UPDATE: Story is now complete.Enjoy the full version!
My name is Domitius. I hail from a country whose name I’ve since forgotten. But my past life, I will never forget. It has been so long since I last told the story of my past…I can still remember it all. My family, how dear to me they were! My father was one of the leaders of our small yet simple band of individuals who I held in such high regard. The other members were my mother who loved us all dearly and my younger sister who I had to constantly watch over. Ah, what a troublemaker she was! How many times did my dear sister end up getting me in trouble instead just because I wouldn’t dare let Father give her a lashing! But now, they’re all gone. All because of the events that transpired that day…
It started like any other. Mother told my sister to go play while Father was busy dealing with some important business. Of course, I had to go along. She couldn’t be left alone or she would do as she pleased. I bid Mother farewell and off I went with my sister. We walked around our small encampment, waving to everyone we saw as we passed them by. They would always smile back whenever they looked at my sister. I don’t know what it was, but she just had that spirit that would cheer up anyone that looked upon her. I couldn’t help, but smile with her. Even if I had to take Father’s lashings instead of her, I loved her very much. We reached the borders of the encampment and she looked around, making sure that no one was watching us. Knowing my sister, she probably had some sneaky little plan in her head. Once I noticed that suspicious look in her eyes, I immediately struck up a conversation with her.
“Jade, I know you far too well and I know that look. What do you have planned this time?” I asked her.
“Oh, you caught me! Fine, I’ll say it. I heard Father talking about an oasis that was found close by and I just want to see it. The way he talked about it…It sounds like it has to be a beautiful place!”, she answered with excitement.
“Come now, sis, it’s just an oasis. Father’s taken me to several of them and they’ve all been the same. What makes this one so special?”
“That’s why you’re such a bore, Domitius. You’re going to be a big muscular moron if you don’t open up your mind like me!”
“Yeah, sure, because all your big brother wants in life is to be a flighty little girl like you.”
“Oh, you big meanie!”, she cried out, pounding on my chest while I laughed at her. Ah, little Jade. As her big brother, I had to pick on her every once in a while. But it was always in good, clean fun. She knew that. I put my hand on her head and started messing up her hair. Ever since we were kids that would always calm her down whenever she was sad or upset.
“Now, now, tell your big, muscle-headed brother what’s so special about this oasis you’ve heard Father talking about.”
“Well…Father said that some very rare flowers were growing next to it and I just wanted to go see them for myself.”, she whispered, “That’s all…”
I could tell that she felt somewhat guilty about having such an idea. One of the rules we had was to never go out too far in the desert without an adult or a group, lest we get lost or something far worse. But the way Jade was talking, I knew I had no choice in the matter. Because of where we live, flowers are quite a rarity. Sure, there were a few here and there, but my sister had long grown bored of them. I took a deep breath, ran my right hand through her hair, lifted up her face with my left and smiled when she looked up at me.
“Alright, we’ll go have a look at these flowers of yours. But just remember that we have to get back as soon as possible. You know how upset Mother would get if she heard about what we were doing.”
“Oh, Domitius, you’re the best brother ever!”, she squealed, jumping up and down with joy, “Let’s go, go, go!”
Before we left on our journey, I made sure I had enough water for both of us. Water was always an important commodity to have, whether the journey was short or long. Jade, of course, wasn’t very worried. Like I’ve said, she was a flighty girl and wouldn’t let such things get to her. I always had to be the one to worry about everything. Not that I wasn’t prepared for bandits or the like. I may have been only 13 years old, but I was far more muscular than most boys my age. I had been training in the arts with Father ever since I was old enough to walk. By age 10, I could take on an adult male twice my own size without much difficulty. Once I was sure we were properly prepared, I told one of the shepherds that my sister and I would be watching the flock, so Mother wouldn’t be suspicious about where we would be. Off we went, my sister skipping about as we walked toward this oasis of hers.
