FINAL CHAPTER: 04:45

As the hours to sunrise drew ever closer, Theo absolutely tore down the roads in the cab, with its owner still stuffed in the back. Theo had a look of sheer determination on his face as he blasted along at speeds that would get him instantly arrested if were ever caught by a cop.

“So where are we going to find Phantom, Othello?”

“I have no fucking idea, Fallen!” Theo boomed in reply.

“Where is that – wait, you do not know?!”

“I don’t!” Theo replied. “There aren’t any fucking concrete locations or anything in this piece of shit’s memories!”

“Then what do we do, Othello?”

“We have no choice but to look for that bastard! We’re going to go to every place that Krazy Fucker and Phantom ever had meetings in, and hopefully, we bump into him.”

“Is that going to work, Othello?”

“At the moment, it’s our best and only option.” Theo said as his eyes began to glow.

“Very well.” The Fallen said as its eyes glowed along with Theo’s.

As they drove back towards the city, Theo looked particularly focused. The Fallen looked down at him, and lowered itself down onto his shoulder.

“What are you thinking, Othello?”

“I’m just thinking about how vile people can be. It was something I often put out of my mind back when I was active in my previous life, but now? The shit I’m seeing in my mind after having consumed those brains is disturbing, and it’s all I can do not to throw up right now.”

“The mind of a demon is a vile thing, Othello.”

“That’s the thing, though; because with the exception of Native, the memories I’m seeing are all from before they had even thought of signing Contracts. Heck, Mike D wasn’t Contracted either, he was forced… much like the other Roaches.”

“How much of their memories have you been able to unlock?”

“Not a lot, to be honest. It just also made me wonder how something like that Phantom bastard, who was able to mutilate children to death without so much as a smattering of guilt, was before becoming a Contracted Human. I mean, I’ve done things that required me to completely switch off my conscience many times in the past. How far was I from becoming a completely amoral person, like Phantom?”

The Fallen continued to look at Theo for some time after he finished speaking, as if it was trying to formulate a question in its mind.

“Does that bother you, Othello?” It finally asked.

“What? That I could have turned out like Phantom?”

“Precisely.”

“I honestly couldn’t tell you. I mean, considering how people like him and I live, there are certain things that we have to come to terms with.”

“Such as?”

“Such as the fact that things tend to go one of two ways – either the things we do render us desensitised to most of the shit we get asked to do, or we become unable to handle it all, and break down physically and mentally. Native claimed to have discovered pleasure in eating… he just finally snapped whilst on duty, and murdered and ate his squad mates. Whichever demon from the Jagged Horn Clan ended up signing a Contract with him only capitalised on what happened organically – well, at least in my opinion.”

“Which direction were you headed in?” The Fallen asked.

“I think I was right on the edge of going some kind of way, but I can’t quite be sure. I longed for love and family, yet I didn’t bat an eye when I myself obliterated a person’s family. There’s a chance I could have turned into an unfeeling psychopath like Phantom.”

“I see.”

“None of this matters anyway, because regardless of whether it is a human, a demon or a Contracted Human, there is evil in every heart.” Theo said as he shrugged dismissively.

“Some people mistake duty, for evil, Othello.”

“In what way?” Theo asked.

“Everything you have done leading up to this point… you have taken the lives of many, in painful and gruesome ways, not for enjoyment or pleasure, but out of a sense of duty towards your wife and children. Sometimes, in order to ensure that one’s duty is fulfilled, one has no choice but to do things, and become something that others consider to be evil. There are very few things in this state of being that we call existence which are as binary as good and evil, Othello.”

Theo took his eyes off the road for just a second to look at the Fallen’s vessel which remained on his shoulder. It was looking directly ahead with a pensive expression he was seeing for the first time on its face.

“That, I most certainly agree with.” Theo said as he looked back at the road.

The cab was moving at speeds that it had never hit before, and Theo found himself having to slow down as they entered the more urban areas of the city outskirts.

“We’re getting close to the first place I can find in Native’s memories.”

“I see. Hopefully we will find him there.”

After a few more minutes, the cab pulled into the parking lot of a 24 hour diner. Othello quickly stepped out of the car and strode purposely towards the door. He burst in to find a few patrons sitting in there drinking some early morning coffee. Theo’s head darted around as his eyes quickly scanned the room. Everybody stopped to look at this man, dressed in an absolutely ruined suit that was stained with blood, dirt and whatever else was on there. He had what they thought was a crazed look on his face and in his eyes, and nobody moved or said a thing.

“Shit, he’s not here!” The man exclaimed. “Let’s go!” He said afterwards.

Everybody watched him fly out of the diner, and they were under the impression that he was absolutely crazy.

Theo and the Fallen flew back into the cab, and with some wheel spin, shot out of parking lot and zoomed down the road.

“On to the next one!” Theo barked as the cab flew down the roads.

Luckily for Theo and the Fallen, they were deep into the winter months, so the sun would only rise after 07:00 AM or so, so they still had time. What they didn’t have were clear and empty roads as they had been enjoying throughout the entire night, with people up and about, driving and walking to work. Due to this handicap, Theo had to pick and choose when he would floor it, and when he would drive like a sane human being.

“What is the next location, Othello?”

“A coffee shop a few minutes away from here!” Theo responded as he haphazardly punched the name of the coffee shop into the navigation. “I noticed a few things about that diner that I’ll have to keep an eye out for at them fucking café.”

“What is it?”

