Chapter One
The Shadow was following her.
Vaine had been careful in retrieving the dead drop behind the lamp post a few streets back. It contained the location to a safe house where they could bring their fellow Inllessians. Unfortunately, someone had noticed her. Not someone, but something, she thought.
The crowded banks of the Grand Waterway and the lively evening atmosphere could not dispel the overpowering sense of dread that made her skin crawl when the creature’s gaze focused on her. So much for caution, she thought, as she walked down the street. I’ll take a pair of Templars over a Shadow any day. Not that Templars were push overs. They were the elite warriors of the Divine Church. Well, maybe one of them, she amended.
Edscel’s voice came through her earpiece after a burst of static. “You will find an alley a few meters down the street. It leads to a small quadrangle,” he said. Edscel sounded like one of those television salesmen, only better. Slightly better. He could probably sell a third hand toaster for twice its original price if he tried. It also helped that he had precognitive powers when Awakened. It allowed him to see thirty seconds into the future, which made him the perfect person to run operations in her small team of smugglers. Aside from selling third hand toasters.
A stray wind blew across the Canal, tugging at the leather jacket she wore over her plain white shirt. It carried the scent of cinnamon bread, and the oily smell of the river. “Where’s the Shadow now?” she whispered loud enough for Edscel to hear over the noise of the crowd.
“It is stalking you from the rooftops,” Edscel said. “We should have Mathias back you up. This Shadow is not like the rest.”
“How’s this one different?” she said, walking around a group of teenagers standing in front of a clothing store. They were admiring the mannequin behind a large glass window. It wore a tank top over skimpy shorts and showed too much leg. Why would anyone want to wear that? she thought, making a face.
“I do not know. It just feels different somehow. I cannot put my finger on it,” Edscel said, oblivious to her opinion on the latest fashion trend. “I would rather that you stall for time and wait for Mathias. He can be there in a few minutes.”
Ahead of her, a young couple was getting on a gondola, probably hoping to enjoy a romantic evening on the numerous waterways in Revellare. They were greeted by a lanky gondolier dressed in vest and well pressed slacks. Vaine smiled sadly to herself. These Divinirians enjoyed the life they lived here, but at the cost of Inllessians like her. Her jaw hardened at the thought. Focus, she chided herself, you have a Shadow to kill.
“Let’s just do this the usual way,” she said, finally. “No need to worry the big guy.”
“Alright,” Edscel said. She could hear the doubt in his voice. “Just, be careful, okay?”
“Of course, I will,” She said, rather defensively. “I’m always careful.” She heard a snort coming from the other end of the line. She let it slide, this time. It wasn’t her fault that she rushed in impulsively when people need help. Well, yea. It kind of is, she conceded grudgingly, but that’s not important right? You just, sort of, got to help people when they need it.
Vaine found the entrance to the alley between two department store buildings. It was five feet wide, and dark except for a lighted area halfway through the alley. A couple of black garbage bags were haphazardly placed along one corner. The smell of urine coming from the alley reminded her of Undertown, the slums north of the city. It wasn’t a pleasant memory. She let out a small sigh and entered, her sneakers making noises as she stepped on the garbage that littered the path.
The light came from the lamps mounted on the walls surrounding a small quadrangle near the mid-point of the alley. Perfect, she thought, looking around. The quadrangle was empty except for a large metal bin overflowing with black garbage bags. It stood beside a steel door that lead into one of the buildings. Fighting a Shadow in the dark was impossible, and she didn’t want to drag civilians into this fight. She eyed the steel door with apprehension. No choice, she thought. Hopefully, no one comes out because of the noise.
Vaine pulled out a small clear vial from the pocket of her faded jeans. The Lacrima, a purple liquid made from grounded Crystal, glowed faintly through the protective glass. It was enough for one fight. She pressed one end with her thumb, and a small needle popped out the other. Right, let’s get this over with, she thought, as she quickly rolled up a sleeve and plunged the needle into her exposed forearm. A small gasp escaped her lips as the Lacrima spread rapidly through her body. It was cold as ice but burned like fire in her veins. Oh Goddess, I hate this part, she thought, as she braced herself for the inevitable tidal wave of emotions. It crashed into her, threatening to pull her down and drown her with memories that were not her own. She fought her way upwards and managed to break free, regaining control of her senses. When her vision cleared, she saw that her surroundings, which had seemed drab before, was vivid and more real. The colors were bright and full of life. The world was in sharp focus and she could differentiate the individual grooves on the walls around her. She had entered the Trance. She had Awakened.
“Dodge forward Vaine,” Edscel said. Right. The Shadow. Thirty seconds. She counted down, and at the twenty-five second mark, dived forward into a roll. Something landed with a loud whump! on the spot where she had been standing. “Spring forward after you turn to face it,” came her next instruction. This was how they fought, with Edscel using his precog to predict her opponent’s movements. It wasn’t perfect, but it gave her team an edge.
