Sera didn't respond. She turned towards the dog and watched as it stood over the lifeless body of the soldier.
It backed away. Comforting it wound, the dog used its paw to rub its burnt eye.
Sera stood up and approached the dog.
"Did those men hurt you?" she asked as the dog laid dormant on the highway.
The dog whimpered. Sera held out her hand. "What is your name?" she continued.
"It doesn't have a collar," Damien uttered. "It might be wild."
Sera leaned forward. "I freed him... he protected us. He won't hurt me."
The dog looked up at her then turned towards the road.
In the radiant heat, the silhouette of a young woman stood waiting on the horizon.
The dog rose to its feet. Lazily, it walked towards the woman.
Damien got up and scurried towards Sera. "What happened? Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," Sera replied. "I don't think it wanted to hurt me..."
Damien looked down at her palm. "Rubber bands?" he replied.
"Yeah, I removed them from the dog's mouth in the back of the truck. Those men were not nice to that dog."
Damien reached down over the dead man. He noticed a dog tag and removed it from around his neck.
"Soldier 1460, Stuart," he uttered. "So much for being a soldier."
Sera looked at Damien. "Is this how all soldiers are?"
"No!" Damien replied. "Ethan was a soldier, he would never abuse anyone... he was ready to help those in need."
"Do all soldiers have dog tags?"
"Yeah," Damien replied. "I guess so?"
Sera smiled as she noticed the dog standing beside the woman up ahead.
"Who do you think she is?" Damien asked.
"I don't know... but she’s lucky to have a soldier beside her."
Damien smiled at Sera.
"Is that going to be a thing now?" he uttered still holding his aching arm.
"He deserves a dog tag at least... if we meet again, I'll make sure to find him one."
She stood in silence as she watched the woman turn around and walk off. The dog followed in progression.
Damien approached the back of the truck. He hopped inside and opened a container from the cargo. He leaned in forward and his face lit up.
"What a life saver!"
He grabbed a bottle of Kindle and called out to Sera.
Walking towards the back of the truck, Sera joined him. "Is this stuff any good?"
"It can help us both... Here!" he boasted, tossing her a bottle.
She caught it.
Damien chugged the container. Sera twisted the cap off and slowly took a sip.
"It tastes disgusting," she uttered, shrugging her face.
"It tastes like used batteries," he replied. "Don't think about it too much...” still drinking his second bottle, he continued. “It will help you with your foot."
Sera watched as the bullet lodge in Damien's arm popped out.
"Hey!" she uttered suddenly. "Do you think you can drive this thing?"
"Me?" Damien froze as he opened up a third bottle, noticing Sera pointing towards the front of the truck.
"I never drove anything this big-”
“So you have drove.”
“Just my grandfather's tractor.”
"That's more than I can say for myself.”
She looked down at the sleeping man.
“I think I had enough of us walking around.”
"I don't know Sera..."
She jumped out the back of the truck.
“Don't worry about it...” Sera spoke as she turned towards Damien. “I trust you."
Damien looked back at her and smiled.
***
Damien jumped in the driver seat of the truck. He fastened his safety belt and pulled his chair close in to the wheel.
"Buckle up Sera... the takeoff is gonna get bumpy.”
He turned the key to the ignition.
Nothing happened as the truck stalled. Damien turned the key again. This time he banged his hands upon the steering wheel. He looked down at the pedals. There were three depressions at the bottom of the floor.
"Well.. that explains it!" he uttered. "There's a clutch."
"You drove a tractor before, right?"
"More or less."
"More or less?" she asked.
"More than once, less then you might like to know."
"Oh boy..." Sera sighed as she fastened her safety belt.
"Remember Sera..." she reminded herself in a whisper, "...you can do this-”
Hitting her face up on the dashboard, Sera cried out as Damien accelerated backward.
“You ran that guy over!”
"Relax..." Damien laughed. "I got this... Just needed to make sure that no one would follow us.”
"I don't care... just go!"
He put the truck in gear and spun the wheels. They continued their journey in a northbound direction towards Ridge Hill Sanitarium.
SOUL REAPER
Feeding
The capitol of New Gate was overshadowed by a dark cloud. It loomed over the city, bleak in appearance. In the quiet of night, Nyx hid in the fog and waited.
She looked upon the scavengers that roamed the uninhabitable streets. She watched as the shadows and demons preyed upon the remaining survivors of the once populated city.
Erebus, she thought. Where are you, my love?
She stalked the metropolis as she continued her search for the beacon afar.
***
Nyx stood upon the top of a destroyed skyscraper as she manifested into her humanoid form. She gazed out beyond the city’s skyline. A fluorescent light glowed from a building in the distance. She planted her feet and leaped from the rooftop. She landed in the middle of a dark alleyway.
She paused as she searched for the light source. Unsheathing her whip, she walked down the narrow passageway of the depraved alley. She heard a shriek as it squealed from behind a dumpster. She slowly advanced with her weapon in hand.
Nyx peered over the container. A pale-gray figure cloaked in a black hood sat hunched over a human’s body. It devoured the flesh of its prey.
She kicked over a trashcan.
