Leon
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Terra, Gaea solar system
Milky way Galaxy
Neutral Free Zone
January 14th 2019
Greyhorn Club - located within North Broadway Chicago in Rogers Park, was one of the few Terran bars associated with anything to do with the Hidden World. The club was the smallest out of all the other buildings around it, most of them were food stores and local restaurants. Leon could sense the presence of the Grey, the mysterious barrier that divided the space between the Hidden world and the Mundane world of the humans. Terra was the only planet within the Neutral Free zone that kept the humans ignorant of the existence of the supernatural side. Not only were they ignorant, but their civilization hadn't progressed to the level of other planets. Leon stood outside the club, analyzing the outside appearance that stood before him. Humans passed by him, unable to perceive him or even aware of the building that was placed within the local stores. Leon's mouth pulled itself into a smile seeing the club in the city. Not long ago, the club had been halfway across the states, and now surprisingly it was also here. The inside was kind of dark with black painted gothic interiors, dancers all dressed in black clothing, their bodies snaking through each other as they danced to the beat of the music. Leon noticed some humans sitting at one of the exclusive tables, the suits they wore showed they were members of the elite part of the human society who were aware of the Hidden world. Some of them were beginning to stare at him, a look of fascination and apprehension on their faces. Leon couldn't blame them. They knew...or more specifically.. somewhere within their primitive mind, they could tell that there was more to him than what they could see. His appearance was after all not what a normal Terran would look like. His features were sharper than even the best of the humans, his cheekbones high along with his strong jawlines. He was dressed in black like them, a black armor trench coat and a black suit with black pants and black combat boots. His hair was naturally amber, which went well with his naturally tanned olive skin and his luminous blue eyes. Some of the Demihumans in the club knew exactly who he was, so they made sure to distance themselves from him, unlike the humans who were fascinated with his kind. On this planet, Humans who were aware of the truth were known as Mystic. And this club was full of them.
"Leonard Haravok!," A voice boomed through the raging sound of the club. Leon sighed as he pushed through the dancers towards Lance Al' Roth. Unlike the Demi-humans, Lance was a full-blood Beastman- a race of humanoid beings with animal features. Right now, Lance appeared like a regular human. If you count the canine fangs he had, hair of ashen gray color, with bright wolfish yellow eyes. He was sitting at the most expensive table, surrounded by other female Demi humans. He was wearing an open-sleeved shirt with a silver chain around his neck.
"Lance," Leon said. He was the owner and proprietor of the club, and the one responsible for making the club move around. Leon had known him since he was a kid who used to visit Terra. They had been childhood friends though Lance was the one who viewed him more as a friend while Leon only cared about the value that Lance brought to him. Lance's clan was well known in the Hidden World, even among the Offworlder clans of the Beastmen race.
"Are you stalking me," Leon said.
"Stalking... Who do you think I am," Lance said. He snapped his hands, and a waitress came over with more bottles of champagne. She left the bottles on the table and then left. Lance opened the bottle and poured Leon a drink. "New York was beginning to feel dry." Leon gulped the drink, enjoying the stinging alcohol.
"So is she here," Leon asked as he took the champagne bottle from Lance, and began to drink directly from it. Lance sighed as he gestured across the table towards the corner that was far away from the dance floor and the others.
"Take it easy," Lance said. "I don't want my club blowing up," Leon moved to the opposite side of the club, and along the way it didn't take long before Leon attracted the attention of the opposite sex and they tried to gather around him. Leon found himself indulging in small talk with them. He recognized some of them from past dalliances though he couldn't remember their names. The more they talked the more bored he got till he found what he was there for. His eyes landed on a woman who was staring at him from across the room. She was seated in the corner of the club, far from the dancers, but with a view to watch them. She looked different from everybody who was in the club. She had on a red-furred jacket with blue jeans and brown boots. Her white hair was braided in a ponytail. She had a smile that was directed at him but it was her eyes that held his attention. The heterochromia eyes of red and blue felt like they had seen things that Leon could barely think of. He took a shot before taking a sit across from her. The atmosphere around her was tense and off-putting but he ignored the warning vibes that she was giving off. She looked up from her drink and smiled at him. Those were not your friendly-looking smile though he couldn't deny that she was beautiful. But there was something about her beauty that made him not admire it for what it was. He couldn't figure out why.