Forgive me if I stop a moment. It can be hard on oneself when you remember these things. What a happy girl Jade was…and so beautiful as well. Her name came from the very color of her eyes. And her hair was so silky smooth. I could tell that she would be a beautiful woman when she grew up. Even as a child, I would notice how the rest of the boys would watch her whenever she passed them by. I even got into a fight with them a few times because of how they would talk of her. I was so protective of her. But anyways, forgive my ramblings. Time can do things to a man.
After quite a while of walking, we reached the oasis my sister had longed to see. And right by the water’s edge were the most exquisite flowers I had ever seen. I now understood why my sister had wanted to come here so badly, even at the risk of angering Father. While she sat by the water’s edge, admiring the flowers, I kept an eye out for brigands and the sort. One could never be too careful around here, even if it was the desert, No Man’s Land. If I had learned anything from my time on this earth, you always had to trust your instincts. I had heard small talks around the encampment about a group of strangely armored men attacking the nearby villages. Horrible stories of the men being slain, the women and children taken away to who knows where. When I told my sister, she just nod it off and said that it was silly nonsense, that no one could possibly survive such a long journey in the desert if they were outsiders. But I had taken it to heart. The way Father looked so worried when they mentioned it to him…and when they brought one of the few survivors who told the tale of horrors, all it did was unease him, especially since the man later succumbed to the wounds those foul creatures had inflicted upon him. I could not tell this to my sister. Better for her to have her mind on other things than the terrible things men can do to each other. I was deep into my thoughts when I swore I heard something like horses galloping. I noticed that my sister had not heard anything. I grabbed her, pulled her away as I hid us behind a palm tree and peered from the sides, careful not to let our position be given away. That was when I saw them. The very men the elders had spoken of to my father, the ones who had been slaughtering so many. Their armor was a very dark grey and their horses were of various colors. Brown, gray, black, white, just to name a few, but they all had red eyes, like animals possessed by rage. And the men were no exception. Though I could not see their faces clearly, I could see their eyes. They were the same color as the horses’ eyes. Then I realized the direction they were heading in. I pulled my hand over my sister’s mouth so she wouldn’t scream when the group stopped right next to the oasis. I thought that they had seen us and I prepared myself to attack if the need arose. I was not going to let them take away my sister without a fight, even if I had to lay down my life for her. But they had not seen us and kept going on their way. I let my sister go and she began to whimper. I told her to hush for a moment as I studied their tracks.
“Those must have been the men they were talking about…but they can’t possibly be going where I think they are. But then, that means…Jade, we have to go now! Those men are heading straight to the encampment!”
I grabbed my sister’s hand and started running as fast as I could, even as she cried in protest. She didn’t realize what could have been possibly taking place at that very moment. I pictured how it must have been for the other villages, the bodies lying around covered in blood, the children and women screaming as they were taken away. I felt that I had to stop it, so I grabbed my sister, told her to put her arms around my neck and legs around my waist as I held them and ran faster than I ever had before. But by the time we arrived, it had already begun. The houses were on fire, the sheep ran in a panic, and everyone screamed as the warriors fought the men off, but fell one by one. I told my sister to find Mother while I looked for Father, if only to lend a hand. We separated and headed in different directions. I was able to fight some of them off as I looked for Father. When I finally found him, he was cornered by a large group. I thought he would be able to finish them off easily. He had taken on larger groups and come out unscathed. I was about to run to him to help him when a tall man on a black horse rode up to my father. His armor was different from the rest. The colors were darker, his helmet had horns protruding from the sides and he had a dark red cape. He pulled out a long sword and pointed it at my father. Father glared straight into the man’s eyes and got into a fighting stance, ready to take his blows. I thought Father would be able to hold his ground, but just as I started cheering for him, he fell to the ground, soaked in blood. The man hadn’t even slashed at him. It was like demonic forces had caused Father’s injuries. The dark-armored man began to laugh as Father lay bleeding on the ground, doing his best to stand. I screamed and ran up to him, ignoring the yells of the soldiers that surrounded us. I looked deep into Father’s eyes, crying out in agony.