The bloodthirsty creature turned in her direction. Nyx rested her whip as the black eyes of Erebus met with hers.
"Brother," she whispered.
Erebus dropped the grisled corpse. He rose to his feet. As he stumbled forward, he fell before Nyx as she took a step back.
She looked at her brother and removed his hood.
Erebus lowered his face. He refused to gaze up at her.
"Look at me..." Nyx uttered. "Tell me what’s wrong?"
She stared at his skin and brushed his black hair with her fingers gently. He raised up his head.
Nyx yanked it backwards.
"Look at me!" she insisted, this time with less patience. "Where' is the Occulus? What have you done with it?"
Erebus gritted his teeth.
"ANSWER ME," she ordered, pushing his head forward.
He grunted as he fell to the ground.
"I do not know," he uttered.
Nyx stood over her brother. She peered down upon his chest and saw his scar.
"The souls of the dead are among us...” she uttered. “To what end have you released them?”
Erebus turned towards the carcass. He did not respond.
“Are you not healing?” she continued.
Erebus leaned against the dumpster. He pointed towards the end of the alley and stared.
A woman raced, screaming as she advanced towards Nyx. Her clothes were torn and her arms flailed wild. Nyx reached for her whip.
The woman tripped over a trashcan and fell. Two demons followed in pursuit as they crawled from the building walls.
They leaped at the woman in unison. They lacerated her body and ripped her carcass open.
Nyx cracked her whip.
Her eyes lit up like the blood red grins the demons wore.
> She cracked her whip again.
The two demons glared at her weapon as they hissed in retreat.
"Beloved," Erebus uttered as he opened his cloak. "I must retrieve the terrors," he continued. "The souls of the demented must not walk with man."
He opened his scar with a fingernail. A nebulan light radiated from within him traveling the length of his chest.
Nyx held his body upright.
"Did Chronos strike you?" she asked him.
Erebus chuckled.
"No blade has been swung... it was all my undoing.”
He tried to stand up.
"As a last attempt to kill the Titan, I released the demented souls. I trapped him in a cavern but was out numbered by his brothers... then Hecatan arrived-"
"The Witch."
"She petrified me into stone with an open wound. I haven't been able to regenerate since.
“The lifestream...” he continued.
Nyx closed the cloak around Erebus's chest.
"If we're going to protect the council and stop the breach of Egress, I need you to be at full strength, brother."
"Of course, my love."
He reached out a hand and grabbed the dead man’s soul. He pulled out the spirit then summoned it in his chest to reside. Another body fell from the rooftop.
“Without enough souls I will be no match for the Titans...”
Nyx touched his face.
"You are a warrior, my love."
Erebus caressed her hand.
“I received a beacon...” she uttered. “It sent me here... What I thought was a beacon apparently was just your wound."
Erebus opened his cloak. His scar shined bright.
"My cloak wasn't ajar until I showed you. I did not reveal my wound. How could you see a light?"
"She couldn't..." proclaimed a voice from further up the alleyway.
Hecatan approached them as she appeared from a portal. She held up an orb in her hand.
"What trick are you playing?”
Nyx reached for her whip.
“This is no trick...” Hecatan assure her. “Just a plan that involves the two of you."
"Why did you send for us then?"
Nyx held her whip with a firm grasp.
Hecatan drew near.
"I needed the Protogenoi," she replied.
"The Protogenoi you tried to destroy?"
"I want to announce a truce...” Hecatan replied as she showed her an Occulus. “The the essence of Kaos within my father’s eye."
Nyx snapped her whip, but Erebus retracted it.
"What do you want us to do?" he uttered.
"The girl," Hecatan replied.
Nyx looked at Hecatan with wide eyes. "Jubilee?"
Erebus glanced at his sister.
"Yes..." Hecatan replied. "...the mortal child of Gaia."
"I do not understand..." Nyx continued. "She was purged along with the lifestream."
"A baby was purged with the lifestream... but her aura was kept and its in your possession."
Nyx released a mantle from her hip. It glowed an ominous yellow.
"Jubilee's soul," Hecatan uttered. "For whatever reason, she is alive... and more importantly, apart of the Occulus."
"That's impossible," Nyx growled.
"Maybe not..." Hecatan added. "With Tartarus stalking the multiverse, who knows what else might have crossed the Egress. We have a common purpose to act on. The blood of both my father and yours is in this child."
"We must find her then," Erebus whispered.
Nyx looked up at him.
"Ludicrous!” she replied. “I’ve protected the mantle as I stayed imprisoned within Neoma.”
She turned towards Hecatan.
“You were the one who sealed that fate.”
"As the commander of time, Chronos possess many abilities..." Hecatan spoke. "...as well as your father."
Nyx lifted Hecatan by her throat.
"Speak ill of my father and you’ll never speak another word!”
Nyx applied more pressure.
"Where is my father?” she demanded. “What have you done to Kaos?"
Her eyes glowed like a burning fire. She fastened her grip on the woman.
The Occulus dropped from Hecatan’s hands. It shattered on the ground. Nyx eyes flared up. Hecatan crushed like glass.
"He's safe," a voice spoke as Hecatan appeared from behind a building. "If you would like to see him, you can join him soon enough."