Using her Awakened power, Vaine pulled on her surroundings. She heard the walls and pavement screaming in her head as she drew on their latent emotions. She focused the energy into creating a sword with a long, slim, and slightly curved blade. There’s a lot of anger in this area, she noted, glancing sideways at the dark red glow of her weapon as it sprang to life in her hand. It took a lot of Lacrima to create the weapon, she had to be careful not to run out during the fight.
She spun on her heels to face the Shadow. Even from within the Trance, the creature was still hard to make out. Her brain had trouble interpreting what she was seeing. Her eyes kept glancing to the side, refusing to focus on the creature in front of her. Her temples began to throb. Fortunately for her, being Awakened allowed her to sense the Shadow’s emotions. Not that it’s an improvement, she thought, dryly. Fury and hunger radiated in thick waves from the creature. It made her gag and she had to fight down the bile that threatened to rise from up her stomach. I’m not letting go of those hotdogs I ate, damn you!
The Shadow leaped for her. Vaine sprang forward and slid underneath the creature, her sword arcing upwards. It caught the creature in mid leap, and she felt the blade slice through the wriggling mass above her. “It’s going to lunge for you after you come up,” Edscel said. A loud hissing sound echoed in her mind as she straightened back up. It came from the Shadow. She angled her weapon protectively in front of her, preparing for the creature’s next attack, and counted down again. Not for the first time, she wondered how she was able to sense the Shadow. Her emphatic powers only affected inanimate objects. The Shadow was clearly a living thing, wasn’t it?
The creature lunged for her. It was blindingly fast this time. Only Edscel’s warning and her Lacrima enhanced reflexes allowed her to dodge the attack. In one fluid motion, she stepped back, spun on the balls of her feet, and countered with a back hand. Her blade cut deep into what appeared to be the creature’s torso. The Shadow’s psychic howl of pain reverberated inside her skull. I need to end this quickly before my Lacrima runs out, she thought. “How do I kill this thing Edscel?”
“Um,” he paused, “that is bad.” Great, just what she needed.
“What do you mean “bad”?” she said. Then she noticed that the Shadow wasn’t moving. It was just sitting near the center of the quadrangle. The fury and hunger that previously fell off it in waves muted to a slow steady thrum.
“I cannot see a thing Vaine,” Edscel said, sounding worried. “The entire quadrangle is in panic. I cannot - ack!”
“Edscel? What do you mean in panic? How—?” she didn’t finish the question. The steel door near the large metal bin opened, its hinges screeching from the lack of proper oiling, and a young man stepped out. He wore a store clerk’s uniform with a name tag pinned on his left breast. The tag read “Alex” in stylish gold letters. He stopped just outside the exit, holding the steel door open with a look of surprise on his face. Vaine saw the locker room behind him. There were other people inside. Some of them where looking in her direction, and she heard a woman’s voice asking Alex what was wrong.
At that moment, before the young man could reply, the entire quadrangle screamed in unison. Waves of emotion battered Vaine from all sides. Resentment coming from the pavement clawed at her feet. Feelings of abandonment from the garbage in the alley pierced her like a thousand needles. The frustration and anger of the walls howled across the alley like a strong wind, slapping her every which way. She saw Alex curled up like a ball in front of the door, his hands pressed against his head and his mouth open in a silent scream. Behind him, the other people in the locker room were down, thrashing on the floor. Blood was coming out of their ears and noses. Edscel was shouting into her ear, but she couldn’t make out his words. She was barely standing against the psychic assault. The Lacrima thrumming in her veins was the only thing keeping her from joining Alex and his co-workers.
And it was running out.
The Shadow stood placidly near the center of the quadrangle amidst the chaos. She summoned her remaining strength and took a step towards the creature, fighting against the onslaught of emotions battering against her. She felt blood starting to trickle down her nose. She took another step, and everything went dark. The storm of emotions around her subsided to a whisper.
An impossible creature stood before Vaine. Her eyes darted from one point of the creature’s body to another, trying to focus on a single familiar feature. A nose. A chin. A tentacle. Anything. Her eyes wouldn’t focus. Her mind was screaming as it refused to acknowledge the creature’s geometrical shape, or even its existence. Her temples pounded as if a hammer was smashing though it from the inside. She could not move or face away from the thing in front of her. Finally, a voice spoke in her head.
COME HOME DAUGHTER!
The voice sounded like a group of people, of different age, speaking all at the same time.
YOUR FATHER AWAITS YOUR RETURN!
As the last word echoed in her mind, Vaine lost consciousness and everything went black.