“You bastards! How dare you do this to us?!? What have we ever done to you to deserve such horrors?!?”, I screamed while tears fell from my eyes.
“Foolish child, we do as we please.”, one of the soldiers muttered, laughing cruelly.
“Your father was a brave man for trying to stop us, but alas, it was for nothing, boy.”, the dark-armored man said, his voice deeper than any I had ever heard, “All your fellow warriors have fallen and now we take our prize.”
I immediately realized what he spoke off and charged at him, ready to die. But I didn’t even manage to get close as a strange force prevented me from going any further. This man could not possibly be human! The soldiers then piled around me and chained me up while one kept me on the ground by putting his foot on my back and pressing down hard. I kept weeping until I saw two of them dragging my mother and sister up to the dark-armored man. He studied them carefully, and then signaled to the soldiers preventing their escape. My mother had such a look of anguish in her eyes. She knew what was coming and whispered to me before she was silenced forever:
“Always keep us in your heart, Domitius, and never let them break you.”
With those words, the dark-armored man stabbed her through the heart and her body fell on top of Father’s. My sister started screaming and tried getting loose, but the soldier was too strong for her to overpower. The dark-armored man took off his helmet and looked at me first, then at my sister. What an inhuman face that was! Hair red like blood, an x-shaped scar over his nose, a broad nose and lips that almost weren’t there. He scowled and I could see the long fangs protruding in that evil smile. He got off his horse and walked to my sister, telling the soldier to let her go. He kneeled down and stared straight into her eyes, relishing the fear in them.
“What a beauty, this young child. You’ll grow up into a fine woman, my dear. And when that day comes, you’ll be my bride. Men, I believe our business here is finished. Take whatever treasures and animals you find. Kill any survivors that remain, and anyone who hesitates will end up like these two.”
“Uhm, sir, what do we do with the boy?”, a soldier asked, a hint of insecurity in his tone. I could sense the fear in his voice as he spoke.
“Ah, yes, the boy. It would be such a waste for a strong youth to be killed and let his life be wasted. Bring him with us. I’ve been in need of a slave ever since my last one died. Let us be off! I grow weary of this place.”
The dark-armored man grabbed my sister despite her protests and put her on his horse, grinning the entire time. I was led behind the group in chains, hiding my tears as we left what was left of my home. Even from afar, I could still see the bodies of my parents lying on the ground. I bade them one last farewell and swore I would keep my mother’s words alive. No matter what happened, I would not let them break me or hurt my sister. I would not!
I vaguely remember the rest of the years that transpired since the events of that day. I was a slave to the dark-armored man and he would torture me whenever he needed a good laugh. He was so cruel and sadistic. I still bear the scars on my arms and on my right eye from when he would use his demonic powers to hurt me. It didn’t matter who was suffering, were it slaves or his own men. It mattered little to him. I would take it all and never complain, doing his bidding if it would stop him from hurting Jade. I knew little of what she was going through at that time. It seemed that the only women who weren’t abused in any way were the ones the dark-armored man declared to be his brides. Years passed and I grew stronger. I barely spoke, so the soldiers started calling me “The Silent One”. Little did they know of the hatred that was growing within me! How I yearned to see their blood on my hands, especially the blood of the dark-armored man. And my wish would come through the day she came into my life.
As usual, I was forced to do heavy labor while the soldiers whipped me as they desired. I didn’t complain, just kept doing my work. After a while I had grown weary of it, but my stone cold eyes didn’t show it. One of the soldiers was annoyed by this and wanted to see me react in some way.
“Come on, slave, where’s that fire we saw so long ago when we killed your parents? Bah, it’s probably out by now. What a weakling. Wasn’t able to save his parents or even stand up to our lord! Fool!”
Just as he was about to whip me, I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye. The soldiers seem to have noticed it too and turned around to get a better look. Once the shadow was close enough, they opened their eyes in complete surprise when they saw that it was a young woman. I thought she was the strangest person I had ever seen. Teal eyes, blue hair with white streaks, a smile on her face like she didn’t have a care in the world, dressed completely in black. She had what appeared to be a sword wrapped around her waist. After a quick glance at us, she yawned and put her hands on her hips, shaking her head.
