Zeo

Memories vanished into embers and ashes. The legendary Lovecraft Mansion crumbled like a paper castle, devoured by fire. Gold and diamonds melted along with sand and debris; hell didn't discriminate between gems and rocks.

An orange glow flickered in Zeo's eyes as he took one last glimpse at his past, knowing he would probably never return. Ronner waited for him in his old black limousine. Zeo hopped into the armored vehicle and nodded at his new ally, who gestured at the driver to move.

The powerful motor roared as they advanced through the front garden. Zeo leaned his face against the cold window, allowing his thoughts to wander away. Ronner sat on the opposite side with two doctors in front of him: a man and a woman, who used electrodes to cauterize his wounds and fixed his broken arm.

"Can you control your Vectors now?" Ronner asked calmly, ignoring the knives slicing his skin.

"Vectors?" Zeo replied as the city lights flashed before his eyes. "I don't know. That was the first time I did something like that."

"Those spectral arms you summoned are called Vectors. It's a telekinetic ability that turns the matter around you into conductors of electric impulses connected to your brain."

Zeo blinked, processing his words. "Vectors," he repeated, staring at his own hands.

"They're rooted in your brain." Ronner flinched and gritted his teeth as the doctor cauterized his empty eye socket. "When you try to use them again, focus your energy on your head. Nor your arms, nor your legs. Your head."

Zeo nodded and tried to remember what he felt that night when Remnya was in danger. Pain, despair, and what else?

"Anger," he murmured, glancing at Ronner. "I felt unrestrained anger. Something I had never felt before."

"Then, get angry, kid." Ronner smirked while the female doctor injected a metal syringe into his neck. "Ah, that feels much better."

"I am already furious!" Zeo raised his voice, slamming his fist against the car door. "I want to kill Skado with my own hands!" His eyes reflected a deathly glow.

Ronner turned to him, smiling from ear to ear. "You're bold, no doubt, and too stupid too." He gestured at the male doctor, who reached for his medical bag. "My man here will give you something to help you use that fury efficiently."

Zeo widened his eyes as the man drew a massive syringe with a green liquid. "What's that?"

"We call it LCT, or Liquid Cells of Tritium." Ronner chuckled. "Once injected into your veins, it'll give you a massive boost of energy and power along with immunity to pain."

The doctor sat next to Zeo, swirling the syringe between his fingers. "Mr. Ronner is right, and you better know this is extremely painful too," the doctor warned, scanning his bruised body. "It literally burns through your veins and muscles, and I can't assure you won't have a seizure followed by a heart attack."

Zeo pulled down his shirt, exposing his neck. "Do it. I don't care about the consequences."

"However," Ronner interrupted as the female doctor handed him his new clothes, "the effects might take a few hours to kick in. We should be knocking at their door by then. That idiot thought he could fool me." Ronner guffawed.

"How did you track them so fast?"

"Brisa," Ronner said, a hint of frustration in his voice. "She carries a diminutive device in her pendant. Neither Sagan nor Viper knows about it. We were lucky that Remnya's fire didn't melt it, though. Her fire control is even more impressive than I thought."

"Never underestimate Remnya." Zeo glared at him.

Ronner smiled. "Anyway, I asked Belo to place the tracker in Brisa's pendant before I left." He made a long pause. "That fella was a good soldier."

Zeo stared at Ronner for a moment. "He was and deserves a proper burial."

"He will have it."

Zeo's eyes landed on the doctor beside him, who stared at them in confusion. "What are you waiting for?" Zeo shouted, scowling at him. "Do it!"

The man rushed to approach the syringe to his skin. "Breath," he suggested, shoving the titanium needle into his aorta vein. Zeo bit his lips and clenched his fists as a burning sensation filled his neck, spreading throughout his body like acid. His veins turned brown, and his muscles stiff like rocks.

His eyes glistened as the pain almost made him scream, but Zeo gritted his teeth with all his strength. He wouldn't let it out. He wasn't a coward.

"You're a true Anglish," Ronner complimented him, smirking. "The first time someone injected that shit into me, I cried like a little girl." He chuckled, grabbing a blue eyepatch from the female doctor's hands. He tried it on. "Does it look good on me?"

The pain blurred the reality around Zeo as he gazed at Ronner, and dizziness haunted his mind. "Yes," he mumbled, closing his eyes and slamming his head against the window.

"By the way, I noticed you can control Air too."

"What are you talking about?" Zeo's voice weakened, feeling his stomach twisting and contracting with spasms.

"It seems to be your element. I thought you controlled vectors through Electricity, much like me, but no, Air is your nature. So you better take advantage of it, it'll save your ass and Remnya's."