Theo didn’t answer as he violently swerved into the oncoming lane and floored it, bursting past a few cars, gunning towards a car approaching the same intersection as he was. It was as if Theo was playing a game of chicken with the opposing car, and in spite of honking and flickering lights, Theo continued to accelerate, before pulling the handbrake, initiating over-steer and throwing the cab into the intersection.

“Turn right.” The robotic sounding voice of the navigation calmly stated in the middle of the chaotic, tyre squealing maneuver.

After Theo barbarically forced his way through the intersection, he once again gunned it, and moments later, parked the cab outside the coffee shop, leaving the car running as he burst out and ran towards the entrance. He virtually broke the door as he entered, and started scanning the tables and such, looking at all of the staff as well as the few customers who had made their way in either before or after their morning jogs. His eyes quickly scanned the entire shop, before he turned around and ran back into the cab. As Theo jumped into the front seat, he suddenly realised that he wasn’t alone, finding a well-dressed, middle aged man in an expensive suit and shades in the back.

“You're a life saver.” He said as he moved to buckle his seat belt. “I need you to take me to--”

“GET OUT OF THE CAR!!!” Theo roared.

“Excuse me?”

“GET OUT OF THE CAARRRRR!!!”

“You’re a cabbie! This is a cab! Is that how you talk to a—”

“GET OUT OF THE CAR!! GET OUT OF THE CAR! GET OUT OF THE FUCKING CARRRR!!!”

There was still some odd hesitation on the guy’s face, which prompted Theo to have a go once again.

“GET OUT OF THE FUCKING CAR!!!” “GET OUT OF THE FUCKING CAAAARRRRRRRR!!!”

Both Theo and the Fallen absolutely roared at this guy simultaneously, causing him to finally get out of the cab, mumbling something about getting touch with Theo’s superiors. Theo then drive off with some wheel spin once again, not even bothering with his seatbelt anymore.

“What a fucking idiot!” He barked as he threw the car into a corner.

“Where to next, Othello?”

“There’s another meeting spot they had, but according to the hazy memories I’m sifting through, it’s somewhat further away than I think we can reach, considering how much fuel we have in this fucking car.”

“So what do you plan on doing?”

“We have to stop and refuel, Fallen. There’s a station somewhere between where we are, and our destination. Luckily, I’m somewhat familiar with where we’re headed this time, so we won’t need the nav. Let’s just hope we’ll be fortunate and that Phantom is at this meeting spot.”

“Agreed. Tell me, did you notice those similarities between the two locations that you were looking for?”

“Yeah, I did. First of all, both places are open 24 hours a day, meaning they could meet as and when Phantom felt like it. Secondly, the places themselves aren’t particularly busy at early or late hours. Lastly, and most importantly, there are no cameras, either inside the establishments. Meaning, apart from being seen by the odd customer or staff member, there are no records or images of them being there. They can meet in secret without those around them knowing it was a secret meeting.”

“You were able to see all that after being in both establishments for a few seconds?”

“Conditions and situations must be assessed in the time available to you. There’s nothing worse than a surprise during a life or death confrontation.”

“I could not agree more, Othello.”

There was a lull in conversation as Theo drove as recklessly and as rapidly as conditions allowed. He bullied his way through traffic, had the hazard lights on, and his continued use of the horn was particularly skillful, getting people to move out of the way with ease. The noise and urgency seemed to take his mind off of the screaming voices in his head, and after ten or so minutes, they arrived at the petrol filling station, with Theo parking hastily in front of a pump. He quickly got out of the car with the cabbie’s fuel card in tow, and went around to the side with the fuel cap, popping it open.

“Huh…” he said as he looked at it. “Dude’s name was Sven.”

As he went to slide the card in the pump and get started, every single instinct that Theo had screamed at him to dodge. He dashed forward and created space just as something hit the cab and then the fuel tank, causing it to explode and send Theo flying in the blink of an eye into the small convenience store behind the pumps. The explosion happened in stages, with it growing bigger with each passing stage. The flaming cab flipped and spun before crashing into the convenience store as well, and Sven’s cab, along with his corpse, were both scorched to shit. Once the explosions had subsided, the massive flames continued to burn. A few seconds later, from the rubble of the store, Theo suddenly emerged with great flourish, sending bits of rubble flying everywhere. Black, brown, white and red now coloured his suit like some kind of arrestor bed, and Theo looked in the direction the blast came from as flames danced all around him, yet avoided him as if they feared him.

“…Phantom.” Theo growled as he was overcome by a bout of face distorting rage.

“Remain calm, Othello… as talented as you may be, and smart as you may be, you still face an opponent who is just as talented, just as smart… but vastly superior in terms of strength, speed, and ability. Our Bond is over five hours old… there’s no telling how old his is, which is the only reason why he holds any advantage over you. However, do not be disheartened, Othello! This is the moment you have been fighting for, the moment you have been killing for, the moment, you have been destroying for. Your enemy stands before you, but so does the only opportunity you have at obtaining your heart’s desire – peace for your wife and children. Control your rage. Unleash your wrath. Exact your revenge.”