“Sheesh, I finally find a group of people and you’re what I get. Some big dumb heads dressed in armor in this blistering heat and some poor guy who looks like he’s had a little too much sun.”, she groaned, still shaking her head.
“Look who’s talking! You’re the one dressed strangely with those clothes! Just look at you. Your sleeves are too long for your arms, you show off your navel, which happens to be pierced, you appear to be wearing a short skirt, and the oddest shoes I have ever seen!”, one of the soldiers yelled at the girl, pointing at everything as he detailed every aspect of her clothing, “You’re the ridiculous one with that outfit!”
With that said, the rest of the soldiers started laughing. The one with the whip raised it and started whipping me, screaming that I had better start laughing with them or he’d tell his lord that I wasn’t being compliant. When he was close to slapping me, he stopped suddenly, realizing that the young woman was laughing too.
“Yeah, yeah, like people haven’t pointed out my way of dressing enough. But I quite like this style and I’m not changing it for anyone, whether there’s blistering heat or freezing cold. Now boys, I’ve noticed that you’ve been hurting this guy here. Why do you have to pick on the poor guy? Doesn’t he have enough scars already?”
“Silence, you strange woman! He is our lord’s plaything and he lets us do with him whatever we want. So off with you, unless you’d rather risk our lord’s anger.”
“Whatever. You can tell this lord of yours to go screw himself, unless…does he wear dark armor? Have blood-red hair, fangs, is butt ugly and just plain unbearable?”
“How dare you speak of our lord that way! You will pay for your insolence!”
I thought the young woman would be killed right there and I was ready to watch her die. Not like I hadn’t seen enough slaughtering throughout the years to care for her, but something about her made me want to help her. Then I realized that my help was unnecessary. As the soldiers charged at her one by one, she moved swiftly, avoiding each of their blows and dealing her own instead. I could have sworn that she was smiling the entire time! Her life was in danger and here she was, smiling like it was nothing! The soldiers only got angrier and were just about to pull out their swords when their hands were hacked clean off. The look of surprise in their faces amused me as their hands fell to the ground. The young woman had hacked so quickly that it was almost invisible to the naked eye. They begged for their lives, pleading that she let them go. She blinked once, smiled the cruelest smile I ever did see and simply said:
“Foul beasts like you all make me sick.”
With that said, she slashed only once and they all fell to the ground, their guts spilling out of their bodies. The blade of the sword was glowing a dark purple as she slid the sword in back into its sheath and walked towards me. She extended her right hand to me and offered to help me up. I stood up on my own and glared at the bodies of those who had experienced joy from my many wounds. I broke the chains around my wrists and neck off, throwing them on the ground and trampling them with my feet. The young woman didn’t say a word and just patted me on the back.
“Well, there you go. You can go do whatever you want now. You’re free, aren’t you? Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got this demon to find.”
“The dark-armored man? He’s a demon? I knew there was something about him that was inhuman…”
“Oh, you finally talked! Well, it’s nice to hear you talking. What’s your name, big guy?”
“Big guy? You talk as strange as you dress, woman. But that is enough of that. My name is Domitius.”
“Domitius, huh? Nice name.”, she whispered while she looked off into the distance. I felt like she wasn’t paying too much attention to me. This woman was so strange, not only in the manner of dress. How could a person be completely aloof one moment and then change into someone else entirely so quickly? Could it be that she was like the dark-armored man, a demon like she had said? I was deep into my thoughts when she started walking away from me. I still had questions I wanted answered and I would not let her get away from me so easily.
“Woman, leaving so soon? You had better stay, for I have questions that need answering…”, I yelled at her back.
She stopped as quickly as she had started walking away and turned around to face me. Again, she had that mysterious smile on her face and it chilled me to the bone. Had I somehow angered her enough to invoke her wrath? Even with all the training I had done over the years while the soldiers had left me alone, I doubted that I could take on her. After what I had seen her do, there was no chance. But she didn’t attack. She just stood there, staring at me. Finally, she broke her silence.