"You keep breaking all those hearts, one day it's going to come back and bite you," she said with a chuckle.
"I never promised them anything other than my attention," Leon said with a charming smile.
"Huh uh?" She said. Vuelo Vysileaf's eyes tingled as she dropped her smile. She had pretty nice skin for someone who looked older than she was. "You're truly such a flirt, aren't you? Toying with their feelings."
"I don't see myself as one," Leon said.
"Uh...Interesting. Then, I wonder how you view yourself, Leonard Haravok." She said, "So how has Chicago been? Did your hunt go as well as you had hoped or did it end up the same way? As it's normally been for you."
"I need to know who Vashin Priyham is," Leon said. He was doing a fine job of keeping his excitement under check. He could tell that he was getting so close but he didn't want this woman to notice how desperate he was.
"I see, and you need my help to find out who he or she is," Vuelo said. She was playing with a golden coin on her right finger, spinning it around with her thumb and index fingers. The coin caught Leon's attention for a moment but then he returned his focus to her, though the look on her face when he glanced at the coin didn't make him feel good.
"As a Seer, I figured you of all people should be able to find something," Leon said. "The information you sold to me led me to an Erlking. The Beast was already infected with Infernal energy. Someone must have infected him with the energy to keep his mouth shut."
"Like a curse. A curse seal sounds more likely," Vuelo said. Leon put his hand across his dimensional storage, bringing out a bag filled with Essence Shard, the currency used in the Hidden world.
"And did anything else catch your attention," Vuelo said. Leon thought back to what had happened in the Sewer. The mysterious runes that had been etched on the wall. The Erlking had somehow managed to activate it, but the moment he died, the power that had been within the rune had disappeared. It didn't feel right to him that a mysterious power source was here in Terra of all places. But it wasn't his immediate concern.
"So there was," Vuelo said. There was a period of silence between them as they stared at each other.
"There was a gateway in the sewer," Leon said, the mysterious Runic wall coming to mind. He didn't care to know how a Gateway came to be in the sewer, but his focus was only on one thing. He knew with all his guts that the Fallen stars were still out there. He thought back to the mission that had driven Emily and him away from Agartha. It had been a horrible experience and one that he tried countless nights to forget. But the events kept playing within his head making it hard not to. He took a glimpse at his hand, seeing the red that had once been there. "But's not important, what I need from you is information on Vashin Priyham." He pushed the money to Vuelo. She took it willingly without complaint though she still bothered to question Leon.
"Are you sure you want to proceed on this path. The future is not a straight line or path. There are several paths, each of them forking out into different possibilities. This path that you're walking on is dangerous, Leon, and within it lies a fixed point. I have seen where your path ends and trust me, it is not pleasant." Vuelo informed him. Leon said nothing to what she said. The Path was never easy for those of the Blood of Haravok. He had learned that at an early age.
"Don't speak to me about what's pleasant or dangerous," Leon said. He got up knowing exactly what he needed to do. He had to go back to that sewer. The answer he was after might be there. "Just get me the intel,"
"Death... it surrounds you, Leonard. If you continue down this path..death is all you will find." Vuelo said. His vision of himself being stabbed came back this time with full force. He was standing in a field of grass on top of a hill. The Faceless entity stood in front of him, the blade cutting inside him. It went through his ribcage, blood spluttering from his mouth. He saw the green-haired girl running towards him, calling his name. And then it was gone.
"I think I've had enough talk of the future," Leon said. Talk of the future...especially his, was something he didn't have the stomach for nor care for. He turned around to leave but Vuelo grabbed his right hand. She had a strong grip which took him by surprise.
"The web of causality grows tighter around you," Vuelo said. " I know you think you know what you're looking for, but fate has a funny way of giving us what we want."