All throughout the Fallen’s pep talk, Theo’s aura had been pulsing and growing by the second. He suddenly felt immense heat on both wrists, and as he looked down, he saw the crosses glowing from beneath the cuffs, indicating that he could his gun and his sword. His wings suddenly materialised, and with a roar, Theo jumped straight up with a flap of his wings, causing a shockwave to pulse out from where he took off, sending rubble, dust and flames flying everywhere. A few moments later, he landed hard on the roof of an apartment building. He then started running quickly in the direction he had been attacked from, running at blinding speed as he leapt from building to building, making his way towards Phantom. He was ready to evade any and all incoming shots as he approached, yet none were fired. It was as if Phantom fired the shot with the intention to inform Theo of his location, and as he approached a tall, high rise building, Theo brought out his wings once again, before jumping and flapping, doing a double jump and flying straight up and reaching the top of said building. As Theo rose above the edge of the roof, he found the man he had been chasing after the entire night standing there, dressed exactly as he had been when he was in Theo’s house. In his right hand, he held his rifle, as his jagged bladed weapon hung on his hip. The goggles of his mask glowed bright red, and the tail of his coat fluttered as Theo’s wings flapped once to keep him a float in the air. Phantom set his gun down on the ground and started clapping slowly.

“Wow, I honestly didn’t believe it when I first saw you, but it really is you, Othello Barausse!” Phantom said; sounding absolutely delighted to see Theo.

“…Phantom.” Theo said with a menacing, yet controlled growl.

“You know, I knew I liked you for a reason! I’ve been listening to the news, and you have just been tearing through those loyal to me, as well as those loyal to them.”

“Well, I had to find you, didn’t I? Nobody knew where you were, and I had to go through them one by one until I found somebody who did.”

“Of course you did! You're so resourceful!” Phantom said, clapping again. “You know, I saw that glint of determination and willpower in your eyes moments before pulling the trigger, and I was hopeful! Hopeful that you had survived! How did you manage it? You weren’t one of us Contracted when we were all in the house. Did you sign it afterwards? I’d like to know!”

“Fuck you.” Theo said as he wafted down on to the roof. “After what you did to my family, do you think you have the right to talk to me so casually?”

“Oooohhh, so chilling.” Phantom said. “I told you in your house, Othello – I know everything about you… and I mean everything. Here you are, so angry about what happened to your wife and kids. I do admit that level of cruelty was absolutely uncalled for, but do you think you have the right to act as you have, considering the things you’ve done in the past, huh Bringer of Death? Harbinger of Despair? Former Captain of the Allied Families’ Death Squad, Othello Barausse!”

Theo’s face twitched as Phantom spoke, especially when he just rattled off his titles, and his previous occupation.

“Your actions, heinous as they were, were what the Allied Families used to become as big and as powerful as they are. The people you eradicated without a second thought, the families you ripped apart or whose numbers you severely lowered, the people you crippled… I know all about them.”

“Enough! Are you saying my family deserved to be done in like that because of my past deeds?”

“Not at all, Othello; however I was just following orders… just as you once did.”

“Who sent you to my family?! Who paid you to do that to them?!” Theo boomed as his composure was slowly slipping.

“Nobody paid me, Othello. I was simply ordered to do it. The payment angle was used to satisfy my men; that is all. I paid them out of my own pocket.”

Theo’s eyes grew wide as he balked at this new information. He clenched his fists as his face became riddled with anger.

“Oh, and before you even ask, I’m done shooting my mouth off. I may like you, but I don’t like you enough to disobey orders. If you want the information I possess, you know what you have to do.”

Theo let out a massive roar and he burst forward from where he was standing, using his wings to help propel him towards Phantom. He threw a one-two combination that was parried, before quickly throwing an elbow aimed at Phantom’s head. Phantom caught the elbow in his left hand, and went for Theo’s body with a short hook. Theo twisted his torso to evade the shot while pulling his elbow back and quickly readjusted his feet, before sweeping his right foot at Phantom’s – trying to knock him off balance. Phantom raised his foot just enough to avoid Theo’s, but Theo quickly hit him with a shoulder barge to get him off balance further, before turning and opening up his body and aiming a left hook at his body. Phantom thrust his left hand down and palmed Theo’s fist away, before quickly throwing his elbow towards his chin. Theo just managed to lean his head back and avoid the elbow. Phantom, who had recovered from the shoulder barge, followed up the elbow with a punch aimed for Theo’s face, and Theo quickly moved to duck below the fist, when he suddenly found that the straight punch had become an uppercut. He quickly forced his head to the side to avoid the fist, slipping it as it grazed his ear while zipping past his head. Theo slid in a semi-circular motion as he circled around Phantom, before attempting once more to sweep Phantom’s feet away. He saw it coming once again, and was able to evade by hopping over Theo’s foot, before suddenly spinning in midair, and extending his leg with such incredible speed, Theo almost missed it. He raised his right arm and braced it with his left as he blocked the incoming kick, before grabbing hold of Phantom’s ankle with the intention of throwing him. He was unable to however, as Phantom’s other foot suddenly came up from below with the intention of kicking Theo’s head right off. Theo was able to jerk his head away quick enough; however he had to relinquish his grip on Phantom’s ankle. He immediately went on the offensive, as he attempted to punt Phantom while he was still upside down and attempting to complete him somersault. The kick was blocked however, and Phantom quickly placed both hands on the concrete below, and attempted a windmill kick of sorts, spinning and extending both legs. Theo quickly squatted down, and shaped to throw a combination, but Phantom quickly flipped away out of range, before landing on his feet. Both men then stood up and eyed each other; however Theo was actually breathing somewhat hard, despite how brief the exchange was.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“I'm IMPRESSED, Othello!” Phantom boomed as he clapped one more. “You are skilled! Not flashy, but skilled! And your powers of observation and concentration are both top notch! I went for the kill a few times there.”

Theo focused on his breathing, as he inhaled deeply.

“That shit was insane.” He said to himself. “If caught clean by even one of those, I would have been in serious trouble.”

“Do not let that intimidate you, Othello.” The Fallen encouraged.

“Who do you think you’re talking to, Fallen? I don’t have time to be intimidated.”

