I decided to turn in early that night. It'd have been the first time I'd been in my bed since the Isoarashi job. When I got to my door, I reached for my key. When I unlocked the door, I didn't open it for a moment. Inside this door would be an empty room with clothes, a bed, and a desk. But no Francis, only pictures and her clothes she'd never wear again. "Aww... poor child," Pandora purred. "So lonely without his woman."
"You are a devil on my shoulder," I snarled, "I thought you'd be asleep." I raised my hand and tugged the cloth. As it unraveled, Pandora's form separated itself from my shoulder. She'd somehow materialized before me, though now my left arm was completely gone. She reached for the door, opened it, and headed inside. The idea of telling an ancient evil sorceress not to prance around my room so casually was not something I was willing to do currently. So I just headed in with her.
"You have a far more boring room than I thought you would," said Pandora as she rummaged through my bag. "I'd have thought you were some sort of Gun fanatic or a chain smoker. Color me disappointed."
"It's not like I had any idea of what to do with the room," I said. That was at least the truth. I never knew what to do with the place besides the bed and the desk.
"Yes... but if you were going to have a home away from home, you should have spiced it up," Pandora said. When she finished rummaging through my things, she approached the desk and placed her hand on it. "Oh well... I guess I can help you out." The crimson miasma spread from her hands, consuming the entire room. Every object in the room, including my clothes, had vanished.
"What the hell!?" I shrieked before clamping my hand over my mouth. "The hell are you doing?"
"I'm simply rewriting the entirety of this place," Pandora said." Why are you surprised? You know you can do this."
"No, I..." Then I remembered. Bethany and Wanda were changed when I absorbed them into my arms. They were far deadlier than they were originally. "Well... I do, I guess. But how does it work?"
"You're hopeless," Pandora sighed, "But it's cute, so I'll let it slide. Tell me, what do you think happens when you drain someone of their blood?"
As my mind processed the question, I tried to come up with an easy answer. But it was far more difficult than I initially thought. "When we're young," I began, "most Paradigms are taught to drain someone if their blood was to drain someone of their essence. In a sense, that person became a part of you. It's why Vampyres exist. They go mad after they've drained so many people."
"That's pretty good. But that's knowledge without knowing a sin factor," Pandora said. She held out her finger and drew a sigil from a red light. It was similar to the sigils Francis used to draw. I remembered that this one was called change. It was a circle with an X in the middle. But wait, why was Pandora able to do it?
My bed was expelled from the crimson haze and came out looking completely different. It was still a full-size bed, but now it had a wooden frame and headboard. The sheets were black, along with a red blanket. Then I came to a startling realization of what Pandora was trying to show me.
"Are you saying I've got Weird magic now?" Pandora nodded as she spat out a new desk from the haze. It was wooden and quite large, much like Father's. "You're virtually a living act of rebellion against the laws of this world," she said, but I wouldn't get carried away if I were you. Monsters tend to lose control when they've consumed too much."
I could probably go full-blood psycho if I drain too many people. Come to think about it, that must be how the other factors felt.
"Well, I am finished," Pandora sighed, "Come now. It's time for bed." She hopped into my new bed, pulling the covers over herself and leaving me a spot to join her. "Uh... what do you think you're doing?" I asked.
"What's it look like, Lexi... I'm offering you a chance to fall asleep beside a beauty like myself?" Pandora said it in a way to make it sound enticing. It didn't work.
"Look, just because you have Francis's face doesn't mean you're her. Besides, what if someone sees us?"
"Relax, killjoy. I'm not trying to tear your clothes off. You Paradigms are practically my children. I only wished to offer you comfort, nothing more. Besides, once I fall asleep, I'll just turn back into your arm again."
Though I still had reservations about lying next to someone who looked like Francis. But my fatigue and lack of a cigarette were bothering me way more. So I just kicked my shoes off and climbed into the bed. Pandora wrapped her arms around my collar and whispered something in my ear. I couldn't hear it as the sleep call deprived me of consciousness.
Though I'd have preferred to stay up all day like I used to. My dreams were full of those memories of the other night. The sounds of gunfire and the terrible image of Francis's form were pierced by a clawed hand—the sound of torn flesh and the spilling of Francis's precious blood.
