Leaving the brothel, I gleaned no useful information on Jin Liwoth's whereabouts from the elven courtesan. The bustling streets teemed with life beneath the blood-hued night sky. I navigated the nocturnal market, where traders and merchants from myriad planets and realms peddled their wares. A sudden, forceful tug on my red cloak, which concealed the dark armor beneath, arrested my progress.
I turned to face a peculiar crone, her wild black curls obscuring her eyes, casting eerie shadows over her deeply creased face. Leaning on a twisted, gnarled cane, she seemed almost a part of the shadows around us, her figure unnaturally still amidst the market's bustle. A faint shiver prickled my spine as her gaze seemed to pierce through me, unseen yet all-seeing.
"You are damned," she whispered, her voice barely a breath but reverberating, lingering in the air like an echo. The words left a chill in their wake, a sensation that clung to my skin.
"Indeed, I am most damned," I replied, my voice rough as I met her gaze, though a part of me recoiled at the insight hidden behind those shadowed eyes. She stared at me, unblinking, and in that silence, time stretched to infinity, each second pressing down with the weight of knowledge unspoken. Finally, she raised her cane, pointing to a massive clock tower silhouetted against the blood-red sky. "Blood is what you seek," she murmured, her voice seeming to echo from all directions at once, "blood is what you'll find."
I glanced toward the tower, and when I looked back, she was gone, leaving only the faintest impression of her words hovering in the night air. With her hobbled gait, how could she have vanished so quickly? Dismissing the eerie encounter, I set my gaze on the tower, the ruby ring thrumming against my skin, fueling my sense of impending bloodshed.
Navigating the thronged streets, I ascended a cobblestone path that belied the wretchedness of the godforsaken city. The architecture was a marvel to behold. Climbing a grand flight of stone steps, I arrived at a blackened gate guarded by stone gargoyles perched atop the clock tower. "How delightfully macabre," I muttered.
My ruby ring grew hot, its heat sharp and penetrating, sending jolts of fire through my veins, filling me with a hunger that wasn't my own. As I pressed forward, the heat intensified, searing my bones as the ring's voice echoed within me. "Feed us." The words were a whisper yet thundered in my ears, drowning out my thoughts, twisting them into something raw and unrecognizable.
Each step brought a tightening sensation around my chest, as though invisible hands coiled around my heart, squeezing. My vision blurred at the edges, a dark haze seeping in and pulsing in time with the ring's demand. Every beat of my pulse seemed to belong to the ring, and with each beat, it throbbed louder. I could feel it rooting deeper, embedding itself, until my thoughts and its voice became one.
The ring growled, a low, insistent hiss reverberating through my skull, the pain intensifying until my head ached, and my eyes burned with its fierce heat. "More," it demanded, the word pulsing through me, heavy and unyielding. I staggered under its weight, every inch of me driven by a hunger that was no longer mine alone.
The ring's pain pulsed within me, fueling a singular, blind determination. From above, I heard the muffled cries of a young woman. Ascending the spiral staircase, the cries grew louder, accompanied by a man's voice: "Quiet down, I'll make this quick for you, darling." The voice was all too familiar. Reaching the top, I faced a door beyond which I sensed Jin's excited breaths and racing heartbeat.
"Filthy rat," I whispered, unsheathing my sword and grasping Dream Ender in my other hand. I kicked the door open, revealing Jin and three other men.
Two were pale-skinned, white-haired elves—perfect targets for my wrath. The third was a corpulent, balding man. Jin, his pants around his ankles, stood near an elven woman bound to a wooden table.
"Are you going to let them all have their way with you in front of her?" I snarled. My voice sounded foreign, raw with a menace I hadn't intended. The two elves lunged at me, moving like flashes of deadly light. I swung Dream Ender toward the elf on my right, aiming point-blank.