"What do you know of what I want," Leon whispered as he pulled his arms off her.
"I know it isn't your death," She said. She threw the golden coin at him which he caught. "That coin is made up of Adamant metal. Do be careful with it."
"And what am I to do with this?" Leon said raising the coin. He needed another drink or something to take the edge off. Something stronger than the garbage drink that he had wasted his time on. Maybe sex might not be a bad thing. He turned to the girls which he had left but none of them piqued his interest.
"I wouldn't go for them either," Vuelo said. "Speaking of the Erlking, I have no idea why it would be infected with Infernal energy... but when you think about it, Infernal energy is corrosive, poisonous enough that it can burn through the mind of those who wield it. A good and painful way to keep one silent when you don't want them spilling secrets. Whoever infected the beast, did so to probably keep it silent." Leon said nothing.
"I should leave so I can get the intel you need," She said as she got up from her table.
"And what am I supposed to do with this," Leon said looking at the magic coin.
"it should help you find what you're looking for," Vuelo said with a dry smile. He put the coin away ignoring the smile that she wore. Gods, He wished he could wipe that smile off her face.
"Yeah, I doubt so," Leon said as Vuelo left him behind at the table. He didn't try to stop her. Though he doubted her words, a part of him still hoped it was true.
***
Watching over the city from up high as the sun rose down was one of the good things that Leon liked to do whenever he visited Terra. The place was kind of familiar just like Agartha, probably because of his childhood visits to this planet. There was beauty within the orange sky that seemed to burn through the clouds. He hovered within the clouds, both his physical and Internal sight taking in all the view that Chicago had to offer. He could see the tiny dots of humans, going about their lives, so ignorant of the shadow that laid before them. He was also thinking about what Vuelo had said to him. He did find it suspicious that the Erlking had become infected with Infernal energy. The beast had become so consumed with hunger, that it even went after humans with low spiritual power. That was how he and Emily had tracked it down. They had stumbled on a case of missing homeless humans, and Leon had decided to follow through on it based on his gut feelings. His fight with the beast had somehow brought it back to its senses...but it was too late. The Infernal energy had almost corrupted its mind and all it could think about was its hunger. Leon could feel his blood roaring, a rush gathering that needed to be vented out. The release from sex that he had needed had changed into something else. He had never had the impulse to hit something as hard as he was feeling at the moment. He had to be careful not to lose control as there were humans below him even though they were unaware of his presence thanks to him being covered by the Grey. He was also careful in making sure that he wasn't spotted by any Mystics that could sense him. Luckily there weren't that many Ascendants in this sector of the universe. Ascendants normally stuck to the Federation Quadrants. As he began to lower himself, trying to get back into Chicago as the Sun finally finished setting, he felt something burning within his pocket. He bought out the Gold coin Vuelo had given him. She had said that it was Adamant metal which had been surprising. Adamant was one of the few rare ores valuable to the Federation though from what he knew, sources of it had dried up. The metal from the ore was said to be very conducive to Odic energy and Mana. Leon wondered why it was colored gold since the ore was said to be silvery white. The coin glowed bright and lay within his palm like it was detecting something. Could it be… Adamant metal was good at detecting powerful Od, even those disguised or sealed. Could it be detecting the presence of a powerful Od wielder? Maybe a Fallen…Don't get too full of yourself. Leon bashed himself mentally. As if he would just stumble upon the Fallens. He landed across a building where it seemed an event was going on. It was an art gallery called Reggie Sullivan Center. Why does that sound familiar... If he remembered it correctly, Wasn't this one of those buildings owned by Yesh Institute that displays artists and their work... How the hell did he end up here? A lot of Terrans had shown up for whatever event that was going on. Leon didn't have much to say about Terrans, and though they may be an inferior species when it came to strength and power, there was no denying that they had imagination and passion. Though to be fair, most humans across the cosmos do share the same characteristics. It wasn't just exclusive to the Terrans. Maybe it had something to do with their short lifespan. Leon walked away from the building, still within the Grey. The sewer tunnel where he had fought against the Erlking wasn't far from his current location. He could have used his exodus to teleport himself there, but Leon wanted to walk the streets.