"Foul witch!" Nyx replied. She cracked her whip and flung it at Hecatan.
Hecatan multiplied into three clones. They grabbed the whip in unison. Nyx fell to her knees as they pulled it taut.
"I have no intention of killing you-"
"How dare you," Nyx disputed.
Hecatan approached her slowly. The two clones held the whip.
"Before I let you go, I need you to understand that if you expect to release your father from his prison, you must first reclaim his scepter...”
Erebus approached Hecatan.
“And...” she mentioned. "You must retrieve the final part of the Occulus.”
“Aren’t you holding it?” Erebus uttered.
“You must find the child, Sera."
Hecatan tossed the Occulus to Erebus. A small facture ran through the middle of the orb cracking it from the top of the sphere to the bottom.
"What sorcery is this?" Erebus exclaimed.
Nyx released the whip and Hecatan retrieved it. She returned to one form as she held it.
"The rest of the Occulus is located in the House of Belmont," she instructed.
"Why should we believe you?"
"Your father, Kaos, is currently there. He's watching the child now. Reincarnated from the spirit of Jubilee, the mortal daughter of Gaia is still alive!"
Erebus glanced over at his sister. He then turned towards Hecatan.
"We'll find this girl and reclaim your artifacts."
Nyx pulled at his cloak.
“I believe the witch,” he uttered. “In the abyss, I felt your presence... It was in different though... a creature resurrected by Chronos."
Nyx flustered in bewilderment.
"She aligned herself with Chronos and the other Titans...” he continued. “She has pledged her allegiance to them."
"You must find this woman," Hecatan added. "She might be a product of the Egress. If Tartarus is near, a paradox could be present."
"Let's go to the location then," Nyx agreed, rising to her feet. Hecatan stared at them both as she returned the whip to Nyx.
"One day our paths will meet again and on that day a child will have to fend for the one they love..." Hecatan warned.
She took a step back.
“Until that day, may our goals be aligned and our work steadfast."
A portal opened and Hecatan disappeared.
Nyx and Erebus held one another. They looked in the distanced sky and morphed into an opaque mist.
COUNTERPART
Caretaker
As dusk fell upon the Belmont Estate, the Apex supply truck reached its destination. Sera peered out the window of the truck with amazement. She gawked at the sheer magnitude of the size of the mansion. Green vines wrapped around the building, while tall oak trees towered in a neighboring hinterland. Driving over the cobblestone roundabout, she bounced delightfully in her seat.
"This is the place," Damien uttered. "Ridgehill Sanitorium."
Sera continued to gaze out the window. She pressed her hand against the passenger side glass.
"I didn't realize the world was so beautiful. This place... it’s not like the city."
Damien looked at her and smiled.
As they approached the front of the house, Damien slammed his foot hard on the brake. Sera ejected forward.
"Ugh," she blurted out.
She held her head.
"Sorry," Damien replied. "Still getting a feel for her, I guess."
Sera leaned back. "It's fine...” she insisted. “You got u
s here."
"What now?" he continued. "It's not like we can just knock on the door."
"We'll get inside," Sera replied, turning her hand transparent.
Damien nodded in agreement. "Alright, then... let's do this!"
***
They walked towards the entrance in the front of the main building. Damien noticed the door was unlocked as he reached for the knob and turned it. He took a step back and looked at Sera. She shrugged her shoulders then strobed into transparency.
"Hello?" Damien uttered as he entered into the manor. "Housekeeping."
Sera hit him on his arm.
"What are you doing?"
"Ouch..." he replied. "Improvising. It's what people do when they enter into someone’s homes."
"Stop fooling around!"
Sera made her way to the living room as they walked through the foyer of the mansion. Damien watched as she gazed upon the photographs before her. He took a detour towards the kitchen as the sound of his stomach rumbled.
Sera picked up another portrait. The entire Belmont family was gathered. As she returned the picture to the mantle, she quietly wondered which of the many women was her mother.
On the second-floor landing, footsteps trampled from overhead. Damien rushed from out the kitchen with a sandwich still in his mouth. He grabbed Sers’s hand and dragged her behind a pillar in the foyer.
"Do your thing," he whispered.
From the second floor, a voice cried out. "Hello?"
Clinging to Damien's hand, Sera went transparent.
"Hello?" the voice repeated.
Damien slid from Sera's palm.
"What are you doing?" she whispered.
"It's Ethan!" he replied.
Damien exposed himself as he let go of Sera's hand. Immediately, he covered his eyes.
As Ethan approached from the second floor landing, he walked down the staircase with torn jeans and a shirtless chest. He dried his face with a towel as he approached the bottom of the staircase. He removed the towel and looked at the kids.
"Damien!" he exclaimed.
Damien lowered his hands. Sera revealed herself and came out of hiding. She stood next to Damien.
"Sera..." Ethan continued. "Your... Your both alive!" As Ethan proceeded to walk towards them, Sera took a step back. He noticed her reaction and paused.
"What are you both doing here?" he uttered.
He placed the towel around his shoulders. Damien and Sera both looked away from him.
Raising Sera- Lineage Page 19