It wouldn't be until the early evening that I'd wake again, and it would be the sound of someone hammering at my door. My right arm returned to me and was wrapped in heaven's cloth.
"Yo Alex," Iggy called through the door. "Wake up, Hermano. You've got someone who wants to see you." I slowly climbed out of bed and trudged over to the door. When I opened it, Iggy was about to go down the hall. "Who is it, I asked?"
"It's probably better if you come to see. They seem like they mean business." Wondering who could've been at my doors at the beginning of dusk, I got myself together in case it was someone important. Some green trousers, a white shirt, boots, and my jacket were the selection for the night. I began listening to the happenings outside as I approached the front entrance. The vibrant hum of engines could be heard, as well as some idle chatter. But what I heard would not have caused me a minor concern. It would be a faint pain in my chest. The pain was similar to when I met Yayoi and the Queen, though it felt like it was doubled, no... tripled. It was the resonance the former spoke of. The Queen was dressed in Rotterdam's signature uniform, though she added a coat and an ushanka that rested atop her head.
As I opened the door, I found Yayoi and Queen Jeanne standing at my doorstep with a very tall woman slouching forward, wearing the Rotterdam uniform under a fur coat. Even though she'd been leaning over like a sad tree, she still towered the other two somehow. But the strangest part was that I knew her from somewhere, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Then there was Yayoi's usual Japanese garb. Though it was patterned with pink blossoms, I never saw before.
"Queen Jeanne," I chirped, "it's quite the surprise to see you." The Queen smiled and embraced me as if I were an old friend. "It shouldn't be," she whispered, "after all, I received your message."
The medallion I'd returned to her was a message, but I expected her to send a messenger or call me. Instead, she just showed up here on her own.
She turned back to the crowd of men encircling Dogland as she let me go. With a simple wave of her hand, the soldiers took various positions out of sight but close by. She appeared to command them like a conductor masterfully commanding an orchestra. "Is there somewhere the four of us could talk in private?"
On the third floor of the boarding house, there was a staff room for the adults from the time Dodgerland was operational. Francis kept it clean, though none of us used it. "If you'd be so kind as to follow me then," I said.
Leading the women up the stairs, we came to the third floor. It was smaller than the second it did house the bigger rooms. On the first door on the right, there was a hefty-looking door with "Staff Room" almost faded out of sight. Turning the knob, I opened the door with little trouble. Inside was a room lined with counters and a singular table. There were chairs stacked up in the corner. After flipping on the light switch, I gathered four chairs around the table for us all to sit.
"I gotta say, Alex, you've got a nice place here," Yayoi said, "I was expecting it to be a bit more dingy."
"My father spent some of his resources rebuilding the place to be habitable," I explained. "He told me if I were going to live here, it wouldn't be good to fall through the floor."
"Your Father cares more for you than I realized," Queen Jeanne noted. As much as I liked to think so, something in me couldn't even consider that true. I waited for the ladies to take their seats and sat down myself.
"My apologies, ladies. I'd have had some refreshments, but I hadn't expected..."
"It's quite alright, Alexander," Queen Jeanne said, cutting me off. She then held out her hand to the taller lady and smiled. "Before we start, I'd like to introduce you to my younger sister Lenore."
I almost blurted out, "That's your younger sister!?" But the worry of what happened to me for such rudeness overtook me.
"It's... nice to... meet you... irregular factor..." Lenore said, sounding extremely tired. Even though I could barely see her eyes, I could tell she was looking right at me. It made me uncomfortable. Though now I remember her from Father's dossier. I hoped Julius was okay with me sitting with his bride-to-be. Though honestly, I wondered how their first meeting went.
"Do not mind, Lenore. It is her nature," Queen Jeanne said. "Now to business. I believe you have something to show us."
Looking at my wrappings, I wondered how I'd show her. Considering I could feel the resonance with the three of them, it was safe to assume they were all Sin Factors. It was a little startling to learn that Queen Jeanne was also one. But then she wouldn't be the queen. So it could be safe.