The gunshot rang out, louder than I anticipated. The elf's face disintegrated before me, leaving only a gruesome mess of flesh and bone. His body crumpled to the floor, lifeless, and for a moment, a flicker of nausea twisted in my gut. But the heat from the ring pulsed through my hand, driving the unease away, urging me on with a fire I couldn't ignore.
The remaining elf froze, terror widening his eyes as he stumbled backward. I raised my sword, but a strange heaviness slowed my swing, a brief tremor in my grip. Did I have to kill him? Could I let one go, this once? The thought barely had time to form before the ring's whisper grew into a roar, silencing my hesitation.
I swung the blade, cleaving his head in one clean motion. His two halves fell to the floor, his blood mingling with the first elf's in a dark, spreading pool. The thrill surged through me, fierce and undeniable, yet somewhere beneath it lingered a sickening awareness of what I had just done.
The obese man stood rooted to the spot, his eyes locked on mine, petrified. I could almost feel his fear radiating off him, thick and bitter, intoxicating. And then, from beside him, Jin's face twisted in horror, his voice barely a whisper. "You're…a monster," he stammered, his words quivering with fear and disgust.
"A monster?" I repeated, a twisted grin forcing its way across my face as I tried to convince myself. "Maybe. I don't know what I am—or what I've become. But I know one thing: it's you I'm here for." My words emerged in a low hiss, a tone of menace laced with a strange, hollow charm.
"What do you want, Leon? Gold? I can give you heaps of it," Jin stuttered, his voice trembling like a cornered beast. The stench of his fear was intoxicating.
"I seek your soul, Jin. I shall offer it to Orphease," I intoned, a tranquil darkness cloaking my demeanor.
"Orphease! You made a pact with him? Do you comprehend the depths of your folly? He is not a deity to trifle with, Leon!" Jin's desperation was palpable, almost pitiable.
"Now, now, Jin. There's no need for fear. I'll make this swift for you, my dear," I taunted, laughter bubbling up like venom.
"Hmm, perhaps not so swift," I reconsidered, as I fired Dream Ender into his left kneecap. The bullet tore through bone, leaving him crumpled on his remaining knee. His cries of agony harmonized with the darkness of the night.
I advanced toward him, my gaze locked on his pleading, tear-filled eyes. As I aimed my weapon at his other knee, the blast rent both of his legs.
"Not so swift, darling," I whispered, watching him convulse in pain.
"Don't expire just yet, I'm only warming up." I contemplated the cruelty of the world and realized I was no better than Jin, savoring the thrill of taking life while he indulged in other depravities.
Were we not cut from the same sinister cloth? I severed his arms with my sword as he lay limbless in a pool of his own blood. The ruby ring hissed as Jin's demise approached. Lifting my sword, I brought it down upon his throat, decapitating him. His soul was wrenched from his body, consumed by the ruby ring, a euphoric rush surging through my veins—an indelible high. I strode over to the table and cut the ropes binding the girl. She jerked upright, her eyes wide and pallid as if beholding a specter.
"Get dressed and go," I ordered, but she remained frozen, trembling more in fear of me than she had of Jin. The ring growled and hissed, the pain intensifying in my head and eyes.
"More," it demanded.
"No, not the girl," I gasped, gripping the table as the girl stared, bewildered and terrified. My arm seemed to move of its own volition, clutching my sword. I struggled to resist, but my control slipped away. The blade swung, cleaving the girl's head from her body.
"No..." I sobbed as her lifeless form collapsed into my arms. I relished killing, but not like this. Damned, vile, and loathing my own existence, I hated what I had become.
I lowered the lifeless body to the ground with reverence, a profound sorrow welling within me, yet no tears fell. After rummaging through the belongings of the others, I discovered a trove of gold coins—perhaps 500 in total, nestled within satchels.
Then, a faint creak from the wooden floorboards caught my attention, and I turned to find the rotund man I had previously immobilized. "My, my, I nearly overlooked your presence," I said calmly. "
"Y-yes, sir, I-I won't breathe a word. Jin forced me here. I wanted no part in this," he stammered, pleading for mercy.