Zeo's head was light, and nausea threatened his insides, but he focused on Ronner's words. "How do I do that?"

"Wish I knew, I can only control electricity." Ronner dragged himself closer to Zeo and leaned a heavy hand on his shoulder, shaking his body violently to keep him awake. "You'll need to feel it, kid. We're surrounded by air. Use your instincts. Speak with the wind, and while you are at it, try to stay alive." Ronner reached out for the control panel of the car door and opened Zeo's window, allowing the warm breeze of the night to fill the interior.

"Understood," Zeo whispered as the wind messed up his hair. He focused his mind on his goal, saving Remnya. Nothing else mattered.

"I can do it . . . I will do it."

You're not a coward.

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Zeo recognized her sweet voice in the distance, caressing his ears. Her pink lips, whispering his name. Her crimson eyes, waiting to see him again. Her silky hair tangled around his fingers.

And the warmth of her delicate body between his arms.

I am not a coward.

His eyes opened.

The city lights had vanished, and deep darkness surrounded everything around him, except for the car headlights, glaring at the endless road. Shy stars twinkled on the horizon behind the uneven shadow of trees and distant hills. The moon hadn't risen yet. Zeo stretched his hand out the window and opened his fingers, feeling the wind running through his skin.

Please, lend me your power tonight . . .

If I can save Remnya, I promise you . . .

I'll be eternally yours . . .

. . .

. . . Lord of Darkness.

*°*°*

Brisa

Tense silence froze the night. Brisa stood still, her gaze fixed on Alayna's lifeless eyes, digging into her soul. A cold bead of sweat rolled down her forehead as Alayna took the first step in her direction. Brisa masked the terror with a glare and clenched her fists. She had learned to stare death in the eyes long ago.

The seconds felt like hours.

Viper stepped in front of Alayna, obstructing her path. "No," he said sharply.

Alayna halted, scanning Viper from head to toe with contempt. He was one head shorter than her. "No?" Her eyes reddened with anger.

"His woman stays with us." Viper's voice rasped.

Alayna sniggered and combed her short wild hair backward. She looked down her nose at him and nodded ironically. "Are you the one giving orders now, little snake?"

"No, I'm trying to do what is best for every one of us." He scowled. "Captain Alayna, I know what you're thinking, but hurting her won't give you an edge over Ronner. On the contrary, it'll just make him stronger."

She stepped forward, her boot slamming against the floor. "Move." Her voice was a suppressed thunder.

Viper took a deep breath, puffing his chest, standing his ground like a giant. "Listen to me, Captain, this is a mistake!"

Faster than sound, Alayna's fist crushed Viper's jaw, sending him like a rock against the wall. The wood shattered as his body was buried into a net of splinters and bent metal. Danny ran to him.

"Pathetic fool, you think you're gonna tell me what to do?" She spat on the floor and dashed to Brisa. Alayna snatched her arm and yanked her toward her.

Brisa gazed deep into her dilated pupils, refusing to give in to fear. "Do whatever you want," Brisa muttered, her lips quivering, "but please, allow my baby to live. That's all I am asking you."

Alayna's eyes were two voids. "I don't give a shit about your spawn. It has Ronner's blood, he'll be a disgusting thing. Why would I allow it to live?"

Brisa glared at her, hatred burning her insides. "Do you still have some humanity left, Captain?" Brisa swallowed, gritting her teeth as she held back the will to spit on her face. "Ronner raped me. I never had a choice, like I'm sure you never did either. Yet, this baby is my only reason to continue and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Do you think I don't hate him just as much as you do?" Brisa's voice was a tangled net of lies and truths, flowing out of her mouth like a furious river.

Alayna's grip around her arm softened, and her face displayed hesitation for a second. Brisa knew that woman wasn't completely gone yet.

"I'm just asking you this favor. Don't be worse than Ronner, don't stoop down to his level. We are both women trying to survive in a cruel world ruled by men. I might be an inferior human for you, yes, but I also know what true pain is."

Alayna released her arm and tilted her head, scrutinizing Brisa in silence. She took a deep breath before speaking, "What's your name, woman?"

"Brisa."

"Okay, Brisa," Alayna murmured as her pupils connected with Brisa's in what seemed a test of life and death. "For a human, you're brave." She leaned closer, twisting her lips. "Be honest with me. How far is Ronner willing to go for you?"

Her question triggered a tempest of doubts in Brisa's heart. She knew Ronner would come for her no matter what, but she also knew telling the truth would give Alayna an edge over him.

A lie could mean her death.

The truth could mean everyone's death.

