness. Therefore, the exact moment my metaphysical mind-clock completed 60 seconds, (camera one having returned to its original starting position on the right hand side); I slid the door open and glided into the room, (closing the door behind me), shimmying to the left before immediately strafing to the centre of the room directly beneath camera number 2. Had a non-Artemesia user attempted to watch my coup-de-grace, their perception would have been my afterimage instantaneously shifting between positions; the lightning fast movements enabled by Artemesia far surpassing conceivable human visual recognition.
A weary sigh escaped my lips as the first signs of mental fatigue inevitably began settling in. Once again shifting my centre of gravity to optimum prior to movement; my gaze shifted several times in calculated anticipation between a small area of the wall on the left-hand side and my final destination (the door towards the end of the room). Cameras 2 and 3 would simultaneously perform a half rotation at 2.5 seconds, creating 2 tiny blind-spots on both walls beside myself. A few milliseconds before the 2.5 seconds had elapsed, I hoisted my body to the left and drove my dark-aura imbued sword directly into the wall, allowing my feet to momentarily plant onto the wall before immediately kicking off, (making full use of momentum) in order to land safely underneath camera 3. My stunt-girl background allowing for a sophisticated landing befitting an elegant beauty such as myself.
Inactivating my "Phantom Shroud" with a heavy exhale of breath; the glorious feeling of victory drawing ever nearer with each passing second. My plush lips upturned into a wide and knowing smirk as my hand began its ponderous descent towards the sparkling gold handle of the exit door.
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This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
What… A…. Fucking…. Surprise. As if the entire universe has colluded to conspire against me, I'd somehow managed to get lost within the most secure research facility in the entire Eastern Asia…. On my very first day!!! Though even my God-tier levels of luck couldn't possibly explain the eerily deserted halls I currently find myself meandering through. Rifling off a few random expletives in no particular direction, I decided to push ahead.
A decision I wouldn't have time to regret due to the sudden unexpected appearance of the infamously gorgeous traitor Felicity Henderson. This heavenly angel of death's grace and beauty was undeniable, matched only by her murderous intent to slaughter. Stood deathly still towards the end of the hallway, clad in all white attire with streaks of fresh blood covering her clothes from head-to-toe in macabre fashion; the sheer overwhelming presence of this ethereal being immediately causing me to freeze mid-stride whilst my heartbeat skyrocketed towards dangerously untenable levels.
Beads of sweat inevitably began to form in between my curly, thick black locks of hair and towards the back of my neck. Subsequently in a moment of unbridled cowardice, I pathetically attempted to hold my breath whilst preventing any sudden movements in some farfetched belief that Felicity had failed to notice my presence, a belief almost instantly shattered into nothingness. The mistress of my demise slowly and agonisingly craning her neck 90 degrees as the whites of our eyes finally crossed paths; instilling a feeling of unbridled terror unmatched within the 23 short years I've inhabited this gorgeous green earth, (reaching a ripe old age of 24 was beginning to feel increasingly unlikely). Any nerve impulses attempting to stimulate the muscles fibres within my legs remained eternally unheeded as I haplessly pushed my back against the smooth cement wall situated mere centimetres behind. In one flowingly swift motion, Felicity shifted her body towards me before taking a determined step forward in my direction:
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!!!!!!" Hysterically screaming towards the oncoming blood-stained angel; I frantically threw my hands in a shield-type position guarding the front of my body whilst instinctively averting my gaze. The incessant thumping sound of my heart within my ears reaching a fever-pitch as I awaited my, (hopefully) swift demise…. However, the pain never arrived. The reasoning becoming clear as I hesitantly reverted my gaze towards the position where Felicity once stood, only to find myself ominously alone once more. A soft sigh escaped my lips as tears of relief welled beneath my eyes. Wearily slumping to the floor, I wrapped my hands around my knees as my head dropped upon my thighs, before the steaming kettle of emotions finally burst through.
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Over the next few days, (as is the compulsory protocol), I was forced to partake in various interviews involving superiors whose names I didn't care about enough to learn, as well as those infamous keepers of records. A sudden spate of intentional absentmindedness had temporarily halted the news of my pitiful actions becoming altogether widespread. However, the angel of death continues to haunt my dreams, her twinkling eyes fixated in my direction as she raises her blood-dripping sword high above my head in preparation for one final merciless strike.
Humans will always lie to one-another; however, they'll never admit lying to themselves. The select few individual's privy to my character will attest to my usual inclination towards self-belief and a general lack of cowardice.
Which begs the question: How was I so easily reduced into a state beyond pitiful, curled up in a ball whilst wailing inconsolably on the floor?? Fear?? A hapless wish for survival?? Anger?? No…. Those answers are mere phantoms, delusional images conjured in order to prevent myself accepting the harsh yet undeniable truth. The reasoning is far simpler than I'd originally have led you to believe: A soul-crushing feeling of overwhelming guilt.