Perched atop the corpse of a fallen elf, I methodically wiped the blood from my obsidian blade.
"Leave," I commanded, my voice icy and unyielding. The corpulent man needed no further prompting, fleeing down the spiraling staircase with surprising haste.
Rising, I retrieved the tablecloth from where the girl had been bound and gently draped it over her lifeless form. I exited the clock tower, feeling as if I had left something vital behind, a numbing emptiness settling within me as the rain began to fall.
The raindrops cascaded down my face, cleansing my skin of blood, as I stared into the void of the murky night. I returned to Marley's as dawn broke, the first light of day slicing through the shadows.
Without a word, I tossed two coins to Marley, who understood my request without question. Ascending to my chamber, I sat on the edge of the bed, the girl's face and the specters of Jin Liwoth and his bandits haunting my thoughts, tormenting me like restless spirits in the dark recesses of my soul. I studied the ruby ring as it constricted my finger, its eternal ember pulsing with unbridled fury. "
Why me?" I questioned the ring, but no answer emerged. I contemplated escaping to some obscure reaches of the cosmos, but realized that wherever I went, the ring would bind me in perpetuity, and Orphease would always know my location.
A bargain with a god is never prudent, I mused. Mere days ago, I was a forsaken child in a pitiless city. Now, I bear the curse of a thirst for blood and souls to satisfy my so-called deity. "This is not the existence I sought," I whispered, resenting my parents for bestowing life upon me only to abandon me to my own devices.
Once, I craved power and gold; now, I yearn for the return of my sanity and innocence. I removed the oppressive plated armor and reclined in bed, my eyes closing, only to be assailed by the horrors I had wrought with my bare hands. As I descended into sleep, the ghastly dreams of the girl I had murdered played on a loop until I found myself in a fog-enshrouded forest. The trees were twisted and withered, the air chilling. I traversed what seemed an endless path, leading to naught but fog and the eerie silhouettes of trees.
As I continued, my footsteps grew hotter, as though something burned beneath the ground. Then, in the distance, a colossal figure clad in black armor and draped in ebony fur stood with his back to me. I recognized him instantly: Orphease, the God of Destruction. His laughter resounded through the void, his sonorous voice sending shivers down my spine.
"Orphease, you have cursed me," I bellowed, my fist clenched, anger ablaze within my heart.
Orphease merely laughed, treating my anguish as a jest. "This is art, my boy. You are greater than you were yesterday. I took a broken canvas and painted a magnificent masterpiece," he proclaimed, his words infused with power.
As he spoke, a two-headed wolf—twice the size of the already gargantuan Orphease—emerged from the shadows. Its fur was darker than night, its eyes redder than blood. The beast lay down beside Orphease, who gently stroked its massive head. Fear petrified me, but I unleashed my rage. "What are you talking about?" I screamed, unable to comprehend his meaning.
"I don't mind killing the scum and crooks of this world, offering their souls for you to consume," I choked, my voice cracking as I dropped to my knees. "But I cannot abide the murder of the innocent and pure. I am not a mindless killer." The words felt hollow as I spoke them, a desperate attempt to cling to something that felt lost.
Orphease's grin widened, a cruel glint flickering in his dark eyes as he stroked the massive wolf beside him. "Innocent? Pure?" His voice curled with mockery, each word dripping with contempt. "Such quaint, human notions." He sneered, his voice rumbling with laughter that echoed through the fog.
"You believe you're different from the monsters you kill? Foolish boy," he continued, his tone shifting from amusement to a venomous scorn. "You think a soul, once tainted, can ever return to its former innocence? You still cling to that pathetic conscience, as if it could shield you from what you have become. But look at you. You revel in their terror, drink in their suffering. Don't lie to yourself. You enjoy it."