By the time he got to the tunnel by one of the alleys in a parking lot, the weather had turned cold, the wind had picked up, and little dots of white snow were falling. Though the change in temperature didn't affect Leon one bit as he jumped inside the sewer. He was able to retrace his steps back to the spot where he had killed the Erlking without an issue. Though the closer he got to that place, the hotter the coin began to burn within his hands. Leon was immune to heat, and though the heat from the coin wasn't painful, he could still feel a weird sensation coming from it. He ignored it as he came across the Wall where the symbols and runes were engraved. Finally the coin drew pain from Leon as the heat reached a temperature even he couldn't handle. He let go of the coin, cursing it as he touched his right fingers. Before the coin hit the ground, it hovered above it. Then it flew up to the wall where a hole with the right size opened up for the coin to fit through.
Leon froze as he was struck by some kind of force. He couldn't believe his eyes, nor could he believe his ears. A mystifying aura oozed from the wall, a swarm of bright gold and green light mixed together pulled at his consciousness. And then there was the melody. The runes felt like a musical note... No, it was a musical note. The runic symbols were engraved in a circular motion, painted across a midnight blue sky like stars. There were runes that belonged to the ones Terrans had, but there were also runes from other planets, runic symbols developed by other civilizations that no Terrans should be aware of. As Leon stared at them, he could hear the melody of the notes rising. A song stirring within his heart, deeper than even that. The aura of the notes was so bright that they lit up the wall. He could feel a pull towards it, a wonderous melody coming from it. As Leon listened to the song that pulled certain emotions and desires within him, the space in front of him began to crystalize, a mirror forming. There was a person within the mirror, a girl that looked very familiar to Leon.
"Who are you," A voice came from it. Leon was struck by a sense of shock. He turned around to see if there was any one there but it was only him in the sewers. He turned back to the mirror. The girl was in a brown sweater, her brown hair around her shoulders, a blue jeans with her feet bare of any shoes but socks. Her beautiful oval shaped face with a slender nose, plump and lush lips and well defined cheeks. Her body was lean, though she was lacking in some muscle, with a medium size frame, a well endowed curves that spoke of how similar her hips and bust measurement size were. It was the same girl that Leon had been having dreams of. She was right there in front of him.
"Hello, Are you real," She said in a timid voice. He could hear the fear in her voice. The doubt in it. Leon noticed that there were bags under her eyes, like she hadn't slept for a long time. As she pulled her hands towards him, Leon felt the desire to reach out. He felt his hand moving on it's own and then he touched the surface of the mirror. His hand and hers touched, and Leon could have sworn that he could feel the touch of her hand.
"How is this possible," Leon muttered. And just then, a pulse of energy rushed out from their contact, the energy spreading throughout the tunnel. And then the mirror fractured into pieces, dispelling the image of the girl.
"No! No! No!" Leon swore. He banged his fist on the wall, looking for how to bring the image of the girl back. The girl who had hunted his dreams for gods know how long. But the only thing that Leon got back was the coin. He grabbed it, taking a deep look at the coin Vuelo had given him.
it should help you find what you're looking for.
A slight pain struck him, bringing his thoughts to a pause. Was this some kind of mental attack? Another wave struck him again, this time stronger than the first one. The coin fell through his hand, making an ugly clash on the floor. But he ignored it only caring for the pain that he was feeling. Was he dying....no...no..not yet...he can't...
Leon! Leon!... Help me...
This voice...It belonged to Emily. He caught an image of her in his mind. In some kind of strange building, the ceiling had fallen on her. What the hell was Emily up to? He picked the coin up, knowing he had to get to Emily. He turned to look at the wall, his mission to find out where the gateway led to had been messed up. His curiosity about the girl was palatable enough to keep him here, but the dying pain that he was getting from Emily gave him no choice but to leave.