Theo clenched his fists as he drew out some more power, his aura pulsing as he did. It also grew in size, and Phantom tilted his head to the side, before activating his own aura, which was black and glossy – almost like wet tarmac. Theo suddenly dashed towards Phantom once more, and the two engaged in a high level, high speed bout of fisticuffs. Their hands and feet were an absolute blur as they went at it. Theo was throwing combinations to the body and head that were being parried and evaded, while Phantom attempt to counter, and have his own attempts narrowly evaded, or parried. Theo’s attempts at kicking Phantom, either low or high were as fruitless as his punches, with Phantom able to either avoid or block them. Phantom even started switching it up, attempting to catch either a wrist or an ankle, with the intention of twisting or breaking it. Theo managed to avoid or break the holds, but they were becoming too frequent, and made Theo feel somewhat uneasy. The speed the two men were fighting at was so high, that they started generating shockwaves which emanated from where they standing. Their respective auras clashed with each other, and white and black battled for supremacy in the slowly fading darkness. Theo found that he was having more and more close calls however, and after deflecting a two punch combination and attempting to counter, he fell for a feint that caused him to rush his punch, and got caught clean on the cheek. That single punch was so insanely hard, it produced a shockwave and buckled Theo’s knees. To his credit however, Theo neither blinked nor took his eyes off of Phantom, and saw the follow up blow coming. He quickly dashed backwards to avoid it all together, but Phantom was quickly on him, and zipped right to him to continue the fight. The fight continued along this path, with the pair zipping around the roof at blurring speed. Theo was getting tagged during the engagements, and worryingly, the time between each connected hit was gradually decreasing. Theo’s face was also showing signs of wear and tear; as blood was now flowing from both his nose and mouth.

‘More speed!’ Theo barked to himself, as if he was ordering his body to move faster.

It duly obliged however, and Theo’s aura grew even larger as he started moving faster and faster in an attempt to gain the upper hand in the fight. Phantom however was having none of it, as his own aura got bigger, and he himself drew out more speed. Unfortunately for Theo, it got to the point where he was unable to draw out any more speed, and Phantom was able to keep going, moving faster and faster, until Theo was being peppered with so many shots, his head was bouncing around like a speedball. After a particularly ferocious combination, Theo was sent hurtling off of the roof of the tall building as blood spewed from his nose and mouth, before he crashed onto the roof of one below, bouncing and rag-dolling to the edge.

“Othello!” The Fallen shouted as it seemed as though it was attempting to rouse Theo.

“Shut the fuck up.” Theo responded as he sat up and shook his head curtly. “I’m okay.”

Theo slowly stood up and looked up towards Phantom, who was standing on the edge of the building, looking down at him. After wiping the blood away with his sleeve and blowing blood out from his nostrils, Theo held out his right hand, and with a flashy glow, as well as some rustling of his suit jacket, Theo summoned Ygg’Rael, which appeared impressively in said hand. He gave it a few swings, as if he was trying to loosen his shoulder, his eyes barely blinking and never losing sight of Phantom.

“Let’s do this Ygg’Rael.” Theo said; the fire in his eyes not even slightly diminished.

The wings of his cape appeared on his back once more, and just as Theo was about to jump up, Phantom suddenly jumped down on his own, grabbing his blade from his hip and swung down, as Theo let out a determined roar and swung Ygg’Rael as well, grabbing it with both hands in the process. As the two blades made contact with each other, another shockwave pulsed out from between Theo and Phantom, causing coattails and jackets to flutter violently in the process. The sound was nigh on eardrum shatteringly loud, and for the brief moment that Phantom and Theo’s blades were pressed against each other, there was a kind of stillness.

“You continue to impress, Othello!” Phantom said with a chuckle.

Theo just bared his teeth in rage and pushed as hard as he could to throw Phantom back. He succeeded, and as Phantom’s feet touched the concrete and slid backwards, Theo was on him, having dashed towards him. With an almighty swing of Ygg’Rael, Theo slashed across Phantom, forcing him to parry the strike. Theo’s skill with Ygg’Rael had improved tremendously since he first used it in Club S for some reason, and apart from being able to swing it faster, we was more nimble and skillful with it.

‘Alright, overwhelm him.’ Theo said to himself.