“Alright, I guess you do deserve some answers after all. Sorry if I seemed rude. I just tend to focus on things too much. Oh, I better introduce myself. My bad, my name’s Ari.”
“Ari…Ari, tell me, just who are you, and what exactly do you want with the dark-armored man?”, I asked, being careful while choosing my words.
“Let’s just say he and I have some history together and I want to pay him back for it…”
“Do you mean to kill him? If you do…please allow me to join you. I have suffered much because of his cruelty and I wish to save my sister, Jade, from his clutches. I yearn to have his blood on my hands and watch him breathe his final breath on this earth!”, I declared, anger rising in my voice, “He shall wish he had never come to my home and inflicted those atrocities upon my family and my people!”
“So, he’s still up to his old tricks, I see…He has your sister, huh? Well, I was planning on taking him down on my own, but if he’s got her hostage, I may as well let you help me out. But listen to me, he is a force to be dealt with. He could prove too much for you.”
“I care not if he’s a man or a demon, I’ll take him down myself, with or without your help!”
“Domitius…alright, I see you’re hell-bent on this. Fine, you can come along.”
“Thank you…but Ari, how can you take on a beast like him? Even with your sword skill, I doubt you’re strong enough to even wound him! You’re just a woman…”
With those words said, her eyes changed color. It was just like when she had killed the soldiers. They were red with serpentine slits, like a snake! I backed away, ready to fight her if I had to defend myself, but she didn’t strike. She only looked at me with those eyes and smiled. She closed them for a moment and when they opened again, they were back to their original color. She took her sword out of its sheath and thrust it deep into the sand until it stood on its own. The blade was still glowing, though it was fading. I could see strange markings on the steel. Ari pulled up her long sleeves, revealing her hands, which were wearing black gloves. She took the right one off with her left and ran her right hand over the blade, letting it cut her skin. What I saw next was unbelievable! The blood fell down the blade, but instead of sliding all the way down, the blade itself absorbed it, like it was feeding off her blood. My legs buckled from the nervousness and I fell to the ground, still staring at the glowing sword.
“Domitius…I am not human. I only look like I am. But I am no demon.”
“Wait, how do you know he-“
“He’s the kind of demon who feeds off the suffering of others. Trust me, I experienced it firsthand…With this sword, I’ll torture him slowly so he feels every bit of pain he’s inflicted on others and once he pleads for mercy…I’ll rip out his soul and devour it with glee.”
I could see the very emotion in her eyes when she said that. I immediately thought her a creature far worse than the dark-armored man could ever hope to be. There are more dangerous creatures than he in this world…
“Sorry, lost myself for a moment there. But no, I’m not a demon. That’s all I’ll say in terms of what I am.”
“But your sword…is it a demonic weapon like the one he wields?”
“Oh, this little thing?”, she said, running her fingers over the blade, but not enough to let the skin get cut, “It’s not exactly demonic. It’s called the Animus Vesica. It’s my personal weapon. Never go anywhere without it. But enough about me. Mind telling me a little more about yourself?”
I nodded and we walked a little farther off to an area I would always go to train whenever the soldiers let me wander by myself. Night was already surrounding us by the time we got there, so I made a fire to keep us warm and give us some light as well. We both sat in front of the fire, Ari on one side and I on the other. Even by the firelight, I could see that she was quite a beauty. Her eyes seemed to irradiate a light far brighter than the fire and it felt like they were pulling me in, begging me to drown in them. I snapped myself out of it and took a deep breath.
“You wish to know more about me, then I will speak my tale.”