Brisa gathered the courage to speak the words that would seal her fate. "Ronner will come for me," she murmured, her heart hitting against her throat, making her voice tremble, "he loves me after all."

Alayna dug into her soul with a penetrating stare. The silence seemed to last hours.

She finally spoke. "I can't assure your life, human woman, but," Alayna twisted her lips into a half-smile, "I can assure you Ronner will be dead soon."

The captain turned to look at Viper. He leaned against the wall, blood dripping from his nose, staining his suit.

"You all passed my test." Alayna let out a cackle, her voice echoing throughout the room. "If what my men say is true, Ronner will be here sooner than expected. You totally failed to fool that asshole."

Brisa's heart raced at her words.

"What do you mean?" Viper asked, widening his eyes as if his worst fears were confirmed.

"Somehow, that bastard tracked you. I knew this before coming here." Alayna shook her head in disappointment. "His woman will stay here, and so will we. The rest of the plan will proceed as we agreed."

Viper lowered his gaze, resignation spreading across his face. That was the sight of a defeated man. "Danny," he said, his voice thin like a thread. "Take Brisa to the underground bunker and get everything ready."

Danny gaped at him, and tears threatened his eyes. He shook his head. "Please, don't do this . . ."

"Shut up and leave!" Viper roared, his eyes flickering with anger and sorrow, refusing to look at Danny.

Silence.

Danny stared at him for a moment and then bobbed his head. "I'll be waiting for you," he murmured, ruffling his hair with trembling fingers. Danny turned to face Brisa, a tear trailing down his left cheek. He walked up to her and reached out for her hand. "Please, come with me."

Brisa held her breath and looked at Alayna. The woman returned an assuring, approving glance and folded her arms. Brisa knew she would live another day. She followed Danny. Too many questions invaded her mind, but there was no time for them.

Death waited for no one.

Several metal stairs led back to the narrow underground corridors where Skado still lived. They took an alternative route and rushed to the last floor. Danny's tears had dried on his cheeks, and his eyes were fixated straight ahead, refusing to look behind. Brisa felt his pain reaching her own soul, spreading like poison.

"Do you want to see her?" Danny asked, his voice empty.

"W-what?" Brisa stuttered, and then his question hit her like a punch. "I do! I want to see Remnya more than anything!"

"Alright."

Brisa was panting, and her legs burned with fatigue, but her spirit was alive, craving to see her little sister again.

They reached the last room through a dark, crumbling hallway. A heavy atmosphere lingered in that place, and oxygen was scarce. Halting in front of a massive metal door, Danny typed a command on a green touchscreen.

The locks clanked, releasing a gust of wind against their faces as the door opened.

A small room was on the other side, poorly lit by a single fluorescent lamp. The scent of mold and dust filled Brisa's nose. Right on a corner, there was a bed, and under a blood-stained blanket, Brisa witnessed the sleeping face of her little sister.

Tears trailed down Brisa's eyes as she ran to Remnya and wrapped her arms around her motionless, bruised body. Her heart calmed, and her mind assured her everything was okay. Brisa cried in silence as Remnya's warmth healed the scars in her soul with the purest form of love.

The peace lasted for a moment.

"Brisa," Danny whispered, standing behind her. His eyes were full of tears too. "I'm sorry . . . " His sobbing didn't allow him to speak anymore.

"I understand, Danny," Brisa murmured, sniffling. "I understand it very well . . . " Carefully, she eased Remnya back on the bed and wiped her tears, refusing to take her eyes away from her sister. "This is the last time I'll see her, am I right?"

Danny trembled and closed his eyes, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white. He nodded.

"I see." Brisa ruffled Remnya's hair. "Alayna knows nothing about Rem, right?"

He swallowed and stuttered his words, "She doesn't. If she knew, it would be the end for all of us."

"What will happen to Rem after I'm gone?" She turned to face him, peace in her eyes.

"Viper promised me to send her away. Unlike his brother, he doesn't care about power. He just wants peace."

"Where?"

"The Silver Army of Karx." Danny crouched next to Brisa, fixing his eyes on Remnya. "Debrin Kavram's army."

"Is it safe there?"

"It's the safest place for someone like her." He rubbed Brisa's back. "She'll go on to live a great life as a true Nephilim."

"Bless your souls if that's true," Brisa said, smiling at him, and grabbed his hand. "What will happen to you?"

Danny shrugged, smiling back. "If we happen to survive, we'll go far away." His eyes shone with hope. "Perhaps, we can be happy somewhere else. Otherwise, I don't mind dying with him."

"You will live." Brisa raised her voice, squeezing Danny's hand. "And so will I . . . "

"Even if the whole world falls apart, tomorrow will be the day we choose our fate."

*°*°*