He swung and slashed for all he was worth, using horizontal and vertical strikes while pushing the issue to try and keep Phantom on the back foot. He would feint going for Phantom’s neck, before quickly changing and aiming for his body, slicing from above and then below, just not letting up. Space Rippers were being performed with almost every other strike, and Phantom was blocking, parrying, deflecting and evading for all he was worth at first, just focusing on defense. The weight behind each of Theo’s attacks was such that he was either buckling Phantom’s knees, or lifting him off of his feet. Despite this, Phantom never came across as being particularly flustered or panicked. In fact, he didn’t come across as being under pressure or anything, he seemed as though he was just biding his time, waiting for the correct opportunity. Theo launched Ygg’Rael into a baseball bat type swing which caught Phantom a little by surprise and sent him flying towards the building behind him. Theo quickly leapt off of the edge of the roof, his wings instantly appearing and flapping as he did. Phantom landed with his feet pressed against the side of the building and pushed off; flying through the air towards Theo and going on the offensive for the first time since the initial attack. Theo held Ygg’Rael up horizontally to deflect the incoming attack, which he actually managed to do. However, the attack from Phantom was so powerful, that he actually caused Theo to spin and flip about in the air as he went past. Theo had to use his wings to quickly recover before he himself reached the same point on the wall Phantom pushed off of. As Theo’s feet came into contact with the wall, he noticed how it had actually cracked and had a slight indent. Nevertheless, Theo pushed off of it as well, and flew towards Phantom who had already landed back on the roof. He flapped a few times to increase the speed and momentum of his dash, and with an immense swing, crashed Ygg’Rael right into Phantom’s weapon in a reverse of their positions from the beginning of the sword fight. The result was the same however, as another shockwave beamed out. Theo quickly flipped over and landed on his feet, before dashing towards Phantom once again. This time, Phantom dashed forward to meet him, and the two engaged in an exchange similar to the fist fight from before, dashing about on the roof as their respective blades became little more than colourful blurs. Sparks flew around like crazy as the pair tried to kill each other, however much like with the fist fight, it quickly became readily apparent that no matter how hard and fast Theo’s attacks were, Phantom was able to be faster and stronger, and Theo soon found himself on the back foot once again. Phantom was finding it easier to evade and counter, after having gotten used to Theo’s speed. Theo now had to avoid more attacks than he had to parry, as Phantom was becoming too fast with his blade for him to block with Ygg’Rael. The evaded strikes were all close shaves which resulting in small nicks and cuts that all bled, and Theo’s blood began to decorate the roof both men were on, much like it decorated the roof they were previously on. Phantom was getting closer and closer to landing a critical strike on Theo, and in an attempt to prevent that and create some distance between Phantom and himself, Theo suddenly attacked and pressed Ygg’Rael against Phantom’s blade.

“Grow, Ygg’Rael!” Theo commanded.

Ygg’Rael’s blade suddenly extended much like it did in Club S, and drove Phantom off of his feet. Theo swung with all his might as the blade continued to grow and extend, smashing Phantom into, and then through one wall of the building, before doing the same to the other one.

“FUCK YEAH!!” Theo boomed as he fist pumped, before composing himself.

He then ran and after summoning his wings, double jumped over the building with Ygg’Rael raised high above his head, ready to strike from distance again when he saw Phantom. That plan was quickly thrown out of the window however, as Theo found Phantom standing on the roof of yet another building, holding and pointing his rifle in his direction.

“How the fuck did he—”

Theo was interrupted by Phantom shooting, and he quickly had to use Ygg’Rael to deflect the bullet. Luckily for Theo, Ygg’Rael’s blade was massive, and while it managed to deflect the bullet, a large portion of the blade actually melted as a result of the deflection. Theo, who was spinning in midair once again quickly let go of Ygg’Rael, and as the damaged sword disappeared with a flash while another flash in his left hand brought out Daemon’s Bane, and after recovering, Theo pointed the gun at Phantom. He then pulled the trigger, and shot a plethora of bullets at him. Phantom quickly dashed away from where he was standing, and the bullets all hit the roof following his path. Theo quickly dashed towards a roof and landed on it, having become completely adept at using the cape now. He dashed to the edge of the building, and quickly had to make evasive movements to his side to dodge an incoming bullet, with zipped past him and into a building, completely passing through both walls.

“I absolutely can NOT get hit by one of those!” Theo remarked as he looked at the damage just one bullet caused.

He then returned fire with a bunch of bullets. A game of cat and mouse reminiscent to the one he had with Mike D broke out on the rooftops as the sun slowly but surely drove the darkness away. Theo and Phantom dashed and danced across the rooftops, with Phantom firing one deadly shot at a time, and Theo firing in bunches; both men missing. Theo was sweating heavily as he had been fighting at full blast the entire time, doing his utmost to not only keep up, but also win the fight. He was dashing and double jumping across buildings all while evading and returning fire. The chase between the two had them circling around the block, with them both taking on the role of the cat and the mouse.

‘Close the gap, Othello!’ Theo said as he referred to himself as Othello for the first time in years.

He worked particularly hard to close the gap, taking more chances and trying to slip the bullets coming from Phantom as opposed to avoiding them completely. For better or for worse, Theo had assumed the mantle of aggressor once again, chasing Phantom who was able to jump across the buildings and move at such speed without any wings or the like. Theo, who was sucking in air at every opportunity had chased Phantom all the way back to that high rise building that was the location of their initial exchange. Phantom was running up the side of the building, while Theo double jumped up the side of it, as both zipped towards the top. Theo had Daemon’s Bane ready, and seemed somewhat desperate in his actions. He activated the quadruple sight, looking at Phantom through it while pointing the gun at the running man. As Phantom reached the top of the building, Theo thought he was going to stop on the roof, but instead, he jumped off of the edge and flew straight up. He pointed his rifle at Theo, who in turn had pointed Daemon’s Bane at him. Both men had their auras active the whole time, and both men pulled the triggers of their respective weapons at the same time. Theo’s Omega Blast illuminated the entire block as it flew towards Phantom, shattering windows along the way. Phantom fired his own beam towards Theo, and the moment during which both attacks made contact with each other produced a light so bright, it would probably have blinded anybody who happened to lay eyes on it. That said, the clash between the two attacks barely lasted, as Phantom’s blast completely overpowered Theo’s Omega Blast, disintegrating it as it came bearing down on Theo, who didn’t even have time to use his wings to protect himself the way he did against Mike D. The blast hit Theo, and for the duration of the blast, those few moments, Theo felt the WORST pain he had EVER experienced in his entire life. The scream he produced could not even be heard as it was drowned out within the giant red beam produced by Phantom’s rifle. Theo was driven into the ground with such speed and force, he was sure that EVERYTHING was broken. There was a MASSIVE flare of red light, coupled with a thunderous boom, and after a few seconds, it all passed and everything settled. In the middle of a smoking crater, Theo lay in a crumpled heap, absolutely motionless. Most of his suit had been burnt to shit, with all four sleeves and his shoes completely gone. His skin was exposed, and incredibly burnt, and his mouth was wide open. Despite barely being able to breath, Theo’s eyes were still firmly fixed on Phantom, who was making his way down from the building. All of a sudden, everything went dark and completely silent, and much like it had done in the house and at the school, the Fallen appeared before Theo in the form of its silhouette. It just stood in silence, looking down at Theo, who was an absolute mess. It had no idea how Theo was still alive, but it was grateful that he was.