I started from the beginning of my life, what my home was like, the people and everything. When I spoke of my sister, she noticed how I seemed to fill up with a sense of joy. The happiness I experienced when she was born, how I was protective of her…When I reached the tale of what the dark-armored man had done, she said nothing, only listened. She paid attention to every little detail of my story and occasionally nodded at me. When I spoke of how my parents had been butchered and my sister taken away from me, I started weeping, even though I tried hard to keep it in. Ari walked to my side, sat down next to me and patted my back. She got close to me, wrapped her arms around me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I turned to look at her in surprise and she stared back at me. She then stood up and walked back to her place. She sat with her legs crossed and put her hands on her knees.
“Seems like some things never change…But I promise you this, Domitius. I will save your sister from him and he won’t live to see another day.”
She lied down on her side and closed her eyes, letting me know that she was going to sleep. I decided to gaze at the stars before I followed suit. Jade and I used to do that almost every night when we could.. I wondered if she was gazing at the stars at that moment as well. I heard some mumbling and realized that it was coming from Ari. I couldn’t make out most of it, except for “Mother”. I got close to her, ran my hand through her hair like I would do with Jade and she calmed down. I couldn’t help smiling at her. Even if she was some kind of unholy creature, she was still human, at least to me if not herself. I went to my own corner and laid down, soon falling asleep as I waited for morning.
By the time I woke up, Ari was already prepared to leave. She had somehow managed to find something to eat and had left some of it for me. I ate as quickly as I could and put my vest and gloves on. She asked me to lead the way to the dark-armored man’s lair and I complied. I knew we would have to be cautious. There were always soldiers surrounding his tent, eager for some blood to shed. When we arrived, I cracked my knuckles and told Ari that I would take care of them. She sighed and waved me off as I walked toward the lair. The soldiers saw me and started snickering to themselves. Yet they had not realized what I had come to do. The first one to walk up to me put his hand on my shoulder and grinned.
“Bout time you got back, slave boy. The lord’s been wondering where you’ve been. See, it’s time for your sister to become his bride and you’re invited to the ceremony. Why, you’ll be family!”
I was angry the instant I heard him speak. How dare he insinuate that I would let my sister marry such a foul beast! I grabbed his head with both hands, started squeezing as he screamed in agony and felt his skull crack under the pressure I was exerting. Finally, his head couldn’t take it anymore and I cracked it open like a nut. His limp body fell to the ground and the rest of the soldiers looked on in shock. They lifted their gazes to me and I grinned, ready to pounce on them all. What weaklings they were! They tried ganging up on me and thought that I was defenseless since they had swords while I did not. Fools…I killed them all one by one, blocking the blows from their swords with my arms. They had grown tough from all the blows the dark-armored man would inflict upon them, so it was useless to try to strike them. I punched and kicked, taking them down. My blows were so destructive that I didn’t even need to use so much force. I had indeed gotten stronger over the years. Once their bodies lay motionless on the ground, I wiped the blood off my body and cracked my neck. In the course of fighting them off, I had not noticed a single man slowly sneaking up behind me, ready to impale me with a lance. I would have been killed right there when he grunted, blood spilling from his mouth. I opened my eyes in surprise, ashamed that I had let him escape my wrath. I saw that he had been killed by a strange looking arrow. I was about to pull it out when Ari came walking up to me, bow in hand. I looked at the arrow again and saw that it was an arrow no more. It had changed into some kind of wiggling thing that was struggling to get itself out of the body. Ari walked up to it, grabbed the end and pulled it out. It looked like a snake, but I knew that it was no snake, not that creature. Ari pet its head and it licked her cheek. Then the creature burst into flames and it was gone, like it had never been there at all. The bow started glowing and changed into the same sword Ari carried with her.
“He would have killed you if I hadn’t intervened. I know you said you’d take care of them, but I couldn’t let you have all the fun.”
“What, what was that thing?!?”
“I’ll explain later. Shouldn’t we focus on saving your sister first?”
I agreed and we ran into the tent. I hated going to that place. It had such a sense of darkness around it. Everything was a dark color, even the fire on the torches that lighted it. I saw the dark-armored man sitting on his throne, my sister sitting on his legs and trying desperately to get away from him. He only bared his fangs and squeezed her arms, taking in her fear. I roared at him to leave my sister be and he flinched from the shock of hearing my voice. He let her go and stood up, taking out his sword.