Tugging at the heaven's cloth, it unwrapped itself, revealing the crimson haze that made up my arm. "Wake up," I said, much to everyone's confusion. Out of the haze, two hands emerged from its abyss. Pandora hovered over the table, stretching her limbs as she woke from her slumber. As she rolled to her stomach, she evaluated the situation before her.
"Ah... more of my children," Pandora sighed, "I take it this is some secret meeting the world doesn't know about."
It was safe to say that the ladies were stunned. The only other person Pandora revealed herself to was Father. I hoped that the other sin factors would at least know of her or have some sort of voice speak to them. But it appeared I was the odd man out.
Queen Jeanne took a moment to collect herself, and then her gaze turned to ice as she looked at me. "Alexander, have you shown her to anyone else?" I shook my head, even knowing that Father saw her. "Good... do not reveal her to anyone else."
"Trust me, I'm well aware of the uproar I'd cause if my existence were revealed," Pandora said. "Now, out with your questions."
"There's... only a need... for one question..." Lenore spoke as she straightened her back with a sickening pop. "That's right," Yayoi agreed, her attention now focused on the elder sorceress.
"Is Alexander the Crimson Death?" The Queen asked, her gaze fixated on me. Pandora rotated herself upright above the table, now sitting atop the wood. Resting her chin in her hand, she opened her mouth to speak. But instead of her usual playful tone, her voice had an air of magnanimity, as if a powerful ruler were making a decree.
"Yes," Pandora revealed, her voice sounding as if several people were speaking simultaneously. "I have chosen Alexander Murcielago as my vessel, my monster that shall rise and become your Emperor."
"Emperor?" I gasped, "You didn't mention anything about that. I don't even understand anything about being a factor." I knew that I had to accept this power to stay alive. Yet... I hadn't expected something so grand.
"I'm sure you haven't," Queen Jeanne said, "But it is something we are aware of when we receive our Factors. Pandora visited us when they awakened and spoke of a monster she'd been searching for. When the darkness we were born from would begin to grow, one despairing soul would be selected. Pandora's herald would then impart that soul a gift. The very essence of their being."
I wanted to protest, saying I'd never met Pandora's herald, yet that would be a lie. Pandora told me that Francis was her descendant. Yet why would I be chosen? For what reason did Francis and Pandora have for giving me this Factor?
"You knew all along, didn't you, Your Highness?" I asked, recalling the moment she met me. She could only tell me I had the Factor because I drank Francis's blood. "I only suspected," she answered, "The resonance was faint, but it was there. I wanted to keep you on our side for as long as possible."
"You're saying that like the other Sin Factors don't get along with you all?" A question that answered itself as the Queen sighed. "Other than Xiuying, who has recently joined us after the horrific events of that night. The other Sins do not share our desire for kinship. Gluttony has gone into hiding due to the killings the Barnes family has suffered. Then there's Envy and Greed who belong to the Andrade family."
"It is why a meeting of the five is being convened," Yayoi said. "We wish to stop any conflict before it begins."
"A conflict? In Iscariot City? While I admit things are escalating, it shouldn't be anything more than a small-scale fight?"
"The revelation I gave to the Factors was not solely due to your arrival," Pandora said, her voice returning to its normal smokiness. "It is only the beginning. War is coming to Iscariot City, and it shall determine its fate. As the Crimson Death, you will be the main actor in this play of fate. All because one of my Heralds fancied you enough to become one with you."
She'd probably have been dead if Francis and I had never met. It was a fact that I swallowed.
While I was doing that, Queen Jeanne appeared to retrieve something from her coat. It was a black envelope with an upside-down cross printed on it. She placed it on the table before me. As I picked up the envelope, I examined it for a moment. "What's this?" I asked after a moment.
"An invitation... to the High Table," the Queen said," usually we'd have to unanimously vote on a family's acceptance to the high table. But the coming of the Crimson Death has complicated things. But worry not. You have the support of three families."
As I stared at the envelope, the weight of the letter suddenly doubled. What I held in my hands now was practically everything my Father worked for.
Pandora was right... I'd been nothing but a vessel of hope.