“Othello…” The Fallen said after a while. “Look at the state you are currently in.”

Theo did not respond. In fact, he could not respond, as breathing was pretty much all he could do in his state. He just looked at the Fallen with a look that it could instantly tell meant ‘What do you want?”

“We are running out of time, and we are also running out of options. You do not have much time left in the land of the living, and we are no closer to realising our goal of bringing peace to your family. Despite my lack of power at this point in time, I can help you, Othello. I can help you bring this so-called Phantom down, but I need you to help me help you.”

Theo just looked at the Fallen. A plethora of thoughts ran through his mind, ranging from how weak and pathetic he felt, to what it was the Fallen was proposing.

“I have a technique that creates portals to a dimension of my creation. I can prepare one such dimension, as well as one such portal, exclusively for this Phantom. However due to my current lack of power, I’ll need time to set it all up. Considering your current physical condition, you can barely muster up enough time to recover to the point where you can talk, let alone fight. I do however have a… solution, of sorts.”

The Fallen’s eyes glowed as three black orbs of energy suddenly appeared in front of it. Streaks of white lightning danced around the surface of the orbs, and the Fallen looked at Theo once more.

“These are three examples of the portals I can create, and within the dimensions these portals lead to, lay the bodies of Black Widow, Mike D and Krazy Native. Call forth my pets; have them enter the portals and feed, Othello! It is the only way!”

Theo’s eyes grew in size as protested vehemently in his mind, and with his soul. It was already bad enough that he had consumed a number of human brains during the course of the night, but he absolutely refused to consume human flesh. While Theo was in the midst of thinking about all those things, he suddenly heard something that had been drowned out by the sounds of chaos since he began searching for Phantom.

“Daddy!’

“Help me, Daddy!”

“It hurts! Make it stop, Daddy!”

The cries of his children, the resigned look on Jess’ face, they all flooded into Theo’s mind, and tears welled up under his eyes.

‘I have to make this stop!’ Theo thought to himself. ‘Whatever happens to me is immaterial; I must give Jess and the kids peace!’

All of a sudden, Theo’s smoking, burnt heap of a body started glowing white as the two serpent creatures made their way out from his shoulders. One by one, the pair shot into each portal and began to consume, much to the Fallen’s barely contained delight. A massive, sadistic smile appeared on the white figure’s face, revealing a mouth full of sharp, black teeth, accompanied by a bone chilling chortle. Feeding time didn’t last all too long, and soon after the pets had emerged from the third and final portal, Theo’s flashing body suddenly seemed to burst with even more light, as the darkness and the Fallen’s silhouette faded out. Phantom, who had been moving so quickly that even during the period when time had been slowed down, was right in front of Theo when a massive orb of white light enveloped Theo’s body within the crater, and grew in size until it virtually exploded, causing Phantom to shield his eyes from the resulting light, despite the goggles on his mask. Once the flare had died down, Phantom looked down into the crater in which there was a massive smoke cloud. The cloud was suddenly blown away with a flap of Theo’s wings, to reveal him standing in the centre, skin looking healthy and non-ashy. The wings on his back were now huge – at least double the size they were previously. His hair had once again become a mop of loose, luminescent curls, glowing white and gently moving and waving in the air above his head. His forehead and area around his eyes was subject to vasodilation, and his eyes were glowing brightly, a substance that looked similar to his aura pulsing out from them into the sky. In his right hand, Theo held Ygg’Rael with ease, and in his left, he held Daemon’s Bane. They pets were still present, and had been beefed up, now thicker, winged, and had a similar, horned or tusked appearance to the Fallen’s permanent vessel. Every few seconds, the veins popping out from Theo’s head and arms glowed with a golden pulse, and as he opened his mouth to exhale, his extended canines came into view.

“…that was fucking disgusting.” Theo remarked as breathed out.

“Most of the Life Essence you received went towards healing you, Othello, so holding Phantom off will not be simple.”

“Don’t worry about that, Fallen. How much time do you need?”

“No more than six minutes; no less than five.”

“What the fuck kind of an answer is that? Anyway, I’ll hold you to that.”

“…kick his ass, Othello.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice, Fallen.” Theo said as his aura pulsed slowly.