“What’s all this? What are you doing here, slave? I haven’t called for you.”
“Hush, foul demon! I have come to exact my revenge upon you! I have waited all these years to see your blood on my hands and today is that day! Prepare yourself!”
Before I could attack, Ari grabbed my shoulder and pulled me away. Her eyes had returned to their red, serpentine like form and she didn’t look pleased. The dark-armored man backed away immediately when he saw her. Could it be that he was afraid of seeing her? They looked straight into each other’s eyes, not moving their bodies. Jade was lying on the ground, her body shaking from the fear of looking at them both. I whispered to her to come to me and she did so. She grabbed my arm and put her head on my chest.
“Oh, Domitius, how I’ve missed you! What’s going on? Who is this woman?”
“Jade, I will tell you everything when this is over. You stay away. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Is it…is it really you? But how can this be? She assured me that I would not suffer any punishment from the gods for the acts I committed!”, the dark-armored man enunciated, sweat falling down his cheeks, “This is impossible! Who are you?!?”
“Do you remember me, Thelonius? Remember that white-haired little girl whose mother you slaughtered mercilessly as her village lay burning and your monsters butchered everyone? That little girl who stayed by her mother’s lifeless body and had her hands stained with her blood?”
“You, it cannot be you! She swore to me that you would never find out the truth about the events of that day!”
“Oh, yes, Thelonius, I found out and I’ve come for your soul. It’s me, Ari, the daughter of Lunamé, the woman you killed with that very sword. And after you’re dead…she’s next!”
Thelonius, as Ari had called him, charged at her and a fight started. She didn’t attack at all, just blocked every one of his attempts to slash at her. I didn’t see a smile on her face this time, just one filled with contempt. I was not about to let her take away my revenge, yet could I stand a chance against him? I didn’t let these thoughts stop me, so I charged at him from behind. He was caught by surprise and started attacking me with his powers. I felt wounds being cut all over my body, but I still did not stop. I would see him dead this day, even if I were to die with him. His focus had been on me completely that just as he was going to strike me down, Ari hacked his sword arm off. He screamed and grabbed where his arm had been. He started cursing at Ari in a language I didn’t understand and I had my chance. I took the sword out of his hand and thrust it into his chest. His eyes turned to me and I could see them going dark. Jade called out my name and I turned to look at her with a smile. Then I felt a sudden pain hit my chest as I heard her scream. I looked down and saw his sword go through my chest. With his last strength, he had managed to pull it out and stab it through mine. I coughed up blood as we both fell to the ground. Ari cursed and ran to my side, just as my sister did. I stared at Jade and smiled.
“I swore I would always protect you, Jade…I kept my promise. Now go, live your life and always remember me, dear sister…”
“No, Domitius, please don’t leave me! Please, brother, I need you!”
“It’s alright…you’re a strong person, Jade, you always have been. Let me die in peace…I’ll tell our parents of how beautiful you’ve become…
“Please, you have to do something!”, Jade screamed at Ari while her tears dropped onto my face, “Please save him!!!”
“There’s not much I can do for him…except…There is one thing, but I wouldn’t recommend it. No, I won’t do it. Just let your brother die in peace. He did what he wanted to do before he died and now you have to go on without him. I’m sorry.”
“NO, PLEASE, DO WHATEVER IT IS YOU CAN TO SAVE HIM!I BEG OF YOU!”
“Alright…”
Ari pulled me close to her, stared at my face and sighed. She whispered something to herself as she raised her right hand. A purple flame appeared in the palm of her hand and Jade looked on. Before Ari continued, she asked me:
“Domitius, are you sure you want me to comply with your sister’s wishes? There is no going back from this.”