His words struck deep, each one tearing away at whatever remained of the humanity I clung to. Orphease leaned closer, his gaze boring into me. "Do you think I would choose a servant whose soul was pristine? No. I chose you because you are broken, your morality a thin veil over a heart steeped in darkness. Cast aside your feeble morals, Leon. You are no mere human. You are mine." His voice thundered through me, the sound reverberating in my bones.
Orphease rose, his hand leaving the wolf's head as he spoke with chilling finality. "One day, you will lead my army of the damned, a force powerful enough to raze realms and put the gods themselves to shame. That is your fate, and nothing you cling to will change it." His words burned through me, igniting a fire that sank into my very marrow.
I forced myself to my feet, rage flaring as I met his gaze. "Battle? Army? I never asked for any of this. And if I refuse?"
Orphease's grin vanished. With a single, fluid motion, he drew his massive sword and drove it into the ground, sending a shockwave rippling through the earth. Trees cracked and toppled, the ground splitting open as tremors rumbled beneath my feet.
"Then you shall die, and I will complete the task myself," he intoned, his voice cold and resolute. "Now awaken from your slumber. The next time we meet, I expect to see a man freed of his mortal shackles. Or you will be nothing to me." With that, flames erupted around Orphease and the two-headed wolf, their forms vanishing into the blaze, leaving me alone in the choking dark.
The gentle rapping at the door stirred me from my torpor. "Leon, I'm coming in. I've brought you breakfast—just eggs, toast, and ham. It's all I have at the moment, I'm afraid," Marley announced, his voice a tender balm. Rising to my feet, I met him halfway and took the platter from his hands. "You look like hell, Leon. You've been out for two days. Thought you might have died or something," Marley remarked.
"Death would have been the sweeter option," I replied. With a sigh, Marley left my chamber to tend to the inebriated patrons of his inn. I contemplated whether death might have been the easier choice, but I knew it would be too simple a release, and Orphease would claim my soul in the end. Abruptly, the sharp report of a gunshot from outside the inn shattered my thoughts.
I rushed to the window, pressing my face against the murky glass just in time to catch sight of a body sprawled on the ground below, a dark pool of blood spreading beneath it. Standing over the lifeless man was a figure that could have stepped from a nightmare—a Space Pirate, tall and unnervingly calm, the kind of calm that hinted at ruthless confidence. He wore a black hat adorned with an embroidered skull, a pair of pistols strapped across his chest, and a long mustache that curled at each end, framing a chilling grin that seemed carved from stone.
His clothing—an elaborately ruffled shirt and a deep blue coat shimmering in the harsh daylight—was pristine, a stark contrast to the dust and grime of Ravenside. As he crouched, whispering something inaudible to the corpse at his feet, a sudden hush fell over the street. Even the usual hum of market chatter seemed to vanish, as though the city itself held its breath.
Straightening, the pirate lifted his gaze toward the inn, his eyes glinting with a dark, quiet menace. My pulse quickened as I watched him take slow, deliberate steps toward the entrance, his boots striking the ground with ominous finality. He moved like a storm building on the horizon, each step amplifying the sense of something terrible and inescapable drawing nearer.
A faint prickling sensation crept over my skin, instincts flaring with a warning as I heard the heavy jangle of his spurs echo through the silence. The door creaked open, and every head in the room turned as the pirate entered, his presence casting a shadow that seemed to dim the very light. The air in the inn grew dense, weighted by a tension that bordered on suffocating, as though everyone sensed that one wrong move could unleash the fury lurking beneath his calm exterior.
His gaze swept over the room slowly, methodically, passing over each face with a predator's scrutiny. His eyes gleamed as he took in the patrons who now sat rigidly still, afraid to even shift in their seats. My own heart raced, pounding a steady rhythm against my ribs as the sense of danger sharpened, every instinct screaming that this man brought nothing but death in his wake. I forced myself to steady my breathing, preparing for whatever chaos this stranger was bound to unleash.