With a slight rattle, Theo disappeared from Phantom’s sight, before suddenly reappearing in the air in front of him and swung Ygg’Rael down from above. If it wasn’t for the splitting asphalt below that followed after Theo’s movements, Phantom would not have been able to keep up. He raised his blade and held to horizontally to block the blow, but his instincts screamed at him, telling him to avoid the strike altogether. Phantom moved as quickly as his legs could take him, and it was just as well, as the instant Ygg’Rael made contact with the ground below, a large portion of the ground simply vanished as it was vaporized by the energy the sword was now exuding. Theo took a moment to look at his hand and sword in awe, before turning his attention back to Phantom. He had yet to touch the ground, and with a single flap of his wings, he was onto Phantom like a flash, driving his foot into his gut and for the first time, connected with an attack, sending him ripping through the air before smashing his way right through two buildings. As Phantom tried to recover in the air, he looked to see that Theo had already moved in front of him, and just as he raised his guard, Theo absolutely punted him like a rugby ball, sending him flying up and through a few more walls. Theo flapped his wings once more, and moved at such startling speed, it even rendered him completely surprised. He stopped where he predicted Phantom’s trajectory would carry him, and lo and behold, he ended up flying there. Theo, while still holding Ygg’Rael, absolutely slugged Phantom in the cheek, sending him flying towards the ground, looking as though he was going to smash into the road below. Phantom’s coattails suddenly morphed into large, black feathered wings, and with a few hard flaps, he managed to stop himself from hitting the ground. He then flapped a few more times and absolutely zipped up in Theo’s direction.

“Wow! You are incredible, Othello!” Phantom sincerely gushed. “You only took in that much, yet you’ve become that strong!”

Phantom made his own blade materialise much like Theo had with Ygg’Rael, and with a roar, swung at Theo who raised Ygg’Rael to chest level, and performed downward slash.

“Space Ripper.” He said in a virtual whisper.

That small slash and whisper produced a giant, crescent shaped sword beam that shot towards Phantom, who had to quickly raise his blade to block it. It hit his blade with a loud ‘clang’, and sent him hurtling towards the ground once more. Just as with the first instance, Phantom used his wings to steady and prevent himself from smashing into the tarmac below. As he looked up, he saw that Theo had raised his own sword once more.

“Space Ripper; Barrage.”

Theo performed a procession of cross-shaped diagonal slashes, shooting a whole host of Space Rippers down at Phantom. They all hit like machinegun fire, and as they hit, the tar was torn to shreds. After they all hit the ground, there was a massive smoke cloud that was obscuring Theo’s view. Moments later, Phantom came bursting out from the cloud, increased his speed and disappeared, before appearing above Theo and driving his sword down ferociously. Theo just raised Ygg’Rael to block, and did so with consummate ease. It didn’t even look like he was trying at this point, and before Phantom could do or say anything, Theo went on the offensive once more.

“Grow, Ygg’Rael.”

Ygg’Rael suddenly extended much it had before, only much quicker and much further than ever before as Theo slashed downwards once more, Ygg’Rael bending like a whip as it drove Phantom through a series of walls, and much to Phantom’s great annoyance, into the tarmac below with a massive crash. Ygg’Rael quickly went back to regular size, as Theo started to float down towards the ground when he suddenly saw Phantom pointing his rifle at him. As Phantom pulled the trigger, Theo pointed Daemon’s Bane at him.

“Omega Blast.”

The two pets, which had been quietly and patiently watching, suddenly opened their respective mouths, and the Flames of Purity immediately shot out, swirling around and combining with the Omega Blast. They hit Phantom’s beam, and much like the previous time, one beam completely eviscerated the other – only this time, the Omega Blast did the eviscerating. A similar explosion to the previous one happened, only this time, the flash of light was white. Within the crater that was left behind, Phantom lay on his back with most of his body armour scorched. His coat was burned and singed, but still in one piece, and unlike Theo after taking a similar attack, he wasn’t completely wrecked.

“Fuck me… this guy is crazy strong. Just how tough is he?” Theo said in frustration.

Theo descended all the way down to the ground, his bare feet touching the tar for the first time since his transformation. He walked up to the crater’s edge, and stood looking down at Phantom. One of the serpent pets suddenly shot down towards Phantom, wrapped itself around his ankle and pulled him out, holding him up and dangling him in front of Theo. Just as Theo held Daemon’s Bane in front of Phantom’s face with the intention of shooting, both weapons and the wings all disappeared, and the pets’ appearance suddenly went back to normal.

“What the fuck?! Oh no!” Theo boomed as Phantom quickly capitalised.

His free foot suddenly flashed down and connected with Theo’s cheek, sending him reeling as the pet released his ankle. He quickly flipped over and landed on his feet, before unleashing an assault on Theo, punching him with lightning quick and unnecessarily hard punches that surely broke his ribs and cracked his jaw as he threw them to the body and the head, before grabbing his right arm at the wrist, raising it high as he turned to have his back face Theo and brought it down hard on his shoulder, breaking his arm in two places as he did that twice, before repeating it on Theo’s left arm. All this was happening so quickly, Theo’s body had no idea what to have Theo scream in pain for, and before it could decide, Phantom drove his right boot into Theo’s stomach, and sent him flying backwards, his body bouncing off the surface as he rag-dolled to a painful halt. Phantom slowly approached Theo, clapping the entire time as he did.

‘Piece of shit used my own move against me…’ Theo thought as he lay there.

“Holy shit, you really are great, Othello. In terms of natural ability or talent, you may even surpass me! But to be honest with you, there is one fundamental difference between you and me…”

Phantom the crouched over Theo’s body, and grabbed a handful of his still loose and glowing curls. He suddenly yanked Theo’s head up as he brought his down, delivering a series of brutal headbutts that left Theo’s forehead bleeding.

“…and that difference my friend, is age; both of our respective ages, as well as the ages of our Bonds. You see, you, aren’t yet 31… and your Bond, must be hours old. Me? Well, I don’t want to give away my age, but… I’ve had over 300 years together with my Contracted Demon… I have a Bond that is centuries old. There are just certain barriers that natural talent cannot break down and overcome.”

Phantom then gave Theo one last headbutt before tossing him down onto the ground. He then stood up slowly, and made his rifle materialise in his right hand, before pointing it down at Theo’s head.