“Ari, if you let me, please allow me to stay by your side to pay you back for what you’ve done. I swear to always be by your side…”
With my final words, she thrust her right hand into me. I groaned in pain. It felt like my entire body was on fire and I couldn’t stand it. What kind of magic was this? I blacked out from the pain and the last thing I heard was my sister screaming. When I opened my eyes again, I felt refreshed, like I had never been wounded at all, or even near death. I felt stronger somehow, like I had been reborn. I looked around and saw Jade standing outside. I walked up to her and lifted her face. Her eyes were red, so I assumed that she had been crying for some time.
“What is wrong, dear sister? I feel amazing, unlike I have ever felt in my life!”
“Domitius…I have to say goodbye to you now. Ari explained what she did…you’re a soul hunter now…”
I looked at her in confusion. A soul hunter? What in the world was that? I had never heard of such a thing. Jade cried a little and lifted up a piece of glass that reflected my appearance. I had changed. I was no longer human. My skin was white with black markings on parts of my body, my legs shorter than my arms, which were big and strong. I had a pair of small wings on my back and my eyes were an orange color. I was shocked at what I was staring at. That could not possibly be me! I was a monster!
“Domitius…brother, I will always love you and keep you in my heart…”
“Sister…forgive me.”
“I’m sorry to break this up…”, a familiar voice said, “But I can’t stay here any longer. Domitius, Jade, it’s time to say your goodbyes to each other.”
I face the direction the voice was coming from and saw that it was Ari, She had her arms crossed, but didn’t have an expression on her face. I stared at the ground, composed myself and hugged my sister. Before I knew it, I had returned to my original form and Jade looked happy, if only for a moment. I ran my hand through her hair, like I always did, and smiled.
“I love you, dear sister. Take care of yourself. You’ll always be in my thoughts. I hope you lead a life our parents, even I, can be proud of.”
“Domitius…No, I won’t cry anymore. I have to be strong. Please take care of yourself, brother.”
“Now, now, do you really think so little of your big, dumb, muscular brother?”
We started laughing like we used to when we were kids and for a moment, it was just like old times. We hugged each other tightly and said our final farewells to each other. Ari nodded and we were surrounded by purple flames. I held my sister close, thinking that we were going to burn to death, but they disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared. We had somehow been transported to the edge of a city. Jade was confused, as was I. Ari whispered that Jade would be able to start a new life there and that I would not have to worry about anything happening to her. Jade gave me a kiss on the cheek and walked into the city, occasionally looking back at me. Then she was gone.
“She’ll be fine. This is a pretty good city and I’ve got a few connections with some people here. They’ll take care of her and make sure she’s fine.”
“Lady…will I ever see her again? And what am I now? What is a soul hunter?”
“Don’t worry. You can still see her every once in a while, even if she won’t see you again. As for how you’re still here, technically, you’re not alive. The only part of you that’s left is your soul and your humanity. The only way I could save you was by turning you into a soul hunter. See, Domitius, when Thelonius was talking about the gods, who I really am…”, she bowed before me as she spoke, “My name is Ari, daughter of Leviathan, the dragon god of the ocean, and Lunamé, the maiden goddess of the moon. My twin brother is Seiraku, heir to our father’s position, just as I was to our mother’s…I am the Devourer of Souls, for my job is to lead lost souls to their proper place and devour those who deserve punishment.”
“You…are a god? Then…yes, I understand.”
I kneeled before her, which came as a shock, and looked up. I put my left hand over my chest where my heart was.
“Allow me, Lady Ari, to assist you any way that I can. I, Domitius, am your humble servant…”
“Call me Ari. I never got quite used to the whole Lady thing. Now come on. Let’s get something to eat.”
“Yes, Lady Ari…”
“Oh, come on, cut it out!”
I could not help laughing. Ari had a resemblance to my sister, personality wise. We left that place and I began my service as her soul hunter. Later on, I would be joined by Alexandria and Alexis. I always kept an eye on my sister throughout her life. And she truly lived a life I was proud of. When she died, Ari assured me that she had gone on to where my parents were and that was a comforting thought. To this day, I hope she and our parents watch over me as I stay by Ari’s side, protecting her just as I did with my sister.