“Goodbye, Othello Barausse… it’s a real shame that such talent has to end here.”

Just as Phantom was about to pull the trigger, a large black orb appeared behind him, causing him to stop and turn back to look at it.

“What the fuck is that?”

“Now, Othello! Force him into the portal!” The Fallen screamed.

All of a sudden, Theo let out a roar as the two serpent pets shot up, both opened their mouths and spewed out the Flames of Purity, which quickly formed a beam and hit Phantom on the chest, lifting him off his feet and pushing him towards, and eventually, into the portal. There was an explosion that happened within the dimension, the remnants of which forced Theo off his back, and to smash into a car, flip over the car, and then crash into the wall of the apartment building behind him. Almost as soon as Theo hit the wall, the portal closed, and everything went quiet. Theo found himself sitting up with his back against the wall, his broken arms slumped down by his side, and his head hung low. His breathing was heavy and ragged, and the area was becoming brighter as the sun forced its way through the darkness. The Fallen’s silhouette suddenly formed once more, however it was not accompanied by the usual time slowing darkness. The silhouette was actually bigger than in the previous instances, and Theo could vaguely make out some details, such as the Fallen’s long, flowing hair, somewhat elongated face, and giant wings that were spread out completely. It stood like a human male, but then again, Theo couldn’t be sure.

“You did it, Othello.”

“Yeah, fucking hell… that bastard was stronger than anybody has any right being… and he wasn’t even the shot-caller. But fuck it, I avenged my family’s murder, and that’s all that fucking counts.” Theo said somewhat tiredly as he looked at the Fallen. “He is dead, right?”

“Of course, Othello. I left a little something in there to take him out, which was helped by the Flames of Purity.”

Theo looked at the Fallen, and smiled as he closed his eyes.

“Then I guess I’m fucking done…”

“Not quite…” The Fallen said as its eyes started glowing. “I have a surprise for you, Othello.”

Theo didn’t give a shit about whatever surprise the Fallen had for him, until he suddenly heard familiar voices that had been haunting him the whole night.

“…Mister Theo Burrows – open your eyes, Mister Burrows.”

Theo’s eyes suddenly shot open as he saw four white shapes that slowly morphed into ethereal visages of Jess and the kids. They all smiled warmly at him, and looked peaceful and happy. Theo’s eyes immediately welled up with tears, and for the first time since he left his house, Theo allowed himself to confront his grief and his guilt. Tears started to flow from his eyes profusely as he audibly sobbed, shaking his head slowly as he did.

“I’m so sorry, Love.” Theo said in a whisper as his voice cracked. “This is all my fault… everything that happened, was entirely my fault.”

“Shhh, there’ll be none of that.” Jess said as she moved to embrace Theo. “What happened to us was not your fault, and even if you had come home sooner, nothing would have changed.

Theo went from sobbing to bawling as Jess wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close as she braced and caressed his head. Next thing he knew, he could feel his children all hugging his torso, as the sounds of them sobbing could also be heard.

“Don’t cry, Daddy!” The twins said with their toddler-like drawls.

“Men don’t cry!” Ethan said in a wobbly voice as tears streamed down his little ghost cheeks.

The entire family just sobbed and cried, before Jess released Theo’s neck and slid down to sit next to him. She lifted his broken left arm and draped it over her shoulders as she snuggled up to him.

“Come one, let’s snuggle with Daddy one last time, guys” Jess said as she sniffled.

The children all obeyed, as Thandi and Zama both snuggled up to his side beneath is right arm, and Ethan climbed into his lap and snuggled up to him as he wrapped his arms around Theo’s stomach. They all remained like that, as Theo continued to cry and sob. Despite him wanting it to last forever, the final snuggle quickly came to an end, and the souls of his family started to float away from Theo, prompting him to reach out for them. He looked at his arms which had miraculously been healed, before looking back at his departing family.

“Don’t go!” He cried out.

“We have to, I’m sorry. Please, don’t live your life with anger and hatred in your heart, Theo… all I want, all we want, is for you to be happy. Just live your life in a way that makes you happy.” The four of them turned back into shapes as they continued to ascend. “Also, eat your broccoli. I’ve never seen a grown man who refuses to eat his greens.” Jess rebuked as her voice became fainter and fainter.

“We love you, Theo.” Jess said, before the kids all repeated the line.

The voices of Jess and the kids all faded away, and Theo’s arms slumped back down to his sides. His wounds had all been healed, and he was in absolutely no danger of passing out or dying.

“Nagging me right to the end, huh?” Theo said as he shook his head with a slight chuckle.

“That was all the time I could secure, Othello. Anyway, the sun is out, so our time together has also come to an end. It was fun.”

Theo looked at the Fallen as he wiped his remaining tears away with his hands.

“Yeah… thanks for everything, Fallen.”

“Do not thank me, Othello. Just be ready when you are required to return the favour. Until then.”

The Fallen nodded, and then a portal opened at its feet. In stark contrast to the souls of Theo’s family, the Fallen descended into whatever dimension it resided in, before the portal completely closed. Theo remained in his seated position as the sun came up, and the sound of sirens blaring in the distance could be heard. A guy walked out from an entrance that was to Theo’s left, and after taking a few steps, suddenly started freaking out.

“Arrrggh, what happened to my car?! What the fuck?!”

Other people finally came out and saw the damage that had been done to the neighbourhood, and started calling the police and such, all while the guy continued screaming about his car.

“Until then, Fallen.” Theo said as he looked up at the morning sky with a smile on his face.